[1837 



FARMERS' REGISTER, 



13 



manner in which it has been successfully prose- 

 cuted, is indeed a subject for congratulation wilh 

 its Iricnds. At the tune it was let, a <^reat num- 

 ber of public works were just about beino; com- 

 menced, and labor was very scarce. The de- 

 mand lor mechanics at the north, was so <freat, 

 that it was next to imiiospible to procure a frood 

 mason. Labor, during its whole conslruction, has 

 continued very scarce, and consequently very high: 

 provisions too, have reached a price almost unpre 

 cedenled. If we add to all this, the unheard ol 

 winter and spring with which the road had to 

 contend, we may well wonder at its steady pro- 

 gress towards completion. R. J. 



From the Genesee Farmer. 

 NEW MODE OF HIVING SWARMS OF BEES. 



Mr. Tucker: — I am in this number to show 

 how five swarms out of six may be drawn, when 

 they are in the act ofswarniini^, directly into the 

 liive made ready for their reception. To eilect 

 this, everything must be prepared beforehand; the 

 hive well cleansed if it happens to be an old 

 one — the better way is to burn it out with 

 straw. The time that bees swarm is for the most 

 part, ;n this section of the country, in the latter 

 part of May and the fore partof June, though I 

 have known and saw myself on the fourth day 

 of July of the last year, two swarms come out and 

 declare themselves independent of the mother 

 hives, and formed themselves into new kingdoms, 

 and although it was late in the season, yet they 

 did well, and collected a sufficient quantity of honey 

 to keep themselves through the winter. As I have 

 mentioned heretofore, the hive must be turned up 

 and brsuhed out every day, especially the forepart 

 of the season, but as the time for swarming draws 

 nigh, this cannot be done on account of the in- 

 crease and the crowding numbers of young bees, 

 which fill the hive to overflowing. Indeed, when 

 tlie hive is thus full the bees cleanse the hive 

 themselves, and drive the worms out. It becomes 

 uecessary, in this stage of their existence, to wach 

 their movements, as they become very restive just 

 before swarming, and are often seen issuing forth 

 from the hive in great numbers, and running up 

 and down on the outside of the hive, and seem to 

 be impatient for the time to arrive, when the 

 young Qneen shall give the signal lor their exodus 

 from the mother kmgdom. When this signal is 

 given, the whole of the young swarm rush forth 

 with great impetuosity, many of them falling to the 

 ground, some of which never rise again, owmg to 

 their being too young, or some defect in the wings, 

 which have not before been tried and proved. 

 And here again it is necessary to watch the 

 swarm which is coming out, lest their young 

 queen should be among those that fall to the 

 ground, and not be able to rise again. When this 

 is the case she will be seen running on the ground, 

 and generally with a number of bees directly in 

 her trail, following hard after. She must in that 

 case be taken up in the hand carefully, and carried 

 to the hive prepared for rhe reception of the new 

 swarm, and placed where she may run into the 

 hive. It will be seen that the whole swarm will 

 soon gather to the hive, and enter in afler their 

 queen with apparent demonstrations of great joy. 

 As this seldom happens, we will not dwell any 

 longer upon it, put pass to fulfil the case promised. 



The hive being well cleansed, let it pe placed 



lour or six rods in fi"ont of the bee-house, on an old 

 table or a Ibrm, or a boartl laid njion blocks, so as 

 to elevate it a little from the earth, leaving one 

 side of the hive raised an inch fiom the stand, 

 in the morning, when you are confident the beea 

 will swarm in the course of the day, take a small 

 bunch of bee-balm and dip it in a bowl of salt and 

 water, and rub your hive thoroughly, inside and 

 out, until your balm is quite worn to pieces, and 

 leave the hive on the stand; let it be the business 

 of your lixmily to have an eye to the bees as often 

 as they can, and the moment they are seen begin- 

 ning to swarm, let some person go quickly with 

 another small buuch of balm, and rub it to bits on 

 the outsipe of the hive, and leave it for the beea 

 as soon as possible, lor they will be gathering 

 around the hive before you finish rubbing it, — they 

 will light upon the hive and take possession there- 

 of. But should it so happen, (as it does some- 

 times,) that they 0ianifset an unwillingness to 

 enter the hive, then they may be gently scraped 

 down on to the stand with a stick, and this may 

 be repeated until they will enter the hive. 



It will at once be seen that this mode of having 

 bees saves much trouble, and oflen much diffi- 

 culty, and sometimes not a httle fear, as it is 

 known to every one that this small insect carries 

 a deadly weapon. The last season I kept through 

 the winter two hives of bees only; they sent forth 

 three swarais each, every one of which were 

 drawn directly into the new hive in the manner 

 above described. 



J. H. 



For the Farmer'3 Register. 



VALUE OF TOMATOES AS FOOD, AND FOR THE 

 BENEFIT OF HEALTH. 



Public attention was directed to an article that 

 appeared in one of the back numbers of the Far- 

 mers' Register, recommending the tomato as pos- 

 sessing great medicinal virtue. The recommda- 

 tion came (I think,) from a physician in Ohio — a 

 profijssor in a medical college. It was recom- 

 mended, principally, as beneficial for liver and bil- 

 ious diseases. It has been tried by several indi- 

 viduals, known to the writer of these lines, with 

 decided good effect. The persons alluded to were 

 afflicted with chronic cough, the primary cause of 

 which, in one case, was supposed to be diseased 

 liver — in another, diseased lungs, it has a fine 

 effect in mitigating, and sometimes immediately 

 checking a fit of coughing. It was used in a dried 

 state, and when dried, a little sugar was mixed 

 with it, to render it more agreeable to the taste. 

 The common method of drying is perhaps gene- 

 rally well known : but I v/ill add a simple receipt, 

 for the benefit of those imacquainted with the pro- 

 cess. " Full ripe tomatoes are scalded in hot wa- 

 ter, to facilitate the operation oftakingoff the skin; 

 when skinned, they are well boiled with a little su- 

 gar, and then spread in cakes, about an eighth of 

 an inch thick in the sun. They will be dry enough 

 in three or four days, to pack away in paper bags, 

 which should hang in a dry room." They make a 

 fine winter vegetable thus prepared, when cooked. 



I am strongly impressed with tlie belief, that if 

 the tomato v/as extensively cultivated, and given 

 daily to slaves as an article of diet, through the 



