The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-04-01
ideas for duomeu

To women there is nothing more per-
picking in the way of postal facilities
than that little oblopg slip of blue pa
per stamped with the likeness of a rum
ming boy, known as the special delivery
just how many women mako mistakes
annually by the use of this article is not
known. but it is very certain that few
women of their W free will or much
priced intuition ever employed the stamp
as Uncle Sam intended 1t should be en-
ployed.
Explanations and criticisms ~and-weil,
other kinds of comment from male mem
bers of families whose women folk
have essayed to make use of the special
delivery stamp have relieved many a
household of monotony and ennui.
The common mistake is TO put the
special delivery stamp on a letter unac-
companied by the two-eent stamp as
we'll. I don't see why / must use the
two-center. too,' is the common plea. a
stamps a stamp. and the letter ought to
get there just the same. whether the two
cent ones on or not, specially when a
special delivery one costs as much as ii
does. It's outrageous, that that ten cents
don't cover everything"
"A Wll6 WHOSE C0QuetilcS viii SpSSt14
delivery stamps have been a cause of
much Comment to her family had to
make use of them the other day in send
ing a package TO her husband. 1t was all
on account of a certain sample that she
wished him 10 match, and which. unac-
conntably enough, he had not remember
ed to take into town with him that morn
ihg.
The sample was of good size as the
woman did not wish to snip into the
goods. and the package was thus quite
heavy. but it was imperative that it
reach the husband before moan
Five two cent stampsi'' cried the
woman as she stood before the postoffice
window and watched the of a
clerk weigh the bundle. Dear me, what
a lot, Why tnere'n be hardly room for
the directions Oh, yes, and | want some
special delivery stamps. too How
many. MADAME asked the automaton of
u clerk.
Now il there was one thing in which
this woman was by this time drilled, it
was that a special delivery stamp must
always be accompanied by one of the two
cent variety.
Hadn't her husband emphatical.y and
pointedly told her so again and again?
And. if SO, it was to feminine logic,
clear that each two cent stamp should
have its accompanying special delivery
stamp.
Therefore. "I1l take five,' said the wo-
man, and the Of a clerk never
said her nay as she co~nscientiously past
ed a blu oblong beside each of the car
mine squares. well, Henry" remarked
the woman as her 1iege lord handed her
the desired purchase that evening with
ont q word, i've learned a thing or two
about special delivery stamps, haven't To-
Yes, returned the liege lord, land
I've learnfr-s~thiag or two. too. 1t was
an altogq Ter unique experience when
five specI postoffice messengers came
into my lice this Afternoon bearing your
one iette At least that's what he said
But wble upon the ways
kAewomen with special delivery stamps
ARE concerned, men are not always to be
TRUSTED.
The Easter lily, the flower above all
others typical of the Lords ascension,
has been struck by a blight this year,
says the ST. Louis "Globe-Demoerat,"
and the greatest scarcity of it ever known
is threatened for Easter Sunday. The
disease originated In the Bermuda Islands
where the bulbs are grown. and has
steadily become more prevalent every
year. Its ravages are not confined to one
locality. The flower is scarce throughout
the United States.
The disease first attracted attention in
1890. and an eminent entomologist was
sent TO Bermuda to investigate After
studying the subject thoroughly, he re-
ported that the disease was caused by a
small white insect, that burrowed in the
bulb and honeycomed it, destroying its
vitality and rendering it useless. The
disease made such Roadway because of
the custom the Bermuda growers had of
cutting the flowers from the bulb the Sec
ord year and shipping them TO this coun-
try TO be sold for Easter. The flowers had
to be cut so that not enough stalk was
left ON the bu1b to give it vitality for
the next season. In it's weakened condi-
ton it readily suceumbed to the ravages
Of the insect, and it was not long before
florists everywhere noticed greater losses
in raising lilies. The disease showed it
self in long. reddish splotches on the
leaves Of the plant. Wherever the disease
showed itself there was no use of trying
to do anything with the plant, and it
night as well be pulled UP ansa thrown
away.
Most of the Bermuda lily growers have
joined a syndicate, and say they do not
allow cut flowers to be shipped any more,
but the weakened condition of the bulbs
and the ravages of the insect still con-
tinue.
The insect which does all this damage
Is white and about a sixteenth of an inch
in length. and shaped like a beetle. Its
presence in the bulbs is easy to detect.
but it is impossible to say how far the
ravages have gone or whether the bulb
IS ruined without an actual test.
Nearly all the bulbs used in this coun-
try are from the Bermudas, although a
few are from Japan. The Bermuda bulb
is the Harrisii variety. and is better
adapted for florists because 1t flowers
earlier. The Japanese bulb is the Longi-
forum. and is a harder plant, but it
takes longer to flower. The flower is a
little longer than that of the Bermuda
lily, but ii is so much like it that few peo-
pie would notice the difference. The dis
ease Is very rare among the bulbs from
Japan.
''oueen I',lie never Joined her husband,