1 886. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



25 



when it is fit for propagation is important. Exam- 

 ine a young prowiug shoot and it may be seen that 

 there are different degrees of hai'dness present 

 in the wood, the youngest part being the softest, 

 and from that back to where it is likely to be quite 

 liard and fibrous. To sever the cutting at a point 

 where it is too soft, and early decay is apt to set 

 into the slip; if down in the tough and fibrous part 

 it will, if it roots at all. do so siowly. and to the 

 making of an inferior plant. The right place to 

 take it off is at such a point back from the end where 

 the growth is found to be somewhat hardened, but 

 where it is still suffleiently brittle to snap with a 

 clean break without bending, or without the fibres 

 of the bark protruding. A little careful testing of 

 cuttings will soon show the right place for this 



UU. Cheap Concord Vines. E.Y. Teas.Dunreith. 

 Indiana, and we presume others also. offers Concords 

 2 years old at WH cents each by the dozen; 6 cents 

 each by the 100. We have seen them quoted even 

 lower than this, but do not now recall wnere. 



FROM VARIOUS SOURCES. 



The Mountain Ash Berries can be kept quite 

 fresh-looking by either sealing the stalk of each 

 bunch or dipping the berries into spirits of wine.— 

 Enylish Gardening Illustrotcd. 



Hardy Boses, to use a technical t-erm, will "run 

 out " in a few years, unless the young wood be re- 

 newed. Some growers cut their plants down each 

 autumn to about twelve inches of the ground, with 

 excellent results; and the entire tops of tender 

 Roses are pnmed away, and the roots well covered 

 with manure. This process may be hard on the 

 plant but it is certainly very productive of beauti- 

 ful flowers for a few years. The Climbing Prairies 

 do not need so much pruning as the other classes, 

 as they are naturally strong growers, and in even 

 moderately good soil will form an abundance of 

 young wood each year, still even they require 

 thinning out.— Josiah Hoopes. 



Where Tomatoes were First Eaten. A New- 

 port tradition says in that city in about 1823, in a 

 house still standing on the corner of Corneand Mill 

 streeLs. About that time there came here an eccen- 

 tric Italian painter, Michele Felice Come. Previous 

 to his coming, and long aft^r. Tomatoes, then called 

 Love Apples, were thought to be poisonous. They 

 were looked upon as curiosities, and prized for their 

 beauty. They became later, however, a very im- 

 pleasant missile in the hands of the small boy. A 

 charming ohl lady also told me today that in 1824 

 she was sitting with a sick person when some one 

 brought the invalid as a tempting delicacy, some 

 Tomatoes. "Would you poison her?" wa,s the ex- 

 clamation of the astonished attendants; and yet 

 Corne. in his section of the town, had been serving 

 them fur a year previous. As late as 1835 they 

 were regarded as poisonous throughout Connecticut. 

 — Boston Trmtscripf. 



Fruit Cellars and Storage Houses. T. S. Gold 

 describes a refrigeratinghousenearMeriden.Conn., 

 as follows: It is of good size and so encased by 

 double walls as to preclude any danger from frost. 

 A low temperature is secured in the summer by a 

 large stock of ice, occupying one end of the fruit 

 room. The Apples are brought in as picked from 

 the trees and stored in slatted bins. No draft is al- 

 lowed in the building. Pears may be retarded for 

 a period without in.iury. The dampness from the 

 ice is not injurious, and in some cases the drip from 

 the ice falls on the fniit without harm. The fruit 

 should be ripe and full grown, but picked while 

 hard and firm. Fi-uit that is green will never ripen 

 well. That which is too ripe will become discolored 

 and lose flavor. Bruised and worm-eaten fruit is 

 not worth the storage. An even temperature, just 

 above freezing, not only prevents decay but favors 

 an even degree of moisture, keeping the fruit 

 plump. A common cellar, clean, sweet and not af- 

 fected by a furnace, and that can be closed up, is a 

 good place for keeping Apples. Next to Butter. 

 Cream and Milk. Apples are the most sensitive to 

 unpleasant odors and lose their own delicate aroma 

 with the greatest facility. Kerosene, cod-fish, Cab- 

 bage, Turnips and Onions are all well enough in 

 their places, but their place is not in a fruit cellar. 



Laying Down Peach Trees in Minnesota. Of 



course we have to cover the trees in winter, a point 

 of great interest to those in a cold climate who 

 would like to grow this luxury. In the first place, 

 we set the tree for laying it down with the least 

 damage t<> the roots. We dig the hole the ordinary 

 size and depth; then make a compact narrow ridge 

 of dirt across the center in t he direction that the tree 

 is wanted to be laid down; divide the roots in two 

 equal parts and straddle them across the ridge, 

 keeping each jiarcel eom]>act, and then fill in and 

 pack the dirt as in planting any tree. Tu lay down 



in the fall dig down on the side you want it to turn 

 to, and it will drop over as if on a hinge; put the dirt 

 back around therdots. and cover them and the entire 

 top with hay. leaves or the like eight to twelve inches 

 deep, and sitmething to keep it there. Put no dirt 

 on the top of the tree. We uncover in the spring 

 as soon as all danger of hard freezing is over. We 

 then remove the dirt and straighten the tree up and 

 again pack the soil around the roots, taking care to 

 cut off all roots that start out along the ridge. 

