1889. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



113 



manure in the fall on tlie surface without plow- 

 it unrter, Mr. Thco F. Baker says he prefers to 

 apply manure broacieast in the fall after plowing. 

 This method gives him good reeults. His aim is 

 to store plenty of soluble plant food in the soil 

 water. Most of the members also express them- 

 selves in favor of fall application, and do not 

 fear as much loss of plant food by evaporation 

 or leeching as would occur from the same 

 causes in the barn yard. 



Chemistry and Agriculture. Dr. P. T. Austin, 

 chemist of the Experiment Station, in the course 

 of a most interesting lecture, gave us the grati- 

 fying assuninee that the mineral elements of 

 plant food are not liable to be washed or leeched 

 out of the soil. A solution of phosphates applied 

 to the soil soaks in but leaves its phosphoric acid 

 near the surface. The upper few inches of the 

 soil hold it fast and retain it there until plants 

 appropriate it. Potash when applied in solution 

 sinks in a little deeper, but is held fast there. 

 Nitrates, however, go through the soil as through 

 a sieve, and the excess of it may escape through 

 drains, etc., and be lost. Since phosphorid acid 

 exists in the soil in smaller quantities than pot- 

 ash, neither of which can be replaced by natural 

 agencies, while nitrates are constantly carried 

 down to the soil by rains, or absorbed by the soil 

 fn)m tae air, we see that the soil holds these fer- 

 tilizing substances according to the degree of 

 their rarity. A knowledge of this fact may be 

 used witli profit in the applications of the various 

 plant foods to the soil. 



Xapthaline, Or, Austin calls attention to tl\e 

 new substance "Napthaline" which was formerly 

 considered a waste product, but is now largely 

 used for coloring. This is particularly adapted 

 to kill the lower forms of Ufe, and may prove 

 valuable as an insecticide. It may be imrchased 

 of the N. Y. Coal Tar Co., Warren Street, N. Y., 

 and is a harmless substance, not soluble in water 

 but very volatile. May be put into the soil 

 around the roots of trees without injury to them. 

 Costs about 12 cents a pound and our fruit grow- 

 ers should test its virtues as it may prove to be 

 one of our most valuable fungicides. In conse- 

 quence of its volatile nature a plant or tree 

 might easily be enveloped in an atmosphere of 

 naphtaline, effectually protecting it against 

 fungus and insect attacks. 



Bisulphide of Lime. Bisulphide of lime is also 

 spoken of by Dr. Austin as a valuable deodorizer 

 and antiseptic, and should be more generally 

 used by farmers in stables, outhouses, cellars, 

 etc. There is really no better antiseptic in ex- 

 istence than sulphur (sulphurous acid) but its 

 use in the old wa.v, by burning sulphur, is at- 

 tended with danger and inconvenience. Bisul- 

 phide of lime is manufactured in large quanti- 

 ties, is cheap and has a thousand and one uses 

 around the house and on the farm, and is just 

 the form of sulphur acids to be applied with 

 least inconvenience 

 and risk. It may also 

 turn out txi be effec- 

 tive as a remedy for 

 fungus diseases of 

 trees, like leaf blights, 

 etc. Experiments are 

 in order. 



Bran and Cotton 

 Seed Meal as Uannre. 

 Prof, (ieorge Cofik, 

 director of the Ex- 

 periment Station,says 

 farmers here do not 

 use our waste pro- 

 ducts ai! largely as 

 they should, especi- 

 ally bran. Cotton 

 seed meal, etc., and are An Effective Mode of Crown 

 not willing to pay for Grafting. 



them what foreigners do. Hence Wheat and 

 Corn and Cotton seed is largely exported in the 

 grain, while we should diversify our industries, 

 export the flour, keep more stock and feed more 

 bran, Cotton seed meal and retain for our use 

 the plant food now exported in the grains. 

 Cotton seed meal as a fertilizer is worth all it 

 costs. Feeding it to animals is the most profita- 

 ble way in which to use it. The farmer thus 

 gets part of it in the growth of the animal and 70 

 per cent of its fertilizing elements in the manure. 



