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DAILY RURAL LIFE. 
FROM THE DIARY OF A GENTLEMAN NEAR NEW YORK CITY. 
Cutting Timber. — March 1. —I have 
been trying to find out, for the past twenty 
years, in which one of the twelve months it 
is best to cut timber, in order to have it 
remain sound and free from the attacks of 
inseots. Of course i have read all the moon 
theories, and similar uouseusical stuff, 
handed dowu from superstitious granddad- 
dies, but facts to prove any of the many 
assertions made, are extremely soarce. It 
is true, if we cut down hickory trees in 
winter, the wood is in proper condition by 
spring to be attacked by all the wood-boring 
beetles that appear at this season, and pre¬ 
fer felled hickory troea to those which are 
standing. If we wait until the sap is flow¬ 
ing rapidly in spring and then cut the trees, 
thousands of the little ScolytldCB are at¬ 
tracted by the sweet juices of the wood, 
and seldom fail to leave millions of eggs 
which soon beoorne either wood or bark- 
boring beetles. I do not know of any tree 
that is exempt from their attacks. 
Late in summer seems to be nearest the 
best time to escape insects; but then there 
is a large amount of half matured sap-wood 
which decays rapidly. It is certainly quite 
provoking not to bo able to save a little 
good timber for farm implements, without 
having to light rot and insects; but, as this 
has to be done, it is better to go at It syste¬ 
matically and not haphazard. Most of the 
insects which attack trees or timberdeposit 
their eggs in the crevices or just under the 
bark. Consequently, the best preventive 
against their attacks is to remove the bark 
of trees as soon as they are cut dowu. But 
to do this easily, the trees must be cut in 
spring when the sap is flowing most rapid¬ 
ly. After the timber is peeled off it Bhould 
be left entirely exposed to the sun and air, 
where the surface will dry rapidly. 
Timber that is to be preserved for use 
about the farm, for such purposes as har¬ 
rows, haudles of implements, etc., should 
be peeled and divided into required sizes, 
and then stored in a dark, dry place. Even 
with all this precaution, I have known It to 
be injured by borers; but an application of 
coal oil is uot only a preventive, but sure 
death to auy insect that may come near. 
Milkweed Fiber. — March 12. — How 
many times I have received pods of the 
oommon milkweed, containing liber, from 
correspondents, who asked if this substance 
was not valuable. It would be difficult for 
me to tell. Many an imaginary fortune has 
been made out of this supposed-to-be new 
substitute for cotton; but, alas! I fear that 
all the species of Asclepias, including the 
celebrated Cundurango, which, I believe, 
belongs to the same genus or family, will 
never clothe the naked or heal the sick. It 
is a pity, however, that a plant which should 
have received its name from the God of 
Medicine, ACsculATIUS, and known in the 
earlier ages as Vlncetoxlcum —Taine-poisofci 
or Master-poison—should have become so 
Unpopular in these later days. Perhaps the 
man who sent the Cundurango to the Ex¬ 
perimental Gardens at Washington, is like 
Cuaucer's Doctor, whom the old poet thus 
celebrates in verse: 
“ -Vith 11 s tber was a Doetour of Pbisike; 
/n all this world ne was ther non him like, 
£o speke of phtsike and of surgorie; 
4> 4r * % * 4c * 
He knew the cure of every maladie, 
were .i of cold, or bote, or moist or drie ; 
Ar,d rOer engendered, and of what humour: 
He was a veray partita practiaour." 
North or further South, so that he can 
make some kind of calculation on the weath¬ 
er; for it is doubtful if the fruits three hun¬ 
dred miles further North will suffer as 
much from cold as here. There are ad¬ 
vantages and disadvantages in all localities, 
and the best way is to look at the bright 
side and stick to our base of operations. 
<^larii|itlttti[al. 
FLORICULTURAL NOTES. 
