1 886. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



21 



Plum Curcullo Nonsense. 



Mr. John S. Fitzhugh, of Texas, writes to 

 Home and Fiinn, and says: Rub the bodies of 

 the trees with common soft soap, slightly 

 diluted with warm water. This is recommended 

 on his own discovery that the curculio beetle 

 does not fly up into trees, as generally believed, 

 but that it crawls up the tnmk. This should 

 be done about the time the trees are ready to 

 cast their flowers, and to meet the appearance 

 of the young fruit; but it is by no means cer- 

 tain that the beetle is not constantly depositing 

 its eggs in the jjlum as long as there is green 

 fruit upon the trees. If so, the fruit yet un- 

 pierced may be saved, if it is true that the in- 

 sect crawls up the trunk instead of flying. 



In repl3' to the above, we would state that 

 we know, of our owu knowledge, that the Plum 

 curculio beetle dors fly. We have often taken 

 it on the wing. In our opinion it never climbs 

 the trunk of a tree save in cases where it has 

 been by some means disabled so as to render it 

 incapable of flying. Tapping on the trunk of 

 a tree for the plum curculio would simply be 

 persecuting the cripples. — ifobdf Rer/if^ter. 

 [The only way to head off the curculio is by jai-- 

 ring the tree, or spraying with poisoned water.] 



A Good Mexican Custom. 



Wherever the Mexican is, whether on the 

 prairie, forest, bottom or mountain, he buries 

 the stone of evei-y Peach he eats. The result is 

 that Peach trees are found everywhere in that 

 country. It makes no difference where the 

 Mexican may be, he stops and plants the seed. 

 If on foot or horseback, in stage or wagon, he 

 keeps it until he can plant it. It is his creed, 

 his religion, to help another. He plants, he 

 says, for the stranger. 



Why can not we do the same? A hole made 

 b}' the thrust of a cane or the foot, a few 

 handfuls of soil thrown over it, and the tree 

 will come. If every one would follow this 

 beautiful custom, what a country tor fruit we 

 would have in a few years. It is far better 

 and more humane to do this than to cast it 

 aside to be crushed by some passing hog. 



The above is from the Spirit dftlicTimes. This 

 is a very commendable practice, and if cariied 

 out along the roadside and in the fence corners 

 of yards and fai-ras how many would soon be 

 supplied with fruit that know not what it is to 

 have it plentifully as an article of food. 



Instead of selling old cast-iron at 1-2 cent per 

 pound put small pieces near the roots of Grapes, 

 Currants, Gooseberries and fruit trees. It is 

 very beneficial. 



Grapes gi-own on trees are free from disease 

 and yield plentifully. Plant them a rod away 

 from large trees and train them up to limbs 

 and they will soon run through the trees. 



The best way to use bone for immediate effect 

 is to keep a barrel of lye on hand and put in 

 this all bones. Soon phosphate of potash will 

 be found, which is one of the best fertilizers. 



It will be noticed that the sweetest and best 

 crop of Plums are grown in di'y seasons, thus 

 showing that dry well drained upland locations 

 are best for them. The same, too, with Grapes. 



Many persons complain that they cannot 

 grow good crisp Radishes. The trouble is the 

 land is too heavy and rich, a load of clear sand 

 worked into 10 to 12 feet square of gi-ound will 

 make good Radish soil. 



To increase sucker plants, such as Blackber- 

 ries and Red Raspberries, I'apidly, cut rings 

 ai'ound the old bushes, say the fii'st 18 inches 

 away and others at three oi- four inches apart, 

 and you will have plants in abundance next 

 spring. 



Wherever we have Pear trees fail because of 

 blight we are putting Plums in their place. 

 The latter pay well to evaporate, and now 

 since we have got the best of the curculio by 

 spraying with Paris Green or London Purple 

 water, we are getting wonderful crops. 



The Bussian Mulberry. This, we believe, 

 \vill make one of the best hedges, not only for 

 (luickness of gi'owth, beauty and hardiness, but 

 because of its sweet and abundant crop of fruit, 

 which will draw the birds largely away from 

 other crops, like Cherries and small fruits. 



Keeping Celery. We have found the best 

 plan is to take a box, sufficiently deep, packing 

 closely in this, with the roots packed in four 

 to six inches of earth, and in the center of the 

 box put in a small round tile perpendicular, 

 and through this occasionally during the 

 winter force water. The water is then made 

 to reach and run through the earth below with- 

 out wetting the leaves and stalks, which should 

 not be done when packed for keeping. 



High Freight Rates. You High Point folks 

 have very little to I'omplain of, as compared 

 with Arkansas fruit growers and farmers. Mr. 

