22 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
January 9 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
Stokekta Cyanea. —The introduction 
to general cultivation of this handsome 
aster-like flower is very timely in view 
of the increasing difficulty of growing 
annual asters. The yellow disease of 
China asters is so prevalent that only a 
small per cent of the plants now grown 
produce good blooms. Unless a prac¬ 
tical remedy is soon found these highly 
ornamental and wonderfully developed 
Summer flowers will largely go out of 
cultivation. Stokesia is a native plant, 
so far resistant to the diseases troubling 
Callistephus or the China aster and has 
the additional advantage of being a 
hardy perennial so that a planting 
should give bloom from July until frost 
for several years. 
Long Known, Little Cultivated.— 
Though known since 1766 Stokesia or 
Stokes’s aster has been very little grown 
in this country though more popular 
abroad. It is native to South Carolina 
and was supposed to be little more 
than half-hardy, but has been found to 
endure the Winters well in light soil as 
far north as Rochester, N. Y. It has 
been long offered by a few dealers but 
was first prominently brought forward 
last Spring by Henry A. Dreer, Inc., 
Philadelphia, Pa. This progressive nur¬ 
sery worked up a good stock of a partic¬ 
ularly large-flowered, early-blooming 
strain of seedlings and have widely dis¬ 
seminated them. The Rural Grounds’ 
plant commenced to flower July 19 and 
opened 16 blooms running from 2 V 2 to 
nearly four inches across. The color is 
bright purple blue. Some flowers have 
a reddish tinge and a few good white 
ones have appeared where grown in 
numbers, so it is quite likely the color 
range may in time become as extensive 
as among China asters. There is as yet 
little sign of doubling but in common 
with most flowers of the great family of 
Compositae under cultivation the ray 
florets are likely to increase in numbers 
until they cover the disk. Wild flowers 
of Stokes’s aster are seldom more than 
an inch across and are borne in a scat¬ 
tering manner on short stems. Under 
cultivation good specimens have eight 
or nine blooms in a cluster on stems of 
good length for cutting. The Stokesia 
is of easy culture, liking a sunny situa¬ 
tion best and should be planted where it 
is not likely to be covered with water or 
ice in Winter, though it is often found in 
nature in wet places. It is easily grown 
from seeds and flowers the first season 
if started early, though the best effect 
is not had until the second and succeed¬ 
ing years. Plants are offered at 25 cents 
each. 
Poon Russian Cherries. —Bulletin 73, 
Iowa Experiment Station, Ames, la., is a 
carefully written and interesting sum¬ 
mary, covering 98 pages, of the behavior 
of the Russian cherry varieties imported 
in 1883 under the direction of Prof. J. L. 
Budd. The cherries ordinarily grown in 
the East are not sufficiently hardy in 
Iowa, especially in the northern third of 
that State. It was hoped t’hose brought 
from the colder parts of Russia would 
prove more suitable for the boreal con¬ 
ditions prevailing on the northern prai¬ 
ries. So far as hardiness of the tree is 
concerned many of the Russians are all 
that is needed, but the best ones are un¬ 
fortunately even more tender in bud 
than early Richmond or Montmorency, 
the most widely planted familiar varie¬ 
ties, and are therefore generally unpro¬ 
ductive. They are more subject to dis¬ 
ease than the kinds usually planted that 
have by selection and acclimatization 
become immune to some degree, but 
seedlings intercrossed with standard va¬ 
rieties show great improvement and 
there may yet result varieties having in 
a reasonable degree all the qualities de¬ 
sired. This is the usual result of whole¬ 
sale attempts at naturalization of useful 
plants in widely separated localities. Out 
of apparent failure much good in time 
is likely to be evolved. The most pa¬ 
thetic incident in American horticulture 
is probably the determined effort, ex¬ 
tending over three-quarters of a cen¬ 
tury, to naturalize the European grape 
in eastern North America. Fortunes 
were sunk in the endeavor, lives wasted 
and hearts made sick with hope de¬ 
ferred. Absolute failure was the final 
result in every attempt. Pure Vinifera 
grapes will not long endure the condi¬ 
tions prevailing in the Atlantic and Mid¬ 
dle'States, only thriving near the Pacific 
and Gulf coasts, but many of our finest 
native varieties show unmistakable 
traces of more or less remote hybridiza¬ 
tion with the European species. The 
most promising of late seedlings are di 
lute Viniferas, largely having Rogers’ 
and other well-known hybrids for par¬ 
ents on one side. When dealing with 
pure natives we get vigor and produc¬ 
tiveness while the influence of the Old 
World type makes for quality. The Rus¬ 
sian apples and North China peaches 
contribute hardiness to their progeny as 
grown in this country, though few of 
them in their primitive state are high in 
quality. The Russian cherries may yet 
be an important factor in developing 
this acceptable fruit in the Northwest. 
