1876.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



77 



J. F. rLBKSiiEV saKl tlie hcst moile of uililkial 

 swarminK «'as to let tlie swaiiu ijet strong in bees 

 and wait till thoy ccasi- slnrinir lioncy. Then lake 

 out till' nucfii boc ami coinli IVoni oni* liive, and IVoni 

 another liive take four or live eoinlis without bees. 

 Change the stands, and give a new ((iieen to the old 

 swarm. In otlier words, take eonilis from No. 1, 

 bees from No. 2, and put all in No. :!. 



John Z. TiVi.Dit belii'ved that slraiffht combs 

 could be built by all bees without handling. If the 

 bees commence to buikl crookeil, just ini-lini' the 

 hive. The bee will then always build a cond) 

 straight with the hive. 



John Ki:i>i'i;iii.in(1 thought the safest and surest 

 ■way was to liisl get a fertile queen. He did not be- 

 lieve in artilieial swarming. , 



Li:oN.\ni> Fl.K<KENSTKiN preferred a fertile queen 

 for a new lii\e. 



At this [loint a lengthy discussion and description 

 of the various ways in which bees were hived was en- 

 tered into by most of the members present. 



J. F. IIkhsiiev had reas<m to believe that bees 

 flew away on acconnl of the sun shining on the hives 

 and lieating them too highly. 



Leonakh Feikknsteix thought that artilieial 

 swarming wouhl prevent the absconding of bees. 



Several modes were given how to raise new queens. 

 The prineipal theory advanced was to place them in 

 a nursiTV. and another to let them raise tlieinsi'lvcs. 

 J. F. IIeushev said the best mode of introducing 

 queens was to |)laee them in a snnill wire cage, one 

 end of winch should be closed up with a piece of 

 comb. This small cage shoulil be placed in the hive, 

 when the queen will work itself out of the cage by 

 eating or boring through the comb. The (|ueen will 

 thus be introduced into the hive. Various other 

 modes were spoken ol', such as sprinkling the queen 

 with peppermint or assaficlida. 



J. F. IIeusiii;y also thought the best way of 

 producing box honey was to first place a small box 

 in the hive and coax the bees into it ; then place a 

 larger box over this one, and so on until you gel as 

 high as twenty pounds of honey in one box. In this 

 way he had got as high as 141) pounds of lioney from 

 a single hive, for which he generally received thirty- 

 five cents a jiound. 



The idea advanced by Mr. Hershey appeared to be 

 the general opinion of the rest of the members. 



Elias Hekshey thought the best size of frames 

 were 12x12 inches. 



Henrv HfBER was of the opinion that frames 

 should not be over seven or eight inches square. 



J. Z. Tavlok preferred a frame about tw'elve 

 inches high. In such hives the bees would not 

 freeze so readily. 



Peter 8. Reist said his frames were about ten by 

 eighteen or twenty incbes. 



J. F. Hershey said bees made more honey in a 

 small frame ihan they did in a large one. He thought 

 the proper size of a frame should be 13x12 inches. 



Leoxari> FlecivEN'steix preferred a frame IH by 

 11 inches. More honey is made in a shallow frame 

 than in a high one. 



Henry- Hiber said in an experience of forty years 

 he never had a bee to freeze as long as there was some 

 honey iu the hive. He preferred small frames. He 

 did not believe bees wanted much air. He put bees 

 in a surplus box and covered it with wire, thus giving 

 the bees plenty of air. In a short while the bees had 

 closed up every crevice, not giving much chance for 

 any air to get iu. 



At the conclusion of the above remarks, Mr. 

 Ruber said he would like to know the reason a per- 

 son could hear the queen making a peculiar noise 

 when the bees were going to swarm the second time, 

 and not the first time. 



Elias Hershey said he had read, that on second 

 swarming the old queen made the peculiar noise re- 

 ferred to when she was trying to get at the young 

 queen in the cell, in order to destroy it. When she 

 found she could not get at the youngqueen she would 

 start oil' and leave the hive, the bees following in a 

 swarm . 



