Pyrrba 2nd, 9,661, heifer, 2 years; Moulton 
Pros.. . 850 00 
Bortne Grisette. 6.979. cow, 4 years; T.A.Have- 
tnoyer . 800 00 
Heifer calf tin days Old; W. It. McCreary’. 73tl 00 
-Noiieimeb of Jersey, 9,983, cow, 5 years; Paul 
Dana. 600 00 
Satin and Petronella are of Alphea blood, 
and with Leda, sold the day before, form the 
highest- priced trio of Jerseys ever sold At 
the dose of the sale the Breeders’Cup, donated 
by several members of the Cattle Cl ah for the 
beet average price of not less than five head 
belonging to one owner in the sale, was awarded 
to Mr. Johu I. Holly, of Plainfield,N. J., who 
sold (i£ head (cow and calf couuting as 1 J) for 
an aveiage of $1 085 39, while Mr. A. B. Dar¬ 
ling pushed him so closely on an equal number 
as co avetage $1,085, leaving Mr. Holly a lead 
of only 39 cents per head, The best price ob¬ 
tained by Mr. Holly was $2,050 on the heifer 
IVtronella, by Poionius, in calf by Uproar, and 
as Mr. DarliDg bred the last-named animals 
and sold them to Mr. Holly, he won in reputa¬ 
tion as a breeder by bis rival’s success. 
rom dropping out of the teat while it is car¬ 
ried by the cow between milkings. The orifice 
by being continually strained will soon adapt 
itself to the size of the instrument. A small 
plug may be need at firBt and a larger one 
afterward. One advantage of this method is, 
it can be executed by any skillful dairyman 
when once he sees what is required to be done. 
The remedy which has proved the most suc¬ 
cessful and satisfactory consists in cutting 
open the obstruction with an instrument in¬ 
vented by Win. Horne of Janesville, Wis., 
the structure and full size of which are shown' 
in Figure 268. It is a metallic concave, half- 
round, and looks like a little cheese trier or a 
a batter trier in miniature. The end inserted 
is made sharp so it will cut upon a little pres¬ 
sure. It is used by entering the teat the same 
as shown in Figure 267 but iD&teud of crowd¬ 
ing its way through the obstractiou, it cuU its 
way through with a half-round cut, a form 
which doeB not close up so readily as a strait 
stood by only a few. He who would succeed 
in directing and shaping the action of a coloDy 
of bees so as to seen re the greatest amount of 
profit, and proceed with a certainty of success, 
must study and apply that system of principles 
which constitutes the foundation on which 
bee cal ture rests. 
In the application of these principles he 
should possess sufficient tact and judgment to 
enable him to vary their application so as to 
reach the exigencies of each particular case. 
H as this degree of proficiency yet been attained 
by any of our bee-keepers in this stage of pro¬ 
gressive bee culture ? I believe it has, and 
with it the dawning of a day when thousands 
of toiling men will teach their children to 
bless and honor the names of those instrumen¬ 
tal in hastening the good time coming. 
I believe that by the unremitting toil and 
study of years by Borne of our scientific bee¬ 
keepers, a theory has been discovered and ap¬ 
plied that will satisfactorily account for the 
large returns that have been secured of late 
years by Doolittle, Captain Hetherington and 
other 
the present time is to ascertain, if possible, 
the true cause of the horn y-.fathering impulse 
in bees ; the conditions necessary to its contin¬ 
uance throughout the season; and the most 
t fficient means of generating and stimulating 
it to its fullest capacity in order to secure the 
largest returns. If the product of a swarm of 
bees incited to labor by causes in accord with 
their natural habits and instincts will reach the 
amount I before staled, in the short t meof 
two weeks, to what amount will this increase 
if the honey-gathering propenriiy is, by judi¬ 
cious treatment, fostered to its fullest capacity 
and retained in this condition throughout a 
long and inviting honey yield ? 
Cortland Co,, N. Y. J. G Bingham. 
rinitifir aui) (Useful 
NE H JERSEY AGRICULTURAL EXPER 
IMENf STATION. 
bulletin no, 13. 
great lights" in the business. The 
practice of bee culture, in accordance with the 
principles involved in this theory, if perse¬ 
vered in, cannot but be productive of results in 
the highest degree satisfactory. It is a fact 
well known to bee keepers, ibat at times and 
under certain conditions colonies of bees, in 
the accumulation of stores and in the general 
economy of the hive, will so far exceed the 
general average of colonies equally strong, as 
to fill the apiarian with astonishment and 
almost persuade him that they are a superior 
kind of bee. Iu my owu practice I nave often¬ 
times had colonies to work with untiring dili¬ 
gence weeks after the labor of others had 
ceased. So, too, eveiy bee keeperiscogn’zmt 
of the superior thrift and industry in which a 
swarm newly made, whether naturally or ar¬ 
tificially, will excel others ly its bide, having 
perhaps twice its number of bees. 
