November 8, 1919 
1638 
leaves just over the point where the petiole joins the 
leaf blade. Before the development of these little 
plantlets the upper surface of the parent leaf has at 
this point a small depression which is habitually 
tilled with water. These young plantlets develop in 
an ever-widening circle around the parent plant, re¬ 
minding one somewhat of the well-known mushroom 
fairy rings. The delicately fragrant light blue flow¬ 
ers begin to appear while still attached to the patent 
leaf. As the plants increase in size the old leaf dies 
and decays and with proper treatment the young 
plants attain the normal size for this species. 
THE GIANT AMAZON LILY.—Another well- 
known water-lily in this collection is that grandest 
of all aquatic plants. Victoria regia, with its flowers 
a foot or more in diameter and its huge boat-like 
floating leaves. The flowers, produced as late in 
the season as October, are nocturnal in habit, opening 
on two successive nights. At first they are cieam 
white in color, later turning to a beautiful shell pink. 
AN INCREASING INDUSTRY.—For the past six 
years Mrs. I.. Helen Fowler, a daughter of Mr. Shaw 
(Fig. 540). has been manager of the business, and a 
very efficient manager she has proven to be, if one 
may judge by the further development and prosperity 
of the plant. She is thoroughly acquainted with all 
the ins and outs of growing and marketing water- 
lilies and, whenever necessity presents itself, does 
not hesitate literally to roll up her sleeves and go to 
work. In addition to the water-lilies obtained from 
outside sources. Mrs. Fowler and her father have 
originated by hybridization 15 or more entirely new 
and distinctive creations. At present Mrs. Fowler 
has regular orders for Cabomba in California and 
Canada and most intermediate States, and water- 
lily rootstocks have been sent as far away as Hono¬ 
lulu. The commercial trade in cut flowers extends 
from the middle of May to the middle of October, and 
during the height of the season it is not unusual to 
cut 3.000 blooms a day. Commercially the cut-flower 
trade takes in Chicago and Boston, the latter city 
handling a great deal more than any other one place. 
Without question this is the largest commercial 
aquatic garden in the United States, and possibly in 
the world. 
WATER ENEMIES.—Although the business has 
been a complete success from the start, all has been 
by no means clear sailing. Muskrats have given con¬ 
siderable trouble from time to time by burrowing 
into and through the banks of the ponds. Some 
species of turtles cause a great deal of damage, espe¬ 
cially among the tender lilies, by eating oft the buds 
and tender growing tips of the plants. An insect 
known commonly as the leaf channeler often serious¬ 
ly injures the leaves by its sinuous burrows in the 
leaf tissue. The leaves not only are badly cut to 
pieces, but the wounds afford easy entrance to para¬ 
sitic fungi or bacteria. The larva of an insect known 
as the leaf-cutter (Ilydrocampa proprialis) gnaws 
out pieces of the leaf, under which it hides as in a 
sort of tent. As the little creature nears maturity 
it feeds voraciously, consuming considerable portions 
of tissue near the center of the leaf. Another insect 
(Botis lumbiis) eats the surface tissue near the edge 
of lotus leaves, and then rolls the leaf inward and 
encloses itself in a light silken web. 
FUNGUS TROUBLES.—The writer’s interest in 
this water garden began in the Spring of 1913 when 
his attention was called by the owners to an irregu¬ 
lar blackish spotting and decaying of the water-lily 
leaves, which appeared to be of a parasitic nature. 
Considerable damage had already been done, espe¬ 
cially to the thinner-leaved tender varieties, and it 
became evident that some sort of control must be 
found at once. To spray the floating leaves of a 
water plant from the vantage point of a rowboat 
seemed a rather anomalous proceeding. Neverthe¬ 
less at that stage of the game and with large ponds 
to deal with this seemed to be the procedure most 
likely of success. Using Bordeaux mixture (3-3-50) 
as a spray it was found that the disease could be re¬ 
duced by at least 50 per cent, and that with the addi¬ 
tion of 2-3 lbs. of lead-arsenate paste to each 50 gal¬ 
lons of spray the injury by leaf cliannelers also was 
materially reduced. This treatment was successfully 
continued by Mrs. Fowler on a commercial scale. 
The cause of the disease was found to be a parasitic 
fungus which gains entrance most readily through 
the breathing pores which occur only on the upper 
surface of the leaves. This mode of entrance of the 
parasite probably explains the success of control by 
spraying under these rather unusual conditions. 
But, however annoying these slight distractions may 
have been at times, they have in no way hindered 
the success of the venture, either from the artistic 
standpoint or as a financial proposition. Rather, 
these minor troubles have only served to add zest to 
the business, and to keep the owners alive to all 
The RURAL- NEW-YORKER 
sides of water-lily culture, until now they are the 
leading commercial growers of aquatic plants in the 
United States. Frederick v. band. 
Survey Shows Need of Better Sires 
Campaign 
U NTESTED ANIMALS.—Striking evidence of the 
need of a “better sires” campaign, which is 
attracting the attention of livestock men and 
farmers just now, was found in a survey conducted 
Sill® IPf . I 
PSpl r;>.t A\ 
■up 
Sir 
If 
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V in i * 
i 
The Rooster Takes Jlis Medicine 
during the past Summer (1919) in representative 
dairy districts of New York State. In one whole 
county and scattering townships in four other coun¬ 
ties which were surveyed by a house-to-house can¬ 
vass, on 3.552 farms reporting, it was found there 
were 051 purebred bulls and S33 grade bulls. Of 
the bulls in use 50-per cent were grades or scrubs. 
