390 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15. 



lumbia, Mo., and also Judge Wllkerson, horticultur- 

 ist of this State, made repeated experiments of in- 

 jecting bisulphide of carbon in the ground around 

 the roots of apple-trees for the purpose of destroy- 

 ing the root-louse, or woolly aphis, and in every case 

 where the bisulphide came in contact with the 

 roots of tlie trees they were killed. 



A full report of these experiments is contained in 

 Bulletin No. 35 of Missouri Experiment Station. I 

 enclose a clipping from Prof. Stedman in regard to 

 keeping borers out of fruit-trees. These wooden 

 wraps are made to encircle the tree, and are for 

 sale by a St. Louis firm who deal in berry -box ma- 

 terial, cm ... cz- __; nwM. H. CoMBs^ 



Will you give a subscriber whose orchard is infest- 

 ed with borers a way to keep trees from the attack 

 of this destructive enemy? J. A. H. 



Maishfleld, Mo. 



REPLY BY PROF. STED.MAN,CCOLUMBIA. 



There are two well-known methods by means of 

 which one may prevent a large percentage of the 

 injury from apple-tree and peach tree borers. The 

 first (and for some reason the best) method is to sur- 

 round the base of the tree with a wrapper of some 

 sort. For this purpose a common newspaper is fre- 

 quently used; but where wire mosquito-netting is 

 too expensive one would do better to purchase 

 common wooden wrappers that can be obtained 

 for about $3 00 per 1000. These should be loosely 

 placed around the tree, and pushed into the earth 

 just enough to prevent the insects from crawling 

 under; and the tops should be closed up with cot- 

 ton to prevent the adults from crawling down be- 

 tween the wrapper and trunk of the tree. These 

 wrappers will also prevent rabbits from injuring 

 the trees. The wrapper should be about eighteen 

 inches high. 



The other method is to apply a wash to the trunk 

 of the tree. This wash is to contain some substance 

 that is unpleasant to the insect and will cause it to 

 seek trees not so treated. For this purpose carbolic 

 acid is more often used, and the wash vai ies in the 

 other ingredients. The simpler the wash, however, 

 the better in most cases. A good wash is made 

 as follows: Two ounces of crude carbolic acid is 

 ! laced in one bucket of water, and one-halt pound 

 of sulphate of ircn dissolved, and the whole thick- 

 ened with lime to make a thick whitewash. This is 

 applied to the trunks of the trees by means of a 

 whitewash brush, and is usually effective when so 

 used in the spring, and again later in the summer or 

 early fall 



THE CRANDALL "TREE" CURRANT. 



I paid Frank Ford one dollar for one root of the 

 above currant the first year he sold them. Late 

 in the season I was at his place at Ravenna, Ohio, 

 and saw his bearing bushels. They were all he rep- 

 resented as to prolific bearing. As it was necessary 

 tor me to move my bush several tim s it never had 

 a fair cliance; but one or two years it has had a 

 fairly good crop. As to the "tree'" part, it is no 

 more a tree style than any other currant or goose- 

 berry bush, only as it is trimmed to represent a tree. 



THE JAPANESE MAYBERRY, THE STRAAVBERRY-RASP- 

 BERRY, AND THE LOGAN OR RASPBERRY- 

 BLACKBERRY. 



1 got some of each of the above last spring.- All 

 were very small, in two-inch pots. Of the four 

 strawberry-raspberry, all lived and made a good 

 growth; one set two blossoms in August. One blos- 

 som amounted to "nix," the other set and matured 

 one seed. They have come up very thickly this 

 spring, each original plant filling a space o"f two 

 feet in diameter. One entire plant I dug up and 

 divided into 12.5. They sucker from the roots, like 

 the red raspberry, and very freely too. My three 

 Golden Mayberries grew to average about 15 inches 

 high, and quite branchy, but winter killed about to 

 the ground, but are sprouting nicely now. 



My one Logan made one branch 6 feet, and one 4 

 feet, the tips of which I put into the ground. 



I will give reports on all next fall. 



