1889. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



255 



grow, tie along the upper wire, but the 

 other lateral should be broken or pinched off. 



Covering Strawberries From Frost. 



T. B. TERRY, sl'MMIT CO., OHIO. 



One night in the latter part of May the 

 thermometer stood at 4'i° at sundown. It 

 was clear but there was some wind from 

 the north. At 10 o'cloclithe wind died away 

 and a l^illing frost was certain. Then we 

 went to work tosaveourStrawberries. Two 

 loads of straw were drawn out aud spread 

 over a quarter of an acre. Before we quit 

 it got so cold the leaves were frozen stiff. 

 The ground was frozen the ne.xt morning an 

 inch or more deep. But few of the blossoms 

 on the covered berries were injured, even 

 where the covering was not done until the 

 leaves were frozen. Very few blossoms es- 

 caped on some plants left uncovered. The 

 straw was poked off on each side next morn- 

 ing, and left on top of the mulch already 

 there. It has been used since. The work 

 was not very great, of putting on and tak- 

 ing off, and we thought we had done a nice 

 thing until Judge Miller's article on page 

 302 was read. Why didn't we let tlie frost 

 take part of the fruit — do the thinning that 

 he would have the little girls do? Had we 

 better have gone to bed and left her to man- 

 age? I don't feel quite certain of it yet. 

 Perhaps the Judge lets his Strawberries grow 

 in pretty thick matted rows or refers to that 

 kind. Ours were in hills two feet apart. 

 We had an idea that the roots of each plant 

 had feeding ground enough to carry out all 

 they undertook in tlie way of berry making. 



In this locality one needs to pay as much 

 or more attention to the ability of a Straw- 

 berry to stand frost as he does to its earli- 

 ness, lateness, size or quality. We have 13 

 of the highest praised varieties growing, 

 and find equal difference in them in this 

 respect. The kinds that we finally settle on 

 as the best for our so^l will have to be the 

 ones that stand freezing pretty well. 



For two years past we have used a Planet 

 Jr. cultivator among our newly set Straw- 

 berries. It always exasperated me that I 

 could not run closer to the plants without 

 throwing dirt over the leaves— that I had to 

 leave so wide a strip for the hand hoe. This 

 year, after looking over all the advertise- 

 ments and seeing nothing that suited, I 

 went to work and made a Strawberry cul- 

 tivator that suits me. I took a 

 piece of pine plank, two inches 

 thick and si.x inches wide, and 

 two feet long, bored holes in 

 it and drove in Thomas harrow 

 teeth, as shown by dots in cut. 

 Then all the teeth and teeth 

 standards were taken off of one 

 of the Planet Jr. cultivators 

 and this piece of plank was 

 bolted imder the frame. Six 

 bolts (B in engraving) with 

 hooks at one end and nuts at 

 the other for attaching to frame. 

 Hooks go over top of frame. 

 The wheel was left on. 



This gave me a good cultiva. 

 tor with nine half-inch, round 

 harrow teeth to do the work of 

 stirring the soil. I can run right 

 up to the body of the plants, 

 leaving almost nothing for the 

 hoe to do. The round straight 

 tooth next to the row will push 

 the outside leaves aside with- 

 out injuring or covering. In 

 very clean land perhaps more teeth might 

 be put in to good purpose. Another advan- 

 tage, it cannot "track," as common cultiva- 

 tors will, and it stirs all the surface about 2 

 inches deep and leaves it always perfectly 

 level. We are farmers aud can always take 

 time to do the horse work in our fruit gar- 

 den; but in a busy time the hand work both- 



An Easily 

 made Ladder. 



ers us, hence our study to get tools that will 

 do away with as much of it as possible. 



Orchids-The Flowers of the Air. 



The Orchid is no Mower for the million. 

 To come to perfection it requires conditions 

 which only skilled growers and a well-filled 

 purse can supply. So the masses will have 

 to be satisfied with enjoying and studying 

 the varied forms of this class of plants, the 

 grotesque beauty, and odd coloring and 

 marking of their flowers at the occa.sional 

 Orchid shows in large cities, or during the 

 visit at the greenhouse of a grower. 



There are, for instance, several amateur 

 Orchid growers in Chicago, among them 

 Mr. John Lane, who amuses himself by tak- 

 ing good care of a large number of strange 



J=J 



Harrow Attachment for Cultivator. 



" beauties " of the air. A reporter of Inter- 

 Ocean recently gave an account of his visit 

 at Mr. Lane's greenhouses. 



Mr. Lane, he said, led the way through 

 the back yard along walks bordered by 

 Fuchsias and Pansies to the greenhouse, 

 where his chief treasure, the Laurenciana, a 

 variety of theCattleya Mossiae, was in blos- 

 som. 



The plant hung suspended from the roof 

 of the greenhouse by wires, the greenish 

 grey roots, matted around the block of cork 

 upon which it was growing, or sweeping 

 downward, suggestive of the snaky locks of 

 the Medusa. The flower itself was like some 

 etherial tropical bird with extended wings. 

 It was pale purple, a latrate form, with two 

 erect petals, two larger at the side, a lip 

 fluted and striped within in velvety lines of 

 darker purple. Anything more delicate and 

 beautiful could hardly be imagined, and it 

 was a striking contrast to the apparently 

 lifeless mass of roots from which it sprung. 

 This species is a native of Brazil. 



