EXCELSIOR 
813.00 per YEAR. 
Single Yo., Eight Cents, 
NEW YORK CITY AND ROCHESTER, N. Y 
41 PnrU Row, New York. 
82 HiilTnlo St., lloelicHler 
FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2D, 1869 
f Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year isq), by D. D. T. MoottR. in the Clerk’3 Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of 
Ijtbusfrial jfl 
TV D f'i >-—. 
years, when, upon the death of his mother, 
and in accordance with the will of his father, 
the estate was equally divided between the 
brothers. 
In 1883 CTfAni.ES Downing, having pur¬ 
chased a tract of land one mile further north 
on the Hudson, and built, a cottage, removed 
thither with his wife, to whom be was mar¬ 
ried in 1880. Here, while continuing for a 
time to prosecute the nursery business, lie 
set apart a plot,, and 
planted it, for the pur¬ 
pose of testing and 
comparing the varie- 
ties of fruits one with 
another. Ilere, during 
a period, of thirty years, rp 
he has fruited over two v-r \ ^ 
thousand varieties of C: r - 
apples, pears, cherries, 
plums, peaches, etc., to 
say nothing of the nu¬ 
merous sorts of rasp¬ 
berries, strawberries, 
etc., which have from a'v • U 
time to time occupied '• Tv. 
ins grounds, his labors 0^,' 
andlds thoughts. J ; 
Constantly alive to v ' 
the wants of the public, ') ' 
as well as imbued with 
a steady desire to serve r. , 
>ul>lio-.ml ouickcn 
the progress of honi 
culture, he has, by ex- r „‘ 
periment and observa- 
lion, sown seeds yearly, 
the products of which St 
are to bo found record- ‘ A & 
ed on the pages of our A 1 Bj 
journals and books, , 'R 
and in a new and val- * 
liable fruit in almost ■ 
every class. To his 
constant watchfulness 1; 
and comparison of new 
fruits, and fruits under 
new names, the pomo- 
logical world for the 
past, thirty', or more, JwKS aKl 
years have been deeply 
indebted; for, while ' 
avoiding, liy bis retir- r W&Sv li 
ing nature, any publici- 
ty through credit to 
himself, his knowledge \ 
has ever been open — 
and free to those who 
chose to record it. It 
is also justly due to 
him, without detrac¬ 
tion from his brother, 
to record that the descriptions and values of 
fruits found in the first edition of “The 
Fruits and Fruit Trees of America,” were, 
in a great measure, obtained from specimens 
of tiis own growing, although, as he says, 
u Everything mentally came to his brother 
as by inspiration.” In connection also with 
this, it is no praise, but, a just award of merit, 
to say that the recent revision and additions 
made to the book of “ Fruits and Fruit Trees 
of America," by Charles Downing, sur¬ 
pass anything of the kind in the world. 
Nowhere is there so full a compendium of 
the leading characters and varieties of fruits 
ns is here given. It is, and ever must be, 
authority, although future development will, 
probably—nay, doubtless—show some varie¬ 
ties here classed as distinct to he identical. 
In public life Air. Downing has ever kept 
himself retired. Although at almost every 
pomological meeting his name has been pro¬ 
posed for a leading office, lie lias persistently 
declined; at the same time he has unhesi¬ 
tatingly worked upon committees, where 
his labors would he of genera! good, leaving, 
however, only a record for the time. 
To the public Mr. Downing is known 
mainly as a pomologist; yet liis love of 
flowers aud trees has, from his early youth, 
equaled that of his desire to study and com¬ 
pare fruits; and thousands of gardens 
throughout the length and breadth of our 
land rise up in bloom and beauty to testify 
to his love of flowers and to his generosity 
in freely sending plants to fill their borders. 
