522 
July 8, 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
“Bonora” Acts Well. —A preliminary 
report on “Bonora,” a liquid concentrated 
fertilizer for plants, was made on page 
40, R. N.-Y. for January 21 , 1905. Com¬ 
parative trials on potted plants under 
glass between Bonora, one pint to 12 
gallons of water, and liquid manures of 
ordinary strength from animal sources 
gave quite similar results. Applications 
were made every two weeks for several 
months. The plants in both lots throve 
well, were very similar in appearance 
at the end of the experiment, and were 
much larger and stronger than plants of 
the same varieties that received no fer¬ 
tilization over that contained in the pot¬ 
ting soil. There is no odor or unpleas¬ 
ant feature in the handling and applica¬ 
tion of Bonora, and in this respect it is 
far more agreeable to use than liquid ani¬ 
mal preparations or the usual concentrat¬ 
ed flower foods sold by florists and seeds¬ 
men, that give off disagreeable acid odors 
when in contact with damp soil. Bonora 
can be used anywhere about the dwelling 
or conservatory without offense, and with 
the best results, if sufficiently diluted. Too 
frequent applications are to be avoided. 
Once or twice a month appears to be suf¬ 
ficient for most plants. We have also 
tested a solid form of Bonora, so put up 
to reduce cost of transportation. Six and 
one-half pounds, equivalent to one gallon 
of the liquid, dissolved in 100 gallons of 
water, make an excellent application for 
all sorts of plants, both under glass and 
in the garden. It gives remarkably prompt 
results when sprinkled on grass on the 
lawn, the response in greener color and 
increased growth being as quick as with 
nitrate of soda, and apparently without 
the caustic effect of the latter. As at 
present manufactured this compound is a 
handy and efficient fertilizer for those 
who do not have a home supply of ma¬ 
nure. 
A Well-grown Spiraea. —Fig. 219, 
page 5 23j reduced from an English photo¬ 
graph, shows a particularly fine plant of 
Aruncus, usually catalogued in this coun¬ 
try as Spinea, astilboides. This species is 
not as commonly forced for early Spring 
decoration as the nearly related Astilbe 
Japonica, but is in many respects hand¬ 
somer if really well-grown. Both are 
fine decorative plants, however, and may 
readily be bloomed in the window garden 
if clumps are dug in the Fall, placed in 
well-drained pots or boxes, and allowed 
to freeze moderately in the shelter of an 
outbuilding, taking care the soil does not 
dry out. About 12 weeks before blooms 
are wanted they should gradually be 
thawed, copiously watered and placed un¬ 
der glass or in a light window. Plants 
need considerable moisture when in 
growth, and are subject to attacks of 
aphids or green plant lice, for which 
weak tobacco infusion is the best remedy, 
as the young foliage is readily injured by 
fumigation. These herbaceous Spiraeas, 
as the varioiu species of Astilbe and 
Aruncus are almost universally termed by 
gardeners, are quite hardy, making 
charming clumps if planted in rich soil in 
a rather shaded part of the garden. They 
bloom in May and June, the flowers be¬ 
ing usually whiter in color and more free¬ 
ly produced than when forced. There are 
several improved varieties having more 
compact habit and denser inflorescence 
than these types. They are very fine both 
for garden planting and for forcing. The 
best appear t be Floribunda, W. E. 
Gladstone and Queen of Holland in 
Aruncus, and Gerbe d’Argent, Mont Blanc 
and Plumet Neigeux in the Astilbe group. 
All are silvery white in color, but diffei 
in form and asoect of the immense flower 
panicles. Floribunda and W. E. Glad¬ 
stone are freely offered in Autumn bulb 
catalogues at 15 and 20 cents each re¬ 
spectively, but the other named varieties 
are still scarce in this country. There are 
several other species suited for garden 
culture having white, rose and light 
crimson feathery blooms. The best is 
probably Ulmaria Rubra, our native 
Queen of the Prairies, with beautiful pan¬ 
icles of light rosy blooms. 
