348 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
April 23 
Ruralisms 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
Queer Oxiox Seed. —The general 
scarcity of many staple vegetable seeds 
caused by successive adverse growing 
seasons may indirectly result in odd 
complications, where the variety name 
is retained in a catalogue, and there is 
no true stock to fill the orders that may 
be received. The crops grown from cheap 
“hold-over” seeds may show unexpected 
results, but none probably more at vari¬ 
ance with the planters’ anticipations 
than the following instance ‘occasionally 
related by a well-known horticulturist, 
long a contributor to The R. N.-Y. 
While the tide of western emigration 
was at its flood after the close of the 
Civil War our contributor was asked 
by a friend who had months before gone 
out to establish a prairie home for some 
good onion seed. This was before the 
days of the all-pervasive seed catalogue, 
and eastern residents were often called 
on by western settlers for home-grown 
seeds and plants. This request came 
rather late in the season, home planting 
was finished and our horticulturist, then 
in early youth, had not arrived at his 
present mature knowledge concerning 
gardening matters, but to show his good 
will hunted over the family stock of sur¬ 
plus seeds and found a parcel containing 
something that resembled those of the 
onion, though rather thin and papery. 
They were bundled up and forwarded, 
with the hope that they would in due 
time develop onions of the requisite 
pungency. They were carefully planted 
by the recipient, and in due time germi¬ 
nated, coming up, however, with flat 
leaves that bore not the least resemb¬ 
lance to normal onion sprouts. They 
throve and waxed great, going into Win¬ 
ter quarters without developing the suc¬ 
culent bulbs so much desired. The fol¬ 
lowing Spring they were covered with 
gorgeous and fragrant blooms. The mys¬ 
tery was solved but our contributor wa3 
not classed as a seed expert. The longed- 
for onions turned out to be sweet will¬ 
iams! 
Gasoline Lamps as Insect Destroy¬ 
ers.—A year or two ago great claims 
were made by several promoters for the 
plumbers’ blast lamp or gasoline torch 
as an insect destroyer on growing 
plants. The idea of burning off scales, 
plant lice and other injurious insects 
from the branches and foliage of trees 
and plants was exploited with great 
earnestness, and lamps for the purpose 
were offered by several manufacturers. 
Practical growers know that the line of 
resistance to heat between insects, fungi 
and useful plant tissues is too narrow to 
allow much risk, and have generally de¬ 
clined to try the method. Several ex¬ 
periment stations and individuals in 
various localities have tested it, how¬ 
ever, and the Illinois Station publishes 
the result in Bulletin No. 89, recently is¬ 
sued. It is found that San Josd and 
other scales could be killed only at the 
risk of injuring buds, branches and bark 
of the trees experimented with. In many 
cases the bark was blistered before the 
scales were burned off. Fall web-worms 
and the caterpillars knows as woolly 
bears, when scorched until the hair was 
burned off their bodies, continued to 
grow and develop while under observa¬ 
tion. Cabbage worms needed heat enough 
to curl and blacken the foliage of the 
plant on which they fed. Mildew on 
lilac leaves could be conquered only by 
an exposure sufficient to cause the fo¬ 
liage to drop. Some success is reported 
in combating the troublesome Harlequin 
cabbage-bug of the South with the gaso¬ 
line torch, but the treatment is labori¬ 
ous and expensive. Altogether those 
who declined to invest in a patent torch 
are to be congratulated. If there is 
practical utility in the idea the profes¬ 
sional experimenter will doubtless work 
it out in time. 
Drain Pipes for Roses. —From An¬ 
toine Wintzer, West Grove, Pa., a 
most successful rose grower, we get a 
useful hint for planting Philadelphia, 
Ruby Queen and other strong-growing 
permanent roses near buildings. Plants 
in such situations often suffer from lack 
of moisture about the roots. The build¬ 
ing w r ards off rain, and as the earth is 
usually graded up in a sloping manner 
to keep the foundation dry it is not easy 
to soak the roots with water by apply¬ 
ing it to the surface. Mr. Wintzer sug¬ 
gests the placing of a three or four-inch 
drain tile vertically in the excavation 
made for the rose, with the open end ex¬ 
tending to the surface. The opening 
may be guarded with galvanized netting 
to keep out litter, and hidden with a flat 
stone or other inconspicuous object. 
Water or liquid fertilizers may be pour¬ 
ed in at any time with absolute cer¬ 
tainty of reaching the soil about the 
roots. Any discarded pipe of sufficient 
size that will not readily decay will an¬ 
swer. If should be put in when the hole 
for planting is dug, and placed with the 
lower end resting on brickbats or peb¬ 
bles so that the water may readily es¬ 
cape. Such a contrivance should be of 
great value for sub-irrigating deep root¬ 
ed plants in any dry situation. 
