322 
rendering him all the better horse for it 
The pasterns of the Clydesdale, being rather 
more oblique and longer than those of the 
Shire, they are preferred, as giving theformer 
better action than the latter; but the general 
form of the latter is superior to that of the 
former. “ If, therefore," he adds, “ we can 
put the top of the English horse on the legs of 
the Clydesdale, thickening the latter a little 
at the same time, while being careful of the 
quality and activity, we shall have effected 
an improvement in the breed." 
Pairij hftttfrnj. 
SUMMER SOILING AND PASTURAGE. 
X. A. WILLARD. 
a process can get rid of the causes, which are 
stated to be bitter weeds in the pastures, over¬ 
ripe food, etc., is not explained; nor how 
a dairyman can set pans over a kettle of boil¬ 
ing water; or how it would be possible thus 
to treat the milk of a dozen or twenty cows is 
also left for the imagination of the readers of 
this bosh. We regret, too, to see this poor 
stuff hag been copied by a respectable journal 
which is the acknowledged representative of 
tho best Farmers’ Club in the country, and 
whose conductors are themselves excellent 
farmers. General complaints are made that 
farmers do not sustain agricultural journals. 
No wonder that this complaint should be 
well founded in some cases, for certainly those 
journals which are apt to complain most of 
this neglect exhibit some frightful causes 
which no amount of steaming over boiling 
water could get rid of. 
that tends to throttle its existence is a 
blessing. 
The breeding of bees, like the rearing of any 
other stock, is a matter that must not be 
hurried if we would secure the best results. 
Long watching, the most careful study, and 
the most rigorous weeding out are just as 
requisite here as in breeding the best Short, 
horns. Does Mr. H. think that our Short-hoin 
cattle would possess their present excellence, 
had there been no greater inducement to hard 
and persistent effort than that held out to the 
bee breeder of to-day. It seems to me very 
patent that the "dollar queen traffic” has so 
cheapened queens that no person can possibly 
afford to take the pains that we ought to have 
taken, unless, forsooth, his bread-aud-butttr 
is secured by some other means, I wish we 
bad breeders that could stu ly their beeg as 
did Hammond his sheep, and as hundreds of 
Hammonds are studying their sheep, cattle 
and horses all over the country to-day, 
and could select, mate and breed, not with 
rings solely in view, but with a far higher 
ideal in which mere coloration should form 
but a slight element; then we might look for 
real progress. I cannot find time with my 
numerous duties, to do this as I think that it 
ought to be done. Neither Mr, H. nor any 
other breeder can afford to do it. They would 
starve, far short of success; as, however well 
they might do, they could hope for no ade¬ 
quate remuneration, so powerfully has the late 
queen business tended to weaken the spirit of 
improvement. Our present system calls for 
economy of time, money and thought. But 
the maximum not the minimum of care is 
what will give us superior bees. 
The point I make is just this:—Tho energy 
and push put into the queen business of late— 
which energy was absolutely requisite to 
success, and then only the shrewdest business 
men could, if honest, make a living by rearing 
these cheap queens—have so cheapened the 
price of queens that there is no general demand 
for any ocher. But decided improvement can 
only come by the utmost pains in selecting 
breeding stock, both drones and queens, which 
in ease of drones is very difficult, and requires 
the greatest tact, patience, aud persistence. 
Now this very difficulty makes it necessary to 
have every inducement thrown in the way to 
incite any bee-keeper to undertake it. The 
prospect of a dollar or a little mure for queens 
thus bred, would not only offer no such in¬ 
ducement, but would be the best possible ex¬ 
tinguisher of all eutbuiasm. More than this, 
to breed the ideal queen, will require such a 
rigorous weeding out that only a small pro¬ 
portion of the queens reared will be suffered 
to live To support a family the breeder of 
cheap queens must sell everyone, and will then 
have great reason to rejoice if his ledger account 
shows a credit balance. In testing, Mr. H, 
only waits to see if the requisite number of 
bands are present. I would have him wait to 
see if the requisite number of eggs, bees and 
pounds of honey were forthcoming, and then 
when such assurance was gained, I would pay 
him $10. for the queen and make mouey, 
while I would lose in the majority of cases to 
pay $1. for the present queens. In buying 
several to test the matter, uot however of Mr. 
H., I have won a blank at each venture. 
Why did Avery & Murphy produce such 
a magnificent herd of cattle? Only because 
they took the greatest pains to secure the best 
material to breed from,and then used the best 
judgment and most consummate skifl in cross¬ 
ing. Why did 25 cattle bring $50,000 at the 
recent sale at Chicago? For the same reason. 
