140 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



May, 



genus, delights in a very sandy loam, and the 

 treatment in general suited to Gesnerias. Af ter 

 the roots are potted, which should be done in clean 

 pots, covering with an inch or more of soil, they 

 will not, if the soil is in good order, require water 

 until they show new growth. After that a good 

 moist heat is necessary, such as might be provided 

 in a warm greenhouse, and care must be taken to 

 keep Red Spider and Thrip from them. The 

 plants, as they grow, must be promptly trained 

 upon a trellise, or in a greenhouse to the rafters, 

 otherwise the tendrils, with which each leaf is 

 furnished at the apex, will become so firmly fixed 

 to other plants within reach that it will be impossi- 

 ble to remove them without injury. After flower- 

 ing and when the bulbs are quite mature, which 

 will be ascertained by the foliage dyiug off entire- 

 ly, the pots should be stowed away in a cool, dry 

 place, and the tubers allowed to rest until they are 

 required the loUowing season. These plants are 

 usually increased by division of the roots, but as 

 seed can by artificial impregnation be procured, 

 young plants may also be obtained in this way. 



^77. Geraniums not Blooming. Sometimes it 

 happens that Geraniums, from late spring cut- 

 tings, planted In rich moist soil, grow all to leaf 

 and yield but few flowers. To do belter than this 

 they should become pot-boimd and show bloom be- 

 fore planting out. Planting pots and all is of 

 doubtful benefit, better have the soil leas rich, 

 but digging deep. With a moist season and rich 

 soil no Geraniums flower as well. Old cut-back 

 plants, full of shoots and bloom, planted out the 

 latter part of May, should flower well ail summer. 



291. Culture of Aquatics. Xelumbium and the 

 hardy W&ter-Uiiesi^v ymphceas) succeed in the same 

 depth of water, that of a depth of eighteen inches 

 to two feet being suitable. In case the strong- 

 growing Nymphoea Devoniensis is grown this should 

 have at least a foot more in depth of water. 

 When artificial tanks are constructed a favorite 

 depth to make them is two feet, with a foot deeper 

 for the strong-growing Nyniph<eas. Then the sofl 

 should take up about six mches of this depth. 

 For soil a good loam mixed with its own bulk of the 

 best stable or cow maniu-e is as good an article as 

 could be provided. The addition of black woods 

 earth or peat is also desirable, but not really essen- 

 tial. Instead of the loam suggested some rich mud 

 from the bed of a slow creek or a pond might be used 

 with the manure. Whatever the ingredients, they 

 should be well mixed, and after placing in the tank 

 should be covered with an inch of clean sand to 

 keep the manure down. In a rich soil the leaves 

 and flowers come much better than from poor soil. 



283. Soot- Water for Plants. In answer to J. L. 

 V. I can say from experience that soot-water is a 

 safe and excellent fertilizer for plants, including 

 those in pots. I use it for all plants that require 

 manure-water at all— for Roses, Pelargoniums, 

 AbutUons, and such vigorous -growing plants. 

 When the pots are full of roots it seems to be spec- 

 ially beneficial. The water is thus prepared: Tie 

 up one-hair a peck of soot in a clotn bag. throw it 

 into a 9 gallon cask of hot water, worK ttie bag 

 well in tne water, which should stand uutil clear, 

 when it may be used, after being diluted with clear 

 water. No hard-and-tast rule can be laid down as 

 to the strength it is safe to use it at. Each one 

 must use his own judgment, according to the class 

 and state of the plant requiring it. One had better 

 use it too weak than loo strong. A. H. E, 



284. Mildew in the Early Grapery. In future 



do not wait for the appearanc ot mildew before 

 applying a remedy. As a preventive measure, 

 and one which I have always found effectual, dis- 

 tribute flowers of sulphur, by means of a sulphur- 

 ating bellows, or otherwise, over the growing leaves 

 and fruit, commencing when the young shoots are 

 about a foot long or less, and repeating the process, 

 say twice subsequently, at an interval of a month 

 or six weeks. This is the method adopted by the 

 grape-growers who supply the market with Grapes. 

 Auos Pardee, Erie Co., iV. F. 



