The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-04-17
OUR RURAL TOPICS,
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
EFFECT OF .Foop UPON MILK.

EFFECT pb EfuOD UFON hlLh'
Bulletin No. of the New Hampshire Ex-
pertinent Station is devoted to investigating
the changes due to breed and individual char
acteristics; changes due to other causes aside
from food changes duo to changed food. And
tho following conclusions are made: 1t Will De
found that high per cent. of fat aud hlgh
per cent. of casene 90 together, and milk rich
in fat is not only q good milk for butter but
also good milk for cheese, while the reverse
is also true That these results which have
given are fairly representative of other results
which we have on hand, and / feel warranted
in saying that given animal by heredity is 80
constituted that she will give milk of certain
average composition; by judcious or injudi-
cious feeding the amount of milk daily may be
very largely varied, but the quality of the
product will be chiefly determined by the indi-
viduality of tho COW. We may fertilize the
soil around our grated apple-treo and cause 1T
to produce double the amount OF fruit that 1t
would have produced uncared for but we shall
never change a Baldwin apple into Pound
Sweeting, or the Crab apple into Pippin; the
kind Of appleis determined by the character
of the tree, the amount by the character of the
never, by feeding, be changed into Jersey
aud the man who starts out to increase tho fat
in milk by simply changing the food has, in
my opinion, a very iflicult task to perform.
| Slight variations arc always cropping out,
whether we change the food or not, but changes
| OF per cent. OF fat OF any considerable amount,
do not appear TO trace to food influence, so long
as the food is reasonably well proportional and
sufficient in quality. Quantity is the result OF
| food influence. Quality is the result of the
makeup Of the animal.
FEEDING BEEs
It is now the season when bees are rearing
| brood largely requiring q large amount OF
| stores. Scientists tell us that insects in the
iarval state require more food during this
| period than during the remainder of their
lives 1t would be poor economy after the bees
have been feeding upon the accumulated stores
of last season for six months. to let them perish
! now when few cents worth Of honey or strip
| would tide them over until food was to be
| found in the fields
The best way to feed bees in early Spring
! would certainly DO TO quietly lift out an empty
comb. and put a sealed one in its place. But
sealed frames of honey are not always to be
| had / have adopted way that has proved
quite satisfactory TO me- of feeding in the open
air. / choose n place which | call my feeding
| ground in early Spring, and convey all leak
| ages OF packages or bits of comb there which
accumulated during the Winter in the honey
| house. ] have never had any robbing to result
from this practice, as bees expect TO find food
| there and no whore else. In this general feed
ing. ground perhaps bees get food that do not
need IL, but IL IL good way Of getting rid o
odds and ends of honey.
| Stimulating feeding requires TACT industry
| aud patience to be a success, and should b.
| given at Il regular time each day; better LITTLE
while before night. II food is given until con
siderable brood ia under way and then stopped
loss may accrue "a the brood may perish, aut
with IL all the food that has been given. On
Spring. lady bee keeper undertook to &c
ahead OF me by getting her colonies very popu
iaua earlv with this end in view she mad
candy aud run IL into frame; IL weighed hv
pounds The bees consumed il and built a com
in the frame, bnt were no moro popul0us thar
mno that had not been fed.
Liquid honey strip can be fed to tho bee
in any vessel by tying-Jhecse cloth loosely owe
It, 50 that It will settle down as it is consumed
or put chips or straw cut fine into IL 10 keep tn
bees from drowning When bees arc fed ia thi
wny, the vessels containing II should be places
! In the upper story OF the hive in such wa
that no bees from other hives can gain access [
IL. Honey e1eitcs robbing much more tha
strip.
do not think feeding bees as genera
thing pays, unless 10 prevent starvation
, Where there is a dearth 'uf honey folowin
fruit bloom in tho Interim between clover,
pays big money then TO feed. During this tim
have seen drones driven out aud one seaso
fully "A peck OF bees died of starvation and weT
carried out OF the hive when discovered. Whe
given few sgooufuls Of strip they set up
lively hmm, aud the next day there was plent
OF honey In the felds.-Pra Farmer.
PEACH ROT AND BLIGHT.
l.yfu T. nHrfi. int lin
article on this subject in tho recent issue {
tho Journal Of Myeology. He says that thi
disease is what has oqusnty caused immens
Losses TO the peach growers Of the country.
attacks sometimes tho blossoms aud wood q
we'll AS the fruit, il the season is favorable fo
It's development. 1t has sometimes destroye
an entire crop in a very few days. Sometime
the fruit Is destroyed while on tue way I
market, and rots in the middlemens hands.
lie points out that it is not necessary TO bru!s
tho fruit 10 give tho disease entrance, but thu
il may itself puncture the skin of "a health
peach during moist, warm weather, whom 10
most active This fungus growth. or diSeas
as 10 is commonly called, is distributed froI
peach To peach by means OF its spores or seed
which are scattered ia great abundance. Ihes
spores tseods) pass through the Winter in a mar
ner similar to tho rot OF tho grape. that is,
0 the decaycd. or, rather, dried-up fruit of th
peach. But he also hnds that the same fungi
attacks aud causes rot in apples. plums an
4 cherries
r lie thinks that by destroying all the rotte
" peaches aud other fruits great deal viii haS
: been done TO stop its ravages, especially 1t til
: Is carried on carefully for several years. To /
successful growers should unto In this destru
ton Of decayed or dried,up fruits, and nor
should bo left on the ground or on the tree
In order TO destroy them cilcctnally they mu
BIO buried or burned. Simply piling them up
. of 10 avail. lie says when this disease hi
: attacked the blossoms aud destroyed the
!, many other causes have been looked TO for
< solution of what was a mystery, such as lack
| polarization, etc.
|. Have you asked all your dequdiAtdHees
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