377 
JUNE 42 
' THE BUBAL NEW-YOBKEB. 
of tbe season have been such that scarcely any 
foresight and punctuality in planting at the 
proper season could prevent unhealthy and 
imperfect growth. We say foresight and punctu¬ 
ality in planting at the proper season, but in 
thus speaking, we desire to restrict the state¬ 
ment definitely to tho current year. Careful 
observers may readily discover, if they choose, 
special qualities peculiar to any piece of land 
where crops are now doing well. They will 
always find that such land has been thorough¬ 
ly and permanently enriched by Ihe well-man¬ 
aged culture of years. It must be strong, 
healthy land just as we must have etrong, 
healthy frames to endure all sorts of severe 
and unexpected strains. Green crops—clover, 
etc.—have been doubtless, turned under from 
time to time. We may always safely infer, if 
we do not know, that any land bearing at the 
present time vegetation uoinjured by drought, 
must have had long and persistent good culture, 
especially by tho proper rotation of crops. On 
such land we could have ventured, even in 
these difilcult times, to transplant evergreens 
possessing fibrous roots, well mudded and 
mulched, with a fair prospect of success. The 
unfortunate result of planting evergreens dur¬ 
ing the past spring without these favorable 
conditions, many will learn with chagrin. 
Everywhere the need of intelligent and per¬ 
sistent culture and fertilizing must be evident, 
whatever the crop may be, if we expect to 
meet with success the strain of seasons like 
the one just passing away. It may be hard for 
some to believe, but it is a fact, nevertheless, 
that much land thus managed will pass 
through a series of these strains as well as 
though irrigated. 
Pruning. 
Pruuing in America is either a lost art or an 
art never learned. When we make such broad 
assertions, we wish to be understood in a broad 
sense altogether. It may, doubtless, be as¬ 
serted, on the other hand, with entire truth, 
that various viueyards, pear and apple orchards 
and small fruit patches, are pruned sufficient¬ 
ly well to yield fine crop3 of fruit, but we be¬ 
lieve never the fiuest. What we miss is a 
comprehensive practice of pruning, based in¬ 
variably on the same general principles, but 
applied to each specimen in a manner suited 
to tbe individual peculiarities of that particu¬ 
lar plant. We would wish Unit a process of 
pruning, pinching and thinning out buds, 
could be devised in strict accordance with the 
nature of the plant, just as the doctor studies 
the constitution of his iudividuul patient. 
Original methods created by the needs of the 
case in baud—that is what we want. It is not 
systems we want, for with them wc are well 
supplied between the Dubrieul, or spur sys¬ 
tem, the renewal system and now, finally, the 
extension system. They have their merits In 
the treatment of certain cases, hut everywhere 
we come unexpectedly on peculiarities of con¬ 
stitution and environment to which they do 
not apply without modification. In other 
words. Nature doe6 not intend us to have a 
book of recipus for obtaining her most satis¬ 
factory developments by a sort of rule of 
thumb. It is for this reasou that we are now 
and then much astonished by the perfect re¬ 
sults obtained by an origiuul amateur of long 
expericueu who docs not claim to have auy 
system whatever. All this is apropos of the 
litUc-uuderstood need for pruning at this sea¬ 
son of the year throughout all classes of orna¬ 
mental aud fruit-bearing trees and shrubs. It 
behooves us to look carefully after this need 
of ornamental trees especially. Perhaps we 
may find we are neglecting golden opportuni¬ 
ties for obtaiuiug the best results. 
Naturalist, 
A PLEA FOE THE MOLE. 
In a late uutuber of the Kuiun, a correspon¬ 
dent from South Carolina inquires how to get 
rid of the mole in Ills pea-nut patch; and the 
Rtnux confesses Its inability to give an effec¬ 
tual remedy, saying substantially, "It’s hard 
to kick agaiust the pricks. 1 ' It is hard to keep 
moles away iromthe garden or from auy piece 
of land in which mole food abounds. To keep 
them away from such a place is to kill them 
first. 
When a boy in the land of “ pea-nuts,” near 
the home ol the above correspondent, 1 was 
taught to make war upon the mole, which I 
kept up for 40 years, not knowing at the last 
how much good or harm I had doue; but I am 
satisfied that the last half of the 18th verse of 
tho Oth Chapter of Ecclesiastes, is qnite true of 
me in the mole war. More than 50 yearn’ ac¬ 
quaintance with the little animal has brought 
mo to the conclusion that “ wisdom is better 
than implements of war” in this case. It has 
been a long while since I killed one, except by 
accident, as sometimes one friend kills another. 
