SEPT S3 
633 
THE RURAL 
«* 
s not conclusive . They are non-workers, and 
are herded to starve. Has any one ever seen 
a drone uncapping honey ? Though I have 
watched observing hives long and closely, I 
have yet to see the drones do any work except 
to sip the honey already prepared. 
It is certainly true that the drones supply 
some animal heat to the hive, and no doubt 
this is considerable, as their nutrition is very 
active ; but this could be done as well by 
workers, which would do other valuable work, 
at the same time. Thus the ripening of honey, 
and the supplying of heat to mature the 
brood and hatch the eggs, would be just as 
effectually secured with the hive full of work 
ers, as to have it filled with the great idle 
gormands, the drones. 
Let us look now at the natural economy of 
the bees, and we shall see in that positive proof 
that Dzierzon here, as elsewhere, spoke only 
after mature thought and observation. 
First, when does the colony most need the 
heat ? Surely in the early Spring, just when 
there are no drones. Again, who has not seen 
new colonies come forth, take possession of a 
new aud empty hive, fill it with comb brood, 
honey, etc., and also fill a full set of sections, 
and all this with no drones. Did the bees 
blunder ? Again, those of us that believe that 
good sense requires that we secure our drones 
as well as our queens from our best stock have 
looked to it that many of our colonies were 
entirely without drones, not without great 
pains, to be sure, and yet could we see any 
evil results ? Several of my colonies are now 
without a single drone, and yet they are doing 
grandly on the basswood, which is now yield¬ 
ing richly of the finest honey. Again, when 
the drones are the most numerous we need no 
extra heat. In fact, there is often too much. 
That extra heat is not needed then, is clearly 
shown in swarming, when all of the old bees 
have flown away and left only the nurse 
bees, and often not a single drone, as I have 
often seen, and yet the brood lives and ma¬ 
tures, and the colony soou becomes strong, 
and, unless prevented, will often swarm once, 
twice or thrice more. As to the sealing of the 
honey, there will be no trouble about that 
if the colony is strong and is kept at work. 
The last was a very cold Spring, and yet 
several of my hives that have not any drones 
have sealed the honey more than I desired, 
as I prefer to extract before the honey is 
sealed. It seems to me that any one can, by 
a little experiment and observation, demon¬ 
strate that Dzierzon is entirely right, and that 
the only function of the drones is to fecundate 
tho queens, and that any other purpose is 
secondary and may be dispensed with, with no 
detriment, but the rather with positive good 
to the bees. 
Some physiologist may say, Nature does 
not feed for nothing, and ask how do you ex¬ 
plain the active nutrition of the drones with 
the theory of no work. In answer I would 
say that the drones must have several mil¬ 
lions of sperm cells ready to be used at any 
time, and that very likely with drones as 
with higher males, these cells must be con¬ 
stantly grown and supplied, so we see that 
the drone, like the queen, is not idle, in a 
functional sense. Langstrotb, then the great 
Dzierzon of America, was doubtless right in 
his explanation of the excessive number of 
drones. In nature the colonies are very likely 
isolated, and in forests the queens, as they fly 
forth to mate, are very liable to attack and 
capture by birds, aud so that their absence 
from the himay be shortened, drones are 
multitudinous. In domestication the bees are 
massed, and the drones from one colony are 
fully efficient to do the whole work. It is 
wise then, as demonstrated by the experience 
of our best apiarists, to cut short the drones, 
and by use of foundation, cutting out drone 
comb, and shaving off the heads of the drone 
brood, to limit the number of these useless 
hangers-on of the hive. We are well aware 
that with very strong colonies, especially be¬ 
fore swarming, and before the bees com¬ 
mence working in the sections, it is not al¬ 
ways easy to keep the drones out, but I do it. 
It takes no little vigilance. In working for 
extracted honey I find it quite easy to reduce 
the number of drones, or to entirely exclude 
them. 1 close, then, with the assertion that 
Dzierzon is right in this matter, and I advise 
all to let their practice be directed by Dzier- 
zon’a theory. Keep strong colonies, and I will 
warrant that the brood, ripening of the honey, 
and success will come as surely as the flowers 
secrete the nectar for the bees to gather. 
Ag. Col., Lansing, Mich. 
Sljffp j^usbnnfrnj. 
LINCOLN SHEEP. 
(See page 630.) 
