2IO 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



September, 



Fruit Jottings and Talks by A. M. 

 Purdy, Palmyra, N. Y. 



" How about getting roots from tips? '' 

 "We don't get near as many as when we nipped 

 back later and caused so many tips to grow, but 

 from our large plantation enough reach the ground 

 to layer all we want in August and September." 

 • " Why do you cultivate that Pear stock, there are 

 no weeds and the ground is clean ? " 



" Simply because ot the dry weather, and by cul- 

 tivating we keep stock growing so that bark raises 

 easily tor budding. By cultivating every two or 

 three days, no matter how dry the weather, budding 

 can go right on." 

 " What : Sweet Potatoes so soon ? " 

 "Yes; we set the plants about the first of June 

 and dug our first Potatoes for the table the 4th day 

 of August. All one needs at the North is light, 

 warm, sandy soil. Keep the vines from rooting by 

 occasional lifting from the ground and fine Sweet 

 Potatoes can be grown at the North. 



" What is your opinion about growing Red Rasp- 

 berries in hills or rows 'i '' 



"If we can get plenty of stakes at little cost we 

 prefer growing by the hill system, say 3 l-'.i to 4 

 feet by 5 feet, and cultivating both ways and allow- 

 ing 3 to 4 canes to grow in a hill, and with a 

 cheap tooth cultivator cutting down all suckers 

 that come up between the hills both ways." 

 " How about varieties 't " 



"For blacks we always grow the Davison's 

 Thornless for extreme early; we can get two good 

 pickings and obtain 10 to 15 cents per quart for 

 them, while sorts coming on 5 to days later drop 

 down to 6 to 8 cents. Our choice is Davison's 

 Thornless, Tyler, Ohio, and Gregg for blacks, and 

 for reds, Hanseil and Crimson Beauty; for extreme 

 early. Turner and Cuthbert— the last beats all for 

 size and productiveness." 



June 37th and first picking of Crimson Beauty 

 and Hansel Raspberries— as also a few Davison's 

 Thornless Black-caps— all of which sold quick in 

 Canandaigua at 8 to 10 cents per fruit basket. The 

 Crimson Beauty is the largest and much the best 

 berry, but we notice when not near the Hansel to 

 be perfectly fertilized they do not grow so perfect 

 and fine. We shall plant largely this fall of such 

 early sorts, as most are sold before they get below 

 10 to VI cents per quart. 

 "Running your evaporator, I see ? " 

 " Yes; we are drying all windfalls in our orchard 

 and what we can buy, large and small, and chop or 

 slice it up, and sell for ' chopped ' fruit at about 

 4 1-3 to 5 cents per pound." 

 " What is it used for * " 



"Formakmg jelly, and largel.v for coloring in 

 large factories. By thus keeping them used up a 

 large share of the worms that would work upon our 

 crop next year are destroyed." 



" I see your Raspberry bushes are growing very 

 luxuriantly since the rains. Wont you need to cut 

 out the old wood soon and nip back the new 

 growth?" 



" No, we have changed our practice by leaving 

 the old growth in till winter and then cut it out. 

 We do this because we have become satisfied that 

 the old stiff wood or canes make a good support to 

 the new growth, and prevent them breaking down 

 by hard winds, and, too, we have so much more 

 time in open spells in winter to take out the old 

 wood, and the reason why we are allowing them to 

 grow so freely without nipping is that we are satis- 

 fied late nipping causes them to throw out a large 

 amount of new growth, which growing so late in 

 the fall is easily winter killed — especially is this so 

 with the Gregg. We nip them once or twice in 

 early season to cause them to branch low and each 

 stalk to form three or four branches, and then we 

 let tbem run, doing no more cutting back or nipping 

 till the danger of severe cold weather is over in 

 March. We find in this way we have better and 

 stronger canes, standing more upright and yielding 

 all the fruit they can carry, and, too, old plantations 

 grown thus and properly fed with fertilizers will 

 keep on yielding good crops for six to eight years." 



Evaporated Raspberry Outlook. 



