The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
953 
RURALISMS 
Notes from a Maryland Garden 
Our two months’ drought was broken 
by a good rain the last of June, iind we 
have had a chance to fill in the ground 
vacated by the early crops, and have 
planted the late Irish potatoes and some 
Crease Back beans to cover _ the portion 
of the wire fence from which the late 
peas were gathered. The final setting of 
late tomatoes, too, has been made, and 
the Winter cabbages will be set as soon 
as the plants get large enough, for they, 
too, have been held back by the dry 
weather. 
Across the road a farmer is gathering 
his cucumber crop. But I notice that the 
dry weather has made a great many nub¬ 
bins. The cantaloupe crop is very late 
by reason of the drought, and the chance 
for profit does not seem good. If South¬ 
ern New Jersey comes in on our crops 
there will be no profit for either party. 
The Nanticoke blackberries were held 
down hard last Summer, and not allowed 
to run up canes 10 ft. tall. After the old 
canes were taken out last Fall the clumps 
looked very stubby, but this Spring they 
branched freely and have set a very heal¬ 
thy crop. The fruit is rather earlier than 
usual, and will probably be ripening be¬ 
fore the end of July, while usually they 
begin in August. 
Grapes are practically a dead failure, 
as the early growth was frozen off and 
there was little blooming on the later 
growth, and in spite of spraying and dust¬ 
ing, the rose chafers got most of the bloom 
left. One vine of the seuppernong class, 
the Memory grape, blooms after the rose 
bugs are done, and it will have some fruit. 
This is one of the best of the Vulpina 
class of grapes and was raised by Mr. 
Memory of Whitcville, N. C., whose sou 
sent me the vine. 
Peaches, plums and cherries are making 
such a fine growth that the crop of H022 
should be very heavy, barring the Spring 
frosts. The little Sneed peaches on the 
market from the South are selling at fan¬ 
cy price, for many people will buy worth¬ 
less stuff that come in ahead of our^ sea¬ 
son. We are getting the benefit of the 
emergency tariff in a higher price for 
flour. Lemons, too, have gone to a higher 
price than I remember, and if the tariff 
has helped the farmer a cent it has cost 
him five cents. And if the new tariff 
goes into effect the business men will 
recoup themselves of the money spent on 
the election and the farmers will pay most 
of it. And yet there are farmers who 
favor a protective tariff. 
There ; s a strong effort being made 
here to stop the shipping of cantaloupes 
too green to ripen up sweet. This prac¬ 
tice of rushing the melons into market as 
soon as grown and well netted has 
brought discredit on the cantaloupes from 
this section. Too many of the cantaloupes 
coming from California lately are open to 
the same objection, and at the price 
charged for these little California melons 
they are too poor to be a luxury and too 
dear to buy. The same is true of the 
tomatoes this season. The Southern 
growers all seem to have chosen the Hune 
pink tomato this season. These are cer¬ 
tainly an improvement in the tomatoes 
formerly sent from Florida, but with these 
little tomatoes selling for three and four 
for 25c the first of July it is evident that 
our growers here are badly behind the 
times, when with the use of glass to start, 
the plants early they can put tomatoes of 
fine quality in the market by the middle 
of June and reap some of the profit which 
distant growers are reaping, or rather the 
retailers. w. F. massey. 
Pansies from Home-grown Seed 
At what stage, at what time of year 
and how much of the seed pod of the 
pansy should be planted to propagate 
seedlings? Do you open the seed pod 
(usually a three-pointed affair) and plant 
the individual seeds contained therein, or 
do you plant the whole pod? w. R. G. 
Richmond, Mass. 
In sowing home-grown pansy seed, open 
the dry pod and sow the tiny seeds therein. 
It is ready as soon as the pod turns brown 
and cracks open easily. It is necessary 
to watch the seed pods, or they will shell 
out and the seed be lost. Fresh seed 
germinates readily, and one usually has 
self-sown seedlings in a flourishing bed. 
Seed may be sown indoors in February 
or March, in the open ground in April 
or May, or in open beds from the second 
week in July to the latter part of August. 
The Summer-sown plants are covered 
with a mulch like a strawberry bed and 
wintered over to provide early blooming 
plants the following Spring. 
Fine, friable soil, in good tilth, is need¬ 
ed, preferably well manured for a previous 
crop. Fresh manure should not be used, 
but old. well-rotted cow manure may be 
added if necessary. Sow the seed in 
drills, three inches apart, and cover only 
one-sixteenth of an inch. The soil should 
be moist, and in the case of Summer sow¬ 
ings germination is hastened by covering 
with newspaper or sacking. During a 
dry spell the tiny seedlings may be 
watered through the sacking. As soon as 
the seedlings can be pricked out they 
should be transplanted seven to nine 
inches apart, and given clean cultivation. 
When left in beds outside over Winter 
they should be in a well-drained location. 
The protective mulch should be put on 
after the ground is lightly f rozen. A 
great many pansies are carried in cold 
frames over Winter, but Summer-sown 
plants in an open bed are convenient and 
satisfactory. 
Leaf Spot on Rose 
I send leaves from two hardy rose 
bushes. For several years the leaves get 
spotty and rusty, ends dry and curl up, 
but this year the trouble is starting much 
sooner. Usually it happens when the 
bushes are almost .through blooming. Will 
you let me know what the disease is, and 
remedy ? E. l. b. 
