1913. 
1361 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
Pluralisms 
HOUSE PLANTS AND INSECT PESTS. 
Beautiful plauts and flowers in the 
house do not just happen. They are the 
result of most careful attention to detail, 
constant and regular regard for their 
welfare. All true lovers of Nature’s best 
gift, the plants and flowers, are willing 
to give the needed care and attention and 
will find it a labor of love, but all do 
not know what to do, or when to do it. 
As a general rule, the house plants 
commonly known and grown will do well 
in a rich garden soil, provided a drainage 
of about one inch of broken crockery, 
gravel or similar matter is put in the bot¬ 
tom of all pots over three-inch in size, 
and the surface is kept from becoming 
hard and dry. A composition soil will, 
of course, bring better results; and brief¬ 
ly, a mixture of one part woods dirt, one 
part sand, one part thoroughly rotted 
cow manure and one part loam, thorough¬ 
ly stirred together, is about ideal and will 
rarely show any tendency to become hard 
on the surface. Do not use finely. sifted 
earth for plants, but it should have no 
lumps in it larger than hickorynuts. 
If you grow many plants and have lim¬ 
ited window space, use 10-inch shelves, 
and several can be placed one above the 
other in an ordinary window. Place the 
heat-loving plants on the upper shelves 
and those liking the sun next the glass. 
On the bottom shelves and on the back 
rows may be placed the primroses, Cin¬ 
erarias, ferns, Cyclamens and such other 
plants as love a cooler and less bright 
position. When starting seeds indoors 
the upper shelves will be best on account 
of the greater heat near the ceiling. 
Plants will do better if the night temp¬ 
erature does not go below 50 for the low¬ 
er shelves. 
If your plants are in a room where 
sweeping is done, they shoul 1 be thor¬ 
oughly washed at least once each two 
weeks. I do this by placing a lot of 
them in a galvanized tub and wash with 
a spray pump, using tepid water. Don’t 
forget the under sides of the leaves. In 
putting the plants back on the shelves 
have them all face away from the win¬ 
dow. Bearing this in mind you will not 
grow, one-sided plants. No one thing is 
so likely to ruin your plants as lack of 
washing. They breathe through the 
leaves, and dust upon them surely but 
slowly chokes them to death. They also 
lose the color of the leaves, drop the foli¬ 
age and are soou beyond saving. 
The fight against insect pests is con¬ 
stant. They will come, and must be ex¬ 
terminated over , and over. Washing as 
above will take care of the red spider, 
which hates moisture. The green aphis 
or plant louse is a most persistent and 
dangerous plant enemy, and if you do 
not know him by sight he will soon cover 
practically every plant in the room. Ger¬ 
aniums are almost immune from this lat¬ 
ter pest, but most plants are relished 
by them. They are light green in color, 
range in size from a minute speck to 
one-sixteenth inch long, move slowly and 
can be easily crushed. Kerosene emul¬ 
sion is often used to smother them, as 
they will not eat poison. The white fly 
is another pest to guard against. It 
multiplies rapidly, is as alert as a flea 
and is off at a touch. Hydrocyanic acid 
gas is the only known destroyer, which 
cannot be used in the dwelling house. 
Remedies or destroyers are numerous, 
most of them being some form of tobac¬ 
co. Smoking the room with tobacco stems 
moistened is a common method but not 
wholly satisfactorily and quite disagree¬ 
able. If you find red spider, spray your 
plants under the leaves and it will go 
away. If you find the green plant lice, 
get from your seedsman a box of aphis 
Punk—a concentrated tobacco paper in 
sheets 24 inches long and six wide—roll 
a sheet of this tightly, nail it to a board, 
set the board on a tin to avoid fire dan¬ 
ger and light the bottom of the roll of 
punk. As soon as started blow the flame 
out, close the doors and leave the room 
at least one hour. There is very little 
smoke, but the fumes are absolutely un- 
breathable, and will kill the insects every 
time. This will not harm the most deli¬ 
cate foliage, leaf or flower, the odor soon 
leaves the house, and it is cleanly and 
easy to use. Twenty-four sheets cost 
about 70 cents. 
If you have white fly try washing the 
plants. Carry the plants very carefully 
to the wash basin and then immerse 
leaves suddenly. You will get most of 
them, and a few washings will clean out 
the pest. Better yet, set all infected 
plants carefully on newspapers, wait one 
hour till all stragglers have settled on 
the plants again, then smoke with aphis 
punk. Smoking will not kill them, but 
it does stun them, so that they fall to the 
paper, and if you have set your plants 
so that they can be seen from an outside 
window, you will know when to open up 
the doors, set the plants quickly off the 
paper and burn papers and white flies. 
This must be done quickly, as the flies 
commence to revive and fly away almost 
immediately. 
Mealy bug infests foliage plants and 
ferns, resembling a small mass of white 
mold. To control it, get after it early 
with water and brush. If a plant is bad¬ 
ly infested better throw the plant away 
as it will be more than the plant is 
worth to get them off. Other insects 
may bother your plants, but the above are 
the ones generally found, and they will 
all yield to the ti'eatment indicated. 
