1902 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



115 



€d ; and when averaging eight or nine inches in 

 height, we decided to give them the better accommo- 

 dation of a hot-bed, then just ready for ihem Each 

 plant was placed in the center of a quart-sized straw- 

 berry-box ; the boxes were closely packed in order in 

 the frame, and enough dirt put in to cover them to the 

 depth of fully two inches. When the plants were too 

 high for the frame, we placed another 12-inch board 

 on top, and our memorandum shows that, by April "29, 

 the foli ige was pressing against the glass, and the 

 first blossoms were in evidence. The plants had also 

 been allowed considerable fresh air on warm days, to 

 harden them for the next and final change. 



The transplanting to the open ground occurred about 

 May 10, into a sheltered spot on the south side of a 

 "barn. The setting was quite deep, in some cases cov- 

 ering six or eight inches of the stalks No pruning 

 was done a that time, nor were the plants trained or 

 tied up at any time thereafter, excepting as necessary 

 to keep them off the ground. Aliout (io plants made 

 up the collertion, and they had been held back as 

 much as possible in their growth up to this time. But 

 from this time on we did all, we could to hasten 

 their development. 



Every night for two or three weeks the plants were 

 •carefully covered, each one having a gunny sack drawn 

 down over it, supported on stakes. i,ater in the .'rea- 

 son, in caring for more than a th usand plants before 

 danger from frost was past, we found other methods 

 of protection, simpler and more effective. Now for 

 re-ults. 



I find these entries in n\y diary : 



June 27. — Picked the first ripe tomato. 



July 1. — Took s X pounds of choice tomatoes to the 

 city. 



July 11.— To day Yerxa paid me $2.25 for 18 pounds 

 of tomatoes : very smooth and handi5ome. 



Further items of this kind might be taken from my 

 cash-book, but I think I have given sufficient proof 

 that early tomatoes can be grown in this latitude in 

 the open ground, if started properly. Comparing this 

 record with the published report of experiments with 

 66 varieties tested in one season at the New Hampshire 

 State Experiment Station, I find rea.soii to call my first 

 products "early." Their record of first pickings is as 

 follows : 



From one kind, July S; from three varieties, July 16; 

 one the 18th ; ten the 21th ; one the 27th ; seven the 

 29th. The first fruits of 23 kinds came in July, and of 

 33 varieties from Aug. 1 to 21. Average date for the 

 entire lot, August 2. 



In my unprofessional experiment I have established 

 a record which I expect to beat in the future. 



The above is not a difficult thing to do, 

 as I have demonstrated again and again, 

 by starting tomatoes in the greenhouse. 

 The price of the early tomatoes is always 

 enotigh to pay handsomely for all time and 

 trouble. And this is not all. If you are 

 located near the road where yoti can show 

 good strong thrifty tomato-plants growing 

 in quart boxes, you can sell almost any 

 quantity at from 5 to 10 cents each. Where 

 they have blossoms on, or, better still, small 

 fruit, there is no trouble in getting 10 cents 

 for a plant, box and all. The Dwarf Cham- 

 pion is an excellent tomalo for this purpose. 

 But the new plant called Earliest in the 

 World will give you tomatoes quicker, and 

 the plant blossoms when so small that it is 

 an excellent one to go in boxes. Now is 

 the time to sow your seeds if you want to 

 try your hand at it. 



FLOWERS THAT DO NOT FADE. 



I have been having much enjoyment lately 

 in that little greenhouse, and I want you to 

 share part of it in something I am going to 

 tell you about. A vase of flowers, even if 

 it is only a very small vase and a few little 

 blossoms, adds much to the charm of the 

 breakfast-table — j'es, the dinner-table and 

 the supper-table too. But it is something 



of a task for the good wife to keep stich a 

 vase bright and fresh; and in the winter 

 time it is not always easy to find the 

 "posies." Now, I will tell you what you 

 are to do. Get a rather deep sauce-plate — 

 a square one if you can find it. Fill it 

 with some sort of white sand — silver sand, 

 for instance; or, if you can not do any bet- 

 ter, get a piece of soft white sandstone and 

 pound it up. I got mine by the side of the 

 railroad track. It ran out of the sand-box 

 of the locomotive. It is almost as white as 

 sugar. Now, having wet this sand so it is 

 about like mud, fill it with cuttings. In 

 the corners I would put some sprigs of ly- 

 copodium, for instance; a little further back 

 put some California moss, or what florists 

 call mesembryanthemum; then put in some 

 sprigs of geranium, pelargonium, salvia, 

 etc. I have mentioned salvia because it 

 (especially the golden leaf) grows so rapid- 

 ly from cuttings. Get a sprig of bloom for 

 the center if you can; then take slips from 

 any sort of house-plants. Ivy geranium 

 takes hold beautifully. Of course, coleus 

 is prettier than almost any thing else; but 

 your dining-room mtist be very warm if y )u 

 want it to thrive. Select slips from almost 

 any sort of plant with a bud on, and they 

 will blossom in the sand jtist about as well. 

 Now all yoti have to do is to keep the sand 

 wet. You all know about starting gerani- 

 um and other plants in a bottle of water. 

 Well, this is on the same principle. But a 

 bottle is unsightly any way you can man- 

 age it. A tiny dish of white sand kept wet 

 will not only keep blooms of almost any kind 

 better than any vase, but most plants will 

 start and grow. Your greatest difficulty 

 will be that the air of your living-room may 

 be too dr}\ To obviate this, you want a 

 glass vase, or any kind of glass dish or cov- 

 er, to set over your little cutting-bed (only 

 at meal time) to hold the dampness. With 

 a little ingenuity you can manage it so as 

 to have a bouquet of flowers and beautiful 

 sprigs of foliage that will be growing all 

 winter long. 



When 3'our plants have roots half an inch 

 long, put them in little pots and you will 

 soon get to be a florist on a small scale. 

 Yoti can get sprigs and cuttings from any 

 other kind of house-plant. If there are no 

 house-plants in your home, go visiting to 

 your neighbors who have them. 



I forgot to say that Impatiens stiltani is 

 one of the very prettiest plants for this 

 method of propagation. It needs, however, 

 like the coleus, to be in a room that is rath- 

 er warm, say 50 to 60 at night, and 65 to 70 

 in the daytime. Now, bear in mind if you 

 shotild at any time let the sand get dry, 

 your ctittings, or at least most of them, will 

 "go dead." 



S. W. Pike, of St. Charles, 111., will 

 furnish you rooted cuttings of all the plants 

 I have mentioned, and ever so many more, 

 for 2 to 5 cts. each; lower prices still by the 

 dozen. All who are interested in house- 

 plants had better send for his little catalog 

 of rooted cuttings. 



