1088 
7hi  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
August  25,  1923 
bee.  These  waves  are  all  of  exactly  the 
same  period  of  vibration.  Thus  they  am¬ 
plify  each  other,  producing  an  extra¬ 
ordinary  din. 
The  bee-keeper  observing  that  his 
swarm  is  restless  and  likely  to  leave 
takes  a  tin  pan  and  pounds  it  violently. 
This  pan  vibrates.  It  makes  sound  waves 
of  different  frequency  from  those  made 
by  the  vibrating  wings  of  the  bees.  An 
interference  of  sound  waves  results. 
There  is  a  tendency  when  bodies  vibrate 
with  slightly  different  frequency  for  each 
to  be  modified  in  the  direction  of  the 
other,  making  them  both  vibrate  at  the 
same  rate.  At  this  point  there  are  two 
explanations  of  tne  action  of  the  bees. 
The  bees  may  be  influenced  by  this 
tendency  and  by  reducing  the  rate  of 
vibration  of  their  wings  are  unable  to 
fly  so  well,  making  it  necessary  for  them 
to  alight  or,  the  bees  continue  to  fly  with 
the  usual  rate  of  wing  vibration,  but  are 
soon  forced  to  alight  because  of  fatigue 
caused  by  the  increased  effort  on  their 
part  necessary  to  overcome  the  tendency 
mentioned  above. 
It  seems  necessary  to  leave  the  dis¬ 
cussion  at  this  point,  because  both  ex¬ 
planations  are  possible  and  perhaps  not 
one  but  both  are  true. 
New  York.  Seymour  w.  brainard. 
Ill  Memory  of  Andrew  Jackson  Downing 
The  other  day  we  made  our  pilgrimage 
to  Newburg,  New  York,  to  pay  homage 
to  (be  man  who  left  an  impressive  stamp 
Can  We  Poison  the  Moles? 
The  questions  about  moles  are  still 
coming  in.  We  never  had  so  many  in¬ 
quiries  about  them.  The  general  opinion 
expressed  by  scientific  people  is  that  the 
mole  lives  almost  entirely  upon  insects  or 
animal  food  of  some  sort,  and  that  he  will 
not  touch  vegetable  food.  Therefore,  the 
argument  is  that  it  does  not  pay  to  at¬ 
tempt  to  poison  moles  as  we  do  rats  or 
mice  by  feeding  poisoned  grain.  Every 
now  and  then,  however,  we  hear  from 
people  who  insist  that  they  have  cleaned 
up  the  moles  by  using  some  form  of 
poison  on  vegetables  or  grain.  In  one 
case  a  good  observer  is  certain  that  he 
has  driven  off  the  moles  by  using  sweet 
corn  poisoned  with  strychnine.  iWe  pre¬ 
sume  arsenic  will  give  the  same  results. 
The  evidence  he  advances  is  that  his  gar¬ 
den  was  thickly  over-run  with  moles,  so 
much  so  that  they  destroyed  vegetables. 
After  dropping  a  few  kernels  of  this  poi¬ 
soned  sweet  corn  in  the  runs  the  moles 
disappeared.  They  were  not  found  dead, 
but  they  never  came  back.  This  man 
thinks  that  the  moles  do  not  touch  the 
sweet  corn  until  it  begins  to  sprout,  and 
while  soft  they  may  'bite  into  it.  He 
says  that  in  planting  the  sweet  corn 
I  tew  in  Downing  Park,  Overlooking  th  e  Hudson,  at  Newburgh,  N.  Y. 
upon  American  landscape  gardening  and 
upon  American  pomology.  We  inquired 
of  a  restaurant  proprietor  of  the 
whereabouts  of  the  old  Downing  home  or 
of  some  marker  or  sign  of  recognition 
that  we  might  remember  the  spot  by. 
But  we  were  doomed  to  worse  than  bitter 
disappointment,  for  we  were  answered  by 
a  shake  of  the  head  and  a  reply  that  there 
was  not  anybody  by  that  name  in  town 
who  ought  to  be  commemorated. 