The other gem was a raceme, eight or ten 

 inches in length. In the tropics, where it is 

 found, these racemes frequently attain a 

 length of twenty or thirty-six inches. The 

 yellow flowers, growing to the pendant stalk 

 by their invisible stems, looked like a cloud 

 of yellow butterflies poising in mid-air. 



The roots of all the varieties look much 

 alike, and it is doubtful if any body Imt an 

 expert could tell them from one another. 



" There are varieties to be found right 

 here in Cook County," Mr. Lane explained 

 to him, "and throughout the United States; 

 but of course they do not compare with the 

 tropical species. Those attach themselves 

 to trees, and are found by Orchid hunters, 

 who make a business of exploring the forests 

 to collect them for the market. The roots 

 have wonderful tenacity of life, and can 

 scarcely be killed. They are packed and 

 shipped — to New York, for instance, and 

 there they are sold at auction, the species 

 generally being known. They change, how 

 ever, under cultivation, and a variety of this 

 species, the Cattleya Mossiaj, will have new 

 markings, or some .slight alteration of form. 

 When this happens the grower turns to his 

 catalogue, and if it is not described there he 

 knows he has a new variety, and the price 

 has run away up." 



" This, for instance,'' pointing to a purple 

 flower, " I bought of a florist in the city. It 

 had never bloomed. He did not know what 

 it would turn out. I offered to take the risk, 

 and gave only *l.T.'j for it. It proved to be 

 one of the flue ones, and it is worth ^.'JO. I 

 was offered ^n for the flower alone. 



" It blooms only once a year, and a plant 

 produces Init one flower. With care, how- 

 ever, this flower will last fnuii six weeks to 

 three mouths. It must be kept from gas- 



light, furnace heat — and a drop of water on 

 the petals ruins it." 



He explained that Orchids are propagated 

 by dividing the plants, which may be crossed 

 with other species, as is done with (lerani- 

 ums and Koses. It takes from three to Ave, 

 and even ten years, for a plant thus prop- 

 agated to produce blossoms. 



They require very little water, and it is 

 usually lightly sprinkled on the roots. They 

 are air plants— drawing their entir.e susten- 

 ance from the atmosphere. The little bun- 

 dles of roots are flattened out and fastened 

 to blocks of cork by fine wires and hung 

 where they may have sufficient light and 

 air. In a little while the plant throws out 

 a network of suckers and fastens itself to 

 the cork. The wires that held it in place 

 are then removed, and like Topsy it " just 

 grows," without further attention. 



Mr. Lane regarded the spidery-looking 

 things with affectionate solicitude, knowing 

 that each held within it some form of .ex- 

 quisite beauty, of delicate tint and varied 

 color, which is like the soul, sometimes shut 

 up in a gaunt and withered body. 



A Word for the Abutilon for Window 

 ' Culture. 



MR,S. LORA S. LA MAA'CE. 



It is strange that the Abutilon is not more 

 popular for window culture. It has every 

 good (luality demanded for ordinary room 

 culture, as the plants have a thrifty habit, 

 are not sensitive to changes of temperature, 

 are in bloom the full twelve months of the 

 year, free from insect enemies, and capable 

 of standing more neglect and abuse than al- 

 most any other. It ought to be called the 

 " busy woman's flower," it comes so near 

 taking care of itself, always growing and 

 blooming, whether kept cool or warm, in 

 sun or in shade. 



The only fault I have ever noticed, is the 

 tendency toward too tall and spindling a 

 growth ; but this can be easily prevented by 

 a little judicious pinching back when .small. 

 The more they are pinched, the bushier they 

 will become, and the more flowers they will 

 bear. The Abutilon does not cover itself so 

 completely with bloom as some plants, but 

 as it is always in bloom, it is more satisfac- 

 tory for window-culture than the old stand- 

 by, the Geranium, which is almost certain 

 to take a provoking resting .spell right in 

 dull mid-winter, when needed most. The 

 foliage of most sorts is attractive, and some 

 sorts are beautifully variegated in leaf. The 

 bell-shaped flowers, curiously veined and 

 flushed are not so striking as some flowers, 

 yet pretty and attractive, and the range of 

 colors is wide. The new double is odd, but 

 is not as graceful as the airy bells of the 

 ordinary single form. 



Young plants do not cost much, bloom 

 quickly, and the purchaser can select the 

 colors most wanted, but they can also be 

 easily grown from seed, and if started early 

 will bloom the same season. One of my 

 seedlings, planted in the open ground, at- 

 tained a height of nearly seven feet, and was • 

 much admired. Of course the frost cut it 

 down, as it was too large to move. Abutil- 

 ons in pots can be sunk in the ground for 

 the summer, and those allowed to bloom 

 freely will give iis many flowers the next 

 winter as those whose buds have been picked 

 off. The plants need re-potting but rarely. 

 The Abutilon is a good plant for those to try 

 who can not succeed with house plants, as 

 there is nothing " fussy " about it. 



I,:i>'4 Valae of Manures, or luursc much 

 depends upon the tiuality of the st^ible manure, 

 ami a **waf?oM load " is rather an indefinite term 

 but ordinaril.v 2o cents per loud for gttod manure 

 would be conyidri'cd a barj^ain.— F. 



l,:>ls. Bussian Mulberry. For a lawn it is 

 very desirable. Judtfin^ from own e.vperience 

 it is of very little value as a triut.— M. B. F. 



