390 
March  10,  1923 
the  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
Garden  and  Farm  Notes 
Beautifying  the  Small  Home 
I  have  never  had  much  success  with 
flowers,  and  would  like  some  advice  as 
to  how  to  place  them  and  what  and  when 
to  plant  to  make  our  home  more  attrac¬ 
tive.  Our  shade  trees  are  small  yet,  but 
in  another  year  we  hope  they  will  be 
large  enough  for  us  to  remove  adjacent 
cherry  trees.  We  have  kept  them  for 
their  shade,  although  they  have  been 
profitable,  too.  MRS.  T.  c.  K. 
Dover,  Del. 
For  Ihe  small  home  in  which  quite  a 
lot  of  ready  money  is  not  available  for 
expenditure  the  cheapest  way  to  start 
with  landscape  work  is  to  purchase  seeds 
and  grow  the  plants.  It  _is  really  sur¬ 
prising  how  very  small  $25  or  even  $50 
looks  when  you  pick  up  a  catalogue  and 
make  out  a  list  of  the  plants  you  wish  to 
have,  either  from  pots  or  field  grown. 
The  plants  you  purchase  are  one-year-old 
field-grown,  or  from  4-inch  pots,  and  will 
bloom,  according  to  season,  soon  after 
being  planted,  though  the  finest  bloom 
from  the  major  portion  will  not  mature 
1  ill  the  second  season.  These  remarks 
apply  to  perennials  entirely.  The  an¬ 
nuals  reach  their  glory  the  first  season 
from  seed,  and  are  so  numerous  as  to 
variety  that  one  only  realizes  his  ignor¬ 
ance  floriculturally  by  looking  ever  the 
pages  of  any  first-class  catalogue. 
Mixed  Zinnias  are  very  easy  to  grow, 
and  are  covered  with  a  profusion  ot 
bloom  almost  the  entire  Summer.  An¬ 
nual  Phlox  in  mixture,  especially  some 
of  the  salmon  shades,  create  a  never-end¬ 
ing  source  of  delight.  They  are  low- 
growing  plants  of  easy  culture. 
Salpiglossis  is  another  beautiful  spe¬ 
cies  to  grow.  Verbenas  bloom  con¬ 
stantly.  Petunias  grown  from  seed 
selected  by  the  high-grade  seed  houses 
produce  gorgeous  blooms  of  almost  end¬ 
less  variety  in  color  and  form.  The  lowly 
pansy,  from  selected  seed,  from  which 
most'  of  the  dark  varieties  have  been 
eliminated,  is  a  thing  of  rare  beauty, 
showing  blooms  of  more  varied  hue  than 
the  rainbow  almost  as  soon  as  frost  is 
out  of  the  ground  in  the  Spring.  One  ot 
the  grandest  of  all  annuals  is  the  sweet 
pea.  especially  the  new  orchid  varieties. 
Sweet  pea  seed  should  be  sown  as 
early  in  Spring  as  possible  in  rich  soil 
in  trenches  4  or  5  inches  deep.  The  black- 
seeded  varieties  are  easy  to  germinate, 
and  should  be  covered  about  an  inch 
deep.  The  white-seeded  varieties  are  dil- 
ficult  of  germination ;  would  best  be 
sprouted  before  planting  and  covered 
very  shallow.  When  warm  weather  ar¬ 
rives  the  soil  along  the  rows  should  be 
mulched  heavily  with  straw,  weeds  or 
any  coarse  litter,  and  the  soil  should  be 
watered  heavily  almost  daily.  Aphis  are 
very  injurious.  Spray  with  nicotine 
preparations  or  dust  with  fine  tobacco. 
