1903 
4o5 
EVERYBODY'S GARDEN. 
Garden Queries.— 1. For home use, 
where quality is the main object sought, 
what varieties of the following stand first in 
your judgment: Muskmelon, watermelon, 
sweet corn, asparagus, celery, tomato? 2. 
Does it injuriously affect any garden crops 
to cultivate in the early morning when the 
dew is on? 3. Many old people are govern¬ 
ed much in planting vegetables and flow¬ 
ers by the moon’s signs or phases. Do the 
various experiment stations and profes¬ 
sional gardeners find anything at all in 
this? 4. Does a good barometer accurately 
foretell a storm? Can it be depended upon? 
Stockport, O. w. H. B. 
1. Of cantaloupes or muslcmelons, the 
Jenny Lind, Netted Gera and Paul Rose 
for early and raediuin, and Long Island 
Beauty for later are the best varieties 
1 know. The most satisfactory way, 
however, is to test some of the standard 
sorts and observe carefully what varie¬ 
ties give best satisfaction upon your 
own grounds. There is some hidden con¬ 
tingency of soil or weather conditions, 
that sometimes beats the oldest inhabit¬ 
ant, and plays all sorts of pranks with 
muskmelon flavors. It is safe to prove 
these things and hold fast to the good. 
I have a theory which may be eri’oneous, 
though, for I have not fully tested it, 
but I am pretty well convinced that lack 
of potash in the soil is responsible for 
much of the misdoings of muskmelons 
as to flavor and some other desirable 
points. For watermelons, the Mountain 
Sweet, Kleckley’s Sweet and Cuban 
Queen are good as the best for northern 
latitudes. We of the North, however, 
can hardly compete with our southern 
neighbors for size and flavor, but the 
above varieties will, I think, be as satis¬ 
factory as any. Sheffield Sugar is the 
best'first early sweet corn I have grown. 
It stands early planting and is also a 
good medium early by planting in suc¬ 
cessions. In flavor, I do not consider it 
superior to the Cory strains, but they 
are so tainted with smut that I avoid 
them. I am trying a new sort for extra 
early this year, and will report later on. 
Old Colony is a very desirable medium 
sort, of fine table quality, and a heavy 
cropper. Black Mexican is probably ex¬ 
celled by none as to table qualities, if 
u.sed in prime condition, but turns dark 
blue or almost black as it matures. As 
to season, it is medium, and a very de¬ 
sirable sort. As to taste, I may not be 
quite up to date, but I could never go 
into ecstacies over the Stowell’s Ever¬ 
green as to table qualities. It has a 
high reputation and sells on sight, but 
for our own table we much prefer Coun¬ 
try Gentleman or the old Shoe Peg, so 
we eat these latter sorts and market the 
former. A blind person would hardly 
distinguish any difference as to flavor 
between the varieties of asparagus. 
There seems, however, to be a difference 
in sorts as to resistance of rust and other 
fungi, so it is doubtless well to plant 
those varieties which seem to prove most 
resistant. Of the better known and test¬ 
ed kinds the Palmetto seems to be less 
liable to attack than most others, and 
Argenteuil, a French sort, as yet is 
standing up well against rust. I believe 
these two are as safe as any. In celery, 
I hardly think there is any that will give 
better satisfaction for home use at least 
than Golden Self-Blanching. The name, 
however, is misleading, as there is no 
known variety that will of itself blanch 
satisfactorily. The above-named comes 
nearest to self-blanching without doubt, 
but falls short of the mark without ar¬ 
tificial aid. It is good, though, and will 
please you if properly grown. For a 
first early tomato the Fordhook Fancy 
is the best within my personal knowl¬ 
edge. A French variety of the Ponder- 
osa type, but still unlike that variety, is 
the best for home use that I have ever 
seen or grown. Its season is from early 
to late and it is thus an all-seasons sort. 
It sometimes grows rough in shape, is 
very large in size and has no superior in 
table and canning qualities. It now goes 
under the name of Crimson Whirlwind. 
2. It is a pretty well settled fact, I 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
think, that beans of all varieties should 
neither be worked among, nor handled in 
any shape when wet with dew or rain. 
