VOL. LV.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., APRIL 7.1900
NO. 14
%xptvitutt department.
Oare of Bees ia the Spring.
lst Premium.—The first warm sunny day ln
early spring, an examination should be made
to see whether the bees have enough honey to
supply the young that are fast developing.
Remove the top covering, or, if the combs
are built ln frames, some of these. There
should be several pounds of sealed honey in
each hive. If combs stored with honey and
sealed over are not in reserve to substitute for
the empty ones, strained honey or syrup made
of granulated sugar. It must be made thick;
may be poured into empty combs and placed
ln hives at night. A good plan ls to use one
or more feeders directly over the brood-nest,
giving them several pounds of food at one
time. Feeding will encourage brood rearing, rendering lt necessary to continue feeding until natural resources supply their needs
—later in the season when the bees fly the
greater part of each clear day. The work of
the queen may be noticed. If the ccmb having the most brood in lt be on one side ofthe
hive, it is best to put it in the center, putting
on either side thoee combs having a smaller
amount of brood, and on each side of these
the combs having no brood, but well stored
with pollen; those having honey still outside
of these. Placed in this way the brood nest
will develop equally. If the empty combs
can not be replaced with combs of honey they
should be removed. If the queen shows by
the quantity and compact placing of her
brood that Bhe is unusually vigorous, a frame
filled with worker comb may be placed in the
center of the brood nest; this the bees will
clean and warm up, and the queen will soon
fill lt with eggs. In the same manner, other
combs may be put in from time to time.
This plan, with liberal feeding, will fill the
hives to overflowing with bees, ready to take
advantage of an early honey harvest. The
tpring work really begins ln the fall of the
year. Unless steps are taken then to winter
them successfully, they will be weakened ln
numbers by spring, and lt will be hard to
build them up, and much surplus honey cannot be expected from them. Do not try to
work with the bees in the spring until the
weather is warm enough so the brood will not
get chilled. They must be protected from
sudden changes in the weather ln spring as
well as winter, if tbe best results are to be attained. F. M, W.
Rush Oo.
as the patent has run out. By all means have
a hive with moveable frames, mine are all
that way. I work for extracted honey. I can
fill a frame with sliup and set ln the brood
chamber near the cluster, taking out one of
the lower frames, they being the same size. I
think this ls the best way to feed them, as
they are not so liable to rob each other. Late
ln the evening ls the best time, as the bees
will store it away through the night. Begin
as soon as warm enough, say the middle of
March. I generally have frames of honey left
over to feed with. I work for honey as well
as bees. As they begin to breed up they will
begin to raise drones and young queens, I
pinch the queen cells off, and cut tbe drones
heads off with a sharp knife. If I want more
stands of bees I generally find enough queen
cells when I go to extract to make all the
stands I want. More bees die ln the spring
than any other time. Right when apple blossoms are coming out and they are breeding
up is the time to watch them. My bees have
not swarmed ln several years. In the last 3
years I have taken out 158 gallons of honey
and have only 10 colonies. I have often wondered that more people don't keep bees. There
are tons of honey that go to waste each year
ln a good honey season. Bees are among onr
most useful Insects as pollenizers, and right
at a time when most needed in the spring.
The f oundat i >_ of a good colony of bees la ln
its strength. We can control this to a great
extent by a little care ln the spring. There
being from 20,000 to 75,000 bees in a colony,
you can readl'y see which will gather the
most honey. J 0.
Hamilton C j.
trance will furnish pollen for them ln early
spring. To prevent ants, we put three or four
stands on a bench, the legs of the benches ln
crocks of water and keep all weeds, grass and
other things from touching the benches. Let
the stands set about ten feet apart and all face
the south. If they face the ee.it. as so many
have them, they are too apt to get out when it
ls too cold and wet ln the morning. B. W.
Harrison Oo.
2d Premium.—The spring management of
bees will depend somewhat upon the way they
have been wintered. The foundation of
strong colonies depends to a great extent on
fall and winter management. If we go into winter quarters with a weak colony, we will always come out with a much weaker one ln the
spring. Breeding ln a colony at any time ln
warm weather depends upon the flow of nectar
from flowers, or upon feed furnished them,
for they will never fail to become strong if
they can gather honey. Bees may, or may
not have a good supply of reserve stores ln
their hive and plenty to keep them six months,
but they will nearly stop breeding whenever
the flow of nectar stops, so that breeding can
be pushed to Its utmost limit by feeding every
day about as much sirup as the bees would
gather at the time of a honey flow. The time
to do this ls in advance of the time we want
the use of the bees. For Instance, if our
honey flow comee ln June, w'e must feed some
two months prior to this, the length of time,
of coune, to depend upon the amount of
strength we wish to obtain. Next in importance are the hives and their management.
