i8o 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



July, 



killed out by sprinkling guano on them during dry- 

 hot weather. The result will be a brown patch in 

 every place where a weed has been so treated ; but 

 the first good rain will bring grass and clover where 

 the coarse weed was killed, and if this practice is 

 persevered in a lawn, however foul to begin with, 

 will be improved rapidily, and in a few years may 

 be rendered perfect. Simple manuring of the lawn 

 usually has a good effect, for the presence of weeds 

 may be taken as one proof that the grass needs 

 manuring, for really these can only take possession 

 when the grass is perishing through the lack of 

 food. G. T. W., Orleans Co., N. Y. 



330. Fall -blooming Hybrid Perpetual Roses. 

 For a list of twenty sorts, we have found the follow- 

 ing not only the best fall-blooming hardy Roses, 

 but they are also, with hardly an exception, among 

 the most vigorous of growers, and all of great value 

 for flowers in June: Abel Grand, Alfred Colomb, 

 Anna de Diesbach, Au^ustie Mie. Baron de Bonstet- 

 ten, Baroness Rothschild, Baronne Prevost. Caro- 

 line de Sansel, Countess of Sereuye, Frauois 

 Michelon, General Jacqueminot, La Heine, Mabel 

 Morrison. Madame Victor Verdier. Marguerite de 

 St. Amande, M. P. Wilder, Paul Neyron, Pride of 

 Waltham, Rev. J. B. Camm, Princess C. de Rohan. 



328. Peas for Seed, The raising of Peas free 

 from bugs can only be effected in sections where 

 the insect does not prevail. A place of this charac- 

 ter is found in Canada chiefly to the north and 

 northwest of Toronto, and from here the main sup- 

 plies of seed Peas sold by all American seedsmen is 

 drawn. Peas imported from Europe have the rep- 

 utation of being sunilarly exempt. As a matter of 

 fact many such imported Peas are of Canadian 

 growth, reaching us by way of Europe. Peas for 

 seed but that have been stimg may be rendered 

 bugless by placing them as soon as gathered in jars 

 or other tight vessels adding as much as a tea- 

 spoonful of turpentine to each fruit jar. This will 

 kill the inimature bugs very soon. For treating 

 Peas on a large scale it is usual to submit them to 

 the heavy fumes of bisulphide of carbon, an abom- 

 inable smelling but destructive drug. 



310. Bed for Bog Plants. For several years we 

 have had such a one, in which has been set plants 

 from time to time, until it has become a veritable 

 swamp, containing many of our aquatic plants, and 

 blooming as freely as in their marshy home. To 

 make a similar one procure a rough wooden box, 

 say six feet long, one and a half wide and two 

 feet deep. Dig a place sufficiently long and deep 

 to sink this, then along the sides and ends place a 

 few stones making a sort of rockery as a border. 

 Place sufficient soil in it to cover the roots of any 

 plants used. The water evaporates and is taken up 

 by the plants rapidly, but with the hose from a 

 force pump is easily kept filled, though the trouble 

 required to fill it with a pail is well paid for. Care 

 should be taken to keep the roots, at least, well 

 covered with water. This tank should be made 

 water tight by cementing; the pitch used for boats 

 does very well. I imagine a mason coidd soon 

 make a tank which would last for years. Anyway, 

 whatever trouble is taken to prepare one of these 

 is amply repaid by the rapid growth of these water 

 plants, any of which can be safely transplanted 

 when in bloom. In ours we have Nuphar advena, 

 tlie Yellow Lily or Spatter-dock so common in all 

 our muddy slow streams and marshy borders; Iris 

 versicolor," the well-known Sweet-Flag; Saggitaria, 

 so many kinds of which brighten up the margin of 

 mill-ponds, and so on. with their pure white blos- 

 soms and arrow-shaped leaves; a few Caltha pal- 

 ustris, the Marsh Marigold— generally our first 

 spring bloomer; one plant of Peltrandria Virginica, 

 in this section a rare bog plant; All of these bios 

 somed freely, especially the Iris. But towering 

 above all were several stalks of the common Cat- 

 tail Flag, Tj'pha latifolia. Several grasses have 

 found their way in, making the box one mass of 

 aquatic vegetation.— Corr. of Practical Farmer. 