Uur business relations for some years have 
been such as to make us friends. 1 have been 
growing nursery stock—small fruits, flowers, 
etc. iu which he has operated with me as 
“hired help." I have had hands who were 
Buch good workers that a little awkwardness, 
by which a few plants were sometimes kil led, 
was excused, and they were retained. So I 
treat the mole, and for the same reason. 
It is true he does sometimes destroy a plant 
while catching my enemies in a flower bed; 
but it is by accident. He is very useful In the 
strawberry grounds catchiug the worst enemy 
to strawberry growers. In hunting the white 
grub, however, he passes under a hill of plants, 
and so admits the air that the plant dies. On 
examination, the root is found to be eaten 
away aud the evil is charged to the mole, when, 
in fact, he only ate the grub that killed the 
plant. A little observation has shown that, 
grounds manured with chip manure or saw¬ 
dust arc more frequented by him than othersi 
and simply because he is most ueeded there ; 
for after 6uch manure or mulch comes a crop 
of this strawberry foe. But it may be said 
that the mole eats pea-nuts'’ in 8. C. ; yes, 
and he nibbles a yam sometimes in Missouri 
He eats roots and grains when unable to find 
pleuty of bags and worms ; and when all the 
bugs and worms are dead, it will be early 
enough to kill the molu to save the pea-mils 
and potatoes. 
Shall we muzzle the ox that treadeth the 
coru, or kill tbe bird that catches dally a 
thousand hurtful insects, because be eats a 
dozen berries ? The best pickers I ever had I 
allowed each to eat a quart of berries per day 
while at rest, hut not one berry at any other 
time. It worked well as a rule, aud I am 
wllhug fo allow the birds, aud the moles too, 
to test tbe quality of the fruits they protect so 
well. “The laborer is worthy of his hire;" 
and if even the moles serve us, we should pay 
them for it. As a matter of friendship, we 
may spare them. When moles, toads, birds or 
snakes do us more good than evil, they are 
profitable, and our friends, and should be 
treated as such. Those were dark days of 
barbarism when horticulturists killed alike 
their friends and foes, without investigation. 
These are better days for the birds than those— 
most of them with thoughtfal men are safe be¬ 
cause useful, and so should everything useful be 
esteemed. 
Even tho homeliest faces on many of our fel¬ 
low-men are tolerable to all, aud even admired 
by rnauy, because sometimes worn by persons 
of worth and real gooduess. So of the huge 
old, homely toad—I confess to a real friend¬ 
ship for him. 1 would gladly have one sit un¬ 
der eveiy Dahlia or oilier plant and sing. 
Siug ? Yes, his voice is musical to me. And 
now the mole —why is he killed while we spare 
and esteem the toad ? Because we see the load 
catch flies and bugs in great numbers, he does 
it quickly and fust bo that the fair ladiest 
(sensible ones) spare him for their beautiful 
flowers' sake. But the humblo mole, like a 
real Christian, does not sound a trumpet or 
perform any. part of his service to he sceu and 
praised of men. He is persecuted by those 
he befriends, because they do not understand 
aud appreciate him. He goes about doing 
good, and is killed without law for the harm 
others do. It has bceu a queatiou. and may be 
yet with some, whether the mole is friend or 
foe. Some kill him because others do ; some, 
uot sure of his guilt or innocence, kill him "at 
a venturethose who havo decided against 
him kill him by rule. Now if that South Car¬ 
olina inquirer has tried aud condemned him in 
his “pea-uut" court, I, as the silent mole’s 
friend, respectfully appual to tbe supremacy 
of the grub-worm district of the strawberry 
court of the United States, where 1 ask a 
thorough investigation aud a just decision. 
The * merits of the case having been thor¬ 
oughly canvassed before such an intelligent 
aud impartial tribunal, I have no fear but a 
decision will be rendered in favor of my friend, 
the mole. 
Springfield, Mo. Jot. 
Industrial Jtnpltnifnk 
THE MINNESOTA CHIEF THRASHEB. 
It is doubtful whether any thrasher made 
in thiB country has won a wide popularity so 
rapidly as the Minnesota Chief, manufactured 
by Seymour, Sabin & Co., of Stillwater, Minn. 
