iSSy. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



91 



In summer trimming:, never pick off leaves 

 that are opposite the fruit bud or bimch. Keep 

 laterals well nipped off. 



Plant on high, dry soil, and lay vines down 

 on the ground late in the autumn, here to 

 remain through the winter, placing stones or 

 earth over them to hold them in place. 



STARTING CUCUMBERS, MELONS, ETC., UNDER 

 GLASS. 



It is \ery simple indeed. Make an ordinary 

 hot-bed, and for Cucumbers, Melons, Squashes, 

 and that class of vegetables, merely sow the 

 seed in drills in the bed in this latitude (43) 

 about the first of April ; if further south, say 

 about two weeks earlier to eai'h degree of lati- 

 tude. Be sure that the dirt is warm before 

 sowing; bank up against the outside of the 

 bed; properly jirotect at night. 



The plants will be well up within one week. 

 Then transplant into another bed on sod cut 

 4 to 6 inches square and inverted; or take 

 cheap (juart or pint boxes and set in close to- 

 gether, filled two-thirds full with good rich 

 soil. On a warm day, after saturating the 

 plants in the seed bed, lift them carefully and 

 transplant four or fi^•e in each sod or box. 

 While growing raise the sash a trifle on pleasant 

 days to admit air. When the third rough leaf 

 shows nip the point to cause branching. 



Keep the temperature at from 60 to 8.5 de- 

 grees. Sprinkle daily with tepid water. If 

 roots protrude above ground scatter a little 

 dirt on them. Aim to water when the weather 

 is mild ; cold air must not strike the tender 

 plants. After the vines commence to run they 

 can be set where they are to remain for growth. 

 This is done by digging a hole a foot deep and 

 dumping in a wheelbarrow of fresh manure. 

 Pack it down hard with the feet and cover with 

 about 4 to 6 inches of dirt, and in this set the 

 sods or box plants — after breaking off the box. 

 Remember to saturate the sods well with water 

 before they are transplanted. Over this place 

 a box two feet square, covered with a single 

 sash made to flt,»or oiled muslin, being careful 

 to uncover on warm, pleasant days. 



We know of a party who realizes every year 

 from a few hundred hills of Cucumbers one 

 dollar to the hill, and this too, with only small 

 viUage markets. Theseed can be sown directly 

 in the inverted sods or boxes, but it is better to 

 sow in the seed bed and transplant, as they be- 

 come more hardened and the roots more fibrous. 

 Tomatoes should be sown about the same 

 time in the hot-beds. When 2 to 4 inches high 

 transplant into another bed, three inches apart 

 each way. Keep well watered and give plenty 

 of air on mild days. As soon as settled weather 

 comes transplant to the open ground. Saturate 

 well with water ami take up with each plant a 

 quantity of dirt. 



Those who only want a few plants can start 

 the seed in their kitchen windows. The direc- 

 tions for Tomatoes answer for Cabbage and 

 Lettuce, only that the latter do not require so 

 close attention and are not so liable to be hurt 

 by cold snaps. 



Another crop that pays to start in the hot- 

 bed is Onions. Simply sow the seed early in 

 March in this latitude, thickly, in drQls 

 three inches apai't. Keep well watered, and 

 when the ground is settled and the plants 

 get say two or three inches high, transplant 

 outdoors in rows, three inches apart, and the 

 rows one foot apart. The great advantages in 

 thus starting them are that the Onions will be 

 read}' for early pidling to seU in bunches about 

 as soon as "set" Onions, and no matter how 

 short the season, evei-y Onion will get ripe. 

 Some may say it is too much work to trans- 

 plant them. This is done rapidly when the 

 ground is fresh and finel}' pulverized. Just as 

 fast as one can stick his finger into the soil and 

 withdraw it the work can be done. A large 

 quantit)' can be started under a small sash. 



Beets, Parsnips, Carrots, and all that class 

 of vegetables can be grown in the same way. | 



MEAT FROM THE SHELL. 



