150 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Nov. 28, 182S. 



Our seasons are very variable. The scorcliing 

 droughts of summer, deny to plants their accus- 

 tomed moisture ; no honey therefore can be made 

 by the bees at sucli times, and tliey are compelled 

 to eat of their winter food. They cluster about 

 the hive, or deprived of their accustomed labor 

 they are very restless, and often intrude into a 

 neighboring hive, apparently for want of employ- 

 ment. In the summer of 1825, during the latter 

 part of July, the heat was so distressing to the 

 bees, the thermometer standing at 92" in the 

 shade, that they seen)ed to have lost their usual 

 instinct. A number of hives of the old fashioned 

 patterns, that stood ou a bench were well tilled 

 with bees. At two o'clock, for three days in suc- 

 cession, the whole swarm of each hive rushed out 

 and ran into the adjoining hive, where they re- 

 mained for a few se.conds, without apparent of- 



subject in this country, and they have to our 

 knowledge never occurred at any other season 

 than the early part of the spring — dysentery and 

 dyspepsia. The latter arises from the indolent 

 inactive life, which they are compelled to lead, in 

 our variable winters. The rule holds good with 

 the most diminutive, as well as the greatest, in 

 animal life, that, "if we eat and wish to preserve 

 health, we must work." 



During the last winter, (1828) the bees suffered 

 more, and lost more of their number, than has of- 

 ten been known before. There was scarcely a 

 day, that they did not sally out to search for em- 

 ployment and food ; but not being properly stimu- 

 lated, they seldom returned to the liive. We fre- 

 quently saw them crawling on the ground, weak 

 and spiritless ; and those that did return soon per- 

 ished. On examining the hives, we observed that 



lence to the invaded bees, who in their turn flew I nearly all the honey was consumed ; and many of 

 madly out and paid the same unceremonious visit I the brood, that in ordinary seasons, are not hatch- 

 to their neighbors. No (|narrel ensued, nor a bee i ed until the first part of April, assumed the fly 

 was killed by these irruptive movements. They form at an earlier period and died, 

 seemed maddened by the heat; and yet the queen ! The cure for this disorder the bees take into 

 was left in the hive, for with all our attention to 1 their own hands. As soon as the flowers appear, 

 the sallying parties, we did not see a single «|ueen \ they go to work; and then it is that they resort for 

 among them. The same frenzy did not occur iu ■ aperients and tonics, which they abstract from the 

 those hives that were suspended upon joists, tims ; floors of the piggeries. 



proving that the bees did not suffer so much from j The other disease proceeds from long confine- 

 heat from those suspended hives, as they did in ment in bad air, and from unwholesome foodj and 



the flat-bottomed ones, that rested on a bench. 



Our winters are equally disastrous to the poor 

 bees. Of late years their have been so many mild 



IS invariably fatal ; nor can the bees avert it by 

 any instinct of their own. We know of no cure 

 for the dysentery, when the bee is seized with it. 



nays during the cold season, that a great deal of. 'Those that have it badly must die. We can re- 



honey has been consumed. These alternations of 

 torpor and' animation cause greater exhaustion 

 and loss of physical powers than,could be occa- 

 sioned by a continuance of uniform torpor. This 

 we infer from the fact that in Russia, where the 

 winters are unifqrndy cold, bees do not perish ; 

 and in the West Indies, where there is perpetual 

 verdure, they are never exhausted. 



But although a bee may remain torpid to a cer- 

 tain extent for six months in the year without in- 

 jury, in those climates to which the insect has 

 ■long been accustomed, yet it could not exist for 



store those that are least aftected, by frequently 

 washing the hives as far as we can reach, with 

 weak lie, and by ventilating them and removing 

 the dead bees. 



Much has been said of the danger to be appre- 

 hended from placing an apiary too near our own 

 dwelling. There is indeed no positive advantage 

 in having it very near ; but as the person usually 

 engaged in hiving the bees is occupied with farm- 

 ing affairs, and is not always present when the 

 bees swarm, it is proper that the apiary should be 

 withm si};Iit of the family. A bee certainly has 



the same space of time in lower latitudes, where \ frequently attacked a horse, and we have once or 

 such a period of continued cold rarely occurs. — | twice heard of one being stung to death. Con- 

 Nature has not constructed them for every emer- ] sidering the great number ef hives of bees, it is 

 gency. She has done no more for them in this | really wonderful that more accidents of this kind 

 particular than she has for man. They are com- j have not occurred. But they are exceedingly 

 [lelled to get accustomed to a change of climate , rare ; and when we know how many hundred 

 by degrees ; not by an alteration of thi5 structure I horses ammally die from the disease called the 

 of their organs, for that can never occur under 1 ioto, which proceeds from the maggots of the egg 

 any circumstances, but by some change that takes j laid by the horse bee on the hair of the animal, the 

 jilace in the circulation of tjie fluids of the body, very few that suffer from the sting of the honey 

 by which the system is accommodated to a higher 

 or lower temperature. 



