212 
March 22 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
S Ruralisms 
/VOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS. 
Vigorous Tigridias. —Years ago the 
bulbous shell flower, Tigridia conchi- 
flora, could be seen growing rankly in 
many old gardens. A small group would 
make a fine show, being seldom without 
gay blooms during Summer, and the 
broad lris-like foliage was at all times 
attractive. The color of the large and 
curious shell-lilce flowers was yellow, 
oddly spotted with brownish red. The 
bulbs came from Mexico and were at 
first thought to need greenhouse treat¬ 
ment, but later found to thrive in the 
garden if taken up before freezing and 
stored in a dry and frost-free place 
through the Winter. Then came T. Pa- 
vonia, the present gorgeous tiger flower, 
in rich scarlet, marked with orange-yel¬ 
low, which soon broke, under the stimu¬ 
lus of high cultivation, into other dis¬ 
tinct shades, such as lilac, rose and 
white, retaining, however, richly con¬ 
trasted markings in the centers. Thus 
the lilac variety has a white center, 
heavily marked with chocolate, the 
white one with rose and crimson, and 
the rose-petaled type with dark maroon. 
There is also a deep orange with small 
purple-brown center. Later varieties 
have large unspotted blooms, white and 
pure bright yellow respectively. The 
above would make a fine collection if it 
were possible to grow these newer kinds 
with fair success, but under the stimu¬ 
lating conditions that induced this rapid 
and wide variation of coloring an insid¬ 
ious disease, quite similar to those affect¬ 
ing the Bermuda lily and some strains 
of Gladioli, has been developed, and 
nearly all the bulbs now on the market 
are infected. The symptoms of this ob¬ 
scure malady are manifested in weak 
growth, yellow or mottled foliage, few 
or indifferent blooms and very poor re¬ 
production of the bulbs or corms, 
amounting in many cases to entire fail¬ 
ure. Tigridias are chiefly grown for the 
bulb market in Guernsey and the other 
British Channel Islands, where the dis¬ 
ease seems most to prevail. It has been 
getting more general for the last 10 
years, and stocks are so poor now that 
they are no longer prominently offered 
by many dealers. Amateurs and gar¬ 
deners have been so frequently disap¬ 
pointed in planting tiger flowers of late 
that the demand has nearly ceased. A 
full collection of the new kinds was 
bought for the Rural Grounds last year 
from one of the most reliable dealers in 
the trade, and an effort was probably 
made to supply only sound bulbs, but 
the net result of about 75 plants was 
three or four poor blooms and a lot of 
sickly foliage, too weak to develop roots 
able to live through the Winter under 
best conditions. Previous attempts had 
about the same result, but in 1896 some 
good corms of white, rose, scarlet, yel¬ 
low and lilac spotted varieties were se¬ 
cured from the Channel growers, and 
grown under glass for seed, being free¬ 
ly cross-pollinated. A fair crop was se¬ 
cured, from which some hundreds of 
very vigorous seedlings were raised. 
They remain entirely healthy after 
blooming several years, and have great¬ 
ly increased, producing corms like the 
one in Fig. 74, page 206. There is some 
blending of the various colors, but less 
alteration than one would expect. We 
are careful to plant in new soil each sea¬ 
son and guard from contact with dis¬ 
eased specimens. In soil of average gar¬ 
den fertility they grow 2 y 2 feet high, 
and are in bloom from July until frost, 
sending up scape after scape, each pro¬ 
ducing several banner-like blooms, six 
or seven inches across, in daily succes¬ 
sion. Each flower lasts but a day, get¬ 
ting flabby by the middle of the after¬ 
noon, but they are brilliant enough in 
the morning. In the early days of tiger- 
flower culture—the name of shell flower 
is now little used—they were often 
brought in from the conservatory to dec¬ 
orate the breakfast table and were then 
called breakfast flowers from the cheer¬ 
ful splendor of the newly opened blooms. 
We plant six or eight inches apart with 
a two-foot space between rows. The fur¬ 
rows are opened about eight inches deep 
and an inch or two of fine old manure 
worked in the bottom, then enough loose 
soil raked in to cover the manure about 
three inches. The clusters are broken 
apart and the separated bulbs imme¬ 
diately placed in position, raking the 
furrow full, thus covering the corms 
three or four inches deep. Tigridias dis¬ 
like stiff clays, and if necessary to plant 
in such soil the covering would better 
be of sand. They like a loose soil of 
For the land’s sake, use Bowker’s Fer¬ 
tilizers. They enrich the earth.— Adv . ^ 
good fertility, but must be kept from 
immediate contact with strong manures 
or disease is likely to follow. They 
should be very thoroughly cultivated 
through the whole growing season, as a 
loose earth mulch is very beneficial. For 
bedding effects we would remove the soil 
bodily and fill up in the same way as 
when planted in rows, setting the bulbs 
10 inches apart each way. If healthy 
stock can be procured few Summer¬ 
blooming plants are more pleasing and 
effective in leaf and bloom than these 
tiger flowers, at least in the early part 
of the day. 
