290 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[August, 
not queenlees may often be benefited by removing the 
honey from the center coinbs, which will allow a much 
larger number of young bees to be reared. 
Question.? and Answers. 
Excess of Drones.— “ I have a great many drones in 
some of my hives—how can I get rid of them ? An ex¬ 
cess of drones should be prevented by removing nearly 
all drone comb, thereby preventing their hatching. They 
may be separated and destroyed by shaking or driving 
the bees.into an empty hive or box, of the same size as 
the hive containing the bees. Place on the box a piece 
of wire-cloth, which is just coarse enough to allow the 
queen and workers to pass through, or a board may be 
used in which a hole is cut, and over the hole nail nar¬ 
row strips of tin at proper distances apart. Set the hive 
over the box, when the queen and bees will pass up, 
leaving the drones, which are too large to pass through 
ti'.e opening, in the box below ; the hive may then be re¬ 
moved to its place, and the drones destroyed. It would 
be preferable to find the queen and place her in the hive 
above, as the bees would the more readily pass up. 
Natural or Artificial Swarming. —“ Do you pre¬ 
fer natural or artificial swarming? ”—I very much prefer 
artificial swarming, which is done by driving, or shaking 
the queen and a part of the bees into a new hive, placing 
it where the old hive stood, and removing the old one to 
a new position. 
Driving to a New Hive— “ I desire to.drive.my bees 
from my old box hive to a new and more modern one ? ” 
—The time to change, bees from box hives to those with 
movable combs is in May, yet it may be done at this sea¬ 
son. For directions for transferring, see Notes for May, 
1876. The hives referred to by D. H. should be trans¬ 
ferred to the frames as shown in Notes referred to: 
Frames for Extracting.— “ Can the honey be ex¬ 
tracted as readily from the standing Quiriby frame as 
from the hanging frame ? “—Yes, I think better, as it is 
a stronger frame. . 
Questions on Hite Constructions. — “ When 10 
frames are in place in the new Quinby hive, do you use 
panels at the sides ? ”—No, the frames just fill the hive. 
....“Are the panels to be Ideated when only X inch 
thick, to prevent warping?—Yes, put a cleat at each 
end_“How wide should the hoop iron be that the 
frame hooks on in the rear and rests on in front.? ’’— 1%' 
inch wide_“Should the outside case be clcatied? ”— 
Yes. a cleat two inches from each end of the sides and 
ends_“Is there any way to contract the entrance ? ”— 
A block may be used, or it . may be partly filled with 
paper_“Should dowels be used to hold the case in 
place on the bottom board? ”—Yes, one in the center of 
each end. 
A correspondent from N. C. writes of. the condition of 
bee-keeping in his State, to 1 whom I would reply: You 
first need a hive with movable frames, to which your bees .' 
may be transferred, or new swarms may be hived in them. 
You can then take your surplus in a desirable shape, ill 
small boxes, or with the extractor. The questions in re¬ 
gard to queens and queen rearing, will be most fully and 
accurately answered by republishing one of the most able 
papers ever prepared by the late M. Quinby upon this 
subject. With the consent of the Editor, it shall appear 
some time before next season’s operations commence. 
Paraffin and Seeds. —The English papers con¬ 
tain accounts of soaking peas and other seeds in 
paraffin, to prevent their destruction by insects and 
birds. One correspondent wishes to know if the 
heat necessary to melt the paraffin will not injure 
seeds. His question is a very proper one, as paraffin 
is really a solid, like wax, which could only be used 
in the melted state, and it would probably have no 
protecting effect. The trouble rises from an in¬ 
correct use of terms. The illuminating oils, that 
we call kerosene, are in England known as paraffin 
oils, which have by usage come to be called simply 
paraffin. If our correspondent wishes to experi¬ 
ment, let him use kerosene, and he will be able to 
see how far the method of the English gardeners 
will answer here. 
Purslane on the Table. —Every one who has 
a garden knows the common purslane or “pussley ” 
as a persistent and troublesome weed, but we have 
met with very few who knew that it had its uses, 
and that it was capable of making an acceptable 
vegetable for the table. Indeed, in France, 
the plant is cultivated for the table, but we, 
unfortunately, do not need to take that trouble. 
