1883.] 
AMEB i QAJSL , AGRICULTURIST. 
355 
cut up, and if not needed by the cows, cured for 
winter; burn all “ smutted ” stalks... .Hoe melons 
as long as the vines will allow, and after that, pull 
large weeds by hand ; as the fruit approaches ma¬ 
turity, place a shingle or thin board under it, to 
promote equal ripening... .Harvest onions when 
the tops fall over, and let them cure a few days in 
the sun ; store in any airy place, where they can be 
spread... .Sweet potatoes should be kept free from 
weeds, and the vines moved, to prevent them from 
taking root... .Keep tomatoes tied up to the trellis; 
watch for the.large “ worm,” which eats foliage 
and young fruit, and hand-pick_Weeds are the 
chief care this month, and “ pussley ” is a sure in¬ 
dicator of the industry of the gardener. 
There is, during August, a notable scarcity of 
honey flowers. This dearth commences sometimes 
early in July. When this absence of bloom oc¬ 
curs, the -bees are idle, and with this comes a con¬ 
sequent indolence of the queen. She stops egg- 
laying, brood rearing ceases, and the hive is 
losing in numbers. The queen will not lay again 
at her best, even when the fall bloom comes. We 
have often noticed this tardiness of a queen to re¬ 
sume when once she has wholly stopped laying at 
this season. In the absence of bloom, it pays 
well to feed the bees, and thus keep up the breed¬ 
ing. It takes but a little syrup or honey each day, 
one-half pound is sufficient, and, with our con¬ 
venient feeders, it is easily and quickly done. We 
have experimented in the matter over and over 
again, and have always been impressed with the 
ivisdom of such practice. This feeding keeps 
the number of bees up to the full standard, and 
the bees in prime condition to appropriate the au¬ 
tumn nectar. The bees are not all old in late 
autumn, and are in better condition to resist the 
dangers of winter and spring. 
It is desirable to provide artificial pasturage. By 
proper planting, we may have nectar-secreting 
bloom all the season, and there will be no need of 
supplemental feeding. The Syrian bees seem to 
breed on all the same, whether there are flowers or 
not. It is probable that in the desert regions of 
Syria, natural selection has produced this race, 
well fortified against those famous famines which, 
of old, sent the patriarch to Egypt for bread 
and corn. 
THE NORTH AMERICAN ASSOCIATION. 
It will be remembered that the North American 
Association of Bee-keepers will convene at To¬ 
ronto, September 18th, 19th, and 20th. This is 
the second week of the Exposition, and great 
pains are being taken to make it the greatest 
occasion of the kind on this continent. We un¬ 
derstand that large delegations of bee-keepers will 
be sent from New England, New York, Michigan, 
Indiana, and other States ; even the distant South 
will doubtless put in a generous appearance. 
A NEW BEE ENEMY. 
We have just received from a bee-keeper of 
Connecticut some small mites, with the news that 
they are depleting the hives with discouraging ra¬ 
pidity. These are closely related to the Chicken 
Mites, which often cause such mischief in our 
poultry yards. It will be hard to destroy these, 
for what will poison them will almost surely de¬ 
stroy the bees. At present we can only suggest a 
process of sifting, by frequently changing the 
hives. It is possible that there can be some ma¬ 
terial placed above the brood chamber that will 
attract the mites, and yet be so screened as to 
keep the bees away. Such a substance should be 
sought for, and used to the best advantage. 
Fast American Trotters. 
I The more thorough-bred horses there are in the 
'country, the greater will be the improvement of 
horses in general. Blood will tell. As the stal¬ 
lions offered for farmer’s use become of higher 
character, the greater will be the value of the stock 
he raises. While every one can not expect to com¬ 
mand animals of the very highest grade, it is well 
to constantly improve, and to know what are the 
best animals our breeders produce. With this 
view, we give portraits, accurately drawn from life 
specially for this Journal, by Edwin Forbes, of the 
two fastest trotting teams in the world. The up¬ 
per span, “Edward” and “Swiveller,” owned by 
Mr. Frank Work, a prominent member of the New 
York Stock Exchange, held the front rank for 
nearly a year, or from July, 1882, having made the 
previously unequalled time of a mile in 2 minutes 
164 seconds. But now Mr. William II. Vanderbilt 
himself, holding the ribbons over his “Maud S.” 
and “ Aldine,” has brought the best trotting time 
for a double team down to 2.151. (See illustration 
on page 853.) 
“Maud S.” is a chestnut inare, foaled in 1874, 
and bred at Woodlawn, Ky., by A. J. Alexander. 
She is sired by “Harold ” ; dam “Miss Russell.” 
Her record of 2.101 was made at Rochester, N. Y., 
August 11th, 1881. She stands fifteen hands and 
two inches high.—“Aldine ” is a bay mare, foaled 
in 1873, and bred at Midway, Ky., by Mr. Wether- 
spoon. She is sired by “Almont ” ; dam “ Mother 
Hubbard.” “Aldine ” trotted through the circuit 
last year, and made her best time, 2.194, at Hart¬ 
ford, Conn. “ Maud S.” and “Early Rose” were 
driven a mile to skeleton wagon at Hartford, last 
autumn, in 2.104.—“ Edward ” is a chestnut geld¬ 
ing, foaled in 1872, and bred near Coldwater, 
Mich. His sire is “Fisk’s Hainbletonian Star.” 
