asm 
APRIL 17 
F. V. WRITES : — “ Please explain what 
chintz is ? Our merchants say the best cali- 
3798 
coes are chintzes, but that they never bring 
any, because anything above I2j^ cents per 
yard would ruin their trade.. Please describe 
its appearance and give price.” 
There is a variety of cotton goods that is 
commonly denominated "chintz,” cretonne, 
striped twill, satine, etc. Chintz, strictly 
speaking, is glazed calico, commonly known 
as "curtain calico,” seven-eighths of a yard 
wide, brightly colored, usually in large da 
signs, and costing 40 cents a yard when of 
good quality. Satine is a firm, heavy, soft 
cotton fabric, unglazed, in colors guy or 
grave, but generally" in large, flowered de¬ 
signs. The fabric is so Arm that when used 
as ruffles, frills, etc., in trimming furniture, 
the edges are often simply pinked or notched ; 
seven-eighths of a yard wide ; 40 cents to 
$1.25 per yard. Washes and wears well. 
Striped twill is a cotton fabric twilled on 
both sides; the patterns are commonly in 
stripes, a plain one alternating with a figured 
one; in browns, grays, etc., of same width 
as chintz and costing from 25 to 85 cents per 
yard. Cretonne is not so heavy as satine 
uor so closely woven, the warp and woof he- 
ing of largo threads, forming a somewhat 
coarse, strong fabric upon which gay designs 
are printed ; 40 cents per yard. " Holland” 
is a plain brown, gray, buff or white cotton 
fabric resembling nankeen in texture, same 
width ns chintz, and costing from 88 to 40 
cents per yard. 
Many thanks for "F. V.’s” kind message, 
as also for others from various Rural friends. 
INTERMEDIATE WRAPS. 
There is always a season in spring and 
autumn when neither theheavy, wintercloak 
nor light summer drapery just meets the de¬ 
mands of temperature. Figs. 3708 present 
two views of a very simple and elegant 
wrap, which, made of black or gray goods, 
may be worn suitably with almost any dress. 
If made in white or gray material, it forms 
a jaunty mantle for evening wear or to throw 
about one’s shoulders iu the house. It, is 
wilhout sleeves, although giving the effect 
of them ; 3J£ yards of ST-lnMi goods required ; 
price of pattern at this office, 25 cents. 
A pretty style that has teen some time in 
vogue tor trimming dress skirts is to out the 
3803 
skirt six inches shorter than the full length ; 
cut the edge in large scallops, points, or, cut¬ 
ting perpendicularly np into the cloth about 
two inches at intervals of two inches, which 
when bound, finishes the bottom in small 
square tabs, On the facing or lining of the 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER 
toites and $jKaimei[a. 
FASHION CHIT-CHAT. 
ABOUT CHINTZ. 
5: — “ Please explain what 
W, _4. -_.1_1._ A _ II 
skirt lay a finely-plaited or box-plaited 
flounce with a small ruffle under it (iho ob¬ 
ject of which ruffle is to replace it by a fresh 
one when the bottom of the dress becomes 
badly soiled and worn) ; above the lining or 
facing so trimmed the body of the skirt is 
placed, the points, scallops or tabs falling 
sufficiently over the flounce to cover the 
junction. Dresses that need to be cut off 
around the bottom can be nicely remodeled 
in that war. There is nothing radically new 
in styles, basque, overskirt or polonaise all 
being about equally fashionable. In over¬ 
skirts Figs. 3S0S furnishes a fashionable style; 
8% yards of 27-inch goods required ; price of 
pattern, 20 cents. 
Fig<. 3731, French Sacqua; very elegant. 
Made of silk, cashmere or drop d'ete, and 
trimmed with passementerie, lace or fringe; 
handsome made of plaided camels’ h' ir. 
Material required, four and a quarter yards 
of 27 inch goods. Pattern in various sizes. 
Price, 20 cents. 
In buying spring goods do not be deluded 
into getting cheap cotton-and-wool fahrics, 
which shrink, fade and soon look shabby. 
Serge, camels’ hair cloth and all light all- 
wool fabrics are just as agreeable for warm 
weather wear as goods half cotton, besides 
they look and wear far better. Fig. 2321 
illustrates a Child’s Normandy Cap, which 
mothers with a bit of lace, muslin and rib¬ 
bon can fashion into a charming head gear 
for a baby from one to six years old ; six 
sizes. Price of pattern, 10 cents. 
