C 107 1 



On Bees. By S, H, Smith, of JVashington. 



Read October 9th, 180^. 



Dear Sir^ 



At length I have seized an hour to impart to you our 

 experience relative to the raising of bees. Living in the 

 country, with very indifferent black ink, I occasionly 

 use red, extracted from poke berry, of which this is a 

 specimen, I am inclined to think it will stand ; and it 

 certainly has the advantage of facilitating the motion of 

 the pen, — to me no small inducement to prefer it. 



I am respectfully. 



Your friend, 



Samuel H. Smith. ^ 



Sidney, September 22c/, 1809. 



On the 16th of May 1808, a young swarm left an 

 old hive ; we had a hive prepared agreeably to the di- 

 rections of the Encycloi:asclia, into which we put them. 

 The new hive (which we wilUcall the first) was placed 

 on a bench below a tree in a court yard full of clover 

 and flowers, and encompassed by a wood. On the 16th 

 of June the new hive sent out a swarm, which was 



'^The letter and communication written with the extract 

 from the poke, ( Phytolacca J is a beautirul red and promises to 

 be perman :nt. It would be well to obta n, and promulgate the 

 mode of extracting and fixing the colour. 



