Garden and Forest. 



[Number 365. 



fail to develop a desirable flavor until midwinter, but this 

 makes them all the more valuable by extending the season. 

 The early-ripening varieties are preferable because of their 

 greater market value, since they present the best appearance, 

 and have often sold for from six to eight dollars per bushel m 

 the large cities. An important point to be considered in se- 

 lecting a variety is the number of seeds found in each fruit. 

 Most of our old varieties are full of large seeds ; but in many 

 of the newer varieties only two or three seeds are found in a 

 single specimen, and some are entirely seedless. 



The Persimmon is easily grown when once fairly established, 

 but it requires careful handling at first. When well estab- 

 lished we may expect the tree to live and bear an abundance 

 of perfect fruit every year, forneither tree nor fruit is molested 

 by insect or fungi, as are almost all of our other fruits. If one 

 has an old tree which bears inferior fruit it may be top-worked 

 in the same manner as the Apple, Pear and Plum. In this way 

 one may soon transform the worthless tree into one bearing 

 rich, luscious fruit. There are few people who are not fond 

 of sweet, well-ripened persimmons ; they are good when eaten 

 from the hand ; better with cream and sugar, and they are best 

 of all when made into a pudding, as is done in North Carolina. 



Experiment Station, Lnfayette.Ind. J- TroOp. 



The Grapery. 



THE most troublesome insects in the grapery are the mealy 

 bug and the red spider. In houses devoted exclusively to 

 the Vine the first of these pests should never be seen, but 

 since it is often necessary to use Grape-houses for other plants, 

 the mealy bug will sooner or later appear, and once in it is 

 hard to dislodge. This is the best season to attack it. All 

 loose bark must be removed, but it is not necessary to peel the 

 rods entirely, as is sometimes done. Only those pieces of bark 

 which come av/ay easily need to be removed, for these alone 

 are apt to harbor the insects. The kerosene emulsion should 

 be made into a wash for cleaning, not the rods alone, but the 

 rafters, the walls, and, in fact, the entire house. Care should 

 be taken to get it into all the crevices, and this will destroy all 

 active insect-life. The old-fashioned method of painting the 

 rods with a composition of clay, kerosene, sulphur, etc., is 

 unnecessary, as well as unsightly, although it is still preferred 

 by many, and if it is done thoroughly with a stiff brush, so long 

 as the buds are not injured, it will be all the protection that is 

 needed. 



As the red spider thrives in a dry atmosphere, water is the 

 chief means of its destruction. It is hard to get rid of during 

 the hot summer, but copious syringing continued for a long 

 time will usually suffice. I have repeatedly syringed Grapes 

 until the berries were coloring, and I once found it necessary 

 to wash off the insects with a syringe before the grapes could 

 be used. Rain-water is the best for syringing purposes, since 

 it contains no lime, which seems to be the cause of the spot 

 when the vines are sprayed. A ripe bunch of grapes can be 

 cleaned without disturbing much of the bloom by holding the 

 syringe over it and giving it a sharp spray in the middle. As 

 soon as the red spider shows itself, which can be easily deter- 

 mined by the reddish tint of the foliage, and the pest rarely 

 appears until after the Vines have flowered, the pipes should 

 be made warm in the evening and painted with lime and sul- 

 phur, although care should be taken that they do not get too 

 hot. This treatment must not be resorted to during the flow- 

 ering period nor after the grapes begin to color. The house 

 should always be kept well damped, except in dull weather. 

 On one occasion I had nearly cleared a grapery of the spider 

 by washing it with hot water. It was an old-fashiontd house, 

 and we took the rods outside and thoroughly cleaned the inte- 

 rior, painted the sash-bars and walls with kerosene, and after- 

 ward gave them a coaling of lime-wash. 



There should never be any intermission in the vigilant 

 watch against these insects. Many persons neglect their 

 Vines after the fruit is gone. If it is practicable they should 

 have copious spraying for some time longer and all the air 

 possible. In addition to the remedies mentioned, painting a 

 house is always a great help. 



Soutli Lancaster, Mass. IV. DoWllS. 



Preparatory Work. 



AT this season much can be done in preparation 

 outdoor garden, since many plants can be more 



for the 



lore readily 



propagated now than at any other time. 