I once had a swarm issue on the last day of 
June from a common box hive, after having 
d 'ggtdly refused to do so for nearly a month, 
the bets all this lime lounging inside and out 
on the sides of the hive without apparently 
increasing the honey stores of the hive. This 
swarm, with about the average number of 
bees, was put iu a frame hive of the capacity 
of uncut 2.200 euhie inches, inside measure 
having a glass in the back with a blind to in¬ 
tercept thu light and darken the chamber. In 
two weeks from the time this swarm was 
hived, such was the extraordinary rapidi y 
with which it worked ihat its hive was filled r... 
overflowing with combs and honey, and 30 
boxes or sections of the capacity of one pound 
each, placed on top. were filled likewise. The 
boxes when filled were taken i IT and an esti¬ 
mate formed of the honey stored in both hive 
and boxes. This estimate could be made with 
some degree of certainly as the weight of the 
hives when empiy had been ascertained and 
OBSTRUCTIONS IN COWS’ TEATS, 
U. 0. B., Lanesborough Pa., has a cow that 
dried ap three-tenths; then gave a full yield 
of milk which came from every teat; but now 
three of her teats give only about half a pint 
at each milking while the other one gives four 
or five quarts, aud our correspondent asks 
the cause of this condition and a remedy 
therefor. 
ANSWER BY PROFESSOR L. B. ARNOLD. 
The cause of stoppage in the 11 >w of milk 
jn cases like the one described by H. C. B., lies 
in tbe dosing of a small aperture located at 
the junction of the teat with the udder, through 
which all the inilk must pa«s to enter the teat- 
A little explanation will make the situation 
clear. The interior of the bovine udder is not, 
as some suppose, a single Back for holding 
milk. While milk is being secreted it is held 
in small reservoirs diet* ibuted through the 
entire substance of tbe udder, varying iu size 
from a pin head to a pea, and in some very 
large milkers, to the size of a cherry. These 
little reservo'ns are all connected by small 
tubes leading from one to another, and finally 
to a central cavity located immediately over 
the teat. There are but two cavities of any 
considerable Bize in each quarter of the bag. 
One of these is the cavity in the teat and the 
other is the eeutral one above it just referred 
to. The two are separated only by a thin par¬ 
tition of tissue covered with the mucous mem¬ 
brane lining the two cavities and forming a 
sort of diaphragm with a hole in its center, 
about the size of a small pea, for admitting 
milk into the teat The relative size and posi¬ 
tion of these two cavities and the separation 
between them will be seen by reference to Fig¬ 
ure 266. The cavity above the teat, like the 
one within it, varies considerably in different 
cows, running from the size of an egg to the 
capacity of a pint or more. 
Where the membrane doubles over to form 
the edge of the hole, it incloses a small tendon 
made up of very flue, elastic fibers, forming a 
ring, which has a connection with muscles 
upon the abdomen under the control of the 
cow’s will ty the contraction or relaxation of 
which she closes or opens the aperture at 
pleasure, so long as the tendon remains in a 
healthy condition. But this little delicate cord 
gets out of order quite easily. By the influence 
ofeoniinued inflammation it often contracts and 
becomes rigid, closing up the aperture for ad¬ 
mitting milk into the teat and thus giving rise 
to the difficulty described by H. C. B. When 
once contracted there is no let-up to its rigidi¬ 
ty. it remains permanently contracted, uuless 
per chance, it may yield a trifle while under 
the influence of some strong laxative. The 
contraction makes a hard bunch, apparently 
about the size of a buck shot or a little larger, 
which may be felt l>y pressing the teat at its 
connection with the udder. 
son, and this year also, there was noue that 
had been fraudulently adulterated. The trans¬ 
parent lumps occasionally seen in unground 
plaster are specimens ot the pure substance, 
eypsuui or sulphate of lime. They are com¬ 
posed of: 
kune .....32.6 per eent 
nulphurie acid. -ki 6 - 
Water ...._ %,'$ •• 
Raw) , 
Most ground gypsum contains at least one 
or two per cent, of hanuiei-s impurities, aud 
some of it contains 20 30 or more per cent, of 
impurities. Iu the plaster from New Yoik 
State the impurities consist mainly of carbon¬ 
ates of lime and magnesia. 
As the plaster is sold for the amount of 
pure gypsum in it. we have only determined 
the percenttge of that substance iu the sam¬ 
ples sent to the 8taiiou. 
Station No. 91-Cayuga Land Plaster; sent 
by John T. Cox. R -adington. 
Station No. 95—Nova Scotia Land Plaster; 
sent by uohu T. Cox, Readiugtou. 
Station No. 112—Nova Scotia Land Plaster 
sent ly Frank P fllines, Carndeu. 
Station No. 113— French's Selected Land 
Plaster; sent bv Frink P. fcllines, Carndeu. 
Station No. 126—Nova Scotia Land Piaster; 
sent by D K Craig. Somerville. 
Station N >. 127—Nova Scotia Lind Plaster ; 
sent t-y D K C aig. 8 <merville. 
Station N>, 128—Onondaga Lind Plaster; 
seut by D K Craig, Somerville. 
