6 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
January 6, 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
Thunberg’s Barberry for Hedges.— 
The last two cold Winters so sharply de¬ 
fined the limitations in hardiness of the 
oval-leaved or California privet that great 
interest has been aroused in effective 
substitutes for that very popular ornamen¬ 
tal hedge plant. California privet still 
holds its own for seaside planting south of 
Boston, but there have been many losses 
inland and in northern localities. Nur¬ 
serymen are now propagating quantities 
of the common and Ibota privets, Ligus- 
trum vulgare and L. Ibota respectively. 
They are undoubtedly hardier, but less 
ornamental in foliage and manageable in 
habit, especially in their young stage. 
Ibota privet bears quite showy blooms, 
and is in itself a handsome shrub, but has 
not yet been demonstrated to possess the 
needed hedging qualities. The most 
promising reliably hardy shrub for decora¬ 
tive hedging, where the climate is too se¬ 
vere for dwarf box or California privet, 
appears to be Berberis Thunbergii, popu¬ 
larly known as Thunberg’s barberry. 
Though long-known and recommended for 
hedging, it has been little used for the 
purpose. It is of dense spreading growth, 
with many drooping branches, attaining 
three or four feet in height in good soil. 
The small thickly-set leaves are of cheer¬ 
ful bluish green during the growing sea¬ 
son. coloring glowing scarlet in Fall. The 
small yellow flowers are most freely pro¬ 
duced in May, and are followed by bril¬ 
liant red fruits or berries remaining fresh 
and bright all through the Winter. Our 
photograph, Fig. 7 , shows a fruiting twig 
beris is quite extensive, including many 
species of evergreen and deciduous shrubs 
native to temperate and sub-tropical cli¬ 
mates. The evergreen species have broad 
glossy and prickly foliage, much resem¬ 
bling that of the hollies. One of the best 
known of this section is the Oregon grape, 
Berberis repens, so called from its large 
dark blue, grape-like berries. It is a low- 
creeping shrub, seldom growing more than 
a foot high, with racemes of bright yel¬ 
low fragrant blooms in Spring and hand¬ 
some holly-like leaves. It is abundant all 
over the Pacific coast region, and forms a 
considerable portion of the undergrowth 
in Rocky Mountain forests. Plants are 
frequently sent East by travelers and 
western residents. Many have been re¬ 
ceived at the Rural Grounds. Those from 
the Pacific slope do not appear hardy, but 
others, collected in Colorado, readily en¬ 
dure our Winters. Several interesting hy¬ 
brids between deciduous and evergreen 
species have originated in nurseries and 
botanical gardens. One of the handsom¬ 
est is named B. ste-nophylla, having B. 
Darwini and B. empetrifolia, both Pata¬ 
gonian species, for parents. It is a most 
graceful shrill) with minute glossy leaves, 
holding on the Rural Grounds until late 
Winter, and slender arching branches. It 
appears fairly hardy when established. 
B. Neuberti is supposed to be a hybrid be¬ 
tween B. Aquifoiium, a holly-leaved spe¬ 
cies from Oregon .and the common Euro¬ 
pean barberry. B. vulgaris. It is of rather 
stiff growth with broad, dull green leaves 
turning brown and falling by midwinter 
in this locality. Hybrids between Thun¬ 
berg’s barberry and the purple-leaved 
form of B. vulgaris have been grown by 
Chas. E. Saunders, Experimental Farm, 
Ottawa. Canada, and on the Rural 
Grounds. Mr. Saunders made bis crosses 
in 1894, using B. Thunbergii as the seed 
parent. Four plants were grown, all be¬ 
ing intermediate between the parents in 
habit, fruit and foliage, though the leaves 
were all green. Seedlings grown from 
these primary hybrids, however, vary to 
FRUITS OF THUNBERG’S BARBERRY. Fig. 7. 
in natural size, taken after the leaves had 
begun to fall. As a well-grown bush may 
have thousands of branchlets about as well 
furnished as the one figured, the bright and 
cheery Winter effect can be imagined. We 
have never known these fruits to be at¬ 
tacked by birds, though they are not in¬ 
edible. Planted 10 inches apart. Thun¬ 
berg’s barberry in three or four years 
makes an exceedingly attractive low 
hedge, requiring little trimming. The 
habit is naturally so even and compact that 
only slight pruning of straggling branches 
is needed. The branches are well armed 
with sharp spines, making such defensive 
armor that cattle or sheep seldom browse 
it. It is remarkably easy to transplant, 
having a most extensive fibrous root sys¬ 
tem, yet does not rob the soil to anything 
like the extent of the privet. We find it 
almost impossible to grow anything but 
grass nearer than 10 feet of a California 
privet hedge. 'I he hungry rootlets reach 
out nearly a rod on each side, and appro¬ 
priate the lion’s share of the manure and 
fertilizers applied within that distance. 
The deciduous barberries all endure shade 
well. Thunberg’s is r.o exception; hedge 
lines of it may be run under open trees 
and close to other plants with good effect 
if care is taken to give extra mulching 
and fertilization. 
Propagation of Thunberg’s Barberry. 
—The deciduous barberries are usually 
grown from seeds, sown fresh in the Fall 
or gathered during Winter, stratified in 
moist sand, and sown in well-prepared 
beds in Spring. Seedlings are usually 
large enough for planting in the nursery 
row at the end of the second season, and 
for hedging in three years from germina¬ 
tion. Thunberg’s barberry may also be 
easily grown from short cuttings of ma¬ 
ture young wood, taken in early Winter 
and rooted under glass in the usual man¬ 
ner. If the wood is well selected a rather 
more uniform lot of plants is likely to be 
grown than from seeds. Good plants for 
hedging are now offered at $12 to $15 per 
hundred. Plants for shrubberies and spec¬ 
imens cost about 25 cents each. 
