376 



journaij of horticulture and cottage gardener. 



for the marvellonsly low price of §10 (£2) per thoaaand ! less 

 than ^d. each. This ia the price quoted for boxes 5 by 5 by 2, 

 or anything less. Of course, the natural exclamation is, "Ah! 

 that is in America ; but what can we get them here for ? " "Well, 

 I supplied patterns to a friend, an ardent bee-keeper, anxious to 

 help our good cause, and who had all the requisite machinery — 

 circular saw, steam power, and timber at first price, and he 

 made some as a trial, and dow declares they cannot be made 

 and sold in England under 2d. each. He thinks the Yankees 

 must get their wood for nothing and labour for less to sell at 

 their price I Now, at 2d. each they are not too dear to use; but 

 we can yet do better. It is no uncommon thing to find we can 

 import articles of merchandise better and cheaper than w© can 

 make them, and in like manner we can import these section 

 boxes so that they shall certainly cost under Id , and I think 

 not more than id. each. I have been in the habit year by year of 

 getting all manner of foreign apiarian novelties for my friends 

 at cost price, and although I have often unfortunately found 

 myself in the position of the old man and his ass, by next season 

 I certainly will import a case of supers to serve as patterns; 

 and in the meantime, as circular saws are now so common with 

 amateur workmen, I extract, somewhat condensed, Mr. Root's 

 instructions ia "Gleanings in Bee-culture" how to make the 

 flections. 



" Take some seasoned pine boards any width or thickness, saw 

 them all up in lengths of about 3S inches, and then saw these 

 into strips of 2 inches, or whatever you have decided upon as 

 the proper distance of your section boxes from centre to centre. 

 Turn these strips up edgewise, and saw off strips one-eighth of 

 an inch thick, which pile up in bunches of forty or fifty, and 

 then take some strips of stout paper, and with small tacks fasten 

 them round the thin wood strips so that the bundles can be 

 handled like a 2-inch plank. The paper strips should be about 

 an inch wide, and tacks so small that they can be pushed in 

 with the thumb ; and they should be put at such distances that 

 when cutting off the lengths for sections which follow, the saw 

 will not strike the heads, and that each bundle may be tied 

 with a btrip of paper. These will now do for nailed frames, and 

 we next proceed to show how to put them together without nails. 

 Set your saw table so that it will allow the saw to cut just one- 

 eighth of an inch in depth; then fix a steel blade iu the saw 

 table so that it will project above the surface just one-eighth of 

 an inch. This blade is to bo parallel with the saw and just 

 one-eighth of an inch from it. Now take one of these bundles 

 of side pieces and stand them on end with one corner against 

 the steel strip : we will call this steel strip a track for conveni- 

 ence. Push the stuff through, and you will have a single groove 

 across all one-eighth deep. Now set this groove on the steel 

 track — the track is perfectly straight, and just fills the groove 

 cut by the saw — and saw the next, and so on ; the last cut being 

 set on the track to saw the next by until the whole bundle is 

 grooved on both ends. The top and bottom bars of the sections 

 are made a quarter of an inch narrower than the sides to give 

 the bees passage, and sorting out the best half of them run them 

 over the saw so as to cut a groove lengthwise exactly in the 

 centre, and so nearly through that it will bend like a hinge. 

 Lay it on the table so that one-half projects over. Bend it so 

 that the groove opens, insert the strip of wax sheet or founda- 

 tion, close it and all is secure, and the wax so much of a fixture 

 that it may be torn in two before it will come out." — John 

 Hunter, Eaton Else, Ealing. 



E.UILY Swarm. — Mr. Thomas Cattlin, The Arboretum, East 

 Cowes Park, Isle of Wight, informs us that he had a fine swarm 

 of bees on the 11th of May, which be hived successfully, and they 

 are doing well. The swarm was so large that he pub a glass on 

 the top of the hive and many of the bees have gone into it. The 

 parent hive he has fed every week, allowing lib. of lump sugar 

 to a pint of water, for the last six months. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Management op Chickens (ff. S.).— Now the nislits are shorter and the 

 weather warmer yoa only injure yoar chickens by taking thera in at night. 

 If they require protection put up a hoard in front, but it should be taken 

 down at daylight. 



