no 



NEW ENGLAND FATIMFR^ 



self investigate the subject, by all the means in 

 his power. In the mean time he sends to the 

 gentleman, whose losses itictateH the paragraph, 

 the latest treatise on the disorders of cattle, and 

 which he begs him to accept. 



The symptoms as here described, seem to in- 

 dicate a disease arising from some incidental, or 

 local, rather than general or epidemic influence. 

 It is probable, in other words, that some poison- 

 ous seeds, or other vegetation arc developed at 

 this season, in peculiar places, or by the pecu- 

 liar weather, to cause such elTects ; which are 

 in this instance, more conformable to the symp- 

 toms of poisonous diet, than those of infected at- 

 mosphere. This view is taken from a compar- 

 ison of the general aspect of symptoms, as de- 

 scribed by authors in those two conditions of 

 disease, arising from the one or tlio other of 

 those sources. The remedy in this case would 

 be, to shut up the cattle, and to treat those 

 aflected, by evacuating the stomach and bowels, 

 as quickly as posible, and drenching copiously 

 with mild diluents, as flax seed anrl melon seed 

 tea — hor;e radish added, would probaply coun- 

 teract the efl'ect of poisons, in producing cramps, 

 as they usually do, in the stomach and limbs. 

 Any one attentive to these subjects, could read- 

 ily perceive why a poison taken into the stomach 

 should act dill'erently on the system, from one 

 taken by breathing or infection : — the former 

 disturbing the digestive organs first, and causing 

 some other local affections by their peculiar in- 

 fluence on parliciilar organs — the latter, more 

 generally, causing coldness and fever, debility, 

 thirst, costiveness, &lc. before the stomach and 

 brain are much disturbed, being the dilTereiice 

 between atmospheric exhalations and poisonous 

 food. If they proceed, even in th^ present in- 

 stance, from the former cause, the shutting them 

 up would exclude them from the mi>re direct in- 

 fluence of the cause, morbid exhalation, and be- 

 sides, would tend to obviate its inliuence by a 

 more tonic or bracing diet. In either case, the 

 itching and heat of the skin, would indicate a 

 want of transpiration at the surface — or morbid 

 humor thrown there, which the free internal 

 wse of sulphur, say one ounce, three or four 

 times a day, would counteract in a warm [dace, 

 with the Hax seed oic. a? stated above, especial- 

 ly after the passages were evacuated. The 

 malady is indeed a serious one, as will appear 

 by the following extract to the Editor: — " Since 

 Thursday week, I have lost eight of my grown, 

 and most valuable cattle — my pet cow Europa 

 — 5 working oxen and another one of the finest 

 spirited animals that ever bowed his neck to 

 the yoke, is now sick !" 



Edit. Jimerican Farmer. 



NEW ENGLAND FAii"»5fc:5£. 



SATURD.W, NOVEMBER 1, 1823. 



0^ The subscriber having disposed of the 

 establishment of the New Englarid Farmer to 

 Mr. William Nichols, requests all persons in- 

 debted for the first volume to make immediate 

 payment. Payments for the second volume 

 will be made to Mr. Nichols. 



Thomas W. Shf.pard. 



CO" William Nichols respectfully informs the 

 public that be has purchased the establishment 

 of the New England Farmer, and that it will 

 hereafter be puhlished by him, at the same 

 place, and on the same terms as heretofore by 

 Mr. T. VV. Shepard. The paper will be edited 

 as usual by Mr. Fessenden, and no exertion 

 onntted to merit the continuance of that public 

 patronage, which will excite to renewed and 

 unremitted exertion to render it useful to the 

 agricultural community. 



OBSERVATIONS ON BEES. 



A friend of tlie Editor states tliat we may " oblige 

 liim and perliaps some otliers by g^ivin^ an essay on the 

 best management of bees, with the best mode of ex- 

 tracting; tlie wax, &c." But we cannot, at pre- 

 sent, without omitting some other articles in part or 

 wholly prepared for the paper, which may perhaps 

 prove of equal utility, enter larp^ely into the discussion 

 of this topic, which has occupied the pens of many 

 able and voluminous writers. We will, however, from 

 time to time, otTer some intimations on the subject, 

 which we hope will be found little if any less useful 

 than a formal and elaborate treatise. 



An article written for the Edinburgh Philosophical 

 .toiirnal, by the Rev. Andrew .lameson, states the fol- 

 lowing mode of constructing Bee-hives, so as to resist 

 the cold of the severest wintef. " Let us suppose a 

 hive made of wood, of whatever shape, is 12 inches 

 diameter ; then let another hive of the same material 

 be made two, or two and an half inches larger; place 

 the one within the other, and fill the space left liy the 

 difference of size with powdered charcoal, hard ram- 

 med down ; nail a tillet of wood at the bottom to con- 

 nect the two hives, and to prevent the charcoal from 

 falling out, or damp ascending through the coating, 

 which would destroy in some measure its non-conduct- 

 ing power. 7'he bee door edges must be secured in 

 the same manner. Should charcoal not be to be had, 

 any other non-conductor of heat may be used, as dry 

 saw dust, chopped straw, feathers, &c. but the char- 

 coal is to be preferred, not only as better suited fror» 

 its most powerfully resisting the transmission of heat, 

 but as less liablt to absorb moisture and destroy that 

 power. 



