Vol. IX.— No. 42. 



AND HORTICULTURAL JOURNAL. 



331 



ndevin.<r his tlianks for the lionor cunforreil upon 

 ;m, by electing him a corresponding member of 

 le Society, nnil expressing his disposition to ren- 

 !r such services us it may be in liis power to e.\- 

 nd, for advancing the objects of the institution. 

 Respectfully submitted by 



II. A. S. DKAKBOnN. 



Sesohed, That the thanks of tlie Society be 

 •esented to Henry Corse, Esq., of Montreal, 

 r his valuable present of Apple and Plum Scions. 



licsnlvcd, Tiiat the thanks of the Society be pre- 

 ntcd to Mrs Mary Griffith of Charlieshope, in 

 e state of New Jersey, for the honor she has 

 )nferred upon the Society, by dedicating to it, 

 intly witli that of Pennsylvania, her Letters on 

 ORTK Ti.TiRE and Natural Phenomena, and 

 esenting a copy for the library. 



CULTIVATION OF BEES IN CITIES. 

 We have received a small work of upwards of 

 DO pages 12 nio. entitled '.in Essai/ on the prac- 

 ahililij of ciitlivating the Honey lice in Maritime 

 owns and Cities, as a source of Domestic Econo- 

 ij and Profit. By Jerome V. C. Smith, M. D. 

 DSton : Perkins and Marvin. New York, J. 

 javitt.' 

 There is [irobably no object of culture, no branch 



rural economy which has given rise to more 

 •servation, discussion, theories and experiments 

 an that which this treatise embraces. There 

 ve been, perhaps, as many works published on 

 ses as there are insects in apopidous hive. Still 

 e secrets of their domicile and work shops 

 ve not been fully disclosed, for this among other 

 lid reasons — the operators will admit no look- 

 i-oii to view their manufactory. The moment we 

 •ow light on their proceedings their labors are 

 spended. We see only what they liave done, 

 t how they jierformed tlieir miracles is a mystery 

 ! lack means of developing. 

 It happily happens, however, that we can de- 

 e advantage from the labors of these tiny ar- 

 tects without penetrating the mysteries of their 

 ift. The practical part of this branch of econ- 

 y is simple, and a little plain common-sense, 

 ;etber with a few rules of easy comprehension, 

 'be obtained from Thacher's, Smith's and other 

 lilar treatises, will enable any person of the 

 st moderate capacity, a good stock of bees to 

 |in with, one of Dr Thacher's hives and a quiet 

 rner to i)lacc it in, to furnish himself and family 

 h an article of food which is as wholesome as 

 3 delicious , and wiiose value in medicine and the 



but few people have properly a|)preciated. 

 With regard to making citizens of Bees, we 

 1 only say, try and see. Experiments must 

 ;ide, and we believe, so far as trial lias been 

 de, success has been the result. Dr Smith 



s (p. 10, of ills Treatise,) 



Several mistaken writers agree in remarking, 

 it in foraging, bees rarely go more than a mile 

 a mile and a half from home ; this, my own ex- 

 rlence proves to be otherwise. On an island 

 Boston harbor is a hive of bees, in a flourishing 

 idition, whose range cannot be less than three 

 i four miles, in order to ])rocure their full store. 

 e island on which they are located has but few 

 wers at any time, and on the whole, presents, 



the apiarian, a forbidding aspect. Notvvith- 

 inding tliese discouraging circumstances, the 



.ntity of honey, from season to season, has been 



xpectedly large, and must, therefore, have been 



proi-ured from neighboring islands as well as the 

 main land. The nearest island, is one mile : on 

 another, about one mile and a half distant, honey 

 bees have been observed, in great plenty, when 

 the white clover is in blossom. Indeed, a farmer 

 informed ine that he had repeatedly seen them 

 aiTive and depart for the island on v.bich they so 

 imexpectedly thrive. Hull, a small town, is at 

 the distance of two miles, and Quincy about four, 

 — from each of which places, judging from the 

 nimd)er3 of returning bees, over the broad ex- 

 panse of water heavily laden with farina ami honey 

 their burdens must have been brought. 



' This relation at least shows that when obliged 

 by necessity, bees travel to considerable distances, 

 — and also proves, that in cities, provided there 

 were no flowers for them to visit, they would go 

 in search of them in the environs. But all cities 

 have gardens, and some of them are of such 

 extent, in Boston, particularly, that, unaided by 

 the millions of flowers, flourishing under every 

 window, or springing up on the borders of the 

 beautiful common, in my opinion, they would sus- 

 tain, alone, a large number of hives. Again, there 

 are an immense number of trees, in all cities, by 

 the public walks, and in the grounds of all valua- 

 ble estates, and in sufficient abundance too, to sus- 

 tain, without cultivated gardens, hives enough to 

 supply a portion of the population with a moderate 

 quantity of honey. 