Breeding Dl'ces (F. ii.).— Carolin* Dacka will not make a nest on the 

 grooud. They require a box to breed in, or something similar. Carolina, 

 "Whistling, and Muscovy Ducks porch. Egyptian Goese do so likewise. 



Sex of Swans (Framfield).— It used to be a saying that in giving away 

 birds two made a pair if they were breeds showing no indication of plumage. 

 Swans, many of the Oeese — Egyptian, Beraicle, Brent, Canada, and Bean- 

 are positively alike in both eexea so far as feather is concerned, and although 

 there vre certain degrees of development in some points by which people 

 profess to be guided, we know they are continually mi-taken. The old hen is 

 tEiken for a cook, and the young cock is taken for a strung hen. There can 

 be no doubt in your case; they are both hens. Each has laid four eggs. 

 Your benefactors were deceived. Two did not make a pair. 



Hatching Swans' Eggs (Q. A. B.).—\Ye have never put Swans' eggs under 

 ahen, thfy aro too large; nevertheless we believe a good-sized hea would 

 hatch three. (We would eay four, but you know there is no luck in even 



numbers in sitting et^gs). Perhaps you will laugh at the idea, and we aocnsa 

 no one ; but if your poultry mana;^er or manageress may have remonstrated 

 against the even number and it should bring success, they will say nothing. 

 Perhaps, as logoldsby said, or says, for doth he not always speak ? "They 

 will look all the more, or think, or believe, and will say, ' Well I I never.'" We 

 beliere the eggs will batch, and if the young be fed on ground oats or barley- 

 meal mixed iu a shallow pan, with a sod of growing grass at the bottom and 

 a small portion of flue gravel, they will do very well. 



Taking Honey (B. Morudn). — Honey cannot be taken from hives of any 

 kind without meddling with them in some way, and thus coming in contact; 

 with some of the beeg. Fumigation or a bee-veil should be used in all opera- 

 tions. Supers are fiUei on Urge hivos when full more rapidly than on small 

 ones, inasmuch as the large hives have more workers. But in putting small 

 swarms iu large hives supers should not be looked for the first seasoa. After 

 bees are established in large hives you will be astonished and satisfied at the 

 amount of work done. H mey is removed from all kinds of hives in the same 

 way — viz., by removing their super'} or side combs or both, and by driving 

 their bees into empty hives and takiug all their couteats. 



Bar Hives {A CorMtant Reader) — We are now using the bar hives recom- 

 mended by Mr. Taylor, but improved by Messrs. Abbott, Brothers, of Fair- 

 lawn, Sout hall, near London, and we have a high opinion of them. They 

 are substantially the same as the biir-framed hives introduced by Mr. Wood- 

 bury. We do not use bars only, but the baV-framea. 



Stewakton Hive {E. 3.}. — Your questions will be answered neit week. 



METEOROriOGICAIi OBSERVATIONS. 



Gamdes Sqoahe, London. 



Lat. 5V 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0^ 8' 0' W. ; Altitude, 111 feet. 



REMARKS. 

 9th.— Rather dull morning ; bright in middle of the day and early part of 

 afternoon, shower between 6 and 7 p.m., and dull after. 

 10th.— Rather stormlike at 8.50 a.m., but soon cleared off ; a fine day, though 



rather threatening; a storm iu the forenoon. 

 11th.— Damp, dull, and dark in the fore part of the day, and showery after. 

 12th. — A dull, damp, dark November-like day, but not cold. 

 13th. — Dull damp forenoon, but tiue afternoon. 

 14th. — Dull morning, but very fine afterwards. 



15th.— Another damp dull morning, but soon clearing, and beautifally fine 

 day, and bright ni^'ht. 

 Warmer than the previoui week, cloudy and dull with frequent showers.— 



G. J. SSMONS. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— May 16. 

 The change in the weather has had a sensible effect upon the supply of 

 both fruit and vegetables during the last two or three days, which with a 

 better demand has caused a more healthy tone to pervade our market. 

 Amongst hothouse fruits Gripes and Strawberries are ia good supply, but 

 Peaahes are backward, and good samples are in request. Importations of 

 early vegetables are still heavy, and prices are well maintained. 



