32^ 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTUEE AKT) COTTAGE GAEDEKER. 



[ October 20, 1863. 



believing that ti-uth is my first object, and that if I found 1 

 myself in en-or with regai-d to paa-thenogenesis I should lose 

 not a moment iu recanting and doing my very best to guard 

 others against a similai' mistake. No one could be more 

 incredulous than myself when the subject was first broached : 

 but a perusal ot Von Siebold's work having convinced me 

 that there was at least a strong case in its favour, I at once 

 set myself to verify it by such obseiTations as were within 

 my reach. These soon satisfied me that the doctrine was 

 correct, and when called upon by " Investigator" to give 

 a reason for the faith that was in me, I was enabled by the 

 kind assistance of my friend Mr. J. U. Huxley, to repeat 

 and verify sufficient of Von Siebold's microscopic investi- 

 gations to place the matter beyond the possibility of a doubt. 

 The hyjiothesis suggested by "A TTamfshibe Bee-keep- 

 EB," appears to have been first promulgated by Mai'aldi 

 about the beginning of the last century. It was adopted 

 and confu-med by Mr. Debraw, an English naturalist, who 

 after a long series of expei-iments did not hesitate to advance 

 as a demonstrated fact, that male bees fecundate the eggs 

 of the queen in the manner of frogs and fishes — i.e., after 

 they are produced. This occiirred in 1777, and Debraw's 

 theory appeai-s to have reigned undisputed until his experi- 

 ments were repeated and his doctrines finally exploded by 

 the illustrious Huber in 1789. I say finally exploded, for I 

 think few intelligent readers could have been inclined to 

 listen to the senseless objections subsequently raised by 

 Huish to the discoveries of Huber, or his equally senseless 

 attempt to galvanise into life the defunct theory of Debraw. 

 The most decisive blow to any lingering remains of the 

 doctrine of post-fecundation by di'ones has, howevei', been 

 administered by the Ligiu-ians, since it has been found thti': 

 on the installation of an Italian queen in a hive of black 

 bees, every yoiuig bee after the lapse of twenty-one days ia 

 a pure Ligurian, in spite of the existence of a multitude of 

 black drones within the hive at the time. 



It may be that all these pai-ticulaxs ai-e as well known to 

 my Hampshii-e eon-espondent as to myself, and if so, I ask 

 his pardon for a digTession which may, however, not be with- 

 out interest to some among the readers of The Journal of 

 HoKTiccxTUBE, and I will without farther preface reply to 

 the queries jjropounded to me. 



In the first place, then, we may take it as an unquestion- 

 able fact, that under certain exceptional circumstances 

 worker bees can and do lay eggs which are capable of 

 hatching into di'ones. Setting aside the evidence of bygone 

 apiarians from Eiem downwai'ds, it has been abundantly 

 proved by repeated instances which have come under my 

 own observation, to say nothing of those related by Mx. 

 Shearer. That these eggs were not post-fecundated will 

 become appai-ent when I state that not a single drone 

 existed in the hives in which they were laid and developed. 

 That the eggs of drone-laying virgin queens, also, are not 

 post-fecundated is even more conclusively proved by the 

 fact, that I have on thi-ee different occasions had them laid 

 and hatched so early in spring that not a single drone 

 existed in the apiai-y at the time, nor had one been present 

 since the preceding autumn. 



It has been established beyond a doubt that the eggs 

 which produce queens or workers are absolutely identical, 

 and in these, of course, even the microscope fails to detect 

 the slightest difference. The distinction between worker 

 and drone eggs long baffled the researches of Leuckart and 

 the most distinguished microscopists, but was ultimately 

 made apparent by Von Siebold, who, by a peculiarly feU- 

 citous manipulation, was enabled to demonstrate the exist- 

 ence of spermatozoa in the female or worker egg, whilst he 

 proved them to be entirely wanting in those which would 

 produce males. 



The placing drone-comb in the centi-e of the hive or 

 " brood-nest " is constantly resorted to by myself and other 

 scientific apiarians when di'ones are wanted in eai-ly spring. 

 Its presence in that position, combined with liberal feedmg 

 and strength in the colony, seldom or never fails in securing 

 the desired result. This fact proves indisputablj' that queen 

 bees are, like other mortals, very much the creatures of 

 eu-cumstances : but I doubt whether it be sufficient to raise 

 a question in their case as to the doctrine of free wiU. 



That the Great Creator does aU things well is as manifest 

 in the multitude of male bees when compared with the 



number of perfect females, as in the rest of His works. It 

 must be remembered that a colony of bees is designed to 

 be in all respects a self-sustaining community. The con- 

 gregation of a number of stocks ivithin a few feet of each 

 other is an entirely artificial arrangement, and one which 

 would probably be quite exceptional in their wild state. 