Pernicious Scale on Privet. —It 
seems that the Pennsylvania nursery 
inspector, page 216, was not the first to 
find the San Josd scale established on 
California privet. Prof. W. B. Alwood, 
of the Virginia Experiment Station, thus 
writes about the matter: 
I have reported the San Jos6 scale oc¬ 
curring upon privet in several publica¬ 
tions. See my third report as State En¬ 
tomologist of Virginia, page 50, where you 
will find privet listed as one of the plants 
on which this scale occurs in Virginia. 
This occurrence has been noted now for 
the past four years, and the scale seems 
to live over Winter upon the privet, and 
in some cases, the plants have been dam¬ 
aged considerably by it, but it does not 
take readily to the privet as a food plant. 
I think, however, that the matter is set¬ 
tled that it will live upon the privet and 
continue to breed upon the same, and from 
this plant readily escape to other more 
desirable food plants. 
The list of plants to be recorded as ac¬ 
ceptable hosts for the Pernicious scale 
is quite certain to be much extended. It 
is unfortunate that privet must be in¬ 
cluded among the number, though pos¬ 
sibly it may not be attacked to the same 
extent in the Northern States as in Vir¬ 
ginia. This scale is hard enough to fight 
on detached plants and trees. When en¬ 
trenched in a hedge it is doubly for¬ 
midable. 
Too Cold. —The cold, wet Summer of 
last year was most uncongenial to the 
growth of cow peas. Our plantings fail¬ 
ed to cover the ground or mature seeds 
enough to be worth collecting. Soy 
beans in several varieties made a bet¬ 
ter showing, but the foliage was at all 
times yellow and scanty. Crimson clover 
grew vigorously wherever seeds reach¬ 
ed the soil. We have never known such 
vigorous stands from self-seeding. It 
went into Winter hibernation in fine 
vigor, and withstood the unusual low 
temperatures well until the ground be¬ 
gan to thaw in March. Heaving of the 
saturated soil and the effect of nightly 
freezes and almost daily thaws have 
about killed it out, thus recording the 
first failure of this invaluable clover, 
as well as of the cow peas. This means 
a greater outlay for manures and chemi¬ 
cals if we are to keep up our average 
rate of soil improvement. Red and Al- 
sike clovers appear to be in fairly good 
condition, but they cannot replace the 
legumes above mentioned for our pur¬ 
poses. We will plant cow peas and 
clover again, feeling we have more than 
recovered their cost even in the incom¬ 
plete growth they have been able to 
make. In normal seasons it is a pleas¬ 
ure to see them grow. w. v. f. 
codling 
Disparene kills both broods. Also 
every leaf-eating insedt. Book froe 
BOWKER INSECTICIDE CO., 
N. Y., Boston & Cincinnati 
A BIG CROP of FRUIT 
and DOLLARS in your pockets if you 
spray your trees and vines with the 
wonderful 
HARDIE SPRAY PUMP 
The Big: Growers all recommend "THE 
HARDIE” because it maintains such 
a high pressure and 
WORKS SO EASY. 
Our catalogue tells 
all about spraying. 
It is free, send for it. 
The 
HOOK-HARDIE CO. 
49 Main St. 
HUDSOH, MICH. 
Goulds Sprayers 
Hand and Power 
Are 
Up -to-Date 
Handsome Booklet 
Free. Send for it. 
The Goulds Mfg. Co. 
Seneca 
Falls, 
New York. 
The Auto-Spray 
{ 
is everybody's sprayer—suits every 
lob. Brass pump, brass or galvanized 
ron tank. Compress air on mixture 
with a dozen plunger strokes, strap 
on back, and spray % acre vines. 
Great new feature in Auto-Pop at¬ 
tachment. Controls spray perfectly. 
Saves half the mixture. Nozzleabso- 
lutely clean every time Auto-Pop is worked. 
Only nozzle that can't clog. We manufacture 
the largeat line In America of high grade and < 
power eprajers. Ask for free catalogue. Write I 
us if you want the ag«,.:cy. 
E.C. BROWN A CO., 
268 State St., Rochester „N. Y.J 
The Pump 
that Pumps 
Ask Your F SPRAY PUMPS 
DEALER 0 Double-Aoting, Lift. 
R Power. Tauk and Spray 
PUMPS 
Store Ladders, Etc. 
Barn Door Hangers 
Aluminum Finished 
HAY TOOLS 
of all kinds. Write for 
Circulars and Prioe. 
F.K.My«r» A Bro.i«hU»d,Q. 
SPRAY 
m PERFECT AGITATORS with Automatic Brush 
I for cleaning strainer. No leather or rubber ralrae. All style# of Bpray 
Pumps. Book free. “No swindled feeling If you use our pumps. ” 
Field Force Pump Co. 2 11th St. Elmira, N.Y. 
