802 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
December 1 
Rural isms 
* ' V T 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS. 
Evergreens. —Our first real freeze, on 
on the night of November 15, was fol¬ 
lowed by high winds, almost completely 
stripping deciduous trees of their leaves, 
and imparting at once a wintry appear¬ 
ance to the landscape. It is at such 
times that we realize the value and 
beauty of evergreens. The present 
Rural Grounds are too young to show 
evergreen effects, but in the neighbor¬ 
ing nurseries a fine collection of varie¬ 
ties can always be seen. The color ef¬ 
fects, ranging from the deepest and 
darkest of all greens to the purple of 
the Retinosporas and the golden tints of 
some of the junipers and arbor vitaes, is 
exceedingly grateful after witnessing 
the brown decay of the deciduous fo¬ 
liage. We confess to a great liking for 
our common hemlock, Tsuga Canaden¬ 
sis. Taken the year through in its Sum¬ 
mer and Winter aspects, it is to our 
taste the most graceful and pleasing of 
all conifers. Nothing can equal it for 
an evergreen hedge, and it is always 
beautiful in a group or as a single spe¬ 
cimen. It is a slow grower, however, 
when young, and rather difficult to 
transplant without a serious check. The 
best evergreens for general planting, 
where the choice of varieties is limited, 
are the old standards, Norway and Ori¬ 
ental spruces, American and Siberian 
arbor vitaes, and the Scotch and White 
pines, but a few hemlocks should be in¬ 
cluded when possible, even if the rare 
spruces, junipers and Retinosporas must 
be omitted. 
A Grand New Gladiolus. —Among 
the considerable number of Gladiolus 
species recently introduced to cultiva¬ 
tion none exceeds in beauty and vigor 
G. Quartinianus, and its improved va¬ 
riety, Superbus. It comes from the 
mountains of Central Africa, and is yet 
very sparingly offered in commerce. A 
corm received last January was planted 
in an eight-inch pot, under glass, and 
has just finished blooming. It threw 
three bloom spikes, each nearly six feet 
high, clothed with very handsome blu¬ 
ish-green foliage. The flowers averaged 
nine to each spike, and were somewhat 
hooded in form, bright yellow, feathered 
with scarlet and of large size. The col¬ 
oring is clear and brilliant, and the 
whole plant presents a most stately ap¬ 
pearance. It is too late in blooming and 
maturing its corms to be grown in the 
garden, but hybridization with other 
early-blooming species and varieties of 
a similar character may preserve its 
main characteristics, while shortening 
its growing season. Efforts of this kind 
are quite certain to be made, as the spe¬ 
cies is attracting much attention. Most 
of the new species that are being found 
during the African explorations now be¬ 
ing carried on by various governments 
are too weak in constitution to be of 
value in temperate climates, and many 
of them are almost devoid of beauty as 
garden plants, but in G. Quartinianus 
superbus we have a novelty well worth 
growing. 
Good New Begonias. —Several new 
flowering Begonias of great beauty and 
usefulness have lately been dissemi¬ 
nated, and are proving useful additions 
to the window garden. Begonia Gloire 
de Lorraine is the result of crossing B. 
Socotrana with B. Dregei, both semi- 
tuberous species. The unexpected result 
is a most lovely free-flowermg plant 
with fibrous roots, but requiring a short 
season of rest, like its tuberous parents. 
A well-grown plant is a striking object— 
the shining leaves are literally buried in 
masses of large, bright pink flowers. A 
new snow-white sport of Gloire de Lor¬ 
raine, named Caledonia, is being propa¬ 
gated, but has not yet been put on the 
market. Gloire de Lorraine blooms well 
in the window, but should be shaded 
from the sun in Summer and be allowed 
partially to dry up during the Autumn 
months. It will then start vigorously 
and flower well if taken into a warm and 
well-lighted room, and given plenty of 
water. B. gracilis is also somewhat tu¬ 
berous in character, with slightly hairy 
leaves. The flowers are pink, but of a 
lighter shade. It makes a beautiful 
Summer-flowering plant, and often 
blooms well in early Winter, but re¬ 
quires a distinct season of rest. A num¬ 
ber of little bulbils are borne at the 
base of the leaves, which can be sown 
like seeds, and the plants thus increased. 
