The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-08-16
AGRICULTURE.

BEES AND HONEY PLANTs.--I hat
two hundred colonies of hybrid bee.
last autumn, and | have not lost moro
than six. Tho winter having bee.
unusually cool, bees have not been out
as much Rs usual anu consequently los.
ses have been less. Our bee season
commences III February and continues
TIL near December, giving us u long
working season, when we take care tC
keep u succession Of flowers for pastur.
age. In September we usually have
the greatest drought Of the season and
nearly all our wild flowers are dried up
During this dry season If nothing is
prepared by cultivation for pasturage
the bees get scarcely enough to subslst
upon. Our lucerne meadows give great
help, but generally as soon as tho plants
get we'll in blossom, the mower spoils
all the prospects Of honey from that
source. In all my experience with
bcos, find Mignonette the most vaiua-
bic for bee pasturage. This l announ-
ced through tho bee journals several
years ago, and continued experience
has strengthened that conclusion. That
plant blooms early and continues to
blossom till nipped by frost. l have
not Il shade Of doubt but that u we'll
cultivated acre OF this plant would give
abundant employment for 800 colonies.
Sweet clover comes next to Miguonettee
| in value for bees. There Is little doubt
but that this pant will yield honey
| faster than MignOnctte, but being 4
perennial, 1t costs double what the 9TH
or does that blossoms annually and Is
self-sceding after having once been
| started. There Is still another very
valuable plant fol bees, known rs tho
"Amcrican bee plant" that was intro
duCcd into the cast In 1868. 1t grows
in sand, Is Il wonderful bloomer and
honey-produccr, but the honey from It
| lacks the fine favor Of that collected
| from the ilrst-namcu plants.
| BAKNYARD AND ARTIFICIAL. FERrILI-
ZERs.--In q recent address in England
on chemistry in its relations to aXricul-
turc, Mr.. j. Il Lawes submitted the
following general conclusions arrived
ut by experiments. That mineral
supcrphosphatc of lime has given Il
considerable Increase In each crop Of Il
rotation, although used without any
other manure Tor a period Of thirty
years. That In consequence OF grains
| containing large quantities Of nitrogen
and phosphoric acid and small qunnti-
! Ties of potash, manures containing SOL
| uble phosphOric acid and soluble nitro
gen, rs ammonia or nitro acid, are es-
| pecially applicable to these crops. That
where crops containing large quantities
| Of potash, such as roots, potatoGs, and
hay, arc sold Off tho farm, manures
containing potash, such as purchased
| tlunga, appear to be more suitable.
| That although potash. phosphor ic acid,
| and nitrogen arc tho chief manure in
gradients in farmyard dung, In the
manure Erom artificial foods, and In
artificial manures, still the differences
in form In which these substances are
met with greatly affect their value; the
| present method Of anulyzlng manure
| does not properly recognize these dis
tinctons, and the valuations founded
| upon these analyses are altogether false
and erroneous.
CULTURE OF CAnBAGE.-Sincc the adj
vent Of the cabbage worm almost every
| one has been Mt loss to know what to
| do 20 raise few cabbagcs. SoE,e have
tried ono thing and some have tried
another, and mostly to no purpose.
Last year set about three hundred and
thirty-ilve plants, and picked of the
worms by hand as they came, for about
| two weeks which took some two hours
each day. This seemed to be too much
work, and as | have well Of soft water
near by, | took flvc-pail kettle, set 1t
near the wcll, put INTO 1t II pint Of soft
soap and the same Ofsalt, and then fill
ed 1t up with water. [ let this stand
till the water was warmed by the sun,
and then after stirring it up we'll,
took my waterproof and applied 1t at the
rate of about a gallon to forty heads,
putting it In tho center. did this
every day and the result was had the
incest and hardest cnbbagcs that were
ever raised. l had no trouble to get
ten cents per head although cabbage
was very cheap here. Some make a
practice of buying their plants, but
wOnld not give ono cent per hundred
unless l know what l was getting.
SOME yeors ago was detained In re-
turning homo by bread In the railroad,
requiring detour of some twenty
miles. In order TO make this hired a
buggy and driver. But the horse
proved most ag&ravating baker. lie
baked when there was no possible rea.
son or occasion for 1t. When we were
at a certain point striving in vain to set
the beast going, either by the argument t
Of persuasion or blows, an Adams OK
press wagon came along. The driver
jumped off his seat. took the whip and
gently touched tho animal under tho
| DClly, UuCh dnu near CDc lOfelCQ, anu
Immediately the horse went on his way.
Wc tried 1t repeatedly afterwards. and
always with success.
10 DESTROY BURDOCKs.-The bur-
dock is a bionnial and produces seod
tho second summer, after which the
plant dies, ALLOW them to make full
growth, getting nearly ripe; thon cut
gather together before tho seed Ia dry
enough to shcll out in handling and
burn. If cut before fully developed,
cheated nature persistently exerts her.
self In tho reproduction of burdocks
throwing out shoots as often as destroy.
cd and will set with seed until frost
ends tho struggle; whereas If allowed
TO mature tho first Drop they dio easily
This plan, If followed two years, will
leave but iow plants.
|
"PlCKLED" SEED-CoRN.--Itc carno,
be too widely known that seed-corn
can be oifectually 'picklcd' without risk
to rocks and other birds, and with saw.