We  were  not  to  be  baffled,  however, 
and  we  explained  the  greatness  of  the 
man  and  his  work.  This  time  we  were 
rewarded  with,  ‘‘Oh,  that  must  be  the  man 
for  whom  Downing  Park  is  named.”  This 
was  our  first  clue,  and  after  a  worshipful 
half  hour  spent  in  enjoying  the  park  that 
bears  the  name  we  came  to  recognize,  we 
searched  for  the  old  homestead.  Ap¬ 
parently  not  a  sign  remains.  Even  the 
barn  that  was  one  of  the  great  pieces  of 
rural  architecture  in  this  country,  has 
been  removed  ! 
In  the  National  Capital,  Washington, 
I).  C.,  there  is  a  marker  commemorating 
the  great  work  of  Andrew  Jackson  Down- 
where  the  moles  are  expected  a  few  of  the 
poisoned  grains  are  put  in  each  hill  with 
the  regular  seed,  and  when  this  is  done 
he  certainly  gets  a  good  stand,  while  the 
moles  disappear.  This  is  important  if 
true.  Dozens  of  our  readers  complain 
that  they  have  had  very  little  success 
with  mole  traps.  Now  and  then  we  have 
reports  of  good  success  where  pieces  of 
liver  or  earthworms  are  poisoned  and  put 
in  the  run,  but  if  it  is  possible  to  use 
sweet  corn  or  other  grain  for  that  pur¬ 
pose  successfully  we  all  want  to  know 
about  it. 
Gladiolus  Culture 
IWill  you  give  the  method  of  growing 
the  Gladiolus  for  bulbs  and  also  for  flow¬ 
ers?  Will  they,  after  being  grown  for 
several  years,  run  out?  Mine  this  year 
are  doing  very  poorly ;  the  blades  are 
small  and  the  tips  are  turning  brown. 
What  would  you  advise?  a.  l.  h. 
Deer  Park,  Md. 
The  Gladiolus  needs  about  the  same 
soil  conditions  as  potatoes;  the  ground 
must  be  plowed  or  spaded  to  a  good  depth, 
and  thoroughly  pulverized.  If  stable  ma¬ 
nure  is  used  it  should  be  put  on  in  the 
Fall ;  it  is  undesirable  in  the  Spring,  as 
fresh  manure  coming  in  contact  ‘with  the 
bulbs  is  likely  to  induce  scab.  A  good 
potato  fertilizer  will  be  found  very  satis¬ 
factory,  applied  at  the  rate  of  500  lbs.  or 
more  per  acre.  Bulbs  are  planted  from 
the  first  of  April  on.  By  planting  at  sev¬ 
eral  different  times  a  long  succession  of 
bloom  may  be  secured. 
Commercially  the  bulbs  are  set  in  fur¬ 
rows  about  6  in.  deep,  3  ft.  apart.  The 
bulbs  are  set  closely  in  the  furrow,  only 
their  own  diameter  apart.  If  cultivation 
is  to  be  done  by  hand,  the  rows  may  be 
18  in.  apart ;  the  3-ft.  rows  admit  of 
horse  cultivation.  Constant  surface  cul¬ 
tivation  will  keep  the  plants  growing 
actively.  Deep  planting — 5  in.  to  6  in. — 
helps  to  support  the  tops. 
General  cultivation  is  the  same,  wheth¬ 
er  the  Gladiolus  is  grown  for  bulbs  or 
for  flowers.  'Where  bulbs  are  the  crop, 
the  flower  spikes  are  cut  out  as  soon  as 
high  enough,  so  that  the  bulb  will  not 
be  weakened  by  the  effort  of  blooming. 
If  flowers  are  the  crop,  the  spike  is  al¬ 
lowed  to  develop  until  the  first  flowers  be¬ 
gin  to  open.  If  for  sale,  the  spike  is  cut 
with  a  long  stem  and  plenty  of  leaves ;  if 
for  home  use,  with  less  of  both.  When 
the  flowers  are  cut  with  much  foliage  the 
bulbs  are  weakened. 
