BUDS, BLOSSOMS, FRUITS. 



743 



wider toward the end. The edges are irregular and 

 prickly-toothed. The leaves, though not so large, in 

 shape and color, strongly resemble the Cos varieties of 

 cultivated lettuce. The plant is closely related to the 

 cultivated lettuce {Lacfuca saliva). The remedy for it 

 is simpler than in the case of wild carrots and burdock 

 Consecutive cuttings with scythe or hoe when the plants 

 are at a good height and not yet blossoming ought to 

 eliminate them wherever started, One cutting at the 

 proper time will destroy the plant's growing, but the li- 

 ability to find others the succeeding season must be 

 remembered. Begin to fight this weed while it is yet 

 confined to roadsides and waste grounds. It is not 

 likely to be very troublesome in tilled lands, but there is 

 danger that it may invade all pastures and fence-rows, 

 and become a veritable thief. 



Raspberry Notes. — Shaffer Colossal is one of our best 

 berries, but in market it often goes begging for buyers 

 at five cents a quart. Marlboro and Hansel need high 

 culture to be of any value, and Turner is worthless for 

 general culture here, Our plantings for market must be 

 confined chiefly to Golden Queen and Cuthbert. The 

 popular taste inclines to the former,, but the main crop 

 must still be red. For success in raspberry-culture we 

 must adopt a simple method of caring for the canes. I 

 have learned to tie mine to wires, or rather in small 

 bunches above or below wires. If the string is tied 

 directly to the wire it will be sawn in two pieces by the 

 wind. In September we cut old canes ; while these lie 

 under foot we tie the new canes as described, and after 

 the new canes are fast we fork out the old ones and burn 

 them. We dig out all extra canes that come up outside 

 the rows, heel them in, and sell them. Not earlier than 

 November we top off the new canes to stand five or si.x 

 feet high. I never cut back red raspberries any earlier, 

 as it tends to start dormant buds, and to cause autumn 

 flowering. The raspberry bears on new wood, and this 

 will be formed abundantly in spring. I do not run the 

 cultivator in the fall, but I top-dress with rotted com- 

 post. Raspberries are always better for a mulch. The 

 rows should run north and south, if convenient, and 

 should stand close enough to barely allow the use of the 

 cultivator in spring. The intermediate ground should 

 be well shaded. The red raspberry must either have 

 frequent showers in the ripening season, or be well 

 mulched, and if possible, irrigated. Among black rasp- 

 berries I am looking for a thoroughly hardy Gregg. Not 

 one of the other good sorts, such as Ada, Hilborn and 

 Palmer, equals the Gregg. — E. P. Powell, Oneida 

 County, N. Y. 



Tropical and Semi-tropical Fruits in America. — 

 Perhaps the extent of our resources in tropical fruits and 

 nuts, as reported by the Census Bureau, will be some- 

 thing of a surprise to many. At the time of the last 

 census there were, exclusive of orchards intended only 

 for private use, 13,515 acres of almond, 677 of banana, 

 169 of citron, 9,864 of cocoanut, 4,477 of fig, 550 of 

 guava, 1,362 of kaki, 7,256 of lemon, 495 of lime, 12, 180 

 of Madeira-nut, 7,097 of olive, 184,003 of orange, 2,189 



of pineapple, 171 of pomelo, and 27,419 of pecan trees; 

 a total acreage of 271,068 given to tropical and semi- 

 tropical fruits and nuts. The reports on valuation of 

 crops for the same year amounted to $14,116,226.59, 

 divided as follows: almond, $1,525,109 ; banana, $280,- 

 653 ; cocoanut, $251,217 ; fig, $307,271 ; lemon, $988,099 ; 

 lime, $62,496 ; Madeira-nut, $1,256,958 ; olive, $386,368 ; 

 orange, $6,602,099; pine-apple, $812,159; pomelo, $27,- 

 216; pecan, $1,616,576. As in nearly every case the 

 number of non-bearing was double the number of bear- 

 ing trees, these values must certainly be greatly increased 

 in future. Of all these products, oranges now take the 

 lead by a long distance, but it is thought highly probable 

 that in the course of a few years the olive, fig, 

 Madeira-nut and lemon crops of California will rival 

 her orange crop in value. Pecan-culture is recom- 

 mended as an industry from which future developments 

 of a wonderful nature may be expected, at least so far as 

 northwestern Florida and the other gulf states are con- 

 cerned ; and the possibilities of the pineapple crop in 

 southeastern Florida, and for 100 miles north of Key 

 West, place that among the most promising productions. 

 Of course, California and Florida are the chief, centers 

 of J tropical fruit-culture. However, figs, pecans, or- 

 anges and kaki are found more or less in all the gulf 

 states. Scattered trees of pomegranate, kaki, fig, guava, 

 pecan, pomelo, lemon, lime, date and banana were found 

 as far north as Charleston, on the Atlantic coast, and to 

 the thirty-first parallel along the gulf coast Figs, al- 

 monds, and some other sorts of fruits are found in 

 Washington and Oregon, and olives in southern Nevada. 

 Arizona has recently been planting quite extensive orange 

 groves. — Wilder Grahame. 



Overshaded Homes. — Now and then somebody de- 

 clares that there should be no trees near enough to the 

 dwelling-house to intercept a single one of the solar rays 

 at any time. This is sheer nonsense. It is true that 

 even so good a thing as planting the home grounds may 

 be overdone. We frequently see dwellings hidden in a 

 dense growth of large trees. Damp, overshaded rooms 

 and piazzas cannot be healthful. We want the great 

 healers, sun and pure air, to have free access to our 

 houses. Trees should not stand so near nor so close to- 

 gether as to keep the house in continual shade. If they 

 stand so near your home, plan now to thin them at the 

 earliest opportunity. You can safely leave one large 

 overhanging tree on each side of the dwelling, and at a 

 little distance from it, so that the free passage of pure 

 air between and the full sunshine for at least part of the 

 day will not be intercepted. Some large, thrifty growths 

 not too far from the house are really desirable, apart 

 from their cool shade. With their far-reaching roots 

 they absorb filth and dampness, and, in a measure, are 

 serviceable substitutes for drains. Overshading alone, 

 which intercepts sunlight and the passage of air, has 

 given trees the reputation for creating dampness. In 

 reality, all plant growth absorbs and dispels it. Win- 

 dows closed by blinds and curtains often are the real 

 mischief-makers. 