Those who wish to try it should select vigorous 
plants that have grown quickly in rich soil, and 
use the leaves and tender stems, rejecting the 
tough portions of the stems near the root. Boiled, 
and dressed with butter, in the same’ manner as 
spinach, it is no mean substitute for that vegetable, 
and can be had in the hot months, when that can not. 
Fruit in England. —The weather of spring was 
very disastrous to all out door fruits except apples, 
which it was supposed had.escaped ; we see by re¬ 
cent papers that the apples, from some unex¬ 
plained cause, are falling to such ah extent, that it 
is feared that these will also be a very short crop. 
The Peach Crop. —Randolph Peters, Esq., of 
Willmington, Del., who keeps a very close watch of 
the peach-growing districts of Delaware and Mary¬ 
land, informs us, (June '29th); that the estimates 
made earlier in the season, are not likely to 1 'be 
borne out, Lately the fruit has fallen to such an 
extent, that it is now thought that the quantity 
sent to market will not be greater than that in 1875, 
Ogden Farm Papers—No. 80. 
BY GEORGE E. WARING, JR. 
I have the following from St. Paul, Neb.: “ I see 
by a late article that you have had experience in 
pumping large volumes of water by wind-mill. We 
in this region (Central Nebraska) are'greatly in¬ 
terested in methods fpr raising water for irrigation. 
The most of the streams and valley lands are not 
well located to irrigate by ditching, and, in fact, it 
would be hard to get enough of the inhabitants to 
pull together to accomplish it, so that the only 
course left seems to be for each one to raise his 
own irrigation water, This country is primarily a 
stock region, but a certain amount of grain must be 
raised even to raise cattle successfully. I have 
ventured to write you to ask, if you can not and 
will not write and illustrate in the American Agri¬ 
culturist an .article, or series of articles, explaining i 
in detail the methods of raising large, volumes of 
water by wind power— i. e., sufficient quantities to 
irrigate from 10 to 40 acres. It would interest the 
people of a very wide scope of country west of the 
Missouri. We have very excellent Wind-mills built 
in the West, but they are all so very expensive, 
(i. e. those which develop any power,) that they 
are mostly beyond the means of the people of this. 
country. What is wanted is a wind-mill device of 
simple construction, that can be built on the farm 
at small expense, and that will raise a volume of 
water from 8 to 12 inches diameter, to ahight of 
from 15 to 30 or 40 feet, with a velocity of, say 200 
feet per minute. Information pn the best and most 
desirable form of pump would of course be of in¬ 
terest. There was an Archimedean screw pump ad¬ 
vertised some years ago. Has it proven a success ? ” 
Of course, I am interested in all such questions 
as the above, and give them the fullest possible at¬ 
tention. The service that it is proposed to perform 
is by no means a light one. Taking the lowest 
estimate : a pipe'8 inches in diameter, rising to a 
bight of 15 feet, discharging water at the rate of 
200 feet per minute, we have a duty requiring two 
(2) nominal horse-power. Or taking, the' extreme 
case: a 12-inch pipe, rising 40 feet, and delivering 
at the same velocity, we have a duty of twelve (12) 
nominal horse-power. In both of these calculations 
there is no allowance, made for friction, which is 
more or less important, according to the size of the 
water-way of the pump used-. Practically, even 
with the large pump, it would not be safe to de¬ 
pend on less than two-and-a-half (2t) horse-power 
for the smaller service, or fifteen (15) horse-power 
for the larger. 
