1886 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



661 



the fields loadiiijj up tliesa wonderful cab- 

 bages. The cabl)ages were planted four feet 

 apart, and yet the leaves covered the sif>niid 

 so completely that not even a wlieelbarrow 

 couKl be passed beUvecn the rows. Accord- 

 ingly they have an odd sort of a wheelljar- 

 row without any wheel. Instead of having 

 a man at one end and a wheel at the other, 

 they liave a man at each end, and on this ar- 

 ransement the cabbages are carried to the 

 road alongside of the patch. 



On the next page 1 give you a cut which 

 illustrates very well the appearance of the 

 market-gardens around Arlington. The cut 

 was furnished me by the Planet Jr. folks, 

 and was made to advertise their implements ; 

 but you can overlook the implements, and 

 you have a very good idea of the Ailiiigton 

 market-gardens. 



Everybody seems to be very friendly and 

 pleasant in Arlington. In going in and out 

 among the shrubbery, in ray inquisitive way, 

 1 frequently passed by the occupants of these 

 line places. While I was examining the 

 egg-plants, a yoinig lady eyed me curiously ; 

 but when 1 explained that 1 was attracted 

 by the wonderful growth of their beautiful 

 plants, she invited me to make myself at 

 home, and examine any thing that 1 was cu- 

 rious about. At one point I was attracted 

 by a beautiful flower-garden on one .side of 

 the road that passed into tlie grounds, while 

 across the track were rows of beets in all 

 stages of development. Some of the beets 

 were just breaking through the surface of 

 the ground. A rod or two further they were 

 two or three inches high ; still further, near- 

 ly fit for market ; and finally there were long 

 rcwj ready to pull. The seed had been sown 

 at different times, so as to give the effect of 

 rising in steps — one step above another, so 

 that, after one sowing was marketed, the 

 next came riglit after it, and so on. Now, 

 the flower-garden was beautiful ; but this 

 little field of beets I think was one of the 

 most beantiful sights I have ever beheld in 

 my life. Of course, hand-weeding is reciuir- 

 ed where every inch of ground is cropped so 

 closely; and in two different places I saw 

 women from the old countries down on their 

 knees pulling out the weeds. 1 like to pidl 

 weeds where the ground is as mellow as it 

 was there, and so 1 stooped down and pulled 

 weeds a while just to see what fun it was. 

 It had rained the night before, and the 

 weeds came out so easily that it ime< just 

 fun. Who would not like to do gardening 

 with such a soil as they have in Arlington? 

 IVell, I reluctantly passed by the beets. 



To be conti 



Perhaps 1 should add, that not a weed is to 

 be seen, except among seedlings just com- 

 ing up. When they get older, the ground is 

 kept alnK)st absolutely clean by the use of 

 scuttle hoes and similar tools. 



Further do ,vu I met a man at work on the 

 iron i)ip:>s used for irrigation. At Arling- 

 ton irrigation is used whenever necessity de- 

 mands it. If it rains, well and gojd ; and 

 if it does not lain, they run water between 

 the plants in the furrows. With celery, a 

 deep, narrow channel is plowed, within 

 about one foot of the roots. \Vater is taken 

 to the highest point in the rows, and allowed 

 to descend l)oth ways. I explained to the 

 man at work at the pipes that 1 was attract- 

 ed by thf beauty of their grounds. He bade 

 me welcome, and regretted that he hadn't 

 time to show me around ; but he said. 

 '' F.tther is over there in the field ; I think 

 he would be glad to talk with you.'' 



As I came near the old gentleman, I dis- 

 covered he had a hoe about twice as wide as 

 any we use. Tlie blade, however, was quite 

 narrow. Well, in this soft soil, with such a 

 hoe, even the old gentleman could cut up 

 weeds very rapidly. I found him to l)e (piite 

 aged — so old that his voice trembled quite 

 perceptibly when he spoke. He seemed 

 pleased to find me so much interested, and 

 to know that I was from Ohio. He said, 

 when he was a boy he too wanted to go to 

 Ohio ; but it was then away off in the wil- 

 derness, and he found that all the money 

 he could rake and scrape together would but 

 just take him there; and then if he didn't 

 happen to like the far wilderness he wouldn't 

 have any money to get back with, when he 

 decided to stay and make garden on the very 

 patch of land where we were standing. He 

 was one of the pioneers in Arlington market 

 gardening. We passed a field of early sweet 

 corn. It was a wonder to me, for every hill 

 had just so many stalks ; each stalk was just 

 so high, and had just so many ears on it, 

 and the (juantity of ears was so great that 

 the stalks were bending over— each hill to- 

 ward its neighbor, and each ear seemed to 

 be plump and full, just like every neigh- 

 l)oring ear. I expressed surprise, and asked 

 him how many years he had been cultivating 

 that kind of corn, for I naturally thought it 

 must be some new-fangled wonderful yield- 

 er. I was a little surprised when he replied. 

 " Nigh on to forty year." 



As this chapter is getting pretty long, and 



as I gleaned a good many things that I want 



to tell you of in that talk, I think I shall 



have to reserve the rest for anothtJi' chapter. 



micd Sept. 15, 



