4o 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
January 21, 
Ruralisms ; 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
Good Plum Wanted. —The Minnesota 
Horticultural Society adopted a resolution 
during its last meeting, December 7-9, of¬ 
fering $100 prize for the production of a 
native plum adapted for general culture in 
that State, larger and firmer than present 
varieties. In the discussion preceding the 
passage of the resolution, it was urged 
that the standard for the new plum be 
set high, that a variety may be had such as 
the State can be proud of. One hundred 
dollars is not a great award for a useful 
new fruit. A plant breeder setting out to 
create a new orchard fruit in any respect 
superior to existing kinds is likely to ex¬ 
pend, in labor and direct outlay, many 
times that sum before a start is made to¬ 
ward the desired improvement. Even if 
the equipment is at hand, from five to 
seven years are needed for a plum gener¬ 
ation, from the selection of seed parents 
to a stage of fruition affording a fair 
chance for comparison with standard 
sorts, but as countless experiments look¬ 
ing towards the production of better na¬ 
tive plums are going on under public and 
private supervision this moderate prize 
may act as a welcome stimulus to perse¬ 
verance in such a worthy object. The 
quality of some native plums is already 
very high; they are as a rule healthy, 
hardy and productive. If satisfactory size 
and the firmness needed for commmercial 
shipment can be added, we shall have one 
of the most agreeable fruits of the earth. 
The Hairy Toad Lily. —One of the 
oddest and most desirable of hardy her¬ 
baceous plants is the Hairy Toad lily. 
Tricyrtis hirta, particularly the dark-spot¬ 
ted and free-flowering variety known as 
T. hirta nigra. Fig. 21, page 35, is a very 
unsatisfactory representation of a portion 
of a bloom spike as it appears in late 
September. The plants are entirely hardy 
as regards Winter cold, but are somewhat 
sensitive to hot sun, and some species 
bloom so late that the buds are likely to 
be injured by frost. Toad lilies should be 
planted when possible in light, rich soil 
in a partially shaded position. They grow 
from one to three feet high, but are not 
vigorous enough to struggle with native 
plants unless given fair culture and some 
attention. The stems and foliage of the 
species above recommended are covered 
with thick whitish hairs. The flower buds 
appear in clusters at the axils of the leaves, 
clothing the plants, when opened, from 
base to summit with curious bell-shaped 
blooms an inch or more across, creamy 
white, marked in the most extraordinary 
way with dark purple or black spots. 
While not particularly showy, the appear¬ 
ance of the Toad lily in bloom is strangely 
unique. A comparison is usually made 
with orchids, but not many orchids are so 
distinct and odd in appearance. They are 
very useful for cutting, as they come at a 
time when garden flowers are scarce. The 
plants are not really tuberous, but have a 
thickened root stock covered with tufts of 
fibrous roots. They are often catalogued 
by bulb dealers, and are easy to trans¬ 
plant when dormant, but should never be 
allowed to dry out before planting. Roots 
may be had in early Spring, the best time 
for planting, at 15 to 25 cents each. When 
established they should not often be dis¬ 
turbed, but allowed to form large masses 
which will in time yield great amounts of 
bloom. If the situation is dry the plants 
may need water at times to keep the foli 
age in good condition. Clumps may be 
taken up when in bud and bloomed in the 
greenhouse or window garden, but, on the 
whole, the Toad lily is best adapted for 
shady places in the border or garden. 
There are species with yellow blooms, and 
others with fewer spots, but they are not 
as attractive as the Hairy Toad lily, which 
has also a faint but agreeable perfume. A 
form with variegated foliage was at one 
time cultivated, but it is seldom seen now. 
placed in contact with the damp soil. The 
New Jersey /vgricultural Chemical Co., 
Paterson, N. J., submitted some time ago 
samples of “Bonora,” a concentrated chem¬ 
ical fertilizer in liquid form. We have 
made comparative trials of Bonora on pot¬ 
ted plants under glass with similar plants 
fed with liquid animal manure of the 
usual strength—one bushel of cow, horse 
or sheep manure in 50 gallons of water. 
The Bonora was diluted, as directed, with 
100 times its bulk of water—one pint 
Bonora to 12j^ gallons water—and appli¬ 
cations made as nearly as possible at the 
same time and in similar quantity with the 
liquid manures. Little difference in the 
growth and appearance of the two lots of 
plants could be noticed in four months’ 
trial, but both were much superior to sim¬ 
ilar plants receiving no fertilizer during 
that interval. We conclude the samples 
of Bonora tested were in every way as effi¬ 
cient for the purpose as ordinary liquid 
manure from animal sources, and vastly 
more pleasant to handle and apply. The 
problem of disagreeable fumes has been 
overcome, the concentrated solution and 
the dilution ready for use being practically 
without odor. Country dwellers having 
access to fresh soils and abundance of fer¬ 
tilizing material have little use for these 
special preparations, but there can be no 
doubt of their utility for the many plant 
lovers forced to live in crowded towns and 
cities. 
