228 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



July, 



plenteously, and of most excellent quality. 

 When we plant a Linden, then, we are 

 adorning our street or grounds with a tree 

 that will very likely live and thrive, a tree 

 that will surprise us with its rapid growth 

 and development, and a tree that will bless 

 the coming generation with the valuable 

 product which it so bountifully yields. I 

 believe there is no native deciduous tree that 

 offers such inducements for transplanting 

 as does the American Linden. 



If it is thought that trees of one kind when 

 planted in a single or double straight row 

 look the best, then I say plant Linden. If 

 we plant irregularly, and pay some heed to 

 grouping, which I have done, we can plant 



is done, by daubing the stalks near the 

 ground with some resinous,sticky substance, 

 or coating them with molasses. 



The layering method has one drawback. 

 It gives us an easy means of protecting the 

 crop, and a sense of security which would 

 naturally induce us to neglect the destruc- 

 tion of the enemy. This should not be. It 

 is every grower's duty to carefully hunt up 

 every one of the rascals before they leave 

 the vine, and kill it, and in this way to re- 

 duce as far as possible the numbers of bor- 

 ers that will come to trouble us another 

 year. We do not remember that we ever 

 had Melon or Cucumber vines attacked by 

 the Squash borer, while our Squash vines 

 were rarely free. On the other hand, the 

 latter were never injured by the Melon 



fungus, so far as our observation goes; 



while this fatal disease often entirely 

 ruined our Cucumber patches and done 

 serious damage to the Melon vines. 



Layering Squash Vines to defeat the Borers. 

 all kinds of trees with excellent effect. Were 

 it not for the inconvenience of this style of 

 planting, when we come to use our mowers 

 to cut the grass along the way side, I should 

 certainly advise this irregular planting and 

 grouping. Owing to the enhanced beauty, 

 I prefer it with the inconvenience thrown in. 



Mushrooms in Caves and Tunnels. 



One of our Orange County friends often 

 spoke to us with considerable enthusiasm of 

 opportunities for Mushroom culture on a 

 large scale hidden in some of the abandon- 

 ed tunnels near the Hudson. We are well 

 aware that there are plenty of such chances 

 (and most excellent ones, too) scattered all 

 over the States, and believe that before long 

 many of them will be taken hold of by men 

 with sufficient capital to push Mushroom 

 culture in the same way as now done in 

 Prance and England. Our illustration rep- 

 resents a railroad tunnel near Edinburgh, 

 Scotland, successfully worked for Mush- 

 rooms by the Scottish Mushroom Company. 

 The original, from which this is a reduction, 

 appeared in " Mushrooms for the Million." 



Flat beds are formed along the narrow 

 side of the line, ridges across the wider 

 space from the wall to the rails. The Mush- 

 rooms are produced mainly from September 

 to July, sometimes as high as a ton per 

 week. The whole length of the tunnel is 

 occupied with beds, and about 30110 tons of 

 manure are said to be in use at present. 

 New soil and manure are said to go in daily, 

 and the old soil is taken out. The aggregate 

 length of the beds is three miles. 



Defeating the Squash Borer. 



The Squash borer is usually called the 

 worst and most difficult to handle of any of 

 the garden pests, but we do not find it so. 

 Since adopting the method of layering 

 (shown in illustration), some years ago, we 

 have had no more trouble. The insects were 

 given full sway, and tunneling through the 

 main stalk near the surface of the ground, 

 they often completely severed all connec- 

 tion between the vine and its original roots, 

 yet the roots emitted in great abundance 

 from the soil-covered joints maintained the 

 plants in full vigor and health. Prompt 

 action will generally insui'e success. Pile 

 on fresh soil over the first one or two joints 

 just as soon as the vines begin to run. This 

 probably can not be done with Summer 

 Squashes, but owing to their quick growth 

 and early bearing, the home gardener usu- 

 ally has what fruit he may desire of them 

 by the time that the vines give out in conse- 

 quence of borer work. It is merely a matter 

 of conjecture, but we believe that the 

 moths might often be kept off, or the eggs 

 and larvje destroyed before much damage 



The Nurserymen's Convention. A 



Large and Business-lilce iVIeet- 



ing. Valuable Discussions. 



The fourteenth annual convention of the 

 American Association of Nurserymen, at 

 Chicago,June 5th and 6th, was the most suc- 

 cessful meeting of this Society for many a 

 year. The attendance reached near 300 mem- 

 bers, who were present from all sections of 

 the country, with much the larger percent^ 

 age from the Western States. A number of 

 delegates were accompanied by their wives 

 or daughters, which latter were elected hon- 

 orary members of the association. What 

 contributed greatly to the marked success 

 of this meeting was the plan of having a 

 large number of short spirited papers in- 

 stead of a few lengthy ones as formerly. 

 Thus the responsibility of the meeting rested 

 on many. Where there is wide responsi- 

 bility there is a deep interest also. The dis- 

 cussions were more lively and valuable than 

 any we recall of former meetings. 



The officers chosen for the coming year 

 are as follows,being in the main re-elected; 



President, George A. Sweet, of Daasville, N.Y. 



Vice-President, C. J. Carpenter, Fairbury, Neb. 



