130 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST 
[April, 
Mr. Bresec and S. J. Parker, 
M.D.—In the Western Pomologist and Gardener for Feb¬ 
ruary, Mr. S. J. Parker, M.D., has an article on the Peer¬ 
less Potato, in which he says: “ One of the most re¬ 
markable seed-balls of the potato plant was that which 
has given the Early Rose and the Peerless. I have re¬ 
quested Mr. Bresee, who lives in New England, to give a 
full account of how that potato ball was had by him. He 
has been so unkind as to never reply to my request. This 
silence of any originator casts in my own mind a great 
doubt overall the early history of a plant, as on more than 
one occasion I have found a letter or two unanswered on 
a grape or plant, covered facts that would not bear in¬ 
vestigation. We can only say that our letters to Mr. 
Bresee are unanswered, which is very ungentlcmanly in 
him, and we therefore can not vouch for anything con¬ 
nected with him.”—Here is a case in which a private gen¬ 
tleman, not choosing to answer the demands of an un¬ 
known correspondent, is most unwarrantably arraigned in 
a public print, and an attempt is made (which no editor 
should have published) to throw doubts upon hi’s reputa¬ 
tion for honesty. Wo will not stop to inquire .who this 
S. J. Parker, M.D., is, who thus takes upon him the office 
of censor, the quotation we have given from his published 
article being sufficient testimony as to what he. is. Hav¬ 
ing the pleasure of knowing Mr. Bresee, we are able to 
say that he is one of the most modest gentlemen we have 
ever met. Though he has in the introduction of his po¬ 
tatoes placed the whom' country under' great obligations, 
he shrinks from all notoriety, and has a strong dislike to 
appearing in print. ’These arc qualities that S. J. Parker, 
M.D., may not be able to appreciate, but there are others 
who can. As to the case in point, the “remarkable seed- 
ball ” that produced both the Early Rose and the Peer¬ 
less potato, Mr. Bresee has never withheld anything con¬ 
cerning it. There is very little to tell, but what little 
there is should bo known to any one who attempts to 
write upon the potato. We will relieve the anxious 
Parker’s mind to the extent of stating “how that potato 
ball was had by him” (Mr. Breseel. It was had honestly. 
Potnilo Sports — S^ate BSoses.—The 
question of the permanence of sports in potatoes is just 
now of interest. One of our friends thinks us to blame 
for publishing Mr. Campbell’s opinion that sports are not 
likely to be permanent. Where a point is a mere matter 
of opinion, the fair way would seem to bo to hear differ¬ 
ent opinions, and then judge which carries the most 
weight with it. We published Mr. Campbell’s view of the 
matter without indorsing it —indeed, we quite dissent 
from it; still, that i3~no reason why Mr. C. should not 
have a hearing, or that we are right. We base our opin¬ 
ion that the varieties of potatoes obtained as sports will 
be permanent upon the fact that sports in other plants are 
generally so. Sports, producing leaves, flowers, and fruit, 
differing in a marked degree from the typical,"plant, are 
well known to horticulturists. Indeed, some of our most 
valued varieties were obtained in this way. The sporting 
branch, severed from its parent and propagated, may con¬ 
tinue the peculiarity indefinitely. The potato is an under¬ 
ground branch, and subject to the same laws of growth as 
a branch growing above ground ; and there seems to us 
to be no reason for believing that a well-marked sport of 
a tuber may not be as permanent as any other sport. So 
far from a sport indicating a degeneracy of the original 
stock, we should sooner expect great vigor of growth to 
result in departures from the typical form than we should 
look for it in a degenerate stock. 
Sulphur to Kill Vermin in Nests. 
Now that the season has arrived for raising chickens, 
it is well to know that the powdered sulphur of the drug¬ 
gists is the cheapest, handiest, and best thing yet dis¬ 
covered for killing parasites that infest sitting hens, and 
And their way to fresh pastures upon the chickens as soon 
as the latter are hatched. Many times people complain 
that when their chickens are a week or two old, they droop 
and die from the attacks of large lice, which literally 
cover the heads of the birds. If examination is made 
earlier, it will be found that the insects have taken up 
their abode upon the chickens’ heads while still in the 
nest, for they forsake the hen, preferring the chickens. 
