<Iht  RURAL.  NEW-YORKER 
1371 
from  the  hills.  Mother  got  supper — we 
had  a  cheese  souffle,  to  which  the  hens, 
the  cows  and  the  flour  barrel  and  cheese 
contributed,  bread  and  butter,  strawber¬ 
ries,  and,  of  course,  baked  apple.  Then 
we  settled  down  for  the  evening.  Mother 
and  Aunt  Charlotte  continued  tlieir  ex¬ 
tended  conversation — though  what  they 
find  for  those  long  continued  dialogues  is 
beyond  me.  The  little  girl  went  out  to  a 
party,  my  daughter  attacked  her  thesis 
once  more,  and  I  started  a  chapter  in  my 
book.  I  am  trying  to  bring  out  the  idea 
that  home  influences  and  youth  determine 
the  man’s  character.  It  was  hard  to  de¬ 
velop  my  idea  with  all  the  children  away. 
If  the  boys  were  here  they  would  have 
their  radio  going  full  blast  over  the  ball 
game.  If  Rose  were  here  I  should  hardly 
be  able  to  write  a  line.  But  the  pickers 
must  be  paid.  The  girl  wants  her  wages 
in  money.  Mother  takes  hers  in  goods. 
She  has  just  come  in  to  call  for  a  bucket 
of  potatoes  and  one  of  apples  to  go  to 
some  poor  folks  Tip  the  road.  She  charges 
high  wages,  but  takes  them  in  kind.  And 
so  Columbus  Day  comes  to  an  end.  Be¬ 
fore  I  go  to  bed  I’m  going  to  walk  down 
the  road  and  back.  No  use  trying  to  look 
at  the  stars — the  fog  is  too  thick,  but 
what  does  that  matter?  The  stars  are 
there,  safe  above  the  fog — and  I  know  it. 
II.  w.  c. 
Another  Hypotl»esis  Regarding  Seeds 
Being  greatly  interested  in  the  discus¬ 
sion  of  the  mysterious  appearance  of 
plants  in  apparently  unaccountable 
places,  I  am  impelled  to  offer  a  possible 
explanation  of  the  case  described  on  page 
1256  by  W.  K.  Smalley,  viz.,  the  sporadic 
appearance  of  groups  of  young  hickory 
and  oak  trees  in  previously  treeless  prai¬ 
rie  sections.  It  seems  hardly  probable 
that  the  necessary  hickorynuts  and  acorns 
could  be  transported  by  birds  or  animals 
to  such  distances  as  this  case  would  re¬ 
quire.  Birds  could,  of  course,  cover  the 
necessary  distance,  but  I  am  not  aware 
of  any  species  of  bird  which  feeds  on 
such  materials  except  wild  turkeys,  which 
eat  acorns.  As  wild  turkeys  do  not.  I  be¬ 
lieve.  occur  in  open  prairie  country,  birds 
may  be  eliminated.  Winds  in  the  ordinary 
sense  may  be  eliminated  also,  as  no  or¬ 
dinary  wind  could  do  more  than  roll  such 
objects  as  acorns  a  few  inches  or  feet  un¬ 
der  the  most  favorable  conditions.  Tor¬ 
nadoes,  however,  capable  of  carrying  en¬ 
tire  buildings  hundreds  of  feet  or  even 
half  a  mile,  might  conceivably  gather  up 
thousands  of  nuts,  etc.,  raise  them  several 
thousand  feet  and  carry  them  many  miles, 
scattering  them  over  a  wide  area.  The 
absence  of  other  species  of  trees  may  be 
explained  by  the  fact  that  heavier  nuts, 
if  any  (for  instance,  black  walnuts) 
would  not  be  carried  so  far,  while  lighter 
tree  seeds,  such  as  maple,  ash,  elm,  etc., 
would  be  carried  much  farther  before  set¬ 
tling  to  earth.  The  fact  that  acorns  and 
hickorynuts  are  approximately  equal  ’ n 
weight  and  bulk  would  favor  tins  hypoth¬ 
esis,  as  would  also  the  frequency  of  tor¬ 
nadoes  on  the  prairies,  •  It  is  my  observa¬ 
tion  that  nuts  and  acorns  as  a  rule  do 
not,  when  exposed  to  the  weather,  retain 
their  vitality  over  more  than  one  Win¬ 
ter,  hence  there  is  no  possibility  of  their 
lying  dormant  in  the  ground  for  years, 
waiting  for  favorable  conditions  to  ger¬ 
minate,  as  probably  does  occur  with  seeds 
of  grasses,  weeds,  etc.  I  hope  other  cases 
of  a  like  nature  will  be  reported  in  your 
most  interesting  and  useful  paper. 
