1S'.)4 



(iLEANIN(JS IN HEE CULTURE. 



•.".•1 



well; but if I had some i-honiical that would do 

 the work it would be worth lots tome. Guano 

 does the work every time: but it is very ex- 

 pcMisive, and last spring I could not f?et it; and, 

 besides, the Mapcs people use guano largely in 

 maniifaeturing liieir fertilizers. Now. I am 

 acqiiainied with guano, and it does tlie work 

 every time. Why not use the guano without 

 any mixture? You still advise nitrate of soda, 

 in strong terms. How does it come that nitrate 

 of soda never does a bit of good on any crop for 

 1UC :' In fact, I have put it on onions until it 

 did them harm, but it has never done them any 

 good. I am just about trying it once more on 

 tomatoes, as I notice one of the experiment 

 stations is so positive that it does push them. 

 Then, again, there is that great luarket-gar- 

 dener, J. I\I. Stiiith. of (Jreen Bay, Wis., who 

 says, " Chemical fertilizers have never been of 

 any value to me. either on good land or poor 

 land." Mr. Smith is one of the greatest gar- 

 deners in the whole wide world. If he is mak- 

 ing a mistake while he is such high authority, 

 he is really doing harm. Then, again, our Ohio 

 Experiment Station report as I have reported 

 in regard to the nitrate of soda. I think I have 

 read almost every thing that has been said in 

 the Rural New-Yorker in regard to chemical 

 fertilizers. Yes, I do know that the Rurdl is 

 ready, and always has been, to speak out frank- 

 ly and give both sides of any vital question. 



WATEK-CRESS IN THE GREENHOUSE. 



About the first of January I told Fred we 

 would try once more to raise water-cress, and 

 we sowed some seed in three or four different 

 places — in the greenhouse that is shaded; in 

 the one across the road, right in the sun; in 

 some hot-beds heated with exhaust steam, and 

 in various other places. The seeds in that lit- 

 tle automatic greenhouse across the way came 

 up at once, and, in fact, every seed of every 

 kind I ever tried always grows there. First, 

 the whole greenhouse catches the first rays of 

 the morning sun, and has it all the day unob- 

 structed until sunset; then the sloping sashes 

 on the east side get the last rays of the declin- 

 ing sun. Further, every bed has bottom heat 

 from the exhaust steam going through the 

 tiles. Last, but not least, the automatic hot- 

 water pipes overhead keep the temperature 

 perfectly even, day and night. Well, the little 

 water-cress plants were almost microscopic 

 when they first came up. I watched them and 

 watered them, and enjoyed seeing them show 

 progress every single day. Yes, I could see 

 that the leaves were larger in the morning than 

 they were the night before, and larger in the 

 evening than they were in the morning; and 

 the water-cress plants soon became my special 

 pets; and when they began to crowd a little we 

 transplanted so as to give them room; and I 

 believe they bore transplanting about the best 

 of any plant I ever had to deal with. Why, in 

 two clays after transplanting they were send- 

 ing out little white roots, something like straw- 

 berry-runners, at every leaf-joint; and before 

 I knew it they were crowding again. I presume 

 they now occupy a bed about six feet square, 

 and it is such a perfect mass of luxuriance that 

 I believe we can raise water-cress as cheaply 

 as lettuce— may be cheaper still. They have 

 no insect-enemies, and never blight, that I 

 know of; and when they once get well rooted, 

 I believe they make the most astonishing 

 growth of almost any plant we have — that is, 

 if we keep the ground pretty well soaked with 

 water. I do not think we can very well overdo 

 watering. We are now selling it around town 

 in 14-Ih. bunches, for a nickel a bunch. By the 

 way, we now sell water-cresses, radishes, let- 



tuce, and every thing of that sort, put up in 

 little paper bags— just a quarter of a pound in 

 a bag. The pa|)er bag is a proti'ction from the 

 frost during the winter, and keeps the plants 

 clean, free from wilting, and away from the 

 dust in summer lime. The paper bags are now 

 made so cheaply that the expense is not worth 

 mentioning; and these pap' f sacks are ever so 

 much more quickly handled on the wagon than 

 weighing out the stuff as we sell it. 



HOAV SHAI.L WE EAT CRESS? 



I believe you can use either pepper, salt and 

 vinegar, or all three if you choose; but as vine- 

 gar does not agree with me, we just cut the 

 cress up in sprigs, say three inches long, and 

 drop it into a dish of clean water, and this dish 

 is set on the table. Just take out the sprigs, 

 and eat them with your bread and butter, your 

 beefsteak, or with any thing else, for that mat- 

 ter. It is just the nicest relish for nice beef- 

 steak, I think, I ever got hold of; and even s\ ith 

 bread and butter it has a wonderfully reliesh- 

 ing flavor, and I have eaten it in quite consider- 

 able quantities on purpose to test it, and it 

 agrees with me excellently. 



1 believe water-cress is now advertised in 

 most seed catalogs, but there seem to be two 

 varieties of it. Now, please do not get water- 

 cress confounded with what is sometimes call- 

 ed upland cress. The latter is a vile weed, and 

 never ought to have been put in a catalog by 

 any honest seedsman. The reason why I think 

 there must be two kinds of water-cress is, my 

 German friend Ben says they have it in the old 

 country, with fine narrow-leaved foliage; and 

 Mrs. Root, on tasting it, said they used to have 

 it in England, but it also had a finer foliage, 

 with a very narrow leaf, something almost like 

 grass. Now. if any of the friends can mail me 

 a specimen of this fine-leaved water-cress (mind 

 you, I want the kind that grows in running 

 water — not pepper - grass nor upland cress) I 

 shall be very much obliged indeed. I am im- 

 pressed with the idea that great quantities of 

 genuine water-cress could be sold all over our 

 land, if people once get hold of it. Who will 

 help? 



MORE ABOUT ONIONS. 



If you would like to see a big crop of onions, 

 plant your sets just early enough in the fall to 

 get them nicely rooted, ground in good order, 

 and, as soon as planted, cover the bed with 

 good fine manure two inches deep. You will 

 have no farther work or trouble with them un- 

 til they are ready to harvest. The mulch will 

 keep the ground in perfect order. 



Chenango Bridge, N. Y. S. M. Keeler. 



KIND WORDS FROM OUR CUSTOMERS. 



Mr. Root:— I have just received your catalog: for 

 Jan.. 1894. and would say that I now have 42 hives of 

 your make— tliat is, the Dovetailed hive. I would 

 have no other for mv bees. Jerome Barnell. 



Wahuo, Neb., Mar. T. 



I have received my supjilies tlirough your branch 

 in San Francisco; and as I have lieretofore used 

 otlier goods I can fully appreciate tiie vahie of 

 yours, and you will liereafter have mj- patronatre. 



Stockton. Cal., Mar. 16. J. K. G.vnnit. 



Mr. Root: — I started in sonietliing' better than the 

 bee business last fall, and it cost me less. It can be 

 bought without money and without i^rice. I am 

 still continuing- and advancing- in tlie good way. I 

 am only 'ZS years old; Iiave a good fai-m, and am do- 

 ing very well. I was what tliey call a " tough case" 

 before I was converted. (). E. Gibson. 



Brant, Mich., Feb. 5. 



