the blade-hone taken out. knuckle left in, and 
leg cut off close to the breast. 
Birmingham Sides should be made from 
hogs weighing about 1 TO pounds not; the back¬ 
bone, ribs, blade-bone to be taken out, the 
pocket piece cut out ard pocket nicely rounded, 
knuckle-bone left in, and the leg out otf close 
to the breast. 
South Staffordshire Sides should be 
made the same as Birminghams. except that 
the loin should lie taken out fully bo the top of 
the shoulder-blade, leaving only a thin strip of 
lean along the back; knuckle left in, and leg 
cut off close to the breast.. 
Yorkshire Sides should be made the same 
as Cumberlauds, with ribs out and legs cut oif 
about two inches above the kuee, 
Irish Cut Sides should be made same as 
Long Clear, except top of the pocket cut off, 
knuckle-bone left in. 
Long Hams should be cut from the side by 
separating with a knife the hip bone from the 
rump, properly rounded out, footunjointed at 
first joint below the bock joint. 
South Staffordshire Hams should be cut 
short, hip-bone taken out at socket-joint, 
hock unjointed at first joint below the hock 
joint. 
In Packing Meats in boxes, the pieces 
should be classified, the light, the medium and 
the heavy separately, as nearly as practicable, 
iu packages made to suit the different sizes; 
all the salt possible to get in is put into the 
boxes, between the layers of meat and on the 
top and bottom. Cut meats, also haras aud 
shoulders are packed in the slaughter-houses 
in tiers with salt at the bottom aud between. 
Meat is cured in this way by the absorption of 
thesalt. The meat is left in this way from six 
to eight weeks. 
LAUD. 
Choice Lard to be made from leaf and 
trimmings only, either steam or kettle-rend¬ 
ered. the manner of rendering to be branded 
on each tierce. 
Prime Steam Lard shall be standard when 
made from the head, gut, leaf and trimmings, 
iu the proportions in which the same came 
from the hog. but shall uot include auy mate¬ 
rial which has been salted. 
Mucli of the above matter is taken from 
the report of the U. S. Pork Commission of 
which 1 was a member, and the correctness of 
the descriptions 1 kuow from au extended per¬ 
sonal observation. 
<il)C $ paxian. 
SLATTED HONEY BOARD AND DOUBLE 
BEE SPACE. 
PROF. A. J. COOK. 
Extracted and comb honey; best pucknrjr for 
comb honey; advantages of the slatted 
honey-board; its size; hoto to use it; 
double bee. space\ use of both; the only ob¬ 
jection. 
While it is a fact that extracted honey 
possesses all the intrinsic excellence of comb 
honey, and will go much further, yet it is 
equally true that comb honey, because of its 
appearauce an l the fact that the comb acts as 
a wholesome aud pleasant diiutent, will ever 
fiud readiest market. Fine comb honey is so 
attractive that it rarely goes bogging. Ex¬ 
tracted honey, because of its real excellence 
ami cheapness, will surely be iu great and 
ever increasing demand as its virtues come 
more and mote to be understood and appre¬ 
ciated, as they most be; but while the bee¬ 
keeper will have to push the sale of his ex¬ 
tracted honey, the markets will come seeking 
after his beautiful comb honey. Hence, there 
is an incentive for every bee-keeper to study 
the methods of securing a fine harvest of 
comb honey. 
Any novice can secure a good crop of ex¬ 
tracted honey, while only the export cun 
secure as much of the beautiful comb. Some 
of our bee-keepers say they ouu secure only 
about one-half as much comb as extracted 
honey. Others say they can secure nearly as 
much of the comb. Surely, then, it behooves 
every bee-keeper to study the methods of comb 
honey production, that he may secure the 
most of that which sells best. One of the 
things we must look after iu world ug for comb 
honey is to get our product in the neatest form 
with the least labor. There is no need of urging 
all to use the one-pound sections, made of the 
whitish poplar or bass-wood. All know that 
these alone can compete iu the honey markets 
of to-day. it is just as important to keep these 
sections neat and clean. Of course, they eau 
be scraped, but this is attended with labor and 
danger. How much better to secure our sec¬ 
tions full of honey with the very minimum of 
propolis or bee-glue to mar their beauty. To 
l>o i his we find the Heddcn slatted honey-board 
7§4 
just the thing. This is made exactly the size 
of the top of the hive; that is, the part of the 
hive containing the brood. If the outside 
measure of the hive is 14 by 20 inches, the 
honey-board will be 14 by 2:> inches. For the 
Langstroth hive, I make it 13 by 19L,' inches. 