_  Continued  neglect  or  ill  usage  will  give 
diminished  vigor,  so  that  a  variety  seems 
to  be  “running  out.”  If  a  bulb  produces 
a  big  flower  spike,  after  which  it  is  al¬ 
lowed  to  ripen  seed,  or  if  the  flower  spike 
is  allowed  to  open,  and  then  cut  with 
most  of  the  foliage,  the  bulb  will  be  much 
weakened.  If,  however,  the  weakened 
bul'b  is  given  good  treatment  the  follow¬ 
ing  season,  and  not  allowed  to  mature 
blooms,  it  will  be  restored  to  vigor. 
One  may  also  plant  the  little  eormels  or 
offsets,  and  perpetuate  vigorous  roots  in 
that  way. 
The  rust  affecting  the  tips  of  the  leaves 
seems  due  to  local  conditions,  and  we 
cannot  advise  any  control  method.  It  is 
likely  to  occur  with  poor  soil,  drought 
or  starved  bulbs.  It  may  be  that  your 
bulbs  were  weakened  last  year,  or  they 
may  be  suffering  from  drought  or  other 
unfavorable  conditions. 
CONTENTS 
THE  RURAL  NEW-YORKER,  AUGUST  25,  1923 
FARM  TOPICS 
Two  New  Views  of  the  Hired  Man  Ques¬ 
tion  . .......1086,  1087 
Fitting  Land  for  Seeding  . .  1087 
The  Pink  and  Green  Potato  Aphid  .  1089 
Hope  Farm  Notes  .  1092 
On  the  Way  to  Market  .  1092 
Seed  from  Pharaoh’s  Tomb;  Mummy  Wheat  1093 
Crops  and  Farm  Notes  .  H02 
LIVE  STOCK  AND  DAIRY 
Canvas  Exhibit  of  Dairy  Industry  .  1095 
New  Milk  Prices  .  1095 
Butter  by  Parcel  Post  . 1095,  1100 
A  Collie  That  Mothered  a  Pig  .  1100 
Sore  on  Skin  .  1100 
How  I  make  Cottage  Cheese  .  1100 
Selling  Small  Clips  of  Wool .  1102 
HORTICULTURE 
Strawberries  and  Florida,  Part  II  .  1087 
The  Common  Stalk-borer  .  1089 
Stalk-borer  in  Dahlias  .  1089 
WOMAN  AND  HOME 
Reliability 
is  a  part  of  the  bargain 
when  you  buy  Kelly 
Trees.  They  are  from 
responsible  nurseries — 
with  a  national  reputation. 
Kelly’s  Trees  are  a  source  of 
future,  sure  profits — and  they 
cost  no  more  than  other  trees. 
Place  Order  This  Fall 
Write  for  FREE  1923  Fall 
Catalog,  lists  and  fall  prices 
—  also  proper  methods  for 
ordering  and  planting. 
Kelly  Bros.  Nurseries 
1160  Main  Street  Danevilte,  N.  T. 
Berry  Plante 
Strawberry  Plants  for  August 
and  fall  planting.  Pot-grown  and 
runner  plants  that  will  bear  fruit 
next  summer.  Raspberry,  Black¬ 
berry,  Dewberry,  Loganberry,  Gooseberry,  Currant,  Grape 
plants ;  Asparagus,  Rhubarb,  Hop,  Horseradish  roots  for 
fall  planting. 
|"1l  tvi  Delphinium,  Columbine,  Hol- 
rlAIAIAV*  Klatlfe  lyh°ck,  Canterbury  Bells, 
llUYVCl  ridlllo  Centaurea,  Bleeding  H  hiI, 
_  Foxglove,  Gaillardia,  Hibis¬ 
cus,  Peony,  Phlox,  Hardy  Pink,  Hardy  Salvia,  Hardy  Car 
nation.  Oriental  Poppy,  Sweet  William,  Wallflower  and 
other  Hardy  Perennials, — the  kind  that  live  outdoors  all 
winter,  and  bloom  year  after  year ;  Roses,  Shrubs  ;  for 
summer  and  fall  planting. 
Catalog  free. 
HARRY  L.  SQUIRES  -  Hampton  Bay»,  N.  Y. 
