190 



NEW EXGfLAND FARMER. 



A pan. 



which premature decay no reason could be as- 

 signed which was half as probable as that it was 

 the result of forcing the trees by yearly and large 

 applications of barn-yard manure. As this prac- 

 tice is not uncommon, especialh' with persons 

 from New England and the East settling in some 

 Western State, and naturally in haste to get their 

 fruit from their own trees, this effort to show the 

 evil of the practice may, if my theory is correct, 

 be of value to not a few ; and if not correct, its 

 error will be exposed, undoubtedly, by some of 

 your readers. More Anon. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 HANDLING BEES— No. 3. 



Now, Friend, if you will procure the imple- 

 ments needed by all apiarians, great and small, 

 we will examine your bees on the first warm day 

 of spring. For cutting out comb in good shape, 

 you want a long knife, the blade 18 inches long, 

 1^ wide ; sharp on the end and both edges, and 

 the end square. This is to cot off the sides of 

 the hives, and an old scythe web is the cheapest 

 thing to make it from. Let a blacksmith f!at it, 

 and punch two holes suitable for riveting on a 

 handle, which when on, and the blade ground 

 sharp, will be right. Next take a bar of steel ^ 

 inch square, and 20 inches long ; have one end 

 drawn to put a handle on, then draw on the other 

 end a thin blade i inch wide, 1| long, round 

 point, sharp edges ; then turn at right angles with 

 the bar, and you have just the knife for cutting 

 comb from the top of your hives, or procuring 

 any part, and can insert it between the combs 

 anywhere. A scraper is very handy for cleaning 

 out under hives. Take i of inch wide, 20 inches 

 long, turn a small ring on one end, flat the other 

 into a three inch blade turned at right angles, and 

 you have it. If you are any way timid or inex- 

 perienced you had better have India rubber gloves 

 (which bees cannot sting through, nor will they 

 lose their sting in these and destroy themselves) 

 and a basket ; some take wide cloth, such as bees 

 cannot get through, yet coarse enough to be airy; 

 a strip 9X24 inches ; fasten the two ends, put in 

 a top of cloth, leather or board, gather on a cape 

 round the bottom, 10 or 12 inches long, to but- 

 ton under your coat, and you have it ; or a coarse 

 veil large enough to put over your hat and under 

 your coat, will answer the same purpose. Bas- 

 ket and gloves I shall not want. 



We shall find the bees, like human beings, 

 good-natured with full "belHes," so we take along 

 some water in a sprinkler, if you have it, sweet- 

 ened sweet with good brown sugar, which is gen- 

 erally a sufficient treat except in midsummer, 

 when smoke is necessary, but we will take along 

 a smoker. Roll up some cotton cloth tight as it 

 will burn, (a little tobacco will make a stronger 

 smoke,) a little larger than your thumb, and catch 

 it together with needle and thread ; now a match 

 or two, and we are ready, and will proceed to ex- 

 amine. Gently turn up the first hive, sprinkle a 

 little of the sugar water, and see them sip it ; 

 give what they will take ; clean oft' the bottom 

 board. Now we will look among the combs, and 

 see if there is honey to last till they can gather ; 

 they will consume more now they are stirring and 

 breeding ; (more swarms starve at this season 



than all other times ;) and see if there are eggs 

 so as to be sure the queen is "all right." Let us 

 examine the nest ; but see here, there are no egga 

 here ; the queen is lost ; this swarm will waste 

 away ; although there is plenty of honey, they will 

 not "do anything" without a queen. Look at 

 the next ; here is some honey, but only a few- 

 bees, not enough to keep up the heat in the hive 

 sufficient for breeding ; here are a very few eggs. 

 Tins swarm cannot flourish for want of bees ; you 

 can save them both by putting this small one with 

 that queenless one. Now treat them a little more 

 to the sugar water. We shall have to cut out 

 two or three combs so as to get at them ; do it 

 carefully ; save the comb to put in another hive, 

 as it is worth $1,50 per pound to stick in to start 

 the bees in hives or honey boxes. Take a soft 

 brush or wing and brush the bees into the other 

 hive, and hear them sing for Joy when they have 

 found the queen on the stand. & 



New Britain, Conn. 



INQUIBIES CONCERNING FABMING. 



Mr. Eeitor : — Will you be kind enough to pub- 

 lish and answer the following questions in the 

 March number of the Moyithhj Farmer? 



1. Where can I obtain potato onions for seed, 

 and will it pay better to raise them than the other 

 varieties ? 



2. Is it best to plant onions and carrots together, 

 or each separately ? 



3. Which will pay best for farmers generally, to 

 raise garden sauce for marketing, or raise poultry ? 

 We cannot raise both together without much trou- 

 ble. 



4. Suppose I live three miles from market, and 

 keep four cows ; which will pay best, to sell butter 

 at twenty cents per pound, or milk at four cents 

 per quart ? 



5. WTiich will pay best to keep, cows or sheep ? 



6. Is it best to keep store hogs in a small yard, 

 or allow them a lot to run in ? 



7. I have about ten barrels hen manure ; how 

 can I apply the same to my crops to the best ad- 

 vantage ? 



8. My land is smooth. What kind of harrow iS' 

 best? 



9. I shall be short for manure in the spring. I 

 shall keep eight or ten cattle. Will it be best to 

 plant an acre of fodder corn, or can I apply all my 

 manure to field corn, &c., to better advantage ? 



Wakefield, R. I., 1861. John Dimon. 



Remarks. — The above was not received in sea- 

 son for the March number of the Farmer. In or- 

 der to get the Monthly off to subscribers prompt- 

 ly, we are obliged to have it printed, folded and 

 stitched, ready for mailing, ten days previous to 

 the month for which it is designed. 



1. Potato Onions may usually be found at the 

 seed stores. We have no positive knowledge as 

 to the comparative profit. 



2. Onions and Carrots are not usually planted 

 together by those who raise large quantities of 

 both. We have never seen them in alternate rows 

 among the onion groAvers in Essex county. 



3. Poultry and Garden Sauce do not harmon- 

 ize very well, until they are cooked and laid upop 



