412 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15. 



^m^ SPFCIAbiNOT^icES 



THE SITUATION AT PRESENT. 



I believe we can say that we are not getting any fur- 

 ther behind, but are rather gaining a little on orders. 

 But as the season advances, delaj's are more serious 

 aijd everybody grows more an.xious and impatient to 

 have their wants supplied promptly. Every mail 

 brings us several dozen letters and po.stals urging us 

 to hurry their shipment, as bees are swarming. We 

 have to, have two or three extra clerks employed 

 looking up and answering these people. Nothing is 

 really accomplished by thus writing to us, except to 

 add to the strain on our already overtaxed nerves and 

 strength. If you could drop in and see the haggard 

 looks and dragged-out appearance of many of our 

 faithful workers who are putting in twelve to sixteen 

 hours every day, doing our utmost to get orders filled, 

 I don't know that you would have any more patience, 

 but I rather think many of you would make up j'our 

 minds to order early before the ru.sh is on next year. 

 As we have often said, we planned for a legitimate in- 

 crease in business over last year, but not for more 

 than double the amount ; and you 



who are ordering three or four times 



as much as in former years must \ 

 have more consideration, and look ■ 

 ahead, and get ready when you have 

 such a revival as last year's white-clo- | 



ver crop produced. Many are writing i 

 us that, as bees have wintered well, 

 they believe there is going to be a 

 good demand for supplies in their 

 neighborhood. We have to answer 

 all such that they have waited too 

 long ; that we can not supply the 

 agents already at work, and can not 

 give terms to any new agents, or 

 promise shipment under three or 

 four weeks after orders are received. 

 If such people can not look ahead 

 and take some ri.sk themselves, and 

 prepare for what is coming, they de- 

 serve to "get left." We are very 

 .sorry we are not in position to meet 

 the wants of all, but we are doing 

 our utmost, and more you can not 

 ask. 



Duiing the past two weeks we have 

 shipped eight or nine carloads of 

 goods, the most of which were order- 

 ed in February,' and early March. We 

 have several more cars j-et to go, 

 which were ordered in March and 

 fir.st part of April. Of less than carload orders we've 

 very few unfilled that were received before April 20; 

 and very many, received since that date for items that 

 could be spared without robbing older orders, have 

 been shipped. We are shipping over a hundred orders 

 every day, and we must have over 2(X)0 unfilled orders 

 on hand. If you write about one of these orders, or 

 ask to have something added to it, you can imagine it 

 takes time to locate an order among so many. Have 

 all the patience you can muster, and don't write about 

 an order unle.ss you positively mu,st. If you can not 

 wait, always remember that we will cheerfully return 

 j'our money which you send with the order if you re- 

 que.st it, and think you can do better. We are getting 

 goods from two leading factories in Wisconsin, and 

 have to wait several weeks to have our orders filled. 

 A New York factory writes they are at least two 

 weeks behind, and likely to be still farther behind be- 

 fore the end of this month. 



MAPLE SYRUP AND SUGAR. 



We have on hand a limited quantity of maple syrup 

 which we offer at the following prices: Per gallon, 

 90 cts.; 10 ^als., S5 cts. per gal.; 20 gals., 80 cts. per gal. 

 Also a limited quantity of sugar, which we offer as fol- 

 lows: No. 2, per lb., !• cts.; 100 lbs. or more at 8 cts. 

 No. :>, per lb., ,S cts.; 100 lbs. or more, 7 cts. 



Special Notices by A. I. Root. 



JAPANESE BUCKWHEAT — ADVANCE IN PRICK. 



Probably in .sympathy with the advance in wheat, 

 buckwheat has taken a sudden start up, and we can 

 not furnish seed after this date for less than the fol- 

 lowing prices: Peck, 25 cts.; ^ bushel, 45 cts.; bushel, 

 ,S.5 cts.: 2 bushels, $1.50 Single pound by mail, post- 

 paid, 15 cts. 



BURPEE'S EARLY FORDHOOK FANCY TOMATO. 



On page 153, Feb. 15, we spoke of Mr. E. C. Green's 

 new tomato. This is a cross between the Potato Leaf 

 and the Dwaif Champion. The crossing was done by 

 Mr. Green. Now, it is a little funny that he has suc- 

 ceeded .so perfectly in getting a combination of the 

 two tomatoes ; and the surpri.sing thing is that the 





" Buds that Bloom on Bonnier Banks " is the title-of 

 a very neat pretty little book of poems by the Rev. 

 Norman Plass. It is specially intended for sorrowing 

 hearts, for the writer has been passing through the 

 deep waters, having lo.st a bright promising boy of 

 about eight years. Why do we speak of it in this con- 

 nection? Bro. Plass was formerly our pastor here, 

 and it was he who wrote the poem in Gleanings, 

 some time ago, entitled "We be Brethren." We feel 

 sure it will do a world of good to those who have 

 recently seen sorrow, and we commend it to all such. 

 Price, neatly bound in decorated board covers, sixty 

 pages, 30 cts. postpaid. Address Rev. Norman Plass, 

 Barrington, R. I. 



THE NEW TOMATO, FORDHOOK FANCY, A CROSS BETWEEN THE 

 "POTATO LEAF" AND DWARF CHAMPION. 



new tomato has some characteristics not found in 

 either of the parents. It is the handsomest tomato- 

 plant, I think, the world has ever seen. In fact, it 

 would do very well for an ornamental foliage plant to 

 be placed on a lawn. Well, when our enterprising 

 seedsman, Burpee, bought the plant of friend Green, 

 he also made a contract with him to grow lOO lbs. of 

 seed — that is, if I remember correctly. In order to do 

 this Mr. Green built a little greenhouse just on pur- 

 pose to grow plants; and this greenhouse is now full 

 of these new tomato-plants transplanted into little 

 boxes, and altogethei it is a handsome sight. I can 

 not show the whole greenhouse, but here is a glimpse 

 of one of the boxes. Not only to the peculiar leaf that 

 does not look like a tomato at all, but I want to call 

 your attention to the stout substantial stalks of the 

 little plants. It is certainly an easier tomato to trans- 

 plant than any of the old-fashioned kinds; and I do 

 not believe anybody would call it a tomato unless told 

 what it was It might be hard to sell plants of this 

 kind to customers, until they have grown them one 

 sea.son. The fruit looks very much like the Dwarf 

 Champion, and is fully as handsome. As our seeds 

 are not yet all gone, we will send ten of them, free of 

 charge, to any reader of Gleanings whose subscrip- 

 tion is paid up. If you put them out right away you 

 will probably get fruit before frost comes, and I 

 should not be surprised if the seeds would be worth 

 considerable for next season. 



-LOWER PRICES FOR SEED. 



THE SOJA BEAN- 



By purchasing a large stock directly from the grow- 

 er, we are able to give lower prices on the soja bean 



