1889. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



93 



1,005. Apple Trees for Mississippi. Tin- fol- 

 lowing: varieties can Ix" recommended: For 

 summer. American Summer, (""arolina, .Tune, 

 Early Harvest, Horse and Red Astraehan 

 for fall. Taunton and Fall Pippin; for 

 winter. Tillaijiiah and .Stevenson's Winter.— 

 M. B. Faxon, Siiff'tlh Co., .Vn.s>-. 



1,03.'. SenoTatincr Apple Orchards. Ves; plow, 

 trim, and use larjrely of manure.— M B. F.axon. 



1,014. Grapes in Orchard. I would not ad^^se 

 any one to plant Grape vines bet^veen trees in an 

 orchard, no matter how much fertilizing 

 material they intended to apply.— C. E. P. 



l.nOH. Corn Flower. Centaurea cyanus is the 

 plant referreii to. It is a showy free flowoiinw 

 hardy annual growiupr about a foot and a half in 

 height, and producing it*: variously colored flow- 

 ers in the greatest profusion during tlie summer 

 months. The flowers, which are very useful for 

 cutting, are of ever.v conceivable shade of blue, 

 pink, purple and striped, and the seed can be 

 procured in separate colors or mixed varieties. 

 The plants will do well in an.v common garden 

 soil, and the seed can be sown in a gentle hot-bed 

 about the first of April, or on a nicely prepared 

 border about the first of May: but then they 

 will not flower so earl.v. Sow very thinly or else 

 transplant as soon as they are strong enough to 

 handle, and remove to their blooming places 

 before they become too large. Keep the plants 

 at least 16 inches apart to allow them space to 

 properly develop.— ("has. E. Parnell. 



fl93. Hemerocallis Varieties. Hemerocallis 

 flava and graminea are distinct varieties. Gra- 

 minea is more dwarf and the leaves are narrower. 

 — M. B. FAXdN. 



977. Transplanting Celery. All plants, and 

 especially Celer.y plants, should be transplanted 

 twice at least before they are set where they are 

 to remain.— M. B. Faxon, Sufollt Co., Mass. 



928. Plums, (a) At the last American Pomo- 

 logical Society Meeting Dr. Hoskins of Vermont 

 said that Moore's Arctic was the only hardy Plum 

 he had. It is also claimed to be curculio proof, 

 (c) President Berckman.s believes that the Kelsey 

 Japan will not be profitable further north than 

 the 30th parallel, but is a promising variety for 

 the South. 



939. Cherries. Montmorency of French origin, 

 ten days later than E. Hichmond and sub-acid is 

 hardy and prolific, and together with Dyehouse, 

 which comes from Kentiuky. is claimed to be a 

 week ahead of E. Richmond; hardy, of better 

 quality, and as productive, we think may prove 

 profitable as market fruits. As to the value of 

 Sudas Hardy we cannot speak. 



952. Iris or Fleur de Lis. Their culture is 

 very simple as they only need good soil, well 

 drained during the winter, yet having plent.v of 

 moisture during the summer blooming season; 

 they are impatient of much disturbance at the 

 roots by replanting or otherwise. This applies 

 to the German and similarspeciesmoreespeciallv 

 which are entirely hardy; the Spanish and En- 

 glish sections are too tender for out door culti- 

 vation north of New York City, but are well 

 worth growing in pots for early spring blooming, 

 being potted in the fall as for other bulbs. Direc- 

 tions for the .Japan Iris are given in answer to 

 No. 975, in this and the last issue. 



961. Asparagns Forcing. A satisfactory 

 method is to place strong three year old root 

 clumps in a strong hot-bed, digging them care- 

 fully and packing in the frame quite closely, 

 filling in with light rich soil and watering at fii-st 

 with tepid water, not giving any air until the 

 shoots show, when some may be given each fav- 

 orable day. By this method the plants are ren- 

 dered useful for the future. 



