672 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
October 10 
a huge bouquet, and makes a very pretty ornament 
for the lawn. 
People who have experience in growing house 
plants, know that a large plant can be grown in a 
small quantity of soil. If the soil be weighed or 
analyzed before and after growing the plant, it will 
be found that only a small quantity has been ab¬ 
sorbed, probably less than 10 per cent. From this it 
will be understood how a barrel will hold sufficient 
soil for so many plants, and how they will grow in 
the same soil for four or five years. The water which 
is absorbed through the roots, and the carbonic acid 
in the atmosphere which is absorbed through the 
leaves, are, by far. the greater part of the plant food 
required for their growth. The commercial grower 
will wish to know whether there is any profit in 
growing strawberries in this way for market. 1 be¬ 
lieve that a few persons are making the trial, but as 
yet, I have no report from them. But any one can 
make a trial of it, and learn its advantages. If the 
plan should prove a success on a large scale, prob¬ 
ably something cheaper and more convenient could 
be devised, than barrels, and many improvements be 
evolved from this idea. w. h. JENKINS. 
Delaware County, N. Y. 
NOTES FROM THE FAIRS. 
After attending the State Fair at Syracuse, and 
several county fairs, as either spectator or judge. 
I felt not a little pride at our own Queens County Fair 
just brought to a successful close. The weather was 
favorable for a good attendance, the fair was well 
patronized, was a financial success, which shows con¬ 
clusively that it is not necessary to have so many fake 
shows as disgrace some of our fairs. That the Em¬ 
pire State cannot make a successful fair without the 
accompaniment of such shows as the Streets of Paris, 
negro minstrels, and lady snake charmers, with all 
the accompanying noise of the “ barkers ’ to attract 
the people to tlieir disgusting displays, speaks ill, to 
my mind, of the management. I noticed that your 
correspondent in writing of the Syracuse fair said 
that some particularly obnoxious thing was promptly 
suppressed when the attention of the officers was 
drawn to it. But why admit such things at all ? Is 
that what we are to learn at our fairs ? 
The fruit department at Syracuse was simply grand. 
The pear and peach crops were hurt by the severe 
winter, but the apple and grape exhibits could 
scarcely be equaled. The apple exhibit from the 
Geneva Station was noticeable for the number of 
varieties, and their perfection of growth ; in the whole 
300 plates, it would have been difiicult to find a scaly 
or wormy specimen, showing that spraying, thor¬ 
oughly done, is what is needed for perfect fruit. The 
show of vegetables would have been a bad second 
to either the Queens Co. or Suffolk Co. fairs, at 
which I was much surprised. As was to have been 
expected in western New York, the display of honey 
and honey makers and homes was really large and 
interesting; the different kinds of bees and beehives 
were well worth studying. 
Our show of flowers and ornamental plants at 
Mineola, was very fine, that of fruit good to very 
good. I noticed the San Jos6 scale on some fruits 
shown; that is wrong and should not be allowed. 
There is a law in this State against allowing 
affected stocks to be moved from the nursery with¬ 
out first disinfecting, and if we are ever to get rid of 
it, now is the time, while it is confined to small local¬ 
ities. A neighbor had it introduced from New Jer¬ 
sey ; the entomologist of the station called his atten¬ 
tion to it, and by promptly attending to it, has his 
trees clean. But it requires prompt and continued care. 
Queens County, N. Y. H. 
THE ASPARAGUS RUST 
A HEW AND DANGEROUS DISEASE. 
A somewhat new disease has been noticed in some 
of the asparagus fields of New Jersey. The New 
Jersey Experiment Station authorities have issued 
a circular from which we take the following notes : 
When an asparagus field is badly infested with the 
rust, the general appearance is that of an unseason¬ 
able maturing of the plants. Instead of the usual 
healthy green color, the field has a brownish hue, as 
if insects had sapped the plants, or frost had destroyed 
their vitality. Busted asparagus plants, when viewed 
closely, are found to have the skin of the stems, both 
large and small, lifted as if blistered, and in the rup¬ 
tures of the epidermis, dark-brown spots are readily 
seen. These brown dots or lines are of various sizes 
and shapes, and remind the close observer of similar 
spots in the broken skin of stems of grains and 
grasses, and of the leaves of corn, also due to rusts, 
but not the same kind as that of the asparagus. 
The asparagus rust is due to a fungus (Puccinia 
asparagi D. C.), that is, a minute plant consisting of 
microscopic threads which grow through the sub¬ 
stance of the asparagus plant, taking up the nourish¬ 
ment that is needed, and finally break through the 
surface to bear the innumerable brown spores that 
give the dark color to the spots on the asparagus 
skins. This is the last stage in the development of 
the rust fungus, and as such, remains over winter. 