Too Many Christmas Trees? —It is 
rather depressing to think of the countless 
thousands of thrifty young everygreens 
sacrificed each year for their very transient 
use as Christmas trees. They are cut by 
the train load, and dispatched to the larger 
cities and commercial centers. About 60 
per cent are actually used for the purpose 
intended, the remainder thrown aside or 
burned as waste. A small proportion come 
from nurseries, where they are occasion¬ 
ally grown for the purpose, but by far the 
larger share are cut from the natural 
growth of forest and hillside. A small 
amount of money is thus distributed in re¬ 
mote places, and occasionally a slight rev¬ 
enue obtained from otherwise unproductive 
lands, but the lion’s shar-e of the profit 
goes, as usual, to the middleman and 
transportation company. Our Atlantic and 
northern forests may be able to stand for 
a time this increasing drain, but it is far 
otherwise in some of the central arid 
States, where the forest growth is already 
too scanty, and costly efforts are being 
made by State and National Governments 
for reforestation. It has recently been es¬ 
timated that over 100,000 spruce and other 
evergreen trees are yearly used in Colo¬ 
rado alone for Christmas trees, represent¬ 
ing the forest growth of 500 acres for 15 
to 25 years. This reduction cannot in the 
end be without detrimental effect on the 
available water supply. Public opinion 
has already been worked up to a point in 
Colorado where small forests near cities 
receive police protection, and many fam¬ 
ilies have been induced to use artificially 
manufactured trees. Considering the ex¬ 
ceedingly limited life of the usual Christ¬ 
mas tree the use of a manufactured article 
is to be commended. w. v. F. 
SCOTT’S EMULSION 
We don’t put Scott’s Emul¬ 
sion in the class of advertised 
cure-alls; it doesn’t belong 
there. We hardly like to use 
the word “cure’' at all, but we 
are bound to say that it can be 
used for a great many troubles 
with great satisfaction. Its 
special function is to repair 
the waste of the body when 
the ordinary food does not 
nourish, and this means that 
it is useful in many cases 
which are indicated by wast¬ 
ing. 
We’ll send you a sample free. 
A Window Garden Fertilizer. —Most 
dealers in florists’ supplies offer concen¬ 
trated "plant foods” for use in the window 
garden or conservatory. These prepara¬ 
tions are usually in solid form, and con¬ 
sist of concentrated mixtures of the nec¬ 
essary chemicals, to be lightly worked in 
the soil of the pots as a top-dressing, or 
dissolved in proper proportion and applied 
as a liquid stimulant. They are conven¬ 
ient and effective when properly used, but 
are not altogether as “odorless” as adver¬ 
tised. The dissolved bone or acid super, 
phosphate of lime, so necessary as a source 
of phosphoric acid, is likely to give off a 
rank, sour smell when first moistened or 
SCOTT & BOWNE, 409 Pearl Street. New York. 
RHODES DOUBLE OUT 
PBUHING 8HEAE 
Cuts from 
both sides of 
limb and does 
not bruise 
the bark. 
Wc pay Ex¬ 
press charges 
on ail orders. 
Write for 
circular and 
prices. 
423 West Bridge St., GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. 
RHODES MFC. CO. 
SPRAY 
for scale with the AVAL LACE 
SPRAYERS. No expense for power 
Wallace Machy. Co., Champaign, Ill. 
Your face is your 
fortune. Guard 
it with Williams’ 
Shaving Soap. 
Sold everywhere. Free trial sample 
for 2-cent stamp to pay poitage. 
Write for booklet How to Shave.” 
TheJ. B. Williams Co., Glastonbury, Ct. 
HOW TO RID YOUR ORCHARD OF 
SAN JOSE SCALE 
LIME, SULPHUR AND SALT. 
Dilute One Gallon of “ CONSOL” with 
Forty Gallons of Water, hot or cold ; 
Spray with any Spray Pump. 
The Result of a HALF MILLION 
HOLLARS in experimental work. 
WHITE FOR BOOKLET. 
" Valuable Information on Orchard Spraying.” 
A Pleasure to Answer Inquiries. 
AMERICAN HORTICULTURE 
DISTRIBUTING CO., 
Martinsburg, West Virginia. 
DON’T LET THE 
SAN JOSE SCALE 
DESTROY YOUR TREES. SPRAY WITH 
LIME, SULPHUR AND SALT WASH 
AND BE SURE TO USE 
BERGEN PORT 
SUBLIMED FLOWERS OF SULPHUR. 
This brand is prepared especially for 
Spraying purposes: insist on having it. 
Ask your dealer, or write to 
T. & S. C. WHITE CO., 
28 Burling Slip, New York. 
HYDRATED LIME 
To mix with KEROSENE. Sure Death to 
SAN JOSE SCALE. For Few Trees or Large 
Orchards. Free circular explains. 
ARTHUR J. COLLINS, Moorestown, N. J. 
SALIMENE 
KILLS SAN JOSE SCALE 
Write for circulars and testimonials. 
