THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
July 24. 
Ruralisms 
A New Chinese May-Apple.— 
Where is the country boy who has not 
marveled at the rapid growth, strange, 
exotic appearance, and quick maturity 
«*f the May-apple, mandrake or wild 
lemon plant, Podophyllum peltatum, 
with its odd umbrella-like foliage, ala¬ 
baster-white mawkish-smelling blooms, 
two inches or more across, and edible 
lemon-like fruits that ripen so per¬ 
fectly when packed for a few days in 
sweet bran or new-mown hay? If 
there is such a boy he is either sadly 
lacking in imagination, or he unfortu¬ 
nately lives in the North or West, 
where this most interesting plant does 
not naturally grow. Podophyllum is a 
limited genus of hardy rhizoiyiatous 
herbs comprising four or more species 
native to eastern North America and 
the mountains of Asia. Our common 
mandrake or May-apple is abundant in 
rich moist woodlands, particularly in 
rather open glades, from New York 
west to Minnesota and southward, but 
is wanting in the Rocky Mountain and 
Pacific Coast regions, and is quite rare 
in New England and Canada. A few 
specimens have been found on moun¬ 
tain slopes in Japan, but may be re¬ 
garded as an accidental introduction to 
that far-off country. The leaves and 
root-stocks are quite poisonous, the lat¬ 
ter furnishing a valuable cathartic 
medicine, much used over all the civi¬ 
lized world, but the large, berries or 
fruits, looking when ripe much like a 
lime or undersized lemon, may be freely 
eaten without harm. They contain a 
dozen or more fairly large seeds em¬ 
bedded in an acid and rather insipid 
pulp. Many persons find the flavor 
agreeable, but May-apples are usually 
eaten more from curiosity than prefer¬ 
ence. The plant grows generally in 
large colonies from wide-spreading 
root-stocks, throwing up leaves a foot 
broad on tall fleshy stalks. The flower¬ 
ing stalks are cleft. Inning two smaller 
leaves with the large flowers between. 
The bloom is produced in May and the 
yellow fruits ripen in August, long ,.f- 
ter the leaves have faded and all but 
disappeared. Though highly ornamen¬ 
tal the mandrake or May-apple is rarely 
cultivated in this country but is prized 
abroad in all hardy gardens. Another 
well-known species offered by all 
European bulb dealers is Podophyllum 
Emodi, native to the Himalayan moun¬ 
tains. The foliage is bronzy red in 
Spring, but later becomes green like 
our May-apple, and the large flower is 
blush or rarely pale rose in color. The 
fruit is as large as a hen’s egg, colored 
bright reddish-purple until nearly ripe, 
when it becomes brown. The flavor is 
less agreeable than that of the May- 
apple. and we have never heard that 
it is regarded as edible. The roots are 
more violently poisonous than those of 
the May-apple and attempts to use the 
contained active principles in medicine 
have been less successful. We imported 
this handsome plant many years ago and 
found it attractive and of easy cultiva¬ 
tion in partial shade. This species was 
at one time credited to California, but 
is now believed to be an introduction 
in that State from its East Indian home. 
Chinese Mandrakes. —Two little- 
known species of Podophyllum are cre¬ 
dited to China. P. pleianthemum is de¬ 
scribed as bearing rich purple fruits 
and P. versipelle, lately iscovered by 
Mr. E. H. Wilson, botanical collector 
for Jas. Veitch & Son, England, has 
very large leaves and a cluster of six 
to eight very showy deep crimson flow¬ 
ers. The character of the fruit is not 
mentioned. Tf the species is as hardy 
as the others, as would appear from 
the elevation in which it grows in 
China, it should prove very attractive 
as a garden plant. The true mandrake, 
or rather the historical mandrake, is 
not a Podophyllum but an old world 
herbaceous plant known as Mandragora 
officinarum. It grows in shady places 
in the highlands of the Mediterranean 
region. It was formerly supposed to 
have strange medicinal virtues, but is 
not much regarded now. It is only 
grown in botanical collection. 
