MOOBE’S BUBAL NEW-YORKER. 
grarir 4 :t 3M»*- 
DAILY RURAL LIFE. 
From the Diary of n Centleman near New 
York City. 
__ 
PRIMULAS, PHLOXES AHO PENTSTEMONS. 
Feb. fi.—D aily Rural Life:— The little 
time I get from business is devoted to the 
garden, and it has in most instances repaid 
me for the work and slight outlay. But I 
have utterly failed to grow PrimuLas and 
Perennial Phlox from seed ; have made re¬ 
peated sowings of these and Pentstemons j 
at various seasons mid have only a few plants 
of the latter. I feel sure you can put me, 
and likely many other amateurs, on the right j 
t rack by giving your experience in the ‘ ‘Diary 
Of a Ruralist. — 0. c. I*. 
Primula* are not quite so easily raised 
from seed as cabbages, hence our seedsmen i 
get no small amount of scoldings for selling i 
poor, old seed. There is little, use in trying 
to raise plants of the Chinese Primroses from 
seed sown in the open ground. Seedpans or , 
boxes should always be employed for this j 
purpose, transplanting the seedlings from j 
these when of the proper size. In preparing 
soil for this purpose, let it be of light loam 
or leaf-mold from the woods or fence corn¬ 
ers. Mix in a little silver sand and sift all 
through a coarse sieve. Boxes or flower pots 
will answer for a seed bed, and into these 
put plenty of drainage ; fill in soil to within 
an inch or a little more of the top ; make the , 
surface level and smooth ; apply water, and i 
allow the soil to settle ; then scatter on the 
seed, over which sift a very little of pure, 
sand, but no soil. Over Lbe top of the pot or 
box place a pane of glass ; this will prevent 
a too rapid evaporation of the moisture from 
the surface and save one the trouble of fre¬ 
quent waterings, which, if not carefully per¬ 
formed, are likely to displace the seed. If you 
have no glass, tie a sheet of thick paper over 
the pots. The surface of the soil must be 
kept moist, but not saturated, with water. 
Put the boxes or pots in a warm place, light 
not being necessary until the plants begin to 
appear, at which time remove the coverings 
or the seedlings will grow tall and slender 
and be likely to “ damp off," as the fiorists 
term it It is not best to place the young 
seedlings where they will receive the direct 
rays of a hot, burning sun. but partially 
shade, at least during the middle of the day. 
As soon as the seedlings are large enough to 
handle, transplant either into small thumb 
pots or into boxes four to six inches deep, 
giving each plant sufficient room to grow. 
If kept in pots during the summer, which is 
really the only safe plan for all the Chinese 
sorts, they should be re-potted about three 
times, the last leaving them in pots five or 
six inches in diameter. The pots should also 
be kept plunged in soil or tan bark during the 
summer, and placed in frames where the 
plants can be shaded during the hottest 
weather. Only the single varieties are prop¬ 
agated from seed, the double sorts from cut¬ 
tings or division of the old stools. 
PERENNIAL PHLOXES. 
I cannot understand why you should fail 
with these plants, for seedlings come up 
every year in immense numbers about my 
plants in the garden, and I have to be very 
careful in hoeing up to prevent them from 
getting mixed in with named sorts. Perhaps 
if you should sow the seed in the fall, your 
luck would change. But as it is now too 
late to try this plan, try the next best, 
which is to soak the seeds for a few hours in 
warm water and then sow in boxes, trans¬ 
planting the seedlings when two or more 
inches high. The seeds of all the species of 
Phlox usually germinate quite freely if not 
too old. 
PENTSTEMONS. 
The seeds of these beautiful plants are quite 
small, and there is always danger of cover¬ 
ing them too deep. I never had any difficul¬ 
ty in making fresh seed grow ; but I have 
always practiced sowing in boxes or in hot¬ 
bed frames, then transplanting the seedlings. 
I would advise trying the same plan as rec¬ 
ommended for Primulas ; but transplant 
into the open border du ring a cloudy or rainy 
day. If they should wilt the next pleasant 
day, protect them from the direct rays of the 
sun until well established. 
THE ART OF PURCHASING PLANTS. 
