434 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 1. 



ing against us. If you have your plot square, a 

 hose should be attached to the hydrant in the 

 center, with length sutlficient to reach every one 

 of the four corners. This hose should have on 

 the end a sprinkler, like tiiat used on large- 

 sized sprinkling-cans. The perforations must 

 be thi-ough a plate of zinc, or copper, which is 

 still better. You want something that will 

 neither clog nor rust. When the wagon is load- 

 ed up witli vegetables to be taken around to the 

 houses, it is to be driven along this main street 

 I have been so emphatic about, until opposite 

 the middle of the garden. Then the hose and 

 sprinkler are lifted up into the wagon, and the 

 stutf all receives a good drenching. If the 

 wagon comes around at nine o'clock in the 

 morning, give the stulT another drenching. 

 Make the radishes, beets, turnips, onions, etc., 

 look as shiny and handsome as they do in the 

 pictures in your seed catalogue. When you 

 show them to your customers, make the stuff 

 do the talking. If the weather is very hot and 

 dry, spread pieces of coarse sacking over your 

 products, to shield them from the sun, and keep 

 this wet. 



CiPerhaps it were well to mention here in re- 

 gard to the matter of frost and snow. If you 

 can't do so all at once, you are to lay your plans 

 with the idea of ultimately being able to cover 

 every bed on the quarter-acre with glass or 

 cloth when a frost comes unexpectedly. As the 

 improvements will in many cases be made little 

 by little, as the business seems to warrant, we 

 would make every move with a view of having 

 steam heat a,\so under each bed. This can be 

 arranged at the same time you arrange for 

 drainage. And, by the way, while we plan 

 that no crop shall be lost through lack of mois- 

 ture, we should also say that no crop should be 

 lost on account of excessive moisture. Plan at 

 the outset so as to take care of the most tre- 

 mendous flood you ever heard of. I do not 

 mean by this that we can plan to have our 

 plant take a water-spout without injury, but 

 we must fix for every thing short of that. If 

 possible, have a roadway clear around the out- 

 side of your plant. Now, when I say we want 

 a roadway wide enough for the wagon to cross 

 the middle, both north and south, and east and 

 west, you will think I am extravagant in road- 

 ways; but I believe it will pay. It is a great 

 deal of work to wheel in stable manure, even on 

 a quarter of an acre; and where you can drive 

 right through the middle, clear up to the cen- 

 ter, you can hustle things along a good deal 

 fa.ster. If you do not keep a horse of your own, 

 when you hire one you want to have him do a!^ 

 much as possible, and get through as soon as 

 possible, in order to stop expenses. Well, these 

 roadways all around the outside, and through 

 the middle, are to be outlets for the water when 

 we have big rains. Aside from these we have 

 tiles laid under the center of each bed, and these 

 must have outlets that can not be stopped up. 

 These carry out the water, and, when occasion 

 demands it, carry in steam. 



OPPOSITION IN THE BUSINESS OF MARKET- 

 GARDENING. 



A great deal of complaint is made at one time 

 or another about overproduction, too many peo- 

 ple being occupied in the same line of business, 

 etc.: and it is true, tliat. at times, an oversupply 

 in the market compels us to sell stuff perhaps 

 helow the cost of production. But at the same 

 time, we should remember that, in almost every 

 locality, every little while there is a scarcity of 

 some particular product; and he who has a 

 supply can fix his own price. Whatever we do, 

 let us work for peace, friendship, and good will. 

 Let me give you some illustrations. In our 

 locality there is just one man who might be 



considered somewhat of a rival in growing 

 small fruits and garden-stuff. But he and I are 

 on the best of terms, and always expect to be. 

 Both of us are professing Christians; and that 

 alone, if nothing else, should hinder us from 

 feeling even touchy toward each other. Well, 

 whenevei' friend Green has a big crop of some- 

 thing at the same time that we also have a big 

 ci'op, prices are pretty sui-e to go pretty low, 

 and people will keep quoting Mr. Green, telling 

 what large bunches he gives, and how low he 

 sells. At one time we both had more green 

 peas than the town could well take care of. 

 But it also happens very often that we are both 

 out of the same special product. Yesterday 

 friend Green asked me if we could furnish him 

 some lettuce to fill an order. Well, it happened 

 that we had three nice beds of Grand Rapids 

 lettuce about half grown. I had been telling 

 people, however, who stopped to look at it as 

 they went by, that they could have it if they 

 were willing to pay 30 cts. per lb. for it; and for 

 nearly two weeks we have been selling two or 

 three dollars' worth a day at the above price. 

 I cut it myself, and go over the beds, and take 

 out the heads that are beginning to crowd their 

 neighbors. In this way, each morning shows 

 the beds just as full as they were the day before. 

 No one could see that any one had taken out 

 any at all. I told friend Green how it was; and 

 although he said he could not afford to pay 

 such a price, he said it was perfectly right and 

 fair to charge it, for he himself was in the same 

 predicament. ' In talking over supply and de- 

 mand, it transpired that, while we both had an 

 abundance of asparagus, so that the price had 

 gone down to S or 10 cts. per lb., we were both 

 behind on radishes, bunch onions, and a good 

 many other things. Now, right here comes 

 just one point in favor of 



I UNDERDRAIXINGrAND SURFACE I^RAINING.^^ 



It is now almost June 1, and we are hoeing 

 Corey sweet corn three or four inches high. It 

 is too wet to hoe to good advantage; but by 

 taking clean, sharp-toothed rake hoes, the boys 

 were mellowing up the ground so it could dry 



out fa ster, pre tty f airl y. ^Said l:Jl_ 



l" Friend Green, have you any sweet corn as 

 large as this?" 



" Why, no. Mr. Root, I don't believe I have, 

 in one sense. In another sense, I have some 

 that is considerably higher.'" 



• Well, friend G.. how aid you manage to get 

 any considerably higher, in any sense of the 

 word, during this wet season?" 



'■ Why, it is this way, Mr. Root. It is higher, 

 because it is upstaii-s in a bag, waiting for the 

 ground to dry, so it can be planted; for, to tell 

 the truth, I have not yet planted a kernel of 

 early corn." 



Now, friends, you see the point. We have 

 three pieces of Corey s early corn that is up. 

 Where we were then working was on a side hill 

 fronting the south, and underdrains were laid 

 just 20 feet apart. When I did it my conscience 

 troubled me a little for fear that I was going to 

 extremes on undi'idraining. But just now this 

 piece of ground is the only spot on our premises 

 where I could use a horse and cultivator. The 

 frequent drains, with gjood slope straight down 

 the hill, did the business. A great bank of 

 earth runs along on the crest of the hill thrown 

 up by the new railroad, so I have a fine protec- 

 tion from north winds, a southern slope, and 

 almost perfect underdraining. so this will give 

 me a fine stock of early sweet corn when there 

 probably is not. and will not be for weeks, any 

 more in the county. And now I wish to put in 

 a word right here in regard to 



