156 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 15. 



^r ^PECIAb^NOT.icEs < 



^^^ *^ ruv.i/-»»- "business, manac 



ORDERS. 



We have shipped thi.s year seven more full cars than 

 we had done last 5ear up to the same date, or an in- 

 crease in carload shipments of over twenty-five per 

 cent. We have not, however, quite so many ordeis 

 ahead of us unfilled as we had at the same date a year 

 ago. We have enough to keep us bu.sy for the rest of 

 this month, and a little longer. We were never bet- 

 ter prepared at this sea.'-on of the year to take care of 

 ordeis promptly. After having shipped several mil- 

 lion sections we have in stock ready for immediate 

 shipment over three million of the various stock sizes 

 and styles, as well as large quantities of hives, frames, 

 and other goods We have also a liberal supply of 

 ory lumber and other raw material on hand. We ap- 

 preciate promptness as much as any one. and it gives 

 us pleasure to be able to sers'e our patrons promptly 

 with any thing needed in our line. 



Special Notices by A. I. Root. 



A THREE QUARTER-SPAN GREENHOUSE WITH THK 

 SHORT SIDE FRONTING THE SOUTH. 



The new greenhouse I alluded to in our last issue, 

 e.specially for Grand Kapids lettuce, will be given in 

 our next issue, with illustrations It was left over in 

 order to have appropriate engraving.^ to go with it. 



GREENHOUSE PLANTS, ETC. 



I have been making small purchases of plants and 

 flowers from quite a good many different places of 

 late ; and while I have had very nice plants, and in ex- 

 cellent order, from almost every flori.st, I think a little 

 the nicest were from Vaughn, of Chicago. '1 here was 

 a happy surprise when the plants were unpacked, as 

 they were so much larger and finer than I expected. 

 And then there was another happy surprise when I 

 received the invoice, to find the prices were even /ess 

 tlian I expected. Our azaleas were literally covered 

 with purple buds when they were received, and the 

 bads unfolded and blossomed out without a check as 

 a result of the long shipment. Of cour.se, these plants 

 are shipped in a ball of earth One of them was put 

 in a pot while in full bloom, and taken to a party, and 

 it just "behaved " beautifully. After I took it out of 

 the greenhouse it was kept permanently in a common 

 dwelling, but it keeps on blossoming and growing 

 just about the same. 



SENDING MONEY IN LETTERS 



The number of losses that are being reported just 

 now obliges us to request our friends not to risk even 

 a dollar in a letter without registering ; or, better 

 siill, get a postal note or bank check. A great many 

 seem to think if thev put the money in printed envel- 

 opes, directed to The A. I. Root Co., they will be sure 

 to go through. But the thieves are going for these 

 particular envelopes, having learned, it would .seem, 

 that envelopes with a printed address to our firm are 

 pretty sure to contain money. Please observe the di- 

 ri ctions for sending money safely, on the back of our 

 order-sheet. If you neglect to do this, and your mon- 

 ey is lost, then do not accuse us of either carelessness 

 or dishonesty in the management of our business. 

 We report promptly every case of loss to the Postoffice 

 Department at Washington ; but it seems to be a long 

 and expensive job to hunt up the thief and punish 

 him, and I fear a good many never get caught at all. 



REDUCTION IN THE PRICE OF HOT-BED SASH. 



In the fall supplement to our seed catalog, giving 

 prices of hot-bed sash, I .said the price would be S3 00 

 per box; but I am happy to tell you that .since then 

 there has been a decline in glass, and we can now 

 furnish it at the old price of $2 ."jO per box of 90 lights, 

 8 X 10. Hot-bed sash in lots of 10, 75 cents each. These 

 are very much better made, with new and improved 

 machinery. With our method of setting glass- that is, 

 butted together and pushed into grooves— the better 

 way by all means is to have vour glass shipped in the 

 bo.x and the sash by itself. By this means you save 

 expensive freights, and there is but very little risk of 



■iiig broken. Each sash requires 20 lights; 

 e yjur sash will cost you, glass and all, with- 

 t, about Si 2.5 each. 



glass be. -J, 



therefoie j'jur sash will ci 

 out paint, about $i 2.5 each 



THE GARDEN SEED BUSINESS, FEB. 15. 



There is a tremendous activity just now in 'staple 

 garden seeds ; and one reason for it is, so many things 

 are " sold out." In our wholesale trade lists we find 

 an unu.sual number of the most important staple seeds 

 marked " sold out." And the worst of it is, there is 

 not any more to be had anywhere. Just after we had 

 got the Gigantic Gibraltar onion iu our li.st in our last 

 issue, we toiind the introducer had not even an ounce 

 of the seed left. At the present writing we have a very 

 few five-cent packets, and I do not suppose they will 

 last till this reaches yen. Most of our seeds are bought 

 in the fall, as soon as the new crop is harvested ; and 

 as we keep a careful recjrd of the amount sold each 

 j-e.vr, we have so far a pretty good supply of almost 

 every thii g. You will probably notice it affords an 

 excellent opportunity for the lucky man, who has 

 .something that everybody wants, to get a very good 

 price for it. 



THE FAULTLESS SPRAYER. 



Most of you know about this 1 ttle spray-pump that 

 was sold in such tremendous quantities last season ; 

 and perhaps some ot you also discovered that the tin 

 can that holds the Paris, green would rust through 

 very quickly, as the Paris green seems to have a cor- 

 rosive action on the tin. Well, this season the recep- 

 tacle for the poison is made of stout galvanized iron ; 

 and yet by giving the manufacturer a tremendous or- 

 der for his pumps before materials had advanced so 

 much, we are enabled to furnish them at the .same 

 price we did last year. For the same reason we also 

 furnish the brass sprayers the same as la.st year; 

 namely, 60 cts. for the tin, or 85 cts. for the all brass. 

 If wanted by mail, add 25 cts. each for postage. If 

 you want them to sell again, send for special prices to 

 dealers. These little sprayeis have now become al- 

 most a household necessity. 



A H.^ND SEED DRILL FOR ONLY 50 CENTS. 



I,ast year we introduced and .sold a large number of 

 these machines and 1 never heard a complaint that I 

 know of, although I was inclined to complain myself 

 at some of them as they were sent out from the facto- 

 ry. This year, however, they have made a verj' much 

 Letter machine, and by taking a very large lot, and 



having them made up during the dull season, we have 

 been enabled to furnish not only an improved ma- 

 chine, but at a lower price than we did last season. 

 These drills are not only just what you want in mak- 

 ing garden, but they are just the thing to put in the 

 seeds quickly, and accurately spaced, in hot-beds, cold- 

 frames, etc. If wanted by mail, add 20 cts. each for 

 postage. 



A SHARP KNIFE. 



Some years ago I became so disgusted with some of 

 the boys around me who never had a knife at all, or 

 if they did have one it was .so dull it would not cut a 

 stiing without an awful sight of .strength, that I said 

 something like this : "The boy with a knife in his 

 pocket is worth a cent an hour more than one who 

 never has a knife ; and the boy who always has a knife 

 th'.t is nice and sharp is worth /7i'o cents an hour 

 more." It is not alone on account of the convenience 

 of the knife ; but the bo}- who is so thrifty and careful 

 as to keep his knife sharp is more valuable in other 

 respects than a boy with a dull knife or none at all. 



