^\)c /'anncr'0 iHoutl)li) biGttov. 



II 



rniseil in a luiiseiy oC siicli soil jis is best :i(Ui))t«il 

 to their giuwth. 



CiYPSUW. 



Cul. Taylor, of Virginia, lias piililisliod the re- 

 sult of nllhis experiment!^, in ihe use of this ina- 

 iiNrn; and llio.se uliicli seem ilio moit imporiant, 

 tiiid die least pruhlnnalioal, are as follDus: — 

 I. Gypsum lias liiiie or no etfeet on lands newly 

 cleared. '2. It has no efleel on lands whirli have 

 been exhausted vvitii severe (;ro|ipin^', nnlil such 

 lands are first eonsiderahly recruited with lime, 

 or other manure, in order that a pabulum he 

 llierehy aflbrded for the operation of tliefjypsum. 



3. If the weather be, for some consiileraMe lime, 

 either very wet, or very dry, after the ajiplicalion 

 of tlie yypsum, it will have little or no eU'eet. 



4. Lime is a more powerful assistant to the ope- 

 ration of frypsniii than other manures. Judge 

 Peters (of Pa.) also says that the (<>re<,'oiii,« is 

 agreeably to ids experieiice ; and further, that 

 tiioiijjh he has (ieciiiently apjilied gypsum to 

 growing crops without eflei-t, yet he has invaria- 

 bly found henelit irom uelliu^ seeds, of every 

 kind, and tlion rolling them in this maiiiife, he- 

 lore committing them to the e;uth. It has also 

 been discovered, in the state last r.ientioneil, that 

 the mere strewing of cypsuiu over the j^roiind, 

 underneath liaiit tree.*!, is an efTeclual remedy for 

 preventinj;' the fiuit being injured by the late 

 spring frosts. Gypsum is well known to attract 

 tnoisliue very poweifidly. Lands strewed with 

 this manure have more than double their usual 

 tjuantity of dews. Hence it wouM seem that all 

 the moisture in the air surroundinjr the trees, is 

 <lrawn, by the i;ypsum, to the ;rrouiid, and thus 

 the young stock of germinating fiiiit remains un- 

 injured. 



On preventing lite Drpretlalions of Ike Turnip-Fly. 



BV JiK. ARCii.'BAi.D GORRiF, Rfrit Gardtn. 

 I^om the Transactions of the Calcdoninii itnrUcullura' 

 Society , 1S19. 

 In tlic month of March, 1810, I hail a souin^ 

 ut' early U.ilcli tiu'iiips above ground, on a south 

 liorder, soil strong black loam. About the iOlli, 

 J oliservt'd some of the Hies begin to attack them, 

 and in a few days they all disappeared. To pre- 

 vent this happening to the next sowing, I steeped 

 the seeds two ilays previous to sowing, in a strong 

 ley mixed widi sulphur. Aiiout the middle of 

 .■\pril, this souing began to rise, and the seminal 

 leaves were fully expanded in two ihiys, when 

 they likewise began to disappear. The next 

 souing without sulphur, u as above ground about 

 the latter end of April; ami this, I endeavorrri to 

 preserve, by sowing a little soot along the drills; 

 at the same time, 1 dusted over some rows with 

 coal ashes, river sand, and road dust, two rows 

 with each. I was surprised to sec the fly devour- 

 ing the turnips dusted with soot, so voracionslj' 

 that few of them stood one day, ami what re- 

 mained wei-e totally despatc'ied the next niorn- 

 ing, ahhnngh none were burnt bj' the soot, ii be- 

 ing laid on quite thin. 'J'he next that gave way 

 were those covere<l with ashes; and lastly, those 

 rovered with sand became .a prey to destructive 



illM'Ci'-. 



Aftcu- a nniiilier of oilier unsuceessfid exjieri- 

 ments, I tried how quiekllmo might defend the 

 young turnips from their merciless devourers. 1 

 dusted over a few rows with it; anil it was wash- 

 ed off about a \veek after, when I found the tur- 

 nips niicounnonly fresh and green, although they 

 had been almost devoured previous to my apply- 

 ing the lime dust. 1 then wiuil on with confi- 

 dence, dusting all my young turnips the moment 

 I perceived the fly began to threaten them, fjeav- 

 ing ii few rows miihisted. to prove the experi- 

 ment, I found those I left midnsted ao off ra]iid- 

 ly. 