So also with celery; it should never be 
handled or hilled while wet, as it is li¬ 
able to start either rust or rot. I pre¬ 
fer not to work any vegetables when 
either they or the ground are wet with 
heavy dew. Sometimes we are obliged 
to do it; and I do not know of any in¬ 
jury arising from the practice except to 
those sorts named above. But the work 
is always more satisfactory if done after 
the moisture has dried off. 
3. None of the experiment stations, so 
far as I know, pay any attention what¬ 
ever to planting or sowing with refer¬ 
ence to the moon’s changes. The scien¬ 
tific, as well as the practical gardeners, 
have their individual opinions, and 
doubtless follow them more or less rigid¬ 
ly. Many people, and by no means the 
old alone, have very strong faith in re¬ 
lation to the moon’s phases and the 
planting time. Only yesterday I bought 
some seed potatoes of a wealthy and 
very successful farmer. He was not suf¬ 
ficiently old either, to recall many inci¬ 
dents of the early struggles of the Pil¬ 
grims. Yet he insisted that the old of 
the moon in June was the time to plant 
late potatoes. I did not argue the case, 
but resolved to plant mine just as soon 
as I could properly fit the ground, re¬ 
gardless of the moon’s infancy or old 
age. Personally, I do not pay any atten¬ 
tion to the moon’s changes, but plant 
and sow wlienever I can get ready. I 
do not believe the moon affects light or 
heavy yields, but if others differ with 
me, it is never allowed to enter into 
garden operations or politics. 
4. There is no doubt, I think, that a 
good barometer foretells the weather 
changes pretty accurately. However, 
many of the instruments sent out for ad¬ 
vertising purposes are very poorly con¬ 
structed and are very little affected by 
atmospheric changes. The genuinely 
good barometers are pretty good weather 
prophets, but they may indicate a storm 
or change that is miles distant and never 
reaches us. So if our barometers do in¬ 
dicate a storm we may not get it at all, 
though the atmosphere is affected for 
miles around the storm center. A good 
one is very convenient, and by carefully 
studying them and taking notes they 
will very materially assist us. 
Some Haud Facts. —Just now, we are 
face to face with some problems not al¬ 
together easy of solution. The unusual 
rainfall of the past year has so com¬ 
pacted the soil that much of it is almost 
too hard to plow. A few weeks ago there 
was a pretty general opinion that we 
would better prepare for another sea¬ 
son of water gardening. That, however, 
has given place to a longing for irri¬ 
gating plants and some means by which 
we can give the vegetation a little some¬ 
thing to drink. I think the ground al¬ 
ready plowed will require a pretty good 
dose of surface culture to hold what lit¬ 
tle moisture there is. As for the ground 
yet to be plowed, we shall have to go to 
blasting it with giant powder unless we 
get rain soon. Some think they will 
defer hauling manure and plowing until 
there is rain. Personally, I think I shall 
plow up my ground as fast as possible 
and get it worked fine. Then the rain 
will soak in when it does come, instead 
of all running off. I shall keep at it as 
fast as possible, and find out which is 
the better way. J. e. morse. 
TWO WAYS OF SETTING A TREE. 
The old idea of tree planting is pretty 
well illustrated in the following note by 
W. 1. Chamberlain in the Ohio Farmer: 
Dig the hole for the tree about three 
feet in diameter and about a foot deep, 
and with its center just where the setting- 
stake first stood. Place the finest earth, 
say, on the south side of the hole and the 
coarser and more clayey earth on the 
north side, and none either east or west of 
the hole where it would cover or obstruct 
the stakes. Before each little tree is set 
in, the end of every bruised root should be 
cut off smoothly with a sharp knife inside 
of the bruise. Thus it will callous and heal 
sooner and send out small roots better. 
Keep the roots all damp until they are 
set; spread the roots carefully, fill in the 
best and finest dirt first, work it all 
around the roots with the hands and churn 
the tree up and down gently to sift the 
dirt all around the roots; then fill and 
tramp and mound up slightly, especially 
In Pall, and protect from sunscald and 
from vermin by a galvanized iron wire- 
screen cylinder from the gound up four 
feet all around. 
