22 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTUBB AND COTTAGE GABDENEa, 



[ January 1, 1&77. 



Bvcameres beea pather honey very fast ; it is of a greenish hno, 

 Tery rich and highly flavoured. This green honey from sycamore 

 and gooseberry trees is preferred by my palate before all other 

 kinds of honey. 



White clover, the qneen pf all honey plants, comes next in 

 season. It lasts from the beginning of June till the end of July. 

 In the year 1843 bees in Middlesex gained weight till the end 

 of September, chiefly I believe from white clover. The honey 

 gathered from this plant is clear and transparent to the eye, and 

 imparts to the palate a rich, pleasing, smart smack which every- 

 body likes. Some farmers in laying down grass land use more 

 white clover seed than otheis, and wherever lime and bone dust 

 are used as manure white clover is most abundant. It is incom- 

 parably the best plant for bees in Great Britain, and is found in 

 every county. 



Lime trees flower in July for a short time and yield honey 

 freely. The American bee keepers, both in Canada and the 

 States, have a great deal to say about basswood or the linden 

 tree as a honey-producer. I fancy it is a kind of lime troa, 

 coming into^ower late in the season and lasting a long time. 

 Some bee-keepers speak of making plantations of basswood for 

 bees alone. The climate of Great Britain is not so trustworthy 

 and certain as that of America and some parts of southern 

 Europe. If mignonette grows as well in those favourable cli- 

 mateo as it does in our country I fancy it woiild be the best and 

 most profitable plant to cultivate for bees. I have no hesitation 

 in saying that an acre of mignonette would yield 20 lbs. of honey 

 every Sne day in this country — what would it not do in warmer 

 countries?— it continues three months in flower, and grows 

 almost in any kind of soil. 



Heather, wild heather, the last in flower but not the last in 

 importance and value of our honey plants, comes into flower in 

 August and lasts about three weeks only. In this year (1876) 

 my bec-s failed on the heathery hills of Derbyshire, but for ten 

 years previously they stored up large supplies there, and during 

 some of those years they failed on the clover. It is hardly 

 possible to convey a correct idea to the uninstructed bee-keeper 

 as to the great work done by bees on the moors in a short time. 

 The moorland honey is high-coloured, and stronger in flavour 

 than any other English honey. The Scotch people like it, but 

 generally speaking it does not suit the English palate so well ; 

 but even in Glasgow fifty years ago flower honey was sold at a 

 higher price tbau heather honey. 



Having lived in several counties I may here give my opinions 

 of them from an apiarian standpoint. My native county (Ijanark) 

 is comparatively cold aud bleak with a heavy clayey soil. Ou 

 the Clyde, which runs through its centre, there are some large 

 and fruitful orchards, which greatly help the bees in several 

 parishes of the county. The fruit-tree blossoms are followed by 

 field mustard, white clover, and heather. The bees there do 

 well. Ayrshire is probably a richer county for bees than Lanark. 

 I have not li •■ ed elsewhere in Scotland, but fancy that the rich 

 land of mid and east Lothian are rather too much devoted to 

 the production of graia crops for bees to do well there. 



Around London for many miles grass land prevails. Fruit 

 and forest trees and white clover are what the bees work on 

 there. Some five aud thirty years ago I lived near Bavnet, and 

 found bees to do exceedingly well. I formed a favourable 

 opiuion of the whole district between London and St. Alhaus. 

 I have not seen much of Kent, bat from all I have heard of it I 

 should say it is a good place for bees. Lancashire, ia which 

 I have spent twenty yesra of my time, taken as a whole is one 

 of the worst counties in England for bees. On the bank of the 

 Mersey between Manchester and Liverpool they do pretty 

 ■well. 



Cheshire, as a whole, isagoodandeligibleplaceforbee cuKure, 

 presenting a fair pasture of varied kinds. Around some of 

 the larger towns, such as Chester, Knutsford, and Altrincham, 

 we find much fine pasture laid and fruit and forest trees. On 

 the large dairy and cheese-producing farms bees will not fail to 

 do well. Sale being on the north corner of the county and 

 butting against the river Mersey, near Manchester, is chiefly 

 used for market-garden puipones, and is therefore deficient in 

 white clover. Cheshire is perhaps as good a county for bees as 

 any other in the north of England. About Buxton in Derby- 

 shire, which is so high and bleak that corn does not grow well, 

 bees gather great stores of honey. The calcareous soil of the 

 Buxton district yields plenty of white clover, aud heather 

 abounds within easy distance of the place. 



In the East Eiding of Yorkshire bees do very well — wedging 

 their hives full i.f honey on every favourable season, and this 

 without mach care or attention. 



In closing this letter Itt me refer to a riueation often put as to 

 a district or pasture being overstocked with bees. " la it possible 

 to overstock a parish ?" Yes, though I have never seen one 

 overstocked. I believe it is often done in America by apiarians 

 who keep hundreds cf hives. It is but reasonable to believe 

 that the bees of fifty hives will do better than the beta of one 

 hundred hives on a given pasture. But all bee-farmers may 

 add farm to farm by spreading their hives over a wider area, 



aud this may bo done without having to pay a heavy rental. — 



A. PETTICaEW. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Lime for Fowls (W.B. TF".).— Quicklime ond sand siftin^s from a brick- 

 layer's yard would not be injarious to fowls. Give your mopiug cockerel eome 

 bread soaked la ale. 



Dark Bra^ha Hen (4 Victim). — Yoar only remedy is to lie had in the 

 County Court. 



Jersky Poultry Show {Exhibitor), — We received the prize list joetes-w© 

 were going to press. 



Fowls for Winter Laying (Mrs. FT.).— Early-liatched pullets of almost 

 any breed will, if properly fed, lay dnriDg the winter months, and eh you 

 Puissess botb Durkiogs and Erahmaa you have no need to seek for other breeds 

 for the purpose required. 



Purchasing Bees (Suss^a;). — The beat time to pnrchaBe hives cf bees is 

 in autumn or winter, for then they may be removed without risk of bieakiug 

 combs or suffocating beee. In winter, too, bees do not go far from home, 

 and may be safely removed from a garden at no great distance dfT. eay a mile, 

 witLout danger of the bee^ returulag to it. We advice to begin ^ith two 

 stocks, and purchase them of a cottager in your own neiyhbourhood, lor if, a 

 communcement be made with only one hivo and something go wrong with ife 

 much discouragement maybe felt. The " Handy Book of Beep" is one .of 

 the beat for boginnere ; in it you will find all the information you are seekisg. 



METEOEOLOaiCAL OBSEKVATIONS. 



Camden Square, London, 



Lafc. 51* 33' 40" N. ; Long. O'' 8' 0" W. ; Altitude, 111 feet. 



REMARKS. 

 27th.— Raiuy all day, at limes snow or sleet ; wind hi^-h and very cold. 

 28th. — Rainy morning and afternoon; windy but starlit night. 

 29th. — Wet in early morning, fair forenoon ; rain in afternoon and evening; 



fair but wiody at night. 

 30th —A beautiful day throughout; warm, dry, and bright. 

 81st.— Windy and showery all day ; at times very bright, but only for a Bhort 



1st.— Tery wet all the forenoon ; at times after very bright, and at times very 



heavy rains. 

 2nd — A very pleasant fine day throoghont ; rain in evening and night. 

 Another wet week, and a very warm one, the temperatore beiEg nearly 12? 

 higher than the previous one. — G. J. Simons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— January 8. 



Our market has been so quiet Bince ChristmaB that we have i 

 to quote. 



