1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



275 



issue, we have made arrangements to furnish them 

 as follows: Blue vitriol (sulphate of copper). 4 lbs., 

 25 cts.; 50 lbs. or more, 6 cts. per lb.; barrel, 450 lbs., 

 5 ctB. per lb. Paris green is such unpleasant stuff to 

 handle that we prefer to sell it only in orig-inal pack- 

 ages. These are put up securely, and may l)e ship- 

 ped without injury, as follows: 4-oz. packages, 7 cts. 

 each; ^4-lb. packages. 13 cts. each; 1-lb. tin cans. 33 

 cts. ; cans holding either 3 or 5 lbs., 30 cts. per lb. ; 14 

 lbs. at 19 cts. ; 38 lbs., 18^4 cts.; 56 lbs.. 1"X ; and 100 

 lbs. at IT cts. per lb. 



TR(JPHY TOMATO SEED: A CHOICE STRAIN AT VERY 

 I.,OW PKICES. 



Those wlio have read our tomato-book will notice 

 that friend Cummins, of the Lakeshore Canning 

 Factory, still uses a special strain of the well-known 

 Trophy. He obtained his seed from Col. George E. 

 Waring, about 35 years ago, and each season he has 

 been t^electing seed from the very best specimens. 

 The consequence is. that their own strain of Trophy 

 suits them, for their canning work, as well as or 

 better than any of the new varieties. Well, just 

 now they have finished planting seed for the season, 

 and have some of the seed left of their selected 

 strain. We have purchased 5 llDs. of tliis; and as we 

 got it low in consequence of its being a little late, 

 we offer it, to any who may want it, at the very low 

 price of 10 cts. per ounce, or 75 cts. per lb. If you 

 want only a five-cent package to try it, we will give 

 a big lot of seed tor 5 cts., under the circumstances. 



SWEET CORN ANP PARSNIP SEED GROWN IN 1894. 



The Stowell's Everereen and Mammoth sweet 

 corn that I offered at P. 00 on page l.'i4 is all sold out. 

 We have a splendid lot. however, of both kinds of 

 the i.S.Oo crop, at $1.75 per bushel; five or more bush- 

 els will be sold at $1..50 while the stock lasts. We 

 have, however, a nice lot still left, of the 1894 par- 

 snip seed at 10 cts. per lb. By tests made in our 

 greenhouse it germinates just about as well as the 

 new seed. We think one reason is. it was grown on 

 very rich soil; the seeds were unuPUMlly large, 

 plump, and heavy. If you sow it middling thick, 

 with the intention of tliinuing out to get an even 

 stand, we think it will answer every purpose of the 

 1895 crop; and I shouldn't be surprised if it would 

 produce better results than a good deal of the seed 

 in the market, harvested in 1895. 



PERUVIAN GUANO. 



You may remember that I have often said the 

 only commefcial fertilizer that gave us prompt and 

 iiurc returns wBs the real Peruvian guano— the raw 

 material before it had been tinkered up or improv- 

 ed (?). For two years past we have been unable to 

 find just the article we wanted. We have now, how- 

 ever, found some that suits us very well. The 

 analysis furnished with it is as follows; 



Ammonia, 4.14'^; ; phosphoric acid, 33.76 'T ; potash, 

 3.09 ,C. 



You will notice in the above that the principal 

 ingredient is phosphoric acid ; ammonia and potasli 

 are small. Well, our Medina clay soil does not need 

 potash; in fact, ashes produce little or no effect on 

 most crops; neither does nitrate of soda seem to do 

 any good; t)ut the guano makes a quick and prompt 

 showing every time. By the way, if you do not do 

 some experimenting with it until you learn how, 

 you will be very apt to kill your stuff by overkind- 

 ness— that is, getting in too much or not having it 

 thoroughly mixed with the soil in your plant-beds. 

 We always put it on with a fine sieve (a Hunter 

 sifter, for instance), and then rake the ground thor- 

 oughly after sifting it on the surface. Peter Hen- 

 derson's rule used to be to sift it over a smooth 

 level bed until it made the surf ace snuff-colored ; 

 then rake it in 3 or 3 inches deep, and you are all 

 riglit. 



