to lot me explain and argue the question, this 
model of urbanity and fairness, says I am ••in¬ 
competent to make valuable criticisms, in con¬ 
sequence of being fifty years behind tho times 
and also that I am too old to know what I am 
about, “ being eighty years old," while, in reality, 
I am nearer sixty. 
The proofs that the Magazine adduces in sup¬ 
port of the pointB criticised, are not from estab¬ 
lished authorities, as Qutmuy, Langstroth, and 
others, but from its own correspondents, the 
editor, as I understand, not professing to know 
much about bees. Now. J utterly ignore what 
his irresponsible correspondents may say, my 
pointB being based on authoritative history of the 
honey-bee, as we find it in the best works on the 
subject. But suppose we alloa these correspond¬ 
ents a fair hearing. What does their testimony 
amount to? If “Ink Rlinger” writes that he 
bassoon two queens in a hive, and “both lay¬ 
ing,” is that to be taken as authoritative proof of 
tho allegation? Wlint do wo know about the 
voracity of this man ? Such fellows arc no more 
to be credited, as to seeing two queens laying in 
a hive at the same time, than if they were to say 
that they had discovered that the drono-beos arc 
not the males, and are of no use whatever. But 
the Magazine swallows all such trash as proofs 
that cannot be controverted. To see a queen lay 
one requires an observatory-hive, with a single 
comb, and glass sides : but these modern discov¬ 
erers do not profess to havo any such hivo, aud 
it is sheer folly to consider what they say as hav¬ 
ing any reliability whatever. 
Another w riter in tho Magazine, called in. as I 
believo, for the special purpose of disproving 
my position, said: “ I have often seeu two queens 
in a hive doing service.” What service ? Here 
is a quibble, to make it appear that ho had seen 
two laying queens in the same hive. So have I 
seen two in a hive often ; but not queens that 
were laying—this being the disputed point. In 
swarming-lime several young queens often exist 
for a short time in a hive, “doing service.” 
Then, when a queen becomes too old to lay, a 
young one is often allowed to exist with her 
during a short time, till the old one eithor dies 
or is killed by tho worker bees; but I claim that 
there is no authoritative evidence that both lay 
eggs at tho same time. While an old queen is 
able to Jay slio allows no rival to exist in her 
hivo. To prove that my position is untrue, it 
should bo shown from past authors that two 
queens do sometimes exist in the same hive for 
a season, both laying, a» it follows that if allowed 
so to exist for a week, there is no good reason 
why they may not so exist for months. 
FERTILE WORKERS. 
It is claimed that fertile worker-bees are pro¬ 
duced if somo of the special food prepared by 
bees to develop a queen, is given to workergrubs 
by mistake, tho result being fertile workers, the 
laborers of the family being called worker-bees. 
Huber originally claimed to have made this al¬ 
leged discovery, and to have seen (his assistant, 
he was blind) them deposit eggs. The majority 
of book-writers who followed him, up to Qn.wuv 
and Lanustuotu, stated that they do exist, on 
the strength of what JluiiEft wrote ; but nobody 
iu this country, claimed that lie had m-n a fertile 
worker ; at least, uobody acknowledged as good 
authority. 
Now, I do not say that such boos do uot exist, 
and never have so said; but I claimed in the 
Magazine that the •' proofs were not sufficient"-- 
that is, not sufficient to satisfy all bee-keepers, 
and to show that they do exist on authority as 
strong as exists on ail well-established facts per¬ 
taining to bees. I was going on to say in the 
Magazine that although the proofs of late years 
go to show that, probably, fertile workers do 
exist, yet wo need more direct testimony from 
our scientific apUrUts to establish the alleged 
fact that eggs, laid in hives supposed to be 
queeenless, are not laid by any diminutive queen 
which had escaped observation, as I think may 
bo the caBe. but by veritable fertilized workers. 
This, and much other matter on the subject, I 
desired to say in the Magazine, to qualify and 
explain my position, but I was not allowed to do 
so. I oven think my self that such workers do 
exist; but I want the fact proved beyond all pos- 
eigns of a cutaneous disease, or even of sheep 
tick (Mdophagus minus), dip the entire flock in 
tobacco water. With proper tanks, which every 
shepherd should always keep on hand and in 
good order, both the old sheep and lambs may 
be dipped very rapidly, and at a cost of not more 
than five cents a head, and thereby freedom 
from parasitic posts insured for the season. 
About one pound of tobacco will be required 
for every five gallons of water, and it must be 
steeped in hot water long enough to extract its 
strength. The liquid should be about blood- 
warm when the dipping is performed, and if a 
little flour of sulphur is added, it will increase 
the efficacy of tho solution. A fresh supply of 
the liquid must be kej)t in readiness, in extra ves¬ 
sels provided from the purpose, and the temper¬ 
ature kept up to 100 or a little more. 
