458 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
July 2L 
Life of a Potato DIeeer. 
J. N. li , Nkw Havkn County, Conn. 
—I notice an inquiry from N. A. B., 
page 376, as to the length of life or use¬ 
fulness of a potato digger. I have never 
used any but the Uoover, which I have 
had several years. I should judge that 
my digger had dug 75 acres of potatoes, 
and on all kinds of soil, as on two or 
three occasions 1 have, to accommodate, 
let the digger go away from home to 
work for others. My expense for repairs 
so far, has been next to nothing—one or 
two dollars perhaps for the work done— 
and, as far as I can judge, the digger is 
nearly as good as new, and will dig many 
thousand bushels of potatoes before its 
usefulness is gone. Last season, my own 
time and all our horses were needed in 
caring for our peach crop at the time our 
potatoes were ready to dig. Having a 
pair of oxen doing nothing, I employed 
an intelligent German man just out of 
the shop, to dig the potatoes for me, and 
the work was done very nicely. Any 
one with ordinary sense and judgment 
in caring for a machine, can use such a 
digger and get his money’s worth many 
times over. The sorters, also, are great 
savers of time. 
Where is the Fruit? 
G. S. P., Winslow, Mk.—I t has been 
said that much of the food found on the 
tables, especially of farmers, is unfit for 
any one to eat, being poor, rich, half 
baked, greasy, etc. ; but in visiting cer¬ 
tain seaside resorts, I have been surprised 
to find such a preponderance of indigest¬ 
ible, hearty food and so little fruit. It 
seems to be a fact that the demand of 
tired brain workers and other seekers 
after rest, is for the heartiest food obtain¬ 
able. In the hottest weather, the tables 
are loaded with meats and fish, and for 
dessert heavy pies are served, while the 
berry, of whatever kind, is conspicuous 
by its absence. With the fields and 
woods full of luscious raspberries and 
blackberries of the finest flavor, the table 
rarely sees them. I add to my own ex¬ 
perience that of a waiter at one of the 
largest and best Lake resorts. He said 
that they had all the meats, game, fish, 
frogs’ legs, etc., but seldom any berries. 
Occasionally the humble, but rather in¬ 
sipid blueberry would put in a momen¬ 
tary appearance. 
With me a truly regal dinner in hot 
weather, is made up largely of berries, 
and the highest priced one without fruit 
would by no means fill the bill. In a 
walking trip of two weeks about the 
White Mountains, and again over that 
Eastern gem of the sea. Mount Desert, 
with appetites sharpened by regular ex¬ 
ercise, no food was quite equal to the 
berries we picked ourselves, and the 
fresh milk, cooled in the roadside spring. 
Both meat eaters, we cared little for it 
then, though it and fish were generally 
easily obtained. The time will come 
when the berry will be as anxiously 
sought among the mountains as the trout, 
and the seeker after rest will demand 
as an equivalent for his money, a full 
supply of the delicious berries that orna¬ 
ment and perfume the New England 
roadsides and forest glades. 
Racrosa Rose Hybridization. 
W. V. F., WhstGkovk, Pa. —List year 
the writer undertook to hybridize Bosa 
rugosa, in three varieties, Red, White 
and Double Red, with an extended series 
of cultivated roses, in many species and 
varieties. Over 400 pollenizations were 
made under all sorts of circumstances, 
favorable and, apparently, unfavorable. 
The Rugosas were used in about 90 per 
cent of the crosses as the pistillate or 
seed parent, as some strong, well-estab¬ 
lished plants were available. The result 
netted 230 heps from the Rugosas, and a 
single one, Henry Plantier-Rugosa rubra, 
from the 40 or more blooms of various 
roses on which Rugosa pollen was used. 
As a change of residence was anticipated, 
the seed, representing 112 distinct crosses, 
was placed in packets and allowed to 
dry up. During the first week in Novem¬ 
ber, all the seeds representing each cross 
were placed in small muslin bags with a 
quantity of sand ; the bags, carefully 
labeled, packed in a box, thoroughly wet, 
and exposed to the weather until the 
first of February, when the seeds, num¬ 
bering many thousands, were all planted 
in pots and placed under the benches of 
a greenhouse, in the coolest place where 
the temperature rarely rose above 60 
degrees. Germination has been very 
tardy, only 80 plants having been potted 
off up to .June 1 , some of which are very 
defective. The seeds remaining seem, 
contrary to this season’s experience of 
Ruralisms, to be sound and well filled 
with healthy germs, and it is confidently 
expected that a fair proportion will yet 
come up. The delay in germination is 
attributed to the harsh drying of the 
seeds after harvesting, and to insufficient 
freezing. In every case so far, the seed¬ 
lings present evidence, in foliage and 
habit, of hybridization, all being distinct 
from the Rugosa. Those seedlings in 
which the pollen of Tea roses was used, 
are generally subject to mildew, with the 
exception of Rugosa crossed on Coquette 
de Lyon and Rugosa crossed on Mad. 