If we are correct in this opinioti, the suggestion 

 of Dr. Anderson would not be available in our cli- 

 mate. If, according to his proposal, bscs were to 

 be kept all winter in an ice-house, more causes 

 than one would operate to the injury of their 

 health, and consequently to the decrease of their 

 number. The temperature of an ice-hnnse, unless 

 we are to supjiose the hive to be buried in the ice 

 itself, is much, higher than that which is without 

 the house. The torpor, jberefore, would not be 

 so complete as to put a stop to the digestive pro- 

 cess. The bees would be comjielled to eat ; and 

 as their food is constantly in contact with the im- 

 pure, stagnant air of the ice-house, it would soon 

 be vitiated and engender diseases. 



We know of but two diseases to which bees are 



bee do not deserve to be taken into consideration. 

 In every point of view, therefore, it appears that 

 bees should be cultivated. The wax that is con- 

 sumed in this country, in various ways is enorm- 

 ous, and most of it is imported. If we may cre- 

 dit Huish, Great Britain imports from Germany 

 and Italy upwards of eighty thousand pounds ster- 

 ling of wax annually. We are unable to say with 

 any precision, to what amount it is imported by ns ; 

 but judging from the quantity that each family 

 uses in a year, and the amount employed in vari- 

 ous arts, it must be worthy of notice. 



It is really disgraceful to such a country as ours 

 to import wax or honey. We ought ourselves to 

 export tons of it every year ; and we trust, that in 

 a few years this improvement will take place. — 

 Massachusetts and Connecticut are well situated, 

 and abundantly supplied with proper food for bees, 



and their climate being less variable, is better 

 adapted to their nature. We spoke of hills of 

 twenty feet in height ; this only applies to the site 

 of an apiary near a dwelling. The dwelling itself 

 may be on a hill. We have heard of convents 

 situated on mountains that have been well stock- 

 ed with hives. In short nothing is wanting but 

 good pasture, good hives, cleanliness, and atten- 

 tion to insure a rich reward to those who engage 

 in the pursuit. 



Children are naturally very fond of watching 

 bees, and they would soon learn to take care of 

 them, if they were not taught to fear them. All 

 danger can be guarded against by making them 

 \Vear woollen gloves that are long enough to draw 

 over their sleeves .it the wrist, and a wire cap to 

 cover their head. They could thus be trained to 

 manage bees ; and training is quite as necessary 

 to the full comprehension of the occupation, as ic 

 is in a trade of a carpenter or a shoe maker. 



It would be unjust not to refer again to Mr. 

 Butler'* little book, after making it the occasion of 

 expressing our own thoughts. We shall rejoice 

 I if our slender notice of his work should encourage 

 him to put forth a new edition; and we shall now 

 take leave of the subject, although it be almost in- 

 exhaustible, by an anecdote, that we have reserv- 

 ed for the conclusion, that it may make the deeii- 

 er impression. 



A good old French bishop, in paying his annual 

 visit to his clergy was very much afllicted by the 

 representations they made of their extreme pover- 

 ty, and which the ajipearance of their houses and 

 families corroborated. Whilst he was deploring 

 the state of things which had reduced them to this 

 sad condition, he arrived at the bouse of a curate, 

 who, living amongst a poorer set of parishioners 

 than any he had yet visited, would, he feared, be 

 in a still more woful plight than the others. Con- 

 trary, however, to his expectations, he found ap- 

 |)earances very much improved. Every thing a- 

 bout the house wore the aspect of comfort and 

 plenty. The good bishop was amazed. "How 

 is this, my friend?" said he — "you are the first 

 that I have met with a cheerful face and a plenti- 

 ful board. Have you anj' income independent of 

 your cure?" — "Yes, sir," said the clergyman, "I 

 have ; my family ^vonld starve on the pittance I 

 receive from the poor people that I instruct. — 

 Come with me into the garden, and I will show 

 you the stock that yields me an excellent interest." 

 On going into the garden, he showed the bishop 

 a large range of bee-hives. "There is the bank 

 from which I draw an annual dividend. It never 

 stops payment." Ever after that memorable visit, 

 when any of the clergy complained to the bishop 

 of poverty, he would say to them, "keep bees, 

 keep bees ;" and we shall bid our readers adieit 

 with the same advice. 



IlORTICrLTlRAL DISPLAY. 



Last evening, a number of vegetable products, 

 of great size and beauty were exhibited before the 

 Horticultural Society ; and some of them have to- 

 day been placed in our oflice for inspection. We 

 invite those who take interest in the works of na- 

 ture, and particularly in the extraordiaar^- mani- 

 festations of her power, to pay them a visit. The 

 first is a set of inanimoth cabbages. One of them, 

 at a hasty glance, seems as if it had been designed 

 to storm the fortress of Shumla. It is compact 

 and firm, and weighs the respectable number of 

 eighteen- pounds. Another head approaches the 



