MARCH 4© 
THE RURAL MEW-YOiKER. 
193 
^rboritttltaral. 
FOUR NOTEWORTHY PLANTS. 
<&b£rpjfm. 
RUSAL SPECIAL REPORTS. 
eveiything is getting ahead nicely now. The 
main trouble with our farmers is that they all 
depend on one crop—cotton. This they sell, so 
business here. Butter and cheese factories are 
plentiful, and all seem to be doing well. Many 
farmers are keeping Winter dairies, and think 
One of the handsomest shrubs known to us, 
and one which escaped mention in our Special 
Hardy Shrub and Tree Number, is the 
Double Red flowering Thorn —Cra'segus 
coccinea flore-pleno. The engraving will im¬ 
press those who have never seen the shrub in 
bloom as being somewhat too regular to be 
true to life. Saoh, however, is not the case. 
The flowers grow in umbels, as shown, and 
forcibly remind one of the trusses of some of 
the double-flowering pelargoniums of compar¬ 
atively recent introduction which are really 
miniature bouquets in themselves. Eich flower 
is perfectly double, of a rose color rather than 
a crimson—as is generally stated—and they be¬ 
gin to bloom in late April, lasting a full month. 
ThiB shrub is perfectly hardy at the Rural 
Grounds, and all that can be said against it is 
that it seems so to burden itself with flowers 
one season that it oftentimes fails to bloom 
the next. There are several other vei y showy 
thorns which, if gratted upon one stock,would 
form a curiously interesting and beautiful tree 
while in bloom. Thus the double white, scar¬ 
let, red, white and rose might be used for the 
purpose—all worked upon the Common Haw¬ 
thorn—Cra'aagus Oxyacantha. 
Cobnus FLOKiDA.-The White flowering Dog¬ 
wood is not,strictly speaking, white-flowering, 
since the true flowers are of a greenish color. 
These are to be seen in the center of the in¬ 
florescence shown in the engraving, forming 
the little crowded heads resembling a dozen 
beads in a cluster. 
The large, white leaves subtending these 
true flowers form a four-leaved floral involucre 
which in ihis dogwoud is called the flower and, 
in fact, is just as showy as if it were. Daring 
a visit South last Spring we called attention to 
a tree, discovered by our contributor, Hon. H. 
W. Ravenel, of South Carolina, that bears red 
involucres. We trust some of our nursery¬ 
men have secured it for propagation. 
Among dogwoods let us say that the Varie¬ 
gated Corneliau Cherry is one of the best of 
variegated Bhrubs, for the reason that its va¬ 
riegation iB exceptional y constant. It holds 
its leaves well, and ia October a purple color 
appears bo that they are then green, purple 
and white. This is known botanically as Cji- 
nus mascula variegata. 
The Double White-flowered Horse- 
uhestnut. —The engraving shows the raceme 
of flowers and leaves about one-fifth Ihe nat¬ 
ural size. We have never seen tllis tree, but it 
is highly praised by those who have. Mr. 
Scott says that the flowers are borne in larger 
racemes than on the species and set with equal 
or even greater abundance on the tree. It 
blooms also two weeks later. This is a varie y 
of HSscuius Hippocastanum—the Asiatic or 
Common White-flowering Horse chestnut. 
The Tri-colored Maple. —Oat-third the 
natural size the leaf Bhows, though not very 
defiuiteiy, the variegation of the Acer pseudo- 
platanus tricolor. The yellow and green are 
well defined in the leaves, but we have never 
discovered the third color, viz , red, which 
gives rise to the varietal name. It is one of 
the best variegated leaved trees we know and, 
being of rather slow growth, is richly entitled 
to a place in all home grounds of limited ex¬ 
tent. 
We acknowledge our indebtedness to Messrs. 
Ellwanger and Barry, of the Miuut Hope Nur¬ 
series, ot Rochester, N. Y., for the use of these 
euts. 
CORNUS PLORIDA.—FIG 162. 
that they have everything to buy. I find myself 
doing much better by engaging in mixed hus¬ 
bandry—raisiDgsomeof several sorts of crops, 
for which there Is always a ready market right 
they pay better than Summer. Good cows are 
worth from $35 to $50 each. Fodder is abun¬ 
dant yet. Crops and prices were good the past 
season and farmers are doing well. Present 
DOUBLE WHITE-FLOWERING HOUSEC BEST NUT. — FIG. 163. 
at home. Then I deliver milk twice a day in 
the city; sell some hogs, having a nice lot of 
Poland-Chinas ; raise vegetables, fatten cattle, 
and do well generally. j m. 
12th insts, which snow drifted badly, blocking 
railways and common roads for several days. 
Good sleighing now. Fat hogs have nearly all 
been sold ; they are now worth $5 10 per 100 
pounds. Beef cattle are selling freely at from 
$3 50 to $4 per cental. Grain is improving in 
price, and farmers are hopeful of prosperous 
times. Business is brisk. w. b d. 
III., Fredericksville, Schuyler Co., March 1. 
We have had a very cold Winter here, the 
mercury ranging from 10 3 above to 22 3 below 
zero. The earth has been covered with a sheet 
of ice which, in its turn, ha6 been overlaid with 
a counterpane of snow moat of the time since 
about December 1. The weather has moder¬ 
ated of late, however. w l. m. 