About, one year since, in order to meet the 
wishes of a few land jobbers, the Legislature 
of New York ordered a roe d-way opened 
through a portion of his grounds, destroying 
bees and at my door, they may be seen at 
nearly all hours of the day, skipping from 
hive to hive or picking up crumbs, or in the 
trees warbling forth their song. I have 
learned to love this Illtlc bird, though at 
times lie may whistle like the mewing of the 
cat; but when lie sings lie sings so sweetly 
T almost forget lie can make other sounds. 
They have sung more, and later in the sea¬ 
son, this summer than ever to my knowledge 
before; from what cause 1 am unable to ex¬ 
plain, unless it be from the extreme Avet 
season, as the cat-bil’d is always most active 
when the weather is damp and the miller 
most dormant, working at times for hours 
through a drizzling rain. 
Let me admouish every bee keeper avIio 
aims to act ivith reference to h is best interest 
to lie ever careful how he treats these birds, 
and to bear in mind when he would destroy 
them or frighten them away that he is not 
only doing himself a great injiiry, but liis 
best friend great wrong. 
The Honey Crop. 
The honey crop in this State this season 
must be small, It has been an extremely 
cold, Avet season for bees, mine have never 
before done so poorly. There is no box or 
other honey to be bought in this section this 
fall. Those avIio had tons of it last fall to sell 
Avill not have one pound this, myself in¬ 
cluded in this number. My shipments of 
honey of my oavh rtifisiug, a year ago, 
exceeded ten thousand pounds, and Air. 
IIetitkrenoton of Cherry ’Valley shipped 
equally as much, if not more, and I under¬ 
stand that he will not. have one pound this 
fall to sell. So far as T can learn, tlih is Un¬ 
case all over tills section of country. Mr. 
Qdinby may truly say there Avill he thous¬ 
ands of swarms that will die for want of 
food and proper attention. It is not those 
persons avIio have large apiaries and a prac¬ 
tical knowledge of bee keeping who arc 
going to lose the greatest per cent., but 
those who have a small number, and have 
never given the subject any attention, and 
know no more about the business than Avliat 
has been handed down to them from their 
grandfathers. Thousands of swarms will 
perish through ignorance. 
The last ten days have been the most 
favorable time for out-door feeding, warm 
weather being very essential, in order that 
the bees may deposit the feed without being 
chilled. Great care is required in feeding, 
particularly in warm weather, or the bees 
may be set to robbing by the dripping of the 
honey on or about the hive, it, is like the 
small spark producing a great conflagration. 
Therefore care is necessary. 
J. It. Tunnicliff. 
Van Hornesville, N. Y\, 
!}t npiarmtt 
EMINENT HORTICULTURISTS—II, 
THE CAT-BIRD AND BEES. 
Seeing an articlo in the Rural on the 
enemies of bees, and fearing some might be 
misled by it, I cannot let it pass by unno¬ 
ticed. AVhen the best friend of the bee 
keeper is assailed and 
) f I J. , charged with a crime 
‘I } j! fly of Avhieii he is not 
I / V Hi guilty I feel as though 
]|[ / UJ ij/'lfjf Imust come to his aid, 
^ ‘ W/lJi 1 III and relievo him of this 
I 'ft III n charge and vindicate 
Ilf SI S/ll'l his fair name. W. A., 
vilniilwW'’ speaking of the cne- 
- 'M! lift x mien of the bee, charges 
jh.f M/Wt •x the cat-bird as being 
I 'ftjf i'*^ one of the number. I 
If- '/W iMftft must say that my expo. 
1 I W I ill t •«. ; rience and observation 
Hu I •' I ' •" 7 the character of 
) ' KjL this little bird is very 
V • - ISfWvc&F' J mu cli at variance with 
7- 1 his. Having been cn- 
[i ?• &, ■ gaged in the bee bu»i- 
, uoss for fifteen years, I 
have taken particular 
pains to study, watch 
AJ and learn the nature 
f am * character of these 
fft ? little birds. And 1 
have not been able to 
detect one little wrong 
act h'°ni them to- 
Avards the bees thereby 
) f l >1<,v ' n g them to be 
Jji their enemies. On the 
'^|t J ol h er Land, every act. 
t,i eirs towards the 
hee warrants me in 
saying that they are the 
l < true friend of both the 
CllrwSt bee and the bee keeper. 