It is bad business to have to catch (he chickens and hen 
for treatment after they have left the nest, when the 
remedy can be applied with so little trouble before hatch¬ 
ing begins. A week or so after the hen has been given 
her clutch of eggs, sprinkle them and the whole of the 
nest and the straw for a little distance around it, with the 
sulphur when the hen is off. The night following attend 
to the hen herself, by lantern-light. Disturb her just 
enough to make her bristle her feathers, and then dust 
sulphur well down to their roots. Go over her whole 
body thoroughly, excepting the parts in contact with the 
nest, and lift each wing and scatter a pinch, and attend 
to head, neck, and tail. It will not injure the hen in the 
least, nor the chickens when they are hatched. We repeat 
the operation at an interval of a week (though perhaps 
one application is sufficient), and have never found the 
slightest trace of vermin upon hen or chicks afterwards. 
Use two small handfuls. It costs little either in money or 
trouble. Tobacco, snuff, grease, carbolic powder, etc., 
arc not to be compared with sulphur for this particular 
purpose, and the best dust-bath privileges for the hen are 
not to be relied upon alone. 
Bee Notes for April. —-By J\L Quiriby, 
This month is a good time to take the first lessons in 
bee culture. One of the most important things is to 
learn how to avoid stings. The greatest difficulty in bee 
culture is the fear of being stung. Among the higher ani¬ 
mals it is believed that qualities resulting from education 
and training arc transmitted to the offspring. When we 
see how much the Italians arc in advance of the black 
bees, we may suppose bees are also capable of improve¬ 
ment. The Italians will allow ns to take liberties with 
them, that the black bees would highly resent. They have 
become accustomed to our presence, and seem to consider 
it a matter of course.. The black .bees have never been 
approached, except for pillage and murder, and they seem 
to fully comprehend it. They are either indignant at the 
first familiarity, or yield with the most abject submission. 
To educate or train the bees, and ourselves as well, in or¬ 
der to feel absolutely certain that we shall not be troubled 
with stings, we want a good veil. To readily .detect any¬ 
thing wrong in the interior of the hive,, we must become 
familiar with its condition when everything is right. To 
do this we must frequently have access to the interior for 
observation, and do not want the annoyance of fear, to 
make us forget any important item. The bees are quieted 
when irritable, by means of some mild smoke. That 
made by hard wood just rotten enough to hold together, 
when sawed or split into pieces two inches square, is good 
enough. The veil, that important appendage, consists of 
about a yard of tarlatan or millinet, sewed together like 
a bag, open at both ends ; one end is gathered on a string, 
that will allow it to slip down over the crown of the liat., 
which should be of a light color. In the part that comes 
before the face, insert a piece of flue wire cloth, C X 8 
inches square. Opposite the mouth put in a pipe, ten or 
twelve inches long, to bo held by the teeth. When ready 
to operate, light one end of the rotten stick, adjust the 
veil on the hat, and go to the hive—it is movable comb, 
of course—and take off the top. There are different 
methods of removing this, according to the skill of the 
operator. One will get hold of the top that, if in cold 
weather, is firmly held by bee-glue, and with a sudden 
jerk bring it off with a snap, that will be but little less 
than thunder to the bees. These will sometimes come 
out to reconnoiter, before the smoke can be brought to 
bear. Another will use something to raise the top more 
moderately; a chisel or heavy jack-knife will be slipped 
under, to pry it loose, often without a jar, and some¬ 
times without alarming a bee. Before removing the top. 
after it is loose, and raised just a little, he will listen to 
the notes within. If a sharp, angry buzzing is heard, 
instead of letting the top fall to crush and pinch a few, 
and make all still more angry, he simply holds it still, 
and holds the smoking wood as near as possible, and 
with the pipe held by the teeth directs smoke exactly 
among the bees. Almost immediately they will go down 
among the combs. By raising the top gradually, any bees 
not yet down, may be seen and smoke directed to them 
specially, until all retreat. In the same easy way the 
frames are loosened, and some are separated until one 
can be lifted out, without crushing a single bee. Any 
angry demonstrations should be quieted at once with 
smoke. When a comb is once lifted out, and bees exposed 
to open day, the greatest danger is over. The bees seem 
to be so astonished at the change, that they forget about 
resenting any insult. The gloves that are often called 
for, are not often needed. The anger of the bees ought 
not to be allowed to rise until they will sting a person’s 
hands. Shall I say that any wanting gloves for their 
hands, are not yet thoroughly skilled in bee manage¬ 
ment? Some of tts have not stopped here, but have 
looked a little further, and found as we became acquainted, 
that under some conditions we can do much more. In « 
warm day, when the bees arc bringing stores, the propo¬ 
lis that holds everything fast, is softened and comes off 
without a jar or snap, the bees engaged in work do not 
notice what is being done. We can often open the hive, 
look over the combs, and empty out the honey if wo wish 
to, and return them to the hive, without having an nngry 
bee. This is because we do it at the right time and in 
the right way. There is the value of two millions of 
dollars in this State wasted annually —20,000,000 lbs. of 
honey. The people must be educated to save it. This 
dreadful fear of stings must bo overcome. When we | 
come to find itCan be avoided--and ifa sting does happen, I 
it would not be so very bad, had we not been taught to | 
so regard it—we shall have advanced some. Let ue begin 
now to educate our bees, and ourselves as well. 
