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POPULAR GARDENING. 



January, 



loose straw, the rotted poi-tion will he duff in and 

 the soil jri\ en a heavy dressing of wood ashes. 

 The canes will then be severely pruned and freely 

 thinned and tied to stalica. I am more than ever 

 convinced that to raise fine berries one must fer- 

 tilize freely, retain but few canes, and head them 

 well back in early spring. My experience is that 

 for home use the following f u rnish an abundance: 

 Hansen for the first of the red^, Marlboro of the 

 same color for later. For black, Gregg is all I 

 desire; and for yellow, Caroline is difficult to 

 excel f c »r productiveness and quality, its darkness 

 being the drawback to its really fine character.— 

 Josiah Hoopes, in Tribune. 



Five Crops a Year at the South. Mr. B. W. 

 Holmes, Norfolk Co., Va., sowed Spinach in Sep- 

 tember; cut and sold the same the next Janu- 

 ary, then plowed the laud and put in Radishes, 

 which were cleaned up April 4tb; after plowing 

 a second crop of Kadishes were sown. About the 

 middle of; April, Canteloupe seed was planted at 

 proper distances among the growing Radishes, 

 and for fear of frost the hills were covered with 

 glass; both crops came off about August 10th, 

 and the hmd was sowed to Millet, which came off 

 inside the 12 months, making five crops in one 

 year from the same piece of land!— The Southern 

 Cornucopia. 



Packing Lettuce for Market. The delicate 

 Cabbage Lettuces sent throughout the winter to 

 our markets, are sometimes objectionable from 

 the fine earth adhering to the roots spreading 

 over the Lettuce leaves. This necessitates the 

 Lettuce being washed, which to many salad 

 lovers greatly injures its flavor. The Cos Lettuce, 

 however, which comes in early spring, is gener- 

 ally packed in paper, as shown in the accompany- 

 ing little cut, and in this way there is no danger 

 of its being soiled by the root-earth. The simple 

 plan is worthy of general adoption in the packing 

 of early Lettuces.- Gardening Illustrated. 



Reliable Strawberries. Crescent, Downing, 

 Sharpless and Wilson are the only varieties rec- 

 ommended for either market or family use in 

 Illinois or Indiana, though of course many other 

 kinds are grown by amateurs. It is estimated 

 that only about 18 per cent of the farmers of 

 these States grow Strawberries for family use, 

 and those who are in the business for commercial 

 purposes are discouraged.— Farm and Home. 



How Foreigners Make Floral Designs. Among 

 the set pieces recently shown in Cologne, one 

 represented a life-size baby in swaddling clothes, 

 and in another a swan was figured by means of 

 the detached petals of Water Lilies. Beyond this 

 last, misplaced ingenuity could hardly go; for, to 

 dismember the flowers employed, is, of course, to 

 deprive a result of all right, even to the name of 

 a floral arrangement.— Garden and Forest. 



About the Giant Zittan Onion. This is said by 

 English autlicirities to be one of 

 the best ( >nions introduced during 

 the last -*0 years. It is of Italian 

 origin, and is somewhat like the 

 Tripoli, but of a chamois-yellow 

 color. The neck is fine for size 

 of bulb, the outer coats are firmer 

 and tougher than the Tripoli, and 

 it is a very good keeper.— Prairie 

 Farmer. 



A Good Market Pea. The Strat- 

 agem is a fine and very salable Pea 

 for mid-season, because of its large 

 size combined with good flavor. 

 Vet for home use some of our older 

 favoiites yield more of an eatable 

 supply from the same space of ^^^^p/^;;^ „^^ 

 ground.— Tribune. for Market. 



California Grape Disease. A new disease has broken 

 out among the vines of the Santa Anna and San Gabriel 

 valleys of California that is termed the sapsour, the 

 cause being unknown; the vines wither and die, and the 

 disease being infeftlous, spreads very rapidly.— Amer- 

 ican Cultivator. 



Le Conte Pear in Florida. We began eating Le 

 Conte Pe;irs early in July, and continued to enjoy the 

 first crop of this delicious fruit imtil along in October, 

 the second crop eomini; later.— Tallahasse Florldan. 



Manuring Asparagus. A heavy dressing of manure 

 means one that covers the crown two or three inches 

 deep. Such an application Is profitable in sections 

 where earliness means big prices.- Farm .Toui'nal. 



How to Soften Putty. A simple but practicable way 

 is to heat a piece of iron and rub it up and down the 

 putty, which will soon soften and can then be readily 

 removed.- Amateur Gardening. 



