1897 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
6o3 
Grass in Lawns. 
J. IF. IF., New York .—What Is the best method 
of eradicating Crab grass from lawns ? 
Ans. —This is a question that we have 
been trying to answer at the Rural 
Grounds for the past three years. Crab 
grass (Panicum sanguinale) is an annual, 
and the seeds germinate late. As lawns 
become impoverished, the better grasses 
—Blue grass, Red-top, etc.—give way to 
this Crab grass, which gradually takes 
possession of the lawn. What we have 
thus far done has been to fertilize the 
lawn from time to time with high-grade 
complete fertilizer, and during wet 
spells, to sow seeds of Red-top, Blue 
grass and White clover. 
Bulbs for Winter Flowering. 
It is now time to attend to the Dutch 
bulbs for blooming indoors ; although 
work among them might be deferred, 
it is wise to get them under ground. 
There is, also, the possibility that late 
purchasers will get the poorer bulbs. 
We include under the general heading 
of Dutch bulbs, tulips, hyacinths, and 
narcissus, these all being grown in the 
great bulb farms in Holland. 
Snowdrops, Crocus, and Siberian 
squills, which give pretty little flowers 
indoors as well as out, should always 
be planted early in September, or they 
will not flower well. The soil needed 
is the same for all the bulbs; a good 
loam, well enriched with well-rotted 
manure. To use fresh, pasty manure is 
to invite failure. Material must be 
placed in the bottom of the pot to pro¬ 
vide good drainage, for while the bulbs 
need moisture, they cannot endure sod¬ 
den soil. Though we plant the bulbs 
now, we do not wish them to make top 
growth, and for this reason, we cover 
the pots and store them away, that they 
may make a fine root growth to give 
them strength for the blooming season. 
The first Narcissi to bloom in the 
winter are the Polyanthus type, such as 
that variety known as the Chinese Sacred 
lily, and the larger-flowered Paper- 
white, so largely grown for cut flowers. 
Every one knows how the Chinese 
variety may be bloomed in a bowl of 
pebbles, with no other nutriment than 
water. It should be kept in the dark 
until it has made plenty of roots and, to 
make it stocky and lasting, with strong, 
deep-green leaves, it should be grown 
cool, until the flowers show, when it 
may be brought into a warmer room. 
Too much heat gives pale, drawn-up 
leaves, and short-lived flowers. This 
variety may be grown in earth, like any 
other. The Paper-white Narcissus bulbs 
should be just covered with earth in the 
pot, three bulbs to a five-inch pot. When 
potted, water and put in a dark cellar, 
covering the top of the pot with two or 
three inches of earth, spent manure, or 
any similar litter. A little straw put 
over the top of the pots first, enables 
one to shake the earth off without 
trouble. The Narcissi may be brought 
up to the light in November, but they 
must not be kept too warm. Paper- 
white Narcissus must never be frozen ; 
this is fatal to it, while most of the 
other bulbs receive a hard freezing with 
indifference. 
Hyacinths are some of the most satis- 
~^t factory bulbs we can grow indoors, both 
the little Romans and the large Dutch. 
The Romans, which come from Italy and 
southern France, bloom much earlier 
than the Dutch. They are small, so we 
^ should put three bulbs in a five-inch 
pot, covering them down cellar like the 
Narcissi. The florists plant a great 
many bulbs in shallow boxes—flats, as 
they are called—covering these over out¬ 
side, in some place where water will 
not lie, and they are left there until 
active forcing begins. Freezing does not 
hurt them, unless the leaves have pushed 
through. But it is not safe to allow 
bulbs in pots to freeze hard, because the 
pots will burst, neither is it very con¬ 
venient for an amateur, as a rule, to 
cover the pots outside, so the cellar is 
recommended. 
