45o 
.Tune 28 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
The Umbrella Catalpa.— The dwarf 
form of our native Catalpa bignonioides 
is usually listed by nurserymen as C. 
Bungei, which is claimed to be a horti¬ 
cultural form of the Chinese Catalpa, C. 
ovata. This tangle in nomenclature is 
very confusing, and for horticultural 
harmony it will be best to retain the 
catalogue name of Bungei until the mat¬ 
ter is definitely settled. This particular 
dwarf Catalpa makes a bushy rounded 
shrub seven to eight feet high when 
planted out. It rarely blooms, and is 
only conspicuous for its handsome large 
leaves. When grafted, however, on a 
well-grown trunk of either of our native 
species five to six feet high a round head 
develops in a few years without pruning 
or special care of any kind. The foliage 
is seldom attacked by insects or diseases 
and is retained much later in the Fall 
than that of most deciduous trees. It is 
peculiarly hardy, scarcely being affected 
by frost or extreme drought. These for¬ 
mal and symmetrical trees are very ef¬ 
fective when planted singly or in long 
avenues in backgrounds, but often look 
very stiff when set in pairs guarding a 
narrow path or gateway. Seedlings of 
Catalpa speciosa, the species having the 
straightest trunk, are easily grown, and 
the grafting is about as readily effected 
as with apples. When the graft has 
completed its second year’s growth a 
small round head should be formed, and 
the tree is ready for permanent plant¬ 
ing. Such trees are sold by nurserymen 
at $1 to $2 each, and the demand some¬ 
times exceeds the supply. It would seem 
possible that a wideawake farmer's boy 
living in a neighborhood where there is 
a tendency toward home improvement, 
could work up a stock of these attrac¬ 
tive Umbrella Catalpas for local sale 
with considerable profit. This dwarf 
Catalpa seldom blooms, either on its 
own roots or when grafted, though the 
other species are very profuse and 
showy in flower. The charm lies in its 
odd formal shape and the deep green of 
its great heart-shaped leaves lying al¬ 
most as symmetrically as shingles on a 
roof. Catalpas are very easy to trans¬ 
plant, as the roots will bear consider¬ 
able exposure. We have used the name 
“Umbrella Catalpa” for these top-graft¬ 
ed specimens, as it is descriptive of the 
form and outline of the trees when fair¬ 
ly developed, but it is well to add that 
the Umbrella pine of nurserymen is an 
entirely different tree. This term is ap¬ 
plied to a Japanese evergreen beariug 
the difficult botanical name of Sciado- 
pitys verticillata. It is an upright grow¬ 
ing pine having very long needles ar¬ 
ranged in whorls like the ribs of an um¬ 
brella, whence the popular and scientific 
names. It is a handsome but rather 
slow-growing conifer, and while hardy 
as far north as Maine is not frequently 
planted. It is generally propagated from 
seeds, and is offered by most first-class 
nurseries. 
The Best Tulip to Plant. —The tulip 
is one of the oldest of cultivated orna¬ 
mental plants. It was first flowered in 
Europe early in the fourteenth century, 
but was known to the Turks long be¬ 
fore. Myriads of varieties, comprising 
every known color except clear blue, 
have been introduced. There are dwarf 
and tall, early and late, single and dou¬ 
ble kinds in endless variety, nut for a 
brilliant and lasting effect we prefer 
Tulipa Gesneriana, the modern repre¬ 
sentative of the original species, to any 
other. Several types are offered by deal¬ 
ers; yellow, rose and flamed, but the 
large-flowered scarlet form is by far the 
most effective single tulip known. A 
hundred of these bulbs, costing about 
$1.75, were planted iu a group on the 
THH RURAL NE W-Y ORKER, 
Rural Grounds last October. They were 
covered four inches deep in good light 
soil and a thin covering of cedar boughs 
thrown over after the ground froze in 
December. The blooms opened about 
the middle of April and for three weeks 
maintained a blaze of color, although 
the weather was persistently dry and 
windy. The flowers are as large as 
coffee cups and carried on stout stems 
nearly 18 inches from the ground. The 
color is brilliant crimson scarlet, with a 
large peacoclc-blue blotch in the center. 
No tulip that has come under our ob¬ 
servation is at once so brilliant and 
lasting. The bulbs may be replanted 
for years, if taken up when the leaves 
begin to wither and stored in a cool dry 
place until late September. It is, how¬ 
ever, quite necessary to cut the flowers 
as they fade to prevent the formation of 
seeds, which is very exhausting to most 
bulbous plants. 
Two Fine Hardy Primroses. —We 
noted the appearance of the Giant hardy 
yellow primrose on page 374, R. N.-Y. 
for 1901. It is even better this year; the 
plant throwing up truly giant trusses of 
bloom, through a long season, despite 
the dry and unfavorable weather. It is 
double the size in leaf and bloom of the 
ordinary yellow primrose as grown here. 
