674 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
October 6 
- Ruralisms 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS. 
High-Priced Seeds. —We do not care 
to rest our judgment entirely on the re¬ 
sult of trials made on the Rural 
Grounds, feeling that Monmouth Co., 
N. J., is a very small part of this big 
country, and try to get around to some 
of the extensive commercial trials of the 
leading seedsmen each season. The 
thoroughness with which comparative 
tests are made between thousands of 
samples of staple and well-known seeds 
grown in different localities, as well as 
the always interesting trials of novel¬ 
ties, are very satisfying to the visitor. 
An important feature of most of these 
private experiment stations is the grow¬ 
ing of special strains of rare seeds. As 
a rule only a few varieties are grown, as 
most seeds can be produced with great¬ 
er economy by growers who devote their 
time exclusively to that business. Most 
large seed houses have specialties, how¬ 
ever, which they prefer to grow under 
their own supervision, though the cost 
of production in such cases comes very 
near to the value of the product. The 
costliest seeds in commerce, and those 
representing the greatest labor to pro¬ 
duce, are the best strains of double Pe¬ 
tunia and some of the flowering Begon¬ 
ias. Double Petunia seeds are grown 
from selected single flowers fertilized 
with pollen irom the best double ones, 
as the double flowers produce no seed 
at all. This operation is usually carried 
on with potted plants under shelter. 
Very little double Petunia seed is pro¬ 
duced in this country, most of it being 
grown in Germany. The best samples 
are worth about $250 an ounce, but it is, 
of course, understood that an ounce goes 
a long way in filling retail packets. The 
best strains are not expected to produce 
more than 30 to 40 per cent of double 
flowers, and, contrary to the usual rule, 
in growing seedlings, the weakest plants 
should ae carefully saved, as they al¬ 
ways produce the finest double flowers. 
Begonia seeds, especially in the tuber¬ 
ous-rooted section, are produced in the 
same way by careful hand pollenization, 
but this method is more simple, as pis¬ 
tillate or seed-bearing flowers are sep¬ 
arately produced, and a mere transfer¬ 
ence to them of pollen from the stamin- 
ate blooms is all that is required. The 
best Begonia seed is worth about $125 
per ounce. It is a very minute seed, 
only being equaled in that respect by 
seeds of Gloxinias and other Gesnera- 
ceous plants. Gloxinia seeds are pro¬ 
duced in a similar manner under glass, 
each flower being pollenized with a 
small brush. The effort is made to keep 
the colors and varieties separate, an in¬ 
dividual brush being used for each shade 
or distinct variety. They produce more 
seed than Begonias, but the price is 
about the same for the best strains. 
The foregoing plants are special glass¬ 
house products to a great extent, hut 
the large-flowered or “giant” single Pe¬ 
tunias are grown by the acre in the open 
fields. The plants are set in rich ground 
about three feet apart each way, and 
all inferior specimens “rogued’ out as 
they develop, thus leaving many bare 
spaces. During the blooming season the 
flowers are pollenized daily as early in 
the day as possible. It is hot and back¬ 
breaking work. In the illustration, Fig. 
252, page 671, from a photograph taken 
at the Riverton, N. J., trial grounds of 
Henry A. Dreer, a gang of hybridizers 
are seen at work. The umbrella comes 
in when a particularly choice plant 
must be handled with scrupulous care. 
The stakes at different points in the 
picture mark stock plants from which 
the most typical seeds are saved for 
seed-growing the next year. Besides the 
work of pollenizing the flowers they 
also have to be gone over daily in order 
to secure the seed capsules as they ripen. 
Seeds of the best single Petunias pro¬ 
duced in this manner are worth from 
$60 to $100 per ounce. It seems rather 
startling to think of a pound of such 
seeds valued fairly at $1,000, being 
produced on an acre of ground and car¬ 
ried with ease in a single packet, but 
each season’n experience proves that 
they cost in labor and skill about all 
they are worth. Some very choice seeds 
of tms kind are produced in California, 
but the increased cost of skilled labor 
on the Pacific Coast rather offsets the 
advantages of their climate and long 
season. The costliest vegetable seed is 
cauliflower, the best strain grown in 
Denmark bringing $6 per ounce or $96 
per pound. From that it is a long jump 
downwards to celery seeds at $1.50 and 
onion seeds at $2.50 per pound. 
October Purple Plum. —Two well- 
developed, but rather immature fruits 
of the new October Purple plum have 
been received from Joseph H. Black, 
Son & Co., of Hightstown, N. J. They 
had ueen blown off the tree by the late 
tropical storm, and were too much 
bruised to judge fairly of the quality, 
which doubtless would be very good in 
ripened specimens. They were large 
and pointed in shape. The color was a 
uniform light purple. The flesh yellow, 
juicy and adhering closely to the stone. 
