170 
THE IN U RA L NEW-YORKER 
February 20. 
Kieffer Pear For Grafting Stock. 
G. F. F., Leominster, Mass .—I have or¬ 
dered for Spring delivery 100 Kieffer pear 
trees. I have been setting pears and apples 
for several years. My reason for the above 
order was that the trees seemed especially 
thrifty at the nursery where I visited, 
price was about 30 per cent less than on 
similar quality of Bartlett, Bose and Shel¬ 
don, and they are regarded as a hardy 
fast grower here. I intend to top-work 
them myself to Bose, Bartlett and Shel¬ 
don. I can show many very tine apples 
and some pear trees grafted by myself and 
never dreamed that I should run into any 
trouble in the above plan until I read what 
Mr. Morrill said at the New York State 
Fruit Growers’ meeting. “Don’t try to grow 
on Kieffers.” I have dug up native trees 
out of any place where I could find them 
and set out, and grafted to Baldwins. They 
were thrifty native apple trees, and I 
always got what I call better fruit and 
better trees than nursery stock. I have 
had pear trees not true to name, fruit of 
a worthless nature, but trees good growers, 
and I top-worked them over to Bose and 
Bartletts, and in a few years had a good 
full top and a tree true to name, and with 
other things equal I don’t see much differ¬ 
ence in fruit as affected by tbe native stock. 
I am old-fasbioned, and lack in the new 
culture, but if I cannot graft Bose and 
Bartlett and Sheldon on to my Kieffer 
stock with success, you will do me a great 
favor by advising me on the matter. 
Ans. —The best general advice we can 
get is that Kieffer is not good stock for 
working such varieties as Bartlett and 
Bose. This has been often tried, but few 
permanent successes are reported. The 
sap of Kieffer is different from that of 
other varieties. The union, while appar¬ 
ently successful at first, does not succeed 
permanently. There may be reports of 
success with such grafting, but we would 
not advise it on 400 trees. 
Constructing Rockwork. 
Will you give me an idea for some nice 
rockwork? In what form and shape should 
it bo? The rock we have here is a lire for¬ 
mation. What plants and vines should we 
plant around them to look well? L. w. 
Lutherville, Ark. 
About the best way to make an artificial 
rockwork is to take large stones or bowlders 
as heavy as two men can roll, arrange them 
in a circle as large as your bed is intended 
to be and then heap rough stones and earth 
up in the center three or four feet high, al¬ 
lowing the stones to stick up through the 
soil in a natural manner. This work is not 
easy to describe; it will suggest itself as 
you handle the rocks. 
Culture of Amaryllis. 
I would like plain directions for growing 
and blooming florists’ Amaryllis; I believe 
the botanists call them lflppeastrums. 
Milwaukee, WIs. C. L. M. 
Amaryllis are quite easy to grow. The 
danger is overdoing the matter of inten¬ 
sive cultivation. The bulbs should be potted 
soon after being received, using pots not 
more than one inch larger in diameter than 
the bulbs. Drainage should be provided by 
over an inch or so broken pots or lumpa 
of charcoal in the bottom. The compost 
should be light garden soil mixed with 
about one-third sand. There is little use 
adding woods earth, manure or other fer¬ 
tilizers, as the needed nourishment may be 
provided after the bloom spikes appear by 
watering with weak liquid manures made 
from various materials. The bulbs should 
be rather firmly potted at the base, only 
about one-third of the bulb being burled in 
the soil, to provide ample root room. They 
do not need much water until the roota 
start and foliage appears, then watering 
should be very regularly attended to. They 
should always be kept moist, but not wet or 
soggy. At this period they need all the 
light and heat available. If growing in a 
window the pot should be turned every day 
so that the foliage and spike receives an 
equal amount of sunlight on all sides. 
After blooming the same care should be 
taken of them, except that applications of 
liquid manure can be gradually withdrawn. 
When the foliage begins to yellow and die 
at the tips water should gradually be with¬ 
held and the bulbs given a complete rest 
for three or four months or until they show 
signs of a new growth. 
Blackberries, Pear and Hollyhocks. 
1. What is the best and sweetest black¬ 
berry for family use"? 2. What can be said 
of the Worden-Seckel pear? 3. Are the 
everblooming hollyhocks as hardy as the old 
kinds? a. b. 
1. Ancient Briton and Taylor are two of 
the hardiest and best flavored blackberries 
for the home garden. The berries are 
rather small for market, but they are often 
profitably grown for that purpose. Ancient 
Briton is occasionally lacking in pollen and 
should have another variety planted near. 
2. Worden-Seckel is a well flavored pear of 
medium size. It is fairly productive when 
well established. 3. Everblooming holly¬ 
hocks grow so late in the season that, they 
do not ripen their crowns as well as the 
ordinary varieties, and are in consequence 
rather more tender. 
