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On Bees. By S. H. Smith, of Washington. 
Read October 9th, 1809. 
Dear Sir, 
At length I have seized an hour to impart to you our 
experience relative to the raising of bees. Living in the 
country, with very indifferent black ink, I occasionly 
use red, extracted from poke berry, of which this is a 
specimen, I am inclined to think it will stand ; and it 
certainly has the advantage of facilitating the motion of 
the pen,—to me no small inducement to prefer it. 
I am respectfully, 
Your friend, 
SamvuE. H. Smitu.* 
Sidney, September 22d, 1809. 
On the 16th of May 1808, a young swarm left an 
old hive ; we had a hive prepared agreeably to the di- 
rections of the Encyclopzdia, into which we put them. 
The new hive (which we will call the first) was placed 
on a bench below a tree in a court yard full of clover 
and flowers, and encompassed by a wood. On the 16th 
of June the new hive sent out a swarm, which was 
* The letter and communication written with the extract 
from the poke, ( phytolacca ) is a beautiful red and promises to 
be permanent. It would be well to obtain, and promulgate the 
mode of extracting and fixing the colour. 
