APRIL 25 
THE RURAL HEW-YORKER. 
for t\)e JJomuj. 
came that this plant grew from was a Cali¬ 
fornia melon, weighing 64 pounds. These 
melons are very solid and of a dark-green color. 
Anna Green writes from a farm in New 
York, where about 3000 grape vines of differ¬ 
ent varieties are growing and over 6000 berry 
plants of different sorts. Write us of your 
own favorites among them when they fruit. 
George E. Godfrey will have an acre 
of land in New York this year to cultivate, 
and he is reading the Rural for good ideas 
on farming. Will you give a little plot of 
your acre to the beans we seud you? 
The school teacher where Paul Watts at¬ 
tends school in Kansas distributed flower seeds 
to her pupils and offered a prize to the one 
who was most successful with the plants, and 
Paul writes that his sister won the prize. 
Lewis E. Hiliboru raised beans, potatoes, 
corn, pumpkins, pop-corn, tomatoes and rad¬ 
ishes, he sold his beans and bought a sheep 
with the money; his potatoes did not do well. 
In Dakota the thermometer marks as low 
as 42 degrees below zero, Eddie Sharp says, 
and he tells of a hail storm they once had 
when the hail-stones were as large as a tea cup, 
and after the storm was over they gathered 
them ud and made ice cream. A squash 
raised in the county where he lives weighed 
182 pounds. 
Hugh Horne lives on one of the Thousand 
Islands in the St. Lawrence River, he wauts 
a pair of oxen so he is trying to break in a 
pair of steers. Tell us how you succeeded 
Hugh. Isn’t a nine-year-old boy' rather small 
to break a team ? 
There are a great many Jack rabbits on the 
prairies of Nebraska, and George H. Mudge 
asks how many of the Cousins have ever seen 
them, they are much larger than the common 
rabbit. George intends to he a farmer and a 
subscriber to the Rural. 
WINTER SCENERY AT NIAGARA, 
f LTHOUGH Spring is near, 
-yet the Winter scenery at 
Niagara Falls is now more 
wonderful tbau it was in Jan 
uary. Looking from Prospect 
Park across the river below 
the American Falls, to Luna 
Island, a tall column of ice is 
seen, shaped like a cone, which has slowly 
arisen from the frozen surface of the rocks 
below until it has reached as high as the 
brink of the cataract: as if curious to see from 
where the water cornea that unceasingly 
pours into the depths below. Long icicles 
hang from the precipice. Large ice forma¬ 
tions have stopped the current that usually 
flows between Goat Island and the point on 
which the old Terrapin Tower once stood. 
The broad stream that is spanned by the 
bridge leading to Goat Island, rushes onward 
with a speed that defies the shackles of this 
stern Winter to hold it in check, while the 
channels running in among the small islands 
that dot the river like mounds of cedar, are 
all frozen over. People walk from one to 
another admiring the beautiful frost work or¬ 
namenting rocks and trees. Railway compa¬ 
nies and euterprisiug firms have taken advan¬ 
tage of the ice paths and have posted the 
signals of their craft on points which are not. 
accessible in Summer. Photographers have 
been diligently securing views, and so varied 
and wonderful are all thatthe summer tourists 
in purchasing them will strongly suspect they 
are pictures of imaginary scenes instead of 
real ones. Sometimes after an exquisite bit 
of frost-work is photographed, the crafty 
artist wantonly breaks down the original, so 
that he only will have that particular view 
for sale. Close to the ferry-house, at Prospect 
Point, is an arch, under which are stone steps 
Riding Away to Wonderland. 
terraced to the level of the ground near the 
brink of the American Falls. This arch, the 
steps and the wall at the edge of the preci¬ 
pice, all look as if they were made of white 
marble. The trees are heavily loaded with 
ice, and the cedars, so abundant here, have 
knobs of frozen spray clinging to them. A 
sudden thaw causes the ice to fall from the 
trees, while that on buildings remains until 
Winter it over. SOPHIA C. garrett. 
NOTES FROM THE COUSINS. 
Frank E. Knerr writes us from Kansas 
describing two flowers and asking their names, 
but the descriptions are not sufficient to Dame 
them from Ouly about half of his Garden Trea¬ 
sures grew because of dry weather. 
The snow lies on the ground three months 
in the year, writes Nan Titchenal from 
Washington Territory, and she now lives 
where 18 months ago the Indian, coyote and 
badger reigned in peace and harmony. The 
first settlers broke up the peace of the natives, 
as Europeans always do. 
