1889. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



2gi 



1,380. Lily of the Valley. This likes a partial 

 shade, soil composed of mellow loam, sand, well 

 rotted stable manure. Spade the bed to tlie depth 

 of two feet. Pips should not be placed more than 

 two inches below the surface and about eight inches 

 apart. Protect with Pine or Hemlock branches 

 during winter.— E. L. P. 



1.376. Gladiolus. Lift the bulbs in the fall be- 

 fore frost has injured the foliage la slight frost 

 will not injure). Remove the tops after drying in 

 the air a tew days; place in a paper sack and hang 

 in a frost-proof cellar.— E. L. P. 



1,355. Musa Ensete. I liave had good success 

 in growing Musa Ensete from seed by simply plant, 

 ing a single seed in a -1-inch pot filled with sand, 

 and placing over the steam pipes in a greenhouse. 

 It is necessary to keep the sand rather wet until 

 the seed germinates, when they may be transferred 

 to larger pots and a good rich soil. It will take 

 several weeks probabl.v for the seed to germinate, 

 but a temperature of fO'° to 90- F. will greatly facil- 

 itate this.— W. B. 



1,373. Tennisball Lettuce. There are two var- 

 ieties, one black-seeded and the other grey, or as 

 usually called white. The leaves of the grey seeded 

 sort are larger, broader, more varied than the black- 

 seeded. They are also marked with reddish brown 

 around the edges. Do not think it is of as good 

 quality as the black-seeded sort.— W. B. 



1,:}45. Apple Seed. I very much doubt your 

 finding a market at any price. Try some of the 

 leading nurserymen, they could doubtless give .you 

 more information. A New York State man has 

 made this business a specialty for years. — M. B. F. 



1,346. Apple Tree Bark Louse. Give the 

 affected branches a thorough application of kero- 

 sene emulsion. Apply with a brush or whisk broom. 

 -M. B. F. 



1,353. Bust on Baspberries. Apply dry sul- 

 phur by means of a small bellows upon the first 

 appearance of the rust. This may not prevent it 

 entirely, but will certainly check it.— M. B. F. 



1,355. Musa Ensete. Seed should be sown in 

 heat during early spring, and when the plants are 

 quite small, they should be removed to pots. Plant- 

 ing can then be accomplished without seriously 

 disturbing the roots. — F. 



1,:356. Grass from Lawn. Vp to the middle or 

 latter part of the season the grass should be cut 

 sufficiently often to making raking unnecessary. 

 Later on the clippings had best be placed on the 

 compost heap.— F. 



l.SSS. Jacqueminot Bose for Summer. Place 

 in a cool, partially lighted cellar. Let the soil be- 

 come quite dry, and keep in as near the same con- 

 dition as possible. If water is given it should only 

 be in small quantities.— M. B. F. 



1.361, Propagating Gooseberries. Perhaps the 

 easiest method is by cuttings, which should be 

 treated in the same manner as Currants. Some of 

 the varieties, the Houghton for example, being of 

 a low spreading habit may be easily layered. Strong 

 plants are obtained quicker this way . — M. B. Faxon. 



1.362. Aphis on Currants. Apply Tobacco dust 

 or sulphur liberally.— F. 



1,361. Hyacinths. Earth is the best basis for 

 Hyacinth growing, but moss may be used if de- 

 sired . All the precaution needed is to make the 

 moss as firm as possible around and under the 

 bulb. Moisture should be given frequently but in 

 small quantities. In water culture is a little more 

 difiicult, still many amateurs are|successf ul. Choose 

 sound, well-ripened bulbs as soon as they are to be 

 obtained. Fill the glasses with pure water and 

 place the bulb in position. The base of the bulb 

 ■should nearly touch the surface of the water. Set 

 the glasses in a cool dark room or closet, and let 

 them remain until the bulbs have put out a growth 

 of two or three inches, then gradually bring into 

 full light. The main point is to keep the tempera- 

 ture of the water as even as possible.— M. B. Faxon. 



1.365. Pot Grown Strawberries. If the ball of 

 *arth is dry and hard by all means shake out the 

 roots, otherwise it is not necessary.- F. 



1.366. Cabbage and Cauliflower. About the 

 15th of September. Sow in open ground and trans- 

 plant to the cold frames. Just as well wait until 

 «arly spring, however. Very few market gardeners 

 about here now sow either of them in the fall.— 

 M. B. Faxon. 



1,367 Currant Cuttings. It would be better to 

 wait until cold weather when the wood will have 

 ripened more thoroughly. Pack the cuttings in 

 clean dry sand and plant out as soon as the ground 

 can be easily worked in the spring. — F. 



