OORE’S  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
POTATOES  IN  MICHIGAN. 
B.  Holi/jwav  WTites  from  Casu  County  Slich- 
gan  to  the  Coimtry  Gentleman  about  the  Potato 
crop  in  that  Btate  In  1876,  and  giving  his  experi- 
ience  with  several  new  vaiieties. 
It  is  generally  believed  that  there  has  been 
produced  in  this  State  a  larger  crop  of  poUitoes 
than  was  ever  known  before.  ThiB  may  be  true, 
and  yet,  now  that  the  crop  je  gathered,  I  find 
that  a  large  deduclioYt  has  to  be  made  from  the 
estimate  a  few  weeks  ago.  This  is  true  with 
regard  to  my  ci’op,  which,  though  in  the  mnin 
magnificent,  was  not  so  large  by  one-third  as  1 
anticipated.  Where  the  land  was  rich  and  lay 
liigh,  and  was  thorotighly  tended,  so  that  all  the 
warmth  from  the  snn  was  economized,  the  yield 
was  wonderful,  while  In  the  same  field,  where 
the  ground  was  , lower,  or  not  so  well  enriched, 
or  was  shaded  a  part  of  the  day,  the  crop  was 
comparatively  i)oor. 
It  seems  a  httle  sad  that  the  highest  success 
should  ajjpenr  to  some  to  work  iU  fortune,  as  is 
the  case  m  the  production  of  our  immense  ctoj) 
of  potatoes,  'ilie  px'iw,  so  far,  lias  not  been 
such  as  to  warrant  the  shipping  to  anv  groat 
distance,  and  many  farmers  are  discouraged  I 
with  the  proMjxict,  and  will  feed,  or  have  already  } 
!  *  out,  the  greater  ix)rtiou  of  their  ci-op.  Por  i 
one,  believe  (he  potatoes  we  have  grown  will  al]  I 
‘  e  nc'fJsd  before  another  crop  is  grown,  and  at  ^ 
price,  (hat  will  pay  for  raising.  Among  the  i 
can.se>* !  iiat  will  produce  this  result  arc  the.se  :  | 
Fai  uiars  will  not,  as  a  rule,  <lig  and  house  as  ' 
e.n  I  i*f  dl'y  as  when  the  crop  i.s  meager.  Many  will 
b-.  lo  stock,  many  will  be  lost  by  freezing, 
S'.d  (bare  will  be  a  much  greater  consumption 
g'.jcrally,  rosulting  Irom  tlicir  cheajiness,  and 
not  the  least,  their  unusual  excellence.'  But 
whether  we  got  pay  for  the  crop  we  have  grown 
this  year  or  not,  all  men  wiU  not  be  deterred 
from  growing  potatoes,  another  year,  and  Ithis 
leads  me  to  tho  considei-ation  of  the  value  of 
some  of  the  new  sorts,  and  of  mv  experience 
with  them. 
Compton'g  Shirpt^isc.—ThiH  season  the  Comp¬ 
ton  was  my  staple  crop,  vcjw  large ;  of  the  best 
qu-ality,  and  cooking  white  and  Homy  to  the 
center.  I  think  this  potato  is  destined  to  become 
a  standard  root,  the  more  especially  as  it  is  one 
of  the  best,  if  not  tbe  best  keeper  we  liavo.  cook¬ 
ing  floury  and  nice  until  potatoes  come  again. 
lirowncirs  Jif'ant,j.-Ot  this  remaikable  potato 
T  raised  2,100  pounds  20  pounds  (,{  seed. 
Tliere  ai  o  bushels  of  them  that  weigh  each  from 
one  b)  two  pound.-  and  over,  and  some  as  much 
as  three  pf)und3.  Even  where  tliey  grew  so  large 
they  are  seldom  otJierwise  than  sinootli  and  fair.  ' 
This  variety  well  merits  (be  name  of  Beauty.  As 
to  <iuality,  I  thinlc  it  must  satisfy  all  who  are 
coixtenl  with  the  Peach  Blow,  being  equal,  if  not 
superior  to  (his  old  favorite,  not  to  ai>eak  of  its  ' 
greater  produdivcne.ss  and  finer  form. 
