1870.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
289 
llagration with great rapidity, faster than gunpowder, 
their vapor reaching out and taking fire from a ilarne at 
a considerable distance... .4. Their flames are more diffi¬ 
cult to extinguish than the flame of Coal Oil_5. That 
these properties make therm dangerous for common use 
for illuminating purposes.That good Coal Oil, stand¬ 
ing fire test of 110 deg., does not ignite so readily, does 
not form explosive vapors at so low a temperature, does 
not spread conflagration so rapidly, when ignited is more 
easily extinguished; and for all these reasons is much 
more safe for common use.” 
Swamp Meadow Pal-lug's—Mow 
So treat Them.—The turf, sods and bogs cut from 
swamp meadows, reclaimed for cranberry plantations or 
other purposes, when burnt or rotted, are useful as ma¬ 
nure. ‘‘A. B. C.,” writes: “I have a piece of upland 
joining a piece of low ground. It is often overflowed in 
the spring, and may be flowed at will. I have thought 
of preparing the wet part for a cranberry patch by taking 
off the grassy turf 3 or 4 inches deep, and covering with 
white sand. This turf I think would make an excellent 
dressing for my high ground, if well rotted. Shall I pile 
the turf, giving each layer a coating of unleached ashes, 
and pitching it over at a proper time ? or shall I proceed 
in like manner, only using quick-lime, pounded reason¬ 
ably fine, letting the lime slake in the heap by the water 
contained in the turf? It will be very difficult for me to 
obtain the necessary ashes, and it seems to me the lime 
will cure the raw muck in a shorter time. Which plan 
will be best ? How long will it take ? What quantity of 
lime or ashes should I use per cord of turf? and would 
salt ho useful ?”- -Ans. A great part of the parings will 
probably be needed for the turf fences and dams, to re¬ 
tain the water. All kinds of mossy or, properly, grassy 
sods and parings decay easily, and may be treated as 
“A. B. C.” proposes; but those kinds of grass (sedge), 
which grow in tussocks, form “ bogs ” or “ nigger 
heads,” which will be years in decaying, and are so 
tough it is of no use to spend time in cutting them in 
pieces. Those with roots, branches, etc., should bo 
piled in heaps and burned when dry. The rest may be 
hauled off or laid up in heaps giving each layer a liberal 
dusting of lime, about 1 or 2 bushels to the load, say 4 or 
5 to the cord (100 bushels). Salt will he of value at a dis¬ 
tance from the sea coast; and the length of time will de¬ 
pend a good deal upon the amount of lime or ashes used. 
It is almost impossible nowadays to get ashes. If worked 
over, in about G weeks the heap may be fine enough for 
use, but it would probably be best to wait until spring. 
Is BSed Clover Poison ?—"W. G. Kuy¬ 
kendall, Putnam Co., Tenn., has known a good number 
of cattle lost from grazing on red clover. “ They seem 
to have colic and usually die very suddenly. What is the 
cause, preventive, and cure ?" - Ans. The cause" is the 
fermentation of the clover in the rumen, or first stomach, 
forming gases, which close the entrance, cause the stom¬ 
ach to be fearfully inflated, and the whole body to be 
so swollen that the action of the lungs ceases and the 
poor beast dies of suffocation. This is called the Hoove, 
and the animals are said to be “ hovm." The cure is to 
introduce the probang, which is a flexible tube made for 
the purpose, and which is stiff enough to be forced 
through the valve-like entrance to the rumen, yet flexible 
and elastic enough to accommodate itself to the bends 
in the gullet. Through this the- gas may be let off, and 
water pumped in with a stomach-pump, to dilute the sour 
contents of the rumen and wash it out. A probang and 
stomach-pump ought to be the property of every large 
farmer. When no probang can be had, try tying a 
straw rope in the animal’s mouth making it fast over the 
head back of the horns. The efforts of the beast to get 
rid of the rope will often cause an eructation of wind. 
Immediate relief of animals may sometimes be obtained 
by puncturing the abdomen near the loin with a knife 
or trochar, which is a knife and tube combined, so that 
there is little danger of the contents of the stomach being 
forced into the cavity of the abdomen, which often causes 
fatal effects. Thus the gas is lot off and the beast relieved. 
Prevention, is, however, far better than cure. This is 
effected by allowing animals when first turned into clover 
pastures to remain but an hour or so at a time until they 
get accustomed to it, and will not eat so ravenously as 
to overload their stomachs. Calves brought up by band 
are liable to similar attacks, brought on by indigestion 
and the fermentation of the food in the rumen. 
--- 
Harvesting Pea-nuts. 
