866 
Decern oer 24 
; Ruralisms ; 
LINDER A BENZOIN. 
This is a very hardy shrub, which is 
common in most of our woods, whether 
high or low land. We rarely see it in 
collections, small or large. Why this is 
so, it is hard to say, since the plants are 
interesting in many ways. It has many 
familiar names as, for instance, Spice 
wood, Spice bush, Benjamin hush, Fever 
bush, Wild allspice. It has several botani¬ 
cal names as well, as for instance, Lau- 
rus Benzoin, Benzoin odoriferum, etc. 
It is named Benzoin because of the pecu¬ 
liarly spicy fragrance of the bark, sug¬ 
gesting that of certain resinouS sub¬ 
stances. Lindera is of two sexes— 
dioecious, as the botanists say—the male 
flowers growing on one plant, the female 
on another. If we would have, then, the 
bright red berries which follow the small 
yellow flowers which are borne in the 
Spring, the two sexes should be planted 
somewhat closely together. 
The natural habit of the shrub, which 
often grows to the height of eight feet, 
is round, fully clothed with dark-green 
leaves which grow to be from three to 
five inches long and of an obovate shape, 
that is, the wider portion is nearer the 
apex than the base. It is very easily 
propagated. 
As our old readers are aware, The R. 
N.-Y., from time to time during the last 
25 years, has employed every device to 
catch moles besides the use of traps. 
Not one of them was effective, or if 
occasionally effective, the attendant 
trouble was greater than the service 
rendered. R. S. L., of Washington, D. 
C., says that he has used concentrated 
lye with good results. He puts a small 
lump in each run. When the ground is 
a little damp, the finger will easily make 
a hole into the run through which the 
lye is dropped, a small sod being placed 
over to cover the hole. He keeps the 
lye without deliquescence after pound¬ 
ing it as finely as desired in a common 
Mason’s fruit jar. 
Cklastrus Scandkns. —This is known 
familiarly as the Wax-work and Climb¬ 
ing Bitter-sweet. It is a native vine, or, 
perhaps more properly, a climbing shrub, 
found in many parts of our country, 
twining about anything that is near 
enough for a support, and growing to a 
considerable length or height, as its sup¬ 
ports may be lateral or vertical. The 
leaves are ovate, finely serrated and 
pointed. The flowers, which appear in 
June, are borne in small racemes, and 
are of a greenish-white color. These are 
inconspicuous, but the fruits, which are 
really pods, open in the Autumn, and dis¬ 
play the scarlet covering of the seeds. 
These remain during the entire Winter. 
As a Standard, the Bitter - sweet 
makes a very interesting little tree or 
standard, and this is particularly the 
reason why we are alluding to it at this 
time. It may be readily propagated by 
the seeds or suckers. As the main stem 
grows, it should be supported by a stake, 
destroying all laterals as they appear, 
permitting growth only at the top. 
When the plant reaches the desired 
height, and the main stem is thick 
enough to support the top, the stake may 
be taken away. It will then grow into 
a round-headed little tree, which with 
the oddity of its scarlet fruit borne dur¬ 
ing the late Autumn and Winter, may 
well repay one for the trouble he has 
taken in diverting its nature. 
The Great Panicled Hydrangea may be 
treated in the same way. We first saw 
a plant of this coarse shrub 24 years ago, 
5 Send us a club of four subscriptions with 
J4; and we will advance your own sub- 
£ _ _ scription one year free. New yearly sub- 
TOl scribers to The R. N.-Y. will now get the 
a paper from the time subscription is re- 
ceived until January 1, 1900. 
THK RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
in the grounds of Andrew S. Fuller, the 
then associate editor of Moore’s Rural 
New-Yorker. Anxious as we were at 
that time to obtain a full collection of 
hardy ornamental shrubs and trees, we 
purchased several plants. In the dry, 
sandy soil of Mr. Fuller’s little farm, 
this Hydrangea amounted to little or 
nothing. The leaves drooped during the 
hot weather, and the panicles were 
small. Little was known of it at that 
time, and nurserymen had not as yet 
offered it for sale. Mr. Fuller propagated 
it by layers from old wood. Later we dis¬ 
covered that cuttings of the new wood 
would strike very readily. The plants in 
the moist soil of the Rural Grounds grew 
with great vigor, and bore immense pani¬ 
cles, for which, under favorable condi¬ 
tions, the plant has since become popular. 