347. Pruning Currants. You pruned too far 

 back,vpith the effect of causing the buds on the lower 

 parts to make the strong wood you speak of instead 

 of fruit spurs. The annual pruning should never 

 amount to more than one-thu-d of the wood, in many 

 cases to remove but one-fourth would be better. 



351. Mildew on Plum, Sulphur in some form 

 is the standard specific against mildew of all kinds. 

 Applied in its dry powdery state, known as flowers 

 of sulphur, on a warm, still day and it is as effect- 

 ive as in any way. This can best be done with a 

 sulphur bellows, but on a small scale it can also be 

 managed very well by band, taking a pinch in two 

 fingers and the thumb at a time, distributing it with 

 a quick jerk as it leaves the hold. A liquid prepar- 

 ation is made by boiling 3 lbs each of the fiowers of 

 sulphur and lime in six gallons of water until re- 

 duced to two gallons. When this has settled the 

 clear part may be poured off, to be used either at 

 once or else be bottled for future use. One pint of 

 the clear article in 1:3 gallons of water is the strength 

 recommended for use. This may be applied with a 

 force pump, hose and spraying nozzle. 



352. Planting by the Moon. As late as the 18th 

 century the belief that seeds should be sown, cions 

 and slips be set, and crops should be gathered " by 

 the moon" was still very commonly entertained, 

 but since that time carefully conducted experiments 

 by scientific men and the wider common experience 

 of enlightened cultivators has almost entirely dis- 

 pelled the fallacy of this belief. It is enough to say 



that to-day none of our more successful gardeners, 

 florists or nurserymen give a moment's credence to 

 the pseudo superstition. F6r a period of forty 

 years the most elaborate comparisons of meteoro- 

 logical records made in France and in England 

 (where the Greenwich observations were carefully 

 collated with the moons phases during that period) 

 have failed to show any connection whatever be- 

 tween the moon's influence and organic growth. 



3fj3. Yield of Grapes, Concords, Wordens, 

 Moore's Early, Roger's 15, and that class of strong 

 growing free fruiting sorts, set at 8 by 8 feet afford 

 about 800 vines to the acre. In three years they 

 will average three pounds to the vine, giving 2,400 

 pounds to the acre, which at even 3 cents per pound 

 would be $70 per acre. When in full bearing they 

 will yield 8 to 10 pounds to the vine and profits ac- 

 cordingly. We consider this a fair average yield 

 and price. A. M" P. 



3(j4. Bee Balm or Monarda, This plant, also 

 known as Oswego Tea, may be raised from seed, an 

 article we do not find quoted in any American seed 

 catalogue. The plants propagate with sufficient 

 readiness to afford them at a price per root scarcely 

 above what a paper of seed should cost. EUwanger 

 & Barry, of Rochester, N. Y., quote them. 



360. Pansy Bistinctions, The best English 

 Pansies are large, of good form, and mostly of the 

 three spotted or "face" class. The flowers have 

 scarcely the substance or firmness of petal of the 

 German strains, but the plants are hardy and free 

 bloomers. English and Scotch growers often select 

 particular plants, and naming them, as is common 

 with Roses and Dahlias, increase them from cut- 

 tings and division. The French Pansies are usually 

 of very large size, with rich and delicate markings, 

 of the three and five spotted class, but the form is 

 often poor, as is seen in Trimardeau and some of 

 the more common varieties. Odier and Cassier are 

 also well known French varieties. They do not 

 bear hardship so well as other kinds, nor are they so 

 free or long continuous bloomers. German Pansies 

 run mostly to solid colors, very rich shades, with 

 flowers of good form and free blooming qualities. 

 They are reasonably hardy and the most satisfac- 

 tory of any one class. We can scarcely yet claim 

 to have a distinct American class, although the ten- 

 dency of selection indicates peculiar shades, as of 

 some browns and reds and the fancy bordered var- 

 ieties. Our climate is conducive to rich coloring, 

 and adaptability to our climatic changes is being 

 reached in American grown seeds. As we have the 

 best products of the rest of the world for a founda- 

 tion, it is probable that a wide range of the best 

 varieties will be characteristic of American Pansies, 

 and the distinctions will not be so much of a na- 

 tional character as depending on the selections of 

 different growers. Wm. Toole, N. Freedom, Wis. 