Pansy  seed  should  be  sown  August  3 
to  15,  and  the  plants  soon  as  large  enough 
transplanted  to  permanent  bed  and  pro¬ 
tected  with  light  coat  of  litter  during 
Winter,  or  better  results  will  follow  pro¬ 
tection  under  sasli.  The  pansy  is  not  an 
annual,  but  a  biennial.  To  the  above- 
mentioned  varieties  could  bo  added  mari¬ 
golds,  poppies,  asters,  stocks,  etc.  Seed 
of  most  all  annuals  can  be  sown  outdoors 
early  in  Spring,  though  earlier  and  bet¬ 
ter  plants  result  from  seed  sown  under 
glass,  simply  under  a  sash  or  cold 
Any  good,  rich  garden  soil  will  do.  The 
addition  of  a  little  sand  or  leaf  mold  will 
assist  germination  in  very  heavy  soils. 
Give  the  flowers  the  same  soil  and  treat¬ 
ment  vou  would  vegetables,  and  results 
should  be  satifactor.  Most  varieties  con¬ 
tain  many  seeds  to  acket..  _ 
The  more  worth  \  .e,  and  m  many 
instances  more  beautiful  class  of  flowers 
are  the  many  valuable  perennials  of  easy 
culture  found  in  most  of  the  best  gar- 
'file  list  can  be  made  long  or  short,  de¬ 
pending  upon  the  available  space,  and 
the  joy  one  may  feel  will  come  with  the 
effort  to  permanently  transform  an  un¬ 
sightly  spot  into  a  veritable  paradise. 
Perennials  may  be  so  planted  that  a  bed 
is  always  in  bloom,  from  early  Spring  till 
frost,  and  as  each  variety  presents  a  new 
color  or  different  form,  the  surprise  and 
joy  to  the  real  flower  lover  is  continuous 
throughout  the  season.  There  will  be 
many  disappointments ;  sometimes  the 
bloom,  will  not  fidfill  the  anticipation 
from  the  deseriptio.-^“?t<Dme  varieties  of 
surpassing  beauty  ^  ply  will  not  grow 
in  certain  soils.  this  should  not  lea“H 
to  discouragement,'  as  there  are  others  of 
easy  substitution.  Here,  as  in  any  other 
endeavor  where  we  meet  with  partial  or 
complete  failure,  try,  try  again  is  the 
only  motto  to  keep  before  us.  Seed  of  the 
perennials  should  be  sown  the  same  as 
annuals,  though  the  protection  of  sash  is 
more  necessary,  as  some  varieties  are  very 
slow  to  germinate,  and  dashing  rains 
would  easily  injure  seed  that  is  germinat¬ 
ing. 
The  very  fine  seed,  such  as  Digitalis, 
Campanula,  etc.,  should  be  covered  very 
shallow.  The  surface  of  the  soil  should 
never  become  dry.  When  the  plants  are 
large  enough  to  transplant  they  should  be 
set  in  a  frame  about  3  in.  each  way,  and 
protected  with  a  shaded  sash  permanently 
fastened  about  6  in.  above  the  ton  of  the 
f'-ame.  This  will  allow  a  free  circulation 
of  air.  Again  watch  carefully  that  the 
little  plants  do  Dot  become  dry.  The  seed 
may  be  sown  any  time  between  May  1 
and  July  1.  The  early  sowing  is  prefer¬ 
able.  As  soon  as  the  transplanted  plants 
are  large  and  stocky,  the  sash  can  be  re¬ 
moved  and  later  planted  in  permanent 
borders  about  S  or  10  in.  apart  each  way. 
In  planting  a  permanent  border  the 
soil  should  be  very  rich  and  deep.  Ex¬ 
amine  the  catalog  from  which  you  order 
seed  for  the  height  of  finished  plant  and 
season  of  blooming.  Color  is  another  im¬ 
portant  factor.  While  no  effort  at  sug¬ 
gestive  arrangement  except  for  a  small 
bed  will  be  made  in  this  article,  it  is  easy 
to  see  that  the  arrangements  that  may 
he  made  are  of  almost  infinite  variety. 
General  suggestions  would  be  for  a  bed 
in  front  of  shrubbery,  or  along  a  fence. 
