202 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



June, 



Some Insect Enemies. 



L. F. ABBOTT. ANDROSCOGGIN CO., SIE. 



Now the Apple tree borers can be success- 

 fully hunted. They commence eating the 

 wood soon after the leaves begin to put out 

 in earnest. The little bunches of red saw- 

 dust-like castings at the base of the tree 

 indicate the presence of the worm which 

 will always be at a point lower down than 

 their exudations, unless he has passed the 

 most destructive period of his existeuce,and 

 turned in towards the heart of the tree. 

 At this stage the borer can best be reached 

 by a flexible wire, otherwise a sharp-pointed 

 knife and a keen-edged gouge are the best 

 tools to follow with while near the surface 

 of the wood. If trees are examined care- 

 fully about the 10th of June, and again the 

 middle or last of August, and all the worms 

 cut out and destroyed, the orchard can be 

 rid of this pest. 



The flat-headed borer is a sly rascal, and 

 loves a sunny exposure. He is on the alert 

 as soon as vegetation awakes from its inert- 

 ness, and when the Apple trees get warmed 

 up in late spring, our flat-headed trunk 

 borer wags his powerful jaws, and without 

 making much visible signs, works mischief 

 upon the trunk and large limbs of the 

 Apple, Maple and other trees. 



The insect remedy against the ravages of 

 this insect is to set and prune the trees so 

 the tops will shade the trunks. This may 

 be done by slightly inclining the tree to the 

 south when set, and pruning to shade that 

 side of the trunk. From the circumstance 

 that the beetles of this family of insects fly 

 only when the sun shines bright and warm, 

 and that they always choose a sun-exposed 

 surface on which to deposit their eggs, indi- 

 cates the proper course to pursue to prevent 

 their lodging in our Apple trees. 



The flea beetles are a numerous tribe of 

 insignificant little fellows, but their lack in 

 size they make up in numbers, and their 

 ubiquitous presence. They always happen 

 to be around just when the Cabbages, Tur- 

 nips and Tomatoes are out of the ground. 

 They are so made as to be scarcely notice- 

 able unless special pains is taken to 

 make their acquaintance; and then 

 their retiring habits, and their nimbleness 

 often will leave you looking at a place just 

 vacated, instead of giving you a chance to 

 view the little black body. 'WTiite helle- 

 bore or Paris green — one part of green to 100 

 parts of plaster (gypsum)— sifted ui)ou the 

 affected plants, are good for these diminu- 

 tive fellows. Clear plaster also when 

 sprinkled upon the foliage, will give him 

 too much grit in his fodder and repel him. 



CULTURE OF THE GRAPE-FIRST 

 PAPER. 



Growing Wood First; Then Fruit. 



DR. J. STAYMAN. LEAVENWOBTH CO., KAS. 



The conditions most favorable to rapid 

 vine growth are generally well understood, 

 but that they are antagonistic to the produc- 

 tion of fruit has been almost entirely over- 

 looked. There are distinct stages of growth 

 absolutely necessary to the proper produc- 

 tion of wood and fruit. The one is the ger- 

 minating, unfolding, developing and 

 expanding period, the other the elaborating, 

 contracting, solidifying and maturing 

 period. The first produces a rapid and suc- 

 culent, the latter a slower and firmer 

 growth; and conditions beneficial to the one 

 are often detrimental to the other. 



The first stage of development is aided by 

 very high, stimulating culture, the latter by 

 the opposite treatment. The one produces 

 the stock, the other the fruit. In case of 

 excessive stimulation the plant becomes too 

 succulent and tender, unable to withstand 

 the vicissitudes of the climate; in case of 

 the opposite extreme the plant dies from 

 neglect, debility or ovei'bearing. 



Upon these principles we base the true 

 system of pruning, training and culture, for 

 these different stages of growth must be 

 kept properly balanced. The first requires 

 deep and thorough cultivation with consid- 

 erable moisture and a mean temperature of 

 from .5.5 to 65 degrees, while the latter needs 

 somewhat shallow tillage with diminished 

 moisture and a mean temperature of from 

 70 to 80 degrees. To mature the Grape 

 requires 15 degrees higher temperature than 

 it does to grow the vine. This higher tem- 

 perature is not only necessary to elaborate 

 the .sap, but also to solidify and mature the 

 seeds, harden the wood, and to oxidize and 

 diminish the acid thus increasing and con- 

 centrating the sugar. All these processes 

 take place in proportion to the high temper- 

 ature and diminished rain fall of the 

 maturing season. 



Everything should be done to give perfect 

 surface drainage and a free circulation of 

 air as nothing tends so much to diminish 

 the temperature of the soil as excessive 

 moisture and shade. Every inch of rain 

 absorbed by the soil requires 40° of addi- 

 tional heat to restore the lost equilibrium, 

 and this is equal to the loss of half a day in 

 the ripening of the Grape. 



The Concord Grape, in a favorable season 

 with an average rainfall, requires about 

 fl,000 degrees of heat from foliation to the 

 maturity of its fruit, but it needs more or 

 less of it, according to the amount of rain. 

