The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1847-12-17
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Get reodyJ0 WWters-It 10 very
probable that soas farmers are ready
fos the inclement season now at hand
There are those who drive their
work instead Of suffering their
work to drive them. They are ready,
atonce, on the recurrence Of any
particular season, for the duties
which It brings, because the work
Of each time Is prepared when it
should be.
Such men will now be found with
their grain properly secured, either
in the stack or the bin; their out
buildings all IN good repair. so that
horses, cattle, swine, sheep, and
poultry, will be in good condition to
pass the winter, Allplows, harrows
hoes, spades, and other farm tools,
are brought from the field; repaired
If need be-for the time to repair a
TOOLS when it is done with for the
present, and laid by for future sea-
son-and all laid aside under cover
for another years work. The wag-
on, obtained at an expense Of ~ or
800, is not suffered to stand expos
ed to the rains and freezing and
thawing of winter, butts put under
cover.
On these farms potatoes all dug
long ago, and the corn cropin such
condition as that it can be made
available to the purposes intended in
the easiest manner.
There are thousand other little
preparations made which cannot be
enumerated here, but which aid in
preparing the farmer and his family
TO pass the winter in comfort.
There are others who are, in none
ofthese particulars, norin any prop
er sense, prepared for winter. Their
farms were never more than now
the theatre ofconfusion and disorder.
Potatoes are yet some Of them in the
earth corn standing untouched in
the field, except where gathered for
fall feeding; their gardens, if they
had any, not yet harvested the pillow
in one field, the harrow in another,
and the hoes scattered here and there
all over the farm; swine are over
running all creation, squealing and
bowling like parcel ofhyenas, con-
scious that they are unable to provide
shelter and food for themselves; and
lamenting their hard fate in falling
into the hands Of men too shiftless to
provide for them.
What comforts can the winter sea-
son have for such men Pr. Far.
McyedseefBess.-A question in-
dictated by the above heading, was
raised the past season, between corr
respondents Of the Prairie Farmer,
and then left. II is a matter Of some
practical importance to those who
deal with bees, to know how many
can be made to live ina single hive
at time.
The position taken by Mr.. Lathrop
was that hive never contains above
specified number, however large
the house in which they were kept,
orgreat the length Of time they re-
main in it.
That this is true will appear by a
statement Of the habits Of the bee in
respect to procreation and length of
life, as they have been observed by
the best apiarians and students Of
natural history.
The mother Of all the bees in a
hive is a single individual, known as
tho queen bee. She is the only per-
feet female in the hive; for though
the working bees are all females,
their provocative powers are not de-
veloped. Another female besides
the one will not be tolerated in the
hive; forwherever two are found to-
gether, they Immediately engage in
mortal combat, and one dies. This
female is incapable, as a matter Of
course, producing above specified
number Of young, for the same rea-
sons that a hen will only lay so many
eggs, or COW produce so many
calves. 1. , - -
We have now two Of the conditions
necessary to come to conclusion Of
OF our question : we only need one
more, and that is the length Of the
life Of a bee. 1.-THE insect lives a
handxsd- years, it is obvious with
our previous statements, that the
hive may increase toany conceivable
sixeaaisEa .s3ttost.
Bevan states the age of the bee at
eight months, and though there is
some difference of opinion among
naturalists on the subject, yet none
ofwIom we know, allow it to be
more than one year, and mostmake
itless than that.
With these facts before us, we
can eaQiIv perco;vo that NJ Tath