454 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
July 1 
A HORTICULTURAL HORSE TROT. 
The Queens County Horticultural Soci¬ 
ety’s annual meeting at Mineola on June 
14 and 15 was hardly a “rousing success” 
as to numbers attending. The threat¬ 
ening weather in the morning undoubt¬ 
edly kept some away the first day, and 
the attendance was fairly good on the 
second. The lesson taught was that 
there were a great many people who cul¬ 
tivate flowers for the love of them, and 
are willing to pat in a hard day’s work 
io make a display in every way credita¬ 
ble to their good taste. The exhibit of 
roses by the amateurs was highly at¬ 
tractive. and it is a matter of surprise 
that there are people who are by no means 
millionaires, who are so fond of flowers 
that they are willing to give so much 
time and labor to their cultivation. The 
thousands of blooms shown in roses alone 
proved that there must be a great many 
produced. The same was the comment 
in regard to cut flowers of which 100 or 
more varieties were shown by a single 
exhibitor. Griffin's Tuberous begonias 
showed a continuous improvement in 
many respects, such as size, color, double¬ 
ness, etc. His strains of Delphiniums were 
simply grand ; spikes of the various 
shades of blue and purple two feet long 
were in abundance. 
The display of vegetables was good, 
considering the backward season and 
dry weather. A very fine exhibit of let¬ 
tuce was very noticeable on account of 
the variety and perfection of its growth. 
The display of strawberries was not 
large, it being too early for the main crop 
of Long Island berries. Messrs. E. & J. 
Williams of Montclair, N. J., had an 
exhibit of about 20 varieties that showed 
they are well up in the new varieties and 
know how to grow them. 
Of the berries shown, Gillespie of re¬ 
cent introduction, of the Haverland type 
but larger, has stood the two days’ ex¬ 
posure well, though the weather was hot, 
close and damp. It is said to be a large 
yielder, and must be a desirable acquisi¬ 
tion. Pearl, of somewhat the same type 
but larger, is of good quality and stood 
well to the end. Crawford would once 
have been considered a large berry, is of 
good size, slightly flat at the end, a fine, 
glossy red, very attractive and tooth¬ 
some. It is a good bearer, but needs 
mulching, as the stems are short. It has 
kept the best of all shown of equal ripe¬ 
ness. Parker Earle is a desirable berry, 
a great bearer, of good quality ; size 
above medium at the first ripening, taper¬ 
ing off later. Gen. Putnam might be a 
seedling of Cumberland, which it much 
resembles in color and quality, and, like 
all the light-colored berries, will stand 
only for a near market or home use. 
Saunders, of the Sharpless type, al¬ 
though more regular, is a heavy cropper, 
but it needs a mulch to keep its fruit 
clean ; quality good, and it has kept well. 
Bubach, of the Sharpless type, large, is 
irregular where well grown, one of the 
heaviest bearers on our light soils of 
Long Island ; quality fair to good. It is 
in great favor with market growers. 
Leader is another of the same type, 
though larger and darker in color, too 
dark to be very attractive. It seemed 
hard to separate from the calyx or hull, 
and would pull to pieces in separating. 
A valuable berry and large cropper. 
Thompson’s No. 7 seems identical with 
Wai field, and I have no use for either. 
Other berries shown were Gov. Hoard, 
Shuster’s Gem, Princess—a fairly good 
flavored berry, but, oh, how wrinkly! 
Gandy and others may have friends, but 
why they are grown when there are so 
many others better, is past finding out. 
Why do we not have a board of selec¬ 
tion who may advise what to grow that 
the numberless poor sour things may 
be consigned to the waste pile, and only 
the good grown ? I suppose that so long 
as the ne w are in demand and people are 
willing to listen to some enthusiast’s 
praises of his own bantling we shall 
have inferior fruit in the lists. 
A man, no matter how worthless his 
production may be, proclaims that he 
has the greatest berry on earth, never 
having seen the dozens that are better. 
Let us put down these “ low down ” 
berries for the “ way up ” ones. 
The greatest lesson taught at the fair 
was that 95 per cent of the people go to 
see the horse trots and not these beauti¬ 
ful flowers and fruits, for at no time were 
there a hundred people in the hall, while 
the grand stand was filled with those 
who had to pay 25 cents extra to see ti e 
horticultural display of the trotting 
horse. Now, are the directors right or 
wrong in catering to the taste of the 
many ? Or are they still to give dollars 
to the horses, and climes to the fruits and 
flowers ? 
Were it possible to get at the statistics 
of Queens County, it would undoubtedly 
be found that the sales of farm and 
greenhouse products would outweigh 
the sales of horses raised in Queens 
County 75 or more to one, yet the horse 
is encouraged by the society 75 to 1 in 
its premiums. queens. 
BOOKS IN THE FARM HOME. 