Plant  all  tall-growing  varieties  in  the  rear 
in  groups  of  12  or  more  plants  of  each, 
then  the  medium  heights,  like  Platycodon, 
to  this  narrow  border  along  the  dwelling 
would  be  Hypericum  Moserianum  for  the 
front.  The  plants  would  have  to  be  pur¬ 
chased,  and  will  require  moderate  pro¬ 
tection  during  Winter.  All  perennials  are 
benefited  by  Winter  protection,  coarse 
manure  applied  after  ground  freezes 
slightly  being  best  material  to  use.  The 
majority  will  come  through  without  it, 
hut  Hypericum  will  not  outlive  a  severe 
Winter  without  protection. 
A  bed  of  perennials  or  annuals  should 
be  placed  along  the  fence  on  the  north 
side  of  the  house,  extending  to  the  road¬ 
way.  Another  border  of  either  perennials 
or  annuals  could  be  planted  along  fence 
south  of  driveway  the  entire  distance 
from  roadway  to  barn,  and  a  narrow  bed 
along  a  portion  of  the  driveway  of  low 
flowers  will  not  be  out  of  place.  Do  not 
put  little  round  or  square  or  other 
fancy  (?)  shaped  beds  anywhere  in  tin' 
lawn.  Just  a  plain,  smooth  surface  of 
velvety  lawn  is  beautiful  aud  necessary 
to  any  successful  landscape  effect. 
There  are  many  perennials  that  will 
flourish  in  part  shade  that  can  be  planted 
near  the  trees  while  they  are  small.  If 
_ I //  Atoning  Adds  Comfort  to  Hoiumi..  /' aposunt 
Dictamnus,  Sweet  William,  Salvia  azurea. 
Anchusa,  Ilejperis  and  any  others  in  the 
1  to  3-ft.  class  in  the  center  of  bed,  and  at 
the  extreme  front  of  the  bed  place  the  low 
plants,  as  Sedum,  Statice,  Arabis,  Alys- 
siurn  saxatile,  Armeria,  Beilis,  Viola,  etc. 
In  the  tall  and  medium  class  are  found 
many  useful  and  beautiful  varieties,  many 
of  them  easily  started  from  seed.  Agros- 
temma,  Anchusa  Italica  Dropmore,  Achil¬ 
lea,  white  and  pink,  hardy  Chrysanthe¬ 
mums,  Coreopsis  (medium  height),  the 
Dephiniums,  especially  Belladonna,  Di¬ 
centra  or  bleeding  heart.  Digitalis  or  fox¬ 
gloves,  Eupatorium,  Gaillardia  (medium). 
Hibiscus,  hollyhocks,  single  or  double 
Rudbeekia  pupurea,  Solidago  or  golden- 
rod.  Salvia  azurea.  Thermopsis  Caro- 
liuiana,  and  hardy  wallflowers.  This 
appears  as  a  long  list,  but  is  greatly  ab¬ 
breviated  in  comparison  with  the  many 
exceedingly  fine  species  listed.  Almost  all 
of  these  may  be  grown  easily  from  seed, 
a  small  packet  being  sufficient  to  produce 
many  plants.  An  all-season  succession  of 
bloom  of  almost  every  conceivable  color 
and  form  is  to  be  found  in  these  various 
perennials. 
There  are  no  suggested  measurements 
with  the  house  and  lawn  sketch  accom¬ 
panying  Mrs.  T.  C.  K.’s  letter,  though 
the  lawn  space  does  not  look  very  large. 
The  base  of  the  house  should  have  either 
evergreens,  shrubs,  or  even  barberry 
flowers  are  planted  at  the  base  of  house 
and  along  porch,  select  the  color  some¬ 
what  to  contrast  to  the  finish  of  the  house. 
