February 20 
I 4o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
■ Ruralisms ► 
4 ► 
▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ T w 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
Evergrowing Rhubarb. —Burbank’s 
Crimson Winter or ever-ready rhubarb 
lias been before the public several years 
but its garden value in the North and 
East does not appear to be fixed. Our 
trial plants had little vitality, and per¬ 
ports of unsanitary conditions under 
which foreign dates and figs are handled 
make cleanly people wish our home pro¬ 
duction were already sufficient. Ameri¬ 
can date growers find difficulties, aside 
from the creation and acclimatization of 
suitable varieties, not known in the na¬ 
tive home of this sugary fruit. Western 
birds are already found to have acquir¬ 
ed a fondness for dates, attacking them 
in the usual bird manner before fully 
ripe, while the gopher or prairie ground 
rat encounters the roots under ground, 
For the sake of 
your face, use 
only Williams’ 
Shaving Soap. 
Sold everywhere. Free trial sample 
for 2-cent stamp to pay postage. 
Write for booklet “ How to Shave.” 
ished the first season. One was grown 
under glass and produced a long 
succession of slender scarlet stalks with 
a delicate skin. When cooked the flavor 
was sprightly and delicious. The gar¬ 
den plants grew until late October, but 
did not survive the Winter. We do not 
imagine the variety is sensitive to frost, 
as rhubarb is one of the hardiest of her¬ 
baceous plants. Crimson Winter was 
especially recommended for localities 
with a long growing season and for 
Winter forcing. The small size of the 
stalks would diminish its commercial 
value. Mr. Burbank now announces a 
new perpetual rhubarb of unusually 
large size as a result of long experiment. 
Two medium-sized field-grown stalks 
from California were received January 
19. They were about i x /> inch in diam¬ 
eter and 18 inches long, dull crimson in 
color with a tender skin, under which 
there was no appearance of fiber. The 
quality when cooked was mild and very 
pleasant, with a marked fruity flavor. 
Rhubarb is one of the most grateful 
early products of the garden, and is well 
worthy the attention of plant breeders. 
Troubles of Arizona Date Growers. 
—The United State Department of Agri¬ 
culture is making a determined and most 
commendable effort to promote the cul¬ 
ture of choice varieties of the date palm 
in localities where that heat-loving ex¬ 
otic may be expected to grow. An 
‘‘agricultural explorer” has made visits 
to Algeria, Egypt, Persia and Arabia in 
behalf of the Department to select and 
prepare for shipment suckers of the 
most valuable kinds. Nearly 1,000 trees 
in 82 varieties have thus far been im¬ 
ported, most of them being planted, we 
understand, in the experimental orchard 
of the Arizona Agricultural Station. 
About 60 per cent of these trees are liv¬ 
ing and many show indications of pro¬ 
ducing suckers for further increase. 
Several varieties planted in 1900 fruited 
last year, but the prized Deglet Noor, 
from which so much was expected, did 
not mature its fruits, and is supposed to 
be too late for the latitude of the Salt 
River Valley. The best crop was borne 
by the variety Rhars, ripening before 
October 10. This is said to be of super¬ 
ior quality, but very soft, requiring arti¬ 
ficial heat unless the weather should be 
especially favorable for curing on the 
tree. Light-weight suckers imported 
from Africa and Asia proved very un¬ 
satisfactory, less than 40 per cent sur¬ 
viving the first year. It is advised that 
future importations should average 30 
pounds each in weight, as suckers of 
sometimes following them into the base 
of the tree, eating out the center of the 
tree with fatal results. In its own coun¬ 
tries the date palm has scarcely an 
enemy except a scale insect which is ex¬ 
terminated in imported trees by hydro¬ 
cyanic gas fumigation. If the indolent 
Arabs were obliged to hustle for their 
crops as do our native fruit growers 
they probably would give up the figlu. 
