402 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
May 27 
Ruralisms ; 
Crimson Clover for the Fifth Year. 
—Again we have to report that the Crim¬ 
son clover sown in various parts of the 
Rural Grounds late last August passed 
the Winter, though among the coldest 
during the past 30 years, without harm. 
We ascribe this to the fact that the Win¬ 
ter was more uniformly cold than usual 
—there was less of thawing and freez¬ 
ing, which raises the soil and severs the 
roots. One of the exceptionally mild 
Winters during the trial was just the 
one when the Crimson clover was entire¬ 
ly killed except here and there where it 
was protected by shade from evergreen 
trees or bushes where the soil did not 
heave. 
Mowing the Lawn. —For years we 
have tried to get a lawn-mower that 
would cut high, leaving the blades of 
grass as high as practicable. There 
does not seem to be a lawn-mower in the 
market that will do the work satisfac¬ 
torily—all cut the grass too short. This 
being the case, it seems to us that most 
lawns are not mowed often enough. The 
result is that grass is weakened more 
than if cut oftener. For example, the 
nearer the soil that any plant, shrub, 
tree, or herb is cut, the more it is weak¬ 
ened, that is, the more its vitality is 
destroyed. The higher grass is per¬ 
mitted to grow, the more woody the 
stems become, so that the lawn-mower 
cuts off more of the bladts (leaves) 
which support the stems and roots. If 
we cut oftener, the woody stems are 
more restricted in their growth, and 
more of the blades is left to support 
both the woody stems and the roots. 
The lawn, therefore, preserves a fresh¬ 
er, more uniformly-green color than if it 
were cut at longer intervals. If it were 
desired to kill a young evergreen, it 
could readily he effected by cutting off 
the main stem below the foliage. If it 
were desired to dwarf a bush or tree of 
any kind, it should be cut back oftener, 
always leaving a portion of the foliage to 
support the main stem and roots while 
other buds were forming. 
The New Jersey Experiment Station 
(New Brunswick) began experiments 
with different kinds of lawn grass seeds 
in the Spring of 1896. There were and 
now are nine plots Eeeded respectively 
with Meadow Fescue (Festuca praten- 
sis); Fine-leaved Fescue (Festuca tenui- 
folia) ; Sheep’s Fescue (Festuca ovina); 
Rhode Island Bent (Agrostis canina) ; 
Wood Meadow (Poa nemoralis) ; Ken¬ 
tucky Blue (Poa pratensis); Rough 
Meadow (Poa trivialis); Red-top"(Agros¬ 
tis vulgaris); Italian Rye (Lolium pe- 
renne). It was over 20 years ago that 
the Editor of The R. N.-Y., from his 
own trials and from those of Prof. Beal, 
of the Michigan Agricultural College, 
advised his readers that, for climates 
similar to NewYork, there were no better 
grasses for the lawn than Red-top and 
Blue grass, and that, consequently, the 
mixtures of “ choice lawn grass seeds ” 
put up by seedsmen at twice the price 
should not he purchased except by those 
who were willing to throw money away 
for the purpose of securing an inferior 
lawn. Having had no reason to change 
our mind, The R. N.-Y. has from time to 
time repeated its advice with the excep¬ 
tion latterly made that a small portion 
of White clover (say one-eighth) might 
well be added as a nitrogen gatherer. 
The 19th report of the New Jersey 
College and Experiment Station, accord¬ 
ing to the report of its efficient botan¬ 
ist, Dr. Byron D. Halsted, tells us : “The 
Blue grass started first in the Spring, 
closely followed by the Italian Rye grass 
and the three Poas. During the ex¬ 
treme heat of Summer, the Rhode Island 
Bent suffered most, the surface of the 
plot looking brown and 'dry. Next to 
this, the Italian Rye grass felt the un¬ 
favorable conditions of the season, and 
least of all, the Poas.” Along with the 
cooler days of Autumn, the Rhode Island 
Bent revived and made the finest appear¬ 
ance of any of the plots, there being a 
light, fresh green over the whole area. 