Lincoln sheep are the heaviest of all sheep 
in existence. A 40-month-old sheep of this 
breed has weighed, dressed, 96}^ pounds a 
quarter; a two-year-old shear, 91 pounds a 
quarter, dressed, and a yearling, 71 pounds, 
dressed, pier quarter. When two years old, 
they usually dress 120 to 160 pounds, dead 
weight. The Lincoln wool is used for worsted 
goods, and is lustrous and long, measuring 
nine inches or more; the fleeces usually weigh 
from six to ten pounds each, and often run 
over this weight. There is one instance on 
record where pounds of wool were taken 
from a 14-month old ram! The original stock 
of this breed was a race of heavy-bodied sheep 
which inhabited the low, alluvia! flats of 
Lincolnshire and the adjoining districts on 
the eastern coasts of England. After Bake- 
well’s Improved Leioeeters had won celebrity 
the Lincolnshire breeders crossed some of the 
rams on their large, coarBe, shaggy ewes, and 
thus, in course of time, established a distinctly 
new breed of sheep, which have become tbe 
heaviest producers of mutton and wool in the 
world. In England they are localized mainly 
on low, rich alluvial lands, where heavy crops 
of roots and green fodder are the ch ef pro¬ 
ductions, and it is found that they can thrive 
only on the richest soii with succulent her¬ 
bage and under the best management. They 
have been introduced to a limited extent into 
tbe United States, where they have been 
crossed to a considerable extent with the 
Leicesters and Cotswolds. It appears very 
questionable whether there is in our system of 
agriculture any place where Lincoln sheep 
can be profitably raised. 
The Oxford Down Sheep, as explained in 
the Rural of September2, is a comparatively 
new breed, having been first accorded a separ¬ 
ate class at tbe fairs as late as 1862. It is a 
cross between a Cotswold ram and a H imp- 
shire Down ewe, the progeny being a sheep 
heavier than the dam and resembling the Cots 
wold in size, but the wool is firmer and finer, 
being from five to seven inches long. At 14 
months this breed will yield a carcass of 80 to 
88 pounds and a fleece of eight to nine pounds 
of wool in great demand for worsted manu¬ 
facture. In England the Oxfords are found 
hardy; but those that have been introduced 
from time to tinn into this country, have re¬ 
quired a great deal of care to keep them in 
good condition. 
Societies. 
VERMONT STATE PAIR. 
(Rural Special Report.) 
The annual fair of the Vermont State Agri¬ 
cultural Society, and the Champlain Valley 
Association, was held at Howard Park, Bur¬ 
lington, Vt., Sept. 12-15. This was the first 
meeting of the two associations, and when I 
say that it was in every way a success, I re¬ 
peat only the words of those who were in 
attendance. The grounds, comprising 30 
acres, beautifully located on the east shore of 
Lake Champlain and overlooking the Adiron¬ 
dack Mountains, are among the finest I know 
of. They slightly undulate toward the lake, 
are fitted up in the most approved style, and 
the new and tasteful buildings do honor both 
to the Society and the originators. Many of 
the buildings, together with the magnificent 
entrance, have been only just completed, and 
deservedly have the approbation of every one 
interested in the promotion of agriculture; for 
here these societies intend to hold their an¬ 
nual meetings for years to come. The main 
entrance is in the form of an arch, 34 feet 
high, supported by handsome pillars, and 
surmounted by a flag-pole 36 feet high. It is 
built in the Queen Anne style and handsomely 
decorated The grand stand, 264 feet long by 
31 feet wide; the Machinery Hall, 150x50 
feet, together with a fine Mechanics and 
Floral Hall, are all handsomely slated over 
and do credit to the spacious and elegant 
grounds. 1 have, in fact, only words of 
praise, and extend a hearty God-speed to the 
officers and members of these societies, and 
hope they may be the means of doing great 
good in advancing the agricultural interest in 
the territory where their influence extends. 
The attendance on Wednesday and Thurs¬ 
day was very large, but owing to a severe 
storm of rain, accompanied by a strong wind, 
the attendance on Friday was small. 
The exhibit of cattle was good. There were 
shown 37 head of Jerseys, 58 of Ayrshires, 
which included 15 head from the herd of L. 8. 
Drew, the genial host of the American Hotel; 
40 head of Devons, a number of Holstems, and 
several natives and grades. Only one Here¬ 
ford was seen on ihe ground. There was a 
fine show of sheep, for which this State is 
famous. For some reasons not known only 
four pens of swine were exhibited. But alto¬ 
gether the stock exhibit did credit to this the 
first meeting, and I presume as the societies 
advance in years they will find the number of 
exhibits in live stock greatly augmented. The 
Poultry Department was small in number of 
exhibits and the birds were hardly of the best 
quality. 
The Floral and Mechanics’ Hall was well 
filled with goods, mostly from local exhibi¬ 
tors. Prominent among them was a display 
made by C. C. Post, the sugar-makers’ friend. 
He showed the practical workings of his 
famous Eureka sap spouts and patent buckets. 
