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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July i. 



WHO wouldn't be a gardener? 



Sometimes I think it strange that there is 

 anybody in this world who aoes not have a gar- 

 den; and then at other times, when prices are 

 low and we can not get the cost of our stuff, 

 and every thing seems to go wrong, I do not 

 wonder that so many people say they would 

 rather buy their stuff, what they want, than to 

 be bothered with any sort of garden. Well, 

 yesterJay and to day have been bright days 

 for the gardening business. After a severe 

 drouth we had a succession of refreshing show- 

 ers. Our beas were so full of plants that I 

 began to fear we should never have customers 

 for all of them; but after the shower the people 

 came in crowds for plants. I stationed myself 

 near the gar'en, and called in help for the boys, 

 and it kept me as busy as I could be in answer- 

 ing questions and giving directions. 



In putting up vegetable plants quite an 

 amount of time may be saved by a little prep- 

 aration beforehand, and the exercise of some 

 study and brainwork. Unless I am around to 

 take charge of things, our boys will go with the 

 customer aijd let him select the plants he 

 wants. Then they will take them up and carry 

 them to a stand or table, and sometimes right 

 into the store, and they used to tie them v/ith 

 wrapping-paper and string. But I have shown 

 them a much better and cheaper way. Get 

 some stout paper bags, such as hardware deal- 

 ers use to wrap up nails, etc., with. Have three 

 or four sizes of these bags at different points, 

 and especially near the beds where the plants 

 are growing. When a customer calls for plants, 

 and tells how many he wants, select a paper 

 bag of the proper size, put your hand in it and 

 straighten it out so the top will stay open; then 

 take up your plants and lay them in a heap, 

 shaking off most of the dirt as fast as they are 

 taken from the soil. When you get the right 

 number, take both hands and press the roots 

 up into a small compass, letting the tops come 

 up between the wrists. Now, if your paper 

 bag was opened properly, and is of the proper 

 size, you can put the ball of roots right down to 

 the bottom. The paper bag protects them 

 from the air, keeps the dirt from rattling off, 

 gives the tops just enough ventilation, and not 

 too much to have them keep without wilting. 

 If you do up your plants first, and handle them 

 twice, you rattle the dirt off a good deal more, 

 and expose the roots to the drying effects of the 

 air. I supnose, of course, no plant grower 

 would undertake to remove plants without 

 first thoroughly soaking the bed with water. 

 Even after we have had a long rain we think it 

 best to soak the ground, either with the hose 

 or watering-pot; then with a gooil stout trowel 

 push clear under the plant, and loosen it up so 

 all the small fibrous roots will come out along 

 with it. A smart boy who is trained to the 

 business, and carries his paper bags along with 

 him whenever he goes for plants, will wait on 

 a dozen customers, and have things in better 

 shape, in less time than some people would take 

 to wait on a sinele customer 



While the "boom was on" for plants people 

 began to go for the strawberries lively. They 

 had just got down to 8 and 9 cents, and some- 

 body in the store was complaining that there 

 was not a quart of strawberries to be had. and 

 customers waiting. But there were some big 

 rows of Bubachs, Marshalls. and Brandywines 

 waiting to be picked; and in a twinkling we 

 had a lively time a!oii;! ; the strnivherry -heils. 

 We might have put up a notice, "Beautiful 

 strawberries picke<i while you wait." In fact, 

 that is what we did do. With myself on hand to 

 show off the plants, and give the names of the 

 different varieties, it was not at all surprising 



that customers would say, " Well, I think I will 

 have a quart;" or, "Why. I will take two 

 quarts of those great big ones, if you give heap- 

 ing measure like that," etc.; and just when I 

 began to fear there were more strawberries 

 than we could easily get rid of, they were all 

 cleaned up— in fact, so much so that the boys, 

 in their efforts to get a few more quarts for a 

 customer, picked some that were rather green. 

 Oh how the new varieties have brightened up 

 and enlarged since the rain! 



This year we are testing our new varieties, 

 as I have explained, by putting them in our 

 plant-beds 18 inches apart. This is just about 

 right; and if you do not step on the beds at all 

 it gives plenty of room for putting down run- 

 ners. It is wonderfully interesting to me to 

 note the peculiarities and desirable traits in 

 the different candidates for public favor. For 

 instance, Clyde, that has been considerably 

 talked about, is really bearing a wonderful crop 

 — wonderful consiaering that the plants were 

 put out only this spring. The Ideal, planted 

 at the same time, is giving the handsomest 

 berries in shape and color, almost, that one 

 ever saw. The berry called "Pet" (I do not 

 know where it came from) is the sweetest berry 

 I ever tasted. It really brings forth an excla- 

 mation of surprise when one puts it into his 

 mouth. I do not know how good a berry it will 

 be, for all I have mentioned above were put out 

 last spring. Brandywine and Wm. Belt are 

 both d.iing wonders. These were planted out 

 late only last fall, and yet an acre of such ber- 

 ries as they are bearing would be a pretty nice 

 thing to have, I assure you. Great big berries, 

 with the boxes heaped up, bring just about 

 double the price of ordinary varieties, such as 

 Warfield and Haverland. 



Some years ago Peter Henderson recommend- 

 ed a plan for market-gardeners, for growing 

 strawberries. It was. to put out potted plants 

 in the fall (of course the earlier the better), on 

 rich ground where some crop had been removed. 

 All the runners were to be kept off, the plants 

 stimulated to their utmost, and then, after they 

 have borne just one crop, eight or ten months 

 after planting, plow them all under and do it 

 over again. On account of the difficulty of 

 working up the ground thoroughly while it is 

 occupied by a crop of berries, and also the tre- 

 mendous expense of weeding out a weedy 

 strawberry-bed, I often think I should like 

 Henderson's plan pretty well. Work your 

 ground up deeply and thoroughly, after any 

 spring crop comes off, then plant your straw- 

 berries, get one crop, and then do it over again. 



At present writing, June 22, ail of our straw- 

 berries may be said to be in their prime; and I 

 tell you we have got some wonderfully nice 

 berries among the new ones that are now before 

 the strawberry loving public. There are so 

 many splendid berries I really feel troubled in 

 deciding in regard to them The Marshall has 

 done grandly. The berries are large, there are 

 lots of them, and they are quite early. The 

 color is beautiful, the shape is almost faultless, 

 and the flavor delicious. Our bed where we 

 grew them un.'er glass is even now putting out 

 blossoms for a moderate crop to ripen along in 

 July, just as we had them last year. But. why 

 is not the Marshall eoor" enough? Well, the 

 Nick Ohmer and.the Margaret are considerably 

 larger than the Marshall. On my small experi- 

 mental bed, however, they are not bearing as 

 many berries as the Marshall; but it should be 

 remembered that they were planted late only 

 last fall. The Brandywine comes in just after 

 the Marshall, and the berries are immense; but 

 it does not furnish the quantity that the Wm. 



