716 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
October 1 
GARDEN NOTES. 
Spring or Fall-Set Asparagus. 
II., Connecticut. —I notice some nurserymen 
advertise transplanted asparagus roots in 
early Fall, and offer the plants to sell at that 
season. l)o practical asparagus growers prac¬ 
tice Fall setting, or is it safer to set in the 
Spring? What is tlie best possible prepara¬ 
tion to give the soil, if the bed is to be set the 
coming Spring? 
Ans. —I do not see any advantage in 
planting asparagus plants in the Fall; 
would prefer planting in the Spring for 
the following reasons: In order to get 
the crowns of the plants deep, trenches 
should he opened and filled up gradually 
as the season advances and the plants in¬ 
crease in size. Spring, set plants have one 
growing season to become established be¬ 
fore Winter. Plants obtained in the 
Spring have completed their growth and 
are in a dormant state. While one may 
succeed by planting in the Fall I have 
never known 01 the experiment being 
tried by practical growers. The ideal soil 
for an asparagus bed is a rich sandy loam, 
with plenty of available fertility and good 
drainage. While it is possible to grow 
paying crops on various soils having fer¬ 
tility and a porous subsoil, the risk is 
too great on heavy clay or soils having 
clay or hardpan subsoil. A good way to 
prepare the soil for Spring setting is to 
clear off a piece having the most favorable 
natural conditions, i. e., sunny exposure, 
good drainage and such as can be worked 
early and easily, and that has been free 
from weeds. Spread on all the manure 
that can be plowed under; if the subsoil 
is hard follow the plow with a subsoil 
plow. The piece should be left without 
harrowing until Spring. 
Cultivation of Chicory. 
Reader (No Address ).—Can Chicory be 
grown on Long Island? 
Ans. —Chicory can be grown wherever 
carrots can be grown; culture the same. 
It is presumed that the questioner refers 
to the chicory of commerce which is used 
as an adulterant of coffee. If so, sow the 
large-rooted variety. If a salad is want¬ 
ed sow the common variety, which 
should be transplanted in sand in 
the cellar and kept moderately moist, 
when a new growth will start, this second 
growth is very highly prized by French 
and German cooks. Any large coffee 
house in New York can give the desired 
information as to prices and method of 
marketing the roots. 
Keeping Onion Sets. 
J. R., Bridgeport, Ind .—How can I keep 
onion sets through the Winter? Does it hurt 
them to freeze if they do not thaw out and 
freeze too much? Would il be a good idea 
to cover them up witli some cloth, so the air 
would not get to them? Would it be good to 
put them in barrels, or would il be better to 
put them on floor and cover them up? 
Ans. —To keep onion sets through the 
Winter is rather risky business for one 
having no experience or proper conveni¬ 
ences. Probably the safest way is to put 
them in cold storage where the air is dry 
and the temperature kept close to the 
freezing point, say 34 degrees. The fol¬ 
lowing method has been practiced by gar¬ 
deners before cold storage was so com¬ 
mon : A layer of straw was spread on 
the floor of a loft, the same covered with 
sacks; then spread the sets about six or 
eight inches deep, and keep perfectly dry. 
The sets were then allowed to freeze, and 
when thoroughly frozen were again cov¬ 
ered with two or more feet of straw to 
keep them frozen until Spring. The sets 
should not be disturbed while frozen. 
The above method sometimes failed, ow¬ 
ing to some long spells of open weather, 
when the sets were thawed and frozen 
several times. I have kept them in racks 
made of lath about two inches deep, in a 
cool, dry cellar, in fairly good condition. 
Onions should never be kept in barrels, or 
in any large bulk. j. jeannin, jr. 
ers who wished to destroy these insects in 
their orchid or palm houses, where they 
were often introduced in tropical plants. 
Another cure is a mixture of equal parts 
of powdered chocolate and borax, dusted 
into the crevices where the insects hide. 
The mixture should be made in a mortar, 
so that every particle of chocolate, of 
which the insects are very fond, will con¬ 
vey some borax, which is poisonous to 
them. Dr. J. B. Smith recommends this 
as effectual, and it has the advantage of 
being non-poisonous to man. It will, 
however, be difficult to discourage the 
roaches in a tropical country. The sim¬ 
plest method of getting rid of ants is their 
mechanical destruction. Cut out meat 
bones before it is cooked, and place in a 
main line of insect travel. When thor¬ 
oughly covered with ants, throw the whole 
mass into the fire. Or, instead of the 
bones, use a sponge dipped in sugar and 
water, throwing this into boiling water 
when the sponge is covered with ants. If 
the process is repeated several times a 
day for .two or three days, the ants seem 
terrified, and leave. Ant hills should be 
poisoned with bisulphide of carbon, pour¬ 
ing a small quantity into the openings and 
then closing them by stepping upon them. 
Tt must be remembered that this chem¬ 
ical is highly inflammable. 
