The running after a stranger who happens to 
come in their way, or the listless staring around 
them, dull eye and rough plumage, at once tells 
its own tale, and the owner need not take the 
trouble to tell you how he feeds them. 
To bring fowls up to a laying condition takes 
several weeks after molting, so that the sooner 
it is commenced the sooner they will begin lay¬ 
ing. If left to drag along through tho winter 
with negligence and poor feeding, your hens 
will not lay until tho weather allows them to run 
out and find some change of food, material for 
shell, eto., as nature requires. These can be 
supplied with but little trouble, while the eggs 
produced in tho dear season will well repay you 
for the extra attention yon have given to the 
comfort of your hens. h. h. 
Whatever the result to our opinion of the flea's 
mental powers, one can hardly avoid admiring 
the ingenuity with which the ‘‘stage property” 
has been fitted to its purpose, and the beauty of 
the models and apparatus. 
The exhibitor claims to feed his swarm on his 
own arm, which exhibited a sufficiency of punc¬ 
tures. His whole company may be packed into 
a shaving-box and put in his coat-tail pocket. 
Ho claims to have originated the exhibition forty 
years ago. 
The performances may be divided into two 
classes: first, by fleas attached to a movable 
object; and second, by fleas attached to an im¬ 
movable object. The former (with one excep¬ 
tion) are employed in pulling, pushing, or carry¬ 
ing some object about. This portion of the ex¬ 
hibition is a genuine -exposition of the very 
extraordinary strength in proportion to its size, 
which i 3 possessed by this little insect. Small 
and beautifully executed models of horse-cars, 
vessels, coaches, a wheelbarrow, butterfly, etc., 
are pulled about, each by a single flea attached 
firmly to a minute pole or wire, extending from 
or under the object. Small bits of Bilk, tissue 
paper or other light material are attached to the 
knot on the flea's back, and by courtesy are 
termed dresses, or equestrians as the case may 
BREEDING FOR QUALITIES.- -No. 3 
lx my last two articles tinder this head, I 
showed tho reasons of fowls tending to certain 
colors, by the laws of reversion to original 
types, and that tho tendency tc such reversion 
lies dormant for any length of time until favor¬ 
able occasions occur for their re-development. 
Wo will now consider the influence of domesti¬ 
cation on tho color and form of fowls. 
With all animals bred under domestication 
comes a now color. I allude to White. It mat¬ 
ters not what tho original natural oolors were, 
White shows itself on all domostio animals. 
(Zalina BanJtivct shows no such color, and yet 
what a great part White plays in our beautiful 
varieties of fowls I Some persons confound 
In with Albinoiam. It is not so in all cases 
TREATMENT OF CANARY BIRDS, 
I saw in your paper of two weeks ago an 
inquiry how to restore the song of canary birds. 
The following has been my experience. A friend 
of mine gave roe a bird that had not sung for 
over a year. I treated it as follows: 
Canary birds, as well as all kinds of “ human 
birds," must have variety in their food. I put 
in one seed cup oat meal, in another, seed mixed 
as follows:—One pound canary and one-half 
pound rape seeds, putting on tho top of this 
seed cup about one dozen hemp seeds daily, and 
part of the time leaving out tho hemp and giving 
a little good fresh lettuce seed, say 20 or 30seeds 
daily, not too much or it will make the bird 
drunk and dumpish. Liang also in tho cage a 
nice piece of salt pork as well as a good 
cuttlo bone. After treating the bird in this 
way, for three or four weeks, T procured another 
canary, a fine free songster, and hung it in tho 
hearing but out of Bight of my bird, and in a 
very short time I had as good a singer as I could 
wish. He has sung ever since, through molt¬ 
ing and all. Most peoplo are afraid of getting 
their birds in too good condition, but remember 
you must not get them fat on hemp seed for 
that seed is their candy and cake. 
C. H. Sherwood. 
73 ;tf Southwest St., Syracuse, N. Y. 
The proprietor statos that the weight of a flea 
is about 0.05 of a grain, or, if well fed, 0.1 grain. 
He states that the model of the street car ex¬ 
hibited weigbB one hundred and twenty grains 
or about twelve hundred times the weight of the 
flea which drags it. Whether these figures bo 
precisely nccurate-or not, it is a very remarkable 
eft'irt, for so small a creature. Vigorous speci¬ 
mens arc 3aid to occur which are able to pull 
even a considerably larger weight. 
The flea.s from dogs are less strong than the 
human pars site, and require more frequent 
feeding. Tho ordinary flea will remain four 
days, it is said, without injury for want of nour¬ 
ishment, and will live for weeks, though dimin¬ 
ishing in weight. They are said to live about a 
year; the performers average eight months, but 
one is recorded by tho proprietor as having lived 
twenty-three months in his possesion, tho last 
two of which were passed in a state of great 
weaknoBB. 