Rosa Rendatler Pelargonium is high¬ 
ly spoken of for winter flowering, its bright 
BarkeHa Skinneri , Cattleya cltrlna, Cyp- 
rlpedium tnsigne , Coelogyne crlstata, C. 
odoratmlma, Disa qrandtjlora, E pi den- 
drum vttellinum, Goody era maernntha . 
Lcelia anceps , Lycaste Skinneri, Masdc- 
vallia ignea , MiUonta spcetabUU, Odonto- 
glomim grande , Phajus grandlfolius, P. 
WaUlchll." 
Chinese Primroses.—In Ritual New- 
Yorker of Jan. 6th, “Daily Rural Life" 
recommends double Chinese Primroses to 
ladies for house culture; says they are pro¬ 
pagated by cuttings. I would like to ask if 
they can be obtained from seed; and if they 
can, under what name, and where procured ? 
Mrs. L. M. C. Paiimelee. 
industrial ^ociqtiqa. 
INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES. 
The St. Louis A*, and Mech. Ass’u holds Its 
next annual Fair Oct. 3-12,1872. 
The Northwestern Poultry Association has 
elected the following ollicers for 1872: Pres.—L. 
'‘KH'f |r . ( " r ■ '• - w • T. Shepard, lice. 
See — M. it. Bartroo. lYeax .—(;. H. Atkins. 
HI,, Formers' Club.— Officer* elect for 
1S7«: P/m—A. M. Drowning. nce*P»m—Jas. 
Short, Bee. Sec— A. E. A. Meaoltnrn. Cor. Sec.— 
Isaac Colburn, Trcas .—Henry Kinney. 
Kenosha, Wla., Hurt. Soe. — Officers elect : 
I ns. Stephen Galt. Vice-Pre*. - L. Wood- 
- ---—-——‘ ’ " V-l ftC» A/i YY1IGU' 
m i .1 „ . worth. bVc.—J. B- Jllsun. Treaa.—F. H. Lyman 
Thb double Chinese Primroses ” do not ^x. C'om.-Wm. Gordon, Peter Hutchinson. 
If there is any part of the milkweed plant 
more valuable than another, it is the bark, 
which contains quite a large amount of 
strong, fibrous material, and might be util¬ 
ized; still there are so many other plants of 
like nature, but better, that the milkweed 
must necessarily remain neglected for some 
time to come. 
Winter-Killed Plants. — March 18.— 
The past winter has been the severest upon 
plants of any that I have ever known. In 
looking about, my garden to-day, I have 
been considerably surprised to see so many 
of what we have always considered hardy 
plants injured or killed to the ground. 
More than one-half of the hardiest varieties 
of raspberries are out down; even the old 
Kirtland had to succumb to the extremely 
dry and cold winter. Unprotected straw¬ 
berry plants show very little signs of life, 
and from present appearances small fruits 
of nearly all kinds will not bo over abund¬ 
ant in this region of country. The snow 
has been so soarce that I have been to the 
railroad station but onoe on runners this 
winter. Now, it is a question whether a 
man had not better live a little further 
DOLLY VARDEN 
pink flowers growing brighter and in better 
shape than in summer, and are also pro¬ 
duced very abundantly. A gardener who 
now has a house hall full of it, which has 
been a mass of flowers for three months, 
Bays: — The cuttings were struck late in 
spring, and grown in the open air, in six and 
eight-inch pots; not plunged, but placed on 
bricks, and in September were removed to 
a light, airy house, where the temperature 
is not allowed to fall below 40*. The plants 
are now many of them perfect little speci¬ 
mens, fit for a dinner table, with five or six 
fully developed trusses on each. I have 
given many other kinds a trial for winter 
flowering, but never found another half so 
good as Rose Rendatler. This I have crown 
and watched five or six winters, and it has 
never failed. 
Cool Orchids for Conservatories.— 
The Editor of The Garden, in answer to a 
request to 
few cool orchids for a 
conservatory—these easiest to grow and ob¬ 
tain,” says:—“Orohids in general require a 
little extra heat when making their growth, 
but we think the following may suit you: 
ALKINO- SUIT .-[See Page 215.] 
produce seed, therefore none is to be had. 
