334 
MOOSE’S RURAi. NEW-YORKER. 
NOV. 21 
giitrtr of a UtoraM 
DAILY RURAL LIFE. 
From the Diary of a Centleman near New 
York City. 
PLANTIMO AND PROTECTIH0 BULBS. 
amount of information one can obtain for a 
few cents or dimes. For instance, in looking 
over the few advertisements inserted in the 
American Naturalist for November, 1 notice 
quite a number of cheap manuals and pam¬ 
phlets which should be. of great service to 
the young men—yes, and women too—who 
desire to obtain information on any subject 
relating to Natural History. For instance, 
suppose a person desires to learn the address 
of the various botanists of the United States 
Nov. 9. — Several years ago, when my en¬ 
thusiasm in horticultural allairs frequently 
got the better of discretion, I made some 
very expensive blunders which 1 never like 
to talk about, unless for the purpose of keep¬ 
ing somebody else from falling into the same 
ditch. Once upon a time Mrs. “ Ruralist ” 
suggested that a large bed of early, spring 
flowering bulbs would be a great addition to 
our garden ; and, as 1 fully agreed with her 
in t his matter, arrangement s were made, to 
carry out the. suggestion. In the woods 
about a mile dist ant, I found a spot where 
charcoal had been made several years br fore, 
and tile debrits of tine coal ashes and black 
soil was quite plentiful. These materials 
are supposed to be excellent for bulbous 
plants of all kinds, and of course I hastened 
to secure them of the owner of the land. 
Twenty-live loads were hauled and a bulb 
bed inudo according to rule and upon scion 
title principles. When ready, 1 went to New 
York and made, my selections of Hyacinths, 
Tulips, Crocus, Narcissus, and other suitable 
kinds that would make a good show. My 
bill, after securing a liberal discount, amount¬ 
ed to sixty-eight dollars. I confess to have 
secretly thought that I would surprise Mrs. 
“ Ruralist,” not with the quantity but in the 
quality and beauty of the varieties, conse¬ 
quently only the very choice named sorts 
were purchased. 
The bulbs were planted at the proper sea¬ 
son and 1 think in a proper manner. As 
some of them were considered not perfectly 
hardy, 1 made arrangements to give protec¬ 
tion in winter. Resides, did not and do not. 
the garden calendars recommend this, even 
with the most hardy kinds ? Of course 1 was 
well aware that mice would eat these bulbs 
if they could get at them, but when burled 
several inches deep in the ground, danger 
from this source appeared to me out of the 
question. When the ground began to freeze 
the bed was covered four to live inches deep 
for the purpose of correspondents© or ex¬ 
change of specimens, he can obtain all that, 
are known up to tire present time in the 
Botanical Directory, price 30 cents. It is 
certainly worth 30 cents to know the names 
of the men of this country who take an in¬ 
terest in so useful a science as Botany. Fol¬ 
lowing this is a. catalogue of all the Phamo- 
gumous and Vascular Cryptogamous plants 
of the United Slates, east of the Mississippi, 
all for 35 cents. Of course these catalogues 
give very little botanical information beyond 
the mere names of plants and their elafwifi- 
eation ; but to know how to spell such an 
immense number of scientific names is cer 
tainly worth the price asked for the list, If 
1 am not greatly mistaken, there are many 
nurserymens’ catalogues which might be im 
proved by a consultation <*t this rather insig 
nifleaut botanical work. 
In addition to the above there are very 
cheap check lists of Coleopteru (Beetle) but¬ 
terflies, moths, bugs, birds, shells, etc., etc.; 
in fact, if one remains in total ignorance of 
what has been or is now being done in any 
branch of natural science, it will not be in 
consequence of his inability to procure the 
information. The newspapers of the present 
day publish more scientific information every 
week than could he found in the most elab¬ 
orate encyclopedia of a century ago. With 
cheap books and cheap newspapers, our peo¬ 
ple have advantages for obtaining knowledge 
not excelled by any nation on the globe ; but 
far too many persons entirely fail to appre¬ 
ciate them. Thousands are ready to confess 
their Ignorance, but at the same time would 
not spend ten cents to inform themselves 
upon any special subject. 
