810 
Homemade Mushroom Spawn. 
J. M. R., Monmouth Co., N. J., in¬ 
quires regarding mushroom growers 
making their own spawn. There are 
very few even of the largest who do 
so, though it would be entirely possi¬ 
ble and should be highly profitable so 
to do. A very large grower at Kennett, 
Pa., started making spawn a few years 
back, but has abandoned it entirely, I 
think, now. My first mushroom 
experience was with English 
spawn, and our crop aver¬ 
aged 1 Vz pounds per square foot of 
bed surface. The* next season the 
American pure culture spawn was 
put on the market, and the crops 
were remarkable for the first few 
years, the mushrooms being large, fine 
specimens, either white or brown as 
one preferred. Some idea of the value 
of this first American spawn may be 
gained by the fact that the season we 
had a small lot in a cellar that caused 
us $60 expense, and returned us over 
$600 in mushroom sales. About the 
third season of American spawn the 
crops began to dwindle, and eventually 
we could not get enough mushrooms to 
pay cost of spawn. Inquiry showed the 
majority of growers having same re¬ 
sults, and further inquiry showed the 
spawn manufacturer at fault. 
The pure culture spawn is made by 
taking selected mushrooms, that are 
just opening flat, and placing portions 
of same in jars of carefully sterilized 
horse manure, or other medium, that 
will cause the spores to germinate. In 
a, short time the mycelium fills the jars 
entirely. The material of which the 
bricks are composed is prepared before¬ 
hand, the bricks being formed and part¬ 
ly dried, then each brick has a small 
quantity of the mycelium from jars 
pressed into it near each end; they are 
then allowed to remain in piles till 
properly inoculated. This process 
gave us our large crops of mushrooms; 
then the demand for spawn increasing 
at a rapid rate, the manufacturer sought 
to supply the demand, and instead of 
direct inoculation, they prepared a 
large pile of brick compost and inocu¬ 
lated the pile with direct inoculated 
bricks and let it go at that. When com¬ 
plaints became too strong they again 
began making the direct inoculated 
brick, and sold it at a higher figure 
than the ordinary. On account of the 
uncertainty of the business, and the 
disagreeable nature of the work, we 
have abandoned mushroom growing, 
though each season I visit a number of 
successful growers. Last season the 
crops were heavy generally and prices 
ruled very low in the earlier part of 
the season, though later they were fair. 
Recently at Kennett Square, Pa., I have 
seen some houses producing remark¬ 
able crops, and bringing fair prices. 
ELMER J. WEAVER. 
Lancaster Co., Pa. 
Big “ Little Things ” in Spraying. 
Pump Fixtures. —There are two essen¬ 
tials in thorough spraying, a good pump 
In proper order, and proper handling of the 
spray rod. The plunger packing and the 
cylinder are subject to considerable wear, 
especially when Bordeaux mixture or other 
spray in which lime forms a part is used. 
The grit in the lime rapidly cuts away 
these parts, and it is necessary to keep the 
plunger packed sufficiently tight to prevent 
leaking in order to maintain a good pres¬ 
sure. There is a line of pumps on the mar¬ 
ket now with two upright cylinders and 
solid plungers working in them. Collars 
are fitted around these plungers and screw 
Into the tops of the cylinders. The pack¬ 
ing is placed under these collars, and a turn 
or two as often as needed will keep the 
packing tight. These pumps have two ad¬ 
vantages, a slight leak can. readily be seen, 
and the packing is easily tightened or re¬ 
newed. There is a great deal of poor 
spraying done because the plunger Is 
allowed to work loosely In the cylinder, 
and the liquid rushes back and forth past 
the plunger, and little pressure is kept up. 
Few orchardists now think of spraying 
with less than 80 pounds as shown by the 
pressure gauge, and some are claiming that 
200 pounds are needed. 
Use the Bod. —It goes without saying 
that a proper application cannot be made 
unless the spray rod is properly handled. 
Yet few people seem to have the slightest 
idea of system in doing this work. The 
application is made from one position on 
either side of the tree, the operator swing¬ 
ing the nozzles over the tree a few times 
at random, criss-cross, hither and thither, 
every which way, without either plan or 
method. If the tree is a large one a very 
fair job may be done on that part of the 
tree directly in front of the operator, but 
on either side little or no fluid will be put 
THE RURAL 
on. A boy started in to plow a field with 
oxen, and when the team went contrary to 
his commands he told them to go where 
they pleased, the field all had to be plowed 
anyway. This is about the system com¬ 
monly employed in spraying. We try to 
school our men to use the same careful 
system in spraying the trees as in plowing. 
