of his numerous nephews and nieces can be. 
But then, we will not be crowded out again 
very soon, I assure you. 
We must begin to think about our “Discus¬ 
sion” again. Next week a subject will be an¬ 
nounced and we hope also to be able to tell 
what the prizes are to be for those water¬ 
melons. 
A LETTER PROM UNCLE ELM, 
l . £_ IM. M VJ t— IB w. CJ m NINETY-EIGHT YEARS 
ecEriC Forthe MERCHANT on our NewPlan lg^ |F^ (g* 
For the MARKET GARDENER OCELfi® 
QEEnC For the PRIVATE FAMILY CEETH^ 
VLbyv firnvi/n hy fnirgftlvftg on our own Farms faFW 
t?" Handsome Illustrated Catalogue and Rural Register FREE TO ALL. 
MERCHANTS, SEND US YOUR BUSINESS CARDS FOR TRADE LIST. 
DAVID LANDRETH&SONS, SEED GROWERS, PHILADELPHIA 
Dear Uncle Mark and Cousins: Yes, the 
huckleberry letters have done Uncle Elm 
good. Since I wrote last I have added several 
names to my list. One Cousin writes from 
Maryland: “I have set out twenty plants, 
and have cleared away around twenty more, 
and manured them where they are growing 
on the borders of a pine wood.” This is just 
what I have wanted to do a long time, but I 
live so far from where the huckleberries grow 
that I have been unable to do it. I hope I 
shall hear from this cousin often, and I shall 
watch liis experiment with the same interest 
that I feel in ours here on the experiment 
farm. 
One Cousin writes: “I would like to see 
your wild garden. Will you tell me how to 
commence one 1 We have some of the most 
beautiful wild flowers here, and if acceptable 
I would liketc send you some.” 
Of course I shall be glad to tell all of the 
Cousins how to stock a wild garden. Just 
choose a part of the door-yard that is partly 
shaded, and set out in it all the wild flowers 
that you can get. Find some Wild Clematis and 
Virginia Creeper to run over the trees, and if 
you have plenty of room a wild grape vine or 
two. Of course you will want some ferns. 
Do not set out the things in order, but plant 
them so that they will appear as if growing 
w ild. Have a few paths to walk in. Some 
kinds of wild flowers will not grow well on 
common soil, and for such it will be necessary 
to bring some soil from their native place. 
“ If acceptable.” Of course they will be 
acceptable. I shall be very glad indeed to 
receive roots or seeds of wild flowers from any 
Cousin. I have my eye on Amanda and 
Maggie Blanchard, who live up in the Rocky 
Mountains and who wrote recently : “ There 
are lots of wild flowers here; some places on 
the sides of the bills are white like snow, with 
flowers.” What a nice place that must be. 
But it is hardly fair to ask them to Bend me 
seeds and roots of these wild flowers unless I 
have something to send them in return. Let 
us see, I wonder if we cannot get up a kind of 
wild flower exchange! Think it over, cousins, 
and some of you suggest a plan. I have not 
written all that I want to say, but I must stop 
for my letter is getting too long. I have not 
got through with you yet, Cousins. 
Uncle Elm. 
Experiment Station, Geneva, N. Y. 
LETTERS FROM THE COUSINS. 
Dear Uncle Mark:—I want to tell the 
Cousins about the Humming Birds that are 
among our flowers: if two happen to go to 
the same bush, not flower, they will com¬ 
mence fighting and will not stop until one 
or both leave the yard. Mamma caught one 
for us and put it into a wire fly trap, so we 
could see it in differentlights; it wasaperfoct 
lx a lty with its green body and lirightred neck. 
After we looked at it as long as we wanted to 
I took it into my hands to let it go, but it 
would not fly; they all said I had hurt it, but 
mamma said “ No ! put it here on this stand, 
it is only playing * possum,’ ” and just as soou 
as I took my hand off; it flew into a tree. 
Will not some of the Cousins tell us some¬ 
thing they have learned among the flowers 
this year? Your niece, 
Wilkinson Co,, Ga. Eula May Chapman. 
Dear Uncle Mark:—I t has been a long 
time since I have written you. I have been 
standing back and listening to what the rest 
had to say. We came very near not getting 
our garden plowed this Spring. It was too 
late to plant the watermelon seeds. We will 
plant them next year. We are going to try 
Fall plowing this year. The wheat is all in 
the bam. The crop averages about 25 bush¬ 
els to the acre. We planted a dozen wild 
blackberry bushes this Spring; only three 
grew. We will try again this Fall. Have 
we any California cousins ? We would like to 
hear from them. Thistles. 
