358 
yon can imagine, are unusual and showy. Vesuve is 
(lie brightest red. William Falconer the deepest red. 
while Glnriosa, whose shade is intermediate, is with- 
; ont doubt one of the most satisfactory water lilies. 
We have mentioned only the hardy lilies because they 
r.re more practical on the farm than the tender varie¬ 
ties. Any of the hardy kinds can remain as planted 
over Winter in any pool from which the water is not 
drained in the Fall; otherwise, after draining the 
pool, cover the roots with sufficient refuse (two to 
A Cheat) and Pradical Tomato Trellis. Fig. 165 
three feet of leaves or straw) to prevent freezing. 
Considering the small amount of time and energy 
required to grow them, water lilies will give more in 
return than any other ornamental plant. The flow¬ 
ers open about nine o’clock in the morning and close 
in the late afternoon. They will continue to do this 
for three to five days. The fragrant, waxy blossoms 
make excellent cut flowers, and if kept floating on 
water will last even longer. While most other flow¬ 
ering plants afford gorgeous effects for only a few 
weeks, water lilies will bloom within a month aftei 
planting, and will continue to blossom throughout the 
entire Summer until frost. Water lilies are dif¬ 
ferent in habit of growth and bloom, and are prac¬ 
tical on a farm. m. e. & esthek bottomley. 
New York. 
Best Trellis for Early Tomatoes 
T HE very finest highly flavored tomatoes can be 
produced only when the fruit and vines are 
grown on supports. Therefore the home gardeners 
and the few commercial growers who cater to a 
select trade will be interested in the best, cheapest 
and most convenient type of support. The writer 
has tested every conceivable kind, from a single 
upright stake to a complicated rack, but the most 
satisfactory type he ever used is made of four pieces 
of shingle lath (1x2 in.) 6 ft. long (Fig. 165). A 
14 -in. hole is bored about 2 in. from one end of each 
lath. Four laths are placed together and loosely tied 
with a strong cord or else with a wire through a hole 
bored in the end of each lath. 
The tomato plants are set in double rows 3 ft. 
apart, with the plants 3 ft. apart in both rows and 
directly opposite each other. 1 * 1 )is brings every four 
plants into a perfect square. As soon as the early 
plants are set it is well to apply a side dressing of 
ammonium sulphate, to give them a quick start and 
a heavy set of fruit. Just as soon as the plants get 
started the trellises are set in place; that is, each 
one of the four legs is placed near a plant. The 
work is done quickly. The side shoots are “nipped” 
and the main stem is tied to the trellis with a strip 
of rag. 
As the season advances it will become necessary 
to “trim and tie” the plants two or three times— 
clusters of large perfect tomatoes will rapidly de¬ 
velop and hang on the “inside” of the trellis, where 
the scorching sun cannot blister them and where the 
soil cannot touch them. The old favorite Earliana 
tomato is not worthy to receive this kind treatment, 
because it ripens with green flesh around, the stem. 
Bonny Best and John Baer are highly colored all 
over, and of solid flesh, excellent flavor and quick 
growers. However, they require a richer soil than 
the Earliana variety. When the vines are heavily 
laden with fruits a light side dressing of poultry 
The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
manure or ammonium sulphate (worked into the 
soil) will help the plant develop all the fruits to full 
size. By keeping the supported vines strong and 
vigorous until the crop is harvested the fruits will be 
large, firm, beautifully colored and highly flavored 
and clean. 
The trellis described is easy to make, quickly put 
in place and it serves its purpose most efficiently. 
However, the story will not be complete until the 
reader’s attention is called to the very apparent fact 
that when the season is over the trellis can be 
quickly taken down, folded up and be put away in a 
compact form ready to be used for years to come. 
B. W. DE BAUN. 
Sunflowers as Bean Poles 
HE question has come to me, “Is it really feas¬ 
ible to use sunflower stalks as substitutes for 
bean poles?” I can answer truthfully that it is, at 
Squaw Com (Frown at Hope Farm. Fig. 166 
least in the kitchen garden. I have been doing this 
very thing for several years, and expect to go on 
doing it, even though poles become easier to obtain 
than has been the case for the past two or three 
years'I do not claim that the plan could be carried 
out in a commercial way, because I have never 
known it to be tried, but I see no objections to it in 
a section where very hard winds are not frequent. 
More labor would be required, though, because it is 
necessary to keep the leaves stripped from the stalks 
so that they will not interfere with the growing 
vines. Of course this is a minor matter in the home 
March 5, 1921 
garden, for a few minutes’ work occasionally will 
accomplish all that is needed in this way. 
While the side leaves must be stripped off. as 
shown at Fig. 160, page 356, it is necessary to leave 
the rosette of leaves at the top, as otherwise the 
stalk will die. The sunflower seeds should bo 
planted early and the beans put in as soon as 
the sunflowers are up. I have found that small 
sunflowers can be transplanted without much diffi¬ 
culty, and sometimes fill out the rows in this man 
ner. Naturally the strong-growing Giant Russian 
sunflower is the one to use as a beanpole substitute. 
In very windy places the plan is sometimes adopted 
of setting stout poles at intervals in the rows of 
sunflowers and running wires or cords along the top 
Cutting Potatoes for Planting. Fig. 167 
to give the stalks a little extra support. I have 
never found this necessary. Once in a while a 
heavily loaded stalk goes over, but then, so does a 
beanpole. E - F - 
Strawberries in Barrels 
HAVE followed up several instances where peo¬ 
ple have tried the plan of growing potatoes in 
outdoor “bins,” and have yet to find a success. In 
New England, at least, the plan is an unqualified 
failure. I have found, though, that it is possible to 
grow strawberries in barrels, as is sometimes advo¬ 
cated. Apparently there is no reason for doing this 
except where no land is available for a strawberry 
bed, but strawberries can be grown in a barrel if 
good-sized holes are made at intervals in rows from 
the top to the bottom. The barrel is then filled with 
good soil mixed with well-rotted manure, and the 
strawberry plants set into the earth through the 
holes. Sometimes a section of drain pipe is embedded 
in the soil with one end open at the top. This makes 
it easy to apply water so that it will quickly reach 
the barrel. Manure water is a help to rapid growth. 
The picture at left center on page 356 shows one of 
these strawberry barrels in full growth. e. i. f. 
A Corn of Many Colors 
T HE ear of “squaw” corn shown at Fig. 166 was 
grown at Hope Farm last year. One of our 
Now England readers sent 11 s a small quantity of 
seed, from which we grew a fair crop. We are told 
that it was corn of this type which the Pilgrims 
found on their first exploring trip on Cape Cod. 
Those who have read the history will remember that 
they came upon an Indian mound. On opening it 
they found a quantity of corn, the kernels of varying 
colors. They kept it for seed and planted it the 
next year at Plymouth. We think the seed of this 
“squaw” corn has been saved and planted each jeai 
since then. The ear shown is of typical size and 
appearance. Some of the ears contain a larger pro¬ 
portion of black or blue kernels. On the ear lieio 
shown are kernels of five different colors. The corn 
ripens inside of 100 days with us, makes a good- 
sized stalk, and produces a large amount of leaf and 
fodder. The yield is heavy—as heavy with us as 
any flint we have grown. The color is a decided 
novelty, and aside from its oddity there can be no 
doubt as to the value of this variety as a quick¬ 
growing, productive flint. 
