120 



JOUENAL OP HORTICTTLTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENEE. 



[ August 11, 1863. 



freely perhaps. I have, moreover, be^m to reap my honey 

 harvest in the shape of 20 lbs. of first-rate honeycomb- 

 about a third part of the estimated yield of my ajiiary. 



If our friend's apiai-y consisted of EngUsh bees it were 

 easy for us to make ujj his loss ; but who can (this yeai- at 

 least) supplement his diminished Italian stock 'i I sincerely 

 hope that we may yet hear that he has well saved a goodly 

 niunber of his hives. — B. & W. 



[I cannot but acknowledge with gratitude the kind sym- 

 pathy of so accomplished an apiarian as " B. & W." To 

 him and to many others who have expressed themselves iu 

 a similar manner, I beg to tender the warmest thanks of — 

 A Devonshire Bee-keepee.] 



MODERN BEE-HIVES AND FOECED 

 SWAEMS. 



I THINK your correspondent, " An Old-e'ashioned Bee- 

 JIASTEK," taikes it for granted, rather than proves, that the 

 modern way of managing bees is inferior to that " non- 

 intervention policy " which he himself prefers. I started iu 

 the old way myself, and only abandoned it gradually, as I 

 became convinced that only the hives were my property, the 

 bees being free agents. Since I used bar-hives the case is 

 altered, my Uttle friends having to modify thefr instincts 

 so as to fail in with my views. I am sure the majority of 

 bee-keepers would be sorry to learn the sad state of "A 

 Devonshire BEE-kEEPER's" apiary ; but few wiU ascribe it 

 to scientific principles of management. Besides, this one 

 case — a mere accident, in fact — cannot decide the question 

 raised by your con-espondent. How many of the numerous 

 apiarians who manage their bees in the modern way have 

 been so unfortunate as this, or more unfortunate than their 

 neighbours of the old school ? And, on the other hand, ai'e 

 there no disasters in old-fashioned apiaries ? How many 

 stocks domicOed in old-fashioned hives dwindle away with- 

 out thefr proprietors even knowing why ? • 



Your corresi^ondent's quotations from Mr. Golding and 

 Mr. Taylor do not support his opinion at all. The honey 

 harvest is according to season, of course, and bees will store 

 as much in old-fasMoned as in modem hives ; but it is not 

 so available, and, therefore, not so usefrd to the bee-master. 

 Such hives are not, as Mr. Taylor well expresses it, " conve- 

 nient in foiin and management for the intended purposes." 

 No doubt bees can manage thefr o\vn affafrs in thefr own way. 

 Nature is equal to her own work — the propagation and pre- 

 servation of the species ; but it is no part of her design to 

 assist the bee-keeper in taking honey — he must rely on his 

 own intelligence to do that, and will act wisely to avail 

 himself of the aecunndated knowledge of his predecessors 

 and contemporai-ies, and of any aid which science can offer. 



A few words about forced or artificial swanus may not be 

 out of place. Many bee-keepers entertain a dislike to them, 

 which I cannot but consider a prejudice ; for nearly all the 

 most distinguished apiarians, both English and foreign, ai-e 

 in the habit of making them, and have pronounced in thefr 

 favour. I have always found them successful myself. If 

 judiciously and cai-eftiUy made they can hardly faO, and 

 have many advantages to recommend them. Leaving out 

 of the question all scientific experiments, and the propa- 

 gation of Ligurians, it is surely better — supposing that the 

 bee-keeper wishes to have swarms at all — to get them early, 

 instead of waiting till the honey season is nearly over, with, 

 perhaps, several weeks of anxious watching. I have made 

 six this present season, foiu- with old queens, and two with 

 brood-combs only. Both they and the foui' old stocks (one 

 Ligurian) have done very well. The honey season here has 

 been unusually good and long, and I have taken a fafr 

 quantity, but not nearly what I might have done, had I 

 made honey my chief object, instead of Ligurianising ; but 

 the temptation to have them all of the superior variety 

 proved too strong for me. 



There are several ways of making forced swarms, all good 

 in thefr way; but I think Mr. Langsti'oth's, described inyoiu- 

 pages last year, is the best. They may be made without a 

 queen, by giving them combs containing eggs and young 

 brood instead ; but the more usual way of taking the old 

 queen with the swarm is better, as it then exactly resembles 

 a natural swarm. 



Tlie amateur should be qxiite certain that he has the 

 queen. Most of the failures that occur- arise from not having 

 her. There ought to be no such failiu'es. In bar or frame- 

 hives she should be looked for till found, wliich sometimee 

 involves a good deal of jiatience. In common liives it is weU 

 not to be satisfied with dri%'ing what are thought enough 

 bees for a swarm. The notion that the queen is among the 

 first to rush up is too generally acted upon. No doubt she 

 often is, but, on the other hand, she often is not. I would 

 advise to drive them all, then placing the old hive where it 

 stood before, remove that containing the bees a few yarde 

 away, and vmstop the entrance. The worker bees, but not 

 the queen. wiU nish out and retiurn to thefr accustomed 

 stand. When enoxigh have left, the stopper may be replaced, 

 and the swarm removed some distance away. 