Grow  More  Wheat 
On  fewer  acres  at  lower  cost  per  bushel  and  a 
profit.  Sow  our  Leap’s  Prolific  (Smooth  Chaff) 
grown  from  Hot  Water  Treated  Seed  mak¬ 
ing  it  free  from  disease,  strong  and  of  sure 
germination.  This  seed  wheat  will  increase 
your  yield  many  bushels  and  outyleld  untreated 
seed.  Hot  Water  Treatment  destroys  all 
weak  or  diseased  grains,  enables  seed  selectivity  and 
yields  of  as  high  as  46  bushels  to  the  acre  have  been 
reported.  We  offer  Choice  recleaned  seed  wheat 
free  from  disease  and  all  foreign  seeds  at  82, 00  per 
bushel,  bags  included.  Not  less  than  one  bushel  sold. 
Sow  only  six  to  seven  pecks  to  the  acre. 
W.  W.  WEIMAN,  P.  O.  Box  469,  Hummelstown,  Pa. 
0,UUU,UUU  BRUSSELS  SPROUTS.  CELERY  PLANTS 
Cabbage  (All  Varieties)  $1.75  per  1,000  ;  5,000— $8.  Cauli¬ 
flower  (Snowball),  $4.50  per  1,000  ;  5,000— $20.  Brussels 
Sprouts,  $2.50  per  1,000  ;  5,000—  $12.  Celery  (All  Varieties) 
$11  per  1,000  ;  5,000— $12.  Cash  with  order.  Send  for  List 
of  all  Plants.  PAUL  F.  ROCHELLE,  Drawer  269,  Morristown,  N.  J 
J.  H.  BEAVER 
- -  AH  *V  UUU  J1  U  U  p  S 
Esopus,  New  York 
TREES  and  PLANTS 
Privet  hedging,  etc.,  di 
rect  to  you  at  lower  prices.  Large  assortment.  List  free 
WESTMINSTER  NURSERY.  Desk  1  29,  Westminster,  Md. 
STRAWBERRY  PLANTS 
Pot  grown;  Howard  17,  $4  per  100.  Progressive 
Everbearing,  $5.  GEO.  AIKEN,  Box  M,  Putney,  Vermont 
FOR  SALF _ Seed  Wheat  Cornell-Red,  *1.40 
■  vn  wni.>.  bushel;  heavy  yielder.  Winter 
Rye,  $1.25  bushel.  F.  O.  B.  Bage  free.  Terms  cash. 
F.  A.  VAN  NESS,  Baldwinsville,  N.  V. 
Iris  and  Peonies  Best  Vaw^VorSe'8  Honey' 
WILLIAM  H.  TOPPIN  -  Merchantville,  N.  J. 
Boys  and  Girls  . 1096,  1097,  1102 
The  Pastoral  Parson  .  1098 
The  Home  Dressmaker  .  1099 
My  Experience  in  Canning  Meat .  1100 
Large  house  and  farm  buildin 
section.  Price,  512,000.  W.  M 
DU  U  U  1  ID)  14. 
Good  boarding 
,  Middletown,  N.  Y. 
MISCELLANEOUS 
The  Science  of  Physics  Applied  to  Bees 
1087,  1088 
The  Neighborhood  Rich  Man  .  1091 
The  Teacher  at  Noontime  .  1091 
Housekeeper,  Hired  Girl,  Nurse  . 1091 
The  Story  of  a  California  Day .  1991 
Editorials  . 1094 
More  About  School  Bill  .  1095 
Less  Beer  and  More  Milk  .  1095 
Foreclosure  by  Land  Bank  .  1095 
Estimating  Apple  Crop  .  1095 
Effect  of  Posting  Land  .  1095 
Publisher’s  Desk  .  1106 
Rarnmstare  Oak  or  Mahogany  Finish.  Know  the  wea- 
Ddt  Ulllctol  5  ther  24  hours  ahead.  Needed  on  all  farms. 
Guar’t  d  instrument.  $6  prepaid.  XLVXH  H.  PULVEJt.loilus.N.Y. 
