578 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 1. 



pensive work to keep this field of potatoes thus 

 clean and free from weeds, because I took such 

 great pains to have a thrifty potato-plant on 

 every bit of the ground where there is room for 

 a plant to grow. The weeds gave up long ago 

 because there was not room for them. They 

 have not made me any trouble at all." 



Mr. Reed at once took up the thought, and 

 replied to the effect that the greater part of the 

 evil and wickedness and crime in this world 

 might be forestalled and kept o^it of existence 

 by letting a healthy growth get a good start in 

 the minds of our children when they are young. 

 Cut off evil, and crowd it baefe and aivay by 

 keeping their young lives full of something 

 good and pure and useful. Cut off the contam- 

 inating influences of evil habits in childhood, 

 as we sent down our iron tubing to cut off the 

 contaminating influences of water from above. 

 Carry them safelv past the scums and slums 

 until they reach the prompting influences of 

 pure and good manhood and womanhood. Thus 

 shall be ushered in the reign of the new heav- 

 ens and a new earth. 



It was a warm summer afternoon when I got 

 off the cars at Painesville and mounted my 

 wheel. All about Painesville there are beauti- 

 ful smooth firm roads. In a little while I over- 

 took a gentleman and lady also riding their 

 wheels. There was a long steep hill, and I de- 

 cided to walk up it, supposing the young people 

 would ride up. They, however, decided, as 

 they had already ridden thirty or forty miles, 

 to walk up also, and we chatted pleasantly as 

 we looked over the beautiful surrounding coun- 

 try. By the way, how wheeling does promote 

 sociability! Although we were entire stran- 

 gers, we chatted as freely as if we had always 

 been acquainted. 



Just before I reached the Storrs ^.t Harrison 

 grounds I saw a beautiful nursery of what I 

 call cnttonwood-trees. They told me they were 

 sycamore. The trees were in straight rows, 

 perhaps four feet apart. Each tree was re- 

 markably like its neighbor— same height, same 

 size, and all straight; and the growth was so 

 vigorous that there was not a weed nor even a 

 blade of grass — nothing but sycamore-trees. 

 They told me afterward that these trees had no 

 cultivation whatever, and at that time they 

 needed none. As there seemed to be acres of 

 theiH I asked them where they were going to 

 sell them all. They said they were sold alrea- 

 dy, and only a year ago they did not have 

 enough to supply the demand. 



A little further on I stopped at one of the 

 great warehouses. I was courteously received, 

 and told that, in a little time, one of the mem- 

 bers of the firm would show me over the place. 

 Just back of the great warehouse I saw some 

 men working with plant-beds. The beds are 

 covered with glass, even during hot sunshiny 

 Julv days. More than that, they were forcing 

 cuttings with bottom heat produced with sta- 

 ble manure; but, mind you, they did not allow 

 the sun to strike the glass at all. The glass 

 sashes were simply used to confine the damp 

 air requisite for making cuttings take root. I 

 can not remember what it was they were prop- 

 agating; but it was some florist's plant, and 

 there seemed to be thousands and thousands of 

 them. Now, the most interesting part of this 



work was the way in which they kept the sun 

 from the glass. Posts were set up on which 

 cotton cloth was stretched, the cloth being high 

 enough to clear the heads of the workmen. On 

 the south side it hung down just far enough to 

 prevent the sun from striking the glass. On 

 the lower edge of this south side the cloth was 

 attached to a pole, so as to roll it up during 

 cloudy days or when the wind threatens mis- 

 chief. It made a very nice pretty place for the 

 men to work; and I at once decided that this 

 arrangement was just the thing exactly for 

 growing Grand Rapids lettuce during the sum- 

 mer time. During the months of July and Au- 

 gust a great many other plants will do better if 

 partly shaded. The west side of our creek- 

 bottom land is shaded in the afternoon by some 

 maple-trees; and year after year we get some 

 of our best crops where the plants are shaded 

 by the maple-trees every afternoon; that is, the 

 trees throw a shade along about 3 or 4 o'clock. 

 I supposed the roots of these great forest-trees 

 would be detrimental to the plants on that side 

 of the grounds; but the shade seems to do more 

 good than the roots do harm. 



By this time a man was sent to show me 

 through the greenhouses, 39 in number. The 

 greater part of them, however, are filled with 

 roses or rose-cuttings. Many of them contain 

 exotic plants, just such as I saw growing while 

 in Florida; and for getting the best results, the 

 temperature of many of these houses is kept at 

 120°. Although I was interested in plant- 

 growth, at this high temperature I soon began 

 to have a great longing to get out into the open 

 air. Ninety degrees in the shade was quite re- 

 freshing after spending ten or fifteen minutes in 

 a temperature of 120. Then we looked over the 

 grounds outside. I suppose a florist would know 

 more about the greater part of their stock than 

 I do. Let me digress a little. 



A few days ago, while on a wheel-ride to the 

 home of Matthew Crawford, the great straw- 

 berry-grower, I saw a little group of plants on a 

 small rise of ground near the berries. They 

 were golden-banded Japan lilies. Imagine a 

 flower as large as a small-sized pitcher, decorat- 

 ed with the brightest colors in Nature's own 

 handiwork, until one could hardly help ex- 

 claiming, " Even Solomon in all his glory was 

 not arrayed like one of these." I sat down on 

 the ground beside the plant, and enjoyed the 

 sight as one enjoys beautiful strains of music. 

 There were three flowers in full bloom on the 

 plant, at the time; and I told friend Crawford I 

 believed I would invest five dollars if I could 

 have that plant on our lawn at home. Well, at 

 Storrs & Harrison's there was nearly a quarter 

 of an acre just like it, in all their beauty. I do 

 not know but the one single plant gave me 

 more pleasure than this brilliant show of bloom. 

 So many were almost overpowering. A little 

 further on there was a square plot or bed made 

 by an ornamental forage-plant. It looked like 

 a patch of sunshine that had somehow become 

 entangled among the leaves of the plant. Again 

 and again I looked off somewhere else, and then 

 turned my eves on this gorgeous piece of illu- 

 mination. Talk about blue lights and spectac; 

 ular scenes produced on the stage! This little 

 plot of Dame Nature's own handiwork was 

 worth more to me than any thing that art can 

 produce in that line. My guide told me they 

 had all these things for sale, but that I would 

 have to wait till fall before planting my bulbs 

 of golden-banded Lilinm auratum ; and this 

 other foliage-plant, of which I have forgotten 

 the name, could be planted out next spring, and 

 would stand several years outdoors, winter and 

 summer. Then we tested some of their new 

 fruits, especially the raspberries and gooseber- 