The plants can be purchased of any New 
York City florist, and, we presume, else¬ 
where. 
Brackets for Flower Pots.—Will W. 
H. W. (see Rural New-Yorker, Nov. 18, 
1871) describe, more fully, how a bracket of 
steel springs can be made strong enough to 
support a flower pot ? Also give us patterns, 
&c. We should like inoro hints similar to 
those in the article referred to.—A Sub¬ 
scriber. 
“ Solomon’s Seal ” is highly recom¬ 
mended by English gardeners, for forcing 
in masses for the conservatory. It does best 
in not less than ten to twelve inoh pots, 
grows about two feet high, and, ns it has 
large, fleshy roots, care must be taken not 
to break or bruise them in potting. 
Camellia and Lime.— Notts says the Ca¬ 
mellia will not grow in soil from a limestone 
formation, while it will thrive like a willow 
in tough, fibrous loam from a sandstone 
formation. What is the experience of our 
readers In this respect ? 
The Mas* Society for llic Promotion of Agri¬ 
culture proposes to hold in Ronton, In September, 
a grand exhibition of thorough bred stock and 
dairy product*; $14,000 is to bo offered lu prizes. 
lown Fair* ure announced as follows: North 
Eastern Imva Ag. Soe., Sept . 24 27; Miitmeka Co. 
Ag. Soe., Aug. 27-30; I’owesholk Co. Ag. Hoe., at 
Drooklyn, Sept. 13-16; Monroe Co. Ag. Soc., at 
Albia, Sept. 10 12. 
Urandon, Vt., Farmers' nnd Mechanics' Club.— 
Officers elect, for 1872: I'm.— DR. C. r.. Cape. 
Vice-Prc*. E. June. Trcms.-C. M. Winslow. 
Sec.— C. D. Pitts. Cor. Sec. —J. F. McCollum 
And.—A. S. Cook. Lib.—S. D. June. 
Moiiltrce Co., 111., Ag. Soe.—Officers elect for 
1872: l’m,-.l. E. Eden. Vlce-Ptes.—Elibu W'el- 
bon.— See. und TrettM.—G, \V, Vaughn. Directors — 
E. A. Mills, J. H. Snyder, J. D. Taylor, George 
Hethrlngtori, F. H. Crowder. Pair, Sept. 2f>— 28. 
Hancock I n., III., Grape Grower*' Soclely.— 
Suck a society was recently organized ut Nun v no, 
111. Officers elect: Pres.— G. It. Woktiikh, War¬ 
saw. Ctce-Prcs. —A. liege.r, Nauvoo. Bee. See.— 
C. 0. Hopper. Warsaw. Cor. See.— 1£. Baxter, 
Nauvoo. lYcae.-C. Bradley, Nauvoo. 
Indinnn llec-Krepcr*' Aim'd _Officers elect: 
Preu’t— J. F- Wright, Columbus. iics-Pitis’la— 
G. Bohre.r, Madison Co.; E.G. Holliday and W. 
A. Schofield, Indianapolis. See'y — A. J. Pope, 
Indianapolis. 'J'retlS.—H. J. McNnbb, Indianapo¬ 
lis. The full mcoiing oi the society is to bo held 
during the State Fair at. Indianapolis. 
The MiiIYnIo, A. V., Driving Park Ass'n has 
decided to offer premiums to the amount wf 
— ' V | »>/( I| j /..'IT, 
$6,000 ; 2:il0, $10,000; 2.27, *10,000: 2:26, *10,1.10; 
2:21, $5,000; for all horses, $10,000; lour-year olds, 
$1,000 ; Hvo-yeur olds, $1,600. 
Cnpc May Co.. N. J., Ag. Hoc.—Officers elect: 
Pres. W m . Doolittle, l'iee-pm.-• Francis 
Williams. Scc.—T. E. Van Gilder. 1 'reat — Da \ id 
Townsend. Am't See. F. 8. Townsend. hr. 
