1895 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



337 



complaint that the seed produced onions of 

 different kinds, not true. etc. In Burpee's 1895 

 catalog we tind the following by way of ex- 

 planation: 



Since first introducing- these onions, we have each 

 year heretofore imported seed direct from the orig- 

 inal growers In Soutliern Italy (wliose gardens we 

 have several times visited); hut we regret to an- 

 nounce that the seed sent in the autumn of 1893 

 <for sale last year) was not ti-ue to name. Thei-efore 

 we have been forced to discontinue the sale of im- 

 ported seed, and now offer excJusivclu American- 

 GROWK SEED. Unfortunately, the Italians do not 

 seem to realize the Importance of purity in seeds, 

 but we did think that we could rely upon the orig- 

 inal growers maintaining, by careful selection, the 

 true type of these Victoria onions. Fortunately, 

 however, much of the seed sold last year had been 

 grown for us at home, so that all our customers who 

 ordered Victoria onions did not receive the inferior 

 Italian-grown seed; but those who did, it tiiey will 

 kindly notify us, are now entitled to select fresh 

 American-grown seed, to the same value, without 

 cost. W. Atlee Burpee & Co. 



We are glad to see the above from friend 

 Burpee. It has the right ring; and we make 

 the same offer to all who bought seed of us of the 

 White Victoria. If it did not prove to be what 

 it ought to be, tell us how much seed you had 

 and when you got it, and we will send you aood 

 seed, or, at least, seed bought directly of Bur- 

 pee, in place of it. 



PARIS GKEKN TREATMENT FOR CODLING MOTH. 



The United States Department of Agricul- 

 ture sends out the following: 



Secretary Moiton, in au interview to-day, said: 



"The apple-trade of the United States with foi-- 

 eign countries has always lieen profitable. The de- 

 mand for apples grown in the United States lias 

 always been in excess of the supply. The United 

 Kingdom of Great Britain alone, during the nine 

 months ending September, 1894, paid the orchards 

 of the United States $3,500,00O. Tlie greatest enemy 

 to our export a|)])le is the 'codling moth.' But the 

 entire crop can be made wormless if the orchards 

 of the Unil'ed States will use the following recipe: 



" Use Paris gieen at the rate of 1 pound to 150 gal- 

 lons of water. Weigh out sufficient poison for the 

 capacity of the tank used, and make It into a thin 

 paint with a small quantity of water, and add pow- 

 dered or quicklime equal to the weight of poison 

 used, mixing thoroughly. The lime takes up the 

 free arsenic, and removes the dang-er of scalding. 

 Strain the mixture into the spray-tank, taking care 

 to pulverize and wash all the poison through the 

 strainer. During the operation of spraying, see 

 that the liquid is agitated with sufficient frequency 

 to prevent the settling of the poison. 



"The prime essential in spraying is to break up 

 the liquid into a fine mist, so as to coat every leaf 

 and part of the plant as lightly as Is consistent with 

 thoroughness. This should not require more than 

 from 3 to 7 gallons for a comparatively large fruit- 

 tree. 



" Let the first spraying follow within a week after 

 the falling of the blossoms of either apple or pear, 

 and follow this with a second treatment just before 

 the fruit turns down on the stem, or when it Is 

 from }>i to V2 inch In diameter. The first spraying 

 reaches the eggs laid hy the moth In the flower end 

 of the fruit, shortly alter the falling of the blos- 

 soms; and the second, tlie later eggs laid by belated 

 moths. Do not spray trees when in bloom; and if a 

 'washing rain Immediately follows treatment, repeat 

 the application. 



" Knapsack sprayers suitable for applying the in- 

 secticide can be obtained at reasonable prices at all 

 agricultural-lm piemen t stores. ' ' 



Washington, JX. C, March 23. 



ed with London purple, and that did no good. 

 Next I took slacked lime and put it into a coarse 

 sack and dusted the onions in the morning 

 when the dew was on. I made them clear 

 white, but that did no good. Then 1 got some 

 soot from the chimney and dusted them early 

 in the morning, and made them clear black; 

 but they worked right on, and killed all my 

 sets and the big onions too. Are there any of 

 the Gleanings readers who know any thing 

 about the insects? I should be glad to Hnd out 

 what to do to get rid of that onion -destroyer. 

 Henry Paulus. 

 New Philadelphia, O., Feb. 13. 



I myself have been considerably troubled for 

 fear the onion-midge might commence again 

 in our locality as it did last season. Some of 

 the onion-growers think, however, it was main- 

 ly caused by the drouth — that plenty of rain 

 would have drowned them out, or at least 

 hindered their enormous propagation. I am 

 glad you have tried all the things you have 

 mentioned, and reported to us, for it will save 

 others from going through the same experi- 

 ments. On page 596 of this journal for July 15, 

 1894, I described the onion-midge, and said 

 that our experiment-station folks visited the 

 large onion- fields, and made some experiments; 

 and they decided, I believe, that the only 

 feasible remedies were tobacco tea or dilute 

 carbolic acid. The latter will be the cheaper — 

 one part of carbolic acid to lUO parts of water 

 put on the onion-tops with a spray- pump. If 

 our Ohio Experimeiu Station, or. in fact, any 

 other, have any thing better to offer than the 

 above, we shall be very glad indeed to liear 

 from them. Our American Pearl onion is so 

 early that it has so far n.atured a crop before 

 the; midge really got to work. 



WATER CRESS— A CAUTION. 



This variety is what the English and Ger- 

 man people are so fond of. I have a large spring 

 in which, a few years ago. some roots were set. 

 They im-ri'ased very fast from seed floating 

 down .'<lieam. and soon tilled the open ditch, 

 and choked the side drains, and caused the 

 sediment and mud to fill the ditch for a mile in 

 length. This had to be cleaned out at great 

 expense to avoid flooding the ground. A word 

 of caution here may save you a world of 

 trouble. It sells readily, tied in bunches about 

 what your hand will reach around. I get 2X 

 cts. a bunch wholesale, and 5 cts. retail. Where 

 it is kept at stores it is set in pans wiih an inch 

 of water or more, where it will keep without 

 wilting, for some time. It is used in hotels to 

 garnish dishes, and is eaten similarly to celery, 

 by dipping in salt. Some use vinegar, the same 

 as in eating lettuce. Chas. Mills. 



Fairmouht, N. Y., Mar. 24. 



THE ONION-MIDGE. 



This insect is so small that it can hardly be 

 seen by the naked eye. I had just as thrifty 

 onions last year as anybody could wish to see; 

 then all at once they commenced to die from 

 the top down, before they had begun to bot- 

 tom. I went to work and sprayed them with 

 Paris green, but that did no good; then I spray- 



FIVE SASHES. 



Several years ago I got five sashes. April 

 first I helped prepare a bed, and had a kind 

 hand make a frame to put o/er it. The sashes 

 cost me 16.50, the lumber $1.00. I placed the 

 thermometer inside on a nail, and brought out 

 my seed-basket. I put in a row of celery four 

 inches from the front of the frame, always in 

 the coolest shaded place; then crosswise, sev- 

 eral rows of tomatoes; then one and a half 

 sashes were sowed to Grand Rapids lettuce; 

 then cabbage, sage, and cauliflower. We had 

 lettuce for general family use in three weeks, 

 and used daily till garden lettuce was ready. 

 We sold .?4.40 of cabbage and tomato plants, be- 

 sides setting a large garden at home. The to- 

 matoes were dropped seed by seed about an inch 

 apart, of Dwarf Champion sort, and made the 



