no 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



April, 



A. M, PUEDY'S DEPARTMENT. 



Post-office address, ■ - Palmyra, N. Y. 



Briefs. 

 Don't plow ground when wet for planting to 

 small fruits. 



Transplant Tomatoes and Cabbage at least once 

 in beds before putting them outdoors. 



Fruit trees when set should be well staked and 

 tied, and heavily mulched with any coarse litter. 



The Raspberry Patch. Don't fail to tie the tops 

 of the plant together, as also to trim out all super- 

 fluous wood this month. Three to four canes to a 

 hill is enough. 



Care must be taken in trimming out the Wager 

 Peach trees well to have good sized fruit. We have 

 seen double the size fruit on trees properly trimmed 

 than on untrimmed trees. 



Whitewash the Trees. There is no better time 

 than this to give the trunks of fruit trees a coat of 

 thin whitewash in which a spoonful of carbolic 

 acid has been mixed to each pail of water. 



Tender sorts of Apples, Peaches, etc., may be 

 grown as dwarfs in tubs in the most severe climate 

 and removed to the cellar through the winter, and 

 when put out in the open ground sunk down to the 

 brim in the earth. 



A dozen Blackberry plants will give a family a 

 good supply. They may be grown in the coldest 

 climate by bending over in the fall and covering 

 with earth, or planted in half barrels sunk in the 

 earth to the brim, and in the winter put in the cellar. 

 "Water Lilies. There are few things more beau- 

 tiful than to sink a tub or half barrel in the ground 

 to the top, fill it half full with rich earth and plant 

 two or three roots of the Water Lily, then fill the 

 tub with water and keep it full the season through. 

 In the proceedings of the Michigan Horticultural 

 Society we find the following as to the Niagara 

 Grape: Reports generally favorable, but liable to 

 rot, at least at any place where the Concord is 

 affected. White Grapes are not more affected by 

 rot than other varieties. 



Increasing Plants. Both Bed Raspberries and 

 Blackberries may be increased by digging up roots 

 and cutting up the same into pieces one to two 

 inches long, and sowing them thickly in rows like 

 Peas and Beans. By fall a fine lot of plants can be 

 had in this way. Try it. 



Don't fail to manure the small fruit plants and 

 bushes this month, if not done before, unless on 

 rich soil where they have made a strong growth, 

 and in that case no manure is necessary ; but cut- 

 ting back of last year's wood if too long or high 

 should be attended to at once. 



Espalier Fruits. A very pretty way to grow the 

 Currant, as well as the Gooseberry, is by the espa- 

 lier method on low trellises, branched and trimmed 

 up to the trellises fan shaped. We have also seen 

 Apple trees grown in the same way, which looked 

 very beautiful loaded with fruit. 



If droughts do not occur till berries begin to form 

 and come on slow, then it is not really so much of 

 a loss to the grower, if he dries them, as it takes 

 only about two thirds as many, so that one gets 

 about as large stock of dried fruit, with only two 

 thirds the cost of picking and work. 



Garden Culture of Raspberries. A very good 

 plan is to grow them next to the fence and have on 

 outside a strong wire or two fastened to stakes to 

 prevent their falling down. Another plan is to 

 drive crotched stakes into the ground on each side 

 of row and lay in these crotches poles to keep them 

 up from the ground and out of the way. 



Peach Yellows. We claim that the man who 

 says the Yellows in Peach trees is not " catching " 

 if trees are well grown on this soil or that, is cer- 

 tainly not posted as to this disease, and we discard 

 any scientific theories that discards the catching 

 part. Our own experience and observations all 

 through this section, Michigan and elsewhere satr 

 isfies us perfectly that it is catching, and if it once 

 gets into an orchard, farewell to that orchard no 

 matter what the soil or cultivation may be. 



Bone Manures at the South. It is wonderful 

 how the Southern soil, much of it that is considered 

 almost worthless, by putting a little phosphate or 

 bone dust on can be brought up for small fruits. 

