164 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[June, 
this season, will be likely to lead out swarms. 
Should a queenless family be discovered about the 
time small after-swarms issue, hive oue in a box 
aud set it ou the top of the queenless hive at nisrli ( 
opening the holes ; next morning, if not all ii; -.-■ 
lower hive, shake out of the box in front, they \. ,11 
go in, and not be likely to fight Swarms should 
be hived with as little delay as convenient after they 
have clustered. It is of no consequence what way 
it is done, providing the bees are all made to enter 
the hive, and then kept cool. I would discourage 
the practice of cutting off the branches on which 
they alight, for the sake of having them conveni- 
ent to get into the hive, because the bee-keeper at 
least, ought to have his trees and shrubbery of too 
much value to spare a branch for every swarm. 
"When they get out of reach, use a ladder, and take 
a small box made of thin boards, to represent a hive 
that can be carried in one hand, or take a bag, with 
a hoop to keep the mouth open, and shake the 
bees in, and bring them to the ground where they 
will become quiet in a few minutes, if it is set up 
like a hive. If preferred, they may remain until 
near evening before being transferred to the proper 
hive.... The movable comb hives are inconvenient 
to get the bees in. Probably the best way is to-get 
them in a light box, or common hive ; then take 
off the top board — aud if the construction of the 
hive will allow it — divide the frames, sliding them 
each way from the centre, then pour the bees from 
the box, like so much wheat, directly into the hive ; 
jar the box a little and nearly all wifl be out. The 
frames may be put in place, nearly, before many 
creep out. Put on the top board, lay the box on its 
side by the entrance, and the few bees that adhere, 
will soon join those in the hive. By sliding the top 
board just sufficient to expose the ends of the 
frames, they may be accurately adjusted without 
disturbing the bees Persons intending to Ital- 
ianize their bees in the common box hive, should 
at least understand some of their natural history. 
They should know that in natural swarming, the 
first colony that leaves, is accompanied by the 
old queen, that any after-swarm is attended by one 
or more young queens and the one left in the old 
stock is also a young one: That, as a rule, there 
are no eggs laid in the old stock, after the first 
swarm leaves, short of two weeks — occasionally, 
three; that for 24 hours or more, previous to and 
after a swarm leaving, piping may be distinctly 
heard by applying the ear close to the hive, in the 
morning or evening ; that after all swarming is 
over, the piping ceases, all queens but one, are de- 
stroyed, and she in a few days commences laying 
eggs. Now if this queen, before laying, is taken 
away, it is evident that no more can bo reared there, 
for want of material The first operation is rear- 
ing the Italian queen ; when they commence laying 
they are ready. The number wanted, are reared in 
small boxes. The process has been prcviousl3* 
given in the Agriculturist. In eight days, after a 
swarm has issued, listen at the parent hive for the 
piping of the young queen — it may be heard as 
early as eight, or as late as fourteen days. If none 
is heard, look in the morning about the entrance 
for dead queens ; if there are several, especially if 
some are immature, it is evidence that there will be 
no further swarming. It is probable, there is but 
one queen left, but to make it more certain, wait a 
day or two longer, when the whole colony is to be 
driven .out, the queen takeu, and bees returned. 
Two days after, the Italian queen may be intro- 
duced. If two or three swarms have issued, the 
piping should be listened for just the same after 
each. As long as it is heard, there are queens yet 
sealed, and further swarming may be expected, and 
it is useless to do any thing until they are through. 
Other than the swarming season will do, by driving 
out the bees once more. The first operation, is to 
drive out, find, and remove the queen, and return 
the bees. In from twelve to fourteen days, they 
will have a new queen — perhaps several. If they 
swarm — which they may do if honey is obtained — 
piping will be heard. Otherwise, the first hatched 
queen will destroy the others. If nothing is heard 
in sixteen or eighteen days, it will answer to drive 
out the bees again, and iutroduce the Italian. 
Notes from the Fruit Growers' Meeting. 
These meetings are continued as usual, at 2 P. M. on 
Thursdays. They are open to all. We extract the fol- 
lowing from the "talks" at some of the recent ones. 
E. Williams spoke in favor of the Clinton grape— had 
seen it preferred to Delaware. 
Mr. Dodge agreed that the Clinton was a line grape. 
W. S. Carpenter left the fruit on the vines late, until 
touched by frost, when it was very good. 
A letter was read by Solon Robinson, inquiring about 
raising strawberries with present high prices for labor. 