He made a record of 2.19 at Providence, R. I., 
Sept. 3d, 1878. “ Edward ” stands fifteen hands 
and three inches high. — “Swiveller” is a bay 
gelding, foaled in 1870, and bred at Cazenovia, N. 
Y. He made a record of 2.18 at Utica, August 22d, 
1879. He is of the same bight as his driving mate. 
Trotting horses are of but modern development, 
mainly in this country. W. H. Brewer, Professor 
of Agriculture in Yale College, who has made a 
special study of the development of the American 
Trotting Horse, has prepared a table of the “ best 
record^” and the gain in the rate of speed within 
the present century. In 1806, “ Yankey ” trotted 
a mile just under three minutes (2 min. 59 sec.). 
This was beaten 4 second only in 1810, by a Boston 
horse. Fourteen years after(1824), “ Top Gallant” 
led all others with the famous “ two-forty ” gait. 
Ten years later, “ Edwin Forest ” brought the 
record down to 2 314. In 1844, “Lady Suffolk” 
crossed the line in 2.264. Since that date, the gain in 
speed has been about half a second a year. In 1S53, 
“ Tacony ” took off one second, and in 1856 “ Flora 
Temple ” subtracted another, and in 1859 she made 
herself famous the world over by trotting a mile in 
the unprecedented time of 2.191. This was beaten 
in three successive years by “ Dexter,” with the 
following records : 2.184,2.18 and 2.174. “ Gold¬ 
smith Maid ” held the trotting field from 1871 to 
1878, and reduced the best record to 2.17, 2.161, 
and finally to 2.14. “ Rarus ” led in 1878 with a 
time of 2.134 ; but this was beaten by “ St. Julien” 
the following season in 2>121. The leading horse 
to-day is “Maud S,” which came to the front in 1880 
with a mile in 2.101, and the next year reduced the 
time to the lowest point of 2.104. 
A second and very interesting table shows, that 
of the 2.30 (or better) class, there w r as only one in 
1843; fourteen in 1853; fifty-nine in 1863; three 
hundred and seventy-six in 1873; and fourteen 
hundred and twenty-one for last year; of the 2.25 
(or better) class there was not one until 1856; ten 
years later there were seventeen ; and after another 
period of ten years the number had grown to one 
hundred and sixty-five. Last season there were 
four hundred and ninety-five horses in America, 
that trotted within 2.25. Of the 2.19 class there 
was not one until 1865 (Dexter), but there are no 
less than sixty that now trot better than the best 
time of “Flora Temple.” We have eighteen of 
the 2.17 class; eight in the 2.15; two within 2.13, 
and one better than 2.11. 
The trotter was not held in esteem in ancient 
times. The horse of war was a riding horse, and 
many of the Oriental breeds, as the Persian, Arabian, 
and Turkish are the best riding horses in the world. 
The charger is a galloping steed. The demand un¬ 
til recently has not been for trotters. Another 
cause for the development of the American trot¬ 
ting horse has been the great improvement in 
roads. Until long after the Revolution we had but 
few roads fit for fast driving. Light and strong 
vehicles are necessary for successful trotting, and 
these are of recent construction. Here we find 
another element in the formation of the trotter as 
existing to-day. It was not until 1830 that light 
four-wheeled wagons became at all common, and 
these were without springs. 
A buggy with light steel springs is of quite recent 
date ; they were not common in the older cities of 
the Eastern States until 1845, and in many places 
their introduction was much later. The light trot¬ 
ting sulky, made of tough hickory and provided 
with light steel springs, has been a leadiug cause 
of the present development of the trotter. The 
perfecting of the vehicle and that of the horse have 
gone on together. 
Much of the better qualities of the present trot¬ 
ter is due to the infusion of the English thorough¬ 
bred blood, a number of which animals were im¬ 
ported about the close of the last century. Prom¬ 
inent among these running horses is “ Messenger,” 
the sire of a numerous progeny. He is believed to 
have exerted a greater influence on the American 
trotter of to-day than any other animal. There 
was a strong public sentiment against horse-raciug, 
that is, running houses, and “ trials of speed ” of 
trotters came in to take the place of the regular 
running race, and furnished a sufficient opportunity 
for betting, etc. This, no doubt, has done much 
to improve the speed of our roadsters, even at the 
expense, sometimes, of public morals. Fast trot¬ 
ting in itself, with much that surrounds the trials, 
is unworthy of our civilization, but the effect of 
careful breeding for trotters has been of untold 
value to our country. The needs of our modern 
methods of business require quick roadsters, and 
there is no doubt that the latest development in 
horse-flesh, the trotter, is the best, even though it 
came largely through the stimulus that the race¬ 
track has given. 
Trotting “to pole,” or in double team, for vari¬ 
ous reasons, is slower than that of single horses, 
but the difference in the best records is now small. 
“Toting” Things—A Shoulder Yoke. 
The methods adopted by those who have heavy 
loads to carry, vary in different localities. The 
southern negro and the German women in New 
York and other States, take heavy loads upon their 
heads, and by a skill surprising to others, balance 
the load as they walk along, without scarcely ever 
touching it. Carrying heavy loads upon the head 
is not to be commended. The shoulders are the best 
support, as those who sell milk and other commodi¬ 
ties know. The very common device, the shoulder 
yoke, used by these people, may often be of service 
on the farm. It consists of a piece of wood, like 
that shown in the engraving, wrought in a shape 
that will allow of an equal distribution of the 
pressure upon the shoulders. In order to ac¬ 
complish this, a place is hollowed out for the neck. 
The ends are provided with chains and hooks. 
