1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



759 



these machines are equal to the very best high grades, 

 but thej' are good vahie for the money. If you have 

 honey, send sample and we will name you a price we 

 will give in trade. We will take first quality of white 

 comb honey or any grade of extracted. 



PRICES OF NEXT YE.\R. 



The average price of lumber is higher now than it 

 ■was a year ago when we fixed prices for the past sea- 

 son. We did not then advance prices to the full ex- 

 tent of the increased cost of material It seems nec- 

 essary, therefore, to make a further advance in prices 

 for next season, on hives and sections, of nearly 10 

 per cent. The advance on hives is about 10 cts. each, 

 and on sections 1.5 to 30 cts. per thousand, depending 

 on the quanlity. A sheet with revised prices is in 

 preparation, and these new prices take effect at once. 



Special Notices by A. I. Root. 



THE SPIDER PLANT — CLEOME PUNGENS. 



We planted a lot of seeds in the greenhouse in win- 

 ter, to get plants for our honey-plant garden ; but not 

 a seed grew of the spider plant, and really I do not 

 know why. But along in April, on a bed where spider 

 plants had blossomed and gone to seed the year he- 

 fore, they came up between our strawbtrry-plants by 

 the hundreds. Some sashes had been put over the 

 strawberries to force them ; and it just forced the spi- 

 der plants beautifully. We transplanted them into 

 one of our 50 foot beds, putting the plants a foot apart 

 from center to center. Just now, at dusk and early 

 in the morning, that bed is about as fine a floral dis- 

 play as I ever saw anywhere. Why, I do not believe 

 the great parks or greenhouse men in the cities have 

 any thing to rival it. The first blossom that opens 

 has a deep brilliant p'nk, and when it is a little older 

 it turns a little lighter-colored, so there is a gradual 

 transition in shade. The honey is secreted during 

 the night ; but bees make quite a roaring over the 

 opening blossoms just before dark the night before; 

 and before it is fairly daj'light in the morning the 

 hum or roar, rather, of the bees searching for the nec- 

 tar is just wonderful. When grown as an ornamental 

 plant the objection is that it makes little or no show 

 during the middle of the day. With the warm damp 

 weather we have been having, the secretion of nectar 

 is frequently so great that it drops off on lo the foli- 

 age below and on to the ground. A bee loads up, and 

 can not take at one trip all of the nectar on a single 

 floweret Kvery bee-keeper should have one or more 

 spider plants as a curiosity. We are now gathering 

 fresh seed, which we shall be glad to furnish at 5 cts. 

 a packet. After you have grown one plant you will 

 find plenty of little plants coming up where the fir.st 

 one came up, if the seeds are permitted to drop on 

 the ground. It looks as if the seed, like basswood 

 and many other seeds, needs to be frozen in the soil 

 before you put the glass over it to get early plants. 



POTATOES FOR SEED. 



Our early potatoes are all dug and in the cellar. 

 We have at present only four varieties. Two of them 

 are old standard kinds — Triumph (either white or red), 

 and Early Ohio. The other two are comparatively 

 new— Early Trumbull and the Century. The Early 

 Trumbull seems to be about as early as the Early 

 Ohio. Some have claimed it to be earlier. The Ohio 

 Experiment Station, I believe, places it at the head of 

 the list in productiveness for an extra early potato. 

 The tubers are very nice and clean, and the potato 

 does not seem to be susceptible to blight. The New 

 Century is a good deal like it, but not quite as early. 

 They are both very promising. The Triumph is prob- 

 ably the earliest potato known ; hut it is almost sure 

 to blight whenever we have hot weather. On this ac- 

 count it should be planted just about as soon as possi- 

 ble after the frost is out of the ground, and even then 

 blight will probably catch it before it reaches matu- 

 rity. I have tried planting it in July ; but if we have 

 very hot weather in August and September it is apt to 

 blight before it reaches maturity. Prices of any of 

 the above four kinds : 1 lb by mail, 18 cts.; 3 lbs. by 

 mail, 40 cts.; by freight or express, ^ peck, 25 cts.; 

 peck, 40 cts.: % bu.shel, 75 cts.; bu.shel, f 1.25; barrel, 

 63 00. Our late potatoes are still growing finely. If 

 the frost holds off we shall have a splendid crop. We 

 have four varieties of late potatoes — Maule's Commer- 

 cial, Carman No. 3, New Russet, and the Craig. 

