562 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
August k; 
; Ruralisms ; 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
Bums and Berries. —Our correspon¬ 
dents have freely given their views con¬ 
cerning the destruction of cherries and 
berries by certain protected birds, now 
entirely too comnjon about fruit planta¬ 
tions. The Rural Grounds do not escape 
the depredations of these feathered 
pests. As our plantings of various small 
fruits come into bearing the catbirds, 
robins and Brown thrushes claim an 
ever-increasing share, so that it is 
usually impossible to secure good speci¬ 
mens for comparison unless carefully 
protected by netting or some similar 
device. The nuisance is growing worse 
yearly, as the birds become more abund¬ 
ant and enterprising. It is hard to get 
fair specimens of early strawberries, 
even when so thoroughly covered with 
mulch as to be hidden from human 
eyes. The birds get very discriminat¬ 
ing, nothing but the largest and best 
examples will suit them, and their sharp 
eyes and beaks make short work of 
even well hidden berries before they 
are fairly ripe. Sweet cherries and 
Juneberries are appropriated in a 
wholesale way. The grower is lucky if 
he gets even a taste of the mature fruits, 
but as the later kinds come in, the birds 
are more widely dispersed and the dam¬ 
age is much lessened. Rubus fruits, 
with the exception of the first red rasp¬ 
berries, are not attacked here, and our 
grapes have not yet been disturbed, but 
with the present rapid increase of fruit¬ 
eating birds it is probably only a mat¬ 
ter of time when they will go the way 
of earlier fruits. What to do about the 
birds is a puzzling matter. We would 
not care to kill them even though the 
law allowed it, and so far no practical 
means of frightening them away during 
the fruit ripening period has material¬ 
ized. Planting mulberry and surplus 
cherry trees for their special use is all 
but impracticable on small places, 
though if generally done it might result 
favorably. These birds are not greatly 
attracted by mulberries in our locality, 
seldom troubling this fruit when they 
can find anything more to their taste. 
We have had robins nesting for several 
years in a New American mulberry tree, 
which begins to ripen its fruits with late 
strawberries and early cherries. We 
find no evidence of the mulberries being 
disturbed, as the ripening fruits hang 
all about the nest, while the parent 
robins cheerfully carry scarce cherries 
and berries to their young. The robin 
is the most impudent and probably the 
least useful of the birds mentioned, 
though we often see it valiantly dig¬ 
ging out cutworms in early Spring. Its 
food, when no berries are to be had, 
consists largely of beneficial earth¬ 
worms which it pulls out of meadows 
and grass plots. Catbirds and robins 
are increasing so rapidly about planta¬ 
bold a grudge against it. It would ap¬ 
pear that concerted action is needed to 
secure such modification of the game 
laws as would allow the fruit grower to 
destroy birds actually devouring fruit, 
or as a corollary he might demand that 
the State, which insists on protecting 
essentially worthless birds, should plant 
roadsides and waste with fruiting plants 
and trees to feed them. 
The writer has been a lifelong ob¬ 
server of native birds and a keen lover 
of all feathered creatures, but has never 
been able to credit the claims for the 
excessive horticultural benefits con¬ 
ferred by our common birds in destroy¬ 
ing noxious insects. Many birds, it is 
true, live almost or quite exclusively 
on insects, but they do not often dis¬ 
criminate between the injurious and 
beneficial, and probably in the long run 
only preserve a natural balance between 
the destructive kinds and their para¬ 
sites. Certainly the warfare between 
the farmer and his insect foes has not 
lessened since birds have again become 
plentiful. If all small birds must be 
protected regardless of their erratic 
habits, we would enter a protest against 
the exception permitting the lovable 
little Bob White or Virginian partridge 
to be killed as a game bird, at any time 
whatever. No more charming feature 
of rural life can be conceived than the 
spirited call of these dainty birds from 
the meadows on a June morning, or 
their brisk and graceful action as they 
scud across the roadways or through 
the stubble. Bob Whites sometimes ap¬ 
propriate a little wheat or other grain 
from outlying stacks in severe Winter 
weather, but this counts as nothing 
compared with the innumerable weed 
seeds and noxious insects constantly 
eaten at all other times. Even the Po¬ 
tato beetle and Chinch bugs, shunned of 
all other birds, have been found in the 
craws of Bob Whites, though they 
make no specialty of these disgusting 
pests. Few native birds are at the same 
time so engaging, companionable and 
harmless. A little covey had the daily 
run of the strawberry plot on the Rural 
Grounds early in the season. They 
grew so familiar that they were in no 
hurry to leave the plot when an ob¬ 
server entered it and could be seen 
picking up minute insects and seeds, 
never disturbing the berries, while the 
impudent and destructive catbirds and 
robins clamorously scolded the intruder 
by long selection. The white daisy, so 
common here in the East as to be called 
the characteristic weed of worn fields, 
is of European origin. The botanical 
name is Chrysanthemum Leucanthe- 
mum. It has little affinity to the true 
daisies (Beilis), but the term daisy is 
applied to many different flowering 
plants, and in this country, when used 
without qualification, nearly always 
means the plant in question. The ex¬ 
cessive abundance of the field daisy ren¬ 
ders it a nuisance in many places, and 
will for some time lessen popular ap¬ 
preciation of Burbank’s fine improve¬ 
ment. Field daisies are much used for 
cutting, but are seldom cultivated. We 
expect the Shasta daisy to find a place 
in every garden of hardy flowers in due 
time. w. v. f. 
