766 



QUESTIONS ASKED AND ANSWERED. 



3068. Seed of Hardy Orange. — I procured my supply 

 under the name of Citrus trifoliata, from Rademaker, 

 Mueller & Co., 234 Second Street, Louisville, Ky. — G. 

 D. C. Ellis, Kentucky. 



Simple Propagating-oven. 



3089. Asparagus-Chicory. — Give the same soil and 

 cultivation that you do dandelion or chicory. Whether 

 this plant has any value as a vegetable, however, we do 

 not know. Some of our readers may be able to give the 

 information. 



3090. Growing Cannas from Seed. — Carefully file or 

 cut off a corner of every seed before planting, and they 

 will germinate more promptly. 



3091. Managing Palms and Cycads. — These plants 

 like a soil composed of two-thirds loam and one part of 

 unsifted leaf-mold, or if this is not at hand, of sand. 

 Protect them from the sun's direct rays, and keep the 

 temperature at about 70°. Water them only when the 

 soil is really dry. They can be transplanted at any 

 time.— K. K., iXciv York City. 



3121. Portable Propagating-Bench.— Several good de- 

 vices are described in Bailey's Nursery Book, published 

 by the Rural Publishing Co., New York City. One of the 

 simplest and best of these devices is the propagating-oven 

 shown in figure i. It is a glass-covered box about two feet 

 deep, with a tray of water which is heated by a lamp, 

 beneath the soil. A similar but somewhat complicated 

 apparatus is illus- 

 trated in figure 2. 

 This is an old form 

 of oven, which has 

 been variously modi- 

 fied by different 

 operators. The box 

 AA, is made of wood, 

 and is usually about 

 three feet square. L 

 is a movable glass 

 top. B represents a 

 zinc or galvanized- 

 iron tray, which is filled with earth in which seeds are 

 sown or pots are plunged. C is a water-tray, to which 

 the water is applied by means of a funnel extending 

 through the box. A lamp, D, supplies the heat. A 

 funnel of tin, e e, distributes the heat evenly. Holes 



Another Propagating-oven. 



should be provided about the bottom of the box to admit 

 air to the flame. There are various tanks designed to 

 rest upon the pipes in a greenhouse. The principle of 

 their construction is essentially the same as of those de- 

 scribed — bottom heat, a tray of water, and a bed of soil. 

 Earthenware tanks are commonly employed, but a re- 

 cent English device, figure 3, is made of zinc. It is 

 about seven inches deep and holds an inch or two of 

 water in the bottom. A tray five inches deep sets into 

 the tank. The water is supplied through a funnel at the 

 base. 



3122. Rooting Black-Raspberry Tips. — This is no 

 particular strain on the plant. It is the production of 

 the long branches which draws on the vitality of the 

 plant and diminishes the yield. Clip them back in summer. 



3125. Phylloxera on Grape-Vines.— The vineyard in 

 question is not infested by a fungus, but by the notorious 

 Phylloxera vastatrix, and Bordeaux mixture will have 

 no effect whatever on this pest. I would recommend the 

 uprooting of the infested vines. Replace them with re- 

 sistant varieties, or at least graft the same varieties on re- 

 sistant stocks. The use of resistant American stocks is 

 the only thing that has saved the grape-industry to 

 France. There they also use bisulphide of carbon and 

 sulpho-carbonate of potassium, injected into the soil, as a 



Zinc Propagating-tank. 



remedy, with fair success, though the method is trouble- 

 some. The forthcoming report on the Paris exposition, 

 of which nearly the whole is now in type, will contain a 

 fairly complete account of the phylloxera in France, with 

 a general discussion of the remedies employed by French 

 viticulturists. The report is expected to be ready for 

 delivery soon. — C. V. Riley, Entotiiologist of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture. 



3126. Geneva, Muscat and Carman Grapes. — The 

 Northern Muscat has not yet fruited at our experiment 

 grounds. Geneva is an early white grape of promise. 

 The berry is large, slightly oblong, juicy, and sub-acid, 

 with some pulp. The seeds, which are few, separate 

 readily from the flesh. The bunches are large and 

 showy — the vine healthy. It is not known whether Car- 

 man is later than Concord or not. We fancy it will 

 ripen at the same time. It is far better than Concord in 

 quality, free from foxiness, sweet and sprightly. — E. S. 

 Carman. 



3127. Propagation of the Quince. — Use stocks of 

 Angers or any of the other strong-growing sorts. But 



