RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
949 
New  England  Notes 
(Continued  from  Page  945) 
suitable  for  growing  their  plants.  Peonies 
need  full  sun  if  they  are  to  be  grown  in 
a  commercial  way.  Also  they  should  be 
kept  away  from  trees,  and  especially 
such  trees  as  maples  and  elms.  They  ap¬ 
preciate  lime,  and  some  growers  always 
make  it  a  point  to  sprinkle  lime  over  the 
roots  at  planting  time.  Bonemeal  and 
coal  ashes  helj)  to  promote  growth,  but 
manure  should  not  be  used,  either  at 
planting  time  or  as  a  mulch  in  the  Fall. 
Planting  Peonies. — There  is  only  one 
proper  season  to  plant  peonies,  and  that 
is  the  Fall,  especially  the  month  of  Sep¬ 
tember.  They  should  go  in  early  enough 
so  as  to  get  well  established  before  cold 
weather  comes  on.  In  the  home  garden 
there  ought  to  be  2  or  3  ft.  between  the 
plants,  but  commercial  growers  set  them 
12  to  IS  in.  apart,  with  3  ft.  between  the 
rows.  It  isn’t  necessary  to  water  the 
peonies  when  they  are  set  out  in  the 
Fall,  but  it  is  a  good  plan  to  apply  plenty 
of  water  to  growing  peonies  after  the} 
3.  We  cannot  advise  a  spray  for  rose 
bugs  to  be  used  on  garden  roses,  because 
a  sticky  poison  would  not  be  pleasant 
on  the  flowers.  The  spray  used  in  vine¬ 
yards  for  this  insect  is  5  lbs.  arsenate 
of  lead  in  50  gallons  of  water,  to  which 
one  gallon  of  molasses  is  added.  This  is 
sprayed  once  when  the  beetles  are  due, 
and  again  a  week  later.  Hand  picking 
is  the  usual  plan  in  the  flower  gardening. 
Cultivation  of  the  weedy  places  in  which 
they  breed  lessens  their  number. 
Baskets  from  Corn  Husks 
Corn  husk  baskets  of  the  simple  “coil” 
type  arc  so  easily  made,  costing  nothing 
except  for  a  few  cents  worth  of  raffia,  and 
lasting  for  years  of  service,  that  we  won¬ 
der  they  are  not  seen  in  every  farm¬ 
house.  They  are  suitable  for  light  sew¬ 
ing  baskets,  “gathering  Ibaskets”  (for 
eggs,  nuts,  small  fruits  and  vegetables,  or 
to  carry  a  dainty  to  a  sick  neighbor),  to 
hold  odds  and  ends  about  the  house,  and 
(with  a  jar  or  bottle  inside)  to  hold 
flowers. 
A  Field  of  Peony  Model  de  Perfection 
have  flowered,  and  when  they  are  making 
their  buds  for  the  next  season.  Although 
there  are  many  peonies  for  which  large 
amounts  are  charged,  there  are  cheaper 
kinds  which  are  just  as  satisfactory  in 
the  home  garden,  and  which  must  not  be 
overlooked  in  any  collection,  no  matter 
how  extensive  or  how  much  money  is  In¬ 
vested.  Among  the  good  kinds  recom¬ 
mended  by  Robert  Jackson  of  Peterbor¬ 
ough,  N.  II.,  who  is  considered  a  par¬ 
ticularly  reliable  authority,  are  the  fol¬ 
lowing  : 
White:  Festiva  Maxima,  Couroune 
d’Or,  Avalanche,  Marie  Jacquin,  Marie 
Lemoine.  ,  ^  „ 
Light  Pink  :  Venus,  Mine.  Emile  Galle, 
Marguerite  Gerard,  Grandiflora. 
Deep  Pink :  Souvenir  d’Exposition 
Universalle,  Jules  Calot,  M.  Jules  Elie. 
