1889 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



41? 



therefore, all we have to do is, when we are 

 ready to plant, to pour the seeds out of the 

 package into a little shallow tin basin. 

 Then the empty paper is wrapped rouud a 

 stout stake, and fastened by four tacks. 

 This was my part of the business. The 

 stake was then driven into the ground so 

 far that even a smoothing-harrow would not 

 break it off nor pull it up. Then the basin 

 of seeds was set down against the stake. 

 One of the men then followed and put the 

 seeds in, covering them with nice mellow 

 dirt. Our ground was first prepared by 

 plowing, harrowing, and rolling; then with 

 the seed-drill we sowed phosphate over the 

 whole surface. Lastly it was marked with 

 our disk marker. This puts the whole field 

 in regular order ; and all kinds of seeds can 

 be planted rapidly and systematically. The 

 ground was marked over all the same. The 

 melons, squashes, cucumbers, etc., were put 

 in only every other row. Sweet corn, peas, 

 and the regular crop of beans, are sown 

 with the seed-drill, at the same time that 

 we sow the phosphate. 



Now, there is one more thing that makes 

 our creek-bottom ground very pleasant. It 

 is that spring that I have told you so much 

 about. During these hot days, pure limpid 

 water is constantly pouring over the sides 

 of the sewer-pipe that is set over the spring. 

 To keep the sun from shining directly on 

 the surface of the water, a tin hood covers 

 the sewer-pipe. This hood is painted, so it 

 does not look unsightly. It also keeps 

 grass, weeds, and dust, from blowing into 

 the spring. The hood opens on the north 

 side. Some steps go down to the spring, 

 and a tin dipper hangs on a little bush right 

 beside it. When one is tired as well as 

 thirsty he can sit down on the lowermost 

 step as he dips the water from the spring, 

 and drink leisurely. How deliciously cool 

 it is ! If one's hands and face are sweaty 

 and dusty, there is nothing to hinder dash- 

 ing the cool water over both. If there is 

 any thing in this world that fits the little 

 line, 



" A thing- of beauty is a joy for ever," 



it is that spring. It is almost in the center 

 of the grounds, so that the workmen have 

 but a little way to travel whenever they 

 need a drink. We do not have any jugs nor 

 tin pails to lug around and get lost. You 

 will remember that we should never have 

 known of this spring at all had we not 

 searched diligently for it ; and I think that 

 you too might have a spring of water right 

 out in the lots if you would only hunt it up. 

 " Seek, and ye shall find," the Scripture 

 says. 



Yesterday in the afternoon, when the 

 weather was so hot, I raised the lid of the 

 well by the windmill. Sure enough, that 

 faithful and untiring worker had pumped 

 the water out, clear to the bottom, and 

 another beautiful little spring was seen 

 down at the bottom of the well, bubbling 

 and gurgling as it ran out of the rocks and 

 between the bricks, down into that little 

 central basin where the pump was sipping it 

 up as fast as it could run in there ; and off 

 in the lot adjoining, the Jersey cow was en- 

 joying herself in sipping the water from her 



tub. Then as the tub overflows into the 

 carp-pond, the carp were probably enjoying 

 their share of the water tliat pours, winter 

 and summer, into that, to make up for 

 evaporation and seeping. Thus you see, if 

 you can not have a spring on the top of the 

 ground, you can have one down at the bot- 

 tom of the well ; and I think you want a 

 windmill to pump the water out so as to 

 keep the stream running, if you want to 

 have it nice. The windmill has been going 

 for almost two years, and I do not remem- 

 ber that it has ever yet disappointed us for 

 one hour. Of course, there have been some 

 days when the mill did not run very much ; 

 but there has always been water enough 

 ahead. Only last evening my wife remark- 

 ed that the* windmill was running slowly, 

 when scarcely a breath of air could be per- 

 ceived. It turned fast enough, however, to 

 keep a slender stream of water running. 



HOW WE RAISE POTATOES IN TIIE AMERICAN 

 BOTTOM. 



Lest some of the readers of Gleanings are not 

 acquainted with the location, I will say that the 

 "American bottom" is on the east side of the Miss- 

 issippi, opposite St. Louis, and extends north to 

 \lton and south to Chester, and has a depth, back 

 from the river, of from 5 to 14 miles. The soil chos- 

 en for potatoes is usually the dark sandy loam. 

 Very late fall plowing' is the rule for at least half of 

 the potato crop. The fall-plowed ground is used 

 for the very early planting. The planting here be- 

 gins just as soon as the frost is out of the ground 

 (sometimes in February). A word about seed. With 

 very few exceptions the farmers of the bottom 

 never plant potatoes for seed that they have raised. 

 They buy seed from the North, or of farmers on 

 the bluff who raise their potatoes under straw. Our 

 own potatoes do not make as strong- u growth as 

 the imported ones. Our standard potato here is the 

 Early Ohio, and next comes the Early Rose and 

 Beauty of Hebron. For late potatoes we have the 

 Mammoth Pearl and the Peerless. 



On account of the rapid and continued growth of 

 weeds, the potatoes are always planted in checks 

 and cultivated each way. They are still dropped 

 and covered by hand. As soon as the potatoes are 

 up enough so that the row can be followed they are 

 gone over with the bar-plows, and two light fur- 

 rows of dirt are thrown on each row. The ridges 

 are then dragged over with a rail, and partially lev- 

 eled down. This destroys all the weeds, and at the 

 same time seems to benefit the potato. The second 

 and third cultivating is done with the one-hoi'se cul- 

 tivators; the fourth with the bar-plows; and to lay 

 them by we use a large single shovel and run once 

 between the rows. Hut before the time of the last 

 plowing the bugs will claim some attention or claim 

 the crop. The only way we have been able to cir- 

 cumvent their ravages is by poisoning them. One 

 teaspoonful of Paris green to two gallons of water, 

 sprinkled over the vines as often as necessary will 

 do the work. It would be quite a large undertaking 

 for a man to hire the bugs picked off from a fifty- 

 acre patch. The potatoes are now laid by, and the 

 next process is the digging. We still rely on the 

 hoe, the digger being paid by the barrel, 3 bushels, 

 at from 8% to 2(1 cts., according- to cireutnstances. 

 The digging begins about the middle of June, and 