The exhibit was tastefully arranged, and was 
the center of attraction to all lovers of sweet 
things. Wells, Richard^n & Co. also had a 
fine exhibit. Their space was handsomely 
decorated with flags and bunting, colored in a 
number of shades with their popular dyes. In 
their exhibits were also specimens of the Fer¬ 
guson Creamer}', models of neatness and 
practical utility. 
The agricultural implement display was not 
so large as on some other State Fair grounds; 
but while this is true, another point is equally 
true—that the exhibit comprised only the 
best and most approved kinds of machinery: 
no useless or out-of date inventions were 
shown, and here the farmers had ample op¬ 
portunity of thoroughly inspecting those 
implements which interested them the most, 
and from which they could gain valuable 
information. 
The Walter A. Wood Mowing and Reap¬ 
ing Machine Company, Hoosick Falls, N. 
Y., showed one of their self-binding harvesters 
in operation and many visitors for the first 
time saw the workings of this practical and 
renowned harvester. Reapers were also 
shown by the same company, and the Gregg 
and Buckeye were also on exhibition. 
The Meadow King, Wood, Buckeye, Clipper, 
Eureka, Champion and Harrington Inclosed 
Gear mowers were shown. The Richardson 
Manufacturing Co , showed the Kemp Manure 
Spreader. The Gregg, La Dow’s Patent, J. H. 
Thomas & Sons’, Yankee, New Champion, and 
New Eugland Tiger rakes all received due 
attention. 
The Mudgett, Bullard and American Hay 
Tedders were each critically examined by 
those interested in this class of needed imple¬ 
ments. The Osborne, Wiard, Casaday and 
Buckeye sulky plows and plow sulkies 
created a great deal of interest. Plows of the 
Syracuse Plow Company, the Oliver Chilled, 
Ames’ Plow Co., and the Patrick were on 
exhibition, but the finest and largest display 
of plows on the ground was made by the 
Wiard Plow Co., of Batavia, N. Y. 
J. M. Childs & Co., Utica, N. Y., exhibited 
the Albion Seeder and Harrow, Iron Turbine 
Wind-mills, and other specialties in which 
they deal. The Eclipse Wind-mill and the 
Saline Standard were shown in operation. 
A. G. Peirce, one of Burlington’s most enter¬ 
prising agricultural implement dealers,showed 
the Ross feed and ensilage cutters and also a 
full line of his special implements. The 
Victor feed cutter was also exhibited. 
Horse powersand thrashers were exhibited by 
A. W. Gray’s Sons,and tbe St. Albans Foundry. 
Several harrows were shown, among which 
the Acme claimed special attention. 
Everett & Small, of Boston, showed the La 
Dow Disc harrow, the Matchless plow and 
the Mathews’ seed drill. The Dederick, 
Naramore and International hay presses 
were all shown in operation. The Cooley, 
Moseley and Ferguson Bureau creamers at¬ 
tracted the attention of dairyman. Among 
the different implements deserving of a special 
mention, aud which claim the attention of our 
readers, are the following: 
The display made by the Vt. Farm Ma¬ 
chine Co., Bellows Falls, Vt., consisted of 
Cooley Creamers of four styles,—the Senior 
and Junior, Elevator and Cabinet. This 
company are pioneers in the creamery busi¬ 
ness, and th eir goods may lie found in nearly 
every dairy in the U. S. They have been 
awarded premiums and diplomas in more in¬ 
stances than any other manufacturers of simi¬ 
lar apparatus, and thousands of users are loud 
in their praises of the success attending the 
use of their outfits. Not only do these cream¬ 
ers meet with approbation, but in nearly all 
eases where butter is eutered for premiums, 
that made by the Cooley creamers carries off 
all the premiums. As an instance, I am in¬ 
formed that at the New England Fair in 1880 
the first and second premiums went to the 
parties who were using these goods. In 1881 
at the same fair, the first, Becond, and third 
premiums went to parties using the same 
creamers. At the fair in 1882, held Sep’t. 
4-9, the winning of the first premium awarded 
on butter can be traced back to the use of the 
Cooley process, and the probabilities are 
that the second and third premiums were 
won for the same reasons, namely the use of 
the Cooley creamers. Such continued suc¬ 
cess with butter for three successive years, 
must be attributable to an improved and 
meritorious appliance for cream raising. This 
company also exhibited an evaporator the 
sales of which have been steadily increasing 
from the first year of its manufacture, and 
satisfaction is expressed in nearly every in¬ 
stance. The Davis Swing churn and the 
Nesbitt butter-worker, from the same com¬ 
pany, attracted much attention. Altogether, 
the display made by this company, was a 
very creditable one, and showed the great im¬ 
provement of modern invention over those of 
"ye olden times.’’ 
