246 



JOURNAIi OF HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



t March 28, 1807. 



finally expelled late in the nntumn. In C, having failed to 

 discover a queen after several examinations, I believed that no 

 qneen was in existence. D contained a queen, reared in anni- 

 comb hive, which had not laid a single egg during the autumn, 

 though I knew she was impregnated. I ventured, therefore, to 

 put her at the head of a strong colony from which the native 

 hybrid qneen had been previously removed. 



All these hives were thoroughly ventilated at the top from 

 the beginning of November till the 20th of Februarj', and stand 

 on single posts out in the garden. 



A and 15 contained m.iture pigmy drones and sealed drone 

 brood in worker cells, but no worker brood, proving that their 

 queens were still virgins as anticipated. C, though strong in 

 bees, contained no signs of brood, and although the bees seem 

 tolerably contented, is, no doubt, queenlees. I) contained many 

 young bees, and plenty of worker brood. Breeding must have 

 been going on in these hives in spite of free ventilation during 

 the month of January, probably during the very severe weather 

 we then experienced. In January, 1865, 1 found brood coming 

 forward in a ventilated hive in very severe weather. 



The consumption of food has been very great during the 

 present season, but all my stocks are remarkably dry and 

 healthy.— J. E. B., Wolverhampton. 



DISTANCE WITHIN WHICH DKONES 



INFLUENCE. 



Whether the fear of " An Old Friend of the Black Bee " 

 is ever destined to be realised, that in the Hanoverian rat style 

 his old and valued favourites are doomed to disappear before 

 the foreigner, or, on the contrary, with more probability, that 

 ultimately the latter may become absorbed by the predominat- 

 ing black, it is certain that the keen apiculturist cannot but 

 look back with sincere pleasure to the time of the arrival of his 

 first Devon stock, or earlier tiny box, and if (as in my own 

 case) he possessed the variety alone in his district, the delight 

 it afforded him in his walks to single out, and the nicety with 

 which he calculated the distance of flight of his own active 

 little yellow jackets amongst the humming throng on the clover 

 field, or never thought their bright orange hue more brilliant 

 than when contrasted with the purple of the more distant 

 heath, when vieing with their duskier sisters in rifling its pre- 

 cious sweets. Then, subsequently, on visiting neighbouring 

 apiaries, the sharp look out for hybrids. My first discovery of 

 Buch is fresh on my recollection. A fine autumn afternoon 

 found me, after a few miles walk, in an old manse garden — a 

 beautifully sequestered spot, a hollow surrounded with hills, 

 adjoining the peaceful old churchyard and ruined church where, 

 till within late years, the curious stranger was shown the juggs 

 (the collar which encircled the neck of the culprit, and by 

 which he was chained to the wall, a relic of the severer punish- 

 ment of bygone days). The bee-master asked my opinion as to 

 the probability of a small third swarm surviving the winter, 

 hived in a very large straw skep, a more suitable one not being 

 at hand. I picked up a dead bee (hybrid) from the landing 

 board, remarking that tliat pilferer had come far from home, 

 but on inverting the hive found quite a sprinkling of similarly 

 banded bees amongst the few combs built on one side of their 

 capacious dwelling, and I was convinced, although their owner 

 was somewhat sceptical, that here was a clear case of hybridi- 

 sation. He, however, agreed to give the little band some feed- 

 ing, on my telling him this would probably prove the best 

 stock he possessed. I had the satisfaction of his coming to 

 tell me the following summer that my prophecy had been 

 verified, the large hive had been filled and to overflowing, 

 yielding him two fine swarms, and, if I remember, the earliest 

 he had. 



Visiting an extensive cottage apiary at a still greater dis- 

 tance in the end of last season to purchase a few hives, I saw 

 at a glance two were hybridised, and, without touching, se- 

 lected those two first by chance ; after a careful examination of 

 the entire apiary it turned out that for population or store 

 each of these were worth any three of the long row. 



The greatest distance, however, of drone influence coming 

 to my knowledge was illustrated by the visit of a most enthu- 

 siastic bee-keeper last summer, who was nonplussed by the 

 appearance of orange-banded bees, such as he had never seen 

 in two of his stocks, his curiosity being fairly excited, and after 

 telling the phenomenon to his acquaintances, and making 

 inquiry far and near, at last tracked out my apiary, and made 

 hJB appearance with a few of his workers in a vial to show me, 



and returned home triumphant with a light second swarm of 

 the '* real McKays " on his head. 



The distances respectively from my apiary to the localities 

 referred to, as measured in a straight line on tlie ordnance 

 survey map, are one and eleven-sixteenths, three and one-six- 

 teenth, and four and five-sixteenths miles. — A Kesfrf.wshibe 

 Bee-iujepee. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Fowls for Prodccing Eggs iJ. S., Snndhurxf). — AndatasiftQS will do 

 in a coDBned space, and they are pood layers. They are also good for the 

 table, but have dark IcRS. Hondans would be [jood birds for ono of the 

 tuna, as they are hardy and bear confinement well. Yon do not say 

 whether yonr runs are confined, or whether the birds are at liberty. 

