1898 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



489 



shoulder to shoulder with our best new kinds. 

 If there is one that is ahead of it for an all- 

 round berry, it is, perhaps, the Brandywine. 

 This is perfect, furnishes lots of berries, and 

 yet they are about as firm to ship or can as 

 any berry known. I was also greatly pleased 

 with the Sharpless, another old friend that 

 has been " tried and true." I believe it is the 

 best berry to eat out of hand of any thing 

 the world has yet given us. Jessie compares 

 very favorably with it ; but the Jessie does not 

 always behave well in all localities. 



Our plantation as it is cultivated in three 

 different directions, which I have described, is 

 now a thing of beauty, and bids fair to be a 



joy for two or three years ; at least if we 



keep the runners off and keep it cultivated. 

 Of course, it is a job to mulch the berries so as 

 to keep them out of the mud during a thun- 

 der-shower. We have been doing it with rye 

 cut while the grain is in the milk. We have 

 also tried the green grass. None of these 

 things answers quite as well, however, as straw 

 put on thick enough so the dirt can not even 

 spatter up and spoil the berries. 



While calling upon Mr. Nick Ohmer he said 

 that the strawberry named after himself was 

 originated by a veteran strawberry-enthusiast. 

 I obtained his address, and wrote him, send- 

 ing him a sample of our method of potting 

 plants in jadoo. Below is his reply: 



Mr. A. I. Root: — Gle.\nings and the Darling straw- 

 berry-plant were received. I never saw a plant ship- 

 ped in as nice condition, and with such extra large 

 roots, as the Darling. I do not know whether I can 

 pot plants and send them in such good condition; 

 however, I will try to send \ on a few plants of the 

 numbers named. I never sold any plants or berries, 

 but have sent many plants to friends and others. I 

 sold my ground a year ago, where I grew berries for 

 26 consecutive years, and very many fine ones. I now 

 have only the east end of a forty-foot lot. and occupy 

 a place of, .say, 35 feet by about 00 in berries; but it is 

 astonishing to see what can be grown on a patch of 

 that size. I am very glad to hear that you are meet- 

 ing with a " happy surprise" in the Nick Ohmer. 

 Your description of its foliage is correct, only I find 

 some have five leaves on a stem. With me they have 

 an abundance of fruit, and, when properly ripened, 

 the quality is A No. 1. 



I kept the runners off all along, and it will be some 

 time before I can .send you the plants. I am nearly 

 72 years of age, and must soon quit, although I have 

 great delight in raising new seedlings. I have some 

 of the Nick Ohmer and .'onie of the No. 34, which are 

 very nice. The seed was sown in pots about Christ- 

 mas, and kept in the house. From one of No. 3-1 I 

 have picked off four runners. I thought I could get it 

 to bear this season; but I notice it is starting new run- 

 ners. If they get .strong enough I will pot one for 

 you for its beautv of plant. John F. Beaver. 



Dayton, O., Jurie 13. 



From a newspaper clipping forwarded me 

 by Mr. Beaver I take the following: 



Mr. Beaver said one cause of failure in strawberry 

 culture in a dry sea.son was insufficient mulch around 

 the plants to keep the soil cool and moist. The soil 

 on his strawberry-beds was so wret that he had to pro- 

 tect his knees against the moi.sture while gathering 

 the fruit, and all this without irrigation — simply plen- 

 ty of good mulching. Mr. Beaver showed four plates 

 of strawberries of such unusually large size and fine 

 color as entirely to dispel all doubts as to the correct- 

 ness of his mode of culture. 



SLOT MACHINES FOR CHURCH FAIRS AND OTH- 

 ER ENTERTAINMENTS. 



One of our clerks handed me a catalog of 

 new inventions in the line of slot machines ; 



and there is one particular one that he thought 

 would interest me especially. It is a hen on a 

 nest, covered with real feathers, and a hen that 

 can cackle ; btit the only way to make her 

 cackle is to drop a nickel into the slot. Now, 

 this is all very good, and not at all objection- 

 able so far as the cackling is concerned. But 

 this same hen lays eggs, and these eggs are 

 prepared full of candy, chewing-gum, choco- 

 lates, and other dainties ; so when you drop a 

 nickel into the slot you not only hear the hen 

 cackle, but you get an egg for your five cents, 

 containing confectionery. Well, this is not 

 very bad ; but to make it wonderfully taking, 

 one egg in a hundred contains a gold ring. 

 This is supposed to be the "golden egg." 

 The catalog declares the apparatus is specially 

 desirable for " picnics, church fairs, and other 

 entertainments." I have not a bit of doubt 

 that this automatic hen, with her golden &^^, 

 would take in a vast number of nickels ; and 

 on the whole I rather think it is a good thing, 

 perhaps, even for church fairs and festivals, 

 providing the hen woitld cackle loud enough 

 to arouse the consciences of Christian people, 

 especially when the gambling mania begins 

 to get a foothold in the church of God. 



My house shall be called the house of prayer ; but ye 

 have made it a den of thieves. — ;Matt. 21 : 13. 



A MISSION.\RY WAR. 



Our pastor said recently that our trouble 

 with Spain is a missionary war. We are not 

 fighting for more territory nor for more con- 

 quest. We are not -fighting for self, but for 

 the starving and much-wronged Cubans. And 

 who shall say that the Spanish nation itself 

 may not by this war be lifted out of the de- 

 grading superstitions of three centuries ago 

 which still cling to it, and be forced by the 

 logic of events to ally itself on the side of per- 

 fect political and religious liberty, to which 

 she has always shown herself to be so impla- 

 cable a foe ? 



Special Notices by A. I. Root. 



In working the strawberry-plantation shown on page 

 407 of our May loth issue, I mentioned using a three- 

 tooth wheel-hoe. Well, this hoe does the business all 

 right; but there are some weeds, like grass and dan- 

 delions, that must be cut off with something like a 

 hoe. For this purpose we have just received from the 

 manufacturer, Mr. G. W. Cole, of Canton, 111., a sort 

 of scuflBe-hoe that runs just under the surface, and 

 cuts off the weeds mentioned, and also reaches up 

 under the foliage of the plant .so as to get any weed 

 without injuring the leaves or blos.soms at all. In 

 fact, one needs to be a little careful or he may run 

 the steel blade so clo.se as to cut the plant. For prices 

 and particulars regarding the above wheel-hoe, ad- 

 dress Mr. Cole as above. 



THE PAPAYA (OR MELON) TREE. 



The supply of seeds I brought from Bermuda for 

 free distribution was exhausted in a very few days. I 

 had no idea so many of the friends would want to try 

 a tropical hothouse plant. I sent at once, however, to 

 Mr. Morrison, and he promised to get me some more 

 seed by the next steamer ; but I learned that Mr. 

 Baker, who owns this special variety, has been sick, 

 and was vinable to gather and dry the seed. I suppose 

 it will come a little later on. I am very sorry indeed 

 to keep so many of the friends waiting for seeds that 

 I really expected would go by return mail. We have 

 saved your stamped envelopes, and will send you 

 some seeds just as soon as possible. 



