THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
747 
RURAUSMS — Continued. 
Paragon chestnut tree—also from Mr. 
Engle—that has borne for three con¬ 
secutive years, that stands at least 300 
feet from any other chestnut, and as our 
readers are aware, it has borne abund¬ 
antly. We have, therefore, assumed that 
the Paragon is self-fertilizing, i. e., that 
the males and females are mature at 
the same time. We cannot, therefore, 
account for the sterility of our friend’s 
tree. Have any of our readers a similar 
case ?. 
Mention was made a few weeks ago of 
the Ridgely chestnut, which is nearly as 
large as the Paragon, and as sweet as 
the American chestnut—a combination 
that The R. N.-Y. has been anticipating, 
hoping and praying for. We wrote to 
Mr. IL Emerson, of Wyoming, Kent 
County, Del., requesting some account of 
its origin. lie replies as follows : 
The nut was sent to Henry M. Ridgely, of Dover, 
by one DuPont (of powder fame) of Wilmington, 
and was planted on one of his farms near here, 
some 60 or 70 years ago. I do not know, but pre¬ 
sume that it is of European origin, though I have 
no positive proof. Every one who has seen and 
eaten the nut pronoxinces it the best variety ex¬ 
tant.” 
If the nuts sent to the writer are aver¬ 
age specimens, then the hoped-for im¬ 
provement among chestnuts is an accom¬ 
plished fact. That it should have re¬ 
mained in obscurity for 60 years, is a 
mystery. 
Mr. H. N. Smith, of South Sudbury, 
Mass., sends us beautiful flowers of a 
new cosmos “Early llybridus,” which, he 
says, is more than a month earlier than 
any other. Seeds sown in the open ground 
in May will produce flowering plants by 
August 1, which continue to bloom in 
great profusion until killed by severe 
frost. The flowers are not so large as 
those of later kinds, but its profuse 
flowering habit and earliness will more 
than compensate for the smaller size of 
flower. 
The colors are white, rose and purple. 
Plants of the late kinds last summer with 
us grew as high as five feet, notwith¬ 
standing the drought, but there were no 
flowers until October 1.5. 
The flowers are fine for cutting, as 
they will endure for a week or more in 
water. The stems are long, and the fine, 
fringe-like leaves make a graceful dre.ss. 
We are told that if grown in pots and 
put under cover, they will bloom until 
spring. 
Mr. W. F. Bird, of Ann Arbor, Mich., 
has this to say in appreciation of correct 
information in regard to novelties : 
Why cannot all the papers tell the truth like 
The R. N.-Y. ? It would save the tiller of the soil 
an immense amount of money and no little vexa¬ 
tion. These thoughts were awakened while read¬ 
ing an account of grapes at the Rural Grounds, in 
a recent number, in which the Early Ohio finds its 
level, as well as others. What, in the name of 
common sense, is the use, anyway, of foisting 
upon the public a grape of such quality, when we 
already have a score or more of quality as poor? 
We do not see but that any farm paper 
is liable to make errors of this nature, 
unless the editors themselves try the 
novelties as, or before, they are an¬ 
nounced, and regardless of individual 
interests, place before their readers the 
facts as the editors find them. In other 
words, a farm paper should be an ex¬ 
periment station, which involves an im¬ 
mense amount of labor and some capital. 
The next best thing that editors can do 
is to visit thrifty farmers and fruit¬ 
growers ; study experiment station re¬ 
ports ; visit seedsmen and nurserymen, 
many of whom have vast areas under 
cultivation and experiment. But there 
is nothing like experimenting for one’s 
self to find out just what a plant is 
worth. Then, without being influenced 
by the praise of interested people, or the 
enthusiasm of an originator or intro¬ 
ducer, he may judge dispassionately for 
himself. There is no information so 
valuable as that which comes from orig- 
nal investigation. It enables one to 
separate the gold from the dross ; to see 
things as they are; to praise what is 
meritorious, and to denounce the worth¬ 
less . 
Hardiness of W'rinkeed Peas.—II. J. 
Hale, of Ilaughville, Ind., writes that 
his Heroine and Nott’s Excelsior peas 
were just appearing above ground on 
March 23 last, when the soil was frozen 
to the depth of four inches. The peas 
were not hurt. He declares that he will 
plant no more of the inferior smooth, 
so-called hardy varieties. 
F. E. Roff, of Council Bluffs, la., 
writes that the R. N.-Y. No. 3 was the 
only potato that formed any tubers with 
him during the past very dry season. 
Mr. H. T. French, of the Oregon Sta¬ 
tion, says that a thousand one-pound 
packages of potatoes were sent out to 
the farmers of the State last season for 
trial, and, in several cases, the results 
were unsatisfactory because of the fact 
that fresh manure was plowed into the 
ground in spring just before planting. 