The Langstroth seems to be the leading hive
for most apiarists. They can be had at almost any store where bee supplies are kept.
Almoat any one can make the Langstroth hive
3i Premium.—To prepare bees for winter
the frames for honey on top should all be removed and the cap filled with straw or bay,
then lay an old woollen cloth or some old
carpet, if it has been washed, on top the hive
and set the filled cap on top of the cloth, The
cloth keeps any dirt from getting ln the hive
and the straw or hay takes up the moisture
If the hives are not well ventilated and too
much moisture is allowed ln the hive in winter, a sudden cold snap is much harder on the
bees than if they be dry. Preparing for
spring of course ls the removing of the cloths
and straw tops and cleaning away all dirt and
dead bees. Examine each colony. The weak
ones will be greatly benefitted by feeding ln
early spring when honey is scarce, many times
saving the colony. The best way to feed
bees that I have ever tried, Is to
take strained honey or syrup made from
sugar until lt ls as thick as good honey and
put lt ln a dish or pan. Open the holes for
bees to come up Into the cap and instead of
the frames have the feed, not forgetticg to
to put some straws or small sticks on the
honey to keep bees from drowning Feed at
night taking feed dish away ln the morning.
If not there is danger of robbers entering the
weak bire and causing trouble. When they
have gained strength and answer with a lively
buzz when you thump on the hive then jou
may qnit feeding and put in frames for them
to put honey in. Put the frames on the strong
hives when they are examined and cleaned.
Every farmer ought to have a few hives of
bees for what Is nicer for the table than a nice
dish of honey? And better still what ls more
palatable than a good mess of the original
sweet right from the bee hive? J D. L.
Harrison Oo.
In the fall we remove the frames from the
top of the gums, spread a clean bone meal
sack over the gums, fill the cape with wheat
chaff and put on top of the sacks to absorb
moisture. When spring comes these caps are
removed and cleaned and the frames are replaced. Where they have no comb ln them
we place ln a small piece in the corner of the
frames for starters. It la said that a little
corn, or rye meal, iprlnkled before the en-
BEHABKS.
We with to again assure the contributors to
our Experience Department that their communications are highly valued by both publishers and readers of the Fabmbb, because
the Information contained and the suggestions presented are ln the highest degree practical. They emanate from tbe farm and ere
I the reeult of actual experience on the farm,
and therefore can be applied directly to farm
management without addition or subtraction,
and the knowledge that has cost a few of our
subscribers perhaps hundreds of dollars In experiment and investigation, becomes working capital for all who wish to profit thereby,
When we cannot publish all articles sent ut
in full, we endeavor to incorporate all points
and suggestions under the head of "R9marks"
so that nothing ls lost.
What we want for this department is not
literature. Never mind the grammar or spell
Ing.**" Whenever you see a subj.ct announced
upon which you have had actual experience,
please write lt down and send to the Fabmbk
Your experience will benefit others, and the
experience of others will benefit you. This is
a very practical and helpful form of cooperation, acd at no expense, but a little
trouble; and for the bett three articles each
week we shall continue to send premiums of
$100, 75 cents and 50 cents, respectively.
Communications should reach us one week
before date of publication. Address 'all correspondence to Indiana Fabmeb Co.
Indianapolis, Ind.
demic anions the Italian and French till.wormt.
They refuse to eat and are dying by myrladt on
their malDerry leaves.
Some of tha wooden churchet of Norway are fall
70) years old, and are still in an excellent state of
preservation. Their timbers have successfully resisted the froaty and almost Arctic winters because they have been repeatedly coated with tar.
Mississippi hat a 1100,000 poultry farm. It it located fifteen milet from Bay SI. Louis. There are
5.C00 laying: hent. 1.S00 industrious dnckt, and hnn"
dreds of turkeys. Eggs are gathered in whcelbar"
rows, and thirty large jn.-nba.ors are in constant
uae.
Ditches can berapidly dug in soft earth by a new
machine, which la mounted on narrow trucks and
has an endless chain of small buckets to scoop np
the earth aa the machine la drawn back and forth
in the trench, depositing the dirt on either side.
A Philadelphia baceriologist who made a microscopic examination of the train qf the walking
skirt of a woman of that city, tou.il it contained
"8.0.0)0 germs—many bearing diphtheria, pneumonia and tonBilitia—also collections of typhoid
and consumption germs." And thit, too. despite
the fact that the akirt waa comparatively new and
had been brushed daily by its owner.
