RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
1471 
The  Home  Acre 
Notes  from  a  Maryland  Garden 
Stobing  Roots. — The  Dahlia  and 
Canna  roots  are  buried  in  the  garden.  I 
dig  a  shallow  pit  and  pack  the  roots  in 
and  then  cover  them  thickly  with  old 
newspapers  and  then  mound  the  soil  over 
them  in  a  conical  heap  to  shed  the  rain. 
They  beep  here  far  better  in  this  way 
than  in  a  cellar  where  they  are  apt  to 
dry  up. 
The  Ivudzu. — What  I  have  written  in 
regard  to  the  kudzu  plant  has  brought 
me  letters  from  Wisconsin  to  California 
asking  for  more  information  about  it  and 
its  value.  Many  ask  me  to  send  them 
plants,  and  I  hove  been  glad  to  clean  up 
the  thing  if  it  will  only  stay  cleaned  up. 
But  where  1  grubbed  out  an  old  plant 
last  Spring  a  dozen  new  ones  grew  and 
can  over  30  feet  along  the  ground,  root¬ 
ing  at  every  joint.  It  perhaps  has  some 
value  as  a  forage  plant,  as  it  will  cer¬ 
tainly  make  more  than  anything  else, 
but  wbcu  planted  it  is  there  to  stay.  I 
cut  some  and  offered  it  to  a  horse,  and 
he  ate  it  greedily.  If  a  farmer  had  a 
field  planted  with  it  I  believe  that  it 
could  be  pastured  down  daily  all  Sum¬ 
mer  and  one  night’s  rest  would  furnish 
more.  But  if  he  tried  to  clear  that  field 
he  would  have  the  job  of  his  life.  I  do 
not  intend  to  grub  it  any  more,  hut  will 
simply  keep  it  cut  off  daily  and  hope  in 
this  way  to  kill  the  roots,  for  where 
I  have  it  it  is  simply  a  nuisance. 
Marguerite  Carnations. — Last  Win¬ 
ter  I  found  in  a  seed  catalogue  the  new 
Orandiflora  strain  of  the  hardy  Mar¬ 
guerite  carnations  listed.  I  had  been 
growing  the  original  strain  and  found 
them  a  very  useful  border  plant,  so  I 
sent  for  seed  of  the  improved  strain, 
sowed  them  in  the  green  house  and  pot¬ 
ted  them,  and  in  the  Spring  planted  them 
in  a  border.  They  began  to  bloom  in 
•Tilly  and  today  (Oct.  31)  they  are  still 
blooming.  Out  of  the  whole  lot  I  have 
but  two  single-dowered  plants,  and  most 
of  them  are  as  large  ns  the  greenhouse 
carnations  were  30  years  ago,  and  more 
fragrant.  They  are  certainly  a  very 
valuable  addition  to  the  garden,  for  tho 
old  strain  simply  gave  a  host  of  bloom 
in  late  May  and  quit.  But  they  came  in 
fine  for  Decoration  Day. 
Pompon  Chrysanthemums.  —  These 
are  now  the  glory  of  the  garden.  All 
my  plants  were  grown  from  seed,  and  of 
course  there  is  a  great  variety  of  colors. 
Most  of  them  are  single,  but  showy  all 
the  same,  while  some  arc  line  and  dou¬ 
ble.  But  for  cutting,  the  single  ones 
make  the  best  show  in  the  vases.  A 
neighbor  who  takes  a  great  deal  of  pains 
with  his  'mums  has  the  early  flowering 
large-flowered  varieties,  and  gets  a  mag¬ 
nificent  bloom  in  (lie  garden,  as  lie  dis¬ 
buds  them  carefully,  and  gets  flowers  as 
large  as  those  the  florists  grow  under 
glass.  He  builds  a  frame  and  stretches 
cheesecloth  over  the  bed  as  a  protection. 
All  the  varieties  of  Chrysanthemums  are 
hardy  here,  but  it  is  only  the  early- 
blooming  varieties  we  can  get  a  good 
bloom  from.  I  like  the  Pompous  with 
their  host  of  bloom  better  than  the  big 
mops  on  the  end  of  a  stick.  Frost  came 
rather  earlier  than  usual,  on  Oct.  11, 
but  we  have  had  gloriously  beautiful 
weather  since  the  tender  stuff  was  cut 
down,  and  here  the  last  day  of  October 
I  am  writing  with  doors  and  windows 
open  and  perspiring  too.  One  regrets 
the  things  that  were  killed  and  missed 
all  this  fine  weather. 
