77o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
November 15 
4 
; Ruralisms ; 
3 t - ▼▼ ▼▼T T TTf T 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
Cooked Corncobs. —This title does 
not concern cheap stock food, but is the 
present British equivalent for sugar 
corn when served as a vegetable. We 
cannot fairly criticise our transatlantic 
cousins for using the word “cob” to 
qualify corn in this connection, as the 
latter term, in English-speaking Eu¬ 
rope, includes all the small grains, as 
wheat, rye and oats. In Scotland it is 
practically restricted in every-day usage 
to the latter useful cereal. We all shy 
at the proper name of maize, and refer 
to our great National product as Indian 
or American corn when it is necessary 
to make a distinction. Therefore “corn¬ 
cobs,” as a table vegetable, is a fairly 
descriptive term, though it appears odd 
in view of our great abundance of de¬ 
licious sweet corn in season. Maize sel- 
doms matures in northern Europe, ow¬ 
ing to high latitudes and diminished 
sunlight, as it is a child of the tropics; 
but certain of the earliest table varie¬ 
ties may with care be grown to the 
edible stage in England, though ex¬ 
perimenters evidently do not always 
succeed in getting the product properly 
cooked. The Fruit Grower and Market 
Gardener, of London, has lately had 
several inquiries concerning the best 
manner of preparing “corncobs” for the 
table. It seems the querists do not suc¬ 
ceed in boiling their cobs tender, possi¬ 
bly because the grains are allowed to 
pass the milk or edible stage before 
gathering. We all know the tough and 
insipid quality of old “roasting ears,” 
and tender our sympathies to beginners 
who may try to boil the glazed kernels 
• tender. It is gravely remarked that 
sweet corncobs are a very good vegeta¬ 
ble when properly boiled, the flavor be¬ 
ing between that of asparagus and 
green peas! Fancy comparing prime 
home-grown ears of Evergreen, Shoe 
Peg or Roslyn to peas and asparagus. 
Most green-corn lovers would declare 
their favorite Summer delicacy incom¬ 
parably superior to either, but tastes 
differ. When our European friends 
“catch on” to the proper manner of 
growing and cooking table corn a new 
joy will be added to their collective exis¬ 
tence. 
The Fretting Paper Mulberry.— 
The common Paper mulberry, Brous- 
sonetia papyrifera, has long been com¬ 
mon as a shade or dooryard tree in the 
Atlantic States south of New England. 
It is not hardy in the North but like the 
Catalpa, quickly recovers from partial 
winterkilling. The trees are of very 
rapid growth when young and make 
handsome specimens, with rounded 
heads and broad foliage, often cut into 
lobes. The Paper mulberry suckers 
freely from the roots and is quite easily 
broken by storms when mature, but in 
other respects is highly desirable from 
its striking appearance and the dense 
shade it casts when in full leaf. The 
foliage comes out very late, the buds 
scarcely making a start until native 
species are well under way, and we have 
thought naturalized bulbs, such as 
grape hyacinths, daffodils and Crocuses 
thrive especially well when planted in 
their protection, as this late leafing in¬ 
sures a thorough ripening of the bulb’s 
foliage. Paper mulberries grow well 
near the sea, and many line specimens 
are to be seen in the neighborhood of 
the Rural Gounds. Most of them are of 
the staminate or male-flowering form, 
bearing inconspicuous little greenish 
catkins. This is the form generally 
propagated by nurserymen, but occa¬ 
sionally a tree bearing showy orange- 
red pistillate blooms is found. These 
are freely produced and hang down like 
the butttonballs of the American plane 
tree, usually called sycamore, but on 
much shorter stems. A flowering twig is 
shown in Fig. 314, the lower balls having 
lost the colored deciduous floral parts 
and being in process of developing the 
nut-like seeds. The numerous flower- 
heads are very ornamental and interest¬ 
ing, and during their short existence 
light up the tree in a most peculiar 
manner. If Broussonetias are preferred 
to true edible mulberries (Morus) there 
is no reason why the female form, with 
ornamental bloom, should not be pre¬ 
ferred when true plants are to be had. 
So far as we know the nursery of 
Thomas Meehan & Sons, Philadelphia, 
Pa., is the only one now offering this 
rare and desirable tree, though it will 
become common in time. The present 
price is $2.50 for strong 10 to 12-foot 
trees properly staked and trained; about 
double the cost of male-flowering speci¬ 
mens. Broussonetias are propagated 
from seeds, suckers and cutttings of 
green wood, rooted under glass. There 
is another species sold as B. Kaempferi. 