J. K . Stoke wanted to know if the moths would 

 kill a strong and healthy swarm. 



Elias Hershey never heard of a healthy swarm 

 being killed by the moth. Bees are often killed by 

 moth, but it' is always the fault of the box. Never 

 allow a place in a box where a miller can go in that 

 a bee cannot follow. 



J. F. Hekshey thought the best mode to keep 

 away ants was to put wood ashes around the posts. 

 The next thing was to use good lumber in the making 

 of the boxes. 



" How to Prevent Robbing "' 

 was the next question (liscussed. 



J. F. Hershey believed the best method In pieveiil 

 robbery was to put soft hay in front of the entrance 

 of the hive which was being robbed. In this way the 

 bees that were in the hive were allowed air, and had 

 abetter chance to get at the robbers. In another 

 sense, if the entrance was not protected with hay, 

 the robbers would Hock about it anil make it too hot 

 for the bees that were in the inside. When it would 

 become too hot for them they would all rush out, 

 thus leaving the robbers the master of the hive. 

 Another way to prevent robbers, Mr. Hershey said, 

 was to change the position of the hives, when the 

 bees would get bothered and the fighting w ould slop. 



Hen'RV HfBER said the way he prevented robbery, 

 was to first find out the robbers. When this was 

 done, he would go to that hive, raise it, and knoik 

 the comb all to pieces with a stick. This, the speaker 

 said, would give the robbers plenty of work to do at 

 home, and by llic lime they have their hive fixed up 

 again, they will have forgotten all alKjut the robbery 

 at the cither hive. 



A. H. IhiiR was of the belief that when all other 

 remedies tailed, the robbers shouhl be taught and 

 deslroyed. 



Peter S. Reist, the chairman, asked what was 

 the best remedy to prevent swelling when slung by 

 a bee. 



F.i.iAS Hershey recommended hartshorn. 



Henry Huber said the best way was to gel slung 

 as often as you could. After that the eyslem will 

 get used to it, and the sting will not cause swelling. 



A. H. !Shoek, Henry H. Myers and Daniel Liiitner 

 were appointed by the chair as a coinmillee to pre- 

 pare questions for discussion at the next meeting, 

 and to appoint an essayist. 



The second Monday in .\ugusl was named as the 

 time for the next meeting, the place of meeting being 

 Kaulfman's Hlack Horse Hotel. 



The hour of adjournment having arrived, the so- 

 ciety adjfnirncd. 



GENERAL MISCELLANY. 



the grass produces cxliaustion of the soil, until at 

 length it becomes so poor that the grusties die out in 

 a great degree; andthe daisies and mosses lake their 

 places, until fresh plant fooil Is given, and their 

 growth strengthened. There arc siuiie strong, deep 

 soils u|ioii whii'h time seems to make Utile Implcs- 

 sion, and no manure is rcquireil ; but they are only 

 tlie exceptions. — Seiet{f{flf Ameriean, 



Lawns — How to Make and Keep Them. 



One of the most beautiful features about a country 

 residence is a well cultivated and well kept lawn. It 

 is also the most difilcult spot about a place to keep 

 in order, unless one has the facilities for keeping it 

 irrigated: for the very time' of the year when it Is 

 most desired that it should look the freshest is, in 

 most parts of our northern and western regions, the 

 driest period of the season. We present herewith 

 some suggestions for the laying out, seeding, and care 

 of a lawn, the result of our own expcricnee and that 

 of others, which we believe will be interesting and 

 useful to a great numljcr of our readers. 



In preparing ground for lawns, where the expense 

 is not of so mueli consequence as the good results, a 

 good subsoiling is preferable, because in such soils 

 the roots go down deep, and in this way get moisture 

 whenthe weather is dry. Very good lawns can, how- 

 ever, be had by ordinary jilowing, as for any good 

 crop. It is best, however, to have the ground plowed 

 up and leveled a year before the grass is sown, or it 

 will sink in places, and llieii the surface becomes un- 

 even. Where t he lawn has been made iu this way, and 

 inequalities of the surface exist, earth may be brought 

 in the spring, and. spread smoothly over the lawn. 

 and rolled down firm. The grass will grow through 

 this, and make a solid, even lawn. 



