The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-03-04

canary seed we buy come from?- A. R, R. F. D. 1.
 A. The bulk of the canary seed l handled in the United States comes 1 from the Argentine: some from Sicily and southern Italy. You might try. but it requires very rich soil Q. Is the common flower nastur- tium ever known as water cress? I read where it is spoken of as vege- | table and called variety of water cress. H. U.
 A. One of the common names for nasturtium is water cress, but it is used but little in the United States for salad, although it is grown in l some European countries, notably France and England. as a vegetable. It should not be confused with our own native water cress an entirely different plant.
 1 Q. l have read that ocleanders when grown around any place will destroy or keep rats away. Is this merely romance or is there any l truth to it? R. T., Decatur, Ala.
 A. It is a fact that ocleanders are used for this purpose and 1t is true that the roots of the common oclean- der are very poisonous, but just how the plant is going to control rats is something that 1 cannot understand. If the rates should eat the roots, they certainly would be killed. As mat ter of fact. the plant Is grown in southern Europe and India as a pro- lection against rats but I know noth- ing of it's efficiency.
 1 c. Last Sunday while out in the woods l saw number of mush- rooms that looked good and edible,
 but was afraid of poisonous ones ], that I have read about. Is there a way to tell the difference between 1 the poison ones and those you can eat? W. B. C., Bessemer, Ala. l A. Yes. there is a way to tell the 1 difference between harmless or edi- ble sorts and the violent poisonous ones. but neither The AgeHerald or I would be willing to assume the re 1 sponsibility of giving any directions that would be conclusive. No one, | unless thoroughly grounded in mush- rooms, should think of eating any such fungi unless they were thor | oughly posted as to harmless and dangerous sorts. There are more than four thousand varieties of mushrooms, many of which are more deadly than the bite of a rattle snake.
 Q. What Is tar camphor? I read where it is good to keep insects out of seed and stored grain. C. F., sFt. Payne, Ala.
 A Tar camphor Is simply com mercial napthalene or what is gen. orally sold in drug stores as cam phor balls. It does possess a value similar to camphor.
 Q. What is cucumber blight and the best measures of control? It's getting so l cannot grow cucumbers any more like l used to. c. C., R. F. D. 9.
 A. Cucumber blight is big prob
 lem the world over and the main factor in control seems to be rapid
 growth and healthy plants to over come the trouble The crowding of
 plants seems to be a large contrib
 uting factor towards blight. Pre- ventive measures is probably the saf- est and most economical plan of pro- lection. The use of tobacco dust in fertilizing and its free use in dusting the plants is big factor in controll-
 ing blight. Give the plants plenty of distance, will help lot.
 c. Will peonias put out new bloom this spring? Mrs. J. P.
 A. I don't think so. Some varie- ties might, but generally or as an average, they would not. The plant is always uncertain and no one can ever forecast just what they will do. It is all right to go ahead and plant them. but nothing should be expected from them this year. If results are had you are simply fortunate.
 Q. Of the big boil cottons, early
 types which do you consider the