1911. 
THE RURAI> NEW-YORKER 
A BUNCH OF FLOWER NOTES. 
Coboea and Wistaria. 
A. C. IF., WMtinsrille, Mass. —1. When 
A. I>. C. asked some time ago how to make 
Coboea soandens bloom early in the season 
I thought I was going to get a problem 
solved, but alas, you told how to make them 
grow, but not to bloom. Mine have grown 
profusely since June, but had no bloom 
until September, and then not very many. 
This has been my experience for many 
years. 2. Also, what treatment will make 
Wistaria bloom ? 
Ans. —1. The Coboea is a tropical plant, 
a native of South America, and while it 
makes a good deal of rapid growth, it 
is often slow in blooming outdoors in 
our Northern climate. It is probable 
that it would be a little later in Massa¬ 
chusetts (except in favorable locations) 
than close to New York. Several years 
we had no flowers until September, but 
this year it began to bloom in July, 
doubtless the result of the dry, hot sea¬ 
son. We advise planting in light, rich 
soil, in a very warm, sunny location. 
Our plants were in a very sunny place, 
sloping to the west. The best display 
of blooming Coboea we have seen was 
in a sunny yard, protected by a high 
wall on the north, the plants being trel- 
lised on a fence. Perhaps some one 
else caif offer more encouragement for 
early flowers. This vine makes a find 
display in a warm greenhouse. 
2. Individual Wistarias differ some¬ 
what in their tendency to bloom young. 
We have one on our own place that 
was planted 15 years before coming into 
bloom, bHt it was starved by adjacent 
vines and trees. When planting a Wis¬ 
taria it should have a good start with 
abundant fertility; if it seems a sterile 
spot, filled in with subsoil from a foun¬ 
dation (often the case near a house or 
piazza), smk a bottomless tub in the 
ground; fill in with good rich soil, and 
plant the Wistaria in that. We like to 
let a 'Wistaria alone, so as to allow a 
gnarled and picturesque growth, but 
more bloom is produced if pruned back 
each year- to spurs. Make sure your 
vine is not starved. You do not tell 
how long it has been planted. Our dila¬ 
tory Wistaria waited until it had 
reached the level of the second floor, 
and is ripening seeds from this year’s 
bloom. 
Topping a Rubber Plant. 
J. Y. 7?., Brooklyn, Y. Y. —Which Reason 
of the year is the best for cutting back a 
rubber plant, and what is the best method 
of doing so? Plant is about five feet tall, 
healthy and strong ; I would like to have it 
branch out. 
Ans. —To induce branching, the plant 
may be topped at any desired height 
when it is making strong growth. We 
would not attempt this now, as under 
ordinary house conditions there is not 
as a rule much growth during the Win¬ 
ter—better wait until next April. 
Plunge the pot m the ground about 
May 10-15 out in the full sunshine. 
Give a good mulching of manure, and 
an abundance of water all through the 
season. Under these conditions there 
should be a free growth. A plant five 
feet high, if only a single shoot, is not 
the most promising for forming a 
branching, specimen; effort is usually 
made to form the branching habit early 
in the plant’s life. W. K. Harris of 
Philadelphia, who became famous among 
florists for tire production of branching 
rubbers, rested the plants by keeping 
them dry and cool for two or three 
months in the Spring, and then brought 
them into a vigorous growth which en¬ 
couraged breaking into buds at every 
leaf. This caused branching without 
any topping. 
Nasturtiums, Dahlias, and Gladiolus. 
J. IT. J., Boxborouyh, Pa .—Tell us how 
to raise nasturtiums successfullv without 
the pesky I Jack bug. Also Gladiolus and 
the better kinds of Dahlias. That seems like 
a foolish question to ask. but to do these 
things right requires some art. To my 
mind, many of your readers will be inter¬ 
ested to read this Winter, some other way 
than the slipshod method handed down 
from our grandfathers. There appeared 
quite a while ago an article on Gladiolus 
that was interesting, but I cannot recall 
Just what it said. I try to preserve such 
things, but that got away from me some¬ 
how. 
Ans. —1. Those “pesky black bugs,” we 
infer, are black aphis, a perennial nui¬ 
sance with nasturtiums. If the plants 
arc in a strong-growing condition, they 
rarely cause much harm, but are un¬ 
pleasant when one wishes to use flow¬ 
ers and foliage. When the plants ate 
suffering from drought or starvation 
the aphids almost skeletonize the leaves 
by draining the juices. Where the in¬ 
sects are troublesome, see that every 
scrap of the nasturtiums is removed and 
burned in the Fall; clear up the ground 
thoroughly. Kerosene emulsion, tobacco 
water or whale-oil soapsuds, sprayed 
against the under surface of the leaves 
and against the stem, where the aphids 
congregate, are all excellent. We have 
a nice little bucket pump which we find 
very handy for such spraying, but it is 
a bother where there is a long row of 
nasturtiums. Select a warm, sunny, but 
not too dry place for your nasturtiums, 
and encourage them by surface cultiva¬ 
tion. 
2. Dahlias demand well-prepared soil, 
which will give them good drainage, and 
also permit them to root deeply. If not 
already rich, a good dressing of well- 
rotted manure should be plowed or 
spaded in. Plant early; in the latitude 
of Philadelphia green shoots or small 
roots may be put out May 1 to 10, but 
large, dormant roots are put out about 
three weeks earlier; in other words, 
plant the strong roots two weeks before 
danger of. frost is over, but started 
plants or small roots should not go out 
while there is risk of frost. Never let 
the surface of the ground become hard 
and baked, but do not give deep tillage 
after the plants, begin to bloom; merely 
stir the top one to three inches. Water¬ 
ing is not advised by Commercial grow¬ 
ers; tillage takes its place, but if there 
is a long drought after the Dahlias are 
in bloom a good soaking once a week or 
10 days is .beneficial, but should always 
be followed by surface tillage the next 
day. Hard crusted soil is often respon¬ 
sible for weak growth and “blasting” of 
buds. If, while blooming, the flowers 
grow smaller and the plant seems to de¬ 
cline in vigor, mix one part nitrate of 
soda to four parts bone,meal, and work 
' 1115 
a handful of this "into the soil around 
each plant. 
