PHarbTTKjfxaTl 
VOL. L. NO. 2 15o 
NEW YORK, APRIL u, i89i 
PRICE, FIVE CENTS 
$2.00 PER YEAR 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS. 
In the left corner of the engraving, Fig. 96, which 
shows a part of the Rural Grounds, as a direct reproduc¬ 
tion of a photograph makes it appear, the rustic arbor is 
made of Red Cedar or Savin (Junip< rus Yirginiana). The 
posts are inverted so that the larger portion, cut wedge 
shape, is the top. Tlrere is no economy in this, of course ; 
but the arbcr presents a more finished, better balanced, 
more massive appearance. Rustic arbors or fences are 
less effective as they are made of light material. The bark 
Is not removed and the stubs of all the smaller branches 
(two or three inches long) are left. In front of the arbor 
are dahlias and gladioli—the latter from the collection of 
new varieties sent to Tiie R. N. Y. by Luther Burbank, of 
California. Their names are Mono, Cisco, Shasta, Cali¬ 
fornia and Santa Rosa, a very desirable collection. 
Mono. —Two flowering stems, the taller growing to the 
height of five feet, bore, together with a secondary spike, 
29 flowers. The 
other and 
smaller shoot 
bore 13 flowers. 
The flowers 
were large 
with broad 
petals, which 
were curved 
but not flar¬ 
ing. In color 
the flowers 
were a delicate 
flesh tint, the 
lower petals 
being spotted 
with purple. 
About the 
edges the pet¬ 
als (both up¬ 
per and lower) 
were faintly 
spotted and 
streaked with 
deep pink. 
Cisco.—Two 
stems about 
the same 
height—4 feet 
—bearing to¬ 
gether 45 large, 
pink flowers, 
slightly strip¬ 
ed with pur¬ 
ple. 
Sn A STA.— 
Two shoots; 
both the same 
height—four 
.feet. One stem, 
together with a side spike, be re 28 flowers ; the other 18. 
They were medium in size. The three upper petals were 
shaded from delicate light purple on the edges to white 
toward the centers, with small occasional dashes of deep 
purple; while the three lower petals were distinctly 
striped and dotted with deep purple. The petals lie loosely 
together and are irregularly curled, some very little, 
others decidedly. 
California— Two shootp, the height of the taller being 
about three feet; flowirs deep pink shading to white, and 
numbering in all, on both shoots, about 40. They grow in 
a crowded spike on all sides of the stem without any regu¬ 
larity of arrangement. 
Santa Rosa. —Two shoots; height of the taller one 
about 2% feet. It did not bloom until late, when most of 
the others of these gladioli were past. The flowers were 
brick-red, shading lighte r toward the centers with three 
lower petals dusted with purple. The center itself was of 
a deep reddish purple color. 
A single plant of Clematis coccinea, with its charming 
bright red, urn-shaped flowers, and a variegated Passion 
Vine called John Spalding, are relied upon to cover the 
arbor with foliage. 
Next in the little scene we have an evergreen tree, Abies 
(Picca) polita, often called the Tiger-tail Spruce. It is 
about 14 years old and 12 feet high. Its growth has been 
retarded by removal three years ago from one part of the 
grounds, where it was being crowded, to its present pos - 
tion. While it seems to be of the first value as an orna¬ 
mental tree, it is one exceptionally well adapted for 
hedges. It is of slower growth than many other spruces, 
but its leaves are sharp—as sharp, indeed, as needles and 
nearly as unyielding. It has in the trying climate of the 
Rural Grounds been the hardiest of conifers. It is worthy of 
remark that 1 he leaves during winter retain a green color 
brighter than that of the Norway, while the bark of the 
young shoots turns to a lively buff-brown. 
Just beyond the Polita will be seen a bank of grass. It 
is the well known and often troublesome Ribbon or Can¬ 
ary Grass (Phalaris aiundinacea), with its beautifully 
striped leaves, no two of which are striped exactly alike. 
A few roots wf re planted in the semicircular rockery (four 
feet high) years ago. Gradually the Ribbon Grass has 
taken entire possession to the exclusion of many hardy 
plants grown in it previously. The power of this grass to 
grow luxuriantly in the driest of soils is marvelous. 
A ONE THOUSAND DOLLAR ACRE OF CELERY. 
On page 243, ve printed a “ farm statement” from Mr. 
