1912 . 
THE RURAt NKW-YORKEH 
109 © 
Ruralisms 
TROUBLES AFFECTING HOUSE PLANTS. 
tions of lime water. They are not 
agreeable among house plants, and their 
continual movement through the soi 
tends to make it pasty. E. T. R. 
When a florist is asked for advice Chemical Fertilizers for Pot Plants. 
concerning some cherished plant that 
“looks sick,” his mind always turns to 
three great causes ' of trouble in the 
house and window garden—coal gas, 
illuminating gas and injudicious water¬ 
ing. There are other causes, and many of 
them, but these three may be given first 
rank, because they seem to cause more 
damage than all other troubles com¬ 
bined. Gas poisoning is marked by a 
sudden yellowing of the leaves, fol¬ 
lowed by dropping, some plants being 
much more susceptible than others. 
When we see a plant give up and die 
from such a cause we cannot help 
thinking the atmosphere is not very de¬ 
sirable for humans, but a plant, owing 
to the peculiarities of its leaf system, 
may be badly affected when there is no 
contamination of the air noticeable to 
C. M., Decorah, Iona .—I intend to use 
hard wood ashes and nitrate of soda for 
my pot plants, for the most part hybrid 
Freesias, during the Winter. IIow much 
ashes can I use? Will a teaspoonful in 
a quart of water be about all right? 
Ans. —We can only advise cautious 
experiment with chemical fertilizers for 
pot and greenhouse plants. As nitrate 
of soda tends to produce soft, rapic 
growth, while wood ashes ripen plant 
tissue and hasten maturity, the two 
fertilizers should combine to give satis¬ 
factory results. In pot culture Freesias 
often have a tendency to make rather 
soft growth, hence too much of the 
nitrate would be likely to have undesira¬ 
ble results. Wood ashes are often usee 
to advantage in the greenhouse, but they 
are usually applied dry like bone meal; 
they correct soil acidity, and are saic 
to give a better stem to roses. We 
would test suggested quantity anc 
watch results. 
Laying Out Home Grounds. 
the average person. A gas-poisoned 
plant usually loses so much foliage that 
even if it survives it is no longer at¬ 
tractive ; there is really nothing to be 
done for it, so the best treatment is to 
discard it and try to avoid the cause 
by an overhauling of stoves, furnaces 
or gas fixtures. Such plants as climbing 
asparagus, commonly called asparagus 
fern, and a variety of ferns, may be 
cut right down to the ground and en¬ 
couraged to make new growth, but many 
others stay shabby so long that their 
room is better than their company. Dry 
heat from the furnace also affects plants 
quite injuriously, and may be taken as 
a warning that better ventilation is 
needed, for many greenhouses are 
steam-heated, only in them the plants 
receive abundant air and moisture, 
which may be neglected in a living 
room. 
As for watering, a florist tells inquir¬ 
ers to apply water “when the plant needs 
it,” but this is entirely lost on the per¬ 
son who doesn’t know. Different plants 
require entirely different treatment; a 
calla is happy in wet soil, and if its pot 
stands in water all the better, whereas 
the same treatment would bring a crab 
cactus to death’s door. Most house 
S. J. W., Ncio York .—Will you inform 
me bow and where I could obtain some 
suggestion as to a scheme for the laying 
out of a good yard around a country 
house? 
Ans. —“Absent treatment” in work of 
this kind is not likely to be satisfactory; 
without knowledge of elevation; expos¬ 
ure and contour of the land such a 
question cannot be answered intelli¬ 
gently. “How to Plan the Home 
Grounds,” by Parsons, price $1, is a 
concise and practical book, giving plans, 
suggestions for planting, road making, 
formation of lawns, etc. A place of 
any size should be laid out by a land¬ 
scape gardener, but many suburban lots 
of modest proportions present a nice 
appearance with no more professiona 
assistance than that of a contractor who 
can grade efficiently. Good grading is 
the foundation of it all, for if this work 
is poorly done there is endless trouble 
with humpy lawns and undesirable sur¬ 
face drainage. Planting must depend on 
the owner’s taste; we should avoid spotty 
or broken effects, which detract from 
size as well as appearance, and plan 
to disguise any unsightly view. We 
would also try to select trees and shrubs 
with individuality; one often passes 
block after block in suburban places 
where every residence displays the same 
lawn, the same Hydrangeas, and the 
same Carolina poplars, until one won¬ 
ders whether they all came out of the 
same box, like a Nuremberg toy vil¬ 
lage. 
plants should be given a good watering, 
and then left alone till the soil dries 
out, not given a little now and a little 
again, so that the soil is kept soggy. A 
sour and undrained soil is very objec¬ 
tionable and if allowed to persist until 
the fine root hairs are affected a sickly 
or dying plant results. We often see 
this particular trouble when plants are 
first brought indoors in the Fall; a palm 
or rubber plant is left out in some soak¬ 
ing rain followed by a sudden drop in 
temperature, and when hurriedly 
brought inside before threatened frost 
it grows yellow and unthrifty, because 
of injury to the root system. 