A writer in the Rural World tells how to make a 

 good tree wash, I have used it on thousands of 

 trees. It is both good and cheap: Take a bucket- 

 ful of slaked lime, a bucketful of yellow day, two 

 quarts of coal or gas tar, and a gallon of sloppy 

 soap and lye from the bottom of a soap barrel if 

 you have it, or three or four pounds of whale oil 

 soap dissolved in hot water, or strong lye or potash 

 will do. llix thoroughly in a barrel until you get it 

 about as thick as whitewash. Apply it with an old 

 broom from the linibs, or higher, down to the dirt, 

 clearing it away from the collar and washing thor- 

 oughly . It will destroy the bark louse, loosen the 

 roots and destroy moss and make the bodies look 

 polished; it is said to keep the borers away. Rab- 

 bits and mice will not girdle them, neither do I 

 think sheep will bark them Apply in late autumn 

 for rabbits, in the spring about May for general 

 benefit of the tree. 



Geo. Hobbs saj s in the Prairie Farmer: To keep 

 off rabbits I have used Pine tar on young trees for 

 30 years and more. It forms a perfect protection 

 without injuring the trees in the least. I warm the 

 tar to have it work better, and put it on with a narrow 

 paddle. It does not form a continuous covering, 

 but sticks in finely detached scattered particles, 

 and can not possibly interfere with any function of 

 the bark. I will defy any person to show a finer 

 growth than has been made by those same trees. 

 I can go over an orchard of 250 trees in halt a day 

 with the tar. Use no coal tar. Our advice: Do not 

 put even pine tar on too freely, just thinly. 



The Country Gentleman says: One of the most 

 successful ways to prevent Pear blight, is the selec- 

 tion of such varieties as ai'e least subject to its at- 

 tacks. With this end in view, we collect what in- 

 formation comes to band as to those hardy sorts. 

 Angouleme doubtless stands at the head, and then 

 Winter Nelis, Seckel, Clairgeau and Washington. 

 In the report of tue Worcester County Horticult- 

 ural Society the secretary says there is no variety 

 be would more highly prize than Glout Morceau, 

 were it secure from this disease. He has grafted 

 ou the Lawrence, and it has not blighted since. 

 The same operation was performed on Josephine 

 de Malines, with equal success. The two last named 

 sorts are less liable to disease. 



The most successful peach growers in the Middle 

 States are those who use potash liberally as a fer- 

 tilizer. In his late report ou Peach orchards to the 

 New Jersey experiment station, Mr. J. M. White 

 remarks that the healthiest and longest lived or- 

 chards in that State are those which have been 

 fertilized with potash and phosphoric acid. Among 

 other orchards, he describes that of J S. Quinby, 

 of Chester, who has 4 000 trees in bearing, six to ten 

 years old. He applies .jOO pounds of bone to the 

 acre.and as much ashes as he can secure. The fruit is 

 abundant and of good quality. If disease appears, 

 every affected tree is removed and destroyed at once ; 

 and no instrument on a diseased tree is used on a 

 healthy one until thoroughly cleaned. S. H. Wart- 

 man cultivates his 7,000 bearing trees twice in a 

 season. The past season he had 3,600 baskets of 

 Peaches. Dr. H. Race, of Pittstown, gathered 

 5,100 baskets of Peaches from 3,000 trees. He used 

 super-phosphate and potash. J. L. Nixon, of 

 QuakertowD, sold !),0OO baskets from his 13,000 trees 

 the past season, for $9,045; he cidtivates well, and 

 applies barn manure and wood ashes. Peach 

 growers in this State who have applied wood ashes 

 liberally to their orchards have succeeded in raising 

 good crops of fruit when the orchards of their 

 neighbors who used no ashes were barren. 