As soon as the frost is gone, and before the ground 

 is hard, the lawn should be rolled. From various 

 causes there is generally left an inequality of surface 

 after the winter is over, and this the rolling is to 

 remedy. In spite of all the care to kcej) weeds out 

 of lawns, they will often iret in, especially on lawns 

 that ai;e newly made. The best tiling is to have the 

 lawn hand-weeded for the first few years. Early in 

 the season the lawn mower should be set going, but 

 expericuceisagainst setting the knives too low. Close 

 cutting we have found to be an injury to the grass. 

 It leaves the roots exposed, and the sun is apt tb dry 

 and kill the grass. 



A lawu requires an occasional top dressing of 

 manure ; but t here is no necessity of applying it every 

 year, and itslioulil not be used too green. Well rotted 

 stable manure, mixed with soil, makes an excellent 

 dressing and should be spread over the lawn at least 

 two or three inches in thickness, early in the spring. 

 Some prefer putting it on in the fall, and leaving it 

 to protect the roots through the winter. There is a 

 diversity of opinion as to the use of manure for this 

 purpose, from the fact of its liability to introduce 

 seeds of weeds, which the use of artificial fertilizers 

 obviates ; but we have never experienced any ill etl'ect 

 from the use of the former. 



The kind of seed to be sown, to make a lawn, de- 

 pends upon tlie climate, condition of the land, and 

 composition of the soil. In the Northern Slates tlie 

 English mixed lawu grass seed, with an excess of 

 white clover and red top, are considerably used ; and 

 in the Middle Slates the Kentucky blue grass does 

 well. Red top docs the lust in clayey, and the others 

 iu lighter soils, lirasses and clovers are gross feeders, 

 and demand gooil food, else they will not present a 

 good appearance. The white daisy will often show 

 itself in fields and lawns that arc loo poor to nourish 

 grasses ; and to get rid of this pest it is needful to 

 make the soil richer. The truly practical man, says 

 an agricultural writer, will dress his worn-out gnmnds 

 with either superphosphate of lime or IVruvian 

 guano, or some other good fertilizer. They will soon 

 show thai the grasses can drive out the daisies or 

 mosses, if they are only properly fed. 



A surface dressing of superphosphate of lime will 

 also cause an abundant growth of clover, and often 

 it will occur where the clover has not before been 

 teen ; and even nitrate of soda will give lo the new 

 growth a deep richness of color, and thicken the lurf 

 "rapidly. The constant cutting and carrying away of 



The Management of Lamps and Oil. 



The lady cit a Iioum- In whieli we arc sometimes a 

 guest, was 111 great Iroiible with her lamps, of which 



she had thri r four dill'ereiit styles for burning 



kerosene. One lamp after another, a short time ago, 

 began to burn |K>orly ; new wicks were put in all 

 around, but in a few hours they were us bail HslK*f(»re. 

 Being taki-n Into consiillatlon, we suggesteil thai she 

 had jxMir iiil ; but the oil was Pratt's, and iKiught In 

 the original packages, besides, there was Ihelfcrinan 

 sludenl's lamp. In which the same oil liiirncil splen- 

 didly. We became iiitcresteil In the case, and mtule 

 a careful (iiitfptunin, as the pbyslelans say. The oil 

 was of a good kind, Ibe wicks were new, the lani{>H, 

 of dilferent styles, each apparently iwrfecl, and as 

 gooilasever; while uU the lamps but one had l)eeu 

 gradually growing bad, and were now nearly useless; 

