THEY SAY. 



Ill 



criticism of C. L. A.'s remarks in the March number. 

 I l<now of an honest seedsman, whose catalogue was a 

 perfect encyclopedia of careful instruction, with a calen- 

 dar for the operations of every month in detail. His 

 gratuitious information (the result of long experience) 

 took up fully twelve pages of his expensive catalogue. 

 He sold good seeds ; yet the people who got his cata- 

 logue must have bought our friend R. T. Choke's Inex- 

 haustible Sure-pop cabbage and other ' ' specialties, " and 

 planted them by the honest seedsman's instructions, for 

 sure they didn't buy of the latter ! When the apostle of 

 catalogue humbuggery is now reputed to be gathering in 

 $50,000 yearly profits from his "novelties," and such, is 

 there encouragement for the straightforward dealer to 

 offer instructions instead of vivid descriptions, a cook- 

 book instead of an overdrawn illustration ? The way to 

 educate the dear people against being humbugged is 

 through our honest horticultural publications, not 

 through catalogues ; and even then we much fear that 

 they will want a few seeds of the wonderful Everbear- 

 ing Watermelon Gooseberry at 50 cents a packet ! — J. 

 H. McF. 



Black Walnut Plantations. — S. B Conover, on page 

 308, speaks of black walnut plantations as something 

 new — he "recommends land owners and farmers to turn 

 their attention to growing black walnuts." The recom- 

 mendation is good, for it may reach many who have not 

 considered the matter, and the details for planting are 

 also excellent ; but the idea is not new, and has been 

 extensively acted on in the western states, where many 

 quarter-sections have been planted to walnuts in the last 

 five years. — J. H. McF. 



Remedy for Melon and Cucumber Pests. — Mix 

 one teaspoonful of paris green with three gallons of 

 water ; as the plants get stronger, strengthen the mix- 

 ture by mixing one teaspoonful of the paris green with 

 two gallons of water ; stir well so that the whole will 

 be of equal strength. It should be applied to the plants 

 at intervals from the time they show their full leaves 

 until the fruit begins to ripen. Apply with a watering 

 pot, using a fine rose. When the mixture is judiciously 

 used it acts as a stimulant, and creates a healthy, vigor- 

 ous growth. Any practical gardener would know from 

 the appearance of his plants how frequently the mixture 

 should be applied. The inexperienced gardener should 

 apply at intervals of eight or ten days. The mixture 

 should be applied in the early evening, but must not be 

 used on cool, damp days. The green fly will not suc- 

 cumb to moderate applications of this mixture, so I 

 would advise that tobacco be sprinkled over the leaves 

 of the plants to rid them of this pest. In this treatment 

 the plants must be given good care and the applications 

 be made regularly. — Philip Ryan. 



[Note. — The above communication is not clear as to 

 what insects are routed by the paris green application. 

 If the treatment "acts as a stimulant" it is evidently 

 only because it is a means of watering the plants. — Ed. 

 Am. G.] 



takes an emulsion containing twenty-five per cent, of 

 kerosene to kill them, and he says this strength injures 

 many of the celery plants. Mr. C. W. Woodworth has 

 lately recommended kerosene pozuder, made by thoroughly 

 mixing five parts kerosene with one hundred parts of 

 some powder, like air-slaked lime, plaster, etc., for this 

 purpose, and it seems to me well worth a trial. — C. M. W. 



Strif)ed Cucumber Beetle. — There is no way of pre- 

 venting the injuries of this little pest so sure as that of 

 fencing them out by some 

 mechanical protection to 

 the plant. One of the sim- ■ ■■ 

 plest methods is to cover 

 the hills with a piece of . 

 thin plant cloth or cheese 

 cloth two or three feet 



square, fastening the edges down with some loose earth. 

 But it is better to hold the center of the cloth up by 



means of a half barrel 

 hoop, or wires bent in 

 the form of a croquet 

 arch, as shown in the 

 accompanying figures. 

 : The plants grow rap- 

 idly and thriftily under 

 these, and the cloth, 

 besides protecting from 

 the beetles, saves the plants from frosts. — C. M. W. 



The Vicar of Winkfield.— The Vicar pear has not 

 been valued as it deserves. As the tree grows larger 

 it bears larger and better fruit. Few pears are hand- 

 somer or better flavored than a good specimen of the 

 Vicar. But its goodness depends very much upon the 

 treatment it has had. I know of a gentleman who 

 always had his Vicars pruned when the fruit was as large 

 as a hickory nut. If the fruit was growing in clusters 

 close together, two were always taken out of every three, 

 keeping the fruit well separated. When the fruit was 

 gathered it was not put up, but kept out in the cool air 

 until frost was expected. Then each perfect pear was 

 wrapped in thin paper and placed carefully in boxes or 

 barrels, and removed to the cellar until February. Then 

 it was sent to Boston market and brought a good price 

 The Vicar is a good fruit for eating when fully ripe, 

 also for cooking even before it is fully ripe. The old 

 fashioned "boiled dish" is much improved by plain 

 boiled pears. They are delicious baked in plates with 

 no addition of sugar and the plate only half filled with 

 water, coveringto prevent burning; also pared and cooked 

 in a deep crock with the addition of sugar and water. 

 They are also excellent for marmalade, paring and quar- 

 tering, and when nearly done adding a glass of quince 

 jelly to give a flavor unsurpassed. Made into marma- 

 lade without paring, only quartering, and chopping fine- 

 ly, they are excellent, putting less sugar and adding 

 sweet cider. — M. S. W. 



Fruit a Wholesome Food.— In a paper recently 

 read before the Columbus (O. ) Horticukural Society, 