' But wlien the trees exhaling sweet dews, the 

 shrubbery, the flower gardens and the thousands of 

 flower pots, yielding a rich perfume, are taken 

 into consideration, it must be evident, that the 

 paved city offers no objections to the successful 

 and profitable cultivation of the honey-bee. If 

 any demonstration is required, it need only be said 

 that I have repeatedly exhibited a glass hive, con- 

 taining over one hundred pounds, which was 

 made in the heart of Boston, in a few summer 

 weeks.' 



With regard to giving bees the privilege of ten- 

 anting the attic lofts of our mansion houses, &c, 

 we are not prepared to offer an opinioti. To say 

 nothing of their intruding upon the prescriptive 

 privileges of the poets' apartment, we should be 

 apprehensive that quarrels might ensue between 

 two classes of animals proverbially irritable. The 

 battles of the bees and the bards though done into 

 metre by Christopher Cockloft, Esq. woidd never 

 rival that of the ' Cranes and the Pigmies,' and 

 would producf?" nothing better than certain super- 

 fluous miseries of life and a plentiful lack of lau- 

 rels to the luckless combatants. Setting aside evils 

 of this kind, the plan appears to possess advantages 

 for some situations, too obvious to need ex|)lana- 

 tion or comment. 



FOR THE NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



TWITCH GRASS OR.COUCH GRASS, &c. 



Mr Editor — In your paper of the 6th inst. one 

 of your correspondents wishes to be inforined of 

 the most effectual way to exterminate from the 

 soil the disagreeable intruder called Twitch Grass. 

 I have, in the course of my cultivation arrived at 

 one mode, which, though not perfectly satisfactory 

 is yet nearly so. My object in turning up the soil 

 is to get it into a good and full crop of grass, in 

 reference to the market for hay.' Of course, I 

 sometimes |)lant but one year and seldom exceed 

 two. 



One year's culture subdivides the roots, (the 



great source of their extension) so as to promote 

 their increase to the greatest ])Ossible extent !' 



A second year's planting with a good use of the 

 hoe checks them somewhat. But a third year I 

 have found full and efl'ectual. 



This glass generally prevails most on a rich 

 sod, about gardens near cow-yards, &c ; for which 

 reason some call ii,(airioiig the infinity of its names,) 

 garden-grass. It fills the earth with fine roots, 

 every minute part of which, is on separation a 

 new plant, and is doid)tless, a great annoyance to 

 the cultivator. Besides, when made into hay, the 

 woody fibre prevails, anri it is not so nutritious, I 

 am induced to think, as most other grasses. It be- 

 comes too of a yellow color and is very unsaleable 

 in the hay market. 



^ To the description of our correspondent, oblig- 

 ingly handed to us, wo add that of the Hon. Mr 

 Welles from the Mass. Agricultural Repository, 

 vol. viii. No. 1, |). 72. 



' The grass called Cambridge, Dog, and Garden 

 Grass is the Trilicum repens. Dr Elliot calls it 

 the " hurtful blue or Dutch grass." In England 

 it is called couch, knot, or dog grass. Every 

 joint of its roots produces a new plant, and it is 

 saiil to be there, as it is found to be here, one of 

 the worst weeds and most difficult to extirpate. 

 It resembles wheat of which it is a species. The 

 best mode to destroy it is to keep the lands longer 

 under the i)lough, with a frequent use of the hoe, 

 as where this is not done, two years ploughing 

 only not merely multiplies, but occasions it to en- 

 gross the whole soil. It has a hard woody fibre, 

 and is disliked by cattle. It flourishes mostly near 

 cow-yards and gardens, and is called Cambridge- 

 grass, from its abounding on the salt banks of 

 Charles river. One hundred pounds cut July 22d, 

 in late flower gave fortyeight pounds.' 



SHEPHARDIA. 



Messrs Winships request the editor of the New 

 England Farmer to correct an error in his paper of 

 Wednesday last, in regard to their being likely to 

 have on hand the ensuing autumn plants of the She- 

 PHARDiA of good size. Those gentlemen who have 

 seen and appreciated the production, have taken all 

 they have been able to propagate. It was with much 

 regret they noticed its publicity, as in all probability 

 it will not be in their power to supply the public de- 

 mand. Small plants will be ready for sale in the au- 

 tumn, and the price will be much reduced, with a 

 hope to meet the p"ublic approbation. 



Brighton JVurseries, May 4th, 1831. 



Ebenezer T. Drake of Pittsfield, N. H. slaugh- 

 tered a Pig, 11 months and three days old, weigh- 

 ing 371i pound.s, when carried to mafket, April 

 11, 1831" — .V. H. Patriot. 



Anthracite coal h3 used at New-Orleans for bak- 

 ing bricks, and is preferred to wood, the bricks 

 being more thoroughly baked. 



We understand that the survey of a new route for 

 the Lowell Rail Road has been commenced. It is 

 to pass down the valley of the Medford river, and 

 continue the line of the turnpike. It is said to be 

 the intention of the corporation not to cross the 

 track of any road, but rather to pass under or over it 

 by tunneling. 



