1889. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



155 



To have Squash seed pure the Squashes from 

 which they are taken must have been grown in 

 an isolated locality. Where different varieties 

 are grown in the same locality, and it is desired to 

 keep any one variety pure, it may be accom- 

 plished by preventing any male flowers of the 

 other varieties from maturing. The fruit from 

 any particular blossom may be kept pure by cov- 

 ering with a screen, removing only to fertilize 

 with pollen from a male Uower of its own vine. 

 Many people professs to classify Squashes as to 

 male or female from their appearance of the 

 calyx end of the Squash. This is impussiblc, as 

 every individual seed in every Squash contains 

 the two se.ves in itself in its capacity to produce 

 male and female flowers. 



Hardy Herbaceous Plants of Merit. 



[Paper read by Qeorge EUwanger before the Western 

 New York Horticultural Society.] 



Although hardy flowers do not come un- 

 der the title of ornamental shrubs, they are 

 many of them, after all, ornamental shrubs 

 in miniature, and some of them of larger 

 habit than not a few of the arborescent 

 growths that adorn the garden. Certainly 

 no ground, however limited in extent, can 

 do without some hardy perennials. A place 

 deprived of hardy flowers is a house with- 

 out pictures, a landscape without sun. 



Both ornamental shrubs and hardy flowers are 

 required for the outward adornment of the 

 home; neither can be dispensed with. But hardy 

 flowers, somehow, are often considered as diffi- 

 cult to grow, and are thought to require the con- 

 stant attendance of a gardener. Where the 

 grounds are of considerable extent, and the col- 

 lection is large, the latter opinion may hold good. 

 But for places of ordinary extent where hardy 

 plants are grown the care required is compara- 

 tively slight. Some care they assuredly require 

 —nothing that is worth having takes care of 

 itself. Numerous species there are which call 

 for special treatment. Many foreign plants and 

 some natives are always difficult to grow. Some 

 are capricious as to soil and shade; some demand 

 an especial climate; some are too tender to suc- 

 cessfully withstand our winters. On the other 

 hand a large number of the most desirable hardy 

 flowers are very easily grown; and scarcely need 

 attention after they once become established. 



Most good garden soils will grow good garden 

 flowers; and with proper soil to start with, an 

 annual manuring, an occasional stirring up of 

 the surface, and attention to watering during 

 the extreme dry weather, the flowers will seldom 

 fail to perform their part. Some strong-growing 

 subjects there are which will prove exhaustive 

 to the soil, and these may require future trans- 

 planting or diWding. Some species require 

 renewal through fresh species or cuttings. A 

 largo majority of hardy flowers, however, con- 

 tinue to increase in beauty year by year. 



By herbaceous plants is meant such plants as 

 die down in the autumn and renew themselves in 

 the spring. To describe all desirable herbaceous 

 plants, even briefly, would require a large vol- 

 ume. The space accorded me is limited; and I, 

 therefore, in this instance, merely refer briefly 

 to a few species, supplementing these with a list 

 of some among the many others which may be 

 cultivated to advantage. Perhaps the most sat- 

 isfactory manner of growing hardy flowers is in 

 borders, by themselves, where the roots of trees 

 and shrubs may not interfere. 



Some of the more robust species, like the 

 Pa'onies, the large Japanese Anemones, etc., may 

 find a place in the foreground of the shrubbery. 

 The lawn should not be broken for plants, unless 

 it be large enough to admit of a bed or two of 

 really desirable flowers, or a group of the large 

 ornamental grasses, like the hardy Japanese 

 EulaUas. In planting it is well to plant thickly, 

 so that bare spaces may not obtrude. So, also, 

 spring and summer-blooming flowers should be 

 alternated, in order that the border may at 

 no season suggest a dearth of bloom in large in- 

 dividual portions. Monotonous planting will be 

 avoided; grouping will be carried out here and 

 there, and contrasts of color carefully studied. 



Both the tree and herbaceous Pa;onies will And 

 a place in the shrubbery and flower-borders, and 

 Koses, Lilies, Larkspurs, Phloxes, Columbines, 

 Campanulas, Irises, Hemerocallis, Poppies, Funk- 

 ias, Helianthus and a host of other hardy flowers 

 will extend the flowering season. Subjects like 

 the Azalea, which require special treatment and 

 are always more or less effected by our rigorous 

 climate, I have not included. 



