NEW E]\OL«AND FARMER. 



PUBLISHED BY J. B. RUSSELL, AT NO. 52 jjKUlTH MARKET STREET, (at the Agricultural WAREHonsE.)— T. G. FESSENDEN, EDITOR. 



-j^ 



VOL,. IX. 



BOSTON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY 4, 1831. 



NO. 4S. 



vSv&aisd'^ffsraj^iiiBiKQSJQo 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



BEES. 

 i\lK Fesse.ndf.n' — By your pertiiission I will offer 

 ine observations in reference to the coininniiica- 

 1 of Mr Beard, published in one of your late 

 )ers on the subjeet of bees. I hope Mr B. will 

 be di.-ipleased if say that his communication 

 sists of incongruities, from which no correct in 

 nces can be drawn. He speaks of a hive of 

 es wliich he has inelted down,' (for an explana- 

 of this tlio reader is referred to his forniercom- 

 lictiiion). Tlie bees in that hive were so coni- 

 ■ly deranged from their natural course by the 

 lent, lliat no sort of reliance should be placed 

 my supposed discoveries from thatsourc*. Mr 

 biuks that he discovered a large bee in tie act 

 aying egffs. — ' I killed some of them,' he adds, 

 miug probably the common bees). ' These 

 3 not queens, for ^hey all had stings.' It is 

 :ely to be believed that Mr B. is unapprisec that 

 y queen is furnished with a sting, and that 

 |qucen only is found in a hive. But he again 

 lys his unacquaintedness w-ith the |U'evaling 

 ies of the modes by which bees are pr»pa- 

 ]. He inquires 'where are Mrs G.'s drojes, 

 vivify the young, (the eggs) at this time-.'' Aid- 

 hat ' without drones ihey are maiuifacturng 

 family.' It is perfectly well understood tkat 

 neral not a single drone is to be seen iu.t,. 

 from September till the month of May follow- 

 when they are produced from eggs laid by 

 queen. To his inquiry where the drones 

 -eil, he may be informed by tiie perusal of 

 i on the subject that drones are bred in their 

 ipriate cells, from eggs deposited by the queen 

 n the proper seasons. His last query ' wheth- 

 queen and a drone can give birth to a dif- 

 species from themselves, or make a honey- 

 ith a sting ?' if it convey any correct meaning 

 remain without a reply. Mr B.'s remarks 

 ■eto the internal arrangement of a bee hive 

 ■culiar to himself, and his description of its 

 Its appear so singular that it may be passed 

 ;s entirely useless. Nor can we be better 

 3d with his description of his new fashioned 

 eing provided with ' ceiling, cracks and slides.^ 

 1 these last points only that what is called 

 Uent hive differs fruni the box hive that has 

 n use in some places for 30 years past, and if 

 ; obtained a patent for it he is accountable tor 

 licl tentee of the hive from which he has copied. 

 \ if all his improvements, however, his hive 



will furnish itself with pollen at the pro])cr season ; 

 but if cultivators were required to supply bees 

 with this article in the spring, we should soon find 

 that our apiaries would be abandoned. We must 

 Iriist altogether to the sagacity and industry of 

 these insects to proviile for themselves in their 

 own way with as little interference as possible. 

 The great object in the management of bees should 

 be to provide for them a hive of proper size and 

 so contrived that the honey may be taken with 

 htlle interruption to their economy. 



Of this description is the improved hive now in 

 use and which is generally considered as deserv- 

 ing of preference. It is neat, and simple, of a 

 pro|)er size to suit all swarms, the two drawers 

 will contain about 24 lbs. of comb honey of the 

 purest kind, free from young bees or bee bread 

 and being furnished with glass fronts it may be 

 seen when they are filled. In a favorable season 

 a swarm a year old vvill fill the drawer twice, and 

 the lower apartment containing about 40 lbs. will 

 be occupied by the queen and her brood, with bee 

 bread and their winter store of honey. Expe- 

 rience has sufficiently proved the great utility of 

 this improved hive, which is kept constantly for 

 sale at the agricultural stoi-e, North Market Street, 

 Boston. James TuACHER. 



Plymouth, ^pril 22, \S3l. 



i nlwell ada|)ted for the purpose in view. His 

 ;o|its by boxes and slides to regulate the bees 

 r laliors can answer no useful purpose, hut 

 4 id to disturb and interrupt their native hab- 

 Vhy his hive should be ' of good size for the 

 bees, and too large for bees raised here,' re- 

 some explanation. Mr B. asserts that he 

 s spring given his bees nearly half a barrel 

 bread ; the reader vvill doubtless be puzzled 

 U wfrom what source half a barrel of pollen 

 procured at this season ; but it is tlie re- 

 of his other hives, after the bees have been 

 d or died. It is well known that every hive 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



\ 'fVVITCH GRASS, AND PLASTER FOR 

 TREES. 