We can well imagine it to ue a fine 
plum when thoroughly matured. The 
young trees on the Rural Grounds are 
fine and healthy growers. 
Chinese Giant Pepper. —W. Atlee 
Burpee Co., Philadelphia, Pa., sent us 
some seeds of this veritable monster 
among peppers for trial last Spring. We 
have grown them with much pleasure, 
and find the gigantic and highly-colored 
fruits a pleasant addition to Summer 
salads, as the flesh is thick, tender and 
sweet, without any of the burning pun¬ 
gency often found in the older varieties. 
The plants grow finely, and the immense 
peppers, often more than six inches in 
diameter and depth, make a very hand¬ 
some show in the garden. The Chinese 
Giant is somewhat earlier than the pop¬ 
ular Ruby King pepper, and seems to be 
fully as productive, if bulk and not num¬ 
ber of fruits be taken into consideration. 
Possibly the size may be too large to 
commend it for pickling or commercial 
purposes, but of this we may speak 
later. 
A Good Yellow Clematis. —Clematis 
orientalis, usually catalogued and sold 
as C. graveolens, is little grown in this 
country, but is nevertheless a very 
worthy companion to the popular C. pa- 
niculata, which has just adorned many 
porches and trellises with fragrant banks 
of snowy blooms. Clematis orientalis 
is a native of the Himalayan Mountains 
in Asia, and has proved quite hardy as 
far north as Vermont. It is a strong 
and rapid climber, reaching 12 to 15 feet 
in height, and much resembling C. pani- 
culata in foliage. The flowers are very 
freely produced in late August and Sep¬ 
tember. They are uorne singly, and not 
in clusters like Paniculata. They are 
nearly two inches across, deep yellow, 
slightly tinged with green when young, 
and followed by large plumy seeds or 
achenes. They are faintly scented, the 
odor becoming quite pronounced when 
many hundreds open at once on a well- 
established plant, it is likely that this 
fine species will become better known in 
time, as it is the only one bearing good 
yellow flowers. At present very few 
nurserymen offer it. w. v. f. 
I have Carman grapevine in bearing. It 
proves to be a strong grower, healthy and 
reasonably productive. The fruit, accord¬ 
ing to my taste, is better and preferable to 
the Concord. The objection, if any, would 
be the berry is a little under size, and the 
cluster not quite so large and compact as 
the Concord. However, as the vine grows 
older this objection may disappear. The 
Ruby Queen rose has made a growth of 54 
inches for the longest shoot. g. w. t. 
Butler Co., Ohio. 
SCRAPS. 
I picked from the Bartlett 45 years old, 
mentioned on page 505, two barrels A 1 
pears, and sold them for $5.40; 1,000 trees 
at that rate would be $5,400. Now, even 
that would be a good income from 10 acres 
in one year. n. r. f. 
Among novelties shown at the Society of 
American Florists’ exhibition in New York 
were the Star Petunias, orginated by A. B. 
Howard, of Belchertown, Mass. Their pe¬ 
culiarity consists of even white markings 
in the center of each petal, forming a five- 
pointed star. The outer portion of the 
flower is deep colored and velvety, and the 
effect of the flower is very striking. 
Bees and Peaches.— Concerning bees in¬ 
juring fruit would report that my peaches 
have been badly punctured. Large holes 
were made; the hardness of the peach af¬ 
forded no obstacle to the work of the in¬ 
sect. Most of the destruction, however, 
seemed to have been done by wasps. The 
trees were fairly alive with them. 
Hudson, N. Y. j. y. p. 
Rough Rider Strawberry.— I visited 
the home of the Rough Rider strawberry 
recently. Mr. Leonard had the Glen Mary 
and Bubach by the side of the Rough 
Rider, and they were burnt to the ground. 
He said they had no rain since April. The 
Rough Rider stood up 15 inches high, and 
as green as in May, and loaded with green 
berries. He said he picked 40 crates on 
one day and would pick 50 two days later. 
The Rough Rider is the coming berry. 
chas. siddons. 
We have one of the finest shows in plums 
of the Burbank variety that I ever saw. 
The trees are heavily loaded, and we are 
obliged to prop them up. I just visited 
Hale’s peach and plum orchard at Glas¬ 
tonbury, Conn. I saw plenty of trees, but 
no fruit to speak of; there is an abundance 
of fruit in our Champlain Valley, plums, 
pears and apples. We sold our plums from 
$1 to $1.50 per bushel; pears $1.50. Apples 
will bring about $2, good Winter fruit. 