Among the medium and tall gi-owing plants I 

 would specify: Aiiuilegia Chrysantha, Aqnilegia 

 Ccerulca, many of the Campanulas, Clematis 

 erecta, many of the Delphiniums or Lark- 

 spurs, Funkia grandiflora, Funkia Sieboldiana, 

 Funkia Japonica, the red and white Dic- 

 tamnus. Coreopsis lanceolata, Papaver 

 orientiile bracteatum, Hemerocalis flava, 

 Monarda didyma, Lathyius grandiflorus, many 

 of the German and Japanese Iris, Hesperis ma- 

 tronalls fl. albo pi., Platycod<m grandirtorum, 

 Helianthus multiflorus fl. pi., Helianthus orgy- 

 alis, Helianthus Uoronicoides, Helianthus rigidus, 

 Helianthus decapetalus, Spiriva aruncus, Spiriva 

 fllipendula,Spiriea venusta,Spira3aulmaria fl. pi.. 

 Statice latifolia, Lilium candidum, Lilium ex- 

 celsum, Lilium tigrinum, Lilium Chalceodoni- 

 cum, Lilium umbellatum, Lilium Japonicum 

 longiflorum, many of the Pyrethrums, the two 

 Japanese Anemones, Lychnis Chalcedonica, Ech- 

 inacea intermedia, Centaurea glastifolia, Silphi- 

 um perfohatum, Hyacinthuscandicans, Chrysan- 

 themum maximum. Subjects like the SUphium 

 and the taller-growing Sunflowers or Helianthus 

 are more suitable for the shrubbery, or placed 

 in the background. 



Among smaller plants, Violets, Cowslips and 

 Primroses are best placed in beds by themselves 

 where they may receive partial shade. The 

 Primrose family is especially adapted for the 

 rock garden where the plants form dense cush- 

 ions of bloom. Indeed many dwarf plants may 

 be grown to the best advantage in the rock- 

 garden; but not a few may be appropriately 

 placed in the foreground of the flower-border. 

 All of the following are charming small hardy 

 flowers. Adonis vernalis, Silene alpestris, Saxi- 

 fraga cordifoh'a, SaxJfraga cuneitolia, Saxifraga 

 Schmidtii, Sanguinaria canadensis, TriUium 

 grandiflorum. Ranunculus bulbosus. Phlox 

 emoena. Phlox proeumbens. Phlox subulata. 

 Phlox subulata alba. Locus corniculatus, Iberis 

 corifolia,Iberissempervirens, Iberis Gibraltarica, 

 Iberis jucunda, Hepatica triloba, Cypripedium 

 spectabile, Cypripedium pubescens, Doronicum 

 caucassicum, Convallaria majaeis, Astilbe Jap- 

 onica, Anthericum liliastrum, Saponaria ocymoi- 

 des. Gold and Silver-leaved Thyme, Daffodils. 



Among the ornamental grasses should be in- 

 cluded Eulalia Japonica, Eulalia Japonica Ze- 

 brina variegata, Erianthus Kavennte, Airafol. 

 var., and the variegated Arundo. The Rose 

 would require a separate paper to do justice to 

 its manifold forms and varieties. I have men- 

 tioned but a very few of the very many desirable 

 hardy herbaceous plants; but enough to render 

 any garden beautiful from early spring until late 

 autumn. Little care, indeed, they call for— these 

 nui-slings of nature— compared with the beauty 

 they bring. Year by year they renew their youth 

 and draw loveliness from the mould of spring. 



The Delaware Fruit Exchange. The 

 Result of a Season's Work. 



IRejiort to Pomona Oraiit/i', by J. W. Taylor.] 



The E.xchange is an assured fact, and only 

 needs the application of strict business prin- 

 ciples and methods to make it a successful 

 business venture. It has already been dem- 

 onstrated that it meets the highest hopes 

 that its progenitors ever entertained in re- 

 gard to its bringing us a local market for 

 our farm produce and especially for our 

 fruits. 



We have had, since the opening of the Ex- 

 change, the best market for our Peaches and 

 other fruits that we have ever had; dealers have 

 been brought to us, though there are those who 

 declare that this would be the case anyway; but 

 the Exchange was the first supporter of the plan 

 to bring the buyers here, and in the work of 

 organizing the Exchange it was necessary for 

 some one to take some risk and responsibil- 

 ity, and those who conducted the Exchange 

 in its infancy were the persons who have 

 borne the expense of upholding it and of 

 giWng us this needed reform in handling 

 fruit, and the many have thereby been benefitted, 

 but in many cases proper credit has not always 

 been, even conceded. It should now be made a 

 financial as it has been a general success. Hoiv 

 to do this is practically the real question. 



