Lit; 



CiLEANINGS IN BRE CULTURE. 



Feb. 15. 



alenl of five L. combs. No attempt was made 

 lo do a great thing, but only to show what 

 could be done under very ordinary circum- 

 stances. Then another adverse circumstance 

 was the fact that the unlinished sections con- 

 tained much less honey than would ordinarily 

 be the case — a fact that would seriously reduce 

 the apparent profit. 



It can be hardly be seriously claimed that Mr. 

 Unterkircher's experience furnishes a case in 

 point. It was clearly a case of gross misman- 

 agement for which there was no kind of excuse. 

 Whatever his intentions were, he evidently per- 

 mitted the bees to store the honey fed in the 

 brood-chamber. 



Lapeer, Mich., Feb. 4. 



[I fear I shall have to eat humble pie a (just) 

 des(s)ert I don't like. My only excuse was 

 carelessness in looking over the market reports, 

 and I am the more sorry that they appear to 

 favor my position. It was unintentional, how- 

 ever. My eye must have dwelt too long on the 

 California reports of the previous number.— Ed. J 



THOSE STRAWBERRIES. 



A POINTER. 



Bn M. Dm. 



Blamed if I don't believe Bro. A. I. Root's a 

 crank— just like me— on the subject of straw- 

 berry culture! Just about the full o' the moon 

 at this season of the year the fit comes on — lie 

 awake o' nights thinking just how and what 

 kind to plant. I rather think the hill system is 

 yet the best all-round method, every thing con- 

 sidered, and that the Timbrell, take 'em all in 

 all, is about as good a berry as any — not but 

 that other kinds do excellently, and really 

 should be a part of the patch, if for no other 

 reason than help fertilize it thoroughly; but, 

 you know, we've all got a particular fancy for 

 some kind. 



But this must be considered: Strawberries 

 are powerful pesky things to disappoint a fel- 

 low just when he doesn't want any foolishness. 

 You hear of a certain kind that Bro. Jones has, 

 that he says bears so and so many quarts to the 

 square rod. It sounds pretty big — heaps o' 

 money and lots of fun in those berries. Bro. 

 Smith resolves to have a half-acre, even if it 

 costs his muly cow. Oh, yes! the plants come 

 on— look fine; has his land just so — as recom- 

 mended: gets Mandy (that's his wife) and Liza 

 Jane to come over to help set the plants, and 

 they nearly break their backs; and, there! now 

 all those berries have to do Is to get right up 

 and hump themselves to produce the stuff that 

 sells at big prices for small quarts. That's it. 

 Hang up the old tin pans, and make awful- 

 looking scarecrows to keep the birds off that 

 patch; and, Mandy, be sartain to shoo off the 

 chickens and the boys. 



June comes along finely; the plants look per- 

 fection; leaves like spinach, almost; buds a 



startin', big as buttons on Liza Jane's winter 

 coat: yes, right down hloss(nns,OT I'm a hen. 

 Well, well! now that's what I call big luck. 

 Rushy Ann! Why, that means a big sum in our 

 county bank, sure. Now let me see — 40 and 39 

 carried several times is so much, and so many 

 of the last picking is so much; in all — Riah 

 Jane! hoopie! whew! Why, there'll be 'nuff 

 money left, after paying the mortgage, to buy 

 the old .ady and darter each a tine dress, bon- 

 nets, and folderolls. Oh! I'm smart, I am! 

 Honey and slap-jacks! What ails them meech- 

 en things? In a week the whole passel of buds 

 and flowers has shrunk — actually turned yaller, 

 and in July there aren't berries enough to make 

 a respectable shortberry strawcake! That was 

 the beatenest swindle! 



No, it wasn't. The man you bought your 

 plants of was all right— in Neiv Jersey; what 

 he said was so too; but his land is different — 

 more gravel; yours is all rich loam, and that 

 makes a world of difference in results. So you 

 see the kinds that do so well on a special soil 

 will hardly fruit at all on some others. Sabe? 



THE DOVETAILED CHAFF HIVE. 



fowls' improvemext. 



lili Chalou Fowls. 



I send you by this mail a photo of the Dove- 

 tailed chaff' hive with some improvements 

 which are new only in their adaptation to the 

 Dovetailed chaff' hive. One thing I really felt 

 the need of was handles. They should be made 

 by nailing strips on the hive i.j or ;V inch thick 

 by one inch wide by 4 or 5 inches long. I pre- 

 fer them in the middle of each end, and one 

 inch below the water-table. If you ever try to 

 move one of these hives when filled with bees 

 and honey I think you will appreciate handles. 

 There is no reason why these hives should be 

 any more clumsy or inconvenient than the old 

 style Langstroth, which they very much re- 

 semble. One of the conveniences of the old- 

 Langstroth was the entrance- blocks. I've been 

 bothered a good many times in the last dozen 

 years in closing the entrances of chaff hives. 

 Sometimes robbers would commence on a weak 

 colony, then I must hunt for a stick. If too 

 long or too thick it must be whittled; if too 

 short or too thin, I must hunt another, the ras- 

 cals all the while piling into the hive. 



A r.'x3-inch piece should be nailed on V or 34 

 inch below the entrance, so water will not run 

 into the hive. Heing 3 inches thick it makes a 

 good alighting-board, and the front side is left 

 rough along in the middle so they can stick 



