310 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



For the New England Farmer, having them now placed upon the stand, I close 



■!Wra-KrAr'T7TVn71«irT (\^ PT7F«? r'^'^ ^^^^ entrance perfectly tight to stop the cur- 



mANAGJl.MJi.H i OJJ hJlilLb. rent of air under them, at the same time lettmg 



Mb. EoiTorv :— I have read with pleasure sever- the rays of the sun strike fully upon the hives to 

 al articles in the Farmer relative to the manage- 1 assist in creating a sufficient degree of heat to prop- 

 ment of bees in winter, but no inducements to agate the eggs and larva, and at the same time as- 

 adopt any system are laid down, I am somewhat | certain if possible if there is a supply of honey ; if 

 engaged in " the culture of honey and the honey not sure there is enough, feed with a little honey or 

 bee, and thus far have been very successful ; yet syrup, and they will repay as many dollars as cents 



there are drawbacks which require attention, which 

 we can obviate if we will. I object to putting bees 

 in a cellar, packing them in straw, and also bury- 

 ing in the ground. In the first place, a damp situ- 

 ation would sooner or later prove downright ruin 

 to them, as it would be very likely to mould their 

 combs and cause disease and death ; I should as 

 soon think of wintering a family of children in a 

 cellar and having them come out healthy in the 

 spring as, I would a swarm of bees. Packing them 



are ])aid for the trouble. 



East Bethel, Ft., Jlpril, 1856. 



Z. Vinton. 



EXTRACTS AND REPLIES. 



FAT.\LITY AMONG LAMBS. 



Mr. Editor : — I wish to say a word in relation 

 to a singular fatality among lambs in this vicinity, 

 which, if it extensively prevails, as I think it does, 

 have a disastrous effect on the wool and mut- 



.* ^ . , ^ ., ^ will ...^.^ ^ ......v,,. 



ln^stra^yls also wrong, as you n^^uf* necessanb; stfP ton interest in Vt. I had about thirty ewes with 



a free circulation of pure air which is so essential j^^^^ ^j^j^^.'^jj in good condition, and 

 to all anmial_ life. The method of burying them in ; ^^^^^^ ^.^^^ r^^^ ^^^^^ \ ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ 



the ground, is, if possible, worse than either oi the 

 above, for a closer confinement and consequently a 

 greater degree of dampness must prevail. I be- 

 lieve that under ordinary circumstances six swarms 

 out of eight would either die or be worthless the 

 first season, if buried in the ground. A swarm re- 

 duced from four thousand to two or three hundred 

 would be almost worthless. 



The method which I practice has been successful, 

 never having lost a swarm either in winter or 

 spring. My hives are twelve inches square inside, 

 with an opening in front and rear for egress and 

 ingress, three inches long and half an inch high, 

 with a seven by nine glass inserted in the rear for 

 the purpose of witnessing their operations, and as- 

 certaining if they have a sufficient supply of honey 



the 

 graae. ine lamos oegan to come aoout the 

 first of May, and down to this time, the 16th, I 

 have but one lamb living, though I have had about 

 twenty in all. It makes no difJPerence whether they 

 come in stormy or fair weather, it is all the same ; 

 they come into the Avorld with just a breath of life 

 in their body, and will live from half an hour to 

 twenty-four. I could scarce get them to swallow 

 any milk, and only two have ever stood on their 

 feet. 



Some farmers are able to raise most of their 

 lambs, but all complain that they are very hard to 

 raise, and some are as bad off as myself. 



My sheep have not run among beechnuts this 

 spring. Some say the trouble is caused by our 

 cold winter. If you or any of your subscribers can 

 give us any good reason for the lambs dying, I 



for winter use, &c.; the glass to be covered by a ^j^^^j^^ ^^ very thankful for the same. 



door that can be opened and shut at pleasure. — 

 About the first of December, the hive should be 

 placed down closely upon the bottom boai'd, with 

 the front and rear entrance opened for a free cir- 

 culation of pure ail", which is indispensable. I now 

 place the hive in a dark, unoccupied room, that is 

 rather cold ; even if the thermometer should run to 

 ten or fifteen degrees below the freezing point it 

 would do no harm, and should be kept at as even 

 a temperature as possible. In this condition a 

 swarm of bees will consume ten or twelve pounds 

 of honey less than they would were they exposed 

 to the rays of the sun. In the course of the win- 

 ter, I occasionally open the doors in the rear of the 

 hives to ascertain their condition, being careful to 

 keep the frost and ice out of the entrances. 



When sufficiently warm, say the last of March, 

 they may be taken from the room and placed 

 upon the bee-stand where they are to be kept 

 for the summer, and if the weather be favora- 

 ble, and the bees wish to issue out, I open the 

 door in the rear of the hive for the purpose of let- 

 ting in the light, being careful not to let any of the 

 bees out until the door has been opened at least 

 twenty-four hours, and by so doing I prevent them 

 being blinded by the rays of the sun, especially 

 when there is snow on the ground. Hanng prac- 

 tised the above sj-stem, I feel assured that thei-e is 

 no safer way, and feel confident that should any 

 feel disposed to follow my directions, they would 

 not fail of success. 



My spring management is somewhat different ; 



Charles S. Palnh 

 East Bethel, Vt., May 16th, 18o6. 



cow POISONED. 



Friend Farmer : — On Saturday last, Mr. Jo- 

 seph Cline, of this town, lost a very nice cow, pois- 

 oned by eating what we call Indian poke, or swamp 

 cabbage. It grows in wet, swampy land, and has 

 been used to soak corn in to poison crows, and is 

 sure to accomplish the object. 



Berry, jV. H., 1856. W. N. WlLKLXSON. 



BOL^ND VOLUMES. 



G. F. H., St. Albans, Ft.— We can supply all 

 the previous volumes of the Farmer, perfect, with 

 the exception of the March number of vol. 6. 

 Price $1 25 a volume. The transactions of the 

 Agi-icultural Societies of Mass., for 1855, are not 

 yet published. 



WATER PIPES. 



D. Pratt, Beep River, in reply to inquiries about 

 water pipes, states that block tin is used in that re- 

 gion, and found convenient and profitable. 



Lauson Taylor, Sutton. — We have not the book 

 you mention, but will publish a table on the sub- 

 ject you mention when we can find or prepare one. 



