1889. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



195 



to au inch, the sowing being as uuilorm as 

 possible, as it breaks ground more easily 

 Uvlien a number of seeds are in a straight 

 \n\e. The soil is damp and dark colored, 

 \nd I cover the seed with perfectly dry 

 ■■fted earth, which being light colored, en- 



les me to flU the drill just full and no 



>re insuring a uniform depth. This is a 



d way for ladies in sowing flower seeds. 



•St get the surface of the bed fine and 



~ w, then make little drills with a lath 



Ml has been planed to a sharp edge. It 



be pressed down to accommodate any 



sized seed, and by covering with soil of 



another color, the seed will be evenly 



covered. In sowing seeds either in flats or 



beds, it is a good plan to mark the position 



of each drill on the edge of the flat or by 



small stakes, then if the seed is slow, it 



will not be necessary to disturb such ground 



in looking tor the trouble. However, 



ground in which seed is sown, should not 



be disturbed until after the necessary time 



has been given It to germinate, which of 



course varies with the variety. 



In regard to transplanting I find it is not 

 best to transplant too young. Most writers 

 advise when the first pair of rough leaves 

 have developed , but my experience goes to 

 show that it is better to wait for two pair, 

 and if not too crowded, in the case of Toma- 

 toes still longer, before first transplanting. 

 A strong plant well furnished with roots, 

 not only handles nicer but grows better 

 than a puny infant just out of the seed leaf 

 stage. 



Plants should be graded into at least 

 three sizes in transplanting into flats or into 

 the garden, and then certain rows or boxes 

 will be uniform in appearance and the 

 larger will not overshadow the smaller. 

 The grading should take into account the 

 amount ot root left on the plant as well as 

 size of foliage. 



The Possibilities of aTown Lot. 



MRS. LORA S. LA MANCE, MCDONALD CO., MO. 



Eight years ago we determined to utilize 

 some vacant lots back of our store for a gar- 

 den and orchard. The prospect was not 

 encouraging; no experience, little time to 

 spare, soil poor, clayey, low and undrained, 

 those were the conditions. On one side of 

 the garden lot we planted Plum trees, with 

 Raspberries and Blackberrries between; in 

 the other lot Peach trees In two rows with 

 Grapes between and also on outside row 

 next to the store. The leaves on the Peaches 

 had already started to grow. My husband 

 dug wide, deep holes, placed in the bottom 

 of each a few shovelsfuls of rich black soil, 

 filled up over the roots with the same good 

 dirt, dashed a half bucket of water on each 

 tree and banked the earth around the tree, 

 finishing with a load of chip manure. Not 

 a tree or vine died, and the leaves on the 

 Peach trees did not wither. 



The next year the berries bore and the 

 Grapes, now trellised and under good care, 

 bore a few bunches of very fine fruit. The 

 year following, in addition to Grapes, the 

 Peach and Plum trees had a few specimens 

 of fruit on them. Every year since the 

 Peaches, Plums and Grapes have borne full 

 crops, with the exception of one year when 

 late frosts killed the Peaches. The amount 

 of fruit borne has been marvelous, we hav- 

 ing all the Peaches and Plums needed and 

 Grapes enough for table use and a few to 

 can besides. Beyond regular pruning and a 

 thinning out of the too thickly; set fruit, 

 the trees and vines have received little care. 



Fruit Growing in Kansas. 



"JAYHAWKER." 



I never enjoyed anything like a complete 

 succession of fruits until I cultivated them 

 myself. The Strawberry does well here 



with rejisonable attention; Blackcap Rasp- 

 berry does not ripen its wood properly and 

 often; Gooseberries do well; Currants are 

 almost unknown; Blackberries do tolerably 

 well; the Kittatinny often winter kills and 

 the Snyder sun-scalds at fruiting time. 

 Plums succeed here; Peaches have failed for 

 three years, but now promise well; Grapes, 

 as a rule, do well, this year much of the 

 new wood is killed. 



My greatest delight, however, is my Apple 

 orchard of about 200 trees just coming into 

 bearing. The Apple does not bear as early 

 here as in some places. There is a great 

 contrast between here and the northeast as 

 to varieties. For instance, the much re- 

 jected Ben Davis is a favorite here, hardy, a 

 good bearer and good keeper. The Winesap, 

 also, is an excellent Apple and a good bearer. 

 The Tallawater, Yellow Bellflower, Rhode 

 Island Greening, Northern Spy, Baldwin 

 and some others doing well at the northeast 

 are rather shy bearers here. 



I often readof the wonderful fruit in York 

 state, but some sharpers are thrusting a 

 blow at its good reputation; for instance, 

 some time ago I bought some ''York State 

 Apple and Peach Butter" here at a grocery 

 as a relish for a sick person, but which 

 turned out to be little else than a miserable 

 Pumpkin mush. Since then I have begun 

 to raise my own fruit which we have now in 

 abundance the season through. 



Some Apples for Wisconsin. 



H. M. KIER.STEAD, DANE CO., WIS. 



The Fameuse is one of the most satisfac- 

 tory Apples for this section of Wisconsin. 

 To have them in perfection, the trees need 

 sun, and should not stand too close together; 

 let the soil be rich; application of lime is 

 very beneficial, and the ground should be 

 well cultivated during spring. 



