1905 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



495 



that circulates among the farming commu- 

 nity to keep protesting until people learn 

 better than to waste their money on the 

 "St. Louis astrologer" or any other for- 

 tune-teller. Just now there seems to be a 

 concerted action on the part of the agricul- 

 tural papers to make a general protest 

 against this false science and false teaching. 

 See the following, from that excellent home 

 paper ' ' our own ' ' Ohio Farmer: 



Mr. Herrick says that Hicks' forecasts arp "based on 

 prevailing astromomical conditions, " etc. But all who 

 have any real knowledge of astronomy and meteorology 

 know that the fixed stax-s have absolutely no discernible 

 influence upon our world s weather conditions; that the 

 planets of our own system have only an influence which, 

 as compared to that of the sun, is infinitessimal and ab- 

 solutely inappreciable, while that of the moon, which, 

 from its vastly closer proximity to our earth, causes 

 ocean tides and their variations of "spring" and "neap." 

 depending upon "conjunction" or "opposition," really 

 has so exceedingly little effect upon weather conditions 

 that no long-time forecasts of any real value ean be 

 based upon the moon's phases. All our great astrono- 

 mers and meteorologists know that the above general 

 statement is true. 



These long-range forecasts are a " snare and a delu- 

 sion," an unmitigated humbug, a hindrance and a dam- 

 age to every farmer who gives them any credence or 

 any attention ! They have no scietitijic basis. Compari- 

 sons with the actual recorded facts prove that they are 

 guesses which occasionally hit but usually miss. Let 

 Iheni alone. Study the short-time forecasts of our 

 United States Weather Bureau. They cost us. the peo- 

 ple, more than a million dollars each year. They rest 

 on a solid basis of science and an accurate daily knowl- 

 edge of the direction and velocity of storms or climatic 

 currents, the reports being more frequent when violent 

 conditions require. The forecasts are true 80 times out 

 of each 100, the inaccuracies being due to unexpected 

 changes m direction and velocity of currents between 

 the widespread telegraphic reports. But let the weather 

 charlatans severely alone. 



NOTES OF TRAYEi. 



I BY ■ A.f.BOOT : 



LETTUCE UNDER GLASS WARMED BY 

 EXHAUST STEAM. 



I met one of my "happy surprises" at 

 Fremont, Mich., while making a call on our 

 veteran bee-keeper G. E. Hilton. Friend 

 H. did not accompany me to the convention, 

 for the good reason that I found him and 

 his home, including his family, up in the 

 air. They were not up in a flying-machine 

 or a balloon; but his house was raised up on 

 blocks and machinery in order to move it 

 over to the other side of the dooryard ; and 

 while the gang of men were at work on the 

 aforesaid job a storm of rain and snow hin- 

 dered them so it was convention time the 

 very day the home was to be located, 

 plumbed, and leveled. In fact, they were in 

 such a predicament they could hardly open 

 and shut the doors. Notwithstanding, I had 

 an exceedingly pleasant visit with friend 

 Hilton and his model little family. But the 

 happy surprise I have mentioned in the 

 opening was in the form of a new glass 

 structure expressly for growing Grand 

 Rapids lettuce, built just about a year ago. 

 I did not get the dimensions, but it must 

 have covered between one-fourth and half 



an acre of grouifd; and it was not only filled 

 with as nice lettuce as I ever looked on. but 

 the whole plant has been run so far with 

 exhaust steam on the very plan I have urged 

 so often on these pages. The steam comes 

 from the waterworks and electric-light plant 

 of the town of Fremont. One of the enter- 

 prising owners has worked a great part of 

 his life at plumbing, especially for warming 

 greenhouses; and lay his skill and experience 

 he has successfully overcome all obstacles 

 in the way of using exhaust or waste steam. 

 They pay the city $300 a year for taking the 

 exhaust steam out of their way; and they 

 do it in such a way that it not only takes no 

 power from the engine in back pressure, 

 but, on the contrary, by the use of some 

 kind of pump they keep a partial vacuum in 

 the heating-pipes so the steam rushes over 

 there of its own accord; and the greenhouse 

 really helps the engine instead of taking off 

 any of its power by back pressure. I do not 

 know the particulars, or whether the device 

 is patented; and I am unable to say whether 

 pumping out the drip water is all that is 

 necessary to produce this vacuum or not; 

 but at any rate the apparatus worked beau- 

 tifully. They even go so far as to have a 

 thermostat that automatically keeps the 

 temperature at the right point in the green- 

 house, without any manipulation on the part 

 of the owners. 



They are selling their lettuce in Cincin- 

 nati. Just think of sending several hundred 

 miles, away up in Michigan, for the lettuce 

 needed in comparatively mild Cincinnati. 

 Just now they are putting in cucumbers 

 where the lettuce is taken off, and I never 

 saw a ranker, healthier growth of cucumber- 

 vines, outdoors or anywhere else. Of course, 

 they need a higher temperature for cucum- 

 bers. To make a rotation they also grow 

 radishes. When I remarked that most of 

 the radishes I had grown in the greenhouse 

 ran up to tops which I was compelled to sell 

 for greens, the proprietor laughed and asked 

 me what time of year I tried to grow them. 

 When I said December and January he told 

 me to try it next time in March and April, 

 with plenty of daylight, long days, and short 

 nights. He said I could then grow radishes 

 with good bottoms and small tops. 



Like Eugene Davis, they have one or two 

 houses with translucent glass— the wavy 

 glass that subdues the fierce sunlight in the 

 summer. He said he preferred the wavy 

 glass were it not for the difficulty of laying 

 it so as to make tight joints. This glass, on 

 account of the uneven surface, can not be 

 cut accurately like the clear window glass. 

 There was not a green fly— at least I could 

 not discover any— on the whole plantation. 

 The crop was so remarkably even, and free 

 from sports, that I was curious to know 

 where they got the seed. He said it came 

 from D. M. Ferry, of Detroit. He added 

 that they had tried seed from a great vari- 

 ety of sources, but Ferry's had seemed to 

 be the truest. They propose to grow either 

 cucumbers, lettuce, or radishes every day 

 in the year, thus having no idle or waste 



