290 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



September, 



1,422. Ferns from Seed. Can they be grown In 

 this way 1— Amateur. 



l,4i'l. Spanish Peanut. If this vaiuable for the 

 south where the Virginia succeeds V— Georgia. 



1.424. Keeping Sweet Potatoes. Please tell us best 

 method for wluteriug.— Jane, Newark, N. J. 



1.425. Bulb Growing. Please describe the different 

 methods of propagating Lily and other bulbs. Will 

 their size and uumlier increase wiien not allowed to 

 bloom ?— L. 



1.426. Priclciey Comirey and Winter Vetch. Where 

 can seed he oljtaiued ?— L. 



1,42T. Trenching Vineyard. How does Dr. Stay- 

 man pulverize his ground for vineyard 24 inches deep, 

 and what tools does he use ?— F. R. W., Ballena, Cat. 



1.438. Yellow Transparent Apple. Is it a reliable 

 variety ?— R. T. F.. Ohieu. Ills. 



1.429. Flower Plants for Spring Sale. What plants 

 can be propagated with best [)rospects of profit? 

 Would nice the advice of au experienced florist.— 

 H. S. L., Lacyville, Ohio. 



1.430. Fruits for Arliansas. What Unds and varie- 

 ties of fruits. Strawberries excepted, early, medium, 

 late and latest can be recommended for northeastern 

 Arkansas ?— .1. F. M.. Harrisburg, Ark. 



l,4;il. Book on Begonias. Where and at what cost 

 can I obtain a worit ou tlie subject ?— C. J. S., Texaft. 



1,432. Currant Borer. What is the best remedy for 

 tlie grub that tunnels along in the center of my Cur- 

 rant canes so that they break down the next season ? 



1.4.33. Blacliberrr Rust. What is the best remedy ? 

 W. M. A., Cituinnati, O. 



1.4.34. Killing Locust Trees. Peeling off a ring of 

 barli in August, 1888, liiiled the trees, but sprouts came 

 up thicic all around. Do you know abetter method of 

 getting rid of trees ? 



I,4:B. Small Fruits on Clay Soil. What varieties 

 would you recommend for gravelly clay soil, black on 

 top. in West Virginia ?— G. W. K., Leon, W. Va. 



1,436. Pruning Peach Trees. Would you advise 

 pi-uniug young l-'each trees in August or September to 

 check flow of s.ip, harden the wood and prevent winter 

 killing?- A. S. M., Pattenburg. N. J. 



1.4:i7. Manure Pit. What is proper size and ar- 

 rangement of pit to hold the manure from one horse 

 forayear? Should it be cemented ?— J. R. W., O. 



1.438. Water for Plants. Is iron and sulphur water 

 good to water a general collection of greenhouse plants? 

 —J. H., Marshall, Texas. 



1.439. Mildew on Phlox. What treatment would 

 you recommeud ?— N. A. C Orchard Park. 



1.440. Heating Greenhouse. What is simplest and 

 cheapest metliod of heating greenhouse SO feet long, 9 

 feet wide and ' feet high at pe.ik?- E. B., iforanto. 



REPLIES TO INQUIRIES. 



1,404. Size of Small Fruit Farm, It depends 

 altojf ether on the size of the man. The intention 

 to depend entirely on one's own labor in an un- 

 dertaking of this kind, and to avoid laying out 

 the work on a larger scale than can be tended to 

 without calling on uncertain and probably un- 

 reliable help, is commendable, and augurs well. 

