1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
R U R A LI S MS. 
(CONTINUED.) 
syringa and to the Hydrangea. Itea is 
the Greek word for willow, given to this 
shrub because of its rapid growth. Its 
natural habitat is rather wet places, 
along the eastern coast and southward. 
We have one bush taken from the woods 
about 10 years ago, that is now not less 
than 10 feet high, and as many broad. 
Its dark green leaves, of medium size, 
clothe it densely from the top to the 
soil. It is absolutely hardy and healthy. 
We have never known it to be attacked 
by insects of any kind. It is now (August 
4) in its fullest bloom. The little white 
flowers are in racemes about two inches 
long. They have a honey-sweet odor, 
and are the especial favorites of bees.... 
Mayes Dewberry. —From T. C. Kevitt, 
Athenia, N. J.—We have had plants of 
this dewberry on trial for three years. 
In no respect does it equal the Lucretia. 
The berries are smaller and more acid, 
and the vines are not so productive. We 
are not aware that Mr. Kevitt recom¬ 
mends it; he merely sent us a couple of 
plants for trial and report. Of the several 
kinds of dewberries tried at the Rural 
Grounds, the Lucretia is by far the best, 
but we cannot conceive how any one who 
can raise standards should care to bother 
with dewberries at all. The thorns of 
the Lucretia are large, stiff and sharp, 
so that it is painfully provoking work to 
gather the fruit. 
Our first ripe tomatoes this season 
were picked one from Freedom and three 
from New Combination. The first is 
round, smooth, inches in diameter, 
and of the ordinary tomato-red color—a 
brick-red. The others are also perfectly 
smooth, averaging two inches in diam¬ 
eter, a little longer than broad, and of 
the same color. Seeds of the New Com¬ 
bination were sent by W. A. Burpee & 
Co. “ for advance trial,” those of the 
Freedom by Peter Henderson & Co., a 
novelty of this year. Of course, we may 
not judge anything definitely from the 
first fruit. 
NOTES FROM ILLINOIS. 
The Mexican June Corn, several times 
spoken of in The R. N.-Y., was planted 
here late in June (probably too late) in 
a circle of four feet in diameter on a 
rock pile of about three feet in height. 
The dry weather in July stunted it con¬ 
siderably, but since the recent rains it 
has shot up rapidly, and at the present 
time it is 11 feet high, with about three 
weeks to grow before a probable frost. 
There are no signs of silk or tassel. Be¬ 
ing in such an exposed position, I ex¬ 
pected it to be blown over by winds, but 
it seems to be very strongly braced, and 
stands as erect as a clear conscience. It 
is quite an interesting novelty and may 
possibly figure as a fodder plant. 
A New Fruit. —Last Winter a friend 
sent me the dried fruit (seed inclosed) of 
a member (so reported) of the May apple 
family that differs much in growth from 
the kind native here in that it takes the 
vine form and climbs on stakes to a 
height of six or eight feet. No bloom 
has appeared so far, and it will probably 
take another year, with a covering 
through the Winter, to develop fruit. 
No doubt many of your southern read¬ 
ers can tell you all about this member of 
the Passiflora family, but it was new to 
me. The fruit is said to be nearly iden¬ 
tical with the May apple native here, 
Podophyllum peltatum, which is a mem¬ 
ber of the Berberis family, and not of 
the Passifloi’a tribe. 
Try Hibiscus Subdariffa. —I feel cer¬ 
tain that a newly introduced plant called 
Roselle, seeds of which were sent me last 
Spring by a friend in California, will be 
a new one to most of your eastern read¬ 
ers. Its unpopular name is Hibiscus 
subdariffa. It is a native of the tropics, 
and I think an annual, and for this 
reason I did not plant the seed until the 
middle of May or later. The plants have 
now a height of from two to three feet, 
but there is as yet no sign of bloom. 
Well, I am sorry ! I had promised my¬ 
self some fine jelly and many drinks of 
excellent lemonade from the pods, which 
were somewhat to resemble okra in size, 
but which have not, and I fear will not 
appear this season. Next year, if I can 
obtain the seed again, I will plant a 
fortnight earlier, starting the seeds in a 
hot-bed. The plant is quite bushy and 
branching, and the leaf stems, which are 
long and quite red contain much acid 
which I suppose is yet more developed 
and refined in the pods. b. buckman. 
