262 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Apr. 



for this purpose, they must accord to my- 

 self or any of our readers the rigjlit of com- 

 menting on these improved implements, and 

 pointing out the difficulties, or such difficul- 

 ties as suggest themselves to us. This, it 

 seems to me, is no more than fair, in view of 

 the fact tfiat a great crowd of beginners in 

 bee culture are looking oa and are often- 

 times ready to adopt every thing prominent- 

 ly noticed. It is always best to be a little 

 careful in adopting new things ; and there- 

 fore new inventions, as a rule, have to go 

 through this ordeal of public criticism. If 

 they possess sufficient merit to bring them 

 into i)ublic favor in spite of such criticism as 

 they mav receive, well and good. If the sale 

 of them'is hindered bywhat maybe brought 

 out, the proprietors will have to bear it. I 

 make this little preface right here, because 

 owners of new things have so many times 

 felt hurt at what I thought best to say by 

 way of comment. 



The automatic extractor shown above is 

 the most ingenious thing of the kind that 

 has ever come under my notice, although I 

 have not seen a tinished machine ; and al- 

 though the engraving is quite defective in 

 many points, so far as showing just how the 

 machine is to be made, still it enables us to 

 understand it fully. The great objection to 

 this machine — in fact, all machines I have 

 ever seen, for reversing the combs inside of 

 the extractor, is the great size and weight of 

 them, compared with the machines already 

 in use ; this great size and weight involves a 

 corresponding expense. In the above ma- 

 chine each comb must have room to hang 

 between the center-shaft and the outside of 

 the can. To do this, and have it lake all 

 sizes of combs in common use, the extractor 

 will need to be something like 2} feet across 

 the top. To revolve so large a reel, capable 

 of holding four combs, correspondingly heavy 

 gearing must be used ; and the power re- 

 quired to get so heavy a frame in motion, 

 and stop it quickly, will be considerable. I 

 should like to hear from some one who has 

 purchased one of these machines, and tried 

 it in actual use. All arrangements of the 

 kind, so far as I know, have been, after a 

 little time, discarded ; and if this is a suc- 

 cess, I am inclined to think its use will be 

 mostly confined to specialists, or those who 

 have quite large apiaries. 



HOW TO CURE A KICKING COW. 



SOME EXCELLENT SUGGESTIONS BESIDES, IN BEGARD 

 TO THIS MATTER OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. 



Iti^ROM the number of communications 

 M that have come in, in regard to this 

 matter, we judge more people know 

 /iow to use cows than practice what they do 

 know. From among the number we select 

 two— one from a veteran (or we should 

 judge so), and also one from one of the ju- 

 veniles. This will be all the space we can 

 give to the subject. 



lu Gleanings, page 20;5, you ask, " How shall wo 

 cure a kicking cowy" For the cure to be permanent, 

 you should educate the cow so that she would have 

 no fear. There are different methods to obtain 

 that result. One method would be, teach the cow to 



eat from your hand. Use a card on them, and once 

 in a while give them something they love, from the 

 hand, while carding them; scratch their head with 

 your lingers, and afterward their neck and shoul- 

 ders; teach them not to shrink from your touch, by 

 passing your hand carefully over all parts of their 

 bjdy and legs. Teach them not to bo afraid of a bag 

 or a blanket, by hanging a rope or cord first across 

 their back, then something larger, till you can pick 

 up a blanket lying near them and throw it over them 

 as you do a horse. Then take two pieces of cord 

 about three feet long; hold the ends even, and make 

 a knot on them about 2'/^ inches from the center, 

 then make a knot on the longest ends, about five 

 inches from the other knot, and then draw them 

 tight; then take one end of the two cords, and pass 

 each end once around one of the cow's hind legs 

 above the ankle, and tie a good slip knot; then tie 

 the other leg the same; now, very slowly and care- 

 fully, handle the cow's bag and legs till she is no 

 longer afraid. Always remember, that a naturally 

 vicious cow is aggressive, and uses nothing but her 

 head in making an attack, unless she is frightened 

 or hurt. All bad tricks, as a general thing, are 

 caused by mismanagement, either at the time of 

 their contracting them or afterward. Never strike 

 an animal, nor hurt it in any way, while angry, if 

 you can avoid it, and never in revenge for what they 

 may do. It is to no one's credit to do so. It will not 

 help the matter, neither is there any " monci/ " in it. 

 Be slow and very gentle in all your movements 

 while it is required. Jn milking, you can not use 

 too much care not to cause pain to the cow in any 

 way. If there are any cracks on the teats, or the 

 skin is more than usually tender, use extra care, 

 and I should hope a cow so treated could in a short 

 time be milked safely, as far as kicking is concerned. 



I believe it is important In the management of an- 

 imals of all kinds, to feel (jood natured yourself, if you 

 want to be successful, and believe it is more or less 

 disastrous to lose full control of the temper. One 

 should always strive to give an animal some knowl- 

 edge of what you punish it for. For example, a 

 touch of the whip when you wish your horse to go 

 faster will teach him to obey. So will it quiet a rest- 

 ive one, if he understands for what reason you strike 

 him. But if he does not understand it, it will surely 

 make him worse. I suppose a simple cord, instead 

 of the hobbles wound around the leg would answer 

 the same purpose after the first week or two. 



Arnold Wyman. 



Montezuma, N. Y., March 17, 1884. 



As Frank M. wants to know how to break a kick- 

 ing cow, I will tell you how my pa did. He tied a 

 rope around her body behind her front legs, 

 and put a stick in it, and twisted it up so tight that 

 the cow did not think of kicking. He did so for a 

 week, and she has not kicked since. 



Atwater, Ohio, April 7, 1884. Charley Grate. 



You see, friends, the great secret of man- 

 aging animals, as well as managing any 

 thing in this world, is to first manage your- 

 self. Friend Wyman hits it exactly when 

 he says that the "great secret is to feelgood 

 natured yoursell, for you know good nature 

 is contagious. 



He that bath no rule over his own spirit is like a 

 city that is broken down and without walls.— Prov- 

 erbs 35: 38. 



He thatovercometh, and keepeth my works unto 

 the end, to him will 1 give power over the nations,— 

 Kev. 3:26. 



