1866 .] 
AMERICAN AG-RICULTURIST, 
169 
in the garden; the onlj' trouble is, they are apt to 
get too large, but they are so easily continued 
from cuttings that small plants can always be had. 
Laiitanas, grown with a tree-like head, are always 
among the showiest things in the garden. These 
are usually treated as bedding plants, but the best 
way is to grow them to a single stem, pot in the 
fall, and winter in a green-house. Most of the 
Cactuses bloom in summer, and they make a great 
show when plunged in a snnny place in the border. 
Sedums of all kinds, including Grassula, Eochea, 
and Sempervivum, as well as Mesembryanthemums, 
and other plants of like character, may be made to 
produce a most grotesque effect, if i^lauted out on 
a rock work. They stand any amount of dryness. 
Cuttings should be made, to keep up a good stock 
of young and thrifty plants. Hard wooded plants, 
that are difficult to strike from mature wood, will 
often do so easily from the young growth. 
Whatever plants are left in the house should 
have daily attention as to watering, syringing at 
night, and ventilation. 
CoM Cwrapery. 
The manure placed over the outside boialers last 
fall, is to be forked in, and if the dressing of ma¬ 
nure was omitted then, give one now. The manner 
of suspending the vines while breaking, was de¬ 
scribed last month. The time for starting them 
must be governed b^' the season, as it is not desira¬ 
ble that they should commence their growth until 
it can be continued without interruption by cold 
weather. Warmth and moisture cause the buds to 
start, and these conditions are under the control of 
the cultivator. If the outside temper.ature contin¬ 
ues unfavorable, keep the house cool by ventila¬ 
tion. When growth begins, the temperature of the 
house may gradually reach 85° at mid-day, opening 
only the upper ventilators. Keep sufficient moist¬ 
ure in the air by syringing the vines, and sprinkling 
the floor. When the shoots have sufficiently ad¬ 
vanced, select the best for fruiting and next year’s 
wood, and rub out the rest — observing that all 
handling of the vines must be done with great care, 
now that the new growth is young and tender. 
Apiary in May. 
The season is a notably late one, and so the flow¬ 
ers, that supply honey which the bees rely upon 
for bringing out their early swarms, will not ap¬ 
pear at the usual time, and swarms will be late. 
Many of the counsels given for the past month 
will be found applicable to the early part of this, 
and it will be well to continue feeding light stocks 
up to the time of abundant bloom. Unfavorable 
weather at the time of the blossoming of fruit trees 
may cut oflf the supply of honey from this source, 
and though bees may be in no danger of perishing, 
yet the raising of brood may be suspended, and the 
drones, should many have been raised, may bo kil¬ 
led, in order to save stores. This would only oc¬ 
cur in strong hives which commenced the season 
with abundant stores, and which in a time of dearth 
of bee pasturage would consume large amounts of 
honey. Such hives should be fed if they need it, espe¬ 
cially if drones appear, for if it is necessary to kill 
the first stock of drones,swarmingis greatly delayed. 
Swarms may be thrown off in the latter part of 
the month, if the weather is very favorable. Have 
nice clean hives prepared—^not freshly painted— 
and at least be ready to hive them should any come. 
The full blossoming of white clover is the usual 
warning of the approaching of the swarming sea¬ 
son. The combs ought to be frequently examined 
to discover queen cells, which look very much like 
peanuts, and entirely different from any other cells. 
They may be found upon edges of comb, or upon 
edges of holes in the plates of comb up among the 
brood. The old fashioned hives being inverted 
after quieting the bees with smoke, the combs may 
be quite thoroughly examined without much 
trouble. In the movable comb hives the whole in¬ 
terior is easily examined. When discovered, the 
queen cells are the surest indication of a swarm 
soon to come. There are usually several, and the 
discovery of one not sealed over, is no indication 
that there are not sealed ones nearly ready to hatch. 