Why the exercise of the skill and caution? 
Only because of the prospective thousands at 
future sales. 
Unless there is some money-influence to 
induce to more time, caution, and painstaking 
in breeding bees, then truly the bee of the 
future, which should and will be as great an 
advance on the best beos of to-day as are our 
improved cattle bogs, etc., upon those of the 
last generation, will not find its advent in this 
generation. The only chance to escape this 
conclusion is for some bee-keeper, to set to 
work—as 1 would do could I give time to it, 
and had I capital to warrant the undertaking— 
and work to advauce his bees, with no thought 
of present profit,to spare no time, no pains, no 
study, no money to secure the ideal bee, and 
then create his own market by distributing 
his bees to the enterprising bee keepers of the 
country, asking them to tost them and then 
pay according to tho worth of the bees. In 
this way he could hoj>o in time to get pay for 
his time and labor, and would have the satis¬ 
faction of being classed with Bates aud the 
Booths. Have wo any D. A. Jones that can 
afford to undertake this work! 
Ag. College, Lansing, Mich. 
-*-*-♦- 
Plant for ornament and for honey.— 
There are some apiarists who, in setting out 
plants for bee pasturage would like something 
ornamental us well as useful. This they will 
find in the Cordate Bocconia (B. cordata) a 
hardy species from China, bwiring large pani¬ 
cles of small, white or pale rose-colored flow¬ 
ers. Two other species, IS. Japonica and B. 
Phacelia, are also good honey plants. 
Summer soiling in the dairy consists in hav. 
iug an abundance of succulent food for milch 
cows, supplementary to pasturage during 
Summer and Fall, when grass begins to dete¬ 
riorate and fall off in quantity. 
It has been abundantly proved, from all ex¬ 
perience, that cows, to make the best returns, 
must not be allowed to shrink very much in 
their yield of milk during August and Sep¬ 
tember; for the milking habit being checked 
at this season and the yield diminished to a 
small quantity, it cannot be brought back 
again to a full flow during the remainder of 
the season, though grass may be plentiful and 
fresh. In ordinary seasons, feed in pastures 
begins to dty up and become brown ami woody 
toward the last of July, and this is especially 
so at the West and Northwest, where the natu¬ 
ral grasses of the prairie are depended upon 
for pasturage. The natural grasses of the 
West are nutritious and make good milk so 
long as they are fresh and sweet, but as show¬ 
ers are less frequent there during Summer 
than in the Middle and Eastern States, pas¬ 
tures often fail rapidly during the latter part 
of Summer, and cows require supplementary 
rations of some kind to keep up their flow of 
milk. 
Among Summer soiling plants, sowed com 
» ranks first iu importance. It is adapted to the 
soil and climate over an extensive area of the 
United States. It is easily grown, produces 
an immense crop of fodder under good cul iva- 
tion, is eaten with avidity by dairy stock and 
makes good milk. Everything considered, 
there is no crop that can be grown so cheaply 
and is so well adapted to milch cows in help¬ 
ing out deficiency of pasturage as sowed com. 
In growing the crop the land should be rich 
or well manured, and put into good tilth. 
From the middle of May to the 10th of June 
is the time usually employed for putting in 
the Beed, of which the sweet or sugar varieties 
are esteemed the best for a soiling crop. 
Somewhat recently, a sort known as South¬ 
ern sweet corn has been grown largely for en¬ 
silage, and is much liked as a Summer soiling 
crop. On fertile soil, with good culture, it 
yields from 25 to S5 tons of green fodder per 
acre. The seed should be sown in drills, the 
rows being about 2j*j feet apart, so as to admit 
of a cultivator or horse-hoe being run betw een 
the rows when required. A favorite way with 
some is to make double rows, making the drills 
about six inches apart and the seed in the 
drills an inch apart, aud leaving a space of 
2% feet between the double rows for cultiva¬ 
tion with horse-hoe and the admission of sun 
and air. Sowed com fodder, when grown 
very thickly, so as to exclude tho sun, does 
not mature sufficiently, and is less nutritious 
than planted in rows, as described, and in 
order to get the greatest benefit from the sun’s 
light, the rows should be run north and south-. 
On good, rich land when properly cultivated, 
one acre of fodder corn will be sufficient for 
eight cows as a supplementary feed to pastur¬ 
age and the bridging over the dry season. A 
portion of the crop should be put in at the 
earliest time practicable, while other portions 
may be sown later, so as to have fresh and 
succulent food in succession., It is in its best 
state for feeding when ears have formed on 
some of the stalks and are in a milky state. 
