140 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 15. 



been to shake tlie guano into the hill with a 

 sieve; then have anorlier hand follow with a 

 rake, and rake it thoroughly into the soil; but 

 even after that, I have seen the ground bake 

 over the hi 11.1 



lOiNOTUW TOMATOKS WITHOUT KAIN OR IRRI- 

 GATION. 



Friend Root: Seeing you are so much inter- 

 ested in gardening I will tell you just a little 

 of our experience in that line in this land of 

 sunshine, little rain.- and less running water. 

 We have a place in that mo^t favored of spots, 

 the warm belt of the foot-hills, where we have 

 never yet seen frost enough to injure tomato- 

 vines; but, alas! we have not a drop of water, 

 save what comes from the heavens in rain: but 

 there is water available for the place, if it is 

 ever piped on to the giound. Last spring we 

 concluded to see whether tomato-vines would 

 survive the long drouth of summer: so we set 

 out some .500 Ignotum vines, which gave abun- 

 dance of fruit for our own use, while hundreds 

 of pounds rotted on the ground. We picked 

 and sold them as long as there was any market, 

 then let them go. About a month ago they 

 were cut back, leaving only the new shoots, 

 with as much of the old vines as was loaded 

 with fruit. Now, this twelfth day of January, 

 these vines are in blossom, with quantities of 

 green and ripe fruit, and this after having not 

 one drop of water from May 1 till December 1. 

 Mattie a. Bonfopjy. 



South Riverside. Cal., Jan. 12. 



GLAZING GREENHOUSES ; GROWING AND SELL- 

 ING MUSHROOMS, ETC. 



It is only recently that my wife has been in- 

 terested in your Home talks. While cleaning 

 house she came across some back numbers 

 of Gleanings, and, having heard me speak so 

 often of you, she began reading these Home 

 papers, and now is as anxious to see Gleanings 

 as I am. Should you have occasion to come to 

 Toronto we should be most happy to have you 

 at our home, and can assure you that no one 

 would be more welcome. We think we could 

 show you some things of interest — notably, a 

 beautiful, clean, "sweet-smelling" baby. 



We have about 10.000 feet of glass, devoted 

 almost entirely to flower culture. Under the 

 benches we grow mushrooms, and also raise 

 Ignotum tomatoe«! and Grand Rapids lettuce. 



I do not know how you glaze your green- 

 houses, but we have a system here that is being 

 adopted by the largest and most extensive 

 growers. Instead of using putty, and lapping 

 the glass, a little care is taken in selecting the 

 panes when glazing, and they are butted instead 

 of lapped, so that they all lie perfectly flat in the 

 rabbet of the bars. The cap is screwed on. and 

 all is secure. We have heard it has been tried, 

 though unsuccessfully, by some American flo- 

 rists. It works splendidly here. All that is 

 necessary is a little care in glazing, to see that 

 the joints fit well. One would naturally think 

 that the water would drop through where the 

 panes abut; but it does not nearly so much as 

 in the old system of glazing; and. besides, when 

 it freezes on the inside of the glass it seals the 

 whole thing over perfectly air-tight; and unless 

 the joints are badly made one can not find a 

 crack anywhere. 



I should like you to have seen a mushroom- 

 bed we had bearing a while ago. I think you 

 would have wanted to go in for mushroom - 

 growing. To give you an idea of how people in 

 Toronto appreciate mushrooms, I will give you 

 an incident that came under my notice recent- 

 ly. A farmer brought to the market a basket 

 of these, in all about 3 pecks, and sold them to 



a dealer for 75 cts. I bought them from the 

 dealer for $3.00, and, after selling some of them 

 for .fS.^S, disposed of the rest to another dealer 

 for«;3.00, who. in turn, sold them to> restaurant 

 for 14.00. The farmer had gone home happv at 

 having received 75 cts. for a few mushrooms 

 which he had found growing wild. 

 Toronto. Can., Feb., 18i»3. E. Grainger. 



[Thanks for your kind invitation, friend G. 

 Should I go to Toronto again, I shall most as- 

 suredly make you a call. We have tried con- 

 siderably laying glass as you indicate: but un- 

 less the slope is considerable, as it would be in 

 a greenhouse, we have found that the water 

 drips through the cracks between the glass. 

 By setting the edge in liquid putty, however, 

 before pushing the glasses up tight together, 

 we have made a beautiful tight job. The joint 

 is sanded before the putty gets dry. At the 

 same time, we sand the putty along the edge of 

 the glass.] 



SPRAYING apple-trees; REPORT B'ROM THE OHIO 

 EXPEHIMENT STATION. 



So many inquiries have come in regard to the 

 matter, we have decided to submit the follow- 

 ing: 



The lieiivj' and continued rainfall during- the 

 spring- and early summer of 1893 is thought by 

 many to be the direct cause of the failure of the 

 tipple crop. No doubt tliis was true in many eases, 

 as, when lieavy rains occur at the time of blooming-, 

 tlie pollen may be "'ashed away, and pollenization 

 prevented. The liees, not being able to tiy at such 

 times, can not visit the blossoms, which fact alone 

 is sufficient to account for the crop failure, in a 

 g-reat measure. 



The opinion lias been held by a few, that unfavor- 

 able weather is not, in all cases, the direct cause of 

 failure; and some experiments, carried on by the 

 Olno Experiment Station, strengthen this opinion. 

 An orchard Of Newtown pippins, of nearly two hun- 

 dred trees, was divided off into plots, none of the 

 plots containing- less than one row, and some as 

 many as four. Several compounds were used; but 

 the fact that some adhere to the foliage better than 

 othei s renders comparison out of the question, nor 

 is tins matter of any importance in this connection. 



The dilute Bordeaux mixture, which was found 

 to be best last year, occupied the same place this 

 season. The ingredients used in this mixture are 

 sulphate of copper, 4 pounds; lime, 4 pounds; wa- 

 ter, .50 gallons. Comparing the two plots where this 

 compound was used, with the two unsprayed plots, 

 the astonishing- fact was observed that no market- 

 able fruit could be found on the unsprayed plots, 

 nor was there much fi-uit of any kind; while on the 

 sprayed plots, which had been subjected to the 

 same unfavorable climatic conditions, there was 

 about half a crop. 



There was sufficient bloom in the orchard for a 

 full crop; and if we accept the old theory of crop 

 failure in time of wet weather, we are forced to the 

 conclusion that spraying aids pollenization, which 

 is absurd. We are, tlierefore, forced to seek some 

 other hypothesis. Tlie most reasonable explana- 

 tion that can be offered at present is that spraying- 

 prevented the apple-scab from attacking- the young 

 apples and blossoms. It is well known that scab 

 attacks apples in all stages of growth, and that, if it 

 appears very early, it may cause the young fruit to 

 drop prematurely. When it attacks the blossoms, 

 it of course destroys them. The first .spraying was 

 done before the trees had bloomed, and the suppo- 

 sition is that many of the fungus spores were tlius 

 destroyed and the apples were thus given a chance 

 to develop. This theory is tenable, and consistent 

 with well-known facts; but it must be admitted 

 that a more careful study of the question is needed 

 before it can be settled beyond controversy. This 

 experiment also strengthens the theory that early 

 spraying is essential to the best success in prevent- 

 insi- the apple-scab. 



The spores from which the scab-fungus develops 

 live over winter on the trees, and begin growth in 

 the spring at the same time the leaves start to 

 grow. How rapidly i he fungus develops, depends 

 upon the weather. It follows, then, tliat the apples 

 would be attacked earlier some seasons than others, 