Broicne/r.s  Eureka.— Ah  this  new  sort  was  sent 
out  last  spring  at  .fo  a  peek,  I  invested  with  some 
distrust.  The  result  has,  liowever,  been  most 
sati.sfacton,'.  From  15  pounds  of  seed  I  grew 
something  over  1,500  pounds  of  potatoes;  and, 
though  1  did  not  coiuit  them,  1  am  sure  that 
there  are  not  (countpig  the  very  least)  as  many 
tubers  as  there  are  pounds.  Every  one  that  saw 
them  sakl-^WondorluU  But  they  will  be 
watery,”  or  "Uiey  will  bo  hollow.”  *1  hud  five 
cooked  for  dinner,  to  which  more  than  a  dozen 
sat  down,  and  there  was  abundance  and  to  spare. 
No  one  said— “  Give  me  a  potato,  please  ;  ”  but 
"I  will  thank  you  for  a  piece  of  potato ;  "  and 
the  vei'ilict  was  that  they  were  most  excellent. 
They  cooked  lloury  and  dry  to  the  center,  with¬ 
out  a  sign  of  hollowness. 
Cai-penter'f  Seedling.— Tina  lias  been  before 
the  public  longer  than  the  preceding,  and  finds 
many  adinu-ers.  The  qnaUty.  with  me,  is  not 
quite  equal  to  the  Early  Rose,  as  the  Early  Rose 
is  this  year.  But  the  Cai-peuter  is  %  ery  smooth 
and  handsome,  and  this  year  veiy  prcxliictive.  I 
raised  from  15  pounds  of  seed  i,800  pounds  of 
potatoes. 
Ohio  Jirauli/.— This  new  sort,  sent  out  by 
George.  W.  Campbell  of  Ohio,  I  had  on  ti-ial  this 
season.  It  produced  for  me  something  over  1.- 
500  pound.s  from  the  peck  of  seed.  The  tubers 
^e  of  good  sliape,  though  not  as  um'form  as 
Brownell’s  Beauty.  It  is  as  late  as  the  Peach 
Blow,  which  may  or  may  not  be  in  its  favor.  I 
think  it  worthy  of  fiirtlier  trial. 
Snow^ake.-TluB,  like  the  above,  was  sent  out 
last  spring  at  S5  aiiecK-.  If  1  ^as  in  the  practice 
of  elassifjnng  potatoe,s.  as  I  do  fniit.  as  “ama¬ 
teur,  or  •*  market.”  I  slionld  call  this  an  ama- 
teiu-  sort.  The  yield  was  only  about  15  bushels 
to  a  peck  of  seed,  or  only  half  that  of  Caiqieiiter’.s 
seeding ;  but  the  quality  is  all  tliat  was  claimed, 
boiling  or  baldng  as  wliifo  and  fine  as  tlie  Long 
Pinlceye  in  its  best  estate.  And  its  good  shape 
adds  to  its  popularity. 
7ce  Cream,  lied  ,/(wke(  and  Early  Monseea.- 
The  jneld  ol  tho  fir.st  of  these  was  about  the  ^ 
same  as  the  preceding,  and  tho  quality  nearly 
equal,  but  the  shajic  is  less  uniform.  The 
second  was  not  so  g<XHl,  though  yielding  about 
the  same,  and  the  last  in  addition  to  lack  of 
quality,  is  hard  to  dig.  1  shall  not  grow  them 
again,  which  sufficienUy  indicates  my  opinion  of 
their  value. 
If,  as  is  claimed,  these  new  varieties  of  the  po¬ 
tato  have  resulted  from  the  stimulus  given  to 
cultivators  for  the  production  of  new  sorts,  by 
the  falliu-e  of  the  old  kinds,  tJie  disease,  in  its 
results  in  this  countiy  at  least,  can  hardly  he 
looked  upon  as  u  misfortune ;  for  in  some  of 
these  new  varieties  wo  liave  nil  the  excellences 
of  the  old,  together  with  certain  chai  acteristicH 
of  \  igor  and  health  tiial  those  did  not  possess. 