The New Way. 
A sharp contrast to .thte method is 
given in the following note from Grant 
Hitchings, who has just finished plant¬ 
ing an orchard of 85 acres: 
“In digging the holes the orders were 
to dig two feet wide and 18 inches deep; 
in practice the majority of holes were 
somewhat less than the measure given. 
In planting I cut the roots back so they 
would average about six inches in length 
from the central stub, and many of the 
trees would stand on these cut roots, 
forcing them down to bottom of hole. 
This modifies the Stringfellow method 
to some extent, the new roots starting 
from end of stub roots instead of from 
near the stub itself. The short roots 
anchor the tree, and are quite an advan¬ 
tage for this reason. We packed the 
best soil firmly around and over the 
roots, and then placed a good layer of 
sods over the entire surface of hole, dig¬ 
ging some in addition to ones taken out, 
treading them down firmly and finally 
covering them at least three inches deep 
with the mellow soil, leaving it loose. 
The sods act like a mulch, and as they 
decay furnish humus just where wanted 
for a starter. The surface mulch will be 
placed around the trees from the edge of 
the dug hole outward for from 12 to 18 
inches. We do not plow any sod. Some 
corn stubble ground we plow and seed 
with 12 quarts clover, 12 of Blue grass, 
and 12 quarts Orchard grass per acre. 
With 14 men I could average planting 
900 trees in 10 hours. One day we 
planted 1,100.” 
When the Big Ticks Jump 
un th«! Little Lamb 
Soon after shearing, the large sheep 
ticks find too little protection in the 
short wool. They migrate to the lambs. 
Look out for them. Either on sheep or 
lambs ticks can cause more loss to 
growei-s than almost any other com¬ 
mon parasite. Tne one harmless cure is 
Chloro-Naptholeum Dip. It does not 
make the sheep sick, does not harm the 
wool. Used properly, it will kill all 
ticks, scab. Itch, lice and other parasites. 
It is stimulating to the skin and causes 
a better growth of wool. There is a 
dealer in almost every prosperous agri¬ 
cultural center. If you do not find him. 
write to The West Disinfecting Co., 
Inc., 4 E. 59th st. New York. One gal¬ 
lon can costs ?l.o0, express charges pre¬ 
paid; 5 gallons. $6.75, 10 gallons, $12.50. 
We quote all customers of “C-N” Dip, 
special rates on sheep dipping tanks— 
so low in price that everyone can afford 
to buy them. 
Chloro-Naptholeum 
The Sickle 
Lawn Mower 
will clip short and long grass from 
your lawn easily, smoothly, nicely. 
Has plenty of speed, power and 
weight. See that lly wheel. 
Write for particulars. Mention 
this paper. Ask for circular B. 
LEAVITT MFG. CO., 
Tuscola, III. 
I’UKIT:K/V uemokkiiagica. 
A Distressing Disorder in Horses—Its Cause 
and Its Cure. 
URPUKA is a disease 
whicii usually lollows 
uisieinpers and is due 
to uetexioraied condi¬ 
tion oi the blood, re¬ 
sulting tioin improper 
treanneni and liltny 
surroundingst. it is 
characterized by re.l 
spots on the mucous 
nicinuraue or the nose, 
swelling ot the tegs 
and nose which ends abruptly. Occasion¬ 
ally the eyes become swollen and tears 
will drip. 
Ji.xposure. to cold or draughts of cold air 
excite attacks and even alter tlie animal 
has apparently recovered may cause 
relapses. 
Treatment.—One to two dram doses of 
dried sulpliate of iron with a dram of 
gentian and ginger given three or four 
times a day is good treatment. In early 
attacks, chlorate of potash should be 
given in half ounce doses three times a 
day for one or two days, then the dose 
must be reduced. After the first day or 
two, dram doses of chlorate of potash 
with dram doses of dried sulphate of iron 
in two dram doses of powdered gentian 
give good results and should be used 
every rour to six houi’s. 
