NEW ENGIiAND FARMER. 



PUBLISHED BY J. B. RUSSELL, NO. 52, NORTH MARKET STREET, (at the Aoriculturai. Warkhouse.) — T. G. FESSENDEN, EDITOR. 



VOT^. X. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JUJ.Y 4, 1832. 



NO. 51. 



Agriculture 



From the Massachusetta Agricultural Repository and Joarnal. 



REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE 



On Experiments, Discoveries, and Inventions, 

 Trees, lAve Hedges, &cc. 



Tlie committee of tlie Massachusetts Society 

 for Pioniotiiig AgricuJture, to whom were referred 

 claims for premiums for experiments, inventions 

 and discoveries, as also for plantations of forest 

 trees and apple trees, and other descriptions' of ag- 

 ricultural industry, as specified in their list of i)re- 

 niiums, beg leave to report : that there were no 

 premiums claimed for experiments in turning in 

 green crops as manure, nor for the successful use of 

 the drill ])lough in the cultivation of any small grain 

 or seeds; but there were two claims for the tliird 

 premium offered by the Society, under the head 

 of experiments, inventions, and discoveries, viz. 

 For an effectual and satisfactory mode of deslroii- 

 ing the bee-moth, or of preventing its ravages. It 

 will be obvious that the two branches of this sub- 

 ject are essentially distinct. To destroy tlie moth 

 by any artificial process, is radically and substan- 

 tially diflerent from preventing Its ravages, or its 

 access to the hive. Both would be equally use- 

 ful if the end should be obtained, which is protec- 

 tion ; but it is obvious that the means may be, and 

 (we may almost say) loould he essentially different. 



The first communication received on this in- 

 teresting but difficult subject, by the comi.iittee, 

 was from the venerable Dr James Thacher, of 

 Plymouth. This pa])er was worthy of the good 

 sense and well known research of the author, and 

 did not in any degree diminish the respect which 

 the committee felt, for this veteran promoter of all 

 the arts subservient to the cause of agriculture. 

 In examining it, however, with the care and ex- 

 actness which theircommission required, they could 

 not perceive that it fulfilled the conditions on which 

 alone their authority reposed, to wit, "an effectual 

 and satisfactory mode of destroying the bee-moth, 

 or of preventing its ravages." 



The comtnittee might rest here, and rely upon 

 the conviction, that they had exercised their judg- 

 ment with due discretion ; but they owe it to Dr 

 Thacher and to the public, to state the grounds on 

 which their opinion was founded. As to the first 

 branch, Dr Thacher seems distinctly to admit, that 

 he knows of no " ^ectual and satisfactory" mode 

 of destroying the bee-moth, and seems to consider 

 it as a desideratum not yet obtained. He does in- 

 deed suggest the idea of destroying the bee-moth 

 by solutions of sugar with poison ; but, besides 

 that, the same remedy may bn equally fatal to the 

 bees, it must be in its nature imperfect. 



We have no evidence that the bee-moth has so 

 strong a desire of food, as to coimteract the more 

 powerful influence of its instinct, to place its eggs 

 in places adapted to it.s future progeny. In short, 

 though it is the suggestion of an ingenious mind, 

 employed in speculations for the public good, yet 

 as to its "effectual and satisfjictory " operation, 

 there is too little evidtnce offered. 



Upon the second branch of the premium, that of 

 prevention, Dr Thacher proposes an inclosed 

 apiary. There is no doubt that an inclosed apiary 



forms some check to the ravages of the insect' 

 But then it should be considered, that apiaries thus 

 inclosed have been in operation for tliiriy years 

 past, and have proved neither " effectual nor satis- 

 tactory." 



Dr Thacher inileed alludes to a grating phtced 

 before the hives at night,' but gives no definite 

 mode of applying it. This remedy is much more 

 fully developed in the next connnunication ; though 

 we are compelled to say that Dr Thacher has not 

 afforded an " effectual and satisfactory " mode of 

 preventing the ravages of the bee-moth, yet for his 

 continued labors and research on this interestin 

 subject, the committee recommend to the trustees 

 that a gratuity often dollars be paid to him. 



The only other communication on this subject, 

 is from the Rev. J. R. Barbour, of Newbury, (By- 

 field.) 



This communication is very elaborate, interest- 

 ing, and important, shewing great perseverance, 

 accuracy, and uncommon practical observation, as 

 well as mechanical contrivance. It would be im- 

 possible for the conunittee to do anything like jus- 

 tice to the plans and suggestions of Mr Barbour, 

 in any abstract which they could make, and they 

 woidd therefore recommend that the whole com- 

 munication from him, together with the letter of 

 Mr Parsons which accoiBpanied it, should be pub- 

 lish in the Journal, and New England Farmer. 

 This great advantage would be derived from it, 

 that if the comnjittee have erred in their opinion 

 as to its title to the premium ofiered by the Soci- 

 ety, ingenious persons may be induced to try his 

 plans, and experience may show that the difficul- 

 ties which present themselves to the committee, 

 are not well founded. Mr Barbour's communica- 

 tions have reference to two distinct points. 