Foremost among the needs of the Amer¬ 
ican farmer of to-day are knowledge, 
intelligence and mental strength. The 
farmer’s opportunities are limited in cer 
tain directions, but there are many who 
have opportunities which they do not 
use. There is the opportunity to study 
Nature, and yet how many children are 
growing up on the fa. m in ignorance of 
most of the facts of natural history. An 
ant is an ant, a spider is a spider, and a 
fly is a fly, but of the ways and structures 
and classifications of the animal life about 
them they are densely ignorant. Then, 
on the farm there are quiet and freedom 
from the nervous haste and rush of the 
city, opportunities for quiet reading and 
thinking which many in the city long for 
but cannot enjoy. Books not only make 
a firm home attractive, but they impart 
knowledge, and yield to the reader men¬ 
tal strength and intelligence. Books are 
not luxuries alone—though they are that 
—for they are necessary to the best devel¬ 
opment of the men, women and children 
in our farm homes. The man of the city, 
who lives in a rush and reads only the 
daily papers and perhaps a magazine or 
two cannot be, either in intelligence or 
mental strength, the peer of the man of 
the farm who reads the world's best 
books and finds time in his quiet life for 
thought and reflection. Grave perils 
confront us both as a nation and as tillers 
of the soil, and books exert a powerful 
influence in the formation of the strong 
character which the modern farmer 
needs. B ut before a person knows books, 
he needs to know something about them, 
how to select them, and this is not an 
easy matter in many cases. But the 
best, the classics in literature, are not so 
many but that one can learn about them 
in a reasonable time I believe that a 
farmer's home should have the best; it 
does not pay to buy any others. 
To begin with, it is well to have a col¬ 
lection of the best poetry and snort 
selections of prose. If there are children 
in the home they will want pieces to 
speak, and it is a bad plan to compel 
them to hunt till they become tired and 
disgusted for something to lear i. One 
of the best collections of this kind is 
called Open Sesame. It contains nearly 
a thousand selections of prose and poetry 
in three volumes, classified and graded 
so that all ages and tastes may be suited. 
The first volume would be the best for 
the younger people. The three books 
are a veritable treasure-house of selec¬ 
tions from the best literature. If poetical 
selections are wanted without prose, 
Eliot’s “ Poetry for Children,” is one of 
the best collections of its kind. II C. 
Lodge’s “ Ballads and Lyrics” contains 
some of the best of the world’s shorter 
poems, while Scudder’s “American 
Poetry ” gives in one volume the choicest 
longer poems of American authors. 
There are some authors whose complete 
poetical works ought to be in every farm 
home. It is a great thing in buying 
books to get those which will never grow 
old. Buy a volume of Longfellow, of 
Whittier and of Tennyson, and they will 
last. You will enjoy them more in 10 
or in 20 years than now. And when you 
buy books, get good serviceable editions. 
Small type and narrow margins and thin 
paper lessen the enjoyment you take in 
a book. On the other hand, do not get 
books bound so richly that you dare not 
touch them for fear of soiling them. In 
a farm home, books should not be bought 
and laid away on the center table in the 
parlor to be seen only when company 
comes. Have a book case or a book shelf 
where the books can be got out without 
trouble. Book': should be carefully pro¬ 
tected frcm the flics, but it is too bad to 
cover up the covers of beautifully bound 
books with manilla paper. 
For a farm home, the best edition of 
the three poets I have mentioned is the 
Household Edition. The type, paper, 
binding and illustrations are just suited 
to lead one to delight in reading them 
Tennyson may be difficult to many, es¬ 
pecially to young persons, and such would 
do well to obtain the Young People’s 
Tennyson. The editor, Wm J. Rolfe, 
has selected some of the best poems for 
the young and added copious notes. The 
same editor has prepared three other 
volumes of selections from Tennyson 
which belong to the Student’s Series of 
Standard Poetry. In the same series are 
Sir Walter Scott’s three great poems, The 
Lady of the Lake, The Lay of the Last 
Minstrel, and Marmion. Each of the 
three volumes is beautifully illustrated 
and contains copious notes. A lower 
priced edition will be found in Classics 
for Children. A poem like The Lady of 
the Lake is worth a ton of the miserable 
trash which is sold in many country 
towns Interesting as a story, it gives 
a picture of Scottish scenery and of the 
manners and customs of that time. 
I have spoken of the need of giving 
children instruction in natural history. 
I know of nothing better for this pur¬ 
pose than the series of books called Sea¬ 
side and Wayside. My children have 
learned so much from them and I have 
learned so much myself that I feel like 
commending them to farmers as among 
the best books for children and young 
people on the farms. 
Every farmer should have some good 
general history, and I can recommend 
Myers and Allen’s Ancient History and 
Myers’s Medieval and Modern History as 
a most excellent work to have for read¬ 
ing and reference. For study, Sheldon’s 
General History is one of the best, and 
it is also valuable for reference. Boys 
usually like exciting stories, and it is far 
better to obtain them from real history 
and biography than any other source. 
