1912. 
863 
Ruralisms 
Witloof; Evergreen for Bed. 
IF. A., Great Neck, N. Y. —1. Will you 
give me some advice as how to grow wit¬ 
loof? 2. I would like to know what ever- 
, green to plant in a circular bed about 14 
feet wide and 10 long. The bed is next 
to the house, running west to cast. I have 
had bad luck with Retinispora sulphurea 
globosa and R. obtusa nana. I intend to 
plant Juniperus Sabina procumbens as an 
edging. 
Ans. —1. Witloof is treated like or¬ 
dinary chicory or endive. Sow in 
Spring, as soon as the ground can be 
prepared, in rows 18 inches apart, and 
thin to three inches in the row. A sec¬ 
ond sowing may be made in August. 
Tire finest blanched witloof is produced 
by digging well-grown roots, shorten¬ 
ing to five inches, and then plunging 
into spent tanbark or simi’ material, 
then covering with about two feet of 
manure, in the space under a green¬ 
house bench. In about two weeks one 
may dig out fine heads like cos lettuce. 
Without covering, with the roots plunged 
in loam or tanbark, several good cut¬ 
tings may be obtained in a dark place; 
a house cellar or furnace-room is some¬ 
times utilized. 
2. The Retinisporas do not seem re¬ 
liable here; R. obtusa nana died out 
with us in northern New Jersey. They 
appear to be short-lived, and when they 
do survive are unsightly as they grow 
older. Personal taste must aid in de¬ 
termining the planting of the evergreen 
bed. A most excellent evergreen, very 
hardy and of striking appearance, is 
Dwarf Mugho pine, Pinus Mugho, a na¬ 
tive of the Alps and Pyrenees. It grows 
in spreading bush form, rich dark green, 
very hardy. If a golden evergreen is 
liked, the arbor vitae .George Peabody is 
excellent; it is of compact dwarf habit, 
foliage bright golden yellow, while a 
beautiful dark green arbor vitae of 
dwarf compact habit is Douglas’ Little 
Gem. A desirable yew, considered one 
of the hardiest, is Taxus cuspidata; 
this has a spreading habit. The Japan 
juniper is dense, dwarf and bushy in 
growth, light green, very hardy; there 
is a golden Japan juniper, and also a 
silver variegated form. The trailing 
form of J. Sabina is admirable for an 
edging. 
A Small Greenhouse Venture. 
J. It. II., Excelsior Springs, Mo. —A 
friend and myself have been thinking about 
putting up a greenhouse here. The town is 
a health resort with a permanent population 
of about 3,500 and a transient one of 
about 7,000 to 10,000. There is no hot¬ 
house here, and the nearest is 20 miles by 
dirt road, the next 33 miles via railroad, 
this is Kansas City. Do you think that 
we two could make it a paying proposition 
without any experience? Which do you 
think would pay best, llowers or vegetables? 
Do you think a house 20x100x10 feet high 
at ridge and five feet on sides, large enough ? 
Would you prefer hot water or steam heat? 
Which would you prefer, sprinkling or sub- 
irrigation? Where could I get some books 
on growing flowers in hothouses? Is there 
a publication printed dealing especially 
witli greenhouses and greenhouse growths? 
I own some land on top of a hill that is 
unprotected. Would it pay to rent a piece 
down in town farther and protected on 
north by very high hill? 
Ans. —There is no reason why a small 
greenhouse establishment, devoted en¬ 
tirely to either cut flowers and bedding 
plants or vegetables, in a town of 3500 
people, aided by the addition of a con¬ 
siderable transient population, should 
not be profitably conducted. In the first 
place it is of vital importance that the 
parties conducting the same should have 
a practical knowledge of the business. 
A season’s work with a successful flor¬ 
ist, coupled with the careful reading of 
the papers covering this particular line 
of endeavor, should fit one for begin¬ 
ning. This is important, as most fail¬ 
ures in the greenhouse business are di¬ 
rectly chargeable to the lack of this 
valuable asset. A greenhouse 20x100x10 
feet at ridge and five feet in height at 
sides, provided low benches are used, 
would be well suited for growing cut 
flowers such as roses, carnations, sweet 
peas, Chrysanthemums, etc., but to jus¬ 
tify the attention of two persons, as well 
as from the standpoint of economy, at 
least two houses of these dimensions 
should be built. In adopting the char¬ 
acter and class of stock the market at 
hand should be given careful study. 
Flowers and plants are more profitable 
than vegetables. Hence, if it was 
thought that the local market would 
readily absorb all the stock of this kind 
that the area of glass could produce, by 
all means specialize on flowers and 
plants. It might, however, as a “pot 
boiler” and while the business is in the 
making, be wise to carry such short 
crops as lettuce and cucumbers. One 
thing should at all times be kept in 
THE HURAk NEW-YORKER 
mind; that whether the choice be cut 
flowers, pot plants or vegetables^ the 
constant aim should be to produce a 
high-class article. A high-class grade 
of these products rarely, if ever, goes 
begging. The most practical method of 
watering as well as the most adaptable, 
is the sprinkling. If the town water is 
not available install a small gasoline 
pump for this purpose. This will give 
the necessary pressure for the success¬ 
ful growing of all greenhouse plants. 
