588 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
August <:, 
MARKtT GARDENING IN JULY. 
Marketing Cantaloupes. —The contin¬ 
ual thought, care and labor bestowed upon 
the growing of a crop will not avail us 
much unless the same thorough methods 
are maintained throughout the harvest¬ 
ing and marketing of it. Regarding no 
one crop is this more true than it is with 
the cantaloupe. First because the canta¬ 
loupe must remain on the vine until it is 
fully developed or else we sacrifice that 
characteristic lusciousness, so essential in 
maintaining the demand, and secondly be¬ 
cause as soon as picked all haste possible 
must be made in placing it before the 
consumer or it will soon be over-ripe. In 
picking cantaloupes an experienced eye is 
almost an essential and consequently good 
hands must be used. For shipping pur¬ 
poses either local or long distance, the 
melon should be picked as soon as the 
stem can be peeled out by using a moder¬ 
ate amount of force. By peeling out, un¬ 
derstand I do not mean broken out, but a 
natural peeling out, which leaves a juicy 
excretion around the hole where the stem 
came from. Not until the stem will do 
this has a cantaloupe obtained its full 
amount of flavor; in other words, is not 
at its best. As soon as picked they should 
he hurried, either into a refrigerator car 
or if shipping in a local way and not using 
ice to their destination as soon as possible. 
A field should be picked at least once 
every day and in hot weather twice during 
the 24 hours. This frequent picking not 
only saves actual loss of over-ripe fruit, 
hut what is a more important considera¬ 
tion, it secures a better condition of the 
melons shipped, a more uniform article. 
An article that the dealer can depend upon 
as being the same from day to day, and 
insures him against loss in handling. 
Packages. —In packing of course every 
locality has its individual form of package, 
and that is immaterial, but the important 
point is in the care of sorting, to discard 
every melon that is imperfect in any way 
or out of condition at all. This will of 
necessity make considerable waste. Of 
course, if the market will warrant it, some 
of this inferior fruit can be shipped as 
seconds, but maintain the standard of .the 
prime package at any cost, and gain that 
hold on the trade that will secure for your 
mark of fruit the top price. This invaria¬ 
bly pays in the long run. The above meth¬ 
ods apply in a greater or less degree to all 
truck crops. J he importance of thor¬ 
ough, frequent picking, I think, is often 
under estimated. This, I am convinced, 
is the only sure way of keeping your prod¬ 
uct in good marketable condition; a con¬ 
dition that will insure a demand. 
_JOSEPH BARTON. 
Fighting the Buffalo Carpet-Beetle. 
1<\ II. P., Smithville, Ont .—What is the life 
history of the Buffalo Carpet-beetle? Is there 
any way by which they can be destroyed or 
driven away from a house which they badly 
infest? Is there any preventive remedy to 
use by which to keep them away after once 
getting rid of them? 
Ans. —The Buffalo Carpet-beetle is a 
small black beetle irregularly marked with 
white and scarlet, and it is often mis¬ 
taken for a ladybird beetle. The Carpet 
beetles are very common in such flowers 
as pear, cherry, currant, etc., in May and 
June. It is probable that most of these 
beetles develop outdoors, and only a few 
of them enter our houses to feed on car¬ 
pets ; in its native home in Europe and 
on our Pacific coast, the insect is an her¬ 
barium rather than a carpet pest. Our 
observations also indicate that those 
beetles which are developed in the house 
endeavor to get out soon for their nat¬ 
ural food, the pollen of flowers. The 
beetles do not eat carpets. It is in the 
larval or grub stage, as lively, little, long¬ 
haired brown creatures, that they include 
carpets, clothing and cloth-covered furni¬ 
ture in their daily menu. The peculiar, 
minute, white, wrinkled-appearing eggs are 
laid among the fibers of their food. They 
hatch in two or three weeks, and the hairy 
grubs begin their destructive work. After 
shedding their skin several times, they 
become full-grown, and instead of spinning 
a cocoon, they simply make use of their 
last old suit of clothes, inside which they 
transform through a tender, yellow pupa 
(which does not eat) into the adult or 
beetle. Our observations indicate but one 
brood of the carpet beetle in a year. Some 
of the beetles may emerge in the Fall, 
others, perhaps, during the Winter, in 
warm houses, but our observations indi¬ 
cate that most of them appear during the 
Spring and Summer. The grubs feed 
and thrive in their own cast skins, and 
the dead bodies of their parents or of 
other insects; old and dirty woolen goods 
are preferable to clean new ones in their 
diet. 