Death of David Miller. —David Mil¬ 
ler, a life-long horticultural enthusiast, 
and the originator of the highly success¬ 
ful Cumberland blackcap raspberry, died 
at Harrisburg, Pa., June 2."). at the ripe 
age of 84 years. Mr. Miller made un¬ 
ceasing efforts to surpass this valu¬ 
able variety, raising many thousands 
of seedlings, but never was favored 
with another possessing such widely 
useful characteristics. He was intense¬ 
ly interested in the improvement of na¬ 
tive fruits of all kinds, and until dis¬ 
abled by illness a few months ago was 
actively engaged in propagating promis¬ 
ing new mulberries and persimmons. 
His interests extended to all available 
cultivated plants and the Rural Grounds 
workers are indebted to him for 
useful experimental material. He be¬ 
longed to the grand Old Guard of 
plant breeders who worked with little 
thought of recompense for their valu¬ 
able additions to the resources of Amer¬ 
ican horticulture. The Cumberland 
raspberry has never been displaced as 
the most profitable fruit of its class. 
The Corn-Smut Disease. — Pellagra 
or the rough-skin disease of Southern 
Europe and portions of Africa, has not 
hitherto been supposed to have much 
of a foothold in the United States, but 
recent outbreaks in several localities 
have shown it must be taken into seri¬ 
ous account. The early symptoms are 
profound disorders of the digestive sys¬ 
tem, followed by roughness and in¬ 
flammation of the skin and later by 
great physical and mental depression, 
often approaching the melancholia 
forms of insanity. The cause has been 
ascertained to be the continued use of 
cornmeal or other maize products in¬ 
fected with the common corn smut. In 
many respects the disease is similar to 
ergotism caused by eating diseased rvc. 
These diseases cannot prevail where 
sound cereals are used and cleanly 
methods of preparation observed. 
Smutty corn should never be ground 
into meal or used for human food in 
any form. Smut is a troublesome and un¬ 
profitable parasite at best, and can be 
controlled in the field by cutting out all 
smutty ears and growths before the 
black, smoke-like spores have ripened. 
Modern milling machinery blows out 
the smut, leaving the corn grains clean 
and wholesome, but there is alwa s ! 
danger where meal is ground in a care¬ 
less or unskillful manner. Pellagra is 
a manageable disease in its early stages 
if correctly diagnosed and treated. 
Once its presence in this country is gen¬ 
erally recognized it is likely hygienic [ 
measures will effectually control it. 
Don’t tolerate smutty corn in the field, 
the grain bin. or at the table, w. v. f. 
The Avocado Pear. —In the last 
number of The R. N.-Y. was an article 
by J. Yates Peek criticising the high 
prices brought by avocado pears and 
stating that he had been able to buy 
some in New York for 40 cents a piece; 
and I will state that this is the usual 
price for these pears during July and 
August. I wish to ask Mr. Peek if he 
does not consider this a very satis¬ 
factory price for a pear that is nearly 
as good a grower as the Keififer. that 
comes into bearing much earlier, and 
that bears more than the tree can 
safely hold without thinning. But in 
September the price of these pears be¬ 
gins to rise, and keeps rising until at 
Christmas they sell for $0 per dozen 
f. o. b. at Miami, and higher after¬ 
wards. If Mr. Peek can purchase any 
in New York after Christmas for $1 
each he will be fortunate. 
CHARLES PARRY. 
THOSE DISEASE GERMS. 
“1 have been told that the recent out¬ 
break of foot and mouth disease In cattle 
was started from calves used to produce 
.smallpox vaccine. Is that correct?" 
Yes—we are so informed. In preparing 
the vaccine virus, which is used to prevent 
smallpox, the disease is started in cattle 
by inoculating them with flip germs. Some 
of this vaccine virus was imported and 
used to start the disease In cattle. It has 
been demonstrated that Ibis vaccine also 
contained the germs of the foot and mouth 
disease. Thus, when it was used on cat¬ 
tle. this disease started and spread to 
other animals. 
“Does all vaccine virus contain the other 
disease germs?" 
No. The Department of Agriculture 
states that every strain of vaccine on the 
market has been examined and no trace 
of other disease found in it. 