Swarms issue during the warm part of the day, 
any time after the bees get well at work in the 
fields. When the queen leaves, she takes all the 
old and mature young bees that are about the hive 
at the time, leaving those at work abroad to return 
and keep up the establishment. It is the old queen 
that leaves, and she does so as soon as a new one is 
ready to take her place, which she knows by a 
peculiar piping sound made by the young queen for 
a few hours before her debut. A swarm, if let alone, 
will usually settle close by on some tree or bush, 
and unless the sun comes to shine upon it, will rest 
some hours, giving ample time to hive it. A bag 
or box may be held under it, and the bees being 
very heavy with honey may be easily jarred off and 
into the receptacle, whence they may be poured 
out upon a sheet and guided into the hive. There 
is little fear of their stinging, and one may handle 
them carefully with bare hands and with impunity. 
When hived, all the bees should be made to enter, 
the hive carried immediatehj to its stand, and a 
shade of some sort put up to screen it effectually 
from the sun. It is much more work to hive in the 
movable combs than the box hive. It is usually the 
least trouble to put the swarm in a light box or 
box hive, and transfer to the other, towards even¬ 
ing. To get straight combs, elevate one end of the 
hive 30°—with the bottom board of course—keep¬ 
ing it perfectly level the other way. When the 
combs are started the whole length of the frames, 
it may be let down. Many who use movable combs 
will prefer artificial swarms. The idea that such 
are not as good has probably arisen from dividing 
before the stock was snfficiently strong, thereby not 
seenring as many bees as are usual in a natural first 
swarm.—Surplus honey boxes may be put on when 
apple trees are in full bloom; seldom earlier. 
-— w— - 
Four Premium 
SEWING MACHINES! 
Take Your Choice. 
In order to concentrate the business as much as possi¬ 
ble, we have hitherto limited our offers for Premium 
Sewing machines to two or three kinds. Many have de¬ 
sired other machines, not offered. We take pleasure in 
announcing tliat we have now made arrangements to offer 
/nur double-thread machines, viz.: the Wlieeler & 
Wilson, the Florence, the Flias Howe, and the 
Grover &. Baker. We have had each of these ma¬ 
chines in use in our own family, and can endorse every 
one of them as good. They have each their pecuiiari- 
ties, which are set forth by the manufacturers from time 
to time in our advertising columns, and in the circulars, 
etc., which they furnish ; but they all work so well, that 
if we owned any one of them only, we would not give 
ten dollars to exchange it for any other one. 
We say further, that we would not part with the last 
one of the four, whichever kind it might chance to be, 
and have no machine, for $500.—Does this look like a 
wild statement? Let us see ; The $500 could be invested 
in U. S. Bonds, and bring perhaps $36 a year interest. 
The sewing in one large family can seldom be done by 
two full days a week of steady hand sewing, or 4 months 
in a year. But with any one of these machines a woman 
can sew at least eight times as fast as by hand, but al¬ 
lowing for all the basting, etc., call it only four times as 
fast. Then with a sewing machine three out of four 
months sewing can be easily saved ! Can any one hire and 
board a seamstress three months for $36 ? We know, 
that any one of our $55 to $60 sewing machines pays 
for itself every year, with us.—Then, there is another im¬ 
portant consideration. The cramped chests, the rounded 
shoulders, tlie deformed spines, the injured eyesight, all 
so common among those wlio sew much with tlie needle, 
are avoided by those who use a machine. The benefit 
in tills respect by far outweighs the cost of the machine. 
So rnucli for what we think and know about sewing 
macliines. Tlie kinds named above have been used in 
turn, and have all increased in favor. 
filaiiy may get a Machine free '.—We always advise 
every man who asks our opinion, to get some good ma- 
cliine for his house, even if he has to sell an acre of land 
to do it. Our Premium offers have furnished a great 
number of machines without cost to tlie recipients, and 
many more may still get them. Every now and then 
somebody sends in a list of 70 names, saying it was gath¬ 
ered in far less time than expected.—There are many 
credits on our premium book, of partly names enough, 
wliich might be filled up this month. Any energetic 
person can raise an entirely new club, and get a sewing 
machine in a week or tw'o. The paper is good enough 
and beautiful enough, to induce people to take it, and 
many will subscribe to help out a premium club. The 
money sent from each of a thousand neighborlioods to the 
humbugs we have this year exposed, would have paid 
for a large club of subscribers.—Let many of our readers 
take hold of the sewing machine or other premium this 
month. Tlie 70 names wilt soon be gathered. At this 
season of the year we shall not ba strenuous about the 
chance lack of a name or two from the 70 required. 
