grafting for % §oun§. 
BAIN ON THE FARM. 
My dear little children 
Stand up in a row; 
And Just let ue see, now, 
Does any one know, 
How the little round drops 
Of warm Summer rain, 
Spatter and hop, 
And spatter again, 
While little pug noses 
Press close to the pane; 
And rolicksome toea-ee 
Can hardly refrain 
From an out-of-door play, 
In the dribbling charm, 
When the rain comes pattering 
Down on the farm ? 
It turns up the litt’o 
White loaves on the trees. 
That danoe so, and flutter 
About in tho broom; 
And hits the red berries 
T hat hide from tho sun; 
And dabblos the cherries, 
That swing one by one 
High up when the birdies, 
Their dessert have doue. 
It colors the mosses 
A livelier green 
It nods and it tosses 
The daises between. 
And it sends the woo chicks 
To he cuddled and warm. 
When the rain comes pattering, 
Down on the farm.—M aude Meredith 
----- 
IN-DOOR GARDENING-NO. 1. 
MAUDE MEREDITH. 
Upon the hills I see the golden brown, 
And in the valleyB lie the Summer’s red 
The pastures bare and sloping grain-fields dun, 
All seem to whisper us, that “ hummer’s dead.” 
The purple grapes hang heavy by the river side. 
The. flower borders turning dead aud sere, 
The rustling leaves beneath the arbor trees 
All whisper low that “ Winter’s reign is near.” 
There are few things pleasanter or more cheer¬ 
ing during the dreary Winter season out-doors, 
than the green or blooming plants Inside the com¬ 
fortable home, and while every well-regulated 
household may have a part of the interest tn 
the beauty of the Summer tiower garden trans¬ 
ferred to the sltttng room or parlor for the Winter, 
I will give a few hints to the Horticultural Club In 
the transfer of the beauty of Summer out-doors to 
the beauty of Winter In doors. 
Now that the seed pods hang heavy and brown 
In the borders and the woodbine flaunts scarlet 
banners on the arches, whispering us of the near 
approach of that enemy of our flower beds, “ Jack 
Frost,” we must needs bestir ourselves If we would 
save our treasures from the to iCh or his blighting 
hand; window boxes must be retouched with 
varnish, flower-pots, last Spring discarded, again 
brought out. and all the new designs or inven¬ 
tions for making them attractive, added. Then 
comes the task of selecrlug. Not all the Summer 
favorites can find accommodation in the windows, 
and it requires considerable care and forethought 
to select only the best, those that will make the 
best show as Winter bloomers, or what Is almost 
as good, by their bright or graceful foliage make 
the beholder forget the lack of bloom. 
First, in selecting pots, do not use too large 
sizes, a small pot, If steadily cared for, and, by 
that, I mean if not neglected and allowed to be¬ 
come too dry, will furnish twice the bloom that 
the same plant potted In a much larger pot would 
afford. Large pots mean a profusion or foliage, 
small pots, of bloom. All pots should have a layer 
of charcoal on the bottom, red coals taken from 
the kitchen stove and cooled answer the purpose, 
affording better drainage, at the same time keep¬ 
ing the earth from souring. 
I have round a soil composed entirely of leaf 
mold from the depths of the woods to he the very 
best, requiting the least water, and producing the 
richest color In leaf and bloom, hut where It can 
not be procured, any good loamy soli, mixed one 
part sand, lo two of soil, will do excellently, or In 
case of necessity, well rotted manure, but It must 
be well rotted, mixed one part soil, one of manure 
and one of sand, will answer. The line dust swept 
from the street can be used as a fertilizer if no 
other la procurable. Now, that our pots are ready, 
comes the process of transferring. 1 usually water 
my plants thoroughly some hours before, selecting 
a cool, cloudy day ir possible, and do the work as 
late In the afternoon as I can, thereby giving the 
plants the bane At of a nap before beginning their 
new life, which, by the way, should be quite In 
the shade In some cool room for the flrst three 
days. 
All fine fibrous rooted plants are easily removed, 
while those of a single, or tap root, are best left to 
the ravages of cue trost king. Some choice kinds 
as, for Instance, the mignonette, can be planted In 
pots where they are expected to remain, In July 
or August, and make flue Winter bloomers. 