Willie: ‘I met our new minister on my 
way to Sunday School. Mamma, -and he 
asked me if I ever played marbles on Sun¬ 
day.” Mother: "H’m ! And what did you. 
say to that?” Willie: “I said, ‘Get thee be¬ 
hind me, Satan !’ and walked right off and 
left him.”—London Tit-Bits. 
PURE 
GRASS SEED. 
Mr. GEORGE M. CLARK the Grass 
King, in his booklet on Hay Crops, refers 
to us as furnishing PURE SEED. On 
thanking him for the reference he replies: 
‘ ‘ I have found, by careful test, that your 
seed is pure, and I am only too glad to 
recommend it to my friends. ” 
WE HANDLE ONLY THE 
VERY HIGHEST GRADES 
Both as to Purity aiul (termination. 
We carry a full line of all cultivated and 
natural foreign and domestic sorts. 
Write us stating kinds and quantities 
wanted, and we shall quote prices. 
Farmers are invited to consult us as to 
mixtures for permanent meadows and 
pastures. Our long experience enables 
us to recommend the species most suit¬ 
able for any soil and situation. 
We have been over 100 years in business 
in New York. Catalogues free. 
J. M. THORBURN & 00., 
G(> Cortlandt Street, New York. 
LARGEST PEACH TREE 
GROWERS IN THE SOUTH. 
Write for our new illustrated and 
descriptive catalogue of general 
Nursery Stock. 
CHATTANOOGA NURSERIEi 
Chattanooga, Tenn. 
30,000 APPLE TREES, 
Two and three years old for sale at reasonable prices. 
Good healthy trees and best varieties. Send to 
EDWARD BACON for price-list, Dansville, N. Y. 
LAMP 
employs a new principle of coal oil 
lighting. No other lamp anything 
like it. Doesn’t smoke or smell 
like ordinary lamps. You don't ex¬ 
tinguish to fill. Convenient, clean, 
safe. None of the glare and shim¬ 
mering of electricity and gas. It 
costs nothing to find out about it. 
30 Days Free Trial 
if you write for catalogue N-N and 
full information at once. 
THE ANGLE MFG. CO., 
78-80 Murray St., New York. 
SUPERIOR TO 
WOOD OR METAL LATH 
in the construction of 
plastered walls and ceilings 
SAVES TIME IN CONSTRUCTION 
32x36 inches of Incombustible Materials 
NAILED SECURELY TO THE STUDDING AND 
FINISHED WITH PLASTER 
Walls and ceilings constructed with Sackett 
Plaster Board will not tall: are Economical, 
Fire. Heat, Cold and Sound Resisting. 
Sample and Circular on Application 
SACKETT WALL BOARD CO. 
19 BATTERY PLACE, NEW YORK 
nin CNjIiSe SPOTS'// 00 ') TARA HERB 
Three Importations and Their Increase 
NUMBERING V " ' . V •. " 
ONE HUNDRED 
0 **^" i-kbl-udY 
dward T; Price 
OVfS rotfiLioi.t) 
WF.DNESDA Y, OC TOBEJi. < D < %04 
- 
'emisylyaniri f 
uld Farm, Broad Axe, Montgomery 
s R<uLnad Station • JimUtcr, I>rnn:yt.ahla ; 
r-V. V ■ V ■■. • . CSSSES 53 A 
' PETER C. KELLOGG, Auctioneer, 
WE CAN DIG AND SHIP AT ONCE 
S E NATO R DUNLOP 
STRAWBERRY PLANTS, 
26c. per doz. prepaid; 75c. per 100 by express. Also 
KANSAS RASPBERRY TRANSPLANTS, 
75 cents per dozen prepaid; $2.00 per 100 by express- 
CENTRAL MICHIGAN NURSERY. 
Kalamazoo, Micli, 
CALIFORNIA PRIVET.-, S^n'EScK: Vi!,; 
stock; low rates. Samuel C. DeCou, Moorestown, N. J. 
POTTED STRAWBERRY PLANTS, XS 
T C. KEV1TT. Athenia. N. J. 
^GRAPE YINK ^ 
yS; Currants, Gooseberries, Black- '2ft 
■W" berries, Raspberries, Straw - "P 
berries. Price List FREE. 
Send 2c stamp for illustrated descriptive catalog. 
T. S, HUBBARD CO. Fredonia, N. Y. igf 
CTARK FRUIT BOOK 
IV shows in NATURAL COLORS and 
accurately describes 216 varieties of 
fruit. Send for our liberal terms of distri- 
bution to planters.—Stark Bro’s, Louisiana, Mo. 
FRUIT TREES. 
A Large Assortment of the Finest Quality 
of Fruit, Shade and Ornamental Trees, 
at very Low Prices. We make a Specialty 
of dealing Direct with the Farmers. 
Write for Price List. 