- ———»»»= --- 
TWO MONTHS 
yet remain for all who want any of the general premiums 
in the table below, to secure them. During April several 
entirely new lists have been made up, and many lists 
under way have been filled. A thousand others can do tlie 
same this month. We have several hundred partially 
completed lists on our Premium Record, wailing for a 
few more names only. With the five numbers of tliis 
volume to show what tills paper is, it will not be diffi¬ 
cult to secure subscribers. One subscriber informs us 
that the exhibition of that poultry picture, on page 149 of 
April number, created so much interest in a company 
where he happened to be, that he started a club at once, 
and soon added names enough to secure a desired 
premium. A notice elsewhere announces a choice of 
four Sewing Machines,—We can not spare room to de¬ 
scribe the premiums which are all very good, but will 
send a full Bcscriptlve Sliect free to all desiring it. 
Table of Premiums and. Terms, 
For Volume 26. gg. 
Open to all—No Competition. S 2 
TO 
Names of Premium Articles. j_ 
1— Goon Books— terms below* . 
2— Garden Seeds for a Family (40 kinds). ..$5 00 
3— Fiower Seeds for a Famiiy (100 kinds).. $.5 00 
4r-Nur3ery Stock (anv Kinds desired).$20 00 
5— Iona Grape Vines (12 of No. 1) .$18 00 
6— Concord Grape Vines (100 of No. 1)...$12 00 
8— Japan Liiies (12 Buibs). $6 00 
9— Downing’s Landscape Gardening.$6 .50 
10 —American Cyclopedia..$80 00 
12—Wor cester’s Great I llustrat’d Dictionary$I2 00 
1,3—Any back Volume Ag’ncKtGrn'st, I .ai $173 
141—Any Two back Volumes do 
1.5—Any Three do 
16— Any Four do 
17— Any Five do 
18— Any Six do 
19— Any Seven do 
20— Any Eiglit do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
do 
2 I-V 0 I 3 . XVI to XXIV , . . .. 
23— The County Election, Steel Plate Col’d.$10 00 
24— Halt in the Woods do do.$10 00 
2.5—Morton’s best No.5 Gold Pen, Silver Case.$4 50 
29—Best Family Clothes-Wringer.410 00 
.30—Doty’s Wastiing Machine.$12 00 
31— Tea Set (Best Silver Plated).$30 00 
43— Sewing Machine (Orooer <1: Baker )....00 
44— Sewing Machine (Florence).$63 00 
32— Sewing Machine, (Wheeler & Wilson)..$35 00 
.33—Sewing Machine (tVilcox & Gibbs).$.55 00 
34—Sewing Machine (Elias Howe).$60 00 
33— Melodeon (Best Four Octave).$67 00 
36—Melodeon (Best Five Octave).$112 00 
3’7—Piano, 7-Octave (Steinway & Sons)_$000 00 
,38—Barometer (Woodrirtf’s Mercurial).$12 00 
,39—Barometer (Woodruff’s Mercurial).$18 00 
40— The Aquarius, or Water Thrower. $11 00 
41— Buckeye Mowing Machine No. 2.$123 00 
42— Allen’s Patent Cylinder Plow.$20 50 
ai 
33 
100 
92 
6,5 
38 
40 
338 
65 
20 
26 
82 
38 
44 
50 
57 
64 
72 
60 
60 
32 
58 
65 
240 
270 
270 
270 
270 
290 
300 
450 
1500 
70 
95 
65 
480 
100 
[^iVo chargeis made for packing or boxing any of the 
articles in this Premium List. The 1,2, 3, 8, 
and 13 to 25, are delivered to any part of the United 
States and Territories^ free of all charges. The other 
articles cost the recipient only the freight after leaving 
the manufactory of each. Every article offered is 
warranted new and of the very best mamtfacture, 
* Premium 1 ,—(jOOc? Books.—Any person sending 25 or 
more subscribers, may select I3ook.s from pages 200,201, 202, 
203, to the amount of 10 cents for each name sent at 
$1; or to the amount of 30 cents for each name sent 
at the (ten) club price of $1.20 each: or to the amount of 00 
cents for each name at $1.50. This Isoily for clubs of 25'dV 
more, The Books sent by mall or express, prepaid bfj H's. 