Michigan. p. l. w 
Lime for Borers. 
One of our customers just told me that 
he used a shovelful of lime around his 
young fruit trees last Spring and it had 
kept the borers entirely out. He threw 
if against the trees and it had done no 
harm to the tree. Do you know anything 
about this? If safe, I want to use it. 
Freehold, N. Y. s. D. 
We doubt if these trees were badly in¬ 
fested with borers. We have tried coal 
and wood ashes, lime, hot lye, grease and 
other “remedies” but came back to the 
old-fashioned plan of digging out by 
hand. None of the other plans worked 
unless we dug or scraped the gum away 
from the base of the tree. If you do that 
it is cheaper to go on and dig the borers 
out. 
trees precautions must be taken to in¬ 
sure proper feeding of the peonies, which 
may suffer from the hungry tree roots. 
Cherries for Ohio. 
Would you recommend any of the new 
varieties of sweet cherries to replace such 
sorts as Yellow Spanish. Gov. Wood, Ox- 
heart, yellow and black Mammoth and 
Napoleon, where these succeed? These 
all do very well on the higher hills of 
Vinton county. Please name a few var¬ 
ieties for home use and nearby market. 
McArthur, O. h. s. j. 
After seeing about all the sweet cher¬ 
ries in bearing, including the Bing, Lam¬ 
bert and other new varieties, and most 
of them tried out commercially in the 
Eastern States, I would say that the 
Schmidt is the best of them all for net 
profit. It is a dark purple or almost 
black cherry, of large size, very firm in 
flesh but not so hard as the Bing and 
others of that class and yet it cracks but 
little in wet weather when those men¬ 
tioned and several others are ruined in 
this way. Its quality is also very good 
but not quite the best. The tree grows 
most vigorously and bears well. I think 
this Schmidt should be planted very 
largely by those who grow sweet cherries 
in the Eastern States, either for home 
use or market. All the sweet cherries 
should be budded on Mazzard stocks and 
not on the Mahaleb, because the latter 
is so uncongenial to this class that the 
wood does not unite properly. The sour 
cherries do very well on Mahaleb. 
II. E. VAN DEMAN. 
Sunlight Double Glass Sash 
Always Pay — 
wbethef used on cold frames, hot-beds or on the 
inexpensive 11 x 12 ft. Sunlight Double-Glazed 
Greenhouse, They eliminate the need to use mats 
and shutters, thus saving hall the cost of equipment 
and labor. They give the plants all the light and 
save the stored heat overnight, thus making them 
grow steadily without forcing. 
The inexpensive double-glazed 11 x 12 ft. green¬ 
house is covered with the Sunlight Sash which are 
removable for repairs or to use on hot-beds or cold 
frames in their season. The house, though double- 
glazed, is always kept bright and tight. 
You owe it to your interest to get our litera¬ 
ture. The free catalog with net prices and all 
necessary information. And Prof. Massey's 
booklet on how to make and use hoi-beds, cold 
frames and a small greenhouse. I-'or the booklet 
enclose 4 cents in stamps. 
Sunlight Double Glass Sash Company 
924 E. Broadway • • Louisville, Ky. 
Culture of Peonies. 
Will you give directions for the culture 
of peonies? c. M. g. 
Charleston, Ill. 
Peonies do best in deep, rich, rather 
moist soil. The plants are gross feeders, 
and the soil should be well worked be¬ 
fore planting, and enriched with cow 
manure. Clean cultivation should be 
given. An annual top-dressing of short, 
well-rotted manure should be given in 
November, and forked into the soil in 
Spring. Liquid manure, given in the 
growing season, helps the bloom wonder¬ 
fully. They need abundant water, and 
if they suffer from drought at blooming 
time there are likely to be small flowers 
and blighted buds. The crowns should 
be set in planting about two inches below 
the surface. They may be set in Spring 
or Fall. Small divided roots are some¬ 
times slow to bloom, and produce imper¬ 
fect flowers, but a well-established plant, 
properly fed, will bloom for a long term 
of years. The peony does well in a par¬ 
tially shaded place, as well as in open 
sunny spots, but if there are adjacent 
Caring for Peanuts. 
I notice on page 1249 that J. W. W. 
wants to know how to cure peanuts and 
also how to use them. I was raised in 
a peanut section, and will say the way 
we cured them for hay as well as for 
the nut was as follows: Dig them and 
turn vine over for a day, nuts to the 
sun, then pile in small cocks, which open 
up next day and haul in barn in after¬ 
noon, taking care not to let them get wet. 
Spread as you would any bay until 
cured, stack in close pile, and pick nuts 
at leisure. W e have picked them in field, 
having vines on land, and spreading nuts 
out on roofs or large platforms to sun 
until they become dry. As for sun doing 
them any injury, it wili not; they need 
it, or they will mold and rot. 
