voi,. XVI. NO. at. 



AND GARDENER'S JOURNAL 



165 



are flitting to ami fro, mid ocoasionaily one may 

 ber st'cn to dart with jrroat velocity into the en- 

 trance of tlio liivp. The bees will not pnrsiie the 

 moths on the wing', and the moths Cur outstrip 

 ihein in flij;!it on foot. The moths live nhont 10 

 to 12 days, dnring which time 1 cannot |)creeive 

 tliat they take any nonrisliinent whatevi'r. The 

 only object of th(Mr existence seems to be to (!e- 

 ]iosit their eirj^s, which are small, round and white, 

 and of which I hiive seen ten droi)|)ed in rapid 

 snccpssioii. For this jiurpose, nature has most 

 skilfnlly provided tliem with a sort <-'i' proboscis 

 about the sixteenth of an inch in length, whicli is 

 contracted and protrinled from their tails, and vi- 

 brated with {Treat velocity, as wasps or hornets do 

 iheir stings, which it somewhat resendiles. With 

 ;liis admirable apparatus, the eggs are deposil/jd 

 in places which are inaccessible to the bees, as 

 ;hey would he destroyed by a thrifty and a spirit- 

 ed hive. As soon as the young maggot casts its 

 ihcll, it envelo|)es itself in a weh svhicli is close- 

 y attached to the hive or stand, and whicli is iiii- 

 lervions to the bees. Tliese webs are enlarged 

 IS the maggots grow, and they grow fast and fat- 

 en kinilly, no matter whether a poplar or pine 

 »lank, or honey-comb and its delicious sweets, 

 ire the elements ii|)on which they suhsist and 

 iveave their webs. 



From one experiment I am satisfied that the 

 iiaggot-i will attain their full size of half an inch 

 n length, and the thickness of a large knltling- 

 icedle, in the short space of eight days ; but of 

 his I can speak with greater certainty hereaf- 

 er, as I have now two lots of eggs under obser- 

 ation. 



The maggots have tongli, jointed, white skins, 

 nd haril oval black lieads. 'I'hey crr.wl but slovv- 

 V and rarely venture froin under the protection 

 f their webs ; thongli they often pass, like moles, 

 iirongh the centre of a sheet of comb 10 or 15 

 iches in breadth, making a jiariial web over each 

 ell in the route. Though the bees cannot, 1 be- 

 eve, penctrale the hides of the maggots, either 

 nih then- teeth or their stings, still they can fight 

 lem, and carry them out of the hives ; and this 

 ley will do, when the hive is thrifty and in good 

 pirit. I have often seen a maggot straighten 

 imself and crawl off, apparently unhurt, after 

 aving been fought by several bees for many 

 liuutes ; and I have seen the moths run over 

 le bees, and escape out of sight, by the time the 

 ees had faced about to give them battle. 



After a brief existence, the maggot gathers his 

 'eb close around him, becomes inactive, and 

 radually assumes a harder black shell, which 

 bursts, and is again a fly in about 20 days. 



I have been somewhat particular, thinking it 

 Hportalit to know the habits and character of the 



isects, in order to know bow to destroy them. 



have tried in vain to disgust and drive them 

 cm the hive, by the use of turpentine, worm- 

 ood, penny-royal, &c. I have tried confining 

 le hive close to the stand, and plastering up all 

 le crevices with quick-lime, and [ think the |)lan 

 itii tubes for entrance (which I first sawsugges- 

 d in an eastern paper,) might succeed, did it not 

 iquite a nicety of material and a precision of con- 

 ructlou, which are not within the reach of ordina- 

 ' bee-masters. After losing two valuable hives by 

 :lying upon the closeness of the boxes, I aban- 

 aned the plan, and have since tried elevating 

 lem on blocks with better success. 'J'he zeal of 

 )ur esteemed correspondent, J. J. V., for bis' 



plan has led him into an error, of which a close 

 look into a thrifty ami spirited hive will convince 

 him. lie will sec the comb surrounded and cov- 

 ered with such den.se clusters of bees as no fly 

 could penetrate ; and any moth woidd conc!ud<t 

 that it was far easier, (say nothing of danger) to 

 lay its eggs in the lower and unguarded corners 

 of the hive, than in the more distant and frequen- 

 ted parts. All my stands have been more or less 

 infested tliis year, and two which were but partly 

 raised from tlie stand, have been entirely destroy- 

 ed ; and, from daily observation, I am satisfied 

 tliat the moths invariably at first, deposit their eggs 

 in the lower parts of lbs hive, and chiefiy where 

 it sits upon the stand ; whence the webs are griul- 

 ually extended, until they reach the comb. 'I he 

 bees then soon relax their industry, lose tlndr 

 spirit, and commence to eat their honey, in which 

 other bees miite, and which may be known by 

 unusual quantities of excrement about the hive. — 

 I'he moths and the maggots are emboldened to 

 greater intrusions ; they boldly enter the inmost 

 recesses of the hive, and soon the work of devasta- 

 tion is disgusting and complete. The bees, not 

 having spirit, to resent the intrusion, and not be- 

 ing alile to prevent it, languish, die, or desert the 

 stand. 



