36 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



Jan. 



debtee! for its unexampled prosperity during 

 the last seventy-five years. And we are confi- 

 dent that a comparison of the later with the 

 ealier numbers will furnish strong confirmation 

 of the sentiment which heads the calendar for 

 December, 1867 : 



The world improves ; with slow, unequal pace, 

 "The Good Time's comiug" to our hapless race; 

 The general tide beneath the refulgent surge 

 Rolls on resistless to its destined verge. 



AGRICULTTJIlAIi COLLEO-E. 



The Executive and Building committees of 

 the Agricultm-al College of Massachusetts, at 

 a meeting, Nov. 21st, voted, as we learn from 

 the Amherst Express, to have the College 

 ready to receive students on the first of Sep- 

 tember next." Abandoning the idea of one 

 large structure, the committee have adopted the 

 plan recommended by Mr. Olmstead and Judge 

 French, and have decided to erect five small 

 buildings: 1. a dormitory for 50 students, 

 with recitation rooms ; 2. a chemical laborato- 

 ry ; o. a boarding house; 4. a model barn; 

 5. a President's house. The whole estimated 

 cost of these buildings is $G5,000. The Ex- 

 press says: "the utmost harmony of purpose 

 prevailed at the meeting, and every one of the 

 trustees seemed determined to do his part to 

 make the College popular and successful. Pres- 

 ident Chadbourne shows himself to be fully 

 competent to the position and is fast bringing 

 order out of chaos. He promises to and 

 doubtless will, within nine months of the time 

 of his election, have the College in operation." 



CAKE OP BEES Of WINTER. 



If the weather is cold and snow has fiillen, 

 all stocks should be put into winter quarters. 

 I am often asked "What is the best method of 

 wintering bees?" I would say, any method 

 that will secure the following conditions : — an 

 even temperature, neither too cold, nor too 

 warm ; proper ventilation ; freedom from mois- 

 ture ; pei-l'ect darkness and quietness. A good 

 cellar or room away from the fire may answer 

 very well, or a house built for the purpose 

 would probaljly be still better. To secure 

 proper ventilation with common box hives, 

 they may be inverted, and wire cloth, or stifi 

 net tacked on the bottom of the hives to keep 

 the liees in. Moveable comb hives should have 

 the honey board removed and wire cloth or 

 stiir net put on in its place. Stocks that are to 

 be wintered out of doors, if in box hives, 

 should be so ventilated tliat there will !)e no 

 danger of the ventilation being closed up by 

 snow or ice ; if in moveable comb hives, all 



under ventilation should be closed up, the hon- 

 ey board should be removed, and after putting 

 on the wire cloth, it should be covered Avith 

 corn cobs or dry straw — all that the cap or 

 cover of the hive will shut over. It having 

 been a very bad season for bees, where natu- 

 ral swarming was allowed, nearly all swarms 

 will require feeding, and if not ab-eady fed, 

 should at once be removed to a warm room and 

 fed enough to winter them, so that it will not 

 be necessary to disturb them during the winter. 

 It would be better to feed a stock two dollars 

 worth of sugar, rather than lose it. Where 

 artificial swarming was practiced, and swarms 

 were made early, not much if any feeding will 

 be necessary. I would impress upon the 

 minds of bee-keepers generally, the necessity * 

 of examining their stocks, as many will perish 

 if not fed, and though feeding should be at- 

 tended to in September, yet, by following the 

 directions given above, many stocks may be 

 saved even now. — J. H. Thomas, in Canada 

 Farmer. 



For the New England Farmer. 

 PRESEKVnSTG MILK AND RAISING 

 CREAM. 



Among the other celebrities at the "Weld 

 Farm Festival" of last July, was a Mr. N. W. 

 Clark from Detroit, Michigan, who was at that 

 time travelling in the Eastern States for the 

 purpose of introducing a new and patented 

 invention of his, for the better preservation of 

 milk, butter, eggs, &c. Both of us happening 

 to be an hour or two ahead of the appointed 

 time, I had a chance to examine his plans and 

 drawings, and to hear from him a detailed ac- 

 count of what he claimed to be new discov- 

 eries in the art of preserving milk and making 

 butter. 



Mr. Clark has erected in Detroit a very 

 large building for the purpose of supplying 

 sweet milk to the city. It consists of a two 

 story ice-house, the upper fioor of which is of 

 galvanized iron, on which the ice rests. In the 

 lower story are large tin cans for holding the 

 milk. These are placed in tanks that are con- 

 stantly full of cold water from the melting ice 

 above. The cans are filled from an office room 

 through a funnel which passes through the thick 

 walls of the preserving-room. A pipe and 

 faucet from the bottom of the cans, also reach- 

 ing through the Avail into the office, allows of 

 the milk being drawn out for sale, without the 

 attendant's entering the cold apartment. The 

 milk can be cooled down to the temperature of 

 34°. 



The cans each contain an agitator Avhich is 

 moved by a small steam engine. When cream 

 is to be taken off and sold separately the agi- 

 tator is not used. 



Mr. Clark claims that he can keep milk sweet 

 a whole year if he chooses. As it never gets 

 sour, the cans do not require to be washed. 

 The conducting pipes are arranged with valves, 



