66 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 364. 



subject to uamping-off fungi, it is advisaljle to sow a few extra 

 seeds in eacli pot. A liigh temperature, not lower tlian sixty- 

 five at niglit, is the tjest, and where tlie plants are grown 

 for more than one gathering of the fruits, they should be 

 watered occasionally with weak liquid-manure after the first 

 picking has been made. 



In cultivating Beans on benches we sow the seeds in lines 

 about eighteen inches apart, afterward thinning out the plants 

 to two or three inches apart in the rows. The damping-off 

 fungi and red spider are the most destructive enemies of these 

 plants under glass. Moist soil and atmosphere encourage the 

 growth of the fungi, and the same conditions keep the red 

 spider in check. AA/e have found, however, that sulphur or 

 powdered charcoal, scattered among the plants, will retard the 

 injurious effects of the fungi, and a diluted kerosene emulsion, 

 applied frequently, destroys the red spider. 



We have grown three varieties of these French Beans — 

 Emperor William, Early Warwick and Syon House. Early 

 Warwick is a very good sort, producing a good crop, some- 

 what in advance of the others. The growth of Emperor Wil- 

 liam is weakly, and the crop poor ; but -Syon House is, by far, 

 the best of all for general purposes ; it is strong and healthy, 

 and produces a large crop of excellent pods. 



Tomato Ignotum. — This excellent variety is an admirable 

 cropper out-of-doors, and is, perhaps, the best Tomato for 

 forcing. The fruits are of good size, smooth and handsome 

 in appearance and of excellent flavor. Large tomatoes are 

 liable to crack, and whatever other good qualities a tomato 

 may have it is comparatively worthless if it cracks. The Igno- 

 tum never cracks, and yet the skin is neitfier so thick nor so 

 tough as is that of manv tomatoes that do crack. We have 

 one house almost exclusively devoted to this Tomato, and the 

 crop has been uniformly excellent. The plants are mostly 

 grown to a single stem, and one such plant has already pro- 

 duced two pounds of first-class fruit, with good promise of 

 three pounds additional. It may be added that a single fruit 

 on this plant weighed eight and a half ounces. The Ignotum 

 was a chance seedling from a small German variety found on 

 the grounds of the Michigan Agricultural College by Professor 

 L. H. Bailey some five or six years ago. It has been offered 

 by the seedsmen each year since 1890. 



Cornell Universilv. Al. Barker. 



Violets. 



IF there was as much certainty of success with Neapolitan 

 Violets as with many other florists' flowers, they would be 

 abundant and cheap, but the difficulties attending their culti- 

 vation will always make them highly prized flowers. They 

 simply need a good soil, with some proportion of lime in its 

 composition, and sunshine and all the air possible during win- 

 ter-time. A comparatively low hight temperature of thirty- 

 five to forty degrees, Fahrenheit, will give a long season of 

 bloom with large flowers, though not many at a time. With 

 a temperature of forty-five to fifty degrees the flowering sea- 

 son will be shorter, with an enormous crop during January 

 and February. If we may consider the normal temperature 

 of these plants to range from forty degrees down to almost 

 freezing-point, it follows that they are forced to a certain 

 extent whenever they are grown in a temperature above forty 

 degrees. Violets in frames are frequently subjected to a few 

 degrees of frost, and when kept screened from the sun's rays 

 until they are thawed out the plants do not suffer. Some of 

 our best growers use frames altogether, and, except for the 

 misfortune of disease, have been generally successful, espe- 

 cially with Marie Louise. 



Damping in frames has always been a source of trouble. 

 This is a kind of black mildew, which quickly spreads if the 

 plants are not carefully looked over every day or two. The 

 largest and healthiest plants are almost always the first to be 

 attacked. It is difficult in winter, especially with frames, to 

 air sufficiently, and the disease spreads quickly if the frames 

 are closed for a day or two, as often happens during a period 

 of bad weather. A dry atmosphere seems essential. Some 

 growers use a mulching of dry horse-litter, well rotted, com- 

 posed mostly of droppings. This, it is claimed, takes up the 

 surplus moisture given off during the night and when the 

 frames are closed, liberating the moisture when the frames 

 are opened. No doubt, this would act beneficially in reducing 

 the danger of damping, if air could be given every day. Other 

 growers use dry sand with the same object. If it does no 

 more, it makes a clean cover for the ground and keeps the 

 flowers from soiling. This practice we follow here, and I have 

 noticed that the sand is moist in the morning, and quickly 

 becomes dry during the day when air is given. When the 

 Violets have been poor I have tried everything that promised 



to be of benefit to them ; among other things, powdered char- 

 coal and sulphur. I still think this was effectual against dis- 

 ease, but objectionable on account of the odor. 



