OTHER ANIMALS 651 



as 2 or 3 miles to obtain nectar, it is obvious that the bee keeper can 

 rarely influence the nectar supply appreciably. Before deciding 

 what kind of honey to produce the bee keeper should have a clear- 

 knowledge of the honey resources of his locality and of the demands 

 of the market in which he will sell his crop. 



Extracted Honey. This is honey which has been removed from 

 the combs where the bees stored it. While it is possible to adulterate 

 extracted honey by the addition of cheap syrups, this is rarely done. 

 If the main honey flow is slow or the honey dark it will probably be 

 best to extract the honey from the comb if it is to be sold. 



Comb Honey. A honey for the fancy trade. It must be made 

 rapidly and in districts where white clover abound or there is an 

 abundance of basswood trees (Filia americana). (Dep. Agr. F. B. 

 447.) 



Honey Vinegar. When a barrel of honey vinegar is to be made 

 for family use or by the small producer the following formula may 

 be useful : 



Strained honey 40 to 45 Ibs. 



Water 30 gallons. 



Ammonium chloride 4 oz. 



Potassium bicarbonate 2 oz. 



Sodium phosphate 2 oz. 



One-quarter cake of dry yeast softened in lukewarm water. 



The chemicals for making thirty gallons will cost about 25 

 cents in a small way, but on a large scale not more than 10 cents. 

 Somewhat larger amounts of potassium bicarbonate and sodium phos- 

 phate, would give better results, but the amounts are here cut to the 

 minimum to bring the cast low enough to make it profitable. 



In from three to four weeks all visible fermentation will have 

 ceased and the yeast settled out. Now rack off the wine, add ten gal- 

 lons of good vinegar, and let stand undisturbed in a place having as 

 nearly as possible an even temperature of from 7o to 80 degrees 

 Fahrenheit. The acetic fermentation may be started by floating 

 mother or the scum from an older cask on the surface of the mix- 

 ture by moans of thin cork shavings. Carried out in this way 

 and at a suitable temperature (temperatures over 85 degrees Fahren- 

 heit will retard the process and cause loss of both alcohol and acid) 

 a good honey vinegar can be produced in from four to six months. 

 (Arizona B.) 



THE AMERICAN TOAD. 



It is well known that insects of one kind or another destroy, 

 more or less, nearly all kinds of agricultural crops. While man has 

 learned how to combat many of these pests by administering vari- 

 ous poisons and rcpellanis, yet nature's remedy is still relied upon, 

 in a large degree, to maintain a somewhat even or stable balance. 

 That is, one class of animal or insect life to feed upon another. 

 As insect destroyers, birds, small predaceous animals and toads play 

 an important part. The common toad, nocturnal and quiet of 

 habit, renders valuable service to gardeners and farmers through- 