In a future nnndier, if you wish, I will give 

 you an account of the plan I have practised dur- 

 ing the present season, and which I think most 

 susceptible of general practice and success. 



Your friend, R. VV. S. 



JVo(e bij the Editor. — We wish our correspon- 

 dent had added to the valuable information con- 

 tained above, the account of the manner in whicli 

 the depredator be so well describes, may be de- 

 stroyed. The evil itself is indee<l well described, 

 and we wonder our friend did not point out the 

 cure ; especially as he knows his article in that 

 shape, would have been more useful. Indeed, we 

 had almost determined not to publish it, until he 

 added to it the remedy of the evil. Let him, how- 

 ever, furnish his |>laii, — he knows he is always 

 welcome to our columns. 



BUTTON CORN. 



Pkilnddphia, Sept. 23, 1837. 

 Hon. J. Bt;EL, — Dear Sir: Early last spring, 

 you shipped to me, at my request, a box of Dnl- 

 ton Corn. 1 was induced to give it a trial, by the 

 various favorable accounts of it, in the "Cultiva- 

 tor," and the reputation it had otherwise acquired. 

 The result of the trial is accurately stated in the 

 annexed note, and may be relied on. The ap- 

 pearance of the crop in July, so early and so pro- 

 lific, was gratifying to all who saw it. The aji- 

 plications for seed are so numerous, that 1 shall 

 dispose of the whole crop for that purpose. 

 Very respectfully, 



W. L. Hi P.ST. 



" I planted the Dutton Corn in a thin orchanl, 

 of 2 1-2 acres, preparing the ground by ploughing 

 in the green sward and harrowing; no manure 

 was applied. The .seed was steeped, and rolled 

 in tar and ashes, and planted about four and a 

 half feet each way, the first week in May. I used 

 the cultivator twice ; on the 4tii July, the corn 

 was in silk, and fit for cooking in the first and 

 second weeks of August, but it was suffered to ri- 

 pen on the stalks, and cut close to the ground ear- 



ly this month. The fodder is very tender and 

 excellent. The yield is about 70 bushels to the 

 acre. The main crop on the farm is the yellow 

 gourd ; but the Dutton is far supei ior ; one hill 

 of the Dutton yields more than three or four of 

 the gmnd, althongli the gourd seed was the best 

 that could be procured. The two kinds of corn 

 did not intermix : the fielils were reunote, and the 

 Dutton too early. David Hurman." 



Klockley Grove, near Phila- ) 

 delphia, Sept. 16, 1837. i 



I'. S. 1 trust you will not cease to press on the 

 public, the expediency of general'y raising this 

 species of corn : the crop is admirable, and even 

 astonishing; the field, when the corn was nearly 

 ripe, looked as if it was all ears! W. L. II. 



JVnIe. — We plant 3 by 2 1-2 feet, and get 5,808 

 hills on the acre. Our correspondent planted 



about 4 1-2 each way, and had but 2,151 hills. 



Thus we obtain 3,657 liills, or moie than 2 1-2 to 

 his one on an acre; and yet he obtained 70 bush- 

 els — without manure. We introduce this com- 

 parison to explain to incredcdous readers the cause 

 of our northern corn crops being sometimes deem- 

 ed incredibly large. It is, however, to be borne 

 in mind, that our corn is of comparatively dwarf 

 growth, and will bear crowding more than the 

 southern varieties. 



We beg here to remark, that there is a late 

 twelve rowed corn, which has been mistaken and 

 sold for the Dutton, particularly in JJerkshire co., 

 Mass. It grows stouter and taller than the Dut- 

 ton, and ripens two or three weeks later. — Cond. 

 Cultivator, 



TaE HO.^TRABLE CHARACTER OF AgRIC L LTtJRE. 



The ancient Rojuans so highly esteemed the em- 

 pl«yment oi agriculture, that the highest praise 

 they could bestow upon a man, was to say that he 

 cultivated his own lands. Their greatest and most 

 illustrious men in the early ages of the Republic 

 devoted their time to this occupation — that is to 

 say, they were farmers. Their greatest generals, 

 likewise, during the intervals of peace, were in 

 this haKt, and prided themselves ui)Oi) tilling tho 

 soil. In republican America this useful art seems 

 to bo undervalued, because it is not siifiiciently 

 splendid ; it is not so eligible for ambitious young 

 men, who look to their employment and to their 

 emoluments lor their reputation. We would say 

 to them, however, if they are desirous of a steaily 

 increase of wealth, let them till the soil ; if they 

 are desirous for a good and unenvied reputation, 

 let them be farmers. It is idle to suppose that a 

 young man who is concerned in trade, is really 

 any more respectable in this community, than one 

 who is engaged in agriculture or a mechanical art. 

 The great majority of the people of this common- 

 wealth are sufficiently intelligent yet to estimate 

 an individual according to his personal merits, ra- 

 ther than by his occupation and calling, and if 

 any occupation be more respectable than others, 

 it ought surely to be that which has been the fa- 

 vorite and the (uofessional occupation of some of 

 the greatest men in all ages. And this can sure- 

 ly be said of agriculture, more than of any other 

 private employment. Some of the greatest phi- 

 losophers have written upon agriculture, and some 

 of the greatest of heroes have piactised it with 

 their own hands. — Boston Statesman, 



