•172 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[November, 



subject it would not be binding:. A eood farmer is a 

 close observer at bis (arm, and he brings here the re- 

 sults of his experiments anil experience. Above all 

 things, let us carry out the object of our society, and 

 that is a free intcrchanire of views and experiences, 

 thus not only benelitinff one, but all. 



.John B. Erb moved that some suitable design be 

 purchased and hung out, to inform the public of our 

 place of meeting. So ordered. 



The Secretary was ordered to pay to the Board of 

 Trade $3..50 for rent of room. 



After testing the fruit and dividing the seed corn, 

 society adjourned. 



^ 



Information Wanted. 



Some days ago we received, by mail, a tin box — or 

 rather the lids of two boxes, diftering slightly in size, 

 the largest being nearly four inches in diameter. The 

 whole surface of the smaller lid was impressed, in 

 " bold relief," with the following: " Thoinns J. Bip- 

 f/tr, Packer, ChoUr Leaf Lard, Kaiixax City, Mo.,^' 

 in short, it has the appearance of an ordinary large 

 sized blacking box. The jiaper enveloping this box 

 was perfectly saturated with a *tieky,'saccharine sub- 

 stance, something like syrup or molasses, that bad a 

 slightly pungent, fonnie odor, so that somewhere in 

 its transit it was reenvelopcd and redirected, probably 

 by some post-oftice oUieial. In removing these en- 

 velopes, they were torn into small pieces, so that if 

 they contained any written explanation it wast()tally 

 destroyed. On sejiarating these lids, which were sol- 

 dered at two places, the internal cavity contained 

 nothing but a mass, apparently of debris, about the 

 size of a " horse-bean," which, on being placed in 

 water, and dissolving the adhesive substance, revealed 

 a number of reddish brown ants, with small black 

 eyes, and large baggy abdomens: at first collapsed, 

 but afterwards becoming inflated, when placed in 

 alcohol, increasing the volume of the mass at least 

 tenfold. These ants are entirely new to us, and we 

 are anxious to know from whence they came, and 

 something definite about their history. If their alxlo- 

 mens contained all the matter that flowed out of the 

 box, they must be capable of extraordinary distention. 

 Of course, the ants were all dead when we received 

 them. If the person who was so kind as to send them 

 will write us something about them, and give us 

 their locality, &c., he will confer a special favbr. Or, 

 if he would be kind enough to send us others, in- 

 closed in a box out of which the saccharine matter 

 could not leak, he would still I'urther subserve the 

 ends of science. 



THE GARDEN AND ORCHARD. 



Packing Apples for Winter. 



Under the term packing we include the whole ope- 

 ration of storing and keeping after picking, until 

 finally disposed of. We recommend as the best arti- 

 cle to pack in, a well-made, clean, new barrel, hold- 

 ing two and one-half bushels, and perfectly seasoned 

 and dry when the fruit is put in it. Take out the 

 head, fill it a little more than level-full, and then 

 cover with short boards, so as to exclude sunshine 

 and rain, and, with two or three sticks of stove-wood 

 or some means of keeping the bottom of the barrel 

 off the ground, leave it for a week or two to sweat 

 and dry out ; when the head must be pressed down 

 to its place and the hoops driven on tight and nailed 

 at both ends. If the barrel is not level-full when 

 headed up, it must be made so, as this is most essen- 

 tial to prevent after handling of the barrel bruising 

 the apples. Failure in this one thing of pressing the 

 contents of the barrel, so that there shall be no loose 

 apples, and no working in any manner of the whole 

 or any part of them, w-ill involve serious danger of 

 loss of all the labor previously bestowed ; and yet we 

 find that right here is the great neglect. Right pick- 

 ing and right packages are all useless if afterward 

 the fruit is bruised in consequence of loose packing. 



We greatly prefer to put the fruit immediately into 

 the barrel in the orchard and head up the bairel be- 

 fore it is moved, to the method so often recommended, 

 of picking and carrying to some out-house or chamber 

 to cure before packing'; as it saves much labor, in- 

 volves less risk of bruising, and requires less time. 

 When the barrels are headed up they may be laid on 

 the side on sticks and left in the" orchard, if tlie 

 weather is fair, or removed to some out-house, barn, 

 or any place where they will be dry and cool. It is 

 a good way to lay down some pole.s and rails near the 

 cellar where they are to be kept during the winter, 

 and lay the barrels on them and cover them tempora- 

 rily with boards. The point to be aimed at is to keep 

 them as cool and dry as possible and out of the cellar 

 till winter or very freezing weather : as it is a well- 

 established fact that an apple will bear more cold 

 and freezing without aflecting its quality than any 

 other fruit or vegetable, esiiecially if kept in the dark 

 and all air excluded. 



