994 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 1 



the hill, climbed on the stumps, then went 

 up over the log-heaps and down into the bi- 

 cycle-path. One vine especially was so de- 

 termined to run across the bicycle-path 

 that I had to turn its course every morning- 

 regularly. Finally, when it got to a big 

 log-heap the vine climbed up on the heap 

 and seemed satisfied. In a little while 

 that steep side-hill was black — or, rather, 

 dark-green — with squashes. I do not 

 think there were over a dozen hills, but 

 there was a pretty good-sized wagon-load of 

 large hard squashes. The ground did not 

 have a particle of manure; and it was up so 

 high I did not think it looked particularly 

 rich before we cleared off the weeds and 

 small under-brush; but that wild-wood 

 land, without any fertilizer whatever, gave 

 a larger crop of scjuashes than I ever grew 

 here in Medina by putting on stable manure 

 until we could not see the ground. Vhen 

 I loaded my potatoes on the steamer at the 

 dock I put on several sacks of squashes, 

 and we have been retailing them at 2 cts. 

 per lb. I did not bring the largest ones to 

 Medina. They would not go into the sacks; 

 but a squash that weighed 21 lbs. brought 

 42 cts. without any trouble. 



Now, friends, I do not see how anybody 

 wants any better business than growing 

 Hubbard squashes at 2 cts. per lb. Years 

 ago I sold hundreds of them at 3 cts. per lb. 

 I do not know how much land there is in 

 Leelanaw Co., Mich., as rich as that 

 around my cabin; but it is mystery to me 

 wh}' people in that neighborhood do not 

 grow squashes and a hundred other things, 

 especiall}' while that wild land is sold at 

 such a small price per acre. I am sorry 

 now I did not measure the ground where 

 those squashes grew, and weigh the entire 

 crop. But that is not all. The potatoes 

 around ihem that were all covered with 

 squa!^h-vines gnve an enormous 3'ield also; 

 so we had squashes and potatoes on the 

 same ground. It seemed to me as if the 

 shade of the great squash-leaves prevented 

 the potatoes from blighting, and I am go- 

 ing to try it again another year. I will 

 plant enough Hubbard squashes between 

 my potatoes to shade the ground when the 

 sun is hottest. V\ ho has tried an experi- 

 ment of this kind? Some of my best pota- 

 toes were where some tall forest-trees shad- 

 ed the vines in the afternoon. Of course, 

 this same piece of forest kept off the cold 

 northwest winds, and this may have had 

 something to do in protecting them from 

 blight. 



^s a rule I have enjoyed better health 

 during the past summer than I have before 

 for years; in fact, I do not know that I was 

 ever so strong and well, so full of energj', 



in my life, even in my younger days. Sore 

 ' throat, toothache, earache, and every other 

 ache seem relegated to the past. I wore 

 the lightest kind of summer clothing, the 

 very thinnest underwear, dispensed with 

 coat, and sometimes vest also. Yes, when 

 the days were cloudy, and I had brisk hard 

 work to do, I went bareheaded and bare- 

 footed. Some of you may suggest that re- 

 gard for my looks should prevent me from 

 carrying things too far. But I was out in 

 the woods, and for many days at a time 

 without seeing anybody unless it was my 

 young man and Mrs. Root. 



Well, during the cool weather the last 

 part of October, some of my teeth began 

 troubling me and I began to think I should 

 have to go to the dentist. Mrs. Root sug- 

 gested that my shoes were ver3' thin for the 

 weather we were having, and my feet were 

 often damp, especially in the morning. I 

 replied that I felt so well I really preferred 

 to have my feet a little cold, and my corns 

 felt better when they were a little damp or 

 even wet. She suggested this had some- 

 thing to do with my toothache; but my feet 

 were so very comfortable as they were I let 

 them go for quite a spell. Finally I thought 

 I would try and see what effect it would 

 have on the toothache to put on some warm- 

 er stockings and heavy cork-soled shoes; 

 and here is the point of my story. The 

 toothache let up almost at once, without any 

 help from the dentist. Later on, when the 

 nights began to be i>wre chill3-, and we 

 were having some rather cold rains, the 

 toothache came back a little, and the old 

 familiar sore throat kept coming up toward 

 my ear, with a little touch of the earache. 

 I was going without a coat most of this 

 time. Mrs. Root suggested again that a 

 warm coat in addition to my heavy shoes 

 would remedy the trouble, and it did so, al- 

 though I found a coat many times incon- 

 venient, especially when I was bagging po- 

 tatoes (see next issue). Now, you may say 

 this is only plain common sense — soinething 

 that everybody knows or ought to know — • 

 that, as cool weather comes on in the fall, 

 we must dress warmer. But the point I 

 wish to make is this: I was relieved of these 

 aches and pains by dressing a little tvarm- 

 er than I felt inclined. With the brisk 

 muscular exercise I was having every day 

 I felt impatient of heavy clothing; but the 

 remedy for these things that I had been so 

 subject to, particularly during fall weather, 

 and also in the spring, has been in keeping 

 just a little warmer than I should prefer 

 for comfort. When I got warmed up with 

 m^' work I could throw off mj' coat and put 

 on a lighter cap. But I found it quite nec- 

 essary to put on my coat, thicker cap, etc., 

 just as soon as I ceased doing heav^^ mus- 

 cular work. Since I have returned home to 

 Medina I have had these neuralgic pains 

 again; but by putting on' overshoes when I 

 was out on the wet stone walks, and wear- 

 ing my overcoat when there was a cold 

 wind, I am keeping well, free from pain, 

 happy, and exceedingly thankful. Now, if 



