630 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 



In regard to snuff-dippin?:, I think the practice is 

 becoininjf a thing of the past, though too much of it 

 still exists; and among our colored people the habit 

 prevails extensively. I can not saj', of course, how 

 much has fallen under our fair friend's observation; 

 but when she casts a slur upon the good name of 

 Alabama, and the "nicer class of ladies of Central 

 Alabama" in particular, I am hurt, and must pro- 

 test. That is where I live, and I have a mother, sis- 

 ters, and wife, to say nothing of scores of relatives 

 and friends belonging, 1 suppose, to our friend's 

 " nicer class," who do not now, never did, and nev- 

 er will use tobacco, as snuff or otherwise. There 

 are a few, very few, individual exceptions to be 

 found in this class— usually an old lady who con- 

 tracteil the habit years and years ago, and who has 

 not the fortitude or powers of physical endurance 

 to break it off, and who usually makes no secret of 

 it. Our young Georgia friend has evidently been 

 misinformed, or has enjoyed (?) a very limited ob- 

 servation of us. Supposing, however, that it was 

 all true, and more too, why should she so eloquently 

 hold up to the world the faults and moral deformi- 

 ties of others? And you, old friend, had you not 

 better '• look out," or you will again feel as you did 

 when writing the foot-note to friend W. F. Clarke's 

 communication on page 370. Now, if the sentiment 

 that prompted that foot-note condemns this commu- 

 nication, I'll try to be content. While it does not 

 pertain to bees, I hcUecc it will be heartily indorsed 

 by your Southern subscribers, and not objectiona- 

 ble to others. It is simply an effort to right a 

 wrong; and if Central Alabama, my home, had not 

 been particularized, 1 would not have said a word. 

 3— J. M. Jenkins, 30—43. 



Wetumpka, Ala., Aug. ;24, 1885. 



Friend .J., I Immbly beg pardon. I ought 

 not to hfive allowed that sentence to appear 

 ill print; but 1 did it mainly that I might 

 say a word of caution to the children about 

 uiicliaritable speaking. 1 will try to be more 

 careful hereafter. But we can all gather a 

 moral from it as it is ; that is, let us try to 

 maintain the good standing of our respective 

 States. Your communication has brought 

 out this fact, wliich you all remember that I 

 intimated— that tobacco-using among the la- 

 dies is mostly confined to those well along in 

 years, and it is just so here in our State. 

 You will remember that I mentioned, some 

 time ago, that when I was obliged to slay a 

 few hours in a stiange town, of going from 

 the station on account of the tobacco smoke, 

 then to the dry-goods store ; and, finding 

 that worse still,' I went to the hotel. As 1 

 found no relief there, they were obliged to 

 put me in a room with the women-folks. In 

 a little while I got into a good chat with 

 quite an old lady, on the subject of rrligion ; 

 but before she could exjjress heisclf to her 

 notion, she was obliged to fish a J>ii)e out of 

 her pocket, and coninience smoking. Now 

 for all that, 1 l)clicve lier to be a real true 

 Christian, and one of (Jod's chosen ones. 

 She was l)rought up in that way, and I would 

 not think of asking her to put away her pipe 

 in her old age, just because of the trifling in- 

 convenience it gave me. We who are young 

 and strong, ought to be ashamed of sucii 

 Ihings; and I think, too, we can unite in 

 friendship and kindness in deciding to set 

 tUe best example we know how, even if we 



can't do more. Mav (iod bless your friends 

 and relatives, friend .1., and the inhabitants 

 of your beautiful State of Alabama; for I 

 know a little about it, even if I don't know 

 veiy much. 



a — Bi » 



CARP CULTURE COMPARED WITH 

 BEE CULTURE. 



lACTS AUOCT C.VKP IN CENEItAI.. 



rniNK every man who has a suitable place 

 should have a carp pond as well as an apiary; 

 in lad, 1 believe those who have tried both, 

 llnd that there is as much pioflt, if not 

 more, in carp culture than there is in bee cul- 

 ture; or, at least, I find such to he my experience, 

 lor 1 have made considerably more clear money in 

 I'arp culture Hum in bee culture, though I am au 

 .V M C scholar in lioth. I will say, however, that I 

 do not expect to make a specialty of either. 1 

 have two ponds. Both together cover about one- 

 lourth of an acre of land. I stocked one of them in 

 February, 1883, with only 28 carp, varying in length 

 from l'/2 to four inches. In March, 1884, I drew 

 down my water and found only 20 of them, being in 

 length from ten to fourteen inches. The others, I 

 presume, had been destroyed by mud-turtles, some 

 of which I caught. 



I sold eight carp to a neighbor, and two more aft- 

 erward got destroyed, leaving only ten. I succeed- 

 ed in raising about 150, which spawned about the 

 middle of May last (they having spawned only one 

 time during the season), which were from four to 

 six inches long when 1 transferred them to my oth- 

 er pond, to stock it. I am confident that I had many 

 more hatched out than were raised, for I could 

 see them swimming onthetopof the water in consid- 

 erable numbers when they were about an inch long. 

 I think that the frogs must have destroyed them, 

 as they were very numerous about the pond. I in- 

 tend making my ponds frog and turtle proof by 

 setting posts all around, and planking to the posts, 

 letting the bottom j)lank into the ground, and mak- 

 ing close joints, until I raise it 3'/2 or 4 feet high. 



My ponds are ditched, or drained all round, to 

 avoid being overfiowed by hard rains. Ponds 

 should be constructed, if possible, so as to have 

 partof the bottom of mud or soft loamy earth; forin 

 freezing weather the fish partially bury themselves 

 in the mud. The rest of the bottom should be top 

 earth, as it will produce more swamp grass, which 

 the fish eat. In e.\cavated ponds the feed is very 

 nearly ail supplied artificially, as but little natural 

 food will spring up in such ponds. The depth of 

 the water need not exceed 3'i or 4 feet in this lati- 

 tude, and only a small channel need be that deep, 

 and the ri^stof the bottom should range from one 

 to sixteen inches deep, as more grass will spring up 

 and grow iu shallow water; and besides, the sun 

 will warm the water quicker, and the spawn will 

 will hatch better, than in deep water; in fact, those 

 who have had exjieriencc in the business say that 

 water may be so deep that it is doubtful whether 

 the spawn will ever hatch. 



My ten Hsh that are now in my brood-pond are 18 

 to 20 inches l(uig, three of which are leather carp, 

 the others scaly ones. They are two years old; 

 some of my neighbors who have some three years 

 old say they are from 24 to 20 inches long, and 

 weigh from 14^1) 16 lbs, The scajy carp geera to 