Since January ISYS upwards of 3,000 machines 
have been sold by this firm, and last season 
they received orders for 700 thrashers more 
than they could possibly turn out, although 
they were making six, and sometimes seveu, 
every working day. Since then, however, 
their works have beeu so eularged that even 
with tho increased demand for their goods, 
they are coulident of being able this year to fill 
all orders. Their aiui has always been to 
make tho best possible machine. In this, sim¬ 
plicity and stability of construction as well as 
capacity are, in their opinion, essential. They 
saw that the machine must bo so constructed 
that unskilled labor could operutc it ; that it 
must be made of the best material so that it 
could travel ove- rough country roads, and be 
crowded to its full capacity without over¬ 
straining the working parts; that it must have 
capacity to thrash large quantities of grain, in 
view of the enormous increase in crops ; that 
it must be suitable to thrash not wheat alone, 
but oats, clover, timothy and flax, also. These 
requirements they have embodied so success¬ 
fully in their machines, that the sale of these 
has not been confined to the “ home market" 
only, but has extended from the slopes of the 
Alleghauiea to Oregon, and from Lake Winni¬ 
peg to Mexico. Of this machine Finlay Dnnn, 
the special correspondent sent by the L ondon 
Times to investigate the agriculture of this 
country, lately wrote: "Over several fields 
we drive to see the work of the Minnesota 
Chief thrasher with attached winnower and 
elevator, made at the convict establishment at 
Stillwater, capable of thrashing out readily 
1,000 bushelB a day. driven by a 10-horse port¬ 
able Minnesota Giant farm engine, fed with 
flax straw, the extra capacity of furnace re¬ 
quired for the bulky fuel being extemporized 
by introducing within tbe furnace-door a six- 
foot tube, into which the straw is packed, 
dried aud is pushed into the furnace. The 
produce of 30 to 40 acres is thrashed daily : 
16 men, a pair of horses and two teams of 
oxen do the work, including dtawiug water 
and taking the wheat to the granary, at a cost 
frequently within 60 cents an acre.” One of 
our staff lately inspected all tho works of the 
corporation aud found them ruuniug to their 
full capacity, the firm being determined to 
turn out from 1,500 to2,000 first-class thrashers 
this season. 
-*-*■♦-- 
THE RYTHER ROTARY MOTION AND RO¬ 
TARY AND GRINDER. 
This handy attachment can be used for grind¬ 
ing grain or feed, shelling corn, cutting fod¬ 
der, turniug a fau-mill or a grindstone, churn¬ 
ing, etc., etc., much more cheaply, it is claim¬ 
ed, thau these operations can be performed by 
a geared mil]. The rotary is so constructed 
that the Work is all done by tho lift or upward 
stroke of the wind-mill to which it is attached. 
It can either be conunected with the pitmaD 
rod and worked directly under the mill, or be 
operated off by the side of the latter, so that 
the mill can stand over a well and pump water 
while the rotary can perform its various offices 
iu the granarv or barn. The priueiple on 
which it works compensates for the irregular 
motion of the crank operated by a pitman rod, 
as well as for the irregularity in the motion of 
the wind-wheel. The wheel for running it 
needs no more rigging thau is required for or¬ 
dinary pumping. This device is valuable alike 
to stock raiser and farmer, as well as to the 
manufacturers aud dealers iu all kinds of wind¬ 
mills. It is made by Clark & Co., Somonauk, 
111., who will furnish machines aud full infor¬ 
mation to all applicants. 
---- 
AN EX CELLENT POTATO-PLANT DUSTER 
The Troy Stamping Works (Troy N. Y.) 
have sent to us for trial one of their contriv¬ 
ances lor dusting potato or any other plants 
with London-purple or Paris-green mixed with 
plaster or tiour. We commend It to our read¬ 
ers as the simplest and most effectual contriv¬ 
ance of the sort we have ever used, and we 
have used half-a-dozen or more that have at 
various times been sent to us. It saves so 
much labor—performs its work so effectually— 
that we take pleasure iu writing this uote en¬ 
tirely in the interests of our leaders, aud with¬ 
out the knowledge or solicitation of those who 
have the duster for sale. It is well to remark 
that the long wooden handle is not to be shak¬ 
en, as one naturally supposes at first. This 
remark will be understood by those who at¬ 
tempt its use. With this machine it is nearly 
as easy to dust a potato patch thoroughly as it 
is to walk over it leisurely. 
f Ijf Jljiaiiaii. 