The Queen Peach. 
On July 18 we received a box of 
peaches from J. W. Stubenrauch, of 
Mexia, Texas. They arrived in remark¬ 
ably good condition, particularly the 
Queen, a fair sample of which is shown 
at Fig. 227. Mr. Stubenrauch says that 
this peach belongs to his niece, Miss 
Lola Stubenrauch, who originated it. 
The box contained some Elbertas—sent 
for comparison, with the following note: 
“Side by side with Elberta we find 
Queen decidedly the better peach of the 
two. It has a fine spicy flavor, which is 
lacking in Elberta. The tree is a very 
fine grower; is productive almost to a 
fault.” To our taste Queen was not 
quite equal to Elberta in flavor. It is 
larger and, we think, handsomer, and 
certainly a far better shipper as judged 
by these samples. He also sent a 
number of new seedlings which we were 
unfortunately unable to sample and il¬ 
lustrate. He writes about them as fol¬ 
lows: 
“Of the new seedlings (Mamie Ross 
and Elberta crosses) Nos. 1 and 3 ap¬ 
pear remarkable long keepers. Both 
ripen ahead of Elberta by a week or 10 
days in the same orchard. No. 1 is a 
very large yellow freestone, No. 3 a fine 
yellow cling. Of the latter I have had 
a specimen on my desk for the last 10 
days, and it is yet sound. If ever any 
export business to foreign countries is 
undertaken it appears that Queen, the 
No. 1 and No. 3 of the new ones might 
be promising for the experiment The 
No. 2 is evidently an improvement over 
Family Favorite. It ripens with it; 
looks like it, but is much better in qual¬ 
ity; like Nos. 1 and 3, it has the large 
hloom of the Mamie Ross. Queen has 
the small bloom of Elberta. Another 
large yellow freestone of same stock, 
Mamie Ross and Elberta, with a large 
bloom, which I marked No. 6, seems to 
be a reproduction of Queen, only ripen¬ 
ing a few days later. Several others of 
this combination would readily pass for 
late Crawfords. This goes to demon¬ 
strate the blood of the mother Elberta. 
This season is the second crop of the 
different numbers. The peach Queen 
has borne three heavy crops.” 
away from their particular free lunch 
School of Practical Agriculture 
and Horticulture. 
Courses In Fruit Culture, Gardening, Landscape 
Gardening and Farming Begins September !(, 1002. 
Open to men and women for training in practical and 
scientific work Catalogue. 
GEO. T. POWELL, Director, 
Brlarcliff Manor, N. Y. 
Cf9"' In writing, mentioinadvertlsement. 
ELECTRIC 
FOR STRENGTH 
You are through with 
wagon worry forever when 
you buy one of our 
HANDY WAGONS. 
They carry 4000 lbs. and do 
_ it easily, and don’t cost a 
fortune either. Write for the free catalogue. It tells all 
about this wagon and the famous Electric Wheels. 
ELECTRIC WHEEL CO., BOX 88, QUINCY, ILLINOIS.. 
STEEL ROOFING 
FREIGHT CHARGES PAID BY US 
Strictly new, perfect Semi - Hardened 
Steel SneetB, 2 feet wide, 6 feet long. Ifht. 
best Kooflnfc, Biding or Celling yon can nss 
No experience necessary to lay it. An 
ordinary hammer or hatchet the only 
tools you need. We furnish nails free 
and paint roofing two sides. Come, 
either flat, corrugated or “V” crimped. 
Dell,.red free of nil chances to all point* 
in the U. 8., east of the Mississippi Ri-er 
and North of the Ohio River 
.25 PER SQUARE 
meet* to other polnto on application. A square means 100 
square feet. Write for free Catalogue No. 
mum HOUSE WRECKING GO W, 350 ai* tit , Chicago 
ARROW BRAND 
can be laid on 
top of old 
shingles with¬ 
out tearing off 
tho old roof. 