The slats are tacked to a rabbited rim. which, 
below, is in the same plane as the slats, but 
which projects ahove three-eighths of au inch. 
Thus while the whole under surface is fiat, 
aud of the same level, above the rim projects 
three-eighths of an inch above the balance of 
the boney-board. The slats which ueed not be 
more tliau one-fourth of an inch wide are three- 
eighths of an inch apart, aud are so made as 
to break joints with the frames below. If the 
frames run lengthwise, as do the Langstroth, 
then the slats should extend lengthwise of the 
hive. If cross-wise, as do GaJIup frames, then 
the slats of the honey-board should run cross¬ 
wise. This honey-board is used between the 
brood frame and section case, aud if any one 
is troubled with the queen going into the sec¬ 
tion case to lay eggs, the zinc excluders should 
be fastened in the three-eighths inch spaces 
between the slats-, then the workers can go into 
the sections while the queen cannot. Now, if 
we use this houey-board iu connection with 
the double bpe space 1 find we secure our sec¬ 
tions very neat and clean—often as free from 
stain as when freshly put into the liive. 
To secure the double bee space, the brood 
frames should come within three-eighths of an 
inch of the top of the hive. That is, if the 
rabbits for the frames arc three-quarters of an 
inch deep, and the top liars of the frames 
three-eighths of an inch thick, we shall jusfese 
cure this space. Now, when the slatted 
houey-board is laid on to the hive we note that, 
three-eighths of an inch is the perpendicular 
distance between the plane of the top of the 
brood-frames and that of the bottom of the 
hone}--board, and if our sections come in a 
plane with the bottom of the honey case, aud 
this is set on the slatted honey-board, we 
have a second three-eighths inch space between 
the upper surface of the slats an 1 the lower 
surface of the sections. With these two 
spaces, even in crowded hives, the bees keep 
the sections mainly clean, 1 feel sure that no 
oue, after once trying these slatted honey- 
boards in connection with the double space, 
will ever discard them. I have now used 
them three years and am more than pleased 
with my success. 
There is just one thing that might be con¬ 
sidered an objection to this arrangement— 
everything must be just right, or it does not 
work well. (let the space a little too deep or 
shallow nud the bees stick in the glue and 
brace comb with nil energy that may well 
discourage the bee-keeper. But why not have 
it just right. Accuracy should be the motto 
iu hive-making. 
Ag’l Coll., Lansing, Mich. 
farm Ccomumj 
THAT MANURE QUESTION. 
Mr. Stewart’s advice as to the application 
of manure to the land, page 056 of the Rural. 
is correct, when the soil is a heavy loam aud 
especially a stiff clav. For years past I have 
practiced this method <if plowing it in as 
fresh as possible on such land, b-fore freezing 
weather comes ou iu Autumn: aal again 
early in the Spring, although the application 
is not so beneficial then for the coming crops. 
But iu a very sandy or light gravelly soil, I 
have found it best- to cart out and spread the 
manure as fast as it is made in the stables, 
broadcast on the laud, from November to 
Spring, and not plow it in till just before 
planting. Such soils suffer considerably when 
exposed naked to the sun and wind, and well 
littered stable manure, when Autumn woods 
are not allowed to grow over them, is the 
only thing proper for their protection, as a 
mulch of leaves, straw, or hay is rolled up in 
heaps ami more or less blown off. I could 
never discover leaching of any consequence 
from this well littered stable manure. Foi¬ 
lin'use of some rotted manure for a special 
purpose the coming Summer, 1 have occasion¬ 
ally made a bed, about four feet thick of 
stable manure, from November to December, 
on a patch of nearly barren white sand. I let 
this lie there for five months or more, and yet 
when removed, I could not fiud that the sand 
was discolored over two or three inches deep, 
and that slightly; and the few weeds which 
grew up ou this patch the following Summer, 
were no ranker than those ou the soil along¬ 
side. This shows that it got little fertilization 
from the manure bed which lay there so long, 
t Commercial fertilizers, such as guauo. super¬ 
phosphate, etc., leach rapidly through light 
soils when cultivated in hotsl crops; but are 
very beneficial spread broadcast on wheat, 
rye aud oats well up iu the Spring, and also 
on grass, D. 