Manure applied in this way makes the 
best condition possible for the develop¬ 
ment of fungous diseases. There is not 
moisture enough in the ground to cause 
complete decomposition of the manui'c, 
and it serves as a most excellent culture 
medium for the germs of fungous diseases. 
Manure should be plowed under in the 
fall, so that it may become thoroughly 
incorporated with the soil, before the 
time of planting. The mechanical effect 
of stable manures when applied in spring, 
in making the soil too open and loose, is 
also detrimental to the growth of the 
potato plant. 
Mr. E. S. Arnoi.d, of Peru, Clinton 
County, N. Y., 30 miles from Canada, 
asks if the Paragon chestnut is hardy so 
far north. We think it is, but would 
gladly have this impression confirmed... 
Corrosive Sublimate for Scab. —H. C. 
Smith, of Ballards, Mich., writes : 
others had five or si.x eyes started from a quarter 
to an inch long. Hebron and R. N.-Y. No. 2, 
showed no sprouts, all being in the same place. 
When I dug the Carman No. 1 August 1, I found 
that five had sprouted, which I immediately re¬ 
planted, and they are now looking green and vig¬ 
orous. If such is the character of the Carman 
No. 1, we need look no further for a second-crop 
potato. Our fall has been warm. Potatoes were 
put into a cellar, the coolest place we have. 
Grafting the Tomato on the 
Potato. —“ When the tomato is grafted 
on the potato, which can be done by rea¬ 
son of the close relationship between the 
two plants, the potato roots continue 
to produce potatoes, while the tomato 
grafted on the potato stalk continues to 
produce tomatoes. This is considered in 
some of the agricultural papers as re¬ 
markable, that one plant should produce 
two different kinds of products ; but it is 
no more remarkable,” Prof. Thos. Meehan 
explains, “than other experiences in 
grafting. A pear may be grafted on the 
quince, but the roots are still quince 
roots, although pears come from the 
grafted portion. ”. 
DIRECT. 
-Meehan’s Monthly: “It reads oddly 
in a report just issued by the United 
States Department of Agriculture, sug¬ 
gesting that the common swamp rose- 
mallow, Hibiscus moscheutos, would 
possibly grow in dry land, as an experi¬ 
ment was made to test this fact, on the 
Delaware River 3.5 years ago. The plant 
is growing in every well-ordered herb¬ 
aceous ground, and is one of our most 
popular border plants. It is a weakness 
of the United States Department of Agri¬ 
culture that it is so often behind the 
times in its publications.” 
[The R. N.-Y. raised it from seeds 30 
years ago. The seedling planUs, on high, 
dry ground, are as vigorous as any low¬ 
land plants.—E ds.] 
-World Proverbs : “A beautiful 
woman without tenderness is like a 
B.W. STONE & CO., 
THOMASVILLE, GA. 
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Millions of the best trees 70 years’experience can 
grow; they “live longer and bear better.”— See. 
Morton. STARK, B29, Louisiana,Mo.,Rockport,III. 
KELLEY’S BARRELS 
Hold 180 pounds of Potatoes, net weight. 
Carman No. 1, $10 per barrel; $1 per peck. Early 
Puritan, Sunrise, Hebron, Rose, $;) per barrel, the rest 
at the same price as quoted in the October issue. 
C. E. KELLEY. Newark, N. Y. 
We ship our best 
Screened Canada 
Unleached 
Hardwood 
at bottom prices. Analysis and Weight Guaranteed 
Address THE FOREST CITY WOOD ASH CO., 
No. 9 Merchants Row, Boston, Mass 
POTASH 
" FOR 
FERTILIZERS 
WHEAT 
RYE 
Fertilizers containing 
HIGH PERCENTAGES 
OF POTASH, largely 
Increase yield. 
Information and Pamphlets Free. Address 
GERMAN KALI WORKS, 
93 Nassau Street, New York City. 
ODORLESS niJANn 
MINERAL UUHRU 
delivered at your 
nearest station, for 
#20.00 per ton. 
Agents wanted In every farming town. Send for 
circulars to THE FOREST CITY WOOD ASH CO., 
No. 9 Merchants Row, Boston, Mass 
There can be no question of the efficacy of the 
corrosive sublimate treatment for scab in seed 
potatoes. I treated two bushels of the worst seed 
1 ever saw last spring, and the crop recently har¬ 
vested shows not one scabby specimen. Tuk R. 
N.-Y. (not treated) planted In adjoining rows 
showed considerable leaf blight, while those 
treated showed none and remained green until 
frost. Whether the difference was in the varieties 
or treatment, is the query.” 