Station No. 94—Contains 63 08 per cent, 
pure plaster; coats %6 per ton. 
Station No. y5—Contains 92 78 per cent, pure 
plaster; costs $7 50 per ton. 
Station No. 1L2—Contains 90 23 per cent. 
pure plaster; coats- 
Station No. 113— Contains 98 75 per cent, 
pure plaster; costa $8 per ton. 
Station No. 126—Contains 98 per cent, pure 
plaster; cost! $8 50 per ton. 
Station No. 127—Contains 96 52 per cent, 
pnre plaster; costs $7-50 per ton. 
Station No. 128—Contains 73 03 per cent, 
pure plaster; coat? $6 50 per tou. 
Nos. 91 and 123 coutain considerable quanti¬ 
ties of calcium carbonate. 
Gvpsum or plaster was much used as a fer¬ 
tilizer ou our best farms mauy years ago, but its 
use had fallen oft to a great ex eut, and is uow 
again incteasiog. The reasons for its use are 
derived emiiely from experience. No satis- 
factoi y explanation iu regard to the theory of 
its action has beeu made. Bat farmers fiud it 
bentfljial to sprinkle on manure aud compost 
heaps iu order to fix gases and to rot coarse ma¬ 
nures, in preparing home-made leriil zers, aud 
iu sowing ou joutig clover aud potatoes. 
Some very suggestive experiments as to the 
proper season tor apply lug plaster to crops 
have beeu ma le by Prof. Marker, at the Ex¬ 
perimental S.ation in Halle, Germany. He 
sowed the plaster in March and D member, 
aud while the increased crop was very satis¬ 
factory iu both cases, that followimr the appli¬ 
cation in December was from 15 to 50 per cent, 
greater thau that from the one iu M uch. Tne 
particulars of his experiments are given in the 
annual report of thi- Station. 
Ground Hone. 
Station No. 109— Commonwealth Brae; from 
manufactory of Rafferty & Williams, New 
York. 
Station No. 11S—Pure Ground Brae; from 
uiaimfactoi y of Jas. Depue & Co., Bjlvidere, 
New Jers; y. 
Station No. 119—Swift Sure Bone; from man¬ 
ufactory of M. L. Shoemaker & Co., Phiia. 
as in Figure 267. till it begins to heal. Any 
farmer with ordinary tact can use it without 
the aid of a veterinarian. Bat prevention is 
better than enre. Tbe obstruction can be 
avoided by avoiding tbe causes which prodne’e 
it. Oae of these is high feeding with heat-pro¬ 
ducing food, such as corn meal, before the 
cows come in. The bag in such cases becomes 
unduly swelled and bardeued, and severe and 
long continued inflammation follows with a 
tendeocy to contracting aud closing the ori¬ 
fice us described. Heifers are apt to suffer 
more than old cows lrom this cause. 
Another cause is too much pulling and jerk¬ 
ing down upon the teats in mi king. The teat 
is so intimately connected with the parts which 
surround the passage liable to be closed, that 
violence to the teat affects them. The jerk¬ 
ing method of milking is always objectiona¬ 
ble at any time, but it is especially so when 
there is any inflammation about the udder. 
The most common cause of stoppage arises 
from a want of proper care and skill when 
cows are being dried off. Milk is apt to be 
left too long in the bag. It fills into the cavi*y 
over tbe teals where it lies till it curdles. 
The serum or whey separates and is soon 
absorbed away, hut the curd becomes hard 
and remains till it becomes a serious source 
of irritation and inflammation in the parts 
upon which it rests, and hence is all the 
time tending to induce contraction in the very 
parts where the stoppage occurs. Cows which 
are hard to dry off have the most sensitive 
ndders, and the greater crowd of milk makes 
them much tbe most liable to injury. The 
strictest attention in drying them should al¬ 
ways be observed. 
By watchful care Iu guarding against the 
various causes of obstruction aud giviug 
prompt attention when a case occurs, in ap¬ 
plying the remedies pointed out, many of the 
the good cows which go to the shambles eveiy 
year from having obstructed teats, may be 
6aved for a better fate. 
®{jf ^jnariait 
THE TRUE THEORY OF BEE CULTURE 
While scientific men of all ages and coun¬ 
tries have puzzled their brains to discover the 
principles that govern the growth of vegeta¬ 
tion, in order to improve tue arts and science 
of husbandry, apiariau scieuce, tbe most inter¬ 
esting and profitable of all rural pursuits, has 
been comparatively neglected. Though a few 
important improvements and advantages have 
been secured by a better adaptation aud ar- 
rangiment of tbe habitations to tbe natural 
habits, wants and insiiucts of the insect, the 
true theory of bee culture 1* correctly under¬ 
lie remedy for this misfortune consists in 
forcing open the closed passage. This may be 
done in several ways, two of which will be 
described. The first is to crowd into the pas¬ 
sage a smooth plug of metal, miry, hone, or 
hard wood, as shown in Figure 267. Whatever 
tbe material, it should he well oiled to prevent 
it jury by needless friction, and should have an 
enlargement near the lower end to prevent it 