 Take, then, what I may term the natural condition of aa; 

 isolated colony, and reflect how important it is that the 

 individual upon whose life the very existence of the com- 

 munity dejiends should peril that existence as seldom as; 

 jjossible in unavailing flights in search of a mate ; we shall 

 then see that what, in om- shortsightedness, we may have 

 been tempted to call a useless multitude of drones has not 

 been created in vain, and bow down before the wisdom of 

 that Almighty Being who holds all things small as well aa 

 gi'eat in the hollow of His hand. 



When many stocks ai-e congregated together the neces- 

 sity for a gi-eat number of drones in each hive is, of course, 

 very much diminished, and a limit may therefore be advan- 

 tageously put to their production. This is readily done in 

 frame-hives by removing most of the di-one- and substituting 

 worker-combs. The opposite result may also, as I before 

 stated, be obtained with equal ease by the insertion o£ 

 di'one-combs in the " brood-nest." 



I can neither laugh at nor despise my Hampshire con- 

 temporary for failing to drive a stock of bees, since by sff, 

 doing I should be heaping ridicule and contumely upon my 

 own head. Let him tiu-n to page 52 of the twenty-first 

 Volume of The Cottage Gardener," and enjoy as hearty 

 a laugh as he pleases at my expense whUst he peruses a 

 description of the failures and difficulties which attended 

 my first attempts at driving bees. If the perusal should 

 incite him to persevere he will doubtless (bice myself), 

 succeed in the end. If not, what would he say to my caUing- 

 in upon him whenever I next visit the meti'opolis by South- 

 Western EaOway, and giving him the benefit of the exajnple 

 in addition to the precepts of— A Devonshire Bee- keeper ?] 



HONETDEW. 

 Like " B. & W.," I am a little sceptical about the bees 

 making much of the oat when covered with honeydew. I 

 indeed have seen them working often on it, but I never yet 

 saw them make themselves any heavier of it. Last year 

 a gi-eat cry was raised amongst the apiai-ians here that the 

 bees were doing well on the oaks in August; but I am 

 soiry to say that it had only been a fly with them because 

 they made no weight. Like " B. & W." also, I have noticed 

 ni '!■•.■ or less of it every siunmer at different times ; but it 

 njver continues long at a time — perhaps about three days — 

 because it never occurs unless in very hot weather, followed 

 by thunder-storms which wash it away. Perhaps if it re- 

 mained long enough the bees might c iHect it. Still I am 

 afraid it is a bad sign when they fi-equent the oak. — A 

 Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 



OUR LETTEE BOS. 



Me. J. C. liMERLT, Gedling, Aoltimjliam.—Vie are asked for infor- 

 mation about this person. 



Poultry fou Pbofit (A. B. C.).— As you wish tor first-cla»s birds of piu-e 

 breeds, read the reports of tlje poultry shows and write to the prizetakers, 

 purchase from them— pullets from one yard and cockerels from another. 

 Cochin-chinas and Brahma I'ootras are most profitable for egKS, because by 

 disposing of tlie hens annually and having early pudets in their place, you 

 win have eg;ss in winter when they are dearest. For eggs and table 

 chickens we fecoismend Cochin-Cbina or Brahma Pootra pullets and an 

 adult coloured Dorking cock. Silver Grey Rabbits and the common Dove- 

 house Pigeon are the most profitable. The skins of those fiabbits are valu- 

 able, and their bodies are good for table. 



Fowls with Diseased Livebs [M. A. jlf.).— The fowls are evidently 

 suffering from disease of the liver, which at length kills them. This is 

 often hereditary in poultry. Drive them out of the cai i-jnge-yard into the 

 field. Keep them short of food, feed three times per day scantily. Let the 

 food be ground oats or barlevmeal, slaked with water, and scattered abroad 

 on the grass. Kill all the old diseased birds. Save the healtliy and pro- 

 mising hens and pullets. Do away with ail the cocks lunning with them, 

 and turn in fresh ones in December. This disease oiten arises from over- 

 leeding, especially with meal. 



Cocuin-Chis-a CocKt.Rii. (Tiigtiirer).— The weight you mention, fl lbs. 

 It 0Z6., is good for a cockerel six months old. He will become heavier if 

 liealtliy. 



NoRFOlK OnKiTHOT.ooicAr, SocliTY {A SuhscHlcr).—Hs esbibltici! 

 should be advertised. Many fanciers otit of the touiity would exhibit if 

 tlicy knew .ibout it. 



