JUNE 8 
v&Upt«U4U«0n» guU-cvusuui 
early corn, but. the wet nearly ruined the peas, 
beaus and tomatoes, and started some kinds 
of potatoes to rotting; either extreme is bad. 
Did any of the Cousins ever try sowing the seeds 
found in rice as it is bought at our grocery 
stores. I did once and got for my trouble a 
curious little trec-like plant that would close 
its leaves at night and on dark days. I 
called it Sleeping Plant, as 1 did not know its 
real botanical name; another seed came up, 
a beautiful vine with curious shaped loaves, 
something like the German Ivy only larger, 
aud it blossomed a little pink flower, shaped 
nearly like a Morning Glory, only smaller. 
Fve been making some pretty big calcula¬ 
tions on gardening for this Summer, as I have 
got from the seedtuen over 40 varieties of veg- 
table and flower seeds. 1 will send postage to 
prepay expenses if any of the Cousins will 
send me any of the following named articles: 
a piece of coral just as the animal makes it. and 
taken from where made; a bunch of Florida 
moss; a fan palm leaf as it grows in Georgia; 
a Nutmeg attached to the stem on the twig as 
it grew; a small piece of granite from Vermont 
and a specimen of copper ore. Also lead, iron, 
tin, zinc and glass ores aud metalic curiosities 
as a Texas Cousin described not long ago. If 
the Cousins will write to the Rural and tell 
what article they can send. I would like their 
address, as I will send stamps to pre¬ 
pay postage. My object is to try to collect a 
curiosity shop, with each or as many States 
represented as possible. Please describe the 
different varieties of shells found near the 
river or seashore; to some of the Cousins some 
of these may seem very simple, as you have 
been used to seeing them all your lives but 
others like myself would think them curiosities. 
If Uncle Mark has no objections 1 will give you 
a little history and description of the great 
Washington Co. gas well that has been burn¬ 
ing over a year, the light ol' which can be seen 
for 4fl or DU miles. Hoping you will excuse 
such a long letter I remain as ever, 
Your uiece, Fannie May. 
[Uncle Mark would be much pleased to re¬ 
ceive an account of the great burning gas well. 
them, tearing a hole in the middle for the 
leaves to come through the paper. It kept 
the soil nrouud the plants moist, and those 
that I treated so did twice as well as the 
others. I want to get as many runners or 
sets as 1 can from the strawberry plants Mr. 
Hale sent me. Should I allow them to bear 
fruit or should the blossoms be picked off? 
Yours truly. Allie W. 
Berkshire Co., Mass. 
[Pick off the blossoms by all means.—U. M.] 
LETTERS FROM THE COUSINS, 
Dear Uncle Mark and Rural Cousins:— 
More than the stipulated six months have 
passed since my last letter to the Rural, 
though it was uot from a disinclination to 
write that my pen lay idle, but from a number 
of hindrances, the most unpleasant of them be¬ 
ing sickness, so 1 feel myself partly excusable; 
yet 1 fear we Cousins are not so prompt in the 
discharge of our duties as wo generally expect 
others to be, a..d would, no doubt, feel impa¬ 
tient were the Rural as irregular in its week- 
13 ' visits as we arc in writing to it. The Ru¬ 
ral’s gift of seeds were received some time 
ago, aud 1 quickly laid claim to the flower seeds, 
not forgetting that I am indebted to the Rural 
for them. Please accept thanks. 1 was unable 
to plant them until a few days ago. Upon 
opening the package I found some, to me, new 
and odd-looking seeds. 1 shall await their ap¬ 
pearance above ground with deep interest, and 
hope that in this case my “great expectations” 
will not prove small realizations, as they so 
frequently do. 1 believe every flower-loving 
Cousin will sympathize with me when I tell 
them that the hitter cold of last Winter rob¬ 
bed me of all m.y house-plants except one Be¬ 
gonia. I had lost some plants before, but last 
Winter’s loss so discouraged rue, I hardly have 
the heart to undertake the care of a box-plant 
again, unless it might be an Oak-grub, orsoine- 
tliing of equal hardiness, until 1 have a more 
safe place to keep them iu. 1 must say’ a good 
word for the Madam Manlier Rose, as it with¬ 
stood the unusual cold of last Winter, standing 
iu the open ground without protection while 
ail the rest of our Tea Roses were either killed 
down to the ground ur outright. 1 started 
some slips from it last Fall and they are all 
growing finely. I also put down some grape 
cuttings about two mouths ago. Their buds 
are swelling aud I think they will live, but 1 
should be glad il' Unde Mark would tell me 
how to care for them, as I know nothing of 
grape-culture and am desirous of information. 