Foremost Id the floral ranks for lawn or conser¬ 
vatory la the extensive family Of Geraniums. The 
large Zanale Geraniums that, nil i:d our borders with 
their flaming reds, their dainty pinks, and pure 
white through all the Summer will not prove 
good Winter bloomers; being so exhausted with 
Summer flowering, the removal causes them to 
droop their leaves, and half the Winter Ir con¬ 
sumed in an attempt to reorganize their shaken 
forces; but if we have carefully set cuttings 
through the Summer months that are about com¬ 
ing Into bud, we can transfer them to the windows 
with little apparent, harm, and they will continue 
to grow aud bloom almost uninterrupted. The 
large stand-bys of the yammer, if lifted from the 
earth, about as a farmer “ pulls ” his cabbage, 
and fastened, roots uppermost, to the beams over¬ 
head in the cellar will keep until another Spring, 
when they may be set out, and with a little 
pruning they will grow rapidly Into another Sum¬ 
mer of bloom. A variety should be selected. If 
possible some of the double varieties, although I 
have a fancy Tor the familiar faces of some of my 
old friends like Francis du Hols and Jean Sisley. 
Among the novelties we And New Life, a vivid 
scarlet, Irregularly striped with salmon and white. 
In the double varieties are Caslmer Perler, a flam¬ 
ing orange, bordered with salmon; Ernest Leuth, 
vegetables to gather yet before frost. This Is the 
flrst year for us to take the Rural. We like It 
very much. Do any of your nieces or nephew's 
never hunt stones, I am trying to get a specimen 
from all the States. Perhaps some of the cousins 
would send me a stone from a state I have none 
from. I have a stone from Iowa, Nev., Wls„ Mo., 
Ark,, Kan., Dak., Minn., and N. Y. 1 got a stone 
that, looks like petrified honey comb. I got $ 2.00 
premiums for pantry stores at the Eldora fair, two 
an Intense glowing crimson; Mme. Baltet, the 
best of all the double whites'; Jennie Dolfus 
and Naomi as double plnkB. These, or any other 
similar variety of color, are quite sufficient to 
illume the flower borders through the Summer, or 
the window garden In the gloomy Winter days. 
There Is an endless variety of silver-leaved, 
bronze, and tricolor, as ornamented foliage; about 
a dozen scented varieties, with the double and 
single Ivy-leafed Geraniums, which, together with 
the Pelargoniums or Lady Washington Geraniums, 
make up a list sumdent of themselves to fill our 
window garden, all requiring about the same cul¬ 
ture and being tho most, easily cared for of all 
house plants, asking only moderation In all except 
light—that, however, seems to be a necessity for 
perfect development. 
Among hardy Winter flowering plants I have a 
great fancy ror tho abutllon, really a greenhouse 
shrub, growing from five to ten feet In bight, and 
by some called Flowering Maple, from theresem 
blance Its leaves bear to the maple. There are. a 
number of varieties, some requiring a support like 
a lucla, ana having a leaf rather long and narrow. 
But l do not fancy the abutllon when it, attempts 
vine nature. I like it as a stately* symmetrical 
tree In miniature. 
The abutllons are very popular on account of 
their cleanliness, healthfulness and almost con¬ 
stant bloom, whether as a bedding plant In Sum¬ 
mer, or a house plant in Winter. In color of flow¬ 
er they range from pure white to crimson, scarlet 
and deep orange, with all Intervening shades and 
velnlng. The foliage of some varieties Is of a 
deep green, others, as A. Thompsonil, mottled 
with yellow shading out into a creamy white. 
Achanla la another green-house shrub, a contin¬ 
uous bloomer, bearing Bcarlet flowers and, from 
Its freedom from insects and Its easy cultivation, a 
most desirable house-plant. 
Almost all begonias are also desirable for win¬ 
dow gardening, as each has special merles either 
as constant bloomers, or from beauty of foliage, 
and In the same list we place Bonvardtas, requir¬ 
ing about the same temperature as begonias, an 
average ot 65 degrees, easy of culture and a pro¬ 
fuse and brilliant Winter bloomer. 
These last named require more heat than gera¬ 
niums and abutllons, and can be given the 
warmest side of the plant stand or the brackets 
nearest the stove. 
