434 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
June 23 
Ruralisms 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS. 
A Fine but Uncertain Berry. —The 
Gulden Mayberry has at last fruited on 
our grounds, and we are free to say 
that the berries are quite up to the in¬ 
troducer’s description in size, handsome 
appearance, and fine flavor, but we may 
nut say much as to its productiveness. 
The best ones are fully as large as a 
good Cuth'bert raspberry; the color is a 
translucent golden yellow, and the 
flavor sweet, yet sprightly. As most of 
our readers know, it was produced by 
Luther Burbank from seeds of an early 
Japanese raspberry (Rubus microphyl- 
lus) crossed with Cuthbert. It has 
proved entirely too tender for most east¬ 
ern localities, as the blossoms are only 
produced on the old wood after the 
bushes have attained considerable size, 
and as zero weather always cuts the 
plants back considerably, the chances 
of getting fruits without careful Win¬ 
ter protection are very small. The erect 
and branching habit of the bushes will 
feverfews should be more widely 
known. They are both elegant and 
showy, and really invaluable as cut 
flowers, when they can be obtained. The 
colors are quite varied, ranging from 
white to yellow, rose, carmine, lilac, and 
crimson. The main crop of blooms is 
produced in early June, and if cut down 
after flowering they bloom again freely 
in September. The foliage is finely cut 
and handsome. This species is the basis 
of buhach and Persian insect powder, 
the well-known insecticides. It is quite 
extensively cultivated in California for 
the purpose, the best grades being made 
from the dried flowers, which are finely 
ground and closely sealed in small pack¬ 
ages for shipment. The finer varieties 
of garden Pyrethrums are named and 
propagated by division of the clump. 
The most carefully-selected seeds will 
produce many single and imperfect 
flowers. 
Don’t Cut Lawns Too Close. —Recent 
rains have brightened the lawns in this 
vicinity wonderfully, but the owners 
almost without exception make the mis¬ 
take of cutting too closely. Frequent 
clipping is all very well, and promotes a 
close and even growth, but when you 
chop off nearly the entire leaf system 
seedlings lately, and many superb varie 
ties are being brought forward. An¬ 
toine Wintzer, of West Grove, Pa., has 
NEW CANNA OLYMPIA. Fig. 139. 
render them rather difficult to lay down 
over Winter, but we shall try it this 
Fall. The quality, beauty and extreme 
earliness of this distinct berry—'the first 
ripe specimens being picked June 7— 
would make it desirable for home 
grounds, provided it could be carried 
through average Winters without harm. 
Our plants have bloomed before, but 
this is the first time we have secured 
berries in a six-years’ trial. 
A Fine Hardy Plant. —The illustra¬ 
tion on the first page, Fig. 136, shows 
some blooms of the improved double 
feverfew (Pyrethrum roseum), taken 
from a plant on the Rural Grounds, 
bearing over 60 similar blooms at the 
same time. The plant was raised from 
seed five years ago, and planted in a 
rather dry border of very moderate fer¬ 
tility. It has increased in size and 
beauty yearly, and is perfectly hardy, 
never receiving any Winter protection. 
These beautiful herbaceous plants are 
not grown as frequently in home 
grounds as their beauty and ease of cul¬ 
ture deserves. They are largely used 
abroad in all permanent ornamental 
plantings, and are always much ad¬ 
mired. Now that the Aster bug, or little 
black blister-beetle, has made the grow¬ 
ing of fine Asters a most precarious un¬ 
dertaking, we think the merits of the 
every week, of even such accommo¬ 
dating plants as the lawn grasses, a 
steady lowering of vitality certainly en¬ 
sues, and the death of many of the 
weaker individuals will be the final re¬ 
sult. Sow plenty of White clover in the 
bare spots, as the roots of this neat lit¬ 
tle legume share their excess of nitrogen 
with the grasses, and set your lawn 
mower to cut at its highest limit. A 
much better turf will be maintained 
than if the surface is constantly skinned 
in the usual manner. 
