682 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
September 16 
Rttralismsl 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
Melon Blight Again. —The discourag¬ 
ing Melon leaf-blight that so unexpectedly 
suspended operations last year is again 
with us, and acres of thrifty muskmelon 
vines loaded to their full capacity with 
full-sized fruits are browned and shriv¬ 
eled as if scorched with flame. It makes 
little difference how vigorous and well fed 
the vines are, the collapse of leaf sub¬ 
stance is as rapid and complete with a 
thrifty melon plant as with a starved one 
when attacked with the blight fungus. A 
fair and healthy field of vines is con¬ 
verted into a depressing mass of dead and 
brittle foliage within 72 hours after the 
first appearance of fungus spots on the 
older leaves, near the center of the hills. 
The vines perish more slowly, remaining 
green and plump for many days, and the 
melons are arrested in whatever stage of 
development they may happen to be. If 
nearly ripe, maturity is hastened and there 
is no great falling off in quality, but a 
melon from a newly blighted vine never 
has quite the rich flavor of one that ripens 
before the disease is evident. Immature 
melons, if nearly or quite full grown, soon 
undergo a sort of false ripening, but sugar 
formation and quality development stop 
with the first outbreak of the disease. 
Though apparently ripe they are flabby, 
tasteless and often positively disagreeable. 
The smaller and undeveloped fruits wilt 
on the vine, but countless tons of full- 
sized but immature ones with flavors in¬ 
ferior to a decaying cucumber are picked 
from the dead vines and shipped to mar¬ 
ket, disgusting melon eaters and destroy¬ 
ing all confidence on the part of the con¬ 
sumer in this most enticing of Summer 
delicacies. The grower should not be too 
severely blamed. Often he has done his 
best in the way of careful selection of 
good seeds and intelligent culture. He has 
run the gauntlet of insect pests, known 
diseases and weather variations, and has 
successfully produced a crop, only to see 
it swept away almost in a night by this 
incomprehensible visitation. Small won¬ 
der he tries to save a portion of the wreck¬ 
age. Science has thrown little light on 
the workings of this all-prevalent disease, 
which in 1903 was so widespread that 
only a few Minnesota counties were re¬ 
ported free from it, but has pointed out a 
partial remedy in the early and continued 
use of Bordeaux Mixture, sprayed on 
when the vines begin to run, and at fre¬ 
quent intervals, especially after heavy 
rains, until the melons are actually jj|pe. 
Few do it; spraying operations in mid¬ 
summer are costly in time and labor, which 
is urgently needed in every direction, but 
it is really demonstrated that copper-plat¬ 
ing—the cure-all that fails in so many 
plant diseases—is a practical means of 
controlling Melon blight. A neighbor 
who has consistently sprayed his vines 
finds ready sale at $10 the hundred for 
every melon he grows, and he has them 
by the acre. He is sure it pays the large 
grower to spray, but 4t is a different mat¬ 
ter to mix fresh Bordeaux and get out the 
pump every 10 days or so during the 
busiest time of the year to spray a dozen 
hills. Melons are greatly liked on the 
Rural Grounds, but we can’t make up our 
minds to undertake a thorough campaign 
of spraying. We used dry Bordeaux from 
a dust gun, applied when the young vines 
were wet with dew, and continued at 12- 
day intervals until well set with fruit in 
late July. The result was a fine stand of 
vines, healthy until August 18; then 
rather gradual dying of foliage from 
blight. The crop from 60 vines nets a 
dozen exquisite melons, ripe just as the 
first blotches of disease appeared, twice 
as many good, but not first quality, and 
something over a hundred flabby and 
tasteless specimens, hugely appreciated, 
however, by the ducks. Possibly spray¬ 
ing might have enabled the vines to brill" 
50 of the last hundred to fair maturity, but 
it would scarcely have paid us to neglect 
more vital duties to save them. 
Glass Culture and Early Planting.— 
Although science has not yet given the 
amateur or small grower an economical 
means of fighting the disease it can be 
partially dodged by cultural devices occa¬ 
sionally available. If grown in greenhouse 
structures, otherwise idle in Summer, one 
is almost certain of a full crop of superb 
melons. It needs much careful oversight 
and close attention to watering, fertilizing 
and stringing vines and fruit, to say noth¬ 
ing of the chance of combating invasions 
of the Melon louse and white fly, but there 
is little fear of blight if ventilators are 
closed at night and during rains. House- 
grown melons are of the highest possible 
quality, but probably cost the raiser in 
labor from six to 10 cents each, not con¬ 
sidering value of glasshouse and equip¬ 
ment. 
