144 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



April, 



bulbs, 5 to 7 inches in circumference at 7j4 

 cents, $375; estimated cost of fuel, labor and 

 interest on greenhouse for four months, 

 ?150— S535. The prices quoted are the low- 

 est wholesale rates per 100; the prices re- 

 ceived at retail were probably not less than 

 50 per cent higher, because no florist can 

 atiord to deal in these perishable goods at 

 less profit than 50 per cent. 



It will be observed that a medium-sized 

 bulb was used, the average being but one 

 flower to each bulb. Many had two and 

 some three, but many went " blind," owing 

 to the high temperature they were grown 

 in. Had they been forced slowly, so that 

 the flowers would have come in during Feb- 

 ruary, March and April, they would have 

 averaged fully five flowers to each bulb, but 

 at these dates, — unless, perhaps, at Easter, 

 — the prices would be much less. It is a 

 mistake to use large bulbs when the flowers 

 of the Easter Lily are to be cut, because 

 fashion now decrees that they must have 

 long stems, and if more than two flowers 

 come on a plaut there will not be more than 

 two developed at once, so that all the flowers 

 cannot be cut with the necessary long stem. 

 If the flowers can be used without stems, or 

 if plants in pots are wanted for church or 

 other decorations at Easter, then the largest 

 bulbs should be used, costing according to 

 size from two to three times as much, many 

 of which will give from 9 to 12 flowers. 



The culture to have the blooms at Easter 

 is exactly the same as for early forcing, ex- 

 cept that the bulbs may be started any time 

 from September 1st to December 1st, and 

 kept at.,aj night temperature of from 55° to 

 60°, with 15° higher in daytime. If wanted 

 to come on more rapidly the temperature 

 can be increased 15° with safety. 



The larger bulbs average from 9 to 12 

 inches, and these, of course, require corres- 

 pondingly larger pots than the smaller size, 

 say from 7 to 8 inches in depth and diameter 

 for the large bulbs, but no matter how vig- 

 orous the growth is, we find it to be the best 

 plan never to shift or repot the plants. If 

 additional food is needed when they are de- 

 veloping their flowers, use liquid made from 

 cow manure, which will not hurt them, no 

 matter how strong it is — we use it freely 

 twice each week." 



Although the data above given from Mr. 

 Henderson's practice is from operations on 

 a large scale, the same rules are equally ap- 

 plicable, no matter whether a dozen or 5,000 

 bulbs are grown. The great claim made 

 for the profit of the high forcing practice, 

 when done for commercial purposes, is that 

 the crop is sold by the middle of February, 

 and in fact might have been sold by the 

 middle of January if the high temperature 

 had been kept up, but it was found with 

 such a large number as 5,000 that the crop 

 had to be held back by lowering the tem- 

 perature (which was an average of about 85° 

 from October 1st to January 15th, when the 

 glut came around) to an average 05° from 

 January 10th to February 15th. 



The question is often asked whether or no 

 any use is made of the bulbs after forcing? 

 After the bulbs are done flowering, water 

 should be withheld for eight or ten days. 

 They should then be placed in a cold frame 

 or sheltered spot, the bulbs packed close 

 together, with sufficient soil thrown over 

 them to fill up the interstices. Then cover 

 with three or four inches of dry leaves, and 

 if in mid-winter they must be covered with 

 sash; if in spring the covering of leaves 

 alone will be sulticient to protect against 

 frost. The bulbs so treated wUl flower freely 

 again in August in the open groimd, but 

 would not do as well to force for the suc- 

 ceedmg winter; if wanted for that purpose, 

 they would requu-e another years growth to 

 be in proper condition; for that reason it is 

 the most economical plan to use the Ber- 



muda bulbs that have been specially grown 

 for winter forcing. 



Evaporated Apples. 



The receipts of evaporated Apples at New 

 York for the year ending September 1st, 

 1888, according to the American Grocer of 

 that city, were 164,947 boxes of fifty pounds 

 each. The exports from the same port were 

 87,935 boxes, leaving for consumption and 

 distribution for home trade 77,022 boxes, or 

 3,631,100 pounds. It would be a very liberal 

 estimate to state that the production of 

 evaporated Apples in all the United States 

 was 300,000 boxes in the current year just 

 past. Should this be so it would show 

 about 213,000 boxes for home consumption, 

 or in round numbers, 10,600,000 pounds, con- 

 sumed by a population now believed to be 

 62,000,000 of people, or say one pound for 

 the whole year to every sixth person of the 

 population, or leaving .50,000,000 of our own 

 people for a field in which yet to introduce 

 this most desirable of stable fruits, and in 

 the most attractive and desirable form. The 

 expansion of this branch of business is by 

 this very evident. The first noticeable use 

 of evaporated Apples began in a small way 

 about ten years ago, before which time they 

 were practically unknown. 



The question has been asked. Has the 

 production of evaporated Apples reached its 

 limit ? The facts now set forth, to say 

 nothing of a demand from all over the 

 world, and yearly increasing, and already 

 showing such exports from our port alone, 

 furnishes the answer and shows that it has 

 not yet anywhere reached its natural limit. 



