Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-10-02
FARM SUGGESTIONS.

TN September we always begin to
make preparations for wintering bees.
In some places bees gather their great
est amount of surplus in this month,
working well on golden rod, hearts
ease, and buck-wheat, until frost checks
the supply of honey. Where they dc
this it IS not uncommon for them to
make preparation for swarming, and
large sWarms are often thrown out now.
Although these sWarms may sometim es
fill their hives, it is not safe to trust
them doing it, nor wise to allow any
swarming now. Examine all hives and
if any are building queen cells, cut
them out, and remove also frame or
two of brood from them; using these to
strengthen colonies that may need it.
If, In your examination, you find hives
with little brood and center comb all
filled with honey, it is well to use the
exterior freely, which will generally
stimulate and induce brood-rearing.
Remember to winter safely, colonies
must have young bees and these must
be in process Of rearing now. This is,
in our opinion, the best time in all the
year to introduce Italian queens, or to
change queens in any hive where the
bees are not in all respects what you
wish, or If the queen is not prolific.
Even if you have good Italian stock,
it pays to get an imported queen, or q
queen from q new strain from a reli-
able source. Remove honey boxes as
soon as filled, or small frames from
boxes. When removing them it IS use
less to put on an empty box now, as
you could do earlier in the year, as
bees seldom begin in a new one. But
remove a partially filled box to the
place from which you take a full one
as the bees that have been engaged in
sealing that one over, will go on with
the same work in another. 1t is verv
desirable to have boxes we'll filled,
and though we have never made any
thing by feeding to induce them to
finish, but we have, by little manage
ment. often had boxes finished up that
would be otherwise incomplete. As
soon as frost cOmes-the very next
morning If possible-remove all boxes,
for in a short time the bees will begin
to take honey from them. Mrs. f. s.
Topper IN Bee Keepers Magazine.
PROFIT FROM THE COW.-Some of the
advantages of dairying, especially on
small farms, are prominent enough to
attract the attention Of those of our
farmers who have never given the sub
ject any particular attention whatever.
Butter should be one of the products of
every farm, that is it should be one of
the products to sell, and not particularly
for home consumption; and when it is
produced with the object Of selling it,
it becomes a very steady source Of IN
come, and at times when other sources
are not active, and it is in this very par
ticular that we find one of the greatest
advantages Of dairying on small farms.
The business may be said to interfere
with ndhing and is itself profitable.
The factthat calves can be raised With
out any milk, and raised upon a mix
ture Of flax seed. skinlmed milk and
oatmeal, about as successfully as they
can when sucking, the fact that COWS
are keptfOr their milk does not inter
fere with the raising Of steers, which is
such a prominent object with some
farmers In fact it is difficult TO look
upon this SUBJECT in any manner or
from any stand point and not be favor
ably impressed with it. The farmer
who does not make butter to sell and
if he makes it to sell, he must make
good butter-greatly stands in his own
light It is true that there are many
who finl the business Of butter-making
improbable, and will be hard to con-
vince 10 the contrary. Such per-
sons may have kept a considerable
number or COWS all their lives and yet
have never made anything from the
sale of butter. In every such case the
reason no doubt easily discernible, if
looked for. Perhaps the COWS have
been god for nothing. If butter is to
be made a profitable product, we must
keep the best mixers. If our herd is
composed of scrub COWS, we must see to
it that they are the very best of their
kind, AID if it is composed of the i'm
proved breeds we must have the best Of
those breeds. A poor mixer cannot
make much butter, and it requires
about as much to keep such COW as
it does 10 keep a good one. Then care
must be taken in feeding. A COW can
not produce milk unless she is given
the proper material to make milk out
of. We have known farmers who failed
to furnish the best of pasture in sum-
mer, Wien they conld have done SO just
as we'll as not. The COWS were turned
upon the grass that was even too thin to
furnish supply for the wear Of the sys-
tenn, to say nothing about making milk.
And when the pasturing season is end
ed, the cow is not unfrequently COM
PEELED to live upon hay and corn stalks
until the coming of pasture again. Not
root or q pint Of meal is furnished
during the whole winter. 1t should not
be surprising that the COW under such
circumstances fails to yield q profit. If
there is any feeling of surprise connect
ed with the matter at all, it is that the
man who takes no better care of his
COWS, should not become wholly discour-
aged, and cease to keep COWS at ali. In
addition to all this there must be what
tho lTpeto,n, po,narT hoe froO11ont1v cro1r