722 
August 7, 
Ruralisms 
DRY WEATHER FLOWERS. 
The drought at the Rural Grounds is the 
most destructive yet experienced. There 
lias been practically neither rain nor 
dew since the first week in June, but 
excessive heat and unusual preva¬ 
lence of drying wind. Crops have not 
only been halted and yields distress¬ 
ingly reduced, but lasting damage in¬ 
dicted on trees, shrubs and other 
plantings not well established. Even 
privet and barberry hedges, several 
years planted, are dying out in arid 
situations. Market gardeners are hard 
put to conserve soil moisture by con¬ 
stant cultivation, and to supply even a 
fraction of the local demand for sea¬ 
sonable fruits and vegetables. The 
shortage in yield of potatoes alone in 
Monmouth County, N. J., as a direct 
result of the drought, which has not 
yet been broken, is estimated as at 
least 250,000 barrels, valued at more 
than a half million of dollars. The 
fruits that best endure this extreme 
aridity are peaches and grapes—there 
is excellent promise for the latter— 
and the flowers most reconciled are 
the geranium and Salvia among the 
cultivated kinds, and the butterfly 
weed, Asclepias tuberosa, and Bouncing 
Bet, Saponaria officinalis, among the 
wildlings. These lusty and free-bloom¬ 
ing plants never in our recollection ap¬ 
peared to better advantage. The But¬ 
terfly weed or Orange milkweed, is one 
of the most showy of native plants, the 
intense orange coloring of crowded 
flower-heads scarcely being excelled in 
nature, but this plant is always more 
effective in dry seasons and in indi¬ 
viduals growing in full sun or dry 
slopes, and arid fields. The bloom this 
year is most profuse, and the coloring 
more fiery than ever. It is deep root¬ 
ing and slow growing—in time stor¬ 
ing great energy in its tuberous root- 
stock, and is thus able to develop its 
magnificent inflorescence regardless of 
lack of surface moisture. It is highly 
prized abroad, but still sparingly cul¬ 
tivated in this country, though gener¬ 
ally offered by hardy plant dealers. 
It is native to the Atlantic coast re¬ 
gion from Massachuetts south, but is 
most abundant about the latitude of 
Philadelphia. Owing to the time re¬ 
quired to develop a strong clump, it is 
most frequently noticed in old mead¬ 
ows and railroad embankments that are 
rarely disturbed. It forms a dazzling 
accompaniment to a railway ride on 
certain little used inland Jersey routes. 
! lie plants grow well during rainy 
Summers, but the blossoms have little 
brilliancy in wet weather. Clumps may 
he transferred to dry places in the vard 
or garden, but need time in which to 
establish themselves. Bouncing Bet, 
w : th its soft pink. Phlox-like flower in 
great masses, is another plant entirely 
at home on sterile railway embank¬ 
ments. It is a native of Europe, but 
thoroughly naturalized in Eastern 
America. The roots are fibrous, but 
penetrate deeply and thrive on less 
moisture Ilian most plants require. 
Though somewhat coarse in aspect, it 
is a good garden plant, and is easily 
transplanted. Both species grow about 
three feet high. 
RURAb 
boil until all is dissolved. This works 
best when applied soon after a rain, 
as it reaches the roots better than if 
sprinkled on during dry weather. 
Paeony Disease. 
TF. M. J., East Hampton, N. Y .— Can 
you tell me the cause for my paeonies rot¬ 
ting off even with the ground, just when 
they are ready to burst into full bloom? 
They have been acting so for three Sum¬ 
mers. Last Spring some of the roots 
failed to start. I think a great deal of my 
paeonies, and unless I can prevent this 
trouble I shall he obliged to lose them. 
Ans. —The pseony disease you men¬ 
tion is probably the new fungus disease 
recently brought here from Europe. The 
stems rot off close to the ground just 
before blooming time, and the roots 
and crowns are also considerably af¬ 
fected. At present no cure is known 
for this disease, but affected plants are 
greatly helped by digging up in August 
after they have done growing, wash¬ 
ing off the earth, cutting away the dis¬ 
eased portions and replanting at once in 
new soil that has been treated with a 
liberal coating of fresh lime well dug 
and raked in. Lime appears to exert 
a preventive action and may eventually 
turn out to be something of a cure. 
Setting Evergreens in August. 
8. H. D., Jackson, Mich. —Can you tell 
me anything about setting evergreens in 
the month of August? 
Axs.—As a rule, August is a poor 
month for transplanting evergreens. The 
Spring growth has just been completed 
at the expense of the stored-up mate¬ 
rial in the wood cells, and the trees 
do not appear able to bear the shock 
of moving in dry weather. Occasion¬ 
ally good success is reported if the 
weather is rainy, but if hot and dry 
they will need shading and constant 
watering. Middle or late September, 
on the other hand, is often a good time 
to move evergreens, depending upon 
the character of the weather at the 
time. It is a poor plan to move them 
in the Summer or Fall if the weather 
and soil are dry. All things considered, 
it is safer to transplant evergreens from 
early Spring up to the middle of May, 
just as growth begins. 
Lilies from Seed. 
NEW-YOKKRR 
Weed-Killers. 
II. II., Ferguson. Mo. —Is there anything 
better than hot brine to keep weeds off 
a tennis court? 
Ans.—T he arsenate of soda solution 
is considered to be more effective as a 
weed-killer than hot brine, and is in¬ 
deed the basis of most of the commer¬ 
cial weed-killers now on the market. 
The formula for making is as follows: 
Stir one pound of powdered arsenic in 
three gallons of hot water, bring to a 
boil and keep stirring; then add seven 
gallons of cold water and two pounds 
crushed carbonate of soda, stir well and 
J. C., Oak Grove, Mo. —Can Lilium 
tenuifolium be grown from seed? If so, 
when should the seed be planted? What 
Other kinds can be grown from seed ? Can 
day lilies be grown from seed and when 
planted? How long before any of them 
will bloom? 
Ans. —Lilium tenuifolium is quite 
easily grown from seeds, producing 
bulbs that occasionally flower the suc¬ 
ceeding year. This species blooms early, 
and seeds usually ripen well. Most 
of our native species, such as L. super- 
bum and L. Canadense, as well as the 
Japan L. speciosum, may also be grown 
from seeds, but it usually takes several 
years for the seedling bulbs to grow to 
flowering size. Seeds should be sown 
as soon as ripe in a mixture of peat or 
leaf mold and sand in boxes or cold 
frames, to afford protection from hard 
freezing and excessive moisture through 
Winter. Moderate frosts will not in¬ 
jure them. They need very light cover¬ 
ing. The seedlings come up in Spring, 
and should he carefully watered and 
shaded from bright sunshine. They 
make little growth above ground the 
first season, and the bulbs should not 
be disturbed until the end of the sec¬ 
ond year, when 'they may be planted 
where they are to bloom after the tops 
have died down. Both kinds of day 
lily, the Funkia, also called Plantain lily, 
and the Hemerocallis, can be grown 
from seeds, which should be planted 
soon after ripening. The Funkia be¬ 
longs to the lily family. Seedlings sel¬ 
dom flower until after the third year. 
The Hemerocallis is allied to the Iris, 
and grows more rapidly from seeds, 
sometimes blooming the second year. 
Lilium longifloruin and the well-known 
Easter lily, L. Harrisii, have been grown 
from seeds under greenhouse culture to 
bloom in 18 months, but seeds are not 
easy to obtain. w. v. F. 
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