AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
131 
PEEPS INTO A BEE HIVE. 
There is nothing from the Master Hand, 
untouched by man, however small and in¬ 
significant it may seem to some, but is wor¬ 
thy of our careful study and investigation. 
We forget that the minute insect, or the 
worm upon which we tread with loathing and 
disgust, was framed and received the breath 
of life by the same Infinite Wisdom which 
created and animated us. They are gov¬ 
erned by laws which they observe far more 
scrupulously than man does the laws which 
ought to govern him, even aided as he is by 
reason, a power they are not supposed to 
possess. We have no doubt that all the 
lower orders, even to the tiniest of them all, 
enjoy their little life, and contribute to carry 
out the general plan. If we studied them 
more, and became more familiar with their 
habits, we should lose all repugnance to 
them, and perhaps find lessons of value for 
every-day life in many of their works and 
ways. Let us see ! 
On the 17th day of July last, we placed in 
our dining room window an observing bee¬ 
hive, constructed of glass, so that all the op¬ 
erations of the bees could be plainly and 
conveniently seen. A comb about a foot 
square was placed in it containing solne 
brood, with plenty of workers and drones, 
but without the queen bee. The hive was 
then carefully observed by one of the ladies 
of the family, who has given us the follow¬ 
ing accout of their doings. 
The first business the bees attended to, 
was in commencing the cells for a queen, 
and they prosecuted it with energy for two 
days. At the end of that time, a queen was 
taken from another colony and placed with 
them, upon which they pulled down the 
cells they had made in less than half the 
time it had required to construct them, and 
then began to piece out and repair the comb, 
which needed a corner. The queen at 
once commenced laying, and soon filled the 
unoccupied cells, when she was again re¬ 
moved, and the bees once more began the 
construction of queen cells. 
The unhatched bees now began to come 
forth, and in two weeks the family increased 
so fast as to make it necessary for them to 
prepare to emigrate. So they built six 
queen cells, and in about twelve days the 
first queen was hatched. As soon as she 
was fairly born, she marched rapidly, and in 
the most energetic manner, over the comb, 
and visited the other cells in which were the 
embreyo queens, seeming at times furious to 
destroy them. The workers, however, sur¬ 
rounded her and prevented such wholesale 
murder. But for two days she was intent 
upon her cell purpose, and kept in almost 
continuous motion to effect it. On the four¬ 
teenth day the second queen was ready to 
come out, peeping and makingvarious noises 
to attract attention. 
A part of the colony then seemed to con¬ 
clude that it was time to take the first queen 
and go, but by some mistake she remained 
in the hive after the swarm had left. The 
second queen came out as soon as possible 
ter the others had gone, and then there 
were two in the hive! Several minutes 
elapsed before it seemed to be known that 
she was left, and the two queens ran about 
on the comb, which was now nearly empty, 
so that they could be distinctly seen. But 
they had not apparently, noticed each other, 
while the workers were in a state of great 
uneasiness and commotion, seeming impa 
tient for the destruction of one of them; and 
the mode they adopted to accomplish it was 
of the most deliberate and cold-blooded kind 
A circle of bees kept one queen stationary 
while another party dragged the other up to 
her, so that their heads nearly touched, and 
then the bees stood back, leaving a fair field 
for the combatants, in which one was to 
gain her laurels, and the other to die ! The 
battle was fierce and sanguinary. They 
grappled each other, and like expert wrest 
lers, strove to inflict the fatal blow, by some 
sudden or adroit movement. But for some 
moments the parties seemed equally matched 
—no advantage could be gained on either 
side. The bees stood looking calmly on the 
dreadful affray, as though they themselves 
had been the heroes of a hundred wars. But 
the battle, like all others, had its close ; one 
fell upon the field, and was immediately 
taken by the workers and carried out of the 
hive. By this time, the bees which left, 
made the discovery that their queen was 
missing, and although they had been hived 
without any trouble, they came rushing 
back, but not in season to witness the fatal 
battle, and the fall of their poor slain queen, 
who should have gone forth with them to 
seek a future home. 
There was evidently sore disappointment 
in this result, for when they realized their 
loss, they uttered piteous cries, and for a 
day or two “ refused to be comforted,” wan¬ 
dering about, apparently without object, and 
in great confusion. 
