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JOURNAL OF HORTICTTLTITRE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ November lo, 1863. 



wooden house, not originally meant for a bee-house. This 

 place is painted black, is almost air-tight, and when opened 

 on a hot day feels like an oven. I was in the habit of 

 leaving the door open on all sunny days, but going from 

 home unexpectedly on the morning of July 10th, I unfor- 

 tunately forgot to do so. The hives were full and heavy, 

 though only three weeks old, the day was intensely hot, and 

 when I retui-ned in the evening I found that two heavy 

 combs in the best of the four had collapsed, drowning a good 

 many bees, and covering the floor with honey. Next morn- 

 ing I observed that the bees, in despair of putting things 

 right, were joining themselves to the colonies on each side 

 of them, and at night I took away their deserted tenement. 

 Being much occupied with other matters, I could not attend 

 to it further till the 14th, three days after its former 

 occupants had left. I then took away the collapsed combs, 

 put a couple of emjjty ones in their places, inserted a spare 

 royal cell, already sealed over, and set it in a place tUl then 

 occupied by two other stocks, removing the latter to some 

 little distance. The returning bees entered, licked up the 

 spilled honey, and applied themselves to raise a queen. I 

 examined it frequently afterwards, and from the entii'e 

 absence of young bees in the population given to it, I can 

 positively say that the most advanced of its brood came to 

 maturity, as did also the eggs. The rest, by far the greater 

 part, perished, and were carried out by the bees, vei^y gra- 

 dually. Some remained in the ceUs till shrivelled up to a 

 mere skin, but were ultimately removed when the colony 

 got stronger. — John P. Edwakds, Shirleytnch, near Stafford. 



AN EXPEKIMENTAL APIAEY. 



Mt design in writing the article titled as above was 

 for good, to condemn all iU-timed and wrong-directed arti- 

 ficial processes and malpractices of whatever kind, and by 

 whomsoever committed. I did not, therefore, anticipate 

 such a wi-athful outbui'st as has faUen vipon it from Exeter, 

 inasmuch as my subject matter was so discursive and 

 general in its character. In any reference which I did make 

 to Mr. Woodbury's writings, I have not knowingly or other- 

 wise misrepresented or misquoted his views upon any subject, 

 and I repel any such ungenerous insinuations. 



I am reminded by Mr. Woodbury, however, that I have 

 committed two eri'ors. The first in reference to my having 

 on a former occasion attributed to him the following ex- 

 pression, which is so trifling, as but for the remarks made 

 upon it I should not have thought it necessary to notice it. 

 I inadvertently said, " what he calU (for what is called) the 

 great centre of bee knowledge." The other is with re- 

 ference to the length of time Dzierzon recommends that a 

 foul-brood-infected hive should remain unoccupied. I am 

 reminded that he recommends an exposure to the sun and 

 air for two years, and not four, as stated by me. I made no 

 quotation, and simply wrote in this case from memory ; but 

 I need not say that I had no intention or motive to mis- 

 state matters, for theabsurdity of recommending a cleansed 

 empty hive to remain for two whole years exposed to sun 

 and air before being re-occupied, would give as much point 

 to the question pai'enthetically put by me, as if altered thus 

 — "W^ovUd not one year and a half do?" The absurdity of 

 the proposed period of two years could, I think, scarcely be 

 increased by any extension of time. 



Let me ask who amongst us would adopt such a recom- 

 mendation? far less what Dzierzon calls the best course, 

 " to destroy immediately by means of sulphur every stock 

 in which foul brood is found to exist," or another opinion 

 indorsed by Mr. Woodbury at page 97, " that except under 

 very special circumstances it is imadvisable to attempt the 

 cure of a foul-breeding stock ; better far to consign its in- 

 habitants to the brimstone-pit, the hive itself if a straw one 

 to the flames, the comb to the melting-pot, and appropriate 

 the honey to any purpose except that of feeding bees." Let 

 those that have a mind take tliis advice, I for one should not 

 do so. 



In regard to the comb introduced by Mr. Woodbury into 

 his hive containing a "mass of chilled and abortive brood 

 in all stages," with such results I make no comment frirther 

 than to say that every one has the means of testing both 

 the desirabUity and effect of such a proceeding; but in 



order that no erroneous conclusion may be drawn from the 

 results, I should recommend old comb to be used instead of 

 new. — J. Lowe. 



