1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
rural England, but both were so much 
stronger than homebrewed beer that 
they were rarely indulged in except at 
Christmas junketings and harvest feasts. 
On the Wing. 
GLASS GARDENING IN THE BAY STATE 
RHUBARB OUTSIDE AND UNDER GRASS ; 
MORE ABOUT HYDROCYANIC ACID. 
( Continued .) 
[EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.] 
Rhubarb Forcing. —We have had sev¬ 
eral references, lately, to the Winter 
forcing of rhubarb in cellars, greenhouse 
sheds, etc.; in fact, anywhere where a 
mild temperature could be given, to¬ 
gether with absence of light. A corre¬ 
spondent in Michigan gave his experi¬ 
ence to The R. N.-Y., showing that such 
a crop is highly remunerative with him. 
Other correspondents in the Middle 
West stated that such a crop would pay 
well with them, there being a large and 
imperfectly-satisfied demand for the 
acid stalks during Winter and Spring. 
One would infer from this that the same 
conditions would exist in the eastern 
States, but this inference does not appear 
to be justified. 
The Hungry Rhubarb Patch. —One 
of the first rhubarb growers I met was 
Seth L. Low, whose well-tilled farm is 
within a stone’s throw of Dr. Fisher's, 
W. Proctor’s and R. Haslam’s, the two 
last named being chiefly engaged in 
growing lettuce and cucumbers. Mr. 
Low has three-fourths acre of rhubarb 
from which, he tells me, he has marketed 
12 tons of the stalks in a season. I asked 
him how he obtained his big crops, and 
he told me it was purely a matter of 
feeding. Rhubarb is always hungry, and 
it must be fed with good stable manure, 
and plenty of it. A deep, rich soil is 
needed to produce the heavy, juicy 
stalks that the market demands, and it 
appears impossible to manure the rhu¬ 
barb patch too heavily. 
Varieties Grown. —Mr. Low grows 
two well-known varieties of rhubarb, 
Linnaeus and Victoria. Linnaeus is the 
first to come in, and it continues to give 
a succession of maturing stalks, thus ex¬ 
tending the crop. The Victoria is a little 
later than Linnaeus, and its crop comes 
all at once, so that it is, practically, all 
marketed at one plucking. Both of these 
varieties have handsome, red-shaded 
stalks, which make a fine appearance in 
the bunch. The market does not desire 
a green rhubarb. For this reason, the 
Mammoth, which Mr. Low described as 
the tenderest and most richly-flavored 
rhubarb he has tested, will not sell. It 
is a heavy yielder, with enormous stalks, 
and those who have tried it freely 
acknowledge its excellence; but the stalk 
is a uniform green, without any rosy 
tinge, and buyers do not select it in con¬ 
sequence of this defect. 
Planting. —Linnaeus is such a strong 
grower that it is planted wider apart 
than Victoria, being set about 5x5 feet. 
Victoria is set two to three feet apart in 
the row, the rows four to five feet apart. 
The first gathering is in the latter part 
of April or beginning of May, according 
to the season, and the crop continues 
until about July 1, after which it is un¬ 
profitable. Little attention is paid to 
the flowering stalks ; any such stalks met 
in plucking may be broken down, but 
after marketing is over, little attention 
is paid to the rhubarb during the growing 
season. Indeed, it makes such a thicket 
of broad leaves that it would be quite 
laborious to clamber through it. In the 
early Winter, when the ground is frozen 
enough to bear a wagon without cutting 
through, a heavy dressing of stable ma¬ 
nure is applied. 
Forcing Rhubarb. —I asked Mr. Low 
his opinion on forcing rhubarb in the 
MOTHERS.—Be sure to use“Mrs. Wins¬ 
low’s Soothing Syrup ” for your children 
while Teething. It is the Best.— Adv. 
855 
manner described by our western cor¬ 
respondents. He considered that, in the 
Boston market, this would not pay at 
all. The price of early or forced rhubarb 
is never high there, and the labor and 
expense of lifting the roots, freezing 
them and stowing them inside would cut 
off any profit. Mr. Low does not now 
use any artificial means to hurry his 
rhubarb along, though favorable aspect 
makes his crop mature in good season. 
The rhubarb is all sold by the pound, 
and he does not consider that the slight 
advance in price obtained by the under¬ 
glass rhubarb pays him, as he is situated. 
Glass-Roofed Rhubarb. —When at W. 
W. Rawson’s place, at Arlington, I made 
inquiries about forced rhubarb, also. 
Mr. Low’s opinion was corroborated as 
to the lifted rhubarb for forcing, their 
plan being to put a glass roof over the 
entire crop. This sounds more trouble¬ 
some than it really is. The process is 
simply that of erecting a roughly-con¬ 
structed house over the bed. A board 
wall is set up, about five feet high in the 
back, and another wall about four feet 
high in the front. Sashes, supported by 
scantlings, roof the space, and the ends 
are boarded up. This covering is put 
over the rhubarb in February, or the 
beginning of March, according to the 
season. No heat is given artificially, 
but the structure conserves the sun’s 
rays, and the increased temperature soon 
causes the rhubarb to start. Beds treated 
in this way should not be under three 
years old, to get the best results, and it 
would not be wise to use the glass cover¬ 
ing over the bed two seasons in succes¬ 
sion. This plan is much less wasteful, 
as far as plant vitality is concerned, 
than the lifting of the roots. 