Westmoreland Co., Va. 
THE 15 BEST VARIETIES, 
Including LOVETT’S NEW WHITE, the coming Wheat 
wfahw ■■ ■ I ■■ I I unusually productive, excellent for Willing,, large, beautiful 
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Other varieties, {51.75 per Imshel up. SEND AT ONCE for the most Complete and descriptive Circular lu 
the trade. It is Mailed Fkke to All. 
BENSON, MAULE & CO., 129 and 131 South Front St., Philadelphia, Pa- 
SMALL FRUIT PLANTS. 1 
TRF.KN. Hcadcjuartei'* for 
the unrivalled New Cumnt 
VINES 
FAY’S PROLIFIC 
_ _ _ _ • Thoroughbred LAND and 
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a Specialty 
Free Catalogues. 
Low Prices. Mailin 
WATER FOWLS 
OAKLAND NURSERIES! 
Educational 
FO It FA L L * SPRING. Ear ore stock of A pple, 
Peach and Flu m Trees,Grune VincM.Cn mints, 
Gooseberries, Gregg an 1 tin in ninth Cluster 
Raspberries,Strnwherry Plants,otc Wholesale 
and retail Catalogue, free to all applicants. Address 
BOWMAN & BKECKRILL, Donnelsville, Clark Co..O. 
RUTGERS COLLEGE 
[Chartered as " Queen's College’’ In 1770.1 
New Brunswick, N. .T., 1 hour from N York, on Pa. RR. 
Year begin*ie.euinl'- tltion fot admixRton) Sept. 20,18S2. 
A thoroughly equipped College Seventeen suc¬ 
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Requirement* for adml-cuon, those of la* best New 
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Honors in the liitercolleglftteoontcsts. Best methods. 
Full illustrative colleutiotis of coin*, photographs, 
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SCIENTIFIC DEPART tIBNT. 
THE NEW JERSEY STATECOLUGETOPROMOTE 
AGRICULTURE ANO THE MECHANIC ARTS. 
A practical Scientific School of high grade. Two 
courses, *' Engineering and Mechanic*" and "Agri¬ 
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Mathematic*, pure and applied, and the Natural 8el 
ences, the careful study of English Literature and 
Composition, French, Herman, History, Metaphysics 
and Political Economy. 
Thorough work with constant Jleld-proctlce In En¬ 
gineering and surveying. Careful laboratory work 
in Chemistry, with full apparatus for each student. 
state Agricultural Experiment, station and College 
Farm of UM acres In successful < menu Ion under di¬ 
rection of FrofrMKiir George It. Cook, Lh, D,, 
Vice-President, 1 dustruiii in k udcziGi the theory 
and economic practice of farming. 
Tuition reasonable. Forty {state SclioinrxliipH 
free; eight of them now vacant, t • ho illled tu fi.ro 
September 20th. Bull in formation in catalogue. 
Almost without exception graduates who desired 
occupation Ua\ e at onco obtained proutable positions 
In professional scientific work, while other* have 
found their Interest In the (ueccxsful practice of 1m 
prov< d and scientific rarming. For catalogue, or any 
information, address ,S ecrrtu'U IIti-tffr-rg College. 
MERRILL EDWARDS GATES Pli.D., I.L.P., President. 
15 JOHN STREET, 
NEW YORK, 
Beg to announce that their descriptive priced 
Catalogue of 
for Autumn planting is ready for mailing to 
applicants. 
Lily of The Valley Pips 
FOR FLORISTS, 
A SPECIALTY. 
Dear Uncle Mark—As I have not seen 
any letters from this part of the country I 
will try to write one. I am 14 years old. We 
take the Rural and like it very much. The 
letters from the Cousins especially please me. 
1 would like to correspond with some of them. 
I planted the holly hock seeds that you sent; 
they are growing very nicely. We have a 
small patch of peanuts, but I guess they are 
on too wet ground to do much good; we raised 
quite a number last year. We have a small 
orchard. We keep six cows; I milk four and 
father two. We sell the cream. We raised 
nearly SOO chickens this Summer. Your niece, 
Dixon Co., Neb. Nellie R. Isom. 
