806 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



ArR. 



But in selling tuniijjs, radishes, carrots, 

 and all Other root crops that are handsome 

 in appearance, you must keep them wet or 

 (lamp to have the colors attractive. To do 

 this, give them a good wetting before you 

 start out in the morning, and then keep all 

 these things covered with wet burlap. If 

 your burlap gets dry during very hot weath- 

 er, wet it during the forenoon. It not only 

 keeps the roots looking attractive, but it 

 counteracts any tendency toward wilting 

 and getting soft ; and every good housekeep- 

 er will tell you she does not want vegetables 

 that have been in the sun until they have 

 become wilted. Attention to little matters 

 like this makes all the difference between 

 profit and loss. 



Selecting seed from those that have a large 

 nice-shaped top is another great point. 

 F'riend Martin sends us, with the al)ove arti- 

 cle, the tops, or crowns, of two turnips sliced 

 off. One had a great thick heavy growth 

 of tops, while the other had only a very 

 small and inconspicuous top. In saving on- 

 ion seed, our best seedsmen are very careful 

 to discard all having thick necks ; and the 

 same process should be followed in saving 

 seed of turnips, radishes, and perhaps all 

 other root cro]is. By selection, make the 

 plant throw its growth and vigor into the 

 bulb, and not into the top. Here is another 

 great opening, and, I woidd add, a great 

 field for those who grow seeds. 



Now, here is another from a friend whose 

 hobby is in raising lettuce for market every 

 day in the year : 



$10.80 FROM A PIECE OF GROUND 12 FEET 

 SQUARE. 



Friend Root:— I have always thought, since 

 I commenced growing lettuce for market, 

 that it could be sold every day in the year, 

 providing it could always be crisp and ten- 

 der. But lettuce grown in the open field in 

 hot dry weather is apt to be tough and of 

 strong flavor. Last season I overcame this 

 difficulty in the following manner: About 

 the first of July I sowed some seed in shal- 

 low boxes. In three weeks I pricked out the 

 plants into other boxes, li inches apart, and 

 kept well watered for two weeks. By this 

 time they M^ere nice plants, well rooted. I 

 had a cold frame, 12 feet square and 2 feet 

 high. This frame I had used in the spring 

 to harden oft: early tomato-plants. Into this 

 frame I put four or five inches of well-rotted 

 cow manure, with a good sprinkling of 

 ashes. I took a spade and turned it under, 

 but not very deep. I then made it fine with 

 an iron rake, gave it a good v;atering, for it 

 was very dry, and let it stand a few hours. 

 Then it was ready for the plants. Taking 

 a board to put my feet on, I set the plants 

 six inches apart botli ways, commencing six 



inches from the inside of the frame. This 

 lettuce received no further care, with the 

 exception of being watered a few times vm- 

 til it got well started. What weeds came 

 up were soon smothered. In twelve weeks 

 from the time of sowing seed it was lit for 

 market. I am positive it would have been 

 two weeks earlier but for the severe drought. 

 From this frame I cut 185 lbs., and sold it at 

 the grocery stores in Elyria at 8 cts. per lb. 

 This is how I raised $10.80 worth of the fa- 

 mous Grand Rapids lettuce on a piece of 

 ground twelve feet square. 



For my early spring crop I am using cold 

 frames six feet wide and of any desired 

 length, protected with common cotton cloth 

 tacked on to light frames. These frames I 

 make out of inch luml)er. X board 12 feet 

 long and 12 inches wide makes four frames 

 three feet by six. Take the board and cut it 

 in two in the middle and rip each piece into 

 six strips. Three of these pieces make a 

 frame, two for the sides, and one cut in two 

 for the ends; halve the cornei's together; 

 stretch two strong wires in place of the sash- 

 bars, and you have a frame that will be 

 strong and light. Use galvanized wire so as 

 not to rust the cloth. My plants were start- 

 ed in the greenhouse, pricked into little 

 boxes, and grown to the proper size, and 

 then set into the cold-frame, box and all, to 

 harden off Those who have no greenhouse, 

 and do not want to take the pains of making 

 early hot-beds, can start the plants in the 

 fall, and winter them over in cold frames. 



For my second early crop I set plants with 

 my early cabbages. This crop requires no 

 extra ground, as the cabbage is set just the 

 same as though theie weie no lettuce on the 

 ground. The lettuce comes off before the 

 cabbage interferes. (I am not half through 

 on the lettuce question, but will stop for this 

 time.) O. J. Terrell. 



North Ridge ville, O. 



Why, friend T., you are right exactly in 

 line with where my work has been for 

 two or three years past. You have gone 

 away ahead of me, however. I am glad to 

 hear you speak of the cloth frames for shade. 

 I have spent quite a little time and some 

 money in experimenting with these frames ; 

 and I have made some very nice light ones 

 to handle; but, alas! the wind sails them 

 about to such an extent that 1 shall be glad 

 to adopt such as you describe. Only night 

 before last the wind blew a lot of them 

 against our greenhouse, resulting in the loss 

 of a dollar or two for broken glass. I had 

 not thought of the idea of wires for the cross- 

 bars, before ; but 1 think I would have the 

 cloth sewed around the wires at intervals ; 

 for we find the flopping of the cloth by the 

 wind works the cold air in so as to do quite 

 a little damage. We are exceedingly glad 

 to get so good a report from the Grand 

 Rapids lettvice. 



