1896 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
3o3 
The Garden. 
Treatment of Oxa/is. 
E. V. H. 6., Orange County, N. Y. —I have a pot 
of Oxalis that has bloomed finely all Winter. 
What treatment should it receive during the 
Summer, in order to preserve it for blooming an¬ 
other Winter ? 
Ans. —Dry off the tubers when flower¬ 
ing is over, and allow them to rest all 
Summer. The roots may be left in the 
pots, stored in any dry place, much as 
one would treat Callas. About the be¬ 
ginning of September, repot the rbots, 
begin to give water, and they will soon 
start into growth. 
Chestnut for Greenhouse Sash-bars. 
C. W. Z., Erie, Pa. —Would first-quality chest¬ 
nut serve for greenhouse sash-bars as well as 
pine ? 
Ans. —Chestnut is not desirable for 
greenhouse construction. It is heavy, 
inclined to be brittle, does not take paint 
so well as pine, and is very often dam¬ 
aged by worm holes. The best timber 
for rafters and sash-bars is clear cypress, 
but White and Yellow pine, free from 
sap, are very largely used, and give 
good satisfaction. The cypress is es¬ 
pecially suitable for a place that is warm 
and damp, such as a fern or orchid 
house, but in any ordinary greenhouse, 
the pine will be quite satisfactory. 
Osage Orange or Honey Locust for 
Hedge. 
0. II. P., Paseaic County, N.J. —Is Osage orange 
perfectly hardy so far north as this ? If so, do 
you consider it more desirable for a fruit hedge 
than Honey locust ? l)o the seeds of either of 
the above require any special treatment, and 
when should they be sown 1 
Ans. —The Osage orange is perfectly 
hardy, even where the Winters are more 
severe than in northern New Jersey. It 
is more desirable for a hedge than the 
Honey locust, because the locust is so 
subject to the attacks of borers. Seeds 
of both should be soaked in hot water 
for several days before sowing. Sow in 
rows in the Spring, covering with one- 
quarter inch of soil, and cultivate the 
young seedlings like any garden crop. It 
would hardly seem worth taking the 
trouble to grow these shrubs from seed, 
when two-year-old plants of either the 
Honey locust or Osage orange may be 
bought for $1.50 per 100, or $6 per 1,000. 
Ailing Roses Under Glass. 
Pierce, Philadelphia, Pa. —I send you samples 
of both the soil in which they grow, and shoots 
of American Beauty and Bridesmaid roses, wish¬ 
ing to know what causes the sickly yellow tint 
of the foliage. I have been very nmch interested 
in your articles on soil and fertilizers. We have 
grown these roses during the Winter, and have 
produced excellent buds—night temperature, 60 
degrees F.—and during that time have been kept 
rather on the dry side. As the days began to 
lengthen, the plants naturally required more 
water, and it appears to us that our soil con¬ 
tains something that is made soluble by water, 
which brings about this condition. If this is the 
fact, what can we use to overcome this, or in 
other words, what does the soil lack to make it 
complete ? Fertilizers used for mulch are cow 
manure lightly, bone, and wood ashes. 
Ans. — Investigation of the leaves, 
branches and roots received shows that 
the roots are, apparently, free of disease, 
but bear evidence of being over-fed, i. e., 
too much manure, either in the compost 
or as mulch. This, in conjunction with 
over-watering in dull, cloudy weather, 
would cause the leaves to assume the 
yellow color. The soil being quite heavy, 
would be very retentive of moisture, 
hence it requires more care in watering 
than a lighter soil would. The addition 
of nearly one-third of coarse sand, will 
be a great improvement to such soil, and 
probably, remedy this trouble for future 
planting. In addition to the sand, more 
care should be used in watering, par¬ 
ticularly in very cloudy weather. The 
soil in which the plants are growing 
should be allowed to become somewhat 
on the dry side before giving it any 
more. This opinion is borne out by the 
fact that the trouble did not appear 
until there was an increase in the water 
given. A free circulation of air is, also, 
necessary for several hours each day 
when possible, and an average night 
temperature of not over 58 degrees, with 
a rise of six or eight degrees by day in 
dull weather. On bright, sunny days, 
the temperature may be allowed to run 
up to 75 or 78 degrees, with an abund¬ 
ance of air on. 
In the present instance, if the new 
growth continue to show the same yellow 
color, a sprinkling of thoroughly air- 
slaked lime all over the surface of the 
soil, which will gradually get washed in 
with each watering, will be of benefit, 
together with the above hints as to 
water, air, etc. In the cultivation of 
all plants, it should be remembered that 
the roots need some air, as well as the 
leaves, and with such a soil as these 
roses are growing in, which will pack 
very closely, it is hardly possible for air 
to get at the roots at any time. 