B. gracilis is not really new, as it was 
cultivated as early as 1829, but it comes 
as a novelty to most growers. Begonia 
Erfordii is very free-flowering, being 
covered with rose-carmine blooms. It is 
most useful as a bedding variety, but 
blooms well in the house. It is a hybrid 
between B. Schmidtii and B. semper- 
florens, the latter popularly known as 
the Vernon Begonia. B. Erfordii does 
not produce seeds, and the stock is kept 
up by hybridizing the parent species to¬ 
gether every year, B. Schmidtii being 
grown for the sole purpose, as it is not 
an attractive species. These Begonias 
like a light, porous soil, composed of 
sand, old fine manure and leaf mold in 
about equal parts. Plenty of water is 
needed when they are growing freely, 
but the pots must have very free drain¬ 
age. _ w. v. F. 
ABOUT TWIN FRUITS. 
There is nothing so very wonderful 
about twin fruits, when we consider the 
their bases. This is the case represented 
in Fig. 310. A Newtown apple nas been 
sent to The R. N.-Y. which is a very 
clear case of this kind. Some varieties 
are more given to producing these curi¬ 
osities than others, of which Ben Davis 
and Newtown are prominent examples. 
H. E. VAN DEMAN. 
THE BANANA APPLE. 
So many new fruits are being brought 
before the public for attention that we 
may be wary of even testing all of them. 
Although there is yet room for many 
good ones, we have no place for any that 
do not have points of marked superior¬ 
ity. The Banana apple has now been 
tested long enough to prove that it is 
worthy of a place on the list of varie¬ 
ties for home use and possibly for mar¬ 
ket. It originated in Indiana, and has 
been tested mostly in the Central States, 
but I have no doubt of its general adap¬ 
tation over the main apple-growing re¬ 
gions. The tree has a good habit of 
growth and is said to bear well. The 
fruit is of medium size; is nearly round 
in shape, being of almost equal diam¬ 
eters; the surface is very smooth, glossy 
and waxy, and the color is rich yellow 
well shaded with a crimson blushing on 
the sunny side; the flesh is fine-grained 
and firm until full maturity, when it be¬ 
comes tender and melting. In flavor it 
is sub-acid and about equal to the best, 
although I think Grimes and a few more 
are a little superior. It is much like the 
Golding, formerly known as American 
Golden Pippin, etc., but its size is a lit¬ 
tle larger. In season it is a late Fall or 
early Winter apple in the Central States. 
M|| 10 FOR GRINDING 
1*11 LLO Feed or Meal, 
or anything you have to grind. Before 
purchasing a mill for any purpose, 
write us for descriptive cata- 
We can give you valuable 
on anything you wish 
mill. Full line of Flour 
Mill Machinery, French 
Burr and Attrition Mills, 
Corn Sbellers. etc. 
SPROUT, WALDRON & CO., Box 13, Muncy. Pa. 
THOMP 
CRASS 
Sows all clovers an dany other 
grass, no matter how cJ 
y oim 
baffy 
Special Hopper for 
wheat, oats, etc. 
Weighs only 40 
LASTS IN¬ 
DEFINITELY. 
SON’S 
SEEDER 
Sows 20 to 40 acres a day. 
Beats the wind and wet. 
Don’t buy a seeder until 
you send for our free illus¬ 
trated catalogue. 
O.E.Thompson & Sons, Yp a "," hi"’ 
VICTORY FEED MILL 
Oldoitt anil Boat Grinding Mill Made 
Will crush and grind corn 
and cob and all kinds of 
grain, mixed or separate. 
Grinds faster, finer and with 
less power than other mills. 
