1893 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



753 



He assured me. however, she was able to be 

 around, and especially wanted to see me. 



"But a ma", down town told me you were 

 moving into a new house. When folks move 

 into new houses they do not want to entertain 

 company, even if they arc old friends." 



To this he replied that Mrs. Green would be 

 disappointed if I didn't come, for he had man- 

 aged to send her word that I would be there for 

 supper. I wonder whether I shall be telling 

 stories out of school if I tell you confidentially 

 that Mrs. Green was once in my employ. I 

 remember of telling Mrs. Root what a splendid 

 girl we had in one special department. She 

 seemed to gather by intuition what needed to 

 be done. Besides that, she accomplished al- 

 most double what even smart women do. Mrs. 

 Root then volunteered to tell me a secret. She 

 said she had heard it whi!!p(>red that this nice 

 girl expected to get married soon, and probably 

 it was this fact that lent her energy. Now, 

 didn't I tell you. a long time ago, that getting 

 married always gives any man or woman more 

 energy and enthusiasm, and of more value in 

 the world ? Yes, and this kind of energy holds 

 out ton. Another thing you may not believe ; 

 but there are lots of grand good people in this 

 world who once served an apprenticeship at 

 the Home of the Honey-bees. Not all of them 

 have prof essors for husbands, but as a rule they 

 are filling important positions somewhere. 



After having had my accustomed nap, and a 

 nice supper, I was urged to stay all night, as a 

 matter of course: but, to tell the truth, I was 

 longing to'get hold of tha; wheel once more, 

 and use my muscles in making it spin over the 

 hills aloug the river- banks and across the 

 country. Oh ! hold on a bit. While we were 

 partaking of that most excellent supper, I ate so 

 heartily that I did not know but I should have 

 to apologize a little to the assembled company. 

 Thereupon I rested a little while. I remarked, 

 " Friend Green, didn't you ask me, when I first 

 came, if I had been to dinner? " 



He nodded. 



•■ Well, I told vou I had been to dinner, didn't 

 I •? •' 



Then I told the siory of my dinner of pretzels 

 and sanlines : and, didn't we have a laugh all 

 ai'ouiid ? 



High-pressure Gardening. 



BASPBERRIES FOR HONEY AND FOR BER- 

 RIES. 



HOW TO GET GOOD Cltol'S WITHOUT VKKV 

 MUCH Ol'TI-AY OF I-ABOK AND MANURE. 



Mr. Editor:— I am interested in Mr. Glean- 

 ings from beginning to end. As I am some- 

 what of a gardener I like the talks about high- 

 pressure gardening very much. He says so 

 much about strawberries I have often wonder- 

 ed whv he doesn't touch on raspberries. I 

 think they would certainly go better with bees, 

 for the honey they would get would add con- 

 siderably to the profit of raising them. I have 

 a small patch, and the bees are at work on 

 them from the time the lirst blossom appears 

 until the last berry is picki'd; that is, they will 

 eat the berries if there is nothing else for them 

 to work upon. But this year the sumac kept 

 in bloom until we were nearly through picking, 

 so there was but little trouble compared to 

 what there usuallv is. 



I had about 17 square rods of ground occupied 



by raspberries this summer, and I sold over $23 

 worth of berries besides what we used. I got 

 from 15 to IS cents per quart for them — L5 when 

 I sold to be sold again, and 18 cts. at retail. I 

 should have had a little more, perhaps $25 worth, 

 if it had not been for the dry weather and bees 

 eating them. Yes, the bees do eat raspberries 

 if the berries get very ripe, and do considerable 

 damage even if I do not like to confess it. You 

 see, if I raise $25 worth on 17 rods of ground I 

 should raise .$215, or a liU-le more, on an acre if 

 the conditions were the same. Is not this about 

 as good as you can do with strawberries? Then 

 there is not as much expense in their culture. 

 Mine have been set out about five years now: 

 and after hoeing the first year and some the 

 second I have not touched a hoe to them, and I 

 don't expect to for years to come. I cut mine 

 back, and cut out the old ones every summer 

 after they have done bearing. I then mulch 

 them with leaves, old swamp hay. or any thing 

 that does not contain seed that might germi- 

 nate and cause them to become weedy. The 

 best of any thing is the bedding that is taken 

 out from under the horses, as this will fertilize 

 them about right. But if you do not have bed- 

 ding they should be fertilized with manure of 

 some kind. Tlie object of tnulching is to keep 

 down the weeds and prevent the canes from 

 drying up. It will not prevent them from be- 

 ing winter-killed unless you cover to nearly 

 the top of the vines. 



The better way, if you want to keep them 

 from being winterkilled, is to wait until the 

 first snow, then fill between the plants on top of 

 the snow, which will prevent them from thaw- 

 ing and freezing (which causes them to die). 

 Cut paths about two feet wide lengthwise of 

 the patch, and about four feet apart, so as to 

 keep them in rows and make it convenient in 

 picking. You should fill these paths with 

 plenty of straw, which is needed to keep the 

 grass' down and the ground from becoming 

 trodden down too hard. 



The bearing plants should not stand any 

 closer than three feet. Cut off the tops while 

 growing, so as to cause them to branch and 

 liarden. The young shoots will be the ones 

 that will bear the next season. No more of 

 these should be left standing than what is 

 needed for fruit, unless you should want to sell 

 some. The plants could be sold at a profit 

 among your neighbors at .50 cts. per dozen. 



I know that there is more than one good way 

 of doing the same thing: but this way. so far 

 as I have given it a trial, suits to a dot. 



Pomfret Landing, Ct., Aug. 31. J. L. Hvde. 



[Friend H., raspberries are already quite ex- 

 tensively raised by bee-keepers; and i f I con d 

 manage as you do. and still get good crops, I do 

 not know but I should grow them more exten- 

 sively. I recently saw a statement that friend 

 Terry had not had a hoe nor cultivator among 

 his raspberries, blackberries, or currants for 

 the last three years. I have visited his patch 

 many times, but did not know that it was so 

 long since he liad done any cultivating. The 

 only drawback is the expense of straw sufficient 

 to keep down the weeds, and keep the soH 

 damp; and as we have lately purchased some 

 damaged straw for only $4.00 a ton, delivered, I 

 began to think it would be the cheapest way to 

 manage tliem. We used large quantities of 

 stable manur(\ but most of that we purchase 

 contains a fearful amount of seed. I suppose it 

 comes from the weeds in the hay that the 

 hor.ses pull over into their bedding. Where 

 some sort of mulch can l)e bought at a low 

 price, it seems to nie this will be the cheapest 

 way to manage raspberries, blackberries, cur- 

 rants, and perhaps gooseberries.] A. I. R. 



