The  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
945 
New  England  Notes 
Vegetable  Garden  Suggestions.  — 
You  can  improve  your  growing  vege¬ 
tables  if  you  work  a  little  commercial 
fertilizer  into  the  ground  along  the  rows 
within  the  next  few  weeks,  taking  pains 
not  to  have  it  touch  the  plants.  A 
handful  to  tach  yard  of  row  is  about  the 
right  amount.  A  mixed  garden  fertilizer 
will  serve  the  purpose  well,  but  nitrate 
of  soda  alone  can  be  used  for  all  the 
leaf  crops,  like  lettuce,  cauliflower  and 
cabbage.  Bone-meal  is  particularly 
beneficial  for  stimulating  the  growth  of 
tomato  plants.  If  you  used  only  barn¬ 
yard  manure  at  planting  time,  a  little 
acid  phosphate  will  be  appreciated  by 
most  of  the  vegetables  at  this  time. 
have  tried  is  to  throw  clods  of  earth 
into  the  trees  whenever  I  see  birds 
there.  The  fine  particles  of  dirt  seem 
to  frighten  the  birds  to  such  an  extent 
that  they  do  not  return  for  a  long  time. 
Of  course  nothing  is  quite  so  effective 
as  covering  the  trees  with  netting. 
Some  amateurs  go  to  no  little  pains  in 
this  direction.  The  accompanying  illus¬ 
tration  shows  the  way  in  which  one 
man  in  Massachusetts  has  been  obliged 
to  swathe  his  cherry  trees  in  netting  to 
save  the  crop  for  his  family.  In  my 
own  garden  I  have  found  mosquito  net¬ 
ting  very  useful  in  protecting  the  straw¬ 
berries  from  the  birds.  After  the  straw¬ 
berries  are  over  I  put  it  over  the  cur¬ 
Clierry  Tree  Protected  from  Birds 
Whatever  you  use.  though,  be  sure  that 
your  fertilizer  is  what  you  think  it  is, 
or  you  may  have  an  experience  similar 
to  that  of  an  amateur  gardener  whose 
story  I  heard  the  other  day.  This  man 
was  setting  out  cabbage  plants  and  fol¬ 
lowed  directions  carefully,  putting  a 
spoonful  of  what  he  thought  was  ground 
bone  beneath  each  plant  when  he  set  it 
into  the  ground.  After  a  heavy  shower 
he  went  out  to  inspect  his  cabbage 
plants  to  see  if  any  damage  had  been 
done  or  any  washed  away.  What  was 
his  amazement  to  find  every  plant 
standing  in  perfect.'  line,  despite  the 
rain.  He  soon  learned  the  reason,  how¬ 
ever,  for  each  cabbage  had  a  concrete 
base.  His  supposed  fertilizer  was  ce¬ 
ment. 
A  Dry  Season. — So  far  this  season 
there  has  been  a  conspicuous  lack  of 
rain  in  New  England,  so  that  gardens 
have  suffered  from  lack  of  moisture.  It 
is  in  such  a  season  that  the  various  ir¬ 
rigation  systems  prove  their  worth. 
These  systems  have  meant  many  thous¬ 
ands  of  dollars  to  the  market  garden¬ 
ers,  most  of  whom  have  installed  plants 
throwing  overhead  sprays.  Systems  of 
the  same  kind  on  a  small  scale  are 
adapted  to  any  garden,  and  are  not  ex¬ 
pensive.  There  are  devices  which  oscill- 
late,  throwing  the  water  first  on  one 
side  and  then  on  the  other,  thus  cover¬ 
ing  a  wide  area.  There  is  a  distinct 
advantage  in  any  system  which  throws 
the  water  into  the  air.  Water  which  is 
ice  cold  gives  a  certain  check  to  growing 
plants  with  which  it  comes  into  contact. 