Sangamon County, Ill. 
HOPE FARM NOTES. 
The Potato Crop with us is quite a disappoint¬ 
ment, although prices are very good. The first 
field dug was the one mentioned on page 515, 
which was planted with large seed. This gave 
an excellent yield, and paid a fair profit. The 
other field on which the second-sized seed was 
used turned out a grand fizzle—hardly worth dig¬ 
ging. The potatoes are mostly little nuts that 
will hardly sell as seconds. You will not catch 
us using any more of this little seed for early 
varieties. The late potatoes promise better but 
are not as large as they should be. Though the 
season has been about as wet as a sponge, there 
is little blight. To sum it up, we shall not get 
that new buggy out of the profits on this year’s 
potato crop. 
Weedy Fields.—We have two potato fields at 
Hope Farm that we are mightily ashamed of. 
The ragweed got into the rows so that we actually 
had to mow off the field before digging ! We had 
these fields cleaned up in July, so that not a weed 
was visible. The vines were so heavy that we 
expected them to smother out the ragweed that 
finally started. Instead of that, the weeds have 
beaten the vines, and they make a sorry sight. 
Lots of fields around us are just as bad. That 
may be, but I’ll tell you one thing, and that is 
that you won’t find us in any such tix another 
year. About the only thing to do on our weedy 
soil is to hand pull the weeds after cultivation 
stops in a wet season like this one. We’ll do that 
another year! 
Potato Digging.—Old-time farmers tell us of 
men who formerly could throw out 100 bushels of 
potatoes in a day. Men tell me that they called 
it a fair day’s work to dig and pick up 20 barrels 
in a day. When I offer them their price to come 
and dig that way for us, they decline. The old- 
time potatoes were in high hills; about all you 
had to do was to throw the hills over with a fork, 
and all the tubers were uncovered. Modern close 
planting in drills is hard on the hand digger. In 
our weedy fields, our potato plow leaves a good 
many tubers covered with soil. I should judge 
that It does its best work in hills where weeds 
and grass have been kept down. The manufac¬ 
turers write me that “an up-to-date farmer 
should not let grass and weeds grow.” If they will 
tell us how to stop them in a wet season on a 
weed-seeded farm, there will be thousands to 
“ rise up and call them blessed ’’—and buy their 
remedy. 
Sweet Corn.—Our crop is very satisfactory 
and has sold well thus far. We had a break of 
six days between the Crosby and the first ripe 
Evergreen. The first jdantingof Evergreen failed 
to sprout. We should have planted Crosby twice. 
We shall now have a steady run of Evergreen 
until frost. Our advertising scheme has worked 
well and will evidently pay. We find that many 
people appreciate fresh, crisp goods and will pay 
for them when they are sure of fair treatment. 
Of course, I understand that, in many localities, 
people hardly know what good sweet corn tastes 
like. In our part of the country, it is a standard 
article of food. Peddlers hawk it about and often 
sell it when three or four days old. Our crisp, 
tender ears compete with such stuff—and beat it. 
All Sorts.—We have cut the sorghum for the 
first crop and now a second growth is coming on. 
I must say that this sorghum is a valuable crop 
for us. It will give more fodder than sweet corn, 
and the stock all crave it. Let’s see what the 
second growth amounts to. Our Crimson clover 
has all started nicely. This has been a good 
season for this crop. The last sowing was made 
after early potatoes. After digging, the soil was 
worked with the Cutaway, and the seed scattered 
and worked in with the Acme. The digger tears 
the ground up so that seeding after potatoes is 
quite easy. It will not do to seed the clover in 
early potatoes at the last cultivation. Digging 
would kill too much of it. The strawberry beds 
are very foul, and it is almost impossible to keep 
Farm Wagon for only #19.95. 
In order to introduce their Low Metal Wheels 
with Wide Tires, the Empire Manufacturing 
Company, Quincy, Ill., have placed upon the 
market a Farmer’s Handy Wagon, sold at the 
low price of $19.95. The wagon is only 25 inches 
high, fitted with 24 and 30-inch wheels with 4-inch 
tire. 
