4889 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
483 
A GARDEN NOVELTY OF MERIT. 
ELMER E. SUMMEY. 
Stachys attiuis or tuberifera is the botani¬ 
cal name of a novel vegetable, which has but 
ately attracted some attention, first in 
Fig. 62. 
Europe, then iu this country. It is a native 
of North Africa, but comes to us from Japan, 
where it is called Choro-Gi. It is allied to the 
English ornamental woundwort, (Antbyllis 
arvensis) and belongs to the same family as 
the coleus, and the sweet-scented herbs, laven¬ 
der, thyme and mint; but differs from all of 
its relatives in that it yields edible tuberous 
roots. These are formed of ring-like ridges, 
so that they have the app c arance of a one¬ 
horned caterpillar (see Fig. 62) and vary in 
lpngth from one to three inches, and in diame¬ 
ter from one-half to three-fourths of an inch. 
The skin is thin, smooth, and semi-transpar¬ 
ent. 
This peculiar vegetable requires no more 
special treatment than do potatoes, and it will 
thrive even on poorer soil, though, like every¬ 
thing else, the more attention that is given, 
the greater and more satisfactory will be the 
result. Planted, a single whole tuber in a 
place, in hills two feet apart each way, a yield 
of nearly 500 bushels to the acre has been re¬ 
ported, each plant yielding from 200 to 300 
tubers, which may be planted like potatoes, 
though each joint of the stem may be used as 
a set. The plant, growing about a foot in 
hight, has a round, bushy habit, having medi¬ 
um-sized, oval-shaped leaves, and many small, 
pins flowers, which in themselves are not un¬ 
attractive. 
As for the use of these roots, they probably 
will never become a staple article for the 
market, but may edd a variety for the table 
in winter. When pickled alone and properly 
seasoned or mixed with small cucumber, 
onion, pepper and cauliflower pickles, they 
are excellent; then again, when cooked as 
vegetable oysters, they are delicious; or boil¬ 
ed, mashed and seasoned like egg-plants, they 
form a novel side dish, having a pleasant and 
somewhat spicy flavor, midway between that 
of the Jerusalem artichoke and boiled chest¬ 
nuts. In preparing them, washing only is 
necessary, as the thin, tender skin renders 
peeliug needless. A point not to be over¬ 
looked in favor of their general use and culti¬ 
vation is that they may be kept as well, as 
easily, and as long as potatoes, requiring only 
a cool, dry cellar; and they keep their fresh 
appearance best if covered lightly with earth. 
THE TWENTY-SECOND SESSION OFTHE 
AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL 
SOCIETY. 
(R. N.-Y. SHORT-HAND REPORT.) 
An enthusiastic reception ; valuable cour¬ 
tesies from all ; the Sub-tropical Exhibi¬ 
tion ; re-election of former officers ; Florida, 
the land of fruits as well as flowers ; 
the Government and pomology ; organiza¬ 
tion of the society. 
The twenty-second session of the American 
Pomological Society began at Ocala, Flori¬ 
da, Feb. 20. It was the first greeting of this 
time honored and influential association to 
the land of citrus fruits and of flowers, and the 
orange, the queen of fruits, flung open wide 
the gates of her sunny and tragrant realm to 
welcome her guests from the frozen North 
and West. Never was a body of men more 
hospitably received. The people seemed de¬ 
lighted to honor this distinguished company 
of American fruit-growers, and even the con¬ 
scienceless railway companies were melted 
into surprising courtesy, as the members were 
given free excursions to all important points, 
besides being granted free transportation to 
all points in Florida for ten days after the 
close of the meeting. Without questioning 
motives, it is only just to say that this cour¬ 
tesy was highly appreciated by every visitor 
aud was universally used. Had Northern and 
Western railway lines been thus kindly dis¬ 
posed, the attendance of members would have 
been much larger. As it was, only about 
half the States and Territories were repre¬ 
sented in the convention. Many were de¬ 
terred by the expense of the trip, and others 
were prevented from leaving their nurseries 
at this busy season. 
