124 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
February 21 
FARMERS’ CLUB 
[Every query must be accompanied by 
the name and address of the writer to in¬ 
sure attention. Before asking a question, 
please see whether it is not answered in 
our advertising columns. Ask only a few 
((ucslions at one time. Put questions on a 
separate piece of paper.] 
More About Soapstone Stoves. 
J. P., Columbus, Miss. —Where can the 
soapstone stoves mentioned on page 3 be 
obtained? 
Ans. —The soapstone stoves are made 
in Vermont, where the stone is quarried, 
and cost, according to size, from $10 up. 
They are airtight, in box form, with 
whole top lifting up so as to take in 
wood nearly size of stove. Used with 
heavy wood the fire needs replenishing 
only once or twice a day, and the heat 
is very uniform and pleasant. I think if 
they were advertised as other stoves are 
they would find many buyers, as they 
are neat, durable and very satisfactory, 
both for what they do and for what they 
consume. o. s. p. 
Machine for Digging Ditches. 
Several Readers.—C&n anybne tell of a 
practical machine for digging ditches suit¬ 
able for laying tile? 
Ans.—A s yet I have failed to find any 
machine that will work satisfactorily 
for digging ditches. Of course, many 
people take any ordinary plow, and plow 
as deep as they can, and then use shovels 
and spades the rest of the way, which 
my men have always found the most sat¬ 
isfactory way. There have been several 
so-called "ditch-diggers” on the market, 
but as yet I have failed to hear of any of 
them that worked in a satisfactory man¬ 
ner. I should like very much to find 
snch a machine, as it would enable me 
to save many hundreds of dollars in the 
course of a year. joiuv n. .tackson. 
Albany, N. Y. 
Apples for Kentucky. 
1. TV. TV., Kentucky. —How do you think 
the following apples will do in this climate, 
Woodford County, Ky.: Greenville, Hyde 
and Rolfe? Are they prolific bearers? 
How are they for quality and keeping? 
Ans. —Greenville (formerly called 
Downing’s Winter Maiden Blush), is not 
so late a Winter apple as some other 
kinds, but it is of quite good quality and 
will likely bo a good early Winter va¬ 
riety in Kentucky. Hyde is likely to 
be only a Fall apple there. It is a large 
yellow and handsome apple of only fair 
quality. Rolfe is an Autumn variety of 
very good quality, but it is small and not 
highly colored, being yellowish with 
light red striping. It is grown to some 
extent In the New England States. 
H. E. V. D. 
Native and Tropical Papaws. 
E. n. S., Victoria Co., Tex. —The revised 
edition of Encyclopedia Brltannlca says 
that in the United States the name papaw 
is given to Asimlna triloba, a small tree 
of the natural order Anonacese. the fruit 
of which, a large oval berry three inches 
long, with soft insipid pulp, is eaten by 
negroes, but not generally relished by 
others. Tell me the difference between 
this American fruit which is found grow¬ 
ing from Michigan to Texas inclusive, and 
the custard apples or Anonas of Peru, 
West Indies and the Malay Islands? How 
does it compare with Carica papaya of 
South America? Are they deciduous, and 
so adapted to such variety of latitude and 
climate, and are they in any manner better 
fruits than this almost unnoticed native 
American? I think Benj. Buckman, of 
Illinois, said in The R. N.-Y. that he had 
grown papaws six Inches long, and with 
quite a difference in flavor. My recollec¬ 
tion of this native American fruit as seen 
between New Orleans, La., and Cairo, Ill., 
as .well as in east Texas, Is that it is well 
worthy of a place in every orchard where 
fruit is grown for home use, being from 
five to seven inches long, from one-half to 
pound in weight, and of excellent taste 
and flavor when ripe. 
Ans. —The wild fruit that is commonly 
called papaw in this country is scientific¬ 
ally known as Asimlna triloba, and is 
found in the region mentioned. It is 
very common In Ohio and neighboring 
States, where I have often seen the fruit 
fully six Inches long and two inches In 
diameter. The taste is quite peculiar, 
but those who become used to it, as I 
did when a boy, are very fond of the 
fruit. It Is both wholesome and nutri¬ 
tious. Very rarely it may be found in 
cultivation, but the trees, even when 
very small, are very difficult to trans¬ 
plant successfully. There are varieties 
well worthy of cultivation, and the bush 
or tree is handsome in habit and foliage. 
The “custard apples” and several others, 
which are the fruits of the Anonas, are 
all tropical, so far as I know, and are 
very peculiar in appearance and fiavor. 
I like all of them that I have tasted. 