This wagon is made of best material through¬ 
out, and really costs but a trifle more than a set 
of new wheels and fully guaranteed for one year. 
Catalogue giving a full description will be mailed 
upon application by the Empire Manufacturing 
Company, Quincy, Ill., who also will furnish 
metal wheels at low prices made any size and 
width of tire to fit any axle. 
6i i 
them clean during this wet and sunless weather. 
The plants are making runners very fast. 
Cow Pea Notes.—We sowed cow- peas among 
the currants on July 17. The Prince Albert cur¬ 
rant makes a low, stocky growth, and the cow 
peas have nearly hidden the bushes from view. 
The Wilders are higher and the cow peas cannot 
hide them. This crop may prove too much of a 
good thing. We shall see. The cow peas among 
the raspberries and blackberries are making a 
good growth, and promise well. Mr. A. Johnson 
told me last week that White grubs injured his 
crop greatly this year. The White grub loves a 
thick clover sod, but does not, I think, like the 
taste of the cow pea. If this is true, we shall 
have another point in favor of our modest little 
business friend in black. 
Composite Birthdays,—August 10 was the 
birthday of three different people at Hope Farm. 
August 20 celebrated still another birthday. We 
believe in making much of these events. We had 
three cakes for supper, one bearing two candles, 
another four, and another with candles forming 
the figures 30. They made a great show, I can 
tell you, when all were lighted. After supper, 
we had a box of bon bons, each containing a 
paper cap. All of us, from grandmother down 
to the youngest Scion, put on the caps that fell 
to us, and we had a good time over it. There 
were little birthday gifts, too. We don’t purpose 
to have our little folks grow up with the idea of 
looking out for expensive gifts at holidays and 
birthdays. Not a bit of it! We shall keep our 
children satisfied with the spirit and love that 
covers a homely, simple gift, just as long as we 
can. Unless farming pick up a little, about all 
we can leave them will be health and independ¬ 
ence, good habits, hope and faith. I think, some¬ 
times, that is a pretty humble legacy to leave a 
child in this great, lonely, troubled world. Yet, 
it’s more than I had to start with, and I have 
met rich men who would gladly have sent their 
boys against the world with nothing more. Yes, 
yes, I know rich men who love money and the 
power it brings, yet who fear the effect of wealth 
upon the character of their boys! My boys will 
never be troubled that way. A birthday is a great 
event in the life of a child. After one turns 35, 
there isn’t so much fun in it. A fellow then be¬ 
gins to realize that life is not going to turn out 
just as he hoped it would. By 40, most people are 
rather disappointed with the way life has left 
them. It takes all the way from 10 to 50 years 
longer to realize that, after all, we couldn’t have 
done the job much better if we had been allowed 
our own way entirely. 
Responsible Children. It occurs to me that 
some people do too much for their children; the 
result is that the little ones do not feel any sense 
of responsibility. With us, the draft, the Bud 
and the largest Scion have little duties every 
day, and they are taught to help themselves. 
The Bud can put the baby Scion to sleep. She 
a proud little girl as she masters one garment 
after another, so that she can dress herself. The 
Graft has to water the chickens, and I have been 
after him sharply once or twice when I found 
empty pans and thirsty hens. I learned some¬ 
thing the other day. The Graft was telling me 
what he will have on his farm in that beautiful 
far-off day when he becomes a farmer! 
“ I’ll have two horses, a cow, some sheep, a pig, 
a goat and a dog!” 
“ But what about hens ? ” 
“Oh, no! I don’t like hens—they drink too 
much! ” 
Now you see that little chap is getting to hate 
a hen because he has been called away from his 
play so many times to give the hens water! I 
want that boy to love all farm animals, and now 
I shall try to get him to look upon his watering 
job in another way. It wouldn’t have been long 
before that boy would have wanted to go out of 
his way to stone a chicken, n. w. c. 
ARMSTRONG * McKELVY 
Pittsburgh. 
BEYMER-BAUMAN 
Pittsburgh. 
DAVIS-CHAMBERS 
Pittsburgh. 
FAHNESTOCK 
Pittsburgh. 
ANCHOR 1 
> Cincinnati. 