It was noticeable that the surface over which 
the fleas dragged their burdens was composed of 
compact blotting paper on which their hooklets 
took good bold, and that whenever the perform¬ 
ance of nny one individual was not going on, the 
particular object to which it was attached was 
laid on its side, or so that the insect was left, 
feet in air, where it could not exhaust itself by 
unnecessary efforts. I think that tho absence 
of any proof of education in tho abovo 
Wbi 
of White. 
This addition of White at the hands of the 
breeder, with all tho colors of the Gamo fowl, 
can bo so blended, expanded, or modified as to 
give a range of coloring that covers all our va¬ 
rieties of domestic poultry, from beautiful Sil¬ 
ver Dnckwing Game (misprinted “ Olive " in my 
last) to the stately Whito Cochin, Black Span¬ 
ish, Dark Brahma, Polish, Hamburgs, or Leg¬ 
horns; in fact, all tho last variety strongly 
resembles its original prototype. Black, in do¬ 
mestication, deems to have an affinity to White, 
often intruding where pure Black is desired. It 
is easier to breed from pure Black to pure 
White, or from White to Black, by breeding 
birds of each color together, and selecting from 
the young birds of either color to breed from 
again, than to obtain it in any other way. ThiB 
is probably the way JJlnck Hamburgs wore first 
obtained. The size and shape of their eggs re¬ 
semble the Spanish, and many of the highest 
valued birds, as they got old, show moro or less 
whito of tho ear lobe, extending into the face, 
while tho form and size of tho birds somewhat 
resemble the Spanish breed. 
Every breeder who ban handled Black Cochins 
knows the difficulty of producing fine, largo, 
Asiatic-formed bodies, perfectly black. This 
shows that/orro is partly inherited with color in 
Borne cases. Tho Plymouth Pvoeks also show 
this. Some strains of this breed have a strong 
Asiatic build, and tho “ fancy ’’ have not yet de¬ 
cided which form shall be the ruling one. 
Flo aides tho natural game colors and tho do¬ 
mestic White, thcro is another class of color and 
marking, hard to account for—that is, Slate or 
Gray (called by many people Blue), with barred 
or Cuckoo markings, as seen in the Dominique. 
This is a very strong oblitcrator of other color* 
when crossed with them ; and rather singular, 
although it is a color spoken of very anciently, 
and waa once a Dorking color. E have had first 
croBaeB from Dominique hens and a Dorking 
cock that had their Dorking colors entirely lost, 
making beautiful Dominique-colored Dorkings; 
oven tbo cockerels were moro evenly marked 
than most Dominiques. I think it singular from 
tho faot that Gray Dorking colors predominate 
very strongly in most crosses, although pure 
Dorkings are bard to breed truo to color, on ac¬ 
count of their strong tendency to Brown and 
Yellow-, with White splash on breast, like Duck¬ 
wing Games. I think it probable an experienced 
breeder, by selection, could build up a. hardier 
and larger - sized variety of Brown Dorkings. 
This would supply a want long felt. A large 
breed of profitable farm and table fowls, 
with delicato flesh, good layers, mothers that 
attend to all their own duties, and having a 
rnodorato idea of the contents of your granary 
and not afraid to go from under its shadows to 
help themselves. Henry Hales. 
NOTES ON BEE-KEEPING, 
R. H. Mellen writing to Gleanings in Bee 
Culturo throws out some valuable hints to Bee 
keepers which aro worth remembering. 
HOW TO WINTER. 
In tho outset, let mo nay that I have never lost 
a stock in wintering or springing. Whether it is 
owing to tho management, care, or way of pre¬ 
paring for winter, I will leave it for your readers 
to judge. 
I prepare my hives for wintering early—don’t 
wait unttl cold weather comos. Most of thorn 
are niado to use side boxes as well as 
top,. and of course when tho boxes aro 
removed and contracting boards put iu 
their place, it gives a chance to stuff tho 
sides and top with fine cut straw or dry leaves, 
six inches thick. This year I have thrown away 
contracting boards altogether for wintering pur¬ 
poses and have made mats of unbroken 170 straw. 
I place mats at the buIcb, fitting and pressing 
them in close and tight, thou by making tho top 
mat a littlo larger than to cover tho frames, 
bending tho ends of top mat down over tho tops 
of side mats, I have almost a straw hive which I 
havo filled in with straw as before. I place them 
in this condition in the cellar, which is largo, dry 
and dark, about IJJov. 20 tli after tbo bees have 
had a good fly—setting them two foot from thp 
ground, removing covers and opening entrances 
about tbo samo as in summer. I take them out 
about the 10 th of March if the weather is suitable 
and never havo returned them again to thecelkr. 
