34 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



AOG. 4, 1-141. 



(liifilrioiis German settlers, scarce one was to be 1 

 seen. 



"All the (Inmage was done, before those of the 

 western farmers who kept bees, could be convinced 

 that this enemy to their industrious little friends, 

 was goinij to occasion miicli injury ; and the con- 

 sequence was, that they increased and spread with 

 much ^jrcaler ra|iidity than if proper and seasona- 1 

 ble means had been used to check them. Many ' 

 apiaries were entirely destroyed, before the pro- [ 

 prietors were aware that aufjht was wrong. | 



"Their proi^ress westward f=till continues: five] 

 years ago, on the Wabash, lliey were easily kept 

 under; now, they are in many places carrying all 

 before thein. West of that river, so far as I can 

 learn, they are scarce known yet; though they 

 will undoubtedly in time, occasion the same gene- 

 ral destruction there that they have done else. 

 where — unless, indeed, some such plan as that re- 

 commended in this work, is used to prevent it. — 

 Those who attempt bee-breeding in a prairie coun- 

 try, will not suffer so much from the moth as if 

 their apiaries were in the timber — the free current 

 of air is prejudicial to that insect; and the abun- 

 dant supply of food which the bees find there, ena- 

 bles them to increase so freely, and the hives are 

 generally so well filled with bees, in full health, 

 size and vigor, that the moth has little chance. 



" For some years past a complete check seems 

 to have been put to the business of the apiarist in 

 this region. A good stand of bees is rarely to be 

 met with ; and honey has become, from its scarci- 

 ty, a luxury indeed. From fifteen to twenty cents 

 per pound is the common price for a good article 

 in the comb. At such a price, there can be no 

 business named which will pay as well. Suppo- 

 sing that u farmer was to devote one third of his en- 

 tire time to the care of even forty stands, they 

 would pay him better than any other stock that he 

 could keep, or any crop that he could raise. And 

 an apiary of forty stands would require no such 

 outlay of time and labor. Two or three hours 

 per day, twice or three times a week, would suf- 

 fice to keep them in order and check the niolli 



During the s.varming season, it wrjuld be necessa- 

 ry that some one was at work within hearing or 

 seeing distance of the bee-shed." 



Subtended Hive. It is a simple and economical 

 plan, of easy management, and one within the 

 means of any farmer who can handle a saw, a 

 plane and a hammer. 



" The boxes of which it is composed, are formed 

 of good, well-seasoned pine plank — if possible, free 

 from knots and wind -shakes. It ought to be at 

 least one inch thick. The boxes may be ten, 

 eleven or twelve inches scpiare, in the clear. Let 

 the plank be dressed on each side, and jointed on 

 the edges, so as to fit close, without being tongued 

 and grooved. Before nailing them together at the 

 sides, lay a thin strip of thick wliiie lead paint on 

 the edge to be nailed, which will render it imper- 

 vious to the ovipositor of the moth. In (he top cut 

 two semi-circular holes at the front, and two at the 

 back, of one inch and a half in diameter — the 

 straight side being in a line with the back and 

 front of the box, so that the bees may have a 

 straight road in their way from <Mie slury to the 

 other. I'ut the top on without any layer of paint, 

 using eight stout screw nails, that it may be taken 

 off to facilitate the removal of the honey. Give 

 the outside of the box two coats of white lead paint, 

 all except the top; and let it be done so long be- 



fore it is necessary to use it, thnt the smell may 

 bi' dissipate 1, as it is very offensive to the bees. 

 Pour a lilllf melted bees-wa.x, while pretty hot, 

 over the inside of the top, which will enable the 

 bees to attach their comb much more firmly. Let 

 three (|uarter3 of an inch of the thickness of the 

 lower edges of the box in the inside be bevelled 

 off, so as to leave but about one fourth of an inch 

 of surface to rest upon the stand — this will afford 

 less shelter for the eggs of the moth. 



"We will suppose the boxes, thus made, to be 

 a cube oftwelve inches inside. In that case, the 

 tunnel stand will be made thus. Take a piece of 

 two-incli pine plank, free from knots and shakes — 

 what carpenters term "clear stuff;" length 2G, and 

 breadth ]8 inches. Ten inches from one end, and 

 two from the other and from each side, is marked 

 a square of fourteen inches. F'rom the outside of 

 this square, the board is dressed off, with an even 

 slope, until its thickness at the front edge is reduc- 

 ed to half an inch, and at the other three edges to 

 about an inch. The square is then reduced to 

 twelve inches, in the centre of which is bored an 

 inch auger hole; to this hole the inner sijuare is 

 also gradually sloped to the depth of an inch ; thus 

 securing the bees from any possibility of wet lodg- 

 ing about their hive, and atTording them free ven- 

 tilation. There will then be a level, smooth strip 

 of one inch in width, surrounding the square of 

 twelve inches, on which to set the box or hive. — 

 Two inches from the front bdge of the stand, com- 

 mence cutting a channel two inches in width, and 

 of such a depth as to carry it out, on an even 

 slope, halfway between the inner edge of the hive, 

 and the ventilating hole in the centre. Over this, 

 fit in a piece of wood as neatly as possible, dress- 

 ing it down even with the slope of the stand, so as 

 to leave a tunnel two inches in width by a quarter 

 of an inch in depth. Under the centre hole, and 

 over the outlet of the tunnel, hang small wire grates, 

 the one to prevent the entrance of other insects, 

 and the other to be thrown back to permit the exit 

 of the bees, or fastened down to keep them at home 

 in clear, sun-shining days in winter. For feet to 

 the stand, use four or five inch screw-nails, screwed 

 in, from below, far enough to be firm. The lower 

 side ought also to be jilaned smooth ; and the 

 whole should have two coats of white paint some 

 time before it is wanted. 



