4i8 
June 3 
• Ruralisms ; 
j f f yy ryy y T T T TO 
The Japan Umbrella Tbkk.— Scia- 
dopitys verticillata is from two Latin 
words meaning a parallel and a fir tree. 
It seems to have been known first in 
England in the year 1861. It must have 
first been introduced into this country 
atout 1870 Our own specimen, which is 
shown in Fig. 167, page 415, was, as we 
remember, bought of the old Parsons 
Nurseries, of Flushing, L. I , nearly or 
quite 25 years ago. The variety is still 
very rare. This may be owing to the 
fact that it is difficult to propagate ex¬ 
cept by seeds, which, as it has not fruited 
in this country or in England that we 
are aware, must be imported from Japan. 
Our own specimen, when planted, was 
about 18 inches high, and is now within 
a few inches of six feet, having been re¬ 
tarded by two ti ansplantings, which were 
made necessary by changes in the Rural 
Grounds. It is certainly of very slow 
growth during its early life, however it 
may change in this respect during later 
years. An engraving of two whorls of 
leaves of this specimen appeared in' The 
R. N.-Y. of November 24, 1877. In its 
native country, the Island of Nippon, 
Japan, it grows from 80 to 100 feet in 
height, where it is said to be a great 
favorite with the inhabitants, who cul¬ 
tivate it in their gardens and about their 
temples. 
The long, leathery and blunt-pointed 
leaves from three to four inches long, 
are of a dark green color, and somewhat 
crowded in whorls of 25 or more at the 
nodes aDd ends of the branches. They 
often spread out so as to remind one of 
the ribs of an umbrella, whence the 
familiar name. 
Except for the difficulty of propaga¬ 
tion, we cannot think of a single rea¬ 
son why this strikingly beautiful coni¬ 
fer should not be found in every collec¬ 
tion. It differs as much from all other 
evergreens as an oak differs from a 
Tulip tree. Its form is perfectly sym¬ 
metrical, as shown in the engraving. It 
has never been harmed by the heat of 
Summer or the frosts of Winter. Several 
conservative writers—authorities upon 
Coniferous trees—regard the Umbrella 
pine as, all things considered, the finest 
conifer of Japan, “presenting an appear¬ 
ance as strange as elegant in conse¬ 
quence of its innumerable ramifications, 
which always end in a parasol-like tuft 
of long, thick leaves.” 
There are several varieties—one of 
them yellow variegated—but we have 
scarcely any information regarding 
them. 
Boston Ivy, Japan Ivy, Japan 
Cheeper. —These are the several names 
given to the Japan Ampelopsis, A. 
Veitchii. Other botanical names are A. 
tricuspidata and Vitis Japonica, for it is 
nearly related to the grape. Oar own 
Ivy, Ampelopsis quinquefolia or hede- 
racea, is best known as the Virginia 
creeper. How the Japan species came 
to be called the Boston ivy is because 
the Bostonians were the first to appre¬ 
ciate its value for covering brick and 
stone houses. It is, probably, employed 
more in Boston than in any other Ameri¬ 
can city, though New York, in its up¬ 
town residential quarters, is not far be¬ 
hind. We believe it was first imported 
from Japan by the Veitches, of Eng¬ 
land, about 1868, and in 1870, it was 
catalogued in this country by our seeds¬ 
men. We feel that we are quite safe in 
saying that there is no other vine that 
will eo completely change the appear¬ 
ance of walls, dead trees, fences, rocks 
or woodwork, etc., from forbidding ob¬ 
jects to objects of rare beauty as the 
Boston ivy, or effect the change in so 
short a time, for its growth is of sur¬ 
prising rapidity. Our native Virginia 
creeper is inferior to the Boston creeper 
in that the leaves of the latter overlap 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
one another like the shingles of a roof, 
forming a mass of rich, lustrous green 
leaves that help to shed the rain which 
would otherwise penetrate the bricks, 
stones or wood, and cause more or less 
of dampness. It clings with great 
tenacity by its foot-like tendrils, so that 
neither wind nor storm, unless of cyclone 
destructiveness, ever detaches it from 
the object to which it has become at¬ 
tached. The spread of this vine, from a 
single root, is almost incredible, covering 
in one case that the writer has in mind, 
no less than 3,000 square feet. 
