rebruwy 8, 1872. ] 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



139 



tcresting articles that Woodbury Tvi'ote on foreign races of bees, 

 aud to translate wMeh was always a pleasant task to me. But 

 the bee-keei)ers of Germany knew nothing further of the dis- 

 tant friend who first introduced the Italian bee into England, 

 and whose intention of naturahsing the Indian bee also jwas 

 only frustrated by death. One of his last works was the 

 superintendence of the manufacture of a hive in which a swarm 

 (Apis dorsata) should have been introduced into England from 

 India's distant shore, the arrival and success of which was 

 Woodbm'y's deai'est wish." 



UNITING SWAEMS. 



The practice of joining swarms, or what is more commonly 

 termed " chop-offs," to stocks in the autumn is of very old 

 Jate, and is still recommended in modern works and periodi- 

 cals. Save by a correspondent to our Journal, who lately 

 recommended the brimstone pit as the best mode of disposing 

 of these surplus bees, and who for his pains got a few stings 

 from some of our worthy bee-masters, I am not aware of the 

 plan ever having been condemned by anyone. Now, although 

 it is universally approved of, I believe the anticipated benefit 

 is seldom derived, for the bees escape dying in .spring by meet- 

 ing with an earlier death when joined to stocks in autumn. 

 . I wiU endeavour briefly to show the advantages and disad- 

 vantages of uniting swarms to stocks in autumn, and will tlien 

 jiass on to the proper time at which swarms ought to be joined. 



In the first place, let us ask what hives ought to be streugth- 

 ■ened in the autumn, and why ? Such hives are those only 

 which have aged queens, aud whose population has been re- 

 duced through the defects of the queen in breeding ; or late 

 swarms in a bad season which have lost many bees, and have, 

 therefore, an insufficient population to maintain a uniform 

 degree of heat in winter. It is, therefore, requisite in joining 

 swarms that every precaution should be taken, so that it will 

 be certain that the best queen will be saved and not in any 

 way maimed. From the foregoing it wUl be seen that it is in 

 few cases that uniting is recommended ; iu fact, under good 

 management hives do not require to be united in autumn. 

 When bees are joined, if no fightmg occur at the time many 

 bee-keepers think aU is right, and having so many bees together," 

 1 jok forward to securing early swarms next spring. They never 

 think of the mishaps that are almost sure to occur, nor of the 

 natiu-al life of the bee. I may here mention that hives with 

 not less than 3 lbs. of bees, or even 2 lbs., in autumn ought 

 never to be disturbed by uniting, because a healthy queen with 

 that number of subjects will bring forward in spring as many 

 bees as one with double the number ; nay, a small second 

 swarm is often the first to swarm. Then why put yourself to 

 all the trouble, aud run the risk of having healthy queens 

 destroyed, thi-ough uniting where bees are not required ? As 

 I have paid particular attention to swarms so joined for many 

 years I will state my observations. 



First, when a swarm is joined to a stock both queens are 

 encased, and if not both killed at the time, frequently they do 

 not survive long ; and even should one survive, she is often 

 maimed and is seldom aDowed to lead a swarm, so that the 

 consequent loss iu the spring is far gi'eater than the benefit of 

 a few bees in autumn. Besides, how often are hives really 

 strengthened by this mode ? I have seen hives supposed to 

 be peaceably united, have stood beside them after dusk, and 

 seen the bees leaving by the thousand. 



This occurs owing to two causes, one being when the bees 

 miss their queen, the other when the one set of bees is assailed 

 by the other ; in the former case, the queen of the strange 

 bees being killed immediately after the hives are united. Al- 

 though the bees themselves have not been meddled vrith, when- 

 ever they miss then- qiieen a commotion commences, almost 

 invariably after daylight, and the bees leave the hive never to 

 return. In the latter case the strange bees, although wounded, 

 are still able to fly, and quit the hive for ever. Thus the un- 

 suspecting bee-keeper is disappointed, and in nine cases out 

 of ten the surviving queen is so maimed that she is often 

 deposed early in the spring, thus causing a cessation of breed- 

 iug for some weeks ; and if not deposed she is seldom able to 

 fly with the swarm, aud is sometimes lost. The great danger 

 in uniting bees in autumn can only be obviated in the same 

 manner, and by using the same precautions, as when we join 

 an Italian queen — in fact, it is utterly useless to unite swarms 

 in autumn except iu cases where the weight of bees has been 

 reduced to less than 2i or 3 lbs. A young healthy queen with 

 from 3 to 4 lbs. weight of bees wUl be far in advance of one 



with three times that weight made up by joining. " Union is 

 strength," but that strength is only required when there is 

 work to be done. What advantage is there in uniting swarms 

 months before they are required, when it is a well-known fact 

 that in a healthy hive six weeks will be sufficient to supersede 

 every old bee by young ones ? It may not be out of place to 

 mention here that I have kept bees until they were fourteen 

 months old. Whenever the apiarian knows he is to have sur- 

 plus bees he ought to join them in the height of the honey 

 season, and thus make the most of them, disturbing the stocks 

 as Uttle as possible after the honey season is past. 