THE GRANGE OBJECTS AND BENEFITS. 
with coarse swamp hay, and no furt her at¬ 
tention paid to it until spring then the cov¬ 
ering was removed. We then discovered 
that the ground moles, finding a sheltered 
spot, had congregated there and, probably 
assisted by field mice which follow in (heir 
burrows, the two together had made a clean 
sweep of my choice bulbs. About a dozen 
Hyacinths, on the outer edge of the bed, 
where t he ground remained frozen to a con¬ 
siderable depth, only were left ol' the entire 
collection. 
Had 1 kept the lmy off the bed a week or 
two the ground might have become so hard 
frozen that the moles and mice could not 
have made an entrance ; still there are always 
more or less thaws in winter of which such 
vermin will take advantage. If there are no 
mice or moles about a place, then protection 
with coarse litter will answer ; otherwise 
there is always more or loss danger in apply¬ 
ing anything to beds containing bulbs which 
will prevent freezing, because vermin arc 
pretty certain to congregate in such favor¬ 
able locations. 
1 frequently hear of the loss of Lilies, Hya¬ 
cinths, and other hardy bulbs, the purchasers 
attributing their failures to unhealthy plants; 
and while this may be the true cause in some 
instances, still I am inclined to think that 
moles and mice get more than t hey are ac¬ 
cused of taking. 
SAVING THE LEAVES. 
At the recent installation of the officers of 
the N. H. State Grange an excellent address 
was delivered by Col. D. Wyatt Aiken, 
from which we extract the following para¬ 
graphs concerning the objects and benefits 
of the Grange : 
The founders, seeing how much co-opera¬ 
tion and concentration were doing for every 
other association, conceived the idea that the 
same co-operative principle might be em¬ 
ployed for the benefit of the farming class ; 
and the people for whose benefit it was con¬ 
ceived saw that it was good, and took hold of 
it in earnest. 
The benefit to the pocket is the first consid¬ 
eration of those seeking to enter the Grange, 
but that is by no means the only benefit. 
The grange seeks to do good to its members 
without waging warfare with any other 
class. If the farmer sells liis produce to the 
middleman at little more than the bare cost 
of production, and the middleman sells it to 
the Consumer at a profit, we cannot blame 
the middleman ; it only shows that he is 
shrewder than we. Tho only remedy is for 
the farmers to co-operate and lessen the 
number of profits between them and the 
consumer. 
One great object of the Grange i3 to elevate 
the farmers. From tho nature of their calling 
they are much isolated, and this isolation 
tends to make them unsocial and selfish. 
Nov. 10.—The hundred or more large Oak, 
Chestnut and other kinds of trees about my 
grounds produce an immense quantity of 
leaves ; and when they drop in autumn, the 
wind scatters them broadcast over several 
acres iu a manner anything but cheerful to 
contemplate. Of course if these leaves are 
gathered up and put into the barnyard they 
will make a very good fertilizer for the gar¬ 
den or farm ; but it is a slow and expensive 
way of making manure. Still, as it must 
be done if anything liko neatness in one’s 
grounds is desired, I submit to the necessity 
and keep the rakes going whenever the 
leaves are sufficiently damp to handle read¬ 
ily and uutil the last one is put out of sight. 
Grand old trees about one’s home are cer¬ 
tainly very desirable, but there is a shady as 
well as a bright side even to this question of 
trees or no trees on the lawn. 
CHEAP INFORMATION. 
I am frequently surprised at the immense 
The farmer’s wife never goes anywhere, be¬ 
cause her husband cannot find time or dispo¬ 
sition to go with her, and she becomes unso¬ 
cial and selfish also. This is characteristic 
of the farming community from Maine to 
Texas. In the Grange they are brought to 
gether, their social natures are developed 
and elevated. He had been in many states, 
but lie had found none where the farmer 
and his wife did not find time to go to the 
grange after they had once entered. 
Then the Grange is an educating power. 
He believed it required more mind, thought, 
energy, to make a successful farmer, than 
auy other avocation in life. This is an age 
of progress, and the man who stands still and 
don’t study to improve, will go backward. 
Fanning must be studied. Agriculture is a 
science, and the more we study it the larger 
the field spreads out before us. To be a true 
fanner, a man should study to prepare him¬ 
self as much as for any of the professions. 
