250 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[July, 
TEae Nortkern B D j»c5iic Esiilroad.— 
Wo learn that on June 4th the track of the Northern 
Pacific Railroad reached the Missouri River at Bismarck, 
Dakota, and the entire division of 450 miles from Duluth 
to Bismarck i? open to business. Connection is made 
here with the navigation of the upper and lower Mis¬ 
souri. A line of steamers is established between this 
point and Fort Benton, in Western Montana, and ship¬ 
ments of both government and privato freight are being 
made by this new route to the North-west. The railroad 
surveying expedition, with a military escort under com¬ 
mand of General Stanley, was to start west June 16th, 
with the intention of making a final and definite location 
of the line of the road from the crossing of the Missouri 
to the crossing of the Yellowstone, and along that river 
to Central Montana, this being the only portion of the 
route not yet determined. 
The Value of the Agriculturist.— 
Mr. R. R. Asbury, of the Alabama Institution ter the 
Beaf, Dumb, and Blind, writing to Ogden Farm, says: 
“ It may bo some gratification to you to know bow much 
I feel indebted to you for the Ogden Farm papers. In 
them my attention was first directed to the Jerseys, and 
I soon became convinced that they were the cattle for 
the scant pastures of this country. Favorable circum¬ 
stances enabled me to buy three from Mr. Cary, and 
afterwards I got a bull of his raising. Now, I have got 
back all the money I had paid out, and $127 besides, and 
have on hand five full blosds, two of them imported. I 
have benefitted at least $1,260 by your papers in the past 
four years.” 
Believes in Soiliug - .—“ J. B. T.” writes 
from South Amboy, N. J.: “ I have been much interested 
in the soiling articles. I am so pleased with my own 
experiment, I can not refrain from sending sample of 
common clover cut this 26th of May—thirty-three ar.d a 
half inches to the head. This, considering late spring, 
Is good at this date. I am soiling seventeen cows. Am 
ranch pleased with the system. I feed corn-meal, 100 lbs. 
mixed with 60 lbs. of bran, made in a slop, six hours 
before feeding. In hot weather this gets sour.” 
Grafting. — "F. L. E.,” Hawley, Mass., 
wishes to know if plum, pear, and cherry scions will 
grow if grafted into an apple-tree.—The plum and cherry 
are too nnl ike to be grafted upon the apple. The pear, 
however, being more nearly related, will form a union 
with the apple stock, but this kind of grafting has not 
been found profitable or reliable. 
Picklos, Again.— Every summer brings 
ns a series of inquiries in regard to the making of pickles 
such as are sold in bottles. The pickling and preserving 
business is a regular trade, as is that of the confectioner 
or baker, and has to be learned. It is also a business 
that can not bo started successfully upon a small scale, 
os one in doing so would liavo to compete with immense 
factories that employ many skilled hands and take the 
produce of a hundred farms. As to the frequent question 
as to the kind of vinegar used in the bottled pickles—it 
is whisky vinegar, though commonly called “white 
wine.” Being free from the coloring matter of the cider, 
pickles put up in this vinegar are more pleasing to the 
eye, but no better, nor even so good, to the taste than 
those preserved in cider vinegar. Those who live where 
they can not readily send their cucumbers to a pickle 
factory should grow some other crop. Pickle cultivation 
is profitable only where there is a near market. 
To the Boys and Girls. 
THE MENAGERIE PRIZES. 
I have finished reading your essays for the menagerie 
prizes, and no small job has it been. I wonder if it is 
possible to state a thing so plainly that some one will not 
misunderstand it. I stated “each article must give full 
name and age,” yet here arc some articles with initials 
only, and some with initials for the first name. If one 
writes J. Smith, how am I to know whether it is intend¬ 
ed for Jane or James Smith? 
Then I said as plainly as could he : “ There are fifteen 
of these words, and these form the subject of the prize. 
