766 



QUESTIONS ASKED AND ANSWERED. 



to unloosen them from the trellis (at the same time prun- 

 ing them) before winter sets in, and lay tliem down flat 

 upon the ground. This will be all the protection required 

 even for the less hardy sorts ; but even the hardy varie- 

 ties, thus treated, will come out in all the better shape 

 for fruiting next year. — G. R. 



2683. Seedling Peach Orchard. The chances of 

 getting good fruit trom seedling peaches, when the trees 

 were grown from properly selected seed, are quite good. 

 Judge Miller, of Missouri, for instance, is quite in favor 

 of starting orchards in just the way proposed. "From 

 the results on my grounds," he says in the Horticultural 

 Art Journal, " I think it advisable for every one to plant 

 the seeds of good peaches, with a fair prospect of ob- 

 taining valuable fruit. Even if some of them do not 

 prove worth keeping, it takes but one year to convert 

 them into a better kind by budding on the limbs. I have 

 budded one limb near two inches in diameter, and the 

 second year after gathered a peck of peaches from it. In 

 budding such I take triplet buds on strong shoots, as 

 they do better under the thick bark of such large 

 branches. This year I am keeping the pits of quite a 

 number of choice varieties to plant for an orchard with- 

 out budding. That these trees will be a little hardier 

 than budded trees I know from experience. If the pit is 

 planted where the tree is to remain, its chances for a 

 long life are increased. 



2685. Opium Production. There is no prospect 

 whatever that the production of opium can be made 

 prolitable, or is likely to become an established industry 

 in the United States, although the plant that furnishes 

 the opium grows readily in almost all parts of the 

 country, and in some sections has really become a weed. 

 This plant is the ordinary annual poppy (Papaver som- 

 niferum). To obtain the opium, a slight incision is made 

 into the ripening seed-vessel, and the exuding juice, 

 when partially dried, and then of a gummy consistency, 

 is gathered by hand. The hand labor required in this 

 operation, at prices paid for it in the United States, ex- 

 cludes all possibility of making this business profitable. 



2688. Tufted Vetch. The plant, a part of which was 

 received, is one of the vetches (viccia), probably V- 

 cracca, the tufted or cow vetch, which is a perennial of 

 European origin. We have no personal experience with 

 it, but we do not believe that it is one of the really bad 

 weeds. — G. R. 



2636. Hardy Apples. E. Reynolds, of Wisconsin, 

 names the following as the best apples for that country, 

 where hardiness is so important a consideration : 

 Duchess, Walbridge, Wealthy, Wolf River and Whitney 's 

 No. 20. These will supply farmers with apples during 

 ten months of the year, which is, of course, the chief pur- 

 pose for which apples should be grown in cold sections. 



2661. Turnip Culture. Turnips, especially the early 

 flat varieties, can be produced with little expense ; and 

 when there is a demand, at even 25 cents a bushel a good 

 profit can be made from them. The rutabagas or swedes 

 require a longer time for growth, and the land in better 

 shape generally, but they are in greater demand in the 

 markets, and usually bring a higher price than the flat 

 turnips — often 50 cents a bushel and more. The advan- 

 tage of turnips is that they can be grown as a second 



crop, and on land that might otherwise lie idle for the 

 rest of the season. You can plant either the flat varie- 

 ties or the swedes after early potatoes, or early peas, or 

 early onions, etc., have been harvested, or on the old 

 strawberry bed after the fruiting season. Plow the land 

 thoroughly, apply a few hundred pounds of bone dust 

 or other phosphate to the acre, harrow thoroughly, and 

 get the surface in perfect shape for sowing seed. If to 

 be sown by hand, mark off light furrows, with an ordi- 

 nary hand marker, about twenty inches apart, and drop 

 seed very thinly. With a little experience, this is not a 

 difficult task. For operations beyond the limits of a 

 small garden, however, we prefer the "Planet Jr." 

 garden drill ; sowing less than a pound of seed to the 

 acre. Cultivate as you would any other closely planted 

 garden crop, thinning the plants to six or eight inches 

 in the rows, and keeping the ground well stirred with 

 the wheel hoe. Harvest before severe freezing. We 

 often grow a fair crop of flat turnips by scattering seed 

 over the cornfield immediately after the last working. 

 The plants grow along under the protection of the 

 standing corn, and form bulbs after the corn is cut. 

 Even if the bulbs do not grow to salable size, this 

 secondary crop will come handy. It can also be pas- 

 tured by sheep, hogs and cattle late in the fall. 



2670. Planting- a Home Lot. We would recommend 

 devoting the front or pleasure end of your quarter-acre 

 home plat to grass and ornamental trees, shrubs, vines 

 and plants. The one for grass should be reduced to 

 a smooth grade before seeding, in order that a lawn- 

 mower may be brought into use for keeping the surface 

 close and velvety. As has been shown by the numerous 

 plans given in the " Taste and Tact " series appearing 

 in these columns, we favor, almost without exception, 

 arranging the plants, trees, shrubs, etc., toward the 

 margin of the place, in cultivated borders. In these 

 the tallest growers should be towards the rear of the 

 cultivated parts, keeping a strip along next to the grass 

 for low growing flowers. A shade tree here and there 

 on the grass, away from the border, would be a suitable 

 feature. As for ornamental vines, there are a number 

 of ways of accommodating them. They may be planted 

 along the veranda at the posts, or by tall stakes in the 

 border, one to each stake ; or an arbor or well-house 

 may be built to be covered with vines, or a screen or 

 a fence be arranged to have hardy vines to run over 

 them, or rocks, stumps, posts and outbuildings be prettily 

 festooned with them. As for kinds of trees and shrubs 

 suitable for your latitude, it would be best for you to 

 make a study of what kinds now succeed thereabouts, 

 and confine yourself largely to such. The fruit and 

 vegetable plat had best be arranged with the larger 

 kinds of trees in rows along the north end, grade down 

 to the bush fruits and plants, strawberries last. By this 

 means, no kind will be shaded by others. The same 

 rule (everything in rows to run the same way) should 

 be carried out in the fruit and vegetable garden as well. 

 Much information in a small compass, on distances apart 

 for planting and other matters in this line, is given in 

 the small illustrated treatise, " How to Plant a Place," 

 issued by The Rural Publishing Company , price 10 cents 

 post-paid. 



2666. Strong Growth in Roses. In order to induce 