Tho  question  may  be  proi)crly  asketl— will  tho.so 
new  sorts  supermtde  the  Peachblow  as  a  market 
potato  ?  If  the  yield  alone  was  the  IckI.  or  yield 
I  and  quality,  there  is  no  doubt  but  aevcrnl  of  the 
I  new  sorts  would  become  fiopiilar  as  market  pota¬ 
toes  at  once.  The  Peachblow  is  prized  not 
j  alone  for  its  productiveness,  nor  yet  for  its 
quality,  but  quite  as  much,  no  doubt,  because  it 
will  witlistund  rough  handling  better  than  most 
sorts. 
I  find  the  finer  the  quality,  the  more  care  is 
requisite  in  the  storage  or  transportation.  The 
Bjownell’s  Beauty  and  Ohio  Beauty,  being  in 
charatder  something  like  the  Peachblow,  will 
boar  (ranHjjortation  about  as  well.  The  Comp¬ 
ton  is  more  tender,  but  not  so  much  so  as  to 
hinder  its  shipment  by  rail,  'ilie  Eureka  is 
however,  more  tender  than  either;  and  as  it 
gmv  HO  largo,  1  liad  to  handle  it  with  a  good 
deal  of  care  in  order  not  lo  break  and  mar  the 
tubers  seriously.  This,  however,  would  not 
dotiact  from  its  value  for  hunie  use,  or  a  near 
market,  where  quality  would  enter  more  into  the 
estimate  of  value. 
g^ijdsman. 
MILCH  COWS  A  LABORATORY, 
THE  COST  OF  GROWING  COTTON. 
Con.  IlAitnAWAy  of  Thomas  Co.,  Georgia, 
gives  tho  following  estimate  of  the  cost  of  cotton 
per  i>ound,  which  we  find  in  the  Southern 
Farmer.  He  says : 
“  I  give  tho  cost  for  seven  years  to  wit 1866, 
14.60;  1867,  12.50;  1868,  12.25;  1869.  10.90; 
1870,  8.G0;  1871,  18.61;  1872,  10.77.  The 
averagr!  is  11.88.  This  iueludes  interest  on  value 
of  land,  repau-s,  interest  on  team,  Uxes,  fortiliz- 
j  ers,  labor  of  cultivating,  pitching  and  packing. 
but  nothing  added  fur  ijersonal  supervision. 
(  Tlie  latter  would  bo  hard  to  estimato.  This 
year  s  crop  has  not  been  marketed  but  will  not 
exceed  U  n  wnts.  '’V 
I  Tlie  Soutbcrn  Fanner  says  Ihcso  estimates  do 
not  include  cost  of  8U]inrintendlng,  or  for  bor¬ 
rowed  money  to  make  the  crop.  Adding  the.se 
I  the  coat  of  cotton  usually  exceeds  tlie  price 
received,  making  (he  business  unprofitable. 
'J’hc  Farmer  adds ; 
“We  advise  all  onr  friendH,  in  the  beginning 
of  the  new  year,  to  jireparo  to  rai!9e  their  own 
m<-at  and  hi’ead — -to  work  no  more  hands  or 
,  mules  (bun  they  have  tho  r  eady  means  to  operate 
I  profitably  to  work  hard  and  live  at  home,  and 
grow  cotton  only  as  thiii-  smqihis  money  crop, 
and  they  can  scarcely  fail  to  come  out  far  Letter 
ofl  than  by  raising  all  cotton  and  buying  all  theii’ 
I  supplies  from  the  more  ju-udent  fanners  of  the 
I  Northwest. 
LARGE  YIELD  OF  RYE  FROM  ONE  SEED. 
I  Dkar  Hik  '.—A  farmer  bi'ought  into  my  mill, 
j  the  other  day,  a  bunch  of  rye  stubble  in  which  I 
I  counted  one  himdied  and  nine  (109)  stalks. 