DRY OR LIQUID FORM. 
Monmouth Chemical Works. Shrewsbury, N. J. 
SAN JOSE SCALE 
and other INSECTS killed by 
GOOD’S 
Caustic Potash Whale-Oil Soap No. 3 
Endorsed by U. S. Dept, of Agri and State Experiment 
Stations. Thissoapisa Fertlllzeras well as an Insecti¬ 
cide. 60-lb. kegs.$2.50; 100-lb. kegs,$4 50; half barrel, 
i701b.,3jkcperlb; barrel,4251b ,3i^c. Send for booklet. 
JAMES GOOD, Original Maker, 
939-41 N. Front Street. Philadelphia, Pa. 
Hardie 
Spray Pumps 
are the fruit growers best 
protection against all In¬ 
sects and diseases which 
attack fruit tree*. The 
Hardie Spray Pump Is the 
simplest, strongest, most 
durable and highest pres¬ 
sure spray pump made 
and "It works so easy." 
Send today for our tree 
book on Spraying giving 
all the best formulas and 
Information about how the successful fruit 
growers make big money. Just a request on a 
postal will bring this valuable book. 
HOOK-HARDIE CO. 
MECHANIC ST. HUDSON. MICH. 
Pear affectod by the San 
Jose Scale which annual¬ 
ly destroys $30,000,000 
worth of fruit. 
EMPIRE 
,be KING 
or QARFIELD KNAPSACK 
AGITATORS. Noscorchingfoliage, 
nor rubber valves. All Btyles of Spray 
I Pumps. Valuable book of instructions free. 
| FIELD FORCE PUMPCO. ii Ilth St., Elmira, K. Y. 
containing plenty of Potash. All 
vegetables require a fertilizer con¬ 
taining at least io per cent, actual 
Potash 
Without Potash no fertilizer is com¬ 
plete, and failure will follow its use. 
Every farmer should have our valuable books 
on fertilization—they are not advertising 
matter booming any special fertilizer, but 
books of authoritative information that means 
large profits to the farmers. Sent free for the 
asking. 
GERMAN KALI WORKS 
98 Nassau Street, 
New York. 
jomctidr 
succeeded 
by using only 
the best 
machinery. 
The Gaboon 
is the world’s standard Hand Broadcast 
Seed Sower. Positively accurate and lasts 
a lifetime. Write now for description. 
GOODELL COMPANY , 
14 Main Street, Antrim, N. H. 
I Garden Tool 
for evtrjr 
purpose. 
AMES PLOW CO 
THE GARDENER 
for home or market finds tools best 
adapted to his work In the line of 
Matthew*' 
New Universal 
Hand Seeders 
and Cultivators. 
Singly or combined 
with Hoes, Plows, 
Hakes, Markers. Send 
for Free Booklet of 
valuable information for 
nd cultivating 
and full de- 
of these im- 
Markot Street, Boston, Maas. 
CIDER 
PRESSES. 
Investigate the“ Monarch ” 
Hydraulic Press before 
buying. Special Con¬ 
struction, Added Con¬ 
veniences, Maximum 
Capacity and Results. 
Catalogue free. 
MONARCH MACHINERY COMPANY, 
41 Cortlandt Street, New York. 
RCHARD PROFIT 
0 depends upon working al 1 the 
fruit into a 
Cider for instance. If 
¥ ureit sells readily at a profit, 
he best is produced by a 
HYDRAULIC Cl ^ ss 
Made in varying sizes, hand 
power. Catalogue free. 
HYDRAULIC PRESS MFC. 
30 Cortlandt St., New 
GET THE BEST 
A Good Spray Pump earns big 
profits and lasts for years. 
THE ECLIPSE 
is a good pump. As 
practical fruit growers 
we were using the com¬ 
mon sprayers in our 
own orchards — found 
their defects and then in¬ 
vented TDK ECLIPSE. Its 
success practically forced us 
into manufacturing on a 
large scale. You take no 
chances. We have done all 
the experimenting. 
Large fully Illustrated 
Catalogue and Treatise 
on Spraying—FREE. 
MORRILL & MORLEY, Benton Harbor, Mich. 
MADE 51725 £ 
in spare time arid home ooun- /t'yT' 
ty. You may do as well. LGy 
Orders come fast for the 
“Kant-Klog” Sprayer 
with new spring shut-ofT. Catch a 
good thing quick. Write for free 
sample plan and full particulars 
Bochesler Spray Pump Co., 16 East A»e.,Rochester,N.T. 
Deming Knapsack Sprayer 
leads everything of its kind. 6 gal. cop¬ 
per tank, brass pump, bronze ball 
valves, mechanical agitator. Easily 
carried. Pumprlghtorletthand. Knap- 
sack and Bucket Sprayer combined. 
Wo wake 20 etjloa Bjirajeru. Write for Catalog. 
THE DEMING CO., Salem, O. 
Henlon & Hubbell, Weit’n Agts., Chicago. 