In answer to many inquiries from fruit 

 growers I am safe in saying that the evapor- 

 ated Raspberry crop in this extensive Kaspberry 

 section will not exceed two-thirds of last year's 

 crop. I had lastyearof my ownmake lO.UOO lbs. 

 This year, with 1-S more plants to bear, I'll not 

 have over S,000 lbs. , and this is a fair criterion 

 to go by all around me. They must command 

 high prices, and 'iXi to 3.5 cents per pound would 



be no higher this year than 20 to 2.5 cents last 

 year. Let evaporated Raspberry holders take 

 a hint and hold their crop. 



As to Apples, the crop through the great 

 Apple section will not exceed one-half of a full 

 crop, because of failure of the Baldwins. 



The reason for shortage ot Raspberry crop is 

 the bad open weather and freezing and thaw- 

 ing in March last, killing so much of the top 

 on berry canes, as also are insects in many 

 plantations, and also the severe drought through 

 Western and Central New York, and the badly 

 damaged plants over much o£ the East. 



Evergreens From Cuttings. 



Having had some experience in raising Ever- 

 greens in this way I can readily endorse the 

 statements below, which appear in Mr. A. S. 

 Fuller's new work on forestry. By observing 

 them closely any one should be able to supply 

 themselves with a stock of Evergreens which 

 if planted in nursery rows would, after a few 

 years' growth, furnish an ample supply for or- 

 namental hedges, wind-breaks, or ornamental 

 trees for the lawn : 



" Cuttings are made of the ends of the smaller 

 branches, and mainly of the ripe one-year-old 

 wood, but with some kinds a little of the two- 

 year-old may be taken at the base of the cut- 

 ting. The cutting should be from three to four 

 inches long, and the leaves of the lower half 

 cut away and the lower end of the cutting 

 made smooth with a sharp knife. 



" Sand is preferred to soil in which to raise 

 cuttings of Evergreens, and it may be put in 

 boxes of convenient size for handling, or in 

 large frames, but boxes will be found most 

 convenient, as it enables the operator to change 

 his cuttings from one place to another should 

 it be found necessary to secure a proper tem- 

 perature. The boxes used may be four or five 

 inches deep and eighteen inches to two feet 

 square, and when filled with moist sharp sand 

 they are ready for use, 



" To make a channel in which to set the cut- 

 tings, use the edge of a pane of window glass, 

 sinking it to the proper depth and across the 

 width of the box. Set the cuttings in this 

 close together until it is filled, and press down 

 the same firmly against them. Then make and 

 fill another crease in the same, two inches away, 

 and so on till the box is full. Apply water to 

 further settle the sand about the cuttings, then 

 place the boxes in the shade until roots are 

 produced, which in some cases will take six 

 months, while in others they will appear in a 

 less number of weeks. 



" The object in all such cases is to give the 

 cuttings a chance to throw out roots before the 

 top is forced into growth, as will usually fol- 

 low placing the cuttings in full light and in a 

 warm atmosphere. In all cases where ripe 

 cuttings are employed for propagating Ever- 

 greens time must be given for the cuttings to 

 become well furnished with a callus at the 

 lower end before they are forced into growth, 

 else they are certain to fail. Sometimes cuttings 

 are kept through winter in a moderately warm 

 room, and in spring placed in a hot-bed where 

 they maj' receive bottom heat, to assist in the 

 production of roots and forcing the tops. 



The propagator can always learn how his 

 cuttings are progressing by taking out a few 

 occasionally and examining the condition of 

 the callus at the base. If after they have been 

 planted two months or more no callus is to be 

 seen, he must give a little more heat, or if they 

 are in a cold frame in the open ground add a 

 little more covering." 



Plant Some Evergreens. 



SAMUEL C. MOON, MORRISVILLE, PA. 



No matter how many fruit and shade trees 

 there may be on the place there should be also 

 some Evergreens in proximity to the buUdings. 