285. Peaches in West Virginia. Provided you 

 can secure the help to pick, handle and evaporate 

 the fruit, we should think Peaches would pay you 

 well. Generally speaking Peaches are not a suc- 

 cessful fruit on a large scale far north of Virginia, 

 hard winters and the yellows making them too 

 risky to grow, except in favorable localities. Evap- 

 orated Peaches sell quick and well, and hence such 

 parties in such localities as our correspondent can 

 do well growing them to evaporate. They are sure 

 to average one dollar per bushel net, that is, for 

 budded and best quality of seedUngs. A. M. P. 



295. A Selection of Annuals. Our own selection 

 of annuals (or plants that can be treated as such) 

 for general use in summer flower beds would run 

 about as follows: First choice: Asters, Balsams, 

 Candytuft, Larkspur, Marigold, Mignonette, Pansy, 

 Petunia, Phlox Drummondi, Port ulaca, Snapdragon, 

 Verbena, Ziimia. Sweet Pea, Nasturtium, Morning 

 Glory, Cobaea scandens. Second choice: Agera- 

 tum, CalUopsis, Calendula, Campanula, Cocks- 

 comb, Bachelor's Button, Dwarf Convolvulus, 

 Centranthus, Clarkia, Escholtzia, Erysimum, 

 Godetia, Sunflower, Lychnis, Lupines, Cacalia. 

 Gaillardia, Salpiglossis, Salvia, Bcabiosa, Sweet 

 Alyssum, Sweet Kocket. Swan River Daisy, Hya- 

 cinth Bean, IMaurandia, Cypress Vine, Canary Bird 

 Flower, Scarlet Runner, Everlastings, Amaranthus, 

 Perilla, Castor Oil Bean. Third Choice: Those 

 offered in the catalogues but not named above. 



259. Varieties in Plums and Cherries. The 



Niagara or Mooney Plum has been propagated and 

 fruited for some years by a leading nursery firm 

 of Lockport, N. Y. The Luelling Cherry w^as intro- 

 duced from Oregon some fifteen years ago, and is 

 grown by a number of nursery firms in this section. 

 On most soils it is not a luxurious grower so that 

 most nurserymen grow it in small quantities only. 

 With us it is a tree grower and makes a handsome 

 tree. The fruit is large and handsome. Jonhs & 

 Rouse, Rochester, A^. Y. 



308. Saving Cineraria Seed. I would not ad- 

 vise the attempt to save Cineraria seed from flowers 

 which open earher in the year than April The air 

 before that time is generally too damp for the 

 flowers to stand: after that time place your plants 

 in a cool, airy part of the greenhouse, and they will 

 ripen seed freely, that is, if there are a sufficient 

 number of flowers open after that date. If you 

 have any plants going out of flower early in the 

 month of May place them in a warm, sheltered 

 corner out-of-doors, and they will seed even more 

 freely than those in the greenhouse, if you keep 

 late spring frost from reaching them. A. H. E. 



28H. Grafting Question. Both the Pear and 

 Quince may be grafted on the Apple with some 

 degree of success, but in neither case is the course 

 to be recommended for practical value. The usual 

 range in grafting or budding fruit trees is as fol- 

 lows: Apples on Apple or Crab seedlings for stan- 

 dard trees, on Paradise stock for dwarfs; Pears on 

 Pear seedhngs for standard trees, on Quince 

 stocks for dwarfs, and sometimes on the Thorn for 

 clayey soils; Peaches on their own seedlings for 

 general orchard culture, on Almonds for hot and 

 drj' climates, on Plum stocks for planting in cold 

 or moist soils or to secure them against the worm; 

 Apricots on Plum stocks, for heavy soil or to render 

 them more hardy, on Peach to fit them for light or 

 gravelly soil, or on their own seedlings to render 

 them long-lived. Nectarines are usually worked 

 on the Peach or Plum; and Cherries on Mazard 

 seedlings, or on the Mahaleb or Morella for forming 

 half dwarfs- 



296. Snails Devouring Lettuce. Various re 

 medies are advised for the extermination of these 

 pests. Some suggest placing a layer of sawdust, 

 hme, soot or ashes round the plants, all of which 

 are effective in dry weather, but after the first 

 shower they cease to be efiScacious. One good 

 remedy is to apply a weak solution of parafi^ oil 

 and water— about one wine-glassful of oil to four 

 gallons of water— and the solution applied through 

 a syringe to the plants; at the same time the sur- 

 rounding surface of the soil must be moistened. 