A Grand Novelty. —A recently discov¬ 
ered Chinese species, Astilbe Davidi, is 
described as a grand novelty, growing 
five or six feet high under good culture, 
and producing very freely immense fea¬ 
thery panicles of bright red-purple 
flowers. It is allied to the very fine As¬ 
tilbe sinensis, from the same country, but 
the latter does not grow as tall, and the 
blooms are rather pale pink or rose in 
color. Plants of A. Davidi still cost one 
or two dollars each, but seeds are first 
offered in this country for GO cents a 
packet by Henry A. Dreer, Inc., Phila¬ 
delphia. They are supposed to produce 
plants that will bloom the next season 
after germinating. A single packet, sown 
in a mixture of sand and muck, in a six- 
inch pot under glass in March has given 
us over 150 strong plants for the garden. 
When large enough to handle they were 
transplanted two inches apart in flats or 
shallow boxes of ordinary soil and plant¬ 
ed out in June, after hardening off, in a 
large bed, spacing them 18 by 24 inches 
apart. They should make a great dis¬ 
play next year if up to the claims of the 
introducers. 
The Rose Chafer. —Before the coming 
of the San Jose scale New Jersey horti¬ 
culturists found a favorite topic for dis¬ 
cussion in the all-prevalent Rose chafer 
that mars the beauty of our choicest flow¬ 
ers, destroys our young grapes, riddles 
the foliage of plum and cherry and cuts 
down the chestnut yield by devouring the 
catkins or male blooms. Less is said 
about this voracious destroyer on account 
of the present overwhelming danger of 
scale to our entire tree fruit industry, 
but probably no other established eastern 
insect pest is the cause of greater disap¬ 
pointment and more widespread disgust. 
He is so awkward and unsuspicious that 
he can readily be beaten from the bushes 
into pans of hot water or kerosene, but 
comes in such aggravating numbers that 
one is almost powerless to save his floral 
treasures. Contact and internal poisons 
are quite useless, as the effect is too slow 
and uncertain. Hot water syringing is 
correct in theory, but only practical in a 
small way. Birds of all kinds decline 
to eat them after the first experience. A 
pet blue jay, always an eager destroyer 
of garden insects, learned to discriminate 
against the Rose chafer in the first hour, 
and never could be induced to touch one 
again. The active little chick, running 
the flower beds intent on assorted insect 
prey, soon finds out the spiny and dis¬ 
agreeable nature of this abundant pest, 
and passes the sprawling clusters with 
something like a shudder. It is fortunate 
that Rose chafers are not equally abun¬ 
dant every season. There are periods of 
abnormal increase, followed by a year or 
two of lessened numbers. These periods 
are of uncertain duration, and the causes 
of the variation are not well known. 
They are in extra force the present sea¬ 
son—so abundant that young peaches, 
plums and other fruits have been quite 
seriously attacked, as well as grapes. A 
Rose-chafer bite is at this stage of de¬ 
velopment quite fatal to the little fruit, 
as rot is almost certain to finish its de¬ 
struction. Luckily the active season of 
this insect does not extend far into July 
and seldom completely destroys the ob¬ 
jects on which he feeds, except in the 
case of opening blooms. We trust a min¬ 
imum season of Rose-chafer destruction is 
close at hand. The larvae are abundant 
everywhere in light sandy soil, feeding 
principally on grass roots. Plowing up 
infested sod is supposed to destroy many 
individuals, but does not seem to reduce 
the pest. w. v. F. 
Fertilizing Potatoes and Onions. 
L. li., McKee City, N. J. —1. We have about 
12 barrels of wood ashes; these ashes have 
been out in weather all Winter. We would 
like to use all or half of them on early 
potatoes. The potatoes are now in bloom. 
We put 40 tons of pig manure and 1,000 
pounds of fertilizer on the ground before 
planting. Will the ashes make the potatoes 
yield any heavier? 2. We have an acre of 
onions set, and the maggot is in them. I 
would like to know what to do for the mag¬ 
got. Are wood ashes good for the onions, 
and how use it? We put 20 tons pig manure 
on the onion patch and two one-horse loads 
of chicken manure in the rows. We also 
have some lime; we would like to put It 
on the onions. Is lime good with the other 
manure? 