Uncle Mark, your proposal to the artist 
members of the Club to send designs for a 
new heading to the Youth’s Department does 
not seem to have received much attention. I 
am no artist and could not hope to contribute 
anything suitable, but enclose a few draw¬ 
ings merely to show that your kindness is ap¬ 
preciated hy an Oregon girl; and I hope we 
may soon hear from the artist members. Wish¬ 
ing you alJ a pleasant aud prosperous Summer, 
1 am ver 3 r respectfully, 
T. inn Co., Oregon. Florence L. Brown. 
[The grape is usually propagated by cuttings 
which ma} r be made iu the Fall, during prun¬ 
ing. Select stout, vigorous shoots and cut up 
into pieces having three or four buds. The 
cuttings should bo from nine to twelve inches 
long, aud cut close below the lower bud. The 
cuttiugs may be made so that the lower bud 
may be ou part old wood, as these kinds root 
easier than buds on new wood. Either bury 
the cuttings iu well-drained soil until the next 
Spring or put iu moist sand in a cool cellar. 
Place the upper ends downward. In,the 
Spriug when the ground is dry enough pre¬ 
pare the cutting l*d in light., rich soil, pul¬ 
verizing well to about one foot deep. Make 
a trench along the length of the bed, deep 
enough to plant, the cuttings iu, so that the 
upper buds will be just even with the surface 
aud have the cuttings one or two inches apart, 
iu the row, the rows being three feet apart. 
Press the soil around them firmly aud then 
mulch with sawdust, leaf-mold or some such 
substance. At the eud of one year’s growth they 
may be transplanted to the vineyard. In the 
Vineyard the rows should lie six feet apart, but 
the distance apart of the vines in the rows, 
varies; slow-growing varieties may be planted 
six feet apart, rapidly-growing ones eight to 
ten feet apart. The plants should be well 
rooted. Do not allow but one shoot to grow 
the first Summer, but allow the laterals to 
grow on this shoot, in the Fall prune the 
young viuc back to three buds if it has grown 
well; to one or two if small. Thanks for the 
drawings.— Uncle Mark.] 
PROFESSOR 
Dear Uncle Mark: —I must tell you of 
such an agreeable surprise to-day. You iiiu> r 
remember I have told you of the ups and 
downs of farmer D. Now sunshine beams 
upon us and its first fruits appeared upon our 
table in the form of a bountiful bowl of ripe 
strawberries, luscious aud sweet. YVe en¬ 
joyed the Crystal City berries very much. 
We had expected to regale a little transplant¬ 
ed bride who comes from the same region 
where our plants grew—Monroe Co., N. Y. 
It will be some time lie fore the same variety 
will ripen there as the trees have just com¬ 
menced to bud. I write this to encourage 
others to patronize Mr. Green, so kind and 
fair in all his dealings. The raspberries are 
loaded with bloom, I cannot remember the 
names, except Tyler, Turner and Cuthbert. 
All give promise for an abundance of fruit. 
When the Cooley Creamer comes, and it will 
soon be on the way, step in. Undo Mark, and 
take tea with berries at “Aunt Hester’s.” 
[Aunt Hester must know that all such kind 
invitations are oul 3 r au aggravation to liide 
Mark, when he can’t indulge. But if U. M. 
cannot perhaps somebody else can take his 
place. Thanks.—U. M.] 
fftOSPHATfc 
Made from Professor Horsford’s Acid 
Phosphate. 
Recommended by leading; physician*. 
Makes lighter biscuit, cakes, etc., and 
is healthier than ordinary Raking Pow¬ 
der. 
I n Mottles Sold at a reasonable price. 
The llorslord Almanac aud Cook Rook 
sent free. 
Rumford Chemical Works, Providence, R. I. 
II.SI. ANTIION V.AfUt lot) and 1U2 Reade bt.,N. V- 
'sB^sSsam 
Dear Uncle Mark:— I received the seeds 
which 3 ’ou were so kind as to send me, al¬ 
though I do uot think I deserved them, as I 
have had but one letter in print though my 
name has been on the roll for two or three 
3 r ears or more, but receiving those flower 
seeds, which I shall value very highly, has en¬ 
couraged me to write. I am very fond of 
flowers and of raising them from the seed. I 
have some handsome Pansies now iu blossom; 
they wore budded when the snow molted off 
from them. Every Rural Cousin ought to 
have (if they have not already) a bed of Pan¬ 
sies; they flower so early and are so easily 
cared for. Carnation Pinks are flowers that 
I am also fond of. I like to raise vegetables, 
too, and 1 think it is so nice to have u plenty 
of all common varieties. I will write no 
more this time for fear my letter will be too 
long to print. Your niece, 
Kelloggsville, N. Y. R. C. 
S. PENNOCK & SONS CO. 
Kennett Square. Pa., ano Fort Wayne. Ind. 
