358 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[October, 
liance can be put at any time in seed selected 
from the cribs, in this country. Allow me 
therefore to give your western subscribers a 
sure method of saving seed corn, so that eveiy 
grain will grow. — As early as all tlie kernels are 
partially glazed, make choice of those ears 
which have the most rows — not less than 16 — 
(usually the more rows, the less is tlie propor- 
tion of cob), entirely filled out at tlie small ends 
not shriveled up at all at the tips. If two such 
ears are on the same stalk, all the better. Leave 
on cnougli husks to tie four cars togetlier, to 
liang tliera over poles, in some dry place — the 
upper part of a room, wliere a fire is kept. I 
have found a large smoke-house well adapted 
to such a purpose. The corn should be com- 
pletely dried, cob and all, before any frost can 
reach it. Tluis secured, cured and kept dry, it 
will readily germinate after many years. It is 
very desirable to have as much of the ground 
plowed in the fall for the next year's corn crop, 
as can be done well. This is the surest method to 
destroy the weeds, and to get the ground in the 
best condition to plant at the right time. It is 
veiy desirable to have the ground plowed while 
it is yet warm enough to cause foul seed to 
sprout and grow ; so that the weeds may be cut 
down by frosts before they yield ripe seed, hence 
early fall plowing is best for corn at the West. 
Land having a clayey subsoil, really ought not 
to be plowed less than ten inches deep, for 
should the ensuing July and August not have 
'abundant showers the plants might suffer ; but 
with such showers, a few inches less may do 
very well. I believe that one efficient hand, 
with a lirst-rate team, and furnished with the 
right implements, can very successfully culti- 
vate 70 or even 80 of corn, if plowed early in 
autumn, and that he may have all the neces- 
sary cultivation finished Ijy tlie middle of July^ 
and so well that the crop will be out of the 
reach of a killing frost by the middle of Sep- 
tember, and yield full tince the average of the 
si.\ Northern counties of this State. If the 
land has been managed so slovenly that a very 
great quantity of foul seed is mixed with the 
soil, it may take two or even three years to 
eradicate the weeds, so that one hand with one 
team could perform all the labor. He might need 
assistance in thinning out the plants in June." 
■ ^-« — ^g^ I m . 
Observations on Burying Bees. 
. BT BIDWELL BROS., ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA. 
In a prosperous colony during a yield of 
honey, the Queen or mother bee continues lay- 
ing to supply the place of bees lost from acci- 
dent, or continued labor causing deatli. When 
the yield of honey fails, which often happens in 
summer, and always in autumn, the Queen ceases 
laying, and a gradual and certain reduction of 
numbers and stores takes place. In this way we 
are confident that more than one half the relative 
value of all stocks is lost in the ordinary methods 
of wintering bees. After a yield of honey, if 
the weather continues warm, many bees are lost 
during each successive day, in fruitless attempts 
to collect honey, requiring also an expenditure 
of stores for the exertion. From this cause 
alone, bees at the South are reduced to a mere 
handful during tlieir mild winters. This can be 
obviated in a measure by darkening, not closing, 
the entrance to the hive. Another waste oc- 
curs by disturbing the bees in any way, allow- 
ing the wind to jar or to cause a draft of air 
through the hive, making them uneasy ; this 
most frequently happens in windy situations— 
at times, in all places. The opposite extreme, a 
want of ventilation, is equally bad, giving the 
bees much labor to replace with pure air the 
impure air accumulating in the hive. In moder- 
ate weather each rise and fall of the thermome- 
ter outside, is followed by a similar change of 
temperature within the hive, the bees expanding 
tlieir bulk in warm terms of weather, and con- 
tracting in cold ones, keeping in a circle to best 
maintain their heat. Having to do this between 
several combs, some are left between outside 
ones, which become chilled and perish. In our 
climate, where the bees are comjiellcd to remain 
in tlieir hives several mouths durhig the winter, 
as they have no opportunity to carry out their 
dead, these accumulate on the bottom. 
Placing thermometers in several hives, and 
outside, we ascertained that when the ther- 
mometer outside fell below freezing, and 
during all the time it remained so, the bees 
maintained a temperature within, of one degree 
above freezing, though the weather in the open 
air indicated a temperature as low as 37 de- 
grees below zero, or 68 degrees below that of the 
bees. Giving three of the stocks a hard rap- 
ping, the temperature arose within to 84, 88, and 
89 degrees above zero, or an average of 124 
degrees above that outside. 
In the union of the oxygen of the air with 
the carbon and hydrogen of the honey eaten, 
heat, carbonic acid and water are produced, a 
chemical phenomenon similar to common com- 
bustion. Unless the ventilation is very good, 
the watery vapor is condensed in cold weather 
to water*and ice in the upper part of the hive. 
The carbonic acid, which is fatal to the bees, if 
not removed by ventilation, causes death. Hence 
tlie need of ventilating the cellars in which bees 
are kept. In warm terms of weather the ice or 
frost melts, and running down wets the bees. 
