iiHiiiinmutfTJS 
VOL. XXXVIII. No. 47 . 
WHOLE No. 15:10. 
( 
NEW YORK, JULY 5, 1879. 
{ 
PRICE FIVE CENTS. 
84.00 PER YEAR. 
[Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, by the Rural Publishing Company, in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. —Entered at the Post-Office at New York City, N. Y„ as second-clasB matter.] 
iortirttltirral. 
THE STAGGERBUSH (Andromeda Mariana). 
Tub engraving is a very correct representa¬ 
tion of this handsome shrub, the specimens for 
which we collected a month ago, while riding 
through sandy woods near the beach, a few 
miles from the Rural Farm. Many plants 
were growing thickly together, from 18 inches 
to two feet in bight, and the thousands of white, 
drooping, urn-shaped flowers were a pleasing 
surprise in a district which is never overbur¬ 
dened with floral treasures. This plant is quite 
common from New York to Florida. The leaves 
are deciduous, somewhat leathery and of an 
elliptical shape, acute at both ends. The 
flowering branches are nearly leafless and as 
they extend above the flowers, detract some¬ 
what from its value as an ornamental shrub. 
These cut off. the large nodding flowers in 
graceful fascicles are valuable for bouquets as 
they endure well, and the entire plant is one 
which is worthy of cultivation. It will 
probably require a shady place and a soil as 
free as possible from lime. 
THE POISONING OF ‘WEEDS AND INSECTS. 
Gardening is such an innocent occupation, 
so promotive of gentle thoughts and ways as 
to make the idea of using poison even to de¬ 
stroy vermin, produce a shudder of reluctance, 
at first thought of it. But the survival of the 
strongest and the fittest is the oldest earthly 
law. The most ancient marine fossils,—the 
old Silurian fishes disentombed by Hugh Mil¬ 
ler from deposits of incalculable antiquity 
—show that even before there was dry land or 
bird or beast, the stronger fishes were quali¬ 
fied and purpoBcly fitted, privateer-like, to 
prey upon their swarming inferiors. “Self- 
preservation is the first law of Nature.” This 
adage may have a selfish sound, and is no 
doubt perverted in application for selfish ends, 
but it justifies our modern methods of quick 
extermination to the enemies of the crops 
which the earth gives us only at the cost of 
resolute and persevering struggle, and skill. 
I have iust been giving rose bushes a second 
and currants a third syringing with a dilute 
infusiou of hellebore, using a brass syringe 
with the rose which gives the finest spray. 
It is quick sure death to the voracious larva?, 
aud it leaves the foliage clean, whole, bright, 
and competent to bring the blossoms aud the 
the fruit to full perfection. It Bccms effective 
too, against the white leaf-hoppers that in¬ 
fest Roses and Grape-vines, uudBuck the juices 
from their loaves. 
With a good brass syringe—au invaluable 
house aud garden instrument—it is easy to 
keep foliage whole and bright. Such materials 
as mix intimately (as Paris-green, or sulphur, 
or soot, or kerosene, with water) are easily 
churned and foamed into a thorough tempor¬ 
ary admixture, aud then most easily sent iuto 
every crevice and corner in which insect or 
mildew can lodge, with a force, speed, and di¬ 
rectness, too, that nothing else equals. Car¬ 
bolic acid is now recommended for paved 
yards etc, where we once strewed salt, to be 
annoyed with its deliquescence long after¬ 
wards ; aud where we found it look still 
worse to have a poor woman or boy all day 
Bpuddiug the grass hit by bit from the chinks 
with an old knife. In contrast to such methods, 
the application of a spray of very dilute car¬ 
bolic acid, during sunshine, is a very brief 
and easy job, and is said tobceutirely effective. 
For strong single weeds in lawns, a drop or 
two of strong acid is spurted from a little oil¬ 
can upon the crown of the plaut, which may 
be pierced with an iron poiut the better to re¬ 
ceive it. W. G. Waring. 
-- 
What the Rural s»id last year of the Golden 
Defl&nee Strawberry has beea corroborated. 
GARDENING ABOUT CHICAGO. 