Borne wealthy sportsmen of Bridgeport. Conn.,
have sent to Kansas for sixty dozen quill. As soon
as the birds arrive they will be taken ont in batches
and liberated at various points in the surrounding
country. They cost tl a dozen, and it it expected
that when liberated they will be easily able to
maintain themselves. Quails matt in April and
May.
Tht three city school buildings o( Eureka, Kan ,
are connected by telephone. "It used to be necessary," aays the superintendent, "to hav, a teachers'
meeting every day or two for the diaensaion of car-
rant work in ths ichoolt. Now, however, the
teachers keep in such close touch with each other
by meana of the telephone that meetings are
necessary only every two or three weeka. I think
it probable that we may dispense with the meetings altogether."
No. 211, April 11.—How and where can a
jointer be used ln breaking land? How do
you manage cornstalks and heavy, trashy
stubble?
No. 215. April 21st.—How can one best de
stroy biennial and perennial weeds, dock, Eng,
plantain or buckthorn, white top, Oanada
thistle, wild garlic, red sorrel etc.?
No. 216, April28_h—What household remedies do you keep on hand? Give emergency
treatment for croup, indigestion, earache,
toothache, sprains, cuts etc ?
Xo. 217, May 5th.—Cultivation of potatoes;
beet fertilizers; handling of crop; how increase
the yield.
No. 218, May 12_h.-Glve Hat of best vegetables for the farmers' garden. State how
cultivated.
No. 219, May 19_h.—Oare of young fowls,
chickens, ducks and turkeys, in summer.
Nu. 220, May 26th.—Oare of calvee, pigs,
Iambs and colts ln summer.
POSTAL CARD CORRESPONDENCE.
LaPobtk Co.. March au -Winter still lingers
here; snow for the l»st two days snd this morning
we found it had snowed fall five inches through the
night. We have bad a few days of sugar-making
and but a few.   Wheat in bad condition.
Mrs. B. A. Davis.
Dki.awirk Co., March29.—In this part of the
county wheat about all killed. The farmers are expecting to put out a large acreage of oats and corn.
Feed is getting scarce, corn 15c per bushel; not
much plowing yet. Q. A. T.
Albany.
(Setueittrt _%zv>s.
Mo-man Co , March tl.—On many farm, men
are plowing np their wheat ready for sowing oata
Clover i, badly froien out. graaa starting slowly,
weather chilly and disagreeable, feed ia getting
scarce, roada are good, plenty of hoga in the connty and prices are good. A. H.
Shelby Co . March to—I see yoa inquire con-"
cerning the prospect of the wheat crop. The wheat
crop will almost be a failure here in Shelby connty.
Farmera are preparing to put wheat gronnd  in
oata and corn. E. E.
SiiKLnv Co , March 10—Wheat still looks bad,
farmers have commenced plowing for corn and
oats. Clover is frozen ont badly. Tbe toth of
March waa a March day for certain. Success to
the Kab.i _.__,. F. E. It.
The flower trade of London exceedi in value »1",-
QO.,003 per annum.
Policemen on the streets in Hamburg are instructed to watch the cars sharply, and if they find
a car which carries a aingle passenger more than
the number allowed by law, the conductor lt lined
71 cents.
The American Indians who have been reported
from time to time a, increaaing in number, are
now aaid to be dwindling away. Nobody ever hears
the same story twice about Indiana.
Pennies are legal tender to the amount of 86
cents. Payments tendered ln pennies in larger
quantitiea can be refused withont impairing tlie
legal standing of the creditor.
There are two schools of vegetarians. One favora
vegetable food which grows below the earth's surface and the other favors that winch grows above.
Silk it likely to go up in price, as there lt an epi-
M a "is, in Co., March %A —Our wheat ia about all
killed by fly or frozen out in this locality and we
wiU have lota of ground to plant in other cropa. I
would like to try some of the white hulless barley
if I knew where to get the bett teed. B. F. C.
Putnam Co , April 1.—April opened up warm
and pleasant. There will be a large crop of oata
sown. None sowed yet on acconnt of weather not
being suitable. Wheat ground will about all be
put in oats and corn. Feed scarce. Stock all in
good shape. Larger per cent of lambs thia year
than last. Hay worth SOc, corn 40c, oatt >0c
Health good. J. __>. N.
Jamee Riley Offers Prizes for Oorn.
F,niT0B9 Indiana Fabheb.
In order to help boom the corn show at the
State Fair, I will give $5 in cash, as follows:
$3 first, and $2 second, as a special premium
on Riley's Favorite, at the State Fair, the
eame to be grown from Riley'e Favorite seed,
bought of us this spring, 1900.
Jambs Rii_»y,