 A small, modest beginning, carefully feeling 

 one's way, and growing slowly but surely, as ex- 

 perience and the available market warrants, that 

 is the only safe and sure footing for the novice 

 in small fruit growing. With the bush fruits- 

 Raspberries, Blackberries, Currants, etc.— thei-e 

 is less danger. A good farn)cr can take care of 

 them nearly as easy as of ('mii, since nearly all 

 the work can be done by hor.se power. The chief 

 concern here is the help needed in picking, and 

 the market facilities. A home market for these 

 fruits is better than the prospects of the far city 

 market The beginner in strawberry growing, 

 however, should start very inoik-stly. The novice 

 may find one-half acre too much for him; while 

 the experienced grower, with fair-sized intellect, 

 who tends to his work prom|itly when needed, 

 and makes every stroke tell, perhaps finds it 

 easy t() take care of Ave acres. As said before, 

 all "depends on the size of the man, and of his 

 intellect and experience. We could hardly under- 

 take to select "the best" location for our in- 

 quirer's small fruit farm, ('entral and South 

 eraey is a center of .small fruit iiroduction, but 

 tlie gi-owers there complain nf low prices. In 

 northern New Jersey, near tlic coa.-it, small fruits 

 are generally in ready deniaml at fair prices on 

 account of the ranltitude of summer visitoi-s; 

 l)ut land and labor is somewhat high-priced. 

 Eastern Mai-y land and Virginia have many favor- 

 able locations for the production of iStrawberries 

 for northern markets— only keep out of the reach 

 of the materia districts. 



1,404. Pruning Eed Raspberries. Summer 

 pruning is undoubtedly the most sensible method. 

 Pinch the tops of the young shoots back as soon 

 as they have reached three or four feet in height. 

 This will bring out the laterals, and give you a 

 strong, low and stocky growth. It left to grow 

 until now, however, canes had lietter remain as 

 they are until spring, and then severely cut down 

 before new growth begins. Black Raspberries 

 and Blackberries are to be treat^jd in same way. 



I,a5.3. Bust on Baspberries, The rust or 

 Orange rust on Raspberries and Blackberries is 

 a fimgug disease of very contagious character, 

 and its spread can only be prevented by timely 

 removal and destruction (by Are) of every in- 

 fected cane. As a preventative the plants should 



I 



be trained and pruned in such a manner as to 

 admit i>lenty of air and sunlight to the canes. In 

 spring, before the young growth commences, a 

 Sfilution (tf sulphate of ii-on (green copperas) at 

 the rate of 1 pound to^^'-i or ;j gallons of water, 

 may be applied to the shoots. 



1,403. Onion Sets. These should be harvested 

 when ripe, as indicated by the tops turning yel- 

 low and dying down. If the soil is sandy, as it 

 should be, a trowel may be run under the row 

 and the bulbs lifted out and thrown into a fine 

 grain sieve, and the sand sifted out. Or they 

 may be loosened with a fine steel rake, getting 

 well under the bulbs ond raking them together 

 in windrows, to be left for a few days to cure. 

 Afterwards they are gathei-ed and stored in a 

 dry loft, a few inches deep, or in open crates, 

 and in due time cleaned by rubbing them together 

 between the hands, to free them from tops and 

 dirt. The final cleaning consists in running them 

 through a fanning mill. All the bulbs that will 

 not pass through a grain sieve having three- 

 quarter inch meshes, are too large for sets and 

 snould be used for pickling. 



1,,393. Pruning Baspberries. If the canes have 

 to be laid down for winter iirotection, it would 

 not do to summer i>rune, and thus make the 

 plants bushy. Wait until spring and ijrune while 

 the plants are being laid down. This rule is valid 

 for both red varieties and Black Caps, and for 

 Blackberries also. 



1,394. Hill Culture for Baspberries. The usual 

 way of planting in field culture is in rows six to 

 seven feet apart, having the plants three or tour 

 feet apart in the row. This admits of easy culti- 

 vation one way, and if properly done, will leave 

 but little to do for the hand hoe. To allow cul- 

 tivating them both ways' the plants should stand 

 five feet apart each way, and be thoroughly 

 pruned. The former way is more generally 

 practised, and altogether preferable. 



1.397. Wood Ashes, With plenty of hard wood 

 ashes, both leached and unleached, preferably 

 the latter, there wUl be no need of looking further 

 for manure for any of the small fruits. Wood 

 ashes contain the mineral elements of plant food, 

 especially potash, which tends to give sweetness 

 and flrinness to the fruit, and strength to the 

 plant, (iood, hard wood ashes, unleached, are 

 well worth 35 cents per bushel for this purpose. 



