392 
T1IE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
May 5, 
; Ruralisms 
▼▼▼▼▼fTT 
WOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
Better Price for Tomatoes. —The can¬ 
neries in this portion of Monmouth 
County, N. J., probably for the first time 
in the history of the packing industry, 
offer $10 the ton as the contract price 
for growing tomatoes. This advance of 
$2 the ton was forced by the failing 
supply incident to increased growing 
cost, chiefly caused by the growing scar¬ 
city and unreliability of farm labor. The 
cannery price for tomatoes hereabout has 
gradually worked up through the last 12 
years from $6 to $8, the latter price be¬ 
ing first offered last season. Many con¬ 
tracts were made, but the New York 
demand at times proved so attractive that 
some growers shipped the best fruits to 
the city, to the detriment of the canners, 
who, on several occasions, secured in¬ 
junctions from the local court to restrain 
their growers from disposing of their 
crop otherwise than as provided by the 
contracts. The new price of $10 is con¬ 
sidered satisfactory enough to warrant 
sufficient acreage to meet the demands of 
the canners. We arc informed that prices 
for spinach and beets have also been ad¬ 
vanced $2 the ton, making $20 and $24 
respectively. As the contracts usually 
stipulate that beets for this purpose are 
not to exceed 1 y 2 inch in diameter, the 
restriction has hitherto greatly limited 
chances of profit in the crop. 
Concerning Wild Rice Seed. —Wild 
rice or water oats is a common and much 
valued grassy plant growing wild along 
the borders of lakes and sluggish streams 
throughout the northern and . western 
States. There is only one species, Zi¬ 
zania aquatica, native alike to North 
America and Northern Asia. Always 
highly appreciated as food by the Indians 
and sportsmen who were so fortunate as 
to have the nutritious and richly-flavored 
grains prepared in the true aboriginal 
manner, it has recently been added to the 
menus of certain exclusive hotels where 
the seeds are served as an extremely pal¬ 
atable breakfast cereal, retaining in a 
slight degree the smoky flavor imparted 
by scorching off the awns, in the pro¬ 
cess of preparing the grains for cookery. 
The wild rice plant does not ripen its 
crop of seed at nearly the same time as 
do most cultivated cereals and grasses, 
but matures and sheds them during a 
period of several weeks in Autumn, thus 
rendering the collection difficult and 
rather expensive. While of great and 
undoubted value as human food the seeds 
are not plentiful enough and the trouble 
of preparation too great to allow wild 
rice to become a common breakfast food 
on American tables. 
A Favorite Wild Duck Food. —The 
greatest popular interest, however, in 
wild rice has always centered in the great 
value of the seeds as food for wild ducks 
and other wild waterfowl. The plant 
grows naturally in from two to six 
feet of water, where there is mud bot¬ 
tom and sufficient current to prevent 
stagnation. Ponds, lakes and streams 
bordered by wild rice are extremely attrac¬ 
tive to wild fowl, and earnest efforts have 
long been made by sportsmen and gun¬ 
ning clubs to preserve and extend the nat¬ 
ural areas of the plant. Seeds are regu¬ 
larly offered by dealers for about 25 cents 
the pound, and many tons have been 
sown during late years though with very 
meager results as to increasing stands. 
The seeds naturally fall in the water and 
sink to the bottom, where they remain 
dormant until Spring, being meanwhile 
more or less distributed by the action of 
tides and currents. Seedsmen have rec¬ 
ognized the possibility of wild rice seeds 
losing vitality if severely dried and the 
difficulties of keeping them moist while 
in usual storage are so great that they 
usually recommend Fall sowing, which, 
however, does not often prove successful. 
