Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1890-06-25
THE FLOWER GARDEN.
rrarNNER IN rRu1r-aRowINa.

/ planters who do their work SO rapidly
/ and with such seeming carelessness as
nurserymen, vet their losses are com
paIatively small, simply because they
/ know that the proper place for roots Is
/ IN the earth, and take every precautlon
/ to make their condition when out OF
/ the earth as similar to the natural one
/ as possible. In the earth the roots are
moist and subject TO very slow varIa-
/ tions of temperature, and are also IN
| darkness. As usually handled, these
natural conditions attending the life OF
| root are all disregarded. The tree is
rudelv dug from the ground, where 1t
/ has had a temperature of 40 or 80 de
| crees for weeks, loaded on a wagon,
exposed to n drying wind, hot sun,
carted for miles without even a blanket
/ to protect IL. then driven into a barn at
| night, with the thermometer at Is de
| srees the next morning, to stay on the
wagon until weather and convenience
permit planting. 1 knew one old farm
! tr to keep a load of Cherry and Peach
| trees on his wagon IN the barn for d
| week, without any sort of protection,
through a snow storm, and then refuse
pavment because the trees nearly all
| JAILED to grow. He was 80 ignorant of
| the probable cause of the failure that
lac was going to stand a lawsuit, bnt hls
| lawyer had some knowledge of hortl-
culture and advised him to pay up,
charging him $500 for knowledge that
the farmer Of seventy years ought 10
have acquired 10y intuition, associated,
as he had been all his life, with growing
trees and plants.
Where trees are to be procured by
wagon from a local nursery, the wagon
ID. "a FURNISHED With tom hnN
side boards, making a bed two feet deep
lud filled with short, Wet straw or hay.
bu arriving at the nursery the straw
should he moved to the forward end,
leaving four or five inches on the floor
If the wagon. When eight or ten trees
are dug they should lie AS compactly
tied into "A bundle a. If designed to be
Iarked IN box. This Is done by ty-
Iug with strong twine or straw band
ju~t above the roots and midway of the
tops. The bundle may be placed up
rlsht in n back corner Of the wagon,
and the roots protected 10y packing wet
straw around them. In this way one
bundle at "a time can be added until the
load l. complete, and no tree be expos
ed over "A few minutes.
Packed IN this way, moisture, dark
ness and uniformity OF temperature are
all maintained to a degree closely re-
sembling their previous abiding place,
and can thus be carried, or stand IN u
barn, for several days with less injury
than would result from ten mills drive
exposed To wind, sun and frost.
From whatever source trees are re-
ceived, they should be unpacked at the
-arliest opportunity, the lunches sepa-
rated, and each tree set In mellow soil
tu await final placing IN the orchard.
When so disposed of, a sudden change
ia the weather need cause no anNletF,
u- the tree with its roots in contact with
fresh suIl is simply going through the
same processes that woud be gone
through with II permanently pisnted
out. and when carefully moved. u week
OF two later. these steps in growth viii
not he materially interfsred with.
The same Is true II small fruit pisnts.
! have for years made It a psactice to
aI.s all kinds as early IL the season as
possible. and trench them into the earth
at once, 10 remain until planting time;
" hen each plant, covered with a net
work Of fine TOutlets, l. IN the best pos
sih!e form for immediate growth.
Where plants are home grown, and
one can follow the best method, the
first to he dug should he GooseberrIes
and IurrautS. then Blackberries, Straw
berries and RaspberrIes. IN the order
mentioned. As early as February
18th. / have already commenced to Dig
and trench IN Blackberries. They Will
also be planted first. Raspberrles / do
Not dig until they have made Il green
growth Of two or three inches; then
they are taken up with the R2hering
earth, Vut into hushel baskets, and TAX
en AT once to the new plantation and
planted. Strawberries Will be trenched
IN little trenches about eight inches
apart and ten feet long. he plants
viii stand al the rate of fifteen or TWEEN
ty per twelve inches of trench. At
each end Of the trench / lay piece Of
fence raIl SIX inches high, and across
these, and parallel to and above each
row, a rail. These, after a day or two,
are spread farther apart, and In the
course Of n week entirely removed. The
Strawberries DO not wilt under this
treatment, and may be transplanted AT
any time when the ground Is damp,
without losing plant. l would rather
not have a Strawberry plant kept in "a
cellar even one night, vet II Is the prac-
tIce Of many growers to keep large
quantities IN tins way for weeks and fill
orders therefrom. Nothing Is more de
structive TO the health or yigOr of
Strawberry plants than storing IN the
cellar The cellar has no points IL com
mon with the natural condition of the
Strawberry plant, and keeping them
there few DAYS produces a drOpsical
condition that proves fatal when the
plant is set IN the open air and bright
sunlight. | have sometimes thought
that the growers Of new varieties were
co"nizaut of this fact, and kept their
plants IN the cellar purpOsely that the
purchasers might not have 50 many
plants the following season.
In digging Strawberry plants / first
spade up few hundred, setting the
chunks Of earth ON the ground lust
spaded. The earth Is then loosened
and the plants thrown in a loose heap
and then trimmed, the roots turned one
way, the trimmed plants being kept IN
the left hand.
II the plants are sold string Is tied
around each bunch, and the plants are
set, leaves upward, IN a market basket
until full If for home use the plants
are placed III III the same way, but not
tied. Thus packed, the basket can be
dipped up TO the crowns III trough OF
water, then set away IN the shads a few
hours, If necessary, to await trenching.
planting OF shipment.
For planting all kinds OF berries |
use a piece Of wool twine, twenty rods
long Tags alternately of red and black
yarn are sewed IN every sixteen and
one half inches, and Strawberry plants
are planted at every mark, with brick
layer : trowel RaspberTies and Black
beTTles are planted at every other mark,
and the difference IN color prevents
aoLiusIon--I icEs Monthly J0T Nag.