1890 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTUKE. 



tirely away from the covers. I am well 

 aware, that the large houey-producers have 

 pretty much all discarded my appliances iu 

 this line ; but if I were going to raise 

 queens I would most assuredly use the met- 

 al corners and metal rabbets ; and I would 

 also insist on having every nucleus hive, as 

 well as every other kind, closed every time, 

 so that not a bee should ever set foot on the 

 inside of the cover. I know it does take a 

 good deal of nice and exact work to have 

 the enamel cloths fit down in their places 

 bee-tight. The enameled cloth also pre- 

 vents the bees from pushing up burr-combs 

 above the tops of the frames. A good many 

 accomplish the same result I have mention- 

 ed, by having close-litting top-bars ; but, of 

 course, you can not well use metal corners 

 with these. Some of our friends, years ago, 

 did the same thing by having strips of wood 

 to close the spaces between the top-bars. 

 This idea may be in use now. It takes 

 some time ; but I confess it looks very neat 

 and pretty to see the top-bars as clean and 

 free from propolis and wax as they were 

 when they left the buzz-saw. 



SPECIAL DEPARTMENT FOR A. I. ROOT, AND HIS 

 FRIENDS WHO LOVE TO RAISE CROPS. 



That art on which a thousand millions nf men are dependent 

 for their sustenance, and two bundrtd millions of men expend 

 their daily toil, must be the most important of all— the parent 

 and precursor of all other arts. In every country, then, and at 

 every period, the investigation of the principles on which the 

 rational practice of this art is founded ought to have command- 

 ed the principal attention of the greatest minds. 



James F. W. Johnston. 



THE PRESENT WINTER. 



To the human being who loves God and 

 all his works, and who loves his fellow-men, 

 there is something new and bright and won- 

 derful about each new day. Yes, and there 

 is something new and wonderful about each 

 new season as they come and go in their 

 turn. No winter was ever just exactly like 

 any other winter ; and this present winter 

 is— I came very near saying a bright excep- 

 tion to any other winter we have ever 

 known. I did not say " bright," however, 

 because so many of my good friends might 

 open their eyes and mouths in astonishment 

 to think I should call it bright when it has 

 rained almost daily for nine or ten weeks, 

 and when the roads have been almost im- 

 passible for, may be, a longer period. Our 

 village of Medina is celebrated for its mud, 

 but we never had it in such profusion be- 

 fore. I presume it is much the same with 

 most of you. In fact, the reports all through 

 this number of Gleanings, of maple-trees 

 in bloom in Christmas time and in January; 

 of bees gathering honey from different 

 plants, even in midwinter, attest the fact 

 that there is something very strange and 

 unusual with the weather. Somebody has 

 said tiiat the Gulf Stream has started in a 

 new course, and is flowing closer to the 

 southeastern part of our shores than ever 

 before. If this is true, we shall probably 

 have California winters here at our homes 

 instead of being obliged to go so many thou- 

 sands of miles to find a perpetual spring in 

 winter time. 



Well, I have hardly dared to tell anybody, 

 but yet 1 have been enjoying this winter 

 amazingly. Not only is spinach growing in 

 the open fields, but at this present date, 

 Jan. 10, our cabbages that did not mature 

 in the fall are slowly heading up. Nice let- 

 tuce is still to be had from the open ground, 

 as well as radishes, turnips, celery, onions, 

 and all these things that stand unharmed 

 outdoors, away down south, in ordinary 

 winters. The strawberries are growing 

 beautifully, and, by the way, so are certain 

 weeds ; and I have actiially had boys weed- 

 ing strawberries in January. My project of 

 having a greenhouse, so it could be open to 

 the rain and sun, works beautifully during 

 this present winter ; and in our plant-beds, 

 warmed a little underneath by steam, we 

 are just havii]g the nicest kind of garden. 

 Tlie weather was so fine in October that I 

 said to one of the boys, '' Fred, suppose you 

 rake in some lettuce-seed here on tliis bed. 

 It will take but a few minutes ; and if this 

 weather continues we may get some nice 

 plants to set in the greenhouse when it gets 

 too cold for them out here." Now, I like 

 the fun of trying experiments, and of taking 

 the chances, especially where the ground is 

 ready, and when it takes only a few min- 

 utes to put the seed in. Those lettuce- 

 plants are still unharmed. The Grand Rap- 

 ids is, however, all sold out, and we are get- 

 ting orders for them by the thousand, even 

 yet, at the low price we offered them last 

 month— $1.50 per 1000. Six square feet of 

 ground has brought us quite a little money, 

 and with almost no outlay. The growth is 

 so slow that they have made great bushy 

 roots, but small tops. Our cabbage-plants 

 in the cold-frames took hold and grew to 

 such an extent that they became crowded ; 

 so we made a nice bed beside the lettuce, 

 right in the open air, and they have taken 

 root, and are doing nicely, with no protec- 

 tion whatever. 



Now, there are a thousand other things to 

 interest the child of nature who loves God 

 —yes, and to put money in his pocket, if he is 

 watching and waiting, and expecting some 

 new gift every day. Just a morning or two 

 ago, as soon as it became light enough to 

 see, I was astonished to see the ground cov- 

 ered with great plump angleworms. The 

 warm rain had brought them out, and they 

 were even up on the sidewalks, so long and 

 so large that the children might be excused 

 for calling them snakes. I saw Mr. W. pre- 

 paring to feed the chickens corn as usual. 



"No, no!" said I; "don't give them a 

 kernel of corn. Make them go out and eat 

 worms." 



It was my good luck to see the Brahmas, 

 when they first started forth, when it was 

 liardly light enough to see. My young three- 

 dollar rooster saw the worms lirst, and, in 

 obedience to his call, the old biddies pad- 

 dled out; and, oh my I but didn't they just 

 help themselves ! Eggs were 25 cts. a doz- 

 en, just then ; but last night the storekeeper 

 said they paid only 15 cfs. now. I wonder 

 how many of our poultiy-loving friends 

 enjoyed tlie sight as I did ; and did they en- 

 joy the eggs, and see what brought them? 

 We are going to put out more plants to-day. 