THE 
HOPE 
FARM 
BOOK 
This  attractive  234-page 
book  has  some  of  the 
best  of  the  Hope  Farm 
Man’s  popular  sketches — 
philosophy,  humor,  and 
sympathetic  human  touch. 
Price  $1.50.  For  sale  by 
Rural  New-Yorker,  335 
W.  30th  St.,  New  York. 
ing  in  that  city.  Central  Park  in  New 
York  City  bears  the  imprint  of  the  master 
landscape  gardener,  while  “A  Treatise  on 
the  Theory  and  Practice  of  Landscape 
Gardening”  published  in  1841  when 
Downing  was  but  26  years  of  age,  is  still 
the  recognized  authority  on  American 
rural  art.  All  who  have  enjoyed  the 
spacious  lawnsi  and  open  style  of  Ameri¬ 
can  design  which  Downing  championed  in 
contrast  to  .the  formal  and  artificial 
European  style,  must  pay  tribute  to  A.  J. 
Downing. 
This  is  not  intended  for  a  eulogy  of 
the  man  but  it  would  not  do  to  pass 
without  calliug  attention  to  that  monu¬ 
mental  work  “The  Fruits  and  Fruit  Trees 
of  America,”  published  in  1S45  and  so 
ably  and  carefully  carried  through  sev¬ 
eral  revisions  by  the  brother.  Charles 
Downing.  The  pity  is  that  so  great  a 
man  can  be  so  easily  and  quickly  for¬ 
gotten — even  by  those  among  whom  he 
lived.  Surely  something  should  -be  done 
to  mark  the  spots  where  he  labored  and 
to  tell  future  generations  who  he  was 
and  what  he  did.  so  that  another  pilgrim 
to  the  shrine  may  not  be  so  sadly  dis¬ 
appointed.  H.  b.  T. 
Hoffman’s  Seed  Wheats 
Seed-wheat  from 
crops  of  35  to  44  bu. 
per  acre  is  offered  to 
you  —  such  seed  will 
pay! 
Clean  seed— graded 
right — no  cockle, 
rye,  garlic  or  other 
weeds  in  it.  [Priced 
low. 
Stop  the  Loss  on  Your  Wheat -crop! 
You  will  grow  wheat  again,  even  if  the  price  is  way  down.  But 
you  don  t  have  to  lose  money  on  it  —  even  at  the  low  price! 
Today  you  can  start  toward  a  profit  on  your  next  crop  —  this  ad 
points  the  way.  Success  can  be  yours — don’t  pass  it  by. 
While  growing  wheat  anyway,  won’t  an  extra  6  or  8  or  10  or  more  bushels- 
per-acre  — pay  you  better  than  ‘letting  well-enough  alone’?  Of  course  it 
will !  Then  why  not  get  them  —  because  they  cost  you  almost  nothing!  One 
Ohio  customer  realized  $125  extra  profit  on  an  $8  investment. 
The  extra  hundred  or  two  bushels  you  will  grow,  will  have  no  effect  on  the 
Country’s  supply— but  what  a  difference  they  will  make  in  your  bank-account ! 
A.  H.  Hoffman,  inc.  Box  15 
Just  because  so  many  others  are  taking  their  loss,  complaining, 
yet  making  no  effort  to  better  it  — don’t  you  be!  But  for  your 
own  sake,  let  us  tell  you  more  of  how  Hoffman’s  Wheats  will 
stop  the  loss  on  your  wheat-crop.  They  have  shown  new  profits  to  hosts  of 
growers  for  24  years— they  will  show  you  a  profit  next  harvest! 
New  Catalog  and  Samples  FREE 
Seven  varieties —  smooth-chaff  and  bearded — including  the  famous  “Leap’s 
Prolific’’  and  ‘  Pennsylvania  44” — are  offered.  Every  kind  proven  reliable  by 
many  years’  actual  use.  Every  bushel  strictly  clean— graded  to  perfection — 
free  from  all  weeds  .  .  .  Offered  at  low  prices  that  will  surprise  you  .  .  .  Mail 
your  address  today  —  mention  this  paper.  You  can’t  afford  to  continue 
losing  money  on  your  wheat-crop. 
Landisville,  Lancaster  County,  Pa. 
