550 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 15. 



In the cut you will notice three rows of beds. 

 Since we have had a view taken, another has 

 been added, and so there are now four rows of 

 beds; and as there are five beds in each row. we 

 have 20 beds in all. The most of them are long 

 enough to contain 14 sash each, like the ones in 

 the former picture. We also have three hy- 

 drants instead of one. This is quite conven- 

 ient, for it enables us to use a shorter length 

 of hose. Those who have used a piece of hose 

 even 50 feet long have discovered that it is la- 

 borious and unwieldy; and unless great care 

 is taken to prevent the hose from kinking, it 

 su-^tains permanent injury. 



The first bed on the right contained Wake- 

 field cabbage-plants at the time the -^riew was 

 taken; the one back of it. the Grand Rapids 

 lettuce I have written you about; the one back 

 of that. Flat Dutch cabbage-plants. On the 

 left of the picture we have more lettuce. Back 

 of it, where you see the handle of the spade, is 

 still another bed of lettuce: still further back, 



the sash are off there is a space of only 16 

 inches for the workmen to pass through. We 

 once tried working without any openings: but 

 it was not only fatiguing to step over the bed, 

 but the soft soil was injured: and the bed. and 

 sometimes the plants, were made to look very 

 untidy: therefore we cut passages as above. 

 When the beds are all uncovered, the piles of 

 sash rise only about two feet above the beds, as 

 I have explained. As this first bed is pretty 

 well down in the ditch by the roadside, a cheap 

 plank walk has been laid for the convenience 

 of the men in handling the sash. The bed full 

 of foliage in the center of the picture contains 

 at one end that big crop of beets I have told 

 you about; at the other end are some cucum- 

 bers with the. second or third leaves on; and 

 still further along some Dwarf Champion toma- 

 toes two or three inches high. The white spot 

 at the end of the bed is white sand put over 

 the sweet potatoes. A barrel of sweet potatoes 

 fills just about two sash. From these two sash 



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""^ii^l 



A GLIMP8E30F OUR OWN PLOT OF GROUND FOR GARDENING UNDER GLASS. 



where yon see one of the men setting out plants, 

 is a bed of onions that wintered over. They 

 had no protection at all except a little straw. 

 They were not winter onions either, but White 

 Victorias. Right back of the watering-pot is a 

 square piece of board with a handle in the cen- 

 ter. This is used a great deal in firming the 

 ground, and in leveling it off, just before put- 

 ting in plants or seeds. This is a very handy 

 tool, not only improving the looks of the sur- 

 face of the soil, but making both plants and 

 seeds do better for firming. The first bed on 

 the left was made with strips of stone flagging. 

 Although this stone is more durable than wood, 

 it conducts frost with more facility, therefore 

 we use, at present, only wood. We shall give a 

 description of the way in which the beds are 

 made, a little further on. The third picture (see 

 next page) is taken from the top of our factory, 

 and a little further down the street. 



In this cut you will notice the passage be- 

 tween the beds is much narrower: for when 



we have sold sweet-potato plants to the amount 

 of at least $10 or $15, and they occupied the 

 ground only from 60 to 75 days. At the ex- 

 treme left of the bed described you see rows of 

 Prizetaker onion-plants. Just beyond the cen- 

 tral bed is one of wax beans. It took a great 

 deal of handling of sash to save them from 

 frost, and they got pretty well scorched as it 

 was. Right back of them is a crop of Early 

 Ohio potatoes that I expect to yield at the rate 

 of KKX) bushels per acre. As you know, the 

 Early Ohio is not a large yielder. At the ex- 

 treme right of the picture, near the hydrant 

 (said hydrant being close to the pile of sash), 

 you can get a glimpse of the result of one line 

 of the steam-pipes. It runs right under all 

 three of the beds, and goes away back in the 

 garden. Every thing under glass and in the 

 open air over this steam-pipe, and for five or 

 six feet on each side, shows a very marked lux- 

 uriance. Just back of the pile of sash, near the 

 hydrant, you can get a little glimpse of what 



