626 
7ht  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
April  21,  1923 
Says  the  local  ALPHA  Dealer* 
are  those  made  of  good  sand,  stone, 
water  and  ALPHA  CEMENT. 
‘‘That  practical  book,  ‘ALPHA  CEMENT 
— How  to  Use  It,’  104  pages,  illustrated, 
shows  many  different  styles  of  steps,  also 
scores  of  other  permanent  cement  yard 
and  farm  improvements. 
“  I  have  a  copy  for  any  con¬ 
tractor  or  property-owner  inter¬ 
ested  in  permanent  improve¬ 
ment.” 
Hhe  guaranteed 
Alpha  Portland  Cement  Co. 
EASTON,  PA. 
140  South  Dearborn  Street,  CHICAGO 
New  York  Boston  Philadelphia 
Pittsburgh  Baltimore 
Ironton,  Ohio  Battle  Creek,  Mich.  St.  Louis 
Plants  at:  Jamesville.  N.  Y.  Cementon,  N.  Y  , 
Martins  Creek,  Pa.  Alpha,  N.  J.  Manheim,  W.  Va. 
Ironton,  Ohio  La  Salle,  III.  St.  Louis,  Mo. 
Bellevue,  Mich. 
0rganize4  Co-operation 
A  NEW  BOOK 
By  JOHN  J.  DILLON 
This  book  is  written  in  three 
parts. 
PART  ONE. — The  Develop¬ 
ment  of  the  Agricultural  Indus¬ 
try,  In  five  chapters. 
PART  TWO.  —  Fundamental 
Principles  and  Adaptable  Forms 
of  Co-operative  Organization.  In 
ten  chapters. 
PART  THREE.  —  Application 
of  Co-operation  to  Efficient  and 
Economic  Distribution  of  Falrm 
Products.  In  seven  chapters. 
This  is  a  new  treatment  of  the 
co-operative  subject.  Heretofore 
writers  of  books  have  contented 
themselves  with  accounts  of  co¬ 
operative  work  where  established. 
It  has  been  mostly  propaganda 
and  exhortation.  This  was  all 
good  in  its  time.  But  we  have 
grown  beyond  it.  Farmers  are 
now  committed  to  co-operation. 
Once  shy  of  it,  they  are  at  last  a 
unit  for  it.  What  they  want  now 
is  principles  and  definite  policies 
that  have  proved  successful.  This 
book  is  the  first  real  attempt  to 
supply  this  want.  Other,  and  it 
is  to  be  hoped  better,  books  will 
follow  on  this  line;  but  for  the 
present  there  is  no  other  book 
seriously  treating  the  subject  of 
organized  co-operation. 
Bound  in  Cloth  Price  $1.00 
The  Rural  New-Yorker,  333  West  30th  St.,  NewYork 
When  you  write  advertisers  mention  The  R.  N.-Y.  and  you’ll  get  a 
quick  reply  and  a  “ square  deal.”  See  guarantee  editorial  page. 
l 
The  Flower  Garden 
Flowers  for  Sale 
I  wonder  how  many  farm  women  have 
had  experience  in  selling  garden  flowers, 
and  if  the  results  were  satisfactory?  A 
relative  who  lives  on  a  farm  in  Michigan 
has  been  very  successful  in  selling  Narcis¬ 
sus  of  several  varieties.  She  had  intended 
to  raise  the  bulbs  for  marketing,  but 
when  she  found  that  they  bloomed  in  time 
for  Mothers’  Day,  she  decided  to  take 
advantage  of  this  favorable  opportunity. 
It  took  some  time  to  work  up  a  trade, 
and  there  were  the  usual  delays  and  dis¬ 
appointments  owing  to  weather  con¬ 
ditions,  bad  roads  and  poor  transportation 
facilities,  but  she  persevered.  It  is  pleas¬ 
ant  work,  and  she  thoroughly  enjoys  it. 
There  is  very  little  outlay  for  labor,  and 
though  the  season  is  very  short  the  profits 
are  usually  satisfactory.  Of  course,  some 
years  are  better  than  others. 
