1012. 
THE RURAt NEW-YORKER 
123 
Stayman a Good Maryland Apple. 
In regard to the apple known as Stay- 
man’s Winesap, and more correctly 
called “Stayman,” which has been under 
discussion by growers from New Jersey 
and New York, I do not think it amiss 
to give a Marylander’s experience with 
this apple. Our orchards are situated in 
Harford Co., Md., against the Mason 
and Dixon's Line, on a loam soil under¬ 
laid with clay. We have out 2,500 trees, 
all of which are not in bearing. They 
consist of Stayman, Paragon, York, De¬ 
licious, Jonathan and some Rome Beau¬ 
ty. In defence of the Stayman I would 
say it is our greatest money-maker, and 
in our last planting of 12 acres, all per¬ 
manent trees were Stayman. We find 
the fruit stick on the trees freely as 
well as other varieties, and are not sub¬ 
ject to cracks or skin defects; in fact, 
our last year’s crop graded 95 per cent 
perfect fruit. They are there with the 
size, too, many of them grading over 
four inches. Some have trouble getting 
them to color red enough; this seems to 
be the one objection to this apple, and 
by proper initial selection of trees and 
subsequent treatment this can to a great 
measure be overcome. h. c. w. 
Whiteford, Md. 
AN ASTER SEED-FARM. 
About 10 years ago IT. B. Williams com¬ 
menced growing Asters for seed at bis home 
in Onondaga County. N. Y. He had long 
been an admirer of this variety of flowers 
and as an amateur he had given much at¬ 
tention to its cultivation and improvement. 
Gradually he engaged in growing it for 
seed, and as the excellence of his flowers 
was widely known, he had no difllcultv in 
finding a market for his products. From 
small beginnings his business has rapidly 
increased, and he is now the largest ex¬ 
clusive grower of Asters for seed east of 
the Rocky Mountains, and it is believed 
that with one exception he is the largest 
in the United States. This is a unique line 
of farming but as the Aster is a flower in 
which a great many farmers, and prac¬ 
tically all farmers' wives, are interested, a 
brief description of how it is grown for 
seed on the farm at Baldwinsville may 
please a good many members of Tiie R. N.- 
Y. family. 
The Son, axd Its Preparation.— The 
soil on which the Asters are grown is a 
very good and moderately dry loam. It 
does not differ in any way from the fields 
in the vicinity which are given to the pro¬ 
duction of the ordinary farm and garden 
crops. It is reasonably free from stones 
and is easily worked. It is well located 
and a fair market price would be about 
S200 per acre, it is plowed early in the 
Spring, about eight inches deep,' and is 
then rolled and harrowed until the surface 
soil is fine and mellow. Asters are never 
grown more than two years in succession 
on tiie same land, and great care is taken 
to give the crop which immediately precedes 
them clean cultivation. 
Enriching the Land. —In growing As¬ 
ters for seed it is Important to have the 
land in a good state of fertility. On this 
farm barnyard manure is used each year 
at the rate of 20 loads per acre. lit is 
spread on the surface in the Fall and is 
plowed under in the Spring. In addition 
to this, fertilizers of various kinds are used. 
No special brand is bought but with the 
exception of such as are applied separatelv 
the materials are mixed on the farm. Fish, 
ground bone, lime and wood ashes are the 
principal substances used. They are liked 
because of the comparative ease with which 
they can be applied, and their freedom from 
the seeds of foul plants, as well as for their 
prompt and efficient action. Materials rich 
In phosphoric acid and potash do not in¬ 
duce as heavy a growth of stalks and leaves 
ns do those with a large percentage of 
nitrogen, but they insure the production of 
larger and finer flowers and greatly increase 
the quantity and hasten the maturity of 
the seed. 
Starting and Setting the Plants. —The 
plants are started in a cold frame covered 
with cheesecloth. It requires 10.000 yards 
to cover the beds, and the cloth lasts only 
two years. The seed is sown with a ma¬ 
chine in rows about one foot apart, and 
thickly enough to give two plants to each 
inch of row. The sowing is done about 
the 15th of April and the small plants are 
given air and water as they need, and arc 
kept free from weeds. When the plants 
are about six inches high and the ground 
is in good condition to work, which in an 
average season is not later than the 10th 
of June, they are removed to the field. 
The rows, which in some of the fields are 
50 rods in length, are marked 32 inches 
apart with a plow. The plants are set 
with a transplanter, 12 inches apart in the 
row. They bear removal very well and 
unless the weather is quite unfavorable only 
a few are lost. At the distances named 
some 15,000 plants are required for an 
acre. 
Cultivation. —The Aster is a pretty 
hardy plant, Imt to insure its perfect de¬ 
velopment and keep it at its best until the 
close of the season it needs careful culti¬ 
vation. Weeds must be kept down, and in 
a dry time the surface of the ground must 
be frequently stirred to conserve moisture. 
Six men are employed, and cultivation by 
horse power, hand hoeing, and wooding is 
kept up throughout the growing season. 
