36 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



[March, 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



Strawberries. ■ — The frequent and sudden 

 changes in temperature during the present win- 

 ter have been extremely unfavorable to the sat- 

 isfactory wintering of plants not well covered, 

 and on heavy soils many will be found thrown 

 out of the ground, or raised so much that a 

 considerable part of their roots became ex- 

 posed. As soon as the condition of the 

 ground permits, such -pi ants should be 

 re-set and kept well mulched until dan- . 

 ger is over. 



Prom plants growing in hills it is 

 best not to take off the mulch at all, 

 .but simply to remove the covering from 

 the crowns of the plants and leave it 

 alongside of the rows until the bearing 

 season is over. The plants should not 

 be uncovered, however, before the leaves 

 begin to grow. 



There is nothing gained by planting 

 new beds before the ground is in fit con- 

 dition, but it is well to make one's plans 

 and selection of varieties before hand, 

 and order the plants, that no unneces- 

 sary delay need occur when ■ the proper 

 time has arrived. 



Raspberries and Blackberries may 

 still be pruned and the dead canes re- 

 moved, if not done so before. Full 

 directions were given in previous num- 

 bers. These plants start so early that, 

 where new plantations are intended to 

 be made, it is of the utmost importance 

 to plant as early as possible. While Strawber- 

 ries may, by pinching off all blossoms and buds, 

 be planted as late as the month of May, Rasp- 

 berries have but a poor chance when planting 

 is delayed beyond their proper season. 



Fruit Trees. — Tree planters become more 

 . and more convinced that the sooner trees are 

 planted after the ground is in suitable condi- 

 tion the more favorable are the chances for 

 success. 



Labels. — The small wooden "labels which are 

 attached to trees received from nurseries be- 

 come illegible in a short time, and drop off 

 altogether in a few years, so that when the 

 trees come into bearing there is generally no 

 trace left to indicate what varieties they are. 

 Hardly anything can be more provoking, in a 

 fruit garden at least, than after having made a 

 careful selection of choice kinds, and having 

 waited a dozen years for their fruits not to be 

 able to find their names. The drawing of a 

 map at the time of planting will obviate such a 

 calamity, unless the map is lost or eaten by 

 mice. The surest and most enduring way to 

 preserve the names of trees is to mark them 

 with 



Zinc Labels. — A common strip of sheet tin 

 written upon with a lead-pencil is better than 

 wood, but for neat appearance and endurance 

 the labels which are made for the purpose and 

 are sold for a small price are preferable. They 

 are tied loosely to a branch of the tree with a 

 copper wire, and last a life- time. 



Indelible Ink for writing on these labels 

 is made by mixing two drachms of verdigris 

 and sal ammonia each, 1 drachm of lampblack 

 and 4 oz. water well together in a mortar. The 

 solution must be kept in a glass stoppered vial 

 and has to be well shaken up before using. A 

 quill pen has to be used in writing with it. 



THE MONTCLAIR RASPBERRY. 



This new Raspberry is introduced by its 

 owners and originators, Messrs. E. & J. 0. 

 Williams of Montclair, N. J., in a somewhat 

 novel way, for they say right in the beginning 

 of their circular : ' ' We frankly state that we 

 have eaten better berries and have seen hand- 

 somer ones." This is so radically at variance 

 with the ' ' best, largest, handsomest, hardiest, 

 most prolific, earliest and latest, etc., that ever 

 was and ever can be " style, that if we were 

 not so fortunate as to have a few plants growing 



so for not very distant markets, and as prolific 

 as any Red Raspberry we know of. On our 

 grounds, the unprotected canes did not suffer 

 the least injury during the last two winters, so 

 that it may be called "hardy." It ripens early 

 and continues a long time in bearing, which 

 habit, combined with its other good qualities, 

 places the Montclair in the front rank of Red 

 Raspberries for the home garden or local 

 market. 



The annexed representation of the Gregg 

 Black Cap, which is conceded to be the largest 

 black Raspberry in cultivation, illus- 

 trates clearly the comparative size of the 

 two varieties. 



STRAWBERRIES IN TUBS. 



THE MONTCLAIR RASPBERRY. 



in our experimental grounds, we might have 

 some difficulty to get "at the truth of it." 



From a two years' experience on our own 

 grounds and from what we saw of the Mont- 

 clair at its original home we consider it a valu- 

 able addition to the list of family berries. It 

 is probably a chance seedling of the " Philadel- 

 phia "and a decided improvement upon that 

 old well-known variety. In general appear- 

 ance it bears a strong resemblance to its parent, 

 but in its most prominent characteristics it 



THE GREGG RASPBERRY. 



shows more vigor and hardiness. The canes 

 are upright, very strong and hardy; foliage 

 dark green, vigorous and healthy ; berries, as 

 shown in the accompanying illustration, aver- 

 age larger than the Philadelphia, are more 

 conical, finer grained, of a slightly brighter 

 red color and more sprightly flavor. It does 

 not possess the high aroma of the best foreign 

 varieties but would be considered good enough by 

 most people. It is moderately firm, sufficiently 



All Strawberry growers, I suppose, 

 ha ve shared with me the experience that 

 weeds will grow among the plants for 

 all we can do. I was almost discour- 

 aged, until I heard of a novel way of 

 raising Strawberries, and at once con- 

 cluded to try it myself, as I was struck 

 with the feasibility of the plan. 



I procured a large barrel (a hogshead 

 might serve the purpose better but I 

 could not get one at that time), and had 

 holes bored in it about two inches in 

 diameter and six inches apart, over the 

 entire surface except the head, which 

 was removed. After having it placed to 

 my satisfaction, on one end, in a sunny 

 part of the garden, near the kitchen 

 door, I commenced filling with good 

 rich soil, and planted a plant in each 

 hole, adding soil gradually until filled, 

 when I finished by planting a few on 

 the top; and then my barrel presented quite 

 a unique appearance with the plants protruding 

 through the apertures in it. This I did 

 during the last part of the month of Sep- 

 tember, and the plants grew nicely until 

 the weather became freezing. I then had some 

 corn-fodder tied around the barrel for protec- 

 tion during the winter. I could hardly wait 

 until spring came, I was so anxious to see the 

 result of my experiment, but when at last my 

 plants were uncovered I found them in a flour- 

 ishing condition, needing no attention but an 

 occasional watering which was supplied by the 

 waste water from the kitchen. 



The principal advantage derived from this 

 plan is that while the roots of weeds and White 

 Clover were twining amongst the roots of the 

 plants on the bed in the garden and could only 

 be removed by using the fingers and thumb as 

 a pincers, those in the barrel stood aloft and 

 "grinned defiance" at the enemies that were 

 trying to choke their more lowly neighbors to 

 death. My barrel contained the Agriculturist 

 and Jucunda varieties, and the yield and qual- 

 ity of fruit were vastly superior to those of the 

 same kind grown on the garden bed. I think 

 spring-planting would be as successful as fall- 

 planting, and would recommend the barrel 

 method to all who wish to cultivate Strawber- 

 ries with the least trouble. 



Miss M. E. Grimm. 



Cuttings of Grapes, Currants, Gooseberries, 

 Quinces and many ornamental shrubs may still 

 be made, but they should not be planted before 

 the ground is dry and mellow. Meanwhile they 

 should be tied in small bundles, labeled and 

 preserved in damp moss in a cellar or out of 

 doors covered with sufficient soil to prevent 

 their becoming dry. Care has to be taken that 

 the lower ends of the cuttings are pressed 

 firmly into the soil. 