 The time to apply the solution is the evening. But 

 the only sure method of dealing effectually with 

 these pests is to lay traps. Pieces of Orange peel 

 if laid on the ground may be examined in the morn- 

 ing with a fair chance of rewarding the searcher, 

 for the slug is so fond of Orange peel that instead of 

 returning to its home at daybreak it clings to the 

 peel, and may be found underneath gorged with 

 over-much feeding. Pieces of board placed firmly 

 in the jground are good traps, as these keep the 

 soil moist, and slugs and snails love moisture and 

 take refuge underneath them. Much execution 

 may be done by these and similar traps, but a 

 nignt search with the light of a lantern after a 

 shower of rain will afford the best opportunity for 

 catching large quautities of snails and slugs, which 

 can then be put into a strong salt bath, where they 

 will speedily die, or the fowls in a confined run will 

 be very grateful if they are thrown to them in 

 their prison. A. C. L. 



297. Pruning Grapes. Our practice is to prune 

 the vines in the fall and to uncover and layer them 

 in May. A. M. P. 



299. Root Pruning, We can recommend root 

 pruning in the spring for cases of unfruitfulness. 

 A. M. P. 



300. Paint for Tree Wounds, etc. Pitch tar is 

 good, and so is any ordinary wood-preserving paint 

 stirred up in linseed oil. 



302. Bark Peeling Off. Your trees are damaged 

 by severe freezes, and we doubt if removing bark 

 or leaving it on will make much difference. Bind- 

 ing on hay or straw on the bodies where affected 

 may be benefical. A. M. P. 



303. Sings in Wood Indicating Age. It is now 



generally conceded that the concentric rings visible 

 in wood do not correctly indicate the age of the 

 tree. As a rule it can be said that the number of rings 

 are in excess of the years a tree is old, but at least 

 one instance has come to our notice, in which a 

 tree was cut the exact age of which was known, 

 and there were actually less rings than the age of 

 the tree. Examples have been reported by reliable 

 men of trees that had been cut which contained 

 two rings for every year's growth. It may be as- 

 sumed that if two rings are produced in one season, 

 there must be two separate and distinct periods of 

 growth to account for this. 



306. Worms in Lawns, Water with clear lime- 

 water in the evening, and sweep up the worms in 

 the early morning. For making the grass grow I 

 have found excellent help by the use of finely-sifted 

 loam and wood ashes, two thirds of first to one- 

 third of last-named; or. failing the ashes, I either 

 use the loam alone, or by mixing it with guano in 

 the proportion of one part guano to twenty of 

 loam. A. H. E. 



270. Angle Worms in Soil. Turn the plants out 

 of their pots, reduce the balls of earth as much as 

 possible so that all the worms can be picked out 

 by hand, and then repot in clean pots, using fresh 

 compost. To avoid them do not plunge your plants 

 during the summer season; always plant them out. 

 Cbas. E. Parsell. Queens. L. I. 



271. Cuttings from Young Vines and Trees. 

 Yes they are just as good taken before bearing as 

 after. Chas. E. Parnell, Queens. L. I. 



278. Moles in Cemetery. Procure an Isbell 

 Mole trap, and faithfully follow the directions 

 which accompany it, C. E. P. 



280. Eucharia in the House. This plant can- 

 not be successfully grown as a house plant, as it 

 requires for its successfid cultivation certain essen- 

 tial requisites that cannot be bestowed upon it 

 outside of a warm greenhouse. C. E. P. 



260. Roses for Market. The best six are Perle 

 des Jardins. Catharine Mermet, Souvenir d'un 

 Ami. Niphetos. W. F, Bennet and Bon Silene. La 

 France is also very extensively grown, and among 

 the newer varieties, the Bride and American 

 Beauty promise to prove to be of great value for 

 market purposes. C. E P., Queens, N. Y. 