Ans. — 1 . We doubt if the wood ashes 
will be of much use to the potatoes now. It 
is too late to use them. While wood ashes, 
used when the crop is planted, will help 
a potato crop, the lime which they contain 
will increase the scab should there be 
any on the seed or in the soil. 2. Wood 
ashes will be of little help in fighting Onion 
maggots. Lime is excellent for onions, 
but should be used when the soil is fitted 
—before the onion seed is planted. An 
emulsion made by dissolving soap in water 
and adding carbolic acid will destroy the 
maggot, but is not adapted for use on a 
large scale. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you'll get a quick reply and 
‘‘a square deal.” See guarantee, page 8. 
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. This soap is a Fertilizer as well as an Insecti¬ 
cide. 5n-lb. kegs. $2.50; 100-lb. kegs, $4..SO; half barrel, 
270 lb., 3?fc(c per lb; barrel,4251b..3*4c. Send for booklet. 
,J AMES UOOI*. Original Maker, 
939-41 N. Front Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 
The 
WATSON 
Four Row 
f Potato Sprayer 
I Cover9 30 to 40 aores per day. 
Straddles *2rows, sprays 4 at 
a time. Wheels adjust for dif¬ 
ferent widths. Sprays to any 
fineness, and gearing of pump to wheel of cart gives any 
pressure desired. Automatic agitator and suction strainer 
| cleaner. It never spoils foliage or clogs. Free instruction and 
I formula book shows the famous Garfield, Empire King, 
Orchard Monarch and other sprayers. Write for it. 
Field Force Pump Co., 2 11th St.,Elmira, N.T. 
THE 
ANIMALS’ 
FRIEND 
SHOO-FLY 
Kills every FLY it strikes. Keeps the rest off Cows while in 
pasture, longer than any imitation. Used by leading dairvmen 
since 1885. if your dealer does not keep the genuine, send us |l.00, 
will return latest Improved 3-Tube Sprayer and enough “ Shoo- 
Fly " to protect 200 cows. Name Exp. Office. Free Hook let. 
SH00-FLT MFC. CO., 1026 Fairmonnt, Philadelphia, Pa. 
EDITOR knows from experience 4 'Shoo-Fly ” is O. K. 
What sprays 
do you use ? 
Bowker’s 
are best 
CP they are carefully and scientifically made 
ilvV/UUOv combinations, many of them prepared 
on government formulas, and all of them are specifics 
for the pest to be destroyed. Not one remedy for all 
ills, but each the most effective of its kind. All ready 
to use by adding water. 
for i nstance > all insects 
JL/1&KJ<I1 vlivy which chew, such as codling- 
moth, canker-worms, elm-leaf beetle, gypsy and 
brown-tail moths, etc. The most powerful insec¬ 
ticide known. Sticks like paint to foliage; not washed 
off by heavy rains. 2-lb. sample, 50c. Enough for 75 
gallons spray, $1. Enough fora large orchard, $4.25. 
Large Illustrated Catalogue Free 
BOWKER. INSECTICIDE COMPANY 
BOSTON NEW YORK CINCINNATI 
A Never Failing Water Supply, 
with absolute safety, at small cost may be had by using the 
Improved Rider Hot Air Pumping Engine and 
Improved Ericsson Hot Air Pumping Engine. 
Built by us for more than 30 years and sold In every country In the world Exclu¬ 
sively intended for pumping water. May be run by any ignorant boy or woman. 
So well built that their durability Is yet to be determined, engines which were sold 
30 years ago being still In active service. 
Send stamp for “ C4 ’ Catalogue to nearest office 
RIDER-ERICSSON ENGINE CO., 
35 Warren St., New York. 239Franklin St., Boston 
40 Dearborn St., Chicago. 234 Craig St., Weal, Montreal, r. q. 
40 North 1th St., Philadelphia. 22 Pitta St., Sydney, N. S. W. 
Teuiente-Key 21, Havana. Cuba. 
FERRES FRUIT BOX 
Is cheaper, lighter, stronger and better looking than 
wooden boxes. 
The saving made on express shipments on account of less 
weight will more than pay for the boxes. 
Write us for circulars and prices, also state the kind and 
quantity of fruit you ship. 
The J. W. Sefton Mfg. Co., box is Anderson, Ind. 
