1888 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



695 



ground with seeds that are so common over 

 me greater part of most farms. In riding 

 through the counties of Medina and Sum- 

 mit, we saw weeds, weeds, weeds, along the 

 roadside, over in tlie lields ; and wlierever 

 there was a patch of potatoes, then we saw 

 weeds in earnest. One man was cutting 

 them down with a scythe, and they were al- 

 most as high as his head. I do not l<now 

 whether he found any potatoes after he got 

 down to them or not. At home I left some 

 tolerably clean potatoes ; l)ut I don't re- 

 member of seeing any more until I got into 

 Tallmadge, Summit County. Twenty-flve 

 miles, and no clean crops ! 



Now, fiiends, I am sure that you will 

 agree witli me that this whole matter is 

 interesting and valuable, not only to farmers, 

 but to almost everybody who depends on the 

 soil for a living. But the "boss printer" 

 informs me that, if I keej) on, I shall crowd 

 out valuable articles f lom others, so I shall 

 have to stop right here. But in our next 

 issue I am going to have eight pages extra, so 

 I can talk to you as long as I please ; but be- 

 fore I finish up this talk, I want to say 

 something about 



THE NEW AVINTER ONIOX. 



This onion was first, so far as I know, ad- 

 vertised by Gregory; since then by M. T. 

 Thompson, of the Cleveland Nursery. This 

 man is so much of an onion- grower that 

 they used to call him " Onion Thompson ; " 

 and lately our friend Beckert, who originat- 

 ed the Chartier radisli, sends out a little 

 circular, describing it. Our illustration op- 

 posite was copied from his circular. This 

 onion does not produce a bulb at all, or at 

 least only a very inferior one. All it is 

 raised for is its long succulent stalks, with 

 a sort of root, or small bulb, on the lower 

 end. It pleases me, because it is a plant so 

 tenacious of life tliat it is almost always 

 growing, when the ground is not frozen up. 

 It has such an inveterate habit of growing 

 that it grows any time when in the ground 

 or out of the ground ; and, in fact, the only 

 place to keep it is in the ground. During 

 August and Septeml)er the sets may be 

 gathered and sold; but you can not keep 

 them over winter. The sets grow in the 

 form of little onions, on top of the stalk, 

 like the old-fashioned onion-sets we used to 

 see when we were children. We gather 

 these sets as soon as tliey are ripe, say 

 about the middle of August ; then we 

 sprinkle them in a drill, about as we would 

 peas, say from three to live inclies apart. 

 These drills maybe a foot apart, and just 

 as deep as you can get them and not have 

 the sides cave in. We want to get them 

 down deep, so that, when the frost tiirows 

 the earth around them, we shall have a 

 long white onion. They will couie rigiit up. 

 and grow all through the fall. You can 

 pull them for small onions any time you 

 like, in fall or in wintei-, when the ground 

 is not frozen, or in the si)ring. Wliat you 

 do not pull will send up a sced-strilk in May 

 or June. This seed-st;tlk bears sets. But 

 this is not all. After the seed-stalk has 

 borne its sets, and dried and fallen down, 

 the whole onion commences straightway to 



send out a great number of little onions all 

 around it, as shown in the cut adjoining. 



Well, about the time 

 you gather the sets you 

 J want to pull up the pa- 

 ' rent plant. Now pull it 

 to pieces as much as you 

 can. You had better 

 / have a few roots on each 

 piece ; but if you do not, 

 they will grow almost as 

 well. I'lant them exact- 

 ly as 1 gave directions 

 for planting the sets, on- 

 ly you may put them a 

 little further apart. Y"ou 

 had better cut the tops 

 off, so they will stand 

 about six inches above 

 ground. We cut them 

 THE WINTER ()]Nj()N,off after they are plant- 

 iN THE FALL Ob' ed , wlth a pair of sheep- 

 THE YEAR. slicars. Each piece will 

 now become the center of a cluster of 

 onions. Let them grow all they want to. 

 Of course, the richer the ground the better 

 it is as for any kind of onions. Now, if you 

 have a greenhouse, pull these up just be- 

 fore the ground freezes and set them in a 

 bed made expressly for onions, at least a 

 foot deep, and 2 iriches apart. If you are 

 crowded for room, you can put them under 

 an ordinary bench, putting a foot-board in 

 front to keep up the soil. As fast as they 

 grow, Ijank them up with peat or some fine 

 soil and they will keep striving to get 

 through it to get to the light. In this way 

 you will have great clusters, or clumps, of 

 long white onions that will bring a nickel a 

 clump from any time after the holidays till 

 spring. 



4-.. 



gPECI^Ii pi0¥ICEg. 



DISCOUNTS FOB EARLY ORDERS. 



We wish to call our readers' attention to our ad- 

 vertisement on another page, under the above 

 heading-. Here Is an excellent opportunity to save 

 money in buying .\our bee-supplies. Please read 

 our advertisement through carefully, and see il 

 you can not profit by it during the coming months. 



DISCOUNTS FOR GOODS TO BE EXHIBITED AT 

 FAIRS. 



We have overlooked ti.is matter this year until 

 so late a day that, to give a schedule of articles on 

 which we will allow a discount for exhibition at 

 fairs, as we have done in the past few year.-<, would 

 be of little use, as you will hardly have time to get 

 the goods for exhibition. Those of you who have 

 the Augusi 1st Gleanings for 18S7 will V,i\d our list 

 for last year under Special Notices. VVe will do 

 the same as we did then for those who will have 

 lime to get goods before their fair, an i >vho care to 

 make an exhibit. 



We shall be glad to furnish all the sample copies 

 of Gleanings and price lists that iou want, for 

 judicious distribution. We will allow So cts. per 

 name commission for subscribeis to Gle.xnings 

 secured at fairs. 



Our new edition of the A li C book is almost 

 ready, and you can also take orders for this, and 

 we will allow you a commission of ;i5 ctt^. on each 

 cloth-bound or 35 cts. on each paijcr-bound book. 



HOARHOUND HO.nEY. 



We have received from friend Drake a case of 120 

 lbs. of the hoarhound honey mentioned on page 

 42T, June 1. The honey tastes exactly like near- 



