i»6 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



Feb. 19, 1831 



JOX8CSXXANBOT73. 



BES« 



The Editor of the Windsor, Vt. Chronicle, 

 after copy iDg Dr. Smith's article on bees froi.. 

 a late New England Farmer, has added the 

 following remarks : 



Dr. Smith doubts the existence of the quee>. 

 bee. Now we nerei heard a bee promulga- 

 ting laws or appointing subordinate officer." 

 Stc. but we have seen what may perhaps be 

 wcrtb telliog of 



There was an empty hive at the north end 

 of the bee house, inteuded for the next swarrn 

 From the hive next south, a swarm had issu- 

 ed, and after flying about for a while, return 

 ed. The reason assigned by the owner was 

 that the queen was unable to fly. A day 01 

 two after, the swarm came out again and sooi. 

 began to return as before. It occurred to u>. 

 that possibly her majesty, in att«mpting to 

 fly, might have fallen to the ground. Step 

 ping in front of the hive, we saw, six or eigh: 

 feel from its mouth, some twenty bees, flying 

 about a tufi of grass; and on drawing nearer 

 we saw perched upon a blade of grass, a bee, 

 about as long as a drone, but much moreslen 

 der, — tbe back of a brighter black, and the 

 legs redish, — evidently neither a drone nor a 

 working bee. A stick being presented to this 

 singular insect, she crept upon it, and was 

 carried upon it to (he mouth of the empty 

 hive before mentioned. A few beet had aligh 

 ted at its mouth. These immediately followed 

 her into the hive. Some of tbem soon return 

 ed, and ran, evidently as fast as they were a 

 ble, to the old hive, the stool and front oi 

 which were covered with the returning swam. 

 Having arrived among these, the messengers 

 for such they appeared to be, would occasion 

 ally stop, and shake themselves violently 

 swinging or rather rocking themselves from 

 right (o left and the contrary, as they are 

 sometimes seen to do at and about the time of 

 swarming. This motion was invariably lo! 

 lowed by a general scampering of the sur 

 rounding bees to the hive. Some of these 

 messengers entered the old hive, where then 

 operations were out of sight ; but tbcir en 

 trance was soon followed by the pouring ou, 

 of multitudes, who made their way with all 

 possible speed to the new hive. In a leu 

 moments the odd looking bee, picked up on 

 the grass, was surrounded with a respectabi. 

 swarm, all was quiet, ibe usual labors of bee' 

 commenced, and in tne end, a good summer's 

 work of honey -making was done. This, and 

 haviug seen a number of bees of tbe same ap 

 pearance, but never more than one in a hive 

 is all we know by our own eyes, about a 

 queen among bees. 



NEW VARIETY OF WHEAT. 



Doar Sir — I beg leave to send you herewith 

 a Bample ol wheat, originally from Syria, af- 

 terwards raised in Englan ', and now, as fir as 

 lam informed, in our country Its quality ;- 

 Said to be very fine, and its productiveness ve- 

 ry great. I place the samples, regretting 

 that they are not larger, in your hands, to be 

 given awny to such of our farmers of Yorkcoun- 

 ty as you think may feel a disposition to make 

 a trial of them upon their farms. I have ven- 

 tured to give it the namo of the ''liexley 

 Wheat," having received the first samples- of 

 it from Lord Bexley in England, who obtained 

 it from Syria, as I understood. When at Wa- 

 shington, 1 gave a small quantity to my friend 

 Col. Maynadier, of Annapolis, Maryland, un- 

 der whose cultivation in that neighborhood, it 

 has, on a single trial, succeeded wonderfully. 



In the hope ihat it may pro»e useful among 

 Us, I remain very respectfully, yours, o, c. 



iuchArd hush. 



T. 0. HrjMBLy, Esq. 



From the Saturday Evening Post. 

 PLUGGING TREES. 



Tbis simple operation is avery efficient rem 

 edy for destroying caterpillars, aphides and oth- 

 er insects preying upon leaves and limbs of 

 fruit trees, ornamental and shade, fine shrubs, 

 &c. &c. 



It has often been desired to find such a re- 

 medy. Rewards have been offered to destroy 

 easily and speedily the insects of fruit trees. 

 Our shade trees are covered every vear with 

 disgusting and voracious caterpillars. Year af- 

 ter year new troublesome means are proposed, 

 which are inefficient while this very easy and 

 cheap way to poison and destroy at once all 

 the insects of any tree, is so little town that 

 our farmers and gardeners appear to be unac- 

 quainted with it. It was discovered in France, 

 and I have verified it by actual experiment. — 

 I now publish it again, and request editors 

 friendly to agriculture to spread the knowledge 

 of it every where. 



This simple operation consists in boring a 

 i'ole into a tree with a giniblet, about one thud 

 of the diameter of the tree in depth. Fill Hie 

 hole with a small quantity of Flour of 'Sulphur, 

 and plug the bole with a wooden peg. This 

 sulphur is decomposed or carried into circula- 

 tion by the sap, and is exhaled by the leaves 

 in a gaseous stale, while it poisons and lulls 

 all the caterpillars and insects preying upon 

 them. Whether boring and plugging with 

 sulpher the roots of the peach tree, and other 

 trees whose roots are injured by insects, will 

 answer as well, is unknown to me, not having 

 tried it ; but it is worth while to try the expe- 

 riment — the result may be favorable. 



C. S RaFIRESQUE, 



Professor of Botany, <$•<;. 



ON THE PRESERVATION OF POTATOES. 



