1910 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



709 



modern Florida is just awakening, and the popula- 

 tion is rather sparse. For the most part, those of 

 us who are here have no difficulty in making ends 

 meet, and, on the other hand, no difficulty in 

 spending all the money that we actually have, and 

 sometimes that which is in sight; consequently 

 there is very little opportunity for priming books 

 at private expense. The sum total of what the 

 State does in this direction seems to be rather weak 

 and inefficient: still, when we compare it with even 

 such rich States as Ohio we find that we are prob- 

 ably doing more per capita, at least more per cap- 

 ita of the white population, than even Ohio, and 

 necessarily we are not quite so well fixed to do this 

 work. 



If the land you have at Huntington is good land, 

 it is quite probable that at the present time you 

 can sell it for more than it would have brought at 

 any time in the last fifteen years. A large amount 

 of land Is being boviglit in the State, but mostly by 

 small speculators, many of whom are likely to lose 

 practically all that they put into it. 



I will inclose you a copy of my letter to Mr. Col- 

 lingwood, editor of Rural New-Yorker. 



P. H. RoL,FS, Director. 



Mr. H. W. CoUinauood: — Your letter of August 

 23 had to lie on my desk until I could return from 

 some farmers" institute work. At the present time 

 I do not know of any book that would be of direct 

 value to one of your boys. Of course, there are 

 many books that are of vaUie in an indirect way; but 

 I judge from your letter, and also from one written 

 by you to Mr. A, I. Root, which he has forwarded to 

 me with the request that I answer it, that the boy 

 needs direct information rather than suggestion. 



In Putnam Co. I think it will be safe to plant at 

 once rutabagas, turnips, coUards, cabbage, Brus- 

 sels sprouts, onion-sets, lettuce, radishes, mustard, 

 dwarf Essex rape, beets, carrots, spinach, and kale, 

 Xow. this is a very large list; but you can select 

 from this those that would most nearly meet your 

 needs. The rutabagas are likely to fall; still, the 

 chances of succeeding are sufficiently good to war- 

 rant trying them. Turnips are pretty sure to give 

 you a nice crop. It will be best to plant some of 

 the very early varieties, and also some of the later- 

 ripening varieties, so as to have a succession of 

 them. Collards you will hardly want to plant 

 unless you wajit it for poultry and cattle feed. Cab- 

 bage should be set out. It is quite probable you 

 can get good plants from T. K. Ciodbey, Waldo, 

 Florida. I do not know whether it would be prac- 

 ticable to get any plants of Brussels sprouts or not. 

 Possibly Mr. Oodbe> may have a few. but I doubt 

 it. Among the onions it wil' be best to get the 

 Bermuda sets. In getting these sets It will be 

 advisable to grade them into two or three sizes, 

 planting the larger ones separate from the smaller. 

 This then will relieve the bed in which the larger 

 ones are planted wnile the smaller ones are coming 

 into use. Lettuce-plants can probably be obtained 

 at Palatka. It will probably not be advisable to 

 get them from any distance, as lettuce-plants do 

 not take kindly to shipping, and then the plants 

 can be raised so quickly from the seed-bed. 



In the case of mustard, it will be more desirable 

 to make repeated sowings — that is, if the family is 

 fond of the vegetable. When it gets too hard for 

 table use, it can, of course, be u.sed for feeding 

 stock on the farm. Dwarf Essex rape should be 

 sown, by all means. It will be best to sow consider- 

 ably more than can be used. Under favorable cir- 

 cumstances you will get a good yield of this veg- 

 etable. All farm stock is fond of it. and it makes 

 one of the best greens for family use. When it is 

 tender and succulent it approaches cabbage in 

 flavor and taste. In the case of beets it will be best 

 to sow early-maturing varieties, and also varieties 

 that are a little longer In maturing, or else make 

 repeated sowings of the early-maturing varieties. 

 The question as to whether you should sow carrots 

 or not will all depend upon whether the family is 

 fond of this vegetable. Spinach is so largely used 

 that there is hardly any need of putting a question 

 with this. It is not planted extensively in Florida, 

 because it is hardy enough to grow further north, 

 and then we have so many other plants that give 

 us greens during the winter that there is very little 

 local demand. 



