180 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 1. 



strawberry. Here is something further in re- 

 gard to it:] 



CRIMSON CLOVER AS A HONEY-PLANT ; QUALITY 

 OF THE HONEY, ETC. 



A correspondent in last Gleanings, Feb. 1, 

 has asked about the crimson clover, Trifolium 

 incarnatum. as a honey-producing plant. It 

 has been grown at Biltmore the past few years 

 as a forage crop, with excellent results. The 

 seed is generally sown in our locality in early 

 autumn, in time for the plants to attain a fair 

 foothold upon the soil. It is one of the earliest 

 plants to start into growth in the spring, and 

 in early June the field is a glowing sea of crim- 

 son flowers. During the time that we have 

 grown this valuable clover it has never failed 

 to be a source of nectar: and the bees (both 

 the honey-bees and their cousins the bumble- 

 bees) may be seen upon the same plant, and are 

 kept busy during the entire season of bloom. 

 In the apiary, which is a small one, we got 

 from every strong colony one Dovetailed super 

 filled with the choicest honey from this source. 



Crimson clover blossoms before white clover, 

 when sown in the fall: and, with us, has prov- 

 ed to be an excellent honey-plant and a good 

 forage crop. I do not know that crimson clover 

 could be grown in the North by sowing the 

 seed in the fall, nor do I know its value as a 

 honey-producing plantwhen sown in the spring. 

 I should not hesitate to try it grown on either 

 plan. The quality of the honey gathered from 

 crimson clover is of the finest— almost colorless, 

 and of exquisite flavor and aroma. In my es- 

 timation it is not surpassed by the famous 

 honey gathered from the sourwood (Oxyden- 

 drurh arboreum). which, in the mountains of 

 the Carolinas. is considered par excellence. 



Biltmore, N. C, Feb. 11. C. D. Beadle. 



High-pressure Gardening. 



BY A. I. ROOT. 



MORE ABOUT THp; POTATO ONION. 



Mr. J?oot;— Thinking that my experience in 

 cultivating the English potato onion might be 

 of interest to you or the readers of Gleanings, 

 I give it below. These onions increase by small 

 ones about the plant-bulbs. The bulb must be 

 one year old before it will produce any bulbs 

 around it. I separate my bulbs just as soon as 

 the tops die iu the summer, and place them in 

 a cool dry place until late in the fall, leaving 

 the tops on them. While the ground is yet 

 dry and warm, mostly in the latter part of 

 October, I prepare my plot of ground by deep 

 plowing and thorough harrowing and raking, 

 laying it off in rows 1.5 in. wide and 3 in. deep. 

 Be certain to make your rows straight, or you 

 will cut the onions when you use your hoe. 

 Plant the new bulbs, I. e., the ones grown in 

 the summer just past, in these rows every three 

 or four inches, pressing thera well in the bot- 

 tom of the row. Cover well by making the 

 row a little full on top, and thoroughly pack 

 the earth by passing a heavy garden-roller 

 over them. 



Before freezing weather, give them a coating 

 of either well-rotted manure, and over this a 

 layer of straw, or else cover with stable ma- 

 nure which has considerable straw in it. I 

 prefer the well-rotted manure, and straw over 

 it. This covering is to protect the onions dur- 

 ing the winter, and to furnish food for plant- 

 growth in the spring. In this way you will 

 have choice onions for the table before other 

 people have planted theirs in the spring. About 

 the time most persons make their garden, or a 



little later, go along and remove all the straw, 

 and carefully cultivate between the rows of 

 onions with a garden-fork or some instrument 

 of that kind. After this, cultivate as you do 

 other onions. If you have good loose ground, 

 well drained, and lying to the sun. you will 

 see onions at the end of the season that will 

 make you proud. 



If you wish your onions to be very nice, pull 

 them just as soon as the tops are dry, or well 

 withered up, and lay them thin on boards in 

 the shade, and keep cool. 



Now for the onions that produce the increase. 

 Prepare your ground thoroughly by deep culti- 

 vating just as early in the spring as you possi- 

 bly can. Lay off in rows 18 in. apart and 2 in. 

 deep. Plant the year-old bulbs G or 8 inches 

 apart in the rows: cover lightly, and settle all 

 with the garden-roller. Cultivate frequently, 

 but not too close to the bulb, or you will destroy 

 the young bulbs that are forming. Gather as 

 before described in case of the onions to be 

 eaten. I have tried planting old and new bulbs, 

 both fall and spring, and can say that I can get 

 the best results when planted as above described. 



To give you an idea how productive they are, 

 I will tell you that, on a plot of less than 30 ft. 

 square. I raised over 10 bushels last year. I 

 was raised in a market-garden, and had con- 

 siderable experience with the potato onion. 



O. S. Brown, M. D. 



Londonderry, O., Feb. 22. 



THE EGYPTIAN, OR WINTER ONIONS. 



Friend Root ."—Our sales were more than dou- 

 ble this year than ever before, consequently we 

 are out, but have about four acres planted for 

 next year. We never saw them look so fine at 

 this season of the year. 



I notice in your number for Sept. 1st, that you 

 recommend planting onions four to six inches 

 deep. If to be done with a sharp stick, I think 

 this is a mistake; but on your rich loose land it 

 may be difi'erent. My idea is to plant them 

 deep, as you say, but put little covering on; but 

 after they get well started, work up the dirt to 

 them. They will grow much faster, and be 

 more sure of a good stand when they are cov- 

 ered so deep. It takes them so long to get 

 through, and they do not seem as strong. 



Rio Vista, Va. M. T. Thompson. 



POTATO onions; IMPORTANCE OF PUTTING THEM 



IN early; new VEGETABLES WORTHY 



OF NOTE. 



I wish to emphasize one point in their cultiva- 

 tion, which is of the greatest importance; i. e., 

 setting them, out early. They should be set just 

 as soon as the ground is thawed. Don't wait for 

 it to di'y. A few years ago I became deeply in- 

 terested in this variety of onions, and purchased 

 20 bushels of large ones at harvesting time, to 

 set the next spring. After looking up every au- 

 thority on the subject I thought I knew how to 

 grow them; but they gave me little more than 

 my seed back, and I have learned since that the 

 trouble was they were set but too late. For 

 bunching they are just the thing to follow the 

 Egyptians, and I have failed to find any onions 

 as good for the piH'pose at that season. I have 

 never tried the \Vhit(^ Multipliers, but shall do 

 so this season. I have bei'ii in th(- habit of test- 

 ing most of the promising novelties in vegeta- 

 bles, and I find once in a while one of merit. 

 Last season I was very much surprised to find 

 a sweet corn five days earlier than the Cory, 

 and in every way just as good. The seed came 

 from Burpee, as "Burpee's First of All." I also 

 found Burlington Hybrid very late, and, I think, 

 almost woithless for gardening. 

 In early beets foi' bunching, I find the " Elec- 



