120 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[August, 



with, but the plant at once endeavors to re- 

 pair the ravage committed. After the lapse 

 of a few days after lopping, say five or seven 

 in a favorable season, suckers or shoots begin 

 to appear at the junction of the leaves with 

 the parent stem. These are simply rudi- 

 mentary seed spikes into which the life of the 

 plant would be sent, unless removed, instead 

 of into the leaves. It becomes all important, 

 therefore, that they should be pulled otf at an 

 early stage of their growth. They gi-QW 

 rapidly and must be watched. They first 

 appear at the upper leaves. When tliree or 

 four inches long they must be pinched off. 

 As in topping, this must be done with the 

 thumb and fingers, and for precisely the same 

 reasons, namely, to pirevent the too free 

 exudation of the sap. . The injured part would 

 bleed much more freely if removed with a 

 knife. They should never be permitted to 

 grow over four inches long ; the longer they 

 are allowed to get the more they abswrb of 

 the true life of the plant; they literally 

 "suck" the juices necessary to perfect the 

 leaves, hence their name, suckers. Neglect 

 at this juncture will certainly result in an in- 

 ferior article of tobacco, one deficient in those 

 inherent qualities that give it its gi-eatest 

 value. The removal of the upper suckers in- 

 duces the plant to throw out additional ones 

 at the lower leaves also, and this process is 

 continued until the attempt has been made at 

 all of them. But meanwhile the process of 

 reproduction has been quietly going on at the 

 top of the plant, and in favorable seasons 

 will continue until the tobacco is ripe. These 

 suckers grow rapidly— four or five inches in a 

 single week in seasonable weather. If any 

 one cares to know what the result would be 

 if they were permitted to remain, let him try 

 it. The plant will grow into the semblance 

 of a little thicket, will continue to grow thin- 

 ner and more impoverished day by day until 

 much of its commercial value is destroyed. 

 So well was this fact understood in Virginia 

 in early days, that special laws were enacted 

 compelling the tobacco planters to exercise 

 due diligence in this matter. After being re- 

 moved three times, the suckers are no longer 

 so troublesome as at first, the fourth crop 

 being a small one. They succeed each other 

 at intervals of about a week. It is as impor- 

 tant to sucker tobacco carefully and as often 

 as the situation demands it as it is to search 

 for and remove the green horn-worm. Unless 

 removed when young and tender, they grow 

 hard and fibrous and must be cut with a knife, 

 which will result in severe bleeding to the 

 plant. In sjckering, as in worming, tobacco, 

 the utmost care must be taken not to break 

 nor bruise the leaves. If any are found 

 turned up by tlie wind or any other cause, 

 they should be put into their natural position, 

 for the sun has a bad effect upon the tender 

 under side of the leaves, often scorching or 

 blistering it. So much depends on the careful 

 and regular suckering of plants that we feel 

 we can hardly impress this fact too earnestly 

 upon the grower's attention. 



TRADE IN FLOWERS. 



New York, June 27.— Beyond the love of 



flowers, which is supposed to exist in every 



human breast, flowers are in feshion, and it is 



owing to this fact that a large number of 



florists are enabled to transact a very profit- 

 able business in this city. Said one flower 

 dealer to a reporter : 



"In one respect, at least, the business of 

 the florist i-esembles that of the undertaker. 

 When the death-rate among the people of the 

 city is heavy, business is brisk. The demand 

 for coflins and the market for flowers keep 

 pace with each other. During the summer 

 months, when there is a great mortality 

 among children, the florists are very busy 

 arranging floral tributes for the little caskets. 

 Not only wealthy people and those who are in 

 comfortable circumstsnces, but poorer classes 

 also pm-chase large quantities of flowers for 

 funerals." 



" Do you sell flpwers on credit ?" 



" Not as a rule. Ours is a cash business 

 generally, but we make exceptions to the rule 

 on some occasions." 



With reference to the size of orders he had 

 received he said : 



" I have frequently filled orders for $500 

 worth of flowers for funerals, and on one 

 occasion I had a $2,000 order for the obse- 

 quies of the daughter of a wealthy resident on 

 Fifth avenue ; but the largest single order I 

 ever filled was for the floral decorations for a 

 Hebrew wedding festival that took place in 

 1872. There was a grand banquet, Steinway 

 Hall having been engaged for the occasion. 

 Tables were set for 350 guests. Each of the 

 tables was oraamented with an immense 

 pyramid of flowers, the wails and ceiling of 

 the ball were covered with festoons, and the 

 place looked like fairyland. My bill for those 

 decorations amounted to over $2,500. The 

 wedding took place at. a time of the year 

 when I had to obtain the most of my supplies 

 from the conservatories and greenhouses, and 

 I can tell you 1 had great difficulty in getting 

 all the flowers I wanted. The owners of 

 several of the large greenhouses formed a 

 pool and cornered the market, and the result 

 was that I was compelled to pay far more 

 than the actual value for my supplies." 