Wm ^ the apiarian will but 
™ [y™ M/f' f take the time to ob- 
f'i 8 erve their habits, lie 
wil, » tvith me, soon 
ij&- %'ji/TM., h ,arn to love them too. 
Tliese little fellows 
may be seen at their 
ijy J labor early in the morn- 
uo V I ' n °’ 8 hiPP' n ff f rom hive 
Fj \ to hive in pursuit of 
their morning’s food; 
and Avith their sharp, 
piercing eyes penetrat¬ 
ing every nook and 
corner, avoo be unto 
that worm at the mouth of the hive, or 
that miller safely ensconced underneath its 
edge; for they are sure to fall a prey, and 
are eagerly picked off and consumed for a 
morning’s meal, or carried, swiftly away as 
food for the bird’s young. 
When rearing their young, they may he 
seen a hundred times in the day going 
from hive to hive in search of worms and 
millers, these pests of the bee, and at the 
same time carrying aAvay any young bees 
in their nymph state that may have been re¬ 
moved from the hive. But never, as yet, 
have I been able, in one single instance, to 
detect them in taking a living Avorking bee. 
Therefore, knoAving this to he true, I should 
feel us though I were doing the little bird a 
great wrong did I not come to his aid. and 
relieve him from this charge. Let me say to 
every bee keeper, whose apiary and home are 
blest Avith the presence of these little birds, 
cultivate a friendship and cherish a love 
toAvarda them, and teach your children to 
love them. I have noticed they do not make 
their homes about al! apairies. Having four, 
averaging about fine hundred hives each, it 
is quite uncommon to see them at those 
away from my home; but at home, from 
what cause I do not know, unless it be from 
the kind trsatment given them, around my 
BY F. R. ELLIOTT, 
Charles Downincr. 
In presenting the name of Chaules Doavn- 
ing as my second prominent and useful man 
in aid of the progress and advancement of 
horticulture, and especially of the pomologi¬ 
cal branch, I feel that I am meeting the views 
and feelings of a multitude of his admirers. 
Retiring and unobtrusive in his whole life, 
but Avitli a steady, honest persistence in do¬ 
ing good Where his pure heart directed, 
without the left hand knoiving Avliat the 
right had done, I feel in writing of him that, 
I have really nothing but an intangible, yet 
universally acknowledged goodness in all liis 
life to grasp at, and I fear, aye know, that 
my record of him here Avill be all imperfect 
in reality. Nevertheless, the thousands who 
knoAV him, intuitively, by his acts, although 
they may not have met him personally, will 
accord me courteous pardon for my short¬ 
comings in a written record of one whose 
life impress is written on the tablets of their 
hearts, whose honor and integrity arc above 
praise, and to Avhom Ave oavc perpetual thanks 
because of his care and assistance, as an elder 
brother, iti giving om lamented Andrew 
Jackson Doavning time and means, in early 
life, to prosecute studies aud follow tastes, 
which resulted in the creation of Avorks 
that arc a eroAvnmg glory to our country. 
The parents of Charles Downing were 
natives of CharlcstoAvn, Massachusetts, from 
whence they removed to Ncav York, and 
settled at Newburgh, about the year 1800, 
the father, at first, prosecuting his trade of 
wheelwright, which he soon abandoned, and 
assumed the labors and care of a garden, at 
first cultivating mainly vegetables, soon add¬ 
ing the culture of fruits, and thence entering 
into the groAviug of trees, flowers, &e. It 
Avas amid this rural life and culture, on the 
west bank of the noblest river in the world, 
that Charles Downing avus born, in the 
year of our Lord 1802. 