The Endive-leaved Celery. It grows about five 

 Inches high with a multitude of little stems and luxu- 

 riant leaves, which when blauched are said to be use- 



ful for salads. That may be true. But it is not worth 

 growing.— Rural New-Yorker. 



We hear less and less every year about overdoing 

 the fruit business, for every year It becomes more pos- 

 sessed of the regularity of a well-established business. 

 -Farm and Vineyard. 



Many fruit growers would make good farmers, but 

 few farmers would make good fruit growers, as they 

 have no time to bother witli such little (?) things.— Ohio 

 Valley Farmer. 



Buying or Raising Fruit. Purchasing means going 

 without much of the time; raising means having a 

 cheaper and better article most of the time.— Farmers 

 CaU. 



The Potato beetle, it Is said, has more than twenty 

 species of parasites that prey upon it. —Prairie Farmer. 



One pound of seed will yield about lO.OUO Asparagus 

 stalks.— American Cultivator. 



Plants and flowers are better pets than lap dogs.— 

 Agricultural Epitomist. 



Bear in Mind. Potash is found in all plants.— R.N. -Y, 



Vegetable Products on the Table. 



Cooking Turnips. Boil sliced Turnips in water 

 until tender, then throw off water and boil in 

 milk thickened with flour, adding butter, pepper 

 and salt to taste. 



Apple Marmalade. Peel the Apples, and grrate 

 cores and all. For every pound of pulp, vise one 

 poimd of sugar, boiling and stirring until done. 

 —Mrs. S. Bernstein. 



Date Pie. For two pies take one pound of 

 Dates, one quart of milk and three eggs; no 

 sweetening. Boil the Dates in the milk until 

 soft enough to sift.— P'arm and Home. 



Vegetable Oyster Cakes. Grate good-sized 

 Salsify roots, add milk and flour suflBcient to 

 make a stiff batter, salt, drop tablespoonf uls into 

 hot lard. Fry till brown.— Boston Budget. 



Parsley Vinegar. Fill a jar with fresh Parsley 

 and cider vinegar, cover tightly. After several 

 weeks strain off the vinegar, add salt and pepper, 

 bottle and cork. Use on meats, etc.— Farm Life. 



Onion Soup. Cut Onions fine and stew them 

 with butter; when brown pour on water and 

 season with salt and pepper, and also add Rice for 

 thickening, then boil an hour, and milk maybe 

 added.— Florida Dispatch. 



Pineapple Jelly, Soak three-fourths of a box 

 of gelatine in one and a half cups of water for an 

 hour. Then add one cup of boiling water, a large 

 cup of sugar, and one sliced Pineapple. Keep 

 cool for several hours before ser\-ing. 



CranberryPie withTwoCrusts. Slit unstemmed 

 berries with a knife, to preserve the fresh flavor 

 of the fruit. Use equal quantities of berries and 

 sugar, add two thirds of a cup of water to each 

 pie and a tablespoonful of flour sprinkled over 

 it before the upper crust is laid on. 



Potato Croquettes. Mash boiled Potatoes very 

 finely, add milk, butter, salt and pepper, mix a 

 beaten egg through the Potato and make into 

 oblong shapes. Dip each first in egg and then in 

 cracker crumbs, and frj' in hot lard suspended 

 in a small wire basket while cooking. Drain the 

 grease, and serve.— Kural New-Yorker. 



Dried Apple Cake. Two cupf uls of sweet dried 

 Apides, soaked over night and chopped with two 

 cupfuls of molasses, are simmered two hours; 

 when cold add one cupful of sugar, two eggs, 

 one half cupful of sour cream, sour milk and 

 butter, two tablespoonf uls of soda, four cupfuls 

 of flour, four teaspoonf uls of cinnamon, one tea- 

 spoonful of cloves and one of nutmeg. 



Banana Cake. Put two teaspoonfuls of baking 

 powder with three cups of flour. Thoroughly 

 beat one cup of butter with two cups of sugar, 

 add three eggs, and beat together, stir them into 

 the flour, first adding one cup of milk. Now mix 

 all together lightly, and bake in layers. Make 

 an icing, and when the cake is done spread each 

 layer and then cover thickly and entirely with 

 thinly-sliced Bananas. 



A Rat Proof Platform. After one winter's ex- 

 perience with rat^ we adopted a contrivance 

 which eft'ectually kept rats out of barrels, etc. 

 We made several platforms having blocks of 

 wood, 10 inches high, for supports. On top of 

 each block we placed an inverted tin pan, and 

 whitewiished the blocks and pans. On these i)an- 

 capped blocks we laid boards, on which wc set 

 our barrels. Apples, vegetables, etc.— Prairie 

 Farmer. 