!I64. House Plants. For gas lighted rooms as 

 well as those heated by burning coal there are few 

 plants that last any length of time but among 

 the best are Aspidisti-a lurida and its \ariegated 

 variet.v, Dracena congesta and rubra, Chamtv- 

 rops ekcelsa, Rhapis flabelliformis and the Rub- 

 ber plants <Fici(s rlagtiva\ The leaves of these 

 must be washed off several times a week, both 

 upper and lower sides, in order to be at all satis- 

 factory.— Remle. 



955. Azaleas. The main points in their treat- 

 ment is to give a light position and the soil moist; 

 neither dry nor soggy. 



1,005. Apples for Mississippi. The following 

 kinds are recommended as doing well in the 

 South, and in your particular sectirm may pro\e 

 of value: Summer— Julian, Early Harvest and 

 Red June; autumn — Buckingham, Disharoonand 

 Taunton; winter— Kittageskee, Culhisaga, Caro- 

 lina Greening, Etowah and Stevenson's Winter. 



9.53. Everblooming Plants, strictly speaking 

 there are no everblooming plants, but the follow- 

 ing will yield flowei's a g<.>od share of the time, 

 and from which a selection can be made: Of 

 Climbei-s, Srailax, Passion Flower, ( Vtbea'a scan- 

 dens, Thunbergii, Maurandia, Clematis and 

 Stephanotis, can all be gn twn in pots. The flower- 

 ing plants can include Orchids, Roses, Heliotrope, 

 Gleraniums, Carnations, Pansie-s, and in fact^any 

 plant that one desires.— Remle. 



~9(K1. Azalea Forcing. Begin with a night tem- 

 perature of 4.5° to .50", with 5° or so higher dur- 

 ing the da.v, as more heat may injure the buds; 

 after several months it may go up to (JO*^ or even 

 higher. Stimulate? with weak guano water occa- 

 sionall.v. also use soot water, but be very careful 

 not to over water.— RKAf i.e. 



9.5.'<. Seed Grown Hoses. The seed vessels of 

 each sort arc, when thoroughly ripened, taken 

 off, separately mixed with sand and kept in pots 

 until February, when the seeds are cleaned and 

 sown in light sandy soil, covered about an inch 

 deep in shallow pans or boxes. Place them in a 

 somewhat shady situation, with a uniform t<'m- 

 perature of about .50'=', and do not allow them to 

 become dry. In these months some seedlings 

 usuall.v appear but the most will not vegetate 

 until the following spring. As they become 

 strong enough to remove they should be picked 

 ouf into other pans, kept shaded and watered 

 until large enough to plant out, man.y wiU per- 

 haps oloom the first year, but except the color 

 no certain characteiistics can be known until the 

 second blooming.— <'. (t. S.wel. 



97.S. Liquid Manure. Doubtless the most sat- 

 isfactor.v article tor all general purposes may be 

 made b.v the use of fresh horse or cow manure 

 not too strong. About a peck well stirred in a 

 barrel of watt>r, rain water preferabl.v, and 

 allowed to settle before using. When the barrel 

 is half emptied the rest may have a third of clear 

 water added. It is hardly possible to do harm 

 with this liquid, while guano or other similar 

 fertilizers in liijuid form must be handled with 

 care to avoid injury to foliage or other parts. 



974. Carnation Buds Turning Yellow. This 

 is probably due to over watering which is one 

 great cause of Carnations not doing well in the 

 winter, t'arnations, as with most other plants, 

 only require water when the top looks dry; then 

 a soaking is required and it must be seen to 

 where bottom neat is used, that the lower soil 

 is wet through. 



976. Fruit for the South. Tou will find the 

 information you desire in White's Gardening for 

 the South, a work which also treats on vegeta- 

 bles. Its price is two dollars. 



999. Preserving Fruit. We think that for 

 such purposes the use of salicylic acid would be 

 excellent. An English authority recommends 

 its use at the rate of one ounce to three gallons 

 of water and one pound of sugar heated until 

 the sugar is dissolved. It is claimed that fruit 

 can be preserved for a year with a natural ap- 

 pearance. For various fruits the proportions 

 probably will vary, and experiments with the 

 acid will be necessary to show the extent of its 

 powers in this direction.— Remle. 