We use good extension rods, usually eight 
feet long, seldom longer. The shutoffs and 
hose connections are all kept tight. A 
constant leak from any of these joints is 
an abomination and a waste. Men do not 
like to be perpetually soaked with the 
spray liquid, and it is wholly unnecessary. 
We use a cluster of nozzles so that the 
liquid may be delivered as rapidly as it can 
be economically spread. It is poor economy 
to use a single small nozzle that must be 
pointed at a given place a considerable 
length of time before the surface is wet. 
Applying the Spray. —In applying the 
spray the operator takes a position as near 
the tree as the work can be conveniently 
done, and begins at one side, moving the 
rod up and down, advancing across the tree 
just as one furrow is laid against another 
in plowing. The nozzles are passed along 
just fast enough so that the spray begins 
to drip from the tree. The operator will 
soon learn this motion. It is most im¬ 
portant to observe this rule and see that 
all parts of the tree presented are com¬ 
pletely wet. Some men give this rule a 
liberal interpretation, and spray until the 
liquid is running off in a shower. This is 
a wasteful process, and is not so effective as 
when the application ceases as soon as the 
tree is simply wet. The little solid par¬ 
ticles of poison, like Paris green or arsenate 
of lead, being heavier than water, settle in 
the drops as they gather and are washed 
away instead of remaining evenly spread 
over the surface, as is the case when just 
enough is put on. 
From Four Directions. —Then it is not 
enough to presume to spray any but the 
very smallest trees from but two positions, 
one on either side. Suppose a man stands 
directly west from a tree and tries to spray 
it in the systematic manner described. The 
part to his right he has sprayed from the 
north-west, and that to his left from the 
south-west. As soon as the wind changes 
he sprays from the east in a similar way, 
and the result is that the north and south 
sides of that tree have neither of them 
had a direct application, both having been 
sprayed from a diagonal direction. Just 
let a man watch such an operation (as I 
sometimes have occasion to) and he will 
NEW-YORKER 
soon discover how far such an attempt falls 
short of being a complete job. We have to 
insist on the spray being applied from at 
least four directions. As the rig is driven 
between the rows it must stop before it 
comes directly opposite the tree and give a 
thorough application to every part of the 
tree presented from that quarter. Then in 
very large trees it is sometimes necessary 
to stop directly opposite and spray again. 
Another crop must be made from the quar¬ 
ter as the wagon recedes. Only by spray¬ 
ing from all sides and in a systematic man¬ 
ner every time can an even covering be 
spread over the trees. And even this is 
not always sufficient. When the trees arc 
large and in full foliage it becomes neces¬ 
sary to place a man on the ground with a 1 
long hose and good carrying nozzles and ! 
spray the inside of the trees equally thor¬ 
oughly. EDWARD HUTCHINS. 
Allegan Co., Mich. 
A Friend of the Starling. 
The behavior of the European starling, as 
described by C. L. Mann on page 155, is 
so different altogether from that of the 
starling in Switzerland that it is almost im¬ 
possible to believe the story told about him. 
I remember when a boy, a few starlings 
were turned loose in the Swiss village I 
lived in. I remember folks telling that in 
all the country villages starlings would be 
turned loose, because of their habit of de¬ 
stroying insects, worms and vermin of every 
description. It is now 45 years since, and 
last year, being there on a visit, I naturally 
wanted to find out something about the 
much-loved starling. While they have mul¬ 
tiplied some, they are not nearly as numer¬ 
ous as the people would like to have them. 
In conversation with a fruit grower there 
I learned that the starling is all that has j 
been said in his praise, and to prove that i 
he believed the birds to be a great insect | 
enemy he has erected in his vineyard and 1 
orchards many starling houses. Only last 
Spring, while I was there, he had 70 more 
erected, each house for four families, at a 
cost of $5 each ; they were well built, strong 
and neat, and set up on iron poles. This 
man has lived in Egypt for over 20 years, 
traveled in other parts of Africa frequently, 
and knows the starling well. In his fruit 
plantation in Egypt he said he had many 
of the best fruits and they were protected 
by the starling. It seems very strange that 
this bird should be such a nuisance in one 
place and such a benefactor in another. 
Ohio. J. H. BOLLINGER. 
March 9, 
You Know 
What You Are Getting 
When You Buy 
EBLANpLme 
as it is sold under a Guaran¬ 
teed analysis. Every bag has 
attached to it a tag stating 
this guaranteed analysis. Any¬ 
one planning the use of lime 
this year will find it to their 
advantage to secure a copy of 
our free illustrated booklet. 
