Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1872-03-15
Farm and Garden.

| two pieces of steel one-eighth of an inch
thick, three inches long and one inch
wide--in one end file two notches, so as
to leave three large saw teeth-bend the
two outside teeth at right angles and
the center one in the opposite direction;
make ahole in the opposite end wherein
to tie cord for the purpose of hanging
it to the side of the mill when not in
use. Put one of these under each hind
leg of the mill and turn away with the
full hope that your mill will stay where
you put it,"
Worms IN C0lts.-It is the opinion oi
many veterinarians that worms are
usually connected with Indigestion
that is they produce i'll health when the
digestive organs are disordered. DR..
Dodd recommends giving: White mus
tard seed whole, powdered mandrake,
sulphur, powdered worm seed (cheno-
psdium arsthelninticum), poplar bark,
salt, ginger and charcoal-of each two
ounces; mix and give one ounce night
and morning in the feed. The follow
ing often brings away large quantities
of worms: Castor oil, II OF. oil of
worm seed, or. oil of tansy, drachms
to be given on an empty stomach, fol.
lowed by mashes of fine feed or shorts
well seasoned with salt. 1t should be
repeated until the bowels respond.
,Superanmuated Old Queens.-I will give
one case: had stock that I supposed
had lost their queen, as l could find no
eggs or unsealed larvee in the hive; l
introduced queen in my usual manner
of introducing, and to my surprise, on
the third day thereafter, found her
dead in front of the hive. | then gave
the stock card of eggs and unsealed
Larvae, expecting them to raise queen,
but they failed to start any cells. did
not pay any attention to them for a
number of days, thinking to break up
the stock and give the combs to new
swarns. On opening the hive to break
them up [ discovered two or three
worker larvae, few sealed workers, and
five or six eggs, not yet Matched, and
among the rest queen cell with the
larve, nearly ready to hatch.
I then went to searching for queen,
and after a long and almost fruitless
search found her Majesty, but was
several times on the point of giving up
beat. Now, the mystery was solved.
This stock had a superannuated old
queen. In those cases the queen be-
comes very small, not larger than
worker, hence the difficulty in finding
her.
She had become superannuated and
ceased laying entirely, yet the bees still
clung to her as their mother, and did
not like to give her up, but after long
time, by some hocus pocus, induced her
to lay few eggs and commenced to
raise a queen to fill her place. The
cases are so numerous where there are
two queens in hive, young fertile
one and an old one, that before intro
ducing a new one [ examinevery closely
for tWo.-Cor. IoUG Homestead. T..
Pruning Apple Trees.-The Country
Gentleman says: To the inquiries of
novice on the subject of making apple
trees healthy and profitable by pruning,
and applying ashes and lime around the
foot of the trunk, we would say, that if
trees are planted on good soil, with a
good natural underdrainage land next
to this thorough artificial draining),
and the ground is kept well cultivated
over the whole surface, pruning will
become of secondary Importance.
Branches may sometimes become too
thick and brushy, and need a moderate
and even thinning, but it is better 10
keep the head of the tree in a good
shape and condition, by preventing a
dense mass of brush, than by cutting
out large limbs afterward. A careful
eye will detecta supernumerary shoot
that is just springing up in wrong
place, and will remove it with knife
which is better than to allow it to be
come heavy limb, crowd its neigh
bors, and finally have to come out. The
great point, however, first and last, is
to keep the trees in good healthy con-
dition by proper cultivation of the soil.
Pruning will not cure mossy, diseased
and stunted tree. The life must be put
into it, if possible, below, at the roots.
As to applying ashes and lime, they
will do little good if heaped around the
foot of the stem, but may be of essential
benefit if spread broadcast over the
surface.
Draining Lands.-Henry Taylor, an
English farmer, who has drained many
thousand acres of land, says draining
should be deep, four feet at least;
deeper would be better. On heavy
lands, twenty feet apart would be proper;
on lighter lands, sixty-six feet might
do. Draining lands infested with couch
grass will rid them of that weed in two
years. The soil should not be returned
into the ditch in wei state, or the
drains will not act; the earth will con-
solidate, and he had known two years
to elapse before any benefit accrued
while if the earth was dry when replaced
the drains would act at once.