,  Did  tliey  all  come  from  one  kernel  of  rye  It 
grew  on  a  )ilecc  of  new  land,  sowed  to  wheat,  and 
,  there  was  a  little  rye  in  the  seed.  The  wheat 
I  killed  out.  IMiei'c  the  wheat  did  not  kill  out 
I  there  was  only  now  and  then  a  bunch  of  rye, 
I  Some  of  my  customers  who  have  seen  Giis  think 
I  that  there  was  a  rye  liead  from  which  these 
I  bunche.s  came,  but  this  could  not  be  as  tJiey  had 
never  raised  any  rye  on  the  farm  before  and  never 
as  a  crop^LticAB  SsnTu.  Shortn'iHe,  N.  Y. 
I  We  see  no  reason  for  doubting  that  the  pro- 
'  duet  was  from  one  gi'ain.  It  is  a  large  yield. 
but  on  new  ground  well  prepared  for  wheat,  luid 
I  leaving  the  rye  plant  standing  alone  is  not  beyond 
a  reasonable  probability.  It  shows  how  large  a 
j  product  can  Ix'  got  from  thui  seeding  if  every 
'  plant  has  a  fair  chance. — Eds. 
Proi'.  Wethekell  writes  in  relation  to  this 
subject  as  follows Having  decided  on  the 
breed  of  cows  you  will  keep  as  one  engaged  in 
dairy  husbandry,  consider  every  cow  a  machine 
to  convert  forage  such  as  yonr  farm  produces  into 
milk.  To  illustrate.  Call  the  cost  of  a  cow  $50, 
$76  or  $100.  Take  the  latter  figure.  Tlris  ma¬ 
chine  muit  Ix'  kept  nmrring  day  and  night, 
summer  and  wnter,  on  Rtmdays  as  other  days.’ 
.Suppose  it  takes  liftcen  ponuds  of  hay  a  day  to 
run  this  machine  twenty  pounds  if  she  he  not 
comfortably  housed  in  cold  weather ;  say  from 
two  and  a  half  to  throe  and  a  half  tons  of  hay  a 
year  wiU  servo  to  keep  the  machine  running.  ’  If 
not  thus  lurnisherl  j’our  maclfino  will  stop,  or 
like  your  clock,  it  will  run  down  if  not  woundup, 
so  to  speak.  Tho  ma<’hine  cost  $100,  and  will 
last  seven  or  eight  or  ten  years,  more  or  less,  if 
no  accident  hnpfx  ii  to  it.  Buppose  twenty  ijouiids 
or  its  erjuivak'iit  be  required  to  keep  (he  cow 
alive,  tlion  the  owner  gets  nothing  in  the  way  of 
profit.  Give  her  twenty-five  j)OuridH  and  she 
gives  five  pounds  of  milk,  equal  to  one-half 
pound  of  cheese  a  day.  Ho  gives  her  tbiity 
pounds  and  gets  one  jsmnd  of  cheese  a  day,  or 
365  pounds  in  a  year-,  or  (hat  average.  Twenty 
poimds  gave  him  nothing ;  t  wenty-live  ixnmdti,  ■ 
one-half  iionnd  of  cheese  ;  thirty  pounds  or  six- 
ty-six  and  two-thirds  pounds  of  checso  from  a  1 
ton  of  hay ;  thii'ty-five  pounds  give  one  and  a-  j 
half  pound.s  of  cheese,  or  eighty-five  and  live-  I 
sevenths  pounds  to  a  ton  of  Lay ;  forty  pounds  I 
give  two  pounds,  or  one  hundred  pounds  of  } 
cheese  to  a  ton  of  hay;  foily-five  pounds  give  ' 
tw’o  and  a-half  jwunds  of  cheese,  or  onehundi-ed  I 
and  eleven  pounds  of  c;hee.sc  from  one  ton  of  I 
hay ;  fifty  pounds  give  three  ixunds  of  cheese, 
or  one  hundr  ed  and  twenty  irounds  to  a  ton  of 
hay. 