I was doubtful that ui\ success was in some 

 measure owing to the advanced state of the sea- 

 son, .-uid the consequent rapid progress of vege- 

 tation, btit from repeated trials made in the early 

 part of ibis season with iniiform success, I am 

 eonfirnied in the opinion, that quicklime du>teil 

 over the seminal leaves of young lurnqis, is both 

 an easy and efi'ectiial method for preventing the 

 depredations of the luinip-fiy. A liusbel of 

 f|uickliiue is .-iillicient to dust over an acre of 

 fhilled turnips; and a boy may soon be taught to 

 lay it on almost as fiist as he could walk along 

 the drills. If the seminal leaves are powdered 

 111 tilt sUglil'-i-t ilr:;rir, it is sutliciciit, but should 



rain wash the lime oil' before the tinnips are in 

 the rough leaf, it may be necessary to repeat the 

 operation, if the fly begin to make its appcar- 

 unce, 



Jienmrks on the present .Mode of Buddinv; and 



Grafting Fruit Trees. 



BV .Mn. .Ton.N wtL.MOT. of Ilseworih. 



From the Transactiniis of the Horticultural Society of 



London, lyPJ. 



The good old way of grafting and budding 

 fruit trees, was to do this upon a stem or stock 

 several fiiet in height; and it is by this mode of 

 raising trees that we now see so many beuutiful 

 and fioiirishing orchards. But this will, 1 very 

 much fear, be looked lor in vain by those v/ho 

 are to cotue after us, if a stop is not sjieedilv put 

 to the method fiillowed at present. They are 

 grafted and budded upon slocks but a few inches 

 high; and this practice, (although it certainly 

 answers the purpose of piomotinga quick supply 

 of plants,) if it be well considered, i\ill be pro- 

 ductive of the gri'alest mischiefl The nursery- 

 man in working the standard fruit tree from the 

 bottom of the stock, is not only injuring the in- 

 dividual who plants, but docs irreparable injury 

 to the public. Trees tbtis worked, 1 am well as- 

 sured, will, ill the ordinary course of things, hi.'-t 

 but a few years. This I perceive must be jjar- 

 ticidarly the case with trees plaute<l in a garden, 

 where liequent mauuriugs are coutiuua!l_\ adding 

 to the soil, so that in a few years it becomes rais- 

 ed above the bnihled piut. "ju this case the whole 

 of the wild stock becomes buried, and it is by 

 that means deprived of the geui:d influence of 

 the Sim and of the atmosphere; and being thus 

 abridged of the nourishment and refreshings 

 which nature intended for it, it begins to decline 

 in vigor, and noon after decays and perishes. 

 This] have fVequeiiily observed in my own ex- 

 perience, and hence it is that trees are continual- 

 ly decaying, and such fri quent supjilies of them 

 are required. 



It ought also to be considered, for it is in my 

 opinion a matter of great importance, that by the 

 practice I deprecate, finit trees are exposed to 

 uiiieh ({reater danger through external injuries 

 than they otheiwise wonhl be. It is notorious, 

 that the bearing stem, (es|)ee!ally of peaches, 

 nectarines, and a|iricots,) is much more tender, 

 and therefore much more liable to be injured than 

 the wild stock ; and, if injured, is by no means 

 so likely to he so soon :uid eirr?ctnally healed. 

 Kvery man of observation know.s, that the wild 

 stock will bear, without tnatori.d injury, wounds 

 and bruises, wbii h would occasion to the olhera 

 rapiil and incurable decline. .As, therefore, by 

 this new method, the whole, or almost the whole, 

 of the stem of the tree is of this tender iiatiue, 

 and by (he old method the wdiole of the stem was 

 of the hardiest wild stock, it is evident, that trees, 

 as they are now raised, are exfiosed to perpetual 

 injuries from the spado, cattle, insects, &.c., which 

 they would not be if the old method of working 

 from the top were to be restored. .Argunients 

 need not, I conceive, be multiplied to prove that 

 nature in its wild state is much more able to bear 

 injuries with impimiiy than it is in a state of cul- 

 tivation, and that the latter often become !i prey 

 to glim, canker, &c., which produce a gradual 

 decline, from causes which wonhl do none, or a 

 very trilling injiu-y to the wild slock. 



An Uisny on the Ji'inagemenl of Bees, ivitli an .k' 

 count of some ciirioits Fuels in Uitir History. 



J!Y DU. JAMES HOWISO.N, of HiUcUll. 



l'"roni the Transactions of tlle f'aleclonian llorliculluial 

 Society, l!l!li. 

 It being my inteiitiim to describe to the Socie- 

 ty the iiKiuagement of a single hive of bees, from 

 their swarurmg until they themselves have .sent 

 forth their first colony, I shall remark on the dif- 

 ferent operations, as they naturally succeed each 

 other, according to the method now in general 

 use: leaving that finllowed by tne, of taking I'le 

 honey without killing the bees, to be ex|ilained 

 under a distinct head. 



Variety of lie's. — To the common observer, all 

 working beo.'^, as to external a|)pearance, are 

 nearly the same; but to those who e.vamine them 

 with atienliou, the difl^u'ence in size is very dis- 

 tinguishable ; and they are iii tlieir vicious and 

 gentle, indolent and active uatnres. essentiallv 

 iliffiM'ent. 