When the warm, moist weather of spring and sum¬ 
mer comes, the spores above mentioned germinate, 
and a new lot of asparagus plants may become in¬ 
fested. 
There are two general methods of checking the rust, 
namely, by destroying the spores, and by preventing 
their growing upon, and getting a foothold in, the 
substance of healthy asparagus plants. The rust 
fungi are among the most difficult to check—by pro¬ 
tecting the plants they feed upon—by means of fun¬ 
gicides, Bordeaux Mixture, etc., sprayed upon them 
during the growing season. While something may 
be hoped for with the spraying pump in July and 
August, the chief method of eradication lies in the 
destruction of the spores this fall. This can be done 
in a very simple and effective manner, by carefully 
gathering all the parts of the asparagus plants that 
are above ground and burning them. It would be a 
waste of time to stack the tops and leave them to 
natural decay; and to place them in manure heaps 
would be still worse. The only safe thing to do, 
when a serious enemy like this is in the asparagus 
field, is to burn the plants, even to the last scrap that 
can be gathered up. Let this be done at once, for 
any delay means the breaking up of the brittle, rusty 
plants, and a generous sowing of the spores upon the 
ground. If the fire could go over the whole field, and 
burn all the small as well as the large pieces, that 
would be the best of all. This autumn burning should 
be done by every asparagus grower, even though the 
rust is not yet seen by him. This enemy may become 
very serious if thorough measures be not taken at 
once, and by all who are engaged in asparagus culture. 
EVERGREENS FOR A SMALL PLACE 
At this season of the year, it is not opportune to 
speak of flowers out of doors. But, as the value of 
evergreens in beautifying a place, and in giving 
pleasure in the winter season, is so well recognized, 
I purpose to name a few small growing ones well 
suited for the purpose, and which do very well 
planted in early October. 
Taking it all in all, but few evergreens prove more 
satisfactory than the various sorts of Retinisporas. 
There are two with pleasing green foliage, Pisifera 
and Plumosa, and each of these has a golden variety. 
All are particularly pretty when of small size, and as 
they never attain the size of pines, they may be 
planted where small-sized evergreens are desired. 
They stand pruning well, not objecting at all to an 
annual clipping, so that the keeping of them within 
bounds is easy. But do not clip these, or any other 
evergreens, to have them become stiff-looking or 
statue-like objects. Let branches go as they will, to 
some extent. Beauty is not in primness. There is a 
Retinispora called Squarrosa, having steel-blue foliage, 
which is represented by no other evergreen. Small 
plants of this, of two to three or four feet in height, 
are particularly pleasing. 
For one of vivid green color and rather dwarf habit, 
try Obtusa nana. It keeps its bright green color all 
the time, winter and summer, and, making but a 
quite small bush, it is much planted. The Hemlock 
spruce is a universally admired tree. No matter 
whether growing as it will, or kept down by pruning, 
its habit and appearance always please. Another, 
not so well known, is called Douglas spruce, and it 
stands alone in the dark green color of its foliage. 
Those raised from Colorado seeds are the ones to 
plant. The Washington and Oregon forms are not 
hardy enough for general northern planting. This 
and the hemlock must not be set too close to a dwell¬ 
ing, as their growth is more tree-like than any other 
evergreen mentioned in these notes. There is a val¬ 
uable evergreen from the Pacific coast too rarely seen 
in cultivation—the Thujopsis borealis. It is perfectly 
hardy here. It makes a thick growth, and is valu¬ 
able to plant where a dense-looking, pyramidal ever¬ 
green is required. It is a prime favorite with the 
English, and it exists in England in a gold and a 
silver-tinted variety, both most beautiful evergreens. 
Where but very little room can be afforded, the 
various forms of arbor-vitae are in good repute. Be¬ 
sides the common American, there are these varieties: 
George Peabody and Meehani, both golden-tipped ; 
Queen Victoria, silver-tipped ; Globosa and Pumila, 
both globe-shaped; and Pyramidalis, Filifolia and 
Cristata, upright grower. Some of the yews and the 
broad-leaved box are, also, good for small places. 
When planted in the fall, as all may very well be, a 
good mulching of manure should be placed about 
them, enough to keep the frost from the roots, if 
possible. Joseph meehan. 
Pennsylvania. 
The Farmers’ Club. 
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piece of paper.] 
SOME INSECT AND FUNGOUS DEPREDATORS. 
ANSWERS BY M. V. SDINGERLAND. 
Swelling at the End of Twigs. 