Should the weather change back to cold im- 
mediately, it would cause them to freeze, or clos- 
ing the entrance with ice they would smother. 
In some of these ways tlie numbers of the 
bees are diminished, and they seek to re- 
place the loss by raising brood, which is also 
attended by many losses. For maturing the 
young bees, honay, which supports respiration, 
is consumed, and also pollen, which is necessary 
to support the growth of the body, and this is 
attended by a high degree of heat. The honey 
which is fed to the young bees with the bee 
bread, must contain a large proportion of wa- 
ter (more than is contained in sealed honey), 
and if the bees can not obtain water to dilute 
the honey with, the brood will perish. In un- 
favorable weather it should be given to them in 
a sponge or similar absorbent, placed within 
their reach. The proper consistency of honey fed 
to brood is about that of honey just gathered, 
which is half water. By observing when bees 
collect water, one can be sure they are raising 
brood and consuming lionej'. If bees remain 
quiet and are strong in numbers, only honey 
is needed to carry on respiration. This causes 
comparatively little waste, but should exer- 
tion become necessary, and new bees be re- 
quired to replenish the hive, pollen is needed, 
which consists of nutriment and residuum. The 
latter, if not expelled, accumulates in the bodies 
of the bees, causing uneasiness and disease. 
In burying properly under ground, the princi- 
ple losses attending bees kept in other ways, 
are saved by an even temperature, (which we 
have found to remain at about 50 degrees), am- 
ple ventilation, complete dryness, and total 
darkness ; these constitute all the essentials to 
success. After burying, the bees gradually be- 
come quiet, usually requiring two days, then an 
even stillness prevails, which is not interrupted 
throughout the time they remain, unless heavy 
jarring occurs on the ground immediately ad- 
joining. The time bees should be buried is 
when they cease collecting honey, even though 
it happens in warm weather ; then the numbers, 
which are always large, can be preserved until a 
yield occurs again. In burying 7 lots of bees 
last winter, numbering from 1 to 40 colonies — 
in all 234 stocks — ^we found burying bees in 
trenches to require only half the material and 
labor that placing them in pits did, as described 
in the September number, last year. We ascer- 
tained it required but one pound per month to 
winter a strong colony, numbering from 40 to 
50 thousand bees. Where the winters are not 
too severe, as the next best plan to burying, we 
would advice letting them remain on the sum- 
mer stands, removing the honey board and plac- 
ing in its stead a straw mat, like that described 
in the February number of the Agriculturist 
for 1863, page 49 ; place over it the honey board, 
and stand boards, evergreen boughs, or brush 
with the leaves ou around the hives to keep off 
tlie warm sun and cold wind, removing oc- 
casionally in pleasant weather. This is far bet- 
ter than the usual practice of destroying the 
bees in autumn, or allowing them to waste away 
in winter, and might we think add millions of 
dollars annually as profit to bee-keeping. 
What sort of Animal is the most Profit- 
able for the Producer and Consumer ? 
This is, undoubtedly, that animal which has 
the least offal and fat, and yields the largest 
amount of the best pieces of meat for the table, 
in proportion to the weight of its carcass. Sup- 
pose the value of the dressed animal 17i cents 
per pound — the present average price of good 
beef— the tender-loin alone might then be 
worth 70 cents per pound ; the Porter House 
steak 40 cents; the fore-rib roasting-piece, 35 
cents ; sirloin steak, 30 cents ; and the Rump 
(for corned beef), 25 cents. Of the other parts 
we need not speak, tlie above-mentioned being 
sufficient to illustrate our point. 
The West Highland cattle, of Scotland, were 
formerly superior to all other breeds in the crops, 
from which part of tlie carcass the Porter House 
steak and the Tender Loin are cut; and, pos- 
sessing in addition to this, a general evenness of 
form, made up of lean, tender, juicy meat, they 
command from a penny to twopence (two to 
four cents) more per pound in the London 
market, tlian most other breeds. Tlie Devon 
comes nearest to them in a good carcass, next 
the Hereford and Short-horn, then other. breeds. 
Latterly, considerable attention has been paid 
by breeders of these last three flimous species of 
cattle, to make them equal the West Highlanders 
in the crops and fore ribs, and great improve- 
ment has consequently been made in these de- 
sirable points; but with all their care, it will be 
a long time before Herefords and Short-horns 
generally equal them here. Devons being orig- 
inally better in the crops ; the best bred are now 
nearly equal to the Highlanders in this point. 
It is because the South Down sheep so emi- 
nently excels all others in the same points, 
in which the Highland cattle are superior, 
that its carcass commands a higher price than 
any other. We do not take the little Welsh 
mountain sheep into consideration, because it is 
a. fancy animal, whose superior mutton is made 
from the peculiar rich fine-scented grass it feeds 
on, afiecting the taste of the meat in sometliing 
the same way, as does their autumnal food the 
