450 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Oct. 



to be enriched, regenerated and cultivated. The 

 discovery that potash, soda, magnesia, lime, &c., 

 were, in fact, the oxides of metals, led the Avay to 

 improvement. The elements of plants were exam- 

 ined, showing their similarity with the soils on 

 wliich they grow, and the due proportions in which 

 these elements exist in plants for their perfect de- 

 velopment. The action of the atmosphere upon the 

 soil, the influence of rain and sunshine on the 

 growth of plants, the necessity and action of vege- 

 table decaying substances, and the various agencies 

 thus carried on for our benefit, have all been dis- 

 covered, and are now well understood by every sci- 

 entific farmer. Still, the aj)plication of knowledge, 

 of science, of art to agriculture, is not, even at this 

 day, generally understood or ^videly disseminated ; 

 the number of scientific farmers is small. We have 

 no schools, academies and colleges, especially devo- 

 ted to giving instruction in agriculture. The far- 

 mers, the producers, the very foundation and means 

 on which all other classes are constructed and sup- 

 ported, are without a single school, academy, or 

 college, devoted to giving instruction in the apj)li- 

 cation of chemistry to agriculture. All the knowl- 

 edge wliich has been acquired on this subject, has 

 been giv.en to the young, showing the connection 

 between chemistry and agriculture. They have nev- 

 er had exhibited to the eye and understanding, any 

 experiments on the all-important subject of farm- 

 ing. "These things ought not so to be." 



As a class, farmers far outweigh in natural ad- 

 vantages every other class ; in numbers, they con- 

 stitute more than three-fourths of the whole nation ; 

 yet, strange to say, that, as yet, they have never re- 

 ceived any adequate instruction in their high call- 

 ing — a calling, which, in truth, demands as high an 

 education for its perfection, as any other position in 

 life. There is the same necessity for shedding the 

 light of science on agriculture, that there is upon 

 law, medicine, commerce, manufactures, and the 

 mechanic arts. And no one but a quack would 

 think of following either of these as a calling, till 

 after he had devoted to them years of attention and 

 study. A lack of interest on the subject of agricul- 

 ture, is generally equivalent to a lack of knowledge ; 

 for, all who attend to it and study it as a science, 

 become deeply interested in it ; and the more they 

 know, the more they desire to knoAV. But poor 

 farms, poor stock, poor productions of every kind, 

 are the natm'al and necessary results of neglecting 

 this study. 



20 drops of turpentine into one ear; and after wait- 

 mg a few minutes, I turned her over and j)oured the 

 same quantity into the other. She soon Ijegan to 

 shake her head, and a stream of blood ran from her 

 amjiutated ear. In an hour she was apparently as 

 well as ever. Since then I have used the same 

 remedy, without cutting ofi' the ear, and have never 

 lost a sheep by the staggers. — Rural JVew- Yorker. 



Staggers in Sheep. — Formerly I lost sheep by 

 this disease, until by experiment I discovered a rem- 

 edy, wliich has not failed me for many years, and 

 I think it a safe as well as a sure remedy. About 

 twelve years since I found that a nice ewe of mine, 

 which had two fine laml)s, was affected with this dis 

 ease. She was down by the fence, at the side of 

 the pasture, and when she endeavored to walk or 

 run, would stagger and fall, and appeared to be 

 blind. I went to her, took my knife out, cut off an 

 ear close to the head, and to my surprise found the 

 blood did not start ; not so much as one drop could 

 I obtain. Thinking my sheep as good as dead, I 

 concluded to try experiments upon her. I returned 

 to my dwelling, and taking a bottle of spirits of tur- 

 pentine in my hand, went again to the pasture. I 

 had been absent perhaps an hour, but the sheep had 

 not moved from where I left her, and there was no 

 discharge of blood from the ear. I poured perhaps 



PEEPS INTO A BEE-HIVE. 

 There is nothing from the Master Hand, un- 

 touched by man, however small and insignificant it 

 may seem to some, but is worthy of our careful 

 study and investigation. We forget that the minute 

 insect, or the worm upon which we tread with loath- 

 ing and disgust, was framed and received the breath 

 of life by the same Infinite Wisdom which created 

 and animated us. They are governed by laws 

 which they observe far more scrupulously than man 

 does the laws wliich ought to govern him, even aid- 

 ed as he is by reason, a power they are not sup- 

 posed to possess. We have no doubt that all the 

 lower orders, even to the tiniest of them all, enjoy 

 their Uttle life, and contribute to carry out the gen- 

 eral plan. If we studied them more, and became 

 more famihar with their habits, we should lose all 

 repugnance to them, and perhaps find lessons of 

 value for every-day life in many of then- works and 

 ways. Let us see ! 



On the 17th of July last, we placed in our dining- 

 room window an obserAing bee-hive, constructed of 

 glass, so that all the operations of the bees could be 

 plainly and conveniently seen. A comb about a foot 

 square was placed in it containing some brood, with 

 plenty of workers and di'ones, but ivithout the queen 

 bee. The hive was then carefully observed by one 

 of the ladies of the family, who has given us the fol- 

 lowing account of their doings. 



" The first business the bees attended to, was in 

 commencing cells for a queen, and they prosecuted it 

 with energy for two days. At the end of that 

 time, a queen was taken from another colony and 

 placed with them, upon Avhich they pulled down 

 the cells they had made in less than half the time 

 it had required to construct them, and then began 

 to piece out and repair the comb, which needed a 

 corner. The queen at once commenced laying, and 

 soon filled the unoccupied cells, when she was again 

 removed, and the bees once more began the con- 

 struction of queen cells. 



The unhatched bees now began to come forth, 

 and in two weeks the family increased so fast as to 

 make it necessary for them to prepare to emigrate. 

 So they built six queen cells, and in about twelve 

 days, the first queen was hatched. As soon as she 

 was fairly born, she marched rapidly, and in the 

 most energetic manner, over the comb, and visited 

 the other cells in Avhich were the embryo queens, 

 seeming at times furious to destroy them. The 

 workers, however, surrounded her and prevented 



