606 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 23, 1891. 
The Amateurs’ Garden. 
—- 
SEASONABLE WORK in the GARDEN. 
Poinsettias. — As soon as the more forward 
growths are of sufficient length, they should be taken 
off with a heel, and struck in very light sandy soil. 
The shoots that are developed later will serve as a 
second batch to prolong the season. If dwarf plants 
are required the cuttings should never be struck too 
early. 
Winte r-flo wering Plants.—More attention should 
be given to these as the season advances, in order to get 
dwarf and stocky plants. Pinch the leading shoots to 
encourage the development of laterals, and shift into 
larger-sized pots before the roots get pot-bound. Since 
the houses have been partly eased of bedding plants, 
more room will be available for such plants as Serico- 
graphis, Libonias, Justicias, Eranthemums, Plumbagos, 
and Aphelandras. 
Shrubby Begonias.—The present is a good time 
to strike cuttings of Begonia insignis, B. semperflorens 
and its varieties, B. Knowsleyana and others of that 
class for winter flowering. B. semperflorens of course 
commences flowering on plants of quite small size, and 
may be utilised for decorative purposes as soon as it 
commences flowering. B. insignis flowers once only, 
during November and December. 
Gloxinias.—The early-flowering batch should now 
be placed in a house with a cool and more airy atmos¬ 
phere than that in which they have been, in order to 
prolong the flowering period. 
Statices.—Plants in flower or approaching that 
stage should not be wetted with the syringe if standing 
near other plants that require that treatment. Large 
plants will give a long-continued succession of bloom 
if properly treated all through the summer. Assist 
them with weak liquid manure. 
Hard-wooded Plants.—The flowering of New 
Holland Plants as well as Heaths can be retarded as 
well as prolonged, by placing them in a cool well- 
ventilated house where they can be shaded. A house 
with a north aspect would even be more suitable, as no 
shading would there be required. 
Primulas and Cinerarias.—Seeds should now 
be sown for the main batches of these plants intended 
for the display during nest winter and spring. Sow in 
pans, which should be placed on shelves near the glass 
as soon as the seedlings are well up. After they are 
potted off singly they may then be hardened off, placed 
in frames and shaded, or the fralhes should be turned 
round to face the north. 
Figs.—The second early crop will now be ap¬ 
proaching maturity, and it will be imperative to keep 
the fruit as dry as possible by the maintenance of a 
circulation of air in the house by ventilation, and the 
use of artificial heat. The foliage may be kept in a 
healthy condition by damping down the borders and 
paths freely. 
The Orchard House.—No forcing of any kind 
should be attempted when fruits have reached the 
stoning period. No apparent growth will be made 
for some time, although in reality a very important 
operation is in progress inside the fruits. The stone, 
at first soft and undifferentiated from the rest of the 
ovary wall, is thickening, and really drawing greatly 
upon the energies of the tree. Keep up the atmospheric 
moisture, and ventilate freely to keep down the 
temperature. A little air left on at night will also 
be beneficial. 
Tomatos and Ridge Cucumbers. — Before 
being planted out in the open these subjects should be 
thoroughly hardened off, and as soon as that Has been 
effected they may be planted at once. The Ridge 
Cucumbers may be protected for awhile by means of 
hand-lights, not only as a precaution against late frosts, 
but to encourage quick growth, so that the season may 
be lengthened. 
Cabbages, Cauliflowers, &c. — Hitherto the 
spring has been very dry, and not at all encouraging 
for the planting out of the various members of the 
Brassica tribe. Rather than allow the seedlings to 
become crowded and drawn in the beds, planting 
should be proceeded with in all diligence, giving a 
good watering afterwards in order to establish them 
and encourage growth before summer drought sets in. 
Annuals.—Those sown in the open may have the 
ground stirred between them with the hoe, to kill 
weeds and prevent as much as possible the escape of 
moisture. Thinning should be resorted to early. 
Half-hardy annuals that have been reared under glass 
will all be ready to plant out directly. The more 
tender kinds should be reserved till the last. 
THE FRUIT CROP. 
It will probably be readily conceded that the fruit crop 
of the coming season is by far the chief subject of 
interest in horticulture. There are seasons when lack 
of bloom, or such harm done to the bloom through 
frosts or other operating causes, has discounted all 
interest in the probable crop—has in fact made the crop 
impossible. Matters stand on a very different footing 
this year, for it seems as if literally nothing but a sort 
of miracle, an unprecedented disaster, could rob us of 
our expectant crop, and we anticipate no such disaster. 