I had a garden of about half an acre last 
Summer, J. W. Conklin writes from Long 
Island, and raised tomatoes, cabbage, peppers, 
beans, onioos, parsley and corn, this too with 
about 300 chickens on the place. 
Stella M. Bonnell writes a very neat letter 
with her left hand: she says her right arm 
was paralyzed two years ago and she can use 
it but little yet. 
My papa makes his Rubals into books 
three months iu a book, writes Minnie f. 
Craig, and she says the next time she writes 
she will tell us about the hens they keep. 
We had a melon, Harloigh B. Knox of 
Kansas reports, which weighed 74 pounds; it 
was sent to Lexington, Kentucky, for ex¬ 
hibition. The melau from which the seed 
LETTERS FROM THE COUSINS. 
Dear Uncle Mark:— I planted the seeds 
which you so kindly sent me, and nearly all 
of i hem came up. About the middle of July, 
betore any of them were in bloom, we went 
to Nebraska to visit relatives, and when we 
returned, found them all in bloom. Among 
them were a sensitive plant and two other 
plants which grow wild all over the prairie in 
Nebraska. We have a great many very beau¬ 
tiful flowers and I would like to exchange 
flower-seeds with any of the Cousins. We 
had very good luck with the tomatoes and 
peas which you sent us, the tomatoes being 
the finest we have ever bad. 1 would say to 
the Cousins, if they want their calla lilies to 
blossom, to set the pots in hot water every 
morning. I have tried it this Winter and 
have had lilies blossoming all Winter. 
'Sours truly, garnie hoch. 
Shebojgau, Wis. 
Dear Uncle Mark:—I want to join the 
Horticutural Club, and would like to bave my 
name on the list with the rest of the Cousins. 
I have two pigs, aud one cow and calf, and a 
horse. I ride my horse whenever I want to: 
his name is Jake. My lather has taken the 
Rural several years, but did not take it last 
year. 1 like it very much, and especially the 
children’s corner. 1 think Uncle Mark must 
be very patient, and like little children very 
much. I am 11 years old, and 1 go to school 
in the Summer; we do not have uuy school In 
Winter because it is so rainy and nniddv. I 
bave two brothers but no sister. We have a 
few house plants, but they most all died last 
Winter. We had quite a lot ul flowers last 
Summer in the flower garden. We had one 
Washington Lily that had 26 flowers on one 
flower stem. Will froit kill Oleanders? I will 
not write much this time. If this letter does 
not go to the waste paper basket. I will write 
again. amv m. underwood. 
Douglas County, Oregon. 
[Freezing will kill Oleanders, but they will 
endure light frosts without serious injury. 
Your lily must have been very beautiful.— 
UN8LK MARK, 
pUs'ceUiuimt.'S 
VIEWS OF THE HON. WM. PENN NIXON. 
Mr. Nixon is widely known as the editor of 
The Chicago Inter Ocean, one of the most out¬ 
spoken and spirited dailies of the present age. 
Line mauy other busy editors, Mr. Nixon over¬ 
worked himself, and about six years ago found 
that his health was gradually running down. 
His business associates and his family felt that 
he was in a perilous condition, and urged him 
to take rest—giving up, fora while, all edi¬ 
torial labor. His natural ambition and his 
long habits of diligent work were against this. 
Declining the suggestion of a vacation, he kept 
at his desk. At last, after fighting for some 
months with the condition of his system which 
was gradually undermining his vitality, Mr. 
Nixon concluded to take a few weeks of rest. 
Of that, rest and of what followed it we will 
let him tell, iu his own words, as communica¬ 
ted to one of our correspondents, who recently 
visited him at his editorial rooms in Chicago 
Mr. Nixon, who now appears in the prime 
of life, and in the full vigor of bodily and men¬ 
tal vitality, said, substantially: “It was iu 
February, 1878, that I took a severe cold. My 
system bad become much worked down, aud 
driven with constant editorial duty, I had 
neglected it. After long consideration I con 
eluded to take needed rest. I went to Florida 
and Cuba for a few weeks. On the way I bad 
several hemorrhages from the lungs. I was 
quite sick and returned in no better condition 
than before. My wife was much alarmed 
about me. The physician who attended me on 
my return gave me iubalation, tonics, altera¬ 
tives and pills; after taking which, for about 
two weeks, I was weaker. I kept at my work, 
which was exacting. By September my state 
had become critical. I lost flesh and suffered 
from a severe soreness iu the upper part of my 
right lung. My wife’s sister, who was in 
Boston, wrote about a treatment which was 
novel to me—Compound Oxygen. A relative 
of hers who had been in such poor health that 
he had been compelled to spend several win¬ 
ters in Florida, had been restored by this Com¬ 
pound Oxygen to such an extent that he was 
able to endure the the climate of Boston in 
winter. The little book issued by Starkey & 
Palen on Compound Oxygen was sent me, and 
after reading it 1 concluded that even if their 
method of treating my ailments could do me 
no good, there was reason to suppose that it 
would do me no barm. 