Dr. Ward replied that the raising of strawberries on the 
old plan involved too much labor— he thought the horse 
and cultivator would eventually have to do the work. 
Manure and prepare the ground every way as for Indian 
corn, and set plants in rows the same distance as corn. 
Plow and cultivate one way, letting the plants run togeth- 
er in the row, dressing them out with the hoe. Cover 
with litter or straw in the fall, plow out or go through with 
cultivator the following spring, pick the crop and plow- 
under, repeating the operation on the same ground, or 
elsewhere. Of course afield should be set out each year. 
The great labor of tillage the second year is thus avoided, 
a boy and horse doing all the labor of cultivation. 
Solon Robinson stated that J. G. Bergen was now 
raising strawberries in this way. Mr. Pardee would plow 
under old plants and leave runners for another crop. 
In regard to picking, Dr. Ward remarked that boys and 
girls acquire great skill by practice— his son had picked 
100 quarts in a day. E. Williams said cost of picking 
depended on size of berries. Monmouth County grow- 
ers paid their pickers $1 to $1.25 per 100 baskets. 
Letters were read from the West announcing the de- 
struction of most peach trees by the cold weather. It. 
was advised to cut down young trees that were badly 
killed, and let them sprout from the bottom. 
Inquiry was made if peach pits 2 years old would grow. 
Several persons stated from experience that perhaps one- 
half would grow the year they were planted and most 
of the others would come up the next season. Cracking 
the pits caiefully would help those unopened by frost. 
Mr. Blauvelt buries his pits in the fall, and plants in the 
spring— has tried cracking them during the winter, keep- 
ing dry, but only half came up. 
Respecting unhealthy and short-lived fruit trees, Dr. 
Underhill was of opinion that they were forcedrtoo much. 
The nurserymen, to meet the call for large trees, crowd- 
ed the growth of two years into one. Such trees readily 
became diseased. He thinks that nine-tenths of the inju- 
ry to the peach trees is owing to this enormous growth. 
Dr. Trimble alluded to a visit to Dr. Underbill's vine- 
yard last season, where he saw more and better grape 
vines than ever before, mostly Isabellas. Saw some mil- 
dew on the Isabellas and noticed the rot appearing among 
the Catawbas. Very few Isabellas ripened at Newark, 
N. J. Whether the extensive thinning given by Dr. Un- 
derhill accounted for his full crops he could not say. 
Regarding Dr. U.'s reputed success with the plum 
planted over water, he judged from observations then 
made that as many plums were stung over the water as 
elsewhere, and he did not give the curculio credit for an 
instinct which would lead it to deposit eggs only where 
the progeny would be safe when the fi'uit fell off. 
Dr. Underhill replied that he was successful in growing 
annual crops of plums in this way, when he could not 
get any on upland. His idea was that the glare of the 
water might deter the insect from depositing eggs where 
the progeny would certainly be destroyed. He planted 
long bodied trees at an angle of 45° over a pond and the 
result was entirely satisfactory— had 2 bushels of Bolmar 
Washingtons on a tree thus planted, and none on anoth- 
er tree of the same sort set near by on upland— had not 
failed to raise a crop for 12 years. Another trial along a 
ditch where there was water only a part of the time was 
not so successful. 
Dr. Trimble had no boat to examine the plums over the 
water but was positive he saw gum exuding which was a 
pretty sure sign that the curculio had been there. 
Solon Robinson showed specimens of root grafted 
trees from B. W. Steer, of Adrian, Mich. He uses no 
cloth or wax, but joins them with a tongue, as figured in 
the January American Agriculturist. 
Dr. Parker read a letter from Chas. Carpenter, of Kel- 
ley's Island, which stated that nearly all the Tines on the 
Island were killed last winter. 
A letter was read from Mr. Atkinson of W. Virginia on 
the deterioration of orchards for want of cultivation. 
W. S. Carpenter — The borer is the cause of 
deterioration in the orchards of this section. The 
tree is attacked when very young, one egg being de- 
posited when young, but as the tree increases in size, 
more appear. To prevent the insect from laying its eggs 
in the bark, the experiment had been -made of piling 
stones about the trunk of the tree, as a defence, and with 
success. Mr. Carpenter had lost many trees by the 
borer, and was applying this remedy. He believed the 
stones prevented the insect from finding the tree. 
Mr. Weld— The tin-foil used in putting up to- 
bacco, has been found a perfect preventive, when 
applied to the trunk so as to completely encircle it at the 
base. The tree should first be examined to see if any in- 
dications of borers exist. 