A. Donald of Horseheads, N. Y., in which he said that he had 
sold $979 39 worth of celery from one acre. Several of our 
read ers want to know how this was done and Mr. Donald 
furnisles the following account of his season’s work with 
celery. 
“ I feel somewhat like John F. White, of Mount Morris— 
I don’t want to tell how I do things for fear others may 
try to do the same and fail to get what they expected to, 
and then call me a ‘ crank.’ I state the facts as they are, 
however, with regard to my mode of starting, growing 
and marketing celery. 
“First I plant my first seed about February 1 in the hot¬ 
house. At that time I also set lettuce and sow celery seed 
between the rows and by the time the lettuce is ready for 
market, tte celery is ready to be pricked out. This I do in 
the same house. About this time my second house is set 
to lettuce and I sow more celery and treat this in the same 
way. Then, say by March 15th to 25tb, I will have more 
celery plants than will All the first greenhouse; but I 
have a hot-bed or cold-frame ready and set it full of 
celery and as soon as the weather will permit, set it out in 
the open air in beds. I may have to set some two or three 
times as soon as the ground is fit. In beginning to set it 
out for the crop I am careful not to work the ground when 
too wet. My ground is clay. I try to set some out by May 
1, and continue to set it"until'all^is^out, which will' be 
about Jure 1. As soon as I set the first out in the field, I 
work it for all there is in it, keeping the cultivator stir¬ 
ring tie ground so as to keep it mellow and moist. I set 
none but good, strong plants. 
“For my land and market I find the Golden Self-blanch¬ 
ing the best. I sold my first lot last season on June 23. I 
use tools of my own make. My cultivator is made in the 
same way as a drag, five eighth-inch round steel being used 
for teeth. These project six inches and are set so as to cut 
2 to 2)4 inches; this leaves the ground fine and not cut deep 
enough to injure the roots. The next tool I use is a crusher. 
A frame of 2 x 4-inch scantling two feet long is made with a 
bar at the front to which to hitch the horse. I nail to¬ 
gether two two foot boards, the front one lapping on the 
other about one inch, and turn this upside down. Now I 
have a clod-crusher. I hitch the horse to this and stand 
on it and go ahead. This is to work between the rows to 
pulverize the soil and destroy weeds, and does the work 
every time. It 
is well to nail 
a strap on the 
back end, by 
which it can 
be lifted at the 
end to help in 
turning it. As 
soon as the 
plants are 
large enough I 
bank them, 
first using the 
Planet Jr. cul- 
tivator to 
shove the 
earth up to 
them. After 
that I use a 
s mall plow 
and what we 
call here scrap¬ 
ers. I wash the 
plants ip the 
creek with a 
sponge; this 
does not cut 
the grain and 
leaves them 
nice and clean. 
“I sell in the 
Elmira mar¬ 
ket, and have 
no trouble to 
hold my trade 
until all is 
sold; or if I 
don’t wish to 
drive to the 
c i t y—a bout 
seven miles from this place—I sell to the Horseheads 
Celery Company. I do not store any for winter; but 
manage to get rid of it all in the fall. For fertilizers I use 
some stable manure, sometimes before plowing, some 
times after. I fit my ground well; mark out the rows 
three feet apart, and then use hen manure and wood 
ashes. I may use some nitrate of soda this spring. After 
I have applied the manure and ashes I run the cultivator 
through again once or twice, to mix the manure In the 
soil. Then I mark out again and set my plants, and then 
work as above stated to ‘get there.’ I can sell my crop 
in Elmira for 40 cents per dozen roots; and to the celery 
company for 20 cents per dozen.” A. donald. 
Chemung Co., N. Y. 
The Anjou Pear —I cannot conceive a gift to a son in¬ 
clined to horticulture more valuable, from a money point 
of view, than an orchard of this fruit, which Mr. Wilder 
never tired of praising. It is really a wonder. The tree is 
a model in form and growth, very hardy, not subject to 
blight, tough-wooded and very prolific—a handsome tree 
and a handsome fruit. The latter should be picked about 
the middle of October and laid away In a cool cellar or fruit 
room. Part of the crop may bs ripened for the Thanks¬ 
giving market, and the rest kept for Christmas. In quality 
I place only one pear ahead of it, the Sheldon. All in all, 
it stands at the head of the pear lists. E. P. p. 
Oneida Co., N.:Y. 
A VIEW IN THE RURAL GROUNDS. From a Photograph. Fig. 96. 