It is not too much to say the trusses 
were six inches and more across, and 
the individual flowers reached the ad¬ 
vertised size of a silver dollar. The 
plant is in an exposed place, and suffers 
from hot sunshine. We find an old 
peach basket with the bottom out an ef¬ 
fectual, if not elegant, protection from 
undue sunshine, and see that the soil is 
kept moist during the hottest weather. 
Henry A. Dreer, Philadelphia, Pa., from 
whom we received the Giant yellow 
primrose last year, sent us this Spring 
a plant of the new hardy blue primrose. 
Primula acaulis coerulea. It is a smaller 
plant than the Giant yellow, but bears 
a profusion of bright gentian-blue flow¬ 
ers with a star-shaped center of golden 
yellow. The combination of colors is 
very pleasing, and the plant seems to be 
a healthy, vigorous grower. These 
choice new kinds make an excellent 
contrast to the red and yellow Polyantha 
primroses commonly grown in old gar¬ 
dens, and if given a reasonably moist 
and shady place will be quite certain to 
succeed. They appear entirely hardy as 
regards cold._ w. v. v. 
NOTES FROM A CUBAN GARDEN. 
Our garden, started January 10, though 
not making big returns, has given some 
quick results. A northerner has several 
things to learn about gardening in Cuba. 
Peas, beans, cabbage, lettuce, onions, beets 
and turnips do well up to April. With 
great care as to watering and cultivation 
perhaps they would do well still later in 
the season. Insects gave very little trouble 
before the middle of April, when a cab¬ 
bage mite became very bad on a small 
proportion of the cabbages. Cucumbers 
planted in February made a rapid and 
thrifty growth and blossomed well, but 
bore very little. Then in a few days a 
little red beetle, resembling the Colorado 
Potato beetle, destroyed the vines. Sum¬ 
mer squashes did better than the cucum¬ 
bers, but were not very productive, and 
their season was short. Tomato plants 
did remarkably well, but nearly all the 
first setting of tomatoes decayed before 
they ripened. Thinking that the almost 
daily watering caused or promoted the de¬ 
cay we stopped the watering and have had 
a fair amount of good sound fruit. An¬ 
other American here, who had planted to¬ 
matoes two or three months earlier than 
we did, and had an immense yield, did but 
little better with late plants. There is an 
abundance of little Cuban tomatoes in the 
market about the size of a hickorynut, but 
very few American tomatoes. Eggplants 
have done well, but need richer soil or 
more watering than we have given them 
to give a big yield. The intense heat of the 
tropical sun in April and May is too great 
for most of our northern vegetables. The 
rainy season, now past due, will bring re- 
A. B.—Conserve, the wood-preserva¬ 
tive referred to under the head of “ For 
Careful Farmers,” on page 417 of our 
issue of June 14, is made by Samuel 
Cabot, the well-known chemist, of 
Boston, Mass. 
lief from the very dry hot spell which 
precedes it. 
About the first of February we planted 
some Cuban black beans In a narrow strip 
along the fence. The ground at that time 
was so dry and hard that in order to get 
the beans in we scratched the rows with 
the point of a mattock, filled the scratches 
with water, dug little holes where we 
wanted the hills, filled these holes with 
water, made them larger and deeper, filled 
with water again, let stand over night and 
then loosened up a little soil around each 
hole to form a good place for each hill. 
Soon after their planting we had a good 
soaking, mellowing rain, and with very 
little watering and almost no cultivation 
the beans gave a fairly good yield. The 
same kind of beans planted about three 
weeks later in well-worked soil and given 
thorough cultivation and watering were 
almost a complete failure. To make a suc¬ 
cess of gardening in Cuba the art of irri¬ 
gation must be learned. How frequently, 
in what amounts and in what ways ought 
water to be applied to the various plants 
in order to get the best results? Now, 
June 10, we are planting mostly corn, 
squashes, melons, peanuts and radishes, 
with a few tomatoes, eggplants and pep¬ 
pers. Our gardening has been a success 
in helping to get our boys into the habit 
of work. Then, too, tney have learned 
the connection between work and market¬ 
able vegetables, and the connection be¬ 
tween marketable vegetables and money; 
and in more than one instance they have 
known that a good part of their dinner 
for the day depended upon the vegetables 
they could sell that morning. Another way 
in which our gardening lias been a success 
is in arousing and increasing an interest 
among the people of this city. As passers- 
by or callers have seen the 12 or 15 boys 
among the fresh thrifty plants busy dig¬ 
ging, planting, hoeing, weeding and water¬ 
ing they have felt that here is a work 
they would like to “help along,” and they 
have “helped along.” On the morning of 
the Cuban Independence Day a popular 
subscription amounting to $160.46 was 
made up in about two hours to buy 40 beds 
and mattresses for our children. A few 
days later the officers and employees of 
the Cardenas Railroad made our institu¬ 
tion a present of $51 in good old Spanish 
gold. These and many smaller donations, 
and the many kind attentions shown us, 
almost tempt us to imagine that we have 
become a "pet” of Cardenas, and we give 
our garden a large part of the credit for 
this. ELMER E. HUBBARD. 