Start Your Melons Early. —Blight sel¬ 
dom attacks melons in this locality before 
August 20. It may be hurried by hot, 
rainy weather, as seems to be the case 
this year, but if the fruit can be induced 
to approach maturity by the third week 
in August the chances are that some of 
them will be of acceptable quality. To aid 
early ripening, plant only the earliest va¬ 
rieties that grow well locally—we use 
Netted Gem and Paul Rose, of selected 
strains. Plant outside before May 10, 
sowing 20 to 30 seeds in each hill to in¬ 
crease chances for three strong plants for 
final selection, and use newspapers over 
hoops or some form of plant protection 
for chilly nights. Make hills large and 
deep, with plenty of old manure and some 
ground bone worked in at least a foot 
deep. Fight striped beetles with plentiful 
applications of bone dust—Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture is said to be better—and keep always 
well hoed and cultivated. Don’t pinch off 
ends of vines when they run. Fruits are 
borne on the laterals, and pinching makes 
the vines more productive, but they come 
in bloom later. It is the early-set melons 
that count. Don’t thin fruits or meddle 
with vines after the last cultivation. Let 
a few weeds grow for the tendrils to cling 
to. The vines will need support in high 
winds. Spray if you are so inclined, but 
do it thoroughly if once attempted, and 
finally be duly thankful if you get one 
first-class melon to each vine. Time may 
be gained by growing plants in pots in 
hotbeds, frames or glasshouses, so that 
they will have one or two pairs of rough 
leaves when set out, May 15 to 20. Sow 
several seeds in four-inch pots or small 
boxes—sods are of little use, as the plants 
do not make good roots—about three 
weeks before they are to be planted out. 
When up pull out all but the strongest 
plant, and set three in a hill, watering well 
and protecting from cold until estab¬ 
lished. Such plants bear early, but in 
our experience are seldom very produc¬ 
tive. The above remarks apply wholly to 
muskmelons. Watermelons are not as 
susceptible to blight as muskmelons, but 
eventually yield to it or some similar dis¬ 
ease where they cannot be ripened before 
mid-August. They have failed in this 
locality for the last 10 years. 
Will the Irrigated Product Last?— 
For several years the eastern market has 
been supplied with excellent muskmelons, 
uniform in size and quality, from irri¬ 
gated localities in Colorado and Arizona, 
notably from Rocky Ford, Col. Latterly 
shipments of rather immature but finely 
grown melons have been received from 
California. They are of the Netted Gem 
type, with thick, sweet flesh, and are prac¬ 
tically all grown in rainless districts by 
the aid of irrigation. They are trans¬ 
ported in refrigerator cars that are cooled 
at once when loaded and a temperature 
below 45 degrees maintained during tran¬ 
sit by a liberal use of ice. Transportation 
charges for goods carried in this manner 
from distant localities are naturally high 
and the melons should sell for at least 
$6 per hundred to net the growers any 
profit. The best early consignments some¬ 
times bring more than double this price, 
while later shipments often fail to realize 
a satisfactory price. The quality, taken 
throughout *he season, is so fair and uni¬ 
form that western melons dominate the 
market. The best ones, after such pro¬ 
longed chilling, scarcely equal well-grown 
fresh-picked eastern fruits, but their uni¬ 
formity and reliability cause them to be 
sought after. The quality of Rocky Fords, 
however, has scarcely been up to the 
standard for the last two years, and it 
seems evident that leaf blight is at work 
in that district and will sooner or later 
find its way in the newer localities. The 
irrigation grower, being free from rain, 
will always have an advantage, as he can 
effectually use Bordeaux Mixture, but he 
naturally dreads any increased expense on 
account of the high cost of getting his 
product to market. He will probably have 
to combat the disease in the future despite 
bright skies and clear atmosphere. 
w. v. F. 
Do you have trouble with rubber boots and shoes—find they wear out 
twice as fast as they used to do? Of course you do, unless you buy 
Buckskin Brand 
Rubber Boots and Shoes. 
(Awarded Grand Prize at St. Louis Exposition.) 
They wear twice as long as the ordinary kind, be¬ 
cause they are made from pure gum. They are 
real rubber. Take an old Buckskin Boot, cut 
the sole and stretch it. It’s elastic enough to make 
a boy’s “nigger shooter.’’ You cannot do that with 
an ordinary rubber boot, because the ordinary rub¬ 
ber boot contains only a small percentage of real 
rubber. The rest of it is a cheap substitution com¬ 
pound. But this is not all. The 
Buckskin Brand 
are made right. Look at the cut. See that thick 
sole—count the number of thicknesses. 
Look at the five-ply reenforcements 
across the arch of the foot and jthe 
eight-ply in front of the leg where 
the wrinkles break the ordinary boot. 
That explains why the Buckskin 
Brand give twice the wear that 
the ordinary boot or shoe does. 
WEIGHT 
j llO LBSt 
1 ACTUAL 
TEST 
Guaranteed and Sold on 10 Days Trial. 
Why take the wear-out-quick, ordinary kind when you can get the last-long 
Buckskin for the same price? Ask your dealer for Buckskin Boot—no other. 
Look for the brand on the boot leg and the shoe heel. If he cannot 
supply you, we will; write to us. Our Buckskin 
booklets are free. 
