1S91 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



559 



AI.l'M AS A REMEDY FOR SXAKE-HITES. 



Tell Prof. Cook that I am sorry to think that 

 that so good a man as he should advise ihe use 

 of liquor in a case of snake-bite, even though 

 he does it under protest. One tablespoonful of 

 alum for adults, taken internally, will cure any 

 ordinarv case, by which I mean a bite from an 

 ordinary-sized snake. This is not hearsay, but 

 actual "experience on myself and others, with 

 rattlesnake, copperhead, and moccasin bites. 

 If Prof. C. wishes more particulars in regard to 

 this I shall be happv to furnish them to him. 



Kyle, Tex., June 22. A. Siox. 



[We are with you in regard to the liquor part 

 of your letter, friend S. But alum as a remedy 

 for bites is something I never heard of. And, 

 by the way, wouldn't a tablespoonful of alum 

 be a dangerous dose? Will Prof. Cook please 

 tell us what he thinks about it ? Its astringent 

 property, it seems likely, might prove somewhat 

 of an antidote for the poison of a snake-bite, if 

 the latter does not act too quickly. And then, 

 again, confronts us this old fact, that possibly 

 these snake-bites would not have pi'oven fatal 

 anyhow, and that the alum may not after all 

 have had any thing to do with the recovery.] 



BEES IX FIXE COXDITIOX. 



Our bees are in fine condition this spring. 

 We had 35 colonies last fall. All wintered 

 through excepting one. We have had four new 

 swarms. All are strong, with a very fine pros- 

 pect foi- a white-clover bloom. Pettit Bisos. 



Cross Creek, Pa., June 8. 



This is the best honey season we have had 

 since I have been in the business. 

 Altoga. Ind., June 20. Andrew Crock. 



We have had to feed our bees more this spring 

 than ever before. White clover is very scarce 

 in this neighborhood. Mrs. L. C. Axtei-l. 



Roseville, 111.. May 29. 



SPECIAL DEPARTMENT FOR A. I. ROOT, AND HIS 

 FRIENDS WHO LOVE TO RAISE CROPS. 



THE AMERICAX TEARI. OXIOX. 



At present writing. June 25, these onions are. 

 some of them, one foot in circumference. Just 

 think of that, will you ? We are getting a 

 nickel for a bunch that weighs only 10 ounces, 

 tops and all. For the larger ones this amounts 

 to about a nickel for an onion: and yet these 

 were all planted last September, and the culti- 

 vation since that time has amounted to almost 

 nothing. The onion reminds me so much of 

 the Bloomsdale Pearl, from Landreth. that I 

 wrote him, asking if it were not possible for 

 the Bloomsdale also to winter over in Ohio. 

 Below is his answer: 



Afr. Root;— Yours of the l.ith came duly to hand. 

 Most certainly the Bloomsdale Pearl onion-set. plant- 

 ed in tlie autumn, will stand tlie winter of Ohio. For 

 the past 15 years we have been growing this variet.v 

 on Bloomsdale Farm, Bucks Co., Pa., where tliey 

 stand out every winter. Wp have liad.50 acres stand- 

 ing-out. Tlie Bloomsdale Pearl and othei' varieties 

 of sets are planted out three inches deep during the 

 months of September, October, and November, and 

 winter as liyacinths in any garden, making a stiong 

 root growth, and frequently (juite strong tops. 



In our publications we have recommended the 

 Bloomsdale Pearl sets for the South, as, planted 

 there in October, the.v make an almost uninterrupt- 

 ed growth, developing to four and five inches in diam- 

 eter, and coming into maiket earlier than Bermuda, 

 and consequently bring a high price. It is singular 



that so little is known t)f the advantages of sowing 

 onion-sets of any kind, in the autumn. 

 Bristol, Pa., June 18. D. Laxdketh & Soxs. 



Now, why in the world have we all this time 

 been so stupid? I have written to both Lan- 

 dreth and Johnson & Stokes for sets just as 

 soon as any can be had. and will try to get 

 enough to supply all demand. 



Here is something about this same onion in 

 the South : 



Reading your experience with the American Pearl 

 onion induces me to state that I have used the 

 Bloomsdale Pearl here. Last week I took some to 

 market that were from four to five inches across, and 

 weighed from 1^ to 1?^ lbs. They sell at six cents a 

 pound. A. Siox. 



Kyle, Texas, June 22. 



[We are glad to get your testimony, friend S. 

 Six cents a pound for onions that can be grown 

 for one cent a pound, if we could not get any 

 morel Now. then, the question is. Can these 

 onions be dried and cured so they will keep? 

 Can you tell us any thing about it?] 



XEW STRAWBERRIES FOR 1891. 



In the first place, we shall hold fast to our 

 original four of last year. The Bubach and 

 Jessie were both a good deal injui'ed l)y frost, 

 but gave us a tolerable crop after all. The 

 Haverland has proved itself away ahead of any 

 thing else in quantity of fimit: and reports 

 come from all sides that it stands the frost bet- 

 ter than almost any other. The Gaudy was 

 probably injured but little by frost, for it is so 

 late. These are just now ripening when other 

 strawberries are pretty much gone: and the 

 sight of great, beautifn'l, handsome, fresh-look- 

 ing fruit when all others are on the wane, is 

 enough of itself To give them a place. I often 

 feel disgusted, howevei". to see great lows of 

 such tremendous foliage bearing so few beri-ies 

 comparatively. But I suppose we can not have 

 every thing we want in one strawberry. In ad- 

 dition to the above four, we are going to offer 

 plants of the Sterling also. It is a beautiful 

 strong grower, with dark-colored foliage, and 

 it seems to stand the frost quite well. The 

 berries are handsome, but— oh myl how sour! 

 Tiiey would make a fair substitute for lemons, 

 and they are said to answer excellently for can- 

 ning. VVe planted one row of them late in the 

 fall, and I believe we did not lose a plant, and 

 they have given us quite a little cj'op of beriies. 

 Now. the above five are the only kinds fi-om 

 which we shall have plants for xtile; but we 

 are going to increase our grounds by th<' follow- 

 ing three: Edgar Queen. Parker Earl, and 

 Shuster's Gem. The two first promise to yield 

 almost equal to the Haverland: and the Edgar 

 Queen gives not only a great quantity of ber- 

 ries, but they are of nice shape and color, and 

 of good size. The berries have a flavor strik- 

 ingly like a fine Red Astrakhan apple. Shus- 

 ter's Gem was under disadvantage, because it 

 did not have a spot of ground equal to the oth- 

 ers. Lady Rusk and Saunders are awaiting 

 further trial. A great many other kinds have 

 qualities to recommend them: but .>^o many 

 others crowd them, we have d(^cided to give 

 prominence to only those mentioned above. 

 We have secured much better pi'ices for our 

 berries this year — yes. and our eai-ly peas too— 

 by being very careful not to let the pickers get 

 ahead of the sales: that is. instead of having 

 berries get old in the crates, we prefer to have 

 them get old on the bushes, and give ihem to 

 customers within half a day after picking them, 

 if we can. If they can have them only two or 

 three hours after picking, still better. We pick 

 just enough at night for the wagon to start 

 with in the morning. When the pickers com- 

 mence in the morning they pick just about 



