272 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
April 12 
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 
; Ruralisms ; 
m^r t ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼' 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS. 
New Bush Fruits in Prospect.— 
The distinguished explorer, Dr. Augus¬ 
tine Henry, who collected many years in 
remote northwest China, reports that in 
some portions of the far interior new 
species of Rubus may he expected al¬ 
most every 10 miles. The variety of na¬ 
tive brambles is very great, but most of 
them are worthless horticulturally. 
Some of the most promising species are 
forms of R. rosaefolius, having large 
scarlet berries of an excellent flavor. 
The much-condemned strawberry-rasp¬ 
berry belongs to this species, and 
though handsome, is anything but ap¬ 
petizing in its uncooked state as grown 
here. Another species has white and 
pink fruits, very good in China, but 
tasteless when grown from seeds in 
England. Another is an erect shrub, 
four feet high, with fruits as large as a 
man’s thumb, delicate but acid in flavor. 
It has been named R. peltatus. R. har- 
pargynus bears berries the color of 
wood ashes—a livid gray—and is quite 
good to eat. R. pileatus is a large 
climber with excellent red fruits shaped 
exactly like a mushroom, and is de¬ 
scribed as very good in quality. The 
size of fruits is not stated. Another 
raspberry, R. ellipticus, has yellow ber¬ 
ries of good taste and grows in barren, 
dry ground. It would seem to be very 
promising for bleak situations. It must 
be remembered that many brambles pos¬ 
sess but little adaptability, and often 
fail to fruit well away from their native 
conditions, but it would seem as though 
some, at least, of these hardy new 
species growing in a climate much like 
that of our Northern States might prove 
useful as market or home fruits as well 
as for hybridization. Their dissemina¬ 
tion and extended trial is awaited with 
much interest, but it does not appear 
that any plants have yet been grown 
away from European botanical gardens. 
The Effects of Winter. —Most of 
the damage chargeable to Winter is now 
manifest, and with the exception of the 
general killing back of blackberries and 
raspberries it is very moderate. There 
has been no excessive cold at any time 
during the long and exceptionally te¬ 
dious Winter, and vegetation of even 
doubtful hardiness looked well until the 
late sleet storm and subsequent cold 
winds. Evergreens came through un¬ 
harmed, and are in better condition 
than for several past seasons. The 
abundant moisture—there is said to be 
a more complete saturation of the sub¬ 
soil than for the last 25 years—and ab¬ 
sence of excessive cold probably ac¬ 
count for this, but it is hard to explain 
the extreme injury to Rubus fruits. All 
varieties of raspberries are injured more 
or less on the Rural Grounds, with 
probably less killing among the Kansas 
blackcaps and Cuthbert reds than oth¬ 
ers. Our solitary plant of the Cardinal 
(purple cane) suffered only trifling in¬ 
jury, and a seedling of Loudon comes 
next in immunity from damage. All 
blackberries with the exception of Sny¬ 
der are severely cut, Taylor and Mer- 
sereau less so than Rathbun, which has 
never previously been injured in a six 
years’ trial. Dewberries of eastern 
origin are little affected, as they were 
covered with snow at the worst period, 
but the Mammoth, from California, is 
killed almost back to the crown. It is 
probable that the vagaries of the past 
growing season, with its excess of mois¬ 
ture and heat, had much to do with the 
unexpected tenderness of these bram¬ 
bles. Crimson clover endured the hard 
freezing of Winter wonderfully well, 
but yielded to the last dry cold wind. 
Although we have had a week of warm 
bright weather since it seems to grow 
more feeble every day. We feel repaid 
for the trouble and expense «f seeding 
in the Fall and early Winter growth, 
even if it all perishes now, which is not 
at all likely. 
The Shrubby Althaea. —One of the 
commonest and most reliable of all 
dooryard shrubs is the Rose of Sharon. 
Hibiscus Syriacus, known also as the 
shrubby hollyhock or Althaea. It is en¬ 
tirely hardy, clear up into middle Can¬ 
ada, and thrives under most ordinary 
conditions. They come into bloom dur¬ 
ing August and September, when most 
shrubs and trees are through flowering, 
and the large bell-shaped blooms cover 
the whole plant. The coloring of the 
older varieties was not always pleasing, 
being confined to violet and purple 
shades, much given to fading after full 
expansion, but some very acceptable 
red and lilac colors are now obtainable 
as well as some very pure whites. There 
are also many varieties producing more 
or less double blooms of these shades. 
