672 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Aug. 15. 



across. But it speaks of success only, with these 

 chemical manures. Its teachings are right in line 

 with the Rural New-Yorker and many other 

 agricultural papers. What does it mean, that 

 neither Terry nor I can get any such results'? 

 Right iu the plant-beds just before the window 

 where I am writing we have a lot of American 

 Pearl onions growing beautifully. They are 

 put out very thickly in rows, to raise sets. 

 Well, we have tried putting nitrate of soda on 

 two rows, then skipping thi'ee, and so on 

 through the bed. We skip thi'ee -for fear the 

 niirate might alfect the two outside rows. We 

 have tried it in liglit doses and in heavy doses. 

 In our last experijnent we put on so much that 

 it injured quite perceptibly the two rows where 

 it was applied. Now, nitrate of soda is special- 

 ly recommended for onions: yet on our soil it 

 has never yet in any case been of any benefit 

 whatever; on the contrary, where it has pro- 

 duced any effect, it has been a damage. Some 

 may say that our ground is too rich already. 

 But this can not not be. A part of the ground 

 is new ground, and very poor— so i)oor that the 

 onions have made a vei'y feeble growth. What 

 is the matter? I have almost come to the 

 point where I should be glad to pay our exper- 

 iment stations if they would send me a man 

 who would teach us how to make nitrate of 

 soda or any other chemical mauui'e take the 

 place pf stable manure. I am not stubborn nor 

 contrary a particle. I am, on the other hand, 

 exceedingly desirous that the .truth of this mat- 

 ter should come out, especially if we as a peo- 

 ple are throwing away our hard earnings in the 

 purchase of chemical fcitilizers. 



SPORT OF TOMATOES. POTATOES, ETC. 



Mr. Root: — You complain about spurious to- 

 mato seed which you have sent out. and say 

 that the bee-men" you got the seed of have 

 been careless if nothing wors(>. Well, fi-iend 

 R.. you ought not to be uncharitable and 

 so hard on your bee-friends. The Ignotum to- 

 mato is by no means a settled sort. I think it 

 is nothing but a sport of some other variety, 

 and hence liable to sport more or less. I have 

 grown it, and raised my own seed ever since 

 you inti'oduced it. and I have been very care- 

 ful: but in spite of me I had this spring, in a 

 batch of perhaps 3000 to 4000 plants, three plants 

 showing foliage like the Mikado, with the only 

 difference that they had the same yellow tint 

 as the Ignotum. 



But. look here, old friend. You have not 

 only sent out spurious tomato seeds, but also 

 spurious potatoes. What were supposed to be 

 Early Ohios I receivetl. are some very late sorts. 

 I was very suspicious about them when I re- 

 ceived them: and had they not hailed from A. 

 I. Root I would certainly have remonstrated; 

 but as it was, I thought there could hardly be a 

 mistake about them: but I know now there is 

 little mistake, if nothing worse, somewhere. I 

 think you have been humbugged with them, 

 because potatoes do not sport — at least, not so 

 much. I wanted to plant cabbage after I had 

 the potatoes out: but it got too late, so I want- 

 ed to sow tui'uips; but it will get too late. The 

 potatoes are green yt^t: and that is not all; for 

 had they been Ohios I could have got !|!1..50 per 

 bushel; but now I can get only ."iO cts. — quite a 

 loss for one little blunder. But, hold on. I 

 don't want to find fault with you. You can not 

 help it; and although I suffer a little loss from 

 the spurious Ohios, the Puritans make it up. 

 They are the best potatoes I ever raisi d. There 

 is not a small potato in a hill. They are about 

 as large as a fist. They call forth exclamations 

 of surprise wherever I roll them out of a basket. 

 I shall want two barrels for se(>d this fall. I 

 always think seed grown in a different soil from 



my own is better than that grown here. This 

 you will certainly call only a notion of mine; 

 but. never mind. Jui.ius Joiiannsex. 



Port Clinton. O., July 28. 



[Friend J.. I am exceedingly obliged to you. 

 and more especially for your injunction to liave 

 more charity: but I do not believe charity will 

 cover all of it — about tomatoes, I mean. I am 

 well aware of what you say. that tomatoes arc 

 very liable to sport. I. too. have found a jiotato- 

 leaf plant whei'e it did not seem po.-^sible that 

 any of the seed had got into the ground. I have 

 also found occasionally a plant with the dark 

 compact foliage of the Champion; and I have 

 thought that, if one should take almost anyone 

 kindof our best tomatoes, and grow it very large- 

 ly, he would, say once in a thousand, or in several 

 thousand, get a sport which, if developed, 

 would give almost any of the other kinds. This 

 accounts for the fact that most of our tomatoes 

 have been brought out simultaneously by differ- 

 ent people. There is one other solution of this 

 state of affairs. If these other tomatoes have 

 been grown even two or three years before' 

 on the same ground, there is liable to be some 

 seeds that have lain dormautin the soil. Some- 

 times we sow tomatoes in the greenhouse, and 

 only a part of the seed comes up. Well, every 

 time that dirt is worked over, some of these 

 seeds will germinate and gi'ow, for perhaps two 

 or three years. The lot of seed. Iiowever. that 

 I mentioned, which was bought for pure Igno- 

 tum. showed pei'haps ten p(>r cent potato leaf. 

 I do not think this was a sport. In I'egard to 

 the Ohio potatoes, last spring they were so 

 scarce that we advertised for them in our 

 county paper. One lot was bi'ought to our 

 place, the owner declaring they were the genu- 

 ine Early Ohio. But we discarded them on 

 account of the appearance of the tubers. It is 

 something I very inuch dislike to do. to buy 

 seeds of any kind of somebody I don't kjiow; 

 and I am resolved to be. hereaftei'. prepared 

 with potatoes, at least, of our own growing. I 

 have never been humbugged when I have 

 bought such things of our established seedsmen. 

 It is only when I buy of obscure individuals. 

 In order to keep seed potatoes on hand that we 

 know are genuine. I have once or twic(^ paid .50 

 cts. a bushel for potatoes in the fall, and sold 

 them for ten cents in the spring, or threw them 

 away — that is. I disposed of afeiv in that way. 

 The only safe way is to put away 7Hore than 

 enough; but in that case we must have profit 

 enough to cover the loss of what we do not suc- 

 ceed in selling. I think we can supply yon with 

 Early Puritan next spring or even this fall. 

 Friend J., and I am very much obliged to yon 

 indeed for your kind and clever way of excusing 

 our blunders. We will try to remember when 

 we have future deal with you.] 



strawhp;rries; preparing the ground, etc, 



I wish you could see those Haverlands you 

 sent me July 8. Some have runners 13 inches 

 long. I have raised berries for market a num- 

 ber of years, and have grown ten varieties. I 

 think the Haverlands and Michel's Early are 

 the best growers lever saw. My half-acre of 

 Crescent and Sharpless was hurt by late frost, 

 but I sold 2000 quarts. I think you are right 

 about clover sod for strawberi'ies. The finest 

 berries I ever raised were where I plowed undei' 

 clover. The variety was Sharpless. The next 

 best. I think, is a heavy crop of buckwheat turn- 

 ed under. In ISSiO I turned under half an acre of 

 buckwheat. This spring I put on a coat of ma- 

 nure. Oh my! the Jessie and Michel's Early! I 

 never saw such thriftv plants. 



Chillicothe. O.. Julv 30. V. H. Seeling. 