New  Plums. — I  received  last  Spring 
four  hybrid  plums  from  the  Government 
grounds  at  Chico,  Cal.,  every  one  of 
which  has  grown,  and  grown  rapidly,  and 
I  am  hoping  for  something  good  from 
them.  My  thanks  are  due  to  Dr.  Van 
Fleet  for  having  them  sent  to  me. 
Violets  And  Lettuce. — I  gathered 
the  first  Princess  of  Wales  violets  from 
the  frame  this  morning;  have  in  the 
same  frame  also  some  Lady  lTume  Camp¬ 
bell  which  have  double  flowers  and  are 
not  yet  blooming.  The  lettuce  frames 
are  fine  and  the  glass  only  needed  at 
night,  and  just  now  even  not  then.  I 
am  trying  in  one  frame  some  Ilanson 
lettuce,  ami  do  not  know  what  it  will 
do  under  glass,  but  it  looks  fine  just  now, 
and  larger  than  the  Big  Boston.  But 
we  are  still  cutting  Big  Boston  from  the 
open  ground.  w.  F.  massey. 
Mushroom  Culture 
I  wish  to  go  into  the  mushroom  busi¬ 
ness  on  a  small  scale,  but  do  not  know 
anything  at  all  about  it.  I  would  like  to 
know  if  the  place  I  have  in  view  is  adapt¬ 
ed  for  that  purpose,  also  what  kind  of 
soil,  how  to  prepare  it,  and  how  deep  to 
make  it,  and  wbat  kind  of  spawn  is  best 
and  most  profitable.  The  place  I  have  is 
a  vault  12  feet  wide  by  20  feet  long,  and 
7V»  feet  high  in  the  centre  of  arch,  with 
an  open  doorway  3x0  feet  in  one  end. 
This  doorway  opens  iuto  a  cellar.  The  cel¬ 
lar  window  does  not  throw  the  light  di¬ 
rectly  into  the  vault  door  opening.  The 
consequence  is  that  the  vault  is  dark  all 
day  long.  The  temperature  of  the  vault  I 
should  think  is  the  same  all  year  around 
as  it  is  entirely  under  ground,  there  being 
over  a  foot  of  earth  on  the  highest  part 
or  arch.  The  cellar  that  it  is  con¬ 
nected  with  is  always  warm.  The 
floor  of  vault,  is  brick  and  grouted,  which 
is  equivalent  to  a  stone  floor.  There  is 
also  a  small  spring  of  water  in  one  cor¬ 
ner.  The  vault  was  built  away  back  in 
the  fifties  for  a  wine  cellar.  p.  c.  T. 
Latrobe,  Pa. 
The  first  thing  P.  C.  T.  should  do 
would  be  to  get  some  publication  upon 
growing  mushrooms.  The  Ft.  N.-Y.  can 
furnish  books  upon  the  subject  and  the 
Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington, 
D.  C>.  has  a  bulletin  on  mushroom  grow¬ 
ing.  The  vault  should  be  ventilated  with 
at  least  two  12-in,  openings  in  the  roof, 
arranged  so  as  to  allow  them  to  be  closed 
during  cold  weather.  The  temperature 
should  be  -IS  to  5 2  degrees  for  best  results. 
If  it  gets  much  lower  than  45  degrees  the 
crop  will  not  be  injured  permanently,  but 
will  he  retarded  temporarily,  and  will 
come  on  again  when  the  weather  becomes 
warmer. 
Fresh  horse  manure  is  the  only  medium 
used  for  growing  mushrooms.  Procure 
enough  to  make  your  beds  10  inches  deep 
and  place  it  in  a  compact  heap  three  to 
four  feet  high,  tramp  thoroughly,  and  if 
dry,  water  heavily  the  first  time  it  is 
turned,  which  should  be  four  to  six  days 
after  being  procured.  The  manure  should 
be  turned  each  week  for  at  least  four 
weeks  and  each  time  water  should  be  ap¬ 
plied  to  any  part  that  is  dry.  When 
ready  to  place  in  the  vault  it  should  be 
black  in  color  and  wet  enough  that  when 
pressed  in  the  hand  water  will  show,  but 
not  drop  off  to  the  ground.  Some  growers 
add  a  small  amount  of  good  soil  each  time 
the  manure  is  turned  until  a  total  of  one- 
fifth  iu  hulk  is  added.  The  manure  should 
he  tramped  in  the  bed  to  a  depth  of  10 
inches  and  leveled  off  carefully.  Tlace  a 
thermometer  in  the  manure  and  watch  it 
daily  It  may  go  to  100  and  sometimes 
to  120  degrees.  When  it  goes  down  to  75 
or  80  degrees  il  is  safe  to  spawn  the  beds. 
