The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-03-30
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
The Spring Prospect.

days increase or not.
Even now the bsskeeper occasionally
sounds" the hive; that is, shs knocks on il
gently with one knuckie. If no response
comes, the knocking is repeated. If there is
still no response then it may be assumed that
the colony is dead. Bat if the colony be alive
the first touch of the knnckle Is responded - by
q slight movement-a subdued rustliuR sound,
although that does not describe it exac -
II the knocking be increased the subdued ham
becomes deeper and increases to q roar IN
comparison with the first response.
What does it show? 1t shows. first. that the
colony is al We; and, second, the intensity or
volume of the sound shows conclnsivcly the
condition of the colony. At the second knock
tue colony may rush to the entrance, If ihe dry
be not too cold, to discover the of the dis
turbance The colony is strong. aggressive. nd
will brook no insult. On the other hand u the
colony respond feebly to the knocking the bes-
keeper knows that the colony is week aud acts
accordingly. Such colony should be fed at
once, and colony may be fed in Mid wi0ter in
the middle of the day-a sunny day whcn
the sun falls on the front of the hive. Give
food warm, but not hot, and feed from the top
Lift the packing carefully and place the feeder
directly over the frames-directly over tie
brood nest. Let little of the food drip onto
the bees. It will be quickly licked up" from
each bee by the other bees and the trickiIng
feeder in the top of tins hive.
The surface of the honey or sugar strip
should be covered with little sticks" shaw
inas. that the bees will not be drowned.
The sticks fall AZ the honey is drawn out, and
they serve "a RATS from which the bees sip the
honey. The warm honey gives the bees new
life. Warm food gives life and hope to every
hungry creature.
1t is most interesting to watch the bees as
they take the honey-they are so eager ami
mated, and enjoy 10 like lot of children
scranbling for -bons; and it Ia surprising
in how short time the honey is drawn out Of
the feeder and the floats clicked" so clean and
dry that no one would think they bad lately
come in contact with liquid.-JULIA ALLYN.
in american Farmer.
Experiment Station Work ON Tomatoes.
Bulletin No 10 from the Maryland Station.
December, 1892, records the experiments with
various varieties and various fertilizers. and
closes with the following useful suggestions:
"The marked difference in the same varieties
as to earlness and gross yields. as well "a the
general appearance, both of fruit and foliage,
would seem to emphasize the necessity of es-
pecial care in the selection OF seed. In regard
to the blight Of the vine and foliage referred
to- some facts are definitely settled: First. thss
it is a very serious trouble; and, secondly, tina,
it Is very widespread, attention having been
called to it in the bulletins of New York and
Mississippi. In this State many OF the crops
were badly damaged by 1t this year. The af-
fected vines frequently die outright, and. in
any event, the yield from diTeased plants will
be very poor. As far as 3 observation has
gone. the root shows in slight discoloration the
first indication of it. The next appearance is
on the body of the stem. The wiited and
spotted appearance of the foliage believe TO be
a sequence, aud that the leaves are not the iu-
itial point of attack. This fact seems definitely
settled, that it can DO communicated to
healthy plant by incubation from diseased
one, and therefore the suggestion seems timely,
not to use the beds or earth in which diseased
plants have been grown, and If it should appear
in the fields promptly to remove and destroy
the affected plants"
Young Clover and Fertility.
The fact that the clover crop is one which
increases fertility Is now well understood. But
it requires age for il to produce any appreciable
benefit We once heard an old farmer say that
he never got any benefit from blowing under
clover until it was in blossom or past and the
stalk hollow. The young heritage of clover in
early Spring Is not good feed for stock. Cows
will not eat It when they can get grass. But
as soon as the clover begins TO blossom, its
leaves become sweet. and tho whole plant is
eaten readily. 1t is probable that tho mannrial
value of clover is increased in like proportion.
There is sap in the clover that furnishes moist
ure, and this, by fermenting in the soil. may
make the soil itself better able to give up what
plant food it contains Flowing in very young
clover may, therefore, be means of exhaust
ing the soil rather than improving it. The
nodules on the clover roots do not appear until
the plant is nearly ready to blossom.
Preparing Potato Seed.
II the eye of the potato is allowed to grow in
a warm, dark place II quickly saps ali the vigor
from the shoot and also from the tuber. The
slender white shoot is good for nothing to be-
gin healthy growth. and 1t has taken so much
of the substance of the potato that it is value
less for seed for eating. Exposure to the
sunlight and drying winds, however, makes
the seed better. Put the potatoes in light,
cool room, but one that will not freeze. The
slower the green shoot pushes and ths more
the potato dries out the stronger will be its
subsequent growth. 1t also makes great diff
ference in earlness. Some market gardeners
who have learned this secret always get early
potatoes in the market before their neighbors.
They often cut the seed and spread it thickly
80 that it may dry out more than uncut seed
and become more thoroughly greened. SUM-
burned potato, utterly unfit for eating makes,
because of that fact, all the better seed.
Breeding Sows.
A SOW that Is a good breeder should be kept
for several years. or until she forms some bad
naDlG, Oh WHICH cdLiuS uoI
young are the two that give most trouble.
When the sow gets her full growth her filters
will be larger healthier and more uniform,
often without single titman. In the first
litter, especially, If the SOW be young one.
there will be two aud sometimes as many as
three pigs that are either dead at birth are
so understood that they are not worth raising.
A three or four-year-old SOW, narrowing two
filters of pigs a year, will often give more
profit than an average cow, and not cost SO
much to keep nor so much labor to care for.
The chief care with breeding after she
gets her growth Is not to let her get too fat.
She will have an enormous appetite, but 1t
should be satisfied. except when she is sucking
her young, with the coarsest feed. Skim-milk
is good, but not too much of it. With this mix
bran or fine middings, and then let the bulk
of the feed be roots bsets or maugels i'll Winter.
and run in the apple orchard or clover lot
in Summer. If allowed to run in pasture one
or two seasons old sows become breachy, break |
ing through fences and gates, and going where
thew please. That is the fault for which most |
of them have to be Administrations Guilt |
est0r.
WEATHER FORECASTS.