The business of gardening about Chicago is 
mainly in the hands of Germans. The land 
at the hands of the gardeners, in form of sta¬ 
ble manure from the city, which is carted out 
on wagons and shipped out by cars. It is a 
common thing in autumn to see a team loaded 
south and west is not adapted to garden cul¬ 
ture. To the north are low-lying sand-belts 
aud ridges, aud considerable prairie, well 
adapted to garden culture. The light, sandy 
soil requires liberal manuring, and his it gets 
on its way in with garden truck, and on its 
way out with a well-piled load of stable ma- 
uure. The winter, however, is the great sea- 
sou for manure-hauling. At that season the 
rqad4 arc generally frozen hard, for month* at 
a time, and long trains of manure wagons pass 
in and out every day. These very frequently 
take in a partial load of cabbage, potatoes, or 
some other kmd of garden produce. 
The marketing requires a great deal of time 
and attention. I am writing eight miles out, 
and during the summer, autumn and early 
winter, at almost any moment during the last 
half of the night, wagons may be heard rolling 
into the city, full-loaded. These are gener¬ 
ally back in the garden again by noon, ready 
to be re-loaded for the next day. The busi¬ 
ness is divided into three branches, namely, 
truck gardening, including the production of 
all garden vegetables mainly grown in the open 
air, as peas, potatoes, tomatoes, etc.; hot-house 
gardening, producing lettuce, cucumbers, rad- 
dishes, ete., under glass, by artificial heat— 
generally steam or hot water; and the produc¬ 
tion of flowers. These are grown in large 
quantities all through winter, and of course 
find a ready market. 
The gardens are now just beginning to look 
gloriously beautiful. During every hour of 
daylight the workers of both sexes may be seen 
planting, digging, weeding, etc. The succes¬ 
sion is ingeniously managed, and much of the 
land produces two or more crops per year. 
The early peas ewe now going forward. The 
ground occupied by them will be used for late 
sweet corn. The early potatoes will be fol¬ 
lowed by turnips, and so on—a dressing of 
manure generally preceding each planting. 
The business is profitable. These following 
it are gathering estates—indeed, becoming 
wealthy—but they earn every dollar they 
make, and are not cultivated in mind or man¬ 
ners half as well as they cultivate their gardens. 
W. H. Gardner. 
CITY GARDENING. 
There are more possibilities in a small 
city yard than are generally estimated. In 
St. Louis I tapped the water pipe that ran 
through my cellar, just inside the wall; then 
bored through the earth in my yard till by re¬ 
moving a stone in the cellar wall, an inch pipe 
was run down and soldered to the main pipe. 
With a faucet the water could be turned on 
or off at pleasure. Then with a fine nozzle at¬ 
tached to the upper end of my pipe, I could 
throw a handsome jet ten feet high—at night 
twenty feet. Around the pipe I built a rock¬ 
ery and set its niches full of flowers. The show 
was lovely, the spray cooling, and at night the 
Bound of falling water was exceedingly re¬ 
freshing and soothing. Of course, the water 
must be paid for; but enough could be had 
for twenty dollars, or even ten, to keep the 
fountain in operation mornings and evenings. 
It does not pay to undertake too much in a 
city yard. The Wistaria thrives admirably 
for a vine, as do Honeysuckles. The best of 
all bedding plants for a sunny yard are Ger¬ 
aniums. The Gladiolus is one of those glori¬ 
ous helpers that do well everywhere with lit¬ 
tle care. The main object is always to have 
something that will look bright aud fresh and 
suggest the country. A lovely shrub for pro¬ 
tected positions, especially for yards facing to 
the north is the Mahouia, a rich glossy ever¬ 
green ; tho young growth of yellow and red, and 
a very neat bloom. The Hydrangea hortensis 
is exceedingly useful. The Snow-ball in shady 
locations becomes infested with black aphis, 
and is useless. One neat evergreen well 
grown is always preferable to half a dozen 
crowded or sheared enormities. One good 
tree or one fine shrub ia better than several 
Btunted. The trouble mainly is the effort to 
do too much in a small space 
E. P. Powell. 
« » » - 
Weevil-Eaten Peas.— Will they grow or 
will a majority grow ? What proportion will 
grow ? One farmer tells us that there is one 
kind of pea that will not grow unless it is 
weevil-eaten 1 All unite in contradicting the 
result of the Ruiui/a experiment. 