 Keep the roots to each side and dig a little deeper 

 in laying down, so as not to strain or hurt the bark 

 on large roots. Never lay them down until after 

 hard frosts, and remove all leaves if any remain 

 when put down. By this simple process we gi'ow 

 as fine Peaches as are grown in the South. — JI///1- 

 iiesota 0>n: Ht>rticultitral Art Jouiiial. 



Fruit Sjrrups. Oppressive days, when strength 

 and appetite fail alike, the best support is a glass of 

 Orange or Grape syrup, with a dash of acid phos- 

 phate, taken ever>' hour or two. It is more strength- 

 ening than wine, if it is pure, and if their value 

 were known syrups woidd be as much part of 

 family supplies as canned fruit and vegetables. But 

 to be of real worth the syrujis nuist be pure, and 

 not mixed. To make fruit .syrups the ripest fniit 

 is crushed, and its juice squeezed through a strong, 

 coarse cloth, then boiled in stone-ware, or enamel, 

 till it thickens. It should be well skimmed, and a 

 half pint of sugar added to the quart of juice when 

 nearly done When cold, bottle and seal. Rasp- 

 berry', Black berry. Peach and Grape syrups are nice, 

 and made this way also syrup from sweet cider. 

 The aim is to have the juice as purely condensed as 

 possible, the small amount of sugar being t(.> sweeten 

 the acid set free by heat in boiling. The juice of 

 Melons makes nearly as fine syrup as Maple sap, 

 and sugar has been made from it in California. 

 Good Pumpkins ground and pres-sed in a cider-mill 

 make a rich syrup, and it is said sugar has been 

 made from it on a large scale in Hungarian factor- 

 ies for Beet sugar. Syrup from Sweet Corn was 

 made before the Spanish invasion of America, and 

 has been made by many farmers since, saj's Johns- 

 ton, and a factory near Toulouse, France, makes 

 twenty thousand poxmds a year from this plant.— 

 Youthx' Coni})anion. 



Renovating an Orchard. For years the College 

 orchard has been in a state of constant reproach to 

 the institution. Numerous futile attempts have 

 been made to rescue it from blight and borers, but 

 each time the trees obstinately refused to become 

 healthy and fruitful. We were glad to see that at 

 last it has been induced to bear, and really appeal's 

 as if it might become a handsome, healthy orchard. 

 Two yeare ago the limbs were all killed back, the 

 trunks were scarred and scabby, and the roots were 

 sod-bound, but since then the tops have been 

 trimmed, the trunks scraped and the earth plowed 

 and cultivated The result is that, while heretofore 

 the crop has scarcely been worth gathering, last 

 year 25 barrels were obtained, and this year there 

 is promise of 1.50 barrels. Two young orchards of 

 Pears and Cherries have been similarly treate<l, and 

 this year bear good crops. Of Pears the Barletts 

 are bearing best, and of Cherries the May Dukes 

 are most profitable, considering hardiness. The 

 Reine Hortense is the niost productive Cherrj- in the 

 orchard, but it is tender. The trees are marked with 

 the usual zinc labels, attached at one end to the 

 trunk by a nail. There are 50 varieties of Chicka- 

 saw Plums and 50 varieties of Crab Apples on the 

 grounds, as well as 150 varieties of Apples recently 

 root grafted. It is intended to plant all the varieties 

 of Russian Apples. The work of the department is 

 all done by students, who, with the instiiiction and 

 oversight given them, must needs learn the methods 

 of practical horticulture, as well as the reasons for 

 them. — Report from tlic Mich. Af/ricultural College. 



Keeping Onions Through the Winter. If the 

 onions are ripe and dry it is an easy matter. If they 

 are not ripe, or fi'om any cause have'commencedto 

 grow, you have a difficult task before you. The 

 great point is to keep them dry. But ynu must 

 recollect that even a ripe, dr>' onion contains at 

 least eighty per cent of water, and when a large 

 mass of them are kept together they are liable to 

 "sweat,*"' and the skins and tops become damp; and 

 if the temperature is above freezing they will throw 

 out roots and commence togrow, just as they would 

 in the ilamp soil. If it is necessary to keep them in 

 a large mass, put them in a ilry place, such as a 

 shed or barn; then they will freeze solid, and stay 

 frozen till wanted in spring. Cover well to keep 

 them from thawing; avoid putting them over base- 

 ments where aninuils are kept, as the warmth from 

 the animals might thaw them out. We have kejit 

 them perfectly on the east side of a north and south 

 wall, where the snow drifts in several feet high and 

 remains till spring. They were simply covered 



with Corn stalks and leaves. They can be placed 

 three or four inches deep on shelves in a dry <-eIlar. 