Diseased Palms. 
C. K., Marquette, Mich. —The leaves of our palms 
(Latania Borbonica, Washingtonia filifera) are 
turning brown at the tips. What can we do to 
restore them to health and vigor ? 
Ans. —The palms are suffering from 
leaf blight, which often affects plants 
of this class; it may be induced by a 
check to growth, or by any defects in 
treatment which weaken the plant. Cut 
off the affected tips ; a slight spraying 
with Bordeaux Mixture may prevent 
the trouble from spreading, though, 
so far, we have no certain remedy for it. 
Both the Latania and the Washingtonia 
are quite hardy, and will stand more 
cold than the other palms ordinarily 
grown in the house, but if they have 
been over-watered during the Winter, 
they are quite likely to develop leaf 
blight, as a result of the injury to their 
roots. If they appear to need repot¬ 
ting, do it now and, as soon as settled 
warm weather is here, put the palms 
outside, leaving them out all Summer. 
Put them under a tree or in some such 
place, where they will be partially, but 
not heavily, shaded. If they make a 
good growth during the Summer, they 
ought to be sufficiently robust to escape 
any tendency to the blight next Winter. 
After syringing or washing palms in the 
house, do not leave water to drip down 
and hang upon the tips of the leaves; 
it is suggested that this may distribute 
the germs or spores of blight. 
Seasonable Rotes. 
Phlox, Peonies, and similar herbaceous 
plants may still be lifted, divided and 
replanted ; they will soon take hold of 
the soil in fresh situations. A digging 
fork will be found better than a spade 
for working around these borders. Care 
must be taken in digging these borders, 
that late-starting plants are not injured. 
For this reason, it is always well to put 
a stake by such plants in the Fall. When 
going over the herbaceous border, many 
little seedlings, self-sown, will be found ; 
these should be transplanted, either to 
their permanent situation, or to nursery 
beds, where they may be held in reserve, 
for the purpose of filling gaps in the 
garden borders. 
Some of the hardier plants which have 
been started under glass may be planted 
out now; this would include pansies, 
English daisies, Marguerite carnations, 
Scabios, Gaillardias, and Chinese pinks. 
Of course, they should be well hardened 
by abundant ventilation before they are 
set out. Pansies and double English 
daisies, white, pink and crimson, are al¬ 
ways the first plants set out around New 
York ; the vases and window boxes in 
front of high-class hotels and restaur¬ 
ants, which have been filled with dwarf 
evergreens all Winter, display these 
hardy little flowers in earliest Spring, to 
be followed by an arrangement of Sum¬ 
mer plants when the Spring flowers 
begin to dwindle away. 
The hardier annuals may all be sown 
now in the open border, if the soil is in 
good condition. Do not sow anything 
while the earth is so wet as to be pasty ; 
it should be mellow and friable. Among 
the plants to be sown in this way are 
Alyssum, Candytuft, California poppy, 
Everlastings, Coreopsis, Cypress vine, 
Mignonette, poppies, Portulaca. It will 
be wiser to defer the sowing of more 
tender plants until what would be con¬ 
sidered good corn-planting weather. This 
would include Asters, French marigolds, 
Zinnias, balsams, and Marvel of Peru. 
These would better be lifted and trans¬ 
planted, rather than be sown in the 
position they are to occupy permanently. 
They may, however, be sown in a frame 
two to three weeks earlier than in the 
border. 
If the Canna and Dahlia tubers are 
not already put in the hotbed, they 
should be looked over and started. Re¬ 
move any decayed portions, and divide 
the roots before starting. One of the 
Dahlia specialists advises that the tuber 
be laid upon its side for starting, as in 
that position, it appears to start from 
more eyes. In dividing the Dahlias, do 
not separate a “ blind ” tuber (one de¬ 
void of eyes) with the impression that it 
will make any growth ; it will not start, 
any more than an eyeless piece of potato 
“ seed ”. The Dahlias will bloom the 
better for being divided ; the large 
clump is not likely to bloom so well as 
divided roots, or plants from cuttings. 
The Dahlias may be put out early in 
May, but the Cannas should not go out 
quite so early. Single Dahlias may be 
raised from seed ; they will bloom' the 
first year and are very showy. 
Pot Marigolds (Calendula), Cockscomb, 
Cobaea, Coleus, Cosmos, Morning-glories 
in variety. Lobelias, Maurandya, Nas¬ 
turtiums, Petunias, Drummond’s Phlox. 
Castor beans and Verbenas may all be 
sown in the hotbed or greenhouse, with 
the intention of planting out later. 