After the first sharp frost it is best to 
lift the clumps and heel them in, six 
inches or more deep, in some well-drain¬ 
ed place until the foliage is entirely 
ripened, when they may be shaken out, 
the tops cut off and hung in baskets or 
loose bags in some warm airy place, se¬ 
cure from mice, which are particularly 
fond of the bulbs. When well-dried it 
is good practice to dredge them with 
snuff or tobacco dust to head off aphids 
or plant lice, which often develop be¬ 
tween the scales, causing rapid decay. 
If possible the bulbs should be kept as 
warm and dry as sweet potatoes, as 
dampness is very injurious. Tigridias 
are quite free from pests when growing, 
except that mice and apparently moles 
sometimes eat the fleshy roots below the 
surface. Moles are considered entirely 
carnivorous, but we so frequently find 
Tigridia bulbs eaten in their runs that 
we are forced to the conclusion that 
they make an exception of this plant, 
though the damage may possibly be 
caused by mice following the mole tun¬ 
nels. Luther Burbank has lately an¬ 
nounced a strain of new hybrids of Ti¬ 
gridia. He claims great vigor and a wide 
range of new colors and combinations, 
something we did not secure in our 
trials. The Burbank hybrids have not 
yet been tested on the Rural Grounds. 
A new species from Mexico was an¬ 
nounced seven or eight years ago under 
the name of T. Pringlei. It was said to 
be of large size, flaming scarlet in color, 
but somehow did not materialize, as no 
bulbs were brought forward in response 
to the demand at once created. The 
writer never could get one, though ap¬ 
plication was made to every conceivable 
source. We do not know what has be¬ 
come of it. The botany of Tigridias is 
now much simplified, all the cultivated 
kinds, including the old T. conchiflora, 
being considered varieties of T. Pavonia. 
T. buccifera is an odd species from the 
mountains of Mexico with small green¬ 
ish yellow flowers mottled with white 
and purple. It is not handsome, and 
appears to have little vigor under culti¬ 
vation. v * F - 
IWillCureYou 
If You Ask It. 
Send no money, but say which book 
you need. It will tell you what I spent 
a lifetime in learning. Pray don't let 
doubt or prejudice keep you from asking 
for it. 
With the book I will send an order on 
your druggist for six bottles of Dr. 
Shoop’s Restorative; and he will let you 
test it a month. If satisfied, the cost is 
$5.50. If it fails, I will pay your drug¬ 
gist myself. 
No other physician ever made such an 
offer, and none ever will. But I have 
furnished this remedy to 555,000 sick 
ones on just those terms, and 39 out of 
each 40 have paid for it, because they 
were cured. I know now what this rem¬ 
edy will do. 
'My success comes from strengthening 
the inside nerves; those nerves from 
which each vital organ gets the power 
to act. No other treatment does that; 
and most of these diseases positively 
cannot be cured in any other way. Won’t 
you write a postal to learn why? 
Simply state which 
book you want, and ad¬ 
dress Or. Shoop, Box 
570, Racine, Wis. 
Book No. 1 on Dyspepsia, 
Book No. 2 on the Heart, 
Book No. 3 on the Kidneys, 
Book No. 4 for Women, 
Book No. 5 for men (sealed), 
Book No. 6 on Rheumatism. 
Mild cases, not chronic, are often cured by one or 
two bottles. At aU druggists. 
The EFFICIENT HILLER 
is a new implement for hilling 
all kinds of plants grown in 
rows. It can be adjusted i:: 
width to plant rows from 20 t:. 
to40 inches apart; the peculiar 
formation of moldboards 
with extensions insure 
placing the soil close to 
and over the roots of 
plants at each side of 
furrow. The Point and 
Moldboards are of steel, with sharp cutting edge de¬ 
signed for cutting weeds and the like, and follows cul¬ 
tivator in all kinds of soli. Write for particulars. 