If  the  house  is  white  or  very  light  color, 
select  rather  highly-colored  flowers.  If 
brick  or  dark  stone,  select  light-colored 
flowers.  Outbuildings  usually  are  not 
erected  to  create  a  comnlete  architectural 
picture,  and  are  generally  better  partially 
hid  from  view  than  left  entirely  exposed. 
A  beautiful  screen  for  an  undesirable 
building  can  be  grown  in  a  few  years  by 
planting  American  Pillar  or  Excelsa 
climbing  roses,  and  either  train  them  over 
the  building,  or  preferably  on  a  simple 
trellis  close  to  the  building.  This  will 
not  interfere  with  painting,  nor  will  the 
wood  be  injured  by  vines  retaining 
moisture.  There  are  many  other  desir¬ 
able  climbing  roses,  even  of  greater  beauty 
than  those  mentioned,  but  not  of  quite  as 
strong  growth.  Mary,  Bess  and  Alida 
Lovett  are  three  of  unusual  merit,  Paul’s 
Scarlet  and  Hiawatha  and  many  others 
are  lovely. 
If  a  certain  amount  of  privacy  is  de¬ 
sired  on  the  front  porch,  Wistaria  or  even 
roses  could  be  trained  over  a  portion,  and 
if  preferred  the  entire  front  and  side. 
A  rose  climbing  along  a  fence  when  in 
bloom  is  a  beautiful  sight,  aud  there  are 
many  unsightly  spots  that  can  bo  trans¬ 
formed  in  a  very  short  time  by  a  few  flow¬ 
ers  and  vines  either  tastefully  arranged 
[asm  rArwccxlxfMmuslS0LroN/A 
favrimlmr  \  smmT— 
\  FALL  \  BELLADONNA  '■  LJ  • 
Suggestion  for  Arrangement  of  Perennial  Border 
(Japanese)  plants,  from  step  to  step 
clear  around  east  aud  south  side.  The 
fence  at  corner  of  porch  (southeast) 
should  be  remembered.  Evergreens  are 
more  desirable  if  the  expense  is  not  too 
great.  Barberry  will .  serve,  though  not 
very  desirable.  A  border  of  .hardy  flow¬ 
ers  could  be  used  instead  of  the  green 
plants  if  desired.  The  border  could  be 
several  feet  in  width. 
If  perennials  are  used,  the  selection 
should  contain  quite  a  number  that  are 
well  covered  with  foliage  during  the  Sum¬ 
mer.  The  best  of  these  are  Eupatorium, 
blue  and  white,  and  the  hardy  Chrysan¬ 
themums  (pompons)  for  the  rear  of  bed 
toward  dwelling  and  Aquilegia  in  the 
various  mixtures  in  front.  This  combi¬ 
nation  would  not  give  a  continuation  of 
bloom,  but  would  furnish  a  green  border 
all  season. 
There  are  many  beautiful  varieties  of 
hardy  Phlox  that  would  liven  up  a  border 
wonderfully.  These  cannot  be  grown' from 
seed,  except  Phlox  decussata.  Try  to 
purchase  a  few  of  the  hardy  Phlox  plants 
if  possible,  especially  some  of  the  white, 
bright  pink,  and  salmon  shades. 
Another  exceedingly  beautiful  addition 
(or  just  planted).  The  main  thing  is  to 
plant  something  as  a  start  and  then  plan 
and  arrange  lor  the  effect  you  wish  as 
you  become  more  accustomed  to  the  hab¬ 
its  and  idiosyncrasies  of  the  .plants  you 
are  experimenting  with. 
ELMER  J.  WEAVER. 
