■Uhe  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
279 
The  Home  Acre 
Notes  from  a  Maryland  Garden 
Poor  Seed. — I  hear  often  people  com¬ 
plaining  of  being  cheated  in  seed,  and  I 
conclude  at  ouee  tlint  they  have  been 
hunting  for  cheap  or  low-priced  seed,  and 
when  one  does  this  he  is  apt  to  get  the 
highest-priced  seed  to  be  had.  poor  seed. 
I  have  had  a  long  experience  with  seeds¬ 
men,  and  have  never  been  disappointed 
with  any  seed  of  standard  vegetables 
bought  from  the  houses  of  high  reputa¬ 
tion.  .Sometimes  the  novelties  I  tvy  do 
not  turn  out  as  promised,  but  that  is  the 
information  I  get  by  the  trial  and  I  never 
depend  on  novelties  of  the  season  to  make 
my  crop  of  any  variety  of  vegetables. 
Starting  Seed. — Just,  now,  the  mid¬ 
dle  of  January,  I  am  preparing  for  the 
starting  of  my  early  tomato  plants  next 
month.  In  order  to  be  sure  to  have  the 
soil  ready  when  I  wish  to  ill  I  the  flats,  I 
take  advantage  of  the  mild  weather,  when 
my  compost  pile  outside  is  not  frozen,  and 
get  a  good  supply  of  soil  in  the  green¬ 
house  ready  for  anything.  My  tomato 
seeds  are  on  band,  and  my  rule  is  <o  sow 
the  early  ones  by  the  tenth  of  February. 
It  is  a  good  rule  in  any  section  to  sow 
the  seed  of  early  tomatoes  ten  weeks  lie* 
fore  it  is  safe  in  the  locality  to  set 
them  in  the  open  ground,  for  tomato 
plants  need  several  transplantings  in 
order  to  get  good  plants  to  set  at  proper 
time. 
Tomato  Varieties. — I  shall  sow  this 
year  but  one  variety  that  is  new  t<>  me. 
This  is  called  the  Mississippi  Girl.  It 
is  said  by  good  gardeners  to  be  very  good. 
For  the  earliest  tomatoes  I  will  sow  seed 
of  the  Langdon  Farliana,  and  Bmmy  Host. 
After  two  seasons'  trial  I  will  drop  John 
Baer.  Bonny  Best  is  similar  and  better 
and  far  earlier,  for  I  have  found  John 
Baer  to  be  three  weeks  later  than  Farliana 
and  two  weeks  later  than  Bonny  Best,  and 
it  throws  an  occasional  rough  tomato, 
which  Bonny  Best  never  does.  For  the 
latter  crops  I  will  use  lied  Rock,  Manic’ s 
Success  and  Globe.  I  like  to  have  some 
pink  tomatoes,  and  the  Globe  will 
supply  these  as  well  as,  or  better, 
than  any  other.  A  few  seeds  of 
the  Mississippi  Girl  will  be  started 
early  and  the  remainder  used  later.  I 
find  it  an  advantage  to  make  three  sow¬ 
ings  of  tomato  seeds.  The  lirst  sowing 
in  flats  in  the  greenhouse,  transplanted 
once  there  and  finally  to  the  frames.  Then 
in  March  I  sow  seed  in  a  frame  of  the 
later  sorts  in  order  to  have  plants  in 
their  prime  just  coming  in  as  the  early 
ones  get  inferior.  \v.  K.  M asset. 
Pruning  and  Training  Grapevines 
1  planted  100  Concord  grapevines  last 
Fall.  Each  vine  has  from  three  to  five 
branches.  Must  I  cut  those  all  off,  or 
leave  some  on?  IIow  many  buds  should 
I  leave  on?  What  is  the  better  way,  to 
run  these  vines  on  single  posts  or  put 
up  wires?  They  are  planted  eight  feet 
apart  each  way.  U.  A. 