In  passing  through  the  air  in  the  form 
of  a  spray  the  water  is  warmed  to  a 
considerable  extent  before  it  reaches  the 
ground.  Moreover,  it  can  be  used  on 
very  fine  plants  without  danger  of 
washing  them  out. 
Fighting  Insects.  —  It  seems  curi¬ 
ous  that  amateur  gardeners,  even  those 
with  several  years’  experience,  over¬ 
look  the  fact  that  poison  will  not  kill 
plant  lice.  I  am  often  told  by  discour¬ 
aged  men  and  women  that  they  have 
sprayed  faithfully  with  arsenate  of  lead 
or  something  of  the  kind,  and  that  the 
lice  still  remain.  Of  course,  these  min¬ 
ute  pests,  which  usually  congregate  on 
the  under  part  of  the  leaves,  can  be 
killed  only  by  contact,  so  that  poisons, 
however  virulent,  '  are  useless.  _  The 
best  way  to  fight  them  is  to  mix  up 
some  kind  of  tobacco  solution — black 
leaf  40  is  good — and  take  pains  to  hit 
all  the  lice  possible.  Tobacco,  by  the 
way,  is  effective  in  fighting  other  pests. 
If  the  dust  is  sprayed  around  the  cab¬ 
bage  plants,  it  will  keep  away  maggots. 
Used  on  cucumbers  and  squashes  it  pro¬ 
tects  them  from  the  striped  beetle.  In 
a  liquid  state  it  is  even  more  effective 
against  these  latter  pests,  if  poured 
around  the  plant  stems,  as  it  works  into 
the  ground  and  destroys  the  grubs. 
Protection  from  the  Birds. — Since 
the  starlings  have  come  to  New  Eng¬ 
land  to  reinforce  the  robins,  fruit  grow¬ 
ers  find  the  birds  taking  very  heavy  toll 
each  season.  Many  ways  have  been  de¬ 
scribed  in  The  R.  N.-Y.  for  keeping 
them  out  of  cherry  trees.  The  simplest 
plan  which  is  at  all  efficacious  that  I 
rants.  Although  the  fact  does  not  seem 
to  be  well  known,  currants  will  hang 
on  the  plants  for  many  weeks  if  the 
birds  do  not  have  access  to  them,  and 
become  better  in  flavor  as  they  grow 
older.  There  is  almost  no  other  small 
fruit  which  will  give  so  long  a  season 
if  the  birds  can  be  kept  away. 
Growing  Peonies. — If  the  rose  ever 
has  a  rival  it  will  be  the  peony.  In  the 
last  few  years  since  many  fine  new  vari¬ 
eties  have  been  produced,  peonies  have 
taken  a  very  firm  hold  on  the  public  fan¬ 
cy.  Of  course,  there  were  peonies  in  our 
grandmothers’  days,  and  the  old  Officin¬ 
alis  type  has  much  to  recommend  it,  es¬ 
pecially  its  earliness.  Most  of  the  peonies 
now  being  grown,  however,  are  of  Chinese 
origin,  and  by  purchasing  both  early  and 
late  kinds  it  is  possible  to  have  a  long 
season.  Probably  no  perennial  which 
Fighting  the  Insects 
grows  can  be  raised  so  profitably  for  the 
market  if  one  has  sufficient  patience  to 
wait  until  the  plants  are  well  estab¬ 
lished.  In  good  soil  peony  clumps  in¬ 
crease  rapidly  in  size,  but  should  not  be 
divided  oftener  than  once  in  three  years. 
Some  growers  will  cut  up  the  plants 
every  year,  but  this  is  a  mistake,  which 
is  certain  to  be  repented  of-  in  the  long 
run.  Even  with  three-year  divisions  a 
small  stock  will  soon  give  a  good  supply 
of  salable  plants. 
