64 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Jan. 15 



least so far as I know, made no protest against 

 it. Let me say to friend Landrum and oth- 

 ers, there are at least two great obstacles in 

 the way of the Ocala tract being as good as 

 Manatee Co. for celerj^, lettuce, etc. Frosts 

 are very much worse in the north and there 

 are no artesian wells in that region. 



A "KNOCK" IS A "HOLD-UP." 



Last spring one of our readers became interested in 

 the St. John's Development Company, which operated 

 in Florida lands. After an investigation we became 

 convinced that the land was such that it would not 

 make a good investment. We wrote our friend to this 

 effect, and he seems to have turned the letter over to 

 the operating company. It was effective at least. The 

 following is an extract from the letter he received in 

 reply: 



We are in receipt of your favor with the letter from the 

 Rural yew- Yiirker attached, and we note what they say in re- 

 gard to our lands in Florida. We did fruarantee to return 

 money to customers who were not satisfied after making an 

 Investigation ; but we believe that, in fairness to all, an inves- 

 tigation would be a little fairer than writing to a personal 

 friend in New York State, who has not seen the land, probably 

 has never been in Florida, and who runs a cheap magazine 

 that is practically unknown. If we had been using the col- 

 umns of this magazine, they, no doubt, would have said glow- 

 ing things about our property, and we consider this '• knock "' 

 nothing more than a liold-up. We shall be only to glad to re- 

 fund mone.v to any one who is willing to take the word of any 

 one so little A-Him-ii. and who has no right to speak authori- 

 tatively on this subject. 



It is too bad about this " cheap magazine " which is 

 " so little known." The writer owns a piece of land 

 in Florida directly across the lake from "St. John's 

 Park." All along the shore are deserted houses and 

 ruins of orange-groves. In former years these houses 

 were occupied; but death lurked in the damp climate, 

 and northern people could not live there. We have 

 reports from people who have known the land in 

 question for years. They had chances to buy it, but 

 would not touch it.— Rural New-Yorker, Dec. 11. 



THE WONDERBERRY UP TO DATE. 



We clip the following from the RuralNew- 

 Yorker oi Dec. 11: 



What has been the result of your campaign against the 

 wonderberry? j. S. A. 



We can answer that better when Mr. John Lewis 

 Childs issues his next catalog. Some of the other cat- 

 alogs will also help answer the question. We under- 

 stand that Mr. Childs has a very large stock of won- 

 derberry seed on hand. It was also reported at one 

 time that he intended spending $20,000 in advertising 

 it. We have proved beyond any question that the 

 seeds which Mr. Childs sold developed into plants of 

 the black nightshade. Luther Burbank offered $10,000 

 if we or any one else could prove that the wonderber- 

 ry was a black nightshade, and we have offered him 

 proof from hundreds of sources. Among others who 

 testify are the experts of the United States Department 

 of Agriculture; dozens of botanists at the State exper- 

 iment stations; Dr. C. H. Peck, New York State Bota- 

 nist; Dr. L. H. Pammel, of Iowa; the botanists of the 

 Kew Gardens, London, England; the Harvard Botani- 

 cal Garden; the Royal Horticultural Society of Eng- 

 land, and the Royal Horticultural Society of France. 

 In addition to this, plants identical in character with 

 the wonderberry have been found growing in Mexico 

 and Texas, where they have been known for years. 

 All this has been put up to Mr. Burbank, and he can 

 have more if he wants. Thus far not a dollar of that 

 $10,000 has been separated, and not a word of apology 

 to the American people for letting loose his " wonder- 

 berry " as a new " creation." The effect of this child- 

 ish folly upon Mr. Burbank and his later " creations " 

 remains to be seen. 



"believest thou this?" 



Mr. A. I. Root .—I am sending you two clippings from 

 the Farm News, which I thought might interest you. 

 By the way, the News is published in Dallas, Texas. 

 Your Home papers become more and more interesting, 

 and you ask me, " Believest thou this?" Yes, I believe; 

 and your earnest words have strengthened this belief. 