The Washington Department of Agricul¬ 
ture has examined many commercial sam¬ 
ples and found it impossible to germinate 
nearly all of them. Experiments, report¬ 
ed in Bulletin No. 90, Bureau of Plant 
Industry, seem to show that seeds must 
be stored both cold and wet, in close imi¬ 
tation of nature’s method. They should 
be immediately forwarded, when col¬ 
lected, in loose sacks to avoid fermenta¬ 
tion, to the cold storage rooms where they 
may be kept under water in open vessels, 
all Winter at a temperature just above 
freezing. If the water is allowed to 
freeze or vary in temperature more than 
a few degrees germination is seriously 
lessened when tested the following 
Spring. Transportation of these wet- 
stored seeds presents some difficulties, as 
they must never be suffered to dry out. 
They can be safely carried for many days 
if packed in wet moss or excelsior shav¬ 
ings in carriers sufficiently ventilated to 
avoid fermentation while on the way, and 
should be sown, as soon as received, in 
water one to three feet deep, and neither 
stagnant nor too swiftly moving. The 
plant grows well in either warm or cold 
water if the bottom suits and also in tidal 
waters that are brackish enough to be 
somewhat salty to the taste. Soaking or¬ 
dinary commercial seeds before sowing 
cannot revive vitality that has been de¬ 
stroyed by drying, but it puts the seeds 
in better condition to sink cyiickly to the 
bottom when sown in a current. Fall- 
sown seeds are likely to be eaten by ducks 
that dive for them in the usual manner, 
and are often covered too deeply or car¬ 
ried away by floods during the long Win¬ 
ter rest. Viable cold-stored seeds, sown 
after the greatest danger of Spring fresh¬ 
ets has passed, quickly germinate, and 
after becoming attached to the bottom are 
not easily disturbed. The Government ex¬ 
perimenters have some hope of develop¬ 
ing by selection a variety of w.ild rice 
that will grow in moist land or at least 
in places where the water can be drawn 
off in the manner of the culture of ordi¬ 
nary culinary rice, and also retain most 
of its seeds until maturity. Such ad¬ 
vances, if made, would go far to assure 
the culture of wild rice as a cereal. 
Good Word for the “Garden Huckle¬ 
berry.” —Seeds of Solanum nigrum, of 
the Nightshade family, a native weed 
both in central Europe and western 
America, were offered last year by sev¬ 
eral seedsmen under the name of “gar¬ 
den huckleberry,” the profusely borne 
black fruits being recommended as de¬ 
sirable for pies and preserves. Some in¬ 
terest was manifested in the new fruit, 
and the best obtainable information con¬ 
cerning it was published in The R. N.-Y. 
for October 14, 1905. The plant is easily 
grown and very fruitful, but no one 
seemed to have made an actual test of the 
berries. Hugo Beyer, New London, 
Iowa, a veteran fruit grower, raised some 
plants and made trial of the fruits late in 
the Fall, in the form of pies, finding them 
extremely palatable. Becoming con¬ 
vinced of their utility he saved some clus¬ 
ters until December 26, packing them sev¬ 
eral inches deep in a box kept in an 
ordinary cellar. On that date he held a 
“huckleberry festival,” inviting many ex¬ 
perienced cooks of the neighborhood to 
test their merits, and all pronounced them 
excellent pie material, better than other 
berries used for the purpose from the 
excellence of their flavor and the absence 
of hard seeds. The plants are grown 
from seeds like tomatoes, and should be 
set in good land about two feet apart. 
Mr. Beyer thinks they will yield 60 to 80 
bushels per acre. The berries are easy 
to gather, and will keep well into Janu¬ 
ary with good care. They should not be 
used until thoroughly ripe. We do not 
know the quality of the raw fruits, but 
there is much evidence to show they ai'e 
not at all poisonous when cooked. 
w. v. F. 
INDRUROID 
ROOFING 
Requires no Coatinf? or 
Paint. 
Acid and Alkali Proof. 
Elastic and Pliable 
Always. 
Strong: and Tougrh. 
Absolutely Waterproof. 
Climatic Changes Do Not 
Affect It. 
Practically Fire Proof. 
Can Be Used on Steep or 
Flat Surfaces. 
Any Workman Can Put 
It On. 
No Odor. 
Will not Shrink or Crack 
Light in Weight. 
Does not Taint Water. 