The following is from the Report of the Department of 
Agriculture for 1868: ‘ 1 The time for harvesting the crop is 
from the loth to the 30th of October, immediately after the 
first frost. When the crop is forward, or when it is an ob¬ 
ject to get a portion of it early in market, the operation 
maybe commenced in the latter part of September; but the 
longer the vines continue to grow, the greater will be the 
number of sound pods. Select a time when the weather 
is settled and favorable, and with throe-pronged hoes 
loosen the vines along the rows. Hands follow the dig¬ 
ger, pull up the vines, shake the dirt from them, and 
leave them in the same place. In dry weather they will 
be sufficiently cured in two days to be shocked. Showery 
weather, though it may somewhat delay the curing, does 
no injury. In shocking, provide stqkes 7 feet long, made 
sharp at both ends; then lay two fence rails on the ground 
as a foundation, but with supports underneath to afford 
free access to the air. The stakes are stuck in the ground 
at convenient intervals between the rails, the stacks built 
up around them, and finished off by a cap of straw to 
shed the rain. The diameter of the stack is made to con¬ 
form to the spread of a single vine. After remaining 
about two weeks in the stack the picking should be be¬ 
gun, taldngoff none but the matured pods. These are to 
be carried to the barn, and prepared for market by com¬ 
pleting the drying process, and then fanning and cleaning. 
The most tedious part of the work is the picking. 
An expert discriminates at a glance between the mature 
and immature pods, but cannot pick more than two and 
a half or three bushels per day. A machine to perform 
the operation would be a most valuable invention. Un¬ 
less the management in the barn is carefully conducted, 
there is great danger, where there is much of a bulk, 
that the peas will become heated and mouldy. The con¬ 
dition in which the early deliveries are often received at 
market renders this caution quite necessary. In fact, 
there is as much slovenliness in the handling of this 
crop as there is in regard to any other; perhaps more, 
for the reason that so many inexperienced persons engage 
in the culture every year. Until the pods are thoroughly 
seasoned, the bulk should be frequently stirred and turned 
over. A certain classification, in respect to quality, obtains 
in pea-nuts as in every oilier article of agricultural pro¬ 
duce. The descriptive terms in general use are ‘ inferior,’ 
1 ordinary,’ ‘ prime,’ and ‘ fancybut these are not so 
definite as to admit of no intermediate grades. Assuming 
prime to be the standard, and that the prune are $9.75 per 
bushel, then inferior will be worth, say, $1 to $1.50; 
ordinary, $3 to $2.50; and fancy, $3. Seed pea-nuts al¬ 
ways command an extra price, ranging from $3.25 to 
$3.50. These were the current prices for the crop of ’08.” 
Bee lotes— By IT. Quinby. 
TIic Apiary In August.—Where there is buck¬ 
wheat, bees begin to store the honey, from the 1st to 
the 10th of this month. Boxes containing white honey 
should be removed even if not quite full. Four pounds 
white honey are worth as much as six of dark. Very little 
buekwheat will discolor it badly. Where there is no 
buckwheat, no addition to the stores of the apiary need 
be expected, save, perhaps, in a few exceptional locali¬ 
ties—the western prairies, for example. So, as a general 
rule, unless there is a prospect of buckwheat honey, all 
surplus boxes may be removed now. The combs will 
grow dark if they are left on. Boxes put on now will 
not be filled except under very favorable circumstances— 
you will only get the glass stained with propolis. 
Look well to weak hives now, for they are in danger 
from the moth. Keep bottom boards clean. If weak 
colonies are in movable frames, give them a comb or two 
each, of sealed brood from strong ones. Look out for 
barren queens and qucenless hives, supplying deficien¬ 
cies where you find them. If in box hives, it is gener¬ 
ally best to break them up and secure the contents. 
The same is true of badly diseased ones. It will some¬ 
times pay to drive out such swarms, if there is buck¬ 
wheat. A few combs made by swarms so driven into 
empty hives would be valuable another year. Examine 
colonies that have been divided as heretofore directed. 
If the division without a queen was strong, drone comb 
will have been made while rearing queens. Remove it, 
replacing with empty frames, that worker combs may be 
constructed. Honey in such drone comb is of good 
quality and may be of use to feed in winter if not wanted 
for the table. The season hero has thus far been propi¬ 
tious, and possibly too much honey may be stored to 
leave room for breeding. The only remedy with box 
hives is surplus boxes furnished with plenty of white comb 
to draw the bees into them. In case of movable frames, 
control the matter by removing full combs and replacing 
with empty ones. Put empty combs near the center alter¬ 
nately with full ones. If it is desired to raise Italian queens 
late in the season after the native drones have been de¬ 
stroyed, provide Italian drones by removing the queen 
from a strong stock and putting her in a large, movable 
comb hive. Put in the same hive with her such combs 
from other hives as contain Italian drone brood, and after 
eight days remove all queen cells that may he found. 
