344 
MAY 29 
The way most followed in exterminating the 
pests, however, is to pick off the worms from 
the growing tobacco continually from the 10th 
of July to the final harvest, crushing the small 
ones between the finger and thumb, and throw¬ 
ing the large ones violentlv on the ground, or 
stamping them under foot. To this the thor¬ 
ough grower adds the precaution of looking 
on the under-side of the leaves for the eggs, 
and crushing them also. Many small worms 
are thus found under the leaves, especially of 
young plants, where bnt slight signs of their 
presence is noticeable by holes seen on tho upper 
side. 
A flock of turkies kept in the tobacco field 
has often proved most advantageous. They 
never damage the tobacco—as hens are apt to 
do by jumping up among large and tall plants— 
while they walk carefully among the stalks, 
spying out and devouring every worm. Thus 
this helpful fowl would prove doubly profit¬ 
able if fed in this manner. 
I notice that skunks prowl about the tobacco 
fields every night in cutting time, aud dig out 
and eat a great many worms that have crawled 
into the ground to change into pupae. As near 
as I can get at the truth about it, the skunk 
never touches the tobacco worm on the leaf, 
but after it reaches its full growth and reBOrts 
to the earth, it immediately becomes a delicious 
food for him. The number of fresh holes 
or cavities each morning denotes the reduction 
of tobacco moths that would otherwise have to 
be fought in the next year’s campaign. The 
number of insects devoured by slurnks is 
enormous, but, of course, they feed on bene¬ 
ficial insects as well as on those which are in¬ 
jurious to crops. The amount of worms de¬ 
stroyed by several species of microgaster aud 
other parasites, is exceedingly small; neither 
are the worms ever attacked by any epizootic, 
at least as far as my observations have reached- 
Dr. Hagen, of Cambridge, Maes., is confident 
that an epidemic can be started among the 
worms or moths by briuging a few specimens 
in contact with a yeast fuugus, or by sprink¬ 
ling prepared beer mash on the plants. This 
yeast, or batch of fuugus spores, produces a 
poisonous mold iu the insect, and spreads from 
one individual to another, until a fatal pesti¬ 
lence is in operation. This discovery wa6 made 
by Dr. Bail, of Prussia. 
In pursuing methods of destroying the worms 
all poisonous applications to the leaves of the 
plant, are very improper in this case. The 
only chance to use poison, in killing the pests 
without putting it on the tobacco, is to follow 
a plan published, 1 think, in the Rural several 
years ago:—Place a mixture of any powerful 
poison and honey or sirup deep down In the 
tubes of the Evening Primrose flowers. Every 
moth which partakes of this will, of course, 
immediately die. But iu my experiments with 
arsenic and honey, and cyanide of potassium 
and sirup, 1 did not observe a single moth 
approach auy ol the poisoned flowers. The ex¬ 
periments, however, were few and not very 
perfect. Auy method to trap or kill the moths 
must be considered a very prudent measure, for 
striking down a moth is a coup de grace which 
kills thousands of worms at a stroke. 
Wayne Co., N. Y. W. L. Devereaux. 
®j)t Apiarian. 
BEES AND THEIR PASTURAGE IN UTAH. 
The bee in Utah is quite a power, especially 
as we make sugar from neither maple trees, 
beets, nor sugar cane, and have only Chinese 
Sorghum and bees to help us to sweetening; all 
else is imported. Our climate is wonderfully 
free from moisture and rainfalls are rare, es¬ 
pecially in southern Utah; these causes make 
a scarcity of bee forage growing wild within 
reach of bee industry. In the northeru por¬ 
tion of the Territory, winter generally brings 
enough snow to make the wild flowers bloom 
more profusely than at this place (3t. George). 
In this country the inhabitants live in villages 
between tbe foothills, and generally have to go 
to the river bottoms some miles away to make 
farms. The towns are provided with water 
for gardens, and here the bees are kept. The 
gardens and orchards furnish forage iu a great 
measure, which together with wild flowers 
that bloom early, and the great American bee 
plant that grows on sandy wastes and blossoms 
from January till September, serve to keep 
these little honey gatherers busy. 
Where the fields and lucerne meadows are 
within three or four miles from town, there 
are periods when at the blooming stage of 
the crops, great help is afforded in honey¬ 
making. In some sections the bee plant grows 
in tracts of many acres and often borders high¬ 
ways in Buch manner as to make bee forage 
plentiful and rich; in other regions the seed is 
sown to get it started, after which the plant 
reproduces itself without auy further trouble. 
Where this grows abundantly there Is no 
need of growing plants on purpose for bee 
pasture ; where it is scarce we plant patches of 
Mignonette, sweet clover, and squash and 
melon vines and such garden flowers as are 
most productive of honey and pollen. 