ALSO SOLE MANUFACTURERS OF THE MATCHLESS StLF- 
_ Loading, Seli--Dumpinq 8oraper. 
Dear Cousins.—! am glad I am back, so 
that 1 can write again. How have you been 
these three months? J t is as long as that, since 1 
have written an ything for this column. Spring 
has at last arrived. I suppose you have all 
got your seeds started loug ago. Now comes 
the time of transplanting, a most critical period 
in floriculture. If your boxes are two or 
three inches deep aud a foot or more wide, 
by talcing the sides off, aud then the ends, the 
dirt is freed from the Ihix, aud you can easily 
separate the seedlings by jarring the bottom, 
which loosens the dirt, and they will fall apart. 
Take the seedlings out carefully, aud trans¬ 
plant into the garden. When they arc in the 
ground, wet slightly; it is better to wet them 
two or three times than to drown thorn out 
with one heavy wetting. It is better to do 
this iu the evening than au> T other part of the 
day. They should be kept covered from the 
sun for three or four days. Look out for 
heavy showers; have boxes to cover them up. 
1 lost a great mauy 3 ’oung plants Tuesday 
morning (theHth of May) when a heavy shower 
occurred, by their being washed out, and then 
drying lip. If 3 ’ou have any Lilies do not sep¬ 
arate them for four years, and you will have 
more, larger ones and they will last longer 
thau if separated of teller. 1 always separate 
and plant. Lilies in the Fall. I have planted 
them in the Spring and they flowered, came 
up year after year aud did nut have another 
flower. Why? Because I planted them in the 
Spring. If you are only going to get a dol¬ 
lar’s worth of Seeds, the following are all good 
varieties, and rail be obtained at. any' seed 
store for that sum: Portulaca, Phlox, Petunia. 
Mignonette, Poppy, Sweet Pea, Zinnia, Mari¬ 
gold, Heliotrope,, Lautana, Larkspur, Dian- 
thus, Marvel of Peru, Clarkia, Calliopsis, 
Balsam, Sweet Alyssuin. Don Folinno. 
Dear Uncle Mark.—I have just received 
the seeds you sent me and thank you very 
much for them. I hope T shall have better 
luck thau I did with the melon seeds you sent 
last year. Only two of them came up and they 
bore no melons. 1 am going to try to have 
some strawberries, raspberries aud currants 
this year. My sister and I went out one day this 
Spring took up u lot of raspberry plants aud 
set them in the garden and they are doing 
very’ nicely. Then I hud a fifty-cent piece 
a friend gave me, so I sent it to Messrs Hale 
Bros., aud asked them to send me some plants, 
and they sent me a splendid lot all wrapped 
lip in oiled paper. Papa laughed at me 
when l sent the money and said I would get 
only two little old strawberry plants; but 
when 1 got them I laughed at him, because 
there were strawberries, raspberries, red, 
black and yellow ones and blackberries; then 
he helped me set them out, and ahnostevery 
one is alive. The next day after I set them 
out. it was very warm aud dry, and I was 
afraid the strawberries would die, so I took 
some pieces of brown paper aud put over 
E Km- the PtvnorviitioT at nil 
® kln.l* of Fruit unit Vegeta 
j) IiIkm. Dunlin the In yt-.ui, it 
■ I in. (ituv.il the only prn file til 
5 KviqHirtitur riiiuirin’ted, null 
1 ] o[w.[-,i! u< 1 no nt nelly (ihilu- 
sopkiual [iri iicuiImh It isOiA 
II client'*'"* machine sold for 
quantity mid quality [undue- 
r eel, aud is the "tdy one Mint 
will do as much nr more Hum 
I lugnaninli't'd. It willevapor- 
*i at,, n.iih’. thc-aninunt of any 
oilier machine, with "i» half 
| the help, and M more fuel, 
; beside" the quality of Ilia 
|. work ih f.ir riiperior, «« nil 
cun Ir'imhyinquiring of tirst- 
i clnas denier-, in New York or 
Bouton. It is practically liTO 
I proof. Send for our circa- 
hit - and invent unite before 
buying Mnnulactured by 
y s k. .t ,i. m. spRorr. 
uj Muncy, illuming Oo., Pit, 
? for the Knutorn, Middle, ano 
J Southern Si A Iff. and Can 
r min.-, nnd hy JOHN W1L 
i LIAMS A SON Kalamazoo, 
Iij Michigan, for tho West and 
I Southwest, ,J. S. TWOM 
ili BLV. 23 Oonttiienunl St., 
jij Boston. Mu."s., Agent for 
M.one. New Hampshire mid 
* Miutaiichuuetl* 
Uncle Mark: —Seeing that my last letter 
didn’t find its way into the paper it must have 
found its way into the waste basket, so I will 
try and do better this time. Father has Liken 
the Rural three years. We live ou a farm 
of 100 acres seven utiles from the village. We 
had a severe Winter aud it is cold yet. Our 
Rural Heavy Dent Corn did nicely; the Gem 
Squash also did very well. The grope seeds 
have sprouted. I would like some of your 
Pinks and Pansies, and any other seeds you 
might wish to send. 1 have two brothers and 
one sister living at home, and one brother and 
one sister living in Dakota. 