A border of old-fashioned flowers is a pleasing feature in 

 itself in many gardens, and, besides, furnishes flowers suit- 

 able for cutting. Among plants for such a border, espe- 

 cially if it is intended to hide an unsightly fence. Hollyhocks 



are useful, some of the improved varieties forming massive 

 spikes of brilliantly colored flowers. They can be easily prop- 

 agated at this time by cuttings. If a few old roots are placed 

 in pots or boxes in a moderate heat a number of shoots will 

 soon be thrown up. These shoots can be taken off when they 

 have made three or four leaves, and rooted in a sand bed. 

 After they have become established they should be placed in 

 a cold frame until planting time. 



The garden varieties of Phlox are also particularly effective 

 in such a border. They supply a wide range of color, from 

 pure white to crimson and purple, and in good soil the trusses 

 of flowers are very large. They can be propagated, either by 

 seeds, by cuttings made from the young growth, or by root- 

 cuttings. The best method at this season is to use cuttings 

 made from the young shoots. The stock plants should be 

 treated in the same way as Hollyhocks. Cuttings of Phlox root 

 in a short time if placed in a sand bed in moderate bottom- 

 heat ; but it is important that they should not at any time be 

 allowed to wilt, either from want of water or exposure to too 

 much sunshine. 



Pentstemons also include a number of showy garden varie- 

 ties that can be used advantageously with Phlox. Both are 

 useful as cut flowers, and continue to bloom for a considera- 

 ble length of time. 



Among the plants that may be used for edging a mixed bor- 

 der of flowering plants none are more showy than dwarf 

 Nasturtiums. I prefer, in this latitude, at least, to sow the 

 seeds of Nasturtiums in their permanent position out-of-doors 

 as soon as the weather will permit, instead of raising them in 

 pots. The plants whose roots have not been disturbed seem 

 to have more vitality during dry hot weather. 



Torenia Fournieri, and its white form, known as White 

 Wings, are also good plants for edging. They produce an 

 immense number of flowers, but are most satisfactory when 

 planted in partial shade. Seeds of these can be had from 

 almost any seedsman, and should be sown as soon as possi- 

 ble to secure strong plants. Torenia-seeds germinate better 

 in the shade than in full sunshine, and should be placed in a 

 warm greenhouse. Canna-seeds should be sown at once ; 

 they will germinate much more rapidly in strong heat. The 

 plan of soaking them in warm water for a day or two before 

 planting them is a better way of preparing them for germina- 

 tion than that of filing a hole through the hard outer shell, as 

 has sometimes been suggested. If a succession of Sweet 

 Peas is desired, it is well to start some seeds in pots in the 

 greenhouse. After hardening them off in a cold frame the 

 seedlings may be planted outdoors almost as early as the 

 seeds of the outdoor crop are sown, thus gaining two weeks 

 or more in the time of flowering. 



Holmesburg. Pa. IV. H. Taplin. 



Novelties in Annuals. 



■pEW romances are more fascinating to one with gardening 

 ^ instincts than a first-rate florist's catalogue, and the fasci- 

 nation seems to increase vi'ith one's longer experience. Of 

 course, there is always the familiar list in a seed catalogue, 

 ranging from Abronias to Zinnias, of which we know each item, 

 and most of which have been familiar at one time or another 

 in the garden. But few catalogues are so poverty-stricken as 

 not to offer within their usually vivid covers something which 

 may appeal to the imagination as a possible prize. The more 

 important catalogues always offer, apparently, sterling novel- 

 ties well worth trial, and if these do not prove equal sometimes 

 to the description, one is at least repaid by the enjoyment of 

 them in anticipation, not to spe_ak of the knov.dedge gained by 

 experience. Sometimes the catalogue-maker paints his flowers 

 in colors too lustrous, but usually it will be found that the 

 descriptions are correct, as far as they go, although, as is 

 natural, the weak points of a new plant are not insisted on. 



As garden plans are now being made and selections for the 

 coming seasons are in mind, a few remarks about the recent 

 offerings of new seeds and plants may be helpful. These 

 notes will be confined to plants and seeds easily secured and 

 to those things likely to interest the amateur grower of a gen- 

 eral collection of annuals, etc. A general review of the cata- 

 logues reveals an unusually small number of novelties in the 

 more important annuals. No season ever passes without 

 bringing forward some new China Asters, and this year 

 one is offered of distinct form and striking character. This, 

 which is known as "Japonaise," and offered by Vilmorin 

 & Co. in rose and pink, is figured as a large flower, with 

 long, very narrow-pointed, rather irregular petals, and much 

 resembling a Chrysanthemum in effect. Of the recent China 

 Asters the Branching or Candelabra Asters have proved 

 valuable for their late-flowering and long-stemmed habits. 