Eucalyptus for Timber. 
Some years ago I saw something in The 
R. N.-Y. about the Eucalyptus tree, as being 
a tree that would solve the timber problem. 
I have seen nothing of it since, and won¬ 
der if there is anything in it. Has anyone 
tried it, and if so with what results? D. 
Leslie, Mich. 
A good deal of nonsense has been pub¬ 
lished about the general value of the 
Eucalyptus as a timber tree. There are 
nearly 150 species, all native of Australia, 
except four or five that are found growing 
in the warmest parts of India. Some of 
the species are really very useful for tim¬ 
ber where they thrive, but they cannot en¬ 
dure frost, and can never be grown in this 
country without careful protection, except 
in California and along the Gulf Coast. 
Eucalyptus globulus is, perhaps, the most 
promising of all. 
Chestnut Requirements. 
What is the best soil to grow sweet 
chestnuts on? c. s. 
Sweet chestnuts will grow in quite a 
range of soils, but those most favorable are 
well drained, sandy or gravelly uplands. 
They also do well on limestone soil, if of a 
porous nature. Wild chestnuts are gener¬ 
ally found on the top of ridges, half way 
down the slopes and on rolling land, but it 
is rarely that healthy trees are found in 
moist bottom lands. 
“State of Maine” Potatoes. 
In the Spring of 1900 I purchased a 
barrel of “State of Maine” potatoes for 
seed. They never blossomed; crop was about 
one-half. Will it be safe t p plant those 
potatoes this Spring, 1908? J. l. n. 
Newark, Del. 
We would think it quite safe to plant the 
immature “State of Maine” potatoes next 
Spring. If they are true to name and other¬ 
wise in good condition the fact of their pro¬ 
ducing a short crop in a late season would 
not be to their disadvantage; in fact it is 
the general opinion that late planted pota¬ 
toes that do not thoroughly mature make 
better seed than those that have entirely 
ripened. The theory is that the plant food 
in the well-matured tubers becomes so thor¬ 
oughly fixed that it is scarcely soluble 
enough to give the young plants a good 
start. Comparative experiments generally 
show the best crop from rather immature 
seed, but. of course, other conditions must 
always be taken in account. 
The Western Catalpa. 
There seems to be a great difference of 
opinion about the western Catalpa. Some 
claim that there is a species that grows tall 
without many limbs. Do you know anything 
definite about it? B. f. c. 
The true western Catalpa, C. speciosa, 
grows tall with but few branches, making a 
valuable and lasting timber for many pur¬ 
poses. It, however, produces but few seeds, 
and these are difficult to gather, so that the 
market is flooded with seeds of the inferior 
common Catalpa, C. bignonioides, which has 
a low, branchy growth, and is almost use¬ 
less for timber purposes. The true Catalpa 
speciosa is an exceedingly valuable tree, and 
one can make no mistake in planting it even 
on high-priced land. 
Horseradish Seed. 
1. Is there any way to grow horseradish 
seed? I would like to raise it from the 
seed, but have never seen it grown nor ad¬ 
vertised. 2. How do you grow rose plants? 
Are the shoots that come up from nursery 
plants the same as the original plant, or are 
they seedlings? What is the best mixture 
to spray rose bushes for rose bugs, and 
other insects. Is the Bordeaux Mixture all 
right? 
1. There seems to be no way to induce the 
horseradish plant to form seeds, though it 
often flowers profusely. It appears to have 
been so long propagated by root cuttings 
that it has lost the power of seed production. 
A well-known western plant breeder is said 
to have offered a large sum of money for an 
ounce of horseradish seed, but thus far he 
has found no takers. 2. Rose plants are 
propagated by budding, grafting and also 
by cuttings, which are made from ripe or 
green wood and generally rooted in sand 
under glass. The suckers that come up from 
the roots of nursery plants are not certain 
to reproduce the desired variety, as many 
nursery plants are grafted, and the suck¬ 
ers may come up from the stock instead of 
from the desired scion growth above.' Suck¬ 
ers that come from plants on their own 
roots of course are the same as the parent. 
Seedlings are only grown for the production 
of new varieties, as garden roses rarely 
come true from seed. Weak Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture is an excellent spray application for 
mildew and other diseases of rose foliage, 
but is not of much use against Rose bugs 
and other insects. Whale-oil soap, two or 
three ounces to the gallon of water, will 
kill lice on rose bushes, and to some extent 
drive away Rose beetles, but the only sure 
cure for the latter is hand picking. 
Replanting Asparagus. 
