Vol. IX.— No. 36. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



283 



that burst iVoiii llie sides of the mountains ; where 

 ;he soil is licli tlicy grow well in the shade. Ripen 

 here about the fii-st of September. Entirely smooth. 

 No. 2. The Scria Berry, gathered on an east- 

 rn spur of the Rocky Mountains, northern de- 

 livity and clay soil, ripe about the last of Au- 

 ust. A fine "fruit, the shntb about 5 or 6 feet 

 ligh. Size of the Fox Grape. 

 No. 3. Choke Cherries of a superior kind ; they 

 e found in all parts of the mountains, in the rich 

 ioil of the valleys of creeks and rivci-s. The 

 ihrub is from 4 to 7 feet high ; in the middle of 

 Vugust when rijie, the berry is a most beautiful 

 jurple, and about the size of the Fox grape. 

 field abundantly. 



No. 4. The Yellow Currant, found on tlie 

 ources of the Missouri and IMatte, on tlie eastern 

 eclivity of the mountains found in the vicinity of 

 prings and Rivers where the soil is good. The 

 hrublarger than tho couunon currant; ripe about 

 le 15th of August; they are larger than any 

 urrant cultivated in the United States. An ac- 

 uisition to the housewife. 



No. 5. The Black Currant, the fruit and shrub 

 luch like the Yellow, with the exception of the 

 ilor ; found in the Black hills. 

 No. 6. The Buffalo Berry, found in the Black 

 ills In gravelly soil along the water courses. The 

 srry when ripe, about the middle of August is a 

 jautiful red. The shrub, about 5 or 6 feet high, 

 of that kind which is supposed would make a 

 sod hedge. 



No. 7. The Scented Grass-seed. This grass is 

 und on the west side of the Rocky Mountains, 

 J the Columbia river. Grows in damp ground ; 

 lould be cut before ripe, when it is peculiarly 

 Bgrant. 



No. 8. Leaves of the Scented Wood. Grow 

 t the western coast, south of the mouth of the 

 Dlumbia. The tree has a resemblance to the 

 ►pie tree, the largest about eighteen inches in di- 

 neter. They may perhaps be restored to their 

 • iginal fragrance. I am not certain that the wood 

 : fragrant, but know bark and leaves to be so. 

 le tree is an evergreen. I procured seeds, but 

 it them. 



I must request that you would do me the favor 

 acknowledge the receipt of the package, direct- 

 T to this place. 



If in my future journeys to the west, I could 

 . ike any collections that would be interesting! 

 all do it with great pleasure. 



I am. Sir, your most obedient, 



J. S. SjiiTir. 



The following resolutions were adopted. 



1. Resolved, That the thanks of the Society 

 presented to Doct. David Hosack for his valua- 

 ! donation of books. 



2. Resolved, that the thanks of the Society be 

 3sented to John S. Skinner, Esq. of Baltimore, 

 • the very acceptable present of seeds, obtained 

 the regions near the sources of the Jlissouri, 

 d west of the Rocky mountains. 



3. Resolved, that the Secretary be directed to 

 nsmit copies of the foregoing resolutions to the 

 Qtlemen therein named. 



As it is desirable that the rare varieties of for- 

 ;n and native fruits should be speedily and ex- 

 isively cultivated, it is suggested, that collections 



scions should be made, and placed in charge of 

 i Executive Committee, for distribution, at Eome 



ure meeting; and that notice be given, in the 



New England Fanner, of the kinds, and the time 

 when they will be offered to the members of the 

 Society. 



It is deemed expedient that the Committees on 

 fruits, vegetables and flowers, announce, in the 

 New England Farmer, when the exhibitions of 

 those products will commence, at the Hall of the 

 Society. Respectfully submitted by 



II. A. S. DF.\nBOR.N, 

 Pres. Mass. Ilort. Soc. 



Boston, March 19, 1831. 



The seeds presented by Mr Skinner were or- 

 dered to be distributed by lot to subscribers, (along 

 with others that may arrive) on Saturday next, the 

 26th inst., at 12 o'clock. 



The meeting was then adjourned to 10 o'clock, 

 the 26th inst. 



The Standing Committee on ornamental Trees, Shrubs, 

 &c, award the premium of three dollars to Mr David 

 Haggerston of Charlestown, for the best specimens of Ca- 

 mellia Japonica. R. L. EMMONS, Chairman. 



March 14. 



F;)R the new ENGLAND FARMER. 



INQUIRIES CONCERNING BEES. 

 Mr Fessenden — I have been much interested 

 and instructed lately, by a perusal of Dr Thacher's 

 Treatise on the management of Bees. The pleas- 

 ant style in which this work is written has in- 

 terested me very much in the subject and has 

 induced me to undertake, upon a small scale 

 indeed, their cultivation. But being an entire no- 

 vice in this employment, and living too in a part 

 of the country where the late improvements in 

 the management o( bees have not been introduc- 

 ed, I am desirous of obtaining some information 

 which I could not obtain from my neighbors. 