Of course, tanks of the psopor size must be 
provided for this purpose, and a tight platform, 
at one side, should be so arranged that as the 
sheep are taken out of the hath, they may rest 
upon it a moment, and the liquid which runs off 
will return to the tank, thereby saving unneces¬ 
sary waBto. 
There are few flocks wliich would not he great¬ 
ly benefited by an annual dipping in a solution 
of tho kind named. If there is no scab among 
them, ticks or somo such pests usually abound, 
oausing much annoyance to the animal, if not a 
positive injury to health. 
to lay in October or November, and a brood in 
May or June will begin to lay about Christmas. 
Thus a winter supply of eggs can be secured by 
having chickens of successive broods, and so 
housing them in tho bleak season of wintor, that 
the damp, cold weather may not depress their 
physical energy so as to prevent the formation 
of eggs. Pullets of the prolific sort at first lay 
every day, if properly treated, until they have 
dropped from twelve to twenty eggs, when they 
usually cease for some days, until the desire for 
incubation arises. During the time fowls are 
molting, bo great are the exhaustion and debil¬ 
ity consequent on the renewal of their feathers, 
AEEANGEMENT OF NESTS, 
IIknr, while laying, are very inquisitive, 
through a desire to find some place where they 
can lay their eggs without being disturbed. It 
is this instinct that leads them to lay astray, as 
they often find a corner so quiet and ac¬ 
creted as to baffle discovery. Acting upon 
this hint from Nature, the breeder should so ar¬ 
range his nests that tho hens may feel a settled 
confidence when they arc en- 
gaged in tho all - important 
business of laying or sitting._ 
Nests should not bo open to n Hj| q 
the full glare of daylight, or i|j|;||| | jp L 
the hens will not feel satis- il||gjj -fl!— 
fled with them. If on a farm I _ „j __ 
or place where brush, piles 
of rails, lumber, etc., arc j i \ 
accessible, they will often M M J f 
WEANING LAMBS 
In a serios of articles on Sheep Husbandry, 
published lately in the Colorado Farmer, wo find 
the following hints on weaning lambs: 
About ninety days is a proper time for the 
lambs to run with their mothers, and when a 
flock is largo enough to Justify a driver of tho 
flock, the iambs that arc dropped the first three 
weeks can be put iu one flock, and the weaning 
can bo done at two times without any injury to 
the younger lambs. Home flock-masters havo 
adopted the erroneous and injurious practice 
of not weaning, or rather depending upon tho 
mother to wean tho lamb. This practice will not 
hurt the lamb, but will koc-p the mother poor, 
ami she will bo likely to fail to havo a lamb the 
coming season or if she does she will bo so weak 
that groat risk will be rnn in wintering her. 
The better plan is to wean the lamb at about 
three months of age, and if any are small then 
give them extra attention in the fall aud early 
winter, and but little risk will bo run in winter¬ 
ing them. Wo havo always found it beBt to 
wean our lambs on the range they havo been in 
the habit of grazing over with their mothers. 
They will be more contented, and by putting iu 
with them a few dry ewes, will soon loarn to herd 
and can be managed with ease. But he sure to 
give them the advantage of good fresh feed, so 
soon as they have forgotten their mother ; don’t 
let them lose their, lamb’s flesh, and there will he 
no difficulty in wintering them. Lambs should 
bo kept separate from tho old sheep, and in win¬ 
ter, especially in cold nights, should not ho kept 
in too large bunches; temporary disisiou Bhould 
be made in their corrals to prevent crowding and 
piling, the chief cause of the loss of lambs in 
cold weather, and this can be prevented by the 
means we havo Suggested. 
Another question an 1 an important one pre¬ 
sents itself for tho consideration of sheepmen 
who contemplate entering thin business exten¬ 
sively. Unless the General Government shall 
legislate so that large tracts of our waste and 
barren lands can be purchased at a very low 
price per acre, or that large areas can be leased 
as in Australia, it is useless in Colorado to expect 
to own and control, in one place, great hands of 
sheep, as are held in New Mexico oti the land 
grants of that Territory. Five thousand sheep 
are about as many as can bo conveniently and 
profitably held on one range, and smaller num¬ 
bers arc better. But in our opinion this is much 
better for our State, the smaller the flocks the 
more people we will have, and w ith people come 
the other advantages of civilization over the 
frontier. 
SCAB IN SHEEP 
In looking at quite a number of different flocks 
of sheep, I observed that many ot the sheep had 
their wool all hanging in fragments from their 
sides. Is it the mild weather we havo had of 
late, or vermin on the sheep, that causes their 
wool to come oil ?—J. L. Hervky. 
The loss of wool iH in consequeuce of a skin 
disease called “ scab," wliich is closely allied to 
mange in horses and itch iu human beings. It 
is caused by a minute parasite, sometimes re¬ 
ferred to as an insect; but it would be more 
nearly correct to call it a “ mite,” as it is not a 
true insect, scientifically speaking. There are 
many species of these mites or acari which in¬ 
fest our domestic animals; in fact, none of t hose 
is entirely exempt from tho attacks of these 
pests, when the conditions are favorable for their 
appearance. 
