The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-05-15
OUR RURAL TOPICS,
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
wATER1ye PLANTS IN pors.

hb[lCultuIdl NtdutIS.
WATERING PLANTS IN POTS.
In the operation of watering potted plants,
persons not practically familiar with plant Gull
ture are apt to make serious mistakes. Guilt
vators find by experience that an excess of
water at the roots is injurious to almost all
plants; hence, it is customary to direct that
great caution be used in the application of wa
ter, especially with newly-potted plants at all
times. and with all plants during winter when
growth is least active The consequence of
this is, that the opposite extreme is frequently
fallen into, to the great injury of the plants.
From the moment that the soil becomes so dry
that the roots cannot absorb moisture from it,
the plant begins to suffer. Some plants suffer
more than others, but all which have healthy,
active foliage are injured whenever the supply
of moisture is less than the demand. When
the drainage of the pot is perfect, the risk of
overwhelming, or rather the injury from IT. Is
not SO great as when the drainage is imper-
feet. 1t is always good sign of proper drain
age when the water leaves the surface imme
diately after it is applied. If the water stands
for even half an hour after watering, it is clear
evidence of insufficient drainage. One of the
most frequent errors in watering is that GUS
tom which waters a little every day, regard
less of the requirements of the plant, and es-
pecally when these daily drippings are only
enough to merely wet the surface, while the
main body of the soil is left to become dry.
Whenever water is applied, it should be given
in sufficient quantity to wet the whole soil,
and this is sure to be the case when water runs
out at the bottom of the pot. 1t is sometimes
advised, when plants are finishing their growth,
or in order to gradually inure them to cold
weather, or for other reasons, to apply less
water than formerly; and this advice is fol-
lOtxrn hxTd h.,+r ID
creasing the number of applications. This is
wrong; water, even in these cases, ought to be
given literally when applied, but the periods
between the applications should be heightened.
THE oANKER WORM ON TREES.
The absence of wings in the female canker
worm gives power over her which is half the
victory, and anything which will prevent her
ascending the trunk will, in a great measure,
though not entirely, preserve the tree from the
ravages of the worm.
The preventive measures most generally
In use have consisted of some application of a
sticky nature to the trunk of the tree, whereby
the feet of the moth may be encountered, and
from which she may be unable to escape. Va
rious substances have been used for this pur-
pose, among which may be mentioned printers
ink, tar, bird-lime, refined sorghum moasses,
slow drying varnishes, and melted india-rub-
Der. Oil and resin, boiled together in proper
proportions, answer better than tar, because
the mixture does not dry up so much on hot
days. The methods of application of these sub
stances have been diverse. They have been
applied either directly around the body of the
tree, or over a broad belt of clay-mortar or on
strips OF old canvas on stiff paper, on the I'M
derside of horizontal and close fitting collar
of boards fastened around the trunk, or by
means of tin-collars provided with troughs for
holding oil. Whatever substance is used must
ke~ ,nl ooft1
the surface ceases to be sticky or becomes coat
ed with a mass of captured moths. If tar is
used, it should be entirely scraped from the
bark when the season for which it is needed is
over. If bandages are used they should be re-
moved at the same time. 1t is reported that
trees have been saved from these insects, after
having reached the leaves, by freely busting
air-slacked lime over the trees while they are
wet with dew. Paris-green in water, mixed
In the proportion of a tablespoonful of the poi
son to twelve quarts of water, and applied with
a large syringe, will destroy the worms on the
leaves. Mixtures of one pound of whale-oil
soap and seven gallons of water, thrown over
the trees will destroy the canker worm and
many other insects. The practice of plugging
sulphur or driving nails in the tree is too alb
surd for consideration.
VALUE OF Trees AND PLANTS PRoPAGATED
FROM SEED
We copy the following from the American
Cultivation: T" 1t is a notorious fact that no race
of plants in this country is very much attacked
by insects or fungi which plants have not been
for long series of years propagated by other
means than from the seed. Potatoes are sue
cessively grown from tubers and fruit trees
from buds and gratis Native plants suffer
| little from insect depredations, and when they
do the trouble is local. These facts would lead
one to suspect that propagating by of-shoots
cuttings, &C., is weakening process; and that
| fungi and insects thrive best upon weak plants
| is well known"
Such statements as the above are very apt to
misead. In the first place, it cannot be held
| that plants raised from seed are less liable to
| attacks from insects or fungi than those which
are raised from cuttings. Most of our staple
products are raised from seed, such as cotton
tobacco, wheat, corn, Debut they are not
exempt from serious losses by insect attacks
| Our fruit trees are mostly budded or grated
| but caterpillars do not destroy their leaves
more on that account; indeed, much of the
| grating performed strengthens the vigor of the
| tree instead of weakening 1t. When cutting
| is rooted it forms an independent plant, and
its vigor of growth depends upon local and in
| dividual circumstances which have no connee.
tion with the manner in which it was propa-
| gated.
It seems to be popular idea that trees raised
1
those which are raised from cuttings or those
which have been grated or budded, but there
| is no well authenticated data on the subject
and it is well known that our old budded apple
and peach orchards hold out just as long and
as we'll as the crab which has been raised from
! seed. Health and vigor in plants are not Sc
much dependent upon the method of propaga
| ton as upon the method of treatment, and NJ
one need fear to plant budded trees because
budding viii weaken the plant or induce in.
sect attacks, as it does neither.
CHANGES OF SEEDS.
Mr. E. Fl. Libby, in the Farmers Rerie,g says
as follows on the influence of location and eli
mate on seeds: " If the seed of any variety o.
able distance north or south of its home, the
product will be very different from the origi
nal, and in two or three years the characters
tics which distinguished it will have disap
peared and been replaced by others markedly
different. Small cared, small-stalked, and early
| ripening northern corn taken south may pro-
duce good crop in favorable season. Re-
planted the second and third years. it will have
become large-eared, large-stalked variety, fal
removed from the parent in appearance. Or
the contrary, if the large cared southern corr
is planted in the north it will not ripen, except
in very long and hot summers; but by selection
for several years its time of ripening may be
shortened considerably, its stalks decreased il
height, the ears in size; thus, the old variety
disappears and a new sort takes its place.
Change of soil has similar effect to change
of climate. Even an unusual season, as one o
excessive wet or tropical heat, will materially