From your nephew, 
Col. Co., Wis. John Weast. 
[If you received the package of seeds sent 
you John, don’t, forget to tell the mauy Cousins 
about them next Fall. Uncle Mark.] 
The only Double Mill made in 
the West. Twenty different 
styles nnd sizes, suited U) 
every capacity, from one- 
third of mi acre to thirty five 
in-res per day, prices ranging 
from (t'i--) tO #8 t u0O. 
aSi* 1 . I- A. Hedges, lifter testing it 
with others, says It Is the Best 
-I t'.vnpiiratnr tiiaile It took the 
only premium awarded for 
work done nt the St. Louis Fair In 1SS2. 
rar Full stock of sna it mark its’ sup- 
Plil ES. Send for iTreulur to 
Dear Uncle Mark: —To-day is the 21st of 
May, time, exactly three o’clock. It has been 
snowing ever since 11 o’clock and hard too. 
It is quite a remarkable event, inasmuch as 
we have been liaviug a somewhat forward 
Spring. Many of the farmers have all their 
corn in aud some of it is up. 1 have a line 
bed of flowers—or they would have been in 
the course of time if thus snow had not made 
us a call. The apple trees are looking lovely 
now. They have been in bloom for several 
<lays. I would like to go and gather a hand¬ 
ful of blossoms if it would only quit snowing 
long enough. The Lilacs are drooping their 
heads down almost to the ground under their 
heuV)’load of snow. The wheat is promising 
a pretty fair crop, Oats are up nicely in fact 
everything looks comparatively prosperous in 
spite of its ghostly covering. M. s. 
Stryker, O. 
EiulitbiY Howard Sis.. SI, Louis 31o„I), S . A 
VICTOR 
Double 
y- -> Haller 
$IOOO REWARD 
ClOV< r 
mmllni 
NiMvark Murhlncri'o. Xewnrk. \V 
O. Kormvrly lit* Huip’ntownl^^j^ 
Agf. luip. Mf*. Co., llngurnown, Mil 
Bushels 
LYON&HEALY 
Stale & Monroe Sts.,Chicago. .^3 
Will Mrn»J pr*’Wbl'l to *ny addr*** ifielr sir 
BAND CATALOGUE, / o 
for JdWr-, GO LriKmsIisfxl • ^ 
of 1 ii-lruiiipnl-. But 14, Cnp* lklu.t^ 
F.pauUU, Cap L*ui|*. 
S*»ndH |>rtm» MjJOf 1 * Sl*lT', nwi 
Hit., .Sundry IWmt Outfit* 
M a Ur Uli, *1 u Include.* In-miction and E*- 
for Amiuur K amt a Catalogue' 
ot Cku* ~ Hand Miuiu 
Dear Uncle Mark:—I am afraid that, 
judging from the number of letters from the 
Cousins you will have quite a number to ex¬ 
pel from your ranks. I know l am one of the 
dilatory ones, as we were all to write at least 
twice a year. 1 suppose Uncle means for us 
to write in the Spring and tell what we are 
going tei do, aud then write again in the Fall 
aud tell what we have done, whether success 
or failure. [That’s just, it. Uncle Mark]. My 
garden last season was a success taking all 
together, but somepjants might have done bet¬ 
ter. But. we can’t expect everything to suc¬ 
ceed in one season, as some lands of vegeta 
tables do best iu w et weather while others do 
best in dry weather. For instance: last sea¬ 
son it was very wet, aud we uever had such 
radishes, beets, onions, celery, cabbages aud 
Dear Uncle Mark: —I would like to be a 
member of the Horticultural Club. May 1? I 
am nine years old. I live iu Spring Valley, 
Bergen Co., New Jersey. 
Cerise E. A. Carman. 
[Why, of course you can. Uncle Mark is 
only too glad to have you. It is said that 
Bergen County is a great place for experi¬ 
menting iu farming, especially near Spring 
Valley, so if you can tell us au 3 ’thiug about it 
Uncle Mark and the Cousins would be much 
pleased.—U. M.] 
by iv.ilohiutiki're. ->y mail 25<J. Oiroulars 
fr.-.- I.S. Bun H.v Oo..I)i>rSt.. N.Y. 
OUR OUT OTf ENGINC 
. a Fort 
SAW MILL GAUGE 
Address, TAYLOR MFG. CO. 
Chambersburfl, Pa, 
iJieatc Mention tUit Paper..) 