.»> EMPIRE 
“KING 
or ORCHARD MONARCH! 
PRAYING 
brings fruitsand flowers. We make 
the right appliances. Special adapta¬ 
tion to every need. < j 
Ua™o, BUCKET, BARREL KNAP- 
SACK and POWER SPRAYERS. 
20 ttylM. Not lies, hose, .tUchment,, formulu, 
ererj spraying mooessory. W rite for fr«« O.tfclug. 
The D.mlng Co., Salem, O * 
WitUm Agent*, Henion I Bubbell , Chicago, 
Y 
OUNG MEN WANTED, RAILWA 
Train Her vice, experience unnecessary 
Prepare you at home by MAIL. Send 
stamp for application blank and book¬ 
let. J. P. Railway lastitite, ladlaaaoolls lad. 
A Golden Rule 
of Agriculture: 
Be good to your land and your crop 
will oe good. Plenty of 
Potash 
in the fertilizer spells quality 
and quantity in the har- ioj 
vest. Write us and 
we will send you, 
free, by next mail, 
our money winning 
books. 
GERMAN KALI WORKS, 
93 Nassau Street, 
New York. 
THE PERFECTION SPRAYER 
sprays everything, trees, potatoes, etc. Furnished 
complete with cart and barrel. Combined hand and 
horse power. Don’t buy until you get my catalogue- 
free. THUS. PEP PLK R, Box 20, Hightstown, N. J 
6i 
FUMA 
kills Prairie Dogs, 
' ' Woodchucks, Gophers, 
and Grain Insects. 
“The wheels o f the 
gods grind slow but 
exceedingly small.” 80 the weevil, but you can stop 
..p ma Car |, 0ll Bisulphide” “..as 
EDWARD R. TAYLOR, Penn Yan, N. Y. 
HENCH’S 
20th 
Century - 
Steel Ball Coupling Cultivator 
With Double Row Corn 
Planter and Fertilizer 
Attachment Complete 
on One Machine. 
Parallel beam move¬ 
ment, pivoted axle, with 
lateral beun> move¬ 
ment in connection with 
the movable spindles, 
or either independent 
of each other. Centre 
lever for spreading 
r. ,_ ...._ _ m , and dosing shovel 
• . » n< J gangs. The most complete 
introduce them for next .eason. “ ult f vator on the ma ‘ rkel 
having every possible movement of the shovel gangs. 
The HENCH & DROMGOLD CO. Mfrs. v York, Pa. 
PUT POTATOES 
as they’re dug into our 
Ventilated Bushel Crates. 
Store tnem without rehandling 
—leas decay—one third time 
saved. Strong—no breakage. 
No. 2—9c; No. 1—heavy—11c. 
Ask for free booklet No, 20 
Geneva Cooperage Co., Geneva, 0. 
Potato 
’Success 
with 
ASPINWALL 
(POTATO MACHINERY. 
| Protit comes onlyby using practical and mod¬ 
ern Potato Implements. 
AAfe Make Them. 
I Machines to quickly and economically cut and j 
I planttlieseea,fertilize the soil, spray thegrow- 
I ing vines for bugs and blight and harvest and 
| assort the tubers. Thousands of customers in 
I every State in the Union and twenty foreign 
countries. SO years the favorite. Valuable il- 
| lustrated catalogue tree. Contains “How and 
WhentoSpray” table forallcrops. Write now. 
ASPINWALL MFC. COMPANY 
Dept. K, ZS Sabin St., Jackson, Mich. 
Y 
BAKER'S 
RAGELESS HARNESS 
No whiffletrees, no traces. Handy Har¬ 
ness for farmers, fruit growers, lumber¬ 
men. etc. Agents Wanted. Catalogue 
free. Write to-day. Highly endorsed. 
B. F. BAKER 00., Main St.. Burnt Hills, N.Y. 
HUBBAB 
FERTILIZER 
FOR OATS AND TOP-DRESSING. 
THE FAMOUS HAY-MAHEH. 
Office of Cutaway Harrow Co., Higganum, Conn., 
The Rogers & Hubbard Co., Middleton, Conn. Aug. 7, 1903. 
Gentlemen:—That % of an acre is certainly a wonderful section of land. 
There has never been anything on it but your Fertilizer, first or last, not one 
pound of any other kind of Fertilizer. It has been top-dressed with every crop. 
It is almost one generation since I seeded that down, so it goes on and on and on. 
Ill tons in 27 crops in 13X years. It is certainly going to make its usual increased 
crop this year. Yours respectfully, GEORGE M. CLARK. 
SEND FOR PRICES AND OUR DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE SENT FREE. 
THE ROGERS & HUBBARD CO., MIDDLETOWN, CONN. 
