THIS RURAL NKW-YORKEK 
1295 
RURALISMS 
A Field of Chinese Ginger. 
Bulletin 130 of the Office of Foreign 
Seed and Plant Introduction, gives the 
picture reproduced below, a field of 
ginger in Shantung Province, China. 
The bulletin states that the consumption 
of Chinese ginger in America, although it. 
might still be ranked as a delicacy, 
amounts to half a million pounds yearly. 
Its preparation as preserved, dried or 
candied ginger is so simple that any 
housewife could learn how to do it and 
since the underground rhizomes will stand 
quite low temperatures it should be 
worth while to distribute it throughout 
the South and Southwest for dooryard 
garden cultivation either with or without 
irrigation. The Chinese use it fresh as 
well as preserved. 
As shown in the picture, ginger is 
somewhat reed-like in its growth. It is 
grown commercially in the East and 
West Indies, Africa and Asia, and to 
the habit of sending out these long shoots, 
poorly balanced. These long shoots 
should be cut to one or two eyes, and the 
weak shoots cut out. Some Summer 
pruning, just after the full flush of bloom, 
will keep long shoots in bounds, and in¬ 
duce later blooms. With the severe 
pruning in early Spring, and a light 
Summer pruning as indicated, a well- 
balanced shape should be secured. 
3. During the Spring months care is 
needed in ventilation, to avoid mildew on 
pot roses, giving air every day, but 
avoiding direct drafts on the plants, and 
if mildew does appear, dusting the foli¬ 
age with sulphur or one of the commer¬ 
cial preparations sold for this purpose. 
The day temperature on sunny days may 
run up to 70 or 75 deg.; air should be 
given gradually in the morning, and re¬ 
duced gradually in the afternoon. Spray 
with water freely in dry weather, and 
see that they do not become dry at the 
root. In Summer give all the ventila¬ 
tion possible, and keep the buds pinched 
off, to insure more growth. For the 
Winter in an uuheated greenhouse, 
A Field of Ginger in Shantung Province, China. 
some extent in tropical America. The 
green root is crystallized and preserved 
in syrup, the dried root also being ex¬ 
ported in large quantities. Canton ginger, 
in characteristic round jars of Chinese 
earthenware, is a famous preserve, ex¬ 
ported very largely to Europe and Amer¬ 
ica. Ginger is quite easily grown in a 
warm greenhouse, and is not uncommon 
in private conservatories. 
Rose Questions. 
1. What is the most probable cause for 
the leaves of rose plants, both Tea and 
Hybrid Remontants, turning yellow, 
when the black spot disease is taken care 
of? What should be done to prevent de¬ 
foliation during the hot months? 2. Can 
direction be given to the growing of 
H. R. roses to prevent the long shoots, 
and produce a bush with half a dozen 
or more thick canes a yard or so long? 
3. IIow can roses in four-inch pots to be 
sold when in bud be best kept through 
Spring and Summer? How through the 
Winter with a fireless greenhouse, or 
frames? 4. What is advised to carry 
tree roses through the Winter safely? 
St. Peters, Pa. w. o. N. 
1. The most common cause of yellow 
foliage is red spider on the under side of 
the leaves; if this insect is present it 
soon causes the whole plant to assume 
a sickly appearance. Badly affected fol¬ 
iage dries up and withers, and defoliation 
results. Defoliation also follows bad at¬ 
tacks of mildew, and it must be regarded 
as effect, not cause. Rose hopper or 
thrips is another cause of yellow leaves, 
and as this insect, like the red spider, 
congregates on the under side of the 
leaves, and is very active in escaping 
when disturbed, it may be unobserved 
until considerable damage has been done. 
Both the red spider and thrips may be 
controlled by a spray of whale-oil soap 
and water. Dissolve in warm water, and 
dilute to the proportion of one pound 
soap to five to seven gallons of water. 
Direct the spray against the under side 
of the leaves. Sometimes yellow leaves 
and general sickliness are due to white 
grubs devouring the roots. 
2. Many varieties of II. R. roses have 
plunge the pots in ashes or sand, and 
cover, or partly cover the plants with 
light litter or dead leaves to protect 
them from the Winter sunshine, remov¬ 
ing the cover in early Spring. The cov¬ 
ering should be put on before severe 
weather sets in, and removed before the 
plants start in Spring. Pot roses that 
are expected to be in flower about April 
1 for Easter sales arc brought into a 
cool greenhouse about the first of the 
year, where the heat is gradually in¬ 
creased, or they are moved into a warm¬ 
er house after the first few weeks. 