There is no easy method to combat or 
check this household pest. Only the most 
thorough measures will eradicate it; “el¬ 
bow grease” is the best insecticide yet sug¬ 
gested for it. There are two ways by 
which the pest may be largely prevented 
from getting a foothold in a house. A 
liberal use of screens on doors and win¬ 
dows will keep out many of the beetles 
which are so plentiful outdoors on flow¬ 
ers, and the use of rugs instead of car¬ 
pets is the greatest discourager of carpet 
beetles. Carpets are rarely disturbed more 
than once a year, while the thrifty house¬ 
wife shakes or beats the rugs often, and 
the little pests seek more peaceful and 
dirtier fields. Some people trap the de¬ 
structive grubs by placing woolen cloths 
on the floor of closets and then shake 
these cloths once a week over papers and 
kill the grubs which fall. Dirty cracks 
in floors are favorite haunts of the pest. 
Therefore, in taking up carpets one should 
clean all cracks, fill them up with some of 
the compounds now on the market, use 
benzine freely under baseboards and in 
other infested places, then thoroughly beat 
and air the carpets in the sunshine. Where 
small areas are infested, a good, but la¬ 
borious “elbow-grease” method is to lay 
a damp cloth over the spot and iron it 
with a hot flat-iron; the steam will go 
through the carpet and kill the insects 
beneath. Camphor, pepper, tobacco, tur¬ 
pentine, carbolic acid, tallow, insect pow¬ 
der, and many other substances have been 
recommended, but none is nearly as cheap 
and effective as benzine. In our experi¬ 
ments, the grubs have lived for months 
and thrived on carpet covered with pyre- 
thrum and a specially prepared powder. 
If the house is already in possession of the 
enemy, only the most strenuous and per¬ 
sistent warfare and eternal vigilance will 
dislodge and control it. I can suggest 
no method by which they can be driven 
away from a house except by a vigorous 
application of “elbow grease,” with re 
peated doses at frequent intervals. After 
once ridding a house of the pest, the adop¬ 
tion of the preventive measures—screens 
and rugs—will do much to keep them 
away. m. v. slingerland. 
/\ Batch of Gardening Questions. 
his forcing beds and a light application 
can be made as the plants increase in 
growth by putting the fertilizer in the 
beds and thoroughly working it in the 
soil with one of the small weeding hooks, 
or the fertilizer may be dissolved in water 
and put on with a can, taking care not 
to allow it to get on the foliage of the 
plants. More satisfactory results, how¬ 
ever, can be had by making frequent ap¬ 
plications and stirring it into the soil. 
E. D. DARLINGTON. 
For the land’s sake, use Bowker’s Fer¬ 
tilizers. They enrich the earth.— Adv. 
To CIDER anti 
VINEGAR 
Makers. 
p. 
& 
B. 
PAINT. 
Preserve your racks, presses, 
tanks, barrels and Other wood¬ 
work by coating with 
P. & B. Cider & Vinegar Paint 
Keeps the acids from eating into 
and destroying the wood or metal. 
Stops leaks and rust. Maintains 
the flavor of the liquids and pre¬ 
vents souring. Tasteless and 
odorless. A hard, smooth sur¬ 
face,like enamel. Does not flake. 
STANDARD FOR 18 YEARS. 
SOLE MANUFACTURERS 
THE STANDARD PAINT C0„ 
lOO William Street, 
NEW YORK. 
APPLE BARRELS 
—Buy now and save money 
i Robt. Gillies, Medina,N. V. 
THE NIAGARA 
FRUIT LADDER 
It always stands and never 
rocks. A model for 
strength, lightness 
and durability. 
We manufacture a full line of 
BASSWOOD LADDERS for 
fruit picking, painting and Ore 
purposes. Also crates, boxes, 
and fruit packages. Write to 
BACON & CARPENTER, 
Appleton, N. Y. 
A Little Gold Mine for Women 
The U.S. Cook-Stove Fruit-Drier 
Dries all kinds of Fruits, Berries, Cher¬ 
ries, Com, Vegetables, etc. It takes 
no extra Are. Always ready for use, 
will last a lifetime. It works while 
you cook. Write for circulars and 
special terms to agents. Price, *5, 
B B. Fahkney. B 120, Waynesboro, Pa 
PECAN TREES AND NUTS 
seedllngtrees,n,2 A3 
years old.1 TheG. M. Bacon Pecan Co. (Inc.) Dewitt.Ga 
CHOICEST FRUIT 
and Ornnnental Trees, Rhmha, Rotes 
Plants and Bulbs. Catalogue No. 1 free to 
purchasers of Fruit and Ornamental Trees. 
