The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-09-27

CITY HOuIlSu our CnllureQ or teeu them
with patent medicines?
1t is true that we have many, very
many foes to meet-unfavorabl weather
from without aud insects from within
but these are to be met with philosophy
and other chemicals. Eternal vigilance
Is the price of the watermelon, and the
same rule may be applied to other vegeta-
bles. Many preventives have been pat
ented and introduced among farmers, and
most of them are of no avail. Yet gar
dening has made much advancement,
as has also agriculture generally, stock
raising and bee culture.
Some years ago, in Georgia, there lived
g. farmer whom we will call Troofe-
Amos E. Troofe. II was working one
summer for Troo6e," said neighbor of
mine the other day while speaking of
the rapid strides that agriculture had
made lately. 81 was working there and
so was my brother Gale. One afternoon
man comes. along that was selling
these here paytent bee gums with sashes
to EN- that gifts shet of good deal of the
trouble it is to hive q passle of bees, and
he wanted right smart to sell one to
Troof}e, bat Troofle felt too pore to buy
paytent bee gums as times was, for
money matters was powerful source
then.
But the man hehung on and allowed
that hit would suit him to stop for din
ner and feed his horse, and then if Troo-
de would furnish the lumber he would
build the gum for dollar and give Froo-
lie the directions, SOS that he could or
crate it and not get stung
After dinner the man took and turned
In and made up the bee gum with what
we could hope him, understand, and
Iroofe give him his dollar and the man
lit his pipe and got i'll his Vaughn. Then
Iroof1e says, regarding them directions,
SMister, you mustn't forgit that fore
you go, fer nuthin posters me like IL bee
sting, and l regard 'em as the pizenest
thing in the whole world All right
says the Teller, and so Troofle calls mo
and Gale to come there, SOS that if he
was away when the bees swarlned we
could tend to 'em without gittin stung.
The Teller took two or three draws
at his pipe, and then he says, kind of
slow and thoughtful, like man that is
far away from home and sort of lone
somelike, You have saw he says, how
the gum is made for the convenience of
the bee, and with regards to gettin
stung, he says, kind of touching up his
stock with the whip and startin off down
the road, the best way to get shet of u
bee sting is to not go nigh where they
air."
Among the enemies to plant life are
the ant, which never could see tho use
of except for the sluggard to resort to-
The ant, or Jo,-micd, is small red or
black insect with a sharp acid taste, end
in Africa is eaten as relish in place of
pickles. Mr.. Stanley very truly says
that in equatorial Africa the natives
often use the larger ants on their blue
points instead of lemon.
Boiling water is the best treatment for
ants. The ant bores into the ground
and constructs residence of halls and
galleries, which if filled with hot water
may be robbed of its homelike air.
Poisoned molasses are also used near
the ant hole with good effect, so that
have seen as high as 1000 ants and Il
sluggard or two killed in one night in a
small garden where muskmelons We're
growing in profusion.
The dphis, or plant louise, is another
enemy of the farmer, and may be said
to rank next to the tariff and the man
who wishes to explain same. Tobacco
is death ON tho plant louise. The louise
Is bitterly opposed to the use of tobacco
in any form and cannot see why it
should be popular with anybody.
The asparagus beetle is another insect
that seems to be getting quite hold
tha Afporipnn
emulsions will work we'll on these bugs
and break down their constitutions.
The bean weevil and pea weevil give
the gardener much trouble, and espe-
cially in fields where the canned bake
bean is maturing. Where the weevil has
gained ground in Massachusetts tho
cans which used to attain an average
weight of four pounds now rarely weigh
over two pounds.
The Ohio experiment station has as
certained that seed exposed to heat of
145 dogs. Fahrenheit is free from the
laryte Of the bean weevil and may pos
sibly terminate if planted.
The green lettuce worm, the radish
fly, the cabbage worm, the lightning
rod worm, the celery worm, the corn or
boil worm, the cucumber beetle, the cut
worm, the flea beetle, the onion mag
got, the May beetle, the onion fly and
the parsley worm are q few of the farm
er's friends; also the dew weevil and its
enemy, the dogood.
We need hardly mention the squash
vine borer, the squash bug, the wire
worm or the unearned increment, all of
which are the enemies of the farmer and
the gardener.
Let us strive against these foes and