612 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



September, 1919 



toes, tomatoes, etc.. I have ever seen in Florida. 

 Celery and other crops which are affected by root 

 knot, etc., do not do well here. Peach trees set out 

 a little over a year ago will bear a big crop this 

 year according to present indications. 



Since the railroad is establisheid here, together 

 with the boat service, there will, no doubt, be ade- 

 quate transportation facilities for all future busi- 

 ness. People are gradually settling up the country 

 farther down the lake, and the A. C. L. R. R. Co. 

 promises to push their line as fast as possible down 

 that way to take care of their products. Very few 

 have settled as yet as far down as the Miami Canal, 

 but the few who are there have proved conclusively 

 that this is the most favored section around the lake, 

 as it is just as productive as the other land, and 

 practically " frost proof." Here around Moore 

 Haven we have light frosts along the lake front, and 

 some pretty heavy freezes two or three miles back. 



Bees did exceedingly well here last season, and I 

 see no reason why they should not in the years to 

 come, as thousands of acres of peanuts are grown 

 here every year and furnish a practically steady 

 flow of honey from Apr. 1 until late fall. The 

 honey is equal to our northern clover honey both 

 as to looks and flavor. 



There is plenty of work here most of the time, 

 common labor bringing from 25 to 30 cents per 

 hour, and skilled labor from 50 to 65 cents per 

 hour. Land prices run mostly from $100.00 per 

 acre up to $400.00 or $500.00 per acre, according 

 to location. Good land can be bought at $160.00 

 to $250.00 per acre within one or two miles of 

 Moore Haven. Settlers down near the entrance of 

 the Miami Canal have only boat service at present, 

 aJid that not very satisfactory, but will, no doubt, 

 have a railroad within a very few years. They 

 have a very pretty lake front there and almost tropi- 

 cal climate. Land prices there run about the same 

 as here at Moore Haven. Hoaises to rent are at n 

 premium here and very poor houses bring very high 

 rent. Practically every house and room in the 

 town is taken for the next few months or until 

 after the tomato harvest is Qver. There sre more 

 than 2,000 acres of tomatoes to be picked here, and 

 only room available for about 400 people outside of 

 the regular population, and they expect to have to 

 import at least 1,000 to 1,500 pickers and packers. 

 A problem the Chamber of Commerce is working 

 on now is the housing problem. Rent runs from 

 8 to 10 dollars a month for very small ill-built 

 shacks up to $35.00 a month for just ordinary 

 houses, not furnished. 



Mosquitoes are a very great nuisance here and 

 have been very bad the last year. There are plenty 

 of them here now, so that it is nearly impossible to 

 sleep except in well-screened houses. Last winter 

 there were practically none, but the warm winter 

 with lots of rain this year has made them very bad. 



This muck land is the dirtiest place to live in I 

 ttver saw and the ammonia in it causes it to burn 

 wherever it gets on the flesh, making it ver>' dis- 

 agreeable until one has been here a year or so and 

 becomes used to it. Sores commonly called muck 

 sores are quite prevalent and are extremely painful 

 and hard to cure. I had one on my foot that my 

 best efforts failed to cure for five months, and I 

 only cured it when I left Moore Haven for a period 

 and got off the miick. when it " cured " of its own 

 accord in three days. I took ocean baths, which, I 

 think, helped in its cure. Bugs and insects of all 

 kinds are very obnoxious and snakes are pretty 

 numerous. 



Fishing and hunting are superb, and the man 

 who delights in these sports will find this a verita- 

 ble sportsmen's paradise. 



The most serious trouble with Moore Haven so 

 far has been the faculty its people seem to have of 

 piliog h11 their eggs in ooe basket. A year ago it 



was all potatoes and cabbage when, as the markets 

 turned out, it ought to have been tomatoes. This 

 year it is all tomatoes, and hardly any potatoes in 

 the country and prospects are potatoes will be high. 

 Last year they hardly brought enough to pay the 

 freight. This last summer everybody grew Spanish 

 peanuts, and could hardly give them away. Chick- 

 ens do finely here, also hogs and cows; and when 

 Moore Haven people learn to do diversified farming 

 and keep a few hens and a cow and some good 

 breed of real hogs, they will be the most prosperous 

 people on earth. Leon C. Wheeler. 



Moore Haven, Fla., March 20, 1919. 



Since the above was in type " big things " are re- 

 ported from Moore Haven. I clip below from 

 Florida Grower: 



Moore Haven muck is being shipped to Sebring 

 by the carload; and, as it is equal to good fertilizer, 

 it will be of great benefit to those who use it. 



Special Notices by A. I. Root 



THE NEW ANNUAL SWEET CLOVER. 



Dear Mr. Root : — The seed of the annual sweet 

 clover you .sent me were sowed on the 25th of March, 

 and by the 20th of July were about 30 inches high 

 and in frill bloom. At this date I have some matur- 

 ed seed on them which I will save and will have 

 quite a plot of them next year. I have only about 

 eight plants. S. B. Myers. 



Memphis, Tenn., Aug. 11, 1919. 



MANGROVE HONEY FROM FLORIDA ONCE MORE. 



Dear Mr. Root: — We are always glad to see 

 Gleanings when it comes, and were especially in- 

 terested in the pictures in the last number. Tours 

 with auto load of potatoes reminded me of an ex- 

 perience Ruth and I had a few days ago when we 

 were out after a load of honey to one of our Cortez 

 yards, and got stalled in the sand with 700 pounds 

 of honey on our trailer. By the way, that honey is 

 on its way to our place at present, and I wish that 

 you could sample some of the mangrove barrel, no 

 not the barrel, but the honey. We think that it is 

 about as fine as clover honey, altho we have always 

 heard that mangrove honey is not good. I have in- 

 structed your people to pay you for 60 pounds of 

 honey which I took from your hive of bees. I sent 

 in all a little over 5,000 pounds. 



My family wish to be remembered to Mrs. Root. 

 Trust we shall soon have you both back with us 

 asain, as we miss j'ou much in church and S. R. 

 Sincerely vours. J. B. Notestein. 



Bradentown, Fla., Aug. 6, 1917. 



Our oldest readers will remember that it was the 

 mangrove that gave the tremendous yield of honey 

 before the great frost of 1895. The trees were so 

 much injured that thev are only now beginning to 

 " catch up " after all these years. My recollection is 

 that the mangrove honej had a beautiful flavor all 

 its own, in times pa.st. I might add that my one 

 colony of lees that once more gave the 60 pounds 

 sent out a big swarm (which "absconded") just 

 before we left about the first of May. 



sunflower seed, thk locality that grows 

 1275 TONS, see p. 538. AUG. number. 



The following from Burbank will. I am sure, be 

 read with great interest. 



Mil E.-itcrmed Friend Root: — Long have I known 

 you and of you thru your writings and magazines, 

 etc. In fact. I think you are the one who en- 

 couraged me to start beekeeping in New England 

 long ago. 



The name of the town where so much sunflower 

 seed is raised is Manteca, San Joaquin Co., southern 

 California. Probably the postmaster of that place 

 could inform you all about it. I have just had a 

 request from a large Eastern firm for two or three 

 carloads of sunflower seed which I cannot fill; and 

 by the way, I have now a compact-growing variety 

 of my snow-white seeded sunflower, absolutely true 

 from seed, which grows only three feet in heiffht, 

 having enormous blossoms and as much feeding 

 value in foliage as the older tall kinds because the 

 plant makes a thick growth of leaves and stalk 

 from the ground up. Luther Burbank. 



Santa Rosa, Calif., July 23, 1919. 