4. Tree or standard roses often suffer 
badly from sunscald, therefore the tall 
bare stem must be protected, a wrap¬ 
ping of straw or burlap being usual. 
This should not be done until cold weath¬ 
er sets in. Then hill up soil to a depth 
of about 10 inches at the base, and when 
the ground is frozen mulch with leaves 
or short manure. In a locality where the 
Winters are severe it is wise to dig the 
plants in late Fall, heel in in a well- 
drained place, and cover the tops with 
loose sod. 
Storing Gladioli, Cannas and Dahlias. 
The question of storing the three pop¬ 
ular bulbs, Gladioli, Cannas and Dahlias, 
is again before nearly every grower of 
flowers. Many make the mistake of try¬ 
ing to make the same conditions do for 
all of them. 
Gladioli should be dug about the time 
the seed falls from the flower stalk, or if 
the stalk has been cut, about 30 days or 
a little longer after flowering. The tops 
should be cut off at once after digging, 
as the moisture of the bulb is rapidly 
drawn into the tops after the roots are 
severed from the ground. Unless too 
wet, the bulbs may be put directly into 
the cellar, placing them in trays not ov-t 
three inches deep, and so placing the 
trays that there is a free circulation of 
air around bottom, top and sides. Do not 
try to remove the old shriveled root at 
this time, nor the tiny bulblets—correct 
term for this bulb is corm and the little 
ones cormels—but do this in early Win¬ 
ter, when the old root comes off easily 
and you have a chance to see that the 
bulbs are keeping properly. Should be 
kept in a temperature between 33 and 40. 
Dahlias may be dug a few days after 
the frost has cut them down, cutting the 
tops off about eight inches above the toes. 
Into this stalk may be stuck a label 
bearing the name or color of the flower. 
Do not dry off the clump unless exceed¬ 
ingly wet, simply remove the excess dirt, 
place on cellar bottom and cover clumps 
with bone dry dirt or sand. The old 
stalks with labels sticking above the dirt 
will enable you to find a desired kind at 
any time. When cellar commences to 
warm up in Spring, water just enough to 
wet the crown of the clumps so that 
sprouting may take place and division be 
rendered easy. One toe with one shoot 
will make a better plant with more per¬ 
fect bloom than a whole clump. Temper¬ 
ature may vary from 32 to 50 for these 
as being covered with dirt, changes will 
have little effect 
Cannas should be dug same time as 
Dahlias, placed in shallow tiays and cov¬ 
ered with dry sand. Cannas must have 
a higher temperature than Gladioli or 
Dahlias, about 45 to 55 will keep them 
nicely. If they commence to shrivel and 
dry out a light sprinkling may be resorted 
to. I have found that Cannas will keep 
in the ordinary cold cellar until about 
February 1st and must then be brought 
into heat and started, but if it is desired 
to keep them dormant until April, a 
warm cellar must be used. In dividing 
Cannas in Spring use a sharp knife, so 
that the cutting may be free from ragged 
edges, which may induce rot. 
Michigan. paul l. ward. 
Plants Adapt Themselves to Circumstances. 
July tenth this year I planted a row 
of Golden Bantam sweet corn, alongside 
of earlier, planted rows. It was planted 
on the sunny side of the patch. When 
it was half the height of the other rows, 
and the stalks not bigger than one’s fin¬ 
ger, it blossomed and threw out the silk 
of the ears. If the stalks could talk I 
would imagine them saying: “Hurry up, 
if we are going to mature seed we’ve got 
to hustle. 
That is just what they actually did. 
In just 70 days from the day it was 
planted we had some delicious ears of the 
best sweet corn that grows. The stalks 
were only about half the size of the 
earlier planted corn three feet away. 
Why did that corn start to mature seed 
prematurely? The great effort of all na¬ 
ture is to reproduce its kind. But how 
did the corn know that there wasn’t time 
to grow stalks, imagining that it 
“knows”? Is there some different qual¬ 
ity in the atmosphere of midsummer? 
That plants do adapt themselves to cir¬ 
cumstances is well known. Some Hub¬ 
bard squash’ vines climbed the three-foot 
wire fence around my garden, and some 
of the largest squashes are hanging on 
the wire, and I notice that the stems 
which hold them are larger than the stem 
of those on the ground which need no 
support. 
The farther one goes north, the shorter 
time it takes for corn to mature its seed. 
The plant adapts itself to climatic con 
ditions. Trees do not seem to have this 
power. The White oak native of warm 
er climes has pushed its way up nortl 
where the season is not long enough t< 
old leaf, as it does of our native ti 
So the frost kills the leaves and I 
hang on the tree all Winter, and i 
S pring the developing bud pushes t 
off. If trees possess this power of adap- 
tables. I notice Mr. Massey of M; 
land does not favor Golden Bantam 
sweet corn for his locality. Here in Con¬ 
necticut it far surpasses in tenderness, 
in sweetness and in length of time it 
remains eatable, any other corn I have 
eaten, and that includes most of them. 
