1900 



GI.EANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



856 



Just now it seems if any one class of people 

 in our country should not have beer it is the 

 mining class. 



HIGH-PRESSURE FRUIT-GROWING — MORE 



ABOUT IT. 



It now looks as if Medina Co. and the Trav- 

 erse region of Michigan, and I do not know 

 but the whole wide world, will have to stand 

 aside and take a lower seat, and let Florida 

 stand at the head. The following newspaper 

 clipping comes from the Pahnetto News, pub- 

 lished at Palmetto, Manatee Co., Fla., issue 

 of Oct. 11. The paper was sent by our old 

 friend S. C. Corwin, who explains that the 

 ten trees occupied only an eighth of an acre. 



$940 OFFERBD FOR FRUIT ON 10 GRAPEFRUIT-TREES. 



Capt. J. A. Howze made the offer to R. F. Willis, 

 who refused to accept it, asking a larger sum. 



For the fruit on ten grapefruit-trees Capt. J. A. 

 Howze offered R. F. Willis $9-10 ; but the offer was re- 

 fused, Mr. Willis holding the fruit for a larger sum. 



The grapefruit-trees are on the Willis-Preston grove 

 in the Ellenton hammock, only a short distance from 

 Palmetto, and are beauties worth a trip to see. They 

 are large handsome trees, and are covered with fruit 

 from top to bottom. 



You see, friends, the $^940 was not taken. 

 The owner of the little fruit-orchard wants a 

 bigger price, and it will have to be only a lit- 

 tle bigger to make it 07ie thousand dollars for 

 the crop of fruit hanging on the trees, and 

 the product of a single season. Will some of 

 the Florida friends tell us more about it ? 

 How tall are the trees? how wide do the 

 branches spread ? what is the diameter of the 

 trunk ? how many years have they been grow- 

 ing ? I saw a tree while in Florida, and you 

 may remember I wrote it up, belonging to one 

 of our bee-friends, who received $50 for the 

 crop of fruit that grew on it during a single 

 season. I thought that was wonderful ; but 

 the statement above fairly takes away one's 

 breath. An acre of such trees would make a 

 crop worth about 



SWEET CI^OVER — ITS VAI.UE FOR BRINGING UP 

 POOR GROUND AND UNPRODUCTIVE CLAY. 



Right adjoining our premises is a bank of 

 earth thrown out of a railroad cut. This soil 

 came out of the cut from a depth of ten or 

 twelve feet. Some years ago I got permission 

 of the railway company to use it by way of 

 experiment. Of course, nothing would grow 

 on it — that is, nothing but sweet clover, wliich 

 is already along the railroad. We let it grow 

 up and scatter seed until last spring, when I 

 saw there was a dense growth of thick succu- 

 lent stalks, about two feet high. When we 

 were plowing under the clover in the field ad- 

 joining, I directed our folks to turn under the 

 sweet clover, and said we would try it with 

 Carman potatoes. The potatoes came up rank 

 and strong, to my great surprise, and we have 

 just been digging them, and I was surprised 



again to find some of the handsomest, cleanest 

 potatoes on that hard unproductive clay bank 

 that I ever raised anywhere. There was not a 

 particle of scab, no work of wire worms or 

 grubs ; and the crop that we got was at the 

 rate of at least 100 bushels per acre. From 

 this experiment I infer that sweet clover is not 

 only worth as much to turn under as any 

 of the common clovers, but I should say even 

 more. 



On another piece of railroad ground that 

 had not been covered, consisting of poor clay 

 land like the piece I have jtxst mentioned, we 

 had a plot of Craigs, all clean and free from 

 scab, that went over 300 bushels to the acre. 

 When every thing else blighted, including 

 Carman No. 3, the Craig stood up bright and 

 green ; and when every thing else showed 

 scab more or less, unless it was the Russets, 

 the Craig was clean and nice, and the Craig 

 yields almost if not quite double the Russets. 

 For a table potato in the spring, the Craigs are 

 equal to any thing we advertise. But to be 

 fair I am obliged to state that in many locali- 

 ties the Craig does not seem to please at all. 

 This is one of the queer things about potatoes. 

 I am planning to test all of our best varieties 

 in the Traverse region next season. 



LOOK OUT FOR J. A. BRADLEY, OF AUGRES, 

 MICH. 



This man has been obtaining queens from 

 difTerent well-known breeders, promising to 

 remit on receipt of same. Mr. W. H. Laws, 

 of Round Rock, Texas, has the credit of hav- 

 ing exposed his " little game." By compar- 

 ing notes it seems that some 12 or 15 queen- 

 breeders have trusted this man Bradley. His 

 plan is either not to reply at all, or claim the 

 queen came dead, or that she was " no good," 

 and therefore that he should not pay any 

 thing. Of course, this could not well happen 

 with queens from so many difTerent breeders. 

 Mr. Bradley has written us his story, and I 

 have told him that, under the circumstances, 

 we should expect him to pay for every queen 

 ordered. 



Now, this whole matter reveals two things 

 that are not just as they ought to be. First, 

 this man Bradley has discovered that, by 

 writing plausible letters, he can get queens 

 without giving any reference. Perhaps the 

 breeders had a surplus on hand, and were anx- 

 ious to sell. Secondly, I am afraid our queen- 

 rearers are a little too ready to trust a man 

 without some evidence in regard to his hon- 

 esty. Very likely he is a poor man ; but that, 

 certainly, is no adequate excuse for robbing 

 queen-breeders. If he is worth any thing we 

 shall see what can be done by law with such 

 a case. 



CONVENTION NOTICE. 



The Colorado State Bee-keepers' Association con- 

 vention will be held in Denver, Nov 21, 22, 28, in con- 

 junction with the horticultural meeting. Place of 

 meeting announced later. R. C. Aikin, Pres., 



Loveland, Colo. 

 F. Rauchfu.ss. Sec, 



Box 378, Denver. 



