78 



Preparation of Sandy and Light Soils for Wheat. Vol. XII. 



morning-, before the bees commence work, 

 about fifteen or twenty days after swarming, 

 they could, by the commotion of the bees, 

 ascertain the loss of the queen. They will 

 see the bees running about in all directions, 

 while in other hives they are quiet. In the 

 middle of the day it is not so easily per- 

 ceived. After two or three mornings they 

 seem to become reconciled to their fate, and 

 continue their labours as others do. I no- 

 ticed this in one of my hives before I had 

 half a dozen, and occasionally ever since. 

 The result generally has been, that before 

 cold weather, or very soon after, the bees 

 would all be gone, and yet the hives nearly 

 as heavy as others. 



Now, when I have a case of this kind, 

 and I have had a swarm within a week, I 

 proceed to look for queen's cells, and with a 

 broad knife I cut out one or more — as they 

 generally have several I have no fears of 

 leaving them destitute, — and introduce it in 

 a vertical position into the hive that has sus- 

 tained the loss. In a short time all will be 

 quiet. I have often put it in through a hole 

 in the top of the hive, taking care that the 

 lower end shall touch nothing. If more 

 than a week has passed after a swarm has 

 left a hive, it is unnecessary to look in that 

 for a spare queen, for they are generally all 

 destroyed by that time, unless they intend 

 to swarm again, which can be ascertained 

 about the eighth day, by listening close to 

 the hive for the piping noise. 



Second and third swarms often have seve- 

 ral queens — I once had six in one swarm. 

 When necessary, I take one of these and 

 put it in the hive — even if there is but one, 

 I take it and let the swarm go back; which 

 is often an advantage, besides giving the old 

 hives a queen. But if no queen can be had 

 in any way, a piece of brood comb contain- 

 ing eggs or larvae of workers must be intro- 

 duced, but this is more uncertain to produce 

 a queen. If all these circumstances were 

 duly attended to, we should have less com- 

 plaint of hives being found destitute of bees 

 and full of honey — or as is often the case, 

 full of worms. Such instances often occur 

 with negligent bee-keepers, when they sup- 

 posed the bees were doing well. 



Some suppose that bee-bread is changed 

 to honey. I wish the time necessary to 

 effect the change was stated. I have had it 

 two years old, or more, and it was still bee- 

 bread. I have "lots" of it every year when 

 I am making wax. I have put it on my 

 garden, but can see no great effect from it 

 as manure, and should like to turn it to some 

 better account. There is no doubt that the 

 bees collect the pollen or bread for food for 

 their young. One circumstance in particu- 



lar confirms me in this belief When a hive 

 loses its queen, and is not supplied with one, 

 there is of course no brood, but if there is 

 plenty of bees, nearly every cell will be 

 two-thirds full of bread, and finished out 

 with honey and sealed over. The comb 

 looks very well outside, but it is disagree- 

 able to eat in this condition, and it is impos- 

 sible to separate all the honey from it, and I 

 have never been able to get out all the wax. 



I have had two or three young swarms 

 lose their queen a few days atler being 

 hived, and they filled the hive nearly full of 

 what appeared to be very nice honey; but a 

 person taking it for such would be greatly 

 mistaken — it is as much bitter as sweet. 



Other theories have been advanced which 

 are contrary to my experience, but the ob- 

 jections would lead to little practical utility, 

 and J shall say nothing of them here. I did 

 intend to have said something on economy 

 in the construction of bee-hives, but have 

 not room. M. Quinby. 



Coxsackie, N Y., 1847. 



From the N. Y. Agricultural Transactions, 



Preparation of Sandy and Light Soils 

 for Wheat. 



B. P. Johnson, Esq., Sec, &c. : 



As these are truly the days of improve- 

 ment in the various sciences, it is somewhat 

 surprising that agriculture should be so far 

 in the back ground. There are some en- 

 couraging appearances, and inquiry begins 

 to pervade the public mind, to see if their 

 cannot be some improvement in this all-im- 

 portant branch of public industry also. I 

 would therefore offer my mite to my brother 

 farmers, on the preparation of fallows for 

 wheat. 



Some nine or ten years since, I adopted a 

 new method of preparing fallows for wheat, 

 which was one fJoughing — and this I fol- 

 low whether I plough in June, July, or Au- 

 gust. I apply the cultivator as often as ne- 

 cessary, to prevent any vegetation from 

 growing, and the land is thus kept perfectly 

 clean for the seed. Should the land be quite 

 hard it makes no difference, but is all the 

 better, if you can obtain sufficient loose soil 

 to cover the seed. 



When I first commenced this mode of 

 farming my neighbours laughed at the idea 

 of obtaining a crop in this way. In the 

 course, however, of two or three years, they 

 became convinced, by observing that I raised 

 the best wheat, according to the quality of 

 the soil, and I am happy to say, that very 

 many in this region, have adopted the same 

 plan, and I do not know of one who has had 



