JSovJ 
November 7, 
Ruralisms 
A Worthy Princeps Seedling.— 
Gladiolus princeps, raised 12-years ago 
on the Rural Grounds, as a result of 
hybridizing the rare African species, G. 
cruentus, with a vigorous red-flowered 
garden variety, has perhaps been more 
widely successful than any modern in¬ 
troduction of its kind. The highest 
honors have been won wherever it has 
been exhibited, in the Old World as 
well as the new. Reports come in of its 
good behavior under the most diverse 
conditions of climate and soil. It thrives 
as well in Cyprus and China, Chile and 
California, as it does in New Jersey. It is 
grown everywhere in Europe and Amer¬ 
ica and is often described as “the finest 
Gladiolus ever raised.” The only criti¬ 
cism that has ever been made about this 
popular variety is that too few of its 
great scarlet blooms open at the same 
time. It is not usual for more than 
three flowers to be expanded at once on 
a spike, but they are so large that 
more display is made by one or two 
flowers than with a spikeful of many 
other varieties. Some growers con¬ 
sider the gradual development of the 
blooms an advantage as the flowering 
period is considerably prolonged, but 
florists generally would like a more 
rapid opening of the buds. With this 
demand in mind we have been grow¬ 
ing hundreds of cross-bred Princeps 
seedlings each year. Many beautiful 
kinds have turned up as a result of 
these breeding experiments, though the 
general run rs far inferior to the parent. 
After lengthened trials, Mastodon, the 
gigantic variety shown, greatly reduced 
in size, in' Fig. 399, page 851, and a 
dwarf-growing sort, with a perfect spike 
of widely opened crimson blooms, have 
been selected as worthy companions of 
Princeps. The dwarf kind is yet un¬ 
named, but is remarkable for its sturdy 
growth and self or solid-colored flower 
•—a rare feature among Gladioli, as the 
genus generally produces flowers with 
variegated coloring. Mastodon has the 
light stripes characteristic of Princeps, 
but is deeper in coloring than its glow¬ 
ing parent. Four or five blooms open 
together, and from their great size and 
widely expanded form present a most 
imposing show of color. The plant is a 
tall grower, reaching five feet high un¬ 
der good culture, but so strong and firm 
that it is seldom overthrown by high 
winds. For decorative use, however, in 
gardens and shrubberies, it would be 
well to provide it with stakes, that the 
great flower spikes may entirely develop 
in an upright position. The blooms are 
from five to seven inches across, per¬ 
fectly formed and widely opened, as use¬ 
ful for cutting as for garden purposes. 
The stock of these two distinct va¬ 
rieties—the cream of all the descendants 
of Princeps—has been purchased 
by Vaughan’s Seed Store, Chicago and 
New York, the introducers of Princeps, 
and will in due time be offered to 
the public. Gladiolus fanciers all over 
the world are busy raising Princeps 
seedlings, and some fine new kinds will 
surely be produced. It will be interest¬ 
ing to compare these' foreign products 
with the home descendants of Princeps. 
Forest Fires. —The appalling forest 
fires prevailing in many of the drought- 
stricken Northern States have had their 
counterparts in times past, but the feel¬ 
ing of almost irreparable loss has never 
before been so marked. Timber was 
formerly so abundant that trees were re¬ 
garded rather as hindrances than help to 
the early settlers and their immediate 
followers. Only when life was menaced 
or acquired property destroyed were 
woodland fires accounted public calam¬ 
ities. All now realize in some degree 
the sinister results of these terrible but 
preventable holocausts that destroy life 
and* the proceeds of incredible toil, as 
well as vast quantities of building mate¬ 
rial that is so sorely needed to house the 
'THE RURAL 
N K. W-YORKER 
toilers of the soil, their flocks and their 1 
equipment. These gigantic losses event¬ 
ually fall on all, but scarcely in just 
proportion. The farmer with his nar¬ 
row margin of profit feels them most 
sorely in enhanced cost of building and 
diminished production of soil as a con¬ 
sequence of bared watersheds and dis¬ 
turbed rainfall about the burned areas, 
until they are again well covered with 
vegetation. There should be no occa¬ 
sion for these great fires, no matter 
how clry the weather may be. They 
would not be tolerated in any other 
country making claims to civilization. 
Hunters and tramps should be so dis¬ 
ciplined that the causing of a forest fire 
may seem to them almost a capital crime. 