Now inurk. I let this packing remain until time 
to put on boxes, and it scorns to mo this Is one of 
the main uses of packing. Tho result with mo 
has been hives just boiling over with bright, 
strong, healthy boos, ready for tho harvest when 
it should come. 
WHEN TO PUT ON BOXES. 
I see tho above question is often asked. This 
“no fellow can find out” as an invariable rule. 
Tt is a matter of judgment, subject to certain 
conditions. I seo tho question answered, “when 
the hive is full of honey." According to my 
ideas, that is a little too late, friend Novice. 
With tho hive full of bees and applo blossoms 
out, put on top boxes and perhaps boxes on one 
side. This season for instance, I put boxes on 
- with tbo abovo conditions and tho consequenco 
was. I had xny boxes half full of nice new comb 
and honey, before tho wild crab-apple and wild 
plum wore gone, to say nothing of our orchard 
blossoms. 
APPLE BLOSSOM H0NET, HOW TO UTILIZE IT. 
Tlio honey obtained is scarcely merchantable, 
but the beauty of it is, tho boos will use it out of 
I the boxes to raiBO young bees, and so have tho 
combs in boxes all ready prepared for tho white 
clover harvest. Now if the above conditions, or 
something like them do not exist, don't bo in a 
hurry to put on boxes, would be my advice. So 
after all, we can but say, it is a matter of judg¬ 
ment subject to certain conditions, and leave it. 
TOO MUCH MONET, JUST ENOUGH, 
I see questions asked and instructions given in 
almost every beo journal as to what should bo 
the condition of stocks when prepared for winter. 
Almost all advise “if the hive is too full of honey 
extract it from at hast two combs in the center,” 
Ac. So would I if I evor found such a one; but 
I never did when the stock was in a normal con¬ 
dition. A weak swarm of bees no bee-man can 
afford to winterdouble them up. If there is 
one thing more than another in bee culture that 
I believe in, it is strong stocks; and anything 
that will bring about such a condition of things 
will lead to success. How much pumping out 
does such a swarm need after setting out from 
the close of the honey season Until tho lari, of 
November? Not much! That hive full of 
[ honey and bees, well packed and put in tho cellar, 
will come out in the spring with some 10 or 15 
lbs. le*s in stores, strong in numbers, littlo or no 
dwindling if the packing remains, plenty or stores 
to keep up breeding, and will be fully ready for 
the honey harvest when It shall come. 
MULTIPLICATION OF THE APHIDIDAE 
Prof. Owen's lectures on Comparative Anato¬ 
my will afford some explanation of the extraor¬ 
dinary numbers in which those creatures some¬ 
times occur. “Tbo Aphis lanigera produces 
each year ten viviparous broods, and one which 
is oviparous, and each generation averages 100 
individuals. 
1 st (feneration produces 1 anliis. 
2 d toil one hundred. 
3d 10,000 ten thousand. 
4 th 1 ,mxi,000 one million. 
5tU 100, 000 ,000 one hundred millions. 
filh 10 000,000,1X10 ten hdlions. 
7th i.oihi.ooo.ooo.ou) one Trillion. 
8th 100,000,000,000,144) one hundred trillions. 
9th 10,000,1X4),coo,000,1X4) leu quntriUians. 
Wth 1.0OO,C00,000.00O,l4)u,0(X) one Iiutntillion. 
If the oviparous generation bo added to this, you 
will havo thirty times greater results.” 
Multiply tbo abovo by about 250, for each 
generation, and yen havo tho ratio of increaso 
in mosquitos, or by 1 , 200 , and it givos that of the 
Colorado potato beetle, but there are not quite 
as many broods in a season. 
cases is 
quite plain. 
In the second class of cases tho efforts made 
by the flea to escape are precisely the same, but, 
being fixed itself, it must necessarily show its 
power by traction upon some movable object or 
by aimless gesticulations in tho air. 
Generally the insect is attached to a sort of 
style or wiro in a perpendicular position with the 
head upperrooBt and the limbs extended horizon¬ 
tally. Usually it will remain quiet, but if dis¬ 
turbed by the vibration of its wiro, as produced 
by knocking on tire table, it will work its limbs 
about, seeking something to take hold of. If, 
then, segments of finest wiro, fans of tissue 
paper, or other representations of objeots in 
miniature are attached to its fore “ feet,” we 
shall havo it apparently brandishing a stick or 
sword, fnuuing. performing on a musical instru¬ 
ment, etc., all of which is much more clearly 
seen with the aid of a lively imagination. 
