680 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept, 



to pusli things in tlic wintci' tiine, of course we 

 want to kcc]) tlicni warm, l^'or this ])ni'])oso I 

 am rather inclined to st(nim-i)i|)es. Som(>body 

 asks how flat it \\U\ do to liave tlie glass. lii 

 hotbeds and cold-frames the sasli are often so 

 near level that there is only just incline enough 

 for the water to run off. This is bad. however, 

 late ill tli(^ spring, when the sun comes nearly 

 straight down, for the heat at noonday is tre- 

 mendous if you forget to move the sash or open 

 the ventilators. Houses running north and 

 south, with pitch enough to the roof so the sun"s 

 rays can pretty nearly go straiglit thi'ough. 

 morning and evening, give better results. In 

 this case, when the heat is most inten.se about 

 noon, the rays strike tlie glass at an angle. 

 This equalizes the heat, giving us most of the 

 sun's power morning and evening, and less at 

 noon time. A more perfect arrangement would 

 be to have one side of the house fronting tlie 

 southeast, so the sun would shine straight 

 through the glas.s. say at eight or nine o'clock 

 in the morning; then have another side front- 

 ing the soHthivcst. so as to have the same con- 

 dition at three or four in the afternoon, and we 

 should have it. Now. if these two sashes can 

 be arrang(>d so as to s\\ing clear olT against a 

 couple of posts, to catch the rain wh(>never it 

 comes, it would be my ideal of a greenliou.se. 

 A roof nearly flat .saves glass: for the same 

 number of squar(> feet of glass will cover more 

 square feet of plant-beds on a level, or nearlv 

 level, than auv other wav. 



MOSS FOH PACKING PLANTS, fOVEKIXG SEEDS, 

 ETC. 



Friend Root. -—If you are in want of moss, or 

 should be any time in the future, write me for 

 prices, as I think I can do better by you than 

 heretofore: or I will refer yon to other parties 

 whom I have encouraged to gather a supply, 

 thinking it would sell, thereby helping the 

 party to add to his not over-large income. I 

 have (of course) a desire to gather money when 

 the opportunity offers, but I can be charitable 

 only on a small scale, because of mv circum- 

 stances: but I will do what I can. 



Krumroy, O., Sept. 8. , C. H. Welch. 



The above conies from a friend who furnish- 

 es us our moss for packing strawberry-plants, 

 covering seeds, and other work in gardening. 

 We purchased 40 barrels of him last spring, and 

 it answers the purpose the best of any thing we 

 ever got hold of. Now, my reasons for publish- 

 ing the above letter are to call attention to the 

 fact that this moss may be found in many 

 swamps and marshes, and should be utilized. 

 It has been advertised in some of our seed cata- 

 logues as high as oO cents a peck. As it can. 

 however, be compressed intoa very small space, 

 it seems hardly fair to sell it by the peck or 

 bushel; and as it usually contains more or less 

 moisture, it can not well be sold by the pound. 

 I would suggest, however, that, in order to save 

 transportation charges, it be dried in tlie sun. 

 It may then be S(>nt chea]ily by mail, freight, 

 or exi)ress. The purchaser can moisten it to 

 his liking. A pound of perfectly dried moss 

 will go a great way, and makes quite a bulk: 

 but in order to let you see what it looks like, 

 and to start a traffic, we will offer it until 

 further notice, at .'> cents per lb. If wanted by 

 mail, add 16 cents for postage. Very likely 

 some one can undersell me. In fact, T should 



like to see the price go down to a cent a pound' 

 or less. But in our competition we should be- 

 careful to send a good clean article. Some- 

 time ago I purchased several barrels of peat 

 and moss from Barnegat jMoss Co., Barnegat,- 

 N. J. It was raked uj) without any sifting oi- 

 sorting. some of the barrels even containing 

 sticks a foot long. I wrote them, remonstrat- 

 ing; but all the satisfaction I received was 

 that they sent me just such as they sent to* 

 everybody else. I notice that Mr. E. L. Roser. 

 of Brittain. Summit Co., O., at the end of his- 

 strawberry circular, advertisers it by the barrel! 

 for $1.10. It is not only valuable to plant-rais- 

 ei's. but where it is very plentiful it is the nicest- 

 thing for bedding horses ever discovered, as it 

 absorbs all the liquid manure, and the resulting 

 compost is the nicest thing for greenhouses or- 

 plant-gardens that can be imagined. You can. 

 work it all up fine, and mix it with the dirt 

 without any fermenting, or rotting at all. Our 

 fri(Mid Eugene Davis, who gave us the Grand 

 Rapids lettuce, says there is nothing better for 

 raising lettuce in greenhouses than fresh horse 

 manure broken up tine, and raked into the soil. 

 Now to start this moss industry going, we will. 

 In our next issue, give the names and addresses 

 free of all those who are prepared to furnish- 

 dried moss at 5 cents jier lb., and damp moss at 

 a dollar a barrel, or less jirices if they choo.se. 



PLANTIN(i STKAWBEUP.IES IN THE FAEI,. 



Bro. Root: — One of your advertisers says: 

 "Now is the time to set strawberries for next 

 year's fruiting." Fiddlesticks! Everybody who 

 makes a business of raising strawberries for 

 market knows bettei' than to set tiii' plants in 

 September for next year's ci'op; but tliose who 

 have had no experience may be misled by such 

 statements. Of course, if anybody wants to set 

 a few plants in the garden by way of experi- 

 ment, or simply for amusement or recreation, 

 tlii're is not much harm done; but it is not right, 

 according to my way of thinking, to induce 

 people to plant strawberries in the fall, with 

 the expectation of marketing a paying crop the 

 following season. 



I could furnish you a nice lot of Haverland 

 jilants: but as my experience would not justify 

 me in planting so late in the season, I will not 

 sell any plants for fall planting, even if our 

 honey crop is a total failure, and I must wear 

 my old coat a year longer. S. P. Yodek. 



East Lewistown, O., Sept. 8. 



Friend Y., you are, in the main, right. A 

 person with little experience in strawberry cul- 

 ture certainly should not set out a very large 

 extent of ground at a?* y time of the year, un- 

 less he has some old hand to guide him. Of 

 course, there may be exceptions, but this is the- 

 rule. Notwithstanding this, however, a skillfut 

 and experienced niark(>t-gardener can put out 

 half an acre in August or even September, and 

 get a partial crop next season. By the aid of 

 the trans|)lanting-tubes, if he has the plants on 

 his own premises, or. say, if he can get them a 

 few miles from his home, so he can go after 

 them with a wagon, he can put them out in 

 September or Octobei'. and have almost every 



