680 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 



WHAT SHALL WE DO "WHEN BUSI- 

 NESS IS DULL? 



A PHACTICAL SUOGESTION. 



ELL, I will tell you what we aVe do- 

 ing here — tinners, wood-workers, 

 painters, packers, and hands work- 

 ing? about the different parts of the 

 establishment. .V good many of tlie 

 liands liave left— a hundred or more ; but 

 those whom we can not well spare wlieii bus- 

 iness comes ii^aiii arc now employed out on 

 the ifiounds di^-,L,Mnfj; dilchcs and laying tile. 

 Witii Die abundant rains we liave bad for 

 the past few weeks, and tlie beautiful warm 

 sunshiny weatlicr. tilings are growinji won- 

 derfully. Our buckwheat was injured con- 

 sideralily by the drought, it is true, but it 

 liids fair now to make a part of a croji. 

 AVhile walking- amon^^ it I found ai)articular 

 spot wlierc li;j;wort.or Simiison i)laiil;?. weie 

 coniini;- up and growmsT; witli wonderful vij;- 

 or, and we are now takint;' them up aiul 

 plantin.i>; tiu'ui on some of our best ground, 

 nnderdraiiu'd, subsoiled, and heavily ma- 

 nured with hue old staljle manure. .\nd, 

 don't the strawbei'ries grow? It seems as 

 though I never saw any thing in my life so 

 handsome as our liOOO young plants. The 

 old patch in the rye stubble 1 told you about, 

 under the intluehce of manure, "irrigation, 

 and good loving care (I want to put in that 

 word "loving," because the way to make 

 any thing grow and thrive is just to have a 

 genuine love for it) is just wonderful. It 

 seems to me I never spent any happier hours 

 in my life than in that patch of strawberries. 

 We "have got potted plants from it without 

 number (three or four "generations"' of 

 them), and now we are starting lots of them 

 on I)o(»litth'"s plan, between the old iilants, 

 without ])uttin,ii tliem in i>ots. Two wagon- 

 loads of line, well-rotted stable manure was 

 spread around under tlie folia.L,^e and right up 

 about the roots, just liefore the recent rains, 

 and noAv the deep rich-green leaves are of 

 such a size that one wonders how they can 

 be strawberries, and they are admired by al- 

 most every one. 



We are now having green ]ieas in the 

 lunch-room that were planted about six 

 weeks ago; and if the frost holds off we 

 shall soon have some " roasting ears " from 

 that patch which weplanteil tojj;ive the bees 

 pollen.. 



Different varieties of fall turnips are mak- 

 ing a show of ornamental foliage almost 

 equal to the "catnip"' I told you about; 

 and a fine bed of round-leaved spinach is just 

 beis^innins to show what it can do. 



Oin-4()()0 little liasswoods, rijjht next to 

 the house, and near the load, arc also mak- 

 ing a deliglitful show with tlu'ir bright sreen 

 leaves. In between the rows, striui^Micans 

 are now just fit to i)ick. Who would not 

 have a fall garden V ]\Iost of the luigs and 

 insect enemies that we fought a month or 

 two ago, skipped off on account of a liglit 

 frost, and now we have every thing oiu- own 

 way. If it rains every day and every night, 

 even our bur ground does not get Hooded any 

 more, because, you see, the underdrains are 

 taking care of jill tliat, and the sul>soil plow 

 fixed the ground so that not only does the 



Avater go down out of sight, but the roots of 

 all these plants do likewise. 



Haven't you a place, dear reader, that can 

 be improved by uuderdraining, so that ycm 

 too can have fresh products from the garden, 

 growing right under your own eye, and the 

 work of your own hands, as well as we here 

 at the Home of the lloney-iJees V 



Oil! 1 forgot to tell yoii about the spider 

 plants. They are growing as they never 

 grew ljefore,and the peculiar odor which the 

 bloom gives out very early in the morning 

 fairly makes the aii- heavy in their vicinity. 

 If you want to S!:'e any thiiig in tiie vegeta- 

 ble and fioral world to perfection, give it a 

 deei) rich soil, and in.-^inr it from damage by 

 too much water, by undeidrainiiig. 



A fall garden is attractive to the eye, be- 

 cause it is a little unusual, and one would be 

 sun)rised to see how many things there are 

 that (^au be put out in the fall as well as in 

 the spring, if he looks over the list. One 

 great reason for starting things in the fall is, 

 that most iieople iiave more leisure then than 

 in the spring when every thing is crowding. 

 In fact, during October there is usually loaf- 

 ing enough done to make a beautiful garden, 

 if these loafing hours w«^re utilized, liasp- 

 berries. strawberries, blackl)enics, and grajie- 

 vines, may l)e jmldut ill the fall at our lei- 

 sure, and the ground may be nicely })repared 

 for them, because there is no hurry. The 

 two former, and perhaps blackberries, may 

 be made to make a nice growth in the fall 

 months; and if well mulched, this growth 

 will be of great l)encfit in the spring. In 

 IIenderson"s fall catalogue he gives a list 

 that may be sown in the fall, and it includes 

 beets, cabbage, carrot, caulifiower, kale, let- 

 tuce, onions, radish, and spinach. Among 

 the bee-plants, if itrotected by mulch, as I 

 have explained, we may sow^ ligwort and spi- 

 der-plant seed, seveii-toi> turnip, all of the 

 clovers, catnip, motherwort, and perhaps a 

 good many others that I have not got hold 

 of yet. The spider-plant seed will not come 

 up'till spring, and much of the figwort prob- 

 ably the same way, as well as other seeds 

 that lie overwinter. Then if you want some- 

 thing to look pretty Avith its bright green be- 

 fore the snoAV goes off, put in a little iiatdi 

 of Avheat and rye. If you are interested in 

 Avheat-raising, "some experimental plats of 

 the choice varieties will, by little cNiiense. 

 tell you what Avheat is best adapted to your 

 soil "and localitv. 



KIND WORDS FROM OUR CUSTOMERS. 



Your smoker is at hand, and 1 have tried it to my 

 satisfaciion, and am greatly pleased with it. 



WiLMER J. Moore. 

 West Grove, Pa., July 30, 1S«4. 



our sections the present season. 



Those 4000 sections arc at hand. They are the 

 nicest and best I ever had. Your rew way of cut- 

 tint; tlic grooves makes tlicm much easier to I'uld. T 

 lolilfd 5(10 in38 minutes, without making- the corneis 

 damp. H. J. S('Hhock. 



Goshen, Ind., July 13, 1884. 



Convention Notice.— The Northern Ohio l$ee- 

 Keepers' Association will hold their next nieetini? 

 in the Council Chamber at Norwalk, O., Wednesday, 



Oct. ir,, 1881. H. R. BOABDMAN, ScC. 



