1898 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



893 



November. Just a very few years ago we 

 should have been obliged to get along with it 

 as best we covild with a kerosene-lamp, lan- 

 tern, greasy torch, or something of that sort. 

 Kerosene is very unsatisfactory in many re- 

 spects. Where men are working with heavy 

 tools the lamp often gets knocked over, the 

 chimney gets soiled by greasy fingers, and, 

 worst of all, the light never shines right under 

 where you are holding it. A shade helps the 

 matter somewhat ; but nothing can compare, 

 for mechanical work, especially for work 

 down on the ground or in the ground, with 

 the electric globe. With the aid of electric- 

 light cords varying from a yard in length to 

 fifty feet, we shed a bright light anywhere 

 men want to work. If it is a damp and chilly 

 place, the heat from the bulb is a good thing 

 to warm up cold muddy fingers. Just now 

 we were pushing the mason work on the little 

 brick room for the new 120-horse-power dy- 

 namo. Just as the masons began to think it 

 was quitting time, even though it was only 

 four o'clock, I pushed a wire through a cran- 

 ny in one of the walls, and screwed on an 

 electric globe. Why, daylight — especially 

 November daylight — is not a comparison. 

 The one little globe made every thing plain 

 and distinct, and no wonder, for it is 16 can- 

 dle-power, and yet these globes cost now only 

 14 or 15 cents, and each one will run 1000 

 hours and give a magnificent light of wonder- 

 ful brilliancy. May God be praised for the 

 man Edison ! I wonder if he ever thinks of 

 the amount of light he has been able to shed 

 in dark places. 



There is just one other thing, however, 

 that tries me quite a little. It is because no 

 one, unless, indeed, it is Mrs. Root, keeps 

 these globes wiped up bright and clean. Oh 

 how I do love to take my pocket-handker- 

 chief and astonish the people by letting them 

 see how much even electricity is improved by 

 a clean globe ! and it is ever so much easier to 

 clean an electric globe than it is to clean any 

 kind of lamp-chimney. The inside is always 

 spotless, without any rubbing. Yes, just now 

 while I write I am holding in my hand one of 

 these beautiful globes to shed light for my 

 stenographer ; and while I shed the light I 

 am warming my fingers that got chilled be- 

 cause I stayed out so long helping the masons. 



THE GROUND-CHERRY, OR HUSK TOMATO. 



About a year ago, while stopping at a farm- 

 er's house in Canaan Tp., Wayne Co., just 

 south of this one, I tasted some fruit in a pie, 

 that was not only new but very refreshing and 

 attractive to my taste. The good lady of the 

 house informed me it was the ground-cherry, 

 and gave me some of the fruit to take home, 

 and some for seed. We have just been using 

 some of the fruit for sauce, and, much to my 

 surprise, every one of the family declared it 

 was delicious. I was a little surprised at this, 

 because our children had become a little sus- 

 picious of me in recommending so many new 

 fruits and vegetables. When I brought the 

 delicious canned guavas from Florida they 



made up a face at my new tropical fruit. The 

 ground-cherry captivated the whole house- 

 hold at once. It was not exactly love at first 

 sight, but love at first faste. This plant grows 

 wild all over our country, I believe. In its 

 raw state it is not particularly attractive; but 

 cooking seems to take out every thing objec- 

 tionable, and leaves only a delicious fruit 

 flavor. Try it, and see if I am not right. By 

 the way, there is a new plant said to be much 

 larger and finer-looking, called the Chinese- 

 lantern plant ; but we have sown seeds of it 

 for two seasons without getting the plant, 

 and I see some notice to the effect that they 

 are not very good to eat. How is it, friends ? 

 Now, if there is any of the common ground- 

 cherry in your garden or around your prem- 

 ises, just try them for once and see if I am 

 not right. 



MORE ABOUT SWEET CLOVER. 



Ml . A. I. Root; — I see you have tried to give sweet 

 clover another puff. The stand you have taken in 

 regard to that has done people in different parts of 

 the country a great injury. I offered you fifty dollars 

 one time if you would destroy what little I am trou- 

 bled with. It is well for you that you did not accept 

 the offer, for I have been trying to destroy it for ten 

 years, and it is still growing. I have to fight it in my 

 garden the same as I do any other vile weed ; but 

 where it does the most harm is in pastures that can't 

 be plowed and cultivated on account of rock or other 

 obstructions. For my part I can't see why you stick 

 so tenaciously to that vile weed, for there are plenty 

 of other plants that can be raised that will produce 

 honey, and make a crop to turn under, and at the 

 same time harm no one. I presume that, on that clay 

 land where you live, it doesn't c^o as much harm as on 

 other kinds of soil. 



Now. brother Root, it .seems to me you had better 

 apologize for what you have done, and try something 

 better. There are certainly many plants better, and 

 none any worse. I have meant this for good. 



Yorktown, 111. 1,ewis A. Sawyer. 



I have given the above in full because I like 

 to give everybody a hearing, even where their 

 notions are quite extreme. And then there is 

 a point that I confess I have not heard of or 

 thought of before. Our friend has some rocky 

 ground that can not be plowed. In that case 

 the sweet clover can not be turned under for a 

 fertilizer. And we must accept his statement, 

 of course, that his cows will not eat it. But I 

 hope he will excuse me if I still hold to the 

 opinion that they can be taught to eat it ; for 

 I can not see why cows will eat a plant greed- 

 ily in one locality, and can not be taught to 

 eat it in another. I have sometimes wondered 

 if it is not possible there is something else so 

 nearly like sweet clover that a mistake has 

 been made. Let me suggest that our experi- 

 ment stations have this whole matter in hand 

 in regard to sweet clover ; and they all decide 

 that, so long as it is a clover, it surely ought 

 not to be classed with noxious weeds. Even 

 red clover is a very bad weed in a strawberry- 

 patch; but who, on that account, would think 

 of exterminating it from the whole farm? I 

 am more interested in sweet clover because of 

 its value to the general farmer than I am be- 

 cause of the fact that it is a honey-plant. The 

 seed is now bought and sold by the ton, and 

 anrs are grown where the owner of the land 

 keeps no bees at all, and has no interest in bee 

 culture. 