In my long experience of bee keeping I have 
found three plants superior to all others for 
the production of honey, viz :—the purple- 
flowered bee plant, next Mignonette, and third 
melilot. or sweet clover. The two last named 
will make honey so perfumed as to be far 
superior to that made from any other plants, 
and such honey brlugs fancy prices in markets 
where it is known and tested. Lucerne 
makes a nice amber honey and is worked on 
strongly by the bees, but it does not produce 
like the plants named above. The mesquite, 
a shrubby, sprawling tree of the Pulse family, 
produces a burden of bloom, often twice a 
year, similar to that of the Filbert and Chestnut f 
from which an immense crop of pollen is 
gathered and some honey also. 
The Lycium and several other honey plants 
are abundant here. Our average yield of honey 
would perhaps be about 50 pounds, each season 
tothecolony. Our varieties of bees are Italians 
and hybrids. In northern Utah the bee industry 
has been greatly retarded by thousands of cases 
of foul brood—no case lias as yet occurred in 
southern Utah. 
At its last session our Legislature passed a 
law providing for ihe destruction of colonies 
affected with foul brood, which will materially 
lend encouragement to the industry. Tbe bee- 
moth is very destructive here to weak and 
queeuless colonies, but in strong colonies there 
is no danger. Thus far there have appeared 
no other serious enemies. 
To beglnuers in the business I offer this bit 
of valuable advice:—don't be in too great 
haste toincreaseyour colonies orto eat honey— 
you well get on m uch faster by going slowly; 
that is, never weaken your colonies by dividing, 
or by robbing them of houey : when not rich 
with honey and full of bees, then two frames 
taken out from a full hive at a time, will give 
room to work. I started here with one hive 
for which I paid $15 Iu six years I had 200 
colonies; and had lost, by improperly weaken¬ 
ing the colonies for increase, an equal number. 
Had I been more patient. I doubt not I might 
have had 500 6troug colonies, and lo6t none. 
In case a colony becomes queeuless, it is 
quite probable that there are but few, if any, 
young bees in the hive—now, the young bees 
are tbe wax workers, aud unless there are some 
in the hive you cannot get a qaeen cell made : 
the old bees won’t do it. When, therefore, a 
frame of eggs is put into a hive that a queen 
may be made, be sure to put iu also a good 
quantity of young bees, or tbe work is profit¬ 
less. This I have learned by dear experience. 
A fertile worker is a great nuisance, aud dif¬ 
ficult to get rid of, but it can be done as easily 
as anything else : thus, remove the hive con¬ 
taining the fertile worker several rods from 
the old stand, and on the old stand place an¬ 
other hive, with a frame of brood and a queen ; 
now take all the frames out of tbe removed 
hive, aud brush off all the bees aud return the 
frames of stores to the hive in the old place. 
The workers will return to the old home, ac¬ 
cept the queen, and it is done. J. E. Johnson. 
Washington Co., Utah. 
[We can indorse the caution given above in 
regard to weakening colonies too much by 
divisiou. Every colony should be kept buz¬ 
zing full of bees throughout the season. One 
strong, active colony will gather more surplus 
honey during the season than two weak ones, 
aDd suffer less from moths and other bee 
enemies.— Eds.] 
Jiflif €xop. 
SELECTING SEED CORN. 
In the selection of seed corn there are, I 
think, certain rules which may be safely fol¬ 
lowed by growers of all sections, whether 
North or South. Firstf the ears chosen for 
seed should be souud and well filled out at the 
tips. Then, from among ears passing this 
examination, those should be selected having 
the greatest depth or length of kernel com¬ 
bined with smallness of cob. These two con¬ 
ditions should, I think, be constantly kept in 
mind as having a certain relation to each 
other. If we Bolect ears supplying the former 
conditions only, wc shall find our corn grow¬ 
ing earlier, smaller and more flinty. If we 
regard the latter condition only, we shall find 
it growing larger but later and deficient iu 
weight. In order to obtain the maximum 
yield the variety, whatever it be, should em¬ 
ploy as long a time as possible in its growth 
and development, reaching the stage of perfect 
ripeness only on the verge of frost, and in 
selecting according to the above rules, I think 
the grower in each latitude will obtain the 
variety best suited to his soil and climate. 
As is well known, every latitude has its own 
peculiar variations in respect to size of stalk, 
and depth and hardness of kernel; bnt the 
maximum yield per acre does not materially 
differ in all the great corn-growing sections, 
showing that there must be a relation between 
grain, stover and space occupied, and that 
only a certain amount of grain can be expected 
from a given area, no matter what tbe length 
and size of stalk or number and size of ears. 