ASPHALT READY ROOFING CO. «» 
130 Water St,, New York.samples. 
For the Roofs and 
Sides of your Barns 
and Poultry-Houses 
(TRADE-MARK REGISTERED) 
ROOFING 
Lasts Indefinely. Booklet “K” 
THE STANDARD PAINT CO 
102 William St., New York. 
WEI I DRILLING 
WELL Machines 
Over 70 sizes and styles, ror drilling either deep or 
shallow wells in any kind of soil or rock. Mounted 
on wheels or on sills. With engines or horse powers. 
Strong, simple and durable. Any mechanic can 
operate them easily. Send for catalog. 
WILLIAMS BROS., Ithaca, N. Y. 
counter. It is sad to think these friend¬ 
ly Bob Whites will soon be hunted to 
death with dog and gun for the morsel 
of flesh they contain. 
Burbank’s Shasta Daisy. — Five 
young plants of this latest “floral won¬ 
der” were received from the originator 
early last year and planted out as soon 
as the weather permitted. They made 
a good growth and bloomed in June, 
producing semi-double flowers twice as 
large as the common ox-eye daisy, but 
of the same general makeup. Scattering 
blooms came again in late Summer and 
the plants formed dense tufts before 
OHIO 
7J 
Self 
Feed 
Ensilage Gutters 
And New Metal 
Bucket Swivel Carriers. 
A large capacity, solidly constructed Ensilage Cutter 
and compact elevator with ample capacity. 
Self Feed is greatest improvement made in Ensilage 
Gutters and saves three-fourths of labor feeding and 
increases capacity 33kt per cent. 
If supply of corn is at hand the larger sizes will 
fill a 100 ton silo in 10 hours. Parties often write that 
machine cuts faster than they could deliver corn, 
therefore stands idle good percentage of time. 
New ’‘Ohio” Monarch has tremendous capacity 
and is made with Swivel Carrier. 
Nos. 13, 16, 18 and 19 made also with Blower 
Elevator. 
Indications point to a shortage of supply of ma¬ 
chines same as past two years. 1902 catalog is ready. 
THE SILVER MFG. COMPANY, SALEM, OHIO. 
tions and sheltered gardens since the 
strict enforcement of the game and bird 
laws, that they have become a serious 
menace to the fruit grower, and some¬ 
thing must be done to lessen the inflic¬ 
tion, The Cedar wax-wing or cherry 
bird, as it is often called, is so appalling¬ 
ly destructive to early cherries, a small 
flock entirely stripping a tree in a few 
hours, that it deserves and gets little 
protection when thus engaged, although 
covered by the insectivorous bird laws 
of most States. This handsome little 
bird exhausts its enmity to fruit cul¬ 
ture with its raids on the early varieties 
of cherries, as the flocks break up into 
nesting couples before the later kinds 
come on. The Brown thrush, though 
an inveterate berry thief, is not likely 
to become abundant enough to cause 
serious damage, and is such an enter¬ 
taining songster that we cannot long 
Winter set in. They were covered with 
immense flowers this season, some 
reaching three inches in diameter. They 
have long stiff stems and are admirable 
for cutting, the duplication of petals or 
ray florets making them very lasting. 
We have since grown many seedlings 
from seeds furnished by Mr. Burbank. 
They were started under glass in 
March, and are now blooming freely. 
There is considerable difference in habit 
of the young plants and the size and 
character of the flowers. Some are 
larger and better than those produced 
by the plants first received. Others are 
little better than a well-fed field daisy, 
hut the good ones greatly predominate. 
The Shasta daisy is indeed an acquisi¬ 
tion to our hardy perennial borders and 
will be better appreciated as time goes 
on. It was produced by hybridizing to¬ 
gether the field daisy and similar spe¬ 
cies with a Japanese form known as 
Chrysanthemum Nipponicum followed 
The Universal Bean Harvester. 
The profit derived from the growing 
of beans depends largely upon quick 
and efficient methods of harvesting 
them. When beans are ripe, just right, 
and the weather favorable, harvesting 
should be done in a hurry. Thequality— 
the bright and salable condition of the 
beans, depends upon that. All hand 
labor should be displaced with im¬ 
proved machinery. 
This Machine 
Harvests Beans 
in the most rapid and approved 
manner. The tempered steel 
blades cut off the stems of two 
rows of beans at one passage 
and the steel rod cleaners sepa¬ 
rate all dirt, etc., and deliver 
t lie two rows of beans into one 
long continuous windrow. 
The Harvester is made of best 
material throughout, well painted and varnished and will last Indefinitely. Pole has a special shifting 
lever which enables the machine to work on hillsides as well as on the level. A long evener and neck- 
yoke are furnished with eaeli machine. We Guaraatee t lie Harvester In every respect. Ask your local 
denier for the Universal Bean Harvester. If not found there, write us directand we will see that you 
are supplied. Write at once for catalogue and prices, and be informed on the subject. 
WIARD PLOW COMPANY, BATAVIA, N. Y. 