Kan.. Guilford, Wilsen Co., March 4.—A 
snow storm that was extremely severe on live 
stock swept over this section for 24 hours on 
Feb. 10. Just before it we had a heavy down¬ 
pour of rain for the same length of time, and 
before that Btock water was so scarce that In 
many places animals had to be driven two or 
three miles to water at the deeper or larger 
streams. Winter wheat looks vei y well con¬ 
sidering the dry season we have had. The 
acreage is larger than last year. No 2 wheat 
is worth 80 cents ; corn 25 cents. a g b. 
prices are: Butter—creamery, 31@33Jc.; dairy, 
22(2>25c.; cheese. 8@llje.; hogs, $4 60(3)4.70 ; 
cattle, $1 50@4 25; corn, 30c.; oats, 28c.; clover 
seed, $3 50@4 50. 0. f*. 
Alabama, Selma, Dallas Co., Feb. 28.—We 
had a very severe Winter, with much fret zing 
and snowing until the last couple of weeks, 
during which the weather has been fine for 
plowing. A great deal of oats has been sown, 
and most farmers have already finished the 
work. A great many sorts of oats were for 
sale here, bat they were so veiy poor, badly 
mixed and light that 1 wouldn’t sow either of 
them on any account, i have the heaviest oats 
inthiscouuiy, having saved the seed for sev¬ 
eral years in succession. Most of the sort sown 
here is full of cheat, but the people pay little 
attention to the care of EeedB of any kind. Last 
year I planted cotton for the first time. It was 
a bad year for the staple generally hereabouts, 
but folks said mine was the best; but I never 
worked so hard as 1 did lo make this crop. Very- 
little corn was raised here last year. I am now 
feeding the BlonntCorn, which did well, consid¬ 
ering the season we had. I have saved plenty of 
seed for the next planting, from that sent me 
by the Rural I had strawberries in Novem¬ 
ber, December and January. I haven’t seen 
any berries this month, but the vines are in 
full bloom. So are our peach trees ; indeed, 
DOUBLE RED-FLOWERING THORN.—FIG. 164. 
Ill, Belvidere, Boone Co., Mtrch 1.— We 
have had for the most part a very cold but 
pleasant Winter. Stock is wintering extremely 
well. Dairying is fast becoming the principal 
III . Bailey ville, Ogle Co. Feb. 21.—Had a 
moderate rain and thaw here on the 7th, 8th 
and 9th insts.. the only thaw since November. 
Our heaviest snow storm came on the 11th and 
LEAF OF ACER TRICOLOR.—FIG. 165. 
Kansas, Neodesha, Wilson Co., Feb. 28.— It 
snowed here all day on Feb. 11 and 12 and the 
snow is drifted five and six feet deep. The 
wind was very strong and came from the north¬ 
west—intensely cold and hard on stock. On 
Feb. 5 and 6 It rained continuously, making all 
cattle and hog lota knee-deep in mud, and then 
came the snow on top of that. It looks now 
as if it will be a fortnight before any plowing 
can be commenced. J- o. 
Kan., Iola, Allen Co., March 3. —We have 
had a very severe Winter for this State. 
Wheat is not hurt as much as was expected; 
indeed, it is good as yet- The weather still re¬ 
mains veiy cold and unsettled. H. u a. 
Mich., Evarts, Oceola Co., Feb. 28.—There 
are thousands of acres of land here that would 
make homes for the poor, and it is cheap— 
from $2 50 to $10 an acre, and good land, too.. 
There is also plenty of work. Lumbering ia 
the principal business, and workmen are now’ 
paid $26 a month and board. Wheat went 
into Winter in good condition last Fall, for the 
ground had not frozen when the snow fell, and 
this has covered it ever since. We have had 
sleighing for about 115 days and have had only- 
two thaws this Winter. I don’t think small 
fruit has been hurt, for the snow has kept Ik 
unhurt. 0- C- V. R,. 
Mo , Kent, Newton Co., March 1.—The 
weather croaker here can now say of a truth 
that this has been the hardest Winter he ever 
saw in his life. At least, the oldest settlers in 
this part say it is so. The first cold spell we 
had in November killed all the peach trees and 
most of the apple trees. I also notice that the 
bark is dead on small oak trees. The wheat ia 
all right yet, as the ground has been covered 
with snow. o. o. b. 
Neb , Wood Lawn, Lancaster Co., Feb. 23 — 
Since it Is decided that flat cnltivation of all 
crops is the best, and I think I can raise more 
corn in drills than in hills, how can I eover 
weeds growing in the rows and keep the field 
level ? I would very much prefer the level to 
the ridged cultivation if I knew how to do it 
and kill the weeds. I managed my corn thus 
last year: After it was drilled in, I put my 
team to work on it with the harrow until it 
was nearly out of ground; then let it rest un¬ 
til the plants were well up so as not to cover 
them up; then harrowed again until it got too 
large so that the plants would break. Then I put 
in Fust <fe Bradley’s riding cultivator, * Garden 
City,” four shovels, two on each side of the row, 
turning the shovel nearest the corn to throw 
dirt away from the row; enough earth falls 
oyer on the row to cover all small weeds then 
started; the other shovel I turn to the corn 
and cultivate shallow. The second time I turn 
both shovels to the corn and cultivate deep 
enough to cover weeds. The third and last 
the same as the second, but, of course 1 must 
plow deeper, and that ridges up very much 
and leavts'the field in bad shape for the text 
