Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1883-07-14
Read our big ad. VIM. S. Clagett & Co. 1t
Fresh turnip seed at Gordon & Fulker-

49,
Read our big ad. VIM. S. Clagett & Co. 1t
Fresh turnip seed at Gordon & Fulker-
sons. Jutyl44
DR.. J. B. Alexander, the jealous and ac-
compIlshed observer at this point for the Mis-
souri, weather service, desires to reduce his
work to such accessible and easily under
stood shape that it may be seen and read OF
all men. With a view Of rendering bis OBJ
servatlons of service to the agriculturists OF
the county he endeavored to get the county |
court to have them transcribed into q large |
book at the courthouse, where any interested
person could turn TO it without any sort OF
hesitation. The court did not entertain the
proposition. so the doctor has purchased q
book and tabulated his work for long time
back, so that it can be consulted at any time
by those who may wish to do SO. The book
will be found lying on a desk at his office, and
all persons are invited to examine it. Every
body who knows DR.. Alexander will have
implicit con1denceinzthe correctness zof-his
observations, their importance and compre-
hensiveness can be seen by turning to his re-
cord. To begin, he has transcribed DR..
Englemann's meteorological record from 1888.
to the present time. Of his w work he has
comparative tables of six pages to each month
for the years 1878 to 1885,, inclusive. In these
are shown the mean minimum and maximum
temperature, the number of days above 90,
above so, above 40, below 80, not above 81
below zero and not below zero, the rainfall,
direction and force of the wind, phenomena
--.--l --I ,,ooatoh1A Lfnr-
doms, &C., &c. These tables are replete with
interesting information. He then has the
years compared in the same way, giving six
pages to each, the winters, the springs, sum-
mers, autumns, &C., to great length. The i'm
portance of his work to the agriculturist will
be more valued as more scientific methods are
adopted. Take the table on winters for in
stance. This is q season particularly inter-
esting to. the farmer by reason Of its effects
upon the soil, crops, live, stock, storage, pre-
~servation, &e. A glance at this table will
convey accurate information as to the tempe
rature, mean, minimum and maximum, OF
each winter season for the past six, condition
of the ground, rain and snowfalls, winds,
sky, and particular phenomena. The months
of May, June and July are of great interest
to the farmer. Here he can find q mass of
Information regarding them which we cannot
stop now even to enumerate. One remark,
as 1t may be opposite, we will make. The
assertion was frequently; made last month
that we had never before had such 3 wet
June, when as a matter of fact it was only in
1879 that as great a quantity Of water fell in
that month. In June, 1879, the rainfall was
1858 inches; in 1888 it was 1912 inches; in
1880 it was but IS hundredths of an inch.
Hundreds of similar interesting questions
may in a moment be decided by looking at
DR.. Alexander's valuable book, He is kind
enough to open its pages to the public, and
for one we thank him for the privilege of
using them, and shall frequently take advan-
tage of it. His invitation is particularly ex-
tended to farmers, and he is very anxious
that they shall report to him all remarkable
phenomena of weather, crops, fruits, birds;
insects, animals, &c.
There is probably nc member of the insect
kingdom of more interest than the-bee. This
may be said of the little cuss whether he
creates the interest by the insertion Of his
bill into your cuticle or by Furnishing the
honey that makes of '"peach" a nectar fit
for gods. Whether you observe him 81 a
busy little worker lit isn't the Chin, ;, either,
that does the work, but the 'her," as in many
other families), or whether your contemplate
the result of his labors between two halves
of a hot, buttered biscuit, any way you take
him he is an object of delight. 1t is when he
takes you, right between the eyes, that he
becomes a subject for your scorn and con-
tempt. By the way, all these hims and hers
are out of place! The bee is natures libel ON
the male sex. The male bee does not work,
he is a drone; he cannot fight, for he has no
sting, and he is only noble ia that he is willing
to sacrifice his life to his affection for his
queen, and in fact does SO for q single en-
brace. There are no end of interesting things
to be said about the bee, but as we did not
start out to write an essay on the little beast
they will have to go unsaid. The bee ha
been brought to our attention by the very
complete apiary of DR.. Geo. W. Young, OF
this city. which we had the pleasure of visit
ing one day this week. The doctor has over
four hundred hives. He has an experienced
bee-keeper employed in the person of MIR. C.
F. Lane, a very Intelligent and Courteous gen
tleman. To both gentlemen we are indebted
for a very pleasant o among the bees
Having p~utrover our heads a "bee-pTotector,'
8 sort of circular veil to. protect US and no,
the bees, We sailed out very bravely. With
out that protector, though, we should no
+. have ventured among that million or two O
buyers. In old times bees found .sgums,'
followed pieces of trees, about farms, an,
they made their honey in them and were de
stroyed when the farmer wanted the contents
All that is changed, and the production o
honey Except the glucose kind) Is tho result
of a little nature, supplemented with a grea
deal OF science. 1t is an easily demonstrate
proposition that Mr.. Lane knows more abou
i the bee than the bee knows about himself
8 He and DR.. Young have rugged so many de
. vices on the little creatures that they max
t them do just what they want done, and jus
q as they want it done. They have between
!, them perfected ar admirable hive. Each hiv
contains 8 frames. Each of these frames tn
| bees fill with honey. This honey is the foo
supply of the bees. After these frames az
r full14 to 1S little square boxes are placed i
a cap above them, and the bees then fill thes,
t each one containing about 2 pounds of beaut
!, full honey in perfect condition for handlin
, and sale. The color of the honey varies az
: cording to the blossoms from which it
made. One of the ingenious things that NJ
Lane does Is to help the bees along by ful
r nishing them with a wax foundation or com
o to commence on, ready made by a little MI
Is chine he has. This expedites matters ver
greatly as otherwise the bees would have
y make this foundation at great labor. A pie
of this foundation is placed in each Of IL
small boxes as we'll as in the frames In tt
main hive, and by placing a little tin part
v ton between the boxes MIR. Lare not on
q furnishes the bees their start Of comb, a
tached in the middle, just where he wan
% the honey made, but he compels the bees
make each piece straight, uniform, of Il
same shape and nearly. of the same weigh
10 Mr.. Lanes hive and general process of pr
ducing honey is unique and well worthy
10 study. His comb honey is beautiful and
handy as it could possibly be prepared for Il
trade. When there is plenty of bloom Il
- bees will fill a hive and the small boxes abo'
- y So ~ Al - 90