Write for samples, prices and 
circulars. 
H. F. WATSON CO. 
ERIE, PA. 
Chicago, Boston. 
Mention R.N.-Y. 
When you write advertisers mention Tiie 
I t. N.-Y. and you'll get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See guarantee, page 14. 
SPRAY, SPRAY, 
SPRAY 
your trees for the 
Codling Moth and All Leaf 
Eating Insects with the 
Best and Safest Poison 
which is 
Swift’s 
Arsenate of Lead 
IT WILL NOT BURN AND 
IT STICKS 
MADE ONLY BY THE 
Merrimac Chemical Co., 
33 Broad St., Boston, Mass. 
Write for free booklet. 
FOR SALE BY 
W. S. Stevens, Grand Rapids, Mich. 
Benton, Hall <fe Co., Cleveland, Ohio. 
Williamson Produce Co.,Quincy. Ill. 
McPike Drug Co., Kansas City, Mo. 
C. S. Martin & Co., Salt Lake. Utah. 
Woodward, Clark & Co., Portland, Ore. 
Langley, Michaels Co.. San Francisco, Cal. 
San. Monte Fruit Co., Watsonville, Cal. 
INSIST ON HAVING SWIFT’S. 
SAN JOSE SCALE 
and other INSECTS killed by 
GOODS 
Caustic Potash Whale-Oil Soap No. 3 
Endorsed by U. S. Dept, of Agri. and State Experiment 
Stations. Tbis soap is a Fertilizer as well as an Insecti¬ 
cide. 6(>-lb. kegs. $2.50; 100-lb. kegs, $4.50; half barrel, 
270 lb., 3 Mo per lb; barrel,425 lb., 3!^c. Send for booklet. 
JAMES GOOD, Original Maker, 
939-41 N. Front Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 
PARACRENE 
is better, cheaper and bulkier than PARIS GREEN, 
“Have used I’aragrcnc f r potato bugs. It was per¬ 
fectly satisfactory. L. II. BAILE T, Prof, of Horticul¬ 
ture. Cornell University.” Price.1 & 3 lb.pkgs.25 cts. 
per lb. Write for booklet. Fred.JL.Lavanburg, N.Y. 
c \\,it’ioqeu QittuTuy 
The great soil improver for Peas, Beans, Clovers, &c. 
Write for prices and circular. GRIFFITH & TUR¬ 
NER CO., 211 N. Paca Street, Baltimore. Md. 
FARMERS—SAVE 25.7.'. 
SPRIT 
Oct a Perfection Sprayer. Spray your 
trees, potatoes, vines—-everything. Will pay 
for itself first season. Hand and horsepower 
combined. Send for our new catalogue—free, 
Thomas Peppler, Box 45, Hightstown. N. 
, WE’LL PAY THE FREICHT 
and send 4 Buggy Wheels. Steel Tire on - 
With Rubber Tires, $1 8.50. I mfg. wheels H to 4 in. 
tread. Top Buggies, $28.75: Harness $4-25- Write for 
catalog. Learn how to buy direct. Repair Wheels $3.75. 
Wagon Umbrella FILES. VV.R. BO OK, Cincinnati, O. 
No More Hand Pumping 
No coal. No steam. No oil. No packing or labor. 
No Cost for Motive Power 
NIAGARA AUTOMATIC PUMP 
(Hydraulic Barn) 
works night and day on any brook 
creek, river or running water. 
Used and endorsed by Gov¬ 
ernments, railroads and 
public institutions, farmers, 
owners of factories, country 
homes and mines. Write to-, 
day for free booklet. 
Niagara Hydraulic Engine Co, 
140 NASSAU STltEEET, NEW YORK. FACTOBV; Chester, Pa. 
MORE GOOD CIDER ' 
can be made from a given amount 
of apples with one of our presses 
than with any other. The 
juice will be purer and bring 
higher prices; the extra 
yield soon pays for the 
press. We mako 
HYDRAULIC KS, 
in all sizes, hand or power, 
25 to 300 barrels per day 
Also Boilers, Saw-Mills, _____ 
Steam-Evaporators, Apple- " —■ 
butter Cookers, eto. Fully 
guaranteed. Catalog FREE. 