The rose leaves i-eceived were affected 
with black spot, to which some varieties 
are very susceptible. Spraying with am- 
moniacal copper carbonate once a week is 
a control measure. This spray material, 
ready for dilution, is sold bv dealers in 
horticultural supplies, or it may be pre¬ 
pared by combining six ounces of copper 
carbonate, three pints of ammonia, and 
50 gallons of water. Dissolve the copper 
carbonate carefully in diluted ammonia, 
using only enough ammonia to dissolve 
the copper completely; then add the 
water. Remove and burn all dead leaves; 
the badly injured foliage dries and falls, 
and, left on the ground, will continue to 
carry the infection. All such re to mints 
should be removed, and it is well to cut 
off badly infested shoots. The trouble 
usually appears at its worst later in the 
season, after the roses have bloomed, and 
it is then a convenient time to prune and 
burn the infected shoots. 
Transplanting a Maple 
On page 783 are directions for trans¬ 
planting a maple tree. I think I can 
suggest an improvement on said direc¬ 
tions. Presuming the hole is dug and the 
roots of tree not dry, I would most as¬ 
suredly prune limbs well back, have the 
best soil I could find in bottom of hole, 
and cover roots with same, then pour in 
plenty of water. When soaked in fill up 
the hole, scatter a handful of nitrate of 
soda, and then do the most important 
thing—>put around the tree large flat 
stones as heavy as can be handled easily, 
and let them stay there a few years. No 
wind can alter position, no roots are 
loosened, and there is a mulch there that 
will remain to insure dampness. Do this 
and you know the tree is bound to grow; 
it cannot help doing so. JOHN b. day. 
Removing Bees 
In answer to a recent question, wild 
bees can be removed easily from a tree 
or pole. I removed a swarm out of a 
cherry tree this Spring, and they are 
getting along fine. In removing a swarm 
of bees from a pole saw at the bottom of 
the bees and over the top, and then take 
tlie block of wood out. Then smoke the 
bees so they will be stupified, and then 
put on a pair of gloves and cape, take 
out half of the bees and put them in the 
hive and about half of the honey; then 
set the hive near by and the next day, in 
the evening, the bees will all be in the 
hive. Move them as soon as you can. 
Maryland. WILLIE rodeniiattser. 
Starting Lima Beans Right 
I have an idea I want to pass along. 
I have a scheme to make Lima beans find 
the pole instead of running off a yard the 
other way and climbing up a weed or 
a tomato plant. When sticking in the beans 
give them a slant of about 75 degrees 
toward the pole, so that when the bean 
comes out hunting for a support it will 
start toward the pole instead of wan¬ 
dering away over the garden. I have 
tried this for three years and it works; 
at least. 90 per cent of the beans finding 
the pole. T would like some of our “big 
family” to try it and report. A. N. c. 
Newton, N. .T. 
Yellow Disease of Asters 
Will you tell me what to do for my 
asters? Some of them are turning white. 
I find a little worm working at the roots 
of some, but do not know what to do for 
it. I used lime and bonemeal around 
them when setting them out. Will it do 
to work more of the bonemeal around 
them now, and could one use nitrate of 
soda ? MRS. A. j. s. 
Camden, Del. 
The blanched appearance described, 
which is accompanied by a spindling 
growth, is a symptom of what is called 
the “yellow disease.” It is not due to the 
worms referred to, but is a derangement 
of the functions of plant growth. It is 
caused, so far as known, by irregularity 
in the moisture supply, and the best pre¬ 
ventive is thorough cultivation of the soil. 
iStir the surface frequently, especially 
after rain. During a long dry spell, such 
as we have had this season, frequent sur¬ 
face cultivation is especially valuable. 
Maggie’s sweetheart, a proverbially 
tight-fisted Scot, had taken her out for 
the afternoon, and that was about all. 
They rode some distance on the trolley, 
turned around and rode home again. 
Never was mention made of food or enter¬ 
tainment. Back within her own gateway, 
Maggie, who had keenly felt the neglect, 
sarcastically offered Sandy a dime. “For 
the carfare you spent on me,” she said 
meaningly. “Hoots, toots, woman.” re¬ 
turned Sandy pocketing the coin, “there 
was nae hurry. Saturday wad hae been 
time enough.”—Credit Lost. 
Put YOUR Waste Acres on 
the Right Side of the Ledger 
T AKE an “account of stock” of your land. See 
how much of it is in debt to you—idle, cropless 
acres cutting down your income and reducing the 
profits of your labor. Clear this land of stumps. 
Turn your idle acreage into product-bearing fields 
adding dollars to your yearly income. 
Clear land by the modern means—use 
RED CROSS DYNAMITE 
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saving of 50% in time and labor has resulted by 
using the easier and quicker dynamite method. 
The constant supervision under which Du Pont 
Red Cross Dynamite is manufactured makes it the 
most efficient and most uniform powder on the 
market today. 
Send for “Farmers’ Handbook of Explosives”— 
telling how to use dynamite for land-clearing, ditch¬ 
ing and tree-planting. 
E. I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS & CO., Inc. 
New York City Pittsburgh, Penna. 
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432 West State St. Ithaca, N. Y. 
ut Cost 
Terrace 
raids, build dykes, lints vffli 
•srssar 
Works in any soil. Makes V-shaped 
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Lime and Fertilizer 
uni hum 
Save. time, labor, money. Handle fertilizer once. Haul direct from cars 
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Lumpy Lime (in any form). Commercial 
Fertilizer, Phosphate, Gypsum, Wood 
Ashes and Nitrate of Soda. 
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Dept. 4 Peoria, Ill. 
