88 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Vol. 2. 



ROCHESTER, JirKE, 1841. 



Cheering Prospects. 



It is highly gralifying to observe so many signs of 

 returning prosperity, aa we think we do at present. 

 The unusual interests which is now awakening 

 throughout the land on the subject of agriculture and 

 domestic industry; the expected modification of the 

 American tariff and of the English corn laws; and 

 last, though not least, thesmilesof Divine Providence, 

 in sending us warm and favorable weather and promi- 

 sing crops, is certainly calculated to drive away the 

 gloom and despondency which have enshrouded the 

 minds of too many farmers of late, and to fill their 

 their hearts with hope and cheerfulness. 



To our Frieuds. 



This number completes the first half of our present 

 volume; and the friends of the New Genesee Farmer, 

 who have labored so efficiently to increase its circulation 

 »nd promote its usefulness, will be gratified to learn that 

 complete success has attended their efforts. Our cir- 

 culation exceeds our most sanguine e.xpcctations, be- 

 ing now 17,U00; and before the close of the season it 

 will doubtless exhaust our edition. 



We are conscious that this result is to be attributed 

 mainly to the favor and aid which the paper has recei- 

 ved from the friends of the cause throughout the coun- 

 try; and while we express our sincere gratitude, we 

 desire to assure them that no reasonoble pains shall 

 be spared on our part to merit their continued confi- 

 dence and aid. 



We regret that a pressure of other business, to- 

 gether with some poor health, has prevented us from 

 bestowing that amount of time and attention to the 

 Farmer and its correspondents, which we could wish. 

 We intend to make better arrangements in future, so 

 an to increase the interest and usefulness of the paper. 



Pleasius Letters. 



We have not made a practice of publishing the nu- 

 merous complimentary and encouraging letters recei- 

 ved by US during the few months past, although they 

 have been highly gratifying to our own feelings. But 

 when, like the following, their tendency is to edify and 

 encourage our friends and correspondents aa well as 

 ourselves, justice to our readers demands their publi- 

 cation. 



The first letter is from a woithy Minister of the 

 Church of Scotland in Canada, and was written 

 shortly after the commencement of the present year. 

 It was not intended for publicalion, but we are confi 

 dent the writer will pardon the liberty we have taken. 



Mesibs. Editors. — Your determination to perse- 

 vere gives me much pleasure. You will please con- 

 tinue sending me the New Genesee Farmer, for I can- 

 not afford to lose the instructive enjoyment of my 

 arm-chair intercourse with your various correspond- 

 ents. When one has become acquainted with their 

 ways and words, and expects periodically to have the 

 pleasure of their conversation, the stoppage of your 

 publication would be like the receiving of an hundred 

 funeral cords at once ! Who could easily resign him- 

 eelf to the loss of the enjoyment of their dry humour 

 and practical sense ? Besides the pal [.able advantages 

 of their invaluable information, one has ihe entortain- 

 «»«t of holding converse with almost every variety of 



human genius. This, to me, is one of the princii al 

 charms of your publication, although I am aware it is 

 not the most important advantage. The principles of 

 agriculture are to be inferred only from facts, and the 

 facility which you offer for the statement of these facts 

 to every worthy and public spirited, young or old in- 

 dividual around yon, is the gathering in of sheaves for 

 a great harvest of science. That is the tare and great 

 merit of the New Genesee Farmer. 



T cannot exactly say that it belongs to the oflnce of 

 a Minister of religion to publicly recommend and pray 

 for the success of the New Genesee Farmer, though 

 things more absurd hove in that way been done, but 

 there can be no objections to his doing so in private. 

 One of my deepest convictions is, that a good farmer, 

 of all orders of men, is most likely to be a good chris- 

 tian. He must ben steady man; he must love to work 

 for the work's sake as well as the wages, and above 

 all he must be a lover of all sorts of cattle. Now no 

 one that loves the diflcrent races of cattle can hove the 

 nature to hate the race of man, and he that loves man 

 — ^just go on and see where you will end. 



Excuse this, Messrs. Editors, and convey, if you 

 have any means of doing so, my earnest request to ray 

 friends of the by-gone year, that they will contiunc to 

 correspond icitu me — I onght to have said with you, 

 gentlemen, but beg pardon, and remain, 



Yours, ito. L. T. W. 



A Compliment from Ohio. 



We have seldom received a more gratifying letter 

 than the following from a worthy and influential gen- 

 tleman in Ohio. The approbation of such men is no 

 small reward; and it encourages ua to persevere in 

 our attempts to merit such praise. 



Messrs. Editor? — I have been making an effort to 

 increase the circulation of your paper among the mem- 

 bers of our Agricultural Societ)', and as the result, I 

 herewith send you the names of sixteen subscribers. 

 The superior value of the New Genesee Farmer to us, 

 above all other papers of the kind, I consider to consist 

 in its freedom, thus far, from speculative theories — its 

 refusing to publish the grnmblings of discontented and 

 prejudiced men, calculated to discourage farmers from 

 adopting the most approved system of tilling the soil — 

 and its plain practical common sense and safe direc- 

 tions to the farmer. 



