THE RURAL NEW-YORKER; 
August 25 
578 
; Rural isms ► 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS. 
The Yucca ok Adam’s Needle (Yucca 
filamentosa).—This really elegant hardy 
plant shown at Fig. 200, page 574, should 
be found more frequently about farmers’ 
homes. A well-established clump lends 
a certain air of distinction even to neg¬ 
lected grounds. It is easily raised from 
seeds, but taKes three or more years to 
form blooming plants. Small plants 
can be had by mail from most nurseries 
at a cost of 25 cents each, and will soon 
grow into valued and interesting speci¬ 
mens. A good plant will send up its 
tall, branched spikes of fragrant, 
creamy-white flowers three or four feet 
into the air during July, forming a fine 
contrast to its broad, sword-like foliage. 
Yucca filamentosa is the only memuer 
of the genus sufficiently hardy to endure 
northern Winters without elaborate 
protection, but there are many hand¬ 
some species used for Summer decora¬ 
tion outside and kept over Winter in cel¬ 
lars or greenhouses. In Mexico and 
Central America Yuccas are very useful 
plants, furnishing various fibers for tex¬ 
tile manufacturers, while the bruised 
roots are extensively used in place of 
soap. Y. filamentosa is entirely 
hardy in the Eastern States to the Can¬ 
ada line, and may be planted on dry 
slopes and other arid situations, though 
it responds well to good treatment. 
There is a finely-variegated variety, the 
leaves being striped with light yellow. 
It is always scarce, and a comparatively 
high price is asked for it. It is cata¬ 
logued as Yucca filamentosa bicolor. 
Other Yuccas that can be grown in the 
garden are Y. gloriosa and Y. angusti- 
folia. The first is not hardy north of 
Washington, and Y. angustifolia is rare 
in commerce, though it is a desirable 
species and more hardy than Y. gloriosa. 
Fine Early Peas. —After trying about 
all the peas ouered we think of settling 
down to Nott’s Excelsior and Prosperity. 
Both have been repeatedly commended in 
Tile R. N.-Y., but an additional word 
in their favor cannot be out of place. 
Nott’s is early, very dwarf and a fine 
cropper under any reasonable treatment. 
It may be planted as soon as the ground 
can be worked easily, and from its com¬ 
pact growth fits in among other early 
vegetables. The yield is satisfactory 
and the quality excellent. The pods are 
so tightly filled that they do not shell 
quite as easily as some other varieties, 
which is the only criticism we have yet 
heard on Lus desirable early pea. It is 
a few days later than the earliest smooth 
varieties, but the quality is so much bet¬ 
ter that there is little comparison for 
domestic use. Prosperity, which is 
called Gradus in many catalogues, fol¬ 
lows next, though it has been introduced 
as a substitute for the extra earlies. It 
grows vigorously, and is exceedingly 
ptoduetive of large pods, well-filled with 
large well-flavored peas. They cook 
green and tender, and eminently satis¬ 
factory for table use. A second sowing 
of the two varieties extends the season 
well into late July, and if we wish later 
peas a row of Champion of England or 
White Marrowfat extends the season 
well through August. If Fall peas are 
desired we would plant Nott’s and 
Prosperity again during the latter part 
of August. 
A New White Watsonia. —Watsonias 
are rather tender bulbous plants closely 
related to the Gladiolus. They can be 
grown in the same way, but the bulbs 
or corms do not keep so well over Win¬ 
ter. The foliage is very stately and 
handsome, and the flowers more numer¬ 
ous than in Gladioli, but are smaller and 
less brilliant in color, the shades rang¬ 
ing through pink, salmon, and buff. 
We have grown several species for years, 
b»tt usually find it necessary to start the 
bu!Us in pots curing late Win<*i as 
they become early excited into growth 
Watsonia Ardernei is a beautiful pure 
white species lately introduced from 
South Africa, the home of the genus. 
H. A. Dreer, Philadelphia, has kindly 
supplied us some bulbs, which we have 
grown with much pleasure. It resembles 
Watsonia rosea closely, except in the 
satiny white blossoms, which are pro¬ 
duced in great profusion in the branch¬ 
ing spike or panicle. The commercial 
florists have recognized the value of this 
fine plant for cut blooms, and it will 
doubtless be largely planted as soon as 
the present small stocks of the species 
can ue increased. Attempts to hybridize 
it with light-colored Gladioli in the 
Rural Grounds have apparently resulted 
in failure. Under good culture Wat¬ 
sonia Ardernei will grow nearly four 
feet high, producing branched stems 
bearing many widely-opened flowers, two 
inches in diameter, of a remarkably 
pure, glistening white, keeping well 
when cut. 