This plant covers the entire side-wall 
of a brick house in upper New York, 
where the area in which it grows, as 
well as the sidewalk and street, are 
entirely covered with flags and as¬ 
phalt. The “opening” in which it is 
planted is only one foot in diameter. 
Whence come the moisture and food to 
support this breadth of leaves, stems 
and tendrils ? Perhaps like aerial 
orchids, the Boston ivy has the power of 
living upon the air. Of the many merits 
of this vine, not the least is that it 
rarely dies or, from any cause, is killed 
out in patches. Insects do not harm it. 
When growing over the front of houses, 
the ivy is cut out to conform to the win¬ 
dows so that, otherwise, the house-front 
seems a living mass of delicate, glossy, 
exuberant, refreshing foliage. 
In the Fall, no other vine, tree or 
shrub whatever, changes to more glow¬ 
ing contrasts of crimson, orange, yellow 
and green. 
Now, friends, seeds of this Boston ivy 
may be purchased for 10 cents per packet, 
and you may raise your own plants. Or 
you may buy the plants, now as well as 
earlier or later in the season, for 25 cents 
each. 
Peas Planted Eight Inches Deep.— 
Our readers may remember the results of 
our trials of the earliest of the wrinkled 
sorts beside those of the earliest smooth 
kinds, Surprise, Station, Prosperity 
(Gradus) and Nott’s Excelsior, all planted 
about three inches deep. We have an 
interesting note from Mr. Louis Meyer, 
of Malvern, Ark. He picked his first 
mess of the Excelsior, planted eight 
inches deep, February 22, on May 5. The 
vines of Gradus, also planted eight 
inches deep the same day, were on May 
5, 2 to 2% feet high, “ well covered with 
fine pods, containing 9 to 11 seeds.” 
These as to maturity, he estimated, 
would give the first yield about three 
days later. He believed, however, that 
the Excelsior would yield more peas to 
the same quantity of land. In The R. 
N -Y. trials, the Gradus was just two 
days earlier than Nott’s Excelsior. The 
Surprise, or Station (they differ but 
slightly if at all) was three days ahead 
of the Gradus, or five days ahead of the 
Excelsior. We should say that the 
Gradus would outyield either the Excel¬ 
sior, Surprise or Station. All are of the 
finest quality. 
Do Tomatoes Mix ?—A friend, Mr. F. 
S. White, of Des Moines, la., asked us 
whether different kinds of tomatoes 
would mix if planted closely together. 
Our reply was substantially that they 
would “ rarely mix,” for the reason that 
the stigma of the pistil is generally re¬ 
ceptive as it makes its way between the 
united stamens, the pollen of which is at 
just that time usually ripe, so that the 
stigma is self-pollenized. (See R N.-Y. 
April 8, page 262). Our friend, who for 
years has been a most successful raiser 
of tomatoes, and the originator of the 
Excelsior, assuming that our reply was 
that they would never mix naturally, 
wrote to Prof. L. H. Pammel, of the Iowa 
Agricultural College, for his opinion, 
which was that “ in many eases, perhaps 
in most cases, the tomato is self-fer¬ 
tilized.” His modification is: 
But so far as the question of whether tomatoes 
will mix or not is concerned, there is no question 
that there are occasional crosses, perhaps more 
frequently than usually recognized; therefore it 
can be said with certainty that tomatoes will mix. 
During the past 25 years, we have raised, 
on an average, in the same plot, not less 
than 20 different varieties of tomatoes, 
the kinds, in part, well known in the 
market, as Longkeeper, Acme, Perfec¬ 
tion, Ignotum, Fordhook, Ponderosa, 
and other kinds just introduced or about 
to be. Beside them we have now and 
again grown the Strawberry (Husk or 
Winter Cherry) tomato — Alkekengi — 
Peach and Currant tomatoes, Tree to¬ 
mato, etc., but we have never noted that 
there were convincing evidences of spon¬ 
taneous crossing. During the season of 
1890, the Cornell Experiment Station 
tried a lot of careful experiments to as¬ 
certain whether different varieties would 
cross. The result was that all of the 
fruit of some kinds came true, while of 
other kinds, there were evidences of 
crossing. The variations occurred upon 
about one plant in 12. Assuredly, for 
all practical purposes, we should not 
hesitate to plant different kinds of toma¬ 
toes side by side. 