The prizes will be given—five to boys and five to girls— 
ter the best articles written upon these words.” Then I 
enumerated the words. It seems difficult to understand 
how any one after this could write an article upon one, 
two, or four of these words, as some did. Another time 
I will try if it is not possible to state the conditions in 
such a way that it will be impossible for any one to mis¬ 
apprehend if they try to. 
•There have been two quite curious mistakes fallen into 
by both hoys and girls. Word No. 6 was Locomotive ap¬ 
pendages. Of course, these words in the prize announce¬ 
ment had reference to their use in the menagerie article 
from which they were taken. Yet, to my astonishment, 
several named the parts to a locomotive engine (!), and one 
put down a horse as a locomotive appendage to a canal- 
boat. Then several showed a queer misapprehension of 
the 9th question, “ San Diego to Monterey— upon what 
ocean did I sail, and in what direction ? ” Some took 
me down the coast of Mexico, and gave me a land route 
across from Mazatlan or Acapulco to Monterey in Nuevo 
Leon, Eastern Mexico; while others kindly sent me 
round Cape Horn and across the Caribbean Sea and Gulf 
of Mexico, where they left me, there being no steamboat 
communication with this Monterey. It is strange that 
those who knew about. Monterey in Mexico should not 
know about the more important seaport of that name in 
the United States. 
With the exception of these queer blunders, the an¬ 
swers sent have been remarkably good. Indeed, I do 
not think I have had in any prize competition so much 
difficulty in selecting the best. There is one unpleasant 
thing in the awarding of prizes—that is, the feeling that 
I must leave out those who have worked just as hard as 
those to whom they are awarded. I have, with the per¬ 
mission of the publishers, increased the number of 
prizes, for both boys and girls, from the five offered to 
eight, and this does not take in all that I would like to 
include. Those who are not successful will have a chance 
to try again at some other competition. 
I am very glad to notice how many of the boys and girls 
wrote that they should he amply repaid for their labor by 
the information they had gained in working up their 
articles. That is the right view to take of it. This has 
been a very useful exercise,and I hope to give you more- 
quite as instructive. The Doctor. 
boys’ prizes. 
The First Prize of a Dictionary to Geo. A. Bentley, 
Eyota, Mich. The other prizes, books, to G. Alfred 
Tyzzer, Wakefield, Mass.; E. Y. Aldridge, Daggett’s 
Mills, Pa.; J. Edward Bangs, New Rutland, Ill.; Wm. 
Henry Doel, Jr., Chester, Out.; A. M. Knowltbn, West- 
boro, Mass.; Chas. K. Swartz, Williamsport, Pa.; Ed¬ 
mund C. Hill, Allentown, Pa. 
girls’ prizes. 
First Prize of a Dictionary to Nellie B. Nest, Washing¬ 
ton Heights, N. Y. Prizes of books to Matty Barry, Bnr- 
ryville, Iowa ; LenaS. Goodwin, Greenwich, N. J. ; Amy 
V. Wright, Springfield, Mo.; Mary A. E. Walsh, Jerusa¬ 
lem Mills P. O., Md. ; Mattie B. Rucker, Wapella, Ill.; 
Grace D. Percival, Savannah, O. ; Mattie Muncey, 
Bristol, Pa. 
Please Notice. —Those who are entitled to prizes other 
than Dictionaries will be allowed to select any book in 
tho regular trade that retails for two dollars or less. 
They will please indicate their choice before July 10th. 
To thasc who fail to make known their requests The 
Doctor will send such books as he Ihinks suitable. 
--» <——«o — i ».- 
Bee Notes.—Advice to Beginners. 
BY M. QTJINBY. 