1 muPt add just one word for the carnation, the 
old tavorlte that always flourished on the little 
plant stand beneath the clock In our mother’s 
kitchen, and from which as an especial reward for 
good conduct, we were given now aud then a 
great fragrant blossom, just as, dinner basket In 
hand, we stopped for the good-by kiss before 
starting on our long tramp to school. Never will 
the fragrance of the carnation drift past us, tnat 
it does not instantly picture t.he old red school 
house, the rows of pine desks, tho childish faces, 
the clean pink pinafores and the great spicy 
bloom, mother’s parting token, that lay on the 
desk J ust above the speller, and to which we stole 
admiring glances between each heart-breaking 
word. 
“Your voiceless lips, O Flowers ! aro living preachers. 
Each cup a pulpit, anti each leaf a book. 
Supplying to my fanoy numerous teachers, 
From loveliest nook. 
“ In the sweet-scented pictures, Heavenly Artist! 
With which Thou paintest nature's wide-spread hall, 
What a delightful lesson Thou impartest, 
Of love to all I" 
- *>♦ - 
LETTERS FROM THE COUSINS. 
UNCLE Mark and Cousins:—I see so many let¬ 
ters rrorn the cousins I thought 1 would write too, 
I cannot say I care much for gardening. 1 like to 
see a good garden and pretty flowers as well as 
anybody. I guess the trouble with me Is I don’t 
like out-door work. Although if you would send 
some seeds they would be gladly accepted. For 
Elsie, my slater, likes to make gardens as well as 
I like to watch her. 1 guess we will have a well 
filled cellar this Winter, lor ma has 300 quarts of 
fruit put up. Then we will have 100 bushels of 
apples If they are not stolen. And we are going 
to try to get some nuts. We have a great many 
years ago last Fall, $10.75 a year ago last Fall. $9 
last Fall, and I was entitled to $9 more but they 
gave It to some one else by mistake. I am In my- 
fourteenth year but I will soon be too old to write 
to you, will I not? Now Uncle Mark give an ac¬ 
count of yourself, aro you a real uncle ? Ma never 
had any brothers or sister, so you are not her 
brother, and I guess could not have been a favor¬ 
ite brother of my fathers, or he would have said 
a little more about you, who are you any way ? 
Do you like long letters. You have one here. I 
hope your waste basket will be too small for It. 
But good-bye. Your affectionate niece, 
Eagle C lty, Hardin Co., Iowa. Florence Dale. 
[Uncle Mark does not Uke to tell his real history, 
sometimes we play characters as welt as act them, 
although not always real ; but there are some 
nieces in Iowa who can tell you all a bout Uncle 
Mark if they have a mind to.—U. M.] 
Uncle Mark.—I send a peach to-day, picked 
off of a tree grown from a pit that I planted three 
years ago—when I was six years old. 1 think It 
is a pretty good peach for the fir st, trial don’t you ? 
I have a nice little flower bed, verbenas, pinks 
balsams, pansies and tube rosea. 1 have also a 
few shrubs, flowering almonds, Japan Quince 
etc., that I got over at my grandfathers I dug up 
the sprouts from his bushes and brought them 
home and planted them, and they are doing flrst 
rate. 1 have a beautiful black walnut tree about 
two feet high that grew from a nut that I planted. 
I am saving flower seed for next year. Of the 
seeds sent to my father from the Rural New- 
Yokkek, he has nice young plants of all, except 
the magnolias, growing finely, and expects to 
have plenty of flowers from them next Summer. 
He has large mangels from the seed sent but don’t 
think they are large enough to take the prize of¬ 
fered for the three largest. 1 would like to Join 
the Horticultural Club with your permission. Your 
nephew. Harry R. F. 
Elmira, N. Y. 
[The peach was very fine, It Is not a very large 
sort but Is a free stone of most excellent flavor, 
and was just ripe. We add your name to the 
Ust. U. M.J 
Dear Uncle Mark and Rural cousins:— I have 
never seen a letter from Bitterroot Valley, Mon¬ 
tana, yet, and thought I would write. 1 am nine 
years old but never went to school but very little 
but my mother has taught mo at home. My 
father has taken the Rural a long time and It 
will always bo a welcome visitor with us. My 
fafher owns 200 acres ot land and a band of cattle, 
horses and other stock. 1 love flowers very much 
and we have a good many nice vines this year. 