Cut  the  bricks  into  eight  to  ten  pieces, 
and  raise  the  manure  so  a  piece  can  be 
inserted  every  10  by  12  inches,  and  about 
2  inches  deep.  As  soon  as  spawned  beat 
the  surface  solid  and  level.  About  ten 
days  or  two  weeks  later  ease  the  beds  with 
1%  to  2  inches  of  good,  moist,  sifted  soil. 
No  further  attention  is  needed  until  the 
mushrooms  appear,  except  to  keep  it 
above  temperature.  If  the  surface  be¬ 
comes  very  dry  sprinkle  with  water  very 
lightly,  as  any  water  getting  in  the  ma¬ 
nure  will  interfere  with,  or  entirely  ar¬ 
rest  the  development  of  the  mycelium. 
When  bearing,  water  must  be  used  when 
dry,  but  do  not  water  very  heavy  ut  any 
one  time.  Remove  all  dead  mushrooms 
and  stumps  from  the  beds  and  keep  all 
the  holes  filled  with  soil,  as  soon  us  mush¬ 
rooms  are  pulled.  Remove  mushrooms 
with  a  twisting  motion,  or  cut  them  off, 
if  pulling  would  injure  a  lot  of  smaller 
ones  in  the  dump.  The  American  direct 
culture  spawn  made  in  St.  Paul  and  sold 
by  seedsmen  generally,  has  been  giving 
good  results  recently,  though  it  is  just 
as  easy  to  have  a  failure  as  to  grow  a 
crop  in  this  business.  A  bench  could  be 
placed  in  this  vault  seven  1  feet  from  the 
floor  which  would  double  the  capacity. 
This  should  make  an  ideal  cellar  for  the 
business.  klmer  j.  weaver, 
“Father,  what  is  a  veterinary  sur¬ 
geon  V"  “One  of  those  fellows  at  the 
Pension  Office,  my  son,  who  examines 
the  veterans  for  pensions." — Philadelphia 
Record. 
KEROSENE  ENGINES 
Farm-Lumberin 
PaysBigIVofit 
Farm-lirniberinar  f»  n«w  tha 
bigtte-tiMKJmoBEprofltftbleBiue- 
line  for  farmers,  due  almost 
entirely  to  tho  whin  sale  of 
’American"  Portable  Saw 
Mills.  Three  famous  mills  are 
making  money  for  farmers  all 
over  tho  country  because  they 
are  dcsigncdcapecisillyforf  arm 
Use  and  nro  a  propo¬ 
sition  throughout,  "American" 
mills  are  oo  nirnpl*  anyone  can 
run  them  and  so  strong  that 
they  fast  for  year*.  Yourfarm- 
entrino.  farm-help  nnd  an 
American"  aro  all  you  need 
to  start  farm  lumbering. 
Write  for  free  booklet 
American  Saw  Mill  Machinery  Co. 
1383  Terminal  Bldg.,  New  York 
J)iatnbutura  in  nil  larj*  rcnMn 
Durable,  Powerful.  Reliable. 
MAIL  THIS  COUPON  NOW 
WONDERFUL  SHOE  VALUE  0^9 
for  men.  Sizes  6  to  11  |Post 
WHY  PAY  MORE?  fcp,ld 
Tho  present  hl«rb  coot  of  leather  has  eauood  shoo 
dealers  everywhere  to  ruino  prices  40  to 
GO  per  emit,  But  owlfac  to  oar  large  cash  KJ/.  ■ 
buying  wr"  nr*  aht*  to  offer  you  n  ran!  shoo 
iuinrum  which  cannot  be  duplicated  any- 
Ofttar*  at  thla  price  Itora  Is  a  good  ger-  J  -7  '  '  iBl 
ylcAubie  shoo  of  SOLID  LEATHER,  nil 
double  stitched  and 
atrc.ngly  mods  throughout 
Upper:*  «..f  fi  n  u  4  r  b  I  a  ch 
chrome  leather  over*  wide  a3P^--. 
roomy  hint,  with  double  to)* 
rutd  common  <*ert«Q  hod. 
Suitable  tor  work  or  dr*AN  Jr  jV Y' 
wear  and  will  cWo  excellent 
service  under  all  COOtMlona.  ISyBKttL- 
GREATEST  VALUE  EVER  N 5^3***^ 
OFFERED.  Why  pay  higher  priced  elsewhere  when  OO 
you  cun  pet  thin  wonderful  bargain  POSTPAID  for 
Men  h  sue*  6  to  It.  State  nl/..*  dettlred.  SEND  YOUR  ORDER 
TODAY,  Satisfaction  GUARANTEED  or  money  refunded. 