The Report of the Department of Agri* 
culture. 
Bear Hr. Editor —I think it is hardly quite fair in yon 
to complain of the U. S. Commissioner of Agriculture 
for “doing over” some bits of his old reports. Take 
for instance those parallel extracts, which yon have 
paraded in your February number. Don’t you see that 
Judge Watts wished to improve a good opportunity of 
qualifying some statements which he had rather rashly 
advanced in 1S64, and to render others more perspicuous ? 
For instance, in the report for 1861 Judge Watts states as 
the result of his experience and that of liis fellow-triistees, 
that a farmer’s son, educated in college, is thereby “ actu¬ 
ally driven by his education into the necessity of resort¬ 
ing to some neighboring town, in,-pursuance of a learned 
profession, where he forms habits of idleness and intem¬ 
perance,” etc. Now, upon reflection it has evidently oc¬ 
curred to the Commissioner’s mind, that a goodly pro¬ 
portion of the ministers, lawyers,'and- physicians of the 
country, and even the most eminent of them, have been 
farmers’ sons, and that a lair share of them have led 
reputable and moral lives. So,he now qualifies his ori¬ 
ginal sweeping assertion, with a '■‘■perhaps to be led into 
the haunts of intemperance-and vice;,” and you must 
allow that the qualification was called for. 
In the Report of 1ST1,1 see that he still gives a deplor¬ 
able account of the prospects of a farmer’s son who has 
had the ill fortune to receive a college education; insist¬ 
ing, that “ he is driven to the nearest country town, to 
prepare himself to make a poor figure inpirofessional lifcE 
But here perhaps the judge is speaking only for himself. 
The experience of others might be different. And ) 
really do not see why a farmer's son is more likely to fall 
into intemperance and vice, or to make a poor figure in 
professional life, than any one else’s son, nor why a pro¬ 
fessional career should not be as freely open to him as to 
others. 
Moreover, in the original report the contemplated “ re¬ 
sult is, that the father not only loses the expenses of 
his education, but the son himself.” Certainly not a 
perspicuous sentence, as it leaves us in doubt whether 
it is the son who also loses the expenses of his education, 
or whether it is the father who loses his son. Now, you 
perceive that this riddle is solved in the amended edition 
of 1811. It is the father, who “ realizes the loss of the 
sou himself.” 
In his next Report, perhaps, the Commissioner will try 
his hand upon a short paragraph of his, which has lately 
attracted attention : “ If science and learning be useful at 
all, where can it tell with so potent an influence as 
whore it deals with the operations of a farm, which em¬ 
brace a great number of mechanical and chemical forces, 
and involve the necessity for searchingnfter philosophical 
truth ? ” 
If “it "refers to “ science and learning,” all is so far 
more intelligible than grammatical: but the "operations,” 
“Which embrace mechanical and chemical forces and in¬ 
volve the necessity for searching after philosophical 
truth," involve an all-embracing obscurity of statement, 
Which needs some elucidation, in order to be quite clear 
to the simple apprehension of your humble correspondent, 
A Farmer’s Son. 
Ogden Farm Papers.—No. 27. 
I suppose that suspicion is a necessary conse¬ 
quence of publicity, anti, while I trust I shall 
not seem discourteous, I beg to say, in my own 
behalf, that I really have not the time—even if 
I had the inclination—to write personal letters 
in vindication of my truthfulness. My state¬ 
ments must rest on the simple fact of their being 
made. If they arc disbelieved by some of my 
readers, I am sorry for it, but not so sorry as to' 
induce me to take steps to verify them. If any 
of the readers of these papers desire practical 
information that can be given in few words, I 
shall always try to find a moment to give it, but 
even this is a severe tax on a busy man’s time, 
and I certainly shall not add the further labor of 
insisting that I tell the truth in what I write. 
Those who doubt whether I sell my butter for 
75c. per lb., or whether Mr. Sargent sells his 
for $1.15, must apply elsewhere for the proof. 
I have made the statement, and there I rest my 
