JOURNAL OF HORTIGULTURB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( Ma-ch 1, 18^7. 



the first introdncers oi ooncliraeiit for live stock, and hiq pre- 

 pared meal was a'3 HnuoHsaful with catble as poultry. He has 

 been in failirtg heal'h a lonjj time, and when we saw him at the 

 last Boaruemuatli Poalbry Sbow we thoaj^bt him sadly changsd 

 for the wcrae. We uudnrBtnad his business will be taken on by 

 his widow, at the great wish of the deceased. Besides being 

 the mannfHctiiter of these foods, he was an enthusiastic poultry 

 fancier, and poeaeEsed some of the best blooded Game fowls of 

 the day. — W. 



SCIENTIFIC BEE-KEEPEES. 



"Scientific bee-keepprs " is a term land others have often 

 used; but how few th^re are who deserve the name. The 

 "scieDCe" of bee-keeping is scarcely born. Look at the bee of our 

 day. It is tho ^-arue a'l S'iue of by old Virgil twenty centuries ago. 

 Regard our cattle, our pnu'try, our fruits and flowers, and con- 

 trast them with the Btocbs of a hundred years ago. The difference 

 is marvellous. Oar great grandmothers would not recoguise the 

 pullets they trussed or the vegetables they cooked as articles of 

 the same genera. On these things ecience has truly been 

 brought to bear. Patient selectiou of the best individuals, ru'h- 

 lesB destruc'ion of the 'rorst, judicious crossing, and introduc- 

 tion of foreign varieties have made the products of our farms and 

 gardens what they are. Why, then, should not like results be 

 obtained by "Rcientific" culture of the hive bee? The intro- 

 duction of tlie Litiuriau bee was a step iu the right direction, but 

 this was twenty-five years a^o — rather a long distance from the 

 first step to ttiH second. However the better quali'ies of the 

 Ligurian may have been exaggerated, and they doubtless have 

 been, yet few who have giv^u them a fair trial will gainsay the 

 assertion that the variety is an improvement on our old black 

 friend. No new diKCi)very, for does not Virgil say — 

 " Tho b tfer brood, unlike the bastard crew, 

 Are market with royal stroaks of shiaiag hue." 



The world is wide, and in it are many species and varieties of 

 hees ; it would be stranti:e indeed if we have absolutely the best. 

 A bee having equnl or better industrious habits to oura without 

 a sting would be a very desirable acquisition ; next to Ihis, one 

 disinclined to use her weapon would not be despicable, and such 

 a character is possessed by the " krainer " or Hungarian bee, 

 which is slowly spreading over Europe, and has also emigrated 

 to America. I also have a krainer queen gradually gathering 

 her children roand her, whose characters I hope duly to 

 chronicle. Great thiatis are said <if a bee from the Isle of 

 Cyprus. A few (f the leading German bee-keepers have this 

 variety, and it ia hitihiy prized and jealously kept. At the Api- 

 cultural Exiiibitiou at Strasbourp, 1875, a queen was exliibited 

 and sold for 75 francs to a professional queen-breeder, who adver- 

 tised her progeny for f-ale during tbe ensuing summer. But it 

 is never wise to count chickeius before they are hatched. The 

 queen died, aud numernns orders for her daus^htera were unful- 

 filled. I have a conditional promise of a Cyprian queen next 

 summer. This bee is snid to far excel the black and Li^nrian 

 in prolificness and industry, but not to be commended for 

 amiability. In the country round the Gulf of Cflttirod«"ells a bee 

 very hardy and muscular ; were they not so they would starve, 

 for they have to gather their honey from the flowers which grow 

 in the crevices and ravines of the mountains — high, steep, and 

 exposed to rough winds. Their character ia good so long aa they 

 are not disturbed, but if mec^dled with they become most wicked, 

 Btinging viciously and p>iiufally. Perhaps these would suit our 

 mountains and expnt^ed coasts, where our native bee finds it 

 difficult to Bupp-^'it itself. But is it presumption to say that a 

 judicious crossing of such varieties as I have named (for they 

 are all believed to be of the same species) would improve our 

 breed and enlarge rur honey harvests ? 



A *' Renfrewshiue Bee-keeper," Mr. Phillips, and others 

 have chronicled the splendid results of individunl hivts, or I 

 may say the extraordinary industry of ceit lin worker bees, the 

 daughters of known queens who above others in the same apiary 

 have distinguithf d tht mnelveh by theescellouce of their progeny. 

 Common sense would tell ua that here i^ a proper case for selec- 

 tion : weed out the other queens, and replace by the bett'-r brood. 

 Experienced handp, as our frieuda here named, would find no 

 difficulty in stocking the hives of a village fiom a favourite 

 queen. In America this principle ia recognised and practised. 