During  the  two  or  three  weeks  in  May 
when  the  bulbs  are  in  bloom  she  is  very 
busy,  rising  at  four  o’clock  to  cut,  sort 
and  pack  them  for  her  customers.  These 
include  florists,  clubs,  cafes,  churches,  de¬ 
partment  stores  and  private  homes.  Often 
she  has  more  orders  than  she  can  fill,  and 
has  little  time  for  rest.  The  first  few 
years  the  flowers  were  sent  to  several 
large  cities,  including  Chicago  and  De¬ 
troit,  but  since  that  time  they  are  all 
Iris  and  Phlox — Two  Hardy  Favorites 
Many  are  planning  on  planting  a  hardy 
border.  For  the  front  or  next  to  the 
front  of  such  a  planting.  I  think  there 
is  no  class  of  plants  as  desirable  as  the 
various  Iris.  The  German  Iris  especially 
is  very  hardy  and  free-blooming,  and  comes 
as  near  to  growing  in  any  soil  or  situation 
as  any  plant  I  k-now.  To  grow  in  per¬ 
fection  the  soil  should  not  be  dry,  and 
they  prefer  a  rather  sunny  situation,  but 
they  do  very  well  in  partial  shade.  Iris 
should  be  taken  up  and  replanted  every 
three  or  four  years,  or  the  roots  overlap 
and  crowd  each  other,  and  the  roots  are 
forced  nearly  to  the  surface  of  the  ground, 
sometimes  even  lying  bare  on  the  surface, 
when  they  should  be  covered  with  .‘5  or  4 
in.  of  soil.  These  Iris  vary  from  18  to  20 
in.  to  40  in.  in  height,  and  the  colors 
range  from  white  to  royal  purple,  cream 
color,  yellow,  bronze,  pink,  claret  and 
mahogany  reds.  One  beauty  of  buying 
Iris  roots  is  that  they  are  almost  certain 
to  grow.  Some  arrived  last  Spring  per¬ 
fectly  dry  and  seemingly  dead,  but  I  dug 
a  hole,  filled  it  with  water,  planted  the 
root,  watered  again,  and  kept  the  ground 
watered,  and  in  a  few  days  growth  began. 
The  varieties  listed  are  almost  endless. 
In  one  catalog  I  find  over  250  varieties. 
This  catalog  is  an  old  one,  but  prices 
ranged  from  15c  to  20c  to  $10. 
Another  most  desirable  Iris  is  Iris 
pumila.  The  German  Iris  blooms  for  us 
in  Vermont  in  June,  but  Pumila  blooms 
in  May.  This  is  a  dark  purple  variety 
growing  about  a  foot  high,  and  is  as 
hardy,  free-blooming  and  sure  to  increase 
as  its  larger  brother.  Now  I  find  five 
Apple  Tree  on  the  Van  Kleeck  Homestead ,  in  Dutchess  County,  N.  Y.  The 
Tree  is  Yearly  200  Years  Old,  Six  Feet  in  Diameter,  and  Still  Alive. 
marketed  in  the  nearest  city,  12  miles 
away.  This  is  a  far  more  satisfactory 
arrangement,  as  they  are  taken  by  auto 
directly  to  the  customers,  and  so  are  sure 
to  arrive  in  perfect  condition. 
Last  year  on  an  automobile  trip  we 
spent  several  days  at  an  inn  in  a  neigh¬ 
boring  State.  Two  of  three  times  a  week 
a  farmer  drove  up  in  his  buggy  with  bas¬ 
kets  filled  with  flowers  for  sale.  The 
prices  seemed  very  reasonable,  beautiful 
bachelors’  buttons  for  15c  a  bunch,  Cal¬ 
endula.  mignonette  and  other  flowers.  I 
learned  that  he  visited  several  hotels  in 
the  vicinity,  and  as  some  of  the  guests 
came  year  after  year,  they  knew  him 
and  watched  for  his  visits.  Each  table 
in  the  dining-room  had  a  bouquet,  most 
of  which  were  furnished  by  him.  At  his 
invitation  we  drove  over  to  his  farm, 
though  he  assured  us  that  we  should  not 
find  an  orderly  garden.  We  were  di¬ 
rected  to  a  field  where  the  flowers  grew 
in  long  rows,  a  beautiful  sight,  with  a 
background  of  natural  scenery.  From 
long  experience  he  had  learned  the  varie¬ 
ties  best  suited  to  his  trade,  and  planted 
some  that  would  please  the  eye.  and  oth¬ 
ers  having  a  mild  and  pleasant  fragrance. 
Earlier  in  the  season  he  must  have  sold 
quantities  of  sweet  peas.  The  hotel  sea¬ 
son  is  long  in  that  region,  so  he  has  a 
fine  opportunity  to  market  Fall  flowers. 
