538 
July 7, 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
Ruralisms 
¥ ’ ¥ y^V Wf 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
"Success* With Red Perennial Sun¬ 
flowers. —The only purchaser of “red 
sunflower” so far heard from who was 
able to germinate the seeds, thus reports 
his trial of the German novelty, which is 
offered as a genuine hybrid between a 
Helianthus or sunflower and our native 
purple cone-flower, Echinacea purpurea! 
On page 474 I see mention made of the 
red sunflower, of which I bought iwo pack- 
growth before welcoming blooms. While the foot, the trowel inserted along the 
perennial under good protection they onen side of the square formed by the 
flower so promptly from Spring-sown seed, top of the tin and the tin containing the 
showing blooms by July or August and soil and plant was lifted and placed in 
continuing until frost, that they may very the barrow. Proceeding until a full cargo 
properly be treated as annuals. There is was obtained the barrow was wheeled to 
a great range of color, and the blooms 
vary in different plants from single to 
fully double, both with and without the 
usual flat outer guard petals. In rich 
the plot previously prepared and the tins 
with the plants all set in their proper 
places. Then spreading the wings slight¬ 
ly the tins readily slipped out, leaving the 
soil the plants are of surprisingly thrifty plants set with roots not in the least ex¬ 
growth, the main spike rising over eight posed or disturbed. The work was rap- 
feet high, remaining a long time in bloom, idly done and with perfect success even 
and is succeeded by many branches from in sunny weather. The tins lasted sev- 
the base, thus furnishing a succession of eral years and I used them for other 
flowers until growth ceases. While very small plants, as cabbage and tomato. If 
fine for cutting and garden decoration the the soil is loose and not well held by the 
ets in 1905 and succeeded in raising 17 flowers have scarcely the finish of the tin bend the wings nearer together, mak- 
young planls, which I tended with great care choicer perennial varieties. As they fur- 
and planted in a frame in good, rich soil. n ish such a great quantity of bloom in a 
Imagine my disappointment when they flow- , , • . , 
ered and I found them to be nothing more coni P artlvd y short growing period they 
ing the open side narrower. 
Sylvania, Mo. 
F. E. H. 
--- - --nothing 
nor less than Rchinacea purpurea; so much ueed a plentiiul supply of nourishment 
for the wonderful red sunflower ! f. c. e.. and should be freely watered in dry 
Rhode Island. weather. Seeds cost about the 
in 
same as 
MOST PROFITABLE GARDEN CROP 
As I do a retail business and have to 
raise almost the entire list of fruits and 
Crimson Winter Rhl'barb in a Mild other good strains, but at present are vegetables the question as to which is 
Climate. —The reports on Crimson Winter 
rhubarb, page 410, come mostly from 
northern localities where the cold of Win¬ 
ter interrupts growth when the variety 
is supposed to be most useful. The fol¬ 
lowing account comes from the more 
genial climate of Washington: 
Here on Puget Sound where we only had 
about three inches of snow all Winter and 
s Idom get zero, only perhaps once in five 
years will get it so cold, Crimson Winter 
only offered in mixture. 
Single Hollyhocks.— Not a few flower 
lovers profess greater admiration for 
“old-fashioned” single hollyhocks than 
for all the elegant double developments 
of enthusiastic breeders. It cannot be de¬ 
nied that the, single kinds, in their pure 
and soft light tints as well as fiery 
reds and startling purple-black shades, are 
effective and artistic in the highest degree. 
rhubarb grows, where I have seen it, very They are decorative for distant effects and 
" ie Sta,kS -T S " Sma " as to have far more graceful in aspect as the flowers 
very little commercial value. If a person , ... , x , . , , 
wishes fo get a few early stalks, it has a a,e no ^ huddled together in the dense 
place, but from a market garden standpoint fashion of the double kinds, but though 
I can see no use for it. Tf certainly would freely produced arc too flimsy to be of 
raise and force Victoria much use for cutting. The plants, how- 
be far easier to 
loots than Crimson Winter rhubarb even 
where it grows out doors as it will with us, 
on account of the mild Winter. 
Washington. l. r. iiopktns. 
Double Hollyhocks. —In Fig. 214 we 
have a superb example of the double 
flowering hollyhock, but flowers as 
perfect may be grown by anyone 
willing to expend 10 to 15 cents for a 
ever, are generally vigorous and healthy, 
reproducing themselves where allowed 
from self-sown seeds and are more truly 
perennial than the fancy doubles, which 
are best treated, as before remarked, as 
biennials. 