No. 3 free to buyers of Holland Bulbs and 
Greenhouse Plants. Try us; satisfaction 
guaranteed. Correspondence solicited. 51st 
yoar. *4 greenhouses. 1000 acres. 
THE STORRS & HARRISON CO. 
PAINESVILLE, OHIO. 
KFRUITBOOK 
'shows in NATURAL COLOR8 and 
accurately describes 216 varieties of 
fruit.. Send for our liberal terms of distri- 
' bution to planters.— Stark Bro’s, Louisiana, Mo. 
CELERY 
PLANTS. Very stocky, with large 
bushy roots. From imported seed. 
Golden Self Blanching, White Plume, Giant Pascal, 
Golden Heart, $1.00 per 1000 ; 70c. per 500. 
P A DP A PC PLANTS, 80c. per 1.000: 00c. 
l/ADDAUC per 500: $3.50 5 000; $0.50 10,000. 
Strong plants. Danish Ballhead, Surehead. nil Sea¬ 
sons, Stone Mason, Flat. Dutch. 
F. W. ROCHELLE, Drawer 3, Chester, N. J. 
J. F. M., Andover , N. If.—What Is the best 
way of growing lettuce and making it head 
up with white crisp interior like cabbage? 
What kind best for this purpose? How grow 
cucumbers and rhubarb? Which kinds best? 
Can rhubarb he grown under benches where 
sunlight does not reach it ? Can commercial 
fertilizers be used advantageously in green¬ 
house ? 
Ans. —The inquirer does not make it 
clear whether he wishes to grow the let¬ 
tuce in a greenhouse or cold frame during 
the Winter months, or if it is to be grown 
in the open ground. In either case the 
object can be attained by a proper selec¬ 
tion of varieties and thorough cultivation, 
as. to have well-headed lettuce with in¬ 
side leaves thoroughly blanched, the plants 
must be encouraged to make the best pos¬ 
sible growth. This is accomplished by 
making the soil in which the lettuce is 
planted rich enough to promote a strong 
vigorous growth and to keep the soil 
about the plants well stirred and con¬ 
stantly loose and fine. For a very cool 
greenhouse or cold frame, I would rec¬ 
ommend planting the Big Boston, while 
for a slightly warmer greenhouse and one 
that can he kept well aired, 1 think the 
Boston Market would he the most satis¬ 
factory to plant. It is very necessary that 
where the lettuce is grown under glass, 
provision should be made for thorough 
ventilation and liberal supply of fresh air 
wherever it can be given without actual 
danger of freezing the plants. For 
outdoor planting, I would recommend the 
Deacon for solid, rich, creamy yellow 
heads and for Summer use the Iceberg. 
For cucumbers, the Arlington White 
Spine is probably the best variety to plant 
under glass, or for very large fruits the 
Fordhook Famous. These should be 
planted in hills and only one vine allowed 
to grow in a place, and the vines might 
be either allowed to run on the ground 
or they may be trained up to the glass and 
run over light string or wire supports, 
tying the vines to the support at frequent 
intervals with twine or raffia. Large well- 
established clumps of rhubarb can be 
forced for Winter market under the 
benches in the greenhouse or in a warm 
cellar. Full directions for handling this 
crop have been given in The R. N.-Y. 
during the past Winter and a reference 
to these articles will give full information 
as to the handling of this crop. Any large- 
stalked variety can be used for this pur¬ 
pose, and where a choice is to be made, 1 
would recommend the Myatt’s Victoria 
as a strong quick-growing sort. In forc¬ 
ing this crop it is necessary that the 
crowns or large clumps should be thor¬ 
oughly frozen after they have been dug 
in the Fall before placing them in the 
forcing beds. 
Regarding the use of commercial fertil¬ 
izers, I would say that the best way to 
use these is to_compost them with the 
soil made of grassy sods some little time 
before they are required in the greenhouse, 
so that the fertilizer becomes assimilated 
with the soil and is in good shape for 
feeding the young plants right from the 
start when setting them in the beds. All 
the leading manufacturers make a special 
high-grade article for garden crops, and 
this would be best for J. F. M. to use in 
GRANULATED LIME for FARMS 
Especially prepared to drill with crop saiue as phos¬ 
phate. In Somerset County, Pa. Write for circular. 
Address, C. J. YODEK, Grantsville, Mil. 
AGRICULTURAL 
I M E . 
The Ohio Lime Co , manufacturers of 
Lime for Land purposes. 
Write for particulars, 
THE OHIO LIME 00., - TOLEDO, OHIO. 
CHOICE CELERY tS CABBAGE 
PLANTS, only SSI per 1 000. All good Forts ready 
in July. SLAYMAKER «fc SON, Dover, Del. 
