1887. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



197 



city, of which its magnificent trees are a prom- 

 inent feature, has drawn there great numbers 

 of wealthy citizens, so that the annual taxes on 

 the property thus attracted greatly exceeds the 

 cost of all these early adornments. 



.Stockbridge, Mass., has been completely 

 transformed by the Improvement Association, 

 organized there in 18.5o, by Mary Hopkins. 

 Nothing less than a photograph of the town, 

 taken then, would convince the visitor that the 

 unsightly village of 18.5o is really the same town 

 as the beautiful Stockbridge of to-day. Every 



Fig. 



Apple Storage: The side hill pit seen 

 le7igthivise. 



acre of land and every home in Stockbridge 

 has appreciated, by reason of the work of this 

 association. Scores of wealthy people have been 

 attracted here from New York, Boston and 

 remoter points for summer residences or per- 

 manent homes. 



The example of Stockbridge has been followed 

 by many towns in its vicinity, like Lenox, 

 Great Barrington and Williamstown, with 

 kindred results. Sixteen years ago I aided in 

 starting such an association in New Milford, 

 Conn., which has made that formerly rough 

 and neglected place the most beautiful town in 

 the State. It would be easy to flU the hour 

 with a narration of the towns which have been 

 thus transfigured. This good movement has 

 spread across the continent. Over three hun- 

 dred such associations have already been or- 

 ganized. 



Raising Funds. How can we raise the need- 

 ful funds for village improvement work? 



i'Vr.sf. Enlist the ladies. Many eiHcieut associa- 

 tions have been started by them, and nearly all are 

 oflicered in part by them. This is woman's sphere. 

 I always anticipate success in any town where one 

 or two earnest ladies start this work. 



Hecund. Interest the youth of the town, and give 

 them something to rfo, in improving around their 

 horaes-and by the roadsides. Let every child— boy 

 and girl— help in planting some vine, flower, shrub 

 or tree, to belong to the planter, or at least, to be 

 known by his or her name. They will find a pecu- 

 liar pleasure in the parentage of trees. They may 

 be easily induced to bring trees from the forest and 

 plant them without cost to anybody and will de- 

 rive a lasting benefit from their own active interest 

 in such work. 



Third. The treasury may be replenished by 

 membership fees, large or small, by fairs, lectures, 

 concerts and other entertainments . The best way 

 to begin this work is with a free lecture, setting 

 forth the importance, aims and results of the 

 movement, and then strike while the iron is hot by 

 adopting a constitution and appointing the proper 

 offlcers. Example: after such a lecture in Warwick 

 Neck, Rhode Island, an association was. formed, a 

 constitution was adopted, the proper offlcers ap- 

 pointed and over $300 raised by membership fees, 

 in less than an hour after the close of my lecture. 

 The next week $^,000 were raised, and since then 

 nmch more has been subscribed. 



Fourth. Life memberships of $25 each (more or 

 less) should be secured. Let it be understood how 

 this work bears on the prosperity of a town, and 

 donations or legacies will come from unexpected 

 sources. 



Fifth. Invite the co-operation of non-residents 

 of the town. Many whom fortune has favored are 

 glad of such an opportunity. A beautiful village 

 of tasteful, happy homes would be a proud monu- 

 ment for any man. Hundreds, and sometimes 

 many thousands, of dollars have been given in tuis 

 way for village improvement. 



Sixth. Prizes are often offered by individuals or 

 associations for the greatest improvement in priv- 

 ate grounds, or for tree planting, giving, for ex- 

 ample, JW, $.W, $40, $:», $20 tor the longest and 

 best rows of trees by any roadside. Two hundred 

 dollars, offered in this way by a citizen of a town, 

 stimulates a general and extraordinary interest 

 in tree planting. 



(To be Continued.) 



Cheap Storage For Apples. 



l^/r. J.Jenkins, bt'/ore the Ohio State Horticultural 

 Society.] 



One of the easiest and most rapid profits that 

 a horticulturist and farmer can take advantage 

 of is in the proper storage of the Apple crop. 

 The October and November price of good win- 

 ter keepers is 

 seldom more 

 than one-third 

 to one -half 

 what the same 

 fruit c o m- 

 mands in the 

 latter part of 

 winter and 

 «--g early spring, 



so that a mod- 

 erate amount of shrinkage from rotting, etc. , 

 may easily be met in the largely increased 

 profit of late selling. 



In earlier times quantities of Apples were pre- 

 served for the spring market by simply burying 

 them in conical heaps, first placing straw over the 

 heaps, then enough earth to prevent freezing; and 

 even at the present time some of the choicest Ap- 

 ples that reach our late spring market are preserved 

 in this well-known manner. Simply a modification 

 of this old and well tried process is the method that 

 I make the heading of this article. 



Down a hillside an excavation {see Fig. 1) is made, 

 which may be several feet deep and 8 or more feet 

 wide at the top, and in the bottom, extending its 

 full length, a trough is placed, made of a board one 

 foot wide for the bottom, and boards S inches wide 

 for the sides, with a little drain immediately below. 

 This trough, extending up the full length, and in 

 the bottom of the excavation, is covered with slats 

 1 or 2 inches wide, nailed across not over 1 inch 

 apart. The sloping sides are then covered with 

 Rye-straw, and Apples by the wagon-load are placed 

 therein and covered with straw and earth from 

 above to prevent frost from reaching them, as is 

 done in the old way of burying fruits. 



The trough below gives a circulation of cold air 

 through all the Apples stored above it, and ends in 

 a draught chimney at the upper end. In the very 

 coldest weather the mouth at the lower end of the 

 excavation may be closed, though while the ther- 

 mometer remains 12° or 15° above zero it has proved 

 an advantage to let the cold air circulate through. 

