312 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apk 15. 



Special Notices in the Line of Gardening, Etc. 



By A. I. Root. 



A POTATO NUMBER. 



This issue of Gleanings, so far as my part is con- 

 cerned, may be considered a sort of " potato issue." 

 We thought best to give it all in advance of potato- 

 planting. After tliis we propose to " let up " a little, 

 at least on potatoes. 



ALFALFA SEED— ADVANCE IN PRICE. 



Just now the best we can do on alfalfa is $7.00 per 

 bushel; H bushel, $3.7.5; peck, $3.00. In fa<'t, the 

 seed actually costs at wholesale more than we have 

 been selling it for during the past winter. 



SWEET CORN FOR FODDER. 



In answer to several inquiries, we will, until sold 

 out, furnish a good germinating variety of swfet 

 corn, suitable for fodder, at the low price of $1.25 per 

 bushel. This is liable to be the same corn that is 

 listed at almost twice that price. You see, if no 

 variety is named It gives us the privilege of select- 

 ing whatever promises to be in surplus at the end of 

 the planting season It can be shipped either from 

 here or from Chicago, at the price mentioned. This 

 price includes bag for shipping. 



THE NEW FORAGE-PLANTS, GRAINS, ETC. 



So many questions have Vjeen aslted in regard to 

 cultivation, etc., of Essex rape, cow peas, Kaffir 

 corn, crimson clover, alfalfa, soja bean, etc., that 

 we have prepared slips to be mailed in answer to 

 inquiries. The slips give the value of plants, lo- 

 calities where they will probably flourish, time of 

 sowing, care of crop, etc. Each or all will be mailed 

 free on application. These slips will be first given 

 in Gleanings, and then kept on file to mail to in- 

 quirers when questions come up in regard to these 

 plants. 



cow peas— THE STOCK PEA OF THE SOUTH. 



In answer to several inquiries we would say that 

 these are not hardy, like our garden peas here in the 

 North. They are rather more of a bean than a pea, 

 and should be planted about the time beans are put 

 in the ground. After they once get started, how- 

 ever, they are a wonderfully rank and luxuriant 

 plant, producing an amount of foliage and vines 

 that is absolutely astonishing. It depends some- 

 what on the season as to the amount of blossoms 

 and beans they will produce here in the North, as 

 they are liable to get caught by early frosts in the 

 fall. As the seed is now advertised at such low 

 prices, however, it is not at all expensive to have 

 our friends a little further south raise the seed for 

 us. As a green crop to plow under, the cow pea will 

 often furnish a larger amount of green matter in a 

 short time than almost any other plant. It should 

 be remembered that it is also one ot the plants that 

 gather nitrogen from the air, like all of the clover 

 family. 



prepaying express or POSTAGE IN OaDER TO^SAVE 

 OUR CUSTOMERS TIME AND MONEY.; 



I wrote at length in regard to this in our last issue. 

 Just now a customer down in Missouri sends for 4 

 lbs. of seeds that should go into the ground at once. 

 He does not send anything for postage, and does 

 not say a word as to how we shall send them. They 

 can be mailed for 36 cts. The express company will 

 also carry them for that sum if the charges are paid 

 in advance. If the express charges are allowed to 

 follow, however, they will he 50 or 60 cents. Yon 

 see, the express CI )nipanios have made an arrange- 

 ment to compete wii h the United States mails, pro- 

 viding they have their cash in advance, just as the 

 postal department has cash in advance tor stamps. 

 This" arrangement is only for seeds, etc. Now, we 

 know nothing whatever of this man. Of course we 

 can find out, or we can write to him and ask him 

 how he wants his stuff sent, and remind him of the 

 fact that he had omitted posiage, if wanted by mail ; 

 but this will make a delay that will damage him 

 more than the money saved. I suppose most seeds- 

 men would let them go on and let him pay the dou- 

 ble express charges at destination ; but I do not feel 

 right in doing this. Under the circumstances, nine 

 out of ten would .send us the postage, and thank us. 

 But there is the tenth one, who will never answer or 

 say a word after he has received his seeds, even if 



we do explain that we have paid hard cash out of 

 our own pockets to save him the mone3-. It has. 

 sometimes seemed to me as though these people 

 ought lo have their names put in print when they 

 refuse to remit postage or express charges that are 

 paid simply to save them expense, loss, and delay. 

