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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
ping varieties are that will answer for hill cultivation. 
Among us the Wilson only is grown. I have asked our 
own growers about cultivating other varieties and am 
told that others do not stand shipping like the Wilsons. 
Not one has ever tried hill cultivation. They all shake 
their heads and think hills would burn out badly. Can 
The Rural help me ? 
Ans. —1. Low-growing hoed crops would be best. Seeding 
to grass or clover, unless the crop is plowed under later, 
would retard the growth of the young trees. 2. To be on 
the safe side, our friend should first experiment in a trial 
way. It is impossible for us to give infallible advice 
without any knowledge of the soil, drainage, exposure, 
etc. We would try Bubach, Sharpless, Parker Earle and 
Pearl. If strawberry hills are well mulched, that is, the 
soil between the hills and rows is covered with suitable 
material just after the first freeze in early winter, our 
friend need not fear that the vines will freeze out. We 
prefer, however, to cultivate in rows, setting the plants a 
foot apart. 
Fruits for North Carolina. 
J. H. C., Tabernacle, N. C .—What are the best kinds of 
strawberries for home use and where can they be obtained? 
What kiud of chestnuts would suit this climate and where 
can they be bought ? 
Ans.—A ddress P. J*. Berckmans, Augusta, Ga., for cata¬ 
logue of fruits, etc. The best way to learn what fruits 
are best suited to your section is to send to T. L. Kinney, 
Savannah, Ga., for a copy of the last report of the Georgia 
Horticultural Society, in which the matter is fully dis¬ 
cussed. The same answer may be given J. B., of Thomas- 
ville, N. C., who asks; 1. What peach or peaches must I 
plant in my orchard to raise fruit for shipment and to 
make most money ? 2. What is the best grape for ship- 
ing for this section ? 
Currant Cuttings. 
N. B., Farming dale, N. J.—Can currant cuttings be 
cut soon ? If so, what is the best way to keep them until 
they are needed ? 
Ans.—Y es. Place them in moist sand until the ground 
may be worked. Then set them in the soil at once and 
slightly cover them with long manure, until they are 
ready to sprout. 
“ Unchurnable” Cream. 
A. O. B., Varina Qrove, Va. —I have a cow whose cream 
cannot be churned when she is within three or four months 
of calving. I always test the cream with the thermometer. 
What is the cause of this trouble and is there any remedy ? 
Ans.—T his trouble is sometimes met with in some cows 
whose cream is churned alone. Had the temperature at 
the churning been given, some aid would have been given 
in elucidating this mystery, which may after all be due to 
too high or too low a temperature. The temperature at 
which the milk is set and the age of the cream are also im¬ 
portant points. When but one cow is kept at this season 
and the cream is kept a full week, and perhaps at a low 
temperature part of the time, this would be sufficient 
reason for the trouble. If the milk is kept at 62 degrees, 
and the cream at the same, and it is only slightly sour, the 
condition of the cow may be the cause, and then again the 
feeding may affect the cream, as does also the age of the 
cow and the length of time since the last calving. 
Treatment of Azaleas and Lilies. 
F. N. S., Kingston, Mass .—1. How should azaleas be 
raised in a sitting-room ? How should they be trimmed, 
and should the shoots that come up round the roots be al¬ 
lowed to grow ? Will such shoots make new plants ? 
What are the three best varieties ? 2. How should I 
handle in summer lilies I want to bloom in winter ? 
Ans.— 1. Leaf-mold is the best soil for them. Treat 
as you would a geranium. Cuttings of the half-ripe 
wood strike readily. Halliday’s Azalea Culture gives 
complete directions and will be mailed from this office 
for 75 cents, half the regular price. 2. Turn the pots 
on their sides in a dry place. From the last of August to 
the last of October, the date depending on the time when 
you wish blooms, right them up, water, and then put in 
the greenhouse, where they will have top and bottom heat. 
Amarylis should be started earlier than callas. 
Failure In Beans. 
J. J. W., Jamestown, Ii. I.— Last year I planted 1,000 
poles of Lima beans, half with seed bought as “Extra 
Early Jersey,” and half with “King of the Garden.” 