" Where are the flowers grown ?" 



"I get the most of my supplies from Union 

 Hill and G.eeuville, N. J., but the floricul- 

 turists up along the Hudson furnish me with 

 a large amount of flowers." 



"Is there a large demand for bouquets ?" 



"Oh, yes, especially at this season of the 

 year, when flowers are very plenty and cheap. 

 I have numerous orders for bouquets, from 

 the button-hole bouquet up to those of the 

 largest size. Many of the dealers in flowers 

 purchase their supplies of bouquets from far- 

 mers, who have small flower gardens upon 

 their farms. I know a farmer, who lives near 

 Irviugton, who brings an average of 1,000 

 bouquets per week to the city. He has a 

 beautiful garden of flowers, and the bouquets 

 are made by his three daughters." 



"What is the most popular flower just 

 now?" 



"Well, there is a great run on the common 

 field daisy. In the spring the great demand 

 was for the dandelion. The ladies went wild 

 over this humble yellow flower. The dande- 

 lion fever raged for a month or six weeks, 

 and when it subsided the cry was for daisies. 

 You see, yellow is the fashionable color this 

 year. The daisy having a yellow, centre, 

 with a border of white as a contrast, is even 



more popular than dandelion, even when the 

 latter was in its palmiest days." 



" Is t!ie daisy cultivated ?" 



" No ; it is not necessary to cultivate it, 

 as it gi'ows wild in suflicient quantities to 

 supply the demand. For two or three weeks 

 young ladies besieged the florists for butter- 

 cups. As the buttercup is a very frail flower, 

 its bright yellow leaves dropping off almost 

 at the slightest touch, they will not last more 

 than foiu' or five hours after they are plucked. 

 I was amused when I first heard what some 

 of the young ladies wanted the buttercups 

 for." 



"How was that?" 



"One young lady told me in the strictest 

 confidence that she wanted a few buttercups, 

 so that she could ascertain whether her young 

 man really loved her or not. I then remem- 

 bered the old tradition that if a buttercup 

 blossom be held under the chin it will indi- 

 cate whether the person is in love or not, the 

 affirmative being shown by a bright yellow 

 reflection being cast from the flower to the 

 chin, and the absence of the reflection indi- 

 cating the negative. So, you see, the old 

 traditions do something to help us in our 



SUMMER DRINKS. 



In extremely warm weather, refreshing 

 beverages are very desirable, especially in the 

 field, where one is exposed to the scorching 

 heat of the sun, and the whole system is per- 

 spiring with the heat and exercise. It is very 

 imprudent to swallow great quantities of ice- ■ 

 cold drink when one is excessively warm ; a 

 few swallows taken slowly, will quench the 

 thirst f;vr better than a whole g'obletful swal- 

 lowed without stopping. The very best of all 

 drinks is new milk with ice sufficient to cool 

 it. It is not only cooling, but also nourish- 

 ing. It is a most grateful beverage, not only 

 in the field; but in the kitchen, and nursery 

 as well as sick room, where it should always 

 have a place. In fevers, it is the most de- 

 lightful cordial that ean be admmistered. A 

 very nice beverage is made by taking two 

 (JViarts of water, a tablespoonful of pulverized 

 ginger, half a tr.acupful of strong vinegar 

 and a half teacupful of molasses or maple 

 sugar. Stir well, add a lump of ice the size of 

 a quart bowl to keep it cool ; put into a tin 

 pail with a tight cover, and it is a very good 

 field drink, and will keep cool half a day. 



Another drink is made by taking a lemon 

 or two, roll or squeeze till soft, slice very thin, 

 and put into a large bowl, and turn a pint of 

 boiling water over the slices. Let it stand 

 till cool ; then allow a quart of cold water to 

 each lemon, and half a cupful of sugar ; stir 

 well and add a lump of ice to make it very 

 cold. The acid of the lemon is very grateful 

 to the ninuth and stomach on a hot day. All 

 iced drinks should be sipped slowly, as they 

 quench the thirst better, and do not give a 

 chill, as if taken in lai-ge swallows and great 

 quantities. Still another drink is prepared 

 by taking two eggs, beat thoroughly till 

 frothy, add lialf a teacupful of sugar, a tea- 

 spoonful of extract of vanilla and a quart of 

 milk ; cool well with ice. It is very delicious 

 and strengthening on a hot day. Another 

 one is made by taking a teacupful of rasp- 

 beiTy jam, stir it into three pints of water, 