Caroline Testout (Hybrid Tea), which ap¬ 
pear, so far, remarkably vigorous and 
healthy. The crosses in which Bourbon, 
Provence and Moschata blood predomi¬ 
nates appear to be very healthy, 
bastlnir Forls-ereen. 
B. H., Albany, N. Y.—I noticed inTuK 
R N.-Y. of .June 23, the description of 
the Paris-green distributor by Alva Agee. 
I have never seen nor heard of anything 
yet (unless it may be the Leggett gun, 
which I have not seen) that worked 
more satisfactorily than the homemade 
distributors used by an old acquaintance 
who owned and cultivated part of the 
historic battlefield in old Concord, Mass. 
He took old 20-quart milk cans, such as 
most of the milk is sent to the Boston 
market in, punched holes in the bottoms, 
filled them with his plaster and Paris- 
green, which he mixed in a large barrel, 
took one can in each hand, and dusted 
two rows at a time as fast as he could 
walk. A man could dust with them three 
or four acres before the dew was off in 
the morning. 
R. N.-Y.—That man must have had 
strong wrists. 
. Watering: the Manure. 
G. F., (No Address).—In a recent R. 
N.-Y. the subject of the utility of the 
manure vat was discussed. The question 
has since suggested itself to me, Would 
it be possible, as well as practical, to 
have both the liquid and solid manure 
conducted by, say, a six-inch sewer pipe 
laid slantwise to the vat from the gutter, 
the cows being fed either ensilage or 
soiling crops the entire year ? I would 
clean the manure gutter every day with 
a hoe and broom, and flush it with water 
from a hose. Again, would it be possible 
to get a pump that would raise the man¬ 
ure into tanks for hauling into the field? 
IN writing to adyertlsera please always mention 
THl BUBAI,. 
Impure Blood 
Manifests itt»eif in hot weatner in hives, 
pimples, boils and other eruptions which 
disfigure the face and cause great annoy¬ 
ance. The cure is found in Hood’s Sarsa- 
Hood’ 
g Sarsa¬ 
parilla 
parilla which makes m \ \ 
the blood pure and 
removes all such dis- 
figurations. It also givts string in 
creates an appetite. Get Hood’s. 
Hood's Pills are prompt and efficient. 
I would be glad to have the experience 
of men who have tried the method above 
suggested. 
R. N.-Y.—Cow manure with little bed¬ 
ding might be handled in this way, but 
horse manure would not work so well. 
So much water would be needed to flush 
out the pipes that we doubt if the scheme 
would pay. We shall be glad to hear 
from others about this. 
Ne Wild Parsnip. 
A. J. S., Ukbana, III. — I never saw a 
wild one. The Century Dictionary says, 
“ The parsnip is a native of temperate 
Europe and parts of Asia and widely cul¬ 
tivated in gardens, thence again running 
wild, even somewhat poisonous. The 
Student (a new parsnip) was developed 
from the wild in experimental cultiva¬ 
tion.” They grow wild here the same 
by getting “ over the garden wall” and 
soon they are everywhere. Wild lettuce 
is just getting started here and spreads 
very rapidly by going to seed the first 
year. The parsnip should always be 
transplanted from the bed where it grew; 
even then, it will distress some stomachs 
not otherwise delicate. 
Cri.\ison Clover. —Our Crimson clover 
plots are instructive in a way not dream¬ 
ed of when the experiment was under¬ 
taken, and we are sorry to say that they 
are not likely to be instructive in any 
other way. They teach that pigweed, 
bitterweed (Ambrosia artemisiaQ folia) 
and knotweed, are very fond of complete 
fertilizers as well as are useful plants. 
This land for five seasons prior to the 
present was given to cultivated crops— 
corn and potatoes—and they were well 
enough cultivated to keep them free from 
weeds of all kinds. We had, therefore, 
no reason to suppose that the soil was 
alive with seeds of the weeds mentioned. 
The conditions suitable to their growth 
have evidently not existed until the 
present season—but they are now sup¬ 
plied in perfection. The pigweeds in 
the nitrogen plot are now (duly 2) from 
three to five feet high. The knotweeds 
and bitterweed are not so tall but of 
most vigorous growth. The Crimson 
bON’T ACCEPT iniTATIONS. 