TVrite today 
to our nearest office. 
Rockland & Rockport Lime Co. 
Rockland, Me. 
Boston, 45 Milk St.; New York, Fifth Ave. Bldg. 
Inoculated Alfalfa Soil 
75c. per 100, or $10.00 per ton, f. o. b. cars Ashvllle, 
Pa. Bend for free booklet. “How to Grow Al¬ 
falfa." DR. H. BOMKRVHiIilS, Chest Springs, Pa. 
CLOVER a "d TIMOTHY I 7 u 5 s°h p I? 
Cheapest and Best Seeding Known, 
Alsike, Clover and Timothy mixed. Fully one-third Al¬ 
sike, a great bargain. Moot wonderful hay and pasture 
combination that grows. Write for FREE SAMPLE and 
our large 76-page catalog describing this wonderful grass 
mixture and be convinced. Far ahead of anything you 
can sow and ridiculously cheao* Write before advance. 
A. A. BERRY SEED CO., Bo>5G0 CLARINDA. IOWA* 
K 
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-Wmm 
fr.Uv 
lyo. 
nv'T-* 
_ 
Here is a book that’s different from any other in 
the world—the first real “book” ever gotten out by 
a Seed House. It isn’t a pamphlet or catalog—not a 
word of selling talk in it. It is a 100-page volume of 
Successful Gardening Experience written by nearly 
a thousand of the Gardeners themselves. 
Haven’t you wondered lots of times how these 
successful gardeners do so well and 
make so much money? Well, here is a book that gives the 
inside story of hundreds of successful gardens. Tells how the gardeners 
made big crops and big money last summer in spite of the dry 
weather. It gives the true stories of the winners in my garden contest 
of last summer told by the people themselves in their own words and 
in their own way—real heart to heart talks with live wires^ illustrat¬ 
ed with nearly 100 pictures of the prize gardens and products. 
This was the most interesting lot of letters I ever read and they 
make the most VALUABLE BOOK. There isn’t another like it 
in the world—a solid book of Experience and inside 
Money=Making Gardening Secrets 
It ought to sell for $10.00 and I honestly 
believe it is worth $100 to anybody with a 
garden—especially anybody who wants to make 
his garden pay. You can learn more by read¬ 
ing these letters than by reading all the textbooks in crea¬ 
tion. I am an old hand at gardening and I learned lots 
from these people myself. 
I am giving this great book FREE TO MY 
CUSTOMERS, with every order of $2.00 or 
more. If you have already bought that much this year 
rif you bought $1.00 worth last year just write in for 
a copy. To others the price is 25c which will be 
refunded on your first seed order. 
MY 1912 CATALOG 
Have you had my new catalog yet? It’s 
really worth reading, andif you haven’t had 
it, you have missed something. 
It’s entirely different from any seed cata¬ 
log you ever saw. Some people call it a 
Garden Manual. It’s pretty near a text book 
on gardens. 
It’s free for the asking, and I want you to 
have a copy. Ask for it. There is one 
waiting for you. 
If you have any troubles in the gardening 
line, write and tell me aboutthemand I will 
try to help you out. Address me personally. 
There is a copy here for you and I want you to have it. 
send it. 
Shall I 
'm 
HENRY FIE,LD 
Seedsman and Gardener 
SHENANDOAH. IOWA 
i 
SOME OF 
THE THINGS 
THIS BOOK 
TELLS 
How to keep 
worms and lice 
off the cabbage. 
How to grow 
tomatoes in dry 
weather. 
How to keep 
flea beetles and 
striped bugs off 
cucumbers and 
melons. 
How a profita¬ 
ble garden was 
grown in the 
Sandhills. 
How a Penn, 
girl made $6.50 
off a little bed of 
flowers. 
What garden 
crops pay best 
and why. 
How a Minn, 
man made $450 
per acreon onions 
How hundreds 
of people made 
money gardening 
in a dry year. 
•fflV. 
I 
40$ 
>*&**«£ 
HENRY FIELD SEED CO., 8 h.n. B »°d Jt .S i W 
Enclosed find 25c (stamps or silver.) Mail me at once “ The 
Book of a Thousand Gardens ” with the understanding that 
the 25c paid will be refunded on my first order for seeds. 
Ttail ........... M..I..I.H. ..•••••»••«• ............ P. O . ............ Ml . . 
Do you want my seed catalog? . State .. 
The Catalog is free. If you want it only cross out the upper part of coupon. 
ivm 
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THTrjresr&y rmBU>£E£P co 
