170 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



July, 



Fruit Jottings and Talks by A. M. 

 Purdy, Palmyra, N. Y. 



The Gregg Raspberry needs renewing as often 

 as every three years. The Ohio and Seneca will 

 stand as long again. 



Cucumbers, Melons, etc., grown in small baskets 

 in our greenhouse, transplanted outdoors the past 

 week, are doing nicely . 



Onion seed may be sown this month and when 

 winter sets in covered with mulch; this taken off in 

 ths spring, early and fine bunch Onions can be had. 



We are now running through all of our Rasp- 

 berry plantations with a one-horse plow, throwing 

 the earth up to the bushes and plowing shallow 

 between the rows. 



Killing Weeds. We have been killing Dock in 

 our door-yard by cutting it off at crown and put- 

 ting a few drops of kerosene on the crown. The 

 same will destroy Dandelions. 



We have an orchard of about 4,000 young Peach 

 trees— 3,000 of which are full of fruit, and what is 

 strange is, that trees that look healthy and in the 

 most protected places have the least fruit. 



Blackberry Bust. We know of no remedy but 

 the grub hoe. IMg them out at once before it 

 spreads to other bushes. The same with the Black 

 Raspberry. It is more common in old than in 

 young plantations. 



To have a good crop of Strawberries next year 

 there must be a good growth of plants this fall, and 

 to have this, work out beds immediately after bear- 

 ing and work into soil a good supply of well-rotted 

 manure or commercial fertilizers. 



The Earliest. On May 31 we picked the first 

 dish of Strawberries from our own vines of the 

 Crescent and Downer's Prolific. They were grow- 

 ing in a very early spot, protected, and on a south- 

 side hill, and from an old plantation. 



From eight to ten thousand Fay's Currants 

 started in our greenhouse in midwinter from two- 

 eye cuttings and planted out la^t month are grow- 

 ing nicely. We shade a few days after setting with 

 old hay— that is, if weather comes off hot and dry. 



It may seem rather early to start in to nip off 

 the top end of new growth of Raspberries and 

 lilackberries, but we find that if put off a little too 

 long they get "top heavy" and break off easily. 

 We don't allow the new growth to get more than 

 two feet high if we can help it before nipping. It's 

 better to nip too low than too high. 



Summer Transplanting, We have had good 

 success transplanting Red Raspbbrries and Black- 

 berries in every month from March to November. 

 As for Black Raspberries the plants that came from 

 layers last fall can be successfully transplanted 

 up to August if cut back at least two-thirds. We 

 have also set out Grape-vines in midsummer with 

 good success by cutting back well. 



Care of Strawberry Plantations. They should 

 be thoroughly worked and cleaned out immediately 

 after fruiting. The longer it is put off the poorer 

 the plantation another year and the lighter the 

 crop. As soon as cleaned out give a liberal supply 

 of well-rotted compost or commercial fertilizers 

 We usually plow down all rows to eight or nine 

 inches in width, and then throw back the furrow 

 aud clean out well between the rows. If an old bed 

 has run out a new bed may be prepared by dig- 

 ging holes and taking up sods of plants from old 

 plant' and putting in these holes: or what is better, 

 transplant new plants from July to September. 



Seedling Strawberries, (Jurbed of these is full, 

 and what is remarkable there is hardly a plant but 

 is yielding fine fruit. Two years ago we sowed seed 

 of the best specimens of fi-uit we could pick from 

 all the sorts on our place and obtained a thousand 

 or more seedlings; these we have in fruit this sea- 

 son, and it's interesting to pass through the bed and 

 see the scores and hundreds of different shades, 

 sizes, shapes and tlavors. We can pick out over 

 one hundred seedlings from this bed, not one of 

 which is inferior to most of the seedlings placed 

 before the public through printers' ink. We have 

 staked a few of the best and shall dig out the rest, 

 and may have an interesting report nest year. 



