REVIEW OF THE JANUARY NO. OF THE AGRICULTURIST. 
189 
Management of Honey-bees, No. 6.—The theory of 
Mr. Miner upon two points appears to me different 
from the generally received opinion of modern bee- 
managers. That is, he gives free access to the 
moth, and depends upon the strength of the swarm 
to keep the moth out. Now I have no doubt but 
this may prove true in most cases. Yet during the 
last summer I had a very strong swarm in one of 
“ Weeks’ patent hives,” tuat are of the same capa¬ 
city, recommended by Mr. Miner, which were at¬ 
tacked and nearly destroyed by the moth. I have 
•also known a good many bees perish by what peo¬ 
ple called freezing to death ; yet I doubt not if they 
could be kept cold all the time, they would winter 
well. It is the freezing and thawing that kills 
them. Perhaps the plan of Mr. Miner, giving the 
hives full exposure to the weather, is the best. I 
should like to hear from others upon the same sub¬ 
ject. In the meantime 1 hope these articles‘of Mr. 
Miner’s will be carefully read by all who keep or de¬ 
sire to keep bees, and that he will continue to write 
Letters from the South, by Richard L. Allen, I 
venture to say will always be read with pleasure 
by every one of the thousands who read this paper. 
And as “ the boys” always read what is written by 
this old friend of theirs, I wish him to be particu- 
cularly careful in the grammatical construction of 
his sentences, and not in his haste make it appear 
to them that wild turkeys belong to the varieties of 
ducks and geese. Plis description of Col. Hamp 
ton’s poultry-yard reminds me to say, that I am 
fully persuaded that out of every ten persons 
throughout the United States, who keep poultry, 
every nine of them would find it most decidedly to 
their advantage to keep their poultry in an enclosure. 
The produce would always leave a profit over 
the cost of keeping; besides it is much cheaper to 
fence the hens into a yard, than it is to fence them 
cut of the garden and other places where they never 
should go. I have the same fault to find with this 
letter that I had with the first one. It is not minute 
enough. I want to look into every *!iook and cor¬ 
ner of this great Southern plantation. 1 think I 
’•could venture to believe whatever Richard L. might 
say of the actual condition of the laborers upon this 
place, and how itr would compare in point of com¬ 
fort, contentment, and happiness, with the laboring 
class of people in other parts of the Union. But I 
shall go and see for myself some day I hope. Do 
you give the average crop of cotton high enough ? 
It is considered below what I have understood it to 
be. In Mississippi, land that does not produce a 
bale to the acre is not first-rate. As for cotton 
seed being “ useful for feeding cattle,” I have only 
to say, that it is much more useful for manure. 
Cotton seed has a very oily kernel within a thick, 
hard, dry covering”, that has about as much nutri¬ 
ment in it as there, is in the scales of a hickory tree ; 
and although it may be softened by boiling, it never 
can be “ improved” into valuable food. 
• To boil Meat Tender. —Instead of ashes, use pearl- 
ash or saieratus, as much neater and less trouble. I 
wish, Mr. Editor, that you would give a recipe for 
every family to have a piece of meat to boil. [Well, 
here it is. Be industrious, economical, and virtu¬ 
ous, and no family in the United States will ever be 
an want.] 
Hall’s Brick Making Machine. —There is nothing 
muddy about this plate. It is clearly and most 
plainly delineated, and the account of the perfor¬ 
mance most satisfactory It is strange that so great 
a labor-saving machine, of so small a cost, should 
not be in more extensive use. I have never seen 
this machine, but I have seen a great many brick 
machines, and a great many failures. 
A Pennsylvania Barn. —I am delighted with this 
picture, not the bam. But because, by turning to 
page 120, Vol. 5, I can contrast it with a “ Mas¬ 
sachusetts barn.” Further comment is unnecessary, 
as I have said my say about that. The very looks 
of the two, my wife says, would decide any Yankee 
body in favor of old Massachusetts. Every one 
for their taste though. I hope you will continue 
these illustrations. It is thus that we can learn 
which is best. For myself, I never could build a 
stone or brick bam. Wood is cheaper and better 
in all parts of the United States. 
Grinding Corn. —“ No kind of grain is actually 
spoiled by grinding too fine, except Indian corn,” 
I believe is one of the sayings of Solon. If all his 
sayings are as true as this, he is a pattern of truth. 
It should be printed upon every sack of com sent to 
England. “ Don’t grind fine.” But what is a 
“ kibbling mill,” or rather, what does it cost ? And 
does it go by hand? [Same as Corn-mills adver¬ 
tised page 136, May number.] 
Experiments icith Manures on Corn. —This table 
of Mr. Young is worth a dozen pages of theory. I 
am pleased to see that domestic manures, in this 
case, take the lead. Ashes it will be seen stand 
second in value; but it must be remembered that 
this might not be the case upon a clayey soil. Yet 
they never should be wasted as they often are upon 
many farms, or sold for “ a.pound of soap a bush¬ 
el,” when in fact, after being leached, they are worth 
the double of that. 
More Facts about Paulonia Imperialis might all 
have been contained in two lines, by simply say¬ 
ing, “ we have 4,000 trees to sell,” and take this 
way to advertise them. This kind of smuggled ad¬ 
vertisements is entirely too common. They oc¬ 
cupy space that subscribers pay for, and often are 
uninteresting to the general reader. 
The Cure for Indigestion Prescribed by Dr. Physic, 
is a good one for this fatal epidemic; but I can pre¬ 
scribe a preventive, which is far better. Here it is. 
I will warrant it sure or no pay. From very infancy, 
“ throw physic to the dogs.” Drink no spirit, or 
wine, no tea nor coffee—particularly the latter—eat 
but very sparingly of any kind of spices—use no 
pepper except that which you can raise in your 
own garden—eat coarse bread and boiled meat, 
and well-cooked vegetables, and as much ripe fruit 
as you like, but never bolt your food like a hungry 
hog or shark, and you never will have the dys¬ 
pepsia, be your employment what it may. 
Cultivation of Fruit-trees. —A word to add to note 
(a.) Tn all ’ cases where trees are to be procured 
from a long distance, or place inconvenient to ob¬ 
tain them from at the exact right time in the spring, 
they should be procured in the fall, and the roots 
carefully covered up in garden mould, where they 
will keep until spring, better than exposed to the 
storms, wind, and frost, in the ground, where they 
are finally to stand. Another word to note (c.) I 
doubt not, but a better and easier method of coun- 