Railroads should not be permitted to 
operate fuel-burning locomotives 
through woodland tracts. Electric and 
gasoline traction are sufficiently de¬ 
veloped to serve the purpose of haul¬ 
ing trains through inflammable areas 
with small danger of causing fires. The 
public little realizes the tremendous 
waste caused by the persistent use of 
out-of-date steam locomotives. Prob¬ 
ably 90 per cent of the destructive rural 
and woodland fires are directly caused 
by these nuisances. 
Put Out the Fires !—But fires will 
start where there is abundant inflam¬ 
mable material. The thing to do is to 
put them out before appreciable damage 
has been done. Every resource of town, 
State and nation should be promptly and 
unsparingly used for fire fighting. The 
fire tax consequent on the destruction 
of life and property is almost the great¬ 
est burden our civilization has to bear. 
It runs into stupendous figures, as may 
be seen by examining any fire insurance 
report. The fire demon is fought with 
some degree of intelligence and energy 
in cities and other areas of congested 
population, but in sparsely settled por¬ 
tions of the country the combat is largely 
an individual matter. Most States now 
have forestry departments and a sprink¬ 
ling of fire wardens, but the service is 
too new and poorly supported to check 
serious conflagrations. The national forest 
service is older and stronger, doing ex¬ 
cellent work in controlling fires on the 
public domains. The State forestry com¬ 
missions should be backed up by the j 
State militias, which should be even as 
promptly at their disposal in the event 
of dangerous fires, as they are now at 
the behest of strike-provoking corpora¬ 
tions. There is now little inducement 
for thoughtful men to join the militia, 
but if it were made a real economic pub¬ 
lic service, instantly available, when 
needed to combat public enemies in the 
forms of fire, flood, storm, earthquake 
or pestilence, as well as war, the case 
would be different. State militias are 
occasionally used in overpowering pub¬ 
lic catastrophies, but the machinery for 
getting them into action is so clumsy 
and slow that their utility is reduced to 
the minimum. What is needed is a great 
and enthusiastic army of emergency 
police and life and property savers that 
a self-respecting citizen may join, and 
not a spectacular military establishment. 
w. v. F. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply and 
“a square deal.” See guarantee page 10. 
SCALE DESTROYER 
FOR SAN JOSE SCALE 
For sale at a thousand agencies 
covering all important fruit sec¬ 
tions. Send for name of dealer 
nearest you. Evidence proving it 
CHEAPEST as well as 
MOST EFFECTIVE 
remedy also mailed free on request 
TARGET BRAND, Box 721, Martinsburg, W. Va. 
The great thing in 
big game rifles is sureness 
to work under all conditions. Z72ar/tn 
rifles are built with this idea foremost. 
The mechanism is simple, strong, per¬ 
fectly adjusted,quick and ea6y in operation. 
The fflaWin solid top and side ejector 
keep'a protecing wall of metal between 
your head and th« cartridge, prevent 
powder and gases blowing back, throw the 
shells away from you and allow instant, 
accurate, effective repeat shots. 
The Special Smokeless Steel barrels 
are hard and strong, specially made for 
high power cartridges and to resist the 
wear of jacketed bullets. They are rifled 
deep on the Ballard Bystsm for greatest 
accuracy and killing power. 
Made in Models ’93 and 
*95, calibres .25 to .45, 
and fully described 
and illustrated (with 
all other 27hzrfi/z re¬ 
peaters) in our 136- 
page catalog, v Free 
for 3 stamps postage. 
772ar//n Z2rear/ns Co. % 
157 Willow Street, NEW HAVEN. CONN. 
fcfMrra———a——— 
HYDRATED LIME 
Rcok'Yov 
| Send for It todav— 
n >C Frno gives lots of aiu- 
O I IOC able Information of the - 
growing and cultivation of Beans and 
Peas and their market, soiling and feed¬ 
ing values. Information furnished by 
the best authorities in the country. "We 
manufacture the 
OWENS 
Bean and Pea Threshers 
[ which are made in four sizes to suit the 
, need of both the small and large grower, 
as well as job throshermen. These thresh¬ 
ers are guaranteed to thresh ail kinds 
of Beans and Peas dlrec-ly from the 
rankest growing vines without splitting 
the seed. 
Our Proposition to Bean or Pea growers 
is the most fairand liberal ever made 
by a manufacturer. 
