QUESTIONS ASKED AND ANSWERED. 



383 



gate with bisulphide of carbon by placing a saucerful of the liquid 

 in the room and keeping it closed. But be sure to keep lighted 

 candles and lamps away from the room, 



2918. Growing' Rhubarb.— I'se plenty of rich, fine compost 

 around the plants. Every third year take them up, divide the 

 roots, and reset them, giving four feet of space each way to each 

 root. The ground should be made quite rich. 



2919. Saving Girdled Trees.— The use of suckers for that 

 purpose is commendable. Insert them under the bark in early 

 spring. If neglected until now, however, I would not fear failure 

 if done at once. 



2921. Pruning and Training Grape-Vines.— The Kniffin 

 system is, perhaps as simple and easily practiced as any. Another 

 renewal system much practiced in the lake region of western New 

 York is thus described in the Vineyardist : The trellis, under this 

 system, is made about 6 feet high; the first wire 30 inches from the 

 ground, the next 14 inches above first, and the third or top wire 16 

 inches above second. The vine is trained straight, with one stem 

 to first wire. This main stem is used year after year, and is all 

 the old wood that is meant to be kept. When it reaches the first 

 wire two canes are grown and tied to the wire opposite each other. 

 These are used for fruiting. When done fruiting for the season 

 these are pruned off, and two or more new vines or canes, which 

 have started near the head of the vine (where the main stem meets 

 the first wire) are retained. These vines are of one season's 

 .growth and have strong, vigorous, good fruit-buds, ready to re- 

 place the old ones pruned off, and to be tied down to the lower 

 wire for fruiting. During the growing season, as soon as the 

 young canes are long enough, they are tied to the upper wires, the 

 result being that by July i or 15 the whole trellis is covered evenly 

 from bottom to top, and the fruit is securely held between the first 

 and second wires.— When the canes reach the top of the trellis 

 they are allowed to droop over. 



2922. The Kola-Nut— This has often been mentioned as 

 possessing great stimulating properties. "These nuts," says the 

 American Agriculturist, "are the product of several species of 

 the genus sterculia. The trees that bear them grow from 30 to 60 

 feet high, in general aspect resembling chestnut trees. They are 

 natives of Western Africa— the hot, moist lands lying between 

 Sierra Leone and the Congo or Lower Guinea, The species of 

 sterculia most highly prized is S. acuminata, of Beauvais, or the 

 Cola acuminata of Robert Brown. The nuts are of an oblong 

 shape, three forming a ball like a very large horse-chestnut, fully 

 two inches in diameter. The individual nuts have a rugged, dark 

 brown surface. Inside they are light brown, tough as wood, and 

 have no flavor. Chemical analysis shows that the kola-nut con- 

 tains from two to three per cent, of caffeine, much more than cof- 

 fee-beans and tea-leaves do. To many .African tribes the kola-nut 

 is what coffee and tea are to us. It is not only esteemed for pur- 

 poses of nutrition, but preeminently as a nerve and muscle bracer, 

 and as a stimulant. The nuts are used fresh, and also in the form 

 of dried powder, Kola is also invaluable to persons who make 

 too free use of ardent spirits, as well as to all who undergo violent 

 or long-continued exertion, or exhaustion of mind and body, en- 

 abling persons eating it to sustain prolonged effort without 

 fatigue. The kola-nut could probably be grown in the hot, moist 

 lands of our southern states bordering on the gulf of Mexico, 

 The tree begins bearing about its fourth or fifth year, increasing 

 the crop of nuts till the tenth year, when a single tree is said to 

 average annually one hundred and twenty pounds of seed. When 

 the tree reaches maturity it bears flowers and fruits continuously 

 and two collections a year can be made. If people can succeed in 

 furnishing kola-nuts cheaply, and 'in finding methods of making 

 them as palatable as coffee or tea, they will compete with these 

 articles, to which, in some respects they are naturally superior," 



2923 iia-wrence Pear Grafted on LeConte.— Root- 

 pruning will be quite likely to improve the fruit-bearing tendencies 

 of thrifty-growing trees that produce more wood than fruil. To 

 bring fruit next year, root-pruning should be done in the earlier 

 part of this season. 