Hope in Sulphur. —Copper in the 
form of Bordeaux Mixture or carbonate 
solution has so long been the dominant 
fungicide that it is difficult to realize 
that sulphur in some practical combina¬ 
tion with lime is likely largely to super¬ 
sede the costly and objectionable metal 
for Winter spraying on orchard trees 
and dormant hard-wooded plants. The 
lime-sulphur mixtures now used are too 
dense and caustic for growing vegeta¬ 
tion, but are proving highly efficient 
germicides when sprayed on woody dor¬ 
mant plants. The spores of the Peach 
leaf-curl and brown rot fungi are as ef¬ 
fectually suppressed as by a copper 
spray, and in addition we have one of 
the least harmful and most energetic 
destroyers of dormant insects including 
the dreaded San Jos6 scale. It is to be 
hoped that sulphur solutions in time 
will replace copper preparations for all 
fungicide purposes, as this mineral is 
naturally less inimical to plant life, but 
up to the present time nothing has been 
brought forward to equal Bordeaux in 
practical efficiency for growing plants. 
The sulphur compounds with potash are 
looming up larger in the estimation of 
gardeners. It is well known that sul¬ 
phate of potash is the form of the latter 
indispensable element that most favors 
starch and sugar production. If one 
wishes to grow the heaviest potatoes, 
sweetest beets, best flavored tomatoes 
or fruits the sulphate is to be preferred 
to the muriate of potash, though some¬ 
what more expensive. It is claimed the 
Florida growers of gilt-edge sweet or¬ 
anges use potash only in the form of 
sulphates to fertilize their trees. Sul¬ 
phide of potash, the odoriferous ‘‘liver 
of sulphur,” so carefully stored in tight 
cans in the drug stores, is found to be 
the most convenient form of sul¬ 
phur for the lime-sulphur wash. Five 
pounds each of sulphide of potash and 
caustic stone lime to 10 gallons of water 
quickly makes an efficient spraying mix¬ 
ture without boiling, but the sulphur 
chemical is too costly at present for ex¬ 
tensive orchard use, thought admirably 
adapted for the amateur and small 
grower. Sulphide of potash solutions in 
w ater only, at the rate of one-half to one 
ounce of the chemical to a gallon of 
water have long been successfully used 
for mildew on grapes, gooseberries and 
tomatoes. In this strength it is harmless 
to vegetation, cheap and easily prepared, 
and quite as efficient as Bordeaux. It 
does not keep well and should be quick¬ 
ly used. Its most disagreeable feature 
aside from the penetrating sulphur smell 
is its property of blackening white lead 
paints. It should be carefully handled 
near painted structures. w. v. f. 
The J. B. Williams Co., Glastonbury, Ct. 
“FOUNTAIN” SPRAYER 
L most compact and handiest of 
all small sprayers. Tank holds 
3 pals, A few strokes of pump 
gives enough air pressure to 
discharge entire contents with¬ 
out re-pumping. Great time and 
labor saver. Discharge under perfect 
control with automatic valvo. Has 
special attachments for spraying Fruit 
Trees,Vines and Vegetables. Catalogue 
and spraying Calendar with formulas for mixtures, free on request. 
LOWELL SPECIALTY CO. 24 Main St. Lowell, Mich, 
SPRAY. 
Automatic Compressed Air 
Sprayer. No hand labor—has agitator and bruihfl, for 
p oleanlng strainers. Our froe book tel Is about It. “No swindled feeling” 
if you buy our pumps. We alsomake the Empire King, Car- 
field Knapsack and othora. 
TJE^^RCI^UMPCO i ^^UIthSt i ^lmlra i N ; Y. 
With the 4 
ORCHARD 
[Monarch 
WANTED. 
To send to every town sample of the 
new 11 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., 
16 East Avk., Roohestkb, N.Y. 
THE PERFECTION SPRAYER 
Sl'RAYS EVERYTHING, trees or vegetables, for 
horse or hand power. The most reliable of all spray¬ 
ers. Don't buy until you get my catalogue, free. 
TIIOS. FEPPLEK, Box 20, Hightstown, N.J. 
that size retain their vitality fairly well 
during the long transit. The cost of 
transportation for 25-pound suckers 
from Africa to Arizona under favorable 
circumstances, after making allowance 
for a probable loss of 40 per cent, is es¬ 
timated at not less than $4 each. This 
considerable expense will likely prohibit 
private importations of untested varie¬ 
ties, but a fair rate of multiplication of 
those already established seems assured 
There is much to hope from growing 
seedlings, and some desirable kinds have 
already been produced. As the commer¬ 
cial pollination of date-palm flowers is 
almost wholly artificial, the male and fe¬ 
male blooms being borne on separate 
trees, the cross-breeding of selected va¬ 
rieties will be a very simple matter. It 
is probable good dates will be grown 
eventually in quantity sufficient to sup¬ 
ply the entire home demand. The re- 
“Ti 
me i s the 
youl 
buxine // 
»* 
and tfie 
LLG I 
N 
W A T C 
n 
the 
buy'ineyj' 
m&nV 
timekeepe 
>r 
Every Elgin Watch is fully guaranteed. All jewelers have Elgin Watches. 
