402 
Ghe  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
We  Are  Prepared 
completely  covers  our  country  with 
its  network  of  wires. 
This  marvelous  system  is  the 
result  of  keen  foresight  and  persist¬ 
ent  effort  on  the  part  of  telephone 
specialists,  who  have  endeavored 
from  the  first  to  provide  a  means  of 
communication  embracing  our  whole 
country,  connecting  every  state  and 
every  community,  to  its  la^t  indi¬ 
vidual  unit. 
The  Bell  System  is  a  distinctly 
American  achievement,  made  by 
Americans  for  Americans,  and  its 
like  is  not  to  be  found  in  all  the  world. 
Through  it,  our  entire  population 
may  be  promptly  organized  for  unitec 
action  in  any  national  movement 
whether  it  be  for  peace,  prosperity 
philanthropy  or  armed  protection 
Within  the  wide  boundaries  of 
aur  country,  embracing  more  than 
three  million  square  miles,  dwell  a 
hundred  million  people. 
They  live  in  cities,  towns,  villages, 
hamlets  and  remote  farms.  They 
are  separated  by  broad  rivers,  rugged 
mountain*  and  arid  deserts. 
The  concerted  action  of  this  far- 
flung  population  is  dependent  upon 
a  common  understanding. 
Only  by  a  quick,  simple  and  un¬ 
failing  means  of  intercommunication 
could  our  people  be  instantly  united 
in  any  cause. 
In  its  wonderful  preparedness  to 
inform  its  citizens  of  a  national  need, 
the  United  States  stands  alone  and 
unequaled.  It  can  command  the 
entire  Bell  Telephone  System,  which 
American  Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company 
And  Associated  Companies 
■  ■  jy 
Universal  Service 
One  Policy 
I  LET  ER  RAIN  | 
|  If  .you’ve  a  mart's  work  to  do  —  | 
1  wear  Tower’s  Fish  Brand  i 
REFLEX  SLICKER  131 
nADI/rn  Weeder,  Mulcher and 
16  DHItllLIl  Cultivator 
Thu  only  garden  tool  that  successfully,  In  one  ot>- 
eration,  kills  wtedt,  and  forms  a  complete  soil 
Tf.  mulch  to  hold  moisture.  "Rest  Weed  Killer 
^i\KBvet  Used.”  A  hoy  with  a  Rather  beats 
ten  men  with  hoes,  lias  shovels  for 
-  rag?  deeper  cultivation.  Selfa.l 
(fe^jufJ5«S&^V'3^Xadill5ti  IIK.  Costs  little, 
NmMJP'1*  IVrilr  fur  illustrated  folder 
5““  fftSlJ  and  special  f  ai  lory- to-  User 
\m  ifiN 
_ __  •  yf  ftf  Barker  Mfg.  Co. 
''SSSSMKSBSBIk/  Box  106.  David  City,  Ni-lit. 
INCREASED  PROFITS  through  an  increased 
herd  is  one  of  the  first  re  suits  of  installing  the  Umpire 
Milker.  Once  you  gf  t  rid  of  the  hard  job  of  milking— and 
see  how  easily  you  can  milk  more  rows  D  less  time  and  at 
less  expense-  you  will  increase  your  dairy  business  just  as 
the  grain  farmer  Increased  his  acreage  when  he  throwaway 
the  cradle  for  the  reaper. 
FH/IPIRF  Mechanical  Milker 
.LdlvlX  2  1\1j  for  Large  or  Small  Dairies 
works  hv  nntur.il  air  pressure — not  compressed  air.  Operate  by  any 
•tower.  Collapsing  anti  expanding  o!  soli  lining  ill  teat  cups  coaxes  the 
sow  to  let  don  it  milk  easily.  Cows  stand  Quietly  and  yield  mote  milk. 
The  FmplrO  Milker  is  now  used  in  tlunthands  of  sueressitd  dairies  all 
Over  the  country,  T  <  t  us  reler  you  to  owners  untJ  tell  you  how  easily 
you  can  install  it  and  make  it  pay.  Address 
EMPIRE  CREAM  SEPARATOR  CO. 
Capital  tl.OUO.UOO 
Manufn.  hirers  Empire  Me.  iiani.-a!  Milker-.  Empire  Ctwtn  Sep:  r  tors. 
Empire  f  lasoltoe  Engines,  Empire  Star  I  .  e.j  Mill..  Write  lor  Catalog  23  M 
Factory  and  Mam  Office,  BLOOMFIELD,  N.  J. 
Brunches!  Chicago,  III.!  Denver  Coin,!  Portland,  Ore.; 
Toronto  u:al  Winnipeg,  (  ..tottda 
(Continued  from  page  390. ) 
pending  upon  the  size  of  the  fronds. 