In the. Grange the latent intelligence of the 
farmer is brought out, and each can learn of 
the other some new idea or method. Two 
heads are always better than one. Not only 
does the Grange improve him educationally 
and socially, but morally. The farmer ought, 
above all others, to be a Christian. His avo¬ 
cation should peculiarly lead him to look 
through nature up to nature’s God. The 
grange makes him charitable. 
Referring to the secrecy of the order, he 
said it was that which gave it cohesion and 
permanency. In all trades and profession© 
there is a degree of secrecy, and the most 
successful man is lie who keeps his plans to 
himself. In the grange there is just enough 
secrecy to make it attractive. 
The Orange also does, what no party or 
organization has done, unites the people of 
all parts of the country. It says to every 
man in the Union “Come in, and I’ll give 
you the hand of friendship.” It knows no 
north, no south, no east, no west, it bridges 
the bloody chasm which lias divided different 
sections. 
The constitution of the grange prohibits 
the discussion of religion or politics, and 
neither political nor religious tests for mem¬ 
bership are allowed. Yet this means to 
exclude only sectarianism and partisanship, 
for religion in its true sense is always taught 
here, and there is no titter subject than 
politics in its real meaning—the science of 
government—for our consideration. 
•-- 
TAKE YOUR WIFE! 
Every farmer should by all means bring 
his wife iuto the Grange. Don’t commit the 
folly of leaving her at home on the erroneous 
supposition that she has no interest in the 
great question of raising farm products and 
selling them. Attend the Grange with your 
wife. If the children are too small to be left 
alone, leave them in charge of your neighbor 
who is too conscientious to join a secret 
society; or if you can’t do better, change 
works—you staying with the children one 
week, and she the next. An evening at the 
Grange will give your wife needed rest and 
social enjoyment; besides she will learn 
much which she needs to learn of the practi¬ 
cal work that supports the family, Tt Is 
possible, too, that the ready wit and practi¬ 
cal intelligence of woman may aid greatly In 
the accomplishment of the ends sought after 
by our organization.—N. J. Granger. 
-- 
ITEMS FROM THE GRANGES. 
Many of the live Masters of the subordi¬ 
nate Granges are doing everything they can 
to make the meetings of their orders pleas¬ 
ant ami lively. To accomplish this, where 
there are two or three Granges located con¬ 
veniently to each other, it is recommended 
that they alternately meet with each other. 
At such meetings, some agricultural question 
should he discussed, and thus the ladies and 
gentlemen will be perfecting themselves in 
the science, of agriculture. 
The grange movement in Texas lias made 
rapid progress during the last twelve months. 
There are now over six hundred organized 
granges in the State, and a number of depu¬ 
ties are in tho field organizing more. It is 
estimated that the present cotton crop of 
that state, belonging to palrous will be 
handled for one-third less than last year, and 
that the business men who propose to sell at 
these prices are among the best in the state. 
The Order knowu as the Fatrons of Hus¬ 
bandry has reached Canada, and several 
Granges have been organized in England, 
We expect to hear in a few months that it, 
has entered Germany, Russia, and even 
China. Its destination is to go through all 
the rural districts of the world until the 
laborers are relieved of their heavy burdens ; 
go until tho agriculturists of the world shall 
enjoy its happy i nfluences. 
Keep your Grange free from the toils of 
political managers, and yet, as citizens, do 
not hold yourself aloof from politics, any 
more than you would keep out of the army 
if your country called on you to do duty as 
soldiers. It is just as essential that the gov¬ 
ernment be kept pure in time of peace, as it 
is that the shores be kept free from invading 
armies in time of war. 
A patron wants to know if it is possible to 
have a public grange mooting without a 
lawyer to address it. Wo can answer for 
New Jersey. We believe no lawyer has yet 
addressed a public grange gathering in the 
State .—New Jersey Granger. 
One of tho cardinal principles of the Grange 
is to buy nothing you don’t want, and noth¬ 
ing you can’t pay for. No man who always 
lived up to this principle ever died in the 
poor house. 
(Mcnnologtcal 
THE COTTON WORM. 
