1855. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



451 



such -wholesale murder. But for two days she was 

 intent upon her fell purpose, and kept in almost 

 continuous motion to effect it. On the fourteenth 

 day the second queen was ready to come out, peep- 

 ing and making A-arious noises to attract attention. 



A part of the colony then seemed to conclude that 

 it was time to take the first queen and go, but by 

 some mistake she remained in the hive after the 

 swarm had left. The second queen came out as 

 soon as possil)le after the others had gone, and then 

 there were two in the hive ! Several minutes 

 elapsed before it seemed to lie knowm that she M'as 

 left, and the two queens ran al)out on the comb, 

 which was now nearly em})ty, so that they could be 

 distinctly seen. But they had not apparently, no- 

 ticed each other, while the workers were in a state 

 of great uneasiness and commotion, seeming impa- 

 tient for the destruction of one of them ; and the 

 mode they adopted to accomplish it was of the most 

 deliberate and cold-])looded kind. A cii-cle of bees 

 kept one queen stationary, while another party 

 dragged the other up to her, so that their heads 

 nearly touched, and then the bees stood back, leav- 

 ing a fair field for the combatants, in which one 

 was to gain her laurels, and the other to die ! The 

 battle was fierce and sanguinary. They grappled 

 each other, and like expert wrestlers, strove to in- 

 flict the fotal blow, by some sudden or adroit move- 

 ment. But for some moments the parties seemed 

 equally matched — no advantage could be gained on 

 either side. The bees stood looking calmly on the 

 dreadful affray, as though they themselves had been 

 the heroes of a hundi-ed wars. But the battle, like 

 all others, had its close ; one fell upon the field, and 

 was immediately taken by the workers and carried 

 out of the hive. By this time, the bees which had 

 left, made the discovery that their queen was miss- 

 ing, and although they had been hived mthout any 

 trouble, they came rushing back, but not in season 

 to witness the fatal battle, and the Ml of their poor 

 slain queen, who should have gone forth with them 

 to seek a future home. 



There was e\"idently sore disappointment in this 

 result, for when they realized their loss, they ut- 

 tered piteous cries, and for a day or two "refused 

 to be comforted," wandering about, apparently 

 without object, and in great confusion. 



The hive was now crowded again almost to suffo- 

 cation, and after a few days' uneasiness the bees all 

 left and lighted on an apple tree near the window, 

 from whence they were jarred off, and the queen 

 and a half pint of the bees returned to their old 

 quarters, where they are to-day, Aug. 30, doing 

 well. A small colony made in July, was now 

 brought forward, and after sjirinlvling it as well as 

 the bees from the house, with jiepjiermint water, so 

 that they might be all of one odor, the two strange 

 colonics were mixed, and have continued to go on 

 harmoniously together." 



Our operations with bees, and these observations 

 by our "better half," have been under the direction 

 of the Rev. L. L. Langstroth, of Greenfield, 

 Mass., a gentleman of fine native talent, aided by a 

 most thorough classical education. Prevented from 

 preaching in consequence of the state of his health, 

 he turned liis attention to the dehghtful study of 

 bees, and for more than fifteen years has pursued it 

 with all the patience and ardor of a first love, until 

 he probably has acquired more accurate information 

 than any other jjerson who has yet written of them. 

 He has explored the subject in other languages, and 

 in his work has brought together the most agreea- 

 ble mcidents and information, making it more at- 

 tractive than any work of fiction. 



Fur the New England Farmer. 



WHAT AILS THE APPLE TREE? 



Mr. Editor : — I have an orchard of fifty apple 

 trees, (with peach trees alternately) set out in 1850, 

 and now seven years from the bud. I noticed 

 about four weeks ago the bark was affected on some 

 of them ; since then there have been more affected 

 the same way. It is in spots from tMo inches to 

 twelve or more in length, and about an inch wide, 

 though in a few cases, extending nearly round the 

 tree. Where afi'ected, the outer bark cracks off 

 from that adjacent that is not diseased, and the 

 spots that are diseased shrink to the tree. 



I have peeled a few to discover the cause, but 

 could arrive at no satisfactory conclusion. In one 

 case the inner bark of last year seemed to be gone, 

 but the wood appeared bright, and I found a small 

 worm about three-fourths of an inch long ; although 

 the bark did not seem to have been eaten by the 

 worm ; though it would seem that it was, (I am not 

 entomologist enough to describe him,) it was not the 

 common borer, it was slimmer. In other cases the 

 bark Avas all dead and the wood black. In one case, 

 the tree was girdled except the Aridth of my finger, 

 yet was gi-owing finely, and looks bright. I found 

 no worms exccj)t in that one instance. Two of my 

 neighbors have trees of the same age, affected, 

 though not so badly. 



In all three cases the bark had been washed with 

 alkali in previous years, though not this year. The 

 first year, I made my solution a jwund of potash to 

 two gallons of water, one-half the strength of Mr. 

 Buckminster's wash, since then I have used it weak- 

 er every year. Last season I used soaj) suds. Trees 

 in this neighborhood that have not been washed are 

 not so affected as yet ; whether tlio washing makes 

 the l)ark more tender, I leave you to judge. 



I write, thinking the suliject might be of interest 

 to you, and to see if any of your subscribers are 

 troubled in the same way. J. w. w. 



Canton, Mass., 1855. 



Remarks. — Some of our corresjiondents will un- 

 doubtedly be able and willing to express their 

 views of the difficulties stated above. 



Od^" It has been ascertained by experiment, that 

 a cow will drink about eighty-seven pounds of wa- 

 ter in twentv-four hours. 



