AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST- 
PROTECTION TO BIRDS. 
We noticed, a few days since, a huge collection 
of sticks, dry leaves, and grass on the top of a 
high tree by the road-side, near Port Washington', 
N. J. There were several large fish-hawks sailing 
around it, which led to the inquiry if this was 
then- nest. “ Yes,” was the reply, “ they aVe 
numerous here and in the most frequented 
places, as they are protected by the strong arm 
of the law.” The fish-hawks keep the hen-hawks 
at a distance, it is said, and hence this appa¬ 
rently humane law. We wish all other legislative 
bodies were as considerate as that one of New- 
Jersey that enacted the fish-hawk law. 
-*-*-•- 
HOW MUCH SUGAR DO WE EAT? 
Last year there was consumed in this country 
about 705,000,000 pounds of cane sugar, and 
27,000,000 pounds of maple sugar. This gives 
more than twenty-four pounds of cane sugar, 
and one pound of maple sugar to every man, 
woman, and child. This does not include mo¬ 
lasses or honey. If this sugar was put into 
barrels holding two hundred pounds, and each 
barrel occupied a space of three feet square 
only, it would require 336 acres of land for it to 
stand upon. The barrels, if placed in a row, 
would reach two hundred and twenty miles. If 
this sugar was put up in paper packages of five 
pounds each, it would require 146,400,000 
sheets of wrapping-paper; and if only a yard 
of string was used to each package, there would 
be required 439,200,000 feet, or 83,000 miles 
of string—three times enough to go round the 
earth. If every retail clerk sold one hundred 
pounds of sugar each day, it would require 
nearly 25,000 clerks to sell it all in the year. If 
the dealers, wholesale and retail together, made 
a profit of only two cents a pound on this sugar, 
these profits alone would amount to nearly 
$15,000,000. Can some of our young school 
friends tell us how much tea this would sweeten ? 
Seventy Swarms of Bees at War.-— Ezra 
Nibble, a well-known citizen of this town, and 
for many years engaged extensively in the man¬ 
agement of bees, communicates to us the follow¬ 
ing interesting particulars of a battle among his 
bees : 
He has seventy swarms of bees, about equal¬ 
ly divided on the east and west sides of his 
house. On Sunday, August 14, about 3 o’clock, 
the weather being warm, and the windows 
open, his house was suddenly filled with bees, 
which forced the family to flee at once to the 
neighbors. Mr. D., after getting well protected 
against his assailants, proceeded to take a sur¬ 
vey, and, if possible, learn the cause which had 
disturbed them. The seventy swarms appeared 
to be out, and those on one side of the house 
were arrayed in battle against those on the other 
side; and such a battle was perhaps never be¬ 
fore witnessed. They filled the air, covering a 
space of more than one acre of ground, and 
fought desperately for some three hours—not for 
“ spoils,” but for conquest; and while at war, 
no living thing could exist in the vicinity. They 
stung a large flock of Shanghai chickens, nearly 
all of which died, and persons passing along the 
road-side were obliged to make haste to avoid 
their sting. A little after 6 o’clock, quiet was 
restored, and the living bees returned to their 
hives, leaving the slain almost literally covering 
the ground, since which but few have appeared 
around the hives, and those apparently stationed 
as sentinels to watch the enemy. But two 
young swarms were entirely destroyed, and 
aside from the terrible slaughter of bees, no 
other injury was done. Neither party was’vic¬ 
torious, and they only ceased on the approach 
of night, and from utter prostration. The occa¬ 
sion of this strange warring among the bees is 
not easily accounted for; and those most con¬ 
versant with their management never before 
witnessed or heard of such a spectacle as here 
narrated .—Conneaut {Ohio) Reporter. 
VALUABLE IMPORTATION OF SHEEP AND 
STOCK. 
The ship Germania, Captain Wood, which 
arrived at this port on the 5th inst., from Havre, 
had on board a very valuable lot of Merino 
rams, selected in France by J. A. Taintor, Esq., 
of Hartford, Conn. They all arrived in capital 
condition. 
Mr. Taintor purchased for J. D. Patterson, of 
Chautauque Co., N. Y., one Merino ram from the 
celebrated flock of M. Cugnot ; one ram, No. 2, 
for $600; also two rams from the flock of M. 
Gilbert, for four hundred dollars each. 
