28 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Jan. 1. 



fault of sprouting in the spring almost in spite 

 of you, before almost any other potato. I 

 have not noticed yet whether the Bovee shows 

 this peculiarity or not. I will watch and re- 

 port. 



Now in regard to the last paragraph, rela- 

 tive to the jadoo fiber. I must confess it gave 

 me a sort of shock, as I have several times 

 written with much enthusiasm in regard to it; 

 and the suggestion that the manufacturers 

 made in regard to growing potted strawberry- 

 plants has been worth to me all I ever invest- 

 ed in it — perhaps half a ton in all. A good 

 many times it struck me that it not only had 

 a close resemblance, but acted in many re- 

 spects exactly like muck from certain swamps. 

 If it is reall}- true that the chemicals they 

 combine with it add nothing to its value it 

 will be only another illustration of how often 

 we are carried away by some new thing when 

 it is no better ihan what we have all around 

 us, and always have had, that costs us noth- 

 ing. We pay great prices for some new medi- 

 cine, and it performs wonderful cures ; but 

 later on we discover that, had the bottle con- 

 tained pure water, just such as we drink every 

 da}', we should have been just as well off. 

 What a sad reflection on humanity ! Perhaps 

 we had better wait a little, however, for it is 

 not yet fully demonstrated that jadoo fiber is 

 no better than swamp muck. On Johnson & 

 Jordan's celery-farm they mix swamp muck 

 with stable manure, throw it in great heaps, 

 and let it ferment ; then they have a material 

 for growing their little celery-plants in boxes 

 that is certainly superior to the muck right 

 from the swamps. If friend Green has not 

 tried the jadoo fiber for potting strawberry- 

 plants it is my opinion that the muck alone 

 will not enable the plant to stand and grow 

 through a long dry spell as does the fiber. I 

 confess we had no good muck at hand, so we 

 •did not compare it side by side with the fiber. 



Since the above was in type I have found 

 something in an old Rural Xe'a'-Yorker \h?Li 

 ^ives the Bovee a pretty big recommend. It 

 is an editorial notice too. 



ATTENTION, POTATO-GROWERS ! 



ThrouEch the potato trials at the Rural Grounds, the 

 Bovee first became known to the putilic. This led to 

 some correspondence with a leading seed firm which, 

 after trials of its own, purchased the entire stock, and 

 purpose to offer it in small quantities in its 18!t7 cata- 

 log not yet sent out. Our object it writing this note is 

 to call attention to a potato which, from our own 

 trials, we believe to be at least ten days earlier than 

 the Early Ohio, a larger yielder, while the tubers are 

 as shapely as tho.se of the Freeman, and more uni- 

 formly .so, and of the first quality. We want our read- 

 ers to try the Bovee in a small wav. We shall soon al- 

 lude to it again wiih fuller particulars as to yield, 

 where it luay be purchased, etc. 



Will the Rural please tell us whether they 

 would at the present time give the Bovee such 

 a strong recommend ? 



germs; and where I put rotten apples on it last winter 

 the potatoes were clean this year. E. Tully. 



Penza, O., Dec. 12. 



The first plan, of spreading potatoes out, is 

 new to me; but, come to think of it, all of our 

 late-planted potatoes that are entirely free 

 from scab have been spread out ir> this very 

 way. Last season we moved them up into 

 the barn just as soon as all danger from freez- 

 ing was past. There they were left exposed, 

 spread out to the light, through April, May, 

 and many of them went through the month of 

 June. If our readers will turn back to page 

 787, they will see that Alva Agee suggests 

 that an acid soil will prevent scab ; and we 

 all know pretty well that alkalies, such as 

 lime, ashes, etc., encourage scab. Now, if 

 apple pomace will not make the ground sour 

 I do not know what will; and friend Tully 

 has discovered that, where he puts^the pom- 

 ace, the potatoes are free from scab. In 

 many localities, most seasons, apple pomace 

 can be had very cheaply. If others have tried 

 this, and have noticed any similar effect, will 

 they kindly report? 



DECEPTIVE ADVERTISEMENTS. 



Look out for Borden & Co., who advertise 

 a good razor for 10 cts. When you get only a 

 cake of soap for the 10 cts., and write them, 

 remonstrating, they will tell you that, if you 

 will look at the advertisement closely, you 

 will see they offer only a cake of soap for a 

 dime. You can safely call the whole of them 

 humbugs and swindlers when they in their 

 advertisement purposely mislead. 



SCABBY POTATOES ; SOME MORE SUGGESTIONS IN RE- 

 GARD TO GETTING RID OF THEM. 



Before planting next year spread your potatoes out 

 in a dry, well-lighted room, for at le'a.st three weeks. 

 This will kill the scab germs — at lea!^t it does for me. 

 If you plant on scabby ground next year, give part of 

 it a dressing of apple" pomace, and that will kill the 

 germs that ate in the soil. I believe I had a little 

 strip across one end of a field that was full of scab 



SELLING RECIPES, ETC. 

 Here we are again. Circulars are being 

 sent out to bee-keepers, containing the follow- 

 ing : 



1 have found a way to prevent honey from candy- 

 ing, even if kept where the temperature is below zero. 

 Nothing is put into the honey, and the process is very 

 simple, inexpensive, and ver>- little labor is required. 



Bee-keepers who dispose of their honey to grocery- 

 men and by peddling will readily appreciate the im- 

 portance of this invention. It is a boon to all who sell 

 or purcha.se honey. 



To those who send me ffl..50 I will send full direc- 

 tions for the process, but only on condition that a 

 promise is made that they do not divulge the method 

 until the year 190:!. 



In reply to the question as to what we think 

 about the thing, I would say, do not send a 

 copper to anybody who offers to divulge some 

 secret process for a sum of money, and asks 

 for a promise not to divulge. Of course, I do 

 not know what the secret is ; but I do know 

 that no valuable information has ever yet 

 come in any such way. Our experiment 

 stations will back me up in this statement. I 

 would send !?1.50 m\-self, but I can not give 

 any such promise. Whenever I find out any 

 thing valuable I will give it to my neighbors 

 and everybody else who may be benefited by 

 the knowledge I possess. It would be strange 

 if all the bee-journals we have now and all 

 that have been published could not give their 

 readers the simple thing that the advertiser 

 expects each individual person to pay $1.50 

 for. 



