374 



Bees. — Sale of E. P. Prentice''s Short-horns. 



Vol. IX. 



am ignorant of the fact that " potatoes con- 

 tain properties capable of accumulating the 

 alkalies." The sentence- in " Farmer's" 

 communication containing this idea, is very 

 ambiguous to me; I do not understand it. 



Again, he says " it is easy to be seen that 

 potatoes are formed in such a peculiar 

 way, as to reject and throw off every sub- 

 stance detrimental to a vigorous and healthy 

 growth." Not so easy to be seen after all, 

 Mr. " Farmer." If ihis was the case, how is 

 it that the potatoe does not expel the " hy- 

 drogen and sulphuric acid gas," that " Far- 

 mer" seems to think is the cause of the 

 disease ] If they possess the power to reject 

 and throw off every substance detrimental 

 to a vigorous and healthy growth, how is 

 it that they suffer the " hydrogen and sul- 

 phuric acid gas" to destroy their organism? 

 It cannot be supposed that such destruc- 

 tion is one of the indicatives of a " healthy 

 growth." 



In regard to tliis matter of " hydrogen 

 and sulphuric acid gas" being the cause of 

 the disease of tlie potatoo, I have a few words 

 to say. It strikes me that hydrogen cannot 

 have anything to do with the disease, for if 

 hydrogen be in contact with oxygen, the gas 

 that must be present where decay is, they 

 will unite and form water, and consequently 

 the oxygen could not carry on the work of 

 decay, and therefore the decay must stop, 

 It seems more likely to me, after a few min- 

 utes consideration of the subject, that the 

 presence of hydrogen, so far from causing 

 the decay of the potatoe, would have the 

 effect of preventing it. 



Respecting the other part of the theory 

 of the " learned men" alluded to by " Far- 

 mer," that "sulphuric acid gas," thrown to 

 the earth by those " sudden and severe 

 showers of rain," is the cause of the wide 

 spread injury sustained by the potatoe; I 

 would ask what is there, in the whole form-. 

 Ilia of chemicals, that will destroy the 

 effect of sulphuric acid, in a more effectual 

 manner than the very substances I propose 

 for the prevention and cure of the rot in 

 potatoes ■! 



I am sorry that my communication is of 

 so great length ; I find that it requires fewer 

 words to raise objections, than it does to 

 answer them in a plain and explicit man- 

 ner. 



I should like to say more about the com- 

 munication of" Farmer," particularly on the 

 subject of the appearance of the stalks of 

 the diseased potatoe. Their appearance jus- 

 tifies my idea of the cause of the rot, but I 

 shall have to postpone it for the present. 



Chemico. 



Honesdale, Pa., June 19, 1S45. 



For the Farmers' Cabinet. 



Bees. 



Mr. Editor, — I am induced to offer you 

 the present communication, because having 

 read your excellent paper of the present 

 month, in which you present us with an 

 article on preventing the loss of swarms in 

 hiving bees, and another on the destruction 

 of the bee moth, — I conclude you have not 

 yet examined the Patent Endless Bee-hive, 

 described in the Cabinet of May last year, 

 and now e.xhibited in this city, at No. 169 

 Callowhill Street. 



Having made it a visit, I confess myself 

 entirely delighted; for it seems to contain 

 every thing desirable in a hive. All the trou- 

 ble and risk of swarming and hiving the bees, 

 appear to be entirely got rid of, by simply 

 making the whole family pass through the 

 new hive placed along side; which the sur- 

 plus population, finally takes possession of, 

 and go to work. And when this is found to 

 be so, the former avenues are opened and 

 the new hive separated. The moth is en- 

 tirely got rid of by the inclination of the bot- 

 tom of the hive, on which, in common with 

 the offal of the hive, they cannot rest. 



My object is not to describe, but to draw 

 your attention and that of your readers, to 

 the subject. W. G. 



Pbiladelpbia, June 18, 1845. 



We have lately looked in upon the Bee establishment 

 as above, and certainly found it nicely in operation. 

 The Hives seem well adapted to their purpose. — Ed. 



Sale of E. P. Prentice's Short-horns. 



Agreeably to previous notice, the sale of 

 Mr. E. P. Prentice's herd of improved Short- 

 horned cattle, took place on the 25th of last 

 month, as advertised in the Cabinet. The 

 day of the sale proved favourable — the oc- 

 currence of showers on the day preceding 

 havingproduced a delightful purity of air,and 

 an increased greenness and freshness of vege- 

 tation, which seemed to invest Mount Hope 

 with more, even than its usual attractions. 



A numerous and highly respectable com- 

 pany from this and several other States, as- 

 sembled early in the day, and after spending 

 several hours in the examination of stock, 

 and having partaken of refreshments, which 

 were served in a beautiful grove, the sale 

 commenced. It was conducted in a very 

 spirited manner, by L. F. Allen, Esq., as- 

 sisted by Mr. Jones, as auctioneer. The 

 cattle were in fine condition, and passed 

 rapidly under the hammer. Forty-one ani- 

 mals were sold at prices varying from f>25 

 to ^225, and averaging ii:112 75 per head. 

 The prices, in general, may be considered 

 low, when the high cost of the original stock 

 and the acknowledged excellence of the herd 



