^!)c farmcv'G ilTrr ':,'._ "ioitor. 



47 



shuttle is required. Tlie wapes of the liead 

 worUiiien me IVoiii a iihie-pence to a shiHini.' |i<'i' 

 day ; that of the eoiutrioii woiUiueii lionilwo- 

 |ieiii-e to sixpence. Tho nuiiiber of shav\ls 

 made aiimially in Casliiiieie is estimated at 80,- 

 000. The trade, however, was i'oriiierly iiiucli 

 more extensive. 



'J'hn exqlli^iit^^ wool from wliicli tiiese shawls 

 ore woven is |iro(ijre<l lioin a sheep or fioal 

 which ahoniids in the interior ot'lhe llinjniali'v.in 

 Tnonritain.s, and whieh anollier writer on Iniha 

 {Mr. Tinner) njenirons as having seen in a very 

 cohl re-rion in Tliihct, where he siialed, and 

 where the ice (iirined on his whisl<er.-, notwilh- 

 standintr large fires wcie l<ept np in the tent all 

 ni^lil. "They were feedin"; (he says) in lar^'e 

 flocks on the dry herluifre that covers these naU- 

 ed-looUing hills. This is the most heautilid spe- 

 cies ainon;; the whole trihe of"i.'oats — more so 

 tiian the Anf.'ola kinds. Their colors are — Mack, 

 white, or a hunt hliilsh tinge, and of a shade 

 soinelhin;! lijlhter than tiiwn. They have strai^'ht 

 horns, and are of ii lower stature than the lowest 

 sheep in England." 



snininer, they last for many years. The expense 

 is saved in the (irst year; lor the wood, although 

 painted on each siile with a coat of invisilih' 

 ■ireen, costs oidy alioiit 1 l-2rf. tliel()ot; while 

 the increase ol'the Irnil in cpianlily, as well as in 

 rpiality, quite coin[iensates tor the outlay, hi 

 conclusion 1 may ohserve, that watering with 

 slronj; liipiid manuie two or three times in the 

 month o( rehrnary, and fre(|uent waterings diu- 

 inH the heariiifr time with pond water, are, I 

 have fonnd, very heiiefieial. — Gardners' Chronicle. 



Items from Foreign Papers. 



The CoiNsuMi'Tio.N of Guano in England is 

 enormous, it having reached C.3,0C0 tons last 

 year. The present year it is supposed it will 

 amount to at least 1.50,000 tons. Piices were 

 rising. 



AsiERiCAN llors. — Under the new tariff these 

 have I'oimd their way into England. They are 

 said to he. equal in fl i\iir and quality to any ever 

 grown in that country. 



Great Butter Cows. — In Ireland five Kerry 

 cows made last year l,(i00 lbs. of butter, which is 

 nn average of 3120 lbs. each. 



ExTitAORDi.-fARr TcRNiPS. — Two tiimips, 

 grown cm the farm of Mrs. Boolbroyd, at Car- 

 croft, were taken tip the other day, and were 

 found to measure, the first 3 feet 1 1 inches 

 rotiiid, aiul weighed 21 1-4 lbs. ; and the other 

 2 I'eet 10 inches round, and the same weight as 

 the other. 



Pigs nursed by a Cow. — A cow on the farm 

 of W. Raven, Esq., at Gingley-on-tlie-Hill, may 

 he seen two or three times a day lay on her side 

 in the fold yard, suckling a liller of nigs, iLine in 

 mnidier, which have recently been lakeii from 

 the sow. Several alteuqxs have been made to 

 drive her oftj but she always retmns, and has 

 oin-e or twice ran at the parties who have at- 

 tempted to interfere with her in her maternal 

 cares of the young litter. 



Aj.PACCA Wool,. 'I'liB London import of this 

 article amounted to , '5,11)5 bales in 1844, agajn.--t 

 3,li(>7 in 1813, which shows an inciease last year 

 of l,4i'8 bales, or 41 1-2 per cent on the inqiort 

 of 1843. The alpacia, or goal's wool, now en- 

 ters so largely into the mauiiliictures of this dis- 

 tiiet, and the demand (()r the fiibrics composed 

 of it, in the whole or iu part, is now so large and 

 incre.-ising, and the growth of it so appaienlly 

 inadeipiate to the demand, that we nuist look for- 

 ward to at least a niainlenance of the very high 

 prices to which the article has risen ; and it may 

 well be feared ihat the rietii'ient siqqilies of al- 

 pacca wool may place a limit on the production 

 of the inanuliieiured aitide more coiitracleil than 

 that which the demand for it would prescribe. 



To Grow Fj.ve Earlv Strawberries. As 

 it is of great importance, in grxjwing straw lieiries 

 in till' o|ien air, to tnake them |iroduee a fine 

 fruit as early as possible without loss by frogs or 

 sings, &,c., which loss is gejierally verv iire.at, 

 the Ibllow ing plan m.iy be fonnd useful : — Fix on 

 each side of the row ut' strawberries, just before 

 they come into blossom, lealher-edgejl hoards at 

 an auL'le of fifty or sixty degrees. This maybe 

 efl>-cteil by nailing two narrow strips of wood to 

 each board, and pusliing them iuio the ground. 