Crops are good here this year. Wheat wlU go 
about 40 bushels to the acre, oats 60 to 60. Some 
or the cousins will be surprised to know I never 
saw a railroad, but hope to some time. 1 wish 
some of them had the privilege I have to catoh 
nice mountain trout and gather huckleberries, and 
rove over the mountains and see the playful deer, 
and the great big bears, but the latter 1 never care 
to bother. Please don’t cast tills in the waste bas¬ 
ket as It Is my flrst. Ella Grace, 
Dear Uncle Mark:— I am a little girl eleven 
years old. 1 want to Join the Horticultural club. 
I have three brothers aud one sister. We all love 
flowers, my oldest brother and sister and I have 
tiower beds. Ma has snapdragons, phlox, four- 
o’clock8, balsams, pansies, gladlolas, mignonette 
and others too numerous to mention. The most 
of the seed we got from the Rural last Spring has 
done well. 1 Uke to read the letters from the 
cousins. From your niece, 
Laura G. Babenhouse. 
Wayne Co., Iowa. 
Dear Uncle Mark:— I have long wanted to 
Join your club, and thought I would write, aud 
hope this will not go In the waste-basket. I have 
a flower garden, and have aU colors of balsams, 
pansies, Bweet peas, petunias, phlox, drummondU, 
poples, portulacas, verbenas, and zinnias. Our 
Cuthbert raspberry plants are all alive. We have 
harvested our Molds ennobled oats. We take the 
Rural, and like It very much. W. D. H. 
Rockford, 11L 
Neuralgia, Sciatica, Lumbago, 
Backache, Soreness of the Chest, Gout, 
Quinsy, Sore Throat, Swellings and 
Sprains, Burns and Scalds, 
General Bodily Pains, 
Tooth, Ear and Headache, Frosted Feet 
and Ears, and all other Pains 
and Aches. 
No Preparation on earth equals St. Jacobs Oil as 
a safe, sure, simple ami cheap External Remedy. 
A trial entails but the comparatively trifling outlay 
of 50 Cents, and every one suffering with pain 
can have cheap and positive proof of its claims. 
Directions iu Eleven Languages. 
SOLD BY ALL DRUGGISTS AND DEALERS IN 
MEDICINE. 
A.VOGELER & CO„ 
Baltimore, Md., V. S. A. 
$25,000 Premiums. 
Aunual Exhibition 
TO HE HELD AT WASHINGTON, D. C., 
Commencing October 5th and Closing Octo¬ 
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Fine Mile Track aud Commodious Buildings on the 
New National Fair Grounds, within five minutes’ ride 
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Trot 11 UK Races October 5, 6, 7.8 and 9. Purses, $8,000. 
Entries close at It :00 p. in. September 31,188a. 
International Tournament, Military Prizes, incu¬ 
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The largest premiums ever offered in the country for 
Hornes, <1 tittle. Sheep, Poultry, tic. Liberal awards 
for Rouwib.old. Agricultural Departments. 
An entire Building devoted to Horticulture. 
Premium List now ready. 
Exclusion Tickets at reduced rates on alt tbe Rail¬ 
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made for transportation of objects intended for exhi¬ 
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K:>waiu> C. Dean, Secretary, 
Address ill rcunmunicutlom, hi the Secretary, Office 
8U). FoBPeylmffa Avenue, Washington, D. C. 
AGENTS WAMTEOSSSSS^JS 
tins .Machine over introduced. Will kmt a pair of 
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m a Fancy Cards 10c. 30 Chrocuo Cards, no 2 alike, 
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STRAWBERRIES largest and 
ViirUV^ 
quarts per acre, and averaged in market 19 c. per quart, 
40 acres Strawberries aud Raspberries. Kicllcr a 
Hybrid BH«lu-proof Pear. “ Forty years kxpn. 
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Blight. “ Forty Years among Small Units, telling 
Ulhat and lunv to p!a nt. Either sent by man for. lac. t 
both for 25c Catalogues of fruits and Flowers tree* 
WM. PARKY, CUuuumiuson, >• J* 
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Plants and Bulbs 
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A Catalogue, with colored plates, five. 
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Bulbs, Apple » (idlings, Osage PI nuts, etc, 
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Agents, Bloomington Nursery, HI. 
