36 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



Df. C}M ber 



A, M, PUEDY'S DEPARTMENT. 



Postoffice address, - - Palmyra. N. Y. 



To " Fruit Recorder " Subscribers. Hereafter 

 all letters about missiug numbers, speciiueus, etc., 

 and all remittances for renewals, must be sent to 

 the office of Popular Gardening, Buffalo, N. Y. 



Most any kind of Grapes may be kept for 

 months at a temperature of 38° with a dry 

 atmosphere. 



Slow-growing trees and vines should be set 

 on richer soil and fast growing ones on the 

 poorer ground. 



Fay's Pacific Currant. We have fruited it 

 for two years and do not hesitate to pronounce 

 it the lai-gest and most prolific Currant we 

 have seen grown. 



It is claimed that Cork-dust, a material in 

 which the Malaga Grape is shipped to this 

 country, is most excellent for keeping Grapes 

 through the winter. 



This is the time to take up sods of Strawberry 

 plants to put away in the cellar for early forc- 

 ing. We will write up an article soon on forc- 

 ing such for early use. 



Weeds for Protecting. In severe localities 

 we do not recommend late clearing weeds out 

 of Strawberries. It is better to let them remain 

 tiU early spring as a protection through winter. 



Peaches in the Bud. To H. G., Easton, Md., 

 we would say that the best plan where the 

 trees are set in the fall is to set deep and bank 

 earth up ai'ound and over the bed, and draw 

 this away in the spring. 



Covering Strawberries. We caution our 

 readers against mulching the plants before the 

 ground freezes. Let the frost get well in and 

 then cover well. It is not the cold weathei' so 

 much as the repeated freezmg and thawing 

 when spring opens that kills plants. 



Grafted Stone Fruits. We caution our 

 readers against buying grafts of Peaches, 

 Plums, CheiTies or auy stone fruit; not oue- 

 teuth can be made to grow. We have tried it 

 time and again and failed. Apple and Quinces 

 ai'e all right when grafted, but only budded 

 trees of stoue fruit should be planted. 



There is no question with us but that Grape- 

 vines of all kinds are better off and yield better 

 crops laid down and covered with courge ma- 

 terial of any kind, or eai-th, than if left up on the 

 treUis. In fact, if simply laid down on the 

 ground and held to their place by a little earth 

 at the end of the vines, it is better than leaving 

 on the trellis. 



Winter Protection. We find no better pro- 

 tection to Strawberries than drawing a little 

 earth up around each plant and drawing it 

 away in the spring. Raspberries are greatly 

 helped and protected by ploughing furrows up 

 to them. Banking up newly set trees with 

 earth, as referred to last mouth, protects 

 against winds as well the depredations of mice 

 and rabbits. 



Lucretia Dewberry. From all sources we 

 hear high praise of this fruit (described last 

 month), and we trust it has come to stay. .Our 

 own vines (we call them vines, as they ai'e 

 more that than bushes) wei'e loaded with the 

 largest and best Dewberry it has ever been 

 our lot to grow. Such a Blackberry is greatly 

 needed in extreme cold sections, as it is so 

 easily protected. 



Highways filled with snow banks ! Whew ! ! 

 how it brings the cold chills over one to think 

 of it, and yet how easily remedied by planting 

 a hedge or screen of quick growing trees, like 

 the Norway Spruce and other Evergreens, Rus- 

 sian Mulberry, Osage Orange, on a north and 

 south road that drifts badly in places. But we 

 notice wherever these protectors are on the 

 west side, then there are no drifts, the snow 

 lying level and evenly along the road. 



Small Farming and Fruit Growing. 



It is well-known that the great West is so 

 monopolizing grain growing as to make it a 

 risky business for small farmers to continue 

 longer in. " What shall be done T' is the en- 

 quu-y that comes from thousands of these all 

 through the country. We say look around 

 you and see what's to be done — what use you 

 can put your small farm to. Next to raising 

 stock by feeding largely with Carrots, Beets, 

 etc., grown on portions of the land, turn 

 ajiother portion to the growing of fruit. 



If you have good sized towns near you which 

 are not overstocked with fruits and vegetables 

 you can make the growing of such pay. Our 

 city and towu populations are using more and 

 more fruit every year to the exclusion of meats. 



There are plenty of men that are actually 

 making more money from ten to twenty acres 

 planted out to fruit and garden crops than 

 scores of farmers near them f i om one to two 

 hundred acres of land. Many with but ten to 

 fifteen acres are netting .?.50U to $1,000 pei- year 

 when they have a market that is in any way 

 favorable. 



We know there are localities where-the busi- 

 ness is overdone, but even here, as a rule, if 

 an assortment of truck and fruits is planted 

 and properly gi-own, ten acres may bring in as 

 much as a 100-acre fai'm. But where there is 

 one locality where the business is overdone, 

 there are three where it is not. 



Take Red Raspberries of the more hardy and 

 reliable sorts, and there are but few localities, 

 outside of great fruit centers, where the market 

 is fully supplied. The same is also true of 

 Black Raspberries, and if over supplied, both 

 are easily evaporated and at prices now seUing 

 for in our large cities they are good for at least 

 5 to 6 cents per quart, which is a net at least of 

 $75 to $100 per acre. All these, if properly 

 grown and cared tor, can have Peas and early 

 Potatoes, Cabbage, etc., planted half- way be- 

 tween them for two years at least, so that the 

 use of ground is had even from the first year. 