 Newcomb, the largest fruit grower in the State, 

 pays .$1.25 per cwt. for fruit to St. Louis, a dis- 

 tance of 3.50 miles, and not in refrigeratorc ars 

 either, and if we want to visit Chattanooga, a 

 distance of 5.50 miles, we can pay -*1!); thus we 

 are compelled to find a more favorable fruit 

 country than this, to make the business pay. — 

 T. J. Bull. 



Resetting old Strawberry Plants. An en- 

 quirer wants to know if she can take up plants 

 from an old Strawlwrry bed and remove a few 

 rods and get fruit the next season, as she desires 

 to plow up the old bed. In answer we would 

 say that we have had success in taking up 

 with a spade sods of old plants and tiansf erring 

 to other places, and obtained good crops the 

 following season. In doing so, pick out all 

 grass and weeds, pack down firmly in their 

 new place and manure liberally. 



It's a good plan to grow a natural Peach 

 orchard, and the best way is to get land ready 

 this month and properly worked up, and at each 

 crossing where trees are to come plant two or 

 three pits this fall, and when they come up in 

 the spring pull out all but one. We advise all 

 who are intending to plant any kind of small 

 fniit on sod land next spring to be sure and 

 plough the ground this fall— leaving it without 

 dragging. The grubs that such land is infested 

 with will then not survive the winter. 



Parties must not calculate on the hai'diness 

 of any kind of fruit in sections where the mer- 

 cury drops down to 35 to 30 because such prove 

 hardy in the Middle and some of the Western 

 States, and our advice is buy lightly of any 

 new kind of Blackberry or Raspberry unless it 

 can be sufficiently proven to have withstood 

 the cold sections named above. And too many 

 of them may stand two or three winters and 

 the next be killed to the ground. The Snyder, 

 Western Triumph, Taylor, Stone's Hardy and 

 Wallace can be generally relied upon. 



Strawberries, Wild and Tame. Your article 

 on this is a good one to dispel the old idea of 

 there being nothing like the old wild ones in 

 point of flavor and fragrance, which they cer- 

 tainly possessed in a high degree. At this day 

 I consider the Ladies' Pine the finest in flavor, 

 but it is too small, too soft, and not productive 

 enough to ever be a market berry. Pautuxet 

 comes next, to my taste, but I have lost it. 

 Your advice to let potted Strawberries plants 

 alone I consider good. Have tried it just 

 enough to learn that there is no use in it. S.M. 



The following we clip from a letter received 

 from E. D. Buxton of Las Cruces, New Mexico, 

 Sept. 6th, 1880. "We irrigate from the Rio 

 Grande River, and the deposit is manure in 

 itself — lacking some qualities that are supplied 

 by commercial fertilizers. We raise enormous 

 Onions — and enormous in productiveness. 

 Raise the Mission Grape; has grown here for 

 nearly BOO years. The Mexican labor, on which 

 we largely depend, is low-priced but not cheap. 

 For instance, in their own small farming, they 

 plow still with the stick, cut wheat with the 

 small sickle, thresh with animals treatling on 

 the gi'ain, and cleaning this then in the wind." 



QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 



13(1. Sowing Tree Seeds. Will you plea-se pive 



instruct iwiis Uit- keeping and sowing Tree seeds, 

 Walnut, A,sli, Catiilpa, ami Bux .MdcT. etc, C:, Hmi). 

 Gi-ttiiiJit'Ul, Klin. [Tlifse must be i)lunteil in the 

 fall, or else nii.xed with earth and put out to freeze 

 thnju^h tlie wiiiti-r, ami planted in early spring.] 



IST. Unfruitful Pear Trees. Three of mine 

 about 13 yeai-s olil, healthy iuiil full of bloom in 

 spring, bore only about 2 dozen IV-urs each last two 

 seasons. Near by two Flemish Beauties ffave 

 6 bushels of fine Pears each year. "What can 1 do for 

 the unfruitful ones? In usilitr wooil aslies to fei-til- 

 ize fr-n it trees, when should it be appliedy Spring 

 or Fall? In usin^ manure, when? J. A., Lewistun, 

 Canada. |Koot |iruning will often proiluee fruil- 

 fulness. and sometimes top i)runint? in March or 

 early in April. We know some varieties of Pears 

 and Apples require ape before bearing. Overmanur- 

 ing and working among thetrees will cause a strong 

 growth of wood and but little fruit with some sort,s. 

 while with others its just what is needed. We do 

 manuring in fall and winter rather than in spring.] 



138. Raising Pear Seedlings, .-^t what time is 

 it best to sow tlie seerl for seedlings to graft upon? 