When they broke ground and the bean bursted the ants 
entered and ate the first leaf or leading runner; the stubs 
put out side runners which were vigorous and completely 
covered the poles seven feet high. In our hurry of haying 
and picking peas the weeds got a good start, but were all 
pulled after haying. The result was that while the poles 
were completely covered with thrifty vines, I did not get 
one-quarter of a crop of beans. The vines were tied four 
tops together, and there were many groups in which the 
pods didn’t fill. Was the failure due to the growth of the 
vines from laterals instead of the leaders which the ants 
had eaten and the choking by the weeds in haying time ? 
Ans.—The R. N.-Y. regrets that it is unable to shed 
much light upon this subject. It may be doubted whether 
the ants were the culprits in cutting off the main shoot. 
Whatever did destroy it, no doubt the vines were, for this 
reason, somewhat later in bearing. We are inclined to at¬ 
tribute the failure to poor seed. Of course we want to 
hear from others. 
Benjamin Franklin : The Term “ Yankee.” 
H. H. F., King's Ferry, N. Y — 1. Wa 3 Ben Franklin 
ever married and to whom ? Did he have children ? Are 
any of his descendants living ? 2. Why are we called 
Yankees and whence comes the name ? 
Ans.— 1. Yes. On September 1, 1730, he married Miss 
Reed, of Philadelphia, with whose parents he had boarded 
and lodged immediately after his arrival in the Quaker 
City at the age of 17, friendless and with only $1 in his 
pockets. He had been engaged to her before his visit to 
England in 1726, but, having failed to write more than 
once to her, she married another during his absence. 
Soon, however, her husband absconded under suspicion 
of bigamy and a certainty of dishonesty ; but in spite of 
the fact that the charge of bigamy against his “ prede¬ 
cessor” was never proved, Franklin, who attributed her 
misfortunes to his own neglect, compensated for his 
offence by marrying her. She died about 1774, when 
Franklin, at the age of 74 or thereabouts, was honored by 
all men. He had a son who sided with the English during 
the Revolution, and a daughter who married Mr. 
Richard Bache, a merchant of Philadelphia, who died in 
1811. Several descendants of this daughter are still living. 
The last of Franklin’s race who bore his name was 
William Temple Franklin, his grandson, who died in 
Paris, May 25, 1823. 2. The word Yankee is commonly 
considered to be a corrupt pronunciation of the word 
English, or the French equivalent Anglais by the native 
American Indians. According to Thierry, however, it is a 
corruption of Jankin a diminutive of John, a nickname 
given to the English colonists in Connecticut by the 
Dutch settlers of New York. Others say it was a favorite 
cant word in Cambridge, Mass., as early as 1713, and that 
it meant “excellent,” as a yankee horse, yankee cider, 
etc., and it is supposed to have been taken up by the 
University students and carried to different parts of the 
countx-y, and applied to New Englanders, generally as a 
term of mild reproach. 
Who Has Tried Nitrate of Soda In the West? 
A. B. M., Marshall County, Iowa.-^ Has any reader of 
The Rural had any experience with nitrate of soda in the 
West ? If so, what have been the results and on what 
crops was it tried—field or garden ? I trust some one will 
give his experience on this matter through The Rural. 
MISCELLANEOUS. 
E. D. B., Trcmont, Mich. —1. How can berry bushes be 
crossed ? 2. How wheat ? If the varieties to be crossed 
are equal in quality, is any improvement in that line made 
by crossing ? 3. I have some thornless blackberries 10 days 
earlier than any others I have ever seen, and I want to im¬ 
prove them by crossing. Can it be done ? 
Ans.— 1. We would refer our friend to The R. N.-Y. of 
August 30 and September 6. That gives the information 
desired so fully, and it is of so recent a date that we may 
not repeat it. The bud must be opened and the anthers 
removed. Then in a day or so apply pollen from the other 
plant from which the cross is to be made. The flower, 
meanwhile, should be covered with tissue paper. 2. Wheat 
is crossed in the same way, though It is a rather more 
delicate operation. The coverings (glumes and palets) of 
each flower are opened and the three anthers removed 
while yet they are green. In a day or so foreign pollen is 
to be applied. 3. Sometimes yes and sometimes no. 