Septic  Tank,  Cesspool  and  Water  Supply 
I  am  going  to  have  a  house  built,  and 
wish  to  know  how  to  place  cesspool  and 
source  of  water  supply,  electrically  oper¬ 
ated,  to  avoid  danger  of  water  contamina¬ 
tion.  Ground  is  almost  level,  very  slightly 
sloping.  What  is  the  advantage  of  a 
septic  tank  over  a  cesspool,  or  vice  versa, 
where  drinking  water  supply  has  to  be 
pumped  from  local  underground?  If  cess¬ 
pool  advised,  should  the  bottom  of  it  be 
lower  than  water  supply  level,  water  being 
pumped  at  a  depth  of  20  ft.?  What  dis¬ 
tance  from  pump  to  cesspool?  If  .septic 
tank  is  used,  is  overflow  dangerous  to  the 
water  supply?  By  digging  a  small  pond, 
about  500  ft.  from  water  plant,  would 
same  be  influenced  by  having  water  table 
lowered,  or  would  it  be  raised?  G.  c.  M. 
The  advantage  of  a  septic  tank  over  a 
cesspool  is  the  freedom  from  danger  of 
contaminating  some  domestic  water  sup¬ 
ply;  its  disadvantage  is  its  greater  cost. 
A  cesspool  cannot  be  advised ;  all  that 
can  be  said  of  it  is  that,  if  properly  lo¬ 
cated,  the  danger  from  it  is  slight.  If 
dug,  it  should  be  as  far  as  possible  from 
any  well.  There  can  be  no  specified  dis¬ 
tance  from  a  water  supply  which  will 
make  a  cesspool  absolutely  safe.  Ordi¬ 
narily  the  seepage  from  a  cesspool  would 
probably  extend  but  a  few  feet,  but  its 
contents  might  be  carried  for  miles.  In 
homogeneous  soils  of  sand,  gravel  or  clay, 
seepage  of  liquids  from  a  cesspool  would 
be  slow  and  of  limited  extent.  In  soils 
made  up  largely  of  limestone  rock,  water 
makes  for  itself  underground  channels 
which  may  be  miles  in  length  and  as  large 
as  the  Mammoth  Cave  of  Kentucky,  itself 
an  underground  water  channeel  in  lime¬ 
stone  rock. 
The  overflow  from  a  septic  tank  is 
dangerous  before  it  lias  been  purified. 
This  purification  is  brought  about  by  ex¬ 
posing  it  to  the  action  o'f  the  bacteria  in 
the  upper  layers  of  the  soil,  into  which  it 
is  usually  jnade  to  seep  from  the  joints 
between  drain  tiles.  It  may  also  be  puri¬ 
fied  by  passage  over  and  through  sand 
filters. 
Your  question  about  ponds  and  water 
tables  is  not  quite  clear.  A  pond  would 
not  affect  the  height  of  the  water  table 
in  its  vicinity,  but  the  height  of  the  water 
table,  or  underground  level  of  the  soil 
water,  might  affect  the  depth  of  water  in 
a  pond.  This  could  only  occur,  of  course, 
if  the  bottom  of  the  pond  was  below  the 
possible  level  of  the  underground  water 
table. 
Cesspools  are  used  where  they  can  be 
dug  at  reasonable  distances  from  wells 
and  in  sandy  and  gravelly  soils,  where 
their  contents  will  slowly  seep  away  into 
the  surrounding  soil.  They  should  always 
lie  located  as  far  as  possible  from  any 
well,  and  should  be  on  the  down  hill  side 
of  it,  for  underground  waters  follow  in 
their  general  course  the  direction  taken 
by  surface  waters,  from  the  highlands  to 
the  neighboring  streams.  There  are  ex¬ 
ceptions  to  this  rule,  but  it  is  too  dark 
underground  to  see  where  these  excep¬ 
tions  exist.  Your  plan  for  the  location 
of  cesspool  is  all  right,  but  you  will  do 
well  to  get  your  well  and  cesspool  further 
apart ;  a  distance  of  from  100  to  200  ft. 
is  not  too  much.  If  you  are  building  in 
a  closely  settled  community,  you  will  need 
to  inquire  whether  there  are  any  local 
health  ordinances  forbidding  the  use  of 
cesspools.  m.  B.  D. 