Some of them are checkered, something 
like pine cones, but they are all very 
soft and perishable when fully ripe, and 
by no means smooth like our native 
papaw. The trees are partially decidu¬ 
ous, but the new leaves follow the old 
ones very closely. The “melon papaw,” 
which is the fruit of Carica papaya, is 
almost the size, shape, color and texture 
of fiesh of yellow cantaloupes. They 
have a hollow or central seed cavity. 
The fiavor is quite insipid to most per¬ 
sons, but when sprinkled with salt is 
rather pleasant. The plant is upright 
and with very few branches, often with 
none, and can scarcely be called woody. 
It is an annual or nearly so, and exceed¬ 
ingly tender, and will not succeed well 
outside the tropics. A few plants are 
grown in Florida. The leaves are very 
large and much like those of the cas¬ 
tor bean. n. e. v. d. 
R. N.-Y.—The tropical papaw, Carica 
papaya, belongs to a different botanical 
family from the American papaw, being 
a member of the Passifloraceae, or Pas¬ 
sion fiower tribe. The juice of the fruit 
and the macerated leaves have the pecu¬ 
liar property of rendering meat tender, 
so the tropical cook. Instead of pounding 
a tough steak, rolls it up in papaw 
leaves, or rubs it with the fruit. The 
fruit Is medicinally used as a vermifuge, 
and also as a cosmetic. 
Moving Large Apple Trees. 
O. M. TV., No State. —I have some apple 
trees that are in bearing that I wish to 
move, as they are too near to each other. 
How is the best way and when the best 
time? Where can I get scions of the 
W'ealthy, Rome Beauty and Jonathan ap¬ 
ples, enough for a few trees of each? 
Ans. —Large trees can be moved by 
cutting back the tops quite severely and 
taking up as much of the roots as is pos¬ 
sible. A large ball of earth should be left 
fastened to the roots, by digging under, 
prying it up and sliding under a stone 
Are Reliable Seeds 
The best crops come from seeos that are Krown In 
sections best suited to their proper develop¬ 
ment. in the Nortli. South, Ea.st and 
West. This is our special business. 
A Large Crop 
Is dependent upon the character of the seed 
you sow. We can please you. EverythinK for the 
Garden and Kield. Prices right for choice stock. 
Pull and complete line of Farm, Garden, Dairy and 
Poultry Supplies. Write for new catalog No. 12, 
free. Handsomer than ever; contalnsrauch inform¬ 
ation. All Faimers and Gardeners should have it. 
GRIFFITH « TURNER COMPANY, 
ZOB N. Paca Street,Baltimore, Maryland. 
Have You 
Tried 
Pencilaria? 
The wonderful fodder 
plant.Yields three to seven 
crops each season from 
one planting and has pro¬ 
duced 95 tons per acre in a 
carefully weighed test. 
Highly nutritious and relished 
by cattle, horses and hogs; does 
well in all parts of the United 
States. Seeds are smalt so that ' 
onepound will plantan acre; 
Crows 1 2 Feet High. 
Price per lb. 7.5c, H lb. 2.5c, 
Sample free if you mention 
this paper. Ask for our large 
illustrated catalogue of farm 
and garden seeds. 
IOWA SEED COMPANY, 
Dos Moines, Iowa. 
GARDEN, FIELD and FLOWER SEEDS. 
CLOVER and TIMOTHY. 
BEARDLESS SPRING BARLEY. 
We are recleaners of all kinds of Field Seeds and 
do not mix Medium with Mammoth Ked Clover. 
Write for Field Seed Price List; also 1903 Seed Cata¬ 
logue mailed free. 
The Henry Philipps Seed and Implement Co., 
115-117 St. Clair Street, Toledo, Ohio. 
Dibble’s 
SEED OATS 
roi>s even on the thinnest of land. Onr 
will produce better croj>s 
varieties have produced over 100 bus. per acre for entire crops 
righthcrein the Genesee Valley. Tney will do equally well 
on your farm. ‘‘Twentieth Century Oats*’ arc heavy, 
bright, prolific and grow on a good, stiff straw,which stands 
up well. Buy and sow this seed this spring and another sea¬ 
son you can supply yourentire neighborhood. Ourcroi>sare 
weedM twice while growing and the grain Is thoroughly cleaned. Hand- 
Bome Catalog Free. Ask also about our iked Potatoee and i^eed Com. 
_ Seed Crower, 
HONEOYE FALLS, N. Y, 
EDWARD F. DIBBLE. 
-SEEDS- 
n RE what you want to insure success. 50 
years’ experience, with hundreds of 
testimonials, proves their real merit. Send 
for illustrated catalogue, FREE, contain¬ 
ing valuable information. 