The Marie Louise is the most popular of all the Neapolitan 

 Violets. It is, however, the most difficult one to grow, and 

 Lady Hume Campbell is now very largely grown in its stead. 

 The color of the latter is blue rather than violet, and mauve 

 would be, perhaps, the most correct designation. The popu- 

 larity of the violet shade seems to be all a matter of taste, and 

 unexplainable in any other way. The tone of the Lady Hume 

 Campbell is decided enough. 



A gardening acquaintance of mine is having wonderful suc- 

 cess with Marie Louise grown in pots in the greenhouse in a 

 night temperature of about fifty degrees, but for one grower 

 who succeeds on this line a dozen fail. To chronicle the 

 various methods of different cultivators who have succeeded 

 would take up much space. Some grow in pots, others in frames; 

 some in light soil, and others in heavy ; some in shade, and 

 others in sunshine ; some in a greenhouse with Carnations, at 

 a night temperature of fifty degrees, and others in a tempera- 

 ture very little aliove freezing. The successful plan of one 

 year too often fails the next. I have tried about every way I 

 could think of. I have potted rooted runners from the bed in 

 February, thoroughly hardened them oft, and planted them in 

 May in specially prepared soil, with lime and soot worked in. 

 The result was a splendid growth until August, when the spot 

 attacked them. The sight, and smell for that matter, of these 

 diseased plants was so distressing that I have taken another 

 path rather than pass by them. I started the next season with 

 fresh stock which never had been diseased. I was informed 

 that a successful grower divided his plants, so I tried this plan, 

 but succeeded no better ; I think dividing the old stools the 

 worst plan of any, for if any disease lurks on the foliage or the 

 roots it is apt to be perpetuated in this way. This is especially 

 the case with the nematodes, sometimes called club-root. It 

 is said to be the work of a small worm, which makes a gall 

 on the root about the size of a grain of mustard-seed. The 

 work of the nenratodes is so insidious in its character that 

 plants will thrive, appearing healthy and even vigorous. But 

 the plants, when taken up in the autumn and put into frames, 

 scarcely ever bloom, and gradually dwindle away. Curling, 

 scorching leaves are a sure indication that the pest is at work. 

 According to those who have made a special studv of this pest, 

 some of its species are common in most gardens, especially 

 such as have lieen under cultivation a long time. I find it on 

 Begonias, Salvias, Asters, Heliotrope, Abutilons, Roses, Let- 

 tuce, Cucumbers, Melons and Tomatoes, and I have also 

 found it on many weeds. It appears that to avoid this disease 

 we should select a piece of new ground. Information as to 

 how to prepare ground so that it would be free from germs 

 would be valuable. Rotation of crops might work to this end, 

 if we only knew which are pest-proof. In preparing soil for 

 Violets last season I adopted the plan followed by Mr. Mont- 

 gomery, of the Waban Rose Conservatories, of heating the 

 compost with fermenting materials, bone-meal being the prin- 

 cipal agent. The temperature thus attained is such that all 

 insect life is destroyed. 



When I imported Lady Hume Campbell, four years ago, it 

 was so badly infested with nematodes that I had some diffi- 

 culty in saving it. The flowers were poor in size and color, 

 compared with those now in bloom. Gradually, however, by 

 taking cuttings instead of runners, as I had formerly done, I 

 brought them into a healthy condition. This season they are 

 very fine, and average 1,000 blooms a week on 208 plants, last 

 week giving 1,200 flowers. 



Last June I thoroughly cleared the bench and lime-washed 

 it, and being sure tliat tlie compost was free and the slock 

 healthy, I planted on the loth of that month. The sashes are 

 removable, and the plants remained exposed to the full sun 

 during 4he whole summer. I gave them an abundance of 

 water wb.en well established, but no stimulants. They made 

 splendid growth, and never showed any trace of disease. 

 Some stock which was left over from the year before was 

 planted with a doubtful lot of Marie Louise in the vegetable 

 garden, and showed disease. As a preventive I used two 

 gallons of prepared Bordeaux mixture during the most danger- 

 ous months, August and September. Whether I owe any- 

 thing to its use I do not know, but this I can say, that on the 

 diseased plants in the garden those sprayed were as badly 

 diseased at the end of the season as some few plants which 

 were left unsprayed, for experiment. My conclusions on the 

 application of copper compounds are that they may be excel- 

 lent preventives, but of no use where the disease has got 

 headway. It ought to be generally understood that it is not 

 claimed that the copper compounds are curative, but only 

 preventive — that is, they will not kill the fungus which is at 



