202 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GABDENEK. 



[ March 14, 1867. 



fat, when obtainable, and also leaves o! winter greens thawed 

 and chopped fine. This treatment put my birds in fine con- 

 dition, causing them to commence Inrin),' as early as the 2Cth 

 of January, and up to yestesday, the 2-ith of the present mouth 

 (February), they have" shown their gratitude by laying the 

 very respectable number of eiyhty-nine eggs, or an average of 

 three per day. 



If a good egg supply is desired empty crops should not he 

 tolerated, at the same time over-feeding must be avoided. 



My fowls have only a 12-feet-square run, but are let into 

 the garden during the morning for a short time at present ; 

 this privilege, however, must soon be stopped. — J. M. S. 



TPIE THORNE ORNITHOLOGICAL SHOW. 



This Society held their sei-oiid nnnual Exbiliition of Pigeons, 

 Rabbits. Cflnaries. l^c., in the Temperance Hall. Thorne, on the 5th 

 inst. The specimens unmbered from KiO to 200, and were of first- 

 class character, attracting much attention. The Ihihhits were par- 

 ticularly choice and of extraordinary dimensions ; they would not 

 have disgraced some of the first [ihows in the country. One Rabbit 

 was sold for £5 liJ.s. The largest and most successful exhibitor of 

 Piricmis was Mr. H. Yanlley ; of Rabbits, Messrs. Hanson & Wag- 

 staff, of Thorne ; and of birds, the Rev. H. C. Russell, of Doncaster, 

 ■who pniposes giving a prize for Lizard Canaries at the next Exhi- 

 bition. The Hall was tastefully decorated with evergreens, ttc.. by 

 Mr. Charles Haycroft, one of the Honorary Secretaries, who with his 

 coadjutor, Mr. H. Cnwood, and the Committee, were most successfnl 

 in the whole arrangements. 



Mr. T. Addey. sen., of Epworth, exhibited a novel and very interest- 

 ing observatory bee-hive, which, being composed chiefiv of glass, dis- 

 played the comb, the honey, and the bees at work. The attendance 

 was large, and the Exhibition must have been a success. 



Caeriebs —First, H. Yardley, Birmingham. Second, W. White, Snaith. 

 Third, H. Grant. Thorne. 



Croppehs.— First, F. Key, Beverley. Second, H. Yardley. Third, T. C. 

 & E. Newbitt, Epworth. 



TcMBiEEs.— First, C. Gravil. jun.. Thorne. Second, H. Yardlcy. Third, 

 F. Key. Commended, J. AVriglev, jnn., Thorne. 



Paktails.— First, A. P.airv, Kochdale. Second, H. Ynvdley. Third, 

 T. C. & E Xewbitt. Commended, C. Cussons, Hull. 



Jacobins.— First, A. Middleton, Newport. Second, H. Yardley. Third, 

 C. Gravi!, jun. 



Barbs.— First. Bev. W. J. Mellor, Colwick Ilectoi-y. Second. H. Yard- 

 ley. Third, A. Dove, York. Highly Commended, F. Broemel, Ladywell, 

 Kent. 



NcNS.— First, J. Marshall, Driffield. Second, H. Yardley. Third, T. 

 C. & E. Newbitt. 



Tdebits.— First, J. Marshall, .'^econd, T. C. & E. Kcwbitt. Third, H. 

 Tardley. Hipbly Commended. H. Grant. 



Selling Class. — First, F. Brnemel (Russian Porcelain). Second, F. 

 Waitt, .'•parkbrooU (Hyacinths). Third, H. Vavdle). Highly Commended, 

 F. Key (Jacobins). Commended, J. Marshall (Nuns). 



Auv Variety.— First, H Yardley. Second and Third, F. Waitt, Spark- 

 brook (Masqueraders and Ural Ice). Highly Commended, .T. Mason, 

 Borough bridge iFrillbacks). 



R«EBirs (Any colour .—First .ind Third, Messrs. Hanson & Wagstaff, 

 Thorne. Second. C. Grayil, jun. Highlv Commended. F. Horsfall, M.r>., 

 Pontefract; W. J. Constable, Thorne. 'Buck.—l'hst. Messrs. Hanson and 

 Wapstaff. Second, W. Allison, Sheffield. Third, 1-: Itoberts, Thome 

 Highly Commended, T. Faulkner SbeflBeld. Commended, Messrs. Han- 

 son i Wagstnff. Dii-!.- First, J. Taylor. ShclBeld. Second, R. Stephenson, 

 Beverley. Third, Messrs. H.inson & Wagslaff. Highly Commended, P. 

 Warren, Southampton. Commended, A. Cawood, Thorne ; C. Gravil. jun. 

 Efiaviest.— 'First, W. Gant, lioncastcr. ^econd. W. .Allison. Third, G. 

 Chester, Thorne. Extra Stock —Highly Commended, A. fawood. 



Canaries i Yellow).— Coc/i-.— First, W." Trimingham, Hshlnke. Second, 

 M. Halifax. Thorne. Third. E. Meggitt, Thorno. Highly Commended, 

 Eev. H. C. Russell. Doncaster; E. Roberts, Thorne. Commended, Bev. 

 H. C. Kassell. Biif Cor/.-.- Hrst. W. Trimingham. Second, H. Grant, 

 Thome. Third, Rev. H. C. Russell. 