It is less hardy than the common spe¬ 
cies, and has no special points of su¬ 
periority to it. 
Bulbs in the Grass. —It is now a 
very good time to plant hardy Spring¬ 
blooming bulbs especially if it is pre¬ 
ferred to naturalize them in the grass 
of dooryards and lawns. A few of the 
smaller species such as the Crocus, 
Chionodoxas, Scillas, snowdrops and 
Muscari or grape hyacinths do better if 
planted as early as the bulbs can be 
procured. They lose vitality, if kept 
long out of the soil, but tulips, true hya¬ 
cinths and the larger Narcissi or daffo¬ 
dils seem to bloom more readily if 
planting is delayed until the middle of 
November, as the approach of cold 
weather lessens excessive root forma¬ 
tion, which is not needed to develop the 
embryo flower buds already packed 
away in the bulb as the result of the 
previous season’s growth. They may be 
planted any time the weather is not ac¬ 
tually freezing. Wet or muddy soil does 
not greatly affect the result, as this 
condition is righted during the repeated 
frosts and thaws of Winter and early 
Bpring. It is best to put the bulbs in 
five or six inches deep, as the general 
tendency is to work toward the surface 
in after years as natural increase goes 
on. As a rule a better effect is gained 
by keeping the varieties together in 
groups than by scattering the individuals 
about or massing them in formal beds. 
If properly put in under grass most 
species with the possible exception of 
large Dutch hyacinths will thrive for 
many years welcoming each Spring 
with brilliant color, graceful form and 
delicious fragrance. The usual method 
of punching a hole in the sod with a 
broomstick and dropping in the bulb to 
be covered with a kick of the heel in the 
turf, is certainly not the best that may 
be devised, as the glazed hole thus made 
by compression is likely to retain water, 
and the bottom is often so hard that 
the tender roots find penetration diffi¬ 
cult, yet the results are often surpris¬ 
ingly good. If a considerable group is to 
be planted it is best to raise the sod in 
the usual way with a sharp spade, roll 
it to one side and fork up the soil to 
the depth of eight or 10 inches. If the 
soil is good no fertilizer is needed; if 
thin and poor, a handful of ground bone, 
some wood ashes or a little commercial 
potato fertilizer may be thrown over and 
worked in, but animal manures should 
not be used. The bulbs are now placed 
in position, throwing out a part of the 
soil if required to get down to the needed 
depth. The catalogues usually give the 
proper distance apart to place the dif¬ 
ferent varieties, as well as the most 
suitable depth. All soil may now be re¬ 
turned, the sod rolled back and beaten 
in place with the spade, wetting it well 
afterwards if at all dry. If some bulbs 
are planted by the stick method the holes 
should be punched an inch or two deeper 
than needed, some sand or dry soil run 
into them, the bulb carefully dropped, 
base downward, and covered to the sur¬ 
face with sand or loose soil, which 
should at once be thoroughly watered. 
A job lot of hardy bulbs planted in this 
manner in the Rural Grounds seven 
years ago have annually greeted us with 
a myriad of lovely blooms. Of the va¬ 
rious species planted the Crocuses only 
have fallen out of the race, as even the 
hyacinths give us large flowers, though 
now in scanty trusses. The new corms 
of the Crocus form on top of the old 
ones and in two or three years come so 
near the surface that they perish during 
Summer. One would think the thick 
buds of the larger bulbs would have 
difficulty in penetrating a tough sod, but 
they quietly push to the surface during 
the last weeks of Winter, and are al¬ 
ways ready to emerge at the first hint 
of warm weather. Grass forms a nat¬ 
ural and attractive setting for all bulb¬ 
ous plants, as they are usually deficient 
in foliage, and is about the only Winter 
covering needed for most kinds. After 
blooming, grass cutting should be de¬ 
layed until the leaves are fairly well 
ripened, and at this period a mulch of 
fine old manure may be used with ben¬ 
efit to both grass and bulbs. As this 
will delay mowing after the usual sea¬ 
son for lawn clipping it is best to nat¬ 
uralize bulbous plants in out-of-the-way 
nooks and corners rather than in the 
lawn itself. For massing and show pur¬ 
poses bulbs are best planted in beds or 
the border, so they may be turned out 
and renewed each season. w. v. r. 