Com.- Thuddeus Van Gilder, T. R. Gaudy, Aims 
Wheaton, It. M. Townsend, David Warwick, 
Alfred D. Smith, Wm. T. Buies, .Joseph Cresset), 
W. V. L. Sieguiun, Joseph Hull. Fair is to bo 
held at South Scavllle, Kept. Kith, 11th and 12th. 
Portage Co., Ag. Sue.—Officers fleet, for 
1872: Bres't- E. P. Brain, win. Vice- Pies'l — K. 
H. Peck Ureas. E. B. "W nit. Sic'u —John Mb- 
barg. Fair Sept. 2fr27. The Board lias wisely 
Bcsotved, That no shows, swings, or similar ex¬ 
hibitions of any kind will be permitted on iho 
grounds during our coming Fair; neither .-hull 
unv poison be permitted to sell any goods at 
public outcry on the grounds. 
Besotted, That no Horse Fair be permitted on 
the grounds of the Society. 
The Woolen Manufacturers* Association of the 
West mill feuuih recently met in Clift ago, and 
elected the following officers: Free.—G eo. K. 
Bowen. VtM-lbc&'t*- H. 8. Dickertnan, Spring- 
field. 111.; I,. 8. Blake, Bacine, Wls.; II. It. Gnifi¬ 
ner, Jonesvllle, Mich.; Geo. A. Crawford, Kan.; 
J. G. Gross, Tiffin, O.; H. E. 8terne. Peru, Ind.; 
I'aiis Gibson, Minneapolis, Minn.; Jos. Shields, 
Davenport; J, W. Stine, Louisville; R, S. Ross, 
8t. Charles, Mo.; J. W. Fry, Sun Francisco; N. J. 
Bussey, Columbus, Git.; J. Wintorbotiom, Den¬ 
ver, Col.; James W. Cummings, Sub Luke City. 
Executive Com— It, H. Gardner, Mich.; F. K. 
Nichols. Ill.; Thomas J. Hargrave, Ky.; J. J. 
Meek, Iowa; It. Street, Wis.; 1C. Gmendyke, 
lnd.; Charles Rabbits. Ohio: Thomas Htebe, 
Ohio; J. P. Goodale, III.; E. H. Aiken, 111.; It. 
H. Chilton, Gn.; S. 8. Patter, Ky. ; Alton Pope, 
Ohio; John Schretmer, Ohio; J, V. Horton, 
Ind. Bee. Sec.—Aug. C. Schooley, Chicago. 
Treas.—J. G. fjtclp, Aurora, Ill. C or. Sec. Dau l 
Hill, Chicago* It was decided to bold the annual 
exhibition In Chloogo, August 6—U. 
iipitic (Information. 
HYGIENIC NOTES AND QUERIES. 
Remedy for Ringworms.— J. Smith 
says “Gunpowder, made soft, (with what?) 
and applied occasionally, has cured ring¬ 
worms.” 
“ A New Subscriber,” Woonsocket, R. 
L, writes:—“As soon as the ground thaws, 
dig a Narrow Dock root, wash off the dirt, 
bruise the end of It, and rub the juice on the 
ringworm, wherever it is, three or four 
times a day. It will cure the worst caso 
that ever existed.” 
Another correspondent writes:—“Take 
a half teaspoonful of saleratus, dissolve it 
in as little water as possible, and bathe the 
part* with the solution as often, through 
the day, as couvenieut.” 
To Cur© Nervous, or Rick Head¬ 
ache.—Several years Bince I was very much 
afflioted with nervous headache. Some one 
told me it was occasioned by drinking green 
tea, it acting as poison to some constitu¬ 
tions. After that I drank black tea, and 
have never been troubled with such head- 
aohes sineo. Other causes may produce 
nervous headaches, of course, but 1 bellev© 
this is ene.—A Former Sufferer. 