It is positively necessary that enough of the 

 growers should be banded together under its 

 organization to control sufficient fruit to make 

 it to the interest of dealers to patronize the Ex- 

 change; we have the power in our hands. 

 Wherever the fruit is there the dealei-s must 



come. The fruit growers can place the fruit on 

 sale at the E.xchange buildings, on the street, or 

 anywhere they choose, and there the market 

 will be. 



Another cause for lack of complete success is 

 neglect on the part of the board of directors. 

 Too often the secretary has had to confront the 

 opposition of all adverse interests single-handed, 

 and yet we can't blame the directors for they 

 cannot afford to spend their time at a busy 

 season of the year, in running an institution on 

 the principles of charity. Still some of f)ur di- 

 rectors have already spent much time in this 

 enterprise that has redounded to the benefit of 

 the whole communify and indirectly benefltted 

 those, in nmny cases, who gave it least sujiport. 

 Where a community is benefited by any set of 

 men, let the community bear the just expenses 

 of the organization, and give financial support. 

 Then again the Exchange has worked too 

 cheaply. In the matter of " handling fruits " the 

 Exchange takes all risks in making change and 

 is paid $1.00 per car load of Peaches, besides giv- 

 ing the buyer a book costing i:i cents. This ruin- 

 ous rate should be doubled. Business institutions 

 should be run on business principles, and one of 

 the safest of those principles is that a business 

 must be made to pay its own expenses. 



While we cannot afford to part with the Ex- 

 change, it would prove a surer financial success 

 if the control of the same were put into fewer 

 hands. All business committees should be 

 reduced to the lowest possible number that the 

 institution may not be cumbersome in its work- 

 ings, and only those be entrusted with its 

 management who have financial interests in it. 

 The rates for working should be raised, and 

 some means be adopted to secure a closer and 

 more determined co-operation of our fruit 

 growers. 



A cash capital also should be raised to meet 

 immediate demands at all times, and then our 

 Exchange would yet prove to be the growers' 

 best friend. Let us co-operate, and prove once 

 for all that " we know our rights and dare main- 

 tain them." 



Practical Market Gardening. 



[Paijer reatl by Win. D. Philbrick, before the Fanners* 

 Meeting in Boston.] 



Distance from Market. Where the more 

 bulky and heavy products are grown, one 

 of the first essentials is nearness to a large 

 market, although of late years the facilities 

 for communication by electricity and trans- 

 portation by steam are so great, that many 

 of our heavy and cheap vegetables, such as 

 Potatoes, Cabbages, Squashes and Onions, 

 and even Celery are transported considerable 

 distances; the advantage offered by cheaper 

 and better soil and cheap labor at a distance 

 overbalancing the cost of transportation and 

 commissions. There are, however, many of 

 the perishable vegetables for summer use, 

 which will not bear long journeys in warm 

 weather, and must always be grown near 

 where they are used. Such are Lettuce, 

 Greens, Summer Cabbage, Tomatoes, Green 

 Peas, String Beans and the like. 



Many of these articles indeed are transported 

 in winter and spring from the south to the north- 

 ern markets, but the native grown crops when 

 they come are so much superior in quality that 

 they speedily drive out all competition. On 

 market gardens within less than six miles of a 

 market, the vegetables grown ai'e usually Let- 

 tuce, Radishes, Spinach, Kale, Cabbage, Greens, 

 Dandelions, Rhubarb, Onions, followed on the 

 same land by Early Cabbage, Cucumbers, Melons, 

 Squashes, Tomatoes, Egg Plant, Peppers, Pars- 

 ley, Celery, Horse Radish, Salsify or Oyster 

 Plant; and for fruits. Strawberries, and Hasp- 

 berries and Pears. At a little greater distance 

 from market some of the above named vegeta- 

 bles and fruits are grown, together with Green 

 Peas, Beans, Sweet Corn, Asparagus, Winter 

 Cabbages, and for fruits. Strawberries, Rasp- 

 berries, Blackberries, Grapes, Apple.'*, Pears and 

 Plums, although many of these are grown at 

 distances of from 40 or (iO miles from market, 

 where there are good facilities for tnmsportation 

 by rail, and favorable conditions as to soil. 



The Best Soil. In general a good deep loam 

 is best, if with sandy subsoil it will suit early 

 crops best; if with clay or peat subsoil it will do 

 best for late crops, such as Horse Radish and 

 Celery. Good land near Boston is scarce, and 