Only  those  who  have  once  known  the 
joys  of  a  garden  can  understand  the  long¬ 
ing  for  flowers  that  many  people  who  are 
.shut  up  in  apartments  feel.  In  many 
towns  where  there  are  no  florists  it  is 
difficult  to  get  flowers  of  any  kind,  unless 
they  are  imported  from  the  cities.  I 
have  known  people  with  beautiful  gardens 
who  were  generous  with  their  friends  and 
gave  freely  to  churches  and  benevolent 
affairs,  but  who  entirely  overlooked 
strangers  near  them  who  would  have  been 
glad  to  buy  flowers. 
Often  glimpses  of  old-fashioned  gar¬ 
dens  bring  homesick  longings  to  tourists 
traveling  along  the  roads  while  memory 
recalls  other  gardens  loved  and  cherished 
long  ago.  Some  of  these  people  are  glad 
to  stop  and  buy  if  flowers  are  attractively 
arranged  and  prices  reasonable.  Foliage 
adds  much  to  the  beauty  of  any  display, 
but  especially  to  those  of  brilliant  color¬ 
ing.  as  it  softens  the  effect.  Those  living 
on  or  near  automobile  routes  surely  have 
opportunities  for  this  pleasant  work. 
CLARA  C.  VOTEY. 
varieties  of  I.  pumila  offered,  ranging  in 
color  from  white  to  purple  and  yellow. 
But  most  wonderful  of  all  is  the  Japan 
Iris.  This  is  not  quite  as  hardy,  but  the 
blooms  are  immense,  and  if  the  plant 
blooms  once,  one  is  more  than  repaid. 
These  plants  should  be  protected  with 
leaves  or  litter  in  the  Fall.  Lately  I 
have  learned  that  they  bloom  better  if  the 
bed  can  be  watered  thoroughly  until  after 
they  are  through  blooming.  The  flowers 
are  larger  and  plants  taller  than  the 
German  Iris,  but  the  range  of  colors  is 
about  the  same. 
The  second  favorite  is  the  perennial 
Phlox.  Your  grandmother  may  have 
loved  them  as  Fall  lilacs,  in  color  white 
and  mauve.  But  the  new  varieties  are 
greatly  improved,  both  in  size  of  individ¬ 
ual  bloom  and  clusters  of  bloom,  as  well 
as  range  of  colors  and  time  of  blooming. 
The  earliest  varieties  begin  in  July  and 
late  ones  end  in  November.  Last  year  I 
was  surprised  at  the  beauty  of  the  new 
pink  and  red  shades.  The  colors  are  now 
clear  and  distinct,  and  the  varieties  with 
mauve  and  lilac  shades  are  fine.  Antonin 
Mercie.  Coquelicot,  Pantheon.  Kathe, 
Mrs.  Jenkins,  Bridesmaid  and  Widar  give 
a  good  range  of  color. 
Hardy  Phlox  should  be  divided  and 
reset  every  third  or  fourth  year,  as  they 
increase  rapidly.  If  grown  in  masses 
they  sometimes  mildew,  but  I  grow  mine 
in  south  border  and  give  plenty  of  room 
for  good  circulation  of  air  and  never 
have  any  trouble.  Both  Iris  and  Phlox 
repay  one  for  the  trouble  of  mulching 
around  them  (not  over  them  to  smother 
them)  with  stable  litter. 
Other  varieties  of  perennial  Phlox  are 
the  Spring  flowering  ones.  These  bloom 
in  May.  I  have  but  one- variety,  a  car¬ 
mine  red,  but  there  is  a  white  and  white 
with  red  eye.  These  are  just  as  hardy, 
free-flowering  and  growing  as  the  later 
varieties,  but  are  of  smaller,  slenderer 
growth,  about  2  ft.  in  height. 
MOTHER  BEE. 
Basket  Splints 
In  a  recent  number  a  reader  asks  about 
how  to  get  basket  splints  from  log.  I 
remember  years  ago  we  had  a  neighbor 
who  made  clothes  and  bushel  baskets. 
He  had  a  black  ash  log  lying  in  a  pond. 
When  he  wanted  some  splints,  he  would 
take  out  the  log  and  pound  it  with  a 
maul,  when  the  strip  would  come  off 
easily.  At  a  fair  I  saw  an  Indian  woman 
making  baskets;  a  log  and  maul  lay  on 
the  ground.  j.  f.  k. 