Mr G. B. Clark, of Remington, Ind,, 
requests us to say that there are, at 
present, no plants of the Clark black¬ 
berry for sale, and that its introduction 
will be duly announced in the advertis¬ 
ing columns of The R. N.-Y. 
It is said that the average consumption of beer 
in Great Britain is 31 gallons per capita. 
A writer in Gleanings in Bee Culture asks 
whether honey iB a vegetable or animal product. 
Which is it? 
In corresponding with farmers in Florida, we 
are surprised to find that so many of the straw¬ 
berry growers have a local market for their fruit. 
Many growers in Florida have never seen a re¬ 
frigerator crate, and have never tried to ship the 
fruit to the North. The past season is reported 
poor for this crop, for the cold weather and snow 
of February injured the plant3, and thrlps dam¬ 
aged them later, so that the crop was late, and in 
many cases small, and not first-class in quality. 
Ever since 1837, a dam across the Nile River 
has been in various stages of construction. At 
last, the work is being done on a grand scale. 
A great wall of granite 1 % mile in length, 76 feet 
high in places, and 30 or 40 feet wide, is to be 
put across the river. It will form a reservoir 
containing 670 square miles, holding 1,000,000 tons 
of water, capable of irrigating 2,500 square miles. 
Within 20 years, the effect of this immense feat 
of engineering will be felt in every country where 
cotton, corn and wheat are grown or sold. 
Iowa Fruits. —The Erie blackberries and most 
of the Snyder are killed, root and branch. The 
Osage hedges and grape vines are nearly in the 
same fix. A few years ago, I procured from the 
Experiment Station at Ames, some hardy pear 
trees. Among them, the Mongolian Snow pear 
is as dead as a hammer, while in the next row, 
20 feet away, the Bartlett is in full bloom. Many 
tender varieties of apples, like American Blush, 
Rome Beauty, Northwestern Greening, etc., are 
badly injured. The Ben Davis is all right, t. p. 
Capron, Iowa. 
Ben Davis and Kieeekr.— Please permit a con¬ 
stant reader of The R N.-Y. from the region 
where the Ben Davis apple and the Kieffer pear 
grow to perfection (northwestern Missouri), to 
enter a protest against the constant flings at 
these valuable fruits. One would think that either 
these fruits are not worth the raising, or else that 
the writers of these articles had never tasted a 
Ben Davis apple or Kieffer pear in their season, 
or else had some other motive for their abuse. I 
was glad to see the article of Pearman in The 
R. N.-Y. of May 20, as he seems to know some¬ 
thing about these fruits. 
The Ben Davis apple, as grown in northwest 
Missouri, is good in its season. One reason why 
it is so often condemned is that it is put on the 
market as early as October as an eating apple, 
when in fact it is not usually fit to eat before the 
middle of January. It looks good at anytime, 
Is bought out of season, then condemned. I con¬ 
sider the Ben Davis apple as a fairly good eating 
apple in its season, that is, from January 20 and 
after, and would consider that my Winter Bupply 
of provisions was not complete if I did not have 
a good lot of Ben Davis in my cellar. After they 
get good, I notice that they are usually selected 
first when brought out with other apples, both 
by my own family and by visitors. Try some 
northern Missouri Ben Davis next year, but do 
not expect them to be good until their time 
comes. 
As to the Kieffer pear, my trees have been bear¬ 
ing for a number of years. When properly ripened 
after being left on the trees as long as is safe 
from frost, they get mellow to the core, are juicy 
and good, and while they are a little coarse, the 
flavor is very fine. Last year, I had a surplus fer 
the first time, and all were sold at the house at 
$2 per bushel, and many were called for after all 
were gone, so I conclude that there are others 
who like them. Perhaps climatic conditions have 
something to do with both of these fruits; but as 
grown here, both are good in their season, and 
both readily sell at the highest price, which goes 
to prove that many people like them. w. u s. 