V. A. WHITHECK, Aquetuck, N. Y. 
Half Enough Water 
is quite enough for some people, but most 
people want water evex-y day. If 
Rider or Ericsson Hot-Air Pumps 
are used, you can have water every day in 
the year, and your cook or the stable boy 
is the only engineer needed. 25,000 in 
daily use. 
Catalogue “ C 4 ” on application to nearest store. 
RIDEll-ERlCSSOX ENGINE CO., 
40 Dearborn St., Chicago 
40N.7th St., Philadelphia 
Teniente-Rey 71. Havana 
22 CortlandtSt.. NewYork 
239 Franklin St., Boston 
092 CraigSt., Montreal. P.Q 
22a Pitt St., Sydney. N.S. W. 
Short Crops Need Full Weight 
If your crops arc short you need a 
scale worse than ever. Prices will 
range higher, and every pound should 
be weighed on reliable, high 
grade scales. The Onjrood 
fits the bill. Prices and terms 
reasonable. Free Catalogue. f 
OSGOOD SCALE CO., 108 Central SI., Binghamton, N. V. 
A Big Harvest 
follows careful seeding. The best 
seeder made—the one which has 
proved its worth is the 
GAHOON 
Broadcast 
SEED SOWER. 
It saves four-fifths of the 
labor of band sowing and 
one-third of the seed. Sows 
| C to 8 acres an hour. Absolutely 
I even distribution. Ask your 
dealer for it. Circulars free. 
OOODELL COMPANY, 14 MAIN ST„ ANTRIM, H. H. 
THE MICHIGAN S«dTr, 
the only practical seeder made for all kinds, 
of gross seed. Not affected by wind or rain. 
Lightest and easiest running. 
SOLD ON TRIALatalow price. 
Booklet with calendar free. 
SEEDER * HAMMOCK CHAIR CO., 
BETTER THAN SPRAYING. 
Don’t lug barrels of water around when spraying. Use the 
poison direct. Our 
Common Sense DustSprayer 
and Insect Exterminator is a most ingenious device that 
is rapidly supplanting the old methods. It blows the finely 
powdered dust into every nook and crevice. Reaches the bot¬ 
toms as well as the tops of leavos. Destroys Insect life on plants, vinca, 
shrubs and trees. JuBt as effective for vermin on poultry and pigs. 
Moro rapid than spraying. Descriptive circulars and testimonials free. 
II1LLI8 IHJST 8PKAYKB CO., Box 18, ST. JOSEPH, MO. 
SAN JOSE SCALE . 
And other Insects can be Controlled by Using 
Good’s Caustic Potash Whale- 
Oil Soap No. 3. 
It also prevents Curl Leaf. Endorsed by Entomolo¬ 
gists. This Soap is a Fertilizer as well as Insecticide. 
60-lb. Kegs, $2.50; 100-lb. Kegs, *4.50; Half-Barrel, 
270 Ids., 3^c. per lb.; Barrel, 425 lbs., 3%o. Large 
quantities, Special Rates. Send for Circulars. 
JAMES GOOD, 939 N. Front St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
PROFIT or LOSS? 
That’s tlie Question 
THE ECLIPSE 
SPRAY P UMP 
Will settle that in your 
orchard. With it you 
CAN make a profit, with¬ 
out it what do you get ? 
Send for Catalogue. 
MORRILL & MORLEY, 
BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN. 
THE ORCHARD MAN, 
or the man who grows small fruits and berries is the 
one we are talking to. Experience has taught you that 
you must spray. I ; or your purposes the 
MVrnC 1 Brass 
IVI 1 ELYlw Spray Pump 
has no equal. It is essentially a spray 
pump; not merely a sprinkler. Itscylinder 
and other working parts are brass. 
Outfit includes barrel, 8 ft. hose, 8 ft. 
i extension pipe with adjustable nozzle, 
* throws mist, spray or continuous stream. 
Outfit ample for orchard work. Get our free 
illustrated catalog, describing our full line 
of pumps, farm implements, seeds, etc. 
ROSS BROTHERS, WORCESTER. MASS. 
HOLMES WIRE ROPE SEEDER. 
Strong 
b -i.. 1 Irff \\ Does not Bunch 
Rht, 1 nor 
DU, E*fflo,ent. VIZ- 
Sows 14 or 18 ft. wide. Light, strong iron wheel. Un¬ 
equaled for sowing timothy, clover, alialfa, etc. We 
want agents In every locality. Write for special term*. 
THE HOLMES WIRE ROPE SEEDER CO., YPSILAHTI, MICHIGAN. 