F. H. W., Aquebogue, Long Island.— Are the White 
Swedish Oats a desirable and valuable variety? 
Ans.—Y es, they are about the same as the Welcome or 
White Australian. 
L. P. T., Castile, N. F.—Can saltpeter be used as a fer¬ 
tilizer for pot plants? What should be the strength of the 
solution, and bow should it be applied? 
Ans.—Y es. Very fine bone flour might well be added or, 
perhaps, dissolved bone black would be better, as its effects 
would be at once felt. Use it cautiously. An overdose 
would kill the plants. Such strong foods to weakly plants 
would do more harm than good. A thimbleful of each 
stirred in two gallons of water would suffice. 
Subscriber, Steuben Co., N. Y— The best plan is to refer 
the dispute about the fence to the fence viewers. B.’s mere 
word is not sufficient to sustain his allegations. 
W. B. G., Ogdensburg, N. Y.—l. Would corn and oats 
that have been damaged by fire and water make a good 
fertilizer, and how should they be applied? 2. Is the sugar 
beet a sure crop as far north as this. 
Ans.— 1. Yes. Mix them with a manure or make a com¬ 
post of them or spread them broadcast and plow them un¬ 
der. 2. Yes. 
F. W. W., Leominster, Mass.— What is a choice list of 
hardy flowers for a strip of about one rod wide by four 
rods long? I want the finest display during the whole 
season. 
Ans.—W e can not better answer our friend than by ad¬ 
vising him to send for the beautiful work of The B. A. 
Elliot Co. That is, in the main, devoted to the best of our 
hardy flowers. It is sold for 50 cents and will be mailed from 
this office postpaid. 
A. J. W., Chautauqua County, N.Y.— A deeds his place 
toB and takes a life lease for his support; is his wife’s sig¬ 
nature necessary to render it legal ? 
Ans.—S o far as A and B are concerned, no, if they agree 
to pass the deed without it. The wife, however, will still 
retain her dower right in the property should she survive 
her husband ? Under no circumstances can the husband 
deprive his sane wife of her dower right in real estate with¬ 
out her consent, expressed in writing, usually by signing 
the deed transferring the property. 
J. H. McC., Wrightsville, Pa— 1. How shall I render 
best and most quickly available the locked-up richness of 
a newly-cleared piece of virgin forest land, for early cab¬ 
bages and potatoes ? Would jime doit ? If so, should it be 
plowed under or only harrowed in after plowing ? Could 
it be strewn thickly in drills at planting time without in¬ 
i65 
jury to the tubers or plants, and if so, would this not be a 
good plan to secure an early start for both ? 2. Is the 
“Model” seed drill (hand) a good one for a trucker ? 3. In 
plauting potatoes in hills so as to work both ways what is 
the best device to mark off the cross rows for dropping 
seed—a line or some sort of marker? 
Ans. —1. We can not give any positive information on 
this subject. Trials alone will answer the question. We 
should prefer plaster (sulphate of lime) to lime. It would, 
have a quicker effect in rendering potash and nitrogen 
soluble. We would prefer to harrow it in though a moder¬ 
ate quantity in the drills would not harm the seeds or 
plants. 2. We have not used this drill, but hear it well 
spoken of. 3. A two runner sled is as good as any home-made 
marker. 
O. P., Orass Lake, Mich. —1. Where can I get the gen¬ 
uine Lucretia Dewberry ? 2. Is Green’s a reliable nur¬ 
sery ? 
Ans. —1. From the Storrs& Harrison Co., Painesville, O. 
2. Yes, quite so. 
J. T., Northold, Pa .—In a late “Brevity” we are told 
to “ breed off the thorns.” How can this be done ? 
Ans.—B y planting the seeds of varieties that have the 
fewest briers or thorns. We have thornless rose bushes, 
thornless blackberries and raspberries, thornless goose¬ 
berries. 
A. C. B., Rockville, Ind.— Will The Rural or some of 
its many readers tell us how to get rid of the “ wild 
onions ” in our fields and meadows ? A neighbor is losing 
much from this pest. 
