358 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
May 18 
Ruralisms ; 
hotesTroKi the rural grTuhds. 
A Bkautiful Azalea. —Very few 
flowering shrubs so combine richness of 
color with delicacy of outline when in 
bloom as Azalea amcena. Like some 
other members of the genus its habit is 
rather flat and rigid. The small, dark 
green foliage does not entirely conceal 
the stiff outline during growth, but in 
May the whole plant is smothered in a 
cloud of rosy purple bloom. When seen 
close at hand the magenta tint is not 
always pleasing, but at a little distance, 
when lighted by the sun, the effect is 
incomparably brilliant and pleasing. 
The innumerable flowers, often with 
double corollas, lose their individuality 
and give a lace-like effect that is quite 
unique in this class of plants. Azalea 
amcena is not entirely hardy north of 
New York, but can be grown success¬ 
fully with moderate Winter protection 
to the Canada line. It should be planted 
in a sheltered position whenever pos¬ 
sible, but there are fine specimens in 
this vicinity growing on rather exposed 
hillsides. The illustration on first page. 
Fig. 140, well represents a flowering 
branch, but can only give a faint idea 
of its extreme freedom of bloom. The 
picture was furnished by Bobbink & 
Atkins, Rutherford, N. J., who can sup¬ 
ply this desirable Azalea as well as 
many other species. Azalea amcena is 
a native of North China and Japan, -and 
is therefore at home in temperate cli¬ 
mates, especially in hilly and well- 
forested districts. There are several 
native species of Azalea well worth 
transferring to our gardens. The beau¬ 
tiful flame-colored A. calendulacea from 
the Blue Ridge Mountains is scarcely 
excelled by any foreign hybiid. A. ar- 
borescens and A. Vaseyi, the former 
ranging along the summits of the Alle¬ 
ghenies and the latter nearly restricted 
to North Carolina, have large and hand¬ 
some white or rose-colored blooms. 
Even the common eastern Azaleas, the 
“Spring honeysuckles” of every forest 
glade, A. viscosa and A. nudiflora, make 
desirable additions to a shaded garden. 
The large-flowered and beautifully col¬ 
ored Ghent Azaleas so abundantly forced 
for Easter blooms by florists are hybrids 
between various East Indian, Chinese 
and American species. Very few are 
hardy, even with the best protection, 
but they may be grown outside in moist 
soil during Summer, and wintered in a 
cellar or brought into bloom in the win¬ 
dow garden. Some varieties may be 
forced repeatedly if given good care in 
the intervals, but the bloom is not like¬ 
ly to be as good as at first. Azalea 
amcena is regarded by some high bo¬ 
tanical authorities as a variety of A. 
Indica and not as a distinct species. 
Most of the Azaleas were formerly 
classed with the genus Rhododendron, 
which is now confined to the large grow¬ 
ing Rose bays. 
Soil. As A CoM.MODiTy.—In most thick¬ 
ly populated districts good soil and leaf 
mold are in limited demand for potting 
plants, making up small flower beds and 
occasionally grading a lawn. When 
quoted by dealers in horticultural sup¬ 
plies the price is about ?2 a barrel. Most 
florists furnish potting soil to their cus¬ 
tomers at very moderate prices, consid¬ 
ering the trouble of getting up a well- 
balanced compost. In suburban resorts, 
where wealthy persons build costly 
Summer homes and improve extensive 
pleasure grounds, the demand for large 
quantities of rich top soil becomes quite 
imperative. The six-mile ridge of roll¬ 
ing ujiland between the present Rural 
Grounds and the ocean affords many de¬ 
sirable building sites on account of the 
great variety of water views obtainable, 
and has been in constant progress of 
improvement for the last 20 years. 'I'lie 
soil near the sea is naturally so thin 
and poor that it will not sustain lawn 
grasses, while it rapidly improves in¬ 
land. As the first improvements began 
near the beach much top soil was re¬ 
quired to make a fertile surface, and 
farmers two or three miles back found 
they could get an average of 50 cents a 
yard for their soil with the profits for 
hauling usually added. Whole fields 
were stripped, the amount received in 
some cases reaching nearly $1,000 per 
acre. It looked as though these farms 
were ruined, and for practical agricul¬ 
tural purposes this probably was true, 
but with the advance of improvement 
inland the denuded fields came into 
market for building purposes, and were 
frequently sold at a still higher figure. 