From the behavior of this grass during 
the past three seasons, Dr. Halsted re¬ 
gards it, however, as exceptionally fine 
for a lawn mixture. The chief objection 
to Italian Rye grass, he says, is that it 
does not hold out well, the stand having 
fallen from 100 to 70 per cent in the 
three years. The Blue grass, on the 
other hand, has increased in its stand, 
and the plot is now in good shape and 
so, he concludes, that for the whole grow¬ 
ing season (Italics ours), and through a 
series of years, there is nothing better... 
Vincas. — It is the small-flowered, 
hardy Vincas we want to say a word 
about ; those that will flourish in sun or 
shade, as rock plants, bedding plants, 
under trees or bushes, in dry or moist 
places. We have found them especially 
desirable to plant close to houses under 
windows or under the drip of gutters 
where grass will not grow at all. The 
Periwinkles, even in such hard places, 
thrive and form mats of evergreen foli¬ 
age, which bear white, purple, blue and 
rose-colored flowers in great profusion, 
beginning in early Spring. Perhaps our 
readers know all about the ordinary 
Periwinkle or Myrtle, Vinca minor 
botanically. What we want to suggest 
is a clump or bed of the several kinds 
mixed, including one with yellow and 
green leaves and another with double 
flowers, with which our readers may be 
less familiar. The ordinary sorts have 
five petals, the flowers being an inch in 
diameter. The double Vinca has about 
15 petals, though the entire flower is, 
perhaps, a quarter of an inch smaller 
than the singles. The color is a pleas¬ 
ing shade of medium purple. The writer 
has just been admiring an extensive 
rockwork in Central Park. The rock 
underlies acres of this part of the Park, 
and it has been covered with soil enough 
to enable drought-plants, so to call 
them, to live just as though they were 
sumptuously provided for in all ways. 
The taller-growing plants are Yuccas (Y. 
filamentosa) a dwarf Juniper (Juniperus 
Sabina) and the vines, which fully cover 
the rocks, are Vincas, Hall’s honey¬ 
suckle, and the variegated Euonymus. 
These so take possession of the soil (it 
varies from an inch to a foot in depth) 
that neither grasses nor weeds care to 
share with them the luxuries of this 
rocky hostelry. 
Mr. T. A. Peffer, of Independence, 
Mo., writes us that he is glad that The 
R. N.-Y takes the stand it does regard¬ 
ing the quality of such fruits as the 
Champion grape, the Kieffer pear and 
the Ben Davis apple. He does not see 
how any conscientious fruit grower can 
recommend such fruits. He lives in a 
climate where such varieties do their 
best. Mr. Peffer continues : 
“In the Winter of 1897 and 1898, the 
leading grocerymen of Kansas City would 
not pay more than half as much for Ben 
Davis as they would for Jonathan, Wine- 
sap, Grimes Golden, and apples of that 
class. Some of the grocerymen would 
not buy them at any price. When all 
the young Ben Davis orchards come into 
bearing, their mistake will be disas¬ 
trously apparent. The trouble with a 
great many of the western fruit growers 
is that they have got their foot into it, 
and cannot get out; hence the praise of 
these varieties. Last season, I had as 
fine appearing Kieffer pears as could be 
grown in this locality, gathered and 
ripened in the proper manner. We canned 
many quarts, and a more tasteless lot of 
fruit I never ate.”. 
We recently saw a farmer using two tools at 
once, rolling his oat ground, and having a 
weeder hitched behind the roller to cover the 
grass seed, and to stir the surface after rolling. 
The Farmers’ Institutes. —We asked 
Prof. E. B. Voorhees, of New Jersey, 
what he thought of the future manage¬ 
ment of the farmers’ institutes. He said 
he agreed exactly with Prof. Jordan that 
the time had come for raising the char¬ 
acter of these meetings. He said it is 
popular for many speakers to find out 
what the farmers want, and then mold 
their remarks so as to meet popular ap¬ 
proval. The idea is to cater to what the 
farmer thinks he ought to have. 
