560 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



JUXY 1. 



what the wagon will need when it comps 

 around at 9 o'clock. If they have an unusual 

 demand, one of the two men who go with the 

 wagon brings back notice. 



EARLY PEA8. 



With us the Alaska has been from a week to 

 ten days ahead of the American Wonder. We 

 had just two ro>vs. These were sown in March 

 by raking down the top of a I'idgi^ where celery 

 was taken out in the fall. The weather was so 

 cold and the ground was so wet. it seemed as if 

 they would amount to almost nothing. We 

 sowed them, however, putting the seed in quite 

 thickly. The two rows both together were, 

 probably, fifty rods long. As they made the 

 most of their growth before any weeds were up. 

 they had almost no cultivation at all. When 

 the vines began to tip over we stretched poul- 

 try-netting a foot wide, so that the lower wire 

 was perhaps six inches from the ground. As 

 the peas went six inches above the upper wire, 

 they stood about two feet fi-om the ground. 

 Weil, from the two I'ows mentioned above we 

 sold ten bushels of peas for •*;3.5.no. Most of 

 them were sold by the quart, because they were 

 away ahead of the market, and. of course, 

 brought a high price. The pickers were cau- 

 tioned not to pick a pod unless it had good 

 plump peas inside. Unless this is properly at- 

 tended to. the average picker will, with tlie Ahis- 

 ka pea. cheat the purchaser by giving him pods 

 with almost nothing in the shape of peas inside. 

 If they are picked carefully and coiiKcicntiouf!- 

 ?!/. however, and you have the first on the mar- 

 ket, you can sell a few at almost every house 

 for from 7 to 10 cents a quart, giving th(mi the 

 peas, as I said before, within only a few hours 

 after being picked. Twenty-live dollars from 

 two rows is pretty good business. And that is 

 not all: The vines will be ready to plow under 

 •luly 1, and then you can put in cabbage, celery, 

 early corn, or even Eai'ly Ohio potatoes, if you 

 have the seed— or. in fact, almost any crop if 

 your ground is up to the proper notch of fertili- 

 ty. 



P.^RSNIP SEED THAT WON't GKOW. 



The demand for tho Guernsey parsnip this sea- 

 son was away beyond our anticipation, so we sold 

 out toward the close of the planting time. The 

 only way I could get any more seed was to send 

 to Atlee Burpee, the originator: and as there 

 was not time to test it ourselves before tilling 

 orders, quite a good deal was sent to customers. 

 Out of the same bag. we planted for oursolves 

 five rows 40 rods long. Well, on our ground not 

 o/(c .sccf? came up of the whole five rows. The 

 ground was all right and the weather was all 

 right. Carrots, beets, vegetable oysters, and all 

 other seeds right in the same plot of gi-ound, 

 came up beautifully. It does seeni as if the sec- 

 ond lot of seed from Hnrpee )/u/.s'f have been 

 worthless. But in this business of seed-sowing 

 I have learned to be slow in condemning. After 

 waiting fully three weeks I .*ent to another 

 seedsman for parsnip seed that he h)icir would 

 grow. AVe have now waited ten days, but not a 

 seed of thlf< has started. As the ground has 

 been soaked with water almost all the tinn\ 

 this may partially account for it. Now. you 

 who have bought Guernsey parsnip seed out of 

 this second lot are desired to report, and we will 

 try to make the matter satisfactory. It is the 

 only failure that I know of among our seeds, 

 this season, and we are planting all the seeds 

 we oflfer for sale, right along, day after day. 



and save, perhaps, a costly experiment. I am 

 proposing to sow about 40 acres in turnips 

 among the corn. Would it be best to sow be- 

 fore the cultivator (we use the Albion spring- 

 tooth), or immediately after the last time the 

 corn is cultivated? I find just what I have 

 been wanting for years, in the "Southern 

 Queen." or winter turnip. I have been experi- 

 menting with the '•Cow-horns'" as a fertilizer 

 until you biought out the "Southern Queen." I 

 had only a poiuid of seed from you. and the 

 amount of winter pasture it furnished was a 

 surprise to me. and I shall have quite a lot of 

 seed, as I did not turn any of them under green. 

 After the seed-stalks weiv taken off. the boys 

 turned under a fine lot of partially sound tur- 

 nips to help l)ring on a ci'op of melons and 

 beans. I am not ready to put \\hat I claim 

 for turnips before the public until I am better 

 supplied with positive information; but I be- 

 lieve a crop that can be made between seasons 

 will furnish as much fertility as a crop of clo- 

 ver that takes a year to make. 

 Avon, Ind., June 11. A. A. Parsons. 



[Friend P.. I have not had sufficient experi- 

 ence to advise very much. I would, however, 

 advise sowing the seed after th" cultivator had 

 been through the corn the last time: and if you 

 can manage so as to get it in just before a 

 shower of rain. I think you will find most of 

 the seeds will come up promptly. Your idea of 

 using this turnip as a fertilizer is no doubt of 

 value. We have tried it to some extent, but it 

 does not produce any such result as a crop of 

 clover. In fact, I do not know of any other 

 plant that equals clover for plowing under. 

 Perhaps some of our readers can advise you in 

 regard to your forty-acre experiment: but if I 

 were you I shotild greatly prefer to try five or 

 ten acres before going in so heavily.] A. I. R. 



SELLING STRAWBERRIES, ETC. 



Gle.^nings is at hand for June 15. Accept 

 thanks for your kind remarks on my strawber- 

 ries. Without doubt, there is a field open for 

 the producer as well as the consumer to get 

 nearer to each other, to the benefit of both. 

 One thing is plain to me: A man may be a 

 successful producer, and at the same time be a 

 very ])oor salesman. Berries are largely grown 

 in this vicinity. Thousands of busheJs are 

 shipped from here. I am satisfied that many 

 berries are sold three to four times ere they ar- 

 rive at the consumer's table. This tiieans a 

 low price for the produc(>r and usually a high 

 price for the consumer. I think the general 

 unrest of the farmer is caused in some measure 

 by the unbusiness-like way he disposes of his 

 merchandise in the market. Let us try to im- 

 prove in all directions. R. Stehle. 



Marietta. ().. June 20. 



A NEW USE FOR THE "SOUTHERN QUEEN " 

 TURNIP. 



I write you for information: and if your time 

 i s not too fully occupied you can do me a favor. 



STRAAVBERRIES. ROSES, AND PUMPKINS. 



I am much interested in your gardening. 

 Strawberries, roses, and pumpkins are my hob- 

 bies. I raised last year .3(5 .squashes that weigh- 

 ed from 100 to 214 lbs. — average 1()5, besides tons 

 of smalhM' ones. H^rdy roses, grown in the 

 open ground, can be sold by the million. One 

 who loves bees, naturally loves roses. 



ClIAS. J. QUINBY. 



White Plains, N. Y., June 9. 



[Friend Q., you had better invite Dr. Miller 

 to come and see you when your roses are in 

 bloom. Here at the Home of the Honey-bees 

 we manage to have pumpkin pie once a week 

 the year round. So you see our tastes run a 

 good" deal parallel.] 