 A home in the country entirely destitute of 

 these presents a cold and cheerless appearance 

 in winter, and stands in marked contrast with 



the one sheltered by groups or a belt of Ever- 

 greens on the cold quarter. In exposed situa- 

 tions such a screen is of immeasurable value 

 for protection from the force of piercing blasts. 

 In order to form a wind break it is not nec- 

 cessary that trees shall stand either in straight 

 lines, or so close together as to spoil each other's 

 symmetry. They may be planted in a broken 

 line or in a succession of groups or dotted 

 about as single specimens in such a manner as 

 to present a line of defence that will lireak off 

 the wind, and at the same time present a pleas- 

 ing effect, with room for the perfect develop- 

 ment of each specimen. 



The best adapted for common use in planting 

 are Hemlock and Norway ^pruce. White, 

 Scotch and Austrian Pine, European Silver Fir 

 and American Arbor-vit;B. These possess the 

 merits of being very hardy, of rapid growth, 

 and they all attain to large size. Beside these 

 well known sorts there are many others more 

 rare but equally hardy and desirable. Those 

 who want something rare and beautiful that 

 will flourish with ordinary care may safely 

 plant any of the following: 



Bhotan Pine (i^'iitis exceha) is one of the 

 largest and finest Pines, with long, graceful, 

 pendulous leaves of a silvery green hue. Na- 

 tive of the Himalaya mountains. 



Eastern Spruce {Ahies Orientalis). An ele- 

 gant very symmetrical Spruce of medium size 

 and moderate growth. The branches are 

 densely clothed with short glossy foliage, and 

 retain their lively green color admirably at all 

 seasons of the j'ear. Native of Caucasus moun- 

 tains and shores of the Black Sea. 



The Siberian Fir {Abies iJichfa), from the 

 mountains of Siberia, Nordman's Silver Fir 

 (A Nordmaniana) , from the Crimean moun- 

 tains and those east of the Black Sea, and the 

 Cephalonia Fir (A Cephalonica), from the 

 rugged Mount Etna and Olympus, and the 

 mountains of Greece and Cephalonia, have long 

 been considered in Europe and America three 

 of the finest Evergreen trees in cultivation. 

 They are all extremely hardy and beautiful in 

 color and in habit of growth. 



The Retinisporas are a distinct family of Ever- 

 greens of more recent introduction from Japan. 

 All of the varieties are quite distinct from any 

 of our common native trees, adding a new and 

 pleasing variety to old collections. Ubtusa 

 is called by the Japanese " The Tree of the 

 Sun," and is the glory of their forests. It 

 is a very rapid grower somewhat like the 

 Hemlock Spruce in habit. There is also a 

 dwarf variety, S. ohdtsa nana, a small tree 

 of very glossy bright green color. R. 2ihim- 

 osa and squarrosa have soft feathery foliage 

 of silvery or glaucous color, and look like huge 

 pyramidal plumes. In the Golden Retinispora 

 {R. plumosa aurea), the young growth is 

 bright golden yellow, making one of the pret- 

 tiest trees of this character in the entire list of 

 cultivated Evergreens. 



Pyramidal Arbor-vita; (I'liuyajiyramidalis) 

 is a tall cylindrical variety, more slender and 

 compact in habit than the common American. 

 The dwarf Arbor-vittes, Thuya compacta, T. 

 glohosa and Silberica, are all symmetrical 

 little bushes well adapted for small spaces. 



The Fruit Cure: Fall Boarders. 



SrSAN POWERS, NORFOLK CO., MASS. 



The best way to use up surplus fruit I can 

 think of is to feed it to boarders. Not su mm er 

 boarders, to oblige the women of the family to 

 work hardest in the July heat, but autumn 

 boarders in the full fruit season. 



In Spain and the continent generally invalids 

 are sent to the vineyard regions for fniit cure, 

 by eating fresh fruit morning, noon and night. 

 Consumptive and scrofulous or dyspeptic per- 

 sons, those suffering with Bright's disease or 

 gouty humors, and the rheumatic or neuralgic 

 generally, beside ricketty and weakly children, 

 are specially benefited by this treatment. At 

 this season, when torrid heats are past, the 



