1 66 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



May, 



rivers and mountains, spots where the hand 

 of man cannot destroy. Therefore, insect 

 life multiplies to the almost complete de- 

 struction of this necessity of the health and 

 happiness of the human animal. 



The "tent caterpillar" uses the Black 

 Walnut tree as its choicest harbor. Cut 

 them down and these pests make the Apple 

 tree their next choice. 



The Black Locust is the choice tree upon 

 which the "borer" operates. Cut them, 

 and the borers attack also the Apple tree. 



These three of our most valuable trees- 

 Walnut, Locust, and Cherry, are among the 

 greatest harbors of our enemies, and at the 

 same time protectors of our orchards. There 

 are also many plants and flowers in nature 

 called by naturalists "carniverous" which 

 are appointed by nature to keep these insects 

 in check and which cultivation necessarily 

 exterminates. Who of you early settlers 

 that does not remember with a sigh of re- 

 gret the beautiful fruits In perfection that 

 we first enjoyed while yet half the wilder- 

 ness remained ? The air was filled with the 

 music of birds — where are they ? Few rematn. 



Where are the beautiful flowers that 

 adorned the prairies and made the heart of 

 man happy and joyous? All gone, except a 

 few poor specimens starving for society in 

 some neglected corner. What have we in 

 return? Dry, hot summers, half crops, 

 withered vegetation, a few stunted fruit 

 trees constantly decreasing when they 

 should be flourishing in youth, and beauty. 

 Sickly desolation instead of the former 

 freshness and loveliness. To bring back 

 the former state of luxuriance, instead of 

 cutting down and cultivating every availa- 

 ble spot that can be spared; protect what 

 few birds we have and try every means to 

 induce others to come and help us to recover 

 the equilibrium of natiure. 



the latter, in the great majority of cases, 

 might be cured by such simple means and 

 made to bear fruit for many years to come. 

 Fooling with trees nearly dead, will pay no 

 more in New Jersey than in Michigan. 



Another New Gooseberry. 



The variety introduced this Spring by 

 John Charlton of Rochester, under the 

 name of Golden Prolific, is an American 

 Seedling, but undoubtedly of the English 

 type. Its foliage is a dark dull bluish-green , 

 and its wood when young unusually spiny. 

 The fruit is large, of a deep golden yellow 

 and good quality. The plant seems to be a 

 prolific bearer, and less liable to mildew 

 than most English sorts. The Introducer, 

 who gives us this discription, although hav- 

 ing great faith in the merits of this fruit, 

 writes that he does not wish to speak extrav- 

 agantly in praise of any novelty until it has 

 been subjected to more tests than the 

 Golden Prolific has as yet been given. It 

 is being tried at the Popular Gardening 

 Experiment Grounds. 



Peach Yellows: The Point of View. 



The criticism of Professor Smith's paper 

 on Peach yellows in the February number 

 should be considered solely from the stand- 

 point of eastern people, and in relation to 

 the version of the question given on New 

 Jersey soil where Peach trees affected with a 

 disease having every known symptom of the 

 true yellows have so often been permanently 

 cured by the potash applications. Any man 

 will believe his own eyes quicker than he 

 will the report of other people, especially at 

 a considerable distance. 



The disease raging in Michigan (we have 

 no reason to doubt the testimony given by 

 Michigan Peach growers) must be of a 

 much more virulent and malignant char- 

 acter than the New Jersey yellows, and if 

 it, for some reason, cannot be stamped out 

 by the remedies often used in the east with 

 telUng effect, nor with any others, why, 

 the axe must have its sway. 



But don't let us compel New Jersey peo- 

 ple to cut down their diseased trees, when 



Spraying Fruits Warmly Recom- 

 mended. 



J. N. STEARNS, KALAMAZOO CO., MICH. 



After having experimented vrith spraying 

 Grape vines, Apple, Pear, Plum, Cherry and 

 Quince trees, I am fully convinced that a lit- 

 tle time can not be employed to greater profit 

 to the fruit grower than that spent in spray- 

 ing all kinds of fruit trees with arsenical 

 poisons. I like London Purple as it stays 

 in solution best, and I will here say, there 

 is more danger in getting the solution too 

 strong than not strong enough. 



One pound of good- London Purple is suf- 

 ficient for 200 gallons water, for Apples; for 

 Plums .50 gallons more of water should be 

 added. The experience of others seems to 

 correspond with my own, and proves that 

 spraying not only heads off the Codling 

 moth, but appears to destroy the fungus, 

 which produces the scab, or black spots on 

 the surface of Apples and Pears. It is also 

 sure destruction to the slug, which is so 

 often destructive to the leaf of the Pear, 

 Plum, Cherry and Quince. 



For the Apple, Pear and Quince the 

 spraying should be done very soon after the 

 blossom drops, and if thoroughly done, and 

 no heavy rain immediately follows it will 

 be found effectual, although it will pay to 

 repeat the application about ten days later. 

