No. 5. 



Blight. — Profit of Bee-Keeping. 



159 



in the summer, knowing them to be destined 

 to stand the exposure of their hills during 

 the winter — to deprive them of food, for the 

 purpose of promoting their growth, is, how- 

 ever, an idea — I may add, a new one — which 

 I hope, no one but your correspondent has 

 supposed that I have ever entertained, even 

 for a moment. 



But how stands the case? We find the 

 complaint of the ravages of the fly to be, in 

 many parts of the country, universal, and 

 those who are suffering, are inquiring if any 

 one can inform them the cause of the malady, 

 or point out a remedy 1 and your correspond- 

 ent himself admits the extent of the evil ; as 

 soon, however, as a remedy is proposed, one 

 that has been found effectual elsewhere, he is 

 the first to cry out against it, and to do all in 

 his power to bring it into derision ! Why, 

 man, it is you who complain ! why say a 

 word about it? why not follow up your old 

 course and be silent? 



Now I cannot suppose it possible for your 

 correspondent to mistake my meaning; I say, 

 and repeat it, in the article which he is con- 

 troverting, that the cause of the disease in 

 wheat is the unpropitious state of the seasons ; 

 and I endeavour to point out the most likely 

 means of guarding against these, by recom- 

 mending a mode of culture, which would so 

 strengthen the crop as to render it less vul- 

 nerable to these attacks, which are, however, 

 by no means confined either to the early, the 

 late, or the medium-sown crops — to the au- 

 tumn, the spring, or even to the summer — 

 else would some of those who sow at these 

 different periods escape — all seasons being 

 alike liable to atmospheric influence; and I 

 must be permitted to copy a paragraph from 

 the article in debate, in defence of the posi- 

 tion which I occupy. " Wheat, thus culti- 

 vated, will lie close to the ground during au- 

 tumn and winter, and tiller and thicken, in- 

 stead of exhaust itself in useless and prema- 

 ture growth, of perhaps a foot in height ; its 

 leaves of dark green will curl on the ground, 

 able to resist the frosts, not liable to be in- 

 jured by snow, never so great in depth, or of 

 so long continuance ; coming out from under 

 it small in appearance, but not lifted at the 

 roots — as the high and forward crops are al- 

 most always found to be at that season — ready 

 and willing to start with the first mild wea- 

 ther in the spring, but not gross and tender, 

 60 as to feel the effects of a change of cli- 

 mate, which might be found sufficient to pros- 

 trate thousands of acres of those crops, which 

 have hitherto been the admiration of the 

 whole country." 



That the present season has been peculiarly 

 unpropitious to the wheat-crop, in many 

 places, all will admit, but by no means more 

 so than every observing man ought to have 



anticipated, for every one whose occupation 

 is in the fields must remember the unseason- 

 ably warm weather which was experienced 

 early in the spring, as also the very severe 

 frosts which took place immediately after, 

 and continued late : and on conversing but 

 yesterday with an agricultural friend on this 

 subject, he turned to his diary, and read from 

 its pages the following statements, which, in 

 my mind, account for all the blight and fly 

 of which we have had to complain. 

 Feb. 4. Very hard frost — sleighing in great 

 perfection. 

 " 5. Not so cold as yesterday — wind south. 

 «« 6. Wind south, day warm, as rapid a 



thaw as was ever witnessed. 

 " 17. A fine day ; spring weather. 

 " 18. Wet weather and warm. 

 " 20. Very warm for the season. 

 " 21. Morning very bland. This warm 

 spring weather istnuch to he feared. 

 March 1st to 4th, inclusive, very sultry — pre- 

 mature spring — Lilacs bursting into 

 leaf and flower-buds. 

 " 8. A dry, hard frost, ground too hard for 



the plough. 

 " 11. Stormy, with snow an inch deep on 



the ground. 

 " 12. Hard frost, like mid-winter. 

 Now, after this, what need have we of any 

 more witnesses? 



I conclude by stating my conviction, that 

 if the agriculturiail of this country would 

 adopt the old European system, of sowing 

 wheat on a clean, unexhausted soil, without 

 seeding with grasses — say, for instance, a 

 clover lay which had been manured in the 

 previous spring — and not, as is the old system 

 of this country, after oats, fallowed, dunged 

 and limed for — they would escape the malady 

 of which they have now so frequently to 

 complain, which is caused by a lavish growth 

 in the young crop, rendering it peculiarly lia- 

 ble to be affected by unpropitious seasons ; 

 and still insisting that blight, in all its forms, 

 fly, &c. &c. is the effect, an(J not the primary 

 cause of the evil. Vir. 



Schuylkill County, Nov. 20. 



Profit of Bee Keeping. 



We apprehend our farmers, and especially 

 the small ones, and their wives and children, 

 and divers people so situated that they might 

 as well as not, have a hand in fhe business, 

 have missed it not a little by underrating 

 bees as an article of mere profit. We know 

 nothing against Mr. Weeks' position that 

 they may be cultivated in such a manner as 

 to render them more profitable to their own- 

 ers than any branch of agriculture, in pro- 

 portion to the capital invested in their slock. 

 They are not taxable property ; — neither does 