T. C. Naramore, Williston, Vt., showed the 
collection of machines made by the Nara¬ 
more Power Co., St, Albans, Vt., consisting 
of a hay press, car and quarry jacks, a hoist¬ 
ing apparatus with a friction break for lower¬ 
ing the weight, and three sizes of rock 
and stump extractors. They all showed a 
wonderful exhibition of power. The hand 
press can press hay sufficiently hard to put 
over 10 tons into a common 28-foot car. This 
manner of acquiring power is similar to that 
of the pinch bar to raise a car wheel or to 
start a loaded car by hand power, and is so 
arranged by the inventor, Mr. Naramore, that 
it can be used and applied to many kinds of 
work, horizontal or perpendicular. One man 
can easily sever a five-eighth inch cable chain 
by this plan, which is simply immense. 
L. Barnard, Manager of the Rutland branch 
of Messrs. Gregg & Co., Trumansburg, N. 
Y., made one of the finest exhibits on the 
ground. The Meadow King Mower and Gregg 
Reaper were run by a small upright engine, 
which showed the perfect operation of these 
popular machines. Mr. Barnard also exhibi¬ 
ted the Osborne Plow Sulky, the Gregg Rake 
and single horse mowers. The plow sulky 
attracted much attention here as well as at 
the New England Fair last week, where in a 
field trial with several competitors it received 
both first and second premiums for meritorious 
work. 
Mr. G. A. Mudgett had on exhibition the 
Mudgett Hay Tedder. This tedder was in¬ 
vented by a thorough mechanic and has been 
tested in all kinds of hay, and in all the dif¬ 
ferent States for the past two years. Success 
has followed it in all of its experiments. 
Farmers know the great value of a machine 
that will thoroughly Btir up and turn over hay 
after being cut, in order to make it dry quickly 
in the air. It i6 a fact that hay thus cured is 
more nutritious than it is when left to dry or 
scorch in the sun. In fact best judges say 
air-dried hay is one-fourth or one-fifth 
more valuable. This tedder is so constructed 
that it will pass over any obstruction a rake 
will, without damage. It is light in draft, 
strongly built, thoroughly successful in oper¬ 
ation and easily managed. Mr. Mudgett in¬ 
forms me that he has completed arrangements 
with B. & J. W. Belcher, Chicopee Falls, 
Mass., who will manufacture and supply the 
trade for the New England States and New 
York State, and with J. H. Thomas & Sons, 
8 pringfleld, Ohio, who are to manufacture 
them for the Western trade. 
Messrs. Samson & Co., East Berkshire, Vt., 
exhibited a full line of their goods, consisting 
of railway horse powers, Franklin County 
horse and hand power churns and Star 
Butter Workers. This company also manu¬ 
facture circular and drag saws, and thrashers. 
For the past ten years these goods have been 
steadily gaining in perfection and excellence 
of workmanship, and are universally admired 
by all who have tried them. One noticeable 
feature about the horse power is the speed 
regulator which operates by centrifugal force, 
and prevents danger from any accident, 
should the belt be thrown off. It can be set 
for any speed desired, and the speed cannot 
be increased without changing the regulator. 
The Little Giant Road Machine, Smith & 
Strong’s patent, exhibited by the manufac¬ 
turers, Strong & Parker, Vergennee, Vt., 
attracted much attention. This machine is 
simple in construction, easily operated, and 
of great strength. Its weight is only 450 
pounds, and the manufacturers warrant it to 
do as much work in one day as the same team 
and help can do in one week in the usual 
manner. In Addison County alone 50 
machines are in use and testimonials from the 
select men and highway surveyors of the 
different towns are loud in their praise. The 
introduction of these machines has been very 
rapid, and I believe they are destined to 
become generally used. 
Messrs A. W. Gray’s Sons, Middletown 
Springs, Vt., exhibited, through their general 
agent Mr. A. S. Finley, their horse pow¬ 
ers and thrashers. These thrashers and pow¬ 
ers have been on the market for many years, 
and have always given the best of satisfac¬ 
tion. They are complete in workmanship, 
successful in operation, easily operated and 
universally praised by the user and his cus¬ 
tomers. The company have been crowded 
with orders during the past season, and 
many of them had to go unfilled from want 
of implements to supply the demand. 
The Wiard Plow Co., Batavia, N. Y., have 
within the past two years put upon the mar¬ 
ket their new sulky plow, which promises to 
be a great success. It is the invention of a 
thorough mechanic, simple in its construction 
strongly built, durable and light in draft. 
From tbe many words of praise from those 
who have used these plows the manufactur¬ 
ers are confident that they will take a fore¬ 
most rank among similar inventions; and 
without indulging in highly colored state¬ 
ments of the great things the plow has done 
and can do, they simply ask a fair and can¬ 
did trial of its construction and work, com¬ 
pared with others, aud then they are willing 
to have it stand on its own merits, a. b. b. 
