1853. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



67 



where a hive lost their qncen in the winter.) I 

 have lost several old hives of bees in the manner 

 last described. 



I have said second and third swarms are always 

 accompanied by young queens. Now the younjj; 

 queen in tlie course of a few days goes abroad (It is 

 supposed to meet the male on the wing.) When 

 slve returns, not being accustomed to leave the 

 hive, slie is liable to make a mistake and enter a 

 wrong hive, especially if there are other hives on 

 either side resembling her own ; she is immediately 

 seized and put to death. 



A few years ago I found one of my young swarms 

 in great commotion just before dark ; they were 

 forcing an entrance into every hive in the bee- 

 houses, notwithstanding the strong exertions made 

 by every hive to keep tliem out. They were mak- 

 ing the greatest effort to enter a hive standing next 

 their own, contending manfully till it was so dark 

 they could no longer see to fly. It required no ef- 

 fort on my part to imagine the cause of all that was 

 transpiring, E;u-ly next morning I v,'ent in search 

 of the lost queen. She had entered the wrong hive 

 where her subjects wei'e making the most diligent 

 search tlie niglit bef)re. After being put to death 

 she was thrown upon the ground beneath the hive. 

 Now this young swarm having lost their sovereign 

 before there was any young in the hive, soon made 

 their abode among the other swarms. I have known 

 other young swarms ])roken up in like manner. To 

 prevent other similar occurrences I have my hives 

 painted different coli)rs, making such a contrast be- 

 tvi'een them that the bees soon learn to know their 



own. A. KiLBUEN. 



Luncnhurs:, 1S>2. 



birds mostly returned to their haunts in field and 

 forest. 



It was as if a common enemy had been slain, 

 and they were celebrating the event, for tlieir de- 

 monstratiims were joyous ones — had none of th« 

 appearance of funeral obsequies. Tlie species of 

 snake to which tlio dead one belonged, fascinate 

 birds, and thus make prey of them — they break 

 up tlieir nests, devour the eggs and unfledged 

 young ones; — do not these facts furnish a solutl'on 

 of the mysterious and singular gathering? But 

 by what silent and unseen agency did the news 

 go out to all the haunts of these birds in woods 

 and meadows, bush and brier, orchards and 

 gardens, and so soon effect a gathering so nu- 

 merous and incongruous. — Rochester Union. 



Rem.^rks. — We are obliged to our correspondent 

 for his full account of the cause of death among 

 bees in the winter. It was received last February, 

 and just after we Iiad two or three shorter articles 

 on the same subject, and found it more convenient 

 to insert them. ^Ve are often obliged to defer long 

 articles when they are really much better than 

 some of the short ones which we insert. 



A BIRD CONVENTION. 



We witnessed a few years since, a congress, or 

 convention of birds, the character of which was 

 inexplicable, and is unexplained in all ornithological 

 ' works. We question whether Messrs. Audubon 

 or Wilson ever saw the like, for if they had they 

 would have deen quite likely to have made a note 

 of it. Spending some days at a friend's house in 

 Wyoming county during haying time, we were 

 among the mowers, one of whom, with his scythe, 

 cut in twain a large spotted adder, or milk snake, 

 the parts of which he tossed over the fence into 

 the public highway. In a few minutes, birds be- 

 gan to collect upon the fences on either side of the 

 dead snake, and witliin one hour there was a large 

 flock composed of almost every variety of birds of 

 our forest. It was truly a mi.xed assemblage ; sit- 

 ting upon the same r.iil were birds that we seldom, 

 if ever see in so close proximity, twittering, flutter- 

 ing, singing, as if they were having a jubilee. 



Occasi.inally they would leave the fences, light in 

 the road, and form a hoU iw square, in the centre 

 of which would be the body of the dead snake. 

 The scene continued about two hours, when the 



FARM ACCOUNTS. 



At a recent meeting of the Concord Farmers^ 

 Club, the question for discussion being Farm Ac- 

 counts — 



Dr. Reynolds said, every former would find his 

 advantage in keeping a debt and credit account, 

 not only with his male and female help, but with 

 his cows, oxen, horses, hogs and sheep. He should 

 charge each animal, or each lot of animals, with 

 their cost, the expense of keeping, losses by disease, 

 injury and death ; credit them with their increase, 

 milk, butter, cheese, labor, wool, mutton, pork, 

 beef, product of sales when sold alive, &c. 



In the same way he should keep an account with 

 each field, charging it with its viilue, taxes, ma- 

 nures, and labor expended upon it, and giving 

 credit for crops and improvements. Thus he 

 would know his profit or loss from year to year ; 

 what crops and what animals are most profitable ; 

 would benefit by his experience and might have ac- 

 curate information for his neighbors. 



Simon Brown said such accounts might be easily 

 kept : all that was Avanting was an effi3rt to begin. 

 He hoped they would all begin on the first of Jan. 

 Each one might keep such a journal as he pleased. 

 He has for years kept a journal in which he not 

 only kept his accounts with his help and his neigh- 

 bors, but in W'hich he has noted the time when the 

 birds appear and depart, when the blossoms open, 

 when he planted his ground, how much seed h3 

 sowed, and a variety of incidents of dom'^stic as 

 well as of a philosophical nature. We are creatures 

 of habit ; if we once get into the way of keeping 

 such a record we shall find it easy and pleasant. 

 He also spoke of the moral effect. It would make 

 a man not only a better farmer but a better man, 

 and better citizen, lie would know himself better, 

 as well as the state of his affairs, and would have 

 more courage to engage in the conflicts of life. 



Elijau Wood, Jr., said he had written much 

 more since he joined the club, than ever before. 

 He devoted at least one'evening a week to writing 

 and reading. It might be easily done if we would 

 set about it. If he raised a good crop he recorded 

 the amount and the mode of cultivation. Farmers 