“Does the foot and month disease affect 
humans ?’’ 
It is principally a disease of cattle. In 
man its effects are very slight. 
“Could it be conveyed to man through 
vaccination for smallpox?" 
No instance of it is on record. The au¬ 
thorities consider it very doubtful—yet 
no one wants to risk this or any other 
disease. 
"If there is danger of conveying these 
awful diseases to cattle through this virus, 
is there not equal danger in using tuber¬ 
culin as a test for tuberculosis?” 
In answer to Ibis, the veterinarian of 
the Agricultural Department says: “If 
tuberculin contained any germs it would 
then, so to speak, cease to he tuberculin, 
since it is a boiled and filtered product ; 
in other words, tuberculin is a product pro¬ 
duced by inoculating glyoerinated Donilion 
with the tubercular bacillus, then placing 
it in an incubator, keeping it at a tem¬ 
perature most suitable for its growth, un¬ 
til it lias reached the maximum growth, 
which usually is about; three weeks, some¬ 
times longer; then the media and the 
growth are well shaken together and boiled 
for some time. The product is then fil¬ 
tered. is again boiled and filtered, then 
evaporated by heat to a certain volume, 
then diluted with a small quantity of a 
two jter cent solution of carbolic acid. As 
you sec, by this treatment, it is absolutely 
impossible for tuberculin to transmit a 
disease as referred to in your letter, be¬ 
cause the product which is said to have 
introduced foot and month disease into 
this country was a virus, and a virus dif¬ 
fers from an anti-toxine or tuberculin in 
that the virus contains living germs in 
either a virulent or attenuated form.” 
To kill potato bugs and to check 
blight, use Bowker’s Pyrox. Sticks 
like paint. Cost 50c. to $1 per acre. 
Mail orders to Bowker Insecticide Co., 
Boston.— Adv. 
SELECT NOW 
FERTILIZERS 
FOR FALL SEEDING 
TANKACE : : St 2.00 PER TON 
IRON CITY : : 22.00 PER TON 
Freight Paid To New York State Points 
AMERICAN REDUCTION COMPANY 
FERTILIZER LIME J or ad p S 
WALTON QUA lit! IKS, Harrisburg, l’a. 
Thf» Rio' C.rr\r* °f sun-touched early apples 
D1 8from Delaware follows 
closely the big crop of strawberries. General in¬ 
formation for fruit buyers and also farm oppor¬ 
tunities for home-seekers furnished l>y 
State Board of Agriculture, Dover, Del. 
GET THE BEST 
A Good Spray Pump earns 
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THE ECLIPSE 
is a good pump. As 
practical fruit grow¬ 
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—found their defects and 
invented the Eclipse. Its 
success forced us to manu¬ 
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You take no chances. We 
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MORRILL & MORLEY. Benton Harbor, Mich. 
The Deyo Power Sprayer 
The original. Others have copied. OurSh. p.air 
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R. H. Deyo fit Co., Binghamton, N. Y. 
POTATOES the” 
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Great strength and ca¬ 
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Monarch Machinery Co.. 609 Cortland! Bldg.. New York 
CIDER 
MACHINERY 
Catalogue 
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Dower presses, pumps, etc.—the 
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312 Water St., Syracuse, N.Y. 
31,500 PROFIT a os E CIDER 
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For custom work In your locality 
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BEFORE YOU BUY WRITE FOR 
NEW CATALOG DESCRIBING THE 
GUARANTEED MONEY-SAVING 
INTERNATIONAL 
SILOS 
strongest built, simplest to put up and easiest operated 
on the market. Adjustable automatic take-up hoop- 
continuous open-door front—air-tight door and per¬ 
manent ladder are some of the unusual features. The 
International Silo Co., Box 13, Linesville, Pa. 
Connecticut 
STATE FAIR 
BERLIN, CONN. 
Sept. 14-15-16 and 17, 1909. 
PREMIUM LIST NOW READY. 
ADDRESS. 
L 
CHARLES M. JARVIS, President 
BERLIN, CONN. 