264. Engine Scrapings as a Fertilizer. Yes, 



they are of considerable value, and I should use all 

 that I covild procure. Spread them on the soil and 

 harrow in thoroughly before any crop is planted. 

 For flower beds mix them thoroughly with the 

 soil by digging in with a fork. Mixed with an 

 equal quantity of loam they form an excellent top 

 dressing for lawns if applied very early in the 

 spring. Chas. E. Parnhll, Queens, N. Y. 



265. Soap Suds and House Slops. These are of 

 considerable value as fertilizers for fruit and some 

 varieties of ornamental trees. Grape-vines, Cur- 

 rants, and Gooseberries Dilute them with an 

 equal quantity of water, and apply so that they 

 will reach the roots, which often extend for a con- 

 siderable distance. Stir the soil occasionally to 



frevent a crust being formed. The finest Quinces 

 have everseen were grown in this manner. C.E.P. 



251. Fuchsia Ailing. The plant was probably 

 kept too wet, with the effect of first inducing a 

 strong growth, which, during the season of its de- 

 velopment was not unfavorably felt, but later and 

 in damper weather it so proved to be. By resetting 

 in light fibrous soil, cutting back well, the plant 

 should recover reasonably if not too much iniured 

 A. H. E., Erie Co., N. Y. 



315. Crates for Pint Baskets. The size used 

 should depend on the customers who take the 

 fruit. I find crates holding 24 to 36 pints the best 

 for my trade, using two of the former to one of 

 the latter. I made my 24 pint crates 18 x 13^ x 6 

 inches inside, and the 36 pint crates are 18 x 13^ x 

 H^a inside. This allows % inch for cleats on the 

 cover. As the baskets of different manufacturers 

 differ somewhat in size, it would be best to get these 

 and make the crates to fit snugly with no chance 

 to move or chuck. D. N. Lonu, Erie Co , iV. 1^ 



23.^. Gesneras in the Window. The plants at 

 present known as Gesneras may be divided into 

 two classes. One of these classes has solid tubers 

 and bears long-lipped tubular flowers, scarlet or 

 crimson (in one species yellow), which have the 

 appearance of velvet. These are produced all the 

 year round on successive stems, which come up 

 one by one as the old ones die off The leaves of 

 this section are in appearance like brilliant green 

 velvet. The tubers should be planted very near 

 the surface of the soil; even if they are partly out 

 no harm will come of it The best kinds are 

 Blassi. Bethmaniii. Macrantha. Regal's, Barbata. 

 Leopold! and Elliptica-lutea. The other section has 

 rhizomatous bulbs, which are produced at the base 

 of the fiower-stalks to the number of five or six. 

 which resemble a catkin of the Alder in shape and 

 structure. Their leaves are very like green plush, 

 variously marbled with crimson", purple or black. 

 The flowers stand well above the leaves in a branch- 

 ing panicle of from ten to thirty, and are more 

 varied iri their colors than those of the other class, 

 being yellow, white, crimson, scarlet, cream, etc.' 

 barred and spotted, laced and tipped in endless 

 variety. These are of the section often called 

 Naegelias. and flower but once a year— in the late 

 autumn— and then die off completely above ground. 

 They should be started again in the following April. 

 The varieties which hybridists have originated are 

 very numerous and all are very good. Both sec- 

 tions are excellent for window culture, needing or- 

 dinary soil, a little lightened with leaf-mold or 

 sand, and a considerable amount of water in the 

 growing season. W. E. Endicott. A'or/o/fr Co., Mass. 



263. Preparing Soil for Small Fruits: Muck. 



Loosening the sub-Soil of high, porous, sandy soil 

 is no advantage, rather the reverse. The applica- 

 tion of muck to such land will prove of great value, 

 both in rendering it more fertile and more reten- 

 tive of moisture. Muck is organic matter, result- 

 ing from the partial decaying of former vegetable 

 growth under water, and it contains most of the 

 elements of cultivated crops. It is best fitted for 

 use by digging in the fall when the bogs are com- 

 paratively dry. throwing it out on ridges, where it 

 soon loses its excessive moisture and tben compost- 

 ing it with lime at the rate of three bushels to every 

 cord of muck, mixing them well together, to cause 

 nitrification for making the contained nitrogen 