The first business session opened at the new 
Semi-tropical Exposition building amid a 
varied and magnificent display of citrus fruits 
and a most interesting collection of other 
curious products of the South. The orange- 
wood gavel of President Berckmans called 
the members to order at eleven a. m. Rev. C. 
B Wiliner made a brief prayer, which was 
followed by an address of welcome by Presi¬ 
dent Dudley W. Adams, of the Florida Horti¬ 
cultural Society. As a loyal subject of her 
bright realm, he welcomed the society to the 
domain of the Queen of Fruits—the orange. 
He referred to the pine-apple, guava, banana, 
lemon, pomelo, peach, pear, grape, mango 
and strawberry, as a bouquet of pomological 
aristocracy. He invited all to travel all 
over the State, from Ocean to Gulf, from 
Georgia to the Keys, without money or price. 
A welcoming telegram from Governor Flem¬ 
ming, extending the freedom of the State, was 
read; Mayor Garey, of Ocala, opened wide 
the city gates and President Wilson of the 
Semi-tropical Exposition, pushed aside the 
huge doors of that fine building, the materials 
of which all stood growing in the native 
forests here less than three months ago. To 
all this feast of welcome Vice-president W. C. 
Strong of Massachusetts, fittingly responded 
iu behalf of the visiting society. A recess 
was then taken after an appointment of the 
nominating committee. During the inter¬ 
im the members wandered through the 
Exposition display and examined the exhibits 
carefully aud with peculiar interest. Of 
these some notice will be given in another re¬ 
port. 
The afternoon meeting was held in the Oc¬ 
ala Opera House, that place being more quiet 
and better adapted for the purpose. The 
biennial address of President Berckmans was 
then read by him. It was a lengthy, interest¬ 
ing and important document, containing use¬ 
ful suggestions and observations. Its publica¬ 
tion in full would be of value to fruit growers. 
He sharply contrasted the condition of Euro¬ 
pean with American fruit-growers, showing 
how vastly more advantageously the latter 
labored than the former by reason of their 
owning the land they tilled. He said the so¬ 
ciety had long been considered by European 
pomologists as the most influential of its kind 
in existence, its reports being quoted as 
models by foreign horticultural publications. 
Florida fruit-growers were congratulated for 
the honor of adding more materially to the 
development of the State than any other 
class. The Government was commended for 
the recognition of our pomological products in 
the approaching Paris Exposition. The works 
of the U. S. Pomological Divisiou, and the ex¬ 
periment stations were also praised. The 
utilization of surplus fruits was still a problem 
to be solved in some localities, aud in a meas¬ 
ure it discouraged increased production, but 
the abundant supply brought good fruits 
within reach of those otherwise debarred from 
their full use, whioh, he argued, would in 
time increase the demand. The incorporation 
of the society has been legally effected in 
accordance with the requirements of the leg¬ 
acy of the late President Wilder, and the $2,- 
000 he bequeathed have been safely invested 
entire. The .’society is now free from debt and 
has a handsome balance in the treasury. The 
address was received with hearty applause. 
Officers of the society for the next term were 
then elected, or rather re-elected, as the list 
remains practically the same as before. 
Then the reading of essays began. Dr. J. 
C. Neal, of the Florida Experiment Station, 
opened with a very instructive treatise on 
“Cross Fertilization.” 
(To be Continued.) 
Woman’s Work. 
CONDUCTED BY EMILY LOUISE TAPLIN. 
CHAT BY THE WAY. 
66 T DON’T think Nellie is very tidy,” 
JL said a girl of her friend. “ Her veils 
somehow look as if she crumpled them up and 
jammed them into a drawer, instead of fold¬ 
ing them up.” We think that might be said 
of many girls; yet it is very poor economy to 
be untidy. One’s things get so “mussy” if 
thrown aside carelessly when taken off. This 
is especially true of veils; they ought to be 
carefully folded and wrapped in soft paper, or 
put in an envelop whenever taken off. Gloves 
should be strecthed out, and folded flat, any 
loose stitches being repaired. Hats, jackets 
and gowns should be brushed and looked over, 
after each time of wearing. These little 
trifles make all the difference between shabby 
attire and the reverse. 