 There is a bee in India which builds long combs pendent from 

 the branches of trees. I have not the account to refer to, but I 

 think tbe combs were describe d by Professor Wallace to be 6 feet 

 long. India, in point of tiuje, ia not a farc>)Uutry now. Perhaps 

 one of our cnmpatriota on his homeward trip will some day bring 

 us a live queen of this sp-^cies, aud some among us may live to 

 Bee the day when the scientific bee-keeper may proudly say, 

 "Look on this pictura and on that." — Joun Hunteb, Eaton 

 Bise, Ealing. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



PnnoNrno C&rolina. Docks {E.K. L.).— Pinion! og them does not dis- 

 qualify them for exbibiticn; onpinicued birds are the exception. Almost 



all fancy wild fowl must beiepfc pinioned, or they mnst be treated as ca^ed 

 birds and eucloeed on every side atid dverhead with wire or netting. Even 

 bir'iH bff-d tame will flv away iu tbe winter if they are fall-wiug.'d. There 

 always remaim en jugh u( in-itiact iu them fjr that ; but if thoy are pinianad 

 they remain. II th-^re were any cimlitiuu to be apptnied to the esbibition 

 of wild iiwl it should be timt they thould be pinioned, as that is the only 

 state iu which they can be kept. 



EiR-FRAME Hives. — J. Q. wishes to know the best maker. These hives 

 should be aivertised. 



Stewarton Hive (J. H. Elridjc).— There are no entrances allowed to 

 Stewarton coHnies, except at bjito ji of the pile, half in«h deep and as wide 

 as the dovetail wili allow, a central and one in each dlvi^i('n on either side, 

 making three in all, fully open durio",' theheatof summer. Three 7-ioc'i boxes 

 are amply auffioient ; 18 iuohea of brr-ediuii apacs in ordioarv cases snflioea. 

 A hive without an entrance ia as inc mvenient as a house without a iloor &t 

 swarm-ug time. Thoughtlessly set dnwn ou a temporary boarl or table suffo- 

 cates the bees. Windows back and frout, as at present, shows through the 

 state! of th-a very centre tiive. Q i^eus a^e eh>*ni'ed in non-swarmiDg stocks 

 ofteoer than is Buppnsed. Hero ihey are always dethroned at the end of 

 the third Beason at furthest. No winter packing is required with ontBide 

 cover. Your friend will lose all the advantage of tte et-aifying sjstem in 

 hi-t projected hive. The yield of hives is depeud<int on season and locaUty. 

 Here swarms iu colonies jield uothiug tbe first season unless donbled.— .\ 

 Renfrewshire Bee-i 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



CA]UDC!f Square, Losdom. 



Lat. 51= 32' 4T' N. ; Long, 0' S' 0" W. ; Altitude, 111 feet. 



REMAHKS. 

 21st.— Fine all day till 3 p m., but theu dull ; a very eligbt snow shower in the 



night, which was otherwise v-ry fine. 

 22Dd.— Fine luorniDg. but dull afternoon; rain began at 1 r M and fell fti 



times during the rest of thf'dny. 

 23rd.— Fine morning ; dull but fair all tho after part of the day. 

 2ith. — Rainy morning, but clearing up by 11 a.m., and fine during the re- 



mAinder of tho day. 

 25th.— Fair, but dull in early morning; but elight showers at intervals all 



day after 10 a.m. 

 26th.— Beautifully brijiht and fiue at fi.Sfl, but in Ics' than an hour snowing 



heavily, but only fur a short time; hue afttrnoou and bri^iht moon- 

 light night. 

 27th.— Very tlight white frost at 0; a slight fall of aleet at 10 A.3I. ; but 



bright, though co'd during the res-, of the day. 

 A fine bright week, northerly wmd^ aud lower temperature. — Q. J. Svmoss. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— Febuuatiy 23. 

 Trade is again quiet, and scarcely anrthing doing worthy of note. Good 

 ■■ cimpass, and are the only fruit that 



Apples i sieve ! 



Apricots dozen I 



ChestDute bushel i 



Currants } sieve ' 



Black 4 do. i 



Figs dozen ' 



Filherts lb. 



Cobs lb. 



Gooseberries qnai. 



Grapes, hothouse .... lb. 



r.eraons f*' 100 



Melons each 



Artichokes dozen ( 



Aspaiagu!! f*- 100 : 



French bundle ' 



Beans, Ki.luoy e* lOJ 



Beet, Red dnzen 



Broccoli bundle 



Brussels Sprouts. .i sieve 



Cabnage doten 



Carrola bunch 



Cj.paicums Tt* 10 1 



Cauliflower d^zen 



Celery bundle 



Ctileworta.. dot. buncbea 



Cucumbers each 



Endive dozen 



Fennel bunoh 



GarUc lb. 



Herbs bunoh 



Horseradish bundle 



Lettuce dozen 



Leeka bunoh 



>trawlierrie8...- lb. 



Walnuti bushel C 



1 ditto %>'100 1 



TEGETAJBLES. 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustard & Cress punnet 



Onions bnshel 



pickling qu<«rt 



doz. bunobes 2 

 dozen U 

 quirt 



RadisheB.. doz. banchei 



Knubarb bundle 



salsafv bundle 



Scorzonera bundle 



seakrtle basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes i i 



lb. 9 2 



. bunch 4 0ft 



Vegetable Marrows o 