Dear Uncle Mark: —I am such a littles 
boy, and have so much to do and go to school, 
that I don’t get much time to write. I got 
my melon seeds all right, but there were only 
live seeds, and of them only three grew, but 
they are doing well. I got the prize for spell¬ 
ing in my class last Winter, and atn trying 
for it again this Summer. I am nine years 
old; am a farmer’s boy, and like the farm 
very much. I think I will be a gardener 
when I get to be a man. I milk the cows and 
feed the chicks and pick berries. I have a 
large dog named Carl. Your nephew, 
Cltntie H. Wolger. 
Dear Uncle Mark:—T his is my second 
attempt to write as my other letter reached 
the waste-basket, I suppose. Now I will 
tell you what I have been doing this Summer 
I help mamma do all the housework, and in 
the morning and evening, when it is cool, I 
work in the garden. I pulled all of the weeds 
out of the Rural corn, and it is looking nice. 
The squashes are looking nice and I think they 
will soon be in bloom. We milk four cows; 
I milk two and papa two. I have four calves 
which I feed on milk. I planted some flower- 
seeds, but it was so cold they did not come up. 
Your niece, Lizzie Albrecht. 
Grant Co., Wisconsin. 
Dear Uncle Mark: —I was seven years old 
last May. I go to school this Summer for 
the first time—have read my second reader 
through. I have a long bed in the garden, 
containing some asters, zinnias and mari¬ 
golds, also some radishes and onions. I am 
going to try and raise some top onions to sell 
next year. Papa gave me two White Ele¬ 
phant potatoes that came from the one sent 
him from the Rural last year. The Tona- 
wanda Valley and Cuba R.ailroad has just 
been finished through our village. 
Your nephew, Eddie Taylor. 
Alleghany Co., N. Y. 
Uncle Mark: —I see that J antes Lee wishe 
to correspond with me, but as hi9 address was 
not published in full I cannot write to him 
directly, but if he will adflress me at Freder- 
icktown, Ohio, I will be glad to correspond 
with him. We are sorry that the hollyhocks 
did not come up, as we have but one color of 
double ones. Wheat is a good crop this year, 
but corn is poor. Allen C. Martin. 
Fredericktown. O. 
[CHESTER is destine! to he the one 
great Str.iwl.erry of the future. So say 
all who have seen our beds in fruiting the 
past two years. IM&nts net now 
JiUHL We have a number of bctls 
1 lifl Til them, strong and well 
>- H|f IBM half enough plants to 
it Wlf I I n Spring. Qrdcr early, 
s II ■ I 11 nine. There are at least 
Orders will receive prompt 
S o, berry as prolific as 
beautiful as the Cum- 
the best berry under 
always sure to produce 
\ I r ft even on light, 
11 L V" should see our 
| 1 1 ored plate, show- 
l ■ V row in full fruit- 
dry, sandy soil, ILJ) 11* |J 
beautifully cob I M ft 
ingone foot of a mJ I %/ W 
lng, berries ripe and half ripe, 
NOTES BY UNCLE MARK. 
I HOPE that some of the young folks will 
“try their hand” at poultry keeping, after 
the instructions that have been given on tnis 
page and on other pages of the Rural, this 
year. It is always a good plan to have some¬ 
thing to busy one’s self about, and children 
especially are apt to get uneasy if they have 
nothing to do, so poultry keeping, on a small 
scale, is just the thing to take up their time. 
More than that it is profitable. I have just 
been reading about what a little girl about 14 
years old did at poultry keeping. She com¬ 
menced the year with 12 hens and a rooster, 
which cost $15, and her other expenses for 
the year ammounted to $48.46 or $63.46 in all. 
That was the debtor side, She sold 127 dozen 
eggs at 25c. which together with the fowls sold 
brought her $87.05 so that she made $23.50 
clear profit, and besides she had on hand to 
begin the new year with, the old rooster and 
12 young hens. "We shall hope to hear from 
some of the Cousins, on this matter latter. 
FREE CATALOGUE gives a full description of this and all 
the other best sorts. Bidvrell. Fine!'. Mount Vernon. Sharpless, a vd 
many others. HALE BROTHERS, So. Glastonbury, Conn. 
Chester Strawberry Plants 75e. doz. 
21 per Kjp. Valuable Information In 
free Catalogue. Address F. I, 8 A (J 15 
dr SON, Wethersfield, t’oun. 