FORAGE CROPS. 
B'ack and Black Eye row Peas. $'! 25 per bushel; 
Soja or Soy Beans. $2 00 per bushel; Crimson Clover 
(ChoiceL $4.00 per bushel. 
KDWABD RIGG, .JR,. Burlington, N. J. 
TURNIP SEED. 
■lOO Hush, per Acre. 75c. per lb. prepaid. Discount 
MIRRA- 
Seed Growers, 
AY BROTHERS, 
Moriches, N. Y, 
’RIMSON CLOVER SEED, new crop, home 
/ grown. R. S. JOHNSTON, Box t, Stoekley. Del. 
PflD ? Al C - •Crimson Clover Seed, $4 per bushel. 
lUn OHLL Cow Peas. $1.75 and $2 per bushel; Seed 
Sweet Potatoes, $1 per bushel. 
J. E. HOLLAND, Milford, Del. 
Will produce a full crop of berries 
next June, if planted this Summer. 
DREER’S 
Mid-Summer Catalogue 
offers a choice lino of these; also Celery, 
Cabbage, Cauliflower and other season¬ 
able plants. W rite for copy, FREE. 
HENRY A. DREER, 714 Chestnut St., Philar, Pa. 
NEW CROP 
Crimson Clover Seed. 
In one bushel lots or by carload; any quantity to suit 
you. Special prices. Get sample. 
ARTHUR J. COLLINS, Moorestown, N. J, 
SEED WHEAT. 
Fultzo-Mediterranean. Harvest King. Reliable, and 
others. Moderate prices. Clean, sound, graded. 
Order from us, and if not as represented reship and 
GET YOUR MONEY BACK. Send stamp for 
samples and booklet. A. H. Hoffman. Banded. Pa. 
DDCCinCMT- The mostprofH " 
rKtOlULlV I able Strawberry. 
Potted plants now ready. Send for prices. 
THOMAS R. HUNT, Originator, Lambertville, N. J. 
Potted Strawberry Plants wyandSnest 
List free. C. *A. HALL. Oak'nill, N. Y. 
PUTTED STRAWBERRY PLANTS, 
List 
FRKH 
T C. KEV1TT. Atheuia, N. J. 
SAN JOSE SCALE 
and other INSECTS killed by 
GOODS 
Caustic Potash Whale-Oil Soap No. 3 
Endorsed by U.S. Dept, of Agrl. and State Experiment 
Stations. This soap is a Fertilizer as well as an Insecti¬ 
cide. 5<>-lb. kegs. $1.50: 100-lb. kegs,$4.50; half barrel, 
2701b.,3>hcper ib; barrel.4251b ,3t6c. Send for booklet. 
JAMES GOOD, Original Maker, 
939-41 N. Front Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 
FANCY PEACHES 
Should be shipped in a nice carrier to fetch fancy prices. Use the South Side Carriers. 
SOUTH SIDE M’P’Gr CO., 
NEW YORK OFFICE, 114 WARREN STREET. PETERSBURG, VA. 
LARGE LUSCIOUS STRAWBERRIES IN 1905. 
From our STRONG POT GROWN PLANTS offered in our Summer Catalogue. A full crop of fruit 
ten months after plants are set out. Plant now, we have the best varieties for market and home 
use. We have in five-inch pots, now ready for planting and late bloom, all the best hardy Roses, 
Honeysuckle and Clematis; also Boston and English Ivy. A full line of selected FRUITS and 
ORNAMENTALS for Autumn planting. Stock first class. Prices reasonable. 
I A 111 n?P A DC P ADnCWIWn and the beautifying and enriching of the Home ground our leading 
LAN UoUftlL UAnULN I NU specialty.* We will be pleased tocall ard see you on this matter, or 
call at our Nurseries and see our stoek. Our Catalogue mailed free. Write for it to-day. 
T. O' DWYER c*5 GO., CORNWAIiIj, 3\T. Y. 
CUTAWAY TOOLS FOR LARGE HAY CROPS. 
Clark’s Reversible Bush and Bog Plow, cuts a track 4 ft. wide, 1 ft. deep. Will plow a 
new cut forest. His Double-Action Cutaway Harrow keeps the 
land true, moves 18,000 tons of earth, cuts 30 acres per day. His , 
Rev. Disk Plow cuts a furrow 5 to lOin. deep. 14 in wide. 
All these machines will kill witch- 
grass,wild mustard, charlock,hard- 
hack, sunflower, milkweed, thistle, 
or any foul plant. Send for cir’larsJ 
CUTAWAY HARROW CO., 
HlBffanum, Conn., U. S. A. 
