DECEMBER 15, 1915 



1047 



than the eggs, when eggs are down to 20 

 cts., as they were last winter. 



2, 3. I would select some other bi-eed of 

 poultry than ducks, because of the fact of 

 the prejudice you mention in No. 3; and I 

 think it's about the same in Florida as in 

 California. People won't buy duck eggs, 

 as a rule, unless there is a scarcity of hens' 

 eggs and the}' are away up in price. 



4. For eggs alone I think I would keep 

 (he Leghorns; but as the Rliode Island Reds 

 for (he past two winters have been laying, 

 at moulting time, when eggs were 50 cts. a 

 dozen, more than the Leghorns, I am not 

 exactly decided. 



5. I suppose the most money is made 

 grooving celery, lettuce, and other stuff to 

 be shipped north; but this requires consid- 

 erable capital, and the result is, perhaps, 

 uncertain. As for myself, I have had more 

 profit in growing potatoes, in connection 

 with poultiy, than any other garden crop; 

 but I sold m,v potatoes right in town, of 

 course, only in limited quantities. See 

 back numbers of our journal. 



6- M}' impression is that it makes little 

 difference whether the ducks are white or 

 colored : that is, where they are kept for 

 eggs, and I should say the same in regard 

 to chickens. The warm weather doesn't 

 seem to trouble Indian Runners at all; in 

 fact, they have no diseases so far as I 

 kuoAV, and are never troubled with insects 

 or vermin, unless it is the crocodiles where 

 they run at large. See back numbers. 



8. Sai-asota is but a few miles from 

 Bradentown, and the conditions are practi- 

 cally the same. The trouble with the island, 

 and the greater part of Florida, in fact, is 

 transportation, the distance from postofiRce. 

 etc. 



f). Tliere are rio plants gi'own for bees in 

 Florida that I know of. Of course, some 

 honey comes from orange bloom, but 

 oranges are grrown for fruit and not honey. 



10. I suppose more large yields of honey 

 have been made in California than Florida; 

 but it should bo kept in mind that Florida 

 has in years past also made some enoi'raous 

 yields; and California has also had quite a 

 few seasons when the honey crop was al- 

 most a failure. 



11. I believe the Italians are considered 

 the host all-around bees in Florida as well 

 as everywhere else. 



12. I think I would buy bees to start with 

 in Florida, so as to save transportation; 

 and a few hives can be bought in almost any 

 locality in the state. 



1.*^. .\n overjiroduction of good honey is 

 something I never heard of as yet. I think 

 there is no trouble in that direction. 



14. Alfalfa lioney is generally considered 

 about equal to any, although there are some 

 people who dislike its particular aroma. 



15. Orange-blossom honey stands clear 

 up to the top, or at least very near to the 

 top, as to quality; but it's only occasionally 

 that we have a good flow from orange 

 bloom. 



16. I am not prepared to answer; but aiy 

 impression is that veiy little honey goes out 

 of the United States. In Cuba, before the 

 war, tons and tons of honey were sent to 

 Germany and other foreign countries. 



RAINBOW CORN AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR OSTRICH 

 FEATHERS. 

 Dear Uncle Amos: — At a party that Elizabeth was 

 invited to she wore a hair-band of a rainbow corn- 

 leaf which grew in our garden. I thought you 

 might like to know of a new use for rainbow corn. 

 Your niece, 

 Lakewood, C, Aug. 5. Donna Smith. 



Of course you have all heard of the cost 

 of high living, referring particularly to 

 " our daily bread ;" and I think we are 

 going to have something about the " high 

 cost of dressing," especially when we con- 

 sider the cost of some of the expensive 

 millinery. The rainbow corn leaves would 

 be, of course, but transient; but when the 

 corn is at its best it would not be very much 

 trouble to gather fresh leaves for every 

 special occasion. 



THE WRIGHT BROTHERS^ FLYING-MACHINE 

 FACTORY AT DAYTON, OHIO. 



Ever since the Wright brothers succeeded 

 in making a machine fly, I have gi\en you 

 occasional notes as the years have gone by. 

 Just now I clip the following from the Oliio 

 Farmer: 



WRIGHT PLANT SOLD. 



Orville "Wright, aviator and aeroplane inventor, 

 has sold his factory at Dayton to a syndicate of 

 eastern capitalists. He now intends to give all of 

 his time to scientific research along the lines of 

 aviation. 



It may be of inlercsl to know tliat this 

 Dayton factory is now quoted at s;)mething 

 over a million dollars. I have been won- 

 dering if it were not possible that Orville 

 Wright has sold out because he is averss to 

 furnishing machines for war, as his father 

 has been all his life a minister; and from 

 what I know of the man I can leadily im- 

 agine thai h'> would be strongly averse to 

 the manufacture of auv machine designed 

 for the purpose of killing people. 