Promising New Fruits. —We have re¬ 
ceived from J. H. Black, Son & Co., 
Hightstown, N. J., specimens of the 
Shiro and Bartlett plums, McIntosh and 
Miss Lola peaches, and Star apple, 
varieties bearing for the first time on 
their trial plots. Shiro, as grown in cen¬ 
tral New Jersey is a large handsome plum 
of a golden green, with a heavy white 
bloom. The quality of the specimens 
received was about as good as that of 
Abundance at its best, which is really 
high praise. Messrs. Black say all the 
Shiro plums produced this season are 
perfect and free from rot, while the 
Japans are rotting badly in the vicinity. 
The Bartlett plum was not as large as 
the introducer’s description indi¬ 
cates, scarcely exceeding iy 2 inch in di¬ 
ameter. The flesh is yellow and firm, 
and the odd taste of Prunus Simoni well 
marked. The color is dark purple. 
The peaches were very fine, preference 
being given to Miss Lola from its larger 
size and greater freedom of the pit from 
adhesion to the flesh, as compared with 
McIntosh, Fig. 201, page 574. Both are 
fine white peaches with well colored 
cheeKS, and of most excellent quality. 
The Star apple is large and flat, glossy 
green, with flush of red on sunny side. 
The flesh is white and tender, and fairly 
acid in flavor. It should make a much 
better cooking apple than the varieties 
now finding their way to market from 
this region._ 
WINTER PEARS AND APPLES. 
Last Winter E. G. F., writing in The 
R. N.-Y. on Winter pears, spoke favor¬ 
ably of the Lawrence, but complained 
that it failed to keep even as late as 
Thanksgiving Day. At our house we 
have no difficulty in saving a good share 
of the Lawrences past midwinter. We 
used them first last year November 15, 
and the last were used about February 
4, except a few lying under the snow to 
be brought out for a March curiosity. 
To be sure, a few of them decayed, but 
not a larger per cent than in the case of 
Winter Nelis. All our Anjous saved for 
Christmas were ruined when wanted. 
Perhaps Lawrence is sometimes picked 
too early. I prefer to leave it on the 
tree as long as possible, and many of the 
pears I pick from the ground. If they 
freeze and remain frozen a month or 
two they are all the better for it. The 
Lawrence thawed out in January is lit¬ 
tle short of Seckel for excellence. The 
apple most popular at our house in Jan¬ 
uary is the Winesap. We found it un¬ 
usually fine-grained and high-flavored 
last season. Even Spitzenburg has to 
yield, and Fameuse is left on the table 
till the Winesap is exhausted. So ex¬ 
cellent a fruit is entitled to the privilege 
of some weaknesses, but in our experi¬ 
ence with- it the Winesap has shown 
none. It has never failed to produce a 
heavy crop since its first, about 1884. 
Another apple of excellence, growing 
near our Winesaps, is the Canada White 
Pippin, a sort not catalogued anywhere, 
to my knowledge. Ever-bearing, ex¬ 
tremely hardy, prolific to the last de¬ 
gree, strong in growth and willowy in 
form, are some of the traits of the tree. 
The fruit is medium to large, greenish 
yellow, with a pink tinge around the 
stem and sometimes on one cheek, uni¬ 
formly perfect in shape, fine grained and 
melting when just ready for use, and of 
the best keeping quality. Its season is 
from February to June, when properly 
cared for. When in perfect condition 
it is of highest quality, certainly equal 
to the best Fall Pippin in its season. 
This variety has been growing in our or¬ 
chard since 1880 unnamed. By studying 
specimens at the State Fair, exhibited 
by the Geneva Station, I identified it as 
the Canada White Pippin. Possibly I 
am in error. Some call it Winter Pip¬ 
pin. Hubbardston is an apple that hard¬ 
ly “bears acquaintance” with us. At 
first its aromatic property was most 
agreeable, but after a while this became 
tiresome, and the lack of distinct char¬ 
acter, either sweetness or tartness, 
threw it out of favor. Its companion in 
celebrity, the Rome Beauty, is in all re¬ 
spects far superior in quality of fruit, 
though I have had no experience in 
growing it. In attractiveness it is 
hardly inferior to the Oldenburg. Its 
color would sell it the whole width of 
the street, while its flavor would always 
bring a second order. A fit companion 
for the Rome Beauty will be the new 
Onondago County product, the Stearns, 
described and pictured last year in The 
R. N.-Y. We are testing this apple in 
monthly periods for determination of 
the lasting properties of its flavor. The 
January test showed decided improve¬ 
ment over that of Christmas. In 1898 
we made similar periodic records and 
found the Stearns at its best (kept in an 
ordinary cellar) the last of March. In 
April it had somewhat, and in May very 
greatly deteriorated. j. t. r. 
