REMEDY FOR THE WEEVIL IN WHEAT.-MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES. 
213 
invested. ' Indeed, taking the United States alto¬ 
gether, it is doubtful whether it does. 
Mr. Cockrill has had a large experience in both 
kinds of business—raising cotton and wool; and 
has a very large capital now invested in both 
branches, and he is confident that wool-growing in 
Mississippi would be better than cotton, at present 
prices. His figures are, that he owns 2,000 acres 
of first quality of cotton land in Madison County, 
Mississippi, and with his 135 negroes, he made in 
1844, 1,035 bales, not quite 8 bales to the hand, 
which is more than an average crop, and which 
will not average over 5 cents a pound, is $20 a 
hale, exclusive of freight,, commissions, and steal¬ 
ings. Besides the land and working hands, there 
is a large sum invested in teams and implements, 
and supernumerary negroes; besides a great outlay 
for medicine, clothing, and provisions, over and 
above what is produced upon the plantation. In 
fact, some plantations fall short of 8 bales to the 
hand, and make no clothing and provisions, but 
buy everything. I have stated the quantity of 
land and flocks and hands upon the sheep farm. 
These 2,000 head of sheep will produce $2,000 
worth of wool a year at least, besides all the profit 
of the other stock mentioned. It is easy to see 
which capital pays the best interest. Why, then, 
does he continue the cotton business ?—simply, be¬ 
cause he has not been able to get rid of it. He 
sold out when the business was much better than it 
is now, but the purchaser failed, and he had to take 
back the whole again. If Mr. Cockrill would tell 
us his experience, it would be far more valuable to 
your readers than these scraps and items which I 
have picked up by the way. 
I have some more scraps of interesting matter in 
my notes which I have taken during my travels 
that I may be able to give you at a future day 
Solon Robinson. 
REMEDY FOR THE WEEVIL IN WHEAT. 
As no person has answered the inquiries of your 
correspondent, Mr. Lewis, Vol. 4, page 377 of the 
Agriculturist, relative to the prevention of weevil 
in wheat, I feel that I should not act liberally to 
withhold some facts from him and the public, 
which have come under my own observation. As 
I am largely indebted to the Agriculturist, and its 
able correspondents, for much valuable information 
on agricultural subjects, I am willing to contribute 
my mite to the common stock, pro bono publico. 
In the middle part of Georgia, the black weevil 
infests the wheat more or less every year, unless 
precautions are taken to prevent them. Sunning 
the wheat three days, spread thin on a scaffold, will 
prevent them effectually. Put the wheat up while 
it is warm from the heat of the sun. It is best to 
turn the hogsheads or boxes, in which it is kept, 
over a bark fire, and heat them, so as to destroy all 
the eggs of the weevil about them. If the boxes 
are too large to handle or turn over, place a stove, 
or a small Oven in them, in which make a bark fire, 
so as to heat them, taking care to prevent accidents 
from the fire. Some persons put lime, ashes, salt, 
the leaves of the pride of India, and many other 
substances, to prevent the weevil from injuring, 
wheat; but my experience is decidedly in favor of j 
sunning. It is well to examine the wheat occa¬ 
sionally, after it is sunned, and if there should be 
any appearance of the black weevil, fan the wheat 
all over again, and then sun it well the second 
time. It is seldom necessary to do this more than 
once, if the wheat is kept perfectly dry. 
The white weevil attacks wheat only in large. 
stacks, in houses when in the straw, and in the 
chaff after it is threshed. To prevent them then, it 
will only be necessary not to expose the wheat to 
them in either of the situations mentioned above. 
Let the wheat remain in shocks until it is ready to 
be threshed, fan it immediately after threshing, and 
then let it be sunned, and put away in a dry place, 
and securely covered. The white weevil is also 
common in the middle section of this State, though 
not so injurious to wheat as the black weevil. 
Butts Co., Georgia , May 18, 1846. X 
MANAGEMENT OF HONEY BEES.—No. 1. 
The art of managing bees in this country is but 
very imperfectly understood, so far as profit, health, 
and productiveness are concerned. 
It is generally supposed that bees require little or 
no air, and if they prove unproductive, or are lost 
from the ravages of the bee-moth, it is a mere mat¬ 
ter of chance, wholly beyond the control of the 
owner. 
I now propose giving the result of my own per¬ 
sonal experience in the management of bees for 
some years, on Long Island ; and from the happy 
effects of my course of procedure, I think my re¬ 
marks will not prove wholly void of interest, or 
advantage, to those who are unsuccessful in this 
branch of amusement and profit. 
The first desideratum is the dimensions of the 
hive. There is a certain size, of which hives 
must be made, in order to ensure success in its 
greatest degree. If we make them too small , the 
bees are more liable to perish from the effects of an 
unfavorable winter, and from the ravages of the 
bee-moth, in consequence of the weak condition of 
the stock. If we construct them too large, the bees 
will require two years to fill the hives, and increase 
by swarming is much lessened, and in some cases 
entirely prevented for a series of years. Now, in 
order to illustrate this position, I will observe that 
hives are used in this country from 8 by 12 inches, 
to 12 by 18 inches. If we use the smaller size, the 
quantity of bees that the dimensions of the hive ad¬ 
mit of wintering over, is too small to do well, as 
it has been thoroughly tested, that strong stocks 
winter better, and consume less honey than weaker 
ones ! This may appear strange to the uninitiated, 
yet it is true, for the reason that the bees are less 
exposed, in sfrong stocks, to the various winter 
changes of weather, to which our climate is sub¬ 
ject. A few warm days in winter will put the 
whole of a small stock in motion, whereas a strong 
one is much less affected ; and when once aroused 
from their lethargy, they consume double the 
quantity of honey that they do when in a state of 
quietude. But setting this matter entirely out of 
the question, there is yet a good reason for having 
larger hives. Bees in their natural state throw off, 
generally at first, swarms of a size that nature 
j teaches them are best adapted to prove prosperous ; 