But while over-watering must be 
guarded against, a strong-growing plant 
with a big expanse of soft foliage suf¬ 
fers badly from drought. Among fa¬ 
vorite Easter plants, the showy pot Hy¬ 
drangeas suffer quickly if the soil dries 
out; the leaves begin to droop at half 
mast, and if not promptly watered will 
wither and die. It is wonderful to see 
the plant’s quick recovery when given 
water. Cinerarias “go down” in just 
the same way; Azaleas begin to flag; 
so do Pelargoniums and many other 
soft-wooded plants. In watering prim¬ 
roses, especially the velvet-leaved Chi¬ 
nese, Gloxinias, Achimenes, and, in fact, 
any plant having a plush-like surface, 
do not water over the leaves, as retained 
drops of water are very likely to cause 
rotting under the conditions of house 
culture. One prime necessity in all pot 
plants is good drainage material in the 
bottom of the pot; even such a lover 
of moisture as the calla must have this. 
Pot conditions are quite different from 
all outdoors where surplus water has a 
chance to drain off. 
Plants that have had the pots plunged 
in the ground during Summer are very 
likely to be infested with earthworms 
when brought in. This can be avoided 
by a thick layer of coal ashes around 
the pot while it is outside, and the 
worms can be driven to the surface of 
the pot, and there removed, by applica- 
Wiien you write ad vertisers mention The 
I t. N.-Y. ami you'll got a quick reply and a 
“square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
A DOCTOR’S TRIALS 
He Sometimes Gets Sick Like Other People. 
Even doing good to people is hard 
work if you have too much of it to do. 
An overworked Ohio doctor tells his 
experience : 
“About three years ago as the result 
of doing two men’s work, attending a 
large practice and looking after the de¬ 
tails of another business, my health 
broke down completely, and I was little 
better than a physical wreck. 
“I suffered from indigestion and con¬ 
stipation, loss of weight and appetite, 
bloating and pain after meals, loss of 
memory and lack of nerve force for 
continued mental application. 
“I became irritable, easily angered and 
despondent without cause. The heart’s 
action became irregular and weak, with 
frequent attacks of palpitation during 
the first hour or two after retiring. 
“Some Grape-Nuts and cut bananas 
came for my lunch one day and pleased 
me particularly with the result. I 
got more satisfaction from it than from 
anything I had eaten for months, and on 
further investigation and use, adopted 
Grape-Nuts for my morninsr and even¬ 
ing meals, served usually with cream 
and a sprinkle of salt or sugar. 
“My improvement was rapid and 
permanent, in weight as well as in phys¬ 
ical and mental endurance. In a word, 
I am filled with the joy of living again, 
and continue the daily use of Grape- 
Nuts for breakfast and often for the 
evening meal. 
“The little pamphlet, The Road to 
Wellville.’ found in pkgs., is invariably 
saved and handed to some needy patient 
along with the indicated remedy.” 
“There’s a reason.” 
Name given by Fostum Co., Battle 
Creek, Mich. 
Ever read the above letter ? A new one 
appears from time to time. They are genu¬ 
ine, true, and full of human interest. 
Ifl© fl 
fhal means 
comfort 
and health 
to the ski 
ittod 
to £iv© 
perfect 
fit and 
ventilation 
is the right principle in underwear. 
The fleeced inside is soft and pleas¬ 
ant to the skin and leaves an air 
space between it and the woven 
fabric so the pores can breathe and 
throw off bodily waste. All per¬ 
spiration is absorbed and carried 
away, leaving the skin dry, thus 
removing the most common cause 
of colds, pneumonia and rheuma¬ 
tism. The fabric is elastic knitted so 
it fits perfectly and holds its shape. 
WRIGHT’S HEALTH 
75 Franklin St 
Wright's Health Underwear gives perfect 
ventilation to the skin, yet keeps the cold 
out and the body heat in—the body always 
being at an even temperature in spite of 
varying conditions. 
Those who easily catch cold or are sub¬ 
ject to varying temperatures should wear 
Wright’s Health Underwear. 
Ask your dealer to show it to you—in pure 
wool, cotton and wool and cotton. 
Wright’s Spring Needle Ribbed Underwear 
is knitted on machines that give it wonder¬ 
ful elasticity. The fabric stretches to fit 
the body perfectly and give perfect freedom 
of action. It always holds its knitted 
shape—wear and the laundry cannot knock 
it out of it. 