Potted Strawberries. Now is the time to begin 

 operations in this line. Cultivate and clean out the 

 vines well, then fill pots or small boxes with rich 

 earth and sink them in to the brim near the old 

 plants, and as the runners set plants place one of 

 these over each pot or box and throw a little earth 

 or lay a small stone on the young plant, and it will 

 soon take root and in two or three weeks fill the pot 

 with its roots The pots can then be lifted and the 

 runner cut off, aud after soaking earth well in pot 

 of water, knock them out and plant out, earth 

 and all. A bed of these plants will yield a full crop 

 next season. However, we do not recommend 



ordering potted plants from a distance by express, 

 as charges are too high. A very good plan where 

 plenty are ordered is to set them thickly in a well 

 prepared bed not over 6 inches apart each way. 



THE BASKET QUESTION IN MARKETING 

 SMALL FRUITS. 



"Shall baskets be given away or not?" — 

 that's the question. We have noticed the dis- 

 cussion of fruit growers in convention, and the 

 meetings and resolutions of commission men, 

 saying in substance, "You miist return the 

 baskets," and the other saying, ' 'We 10 n't do it. " 



With small fruits, bringing man3- growers 

 from only 3 to .5 cents per quart, the giving 

 away of baskets is simply ruinous, but if <i to 8 

 cents or more can be obtained it can be done, 

 at prices ba.skets are now bought for, providing 

 sellers will return the crates. 



We have suggested a plan that we believe if 

 imiversally adopted would do away with the 

 basket plan, and that is the old Cincinnati 

 stand with its four drawers, and having in 

 these drawers " pigeon hole" apartments (See 

 engraving page .57) , such as is used for pack- 

 ing eggs. These holding in each division a 

 quart of berries and leaving no bottom and 

 loose in the drawers, so that when orates are 

 received by sellers the apartments can be lifted 

 out and the sellers, using a ladle, scoop out ber- 

 ries and measure up to customers. 



This question of returning baskets will reg- 

 ulate itself for all of the resolutions of fruit 

 growers or sellers' conventions. 



Last season we found but little regulation 

 about it, losing over half of our baskets. On the 

 other hand, may not the berries sell for enough 

 better prices in new, clean baskets than in old 

 dirty or stained baskets to pay for cost of bas- 

 kets. We can buy the material for baskets at 

 .?!2..'j0 per 1,000, and in the winter time, when 

 there is but little to do, make them up, and 

 then making up a cheap slat case to hold, say 

 10 quarts, let them go; sending only our best 

 berries and making jam of the balance. 



" WHAT KIND SHALL WE PLANT P' 

 We are in constant receipt of inquiries like 

 the above. Now a man can learn with his eyes 

 and ears as well or better than by letter. 



We remember when we moved from New 

 York State to Indiana, in 18.50, we thought we 

 knew all about fruit growing, and we were 

 going to teach those Hoosiers a thing or two, 

 and so we ordered a grand assortment of 

 Apples, Peaches, Cherries and tender Rasp- 

 berries, and planted out largely. 



The first year or two they grew nicely and 

 the winters were light. Then in 00-07, alas 

 for our air castle, the first hai-d winter that 

 followed cut off aud thinned out our orchards 

 one-half to two-thirds, and two or three winters 

 that followed about finished up those orchards. 

 Had we gone out among the farmers and asked 

 what varieties of fruit succeeded, and planted 

 of such, we might have been saved great dis- 

 appointment, and besides hundreds of dollars 

 laid out for trees aud labor ; and so we say to all 

 those who are asking us the above question : 

 Look around you ; ask questions, and as you 

 learn what sort succeeds best in your locality, 

 plant of such largely. 



VARIOUS PRACTICES IN GRAFTING. 



In the Grange Bulletin, the veteran fruit 

 grower, N. Ohmer, in commenting upon the 

 question of grafting on culled stock, or pieces 

 of root, says that from his long and extensive 

 experience in the growing of fruits he is of 

 the opinion that to make a healthy and fruitful 

 tree more depends upon the scion than in the 

 manner the grafting is done, always granting 

 the union to be perfect. 



