The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-10-27
OUR FARM BUDGET.
Select Matter for the Farmer and His
Family.
vsrmin in Poultry Houses : Where Our
Honey Comes From-Novel sheep
Protector = Origin of the
BIerino Sheep-Etc.
Where Our Honey Comes From.

money was scarce ana nlsn. Inc DeSL
honey in the world is the Swiss honey, con-
siderable quantities of which are shipped to
this country and sold in all markets. OF
course, only the extracted honey comes
rom Switzerland. 1t is worth about 81 %
quart, or s. a gallon. The best American
honey comes from California. This is the
great honey-producing country on this con-
tinent From the vicinity of the White
Mountains, so called because they are white
with clover blossoms, comes the best collect
ed in the State. Vast stretches of upland
and mountain, slope and summit, are Gov
cred with a luxuriant growth Of white
clover that at a distance appears like an eX-
panse of snow. Those who have visited this
clover belt and honey region say that the
hum of bees throughout these fields is con-
tinuous day in and day out, and that the
bees seem to regard the clover-helds as their
particular province, and resent intrusion.
However that may be, white clover honey is
the best, and the best of it as well as the
largest quantity comes from California. In
the far West States some attention has been
given TO bees, and some buckwheat and
half-wild honey produced. Virginia is
noted for its wild honey. Some of the in
habitants make it business to collect it,
and the finding of it requires some knowl-
edge of bee movements. A bee is caught, and
at the proper time of the day liberated 1t
returns to its swarm, and a. it flies in bee
line" its home can be found by taking the
point and with the aid of q compass follow
ing in the same direction, up hill and down.
until the swarm is found. The tree is felled
and the honey taken. Eight or ten pals of
honey are often obtained from single hol-
low tree a small part of Virginia wild
honey is collected
Nearer home the great honey region is in
Western New York and from this part of
the country the honey, now in the market
comes. Vermont and New Hampshire, in
fact all States, send more or less honey
honey in the comb, for in the comb
1t must be pure, while out of it,
it II a. be any kind of inferior syrup, glu
cOSe, or some other product that Will not
sell under its own name. If consumers
were sure of the pure article out of the
comb, extracted honey would sell more
readily. 1t sells very we'll now, but the
buyer does not know whether it is honey or
something else Allhoney, however. should
be extracted before it is eaten for i'm spite
of care some of the comb or wax will be
eaten with the honey and beeswax dis
turbs the digestive machinery Honey
comb bears the same relation to honey that
husk bears TO corn, shell to nut, rind to
fruit and is no more fit as an article of
food than any of them. A machine
has been invented to extract honey.
The comb is taken from the hive, placed in
the machine, which is rapidly revolved and
the honey thrown out by the centrifugal
process. The comb is returned to the hive
TO be filled again, and the bees are saved the
trouble of building another comb or cellular
case. A single swarm of bees have often
manufactured $25 worth of honey in a sea-
son.
Bees can be kept anywhere-on the roof,
over the porch, in any place where there is
room for hive. 1t is said by some, and
denied by Others, that bees extract honey
from decaying matter, street garbage and the
like. At least, bees are seen Gt work where
refuse abounds, and from appearances Sam
sons riddle is as true as it ever was, which
is saying very little Last year the best
honey was worth 24a25c; the price now, for
job lots is 2oa21c. The price is likely to be
higher, owing to the high price of butter,
which is 10a12c above last years prices. As
butter advances honey is in greater demand
as substitute, and prices are affected. The
shipment of honey abroad is very large
One firm in New York last year shipped
eighty tons at one shipment 1t is said that
dentists reap better crop in those districts
where honey is largely used.
vermIn in Poultry Houses.
A French poultry keeper writes thus to the
Journal d'Agriculture:
must ask permission to complete and
rectify briefly good article written by Dr.
Felix Schneider in the Journal d Agricul-
ture. August Il, in which he says:
The best way to free young birds from
vermin is to prevent their appearance. !"
This is perfect, and could not be better put,
and is a piece of advice that should
be well circulated; but he adds
that the simplest and most economical
way to destroy vermIn which is so
disastrous amongst the poultry is the follow
lowing: Every day, from the first heat of
summer till toward autumn, you must
syringe the pigeon house from top to bottom
and on the four sides with the cheap liquid
called water To do this take bucket of
water, and with cup or even your own
hand, throw the water In every direction,
and principally in the nests. without think
ing of the sitters, who will become accus-
toned to these showers, and who will very
shortly not disturb themselves on this ac-
count. This liquid penetratcs in every
corner, visits the smallest cracks, and falls
on the eggs and on the young ones and
spreads over everything its good influences"
do not at all agree with his views and
think that all those who put it into practice
will be of my opinion. Firstly, for liquid
to penetrate in the cracks or holes (which
ought to be filled up) there must be a certain
force. The hand is net sufficient-you want
at least syringe of strong pressure, so that
the smallest crack will be thoroughly wetted.
lnlS cOntlnuai dampneSS Is DAD Tor pigeons.
DIR. Felix Schneider says vermin like dry
places; but if birds go with pleasure to
water, it is for their toilet, which completed
they fly and dry themselves, which the poor
sitters can not do. being entirely occupied
by their nests and maternal duties.
So dampness, which would be bad for YER
min would also be bad for the birds 1t is
preferable to make occasional wettings and
10 make them with water mixed either with
petroleum or mineral essences, or phonix
acid. Those syringiHgs should be made in
the morning so as not TO disturb the birds,
but. at the same time, to act vigorously and
well on the vermin 1t is essential that
every place should be thoroughly wetted,
for il a single space is forgotttn it serves
as a nest for the vermin, and all youT
work must be done over again; but
what you must avoid is to drench a set
ting hen. Again, the fear of water might
spoil q setting or cause the eggs to
be broken. On the other hand, the water
thrown every day in the nest would rot the
bottom of it, and this time il would be the
entire setting that would be compromised.
The fact of the nest being wetted every day
would be dcplorable, and they would soon
become heap of rotten straw. 1t is certain
the nests merit the attention of the poultry
fancier to keep them clean. Avoid vermin,
but don't disturb the tranquility of the
couple during incubation. Eight days after
hat ofrrll