The Fern-leaved Hollyhock—T he 
true hollyhock, Althaea rosea, is native to 
packet of good seeds and to care for the China and has been in cultivation in Eu- 
plants reasonably when germinated. Seeds ropean gardens for quite 000 years. The 
for bloom next year should not be sown flowers of the typical species are soft pink 
later than the middle of July, and when in color. A closely related species from 
transplanted to the blooming bed the Asiatic Turkey is A. ficifolia, the fern- 
seedlings should be given, for best effect, leaved hollyhock, having handsomely cut 
a space of not less than IS inches each or divided foliage and lemon yellow 
way. Hollyhocks are perennial and fair- blooms. As grown on the Rural Grounds 
ly hardy, but the finest blooms are borne it is a very attractive plant—hardy, long- 
on young plants, so it is better to start lived and disposed to naturalize itself in 
a new lot each season. 1 hey thrive little cultivated nooks. The flowers are 
in any good garden soil but appreciate rea- of the usual single hollyhock type and are 
sonable fertilization with fine old manure pure and pleasing in color. We have 
and clean cultivation throughout the grow- hybridized it with good single kinds of 
mg season. The finest strain known has common hollyhock for three successive gen- 
been developed by Chater, an English nur- eratjons. and find the divided or palmate 
seryman, and his varieties are everywhere character of the foliage almost obliterated 
offered by reliable seedsmen. They come after the second crossing. This is a loss 
in a bewildering array of polors, from in beauty, apparently not to be compen- 
snow white to all conceivable shades of sated by varying the color of the blooms. 
red and yellow, and include ashy grays 
and maroon blacks. Some of the flesh, 
rose and salmon tints equal in purity 
anything found in the floral world. Vari¬ 
eties differ in vigor and stature, but the 
average height is about four feet. These 
highly developed hollyhocks are quite 
subject to a destructive imported fungus 
disease known as Hollyhock rust which 
often attacks the plants just before bloom¬ 
ing, causing the leaves to brown and 
1 he second generation gave some ex¬ 
quisite fawn and ecru shades but a third 
pollenization developed chiefly unattrac¬ 
tive dull reds. Althaea ficifolia is a de¬ 
sirable plant, long known but little cul¬ 
tivated. Seeds are rarely offered by deal¬ 
ers. _ w. v. F. 
A GARDEN TRANSPLANTER. 
Some ■' r ears ago I wished to extend our 
. , , , • , strawberry bed with the newly-formed 
wither, and hinders the development of plantSi and as the conditions for trans- 
the flowers. Bordeaux Mixture, freely planting midsummer are not often 
applied before infection, has proved quite favorable in central Kansas, where we 
efficient in staying the trouble, but is th e„ lived, I had to evolve a plan to move 
highly objectionable, as it disfigures the the soi ] with the plants 
foliage and blooms. Hollyhock rust has, 
however, either diminished in virulence or 
additional vigor has been bred in the good 
varieties, as there appears to be less un¬ 
certainty in their culture now than 10 
years ago. 
Everblooming Hollyhocks. — Several 
years ago Peter Henderson & Co., New 
York City, introduced a strain of early 
and continuous blooming varieties under 
the name of Henderson’s Everblooming 
I had heavy tin cut in pieces l}/ 2 by 
11 inches. I wanted a strong wire 
turned in along one side, but the tinner 
was without the necessary machine and 
the best he could do was to turn the edge 
over twice, thus considerably strengthen¬ 
ing the top of the tool. With a block of 
wood 3 J /> inches square for a form the 
two ends of the tins were bent at right 
angles to the central part, thus forming 
three sides of a hollow cube. Armed 
Annual hollyhocks. We have repeatedly with three dozen of these, garden trowel 
grown this race and regard it as of the and a wheelbarrow, I proceeded to the 
highest valge to those who do not care patch. A tin with a good plant in the 
to risk the uncertainties of a year’s center was forced into the ground with 
most profitable is not easy for me to 
answer, as in almost every case the crop, 
demand and price have to settle the ques¬ 
tion, and my record is from a failure to 
a great crop on nearly the entire list ex¬ 
cept early turnips, radishes, and during 
the past two years early cabbage on ac¬ 
count of the maggots that ruin them. 
The price of squashes generally rules so 
low as to be hardly worth raising, and 
I think I have done poorly as a whole 
with potatoes. I know this is rather 
a negative answer, but if my farm is 
planted in anything like the right propor¬ 
tion according to my needs, I hardly know 
what I would choose or eliminate. Taken 
one year with another strawberries are 
a disappointment, but a few times it has 
been the crop to give a good start for 
the season. Of the other fruits, apples, 
peaches, red raspberries and currants have 
been more desirable than pears, plums and 
cherries, the latter being usually no good 
Rhode Island. F. t. j. 
THE BLUEBERRY IN CULTIVATION. 
A C, C., Maine .—We wish to grow the 
high hush blueberry in our garden and would 
he glad of any information regarding its 
culture. 
The blueberry proved to be a good deal 
like Indians, it would not stand civiliza¬ 
tion and so never fruited enough to be 
satisfactory, although I monkeyed with it 
for a period of about 10 years. 
j. h. hale. 
I am sorry to be unable to report much 
progress with our blueberry work since I 
wrote the little article for The R. N.-Y. 