1,368. Pansy Plants for Spring Blooming. Ves, 

 seed sown early in September will under favorable 

 ■circumstances give strong flowering plants by next 

 June. The first buds should not be allowed to open, 

 but should be pinched back.— M. B. F. 



1.377. White Tulip. If confined to one variety 

 I should say, LaCandeur.— M. B. F. 



1,370. Cauliflower. Early Dwarf Erfurt and 

 Lenormand's Short Stemmed are ji^ood varieties. I 

 should say S5th of September would be early 



■enough for Indiana to sow seed for plants to be 



wintered in cold frame.— M. B. F. 



1.369. Tobacco Fertilizer. Judging from this 

 season's experience, Sturtevanfs Tobacco prepara- 

 tions are all that is claimed for them — F. 



1,371. Lawn Mower. The "Henderson" made 

 bv P. Henderson & Co.. New York, has a grass 

 box for collecting grass clippings, also the Phila- 

 delphia which is handled by nearly every seeds- 

 man in the country.— M. B. F. 



1,37S. Green Manuring. I prefer Rye to any 



other crop for this purpose as it grows quickly, is 

 easily turned under, and in my experience has al- 

 ways been attended with satisfactory results.— F. 



1.374. Adirondack Potato. This is a round, 

 red variety of vigorous habit and finest tiuality; the 

 best keeping Potato I am acquainted with. With 

 me it is a large yielder and one of the best PotUoes 

 for family use. It was introduced some years ago 

 by the late firm of B. K. Bliss A; Sons, of New York, 

 having originated with Mr. Rand of Vermont 

 — M. B. Faxon. 



1.375. New Nasturtiums. There is a new va- 

 riety called Comedian. I think W. Atlee Burpee of 

 Philadelphia introduced it. The foliage changes 

 from dark green to a pale yellow and vice versa at 

 various stages of its growth, hence, I suppose the 

 name. As a fijwer it is of but little value. — M.B.F. 



1.376. Gladiolus, Keep the bulbs in a cool dry 

 place where there will be no danger of frost. If 

 room is available it is well to spread them thinly 

 on shutters or the floor.— M. B. F. 



1,37S. Lawn Seeding, if the season is moist or 

 you have facilities for watering thorougly, sow in 

 the fall ; if not, early in spring. Special mixtures 

 for shady locations, if obtained of responsible 

 seedsmen are]^-hat they are.represented to be. Cer- 

 tain grasses will succeed well in shade while others 

 do much better in a dry location and full heat of 

 the sun.— M. B. Faxon. 



l.SSS. Latest Strawberry. Glendale and Ken- 

 tucky are among the latest good berries. It is im- 

 possible to say which particular variety is the very 

 latest, much depends upon circumstances. M. B. F. 



1,3SD. Wintering Celery. Your best way if you 

 have only a small quantity is to set it out, so to 

 speak, in clear sand in a dark cellar. Just cover 

 the roots firmly enough to hold the stalks upright. 

 — M. B. Faxon. 



1,390. Manure for Orchard, It makes but little 

 difference ordinarily whether it is to applied in 

 spring or autumn. Depend upon it the trees will 

 feel a benefit when ever it is put on. M. B. Faxon. 



1,407. Soot for Flowers. Both wood and coal 

 soot are used as manure, and if applied cautiously 

 often show very fine effects. Coal soot is probably 

 richer in ammonia than wood soot, but the chief 

 constituent of either is finel.v divided carbon. 



1,340. Marianna and Abundance Plums. The 

 Marianna. although introduced under high claims 

 but a few years ago, has since shown its absolute 

 worthlessness. Fruit is smaller than Wild Goose, 

 neither earlier nor better in quality, and as a shy 

 bearer might rank next to the Blackman which is 

 said to be absolutely barren. The Abundance is a 

 very promising sort of Japanese Plums, and may 

 be obtained from reliable eastern nurserymen under 

 its other name " Botan." 



1,361. Propagation of Gooseberries. They can 

 be propagated by cuttings in the same way as Cur- 

 rants, but they do not make quite so rapid growth 

 nor are as certain to root. The cuttings should be 

 made in fall, tied in bundles and buried in sand in 

 the cellar, to be planted out in nursery rows in 

 spring. To propagate by layering, soil is drawn up 

 to the plants in early summer, high enough to cover 

 the lower part of the young wood, which is thus in- 

 duced to emit roots, or the young growth may be 

 laid down and covered with soil, so that only the 

 tips are left exposed . The layers are then planted 

 out in nursery row, for a year or two, until they 

 have become strong plants, and are ready to plant- 

 ing out to fruit. 



1,301. Destroying Weeds in Lawn, Get an 

 ordinary "medicine dropper" with a little sul. 

 phuric acid, and drop a small quantity on the heart 

 of every weed. This is simple, clean, and efficient. 

 No "puller" wanted.— R. A. B., Munson. 