Had I known that the early yield of honey would be as 
extensive as it has been, I should have said more of the 
Extractor in the June number. Very many stocks, in 
consequence of cold, became largely reduced in num¬ 
bers, and bad not maturing brood to replace the old bees 
that are continually dying off. Stocks of very moderate 
strength accumulated honey very fast, and filled the cells 
that should be occupied with brood as soon as there 
were bees to keep it warm. When the honey obtained is 
just about what the bees would use in nursing the brood, 
thequeen is not limited for room to deposit eggs as fastas 
it can be protected. Hives that now (June 1st) have honey 
already sufficient for winter, and consequently a small 
place for rearing brood, will be apt to remain nearly sta¬ 
tionary throughout the summer. We have recently dis¬ 
covered a remedy for this state of tilings. AAte can easily 
comprehend that if these brood-combs can lie emptied of 
their honey and returned to the hoes, they will refill 
them with more brood as well as honey. Tho bees will 
accumulate until there arc enough to work in boxes. 
But witli the old box-hive wo can not work in this way. 
AVith most movable hives with combs there is no diffi¬ 
culty. Some time in the middle of the day, when the 
bees are engaged, open the hive and lift out a comb from 
the outside; hold it over the other combs, and give it 
two or three vertical and sudden shakes or jerks, which 
will dislodge most of the bees. With the feather end of 
a goose or turkey-quill, or something similar, brush off 
the remainder. Then, with a sharp knife—we have 
them made crooked for the purpose, with both edges 
sharp-cut off nil the sealed cells, and put the frame in 
the extractor. Four are usually taken at once. 
Extractors are made of different sizes, according to the 
dimensions of the comb. But, as the largest will empty 
the smallest combs, and the small sizes will not empty 
the large ones, it is best to get a machine adapted to all. 
The principle of all is the same. The honey is thrown 
out by centrifugal force. I will endeavor to describe the 
one I consider the best adapted. A can, made of heavy 
tin, two feet diameter, the same in depth, will be abont 
right. This catches and holds the honey ns it is thrown 
out. A frame is made for the inside—iron is better than 
wood. Let the pieces be 23 inches long, and cross each 
Fig. 1.— cross-bars. 
other in the middle, with a hole through the center, as in 
fig. 1. One frame is required for the bottom, and one for 
tho top. Connect with a wooden strip on each outer 
end, and you have a frame like that in fig. 2. The bottom 
cross-piece lias additional pieces to help steady (he comb. 
Tinned wire-cloth, 14 -inch mesh, IS or 20 inches wide, is 
put around the outside and held by nails. Through the 
center is put a half-inch round iron rod on which it re¬ 
volves; it can bo keyed fast if it is wished to have the 
rod turn. The bottom end can be secured by a small 
wooden bar across the bottom. The top end in the samo 
way, with the bar above the top. On the upper side of 
the upper cross-frame are means attached to give the 
rotary motion, if geared to increase the motion. We 
have it geared like the old fanning-mill, with cog-wheel. 
Others use a strap and small pulley to increase the mo¬ 
tion. Others still have no gearing, and get only one turn 
of the cylinder to one of the arm, which makes faster 
turning necessary. There are several minor points 
about it that will suggest themselves to a man of ordin- 
Fig. 2 .—frame of extractor. 
ary ingenuity: viz., a hole through tho bottom of tho 
canto draw off the honey; legs under tho bottom; a 
crank at the top to turn it with; how to fasten the small 
wheel to the cross-piece, fastening the crank on, etc. 
AVhen all is ready, set in the combs, and lean them 
against the inside of the wire cloth. Turn it just fast 
enough to throw out the honey. A little experience will 
soon decide that. Then reverse the comb and empty tho 
other side, when it can he returned to the hive. If there 
should be unsealed brood in the combs, and any is thrown 
out, it indicates that you have turned too fast. Tho 
warmer the weather, the slower the turning should he. 
No bee-bread or pollen is thrown out in any case, and 
the honey thus obtained is ns pure as the purest box- 
honey. It has been sent to market in fruit-jars or cans, 
pints, quarts, half-gallons, small tin cans of 10 and 20 
lbs., firkins of 40 nnd.75 lbs., and barrels of 4 and 500 lbs. 
The best way is yet undecided. If kept in wooden ves¬ 
sels for the summer, they should be of a kind that would 
impart no unpleasant flavor. It should be kept in a dry 
atmosphere; and could the vessel be full, and sealed 
