634 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 1. 



SPECIAL DEPARTMENT FOE A. I. ROOT, AND HIS 

 FRIENDS WHO LIKE TO RAISE CROPS. 



WHAT WE akp: .skirling in the way of gak- 



DEN-STUFF. JULY 1.5, AND WHAT WE 

 ARE GETTING FGK IT. 



Kidney wax beans have been on the market 

 for about ten days, and we are still getting 10. 

 cts. a quart for them, or S3.20 per bushel. Just 

 think of iti I suppose we migUt just as well, 

 while we were about it. have planted enough so 

 that we could have sold them at 50 cts. a bushel; 

 but we were afraid of getting too many of 

 them, and so we planted only a limited area for 

 the first crop. Fruit has been scarce and high, 

 and this has seemed to make garden vegetables 

 scarce and high. We are getting .50 cts. a peck 

 for peas, and have been for the last six weeks. 

 Some of the time we had 60 cts. We are hav- 

 ing quite a trade in Eclipse beets at 5 cts. a 

 pound, tops and all. As some of them weigh a 

 pound, it makes a pretty good business. We 

 might sell them lower; but we sowed such a 

 limited quantity that they would not hold out 

 if we did. We get 5 cts. a pound for Jersey 

 Wakefield cabbage. It is the same with this as 

 with the others — we were afraid of getting too 

 many. If we should get more than the market 

 could use, we could come down to two or even 

 one cent a pound, and at this price it does not 

 pay very well. Caulifiower we succeeded in 

 putting on the mai'ket, even before we had new 

 cabbage, and I think we can do it every time. 

 The caulifiower makes heads before the cab- 

 bage does. We started it at 15 cts. a pound; 

 but as we planted almost too much, we put it 

 down to the price of cabbage, and could not get 

 rid of it all even then. A good many would 

 pay moi'e for cabbage than they would for 

 cauliflower. Perhaps friend March's fine strain 

 of seed has had something to do with our get- 

 ting nice heads of caulifiowei' so early. We 

 can dispose of more cauliflower in our market 

 quite late in the season, say after frost has kill- 

 ed the cucumbers, than we can where it is put 

 on the market so early. By t\w way. we have 

 a fine lot of cauliflower-plants that we are go- 

 ing to put out about the first of Augus.t, to have 

 a good lot for pickles. We have been selling 

 White Plume celery for about two weeks. We 

 got at first 30 cts. a pound for it: but now we 

 have just a cent an ounce, and we an> having a 

 nice little trade on it. You may remember 

 that we planted some Corey's Early corn in our 

 steam hotbed. There was just enough to go 

 under two sashes. It was planted between on- 

 ions under the sash: and when the onions were 

 big enough to pull, the corn had all the ground. 

 Well, the many frosts in May made us consid- 

 erable trouble in handling the sash; but we 

 have just sold the last of the corn for ?i.(;3— 

 about 80 cts. per sash for corn, to say nothing 

 of the onions, so we certainly I'eceived more 

 than a dollar per sash, which is very good busi- 

 ness, even if the sash did have to be moved a 

 good many times. I am ashamed to say. that, 

 up to the present writing, we have not been 

 able to get a cucumber of our own raising— no, 

 not even bystfirting them under glass. Per- 

 haps you think we are very awkward. Well, 

 that is what I think. Hut I feel just like say- 

 ing that the cucumbers have been vei-y "awk- 

 ward"' too during this past season. We are 

 selling about half a busliel of (Jrand Rapids 

 lettuce per day. We get only 5 cts. a pound for 

 it. but it pays tiptop to raise it at tliat price. 

 We have been selling onions, started under 

 glass, for more than a month. The White Vic- 

 toria is certainly the handsomest and sweetest. 

 They are now as large as good-sized apples. 



and I believe they make large onions quicker 

 than any other that has been on the market. 

 The Spanish King is growing with great vigor, 

 but it does not mature so soon as the Victoria, 

 Early Puritan potatoes are now down to 35 cts. 

 a peck. The first we dug brought (50 cts. We 

 sell radishes at 5 cts. per bunch of one i)ound. 

 We have been getting 10 cts. a jwund for sum- 

 mer crookneck squashes, for perhaps ten days. 

 It seems almost wicked to charge so much, but 

 we can not supply the demand as it is. Purple- 

 top White Globe tui'nips are selling tiptop at 

 4 cts. a pound. We have some beautiful ones, 

 bigger than the biggest kind of apples, and, 

 when properly cooked, they are certainly nice. 



Now a \^'ord about the high prices we get. 

 Quite a few have accused me of a lack of con- 

 science because I consent to take such prices. 

 Why. dear friends, I am trying to demonstrate 

 that farming fZoc.s- pay— that is, my kind of 

 farming. We have tried, at times, piitting the 

 prices down; but the boys would sell out their 

 supply before they had gone three or four 

 blocks, and then our customers further along 

 on the route would not get any at all. The 

 only way I know of is to let supply and demand 

 regulate the price— that is. charge enough so 

 that what we have to put on the wagon will be 

 sure to go around, or pretty nearly so. For in- 

 stance, when we had our first large heads of 

 caulifiower. I said. "Boys, I am sure that some- 

 body will give 15 cts. for that head of cauliflower. 

 If they won't, bring it back." 



Sometimes Mr. S. says that people scold a 

 good deal about the prices we charge. Said I, 

 " But yon sell out every day what you have, 

 don't you?" 



" Yes. the people buy them, even at the high 

 prices, because there is no opposition, and they 

 can not get them anywhere else. But still they 

 complain." 



"Oh I never mind the complaining so long as 

 you have nice stuff, and sell it all out." 



Now. may be you think this is hard philoso- 

 phy, but I don't. There is quite a tendency to 

 think that farming and even market-gardening 

 are not aristocratic. Very few people want to 

 engage in either one. That is all right. Every 

 man to his taste, and let every one do what he 

 likes. But where there is no opposition, there 

 is certainly nothing wrong in taking what your 

 product will bring. We are selling red rasp- 

 berries at 18 cts. a quart now. A great many 

 scold about it: but there is not a raspberry in 

 town anywhere: and if we get only 15 or 20' 

 quarts a day. I think there is nothing wrong in 

 taking 18 cts. By the way, there is something 

 the matter with raspberries this year. They 

 act contrary. Even friend Terry said that his 

 raspberry-patch that he used to take so much de- 

 light in is now a place to be avoided. He laid it 

 to the frost. But I am inclined to think that 

 iiisi)l)ci'ries have been spoiling from blight, or 

 something of that sort, for two or three years 

 back. It seems to be getting worse and worse. 

 No matter how much we cultivate and manure 

 the ground, they won't grow and act thrifty in 

 the way they used to. Even new plants on new 

 ground act the same way. 



GETTING UP A SUM.MER SHOWER BY ARTIFICIAL 

 MEANS. 



A few days ago we tried spraying about half 

 an acre of our market-garden with the new 

 steam-pump. It took us about two hours to 

 wet th<^ half-acre down pretty thoroughly, and 

 it took 200 barrels of water. Tlie windmill 

 went right at it and replaced the water in a 

 few houi's: but it was pretty severe work for 

 one man for two hours to throw the water over 

 the ground evenly, and then it took some little 

 time more to put away the things. The water 



