The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Ruralisms 
Increased Size of Product 
Few farmers, I think, fully realize the 
desirability of increasing the size of ber¬ 
ries, fruits, vegetables, etc., grown for 
market. For example, by doubling the 
diameter of a berry, potato or apple, it 
will require but one-eighth as many to 
lill a measure; or, in other words, it re¬ 
quires eight times as many of one-half 
size per quart, peek, bushel, etc., and the 
time of picking is correspondingly in¬ 
creased. l. n. b. 
New York. 
It. N.-Y.—Probably few farmers have 
ever thought of this. This correspondent 
further says: 
"My attention was called thereto in 
picking blueberries. To fill a measure 
from bushes producing small berries re¬ 
quired so much more time that I made 
calculation, aud, of course, found that 
berries one-half size took eight times as 
many to a quart,” 
Propagating Clematis and Spiraea 
1 have a beautiful purple Clematis from 
which I would like to propagate another 
plant. How can I do it V Mow are 
Spirmas propagated? mbs. M. w. c. 
Aurora, N. Y. 
The easiest way for you to propagate 
both the Clematis and Spirrna would be 
by layers. Bend down a strand of the 
vine, make a slight cut through the outer 
bark on the under side, peg it to the 
ground at this point, and put a little 
earth over the place. Ripe wood should 
be used, not a tender green shoot. Leave 
until next Spring, when there should be 
a good buueb of roots at the place pegged 
down. The tip with the root is then sev¬ 
ered from the parent plant, and set as a 
separate individual. The same plan may 
be followed with the Spinea. Some 
Spit-mas will root from cuttings of ripe 
wood set in the Fall like currants, but 
its a rule green cuttings are used under 
glass. If the Clematis is a good-sized 
clump it is a good plan to divide it while 
dormant, and this might be advantageous. 
This would give a strong, new plant, 
without detriment to the old one. 
Celery Diseases 
What causes my Celery plants to die 
in patches, just as if they had been 
scalded? First the leaves, then the stalk, 
gets brown and dries up. This is the 
second year they have done it. If I 
should change my seed bed would it make 
any difference? mbs. u, c. c. 
Mr. Sidney, Va. 
Celery will often dry up or wilt with 
unfavorable weather conditions, and be¬ 
sides this trouble there are two blights 
which cause trouble. As Mrs. II. (’. C. 
does not describe the trouble with the 
celery plants in detail it is hard to tell 
which of these causes makes the plants 
die. The late blight is the most common 
and serious one. It appears in late 
Summer as rusty brown spots on the 
outside leaves, spreading under favorable 
conditions over the entire leaf surface 
and to other leaves of the plants, causing 
a burned appearance to the foliage in a 
very short lime. During unusually 
warm, moist weather in the growing sea¬ 
son this disease proves very destructive. 
Plants set on poorly drained laud or , 
plants stunted or weakened by any other 
means are especially susceptible to it. If 
the plants are kept growing vigorously 
and are well cultivated they are not as 
susceptible and are generally able to 
withstand its effects. The disease may 
also be prevented by spraying the plants 
with Bordeaux mixture. 4-4-50. using 
pressure enough to make a fine mist. 
Spraying should lie done every 10 days 
and during long rainy periods as often 
as once a week will show good results. 
T. H. T. 
Loss of Fruit Trees 
In November. 1021. I set out some 
apple, cherry, near aud plum trees near 
the house. All were good strong trees. 
The land is nearly level, and 1 dug each 
hole IS in. square and IS in. deep. *o as 
to give the roots plenty of room to start 
in soft, loose dirt. There were a few 
inehes of good soil and the rest was hard- 
pan. I put the good soil around the 
roots of the trees before using the rest. 
Fa eh hole had a few inches of water in it 
when I set the trees. In the Spring the 
trees all seemed to start to grow nicely 
for a short time, then the leaves began 
to look as though they had been burned. ! 
and began to curl, and the trees would 
die. What is your opinion? c. E. J. 
•Tohuson City, N. Y. 