[Absence from home prevented Mi\ Lowe sending the 

 above until just too late for o<ir last Tuesday's Joiunal. 

 We think that these pen-encounters may now cease. Mr. 

 Lowe, we are sure, did not intend to ridicide any bee-keeper 

 who in the true sph-it of a searcher after truth, "asks 

 questions of Natm-e," and accejits her answers. Mr. Lowe's 

 design, as he says above, was "for good," and not to hurt 

 any man's feelings. He certainly did express himself in a 

 way that admits of painftd intei-pretation, though we believe 

 unintentionally. Here let the controversy close, and let all 

 the belligerents read as an epilogue the following note from 

 a clergyman and fellow apiarian : — 



" Hold hard, gentlemen ! No stinging, please. Pray, 

 Mr. Editor, blow a few puffs of smoke into Devonshire and 

 Edinbm-gh, if you have a pipe or calumet long enough, and 

 make those sharp sounds we all in our avocations dislike to 

 Usten to subside into that lovely buzz of harmony, so 

 pleasant to the ear of every bee-keeper when engaged in 

 the union of those whose welfare thereby they seek to 

 promote. What will become of us if we all get together by 

 the eai-s ? Permit me in all kindness to say, ' Do not smite 

 so hard, brother Edinburgh.' ' Do not heed a rap or two on 

 yom- sides, brother Devon ; you are not obligated to go (like 

 those bees of mine you taught me to drive the other day) 

 whithersoever the rapper Usteth.' 



" Mr. Editor, gentlemen, readers, and all whom it may 

 concern, excuse a short jjaraphrase on the speech of a well- 

 known peacemaker, the Host of Windsor, and whilst I 

 utter it I feel I shall have many to join in the hum. ' Shall 

 we lose om- doctor, oiu- learned teacher ? ShaU we lose our 

 clerk, our practical writer ? Forbid it Heaven. Hold out 

 thine hand, celestial ; hold out thine hand, terrestrial. Boys 

 of art, mayhap you both ai'e right, mayhap you both are 

 wrong ; but I can deceive neither of you if I prev.ail to let 

 peace be the issue. Follow me, lads of peace. 'Tis my 

 vocation to lead, not drive, although I am — A HAiarsHiKE 

 Bee-keeper.' "] 



FOUL BEOOD. 



The attention of bee-keepers has been of late led in a- 

 novel direction, and a new kind of infection in a hive, as it 

 would seem to be, is exercising the ingenious speculations 

 of some of yoiu- con-espondents in relation to it — not always, 

 I am sorry to observe, conducted in the spirit befitting diller- 

 ing doctors. Marvellous does it seem that pr.actical men and 

 authors, such as De Geliexi, Payne, Bevan, Taylor, Golding, 

 and others, of half a centm-y's experience, and even upwards 

 I believe, should be ignorant or totally silent respecting a 

 contagious malady now creating a mighty sensation in the 

 apiarian community. I trust the outpom-ings of ivrath wiU 

 descend lightly on my head if I venture to inquire whether 

 any pai't of the evil can possibly be traced to the exotic 

 bees of late yeai's introduced into oiu- apiaries. I give 

 no opinion, knowing only what I read in your columns; 

 but a communication in your last Number, from the pen of 

 Mr. George Fox, opened to my mind a question. How far the 

 altered and diseased state of his hive can be traced to the 

 introduction of a Ligiirian queen in the last spring, as 

 detailed by him. Her majesty's fertile powers, and, as I 

 think, the previous health of the hive, are demonstrated by 

 the fact of her filling " eight combs with brood in a short 

 space of time." Subsequently it was discovered that each 

 comb was one mass of foul brood." 



I should be son-y to cast any stigma on royalty ; but my 

 limited continental experience suggests the wish, that some 

 better-informed correspondent would dii'ect his attention 

 to the inquh-y whether the disease (in Germany for instance) 

 has prevailed most in the native or among the Ligurian 

 bees, of late years so largely imported there. Also, how far 

 it is prevalent in thefr own alpine and Italian localities, and 

 what may have been the effect of changed climate, or of 

 hybridous operation. 



I have somewhere read that a very fertile queen will occa- 

 sionally be met with carelessly depositing her eggs in the 

 cells, so that the larvae are turned bottom upwards, and 

 thus perish and putrefy, unable to extricate themselves. 