THOMPSON A SONS'’Sf 
the fellows who make the famous Thompson 
Wheelbarrow brass Seeder. It sows 
all brass Seeds, all ( lovers. Red 
Top, Alfalfa, Orchard Grass, Millet, 
Flax, Ktc. Special lance hoppers for 
sowing Oats, Wheat, Rye, Barley, 
Etc. Capacity 30 acres s day. Sows 
In any wind. Don’t need stakes—fol¬ 
low drill work. Thousands In use. 
Catalog Free. Write us as above. 
“A Gold Mine On Your Farm” 
is the title of the most complete and compre¬ 
hensive illustrated Treatise, on the subject of 
spraying, with tables of costs and formulae. The 
result of actual use at the leading Agricultural 
Experiment Stations, tells of the SPRAMOTOR, 
the “Gold Medal” machine at the Pan-American. 
84 copyrighted pages. We mail it free. Ask for it. 
SPRAMOTOR CO.. 
Bxjffo-lo, N. Y. Lorvdorv, Can. 
RIPPLEY’S 
IMPROVED 1902 
COMPRESSED AIR SPRAYERS 
have fine Verinorel Spray Nozzle; 
made of heavy copper and galva¬ 
nized steel; has safety valve. 
Strongly riveted and double 
seamed. Guaranteed to lie as rep¬ 
resented and to be the strongest 
sprayer manufactured. Fine for 
spraying young orchards. Trees 
25 feet high by using extension 
pole. Exterminating insects from 
vegetables, spraying gardens, 
washing buggies. Einefor white¬ 
washing buildings,etc. Made in 
two sizes,4 and 6 gallons. 4Gal. Galv.,96; 
4 Gal. copper, |7. Fine brass pump fitted 
on outside. Solution easily agitated. Wo 
also soli largo orobard sprayers. 6 Gal. 
Galvanized, $6.60, 6 Gal. Copper,$8.00. 
Send 2o stamp for our Sprayer and 
BreederSupply Catalog. Agents Wanted . 
Rlppley Hdw. Co., Box223, Grafton, III. 
OTHER MEN HAVE FOUND 
I the very best results in spraying fruit treea, bunhen 
and vines from the use of our wonderful 
HARDIE SPRAY PUMPS. 
I You would doubtless have the same experience. We make 
la most complete line, embracing mounted and unmounted 
(Barrel, Kiiapauck and Bucket Sprayer*. In¬ 
sect pests, fungous and other diseases have no 
terrors for the man who owns and uses Hardie 
Sprayers. 
Our catalogue gives cuts of ma¬ 
chines and a most extended line of 
1 nozzles and other accessories. AIbo 
l gives many pages of valuable infor¬ 
mation as to how, when and 
where to spray. Long list of 
formulas for spraying everything. 
W e mail the book free. Ask for It. 
^1*111 The Hardie Sprav Pomp Mfg. 
Company, 
74 Earned St., Detroit, Mich. 
Men Wanted 
$20 A DAY 
is what one new man has just made. An 
other has sold and delivered 600 machines 
and has nearly 100 more sold for later de¬ 
livery. This new style Hprayer 
him “Kant-Klofc” nozzle and Hells 
Ilk e hot cakes. We want some one to 
•ell them in your locality at once. 
Write for circulars telling how to get 
ONE SPRAYER FREE. 
ROCHESTER SPRAV PUMP CO., 
_ 16 Exit Ave.. Rochester, N. Y. 
Empire King 
He who attempts to grow fruits without a 
Sprayer is handicapped. Blight, bugs.rot and 
rust, mold and mildew all conspire to damage the crop, 
and in all cases succeed if the farmerdoes not spray. Thisis the only 
) having automatic agitator and brush for cleaning strainer. Valuable 
hand pump 
book of instruction free. 
FIELD FORCE PUMP CO., 2 Market St., Lockport, N. Y. 
THE PERFECTION SIX HOfVSPHAYEE. 
The Perfection Sprayer is not the product of a theorist. Making sprayers nas 
been his chief employment for the last twelve years. He has examined and experi¬ 
mented with and made more large capacity, power sprayers than any other man 
in the U. S. The Perfection Six Row is his final triumph. Sprays 
six rows of potatoes or vines at one time. Can be used either by hand 
or horse power. Easily adjusted for vegetables, shrubs or trees. 
Sprays Bordeaux and all other mixtures without trouble or waste. 
Full descriptive catalogue sent free. Ask for it. 
Thomas Peppier, Box 37, Hlghtstown, IN. J. 
Also manufactures the Improved Rigt/s Plows and Furrowers 