3. Gladioli prefer a sandy loam that 
is retentive of moisture. The ground 
should be well prepared so that it is 
loose and friable; no strong manure 
should be used; it is better if required 
fertilizer is applied to a preceding crop. 
Plant as early as the ground can be 
worked; if desired, several plantings 
could be made at intervals of about 10 
days, thus securing a succession of 
bloom. Keep down weeds by surface 
cultivation, and stake the flower spikes 
if necessary; some are strong enough to 
do without this, but many blow over 
and grow crooked. The stakes should 
be as neat and inconspicuous as possible, 
and the spike should not be tied rigidly. 
We 
The big coffee trust, made up of Brazilian 
growers and American importers, has been trying 
various tactics to boost the price of coffee and 
get more money from the people. 
Always the man who is trying to dig extra 
money out of the public pocket, on a combina¬ 
tion, hates the man who blocks the game. 
Now comes the plaintive bleat from the “ex¬ 
asperated” ones. 
The Journal of Commerce lately said: “A 
stirring circular has just been issued to the coffee 
trade.” The circular further says: 
“The coffee world is discussing what is to be the 
future of coffee as a result of the campaign of mis- 
education carried on by the cereal coffee people. 
We have before us a letter from one of the largest 
roasters in the South asking what can be done to 
counteract the work of the enemies of coffee. 
“The matter should have been taken up by 
the Brazilian Gov’t when they were completing 
their beautiful valorization scheme.” 
Then the circular proceeds to de¬ 
nounce Postum and works into a 
fine frenzy, because we have pub¬ 
lished facts regarding the effect of 
coffee on some people. 
The harrowing talc goes on. 
“Where a few years ago everybody 
drank coffee, several cups a day, 
now we find in every walk in life 
people who imagine they cannot 
drink it. (The underscoring is ours.) 
Burly blacksmiths, carpenters, labor¬ 
ers and athletes have discontinued 
or cut down the use of coffee; as 
there is not a person who reads this 
and will not be able to find the 
same conditions existing among his 
own circle of acquaintances, is it 
not well for the Brazilians to sit up 
and take notice?” 
Isn’t it curious these “bur¬ 
ly” strong men should pick out coffee 
to “imagine” about ? Why not “imag¬ 
ine” that regular doses of whiskey 
are harmful, or daily slugs of mor¬ 
phine ? 
If “imagination” makes the caf¬ 
feine in coffee clog the liver, depress 
the heart and steadily tear down 
the nervous system, bringing on one 
or more of the dozens of types' of 
diseases which follow broken-down 
nervous systems, many people don’t 
know it. 
-ft »• * 
But it remained for the man who 
has coffee, morphine or whiskey to 
sell, to have the supreme nerve to 
say: “You only imagine your dis¬ 
orders. Keep on buying from me.” 
Let us continue to quote from his 
article. 
“Notwithstanding the enormous 
increase in population during the 
past three years, coffee shows an 
appalling decrease in consumption.” 
* * * * * 
Then follows a tiresome lot of 
statistics which wind up by show¬ 
ing a decrease of consumption in two 
years of, in round figures, two 
hundred million pounds. 
Here we see the cause for the at¬ 
tacks on us and the Brazilian sneers 
at Americans who prefer to use a 
healthful, home-made breakfast 
drink and incidentally keep the 
money in America, rather than send 
the millions to Brazil and pay for an 
article that chemists class among the 
drugs and not among the foods. 
Will the reader please remember, 
we never announce that coffee “hurts 
all people.” 
Some persons seem to have excess 
vitality enough to use coffee, tobacco 
and whiskey for years and apparent¬ 
ly be none the worse, but the num¬ 
ber is small, and when a sensible 
man or woman finds an article acts 
harmfully they exercise some degree 
of intelligence by dropping it. 
We quote again from the article; 
“These figures are paralyzing but 
correct, being taken from Leech's 
statistics, recognized as the most re¬ 
liable.” 
' * * * * * 
This is one of the highest com¬ 
pliments ever paid to the level-head¬ 
ed, common sense of Americans who 
cut off about two hundred million 
pounds of coffee when they found by 
actual experiment (in the majority 
of cases.! that the subtle drug caf¬ 
feine, in coffee, worked discomfort 
and varying forms of disease. 
i . * , c. » 
Some people haven’t the character 
to stop a habit when they know it is 
killing them, but it is easy t<5 shift 
from coffee to Postum, for, when 
made according to directions, it 
comes to table a cup of beverage, 
seal brown color, which turns to rich 
golden brown when cream is added, 
and the taste is very like the milder 
grades of Old Gov’t Java. 
Postum is a veritable food-drink 
and highly nourishing, containing all 
the parts of wheat carefully prepared 
to which is added about 10 per cent 
of New Orleans molasses, and that is 
absolutely all that Postum is made of. 
Thousands of visitors to the pure 
food factories see the ingredients 
and how prepared. Every nook and 
corner is open for every visitor to 
.carefuly inspect. Crowds come daily 
and seem to enjoy it. 
9t 
“There’s a Reason 
Postum Cereal Company, Limited 
Battle Creek, Michigan 