" 7'he apiary or bee-shed may be of a length 

 adapted to the number of stands for which it is in- 

 tended, and ought to be at least six feet in depth, 

 and six feet in height at the back. It may be 

 built in the cheapest manner, and yet combine 

 economy and convenience with neatness and taste. 

 Locust posts, sunk in the grounds, with rough 

 plates and rafteis. covered over-head with clap- 

 brards, and behind with rough planks; the arch- 

 es in front composed of crooked limbs ; the in- 

 side and the back \vhitewashed with lime every 

 spring; the fn it and ends covered with creep- 

 ers, so trained as to be out of the way of the 

 bees, and not so thick as to harbor insrcls; and 

 the floor paved with brick, or laid with gravel, 

 rolled firm, will be all that is necessary. A. good, 

 sound plank will be run lengthways of" the shed, 

 supported by stout legs, to answer as a bench on 

 which to set the stands ; and must allow of an al- 

 ley two and a hall feet in width behind it. The 

 bee-shed may front in any direction — though it is 

 best to protect it from the hot summer's sun ; from 

 the extreme cold of winter, and from the sudden 

 thunder-gusts so common from the south-west in 



summer. An eastern or south-eastern exposure is 

 preferable. Let it be so placed as that the mo- 

 tions of the bees may be conveniently watched 

 from the house, without having them in the way." 



From ibe Albanj- CuhiTator. 



WEEDS. 



Every plant growing with a cultivated crop, and 

 which has a tendency to lessen the product, or de- 

 crease its viUie, may with propriety be called a 

 weed ; even if one which possesses some iirpor- 

 tance in itself, and may under other circumstances 

 hi! worthy of culture. The term weed, however, 

 is usually applied to plants which are valueless, 

 and which by growing with the cultivated crop, in- 

 crease the labor, while they lessen its value. 9 



Weeds are either annual and biennial, or peren- 

 nial ; or such as spring up from seeil and come to 

 maturity by ripening their seeds either the first or 

 second year, or those Ihat after once having been 

 sown, continue to propagate both by seeds and 

 roots. Annual or biennial weeds,if the stem is 

 cut before or at the time of flowering, are destroy- 

 ed, since there are no remaining means of propa- 

 gation ; but in perennial weeds, or those propaga- 

 ted from the root as well as the seed, the destruc- 

 tion of the stem does not ensure the death of the 

 plant, as the power of propagation is still remain- 

 ing. Of course the destruction of annual weeds 

 is much more easy than that of perennials; al- 

 though some of the former have such a multitude 

 of seeds, and will remain so long without vegeta- 

 ting, unless the soil is cultivated, that the difference 

 in labor is not so great as some have supposed. — 

 Perfect tillage is the best destroyer of all weeds, 

 but various expedients, such as pulling out the an- 

 nuals, and cutting off the perennials, are resorted 

 to, in order to check or eradicate them. It cannot 

 bo expected that more than a few of each cla.ss 

 can be named here, and such wili be selected as 

 are the most common and troublesome. It may 

 be remarked that a reference to European agricul- 

 tural works will show that some t)f their most inju- 

 rious weeds are unknown here ; that some we 

 treat as weeds which they cultivate as valuable 

 plants ; and that some of the most troublesome 

 weeds found in our fields, appear to be unknown 

 there, at least ars not found to infest (heir crops. 



PERKNMAL WEEDS. 



Johns wort — Hi/pericum perforatum. 

 Meadow Crowfoot — Ranunculus aeris. 

 Daisy — Bellis pereivii.i. 

 ('anada Thistle — Cnirus arvensia. 

 Droad-leaved Dock — Ruintx oblnsifolius. 

 Couch or Wheat Grass — Triticum repens. 

 Ox-eye or White Daisy — Cliryslhanlhcnium leu- 

 cantheinum. 



Everlasting — Cnaphalium. 



AN.NCAL WEKDS. 



Sleon-ciout or Wheat Thief — Lithospi rmum ar- 

 icnsr. 



Wild Mustard — .Sinapis arvensis. 



Common Chickweed — SIctluria media. 



Wild or Climbing Buckwheat — Polygonum con- 

 vulvus. 



llurdock — Jlrctinm lappa. 



Feverfew — Pyrcthrum inodorous. 



Johnswort, so well known to the farmer by its 

 intrusion into meadows and pastures, and by its 

 occupying almost t^ie whole ground to the exclu- 