To raise such a large volume of wa ter by wind 
power, as the larger instance calls for, about 160 
cubic feet per minute, against a head of 40 feet, 
would be a severe tax upon an ordinary wind-mill, 
and for what requires a very large and costly mill, 
it would certainly be better to use a fifteen (15) 
horse-power steam-engine. The smaller amount, 
about sixty-five (65) cubic feet per minute, might 
be raised by a Fijnje pump, by an 18-foot wind-mill, 
working in a breeze of not less than 15 miles an 
hour. Such a mill would cost $250, aside from the 
cost of the tower and puinp.' It’-is doubtful, 
whether a wind-mill to perform this' service ac¬ 
curately and well could be build'for much less on 
the farm, where it is to bo used, and, a home-made 
mill would hardly be self-regulating, so that it 
would require an amount of attention, that would 
cost more than the interest on: the purchase. If, 
however, it is thought best to make a wihd-mill at 
homeland save the cash outlay, I should then 
recommend the form used by the millers on'this 
Island, who grind corn by wind.po wer. This is .the 
familiar, old-fashioned, four-armed" mill. The arms 
would have to be. at least ,12 feet long, and they 
should be provided with lattice-work, bearing can¬ 
vass sails, 2L feet wide. It would be practicable to 
make a mill of this size, with a vane to turn it to¬ 
ward the wind, but anjdhing larger than that would 
have to be turned by hand: In any case, the sails 
would have.to be furled and unfurled by hand. 
The pumping 'mills, so largely used'in ’Holland, 
where they raise the water by paddle-wheels, have 
only about a four-foot. lift. Each mill, with : its 
pump, costs about $10,000, and requires the super¬ 
vision of an attendant, who lives in. the mill-house. 
•If the Archimedean screw is used,- the lift may be 
doubled, but the amount of water discharged is 
proportionately less.', A stb'am pump;-t6’peifoTm 
the service 'required in the larger instance given 
above, would consume about four pounds of coal 
per. horse-power per hour. Rather than use a wind¬ 
mill or steam-engine, it would be .better,, if prac¬ 
ticable, to go to the expease of making a long 
canal; tapping the stream-at a. higher-levels and- de¬ 
livering the water-by gravitation. 
As to pumps, 1 the 1 Archimedean screw is as old as 
history, and is very efficient for raising water to 
the hight of 8 or 10 feet. For greater hights, it'has 
serious objections. The Fijnje pump is very simple, 
and has a very large wateivway, so that less, allow¬ 
ance need be made for friction, and for disturbance 
: of the current, than in the case of any other", but 
for working under a head of 40 • feet; it would re¬ 
quire special provision for strength, and ■frould Con¬ 
sequently be somewhat expensive. 
The fact is, that to raise' a sufficient amount of 
water for the irrigation of any considerable tract is 
hard work, which requires substantial appliances, 
and ample power. That it Would’be profitable un¬ 
der. the circumstances named, I have no doubt, but 
that .it can be easily and cheaply done by any home¬ 
made contrivance, is doubtful, and unless the ap¬ 
pliances are adequate to the condition^ it had bet- 
iter be left undone. 
The best service that I can render on this subject 
is to call attehtioh to the very excellentwoiTv on 
Irrigation, recently Written by Mr. Henry Stewart, 
an associate editor of the American Agriculturist, " 
arid published by the Orange Judd Company. It is 
the first American work on the subject, and a re¬ 
markably good one. Certainly, any man whopon- 
templates the adoption of irrigation, should read 
the.book as his first step. It contains argument 
in favor of the process, which should be more than 
ample, and which ought to lead-to the introduction 
of irrigation works all'over the country. At the 
same time, it holds out no delusive hopes, and does 
not pretend that the great benefits offered, are to 
be got for .nothing. Except in the matter of me¬ 
chanics, it gives all that can be desired, .it does 
.not mention the Fijnje pump, (which was intro¬ 
duced to our notice only last year . at. .the Centen¬ 
nial,).and.it is much less specific, than it might.be, 
on the subject of wind-mills—a subject which is at> 
tracting more attention, as the value of wind- 
power for farm work is becoming better known. 
Beyond the size of 18 feet in diameter, the wind¬ 
mills are only made With' 1 cog-wheVl gedrihg'for 
driving machinery, but doubtless a pumping mill 
could be made 24 feet in diameter, (having 6 horse¬ 
power in a 25-mile breeze,) at a cost of about $400. 
My preference would be for two. 16-foot mills, cost¬ 
ing $200 each, and working separate pumps. The 
cost of the pumps for the. smaller fiize mills would 
be proportionately considerably less than for -the 
larger one. 
I became a practitioner and an advocate of the 