Mr Editor — I am much pleased to observe j'our 

 paper made the medium of information upon all 

 things relative to rural economy. For where is 

 tlie Farmer or Gardener, who has not yet many 

 tilings to learn, and I trust there are few of us, 

 who would not be willing and able, to teach some 

 useful lesson. In our business, knowledge should 

 be considered common property and the equal right 

 of all. 



Ill answer to the queries of ' A Subscriber' in 

 No. 38, , I would observe, that although we have 

 upon the banks of the Mohawk a very great abim- 

 dance of Twitch-Grass (or as we call it quick- 

 grass) it is not by our good farmers considered 

 as 'dreadful stuff.' They are in no case afraid of 

 t, or think it ' a lion in their way,' — They meet it 

 boldly with their improved jiloughs and harrows, 

 and by working the land well during our hot and 

 dry summers, never fail to convert the innumera- 

 ble roots of this grass into a valuable manure. 

 Spring and fall ploughing will not have this effect. 

 But a complete summer fallow, with good imple- 

 ments, always renders this seeming evil a blessing 

 in disguise. And it is the slothful gardener, alone, 

 who thinks it a troublesome weed. — To tiie second 

 inquiry, I would notice, that the cheapest and most 

 suitable remedy for wounds upon trees, occasioned 

 by pruning, is, Spanish brown paint, a little thick- 

 er than painters generally use. Lay it on with a 

 brush and take care to cover the wounded part 

 thoroughly. This will effectually exclude the air 

 and weather, and nature's healing process will 

 soon perform the cure. 



I have not time for further remark. The season 

 is forward, and requires every rnaivto do his duty. 



Our winter crops look remarkably fine and we 

 are now sowing Imrlcy upon land in the best 

 order, — Our Gardens renew their annual promise, 

 the gooseberry blooms, .and the flower buds are 

 bursting upon pur plum and cherry trees. 



S, Revnolds, 

 Minavilk, J\'. Y. April 2Z, 1831. 



HORTICULTURE. 



Proceedings of the Massachusetts Horticultural So- 

 ciety, at a meeting held at the Hall of the Institu- 

 tion on the 30th of April, 1831. 

 Report of H. A. S. DEiRooRn, President of the Society. 

 I am happy to state that important information 

 and valuable contributions of various kinds continue 

 to flow in from all quarters. Since the last meet- 

 ing the following letters have been received. 



1. Letter from Henry Corse, Esq, of Montreal, 

 with a bundle of Apple and Plum scions. 



Montreal, April ]6th, 1831. 

 Hon. H. A. S. Dearborn. 



Dear Sir — According to the promise I made 

 to some of the Membors of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society when, last summer, I was in 

 Boston, I have the honor of forwarding for the 

 Society, scions of fruit trees ; most of which are 

 of very recent origin, and from the 'original seed- 

 ling trees ; and it may not be, perhaps, improper 

 to remark that, no man has a greater aversion than 

 myself to the too ])revalent practice of swelling a 

 numerical collection by intruders that have noth- 

 ing ^;^ partiltiAai^ to recommend them ; and' that, 

 it is my belief, the varieties which I have the plea- 

 sure of sending, will be found an acquisition of 

 no inconsiderable magnitude. 



The Plums , except the November Gage, are of 

 my own raising from seed, the product of an an- 

 nual planting since 1812, and of their merits I 

 can speak with some confidence, possessing a con- 

 siderable collection of the most esteemed varieties, 

 and having had a good opportunity during my 

 tour, in the proper season, of examining a very 

 great variety from Richmond^ 'Virginia, to Albany, 

 and I wish them no higher distinction than to have 

 them brought for comparison with any equal num- 

 ber that can be produced, or the best against the 

 best. 



Corse's Nota Bena, I look upon as the best. 



Do. Admiral, is dark purple, about the size of 

 the Magnum Bonum, or yellow Egg, but of good 

 flavor. 



Do. Field Marshal, about the size of the latter 

 and bright Red ; the most showy plum that I have 

 ever seen, and of good flavor. 



Do. Rising Sun, about the size of the Bingham, 

 bright yellow with a tinge of Red on the sunny side. 



The Blue November Gage is extraordinary for 

 its late rijieiii'iig and the length of time it will re- 

 main upon the tree. I have picked them in De- 

 cember ; it is of good flavor and of medium size, 

 they are all very productive, some of them bear too 

 much. 



Of the Apples, the most important is the Saint 

 Lawrence, of accidental origin, bore fruit for the 

 first time about twelve years since; is a large, beau- 

 t'ful and excellent fruit, ripens in September, and 

 sells here readily for from fifty to sixty cents the 

 dozen. 