But to obtain a maximum yield in a given 
locality, a variety adapted to that locality by 
long and careful selection must be employed. 
The flint varieties of the North aud East will 
not reach their greatest perfection in the South 
and West, and vice versa. 
The distance for plantiug should be in pro¬ 
portion to length of stalk, length of season, 
and length or depth of kernel, aud all efforts 
toward improvement may be lost by planting 
too closely. In regard to length of ear, there 
does not seem to be much to be said, as the 
advantages iu a long ear are not very appar¬ 
ent, particularly as length seems to be gained 
at tbe expense of thickness and depth of ker¬ 
nel. Two ehoit ears to the stalk generally 
yield as much as one long one, and often more. 
But among dent varieties it is thought desira¬ 
ble to eliminate as much as possible the flinty 
tendency and select the rougher cars, and the 
duller creamy shades of color. Among the flint 
varieties it might be advisable to Belect those 
ears showing the dent, Bhould any be found 
that are well filled out, thereby encouraging 
the tendency toward improvement in quality 
for feediug purposes, since the dent in the 
kernel means softness aud sweetness, “g." 
Ludlow, Ill. 
♦«• - 
SOWING CORN FOR FODDER. 
On many farms there are places where spring 
crops cannot be effectually planted. These 
spots may be found in poor places in the 
meadow where the grass Is light, or in a por¬ 
tion of a new seeding where the seed has failed 
to “catch,” or perhaps in some hollow which 
was too wet for early plowing and planting. 
In such cases it will be profitable to sow the 
ground with corn for fodder for next winter, 
or for feeding green next August or September. 
It is a very common mistake in sowing corn 
for fodder to use too much seed. If sown too 
thick, the stalks will be slender, with few 
leaves and nearly destitute of 6aeharinc matter. 
In thick sowing we get a heavy, bulky crop ; 
but It is of poor quality. Doubtless one bushel 
per acre will yield a crop of more value iu real 
nutriment than if double the amount of 6eed is 
used. The best way is to drill in rows about 
three feet apart, so that horse culture may be 
employed. When thus grown, the 6talke will 
be highly nutritious us stock food, and tbe nub¬ 
bins that will grow on the stalks will add 
greatly to the feeding value of the crop. 
For summer feeding corn should be sown as 
early as it will germinate quickly. For fall 
feeding il should be 6own at intervals of about 
ten days, and seeding continued until late in 
July. The late sowings may follow auy early 
crop which may have been removed, as early 
potatoes, peas, etc. G. A. Goff, Jk. 
Chemung Co., N. Y. 
Sorghum hnlepense in Ohio. 
Mr. Bateham writes us that the experiment 
of leaving this plant without protection the 
past winter at his place, in northern Ohio, 
was tried, as promised in his article in the 
Rural of April 34, aud succeeded perfectly— 
not a root seems to he Injured. But the past 
winter was so mild that frost did not enter the 
ground more than about three inches, aud 
owing to the drought of last summer, all the 
roots were below that depth. Mr. B. repeats 
the belief that stock farmers may find this 
plant of real advautugo in seasons of drought 
in southern Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, etc., as 
well as farther south, by protecting it a little 
iu winter as suggested in his article. He thinks 
those who have the roots or seeds for sale 
would do well to advertise them in tho Rural. 
During our recent visit to the South, we 
met one farmer who said that if he were 
obliged to cultivate Sorghum halepense, he 
would throw up his farm. He had plauted a 
small patch two years ago, aud was digging up 
every root he could tind. It spreads with won¬ 
derful rapidity both by the root-stocks and by 
the seeds which birds drop everywhere. In 
another part of the South, it had so taken 
possessiou of a garden, that it was neces¬ 
sary to destroy or remove many Roses and 
Shrubs, an asparagus plantation aud a straw¬ 
berry patch, before the grass could be exter¬ 
minated. Iu another place, it had so taken 
possession of a raspberry plot that the owner 
has found it impossible to hoe or dig it out. 
Hogs had been turned in aud even they, though 
evidently relishing it, seemed to find it hard 
work to root it out. 
-♦ ♦ » 
Now is the time when the weeds are likely 
to gain a foothold on the farm among the field 
crops, and now is the time that the most des¬ 
perate and determined effort should be made 
to extirpate them. Keep the cultivator going 
in the corn field and among all other crops 
where a cultivator can be used. One day’s 
thorough work when the weeds are just start¬ 
ing will prove of more avail than three days’ 
hard labor when they are four inches high. 
Ijrriismait. 
STOCK NOTES. 
Bone-Chewing by Cnttle. 
