DEVOTED TO AGRICULTURE AND ALL ITS KINDRED ARTS AND SCIENCES. 



KEEP NOT TOO MUCH STOCK. 



It is frequently a great error in farmers to winter, 

 or attempt to winter, too much stock. When we 

 have large crops of hay, it does not spend so well as 

 usual, and one is very liable to be deceived as to his 

 means of wintering stock. There is but very little 

 old hay in New England, and much of the large 

 crop of the present season had but little sunshine on 

 it before it was cut ; there were several weeks mostly 

 cloudy weather just before haying commenced ; of 

 cour.sc, it was very deficient in sweetness and nutri- 

 tion. And a large part of the grass that was cut 

 late had but little sunshine on it after it was cut, and 

 a great deal of it wa.s poorly made, or injured by 

 storms. 



When there is a very Inrge crop of hay, it is not 

 good economy to keep animals enough to consume 

 the whole the first winter, for a scarcity of hay often 

 follows, which, occurring when there is a great 

 amount of stock in the country, must reduce it to 

 Tcry low prices. In this respect, every individual 

 must judge and act for himself; and we throw out 

 these hints for reflection, for we frequently hear of 

 cattle dying of starvation in the spring, or suffering 

 so much from short allowance that they are but yery 

 little profit the coming season. 



At the present time, stock is in good demand, and 

 any one who has a surplus of animals, can reduce 

 tliem to a suitable number for wiiitcring without sac- 

 rifice. Those who attempt to winter too much stock, 

 depending on buying hay, often find, late in winter 

 and spring, that many are in the same situation ; and 

 it is truly one in which misery does not love com- 

 pany. 



AN OLD HIVE OF BEES. 



Capt. John Pierce, North Chelsea, informed us 

 that he had a hive of bees twentj--six years old. 

 They were put into a hive of three sections. He 

 had taken off the top section five or six times, and 

 after taking out the conf<mts he replaced it. Some 

 seasons he took from the top section forty or fifty 

 pounds of honey. 



This hive has swarmed twice a year, on an aver- 

 age, or very nearly this number. A few years ago 

 the bottom section was taken off; it was full of 

 honey, and, after it was taken out, the section was 

 replaced. The next year it was filled again. 



The moths never troubled this hive. Capt. Pierce 

 says that these insects do not trouble old hives, but 

 they get into new hives the first season, and become 

 troublesome the next. 



"We name this case of an old hive, as some persons 

 think that a swarm cannot be kept long in the same 

 hive, without removing the comb, that the bees may 

 renew it. It is supposed that, as bees breed in the 

 comb, the cells slowly fill up, so that after several 

 years the bees will be of a reduced size. The occa- 

 sional removal of the upper section did not afford 

 much advantage in regard to breeding, as the brood 

 comb is not usually in the upper part of the hive. 



A bee-keeper informed us that he kept bees four- 

 teen years in the same hive, without removing any 

 of the comb. They did well, and swarmed fre- 

 quently. We present these facts for the considera- 

 tion of the curious ; yet wc would remark that 

 young swanns are the best. 



BRISTOL CATTLE-SHOW. 



This festival was held at Taunton, on the 10th inst. 

 The day was delightful, forming a beautiful contra.st 

 with the stormy days that had occurred latterly at 

 these shows. The first part of the exhibition waa 

 the ploughing match, which we did not see, as it w;is 

 about over when the Boston cars arrived. 



The show of stock was very good, comprising a 

 great variety, and rather larger than usual. The 

 show of fowls, though not extensive, was very fair, 

 and constituted a new feature in this exhibition. 



The show of fruits was very fine, particularly of 

 apples and peaches. There were a great numbei 

 of varieties, and generally of excellent appearance. 

 Mr. Jacob Deane, Mansfield, distinguished as a skilful 

 fruit-grower, exhibited about eighty different vari- 

 eties of apples, and fifty or sixty varieties of peaches, 

 many of which were seedlings of his own raii^nj^. 



