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JOUBNAIi OP HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



t August 22, 1867. 



does wbich are bringing up their young, and also for young 

 ones before they are six months old? and is a small outhouse, 

 free from draught, without artificial heat, sufaoiently -warm 

 for them ? — Amateuk Bbeepek. 



I HAVE now four young Babbits, nine weeks old, with ears 

 14J inches long and .?! inches in width. They were weaned at 

 a month old, and have since been fed with oats, meal, and 

 potatoes, but I find that they have not gained more than half 

 an inch a-week from four to nine weeks old. I should be glad 

 to know whether I have weaned them too soon, and ted them 

 with proper food; also if Mr. Felton would explain what he 

 means by saying he would calculate upon IJ to 2 inches more 

 than the length which he himself measures, as the actual show 

 measurement ? — W. R. 



[Mr. Pelton of course allowed for growth from the time of 

 measurement up to that of showing.] 



BEES IN A SODA CASK. 



I WAS visiting Hornsea the other day ; and as I am always 

 on the look-out for anything connected with bees, 1 saw three 

 or four hives in a garden, but could not imagine what one of 

 them could be unless the owner was supering rather high. I 

 went up to Ihem, and judge how I was amused to find they 

 were in a common soda cask ! What with the size of the cask 

 (about 2 feet 3 by 18 inches), with a massive hackle and pankiu 

 to fit, it had, as far as size went, an imposing appearance. 



On inquiry I found that three top swarms had come off 

 simultaneously, and had all joined together ; and as there wf s 

 no hive large enough to hold the mass of bees they were shaken 

 into this soda cask. I could not resist the temptation to turn 

 up this novel hive and have a peep to see how they were pro- 

 gressing ; and surely such a sight was seldom seen. The mass 

 of bees was really enormous, and the beautiful white combs 

 were hanging down to within a few inches of the mouth of the 

 cask ; so it seems they are prospering. What a honey-gather- 

 ing there will be next year, when the owner proposes to take 

 them ! 



I was very much surprised, on looking over a comb in my 

 own apiary the other day, to find in numbers of cells two eggs, 

 in many three, and in several four. Can you account for so 

 remarkable a circumstance ? — J. R. J. 



[We shall be glad to know the ultimate result of this Brob- 

 dignagian swarm, which has been domiciled in so peculiar a 

 habitation. A plurality of eggs in each cell is not uncommon 

 when the queen is pressed for breeding-space, either by a super- 

 abundance of honey, or a paucity of combs, or of bees to cover 

 them.] 



r LIGURIANS AT BLACIvHEATH. 



Mr. Woodbuky's Ligurians are certainly very prolific, and 

 beat all my old experiences of twenty-five years with the com- 

 mon bees. 



The only swarms I had previously had this season were a 

 prime and second swarm from a stock I had of him last year, 

 which issued on the 9th and 18th of .june respectively, and on 

 Wednesday, July 31st, the old lady swarmed again, thus lead- 

 ing out two swarms this year ! It was the largest I had had 

 this season. I never before had one so late, and to be a 

 swarm from a swarm shows how prolific these queens are. Of 

 course I returned it to its own hive the same evening, as the 

 bees could not at Blaokheath obtain enough to live upon during 

 the winter at this advanced season, although the white clover 

 is still in full blossom. Oh ! what horridly cold and ungenial 

 weather we have had. I never knew so bad a summer for bees, 

 although, I think, 1 shall clear 100 lbs. of honey in tops. I 

 should like to have all Ligurians. 



The foregoing was written on Saturday morning, August 3rd. 

 On my return home in the afternoon I found that the old Li- 

 gurian queen had again swarmed. I returned her and the 

 swarm the same afternoon at 5.30. On the 4th she again 

 turned out with the largest swarm I ever had— 2i feet long by 

 9 inches broad. Again I returned her to the hive (having been 

 two hours hiving them, as the queen had gone into the fork of 

 a shrub), and on the 5th instant she again swarmed ! 



I now thought it was high time to stop her ongoings, so in 

 the evening, on my arrival home, I opened the hive, taking out 

 seven combs, and cut out seven queen's cells, and then returned 



her majesty to the hive with the swarm and all the combs, and 

 I do not think she will turn out again. The most forward 

 queen I operated upon by opening her cell. She was amazingly • 

 strong. I made sure the cold, &c., would kill her during the 

 night, but she was alive and active the next morning, protrud- 

 ing her proboscis. I then gave her some honey on a pin's 

 point, which she took with evident gusto, and grew so lively 

 with the warmth of my hand, that I was afraid she would 

 spring head first out of her cell. I left home for the day, 

 giving instructions to feed her every three or four hours. My 

 first impulse was to send her down to Exeter, as she was the 

 offspring of the queen I had from thence ; but I was afraid the 

 journey would kiU her, so I ultimately gave her, with two em- 

 bryos, to Mr. Marriott, of the Ciystal Palace, who came down 

 to Blackheath for them, and who, I hope, will succeed with ( 

 them. 



