122 
DIFFERENT QUALITIES OF HONEY.-A CORN PLOW. 
tion of personally inspecting his herd, and speak of 
it from our own knowledge. For more particular 
descriptions we refer to our first volume. 
It will be seen by an advertisement in our present 
No., that the Entire Herd is offered for sale, on 
Wednesday the 25th of June next. Mr. Prentice is 
a gentleman of high honor and the strictest integrity, 
and whatever he says in his advertisement may be 
relied upon. The sale will afford such an opportuni¬ 
ty for stock-breeders to possess themselves of good 
animals, at moderate prices, as has never yet been 
presented in the United States; and we earnestly en¬ 
treat all w r ho have any desire for the improvement 
of their cattle, to be there and make a bid. As we 
design being present, we respectfully offer our ser¬ 
vices to such of our friends as may find it inconve¬ 
nient to attend to bid for themselves. Any instruc¬ 
tions they may please to give as to choice of animals, 
and prices at which to purchase, they may depend 
upon being faithfully executed. 
DIFFERENT QUALITIES OF HONEY. 
Among all the treatises on the subject of bees that 
have come under my notice,-1 do not recollect one in 
which the different varieties and qualities of honey 
have been particularly noticed and described. It is a 
matter of surprise to me, as honey is obtained from 
so great a variety of flowers, possessing in them¬ 
selves properties so various, that if there be any dif¬ 
ference, there should not be as many kinds as there 
are plants producing it. But this does not seem to 
be the fact. In all that I have yet seen made at the 
north, I have been unable to discover but four dis¬ 
tinct kinds; though some of them differ considerably 
in quality in different seasons. 
1st Quality .—The first honey collected—and I 
think the richest and most valuable sort, is obtained 
in April and May, in this latitude (42°), principally 
from the blossoms of fruit and forest trees. It is of 
an amber color—very heavy—being nearly of the 
consistence of tar, and possesses a peculiar aromatic 
flavor. The comb in which it is deposited is of a 
light straw color, and is thicker, that is, there is a 
greater proportion of w T ax than in the other kinds. 
It is collected in comparatively small quantities, or it 
is deposited in the lower apartments of the hive, so 
that but little of it ever gets to market in a pure vir¬ 
gin state. We once, however, had a globe contain¬ 
ing nearly 20 lbs. filled with it (taken of course from 
one hive), while residing in Connecticut. 
2 d Quality .—The next variety to be noticed, is 
collected at the same season of the year as the first 
mentioned, and is deposited in the same kind of 
comb, has a similar though rather higher flavor, and 
is not only as thick, but nearly as black as tar; but 
it is obtained in still smaller quantities than the first. 
3d Quality .—The next in order is taken in June 
and July. This is always of less specific gravity 
than the two former, though it differs more in this 
respect than any other kind in different seasons. 
Sometimes it is so thin and watery as to ferment and 
become sour when it runs from the cells; and even 
in such cells as are uncapped. It is destitute of the 
rich flavor of the early made kinds, but looks better, 
being almost colorless, and is in thinner, whiter 
comb, and on account of its fine appearance brings a 
better price in market. It is indeed preferred by 
some for its taste, while others consider it the most 
inferior of all. This is the kind so well known as 
white-clover honey, and is doubtless principally ob¬ 
tained from that plant. 
4 th Quality .—The next and last to be described, 
is made later in the season from buckwheat. Of this 
there is no doubt, and one who keeps bees need not 
be told when the fields of this grain are in blossom, 
though he be totally blind, provided his olfactories 
are unimpaired, on going within a few rods of his 
apiary. The strong odor that is emitted from the 
hives reveals the fact to a certainty, though there be 
none growing within the distance of a mile. The 
honey, however, loses this rank smell in a great de¬ 
gree in a few weeks, and is then preferred by many 
to the white-clover. Its color is a dark brown ; but 
the comb containing it is the whitest of all, and is so 
very thin, that in some cases where the cells are 
deep, a piece containing a pound of honey, would 
not I think, weigh more than one fourth of an ounce, 
that is, not more than one sixty-fourth of the whole 
is waste. This variety is generally heavier than the 
white-clover, but less so than that from fruit trees. 
The different kinds of honey are seldom if ever 
mixed at all in the cells; nor are the cells filled in¬ 
discriminately in the sheet; but each kind is by itself, 
so that a sheet of comb containing two sorts, can be 
divided with a knife so as to separate the kinds. 
In order to obtain all the varieties pure in boxes, 
the hives should be in good condition in early spring. 
They should not be much exhausted of honey, and 
well stocked with bees. In order to keep them in 
this condition, it is better to remove them to some 
warm out-building, or dry cellar, where they will not 
experience the great changes of temperature to which 
they are exposed if left in the open air in Winter. If 
well managed, the avails of the apiary are a profita¬ 
ble item of farm produce. H. Carpenter. 
Poughkeepsie , Jan. 16, 1845. 
A CORn’pLOW. 
In passing through Butler County, Ohio, on my 
way to Kentucky, in the month of August last, I 
called on Dr. Keever, an extensive farmer as well as 
skilful physician and surgeon, with a very extensive 
practice. 1 asked him to write out the result of some 
of his farming operations for your paper, which he 
promised he would; but as they have not appeared, 
I suppose he has not been able to spare the time from 
the multiplicity of his cares to do so. I saw an im¬ 
plement of husbandry at his farm of too much im¬ 
portance to remain unnoticed, as it ought to be in use 
wherever the corn crop is extensively cultivated. It 
was a plow with two shares, with a pole connected 
to the frames in the centre, like that of a wagon, 
worked with two horses. The shares were so con¬ 
structed that they could be shifted either way, thus 
throwing the dirt to or from the corn, at pleasure, o 
both sides of the row at the same time. It did the 
work to great perfection, and twice as fast as a single 
plow would have done it. I hope Dr. K. will find time 
to send you a drawing of it, and give a description of 
some other curious inventions, as well as of that of 
his farming in general. He is an intelligent and in¬ 
genious man, and ought to be willing to let others 
share with him, inasmuch as nature has done more 
for him than the great majority of us less gifted 
A Traveller 
