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The 
RURAL 
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NEW-YORKER 
RURALISMS 
Dahlia Culture 
« 
The Missouri Botanic Garden Bulletin 
for April lias an interesting article on 
Dahlias and their culture. It is stated 
that the distance apart for planting varies 
with the varieties, but for general pur¬ 
poses three to four feet are usually left 
between plants. The time of planting has 
been a matter of dispute, but there is 
little doubt that early olantin' r i:: not as 
•frxtmy as late. To flower properly 
the wood must be young and succulent, 
this condition being obtained only through 
a continuous period of growth without a 
check. Early-started plant? are severely 
checked by the heat c 1 midsummer and 
either tail to flower at all or are killed 
by frost before flowering. Heavy prun¬ 
ing of woody plants may result in suf¬ 
ficient rejuvenation to produce flowers. 
The last of May or early June is con¬ 
sidered the best period for planting. 
Light soils are best suited for Dahlias, 
the original home of the genus being the 
sandy plateaus of Mexico. On very light 
soils manure or other humus-producing 
substances should be introduced to im- 
ppisoning and is so alert as to make con¬ 
tact spraying almost impossible. Cover¬ 
ing the plants with close-mesh netting 
may eliminate the pest, which, however, 
disappears with the advent of cool nights. 
Bed spider, and black and green aphis 
are readily controlled by contact, spraying 
with nicotine extracts. Borers working 
in the stalks may be removed without 
much barm to the plant by splitting the 
stalk with a sharp knife and killing the 
insect. 
The illustration, reproduced from the 
Bulletin, shows the leading typj?s of 
Dahlias now in cultivation. The peony, 
decorative and cactus sorts are especially 
striking. 
Fruit Notes from Missouri 
The fruit prospect continues tim most 
promising of recent years. ( nerries alone 
are short, little more than half a crop. 
All the small fruits have a perfect stand, 
with the exception of some varieties. The 
< )regon gooseberry again comes to the 
front as the most regular and heaviest 
yielder. I do not think too much can be 
said in praise of this rather new variety. 
In size it is between Houghton and Down¬ 
ing. The bush is of slender growth but 
yet attains sufficient size when well fer¬ 
tilized. as it should be annually, to en¬ 
able it to bear its bountiful crops. It is 
of a very upright growth and in this 
respect is decidedly superior to the other 
standards w r hose lower limbs are inclined 
to lie upon the ground and thus deprive 
the fruit of light and air, and maybe 
allow it to become soiled. 
Types of Dahlias 
PEONY POMPON DECORATIVE 
SINGLE COLLARETTE CACTUS 
SHOW 
prove (he moisture-holding capacity, while 
heavy soils should be lightened by the in¬ 
troduction of sand, lime, sheep manure, 
or bulky straw manure. Further treat¬ 
ment of Dahlias after planting consists of 
training them iu one of two ways: ,(1) 
They may be allowed to develop unre¬ 
stricted, a stake being driven to each 
plant to support the stem; or (2) the 
terminal shoots may be pinched out after 
three to four pairs of leaves are formed, 
this checking the terminal growth and 
producing heavy, stocky stems capable 
of self-support. This latter process natu¬ 
rally delays the blooming period for two 
weeks and removes the largest of the 
flowers, but by judicious disbudding the 
size of the other flowers may be increased 
sufficiently to serve all needs. 
Thorough cultivation to conserve mois¬ 
ture is essential. A mulch of leaves, grass 
clippings, or well-rotted manure may be 
used during the Summer for this purpose. 
Watering should only be practiced if done 
regularly, the ground being thoroughly 
soaked at intervals depending upon the 
weather. Mere sprinkling of the ground 
is deleterious, though spraying of the tops 
during particularly hot weather is bene¬ 
ficial. 
After a killing frost iu the Fall the 
stems should be cut close to the ground 
and the tubers carefully dug, avoiding 
the breaking of necks. After allowing 
them to dry for a day, the clumps should 
be stored in a cool, dry place, tops down. 
If the temperature is likely to rise much 
above 50 degrees F. or should the atmos¬ 
phere be too dry, they should be buried 
iu moist sand, fine coal ashes, or saw¬ 
dust. Excess of moisture should be 
avoided. 
The diseases attacking Dahlias are of 
negligible quantity, the most serious beiug 
the powdery mildew, which, however, is 
readily controlled by spraying with sul¬ 
phur or Bordeaux mixture. 
A little more troublesome are the in¬ 
sect pests. In moist localities slugs are 
quite common, feeding upon the"" youug 
shoots and often the buds and leaves. 
Hand capture at night is a common and 
successful method, while poisoned bran 
bait scattered at the base of the plants is 
quite effective, as is also naphthalene or 
lime. The tarnished plant bug is a seri¬ 
ous pest at certain seasons, blighting or 
deforming the flower by piercing the bud 
at its base, or ruining the petals after 
opening. This small brown active bug 
is a sucking iusect not subject to stomach 
All the apple varieties have an ample 
set of fruit, with the exception of the 
Early Harvest, Colton and Red June. 
Fanny, Champion and King David are ex¬ 
ceptionally full and will require severe 
thinning. Delicious has plenty. The 
Senator comes up for the first time with a 
full crop. This tree waited three years 
after King David began bearing to get 
down to business. Stayman bloomed in 
excess, but only a fraction of the flowers 
were fertilized into fruit. Perhaps such 
an expenditure of poll was too exhaust¬ 
ing for its vitality. Its youug apples are, 
so far, smaller than any of the others. 
Jefferis has set the best crop in its his¬ 
tory here. Its trees are 15 years old and 
have never borne a good half crop. I 
can only attribute this to too rich a soil 
and perhaps not severe enough pruning. 
It has demonstrated itself to be an exceed¬ 
ingly profitable apple when well grown, 
for there is nothing of its season iu 
August or, in fact, any Summer month, 
that equals its quality. As a Summer 
apple it holds the rank of a Grimes 
Golden among Fall sorts. The tree is 
very upright, and for this reason is a 
good one on a fruit farm where the 
ground between the rows is nlauted to 
small fruits and vegetables. 
We are all using the powdered form of 
lime-sulphur this year and find it much 
more convenient to handle. There is 
little difference iu the price. We are also 
using it according to the directions of 
the manufacturers on the peach instead 
of the self-boiled mixture. That does 
away with another disagreeable piece of 
work which involved buying lime and 
sulphur and preparing and straining the 
mixture. _ l. r. jounson. 
Cape Girardeau Co., Mo. 
Fighting the Squash Stinkbug 
This is an easy matter if one is willing 
to get up fairly early iu the morning and 
visit his squash patch. Take a shingle 
about 5 or 6 in. wide and put one in each 
hill, laid flat on the ground in among the 
vines, but not so that you cannot get it 
out easily. _ Visit the patch iu the early 
morning, pick up the shingles carefully 
and kill the bugs. They will be on the 
underside of the shingles. Also look on 
the ground where the shingle laid, as some 
may drop off. I have got hundreds in a 
morning years ago. but see but a few the 
last year or two. One year I did not get 
one. You will have to follow this for a 
week or more if they are very thick. 
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