M. Walz, a German veterinarian, in speaking 
of the species of aoarus infecting sheep, says : 
“ If one or more female acari are placed on the 
wool of a sound sheep, they quickly travel to 
root of it, and bury themselves in the skin, the 
place at which they penetrated being scarcely 
visible, or only distinguished by a minute red 
point. On the tenth or twelfth day a little swell¬ 
ing may be detected with the finger, aud tho 
skin changes its color and has a greenish-blue 
tint. The pustule is now rapidly formed, and 
about the sixteenth (lay breaks; aud the mothers 
Again appear, with their young attached to their 
feet, aud covered by a portion of shell of tho 
egg front which they have just escaped. The 
newly-hatched mites immediately penetrate the 
neighboring skin, and bury themselves beneath 
it, as did their parents before them; and thus 
tho numbers multiply and rapidly spread over 
tho poor animal upon which they have once 
found a lodgment. The male acari, placed on 
the skin of sheep, were also found to burrow into 
it and disappear for a while, a postule forming 
over them, as with the other sex.” 
It may readily be seen from the above descrip¬ 
tion that those parasites could scarcely fail to 
produce cutaneous eruptions, which would de¬ 
stroy the roots of the wool and cause it to fall 
off. 
Sickly, poor, half-starved animals, which are 
exposod to cold storms in winter, are the first to 
be attacked by this parasite, as really healthy 
animals, carefully cared for, resist tire attacks ef 
such pests; but when very numerous they pass 
over what would seem to be natural barriers, and 
the best animal of the flock will succumb to their 
disastrous advances. 
To prevent scab, keep tho sheep healthy by 
giving them an abundance of good food and 
shelter from storms at all seasons, in dry, clean 
sheds or barns. Then, at every shearing-time, 
examine the skin carefully, and if there are any 
Fig. 2.—End Section and Nest. 
Tire whole is constructed portable. A plat¬ 
form of boards, two feet wide (length according 
to tire number of nests), is laid on trestles fif¬ 
teen inches high, as shown by end section Pig. 2. 
Another platform tho size of first, sot on small, 
upright pieces, one foot above the other, forms 
the roof over tho nests. Above this a perch can 
he sot on blocks a few inches above the platform. 
The front is all formed into doors a little over a 
foot wide, hung with hinges at the bottom and 
fastening with little Laif-bufctoUs at the top, so 
that when closed tho buttons do not stick up so 
as to louder the scraping clean of (ho floor under 
the perch. A round hole in each door admits 
light enough to allow the hens to find the nests, 
and permits one to see when they are on them. 
At each end of a row of nests, Ibavo a spaco for 
the entrance of the hens, as shown in Fig. 1. 
Tho nests are boxos one foot square and five 
inches deep, with one side ton inches high ; this 
side, tnrnod to the next nest, forms a partition. 
This is better than fixture partitions, as all the 
spaco can be readily cleansed. The nests should 
be drawn forward close to tho doors in front, so 
as to leave room for the birds to pass along be¬ 
hind them, as shown at E (Fig. 2). Between 
the row of nests and the floor is a space divided 
into compartments for sitting hens. Here tho 
nests rest on the floor. Tho partitions and fronts 
are lath slats, hinged at the tops (leather hinges 
will do), bo that those not required may be fast¬ 
ened up, thus giving the sitting liens more room. 
Hinge the fronts for doors, supply each hen 
with cups of food aud water, and plenty of dry 
dust. 
This arrangement saves all quarreling and 
changing of nests, breaking of eggs, and the 
necessity of watching to see tha t each hen goes 
on her own nest. After the hatching season is 
over, tlieso lower partitions can be removed, to 
give the fovvl3 all the floor room. A good way 
is to coat all these fittings with crude petroleum 
and keep ashes on the top, under the perch, to 
facilitate cleaning off. H. Hales. 
fliK iljmtrum 
TV/0 QUEEN BEES IN A HIVE 
Adtuohitative writers everywhere, have laid 
down tho rule that but one reigning queen is 
ever allowed to exist in a hive at one time; 
but tho Bee-Keepers’ Magazine has made the 
discovery, as it claims, that two reigning queens 
do sometimes live peaceably together, "doing 
service.” A correspondent of that paper said: 
“I had four hives iu which were two queens at 
the same time : in one of which both were de¬ 
positing eggs.” This I criticised as follows: 
“Then all the writings of scientific apiarists for 
the lost half century must go for naught, as re- 
gftvda the well-established fact, that in no case 
were two (dying queens ever known to exist in 
the same hive.” For saying this, after- refusing 
LAYING 
Pullets hatched in March or April, will begin 
