96 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



March, 



^Mi&HT ^T^H°E^- 



BEIN(^-MATrER-THAT-DESERVE3- 

 •TO-BE -WIDELY- KMOWrS- 



Italians as Market Gardeners. "Prices are i 

 getting so low that old hands at the business are 

 getting out of it or have made a specialty of some | 

 one or more articles, leaving the general market 

 gardening to Italians mostly, who have come 

 among us and seem to be able to work and live 

 cheaper than those who have been in the business 

 here for years."— Jo/m Tobias, before Colorado 

 Society Meeting. 



Nursery Agents. "On the principle of greatest 

 good to greatest number, the agent is a benefit." 

 ~A Ray from Western New York Society. 



The Anjou Pear is probably the most valuable 

 Pear in America to-day. It was introduced from 

 France by the late Marshall Wilder.— Pres. Barry. 

 lona. If a man wants a good Grape and will get 

 down on his knees and work with it, then let him 

 get the lona— ^. L, Dulaney, before Kentucky 

 Society. 



New Varieties. Do not waste much money or 

 time on new varieties; of 10,000 new ones not more 

 than 10 prove valuable.— J. H. Butler, before West- 

 ern N. Y. Society. 



Stand up for Horticulture. I believe the West- 

 ern New York Horticultural Society is worth ten 

 times as much to the State as the State Agricult. 

 ural Society, and I am familiar with both.— i?. T. 

 Brooks. 



" Fruit for the People." There is no spot where 

 a family supply cannot be had by a proper selec- 

 tion of sorts. There is no reason why every family 

 should not have a liberal supply of fruit.— J^, J. 

 Thomas, before Western N. Y. Society. 



" The cultivation of flowers has an elevating 

 and refining influence, giving health, beauty and 

 fragrance in exact proportion to the love and care 

 bestowed upon them. Now if this be so— and I 

 believe it is— we do a good work when we cause to 

 be planted, where not planted before, a fruit tree, 

 vine, or flower."— </a»ies M. Lamb, before N. C. 

 State Society. 



Colorado Horticultural Society. " The organi- 

 zation of this in 1880 dates a new era in the history 

 of this great industry in this State. Unbehef is be- 

 ing dissipated, faith is growing stronger and fruit 

 planting is having a boom, there having been more 

 trees planted in 1885 in Colorado than during all 

 the years of its past."— Fres. Richardson, before 

 Colorado Society. 



Irrigation. "There is danger in careless irri- 

 gation. The condition of the soil and the needs of 

 whatever is growing on it should be studied. My 

 own view is that too much water is used by a ma- 

 jority of irrigators in the orchard and garden. The 

 continuous soaking of the land or crop is sure to 

 result in injury. Often a thorough stirring of the 

 soil is as good as, if not better than, irrigation. If 

 mulching is practiced, less water is required."—^. 

 E. Gipson, before Colorado Society. 



Grasses for Ornament. The commonness and 

 apparent simplicity of our useful friends the Grasses 

 lead us to think lightly of them as plants of orna- 

 ment. They are valuable. If it were a choice be- 

 tween a fine sod a few rods in extent, or a flower 

 bed, I should prefer the sod, as being more easily 

 obtained and kept up. 



Society "Work. "Another very important work 

 of the society is educating the people to beware of 

 buying trees indiscriminately of every irresponsi- 

 ble party who may apply for patronage, claiming 

 to have Strawberries bearing fruit so high as to be 

 out of the way of dirt; Russian Apples tbat are af- 

 fected neither by heat, cold nor insects; Peaches 

 budded on stocks not affected by borers; and many 

 other things that no sensible or thinking man 

 should entertain. Making the best selections we 

 are able, we will have plenty todiscourageus."— S. 

 Otho Wilson, before N. C. State Society. 



The Winter Meeting of the Michigan 

 State Horticultural Society. 



To the square mile of tilled soil the State of 

 Michigan has more thoughtful fruit-gi'owers 

 than any other one of the larger States of the 

 Union. At least, such a conclusion seems 

 allowable in view of the fact that out of 70 

 counties in the Southern Peninsula '28 have one 

 Horticultural Society apiece, while several 

 have more than one each. There is also a live 

 State Society, and this in a sense is the head of 

 the county societies. 



The "Winter" Meetings of the State Organ- 

 ization, usually held in the month of February 

 of every year, are designed largely to aid horti- 

 cultural progress in the respective sections of 

 the State, being held one year in one place, in 

 another elsewhere, and so on around. This 

 year's winter meeting took place in the extreme 

 southern part of Michigan. It was held iu the 

 pleasant town of Hillsdale, the headquaiters of 

 the Hillsdale County Horticultural Society. 

 An abstract of the opening proceedings of this 

 interesting meeting has reached us from our 

 representative in attendance in time for this 

 issue. More will follow next month. 



Cause of the Successive Failures in 

 Orcharding in Southern Michigan. Mr. 

 B. Hathaway, who led the discussion, said that 

 the regions where failure is the most present 

 are prairie-like in character, being in some de- 

 gree so by natui-e, but largely as a result of 

 the growing bleakness that comes from cutting 

 away the trees. Such bleakness has injured 

 where it has not killed; it has reduced vigor so 

 that although there was bloom it was not fol- 

 lowed by fruit. As a result a climate not nat- 

 urally unfriendly has become so. Still there 

 are varieties even now suitable. These have, 

 however, not been enough planted. There has 

 been too much dependence on simply what the 

 nurserymen and agents have seen fit to send in. 