£nnr, fEopuB. 
CORRESPONDENTS’ VIEWS. 
This season among my seedling grapes, 
planted among the hearing vines, was a male 
with the sweetest and most profuse bloom I 
ever saw. When the Rose Bugs came they 
centered ou this vine. To get rid of them I had 
only to visit this vine, twice a day and destroy 
them ; rarely was a chaffer found on any 
other vine among 140 varieties. The pecan trees 
froze to within four feet of the ground last 
Winter; diameter five inches. Two that barely 
exist have passed the Winters with sublime in¬ 
difference for some fifteen years. The thrifty 
are all conquered by the Winter. The Japan 
Chestnuts had from oue to three nuts in a 
burr, oftener one and two than three. 
Bucks Co.. Penn. \vm, k. stately. 
W hex strawberries first came we left one 
quarter of our mouth open to say they were 
“ God’s best gift to man.” We were forced to 
say the same thing about eh Trie*, raspberries, 
peaches, melons and grapes, booking back 
over the season, it is hard to say which was the 
best. We have, down cellar, a can of fruit for 
every day in the Winter. We believe in fruit. 
It makes life ‘less of a chore’’—as the old 
lady said. m. s. 
Lenawee Co., Mich. 
Almost every farmer has at some time met 
with an aecideW on the road. A broken shaft 
or trace will make bad work in a lonely place. 
Even those who have been troubled the most 
rarely make provision for an accident. I have 
a hook on the side of my wagon where a 
bunch of stout twiue is always hanging. A 
spool of copper wire is a fine thing to have 
under the seat. c. h. b. 
Monroe Co., N. Y. 
[A “kit” or light box containing just the ar¬ 
ticles needed in case of a ‘"break-down" is now 
on the market. It can be carried under the 
seat, and is a great convenience.] 
Some people wonder why it is so hard to in¬ 
duce city or town workmen to go into the 
country to live. It is usual to point to the 
crowded condition of labor ia the towns and 
to the comparative space in the country. It 
is easy to say that a man could easily make a 
living in the country, but it is harder to do it. 
T fiud the great complaint among workmen 
who try to make farmers out of themselves is 
that they miss pay day. They have lived so 
long ou n cash basis that when they come to 
try and farm for themselves, and have to pay 
themselves wages, they feel mixed up. 
Fitchburg, Mass. s. d. l. 
An agricultural paper ought to be like a 
great farmers' club. Members don’t go to a 
club simply to hear somebody preach. They 
can exchange ideas and get new facts from 
the other members. Every good farmer has 
some little contrivance that suits him. Per¬ 
haps he has learned some little trick about 
raising a crop, that is worth money to him. 
Let him send these things iu and get others in 
return. Nobody could estimate the influence 
and value of a paper with such a membership. 
Orange Co.. N. Y. m. h. c. g. 
“Going to Law" is poor business. How 
many farmers would do it if they could see 
what, kind of a country the road runs through? 
I never saw a law case where both parties 
were satisfied with the result; and 1 know of 
many where neither party could claim com¬ 
plete satisfaction. If the farmer eoul 1 see how 
hungry lawyers are for fees, the kind of men 
who are apt to make up juries, aud the long 
hours of worry the ease will cost him. he 
would do almost anything rather than go to 
law. The great majority of cases could be 
settled quietly at far less cost than an appeal 
to “law” will bring. There are too many 
scrub lawyers now. They feed oil the disputes 
of farmers. Take the work away from them 
by keeping cool in all disputes, “witness." 
Large Farms in California. — Forty 
thousand acres in one farm! Such a state¬ 
ment sounds like prosperity; but is it? The 
lands of California were unfortunately divid¬ 
ed into large tracts. Through the Sacramento 
aud San Joaquin Valleys there are many farms 
containing thousands of acres. The routiue 
work is plowing aud seeding through the Fall 
and Winter; eight or 10 men, with mules, 
gaug plows and seeders doing such work on a 
farm of 6,000 acres. The harvest commences 
in June aud lasts, with thrashing, until about 
the middle of September. Few buildings are 
necessary; for the climate is such that the graiu 
is stacked and thrashed in the field, and can 
be hauled from there to the nearest railroad 
station. The graiu is handled in sacks, and 
elevators are not necessary. Perhaps 20 men, 
on the same farm, will be engaged in this 
work. The owner lives in some town or city; 
his foreman, or overseer, lives on the place. 