BANNER RUBBER COMPANY, 
280 Bittner Street, St. Louis, Missouri. 
f pacity 
sills, et 
, best results with least 
/- 
Monarch 
Hydraulic 
PRESS 
—FOR— 
CIDER, WINE, 
etc. Greatest ca- 
ower. Steel beams. 
st P' 
sills, etc. Great strength and durability. Safety 
device prevents breakage. Different sizes and capac¬ 
ities. New Special Features This Year. 
Gasoline engines, stationary, portable and traction. 
A. B. Farquhar Co's. Boilers, Engines, Saw 
Mills, Threshers. Ask for catalogue. 
Monarch Machinery Co.* 
Room 161. 39 Cortlandt St., N. Y, City. 
THE POT A TO DROP, 
large or small, is best 
harvested with 
the Improved 
DOWDEN 
Potato Digger. rSftS.’KiE 
out. Standard digger with no peer, and it lasts. Ask fur free Bowden book 
DOWDEN MFC, CO., Box 522.. PRAIRIE CITY, I*. 
WE LEAD THE WORLD 
We are the largest manufac¬ 
turers of Grooved and Plain 
Tire Steel Farm Wagon 
Wheels in America. We 
guarantee our patent 
Grooved Tire Wheels to 
be the best made by anybody 
anywhere. Write us. 
HAVANA METAL WHEEL GO. 
BOX 17 HAVANA, ILL 
FARMERS 
THE CUTAWAY HARROW CO. 
CLARK’S REV. 
BUSH PLOW and HARROW 
Cuts a track 5 feet wide, 1 
foot deep. Connects sub¬ 
soil water. Can plow a 
newly cut forest, stump, 
bush or bog land. 
CL A ltK VS I)bt. ACTION 
CUT A WA r Moves 1H,()00 
Tons of Earth in a Day. 
Send for Circulars. 
HIGGANUM, CONN., U.S.A, 
Best for sore horses 
Pratts Vet. Healing Ointment. 
Made by Pratt Food Co., Pbila. Over 30 years old. 
HANDY 
WACON 
Low steel wheels, wide tires, make 
loading and handling easier. We fur¬ 
nish Steel Wheels to tit any axle, to 
carry any i oad. Straight or staggered 
spokes. Catalogue free. 
EMPIRE MFG.C0., Box 70 F Quincy, III. 
EXTENSION NTTTTTQ Sent on 
AXLE t ’I AJ I Approval 
Cure wabbles and make old buggies run like 
new, Samples free TO agents. (Profitable) 
HARDWARE SPECIALTY CO., Box H3,1'outiac,Mich 
Save Half Your Fuel 
BY USING THE 
ROCHESTER. 
R.ADIAT0R. 
Fits any Stove or Furnace . 
Write for booklet oa beating homes. 
Rochester Radiator Co. 
, Furnace St*, Uochester,N.Y» 
Pricefrom 
$2.00 to 
$12.00. 
For hard or 
soft coal, 
wood or gas. 
Your Face Tells 
If it’s soft, smooth and 
free from irritation, it’s a 
sign you use the healing 
WILLIAMS’ i H o A TS 
Sold everywhere. Free trial sample 
for 2-cent stamp. Write for “The 
Shavers Guide how to Dress 
Correctly.” 
The J. B. Williams Co Glastonbury, Conn. 
Cider Machinery—Send for Catalogue to Boomer & 
Boschert Press Co., 113 West Water St.,Syracuse, N.Y. 
MRS. WINSLOW’S 
SOOTHING SYRUP 
baa been tued bv Millions of Mothers for their 1 
children while Teething for over Fifty Years. < 
It soothes the child, softens the gums, allays ( 
all pain, cures wind colic, and Is the best i 
remedy for diarrhoea. , 
TWENTY-FIVE CENTS A BOTTLE. 
PISOS CURE FOR 
CURES WHERE ALL ELSE FAILS 
Best Cough Syrup. Tastes Good. 
Use in time. Sold by druggists. 
CONSUMPTION 
NO REPAIRS OR PAINTING 
required when 
S ou use Arrow 
rand Asphalt 
Ready Roofing. 
Is surfaced with gravel and can be laid on 
old shingles or other surfaces easily. Send for 
samples, free. 
ASPHALT READY ROOFING CO.,80PineSt.,N.Y.Clty 
Beware of cheap imitations made from Tar. 
YOUR IDEAS 
$100,000 offered for one In¬ 
vention; $8,500 for another. 
Book "How to Obtain a Patent” and 
"What to Invent” sent free. Send 
rough sketch for free report as to 
patentability. We advertise your 
patent for sale at our expense. 
Chandlee & Chandlee, Patent Attorneys, 
979 F. Street, Washington, D. C. 
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. 50-lb. kegs. $.’.50; 100-lb. kegs, $4.1.0; half barrel, 
270 lb.,344cper .b; barrel.425 lb.,3Hc. Send for booklet. 
.JAMES GOOD, Original Maker, 
939-41 N. Front Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 