Feb. 7.—There is just as much art in buy¬ 
ing plants as pictures, and the man who 
t hinks he knows but does not, is likely to 
spend his money very foolishly when invest¬ 
ing in either. In nearly all of our larger 
cities, plants of various kinds are hawked 
about the streets, sold from stands on the 
sidewalks and in the markets. There are 
also various sales at auction, the plants being 
gathered from hothouses, greenhouses, and 
from the open ground, some requiring the j 
temperature of the tropics, while others will 
flourish under the snows of the Arctic re- | 
gions. Orchids from Central America and j 
Spruces from British America are placed on 
sale aide by side, the purchaser paying his 
money and taking his choice. Mrs. Toodles, 
or her representative man, is usual Ivon hand 
to purchase whatever looks well and is likely 
to astonish the neighbors, whether or not 
there is any suitable place In t he home es¬ 
tablishment for keeping such common things 
or rarities, as the case may be, I was going 
t o say that many thousand? of dollars were 
annually lost by those who purchase plants 
without knowing how to discriminate be¬ 
tween the desirable and undesirable ; but 
upon second thought I will not, because they 
are only paying for an education of which 
they stand sadly in need. Probably the wild¬ 
est class of purchasers are the amateur? who 
have lately erected a small greenhouse to j 
set olT their city or country residence, and j 
having the supposed conveniences for trop¬ 
ical plants, why not have everything that is 
nice without regard to price i The florists’ 
establishments are frequently visited as well 
as the auction sales of rare exotics, and Cycan 
rcvolvtd and Dendrobiwn nobfle are placed 
on the greenhouse shelves by the side of 
Verbenas and Fuchsias. Soon something is 
the matter with the tropical pets, and a. 
friend suggests more heat and moisture, and 
this is applied with vigor, and then the Ver¬ 
benas mildew and droop, the Fuchsias and 
other similar plants look sickly' and their 
branches very long and slender. If the man 
happens to keep a gardener, the poor fellow’s 
life is nearly taken with the “blowings" he 
gets from his mast er in regard to incompe- 
teney and indolence, and no amount of logic 
will drive the idea, out of an amateur’s head 
that all kinds of tender plants will not thrive 
in his one little greenhouse. 
Now neighbor Toodlks believes in consist¬ 
ency, and he makes a great ado about Bridg¬ 
et buying a $15 hat to w r ear with her cheap 
delaine dress and $2 shawl; but he paid $15 
for an Orchid from Guatemala and tried to 
make il grow among his six-eent Verbenas. 
Consistency and good taste are rare quali¬ 
ties which we like to see displayed in the 
dress and surroundings of others, but it is a 
j great impertinence to have them brought 
directly' home to ourselves. I often think a 
man had better do nothing t han do so much 
and do it all wrong. Now, the art of buying 
plants consists in selecting those adapted to 
our circumstances and surroundings, and any 
departure from this shows the ignorance of 
the purchaser: and the well informed on this 
subject think, if they do not say it, “Preten¬ 
tions shoddy !” It must not, however, be 
supposed that it is only those who buy rare 
exotic plants who make great mistakes in 
selections, for the t rees about the lawns or 
the little door-yard all speak of the knowl¬ 
edge or ignorance of the planter. "When we 
see a Norway 7 Spruce or large-growing spe¬ 
cies of deciduous trees being planted in a 
ten-feet square door-yard, we know the man 
who ordered it put there is dabbling in a 
business of which he is very ignorant. If 
we start here in this little door-yard and so 
up to the magnificent suburban country res¬ 
idence with its acres of lawn and ornamental 
trees and shrubs, the “shoddy" can be read¬ 
ily' separated from the true gentleman and 
man of taste. Pretension in buying plants 
is often displayed very' prominently but 
never concealed from those who do know, 
any more than ignorance in any other walks 
of life. 
POULTRY NOTES. 
Hatching and Rearing Black Hamburga. 
—A fancier who sets his Black Hamburg 
eggs under other fowls, finds the common 
barn-yard fowl lays eggs in the nest very 
lik e those of the Hamburgs, hence he uses 
for sitting small-sized Light Brahmas, choos¬ 
ing those with clean legs, and thus securing a 
sitting* fowl that lays a dark-colured egg, 
which can be distinguished from the Ham¬ 
burgs. 
Origin of Black Hamburg Fowls. —Mr. 
Wright says:—“There is little doubt but 
that the Black Hamburg has been produced 
by crossing with the Black Spanish ; the 
white face, often half apparent, the larger 
size and the darker legs, all betray its origin. 