Newspapers  are  used  to  line  the  inside  of 
the  boxes  and  a  few  spruce  houghs  are 
placed  on  top  of  the  ferns  to  protect 
them;  slats  of  wood  arc  used  for  the  top 
of  the  Box,  leaving  more  space  for  air 
than  al  I  lie  sides  and  bottom  of  the  box¬ 
es.  The  boxes  thus  packed,  which  are  in¬ 
tended  for  Winter  use,  are  shipped  each 
day  by  express  and  placed  in  warehouses 
where  a  temperature  of  2S  degrees  Fah¬ 
renheit  is  constantly  mainlained.  The 
boxes  are  piled  in  tiers  of  10  or  12  with 
one  inch  slats  of  wood  between  each  l<> 
allow  a  free  circulation  of  cold  air. 
From  time  to  lime,  as  the  trade  requires, 
The  Fern  Picker  and  His  Load 
the  boxes  are  withdrawn  from  cold  stor¬ 
age  and  the  ferns  are  sorted  and  re¬ 
packed  and  made  ready  for  shipment;  to 
the  florists  in  t lie*  various  cities.  The 
loss  in  breakage  and  from  other  causes 
at  the  time  of  final  distribution  to  flor¬ 
ists  is  about  12  per  cent,  of  the  total 
number  of  ferns. 
If  a  picker  does  nor  carefully  heed  in¬ 
structions  about,  the  particular  variety  of 
flowerless  plant  required,  but  fills  his 
basket  with  just  plain  ordinary  brakes, 
lie  iinds  on  arrival  al  the  packing  sta¬ 
tion  that  his  half  day’s  efforts  are  fruit¬ 
less  when  his  load  is  rejected  by  the  in¬ 
spectors.  The  error  in  picking  the  wrong 
fern  is  easily  made  by  inexperienced  men, 
for  the  reason  that  more  than  120  differ¬ 
ent  varieties  of  ferns  may  he  found  with¬ 
in  the  limits  of  one  township  in  Vermont. 
Wit.  II.  GOODWIN. 
Dahlias  apd  Gladioli 
1  would  like  some  information  its  to 
the  best  method  of  raising  Dahlias  and 
Gladioli.  I  live  in  the  city  and  have 
only  the  hack  of  a  10-foot  lot  to  plant, 
so  must  plant  only  a  limited  amount  of 
each,  lint  would  like  ro  Imvc  as  line  flow¬ 
ers  as  possible.  The  soil  is  black  sandy 
loam,  rather  inclined  to  be  sticky  in 
damp  weather;  and  is  only  moderately 
fertile.  What  20  Dahlias  would  you  sug¬ 
gest  as  best  for  garden  show,  and  for 
picking  for  the  house?  K.  It.  C. 
Racine,  Wis. 
Light  sandy  loam  is  tile  best  soil  for 
Dahlias;  it  moderate  admixture  of  rotted 
stable  manure  would  no  doubt  improve 
your  soil.  <  'onimereiully,  Dahlias  arc 
set  in  this  locality  from  April  until  Au¬ 
gust,  in  order  to  secure  a  succession  of 
bloom,  and  constant  cultivation  is  given, 
both  to  conserve  moisture  ami  suppress 
weeds.  Watering  should  lie  avoided,  as 
if  the  plants  become  uncustomed  to  it 
t hey  feel  the  check  severely  if  it  ceases, 
and  constant  surface  cultivation  takes 
its  place.  If  there  is  a  prolonged 
drought,  a  good  soaking  every  week  or  10 
days,  with  cultivation  between,  is  far 
better  than  daily  watering.  The  ground 
should  he  well  tilled  before  planting,  and 
the  tubers  set  about  six  inches  deep. 
Over-rich  soil  produces  leaves  rather  than 
flowers.  In  commercial  culture,  only 
two  main  stems  are  allowed  to  a  plant, 
ami  these  are  topped  to  about  one  toot 
March  4,  1010. 
in  midsummer,  so  as  to  give  strong 
blooms;  during  August  a  dilating  of  bone 
meal  is  scattered  along  the  rows,  to  give 
extra  nourishment  during  the  flowering 
period.  The  following  list  of  Dahlias  is 
selected  from  varieties  voted  Upon  by  the 
readers  of  the  Florists'  Exchange,  as  the 
best  sorts  for  garden  decoration  and  for 
cutting.  Geisha,  which  is  truly  raagni 
lieent,  received  more  votes  than  any  other 
sort.  Geisha,  peony  flowered,  scarlet  and 
gold  ;  Kalif,  cactus  type,  crimson  scar¬ 
let ;  Countess  of  Lonsdale,  cactus,  sal¬ 
mon  russet;  Souvenir  do  Gustav  Dou- 
550H,  decorative  type,  scarlet;  Wodon, 
cactus,  salmon  rose,  gold  center;  Parle 
de  Lyon,  hybrid  cactus,  white;  Rev.  T. 