The first, to the prevention of the ravages of the 

 bee-moth ; the second, to the more easy and effec- 

 tual acquisition of the labors of the bee, without 

 their entire extermination. As no premium has 

 been offered for this, the most interesting part of 

 Mr Barbour's discoveries, we might pass it over 

 in silence ; but such a course would not suit either 

 our feelings, nor comport with our duties. We 

 feel ourselves then bound to say, that Mr Bar- 

 hour's suggestions and plans ai)pear to us to be 

 very ingenious and important, and we recommend 

 them to the attention of those who cultivate bees ; 

 and as a proof of our estiujate of their ingenuity, 

 we recommend to the Society, to pay to Mr Bar- 

 hour ten dollars, being the half of all the premi- 

 ums offered on this subject, and that he be request- 

 ed to permit his apparatus, transmitted to us, to be 

 exhibited in the Agricultural Repository in Bos- 

 ton, under the management of Mr Newell. 



The other branch of Mr Barbour's inventions, or 

 claitiis, respects the prevention of the entrance of 

 the bee-moth into the hives, by a screen of milli- 

 net, to be put up every evening and to be removed 

 every morning. Such a remedy would ap|)ear 

 perfect. Why then not grant the Society's pre- 

 mium? We reply in few words. First, because 

 Mr Barbour has the candour to admit, that the sug- 

 gestion came to him from Rev. Mr Noyes, of Need- 

 ham. We are not told how far this suggestion 

 went, but we are leil to believe that Mr Noyes was 

 the inventor. Secondly, because we seriously 



doubt whether a remedy which requires attention 

 twice a day, is fitted for common use. Yet as the 

 first suggestion of a mode, said to be effectual, if 

 men will be scrupulous in its application, came first 

 before the public through Mr Barbour, we recom- 

 mend the grant of a gratuity to him of ten dollars. 

 But in this gratuity, justly due to an ingenious 

 man, who has devoted his time and learning to a 

 subject very interesting to the cause of agriculture, 

 we are constrained to say, that it is not certain at 

 what hour the bee-iniller takes its flight. An 

 omission of one half hour may be fatal. If, as ia 

 asserted and as is probable from analogy, a single 

 miller lays five hundred eggs, it may prove as fatal 

 to a hive, as if there was a free intercourse. 



We admit that these precautioiis, sedulously and 



scrupujiiisly followed, might be effectual. But it 



shoidd not be for one moment admitted, that as a 



general or universal practice, it would be available. 



To -be concluded next wcelc. 



ITEMS IN RURAL ECONOMY, 



ORIGINAL AND SELECTED. BT THE EDITOR. 



)f'ashing Salads, ^-c. — James Simson, a writer 

 for the Gardener's Magazine, concludes a pretty 

 long article on the best mode of washing Water 

 Cresses and other Salads, so as to free them from 

 the larva; of insects and worms, as follows: 



" Mr Brown, of Dalkeith, suggested the idea of 

 having a tub of salt water from the sea, and steep- 

 ing them a few minutes in that. We immediately 

 adnj>; " the advi':e, and succeeded perfectly in de- 

 taching everything of the animal kind from the 

 leaves referreil to. My mistress was so much 

 pleased with the thing, that she has since had 

 every kind of salad washed in this way, es- 

 pecially such as grow close to the ground 

 and are apt to have worms and slugs gathered 

 with them. We have even had small red worms 

 come out of cithbages and lettuce, besides nreen 

 flies and caterpillars. After the vegetables remain 

 three or fom- minutes in the .salt water cistern 

 whatever has been in them comes out, and is seen 

 writhing and dying in the water. The vegetables 

 are then taken out and washed with fine fresh 

 water, in the usuiil way." The same water may 

 be made to last for weeks, if the insects are strain- 

 ed from it. 



A new method of raising Peas. — A writer for 

 the Gardener's Magazine, recommends a new 

 mode of raising early peas, &:c. This consists in 

 having a quantity of tiuf cut into pieces of about 

 nine or ten inches long, and three or four bioad 

 which are placed in a regular manner pver the 

 surface of a hot-bed, grass side downwards, and a 

 row of peas is sown on each row of turf, and af- 

 terwards covered with soil ; when they are fit for 

 transplanting, no more is required than to lift out 

 the tm-f, piece by piece, with the peas growing up- 

 on it, .ind j)lace them wliere they are to produce 

 the crop. By this means the roots receive no in- 

 jury, nor do the plants sustain any check by trans- 

 planting. This method may be practised with 

 similar success in the raising of potatoes, beans, &c. 



To preserve Caulifowers, ^c. — Charles Mac In- 

 tosh, in the Gardener's Magazine, says, " J have 

 been able to keep cauliflowers for a length of time, 

 by cutting them in a dry day, stripping off all 