For heating purposes, hot water will be 
found the cheapest and, if the system is 
properly installed, the most satisfactory. 
The growing of roses requires steam 
heat. Good roses, however, can be pro¬ 
duced by careful handling by the for¬ 
mer method of heating. In building it 
would be well to choose the best loca¬ 
tion of the two as, as the business 
grows, this will prove a potent factor 
in its welfare. It is always well to 
build in a protected situation. Conven¬ 
ience for the public as well as economy 
in making deliveries of goods enters 
into this. Papers devoted to this work 
are the Florists’ Exchange, New York, 
the Florists’ Review, and the American 
Florist of Chicago. A copy of “Scott’s 
Manual,” price $5, is a valuable refer¬ 
ence book for a beginner. One contem¬ 
plating this work should make frequent 
visits to the plants of successful florists 
and observe the methods and practices 
of these men. Like market gardening 
and farming, this is a great business, 
capable of great development and, with 
good management, productive of grati¬ 
fying returns. jas. m’laughlin. 
Persian Walnuts in Iowa. 
IF. P. IF., Danville, Iowa .—I am follow¬ 
ing most of the things you are discussing 
closely. I am interested in the growing 
of walnuts particularly. You say the Per¬ 
sian walnut may be grown in New York 
and Michigan, how about southeastern 
Iowa? The thermometer went to 30 below 
last Winter and some say it has gone to 
40 below. I have some seedlings of Black 
walnut; should I graft these with the Per¬ 
sian or improved varieties ot the native 
walnut? Would it be better to bud them 
this Fall or graft them next Spring? If 
any of your readers know of a Persian wal¬ 
nut that will stand my climace, or an Im¬ 
proved native, I shall be glad to hear 
from them. 
Ans. —While some varieties of the 
Persian walnut are hardy enough to en¬ 
dure the Winters of northern New 
York safely, it must be understood that 
the majority of them will not do so, and 
also, that the region along the southern 
shore of Lake Ontario is milder than 
many parts of New York, and as evi¬ 
dence of it peaches are very successful 
there. I was lately looking at some of 
the seedlings from the trees that have 
been bearing in western New York for 
many years that were planted in Onon¬ 
daga County of that State about five 
years ago. They were very small when 
planted, and as my friend who owned 
them was very anxious to have them 
succeed I told him to wrap them with 
straw or some such protective covering 
for several years, and until they got 
older and hardened wood. This he did 
but not with complete success, for the 
thermometer goes down to 20 and more 
below zero there at times, as it did the 
past Winter, and they have been in¬ 
jured some each Winter and almost 
killed the past one. He thought some 
were entirely dead, but we found live 
wood at the base of each one upon close 
inspection. I had some smaller seed¬ 
lings of an old and hardy tree near 
Carlisle, Pennsylvania, growing at my 
Summer place, in the woods near 
where the above mentioned trees are 
planted, and they were killed by the 
cold of last Winter. It is not safe to 
gauge the hardiness of any tree or plant 
by that of others of the same genus or 
species, nor even the same variety in. the 
same State, for there are often wide 
differences in climate within short dis¬ 
tances. While the native Black walnut 
is hardy in Iowa and other central 
States it is very different from the 
Persian (English) species. I am quite 
sure that the rigid climate and the vio¬ 
lent changes of temperature of that re¬ 
gion will not suit this tenderer species 
of walnut, and wish to caution all who 
wish to try it there that they are likely 
to fail. I tried seedling trees of it in 
Kansas at the Agricultural College at 
Manhattan in 1879, and everyone died 
the first Winter. Grafts will be equally 
as tender as trees according to my ex¬ 
perience. H. E. VAN DEMAN. 
The Roadside Problem.— Why should 
not each owner be allowed to improve 
his roadside to suit his own ideas of 
beauty, and as long as he does so be 
given that privilege without interference 
from others. For myself, give me the 
well mowed lawn-like roadside. It will 
attract more attention and add more of 
value to the farm than cords of wood 
growing there. Here in Massachusetts 
it is impossible to grow with any satis¬ 
faction either fruit or flowers. I well 
remember the disgust of a man who 
had improved his roadside and set some 
flowering shrubs and roses when he said 
he should take up what was left of 
value and never try to raise flowers 
there again. His feelings were hurt 
perhaps as much as his flowers. The 
roadside is no place for forest trees 
as generally set crowded in rows. They 
litter the roadside with dead branches 
and leaves, make the roads more narrow 
and hard to improve, and in many places 
cause the road to become more muddy 
and unattractive. The bare-headed girl 
will be the better for more sunshine on 
her head as well as in her heart. It 
will give her as well as others, a better, 
broader view of the country where they 
may travel, and not hide from many a 
farm and beautiful landscape. Give us 
more of sunshine and happiness as we 
travel through life, and not try to hedge 
us between two rows of forest trees. 
