450 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CQLTURE. 



June 1. 



that even then good fruit can not be had unless 

 something is done to disturb the blossom. 



Quite an interesting fact came under my 

 observation this winter in tomato-forcing, along 

 this line. We had in one house about 300 

 Dwarf Champions that were planted in August; 

 and by the time winter set in they were as fine 

 and thrifty plants as one could wish to see, and 

 setting their fruit nicely. We felt glad to think 

 what a nice crop of tomatoes we should have; 

 but when January came, and they commenced 

 to ripen up their fruit, the bulk of it was about 

 the size of hickorynuts, without any seeds. 



The tomato, as you know, is a bisexual flow- 

 ering plant, but in this case it is evident that 

 the pollen from the same flower was what is 

 called "self-irritant." If bees or some other 

 cause had carried the pollen from one flower to 

 another, or one plant to the other, there would 

 have been a good crop. I have been doing 

 something in cross-fertilizing tomatoes this 

 winter, and have been surprised at the ease 

 with which they crossed, having used the Pota- 

 to-leaf, Dwarf Champion, Ponderosa, Peach, 

 and several of the common kinds, making in 

 all about 40 crosses. I do not think I shall fail 

 to get seed except in a few of them. I expect 

 that, from the seed, I shall get a lot of "' mon- 

 grels," as one writer in Gleanings calls such 

 crosses; but I prefer to call them crossbreds, as 

 " hybrid " has a different meaning. 



STRAWBERRIES. 



You ask in the May 1st Gleanings if there 

 is known a better plant than Jessie for a fertiliz- 

 er. I think that the Jessie stands at the. head 

 of the list as a fertilizer; but as a berry-producer 

 and plant-producer it has proved such a failure 

 in many places that it has to take a back seat 

 for the Parker Earle, Bederwood, Enhance, 

 Muskingum, and perhaps others. 



Wooster, O. E. C. Green. 



[Friend Green, you have hit it exactly, al- 

 though it did not occur to me until you sug- 

 gested it. By referring to the picture on p. 370, 

 April 1, you will notice that my bed that has 

 been fruiting strawberries ever since February 

 is right in the midst of our apiary. In fact, 

 you can seethe bee-hives along iton either side. 

 Well, there has not been a month during the 

 past winter when the bees have not been busy 

 more or less on the blossoms of the strawberries. 

 The bed was a curiosity to visitors on account 

 of the great quantity of bloom all winter long; 

 and it was something more of a curiosity to the 

 yellow Italians. Whenever a day occurred that 

 they could fly, the sash was either taken clear 

 ofl' from the strawberries, or else tilted in the 

 way I have described, so as to leave openings 

 at every third sash. Well, I should never have 

 thought to mention it unless you had suggested 

 it, that the Italians soon learned the trick of get- 

 ting in at these openings; and even when the 

 weather was unfit for them to fly in the open 

 air, they would dart out of their hives and go 

 under the glass like a shot; and then they 

 would work on the blossoms until they were 

 satisfied, or a cloud came over the sun, and 

 then they would dart out and go into their 

 hives. It was really funny to see them catch 



on to the program; and toward night, when ] 

 thought best to close the sash, a good manj 

 times I had to chase the bees out, to avoid 

 shutting them in over night or longer. Th( 

 steam heat under the beds, of course, contribut- 

 ed to give them a nice place to have a frolic. 



Now comes the important point. I never saw 

 strawberries fruit in the open air or anywhere 

 else with such wonderful profusion as have 

 these. I have never raised any larger or finer- 

 shaped berries, and several have remarked thai 

 they never tasted more delicious berries thar 

 those grown under glass during the months ol 

 February and March, and I am sure you an 

 right about it. The unusually complete fer 

 tilizatlon secured by the bees was certainly one 

 secret of the crop; and this same bed is ioa,ded 

 with berries even now. The plants right ovei 

 the steam- pipe have very little foliage com^ 

 paratively, and it looks funny to see two oi 

 three dozen green berries to a plant, when 

 there are not half a dozen green leaves. I hav( 

 for some time felt satisfied that, in forclnc 

 strawberries to get early plants or berrie: 

 either, they should have all the open air anc 

 direct sun that the weather will permit of. li 

 our locality, so near Lake Erie, the sashes maj 

 be entirely ofl' (for strawherrles) moi'e or less o 

 the time during every winter month. 



Now, in order to force strawberries success 

 fully we want some method of handling Ihi 

 sash with little trouble and expense. At pres 

 ent J know of no better way — that is, no betie 

 way without using expensive machinery — thai 

 to have the beds not very long — say sufficient ti 

 hold 8, 10, or 13 sash, piling them up at euel 

 end of the bed, half at one end and half at th^ 

 other. With the light sash we are now making 

 two boys will put them on and take them ol 

 with surprising celerity, after they have learn 

 ed the trick thoroughly. Boys ten years of ag 

 will do it easily. In fact, our smallest boy 

 rather enjoy being allowed to put on or take oi 

 the sashes. Hurrah for the strawberries i: 

 February, March, and April! But remembe 

 you want some hives of Italians close by th' 

 strawberry-bed. Another thing, you will no 

 tice that our strawberries and bees are nm 

 protected by a most magnificent windbreak o 

 evergreens.] A. I. R. 



BEES and fruit ON THE ISLANDS; A REPL' 

 TO THADDEUS SMITH ON PAGE 407. 



[I wish to say first, that my good friend Thad 

 deus Smith is one of the oldest friends o 

 Gleanings; in fact, if I am not mistaken h 

 was a subscriber when the little sheets wer 

 printed by windmill power, away back in th 

 early '70's. Now, perhaps he may be corn^c 

 in saying that large crops of fine fruit ar 

 raised, even though no honey-bees are to b 

 found on the island; but I am sure he is mak 

 ing a big mistake if he intends to convey th 

 idea that no insects of any sort take th' 

 place of the bees. If there is not a humnlini 

 among the branches of those Lombard plum 

 trees when they are in bloom, it will be a stat 

 of affairs that I have never yet witnessed. An( 

 so with the strawberry-plants. Tliere are ! 

 good many different varieties of small insects 

 perhaps belonging to some department of thi 

 bee family, that are always found flitting fron 

 blossom to blossom. Their legs and bodies ari 

 usually covered with the dust so familiar t( 

 every one, and very likely these insects perforn 

 the office of fertilization without the aid 

 the bees. I might almost say that, if Thaddeui 

 Smith tells me this is not true, I will be willing 

 to pay him a visit while fruit-trees are ii 

 bloom; but I shall surely take along my spec 

 tacles. Will other observers please notice wha' 

 I mention, and tell me if I am not right?] 



A. I. R. 



