1889. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



79 



winter the windows are, of course, closed to 

 prevent freezing. One or two tlierniometers 

 are to be used :uul frequently consulted for 

 maintiiining an even temperature. Such !i 

 house, properly rcKulateii, will keep fruit a 

 few degrees above freezing througli a large 

 part of the year, except in summer, when 

 there are no cool nights for tilling the apart- 

 ment with cold air. 



In a building like this, regulated as de- 

 scribed, winter Apples, which commonly 

 decay before the arrival of the warm weather 

 ot spring, have been retained in good condi- 

 tion until the middle ot June; and our early 

 winter Pears, such as hawrence and Nell is, 

 have been kept in fair eating condition into 

 February and March. This fruit-room may 

 be a separate ai)artment in the basement of 

 a dwelling; or it may be a building specially 

 erected for the purpose. 



If a separate building it may be placed on 

 slightly descending gi'ound and sunk a foot 

 or two below the surface, but this is not ab- 

 solutely essential. Ilrect the frame of six 

 inch studs, or eight inch if the building is 

 large, and cover the inside, as well as the 

 outside, with building paper, the studs being 

 placed .iust far enough apart to receive the 

 strips of paper with a little lap. Then board 

 up both sides, over the building paper. 



This double wall will be hardly sufficient 

 protection against cold in the north; and 

 additional protection is afforded by nailing 

 vertical strips of lumber, an inch or two 

 square, on every .ioist, adding another cov- 

 ering of Imilding paper and another board- 

 ing. This will make three thicknesses of 

 boards and three of building paper, and be 

 sufficient to exclude hard frost without the 

 addition of any sawdust-filling, which, if 

 used, will be liable to cause crevices by set- 

 tling or to be disturbed by vermin. Use 

 double doors. 



Some fruit-houses have been built with 

 two feet spaces filled with tan or sawdust, 

 requiring useless labor and expense, as half 

 that thickness would be quite enough in 

 any case. The roof will be made in the 

 same way as above described, with the 

 shingles added. For small and very simple 

 fruit-rooms or fruit-houses, windows placed 

 on opposite sides, which may be opened to 

 any degree either for the gradual or copious 

 admission of fresh air, will be sufficient. 



For a separate Iniilding, there .should be 

 a plank or board floor, with openings for the 

 entrance ot air from below, or there may be 

 a slatted floor, which will always allow the 

 entrance of the warmer air from the earth 

 below and prevent the freezing of the fruit, 

 in the same way that a basement is kept 

 from freezing by the warmth of the earth. 

 There should be ventilators in the under- 

 pinning of the building, which may be shut 

 tor the exclusion of warm air from without 

 or opened to admit cool air in the night. 



When cold air is to be admitted, the cur- 

 rent for its entrance is caused by an Espy 

 or Mott ventilator above the roof, which 

 always produces an upward draft when 

 there is any wind or breeze. A small fruit- 

 room may occupy a portion of the basement 

 of a house, if separated from the rest of the 

 basement by a double brick wal l,and a double 

 wall is provided outside above ground. 



The same treatment nuist be given it as 

 for a separate building, in maintaining a 

 uniform temperatiire through windows on 

 opposite sides, which are to be opened or 

 closed as already described. Although less 

 perfect than a separate fruit-house, it re- 

 quires less care in attendance, and such 

 fruit-rooms have kept winter fruit several 

 weeks or even months longer than by com- 

 mon management. 



In large fruit-houses, two .stories high, the 

 entrance should be through the upper story 

 and down a flight of stairs, so as not to dis- 

 turb the cool and equal temperature below 



in warm weather through the outside door. 



Fruit for immediate or eai'ly use may be 

 placed on a series of shelves, one above the 

 other, in the center ot the apartment for the 

 attendant to pass around to select ripening 

 specimens. Long keepers, or such as Rus- 

 sets, which shrivel easily, may be headed up 

 in tight barrels, where they remain till 

 spring. An intermediate way is to put the 

 fruit in flat boxes, I'.i feet square and three 

 inches deep, one box placed above another, 

 in piles two feet or three feet high. All are 

 easily examined by setting the top one ofl', 

 then the next, and so on, thus forming a 

 new pile. 



No large fruit grower, to make the most 

 of his products, can hope to get along with- 

 out such or a similar structure. 



Among the Summer Flowering 

 Shrubs. 



JOSEPH MKEHAN, PHILADELPHIA CO., PA. 



Passing among various shrubs in flower 

 in July I could not but feel that the merits 

 ot the Dwarf Honse Chestnut, PtivUi ixirvi- 

 flnrn, is not halt recognized. The bush I 

 saw was 5 feet high and so many broad, 

 while erect from its surface of bright green 

 foliage sprang not less than 300 flov^•er spikes. 

 It is easily grown, and as it gives no promise 

 of great beauty when small, it agreeably 

 surprises every one when it flowers. 



Another pretty bush in bloom at this time 

 is the Trumpet vine. The one before me 

 had been tied to a (i feet stake for a few 

 years, and when the stake rotted away it 

 stood erect itself. Grown in this way it 

 flowers profusely. 



The old-time favorite Hydrangea querci- 

 folia was covered with its large panicles of 

 flowers. While not as handsome as panicu- 

 lata, it flowers a month earlier, and its large 

 leaves are considered quite attractive. 



Azalea viscosa displayed its numerous 

 white flowers. All other species were done 

 blooming for some time, and, besides this, 

 it happens that this one is less partictilar 

 about soil than the others are. 