While these papery, coarse panicles 
would not be valued for bouquets, they 
are very durable, lasting from August 
until hard frost; changing from greenish- 
white to pink, they are valuable for a 
distant effect in the garden landscape. 
In suitable soils, this Hydrangea makes 
such an immense growth that it is neces¬ 
sary to cut it back severely every sea¬ 
son. This does not interfere with its 
flowering at all, because the panicles are 
borne upon the shoots of the current 
season. Meanwhile, however, the main 
stem grows larger and seraggly. As a 
standard little tree, this latter defect 
may be avoided. 
December 6. —Anjou pears are now 
selling in the New York up-town stores 
for 60 cents per dozen, Anjous much 
like those we described sent to us by 
Ellwanger & Barry a week or so ago. 
They were about the same size, though 
not so well colored—not so well packed. 
There is, as we are told, no other pear 
that, at this season, brings so high a 
price. 
The price of Greening apples is 18 
cents a quart, six to a quart, and $1 a 
peck. Spitzenburgs are 50 cents a dozen 
—the highest price, the groeeryman in¬ 
formed us, that he has ever been obliged 
to ask. These are of ordinary size—the 
Greenings averaged about 10 inches in 
circumference. 
Other Seedling Potatoes. — In re¬ 
sponse to our request for the experience 
of those of our readers who have had ex¬ 
perience in raising potatoes from the 
true seed, we have several replies. Here 
is one from W. H. Graham, Aledo, Mer¬ 
cer County, Ill. The seed balls were 
picked from the Carman No. 3. The seeds 
were sown in April. When the plants 
were about two inches in height, I 
pricked them out into boxes filled with 
good soil. During the first week in June, 
when the plants were from three to four 
inches high, they were transplanted to 
the garden, where they grew vigorously 
until killed by frost during early October. 
Some of the vines were rank growers, 
measuring nearly 50 inches in length. 
Here are some of the results : One plant 
yielded five tubers, weighing 25 ounces, 
the largest tuber weighing 10 ounces. 
Another plant yielded three tubers, 
weighing 15 ounces, the largest tuber 
eight ounces. The third plant yielded 
11 tubers, the weight being 21 ounces, 
the largest tuber five ounces. A fourth 
plant yielded 19 tubers, the weight being 
27 ounces, the largest tuber five ounces. 
The fifth plant yielded 16 tubers, weigh¬ 
ing 22 ounces, the largest tuber three 
ounces. The sixth plant yielded six 
tubers, weighing 18 ounces, the largest 
tuber 5% ounces. The seventh plant 
yielded 11 tubers, weighing 17% ounces, 
the largest six ounces. Mr. Graham gives 
the yield of 11 other hills, varying as 
much as those given above. The last 
plant yielded 57 tubers, the weight of all 
being but eight ounces, the largest 
weighing only one-half ounce. 
Here is a splendid illustration of the 
way in which potatoes from the true 
seed will vary in yield. The only way, 
it seems to us, that we can determine the 
value of these seedlings is by planting 
tubers of every plant, and carefully not¬ 
ing the results until the varieties become 
established. Mr. Graham says that the 
10-ounce tuber measured 14% inches by 
the long circumference and seven inches 
by the short—the eight-ounce tuber 11 
inches by the long circumference and 7% 
inches by the short circumference. He 
says that, upon some of the plants, there 
were many aerial tubers, growing in the 
axils of the leaves, some of them two 
feet above the ground. 
Here is another report from C. E. 
Edmunds, Fredonia, N. Y., which varies 
decidedly from the report given above, 
and from that which follows, The seed 
was from the Carman No. 1. The first 
hill yielded eight tubers which weighed 
23 ounces. The second hill yielded four 
tubers which weighed 17 ounces. The 
third hill yielded only one potato which 
weighed 11 ounces. 
Here is a report from John R. Willson, 
of Shortsville, N. Y. The seed was from 
one ball which matured on the Carman 
No. 3. It was sown about the middle of 
April in the house, and the plants were 
transplanted June 10. The best hill 
yielded 37potatoes weighing26% ounces. 
(Continued on next page.) 
Good 
Digestion 
Waits on appetite, or it should do so, but 
this can be only when the stomach is in a 
healthy condition. Hood’s Sarsaparilla 
so tones and strengthens the stomach 
that it digests food easily and naturally 
and then all dyspeptic troubles vanish. 
Hood’s Sarsaparilla 
Is America’s Greatest Medicine. Price $1. 
Hood’s Pills cure Liver Ills. 25 cents. 
WANTED. 
