r.32 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 1. 



These new professors do the same thing, not 

 only every week, but at every hour of the day. 

 I have sometimes surmised they cure people 

 without giving them a thought. The papers 

 give us pictures of these wonderful healers. 

 How wise and "magnetic" they look! I 

 think that must be the word. Do you ask me 

 to explain how it is that people get well after 

 sending the professors money ? Why, it is in 

 exactly the same way that Electropoise and 

 Oxydonor cure. The patient gets it into his 

 head that all this great professor says is true. 

 Some of the neighbors get the same insane 

 idea that this man in question has some won- 

 derful miraculous power. They talk it over 

 and become excited about it, especially in 

 reading how the blind have been made to see, 

 the lame to walk, and all that. It does not 

 seem to make much difference what the mala- 

 dy is, for we are told the most stubborn dis- 

 eases give way like "magic." Now, this 

 whole business is a disgrace to the present 

 age and present scientific attainments. Where 

 are our schools and colleges? where are our 

 ministers of the gospel? To be sure, it is the 

 business of ministers to help expose such 

 frauds. These charlatan professors are bad 

 men, every one of them. A great part of 

 them never make any professions of Christian- 

 ity. You remember I have already told you 

 about the man in Arkansas who thanked God 

 for whisky, and says he gets drunk whenever 

 he feels like it. But people who know this 

 will have it that he has a wonderful healing 

 gift, and send him money. A lady sends me 

 an advertisement of the great Nevada healer, 

 of Nevada, Mo., and says it is spreading in 

 her neighborhood, and like reports are coming 

 from other " healers " from almost all parts of 

 the United States. People have plenty of 

 money to send to these thieves who are rob- 

 bing sick people; but when the calls come 

 through the daily papers for help for the 

 starving people of Porto Rico, everybody 

 seems to be hard up, and no one has even a 

 cent to spare. Mav God help us ! 



Special Notices by A. I. Root. 



GARDENING IN OCTOBER. 



As a rule there ate not many seeds to be planted 

 during this month; but in some localities it is the 

 very best time to sow wheat, because it better escapes 

 from the fly But you can sow rye everywhere and 

 any time ; and I would put in either wheat or rye on 

 every piece of vacant ground. It looks pretty, it is 

 good for poultry, and it is worth all it costs to plow 

 under in the spring. I am beginning to have consid- 

 erable faith in plowing under a heavy growth of 

 wheat since my success in growing potatoes in that 

 way. Some mi*, ht think it "wicked" to plow under 

 a heavy growth of wheat ; but the wheat costs little if 

 any more than rye, and 1 am inclined to think it is 

 worth more Of course, you can go on with many 

 kinds of gardening if you have sashes or even cotton 

 cloth. The cotton cloth works beautifully along in 

 the fall when you simply wish to keep off frosts or 

 freezes ; but when there are considerable falls of 

 snow, especially snow and rain together, the cloth is 

 "not in it." At such a time you will wish you had 

 glass; but for many hardy plants such as cold frame 

 cabbages, strawberries, lettuce, etc., the cloth an- 

 swers admirably. It is better than glass in one re- 

 spect, for the plants never get too hot in the middle of 

 the day, even if you forget to roll up the cloth. Just 



now I am planning a cold-frame bed about 30 feet 

 square so I can use either cloth or glass. Whenever it 

 rains, no matter what month in the year, I do not 

 want either cloth or glass. I expect to have 1 he cloth 

 rolled up under shelter on the north side of the bed 

 when it rains or when it is not wanted ; and the 

 sashes will also be under cover on the south side of 

 the bed when they are not needed over the stuff. In 

 all moderate weather I would simply roll down the 

 cloth and roll it up again, which is ever so much less 

 work than handling sashes. But during severe freez- 

 ing weather the sashes will be in place ; and when it 

 is " awful " cold I can use the sash and cloth both. 

 I shall use it principally for growing high-priced 

 strawberries. When the strawberries are in full 

 bloom (I expect them to blossom a month ahead of 

 those outdoors), the cloth will protect the blossoms 

 from frost : and when the season is exceedingly hot 

 in the middle of the day at bearing time, I shall roll 

 down the cloth to protect the berries from being 

 scalded as they were during the season just past, 

 when it was terribly hot. I have tested partial shade 

 for strawberries already, and I am sure it is a big ad- 

 vantage for a few hours in the middle of the day — at 

 least when it is very warm. 



PLANTING OUT SMALL FRUITS AND NURSERY STOCK 

 IN OCTOBER. 



We plant more or less strawberries every year in 

 October, and we rarely have a failure ; but I confess 

 that it needs better soil, and you will need to take 

 more pains with the work than at any other season. 

 If you have tried it, and have succeeded during for- 

 mer seasons, then go right on with your planting; 

 but if you have not, I would advise you to test your 

 soil as well as your own skill on a small scale before 

 you do much of it. There is something peculiarly 

 fascinating to me in seeing strawberries and other 

 hardy plants grow when every thing else is dying ; 

 and with a little protection, such as the cloth cover, 

 during frosty nights, you can have a magnificent gar- 

 den of hardy plants through October and November. 

 In regard to planting general nursery stock in the 

 fall instead of the spring I would say, as I have said 

 with strawberries, if you have tested your locality 

 and your skill in former years, and know they are all 

 right, then go ahead. The apple-tree that bore two 

 nice apples the first year, and seven the year after, 

 was planted out in the fall ; and I rather like fall 

 planting for almost all kinds of fruit trees. There is 

 not a liability of neglecting it till it is too late, and 

 there is no trouble about plenty of moisture after the 

 trees are put out. Besides, you have plenty of time 

 to do the work well. If your soil is good and rich, 

 and well underdrained, and worked up fine, there is 

 hardly a chance for failure. Pound the dirt down 

 around the roots of your trees as hard as you can 

 hammer it with a pounder. We have always had ex- 

 cellent success in planting out basswood- trees in the 

 fall. We have a nice lot of small seedling* of our 

 own erowine. Price 5 cts. for 1 : 30 cts. for 10 ; $2.00 

 per 100. If the above are wanted by mail, 8 cts. for 1; 

 35 cts for 10 ; $2.25 per 100 The above are for plants 

 one foot and under. If you want larger ones, see our 

 catalog, mailed on application. 



ADVANCE IN SPINACH SEED. 



With the general advance in so many commodities, 

 it is not at all strange that staple seeds are going up. 

 Spinach seed that we have been offering in 10-lb. lots 

 at 12'4 cts. is now just double that price — that is. 25 

 cts. per lh. is the best price ve can make; and even 

 for lots of 10 lbs. we can not do better than 20 cts. 



PRICES ON POTATOES FOR IMMEDIATE SHIPMENT. 



On next page are prices for such potatoes as we have 

 dug r< ady to ship. Some other varieties not yet got 

 into the cellar will be priced a little later. It you or- 

 der now, there will be no danger of freezing in tran- 

 sit, and the prices are often quite a little lower than 

 they are in the spring. Carman No. 3 and Sir Walter 

 Raleigh we chink are specially reasonable at only 

 $2.50 per barrel ; but we have a large stock of both, 

 and so we offer them low There will be a few sec- 

 onds, but not very many, as they grow so uniformly 

 large and perfect. Our seconds are almost always 

 sold long before spring so if you want them you had 

 "better put in your order at once. Please remember if 

 you buy seconds you must take your chances on get- 

 tin- some scabby potatoes ; but many of them will be 

 first in size and in every other respect except being 

 scabby ; and if you treat them at planting time with 

 corrosive sublimate my experience is they will be as 

 good as perfectly clean potatoes They do not look 