Feeding for Augmenting the Manure 

 Pile. 



D. N. LONG, ERIE CO , N- T. 



According to analysis bran, oU-meal, Cot- 

 ton-seed meal, malt sprouts. Clover hay, 

 and some other feeds have a very high ma- 

 nurial value, so much so, that it is claimed 

 the manure resulting from feeding them is 

 of greater money value than the first cost 

 price, in this country. Frequently Cotton- 

 seed, although probably the most valuable 

 food produced in large quantities, is largely 

 used in the South as a direct manure, with- 

 out its feeding value being utilized at all. 

 On the other hand Corn, the staple food for 







U 







starting Cucumbers Early. 



stock in this country, has a manurial value 

 of less than one-fourth of that of Cotton 

 seed and much less than of Clover-hay. 



By fattening proves we have the com- 

 bined advantages of producing large quan- 

 tities of excellent food, and by which means 

 all the straw can be utilized with advan- 

 tage as food, and large quantities of ma- 

 niu-e can be bought in the shape of concen- 

 trated foods, which are more than paid for 

 in the profit of the beef produced. Thus 

 we can make manure for nothing, which 

 we can therefore use liberally, resulting in 

 good crops of vegetables, which leave the 

 soil in excellent condition for Wheat and 

 Clover, and the crops of these products en- 

 ables us to derive more profit from farming 

 and to keep more stock whereby an in- 

 creased supply of manure results. By sow- 

 ing Clover largely, we can always have a 



Clover sod on which to manure heavily 

 during the winter, and by turning this un- 

 der in the spring we can probably keep the 

 land in the best possible condition. 



In early seasons with plenty of rain we 

 have frequently made a crop of Clover hay 

 from the soil before time for planting late 

 Cabbage and Cauliflower, which are usual- 

 ly followed the next season by early Cab- 

 bage, and Potatoes, Onions, Beets, Carrots, 

 etc., then seeding to Wheat the same fall, 

 often before the Carrots and Beets are 

 harvested. By sowing Clof er in the Wheat 

 in the spring there is only one year in three 

 devoted to vegetable. 



One important item in the system, is to 

 have good barn and stable facilities, with 

 good water conveniences so that one man 

 can care for from 60 to 100 head of stock. 

 We have all the coarse feed, fed directly 

 from the barn floor level of our bank barn, 

 and with an over-head water tank, holding 

 1.50 barrels of water we can water all our 

 stock right in the stable in ten or fifteen 

 minutes. This water tank is one of the 

 most satisfactory things we have ever tried, 

 it is supplied by a windmill and pumped 

 from a well, and the tank also catches all 

 the water from the barn roof, this alone 

 frequently furnishing all the water needed 

 for months at a time. In the horse stable 

 we have water before the horses in a sepa- 

 rate trough all the time, and which they 

 seem to appreciate. 



By getting Cabbage leaves in pretty late 

 they can often be kept for a long time. We 

 now (Dec. 20th) have enough to feed our 

 stock for a month or two longer that we can 

 keep without putting them in the silo. 



A simple way of Forcing Cucumbers 

 and Melons. 

 Where the season is not long enough to 

 ensure the perfect ripening of Melons, or 

 when vine fruits are wanted a week or two 

 in advance of their natural season, the point 

 may be accomplished by the help of a mini- 

 ature hot-bed beneath each hill of plants. 

 To provide this a hole one foot square and 

 18 inches deep is made were the hill is to 

 come and this is filled with fresh heating, 

 horse manure, as for a common hot-bed, 

 and on this is put a few inches of flne good 

 mellow soil. Plant a few seeds in center, 

 cover lightly and place a tapering block of 

 wood or a six-inch flovi'er pot upon them, 

 packing the soil firmly around it, and thus 

 forming a sort of pit when the wood or pot 

 is withdrawn. Cover with a glass, which 

 remove when plants are well started. 



COMMENTS BY READERS. 



A department to which all are invited to send notes of 

 experience and observation conceiving topics that re- 

 cently have been treated on in this Journal. Many 

 such contributions monthly would be weU^ome. 



Forcing Asparagus. Except as a treat for 

 our own family forcing Asparagus to secure two 

 weeks' earliness will not pay. Besides, isn't Mr. 

 Brown's method figured and described page 104, 

 a very laborious one ? It seems to me that the 

 digging out of these three-feet deep trenches, 

 carting aside the soU, and keeping it separate— 

 the top soil by itself and the subsoil by itself— 

 then getting, preparing and filling in the hot 

 manure, and fixing the sashes, etc., require a 

 deal of labor at a time when we are rushed with 

 spring work, and also when excellent Aspai-agus 

 from more southern States can be had in our 

 markets almost as cheap as seasonable home 

 grown "grass." And then again a few weeks 

 after undergoing all this trouble the whole thing 

 has to be undone,— the scantling and sashes have 

 to be cleared away, the manure pits emptied and 

 the manure carted away, and the soil that was 

 dug out of these three feet deep pits brought 

 back and replaced, and all this to "save" the 

 roots. Yes, three or four years old prime roots 

 that our farmers in Oyster Bay would gladly 

 grow for you for $lo to 820 a thousand. Aspar- 