These Apples should not be picked until 

 fully ripe, about first of October, and then 

 handled very carefully. The barrels should 

 be stored in a cool place, and kept in 

 winter, where it is only just above the freez- 

 ing point. Thus you can have Snow Apples 

 juicy and crisp the first of March. They are 

 excellent baked, for sauce, and pies. 



To make them look particularly nice, rub 

 them with a soft dry cloth till they shine. 



The Talman Sweet is another good Apple 

 for this section and with the same care that 

 we give the Fameuse will keep in good con- 

 dition until March, but the barrels should 

 be headed up to keep Apples from shriveling. 



The Application of Fertilizers. 



Bonedust flour and most other commer- 

 cial fertilizers when fresh are, and should 

 be, quite dry, so that people find it often in- 

 convenient and rather wasteful to apply 

 them broadcast in the usual method of sow- 

 ing by hand. The fertilizer attachment 

 which now goes with any good grain drill, 

 distributes such fertilizer in a perfect way, 

 and without waste, and there are also sepa- 

 rate fertilizer drills in the market. This 

 machine method has its advantages over 

 hand application It not only distributes the 

 fertilizer evenly, but also stirs it into the 

 soil ; and as for the application of larger 

 quantities, the ground can be gone over re- 

 peatedly, and if each time crosswise or di- 

 agonally of the previous application, the 

 mixture of soil and fertilizer will he made 

 thorough. 



The extensive planter, as in all similar 

 cases, has an advantage over the gardener, 

 whose limited operations hardly allow him 

 the use of machinery. But even, if compelled 

 to resort to hand application of fertilizers, 

 the gardener has a way out of the dilemma. 

 All that is needed, is to moisten the fertiliz- 

 er sufficiently, just before applying it, so the 

 I wind will not carry it oft in dust form. 



Put a layer of the stuff Into a tight box, 

 or on a tight barn fioor, and sprinkle it with 

 water, then put another dry layer upon it, 

 and sprinkle again. Now shovel the whole 

 mass over repeatedly uiitil thoroughly 

 mixed, and uniformly damp enough for con- 

 venient handling. The whole matter is so 

 very simple, that there is no need of people 

 sowing dusty fertilizer in a dust-laden at- 

 mosphere, filling their lungs and clothes 

 with the disagreeable stuff. 



For application to the drills or rows also, 

 there is no reason why the same plan should 

 not be followed. The greater convenience 

 in handling damp fertilizer, freedom from 

 dust, and avoidance of waste — these are ad- 

 vantages well worthy of consideration by 

 every gardener, whether he operates on a 

 large or small scale. 



The harrow should always soon follow 

 after broadcast application of fertilizer by 

 hand. It is important that the latter be thor- 

 oughly mixed with the surface soil. 



General Notes and Items. 



Queer Attack on Botanical Names. 

 D. W. Adams at the last meeting of the 

 American Pomological Society fired a 

 senseless shell at "Botanical Names" which 

 created much amusement, and aroused con- 

 considerable opposition. It was a so called at- 

 tack on the "Linnajan Volapuk" ot scientific 

 botany. He opposed the use of dead lan- 

 guages for describing fruits and plants be- 

 cause not five in a thousand could under- 

 stand it. Every plant, he said, had five 

 distinct jaw-breaking names, and this jar- 

 gon is an obstacle to every fruit grower. No 

 fruit or flower with a big botanical name 

 can ever become popular. The Anjoti Pear 

 had been handicapped in this way, but the 

 Bartlett had lost its foreign title in crossing 

 the ocean. Is the science of botany ever to 

 be monopolized by a select circle or clique 

 or shall a society of this nature apply the 

 remedy? "I ask for a botany in English. I 

 stand here to demand the whole thing 

 spread in our mother tongue. Let us have 

 an English botany for an English speaking 

 people." But the innovation found many 

 opposers. Mr. F. Temple, of Massachu- 

 setts, was unwilling to have the paper go 

 out unprotested. " You can't handle the 

 plants of the world unless you use what is 

 called scientific botany. In a local com 

 munity it might do but how shall we nur- 

 serymen order stock from France and other 

 countries where English is not spoken by 

 this plan" C'ut down names but have any- 

 thing that may distinguish the variety. 

 Instead of five names for each plant only 

 two are used as a matter of fact. We must 

 have a name that can be used the world 

 over." Rev. Mr. White said, "the same 

 objections lie against every science you 

 can name." Dr. Moore believed in clear cut 

 scientific terms; names .should be angol- 

 ci.sed and simplified. Dr. Neal thought the 

 proposed reform could not succeed until 

 Volapuk became the universal language. 

 The convention was apparently opposed to 

 the change and President Berckmans fin- 

 ally shut oft the debate. 



Apples Running Out. Mr. Miller writes: 

 It will take years to convince me of the above 

 which some contend is the case. I have in 

 my cellar Bellflower, Winesap, Newton 

 Pippin, and Rhode Island Greening, as fine 

 in size and quality as they were (iO years 

 ago in Pequa Valley, Lancaster Co., Pa., 

 where they were then grow n in perfection. 

 Rambo, Romanite and Vandevere are also 

 very superior here. Whenever people talk 

 about their having served their time, and 

 that they have deteriorated, it means that 

 there is something wrong in the soil or the 

 health of the trees. 



When I came to this place there were old 

 trees with dead limbs, some having big holes 