Probably  the  best  manner  in  handling 
this  vineyard  the  coming  season  will  be 
to  put  up  one  wire  of  the  trellis  in  the 
Spring,  Chestnut,  or  locust  posts  are  to 
be  preferred.  These  should  be  from  Seven 
to  eight  feet  in  length,  the  heaviest  of 
which  should  he  selected  for  the  end 
posts.  After  sharpening  to  a  tapering 
point  they  can  be  driven  into  holes  that 
were  started  with  a  crowbar.  Cure  should 
he  taken  to  place  them  so  that  they  will 
line  well  on  the  side  toward  the  prevail¬ 
ing  wind,  on  which  side  the  wire  is  to  be 
fastened.  As  these  vines  are  set  eight 
feet  apart  in  the  row,  a  post,  to  every 
three  vines  will  bo  sufficient.  The  end 
posts  should  he  driven  to  a  depth  of  22 
to  24  inches,  and  braced  by  2x4  or  4x4, 
meeting  the  posts  about  two-thirds  <>f  the 
distance  from  the  ground,  where  the  brace 
is  held  by  a  notch  in  the  post.  The  end 
posts  should  stand  about  four  feet  out¬ 
side  of  the  last  vine  of  the  row :  then 
the  brace  will  reach  the  ground  about 
midway  between  the  first  ami  second 
vines  of  the  row,  where  it  is  held  by  a 
4x4  stake  driven  solidly  into  ihe  ground. 
The  wire  can  either  be  No.  i>  or  No.  10, 
galvanized  or  plain  annealed.  The  first 
may  be  put  on  at  a  height  of  about  20 
inches  above  the  ground  level,  and  later  a 
second  and  third,  each  the  same  dis¬ 
tances  apart.  The  wires  are  fastened  to 
the  posts  by  ordinary  fence  staples, 
enough  space  being  left  in  the  eye  of  the 
staple,  to  permit  the  wire  to  slide 
through  readily.  It  is  secured  to  the 
end  posts  by  winding  it  once  around  the 
post  and  then  around  itself. 
Select  the  cane  that  arises  the  most 
directly  from  the  center  of  the  vine,  pro¬ 
vided  of  course  that  it  is  of  sufficient 
length  to  reach  the  lower  wire,  and  is 
veil  ripened,  and  tie  it  firmly  in  a  verti¬ 
cal  position  to  the  wire  with  a  soft  three 
or  four-ply  twine.  If  the  cane  is  not 
tied  tight  enough  it  will  sag,  and  the  re¬ 
sult  will  lie  a  curved  or  crooked  stem, 
that  will  he  somewhat  <>f  a  nuisance  in 
working  around  the  vines  in  later  years. 
It  is  just  its  easy  to  have  them  straight 
as  the  reverse  by  doing  the  t.ving  care¬ 
fully  iu  the  beginning.  The  vines  that 
have  not  made  a  strong  growth  should 
not  lie  tied  up  this  season,  hut  should  hi' 
cut  hack  so  that  there  remains  but  a 
spur  of  two  buds  of  what  was  the  best 
cane.  During  the  Summer  the  now 
growth  iu  either  case  should  he  tied  loose¬ 
ly  to  the  wire,  that  it.  may  he  kept  out 
of  the  dirt  and  away  from  the  tools  used 
in  cultivation.  In  no  case  should  nny 
fruit  be  allowed  to  develop  on  vines  of 
this  age  rite  coming  season. 
E.  E.  GLADWIN. 
Preventing  Bees  from  Swarming 
I  have  a  few  hives  of  hoes,  and  do  not 
wish  to  increase  the  number.  If  they 
swarm,  and  I  catch  the  swarm,  drive  them 
hack  into  the  hive  again,  and  catch  the 
queen  and  kill  her,  would  this  he  doing 
right?  If  not  what  would  you  advise  un¬ 
to  do?  W.  B.  8. 
Stafford,  N.  Y. 
