124 



[July, 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



Renewing Strawberry Herts. — Many amateur 

 gardeners have as great an aversion to turn- 

 ing under an old Strawberry bed as to the 

 cutting down of a hearing fruit tree, and yet 

 it. requires often more time and labor to 

 clean and keep in order an old bed than to 

 plant a new one. As a general rule, nothing 

 is gained by keeping- a Stra wberry bed more 

 than two years, and to secure best results, 

 some young plants should be set out every 

 year. Yet there is a way of renewing Straw- 

 berry beds, which, without grating harshly 

 against one's conservative feelings, produces 

 a new plantation every year. 



A row of Strawberry plants set out a year 

 or two ago will now, as frequently managed, 

 — that is, left to themselves,— present a 

 solid mass of plants and weeds, six feet or 

 more in width. To weed out and civilize 

 such a wilderness is a task not rashly to be 

 undertaken. If, however, the bed has to be 

 maintained on the same spot, then stretch a 

 line a foot or two from the original row, or 

 where there is the best stand of young plants ; 

 and parallel with it, toward the outside, 

 stretch another. Mow down, on both sides, 

 all that stand outside of this narrow strip, 

 spread a good coat of manure, plow or spade 

 ii nuclei', and pulverize and mellow the soil 

 us much as possible. Pull all weeds from 

 the strip left, and rake the new ground 

 whenever weeds make their appearance. 

 Runners will soon push forth, and young 

 thrifty plants will take possession of the 

 ground previously occupied by old and 

 worthless ones. If more than one row of 

 plants is desired, such a border may be left 

 on each side of the old one, allowing about 

 four feet of space between the two. 



The following year, the plants now remain- 

 ing will be turned under, moving the rows 

 in the same direction, and thus providing 

 fresh ground every year. If circumstances 

 do not permit, the beds may be kept on the 

 same ground, alternating the lands every 

 year. 



We do not recommend this plan to those 

 who aim at best results, nor to those who 

 can give better care to their plants ; yet it is 

 far better to raise Strawberries in this rough 

 way than to have none at all. We may in- 

 stance a mixed bed of Crescents and Charles 

 Downings which supplies a large summer 

 boarding-house with berries. The only cul- 

 tivation it has received in years consisted - in 

 an annual mowing with the mowing-machine, 

 and the plowing of alternate strips three to 

 four feet wide. 



Potting Strawberry Plants. — Several read- 

 ers ask for information about this subject. 

 Plants' set this spring or last fall, and which 

 have not been allowed to bear, are best for 

 raising young plants ; but any strong, thrifty 

 plants may be made to answer. Work the 

 ground around them deep and mellow, take 

 small flower-pots of two or three inches in 

 diameter, fill with fine, rather heavy soil, 

 sink them in the ground to the rim, directly 

 under a- runner just forming a young plant, 

 and place a small stone on the runner to 

 prevent its being blown away. In two to 

 three weeks the plants will be sufficiently 

 rooted for removal. 



CRAB APPLES. 



When eternal vigilance is the price of an 

 Apple orchard, and Jack Frost the most 

 formidable enemy encountered, the Crab 

 Apple, or, as it is often called in popular 

 parlance, " Siberian Crab," is of no small 

 value. Prefixing " Siberian " to its name is 

 right enough in this, that it indicates its 

 superior ability to withstand excessive cold. 

 When the Apple grower, wearing a most 

 rueful countenance, passes through his 

 orchard in the spring, noting on many trees 

 the tell-tale crevices in the bark, he feels 

 that he has not labored altogether in vain 

 when he comes to his Crab Apple orchard. 

 The past winter was unusually cold here, 

 injuring even Cherry trees, but my Crab 

 Apples escaped unscathed. They are the 

 only ones of my fruit trees that were not in- 

 jured. The Crab Apple not only withstands 

 cold better, but is hardier in every way than 

 the Apple, and therefore will commend 

 itself to the orchardist living where the cir- 

 cumstances are not favorable to Apples. 



Crab Apples are long-lived for two addi- 

 tional reasons : They have few enemies, and 

 great vitality to withstand their attacks. 

 Why it is I do not know, but I have very 

 rarelyfound caterpillars on my Crab Apples ; 

 the Apple-tree borer rarely works upon 

 them ; so far as my own experience goes, 

 they never blight; even the locusts are not 

 very fond of them ; and when any enemy 

 or disease does attack them, they oppose to 

 it greater vigor than perhaps any other fruit 

 tree. 