AMERICAN CANNAS. 
It is scarcely a dozen years since the 
Canna, or Indian shot plant, was only 
planted for the tropical effect of its 
massive banana-like foliage. The rag¬ 
ged spikes of small flowers were con¬ 
sidered rather a detriment to the gen¬ 
eral ornamental effect. Selection of good 
specimens and the hybridization of vari¬ 
ous species has wrought a marvelous 
change in the floral development of 
these beautiful plants, and we now have 
many varieties producing blooms of 
great Size, perfect finish, and the most, 
glowing colors, in endless profusion.. 
Until recently the finest varieties of 
Cannas came from France, where great, 
attention is paid to their culture, but 
American growers have been raising 
probably devoted more earnest attention 
to the breeding of Cannas than any 
other individual in this country. He 
has acres of hybrid seedlings in bloom 
every year, and has greatly widened the 
range of color, as many fine shades of 
pink, rose, orange and maroon have been 
developed, greatly diversifying the 
usual red-and-yellow effect of most 
large groups of Cannas. The size of 
truss and individual bloom has also been 
increased oeyond all previous expecta¬ 
tion. Of the thousands of new varieties 
grown yearly, only a very few are 
finally selected for propagation, but they 
are good ones indeed. One of the satis¬ 
factory new varieties we saw in good 
form last season was Olympia, shown at 
Fig. 139, this page. The color is a deep 
violet-purple, showing a bli^e tinge in 
some lights, and tne effect of the plant 
in full bloom is very pleasing. 
WHY SEEDLING FRUITS VARY. 
Last week Mr. Van Deman discussed the 
variations which appear in fruits, and gave 
some of the reasons why seedling apples 
and other fruits vary. He concludes as 
follows: 
Fixed Types. —There is no denying 
that there are some varieties of fruits 
that are quite fixed in their type, and 
will bring seedlings almost true to it. 
The Heath Cling peach is of this charac¬ 
ter. There have been thousands of its 
seedlings planted in orchard form that 
bore fruit almost identical with the pa¬ 
rent variety. The Ben Davis, Oldenburg 
and Winesap apples are examples of the 
same character, but in a much less in¬ 
tense degree. The fact that a chance 
seedling that is found resembles some 
well-known variety is likely to cause the 
statement to be published that “it is 
supposed to be a seedling of,” etc., when 
there is nothing but a suspicion to found 
the statement upon. Our books on po¬ 
mology are full of such false records. 
When we take into consideration the 
possibilities, not to say certainties, of 
the crossing of species and varieties by 
tne intermixture of pollen by the wind 
and insects, the chances of variation are 
greatly increased. There is no doubt of 
there being untold numbers of these 
crosses, made without the a'id of man. I 
have seen oaks in the forests of north¬ 
ern Texas and Indian Territory, when 
hunting wild grapes with my friend, 
Prof. T. V. Munson, that were natural 
hybrids between two of the common 
species growing there. There are at 
least two well-determined cases of the 
natural hybridizing of the pecan and 
hickory. When we pass on to the mat¬ 
ter of artificial crossing and hybridiz¬ 
ing, the field is practically limitless. 
Within reasonable bounds there may be 
made crosses and hybrids almost at will. 
There have already been many success¬ 
ful series of such experiments made. 
We are indebted to several intelligent 
and generous-minded men for some of 
the best fruits we now grow, and the 
work has been only begun. It is to fore¬ 
thought and skin, rather than the 
chance work of the winds and insects, 
that we may principally look for the 
future improvement of our fruits. Each 
step in advance makes the next one 
easier to take. Plant breeding has now 
become a scientific art. 
The Carman Peach.— We were much in¬ 
terested in what Mr. Hale had to say of 
the Carman peach on page 353. We have 
quite a sprinkling of peacnes on trees of 
this variety one year set. These were 
June buds, root-pruned and set with 
dibble. The early-bearing habit and 
hardiness of the Carman is remarkable. 
It is the only peach that set fruit out of 
19 varieties (including all of the standard 
varieties). J. f. j. 