Crimson :  Felix  Crousse,  Pierre  Des¬ 
sert.  Rubra  Superba.  e.  i.  Farrington. 
Lifting  Bulbs;  Pruning;  Controlling  Rose 
Beetle 
What  time  of  the  year  should  tulip 
and  hyacinth  bulbs  be  taken  out,  and 
what  time  are  they  planted  again  in  the 
Fall?  2.  What  time  is  best  to  trim  rose 
bushes  and  shrubs,  and  how  close?  3. 
What  can  one  put  on  rose  bushes  to  kifl 
rose  beetles  or  bugs?  They  eat  the  roses.'1 
Pennsylvania.  MRS.  J.  M. 
Tulip  and  hyacinth  bulbs  may  be  dug 
at  anv  time  when  the  foliage  has  ripened 
and  died  down.  The  bulbs  should  be 
dried  in  an  airy,  shaded  place,  and  may 
then  be  stored  in  paper  bags  in  a  dry 
cool  room.  They  are  replanted  any  time 
in  October,  or  even  the  early  part  of 
November  if  the  season  is  prolonged. 
2.  Roses  are  pruned  in  early  Spring, 
before  growth  starts.  A  little  pruning 
may  be  done  in  late  Fall  if  desired,  but 
as  some  of  the  wood  is  usually  Winter- 
killed  in  the  North  one  gets  a  better  idea 
of  the  pruning  needed  in  early  Spring. 
Varieties  of  weak  growth  are  pruned 
more  severely  than  strong  growers,  cap¬ 
able  of  developing  more  flowers. 
Shrubs  in  general  are  pruned  at  dif¬ 
ferent  times,  according  to  their  habit  of 
blooming.  Those  that  flower  in  early 
Spring  are  pruned  in  Summer,  after  they 
have  finished  blooming.  Those  flowering 
in  Summer  are  pruned  in  Fall  or  Winter. 
We  often  see  such  shrubs  as  Forsythia 
neatly  pruned  in  Spring,  with  the  natural 
result  that  there  are  no  flowers  that  sea¬ 
son,  all  the  flower  buds  being  pruned. 
The  corn  husks  should  be  gathered  be¬ 
fore  they  are  quite  ripe,  and  before  the 
heavy  Fall  rains,  as  they  are  liable  to 
mildew.  Spread  them  for  a  week  to  cure, 
and  use  either  whole  or  split,  according 
as  you  want  your  work  coarse  or  fine. 
The  thick,  hard  ends  should  be  clipped 
off,  and  both  the  husks  and  the  ratfia 
dampened  by  squeezing  out  of  warm  wa¬ 
ter  before  using.  Begin  your  basket  with 
a  strip  of  husk  twisted  smoothly  and 
wound  with  raffia,  and  sew  this  firmly 
(with  fine  raffia)  to  form  a  round  or 
eliptical  center,  continuing  and  enlarg¬ 
ing  your  coil  by  inserting  new  husks, 
twisting  them  as  you  go,  and  always 
working  from  the  large  to  the  small  end. 
Tie  Stitch  and  Wheat  Stitch. — For 
the  tie  stitch,  which  is  very  firm  and 
strong,  take  two  over  and  over  stitches 
close  together,  from  back  to  front,  in¬ 
cluding  both  the  old  coil  and  the  loose 
strands  of  the  new  one.  Pass  the  needle 
over  again  and  bring  it  out  between  the 
coils,  to  the  left  of  these  two  stitches ; 
carry  it  across  and  back  at  the  right  side; 
draw  tight  and  repeat. 
For  the  wheat  stitch,  take  two  over 
and  over  stitches  through  the  same  hole, 
including  both  coils  as  before,  then  carry¬ 
ing  the  raffia  across  the  front  to  the  next 
stitch.  Stitches  of  the  next  row  are 
taken  between  these  two  over  and  over 
stitches.  Either  one  of  these  stitches,  or 
a  combination,  may  be  used,  according  to 
the  fancy  of  the  basket-maket. 
