96 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[ June, 1879. 



other trees near your apiary, a few pieces of stick 

 or lumber one and a a-half inches wide, and one 

 or one and a-quarter inches thick; a few pieces of 

 board four feet long and half an inch thick, and 

 ten inches or so wide, and perhaps a few pieces, 

 triangular in shape, to put under your hive. Then 

 add a bee-veil of common black lace, a rope 20 

 feetlong and a neat, clean half-bushel round basket. 

 If your apiary is large you may want two hiving- 

 cloths, and a second set of boards and sticks. Tlie 

 use of the hive needs no explanation ; but the 

 boards and long sticks are to build a platform in 

 the top of any tree, or to lay on the ground to 

 hive there. If your swarm lights on the top of a 

 tree, as mine often do, twenty-five feet from the 

 ground, it is in vain to shake them oft' in your half- 

 bushel basket and bring tliem down and hive on 

 the ground ; or at least it will take half an hour 

 longer lo do it than on the ground. Hence I pre- 

 fer to run the ends of the long sticks among the 

 branches, rest the ends on the "ladder, lay on the 

 sticks the boards, hiving-cloth and hive, and pro- 

 ceed to hive them in the top of the tall tree. Thus 

 I can hive them in twenty minutes, instead of the 

 hour's time of reluctant change to the ground that 

 I often encounter. One soon learns that eight to 

 ten minutes is all the time it takes a swarm to 

 come out and light. That in five minutes more he 

 can build his platform, even in the tall tree; shake 

 the bees off, without cutting a limb, and in fifteen 

 minutes more have the bees so far in that he can 

 take the hive with the new swarm in it down the 

 ladder and put it on its permanent stand. Away 

 with your letting the hive be until sundown and 

 dark. The man who cannot liave the swarm come 

 out and be hived and put in its permanent place 

 in from thirty to forty minutes, has not learned 

 how to hive bees. So neatness, quiet dispatch, and 

 a clear plan are necessary to hiving a swarm well. 

 And provide your tools to do it wilih belbrehand. I 

 have named all I generally use. — J. A'. Parker, M.D., 

 Tompkins county, N. Y. 



[Like causes produce like effects in all ages of the 

 world, therefore the foregoing from the Germantovm 

 Telegraph is not the less valuable because it hap- 

 pened to be published four years ago. People are 

 apt to mislay or forget.— Ed. Faumek.] 



Honey in the Boston Market. 



The A}ncrica}i Bee Journal says ; The settled aver- 

 sion of Bostouians to all kinds of dark honey has 

 long been known to those producers and dealers who 

 have marketed honey there. While they willingly 

 pay the higliest prices for a fancy white article, they 

 cannot be induced to buy, taste or handle the dark 

 grades. VVc know a producer who took SJiuOpomii!,* 

 of honey to that market this vi-:ii. .i,!i')i) ni- liji 

 and3,000dark. He sold out tiip li. ,i .■> y.r- ;,■ 

 advantage; the dark dragged. 11^ i , I ':; 

 to a commifsion house and went hoin . .Mn ,-■ ,- 

 ral mouths he learned that no progress was being 

 made with its sale, and the lot was transferred to 

 another commission house in Boston, and they had 

 no luck in disposing of it, when it was sent to New 

 York, and at forced sale brought from 8 to 10 cents 

 per pound. We advise our readers to never send dark 

 honey to Boston. Mr. David (ieer, a regular "down 

 easter," and the pioneer honey i)eddler of the United 

 States, is located there. He is about 70 years of age, 

 and is reputed to be worth over ?10U,000. He has 

 made his entire fortune by peddling honey all through 

 the New England States, not unfrequently having 8 

 to 10 wagons on the road. 



indication invariably that you will observe — when a 

 fowl is beginning to get broody — is, that she remains 

 upon her laying nest after her companions have, as 

 usual, gone to roost at night. 



Poultry. 



To Break Up Sitting Hens, 

 At this time of the year, when for a month to come 

 a majority of the liock have laid out their spring lit- 

 ters and have become naturally "broody," is a task 

 to the poultry raiser who keeps large numbers of 

 fowls. 



There is frequently much unnscessary trouble 

 caused at this period, and under these circumstances, 

 yet through the inattention of the fowl keeper him- 

 self, who neglects to watcb for this natural inclina- 

 tion of his hens and pullets, after they have so laid 

 out their early litters of eggs. And there are also 

 many cruel methods resorted to by inexperienced 

 persons, to put a stop to this, in attempts to compel 

 hens to go to laying again. 



The broody or "hatching fever" is a natural thing. 

 All hens and pullets (that" are not what are termed 

 "non-sitters") incline to go to nest at sr/me time in 

 the year, with a desire to rear young ones. As a gen- 

 eral method, we have no doubt it is quite as well if 

 all hens thus inclined are permitted to sit once in the 

 season. They are better olf for this indulgence in 

 the end. 



But if for any reason we prefer to break them up, 

 let it be done huniuuely and effectively. And this 

 may be accomplished without abuse, or by plunging 

 them in a cold-water bath, tying them to stakes, 

 half smothering them in a darkened barrel— and that 

 kind of nonsense — which is rarely of any avail. 