1.398. House Slops and Liquid Manure, What 

 a terrible hotel, that will allow the water from 

 laundry and kitchen to run into a hole back of 

 the building, and when the gi'ound is well soaked 

 and the hole full have another one dug and that 

 also run full. Then there is a bam close by with 

 lots of liquid manure, which could also be run 

 into these holes. We do not know whether it 

 would pay anybody to draw this liquid 3*^ miles 

 for meadow and cultivated land. If very rich it 

 might pay for garden crops, and it wnuld cer- 

 tainly pay the people in the hotel, host as well as 

 guests, to have it drawn away speedily. They 

 could affoj-d to pay for having their premises 

 cleared of the stuff that is making them a breed- 

 ing place of pestilential fevers. We would not 

 care to risk our lives boarding at such a hotel 

 for any length of time. Make an arrangement 

 with the hotel folks to divide the cost of hauling 

 the dangerous liquid away. It will be all right 

 in your garden, and help your meadow. 



1,423. Spanish Peanut, This is the only kind 

 known to us with which cultivatoi'S north of 

 Maryland can hope to achieve success. It is ma- 

 terially earlier than the Virginia nut; pods small 

 but well filled, and altogether considered of 

 superior quality. From what a Floridian wrote 

 to Southern Farmer, we infer that this variety 

 is also apiircciated at the South. I planted them 

 along side of \'irginia rcanut, he says, gathered 

 them, and then luirvcstod a crop of Whipponrwill 

 Peavines from the same grcmnderethe Virginins 

 were ready. For an early hog food I know noth- 

 ing superior, although the Virginias are vastly 

 more prolific. The Spanish vine is much more 

 delicate aud makes a desirable forage for horses 

 and cows. They are the easiest to gather. In 

 this sandy soil we pull the vines by hand and do 

 not lose one-tenth of the nuts. They must be 

 harvested as soon as ripe or they will sprout, 

 lea\e the nuts on the vines and they will keep 

 indefinitely. 



1,432. Ferns From Seed (Spores). An English 

 paper states that this is a far more simple matter 

 than many suppose. Pans, 13 or 15 inches in di- 

 ameter, are the most convenient, and should be 

 efSciently drained and be filled nearly level to 

 the rim with a mixture consisting of peat, loam, 

 leaf-mould and silver sand in about equal pro- 

 portions. The loam and peat should be well 

 broken up, and when the leaf mould has been 

 .added, be passed through a fine sieve, and the 

 sand be then well mixed with it. In filling the 

 pans press the soil moderately firm, and when 

 the surface has been made quite level, give a 

 good watering with water as near the boiling 

 pomt as possible. On this having soakeil away, 

 proceed to sow the spores, and tnis is best ilimc 

 by holding the fronds over the pans and lightly 

 rubbing them between the finger and thuiuli to 

 assist in rupturing the spore cases ami distribut- 

 ing the spores. The pans must then be placed in 



a closed frame, and the soil be kept constantly 

 moist by light sprinklings of water with a fine 

 rose The spoi-es of the stove Ferns mtist ha^'e 

 the assistance of a brisk temperature, but the 

 pans containing the spores of hardy kinds may 

 be placed in a cold frame. 



1,406. Wintering Water Lilies. Nodilliculty 

 will be experienced in carrying "Water Lily bulbs 

 safely through the winter, if the water is turned 

 off the tub in autumn, and these with the roots 

 in them be placed in a dark cellar Keep the 

 mud moist, so the roots will not shrivel. 



1,415. Hollyhock Fungus, The trouble un- 

 doubtedly is caused by the old enemy of Holly- 

 hock culture, the fungus Puccinia malvaeearum, 

 which usually makes its appearance in June or 

 July, first on the underside of the leaves, rapidly 

 spreading over their whole surface until the 

 foliage withers and dies. Prevention is better 

 than cure. Gardening Illustrated, as early as 

 188:3, advises, as means of preventing disease, to 

 give them a deep, well-worked, well-manured 

 soil, and plenty room for the air to circulate 

 among the plants. In crowded beds the disease 

 appears to be more destructive than where suffic- 

 ient sjiace is allowed. Hollyhocks also need con- 

 siderable moisture to do well, and mulching and 

 watering will tend to prevent the attacks. 