" As the coating prevents the transmission of the 

 internal heat Of the insects in summer, this will tend 

 to raise the temperature too high for the health of the 

 bees. Tills inconvenience may be obviated bj a small 

 perforation made through the entire hive at one of the 

 corners, immediately under the projecting part of the 

 roof. To prevent any of the charcoal being moved a 

 quality. The particular mode of cultivation I tube must be iuserti^d as long as the thickness of the 



Great yield. — Capt. Peter L. Boynton, of Shel- 

 bnrn, in Vermont, raised, the past season, upon 

 three acres and one tenth of an acre of land, 

 t'joo hundred and ffteen bushels of winter wheat. 

 A considerable portion of this crop has been 

 sold for seed at jjl,50 per bushel, averaging 

 from sixty-one and a half to sixty-tour pound 

 per bushel, which is pretly good evidence of it 



outside of the hive a piece of black cloth. Perhaj 

 two such ventilating holes may be required ; but ej 

 perience must determine this." 



" The out-side hives may be used merely as cases {• 

 the hives which may be in use ; removing the cove' 

 or ca:»^3 when any operation is to be performed on tl 

 hives." 



The Complete Farmer^s Dictionary gives the follon i 

 ing method of preserving bees in winter, which it a| f' 

 pears had been partially tried in England, and ma '■ 

 deserve a trial in this country. 



" At the usual time of the approach of winter, tb 

 hives arc removed i«to a dark vault or cellar ; whe< |j' 

 the bees being kept cold and dark, soon fall into Jf 

 torpid state, and so continue throughout the wintei 

 and till the flowers they feed upon begin to be d| 

 closed. They are then removed to their summer siliiii 

 ation, and enter upon their labors TV'ith great vigor ai 

 activity, and having a good stock left of the last yea^ a 

 provision, and in no danger of starving, or sufTerim »l 

 much by a backward or unfavorable spring, by whioi * 

 other bees are often greatly injured. 



" The bees thus removed, are not in much dan, 

 from an excess of cold, as that may be moderated 

 the same manner as is done for preserving wine lod 

 in vaults in severe winters. The great difficulty see) 

 to be to prevent the bees being too warm in mild wi 

 ters, which might make them very uneasy and res 

 less, as they are known to be when too much txpos( 

 to heat in the summer. Some have proposed as a 

 medy for this, to place the hives in ice-houses ; 

 this could be of service in a very few places only, 

 cannot be of general use, if such a degree of cold 

 necessary, which probably it is not, as //if Inals vh 

 have been hilhvrlo made of this method of disposii 

 bees lane succeeded ; all their lives, and all their h 

 also, or much the greater part of it, have been sav 



" Fliould this method be found effectual upon ft 

 experiment, it seems likely to he of more general 

 than any other hitherto proposed ; as it will with 

 doubt be a means of greatly incitasiug the qnantit; 

 wax and honey when it shall be judiciously practisei 



Mistake corrected. — We are informed by agenllen 

 (to whom we are much indebted for his kindness) tfl 

 the Pear mentioned in our paper of the 18th ult. pagin 

 9.S, as " a pear from A'eiqwrt, weighing 23 1-4 oz.*' 

 was brought from Kcu-burjiport to Brighton, by Mr. 

 Benjamin Poor. It was raised in the garden of Mt. 

 Joseph George, of Newburypnrt, and the same tree 

 bore a number of pears this year which weighed II 

 ounces and upwards. 



we have not learnt ; but as Mr. fJoynton is 

 among the number of our best t'arniers, presume 

 ^ pnisues the correct one, namely, to use no 

 - land than he can cultivate xi-ctl. * 



Burlington Sent. 



entire hire, a plug made to fit it of the same length ; 

 and when the ventilation is used, care must be taken 

 that no light is perceptible by the insects, which may 

 be eOected either by partially wiihdrawing the plug, 

 or hanging over the hole at a little distance from the 



Mammoth Turnip. — At the late Cattle Show, 

 an English turnip, raised by the Hon. Oliver 

 Fiske, of this town, was exhibited which weigh' 

 ed with the tops 13 lbs. 4 oz. without the topi 

 9 lbs. 2 oz. circumference 32i inches, width 11 

 inches, thickness 4 inches. It may be seen ai 

 Capt. Thomas's bar. — Worcester Spy. 



An admirable Beverage for a Weak ConstilVi' 

 tion. — Boil as much pearl, or Scotch barley, in 

 pure water,- as will make about three pints, 

 then, straining it off, and, having in the meal 

 time, dissolveil an ounce of gum arable in a lit- 

 tle wafer, mix them, and just boil the whole 

 up together. The barley water need not be 

 thick, as the gum will give it sufhcient coD" 

 sistence. When used, take it milk warm{ 

 the good effect will soon appear. It must be I 

 substituted as a common beverage in place ef 

 beer, ale, &.c. at meals. 