350. Improving Honey Locust Hedge. The 



only way to make a hedge very thick at the bottom 

 is to keep it trimmed low, say at two feet, for a few 

 years, so that the bottom gets the start of the top, 

 as the shoots will always be strongest and thickest 

 at top of plants unless prevented by trimming. 

 Trimming in July or August, when the growth is 

 nearly cohq>leted, has a tendency to check the rank 

 growth at the top of hedge and throw the growth 

 more to the bottom, and if persisted in might 

 help your hedge. Cutting back to two feet should 

 be done in the fall or sprmg, and if you do not need 

 the hedge for a fence for a few years would likely 

 give best results eventually.— D. N. Long. 



334. Wire Worms in Grapery. Cut Turnips 

 Carrots or Parsnips in half and place them on the 

 floor of the grapery. Examine these every morn- 

 ing and destroy the worms. Continue until all are 

 destroyed. Watering the floor well with lime water 

 will tend to banish them, and so also of dressings 

 of bone dust or wood ashes. C. E. P. 



325. Camellias Witli Yellow Foliage. It is 

 evident that something is the matter with the roots. 

 I think the best course would be to plant them out 

 in a deep moderately enriched soil in a partially 

 shaded situation . Water and .'syringe freely, and in 

 September lift and pot, draining the pots well. 

 Perhaps it is red spider; if so the foliage will be 

 brown or reddish. Sponging with whale oil soap 

 occasionally is an effectual remedy. C. E. P. 



318. Pruning Raspberries. Remove all canes 

 as soon as they have borne fruit, and pinch back 

 when they reach a height of four or five feet. 



319. List of Shrubs and Hardy Roses. The 



best twelve Hybrid Perpetual Roses are Francois 

 Michelon, Marguerite de St. Amande, Affred Col- 

 omb, Marie Baumann, Countess of Serenye, Horace 

 Vernet, Abel Grand, Mile. Theresa Levet, Pierre 

 Notting, Baroness Rothschild, Louis Van Houtte, 

 La Reine. Twelve good shrubs growing about five 

 and six feet in height would be Deutzia crenata fl 

 pi. alba, Forsythia Fortunii, Hibiscus Syriacus, 

 Buist's variegated. Hydrangea paniculata grandi- 

 flora, Philadelphus coronarius, Spirjta opulifolia 

 aurea, S. prunifolia fl. pi., S. Thunbergii. S. Reeves- 

 iana, Weigelia rosea, W. rosea nana variegata and 

 Viburnum opulis sterilis. 0. E. P. 



333. Wallflower that does not Flower, Plant out 



in a well prepared sunny border, and take up about 

 the middle of September, using a pot proportion- 

 ate to the size of the plant and moderately rich soil. 

 During winter keep it cool and rather dry at the 

 roots. As growth starts in the spring give liquid 

 manure occasionally. I think you erred in giving 



your plant too rich and too much soil, or by keep- 

 ing it growing all winter. C. E. P, 



331. Hardy Cactuses, No. 



336. Carnations for Winter Bloom. Old plants 

 do not produce very satisfactory results. Carna- 

 tions for winter blooming are usually rooted in 

 February, and grown on in small pots or shallow 

 boxes until May, when they are planted out in rows 

 a foot and a half apart each way. During the sum- 

 mer they should be well cultivated and pinched 

 back occasionally to prevent flowering, and induce 

 compact forms. Pinching should be discontinued 

 about the middle of August, and the plants taken 

 up and potted in September. C. E. P. 



341. Peaches Under Glass. They can be grown 

 and ripened well in a cold grapery, provided they 

 are placed apart from the vines, but in order to ob- 

 a satisfactory result some skill and experience are 

 necessary. C. E. P. 



349. Asparagus Cutting. You may have in- 

 jured and killed the roots by improper cutting (See 

 page 139.) As soon as the shoots show signs of 

 weakness, cutting should be discontinued. C. E. P. 