Watch your laying fowls every day now. The first 



Non-Hatching. 

 Dear Sir : I desire to write a few lines upon non- 

 hatching eggs, as I have had considerable sad ex- 

 perience in that line. About for years ago I had a 

 tine flock of White Leghorn hens. Wishing to in- 

 crease the size I purchased a ten-pound Plymouth 

 Piock cock and put him with my flock. After wait- 

 ing proper time I set about 100 eggs, and not a 

 chicken made its appearance. The eggs were all 

 infertile, as can be easily told after being set upon a 

 few days. Not wishing to give it up, I obtained a 

 Black .Spanish cock, and nearly every egg hatched. 

 I then came to the conclusion that the "Plymouth 

 Hock cock was too large. Not liking the looks of 

 mongrel stock, I built a hennery with six apartments. 

 The size of each was 4x8 feet with yard 4x12 feet. I 

 obtained a trio eaeh of six leading varieties, and put 

 them in, each kind by themselves. I got a fair 

 quantity of eggs, and set from each coop, but the 

 chicks did not come out. I did not raise half a 

 dozen. This was owing to close confinement. Now 

 I have abandoned all but Plymouth Rocks and 

 Brahraas, and give them opequarter of an acre, .and 

 have no more trouble about non-hatching of eggs. — 

 A. Jf. in American Poultry Yard. 



An Economical Feed-Trough. 



In view of the fact that " economy is wealth," we 

 append herewith a description of what we have used 

 for some time, and consider it a very economical 

 feed-trough. Its construction is very simple. For a 

 trough of medium size, take a soap box, and placing 

 it upon one of its sides, remove the top, with the 

 exception of four inches from the side on which the 

 box stands ; then saw the efids diagonally from this 

 point to the upper point of the box. Now stretch 

 some wire at 2V2@2 inches apart fiom each other — 

 from the front to the back of the box — and while 

 fowls will be fully able to get their food through these 

 wires, they will be unable on account of the slope, 

 to perch upon them. If soft food is to be placed in 

 the trough, a slip can be easily arranged at the end, 

 which will admit a pan of moderate size, but for 

 grain this will not be needed. 



A Cheap Poultry-House, 

 Dear Sir : I thought that perhaps it might not do 

 any harm to give you my experience in building a 

 cheap poultry-house. We are mueh pleased with it, 

 filtlin.i'jli it cost only about six dollars, besides the 

 ':'!■ 1 in.l " iiiilows (any old sash will do). I pro- 

 iiii'l I'lii imsts, ten feet long, set them eight feet 

 ,i,oi: >.n. \.ay and twelve the other, leaving seven 

 lia .il.uvG ground. The sides and ends I covered 

 with inch boards (pine), lapping them over about 

 one inch, in order to keep out the rain and snow. 

 The roof is made of long prairie-grass, and projects 

 over about two feet all around. If you think that 

 any part of this may be of use to any of your readers, 

 you are at liberty to publish it.-^G. B. N., in Ameri- 

 can Poultry Yard. 



Vermin. 

 Dear Sir : This is the way I took to rid my 

 poultry and poultry-house of lice. It is the 

 best way to destroy them that I ever practiced, 

 and it is very effectual. In the summer my fowl- 

 house has sometimes been alive with the pest. I 

 went to work and white-washed every crack and 

 corner in and about my house, and then made a box 

 four feet square and one foot deep; I filled it with 

 coal-ashes, bought five pounds of sulphur and mixed 

 it with the ashes and let the fowls dust in it, and in 

 a month after I had no more lice in and about my 

 place, and have not found any to this day. My fowls 

 are always clean and lively. — W.JI. in Poultry Yard. 



Literary and Personal. 



Department of Agriculture, Special .'teport No. 

 l.S. Upon the condition of crops and live stocks, 

 April, 1879 ; 26 pp., 8 vo. Washiugton, D. C. 



Official Bulletin of the International Exhibi- 

 tion, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, 1879. " Inter- 

 national Exhibition Company." 36 pp., 8 vo., with 

 a superb illustration. 



PosPECTUS of the American Workers' Alliance, 

 for the advancement of educational, industrial, co- 

 operative and social reform. 3 p., 8 vo. Washing- 

 ton, D. C, 1879. 



Dewey's Crystal Froit Jabs.— Made expressly 

 for nurserymen and tree dealers' use in keeping and 

 exhibiting fruit. Rochester, New York. D. M.Dewev, 

 1879. 1 p., 4to. 



The Plant Patent.— 1 p., 4to. Jacob Moore. 

 The question discussed is, " Whether men who origi- 

 nate new fruits and plants ought not to be protected 

 the same as other patentees are?" 



Catalogue of Natural History Store. Estab- 

 lished in 1850. No. 168 Tremont street, Boston. 

 Deals in birds, ndinerals, fossils, shells and objects 

 of Natural History from all parts of the world. Also, 

 artificial eyes and all articles required by taxider- 

 mists. 33 pp., 8 vo. W. J. Knowlton, proprietor. 