Write for it and the book today. 
J. L. OWENS CO. 
682 Suporlor St. S. E. 
Minneapolis, Minn. 
* 1 EW You ' 
Larger Prujils 
riV®. 
THE DEYO 
POWER SPRAYER 
It is protected from spray mixture. Our3-H.P. 
air-cooled engine can bo easily detached ami used 
where ever power is needed. Six years of success. 
Ask the user. Write for catalog 19. 
R. H. DEYO 6 COMPANY., Binghamton, N. Y. 
IN 50 LB. PAPER BAGS 
is the 
Most Convenient Way 
to handle Lime in small lots. 
It is used for top dressing 
Lawns, preparing Hot 
Houses, Gardens and 
Flower Beds for next 
seasons Bulbs and Plants. 
FOR WHITEWASHING AND 
SPRAYING IT IS UNEQUALLED. 
WRITE FOR PRICES 
NEW JERSEY LIME CO., 
HAMBURG. N. J. 
JARVIS'S SPRAYING COMPOUND 
FOR SAN JOSE SCALES 
We make this compound, quality guaranteed, and 
sell to the consumer, f. o. b., Manchester, Conn. 
Cash with order. 
In bbls. containing 50 gals., 30c. per gal. 
Less than bbls and more than a gals., 40c. per gal. 
5 gal. lots and less. 50c. per gal. 
All orders tilled promptly. Order NOW. 
THE J. T. ROBERTSON CO., Box R, Manchester, Conn. 
All up-to-date Fruit Growers watch 
for the Bulletin of the buyers of 1909 
model “ Friend ” Power Sprayers. 
“ FRIEND ” MFG. CO., Gasport, N. Y. 
THE LAND OF PROMISE 
Buy land In the growing South. Wonderful 
yields three and four tim.-s a season. Everybody 
prosperous. Products command highest prices. 
Crop failures unknown. Conditions for trucking 
unequalled anywhere. Early markets. Best rail¬ 
road facilities. Ideal climate. No droughts, 
frosts or washouts. Lands cheap and sold on easy 
terms. For particulate, write 
F. L. MERRITT, Land & Indust'l Agent, Norfolk and Southern 
Railway, 36 Citizens Bank Building, Norfolk, Va. 
APPLE BARRELS 
— Car Lots or Less. 
Prompt shipment. 
R. Gillies, Medina,N. Y. 
SAN JOSE SCALE 
Our product for killing San Jose Scale lias all the good features and none of the 
bad ones of other remedies. It is not an experiment in any way. Is the 
result of three years study and experiment. 
WE CAN SAVE YOU 50 PER CENT. 
The first cost of our product is less than Lime Sulphur and large fruit growers 
report it to be more effectual than auy other remedy. 
WRITE NOW FOR OUR FREE BOOK 
You can learn of the best remedies only by answering advertising. Write us 
now and read what we have to say. 
Our products have been sold on merit for 25 years. 
F. G. STREET & CO., 26 Railroad St., Rochester, N. Y. 
RHODES DOUBLE CUT 
PRUNING SHEAR 
RHODES MFG. CO., ■■ 
GRAND RAPIDS, niCH 
t Pat’dJune2, 1903. 
HTHE only 
* pruner 
made that cuts 
from both sides of 
the limb and does not 
bruise the bark. Made in 
all styles and sizes. We 
pay Express charges 
on all orders. 
Write for 
circular and 
prices. 
PRATT’S 
“SCALECIDE 
99 SOLUBLE 
PETROLEUM 
TRADE MARK REGISTERED U. S. PATENT OFFICE. 
Will postively destroy SAN .JOSE SCALE and all soft bodied sucking insects without injury to the tree. Simple, more Effective and Cheaper than 
Lime Sulphur. Not an experiment.—Write for FREE sample and endorsements of leading fruit growers and entomologists who have used it for years. 
PRICES:-50 gal. bbl. $25.00; 30 gal. tin $15.00; 10 gal. can $6.00; 5 gal. can $3.25; 1 gal. can $1.00 f. o. b. New York. 
One gal lon makes 16 to 20 gallons spray by simply adding water. Pocket Diary and Spray Calendar for 1909 sent FREE. Mention this paper. 
T3. Gr, IPratt Co., JVEffe. Chemista, Dept. 3XT, 5G Church St. IKTeevTcr York City. 