It is not often that a piece of land can 
be bought at a high price, the surface 
skinned off and sold for more than the 
land cost, and the land itself later on 
sold at an advance over the purchase 
price, yet such has been the case in this 
locality. The marketing of sod for cov¬ 
ering terraces and slopes as well as 
small inclosures, is a recognized indus¬ 
try in all suburban places, and has been 
considerably developed in this vicinity 
in connection with the trade in soil. 
Good firm natural sod is worth from 
one to cent a square foot, as it 
grows, and costs about three cents when 
laid in place. As a rule only a fraction 
of any given plot will produce good sod, 
but on some of the moist, rich fields 
many thousands of feet have been cut 
without seriously injuring the land. In 
hollows, where the soil is deep, succes¬ 
sive crops have been taken without 
much deterioration. There is little good 
surface soil near Lakewood, situated 
just on the edge of the pine-barren dis¬ 
trict, and top soil is brought in by rail 
in large quantities for the very exten¬ 
sive improvements always going on. 
The business is locally in the hands of 
contractors, and the farmers have little 
to do with it except to sell their land 
when a sufficient p^ice is offered. The 
stripping of a good meadow of its accu¬ 
mulated riches is no part of legitimate 
agriculture, and can only be profitable 
under such unusual conditions, but 
after all it is only restoring to the im¬ 
poverished uplands the fertility they 
have been despoiled of by the storms 
of centuries. 
Tkieolia’I'e Okance is Hardy Here. 
—Each day of the advancing season im¬ 
presses one more strongly with the 
serious damage evergreen plants have 
suffered. The line of demarcation be¬ 
tween tne living and dying portions is 
constantly becoming more evident. Not 
for the past 20 years has so great loss 
been caused by climatic conditions. 
Deciduous plants came through the sea¬ 
son very well, not being called on 
to transpire much moisture during the 
cold winds of February, when the roots 
were locked in frost. The plantings ot 
the hardy or Trifoliate orange were lit¬ 
tle affected. As the trees grow older 
tney gain in sturdiness, scarcely a twig 
being lost. They are really ornamental 
in Winter, the dark green of the bark 
rendering them quite conspicuous 
against a snowy background. If it were 
not for the slow growth there is little 
doubt tne Trifoliate orange would be¬ 
come the most formidable and lasting 
of hedge plants in this latitude. The 
growth is thick and compact, and the 
long unyielding thorns defend it from 
any aggression by man or beast. Local 
trees have now reached eight or nine 
feet high, and have bloomed and fruited 
for several years past. They can easily 
be kept to a convenient height, and the 
tendency of all the winterkilling that 
has ever taken place here is simply to 
prune the plant by checked late and 
poorly-ripened shoots. A well-known 
nurseryman had such faith in the hedge 
possibilities of the hardy orange several 
years ago that he grew many thousands 
of seedlings, but he never could work 
up sufficient confidence in its hardiness 
to effect any but trivial sales, and in due 
course of time this interesting planta¬ 
tion was destroyed. It is not too much 
to say that scarcely anything grown in 
the nursery of equal age was less affect¬ 
ed by frost than these unprotected little 
orange trees. It is, of course, understood 
that the fruit of the hardy orange is not 
edible, and of value only for the seeds 
when they are wanted. The plant is 
not catalogued now to the same extent 
as five or six years ago, but may still be 
obtained from some dealers at 35 to 25 
cents apiece. The seeds are offered at 
20 cents an ounce. They grow quite 
readily. Few plants have been encum¬ 
bered with so many botanical synonyms, 
it having been described under four 
generic names, but the present designa¬ 
tion of CitiMis trifoliata is likely to 
stick. w. V. F. 