Massachusetts. h. o. mead. 
Worms on Grapes. 
What will rid grapevines from the forest 
worms, as I call them ? They are a very 
nasty-looking worm, striped and very active. 
They have a thread-like web. j.' f. c. 
Sennett, N. Y. 
From the above description it is impossi¬ 
ble ta tell the insect in question. It might 
be one of the tent-caterpillars or the Grape 
berry-moth. If it be the tent caterpillar 
any of the arsenical sprays will kill the 
feeding larvae, applied preferably just as 
soon as the eggs hatch. If the nest is 
present cut them out and burn. The Grape 
berry-moth makes a web between and among 
the developing berries. The larvae of the 
second brood hatch the latter part of July 
and eat into the green berries, causing 
wormy grapes. One of the arsenical sprays 
applied just prior to this time will largely 
control it. If the trouble be serious from 
year to year a spraying for the first brood 
should be made just after the blossoms fall 
in the Spring. f. e. gladwin. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply and a 
“square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
FAMILY RUNT 
Kansas Man Says Coffee Made Him That. 
“Coffee has been used in our family 
of eleven—father, mother, five sons and 
four daughters—for thirty years : I am 
the eldest of the boys and have always 
been considered the runt of the family 
and a coffee toper. 
“I continued to drink it for years un¬ 
til I grew to be a man, and then I 
found I had stomach trouble, nervous 
headaches, poor circulation, was unable 
to do a full day's work, took medicine 
for this, that, and the other thing, with¬ 
out the least benefit. In fact I only 
weighed 116 when I was 28. 
“Then I changed from coffee to Pos- 
tum, being the first one in our family 
to do so. I noticed, as did the rest of 
the family, that I was surely gaining 
strength and flesh. Shortly after I was 
visiting my couisn who said, ‘You look 
so much better—you’re getting fat.’ 
“At breakfast his wife passed me a 
cup of coffee, as she knows I was always 
such a coffee drinker, but I said, ‘No, 
thank you.’ 
“‘What!’ sJd my cousin, ‘you quit 
coffee? What do you drink?’ 
“ ‘Postum,’ I said, ‘or water, and I am 
well.’ They did not know what Postum 
was, but my cousin had stomach trouble 
and could not sleep at night from drink¬ 
ing coffee three times a day. He was 
glad to learn about Postum but said he 
never knew coffee hurt anyone.” (Tea 
is just as injurious as coffee because it 
contains caffeine, the same drug found 
in coffee.) 
“After understanding my condition 
and how I got well he knew what to do 
for himself. Pie discovered that coffee 
was the cause of his trouble as he never 
used tobacco or anything else of the kind. 
You should see the change in him now. 
We both believe that if persons who 
suffer from coffee drinking would stop 
and use Postum they could build back 
to health and happiness.” Name given 
by Postum Co., Battle Creek. Mich. 
“There’s a reason.” Read the little 
book, “The Road to Wellville,” in pkgs ; 
Ever read the above letter ? A new one 
appears from time to time. They are genu¬ 
ine, true, and full of human interest. 
B roadcast UnzSe 
Fertilizer 1S0WER 
Made in One and Two Horse 
Sizes. Sets low, so that wind 
does not interfere with sow¬ 
ing. Scatters very evenly. 
Sows all brands of Standard 
Commercial Fertilizers, Ni¬ 
trate of Soda, Land Plaster, 
Granulated Calcium Chloride, 
Marl, Dry Wood Ashes, etc. 
Range of quantity from 75 to 
3,000 quarts per acre. Guar¬ 
anteed in every way. Send 
for the Superior Broadcast 
Fertilizer Folder. Get posted 
and then go to your imple¬ 
ment dealer and insist on see¬ 
ing the Superior. “The Name 
.Tells a True Story.’ 
fiz/faz/UOAM (o, 
lArCOfKPOfLAJTJELD 
ySjpj*JNGn*:Lj> Ohio , U.S^A. 
Splendid Prospects 
of 
Bumper 
Grain 
Crops 
in 
WESTERN CANADA 
Latest reports from the fields of Manitoba, 
Saskatchewan and Alberta are to the effect 
that Wheat, Oats, Barley and Flax give 
promise of an abundant yield. Rains have 
been sufficient and all grains have advanced 
rapidly. 'Ihere are now 16 million acres 
under crop. Railroads are built and building 
in all settled portions. The opportune time 
for getting some of this generous producing 
land is now. Excursions on all lines of 
Canadian Railways to inspect the lands. 
Apply for Settler’s Certificate to the under¬ 
signed Canadian Government Agent: 
J. S. ORAWFORI) 
30 Syracuse Savings Rank Building 
Syracuse, N. Y. 
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I prevent damage to eggs, garden truck, truits, live stockl 
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40 sizes—fit any wagon—sustain any load to 
10,000 lbs. Catalog and fistful of proofs free. 
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