GEO. A. COSGROVE. 
Sure Power From 
Goal, Wood or Rubbish 
SAVE GASOLINE MONEY. 
YOU CAN BURN WORTHLESS RUBBISH IN 
LEFFEL 
Bum coal, wood or any 
old thintr. Never balk, 
simple and eaay to run. 
Sure power and plenty 
of it for all farm power- 
driven machinery. Give 
steam and hot wat«r for 
scalding and other pur* 
poses. Have hundreds, 
of uses-many Impos¬ 
sible with ffasolino 
outfits. 
Free Book ^“'{l 
the simplicity, dura-1 
bility and cheapness * 
of Leffel Steam En¬ 
gines. Write lor it 
today. 
lAMRUFFlLm. 
Box 302, 
Sprlnsliold, Ohio 
STEAM 
Engines 
DOMESTICjunior 
lie Engine for nil Smell Farm Job. 
The Junior has the same superior quality as 
I lie larger, higher-priced Domestic Engines. 
_ Orcliardists and farmers And It Jmost eeonom 
I leal and labor-wiving. Runs pun 
separator, grindstone corn-shellei 
machines requiring light power, 
make Rump and Power Spraying 
Machinery. Send for 
bulletin 131 and tell us 
your engine wants. 
Weight 
378 lba. 
Ready to 
run when ^- 
reoeived. 
Domesllc Engine ana Pump Co 
Box 503, Sti'Dpensburg, Pa. 
Put $25 in your own 
pocket as a clear 
saving over 
what you would 
pay elsewhere 
and still havei 
the best spread¬ 
er in the neigh¬ 
borhood. Get 
Gallowav and save 
the gold in that 
$ 
nurej 
Double 
chain 
drivo.end- 
iess apron,force feed. Low I 
down. Close hitch. Light 
draft. Flexible rake and I 
other valuable improvementa. Send fori 
Spreader hook "A Stre-!t of Gold” free | 
Wm. Galloway Co., Dept. 279 Waterloo, Iowa | 
4 Empire 
STEEL 
Wheels 
that’s the cost per year on basis of ser¬ 
vice. They last 21) to 25 years. Average 
cost $13. Save labor, time, horses, roads, 
money. Put a set on your wagon at our 
risk. Write for catalog and prices. 
Empire Mfg. Co., Box 096 Quincy, III. 
BROWN FENCE BARCAIN BOOK 
Sendnameonpos-XND fence sample 
tal. New catalog! 
i quotes factory pri-l 
ces, 13c per rod up. 1 
Freight prepaid. Sample free also. Address. 
The Brown Fence & Wire Co., Dept. 59 Cleveland. 0. 
Quaker City Feed Mills 
% 
Grind corn and cobs, feed 
table meal and alfalfa. 
On the market 49 years. 
Hand and power. 23 styles. 
$3 80 to 3i0. FREE TRIAL. 
Write for catalog and farm 
machinery bargain book. 
THE A. W. STRAUB CO. 
Dept. E-3740 Filbert St., Philadelphia, Pa. 
Dept. T-3709 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago,HI. 
i 
Standard Fruit Books 
Successful Fruit Culture. Maynard.... 
$1.00 
The Nursery Book. Bailey. 
1.50 
Tho Pruning Book. Bailey. 
1.50 
American Fruit Culturist. Thomas.... 
2.50 
Citrus Fruits. Hume. 
2.53 
California Fruits. Wickson. 
3.00 
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.50 
Plums and Plum Culture. Waugh. 
Fruit Ranching in British Columbia. 
1.50 
Bealby . 
1.50 
Farm and Garden Rule Book . 
2.00 
Live Stock — Poultry 
Types and Breeds of Farm Animals. 
Plumb . 
Principles and Practice of Poultry Cul- 
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ture. Robinson. 
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Diseases of Poultry. Salmon. 
FOR SALE BY 
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Rural New-Yerker, 333 W. 30th St., NewYork 
Use NATCO Drain Tile — Last Forever 
Farm drainage needs durable tile. Our drain tile are made of 
best Ohio clay, thoroughly hard burned. Don’t have to dig ’em up 
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lots. Also manufacturers of the famous NATCO IMPERISH¬ 
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NATIONAL FIRE PROOFING COMPANY, Fulton Building, PITTSBURGH, PA, 