Ans.—W e doubt if there is any way except digging out 
the plants or plowing and careful cultivation of some 
hoed crops. 
S. R. S., Washingtonvllle, N.Y .—What is the cause and 
what a remedy for scab on potatoes ? 
Ans. —It is The R. N.-Y.’s opinion that one kind of so- 
called scab is caused by wire worms. It is the opinion of 
scientists who have investigated the question that the real 
scab is caused by a fungus. Send for a bulletin on the 
subject issued by the Connecticut Experiment Station, 
New Haven, Conn. 
J. T. M., Fredonia, N. Y .—What is the best fertilizer to 
be applied now broadcast for wheat on limestone land 
with a clay subsoil ? 
Ans. —Unleached wood ashes and bone flour now—ni¬ 
trate of soda in the spring. 
D. C. A., Cattaraugus, N. Y .—Who is a good dealer in 
wool ? What kind of cloth is used for covering hot-beds 
instead of glass ? Will sheeting painted black and oiled 
with linseed oil be good ? 
Ans.— Try Wm. MacNaughton’s Sons, New York. Read 
the article under Discussion in this issue. 
O. P., Beverly, N. J.— I amusing B. & W. white corn for 
ensilage; is the “ Rural T. Flint” superior ? 
Ans. —Yes, we think it is in every way for your part of 
the country. Try it. 
T. M. R., Fairvicw, Pa .—Inclosed is a circular of a 
potato which the parties wish me to introduce and sell in 
this neighborhood. Is it what is claimed for it ? Will I 
be doing the people of my section a favor by introducing 
it generally ? How can seedling potatoes be raised ? 
Ans.— Having tried the potato alluded to, we may say 
that it is certainly a promising variety. We may tell our 
friends how to raise seedling potato plants in a very few 
words: Treat the seeds precisely as if they wera tomato 
seeds. 
H. P., Morenci, Mich .—What kind of potatoes are the 
Bermuda, and why do they bring such high prices in the 
market, and can they be raised in northern Ohio ? 
Ans. —The old Red Chili is the variety usually grown 
in Bermuda, though other varieties are sometimes planted. 
They bring such high prices because they are dug and mar¬ 
keted in mid-winter, when people who delight in vegetables 
and fruits out of season are willing to pay fancy prices for 
them. They come into market about the same time as 
green peas, string beans, tomatoes, etc., from Florida, and 
are called Bermudas because they are grown in Bermuda. 
Yes, they can be grown in Ohio or anywhere else, but they 
will not be ready to dig before fall. When the climate of 
Ohio equals thatof Bermuda then the undertaking might 
succeed. Nearly all the seed for Bermuda potatoes is im¬ 
ported into the islands every year from New England and 
the Canadian Maritime Provinces. 
I. II. C., Bradford, Mass .—I have about four or five 
acres of elevated land which might be called good garden 
land, with a clay-loam subsoil, which I would like to de¬ 
vote to fruit growing; how could I do so to the best ad¬ 
vantage? I am situated one hour’s ride from Boston and 
15 minutes’ ride to Haverhill or Lawrence by steam. 
Would the Keiffer Pear sell well? Would grapes be profit¬ 
able? My mind runs to plums, pears and strawberries; but 
my means are limited. 
Ans.—N o, the Keiffer would not be profitable grown in 
your climate. A judicious selection of grapes known to 
succeed in your locality and skillfully cared for, would be 
profitable. The same may be said of pears, plums and straw¬ 
berries. Fruits of any kind, to be profitable in these days, 
must have constant and intelligent care. 
F. M. W., Union Hill, N. Y. —1. How many pounds of 
buckwheat are required to make a legal bushel in this 
State ? 2. Is our State doing anything in the line of mak¬ 
ing “ Tabulated Analyses of Commercial .Fertilizers” 
offered for sale within her limits ? 
Ans.— 1. Forty-eight pounds. 2. Yes. Dr. Peter Collier, 
Geneva, N. Y., will send full information regarding the 
fertilizer law and the work already done. 