ECKSTEIN ) 
ATLANTIC \ 
BRADLEY 1 
BROOKLYN f 
JEWETT ( 
ULSTER 1 
UNION / 
New York. 
| 
SOUTHERN 1 
SHIPMAN i 
■ Chicago. 
COLLIER ’ 
MISSOURI 
RED SEAL 
SOUTHERN 
\ Si. Louis. 
JOHN T. LEWIS A BROS CO 
Philadelphia. 
M0RI ’ EY Cleveland. 
8ALEM 
Salem, Maas. 
CORNELL 
Buffalo. 
KENTUCKY 
Louiaville. 
L ET us send you a pamphlet 
giving information con¬ 
cerning paint—the kind that lasts. 
It is made from Pure White Lead 
and Pure Linseed Oil. 
Pamphlet also contains samples 
of colors or shades made with 
Pure White Lead (see list of 
brands) and Tinting Colors, and 
gives full directions for mixing 
and applying them. 
Ndtional Lead Co ., ioo William Si., New York. 
Perfect Farm Fence.' 
Made of best doubly 
•aj/y - ——————rci ICbl I Qllll I CllbSi annealed galvanized 
1 ,r m % steel wire. Top ami bottom wires No. 9. All other 
i ) fD ( I I I 1~ t— ———iMt 1 wires No.ll. We use the strong¬ 
est stay wire In any woven wire 
fence on the market—hence mort 
strength and durability. Ou-, 
I a«« n IFnftBeDtirely new feature 
LOOP IV ilO I patented), provide.’ 
_ _ _ perfect expansion and eontrac- 
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V r UI Mr^u Anmiwn Thf Panti 1 atures. Our Loop Knot being uni¬ 
formly distributed throughout each 
foot of the fence is, in effect, the 
same as placing one coil of a spiral spring in every foot throughout the entire 
length of fence, BESIDES GREATLY STRENGTHENING XT. Our Loop 
Knots make the fence plainly visible and impossible for stay wire to slip or give. 
It Is Hog-tight and Bull strong. Will turn all kinds of stock without Injuring them Where we have 
no agents, a liberal discount will be given on Introductory order. Reliable farmer agents wanted Id 
every township. Send for Catalogue and Prices. PITTSBURG WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO.. Pittsburg. Pa 
«- The Mesh Around The Panel 
I .Shows How The Fence Is Made. 
HORSE-1 
Laying aside all speculation these remain as the 
IJ requisites of a perfect fence. Our Duplex Automatic! 
j Machine makes just such a fence in 100 styles at the I 
I rate of sixty rods per day, at a cost for wire of only I 
BULL-STRONG 
18c. for a good farm fence; 19c. for poultry fence; 16c. ] 
for a rabbit-proof fence and 12c. for a good hog fence. I 
We will sell you plain, coiled spring or barb wire direct * 
at wholesale prices. Get our catalogue before buying. 
Kitselman Bros., Box 106, Ridgeville, Ind. 
^ PIG-TIGHT 
“New Broom Sweeps Clean” 
Is a trite remark and 
which by some con¬ 
tortion might apply 
to a wire fence. 
We have a 
New Fence 
that Is right 
in principle 
and price. 
LAMB WIRE FENCE CO. 
Adrian, Mich. 
PEACE WANTED. 
The “Tranquillity Stock Farm,” at Alamuchy, 
New Jersey, ha. It. They use only Page Fence- 
15 miles or more. We sell thl» peace maker. 
PAGE WOVEN WIRE FENCE CO., Adrian, Mich. 
DC AT THE ELEMENTS 
BELA I BY USING. 
CEDCE STEEL ROOFINC AND SIDINC. 
It is cheaper than wood and more durable. Y Ire, Wind. 
Water and Lightning Proof. Write for our FREb 
Illustrated Booklet, Prices, etc. They save you money. 
GEDGE BROS. IRON ROOFING CO. Box 19, Anderson, Ind. 
Rot-Proof Creosote Paint 
for fences, sheds, and all outbul ldings. Preserves the 
wood, looks well, wears wel 1, and costs only fifty cents 
per gallon. “Wood treated with Creosote is not sub¬ 
ject.to dry-rot or other decay .”—Century Dictionary. 
Samuel Cabot, Sole Mfr., 8i Kilby St., Boston, Mass. 