On our own farm we vviU continue to grow 

 Strawberries so long as we can sell them to 

 net us four cents per quart, for at this price 

 we can make money. Then when canned they 

 are sure of netting five to six cents per quart 

 as measured from the field. 



To those who have had no experience, we 

 would say, do not rush into fruit growing 

 lai'gely at once, but by degrees — although it 

 must be added that fruit plants are quite as 

 easily grown as Corn or Potatoes. Men who 

 have small places, and especiaU}' those having 

 a family ot children growing" up to gather 

 fruit, would in instances without end find fruit 

 gi-owing safer to engage in than growing grain. 



in shading they will give results which will 

 astonish those unacquainted with their require- 

 ments in our climate. The Currant never 

 winter-kills and survives neglect better than 

 almost anj' other plant, but to bear regularly 

 it should have pai'tial shade, like a stoue wall 

 or fence ; the}' do not produce well on the north 

 side of a building, nor with trees on the south 

 of them. Take the form in which it is most 

 commonly grown, the bush, and cut out the 

 old stalks, thin out the spindling growth, cut 

 back vigorous shoots, to make them stocky, 

 keep weeds down, and you will have fruit. 



That destructive pest of the Eastern States, 

 the Currant Worm, has never been found in 

 this State. We believe that with proper shade 

 Currants can be grown on every farm in 

 Kansas. Set them out this spring. The best 

 vai'ieties are the old well-known Red Dutch 

 and White Grape, and these can be had for from 

 $.5 to $10 per hundred at almost any nursery. 



Currants and Gooseberries. 



It is somewhat strange that while so many 

 are planting largely of Strawberries, Raspber- 

 ries, Blackberries and Grapes, the two fruits 

 named in the head are so overlooked. At even 

 4 to cents per lb. both pay well, and both are 

 easily grown. 



The main thing necessary to secm-e a good 

 crop is to keep well trimmed and thinned out 

 or " pruned," that they "may bear more fruit." 

 In the South and West, where there is so much 

 complaint as to non-bearing, protection from 

 the hot south winds is also needed. As to this 

 matter the Fanner's Journal of Kansas says : 



Very httle attention is paid to i-aising Cur- 

 rants in this State, and yet with proper care 



Drying Strawberries-Other Matters. 



Friend Fitrdy: 



The Popular Gardening pleases me 

 greatly, and with you at the horticultural 

 helm we cannot so much miss the Fruit Re- 

 corder. I have tried drying Strawberries, but 

 the result was by no means satisfactory. I 

 huUed three quarts of Glendales which I 

 thought would yield most when dry. When 

 perfectly cured the lot did not weigh over a 

 couple of ounces. 



Puncturing the skin of a Grape with a pin or 

 needle I have found vviil cause it to dry in less 

 than half the time otherwise needed. I years 

 ago saw that when wasps punctured the Con- 

 cords they dried, and were more like Raisins 

 than I ever saw in our native Grapes. 



This season the Keiffer Pear is better than 

 usual. If picked at the proper time and not 

 eaten until quite soft it is pretty fair eating. 

 For quality it stands among Pears fully up to 

 the Ben Davis among Apples. Then the vigor of 

 the tree and its remarkable productiveness are 

 great points. For preserving it is equal to 

 anything we have. Cockling Hybrid is of the 

 same class, but a month eai-lier, and in my 

 opinion of real value. 



Bluffton, Mo. S. Miller. 



Asparagus Growing. 



The demand for Asparagus is increasing in 

 every mai'ket year by year. The reason why 

 more do not go into its culture must be because 

 of the false notion that it is costly to stai-t. 



We find no more expense to set out one acre 

 than the same area of Strawberries. Here is 

 our method of culture: We prepare the ground 

 by thorough ploughing and hai'rowing, then 

 plow furrows two to three feet apart, throwing 

 fm'rows both ways and running in the bottom 

 a sub-soil plow that simply loosens the sub-soil. 

 We then put the roots, one or two years old, in 

 bottom of these furrows, thi-ow just enough 

 soil in to cover the roots, and on this an inch 

 or so of well rotted compost (or if this is not 

 to be had a liberal sprinkling of phosphate), and 

 then cover with earth. 



Then in the spring when the Asparagus be- 

 gins to show we run both ways over the place 

 with cultivator and harrow, thus kiUing all 

 weeds and giving the Asparagus a nice start of 

 such. We run through once or twice afterwards 

 with cultivator and hoe, and hoeing Aspara- 

 gus off and killing all weeds. After June 1st 

 we allow it to grow and then cultivate only 

 between the rows and hoe out the rows. Salt 

 scattered fi-eely over the plantation twice a 

 year is perhaps beneficial, but one thing is cer- 

 tain, the more rich compost there is scattered 

 over the ground the better. 



We allow Asparagus to get 6 to 8 inches high 

 before breaking or cutting it off. This then 

 we do just below the sm-face, finding that a 

 large shai-e of buyers were getting tired of 

 the tough white stalks that appear when the 

 cutting is done deep below the surface. 