Another reason lor choosing tight packages is that 

 light and air, in conjunction with warmth, rapidly 

 change the structure or internal condition of the fruit 

 and induce decay. The same agencies which ope- 

 rated in maturing and perfecting it will, after it is 

 matured, ripen and afterward destroy. It is essen- 



tial to success in keeping fruit in any manner, or by 

 any method to keep this act in view and to be gov- 

 erned by it. The writer has known apples packed 

 as above directed and put in adai-k cellar to be frozen 

 solid clear through, and remain so for weeks ; and on 

 being opened in May show no signs of injury in looks 

 or taste. 



There is no question but that it will always pay to 

 pack apples as herein directed, even if they are to be 

 sold immediately; and there were never so many ap- 

 ples on the market but there would be remunerative 

 prices paid for such by any parties knowing how they 

 were picked and packed, 



A very simple and effective implement for pressing 

 down the bead of the barrel, as required in this pro- 

 cess, can be made by taking two rods of one-fourth 

 inch iron, a little longer than the barrel, and make a 

 hook at one end by simply bending over about one- 

 half inch and hooking the other ends into a ring about 

 three inches in diameter, made of three-eighths inch 

 iron, and a lever made of some stout timber about 

 three feet long and two or three inches thick. Place 

 one end in the ring, previously hooking the other ends 

 of the rods on the lower chimes of the barrel, and, 

 having a block about eight inches in diameter to lay 

 on the head of the barrel, put the lever on this block 

 and press the head to its place and hold it while the 

 hoops are driven. 



In commencing to fill the barrel with the apples, 

 some advise placing the layer all with the stem end 

 down, which gives a fine appearance when opened, 

 and helps to sell it. Of course, there is no harm in 

 doing so, provided you do not select larger and better 

 specimens for that layer, as looks are to be regarded 

 as desirable just as long as they do not deceive. 



We advise in all cases of putting apples in a cellar 

 to keep for spring and summer use to have one espe- 

 cially devoted to that use; or to partition off a room 

 in it which can be kept cold, even below the freezing 

 point, and at the same time be dry. We rej)eat that 

 there is more danger from warmth than cold, from 

 light than darkness, from handling than from lying 

 still. Lastly, mark each barrel distinctly with the 

 variety and grade on the end, which should be opened, 

 — E. H, Benton, Wiacontdn- Hortiniltitral Society. 



What is Good Grape-Culture ? 



A friend joyfully told us a few days ago of his an- 

 ticipations in the grape way. He had bought a little 

 place in the vicinity, and had made up his mind to 

 have things right. His maxim was that what was 

 worth doing at all was worth doing well, and he meant 

 to do it. He had done it. He had dug out the dirt 

 three feet deep into the clay, and had filled it in with 

 light rich compost, through which the roots might 

 IHist. their way in ease and comfort, and live on the 

 fat of the land. He had spent considerable money in 

 doing the job well. He intended to get only the best 

 vines, and felt sure such an expenditure would result 

 in magnificent grapes and plenty of them. He had 

 done his work well. 



It is strange that such a course as this should ever 

 have been recommeuded by horticultural writers, but 

 it is a fact that they have. Grapes are now so easily 

 and cheaply grown — fruit often five cents a pound — 

 that we had well nigh forgotten that this was the 

 standard advice of the books years ago. But our 

 friend produced it in black and white from the pages 

 which he had chosen as an authority, and then we 

 knew how it was in the olden time. 



Now, our readers at least would know that instead 

 of such a proceeding as this being an evidence of 

 doing it well for the grape, it is simply an act of folly, 

 not only towards one's pocket but as an act of liber- 

 ality to the vine itself. The grape root needs to be 

 warm and dry, but this deep well in the clay encourag- 

 ing the collection of water from all around it has 

 Just the contrary eflfect. The roots are damp and cool 

 and not warm and dry. 



Indeed it is only of late years, when people have 

 given up all this expensive foolery, that grape-culture 

 has become a tolerable success. Under the old plan 

 we had failure after failure, that we came to believe 

 only those varieties which were little removed from 

 the wild fox or the frost grapes could be grown. But 

 now we have the finer kinds getting quit^e common. 

 As soon as we gave up this deep trenching nonsense 

 grape-culture — real grape -culture — took a fresh start, 

 and this real culture consists in little more than 

 planting a vine in good earth, as we would any ordi- 

 nary tree, and see that it does not suffer for want of 

 food. This is good grape-culture in a nutshell. — 

 Germantoii'n Telegraph. 



Length of Root Growth in Plants and Trees. 



Prof, W, J, Beal, of the Michigan Agricultural 

 College, furnishes The Country Oentleiuan. with the 

 following interesting facts, mostly the results of his 

 own examinations, in relation to the length of roots 

 in plants and trees: "The soil has much to do with 

 the length and number of roots. In light, poor soil, 

 I find roots of June grass four feet below the surface. 

