594 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 15. 



the American Pearl. The largest of them will 

 probably sell in the market at about the same 

 price, and although they are not as handsome, 

 because where they crowd each other in the 

 hill they are more or less pressed out of shape. 

 But this onion is very easily raised, and I have 

 never seen any sort of seed-stalk start in any of 

 them. They simply keep growing nice solid 

 onions; and I do not know of any onions in the 

 world that will keep like the White Multiplier, 

 unless it is the shallots. As nearly as 1 can 

 understand it, the method of culture is like 

 this: Gather your crop, and sort out those large 

 enough for market. The others may be plant- 

 in September, exactly as we do the sets of the 

 American Pearl, or you can hold them over 

 and plant them in the spring. Ours planted in 

 the fall have done rather better than those 

 kept over till spring; therefore, where it can be 

 done 1 should advise fall planting. After har- 

 vesting, with appropriate sieves sort those too 

 small for market, in different sizes. The small- 

 est will probably produce large onions the next 

 season; but ail large and medium -sized ones 

 will divide up— one onion making a dozen or 

 more. If they are to be kept for any length of 

 time I would store them in a dry loft until 

 freezing weather comes; then they can be kept 

 over winter like any other onions, only they ai'e 

 very much less trouble. You can keep them 

 through the winter until lime to put them out 

 in the spring, with scarcely any sending out a 

 sprout; or they can be kept through the winter 

 for table use, in the same way. They are so 

 solid, firm, and dry, that a bushel of multipliers 

 ought to be worth a good deal mure tlian a 

 bushel of the ordinary onions more or less soft 

 and sprouted. They seem to be a pretty safe 

 thing to have, and a pretty nice thing too. I 

 fear, however, there will be complaint because 

 there are so many small ones. An objection 

 has been made that they do not yield largely. 

 Now, my experience is that they yield pretty 

 fairly. One onion, on an average, produces 

 from 13 to 20 fold. Of course, the small onions 

 will cost more than planting black seed. But, 

 wait a bit. 



SHALLOTS. 



These are almost exactly like the Multipliers, 

 mentioned above, except that they do send up 

 seed-stalks and produce seed; that is, some of 

 the onions send up seed-stalks. They produce 

 black seed, not sets. I am told that this black 

 seed will produce sets, and that these sets be- 

 have themselves like the bottom-sets, or the 

 smaller shallots. Now, the shallot is still hard- 

 er and firmer than the Multiplier onion. Why, 

 they are just little beauties in that respect. 

 They keep solid, and without sprouting, almost 

 anywhere. Sending up a seed-stalk and pro- 

 ducing seed is an advantage, heca,use the ex- 

 pense of seed per acre will be so much less. 

 Again, it is a c/isadvantage ; because, if you 

 want good-sized shallots for market, and not 

 for seed, you would have to pull off the seed- 

 stalks. May be I am not quite right in this 

 thing, because you see it is a little complicated; 

 but I am studying the habits of these interest- 

 ing members of the onion family, and I think I 

 shall know all about it pretty soon. I feel sure 

 there is money in both shallots and multipliers. 

 If you are curious in the matter, see the long 

 article on " English Multipliers," in our issue 

 for Feb. I.''), 1894; also look up " Shallots " and 

 '■ Multipliei's " in the index for last year. 



THE INDUSTRY GOOSEBEKKY. 



We have been picking ours; and as we sell 

 the ordinary ones at 7 and 8 cts. a quart, I 

 thought the Industries ought to bring 10. The 

 first customer who saw them took the whole 

 crop. Then we felt bad because we did not 



charge 15 cts. instead of 10. May be you think 

 that looks avaricious ; but the berries really 

 looked more like watermelons than gooseber- 

 ries. They were not quite as lavije as water- 

 melons, it is true ; but a good many of them 

 were like watermelons in shape. They were 

 oblong, and beautifully mottled. Why in the 

 world does'not somebody have an acre of Indus- 

 try gooseberries '? I suppose that one reason is, 

 that the plants are not as strong and robust as 

 the other kinds. We have had ours two or 

 three years; and, with the same treatment we 

 give the others, they have made comparatively 

 small growth. But I tell you they are delicious. 

 By the way, who will tell us more about the 

 Industry gooseberry ? Who has raised them on 

 a large scale, and what do they bring in the 

 market ? 



A STOKY WITH A MORAL. 



Somebody told me that one of my small boys, 

 about the size of those you saw in the picture, 

 had sold $3.40 worth of radishes from a five- 

 cent paper of Chartier radish seed. I asked 

 him about it, and he said it was true. He ped- 

 dled the radishes around town himself. They 

 were so much nicer than any I had raised that 

 he sold them without any trouble. I was pret- 

 ty sure there was an important truth back of 

 it somewhere, for we have much trouble in 

 raising nice radishes on our ground that has 

 been so heavily manured with stable manure. 

 They are crooked and wormy, and we get very 

 few tine- looking ones. Yes. we have not had 

 any nice ones, even on our swamp-muck ground 

 this present season. Well, the truth I wanted 

 to get at was this: The radishes were raised on 

 a piece of ground where an old stable had stood 

 a good many years. Now, friends, is there any 

 such place on your premises? or are you " cul- 

 tivating 'an old stable of that sort to enable 

 the coming generations to raise crops of rad- 

 ishes, etc.? 



THE GANDY STRAWBERRY DEFENDED, ETC. 



Friend Root:— 1 have just read "Our Straw- 

 berry Report'" in Gleanings. The Gandy is 

 not only a choice but also a very profitable va- 

 riety with me. A single acre netted me over 

 $400 last season, and fully as much this. I sold 

 11.50 worth from this acre yesterday in Jackson, 

 18 miles distant. Of course, much of the profit 

 is due to its season. Haverland and Warfield 

 are extra fine. I am much pleased with Tim- 

 brel!, Gillespie, Leader, Lovett, Iowa Beauty, 

 and Middleheld. Bederwood is immense. I 

 expect great things of the Marshall. It is 

 large, of extra line flavor. Epping, Bissel. and 

 Mary, are very promising. 1 set over 40 varie- 

 ties this spring, but more of the Gandy, Tim- 

 brell. and Beverley, than of the others. I am 

 much interested in the new Loudon Red rasp- 

 berry, and expect to see it at its home, Janes- 

 ville. Wis., in a few days, if the trains are not 

 all tied up. I bought a dozen of Mr. Gault's 

 raspberry last spring, which are doing well. 

 They could not help it, with such plants and 

 the care Mr. Gault lakes in packing. 



C. N. P^LANSBURGH. 



Leslie, Mich., July 4, 1894. 



Friend F.. you have given me just the kind of 

 testimony I wanted to get. Prof. Green, of our 

 Experiment Station, is a very observing man, 

 and a very careful one; and that is why I value 

 his opinion so highly in regard to new fruits ; 

 but he was evidently a little too severe on the 

 Gandy. It may be, however, that your locality 

 is especially favorable; but I do believe, with 

 the acquaintance I have already had with the 

 Gandy. that I could make it pay in our locality. 

 I would put the plants on very rich ground; 

 thin them out to a pretty good distance, then 