Nor is it requisite to unite swarms for their better keeping 

 in winter, because a hive containing from 3 lbs. aud upwards 

 wiU occupy three or more seams at a temperature of 10° ; and 

 this number appeal's to be quite sufficient, in an unprotected 

 hive with no more than a projecting roof, to stand a cold at 

 several degrees below zero. Such was the case in 1860, when 

 the thermometer sank to 4° below zero. I had a dozen hives 

 standing exposed ; the hive itself was only half an inch thick, 

 aud the only protection was a ridge projecting 6 inches round 

 the hive. One-half of these hives were not more than half 

 full of combs, and yet they all tiurned out well in spring. I 

 am not far wrong when I say that a hive three-quarters filled 

 with comb, and one-third of that occupied by bees at a tem- 

 perature of from 10° to 20°, is about the proportion for a hive 

 to remain healthy and free from disease during winter. A 

 hive fiUed to overflowing and perfectly fuU of combs wiU not 

 winter better than one only three-quarters filled. It is thus 

 necessary to have our hives constructed so that we can add or 

 diminish, not only during winter but throughout the seasons. 



Like Mr. Lowe, I do not thiirk it a good plan to divide hives 

 in autumn, yet it is weU to have a few nucleuses as described, 

 to be kept in a rather warm and dry place during winter, iu 

 order to fill up any wants that may occur in spring through 

 the death of a queen iu winter. — A. Lanakkshike Bee-keepeb. 



OTJB LETTER BOX. 



Age op Stock Game Fowls (H.).— We do not believe that birds teed from 

 parents five yeai-s old will be as good as those bred from two-year-old birds. 

 Much depends on the condition in which they ai-e when moulting. It is a 

 strain on the system, and, if they are worth a little attention, they should be 

 cared for as much while it is in progress as if they were in training. The 

 quaUty of the feather will depend much on the material of which it is made. 



Weight of Doekings and Bkahma.s at Birmingham {Suiscriher). — 

 Dorking cock, 12 lbs. ; hens, 10 lbs. Brahma cock, 13 lbs. ; bens, 10 lbs. at 

 the last show. 



PouiTKY Makagement (BJacft Cofi*).— Your fowls are better managers for 

 you than you would he for them. The Dorkmgs are laying now that they 

 may be broody in time to bring you og some early chickens, and the Spanish 

 will be laying all the time the others are sitting, Tlio Spanish are not eaily 

 layers, but they lay well when theybe^'in, una v^.ii ^\lll tlms ]v .■nnshmtly 

 supplied with new eggs. The appeanni" - ■ ' ' '!■ ii'" :■ h. :i'. ! Iivv will 

 shoi-tly lay, but not that they are laying. Y-u li i i ..ir <. I, .1, -■/'//- . r,>u^, 

 in doing that which many try for, and wliich i^ IIil intciili'-iii "I I v. !■ Invcila 

 viz., to make one succeed the other, and not to have all yom- eggs at ouce. 



Sowing Gbass Seed on Poultey Ecn (W. T.).—Yon should do it at once 

 so far as the time of year is concerned ; but you will, we think, do well to 

 wait till the land does not hold as much wet as it does now. If the extent of 

 the ran permit it, shut up half of it at a time. If it does not, keep the poultiy 

 out till there are evident signs the seed has taken root and is growing. 



Beahma Hens ( IF. T.).— We should hatch our chickens from the eggs id 

 by the ben without vulture hocks. Nothing would compensate for them, ri 

 almost every particular we like the second better than the first. We do not 

 for a moment believe all the chickens (cocks) will have brown patches on the 

 wings. Ton must weed out those thaf have. By way of expenment you 

 might set some eggs of the first ben. 



Pellets not Laying (TT. H.).— The cock has nothing to do with laying, 

 but puUets are better satisfied when one runs with them, and we beUeve they 

 keep in better condition. Borrow one for a week, and that will answer every 

 pirrpose. 



Scurfy Fowls (Ham&iir(7ft).— We hai-dly understand the scurvy as applied 

 to the diseases of fowls. There is the white face, which is the disorder from 

 which the Hamburgh is suffering, and the white dry excrescence on the legs. 

 The former is cei-tainiy cured by the application of strong sulphur omtment, 

 unless it be the remabis of some distant cross with a white-faced breed, as 

 Spanish in Blafk Hamburghs. In this latter case there is no cm-e. The 

 excrescence o.i thr L—a i",v hr. mur^b alleviotod hv the application of the 



same made vr,. , l i ,l,i',rnlt to cure. Tiio host thing you can do 



with the he., ■ . '• . I Mvwithcastoroil.amllVc.lheronground 



oats slaked «;:, ::, , ,,. :,,,„ilji, and a small qnantity of kitchen 



scraps chopped Oi.^. W l.s:. ..ii. . rc-uveriug you can use Ba.ly s piUs advan- 

 tageously, and as soon as there appears some Ufe m her let her out. Wiile 

 she is confined nothing wiU be more beneficial than to give her daily a sod ol 

 growing grass cut with plenty of mould. If this treatment will not help her, 

 we should advise you either to kill her, or else let her take her chance, unless 

 she lavs golden eggs. ' The best food we know for fowls is ground oats ; when 

 these 'cannot be had, barleymeal. One of these slaked with water should he 

 given for the morning and evening meals. At midday give maize, barley, and 

 kitchen scraps. Where the latter are given the quantity of corn should bo 

 diminished. 



Pooltey House (Far TFcsf).— We should prefer to make the end of the 

 house, a, a, soUd without a door. We should then make two-thn-ds of the 