G. H. F., St. Lawrence . N. T. —I send some affected twigs cut 
from an early apple tree. What is the trouble and the remedy ? 
One-half the tree is killed by it, and the other half badly affected. 
No other trees in the orchard are, as yet. affected. 
Near the end of last year's growth, the twigs were 
thickened to nearly twice their normal size. I have 
often noticed this peculiar swelling near the ends of 
twigs, but have never been able to discover anything 
which would indicate that it is the work of an insect 
or a fungous disease. The indications are that the 
growth was checked early in the season, by some in¬ 
jury to the tip of the shoot, and Nature, in her efforts 
to repair the damage, carried a surplus of food to that 
point, thus swelling the shoot. The enlargements 
seem not to prevent new shoots from starting out the 
next season ; I thus doubt whether the death of the 
branches was in any way connected with the swollen 
parts of the twigs. 1 can suggest no method of pre¬ 
venting the enlargements; we know too little about 
their cause to enable us to prescribe remedies. 
Spotted Plums ; Cultivating Orchards. 
Stoughton, Mass.— I send specimens of Jaj>an plums. 
What causes the spots or blemishes, and what is the remedy? 
The trees have been planted three years. These sent are the first 
fruit, and all that are on one tree. I have 100 trees—Abundance, 
Burbank and Ogon. They are on light, sandy soil, in an elevated 
locality, the slope facing north. The trees made very satisfactory 
growth. I have two acres of orchard—apple, plum and pear set 
two years ago. This season, the ground was cultivated only 
once. It is now covered with grass and weeds. Will it injure the 
young trees to mow these and plow under for humus ? Can I do 
it at any time ? 
The spots or blemishes were, evidently, made by 
the plum curculio after the fruit was quite large ; 
the peculiar crescent of the curculio’s work was 
visible in the spots. The surest and most effective 
method of fighting this old offender is to jar the 
beetles from the trees on to sheets, and then destroy 
them. “ Curculio catcher” machines are now in gen¬ 
eral use by our largest plum growers. The chief 
trouble with the plums, however, was not the spots, 
but from the bl emishes as a starting point, the plum- 
rot fungus had spread, and the fruits were rapidly 
rotting. This disease was discussed in detail in The 
R. N.-Y. for July 11, 1896. It is a very difficult dis¬ 
ease to check, and only thorough work will bring 
results. Pick off and burn all mummy fruits found 
hanging on the trees in the spring before growth 
begins. Then spray with Bordeaux Mixture when 
the fruit is small, following with several applications 
of the ammoniacal carbonate of copper solution until 
the fruit begins to ripen. Orchards, especially when 
they are young, will do the best work if cultivated 
like corn, potatoes, etc. ; but the cultivation should 
not be continued after about July 15. Keep the 
ground covered the rest of the season and during the 
winter with Crimson clover or some similar crop that 
can be plowed under in the spring for humus. Leave 
the weeds and grass to cover the soil this winter, and 
plow them under in the spring. 
The Fiery Hunter and Its Work. 
G. 0. S., Passaic, N. J.—l send a bug and a tomato leaf. The 
bug was undex- a sti-awberry plant which was eaten up at the 
roots. The life of the bug is remarkable; having severed the 
back part of his body, I thought that he would soon die; but soon 
he was as lively as when he was uninjured. I then stuck one pin 
in him that did not hurt him, then one more pin and that has not 
killed him after several hours. What can be applied to the soil 
to kill the worms and bugs ? 
Although the insect found under the strawberry 
plant reached me in a very dilapidated condition, I 
was able to recognize it by the rows of peculiar 
copper-colored pits still visible on a piece of one wing 
cover. It is called the Fiery Hunter (Calosoma 
calidum), and is one of the largest of the ground 
beetles. The shining black beetles with long legs 
which are very common on the surface of the ground, 
lurking under stones or rubbish, or running through 
the grass, are ground beetles. Most of the ground 
beetles, as well as their grubs, are predaceous, feed¬ 
ing upon other insects, which they spring upon or 
capture by chase. The Fiery Hunter has been known 
to climb trees in search of caterpillars. The most 
efficient enemies of grubs, cutworms, and other injur¬ 
ious ground insects, are, usually, these ground beetles. 
Thus the beetle found near the roots was, doubtless, 
there after White Grubs ; very likely the grub which 
ate the roots had recently furnished a juicy morsel 
for the Fiery Hunter. It is not probable that the 
beetle ate the roots. Many insects are very tenacious 
of life ; the well-known Plum curculio is a good ex¬ 
ample. We have had them live for two or three hours 
in a poison bottle in which ordinary insects would 