Secretary, Charles A. Green, Rochester, N. Y. 



Treasurer, A. R. Whitney, Franklin Grove, 111. 



E.vecutive Committee, Leo Weltz, Wilmington, 

 Ohio; S. D. Willard, Geneva, N. Y., and S. M. 

 Emery, Lake City, Minn. 



The place of next meeting is New York 

 City. Following is 

 a synopsis of the 

 proceedings: 



On the Improv e 

 ment of the nub 

 SERY Business. S 

 M. Emery, of Minn , 

 in his paper deploied 

 the bad effects on the 

 business of agents 

 who make the sales 

 at a hig-h price re 

 taining to them 

 selves three-fourths 

 of the proceeds as 

 against a petty one 

 fourth to the grow 

 er. Then they gen 

 erally manage to fix 

 the responsibilityfor 

 losses, for which 

 their own acts are to 

 blame,on the grow- 

 er. The man who re- 

 tails $10,000 worth of stock has a better income 

 than a Congressman. Such a state of things does 

 not prevail in the dry goods business, in which 

 sales are made through agents. What can be 

 done is the question hard to answer. Reckless 

 planting on the part of the nurserymen must be 

 avoided. The cost of raising the different kinds 

 of trees must be considered and a preference be 

 made tor those which, under the particular cir- 

 cumstances of each nurseryman, can be grown 

 at the best prutit. Too much stock of certain 

 kinds has been grown, and which in order to 



overreach others has been put out at ruinously 

 low figures. No man can afford to sell Apple trees 

 at two cents apiece, as has been done by some. 



Robert Douglass, of Wisconsin, said he never 

 employed agents. But there are agents and 

 agents, and the question is can not honorable 

 men be employed the same as is done in our large 

 wholesale dr.y goods and other houses. The re- 

 duction of the tariff on nursery stock has worked 

 a great loss to American growers. The cheap 

 labor of Europe becomes our direct competitor. 

 Stock can be shipped from Holland to New York 

 cheaper than from Wisconsin to New York. 



New Varieties of Plums. S. D. Willard, of 

 Geneva, N. Y., touched upon the increased inter- 

 est now bestowed on the Plum, coupling this 

 to some degree with the advent of the Wild 

 Goose species. This sort, while possessing little 

 comparative worth where the European varie- 

 ties will succeed as in the east, yet has value in 

 certain localities. Concerning the European 

 class, he "spoke of the Field as being much like 

 Bradshaw; Stanton Seedling, a dark purple, fine 

 for canning, a long keeper. Prince of Wales, an 

 English variety, productive, large, of medium 

 quality, Middiebuvg resembles a Prune in its 

 keeping qualities, and promises to be desirable 

 for market, Shipper^s Pride was referred to as a 

 market variety; O^M very large, blue, coarse, 

 sweet, hardy, good grower, one of the best for 

 market, Hudson Biver Purple, fine grower and 

 productive, Peter's Yellow Gage, valuable, very 

 productive, for one yellow this would be Mr, Wil- 

 lard's choice. Canada Orleans ripens early 

 August, handles well, French Damson, dark 

 copper color, medium size, excellent; the Dam- 

 sons as a class are hardy and productive, Shrop- 

 shire, flesh amber colored, enormously produc- 

 tive. Of others referred to Garfield was men- 

 tioned as keeping until December; Botan may 

 have some value; Kelsey's Japan is not suffic- 

 iently hardy for the Middle States. 



In the discussion which followed the conclusion 

 was reached that while Moore's Arctic Is hardy 

 and reUable in northern New England, it proves 

 to be tender and worthless in Ohio and other 

 points of the same latitude, because of dropping 

 its foliage, which prevents the wood from ma- 

 turing. Mr. Augustine, of Dlinois, spoke of the 

 failure of all the European class in the West, one 

 acre of the Wild Goose or Wolff being of more 

 value than 10 or 15 acres of the former class. 

 Mr. Carpenter, of Neb., said the P<ittan'ata7mc in 

 general was the same as the Wild Goose. The 

 Dc Soto, Blue Damson, and some others do re- 

 markably well in Nebraska, 43° parallel. 



Prof. Budd, Ames, Iowa, referred to such var- 

 ieties of the American race as De Soto, Wolff, 

 Rolling Stone and some others bearing annually. 

 Of the Chickasaw race the two best are Fores* 



Riwc and Mc — ; . Potfau'ofamtc is a cross 



between the Chickasaw and Sloe; a good bearer, 

 but one of the smallest of its class and compara- 



Mushroom growing in a Railroad Tunnel. 



tively not of much value. Marianna is tender 

 in tree and bud, has not fruited in seven years. 

 Wild Goose is tender, European Early Red 

 fruited in man.v places in his locality; has no our- 

 culio; Lombard is tender. Mr. Patton of the 

 same State declared the Wild Goose as worthless 

 on the 42° parallel, and the same of all the Euro- 

 lieau varieties that succeed in the East, Dc Soto 

 is free from blight. Forest Garden blights badly. 

 If in the West attention would be turned t(t im- 

 proving the native sorts, they would not long 

 want a good Plum. Mr. Yonger, of Neb., pro- 