THE PROCTER & GAMBLE CO.. CIN’TI. 
AMERICUS FERTILIZERS 
FOR WHEAT AND GRASS. 
i^OVJiLiK 7 HE CHOP EVERY TIME. In these times of low prices fanners 
Increase their yield; our Fertilizers will do It. Manufactured Dy 
WILLIAMS & CLARK FERTILIZER CO., 83 Fulton Street, New York. 
Branch Office: KOCllKSTKU, N. Y. 
JIRES’ 
Rootbeer 
makesthe home circle complete. This 
great Temperance Ur ink gives pleas¬ 
ure and health to every member of toe 
family. A 25c. package makes 6 gal¬ 
lons. Be sure and get the genuine. 
Sold everywhere. Made only by 
The Chas. E. Hires Co., Philada. 
Send 2o. stump for heantlfu! Picture Cards and Book. 
CIDER 
MACHINERY 
Hydr&nlio, Knnckle Joint and Screw 
Pressea, Graters. Kleratom, Pumps, 
etc. Send for Oatalowne 
BOOMER & BOSCHERT 
PRESS CO., 
W.VVaterSt.. .SYIIACU8 k7n!yC 
P A M 11 III P AlACHllSBUY and NUFPLIKS. 
UHnniHU D. G. Trench Co., Chicago, Ill., and 
Famham, N. Y. Mention this paper. 
MAKE MONEY 
'Selling Hold FaMt t^orii l{iiidcrH. Ties 
automatically. I'ull and It’s fast. 
Kvery farmer nc-eds them. Thou- 
sands being sold. Liberal terms 
agents. Kasy work. Apply 
or territory. Complete outnt 
only costs 5 cents. 
THE TIE CO. Unadilla, X.T. 
f r~rrr6<iry'*' 
WORLD’S 
FAIR 
AWARDS 
tirade,^67.ox” tirade^ TWO MEDALS 
and one Diploma for Beauty, 
Strength and Cheapne«s.Ovet 
60,(KK) Of these vehicles have 
been sold direct to the people. 
ISend at once foi our complete 
/catalogue (D)of every kind of 
_ vehicle & harnf^H«,also book 
••A ' firad*. $isu. of testimonials, they are free 
ALLIANCE CARRIAGE CO., CINCINNATI. O. 
BUGGY 
*/i — 00 Leather quarter top. 
Guaranteed for two years. 
Equal to those of other makes cost¬ 
ing 176. For years they have given 
superior satisfaction as thousands will testify. We 
are the only manufacturers who are willing to ship 
subject to your inspection, the vehicle to be returned 
to us, we paying all charges, if not as represented. 
Catalogue cheerfully mailed to any address 
PlONEEll MFG. Co., Columbus, O., U. S. A. 
J.T.C..0R1VINQ STILL LEADS THEM ALL. 
* IT WILL CONTROL THS MOST 
VICIOUS HOR8B. 
75,000 sold In 1891. 
100,000 sold In 1892. 
THEY ARE KING. 
Sample mailed X C for ♦ I A R 
Nickel, $1.50. 
Stallion Bits SOcts. extra. 
RACINE MALLEABLE IRON CO. 
FOR SALE. 
A dne Dairy and Truck Farm, one mile from Dan¬ 
ville. Va., a thriving city of 17,000 inhabitants, con 
talnlng 82^4 acres of dne land, about one-lourth 
under grass and clover, and a con laerable amou it 
of bottom land. A good dwelling house with dve 
rooms; several tenant houses, dairy room, large 
stock barns, stable, etc., a d plenty of good water, 
and a valuable established dairy tradj. Business 
connected with the city by telephone I'nce, reason¬ 
able, and terms easy. Apply to 
COATKS & MILLNKB, Danville, Va. 
ro'.), LANDS 
For Sale at Low Prices and on 
Fasy Terms. 
The Illinois Central Uallroad Company offers for 
sale en easy terms and at low prices, 160.000 acres of 
choice fruit, gardening, farm and grazing lands 
located in 
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS. 
They are also largely Interested in, and call especial 
attention to the 000,000 acres of land in the famoas 
YAZOO DELTA OF MISSISSIPPI, 
lying along and owned by the Yazoo and Mississippi 
Valley Uallroad Company, and which that Company 
oners at low prices and on long terms. Special In¬ 
ducements and facilities offered to go and examine 
these lands both In Southern Illinois and in the 
“ Vazoo Delta,”M Iss. For further description, map and 
any Information, address or call upon K. P. SKENM 
Land Commissioner, No. 1 Park Uow, Chicago. Ill. 