 this burned as well as ever, antl as well as any lamp 

 need to burn. .\ minute's thought given to llii' dif- 

 ference between I he si udeiit's lamp and the others, 

 gave us the clue lo the Iroiible. Asking for a glaH« 

 jar, an empty fruit jar was brought, and all the oil 

 from one of the delinquent lamps, with a previoug 

 shaking, was turned into II. The ap|H'araiiee of the 

 oil in the jar was such as to call forth an exclama- 

 tion of surprise, as well it might, for It lo(>ke<l like 

 muddy water. Here was the cause of all the trouble, 

 an aeeuniiilation of ilust and other impurities. The 

 lamps had been filled nionlli after month without 

 emptying; the wicks look up the clear oil, leaving 

 the parliclis of dust behind; the lamps being dally 

 filled, this dirt gradually aceurtiiilaled, uiilil at last 

 it was preseiil in such quantities as lo clog up the 

 wicks and so destroy their porosity that they could 

 not take up enough oil lo give u pro|>er llghl . Clean 

 oil and new wicks being supplied, the lamps gave as 

 good a light as ever. "But how dlil the students' 

 lamp help you to guess what was the mattcrr' we 

 were asked. Because we saw that the wick was not 

 in the main body of the oil, but was fed by a lube 

 which we notici'd started from the oil reservoir at 

 some distance above the bollom, so that the impuri- 

 ties could setllc and not reach the wick. On empty- 

 ing of the outer reservoir of this lamp the oil was 

 found to be as bad as in the others, but the particles 

 of dust did not get to the wick. The qnantlly of dirt 

 in the oil induced us lo go a step farther, and inquire 

 where the main supply of oil was kept; we found 

 that the can was in an open shed, and not far 

 from where Ihe coal ashes were sifted; the lunnel 

 used to fill the feeding can was kept close by. Here 

 we had the whole story, the funnel, daily wet with 

 oil, was w here it could catch whatever ilust might be 

 float ing in the air, with an extra supjily when the 

 coal was sifted. When the feeder was filled the dust 

 from the funnel was washed into It, ami from llienee 

 it went into the lamps, where it acciimulateil with 

 the result we have staled. Of course this, the main 

 sourceof the trouble, was easily remedied by jiroviiling 

 a proper 111 ace for the oil-can and funnel. The lady 

 was delighted at finding so ready a way out of her 

 troubles, and we relate the case In order that others 

 may profit by the experience. As most of the lamps 

 now In use are of some kind of metal, their contents 

 cannot lie seen, and It will la- well to ascertain occa- 

 sionally the condition of the oil within tlieiii. With 

 the utmost care some foreign particles will Hiid their 

 way into the oil, and after a long lime that In the 

 lainp will be quite impure. If Ihe oil einpliol from 

 the lamp is allowed lo stand a few hours all the dirt 

 will settle to the bottom, and the clean portion may 

 lie carefully |Kmrcd oil for use. Sec that the oil ves- 

 sels and funnel , if one is used, are kept away from the 

 dust. — Aiiierxciin AyrifullHrinl. 



Cloverseed. 



There is at least one product of I he farm with which 

 the market is not overstocked, and that is cloverseed. 

 At this writing, giKMl seed commands, in bulk, from 

 nine to ten dollars |ier bushel. Happy Is the man wfio 

 has it lo sell. One writes us I hat he has just dlsixiscd 

 of his irop from eleven acres for tile handsome sum of 

 four hundred dollars. We veiilure lo say that man 

 is pretty well eonvlnecil that " farming pays." But 

 unfoiiiiiialely, very few have seed to sell, and many 

 still more unforlunatc have it to buy, and dire are the 

 complaints of this class. It Is said that cloversceil Is 

 In the hands of a few dealers, who arc making a "cor- 

 ner," runniiigupthepricetocxtorlionate flgures, etc., 

 etc. This is all nonsense. There is not enougli of it 

 in the inarkcl lo make a res|«ect able corner. Dealers 

 have to keep a sharp lookout to obtain enough lo sup- 

 ply customers, and at this writing the market Is almost 

 bare, at Ibis |ioinl. 



We have never adviseil farmers to raise cloverseed 

 for market, but wc have (rcquently urged them to 

 raise enough lor their own use. Onlinarily, every one 

 can do this. Wc know that last season was an ex- 