Missouri. 
More Plum Talk. —In your issue of June 
2, page 386, there is an omission in my 
article on Japan plums which gives a 
wrong impression in regard to varieties. 
After the reference to Ogon it should read: 
Wickson we have fruited three seasons. 
They are now well loaded with green fruit; 
should a fair proportion mature there will 
be fruit enough and to spare. Possibly 
as the trees mature their growth the yield 
may prove more satisfactory. The fruit 
as grown by me has been very uniform 
and large size. h. o. mead. 
Fruit Packages 
OF ALL KINDS. 
Wire-Stapled Standard Berry Baskets. 
These Baskets are stronger, more durable, and far 
superior to any other basket made. Write for 
catalogue and price-list. 
WEBSTER BASKET CO., 
Monroe County, (Lock Box 43), WEBSTER. N. Y 
%? J 
§0 
COMPRESSED AIR 
... SPRAYER — 
HOLDS FDUR GALLONS 
ONLY TAKES A MOMENT TO 
PUMP IN THE AIR.NO MORE 
J”. 
fe 
LABOR REQUIRED.Mil 
11 Aifil 
COMPLETE.5ENT TO ANY AD¬ 
DRESS. AGENTS WANTED. 
D.B.5MITH LED.UTICA,N.Y. 
ill 
AND SPECIFICATIONS 
— leading feature* of our new, revised and enlarged 
“BOOK ON SILAGE” 
By Prof. F. W. WOLL, 
if the University of Wisconsin. The book is neatly boun<' 
into a volume of 234 pages and contains everything that b ' 
latest on the subject from planting and building to feeding. 
\mong its principle topics are included: 
I—Silage crops. II—Silos. 
Ill—Silage. IV—Feeding Silage. 
V—Comparison of Silage and other Feeds. 
J VI—The Silo in Modern Agriculture. 
| Also Illustrations and complete plans for round and 
• rectangular silos, dairy barns, tables of com 
I pounded rations, etc. Mulled fur 10c. 
? coin or HtuinpH. 
.SILVER MFG.CO. 
Salem, Ohio. 
If You Use Page Stock Fence 
You can turn any animal into any field. Good plan. 
PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., A OKI AN, MICH. 
RUYJLROSS 
and you have the most 
and the most efficient 
Dry Fodder PUTTED 
and EnsilageUU I I Eli 
on the market. Equipped with shred¬ 
der head at a small additional cost. 
Great variety of sizes, cutting from 
X in. np. Deliver feed anywnere at 
any angle. Write for Catalogue No. 
The E. W. Ross Co., Sprlngfleld.O. 
N one 
Better 
Made 
so 
DRILLING 
Machines 
Over 70 sizes and styles, for drilling either deep or 
shallow wells in any kind of soil or rock. Mounted 
on wheels or on sills. With engines or horse powers. 
Strong, simple and durable. Any mechanic can 
operate them easily. Send for catalog. 
WILLIAMS BROS., Ithaca, N. V. 
For Pumping or Driving 
Cream Separa¬ 
tors or other 
machines re¬ 
quiring light 
power but ab¬ 
solutely steady 
motion, 
BUY A 
fifiClinnCQC” ONE-HORSE 
OUUUtOO TREAD POWER. 
It has a governor which regulates the walk of the horses to a nic*. 
tv and delivers an absolutely steady and even motion to the ma¬ 
chine driven. With our Back Geared Pump Jack It makes a splen¬ 
did pumping outfit. If you want a tread power for any purpose, 
buy a 4 *»u CC‘.ea» ” 1, 2 or 3-horse. They will deliver more power 
than any other because they run light, are roomy and strong enough 
for largest ho.'ses, etc. More about them In our large Illustrated 
catalogue, and about our sweep powers, gasoline engines,windmills, 
fodder and ensilage cutters,wood saws hussers,steel tanks,etc, Fre€ 
APPLETON MFG. CO., 27 FARGO ST. BATAVIA, ILL 