An ounce of tincture of iron in a quart 
of water applied to tlie swellings with a 
sfionge several times a day is of advan¬ 
tage. This treatment is much more effec¬ 
tive and rapid when supplemented by Dr. 
Hess’ Stock Food, the best tonic and regu¬ 
lator for horses of every age and condi¬ 
tion. This food is invaluable in convales¬ 
cence after Purpura, building up the ani¬ 
mal very rapidly, purifying the blood, 
restoring healthy flesh and muscular elas¬ 
ticity with a glossy coat and willing 
action. 
Dr. Hess’ Stock Food is a guaranteed 
flesh producer, it produces flesh by com¬ 
pelling the system to appropriate every 
particle of nutrition out of the stuff fed, 
allowing nothing to pass off undigested. 
Dr. Hess’ Stock Food is sold on a written 
guarantee, in 100 lb. sacks $5.00, smaller 
packages at a slight advance; fed in small 
dose. 
Kvery package of Dr. Hess’ Stock Food 
contains a little yellow card, which en¬ 
titles the holder to free advice and pre¬ 
scriptions from Dr. Hess, a graduate of 
both medical and veterinary colleges. 
Dr. Hess has written a book on the 
diseases of stock and poultry. It is the 
only complete treatise for farmers and 
stockmen published. It is consulted and 
commended by many leading veterina¬ 
rians. 
For a little information this valuable 
book will be mailed to you free, postage 
paid. Write Dr. Hess & Clark, Ashland, 
Ohio, state what stock you have, what 
stock food you have fed; also mention 
this paper. Write at once and the book 
will be sent free, postage paid. 
WE LEAD THE WORLD 
We are the largest manufac¬ 
turers of Grooved and Plain 
Tire Steel Farm Wagon 
Wheels in America. W** 
guarantee our patent 
Grooved Tire Wheels to 
be the best made by anybody 
anywhere. Write us. 
HAVANA METAL WHEEL CO. 
HAVANA, ILL 
CRE OF CORN 
“Corn lo King.’* Its wonderful possibilities practical- | 
ly cleveli.ped in the newest and latest Silage work; | 
j “MODERN SILAGE METHODS.’’ 
• An entirely new and practical work on Sil<w, their con- 
I struction and the process of tilling, to which js added ] 
. complete and reliable information regarcling Silage and . 
I " its composition; feeding and a treatise on rations, | 
being a 1-eeders’ and Dairymens' Guide. 
i I—Advantages of the Silo. IV-How to Make Silage. 
I II -Building the Silo. V-Feeding Silage. 
; III—Silage Crops. VI A Feeder’s Guide. 
I pa^es of plain, pracileal information fof 
i practical mon. Contains just the things^ 
you bavo waotud to kuow and could not flndctie- 
wbero. Copyrighted 1903. Poatpaid for 10 
cents, etamps or coin. 
THE SILVER MFG. CO. 
Salem, OhlOi 
U.S. PAKIVIER’S SPECIAL 
This Kraud Buggy Oiler is described in our 
KKKE vehicle book. When you buy direct 
rrom our factory you save middleman's profit 
and get our 2 years guarantee. Saiisfaction 
and safe delivery guaranteed or money refun.i, 
ded. We pay freight charges. Buggies $21.50,^ 
Runabouts $26, Phaetons $46.50,UarDess $4.25 ^ 
Don’t boy a Kiip until you see our full line of 
* 39 - 
CUSTOM-MADE VEHICLES. 
Write today for Money Saving Catalogue. 
u. S. BUGGY & CART CO., B B27, CINCINNATI. 0. 
30 YEARS SELLING DIRECT 
We are the largest manufacturers of vehicles 
and harness In the world selling to con¬ 
sumers exclusively. 
WE HAVE NO AGENTS 
butship anywhere for 
examination, guaran¬ 
teeing safe delivery. 
You are out nothing 
if not satisfied. We 
make 195 styles of ve* 
hici es and 66 styles ot 
harness. 
Visitors are always wsl* 
oome at our Pactory. 
No. 32T—Surrey. Price $78. 
As good as sells for $50 more. 
EXKHABT CARRIAOE & HARNESS KFO, 