 If I thought you were not too busy I could write much 

 to you. Suffice it to say, that in tliis home your papers 

 are eagerly read, and are working miracles; and every 

 one refers to you as " Father Root." 



Madeleliene E. Pruitt. 



Ranch Vigo, Vancourt, Texas, Sept. 3. 



TEMPERANCE. 



" NO DRUNKARDS NOR CIGARETTE FIENDS ON 

 THE PAYROLL." 



We copy the following from the front page 

 of the American Issue for November: 



FROM the governor OF KANSAS. 



It is a common thing in Kansas, in a majority of 

 counties, not to have a prisoner in jail, and most of 

 those fellows gathered in jails are there because of in- 

 toxicating liquors. There is a close relation between 

 drunkenness and jails and penitentiaries. It means a 

 great saving to the people of this State and nation in 

 an economic way. I expect, while I am governor of 

 Kansas, to stand for the best things in public and pri- 

 vate life. We won't have any drunkards on the State 

 payroll while I am governor, and we won't have any 

 cigarette fiends on our payroll either. I am going to 

 have this State government stand up for every thing 

 that is good and noble, and for high ideals, and boost 

 Kansas just as high as we can. 



Governor Stubbs, of Kansas. 



, May God be praised for a governor who 

 can honestly utter such sentiments. Now 

 have we any more governors who have the 

 willingness and courage to stand by the side 

 of Gov. Stubbs? 



SALOONS LOSING GRIP BEFORE DRY CRUSADE. 



"Eleven thousand saloons voted out of existence, 

 and 4000 more forced to close in 1908." 



This is the record of the things accomplished by the 

 Anti-saloon League of America, according to Dr. P. A. 

 Baker, general superintendent of the league, in his bi- 

 ennial address before the semi-annual convention in 

 session at Orchestra Hall last night. 



"Since January 1, 1909," he said, "saloons have been 

 closed at the rate of forty a day; but that 70 per cent of 

 the area of the United States forbids licensed liquor 

 traffic tells only a part of the visible results. No pow- 

 er of evil on earth can long withstand this continued 

 onslaught. 'The gates of hell can not prevail against 

 it.' 



" There is no class that suffers so much from the 

 drink traffic as do those who perform manual labor, 

 and there is no class so much exploited by the saloon 

 and brewery element as they. The great labor move- 

 ment is yet to become a great spiritual and religious 

 movement. Organized labor is fundamentally a holy 

 crusade. It often blunders, but it is a struggle toward 

 light and justice and a square deal. It is striving for 

 a principle of righteousness, but all the while, as a 

 body, refusing to give due recognition to the source 

 of all righteousness. Soon they will turn to the car- 

 penter's Son and his church for assistance. - 



" We must not for a moment forget that this liquor 

 problem is the church's problem, that the church must 

 solve it. It can not turn it over to the Woman's Chris- 

 tian Temperance Union. It can not turn it over to any 

 political party. It is not the province of a political 

 parly to inaugurate moral issues." 



Dr. Baker also paid a tribute to the work of the W. 

 C. T. U. in doing educational work in the schools, as 

 did other speakers during during the day. 



Speaker Cannon came in for considerable severe 

 censure at the morning and afternoon sessions at Han- 

 del Hall, and a concerted war against the congression- 

 al leader was promised. He was blamed for the defeat 

 of efforts to secure anti-liquor legislation. 



"We make no charges," said Legislative Superin- 

 tendent William H. Anderson, in making his report, 

 " but point to the unerring accuracy with which cir- 

 cumstances just simply " happened " to prevent put- 

 ting any real burden on the liquor interests in the re- 

 cent tariff l2i'w."— Chicago Record. 



The Department of Agriculture of the State of New 

 York will hold bee-keepers' institutes at the following 

 places and dates: Amsterdam, Feb. 8 ; Syracuse, Feb. 

 9; Watertown, Feb. 10; Rochester, Feb. 11. There will 

 be three sessions daily. All of the New York State in- 

 spectors are expected to be present, and will be assist- 

 ed by local talent. Every one interested in apiculture 

 is invited to attend and take part in the discussions. 

 A special invitation is extended to the ladies. 



W. D. Wright, Agent. 



