678 FARMERS' REGISTER— BEES— V/ATER SPIDER— SAXONY WOOL. 



ths valley of Buiiga, a few miles to the eastward 

 of the l)ee district, and think probable that it ex- 

 tends to these mountains. — The peasantry of Cash- 

 mere are unacijuninted with the employment of 

 honey as the basis of a fermented liquor, but eat it 

 raw or mixed with articles of common food, whilst 

 the most wealthy sui>stitute it for suij^ar in preserv- 

 ing fruits. It is customary to take the hive every 

 year ; about the end of September or beg-inniuf:^ of 

 October is found the best season for this operation, 

 a little time still remaining for the bees to add to 

 the portion left for their supi)ort during five months. 

 This amounts to .about one-third of the whole pro- 

 duce, and would appear to suffice, as swarms sel- 

 dom die, and the Cashmeres substitute no other 

 article of food. It is stated that an old swarm 

 yields more honey than a young one, and that 

 families seldom die except of old age. I was in- 

 formed that it was no uncommon circumstance to 

 preserve the same community for ten or even fif- 

 teen years ; and some instances were quoted of a 

 family having been retained ibr twenty years ; but 

 this was held to be a very rare occurrence. In 

 consequence of the bees being thus literally do- 

 mesticated, they acquire a mildness of conduct far 

 more decided than those of Europe ; and it is pos- 

 sible that the confidence thus gained, subduing 

 their natural irascibility, may generate an increase 

 of industry, or at least an increase of produce in 

 relation to the number and size of the individuals 

 of each community. It is also clear, that the situ- 

 ation of the hive keeps many of the natural enemies 

 of the bees at a distance. — The bee of Cash- 

 mere is a little smaller than that of Europe, though 

 a little larger than the domesticated bee of Kuma- 

 von and of Gurwhal. The Bhoura, the rock-bee 

 of Gurwhal, or the bee of the southern mountains, 

 is, on the other hand, greatly larger than the do- 

 mesticated bee of Europe, and greatly exceeds it 

 also in the number of individuals in each commu- 

 nity, and in the size and weight of its combs. But 

 its honey is sometimes contaminated by an intoxi- 

 cating quality, and the temper of the insect is so 

 irritable, as to be brought into a dangerous state of 

 activity by a slight show of aggression. The for- 

 mer quality is suspected, upon probable grounds, 

 to be caused by the secretion of the aconite eaten 

 by the bee, and its irritability of disposition, to be 

 owing partly to the exposed situation of the combs 

 suspended from the lower surface of a ledge of 

 rook, and partly to the occasional attempts of bears 

 to carry them off. But these detractions from the 

 merits of this bee arc merely the result of locali- 

 ties; and under due precautions, it is presumed 

 that its irrascibility might be so far subdued as to 

 render it just as safe an inhabitant of a wall-hive, 

 as the smaller variety of bee. In a portion of the 

 Paujab, near the hills, this bee is also met with; 

 and I have seen the under surface of the i)rincipal 

 branches of a large Peepul tree studded with so 

 many colonies, individually of such great strength, 

 as to deter the neighboring peasantry from attempt- 

 ing to deprive them of their stores, notwithstand- 

 ing it was conjectured that there were several 

 hundred weight of combs on the tree. The largest 

 of these assemblages of combs — the probable accu- 

 mulation of many seasons — was of such a size as I 

 think it not prudent to cite ; but from the speci- 

 mens I have seen of the produce of this bee, I con- 

 ceive their domestication, if introduced into Eu- 

 rope, would prove a most valuable acquisition to this 



branch of farming, although I must confess myself 

 unable to devise any safe and easy plan for trans- 

 porting such a colony. — [Mr. IVilliam Moorcroft 

 ill the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society. 



THE WATEH SPIDER. 



From the Quarterly Jounuil of Agriculture. 

 Tlie habitation of this insect (^^ranea aqualica^ 

 is chiefly remarkable for the element in which it 

 is constructed, and the materials that compose it, 

 being built in the midst of water and in fact of air, 

 a very uncomfortable one certainly, were it con- 

 stantly wet; but this, the sagacious insect has the 

 means of avoiding, and by availing itself of some 

 well known philosophical principles, constructs 

 for itself an apartment in which it resides in com- 

 fort and security. The following is the process: 

 F'irst, It spins loose threads in various directions 

 to the leaves of water plants, which may be called 

 the frame-work of the chamber, and over them 

 spreads a transparent varnish, resembling liquid 

 glass, which issues from the middle of its spinners, 

 and which is so elastic as to be capable of great 

 expansion and contraction. The spider then spreads 

 over its belly a little of the same material, and 

 ascends to the surface. The precise mode in which 

 a bubble of air is drawn in beneath the o'um- 

 my matter is not accurately known ; loaded, how- 

 ever, with the material for its little mansion, 

 which, to the spectator, looks like shining quick- 

 silver, the spider plunges to the bottom, and, with 

 as much dexterity as a chemist, transfers gas into 

 a gasholder, introduces the bubble of air beneath 

 the roof prepared for its reception. This manoeu- 

 vre is repeated ten or twelve times, until, at length, 

 in about a quarter of an hour, as much air is ob- 

 tained as is sufficient to expand the apartment to 

 its proposed extent, and the industrious little build- 

 er now finds itself in possession of a perfect air- 

 built dwelling, afTording a commodious and dry 

 retreat in the very midst of water. Here the in- 

 habitant reposes, unmoved by the storms that agi- 

 tates the surface of the pool, and devours its prey 

 at ease and in safely. 



SAXONY AVOOL. 



From the Quarterly Journal of Agriculture. 

 To the late King of Saxony, when Elector, is 

 due the merit of having first brought the breed of 

 Spanish Merino sheep into Germany, which has 

 since transferred the valuable trade in fine wool al- 

 most wholly from the Spanish to the German soil. 

 From the period of its first introduction until 1814, 

 when Europe once more began to enjoy the bless- 

 ings of a general peace, this wool was gi-adually, 

 although slowly, s|)reading itself over the surface 

 of the kingdom of Saxony; but when the conti- 

 nental trade was thrown quite open, by the events 

 of the short campaign of 1815, and the minds of 

 men were set at rest by the final catastrophe of 

 Napoleon, the Saxon wool dealers began to open 

 a regular trade in the article to England, and they 

 soon discovered the real value of this new branch 

 of German commerce. In the first year, viz. : — 

 In 1814, thei-e v/ere imported into 



England only - - 3,593,146 lbs. 

 " 1819, ----- 4,-557,938 

 " 1824, - - - - - 15,432,657 

 " 1828, ----- 23,110,882 

 This prodigious increase in the demand lor Ger- 



