110 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Augnst 8, 1887. 



deserted its hive after abiding there eight days. If it were the 

 latter it must have had a young queen, and even first swarms 

 are sometimes headed by juvenile princesses. We believe, 

 therefore, that such was the case in this instance, and that the 

 queen perished by some accident during, or more probably by 

 mistaking her hive on her return from, one of her wedding 

 flights, and that this caused the bees to desert the habitation 

 in which they had no longer anv chance of establishing them- 

 selves as a permanent colony. If your hives are near together 

 this occurrence would seem to indicate that they should be 

 more widely separated. ] 



MILK-COOLER AND BUTTER-PRESERVER. 



An ordinary refrigerator takes up room, is costly, and should 

 be kept in a cool place. It is evident that one which occupies 

 less space and can be placed in the dining room or in a pantry, 

 wonld save many steps and much work. 

 The engraving is a section of a water-cooler and a refrige- 

 rator which is ornamental in 

 its exterior and perfect in its 

 operation. Externally it re- 

 sembles the ordinary water- 

 cooler, being made in a cylin- 

 drical form, of tin or galvanised 

 iron, and of any required size, 

 from that of a water-cooler to 

 a capacity sufficient for the 

 wants of an hotel. Between the 

 outer case and the inner is 

 interposed some non-conduct- 

 ing material, which will keep 

 the coolness in and the warmth 

 out. In the centre is a cylinder 

 (a) for the reception of the ice. 

 ;3 This has a lid separate from 

 Ip^'SKS' that of the refrigerator, and 

 — Sti^, near the bottom has a filter 



near the bottom has a filter 

 " under which is a water recep- 

 tacle (6) for holding the product of the melted ice, which can be 

 drawn off pure ice water by the lower cock, for drinking purposes. 

 Surrounding the central ice-chamber are movable cans (c c) for 

 milk, and receptacles (dd} for butter, meats, &c. Itisam»Z(«m 

 in paryo, convenient, useful and beautiful. It is the subject 

 of three patents, and for further information, address John R. 

 Elder, Indianapolis, Indiana. 



The advantages of this milk and butter preserver and water- 

 eooler are such as to commend it to all housekeepers and dairy- 

 men, — [American Journal.) 



QUEENS OF THE CURRENT YEAR LEADING 

 OFF SWARMS. 



BEES APPROPRIATING IMPRESSED WAX. 



At one of the meetings of the German bee-keepers at Pots- 

 dam, as related in your Journal of May, 14th, 1863, Baron von 

 Berlepsch states that he had never known a queen of the cur- 

 rent year to lead off a swarm (I presume a prime swarm), I 

 think the following may disprove the above : — 



On July 11th I noticed in one hive a bee commotion, both at 

 the entrance and in the super. At night all seemed quiet, and 

 the following miuning work was resumed, and no dead queen 

 was found thrown out, though looked for. On the 25th of 

 July, fourteen ilays after, a swarm issued (a dead queen, full 

 size, being thrown out of the stock in the afternoon) ; the bees 

 hegan to work at the sides of the hive, and carried in no pollen. 

 On the 28th, I saw a queen issue forth, but she returned in a 

 minute statu quo. On the 29th I was absent, but fancy she 

 must have had a successful flight, for the bees were carrying 

 in poUen on the 30lh. Looking to the fact of the bee commo- 

 tion, and of the issue of a swarm fourteen days afterwards, I 

 think I may safely exclude a lost swarm. 



Have any of your readers found the bees to appropriate the 

 impressed strips of wax instead of converting them ? I have 

 noticed two such cases this year, doubtless owing to the bad 

 honey season. In one case all the strips seemed quickly to 

 disappear, but smiill pieces of comb only being formed ; in the 

 other I have watched the bees gradually nibbling thj strips 

 away, the bees hanging from the strips towards the main body 

 of workers ; of course I cannot state that the wax is not thrown 

 out, but I hardly believe this to be the case. 



I quite agree with the'statement of "An Isle ofWioht Bib- ' 

 KEEPER " that the honeydew is the main source of the honey- 

 harvest. — J. C. 



[We have ourselves witnessed a similar instance in which 

 the old queen was sacrificed, and the first or prime swarm was 

 therefore led off by a young one. Although not usual, we are 

 inclined to fancy that this exchange of queens takes place more 

 often than is generally supposed, and can therefore scarcely 

 believe that no case of the kind had ever come under the ob- 

 servation of the great German " bee-father." We have little 

 doubt, however, that what the Baron really meant was that 

 he had never known a queen of the current year send off what 

 is usually known as a "maiden" swarm. Such an instance, 

 however, did occur in our own neighbourhood a few years back, 

 and was related to us by the bee-keeper, who declared (and in 

 this we most implicitly believed him), that he had never before 

 had a " maiden " swarm from a second, or, as he called it, 

 a " pin " swarm. 