Nice tobacco leaf is being raised for mar¬ 
ket as far north as Bellows Falls. 
Charlotte, Yt. o. h. a. 
“Great Scott” Strawberry.—I have a 
new variety given me by John Scott, of 
West Newton, Mass., the originator of 
some of the best seedling strawberries 
grown in this country. Brighton Pine, 
Lady of the Lake and other A No. 1 va¬ 
rieties are some of his seedlings. None of 
these is raised in a haphazard way, as he 
selects his ideal pistillates and staminates, 
and crosses them or fertilizes them by 
carrying the pollen to the pistil with a 
camel-hair brush. He is very careful to 
keep them from other varieties. The plants 
of this new seedling are of the largest 
size, with dark green, glossy foliage. I 
grow 50 or more varieties, but none of them 
has such a gloss. It is a good plant- 
maker. The fruit is of the largest size, in 
shape resembling the Bubach, its pistillate 
parent; in color resembling the other pa¬ 
rent, the Belmont, which is crimson. The 
quality is good. It is very productive, 
yielding large-sized berries to the last. I 
heard one of the boys, when gathering 
these berries, tell the other pickers that 
they were as large as his foot. As I wished 
not only to connect the originator’s name 
with this strawberry, but also to give ex¬ 
pression to its large size, I have, with Mr. 
Scott’s consent, called it “Great Scott,” a 
familiar expression. At present I have 
none of these plants ready for sale. 
s. h. warren. 
For Economy’s Sake use the Rochester Ra¬ 
diator; saves one-half fuel.— Adv. 
EAR CORN CRUSHER AND GRINDER 
crushes and grind » ear corn to a medium degree 
of fineness for feeding purposes, the crusher roll 
crushes the earsandsteuilof crusher we place 
a set of grinding plates which can be sot cloee 
ether for grinding for medium feed. This 
. - _ ’ mill is also adapted for crushing ear 
S| corn to prepare It for a french hurr 
v 1 tf i, or any other kind of a grinder. 
Crushes 2ft bu. an hour. Can be run 
t with 1 to 15 h. p. or power wind mill. Ia 
’strong and durable —mndeof steel 
and iron. Hopper holds a sack of com. 
It’s the latest thing out and revolutionizes the ear corn proposition. 
Send for free catalogue, giving full description. 
Marvin Smith Co., 55-59 N. Jefferson St., Chicago, Ils. 
fora 
mlli 
Complete. 
4 Buggy Wheels with tire on, 97.25 
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, $5.50, ft prepaid, If you 
write to-day. W. K. BOOB, Centre HaU Pa 
® Wc a re the largest manu¬ 
facturers of Steel Wheels 
and Truck Wagons in the 
World. Write for Catalogue* 
Havana (III.) Metal Wheel Co. 
9 CORDS IN IO HOURS 
SAWB DOWS 
THE EH 
BY OHKMAJI. It’s KINO OF THF. WOODS. Sarr, money and 
backache. Send for KKKE lllus. catalogue showing latest Improve¬ 
ments and testimonials from thousands. First order gerurev scencv. 
Folding Sawing Mach. Co. 55 N. Jefferson St., Chicago, III. 
S. & B. Earth Auger. 
Send forclrcular. Sample 
at cost to Introduce. 
Eureka Fence Mfg.Co. 
Box Y, Richmond, Ind. 
To Get Page Fence 
at present prices, you better order now and send cash. 
L 11. ltobcrtaon, Receiver, 
PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., ADKIAN, MICH. 
It Is Not Our Fault 
TMt dfe»FR0ST 
d m 
; ^ 
if you pay as much for a light weight woven wire 
fence as you can buy The Frost, made of large, 
heavy, hard steel wire. Send for catalogue. 
THE FROST WIRE FENCE CO., 
Welland, Out. Cleveland, Ohio 
The Fence That’s Guaranteed. 
AMERICAN 
Field & Hog Fence. 
Made on right principles, of Best 
Steel, best galvanizing, serves every 
purpose of fencing and is pructlcally 
everlasting. 
Now Is the Time to Put It Up. 
Stays 12 inches or 6 inches apart. 
_ r __ . If 
no agent in your town write to the 
makers. 
AMERICAN STEEL & WIRE CO., Chicago or New York. 
ENTERPRISE 
Chopper 
Chops raw or cooked meats, fish and other food bet¬ 
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convenient to use and to clean than any other chopper. Will save 
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$275.00. Catalogue, describing many other household helps mailed free. 
Send 4 cents for the “Enterprising Housekeeper ’’—contains 200 recipes. 
THE ENTERPRISE MANUFACTURING CO. OF PA., Philadelphia, U. S. A. 