 For instance, in 1870 the fruit ripened the 

 5th of August and required only 8,7.51!° of 

 heat with a rainfall of 13.38 inches; while in 

 1809 the fruit ripened the 15th of August, 

 requiring 9,3.5.5° of heat with a rainfall of 

 31.03 inches, a difference of ten days in rip- 

 ening, in consequence of 18.34 inches more 

 rainfall. .599° of heat were used to restore 

 the lost equilibrium, being equal to a differ- 

 ence of latitude of 75 miles. 



This retarding of the maturing season, by 

 either excessive moisture, low temperature, 

 cloudiness, unfavorable location or latitude 

 has the effect of reducing the amount of 

 sugar in the Grape, and the saccharometer 

 has shown this to reach 65° to 85° in the 

 above cases, equal to one half of a pound of 

 sugar to twelve pounds of Grapes, or at the 

 rate of six hundred pounds of sugar to the 

 acre. Thus the excess of acid reduces the 

 value and quality of the fruit. 



The following table of observed facts 

 gives significant figures: 



CONCORDS ON LOW LAND. 



CONCORDS ON THE BLUFF. 



bib 





Sag 



Sh5 



II 



PS 



1868 i 15.91 ; 71.5° iAug. s! 127 ; 9070 



1869 ; 31.62 : 70.5° : " 15i 132 : 9355 



1870 i 13.28 : 72.0° i " 5! 123 ; 8756 



Rooa 



Average; 20.17 I 71.1° ;Aug. 9: 127 



9029 



On the bluff— an elevation of about two 

 hundred feet above the low land less than 

 two miles apart, no observations were made 

 previous to 1868. The difference in the mean 

 temperature, 3.3°, with very near the same 

 rainfall, made nine days' difference in the 



time of ripening. The result of such differ- 

 ence we have frequently tested with a sac- 

 charometer or must scale to be 30°, equal to 

 35 per cent, difference in the amount of 

 sugar contained in the Grape. This differ- 

 ence is sufficient to make the one location a 

 success and the other a failure. 



Judge Miller's Fruit and Garden 

 Notes. 



Japan Plums. Botan was in bloom April 

 6th, and the leaves more advanced than any 

 other Plum on my place except Kelsey. 

 This had no blossom buds, the only twig 

 with any on, I cut off unobserved for a 

 friend for grafts. You may imagine my 

 vexation at this. I now believe we may 

 grow the Kelsey fruit some seasons. I have 

 added five new Japanese Plums to my list 

 this spriug. 



Blackberry and Raspberry Trees. 

 Some thirty years or so ago when the Law- 

 ton fruit came out, a man near Philadelphia 

 purchased .50 strong plants, set them in good 

 soil, and the following spring allowed but 

 one cane to grow, which was pinched off at 

 the proper time. The season following he 

 gathered just twelve bunches of ber- 

 ries from those twelve plants (trees I 

 would call them), nearly a peck to the tree. 

 He sold the fruit at 35 cents per quart. Any 

 one can calculate what amount of fruit 

 an acre would produce. Will some of our 

 readers try this plan? I have some ready 

 for this and shall treat a number more for 

 next year's fruiting. This report I got from 

 a reliable source, and from what I have seen 

 on my ovra grounds am satisfied it can 

 be done. 



A customer of mine in Lebanon, Tenn., 

 once showed me a yellow cap Raspberry 

 cane, the only one in the hill, that had as 

 much fruit on it as I ever ,saw on one hill. 

 Major P. R. Frease, our late veteran, once 

 showed me a surprise Raspberry plant, 

 single bush, that had such a load of superior 

 fruit on it that I did not recognize it; and on 

 asking him what it was, got for answer the 

 Surprise, and I got it from Sam Miller. 



The question arises whether this treat- 

 ment might not prove generally profitable. 

 Who will try it? I would plant them five 

 feet each way and cultivates both ways, 

 thus getting rid of suckers easily. That we 

 let most fruits overbear we all know, and 

 until proper thinning is done we will see 

 markets overstocked with trash that pre- 

 vents the careful grower from realizing a 

 paying price. Some will no doubt laugh at 

 me for predicting that the time will come 

 when little girls will be employed to clip off 

 part of the Strawberry blossoms. This has 

 been practiced just enough by myself to 

 show what surprising results are achieved. 



The Newer Melons. Some of these are 

 really fine. I like the Orange Watermelon 

 best for home use, Of Canteloupes, Bay 

 View, Hackensack and Emerald Gem suit 

 me best. Colb's Gem, Gold and Green, and 

 Landreth's Extra Early are among the com- 

 ing Watermelons. 



Any one who has plenty of manure can 

 have Melons plenty if properly planted and 

 taken care of. A wheelbarrow full of ma- 

 nure well worked into the soil on a square 

 rod of ground to the depth of eighteen inches, 

 and three vines left to grow, will produce 

 an amount of Melons that will surprise one 

 that never tried it before. 



Don't make too much of a hill; three inches 

 higher than the level ground is enough. A 

 high mound as some make, will heave out 

 in a dry season. 



If the land has no sand it will pay to put 

 a bushel or two to each hill. Bone manure 

 and old decayed wood of logs or stumps or 

 chip earth from the wood pile makes a good 

 compost for Melons. 



