344 
SAXON SHEEP. 
When the bees become active and the winds arise 
during the day, this comb-dust is generally blown 
away, hence early in the morning is the time to ex¬ 
amine, unless the stock is so far undermined as to 
give evident signs of it at any time. Another sure 
sign is in the inactivity of the bees. As soon as 
the moth gets the upper hand, the bees discontinue 
all operations. Many of them will leave, and join 
neighboring hives, but a few will remain faithful 
to the last, and die at their posts. 
Every apiarian should be vigilant in looking to 
his hives in season, that he may at least save the 
honey, if not the bees, of his mothy hives. If 
taken in hand in season, he may, perhaps, save his 
bees, by driving them into a new hive; but if the 
season is far advanced, the bees would have no 
time to build new combs, and lay up a new store of 
honey for winter, consequently, he may save the 
honey, and disperse the bees among his remaining 
stock, for there are but few bees generally, under 
such circumstances, and those few are but little in¬ 
clined to defend their habitation, consequently the 
combs can easily be cut out by being properly pro¬ 
tected by a bee-dress. But the great object is not to 
know how to manage after the moth has destroyed 
the stock, but how to prevent such a result; and to 
this end I shall now confine myself. Perhaps there 
is no part of the management of bees, upon which 
there has been such a diversity of opinion and ac¬ 
tion, as upon a prevention of the moth. Some have 
deposited a little salt under the corners of the 
hives. Others have recommended catching them in 
basins of sweetened vinegar. Others, again, have 
trumpeted forth grand discoveries in the formation 
of hives, that prevent the entering of the moth, and 
more recently, some one pretends that a lining of 
zinc will frighten them away, or if they should de- 
osit their eggs within the hive, by placing th« 
ives near the ground, they would not hatch out! 
This is all moonshine. I give the moth every pos¬ 
sible facility to enter my hives. I open every side 
to its ingress, with 48 inches of opening to every 
hive, yet they enter not. My hives are surrounded 
by scores of them in an evening, yet they stand im¬ 
pregnable. Not all the ingenuity of man can ever 
invent, or prescribe a remedy against the moth* 
aside from the ability of the bees to defend themselves * 
Here lies the grand secret! A certain management 
of the bees, whereby they are enabled constantly by 
the force of physical ability and numbers to evea 
prevent the entrance of the moth. This is the sine 
qua, non —the grand desideratum that the world has 
been so long in search of, the philosophy of which 
I will give in my next. T. B. Miner 
Ravenswood, L. I., October, 1846. 
SAXON SHEEP. 
The Saxon sheep is a va¬ 
riety of the pure-bred Merino, 
taken originally from Spain, 
into Germany. It derives its 
name from the kingdom of 
Saxony, where great pains 
have been taken in the im¬ 
provement of the quality of 
the wool of the descendants 
of these Merinos, particularly 
in the Electoral flocks. Many 
contend that this improve¬ 
ment has been made to the in¬ 
jury of the carcase and con¬ 
stitution. In some flocks this 
may be true, but it is not so in 
all; for an importation made 
from Saxony the past sum¬ 
mer, by Mr. Taintor, of Con¬ 
necticut, showed as hardy, 
strong constitutioned, and 
well woolled sheep, as w T e 
have ever seen; and their 
fleeces were uncommonly 
heavy, fine, and even in qua¬ 
lity. This is a convincing 
proof that improvements may go hand in hand, and 
that for the sake of obtaining one superior quality, 
there is no necessity of sacrificing others. For our 
own part we have not a doubt, that Merino and 
Saxon sheep-breeders may in due time and by pay¬ 
ing proper attention, get as perfect forms for their 
animals as the improved Southdowns or Leicesters 
now show, and at-the same time keep up the con¬ 
stitution of their flocks, their weight of fleece, and 
fineness of quality. 
Saxon Sheep.—Fig. 80. 
The cut of the above Saxon sheep is taken from 
that excellent work, the American Shepherd, by 
L. A. Morrell. It is a spirited portrait of the best 
bred Saxons in point of form, though we should 
have preferred one showing thick wool on the 
legs and head, as many of the breed do, as this is 
indicative generally of larger, closer fleeces, and 
superior constitution. 
Saxon sheep were first introduced into the United 
States in 1823. They are a valuable race, and 