The  returning  of  a  swarm,  without  the 
queen,  to  the  parent  hive  would  not  pre¬ 
vent  the  reissuing  of  a  swann.  Queens 
arc  readily  reared  in  a  hive  having 
brood,  and  the  loss  of  one  is  quickly  re¬ 
placed,  indeed,  there  may  be  several  in 
the  hive  when  a  swarm  issues.  When 
brood  is  being  reared  in  a  hive  during  the 
honey  How  and  quarters  become  over¬ 
crowded,  swarming  is  practically  inevita¬ 
ble;  so  far  as  I  know,  there  is  no  prac¬ 
ticable  way  of  preventing  it.  Swarming 
may  be  discouraged  by  giving  roomy 
quarters  to  the  colony  ami  by  cutting  out 
queen  cells  from  the  brood  frames  after 
a  first  swarm  has  issued,  hut  colonics 
cannot  he  forced  to  increase  in  size  in¬ 
definitely  and  refrain  from  increasing  in 
numbers.  Perpetuation  of  the  species  is 
tin  instinct  hard  to  overcome,  and  while 
some  practicable  method  of  entirely  pre¬ 
venting  swarming  would  be  a  boon  to  1 . 
keepers,  I  know  of  none  that  lias  been 
discovered.  m.  b.  d. 
Early  Peas  in  Delaware 
I  desire  advice  about  growing  pens  in 
the  central  part  of  Delaware  for  the  early 
season.  What  is  the  best  fertilizer  to 
use,  how  soon  to  plant  them,  and  what 
variety  to  yield  the  best,  crop?  it.  p.  u. 
Smyrna,  Del. 
To  get  early  garden  pens  for  market 
early  the  seed  should  he  in  the  ground 
as  soon  as  the  soil  can  be  worked.  Here 
we  plant  in  January,  and  they  are  now 
in  the  ground.  You  are  about  50  miles 
north  of  me.  and  the  earlier  you  can 
get  the  peas  in  in  February  the  better. 
I  ain  using  this  year  very  fine  raw  hone 
as  a  fertilizer  at  rate  of  500  pounds 
on  acre  in  the  furrows.  I  plant  the 
Nonpareil,  a  good  strain  of  the  Alaska 
type.  Every  seedsman  has  his  special 
strain  of  this  type,  and  one  is  about 
as  good  as  another  if  bought  from  a 
first-class  house.  I  sow  the  peas  com¬ 
paratively  thick,  in  rows  2 '4  feet,  and 
cover  with  furrow  from  each  side  and 
then  harrow  or  rake  the  ridges  level, 
I  sow  the  wrinkled  peas  for  later  crop 
iu  March.  A  good  article  of  acid  phos¬ 
phate  with  some  tankage  or  dried  Wood 
or  cottonseed  meal  will  make  a  good  fer¬ 
tilizer,  hut  I  prefer  this  year  the  raw 
bone  meal  iu  the  absence  of  potash. 
AV.  If.  MASSEY. 
Cecil  was  suffering  from  toothache. 
“You’ll  be  a  brave  boy  and  have  it  out, 
won’t  you.  dear?”  pleaded  his  mother. 
‘‘It  won’t  hurt  much,  and  then  the  ache 
will  all  be  over.”  Then  his  brother,  one 
year  older,  came  to  his  mother’s  aid. 
“Aw,  go  on  an’  have  it  out,”  he  said. 
‘‘What’s  the  matter  wit’  yell?  Don’t  yon 
know  it’ll  he  one  less  to*  clean?” — Wom¬ 
an’s  Journal. 
: 
Dodge  Brothers 
MOTOR  CAR 
Consult  the  impression 
uppermost  in  your  mind 
and  you  will  find  that  you 
think  of  this  car  as  very 
carefully  and  conscien¬ 
tiously  made. 
People  think  of  the  car  in 
this  light  because  of  their 
high  opinion  of  Dodge 
Brothers  as  manufac¬ 
turers. 
And  that  good  opinion  is  jus¬ 
tified  by  the  facts,  and  by 
the  performance  of  the  car. 
For  example,  22,500  machin¬ 
ing  operations  are  involv¬ 
ed  in  the  manufacture  of 
the  car. 
A  great  many  of  these  parts 
are  machined  to  an  accur¬ 
acy  of  one-half  of  a  thou¬ 
sandth  of  an  inch. 
At  least  three  processes  used 
in  Dodge  Brothers’  factory 
are  distinctively  exclusive. 