2924, Pickling Barletta Onions.— Peel them as the pro- 

 fessional pickle-makers do: Put the little onions into brine just as 



they come from the ground— tops, roots and all. After the salt has 

 had its effect, the volatile oil, which causes the tears in one's eyes, 

 has lost its strength, and the little bulbs are easily cleaned and 

 trimmed. 



2925. Raising Seed of Cauliflower.— Francis Brill, in 

 Farm Gardening and Seed Growing, s^ys: "The seed is mainly 

 procured from Europe, and there is but little grown in this coun- 

 try, because of our hot summers. If planted very early it will 

 blossom, and some seed will mature under favorable circum- 

 stances : but the surest way is to sow seeds in July, transplant, 

 and keep the partially grown heads over winter in a coldframe or 

 cellar. In spring set them out as we do early cabbages for the 

 same purpose." The inquirer's climate (Washington) is probably 

 well-suited to the production of cauliflower. 



2926. Colors for Summer House and Arbor.— The best 

 color for a summer house and grape-trellis is some plain unobtru- 

 sive one. The grays and browns of stones, rocks and tree-trunks 

 show what colors harmonize well with natural garden beauty. 

 Pale yellow, the color of sunshine, harmonizes very well with 

 landscape or tree effects. Any of the foregoing are preferable as 

 colors for garden objects to white, green, blue and pink. 



2927. Cyclamen and Primula in Summer —With the 

 exception of choice double white varieties we seldom care to keep 

 primulas <rver the summer, preferring to raise >'Oung plants from 

 seed sown in June or July, These plants always give more satis- 

 factory bloom in winter than older plants. There is no difficulty 

 in keeping the double white varieties over summer, however. Put 

 them into a frame or under a tree, as they love a jnoderate temper- 

 ature, constant moisture at the roots, and a somewhat shaded 

 position. In September take them out of the pots, cut off nearly 

 all the roots and leaves, plant in smaller pots, and start into 

 growth. Cyclamens may be given the same treatment. 



2928. California Privet.— All the species of ligustrum are 

 readily propagated by cuttings planted in the open ground, or 

 under glass. 



2929. Remedy for Rose-Bugs.— Hand-picking and knock- 

 ing oft' on sheets early in the morning are almost the only ways of 

 destroying rose-bugs, and they are not always successful when the 

 bugs are present in large numbers. 



2930. Vitality of Seeds.— Vilmorin gives the following 

 average number of years that the seeds named will retain their 

 germinating power : Bean, 3 years ; beet, 6; cabbage, cauliflower, 

 turnip, radish and kohlrabi, 5 ; carrot, 4 or 5 ; celery, 8 ; 

 cress, 3 to 5 ; cucumber and endive, 10; egg-plant, 6; lettuce, 5; 

 corn, 2; melon, 5 to 6 ; onion, 2; parsley, 3; pea, 3; pepper, 4; 

 pumpkin, 4 or 5 ; rhubarb, 3; salsify, 2; spinage, 5; squash, 6; 



2931. Making Cider- Vinegar .—If you have good apple cider 

 the process of turning it into vinegar is simple enough. Keep the 

 barrels full and let the cider ferment. This drives nearly all im- 

 purities out through the bung-hole. The warmer the storage 

 place, the more active will be this process, and the sooner the 

 vinegar will be formed. After violent fermentation has ceased, 

 draw oft' the cider, put a few gallons of strong cider-vinegar into a 

 clean vinegar-barrel and fill half full with cider. The bung-hole 

 should be covered with a small-meshed wire screen to keep out 

 vinegar-flies. If the barrel is kept in a warm room, vinegar may 

 form within six months. 



2932. Pruning Growing Peach Trees.— As the fruit is 

 killed for the season, the energies of the trees might now be di- 

 rected toward the production of a well-shaped head, and of wood 

 for fruit production next season. I would not hesitate to head back 

 the straggling growers at once, quite severely. 



2934. Grass Among Fruit-Trees.- For peaches, plums, 

 dwarf-pears and quinces we would recommend clean culture. 

 .Apple trees in full bearing, however, are not injured by sowing 

 alfalfa or any other grass among them, provided this is pastured 

 by sheep or hogs. 



2935. Remedy for Currant-Borers.— Cut out and burn 

 in autumn or early spring all stems found hollow. During the 

 period when moths and beetles are on the wing (June), the\ may 