The Winter of 1021-22 was severe, not 
because of extreme cold, hut because of 
real freezing before any great amount of 
snow fell. There were also many cold 
nights, followed by warm, bright days, 
which is also detrimental to plant growth. 
From the description given by C. F. .T. 
I should say the trees mentioned were 
winter-killed. They would start some 
growth in the Spring from food stored 
in the roots, and then the leaves would 
wither and die. 
At Ithaca the past iWinter was fatal 
to many roses in the Cornell test plots, 
and at Morrisville, N. Y„ the rose canes 
were frozen nearly to the ground. I 
should always plant fruit trees and 
shrubs in the Spring in the colder sec¬ 
tions of Nc\v York State to prevent this 
danger of winter-killing. If the trees 
arrive in the Fall I should heel them in 
over Winter, covering them almost en¬ 
tirely to prevent Winter injury. 
T. H. TOWNSEND. 
Greenhouse White Fly 
I have many hoti.se plants. The post 
season I have been bothered with white 
winged lice. They will soon kill a plant, 
and I can find no cure for them. These 
lice do not mind insect powder or water 
—seem to thrive on all, even tobacco 
smoke. How can I kill them? 
Sloansville. N. Y. MRS. n. 1*. 
The insects attacking your house 
plants are the greenhouse white tty, a 
very troublesome pest. It is difficult to 
destroy, as it is very active, and gets out 
of the way of the spray. The most ef¬ 
fective remedy used commercially is fumi¬ 
gation with hydrocyanic acid gas. but 
this is too dangerous for general use. 
Some benefit will be derived from spray¬ 
ing the plant with whale-oil soap, 1% 
ounce to one gallon of water. It will he 
wise to spray or dip any house plants 
before bringing indoors in Fall, as white 
fly or other insects may he brought in on 
a single plant, and thus allowed to spread 
to others after they are indoors. 
The Parrot as Orchard Police 
Suggest to your readers that, they try a 
parrot or two stationed in or near their 
cherry trees. Robins do not seem to 
bother. The folks at home always did 
this, although they only had half a dozen 
trees. It could not. very likely, be done 
where trees were a large number. Our pol- 
lies were tame enough so they had their 
liberty, but until they were they were 
left loose on a very fine chain, so there 
was not much weight to it. The cherries 
the parrots ate were very few. One 
liked them green only, and she was scolded 
for sating them, as they made her sick, 
and she, wise polly. got so she would sit 
up in the tree and scold and scold, but 
she finally would not touch the cherries 
at all. mrs. it. L. C. 
Transplanting Peonies and Rose 
I have a large rose bush and some 
peonies that I wish to transplant. Would 
you teil me the proper time to transplant 
same? MBS. f. r. a. 
Peonies may be transnlanted to Pest 
advantage from September 15 to Octo¬ 
ber 1. This gives them an opportunity 
to take hold well before the ground 
freezes, and the plants will start into 
active growth very early in Spring. 
Late Autumn, after growth has ceased, 
is an excellent time to transplant, roses. 
Roses are more often planted in Spring, 
as soon as the ground can be worked, 
but Autumn planting offers many advan¬ 
tages, and you can select a favorable 
time, when the rose bush is entirely dor¬ 
mant, and move it at once to the selected 
spot. This would induce a healthy, early 
growth, and the plant would suffer no 
shock from the moving. 
Poisoning Moles 
Don’t say a trap is the best way to 
kill moles. Spread strychnine on a thin 
piece of beefsteak, cut into small squares. 
With cane punch a hole in used mole run. 
drop in a piece of poisoned beef, and 
cover with a clod. This for gardens, 
lawns, etc. I think moles beneficial in 
an ordinary orchard, as they kill many 
May beetles, etc. B. buckman. 
Illinois. 
“The bookkeeper is always talking 
shop.” “Isn’t he, though? Why, he ac¬ 
tually referred to his baby’s learning to 
walk as a trial balance.”—Boston Trans¬ 
cript. 
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