ASniMWALL 
4~RO W SRRA YER 
Twenty-live to 30 acres per day. 
BEST SPRAYER ON TUE MARKET. 
THE ASriDIWALL LINE 
OF 
POTATO MACHINERY 
CONSISTS OF «SP* 
WK ALSO .MAKE 
Lawn Swing.s 
Po.st Hole Auger.s 
Barrel Churns 
Green Pea Shellers 
BTC., Etc. 
Write for our New Catalogue and 
Special Prices. Addre.ss Dept.K, 
A TTjiT . IVEI’G-. 
JACKSON, MICH. 
GUTTERS 
PLANTERS 
WEEDERS 
4-ROW SPRAYERS 
DIGGERS 
SORTERS 
o<z>.. 
A MW INSECTICIDE 
First Introduction to America of 
Black Soluble 
Insecticide Soap. 
Awarded Grand Prize at Paris Exposition, and 
winner of Gold Medals at International Expositions 
of Rome. Recommended as efficacious by largest 
European Nurserymen and Growers, including 
Messrs. Vilmorln, Andrieux. Royal Gardens Monza, 
and others. All pests of outdoor or indoor plant life, 
including San Jos6 scale, succumb to the effects of 
tnis remedy. Fruit Growers and Horticulturists send 
for pamphlets, prices and other Information. 
V. CASSAZA & BRO„ 
190-192 Prince Street, NEW YORK CITY. 
TOBACCO DUST 
1/1 I I C WOOLY APHIS, MEN LICE 
rVlUUO ANDALLQaROEN FESTS. 
H.A.STOOTHOFF. 
116 West St., N.V.C 
Tobacco Oust 
Hobbyist. 
SAN JOSE SCALE. 
And other Insects can be Controlled by Using 
Cood’s Caustic Potash Whale 
Oil Tobacco Soap No. 6. 
!4 Rbl., about2751bs., 4o. lb 
Bbls., about 425 lbs.,3^c.Ib 
Kegs, 501bB. ea., 5Hc lb. 
Kegs, lOU lbs. ea., 5c. lb. 
Kegs. 170 lbs. ea., 4J>^c. lb. 
Large quantities Special Kates. Send for Circulars. 
JAMES GOOD, 937 N. Front St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
I Bnes,lice,scale,bhght, 
jbU^ knot, yellows, 
I fungus, etc., are sli 
I killed bysprsyingwlth 
EMPIRE KING and 
GARFIELD KNAPSACK 
Spra7er8.Miz thoroughly andmake fine spray. 
No Bcorchingo Norub^rorleathervalvea— 
something better. Brush keeps strainer free. 
Book on Spraying and agents’ terms free. 
FIELD FOBCB PrilP COMPANY, 
2 Market St. Loekport, 5. T« 
SEE AY 
with Leggett’s Caustic Potash 
Whale-Oil Soap Compound. 
(paste form). 
An improvement over Whale-oil Soap. Is made 
ready for use by aoding cold water. Stronger than 
ordinary Whaie-oil Soap. 400-lb. barrels, 3J(c. per 
lb.; 40-lb. buckets. 53^0.; 7-lb. cans. 6!^c. Supplied by 
dealers or by LEGGETT & BRO.. 301 Pearl St., N. Y. 
with onr new patent 
'Kerosene Sprayers^ 
is simple indeed. Kerosene emulsion 
made while pumping. 13 varieties 
sprayers, Bordeaiiz and Vermorel 
Nozzles, the ‘‘World’s Best.” 
THE DEMINQ CO., SALEM, 0. 
Western Agents, Hennion A HubbeU. 
Chicago. Catalogue and formulas free. 
Buy a Good 
Spray 
Pump 
—d o n ’ t experiment— 
costs money. We have done 
the experimenting—used the 
common spray pumps in our 
own orchards, noted their 
defects — then invented the 
ECLIPSE. You get the bene¬ 
fit of our experience free* 
Send at once for catalogue. 