SEASONABLE HINTS, 
The present season is well-nigh the busiest 
time of the year for the apiarist. The white 
clover, which, in the majority of localities, is 
the main honey jilant, is now in full bloom ; 
the queens arc breeding rapidly, and swarming 
is the order of the day. This is the season 
that is especially trying to beginners in the 
business. When one has no experience to 
assist him, ho is apt to be undecided us to what 
is the proper thiug to do aud how to do it. and 
consequently there will be an embarrassing 
lack of system in the work. 
The first aud great care of the apiarist should 
be to see that each colony is provided with a 
laying, prolific queen. An old queen, or one 
that, for any reason, has become less vital aud 
has deteriorated in her laying propensity, should 
never be tolerated. In the honey season, when 
the workers live but a few weeks before they 
wear out, it is of importance that the colonies 
should be re-euforced with a constant and co¬ 
pious supply of young bees. Where such 
re-enforeemeut is lacking there will be a cor¬ 
responding deficiency in the store of surplus 
honey, as well as in swarms. It is well to keep 
a few queens on baud in nuclei, so that if auy 
accident should happen to a laying queen, a 
new one can be substituted without delay. 
Should a queen be killed by accident and a 
new one not be introduced, the workers will 
go to work and rear a queen from a worker 
egg, or young larva; but this process takes 
sixteen days, and five or six days more elapse 
before the young queen is fertilized aud begins 
laying ; hence,, three weeks, in all, are lost. 
A prolific queen is estimated to lay over two 
thousand eggs a day when at her best. The 
total loss of bees to the colony would, there¬ 
fore, be nearly 50.000 by a three weeks’ absence 
of a queen. Those who take no warning from 
these figures do not deserve to succeed in 
apiculture. 
Having prolific queens in the colonies, it 
next becomes important to see that there is 
room for them to lay. When honey is plen¬ 
tiful the bees will store rapidly; use the ex¬ 
tractor freely, therefore, andletno more honey 
he stored in the brood nest than uecessary. 
This extracted honey can be stored in barrels, 
if the quantity is largo, and shipped to com- 
misrion-meu; but it is much preferable to 
endeavor to develop a home market for the 
article, and there sell it at retail. To this end, 
put it up in as attractive a form as possible. 
Glass jars, properly labeled with the name of 
the producer and the kind of honey, and con¬ 
taining from two to five pounds each, are per¬ 
haps the best sort of packages. 
Keep, also, a watchful eye on the sections 
for storing surplus honey. The queen should 
never be allowed to lay eggs in these ; but if 
there is sufficient room for her in the brood- 
uest, there is but little danger that she will 
enter the upper story for the purpose of lay¬ 
ing. The size of the sections iu which to store 
surplus houey wilt, of course, vary somewhat 
with the form of hive. We have found sec- 
1 tious measuring 5V by 5$ iuches very desirable. 
These will hold, when tilled, nearly two pounds 
of honey each. 
The increase of colonics is also a subject of 
first importance. All successful apiarists do 
uot agree as to tho way to increase; some 
still prefer to have their colonies swarm natu¬ 
rally, while others—and these are in the ma¬ 
jority—are in favor of artificial swarming. 
The method of forming nuclei and gradual¬ 
ly increasing these to full-sized colonies, by 
adding bees and frames from other hives, is 
undoubtedly tho bc6t. The nucleus should, 
for this purpose, be started in an ordinary 
hive, with about a quart of bees, two or three 
frames of brood and honey, and a queen cell; 
or, if no queeu cell can be had, there should be 
eggs or young larvm less than three days yld, 
from which to roar a queen. Tho bees will 
usually accept the situation quite cheerfully, 
and struightway begin to rear a ruler. To¬ 
wards tho fall should there be several nuclei 
too weak for wintering, those can be united 
into one or more strong colonies. 
Do uot let tbe uutnbcrof drones be increased 
indiscriminately. This useless class of bee so¬ 
ciety corresponds to the loafers and tramps of 
the genus homo. They do uot contribute to 
the prosperity of tho hive, aud they do not 
even make their own living. Nor can it be 
urged in their favor that they, as male mem¬ 
bers of the family, sustain the relation of pro¬ 
tectors to the weaker sex, for they are utterly 
defenceless when attacked. I ulike the neu¬ 
ters, they are devoid ot that small appendage in 
the abdomen, which is held iu such high respect 
by small boys, and whose effect when used is 
like that of alcohol—stimulating but uot nour¬ 
ishing. Catch and kill off these useless in¬ 
mates of the hive wherever they may be found, 
and cut out all drone comb that is built in the 
brood-nest. Some, of course, arc ueeded to 
fertilize young queens, but enough for this 
purpose will escape attention. 
