558 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



June 1 



write a postal card on Sunday on business. 

 But you are mistaken in supposing' our 

 German wax- extractor is patented. There 

 is no patent on it at all, and, in fact, it is 

 mostly a copy of the one in general use in 

 Germany, hence its name. If you can make 

 them for $3.00, by all means do so, and we 

 shall not feel hurt a bit, because it will be 

 a great saving to bee-keepers throughout 

 the land. And I firmly believe that those 

 who know A. I. R. best are satisfied he is 

 really working hard to help bee-keepers in- 

 stead of to put dollars into his own pocket. 

 Whenever any of you can make wax-extract- 

 ors, hives, or anj' thing else, cheaper than 

 we make them, by all means do so, and we 

 will give you all the assistance we can. 

 Gleanings has, from its very start, used 

 its pages in telling people how to do things 

 at home so as to save their money; and 

 whenever you can make any thing we sell, 

 cheaper than to buy it of us, go right ahead 

 and do it, and we will help you. 



Perhaps I had better add, for the benefit 

 of friend Asche and others, that it is a good 

 many years since I myself fixed prices on 

 goods we make in our establishment; in 

 fact, it would be out of the question for me 

 at my age to figure up the cost on every 

 thing, in order to see whether our people 

 had the prices too high or too low. My de- 

 partment just now is basswoQd- trees and 

 seeds of honey-plants; and whenever I find 

 I am overcharging for any of these I should 

 be glad to make it right. Of course, I am 

 a responsible party in the firm; but it is 

 hardly fair to reflect on my Christian char- 

 acter, even if such an establishment as ours 

 ihould get the prices a little steep on some 

 of the articles we manufacture. 



It is a bad thing for beekeepers to 

 quarrel among themselves. God knows we 

 have enemies enough — those who are adul- 

 terating honey, for instance — without any 

 cross-firing in our own ranks; and it is bad 

 for bee-journals to quarrel. Thank God for 

 the kind and brotherly relations in which 

 the old-established bee-journals are con- 

 ducted to day; and there is not any "trust" 

 about it either. I think friend Putnain has 

 made a mistake, especially if he wishes to 

 have the older journals extend to him a 

 brotherly hand. We have always supposed 

 him to be a friend of ours, and we can not 

 but think he is that, even yet. I do not 

 feel particularly hurt because my Christian- 

 ity is challenged; in fact, I am rather glad 

 to have it challenged; and if my life is not 

 in keeping with what I profess, I am sure 

 God will help me in my honest desire to 

 make it so. A. I. R. 



FROM CALIFORNIA TO NEVADA. 



Here I am for the summer, seeking a live- 

 lihood among the alfalfa-fields of Nevada, 

 with a carload of bees. Please send me 

 Gleanings, and let my friends know my 

 address. J. M. Hambaugh. 



Leetville, Churchill Co., Nev. 



Concluded from last issue. 



Just before leaving I went into the spa- 

 cious packing-room where a great crowd of 

 men and boys were at work putting up 

 plants for shipment. An experienced man 

 takes the order, visits the several green- 

 houses with a suitable tray, and collects 

 the plants needed. Let me explain here 

 that the potting- soil in this establishment 

 for almost every thing is largely clay — more 

 clay than I have seen almost anywhere else. 

 Now, this claj-ey potting- soil is all right 

 for roses; but they seem to make it work 

 finely for almost every thing. It has this 

 advantage: When moistened just right the 

 ball of soil from a two-inch pot can be 

 squeezed up, three or more in a very com- 

 pact form, the tops of the little plants be- 

 ing all in one direction. They are pressed 

 together with the hand so they adhere and 

 support each other pretty firmlj'; but when 

 they reach their destination there is no 

 trouble in separating them, so each plant 

 gets the ball of soil that belongs to it. Well, 

 after the three or more are squeezed to- 

 gether as I have described, some sphagnum 

 moss, dampened just right, is put around 

 them, then they are wrapped in clean soft 

 paper. Many florists use old newspapers; 

 but 1his firm has nothing but new paper 

 made expressly for the purpose. Plants 

 that must be kept quite moist are first 

 wrapped in oiled paper, then in the soft 

 wrapping-paper. These are carefully pack- 

 ed in boxes so arranged that the tops will 

 not get crumpled up; and if the distance is 

 not too great they will reach their customer 

 full of life and vigor. 



I believe I enjoyed the packing- room more 

 than almost any other place. Men were 

 constantly coming in with trays of plants 

 of such variety of form and color that I 

 really felt like raising my hands with an 

 exclamation; but the man behind him had 

 another lot just as handsome or more so. 

 Then the expert packers picked them up; 

 and, while they handled them with won- 

 derful dexterity, nothing was injuied in 

 the least. Perhaps you have seen somebody 

 with no experience undertake to handle del- 

 icate plants; and what bungling work he 

 makes of it! These men seemed to have 

 been trained from childhood up to do that 

 one thing and to do it right. I do not know 

 of any thing in the world I enjoy more than 

 unpacking a lot of nice plants carefully put 

 up; and, particularly so, in doing it in the 

 night-time in that little greenhouse, with • 

 the electric light overhead. And then think 

 of going out in the morning, and looking over 

 your plants to see if they are all right I 

 Why, it seems as if you could actually hear 

 them rejoice as they spread out their leaves 

 and begin to assume their normal shape 