The year will be one of the fat ones amidst many lean 
ones, and it will be a fat year, too, absolutely of 
Nature’s own provision, and not because the hand of 
man has in any way been a force or operating cause. 
Of course we except that provision which man makes 
when he plants and cultivates, but beyond that, in a 
general way, the man can do nothing to produce a fruit 
crop when he likes. He must wait the good graces of 
Nature, and those are, alas, too rarely displayed. 
Doubtless because of the several comparatively scarce 
fruit seasons we have had, the blatant voice of the fruit 
culture prophet has been somewhat hushed. It is diffi¬ 
cult for even the boldest to push a cause when every¬ 
thing seems to conspire against it. The present year 
with its luxuriance will bring renewed life and vigour 
to the trumpeters of the fruit millenium ; and they 
will point to the immense abundance of the year as 
being a verification of their prophecies, and evidence 
that the time when the world shall grow fruit—and 
fruit only—is at hand. It will be a very great misfor¬ 
tune, however, should any of us forget the lessons of 
some later years. When optimists quote the wonderful 
produce of the season, let us not fail first to ask, What 
after all has been the market return in hard cash ? 
Secondly, Over how many years should the one abundant 
crop be thrown ? We too often ignore the plain facts 
of fruit culture in our enthusiasm, but no man who 
has a grain of sense will calculate his profits from 
hardy fruit culture on one year, but far more usually 
will do so on an average of five or seven years. 
This is especially needful w T hen orchards are young, 
as during the first five years the fruit produce is very 
small relatively, and it is only when Strawberries or 
bush fruits are grown that precocious crops are 
obtained. Still, it is hardly fair to calculate the 
produce of ground or bush crops with those of top trees. 
Were all hardy fruit crops as reliable as are bush fruits, 
we should find ourselves in a very diverse position in 
relation to fruit culture generally. Probably the fruit 
culture prophet will refuse to separate the diverse crops. 
It is certain that both sections have not the same basis. 
So cheaply can we furnish an acre of ground with bush 
fruits, that it is a matter for wonder there are not more 
grown. Relatively it may be as cheap to plant an 
acre of top trees, but then the prospect of securing 
crops is indefinite. When it is found that with careful 
culture, regular thinning of old barren wood, and 
moderate pruning, bushes will endure for even longer 
than twenty years, and continue to be very prolific and 
profitable, it seems doubtful whether, relative to the 
constant yearly bearing which almost invariably 
marks the Gooseberry and Currant, any top kind of 
tree can approach them in profitableness. 
The chief danger of the present year, judging by 
the wondrous wealth of bloom found on all trees, is 
that there may be too big a set, and consequently a 
heavy crop of small fruit. That would be a distinct 
evil. If the bloom is so strong, and, so far as appear¬ 
ances go, healthily fertile, there is no reason why two- 
thirds of it may not set, whereas but one-third will 
give an abundant crop. If we get so large a set, 
shall we thin the too plentiful fruit, or leave them to 
take their chance ? Perhaps it will be thought that 
thinning the [fruits on hundreds of heavily-laden 
trees is by far too big an order to be faced, and yet 
there can be no doubt, could it possibly be done, that 
it would prove to be a profitable move. Myriads of 
comparatively small fruits are of little value to anyone ; 
they give immense labour to gather, and are found 
worth only the lowest price in the market. Another 
factor in relation to the prospective fruit crop is found 
in the exceeding dryness of the soil. So far the trees 
have not yet made much drain upon the soil’s moisture 
resources, but directly fruit begins to swell that drain 
will be enormous. 
We have had such a wonderfully dry winter and 
spring—indeed, comparative absence of rain for some 
months—that the dryness of the soil cannot fail to cause 
some anxiety to fruit growers. Small surface-rooting 
trees may be well watered and mulched, but large 
trees root deep and wide, and systematic watering is 
almost out of the question. If we could turn into our 
fruit tree orchards just now some of that abundant 
flow of sewage which is so sadly running to waste into 
the sea, we should in such a season as the present 
accomplish a marvellous good. For that contingency 
we, alas, have made no provision ; and a liquid, which 
we should find a nuisance in a wet season, would be a 
veritable blessing in a dry one, such as is the present, 
and trees likely soon to be heavily laden with rich 
fruits would find a saviour from exhaustion in liberal 
waterings of sewage. What seems probable in con¬ 
nection with the season’s fruit crop is that we shall see 
ere the close of it much waste, for the simple reason 
that too great an abundance and root drought has so 
belittled the sample.— A. D., May 15 th. 