I have not been able to get a satisfac¬ 
tory percentage of plants from root-cut- 
tings placed out-of-doors and the absence 
of greenhouse facilities has made it im¬ 
possible for us to continue the work of 
propagation under glass. I ought to have 
continued our outside trials but have neg¬ 
lected to do so. Some of the plants 
which we have propagated are just about 
coming into bearing but as yet have given 
us no yields of importance. Last year 
neither the wild nor cultivated bushes 
yielded much fruit through this region. 
This year there is a promise of a good 
crop. Thus far I have been unable to per¬ 
ceive any improvement in size of fruit or 
productiveness due to cultivation. Judg¬ 
ing from our experience thus far it seems 
to me that there should be a place for 
propagating the high huckleberry or blue¬ 
berry. as it is called here, (Vaccinium 
corymbosum), for the home garden. It 
does not seem to me that with our pres¬ 
ent knowledge there would be very much 
prospect of making the venture succeed 
in commercial work. One difficulty lies 
in the fact that the plants are of slow 
growth. 1 think it would take longer to 
bring a plantation into full bearing than 
to bring a peach orchard into bearing. 
Rhode Island. fred w. card. 
WITH THE 
* EMPIRE KING” 
and bugs, worms, blight, etc., will 
have no terrors for you. Best con¬ 
struction, perfect agitators, no scorched 
foliage. We make all sizes and styles. Free book 
on spraying. Agents wanted. 
FIELD FORCE PUMPCO., No. 2 Eleventh St., Elmira, N. Y. 
mm 
Demlng Power Sprayer 
Self-contained, simple, light, pract¬ 
ical. Load it on wagon box or tank 
wagon and attach hose and you are 
ready Tor work. The ideal outfit 
for orcliardists and park 
managers. The only really 
efficient gasoline engineout- 
flt that sells at a reasonable 
price. 
Everything in Sprayers 
Bucket, Barrel, Knapaack, 
Hand, Etc. outfits adapted 
to every purpose. Don't buy 
till you Investigate the 
famous Demlng line. 
Catalogue Free. 
THE DEMING CO., 
200 Depot St. 
SALEM, OHIO. 
^Auto-Spray 
4 gal. tank, brass pump, operates by 
compressed air. 12 strokes give pressure 
to spray % acre. Auto-Pop Attachment 
cleans nozzle every time used; saves 
half the mixture. Best line high grade 
sprayers, hand and power, in America. 
Catalog free. Good agents wanted. 
E. C. BROWN CO., 
28 Jay St., Rochester, N. Y. 
Saw Mills 
If you need anything in saw mills or wood working ma¬ 
chinery, send for our catalog. Our line is complete.. 
Goods highest quality and prices reasonable. 
Amirlcan Saw Mill Mch. Co., 129 Hopest.,Hackettstown,N. J. 
New York Office, 610 Engineering Building. 
Our 
Factory 
Price 
THE PRICE MOVES THEM 
This is a special for 1906 that we are building by 
hundreds And 1'iey are going as fast as we can build 
them You will pay a dealer $:i0 more. No such 
bargain ever thought of by a mail order house. Our 
old time l.beral terms 
30 DAYS FREE TRIAL 
with right to return at our expense if It’s not a bargain. 
Great bargains on full line light vehicles. Send for free 
catalog. Also special bargain circular. 
KALAMAZOO CARRIAGE A HARNESS CO , 
Box 26 , Kalamazoo Mich. 
5 % 
STRONGER EVERY YEAR 
WHILE ALWAYS PAYING 
F obThirtben Years we have regularly remitted 
dividends to thousands of small investors ill 
all parts of the country, never in a single in¬ 
stance less than 5 per cent, per annum. Our re¬ 
sources are greater now than ever before and our 
patrons hotter secured. Let us 
explain by correspondence how 
"c can handle your savings to 
your advantage. 
Assets, $1,750,000. 
Established ltf Tears. 
Banking Dept. Supervision,. 
Earnings paid from qpy re¬ 
ceived to day withdrawn. 
Letters of inquiry solicited 
and promptly answered. 
INDUSTRIAL SAVINGS AND LOAN CO. 
5 Times Bldg., Broadway, New York. 
Dig Your Potatoes With a 
Dowden, 
Get them all in any soil, 
low, hilly or level, light or _ 
Potatoes come clean and sound. The ma-1 
chine that worksrlght and lasts. Write for catalog. 
Dowden Mfg. Co., Box 622, Prairie City, Iowa. 
THE 
Hoover Digger 
Clean, last 
work. It stands 
the wear and 
tear. 
Favorite in every great pota¬ 
to growing district. Get free catalog. 
The Hoover-Prout Co.. Lock Box 56, Avery, 0. 
THE BOSS POTATO DIGGER 
works well in 
stony ground and 
on side hill. Digs 
every row. WARRANTED. 
Thousands in use. Write for 
prices. Manufactured by 
E. R. ALLEN FOUNDRY CO., 
Corning, N. Y. 