As fodder com, w'hen ready to cut, contains 
a large percentage of moisture, the quantity 
required for a day’s feeding should be cut at 
least 12 hours in advance of feeding, so as to 
have time to wilt and get rid of some of its 
surplus moisture. 
No dairyman who desires a good yield of 
milk should neglect to grow an ample supply 
of fodder-corn, even though he may find it 
necessary' to feed additional rations of bran 
or shipstuffs during droughts or the falling off 
of the usual supply of pasturage. 
-- 
Bitter Milk. 
In a statement made by a so-called agricul¬ 
tural paper is the absurd recommendation to 
dairymen to get rid of the causes of bitter 
milk by netting thB pans over a kettle of 
boiling water until the skin over the milk be¬ 
comes wrinkled etc. This is further said to 
make the cream easy to churn. How such 
Grade Short-horn and Jersey Heifers. 
I read in the Rural of April 22d last that 
Mr D. W. Lewis had last Summer a two-year- 
old Short horn grade heifer that gave 26 
quarts of milk per day In the flush of the sea¬ 
son-good, but not very rich milk, although 
“good enough to make 10 pounds of butter 
per week.” But how did she do the last of the 
Summer ? 
T have a grade Jersey, three years old 
this Spring, that gave iu seven days last sea¬ 
son 218 pounds 2y, ounces of inilk, from 
which were made nine pounds and seven 
ounces of butter; and the last week iu Novem¬ 
ber she gave 118 pounds 14J£ ounces of milk, 
from which six pounds and seven ounces of 
butter were made. She is due to calve the 
20th of this month (Ap’l). Which does Mr. 
Lewis think the better heifer ? I think you are 
always safe to "tally” two for the Jersey if 
you are going to make butter. M. N. 
Martinsburgh, N. Y. 
Curing a Kicking Cow. 
Here is my experience with the worst kick¬ 
ing cow I ever saw, and how I cured her by 
a process not patented. I found it impossible 
to milk her except through a barrier of some 
sort. I tried kindness and coaxing till my 
patience was exhausted, while the kicks 
seemed as plentiful as ever. Then I tried the 
following method with complete success: I tied 
the cow up by the head (not legs) procured a 
good switch (not club), aud proceeded to milk, 
aud for every kick the cow gave I returned 
one goad smart blow with the switch on the of¬ 
fending leg. A few kicks and blows sufficed 
for that time. At the next milkiug only 
three or four blows were required, and at the 
third milking one kick and one blow were 
sufficient, and ever after the cow was as 
gentle as ueed be. Three important points 
are to be observed in the above treatment: 
1, uniform kindness and gentleness; 2, never 
strike a cow for kicking when loose in the 
yard, or she will learn to ruu from you; 3, 
only one blow for each kick. E. L. c. 
Fentonville, N. Y. 
&\)£ Spiarittit. 
“ DOLLAR QUEENS.” 
PROFESSOR A. J. COOK. 
I have been much interested in the discus¬ 
sions iu the bee-journals as to the policy of 
rearing and selling “ Dollar Queens;” and 
no less so in the very candid article from my 
friend W. Z. Hutchinson, which appeared in 
a late Rural. Mr. H. need have no fear of 
giving offense. His very evident candor, 
truthfulness, and honesty must ever win 
admiration and esteem and would leave no 
shadow of an excuse for any hard feeling on 
the part of an opponent. It is not argument 
and candor that hurt, it is invective and 
crimination. I am glad to know that Mr. II. 
is a gentleman, and so has no use for these 
latter weapons. 
As to the effects of the " dollar queen busi¬ 
ness” I think that Mr. H. does not understand 
my position. I believe he has only to under¬ 
stand me to agree with me. 1 have no doubt, 
nay, I am sure that he makes the business 
pay. I am further certain that he does just 
as ho says he will do—that he rears his 
dollar queens with as much care as he does 
any, that he breeds, only from his best queens, 
and that in all respects his dollar queens are 
j ust as good as the tested ones, bating their 
chance for impure mating—which with the 
care given to the matter by Mr. H. is slight. 
Nor am I at all certain that his tested are 
superior at all to the untested ones. In fact, 
I think, if I understand Mr. Hutchinson, I 
agree with him in nearly every point he 
makes. Yet, I believe that the " dollar queen 
traffic " has done more than any one thing to 
retard the progress of American apiculture. 
I believe it stauds directly in the way of the 
best achievements, and accordingly anything 
farm (Ecotumuj. 
