epa M C Mas raSaigSMage 



86 



THE NEW GENESEE FARMER, 



Vol. 3 



To Correspoudents.-~Bee Maiiagenient. 



W. S. T. on ihe Management of Bees invites the 

 attention of our readers to n small bnt important sub- 

 ject, and one intimately connected with household 

 economy. We agree with him in his estimation of 

 the value of the Vermont Patent IJive, by John M. 

 Weeks, and \va know no better book of tbesize, in- 

 deed none so good, aa that of Mr. Weeks on the whole 

 management of Bees, two or three editions of which 

 have been published. We have on hand a manu- 

 script communication from Mr. Weeks on the sub- 

 ject of bees, and one from another friend J. V. C S., 

 which we shall presently give to our readers. John 

 Sholl, of the city of New York, a member of the 

 Society of Friends, is likewise the inventor of a 

 Hive, made from a flour barrel, and wliich may be 

 suspended any where ; of an excellent construction, 

 furnishing facilities for obtaining the surplus honey 

 at pleasure, preserving an equable temperature in the 

 Live both winter and summer, and almost absolutely 

 efTectual against the entronce of the Miller. We 

 design to have in our office at Rochester, for the grat- 

 ification of those interested, a model of Weeks' and 

 Sholl's Hives. Thacher'a and GnfKih'a Hives are 

 likewise good models ; and all go upon the principle 

 of not " muzzling the ox that treadeth out the corn," 

 and abandon the old atrocious system of Algerine 

 Piracy, first to murder and then rob. 



An excellent Hive, Beard's, has likewise been in- 

 vented in Maine, which we know only from the re- 

 commendation of others, but which we mean to in- 

 spect the first opportunity. We learnt the fact of a 

 single individual having sold the snmmer before the 

 last to the value of more than one thousand dollars in 

 Honey and Bees. This is more than many farmers, 

 even in Western New York, obtain for their year's 

 crop of wheat. We found in Vermont last summer 

 on one farm a stock of one hundred and twenty-five 

 hives. This bee-master gave a decided preference to 

 Week's Patent Hive over every other, that he bad 

 seen. 



Nutt's English Hive is a beautiful erection ; highly 

 ornamental in a garden or orchard ; and combining 

 in an eminent degree all the desirable properties. 

 The Bee Houses, as they are called, and the keeping 

 of bees in garrets, have generolly failed after two or 

 three years, some through the ravages of the moth 

 and some for other reasons. 



Management of Bees, 

 Mb. Coluan — Having been a reader of the New 

 Genesee Farmer for about two years past, I have as 

 yet seen very little written upon the management oi 

 the honey bee. Feeling an interest in this subject, 1 

 send you a few brief hints as to the best mode of pro- 

 tecting the honey bee from the moths, that they may 

 not destroy their useful works. The farmers in this 

 vicinity, at an early day, kept bees to good success. 

 Of late years the millers have become so troublesome 

 that it is almost impossible to keep bees. More care 

 and attention are required now at the present day to 

 keep bees, tban when the country was new. A few 

 years ago, many farmers in this section tried, by way 

 of experiment, small houses for the honey bee ; but 

 this was not an effectual protection, the moth soon 

 got possession of the building and destroyed them. 

 The common hive is better than such buildings if set 

 in proper places and taken good care of. The best 

 hive in use, is, in my opinion, the patent hive invent- 

 ed by John M. Weeks of Vermont. In order for us 

 to keep bees as formerly, we must obtain this new 

 patent hive, and give our leisure moments to the care 

 of them. The moths and millers are more prevalent 

 now than formerly. It is therefore highly desirable to 

 obtoin a hive that will be a preventive against the 

 moth. With proper exertions we can, in my opinion, 

 keep bees now as well as formerly. The patent hive 



is preferred to any other for this reoson, that we can 

 obtain the sweets of life at any time without killing 

 the bees. There seems to be great cruelty in killing 

 such industrious creotnres. The patent hive is not 

 much u-ed in this section, but the time is not far dis- 

 tant when it will be the only hive in use. As soon as 

 farmers make a trial of them, they will abandon the 

 common hive. The common hive will answer very 

 well in a new country, where the moths are not so 

 prevalent. The great difticulty in keeping bees in 

 this country, is in the moths and millers obtaining 

 possession of the liive, and thus destroying those 

 ingenious fabrications which are beyond the pow- 

 er and wisdom of man to construct. I shall con- 

 tinue my views upon this subject hereafter. 



South Venice, 1842. W. S. T. 



For the New Genesee Farmer. 

 Mr. Colman — If there are any evils which require 

 philosophy to support them, we think those of an edi- 

 tor among the number. And if f^ueition asking is to 

 be ranked among these evils, we think as the thirst of 

 knowledge is being more and more excited in the fe- 

 verish mind of man, these evils must continue to in. 

 crease until the fountains of knowledge are widely 

 opened. There is no way to open these fountains only 

 for every one to put forth a helping hand. We must 

 have our Davids in the field os well as our Goliaths ; 

 and if the stature and strength of the former falls far 

 short of those of the liitler, the good will manifested, 

 will in some meosure compensate for the deed. 



We have noticed with some sympathy, the dilemma 

 in which you are placed by tho catechising part of 

 your subscribers. Why sir, if you had as many pens 

 as you have fingprs and should keep them in constant 

 practise, you could not stop the clamors of this en- 

 quiring truth seeking age. Prompted by these rellec- 

 tions, I have sentyou my mite, hoping in aparticular 

 or two to relieve you from embarrassment in which 

 you are placed. In answer then, to the enquiry of 

 your Connecticut River correspondent, respecting 

 bees, permit me to reply. 