 The same is true with larger fruits, if when planting 

 the trees or plants some of the same fertilizers are 

 thrown in at the time; it will tell for good results 

 very soon. Ashes are also very valuable thus used. 

 We had one bed of Strawberries at High Point, 

 N. C, that we scattered a few ashes over some of 

 the vines and they done splendidly. 



LARGE -STERSUS SMALL TREES. 



We are satisfied from long experience and 

 observation that a great mistake is made in 

 ordering large size 3 to 4-year old fruit trees 

 in preference to a smaller size of 3 years old. 



First, the freight or express charges are 

 double. Second, the larger trees are more 

 Ukely to die because of poorer roots, in propor- 

 tion to the size of the tree. Third, they cannot 

 be packed as well and go a long journey as 

 safely as smaller trees. In our long experience 

 we have found that a medium-sized two-year 

 old tree taken up and set at same time as a 

 large 3 or 4 year old tree, will come into full 

 bearing first and be the healthier. 



IRON-CLAD TREES — AN IDEA FOR SHELTER 

 BELTS. 



If every farmer in the extreme cold sections 

 would sow seeds and pits — say a row along their 

 fence or near their hedge, and allow them to 

 grow and fruit, thinning them out to 3 to 4 feet 

 apart, there is no question Ijut what seedlings 

 would be produced hardy and of fine quality. 



We had a row of seedling Peaches on our 

 place in Northern Indiana twenty years ago, 

 that had grown up into a perfect hedge from 

 the pits, and while every budded tree on our 

 grounds was killed down and but six or eight 

 left in the seedling row that did not kill down, 

 the latter yielded well when scarcely a Peach 

 was found for miles around. 



Now we believe that had we taken the pits 

 from the fruit borne on these trees and planted 

 them, letting them grow right where they 

 were planted, we could have soon worked into 

 sorts that would have stood 10 to 1.5 degrees 

 colder weather than budded or transplanted 

 sorts. 



OLD BEDS GIVE THE EARLIEST STRAWBERRIES. 



A common mistake in Strawberry culture is 

 to attempt to carry an old bed along on the 

 same plot of ground for too many years with- 

 out replanting. It is better to replant as often 

 as every second or third year than to try and 

 clean out the old bed, particularly if one has 

 plenty of land. 



We clip the above from the Michigan Farmer. 

 Where large fine berries pay best, no matter as 

 to season they ripen, it is as a rule, true, but 

 where early berries pay well and the later pick- 

 ings but lightly, we prefer to leave the old beds. 

 Keeping them well cleaned and properly fertil- 

 ized, old plants produce the early berries. 



We have done better from an acre of old 

 plants that yielded but 30 to 40 bushels than 

 from the same amount of newly set plants that 

 yielded 80 to 100 bushels. And again there are 

 sorts Uke Downer's Prolific and Chas. Downing, 

 that on rich soil or with high cultivation, 

 will yield better crops the second, third and 

 even fourth year than the first. This we have 

 proved time and again. A friend in Florida 

 writes us that old plantations that are kept 

 properly fertilized and cultivated are depended 

 on for good early pickings, while the fruit from 

 young settings come on much later. 



From an old Triomphe de Gand bed, growing 

 in grass in an out-of-the way place, for years 

 we obtained our earliest fruit, although that 

 sort is a week later than others with like culti- 

 vation. Many sorts grown on rich soil make a 

 wonderful rampant growth the fiist year or 

 two, but after that yield well for several years. 



SETTING STRAWBERRY PLANTS. 



The most rapid way to set plants in loamy or 

 sandy ground is to have ground in best of order, 

 free from all clumps, roots, etc. Plow straight 

 furrows 3 1-2 to 4 feet apart, being careful not 

 to break in the land side in walking behind. 