Rural Grounds’ Novelties. —Will¬ 
iam Falconer, formerly editor of Gar¬ 
dening, now superintendent of Pittsburg 
parks, one of the first authorities on 
hardy plants, has a good word to say for 
Philadelphia Rambler in the Florists’ 
Exchange December 19: 
My faith in this bright crimson cluster 
rose is so great that last Summer I or¬ 
dered, and now have, 100 two-year-old 
plants, and they are fine plants for outdoor 
planting alone. 
The earth does not possess, probably, 
a meritorious hardy rose that Mr. Fal¬ 
coner is not thoroughly acquainted with, 
hence we regard his endorsement as high 
praise. 
Gladiolus princeps, exhibited by A. F, 
Estabrook, was honored with a first- 
class certificate of merit at Horticultural 
Hall, Boston, Mass., on August 15, 1903. 
London, New York and Boston horticul¬ 
tural societies have all awarded Princeps 
high honors in successive years. The 
Garden, London, England, October 3, 
has the following account of the beha¬ 
vior of Princeps overseas: 
This splendid Gladiolus has been for 
■some weeks a glorious sight. Well-grown 
flowers are fully six inches in diameter, 
and their color—a glowing scarlet—renders 
them remarkably striking in the garden. 
Strong spikes will reach a height of five 
feet, and carry 18 to 20 flowers. They are 
produced in succession, not more than two 
being usually expanded at the same time, 
so that the spike retains its decorative 
qualities a month or more. This hybrid, 
the result of a cross between G. cruentus 
and G. Childsii, was first offered to the 
public at one pound sterling ($4.86) per 
corm. As it is, however, perfectly hardy, 
and reproduces itself freely by means of 
offsets, it has already fallen to less than 
a fifth of that price, and should in the near 
future become sufficiently cheap to obtain 
an entry into the majority of gardens, 
■which will gain enormously by its introduc¬ 
tion. It appears to succeed equally well 
in soils of very dissimilar character. 
No one can predict the final outcome 
of plant-breeding experiments. New va¬ 
rieties of the greatest local promise may 
prove of little value away from home, 
others become acquisitions of world¬ 
wide interest. We are much pleased with 
the behavior of the new plants above 
mentioned under diverse conditions. 
WHY MOTHERS 
WORRY 
Did you ever hear a mother 
worry over a plump child? 
There is no better bank of 
health for a child to draw 
from than a good supply of 
healthy flesh. 
Scott's Emulsion not only 
gives a child weight and 
plumpness, but it feeds the 
brain, bones and nerves with 
strength and active power. 
Fewer mothers would 
worry if they knew more 
about Scott’s Emulsion. 
We’ll send you a sample free upon request. 
SCOTT & BOWNE, 409 Pearl Street, New York. 
YOV LOSE 
YOVR TEMPER 
with a badaxe, butyou don’t 
draw temper while you irrind 
eitrlit times as fast as emery 
wheels on the electric dia¬ 
mond stone, Carborundum, 
making 4,001 revolutions a 
minute with the 
Bi-Pedal Sickle 
and Tool Grinder. 
For Sickles, Edge Tools, Saw 
GuminerandPolishingMachine, 
4 in one. Special to Farmers. 
$34 worth of machinery for 
98.60. Ten Days Free Trial. 
Return At our ex pen Be if notuatiBfled. Ask 
for beautifulfreo pamplo of carborundum 
and booklet. Agents Wanted* 
F» Luther Bros. Company, 
Penn St., N. Milwaukee, WIs. 
WAITED. 
To send to every town sample of the 
r new"Kant-Klog” Sprayer. First 
applicant gets wholesale prices and 
agency. Big money made with sprayers 
during winter. Full particulars free. 
Address, Rochester Spray Pump Co., 
It* East Avb., Rochester, N.Y. 
rCIENTIFIC GRINDING MILLS grind Corn 
t in the ear, or Grain in any form. Strong, exact, 
reliable. Catalogue D mailed free. 