Propagating the Rhubarb. —The rhu¬ 
barb is generally propagated by division 
of the thick, fleshy roots, which grow to 
a large size in old beds. It is necessary, 
in dividing, that each piece of root 
planted should have a bud. Roots may 
be taken from plants three or four years 
old, without injury. When reproduced 
from seed, the seed may be sown in 
drills, in April, where the plants are to 
remain, but must be thinned out after¬ 
wards. Division is, however, the favor¬ 
ite mode of increasing rhubarb, with the 
market gardeners. Although the cul¬ 
tural work of this crop, after it is once 
Hy'drocyanic Acid Again. —In dis¬ 
cussing Dr. Fisher’s use of hydrocyanic 
acid, two weeks ago, I quoted Dr. 
Kitchen’s observations on the danger of 
the substance, because it appears only 
right to remind the rank and file, who 
may possess very little chemical knowl¬ 
edge, that the cyanide is not to be han¬ 
dled recklessly. The special point in 
Dr. Fisher’s mode of usage consists, how¬ 
ever, in a greater dilution than has been 
tried by other experimenters, thus re¬ 
ducing the danger in a marked degree. 
Says Dr. Fisher, in American Gardening, 
responding to Dr. Kitchen’s strictures : 
All the assertions In regard to the extreme 
danger In the handling of this insecticide have 
beeD based on the strength that has been pre¬ 
scribed in its use. Many other poisonous sub¬ 
stances would be equally dangerous under simi¬ 
lar conditions, if sufficiently concentrated. Even 
that almost universally used substance, tobacco, 
contains nicotin, said to be one of the most viru¬ 
lent poisons known. Alcohol is surely fatal, 
either in a few hours or years, according to the 
strength of the dose or doses, yet it is constantly 
fooled with. I have repeatedly used hydrocyanic 
acid, one ounce of the cyanide of potassium to 
1,000 cubic feet of space, and though I have taken 
no special means to avoid it, I have never yet de¬ 
tected its characteristic odor while manipulating 
the ingredients, or in the morning after its use. 
Not long ago, one ounce to 2,000 feet was em¬ 
ployed, and two young rats were placed in a cage 
where they could be watched from the outside of 
the house. For half an hour, they manifested a 
slight uneasiness, perhaps in consequence of 
breathing the “slight peach-pit-lilce flavor,” but 
the next morning they were as lively as such 
rodents usually are. 
Dr. Fisher’s plan of using the lesser 
quantity of the chemical has proved so 
satisfactory with him, that it is worth 
the attention of other experimenters in 
the same line. e. t. r. 
(To be continued.) 
B *, M. 
m <* 0 . 
your advantage 
comes first here 
May seem strangely new to have a Dry Goods 
store place your interest before its own—but it’s 
so here—and because it’s done that way we’ve 
developed on merit one of the largest mail order 
businesses in America—sell probably more Silks 
and Dress Goods, from Maine to California, than 
any other Dry Goods concern—do so by making 
it pay people to buy here. 
Profits are not reckoned by the most money— 
highest price—we can get out of one sale. But 
choice goods at the least prices equal kinds are 
sold for anywhere—and by that method we sell 
to more people — more people save — and we 
make just as much. We’d rather make five cents 
a yard from two sales than ten cents a yard from 
one. 
With such an immense outlet for choice styles, 
and such buying opportunities as are ours, large 
assortments of choice goods are not only a 
feature, but a necessity. 
> OOOOOOOOOCXJOOOCXXXXXXXXXXl 
WE PAY THE FREIGHT. 
This Couch, freight paid, 89-75. 
The above COUCfl in covered with the best tmported 
' Velour orCorduroy. The entire top ii deeply tufted end 
’ onti o Ooueh fringed. Ithna the finest springs, nprinpr 
I edires, and wo prepay freiirht to t il points Kn»t of the 
I Mississippi River—points Weston an equal basis. Or 
I dors filled promptly. 
Do you want to mako your house a 
home? If so, write for our general ca(a- J 
logueof Furniture, Crockery. Silverware, J 
Sowing Machines, Clocks, Mirrors, Baby 
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Wo publish a n exquisite 
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We sow Carpets free, furnish 
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pay freight on all Carpets,! 
Rugs and Curtains. Do you 
think wo would spend $100,000 
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Why pay the retailer’s profits /Up tfl Si I 
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Dept 330 BALTIMORE, HD. 
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Carpets, 
HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS GIFTS. 
Book of Instructions for Art and Fancy 
Work Sent Free. 
It Is remarkable how much can be done in the way 
of homemade Christmas presents at a small expense, 
with the aid of Diamond Dyes. In “ Fancy Work and 
Art Decorations,” by Mrs. Daggett, Editor of The 
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been made by using Diamond Dyes. Complete in¬ 
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This liberal oiler is made to advertise the reliable 
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established, does not seem very exacting, 
the harvesting of the crop is laborious, 
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drop in prices. 
For 
Breakfast, 
wheatlet 
siii 
is preferable to 
oatmeal because 
Wheatlet is rich 
in gluten. Oat¬ 
meal is starchy. 
Many people 
cannot eat Oat¬ 
meal. Anyone 
can eat Wheatlet. 
TRY IT. 
If your grocer does not keep It, send us 
his name and your order—wo will see 
that you are supplied. 
There is but one Wheatlet; 
avoid tho “just as good.”J 
Booklet mailed free. 
Made only by the 
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Lockport, N. Y. 
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Get samples of Dress Goods, 25c., 35c., 50c., ?5c., 
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