The hive was now crowded again almost to 
suffocation, and after a few days’ uneasi¬ 
ness the bees all left and lighted on an ap¬ 
ple tree near the window, from whence they 
were jarred off, and the queen and a half 
pint of the bees returned to their old quar¬ 
ters, where they are to-day, August 30, do¬ 
ing well. A small colony made in July, was 
now brought forward, and after sprinkling it 
as well as the bees from the house with 
peppermint water, so that they might be all 
of one odor, the two strange colonies were 
mixed, and have continued to go on harmo¬ 
niously together.—N. E. Farmer. 
‘ Have you cured her?” “No.” “Then 
you have no right to the money and I am 
really astonished you should dare come and 
claim it.” 
THE BALTIMORE GUANO TRADE OF 1855. 
No Cure no Pay. —The wife of a poor 
man having fallen dangerously ill, the latter 
went to a physician equally known for his 
skill and for his sordid avarice, thinking the 
doctor was afraid that he would not be paid 
for his trouble, the good man pulling out an 
old purse, said to him : “ Here I have twen¬ 
ty dollars, which is all I possess in the world; 
whether you kill my wife or cure her, I will 
give them to you.” The doctor, having ac 
cepted the offer, went to see the woman, but 
without avail; in a few days after she died. 
He then claimed the twenty dollars from the 
husband, who asked him if he Jiad killed his 
wife. “ No, certainly,” answered the doctor. 
It will be seen by the statement of the im¬ 
ports of guano for the year 1855, that there 
has been a large diminution in the receipts 
of this popular and efficient fertilizer, com¬ 
pared with the receipts in 1854. This ma,, 
in some measure be accounted for by the 
fact that, in 1854 the receipts were by no 
means equal to the demand; and it will be 
remembered that the crowds of farmers and 
others pressing for supplies at the office of 
the Agent of the Peruvian Government indi¬ 
cated the great want of the article. The 
supplies which came in that year after the 
season for the use of guano had passed by, 
were of course left over for this year. It is 
therefore quite probable that there has been 
as much used this season as there was last 
year. 
We have no means of ascertaining the 
amount left over the present season, which 
will of course go to supply the Spring de¬ 
mand. The price now asked by the Agent 
for Peruvian Guano is $55 per ton for lots 
of not less than 200 tuns. From store, for 
less quantities, $56 is the usual price. We 
quote Mexican at $28 for AA, and $24 for 
A, and $20 to $22 for B. African is held at 
$30, and Columbian at. $35. It is presumed 
the market will open at about these rates 
when the Spring demand comes on. 
The imports of guano in 1855 were : 
Peruvian.30,695 tuns. 
Mexican. 7,076 tuns. 
We note the following exports of guano : 
To London, of Peruvian_1,149 tuns. 
Liverpool, do.2,808 “ 
Barbadoes, do. 579 “ 
Genoa, do. 345 “ 
Valencia,Spain,do. 490 “ 
Gibralter, of Mexican_ 850 “ 
Liverpool, do.1,141 “ 
The following are the imports of Peruvian 
guano into Baltimore for seven years : 
1849 _ 2,700 tuns. 
1850 _ 6,800 tuns. 
1851 _25,000 tuns. 
1852 _25,500 tuns. 
1853_32 152 tuns. 
1854....58 927 tuns. 
1855_30,695 tuns. 
Baltimore Amer. 
QUANTITY OF WOOL FROM DIFFERENT 
KINDS OF FOOD. 
We find in the London Journal of Arts of 
August 31st, 1855, a statement of the 
amount of wool produced by feeding weighed 
quantities of various kinds of food. The re¬ 
sults given are from one set of experiments, 
and they probably vary materially from what 
might be obtained under other circumstan¬ 
ces ; still they are instructive : 
1,000 lbs Pounds of Wool. 
Mangel Wurzel, raw, produced..... 5$ 
Potatoes, raw, with salt_...._6$ 
Oats, raw.... ......10 
Buckwheat.....10 
Barley.... 12$ 
Rye, wiihout salt... 12$ 
Rye, with salt..14 
Wheat, raw..................14 
Peas .. 16$ 
We have not the method of feeding the 
above in each case, which leaves the table a 