* * * 
The “men folks” have had such a good 
time lately discussing their varied interests 
in the Rural, that we begin to think the 
women ought to follow their example. Why 
shouldn’t the women have a “Special” too? 
Mr. T. B. Terry’s manly article previously 
alluded to in this column, calls to mind the 
oonstant worry too many women suffer for 
lack of a settled household allowance or pin- 
money. Let us have a Rural symposium on 
this subject, and hear what the women folks 
have to say about it. It is a matter that 
touches most of us, one way or another. 
* * * 
Clean, stiff collar and cuffs often brighten 
a shabby gown wonderfully; but for general 
wear nothing is better than the sensible 
fashion of putting picot-edged ribbon in neck 
and sleeves. Orange, primrose, old pink, 
pale blue, golden green, terra-cotta, or car¬ 
dinal are all good colors for wearing thus. 
Ribbon thus worn saves washing and also 
saves trouble in dressing. It is tacked in 
double, but is not folded quite'in the middle, 
so that it shows both edges. 
* * * 
A Pretty German idea mentioned in Good 
Housekeeping is the “ wonder ball ” for a 
little girl learning to knit. All sorts of little 
trifles were hidden away in the ball, to be dis¬ 
closed from time to time as the wool was un¬ 
wound in knitting. There was a little poem,a 
bright new dime, a glove buttoner, a tiny 
booklet, a thimble, a packet of court plaster, a 
string of heads, a pair of doll’s shoes,a packet of 
doll’s hair-pins,and several other tiny gifts. Of 
course, the ball was pulled about and pinched 
a little at first, to feel some of tne wonders it 
contained, but the resolute little girl to whom 
it was given made no attempt to take out any 
of the mysterious gifts before she came to 
them by the unwinding. This is really a very 
good idea in encouraging a child learning to 
knit, and causes jnuch innocent pleasure. • 
* * * 
An amusing variationj^for the game of 
bean-bags is to use, instead of the board, a 
small hoop, about a foot across. This is hung 
in a door-way, three feet from the ground; a 
small bell isjiung'in the upper part of the 
hoop. The bags are to be pitched through 
the hoop, ringing the bell. It is a game pro¬ 
voking much merriment, even among sedate 
grown-ups. Another indoor game that gives 
both exercise and merriment is shuttlecock 
anti battledore, the very thing for a stormy 
winter day, if there is a vacant room avail¬ 
able. It is a'time-honored game, but more 
popular in England than]America. 
THE GOAL OF HOME. 
OLIVE E. DANA. 
W E hear much about the childhood 
homes of poets and statesmen, of ar¬ 
tists and authors. These dwellings are idol¬ 
ized by love and memory, till the lonely New 
England farm, or Western log-house, or quiet 
village home, loses its dreariness or dullness, 
in the associations it has for its children, and 
through them, for the world. We hear more 
of those homes that lay behind the men and 
women that the world honored than of the 
homes which beckoned them onward, and the 
winning of which was often one of the strong¬ 
est of incentives to effort. Yet the latter 
were often as potent in their influence as the 
earlier. If we could know what the majority 
of those who are rich or famous prize most 
as the reward ot their diligence, or as the best 
thing wealth or success has brought within 
their reach, I wonder if it would not, very 
often, be the comfort and the joy which they 
se9ined.to see in some setting ot household de¬ 
light. How many of _them,.afterj all, have 
realized that “ Home is the kingdom, and love 
is the king.” 
It may be that their achievements were in 
spired by home influence, or it may be tha t 
the dream of home is realized only in later 
life. The ideal in either case is wrought out 
as earnestly. Such homes, whether the mak¬ 
ers of them are conscious of it or not, seem to 
pre-figure the Heavenly City of which it is 
written. “ The kings of ehe earth do bring 
their glory and honor into it.” 
