1898 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



107 



eaves to lift your sash. This objection, how- 

 ever, is trifling, for two people are needed to 

 handle the sash. The one on the north side 

 raises his part first, draws it back a little, 

 swings up one corner, and his companion then 

 takes hold. The sashes can be handled al- 

 most as easily as if this strip along the eaves 

 were not in the way. At the west edge of 

 each bed the end board should rise above the 

 sash-bar so the wind can not get under there ; 

 and the sash should always be all on or all ojf. 

 Be careful about having them tilted for venti- 

 lation when there is danger of a heavy wind. 

 Perhaps the diagram below will make it a lit- 

 tle plainer.* 



/I 



n 



/ 



I _. 



A, side-bar of sash; B, plank on south side of bed; 

 C, block to hold "wind board" away from B; D, 

 "wind-board" nailed to C, for A to strike and keep 

 off wind. 



If the sash are made as many of them usual- 

 ly are, wiih heavy side-bars reaching down a 

 little below the cross-piece of the bottom of 

 the sash, when these side-bars strike the strip 

 of board that cuts ofT the wind there is room 

 for the water to run down the glass and fall on 

 the ground, and there is also room to catch 

 hold of the lower edge of the sash in han- 

 dling. This extra board will probably be worth 

 all it costs, to keep out frost from the side of 

 the bed. 



*Jan. 26. — .Since the above was written I have had a 

 chance to fix some of my beds as shown in the dia- 

 gram, and also to test their value. A day or two after 

 the blow mentioned, we had another one almost as 

 strong; but I was watching the barometer closely, 

 and knew what was coming. It dropped clear down 

 to 28 inches in our locality. The bed where the sashes 

 sailed .so lieautifuUy was surrounded with .strips of 

 eight-inch pine boards. In every other respect the 

 sashes were on just the .same— not one wps moved. A 

 barometer, under such circumstances, will pay for it- 

 self a great many times. We fixed o\ir other beds by 

 picking up old boards long enough to reach across 

 several sash, weighting the board down with a big 

 stone or two. In this way not a sash was moved. 

 The barometer did give warning on the first occasion, 

 but nio.'^t of the dropping was after dark. In corres- 

 pondence with the Weather Bureau they tell me the 

 fall of the mercun,' was almost unprecedented. Our 

 readers have by this time, without doubt, read of the 

 terrible disasters caused by this same wind on the 

 night of the 22d of January, and morning of the "JM. 

 Anj' one who has much property liable to be damaged 

 by wind can hardly afford to be without a barometer. 

 I have for years been in the habit of giving the man, 

 who has charge of our lumber-yard, notice of the com- 

 ing of heavy rains, and especially heavy winds ; and 

 considerable los.ses have been averted by fixing things 

 beforehand ready for the blow. 



FARM GARDENING, ETC. 



Ml-. Root: — I write to tell you how much help I have 

 gotten from your little talks on high-pressure garden- 

 ing and your sermons. How eagerly I await each 

 number of Gleanings ! I have been combining 

 farming, gardening, bee-keeping, and dairying on a 

 70-acre farm which was in veiybad shape when we 

 came. My hired help has received all the cash I took 

 in. Seasons were bad, crops poor ; but we are putting 

 ground in good shape. I tru.st I shall succeed better 

 the coming year, as I have greater faith in God, and 

 try to woi k according to your teachings. 



M3' .soil is a poor hard clay on hill ground: has not 

 been in wheat for a long time; heaves out plants in win- 

 ter. A Ifi-acre field is now barren. When would j ou 

 advi.se plowing, to sow in oats and clover? when to 

 turn under to make good soil? It drains easily; can 

 not .stand drouth. What is the best thing to do with 

 it ? It will not bring corn. 



There is a large sa .vmill here that runs all the waste 

 wood into a huge furnace 100 ft. high and 'IT) feet in 

 diameter. Every Saturday they clean it out, throw- 

 ing out 10 or 12 two-horse wagon loads of as-hes which 

 are sold for 3.5 to .50 cts. a load. Would you advise a 

 coating of these ashes, and tell me what crops they 

 are good for? They are wet when thrown out. 



Your transplanting-tubes are fine, but they cost too 

 ravich. I set out .'000 tomato-plants by your process 

 this j-ear. I take two or three boys to town in a large 

 wagon, and we go through alleys and to old dump- 

 holes and get all the tin cans we can find. The boys 

 think it's fun. We take thtm home, kindle a fire in 

 an old stove, and get the top redhot; set on our cans, 

 and in a few minutes the solder melts, and, with a 

 few taps of a small .stick, the end drops otT, leaving a 

 nice cutting edge to shove in the ground. In this way 

 I got about SOO nice transplanting-lubes without pay- 

 ing < ut a cent. I believe many readers of Gle.>\n'INc;s 

 will hail this kink with delight These cans are bet- 

 ter than tubes, as tubes will cut your hands when 

 shoving into the soil, while on tin cans the end cut 

 open by the consumers of the contents is trimmed 

 round with an old pocket-knife, leaving '^ inch mar- 

 gin of lid to reinforce the sides and preserve its shape. 

 Any one living near a city or town can get a wagon- 

 load in an hour or two. J. C. Wallenmeyer. 



Evansville, Ind., Nov. 30, 18i»7. 



On most .'^oils ashes will pay, without ques- 

 tion, friend W. Before investing very mtich 

 in them, get a few loads and run them on strips 

 through your ground. Put them on pretty 

 heavy. On your first crop yoti can tell what 

 effect the ashes will have. Spread them in 

 the same way on clover and grass. They are 

 almost sure to produce a good affect. Of 

 course, much depends on what kind of wood 

 the ashes are made of. If plants heave out on 

 your clay soil, it is pretty good evidence that 

 it needs underdraining. In fact, tniderdrain- 

 ing is at the bottom of ever}' thing to get your 

 ground in good order. If your ground has 

 nothing on at all, you can plow it any time in 

 the winter when it is in proper order. Leave 

 it just as the plow turns it over, and let the 

 frost work it up ; then, when it is dry enough 

 in the spring, fine it up and put in your crops. 

 I think cow peas would be a splendid thing to 

 get such ground ready for clover. Ashes will 

 be tiptop for corn, and for potatoes also, if 

 they do not produce scab. You can tell by 

 trying. One great trouble with the garden- 

 ing business is in getting competent help with- 

 out having to pay too mtich. Your home- 

 made transplanting-tubes, if they are handled 

 carefully, will do excellent service. 



SWEET - CLOVER SEED — GATHERING IT WITH 

 AN UMBRELLA, ETC. 

 I contemplate putting in some acres of sweet clover 

 as an experiment and educator along that line, believ- 

 ing that it is destined to become popular as a forage 

 for stock as well as bees. I have tried twice by sow- 



