1907. 
A Box of Petunias. 
One of my favorite flowers is the 
Petunia. I know that it is rather the 
fashion nowadays to look down upon 
this old time friend. Many of grand¬ 
mother's posies are again in high favor 
after years of neglect; no garden is con¬ 
sidered complete without a border of 
hollyhocks and foxgloves and paeonies 
rival the rose in popular esteem. That 
the Petunia does not share in this revival 
is due mostly to its color; its magenta 
shades do not harmonize with others in 
the floral border. They have the same 
effect as a flaming poster displayed in a 
wood, and the woman who plants Pe¬ 
tunias next to scarlet sage and pink 
Dahlias, has as little sense of the eternal 
fitness of things as the man who puts up 
the poster. But there are other places 
in which a plant so easily raised and so 
tolerant of drought and neglect is useful. 
One of these places is the veranda box. 
We have such a box on our south porch 
in a very exposed position. For years, 
nothing we put into it gave satisfactory 
results. We first tried geraniums and 
Kenilworth ivy; the former made only 
a stunted growth, and the wind whipped 
the latter into rags. Nasturtiums did no 
better. We had hot, wet weather in June 
of that year and the tender, young plants 
seemed to sunscald; at least, that was 
the only reason we could find for their 
suddenly withering away as though cut 
down by a frost. We at last tried 
Petunias. A packet of seeds was sown 
in March indoors and by the last of May, 
we had enough strong, stocky plants to 
fill the box, which measures Ixfi feet. 
They were all of one color, a dark red, 
small flowered variety. By July, the box 
was a glorv, and, by giving water freely 
and picking off the green seed pods as 
fast as they developed, it remained in the 
same condition until frost. I want to say 
parenthetically that Petunias arc fine for 
indoor culture; young plants started from 
seeds or slips in August will bloom all 
Winter if given a place in a sunny win¬ 
dow. Many prefer the double or giant- 
flowered single strain for this purpose 
although neither is as free blooming as 
the small flowered type. 
Those who have not time and strength 
for outside gardening can have boxes 
fitted in the windows and on the veranda. 
'1 hese filled with Petunias will give deco¬ 
rative results far beyond their cost. I 
remember a small cottage which T once 
saw in a manufacturing city in New 
Jersey. The house stood in the poorest 
quarter of the town and was quite as di¬ 
lapidated and poverty stricken as its 
neighbors on the block; but it was re¬ 
deemed from the squalor of its surround¬ 
ings by the glowing masses of Petunias 
which filled boxes in the windows and 
nodded a friendly greeting from a long 
one on the tiny side porch. There are 
many forlorn farmhouses which could be 
brightened and lifted from the common¬ 
place by this simple adornment. 
M. E. COLEGROVE. 
Pickling Questions; Drying 
Prunes. 
Will you tell us how to pickle Barletta on¬ 
ions, also nasturtium seed? I would like to 
know how to cure plums the same as prunes. 
MRS. F. J. D. W. 
First pour boiling water over the 
onions to loosen the skins. As soon as 
cool enough to handle begin to peel, drop¬ 
ping the onions as peeled into salt water 
(not brine) to prevent their being dis¬ 
colored. Make a strong brine, heat to 
the boiling point, and pour over the 
onions. Leave them in the brine 48 hours, 
then drain. Spice vinegar according to 
taste, heat to boiling point, and pour 
over the onions. Set away for two or 
three days, drain off the vinegar, heat 
it again, and pour it over the onions 
in the jars in which they are to be 
stored; tie up the jars and set away. 
To pickle nasturtiums, pick the green 
seeds with stems 1)4 inch long, and 
lay them in moderately salted cold water 
for 48 hours. Then lay in fresh cold 
water for 24 hours, drain, pack in bottles 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
or jars and cover with boiling vinegar. 
Cover closely, and allow them to stand 
at least four weeks before using. 
We do not know whether you will 
succeed in curing prunes, but the process 
is as follows: The fruit is allowed to 
remain on the tree until ripe enough 
to drop; then sorted or graded. Before 
6610 Eton Jacket, 32 to 42 bus*. 
drying the fruit is either pricked with 
needles (by machine) or dipped in boil¬ 
ing lye, to check or make tender the 
tough skin, so that moisture will escape 
more rapidly. In dipping the fruit is 
immersed for a minute or less in a solu¬ 
tion of one pound of lye to 10 to 50 
gallons of water, at the boiling point; 
then thoroughly rinsed and placed in 
trays for drying, which is done on the 
ground in the sun or in evaporators. 
In the sun the process takes from five 
to" 12 days; in the evaporator 12 to 48 
hours, but the process cannot be hurried 
without injuring the quality. Plums may 
also be dried as follows making a rich 
sweetmeat: Remove the pits, and fill 
the space left with sugar, spread the 
plums out on a dish, sift sugar over 
them, and put in the sun, covering with 
glass. As the juice oozes out sift more 
sugar over them; turn as required, and 
continue the process until they seem 
sufficiently dried. Pack them away in 
boxes lined with paraffin paper, with 
sugar sifted among them. 
The Rural Patterns. 