Syracuse, N. Y. 
Trying to Save Potatoes. 
Up to this time we had only a few 
rains all Summer to get to the roots of 
potatoes, and this is a most unpromising 
state of things. I am hoping for rains 
later, and keep up the battle for a crop, 
combating fungi by spraying with Bor¬ 
deaux Mixture and adding Paris-green 
for the bugs. My hope is in keeping the 
foliage and vine intact from the attacks 
of both fungi and insects, and when the 
moisture comes with longer and cooler 
nights the tubers will be made in a 
short time. Of course, that cultivator 
goes every morning, though it raises a 
cloud of dust, not to break roots, but to 
keep the dust mulch, to conserve the 
moisture that is still left. I must con¬ 
fess the task this year seems harder than 
ever, but I want to surrender in the last 
ditch, and that is when the vines and 
leaves are gone. My reliance is in the 
spraying and the scarifying of the sur¬ 
face. c - s> 
Pennsylvania. 
Strawberries in Ohio. 
The following quotation is made from the 
July strawberry report issued by M. Craw¬ 
ford, of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio: 
This season has satisfied me that we now 
have at least two new early varieties that 
will take the place of the Michel’s Early, 
Beder Wood and others of the Crescent 
style, that have for a number of years been 
the standard early kinds. These are the 
August Luther and Johnson’s Early. 
Neither of these is to be compared with 
the Marshall in size, beauty and quality, 
but both are earlier and more productive, 
and both will be popular with growers who 
do not desire to give the high culture 
which the Marshall really requires. So, 
also, at the close of the season, we have 
now two varieties that have come down to 
standard prices, which will be strong com¬ 
petitors of the Gandy and Brandywine as 
late kinds, viz: Klondike and Hunn. I do 
not think, however, that either of them 
will supersede the Gandy with growers of 
the largest and most beautiful fruit. 
To me the most important result of my 
observation this season is the conviction 
that the Senator Dunlap is now the greatest 
all-round variety ever introduced. What 
I had seen and heard heretofore led me to 
this belief, and now it is confirmed. I be¬ 
lieve the Senator Dunlap will take its place, 
not with the Haverland, Bubach and Clyde, 
for it is in a class above them, but at the 
top of the class that contains the Wm. 
Belt, Sample and Nic.- Ohmer. 
My conclusions are that, those who want 
the largest, best and most beautiful berries 
should grow the Marshall for early, Gandy 
or Empress for late, and the Wm. Belt, 
Downing’s Bride, Sample, Nick Ohmer and 
Margaret. Thos who want “good berries 
and lots of them” should grow August 
Luther or Johnson’s Early for early, Klon¬ 
dike or Hunn for late, and Senator Dun¬ 
lap, Wm. Belt, Sample, McKinley, War- 
field and Ridgeway. Those who grow for 
market without seeking the highest qual¬ 
ity, but who want big berries that will sell 
well should add to the list of Clyde, Bu¬ 
bach, Haverland and Parker Earle, the 
Parsons’ Beauty. 
Plant Culture, by C. W. Oliver, propa¬ 
gator to the United States Botanic Garden, 
Washington, D. C., New York. The A. T. 
De La Mare Publishing Co. A compact 
volume of 1S7 pages giving brief and prac¬ 
tical descriptions and methods of culture 
of all desirable plants that can be grown in 
the American climate. As a brief and 
handy book of reference it will prove valu¬ 
able to many who are struggling with im¬ 
perfect and misleading information. A 
great mass of accurate and valuable infor¬ 
mation is packed between the covers of 
this modest book. 
theADVAHTAGES 
of alow down wagron.duch as eas6 
of loading, saving of heavy lift¬ 
ing, saving the land from cutting up and 
rotting, are derived from using a set of 
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J They convert your old wagon into a low 
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either direct or staggered oval steel 
spokes. They are made in sizes to fit any 
___ wagon. A set of these wheels means 
Ih^t you have ©radically two wagons:—A low one for the 
t arm and a high one for the roads. Any height you want, 
and all wide, non-rutting, easy draft tires. Write at once 
for catalogue, prices, etc. 
Electric wheel Co., Bo*88 ,Quincy, III. 
4 Buggy Wheels with tire on, #7.25 
with Axles Welded and Set, 11.00 
I make all sizes & grades. Send for cat. giving 
instructions for ordering. Special Grade 
Wheels for repair work, $5.. r xi ft prepaid, if you 
write to-day. W. R. BOOB, Centre Hall Pa. 
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