1872.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
449 
happy to announce that they will have the pleas- 
ure of presenting: to Every Subscri- 
ber for 1873 a most beautiful and artistic copy 
of a large, CJIARMIXG PAHTIIfCJ, 
which is every wag equal to the European copies 
eold for $3© GOLD, each. (Those happen- 
ing near the Office arc Invited to call and see the 
picture.) It will be a most beautiful Or- 
nament lor Every Home, The two 
Chromos supplied with the American Agriculturist 
and Hearth and Home will not only give great 
pleasure, but they will be more ornamental to 
every dwelling containing them than many Oil 
Paintings which have cost Hundreds of Dollars. 
Tet 64 pays for both Journals from now to 
January 1st, 1874, including both Chromos. All 
new subscribers to Hearth and Home for 1S73 
arriving early in December will receive the remain- 
ing numbers of that Journal for this year, includ- 
ing the first chapters of Edward Egglestan's New 
Story, without extra charge. 
The HEARTn and Home Chromo will be deliv- 
ered at the office free of charge, beginning some 
time this month, in the order in which subscrip- 
tions have been received for 1873. If to be sent by 
mail, unmounted, 20 cents will be required for pack- 
ing and postage. It will be carefully Mounted on 
etrong Binder's Board, and Varnished, ready for use 
with or without a frame, for 30 cents. "We repeat : 
Hearth and Home Chromo will be delivered 
At the office, Unmonnted 9 Free. 
" " " Iflonnted, 30 cents extra. 
If sent by mail, Unmounted, 20 cents extra. 
" Itlonnted, 50 cents extra. 
We advise all to have them mounted before leaving 
the office, as la large quantities wo arc able to have 
them mounted for a quarter of the cost of doing it 
singly, and better than usually done elsewhere. 
S£sP~ [ST 1 Wherever practicable, it is best to have 
the Chromos mounted at the office, and then have 
them go by EXPRESS. If several persons unite 
and have all their Chromos sent in an express 
parcel to one of their number, they will save the 
20 cents postage, as the cost by express will be but 
a few cents each, depending upon the number that 
go to one place; and pictures of this size ought 
to go by Express whenever convenient. 
Worthy of Everybody's 
Attention. 
The fine Premiums offered on page 469 are well 
worth looking into. Over 14.000 Persons 
in all parts of this country, in British America, in 
Australia, in the Sandwich Islands, in South Africa, 
and elsewhere, have each obtained one or more of 
these valuable articles, with little trouble, by simply 
collecting a list of subscribers. This has been done 
by many Children, by many men in all pursuits 
and professions, and by a large number of Ladies. 
8ee "A Good Paying Busiucss," on page 468. 
A GOOD HOLIDAY PKESEVT 
for y»ur wife, or your best friend, will be easily ob- 
tained by collecting at once a club of subscribers, 
and thus securing a desired article from the Pre- 
mium List on page 469. Hundreds have done this 
annually for many years past 
$Otf.O? to SlOlt.OO Trorlh oi' En- 
gravings for One Cent.— At least £10,003 
will be expended in procuring pleasing nnu instructive 
Engraving?, of fine quality, for the American Agriculturist 
during 1S73. Every subscriber will have a neatly- 
printed copy of each of those, in the pages of the paper, 
in addition to all the carefully prepared information 
given in the reading columns. This will give fOU.Gd^' 
worth of engravings for every cent of cost at $1.50 a 
year; or $S0 worth to those in clubs or four to nine at 
$1.25 each; or $S3.33H to those in clubs of ten to 
nineteen at $1.20 each; or $100 worth for each Cent, 
to those in clubs of twenty or more at $1 each. In 
addition, every subscriber will be presented with a 
perfect copy of Reinhart'e beautiful $400 painting, " Mis- 
chief Brewing," which will be a charming ornament in 
any home — a picture bo much like the original oil 
painting that none but experienced artists will be able 
to detect the difference. 
Bee Notes for December. — By M. Quinbg. 
We have a little more anxiety about wintering our bees 
than heretofore. If the lesson of last winter is not lost, 
instead of a calamity, we may yet be able to call it a 
blessing. We shall investigate closer than before, ami if 
we get a correct idea, we can expect t > ward oft" all fatal 
consequences. It was thought- that we were pretty well 
acquainted with all the phases of winter management. 
Cut wc find that a season like the last will affect, bees as 
they have r.ot been before in forty years. It was not the 
extreme cold so much as the length of time it was con- 
tinued. The strong wind blew through every crack. The 
fatal dysentery was attributed to various causes. Prob- 
ably there was not. one case produced in the absence of 
protracted cold. With the experience of the last season 
in view, wc can make preparation for winter with confi- 
dence that all will be right. Watch the weather a little 
clr»6er. Arrange so that the bees may be warmed »t any 
time, if occasion requires. Everything should be in 
readiness to put the bees into winter quarters the first 
severe weather. If put in the house, and if the number 
of stocks is less than fifty, even in a small room, they will 
hardly, in a winter like the last, keep each other warm, 
unless adjoining a room with a firo, or in a cellar, under 
a room with fire. They would hardly keep up the requi- 
site heat of themselves with less Than 100 stocks. A large 
number of box-hives in a room should be inverted— mov- 
able-comb hive should stand right side up — as it Jh pos- 
sible to get up too much heat as well as not enough. Lei 
the room be perfectly dark. 
The number disposed to keep bees in the open air, will 
be much less than heretofore. But last winter taught us 
that housed bees were not safe without artificial heat. 