Evidence accumulates that, in many 
parts of the country at least, the R. N.- 
Y. No. 2 potato has unusual drought- 
resisting powers. John F. Lake, of 
Rockford, Ill., writes : “ It is the best 
we have ever raised, being the only 
potato that withstood the drought in our 
neighborhood.” If this potato is really 
drought-resisting beyond other varieties, 
it is important that the fact should be 
made known. 
I planted some of the Rural New-Yoi-ker No. 
2 this spring. They were large and round when 
planted last spring; they were long and slim when 
dug. They yielded a little better than any other 
kind. I sold my Hebrons for 90 cents per bushel. 
I sold the R. N.-Y. No. 2 for 70 cents, and then they 
were returned, and I will have to sell them for 
pigs. They were wet and soggy, had a strong 
taste and were black inside. They were planted 
about April 9, the tops died about September 20, but 
they peeled when dug a month later. Every eye 
grew. The “ New Potato Culture ” says that most 
of the eyes at the stem end will fail to grow. It 
was the poorest potato I ever ate. Was it the R. 
N.-Y. No. 2 that I planted ? I bought the seed of a 
Chicago seed house of good reputation. I hope 
the Carman No. 1 turns out better than the R. 
N.-Y. No. 2, if that was the kind I planted. 
Kewanee, Ill. fosteb north. 
It is hard—impossible, indeed—to give 
any explanation of such bad behavior. 
Excessive drought may give some ex¬ 
planation as to the change of form. As 
to quality, we may only say that there is 
no variety of potato whatever whose 
quality is not better or poorer under 
favorable or unfavorable conditions. We 
are just as ready to print unfavorable as 
we are to print favorable reports of any 
of The R. N.-Y.’s originations. 
Carman No. 1 for Second Crop. —Mr. 
Hedges, of Charlottesville, Va., has this 
to say : 
In looking over notes in The R. N.-Y., on the 
Carman No. 1 potato, I was reminded to look at 
my crop. To my surprise, every tuber was 
sprouted ; some had grown three inches, and 
flower without fragrance.” 
“ The youngest class requires the wis¬ 
est teacher.” 
“ Careless charity favors the cheat.” 
‘ ‘ It seems impossible to teach poverty 
to count pennies.” 
“ If you do things by halves, you will 
have to divide with misfortune.” 
“ Honest fools are forever depending 
on had men to carry out good principles.” 
-New York Herald : “ The large, 
fluffy, ostentatious and all-pervading 
chrysanthemum has appeared in Broad¬ 
way again. In many cases a cute little 
cigarette-smoking dude will be found 
concealed directly behind it.” 
-The Ladies’ Home Journal: “We 
harp on the old string of an unequal 
division of things in this world, forget¬ 
ting each time that we thus complain 
that we are smiting an all-wise Creator 
in the face. Things are not unequally 
divided in this world ; they never were, 
and they never will be.” 
Free 
fertilizers in the winter time- 
freight paid. Write for particulars, 
giving references and shipping point. 
POWELL FERTILIZER & CHEM. CO. 
Powell’s Fertilizers, 
BALTIMORE, MD. 
CUT RATES 
F(yr (jood rendlny, to The Rural New- 
Yorker Suhscrlhers only. 
Our Price 
Publishers’ with 
Price. R. N.-Y. 
Arthur’s Magazine.$1.00 $1.90 
Century. 4.00 4.65 
Cosmopolitan. 1..50 2.40 
Harper’s Magazine. 4.00 4.25 
Munsey’s. 1.00 1.90 
Peterson’s Magazine. LOO 1.90 
Scribner’s. 8.00 :i.65 
Godey’s. l.tX) 1.90 
Good Housekeeping. 2.00 2.70 
Harper's Bazar. 4.00 4.45 
Ladles' Home .Tournal. l.(X) l.iH) 
Household. 1.00 1.90 
Harper’s Weekly. 4.00 4.40 
Judge. 6.00 6.50 
Puck. 5.00 5.50 
Scientific American. ;i.00 :L65 
New York I.«dger. 2.00 2.M 
Poultry Monthly. 1.25 1.90 
Farm Poultry (semi-monthly).1.00 1.76 
Harper’s Yoxing People. 2.00 2.fi5 
St. Nicholas..-8.00 8.(i5 
Youth’s Companion. 1.75 2.75 
Christian Work. 8.00 8.00 
Babies and Children 
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Scott’s Emulsion 
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for making Scott's Emulsion has been endorsed by the med¬ 
ical world for twenty years. No secret about it. 
Send for pamphlet on Scott's Emulsion. FREE. 
Scott & Bowne, N. Y. All Druggists. 50 cents and $ I. 
