QUESTIONS ASKED AND ANSWERED. 



639 



3044. Culture of Hothouse Plants. — The yellow jes- 

 samine grows well if planted in a rich, light, sandy soil, 

 given plenty of water when in a growing condition, and 

 kept in a sunny location. Pomegranates like the same 

 soil and similar treatment in summer, but should be 

 wintered in a dry, frost-proof cellar, and have their roots 

 kept dry. In spring repot them, cutting back at least 

 two-thirds. Passifloras do well in soil of loam and leaf- 

 mold or turfy matter, with plenty of root-room. The 

 banana likes a light, open soil, a good deal of water, a 

 good-sized pot, and should have a sheltered place ; other- 

 wise its leaves will be injured by winds. — E. E. R. 



3059. Mixed-Pickle Making. — The following is my 

 recipe : Take from 3 to 5 quarts of small cucumbers, 2 

 quarts of cauliflower, i quart of small onions, same 

 quantity each of green tomatoes, ground cherries and 

 string-beans, i bunch of celery stalks cut fine, some 

 green and ripe peppers, and some Brussels sprouts. Put 

 all these ingredients in salt water over night. Cook the 

 beans and onions separately until tender, and steam the 

 cauliflower, green peppers, tomatoes and Brussels- 

 sprouts. Next make a dressing of 3 quarts of vinegar, 2 

 cups of brown sugar, i cup of flour, 16 tablespoonfuls 

 of ground mustard, 5 tablespoonfuls of white mustard- 

 seed, some celery-seed, 2 tablespoonfuls of turmeric. 

 Let the dressing come to the boiling-point, and pour it 

 over the pickles; heat all together and seal. The tur- 

 meric can be procured at the druggist's, and it gives the 

 pickles that golden-orange color so desirable. For pri- 

 vate use the material can be added to, but the dressing 

 must be kept in the same proportion. — Mrs. John G.\il- 

 LARD, Erie County, Pa. 



3066. Switzer Apple.— This is probably worth trying 

 in Wisconsin. The pomologist of the Department of 

 Agriculture describes it as follows : ' ' Among the apples 

 which have been imported from Russia this is one which 

 seems to have good qualities for the north. The tree is 

 very hardy and not subject to blight, as are some others. 

 It bears abundantly. In size the fruit is medium, 

 2^!4x3 inches; shape round, conical, regular; surface 

 smooth ; color brilliant crimson, with purplish stripes 

 and splashes over a whitish ground ; dots medium-light 

 gray, scattering ; basin shallow, narrow, abrupt, ribbed ; 

 eye closed ; calyx-tube deep and wide ; cavity wide, 

 shallow, irregular ; stem long, slender ; core medium- 

 sized, open ; seeds numerous, plump, dark brown ; flesh 

 white, tender, not heavy ; flavor quite tart ; quality 

 fair ; season November to December in northern Ver- 

 mont and New York." 



3068. Seed of Hardy Orange.— We are not aware 

 that seed of Linionum trifoUatum have as yet been of- 

 fered by our seedsmen, but think it will probably be 

 catalogued next season. Look up the leading seed-cata- 

 logues. Perhaps some of our readers may be able to 

 tell us of a source of supply. 



3069. Strawberry Patch After Fruiting. The best 

 way of treating a strawberry-patch after fruiting, if it is 

 to be kept for another season, is to cut all growth short 



with a mowing-machine, and then when the "hay" has 

 become dry enough, to set fire to it. Afterwards a fur- 

 row should be plowed away from the row on each side, 

 leaving only a narrow strip of plants. This narrow 

 strip of plants may be cleared of weeds, etc., with the 

 hoe, and the vines then allowed to run and spread. A 

 top-dressing of fine manure, especially of old poultry- 

 manure, may be given on the freshly plowed surface 

 next to each row. The young runners will readily root and 

 grow there. If the patch is excessively weedy, the run- 

 ners may be brought together to root in a strip midway 

 between the old rows, and the latter be afterward plowed 

 up. On the whole, however, we consider it better to 

 fruit a patch but one year, and to set meanwhile a new 

 patch for the following year. The best crops are almost 

 invariably grown on new beds. 



3070. Starting a Blackberry Patch. — Blackberry 

 suckers may be taken up and planted for a new bed in 

 either fall or spring, but we would greatly prefer root- 

 cuttings. These may be made in fall and planted just 

 where they are wanted to grow, in drills six or eight feet 

 apart and two or three inches deep. It it much better, 

 however, to cut up the roots in fall, pack them with 

 sand in shallow boxes, bury them outdoors in a well- 

 drained spot, and plant them out thickly in nursery- 

 rows in spring. Keep them well cultivated, and plant 

 them out for a permanent patch in the fall or spring 

 following. 



3071. Rasberries for Home Use.— Try Hansell and 

 Marlboro. 



3072. Cultivating the Orchard. — A few inches of 

 well-stirred surface will be all-sufficient. No need of 

 going very deep, unless as a sort of root-pruning, and for 

 the purpose of checking over-rampant wood-growth. 



3073. Mariana Plum Cuttings. — Use the mature 

 shoots of this year's growth, and treat them exactly as you 

 would currant cuttings. The sooner you put them in, in 

 the fall, the better will be your chance of success. 



3074. Who Sells Nut-Trees ? — The addresses of 

 leading nurserymen who sell nut trees (and almost all of 

 them do) can be found at the proper season in our adver- 

 tising columns. Write, for instance, to Wm Parry, 

 Parry, N. J. 



3075. Quince Leaf-Disease. — This probably is the 

 leaf-brown [Entomosporium maculatitm), which ap- 

 pears as dark spots on the leaves and finally causes them 

 to fall. We can suggest no remedy. 



3076. Storing Apples for Winter. — In a well-drained 

 spot dig a trench about half as deep as the diameter of the 

 barrel in which you store your apples and barely as 

 wide. Cover the barrel with the earth taken from the 

 trench. Any number of barrels may occupy the trench, 

 end to end, in the order of keeping quality. From three 

 to four inches of clayey loam is far better than a thicker 

 covering, even when the thermometer falls to 20 degrees 

 below zero. This thickness is easily broken with any 

 iron implement, and the barrel may be rolled to the cellar, 

 or better, if safe from pilferers, left in the ground, to be 