Some of the best are catalogued under 
the following names: Jeanne d’Arc, 
double, pure white, strong growing, ex¬ 
cellent for cutting; Boule de Feu, large, 
double, violet red; Paeoniflora, double, 
clear lilac; Rubra Plena, double, red; 
Leopoldii, double, blush pink; Totus Al- 
bus, single, pure white; Atrorbens, sin¬ 
gle, deep red. All the above are very 
desirable, but if limited to a single plant 
we would choose the double white 
Jeanne d’Arc, which is proving itself a 
treasure both for garden and table dec¬ 
oration. There is also a form with 
handsomely variegated foliage, each leaf 
being edged and marked with creamy 
yellow. This is one of our handsomest 
variegated-leaved shrubs and makes a 
fine hedge if closely planted, or a most 
attractive specimen. It is always de¬ 
scribed as producing double purple flow¬ 
ers, but as a matter of fact numerous 
fat buds are developed, studding the 
branches like the inflorescence of the 
Calycanthus or Carolina allspice, but 
they never fully expand, only develop¬ 
ing enough to show color before fall¬ 
ing off. 
The shrubby Althaea needs very little 
pruning' usually, as its natural habit is 
good, but it may be easily trained in tree 
form as shown in Fig. 100, first page, 
and other novel outlines. This fine spe¬ 
cimen stands on the grounds of the 
Charlton Nursery Co., Rochester, N. Y., 
and shows what may be accomplished 
by timely and methodical pruning. It 
is only necessary to select a vigorous 
plant, cut out all but a single straight 
central shoot, fertilize and cultivate 
well, and form the head by pinching out 
the top when a sufficient height has been 
reached. Suckers and side shoots should 
be suppressed as soon as they appear, 
and in a few seasons the tree-like habit 
will become well established. The 
shrubby Althaeas have fallen out of 
fashion lately, and are not enough 
planted just now, but a revival of in¬ 
terest in these worthy shrubs may oc¬ 
cur at any time, and they will never be 
out of place near a country home. 
w. v. F. 
For the land’s sake, use Bowker’s Fer¬ 
tilizers. They enrich the earth.— Adv. 
Handy Farm Wagons 
make the work easier for both the man and team. 
The tires being wide they do notcu t into the ground; 
the labor of loading is reduced many times,because 
of the short lift. They are equipped with our fam¬ 
ous Electric Steel Wheels, eitherstraightor stag¬ 
ger spokes. Wheels any height from 24 to 60 inches. 
White hickory axles, steel hounds. Guaranteed to 
carry 4000 lbs. Why not get started rightby putting 
in one of these wagons. We make our steel wheels 
to fit any wagon. Write for the catalog Itisfree. [ 
ELECTRIC WHEEL CO., BOX 88. QUINCY, ILL. 
THE LIGHTNING 
Compressed Air Sprayer 
(Patented 1900) 
Holds 4 gallons. Pump in a 
little air with the pump which 
is attached to the reservoir. 
No more labor required. Will 
kill all kinds of insects. Will 
spray tall trees. Will spray 
two rows of potatoes at one 
time, and as fast as the oper¬ 
ator can walk. Big money for 
agents. D. B. SMITH & CO., 
Utica, N. Y. 
Half 
Enough Water 
is quite enough for some people, but most 
people want water every 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. 
RIDER-ERICSSON ENGINE CO., 
22 CortlandtSt..NewYork 
229FranklinSt., Boston 
092 CraigSt.,Montreal.P.Q 
40 Dearborn St., Chicago 
40N.7th St., Philadelphia 
Tenlente-Rey 71. Havana 
22a Pitt St., Sydney, N. S. W. 
BOOMER & B0SCHERT 
11S PRESS CO.. 
Water Street, 
SYRACUSE, N. Y. 
Best and cheapest 
Send for catalogue 
Cyanide 
Guaranteed 98 to 99 per cent., for generating 
Hydrocyanic Acid Qas 
the most effective fumigating material, to 
destroy scale insects on fruit trees and 
plants. The only positive eradicator of 
the dreaded San Jose Scale. Endorsed by 
all Agricultural Experiment Stations. “ A 
perfect practical remedy,” says Prof. W. G. 
Johnson, State Etymologist of Maryland. 
PARACRENE 
is better, cheaper and bulkier than PARIS GREEN. 
“Have used Paragrene on my farm for potato 
bugs. It was perfectly satisfactory L H. BAILEY. 
Prof, of Horticulture, Cornell University. Write for 
sample. FRED. E. LAVANBUKG, New York. 
PROFIT or LO SS? 
That’s the Question 
TH E ECLIPSE 
SPRAY PUMP 
Will settle that in your 
orchard. With it you 
CAN make a profit, with¬ 
out it what do you get ? 
Send for Catalogue, s 
MORRILL & MORLEY, 
BENTON HARBOR, MICHIGAN. 
MANUFACTURED BY 
The Roessler & Hasslacher Chemical Co., 
No. 100 William Street, New York. 
The Actual 
DIFFERENCE 
between gprnye<l, piirthilly upreyed 
and unppruyed fruit, is shewn in this ad. 