Mr. Ohmer says he has thousands of Apple 

 trees, mostly planted from fifteen to thirty 

 years, which trees were probably all grafted 

 on pieces of roots. All made good growth ; 

 have borne plenty of nice fruit in fruitful 

 years, and have been a source of profit to him. 



Some trees, of course, of the more tender va- 

 rieties, have died, though a very small propor- 

 tion to the number planted. 



He would advocate and encourage the plant- 

 ing of new orchards when old ones are on the 

 decline. This important fact seems to be over- 

 looked by many intelligent, though he fears 

 near-sighted, farmers, particularly in the 

 central and southern portions of Ohio. Ti-avel 

 which way you will, old orchards that have 

 supplied fruit for a generation or two are 

 seriously on the decline, and but few new or 

 young orchards are visible. In a few years 

 there wiU be no orchards, and farmers will 

 have to go to town to buy their fruit as they 

 do their groceries. 



Certainly the above statements answer well 

 the many theoretical statements that Apples 

 grafted on pieces of root will not succeed. 



The great orchard section of Western New 

 York, with its numerous crops of Apples grown 

 on trees grown from root-grafted trees, 

 answers this. We believe, however, it is best 

 to graft with cions from fruit-bearing trees, 

 and as Mr. Ohmer says, the fault is more with 

 the cion than the root. Grafting year after 

 year from non-bearing nursery trees is not well. 



APPLE POMACE AS ENSILAGE. 



Mr. L. R. Bryant, of Princeton, lU., sug- 

 gested a short time «go the use of pomace for 

 ensilage. He related the following incident, 

 which turned his thoughts in this direction : 



After cider making one fall, he dumped the 

 pomace in a heap in the orchard. He thought 

 no more of it, merely having put it there to get 

 rid of more than he could feed during the fall. 

 A yeai- from the next spring, being in the 

 orchard, he noticed the hind quarters of a sheep 

 protruding from the heap, and on examination 

 found that the sheep had burrowed inside, and 

 not only that, but another was clear inside. 



It was at a season of the year when green 

 food was unobtainable, but the sheep had found 

 that this pomace furnished something almost 

 equal to it. Mr. B. says that the outside of the 

 heap had hardened and contracted so that it 

 was impervious to air and water. Digging in 

 a way, however, he found that the pomace, 

 though a little sour and decayed, was by no 

 means obnoxious to the taste. At his sugges- 

 tion we wrote to Mr. Boomer, of New York, 

 who replies as follows: 



Apple pomace has been preserved in sUos in 

 this State and Massachusetts for several years 

 past, and by manj' of our farmers. For that 

 purpose it should be pressed quickly after the 

 apples are ground, and put into the silo imme- 

 diately. If allowed to stand it quickly deteri- 

 orates, and soon becomes unfit for ensilage. It 

 should be pressed very dry ; and if a little cut 

 straw is mixed with the pomace when put into 

 the silo, it is no detriment, though most of the 

 farmers use it without. Would advise filling 

 silos in cool weather in preference to hot. 



The above item we clip from the Prairie 

 Farmer, and can say that a little experiment a 

 few years ago satisfied us that it is correct. 

 Our horses and cows would get to the old pomace 

 whenever they could and eat it quickly. 



Fruit Preserving for Profit. 



SUSAN POWER, NORFOLK CO., MASS. 



Mr. Purdy's note on jellies in the May num- 

 ber is interesting to preserve-makers and eaters. 

 I have bought jellies in the city from confec- 

 tioners that tasted so rank of aniline or coal 

 tar flavorings they could not be eaten. Other 

 manufactured preserves by standard makers 

 were a thick syrup, rather rasping, with a taste 

 of mysterious acid, but with no flavor of the 

 berries. Still we must look at the fruit-pre- 

 serving interests from all sides. The only way 

 to compete with manufactured goods is to 

 adopt the close calculation and management of 

 commercial agents. 



Two years since, in a printed article, happen- 

 ing to say I would be happy to bring buyers 