Of Spiraeas there are so many good pink 

 ones that it is hard to say which are the 

 best, but such sorts as Billardi, with col- 

 umnar spikes, Hegeliaua with pyramidal 

 ones, and paniculata with heads still broader 

 at the base, would please any one. To get 

 the most out of Spiraeas they should have a 

 deep soil, and intelligent pruning when 

 done flowering. 



The Cephalanthus occldentalis, a neg- 

 lected native shrub, is as pretty a one as 

 there is. It is not particular as to situation, 

 and when set out by itself it forms a rounded 

 head of much beauty. Its white balls ot 

 flowers are so numerous, and the whole 

 liush so attractive that every one who sees 

 it, expresses surprise that it is not more ex- 

 tensively planted. 



The largest flowered one of the various 

 .species of Hypericums is the calcinum. I 

 measured some blooms which were over 

 three inches across. The deep yellow color 

 and the bunch of numerous fuzzy stamens 

 in the centre make these flowers uncom- 

 monly attractive. Near by was the Japan 

 species, patulum. The flowers are about two 

 inches in diameter, and are in great num- 

 bers. Both of these get cut back a little in 

 hard winters, but this makes them all the 

 bushier for it. 



The pretty little Erica vagans was at this 

 time covered with its small bottle-l)ru.sh 

 like heads of white flowers. Another species, 

 capitata, and their near relative the Calluna 

 vulgaris were also blooming. It takes an 

 extremely hard winter to hurt these, and I 

 have never known them to be comjiletely 

 killed. They seem to thrive the best im 

 gravelly soil, or at least on that of an open 

 nature. As with Azaleas and Rhododen- 

 drons a still soil is death.to them. 



Crowing Fine Pansies. 



JOHN F. ItUI'l', CUMBKU1.AND CO., PA. 



The Pansy has undergone wonderful im- 

 provement within the past few years. This 

 summer I have liad Pansies which were as 

 near perfection as could well be looked lor. 

 They were very large, of circular form and 

 ot the most beautifid color. Many jiersons 

 came to see them, and the invariable cimi- 

 ment was that they wei'e the finest Pansies 

 they had ever seen. In the following I give 

 my method of growing these perfect flowers. 



Seed of the very finest varieties bought 

 from reliable seedsmen, was sowed early in 

 August in a well-prepared bed. The seed- 

 bed was located in a well-aired, sunny spot 

 in the garden ; the ground being sifted to a 

 depth of about three inches, and a good 

 amount (about one-fourth ) of finely rotted 

 stable manure mixed with it. Tlie seeil 

 was sown thinly in drills onefouth inch in 

 depth, the ground firmly pressed, and 

 light watering given. The bed was at once 

 shaded with a muslin sash raised eight inches 

 from the ground. This shade remained 

 until the plants were up, when a lathe 

 screen was substituted, which was removed 

 when the plants had made a good growth. 



The ground had not been allowed to be- 

 come very dry, a sprinkling being given 

 promptly as the surface dried. At the time 

 of sowing the seed I also prepared a com- 

 post by mixing in a heap of equal parts of 

 cow manure and good garden soil, letting 

 it remain until wanted for use. In the be- 

 gining of October the Pansies were trans- 

 planted into a bed, made close against the 

 east side of the dwelling house, and pre- 

 pared by digging to a depth of twelve inches, 

 throwing out the clay or any poor soil, then 

 putting in the compost of cow manure, 

 having it well mixed and tramped in quite 

 firmly until the bed was full. 



The plants were then set in at a distance 

 of six inches apart each way and kept well 

 watered until established. 



Late in the fall a heavy mulching of finely 

 rotted manure was given to protect the 

 plants from severe freezing. Early in the 

 spring this was removed from close around 

 the plants, allowing it to remain on the bed. 

 When they began to bloom all the flower- 

 buds were pulled off until the plants attain- 

 ed a good, strong growth. The flowers then 

 were of the very largest and finest. All 

 not producing flowers up to the standard 

 were pulled out, so that seed of none but the 

 finest would be gathered. When the ground 

 became somewhat dry, a good watering was 

 given. The bed being in a shaded situation 

 it was protected from the hot afternoon sun 

 and produced a perfect mass of Pansies 

 during the entnre summer. 



By giving them a little extra care and se- 

 lecting a protected place for the bed, any 

 person can grow Pansies to perfection, and 

 can find a source of exquisite delight when 

 looking into their beautiful, smiling faces. 



1,418. Lime on Muck. To tit spongy muck 

 land tor g'unloiiiiifr purposes, nothing is ot greater 

 importiincc than ttiorough drainage. Ttic next 

 step will be " to sweeten it," i. c, neutralize the 

 acids contained in it. This may be accomplisheil 

 by applications of lime, ashes or any other alka- 

 line substance. The caustic forms of lime, of 

 course, will be the more efTcctive ones, and so 

 we would prefer the different ftirms in the order 

 named as follows: (J round or pouudeil ipjick 

 lime, water-slaked lime (hydrated), air slaked 

 lime (hydrate and carbonate). The clear carbon- 

 ates— chalk, marl, old air-slakcd lime, etc,, have 

 much less etfect. The quantity of liino rcqiiiretl 

 depends on its caustic uatiin-, and mi the acidity 

 of the land. Try 10 bands of trish shikcd, o"r 

 twice that iinantity of uii-slakcd lime at first, 

 note the result, and rei)eiit as needed. Wood 

 ashes contain not only a mild form of lime (car- 

 bonate), but also caustic potash, and a <piniitity 

 of phosphoi'ic acid, and heav.y apidicutiims of ft 

 are the very best treatmcid that con lil lie given 

 for yoiu" muck soil. It not only tends to sweeten 

 it, but also provides just tlie elements of |ilant 

 food in which in all probability it is dclicicid. 