On  this  hyixithesis,  suggested  by  another,  a 
ton  of  hay  in  excess  of  the  amount  necessary  to 
keep  up  the  animal  heat  and  sustain  vitality 
gives  200  pounds  of  cheese.  Thus  is  it  seen  that 
it  is  defdrable  to  get  cows  that  will  yield  nui.st 
over-  the  cost  of  tlie  keep  or  tlic*  running  of  llic 
machine.  If  a  cow  e.its  but  twenty-five  poimds 
a  day  it  takes  a  ton  of  hay  to  make  forty  pounds 
of  cheese.  Gould  she  eat  and  asainulate  fifty 
pounds  a  day  a  ton  would  produce  120  pounds  of 
cheese.  If  a  cow  eat.s  thirty-lhreo  pounds  a  day 
or  its  equivalent  of  grass  it  will  require  fom- 
aeVes,  at  one  and  a-half  tons  per-  acre,  to  keep  u 
cow  H  year,  which,  awording  to  the  present 
hypothcKis,  would  produce  401 pounds  of 
cheese  a  year.  A  farm  of  eighty  aci-ea  would 
support  20  cows,  yielding  8.000  pounds  ofchee.se. 
Increase  the  piTahiotivenessof  (he  (iinn  one-half, 
and  keep  twenty  cows  tliat  will  eat  one-half  as 
much  again  food,  and  tlie  fanner  would  llicn 
get  21,600  pounds  of  cheese.  If  the  cheese  be 
woi-th  fifteen  cents  a  [xiund,  a  farm  of  eighty 
acres,  at  one  and  a-half  tons  per  acre,  with  twenty 
cows,  would  give  a  return  of  ?l,20l.50.  Increase 
this  by  improvement  to  two  and  a  qnai-tor  tuns  jx-r 
acre,  the  twenty  cows  eating  and  digesting  it, 
you  would  have  u  gross  retunr  of  $3,240.  Thus 
is  it  shown  that  a  cow  eating  six  tons  of  hay  or 
its  equivalent  a  year  would  produce  400  pounds 
of  cheese  p<T  annum,  worth  $60,  while  a  cow- 
eating  and  digesting  nine  tons  would  produce  1,- 
019  pounds,  worth  $163.50. 
do.;  at  12  months,  1,036;  at  18  mouths.  1.354  : 
at  24  months,  1,616 ;  at  30  months.  1.830 ;  at  36 
I  months,  2,070.,  and  should  have  been  slaughtered 
I  when  from  18  to  36  months  of  age.  It  was 
kept  until  it  was  52  months  old.  when  its  live 
weight  was  2,530  pounds.  For  the  mariner  of 
feeding,  and  fiu-thcr  particulars  about  its  weight 
at  different  times,  see  the  report  above  refeiTed 
to,  page  260. 
Both  of  the  above  accounts  clearly  show,  the 
great  advantage  of  early  fattening.  The  beef 
would  be  more  tender,  cost  less  to  make  it,  and 
sell  for  a  higher  price  in  market.  The  stock 
grower  could  also  turn  his  capital  twice  as  often, 
thereby  saving  g  large  item  of  intere.-t. 
It  would  also  seem  as  if  sweet  apples  contained 
a  large  amount  of  fat-forming  material,  and  if  so, 
then  why  not  feed,  for  fattening  purjJoses,  other 
sweet  food,  such  as  sugar  l>ects,  sweet  corn 
meal,  sweet  com  stalks,  and  the  like  ? 
Tb.u.0  Es.wav. 
THOUGHTS  ON  WINTERING  BEES. 
WHEAT  SOWING  IN  WET'SEASOHS; 
T.  C.  Si-noi.EY  of  Yorkshire,  England,  wites 
in  the  Londcni  Agiicultm-al  Gazette  of  Nov.  20. 
(hat  much  wheat  remained  un.sovrn  in  England 
at  that  late  date  on  account  of  the  oontinticd  wet 
weather.  Ili.s  plan  of  sowing  wheat  is  to  make 
I  it  follow  potatoes,  of  which  he  grows  ISO  acres 
yearly.  Tlie  ground  is  lightly  plowed,  the  seed 
I  sown  evenly  on  the  fun-ows  and  lightly  ban-owed 
in  keejdng  the  sowing  close  up  to  the  plowing. 
