166 



THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



June 



the health of Mr. Langstroth is not good, 

 the same cannot be said of those who own 

 nearly all of the interest in the patent. 

 Messrs. owners, have you a patent, or are 

 you prating like others ? 



Whatever the dilFerence in opinion may 

 be in regard to thfe value of the Langstroth 

 hive, its introduction has done more to ad- 

 vance the success of bee culture than all 

 other causes of late presented to the public. 

 We do not say there are no other as good 

 hives, for we think there is such ; but with 

 the Langstroth hive the subject has been so 

 fully investigated that an immense amount 

 of superstition has been swept away, and 

 we look at facts in their true light. No 

 farrr^er should do without bees ; they are 

 easily taken care of, and will make large re- 

 turns. They are like poultry, profitable to 

 a limited extent, just suited to the million, 

 but never intended for a monopoly. Ed. 



-»•»- 



Eoses. 



Those who have roses now in bloom 

 should cut oS all flowers as soon as they 

 begin to fade ; by so doing the number of 

 flowors will be increased, and of better size. 

 All plants should have the faded flowers cut 

 ofi", without they are required for seed. If 

 you want to increase your stock or roses, 

 now is the time to layer them. Commence 

 about the middle of a shoot, and with a 

 sharp knife cut a tongue about two inches 

 long; on the upper side, then fasten into the 

 earth with a hooked stick, cover about three 

 inches deep, and by November, your layers 

 will have fine large roots, when they may 

 either be taken up and put in the cellar, or 

 covered with earth or straw, where they 

 stand for the next season. Many people, 

 and ladies especially, do not like to cut back 

 their roses, thinking that it will spoil them, 

 and to this is to be charged the poor flowers 

 that many of them have, a severe cutting 

 back giving the plant strength to mature 

 all its flowers, which otherwise would only 

 half open and be of inferior size. 



* 



"Keep Dosin' on Her," 



My neighbor once had a fine cow taken sick. 

 He called the disease "horn distemper" — but 

 whether it was or not I do not know ; all dis- 

 eases which kine have in that section are called 

 by that name. What it really was don't matter. 

 My neighbor, proceeding to extremes at once, 

 bored the cow's horns, and cut ofi" a piece of her 

 tail. The operation on these parts, though un- 

 doubtedly having the trouble between them, fail- 

 ed to reach it, and the cow rapidly jrrew worse. 

 Doses of salts, and oil — doubled and trebled, 

 with such remedies in the way of strong teas and 

 decoctions as the combined ingenuity of the 

 neighborhood (which in such cases is little short 

 of diabolical) suggested, and were poured down 

 the throat of the unfortunate animal, but with 

 no good efi'ec*'. 



As the death of the cow grew more certain, 

 the character of the remedies was more despe- 

 rate* Croton oil was one of the last resorts, I 

 believe. It was given just before the case eume 

 to my knowledge, by overhearing the owner re- 

 count the trouble he'd been at and the remedies 

 he had given, to an old farmer who lived hard 

 by — the cow dying helpless in sight of both. 



After listening to the recital with the usual 

 expressions of condolence, tne old man sang out, 

 " Well, keep a dosin' on her!" and drove away 

 home. After the cow was dead and buried, her 

 owner had the candor to confess that he dida't 

 know whether it was disease or medicine that 

 killed her. 



If this was an isolated case, it would not de- 

 serve notice ; but it is not. I believe it to be 

 one of thousands. In sickness, the anxiety to 

 " do something " leads to administering a flood 

 of medicaments, often sufficient to kill the pa- 

 tient, aside from disease. The general rule, in 

 fact, is, so long as life lasts, to "keep a dosin' 

 on her !" — Homestead. 



Nothing strange in all this. The M. D.'s 

 treat us just in the same way when we are 

 sick, and thousands are yearly killed with 

 this variety of kindness. Our practice has 

 been the let alone one. If a cow is sick 

 give her a warm place, plenty of water, salt 

 and food, with occasional mashes of bran ; 

 so of our horses, warmth and protection 

 from cold winds are the best remedies that 

 we have tried as yet-^though for bruises we 

 use arnica in tincture. Give drugs to the 

 dogs, ecpecially if they are worthless curs, 

 and you will find it the most profitable dis- 

 position that you can make of ihem. Ed. 



"••»- 



A person who was sent to prison for marry- 

 ing two wives, excused himself by saying that 

 when he had one, she fought him, but when he 

 got two, they fought each other. 



