1899 
3i5 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Among the Marketmen. 
WHAT / SEE AND HEAR. 
Patriotic Celery —I saw some very 
fine celery bunches, which were tied 
with narrow red-white-and-blue ribbon. 
The celery itself was very attractive- 
looking, and the neat manner in which 
it was tied up did not detract in the 
least from its appearance. 
t X X 
Florida Potatoes.— The first of the 
new crop from that State have arrived. 
The quantity was not large, not enough 
to have any particular effect on the 
market, but served simply as a reminder 
of what will follow, not many weeks in 
the future. The Florida planters will 
find an excellent outlet here for the first 
part of their crop this year. 
X X t 
California Fruits —The first Cali¬ 
fornia cherries arrived in the market 
Tuesday—two boxes ; one sold for $4 75 
and the other for $5. These are said to 
be two weeks in advance of the first ar¬ 
rivals last year. The first shipments of 
apricots are, also, said to be on their 
way from California, starting about 10 
days earlier than usual. The quality is 
reported to be very good. 
few protected localities. Plums in 
Georgia promise a big crop, especially 
those of the Wild Goose type. The 
Japans are blooming less profusely. 
Blackberries and other small fruits give 
promise of not more than a half crop, 
though strawberries will, probably, do 
much better than this. Lettuce and 
other vegetables do not promise more 
than a half crop. The earlier plantings 
were destroyed, and later plantings were 
much lighter. The Delaware peach crop 
promises very poorly. f. h. v. 
BULLETINS BOILED DOWN. 
Experiments on Cotton.— Bulletin 43, of the 
Georgia Experiment Station (Experiment), de¬ 
tails fertilizer experiments with cotton, also 
variety tests. Director Redding alludes to the 
prevailing belief that the southern farmer should 
plant less cotton, and more provision crops. He 
states that cotton Is not the only crop marketed 
at a loss, and observes that the true policy is to 
concentrate labor, fertilizers and skill, on smaller 
areas of better soil, for such crops as require the 
more expensive cultivation, and devote a larger 
area to small grain (especially oats and rye), 
cow peas, pasture, etc.—crops which cost little 
labor, and are essentially improvers of the soil 
Poisonous Plants of New Jersey.— Bulletin 135, 
of the New Jersey Experiment Station (New 
Brunswick), describes the poisonous plants 
found in this State. It is observed that animals 
other than the human species are little sus¬ 
ceptible to the effects of contact poisons. Farm 
animals will eat, without apparent harm, the 
leaves and young twigs of the Poison ivy. Fatal 
cases of poisoning are usually among children, 
both from eating roots of poisonous plants, as 
well as the fruit. Grown persons are more likely 
to be poisoned by toadstools, and warning is 
given that only kinds that are harmless and well 
known should be gathered. It is better to limit 
one’s list of edible kinds to a few quickly-recog¬ 
nized species, than to extend the number at the 
risk of one’s life. Should poisoning occur, a physi¬ 
cian should be called at once. Warning is given 
against the Wild Black cherry, which is very dan¬ 
gerous to cattle. Both the wilted and fresh leaves 
are poisonous, the succulent leaves from young 
shoots, which are most likely to be eaten by cat¬ 
tle, being more poisonous than the leaves of a 
mature tree. Rather an unusual case of poison¬ 
ing reported, was sickness in a herd of cattle 
which was traced to the feeding of potatoes 
which had been exposed to sunlight, and were 
green. Instruction which would enable farmers 
and farmers’ children to distinguish poisonous 
plants readily, would seem a very valuable part 
of nature study in the schools. 
Suggestions as to Spraying. — Bulletin 52, 
Rhode Island Experiment Station (Kingston), 
gives the best method of spraying the various 
crops on field and garden, together with tested 
formulas for the best fungicides and insecti¬ 
cides. A convenient homemade potato sprayer 
described and figured in this bulletin is arranged 
from an old tedder, the seat being left on, and 
the floor laid on which to place the cask and 
pump. A piece of one-half-inch hose extends 
from the pump to the rear of the cart, and is at¬ 
tached to a three-eighths-inch brass pipe of suf¬ 
ficient length to reach across the width between 
two rows and extend half way to the next row 
on either end. An elbow is screwed on each end, 
and into this a short nipple is inserted; another 
elbow is screwed on, and sufficient pipe inserted 
to reach two more rows. Tees are inserted in 
both middle and end sections at the exact dis¬ 
tance apart of the rows. Into these tees, six- 
inch pieces of pipe are inserted, and attached to 
these are Vermorel nozzles. The sprayer then 
covers six rows at a time, and the nipples and 
elbows at the ends of the middle section allow 
the end sections to be turned up to permit its 
passage through a narrow place. 