In potting Roman hyacinths, the bulbs 
are just covered with the earth, but 
Dutch hyacinths have one-half the bulb 
left above ground. One Dutch hyacinth 
is enough for a five-inch pot, but three 
or five of the bulbs in a flat pan give a 
good effect. Single hyacinths are usually 
the more satisfactory for winter bloom¬ 
ing. though we often find the double do¬ 
ing well. Always buy good named hya¬ 
cinths for indoors ; if cheap, unnamed 
bulbs are bought, they should be re¬ 
served for outdoor planting only. Here 
are some good single sorts : La Gran- 
desse, Mme. Van der Hoop, white ; 
Macaulay, Fabiola, Mme. Hodgson, pink 
and red ; Czar Peter, Lord Derby, blue ; 
Ida, yellow. The following are good 
doubles : Florence Nightingale, white ; 
Blocksberg, blue; Bouquet Tendre, 
pink. The familiar old fashion of grow¬ 
ing hyacinths in water needs no descrip¬ 
tion. It should be remembered, how¬ 
ever, that the hyacinths grown in water 
should be kept in a cool, dark closet, or 
some similar place, until they have made 
plenty of roots. The water should be 
changed before it becomes foul ; a small 
lump of charcoal is a valuable aid in 
keeping it sweet. Hyacinth glasses, 
shaped to hold the bulb, may be obtained 
from seedsmen and florists. The water 
should just come to the swell in the 
glass, so that, while the bottom of the 
bulb touches it, the water does not ex¬ 
tend higher. 
Tulips are some of the most satisfac¬ 
tory bulbs grown indoors, but it is use¬ 
less to try to force them into bloom 
early. The little Due Van Thol varie¬ 
ties are the earliest of all, and we some¬ 
times see the scarlet ones about Christ¬ 
mas, but they are so small and stunted 
that they are not attractive. Better be 
satisfied with bloom in February and 
March, and have some of the finer varie¬ 
ties. Put two or three bulbs in a pot, 
and place them so that the bulbs are 
just covered, and no more. Cover them 
up in the dark, like the other bulbs. 
Before the pots are covered up, give 
them a good soaking of water in all 
cases. Early single tulips will give most 
satisfaction indoors. Artus, scarlet ; 
Coleur Cardinal, dark red ; Canary- 
bird and Chrysolora, yellow ; Rose Gris- 
de-lin, rose and white : Keizer Kroon, 
red and yellow, are all very good. La 
Candeur is a fine double white; Rex 
Rubrorum, double red. Good named 
tulips should always be selected. 
The bulbs cannot be forced a second 
time. Florists usually throw the old 
bulbs away, but both tulips and hya¬ 
cinths may be dried off after flowering, 
kept in a cool, dry place during summer, 
and then planted out in the edge of the 
lawn or shrubbery border. They will 
not be heard from the following spring, 
MOTHERS.—Be sure to use “Mrs. Wins¬ 
low’s Soothing Syrup ” for your children 
while Teething. It is the Best.— Adv 
but the year after that, a good many 
will bloom, and though small and weak, 
the flowers have a pretty effect in early 
spring. Double yellow daffodils, treated 
like the tulips and hyacinths, force 
nicely, but of late years, there has been 
much complaint of blighted and imper¬ 
fect flowers, probably due to hastened 
and imperfectly-ripened bulbs. One sea¬ 
son’s forcing is all they will stand. The 
Poet’s Narcissus is also forced with ease, 
but both this and the daffodil are very 
impatient of extra heat, and will not 
endure being hurried. 
Seasonable Notes. 
Pot chrysanthemums are now growing 
fast, and need plenty of water. They 
must never be allowed to dry out so far 
as to show a flagging tendency. They 
will stand an extra stimulant, and soot- 
water will give a fine, deep color to both 
flowers and foliage. Use soot from soft 
coal only, in the proportions of one-half 
peck of soot to 30 gallons of water. Use 
this mixture once a week. 
Large-leaved Begonias that were put 
outside for the summer would better be 
brought inside before there is any risk 
of soaking autumn storms. Such a chill 
as this is very likely to make them drop 
their leaves, and also predisposes them 
to rust. Over-watering is a prolific 
source of Begonia rust, and this disease 
soon destroys their beauty. They must 
be watered carefully when indoors, for 
while they do not like drought, a sod- 
dened soil, badly drained, quickly affects 
their foliage. 
The Tuberous Begonias are beginning 
to die down now, and will be cut down 
entirely by the first cool nights. The 
tubers must not be touched by frost ; 
they should be dug, the stem being 
cut off about an inch from the root, 
which is then left to dry for a day or 
two. When dry, rub off the remainder 
of the stem and any adhering earth from 
the tubers, and put them in pots of dry, 
clean sand. They must be kept in a 
frost-proof place. 
About half the lamp-chim¬ 
neys in use are Macbeth’s. 
All the trouble comes of 
the other half. 
But go by the Index. 
Write Macbeth Pittsburgh Pa 
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Although a man may lose both of 
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