 or in slat boxes holding about a bushel eacli. Place 

 cm boards, and not on the cellar floor. But the 

 boxes may be piled up one above another, in a way 

 t<t break joints and admit air all round and through 

 every box, leaving a space of two or three inches 

 between. Give frecpientventilatioii and cliange of 

 air by opening the dooi"s and windows. Keep as 

 near the freezing point as possible, and see that the 

 cellar is clean and that there is no damp organic 

 nuitter anywhere.— Jo.seyj/* Harris, in Agriculturist, 



A Narcissus Essay 130 Years Old. Narcissuses 

 in a wild state are found almost in everj' part of 

 Europe. They will, therefore, bear without danger 

 the worst cold of our winters in the open borders 

 of a garden: but as some care must have been taken 

 t^.> raise the flower so much above itself, the same 

 attention must be allowed wherever it is propaga- 

 ted to continue, in that lustre. This is the case in 

 all these enriched varieties: if left unregarded, they 

 by degrees shrink back into their original plainness. 

 We mentioned this under an article wherein it is 

 most plainly conspicuous— the degeneration of the 

 Proliferou.'i Dainy, which if left but a few years un- 

 regarded in the ground,' though at first ever so well 

 adapted to its nature, loses its irregular offspring 

 first, and then its size and double rows of petals, 

 till after four or five seasons, the same root bears a 

 common py'd Field Daisy. 'Tis the same with the 

 Daffodil. The foldings, curls, and colour of the 

 nectarium will be lost unless care be taken of the 

 roots, and the plant, showing most plainly its origi- 

 nal, will sink into the common wild bastard Daffo- 

 dil. Our gardener is by this time so well instructed 

 in his principles that few words will inform him 

 under this particular. To preserve the plant in its 

 beauty the bed must be renewed once in two years, 

 and to improve its lustre (for so far we would have 

 him carry his art) it must be raised from seeds often 

 for the sake of new varieties. The best compost 

 for their success is fresh pasture earth with a very 

 little cow- manure well mixed among it, and they 

 should never be taken out of the ground except to 

 part the offsets from them once in three years. — 

 Froju Hale's "ErfcH," Published in 1757. 



Cold Storage for Grapes. Cold storage is the 

 prime factor in tlie solution of the problem how to 

 market fruit profitably. Good Concord Grapes 

 when not stored average not above three cents, 

 while the prices realized when taken from store 

 range from six to ten cents, or more. One cent per 

 pound will cover all extra cost of storage. In the 

 Hudson Valley it has been largely used for two or 

 three years. Large cold-storage houses for general 

 patronage will be among the factors of the fruit 

 business in the near future. Grapes carefully cut 

 out and laid in Grape crates in the vineyard and 

 conveyed directly to the cold storeroom have in 

 some instances kept in prime condition about three 

 months. Success is not assured unless the room is 

 kept at a uniform temperature. Thirty-six degrees 

 has proved the best point, although in some instan- 

 ces a point higher or lower has given good results. 

 Changes are destructive. Better a uniform 37** 

 than a vacillating a5°to37*'. While filling the house 

 40° to 4^° will be low enough. Of various methods 

 of insulation that have been resorted to the unpat- 

 ented system used by the write^r of this paper may 

 be briefly described as a wall of packed saw-dust 14 

 inches thick, enclosed by matched boards outside 

 and inside. The paper system consists of a series 

 of eight layers of asbestos paper enclosed in siding, 

 ceiling and lining, and so disposed as to provide 

 several dead-air chambers or spaces. The expense 

 of this is greater than the saw-dust system, while 

 good results have been attained with either. The 

 saw-dust plan is the one very generally favored in 

 the Hudson Valley. The largest grower in the 

 Hudson Valley has two houses, one of saw-dust and 

 the other paper walls. He prefers the saw-dust 

 plan. Three systems or patents of refrigeration 

 have been used in this vicinity with good results, 

 the Ridgeway, the Fisher and the Geralds. Experi- 

 ence has shown that drj'. cold air is an essential con- 

 dition for the preservation of Grapes. It is claimed 

 for all of the above systems that this atmospheric 

 condition is produced by them. For some fruits, 

 however, as Apples, Pears, Peaches and the like, 

 dryness may not be so essential. Indeed a strong 

 array of opinion inclines to the belief that some of 

 the fruits named woidd be benefited by a greate^r 

 degree of moisture than is reejuired by Grapes. 

 Should this prove correct, separate compartments 

 may be needed for special purposes. The ice-pan 

 of refrigerator systems is a critical point, and no 

 one should attempt its construction without experi- 

 ence or instructions from experienced workmen. 

 A trifling leakage may materially damage the whole 

 stock in store. — IV'. />. Gnmi, in N.Y. Independent. 