General  Catalog  upon  rcouoat. 
The  Great  Eastern  Mail  Order  Co. w  r5Af nf »“ o*. ** 
THE  SIMPLEX  SOIL  TESTER 
IS  THE  HIGHEST  DEGREE  OF  ACCURACY 
Merely  till  Him  arid  bulb  with. acid  and 
place  a  vunpleof  soilin  tbfttestcr  and 
inBv«  minutes  time  t  he  Tile  Simplex 
Soli  Tenter  will  show  you  the  amount, 
of  l i  m  eo r<  i  rou  n  1 1 1 , i  iium ton  o  a n  y  (1  e  |  ci 
on  your  turm  contains  ami  the  correct 
amount  to  apply  No  more  guessing. 
Will  pay  for  Itself  in  making  one  test. 
\  postal  will  -  _ 
hiimr  you  full  - - 
information.  I. 
Dtpl.  XX253 
Baltimore 
Maryland 
•  _  I  understand  (despite  War's  I 
|  increase  in  price)  you  have  low  J 
.  contract  for  miles  of  best  hard-  a 
I  wire  steel  fencing.  So  send  I 
new  catalog  free  (prices  start-  • 
I  tng  16c  instead  of  10c  per  rod.)  I 
Name. 
Address. 
MANUFACTURERS’  OUTLET  CO. 
The  Mail  •  Order  House  of  the  East 
wonderful  Money  Saving 
’  Fence  Book.  Over  1  ,V)  st  y  ice.  13<Per  Rod  Up 
’  G&tee- Steel  Pfxrta-BarbWiroc* - — *-  v-  - — r 
DIRECT  FROM  K ACTOR  V  FREIGHT  PAID 
Alt  heavy  DOUULK  OAtV*XtJ£D  V  J  HIS.  t?4 
per  rod  op.  0,1  frM  Book  HD 4  Sunpl,  to  toft. 
THE  BROWN  FENCE  ft  WIRE  CO.. 
D,pt«  59  -  -  Cleioland,  Ohio 
aive.  Boat  to  lost:  to  do  bar 
heavy  work.  Use*  Cheapest  Fu< 
.  .  — -  Pol*  H  to  H  horse-power  more  th 
n?  Trial.  Ej*y  Tarma.  81* 
IK  to  22  H-P.  Easy  to  start.  No  Crankia*.  1 
batteries.  10  Yoar  Cuarantae.  Moat  practical  engl 
ever  built.  Engine  book  free.  A  Postal  brings  I 
THE  OTTAWA  MANUFACTURING  CO.. 
691  King  fttraal,  OTTAWA,  KANSAl 
C.  L.  Amos’s  House  and  Barns 
Lighted  by  DYNETO  Plant 
Up  in  Amboy,  New  York,  Mr.  C.  L.  Amos 
lights  his  house  and  all  his  barns;  operates  a 
cream-separator  and  5  milking-machines  with 
a  Dyneto  Electric -Lighting  Plant  And  it 
costs  him  only  a  few  cents  a  day. 
The  buildings  are  200  to  400  feet  apart, 
but  the  little  Dyneto  plant  sends  a  flood  of 
pure,  steady,  non -blinking  light  anywhere, 
any  time,  at  the  twist  of  a  wrist. 
Dyneto  plants  come  in  three  sizes,  with  or 
without  engine.  They  are  simple,  compact, 
easily  installed  and  never  give  any  bother. 
Write  at  once  for  descriptive  folder.  No 
obligation. 
Good  agents  wanted  in  unoccupied  territories . 
Write  for  particulars  and  securm  your  territory. 
DYNETO  ELECTRIC  COMPANY,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. 
61 
SAVE  HALF  Your 
Paint  Bills 
By  using  INGERSOLL  PAINT  —  proved 
best  by  66  years’  use.  It  will  please  yuu. 
Only  paint  endorsed  by  the  “Grange.” 
Made  in  all  colors — for  all  purposes. 
DELIVERED  FREE 
Prom  the  Mill  Direct  to  You  at  Factory  Prices. 
INGERSOLL  PAINT  BOOK  — FREE 
TelU  all  about  Paint  uml  Painting  for  Durability, 
flow  to  avoid  trouble  anil  expense  tausod.by  paints 
Tailing,  e.halkliig  and  peeling.  Valuable  information 
‘Yen  to  you,  with  Sample  Color  Cards.  Write  uio.  DO 
T  NOW.  I  oan  e»vo  you  money. 
O.W.  InamoD.  I«  PWmouthSt.,  BrcoVhn,  NY.  602  Walden  Ave.  BUFFALO,  N.  Y. 