Hybrid Barberries. —The genus Ber- 
a most interesting degree, many going 
back or beyond the extreme type of either 
parent. Some have the stiff, upright 
growth of B. vulgaris purl-urea, and the 
leaves larger, deeper purple and more 
spiny, while others have small, smooth 
green leaves and even more willowy 
growth than Thunbergii. The Rural 
Grounds experiments, begun three years 
later without knowledge at the time of 
the Canadian hybrids, have exactly re¬ 
produced the above features, although the 
hybrid seeds were^borne by the purple¬ 
leaved parent. Our second generation 
seedlings have not yet fruited, but it is 
evident some very distinct and charming 
varieties may be selected from the lot. 
The fruits borne by the primary hybrid 
are very large, dull scarlet, not keeping the 
fresh and glossy appearance of those 
borne by B. Thunbergii, but are of excel¬ 
lent quality for jelly making. Many think 
there is no jelly like that so frequently 
made from our common native barberry, 
B. Canadensis. The flavor is most re¬ 
freshing and agreeable, but too acid for 
some tastes. The excessive sourness 
common to the berries of both Cana¬ 
densis and Vulgaris is greatly modified in 
this hybrid, and it is in every way better 
in quality than the glossy but insipid 
fruits of Thunbergii, which have no culi¬ 
nary uses. 
Purple Barberry Hedges— The purple¬ 
leaved form of B. vulgaris is freely plant¬ 
ed in shrubberies for its ornamental foli¬ 
age, and is used to less extent for hedges 
where particularly striking effects are 
wanted. The plants cost less than those 
of Thunberg's barberry, though cuttings 
do not root as freely and seedlings varv 
so considerable in color of foliage that a 
proportion must usually be discarded. The 
best specimens may slowly be increased by 
means of suckers or layers. The color 
of the foliage is best when grown in poor 
soil. As a rule it should be planted in 
the background, as it does not well bear 
pruning, and be left to grow very much at 
will. Dark foliaged shrubs are charming 
if properly used, but it is easy to overdo 
them on small grounds. w. v. F. 
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A Reliable 
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12 Sizes. 
Manufacture! only by 
HDBSON & CO., 12 Stale Street, New York. 
SPRAY OR SURRENDER 
that is the ultimatum that in¬ 
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on every fruit-grower of 
America. If you do 
not heed the warning 
you will not get profits 
from your orchards. 
Every man who sprays intel¬ 
ligently, at the proper time, 
finds it the most profitable 
operation on the farm. 
Send for illustrated catalogue 
of the ECLIPSE Spray Pumps 
and outfits. 
Morrill & Morley, Benton Harbor, Mich. 
WE’LL PAY THE FREIGHT 
and seud 4 Hnggy W h«*eU, 8teel Tire on - #7.76. 
With Rubber Tir«*n, $ 14.60. I mfg. wheels % to 4 in. 
tread. Top Buggies, $28.75; Sleighs, $10.75. Write for 
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SPLIT 
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Finest Buggies 
nvwhere on 30 Days Free 
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Write and tell us what style 
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Write for 
on „ OHIO CAKKIAGB 
now UFO, CO. 
C. Phelpi, Pre«. 
~Bt.tion 290 , Cincinnati, 0 .( 
/£ PRUNING SHEARS 
Will Snip a Broom Handle 
| W That gives you an idea of the strength and 
¥ Quality of the pruner. Wiss Pruning Shears 
£*■ will outlast a dozen ordinary ones. They 
t ; a will cut tissue paper. That shows how 
LI* nicely they are adjusted. 
Rw Nurserymen and growers of fine trees use 
V T them in preference to all other shears—they 
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Wiss dealers will replace free of charge any shears 
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All parts are interchangeable, If any part (say the 
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Made in Two Sizes: jgIRSEI; li:iS 
Extra blades, 50c. each. For sale by all dealers. 
J. WISS & SONS CO., 
15-33 Littleton Avenue, Newark, N. J. 
It Is Worth While . 
Buy a machine tli at does the work 
right— that cleans its strainer 
automatically with a brush, 
mixes iiquid’mechauically so that 
oliage is never burned, but gets 
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Empire King, and 
Orchard Monarch 
do these things. They throw finest 
spray, Mre easiest to work and they 
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FIELD FORCE PI MP CO., 
No. 2 11th St. , Elmira, N. Y. 
A LEAKY TANK 
is an abomination 
CALDWELL 
Tanks don’t leak. They 
are made right. We build 
tanks of Everlasting Cy¬ 
press: also White 1*1116. 
We have hundreds we 
can reler to In your 
vicinity. Send for Illus¬ 
trated catalogue a u d 
priue list. 
W. K. CALDWELL CO. 
Louisville, Ky 
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THE RADIANT 
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Rush’s Patent DISSOLVING PROCESS. 
Coolest, Safest, Simplest Process 
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Working 1 parts in plain view. Is Absolutely 
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light and hea^ are required. Send for catalog 
and price list. 
RUSH ACETYLENE GENERATOR CO., 
38 Beeman St., Canandaigua, N. Y. 
Slt.l Plat. 
^-Malleable IronTipt, 
Hardwood 
FREE 
) cocra Oil Paint 
One cootvarms 
30 DAYS TRIAL 
BOLSTER SPRINGS 
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WE PAY THE FREIGHT 
Your Spring - Help 
What kind of help will you have this spring. Will 
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IRON AGE Implements 
These implements comprise tools for the cultivation of all crops. The 
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Iron Age 
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