314 



Transformation of Wheat into Bromus. 



Vol. VIIL 



brought out to die? Were this the case, would not 

 symptoms of them be discovered in the hive ?— Ed. 



ture in the ends of the boxes represented 

 by dotted lines, and closed by the slides, /, 

 said tube being- well plastered around the 

 joints with mortar to prevent the entrance 

 of insects. Then insert the thin rectangu- 

 lar plate, L, between the lower box and 

 base, at the joint, J, and shut down the ver- 

 ticle slides, E^ E^, over the entrance, the 

 arrangement of the slides prevents the 

 egress and ingress of the bees through the 

 entrance of the base, and compels them to 

 go into the new house through the tube 

 The passage for the bees will now be 

 through the new house. When the bees 

 have commenced building in the new house 

 and have a sufficient quantity for a colony, 

 remove the tube and close the aperture in 

 the ends, and remove the new house. Then' 

 remove the horizontal slide and raise the 

 vertical slides of the old house. The bees 

 will then recommence their operations in 

 the old house. 



In commencing a bee-house with an old 

 hive, put it on the top of the house over the 

 aforesaid opening in the top, and secure the 

 joints well with mortar. The bees will de- 

 scend and commence operations in the upper 

 box of the house, when there is a sufficiency 

 of bees and comb in the house, then remove 

 the hive and close the aperture. 



Among the advantages possessed by this 

 Bee-house over others in use are, 



1st. Its susceptibility of being perpetually 

 emptied of its accumulated honey, without 

 disturbing or destroying the bees, and in 

 larger quantities of honey and of a purer 

 quality. 2nd. Complete ventilation. 3rd 

 Effectual discharge of all offensive matter 

 4th. Convenience of swarming the bees. 

 5th. Causing the bees to thrive better and 

 increase faster. 6th. In not disturbing the 

 bee-bread, young bees, or empty comb. 



The model shown us of the above described hive, is 

 a very neat contrivance, and the inventors regard it as 

 an improvement in the construction of Bee Hives. 

 The inclined plane at the bottom, is remarkably well 

 adapted to the rolling away of the worm, or of any 

 other offensive matter that may fall on it. 



On examining his hives in the morning, in the latter 

 part of last month, and the early part of the present, 

 the Editor has been annoyed by frequently finding on 

 their platform, worms full grown, which had no doubt 

 been hatched from the egg of the Bee moth. Where 

 did they come from ? Had they been in the hive, prowl 

 ing among the honey? No signs of them have been 

 discovered in the hives, though ciosely watched every 

 day. We have uniformly found them either exposed 

 near the entrance, or in a little corner enveloping 

 themselves in a cocoon. Will some of our friends tell 

 us where they came from ? Can it be that they had 

 rioted among the honey, and by some mishap, had 

 fallen to the bottom, been seized by the bees, and 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Transformation of Wheat into Bromus. 



Agricola, a correspondent of the Colum- 

 bia Spy, wishes to know whether wheat be 

 really metamorphosed in Bromus, or cheat, 

 or chess, as he and the Connecticut people 

 call it, although the common term appears 

 the more appropriate one, and asks for infor- 

 mation accordingly. His article is written 

 in bad taSte, for while he is ignorant of the 

 subject, and desirous of instruction, he re- 

 marks " I have thought the idea absurd — 

 scientific men may view it in a different 

 phase" — thus hinting that he expects a 

 coincidence witli 'his views as those of a 

 ' scientific' man, it being doubtful according 

 to him whether any man of science holds the 

 contrary opinion. 



Such attempts to bias the mind of an in- 

 quirer upon a scientific question, are ex- 

 tremely improper, and until they are discard- 

 ed, will tend to retard the progress of science. 

 Botanists generally disbelieve in this trans- 

 mutation — thus Dr. Darlington remarks of 

 Bromus secalinus : — 



" This well known troublesome grass is a 

 naturalized foreigner, and obstinately accom- 

 panies our crops of wheat and rye. Fre- 

 quently when the wheat has been injured by 

 the winter, or other cause, the Bromus is 

 very abundant; and many farmers are so lit- 

 tle acquainted with the laws of nature, — and 

 therefore prone to absurd mistakes, — that 

 they imagine the wheat has been transform- 

 ed into Bromus or Cheat. This vulgar error 

 also prevails among the peasantry of Europe: 

 but in the old world, they think the wheat is 

 transmuted into Lolium temulentum, or Dar- 

 nel, — quite a distinct grass from Bromus, — 

 and which is yet rare in the United States." 



It is too often assumed that the laws 

 of nature are identical with the views of 

 authors, and I therefore hope to see the dis- 

 cussion of this question revived, indepen- 

 dently of any theoretic consideration, and 

 with every care to discover the true facts by 

 minute, careful, and repeated examination. 



I have not formed an opinion on the sub- 

 ject, and having for many years relinquish- 

 ed botanical pursuits, I feel no disposition to 

 enter upon the question any further than to 

 call attention to it; and close this communi- 

 cation with some extracts from the report of 

 a German Agricultural Society, (Coburg) on 

 the metamorphosis of Avena sativa (oats) into 

 Secale cereale (rye). 



" With reference to the transtbrmation of 