The little Eton jacket shows the broad 
effect now fashionable. The Eton is made 
with a foundation portion which consists 
of fronts and backs, the over portion. 
width for the vest and 5 yards of wide, 
10 yards of soutache braid for trimming, 
2)4 yards 21 or 1)4 yards 36 inches wide 
for lining. The pattern 5610 is cut in 
sizes for a 32, 34, 36, 38, 40 and 42-inch 
bust measure; price 10 cents. , 
Every variation of the plaited skirt is 
to be worn throughout the coming season 
and new ones are constantly appearing. 
Here is a graceful and attractive model 
that can be made either in round or walk¬ 
ing length and that consequently suits 
the entire range of seasonable materials. 
I he skirt is made with seven gores and 
is laid in plaits at the back and at the 
sides, those of each group turning toward 
one another. The quantity of material 
required for the medium size is 8)4 yards 
27, 7 yards 44 or 52 inches wide when 
material has figure or nap; 5)4 yards 
44 or 5 yards 52 inches wide when it has 
not, with 11 yards of braid to trim as 
illustrated. The pattern 5611 is cut in 
sizes for a 22, 24, 26, 28, 30 and 32-inch 
waist measure; price 10 cents. 
353 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See guarantee, page 14. 
It’s not fair to your lamp to 
dwarf its light with a poor 
chimney. I manufacture 
lamp-chimneys that get the 
most out of lamp-light, and 
that won’t break from heat. 
I put Macbeth on every 
one, because it tells you how 
to get the best in lamp- 
chimneys. 
My Index tells about these facts, and tells 
how to get the right size chimney for your 
lamp. It’s free—let me send it to you. 
Address, MACBETH, Pittsburgh. 
STIFFNESS, STITCHES, LAMENESS, CRAMP, 
TWISTS AND TWITCHES, ALL DECAMP WHEN 
YOU APPLY 
THE 
OLD-MONK-CURE 
A CT 
JACOBS 
OIL 
PRICE 
25 AND 50 CENTS 
It means the 
hottest and cleanest 
flame produced by 
any stove. This is 
the flame the New 
Perfection Oil Stove 
gives the instant a 
lighted match is ap¬ 
plied—no delay, no 
trouble, no soot, no 
dirt. Forcooking,the 
RFECTION 
Wick Blue Flame Oil Cook-Stove 
is unequaled. It gives quick results because its 
heat is highly concentrated. Cuts fuel-expense 
in two. Made in three sizes. Every 
stove warranted. If not at your deal¬ 
er’s write to our nearest agency. 
The 
Rayb 
amp h Z 
round household use. 
Made of brass throughout and beautifully nickeled. 
Perfectly constructed; absolutely safe; unexcelled 
in light-giving power; an ornament to any room. 
Every lamp warranted. If not at youv 
dealer’s, write to our nearest agency. 
STANDARD OIL COMPANY OF NEW YORK 
(Incorporated) 
y: K* 
5011 Seven Gored Plaited Skirt, 
22 to 32 waist. 
which also consists of fronts and backs, 
and the sleeves. The foundation is faced 
from the front edges to form the vest 
and at the under-arms with the material 
and the over portion is quite separate and 
arranged over it, the collar being joined 
to the neck edges of both. The sleeves 
also are arranged over linings and are 
finished with roll-over cuffs. The quan¬ 
tity of material required for the medium 
size is 374 yards 21, 3 i-) 4 yards 27’ or 1% 
yards 44 inches wide with y 8 yard any 
JUNNERMAN’S Army Auction BARGAINS 
FRFF Illustrated circular,wholesale-retail prices.En* 
I IILL DrillOUS Stock. Francis Bamiermun, 501 B’way, N.Y. 
FENCE Made?^ 
Made of High Carbon colled wire. We 
have no agents- Sell direct to user at 
factory prices on 30 days free trial. 
We pay all freight. Catalog shows 87 
styles and heights of farm and poultry 
fence. It’s free. Buy direct. Wrlto today 
COILED SPRINC FENCE CO. 
BOX 263. WINCHESTER, INDIANA 
[HEAVIEST FENCE. MADE! 
LAll No. 9 Steel Wire. Well galvanized. Weighs/ 
“ M more than most fences. 15 to 86o per rod, 
delivered. We send tree sample for inspec¬ 
tion and tost. Write for fence book of 183 1 
— ^styles. The Brown Fence A-Wire 
Co., Cleveland, Ohio. 
THE 
CYCLONE 
Catalogue, 32 pages, 
showing Ornamental 
Fences Gatos,Arches 
Vines. Trellis. Lawu 
_ Border, etc., will in 
terest yon. Write for it today. Address 
The Cyclone Woven Wire Fence Co., Cleveland, Ohio. 
Handsome, easy — --- 
stands erect. Ask for Fence Book 
ANCHOR FENCE A MFC. CO 
Cleveland, Ohio. 
nchor Fence 
. Combines strength and 
ll>eauty with long life. Large, 
lhard steel wires. Heavily 
galvanized. 
FARM ANO 
ORNAMENTAL 
to build, always 1 