About 40 per cent of my asparagus set 
out. last year failed to live and grow. IIow 
will it do to take roots this Spring while 
in dormant state, place them in cold storage 
until the roots of the living are started 
above ground, then fill in with cold storage 
roots probably about the first of June? 
Loekport, N. Y. C. s. B. 
We think it would be entirely practicable 
to hold ttie young asparagus plants in cold 
storage late enough to replant your field. 
The asparagus belongs to the lily family 
and probably roots could be retarded in the 
same manner as lily of the valley and Lilium 
longiflorum which frequently are held back 
for forcing purposes. When the sprouts in 
your field have all come up you can deter¬ 
mine where the vacancies are. and then 
the roots in storage could be immediately 
planted and thus fill up the gaps. 
The Sower Has 
No Second. Chance 
Good sense says make the most 
of the first. 
FERRY'S 
have made and kept Ferry’s Seed Busi¬ 
ness the largest in the world—merit tells. 
Ferry's Seed Annual for 1908 
tells tin' whole Seed Story—sent FREE for 
the asking. Don’t sow seeds till you get it. 
0. M. FERRY & CO., Detroit, Mich. 
QEXRj Oats , Corn, Potatoes -”^, 
UEzKalf McADAMS SEED CO. Columbus Grove, Ohio 
TESTED FARM 
We are Recleaners 
of Clover, Timothy and 
a full line of Grass and 
Farm Seeds, also Grow¬ 
ers,Importers and dealers 
in Garden, Field and 
Flower Seeds. 
Write for Field Seed 
price list, also Annual 
Seed Catalog Mailed Free. 
THE HENRY PHILIPPS SEED & IMPLEMENT CO., Toledo, Ohio 
ALFALFA 
Choice, selected and tested American Grown, 
New Crop Seeds. Let us show you sample and 
quote present price oil quantity needed. Fora num¬ 
ber of years the price tit this season lias been less 
than in the spring. We believe it will pay farmers 
to invest in this seed now before spring demand 
causes prices to advance. Ask for large seed catalog. 
Livingston Seed Co., box i70, Columbus, o. 
ALFALFA 
All Northern Grown and 
guaranteed to be 99 per cent 
pure. Should produce hay 
at $40.00 per acre annually. Write for Free Sample 
and instructions on growing. 
GRAIN AND GRASS SEEDS 
Northern Grown and of strongest vitality. Wo Invito you to 
get Government Tests on our samples. Send for Cat. No. 23 
THE J. E. WING & BROS. SEED CO. 
Box 223$ Mechanical* urg:, Ohio 
IT IS SPECIALLY MIXED FOR YOU 
AND IS CHEAPER THAN TIMOTHY ANO CLOVER. 
Write for booklet on 
BATCHELOR’S PERMANENT PASTURE AND 
MEADOW MIXTURES and 1908 CATALOG. 
Write To-day. 
THE BATCHELOR SEED STORE 
36 Lafayette St., Utica, N.Y. Grass Seed Dept. 
i BLIZZARD 
FR 
to 
Wo 
grow them 
by the in ill ion. To 
prove they aro healthy and 
vigorous wo offer 6 fine Spruces 2yr. 
old Free to property owners. Mailing 
expenseSct., which sendornoLApost- I 
al will bring them. Catalogue free.'. 
Gardner Nursery Co., Box 66, Osage,Iowa.. 
PEACHES 
We grow millions of peach trees. Special prices 
on tlio following varieties: Craw. Ea.; Craw. Late; 
Conklin; Crosby; Engles; Klberta; Fitzgerald: 
Hills Chili; Reeves; Salway; Triumph; Wonderful 
and Yell. St. John. Complete line of fruit and 
ornamental troos, shrubs, plants, etc. Landscape 
work a specialty. Sond for prices, 
GREENING’S BIG NURSERIES, 
150 Monroe St. Monroe, Mich. 
:lit.1l^l^:14;T:V4 
Juicy, delicious flavor. “W. H. Taft” 
strawberry a money-maker. Vigor¬ 
ous, healthy, prolific. Dandy shipper, 
quick seller. 25 plants, 50c postpaid; 
Oo plants, $1.00. Catalog of seeds, 
nursery stock, free. Binghamton Seed 
119 Court St,, Binghamton, IT, Y, j 
B est of all, The CHIl’MAN STRAWBERRY 
Large, Firm, and very Productive. AL1 other 
best new and standard varieties at lowest prices. 
BLUE RIBBON WJN.NKRS.-Our It. C. R.I. 
Red chickens won at I’hila., Pa., Bridgeton, N. J., 
Wilmington, Del., and Charlotte. N.C. Eggs from 
winners $1 and $2 per 15. $fi per 100. Send for Large 
free Illustrated plant and poultry catalogue. 
