184 



NEW ENGLAND FARMEU. 



June 



will have a happy influence upon the mind, habits 

 and character ; will light up the home with sweet 

 affections, and shed a fragrance over all its duties. 

 The children will catch these virtues and carry 

 them forth to the world to purify and strengthen 

 man there, and will ever look back to such a 

 homestead as the well-spring that sends out what- 

 ever dignifies and ennobles our naiures. And 

 this will be true farm economy. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 "CLOVER HAY." 



Messrs. Editors : — As a subscriber and read- 

 er of your valuable paper, I notice your remarks 

 of April 30th, and also the opinion of Dr. McClure, 

 of Philadelphia, on "Clover Hay." Permit me to 

 add, from my limited experience, that your sug- 

 gestions strike me as worthy of notice. I cut 

 last season, from seven acres and thirty rods, by 

 actual measurement, a larger amount of hay, and 

 of more value to my stock of cattle, than I have 

 from the same number of acres during the past six 

 years. My stock averaged twenty-five head — 

 three yoke of oxen, seven cows, and the remain- 

 der two and three-year olds. I commenced feed- 

 ing out this kind of hay twice a day regularly, 

 together with other kinds of diff'erent qualities ; 

 and from the time my stock came to the barn in 

 November, up to the first of April, they have gen- 

 erally preferred the clover to other kinds of good 

 hay. This was cut about the first week in July, 

 and when in the blossom, dried one day and part 

 of the next, so that the leaves should not waste 

 before putting it in the barn. When mowed away, 

 it was salted carefully, from two three quarts to 

 the ton. My cattle have gained remarkably well, 

 and added in flesh more than they have in past 

 seasons when I have cut less of this kind of hay. 



I think the salting was beneficial, as thej did 

 not waste much in feeding it out. Many good 

 farmers are of the opinion that the best way is to 

 put clover hay, as soon as it is wilted, into small 

 tumbles and let it remain a few days ; and in that 

 way to be cured. 



I am satisfied a little salt added is far better 

 than to have it Jried and the best part of the hay 

 wasted by exposure to the heat, and it is certain- 

 ly less labor in getting it cured. 



I have been surprised to notice how far my 

 clover hay has carried out my stock. As I ob- 

 served, on seven acres and thirty rods, I obtained 

 at least two tons to the acre. The land on which 

 it grew was a deep, loamy, rich soil, descending to 

 the south, and I think the amount of this kind of 

 hay was equal to keeping one-fourth p»rt of my 

 whole stock through the season, from November 

 to April. Many farmers are of opinion that clover, 

 hay is of less value than other kinds, but I am 

 convinced, if well cured and cut in a proper time, 

 it will spend and carry out a stock as well as al- 

 most any other kinds of hay we have in New 

 England. Reuben R. Dodge. 



Sutton, May 3, 1864. 



Remarks. — We are glad to find our opinion of 

 the value of clover hay so fully sustained by one 

 of the Worcester county farmers. We hope our 

 correspondent will write often. His practical i"e- 

 marks are valuable. Where, by the way, is the 



pen of our old friend Harvey Dodge ? He is a 

 farmer full of sound experiences, and should not 

 suff'er the world of facts which he has gained to 

 be lost to his fellow-laborers. He must sharpen 

 up his long dormant pen, and make our columns 

 glow again. 



For the Neic England Farmer. 

 THE CULTURE OF BEES. 



Messrs. Editors: — It is often the case that 

 hives of bees are populous with plenty of bees, 

 and their owner, in the usual time of swarming, 

 looks every sunshiny day for a new colony, but is 

 disappointed ; the bees do not swarm, but cluster 

 on the outside, or under the hive, and remain 

 there till the honey season is nearly over, and, 

 consequently, do not make sufficient honey upoa 

 which to winter. 



Now, for the benefit of your readers and bee- 

 keep^-rs generally, I beg leave to say that there is 

 no difficulty in removing a part of the bees, and 

 putting them into another hive, in season for them 

 to gather honey sufficient upon which to winter 

 themselves, and perhaps with more perfect suc- 

 cess when properly done. For several seasons 

 previous to 1863, I had severalstocks of bees ap- 

 parently strong, which did not swarm, or make 

 any surplus honey. In the spring of that year I 

 had a call from Mr. R. S. Torrey, of Bangor, Me., 

 who claimed that he could divide a stock of bees, 

 and putting a portion of them into a new hive, 

 where they must work or starve, and leave a suf- 

 ficient quantity in the old hive to keep them in a 

 prosperous condition, thus producing two colonies 

 fully equal or superior to an old stock and its in- 

 crease, which swarm in the natural way, some 

 weeks or days later. 



But I was skeptical. I did not believe it could 

 be done, and told him so, and my neighbors, who 

 are bee-keepers, were of my opinion. Torrey per- 

 sisted in his statement, that it could be done in 

 fifteen minutes. I had"six old stocks, and reluc- 

 tantly consented that he might divide one of 

 them, provided he would warrant both to live and 

 do well. As I did not know Torrey, and conclud- 

 ed that I had lost my bees, I resolved to have 

 some fun out of the trial, and invited my neigh- 

 bors to share with me the sport of witnessing the 

 pain of the stings upon the operator, and his ut- 

 ter failure in his undertaking. But he had it all 

 his own way — he handled the bees like pets who 

 cared only to do his bidding. They even respect- 

 ed the lookers on, not even offering a sting or 

 sliowing any signs of disrespect. He put a part 

 of the bees into a new hive, and returned the rest 

 to the old home, w}iere they went immediately to 

 work ; and now, April 27, 1864, both colonies are 

 in excellent condition, and bid as fair to prosper 

 as any two hives I know of, with no extra care, 

 except to cover them with a blanket during the 

 chilly nights immediately after they were divided. 

 Not one of my old stocks swarmed in 1863 ; 

 consequently, I gained nothing from them, while 

 from the one I divided I obtained a colony much 

 stronger than any that swarmed the usual way in 

 this neighborhood — and most of my neighbors are 

 bee-keepers. 



Torrey is called the "Honey King of Maine," 

 "The Bee Tamer," and many other singular titles, 

 by the editors of some of the agricultural papers 