We have often found strips of impressed wax either wholly 

 or partially gnawed off by the bees, instead of being converted 

 into comb.] 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Bttry PotTLTRV Show. — The Buff Gochin-Chinas of Mr. H. P. Leech, 

 of Wooliiit, near Bury, were highly commended at this Show, though hlB 

 name did not appear in our prize list. 



HouDAN AND Ckkve Ccecr Fowls (Ladii-harn). — Our advertising 

 columns will give yon the addresses of numerous good amateurs who 

 have surplus stock of the kinds you inquire about, but we do not know 

 any of the French dealers. 



Fowls Dying Suddenly (Weston). — We are at a loss to account for 

 the mortality, unless the Ducks and hens are too fat and die in conse- 

 queuce of being egg-bound. All the non-sitters are subject to sudden 

 death and divers diseases consequent on the production of thf^ many 

 eggs they lay, but such cases are by no means general, and besides, the 

 Ducks would not be similarly vi.sited. Feed them moderately. Use 

 whole corn, and ground oats slaked witli water. Avoid stimulants, and 

 give them lettuces that have run to seed, or at least to stalk. Ducks and 

 fowls should never roost together. Examine the next that dies. We 

 believe you will find that egga have been crushed in the passage. The 

 hen has strained to her utmost, but internal fat has rendered laying im- 

 possible. 



Keeping Pottltrv Profitably {Rustic). — We believe the greatest profit 

 is to be made from eggs, especially in the neighbourhood of large towns, 

 where they sell well during the winter. It is now so well known which 

 are the most prolific breeds, and also the ages at which pullets begin to 

 lay, that the production of eggs by healthy, and well and judiciously-fed 

 birds can be made a cei-tainty. It will then only remain for you to insure 

 a sale to make the profit yon have read of. You will, however, need a 

 proper locality, a good run, a dry light soil, and if possible the facilities 

 for growing the food necessary for them. You are one of a very nume- 

 rous clnss asking for poultry informatiiu in regard to the remuneration 

 to be derived from it. It is like everything else. If you were to start by 

 puttingdown on paper all the possible expenses attending such a ventnre 

 you would never undertake it, but if you are careful and can give personal 

 superintendence, we have no doubt you can make it pay. 



Pigeons Cankered tW. B.). — Mr-. Brent, our best writer on Pigeons 

 speaks of this disease in full in the following words : — " The only disenso 

 that has troubled me to any extent has been canker — a cheesy-looking 

 lump or lumps of pus, of very disgusting odour, which forms in or about 

 the mouth, and which I consider highly contagious. I have sometimes 

 bought a bird with it; at other times it has appeared without any appa- 

 rent cause. I beUeve it arises, in the first ease, from a bad state of the 

 blood, and bre.lk3 out in any part wounded by fighting, or otherwise. It 

 is also said to arise from their drinking frr.m a tin vessel, or from dirty 

 water. It is very fatal to young birds. When old birds are attacked, I 

 remove the matter with a tliin piece of wood, cut like a little soatula, and 

 rub the place thoroughly with caustic. This must be done eflectunlly at 

 once, or it will only form again, spread more, and become more difficult to 

 eradicate. I believe confinement and want of condiments to be a com- 

 mon cause of this disease." 



Inccbator — StJPERS (Inquirer). — We know nothing about the incubator 

 you mention, and the book is no authority. Wood or straw supers are 

 better than those of glass in many respects ; but they cannot be produced 

 on table like those of glass. 



Rabbits. — " It seems to me that in breeding long-eared Rabbits, so 

 great a length of ear as 21 or 22 inches, is not very easily obtained. I 

 have purchased first-class Rabbits of several strains, and bred young 

 ones, and yet cannot obtain such great ieugths as those spoken of in the 

 " Rabbit Book" published by you. I should be glad of a little information 

 respecting tliem. Permit me to ask a few questions. If a Rabbit will 

 not grow after five months old, what length ou^ht a Rabbit to be at three 

 months old? and at what rate ought it to grow each week up to five 

 months to have ears 21 or 22 inches long?— W. R." 



[We shall be obliged by some of oiu' readers sending us information in 

 reply to these queries.! 



POULTRY MARKET.— Adgust 7. 



B d. 8. d 



Large Fowls 2 6 to 8 



Smaller do 1 9 2 



Chickens 1 6 1 9 



Geese 4 6 5 G 



Ducklings 2 2 8 



Pigeona ,,. 8 9 



d B. d 

 too 

 



Pheasants 



Partridges 



Grouse 



Guinea Fowls 



Rabbits 14 16 



Wiiddo OB 9 