Soil  Requirements.  —  Peonies  will 
grow  in  a  wide  range  of  soil  in  the  home 
garden.  If  being  grown  commercially  it 
is  better  to  select  a  light  soil,  as  they 
increase  more  rapidly  in  a  soil  of  that 
kind.  It  is  most  important,  in  any 
event,  that  the  soil  be  well  drained.  It 
is  impossible  to  grow  peonies  satisfac¬ 
torily  even  in  the  home  garden  if  the 
soil  is  damp  and  soggy.  If  the  land  is 
well  drained  but  heavy,  it  can  be  light¬ 
ened  readily  by  adding  sand  and  coal 
ashes.  The  value  of  coal  ashes  in  the 
garden  has  often  been  questioned,  but 
peony  growers  know  from  experience  that 
it  is  very  helpful  in  making  a  heavy  soil 
(Continued  on  Page  949) 
Ford  Engine 
No.  4913404 
Will  your  Ford  engine  make 
as  fine  a  record? 
FORD  engine  No.  4913404  is  to  be  found  in  a  Ford  sedan 
sold  in  Great  Neck,  N.  Y. 
After  19,000  miles  of  driving  the  owner  wrote: 
“On  delivery  of  this  car  I  drained  the  crank-case  of  the 
existing  oil  and  placed  Gargoyle  Mobiloil  ‘E’  therein. 
“My  car  has  run  over  19,000  miles  and  the  engine  has 
never  been  touched,  the  head  has  never  been  off.  At  the  end 
of  the  above  stated  mileage  I  had  new  speed  bands  installed. 
The  old  ones  were  worn  down  to  nothing,  but  in  good  con¬ 
dition  and  had  never  chattered.” 
Ford  engine  No.  4913404  has  been  given  every  possible 
care.  The  owner  saw  that  the  old  oil  was  drained  off  at 
proper  intervals.  Nothing  but  Gargoyle  Mobiloil  “E”  was 
ever  put  into  the  crank-case.  A  Ford  engine,  like  any  other 
engine,  pays  handsome  dividends  to  the  owner  who  gives  it 
fair  treatment. 
Gargoyle  Mobiloil  “E”  today  is  used  the  world  over  by 
Ford  owners  who  want  to  approach  cr  even  better  the  record 
made  by  the  owner  of  Ford  engine  No.  4913404.  And  every 
Ford  owner  who  uses  Gargoyle  Mobiloil  “E”  knows  from 
experience  that  it  does  lessen  carbon  deposit,  does  reduce 
over-heating,  does  reduce  repair  bills,  oil  consumption  and 
gasoline  consumption. 
Why  experiment?  There  is  no  oil  which  has  as  thorough 
or  wide-spread  endorsements  for  the  Ford  engine  as  Gar¬ 
goyle  Mobiloil  “E.” 
» 
> 
IN  BUYING  Gargoyle  Mobiloil  from  your  dealer ,  it  is 
safest  to  purchase  in  original  packages.  Look  for  the  red 
Gargoyle  on  the  container. 
The  Vacuum  Oil  Company’s  Chart  specifies  the  grade  of 
Gargoyle  Mobiloil  for  every  make  and  model  of  car.  Gar¬ 
goyle  Mobiloil  “E”  is  the  correct  grade  for  Fords.  If  you 
drive  another  make  of  car,  send  for  our  booklet,  “Correct 
Lubrication.’’ 
Tractor  Lubrication 
The  correct  engine  lubricant  for  the 
FORDSON  TRACTOR  is  Gargoyle 
Mobiloil  “BB”  in  summer  and  Gar¬ 
goyle  Mobiloil  “A”  in  winter.  The  cor¬ 
rect  oil  for  all  other  tractors  is  specified 
in  our  Chart.  Ask  for  it  at  your  dealer’s. 
Address  our  nearest  branch : 
New  York 
{Main  Office) 
Philadelphia 
Indianapolis 
Milwaukee 
Buffalo 
Boston 
Detroit 
Minneapolis 
Des  Moines 
Rochester 
Chicago 
Pittsburgh 
Kansas  City,  Kan. 
Dallas 
Oklahoma  City 