;559. Grape Tendrils, These are thread like 

 coiling appendages furnished to the vines as a 

 means to support them to a certain place and have 

 nothing to do with the production of fruit. I think 

 that the wood of your vines is not strong enough to 

 produce fruit, and advise the use of means to secure 

 a more favorable growth. C. E. P. 



340. Hyacinths for a Second Forcing. The 



bulbs that have bloomed once are useless for forc- 

 ing a second time. C. E. P. 



320. Hardy Palms. There are none that will 

 stand our northern winters, no matter how^ well 

 protected. C. E. P. 



331. Cyclamen Dying. After blooming, the Cy- 

 clamen gradually passes into a state of rest, and 

 in cultivation we try to assist nature by gradually 

 reducing the supply of water; and if the leaves of 

 your plant gradually turned yellow and decayed it 

 was no more than proper. You can easily tell 

 whether the corm or bulb is rotten or not by a' care- 

 ful examination, and in the event of its being fleshy 

 and solid your best course will be to turn it out of 

 the pot and plant it out in a nicely prepared border 

 in a partially shaded situation. Keep the corm or 

 tuber two inches beneath the surface, and take up 

 and repot early in September. C. E. P. 



337. Repotting Winter Blooming Plants. If 

 for house culture they should be repotted as early 

 in September as possible. If for the greenhouse a 

 week or two later will do as well, C. E. P. 



338. Ruellia macrantha Culture. This a plant 

 that can be easily grown. During the summer it 

 should be planted out in a deep, well enriched bor- 

 der and well watered whenever necessary. Early 

 in September it should be taken up and potted. 

 Give it a well-drained pot proportionate to the size 

 of the plant, a compost composed of one-third well- 

 rotted manure, and two-thirds turfy loam. Keep 

 the plant well supplied with water, and when the 

 flower buds appear use liquid manure occasionally. 

 In the winter ^ive an average temperature of 55 

 degrees, and a hght sunny situation. C. E. P. 



346. Hydrangea Culture. Young plants should 

 be planted out in a deep well enriched border in a 

 sunny situation. As soon as hot, dry weather sets 

 in they should be heavily mulched and watered 

 whenever necessary. On the approach of cold weath- 

 er they should be taken up, potted, and wintered in 

 a cool dry cellar. The next eeason they can be 

 planted out and similarly treated. After this they 

 will flower freely every season. They can be grown 

 in tubs or pots, or else planted out where it is in- 

 tended they should bloom. When grown in pots or 

 tubs they require to be repotted every season, and 

 as soon as the flower buds are noticed coi)ious 

 supplies of liquid manure are beneficial. In winter 

 keep them as cool as possible. C. K. P. 



338. Peas for Seed. They can be kept free from 

 the Weevil by the following process When thor- 

 oughly dried put them away in small paste board 

 boxes, placing a small rag wet with carbolic acid 

 in each box, setting them in a cool, dry place, and 

 they wfll not be troubled. H. C. T. 



340. Hydrangea Culture. In the following man- 

 ner I have grand success: Winter in a cellar; bring 

 them to light and heat in March or the latter part 

 of April. I then place them on posts In the yard 

 purposely for them, and the most important part 

 is, they are always shaded by house and trees so 

 they do not receive the sun more than two hours 

 daily, and that not at raiddaj' ; when blooming, water 

 abundantly. H. C. T. 



334. Celery Queries. For good plants the seed 

 should be sown in the open ground in Aprfl. Plants 

 set out in July will make splendid winter Cel- 

 ery with proper care in handling. The best way 

 to preserve over winter is to dig a trench of the re- 

 quired length in some dry spot, 10 inches wide and 

 as deep as the Celery is in length ; take up your plants 

 with all the dirt on the roots possible and set them 

 so clo.se in the trench that the tops make a solid 

 mass. Then as the ground begins to freeze put on 

 a cover of leaves or straw, and then some boards 

 to turn water, which is a most essential part. 

 When wanted for use it is easily gotten out from 

 the end, and in this shape it will keep in good con- 

 dition until spring. H. C. T. 



