1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



231 



is really anxious, and has average skill, can 

 learn the trade if he sticks to it. 



After I was made happy by seeing how suc- 

 cessfully they managed the lettuce-greenhouse. 

 Prof. Hunt took us over to the creamery— I 

 guess that is what they call it — and showed us 

 how they teach Ohio boys to make butter by 

 the use of all modern inventions and appliances. 

 Every thing was as neat and tidy, and bright 

 and clean, as the appliances in the office of a 

 city merchant: and the students were using all 

 the modern inventions in the line of electricity, 

 chemistry, etc., taking the subject in a scien- 

 tific way, from the proper caring for and feed- 

 ing the cow, until the gilt edged butter, cream, 

 or cheese, is ready for a class of consumers who 

 are ready and willing to pay for the finest food 

 product that skill and science can bring out. I 

 hope our experiment colleges will teach the 

 boys, above all things, to be Iwncst, and to 

 stand out against fraud, trickery, and deceit 

 irherever found. 



THE EARLIEST POTATO KNOWN. 



On page 153, Feb. 1.5, A. G. Aldridge says the 

 Bliss Triumph matures with the Early Ohio. 

 From the number of protests we have received 

 in regard to this statement, we feel sure that 

 friend A.'s experience does not agree with that 

 of others; for everywhere else the Bliss Tri- 

 umph is placed at the head of extra-early pota- 

 toes. You will remember our Ohio Experiment 

 Station says, on page 151, Feb. 15, that the 

 Bliss Triumph is identical with Salser's Earli- 

 est. It seems to me a little unfortunate that 

 this same potato should be sold under so many 

 different names. It is the potato used largely 

 in the South for second crop seed. And. by the 

 way, the Georgia Experiment Station Bulletin 

 No. 29 is one of the most valuable bulletins ever 

 put out, in my opinion. It is devoted entirely 

 to Irish potatoes, illustrated all the way 

 through with half-tones of all the prominent 

 new potatoes. It is quite a large-sized bulletin, 

 and the demand for it has been so great they 

 have been obliged to make a reprint, and charge 

 6 cts. in stamps to applicants outside of the 

 State of Georgia. Address R. .7. Redding, Ex- 

 periment, Ga. 



Now, the Bliss Triumph has two or more 

 names. The new White Bliss, which Arthur 

 L. Swinson brings tn our notice on page 122, 

 Feb. 1, is a sport of ihe Bliss Triumph, and is 

 the same thing, only being white instead of red. 

 It is known and advertised under three differ- 

 ent names — White Bliss Triumph, Wood's 

 Early, and Pride of the South. We have decid- 

 ed, you will notice, on calling it White Bliss 

 Triumph; and the seed we furnish is second- 

 crop. If you don't know about this second-crop 

 business, the bulletin mentioned above will post 

 you. It is certainly an important item in pota- 

 to-growing. The Georgia Potato Bulletin says 

 of this White Bliss Triumph, "Comparatively 

 new, but unquestionably the earliest of all." 

 Now, please bear in mind, dear friends, that 

 this experiment station made a test of 240 of the 

 principal varieties of potatoes now known 

 throughout the world.* Their testimony being 

 entirely unbiassed, is, without question, almost 

 beyond price in value. It should be remember- 

 ed, however, that potatoes exactly suited for 

 the climate of Georgia are not always the best 

 ones here in the North. 



* Not only is this potato pronounced the earliest 

 of all, but it gave a yield of ~2() bushels [ler acre. 

 The largest yield per acre was Early Pride, 307 bush- 

 els. This stands No. 1. In order of yield the Pride 

 of the South is 91, and Early Ohio stands No. 318 in 

 the order of yield, at 1.37 bushels per acre. 



THE BREED WEEDERS. 



So many inquiries have come in in regard to 

 these tools, 1 have thought best to tell our 

 readers what I know about them. We have in 

 our possession one of the first got out. Of 

 course, it is an imperfect tool compared with 

 the one we figure below. The first season I 

 received it we grew a heavy crop of potatoes 

 without bringing a hoe into the field at all. We 

 first worked them with the Thomas smoothing- 

 harrow, and afterward with the Breed weeder, 

 keeping it going among them until the plants 

 were nearly a foot high. After going through 

 them, a good many people said the potatoes 

 were ruined— they would never do any thing in 

 the world where they were disturbed and 

 knocked down after that fashion. But the 

 next morning, however, the patch would look 

 pretty fair, and in three or four days they 

 would get up so that one would hardly know 

 any thing had " happened." The next season 

 • he ground was so wet we absolutely could not 

 sret into it with the weeder on our early crops. 

 By the time it was dry enough, the weeds were 

 so large the machine slipped around them, and 

 treated them like plants. We had to use the 

 hoe. The cut below will make the machine 

 plain. 



ONE-HOKSE WALKING WEEDEK AND CULTIVAT- 

 OR; 8 FEET long; price $14.00. 



The secret of success with all these machines 

 is in doing every thing at just the right time. 

 As soon as yaur potatoes are planted, commence 

 running the smoothing - harrow or weeder. 

 Whenever it rains, as soon as the ground is just 

 right for pulverizing, go over it with the 

 weeder, stir the soil, fine up the lumps. If you 

 have had experience in the business, you know 

 that most soils, especially clay soils, must be 

 just dry cnougli, and not too dry, to pulverize 

 to advantage. There comes a time after every 

 summer shower when the ground is just right: 

 in fact, the soil fairly seems to invite being 

 stirred and pulverized. Sometimes there are 

 only a very few hours in the day when the cir- 

 cumstances are just eractiy right. When this 

 time comes, the gardener should be able to put 

 every thing aside and thoroughly stir not only 

 every acre but every inch of his ground. Let 

 us now go back to the picture. 



There is a little crust between the plants — 

 may be some little weeds jtist visible if you get 

 down on your hands and knees and use your 

 spectacles to find them. The weeder will stir 

 these weeds up so that, if they are not killed 

 outright, they have got a terrible setback; but 

 the corn or potatoes that have got depth of 

 root will spring over to one side or the other, 

 and let th(i vibrating steel teeth get through. 

 The next cut shows how it works. The weeds 

 ought to be killed before they get to be visible 

 at all. But perhaps we can not work with such 

 thoroughness as to do this. Never mind. If 

 you get them out with their roots loose from 

 the dirt they will die unless there is another 

 rain. In fact, if another rain 'omes you must 



