1862. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



303 



eighth of a mile of this tree, you hear the warning 

 note of the king-bird, who immediately gives chase 

 and drives him off. 



In destroying insects on a farm, I think that 

 turkeys might be kept to much better advantage 

 than crows. I had rather raise a dozen turkeys 

 on ray place, than a dozen crows ; and how differ- 

 ent the footing up sounds, in the fivU, of the two 

 investments ; in the one case the music has been 

 all addressed to the ear, and pitched to the tune 

 of innumerable "caw, caw, caws ;" in the other, 

 the pocket is replenished with the musical jingle 

 of ten or twelve dollars, and a Thanksgiving 

 feast into the bargain. 



The flock of crows that return to this part of 

 the State, annually, in the spring, has been slowly 

 decreasing for several years ; I should think that 

 last year they might have numbered twelve or fif- 

 teen hundred ; the use of strychnine, no doubt, 

 accounts for this decrease in a great measure. I 

 should rejoice to spare ninety-nine one-hun- 

 dredths of the remainder. Can any man benefit 

 the public more by the use of twenty-five cents, 

 than by purchasing that worth of strychnine ? 



Worcester, 18G2. L. K. E. 



For the Netp England Farmer. 



IMPROVED STRA-W HIVES— HOW 

 MADE. 



Having succeeded in constructing a hive of 

 straw, adapted to improved bee-culture, making it 

 take and retain a shape suitable for movable 

 frames and surplus honey-boxes, I announced it 

 in the Farmer some months since, and at the 

 same time an invitation was given for some one 

 to gi^e us a better form, as I did not suppose that 

 I had the best one. Since that time, two straw 

 hives have been patented, but whether they are 

 sufficiently superior to mine to pay patent expen- 

 ses, is not for me to say. Both of them have 

 movable frames. One patented by Air. M. S til- 

 well, Manlius, N. Y., very much like mine ; the 

 material difference is in the manner of securing 

 the straw. Mr. S. Ide, East Shelby, Orleans 

 County, N, Y., has one with double walls, with an 

 air space between ; the inner one of straw, tlie 

 outer of wood, which serves to protect the straw 

 from the v.-eather, and as far as the sides of the 

 hive are concerned, M'ould do a great deal to pro- 

 tect the bees, and keep out the frost. It is well 

 made, durable, and somewhat costly. The one I 

 have is more simple, easier made, and probably 

 may answer just as well. It is made to corres- 

 pond in respect to heighth, length and breadth, to 

 a wood hive that I have, with movable combs, so 

 that the combs, bees, &c., may be transferred at 

 any time. I would suggest that any one disposed 

 to make the straw hive, who already has the mov- 

 able combs, that they make it the same size of the 

 wood hive, inside measure of course, as the straw 

 will 1k' much thicker than boards. It will be un- 

 necessary for me to describe the frames, manner 

 of supporting them, or size of the hive. 



To make the hive, take strips of board, say one 

 inch thick by two inches wide, and make two rec- 

 tangular frames, halving or framing the corners 

 together, and keeping the under surfaces in the 

 same plane. These frames must be of the same 

 size, and of dimensions according to the size of 



the liive required. On the under side of the bot- 

 tom one, cut a passage way for the bees, three 

 inches wide by three-eighths deej). Lay this on 

 the bench before you, and nail to it upright strips 

 of lath — let them be an inch wide by one-fourth 

 inch thick — the length corresponding to the height 

 of tlie hive, the lower ends being even with the 

 lower surface of the frame. If very smooth work 

 is desired, these laths may be let into the frames 

 juRt their thickness. AVhen to be painted, it 

 should be done before filling in the straw. These 

 laths should be about four inches apart, inside 

 and out, the two at the corners joining together. 

 Now take long, clean straw, llye straw is the 

 smoothest if unthrashed, the better ; get it even, 

 and cut off the head, wet it and lay it between the 

 ujn-ight pieces of lath, bending it round the cor- 

 ners in such a Avay as to make the walls of the 

 hive, and press it close. When half full, if the 

 hive is a deep one, ])ass some small annealed wire 

 around the inner and outer lath, to keep them from 

 spreading. Having pressed the space full, lay the 

 second frame upon the straw directly over the 

 first, nail the upper ends of the lath to it, and the 

 hive, with the exception of the top, is done. Such 

 a hive should have two tops, movable, of course, 

 as in all movable comb-hives ; one of wood, to be 

 used during the gathering of surplus honey, and 

 the other of straw, for winter and spring. This 

 straw top may be made on the same principle as 

 the hive. jNIake a frame of the proper size, and 

 two inches deep ; nail pieces of lath on the under 

 side, sinking them in so as to leave a level sur- 

 face, fill in above them with straw, and bind it 

 down with lath nailed above. It will be unneces- 

 sary to leave any passages for ventilation, and as 

 the wood top is used in the honey season, no holes 

 are necessary in the straw top, to communicate be- 

 tween the boxes and hive. Allow the hive to dry 

 out as fast as possible, and when dry, it is ready 

 for the bees. They may be transferred at any 

 time. If the weather is cold, take them into a 

 warm, dark room, using a candle to work by. 

 Such a hive, with no ventilation but that afforded 

 by the porous absorptive mass of straw of the side 

 and top, has been found free from frost, and the 

 bees in very comfortable condition, when the ther- 

 mometer stood at 10° below zero. As I have 

 heretofore given my views relative to the advan- 

 tages of straw hives in the Farmer, I will not re- 

 peat them here. M. Quinby. 

 St. Johnsville, N. Y. 



Drying Up. — A letter from a gentleman visit- 

 ing the oil region in Pennsylvania, dated at Oil 

 Creek, April 13, confirms the recent reports as to 

 t!ie f^reat decrease in the produce of the oil wells. 

 On his arrival there about two mouths since, one 

 well flowed 1200 barrels in 21 hours. On the 12lh 

 inst., it yielded but oOO barrels in the same period. 

 Six other wells, which on his arrival yielded 400 

 barrels each in 24 hours, now yield respectively ItjO, 

 100, 80, 40, 20 ])arrels, and the sixth none. Anoth- 

 er well which then yielded 5.30 barrels, now pro- 

 duces not a drop. He says, however, that new 

 weils are daily being sunk further up the creek, 

 were it not for which, he thinks the supply would 

 soon give out, and as it is, he is of the opinion 

 that oil will soon be scarce in that region. — New 

 Bedford Standard. 