Brooklyn, O., Apr. 19. A. A. Fradenburg. 



onion. The winter was very hard on onions, how- 

 ever, the very warm autumn bringing them up to 

 6 or 10 inches in height; then the January freeze, 

 down to 16 degrees below zero, took them. I expect 

 to lose all. The Whittaker, however, stood the test, 

 and are the best-looking onions I have. 

 Rugby, Tenn. M. S. Percival. 



The Whittaker onions have wintered again 

 with u-s the best of any we have ever had 

 except the winter Egyptian. Our stand this 

 spring is regular and conipleie; and they make 

 the largest onion early in the. season (far 

 ahead of the American Pearl in size) of any 

 we have ever got hold of. Your experience 

 points a caution. If onions to be wintered over 

 outdoors make too strong and rank a growth 

 they mav not winter as well as those planted 

 later. With us the best time for American 

 Pearl. Whittaker, and White Multiplier seems 

 to be just about the time farmers are sowing 

 wheat, or, say, with the late sowing of wheat. 



NEBRASKA CORN, MUSHROOMS, ETC. 



Our Homes is read with much interest, and also 

 your travels and Ernest's. In April 15th issue it 

 seems you do not exactly understand our western 

 way of corn bushels; 56 lbs. of actual corn is a bush- 

 el if it is shelled; in early gathering (before the 

 corn is dry), 80 lbs., cob and all; later, as the corn 

 and cob become dryer. 75 lbs per bushel; and after 

 about Christmas it is called seasoned; and from 

 that on to 70 lbs., cob and corn go as a bushel. 

 Our to-day's market here is, corn, 17cts.; oats, 15; 

 hogs $3.75 to $3.80; but the cholera took nearly all 

 last fall and winter', and so the corn must be sold at 

 some price!- The winter has killed most of the 

 wheat. There will not be nearly enough this year 

 to seed us. 



I think if you were here I could feed you on 

 mushrooms that are not poisonous. They are not 

 the shape of a toadstool, but more like a corncob, 

 point end up; in length from VA to 5 inches, and 

 diameter '4 to 3 inches. They grow under or near 

 dying apple or oak trees. Yesterday I picked 80 on 

 less area than 16 feet in circumference, under one 

 tree. M. W. Murphey. 



Cuba, TIL, May 4. 



Health Notes. 



A GOOD WORD FOR THE WHITTAKER ONIONS. 



The White Multiplier onions, set last fall, wer-e al- 

 most a failure— only two or three surviving, set 

 same time and manner with my common potato 



WHEAT FLOUR CONTAINING A LITTLE RYE, ETC. 



Your Notes of Travel are very interesting to me, 

 especially those from the thinly settled country 

 through which 1 have been traveling. We find but 

 few places for any distance without some settlers 

 far or near. What surprised me the most of any 

 thing all over the Rocky Mountains is how they 

 make their living. Tn some places indeed it is a 

 mystery until you get acquainted with their occu- 

 pation. Of courst^, they live more simply, with 

 fewer luxuries and less high style than is fashiona- 

 ble in thickly settled places. Their common food, 

 as a rule, keeps them in good health and spirits, 

 while we live too finely and luxuriously, as well in 

 food as in clothing. 



This cracked wheat surely beats the lean meat 

 and hot water all to smash. I believe a little rye 

 mixed with the wheat will make it still better for 

 many people. The other day T rode on the cars 

 with a baker. In our conversation I told him that 

 I had about 400 bushels of wheat, with a little vol- 

 unteer rye in it, which is rejected by wheat-buyers. 

 I got part of it ground for flour, which we use for 

 our family. We like it better than clear wheat. 

 This baker will buy all I can spare. He told me he 

 had regular customers for such bread— those who 

 are costive naturally — and this bread regulates 

 their system. C. Theilmann. 



Theilmanton, Minn. 



Friend T., no doubt the cracked wh^'at and 

 rye will do very well with many people, without 

 the necessity of lean meat; but where one is 

 badly out of health I would advisehim to adopt 

 the lean-meat diet, using just enough of the 

 cracked wheat or rye, or both, to avoid the ne- 



