1894 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



595 



mulch heavily to keep them back, and have the 

 whole patch on a north hillside, or on the north 

 side 01 a heavy piece of limber, in order that 

 xhi'Y might not dry up at the time strawberries 

 usually dry up. Then when everybody else is 

 getting small and dried-up berries, I would give 

 them the finest of the season. If I had received 

 yciur letter three days sooner I would not have 

 iilowed under the last of our (landies. Just be- 

 Un-o we covered them with manure, preparato- 

 ry to turning them under, I went through the 

 patch, and found, where the foliage was rank 

 enough to protect them from the heat, great 

 handsome berries, of perfect shape and color, 

 hard and firm to handle; and I really believe 

 they were the most delicious in flavor of any 

 strawberry I ever tasted. Unlike the Parker 

 Earle, it did not undertake to mature more ber- 

 rii'S than it could manage nicely, and it made a 

 pi-rfect. finished piece of work of the very last 

 beiry of the season. Another thing, we could 

 put out an acre of Gaudies without having any 

 fuss to have every third or fourth row for pol- 

 lenizer. 



TOKAC'CO-DUST FOR BUGS — AN ADVER.SE KE- 

 POKT. 



I covered the ground in and around my mel- 

 on-hills with the tobacco-dust, and the bugs 

 burrowed right through it and destroyed every 

 one of them. My faith in it is away below par. 

 E. P. Aldkidge. 



Franklin Square, O., June 8. 



[Why, friend A., I am greatly astonished at 

 such a report. It is the first one of the kind we 

 have ever received. Perhaps the weather is 

 very dry. and it needs rain to make the tobacco- 

 dust do its work. Let us hear from you after a 

 more extended e.xperience.] 



ON the wheel. 

 Perhaps I should explain that I am now rid- 

 ing a Victor Racer instead of a Victor Flyer, as 

 I was doing a few weeks ago. As a matter of 

 course, I find the last wheel a wonderful im- 

 provement over all its predecessors, and Con- 

 stance calls me fickle-minded because I am 

 so ready to drop each wheel, when I thought 

 there was nothing in the world like it, for each 

 new purchase. As wheels are getting to be so 

 common, perhaps it may be worth while to give 

 my reasons for these changes. The Flyer 

 weighed 29 lbs., and the Racer only L'4; and I 

 have been for some time thinking that it was 

 folly for me to ride a wheel strong enough to 

 carry a man weighing 200 lbs., when I hardly 

 weigh 130. You may say the difference of 5 

 lbs. would hardly be noticed; but when you 

 come to making trips of 30 or 40 miles in 3 or 4 

 hours, you will begin to discover that every 

 ounce counts. Ernest was afraid it would 

 hardly be safe for a man of my age to ride a 

 wheel weighing less than about 30 lbs.; but I 

 have tested pretty thoroughly my 24-lb. wheel, 

 and I never want any thing heavier after this. 

 When he told me, a year ago, that I would 

 eventually discard brake, mud-guards, pack- 

 age-carrier, and even the tool-box, in my gen- 

 eral riding, I could hardly believe it, especially 

 in regard to the brake. I thought I viust have 

 a brake for going down hill. But now I find 

 myself going down almost every hill to be 

 found on any well-traveled road, without any 



brake, and, in fact, a good deal of the time I 

 am urging the wheel /ortoarfZ. instead of holding 

 it back. 



Last week I rode 33 miles, and did not get 

 started till 30 minutes past 4. In order to reach 

 home before dark I got into a way of riding 

 down one hill fast enough to accumulate mo- 

 mentum to carry me to the top of the next; and 

 where a hill went down just before the next 

 one went up, I did this almost invariably; and 

 in this way I made as good speed up and down 

 hills, or nearly as good, as on level ground. I 

 commenced by testing the wheel gradually, 

 to see what it would stand, and how it behaved. 

 Very likely this is dangerous business, unless 

 you have a good strong wheel made upon 

 honor. In going down at the immense speed 

 that one accumulates, by the time you reach 

 the foot of the hill, if any thing should break 

 so as to throw the rider to the ground, it would 

 result, likely, in broken bones if nothing worse; 

 therefore it behooves the rider to examine his 

 wheel often, and see that ^very thing is tight 

 and in good repair. I hardly need say that the 

 clothing worn, like the wheel, should be of such 

 material as to dispense with every ounce that 

 is not needed. If you carry a pocket-knife, let 

 it be a light one, and let your money be paper, 

 except what is needed to make change. If 

 riding in hot weather, your cap or hat should 

 be ventilated ; starched shirts and collars should 

 be exchanged for a woolen sweater, and light 

 shoes should take the place of boots; and in 

 order to save soiling the lower part of the legs 

 of your trowsers you should either wear knee- 

 breeches or let your stockings come over your 

 pants-legs. So much for a preface. 



A few days ago a gentleman was looking over 

 our grounds, and he asked several questions 

 about ray raspberries. His face seemed famil- 

 iar, and I felt ashained to ask his name. By the 

 way, nothing troubles me much more of late 

 than the way in which I forget the names of 

 people whom I know quite well. I suppose it 

 is because visitors are here almost every day. 

 I remember the face, but I can not call the 

 name; and sometimes I fear the good fiiends 

 must feel hurt when I have to explain to them 

 that I can not for the tninute call them by 

 name. It was so with this friend. In my talk 

 witli him I soon discovered that he knew a 

 good deal more about raspberries than I did; 

 and when he told me a little more about his 

 different varieties and different lields at home 

 I decided to pay him a visit, as he lives only 

 about ten miles away. Next morning, with 

 the aid of my wheel, I announced myself at his 

 beautiful home, before breakfast. In fact, it 

 was before fj o'clock. I was on my way to our 

 Ohio Experiment Station; and when he found 

 it out he expressed a wish to go with me. and 

 said his horse and buggy were at my service if 

 I would consent to give up my wheel. As the 

 day proved to be an exceedingly hot and dusty 

 one, I felt quite satisfied to do so, especially as 

 it gave me the privilege of having such a bright 

 and enthusiastic fruit-grower as Prof. Grannis 

 for a traveling companion. He is so modest a 

 man that I did not discover that he was a 

 "professor" at all until I had ridden by his 

 side some ten miles or more: and he did not tell 

 me so, even then. I wish to give you a little of 

 this friend's history, for it may prove to be 

 helpful, and on that ground I think he will 

 excuse me for what I am about to say. 



Friend Grannis has taught school all his life, 

 or, rather, he ha« been principal of an academy 

 the greater part of his life. He told me that 

 he and his family lived about as other people 

 do. year after year, letting expenses take up all 

 the income, until he was getting to be middle- 

 aged. He is a Christian man, and, of course. 