We can furnish this guano to any one who wish 

 to try it, as follows: 1 lb., 5c; 5 lbs. or mf)re, 4c per 

 lb. ; 35 lbs. or more, S'/zC per lb. ; 100 lbs., $3.00; 300- 

 Ib. bag, $5.00. 



SEED POTATOES APRIL 1. 



As we have made some additions and some 

 changes, we submit our list of seed potatoes once 

 more. As our first ten barrels of Maule's Early 

 Thoroughbred are practically sold out, we have suc- 

 ceeded in getting five barrels more; but if you 

 want them you will have to order quick. Maule 

 tells us the stock will last only two or three weeks 

 longer, and our five barrels will probably be gone 



before planting-time — at least, after we have re- 

 served enough for planting one acre for our own 

 use. 



Season of maturing in order of table, the first 

 named being the earliest. 



Second size of Lee's Favorite, New Craig, and Free- 

 mans (other kinds .so^J out) will be half above prices. 

 Above prices include packages for shipping. Pota- 

 toes will be shipped at once .soon as order is received, 

 so long as our stock holds out. 



A full descripti.jn of each and every one of the 

 varieties will be mailed free of charge on applica- 

 tion. 



SEED SWEET POTATOES. 



As there seems to be much Inquiry in regard to 

 seed sweet potatoes for bedding, and as it will soon 

 be time to put them out, we offer them as follows: 

 By mail, 1 lb , Yellow Jersey, 30 cts. ; 3 lbs., .50 cts. ; 

 by express or freight, V^ peck, 50 cts. ; peck, 90 cts. ; 

 )<i bushel. $1.3.5. The vineless yam or bunch sweet 

 potato, 1 lb., by mail. 35 cts. ; 3 lbs., 60 cts. ; ^ peck, 

 by freight or express, 61) cts. ; pk., *1.00; i4 bu., $1.50. 



THE BUNCH YAM, OR VINELESS SWEET POTATO. 



This new plant is being boomed to such an extent 

 through many of the catalogs and advertisements 

 in the agricultural papers that I feel quite a little 

 uneasy about it. It certainly will not succeed in 

 all soils and in all localities to the e.ftent the adver- 

 tisements claim for it. We have tried it on our 

 ground for the last two seasons; and while we have 

 had some very nice potatoes or yams, it has not 

 proved a greilt yielder— perhaps because my soil 

 was too deep and rich, and they went too much to 

 tops instead of tubers. One of the earliest to intro- 

 duce it in the South, Mr. C. C. L. Dill, of Dillburgh, 

 Ala., claims there are two distinct varieties. The 

 first he calls the bunch yam; the next, the Spanish 

 bunch sweet potato. From his circular we extract 

 the following in regard to 



THE BUNCH TAM. 

 They are earlT and prolific, over 400 bushels having- been 

 made'per acre, and 200 IS often made on thin land. The bunch 

 yam will make on land too poor for almost any other crop, 

 still, the best results can be obtained only on pood land and 

 with good cultivation. For the table, our people ( or, at least, 

 a majority of them) think them superior to any other variety. 

 They are sweet and juicy, and every hundred pounds of these 

 potatoes contain over fourteen pounds of pure cane sugar. 



Then he has the following in regard to 



THB SPANISH BUNCH SWEET POTATO. 

 This i)otato orifrinated in South Florida; and while ninety- 

 nine out of a hundred Southern people will say the bunch yam 

 is much the best eating potato, the one who does like it is en- 

 thusiastic over its good qualities. Northern people prefer it 

 to all otlier kinds; and, as a mark of their esteem, have named 

 it "Gen Grant." It is three or four weeks earlier than the 

 bunch yam, a lighter color, and the vines with me were more 

 inclined to run. In size and shape it resembles tlie bunch yam 

 very much. 



From the same circular we take the following 

 directions in regard to raising the plants: 



Dig a trench three or four feet wide and three feet deep; 

 lay old rails or poles in the bottom, and then fill up with 



*The entire crop is at present controlled by Wm H. Maule. 

 We are not at lilierty to sell them for less than the prices he 

 has put on them as above; but we will present a pound, post- 

 age prepaid, free of charge, to any present subscriber of 

 Gleanings, tor each new subscription he sends; we will also 

 send Gleanings one year to every person who buys one-half 

 peck of the potatoes. If you purchase a bushel you get 

 Gleanings for eight years, either sent to yourself or to eight 

 different persons, as you may choose. 



