THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



343 



the pure Southdown, and a cross of the pure IjCI- 

 cester and pure Soullidown ; hut the selection ol' 

 either of the above breeds must depend on the 

 kindol' Boil the sheep are put on, and the nature 

 of I he Ibod they are put to. 



As regards leedin^, the plan of folding sheep, 

 both on arable and pasture lands, and giving them 

 roots and corn on the latter, was considered pre- 

 ferable to allowing them to range over the fields 

 promiscuously. It was also recommended to 

 place rock salt in iheir troughs, which has been 

 lijund to act beneficially on the health of sheep, in 

 keeping them free from diseases generally, espe- 

 cially the rot. It is also essential, in dry seasons, 

 that sheep should be regularly supplied wiih wa- 

 ter; and that turning them out to feed when the 

 dew is upon the layers and pastures, is saler than 

 to turn them on after the dew is off:— the excep- 

 tions are, in case of while frost, and low lands, 

 when ihe sheep ought to be kept in until the 

 ground is dry. Care should be taken also not to 

 change sheep too suddenly Irom low to high (ced- 

 ing ; and a Irequent change of (bod appears ne- 

 cessary to the health of this animal. 



it to seek a dry habitation, and swarms will 

 very often leave a wet one after they have en- 

 tered it. 



ON HIVING BEES. 



Many are trying experiments on the manage- 

 ment of bees, and this is all well, provided we can 

 have accounts of ail the failures which have attend- 

 ed new modes. Some have buried their bees in 

 (he earlh to preserve ihem from winter frost — some 

 have stowed iheir hives away into their cellars, 

 and others into their irarrels. Some build nice 

 bee houses to protect the hives, while others prefer 

 to set them on posts or on the wood-pile unprotect- 

 ed from the weather. 



Within a few years a new plan has been adopt- 

 ed — hives have been placed in a dark room or 

 chamber, six feet square, to prevent their swarm- 

 ing, and to induce the bees to build around the 

 hive, whence the honey may be taken wiihout 

 killing the bees. But none of these plans seem to 

 succeed so well as the old one of leiting each 

 swarm have a hive by itself, and a post by ilself 

 to stand on. It is agreeable |to the nature of the 

 bee to send forth new colonies, and no plan which 

 we have seen tending to check this propensity has 

 succeeded. 



Bees sometimes swarm in the fore pajt of 

 May — we have known good swarms to come 

 out as early as the tenth. They usually start 

 between the hours of ten and twelve, and they 

 generally alight on some bush or tree near ihe 

 naother hive. It was formerly a custom for one 

 to hold an empty hive under the swarm, while 

 another rapped the limb on which it hung, and 

 when the great body of the bees had fallen into 

 it, to turn it right side up and set it on a platform. 



But a much better method is to place a platform 

 under the swarm, and set the empty hive right 

 side up, on the platform, raising the hive by 

 means of chips high enough to let the bees 

 crawl under; then give the limb on which they 

 hang a hard rap, and let them drop on lo the 

 platform close by the hive. If that is sweet and 

 dry the bees will go in. No hive should be 

 made wet either with rum, molasses, honey, or 

 any other liquid. The instinct of the bcc teaches 



NOTES ON THE SANDY POINT ESTATE. — 

 NO. H. 



To the Editor of tlie Fanners' Register. 



Sandy Point, 15th Maxj, 1841. 

 In my former comtnunication, " Noies on San- 

 dy Point Estate, No. 1," a short and general 

 description of the estate was given. I will now, 

 as opportunity oflere, endeavor to give a state- 

 ment of such improvements as are in pro- 

 gress and contemplated. Up to the early part of 

 the past year, (1840,) the various divisions of 

 the estate were under the management of sepa- 

 rate overseers. One re.-iding on (he Neck liirm, 

 one on the Upper Quarter and Rowe, and one, 

 aided by a young man, on Teddington, whose 

 duly it was in the absence of Mr. Boiling to 

 lake a general superintendence of the whole, to 

 transmit his orders to the others, and to keep 

 up with him all correspondence neces&ary (or the 

 management o( the estate. Each of these had un- 

 der his immediate orders, care and control, an 

 adequate number of negroes, horses, oxen, &c., 

 (or the performance of the labor on the division 

 of the estate committed to his care. Whatever 

 might have been the advantages arising (roin this 

 division of labor, the expenses, inconvenience 

 and frequent misunderstandings incident to such 

 an arrangement, nmch more than counterbalanced 

 them, and rendered a junction of the several di- 

 visions, with all their laborers into one, a desirable 

 object. Consequently, when it became necessary 

 to discharge the overseer residing on the Upper 

 Quarter and Kowe, early in March, the laboring 

 forces on these (arms were added to those of 

 Teddington. And early in the fall of the year 

 when the servicer of the overseer residing on the 

 Neck were also dispensed with, the desired junc- 

 tion of the whole was accomplished ; all of which 

 are now under my immediate management, aided 

 by two young men. Considerable difficulty was 

 (or some time experienced, in procuring the ser- 

 vices o( young men of suitable habits, but eventu- 

 ally we succeeded. So far, the advantages resulting 

 Crom thus uniting the whole have, I believe, beeti 

 satisfactory. For the present year our crops are 

 nearly and unavoidably as much detached as 

 when the several divisions of the estate were 

 under the management of separate overseers ; or 

 thus, 200 acres of the Neck farm are under corn, 

 285 acres on Teddington and IIS on Upper Quar- 

 ter, in all 603 acres.* This division of the crop, 

 could not easily be avoided, and is necessarily at- 

 tended with some inconvenience, but which will ter- 

 minate with the present year ; and in future the 

 estate will be cultivated as follows : the Rowe farm 



* In stating the number of acres as above, the 

 amounts are taken from old surveys, or what have been 

 the reputed contents for years past, and is believed 

 to be nearly, if not altogether correct. A measurement 

 of each will shortly be made, and should any differ- 

 ence then present itself it will be noticed when the 

 results of crops will be subsequently referred lo. 