I shoidd recommend your correspondent, " A Oonstaut 

 Subscriber," and aU other bee-keepers, to avoid using 

 chloroform for stnpifying bees. When so treated they 

 return to semi-animation only ; and I always found, on 

 adding them to other stocks, that they were ruthlessly put 

 to death, as invalid members of a bee-community usually 

 are. " A Constant Subscriber " should drive his bees ; 

 there woiild be no difficiUty with good heavy hives, such as 

 he describes. — John P. Edwards, Shirleywich, near Stafford. 



OTTR LETTER BOX. 



Hard SwutliNo at the Corner of Bantams' Eye (G. F.).—We shoald 

 advise liineing in the early stages before the .^wellin^ becomes hard. It is 

 not a disease we are acquainted -with, except in old Spanish hens. We 

 imafrine it comes in the first place by a froth or gum in the corner of the 

 eye; that, we thinli, would be the time to hinder it by keeping it well 

 washed with cold water and vinegar. If that failed we should not hesitate 

 to remove it and to cauterise the wound in the early stage. We assume 

 they are otherwise iu good health. 



Silver-spangled HAUBtiBoH Hen Ratenous (i»ouW).— The hen in 

 question is in a diseased state, and cannot, therefore, digest food sufficiently 

 to satisfy her, or to cause her to thrive. Separate her from the others ; 

 purge her freely with castor oil, a table-spoonful every other day for a 

 week ; feed her sparingly on ground oats mixed with water, and rather 

 slack than otherwise. After the week give Baily's Pills. The evacuations 

 caused by the oil will probably be green and slimy, and there will be no 

 cure till this ceases, and the excrements are firm, brown and white in 

 colour. 



Reports of Poultry Shovts (C. T. Bishop).— The Editors endeavour 

 to have reports of all important poultry shows ; but it often happens that 

 they cannot have a reporter at those not metropolitan, and then if the 

 Secretary or some friend does not transmit a prize list the show is not 

 reported in the Journal. We shall always be obliged by a prize list being 

 sent to us, as it prevents disappointment. 



Lump in Spanish Hen's Throat (Comtant Reader, l"o;-l).— Too can- 

 not do wrong in removing the substances, a^d cauterizing any wound it 

 may cause. It is the only cure, and if it fails the bird will at last die of the 

 ulcer ; but we do not think she has the roup, as we never saw a roupy 

 Spanish fowl. 



Wintering Bees-Depefving-hives ( W. W. C, Denton).— Vfe know of 

 111. precautions you can take to insure the bees in your Nutt's hive sar- 



^ ng the winter, except making sure that they have u sufficient store ol 

 f- od. We do not think it necessary, or even advisable, to take bees in- 

 doors in our climate, whatever may be dune on the continent. The 

 Woodbury frame-hive might answer your pur,.(.se; but in this matter you 

 should judge for yourself. 



Age of Queen Bees.— In answer to " A. W." about the age of the queen 

 the printing is quite correct, nor is it the only c»se of queens being ol that 

 age. .\ gentleman in our place had several as old, which did well to the 

 last.— A Lanarkshire Bee-kekper. 



Canaries and Bullfinches Shedding their Feathers (S. A.).—lf yoni 

 birds are not in deep moult it is very piobablc that they have insects, 

 which might be ascertained by examining in the daytime the crevices and 

 round the edges of the door of the cages, should insects be found, put the 

 birds into fresh cages, as the insects cannot be thorouglily destroyed in the 

 old ones. Take care to change the birds from the old cages to the new ones 

 in the daytime, as the insects do not leave the wood until night to infest 

 the birds. Let the birds have plenty of fine sand and a bath eveiy day. 

 Wash the crevices of the old cages with a strong solution of salt and water 

 and afterwards with clean water, which will destroy the insects, and then 

 return the birds to them again, examine the fresh cages as well as the 

 old ones, change the birds from one cage to the other twice or three times 

 a- week, and if any insects appear repeat the washing.- 



AUSTRALIAN Grass PAROauET {Ornitliophilusi.—No. 50 is out of print, 

 but we reprinted the directions for the management of these birds in 

 No. 111. We shall always be ready to answer your queries. 



LONDON MAEKETS.— August 10. 



POULTBY. 



supply of Poultry now exceeds the demand, and prices cannot 



The 

 maintain theinselves. 



8. 



Large Fowls 2 



Smaller do 2 



Chickens 1 



Geese 6 



Ducklings 2 



d. B. 

 6 to 3 

 „2 

 6 „ 1 

 „ 

 6 „ 3 



Gninea Fowl 



Leverets 



Rabbits 1 



Wild do 



Pigeons 



d. 8. 

 to 



I 