Solon Robinson— Hot water has been used whenever 
the borer makes his appearance. 
An inquiry was made, "How late it would do to trans- 
plant raspberry plants. 
Dr. Ward— They can be reset as late as the month of 
June, if the plant is in a dormant condition. 
Mr. Carpenter— Almost any season will do, if the 
leaves are removed. He had transplanted apple and 
pear trees as late as June. Strawberries could be trans 
planted just before they bloom, after the runners have 
started from the main roots. The strawberry should not 
be pruned in the Fall, as it then elongated its roots in- 
stead of pushing out runners, as in the Spring. 
The influence of the stock on different varieties of 
grafts, in maturing the fruit, early or late, was discussed. 
Mr. Carpenter— Perceived no influence of the stock on 
the graft in his experiments. 
Dr. Ward — Had grafted different varieties on the Vicar 
of Winkfield ; but they ripened in succession. 
Mr. Judd — Strawberry plants cultivated in a green- 
house ; the plants bloomed for four or five weeks, but no 
fruit appeared ; feared they were pistilate plants, but ob- 
servation proved the contrary. The windows were 
thrown open, and the invigorating air admitted and he 
now found some well set fruit. It was humorously sug- 
gested that the pistils had become fertilized with pol- 
len admitted through the open windows. 
A letter was read from J. Sheldon, of Alfred Center, 
N. Y., giving his experience in grafting cions from a 
sweet apple tree, into that of a sour apple, and vice versa. 
The fruit did not do as well as when the cion and stock 
were the same variety. A black mould covered the fruit. 
Prof. Thurber instanced an experiment of grafting 
sweet apple cions on a sour apple tree. Some of the 
limbs of the stock were left, and the grafts inserted in the 
lower limbs. The pollen from the original limbs ferti- 
lized flowers on the grafts, and produced sour apples. 
When the remaining limbs were removed, sweet fruit 
was produced. 
A letter, on the time of grafting, was read, from A. H. 
Mills, of Middlebury, Vermont. He stated that on May 
9th grafting was going on in lhat section. The letter 
maintained that the graft should be set before the leaves 
appeared. 
Prof. Thurber believed the time of inserting grafts 
could be extended further than was generally supposed, 
if the stock was in advance of the cutting. 
Dv. Ward gave a recipe for making grafting wax, such 
as he uses in his own nursery: 1 part of tallow, 2 of wax, 
and 4 of rosin. The consistence of the wax will be 
affected by the weather. If too stiff, he would add tallow, 
if too soft, rosin. He would use the wax warm and apply 
it with a brush ; put on in this way it was more durable, 
and a better protection to the graft. 
Different methods were suggested for keeping the wax 
warm during the operation of grafting, such as surround- 
ing the vessel of wax with hot wafer, or a quilt of batting. 
Another recipe, presented to the meeting for making 
grafting wax, was to melt together 2 parts of rosin, 2, black 
pitch, 1, while turpentine, 1, tallow, 1, beeswax. This 
is Watson's recipe— it is applied melted, with a brush. 
A letter from George Bush, Little Cooley, Pa., recom- 
mended the use of crude petroleum, for removing moss 
and killing vermin. 
Prof. Thurber thought this should be published with a 
word of caution, as petroleum consisted in good part of 
those oils known as kerosene, carbon oil, e!c., which had 
been used with injury to trees. Had seen it used in small 
quantities on green house shrubs 1o kill the mealybug, and 
without injury to the plants. We need to know more of 
the effects of this oil before we can safely recommend it. 
Mr. Dodge— What proof of injury is there from trees 
being set too deep? 
Mr. Carpenter— Had seen elm and maple trees planted 
too deep. They had been set for 4 years, but were but 
little larger than when first transplanted. The trees 
were lifted and then grew more in one season than the 4 
previous years. 
Dr. Ward— What is the effect of throwing dirt over the 
roots of trees already planted ? Had found in grading 
streets that 1 foot of earth heaped upon the roots causes 
death ; was this because warmth and air did not reach 
the roots, or is injury done to the bark. 
S. Robinson— Massing of earth upon the roots does not 
injure them-hadseen no bad effects where the roots 
were covered deep, but the bark protected by leaving a 
space open around the trunk. 
Mr. Carpenter— Had a tree banked up around the body 
3 feet and the tree in a healthy condition. Another tree, 
with the roots buried, but not the bark, was decaying 