The work is done by tramp workmen who 
seldom stay in one place more than one sea¬ 
son. What is the result? The soil is contin¬ 
uously robbed by successive crops of wheat or 
barley—everything is taken away and noth¬ 
ing is returned. Every large ranch will have 
its “home place” which is the headquarters of 
the workmen aud mules; but a country divid¬ 
ed in this way lias no villages, no schools, no 
society, and tramps are encouraged instead of 
steady citizens who will make the country 
really rich. Many other States aud Terri¬ 
tories are afflicted with “big farms. 1 ’ Such a 
system has no place in our country, and it is a 
relic of feudal ag&s.and it must go down before 
the progressive intelligence of the American 
farm rs, who work for themselves aud are in¬ 
dependent because tbej r work. b. Charles. 
Twine for Self binders.— It is estimated 
that the farmers of this country consume each 
year on self-binding harvesters, 35,000 tons of 
twine. This would make a piece long enough 
to go more than six times around the earth. 
About 1.200 feet of twine are used per acre. 
This should cost about 25 cents. Manilla hemp 
makes.the best twine. It sells for more than 
that made from Sisal hemp, yet it is cheaper in 
the end. Sisal hemp breaks much oftener 
while running through the binder. Every 
break necessitates a stop. These stops in the 
wheat field cost time. Time is money. It 
pays well to get a good quality of twine. 
A “ saddle sulk v ” has been invented. 
The axle is curved upward so that the rear of 
the horse comes directly between the wheels. 
The shafts are continuous, reaching around 
the rear of the horse. The seat is practically 
a saddle fastened by rn^ans of strong springs 
to the shaft. The driver thus sits with his feet 
resting on the shafts almost at the horse’s flanks. 
•She iHnnmviX 
• » 
LADY DOWNES GRAPE RAISED IN THE 
OPEN AIR IN ONTARIO, CANADA. 
I sent the Rural, by express from Detroit, 
a bunch of grapes to show that foreign grapes 
can be grown in the open air here. The varie¬ 
ty is Lady Downes, one of the very latest to 
ripen. If it ripens here I think there would 
be no difficulty in ripening the earlier sorts. 
I have only one vine with a three-year-old 
shoot four feet high, on which were eight 
bunches, some of them larger and finer than 
the one jsent. but a severe hail-storm wrecked 
the best of them, after which I bagged them. 
The l ag was too small and burst with the ex¬ 
pansion of the grapes, so that the weather got 
in and took the bloom off them before I no¬ 
ticed, The viue is trained to a pole in the 
open ground, and has not been manured as it 
should have been. Itis planted slanting, so that 
the stem may be laid down and covered with a 
few inches of earth in Winter. I hope to 
have better specimens next year, aud will bag 
them earlier, though bagging makes them 
ripen later. One bunch not bagged was fully 
colored a mouth ago. .tames dougall. 
Windsor, Out, 
R. N.-Y.—The facts stated above by Mr. 
Dougall should be instructive to many Rural 
readers. It is pretty well known that many 
kinds of so-called tender foreign grapes (Vitis 
viuiferai do not thrive in Northern climates, 
rather because of enfeebleiuent from mildew 
thau ffipin sensitiveness to cold. We have 
raised seedlings in the open grounds from the 
“ Malaga” white grape, and carried them 
through the Winter with protection. The 
seedlings died the next year from mildew of 
both the stem an 1 leaves. Now. in many lo¬ 
calities where the soil is covered with snow 
during the Winter, certain varieties of the 
Viaifora class would do well if tbev were not 
enfeebled by mildew and if the canes were 
laid dow n aud protected during the cold sea¬ 
son. The bunch of grapes sent by Mr. Dou¬ 
gall is of medium size—the berries large and 
of very fine quality Oue thing notable is 
that the flesh is less meaty (slightly inclining 
to pulp) than the flesh of the same grape 
raised in houses. 
Ijoriifiiliural, 
PUDDLING AND WATERING PLANTS. 
The Rural’s report of the Cleveland meet¬ 
ing of the American Horticultural Society 
mentions Mr. Greiner’s essay on Plant Setting, 
but gives none of his ideas. In the Farm and 
Garden Mr. Greiner gives a summary of the 
points brought out in the essay referred to. 
Two of his positions as there outlined, are at 
variance with'my practice; and one of them, I 
consider, to be entirely mistaken. My experi 
ence with plauts is confined to sweet potatoes; 