FOOS MFG. CO., Springfield, Ohio. 
STEVENS 
FREE 
Please let us send you 
our book telling about 
the ‘ * Stevens ’ ’ -— handsomely 
illustrated, hints on target shoot¬ 
ing, hunting, canoeing, etc. 
J. STEVENS ARMS AND TOOL CO. 
APUZZLEmailed I 76 ,\I a t n Street 
for two 2c. stamps. | Chicopee Falls, Mass. 
Vegetables 
to bring good prices must have 
both size 
andqual- 
ity. 
Even 
good soil 
is made 
better by 
the use 
of a fer- 
tilizer 
rich in 
Potash 
We will send our books, giving full infor¬ 
mation about the subject, to any farmer who 
writes for them. 
GERHAN KALI WORKS, 
93 Nassau St., New York. 
ake the Farm Pay 
wr*. There’* money In * 
farming: if you under¬ 
stand modern methods 
and farm inteligently as 
taught by our correspond¬ 
ence course in 
Modem 
Agriculture. 
Under Prof. W111. P. 
Brooks, Fh. D., of 
Treats of soils, tillage, 
J f.poultry- 
er Prof. 
—.»V,, U. VV.WU UIIKSIMII, auu Agricultural 
Bacteriology underProf. Conn, of Wesleyan. 
Full Commercial, Normal and Academic de-, 
partments. Tuitionnominal. Text books free to our ‘ 
students. Catalogue and particulars free. Write to-dav. 
THE HOME CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL, 
18 y Springfield, Mass, 
Mass. Agricultural College. 
SPRAY'JUT 
PERFECT AGITATORS with Automatic Brush I 
for cleaning strainer. No leather or rubber valves. All styles of Spray I 
Pumps. Book free. “No swindled feeling If you use our pumps. ” 
riold Force Pump Co. 2 11th St. Elmira, N. 
Measured By Years 
KENDALL'S SPAVIN CURE has been found to be 
the best for Spavins, Ringbones, Curbs, Splints and 
all forms of Lameness. 
Parkersburg, W. Va„ Dec. 2,1903. 
Cor. 3rd and Juliana Sts. 
DR. B. J. Kendall Co., 
GentlemenPlease send me one of your books. I 
have used Kendall's Spavin Cure for years and I 
consider it the best 1 ever used. I hud one of your 
books “A Treatise on the Horse and his Diseases,’’ 
but lost it and 1 am lost without it. 
Very truly yours, ARCHIE JOHNSTON. 
Price, SI; six for $5. Ask your druggist for 
KENDALL'S SPAVIN CURE, also “A Treatise on the 
Horse," the book free, or address 
DR. B. J. KENDALL CO., ENOSBURC FALLS, VT. 
Best Horse 
is liable to “go lame” at any 
time. Curbs, Splints, 
Spa.vlns and other forms of 
La.morvess yield readily 
and are cured permanently by 
Tuttle’s Elixir 
Used and Endorsed by Adams 
Express Company. 
Used Internally It is infallible for 
Colic, Distemper, Founder, Pneumonia, etc. 
Tuttle’s American Condition Powders 
—A specific for impure blood and all diseases arising therefrom. 
TUTTLE’S FAMILY ELIXIR cures rheumatism, 
sprains, bruises, etc. Kills pain instantly. Our 100-page book, 
•‘Veterinary Experience,” FREE, 
Dr. S. A. TUTTLE, 30 Beverly St., Boston, Mass. 
Beware of so-called Elixirs— none genuine bat Tuttle’s. 
Avoid all blisters; they offer only temporary relief, if any. 
W. A'. F. 
How to Handle Night Soil. 
J. P. O., Ripon, Wis .—What is a good plan 
to handle and dispose of night soil on the 
farm, where there is no sewer? 
Ans.—O ur own plan is to use large 
coal hods under a seat so arranged that 
it can be lifted out to remove the hods. 
A box of road dirt or sawdust is kept 
on hand and enough of the absorbent is 
used to keep the contents of the hods 
dry. The hods are emptied at intervals 
on the manure pile or compost heap. 
Land plaster mixed with the dirt or 
sawdust will make the night soil less 
offensive. 
ynfmoiesTgth 
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select, you can count on its being well made and finished, 
reliable in action and a strong, accurate shooter. 
FREE: Our 160-paqe illustrated catalogue. 
WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS CO. NEW HAVEN, CONN., 