MORRILL & MORLEY, Benton Harbor, Mich. 
‘■Don't you think it some risk to send your money 
to Jones of Binghamton, N. Y., for a scale before 
you see it?” “No s‘r, 1 came from Broome County 
and know his reputation.” “Well, what if the scale 
isn’t right.” “ He’ll make it right and there’ll be no 
dodging and Jones he pays the freight.” 
A 1 
potato Bug 
is getting to ^ave'^be^n tried on 
h^s become pretty nearly 
»7oison-proof,” but Bowker s 
ff 
44 
BOXAU 
WILL KILL HIM 
and at the same time J“thus 
many testim , of insecticides 
ofthisin our catalog 
which also and plant 
of inlurious 
diseases, illustrated. Ask or 
write to-day. 
BowkerChemicalCo. 
43 ' 
PARACRENE 
is better,cheaper and bulkier than PARIS GREEN. 
“Have used Varagrene on my farm for potato 
bugs. It was perfectly satisfactory. L. H.BAHjKY, 
Prof, of Horticulture, Cornell University.” Write 
for sample. I'REU. L.. LAVANBUKG, New York 
TWENTY-SEVEN 
Strawberry Basket 
and Fruit Package 
manufacturers de¬ 
pend on us to sell 
their output. Now 
is the time for you 
to place your orders 
to save money. 
Fruit and Farm Baskets ourSpecialty 
Send for new 1901 Catalogue. Established 1884. 
COLES & COMPANY, 
109 &. IIL Warren St., New York. 
THE HARDIE” 
Spray Pumps 
are the most powerful, easiest 
worked, most modern, simplest 
In construction and moderate In 
price. DON’T BUY A PUMP 
until you have sent for our cata¬ 
logue “C” and treatise on dis¬ 
eases of fruits, etc., sent FREE. 
Hardle Spray Pump Mfg. Co., 
60 Lamed St. W., Detroit, Mich. 
The Finest Spray-i 
A perfect fog-like mist is 
tlirown out by 
RIPPLEY’S 
Compressed Air Sprayer 
and 
Whitewashing Machine, 
or throws acontinuous stream 
iK) ft. heigh, as desired. Never 
scorches foliage. Make solu- 
ton go farther than any other 
sprayer. Great for whitewash¬ 
ing. ilolds 6 gallons. Can’t 
burst. Price, heavy galvanized Iron, $G.25; heavy copper, 
$10 00. We also have hand sprayers, wagon sprayers and 
full line of specialties for breeders, farmers and nortlcuUur- 
ists. Send for catalogue and speciai prices. 
RIPPLEY HARDWARE CO., Box 223, Grafton, Illinois. 
1 8 F»rk Place. N. Y. City. N. Y. 
Eaitern Branches. | Merchants Row. Boston, Mass. 
SLUG SHOT 
KILLS CUKKANT WOKMS, Etc. 
Used successfully 21 vears. Sold hy Seed Deal¬ 
ers. For pamphlet ou hugs and blights,address 
B. HAMMOND, FLsbkill Lauding, N.Y. 
Mr. F. D. Eogers, of Mousou, Mass., 
writes:—“I used Bowker’s ‘Boxal’ ou au 
acre of potatoes, aud am certaiu that it 
cheeked the blight which was prevalent 
in this section.”— Adv. 
$5.00 Compressed Air Sprayer for $3.75 
it Is admitted by all classes of fruit growers and farmers that my 5 gallon compressed air sprayer Is the 
most durable made. '1 his reduction is made for a limited time only. Take advantage of the liberal offer— 
it may be' your last opportunity to get the sprayer at the reduced price. $3.75 tor galvanized steel, $5.00 for 
copper. Will throw m good stream 26 to 3» feet. Good pressure 20 to 30 minutes. The tallest 
fruit tree cau be sprayed. Order to-day Salary to reliable men. Address 
MARTIN WAHL Kocliester N. Y. 
