iS53. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



63 



I am deeply interested in the Honey Bee, and 

 think their habits are as yet but little understood. 

 They are yet in their wild state, but that they can 

 be domesticated to a much greater degree than 

 has been supposed, I have from experience every 

 reason to believe. Should it beacceptabjp, I may 

 at some future time give you the results of my la- 

 bors. For the three past years I have cleared five 

 dollars per year on each svparm. For ten years 1 

 have not lust a svrarm by the bee moth -, in fact, 

 I have lost only two swarms, one winter killed in 

 a tight hive, and one killed by the ants, which, by 

 the way, are an ins&ct deserving more attention 

 than they have ever j-et received. I am resolved to 

 ■study their habits and ascertain their good and bad^ 

 ■qualities. That they do seme injury I know, — that 

 they do more good than injury, I think an invest! 

 gation will compel us to admit. 



Hingham, Jan., 1853. Edaiunb Hersey. 



Remarks. — We shall be happy to receive a con- 

 densed account of your experience with the bees 



CONVENTION OP MILKMEN? AND 

 FARMERS. 



A convention of the Milkmen and Parro'ers of the 

 Commonwealth was held in Cochituate Hall, on 

 Wednesday, the 25th Jan., for the purpose of 

 adopting meas\ires to secure the adoption of wine 

 or legal measure throughout the State, and to take 

 such other measures as will promote the interests 

 of the trade. The Convention was quite large, 

 there being three or four hundred present, and 

 among the members were representatives of all 

 sections of the State. 



The Convention was called to order at 10^ ociock, 

 and Mr. Simon Brown, of Concord, was chosen 

 prGsidcHt, 



■On motion of Mr. Barn-ss, of Waltham, the pro- 

 lOeedjngs of the previous meetings at Brighton were 

 read by Benjamin Wellington, of Waltham. 



Mr. S. G. Wheeler, of Concord., and William S. 

 Lincoln, of Worcester, we^'e eleet&d Vice Presi- 

 dents. 



Mr. Brown made a few remarks, showing the 

 aecessit;y of carrying out the object for which the 

 Convention had assembled. lie said that in his 

 own town (Concord) the diOerentie of the income 

 from milk as measured by wine or a!e measure, 

 amounts to $18 75 per day. This amount is taken 

 fpom the flirmers wrongfully by the present system, 

 and he was in favor of a thorough reform. In con- 

 clusion he announced the Coavention as ready for 

 b^siness. 



Mr- WaiTNEF, of Stowe, thought the Conven- 

 tion might aim at too much and accomplish but 

 little. He thought it should confine itself to the 

 one object of securing the adoption of the wine, or 

 legal jneasure. What is wanted is that the can 

 ghall bo by law declared a measure, and it will then 

 be obliged to be sealed. With regulating the price 

 of milk or the washing of cans, he thought the 

 Legislature should have nothing to do. The Con- 

 vention should memorialize the Legislature to pass 

 an act requiring cans to be sealed ; the members 

 should then petition for the aet over their signa- 

 tures; and then petitions should be circulated 

 aijiong the producers, pledging themselves not to 



sell by other than the legal measure. The gen- 

 tleman stated as the result of a careful calculation, 

 that by the measure proposed, the same quantity 

 of milk which has heretofore sold for $100 will Boli 

 for $122 in wine measure. 



Mr. HosMER, of Concord, advocated the passage 

 by the Convention of a resolve that they would 

 have the same price by the reduced measure as by 

 the large measm-e. 



Hon. Setii Sprague, of Duxbury, moved that 

 this Convention concur in the resolutions passed 

 at a former Convention, adopting the wine measure 

 as the standard for milk. 



Mr. Wheeler, of Concord, said the business of 

 the Conventicm was to regulate the interests of 

 four classes — tlie milk grower, the men who buy 

 it fvoiii the grower, the retailer, and the consumer. 

 The adoption of the v.'ine measure and sealed cang 

 he was satisfied would do this. With regulating 

 the price of milk the Convention had nothing to 

 do. 



Mr. Spractie argued that no combination to fix 

 the price of milk would in the end be successful, as 

 it would be regulated Iiy the demand. He believed 

 the plan of substituting wine measure would be 

 adopted generally by all producers, 



Mr. Chafin spoke of the great necessity of hav- 

 ing sealed measures, and adduced as one argument 

 flae fact that bills for milk sold by other than the 

 legal measure could not be collected by law. 



Mr. Robinson, of Dorchester, thought tiiat if 

 the Legislature refuse to grant the petition pro- 

 posed, that the producers and traders should as- 

 semble and regulate the matter for themselves. 



Mr. Marsh, of Cambridge, said that lie sup- 

 posed the object of the convention was to adopt 

 wine measure, but it appears that it is to raise the 

 prjpe of milk. He dissented from the charges made 

 against the retailers of milk, in furnishing cans 

 which hold more than they are marked. He be- 

 lieved the whole trouble laid with the farmers them- 

 selves. They themselves reduced the price — when 

 they got a new market in Boston by means of the 

 raiircad^-and now when a pinch comes, they start 

 the movement. He thought some farmers as well 

 as milkmen would be found guilty of certain delin- 

 quencjeg, such as ^'milking the Mack-tail cow," &c- 

 He was awai-e that the farmers did not get enough 

 for milk. In four years he lost in the milk busi- 

 ness $1000, and he now wants to be able to make 

 it a paying business. He did not believe the peo- 

 ple at Boston would refuse to pay a good price for 

 milk if they could have a good article, instead of 

 milk and water. 



Mr Wheejler of Concord defended the formers, 

 and urged that the fraud in the matter consisted 

 in the retailers furnisliing the wholesale purchas- 

 ers with ten quart cane and paying for but eight. 



Mr. Nash did not believe the Legislature would 

 act in the matter, because the farmers have the 

 matter in their own hand, and if they say to the 

 purchasers bring us sealed cans, these cans will 

 come into use. 



Mr. Lakeman, of Charlestown, thought the 

 milkmen who attempted to impose poor milk upon 

 the women of Boston would get his pay as he went 

 along. 



Mr. Broavn from the Committee to petition the 

 Legislature, submitted the form of petition which 

 had been prepared, and which may found in an- 

 other column. 