 These are all extra prolific, and none of them is lia- 



ble to scab. In fact, we have discarded several va- 

 rieties just because they were so apt to be scabby. 

 The new Rus.set is almost scab-proof. Carman No. 3 

 is very seldom scabby ; the .same with Craig. On our 

 soil the Craig continues j'car after year to be one of 

 the best yielders, and less liable to b= affected by blight 

 or scab than almost any other ; but it does not seem to 

 have as great favor in many places. Prices of the 

 above four varieties; 1 lb. by mail, 15 cts.; 3 lbs. by 

 mail, 35 ctS. ; by freight or express, ^ peck, 15 cts.; 

 peck, 25 cts."; J^ bushel, 40 cts.; bushel, 75 cts.; barrel, 

 S2 00. The low prices on all late potatoes are liable 

 to be advanced. We make this low offer to any 

 who choose to buy now. While they last we will offer 

 seconds of any of the above for just half the above 

 prices ; but this does not include potatoes sent by mail. 



KIND WORDS FROM OUR CUSTOMERS. 



Your ABC book is written in a clear pleasing style, 

 and is very helpful, especially to beginners. 

 Aylmer We.st, Ont., Can. S. T. Pettit. 



Friend Root .-—Inclosed find draft for S7.50 for the 

 India famine. I was asked to sell the tickets for our 

 fair association, and I concluded to forego three days 

 of pleasure, and devote the proceeds to India. 



Rocky Ford, Colo., Sept. 11. H. F. Hagen. 



PADDLING AN INDIAN CANOE. 



I want to tell A. I. R. that an expert ip. 661) needs a 

 di uble-bladed paddle in order to paddle on either side 

 without changing. I have seen an expert keep up 

 with the ferrv-boat across Toronto Bay. 



Norfolk, Neb., Aug. 20. W. E. Graham. 



STRAWBERRY-PLANTS IN JADOO. 



Strawberry-plants by mail received on time, and in 

 superb condition. I never had plants take hold and 

 grow so nicely. I think the jadoo fiber and pot-grow- 

 ing anangtmenf a grand success, especially when 

 sent by mail. W. B. Ranson. 



New River, Va., Aug. 6. 



Mr. A. I. Root : — The queen I bought of you May 

 25 has proven to be a grand one. I introduced her to 

 a colony that I had made queenle.ss by dividing five 

 days before I gave her to them, and in about 27 days I 

 noticed the yellow bees coming out, and they have in- 

 creased very fast. They are the .strongest colony I 

 have now, and seem to be doing more than the other 

 eight combined. J. H. McAllister. 



Morristown, O., Aug. 31. 



The annual meeting of the Northern Illinois Bee- 

 keepers' Association will be held in the court-house in 

 Freeport, 111., on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 

 16 and 17, 1900. All interested in bees are "invited to 

 attend. B. Kennedy, Sec. 



Rockford, 111., R. F. D. No 5. 



FACTS rr 



revised edition. 

 How to get 

 QILT-EDGED HONE', 



Send 2c stamp to 



THE A. I. ROOT CO., 

 Medina. Ohio, 



or F. Dauzenbaker, 

 Box 66, Washington, D. C. 



1=3 OFF ON BEE=HIVES 



until the first of December, 11)00. Address 

 THE BEE-HIVE CO., - FT. WAYNE, IND. 



Fine young mismated Italian queens, 25 cts. each. 

 C. G. Fenn, Washington, Conn. 



Sharpies Cream Separators— Profitable Dairying. 