WM. ELLIOTT & SONS, 
54 & 56 DEY ST., NEW YORK. 
CUfCpy pCiC— 20var. Half pouud froo 
0»»kLI I LHO with every order for (iar- 
don-and Flower Seeds, $1 and upward, received this 
month. Have everything. Binghamton (N.Y) Seed Co. 
BSTABL18HBD 1824. 
boat. This can then be drawn to the 
new location and slid into place. If the 
ground is allowed to freeze before dig¬ 
ging out the ball it can be moved 
with greater safety from crumbling. Al¬ 
most any of the nurseries in the Central 
States have the varieties mentioned and 
HIGH-GRADE 
GARDEN SEEDS 
BRIDQEMAN’S SEED WAREHOUSE, 
37 Kast Nineteenth Street, NKW YORK. 
Descriptive lllustratod Catalogue mailed free to all 
applicants. 
IBBC for a fine 
vigorous M 
OF THE WONDERFUL 
Shasta Daisy 
From three to four times larger than the common 
daisy and with jKitalsof a pure and glistening white. 
This is all e.xeeptional offer. In most cases only seed 
<'an lie purchased and where plants are offered they 
are sold at 50 cents. The Sliasta Daisy is jicrfectly 
liardy and a iierennlal bloomer. 11 has rare qualities 
as a decorative plant and the flowers remain fresh 
for two weeks or more after cutting. 
Vick*s Garden and Floral Guide 
for 1903 
the Iwokthat has tieen the Gardener's authority for 
64 years, t’aluable alike for information whether 
growing vegetables and Held crops or fio^vers. 
^ SENT FREE TO AM. 
who write for it 5vhether they order the Daisy or not. 
JAMES VICK’S SONS, 
1 5U8 Main Street, E, Rochester, N. Y. 
A SQUARE DEAL 
Seed Com in tKe Ear. 
Extra selected Stock Seed Ears of the 
Shenandoah Yellow and the Iowa Silver 
Mine packed in crates. Ripe before 
the Sept, frost. Every grain will grow. 
Money back if not suited. 
Special Prices on OluP oraers. 
HENRY FIELD, Seedsman 
Shenandoah, Iowa, 
Clean and etron^ —the 
kiad tb4t grow—tbo well kjoomn 
Ford's Sound Seeds 
/All klodfl for both vegeUble and flower 
gardens. Good quality, careful selection, J 
all tested. Catalf^ tells about plaoU^y 
k bulbs, seeds and trees. Bent free now. . 
FORD 8£ED CORFANY, 
Deptf Q^KaTenni^Og 
can send scions; or the State experiment 
station may be able to supply the few 
that are needed. h. e. v. d. 
Rawson*s 
1908 Seed Catalogue for .Market Garden¬ 
ers, published by a practical gardener, 
teUs what are the most salable and best 
paying varieties and contains complete list of 
ARLINGTON 
TESTED SEEDS 
The best the ground produces. 
Catalogue free. Send for it. 
W. W. RAWSON &. CO., 
Seedsmen, 
12-13 Faneuil Hall Square, 
Boston, Mass. 
Everything for the Garden 
Is the title of Our New Catalogue for 1903—the most superb and 
instructive horticultural publication of the day—190 pages—700 
engravings—8 superb colored plates of vegetables and flowers. 
To give this Catalogue the largest possible distribution, we make the follow¬ 
ing liberal offer: 
Every Empty Envelope 
Counts as Cash. 
To every one who will state where this advertisement was seen, and who 
incloses 10 Cents (in stamps), we will mail the Catalogue, and also send 
free of charge, our famous SO-Cent “Henderson” Collection of seeds, con¬ 
taining one packet each of Sweet Peas, Large Mixed Hybrids ; Pansies, Giant Pancy Mixed ; Asters, 
Giant Victoria Mixed ; Big Boston Lettuce ; Early Ruby Tomato atid Cardinal Radish, in a coupon 
envelope, which, when emptied and returned, will be accepted as a 25-cent cash payment on any 
order of goods selected from Catalogue to the amount of $i.oo and upward. 
PETER HENDERSON & CO., 
35 & 37 Cortlandt Street, New York. 
Burpee's Seeds,Phiiadeiphia 
A postal addressed as above will bring you Burpee’s Farm Annual for 1903,—if you intend to buy Burpee’s Seeds,— 
otherwise the price is ten cents, which is less than cost per copy in quarter-million editions. It is an elegant book of 184 pages, besides 
beautiful colored plates, and tells the plain truth about the Best Seeds that Grow. Better write TO-DAY I Do not Delay! 