The Hydraulic Press Mfg. Co. 
|2 Main St., Mt. Gilead, Ohio 
or Room 124 p 39 Cortland St., New York, N. Y. 
W. L. Douglas 
*3-J? & $ 3-J? SHOES a 
W. L. Douglas $4.00 Gilt Edge Line 
cannot be equalled at any price. 
W. L. DOUGLAS MA KES & SELLS MORE 
MEN’S $3.50 SHOES THAN ANY OTHER 
MANUFACTURER IN THE WORLD. 
frl fl nnn REWARD to anyone who can 
V I UjUUU disprove this statement. 
If I could take you into my three large factories 
at Brockton, Mass., and show you the infinite 
care with which every pair of shoes Is made, you 
would realize why W. L. Douglas $3.50 shoes 
cost more to make, why they hold their shape, 
fit better, wear longer, and are of greater 
intrinsic value than any other $3.50 shoe. 
IV. L. Douglas Strong Made Shoes for 
Men, $2.50, $2.00. Boys’ School & 
Dress Shoes, $2.50, $2, $1.75, $1.50 
CAUTION. —Insist upon having W.L.Doug¬ 
las shoes. Take no substitute. None genuine 
without his name and price stamped on bottom. 
Fast Color Eyelets used ; they will not wear brassy. 
Write for Illustrated Catalog. 
W. L. DOUGLAS, Dept. Q, Brockton, Mass. 
SPRAY MATERIAL 
BERRY BASKETS 
AND CRATES. 
Everything for planting, 
growing, harvesting and 
marketing fruit. Write us 
to-day and let us quote you 
a special price on what you 
need. The Powerful Barrel 
Pump shown here can be at¬ 
tached to any barrel. Price 
complete, ready to use. 
only $4.95. Send for our 
catalogue of trees, plants, 
vines and everything need¬ 
ed to care for them. It is free with a copy 
of Green’s Big Fruit Grower Magazine. 
GREEN’S NURSERY CO., 
105 Wal1 Street. Rochester, N. Y. 
AUTO-POP, 
AUTO-SPRAY. 
Great cleaning attachment on per¬ 
fect compressed air sprayer. Note 
how easy—cleans nozzle every time 
used, saves half the mixture. Brass 
pump, 4 gal. tank. 12 piungerstrokes 
compresses air to spray U acre. Wo manu¬ 
facture the largest line in America of high 
grade band and power sprayers. Catalog froc. 
Writo U$ If you want agency, 
C. C. BROWN CO., 
28 Jay St., Rochester, N, Y> 
i To Introduce our patented pumps In eve t> 
, county, we wilt send one pump 
to the first to write accepting our 
^ n I 8 pec ia I Offer. Write to-day. 
, PUMPJ J A wooden Pump made 
Of Iron. Just remove fulcrum 
and handle to remove suck- 
leather. Stock made of steel, buso 
adjustable, brass drain cock pievente 
freezing. Guaranteed. 
^11 repairs done quickly abovo ground. 
’Williams” Pump Co., 4Q9Harmon St., Indianapolis, Ind. 
IDER““ 
MACHINERY 
P 
11 Best and cheapest. 
Send for catalogue. 
BOOMER & BOSCHERT 
PRESS CO., 
118 Went Water St., 
SYUACLSJJ, ft. 1, 
k 
■111 
Horse-Power Spramotor 
Will pay for itself the first season 
in removing wild mustard from 
your fields. 
Automatic in action throughout; 
everything under control of driver 
without stopping. 
Machine automatically stops at 
125 lbs. pressure, starting again at 
100 lbs. 
Tell us your needs. You will 
get expert advice. 
Our 86-page Treatise D free. 
Agents wanted. 
SPRAMOTOR CO., 
BUFFALO, N.Y- LONDON. CAN. 