Are builtstrong.wellmadeof 
good material, and will last 
a lifetime. Small size adapt¬ 
ed for wind and tread power. 
Made in four sizes for 1, 4, 8 
and 10 H. P. Free Catalogue. 
TIIOS. ROBERTS, 
Iloi 92, Springfield, O. 
200 BU. A DAY 
with this OTIS BALL BEARING No. 2 MILL 
^Grinds ear coni and other grain, fine or coarse. 
jtirlmlH l'u*ter than any other 2-horse mill 
made, because burrs are 26K in* 1° diameter, 
•of Improved nhapc to draw the grain 
-down into them. I > uH» cuider aa it runs 
J on a series of 1 in. ball bearings. This is the 
dlargcftt 2-horse mill made, but onr prices are 
low because we have no agents. We sell it with a binding 
guarantee to grind twice as much as most others and more 
than any other 2-norse mill made of any size burrs or any con¬ 
struction. TRY IT. If it don’t do as we say return it at our ex- 
That’s Not a Snare 
to hurt stock. It’8l*age Fence to hold them. 
L. B. ROBERTSON, Receiver, 
TWIN NEWTOWN PIPPIN APPLES. Fig. 310. 
curiosities of the same kind in the ani¬ 
mal world. They are of the same or¬ 
der as double-headed calves, pigs, chick¬ 
ens, etc. Among animals they are far 
less frequently found than among fruits 
and flowers. Twin animals in the ordi¬ 
Those who admire a yellow apple will 
like this one, for it is about as hand¬ 
some as one of that color ever gets. For 
the general market, where red apples 
are mostly in demand, it would not be 
so desirable. h. e. van deman. 
nary sense are perfect individuals, but 
such monstrosities as those having dou¬ 
ble heads are quite different, and are 
rarely able to live much beyond their 
birth. Twins in the vegetable kingdom 
are of the same physiological order as 
double-headed animals. Anyone who 
has closely examined the flowers of al¬ 
most any of our fruits, whether they 
have been students of scientific botany 
or not, have noticed that there is in the 
The Carman Grape.—I have had it in 
bearing three years. The growth of vine 
is perfect and hardy, productive, giving fine 
large compact clusters with medium-sized 
berry, ripening with the Concord at lati¬ 
tude 43. The quality is inferior to the Con¬ 
cord or Worden. I bagged several clusters 
about the middle of September for exhibi¬ 
tion purposes. October 1 I found them 
nearly all rotten. I think the cause was 
from cracking; the bunches were too com¬ 
pact to keep long after they were ripe. 
One vine of it is enough for me. 
Onondaga Co., N. Y. chas. mills. 
PAGE WOVEN W IRE FENCE CO., ADUIAX, MICH. 
9 CORDS IN IQ HOURS 
SAWS DOWS 
TREKS. 
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roUHNe SAWING MACHINE CO.. 
55-57-50 No. Jefferson St., CHICAGO, ILL. 
B6JM Before Buying a Mew 
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you will insure the best re¬ 
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4 cents in stamps for 
catalogue of 100 
ngle and Double 
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direct to the consumer 
at wholesale prices. 
THE KING HARNESS CD.. Mfra.. 
S12 Caurth $t., OWEGO, N.T. 
center of each flower a small spike, or 
sometimes five of them. These are the 
pistils, and at their base is a little sack 
or ovary which is the part that encir¬ 
cles the seed or seeds. In case of the 
peach there is but one pistil, one ovary 
and one seed; although there are some¬ 
times two germs, and two little trees 
will come from them. In case of the 
apple, pear and quince there are five pis¬ 
tils, which meet at the bottom, forming 
a five-celled ovary. This is the core of 
the apple, pear or quince. Sometimes 
there are two sets of these organs in one 
flower, and in such a case, if it comes 
to perfection, there will be what we call 
a twin fruit. It may be that the double 
formation will extend to the stem, there 
being a widened calyx and a double core, 
with a flattened stem; or, there may be 
two separate calyxes an inch or more 
apart and the two cores joined only at 
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