Out of 331 purebred bulls in use 78 per cent were 
under three years of age and but 2.7 per cent were 
/ 
PURE BREDS ARE WINNING 
BATTLE WITH THE SCRUBS 
Send ttiese fellows to the Stock Yards 
They are too expensive to keep at any price 
Give these fellows a steady job on the 
farm. They pave the way to profits. 
BOOST*" 
FOR BETTER BULLS 
A Poster in the Better Sires Campaign 
five years or older. Yet a bull must be live years 
old before his first heifers have proved out, and 
seven years must elapse before much evidence is at 
hand as to the bull’s breeding qualities. The present 
general practice of disposing of bulls soon after 
they are two years of age cannot be too strongly 
condemned; it prevents the retention and use of 
many sires that might prove strong breeders. This 
is one of the weakest links in the chain and calls 
for positive action. 
EVERY FARMER CAN HELP.—Every farmer 
can help materially in this campaign to “boost better 
bulls.” lie should, first, select the breeding females 
according to their individual performance records, 
not ignoring type, health and evidences of consti¬ 
tution. With dairy cows, for the immediate pur¬ 
pose, the milk record in the absence of butterfat 
tests is a safe guide. Second, use only purebred 
sires, having preferably advanced register or equiva¬ 
lent backing. Third, handle the sires so that their 
breeding records may be intelligently studied. ITe 
mustn’t take the chance of sending a good one to 
the block before his real merit is known, nor retain 
a poor one longer than necessary. If this simple 
plan could be adopted and followed on the majority 
of farms it would take only a few years to revolu¬ 
tionize the live stock business in every State. 
BETTER PRODUCTION.—This depends on the 
backing and breeding performance of the sire and 
on the individual performance records of the dams. 
The ewe’s wool and lamb production and the number 
of pigs farrowed and reared by each sow should be 
made matters of record; trusting to memory is dan¬ 
gerous. To proceed without such information, espe¬ 
cially the continuous performance records of dairy 
cows, is to take unwarranted risks. Besides indi¬ 
cating daily feed requirements, the records offer a 
basis for making selections in breeding. 
BANISH UNFIT FEMALES.—The first step, 
therefore, in preparing the way for purebred sires 
is, through these records, to eliminate the unfit 
females. It’s bad business to maintain worthless 
females; better direct the power of the sire along 
productive lines. Milk record sheets and scales 
should be a part of every dairy stable equipment. 
A standard milk record sheet is being furnished by 
the County Agents in New York State. Scales can 
be obtained from any hardware firm or dairy supply 
house. With this simple equipment the producer 
may safely proceed. He may use his individual 
milk records as a guide in culling, until a dairy 
improvement association or other agency can give 
him more complete service. It goes without saying 
only purebred sii*es should be used. They may be 
owned individually, in partnership, or co-operatively. 
The co-operative and partnership ownership of good 
sires makes possible rapid and effective changing of 
the breeding practices of a community. It insures 
the use of a high-class sire by all in the group, small 
as well as large breeder. 
GOOD SIRES, MORE MONEY.—Purebred sires 
pay. This is the most compelling argument back of 
the movement for better sires. Tt has been demon¬ 
strated that good dairy sires double the milk and 
butterfat production of an inferior herd in two 
generations. It takes but a few generations for him 
to mold the character of the flock or herd and to 
determine its production for better or for worse. 
Sires should be handled as a long time gilt-edged 
investment. In New York State it is hoped to con¬ 
centrate the activities of all agricultural agencies, 
such as breeders’ associations or clubs, local leagues, 
Granges and boys’ and girls’ clubs, working through 
the Farm Bureaus, upon the task of a prompt dis¬ 
placement of every inferior sire in the State as 
promptly as possible. The Farm Bureau organiza¬ 
tion in each county offers a means of reaching each 
community. This is the program suggested: The 
County Agent, or an extension representative of the 
Department of Animal Husbandry of the State Col¬ 
lege of Agriculture, will present the plan to the 
advisory council and executive committee of the 
Farm Bureau Association, or to a local breeders’ 
association. This will be followed by a definite 
survey of a limited area, such as a community or 
township, made by the community committee of the 
Farm Bureau Association or a committee of the 
local breeders’ association. At the same time local 
breeders will be interested in providing purebred 
bulls, and iff giving general support to the campaign. 
The extension staff of the Department of Animal 
Husbandry of the State College, as well as the 
County Agent, will be held responsible for talks at 
community meetings, cow-judging demonstrations, 
organization of bull associations, conducting of ex¬ 
tension schools, to name a few possible acti\ ities. 
EVERY AGENCY MUST HELP.—Scrub sires can¬ 
not be effectively legislated out of existence. To 
make an impression, the campaign must have gen¬ 
erous support from organizations and individuals 
alike. The time is ripe for this campaign. The 
depressing effect of poor sires upon production and 
profits is only too apparent. The prompt displace¬ 
ment of every grade or scrub sire can be followed 
by a careful differentiation between good and pure¬ 
bred sires. By aiming straight at the sire question 
the greatest immediate impression can be made. 
Organize your local committee, connect up with the 
township or other general organization, make your 
local survey and create sentiment aga.nst the scrub. 
H. A. HOPPER. 
New York State College of Agriculture. 
