The National tribune., 1884-06-12

of roots They should be gone over OCCASION
ally and the vines removed a little from their
position; in this respect the roofing of the
vines have much the same influence on the
crop that the roofing of strawberry runners
have upon the crop of that plant.
FloxeY Garden
Ddhlids.-These flower best when not put in
very early, so that they may be induced to
flower towards fall. Roots may now be plant
ed and do better than those put in the ground
earlier.
Giddio1us.-This is one Of the most satisfac-
tory and beautiful of Towering bulbs If a
few bulbs are set out at intervals of week or
SO apart, the Towering season viii be much ex-
tended
7fq1idias.-This old summer Towering bulb
is better known as the Tiger flower but is now
almost forgotten. The flowers, individually,
last bnt one day, but as they are freely pro
duced in succession. this is no drawback.
Lately new light-colcred kind has been in
troduced of great beauty as variety.
COieaS.-Ihe best way OF growing these orna-
mental folaged plants is to set them in beds
and keep them well trimmed We rather dis
like this formal method of treatment, but find
that when they are allowed TO grow without
trimming that the shoots are liable to be
broken off during heavy wind and rain storms
and the plants become sadly defaced. The
most satisfactory plan is to set them about one
foot apart in bed, and clip them about once a
week, thus forming low, massive, compact
bed of various colored foliage.
PetHaiaS.-If we were confined to one flower
ing annual plant, we would probably select the
petunia. 1T is free Of flowers, which give up
a delightful fragrance towards nightfall. They
stand dry weather very well in good deeply
& hax of CT
of flowers have been much improved of late
years.
FloUer beds should be hoed and the surface
broken fine as soon as the ground dries sufii-
ciently after a rain. A fine soil on the surface
prevents evaporation of moisture and keeps
the under stratum from drying out. Before
watering flower beds make the soil loose by
breaking it up with hoe. and saturate thor
oughly; sprinkling little water on the sur
face has no beneficial effect.
LarR.-In ordinary seasons the grass should
be mOwn once week; if the weather is very
dry, once in ten days may suffice. Even if the
surroundings are not in the best condition, a
well-kept. smoothly-shaven, thick green lawn
viii make place look neat and attractive.
STRAWBERRY CULTURE.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
Now we have at last arrived at what you mean
by keeping off strawberry runners. Instead
OF keeping these runners Off as one would sup
pose your advice TO indicate, it is something
else entirely different that is alluded TO. / will
not admit that the rules laid down in the fol-
lowing paragraph does keep runners off a
plantation, but that il merely limits the width
OF the row, being no more, no less than the
same old-fashioned very practical, entirely
profitable manner of strawberry culture: Cir
cular cutters are fixed on the cultiyator, which
cut the runners as the rows are cultivated"
That is all right; only allow me to say that
this does not mean keeping the runners off,
and is not the subject of my discussion at all.
What | alluded to- objected to- and CONDEMNED
for field culture and called foolish waste of
time and money, was the actual system of going
10 each and every plant, be it one acre or
twenty, and removing each and every runner
as fast as it appears, which could be only done
with the fingers; and if one had thirty or forty
Thousand plants TO treat in that way,-say once
week, which would be necessary to keep
down the runners,-the feel justifedin claim
ing II would be foolish waste of time and
money, and also utterly impracticable. To
sum up in q few words your position is the
same as mine. We both advocate the same prin-
cIpe and grow our berries after the manner of
all good eultiyators, only there is this slight
difference: you grow in a narrower matted row
than i Go, and that is much different from hill
culture; for your machine viii not cut the
runners between plants, only al sides, unless
you run il each way; and even then you don't
remove all the runners, but merely cut them
back TO where you draw the cutter through. l
have not the space TO present my views on
propagation of plants, but viii only say that
buyers viii not pay the price we should be
obliged TO charge for potted plants, and to
propagate 100000 to 100000 new plants every
year, as many Of US do for SALE we should be
obliged to carry too much idle capital invested
in pots and the extra expense of propogating
plants in them, 10 make it profitable In
word, we have TO grow plants so we can sell
them at low rates, as competition is very active.
Mr. Editor, allow me 10 thank you for treating
me so gentlemanly and kindly, and / assure
you that ! respect your courtesy in full.
CHAs. S. RowLEY.