Before setting them out wet the plants well 

 and have a boy walk along, carefully straight- 

 ening out the roots of each one and dropping 

 them ten to twelve inches apart in the row ; 

 a man follows placing the roots against the 

 land side of the fiurow with the left band and 

 with the right hand draw in earth thrown out 

 by plow and pressing it against the plants. 



We have had the best success planting in this 

 way ; the plants can have the roots spread out 

 better and down in deeper than when set and 

 pushed in, with roots twisted up, as when .set 

 with a dibble. The cultivator should follow 

 soon after, filling up the furrow with earth. 

 A little fertilizer can be dropped in as each 

 plant is set by the same boy whose business it 

 is to drop plants. 



CURCULIO AND THEIR DESTRUCTION. 



" Take time by the forelock" is an old adage 

 and good advice to the fruit grower, especially 

 in the destruction of that troublesome pest the 

 curculio that is such an enemy to the Plum, 

 Peach, Apple and Pear, doing his work very soon 

 after the blossoms fall. Last year we had the 

 best crop of Pears, Plums and Cherries we have 

 ever grown, by spraying our trees twice with 

 London purple water, which we prefer to Paris 

 green, as it cannot be so readUy adulterated, 

 and you know what you are getting. Many 

 who have tried Paris green and been unsuccess- 

 ful have used spurious Paris gi-een. 



The way we use the poison is to put a tea- 

 spoonful of London purple in a pin t of milk 

 and stir it up thoroughly, and this we put into 

 a large pail of water holding 14 to llj quarts, 

 and then with a small hand force pump spray 

 it on the trees, first just after the blossoms fall, 

 and again when fruit is about half gi-own. If 

 the trees are small, scattering wood ashes or 

 air-slaked lime through the trees when leaves 

 are wet proves quite a preventive. 



FRUIT TREES FOR LAWN PLANTING. 



These are not popular with most persons, on 

 account of decaying fruit on the grass sod and 

 the early dropping of the leaves of some varie- 

 ties. But where grounds are small and every 

 foot must be utilized, no objection can be made 

 to some varieties of fruit, especially the Apple. 



The Siberian and Transcendent Crabs are 

 always highly ornamental in the flower, the 

 shape of tree, and the appearance of the fruit. 

 Red Astrachan, perhaps the best of our early 

 Apples for all purposes, is a graceful, upright 

 grower and holds its foliage. The same may be 

 said of Early Red June. Of late Apples, none are 

 more upright and rounded in habits than the 

 Rome Beauty, and no winter Apple grown in 

 this latitude is of better quality or more profit- 

 able. Any intelligent nurseryman can give a 

 list of varieties that naturally grow shapely. 



Were it not for the fact that the Cherry drops 

 its leaves early, no tree could be more suitable 

 for lawn planting. Even with this defect, the 

 lawn or grass plot is almost the only place 

 where it can be grown successfully. Cultiva- 

 tion, which is so essential to the vigorand fruit- 

 ing of most trees, is undesii-able for Cherry. 



We clip above from Farm and Garden. 

 Dwarf Cherries are very fine for lawns if kept 

 well cut back, also some of the "sour" Stand- 

 ard Cherries. 



One of the most beautiful trees in the forest 

 line for the lawn is the Mulberry, and while on 

 this line, we wish to express our disapproval of 

 training up Evergreens instead of cutting them 

 back, that is, cutting off one-third of the pre- 

 vious season's growth. 



APPLE SELLING PAST AND PRESENT. 



Why do not Apples sell as well fresh as 

 they did 1^ to '35 years ago? is sometimes 

 asked. There are many reasons. Fii-st, at that 

 time all, or nearly all, specked and wormy 

 Apples were fed to hve stock, but now these 

 are largely converted into evaporated fruit, 

 and skins and cores into jelly. Then there 

 was not one bushel of small fruits— Straw- 

 berries, Raspberries and Grapes, and especially 

 Grapes, grown, as also marketed, where there 

 are twenty bushels now, both in a fresh, and 

 with Raspberries, dried state. Then there was 

 not one bushel of Pears or Plums marketed 