See Books.— 111 W. P. M.” asks: “Which is the 
best and most practical work on the Honey-bee ?” — 
Those who desire a scientific work on the Honey-bee 
would be much pleased with Langstroth’s. There is 
little but practical teaching in “ Quinby’s Bee-Keeping 
Explained,” advertised by O. Judd & Co. Langstroth’s 
book gives a description of his hive, but I do not know 
who has it for sale. 
Italian Bc.es.—W. P. Moore, Richland, Tenn., 
would like to know, “ 1st. The comparative value of 
Italian and native bees. 2d. Whose or what hive is best. 
3d. What sort of shelter-house or place is best suited 
for hives.(1.) After nine years’ experience with the 
Italian bee in the same apiaries with the natives, and in 
every variety of season, I can speak decidedly in their 
favor. I consider them at least one-third better in every 
respect when properly managed. For instance, their ten¬ 
dency is to store so much honey that the space for rearing 
brood is too much reduced, and it is necessary to use 
some sort of a movable comb hive so that full combs of 
honey can be removed, and empty ones put in their place, 
to give sufficient room for brood. Thus, by intelligent 
management they may be induced to gather more than the 
usual amount of honey and increase largely at the same 
time. 
£2.) If increase of colonics Is more desired than sur¬ 
plus honey, a simple movable comb hive would be most 
suitable ; but when surplus is the main object, the hive 
described in the June No. of the '•'■Agriculturist'" will 
answer a better purpose than any I have ever used. 
(3.) I do not approve of any kind of a bee-house as a 
shelter for beehives. Let the hives have separate stands 
but a few inches from the ground, with substantial roofs 
to protect them from sun and rain. 
Straight Combs.—J. F. Brill, Kanawha Co., W. 
Va., says that to induce bees to build straight combs in 
common box hives, he draws lines across the under side 
of the top board, with melted wax, applied by means of 
a sash tool. The bees build their combs upon these lines 
of wax and make them straight.—I tried the method 
thirty years ago and found, like most other plans, it 
would not prove a success in every case. The bees will 
follow the lines in perhaps three-fourths of the instances. 
Bo Bees Breeze ?—S. P. Creek, Olney, Ill., wants 
a decision on the following: “ Do bees ‘ freeze up ’ and 
become torpid during any part of the winter, and then 
thaw out ? Some of us contend that they do not; others 
that they do, and that the honey and wax take the ‘ frost 
out of them,’ just as the earth takes it out of some kinds 
of vegetables.”_It is surprising that any one with any 
experience whatever with bees, should maintain the 
above absurd view. It requires but a little intelligent ob¬ 
servation to convince the most obtuse, that bees do not 
freeze up in cold weather, and thaw out in spring. The 
consumption of the honey does considerable towards keep¬ 
ing “ the frost out,” but when bees are once thoroughly 
frozen, they will not revive. I would ask those who be¬ 
lieve that bees freeze up what becomes of the 20 or 25 
lbs. of honey that disappear during winter, it the bees 
are torpid during that time ? 
Tobacco la August. 
Tobacco, as cultivated in the Northern States, if well 
established by the first of July, in rich, mellow, clean 
land, is doing well. By the first of August it will be sur¬ 
prising to witness its rapid growth. The great leaves 
are rapidly concealing the ground ; the plants stand, each 
a pyramid of tender, vivid green leaves, and as the 
breezes turn up the paler nether sides, the crop strikes 
one as very beautiful. 
Worming. —With the growth and fairness of the crop 
the farmer’s anxiety increases. The worms must be 
watched, the sphinx, or hawk-moth, will lay her eggs 
nightly, and the quickly hatched worms will cat vora¬ 
ciously. Young turkeys are a help in keeping them 
down before the plants are large, but they damage the 
great, brittle leaves. Hand-picking is the only security; 
though the use of strychnine in honey placed in the 
great bell-like flowers of the Stramonium, or “ Stink- 
weed,” or in those of the yellow Evening-Primrose, will 
destroy the moths. The flowers may be picked, baited, 
and set about the borders of the field. 
Tofting should begin as soon as the plants have at¬ 
tained sufficient size. After a little experience the prop¬ 
er bight at which to top will be easily judged of. The 
operation consists in breaking off the flower stem at such 
a bight that the leaves will be best matured, or ripened. 
The plants vary in vigor, and some attain sufficient size 
as early as August 1st, others not until late in the month. 
The earlier, the higher the topping should he. In the 
Connecticut Seed-Leaf variety 12 to 16 leaves are usually 
left upon the stalk. They are not counted, but the place 
where the leaves grow rapidly smaller indicates the spot 
to break off the stem. This is usually between two and 
three feet from the ground. After topping, worming 
continues, and the breaking off of the suckers, or side 
