1891 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTL'RE. 



lOi) 



length of time. We propose to make this a 

 standing offer. Any subscriber, new or old. can 

 take advantage of it. Now. perchance you 

 have just sent in your dollar for renewal, and 

 you wish to take advantage of this offer. If 

 you will send the balance at once, say -^^.T.i. we 

 will send it four years longer: or^L.^o two 

 years longer: or SU cts. one year longer. 



IJECESS AT BEE-COXVEXTIONS. 



We attend conventions to hear the essays and 

 subsequent discussions, it is said: but after a 

 session has been held for a couple of hours, it is 

 a great rest and pleasure to have the president 

 announce a short recess. How pleasant it is to 

 feel the warm grip of one whom we have long 

 kno^^■n through the printed page, and whom, 

 for the first time, we now meet face to face I No. 

 we do uot attend conventions simply to hear 

 the essays and discussions. AVe go to see, hear, 

 and feel'the personality of the good brothers 

 and sisters who attend. Some of the most val- 

 uable ideas gleaned, oftentimes, are in the be- 

 tween sessions; and our presiding officers 

 should give ample opportunity for hand-shak- 

 ing, and this dual exchange of ideas. 



A VISIT TO THE HOME OF THE HONEY-BEES, 

 FKC>M DR. O. I,. TIXKEK. 



We had a very pleasant call last week from 

 our genial friend Dr. G. L. Tinker, of New 

 Philadelphia. O. Many of our readers will re- 

 member him as the very tine workman who 

 makes such perfect queen-excluding zinc, and 

 such beautiful four-piece white-poplar sections. 

 He was kind enough to give our saw-filer some 

 hints in filing, to do smooth work I'apidly — a 

 secret he had heretofore kept to himself. He 

 seemed to enjoy his visit very much, being 

 agreeably surprised at the size and equipment 

 of the Home of the Honey-bees, and many times 

 complimented us on our work by the remark 

 that it was much better than we used to do. 

 He was on his way to Ashtabula to visit his 

 brother and bring home a ne\\' zinc-perforating 

 machine by which he would be able to make, 

 sheets of his zinc as large as 24 by 36 inches. 



MOKE rNCHARITABLEXESS. 



This time it comes from the Philadelphia 

 Cash fri'ocer. of Jan. 12. This journal purports 

 to be devoted to the best interests of retail mer- 

 chants and country storekeepers: but I do not 

 see how their best interests are subserved by 

 statements like the following: 



" The profit in teas is simply great. The tea 

 sold by retail tea-dealers at (50 cents costs them 

 18 cents a pound: and other teas sold at .50 and 

 .5.5 cents per pound cost 20 cents. There is big 

 monev in the tea business, if the trade can be 

 had."' 



And here is another: 



"The explanation of the great amount of ma- 

 ple syrup and honey in the market is found in 

 the enormous product of the glucose factories, 

 amounting to a million pounds per day. There 

 are not trees and bees enough to produce the 

 syrup and honey in the hands of the trade." 



I wonder whether the Grocer folks judge oth- 

 er people by themselves \\ hen they say that the 

 retail dealers charge (30 cents for what costs 

 them only 18, and a staple article besides. 

 They should be ashamed of themselves. In re- 

 gard to honey and maple syrup, there may be 

 some adulteration: but the statement that 

 there are not trees and bees enough is not true. 

 Perhaps it will astonish them somewhat to 

 know that there are bee-keepers nowadays who 

 raise honey by the carload: and I imagine that 

 there are maple-trees enough too. If there is 



really any adulteration in syrup going on. as 

 well as in honey, which is to some extent true, 

 why not say so in moderate terms, and then let 

 us all join and fight it, without flings like the 

 above, against large classes of honest trades- 

 men? 



HOW TO MAKE THE GAKDEX PAY. 



This is the title of a bright new book just 

 published by Wm. Henry Maule, written by T. 

 Greiner. author of the new onion-book, men- 

 tioned just telow. This is certainly the ablest 

 book, clear up to the present time, before the 

 world. The description and comparison of the 

 variety of methods of gardening under glass, 

 commencing with cold-frames, then taking up 

 cold-forcing- houses, next forcing-houses with 

 steam-pipes or flues, and finally discussing the 

 respective merits of steam and hot water, is 

 worth to me a ten-dollar bill, to say nothing 

 about the rest of the book. The engravings are 

 beautiful: the print is second to none: and. 

 best of all. the author is a practical gardener — 

 one who loves the dirt, especially when it is en- 

 riched up to its highest capacity, and who evi- 

 dently loves every tool used in the garden. He 

 is not only conversant with all the new seeds, 

 plants, and fertilizers, but he evidently has 

 read up almost every thing written in the agri- 

 cultural papers on the subject of market-gar- 

 dening. The book is 6 inches wide. 10 inches 

 long, "4 inch thick, and contains 272 pages, and 

 ever so many pictures. I have not had time to 

 count them yet. If you have any notion of 

 building a greenhouse, either for flowers or veg- 

 etables, or even if you want to make a hot-bed 

 or cold-frame, it will pay you to have the book. 

 We can furnish it postpaid for 82.00: or vou can 

 have it with Gleanings for ?;2..50 for the two. 



THE NEW ONION CULTURE. 



This is the title of another good book by our 

 good friend T. Greiner. better known through 

 the agricultural papers as "Joseph." It gives 

 almost exactly the plan of raising onions de- 

 scribed in our last issue. The book is finely il- 

 lustrated, and is written in one of Joseph's 

 happiest veins. In fact, the story is so taking 

 that almost anybody might read "it from begin- 

 ning to end without a thought of being weary: 

 and to one who loves gardening it is a gem 

 among books. The only fault or criticism any 

 one could make is. I think, that there is not 

 enough of it. especially for the price. .50 cents. 

 There are only (i2 pages in the book: the tvpe 

 is large, and the work very open. The paper, 

 however, is heavy and fine, and the print beau- 

 tiful. If bound in cloth instead of paper covers, 

 the price would not be an objection. The au- 

 thor admits that the price may seem high, but 

 he thinks the discovery or secret i-eally cheap 

 at the price. This latter is true: but we should 

 remember that the whole thing is given in our 

 Ohio Experiment Station Bulletin for October, 

 1890. The Bulletin, however, does not go into 

 the minutiaj in legard to everv point of the 

 work that the book does. We can furnish the 

 book postpaid for .50 cents. If wanted bv freight 

 or express with other goods. 5 cents less. Or we 

 will club it with Gleanings for S^l.lO. The 

 Bulletin is furnished free of charge to all Ohio 

 people: and I presume it will be furnished to 

 those outside of this State for a very small sum. 

 I think it will pay many times the cost for 

 every one who sows a paper of onipu seed, to 

 use these helps. Joseph recommends that we 

 start with an ounce of onion seed: and vou may 

 make enough on this single ounce to" pav the 

 cost of the book flfty times over. This s"eems 

 like pretty strong language: but those who 

 have tried starting large onions under glass 

 will. I think, bear me out. 