 People are apt to underestimate the length, amount, 

 and importance of the roots of the finer grasses,' wheat, 

 oats, etc. Same roots of clover and Indian corn are 

 large enough to be seen by every one on slight exam- 



ination, A young wheat plant, when pulled up, shows 

 only a small part of its roots. They go down often 

 four to six feet. It needs very careful examination 

 to show tliat chjver and Indian corn have any more 

 weight of roots than June grass. They jirobaljly do 

 not contain more. The roots of a two-year old peach 

 tree in light soil were found seven feet four inches 

 long. In a dry, light soil, this season, we pulled up 

 one parsnip three feet long, and another three and a 

 half feet long, small roots even still longer. The 

 noted buffalo grass on the dry Western prairies is de- 

 scribed as having very sliort roots; but, Mr. Felker, 

 one of our college students, found that they went 

 down seven feet. The roots grow best where the best 

 food is to be found. They grow in greater or less 

 quantity in every direction. It' one finds good food, 

 it flourishes and sends out lumierous branches. Many 

 of the smaller roots of trees die every autimin when 

 the leaves die, and others grow in sjiring. Near a 

 cherry tree in my yard was a rustic basket, without a 

 bottom, filled with rich soil. On removing the basket 

 and earth, cherry roots were found in large numbers 

 near the top of the soil , They had grown full of small 

 branches where the soil was good. Roots in soil will 

 grow up just as well as down, and do this." 



Good Celery. 



There is no doubt that some varieties of celery are 

 more disposed to be soft and pithy than others. The 

 dwarf stocky kind known as the " Boston Market, "is 

 generally good. Still the season evidently has some- 

 thing to do with it, as well as peculiarities of culture; 

 and hence it is not always safe to blame the seeds- 

 man tor poor seeds or a poor kind, when the quality is 

 not up to expectation. From several quarters where 

 celery is a great crop in gardening, we hear that this 

 season it is very rare to find jioor celery. The rains 

 in the early fall come at a time to give the plants a 

 good start, w'hile the comparative dry time since, with 

 a rather cool temperature, seems to make up about 

 the best conditions for this vegetable. 



There are few things so enjoyable to most people 

 as celery, and good celery is worth a study to those 

 who enjoy it. These little hints, as aftbrded by nature, 

 cannot always be copied; but then they sometimes 

 can, and at any rate when we know the best condi- 

 tions, we can often adapt them to our service, — Ger- 

 maiitown Telegraph. 



BEES AND BEE CULTURE. 



Commencing Bee-Keeping. 



The greatest success in the business must <lcpcnd 

 much upcm the character of the \i\\e you use, and the 

 facilities it affords for the securing of surplus. If you 

 use the box hive of 2,000 cubic inches capacity, with 

 two or four boxes upon its top for surplus, of the ag- 

 gregate capacity of tft'cnty to twenty-ibur pounds, 

 then twenty-four pounds per colony is all you can rea- 

 sonably expect. If you use a hive of about the same 

 room for breeding and winter, and surplus box room 

 for a hundred pounds of honey, you may expect one 

 hundred pounds. If you use a hive with box room 

 for two hundred pounds of surplus, you may expect 

 a surplus of fropi one hundred to two humlred pounds, 

 if the surplus boxes are in intimate connection with 

 the breeding apartment, and communication between 

 them is free and unobstructed. The principal ad- 

 vantage of this plan is, w-e secure a full working force 

 the first season. 



Purchase eight good colonies of bees, and place 

 them in the apiary where you desire your new hives 

 permanently to stand. When the first swarm issues 

 place it in the new hive. Remove the old hive a few' feet 

 from its stand, setting it bottom upward. Place the 

 new hive upon the statu! where the old one has stood. 

 With smoke and rapping drive the bees all out of the 

 old hive. They will enter the new hive upon the old 

 stand with the new swarm. Cut out all the comb in 

 the old hive, pUacing that having brood larvas or eggs 

 near the entrance to the hive, Thcj' will gather over 

 the comb and hatch out all the brood, securing the 

 full force of all the workers in the new hive. 



Each of the eight colonies treated in this manner 

 will give the full working force of each colony in the 

 new hive, and give half or more of the honey they 

 gather in the surplus boxes, probably securing an 

 average of eighty or a hinidred pounds, or more, ren- 

 dering the first season as profitable as after seasons. 

 Fifty pounds to each colony would pay double the 

 cost of the colonies the first year. The surjilus boxes 

 must not be placed upon the hive until the queen has 

 c(nnmcnced breeding in the central apartment. This 

 gives full surplus, and will cover all the expense of 

 the new hives and cost of bees the first season, if the 

 field and season are good. — Jusjwr Hasen,iu Country 

 Oeittlcinan. 



^ 



Handling Bees, 



To many farmers bee culture is unpleasant because 

 they do not know how to handle their bees. How 

 many are there who have bees but never look at 

 them for fear of getting stung? And how many 

 among the farmers of America do not keep bees be- 

 cause they are afraid of them 1 We have often met 