“I procured a ‘Home Treatment’ from the 
office of Messers Starkey & Palen, in Phila¬ 
delphia, determining to give it a fair trial 
and abide the result. For four or live mouths 
I took the inhalations at regular intervals, 
twice a day; continuing my work steadily. 
At first no marked effect was observed; in fact, 
not until three or four weeks. Then I began 
to feel that it was doing me good. I found 
that when I was exposed to the cold, and to 
chilling drafts, my power of resistance was 
far greater than it had been. There was no 
exhilaration, but a constant increase of 
strength. 1 still coughed considerably, aud, iu 
fact did so for some months. The sore spot 
on my right lung gave me much aunoyance. 
I rubbed my ehest with various linimeuts, and 
I wore a chest protector. But gradually the 
soreness went away, as the lung gained 
strength. Aud the cough, which bad so long 
clung to me, at last went off in an unexpected 
manner. One of the last coughiug-spells I had 
was almost as severe and extended as any I 
had ever experienced. It seemed to be the 
going out of the cough-habit. There was 
probably some extraneous matter in the way, 
and this severe spell of coughing got rid of it. 
“I gained flesh very slowly, but gradually 
came back to my orignal weight, and now 
weigh more than before my illness. I am 
more able to resist cold, and, though I now 
take cold occasionally, I am far less subject to 
it than I was of old. My digestion which was, 
of course disordered, is now all that I can de¬ 
sire, aud I am able to do my customary work 
without inconvenience or serious fatigue. I 
have never given a testimonial to any patent 
medicine, and I would not; but 1 do not con¬ 
sider Starkey & Palen’s Compound Oxygen a 
patent medicine. It is a vitalizer and a re¬ 
storer, and to it I owe my life.” 
“Mr. Nixon, did you ever take any other 
'Oxygen Treatment’ than that of Messers. 
Starkey & Palen?” 
“No; I had no use for any other. This serv. 
ed the purpose perfectly, and did even more 
than 1 could have expected of it.” 
“Do you ever have occasion to return to the 
use of the Compouud Oxygen Treatment 
siuce your restoration to health?” 
“Only occasionally; for instance, if I have 
been exposed, and have taken cold. But I 
keep a ‘Home Treatment’ in my family, for 
we set a high value on its efficiency in cases of 
need, and several of my friends have found the 
advantage of it. You may put me on record 
as being a hearty and thorough believer in it.” 
Mr. Nixon’s case is not a peculiar one. 
Thousands have been benefited by the use of 
Compound Oxygen Among those who have 
experienced its wonderful curative properties, 
are Judge Flanders, of Now York, Edward 
L. Wilson, the popular lecturer and photo¬ 
grapher, T. 8. Arthur, the well kuown author, 
and Jndge Kelley, of Philadelphia, Mrs. Mary 
A. Livermore, the eminent lecturer, and many 
others equally prominent. 
If you are Interested to know what it has 
done l’or others, and what it can do for you, 
send to Drs. Starkey & Palen, 1109 Girard St., 
Philadelphia, who will send you free a trea¬ 
tise on this remarkable vitalizer—its discov¬ 
ery, nature action, and cures. 
Scrofula 
Probably no form of disease Is so generally dis 
tributed among our whole population as Bcrofula. 
Almost every individual lias this latent poisoft 
coursing Ms veins. The terrible sufferings en 
durod by those afflict oil with scrofulous sores 
cannot bo understood by others, and their grati¬ 
tude on finding a remedy that eures them, aston¬ 
ishes a welt person. The wonderful power of 
Hood’s Sarsaparilla 
in eradicating every form of Scrofula has been so 
clearly aud fully demonstrated that it leaves no 
doubt that it is the greatest medical discovery of 
this generation. It is made by C. I. HuOD & CO., 
Lowell, Mass., and is sold byall druggists. 
IOO Doses One Dollar 
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