The Poor Elberta. —I have noticed 
that the Elberta peach is very highly 
spoken of lately. Our Elbertas bore 
fruit for the first time this year and we 
were much disappointed in them. In 
our opinion they belong in the same 
class as the Kieffer pear—look good, 
will bear considerable knocking about 
and keep well, but of very poor flavor,’ 
some being very bitter but fairly good 
for “silage.” For a white peach we find 
the Champion very satisfactory. It has 
large fruit, juicy and delicious, and 
bears very heavy crops. s. b. r. 
Massachusetts. 
R. N.-Y.—We have heard peach grow¬ 
ers refer to Elberta as the Ben Davis 
among peaches. 
Only a Name 
No Money Wanted. 
Write me a postal naming a friend 
who needs help. Tell me which book to 
send. 
It is but a slight service to aid a sick 
friend—and I will do this: 
I will mail the sick one an order— 
good at any drug store—for six bottles 
Dr. Shoop’s Restorative. He may take 
it a month to learn what it can do. If 
it succeeds, the cost is $5.50. If it fails, 
I will pay the druggist myself. 
I will let the sick one decide. 
No case is too difficult; I take the risk 
in all. My records show that 39 out of 
each 40 who make this test get well— 
and pay gladly. I cheerfully pay for the 
rest. 
This Restorative is my discovery—the 
result of a lifetime’s work. It is the only 
remedy that strengthens the inside 
nerves. My success comes from bring¬ 
ing back that nerve power which alone 
operates the vital organs. There is no 
other way to make weak organs strong. 
Tell me who needs that help. 
Simply state which 
book you want, and ad¬ 
dress Dr. Shoop, Box 
670, Racine, Wis. 
Book No. 1 on Dyspepsia, 
Book No. 1 on the Heart, 
Book No. 3 on the Kidneys, 
Book No. 4 for Women, 
Book No. 6 for men (sealed), 
Book No. 6 on Rheumatism. 
Mild cases, not chronic, are often cured by one or 
two bottles. At all druggists. 
AMERICA? 
BUFFALO 
ROBES 
are a thing of the past, 
, but we have the Kazoo Buffalo 
Robe, a substitute that has every nppcarunce and 
rnuny mlvantiiges over the Genuine Buffalo Skin 
Robe, first quality only. Made of very heavy KIDUU- 
DOWN, pliable, soft, lined with astraehan and much 
warmer than a stiff skin Robe. Interlined with rubber 
cloth, wind and water proof. Wholesale Price *«.«(>, V 
the price of askin robe. Money back i f not satisfactory. 
Catalog U S3, free. Caah Buppy A IHfg. Co., Kalamazoo, Nllch. 
STEEL HOUSE COLLARS 
Aro better zind cheaper { no hames; 
will not gall butcure more nhouldera. 
Sensiblo, practical, humane. Agents 
make big money. Write for descriptive 
catalog and free territory. 
HOWELL & SPAULDING CO. 
713 State Street, CAJUO, MICH, 
IT MAKES A HOLE INTHE NIGHT 
r bicTz'' 
H'lCGM 
For placing in front of country churches, in dark pas¬ 
sage and area ways and in front of country residences, 
The D§etz 
beats anything you ever saw. It will not blow out in the severest storms 
and is not alfceted by rains. Supplies good light cheaply. Like all "Dietz” 
lamps it means perfect combustion and a brilliant white light—no "smok¬ 
ing” or “sooting.” Lighted and regulated from the outside. Your dealer 
has them. If not, write to us. Free catalogue describes and illustrates 
our full line of Lamps and Lanterns. Write for it. 
R. E. DIETZ COMPANY, 87 LAIGHT ST.,^NEW YORK. 
Established 18!>0. 
Montana. Buffalo Robes 
Buffalo and Astrakhan Coats 
GUARANTEED THE BEST ON EARTH 
Our Diamond Guarantee on every Robe. Take 
no other. If your dealer does not handle 
them write us for illustrated booklet giving 
full information and prices. 
Western Robe Co, 
1622 Orleans St. DETROIT, MlCH. 
INCEIESTER 
“NEW RIVAL” 
FACTORY LOADED SHOTGUN SHELLS 
Give these shells a thorough trial, and you will find them to be as 
nearly perfect as experience, ingenuity, brains and equipment can 
make them. They are made with the Winchester patent corrugated 
head, which has made Winchester “Leader” and “Repeater” 
Smokeless Powder Shells so popular and satisfactory. Winchester 
Factory-Loaded “ New Rival ” Shells are thoroughly waterproof, 
and are loaded by exact machinery with the standard brands of 
powder, shot and wadding which makes them uniform and reliable. 
Shoot Them and You’ll Shoot Well 