Canna and Caladium roots should be 
growing, but it is yet far too early to 
think of putting them out. 
Chrysanthemums which have been 
kept in the cellar may be brought up, 
divided, and planted out. Either shoots 
or suckers will make good cuttings, 
which will root quite easily now. 
Hydrangeas, that are coming into 
bloom, will need abundant food ; they 
should have liquid manure once or twice 
a week, or the foliage will lose its deep, 
bright green. A top-dressing of half- 
rotted cow manure is sometimes used in 
place of the liquid, but this is unsightly 
and offensive. These big plants must 
have plenty of room. If crowded, the 
lower leaves turn yellow and drop. 
Tuberose bulbs, which were started in¬ 
doors, maybe potted singly (a four-inch 
pot is a good size) and plunged in the 
hotbed, where they grow along rapidly. 
Plants that are expected to go outside as 
soon as weather permits, should not be 
closely shaded, or they will be injured 
by the sun. They should also be hard¬ 
ened by abundant ventilation. 
Corn 
responds readily to proper fer¬ 
tilization. 
Larger crops, fuller ears and 
larger grain are sure to result 
from a liberal use of fertilizers 
containing at least 7% actual 
Potash 
Oar books are free to farmers. 
GERMAN KALI WORKS, 
93 Nassau St., New York. 
Profits 
of Farming 
Gardening and Fruit Culture 
depend upon Good Crops and 
they in turn upon Good Fer¬ 
tilizers. The uniformly best 
fertilizer for all Crops and all 
soils is made by 
THE CLEVELAND DRYER CO., 
CLEVELAND, O. 
Material* supplied for "Home Mixing .” 
$20 PHOSPHATE FOR POTATOES AND CORN 
Sold to farmers direct. We have no agents. Send 
for Circular. Low prices tor car-load lots. 
YORK CHEMICAL WORKS, YORK, PA. 
Fertilizers 
—Highest Grades at lowest prices. 
HUBBARD & CO., Baltimore, Md 
»I7 l’ER TON. 
I 3 to 4jC Am. 
Guarantees 8 to Potash. 
I y t to p. a. 
A Fertilizer and Insecticide 
Combined. 
H. A. STOOTHOFF. 
315 Madison Ave.. New York 
No sense in doing without 
Macbeth lamp-chimneys ; but 
get the right chimney. The 
Index tells. 
There’s money in it. 
Write Macbeth Pittsburgh Pa 
Agents 
Wanted. 
A Twtlvt- 
year-old Boy 
can do more am* bette- work with 
this Hand Cultivator than three men oau do 
with common hoes. If you can't get tfco 
Hand Oultivator 
of your dealer, aend 70 eenu for •ampio, 
Farmer.' Handy Tool Ciroular mailed free. 
LURCH HKU. CO., 80 Hirer St., Koek Falla, 111. 
High-Grade BONE FERTILIZERS are best, most per¬ 
manent and cheapest. Our goocis are especially adapted to 
spring crops. Special brands for potatoes, corn and oats, 
supplying plant food available for immediate use, and leaving 
something for future grass crops. None better or cheaper. 
I. P. THOMAS & SOH GO., Vfitfk&iWSlg fcV- 
The Profits of Farming 
Depend upon the Fertilizer used. Pocket memoranda book 
free, together with circulars and analysis of the Fertilizers 
made by this Company. Not the cheapest but the best at 
reasonable prices. Write us a card. 
POTATOES^ 
TRUCK 
CORN 
OATS j 
THE WESTERN UNION CHEMICAL COMPANY, CLEVELAND, 0. 
WE SELL DIRECT TO FARMERS. 
Farmers bf Wise, Deal with Us and Save 40 per ot. on vour Fcrtiuzcrs. 
you Save Salesman’s Expenses and Agent's Profit. 
Analysis. Flioa. Acid, Ammonia, Aotnal Potash, 
Per cent. Per oent. Per cent. 
22 to 20 
9 to 10 
8 to 10 
9 to 10 
9 to 10 
11 to 12 
13 to 15 
Pare Raw Bone Meal 
Pour Fold Bertlllzer 
Smoky City “ 
Big Bonanza " 
Potato Special “ 
Tobacco Special “ 
Bone and Meat 
Per cent. 
4 to 5 
2 to 3 
lP 2> 
S' to 4 
4 toO 
For samples and pamphlet, write WALKER STRATMAN Si CO. 
Saa.oo per ton 
x6.oo " 
15.00 •* 
ao.oo M 
83.00 M 
SI. OO " 
18.00 “ 
Herr’s Island, Pittsburg. Pa. 
2 to 3 
iK to 2 y t 
4 to 5 
6 to 7 
4 to 0 
