I860.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
361 
are formed. The day is a bright spot in the circle, 
and a thousand pleasant memories clustei 
around it. 
But there is direct utility, as well as social en¬ 
joyment in these occasions. It is impossible that 
the industry of a whole county should be fitly 
represented at a fair without furnishing many 
profitable suggestions to every intelligent farmer. 
Our farms are by no means so well stocked with 
tools and the best breeds of animals, that there is 
not room for some kind of improvement on al¬ 
most every farm. Every one who goes with a 
disposition to learn, will find something new, 
some invention saving labor, or some sugges¬ 
tion that will make present processes of labor 
more productive. The mind will receive a large 
accession of pabulum for future digestion, and 
the facts of a day will furnish thoughts for a year. 
We say then go to the fairs and take up the 
wife and children, and have a real good time 
once in a year. Send up beforehand the best 
products of the farm, if possible, but by all means 
go yourself, note book in hand, and use your 
eyes and pencil when you get there. 
A Hay Crop Saved by a Barometer. 
“ John Underwood, Esq., of Aurelia, N. Y., secured his 
entire crop of hay this Summer by consulting the barom¬ 
eter. The morning on which he commenced cutting his 
hay, looked cloudy and felt like rain, still the barometer 
pointed unerringly to dry weather, and on the strength 
of that he sent in his mowing machine. The hay was 
cut, cured, and secured, before any rain made its appear¬ 
ance. But for the barometer, the hay would have been 
standing at this time. Who doubts that the instrument 
paid for itself by that item of information ? The time is 
coming when the farmer will as soon think of returning 
to the scythe, as to be without the infallible weather pro¬ 
phet, the barometer .—Auburn Advertiser .” 
The above is putting the case rather strongly ; 
it is not probable that “ but for the barometer 
the hay would have been standing at this time,” 
for there was plenty of hot, dry weather following 
the morning referred to ; but we doubt not that 
the barometer was of great utility at the time 
mentioned, and that a day’s time was saved, and 
the hay gathered in superior order. Since we 
commenced making daily observations upon the 
aneroid barometer, described last month, we 
have been impressed more strongly than ever 
before, with the great utility and importance of 
this instrument to farmers. During the dry 
weather, prevailing here all through June, and 
nearly through July, the barometer index re¬ 
mained almost steadily at a point above 30 inch¬ 
es, though every slight shower that fell, was in¬ 
dicated by a rapid declension of the index hand, 
from two to ten hours in advance. The other 
day, we remained at home writing until after din¬ 
ner, and then went down to our city office. The 
sky being clear, with no indications of rain, we 
went thinly clad from head to foot. On reach¬ 
ing the office, clouds had begun to gather, and 
the barometer had fallen nearly half an inch, 
which our associate informed us, had occurred 
within an hour. We obeyed its injunction, and 
started at once for home, and had scarcely ar¬ 
rived there, before a heavy fall of rain com¬ 
menced, accompanied with thunder and a strong 
wind. The barometer in that case certainly 
saved us a disagreable wetting, and perhaps a 
cold. This is only one of several similar in¬ 
stances of the positive indications of rain, which 
have been given by our barometer during a few 
weeks past. 
The contrary indications have been scarcely 
less marked, for several times there has been 
everv sign of rain in the heavens, when the 
barometer remained unmoved, and in no such 
case has rain fallen. Here is one example. We 
had planned to take our family to see the Great 
Eastern early on the morning of July 25. On 
rising in the morning, the sky indicated a rainy 
day, and we were in doubt whether to defer the 
visit or not. A glance at the barometer showed 
no change in the index for 24 hours, and we de¬ 
termined to follow its indication. The result was, 
we had a fine day, and an instructive and plea¬ 
sant visit to the “ big ship.” As it turned out, 
we could not have gone on any subsequent day of 
her stay, and but for our barometer, would have 
lost the opportunity of inspecting her. 
We particularize the above instances, to il¬ 
lustrate the practical utility of the barometer. 
The truth is, science is continually contributing 
in a thousand ways not only to comfort and con¬ 
venience, but also is aiding in more successfully 
performing the various operations of active life. 
“ Call me anything you like, if you don't call 
me too late to dinner,” is the rather stale but ex¬ 
pressive adage of the farm laborer, and of the 
mechanic as well. We have not forgotten the 
old tin-horn whose mid-day “ toot ” had, at that 
particular hour, more music in it than the finest 
toned organ. A neighbor’s bellowing conch shell, 
brought from the sea-board to our western wil¬ 
derness, was an enviable piece of household fur¬ 
niture, in more respects than one ; but it needed 
the owner’s stout lungs and long practice, to 
make it effective over the farm a mile in length. 