The  light  plowing  enables  tho  farmer  to  sow  on 
land  too  wet  for  ordinary  wor  king,  and  by  using  a 
gang  plow,  tlie  land  is  less  tramped  down  than 
when  a  heavier  plow  is  used. 
EARLY  MATURITY  OF  A  CALF. 
The  followiiig  is  an  account  of  a  Grade  Dur¬ 
ham  Calf,  which  was  dropix-d  the  first  of  April. 
1875,  and  raised  until  it  was  5  month.s  and  9  days 
old,  by  Mi-s.  CflAMiiEiii-Ais  of  J’ortage.  Jb-aiiie 
Rt.,  Joseph  Co.,  Ind.  It  was  slaughtered  and 
dressed  by  C.  Vinson  of  South  Beud,  Ind.,  the 
loth  of  September,  1875,  and  weighed  as  follows: 
The  4  quarter  s  of  meat  weighed  368  pounds ; 
hide  49  do.;  rough  tallow.  35  do.;  making  for 
beef  hide  and  tallow  452  pounds,  allowing  for  the 
head,  feet  and  otlier  ofl’al  113  do.;*  would  make 
the  liw  weight,  SfiojKiuuds. 
The  calf  ran  with  tire  cow  for  a  few-  days, 
when  it  was  turned  into  an  orchard  pasture  con¬ 
taining  many  sweet  apple  trees,  and  the  cow 
turned  in  with  tho  calf,  night  and  morning  so 
that  the  calf  took  nearly  and  sometimes  all  of 
the  oew's  milk.  nfis.  with  the  sw-eet  apiiles 
which  fell  from  the  trees,  and  the  pasture  in  the 
orchard,  constituted  all  the  food  (he  calf  received. 
And  yet  at  the  age  of  5  months  and  9  days  its 
hve  weight  must  have  been  about  605  pounds. 
Tire  hind  and  fore  quarters  were  large  and  fat, 
and  the  kidueys  plump  and  handsome.  Now  had 
this  calf  been  kept  three  weeks  longer  until  it 
was  G  months  old,  at  the  same  rate  of  iuereaBe, 
it  w'ould  have  weighed  625  pounds  live  weight, 
and  have  been  ahuost  equal  to  the  steer,  Uncle 
Abe,  raised  by  C.  S.  M,vrvin  of  Orange  Co., 
State  of  New  York,  of  which  a  full  account  is 
given  on  Page  250  of  the  Agricultural  Report  for 
1871,  the  weight  of  which  was  as  follows,  viz., 
at  Lirtli,  134  pound.s;  at  G  months  oLage,  670 
L.  F .  Abbott  is  contributing  a  series  of  arti¬ 
cles  on  bee  keeping  to  the  ilaine  Farmer,  which 
introduce  some  sensible  ideas.  Tho  great  mor- 
tahty  among  bees,  of  late  years, .  from  cold,  is 
much  gr  eater  than  formerly,  and  Mr.  A.  Biiggests 
that  it  is  caused  by  the  different  styles  of  hive— 
a  subject  certainly  worthy  of  consideration  by- 
bee  keepers.  Ho  says: 
“  A  fl-waiTO  ot  bee.s  in  the  moveable  comb  hive 
is  in  an  abnormal  condition.  The  instinct  of 
tho  bees  leads  them  to  so  construct  the  combs 
when  left  to  follow  their  instinct  so  that  they  are 
a  safeguard  against  the  rigors  of  winter,  dire 
bee  keeper,  for  good  reasons,  says  :  *  If  I  let  my 
bees  follow  their  own  inclination,  and  cou.slrnct 
the  combs  to  their  liking,  it  frnsti  ates  iny  j  Jans 
and  deprives  me  of  my  profits.  1  wiU  modify, 
somewhat,  the  plans  natme'has  instructed  them 
to  carry  out  in  this  particular  of  cojnb-bnilding, 
and  make  Grcm  subserve  my  interests  al  the  r-isk 
of  losing  at  some  other  point.’ 