W. 8. TODD, Greenwood, Delaware. 
Strawberry Plants 
Catalogue free. 
at $1.00 
per1000 
and up. 
R. E. ALLEN, Paw Paw. Mich. 
Ctr a wherry Plants—All tbe leading varieties, 
new and old. Send postal for my new catalog. 
Prices$1.25per lOOOup. David Rodway, Hartly, Del. 
CTRA WBERRY PLANTS—Reliable, money- 
^ making varieties, only $1 50 and $1.75 per 1000. 
New illus. eat. Free. S. A. V1RDIN, Hartly, Del, 
LUCRETIA DEWBERRY PLANTS 
Clean healthy plants from root cuttings. Send for 
lowest price. JOHN CASAZZA, Vineland, N. J. 
for all early vegetables. $1 per 1000. Send 
for clr. P. It. Crosby k Son, (utonsville, Md. 
Paper Pots 
& SMALL FRUITS 
Highest Grade. 
Guaranteed to live. 
True to name. 
FRUITTREES 
One third agents’prices. Illustrated catalogue free. 
highland nurseries, Rochester, n. y. 
Good Trees! Good Fruit! 
Good fruit comes to him who plants good trees. 
I have tlie good trees; do you want the good fruit! 
Catalogue and instructions, "How to care for trees 
and plants for best results” free. Address, 
MARTIN WAHL, Nurseryman, Rochester, N. Y. 
P EAS—Alaska $4 bush; Long Island Mammoth 
$4 hu. Onion Soed—Prize Taker $1.75 lb.; I’hila. 
Silver Skin $2 lb. MINCII BROS., Bridgeton. N. J. 
P OTATOES—Acme, Beauty, Hebron, Ionia, Ohio, Pride, Long¬ 
fellow, Rose,Raleigh,Kural. 8f> kinds. C.W.Ford,KisherH,N. Y 
S econd-crop aad Northern grown seed potatoes. 
Strawberry plants. Choice seed corn. Barred P. 
Rock eggs from prize Stock, etc. My free catalog 
gives fuller and more complete information: 30 
years experience. J. W. HALL, Marlon 8.a. Md. 
SEED OATS 
— Heavy, clean. 
Northern New 
York grown 
Mortgage Lifter 
oats, $1.10 per bn.; 10 bu. or more, 90c. per bu. A 
change of seed is always profitable. 80 page cata¬ 
log. $50 in prizes. Flint corn wanted. Have you 
any? BINGHAMTON SEED CO., Box 13, Binghamton, N.Y. 
Samples of Good Seed Corn 
AND *622 WORTH 
OF FINE RADISHES 
Interested in seed corn? If so I’ll mail you 
free samples of my reliable guaranteed seed corn— 
and I’ll throw in enough of a new kind of Radish 
Seed to raise $6.oo worth of early radishes. 
I make this offer because I want to get ac¬ 
quainted with you, and let you see some really good 
seed com—real seed, not pig feed. 
L-EE D 
I sell seed com, ear or shelled, or any other old way. It’s all tried, 
tested, and proven. It goes to you on approval. If you don’t like it we 
trade back. That’s fair. 
for my com book. IPs free and I throw In the 
If any more you 
WriLeTo-day 
i— »» - ■■■ ») JW.WV UI*J OU. 
HENRY FIELD SEED CO., Box 26, Shenandoah, Iowa. 
-. _ny c__ w a 
samples and the radish seed 
want, just say so. 
PEACH & FRUIT TREES 
f oi- 
i-All the loading varieties. 
Currants, Asparagus Roots, 
Strawberry Plants. We 
WHA^to^liunand^ow^ti' Early orders appreciated. Send for our free catalog telling 
WHAT to plant and HOW to plant for PROFIT and PLEASURE. 
BARNES BROS. NURSERY CO., Box 8, Yalesville, Conn. 
THE BEST SEED POTATOES 
save^^rom^'eTd^nAf^nffBPtlfi dlsease . Prown for seed purposes by potato specialists and 
SSXfj LTlifi 0< 5i e *v y JJ'sht or rot. We can furnish over 50,000 bushe’s of just such 
riofsHde « n ditv Ain , {j! ro f fc to Y'> u at the lowest possible prices consistent with the highest 
Kt h tl n w« ^ kinds and 4 new ones pronounced by hundreds of our customers the 
best in the woild. We are headquarters for the best Seed Potatoes, Corn, Oats, Clover, Alfalfa and 
Catafdeand sneciid nr Fr«« aUt ctltica1, carefu1 ' t>«siness farmers for our customers. Handsome 
Catalog and special price last Free. EDWARD F. DIBBLE, Seedgrower, Box A, Honcoye Falls, N. Y. 