Rogues.” as plants which do not produce 
flowers that conform to the type of the 
varieties which they represent are called, 
sometimes appear. When found, even 
though they may be pretty, they are treated 
as weeds. No imperfect flowers, as respects 
either form or color, are allowed to ripen 
R ° .• a rosult of patient selection and 
careful breeding of tiie seed stock for a 
long period, the plants bear their flowers 
on long stems and are practically free from 
laterals. 
* 
Varieties.— Forty-nine varieties of As¬ 
ters are grown on this farm. They fully 
represent the very highest types of this 
flower which have been produced in this 
country or abroad. No inferior kinds are 
grown. The number of distinctly marked 
colors of the flowers is 11, but each color 
has a large number of more or less definite 
shades. Carlson Gem. Invincible, and sev¬ 
eral of the Semple and Vick varieties are 
among the leading kinds; and white, shell 
pink, rose pink, lavender and purple are 
the most popular colors. In order to keep 
them from mixing the varieties are sep¬ 
arated by spaces which are six feet wide 
and in which corn is closely planted. The 
different varieties vary greatly in the size 
of the plants, and in the size and form as 
well as in color and in the number of the 
flowers which they produce. Some sorts 
form small and compact heads, while others 
give open flowers which are from five to 
seven inches in diameter and closely re¬ 
semble Chrysanthemums. Some are shy 
and others are very free bloomers. Well 
branched plants of the most prolific sorts 
usually produce 15 or 20 flowers each, and 
a few plants will give several times as 
many. The seed of the different varieties 
has nearly the same form, and no one can 
tell from its appearance .just what sort it 
will produce. The only point that can be 
settled in this way is that plants from the 
darkest colored seed will give the darkest 
colored flowers. 
Harvesting and Curing the Seed.— 
Plants of the early varieties begin to bloom 
by the middle of August and the later ones 
early in September. They continue in bloom 
until frost. The seed gets ripe enough to 
gather from the middle of September to the 
middle of October, according to the variety. 
As the seed ripens the flowers fade and 
turn brown and the stems undergo a marked 
change in color and in general appearance. 
At harvest time some 40 or 50 women are 
employed. They break the flowers from 
the stems and put them in large tin pails, 
which, when filled, are emptied into sacks. 
These are taken to a storehouse where the 
heads are dried slowly in a kiln which* is 
heated by a furnace in which coal is 
burned. The kiln is kept at a temperature 
of about 05 degrees for 96 hours. The 
heads are then thrashed with a machine 
which is driven by electricity. This thrasher 
was invented by Mr. Williams. It Is the 
only one that has been made and the only 
power machine that has proved successful. 
The seed is winnowed to free it from chaff 
and imperfect specimens and is then put 
into sacks. The yield varies greatly with 
the variety and the season. Sometimes it 
falls as low as. from three to five pounds 
per acre—at others it reaches 40 or 50 
pounds. For some varieties 10 pounds per 
acre is a good crop. After the seed has 
been gathered the plants are pulled or cut 
but they are left on the ground to be 
turned under at its next plowing. 
What Becomes of the Seed.—A little 
seed is used on the farm to grow plants for 
sale and to provide stock for the home 
fields. There is a considerable local trade 
and an extensive mail order business in 
plants—some 250.000 being sold every 
Spring. But the great bulk of the seed is 
sold to the leading seedsmen in the East. 
They buy this seed because it is grown 
under favorable conditions of soil and cli¬ 
mate, by a specialist who has given many 
years of study and effort to the cultiva¬ 
tion and improvement of the Aster, which 
he grows to the (-Elusion of everything 
else, and because they know that it is of 
the best quality that can be produced. 
J. B. R. 
When you write advertisers mention The 
R. N.-Y. and you’ll get a quick reply and a 
“square deal.” See guarantee editorial page. 
GRAND TO LIVE 
And the Last Laugh Is Always the Best. 
“Six months ago I would have laughed 
at the idea that there could he anything 
better for a table beverage than coffee,” 
writes an Ohio woman, “now I laugh 
to know there is. 
“Since childhood I drank coffee freely 
as did the other members of the family. 
The result was a puny, sickly girl; and 
as I grew into womanhood f did not 
gain in health, but was afflicted with 
heart trouble, a weak and disordered 
stomach, wrecked nerves and a general 
breaking down, till last winter, at the 
age of 38, I seemed to he on the verge 
of consumption. 
“My friends greeted me with ‘How 
bad you look! What a terrible color!’ 
and this was not very comforting. 
“The doctors and patent medicines did 
me absolutely no good. I was thorough¬ 
ly discouraged. 
“Then T gave up coffee and com¬ 
menced Postum. At first I didn’t like 
it, but after a few trials and following 
the directions exactly, it was grand. It 
was refreshing and satisfying. In a 
couple of weeks I noticed a great change. 
“I became stronger, mv brain grew 
clearer, I was not troubled with for¬ 
getfulness as in coffee times, my power 
of endurance was more than doubled. 