Potatoes at the depth of one foot in the 

 ground, produce shoots near the end of spring, 

 at the depth of two feet they appear in the 

 middle of summer; at three feet of depth, 

 t hey are very short and never corne to the sur- 

 face ; and between three and five feet, they 

 cease to vegetate. In consequence of obser- 

 ving these effects, several parcels of potatoes 

 were buried in a garden at the depth of three 

 feet and a half, and were not removed till after 

 intervals of one and two years. They were 

 then found without any appearance of germi- 

 nation ard possessing their original firmness, 

 freshness, goodness, and taste. — Sillimun's 

 Journal. 



LIRIODENTRINE. 



The active principle of this beautiful veget- 

 able production ot our country — the Lirioden 

 drine Tulipifera, Tulip Tree or American Pop 

 lar, — has been recently separated by Dr. J P 

 Emmelt, Professor of Chemistry and Materia 

 Wedica in the University of Virginia This 

 active principle, to whicb he has given the name 

 Liriodendrinc, although not a vegetablealcali, 

 is soluble in acids, and possesses, no doubt, in 

 an eminent aegree, the tonic arid febrifugp 

 properties for which the bark of the tree has 

 been celebrated Its solution in alcohol fur- 

 nishes limpid crystals, and hns ,thc same intense 

 bitterness as that which characterizes the Sul» 

 phale of Quinine. Tho tulip tree contains it 

 in considerable quantity, and the process fur 

 obtaining it is extremely simple. 



As thxLiriodendnne is found to sublimate at 

 a beat a little above that ofboiling water, it is 

 obvieus that any extract mado from the bark 

 of the tree, after the ordinary methods, must 

 be comparatively inert. — Nat, Gaz. 



LARGE ORANGES 

 The editor of the Poughkeepsio Journal 

 ■:i\s; Mrs. J. D. Robinson, of that village. 

 ■ias 6ont bun a couple of magnificent oranges, 

 which have grown with many others, on a 

 ireeof her own raising. The larger of the 

 vro measured I3A inches in circumference, 

 and weighed one pound. The other was but a 

 (.Jiflc smaller. 



From the New York American. 



SLEIGHING SONG— by bans van poesg 

 Merrily, merrily sound the bells 



As o'er the ground we roll, 

 And the snow drift breaks in silver flakes 



Before our Cariole ; 

 While, muffled in sables rich and warm, 



With mantle and beaver dight, 

 We drive in the teeth ol the angry storm, 



Or skim in the cold moonlight, 

 Merrily, merrily, &c. 



Merrily, merrily sound the bells 



Upon the wind without, 

 When the wine is mulled, and the waffle culler 



And the joke is passed about : 

 And rosy lips and dimplo cheeks 



The flash of wit inspire, 

 While mirth in many a bright ey6 speaks, 



Around the crackling fire. 

 Merrily, merrily, &c. 



IMPORTANT T I RESIDENT ALIENS. 



The Laws of this state require resideD' 

 aliens, who have taken conveyance of rea 

 estate, to make and file a deposition of their 

 intention to become citizens, in the office ot 

 (he Secretary of state ; and also to take the 

 incipient measure which the laws of the U- 

 States require to enabie them to obtain natur- 

 alization before the 15th day of April, 13JI 

 I vol. Rev'd. Slat. p. 120. Sess'n. Laws 1830 

 chap. 171 p. 198. 



VALUABLE STOOL. 



Several years since, the British comman- 

 der of Sierra Leone, visited the prince ot 

 Asbantee for the purpose of concluding a trca 

 ty of peace with hirr ; be found his sable ma- 

 jesty seated on asloolof virgin gold, weighing 

 ninety pounds avoirdupois. It is doubted 

 whether any of his legitimate European breth- 

 ren can vie with him in the costliness of then 

 chairs of state. 



CATTLE. 



We learn from the Boston papers, that six 

 thousand two hundred and eighty three head 

 of beef cattle have been slaughtered at thr 

 establishment of Mr. Winchester, at Lech- 

 mere Point, Cambridge, in the short spacs o> 

 13 weeks. 



ANECDOTE OF LAFAYETTE. 



During the trial of the ex-ministers, Gen 

 Lafayette had repeatedly rode out and address 

 ed groups of the people assembled in the neigh- 

 boring streets. This venerable patriot assured 

 them that justice would be done upon the pris- 

 oners according to the laws of the land, bu! 

 that vengeance should not be inflicted upon 

 one of them by popular violence, until his life 

 was first sacrificed in their defence. The pert- 

 pie as on the previous day, generally cheered 

 their ancient champion ; but some cried "Down 

 yvith Lafayette." The old soldier remarked 

 that liberty had never been secured by a tu- 

 multuous interference with tho laws ; and at 

 length, when irritated for a moment by some 

 hisses, he exclaimed, " Who are you in that 

 corner f 1 know the brave defenders of liber- 

 ty, but your faces ore strange to me — on the 

 29th of July 1 do not remember to have seon 

 you at our barricades." 



MEDALLION OF CLINTON. 



We have seen a medallion likeness of De 

 Wilt Clinton in plaster, done from a steel plate 

 executed by 'JharlesC. V\ right of New York. 

 It is very like tbe original, and calls to mind 

 the features of that great man moro than any 

 likeness we have seen since his death. Mi 

 iV right is the executor of the medal made for 

 the American Academy of Arts, which wi 

 noticed some time ago, and which acquired 

 for him so much credit. He is an artist oi 

 of whom out country mav be proud. — .2nV 

 Dai. Adv. 