Piping  a  Water  Supply 
I  am  putting  in  a  water  pipe  or  system, 
together  with  my  neighbors,  to  '  carry 
water  off  the  mountain  about  5,000  ft. 
distance  with  a  fall  of  around  200  ft.  in 
two-thirds  of  distance  then  a  raise  of 
20  to  30  ft.  The  spring  is  1 %  (u.  0f 
water,  more  or  less.  Will  we  need  a  res¬ 
ervoir  at  spring  in  order  to  get  pressure? 
What  size  pipe  do  you  recommend?  Do 
you  know  anything  we  could  use  that 
would  be  cheaper  or  better  than  pipe? 
Pipe  is  upgrade  iu  price  here,  being 
$10.98  per  100  ft.  in  lots  of  4,000  to  5,- 
000  ft.  What  do  you  think  of  price  of  pipe 
in  next  six  months?  Will  it  be  cheaper 
What  quality  would  you  recommend 
using?  Do  you  know  of  any  lots  of  sec¬ 
ond-hand  (new)  pipe  bought  up  by  Gov¬ 
ernment  during  war  that  we  could  buy 
to  advantage?  j.  a.  f. 
Clearspring,  Md. 
A  drop  of  200  ft.  in  the  first  two-thirds 
of  your  pipe  line,  followed  by  a  ruse  of 
30  ft.  in  the  remaining  third  will  give 
you  an  effective  fall  or  head  of  about  150 
ft.  when  the  height  of  the  building  is  de¬ 
ducted.  With  this  head,  which  is  equiv¬ 
alent  to  about  65  lbs.  pressure  per  square 
inch,  a  l^i-in.  pipe  should  deliver  about 
eight  gallons  per  minute.  A  reservoir  at 
the  spring  will  not  increase  the  pressure 
on  the  line,  the  pressure  being  caused  by 
the  head  or  vertical  distance  between  the 
source  aud  outlet  rather  than  by  the 
quantity  of  water  stored  at  the  upper  end 
of  the  pipe  line.  However,  if  the  normal 
flow  of  the  spring  is  not  sufficient  to  care 
for  the  needs  of  the  families  being  served, 
a  reservoir  could  be  built  just  below  the 
spring  and  used  as  storage  for  water  dur¬ 
ing  the  night  and  other  periods  of  light 
demand  aud  the  supply  for  the  buildings 
piped  from  here.  This  would  reduce  the 
pressure  slightly,  but  would  put  a  greater 
volume  of  water  at  your  disposal. 
.  In  regard  to  the  quality  of  pipe  to  use. 
it  hardly  pays  to  use  anything  but  the 
better  grades  in  a  permanent  installation 
of  this  kind.  The  labor  cost,  which  is  a 
considerable  share  of  the  total,  is  as  great 
for  the  cheap  pipe  as  for  the  best.  Gal¬ 
vanized  pipe  is  usually  used  for  this  work. 
I  am  unable  to  direct  you  to  any  supply 
of  second-hand  pipe,  although  an  inquiry 
addressed  to  the  War  Department  at 
Washington,  D.  C„  might  put  you  in 
touch  with  some.  As  to  the  probable 
price  m  the  future,  I  am  unable  to  say. 
r.  n.  s. 
W  Halsell,  owner  of  the  Mashed-0 
ranch  at  Spring  Lake,  near  Muleshoe, 
i  exas,  wants  an  aviator  to  fly  over  his 
place  to_  scare  the  wild  ducks  that  are 
threatening  to  destroy  his  grain  crop, 
says  the  Oklahoman.  Charles  Ware, 
Amarillo  banker,  received  a  telegram 
from  the  owner  asking  him  to  find  a  flier 
and  offer  him  $25  a  day  to  scare  off  the 
ducks  and  geese.  An  aviator  at  Tucum- 
c-ari.  New  Mexico,  was  called  by  tele¬ 
phone  and  has  agreed  to  take  the  job. 