Scientific  manufacturing  ac¬ 
curacy  reduces  the  friction 
of  moving  parts  to  the 
smallest  degree,  and  a 
greater  proportion  of  pow¬ 
er  is  available  for  driving 
the  car. 
The  use  of  forged  and  pressed 
steel  parts  instead  of 
heavier  castings  reduces 
the  weight  of  the  chassis; 
and  the  all-steel  body  is 
lighter  than  the  usual 
forms  of  construction. 
The  all-steel  body  also  makes 
possible  a  lustrous  finish 
of  enamel  which  remains 
undimmed  for  a  long 
period. 
This  special  enamel  is  baked 
on  the  steel  at  a  high 
temperature  after  each 
application. 
The  result  is  a  fast  glossy 
finish  of  a  peculiar  elas¬ 
ticity  which  renders  it 
practically  impervious  to 
wear  or  even  ordinary 
damage. 
Dodge  Brothers  dealers 
frankly  admit  that  their 
task  has  been  made  easy 
for  them  by  the  behavior 
of  the  car,  and  the  things 
owners  have  said  about  it. 
It  is  literally  true,  as  you 
have  probably  discovered 
in  your  own  locality,  that 
the  owners  of  the  car  are 
its  most  enthusiastic  sales¬ 
men. 
They  insist  in  the  most 
emphatic  way  on  the  high 
quality  of  its  performance. 
On  almost  every  road  in  the 
country,  its  sturdiness  and 
steadiness  and  unusual 
comfort  have  been  fully 
demonstrated. 
Steep  hills,  desert  sand, 
rough  roads  or  mud  roads 
have  held  no  terror  for  it. 
It  has  done  everything  it 
has  been  asked  to  do,  and 
many  things  that  have 
been  called  remarkable. 
It  has  become  known  as  a 
car  of  exceptional  econ¬ 
omy.  not  in  gasoline  alone, 
nor  in  tires  alone,  but  in 
both. 
It  will  pay  you  to  visit  the  nearest  dealer  and  examine  this  car 
The  tire  mileage  is  unusually  high 
The  price  of  the  Touring  Car  or  Roadster,  complete, 
is  $735  if.  o.  b.  Detroit) 
Dodge  Brothers,  Detroit 
Black’s  Reliable  Trees 
For  ihe  planter  who  wants  nothing 
but  the  best,  we  offer,  at  reasonable 
prices,  stock  that  will  produce  exactly 
what  he  has  a  right  to  expect. 
Our  leaders  art-:  Peach. 
Trees,  ( original  stock  fur¬ 
nished  by  N.  J.  Exp.  Station ) 
Apples,  including  Deli¬ 
cious ”  and  75  others.  Hardy 
Indiana  Budded  Pe¬ 
cans  and  Small  Fruits. 
CATALOGUE  FREE 
II  describes  a  lull  line  of  fruits  and  orna¬ 
mentals,  makes  no  extravagant  promises, 
and  the  prices  are  right. 
Jos.  H.  Black,  Son  &  Co.,  Hightstown,  N.  J. 
Comfort  Indoor  Closet! 
[odorless  sanitary" 
GERM-PROOF 
Every  homo  without  sewer¬ 
age  needs  one.  Moat  con¬ 
venient.  meritorious  home 
necessity  in  a  century,  A. 
boon  to  sick  people.  Can  bo 
placed  anywhere  in  boose. 
Make*  Outdoor  Privy 
Unnecessary 
Pat  a  warm  Comfort,  Toilet  In 
your  home;  a  guarantee  of 
healthy,  ■unitary  conditions.  Germ-life 
Killed  by  chemical*  in  retort.  Emptied  once 
I  ®  month— no  more  trouble  than  throwing  oat 
Coffee  ground*.  Needs  no  other  attention.  IF 
Hon r da  of  Health  endorse  it.  Write  now  for 
|  literature,  prices,  eto.  Agents  wanted— 
exclusive  territory. 
Comfort  Chemical  Ciosot  Co. 
*21  fsotorlesBIdg.  Toledo,  Ohio 
r- -----  -  ■  -  . ,rji 
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