Though only a Crab Apple it is a fine 

 fruit. It must no more be compared to the 

 common Crab Apple than our best Apples to 

 worthless seedlings, or our finest Grapes to 

 wild ones. The greatest drawback to them 

 is the difficulty of keeping them in their 

 natural state. Some varieties contain so 

 much sweet juice (sugar) that they soon 

 decay. I am in hopes that a later, perhaps 

 less juicy variety will yet be introduced that 

 can be kept through the winter. I know of 

 no fruit which makes nicer preserves or 

 jelly. The jelly is as clear as crystal and 

 only too pleasant to the taste. 



The trees are incessant bearers ; I have 

 never known them to miss a crop, and a 

 heavy one at that. 



If, then, the Crab Apple is vigorous and 

 long-lived, its fruit and bearing qualities ex- 

 cellent, why does it receive so little atten- 

 tion from fruit growers ? In answer, it may 

 be said that its worth is not fully recognized 

 and the demand for it does not justify large 

 planting. For this there is also a reason — 

 the general inferior quality of the fruit occa- 

 sioned by neglect of severe pruning and con- 

 sequent over-fruiting. As I have before 

 said, the tree is vigorous, and therefore a 

 rapid grower. It is also a great bearer, and 

 each limb will be full of blossoms and fruit. 

 Unless severely pruned the tree attempts to 

 mature too much fruit, and the result is 

 numbers at the expense of quality. My ob- 

 servation convinces me that the pruning of 

 Crab Apples is grievously neglected. Shake- 

 speare may skeptically ask, "What's in 

 a name ? " but the answer is not always 

 "Nothing"! though " A rose by any other 

 name would smell as sweet." It is unfortu- 

 nate for the improved Crab Apple that it 

 cannot rid itself of that name. For the name 

 at once carries the impression of something 

 rough, thorny and inferior ; and so strong is 



this impression that the Crab Apple is often 

 neglected just because its name is its name, 

 and not because the results would not amply 

 repay the attention bestowed. When it re- 

 ceives careful attention, and its fruit is 

 thereby improved in quality, the Crab Apple 

 will take a prominent position among fruits, 

 for it possesses merits fully as good as the 

 Cherry, Grape, or Berries. 



Prune one of your Crab Apple trees more 

 severely than you have ever done before, 

 and, my word for it, you will find a surprising 

 change in the quality of the fruit. You need 

 not fear to lop off branches without mercy 

 if you cover the stumps with wax, for the 

 vitality of the tree is so great that all 

 wounds will soon heal, and the evils attend- 

 ant upon the too severe pruning of Apples 

 need not be feared. A soil and location 

 suited to Apples is also best adapted to Crab 

 Apples. Because it will withstand more cold 

 do not plant the tree on low or undrained 

 land, for the blossoms, though hardy, will 

 succumb to severe frost. He who can raise 

 Apples can raise Crab Apples better; for 

 with the same soil, location, and attention, 

 they will do better. John M. Stahl. 



CARE OF YOUNG TREES IN SUMMER. 



Young trees set out last spring will need 

 extra good care this summer. The first sum- 

 mer is quite as trying to young trees as the 

 first winter. They must be protected against 

 the hot sun and dry weather. Thorough and 

 constant mulching will do this work for the 

 roots; but sometimes, when the roots have 

 been severely cut away in taking up from the 

 nursery, they do not seem to get sufficient 

 hold during the first few months after trans- 

 planting to sustain the top. The dry, search- 

 ing winds and hot sun are often too much for 

 the weakest, and they succumb under the 

 trying ordeal, even when given ordinarily 

 good treatment. 



After losing many young trees in this 

 manner, I adopted the following method for 

 protecting them : Along each side of my 

 rows of young trees I planted two rows of 

 Corn, with the hills twelve or fourteen inches 

 apart. This shades the roots, trunk, and a 

 good share of the top. It also keeps the wind 

 from blowing the mulching away, as is often 

 the. case when not so protected. The Corn- 

 stalks and foliage break the force of the 

 wind, so that the young stock of the tree is 

 not twisted and wrenched about, to the det- 

 riment of its roots. A row of Brush-peas or 

 of Pole-beans will also answer the purpose, 

 especially the Peas, as they can be grown 

 early and made to serve as shelter long be- 

 fore the Corn and Beans are high enough to 

 afford much protection. 



Where it is not practicable to give them 

 such protection as above mentioned, the 

 bare trunks may be protected by twisting- 

 hay around them from the ground up to the 

 limbs. A. little care and watchfulness will 

 save many valuable trees and prevent that 

 ragged, scattered appearance of orchards in 

 which, here and there, a tree has died out. 



W. I). BOYNTON. 



Raspberry and Blackberry canes, if not 

 already cut back, should be tipped at once 

 at about three feet from the ground. This 

 will produce stout, upright canes, which 

 make staking unnecessary, and facilitates 

 cultivation and other work between them 

 considerably. 