 [We usually sow in the sipring. ] 



130, Grafting Pear Seedlings. At what age 

 should they be grafted? (We have had such poor 

 luck in grafting Pear seedlings that we do not now 

 graft, but bud in August | 



140. Pear Seeds. \Vhere can I pi-ocure the seeil 

 and at wliat price? |Tbey are .sold by dealers in 

 fruit seeds. We think yon had better buy the seed- 

 lings of some relialtle nurseryman.] 



141, Soil for Seedlings. What kind of soil is 

 best adapted ;to the growing of seedlings? [Any 

 good loamy soil,] 



143, Quince Seedlings Are these of any use? 



C R ,, Kandall Riiail. .V, Y. [Nc] 



143, Blackberries in Sod. Is it better to cultivate 

 Blackben-ies, or sow in Clover when old enough to 

 bear? .J, B, S,, U'l/iiiKlattc. Kan. [It tender sorts 

 they will not stand if cultivated, but will only suc- 

 ceed in sod. But we prefer to ]>laut hardy sorts 

 like Snyder, Western Triumph, Wallace. Stone's 

 Hardy and Taylor, and cultivate up to August,] 



144, Early Ohio Raspberry. Is this Black Ra,sp- 

 berry identical with the Miami? If not, which is 

 the best of the two? A. B, j We presume what you 

 call the Miauu is the "McCormick" or Mauuuoth 

 Cluster, It is not identical with this, but is the same 

 as the old Miauu of the Miami Valley, 



145, Prunes from Seed. Will they come true to 

 name from the seed? [We think not,] 



146, Shumaker Peach. Is the ShtuTiaker a free- 

 stone? How uuich earlier is it in ripening than 

 Crawford's Early? H, A, K„ East Portland, 

 Oregon. [It is a free-stone and ripens about with 

 Crawford's Early.] 



147, What can be done to prevent the ravages 

 of the Currant Borer? L, S, F,, Rockford. 111. 

 [Scatter salt -say a teasi^oonful— clo.se around each 

 bush two or three times through the season,] 



148, Is Superphosphate especially lieneflcial to 

 fruit? r<^n old land 1 have found it to be very- 

 valuable, but one must be careful about using it 

 and not get on too much. Better a rather small 

 allowance than an overdose, 



149, Manuring Strawberries. Which is the 

 better manure, raw bone grvumd fine, or commer- 

 cial supen^hi'Sphate'' Will either well supply the 

 place of stable manure? Will it pay to use any 

 commercial fertilizers— say one ton per acre, the 

 land being already in good condition for corn and 

 potatoes? J, H. B,, Woodstock. 111. [,\s it acts 

 quicker, for iuunediate effect we prefer the 

 superphosphate to raw bone. Of these Ine last will 

 best supiil\- the place of stable manure for lasting 

 effect, liut we prefer good rotted nuinure to either. 

 Land in the condition of yours, if it be strong soil, 



. we would not advise manuring, at least for most 

 kinds, as it will iiush them more to growth of plant, 

 to the falling oft of fruit,] 



150, Grubs. Is there a remedy for these? I 

 planted 5,C(X) Strawberries last spring on Clover and 

 Timothy sod an<l they have desti-oyed about half of 

 my plants. Are they liable to lie in the second 

 .vear, j\lso, do the grubs come from the May beetle, 

 J.K.,Xew Wibninrjion. Pa. [Late fall jilowing is 

 the best remedy, and if a barrel i>r two of salt to 

 the acre is scattered over the land all the better,] 



151, Curl in Grape Leaf. What is the matter 

 with, and the i-emedy as to this and the vine becom- 

 ing coated with a kiiid of rust, the fruit alst^ having 

 black spots on? H, F,, F.Ujin, 111. |The disease 

 which is affecting the Grape-vines plainl,v indicates 

 that the trouble is caused by the Prrono.spora riti- 

 rola., or the "Peronospora Mildew." A remedy 

 which was proposed by Prof, Rile.v last ,vear has 

 since been used with gra'tifying success. This rem- 

 edy is, in brief, a use of the ordinarv kerosene-milk 

 emulsion, prepared according to the fornnila given 

 in the recent reports and bulletins (»f this division, 

 with from 2 to 5 jier cent of earbolic acid and the 

 same per cent of glycerine added, and then diluted 

 in 20 to 50 parts of water to one of enndsion, and 

 sprayed upon the under surface of the leaves bv 

 means of a foi-ee |)nnq) with a cyclone nozzle, with 

 a small apei-ture so as to render the spray as fine as 

 possible. The dilntlLtn is sufficiently great to ren- 

 der the kerosene barndess to the leaves and the 

 glycerine is added to prevent too rapid evapora- 

 tion, —L, O. Hotrard, Agricultural Department^ 

 Washington.] 