In addition to the vegetables that I have named 

 above I would urge you strongly to put out a nice 

 patch of Klondike strawberries. It need not be a 

 large plot. My bed last year was contained in an 



area of about 20x25 feet. It gave us ripe strawber- 

 ries from January to June. During a large part of 

 the season we had more strawberries than the fam- 

 ily of four could use. This small bed contained 

 about 800 plants. The soil, of course, was in perfect 

 condition, and I had plenty of water for the dry 

 weather. The plants were set out in October, and, 

 as stated above, the first strawberries were ripe in 

 January. At Gainesville we had some very cold 

 weather last year — in fact, the coldest that we have 

 had in about fifteen years. The plants, however, 

 were covered with a single thickness of unbleached 

 domestic. While this did not protect all of the 

 bloom during the very cold weather, it protected 

 the berries that had set. 



One word in regard to fertilizer; As you are liv- 

 ing in New Jersey, you are doubtless fully up on 

 the fertilizer question. We believe here that the 

 organic ammonias are quite preferable for the gen- 

 eral formula, and that the nitrate of soda is needed 

 for reinforcing this to give the plants some nitro- 

 gen that is immediately available. 



It is quite probable that you have some arrange- 

 ments whereby this garden can be irrigated. If 

 this is the case you will find that it will require 

 only a small area to supply all the vegetables that 

 can be used. If there is no way of irrigating the 

 garden cheaply, a great many disappointments are 

 likely to occur, e.specially if October and November 

 turn out to be dry months, 



P. H. Rolfs, Director. 



Poultry Department 



By A. I. Root 



ROOFLESS POULTRY -HOUSES FOR FLORIDA 

 AND OTHER SOUTHERN CLIMES, ETC. 



We have wireless telegraphy, lampless 

 brooders for chickens, and why not have 

 "roofless" poultry-houses, especially down 

 south? Our readers may remember we have 

 had several articles already from Florida 

 people on this subject; therefore we can af- 

 ford to read carefully and attentively the 

 following from our old and able friend Ir- 

 ving Keck: 



Dear Bro. Root: — I have been greatly interested 

 of late in the Home papers. I am glad to see your 

 stand on the land games that are being worked on 

 those who are not familiar with conditions. If men 

 will come to Florida, spend a year workingforsome 

 native who has made a success, he will know a lot 

 about P'lorida conditions that no land agent can 

 tell him. and he will know whether he wants to sac- 

 rifice a home north, and come and join with us 

 here. As you know, I have been here over 25 years, 

 and expect to end my days here; but I do not like to 

 see folks paying big prices for land that wiU not 

 sprout peas. There is good land in Florida, and 

 there is lots about as poor as can be found, and often 

 the two kinds are not tea rods apart. 



Now to your chicken question. I will give the ex- 

 perience of a neighbor, call him Smith. That is not 

 his name, and I have no permission to quote him, 

 so I will call him Smith. Smith was born in South 

 Carolina; when a young man he went to Montana 

 and officiated as cowboy and bronco-buster till 

 pneumonia got him two or three times, wlien the 

 doctors hustled him to a warmer climate and gave 

 him six months to make his will and get things in 

 shape. As he had spent his money on those doctors 

 it did not take long to "shape" his affairs, and a 

 will was something he had always had; so a dozen 

 years ago he landed in Florida about ten miles from 

 me. He looked over the situation, and said, "May 

 be I'll fool the doctors yet." and went to work with 

 vegetables, oranges, and chickens. Well, two years 

 ago he sold one of his places for tnenty thousand dol- 

 lars, and has a place about two miles from me that 

 I am sure will take SoOOO to bu.v, and he is alive, and 

 somftimes very tnuch alive, yet. Xow for some of 

 the things he has worked out under Florida condi- 

 tions, for tho.se who are in the chicken business in 

 Florida know that lice, mites, and stick-tights are 