CONDENSED GLEANINGS. 



How to Eegraft Old Pear Trees. Fig. 1 repre- 

 sents a tree with a dozen grafts inserted into the 

 lower branches for forming a new rounded head; 

 to prevent the upper branches from reducing 



"iKSftrj 



the vigor of the newly started grafts, a broad 

 ring of bark is shaved from the stem just above 

 the inserted grafts. The next season the portion 

 of the tree above the ring may be sawed off, and 

 the wound covered with grafting wax or shellac 

 varnish, and the grafts will soon take possession 

 and form a well rounded head. The new trees 

 bearing from half a bushel to a bushel of hand- 

 some Pears the third year. If the whole of the 

 tree were to be headed back and grafted the same 

 year, many water-sprouts would 

 spring up among the grafts and 

 a check be gi\'en to the tree. 

 Grafting at the top of the tree to 

 prevent undue shading of the 

 newly started grafts would do 

 for a ti ee of horizontal growth 

 like the Apple, but in an erect 

 growing Pear tree it would throw 

 the new top too high. As repre- 

 sented in Figure 2, where the 

 dozen inserted grafts would be 

 seven or eight feet from the 

 ground; if the lower limbs were 

 worked the following year, the 

 larger grafts abo\e would shade 

 and abstract the vigor from the 

 new ones. Fig. 3 with a naturally 

 horizontal growth has enough of 

 the smaller shoots sufficiently 

 near the ground for forming a 

 new top in the centre above the 

 lowest branches, to allow a por- 

 tion of them to remain till the 

 next year, when the grafting of 

 the whole may' be completed. 

 Fig. f represents a tree of that 

 excellent but crooked grow- 

 ing variety, the Winter Nelis, 

 grafted at standard height on a sti'aight stem, 

 and is thus transformed into a shapely tree; 

 varieties of slender and feeble growth may be 

 placed upon such beautiful growers as the 

 Buffum. Fig. 5 shows a pyramidal dwarf a few 

 .years old, from which aU the branches have been 

 cut, except those into which thrifty grafts have 

 been inserted quite near the main stem in order 

 that the bearing portions may be near the centre. 

 The appearance of such a tree, after a year's 

 growth, is represented by Fig. a, the shoots hav- 

 ing already grown two feet or more, and require 

 the same care and skill as would be needed for 

 other dwarfs.— Country Gentleman. 



The Finest Weigelias. Among the most dis- 

 tinct of the newer introductions is a beautiful 

 dark red called Pecheur ills, somewhat in the 

 way of W. floribunda. Another similar form is 

 Voltaire, a very vigorous grower with large, 

 coarse foliage. None of the recently introduced 

 variegated Weigelias are equal to the old W. 

 variegated nana in effectiveness, although Looy- 

 mansi has a yellowish tinted foliage which is 

 good early in the season. Gigantiflora is only 

 noticeable for a few very large flowei-s. Candida, 

 not strictly new, but is little known, is a strong 

 grower, and produces an abundance of pure 

 white flowers, which gives it precedence as a 

 valuable haidy shrub as, W. hortensis nivea, 

 heretofore our only white form, is not reliable. 

 Another excellent form is Groenewegenii, pro- 

 ducing dark rosy-red tlowersin the greatest pro- 

 fusion. A specimen ten feet high and the same 

 in diameter was, the past season, a perfect ball of 

 flowers. One of the most valuable of the newer 

 Weigelias is Abel Cariiere, a profuse bloomer of 

 a deep rosy ])ink, and a fine grower.— Josiah 

 Hooiies in Tribune. 