 How is It, friends? Will it be best and right to 

 print the names of people who are thus lacking in 

 i-ousciencei' You see, by their acts they block the 

 way that will enable us to save good i)eople both 

 time and money. We can not blame the express 

 companies very much. If they are going to deliver 

 seeds, etc., that are wanted right away, at ahuut 

 half the usual expi'cus chartje,», they certainly must 

 have cash in hand in order to avoid loss. 



HIGH-PRESSURE POTATO CULTURE— A NEW BOOK. 



For some years I have had in mind the matter of 

 growing potatoes in gardens or other high-priced 

 ground, and managing so as to get tnem out extra 

 early for city markets, and at the same time getting 

 enormous yields on a small area of ground. Occa- 

 sionally I have heard rumors of intensive agricul- 

 ture and high-pressure gardening on the Island of 

 Jersey, the Island of Guernsey, and other of the 

 Channel Islands on the coast of Prance. Last fall I 

 became acquainted with Rev. Charles D. Merrill,, 

 who, it seems, had visited the Island of Jersey, and 

 was so impressed with some high-pressure methods, 

 and the enormous crops of potatoes grown there on 

 a small area of ground, that he wrote it up to be 

 published in a book. The manuscript was submitted 

 to me, and it was so much in line with my work, and 

 gave so many facts from actual experience in grow- 

 ing potatoes in just the way I have indicated, that 

 I bought the manuscript at once. Through press of 

 business, the little book has been delayed, although 

 I meant to have it out fully in time for potato-plant- 

 ing. The little pamphlet is to be a supplement to 

 our potato-book, and will be incorporated in all that 

 are sent out after this. It will be mailed free of 

 charge to all who purchased one or more copies of 

 the A B C of P(jtato Culture by T. B. Terry. To all 

 others it will be mailed on receipt of 10 cents. It 

 will contain 33 pages the size of tlie potato- book. 



I may say, by way of brief summary, that on the 

 Island of Jersey they manure their ground and 

 work it up fine, away down 16 or 18 inches deep. Af- 

 ter it is ready for the planting they do not permit a 

 horse to step on the soft fine mellow soil; and they 

 manage as far as possible to prevent even a big 

 man from tramping the ground down hard. This 

 agrees with my experience exactly. Instead of cut- 

 ting potatoes to one eye, they plant them whole. 

 See chapter on this subject, on another page. They 

 use about thirt.y bushels of seed per acre. The busi- 

 ne.ss of growing early potatoes for the great Lon- 

 don, Liverpool, and Manchester markets is reduced 

 to a science. They get not only enormous yields 

 per acre, but beautiful ritie eating potatoes. Of 

 course, the industry- is quite a departure from the 

 way we grow potatoes here in America in large 

 fields; but. notwithstanding, you can see, when you 

 come to read the look, that we have for years been 

 growing toward their plans of working My green- 

 house experiments are right in lint ; and the trench 

 system, S(j often described by the Rural New-Yorker, 

 is al-o right in line. I hardly need tell you that the 

 Island of Jersey is the birthplace and home of our 

 Jersey cattle. The whole island is devoted almost 

 entirely to Jersey cattle and potatoes. The land is 

 so valuable that two or three acres are worth as 

 much as 100 or more of farm lands here in America; 

 and. stranger still, they grow more stuff, or, at least, 

 stutt' worth more, on two or three acres than many 

 of our farmers do on a hundred-acre farm. If any 

 of you have fond aspirations of making a living (say 

 as you get along toward old age) from a couple of 

 acres of ground rightly managed, thi* book will in- 

 ti I'cst you more than any romance. The author is a 

 ministei'of the gospel; and iiis enthusiasm and de- 

 light in seeing little patches of ground give forth 

 their treasures is really contagious. 



REDUCTION IN PRICE OF CKAIG POT.4TOES. 



In putting our present price on the Craigs, $3. .50 per 

 bushel, I was largely influenced by friend Craig, the 

 originator. Yon know we gener.illy accord to the 

 originator of any new plant or potato the privilege 

 of fixing tlic price for at least one or two years after 

 its introduction. At the present time, however, our 

 stock is hardly half sold out; and tis friend Craig 



