1891 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



335 



and some of the large fish we have iu a low 

 tank, so we can get them to eat. We had a nice 

 one for Christmas dinner. G. J. Klein. 



Conrad Grove, la., Jan. ;.*4. 



SPECIAL DEPARTMENT FOR A. I. ROOT, AND HIS 

 FRIENDS WHO LOVE TO RAISE CROPS. 



COMMON DKAIN TILE FOR CAKKYING EXHAUST 

 STEAM IN HOT-BEDS. 



When I first thonghtof this I greatly feared 

 that the dampness and wet of the steam would 

 keep the hot-bed not only warm, but wet and 

 soggy; that is, where steam is run thi'ough tile 

 of only one-foot lengths, every joint permits the 

 steam to get out more or less; but to my sur- 

 prise and joy I found it just the other way. 

 The ground dries over the tile a good deal as it 

 does over a hot-air flue. Where the tile runs 

 under a pathway between the beds, tlie ground 

 is dry, even now while it is raining. The ex- 

 haust steam warms perfectly a string of beds 6 

 feet wide and 250 feet long, and the waste sieam 

 goes out at each end — enough in quantity to do 

 considerable more work if needed. Strawberry- 

 plants are now in bloom; corn and beans are do- 

 ing nicely, even though we have had the most 

 severe weather of the winter within the past 

 two weeks. There has been no lack of bottom 

 heat; but once or twice, when we omitted to 

 ventilate promptly, the whole bed got so hot 

 that some of the plants were injured slightly. 



A NEW WAY OF VENTILATING HOT-BEDS 

 AND COLD-FKAMES. 



Now, it may not be new to the rest of you, but 

 it is new to me. Instead of pulling the sash off, 

 or even tilting them, simply spread them two 

 inches apart. When placed thus, there is noth- 

 ing that can be injured by the heat of the sun, 

 neither is there any danger from quite a freeze; 

 and in transplanting it gives the best results of 

 any I have tried — that is, unless the sun is very 

 hot. If we strip the sasli clear olT. the sun and 

 wind would often dry up the ground too rapidly, 

 and the plants look shriveled. A drying wind 

 is rather worse than the sun. Now, by spread- 

 ing the sash as I have mentioned, the wind is 

 practically excluded, and yet the plants have a 

 free circulation of air — almost equal to out- 

 doors. But for some reason which I do not 

 quite understand, these separated sashes almost 

 always have more or less dew on the under side 

 •of the glass. Sometimes the quantity is so great 

 that it falls in drops on the plants underneath, 

 and with this amount of dampness they do just 

 boom. To-day is the last day of March, and we 

 are having a veritable A])ril shower. 



TREE TOMATOES. 



As considerable has been said about these in 

 our catalogues and some of the papers, we have 

 thought best to give an extract from a little 

 circular, as follows: 



HOW TO GROW THE WM. MANSFIELD TREE TOMATO. 



Get s(raie ricb nlcl earth for boxes iu your house, 

 hot-bed, or jJitfuhoiise; sow seed, cover lig-htly, 

 wet down well every day, keep wirm with all the 

 sun possible. When up ten days, transplant to 

 other boxes, six inches apart, in dirt not less than 

 cfoiir inches deep. Keep tliein wet, give all light and 

 sun you can ; and by the time it is safe to set them 

 in the ground outdoors they should stand from 

 twelve to twenty-four inches in height, witli bodies 

 one-half inch tlirougli. 



Now for the ground, and liow to prepare it. First 

 •select a spot as near your water as possible. Let 

 your rows run east and west. Tlu-ow out dirt two 

 spades deep, then put in tliree or four Inches of 

 iiig-ht soil, if you can get it. If not, use hen manure 

 .and wood ashes, equal parts, or some otlier strong 



manure in the bottom of trench. Then fill up trench 

 with the best dirt you can get, well mixed with old 

 rotten stable manure; there must no strong, new, 

 raw manure come in contact witli the roots nm' 

 bark above the ground, as it will destroy them ; but 

 from bottom of the trencli it is sale, and will throw 

 up strength for the wliole season. Now your 

 ground is I'cady. Set out your plants (without dis- 

 turliiug any of the dirt around the roots) about 

 eighteen inches apart; have the dirt in your trench 

 a little lower tlian the sides. Have a strong staKe 

 for eacii plant, or a trellis, and tie tlieni to it as fast 

 as you set them. Water ininiediately, and ever aft- 

 er. Run a trougli or small ditch from your pump to 

 your plants; and every day, unless it rains, send a 

 stream of water into the trench where your trees 

 are set. Hard water, soft water, cold or warm wa- 

 ter, are all right if they only have enougli, eithei- 

 from the clouds or pump about once every day. As 

 your plants begin to grow, just above each leaf will 

 start a sucker. LettTietop of plant, and only one 

 or two of the best top branches grow so that you 

 have not over two or three stems to nin up. Now, 

 by close observation you will see always that the 

 buds for blossom show themselves on'thetopsof 

 the trees, and a few inches below them; and just 

 above each leaf the sucker starts. Nip off every one 

 of these just as fast as they appear; also, as tlie 

 lower leaves get brown and old, pick them off. 

 Train the fruit as it grows, to the sun. Tie often and 

 well. Let no useless wood grow. Give all the sun 

 possible, and water, water, water— then you will he 

 able to pick ripe fruit of the finest quality from 

 about the Fourth of July until frost comes. 

 Joluisons Creek, Wis. Wm. Mansfield. 



The writer of the above has been, so he says, 

 working for a new strain of tomatoes, to be 

 grown like trees, for the last twenty years. Dur- 

 ing 1890 he said he had trees eleven feet high, 

 bearing tomatoes weighing 3 lbs. (i ounces. 

 There is one thing in favor of these tree toma- 

 toes, or tomato(>s trained on stakes: The hens 

 do not touch them, and they never get soiled or 

 muddy. During the past season it was quite a 

 task to wash and wipe perfectly clean our choice 

 Ignotums. It would jjrobably be rather late 

 now to sow the seed, if you want early toma- 

 toes. Very likely our friend Mansfield has 

 plants to sell, for thos(^ who wish to try them 

 the present season. We do not see any thing 

 about the price of seed or plants in tlie little 

 pamphlet from which the above was taken. I 

 think the Rural New-Yorker stated recently 

 that any tomato would make a tree tomato if 

 tied to a pole, and trained and directed as 

 above. During a dry season I am inclined to 

 think the dii'ectious given — "water, water, wa- 

 ter," a great help, provided we have the sun- 

 shine to go with it. 



HOW BOOKS HELP. 



I received the books I sent for, and I must say 

 it would have been dollars to me if I had known 

 of the A B C of strawberry culture. We bought 

 a small farm near the city of Alpena, two years 

 ago. There was something over an acre of 

 strawberi'ies on the farm. They did fairly well ; 

 but not knowing any thing about the care of 

 strawberries we did not manage right. My hus- 

 band is a sawmill man. and T do the farming 

 with the help of a boy 18 years old. We are two 

 miles from the city. I send the berries in three 

 times a day through the busiest of the picking. 

 Mrs. A. E. Montague. 



Alpena, Mich., April 2. 



TEKRY''S STRAWBERRY' CULTtTRE. 



The strawberry book is a jewel. Every 

 farmer should have a copy, especially if he has 

 children. Friend Terry should live in Califor- 

 nia, where he can have strawberries at least 

 seven months in the year, and some, I hear, do 

 better than that. One great secret of his suc- 

 cess is his thorough cultivation, especially after 

 every rain, which causes the ground to retain 

 moisture. Many farmers east make a mistake 