Seed Potatoes. —Bulletin 191, of the Ohio Ex¬ 
periment Station (Wooster), gives some valuable 
suggestions concerning seed potatoes. The 
opinion has been formed that the locality where 
seed is grown is of less Importance than the man¬ 
ner in which it is kept. Cold storage to preserve 
the seed potatoes from sprouting gives best re¬ 
sults. Where this Is not convenient, it is better 
to grow seed potatoes late in the season by plant¬ 
ing about July 1. To carry out this plan, it will 
be necessary to take the potatoes from the cellar 
before they have begun to sprout, or when the 
sprouts have just begun starting, and spread 
them on the barn floor or loft where they will re¬ 
ceive a little light. In such a place, they throw 
out short, green sprouts, and then remain in that 
condition for months. The potatoes must be 
only one layer deep, seed end up. All of the eyes 
will not make sprouts, and for cutting, the 
pieces should be larger than for Spring planting. 
Late varieties do as well by this method of treat¬ 
ment as early sorts. The object of thus growing 
potatoes is to secure seed that will keep in a 
common cellar without sprouting. It'is observed 
that potatoes grown from sprouted seed are less 
scabby than those grown from seed taken from 
the cellar and planted at once. Late-plaDted 
potatoes are not exempt from blight, but are less 
liable to it than those planted early. 
t X X 
Canadian Hothouse Grapes —I 
saw in one store a few baskets of hot¬ 
house grapes which had just come in by 
express from Montreal, Canada. There 
are very few of these grapes in market 
now, but the demand is limited, and 
the prices are not nearly so high as they 
frequently are when the supply is much 
larger. Still, a few find a good outlet 
at fairly satisfactory prices. 
X X X 
Pineapples i’roin Cuba —The first 
large arrival of pineapples. (150 barrels, 
arrived during the week. The fruit was 
in first-class order. The market was 
comparatively bare of pines—no one 
here calls them pineapples—and it was 
expected that good prices would be real¬ 
ized ; but trade has been dull, and they 
have sold slowly, at moderate prices 
considering the scarcity of this fruit. 
X X X 
Hog-Dressed Lambs.—I saw several 
lambs dressed exactly like veals. In¬ 
stead of being opened up and spread out, 
they were left the same as calves that 
are shipped dressed. With the ordinary 
butcher trade, this would mean quite a 
reduction in price, but the receiver told 
me that he could get from the restaur¬ 
ants, which he supplies largely, nearly 
as much as for the others, as they are 
not so particular about these little de¬ 
tails of dressing. Sometimes improper 
dressing will make a difference of one- 
half in the price received for lambs. 
X X X 
Honey Season Over.—The dealers 
say that the honey season is practically 
over for this Spring. The demand is 
extra heavy during the Jewish holidays, 
and as these are now past, the largest 
part of the demand is now fallen off. This 
is another product that is very largely 
adulterated. One dealer told me that 
there was hardly a pint of pure extracted 
honey sold in the stores of this City. 
When it comes to the comb honey, al¬ 
though there have been rumors of the 
adulteration of this, it is probable that 
it is tolerably pure. But a large part of 
the consumers prefer extracted, and in 
this way are more likely to get adulter¬ 
ated goods. 
XXX 
Southern Fruit Prospects. —Mr. 
Archdeacon, of Archdeacon & Co., has 
just returned from a trip through the 
South, as far as Georgia, and he doesn’t 
give very encouraging reports. He says 
there will be almost no peaches, the cold 
having destroyed them except in a very 
Life as a Fine Art 
A Study of the Ideal Character 
By Newell Dwight Hillis 
“To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather 
than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, 
not respectable, and wealthy, not rich ; to listen to stars and birds, 
babes and sages with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly, 
act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, 
to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through 
the common—this is my symphony.” 
' WILLIAM HENRY CHANNING 
“Looking out upon his age, he 
beheld young men crazed with a 
mania for money. He saw them 
refusing to cross the college 
threshold, closing the book, neg¬ 
lecting conversation, despising friendship, postponing 
marriage, that they might increase their goods. ^ et 
he remembered that earth’s most gifted children 
have been content with small means, performing 
their greatest exploits midst comparative poverty. 
See this week’s issue of 
THE SATURDAY 
EVENING POST 
Dated Saturday, April 22. 
To be had of All Newsmen at 5 Cents the Copy 
THE CURTIS PUBLISHING COMPANY, PHILADELPHIA 
