302 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



BIARCII as, 1843. 



ANn HORTICULTURAL RF.GISTER. 



Boston, Wed.nesdav, Makch 22, 1843. 



NINTH AGRICOLTURAL MEETING AT THE 



STATE HOUSE. 

 . Mr King in llie choir. Subject — Tlio Honey Beo. 



Mr Oliver, of Salem, alluded kindly but firmly lo the 

 report of his last week's lecture in one of the agricultu- 

 ral pnpirs, in which he was complained of for what he 

 did not say ; and rather unkindly treated. 



Mr Buckminster replied, and showed that he took Mr 

 O.'s remarks to himself. 



After this, Mr B. added, (hat he wished at these meet- 

 ings for something praclioal. He wished lo hear about 

 thebce-moth — how we <an destroy him. If, said he, 

 the gentleman can tell us this, he will give us soinclhing 

 more valuable in relation to bei's, than all else that has 

 been told since the days of the Romans. 

 * Besides the moth, there is also a louse which troubles 



swarm from which he took 141 lbs. of huney, and left 

 70 pounds. 



'I'he mode of hiving. This must often be determined 

 by the place and manner in which they alight. It is 

 said by some, that if you place a long board near the 

 liive, with one end raised three or four feel, they will 

 alight there five times out of six ; but his own have al- 

 ways gone to branches of trees. 



If you are afraid, put on a bee dress— that is, a veil 

 over the lint, and wooUin gloves or mittens on the hands. 



Mr O. takes a table— on this puts a sheet— also a few 

 small blocks. Then taking the branch on svhich the 

 bees are clustered, he lays it between the blocks — then 

 sots on the hive. Next he brings up the corners of the 

 sheet and fastens them. Thus he both keeps the bees 

 in and keeps them cool. 



Mr Holman, of Salem— a gentleman (Mr O. said) who 

 has liad much experience with bees— prefers to shiiUe 

 the swarm into the hive; but Mr (). thinks it better to 

 put the hive over them. He never rubs the inside of 

 the hive with any sweet or other substanre, before put- 

 ting it over the beis. Have several hives in readiness, 

 for yen may have several swarms. A Mr King, of Dan 



the bee, especially the old bee. How can we destroy 



this? It used 10 be said, that by building a fire near vers, had three swarms from the parent hive, and two 



the hive, on the ever. ings of Jnly and August da)3, you of these swarmed the first seas.m— making in all five 



can allure and destroy the miller or parent moth. One ' swarms from one hive in the season. 



gentleman had told him, he knew not how ju.'tly, that I I" "ig'i' "' "^ine •'^ys alter the first swarm has left the 



hy setting a pan of whey near the hive, the millers will 

 go to it and be caught. 



Mr Oliver. Should a beginner with bees come lo me 

 and ask me how he shuuld proceed, I would say to htm 

 that it is a good course tn make his purchase of a swarm 

 of bees in March ; the risk of losing i.s less then than it 

 is earlier in winter. When you havo found a man will- 

 ing to sell, lilt up all 'hives and learn the condition of 

 each. Where the comb is well laid or built down to- 

 wards the bottom, and is of a light brown color, and 

 where the swarm is two years old, and where, too, you 

 find upon breathing into the hive, that there is great 

 agitation among the bees — there the swarm is good. A 

 swarm not xcnj Urge is the best. Yuii may generally 

 transport Ihein safely by turning the hive upside down, 

 and covering well. 



The hive may be placed in a bee-house, whii h you 

 will mike plain or ornamental, according to your nie;ins 

 and taste. In Europe, thi'y do not shelter the hive in a 

 house, but place it on a post. And where hive-stealing 

 is common, as in England, lliey often chain the hive to 

 the post. 



As si.'on in spring as the snow-drop and crocus open, 

 the bees will be out. And from that lime, they will in- 

 crease in numbers, so that in May you will begin to 

 look out for a swarming. And how may you know 

 when the swarm is likely to come out .' As to the first 

 swarm, no very definite sign of its coming is known. 

 The clustering of the bees on the outside of the hive, is 

 not a sure indication. 



Provide yourself in season with a hive, such as you 

 prefer. Dr. Thatcher's hive led the way to many im- 

 provements. Next came Mrs. GrifRlh e, of New Jersey. 

 These are much alike, and each is designed to lisve the 

 bees work in the lower part of the hive first. 



Mr Weeks, of Vt., Ims miide a very good hive ; espe- 

 cially his last ones, which let you encourage swarniin" 

 or not, as you shall choose. 



Drs. Bevon and NutI, of England, have furnished 

 hives. In Ur. Bevon's, you may make the bees con- 

 struct the comb where you please. Mr Nutt'a is a ven- 

 tilating hive. Any of these are good, and Nutt's, as it 

 enables you to do away with swarming, is especially 

 good for cities. In one of these, Jlr O in 1840, had a 



hive, you may go to the old hive in the evening, and if 

 another swarm is to come out, you will, by putting your 

 ear close to the hive, hear a little peeping noise from the 

 new queen, and she will in thai case lead off her colony 

 in a day or two. And the same noise eight or nine days 

 aferwards, wfiU be heard, if a third swarm is to come. 