A man to graft trees in Nursery from January 1 
to April. Address 
STUART PECAN CO., Ocean Springs, Miss. 
W A NTP n ~ ST0WKLL ’ 8 KVERGRKEN 8WEKT 
IInil I LU CORN for Seed. Growers address 
EASTON PACKING COMPANY, Easton, Md. 
Pntatn ^ arm (Smith’s) grows Sir Walter Raleigh, 
l U Id lU Irish Cobbler and others, catalogued by best 
Seedsmen. Circular. 8. J. SMITH, Manchester, N. Y. 
E very successful 
farmer who raises fruits, 
vegetables, berries or 
grain, knows by experience 
the importance of having a 
large percentage of 
Potash 
in his fertilizers. If the fer¬ 
tilizer is too low in Potash the 
harvest is sure to be small, and 
of inferior quality. 
Our books tell about the proper fertilizers 
for all crops, and we will gladly send them 
free to any farmer. 
QERHAN KALI WORKS, 
93 Nassau St., New York. 
WE’LL BUY OR SELL 
TIMOTHY, CLOVER, ALSIKE 
SEEDS 
SEND SAMPLES FOR OUR BIDS. 
New methods of cleaning enable us to save all the good 
seeds and remove all the weed seeds. We can therefore 
pay fair price* for seeds—every quality—and can seU 
clean *eed* at close, prices. Booklet Seed Sense free. 
THE WHITNEY-N0YES SEED CO., BUFFALO, N. Y. 
1,000 
Ridgeway 8trawberry Pits for $2.50. Crders 
booked now. T. C. Kevitt, Athenia, N. J. 
nr i nil TREES, 3c. All kinds of stock CHEAP. 
ILAuII Reliance Nursery, Box 10, Geneva.N.Y 
Our Descriptive and Illustrated Catalogue 
of Fruit Bearing Fruit Trees and Plants mailed 
FREE. W. M. PKTHSR8’ SONS, Wesley, Md. 
Grape Vines 
Low prtfF*. 
Small 
Fruits 
Old and New 
Varieties. 
- ,- Descriptive lint free. 
Extra fine stock CURRANTS. Gooseberries, 
CAMPBELL'S EARLY Grape. Quality extra. 
Warranted true. T. 8. ULltUARO CO., Frcdoula, N.Y. 
-SI 
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w Wz 
Ism 
ftl 
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w 
A DOZEN or 
A MILLION. 
Strawberry plants by the dozen or million. 
Ninety acres In plant bed*. The 
largest Strawberry Nursery In the world. 
My present stock cannot be surpassed for 
health and vigor. 
# grow everything I sell. 
I do not buy and sell. A trial order will 
convince you. Illustrated and descriptive 
CATALOGUE FREE. 
W. F. ALLEN, JR., 
liitjc 44 Soli Mbit ry,yi<l. 
11 
TRCCS 
FRUIT AND ORNAMENTAL. Small Fruits, Grapes, Shrubs, Climbers, 
It user, Evergreens, Hardy Plants, Pieonies. Largest and choicest col¬ 
lections in America. Rest Novelties. Descriptive Illustrated Catalogue free. 
ELLWANGER & BARRY, *“»■* Ho P* Sormrle* ROCHESTER, N. Y. Fifty-ninth Y»»r. 
- BUSINESS TREES”ROGERS, Dansville, N. Y. 
Nurseryman to The Business Farmer. 
850,000 Peach, 160,000 Plum, 3.60,000 Pear, 75,000 Cherry, 150,000 
Apple, Quince, Apricot, Mulberry, etc., 60,000 Nut Bearing Tree., 
a,000,000 Small Fruit., 1,000,000 Kanes. Headquarters for 
ORNAMENTAL TREE8 AND SHRUBS. 44| 
. with choloo Keses, Plasts, Arasmrtas, Flews, 
Oerrsetoedsnoe solicited. Catalogue and trios Mat free. 
HARRISON CO., B«X BS 
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8TORRS 
PAINE8VILLE, OHIO. 
JADOO FIBRE *»» 
JADOO LIQUID 
ARE INVALUABLE TO THE GROWERS OF 
Vegetables, Fruit, Plants »r Flowers 
SEND FO R CATALOGUE AND PRICES. 
For Sale by all prominent Seedsmen, and by 
Remember tbat Bowker’s Animal 
Meal is sold only in yellow bags and 
yellow packages. The original; richest 
in protein.— Adv. 
THE AMERICAN JADOO COMPANY, 
815 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa. 