These are exact relative sizes as taken from a 
photograph madeby the Illinois Experiment 
Station. Like results wil 1 follow the spraying 
of all kinds of fruit with the wonderful 
HARDIE SPRAY PUMPS. 
We make them in six different glzeg. 
Each is the best of its kind, in material, con¬ 
struction and efficiency. Our free catalog tells 
things you should know about ftprayliiff. 
Hurdle Spray 1*11111 p Mlgr. Ce., 
74 Lurned St., Detroit, Mleh. 
THL'CLEVELAND 
PURIFYING 
CHAIN PUMP 
ALL STEEL AND 0ALVANIZED. 
For mil or Cistern 15 Feet or Shallower. 
56.00 DELIVERED. Add he. lor every addi¬ 
tional loot. Complete and properly fitted to 
your well.. 14 years on the market. Will 
convert a cistern, into a mountain spring. 
CATALOGUE FREE. 
CLEVELAND GALVANIZING WORKS 
14-24 Cooper St — Cleveifcrvd.O 
with the “incomparable 1 
BORDEAUX NOZZLE) 
and our world’* best outfit you are abeo S 
i lute master of the situation. Insects and di rt 
lease fall before this all conquering outfit. J 
|Se« the book. It Is free. Write for it now. J 
f THE DIKING CO., SALEH, OHIO. 
Western Agts., Henion A Habbell, Chicago. 
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. For your purposes the 
MVETDC^ Brass 
■■■ I tllO Spray Pump 
It is essentially a spray 
merely a sprinkler. Itscylinder 
other working parts are brass. 
Outfit includes barrel, 8 ft. hose, 8 ft. 
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. 
BROTHERS, WORCESTER. MASS. 
WITH THE 
IPIRE KING. 
This is the only hand pump hav¬ 
ing a mechanical automatic agi- 
j, tator with a brush for keeping the 
j suction strainer clean. This Co. 
j also makethe (larflelit Knapsack and 
1 Orchard Monarch, and can furnish 
the New Process Lime, which requires no slack¬ 
ing or straining. Valuable book sent toe. 
FIELD FOBCE PUMP CO., 
2 Market St., Lock port, N. T. 
AN Y STRENGTH ALSO GREEN AND WATER. ‘ J 'i J 
J-TA IV. S' 
. OR OTHER POISONS. i£ 
’ LEGGETT & BROTHER 
30/ PEARL STREET NEW 
The High-Pressure Double-Cylinder Sprayer. 
^=3 The Best In the World. Four Gallons Carried Easily. Made of heavy galvanized iron, 
strongly braced and reinforced in every part. Heads swelled and double seamed. Strong, two-inch 
force-pump with heavy rods. The most perfect working sprayer ever invented. It is also made of 
20 ounce copper, which will last a lifetime. Adapted for all classes of spraying. This sprayer, 
when filled and charged, which takes half a minute, will spray continuously for 15 minutes, and will 
throw a stream 30feet high. It is especially fine for large work in potato fields, vineyards, tobacco 
plantations, fruit tree spraying, whitewashing, chicken-house spraying and greenhouse work. Also 
for applying disinfectants in barn, etc. Write for descriptive circular, showing five styles of Spray¬ 
ers and prices. Agents Wanted. NORTH JERSEY NURSERIES. Springfield, N. J. 
The 
New 
VERSUS 
TKe Old 
the Auto-Spray 
The BEST, CHEAPEST and MOST EFFECTIVE device for 
‘ spraying Gardens, Orchards, Lawns, Stables, Chicken Houses, etc. No 
continuous pumping. Compressed air drives the spray automatically. 
Can be operated by a boy; will save its cost in a few days. Never breaks 
down or gets out of order. Nozzels, stop cocks and all fittings which 
come in contact with insecticide solutions are solid brass. The 
AUTO-SPRAY cannot rus t, c orrode or leak. The 
Auto-Spray Torch 
nent attachments. 
u. It is the only torch which really kills worms, etc. It burns kero- 
tvs’"sene vaporized with oxygen and asingle blast will destroy a nest 
of caterpillars. Ask Y our Healer for the Auto-Spray, or write 
'.\y~ .» us for free instructions, “How and When to Spray.” which will 
V [sCr be gladlv sent to any address. Write us if you want agency. 
E. O. BROWN A CO., Dept. F, ROCHESTER, Ji. F. 
o,O v l 
OIRECT DRAFT 
AT 
BAKERjSTRACELESSHARNESS 
Saves its cost every season. Best farm and field harness. 
Adapted to all kinds of low down work where whiffletrees 
and traces are objectionable or may interfere with work. 
Very valuable for work in orchards or about young trees, 
equally good elsewhere Catalogue free. 
GUARANTEE Give a week's trial, and if not perfectly 
UUMuMN I LL satisfied, return the harness to us at our 
expense, and we will return your money. 
B. F. BAKER CO.. 220 Main St., Burnt Hills, N. Y. 