-->S<-- 
FLORICULTURE IN THE U.S. 
Superintendent Porter, of the Census Bureau, has 
issued a bulletin on the subject of floriculture in the 
United States. The material from which the statistics 
are compiled was obtained direct from the florists upon 
schedules specially prepared for that purpose and by 
personal visits of special agents to florists’ establish¬ 
ments in all parts of the country. 
It will be noted that while floriculture has been 
carried on as a business in this country for upwards of 
one hundred years it is only within the past twenty- 
five years that it has assumed large proportions. Out 
of a total of 4,659 establishments 2,795 were started 
between 1870 and 1890, and of these 1,797 between 
1S80 and 1890. There are 312 commercial establish¬ 
ments owned and managed by women. These 4,659 
establishments had in use in the census year 38,823,247 
square feet of glass, covering a space of more than 891 
acres of ground. The establishments, including 
fixtures and heating apparatus, were valued at 
$38,355,722.43 ; tools and implements, $1,587,693.93, 
and gave employment to 16,847 men and 1,958 women, 
who earned in the year $8,483,657. Fuel for heating 
cost $1,160,152.66. The products for the year were 
49,056,253 rose bushes, 38,380,872 hardy plants and 
shrubs, while all other plants amounted to 152,835,292, 
reaching a total value of $12,036,477.76 for plants. 
Cut flowers brought an additional income amounting 
to $14,175,328.01. 
From the tabulations in the bulletin it appears that 
the largest number of square feet of glass in one estab¬ 
lishment in the .United States is in the district of 
Columbia ; the oldest establishment was started in 
New York ; the largest number of Roses propagated 
were, respectively, in Pennsylvania, Illinois, and 
Ohio ; the largest number of hardy plants propagated 
were, respectively, in Illinois, New York, and Kansas ; 
the largest total value of plant sales were, respectively, 
in New York, Pennsylvania, and California ; and the 
largest total value of cut-flower sales were, respectively, 
in New York, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. 
In addition to the Society of American Florists, 965 
state and local floral societies and clubs, and 358 horti¬ 
cultural societies, aided by the agricultural and horti¬ 
cultural press, helped to develop this industry to its 
present large proportions. 
After inquiry of every florist in the United States, 
the report indicates that there was but one commercial 
florist in the year 1800, and only three establishments 
started between 1810 and 1820 ; eight more were started 
in the next decade, twenty-five in the next, followed by 
forty-five between 1840 and 1S50, ninety-six between 
1850 and 1860, 313 between 1860 and 1870, 998 
between 1870 and 18S0, and 1,797 between 1SS0 and 
1890. The reports show that 80 per cent, of the whole 
business has been developed during the past twenty- 
five years. 
Floral establishments were found in every state and 
territory except Idaho, Nevada, Indian Territory, and 
Oklahoma. 
In the number of florists’ establishments New York 
heads the list with 793, Pennsylvania stands second 
with 544, Massachusetts third with 407, Ohio fourth 
with 393, New Jersey fifth with 366, Illinois sixth with 
330, Michigan seventh with 167, California eighth with 
150, Missouri ninth with 141, Connecticut tenth with 
120, Indiana eleventh with 107, Wisconsin twelfth 
with 105, Maryland and Rhode Island have each 102, 
and the other States less than 100. 
In amount of glass surface New York again leads 
with 6,947,298 square feet, Pennsylvania second with 
6,066,144, New Jersey third with 3,703,554, Illinois 
fourth with 3,246,750, Ohio filth with 2,785,192, 
Massachusetts sixth with 2,717,946, Michigan seventh 
with 1,293,443, Missouri eighth with 1,240,095, 
Connecticut ninth with 1,060,920, Kentucky tenth 
with 1,163,241 (eighty-one establishments), Indiana 
eleventh with 899,549, Maryland twelfth with 872,304, 
Louisiana thirteenth with 742,050, District of Columbia 
fourteenth with 649,310, and California fifteenth with 
610,622 ,—American Florist. 