“  It  i.s  our  belief  that  bees  need  dijrerent  treat¬ 
ment  in  winter  in  IVume  hives,  from  what  they 
do  in  the  old  box  hive.  With  combs  nearly 
Hti-aight  from  rear  to  front,  with  unfilled  space 
at  each  end  of  the  frames,  the  hives  are  neces¬ 
sarily  much  colder,  and  not  only  that,  but  tho 
U-es  cannot  cluster  so  compactly  with  combs  in 
such  shape,  and  if  spread  out  belwet-n  four  or 
five  straight  sheets  of  comb — tbc  changes  in  -teni- 
pcrulnre  of  onr  winters  affect  them  innch  more 
if  liO  inetho<l  for  giving  protection  is  adopted. 
We  claim  (hat  bees  will  winter  as  well  now  as 
they  did  fifteen  years  ago,  if  placed  in  the  same 
condition  as  then.  Let  iis  consider  for  a  moment 
tho  maimer  in  w  hich  bees,  that  are  allowed  to 
follow  their  own  instinct,  constniet  their  combs. 
We  have  had  occasion  lately  to  dissect  several 
old  box  hives,  removing  tiro  comb  and  bees  in 
order  to  obtain  the  latter  toe  Htrengthenjng  some 
of  our  own  Hwarms.  Two  or  three  old  swarms 
had  occupied  their  hive«  some  twelve  or  fifteen 
years.  All  the  profit  derived  fj-om  them  had 
been  by  the  increase  of  swai-ms ;  but  what  is 
noticeable  in  such  cases,  is  the  curious  manner  of 
building  the  breeding  apaiiraent,  or,  as  it  may  lx 
called,  the  “Uving  room"  for  the  swai-m.  The 
combs  in  tho  upper  port  of  the  hive  are  placed  iu 
quite  regularly,  as  this  ia  the  store-room ;  but 
when  we  eome  to  the  bi'oo<.l  nest,  we  find  it  as 
dissimilar-  from  straight  combs  In  tho  modern 
frame  hive  as  it  is  possible  to  couceivo. 
“  lD.stead  of  the  regular  sheets  built  from  side  to 
side,  or  from  conioi-  to  corner,  as  is  often  the 
ease,  wc  find  more  or  less  of  them  curved.  For 
instance,  a  sheet  commenced  at  some  point  (as 
the  back  of  the  hive)  is  carried  parallel  to  the 
side  till  a  point  about  the  center  of  the  hive  is 
reached,  when  it  is  curved  and  brought  to  a 
right  angle  with  the  starting  point,  and  perhaps 
is  completed  a  httle  past  the  center  of  the  hive ; 
and  another  aheet  passes  at  this  point  at  an  an¬ 
gle  with  the  other-  sheet,  and  then  at  the  points 
where  Grese  nearly  interseot  it  wiU  be  seen  there 
is  much  more  space  than  if  the  combs  were  can-ied 
sti-aight  and  parallel  to  each  other.  This  an-ange- 
ment  allow.s  the  building  of  quite  a  munber  of 
small  sheets  of  combs  in  many  iri-egular-  forms 
and  the  whole  protected  with  the  larger  sheets’ 
thus  giving  compactness  to  the  cluster  of  bees 
in  cold  weather,  which  it  is  impossible  for  them 
to  assume  iu  perfectly  straight  comba.  Nor  is 
the  ample  space  afforded  by  this  niTangement  all. 
“  Nearly  all  these  inner  combs  are  pierced  with 
holes  f]-om  the  size  to  admit  a  bee  to  pass  rcadil}’ 
to  an  inch  in  diameter.  And  thus  the  interior 
of  this  “living  apartment''  is  full  of  galleries 
and  halls,  aud  all,  so  to  speak,  are  amply  provi¬ 
ded  with  largo  folding  door.s.  so  that  neighbors 
can  readily  make  friendly  calls  and  not  be  too 
ceremonious,  aud  have  to  ring  the  bell  every  time. 
Bees  generate  much  wamrth  if  they  can  cluster 
together  in  large  numbers,  but  ejrread  them  out 
and  frequent  chilling  destroys  •  them.” 
