1886 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



73? 



My guide seemed inclined to pass along ; but 

 I called to him to hold on a bit. 



" My friend, what kind of cucumbers are 

 thoseV and how in the world does it come 

 that such a beautiful lot of them should be 

 left here in this out-of-tlie-way placeV" 



" Why, Mr. Root, those extra - fine cu- 

 cumbers are saved for the seeds, and tliese 

 seeds are to be planted in the greenhouses 

 next year. They are the most perfect and 

 finest specimens we can select from our 

 whole crop." 



"But will you sell me some seed from 

 these? I would give their weight in gold, 

 almost, for a few of them to get a start of 

 that variety." 



" Why. the variety is the ' VYhite Spine' 

 which we advertise; but I don't know 

 whether the boss would let you have any 

 seeds from those specimens or not. You will 

 have to write to him about it." 



I did write to him, you may be sure, just 

 as soon as I got home, and here is his reply : 



Mr. A. I. Root:— Your Qslcomed lavor is at liand. 

 Your order will be mailed to-daj% except the Raw- 

 son's White Spine cucumber. This stock we at 

 present have not got, but later on will send you 

 some seed taken from Mr. Rawson's own stock, the 

 same stock as " those cucumbers " were from. Mr. 

 K. regrets that he was out West Avhen you were at 

 his place, as he might have helped Po show you 

 round. W. W. Rawson & Co. 



Boston, Mass., Aug-. .5, 188C. 



Now, then, no doubt all of our readers are 

 just like myself, and want a few c f those 

 choice seeds. I suppose they are really stock 

 seeds, such as friend (Jreen alluded to on 

 page GOT of (Cleanings; and you know 

 stock seed is not often for sale. I would 

 gladly divide with you, but the few seeds I 

 am to get would not begin to go around 

 among so many friends. You can buy the 

 seed of the Arlington " White Spine "cu- 

 cumber by sending to Mr. W. W. Rawson, 

 Arlington, Mass. But the great point for 

 us is right here: Just think of the wonder- 

 ful importance of having the very best seed 

 that can be procured, when the crop of cu- 

 cumbers is to amount to several thousand 

 dollars ! Those who have sold cucumbers in 

 the market very well know how much more 

 they can get for a nice, handsome-sluiped 

 cucumber, compared with a crooked, un- 

 gainly one; and, without question, choice 



seeds from the finest specimens will be more 

 apt to give us a handsome crop of cucumbers 

 than seed collected from refuse, crooked 

 ones. And what is true of cucumbers is 

 true of every thing else. It is of as much 

 importance to please the eye of customers as 

 to please the palate ; and God has placed it 

 within our reach to please both in a way we 

 perhaps little know of now. Now, then, in 

 saving your seeds for next year, or next 

 summer's planting, remember, "Whatso- 

 ever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." 

 I will try to save a lot of seed from the stock 

 seed I am to have, and then I will gladly 

 furnish you all, if you prefer to buy of me. 



Some of the friends have written to me, 

 making inquiries in regard to the culture of 

 cucumbers under glass, but I suspect it will 

 be almost impossible to lay down, in books, 

 rules that will enable you to succeed with- 

 out a good deal of " catting and trying," as 

 it were. Try one or two hills at first, in a 

 small greenhouse ; and when you succeed 

 wuth a few, try it on a larger scale. But be- 

 fore you go into it very much, be sure you 

 have a market for them, after you get them 

 raised. We purchased some cucumbers ear- 

 ly in April, and tried them on our wagon. 

 But nobody had been used to seeing cucum- 

 bers at that season of the year, and they 

 treated them about as they did our lettuce 

 in January. We tried at first to get 10 cts. 

 apiece for them ; then we tried to close them 

 out at 5 cts., and finally at 3 cts. But it was 

 not the time of year for cucumbers in Medi- 

 na, and folks would not pay as much for them 

 then as they afterward paid in the latter 

 part of June. In fact, just a little before 

 the usual time for raising cucumbers in Me- 

 dina, we got 5 cts. apiece for a dozen or 

 more every day, and could not supply the de- 

 mand. So you see you will have to work up 

 a market at the same time you learn how to 

 raise cucumbers. May be you will wonder 

 why I chose this singular text. Well, it 

 seemed to me a little funny that the ancient 

 Egyptians used to relish garden vegetables 

 just as we do— cucumbers, melons, leeks, 

 onions, and garlic. Somehow my heart 

 warms toward them in reading this little 

 verse, for it brings me nearer to them. They 

 were human, just as we are, with human 

 wants and longings. 