Fig. 2,—This entire costume (see page 257), 
made of one or two shades of any kind of 
fabric, is suitable for home, visiting or street 
wear. Price of skirt pattern (ask for No. 
3525), SO cents. Prico of overskirt. (No. 3608), 
20 cents. Price of jacket (No. 3073). 20 cents. 
Ladles sending for patterns will find their 
orders more promptly executed by address¬ 
ing themselves directly to the PiURal Editor 
or Pibllsher, as letters sent to ruy address 
(which I always receive and read with great 
pleasure) often lie several days unopened at 
the office on account of my absence. An¬ 
other thing Do not forget that patterns 
ar-i of various sizes, and that you should 
scud bust and waist measure ; if for skirt, 
length from belt t.o the floor. In Illustrations 
w 313 \ 
we shall endeavor to furnish such as wo 
think most useful Requests from readers 
for special illustrations will always be duly 
regarded. 
NOVELTIES. 
White muslin neckties, with ends bordered 
with lace and needlework embroidery in 
colored silk, are in vogue, and becoming to 
most wearers. Chemisettes and sleeves with 
plailed frills of percale in various colors, 
form popular cofiar-and-cuff wear for morn¬ 
ing, work dresses and travel. Handkerchiefs 
with colored borders to match the costumes, 
with or without Initial in corresponding 
color, are in all grades and for all prices— 
from 20 cents to $1. For riding, travel and 
windy weather, bottle-green tissue veils 
have quite a patronage; ugly but useful. 
For the promenade, visiting, etc., veils of 
white lace, light gray crepes and t issues are 
fashionable, as they give great fairness to 
the complexion. 
In buying gloves, ribbons, hats, cravuts, 
all the accessories of your toilet, do so with 
reference to what you have to wear with 
them. Study color, harmony and outline 
rather than designs or fashions. Do not con¬ 
clude that because a thing looks well on 
your friend that it will on you. Find out 
what becomes yourself best, and adhere to 
it as a fundamental law of guidance. 
Mint wood. 
---• 
"Reader of Rural” can obtain almost 
any pattern desired by addressing this Office, 
Q$ltrrii[ultin[itl. 
THE CHRYSANTHEMUM. 
The Chines© Chrysanthemum, as now cul¬ 
tivated, may justly be considered the queen 
of autumn flowers, coming into bloom at a 
season when every flower is valuable and 
continuing to furnish a profusion of irregu¬ 
lar and strangely varied flowers throughout 
the dreariest months of the year, lending a 
brightening, cheerful aspect to our gardens 
long after the rosea of summer and early fall 
have vanished. After t he Verbena bed, the 
Gladiolus, the numerous summer and fall 
flowering annuals and many other plants 
have all lost their attractions, the. Chyrsnn- 
themum is Just presenting itself to us in its 
many forms and colors us a connecting link, 
as it were, between the Roses and Dahlias of 
the garden and the Camellias and Carnations 
of t he conservatory and greenhouse. 
The Chrysanthemum, although introduced 
into cultivation toward the close of the last 
century, owes its present excellence and 
373 ! 
value to the improvements which have been 
made in the last twenty-five years. The Lon¬ 
don Horticultural Society was chiefly instru¬ 
mental In Introducing the various forms; 
tbs Stoke Newington Chrysanthemum So¬ 
ciety anH the exhibitions of these flowers at 
the Temple Gardens, London, gave to the 
Chrysanthemum a worldwide popularity, 
while the concentrated efforts of Mr. John 
Salter of Hammersmith, for a period of 
about twenty-five years, wu.s devoted almost 
exclusively to the improvement of the varie¬ 
ties. Liter, the Messrs. Vnrrcu & Sons of 
Chelsea have not only sent out many uew 
and choice varieties, but have added some 
remarkable, and strange forms, and have in¬ 
troduced some features winch are entirely 
new in th s class of plants. Probably the 
pompon or Chu-an daisy was the first fm m 
in which the Chrysanthemum was intro¬ 
duced to cultivation in Europe ; hut the forms 
have been multiplied go that we now have 
several distinct types,—the large-flowered, 
the anemone-flowered, the pompon or dwarf, 
the miniature or daisy flowered, and the Jap¬ 
anese varieties. 