W.  Jamieson,  cactus,  creamy  pink;  \V. 
W.  Ruwson,  show  type,  white,  overlaid 
amethyst;  A.  1  >.  Livoni,  show,  bright 
pink;  Mrs.  Roosevelt,  decorative,  delicate 
pink;  Golden  Gate,  gianl  cactus,  bronzy 
gold;  Etcmlard  de  Lyon,  cactus,  royal 
purple;  Golden  West,  show,  primrose; 
John  Riding,  cactus,  bright  crimson ; 
Dorolh.v  Peacock,  show,  shell  pink; 
Itreer’s  White,  show,  white;  Jack  Rose, 
decorative,  purplish  crimson;  Aurora, 
cactus,  light  pink;  Miss  Willmotl.  cactus, 
orange  scarlet.  Souvenir  de  Clialianne, 
collarette  type,  yellow,  white  collar. 
2.  The  Gladiolus  likes  a  sandy  loam, 
well  prepared  as  for  potatoes.  To  in¬ 
sure  prolonged  bloom,  it  is  a  good  plan  to 
make  successive  plantings  about  two 
weeks  apart,  beginning  us  early  as  the 
ground  can  he  worked,  and  continuing 
until  July.  Set  the  conns  about  four  or 
five  inches  deep;  if  planted  shallow  they 
are  easily  blown  over.  Plant  in  rows,  or 
promiscuously  in  the  border;  the  rows 
render  clean  cultivation  easier.  There 
is  an  immense  list  of  fine  named  sorts; 
the  following  are  very  good:  Huron 
IIu lot.  violet,  blue;  Sulphur  King,  clear 
yellow ;  America,  flesh  pink,  very  line ; 
Mrs.  Francis  King,  flame  color;  Prin- 
cops,  brilliant  red,  while  lines  on  lower 
petal,  suggestive  of  an  Amaryllis;  Klon- 
dyke.  clear  yellow,  crimson  blotch  111 
throat  :  Shakespeare,  white  suffused  rose. 
The  new  Priinulinus  hybrids,  ranging  in 
color  from  light  yellow  to  apricot  and 
crimson,  arc  very  beautiful, also  Lomoine’s 
Butterfly  hybrids  and  tne  new  Giant  Nnn- 
ccanus. 
Paper  Pots  and  Dirt  Bands 
I  often  read  of  dirt  hands  being  used 
in  transplanting  tomato  plants.  What 
arc  dirt  hands?  Are  they  an  article  of 
commerce?  ,r.  n. 
The  making  of  paper  pots  has  become 
a  very  important  industry  during  the  last 
few  years.  Their  cheapness  of  constric¬ 
tion  and  easy  handling  made  them  pop¬ 
ular  very  quickly  with  tic-  vegetable 
growers.  However,  those  paper  pots  are 
not  quite  as  good  as  they  gave  promise 
of  being.  Their  great  drawback  is  that 
they  prevent  a  free  circulation  of  the  soil 
moisture  and  frequently  hold  water  so 
that  the  soil  becomes  so  soggy  and  musty 
that  the  plants  develop  poorly. 
The  dirt  bauds  are  a  newer  arrange¬ 
ment,  at  once  cheaper  find  better.  When 
these  arc  used  the  soil  of  the  bed  is  made 
perfectly  smooth  'I’his  is  covered  with 
three  or  four  layers  of  newspapers  and 
the  paper  hands  are  folded  into  squares 
and  placed  close  together  *»o  these  layers 
of  newspapers.  Fine,  well  prepared  soil  i 
carefully  spread  over  the  "boxes”  until 
they  are  well  tilled.  Then  the  extra  soil 
may  he  carefully  swept  off  with  a  broom. 
Thus,  the  bands  will  he  evenly  filled  and' 
tin*  soil  partly  settled.  For  best,  success 
with  early  tomatoes  the  seedlings  should 
he  transplanted  before  they  are  three 
inches  high  so  that  they  will  stand  an 
inch  apart  each  way.  Then  when  they 
arc  live  or  six  inches  high  they  are  ready 
to  go  into  t he  dirt  bands. 
If  the  grower  is  anxious  to  grow  extra 
curly  plants  after  they  arc  “potted"  in  a 
cold  frame  it  may  he  advisable  to  place 
a  six-inch  layer  of  new  stable  manure 
under  a  couple  of  laches  of  soil  before  the 
bands  are  put  in  place.  The  size  of  th  - 
dirt  hands  used  is  frequently  influenced 
b.v  tin1  amount  of  sasli  room  available  and 
the  number  of  plants  to  he  grown.  For 
eggplants  and  tomatoes  from  three  to 
live-inch  dirt  hands  are  used  and  if  pep 
pars,  cauliflower  or  extra  early  cabbage 
is  to  lie  put  out  the  two  or  2V&-inoh  size 
is  large  enough.  Plants  should  never  be 
I iot ted  until  from  three  to  five  weeks 
before  they  are  to  go  to  the  field,  u.  w.  I). 