Do not encourage excessive swarming; this weakens 

 the hive and exposi's it to the moth, If they swarm too 

 much, you had better restore ihom to the mother hive ; 

 this may be efl'ecled by stealing their queen. How is 

 this done .■■ I'ut your hand into the svxarm and take her 

 out. If you are afraid to do this, put the hive into wa- 

 ter and nearly drown your bees, and spread them out 

 and pick out the queen. As the bees revive, they 

 will go back to the old home. Or you may get them 

 drunk hy burning under them the puft'ball that is often 

 found in the pastures, and then may take the queen. 



In the first autumn, you must not expect a harvest 

 from vour swarms: leave thein all the honey that they 

 have made. 



How shall you winter your bees? Mr O. has tried 

 v.irinns ways. Has put them in the celh.r — but the 

 dampness is an objrction ; — has put them a foot or two 

 under ground, the hive being put in a sugar box, bulled 

 with the end down. This hist swarm did well, and 

 lost in weight only T lbs., while usually the lo.ss on a 

 hive in winter is yO or 30 lbs. In England, it it not un- 

 common to bury the hive in peat. But the. best way is 

 to leave the hive out of door, above ground, and let the 

 bees take their chance. Here they have a chance to 

 preserve their natural and healtliful neatness', by pass- 

 ing out in warm days and voiding their excrements 

 abroad. If shut up, the liive becomes filthy. 



Through the winter, Jlr O. leaves the front of his 

 opiary open ; he even lets the sun shine upon the hive ; 

 he has put straw in front of the hives, for their comfort, 

 if tliey bapjien to fall in llicir feeble winter flight, but 

 the snows will cover it often, and it is as well to let the 

 bees take their chance, though tome of them should 

 perish. 



The second season has come. Let your bees woik, 

 anlil lliey seem lo havo a good supply of honey in the 

 main body of a new fashioned or improved hive, say 

 until June lOtli. Then let tliein into the side or the 



top. What is made here you may tako away. Sliou] 

 you want a little honey for summer use, you may put 

 tumbler over a hole in the top of the hive and have tin 

 filled. But the principal side or top boxes it is best ni 

 to remove until cold weather ; for then the bees collei 

 in the main body ofthe hive, which is the wannest pai 

 With the commcn hive you may avoid fumigation ; i 

 use a fumigation that is not fatal. Taku the drird pu 

 ball and burn it with a proper apparatus ; that is, put tl 

 hive over a tight box, and put your burning puff ba 

 into an iron tube, one end of which is put into the hi? 

 and putting your mouth at the other, blow the fumes i, 

 ward. In ten minutes your bees will be drunk, ai 

 will have fallen, nearly all of them, into the box ov 

 which the hive is set. Now take away your hive. Thi 

 bring another hive ; put it upon the same box, and j 

 through willi the same [irocess ; make these drunk at 

 let them fill upon the first; shake the two families W( 

 together, and should you see one of the queens you mi 

 pick her out. When these bees wake up, and get a 

 bered, they will live together in peace as one faniil 

 If you do not kill one of the queens, there will be 

 [duel. 



The testimony of one worthy man, of CO years' e.^p 

 rience, is, that the two swarms together will eat 

 more than one. This is strange and unaccountable, I, 

 yei seems lo be true. What the advaiiiage of tl 

 courso? We save the lives; — the wcuAcr queen U! 

 ally perishes. Wlial the advantage of saving live 

 You have stronger working bees in the spjiig. T 

 worker usually lives about 8 months, Ilic drone 3 mom] 

 and the queen 4 to ti years. The summer and aulun 

 born bees, do the work of spring. These are the on 

 you fumigated. The spring-born ones do the work 

 summer and autumn. The saving of the autumn bet 

 thcnfore, gives you a stiong body of workeis iii .'^prir 

 Also, by uniting the Bwarnis, you increase tlio warm 

 of the hive, and ihus cause the queen to C'linmence 1 

 laying earlier. 



[We are obliged to defer the remainder f f our rep 

 till next week.) 



At the conclusion of Mr Oliver's lecture, the thar 

 ofthe meeting were unanimously voted hiiii. Likew 

 to the Hon. Daniel P. King, fi/r the acceptable mam 

 in which he had presided over the meetings of the w 

 ler. To this Mr K. made a brief, but neal and appro| 

 ate reply. 



THE WEATHER. 



Providence, March 20, IS43 



Allen Putnam, Esq — Dear Sir. — 1 would wish 



inquire through you, if that old gtnthmiin has hit 



seen the ytlUno streak indicating the breaking uj 



winler? Yours, respectfully, 



Providencb 

 We have not heard from him. But keep up y 

 spirits — hope on. The Bptin» jjnnnising light niadi 

 mistake, no diiubt : it came before its time, .^iid ihoi 

 it did drive old Boreas off from January, he renewed 

 fight in February, and recovered his dominion. Si 

 then, he has shown the spirit of triumph, .= piced wit 

 little revenge. But the biter will yet g'-t hit. Spi 

 will not permit him to 'linger' much longer in lier'i 

 Seriously. Though we had severe weather in Fel 

 ary and March, yet the spring-like temperature of ni 

 ly the whole of January, was good evidence thai 

 prophetic hues of Cbiistmas mornings, spoke the tit 



Poverty is never a disgrace, unless it be th I'lui: 

 idleness or crime. 