It is, however, perfectly well established as 
a distinct variety, and good strains breed 
quite true to color and other points." 
Treatment of Rabbits. —When should bucks 
and does be separated from each other, if 
they should be separated at all ?—G. S. 
They should not be allowed to run together 
after they are six months old. Old bucks 
are apt to kill the young rabbits if they can 
WHITE ABH AND HEMLOCK SEEDS. 
— 
What is the description and time of ma¬ 
turity'of the seeds of the white ash? Will 
hemlock seeds sprout readily* after being 
dried ? T have seen statements in print that 
these seeds can be planted with very good 
results. I am just i reproving a prairie farm, 
And have planted successfully' Soft Maple, 
Black Walnut, Beech, Plum and Apple seeds, I 
and transplanted Cottonwood.— S. D. Allen, 
Doniphan (, 0 f, Ran. 
The seeds of the White Ash are about an 
inch and a half long, quite, slender, or about 
a quarter of an inch wide, of a slightly oval 
form and w'inged. They' are produced in 
large clusters or panicles. They ripen late 
in autumn, at which time they should either 
be sown or mixed with damp sand and 
buried in the open ground until spring. 
When sown they' should not be covered too 
deeply with earth —a half inch is deep 
enough ; then cover the entire surface of the 
seed bed with some kind of mulch, to keep 
the ground moist and aid germination and 
aftergrowth. 
Hemlock seed are very small, and although 
not difficult to make grow when one knows 
just how to manage them, still very few per¬ 
sons will succeed in raising hemlock seed¬ 
lings until they' have had considerable expe 
rieuce. There is no use in trying to grow 
evergreen seedlings of any kind in the open 
ground, unprotected from sun and rain in 
this country. It is done iu Europe, but our 
climate is too changeable to be relied upon, 
consequently those who make a business of 
growing such things use frames something 
like in form to those used for common hot¬ 
beds. These frames are either covered with 
lath screens or some material that will par¬ 
tially shade the y'oung seedlings when they 
first appear above ground and for a few 
weeks thereafter. If only a few hundred or 
thousand are desired, they can be purchased 
much cheaper than you can raise them from 
seed. Those who make the raising of ever¬ 
greens a regular business are not always suc¬ 
cessful, and the amateur with no knowledge 
of the requisite manipulations, stands a very 
poor chance of making his first or second at¬ 
tempt a success. 
Deciduous trees are more easily raised from 
seed than any' of the evergreens ; but after 
the latter are two or three years old, they 
require very little more care than the former. 
-- 
HOW TO PLANT PECANS AND 
CHESTNUTS. 
Will you inform me how and when to 
plant Pecans and Chestnuts ?—J. A. S., 
Springfield, III. 
There are very few species of our native 
nuts that will grow after they have once 
become thoroughly dried, consequently' fall 
is the time to plant. But in case it is not 
convenient to plant at that time, the nuts 
may be preserved in moist sand or soil until 
spring, and then sown in drills or wherever 
it is desirable to have them grow. 
The chestnut is probably one of the most 
delicate of all, requiring careful handling in 
order to succeod in making the nuts grow ; 
but if taken fresh from the trees or before 
they get dry and shriveled, and placed in 
pure sand and then buried in the open ground 
where they will be kept cool and moist until 
spring, there is little danger of failure, pro¬ 
vided they are not planted too deep and in 
heavy' soils. We have found it a good plan 
to scatter the nuts in shallow drills and 
merely cover them with sand or sandy soil, 
and then spread a little hay', straw or some 
such light material over the bed—not more 
than a half inch in depth of soil should be put 
over the nuts. 
Pecan and other species of hickory nuts 
may be treated in the same manner, although 
they will withstand considerable hard usage 
and still grow. Pecans which have been kept 
in stores since last autumn may be made to 
germinate next spring if taken now and put 
in moiat soil and placed where they will 
freeze during this month or next. The freez¬ 
ing and t hawing open the pores of the shell, 
admitting moisture to the germ within. 
--- 
DO NOT FORGET THE CUTTINGS. 
Cuttings of those plants which are readily 
propagated in this manner, can be made ail 
through the winter months. After being 
cut up into the required lengths they may 
either be buried in the open ground, if there 
is a convenient place, or put away in the cel¬ 
lar carefully' packed in soil, sawdust, moss, 
or any similar material which will keep them 
moist, but not too wet, until spring. The 
earlier in the season the cuttings are taken 
off, the better for the longer they remain on 
the parent plant the more likely to be injured 
by' severe cold weather. 