CALL’S NURSERIES, Perry* O. 
TREES TREES TREES 
400,000 Apple, 300,000 Poach, 
50,000 Pear, 40,000 Sour Cherry, 
40,000 Japan Plums. 
Best packing, best grading, best prices, best trees; 
best-place to buy orchards. Jobbers supplied. Ourfree 
catalogue is meaty. No agents. Firm not Impersonal. 
Woodview Nurseries, B. 3, Mu Holly Springs, Pa 
Effect of Mulching on Bark. 
Several Readers .—Does it Injure the bark 
of a tree to pile the mulch close around it ? 
Ans. —I do not think there is any dan¬ 
ger of injuring trees by piling mulch close 
around them. In practice we leave the 
mulch six or eight inches from body of 
tree when trees are first set, increasing the 
distance each year from then until five or 
six years old ; then let grass lie where cut. 
The idea of this is to get the entire sur¬ 
face in a sponge-like condition so as to 
hold a uniform supply of moisture, espe¬ 
cially during the Fall, when fruit and fruit 
buds are developing. The repeated yearly 
cuttings with the fine aftermath which 
forms certainly accomplish this. 
G. G. HITCHINGS. 
Destroying Ants and Roaches. 
/■’. S. Mercedes, Cuba. —What will drive out 
or kill red ants and cockroaches? We have 
large quantities of both. I have tried all 
the remedies 1 can find or hear of, and still 
they live and thrive. 
Ans. —The most satisfactory way of 
dealing with roaches is by means of a 
phosphorus paste spread upon bits of soft 
bread and placed near their haunts, all 
other food being out of reach. The phos¬ 
phorus may be worked into butter ; this 
was the practice of old-fashioned garden- 
FALL SETTING BEST. 
Raspberry and Blackberry Plants. 
Large stock at reasonable prices. Write for list of 
varieties and price. 
C, E. Whitten’s Nurseries, Bridgman, Mich. 
FOR QA| C —Several hundred plants of Rhubarb 
lUn uMLLi for immediate setting. $5 per 100: 
cash with order. F. Seth Wiard, YalesviUe, Conn. 
GINSENG. 
RELIABLE AMERICAN STOCK. 
Lowest Prices. Illustrated Pamphlet, 
Best published, 10 cents. 
HARLAN P. KELSEY, 
6 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass. 
Half a (’entury of Fair Dealing has given 
our products that prominence which merit 
deserves. We still offer everything of 
the best for Orchard,Vineyard, Lawn, 
Park, Street, ^Garden and 
Greenhouse. Catalogue No. 
1 free to purchasers of Fruit 
and Ornamental Trees. No. 3 
free to buyers of Holland 
Bulbs and Greenhouse Plants. Try us; 
e guarantee satisfaction. Correspond- 
solicited. 61st year. 44 green- 
1000 acres. 
THE STORRS & HARRISON CO. 
PAINESVILLE, OHIO. 
100,000 APPLE TREES. 
Including York imperial, Stayman Stark. Rome By, Grimes, Baldwin.Springdale 00 var.; earliest to latest. 
3 ?XjiYTNTT PETSnXT BEST. 
Safe, reliable Our new Catalog acurately describes all fruits worth planting in Central Atlantic States- 
TLtc Patterson Wurtsery Oo., Stewartstown, Pa 
TREES AND PLANTS 
Our FREE CATALOGUE will save yot 
Free from Scale. New and Choice Varieties. 
Blackberries, Strawberries, Raspberries. 
younmouey. MYEB & SON, Hridgeville, Del. 
TREES 
$7 PER "00, FREIGHT PAID, 
Apples Pear, Plum, Cherry, Peach and 
Carolina Poplars. Healthy, true to 
name and Fumigated. All kinds of trees and plants at low wholesale prices. 
Catalogue free. RELIANCE NURSERY, Box 10, Geneva, New York. 
HOYT’S NURSERIES TSJ SiKJMS 
and no more complete line of “ A 1 ” stock grown in the United States. Fruit Trees, Shade Trees and 
Ornamentals. Write us about your Fall planting—advice based on experience of three generations free. 
, Catalogue for the asking. 
STEPHEN HOYT'S SONS CO., NEW CANAAN, CONNECTICUT. 
BARTLETT SEGKEL BOSC 
The three greatest, highest quality busiuess Pears. Our trees are bred from scions selected for us by Geo. 
T. Powell and others. The BEST TREES aDd the SAFEST TREES that money can buy. We make 
a specialty of high quality. We are growing from finest types of Spitz, Spy, Grimes. McIntosh and others. 
NO BEN DAVIS UP HERE. 
Our TRUE BRKKDER will tell you about our trees; gives low prices and special discounts for earlY 
Fall orders only. See our advertisement last week. 
Tree Breeder. ROGERS ON THE HILL, DANSVILLE, N. Y. 