“Timemakers and Timekeepers,” an illustrated history of the watch, sent 
free upon request to 
Elgin National Watch Co., Elgin, ill. 
Vegetables 
to bring good prices must have 
both size 
andqual- 
ity. 
E v e n 
good soil 
is made 
better by 
the use 
of a fer- 
ti 1 i zer 
rich in 
Potash 
We will send our books, giving full infor- . 
mauon about the subject, to any laimer who 
writes for them i 1 
GERHAN KALI WORKS, 
93 Nassau St., New York. > 
CANADA HARDWOOD ASHES, 
THE JOYNT BRAND 
Quantity and quality fully guaranteed, 
Write for prices and address 
JOHN JOYNT, Lucknow, Ontario, Canada. 
S CIENTIFIC GRINDING MILLS grind Corn 
in the ear, or Grain in any form Strong, exact, 
reliable Catalogue I) mailed free 
Ki_-OS MKG. CO , Springfield, Ohio 
FRUIT 
PACKAGES 
of all kinds. 
Berry Crates 
and Boxes, Cli¬ 
max Baskets for 
Peaches, Grapes 
and Melons, Bushel 
and Apple Boxes. 
Write for 
Baskets, Vegetable 
Delivered prices on carloads, 
catalogue and prices to either factory. 
THE PIERCE-WILLIAMS CO., 
So. Haven, Mich. Jonesboro, Ark 
AUTO-POP, 
AUTO-SPRAY. 
Great cleaning attachment on per¬ 
fect compressed air sprayer. Note 
how easy—cleans nozzle every time 
used, saves half the mixture. Brass 
pump, 4 gal. tank. 12 pi unger strokes 
comprcBeea air to spray U aero. Wo manu¬ 
facture the largeBt lino in America of high 
grade hand and power sprayers. Catalog free. 
E. C. BROWN & CO., 
268 State St., Rocho»tar,N. Y. 
SAN JOSE SCALE * 
And other Insects can be Controlled by Using 
Good’s Caustic Potash Whale^ 
Oil Soap No. 3. 
It also prevents Curl Leaf. Endorsed by Entomolo¬ 
gists. This Soap is a Fertilizer as well as Insecticide 
50-lb. Kegs,$2.50; 100-lb. Kegs, 14.50; Half-Barrel, 
270 lbs., 3%c. per lb.; Barrel, 425 lbs., 3Mc. Large 
qnantitles, Special Bates. Send for Circulars. 
JAMES GOOD, 939 N. Front St., Philadelphia, Pa 
S&UMENF 
Kills San Jose Scale 
COSTS ABOUT -3= CENTS A TREE 
In powder form for use either in powder gun or 
water spray. Manufactured by 
Monmouth Chemical Works, Shrewsbury, NJ. 
RHODES DOUBLE CUT 
PRUNING SHEAR. 
RHODES MFG. CO. 
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. 
Cuts from 
both sidc9 
of limb and 
d o c 9 not 
bruise the 
bark. 
Write for 
circular 
and prices. 
Rotary Disc 
AMERICAN H 0 " 
STANDARD Automatic 
“ THE OLD RELIABLE.’ 
EA SILY OPERATED BY BOY OK GIRL 
POINTERS. 
An absolutely successful rot; ry drop¬ 
ping disc—adjustable for all sizes and 
numbers of kernels ; drops accurately 
and never skips a bill or clogs. 
A sheet spring brass “•cut-off” that 
does its work perfectly; doesnotin- 
jure the grain and never wears out. 
This planter is better made, has 
reached a better sale, has proven 
more popular and has given better 
satisfaction than any other bard 
planter ever manufactured. 
SOLD IN FORTY-SIX STATES AND 
TERRITORIES OFTHE UNION,also 
SEVEN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 
Send for Descriptive Circu¬ 
lars and Prices. 
SHEFFIELD MFG. CO., Burr Oak., Mich., U. S. A. 
