554 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 



THE TRAYS WE USED TO HOLD OUH PINT BOXES OF 

 STRAWBERRIES. 



made to exhibit new goods. They made an 

 impressive show, I tell yon. I proposed to 

 sell what I could, to the people who passed 

 by. Ours is a public highway, and on Sat- 

 urday night there were more or less vehi- 

 cles passirg almost constantly. My wife sug- 

 gested that we should mark in plain letters, 

 on a nice clean smooth board, 



FRESH STRAWBERRIES, ONLY 5 CENTS A 

 QUART. 



Ernest got a board and did the marking, 

 and I commenced calling the attention of 

 the passers-by, when they did not seem to 

 notice the berries, myself. Somewhat to 

 my surprise a sale was made to the occu- 

 pants of almost every vehicle. Pretty soon 

 it became too dark to see, but there were 

 bushels of berries remaining. At this junc- 

 ture Mr. Weed brought a large, lamp from 

 the factory, and set it near by the bulletin- 

 board. Well, before ten o'clock every ber- 

 ry was sold. The people went away happy, 

 and I felt happy, even if the coppers and 

 nickels in my pocket did pull down rather 

 uncomfortably. The coppers and nickels 

 would keep over Sunday, without spoiling, 

 even though the weather were hot and 

 damp, while the strawberries— well, I felt 

 sure they would do good, and make people 

 happy, at only 5 cts. a quart. 



Now, then, friends, 1 have told you this 

 little story because I think likely it will be 

 helpful to some of you in selling your prod- 

 ucts. A plain bulletin-board, a good dis- 

 play of what you have for sale, assisted by 

 a lamp, if it is a still evening, after dark, 

 makes a very pretty advertisement. Back 

 of it all, the owner must stand, with love to 

 his neighbor, in his heart. All the rest will 

 take care of itself. Now, whenever you are 

 inclined to murmur or complain — when you 

 say farming does not pay, or the special oc- 

 cupation whereunto God seems to have call- 

 ed you does not pay, please have confidence 

 enough in your old friend A. I. Root to be- 

 lieve he is right when he says the trouble is 

 not in farming ; it is not in your chosen occu- 

 pation, and it is not with your neighbors — the 

 neighbors God lias given you, but it is be- 

 cause in your own heart you do not " love 

 your neighbor." 



P. S.— Constance suggests that it is not 

 dignified, and she does not think it is the 

 thing to do, to speak to people who are rid- 

 ing by, no matter whether you know them 

 or not, and ask them if they don't want to 

 buy some strawberries. She thinks it is too 

 much like peddling. I told her that I should 

 never object to seeing peddlers, provided 

 they carried some product of the soil that 

 they had raised themselves. Some of the 

 fiiends laughed at my zeal in disposing of 

 the berries, but none of them seemed to be 

 displeased. Toward the last, a buggy went 

 by in the dark. 1 could not see very dis- 

 tinctly, but after he had replied very sober- 



ly and sedately that he did not think they 

 could very well use any more strawberries 

 just then, we found out that it was my son- 

 in-law, Mr. Calvert. This raised a pretty 

 big laugh from the bystanders ; but I was 

 so very enthusiastic in disposing of the 

 great lot of berries, that I proposed to treat 

 friends and foes (that is, if I have any foes 

 in Medina County) all alike. 



SPECIAL DEPARTMENT FOR A. I. ROOT, AND HIS 

 FRIENDS WHO LOVE TO RAISE CROPS. 



TOO MANY STRAWBERRIES, SMALL FRDITS, ETC.", 



FRIEND TEKRY GIVES US A LITTLE FRIENDLY 



TALK IN THE MATTER. 



R. ROOT:— In Gleanings for June 1 you 

 spoke of the overproduction of potatoes, 

 and the prospect of an overcrop of straw- 

 berries. Now, do you know I was almost 

 provoked with you for not making use of 

 such a good opportunity to preach a little sermon 

 on my special hobby? For forty years to come 

 there will be no danger of overproduction among: 

 the farmers (and many bee-keepers that T have met 

 can be added in), in the line of growing; abundance 

 of strawberries and other fine small fruits for their 

 own home use, and I know of no work in the world 

 that they ought to be more happy while doing. 

 I am getting more and more in love with my fruit- 

 garden, as well as with the delicious fruit we are 

 getting. Would that I could take every reader of 

 Gleanings, who is behind at :ill in this respect, by 

 the hand and have a full hour's talk with him while 

 walking among the loaded nushes and vines in my 

 garden or yours! Wouldn't I talk my best at 

 him? Wouldn't I keep his mouth full of great Jes- 

 sie, Bubach, and Cumberland berries? Then I 

 would try to interest him in the growing of vines. 

 I would show him single leaves 5 inches long, one 

 of which would cover a pint bowl, on plants set 

 this spring; then take him among the raspberries, 

 and show him bushes, set only a little over a year, 

 loaded with berries. 



Some farmers have a little bed of strawberries, 

 perhaps two or three square rods, from which they 

 get just a taste of this great luxury. That wouldn't 

 suit me at all. 1 would set out ten times as many, 

 with an ordinary-sized family, and tend them in 

 long lows, with a horse, and have berries by the 

 bushel, as free to children and all as water, for a 

 month if possible. We have now a bushel a day of 

 splendid fruit, and we eat and can every one of 

 them. (No, I took much delight in carrying a pock 

 to a neighbor, yesterday, who doesn't have any.) 

 Extravagant? What ! when I and the family did all 

 the work on them, and if they were together in 

 solid compass (they are between raspberry rows 

 you know) they would hardly occupy more than 15 

 rods of earth? I don't think so. 



I saw Mr. Fenn at the Horticultural Society in 

 Tallmadge, the other day, and he told me about 

 your rows of strawberries. I do wish I could see 

 them. Won't you tell us how far apart in the row 

 you set the plants, and, when you get through, 

 about the average yield per hill? 



The Bubach is our grandest berry. The Haver- 

 land is not so large, but extra good size, and the 

 berries just lie in piles. The flavor is not quite per- 

 fect, to my taste; but with 13 kinds, I may be get- 