[One mile west front Notre-Pamo University.) 
SCHOOL OF ART AND DESIGN. 
CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC. 
Conducted by Sisters of Holy Cross. The Academic 
Course la thorough in the Preparatory, Senior and 
Classical Grades. Music Department, on the plan of 
the best Conservatories of Europe, 1* undercharge 
of a complete corps of teachers. It comprises a large 
Music Iiall and 28 separate rooms for Instruments, 
studio modeled on the great Art Schools of Europe. 
Dm wing mid Fainting from life and the Antique. 
Building commodious; ample accommodations for 
250pupils. For full particulars apply for catalogue 
to MOTHER SUPERIOR ST. MARY’S, Notiie-Damk 
P.O., Ind 
SRAM SIBLEY&GO. 
'WTURNIP 
CROP 
SEND FORlpIRAM SIBLEY & CO 
CATALOGUE ‘jK 179-183 MAIN STREET, 
AND ROCHESTER, N. V. 
PRICE LIST 200-206 Randolph St.Chlcago, III 
POUGHKEEPSIE, N. Y. A complete college course 
for women, with Schools of Painting and Music, and 
a preparatory department. Catalogues sent. 
S. I,. CALDWELL, D.D., President. 
Pi£ceU»ncou.$ 
Dobbins’ Starch Polish, 
funUfnA CLAIMED An im P urta,,t ais * 
H UW JJAjm mE J covery by which 
that beautiful fin- 
ish peculiar to fine 
#MmI ftilll Ask your Grocer, 
I hope one of the Cousins living at Centra- 
lia. Ill., will not blame us for not printing his 
or her letter post-marked as above. The en¬ 
velope came all nicely sealed, but it contained 
nothing, and it was not “April Fool” day 
either. 
POT CROWN 
.MANCHESTER 
X^TRAWBERRY lUAtfTS. 
AIsoXm-tKY QtTEENt^HtlMO, III DWELL, 
FINCH’S PISL SHlimiHTYfSY, MT. VERNON, 
and all the ieittlitnff^rurlfcUcs, both ’new, and old. 
Mend for pamphU^wying' honest descriptions with 
URistratlons^jpee. \ 
jr. OVETT^Ittlo Silver* N. J*. 
One of the Cousins, Libbie C. Jones of 
Cohocton, N. Y. would like to have some of 
the Southern cousins send her a cotton boll 
just as it is picked from the plant. 
Will “ Enterprise” who sent some plum pits 
of the wild plum please accept my thanks. 
J. B. BOBBINS, 
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 
If any of the cousins wishes to know an¬ 
other’s addresB in order to correspond I shall 
be pleased to give it. I prefer to do this 
rather than to give the full address with the 
letters. My services a re al ways at the disposal 
of the Rural Young Folks. 
AYER’S 
AGUE CURE 
wlUUU 
trOuunrFiLKS that DeBlNtFH PILE REMEDY 
falls to cure. Prepared by -LP. MILLER, M.D., 1(16 Arch 
Et. Phila., Pa. N<m genuine urithoul hilt signature. Send 
tor circular. Sold by druggists and country stores, S1. 
IS WARRANTED to cure all eases of malarial 
disease, such as Fever aud Ague, intermittent or Chill 
Fever, Remittent Fever, Dumb Ague, Bilious Fever 
and Liver Complaint, lu caso of failure, after due 
trlul, dealers arc authorized by our circular of July 
1st, 1882, to refund the money. 
Dr. J. C. AYER & CO., Lowell, Mass. 
Sold by all Druggists. 
iu tbl*(^yiK t'rvnte CAjX. 
le type v . 
lecaet new WirOBIOvSwl* 10c. 14 pks.Sl 
r,0 per rent. 1‘Iciu.o .end SOe forAgi-nt'a 
iilt 1 ,, Premium 1.1-1 tr. blank Cicdi at 
itOltD « AIUI 1Y0UK8. Xorlhtoril.CiHin, 
Ottr club was not very well represented in 
the Fair Number, was it? Did anyone see any 
stray epistles or notes or “Discussion” topics 
among those numerous pages? No, they 
were not there, and U. M. is just as sorry that 
we couldn’t have had a whole page as any one 
nholpfculp. MOKTI 
a week In your own town. Terms and $5 outfit 
tree. Address Hollott ft Oe., Portland, Maine. 