Growing Currants. Satisfactory crops of Cur- 

 rants are only possible with good culture and a 

 soil enriched with plenty of manure. Of the 

 large Cherrj' and Versailles Currants, I have 

 found the latter to be the more productive of the 

 two, while the White Grape is the best of all in 

 quality, and for the last decade these three varie- 

 ties ha\e been the most popular. But now 

 Fay's Prolific has been dul.v tried and found to 

 be one of the few new fruits which justified the 

 promises of the advertiser. Such a fruit is a fit- 

 ting monument to any man's memory. A white 

 Currant of as fine flavor as the White Grape with 

 the other merits tif Fay's would be a welcome 

 addition to the list. In black Currants we have 

 not found any great improvements. The most 

 recent addition we have tried is Lee's Prolific but 

 the improvement over the old Black Naples is 

 is very slight. The demand for this fruit seems 

 on the decline, as its peculiar pungent flavor and 

 aroma are disagreeable to most Americans, but 

 when made into jellies or preserves it is distinctly 

 good.— E. Williams, in Garden and Forest. 



An Effective Method of Crown Grafting. Saw 



off the branch at right angles to the stem to be 

 grafted, as at a in the illustration. Then cut a 

 clean slit in the bark through to the wood, as 

 shown— the same as in budding. Separate the 

 bark f rcjm the wood and insert the cion h, one for 

 each slit. The number of slits for each stock 

 will be determined by its size. We will suppose 

 the stock illustrated to be six inches in diameter, 

 and that six cions are to be inserted. The stock 



FiB 2. r.sj 



HOW TO REGRAFT OLD PEAR TREES. 



after receiving the cions is shown at e. A thick 

 paper is wound about the top of the stock ex- 

 tending about one inch above it and securely tied 

 with strong twine, as at d. The space above the 

 stock formed by the inch of paper may then be 

 filled to the top of the paper with a puddle of 

 soil and water. This mud protects the surface of 

 the wood of the stock and excludes the air from 

 the insertions, giving every advantage of wax 

 without its objections. Stocks of any size may 

 be worked in this way, and one, two or any num- 

 ber of cions inserted. — Rural New Yorker. 



Vegetables in Medicine. Asparagus is a strong 

 diuretic, and forms part of the cure f or I'heumatic 

 patients at health resorts. Sorrel is cooling, and 

 forms part of the soup which the French order 

 after a tiling journey. Carrots contain a quan- 

 tity of sugar, so are avoided by some peoide, 

 while othei-s think them indigestible, but it is 

 only the yeUow core that is diflficult of digestion 

 —the outer layer being quite tender. The Onion 

 is rich in alkaline elements which counteract 

 rheumatic gout. If slowly stewed in weak 

 brfith, and eaten with a little Nepaul pepjjer it is 

 an admirable article of diet for patients 4)f seden- 

 tary habits. The stalks of Cauliflower iun'e the 

 same value, but is so ill-boiled and unpalatable 

 that few persons would make part of their meal 

 to consist of so uninviting an article. TurniiJS, 

 in the same way, are often thought to be indi- 

 gestible, but the fault lies with the cook quite as 

 much as with the root. The Lettuce has a slight 

 narcotic action, and when properly cooked is 

 easy of digestion.— Medical Record. 



How Contagious is Yellows^ The first dis- 

 eased one (imi)i)rtedi cou\"eyed tlie raaludj' to the 

 nearest branches of the four which surrounded 

 it, bj' pollen in the wind, through the agency of 

 bees, or by other means; a knife used in pruning 

 a diseased tree gave the malady when used on 

 healthy ti-ees. Peach stones, if sUghtly affected, 

 will carry the yellows to future trees grown from 

 them, but if badly diseased the stones will not 

 grow. We have also known the disease t<i appear 

 in health.y old trees miles from any known 1.0 be 

 affected, which may have been carried by bees. 

 Different degrees of virulence seem to appear in 

 different localities; sometimes it affected but a 

 few trees and disappeared when these were 

 destroyed or it yielded to the copious application 

 of muriate of potash; in other places it has made 

 a clean sweep, imtash remedies or rich soil not 

 checking it in the least.— Albany Cultivator. 



How to Grow Ardisia Crenulata. This is an 

 Evergreen plant of considerable beauty adapted 

 for window culture. It is of erect habit, leaves 

 dark green, flowers reddish violet, small but 

 produced in gi'eat abundance, and are followed 

 by bright coral-like berries, which, with the 

 bright, glossy foliage, makes the plant onc.of the 

 finest tor decorative purposes. It is propagated 