1,322. Pea Weevil. Buhach powder shaken up 

 with the seed will lay the weevils out.— R. A. B., 

 Munson. 



1,436. Pruning Peach Trees. This should not 

 be done until the leaves have fallen; otherwise the 

 proper ripening of the wood will be retarded or 

 prevented rather than hastened. There is nothing 

 you can do now, so far as we know, to hasten the 

 hardening of the wood, except letting it alone. The 

 proper precautions in this direction should have 

 been taken in early spring. Stimulate early growth 

 by applications of quickly available manure, high 

 grade fertilizers, nitrate of soda, etc., in early 

 spring, and give good culture until August. After 

 that cease cultivation. This treatment will give 

 you early and thrifty growth, thorough ripening of 

 the wood, and immunity from winter kill.— P. G. 



1,433. Blackberry Bust. We know of but one 

 method of treatment. Tear out and burn up every 

 affected cane as soon as noticed, —P. G. 



The Oleander -Its Cultivation and 

 Varieties. 



CHAS. £. PARNELL. QUEEN'S CO., N. Y. 



The several varieties of the Oleander, or 

 to be speakint; more correctly, Neritim 

 Oleander, form, when taken together, a 

 very beantifnl genus of greenhouse shrubs 

 belonging to the Natural OrtlerApocynacea?, 

 and may be described as being evergreen 

 greenhouse shrubs ot erect growth attain- 

 ing a height of from five to fifteen feet, hav- 

 ing lanceolate thick leathery leaves, and 

 producing their large, very showy, various 

 colored single or double flowers in large 

 clusters during the early spring and sum- 

 mer months. When well grown the Olean- 

 ders are very useful, pretty, ornamental 

 plants, and until of late the genus has been 

 much neglected, but within the past few 

 years the French florists have bestowed con- 

 siderable attention on the genus, and have 

 given us quite a number of new varieties 

 that difl'er widely from the older sorts in 

 size, form, and color of their flowers. The 

 original species is a native of Palestine, from 

 whence it was introduced in 1.5(i9, and it is 

 said that it can be found growing freely and 

 in great abundance in various parts of the 

 south of Europe near water courses. In 

 Palestine it is always to be found wherever 

 water courses invite its thirsty roots. 



Whether grown in the greenhouse, win- 

 dow, garden or flower border, the Oleander 

 is a deservedly popular plant on account of 

 the ease with which it can be grown, and 

 the great variety in the color of its flowers. 

 When grown as a pot plant, it should be 

 given a compost composed of two parts well 

 rotted sods, one part well decayed manure, 

 ■with a fair sprinkling of bone dust. In pot- 

 ting, give them sufficient pot room, and see 

 that they aje well drained. 



About the first of May the plants, if small, 

 can be planted out in the flower border for 

 the summer. They should be taken up and 

 potted about the middle of September, and 

 brought inside before cold weather sets in. 

 Large specimens in pots or tubs can also be 

 placed outside, giving them a sunny situa- 

 tion. They will require close attention to 

 keep them properly supplied with water. 



When brought inside they should be placed 

 in the coolest part of the greenhouse, and 

 only given enough moisture to prevent them 

 from becoming absolutely dry until spring, 

 when they can be started into growth by 

 giving them more moisture and a higher 

 temperature. Or they can be wintered over 

 by placing them in a light frost-proof cellar 

 and giving but little water, until they are 

 brought outside. Propagation is effected 

 by cuttings of the half ripened wood, and 

 the young plants will flower the second 

 season if planted out in a deep, well en- 

 riched border and liberally treated. 



Unfortunately the Oleander is very sub- 

 .iect to the white scale, and on this account 

 the leaves and stems should be frequently 

 washed with water in which whale oil soap 

 has been dissolved in the proportion of two 

 ounces to the gallon. 



There are some fifty or more named varie- 

 ties of the Oleander in cultivation, of which 

 the following are the most desirable : Atni- 

 inirpitrcmn ph'nuiii, very large doubleflow- 

 ers of a rich dark purple; Ciinlinalc, rich 

 purple Vermillion, lighted towards the cen- 

 ter ; fltiviDii rfi(j)k'.(', large double yellow: 

 flloriosHDi, brilliant cherry crimson, large 

 and double ; / i((f(/, single yellow, free flower- 

 ing ; LilUaii Henderson, tZouble white, full 

 petalled, rose-like in form. This is the best 

 white variety: Macloni <,imndiflora, pure 

 white, semi-double : Mud. Chas. Ballet, 

 cherry carmine, fringed throat, large and 

 double : inii'iiiiirutn aimiilc.r, bright purple, 

 very distinct : Pi-ofemnv Plmiclicn, rich 

 plum, bordered with rose, and striped with 



