POPULAR GARDENING 



AND FRUIT GROWING. 



"ACCUSE NOT NATURE. SHE HATH DONE HER PART; UO THOU BUT THINE. 



Vol. II. 



j-j^2srxrj^:Ei,ir, is a 7. 



Snowed Under. 



Of a thousand things that the year snowed under. 



The busy old year that has gone away— 

 How many will rise in the Spring I wonder, 



Brought to life by the sun of May ? 

 Will the fair, green Earth, whose throbbing bosom 



Is hid 'neath a gown of snowy white. 

 Wake out of her sleep, and with blade and blossom 



Gem her garments, to please my sight ? 

 O wise Young Year, with your hands held under 



Your mantle of ermine, tell me, I pray. 



—Ella mteeley Wilcox. 



It is quite remarkable how quickly plants 

 improve in appearance, and how much more 

 easily they are managed, after the sun begins 

 to ascend, and the days lengthen in this month, 

 than during early winter. With such im- 

 provement comes also the increased reward of 

 fresh growth and flowers, and now most any 

 one can be brought to find delight in their 

 presence. It is a fit season to teach the chil- 

 dren to love flowers and house plants and how 

 to handle and care for them. 



Not a winter passes but the burning of 

 some greenhouses, and with them often other 

 structures, is reported. In this season of hea\'y 

 tiring, extra precautions should be taken against 

 losses of this kind. A common cause of flres 

 is to put on the invitingly dry and hot flues 

 or fui'naces of a plant-house such things as 

 kindling, wet plant flats, cloth, frozen earth, 

 etc. , to dry. Then one time of f orgetf ulness 

 may do the business. To place anything that is 

 ignitable on flues, even forty feet from the 

 fiuTiace, is not safe, instances being on record 

 of fires having been communicated as a result 

 of such action. 



Gardening for January is mostly done 

 around the sitting room heater. It is the time 

 for the niind to work rather than the hands. 

 How can the methods of work, and the kinds 

 of fruits, flowers and vegetables be improved 

 upon those of the past? Cannot the home be 

 rendered vastly more valuable and attractive as 

 a home by setting new trees, shiiibs and plants? 

 These are subjects now to be considered. The 

 catalogues of the seedsmen, nm-serymen and 

 florists are in the main ready this month and 

 easy to be had. They should be secured, carefidly 

 studied and compared one with another, thator- 

 ders may be intelligently made out and placed 

 to good advantage. The leisure season of win- 

 ter should, to the gardener and fruit-grower, 

 turn out in the end to be one of great profit, 

 through the opportunities offered for making 

 wise and paying plans. 



ware, Lady Washington, Sensasqua and Wor- 

 den. The common opinion that thick-skinned 

 native sorts were the only long keepers, was 

 found correct only so far as preserving the 

 flavor was concerned. 



The keeping of Grapes in a fresh state as 

 far into the winter as possible is a matter of 

 interest to all fruit growers. Bearing upon 

 this the experiments as to the keeping quali- 

 ties of forty different sorts, as made by a mem- 

 ber of the Montreal Horticultural Society, are 

 of value. Of those which were found tc keep 

 well till February were the Rogers' hyljrids 

 known as Wilder, Hubert and No. 30. They 

 were in good eating order up to that time, 

 after which deterioration set in rapidly. Of 

 other kinds, not such good keepers, he found 

 that Salem and Vergennes kept well till the 

 middle of January. A large niunber kept till 

 January 1st, including Agawam, Duchess, Es- 

 sex, Barrj', Massasoit, and Allen's Hybrid. 