1004. Peach Stones Splitting. This has been 



attributed to deficiency of lime in soil.— Remle. 

 1057. Spent Hops as Manure. Hops which 

 have been used in brewing make a valuable fine 

 manure when rotted down to appear like leaf- 

 mold. The best way of preparing them is to 

 expose to the atmosphere where they quickly 

 decompose and become fit for use, the pile being 

 turned frequently. When mixed with potting 

 soil they suit Pelargoniums, Fuchsias, Coleuses, 

 and other rapid growing plants that require rich 

 porous soil, being a good substitute for leaf- 

 mold. As spent Hops produce strong heat, 

 they are used in frames for striking cuttings off 

 rapidly; also for starting Asparagus and Seakale 

 into active growth. If mixed with leaves and 

 stable litter they form a good manure for 

 man.v garden purposes. 



iMi- Starting a Market Garden. Various 

 works on market gardening are to be had from 

 the several horticultural news publishers, among 

 which may be mentioned as desirable, being 

 Henderson's Gardening for Profit, and Garden 

 and Farm Topics, and Brill's Farm Gardening 

 and Seed Growing. I would also ad\'ise the care- 

 ful perusal of the many excellent articles touch- 

 ing on the subject, which haw apj)eared notably 

 in Popular Gaupeninc :iiii1 othn standard hor- 

 ticultural periodicals of the day, thereby gaining 

 the knowledge and profltiug by the experience 

 of others, Ijcaringiumindthatin market garden- 

 ing like any other pursuit upon which one ma.v 

 enter, unacquainted perhaps with many of the 

 smaller but nevertheless important details, it is 

 always best to begin on a moderate scale and 

 enlarge as experience and necessity demand. 

 While competition is very brisk now in most 

 markets (m vegetable and fruit products, yet 

 the ambitious and trul.\- <leser\-ing gardener may 

 content liinis.il' with Ihc thought that remuner- 

 ati\'e i'rici.'s can always lie obtained for A 1 

 articles put up in attractive shape.— G. H. M. 



1,0'27. Begonia rubra Ailing. If the plant has 

 been permitted to become too wetor dr.v at the 

 roots the buds will drop; or it may be becoming 

 exhausted by excessive blooming. In such cases 

 a litili' liiinid manure will be beneficial. If the 

 plant is growing in a cool temperature many of 

 the buds will drop.-C E. P. 



l.Oiil. Liquidized Cow or Horse Manure. For 

 general ]nirposes I don't think there will be found 

 much difference between them. I would use 

 whichever could be readily procured.- C. E. P. 



1,01.1. Maiden Hair Fern 'Wilting. They have 

 been growing in a close, warm, moist atmo- 

 sphere, and this is the reason why their fronds 

 shrivel so quickly after being cut. You cannot 

 remedy this now, but another season gi\'e them 

 more air while growing, and do not keep them 

 so close and warm. Thus treateil the fronds will 

 not be so large, but will have more substance 

 and last much longer after being cut.— C. E. P. 



1.016. Chip Manure Insects. While the insects 

 in the cow manure will notpro\'etobe injurious, 

 I would not advise an.v one to use chip manure, 

 as I am of the opinion that it will harbor many 

 fimguoid or insect pests that might eventually 

 destroy or injure the crop.— C. E. P. 



1.017. Lake Bed for Grape Cuttings. The 

 Grape cuttings will succeed providing the bed 

 does not contain too many shells or stones. You 

 will have to be the best judge of this, and if you 

 are unwilling to run any risk prepare another 

 bed.— ('HAS. E. Parnell. 



1.018. Grafts From Nursery Trees. I would 

 purchase the grafts.— C. E. P. 



