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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 1 



In regard to the Peter Henderson Co., per- 

 haps many of you are aware the things that 

 that firm offers for sale are pretty well up in 

 price. But, at the same time, every thing 

 that goes from that institution is first class 

 in every respect. Perhaps the most of us 

 have blundered more or less in buying cheap 

 seeds or cheap implements. The very best 

 is, no doubt, the very cheapest, especially 

 with seeds; but you want to be sure you al- 

 ways get the best when you ^ja^ for the best. 

 Trading with an old and reliable firm is a 

 pretty good way to be sure. 



"HIGH pressure" SEED CORN 



On p. 1073, Aug. 15, last year, I gave you 

 a corn talk. Later (Dec. 15, p. 1619) 1 told 

 you about Prof. Holden's book, the A B C of 

 Corn Culture. Well, now, I hope that every 

 one who reads Gleanings has already made 

 some tests of his seed corn in the way I out- 

 lined in my talk — that is, test the corn from 

 each and every ear. Do not let an ear be 

 used at planting time unless every one of the 

 6 kernels taken from that ear shows good 

 strong prompt germination. It makes me 

 think of testing eggs before giving them to 

 the hen or putting them in an incubator. 

 We want to go to work with such pains and 

 care that we can almost "count our chickens 

 before they are hatched," and count our 

 bushels of corn before the corn is planted. 

 Instead of using the arrangement described 

 in the corn-book, we made a level bed in the 

 greenhouse. Then with a straight-edge we 

 ruled it off into squares. Six grains of corn 

 were put in each square. These squares 

 were numbered to correspond with the ears 

 of corn. At this date, April 15, nearly all 

 the kernels have commenced to germinate, 

 demonstrating that our method of keeping 

 seed corn over winter is a very good one. 

 We picked the ears out of the corn-crib at 

 husking-time, and tied them up and hung 

 them from a wire stretched near the steam- 

 pipes in the basement. In this way we in- 

 sured that our seed corn was kept dry and 

 warm all winter long — no dampness, no frost. 

 Of course, a better way would have been to 

 collect the ears in the field before the corn 

 was cut. Let me now repeat, that, if you 

 grow only half an acre of corn (and I don't 

 know but I might say half that much) 25 

 cents invested in the corn-book will be one 

 of the best investments ever made. We have 

 already sent out several hundred of these 

 books to our readers who are corn-growers. 



And now let me tell you, friends, if you 

 do not look out the State of Ohio will once 

 more be the banner State of the Union in the 

 average number of bushels per acre, just as 

 it was last year. Do not fail to get the corn 

 book, and then do not fail to test out the 

 bad ears before planting your corn. Better 

 have your corn planted a little late than to 

 pick your seed corn haphazard out of the 

 corn-crib in the old-fashioned way. 



WIMTER PARADISE APPLES, 



I am very glad to learn the name of the Paradise 

 apple; for I had not been able before to identify them. 

 But I know from your description that they are iden- 



tical. I have been the closest friend of the Paradise 

 for ten years, enjoying them morning, noon, and night, 

 and often before going to bed. Ihey have been my 

 best doctor for indigestion and constipation. I am 

 sorry you have had a bad opinion of them so long, 

 both on account of their credit and your benefit. I 

 came in possession of two small orchards with a few 

 trees of them in each. They always bore a crop of a 

 few bushels, and as high as forty bushels, twenty of 

 which always go to my own cellar, and the number of 

 trips and family pleasures from them I will not un- 

 dertake to tell. 



If you can stand a little more pleasure from them, I 

 will give you our plan of handling them. 



First, do not gather till late in November, or, if the 

 fall is late, till December. Do not be afraid of a 

 freeze, for, as you have learned, it will not hurt them. 

 Just leave them on the irees till thawed. You will be 

 surprised if Mrs. R. (when you gather them) will 

 halve and bake some of them in a closed pan, with 

 enough water to keep moist. If I am not mistaken, 

 you will not be through with them till you begin to 

 sing praises for another blessing. Store them in a 

 cool cellar, and about the holidays you can begin to 

 try them without cooking. 



I have just told my wife what I have written. She 

 says I have forgotten a very important part in the 

 baking— that is, a generous supply of sugar when 

 putting them to bake. 



Onarga, 111. J. S. Williams. 



In regard to the Paradise apple, I am just 

 now, during the middle of April, eating four 

 or five of themevery evening about 7 o'clock. 

 At that time I get apple hungry, and I sleep 

 better after having eaten half a dozen apples 

 than by going entirely without them, ihave 

 tested it enough so there is no mistake about 

 it; but in order to eat that number of apples 

 without experiencing any uneasiness during 

 the night they must be very mellow and not 

 very tart. An apple on the sweet order rather 

 seems to answer best. I am careful to re- 

 move all the peeling, but I greatly enjoy eat- 

 ing the cores, seeds and all. Of course, I take 

 pains to chew them up very thoroughly; in 

 fact, I think apples, to be easy of digestion, 

 should be very thoroughly chewed, and eat- 

 en slowly; and taken in this way I find them 

 more refreshing and wholesome than any 

 kind of cooked apple. Just now I believe I 

 should vote the Winter Pai'adise not only the 

 most delicious of all apples, but the most 

 delicious fruit God has ever in his loving 

 kindness thrown in my way. Since we have 

 found out how nice they are in the spring 

 we have entirely given up offering them tu 

 our neighbors in the fall for 30 cents a bushel, 

 as we did before we knew how nice they are 

 in the spring. 



I believe it is true, as suggested above, 

 that this particular apple will stand more 

 frost, and come out all right after it, than 

 any other apple I have had any thing to do 

 with. Will others who have this apple keep 

 it in mind and report? An apple that will 

 stand considerable freezing and come out all 

 right, even when hanging on the tree, is 

 worthy of our consideration. 



Just after I finished dictating the above the 

 following was put into my hands: 



WINTER PARADISE APPLE IN VIRGINIA. 



I know nice ripe fruit is a fine drug-store. Should 

 we study the needs of ourselves we might be able to 

 benefit thereby. Here in our old mountain hills we 

 can grow most kinds to perfection. The bitter you 

 mention in Winter Paradise is not noticeable here. 

 It is Fall Paradise— Sweet Paradise, in fact— a grand 

 and delicious apple. Let's have more fruit and bet- 

 ter fruit, and cleaner people to eat it. 



J. B. OVBRFELT. 