Bethany, Mo. 
Books on Agriculture—Five Cents. 
This was the sign decorating a pushcart, on 
which were a large number of ancient volumes 
issued by the Department of Agriculture in by¬ 
gone days. Displayed above the sign were a 
number of pictures more or less related to agri¬ 
cultural subjects, said to be samples of those 
contained in the books. The cart was surrounded 
by an eager crowd, anxious for agricultural in¬ 
formation at five cents per volume. On another 
street, the counterpart of this cart was seen, 
only that the price here was 10 cents. This push¬ 
cart man didn’t seem to be doing much business 
Evidently the seekers after agricultural knowl 
edge were nickel men. 
Exhausted Land. 
The first element to become ex¬ 
hausted in land is nitrogen. The ap¬ 
plication of 100 pounds of 
Nitrate of Soda 
per acre will supply this and produce 
astonishing results. It is the cheap¬ 
est and most available source of nitro¬ 
gen. More about it—use and results, 
in our book, “Food for Plants 
mailed free. Write John A. Myers, 
12—O John St., New York. Nitrate 
for sale by 
BALFOUR, WILLIAMSON & CO. 
27 William St., New York. 
C RIMSON 
LOVER 
Headquarters for strictly first-class seeds. Prices upon 
application. Circular describing its uses, sent free. 
HENRY A. DREER, Philadelphia. 
NEW MILLET 
The Japanese Barnyard Grass 
(Panlcum Crus Ga'li.) 
Grows six to seven feet high. Valuable as a green 
fodder crop. Also used for ensilage. Abundant 
Seeder, and is good for poultry or may be ground for 
cattle. Send 5Uc. for three pounds by mail, postpaid, 
and book giving full description of this and other 
forage crops. ROSS BROTHERS, 102 Front Street, 
Worcester, Mass. 
THE SHORT HAY CROP Si ZZ 
means that you will need to raise extra forage. 
TRY .JAPANESE BARNYARD MILLET. 
75c. f peck; *2^ bu. WM. P. BROOKS, Amherst,Mass. 
RAPE 
IS THE BEST FORAGE PLANT. 
It furnishes succulent food from 
May to December. No equal for 
_summer and autumn SHEEP 
Equally good for cattle, calves and 
pigs. Beats clover and alfalfa by scientific test. 
Brows 20 to 40 Tons Green Feed to Acre 
—no green food approaches it for fattening. Salzer’s 
Dwarf Essex, best. 100 lbs. $7.00; 10lbs. 81; 15 to 90 lbs. 
8 cents per lb.; for less than 100 lbs. add 25 cts. cartage \ t 
sent by freight. Send 5 cents for pamphlet on Kape 
Seed Dep. Amer'n Sheep Breeder, 124 Michigan St. Chicago. 
PLANTS 
Tomato, 
Cabbage, 
Celery, 
Peppers, etc. 
Cheap in large lots. 
S. LINTHICUM, Wood wards ville, A. A. Co., Md. 
100 
POTTED PARKER EARLE JR., for $1 
T. C. KKVITT, Athenia, N. J. 
FRUIT PACKAGES 0 .',.*,!! 
Also ;Beekeepers’ Supplies. 
Order now before the busy sea¬ 
son catches you. Catalogue and 
price-list free. Address 
BERLIN FRUIT BOX CO. 
Berlin Heights,Box B,ErieCo.,0 
Good Fruit 
ilways finds a ready market, but to bring top 
•rices it must be put up in neat, attractive 
md substantial packages. We have every- 
hing in the basket line. All sizes of 
Berry 
Rn cl/pf C. 
Peach and Grape Crates. 
Buy direct from the manufacturers and 
save money. Write to-day for catalogue and 
new price list. Special price in carload lots. 
A. H. MONTAGUE & SON, 
120 Warren Street, New York City. 
Business Trees tit Best Trees 
ROGERS TREES are BUSINESS TREES. Remember the name and the 
place to buy. THE ROGERS NURSERIES, Dansvllle, New York. 
n 