“The Story of the Filibusters” is a story 
of adventures wild enough for any boy, 
yet calculated rather to lead him to love 
his home and appreciate its advantages, 
than to lead him to be restless and un¬ 
easy. The last part of the book is occu¬ 
pied with “The Life and Adventures of 
Davy Crockett ” This gives a vivid pic¬ 
ture of pioneer life with its hardships, 
struggles and successes. The 6tory is told 
by Crockett himself till near the ending 
of his life ; n the fatal Alamo. I have 
ment oned a very few of the books suit¬ 
able for the farm home. Buy and read 
the best, and shun trash as you would 
shun poison. J. w. newton. 
COUNTRY ROADS. 
That there is great need of improve¬ 
ment of the public highways of our coun¬ 
try, no one who has traveled them to any 
extent can deny. Just how to do the 
work most economically, successfully 
and durably is what the farmers want to 
know. They need instruction. In a little 
booklet with the above title, such an ex¬ 
pert authority as Prof. Roberts tells in 
plain language just how to construct 
cheap and durable highways, giving the 
few principles involved. Directions are 
given for making several different kinds 
of roads suited to different soils, loca¬ 
tions and materials. J. M. Olin gives a 
valuable Talk on Highway Laws and 
Their Applic ticn. a subject necessary to 
be understood if extensive highway im¬ 
provements are to be undertaken. The 
subject of Road Mak ; ng and Mainte¬ 
nance is discussed by James Bradford 
Olcott; not only must roads be well made, 
but they must be well cared for. Here 
we have the whole subject in a brief, 
practical form that must commend it to 
those who need help in this direction. 
Paper, 20 cents, The Rural Publishing 
Company. 
PimUattt0u;0 
In writing to advertisers please always mention 
Th« Bubal. 
WEED OUT 
THE POOR COWS 
THE BABCOCK TESTER, 
with our mechanical improvements. Is worth Its 
weight IN’ GOLD to every cow-keeper. 
It tells which cows 
to keep and which 
to send to the 
batcher. Made In 
three styles and ten 
sizes. Is operated 
by hand power, by 
animal power, by 
steam power, or the 
turbine operated 
by a steam jet. 
Send for Illustrated Circulars. 
Vermont Farm Machine Co., 
BELLOWS FALLS, VT. 
“ Crystal ” 
Butter Package. 
There is sweetness In a Glass Jar. There Is comfort 
and profit If you use these packages. Try them. 
THE CRYSTAL CREAMERY CO., 
44 Concord St.,Lansing, Mich. 
THIS 
u 
Low-Down' Milk Wagon 
IS BUILT BY THE 
Parsons “Low-Down” Wagon Co., 
EAItr.VlLLE, N. Y. 
l YES 
~ “ YOU WANT A FARM ^ 
_ IN THE WEST. 
S^Well, the new paper issued by the'j 
•''CHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND A PACIFIC R. R.3 
5^ CALLED THE WESTERN SETTLER3 
tells all about it and will be sent FREE3 
Address JOHN SEBASTIAN. Oen. Ticket aDd Passenger Agen{,3 
Mr. Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, Chicago, 111. 
\A/irr SAYS SHE CANNOT SEE HOW 
Wirt YOU DO IT FOR THE MONEY. 
C* | Q Buys a £65.00 Improved Oxford Singer 
y I L Sewing Machine; perfect working, reliable, 
finely finished, adapted to light and heavy work* 
with a complete set of the latest improved attachments 
FREE. Each machine is guaranteed for 6 years. Buy 
direct from our factory, and save dealers and agents 
profit. FREE TRIAL and FREE CATALOGUE. 
OXFORD MFG- CO., DEPT. B32 Chicago, IIL 
DYSPEPSIA. 
Dr. CHILES’ LEMON PHOSPHATE. 
Reaches various forms of dyspepsia that no other 
medicine seems to touch, assisting the weakened 
stomach, and making the process of digestion nat¬ 
ural and easy. Price, 50 cents and $1 size bottles. 
Sold by all druggists, or direct from me. Take no 
Other. Ur. J. W. CHILES, Dixon, Ill. 
WE SEND FREE 
with this beautiful Organ an Instruction 
Book and a handsome, upholstered Stool" 
The organ has 11 Btops, 6 octaves, and 1« 
made o f Solid Walnut. Warranted by us for 
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I ? j | P D | 1 f C /1// Kinds • Water ' flg «- 0n > 
UU L I I OUirLI LO mining. Ditching. Pump > 
/ I tng.Wind&SteamMach’y. Encyclopedia 25c. 
■ ■ ■■"■■The American Well Works, Aurora, III. 
11-13 S.Canal St.,CHICAGO,ILL. I 
Elm Street, DALLAS, TEXAS. 
Branch Houses* 