 1879. 



The Daily Chronicle, Leadville, Col., April 30, 

 1S79. It is simply astonishing; a little more than a 

 year ago there was no such place as Leadville, 

 to-day there is a city of 12,000 inhabitants, and at 

 least one daily paper, containing more advertise- 

 ments than all the dailies in Lancaster put together. 

 Larger than the Evening Daily of York, and published 

 at five cents a number. 



The Farmers' Monthly and AGRicin.TnRAL 

 Review.— Devoted to agriculture, horticulture, the 

 farm and the garden. Vol. I., No. 2. Toronto, 

 Canada, May 15th, 1879. Office, No. 96 King street, 

 East. Fifty cents a year, in advance. An eight-page 

 demi-quarto. Good and cheap, and largely devoted 

 to the advertisement of good and desirable farming 

 lands within the territory of the Dominion. We 

 cordially greet it, wishing it that success which we 

 think it richly deserves. 



The Kansas Monthly— An illustrated journal, 

 published in the interest of those who are seeking 

 homes in Kausas, is on oar table. It is not published 

 in the interest of la».d nharks, but gives a truthful 

 exhibit of the situation in Kansas. Every immigrant 

 should have it. Sent free of postage for fifteen cents 

 a number, orS1.50 per year. A copy of the Kansas 

 Hand-Book, by the same publisher, is sent free to 

 ?very yearly subscriber. Address J. S. Boughton, 

 Publisher, Lawrenca, Kansas. 



The Meteorologist. — Published monthly in the 

 interest of the science of meteorology, in Greensburg, 

 Pa., at 50 cents per annum. Edited by I. M.L. 

 Stump, No. 4, Vol.1, (June, ls79,) of which has 

 reached our table. We can hardly decide whether 

 it is a large 12mo. or a small 8vo. of twelve pages. 

 No matter about that, however, but it does seem to 

 strike us that there is, or ought to be, a vacuum for 

 just this kind of a publication and this kind of a 

 price. Practical or experimental meteorology is the 

 most universal— and sometimes the only — theme of 

 conversation in this lower world ; and any medium 

 through which the masses may be instructed to talk 

 and,act intelligently, scientifically and rationally on 

 this subject ought to be welcomed as a mental and 

 moral benefactor. We mean no flattery when we 

 say that this little unpretending publication will be 

 interesting and beneficial to those who are, as well 

 as those who only assume to be " weatherwise." 

 The very recent great " Kansas Cyclone " ought to 

 find a detailed exemplification in these columns, 

 and no doubt in due time it will, even if the real why 

 and wherefore, -together with the means to avoid 

 such catastrophes, never can be demonstrated. 

 The present number is well filled with papers on 

 such subjects as evaporation, freezing, cometary 

 phenomena, humidity, simoons, meteors, sand- 

 waves, water-spouts, ventilation and other allied 

 phenomenal subjects. 



Moore's Rural Life. — Before we say anything 

 more on the subject of this literary candidate for 

 public favor, we would most respectfully admonish 

 the Scientific American and the American Agricultur- 

 ist to " look to their laurels." It is true that the 

 first named occupies a ground so purely, so distinct- 

 ly, and so peculiarly its own, that it need not fear 

 rivalry, in the present or prospective, yet it might be 

 different with the last named, occupying a similar 

 ground. Moore's Rural Life, a demi-folio of twenty- 

 four pages, with illustrated tinted covers; No. 1, 

 Vol. I., for June, 1S79, which is now before us, is 

 "an illustrated journal for suburban, village and 

 country homes," and is gotten up in the highest style 

 of mechanical execution, artistic elaboration and 

 literary ability, and may well dispute the field with 

 any other similar journal in the country. In size of 

 page it is a trifle larger than the Ncientiftc American, 

 with a finer quality of paper, as finely illustrated, 

 and a newer and distincter typography. The con- 

 tents of the number before us relate to the subjects 

 of rural and suburban homes ; landscape gardening ; 

 floriculture ; fruit culture ; arboriculture ; ento- 

 mology ; the vegetable garden ; poultry and pet 

 stock ; sketches of life ; literary miscellany ; natural 

 science ; fancy work and fashion ; domestic and 

 hygienic affairs ; outdoor amusements ; life in the 

 country; young fo'.ks; editorial gossip and book 

 notices ; but from the absence of any specific men- 

 tion of agriculture it might be inferred that it does 

 not intend to canvass that field as a specialty, ex- 

 cept as the foregoing subjects may relate to it inci- 

 dentally. This journal starts out iu life at a point 

 which the other two journals have attained after 

 long years of enterprise, energy and experience, and 

 if it continues as it has begun, if it does not take a 

 leading position, it may in time divide the honors 

 equally with them. Published monthly by The 

 Rui:al Life Company, No. .34 Park Row, New 

 York ; and dealers supplied by the American News 

 Company, Nos. .39 and 41 Chambers street, N. Y., 

 and the International News Company, No. 11 Bouverie 

 street (Fleet street), London, England, at $1..50 per 

 annum to subscribers. 