The schools of those days vvere, compared 
Avith the present, fmv; and it was thought 
Avell if a young boy could have the entire 
winter for study. Such, however, was the 
impression of Charles Downing’s father 
relative to the value of education, that Avhile 
denying himself many things, he did not re¬ 
strain liis children in obtaining Buch knoAvl- 
ege as the schools near by enabled him to 
give them. These Icav advantages Avero 
given Charles Downing; but he was, as a 
boy, fond of work in the garden, and enjoyed 
seeing the growth of plants and the develop¬ 
ment of llmvers. 
Upon the death of his father, in 1822, 
Charles Doavning assumed the entire 
charge of the grounds belonging to his 
father’s estate, and alive to the progressive- 
interests and advancement of the country, 
devoted himself to procuring new varieties 
of fruits, shrubs and flowers, the groAvth of 
seeds and vegetables, the proceeds av hereof 
Avere freely given, Avithout thought of self, 
toward the support of his widoAved mother, 
and to defray the expenses of her family. 
Nearly fifty years since he obtained of 
William Prince, Flushing, Long Island, 
and planted the first grape vine ever planted 
in NeAvburgli; and from that time to the 
present he has never failed to procure every 
new variety of fruit of Avhich record lias 
been made, and lias planted and grown it 
I >r the purpose of gaining a true and cor¬ 
rect knowledge thereof. 
In 1836, he admitted his brother, A. J. 
Gowning, into partnership with him as a 
nurseryman, the nursery being mostly upon 
the lands belonging to the estate of the 
father. This co-partnership continued tAVo 
'hr- 
a large number of trees, and rendering the 
whole so insecure as an experimental fruit 
garden, so open and exposed to lawless de¬ 
predations Unit Mr, Doavning, seeing his 
whole labors broken up, decided to sell, and 
did so. Since that time the whole appear¬ 
ance of liis cottage residence has been 
changed, and would iioav be unrecognized; 
but, thanks to my port-folio, I am able to 
present a sketch of this cottage, the or¬ 
chard in front and some of the more con¬ 
spicuous and beautiful trees t.lmt embellished 
the grounds whereon have passed tin larger 
portion of Mr. Downing's days of public 
usefulness. 
Remarks. —On page 749 Avill be found tlie 
engraving of .Air. Doav.vino’h old borne, 
above referred to. The portrait herewith 
given does not do Mr. Downing justice; hut 
it AVftS the best that could be done with the 
poor photographs from Avliich it Avas drawn. 
Mr. Downing’s is a pleasant face. AVliile 
liis friends Avill recognize this ns designed to 
he a portrait of him, those who know him 
Avill miss the softened, kindly expression and 
the keen, perceptive look which belongs to 
him. But for liis aversion to praise and his 
modesty, avc might emphasize all that Mr. 
Elliott has said of the value and import¬ 
ance of the work lie has so well done. 
BEES IN CONNECTICUT. 
Over one-half of the bees will die in this 
section this winter, unless fed. The fact is, 
bees have done nothing the past summer, 
because it Avas so very dry that no white 
clover grcAV. Men who generally have from 
fifteen to twenty swarms, have had only 
three or four. One apiarian, wanting some 
honey for liis own use, took out six boxes 
without finding an ounce; and, thinking lie 
would have some any way, he “ took up ” a 
hive and found twelve pounds, strained and 
comb. 
Small apiarians who usually sell from one 
hundred to two hundred pounds, have scarce¬ 
ly enough for their own use, and Aviil not sell 
a particle. Some express fears that beesAvill 
run out entirely. Altogether, there is a very 
poor prospect for hoes in these parts. 
A. Cable. 
P. 8.—What is the A T ery best thing for 
feeding bees,—honey excepted, as it cannot 
be bought here? I should like to save the 
few hives I have. a. c. 
Marbledale, Ct. 
Bee Keeper*, send us your experiences, obser¬ 
vations; ask any questions you want answered. 