Your dealer can show you Wright’s Spring 
Needle Ribbed Under¬ 
wear—in all fabrics— 
separate garments or 
union suits with the 
closed crotch — know 
it by this label: 
WRIGHT’S 
SPRING rjCrjNEEDLB 
’ trade\A^/mark 
RIBBED UNDERWEAR! 
UNDERWEAR CO. 
. New York 
C> 
--.'7 
RBc 
For Every Driving Purpose 
id all kinds of driving or sport; for heavy harvest work or lighter chore 
d-com£ort made for you in 
TJ _ „ „ _ __ * _ Gloves, Mittens and 
rlansen S Auto Gauntlets 
* 0. c. 
llansen • 
Mfg. Co. | 
136Detroit St. I 
, Send coupon right away for this tree 'book which proves^ you may fe‘!"me Free'and I 
Hansen economy, comfort and protection. * postpaid your book showing . 
! n f >TT d< H ler . Jsn ’t supplied, let us send you a ^res^Tn^h^tyk^'lo^^foUowi^ I 
k pan-direct to try on with no expense or 
risk. Mail coupon or postal now. ^ purpose. .. .. I 
— Mention what kind ui work, driving or sport , 
O. C. Hansen Mfg. Co., X 
-/oYGe ^ 136 Detroit St. * Name . . 
Milwaukee, Wis. ^ > Town. 
R. • - • -^State. .^.... 
Save $8 
Suit or Overcoat 
Direct from Mill 
$10 to $22 
Made to Measure 
Worth $18 to $30 
Write for 
' - Free Style Book and 
; Samples 
NO AGENTS 
I bl 
Y‘ 
□: 
OUR suit or 
overcoat will 
have the fashionable NewYork City look 
and you will save at least one profit if 
you let us make it. 
Fine materials, thorough tailoring and 
an absolute guarantee to fit you is our 
offer backed by years of square dealing. 
We Pay Express Charges 
Our handsomely illustrated book contains a 
wide variety of fine woolen samples from which 
to choose. A postcard request brings it to you. 
.GLEN rock WOOLEN CO. 
203 Main Street Somerville, N. J. 
BOTHERED 
WITH SCALE? 
The oneabsolute- 
ly sure spray for 
San Jose is 
“Scalecide.” Used 
in the best orchards 
everywhere. En¬ 
dorsed by Experiment Sta¬ 
tions. Will keep your trees 
clean and healthy and make them 
yield number one fruit. Better 
than lime sulphur. Easy to handle. Will not clog 
or corrode the pump or injure the skin. "Scalrcide” 
has no substitute. OUR SERVICE DEPART¬ 
MENT furnishes everything for the orchard. 
Write today to Department “N” for new hook 
—“Pratt’s Hand Hook for Fruit Growers” 
and "Scalecide" the Tree Saver. Both free. 
B. G. PRATT CO., SO Church Street, New York Citf 
:□ 
STANDARD 
EVERYWHERE 
Drilling Machines 
Tested, Proved Reliable 
by forty-four years’ use in 
nearly all parts of the world. 
Many men earn big incomes 
with some one of our 55) 
styles and sizes. They use 
any power. Made for 
drilling earth, rock and for 
mineral prospecting. Large 
catalog No. 120, FREE. 
THE AMERICAN WELL WORKS 
General Office and Work*: 
AURORA. ILL. 
Chicago Office: First National 
Bunk Building 
SURE CURE FOR SAN JOSE SCALE 
CHEAPEST AND BEST 
Jarvis Spraying Compound has no superior. Buy 
Irom the manuiacturera direct and save monoy. L 
gallon of Jarvis Spraying Compound makes 16 gal- 
lons of spray. Compound ready to mix with water. 
Sold in bl)l. lots (50 gallons), 30 cents per gallon. 
References—J. H. Hole, tho “teach King,” or Prof. 
Jarvis of the Connecticut Agricultural College. They 
will tell you there is nothing better. 
The J.T. Robertson Co., BoxR, Manchester,Conn. 
JAY Make 
KM* Sprjjyer-s 
9 Tor Everybody 
Bucket, Barrel, 4-Row Potato Sprayers, 
Power Orchard Rigs, etc. 
There’s a field sprayer for every need, pro¬ 
nounced by all experts the world’s best line. 
THIS EMPIRE KING • 
leads everything of its kind. Throws 
fine mist spray with strong force, no 
dogging, strainers are brushed and 
kept clean and liquid is thoroughly 
agitated automatically. 
Corrosion Is Impossible. Write for di¬ 
rections and formula. Also catalog on 
entire sprayerline. Wehavethe sprayer 
to meet your exact wants. Address 
FIELD FORCE PUMP CO., 
2 Uth St., Elmira, N. Y. 