The old stock (Ligurian), has not since attempted to swarm ■ 

 again, and the bees are now working vigorously, and on the 

 11th instant were sealing up honey. The white clover is still 

 well out with us after the refreshing rains. 



I find the queen left in the old stock is laying hybrid eggs ; , 

 but the bees thence have the Ligurian blood and dash, and the 

 queen the fecundity so marked in this breed. This stock 

 having swarmed twice, works more vigorously even now with 

 the fresh young ones, than many of the black stocks which 

 have never swarmed at all ! , 



The sparrows are a nuisance. I have shot two or three 

 dozen, and destroyed from fifty to sixty young ones, and yet 

 they still devour my bees. 



I could say a good deal as to the untimely destruction of 

 drones, &e., during this untoward season, but have not time, . 

 My bees are still (August 14th), sealing up a little, especially 

 the Ligurians, who work like Trojans. — A Blackheath'an. 



'BLACK" BEES. 



I ENCLOSE a few insects which at present infest a hive of. 

 Ligurians I had from Mr. Woodbury in April. Not having, 

 seen such before, I am anxious to know something about them, 

 as well as how to get rid of them. The fact of the regular 

 workers killing them as fast as they can is a proof of their 

 being obnoxious to them. I shall be glad if you can give me 

 any information as to what they are, and how to act with them. 

 — S. S. 



[The insects which accompanied your letter are Ligurian 

 counterparts of the " black bees " first noticed by Huber (vide 

 page 169 et seq. of Tegg's edition), and believed by more recent 

 observers to be old bees with the pubescence worn oil from the 

 thorax and abdomen. They are not very uncommon, nor does 

 their presence appear in any way to affect the prosperity of the 

 stock.] 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



NoN-p^vniFNT (H. P. Leech). — There is no doubt that you hftve been 

 Bwindled, and as little doubt that the "Dairyman and Purkniau " card 

 which was enclosed " looked respectable ;" but thi^ artifice is no uovelty. 

 According to your statement it is only a simple contra't debt, recoverable 

 by sueing the "Dairyman and Porkman " in the County Court, If, how- 

 ever, there is no Buch tradesman at the address giv-u, then ^e think it 

 was an obtaining goods under false pretences, and ihnt a warrant would 

 be issued for the man's apprehension. If we were in your position we 

 would apply for the warrant, and spare no effort to obtain a conviction. 



Queen Decreasing in Size {An Essex Bc€-kc€ii€r).~k worn-out and 

 exhausted qtieen would probably become somewhat smaller towards the' 

 close of her life than during her prime, but the alteration would not be 

 sufficient to chauge a queen of normal size into a "very small" one. 

 You do not describe the process by which you " drew off" the artificial 

 swarm, but as it was successful it appears most probable that it was ac- 

 companied by the old queen, and that her diminutive successor which 

 you destroyed, being unsuccessful in her wedding-flights, remained a 

 virgin, and consequently became a drone-breeder. 



Feeding a Stray Swaem {A Breconshirc Parson). — Your stray swarm 

 is so late that it is not likely to survive the winter without a liberal 

 supply of food, which should be administered forthwith by means of an 

 inverted pickle-bottle tied over with a bit of coarse leno or cap-net, and 

 placed on a hole in the top of the hive with perforated sine interposed,- 

 Lump sugar and water in the proportion of three parts of the former to 

 two of the latter (by weight), and boiled a minute or two forms an ad- 

 mirable bee-food. Fill the bottle every evening, and continue the supply 

 until the contents of the hive reach from 16 lbs. to 20 lbs. nett weight. 

 If there is no bole in the top of the box. one should he made with an 

 iuch-and-a-half centre-bit. Buy " Bee-Keeping for the Miiny," published 

 at this office, price 4d. Y'ou wiU find an engi*aving of a good hive-cover 

 in page 17. 



Milk and Bdtter Cooler (E. BcfifciV).— We do not know of any one 

 who has it on Bale. Any whitesmith could make one. 



