108 



SILK M AN UA L . AND 



or filling. I ihitik that it it* evMent from tin; nature 

 of the case that the silk si>iiii irpmedititoly from 

 the rocooiK^ into a finisliorl th^'^^:! .»/!.;•. c »(?« f^urn 

 or yhie upon thoiii is thoroushly goakcif, as it is 

 when it is riiuninsi finm the cocoons will be 

 lielter united in its fibre that it can he hy being 

 reeled in the common way, as has heretofore been 

 done, before it is thro'vsted or doubled and twist- 

 ed. 



By reeling the cocoons into what is called raw 

 silk we derange nature's jierfect work ; for the 

 silk worm spins the thread perfectly even and 

 gniooth, and winds it np into a perfect hall as every 

 good cocoon should be, 'ibis may be nnwonnd 

 without waste or tangling. The very great speed 

 that tTiay be applied to the ring spindles and irav^ 

 ellrrs which I now make use of, and which sel- 

 dom get out of order, even with the greatitst ve- 

 locity, turns the s[>rruiing from tliecocoonn greatly 

 in favor of its being do le at one operation, as it 

 is not only cheapest but best and easiest. I now 

 make silk Sj.inning fraiaes to contain any number 

 of .spindles to go by any |)ovver, and so constructed 

 that the jerson tending the cocoons can stoji any 

 twotliieads when necessary, while the others are 

 going, or can set them in motion again in an instant 

 wtthont leaving the pan in which the cocoons ore 

 placed. One very essential property of the ring 

 spiinlle is this — they maybe sfo adjusted as to 

 twist the finest thread is wanted fur weaving, or 

 the coarsest sewing silk. 



Willi respecV 



ADAM KROOKS. 



hVinthrop, Od. 13, 1836. 



BEES. 



When the queen -bee is forcibly taken away from 

 the hivcjlhe bees which are near her at the time, 

 do not soon appear sensible of her absence, and 

 ti>e labors of the hive are carried on as usual. It 

 is seldom before the lapse of an hour, that the 

 working-bees begin to manifest any symptons of 

 uneasiness: they are then observed to quit the 

 larvse which they hnd been feeding, and to run 

 about in great agitation, to and fro near the cell 

 whid) the qoeen bad occupied before her abduc- 

 tion. They th< n move over a wider circle, and 

 on malting with stich of their comianions a.s are 

 n(tt awiare of the disaster, coirimiinicate the intel- 

 ligence by erossi'og their antennte and striking 

 lightly with them. The bees which receive the 

 news, l)e<etne in their turn agitated, and convey- 

 ing this feeiiiig whereA'er they go, the alarm is soon 

 participated by all the inhabitants of the hive. All 

 rush forward, eagerly seeking their lost queen ; 

 but after continuing their se«nich for some hours, 

 and finding it to be fruitless, they api)ear resigned 

 tw their misfortune, the noisy tumult subsides, and 

 the bees quietij resume their labors. 



A bee deprived of his nnt-nr'-- , ;.rm;e(!iateiy he- 

 cn-nes (imi and listless: it desists from its usual 

 labors, remains at the boitom of the hive, seems 

 attracted otdy by the light, and takes the first op- 

 portunity of quitting the hive, never more to re- 

 turn. A queen-bee, thus mutilated, ran about 

 without apparent object, as if in a state ^/'''cnriuui,. 

 and was incapable of directinpr fier trunk with pre- 

 cision, to rhe food which was ofFerc<l to her. La- 

 treille relates that, having deprived some laboring 

 ants of their antennse, he replaced them near the 

 i!est ; but they wandered in al! directions, as if be- 

 wildered, and unconscious of what they were do- 

 ing. — Some of their companions were seen to no- 

 tice their distress, and approaching them with aj»- 

 parent compassion, api)lied their tongues to the 

 wounds of the sufferers, and anointed them with 

 their saliva. This trait of sensibility was rejieat- 



Rdly wltncocofl Uy Lnfrpillp, wfiile w.ntehing their 



movements with a magnifying glass, — Dr. BogeVs 

 Bridgewattr Treatise. 



The following incident, illustrative of the kffec- 

 tion of bees for their queen, is very graphically 

 described by Mr Bagster, in his work on the Mmr- 

 agement of Bees, an occupatior) to which the author 

 seems to he enthusiastically attached. Our read- 

 ers are probably not aware that the process of tak- 

 ing the honey is not necessarily attended, as was 

 formerly the case, with the destruction of the won- 

 derful little insects, who with so much labor and 

 skill have hoarded their treasures as a provisioir 

 against future exigencies. A species of large 

 mushroon (Fnngus rnaximiis,) commonly known 

 by the name of '• bunt," "jjucklist," or «* frog- 

 cheese," is humanely employed by those who wish 

 fo spare the lives of their bees, whilst taking |)OS- 

 session of their sweets. A small j)iece of this 

 " puck," previously dried, and properly prepared, 

 being ignited and jdaced un<lerneath a hive, oper- 

 ates by its vapor as a i)owerfiil narcotic upon the 

 bees vvhich fall unhurt into an empty hive, placed 

 to receive them. By exposure to the fresh air, 

 these bees are so(.n restored to health and activity ; 

 when they set about repairing the loss which, dur- 

 ing the tenrporary suspension of their busy exis- 

 tence, they have sustained. Mr Bagster had been 

 taking some stocks of honey, in the way we have 

 just mentioned, when an accident ha|)pening to 

 one of his hives, the queen bee was thrown out, 

 and a scene o( distress and considerable confusiort 

 ensued. 



;' I thought," says Mr Bagster, "that I might 

 put the queen into |>ossession amongst some of the 

 comb ; but to be certain, I gathered up every bee 

 I could find, and |)ut the emptied hives on their 

 side against mine, so that the queen might have 

 every opportunity to get in, if not already there. 

 The profusion of split honey, the hot weather, and 

 the bees from mv other hi\es, caixsed a great com- 



