342 
TShe RURAL NEW-YORKER 
March 2, 1918 
l^OfiOoFawmssOaitGuesshf^ 
Wbea Tb<^Paid OurDedb^s 
$10.000.000i 
fof‘S”E 4 BM 131 GQlES^ 
\ 
150,000 
Farmers 
Chose 
These 
“Z” Engine 
FEATURES: 
1 . 
Fairbanks - Morse 
QUALITY. 
2. Economical in first 
and fuel cost, and 
low up-keep. 
3. Simplicity and 
staunch durability. 
4. Light weight, sub¬ 
stantial, fool proof. 
5. Gun Barrel Cylin¬ 
der Bore. 
6. Leak - proof Com¬ 
pression. 
7. Complete with 
Built-in Mag¬ 
neto. 
8. More than 
Rated 
Power. 
-‘I 
Economy and efficiency, with “more 
than rated power” in an engine is the 
war-time-demand of farmers of America. 
They have “quit guessing”—.they demand 
action, proof-performance on their kind of work. 
So 150,000 leading owners have backed their 
judgment on the FAIRBANKS-MORSE “Z” 
Engine with $10,000,000. 
^ «» 
That’s a lot of engines bought for reasons 
you’ll find are wise ones. 
6 H.P. 
Uses Economicai 
KEROSENE 
/&fso Distillate, Coal Oil 
__ Tops or Gasoline 
Kerosene, easy to get, at half gasoline costs, does the work 
in a “Z” with wore than rated power. FAIRBANKS MORSE eriKine 
designers saw this war-demand coming, and built Z ■ 
the farmers’ needs. The farmers know it now—over mWO strong. 
Will you too investigate? Compare. Figure out the r ACTS betore 
you buy ANY Engine. Alright—vie know the result, because— 
You Also Get This Local Dealer Service 
Go to the Fairbanks-Morse Dealer. He is in position to render you 
prompt and personal service. He has exactly the Z for your 
NEEDS in stock and can^Jt. make quick delivery. See it m 
operation on his floor. 
ENGINE 
$ 89 ^i 
, 6 H.P. $15622 
Both With ThroWinq 
m ^ Governor ' 
' J'z H.R (Citohnt) ^4B~ 
r ... , ^/(ids 
magntto 
The 3 and 6 H. P. aJaea ara built to 
tise kerosene,distillate, stove oil, tops 
or gasoline. The H. P. size uses 
gasoline only. 
ALWAYS HANDY ON THE EARK4 
,() aiifl Holts and make the Pr.'tL'voiirselt , \Vrite~ 
for full iiifoi iTTiTtion. We deliver anywhere io ihe r. .S, 
HUSSEY PLOW CO., Box R North Berwick, Maine* 
The use of collar pads is humane. Again, 
your horses will do more work if properly 
protected by the right kind of pad. 
TAPATCO is the right kind. 
A NEW AND BETTER 
HOOK ATTACHMENT 
Consisting of wire staple, reinforced 
with felt washer (note where arrows 
point). This gives the hooks a better 
hold and prevents pulling off. The 
weakest point is made strong and life 
of pad greatly lengthened. 
Found Only on Pads Made by Us. 
Look For The Felt Washer. 
SOLD BY DEALERS EVERYWHERE 
The American Pad & Textile Company 
GREENFIELD, OHIO 
Canadian Branch: Chatham, Ontario. 
w 
( 2 ) 
Patlnll.S.D8C.l, 
Pat. Id CaB. Apr. 6.1 
Mushrooms for Every Home 
Part I. 
No Trade Secrets. —^lushroom grow¬ 
ing is very profitable for many commercial 
growers, but because this crop grows best 
in darkness, in an even temperature ami 
with a moisture-laden atmosphere, these 
growers dislike to have visitors running 
in and out of their mushroom cellars dis¬ 
turbing these favorable conditions. Con¬ 
sequently, the general jniblic has devel¬ 
oped the feeling that there are a great 
many secrets about the growing of mush¬ 
rooms which are known only to the pro¬ 
fessionals. Such, however, is not so; any¬ 
one can grow tlieir own supply of mush¬ 
rooms at home, if they have a cellar un¬ 
der any of their buildings—a cave, shed, 
barn or a greenhouse, where a fairly con¬ 
stant temperature of 55 degrees to 00 de¬ 
grees Fahrenheit can be maintained. Of 
course, a beginner should start on a very 
small scale, until he develops the knack, 
skill and experience so necessary in any 
larg(‘r endeavor. 
I.ocATio.N.—The first thing to consider 
for the growing <'f mushrooms is a proper- 
place, where temireranire and humidity 
can he controlled. Tlic atmositbere and 
the mushroom he<1s must be reasonably 
moist, and a gradual change of air is 
uocess-ary to prevent a musty condition, 
which would be fnvorahh' for the develop¬ 
ment of decay, plant di.seascs and insects. 
Wiimi the location is decided upon dark- 
ni'ss must be provided by covering the 
windows or by hanging curtains, if the 
crop is to be produced under greenhouse 
benches. 