 The board should be; painted black. This pl'U 

 makes two or three weeks' difference in the rip- 

 .eniug of the fruit; hut glass or an oiled paper 

 frame beijig placed on to|>, makes a greater .lif- 

 ferenee still, ami prevents any of liie fruit IJom 

 being trod iqion or eaten by vermin. This plan 

 at fir,--t sight may appear an expensive one, but it 

 is not so ; any old boards will answer the pur- 

 pose. I have bought old feather-edged boards 

 nt l-2rf. per foot: and. as they are only used in 



Colic in Horses. An Engli>h Journal ."ays 

 that relief may be alforded by rubbing the liiea.sl 

 of the horse with spirus of turpemiue. If this 

 does not succeed, a small qu.inlity shoidd be giv- 

 en internally. Horses shotdd nevei' be put to se- 

 vere work on a fidl st(uuach. Great injury is 

 done to them by heavy fceiling when on the 

 roail, and hard driving iimnediately after. A 

 horse aecuslomed to o;its, if piu iipiin the road 

 ami f(Ml during the day on corn, afid llieu driven 

 inunediately, is very likely to be kdleil iu the op- 

 eration. The danger is iimeli increaseil it' the 

 weather be warm. — Prairie Farmer. 



([J^ Don't begin to plough old ground till the 

 fiu'row will crumble. Green sward is not so 

 much injiued by ploughing when wet. A har- 

 row or a I'ldtivaKu' should be run ovei' Indian 

 hills before the plough isadmittetl. — Boston Cul- 

 tivator. 



Liquid manure. 



The efficacy of mine as a mamne is well 

 known in Flaiulers. in China the people are 

 prohibited by Iflw from throwing that ami the 

 excrement away. China is the comiti'v of ex- 

 peiiinenls; ai;es have given to the peojde drs- 

 coveries of all sons, which Europe achieved, but 

 could not imitate; for the Chinese hooks give no 

 scientific accounts ; they give mere receijils for 

 their opeiations. 'Ihe last half century has how- 

 ever given us not only the knowledge which en- 

 ables us to equal them iu many ails, and to sur- 

 pass them ; and this advance among us is due to 

 the jiulicidiisapplication of chemisliy. But how 

 far in the rear is onr agriculture still, w hen com- 

 pared with the Chinese. '1 hey are admiiable 

 gardeners; they know how to give each plant iis 

 proper eduiralion ; to prepare lor its appropriate 

 soil. Among them airriciiltnre has aitamed the 

 highest (li uree of perfection. In that (Country, 

 w hich differs fnuii ours in natural li-riility of soil, 

 they attach very liiileimporlaiii'e to ihe dung ol' 

 animal.-'. Among ns, we have wrillen huge vol- 

 umes, but made ft'W experimenis. In China, ibey 

 never m.innre their grain crops, except with hu- 

 man excrement — while we scatter over our land 

 the dung of animals, liill of all maimer of weeds, 

 the seeds of which aie nm igesled by Ihe ani- 

 mals, and which spiing up wiih great poi\er 

 among our most useliil i l;uils. We need not be 

 astonished, then, that in spile of all our efloiis, 

 the noxious weeds eanuoi lie exiirpateil from mir 

 fields. A eelebraled holani.-l (In^euhonse,) who 

 visited China vvilh the Dutch endiassy, slates llial 

 it was impossible to find in a Chinese field ol 

 grain, <nie single weed. 



In agriculture, the grand maxim is logive back 

 to the soil in full {no matter in what lorui,) all 

 that is taken tiom it by the crop ; and In regulate 

 that, by Ihe wants of each pariicular plant. The 

 time will soiHi come, when we shall lui longer 

 manure our lands wiili the soliil uiaiiures, bin 

 with solmions ex clly suited to the ciop de>ired. 



Of dry horse duni.', upwaids ol' seventy per 

 cent, is ineje water. The dung of a liojse well 

 fed willi chopped siraw, oals and hay, 1 fonnd to 

 coniain only ten per cent, td' the solid parts of 

 those subslauces. Therefore, in cairving upon 

 your farm two thonsaiul poiiuds of hoise dung, 

 you carry on to it fifteen hmidred pounds oJ' wa- 

 ter, about fiinr bundled pounds of the sails ne- 

 cessary for another crop of hay, sliaw and oats, 

 which yiHir horses have eaten.. These sails are 

 essenlially <'iunposed of phosphates of lime and 

 of magnesia, and silicate <d' potash ; the latter 

 salt should predominate iu the soil, v\liiJe llie 

 [diosphales ;ibonnd ill the graiit — Translati-d from 

 the French bij H. Meigs. 



Bees.— Constructiou of the Ilive—Swarmius;. 