I am enthusiastically fond of the cultivation of the 

 soil, and if I had time, I would give you the results of 

 my experience in raising and feeding roots, &c. — per- 

 haps I may do so hereafter. I have often risen from 

 the perusal of your paper with this thought, Note tliat 

 oncnmnher is worth viore than the price of tlic whole 

 Tolnnie. I hope you will ' go on and prosper.' 

 Don't humbug the farmers and discourage them about 

 any thing, if you con help it. They are too ea- 

 sily discouraged at the best; and the failure of a new 

 production, or of an agriciUlural implement to an- 

 swer its recommendations, will throw (some of; them 

 back yean in their improvement. When a good cause 

 gets well established, a single failure don't injure it 

 much; but improved agriculture is not thus establish- 

 ed among the mosfi, and a puff of a poor thing, or the 

 discouragement of n good one, will alike do mischief, 

 I know it is difficult for you to avoid oil these evils, 

 but you hove hitherto been very successful, and I trust 

 you will still continue to be careful. Wishing you 



great success, I remain yours truly, 



Lorain co. Ohio, May, 1841. 

 We sincerely thank the writer of the above, and 

 hope he will excuse the liberty we have takeru We 

 should be hoppy to hear from him often. 



*,* We should be pleased to add the signatures to 

 the preceding letters, had we permission to publish 

 ihem. — Em, 



The Self-Protecting Bee-Hive. 



Mr. Julius Smith has left several of these hives a: 

 the Rochester Seed Store, and is desirous of introdu 

 cing them into use in Western New York. We be 

 lieve thein to be of an improved construction, and a 

 his request publish the description given in the Cuiti 

 vator, by the inventor and patentee, Wm. M. Uall. 

 of New Haven Conn. 



" The hive at your office, is of the exact form, an( 

 of the most suitable size and workmamhip for use; am 

 it contains all the principles of my patent. By th 

 construction of this hive, three very imporiant princi 

 pies are brought into operation. 1st. "I'he communi 

 cation from drawer^ to drawer, thereby enabling th 

 bees to pass freely from one drawer to the other, mo 

 king as it were, but one drawer, ivhen in tact ther 

 are two, thereby producing the most happy effecti 

 and causing the bees uniformly to build in both draw 

 crs at the same time, when without the cominunicc 

 lion, they usually fill one drowcr, before they con: 

 mence in the other. These drawers are removed b 

 means of two right angled metallic slides. 2d. j 

 perpendicular hive is' obinined which should always b 

 the case; without which the economy of the bees 

 much disturbed. It is well understood among apii 

 rians, that bees always build their combs in perpendic 

 ular sheets, without regard to form or size of the opar 

 ment, consequently if the bottom of the hive is cor 

 troctcd, some of the filth must lodge in descendinf 

 thereby causing much derangement in their open 

 tions; but if the hive be perpendicular, all filth disei 

 gaged by the bees, immediately falls to the botton 

 when it is at once disctiorged by means of the inclinf 

 plane. 'M. The bate or protector. Tlie base is th 

 best possible discharger of worms and other filtl 

 The planes may be constructed to any degree of incl 

 nation desired, without injury to the hive or bee 

 they furnish an opportunity for the bees to alight ar 

 enter both at front ond rear sides of the hive, at tl 

 same time enabling them to erawl to any part of ll 

 hive without again flying. Bees on returning to 

 hive, at a cool season of the year, partially benumbe 

 if obliged to fly after once alighting as from a suspei 

 ded platform, frequently die for want of strength 

 rise; and that too at a season when their numbers a 

 more wanted to produce onimal heal sufficient for tl 

 wants of the lirood. It is not unfiequently the cas 

 that whole colonies when thus treated, perith 

 the month of April. The hive is ventilated by cl 

 sing the planes more or less as circumstances seem 

 require. 



I describe the construction of the Self protectii ! 

 Bee-hive, as follows. Observing that my improvi .. 

 hive consists of three parts, viz. 1st. A perpendici 

 lar hive thirteen inches square more or less, as sef 

 in the accompanying drawings, fig. 15, A. 2d. Tl 

 chamber with communicating drawers at the top i 

 the hive for extracting the surplus honey, without dc 1 

 troying the bees, as seen in fig. 1.5, B. B. 3d. Tl I , 

 base or protector. The b.iseisa square frame of the si: \ 

 of the body of the hive, about 4 inches deep, without K . 

 or bottom, on which the hive tests, as seen in fig. 15, ( , 

 being connected and held in place by dowels, as see ■ 

 at X. X. and hooks as seen in the figures. The froi 

 and rear sides of the base are narrower than the othi , 

 sides by about an inch, leaving room at the bottom, I' , 

 the play of the inched planes, which form a botto 

 for the hive; consisting of two inclined planes slan 

 ing from the top of the base to the bottom. Thri 

 inclined planes consist of boards hung within the b( 

 of the base, on pivots passing through tbe sides ne 

 the top edge of the center of the sides, and exiendii 

 below the lower edge of the base in front and rea 

 with n pinyof about an inch, as seenat F. which te: 

 resents the plane inclining to the front. G. The fro 

 of the kasg. JJ, The {rivota on which the incpB- 