 1 have therefore ventured to apply to you for 

 Bome information upon this interesting subject, to 

 ask for answers to the following questions, and for 

 any other information which a beginner in this 

 business may need. 



1. What is the best constructed hive ? 



2. Is it better to reserve for the bees the honey 

 which is first made, or that which is last made .' 

 In Dr Thacher's book, in speaking of the hive 

 used by himself, consisting of two apartments, the 

 upper one of which is fitted with several boxes, 

 described page 82, he says, ' the bees enter at 

 their door, as is usual in other hives, ascend be- 

 tween the horizontal bars into the several boxes, 

 and fill them_/j;«< with honey; fften the space be- 

 low the bars, which is always enough to keep 

 them through the winter.' ' This plan succeeds 

 perfectly well, and affords the owner a handsome 

 share of the finest honey in the comb, free from 

 bee bread or young 6cfs.' In the account which is 

 given of the hive invented by Mrs Griffith, (page 

 96) it is said, it is ascertained satisfactorily that the 

 young brood and the bee bread or pollen are deposit- 

 ed in the hive ivhere the swarm is first put. The 

 holes in the cover are therefore kept shut by plugs 

 until the hive be filled. The holes are then open- 

 ed, the bees immediately pass up, (into a box 

 placed upon the hive) and if the season he propi- 

 tious, they fill the upper box with comb and honey, 

 which, as there is neither brood nor bee bread, is of 

 the finest and purest kind.' There appears to me 

 to be a contradiction between these two statements. 

 From the former it woiild appear that the brood 

 and bee bread were in the cond) last formed, and 

 from the latter one would conclude that they were 



in the pari first formed. As this is a very ma- 

 terial point, I have asked the above question. 



3. Is it better to purchase an old hive at this 

 season, or to wait until the hives swarm, and pur- 

 chase a new swarm then ? 



4. If a hive constructed on the old plan be 

 purchased, is it advisable to attempt to transfer 

 the bees to one of an improved kind ? 



5. Which kind of hive affords the greatest 

 facilities for observing the bees while ut work, 

 and which preserves them most effectually from 

 the depredations of ihe bee moth. 



By answering the above questions, particularly 

 the second, vou will much oblige 



A COUNTRY'MAN. 



EXTRAORDINARY MILCH COW. 



Mr Fessenden — Asnnich has beon said in your 

 paper of the produce of extra cows, of the im- 

 proved breeds, I send you the following as the 

 returns given by a jYalive Cotv, belonging to one 

 of my neighbors, the correctness of which I will 

 vouch for. S Sergeant. 



Stockbridge, March 15, 1831. 

 An account of Butter made by one cow for 3 years. 



lbs. ozs . 



From 8th April, 1828, 321 days 331 06 



From 16th April, 1829, 284 days 293 01 



From 5th April, 1830, 306 days 318 10 



911 days 943 01 



The above is exclusive of 25 Ihs. 9 ozs. made 

 while fattening 3 calves, and furnishing a family 

 of 4 persons with milk and cream. The cow was 

 kept throng li the summer wholly upon grass ; in 

 the fall she was fed with the tops of corn stalks, 

 pumpkins and potatoes, and in the winter with a 

 small quantity of bran and cob meal. 



Cultivation of the tea plant at the Cape of Good 

 Hope. — The colonists at the Cape have been for 

 some time speculating on the cultivation of the tea 

 plant. The South African Advertiser .states, that 

 Mr Rhenius, one of the governors of the Cape, 

 raised tea suflicient for his own consumption. It 

 states that the tea plant is hardy and vigorous, and 

 will grow any where, from the Equator to the 45tli 

 degree of latitude, but the best tea is produced be- 

 tween 25 and 32 degrees of latitude. It is sup- 

 posed, if Chinese acquainted with the cultivation 

 could be induced to come to the Cape, even for a 

 time, that under their instruction it might be brought 

 to perfection ; but the great difliculty a|)pears to 

 be, how to induce such Chinese to come among 

 them; for which they seem to build their hope 

 on the effect of opening the trade between Eng- 

 and and China, which they suppose will cause 

 a much greater number of Chinese than hereto- 

 fore to visit England and the colonies in the line 

 of voyage. 



Raiv silk. — The following facts from the work 

 of R. Randall, Esq. in the library of congress be- 

 ing a view of the silk trade, and the measures of 

 the British government relative thereto, will 

 show the immense value of this article of com- 

 merce. 



During the term of seven years, from 1821 to 

 1828, there were imported into Great Britain, 

 24,157,586 pounds of raw silk, which at $5 the 

 pound, cost ,S120,787,580. It also appears from 

 the same work, that during the like number of 

 years there was imported of this article from Italy 

 alone, to the value of .$59,88 1,283. 