St’itabee Compost. —Nearly a mouth 
before the beds are to be made nj), a 
quantity of fresh, strawy horse stable 
manure must be obtained. Be very sure 
A Clump of Cultivated Mu.shrooms 
that the stableman has not treated the 
maniii'e with ca.-holic acid, or otlier in- 
jiu-ioi.s disiiif(>ct-iiits wliich might he 
harmful to the crop. Stack the mauure 
iu a compact pile tlircc feet high for 
tlirci* or four days. It will (piickly heat 
ui». and should then he forked over into 
another compact pile, working the outs-ide 
of the old pile into the inside of the 
newly forming pile, if at any time the 
heating has caused the manure or com¬ 
post to dry out, enough water should he 
added to it so that it will be moist, but 
not wet. This hastens bacterial action of 
the right kind, resulting in gradual heat¬ 
ing and rapid decomposition. After the 
first turning, the material will need to be 
worked over once a week for three or four 
weeks. At the cud of that time the pile 
will be about half as bulky as it formerly 
was. The yellow, strawy, offensive ma¬ 
uure will have chahged to a brown, fiue- 
textured compost, with an agreeable smell. 
The material is then ready to he placed 
in the mushroom beds. 
The Beds.—B efore the preparation of 
the compost is completed the beds should 
be made ready to receive it. Ground 
beds are the most popular. These are 
usually made by turning planks on their 
edges around a given space not more than 
six feet wide. Commercial growers fre¬ 
quently arrange tiers or benches, two or 
three feet high and three feet wide, around 
the sides of their mushroom cellar, and 
the beds through the center of the house 
are also placed rwo or three high and 
six feet wide, wirli paths on each side. 
This makes it easy to reach the mu.sli/ 
rooms when gathering them, .and nothing 
must interfere wig’ll the easiest way of 
bringing iu or taking out of the compost, 
as this is the big labor problem. When 
the beds or benches are pri'pared tiie com- 
po.st is spread in them. It is applied per¬ 
fectly even, and is con.stantly patted 
down with the back of a fork or a rake 
so that when the h'^ds settle the.v will re¬ 
main perfectly level on the surface. This 
compost is made eight or 10 inches deep, 
and rTuring the first week it will heat up 
somewhat as it pas.ses through its last 
active stage of decomposition. After the 
heat hdfi siihshled the beds are ready to 
he spawned. 
The Spawn.—A ll the leading seed 
houses carry a good supply of spawn in 
stock. Formerly this spawn was pro¬ 
duced exclusively across the water, hut 
now American spawn is superior to all 
others. It is pui-chased in brick form. 
These bricks vary in size, ‘hut usually 
four bricks will plant 30 square feet and 
seven bricks weigh about ten pounds 
This sjiawn is broken nj) into jiieces about 
two inches in iill dimensions. The pieces 
are inserted one incli deep into the com 
post and one foot apart each way. There¬ 
after darkness is maintained and a tem¬ 
perature of 55 t) 00 degrees Fahrenheit 
is most desirable. A moisture-laden at¬ 
mosphere is provided by spraying a fine 
mist onto the walls, walks and compo.st. 
In about 10 day^ white thrt'ads of the 
spawn will appea'" on the surface around 
each piece of spawn. If there are spots 
where no threads appear, examine the 
spawn, and. if necessary, rejdace it with 
new material. Then spread a layer of 
fine garden loam one inch thick over the 
entire bed. This should be watered with 
a very fine spray to establish a damp, 
compact yet mellow sin-raoe. The impor¬ 
tance of moisture iu the air cannot be 
overemphasized. 
Harvesting the Crop.— In less than 
two months after spawning, mushrooms 
should he ready to harvest. The size at 
which they are to be picked will depend 
somewhat upon the purpose for which 
they are to he used. T’sually they are 
picked just when the veil of the cap has 
begun to break from the stem. A twist¬ 
ing motion of the wrist is used when 
picking, so that the renmining spawn will 
not be injured. If a hole is made in the 
thin covering of soil, when removing a 
mushroom, it should lx* fillt-d with fri^sh 
loam to lu-otect ihe clusters of buds just, 
below. The picking is done every day or 
two. so as to get the mushrooms when 
they are at their best. Tlie hearing .sea¬ 
son should cont’une for two or three 
months. The yields are usually from one 
half to two pounds to a square foot for. 
the season, with the average at about one 
pound for the entire heai-ing season 
When the growing cro]) is exhausted the 
old compost makes a most excellent ma¬ 
terial to enrich greenhouse or garden 
soils. Fvery hit of dirt and compost u.sed 
in the i)i-oductioii (.f a crop .should he re- 
movt'd before pi-epai-ntions are begun for 
the next crop. This will aid wonderfully 
in Iielping to avoid trouble from insect 
pests and jdant .lisea.ses. Furthermore, 
the entire interior should he sprayed with 
a disinfectant. Thus the beds may he 
left until new compost is to he put in for 
another planting. It is a well-known fact 
that mushrooms are enjoyed most during 
the AVinter when fresh vegetables and 
other delicacies are hard to obtain. Be¬ 
sides that, the beginner especially should 
be informed that the temperature of the 
house is easier to control during the Win¬ 
ter time, insects are very much less likely 
to be bothersome, and the old compost will 
be most useful for the garden iu early 
Spring. K. w. de baux. 