 He had found by long experience that root 

 grafted trees are objectionable, being neither 

 as fruitful nor hardy as top grafted ones. The 

 latter are the easiest raised, hence the most 

 popular. Trees grafted standard high hold out 

 the only promise for the Michigan fruit- 

 gi'ower. The cost of such may be double; theii' 

 real value is one hunth-ed fold. A further 

 remedy to look to is the production of new 

 varieties that are suited to our climatic condi- 

 tions. We need State experimental stations to 

 promote unity of action of many minds in 

 making tests. The Agricultural College has 

 done good in this direction. Would urge 

 the planting of forest trees both for protection 

 and for profit. If every land-owner in Michi- 

 gan would plant timber belts on two lines of 

 his place we could grow Aj^ples as well as ever. 

 President Lyon concurred in the main. While 

 advocating high grafting, he believed in double 

 working, grafting some hardy sort first and then 

 on this the more tender sorts. Seedling stock may be 

 tender; this must never be lost sight of. Take 

 Northern Spy, it always succeeds on root graft. If 

 we then take such grafts for stocks and work high 

 on these we may expect the best results. 



Peter Collier said that failure in general can be 

 answered in a few words. Too much sheer neglect 



have orchards turn their hogs in; sometimes 

 trim the trees, but don't bother much in such 

 ways. How under the sun expect fruitfulness if 

 you don't care for the trees. If would give 

 same care as to the corn crop, would have Ap- 

 ples. There is no trimming, no manure for 

 the j'oun^ trees. Growers want the trees to 

 do for them before they do anything for the trees; 

 they start backwards, 



Prof. Bailey, of Agricultural College, stated that 

 neglect of orchards was the cause of failure of or- 

 chards. If you crop with wheat yearafteryearyou 

 soon get no wheat. He favors crossing somewhat.but 

 does not believe it to be the only or best course for 

 Michigan. Would advocate experimenting with 

 the hundreds of varieties now in cultivation to learn 

 certainly which are hardy. Are trjing this at Lan- 

 sing and expect to find some good ones in the end. 



HORTICITLTURE AS AFFECTED BY THE StATE SO- 

 CIETY. President Lyon drew attention to the fact 

 that from the outset of the discovery of Western 

 Michigan as a region for fruit growing the help of 

 association was greatly felt. He likened those who 

 are always ready to draw general benefits from 

 organized work but fail to contribute to the horse 

 who hangs back, shirking work, but never fails 

 at the feed trough. 



Commercial horticulture cannot be said to be an 

 unmixed good. Sharp practices have come in^an 

 aim to give a seeming, instead of a real value, 

 in fruits grown for market. Varieties of inferior 

 value are planted because possessing beauty, thus 

 acting a falsehood. Everything is too much 

 brought to the test of profit. Because Red As- 

 trachans. Maiden's Blush and Ben Davis are hand- 

 some they are much planted, while really fit only 

 to take place with the Potato and Cabbage. A 

 result: dessert fruits are almost unknown in the 

 markets. 



The Michigan Society, originally pomological, 

 now by general approval covers the entire field of 

 horticulture. The society promotes local societies, 

 and through them horticulture for the family. By 

 the exhibition of products the fruit growing capac- 

 ity of Michigan has become widely known outside 

 the State. He read an extract from an EngUsh 

 journal containing a most favorable reference to 

 the work of the Michigan Horticultural Society, 

 and in which it was urged that the Royal Society of 

 England be placed on a similar basis. 



In countiy school districts something has been 

 done. No trouble to interest the children here. A 

 needed step is to get the teachers in the way of 

 becoming leaders. Ornamental gardening had 

 been helped by the Society. The Society has had 

 influence in staying the destruction of forests. The 

 recent legislative step on planting highways wa*; a 

 right step, but there is need yet to educate the peo- 

 ple before the best results in it will be reached. 



Suggestions on Local Horticflutral Societies. 

 Matthew Crawford, of Ohio, sent in a communica- 

 tion in which he said that local societies are intended 

 to interest the people. Their leaders should have 

 horticultural influence. Should believe in what 

 they teach; practice what they preach. All should 

 talk up the society: uone should talk it down. 

 There should be a question box and all should use 

 it. A programme should be issued and be studied 

 up. Worthy outside horticulturists should be in- 

 , vited, making it pleasant for tbem. A dinner at the 

 house of the gathering is an important feature, as 

 I tending to sociability and talking up horticulture. 

 Secretary Garfield said that the best plan of all is 

 a Whole-day Meeting at some private house, the 

 forenoon to be devoted to conversation ; a diuuer to 

 i arouse sociability, and at which to study the methods 

 of horticulture in practice at the place of meeting. 

 j After dinner to go over the premises, then come 

 ! together, have one paper with discussions. After 

 ; that discuss in general the things seen on the prem- 

 I ises. This is much better than to meet in halls. 

 Referred to Lenawee Co. Society, which had 

 broken away from the old style of hall meetings, 

 with perfect success. Formerly at times had not 

 more than three or five members; now have from 

 50 to 100. The social meeting and discussions on 

 the premises visited brings out valuable facts per- 

 taining directly to methods and ways that would 

 never have come out'. Too often when papers are 

 the main feature, these are read, printed, shelved, 

 forgotten. A visit is remembered, matters absorbed 

 and worked out. 



L. B. Pierce of Summit, Ohio, spoke of the suc- 

 cess of the Portage Co. (Ohio) Society The most 

 pleasant and profitable gatherings are the winter 

 ones from house to house, which call out 50 to 75 

 members. They sometimes have 150, and at summer 

 meetings in a tent have had as high as 3(H1 together, 

 a number too large for best results. In his own 

 county have a more recently organi^^ed society, the 



-doing all they can to destroy tbem. Many who I meetings of which are very successfully ccnducled 