 Plums and Cherries should be sprayed once 

 before the blossom begins to fall, and fol- 

 lowed up once a week for sLx weeks. 



Of a large crop of Pears we raised the 

 last season, and sprayed as above, we had 

 none wormy or scabby, and no worms in 

 our Cherries. 



The fruit will also bring a better price, 

 besides the pleasure in handling such fruit. 

 I am now using the NLxon Nozzle, which I 

 much prefer to any I have seen, as it cuts 

 the spray up to such a perfect mist there is 

 no danger in injuring the foliage. 



Notes on Fruits. 



SAMUEL MILLER, MONTGOMERY CO., MO. 



Within the last ten years we have had 

 several winters that played havoc with the 

 Apple orchards, even as far south as North- 

 ern Illinois. It was thought that the new 

 Russian varieties would fill a great need ; but 

 some disappointment has been experienced 

 with them. Some are subject to blight; 

 few seem to be long keepers, while, as a 

 rule, they are sadly deficient in quality. 



I notice that some have adopted the mode 

 of growing hardy Russians for stock, and 

 top-grafting them with our best varieties. 

 This will be a great help, no doubt. 



Some forty years ago I saw in an old 

 pasture field in Lebanon Co., Penn., three 

 Apple trees, at least thirty inches in diam- 

 eter, each one having quite a bunch about 

 two feet from the ground. From the owner 

 I learned that these three trees were grafted 

 above ground, while the rest of the orchard 

 were common root-grafted trees from the 

 nursery, and the latter have all died and 

 were removed years before, whUe the three 

 remaining looked as though they might last 

 ten or twenty years longer. Whether they 

 had been grafted on natural stocks, or on 

 the same as the others, he could not say; nor 

 does this make any difference. 



Some varieties are much hardier than 

 others; and if the hardy kinds are used for 

 stocks, and the choice ones top-grafted on 

 them, they will also be much hardier than 

 on their own foundation. I have seen a top 

 of a tender variety fresh and sound, and 

 leaving out in spring where the stem was so 

 damaged by the cold that the tree died. 



Observation also teaches that top-grafted 

 trees come into bearing earlier than those 

 grown from the root. Top-grafting seems 

 to have the same effect as girdling. It 

 somewhat retards the return flow of the 

 sap and forms blossom buds. 



Some of the hardy Russians that are sub- 

 ject to blight might be used if they remain 

 healthy long enough to take a graft. I once 

 imported a lot of Dwarf Pear trees from 

 France, thirty-two varieties, some with 

 names as long as my arm. Some did well 

 while others were utterly worthless, soon 

 attacked by leaf blight and bearing scabby 

 and cracked fruit. Upon some of the most 

 affected I grafted Autumn Melting; the 

 grafts grew well. Some of the limbs had 

 perfect foliage and splendid fruit, while on 

 the same tree and almost touching were 

 the miserable, scabby, cracked Pears and 

 deseased foliage. This shows that an un- 

 healthy stock can be improved by putting 

 a healthy top on it. 



From present Indications we will have a 

 fair chance for another crop of fruit. The 

 crop of Apples last year seems to have over- 

 stocked the market here and abroad. The 

 great trouble is to get the fruit among the 

 people, for there are thousands who seldom 

 get an apple, simply because the railroad 

 freights, commission, and retailer's profit 

 make the price too high for the poor class 

 to buy, even if the producer don't get even 

 a paying price for his fruit. 



I would advise any one going into the 

 fruit business to look well to the outlet for 

 his production, as it is the chief matter of 

 importance to sell at a paying price. 



It is a mistake to think that the large city 

 is the place to sell best. The reverse is the 

 case. I live but one hundred miles from 

 St. Louis, and have been growing fruit here 

 for nearly twenty years, yet in all that time 

 I only sent five consignments of fruit there, 

 and each time received less for it than in 

 the smaller towns in the interior of the 

 state. Neither was my fruit of inferior 

 quality, for I don't send that kind. Plant 



Uoine-Made Mole Trap. 



good varieties, cultivate well, don't let them 

 overbear; then sell as near home as possible, 

 avoiding express charges, commission, etc. 

 As a rule, these two items take half of the 

 receipts, while the grower has to raise, 

 gather, and pack for the other half. The 

 man who can devise a plan, whereby the 

 grower can obtain what he earns in growing 

 fruit, will deserve a monximent. 



The home market gives the profit; last 

 summer Wild Goose Plums rotted by the 

 bushel under my trees, because they only 

 brought $1.00 in the city, just what the 

 boxes, express charges, and commission 

 amounted to. I sold a few at home, but 

 gave many more to the neighbors. If I 

 could get a dollar a bushel for WUd Goose 

 Plums, would undertake to make a fortune 

 in ten years out of them. 



How to Catch the Ground Mole. 



Living almost exclusively on a diet of 

 grubs and worms, the ground mole as an 

 eater is really a friend of the gardener, but 

 in its efforts to procure its food, and as a 

 burrower,it often becomes very ti'oublesome. 



:^, 