<.>f ihe rtO'-k ulii.-h f h;id in Ij^I.i, if te.jnire.l 



250 to weigh an ounce ; hut they were so vicious 

 and lazy, that I changed it for a smaller variety, 

 wlii<-h possesses much better dispositions, and of 

 which It reqiiiies 2!ll), oii an aviu-age, to weigh 

 an ounce. Whether size and disposition are in- 

 variably connected, 1 have not yet had sutlicieiit 

 experience to determine. 



Miderials and size of i/a'cs.— Hives made of 

 straw, as now in u^e, have a great advantage over 

 those made of wood or other material.s, fiom the 

 effectual defence they afford against the extremes 

 of heat ill summer aid cold in winter. That the 

 hives in size should corres|iond as nearly as pos- 

 sible with that of the swarms, has not "had that 

 utteuition paid to it which the subject demands, 

 as much of the success in the management of 

 bees depends on that circumstance. 



From bhud instinct, bees endeavor to fill with 

 combs whatever hive they are put into, before 

 they begin to gather honey. Owing to this, when 

 the hive is too large for its inhabitants, the time 

 ibr collecting their winter store is spent in un- 

 profitable labor; and sturvatiou is the conse- 

 quence. This evil also extends to occasioning 

 late swarming the next summer; it being long 

 beiijre the hive becomes so liiled with young bees 

 as to produce a necessity for emigration, fiom 

 which cause the season is loo fju- advanced for 

 the young colonies to procure a winter stock. 



I should consider it a good rule in all cases, 

 that the swnrui should All two-thirds of the hive. 

 The hives used by me for my largest swarms, 

 weighing from five to six iiounds, will contain 

 two pecks measure of corn, and will yiehl in a 

 good season, eight Scots pints of honey, and Ibr 

 smaller swarms, in proportion, liives wiih emp- 

 ty combs are highly valuable tin- second swarms, 

 as the bees are thereby enabled much sooner to 

 begin collectinff honey. « 



Situation for Hives. — That the hives should ho 

 so placed as to receive the rays of the rising as 

 well as meridian sun, is of considerable impor- 

 tance, heat and light appearing llie principal 

 stimulants to the hives. A hive sositnnteil as not 

 to be touched by the sun until some hours later 

 than the other hives in the same garden, would 

 in the course of the season lose a proportional 

 number of days labor. Hives should stand at. 

 some jlistance fruui walls and hedges. When 

 lately building a garden wall, with a good expo- 

 sure fur bees, I ordered a number niches to be 

 made, into which 1 afterwards put hive.«. I'hese 

 were, however, so much iiilestedwith snails in 

 summer, and mice in winter, that I was under 

 the necessity of removing theui to a more open 

 situation. 



Feeding: of Bees. — \ear the sea little honey is 

 coHecled alter the first week in .August; hut in 

 high situaiions. where the flowers are later, ami 

 heath ahoimds, the bees labor vvitli advantage 

 until the middle of Septeudicr. The.se are the 

 pro;)er periods, according to situation, (or ascer- 

 taining if the hives iuieiided to he kept contain a 

 s'.ifiicient winter stock. Tiie killing id' the drones 

 (a very singular fict in the history of the bee, jind 

 which will he noticed hereafter,) perha.ps marks 

 this time with more precision. 



If a large hive does not weigh thirty pounds, it 

 will be necessary to allow ij h.df a poimd of 

 honey, or the same quantity of soft sugar made 

 into a .syrup, for every pound that is deficient of 

 that wcij;l]l ; and, in like proporliun, to smaller 

 hives. This work must not be dehiycd. that lime 

 may be given liir the bees to make the ilepo.-li in 

 their empty cells before Ihey are rendered liu-jiid 

 by the cold, 



I must here notice, that sugar simply dissulveil 

 ill water (which is a couiuion prnclice) anil sugar 

 boiled with water into a .-yrup, form compounds 

 very diflerently suited fiir the winter store of' 

 bees. When the former is wanted liir their im- 

 mediate iiomishuient, as in spriiig.it will aus-.ver 

 equally as well as syrup; luii if it be laid up as 

 store, the heat of the hive quickly evaporjitiiig 

 the water leaves the sugar ill dry crystals, not lo 

 b(; acted upon by the trunks of tin; hecs. I have 

 known several instances of hives killed bv htm 

 ;;r'r, while some pounds weii;ht of su;,ou" in this 

 stale reiiK'.iiied in their ci lis. 'J'lie boiling of su- 

 gar into .syrup forms a cIosit combinatiou w itb 

 llie water, by which it is |ireveutpd fiom flviuir 

 off, and !i consistence resembling that of honey 

 retainei!. I have bad frequent experi-uice of hives 

 not containing a pound of honey ['reserved in 

 )icr|Vrt he.-thli ihiuu^li the '•. ioter' ^■. ilh fti^ar «o 