The large-flowered kinds have flat or glob¬ 
ular flowers, some varieties having incurved 
while others have recurved petal-. The ane¬ 
mone-flowered sorts arc remarkable for their 
resemblance to the double anemone—a mass 
of small, evenly arranged florets constitute 
the raised center of the flower, which is sur¬ 
rounded by one or more rows of larger pe¬ 
tals, which gives the flower somewhat toe 
appearance of a crown Aster. The pompon 
varieties are of a dwarf, compact growth, 
with numtroUs daisy like, very double flow¬ 
ers. The growth of the miniature varieties 
is still more compact, and the flowers areyet 
smaller and more daisy-like than the pom¬ 
pous. The Japanese varieties are, in many 
cases, the most singular of all, Borne of them 
having the appearance of an Irregularly 
shaped ball or mass of flossy silken threads 
of various colors, while others arc composed 
of a masa of long crimson, buff or scarlet 
petals, with petals of a distinct and very dif¬ 
ferent color interspersed among the other 
petals; altogether, this class Is remarkable 
for the irrcgulurity of forms and the singu¬ 
lar combinations of color in the flowers. 
The Chinese have long been famous for 
their successful culture of the Chrysanthe¬ 
mum. Although a native of their country, 
they bestow much care to dwarfing the 
plants and causing them to produce immense 
flowers when grown iu remurkably email 
pots, the plants being furnished with fine 
dark green, healthy foliage, to the very bot¬ 
tom, which is done by raising plants'from 
cuttings every year; the cuttings arc taken 
off and rooted as lato as possible In the sea¬ 
son, and kept growing by tneaus of very rich 
eoil and frequent applications of liquid ma¬ 
nure ; they also remove a number of the 
buds, which causes an extraordinary devel¬ 
opment in those, which.are allowed to remain 
and expand. 
The Chrysanthemum is perhaps the easiest 
of all cultivated plants to increase and grow. 
They will grow and flourish in almost every 
kind of soil and under almost any circum¬ 
stances ; yet. to maku their culture profitable, 
some care and attention must be bestowed 
upon them They pray be raised from cut¬ 
2f3 
sing*, offsets or division of the roots ; but 
cuttinps are the best. They may be taken 
off in April or Mav—the latter {he better; 
they take root very readily ; when rooted 
they should be placed in small pots and al¬ 
lowed so to remain until the pots are moder¬ 
ately well filled with roots ; they should then 
3133 
be turned from the pots and planted In the 
garden beds, allowing plenty of room be¬ 
tween the plants ; they will thus make fine 
plants by the first of October, by which time 
the flower buds w-i]| appear and some of the 
early-flowering varieties will show their 
flower buds much earlier in the season. 
If the plants are required for inside deco¬ 
ration, they may be lifted at any time ; but 
when the buds are about the size of peas is 
the best. To lift, and pot the plants is easy. 
Take ft sharp spade and cut into the ground 
around the plant, so that it lifts with a ball 
of earth six or eight inches in diameter; 
place the ball into a pot two InclCs larger 
than the ball; All the space between the ball 
and the pot with modem tel v good soil, mak¬ 
ing It firm in the pot, and finish by leaving 
the ball and soil at least one inch below the 
top of the pot to allow room for water ; the 
plant or plants should then have water 
enough to soak the soil throughout; the 
plants should then he placed in a pit or some 
other p’aco whore they can b© kept close and 
dark during the day, and exposed to the 
dews and atmosphere at, night for a period 
of len day's or two weeks, after which they 
mav be gialually exposed to the full light 
of day, as by this time the pot will be almost 
2324 
full of new roots ; and if attention has been 
paid to watering and the plants have had 
plenty of room they will not have loata leaf 
but will be large, handsome plants, with the 
foliage in perfect condition, and will be soon 
ready to rn.iko a grand display eit her for the 
greenhouse, the conservatory ortho window, 
or even under the shelter or the veranda or 
a wall, they will flower until far along to¬ 
wards Christmas ; and If liquid manure be 
applied once or tw ee a week, it will cause 
the flowers to he much finer, the colors will 
be much more brilliant, and they will con¬ 
tinue much longer in flower. 
In our Northern climate these flowers do 
nob always come to perfection if entirely 
3803 
I exposed to the full sweep of the wintry winds 
of November and December; but if planted 
under the shelter of a wall or fence, or on 
the south side of a hedge, they may some¬ 
times be seen in full flower far along in the 
winter, when no other flower is t«» 1..* seen In 
the garden. H. E. Chitty, 
Paterson, N. J, 