I have just seen, in the Rural of May 15th, 
Prof. Storer’s remarks on “Bone-chewing 
by Cattle.” In the swamp regions of South 
Carolina there arc many deer. The bucks an 
nually shed their horns of all sizes, yet, in 
spite of ihe great numbers which fall, com¬ 
paratively few are picked up, and it has always 
bean a standing puzzle what, becomes of them. 
Many are gnawed by squirrels, as is evident 
from the tooth-marks on the few that are fonnd . 
others are buried by beetles. But it is gene¬ 
rally believed there that most of them are de¬ 
stroyed by cattle, which are often seen chew_ 
ing them, as described by Prof. Storer. But 
the point is that it is a limestone country full 
of springs, so that most of the water obtained 
by the cattle is strongly impregnated with lime 
salts. (See an article by me in the Popular 
Science Monthly for June, 187fi, on “Subter¬ 
ranean Springs in South Carolina ”) This mil¬ 
itates strongly against Prof. Storer’s theory 
that the eatile are satisfying a craving for 
lime. Mr. Henry W. Ravencl, whose article 
on the Japanese Plum appears In the same 
number of the Rural New-Yorker, was, in 
his younger days, an ardent deer hunter as 
well as a planter and botanist, and, if my mem¬ 
ory serves me. it was he who first called my 
attention, vears ago, to the fact which I have 
mentioned. Perhaps he can throw some light 
on the subject. Robert Wilson. 
Talbot Co., Md. 
-»■»->- 
In Rearing Calves, after a fortnight old, 
skim-milk may be gradually substituted for 
new milk, by adding a table spoouful of flax¬ 
seed. well boiled, to their allowance mornings 
and nights. If flaxseed is not to be had. then 
substitute oil meal. Steep one-quarter of a 
pound of this in boiling water, and add to each 
gallon of skim-milk fed to the calf. As the 
animal increases in size, gradually increase 
the quantity of flaxseed or oil-meal. Take 
special care that the milk be sweet, and feed 
it blood-warm. After a while, oatmeal or flue 
middlings may be added to the milk, and as 
the calf gets to be two or three months old, 
Indian meal and wheat bran, mixed half and 
half, may be used instead of oat meal and 
middlings; but the flaxseed or oil meal should 
be kept up, and the calf carefully watched to 
see that thle change does not scour it. and if 
so, go back to the oat meal aud middlings 
again. Let the calf run In a good grass pas¬ 
ture if convenient, and after a proper time it 
will take gradually to grass as a part of its 
rations. 
■- ♦ ♦♦- 
Hair on the Legs of Clydesdale Horses. 
—One of the good points for this breed of 
horses, is to have abundance of long, coarse 
hair on the inside of the legs, from tbe knee- 
joint down to the fetlocks, as it is contended 
that this indicates greater vigor iii the animal 
than if It showed less. In order to have his 
horse take a prize at a late exhibition in Scot¬ 
land, a farmer attached false hair to the fore¬ 
legs of his horse. After the judging was over 
the false hair was detected, and the exhibitor 
lost his prize and got a severe publie repri¬ 
mand from tbe President of the Scotch Society. 
As for hair on the legs of a horse, we say 
theleBB the better. Long, thick fetlocks, when 
the ground is muddy, get so heavily loaded as 
to greatly Impede the action of the horse and 
compel him to carry such an extra-heavy 
weight attached to his ankles as to tire him 
much sooner at his work than if he had clean 
legs aud pastern joints. Moreover, this supera¬ 
bundance of hair often causes “ grease," a 
very disagreeable and injurious disease. The 
most vigorous, muscular and hardiest of heavy 
farm aud cart horses are the French Percher- 
ons, and they have nothing like as much hair 
on the legs as other large European breeds. 
Texas Cattle. —The number of these seems 
to be increasing astonishingly, as we may judge 
from an article in the San Antonio Express. 
It says the drive iuto the bordering States 
this year, was not less than 800,000, The 
largest percentage of these were one and 
two-year-old past steers, which ure already 
contracted for in advance, at good prices, 
with the more Northern ranch-men. The 
animals are said to be in extra-flue condition, 
aud the drive began much earlier this 
spring than usual, as the mild past winter has 
been extra-favorable for the growth of pastur¬ 
age. Yearling steers commanded $0 on the 
average; two-year-olds and cows $0; three- 
year-olds $10; beeves, $18. The average worth 
when market is reached, is estimated at $11 
per bead, making $3 800,000 for tho lot a 
goodly round sum for the Texan ranch-men to 
realize in a single year for their cattle. 
The North American Ayrshire Register, 
Vol. IV, is now being prepared and will soon 
be issued. Ayrshire cattle whose pedigrees 