That the best way to keep bees through the winter, 

 is to keep them cool, dry and dark. This may be 

 accomplished in various ways. Wc have buried them 

 with good success. But the season must favor this 

 operation, or it will not succeed so well. In open 

 winters like the past, we should not approve of this 

 course, for by the I'requent thawings of the earth, 

 they are liable to get wet, mould and die. The best 

 success attends burying, when the ground freezes im. 

 mediately over the hive and remains frozen until 

 Spring. In winters like the post, keep them in a 

 cool, dark room, where the storms will be entirely ex- 

 clnded from them. In such places they will be like- 

 ly to remain dormant, which is much in their favor. 

 Summer management. Salt your bees as often as 

 once a week; if oltener better. Water them at some 

 pare stream every day. Now friend of Connecticut 

 River, we are not hoaxing you. Bees eat salt. Its 

 qualities are also anti-moth. If a little remains around 

 your hives, it will help you to guard against these 

 pestiferous animals. Though your bees may some- 

 times be rather obstinate about driving to water, yet 

 rest assured, that if you locate your apiary near a good 

 fresh stream or pool, as you should do, they will soon 

 find the way to it themselves, after which, you will 

 have no trouble of driving, for when found, they 

 know and appreciate the excellency of its cooling and 

 cleansing quaiities as fully as the most fastidious of 

 our own species. Let their hives, also, be in a cool 

 and quiet place, not so near the highway aa to endan- 

 ger the horses of passers by on a sultry day, for such 

 a rencontre would not only be fraught with danger- 

 ous consequences to your neighbor and his beast, but 

 to themselves also. Allow the visitors at your place 



to ask such questions ns they please with regard to their 

 prosperity, but do not allow them to run among your 

 hives, lifting up this and drumming on that, for the lit- 

 tle warriors will be oroused if you do, and very likely 

 punish you for " allowing liberties to be token with 

 them." Keep cool when you go among them; they 

 like system, and to have every thing done at the right 

 time and in a right way. 



At swarming time, in particular use discretion, and 

 do not be in a hurry. If you wish to blow tin horns 

 or drum on old pans for yonr own amusement when 

 they are rising, you can do it, but they will pay but 

 little regard to such ceremonies. The Shakers in 

 New Lebanon, who are the best bee managers we 

 know of, have nothing to do with this flummery. 

 They set a shaker hat on a pole some four or five feet 

 high, (probably the hat of their chief attendant, which 

 they will know as quick as a dog will the back of his 

 master,) and the swarms frequently alight upon it- 

 Thcse people have the confidence of their bee com- 

 munity so much that they handle them with as mttch 

 indifference as they would files. Bees are susceptible 

 of right and wrong in their transactions with the bee 

 keeper, and appreciate kindness as fully, as some at 

 least, of our own species. 



Do not over stock your premises. It is necessary 

 that there should be labor enough for the hands lokeep 

 them all busy. In this way they will keep in health, 

 and when a strong vigorous swarm exists, there is but 

 little danger of invasion by enemies. 



Cultivate flowers, especially the white clover, a 

 beautiful plant, which is very ornamental to high- 

 ways and pastures. If your bees do not derive snffH 

 cient benefit from it to compensate you for your pain^ 

 perhaps your cows will. Cat mint is also a favoroble 

 plant with them, not for its medical properties, for in- 

 dustry gives them health, but for the honey they ex- 

 tract from it. The currant, gooseberry and rasp- 

 berry are also valuable for them. So isMignonnette 

 one of the prettiest little flowers of the garden 

 and long in bloom. Set the planta two feet asunder 

 and it will occupy all the ground. W. B. 



Mount Osceola, 1842. 



Naked Barley.— A Substitute for Wheat. 



Mb. Colman — In a late number of your paper I 

 observed a notice of a new Jkind of barley called 

 " Pearl Barley of the West," which was grown last 

 season ineome part of Michigan. The same kind of 

 grain, I presume, has been cultivated for two or three 

 years in this vicinity ; and the notice above alluded to 

 reminded me of a beautiful ciop of it which I saw 

 growing last summer upon the farm of Mr. Walter 

 Gillespie, a successful and enterprising farmer in this 

 town. Subsequently I made inquiries respecting it, 

 and I subjoin the information gathered from him, 



This barley is six rowed, and resembles very much 

 while growing the common six rowed barley ; it is a 

 naked barley, the grain threshing out clean from the 

 husk or hull like wheat ; the berry is about the colour 

 of the red chaff wheat, but in shape somewhat longer. 

 The quantity of ground sown was about two acres in 

 an orchard ; soil a light sandy loam ; the previous 

 crop was barley of the common kind, the stubble of 

 which was plowed under, the seed sown upon the fur- 

 row and harrowed in. Three bushels of seed were 

 used ; the crop was mowed and gathered up in the 

 same way as hay ; and when threshed and cleaned it 

 measured a little over fifty bushels, and weighed sixty 

 five pounds to the bushel, Mr. G. has had some of 

 it ground and bolted, the flour was very fine and white, 

 more so than that from our best winter wheot ; in- 

 deed the miller stated that by these two peculiar prop- 

 erties only, could it be distinguished from superfine 

 wheat flour. The bread made from it was whiter 

 than wheat bread, and would not be suspected as being 