Boiling them is where they are in a 
green state before you dry them. Take 
fully matured nuts, put in a kettle and 
boil until tender (nut) and to make 
them nice add salt to the water you boil 
them in. Roast or bake them as you 
would potatoes in the oven. Peanut but¬ 
ter : Bake nuts until a good brown, run 
one quart through vegetable or meat 
grinder after removing the thin skin, salt 
to taste and add enough olive oil to make 
it spread easy and it is ready for the 
good bread. 
Peanut candy: Boil your syrup until 
candied, have nuts roasted and thin skin 
removed by rubbing with hands, which 
will split them in halves, and then mix 
and pour on well-greased dish. You may 
grind them if you prefer. k. a. l. 
Hurst Potato and Orchard Sprayers 
double your crops—spray anything—trees, potatoes, 
vineyard, truck, etc. High pressure, cyclone agita¬ 
tion, easy to operate. Brass valves, plunger, cylinder, 
strainer, etc. Light, strong and durable. 
Horse Power Sprayer —work3 automatically In 
field and orchard—no hand 
pumping required. Write to¬ 
day. Catalog and spraying 
guide and Special 
Free Sprayer Offer 
to first buyer in 
each locality. Be 
first—save money 
—write today. 
„ H.t.HTTRSTMTG.CO. 
H 282 North St., Canton, 0. 
J i8 necessary 
for best results in 
iruit-growing. farming and gar- 
dening. While you spray, be 
sure to spray in the right way with 
^sprayers that do the work right, 
lieu who know prefer 
Always ready for use,easy to operate and made 
for lasting service. More than 20 kinds with 
nozzles for every purpose. Some Deming 
Sprayer will fill your needs. Complete Spray¬ 
ing Guide and Catalog mailed Free. Gives i 
rections how and when to spray. Inspect) 
Deming Sprayers at vonr dealer’s. 
Write for Free Catalog today. 
The Dentine Co.. 13 Depot St.. 5alem, Ohio 
^11 lll.il III I 
iiluii:i:!:M!Mj|;i:i:i!i:i!iiiiisi!M 
We Want 
3 Brief, strong and pointed items of experience for 
3 Woman and Home Department.” 
Simple and Inexpensive Water Systems 
g Some farmers have been able to introduce water into the farm- 
m ll0use at ,, S ht expense and largely through their own labor. 
s We vvi11 P a y for suitable articles telling how this was done. 
Step-Savers 
Children’s Stories 
Sketches of Home 
True Fun 
I Many women have made themselves more efficient by studying 
| their work and making use of step-savers. Mothers often wonde'r 
H what new stories they can tell the children. If they could only 
fj exchange stories with other mothers all would have a wealth of 
§§ new ideas. The same is true of home and home-building. The 
| laughter of life keeps the heart young. We all see humorous 
f§ things from day to day—far more funny than the stale jokes 
H ground out by hack writers. We will pay for suitable bright, 
3 short sketches on the subjects mentioned above. 
A Few Short and Suitable Stories 
^ Tell us your needs. Let us have a share of your useful experience. 
Illl.i:iilll!llllllliilllllllllllllllllli|||||||!l||l|||i|l|||llil!lll!l Hill llllll!!,111:111111 ii! 111 |;ij||| 
SPRAYERS 
Are a Necessity 
and a Benefit. 
They save your crop, increase the yield 
and improve the quality. Our Spray Cal¬ 
endar shows when to spra£ and what 
materials to use. Our “Spray" booklet 
shows 70 combinations of 
ISON ACE 
Bucket, Barrel. Power and 
Traction Sprayers for 
orchard and field crops 
and other uses. Built 
complete or in units— 
buy just what you 
need. Ask your deal¬ 
er to show them and 
let Uncie Sam bring 
you the rest of the 
story and the spray 
calendar. Also “Iron 
Age Farm and Garden 
News" iree. 
Bateman M’fg Co. 
Bo j 1024 
Grenloch, N. J. 
W We Make 
Sprayers 
ror Everybody 
Bucket, Barrel, 4-Kow Potato Sprayers, Power 
Orchard Ki-rs, etc. World’s best line. All latest 
I devices. Mechanical liquid agitation and strainer 
cleaning. Tell us your needs—let us advise you. Cata- 
1 og with spray formulas and directions free. Address 
Field Force Pump Co., 2 11th St., Elmira, N.Y. 
1| “SCALEC1DE” SLLb'am’l “ 
|; SAVES MONEY 
~ 1 c ... . _ , cause 3)jbbls of L. 
S. will cost *20, plus $22 50 to apply, or $42 50. 
Onebarrelof Scalecide” willsprayjust asmany 
trees, and spray them better, and will cost onlv $25, 
plus 512 to apply. You save $5.50 and get a better 
protection against San lose Scale, Leaf Roller and all pests con¬ 
trollable in dormant season. Wtitefor booklet—“ SCALECIDB" 
the Tree Saver." B. G. 1’ratt Co., 50 Church St., N. Y City. 