Cardenas, Cuba. 
A ton of cotton-seed meal contains 798 
pounds of digestible protein. A ton of 
cornmeal contains 130 pounds digestible 
protein. They cost practically the same. 
Which will you take? h. g. m. 
In many papers lard and lamp oil is 
recommended for head lice on chicks. A 
mixture of equal parts olive oil and lamp 
oil (kerosene) is just as effective, and does 
not mat the down as the lard does. 
With lard the chicks look so greasy. 
w. H. M. 
Apple Wanted.—Do not some of your 
numerous New York subscribers know 
where to get the New York Somerset 
apple? Fruit below medium, roundish, 
conical, much narrower toward the 
calyx, skin whitish yellow, some nettings 
and patches of russet, and a few brown 
dots; llesh white, fine, very tender, juicy, 
highly aromatic; quality best; ripe In Oc¬ 
tober. R- D - K - 
New Mahoning, Pa. 
Stone Drains. —In May 17 issue you 
spoke against putting small stones helter- 
skelter into deep ditches. Now, my oldest 
drains are of this make. I began ditching 
eight years ago. 1 maintain that where 
there is only seepage water to gather from 
small areas, say 20 to 25 rods in length, 
the laterals can be made cheaper and just 
as effective as when a “throat” is laid. 
The ditch is dug and the small stones 
shoveled from wagon as gathered from 
field. In this section woodchucks get into 
a drain with throat, and fill it up in a 
couple of years. The deeper the ditch and 
the more dirt that can be placed over the 
stone the longer a stone drain will last. 
w. H. M. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you will get a quick reply and 
“asquaredeal.” See our guarantee8thpage. 
SADI 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 Noap Is a Fertilizer as well as Insectlolde. 
60-lb. Kegs, *2.50; 100-lb. Kegs, *4.50; Half-Barrel, 
*70 lbs., 3%c. per lb.; Barrel. 425 lbs., Largs 
quantities, Special Hates. Bend for Clronlars. 
JAMES GOOD. 03V N. Front St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
The Pump 
That Pumps 
SPRAY Double-acting, LIU, 
pumps iri:. ,n iE pr ” 
PUMPS 
Store Ladders, Etc. 
HAYTOOLS 
of all kinds. Write for 
Circulars and Prices. 
MYERS STAY0N 
Flexible Door Hangers 
with steel roller bearings, 
easy to push and to pull, 
cannot be thrown ofi the 
truck— hence its name— 
“Htayon.” Has no equal. 
Thousands sold. Ask your 
dealer or write us for de¬ 
scriptive circularH. 
RPf>._ Ashland. Ohio. 
Half a Century at 
Slud.eba.Kcrj 
AVe use this space to remind 
you that the fiftieth year of 
wagon making lias just been 
passed at Studebakers. Their 
wagons used everywhere are 
the best in the world. The 
people say so, and they keep 
the Studebakers busy. It is 
useless to say more about any¬ 
thing the merits of which are 
so well known. 
Studebakers also make a full 
line of all kinds of vehicles, harness, 
etc. They control the entire out 
put of the World Buggy Co. and 
make the “Izzer Line of vehicles. 
All dealers handle Studebaker 
goods. Write us for catalogue. 
Studeba.ker Bros. Mfg. Co. 
South Bend, Ind. 
REPOSITORIES! 
Chicago, New York, Sun Francisco, Kuiiku. 
City, Denver, Salt Luke City, Portland, Ore. 
ITPUMPS IT UP. 
No matter how faraway or how steep 
the hill the 
RIFE HYDRAULIC ENGINE 
will force the water up and put it where 
you want it. most convenient for line. 
Will fill a BtorttKO tank 
Jany height above the source 
of supply, when water may 
be drawn through buildings, 
dairy houses, stable, yardn, 
D*- etc. by gravity process. It 
runs itself. Never stops. Will forceup the pure water of aaprlng 
with the muddy water of a brook without mixing. WrlU u* 
your needs and we’ll send plans and estimates of cost. 
Power Specialty Co., 126 Liberty St. New York. 
WATER. 
If you want water only when the wind blows a windmill will do your work 
and cost less money than our Rider and Ericsson Hot-Air Pumps, butlf you want 
water every day while yourflowers are growing and do not want your pump blown 
down when the wind blows too hard, no pump In the world can equal ours. We 
have sold about 20,000 of them during the past twenty-five years, which Is proof 
that we are not making wild statements. 
Our Catalogue “C 4” will tell you all about them. Write to nearest store. 
Rider-Ericsson Engine Company, 
85 Warren St.. New York. 
239 Franklin St., BOSTON. 
692 Craig 8t., MONTREAL. P. Q. 
Tenlente-Key 71, Havana, Cuba 
22a Pitt St., Sydney, N. S. W. 
40 Dearborn St., CHICAGO. 
40 N.7th St., PHILADELPHIA. 