 Among the poorer keepers were Concord, Dela- 



When the year 188(; launched out Popu- 

 lar Gardening and Fruit Growing was a 

 three months' old youngster, modest as became 

 its age, but firm in the belief that it had a mis- 

 sion in the world. The year had not yet seen 

 its close, before our journal had by wide con- 

 sent assumed the prominence of the leading 

 paper of its class in America. To-day it starts 

 out on a second new year, conscious of the 

 v^gor, in addition to its own inherent strength, 

 that has come from four other journals of its 

 line casting into it their strength and [latron- 

 age. The growth of its own circulation en- 

 tirely outside of these purchases has, for a young 

 journal, been most remarkable thus far, espec- 

 ially in view of the general stringency of the 

 times. But the secret of such success is not 

 hard to divine. Popular Gardening from 

 the first has aimed to meet the want of the 

 times for a periodical of horticultural informa- 

 tion directly adapted to the needs, tastes and 

 comprehensions of the people. It sought to be 

 sound, practical and sensible in the style of 

 its contents, and handsome in appearance as 

 became a paper devoted to the art of horticul- 

 ture. It asked the question why the American 

 people, three out of every four of whom are in 

 some degree interested in one or another branch 

 of gardening, should be one whit behind their 

 foreign cousins in the free support of the right 

 kind of gardening periodicals. The answer has 

 most forcibly come forth: the people are ready 

 to support well a paper which meets their 

 wants. Having faith in that reply we now 

 shall proceed with renewed energy and in- 

 creased strength to do om' humble share in the 

 fullest attainment of such an end. To our 

 many able contributors aid and new who have 

 offered their help in this work, no less than to 

 the kind words and support of our great army 

 of readers, we shall largely look for aid and in- 

 spiration in our labors. Popular Gardening 

 and Fruit Growing enters upon the year 1887 

 with a most hopeful outlook. 



Roadside Tree Planting. 



Let us suppose the case of every land owner 

 in America, whether his possessions lie in 

 town or country, planting — and planting 

 well — suitable trees along the roadside upon 

 which his land borders, and seeing to it that 

 all become well established. A child could 

 not fail to discern the vast benefit that would 

 accrue to the appearance of our country after 

 a few years, and to clap its hands in joy 

 over such a prospect. 



Nor would the gains in mere beauty be of 

 the most consequence. There wcniUi be 

 miles innumerable of well sluided walks and 

 drives, and protection from the heat of sum- 

 mer everywhere, promoting comfort and in- 

 viting to healthful out-door exercise. In 

 the winter a gain of the greatest importance 

 would come from the trees subduing the 

 piercing winds, aiding directly to the comfort 

 of man and beast alike. A great actual in- 

 crease in the value of lands would attend re- 



sults in this direction and life would cer 

 tainly be better worth the living. 



We have supposed the case; is it not a 

 practicable one? Perhaps not at this day so 

 far as all land owners are concerned, for the 

 matter is not one receiving the thought it 

 deserves. But there are enough appreciative 

 tree-lovers in our country who if tliey would, 

 to an individual, labor by example and by 

 teaching, for securing .such an end, might lead 

 to the bringing in of great results. They 

 could direct tinthoughtful land-owners to 

 thinking favorably of the matter and from 

 thinking to acting. Here is a work well 

 worthy of the special efforts of the vast Pop- 

 ular Gardening family, extending as it 

 does from JIaine to California, to accomplish. 



With the desire for increased tree planting 

 there should be the knowledge of the best 

 methods in the work. Two common errors 

 are these: planting the trees too closely, and 

 planting quick-growing, inferior sorts, like 

 Poplars or Willows, for securing early effects. 



As to distance apart this should be gov- 

 erned somewhat by kinds. The Elms, now 

 fast superceding the Maples for street plant- 

 ing, should never be set closer than S') feet 

 apart, while 50 feet would be better. Ma- 

 ples, Horse-chestnuts, Oaks, Catalpas, Ailan- 

 thus. Tulip Tree, Basswoods and most other 

 desirable sorts may be some closer, saj' 30 

 feet apart at the nearest, and from that up to 

 40 feet apart. 



In general the aim should be to plant 

 trees at such a distance from each other as 

 to secure the development of the natural 

 characteristics of the kind. A tree of any 

 sort, cramped and distorted in appearance 

 for want of space, is a sorry looking object 

 side of a majestic specimen that has had am- 

 ple room for development. 



The desire for quick results from planting 

 is one natural enough, but to plant the fast- 

 growing kinds named is almost certain to 

 bring regret at some future time. Our 

 course, where a quick growth is speciallj' 

 wanted, is to secure this by extra care in 

 planting the better sorts. Take the Elm. 

 We find no difficulty in having trees with 

 trunks one foot through a foot from the 

 ground, and 25 to 30 feet high, in 12 or 14 

 years from planting, by settiug each one in 

 an excavation containing a load or two of 

 good earth from a cultivated field. Most 

 every other kind will do nearly or quite as 

 well. Ample summer watering in time of 

 drought is also mo.sl helpful in hastening 

 early development of all street and lawn 

 trees; fall top-dres,sing with manure is 

 another great help. 



A good way for soon having street shade 

 after planting is to set the better kinds of 

 trees named at the greater distance apart 

 given, and then to set rapid-growing sorts 

 midway between these, to be removed when 

 the better kinds need the space. If in front 

 of a village lot, for instance, but two trees 

 are needed; plant three, the middle one a 

 fast grower, to be taken out'years later. 