1.021. Name of the Monthly Honeysuckle. The 



plant cannot be named from your description. 



l.tf^-^. Blood Peach. Persica vulgaris follis 

 purpuris is no doubt the plant referred to. It is 

 a pretty dwarf tree in spring having leaves of a 

 deep blood red color and which is preserved on 

 the young growth the entire summer. To ensure 

 handsome compact specimens pruning must be 

 resorted to.— < '. E. P. 



l,(lrXi. Coal Ashes as a Fertilizer. I have tried 

 them on Potatoes alongside of phosphate and 

 wood ashes, and find the coal ashes did as well 

 as the wood ashes and nearly as well as phosphate. 

 The tubers raised in coal ashes were very smooth. 

 My farm is moist hill land.— Wm. N. Hott, Hamp- 

 .sftire Co., Mas!<. 



1,010. Bemoving Stones. I own a farm on 

 which st<ine is a familiar object, and I have found 

 it the best policy to make walls of them and cul- 

 tivate the soil.— Wm. N. Hoyt. 



1,033. Benovating an Apple Orchard. My ex- 

 perience with an orchard which was not pruned 

 for 14 years, is that by careful pruning for 10 

 years I have managed to get a respectably good 

 crop. Care should be used not to trim too much 

 the first year.— Wm. N. Hott. 



1.042. Cutting Scions for Grafting. I am not 

 a grafter, but the best results I ever saw was 

 where scions were cut in the spring and immedi- 

 ately set.— Wm. N. Hoyt. 



1,033. Coal Ashes as a Fertilizer. I am of the 

 opinion that these possess a manurial value if 

 spread rather thickly and well worked in the 

 soil. They tend to lighten up heavy land and in 

 this way alone are decidedly beneficial — C. E. P. 



l.O'^e. Scale on House Plants. You can wash 

 them off carefully with common soap suds or 

 with Tobacco, soap and water, which is better. 

 If the fronds of the Ferns are badly infested it 

 will be better to cut off and bum them. After 

 you succeed in cleaning your plants, watch them 

 closely and remove ever.v scale the instant it is 

 noticed. In cases of such pests as these, preven- 

 tion is better than cure.— (;. E. P. 



1,037. Wild Everbearing Baspberry. This 



may prove to be a valuable addition to our list 

 of everbearing or autumnal Raspberries, at least 

 for amateur cultivation. Before increasing or 

 distributing it however, I advise you to wait 

 until another fruiting season, and then send 

 specimens to some of our prominent small fruit 

 growei-s for an opinion as to its merits.— C. E. P. 



1,039. Pruning and Grafting. To answer these 

 queries as fully as their importance demands 

 would occupy more space than could be sjiared 

 in this department. You should by all means 

 procure Downing's Fruits and Fruit Trees of 

 America, and Barry's Fruit (Jarden. and study 

 them up carefully during the winter mouths. 

 Valuable articles have also appeared in Popular 

 (iARDENINO.— C. E. P. 



1.042. Cutting Cions for Grafting. I prefer to 

 cut before hard freezing weather sets in. —C. E. P. 



1.043. Starting a Market Garden. Henderson's 

 Gardening for Profit, Quinn's Money in the Gar- 

 den and Rawson's Success in Market Gardening 

 books that could be studied with profit.— C. E. P. 



970. Black Lice on Chrysanthemums. These do 



injiu'y by feeding on the juices and thus weaken- 

 ing their vitality. The.v ma.\' be destroyed by 

 dipping the infesteil plants in a strong decoction 

 of Tobacco, made by pimring hot water (not 

 boiling) over a quantity of Tobacco leaves or 

 stems, and permitting these to soak in the water 

 for an houror so.— E. S. G. 



997. Transplanting Celery. It is better to 

 prick out yoimg Celery plants in boxes before 

 the final transplanting. The root pruning that 

 takes place during the process stimulates the 

 growth of new fibres close to the base of the 

 stem, and renders the plant better able to endure 

 the removal to its final place. Set the young 

 plants two inches apart m shallow boxes filled 

 with rich compost. Water thoroughly and shade 

 for a day or two.— E. S. G. 