Connecticut.  F.  F.  burton. 
The  Mole  Plant 
I  am  sending  specimen  of  the  so-called 
mole  plant,  which  is  said  to  drive  moles 
away.  It  has  a  small  yellow  flower,  dies 
down,  and  grows  again  in  Spring ;  also 
from  seeds.  I  think  it  must  be  some  kind 
of  milkweed.  My  neighbor,  who  gave  me 
the  plant,  says  they  are  not  troubled  with 
moles  where  it  is  growing..  While  I' 
could  not  say  definitely  that  it  clears  out 
or  kills  the  moles,  the  circumstances  look 
that  way.  Moles  do  not  come  in  my  gar¬ 
den  now.  What  is  this  plant,  and  does 
it  really  drive  moles  away?  w.  s. 
Springtown,  Pa. 
The  “mole  plant”  sent  us  is  the  caper 
spurge,  botanically  Euphorbia  Lathyris. 
It  is  a  native  of  Europe,  but  is  found 
wild  in  some  localities  here,  and  is  also 
grown  in  gardens.  It  is  a  biennial.  The 
belief  that  it  reoels  moles  is  quite  gen¬ 
eral,  and  in  California  it  is  called  gopher 
plant,  as  it  is  thought  to  repel  gophers. 
We  do  not  know  whether  there  is  any 
foundation  for  this  belief. 
This  spurge  has  a  stout  erect  stem  2  ft. 
high  or  over,  with  thick  glaucous  leaves ; 
the  stem  leaves  are  lance-linear,  while 
those  around  the  bract  of  yellowish  flow¬ 
ers  are  heart-shaped  or  ovate.  The  seed 
pods  are  similar  to  those  of  snow-on-the- 
mountain,  its  near  relation.  The  plant 
has  an  exceedingly  acrid  milky  juice,  and 
the  whole  plant  has  the  properties  of  a 
drastic  purge.  An  oil  expressed  from  the 
seeds  has  been  used  in  medicine,  but  is 
said  by  the  U.  S.  Dispensatory  to  be  very 
uncertain  in  its  effect. 
“You  have  heard  what  the  last  wit¬ 
ness  said,”  persisted  counsel,  “and  yet 
your  evidence  is  to  the  contrary.  Am  I 
to  infer  that  you  wish  to  throw  doubt  on 
her  veracity?”  The  polite  young  man 
waved  a  deprecating  hand.  “Not  at  all.” 
he  replied.  “I  merely  wish  to  make  it 
clear  what  a  liar  I  am  if  she’s  speaking 
the  truth.” — Tit-Bits. 
In  the  Family  for  50  Years 
IT  is  a  fact  that  "Gold  Seal”  rubber  footwear  has 
been  worn  exclusively  in  many  families  for  more 
than  fifty  years. 
That  is  the  reward  of  unchanged  quality — of  down¬ 
right  merit! 
It  has  been  our  policy,  from  the  beginning,  to  use 
only  the  best  grade  of  pure  Para  Rubber,  and  the 
finest  Workmanship  in  making  "Gold  Seal”  goods. 
No  shoddy,  substitutes,  or  inferior  materials  of  any 
kind  are  permitted  in  our  factory. 
The  wisdom  of  our  extra-quality  manufacturing  policy 
is  increasingly  reflected  in  the  buying  wisdom  of 
people,  like  you,  who  are  buying  only  on  known  values. 
Insist  upon  being  supplied  'with  "Cjold  Seal ”  rubber  foot¬ 
wear.  Look  for  the  label — the  mark  of  genuineness.  It  is 
a  guarantee  of  long  wear, perfect  ft,  and  real  foot  comfort. 
GOODYEAR  RUBBER  COMPANY 
Qeneral  Offices  :  787-9  Broadway,  New  York 
Milwaukee,  Wis.,  }8o-z  East  Water  St.  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  no}  Washington  Ave. 