A writer says in the Pacific Rural Press of Peach 

 trees: Many people see the mistake they made 

 years ago in trimming their trees up and starting 

 them to branch out two or three feet from the 

 ground. With a tree, to make a success, you must 

 have good material to start with ; then it is easy to 

 guide it properly if you know how; but once make 

 a mistake and it can never be corrected. Fruit 

 trees that have to be gone over two or three times 

 to gather the fruit should start to branch out not 

 more than a foot from the ground. Then, it cut 

 back properly, when it is five years old. the head is 

 formed, and a man can stand on the ground or on 

 a very short ladder and gather the fruit. It is much | 

 cheaper to hire four feet square of ground 

 around the tree spaded up than to hire a man to j 

 nm up and down a tall ladder to pick the fruit. 

 Heavy pruning will cause much wood, and light 

 pruning will cause the tree to set full of bloom buds. 



An English writer on horticulture says extensive 

 experiments with Grapes point to the conclusion 

 that sulphate of potash will produce a sweeter 

 Grape than the muriate. Chloride of potash and 



magnesia, with phosphoric acid, is an excellent 

 i mixture to apply to the Peach tree as a means of 

 preventing disease and developing healthy wood. 



Azaleas for Window Culture. 



ROBERT J. HALLIDAV, BALTIMORE, MO 



I have frequent inquiries from correspond- 

 ents : Will the Azalea do for window or house 

 culture? I know of no plant more beautiful 

 for window decoration than the Azalea when in 

 full bloom. 



The success of this plant is much better than 

 that of the Camellia. It will stand a great 

 amount of heat, but at the same time a moist 

 atmosphere is necessary for it. Dampening 



A YOUNG PLANT OF THE AZALEA IN BLOOM. 



the foliage three times a day will give all the 

 moisture necessary, and this is very important. 

 There will be very little trouble in gi-owing 

 or flowering this plant in a window that is in- 

 closed. I would advise a temperature of from 

 fifty to flfty-flve degrees, and the plants will 

 come into bloom during February. Those 

 grown with extra heat will require double the 

 amount of care and attention than those that 

 are grown in a low temperature. AU plants 

 do best, and are healthier, that get but little 

 artificial heat. In fine weather give air freely. 



If intended to grow in the windows, do not 

 remove them to the house until late in the fall, 

 or just before frost. Place them outside early 

 in the spring. About once a month take the 

 plants from the window and dip their heads 

 into a solution of the following wash : .S gallons 

 of soap-suds, 1-4 lb. of sulphur, and a little soft 

 soap, well mixed together. After being dipped 

 into this solution, a soapy gloss will cling to 

 the foliage, which will not be obiectionable. 

 Syringing with clean water will remove most 

 of the insects that infest this plant. 



Every lover of plants should have an elastic 

 plant sprinkler to syringe or damjjen the foli- 

 age. They can be had of any seedsman or 

 florist, the cost being about .*1.2.5, each. For 

 heating a bay window, use a coal-oil stove, 

 from which there is no smoke or gas. Place a 

 pan of water on the top to create moisture, 

 which will be beneficial to the plants. 



As for soil, use equal parts of loam and peat 

 soil, well mixed and broken with the spade, but 

 not sieved. I prefer a good, light, fibrous 

 loam, which can be obtained from the hills 

 and fence corners. My sod is cut during the 

 spring and simuuer, placed in a heap, grass 

 side down, in a fe« weeks it is ready for use. 



Peat is a black, sandy soil, and consists of 

 decayed leaves roots and sand. I prefer that 

 which is full of fibrous roots. This is cut in 

 sods like that of the loam, but will taie a much 

 longer time to decay. I get this soil in close 

 proximity to my place, and where the Wild 

 Azalea, or as it is better known, the Swamp Hon- 

 eysuckle abounds. Had I to procure my peat 

 soil, like many do that send from two to five 

 hundred miles, and some from the Pacific slope, 

 I would, undoubtedly, do without this particu- 

 lar kind of soil. 



