810 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 



seed, and they from stock of a true and tried pedi- 

 gree, there can be a difference of at least one-fourth 

 in the increased production, and often far more; 

 hence the importance to gardeners to linow that 

 they can obtain such seeds; and the seed-grower 

 who can and will grow such seeds, and have the 

 gardener know that such seed is grown, will cer- 

 tainly find a ready market for his productions. 



You well know the vital importance to successful 

 honey production is in the seed (the queen) after 

 nature has produced the flora. So it is with good 

 and perfect seed. I have drawn this out to some 

 length, but I can not stop until I say to you that I 

 hope you may conclude to give us eight pages of 

 " garden sass " in each issue, and I would suggest 

 that you tax us 35 cents additional yearly, for there 

 is not one in 100 or even 500 of your subscribers who 

 is not more or less interested in the work of tilling 

 the ground in some of its various ways. So, if you 

 please, give us some gardening along with bee- 

 keeping. There are many of your subscribers who 

 can give us good and wholesome advice as to what 

 to plant; how, when, and where, all of which would 

 be new and original to many of us. Let us have 

 some garden-talk this winter, along with bees and 

 honey. Take up our text, and see what can be 

 gathered toward the production of good and per- 

 fect seed. I have read, I think in the American 

 Agriculturist, of the vast diflerence it would make 

 In the corn crop of the United States if every farm- 

 er would get some and plant only good and perfect 

 seed. So great would be the difference that there 

 would be almost each year a gain of 10 per cent 

 in the crop through good seed alone. 



Altoona, Fla., Sept. 29, 1888. John Cbaycraft. 



\^ery good, friend C. You have given us 

 a pretty good agricultural sermon from that 

 grand old text that has so many applications. 

 We will try to give you the eight pages, but 

 we do not want any extra 2o cents. I know 

 how great is the difference in seed, for I 

 liave watched the matter j ust as you have. 

 Our Mr. Walker, who is an old English 

 gardener, constantly insists, when we are 

 putting out cabbage and celery plants, that 

 a good strong plant will make a crnp, while 

 a poor plant is a waste of time and money. 

 I used to think he was somewhat notional, 

 but lately I have made up my mind that he 

 was pretty nearly right. Then how shall 

 we get good strong plants enough to cover 

 our ground V A great deal depends on the 

 soil and care of the transplanting - bed ; 

 but very likely good large plump healthy 

 seeds would go a great way toward success. 

 In saving our kidney beans, we put them 

 through a sieve so as to make two grades 

 —the very largest beans and the medium 

 size. Now, I do not know whether these 

 large ones will make a better bean - plant 

 or not. The purchaser certainly would not 

 get so many seeds for a quart, but I am in- 

 clined to think that it is with beans and many 

 other seeds as it is with potatoes. A large 

 potato cut to one eye will certainly give bet- 

 ter results than small potatoes cut to one 

 eye, or planted whole, or any other way ; 

 at least, in a majority of seasons. Another 

 point : Suppose we have small cabbage seed. 

 By giving it a little more time and plenty of 

 room, can we not get just as good a plant as 

 the large plump seed furnishes? Perhaps so; 



but large plump seed would surely be ahead 

 where the chances are equal, as they usually 

 are. It seems very likely, friend C, that it 

 would pay to pay a good deal extra for large, 

 perfect, plump seeds ; and there is one thing 

 that we can all of us do — send for samples 

 of the seeds we want, before purchasing. 

 You can get this sample by purchasing a 

 five-cent package, then compare the seeds 

 with those obtained from different seeds- 

 men, and purchase the best. When you 

 make your order, be sure to state that the 

 seeds sent must be fully equal to the five- 

 cent sample package. This may take time 

 and trouble ; but I think it will pay in the 

 end. Any seedsman ought to be willing to 

 furnish a sample of any of the seeds he deals 

 in, for five cents. Where a good many sam- 

 ples are wanted, perhaps he could do better 

 than that. 



mushrooms; how to tell the edible sorts 



FROM THE poisonous, ETC. 



In Oct. 15th No. of Gleanings, page 773, 1887, 

 you told us that Neighbor H. informed you that, on 

 one of his farms, mushrooms were so plentiful he 

 gathered a tubful in just a little while. And you 

 said that, if the readers of Gleanings were not 

 familiar with mushrooms, you would tell them some- 

 thing about them. I write to call your attention to 

 it. Please tell us how they can be grown in the open 

 air in the summer time, and all about them. 



N.L. Gerrish. 



Nottingham Center, N. H., Sept. 24, 1888. 



Friend G., I believe there are several vari- 

 eties of edible mushrooms ; but in our vi- 

 cinity only one is used. This one, when it 

 first comes through the ground, looks like a 

 white ball ; but on pulling it, it proves to 

 be a little cup, or cap, slipped over the stem, 

 or stalk. Now, there is a poisonous mush- 

 room that grows where large quantities of 

 stable manure have been scattered over the 

 ground. These very much resemble the 

 good ones when they first come up, except 

 in the following points : The edible kind is 

 always pink on the under side when young, 

 and dark-colored or black when they get 

 large enough so as to spread out like an um- 

 brella ; while the white ones, or poisonous 

 kinds, are always pure white. Another 

 thing, the poisonous kind have a ring around 

 the stalk, which looks so much like the 

 slide on an umbrella, that moves up and 

 down the handle, that children often call 

 this kind little umbrellas. The edible kind 

 also has a pleasant smell, as if it might be 

 good for food, while the poisonous kind has 

 little or no smell at all. The edible kind 

 seldom grows on heavily manured ground. 

 It is mostly found on old pasture lands. 

 They generaly make their ap^pearance after a 

 wet spell of weather in the fall. About the 

 time chestnuts begin to fall is the time for 

 mushrooms, yet they often appear much 

 earlier. Mushroons are nearer in taste, and 

 in strength-giving qualities for food, to a 

 meat diet, than any other plant that grows. 

 We consider them as nice as oysters. They 

 are often cooked in the same way. When 

 we used to go chestnuting, and got a good 

 way from home at dinner time, we would 

 build a fire of little sticks, where it could do 

 no harm, and gather mushrooms and lay 