AIr. EurroR : — Having devoted much time and 



attention to the care and management of Bees, 



anil niaile many and various pxperiuleiils as to 

 ih" keeping ami multiplying of swarms or colo- 

 nies, and employing them so as to realize the 

 greatest amninit of labor and profit fiom their 

 exertions; and having in my estimation, made 

 some very essential improveinents in the Bee 

 hive, fiu' which J iditaiiied Letters P.itent of this 

 L'lilled States of America for the sole conslriic- 

 lion and vending of the same, which leliers Pii- 

 Kuit bear date .Iuik;24iIi, 1844, I have ihonght 

 advisable to inform the public through the col- 

 umns of your IMonthly Vi^itor of my mode of 

 taking care of and maiiagiiig the Bees — the con- 

 struction of the Hive (as used by me with the 

 greatest success) anil a short sketch of the nature 

 of the Bee, and its enemy, the inoih, which has 

 so long baflled the skill of the apariaii, and 

 whose ravages have been so extensive in some 

 pails of the country, that the ciillure of the Bee 

 has been almo.^t entirely neglected. First, I will 

 give you a desiuipiion of ihe Hive : 



it should be made of good sound boards, and 

 in a th<>roii!.li woi k man-like manner. Great care 

 ^lionhl be taken to have the joints perfect, so as 

 lo excliiili: the light eniirely, and all insects, from 

 ihe inlerim-. Il >honld Im' on the iiifiile aboiil two 

 li-et high, and filieen and (uie-lialf inches on each 

 of the sides. The whole rear part ^hollld be a 

 door, bung on hinges, and laslened with a ha>p 

 or hook and staples. This Miter shell, it will lie 

 perceived, resembles the ohi fashioned Hive, I'X- 

 cept the door on ihe back side, and that Ihe bot- 

 UMii is joined to ihe Hive. But instead of there 

 being one open chamber, with cross slicks to sup- 

 port ihe comb, the inside of this Hive is filled 

 with drawers or boxes, two of which should be 

 placed side by side with a free commnnicalion 

 between ihem by means of thirly-six tluee-fourih 

 inch holes, made in such a maimer lhat the holes 

 in one may come exactly against those in ilie oili- 

 er ; the drawers should be filieen inches high, 

 filteen inches long from front lo rear, ami seven 

 and one-half inches wide; thus filling when 

 placed togi.'tlier in the hive a space of fifteen 

 Inches square, leaving a space on all siiles of one- 

 fourth of an inch, to give room liir swelling and 

 shrinking, and lo preserve a column of air be- 

 tween Ihem and the outside or shell of the Hive ; 

 air being the best nnn-cinidnctor, both prevent- 

 ing the melting of ihe conili by heat and secur- 

 ing it against frost and cold. The under draw- 

 ers should not rest on the bottom of the Hive, 

 but should be ch^vated about one-half of an inch 

 by supports or small sticks on three sides, anu 

 by one passing llnough from Iront lo rear; thus 

 'leaving ruom lor the filili to ilrop down and be 

 depo.-iled below, whence it shonhl be (deared out 

 as olteii as once in a fiirlnight, in the winter, 

 and as often as is. necessary in the summer. The 

 aperture in rear nialer the lo\\er drawer sliouhl 

 also be clo.-ed by a piece of wood of the same 

 Ihiekiiess iif the siipport.-s, but not so closely fit- 

 led, that it i annot be.lakeuoui without remov- 

 ing Ihe drawers; and by ilyoii can, if you pleojie, 

 bru.-h out and remove the fifili. in a Hive of 

 two feet in liefght there sliould be lint three draw- 

 ers ; two arranged as above desciibed, and the 

 ihiid of the same; size and resting upon them in 

 a horizoiilal posiiiou. If smaller drawers are de- 

 sireil, let them be divided by |a-rp'iidicnlar sec- 

 tions. Consequenlly there would be ill a Hive, 

 if there be but tinee drawers, three apertures 

 in the front of the Hive, for the pinposeof pass- 

 ing the tubes count cled with the drawers, ihidiigh 

 v\ hich the Bees :;o out from and into the drawers. 

 'I'iie houom of the Iom » st aperture should be 

 one-half of an inch above the bottom of the 

 Hive ; the others should be exactly over this, and 

 ihey all should be eight inches apart from centre 

 lo centre. The tube should be fixed in front of 

 the upper ilrawer in such a manner as lo bring 

 the lower side of the mifice, or entrance, even 

 wilh ibeiiollomol tiie<lrawer. There should be 

 in each of the lower drawers Iwohalf ordivided 

 tubes arianged so as to pass through the aper- 

 tures in the front of the Hive as described and 

 when in, lo give the same anpearauce as ihe one 

 iu the upper drawer, — giving the Bees an enirance 

 at Ihe ceuire of the II ive, and ihns conceiitraling 

 the Bees anil giving all the advantages of a Hive, 

 with or wilhonl drawers, Tliev»e lubes should 

 pass through the apertures iu the front ot' the 

 Hive, giving the Beesan entranceof three inches 

 wide, and one-iialf of an inch in height, anil ihe 

 liollom of each slioiihl project fiir enough, that 