Many, with a few bees, can not afford the expense of a 
special room or cellar for winter quarters, and would like 
to know how best to dispose of them, with the b*ast 
trouble compatible with safety outdoors. I examined 
some apiaries last spring, tluit had been i:i the open air, 
that were in comparatively good condition. The hives 
were brought together and a row placed near the ground, 
and straw packed between the hives, under the bottom 
and on the top. The sccondand third rows were packed 
on these, and a good thick packing on the back of them. 
The place was sheltered by surrounding hills. The front 
side of the hives was exposed to the sun, that occasion- 
ally warmed them a little. When they can be sheltered 
from the cold winds, such a situation is a good one. If 
the sun is warm enough to melt the snow, allow the b?cs to 
fly; otherwise keep just the entrance shaded, allowing 
the sun to shine on the other part of the hive. The 
weather must be very mild when third, and even second- 
rate stockscan stand safely out of doors. Bees not housed 
need frequent attention, to keep the ice from closing the 
entrance. The moisture from them that condenses on the 
side of the hive in frost, may pass off through holes in 
the top. slowly, without freezing, if the cap is filled with 
some absorbent material. With a proper degree of heat, 
the liquid portion of their food probably passes off in the 
form of vapor, leaving the more solid part as fa?ccs, which 
can be retained until occasion offers for flying out and 
voiding them. But when the colony is kept a long time 
in a cold state, the warmth of the bees is insufficient to 
drive off the liquid portion, which accumulates in the form 
of faeces so rapidly that the bees can not retain, and 
they leave the cluster in the hive, during severe weather, 
to void It, very often besmearing each other and the 
combs. When bees and combs are badly soiled, the bees 
become greatly reduced, and are seldom worth anything. 
This state of things mnet be prevented by keeping them 
warm occasionally, if not continually. It may*e neces- 
sary to bring them to a warm, dark room for a few hours. 
If the hives in the open nir have any passages large 
cuoughfor mice to enter, cover with wire-cloth, leaving 
room for only one bee to pass at once. Set traps for mice. 
About tweniy-five pounds of lioncy will he required to 
keep a strong colony uf bees until May 1st. If there are 
doubts about the weight of honey, the stock should be 
weighed, and subtract the weight of hive, bees, etc. It 
is too late to feed to best advantage, such as are short of 
the required weight now. Ten pounds will probably last 
a colony until the first of March. After that time— if 
healthy— they will require more. B.-es, when fed in cold 
weather, must be kept warm. Let them be so warm that 
a bee can leave the cluster and tc after the feed, without 
becoming chilled. For feeding, make a syrup or four 
pounds coffee-crushed sugar and one quart of water, and 
one teaspoonful of cream of tarter, or its equivalent in 
vinegar, to prevent graining; scald and skim. If dis- 
posed, the feeding may be done now. but the room in 
which they arc fed, should be kept warm. 
The Great Wheat Region. 
» 
One of I lie most mil able discoveries relating 
to the economic value of the "Great West" is 
that of tlie existence of an 'immense territory, 
including the head- waters of the Missouri, spe- 
cially adapted, by characteristics of soil and 
climate, to the growth of wheat. This territory 
stretches from Minnesota westward to the Pa- 
cific Ocean, with here and there an intruding, 
intervening strip of mountain range. North- 
ward it extends far into the territory of the 
Dominion of Canada. Part of this immense 
tract of country has been known for many years 
as a wheat country, and has been well settled, 
principally by Scotch and Canadian farmers. 
Their settlements, generally known as t lie Red 
River settlements, have been thrifty and suc- 
cessful, although heretofore far removed from 
what wc have been used to call civilization. The 
country south of these settlements, alike rich 
and fertile, enjoys a climate equally salubrious 
but more genial, and lies within our own boun- 
daries. It is now rapidly settling by farmers 
wlu» find their way thither by means of the 
Northern Pacific Railroad, by which all this 
vast tract is being made available to the settler. 
Wheat is ihe great staple of this portion of the 
country, although other crops usual in the West 
arc raised successfully. But wheat, is the crop 
most easily raised. The samples brought hiilier 
of last year's harvest are excellent. They show 
a splendid head, with grains of extraordinary 
size and weight. Crops of 40 bushels per acre, 
of grain weighing 66 pounds per bushel, arc said 
to bo of ordinary occurrence, and this is not 
doubtful, after seeing the quality of the grain. 
The climate and soil are also well adapted to 
roots, and. we know from personal experience 
that this is a perfect, grass country. Having 
wheat, roots, and grass, cattle and sheep, dairy 
products, meat, and wool inevitably follow. 
There needs but population to bring about Ihe 
fullest fruiifulness of result, and this is rendered 
possible and desirable by the rapid completion 
of the railroad, which will cause all this hitherto 
silent and neglected territory to soon hum with 
a diversified industry. 
•— —»— — 
Tim Bunker on Self-sucking Cows. 
" What yc gwine to du with that, 'ere keow," 
asked Selli Twiggs, as he poked, his head over 
the wall where Jake Frink was busy tying the 
cow's head to a bar-post. 
"I'm jist gwine to put the confounded critter 
into a bag to see if I can't keep her from stealill' 
her own milk. Never had sich a beast afore in 
all my life. I lio't her of Kier Funk, up in the 
White Oaks, nnd ought to have known better, 
for he alters cheats inc in boss trades. The 
slippery skunk told me that she was a cosset 
