18 



SPECIAL NOTICES 



A. I. Root 



DASHEEN HIGHEK THAN A MAN'S HEAD 90 DAYS 

 AFTER PLANTING. 



When I got the five bushels of dasheen seed, al- 

 ready mentioned, I sold a peck to each of four neigh- 

 bors, right and left ; and I told each one of these 

 four neighbors to see who could make the best re- 

 port. Well, one of those neighbors, Mr. Ault (a 

 beekeeper), has dasheen already higher than his 

 head — at least so Mrs. Ault writes Mrs. Root. Now 

 if these were planted the first week in April (and it 

 certainly was not earlier than that), and were high- 

 er than his head the first week in July, that makes a 

 pretty good record for 90 days, and the seed was 

 not first-class either, as I have already explained. 

 It did not compare in soundness and firmness with 

 what I received from the Department of Agriculture. 

 I have not heard from the rest of the neighbors who 

 had a peck apiece. 



MAKING THE FARM PAY. 



The above is the title of a very pretty cloth-bound 

 new book of 300 pages. It is a brief resume of al- 

 most all lines of general farming, even including 

 bees and poultry. There may be an objection raised 

 because the book tells of the possibilities of growing 

 various crops as well as bees and poultry ; hut as a 

 general rule I think their statements present a pretty 

 fair showing of what may be done by a live man or 

 woman. It was written by Mr. C. C. Bowsfield, and 

 is published by Forbes & Co., Chicago. The price is 

 $1.00. The publishers make the brief statement, 

 " This book is published in the hope of assisting 

 farmers to improve their position." It may be worth 

 many times the price to any one who will study it 

 carefully and thoroughly. 



Below is the statement which I confess is a 

 surprise to me. I am sorry the author did not tell 

 just where he secured such a yield of honey from 

 buckwheat. I copy as follows : 



" I have a yard of bees which worked in a field of 

 buckwheat containing about 10 acres. No other buck- 

 wheat was within reach of them. They brought in 

 over $200 worth of buckwheat honey from this small 

 field. This is an average of over $20 per acre. The 

 flow of basswood honey, secured almost entirely 

 from the yield on an adjoining farm, netted several 

 hundred dollars. These yields may surprise many, 

 but they are not excessive. I have, during an ex- 

 ceptional year, secured a yield treble the above from 

 buckwheat, and have harvested a crop of $480 worth 

 of honey from a basswood grove of less than 10 

 acres. Honey represents one of the largest crops, 

 and nine-tenths of it is allowed to go' to waste. It 

 might be harvested at less expense than any other 

 crop produced. The reason why farmers have not 

 kept abreast of the times in beekeeping is hard to 

 find." 



POTATO-GROWING IN FLORIDA; OVER A QUARTER OP 

 A MILLION BUSHELS SHIPPED FROM ONE STATION. 



Friend Root: — After reading your potato article 

 (p. 277, April 15), I wanted you to know what they 

 do at Hastings in the way of growing potatoes, so 

 I took the matter up with Assistant General Freight 

 Agent J. F. Mead, whose reply is attached. Hastings 

 is the potato center; but there are many other towns 

 that grow large quantities. So you see Florida grows 

 some Irish potatoes. By the way, we furnish lots 

 of seed for Hastings growers, and a Hastings man 

 goes north each summer and grows our seed. 



Our rains have started, and every thing looks 

 refreshed after our dry season. 



Bradentown, Fla., June 27. S. C. CORWIN. 



My dear Mr. Gorwin : — Your letter of June 19 

 regarding movement of potatoes from Hastings, 

 Florida, is at hand. I beg to advise that the season 

 began this year April 10, and closed May 25 ; and, 

 according to our figures, they moved 106,590 barrels 

 (266,475 bushels) from Hastings proper, loading 

 166 Ijarrels (10 pecks to the barrel) to the car. 



I am very glad to know that you have done such 

 a handsome business over your dock this season, and 

 hope for your continued success. I have been trying 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



to make a trip on the Manatee River for some time, 

 with the view of calling upon you and renewing our 

 old friendship ; but they have kept me so busy this 

 winter I have been unable to make this trip. I 

 contemplate doing so this summer, however, and hope 

 to have the pleasure of having a good long chat 

 with you. 



JAMES P. Mead, Asst. Gen. Freight Agent. 

 Jacksonville, Fla., June 24. 



EGGS AND JERSEY MILK IN FLORIDA. 



We see in the last Gleanings what you say about 

 your Florida neighbor's Jersey cow's milk. You no 

 doubt will remember us. Yourself and your son 

 Huber stayed with us at Pittsford, Mich., over Sun- 

 day when you were on your first trip to Northern 

 Michigan with your automobile. No doubt you will 

 still remember the mammoth clover and the little 

 mule. Well, we came to Florida five years ago, and 

 we find that the cows here do give much richer milk, 

 but not such a big flow. We are sure of the richness, 

 for we tested the milk both in Michigan and in the 

 South. We make lots of butter, for which we get 40 

 cts. the year round. In the first six months of 1913 

 we sold over 1000 dozen eggs, not any less than 20 

 cts., and up to 40 cts. a dozen. Mr. Root, if you 

 think of it, get some of the L. & N. literature about 

 West Florida, and you can then get some idea of the 

 work we have done since we came to Florida. The L. 

 & N. will have them ready by fall. Any thing you 

 wi-ite about Florida is interesting to us, for we have 

 come to stay. 



Pensacola, Fla., July 14. O. W. Jefferson. 



AVOMEN DOCTORS FOE WOMEN. 



Dear Mr. Boot: — In Our Homes on p. 671, Oct. 

 15, 1912, you mention a doctor who always insists 

 on young female patients being accompanied by a 

 chaperon. Don't j'ou think the trouble could be 

 overcome by having lady doctors ? I have always 

 been an advocate of this reform, and it is coming; 

 but you could give the movement a boost if you 

 thought as I do. Is not the examination of a young 

 girl by a man a shock to her, and does it not tend 

 to destroy 'that jewel in a woman's diadem — her 

 modesty ? There would be hardly any male practi- 

 tioners attending women if it were not for their 

 efforts to prevent the lady doctors getting into the 

 ranks. In the name of common decency, is it not 

 time the fathers of the land take a hand in the 

 movement? Major Shallard. 



Woodburn, N. S. Wales, Australia. 



My good friend, I have often said the 

 same thing in substance to Mrs. Root; and 

 since woman sutfrage has gained gronnd so 

 rapidly, I tlnnk we shall very soon have 

 more women doctors than we have already. 

 Let a man and his wife both study medicine. 

 Let the men take charge of the men and 

 boys, and the good wife attend, so far as 

 she can, to the women, and especially the 

 girls. Of course the husband would, per- 

 haps,* be frequently called into counsel, and 

 vice versa; but during my brief life I have 

 again and again run across the evil result- 

 ing from letting a girl go unattended by 

 her mother or sister to a doctor's office. 

 As I suggested before, let the woman treat 

 women, and especially young girls without 

 their mothers, or doctor's wife or some other 

 relative being present. I have just seen 

 mention that the great city of Chicago has 