While our farmers and others are making 
up a goodly number of quince, gooseberry, 
currant, grape, and other fruit cuttings, we 
hope they will not forget the ornamental 
shrubbery. Hedges of Dent.zias, Weigelas, 
Spiraeas, Snowballs, Phfladelphus, and other 
similar shrubs are things which would add 
much to the beauty* of many a country home, 
but they are seldom seen, and we presume 
because few persons know that these plants 
can be propagated by cuttings as readily as 
the currant or gooseberry. Almost any old 
clump of a bush will supply the cuttings for 
a good hedge of limited extent. 
We hope to see more taste displayed in 
this direction than now seen about our coun¬ 
try homes, and it only requires some one or 
two in each neighborhood to make a begin¬ 
ning, and then others will follow. Let us 
make this ornamentation business a little 
more fashionable and common everywhere, 
even about the abode of the poorest of the 
poor farmer's so much talked about of late. 
To that poor farmer who thinks he has no 
time to spend in such work, we say bring in 
the brush before dark and when the wife is 
darning stockings or mending the children’s 
clothes, just spend your time in whittling to 
some purpose, making cuttings. We don’t 
like to boast of our own industry, but we 
have made a hundred thousand cuttings 
with our own hands during the evenings of 
one winter, and do not believe it injured our 
health in the least. 
- 4 -*-*- 
DISEASED RASPBERRY CANES. 
W hat is the cause of my raspberry canes 
dying out ? Of six Mammoth Clusters I had, 
two made a good growth, one died early in 
the fall and the other died the following 
year just after bearing. I am not speaking 
of the old wood ; I mean the young shoots. 
I have some Phiiadclphias that act in the 
same manner. The bark turns bluish. The 
soil is sand.y, adjoining a salt marsh. Is there 
any remedy for the disease ?—P. Heamy, 
Lyman, Mam. 
The fact that your raspberry’ plants be¬ 
come diseased and die out, is sufficient to 
show that your soil is not well adapted to 
the culture of these plants. A rather heavy 
soil is better suited to the growth of rasp¬ 
berries of all kinds than a light soil; but they 
can be made to succeed well in the latter by 
a free use of stable manure and the applica¬ 
tion of some kind of mulch on the surface of 
the ground around the plants. Plenty of 
manure and good culture are the requisites 
in raspberry culture, adding mulch in light, 
dry soils. No failures need be anticipated or 
experienced if these requisites are supplied. 
-- 
ARBORICULTURAL NOTES. 
To Kill Osage Orange Hedge. —In answer 
to “J. J. L.," as how best to kill an Osage 
hedge, I would say, first cut off the hedge 
close to the ground and then turn a furrow 
away from each side of hedge, after which 
take an axe and cut off the roots at bottom 
of furrow. In tiffs way it can be cheaply 
done and entirely killed, and no other way 
that 1 ever saw tried will succeed ; and then 
in this way*, there will be almost wood enough 
to pay for the work. I killed a mile or so in 
thiB way at Bloomington, Ill.—R. R. Ma- 
comber. 
How to Measure the Length of a Tree.— 
Take a forked stick ; measure the length so 
that it will come exactly up to your eyes ; 
then measure the length of the timber want¬ 
ed—say forty feet in a line out from the tree 
and allow for the stump : then set up your 
stake, lay down on your back with your 
heels at the stake ; look through the stake, 
and the place where the eye strikes the tree 
will be the length of the timber. The ground 
ought to be level ; if not. allowance can be 
made.— Woodsman. Cascade, Wfs. 
Sod vs. Clean Culture.— P. J. Berckmans 
says, in the Farmer and Gardener:—“We 
have had an opportunity to compare the 
two methods in several of the most re¬ 
nowned pear growing districts of Virginia, 
New York and New England States, and 
wherever the sod system is practiced, as it 
is recommended by Mr. Meehan, the differ¬ 
ence in profits is vastly in favor of the sod 
culture." 
Apple Trees on Pear Roots.—W ill apple 
trees thrive on pear roots and vice versa?— 
“ Lamajd." 
The buds or grafts will usually grow for a 
season or two, but the union appears to be 
imperfect and seldom remains permanent for 
any considerable time. 