“I believe in giving the farmer what he 
needs rather than what he wants. You 
may take any man, and you will find that 
what he thinks he wants is often of less 
value to him than what a careful student 
of the problems involved in his work 
knows that he needs. My opinion is 
that the course of instruction at farmers’ 
institutes and meetings should be in 
some way supervised and directed by 
the college and the station. In that 
way, I think more good will be done, 
and the cause of improved agriculture 
will be further advanced than by simply 
telling how to perform practical opera¬ 
tions. We ought to get down into the 
reason why we do things ; in other words, 
the principles that underlie agricultural 
science. I do not mean to say that the 
so-called prac*ical men have no place on 
an institute platform. So long as they 
confine themselves to the practical ma¬ 
nipulation or work of the farm, they do 
good work. They make a mistake, how¬ 
ever, in trying to apply science, and in 
trying to give ^the reasons for doing 
some of the things that scientists who 
have made a life study of them do not 
pretend to understand.” 
The foods we eat furnish 
energy for the body just as 
burning coal makes steam 
for an engine. 
The experiments of Prof. 
Frankland, Ph. D., of Lon¬ 
don, shows that cod-liver oil 
yields two and one-half times 
more energy than starches 
or sweets. 
Scott’s Emulsion is pure 
cod-liver oil combined with 
hypophosphites of lime and 
soda. It forms fat, gives 
strength, enriches the blood, 
invigorates the nerves, and 
repairs tissues. 
50c. and $1.00, all druggists. 
SCOTT & BOWNE, Chemists, New York. 
CIDER 
MACHINERY 
Hydraulic, Knuckle Joint and Screw 
Presses, Graters, Elevators, Pu mps, 
etc. Send for Catalogue. 
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PRESS CO., _ 
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A GOOD WIND MILL. 
Lasts a life time. 
Don’t buy a poor one when 
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IMPERIAL 
with patent internal gear 
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DRILLING 
Machines 
Over 70 sizes and styles, for drilling either deep 01 
■hallow wells In any kind of soil or rock. Mounted 
on wheels or on sills. With engines or home power*. 
Strong, simple and durable. Any mechanic can 
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WILLIAMS BROS., Ithaca, M. Y. 
LIGHTNING WELL MACHY 
IS THE STA N D AR D 
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ft, 
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A wonderful improvement In Friction Feeds and 
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A Good Farm Engine 
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threshing, shelling corn, 
separating cream, pumping, 
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if you have the power you may 
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CHARTER GASOLINE ENGINE 
Any Place 
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Stationaries, Portablet 
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State your Power Needs. 
Charter Gas Engine Co , Box 26, Sterling, III. 
FARQUHAR 
RAKE SEPARATOR 
lightest draught; most 
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Farquhar Vibrator Separator 
greatest capacity; wastes no 
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Received medal and high¬ 
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Have seats, foot brakes and 
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Pennsylvania Traction Engine 
A. B. FARQUHAR COMPANY, Ltd., 
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advantages of 
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Engines, 
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Agricultural 
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Send for Illustrated Catalog. 
YORK, PA. 
POWER SPECIAI 
RIFE HYDRAULIC ENGINE 
Pumps water without any atten¬ 
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IRRIGATION. 
Rig Increase in Crops 
Independent of Rain 
Hislier Prices. 
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CO., 126 Liberty St., New York. 
levi 
THERE IS WATER IN THE 
ARID REGIONS. 
You can get it if you go deep* 
enough with the 
STAR 
DRILLING 
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It is a quick worker,, 
no springs to slack or, 
| break, strongly built, ( 
_ __ either steam or horse ( 
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Star Drilling Machine Co., Akron, Ohio.; 