“The heart trouble and indigestion dis¬ 
appeared and my nerves became steady 
and strong. 
“I began to take an interest in things 
about me. Housework and home-mak¬ 
ing became a pleasure. My friends 
have marveled at the change and when 
they enquire what brought it about I 
answer ‘Postum, and nothing else in the 
world.’” Name given by Postum Co., 
Battle Creek, Mich. 
Read the little book, “The Road to 
Wellville,” in pkgs. “There’s a reason.” 
Ever read the above letter ? A new one 
appears from time to time. They are genu¬ 
ine, tr le, and full of human interest. 
Planet Jr 
means on a farm or garden tool the world over that it is the latest-improved, 
lightest, strongest, most useful and economical tool of its kind. With 
Planet Jrs come 
Less work—bigger crops—more money 
They make you independent of slipshod help and give you time for rest and enjoy¬ 
ment besides. 55 Tools; guaranteed. Designed by a practical farmer; used throughout the 
world. 
xi„ je I Planet Jr Combined Hill and Drill Seeder, Double Wheel 
INO ‘- a l Hoe, Cultivator and “ 
PI ow lias automatic feed-stopping device, valuable 
seeder index and complete set of cultivator attachments. Indestructible steel 
frame. 
I xt 0 a I Planet Jr Horse Hoe and Cultivator is a wonder 
* I of scientific tool-making. Does more different kinds of 
work, better than any other cultivator. Plows to and from row, hills, 
furrows, etc. 
FPFP Y ^ 64=page illustrated 
A • farm and garden book! 
Keep up to date! Learn the latest and most valuable 
- - farm and garden information by sending for 
this Planet Jr book. It describes also 55 tools 
.{or all uses. Write postal for it today 1 
S L Allen <5 Co 
Box 1107V Philadelphia Pa 
Gaboon Seed Sower\ 
“World’s standard broadcast sower for all kinds of 
grain and grass seed. Used instead of expensive 
drills. Saves money and time—increases profits. 
Made of steel, iron and brass. Lasts a lifetime. 
Pays for itself—one season. Price $4.00 prepaid 
east of Rockies—possibly less at your dealer's.” 
GOODELL CO*, 14 Main st. p Antrim, ISI.H. 
^ • ’.n,. ' . 
Make your Own 
Lumber. Don't Buy It 
i ifijjjMfj'ij.* 11 j \’ i 
This portable machine 
cuts 2,500 feet per day 
with 0 Il.P. 
AMERICAN SAW MILL MACHINERY CO. 
I '”. 1 Hope Stroot, Hackettstown. H. J. 
l. r ,82 Tfnnln&lBltlg.,N.Y, Chicago, tUYMi&&h f ft«w0il6t£d 
Why 
buy lumber for 
your farm when the 
price of one carload will 
pay for an "American” Saw 
Mill with which you can cut 
a carload a day from your own 
grove? lie independent; increase 
your farm income. Make your 
own lumber; use what you need 
— sell what is left. And saw 
your neighbor’s timber for him, 
too, at good profit. “Mak¬ 
ing Money Off the Wood Lot” 
is a book which tells the 
whole story. Let us send 
you a copy. Write 
to our nearest 
office. 
“This Car-And My 13-Year Old Boy 
Y OU do not require an engineering education in order to operate the 
Abbott-Detroit, because it is so simple in construction that your wife, 
daughter or young son can drive it at will with the absolute knowledge 
that the car is running perfectly. 
President Lawrence E. Smith of the Smith-Grieves Typesetting 
Company of Kansas City, Mo., whose Abbott-Detroit has covered 6,000 miles, 
writes: "This car has been driven exclusively by the writer and my thirteen year 
old boy. The engine is working perfectly and! has more power today than when 
I first began driving it. The fact of the matter is, the more you run the engine 
the better it seems to work." If you are in the market for a new car, you owe it 
to yourself to read the score of letters we have just issued in booklet form—letters 
written by representative men who own and drive Abbott-Detroit cars. 
“The Car With a Pedigree” 
Built for Permanence 
When you consider, criticize and compare the standard 1912 Abbott-Detroit 
with other cars selling at or near the Abbott-Detroit price, reflect what it means 
to your best interests to own a car that is not only pleasing to the eye, comfort¬ 
able to ride in, and built by a reputable firm, but embodying the ideal design, 
features and standard gasoline engine principles that have made possible the 
100,000 mile trip of the Abbott-Detroit "Bull Dog"—the stock car that has 
covered 40,000 miles to date of the roughest roads in the United States. 
3 Free Books 
•^? Ur Letters, our Story of the Bull Dog * and our Reference Catalog 
will be mailed free to any address upon request. The Abbott-Detroit Reference 
Catalog is an excellent prompt book and reminder of what constitutes standard 
construction. Write today for these 3 free books. 
627 Waterloo Street 
DETROIT, MICH. 
"Abbott Motor Company 
