890 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Nov. 



Such a plot of ground may be worked on, 

 not only evenings, but on rainy days. If it 

 rains hard, fix a temporary covering over 

 you, of the shutters or sash, used in the win- 

 ter time. Of course, the aid of exhaust 

 steam, such as we use, will not very likely be 

 at the command of many of our readers; 

 but this exhaust steam is of no particular 

 use from the Hrst of April until the first of 

 October ; and l)y the aid of sash we can 

 make plants grow nicely through March and 

 October — yes, and through a great part of 

 November, without bt)ttom heat, especially 

 where we have ground that is enriched to 

 two feet in depth. 



Perhaps the greatest satisfaction I have 

 received in the use of the New Agriculture 

 has been in making the swamp-holes and 

 waste places on our 18 acres the most pro- 

 ductive spots we have. When I bought the 

 place, a small stream which we call Champi- 

 on Brook meandered across our low ground, 

 traveling over more than twice the distance 

 it would make in going straight across, as 

 such brooks usually do. In fact, our whole 

 creek bottom has been at different times 

 washed over and cut up by this Champion 

 Brook. AVell, my first work six or seven 

 years ago was to make Champion Brook go 

 straight from where it came on to my land, 

 to the point where it passed off. This left 

 the old creek-bed, and in many places it had 

 washed great holes down to the bed-rock. 

 These holes have been a bother and a nui- 

 sance until the present season. During the 

 past summer, as I have told you. we have 

 scooped out the contents, clear down to the 

 rock, in many places, and I tell you it was 

 real fun to do it — especially as the dry sea- 

 son greatly favored the work. These holes 

 were then a receptacle for all the stone, tin- 

 ware, boots, and shoes, and every thing that 

 could be collected on the plTice ; and during 

 the past season we have been grubbing out 



the stumps, and using them to fill these gul- 

 lies and holes. We make the surface level, 

 then cover it with tinware, or something 

 that will not decay, then down come the 

 banks to the sides, until we can run both 

 plow and cultivator right over them, with- 

 out any danger of striking or tearing up the 

 stumps or tinware. Of course, these holes 

 are full of water, or, at least, as full as the 

 outlets described in Chapter V. allow them 

 to get. We want the water to come within 

 a foot or IS inches of the surface of the soil, 

 but no higher. Our crops over these places 

 have been wonderful. I was pleased to see 

 even friend Terry express his admiration 

 and satisfaction at the looks of my potatoes, 

 celery, and other crops. Celery seems to 

 revel in such a situation. Our plants on the 

 creek bottom are to-day looking as bright 

 and green as they have been during any 

 part of the year, and it is now the 2d day of 

 November. Last week we dug some roots 

 that weighed fully 3 lbs. each. At 5 cts. per 

 lb. this is 15 cts. per root, which makes quite 

 a satisfactory return for labor and capital 

 employed. 



In order to see whether our celery compar- 

 ed favorably with the best raised anywhere 

 else, I have had samples of the finest from 

 Michigan, from Cleveland. O., and even from 

 the Arlington market-gardens, near Boston. 

 Some of the Arlington celery weighed 3 lbs. 

 to the root; but it was on account of the 

 enormous suckers growing around the sides. 

 I should call ours ahead of anything that we 

 have seen. Of course, fine tilth, with plenty 

 of moisture, and not too much, are not the 

 only things wanted: we must have manure 

 also ; and I think it will pay well to manure 

 the very best ground that can be found any- 

 where—at least, such is my experience. And 

 this brings us to a second consideration of 

 the subject of manures, for our next chap- 

 ter. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



And the dresser of his vinej-ard said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall di^ about 

 it, and dunjr it.— Luke 13:8. 



I have given the above little verse a place 

 here, not to point you to the moral contained 

 in the parable, but to call attention to the 

 fact that it was customary, even at the time 

 the Savior was upon the earth, to use the 

 dung from animals for enriching the soil, and 



for the encouragement of vegetation. In for- 

 mer chapters I have given you something of 

 a talk on manures. In this chapter I propose 

 to discuss saving and making manures on 

 our own premises. Of course, the market- 

 gardener will expect to buy a good deal of 