He also bought for Mr. Bingham, of Vermont, 
fifteen superb breeding rams, for which very high 
prices were paid. 
In the same ship came five very beautiful 
Alderney heifers, from the best blood on the 
island. The cow from which one of these heif¬ 
ers was raised, made, while on grass, over six¬ 
teen pounds of butter a week, for seven succes¬ 
sive weeks. 
Near two hundred thousand dollars have been 
expended this summer in importing the very 
best animals from all parts of Europe. Among 
other animals, we learn there is soon to arrive 
a cargo of valuable Spanish jacks. 
I send you a cut of my Suffolk boar, Prince, 
imported with a lot of seven others from the 
yard of his Royal Highness, Prince Albert, by 
Mr. John C. Jackson, of New-York city. Short¬ 
ly after their importation, the whole lot were sold 
to Col. Sherwood, of Auburn, who resold Prince 
to the subscriber. Prince is white, nearly des¬ 
titute of hair, and weighs in his present condi¬ 
tion about 400 lbs. He is easily kept in very 
high order, and is the most vigorous male I ever 
saw. John R. Page. 
Sennett , Cayuga Co.,'If. Y. 
5 
AGRICULTURAL TOUR IN GERMANY, 
BY COUNT DE GOURCY. 
Number IV. 
On my return to Baden, I visited M. Schutz- 
enbacii’s, but found only his son-in-law, M. de 
la Chaise, at home. He is a French physician, 
and owns a beautiful place near the city. He 
showed me vines planted by him four years ago, 
in ground on the side of a hill, which was 
trenched nearly three feet deep. 
The varieties planted are the Burgundy and 
Chasselas of Fontainbleau. The first men¬ 
tioned yields a red, and the second a white 
wine, both of which are very much esteemed. 
He expects to obtain from' this vineyard, after a 
few years’ cultivation, upwards of 850 gallons 
per acre; though such a result is not to be ar¬ 
rived at without giving a large supply of manure. 
It already promises a fair crop for the season. 
M. de la Chaise has already fifteen milch 
cows; he hopes to be able to keep twenty-five; 
and he will purchase, in addition to what is ob¬ 
tained from these, one hundred dollars’ worth of 
manure per annum. In a rainy season, manure 
sells here at a very low price ; but though the 
distance of transportation to the vineyard is not 
great, not being much more than half a mile, the 
road is extremely difficult. 
The buildings of this farm are very well con¬ 
structed. The farm itself consists of five acres 
of vineyard and thirty-five of meadow, which 
is planted with plum trees at about fifteen feet 
apart each way. They comprise a great many 
different varieties, selected so as to avoid the 
fruit ripening all at the same time. The finest 
fruit is intended for drying; the balance for 
distillation. 
M. Schutzenbach’s farm is a little more than 
a mile from this one. He is about to convert 
his forty acres into irrigated meadows, planted 
with plum trees. He will not plant a vineyard, 
as the location of his grounds is not suited for 
vines. The earliest fruit ripens here towards 
the end of July. Quetches , which are the latest 
sort, are not ripe till October; and the plum 
harvest on this account lasts from the middle of 
July till the middle of October. Having visited 
this second farm, I there met M. Schutzenbach, 
who was kind enough to explain to me how he 
managed so as to use it to the best advantage. 
The whole of the soil is dug to the depth of 
about two feet. There are many large stones to 
be undermined and removed; the expense of 
which amounts on an average to $40 per acre. 
The meadows already established here are very 
fine; 4000 plum trees have been planted. 
Each hole for the reception of the tree was 
made about four feet in diameter, which was 
filled with good soil, mixed with three barrow¬ 
loads of manure. In this they grow vigorously, 
as the abundant foliage indicates. 
M. Schutzenbach has undertaken an aspara¬ 
gus plantation, of two and a half acres in extent. 
The first beds, planted without lime or manure, 
have perished; those which were planted two 
years ago are doing well. Neither lime nor 
manure has been spared. The ground was well 
dug and drained between each bed. 
A portion of peat soil which he found in a low 
part of the farm proved useful to form compost- 
heaps, made up of peat, lime, and manure, 
watered with liquid. To the old farm buildings, 
which have been rebuilt, he has added a very 
comfortable cottage for the farmer, with a sepa¬ 
rate building, containing a little sugar-house 
