Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-05-03
NOTES FROM A woMAN.s FARM.


ness, but with lots of good hard sense and
a prominent disposition TO play scientist in
an investigation after the why's and where
fores of things, had purchased a farm and,
all through her own efforts was making it
decided success. This week that lady farmer
(N1rs. Addington) has kindly supplied US
| with the following under title Of ''Notes
from Woman's Farm She says:
The most lovely vines that climb over my
veranda are passion flowers. In the South
we call them MAY pops. ''-AG. ED. The
Passifiora constance of Elliot, is certainly
| treasure. 1t is evergreen and hardy here,
with luXuriant lace-like foliage; and fur
thermore, it is first among the plants to
give flowers in spring, continuing in bloom
throughout the summer. 1t is most
profuse flower. The flowers are white
and star-ike, and richly odorous. No
description could convey to the unin-
formed correct idea of this magnificent
climber
Next comes Passifora eleati, species
not quite so hardy as constance, though a
little protection will preserve 1t IN the open
ground. 1t has larger leaves and flowers,
and Is OF more simple growth than the
other species just mentioned
But the most magnificent passion flower
of them all is Passifiora splendeus. 1t IS
of grand statuesque growth, carrying i'm
mense heart-shaped tropical-like leaves and
large purple flowers. the latter overcast
with decided rosy tinge. Upon the queer
stamens and pistlls of this species was
based the Old legend giving the scientific
name to the genera-they were supposed to
represent the crown of thorIS, the nails
and the cross figuring at the crucihXion Of
our Lord This species must not be grown
for shade, but merely for ornament. Beauty
must be the only excuse given for its cul-
ture. Arrange it so that its leaves, stems
and flowers will cast shadows on the We
rarda floor by both sunlight and moonlight
and you will never regret having planted
it. Must be treated as a sub-tropical plant,
and given the protection of greenhouse i'll
winter. If you cannot afford this, new
root may be purchased of the regular florist
for starting it with each spring.
The passion flowers are indigenous to the
South, and though some may regard them
as something common" on this account,
they are certainly qualified to give much
more satisfaction than many OF the far
fetched climbers we often strive after. as
clematis and allebia, for instance.
We can heartily indorse everything Mrs.
Arlington says in favor of the passion
flower as an ornamental climber. There
are several other species not named by her,
Passifora incanata Ghe one carrying the
common name of ''May pop') grows as
wild weed in Alabama, Georgia and the
Carolinas. 1t is regarded as quite Il pest in
the cultivated fields, tying up with its long
running vines the corn, cotton, etc Early
in the spring the people gather the young
sprouts and press them into service as one
of the two ingredients making up ''bacon
and green's" 1t bears fruit about the size
of an ordinary apple, pleasantly sub-acid in
flavor, and much priced by the children as
something entirely good to eat. 1t has
much the flavor and aroma of u Mayapple
Podophyllum peltatum.) Though highly
ornamental nobody over there ever thinks
of it as a climber for the summer house or
veranda-it is 1.-TWO common You know.
It is q perennial and entirely hardy, as TO
root, in all of the lower Southern states.
The flowers are large, purplish and most
decidedly beautiful. Referring to her
strawberry culture Mrs. Addington says:
Last week walked over my strawberry
patch in despair. Plants full of blossoms
and fruit and the soil as dry as bone
An artificial lake is near, but windmill,
pipes, etc, for irrigation are not yet in
place. ! drove to the bricllyard and Dor
rowed from the proprietor j hand force
pump to be worked by one man, intending
10 get 1t into position next morning with Il
view to saving my straw berry crop. That
very night regular flood of rain came, and
my plants, though five days since. have
been under Il foot of water. Possibly it
may not ruin them, for it is written that the
first, last and largest requirement of the
is plenty of moisture. l am
experimenting little in Strawberries this
season, and therefore now have in my test
plat fifty plants each of the Haveland, Mar
held, Pearl and Nunan varieties.
For best results the strawberry requires
a good deal of moisture, as our correspond
ent suggests, but it must be applied on well
drained ground so located that any surplus
will at once run off We'd take it that five
days of submergeance would |
be rather against the crop. In note on
her vegetables Mrs. Addineton says her |
garden seems to have been ''voodooed" |
this season. The queer spring weather, |
the rabbits, an inefficient gardener, the |
drouth, the food following the drouth, all |
together have proven most decidedly out |
doing. But she has not lost heart in the |
matter, and so is now starting her garden |
anew with renewed efforts. That is the |
way to do it. a person cultivating the soil |
must never give up and sit down to indulge |
in lamentations over what might have been |
but for the swarm of ''ifs" that happened |
to come that way. Those 'ifs' are bad |
lot that should never be honored. She
adds:
But my regular farm crops are unexcep-
tionable Last fall on taking possession of |
my farm was impatient to plant some
thing. The soil looked mighty poor" as
they say, and l had no time for giving it
fertilizers, so | concluded to go in on the
thorough culture plan. | plowed deep |
deep as l could persuade the hired man
md his team to go. After breaking the
and was narrowed, rolled, cross-plowed |
md then narrowed and rolled some more.
into land SO prepared the wheat was drilled
On this mighty poor' land. Now the real
estate agents are calling upon me to beg
Tisps of wheat for exhibition at their Offices
is an earnest of what the lands in this re-
glon OF country are capable OF doing. My
winter barley looks extremely fine, though
can see some blasted heads here and there
n it. My spring barley seems TO be every
hing that could be asked, but really |
night not be safe judge in that case,
owing to the fact that never before saw a
'rop of barley growing. But good or bad l
AN say this much: Persons have visited ,
ny place to look at my barley. and as q re-
suit every bushel that it may yield is already