1334 
The RURAL NEW - YO R K E R 
September 13, 1019 
The Seed Situation. —The advice is 
still being given to amateur gardeners to 
save their own seeds. Now there was a 
time, while the war was on, when it 
seemed likely that seed would be very 
short. Then advice of this kind was war¬ 
ranted. Now there is seed in plenty. In 
fact, it is said that some dealers had a 
considerable surplus left this season. 
That being the case, it seems unwise for 
the man with a little garden to bother 
with seed saving, except possibly where 
he understands selection and has a par¬ 
ticularly good strain. It is a fact that 
the expert seed grower can produce much 
better seed than can be raised at home, 
and that crop production will be larger 
next year if seed from reliable sources is 
used instead of that grown in backyard 
gardens. 
Straw Mulched Potato Crop.—I 
have been digging potatoes from my 
straw-covered patch, and am happy to 
say that they are just as fine as I ever 
grew under the old method, and quite 
equal to those which any of my neighbors 
have to show. The size is satisfactory 
and the skins are perfectly smooth and 
clean. When I remember that I haven’t 
put a hoe into this patch all the season 
and that planting consisted simply of 
How the Iris is Trimmed for Planting 
Fig. J/21 
dropping the seed into a little trench made 
with the wheel hoe, I feel that I have 
found what at least approaches a royal 
road to potato growing in a limited way. 
Digging is just as easy as planting was, 
for the tubers are almost on the surface 
of the ground. I am waiting now to have 
a report from my friend who planted po¬ 
tatoes under four or five inches of coal 
ashes. 
Buddleias Prove Disappointing.—I 
have been interested in what Mr. Massey 
wrote the other day about growing Bud- 
dleias in his Maryland garden. This 
shrub, which many know as the Sum¬ 
mer lilac or butterfly bush, has not proved 
quite so satisfactory in New England as 
was expected at first. Perhaps it should 
be classed as doubtfully hardy. Winter 
before last a large part of all the plants in 
this section were killed outright. Perhaps 
one reason for lack of success is because 
the average grower has not learned how 
to handle the plants when cold weather 
comes. It is best treated much like hardy 
roses; that is, mounded up with earth to 
the height of six or eight inches. The 
stems will freeze back to that point, but 
new growth will come out from the bot¬ 
tom, and it is the new wood which pro¬ 
duces the flowers. 
Dividing Perennials. —This is an ex¬ 
cellent time for dividing some of the per¬ 
ennial flowers, especially those like the 
German Iris and the peony, which flower 
early in the season. These plants, how¬ 
ever, must be handled in different ways. 
The German Iris grows in such a way 
that the roots may be pulled apart with 
but little difficulty. Separation is desir¬ 
able every three or four years, but large 
enough clumps should be left to make 
sure of good blooms the following season. 
Before the roots are replanted, the upper 
third of each leaf blade should be sheared 
off. Remember that shallow planting 
should be the rule. Separating the peony 
is a more difficult matter, and is not need¬ 
ed nearly so often. The best plan is to 
take two garden forks and place them 
back to back. Then drive them well into 
the clump to be divided, first digging it 
up, of course. If the handles are then 
pushed in opposite directions the clump 
will be split with but little loss. 
E. I. FARRINGTON. 
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WRITE TODAY! 
AGENTS WANTED 
Active, reliable, on salary, to take 
subscriptions for RURAL N EW- 
YORKER in New England. Prefer 
men who have horse or auto. 
Address :— 
M. L. ASELTINE, Box 185 
SPRINGFIF.LD, MASS. 
or 
European Corn Borer Menace. —The 
Inst few weeks the farmers and gardeners 
of the Eastern States have been brought 
to realize more keenly than ever before 
the menace of the European corn borer, 
for the possibility has been presented of 
having all of New England and New York 
State quarantined, the quarantine to in¬ 
clude perhaps several other plants besides 
corn. Such a quarantine would not be 
relished by the market gardeners. It is 
an unfortunate fact that the area over 
which the corn borer has been found con¬ 
tinues to widen. A few days ago a large 
party of agricultural secretaries, ento¬ 
mologists and others interested made a 
trip over the infested district around Bos¬ 
ton, and viewed the workings of the new 
j devices with which it is hoped to be more 
(successful in conquering the pests. All 
j members of the party were impressed 
with the extreme seriousness of the situ¬ 
ation. The co-operation of all farmers 
and market gardeners and private gar¬ 
deners as well will be needed this Fall in 
cleaning up every kind of refuse, so that 
there will be no refuge left for them in 
which to winter over. 
Fruit Grower’ Observation Trip.— 
Quite a different party in character from 
that which went bug hunting was one 
which loft Waltham some days ago for a 
trip through Middlesex County. This 
party was made up mainly of fruit grow¬ 
ers. and their purpose was to visit sev¬ 
eral farms, the owners of which have been 
unusually snuccessful. There were nearly 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
333 West 30th Street New York City 
Separating Iris Roots. Fig. 1/20 
a thousand people in the party, and two 
hundred automobiles were required to ac¬ 
commodate them. It was a notable un¬ 
dertaking. and its success proved the con¬ 
tention of Mr. Jeuks. of the Middlesex 
County Bureau, that the farmers of that 
section are more keenly interested than 
.ever before in the growing of fruit. 
1 Cauliflowers and Cabbages. —Ap¬ 
parently a better grade of cauliflower seed 
is now being sold than was the case a few 
years ago, for the crops are much more 
successful. Two years ago it was exceed¬ 
ingly difficult to get any cauliflower which 
would head up at all, and the trouble has 
been ascribed largely to poor seed. This 
year the late cauliflower crop promises 
to be a good one. Comparatively little 
attempt is made to f-.-ow early cauliflower 
except in some private gardens. Down 
the South Shore of Massachusetts late 
cauliflower brings quite a lot of money, 
for it almost always sells well. In most 
sections the leaves are tied up over the 
heads to blanch the latter. Sometimes a 
few leaves are broken over the heads; 
again a few growers fasten them together 
with a nail, but most of them tic them 
with a string, which is the best way. 
One prominent Vermont grower finds it 
just as well not to tie up his late cauli¬ 
flower at all. but to cover the heads with 
a cabbage or rhubarb leaf. It is some¬ 
times pretty hard to keep the cauliflower 
from going to seed, and a crop is made 
more certain if water can be applied in 
abundance. In the family garden a good 
heavy mulch of grass or chieken-liouse 
litter will help. Cabbages are also doing 
well, although less has been planted than 
in some previous years. Gardeners often 
make the mistake of leaving their early 
cabbage until it has attained full matur¬ 
ity. This cabbage is sweeter if used 
when it is not more than half developed. 
Then it lacks the strong odor and flavor 
which many people find objectionable. 
These young heads are particularly good 
for salads. W«?h a’’ 
stalks are not P 4 ,lleo^ 
will come out, and tl ’s 
cellent green ration for 
some of the outer leaves 
cabbages, if the 
s, a new growth 
growth is an ox- 
the chickens. If 
of tlie early cab¬ 
bages are left on the stalks, the new 
growth which comes out will lu* useful 
for the table, being especially appetizing. 