Two fleas furnished with segments of finest 
wire on their fore “ feet,” and placed with their 
ventral sides so uoar that the mimic swords can 
touch, but not the insects’ foet, give & represen¬ 
tation of a duel not much worse than that usual 
in most theatres. In their struggles to reach 
the adjacent object, it would be strange if the 
little wires did not clash occasionally. 
“Madame Lenormand,” “Rehekah at the 
Well,” and a flea turning a miniature windmill 
are brought, each on its perch, so near an end¬ 
less chain of ingeniously minute workmanship, 
that their hooklets catch in the links, and they 
eagerly seize the opportunity of pulling them¬ 
selves, as they suppose, away from their bonds. 
The only result is that a littlo pointer turns to a 
number on a dial, a little bucket comes out of a 
well-curb, or tho mill goes round. A similar but 
horizontally applied motion propels a little merry- 
go-round. 
The moat amusing and. at first, most incom¬ 
prehensible of the various performances, is that 
of the dancing fleaB. The orchestra are placed 
above a little music-box. whose vibrations cause 
them to gesticulate violently for a few moments, 
fastened as they are to their posts. Below them 
several pairs of fleas (fastened by a little bar to 
each other in pairB. those of each couple just so 
far apart that they oannot touch each other) are 
apparently waltzing; an inspection shows that 
the two composing each pair are pointed in oppo¬ 
site wavs; each tries to run away, the “parallel¬ 
ogram of forces " is produoed , the forward in¬ 
tention, converted to a rotary motion, ludicrously 
imitating the habits of certain higher verte¬ 
brates. 
I have sketched the plan of the performance, 
and it will be noticed that there is nothing in it 
which cannot be explained on the hypothesis 
with which we set out, namely, that all the effects 
produced may be the reBult of the natural efforts 
of the insect to escape, the burden of proof being 
with those inclined to a contrary opinion. 
A DOG’S INTELLIGENCE 
The following good story of the intelligence 
of a dog is told in tho Boston Herald, and we do 
not doubt its truthfulness, having known equal¬ 
ly as much intelligence displayed by dogs our¬ 
selves Recently a young man was driving a 
loaded team near Southfield, Ii. L, when the 
lineb-pin of tho wagon broke, throwing the 
driver out, and rolling a barrel of cider upon 
him, and breaking his leg in two places. In 
this sail position he availed himself of the intel¬ 
ligence of a 8 t. Bernard dog, which had accom¬ 
panied him. Taking from his pockets a pencil 
and piece of paper, and writing what had befal¬ 
len him, he tied the paper to the dog’s collar, 
and told him to “ go home.” The faithful dog 
did so, and assistance came to him within 
an hour. 
CONDITION AND WINTER LAYING, 
So much has been said and written about this 
subject that some may think that it is too old a 
story, yet I venture to put in another word. 
Fowls, to lay well in winter, must bo coaxed, as 
it were, to it, in order to increase their natural 
capacity, because it is not strictly in accordance 
with nature for them to lay in such extreme 
cold weather as our Northern winters. So we 
must first look to the reasons of their not laying 
and try to remedy them. 
As fowls lay all winter in moderate climates, 
we may conclude that cold is on© of tho hin¬ 
drances. Of coarse the first thing to attend to 
is warmth, having good, tight biiildingB, and a 
sheltered situation—a place for them outside, 
protected from snow and cold storms. The next 
thing required is proper internal arrangements, 
as noted in my last in “SeasonableHints." 
It cannot be expected that birds will be ready 
to lay as soon as their owners commence their 
attentions. Condition is the thing needful to 
bring on laying. No hen out of condition can 
be expected to lay. This is a matter many peo¬ 
ple do not observe, but tjio experienced fancier 
or breeder does not need a, second glance at a 
flock of birds to see exactly their condition . 
PRINTING PRESSES, 
W. B. Gorham & Co., Boston, Mass., are de¬ 
voting their energies to printing presses and 
linen markers at present, and with an eye single 
to securing perfection, are offering some of the 
nicest goods in their line. 
Their presses range in prioe from one dollar to 
over one hundred dollars, and are suited to am¬ 
ateurs or professional printers. Their one-dol- 
lar linen marker commends itself to the careful 
housewife and others for its completeness and 
compactness. Circulars, giving full information, 
will be furnished by writing as above. 
“Off Boston Ljobt” is the title of a very 
pretty chromo issued by J. Latham & Co., Bos¬ 
ton, Mhb. 4 , When a house includes such good 
art specimens In tlieir outfits, it is not to be 
wondered at that this receives good agents. 
E. B. H., Mattapoisett, Mass., wants a ma¬ 
chine for grinding bone, called the Atmospheric 
Centrifugal Machine, 
