1LHJ 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
March 7, 
A MASSACHUSETTS BACKYARD GARDEN 
Which Won a Prize. 
Part I. 
I am more familiar with the throttle 
and lever than I am with the pen, but 
will do the best I can. 1 am influenced 
by the thought that perhaps it will en¬ 
courage some one who has to work long 
hours for another. In The R. N.-Y. 
we read of the city man who wants to 
try country life, of the man with a 
large farm, or the man with 1,000 or 
2,000 hens, but we do not hear much 
of the man with the 60x100 town lot 
who works 10 or 12 hours a day for 
some one else. This is where I come in. 
Like lots of others, for years I han¬ 
kered for a few feet of land I could call 
my own. I did not dare to buy, be¬ 
cause I am a locomotive engineer, and 
under our rules the oldest man has the 
preference, and if his job is taken off, 
he takes the job of any younger man 
and so on down the list. A hundred 
men may be moved on account of one 
train being taken off, so you see a man 
wants a few gray hairs before he is 
sure of staying anywhere very long. It 
seems hard, but it is the only way that 
all arc used alike. After waiting until 
I thought I had gray hairs enough, I 
began to plan and look around for a 
place to locate. I could not go very 
far away, for I had to be on duty at 
6.15 a. m. I wanted to get on a hill 
because I had always lived on the flat. 
At last I found a place that I thought 
would do, and I bought it . It was cov¬ 
ered with scrub oaks, stumps, and last, 
but not least, a lot of rocks. That I 
was not much of a judge of uncleared 
land or grades is shown by the fact that 
when I built my house on one of the 
lots (there were four, each 60x100), 
I had to build a wall 80 feet long and 
eight feet high in the highest place on 
one side, and it took 300 loads of cheap 
filling and 100 loads of loam to grade it. 
I had bought the land, and the next 
thing was to clear it. After it was 
cleared I found it was what one of my 
neighbors called “productive land,” pro¬ 
ductive of stumps, rocks, etc. You can 
judge of the rocks when I say that I 
paid* $20 to blast out a ledge where my 
asparagus bed is, and I dug out a num¬ 
ber of two-horse loads besides. When I 
read in The R. N.-Y. of the stump 
pullers, I think of the ones I had; 
an iron bar, shovel, hoe and a long 4x6 
timber. I worked 11 hours on an en¬ 
gine, and after supper worked until 10 
o’clock on those stumps; I did not 
have to take any quieting pills to make 
me sleep. But I was happy; wife says 
1 am always happy when my nose is in 
the dirt. 
After the house was built and we 
were settled I started on the second lot. 
I was bound to have an asparagus bed, 
but there was that ledge. I had it 
blown out in the Fall and wheeled in 
earth enough to fill the hole. In the 
Winter I started reading up on garden¬ 
ing. When I read about the plowing, 
harrowing, trenching, and the amount 
of labor necessary to make an aspara¬ 
gus bed I was discouraged. All of those 
stumps ahead of me, and only one 
pair of hands. I think many a man is 
discouraged from trying to grow this 
delicious vegetable (in the home 
garden) on account of elaborate meth¬ 
ods of starting the beds. Don’t let that 
stop you. You can grow good “grass” 
without. Professional gardeners must 
not think that I do not believe in thor¬ 
ough preparation, for I do, if I have the 
time. 
When Spring came the stumps on 
those other two lots were still there, and 
the asparagus roots came. They were 
late in coming, and I wanted to get 
them in. I took an iron bar and made 
holes in the ground. I took a stick and 
marked it so that I could tell when 
the holes were the right depth (the 
root to be three inches under ground) 
and I planted that whole bed, dropping 
a root in each hole. For 10 years we 
have had all that a family of five could 
use. I set out 150 roots. I use manure 
in the Fall one year, and not any fer¬ 
tilizer the next Spring, and the next 
Fall not any manure and in the Spring 
use'fertilizer. My bed faces the south 
on the side hill. Last Spring when I 
cut my first mess the local market man 
told me northern grass was worth 80 
•cents per bunch. High living? Well, I 
guess so. 
On the same lot I put on one side 
next to the wall 11 grapevines, 12 cur¬ 
rant bushes, 12 gooseberries and four 
rhubarb roots; on the other side of the 
lot one dozen raspberry bushes and a 
strawberry bed. On the center I set 
two apple, three pear and three plum 
trees; the front of the lot I used for 
flowers. On one corner I set a post 
five feet above ground. On top of it I 
put three wagon tires, so as to form a 
ball. On this I trained five Crimson 
Rambler rose bushes. It was estimated 
that there were 20,000 roses on it one 
year. Around this I set 14 other rose 
bushes. I set out a bed of perennials 
from the rose, bushes to the other side 
of the lot, with beds of Phlox, Japan 
Iris and an open place for annuals. 
F. P. BRIGGS. 
Porch Floor. —On page 83 I notice a re¬ 
quest for information regarding a water¬ 
tight porcli floor, overhead and with little 
travel on it. I would advise a well-laid 
floor of jointed hoards, preferably yellow 
pine, covered with canvas laid in white 
lead and well painted on top. Boat cabins 
are frequently done in this way, and I know 
of a porch in Atlantic City with consider¬ 
able travel over it and with porch chairs 
in plenty which gives full satisfaction. 
31. L. 
A HYDRANGEA WITH OVER 500 FLO'WER TRUSSES. 
Our Catalogue 
About our catalogue, Mr. Frank 
Moyers, the famous professional 
hybridizer and commercial fruit 
grower of Geneva, Ohio, writes as 
follows: 
Mr. L. J. Farmer— “I wish to 
thank you for your most excellent 
catalogue. It has a business ring 
throughout. We believe you tell 
the truth, the whole truth, and 
nothing but the truth. Our knowl¬ 
edge of berries enables us to say 
your descriptions are most true 
and accurate, without a trace of 
exaggeration; and your tone is 
born of experience among the 
fruits, and not like the man who 
writes from his office only.” 