A question having arisen as to whether 
the cotton army worm, Anomis xylince, 
(AletUi Argillasea of Hubner.) passes the 
winter in the egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, or 
moth state, Prof, A. R. Grotc of Buffalo, at 
the meeting of the American Association for 
tho advancement of Science, hold at Hart¬ 
ford, in August last, read a essay on the sub¬ 
ject, hi which he stated that he had observed 
tho cotton worm during five seasons in Cen¬ 
tral Alabama, and on many different planta¬ 
tions. He states that the earliest period at 
which he had observed the young worms 
was the last week in June, and that their 
appearance was always heralded by the 
perfect fly, the latter coming to light in 
houses at least, a week before the worm ap¬ 
pealed in the fields ; and tliaL the worm is 
always heard of first to the southward of any 
given locality. It comes as an army from 
the south, and tho broods arrive consecu¬ 
tively, as long as the season lasts, and that 
this southern army is killed by the advan¬ 
cing winter and the death of the food plant 
—the cotton plant—on which it feeds exclu¬ 
sively, refusing to eat, anything else ; and 
that the specimens of the fly taken in the 
Northern States have merely followed the 
water courses, os the moths are capable of 
extended flights ; and that it, originates at 
the south, and its appearance is due in every 
instance to a fresh immigration (of tho moths) 
from more southern regions, nay, even 
farther. 
Professor Grote concludes that “ the insect 
is not indigenous with us, but is nil annual ; 
not a denizen, but a visitant, unable to con¬ 
tend with the variations of our climate ; and 
he believes that the process of artificial ex¬ 
term iiiation may be simplified by limiting 
the period of successful attack, and doing 
away with certain proposed remedies. The 
agent of destruction must be directed 
against the first brood in each locality, and 
concerted action on the part of the planters 
where the remedy is to be applied will be 
necessary.” 
-♦♦♦- 
ABOUT WASPS’ NESTS. 
I have several times been asked of what 
“ wasps ” build t heir nests. This question 
undoubtedly occurs elsewhere, but without 
any satisfaction to the inquisitive, as but 
very few seem to know. Many suppose they 
consist of paper ; while others imagine they 
are composed of the decayed surface of 
wood. But a careful examination has con¬ 
vinced me that they consist of neither. After 
a determined search, 1 was at last, recently, 
Jed on the right road to the secret. Every 
one knows, and probably hus seen, the 
“green scum" floating on the surface of 
staguaut water — tills, when dried and 
bleached, is what “mother nature” has de¬ 
signed for these innocent creatures to build 
their nests of.—R. U. Popi ey, 
What an accommodating old creature 
mother nature must be to produce such a 
quantity of “ green scum ” on stagnant pools 
for wasps’ nests ! We almost shudder at the 
thought of a wet summer, when the “ green 
scum ” wouldn’t get dry, and the poor wasps 
would be compelled to hang out iu the coid 
for want of materials with which to build 
themselves comfortable homes ! 
As for “ innocence, ” we shall have to pass 
our correspondent over to some boy who had 
run against a big wasp nest and let him de¬ 
cide whether they are rculJy “innocent 
creatures” or otherwise. Wear© not quite 
sure of the fact, but somehow the idea is in 
our head, that a “hornet's nest” isn’t just 
the mo 9 t innocent thing to be familiar with, 
especially when “ the old folks are at home,” 
still we may bo mistaken on this point. We 
have seen mud wasps gathering mud from 
tne edges of ponds ; also, paper wasps gath¬ 
ering materials for their nests from old fence 
rails, and oilier timbers, but was not aware 
before that any of the many species used the 
dried cryptogamous plants of our pomis for 
this purpose. 
Will Mr. PorrKY tell us the name of the 
species which he found gathering this mate¬ 
rial ? Or a piece of one of the nests will an¬ 
swer our purpose very well, because we 
would like to take a look at it under a 
microscope. 
—---- 
Chinch Bug Preventives..— At a meeting 
of the Illinois Horticultural Society, Dr. Le 
Baron recommended a single line of tar on 
the ground, the chinch bug not crossing it; 
and Prof. Riley said that salt and lime are 
both good preventives. He strongly recom¬ 
mended clean culture, and burning all rub¬ 
bish in autumn, and said that most of the 
bugs would be found in the cornstalks. 