Bayard Taylor dedicating his translation 
of Faust to his wife, likened her influence to 
that of the sun and rain and dew, nourishing 
the flower of song. He gave the soil and she 
the atmosphere. It is well known that the pas¬ 
sionate desire of the poet-traveler for a fitting 
“ poet’s home”, with beauty and luxury with¬ 
out and within, with grove and lawn and 
spacious grounds, led to the purchase and 
adornment of the famous “ Cedar-Croft.” 
And although the fulfillment of this desire 
brought a weight of care and toil which he 
was glad afterwards to relinquish, as far as 
possible, yet it was a wish and aim that be¬ 
fitted a warm, true heart like his. 
It is said that even as a child, Charles Dick¬ 
ens “nourished an ambitious fancy for be¬ 
coming the owner of the house at Gadshill. 
His father had told him that if he worked 
hard and minded his book he might one day 
live in such a home, and the speech sank deep 
into the child’s heart.” It was many,many years 
afterwards when he had become the success¬ 
ful novelist, and yet had not lost his boyish 
fancy or affection, that it came to pass that 
at a time when he was about to remove into 
the country, a frieud, who knew his old de¬ 
sire, met at dinner a lady who wished to sell 
an estate she had lately inherited. Noting 
what was said of the place, and its strange re¬ 
semblance to that for which Dickens had had 
so strong an attachment, the friend “ found it 
was the very place of Mr. Dickens’ boyish 
dreams,” of which the author of Pickwick 
Papers became the genial and hospitable 
master. 
It is said of Mrs. Mary Clemmer, that “one 
of her great ambitions was achieved when she 
was able to have a house of her own in Wash¬ 
ington, with a door in the middle, and to take 
her father and mother to her own house. ” She 
had written of Alice Cary that “ hers was 
essentially a feminine soul, shy, loving, full 
of longings for home,” and had pictured the 
beautiful home of the Cary sisters,—perhaps 
the dearest tangible reward of their long, 
lonely life struggle. Yet that this home love 
and longing is not a weakness of “ feminine 
minds,” is abundantly proven. They may 
have finer walks, and ampler grounds, those 
dwellings men’s brains or brawn have earned 
or built,—but they embody the same home 
ideal. 
It is lately stated, in an interesting sketch 
of his career by Mrs. Sarah K. Bolton, that 
Mr. Geo. W. Childs, owner of the Public Led¬ 
ger, of Philadelphia, a paper whose yearly 
profits have been $400,000, after fortune and 
fame had come, built homes, elegant ones, 
in Philadelphia and at Newport; “ not simply 
places in which to spend money, but centers 
of hospitality and culture.” The one is a city 
house, with a luxurious and charming library, 
whose wood-work is of'carved ebony with 
gold; “with book-cases six feet high on every 
side, and the ceiling is built in sunken panels, 
blue and gold.” The other is “ a lovely coun¬ 
try seat, the house in Queen Anne style, sur¬ 
rounded by velvety lawns, a wealth of ever¬ 
green and exquisite plants, brought over from 
South America and Africa.” “ The farm ad¬ 
joining is a delight”to see, the dairy built of 
white flint stone, with stained glass windows, 
as though it were a chapel.” And here have 
been entertained Herbert Spencer, Dean Stan¬ 
ly, Hughes, Dickens, Evarts and Grant—“the 
famous of two hemispheres.” James T. Fields 
who also won his way to distinction, was mas¬ 
ter of a home famous for its literary treasures, 
its souvenirs of travel and friendship, and 
the wise, witty, and renowned it had sheltered. 
The outlook from his summer home, at Man- 
chester-by-the-Sea, is described, it is said, in 
one of the novels of William Black. 
A PLEA FOR OUR DAUGHTERS. 
S. J. L. 
I THINK the next question before the peo¬ 
ple will be “ What shall we do with Our 
Fathers.” The subject as to'the disposition of 
“ Our Girls ” and “ Our Boys ” has been (ap¬ 
parently) disposed of, but the subject of 
“ Fathers ” has never been broached, and yet 
they are au important factor as regards the 
domestic finances. What is to be done with 
the father who is perfectly willing that his 
(laughter should work hard at home, doing 
all and more than a hired girl would do, and 
yet who is agliast^at the. suggestiou .that he 