The Plum Farmer 
Raspberry 
Yielded at the rate of 3900 quarts 
or S47I.30 to the acre. 
Road the following letter: 
North Stonington, Conn., 
March 7th, 1907. 
Friend Farmer— “I feel very 
grateful to you because you intro¬ 
duced the Plum Farmer Rasp¬ 
berry. I bought 100 of you three 
years ago and have fruited it 
twice, and have an acre of them 
to fruit this year. It is the great¬ 
est raspberrry on earth I believe, 
and I have no use for any other. 
I had the Kansas, Cumberland 
and Palmer, and have given them 
all up and shall set nothing hut 
Plum Farmer this Spring. I in¬ 
tend to set two acres of them. 
They are the best paying of any¬ 
thing in the fruit line I ever 
struck; pay me much better than 
rtrawberries. I sold, this past 
summer, from 64 square rods of 
Plum Farmer, $187.53 worth of 
fruit. They averaged me a little 
over 12c per quart.” 
Sincerely yours, 
Chas. C. Chapman. 
Chairman Board of Education 
and Trial Justice for the Town of 
North Stonington, Conn. 
The above picture :s a photograph from nature of the Norwood strawberry, originated at Norwood, 
Mass., by Mr. N. B. White, a man now 83 years of age who lias accomplished much in improving the 
grape by hybridizing, as well as in producing this great strawberry, He describes it as follows: ‘‘The 
Norwood strawberry was named and given the first prize by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society at 
the exhibition of 1906. This strawberry is supposed to be a cross between the Marshall and Corsican, as 
it came up where the Marshall had been grown and near where Corsican was grown at the same time. 
Tlie Norwood is believed to be the best all-round strawberry in existence. The plant is strong and 
healthy, making a liberal number of strong runners, but not excessive. The berry is conic and regular 
in shape, not a cockscombed berry was found this season. The quality is unsurpassed and the size un¬ 
equalled, some attaining the enormous size of three inches in diameter. Four such berries would fill a 
box and be crowded. Color, bright red all the way through, growing darker with age, is firm, a good 
keeper and will ship well. Has a perfect blossom and holds its size well through the season and remains 
in bearing a long time. Picked the first box June 18th and the last one July 18th. The largest berries 
were found in matted rows or beds, although the plants had received no extra culture.” 
We consider the Norwood, the most promising strawberry of the day and have purchased the entire 
stock, paying the most for it of any new fruit we nave ever introduced. The stock is very limited, only 
one-fortieth of an acre of plants, and those who invest now will be able to sell to others and reap great 
profits: as well as to get into this grand berry first of all and surprise their neighbor fruit growers. We 
believe it will become even more famous than Bubach, Marshall or Glen Mary, either one of which paid 
the first buyers of plants great profits. We guarantee to put up these plants so that they will arrive 
in fresh growing condition. 
THE IDAHO RED RASPBERRY (NEW). 
This variety comes to ns from Wisconsin and originally came from Idaho, where it was discovered 
growing in a garden by a brother of a leading Wisconsin fruit grower. The plant is a sturdy, stocky 
grower and branches naturally like a tree without pruning. In hardiness it is unequalled, having with¬ 
stood 30° below zero and is believed to be able to stand 40°. It produces an enormous crop of the largest 
berries, averaging one-third larger than Cutlibert or Loudon, and lasts in fruit from July untii Septem¬ 
ber. Berries sell as high as 30c per quart and average 5c per quart above all other raspberries. It is a 
true red, increasing from the roots. We have purchased the entire stock of this variety, which is very 
limited, and offer it this spring for the first time. 
No one need to fear that we will slash the price of either Idaho or Norwood for sev¬ 
eral years, as it is not our method anyway, and we believe the demand for both these new fruits will 
be enormous, soon as they are generally tested. The price will he reduced gradually as the supply of 
plants increases. ___ 
THE PLUM FARMER RASPBERRY. 
The greatest money maker of the day. Ontyields all other blacks and sells for the highest prices. 
We have grown them an inch in diameter. Mr. Chapman (see testimonial above) says they pay better 
even tlian strawberries. We never sold so many dollars worth of plants of any kind of fruit as we are 
selling of this famous variety, as high as 8.000 plants to one grower in the black cap evaporating sections. 
Last spring we sold over 200,000 plants and have fully half a million finely rooted plants to offer this 
spring at prices of ordinary raspberry plants. No fruit grower or nurseryman can afford to do with¬ 
out this grand blackcap. It was named for us (my nickname is Plum Parmer) and I stake 
my reputation upon its merits. We also offer a large stock of Outhbert and other raspberries, 
Snyder and other blackberries. Of strawberries, we offer 300.000 Oswego and large stocks of nearly 100 
other sorts. ’ 
Our general catalogue of Berry Plants, Asparagus, Grapes, Roses, etc., gives accurate descriptions as 
well as cultural directions. It is free by return mail. We are located far north, our plants do not start 
early and we can supply plants in dormant condition, long after most firms are done shipping. We 
advise early orders, but we can ship as late as June 15th. If you are inexperienced, send what cash you 
wish to invest and leave the selection of varieties to us. We filled over 25 per cent, more orders in 1907 
than the previous year. , , , . . ^ ... 
Our catalogue is free, but we have no free plants, they are too good to give away. We like to 
answer your letters. Address, 
L. J. FARMER, Box 820, [PULASKI, Oswego Co., N. Y. 