1,414. Insect on Apple Trees. The scurfy bark 

 louse, of course. It is very troublesome over a 

 wide extent of territory at present. See answer 

 to 1,346, on page 2(i7, August number. 



1.427'. Trenching Vineyard, I know of no 

 effectual method of pulverizing the soil to the depth 

 of 34 inches except by trenching. In fact I cannot 

 see how it could be done in any other way, as the 

 surface soil which is the richest should be turned 

 below, and the subsoil thrown on the top This is 

 the sine qua non of a good vineyard. It is not the 

 moisture of the surface with the subsoil what is 

 wanted but about 12 inches of the surface soil 

 mixed up and put below, and the subsoil thrown on 

 the top of it, a complete reversion of the soil, so the 

 foot roots of the vines will have rich soil and make 

 strong growth. There are other methods of 

 partially accomplishing it One is to dig large 

 holes and throw the rich soil below and the subsoil 

 on the top. Another is to trench in narrow rows 

 about two feet wide and deep, reversing the soil. 

 And still another is by plowing with a heavy plow 

 as deep as can be done, and follow after with a 

 subsoil plow. This method might do in loose, rich 

 or sandy soil, but in clay soil is of little value over 

 digging "holes. It is the cost of trencliing compared 

 with other methods that must be considered in go- 

 ing into the business on a large scale. Trenching 

 costs about $7.^j per acre; trenching in narrow strips 

 about $10; digging holesabout $15. and plowing and 

 subsoiling about $25. I know of no other machinery 

 than the spade and plow for these methods. If my 

 articles are continued I propose to take up this 

 matter at its proper place and time, and show the 

 reason why we prefer trenching at the greatest 

 cost as the cheapest and best, and in fact the only 

 proper method of preparing the soil for a vineyard. 

 This may not reach the approbation of some, but 

 we will have to come to it at last if we ever expect 

 to reach the highest success in Grape culture. 

 These articles on Grape culture are the result of 

 more than fifty years experience, and I expect 

 those who follow my directions to have no trouble 

 from Grape disease, but plenty of good Grapes; 

 and thosi who have old vineyards I think I can 

 show how to renew them, and get good fruit with- 

 out bagging, medication or spraying. — Dr. J. Stat- 

 MAN, Leavenworth Co., Kan. 



1,409. Protecting Grape "Vines, Baspberries, 

 Etc. At the approach of cold weather the Gr.ape 

 vines are pruned, unfastened from the trellis and 

 laid flat upon the ground. They may be held in 

 this position by simply placing a stone or other 

 heavy object upon the end, and this will safely pass 

 the winter anywhere except at the extreme noi-th. 

 Where the winters are usually very severe the vines 

 should also be covered with soil, straw or litter of 

 some sort ; and perhaps this may be a good pre- 

 caution with tender vines everywhere at the ex- 

 treme north. Tender Raspberries and Blackberries 

 are to be treated in a similar manner, but the cane 

 being more brittle and more easily injured than 

 Grape vines, need careful handling and gradual 

 bending while undergoing the operation. A good 

 practice is to throw one or two shovelfuls of soil 

 against the canes on one side, and bend them over 

 this by a sort of curve. The tops are laid upon the 

 ground near the next stool of canes and held there 

 by another one or two shovelfuls of soil. Two per- 

 sons can do this work very conveniently and 

 quickly, and when growers learn to depend more 

 on these easy modes of giving winter protection 

 than on the chances of a mild winter, or supposd 

 hardiness of plants, they will have little reason to 

 complain of winter kill, or of placing such an ex- 

 cessively great value on the ability of Grapes, Rasp- 

 berries, etc.. to endure the winter without such 

 means of protection. 



1,391. Evaporated Sulphur. The sulphur Is put 

 into the kettle without water, but should be ex- 

 posed to steady, moderate heat only to prevent 

 taking fire The Rose leaves sent us are badly 

 affected with 'black spot", which, according to the 

 statement of the Massachusetts Experiment Sta- 

 tion, will readily yield to tlte easily applied "evap- 

 orated sulphur treatment. 