 Neither Andalusifins nor Houdans sit, therefore, the third breed should 

 be sitters, either Cochins, brahmas, or Uorltings. 



CoNTiNnANCE OP Male Influehce {A. a. 0.).— It is a disputed point. 

 We think at least three weeks. 



Bn.LoCK's LrvKn for Fowls (77. H. H) — We do not advise meat- 

 feeding at all, especially when fowls are in confinement. Give them 

 plenty of sods of grass with abundance of soil adhering to them, and 

 throw their food among it. You may give refuse cooked meat chopped 

 fine to yom" fowls, if you will. 



Face of Spanish Fowls (Tdfrn). — The best exhibitors of Spanish fowls 

 always keep the hens in partial darkness for some days before exhibiting 

 them. 



Cough Afpecting Brahua Pootras (JR. W. B.). — We have not the 

 slightest doubt that fine weather will be the best doctor, and that the 

 hen will speedilj* and thoroughly recover. She has probably a little 

 ulceration. 



Points ik White Dorkings tNovice). — With the exception of the 

 colour. White Dorkings are judged like Grey ones. They must be l.irge, 

 heavy, square, and have white legs with live toes. The colour should be 

 white, not straw. There is latitude as to the combs, but the double are 

 most esteemed. 



BAnEFZiFNE Fowl (J. S.\ — We are sorry we are unable to give yon the 

 information you wish. We do not know the Barbeziene fowl. 



Game Hens not Laving (Snbucribcr).— It is because your birds are 

 two years old and upwards that they do not lay. Pullets lay because 

 they attain the nge when they must lay; but after they have become 

 adults, they follow fixed seasons, subject only to such varieties of tem- 

 perature as we have recently experienced. For instance: in a houee 

 where we have sixty hens and pullets, our eggs diminished hajl when the 

 ground was covei-eii with snow. This latter has of late been a daily or 

 nightly occurrence. Nothing interferes so much as snow with the health 

 and comfort of fowls, and when they are not in health they do not lay. 

 We never recollect a season when eggs were so scarce in January and 

 the early part of February, and broody hens so much in request in March. 

 Early chickens will be rare, and the good lusty April and May birds will, 

 we hope, have such a " good time " before them, that in December it will 

 not be seen they came late into the world. 



Brahma Pootra Feathers {F. Powell). — The feathers you sent are 

 most decidedly 5Ir. Poyle's school of colour, the brown between the pen- 

 cillings being not more thnn usuillynppears in the second moult, though 

 some birds remain quite free. The other strain named usually has the 

 pencilling itself dark brown instead of black, and is of a more dead 

 efdour. The feathers are very good, and approach in their d>rk colour 

 those which used to bo shown by Mr. Teeb:iy. If the black pencilling 

 covered the ground rather more thickly I should call them perfect. — 

 Nemo. 



Lapwings (GX — They have the first joint of one wing amputated^ 

 which prevents their flying away. 



Liability (J. R. Bcyton). — As yon are sure the birds were well when 

 you put them into the hamper, the inirehaser is liable for the subsequent 

 loss. If the bird dies speedily, equity would suggest that you supply 

 another at a reduced price. 



Exceeding Duty (il/. P. Draper^. — Such questions are not within our 

 province; but we will add that there is no doubt you were quite right. 



Boon ABOUT Canaries ill. W, X.). — liront's " Caniny, &c." Y'ou can 

 have it free by post from our office if you enclose twenty postage stampB 

 with your address. 



Breeding in Supers. — In reply to the first question of lilr. .7. H. 

 Walker whicli appears in his communication under the above heading in 

 your last issue, *page 220, the price of " Pettitt's Collateral hive" is 

 45s.. with gratings and dividers cut in tbe crown-board for four supers, 

 or with gratings for two supers, 42s. A wood engraving of this hive is 

 given in page 23 of Pettitt's catalogue, with explanation and prices. To 

 the second question — for the straw hive with the round hole in the top, 

 a circular ad.ipting-board would answer, as represented in Pettitt's cata- 

 logue, page 36, on hive No. 19, with the gratings cut in the centre and 

 shut olf with a ?.inc divider. This adapting-board can bo finnlv fixed to 

 the top of tho hive with two or three long screws, and unless the queen 

 is a very small one she seldom ventures through the gratings, and if the 

 supers are well ventilated breeding will seldom lake place in them. — 

 Sudbury. 



POULTRY MARIvET.— March 27th. 



We have a short supply, and prices are well maintained with a rise as 



compared with last week. Tho ttfeet of the long and severe winter is 



- - . .. ,, ... .. . . ... J ■ . ^^j.y (Jg^^J^ 



. d 8. d 



plainly seen, and if there were a good trade, poultry would 



Large Fowls 4 



Sn-aller do 3 



Chickens 2 



Goslings 7 



Ducklings 3 



Kgeons 



d. 



to 4 



d 



6 

 

 



a 



4 

 10 



Pheasants . . . 

 Partridges . . . 

 Grouse 



Guinea Fowls. 

 Kabbits. 



n too 







Wild do 