 But in warm weather it is an advantage to keep 

 the draught closed, thus retaining the cold that is 

 already there. This simple and inexpensive ar- 

 rangement has preserved Apples until late in the 

 spring with scarcely any loss, and they come out 

 for market bright, crisp and fresh, with no appre- 

 ciable loss of fiavor, and brought often treble the 

 price they would have commanded in the best fall 

 or early winter market. 



Grapes that are Fine but Hard 

 to Grow. 



[George W. Campbell, before Michigan State Hor- 

 ticultural Society.] 



All admit that the fine Grapes are the most 

 desirable, and the practical inquiry is, Why are 

 they more difficult to grow ; and how can these 

 difficulties be overcome ; The principal reasons 

 why the finer varieties of Grapes are harder to 

 grow are, want of hardiness in severe winters, 

 and a disposition to mildew of the foliage in 

 summer. Some of the finer varieties have but 

 one of these difficulties to contend with ; others 

 have both. In localities where mildew does 

 not prevail to an injurious extent, lack of 

 hardiness in winter is so easily guarded against 

 as to be practically of little consequence, in 

 comparison with the gain of having fine Grapes. 



Pruning the vines in autiunn, as soon as 

 practicable after the falling of the leaves, and 

 laying the canes upon the ground, affords 

 ample protection to quite tender varieties 

 where there is regular snow-fall, and the vines 

 are covered with snow during the coldest 

 weather. In localities where cold is extreme, 

 and without snow, it is necessary to cover 

 with a little earth, and this I have found suffi- 

 cient for the finer hybrid and tender varieties. 



It is generally true that the finest quality in 

 Grapes is accompanied with a more delicate consti- 

 tution, and sometimes, but not always, with slender 

 growth. Many of Roger's Hybrid Grapes, which 

 are fine in quaUty, are very strong and vigorous in 



growth; not specially inclined to mildew, and, 

 though not hardy under extraordinary cold, will 

 endure a temperature a little below zero, without 

 much injury. I think they will all bear as much 

 cold unimpaired as our cultivated Peach trees. 



Among the mo^ popular of Roger's Hybrids, I 

 will name No. :1, or Massasoit, as the earliest and 

 one of the best. Wilder, Llndley, Barry, Herbert, 

 Salem, and Agawam, are all, when grown under 

 favorable circumstances, finer in quality than the 

 somewhat hardier sorts, Hartford, Champion, 

 Telegraph, Worden, or Concord. By giving a little 

 winter protection all the above named hybrid 

 varieties can be grown with nearly as much 

 certainty as the Concord, and its seedlings. 



The Delaware Grape, which Is still among the 

 finest, only fails where the foliage Is injured by 

 mildew. In favored locations, where the tempera- 

 ture is equitable and the leaves remain healthy, 

 the wood ripens perfectly, and the Delaware 

 endures the severest winters without protection 

 and without injury. It Is also singularly exempt 

 from rot. generally escaping from this malady 

 when others are destroyed. Two varieties may 

 also be named which are really fine, and which 

 only require winter protection to be grown as 

 easily, and in most places as certainly, as the Con- 

 cord. These are Brighton and Jefferson. 1 have 

 grown these varieties since their first introduction; 

 and with me they are vigorous in growth, healthy 

 in foliage, very productive, bearing large and 

 handsome clusters, and of the best quality. 



Wherever there is a market that appreciates and 

 will pay tor fine Grapes I believe it will be found 

 much more profitable to grow these fine varieties, 

 with the little additional trouble and expense of 

 giving winter protection. 



The other difficulty which renders some of the 

 fine varieties hard to grow, the mildew, is not so 

 easily overcome; but I have found that sulphur 

 and quicklime in equal parts, blown upon the 

 foliage of the Delaware, early in the season, upon 

 the very first indications of mildew, has always 

 arrested and prevented its spreading to any serious 

 extent ; and vines so treated have ripened their 

 fruit and wood well, even in unfavorable seasons. 



Another difficulty with the Delaware may be 

 mentioned— its tendency to overbear. It will often 

 set double the Grapes it can bring to maturity, 

 and, unless they are promptly thinned out, the 

 present crop will be lost and the vine enfeebled for 

 many years to come. 



A few other fine varieties among the hybrids ot 

 more recent introduction may be mentioned, 

 which are partially tender in winter, and also sub- 

 ject to mildew in unfavorable seasons; and to 

 grow these successfully not only winter protection, 

 but remedies for mildew of the foliage, would have 

 to be applied. Among these are Croton, Duchess, 

 Senasqua. The Prentiss would probably come 

 under the same class. 



Window Gardening Outside and In- 

 side. 



[From a Lecture by Mr. C. J. Murphy, before the 

 Clonmel {Eng.) Industries Exhibition.] 



Arrangements of Plants. I once stopped in 

 the Rue de Ktvoli, Paris, where I saw a lady 

 move a Wardian case from the drawing room 

 through a window to the balcony at the out- 



Fig\. Apple Storage: Cross Section. 

 side of the window. The case was on rollers; 

 the window was accurately poised on pulleys ; 

 a pressure of the finger sent it up, and a simi- 

 lar pressure sent out the glass case from in- 

 side. It was in autunm, and though the 

 days were very sultry, smart frosts frecjuently 

 supervened at night; hence the advantage of 

 such an arrangement. 



This case contained jirincipally Ferns — in 

 the more shaded inside corners were Killarney 

 Perns, and a fine specimen of Todea superba. 

 In it, centrally situated, was a miniature foun- 

 tain, throwing its spray to the top, and catch- 

 ing it below in a small basin, where some gold- 

 fish disported ; the same water was used over 

 and over again, acting by its own pressure. 

 The case was partially shaded, except in front. 



