542 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 1. 



This boneblack costs only $16 a ton, so I am 

 told. I think Mr. Mohn told me 400 pounds 

 to the acre is enough to grow a good crop of 

 wheat; that is, $3 00 or a little more for chem- 

 icals would give a splendid crop where other- 

 wise there would be nothing worth harvesting. 

 There were other plots where nitrate of soda, 

 muriate of ammonia, and various other chem- 

 icals, were added to the boneblack; but 4ie 

 agreed with me that they did not seem to be 

 much if any better. On this particular soil 

 the nitrogen and potash were not needed — 

 only phosphoric acid. Before we got through 

 I saw where an experiment was made with 

 wheat bran; and this too gave almost as good 

 a stand of wheat as the boneblack, but I think 

 rather more of it was used. 



The experiments at this sub- station have for 

 two years shown a great saving in expense by 

 using home mixtures; and, to come right down 

 to the facts in the case, oftentimes no mix- 

 tures are needed at all. When the farmer 

 finds out just what he wants, one single ele- 

 ment may do him just as much good as a mix- 

 ture. The thing for him to do is to Jind oui 

 just what is required, and not waste his mon- 

 ey by putting something on his land that it 

 does not need. Do some of you smile to think 

 I am favoring chemical fertilizers? Well, I 

 am. But, hold on a minute. The plots fertil- 

 ized with barnyard manure are just as good, 

 or very nearly so, and the barnyard manure, 

 to a certain extent, costs the average farmer 

 almost nothing. Let him save every bit of it; 

 then if he still needs fertility, let him buy the 

 chemicals. 



Prof. Green and his good wife are not only 

 interested in every thing pertaining to the 

 farmers' crops, but they are deeply interested 

 in the welfare (moral and spirituil) of the 

 farmers' children. And whv shouldn't they 

 be? They hnve quite a family of bright inter- 

 esting children of their own, and the children 

 were along with us listening to our talk. 

 Paul, the oldest, has been reading Gi^Eanings. 

 His mother said he was very anxious to ask 

 me some questions if I was willing. 



To be sure, I am willing, dear children, all 

 you who read Glkanings; and it gave me a 

 new thrill to know that some child or grow- 

 ing boy wanted to know something I could 

 tell him. One thing he wanted to know was 

 how to find a bee tree. Then we talked about 

 opera-glasses, cheap ones (you need some- 

 thing of the kind if the tree is a tall one); then 

 we talked about kodaks, bicycles, and lots of 

 other things. The younger ones were in the 

 berry-patch picking berries, and discussing 

 the respective merits of the new varieties. 



Before I was ready to go it was half-past 

 two; and to get home that night I should have 

 to catch a train 17 miles away, and a strong 

 north wind would be right in my face every 

 •mile of the way. I do not like a wind in my 

 face while wheelriding, and I do not like a 

 north wind any way you can fix it; but if it is 

 behind my back I do not mind it so very 

 much, because with a good road I can usually 

 travel /rt^i'^r than the wind does. But what 

 can't be cured must be endured, and so I start- 

 ed out. When within three miles of my desti- 



nation I was so used up I slowed up and con- 

 cluded I would not try any more. Then the 

 thought struck me that possibly the train 

 might be late ; so I decided to do the best I 

 could without becoming too much tired, and 

 take the chances. The train was fifteen min- 

 utes late, and I reached the station with five 

 minutes to spare. The ride was rather more 

 than I like to take against the wind; but when 

 I got rested up I took the trip to Strongsville 

 I have been telling about, and made 12 miles, 

 coming home, with a north wind at my back, 

 between sundown and dark, and I enjoyed 

 every mile of it. Now, may be I had better 

 tell you that I had baked beans for dinner, and 

 a few more of them for supper, before I took 

 this twelve-mile ride. Why, it seemed as if 

 my wheel went of itself, and it was just fun 

 to fly at breakneck speed up hill and down, 

 without even being aware that I was exerting 

 my strength of any account. I not only had 

 the north wind at my back, but I felt that 

 wonderful " second wind ''' thrilling every 

 fiber of my being ; and, more than all and 

 above all, I felt in my heart God's love, and a 

 love toward all humanity that live and breathe 

 under God's clear sky, in the farmers' homes 

 scattered all over our land. 



WHAT CAN WE PLANT OR SOW DURING THE 

 FORE PART OF JULY? 

 Almost every thing. If frost comes early it 

 may be a little late for lima beans unless it is 

 Wood's Improved bush lima. This will be all 

 right; also all kinds of wax beans and all 

 kinds of white field beans. In fact, if you 

 plant them now they will be pretty sure to 

 escape the bean-weevil. Beets for table use 

 will be all right, and you can get good sized 

 beets and mangles for stock. With good 

 plants you can grow any kind of cabljage. All 

 kinds of carrots will be all right. You may 

 not get full size, but that does not matter if 

 you put the seed a little thicker. It is just the 

 time to sow cauliflower seed to get the very 

 best caulifl )wer that can be grown at any time 

 of the year ; and it is just the time to put out 

 all kinds of celery if you have good plants. 

 Early sweet corn will come in just right, and 

 if 3'ou take my advice you will put in some 

 Country Gentleman if you want something 

 finer for table use than any other that is grown 

 in the world. It is just the time for cucum- 

 bers, either for pickles or for slicing ; also for 

 lettuce if you are careful to shade it with cot- 

 ton cloth just before it matures so as to bleach 

 it and keep it white. Melons will usually 

 ripen if you use the earliest sorts, and you can 

 still plant onion-seeds for growing sets. In 

 fact, if you have any seed left over it ought to 

 be put in for sets right off now. The sets will 

 always sell, no matter what kind of seeds you 

 plant. 