Shaping  the  Basket. — To  shape  the 
sides,  sew  the  new  coil  above  the  old.  in¬ 
stead  of  around  it.  The  exact  position, 
of  course,  determines  the  flare.  A  gath¬ 
ering  basket  that  I  have  used  for  years 
has  an  eliptical  bottom  10  in.  long  by  5% 
in.  in  width,  and  the  flaring  sides  are  5 
in.  high.  Handles  for  such  a  basket  may 
be  made  of  a  length  of  grapevine  or  osier, 
notched  and  strongly  secured  to  the  bas¬ 
ket.  either  inside  or  out.  with  double  but¬ 
tonhole  stitch.  Fancy  handles  for  small 
baskets  may  be  made  of  braided  husks. 
A  round  bottom  fi  in.  across  is  a  good  size 
for  a  sewing  basket.  This  may  be  stif¬ 
fened,  if  one  likes,  with  a  coat  of  shellac. 
The  corn  husk  basket  is  pretty  as  well 
as  useful.  Beautiful  tones  of  russet  and 
carmine  are  found  in  this  homely  mate¬ 
rial.  sweet  corn  husks  being  especially 
rich  in  the  rose  and  crimson  shades. 
Either  “natural”  raffia  or  wood  brown, 
set  off  with  touches  of  green  or  orange, 
is  more  artistic  than  bright  colors  for 
stitching.  k.  F.  d. 
How  much  of  the  crop  slip s  through  your  fingers  ? 
r 
''in, 
« 
god 
e. 
ro.,„ 
fl- 
ll.'.h.'Z/i  °0  V 
MilK 
!i"f 
i rJ?  0  •  n ! 
o 
■ya , 
Wt. 
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Stop  the 
Grain,  loss 
0,1 
n'o 
own 
Delay  in  threshing  means  loss ! 
Avoid  this  by  owning  your 
thresher.  Save  all  your  own 
grain  by  threshing  promptly;  then 
thresh  profitably  for  your  neighbors. 
But  be  sure  that  you  have  a 
“Gray  Line” 
Wood  Saws 
arc  made  for  the  man 
who  loves  to  work 
with  quality  tools. 
Yet,  at  our  low 
prices,  they  cost  you 
no  more  than  much 
cheaper-made  outfits. 
A  GRAY-LINE  saw 
will  turn  that  wood- 
lot  into  a  nice  profit. 
We  have  a  model 
for  every  purpose. 
w  Thresher 
Known  as  the  best,  and  the  best 
known.  Handles  all  kinds  of  grain, 
beans  and  peas.  Compact,  simple; 
light  but  strong;  easy  to  handle;  re¬ 
quires  but  little  power. 
Made  in  five  sizes,  capacities  from  30 
to  120  bu.  oats  per  hour. 
Use  coupon  below,  to  secure  catalog  and  low  price  list. 
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Poultney,  Vermont 
Factory  at  Middletown  Springs,  Vt. 
SAVE  HALF  Your 
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0.  W.  Ingersoll,  246  Plymouth  St.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
The  Ireland  Geared  Hoists 
More  and  more  the  hoist  is  becoming  a  necessity 
to  the  worthwhile  farmer.  In  storing  hay,  grain, 
potatoes,  or  ice,  it 
does  away  with  the 
services  of  the 
extra  hired  man. 
Write  for  circular 
and  price  sheet  to¬ 
day.  We  have  a 
hoist  especially 
adapted  for  hay¬ 
ing.  It  can  be 
operated  direct 
fom  the  load. 
Let  us  quote  you 
at  once. 
Ireland  Machinery  &  Foundry  Company 
11-13  State  Street,  Norwich,  New  York 
HniimimiiiiiiiiiiiimmiiimimiimiiiiiMmiiiimiimmiiiimmimmimmiimimiK 
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