FEEDING TRIALS AND THE VALUE 
OF FODDERS. 
PROFESSOR H. P. ARMSBY. 
In several recent articles, Professor J. W. 
Sanborn has advanced view's concerning the 
results of German experiments in cattle feed¬ 
ing as expressed in tables of feeding stand¬ 
ards and fodder values, which, if true, must 
seriously shake our faith in the value of those 
tables. Prof. Sanborn's conclusions are drawn 
from a considerable number of experiments 
executed by him, which gave results which, 
he claims, are inconsistent with the views of 
German investigators. They come before the 
public w'ith the favorable presumption which 
always attaches to such "practical” trials, 
but it is all the more needful on that account 
to examine them closely and see whether the 
facts observed actually warrant the conclu¬ 
sions drawn from them. 
The task of the critic in such cases is usually 
a thankless one, since he appears to many to 
stand in the attitude of defending old theories 
against new facts which threaten to under¬ 
mine them, but, nevertheless, Prof. Sanborn's 
views are, as be himself admits, "so radical 
as to invite criticism,” aud I am sure that lie 
would be the last to object to auy fair criti¬ 
cism of them. Furthermore, since Prof. San¬ 
born does not venture to propose any substi¬ 
tute for those standards and tables which he 
rejects, it will be allowable to confine our at¬ 
tention solely to his reasons for rejecting them, 
without entering into the question of the 
greater or less accuracy of the standards and 
tables themselves. 
Prof. Sanborn’s first objection to tho German 
tables is, that “for our country the money 
values of the food nutrients of the tables are 
so crude as to be hardly respectable,” and he 
quotes a passage from Dr. J. B. Lawes in sup¬ 
port of this objection. From the tenor of the 
latter passage, as well as of others in. his arti¬ 
cle of April 1, it would appear that'he has 
confused somewhat the money value ana agri¬ 
cultural value of feeding stuffs, much in the 
same way that many do the corresponding 
values of fertilizers. The agricultural value 
of a feeding-stuff is measured by the amount 
of production which can be caused by its use, 
and varies according to the combination in 
which it is used, the quantity fed, the breed 
aud condition of the animals, the skill and 
judgment of the feeder, etc., etc. Thus, cot- 
tou-seed meal, when used in small quantities 
to improve a poor ration, has a high agricul¬ 
tural value, but if added in larger quantities 
to a ration already of good quality, it would 
show a much less agricultural value, simply 
because a portiou of it would be unnecessary 
and would serve no useful purpose, while, if 
we eau imagine one so foolish as to attempt 
to use cotton seed meal as the sole food of an 
animal, such a man would be likely to find its 
agricultural value considerably below zero. 
In short, the agricultural value of a feeding- 
stuff depends on so many circumstances that 
any attempt to represent it numerically can 
ouly result iu failure. 
The money value or commercial value is a 
much simpler matter, though by no means so 
simple as some suppose. It means simply ivhat 
the nutritive ingredients of the feeding-stuff 
are ivurth at present market rates. For in¬ 
stance, if an extensive examination of the 
markets shows that on tho average, a pound of 
digestible albuminoids costs 4^ cents, a pound 
of digestible fat the same, and a pound of 
digestible carbbydrate nine-tenths of a cent, 
then the commercial value of a sample of cot¬ 
ton-seed meal containing 31 per cent, of diges¬ 
tible albuminoids, 18.3 per cent, of digestible 
oarblvydrates, and 12.3 per cent, of diges¬ 
tible fat, would be $2.05 per hundred, while 
its agricultural value might, as we have just 
pointed out, vary from a very high one to 
zero or below, according to the manner of its 
use. 
Bearingin mind, then, that the money values 
attached to the German fodder tables repre¬ 
sent commercial and not agricultural values, 
let us proceed to consider the question of their 
accuracy. So far as 1 have had opportunity 
to know, the valuations of fodders published 
at various times within the last few years 
have been mostly based on tbe table published 
by Prof. Johnson in the Report of the Con¬ 
necticut Agricultural Experiment Station 
for 1877, page 55, and repeated in subsequent 
reports. That table gives money values for 
the feeding-stuffs it contains. But it is ex¬ 
pressly stated that these values are (hose of 
the German markets, and that it is by no 
means certain that they apply to ours. If the 
various writers who have copied portions of 
this and other tables had also iucluded this 
fact, we should probably hear less of the dis¬ 
crepancy between "theoretical” and actual 
values. When Prof. Sanborn objects to the 
money values of the food nutrients as crude 