St.  Paul,  Minn.,  371-7  Sibley  St.  Portland, Ore.,  61  -7  Fourth  St. 
Kansas  City,  Mo.,  807  Baltimore  Ave.  San  Francisco,  Cal.,  539  Mission  St. 
THE  ORIGINAL  AND  ONLY  GENUINE 
GOLD  SEAL 
[GOODYEAR] 
OVERSHOES 
RUBBERS 
BOOTS 
Look 
for  the 
Cold  Seal 
Like  the 
Sterling 
Markon 
Silver 
Good  Tences  Tay  Trojits 
One  of  the  most  profitable  investments  you  can  make  on 
the  farm  is  building  strong,  effective,  hog-tight  fences.  This 
enables  you  to  pasture  fields,  rotate  crops  and  farm  on  a 
modern  scientific  basis.  Make  sure  of  honestly  constructed 
fences  of  full  gauge,  heavily  galvanized  wire  by  using 
Pittsburgh  Steel  Company’s 
'Pittsburgh  RifecC  ' Columbia " 
WS  Tence  ‘Kd  IE  Fence 
These  two  dependable  brands  represent  the  two  approved 
types  of  fence,  and  together  afford  the  correct  style  and 
type  of  fence  for  every  purpose,  whether  for  field,  barn¬ 
yard,  orchard,  garden,  poultry  run  or  lawn.  These  fences  are 
made  under  our  own  careful  supervision  at  every  stage  of 
manufacture. 
For  twenty  years  “Pittsburgh  Perfect”  has  held  a  prominent 
place  among  stiff-stay  fences.  It  is  fabricated  by  the  perfected 
electric  welding  process,  producing  a  neat,  strong  and  durable 
fence.  Representing  the  other  approved  type,  “Columbia” 
Fencing  is  made  with  the  “Columbia”  hinge-joint  that  grips 
with  grit,  producing  a  flexible  fence  fabric  of  unsurpassed 
strength  and  durability. 
You  can  get  both  of  these  brands  of  dependable  fence 
from  a  dealer  near  you  or  write  us  and  we’ll  see  that  you  are 
supplied.  Our  Good  Fence  Catalogues  sent  free. 
Pittsburgh  Steel  Company 
716  Union  Trust  Building,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 
New  York  Chicago 
Memphis 
Dallas  Francisco 
(imiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiii 
Is  there  a  single  book  in  the  public 
library  in  your  town  which  gives  an  ac¬ 
curate  picture  of  farm  life  or  an  interest¬ 
ing  story  of  real  farm  people? 
Many  city  people  form  their  opinion  of 
farmers  and  farm  life  from  the  books  they 
read.  Therefore,  there  ought  to  be  at 
least  one  good  book  picturing  real  farm 
life,  with  its  mixture  of  bright  and  dark 
sides,  in  every  town  or  grange  library. 
“Hope  Farm  Notes”  is  a  well-printea 
224-page  book,  containing  25  interesting 
stories  of  farm  life  and  country  people. 
Many  consider  it  the  best  book  of  country 
life  which  has  ever  been  published. 
Ask  for  this  book  at  your  library,  and 
if  it  isn’t  there  tell  them  they  ought  to 
have  it.  You  will  enjoy  the  book  your¬ 
self,  and  it  will  give  those  not  familiar 
with  farm  life  a  better  understanding  of 
real  country  people. 
Many  people  are  making  a  present  of 
this  book  to  city  friends  or  to  their  town, 
grange  or  school  library,  and  it  is  always 
considered  a  welcome  gift. 
The  price  is  only  $1.50,  postpaid.  Just 
fill  out  the  coupon  below  and  mail  with 
a  check  or  money  order. 
RURAL  NEW-YORKER, 
333  West  30th  St.,  New  York. 
Gentlemen. — Enclosed  find  $1.50,  for  which 
mall  me  a  cloth-bound  copy  of  Hope  Farm  Notes. 
Name 
Street  or  R.  F.  D 
When  you  write  advertisers  mention  The  R.  N.-Y.  and  you’ll  get  a 
quick  reply  and  a  “ square  deal. '  ’  See  guarantee  editorial  page. 
I OStofflC6  ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 
State  . 
miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmmimm 