On some occasions, when the wind, or the great 
distance rendered the long tin-horn useless, the 
white flag in the chamber window, or vigorously 
waved by the housemaid who had climbed to the 
top of the wood-pile, was literally a “ flag of 
truce ”—to the struggle with hard work. 
But the tin-horn, the conch, and the white or 
red flag—one or the other of which is insepara¬ 
bly connected with every one’s remembrance of 
farm life as it was—are fast giving way to the 
modern improvement of farm bells, which, sus¬ 
pended upon the house ridge, or upon a support¬ 
ing pole, are now as common on the larger farms 
in the older sections of the country, as the 
church-going bell is upon the “meeting-house.” 
Brass, or steel bells, or triangles, costing 25 to 
50 cents a pound, are, however, yet too expen¬ 
sive for general use ; and they are no longer 
needed. By a recent invention, very good bells 
are now made almost entirely of cast iron, har¬ 
dened and refined by some peculiar process, and 
slightly amalgamated with a small quantity of 
some other material, we believe. The sketch 
given herewith, is taken from one of these bells, 
weighing 50 lbs., which we have seen retailing 
for $0, including the yoke, standard, and crank, 
and a “ warranty ” for one year. This is only 
12 cents a pound for the bell, and at this price 
they are being rapidly manufactured of various 
sizes, for farms, school-houses, steamboats, fac¬ 
tories, and even for churches. We hear of one 
being made for a church in New-Jersey, which 
weighs 5,000 lbs. 
A farm bell suspended near the dwelling, is 
certainly a convenience, not only to call the 
“men ” to dinner, en masse, but also to regulate 
the hours of work. Agreed signals, such as a 
ring followed by a single stroke, or by two, or 
three, or more, or by tolling, and other variations, 
will serve the purpose of a farm telegraph, to 
communicate intelligence, to call any particular 
man or boy, to give notice of the swarming of 
bees, sickness, etc., etc. The low price of these 
new hells will tend to their general introduction. 
The Italian Bees—Improving Bees by 
Breeding—Stingless Bees. 
We are yet unable to offer any well founded 
opinion, as to whether the recently imported 
Italian Bees will prove really superior to our 
common native bees, or not. They are being 
rapidly propagated and diffused over the country, 
and to secure this result the main effort is now 
directed. Another season will be required to de¬ 
termine their merits. The fact that so many of 
our older aparians have considerable confidence 
in them, argues well in their favor. We have 
watched their multiplication from a single swarm, 
and if the rate of increase be as great at other 
points to which the queens are being daily dis¬ 
patched, it will not take long to fill the country 
with them—if such a consummation be desirable. 
Below we give an extract from a letter dated 
Aug. 10, written by Mr. E. A. Brackett, the well 
known Sculptor, who is an enthusiastic amateur 
in bees also. His suggestion in regard to im¬ 
proving bees by care in selecting breeding queens, 
is worthy of attention. All kinds of domestic 
animals have been brought to a much higher 
standard by special care in breeding. Why may 
not our common bees be in like manner im¬ 
proved 1 No attention has been given to this 
subject, so far as we know. Let some of our 
bee-keepers try the experiment. 
Who knows but that in a few years we may 
get a race of bees that shall rival the humble- 
bee in size, and in ability to extract sweets from a 
large class of deep tubed flowers, such as the red 
clover, and others, which are now useless for 
the common honey bee. We hope, those who 
undertake this enterprize, will remember to try 
to breed out their stings. From a honey bee of 
the size of a humblebee, with the sting developed 
in proportion, may the fates deliver us. (Talk¬ 
ing of stingless bees, we may mention, that our 
friend A. O. Moore, Esq., who recently returned 
from a tour of several months in Central Ame¬ 
rica, brought with him two varieties of stingless 
bees, which he left in our office for several days. 
They are quite peculiar and interesting, and we 
hope to give a further description of them, with 
engravings of their appearance, mode of deposit¬ 
ing honey, etc.) Here is the extract from Mr. 
Brackett’s letter referred to above : 
“ ... .1 think it too soon to form any certain 
opinion in regard to the Italian bees in this coun¬ 
try. We must, therefore, still in a great mea¬ 
sure depend on the statements of German bee¬ 
keepers, and that is universally in favor of their 
great superiority over the black bee. Dzierzon 
states, that since he has Italianized his apiaries, 
his yield of honey has been double that obtained 
from the same number of common bees. My 
experience, thus far, satisfies me that they have 