Swiss Apple-tart. Butter a round plain mould, 

 and line with short-paste; fill with Tapioca, 

 mixed with suet; bake, turn it out, and scrape out 

 the Tapioca. Apples stewed with sugar, the peel 

 of half a Lemon and some Cinnamon, are when 



done passed through a sieve, and mixed with the 

 yolks of two eggs; fill the mould with the Apple, 

 and lay strips of paste on the top; bake half an 

 hour. Serve cold with Red Cun-ant or Apple 

 jelly.— English Farm and Home. 



HOUSE PLANTS. 



Alyssum. Attention shoiUd be given to propagating 

 a good stock in season, either by sowing the seed or 

 shipping. 



Begonias. After blooming prune out the older 

 growth, keeping rather dry at the roots. Sometime 

 later they will start. After new shoots have started 

 shake out the present soil, then repot Into the same 

 sized pots, using fresh soil. 



Oallas- They are sul>-aguatlc, so there Is but little 

 danger of over-watering, but do not have them In 

 crocks without drainage, for the soil will be little else 

 than sour mud. Their wants summed up are, very rich 

 soil, good drainage, plenty of wat^r, and not crowded. 



Camellias in the window want a temperature of not 

 over 5(J'^, and their leaves sponged off several times a 

 week. 



Fern Cases. If over-watered the soil becomes soiu*. 

 For several days after watering keep the case some- 

 what open to lessen the excessive state of moisture 

 within. Daily airing is also in order by tilting up the 

 glass when no dust Is moving. 



Fuchsias brought from the cellar at Intervals for 

 succession of bloom should be pruned as needed. Then 

 week or more later, as new leaves show, repot into 

 light rich soil, using pots a size smaller than they were 

 taken from. 



Heat. With burning coal there is no great trouble to 

 keep up continuous warmth. A light wooden frame 

 of a size convenient to handle and covered with paper 

 on both sides, set between the plants and the glass will 

 help to keep out cold. On a cold night a lamp burning 

 near the plants is a benefit. Or place all movable 

 plants on a table away from the window and cover 

 with newspapers. 



Hydrangeas, if wanted specially early, may now he 

 started. But for general use a month or so later will 

 be better. 



Insects. With a few plants the thiunb-nail remedy 

 thoroughly applied does well In the case of the aphis* 

 scale and mealy bug. Red spider cau only be well 

 dealt with a wet sponge or otherwise applying water. 

 A grayish discoloration on the under side of the leaves 

 shows its presence. 



Lemon Verbenna. Grown for Its pleasing foliage, 

 may be treated as directed for Fuchsias. 



Propagation. With a view to having good early 

 plants for spring use, all cuttings of a suitable size can 

 be started in a bos of sand having a warm sunny place. 

 Keep the plants that furnish the slips lather pot-bound. 



Seed Sowing. Mignonette, Petunia. Maurandia, 

 Centaurea gymnocarpa, Stocks of ten week section cau 

 be sown for stroug early plants. 



Sponge off the leaves of all large-leaved plants at 

 least once a week, using tepid water. This Is beneficial 

 to the health of the plants in keeping them free of 

 dust, which otherwise would soon accumulate. 



LAWN AND FLOWER GARDEN. 



Borders. Perennial plants may have manure roughly 

 spread over them . This protects the roots and provides 

 food to replace that used by the past season's growth. 

 Such treatment wall bring finer bloom the next year. 



Hedges of deciduous kJuds might now be clipped. 



Fansies. Where fall sown plants are not at hand 

 seed sown this month will make spring blooming 

 plants. 



Perennials. Delphiniums, Sweet Williams, Holly- 

 hocks, etc., by sowing seed now in the window or 

 greenhouse, with fair treatment until planting out 

 time, will bloom by September. Summer seedlings of 

 these plants should have winter protection. 



Flans. Study up ways and means of making Im- 

 provements about the place at this sea.son, for the best 

 gardens cannot be planted in the haste of spring work^ 

 but during this month of leisure planning should be 

 done, as the success of our work largely depends upon 

 the Intelligence and foresight given to it. Then again 

 early orders receive the first attention at the nurseries, 

 so send them on a month or two in advance of plant- 

 ing time. 



Roses of the hardy class If not earthed up a foot or 

 so may be helped by the use of coal ashes for this pur- 

 pose, and their safety be insured. 



Snow often mjures deciduous or Evergreen Shiubs. 

 and should be shaken out and a light board shelter 