Goldfinch.— First and second. Rev. H. C. Russell. Third, C. Chappel, 

 Thorae. Highly Commended, C. Purdy, Thorne ; G. Richardson, Stain- 

 forth. Commended, H. Grant. 



Linnet.— First, liev. H. C Russell. Second, C. Outlaw, Thorne. Third, 

 J. Wrigley, jun. Highly Commended, C. Temperton, Thome ; R. Gravil ; 

 H. Grant, Thorne. 



Mule.— First, J. Haycroft, Thorne, Second, Miss Raywood, Thome 

 Third, C. Tomlinson, Thorne. 



J. Richardson, Esq., ofiiciated as Judge. 



not in the best of tempers, during the process of cutting out 

 combs, A-c. After fumigating or sprinkling with peppermint 

 water both lota of bees, I have never as yet found any diffi- 

 culty in uniting. — C. C. Ellison. 



[When, during our novitiate in bee-heeping, wc resorted to 

 fumigation we always used sufficient smoke to quiet all the 

 bees, and in this way escaped the difficulty you speak of. 

 Driving is, however, so easy, and fumigation at all times so nn- 

 satisfactory, that we would earnestly advise you to endea"V0ur 

 to master the former, and entirely discard the latter.] 



FUMIGATING BEES. 



Mv difficulty is that in a well-populated hive a moderate 

 amount of smoke does not reach or affect a very large propor- 

 tion of the bees, by reason of their being clustered close toge- 

 ther between the combs or partly within the cells. If more 

 smoke be applied the bees uefirest the entrance are killed by 

 the overdose, and even then do not fall down so as to be cleared 

 away, but hang to one another, requiring the application of 

 a feather, which, after all, does not perfect the operation, many 

 bees remaining among the combs and regaining consciousness, 



BEE-ICEEPING IN DEVON.— No. XXVn. 



NON'-RESISTANCE. Oil "PEACE AT ANY Pr.TCE'." 



A VALDZD apiarian correspondent writes me as follows : — 

 " I have an instance of marauding bees plundering, without 

 any opposition offered, the contents of a hive which I con- 

 cluded was queenless ; hut on elevating the frames I found 

 queen and bees in excellent order, and very much disposed to 

 resent ray interference. Can this be an instance of marauding 

 bees having a signal similar to that of their unfortunate 

 victims ?" It is not a little singular that this letter came to 

 hand the very day on which I had discovered a case of the 

 same kind in my own apiary. 



When the piolracted frost broke up in January I lost no 

 time in ascertaining how the stores of food held out in my 

 various stocks, taking care in every doubtful case to make such 

 additions as might insure my little protetjers from present star- 

 vation. Among the stocks thus treated was one in which the 

 bees appeared numerous, and which received a donation of a 

 sealed honeycomb, in addition to a certain amount of liquid 

 food. A more careful examination on the 12th of February 

 revealing the unexpected fact that not only were the original 

 and supplementary stores completely exhausted, but that the 

 unfortunate colony was actually famishing, I at once surmised 

 that it had been robbed, and concluded that most probably it 

 was also queenless. A protracted series of examinations fol- 

 lowed, during which every comb was more than once completely 

 and most rigidly scrutinised, until it became pretty clear that 

 no queen existed. The difficulty of " proving a negative" is, 

 however, so well known, that I contented myself for the present 

 with admiuisteiing a moderate supply of food, and suspended 

 proceedings until the next day. 



The following morning discovered this queenless stock appa- 

 rently in a state of the gi-eatost activity, altljoujih no pollen 

 was carried in. Evidently intelligence had reached the ma- 

 rauders that their former victims were once more " in funds," 

 and the most active measures were again in progress for re- 

 ducing them to their whilom state of utter destitution. A 

 further strict examination proving that their recently acquired 

 stores were rapidly disappearing without the slightest attempt 

 being made to defend them, whilst no queen could be discovered, 

 I at once reduced the number of their combs to four, and 

 closed the hive. My next move was to examine the nearest 

 stock which I found in a flourishing condition and possessing 

 two combs of sealed brood. Having captured the queen of 

 this colony, and placed her in a queeu-cuge with the view of 

 protecting her from all risk, I removed two combs on each 

 side, thus making room for the four remaining in the plundered 

 hive, which I speedily lifted out, bees and all. and inserted in 

 the vacancies thus caused. The few remaining bees having 

 been rapidly brushed out on the top of the exposed frames, the 

 whole received a sprinkling of .syrup, the ci-own-boaid was 

 replaced, and, the doubled hive having been shifted to a posi- 

 tion midway between the two, the union was complete. During 

 the remainder of the day the bees appeared very active and in 

 a state of some little excitement, hut not the slightest quarrel 

 took place. The following morning I released the queen, saw 

 that she was well received, and congratulated myself on th« 

 success of my manipulations. 



As the day wore on, however, my suspicions became aroused. 

 The doubled stock was far too active, but not a load of pollen 

 was being carried in. An afternoon examination revealed tha 

 mystery — the bulk of the stores had already disappeared, whilst 

 the remainder of the provisions was being rapidly carried off 

 by a band of buccaneers ; and all this without the slightest 

 endeavour at defence on the part of the garrison, or any at- 

 tempt being made to molest the queen, which traversed tl.e 

 brood-combs in peace and apparent security. Closing the hivs 

 once more, I set myself to watch the proceedings of the free- 

 booters, whilst I deliberated what courte would be the best to 



