JOURNAL OF HORTICOLTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



V7onId soon pat them into shape by nsing thin strips of lath 

 tacked across the bars, which conld easily be removed at 

 any time after the bees had secured the combs and made all 

 fast. I shonld be in no hurry to do this, waiting even till the 

 lollowing spring, when the usual examination of hives takes 

 place. Autumn transfers I object to, as much waste of honey 

 and bee life ordinarily takes place at a time when every life is 

 precious and breeding is drawing near its close for the season. 

 Now, in spring is the time for any such manipulation as is in 

 question. When the combs have been carefully arranged in 

 the bar-framed hive it should be gently placed on its permanent 

 stand, and the bees can be dashed out on the top of the bars, 

 which sboald be perfectly open and uncovered to receive them. 

 They will at onoe descend, and the cover can be put on after- 

 wards without the loss of a single bee. 



If the bees are transferred now into the bar-framed hives thus 

 provided with comb but little honey must be expected from them 

 in supers this year; but neither could much be expected from 

 the untouched hive after it had given a prime swarm, unless one 

 could be sure that it would not send forth a cast or second 

 swarm. On the whole I think the gain will be about equal for 

 this year whichever plan is adopted. Next year, however, the 

 advantage of a spring transfer would be greatly in excess in 

 comparison with what would be gained if the transfer were to be 

 made in autumn. The stock would commence the year under 

 mnch-improved auspices. — B. & W. 



LOSS OF STOCKS. 



" Can any of your readers account for the death of two strong 

 stocks of bees? They were fed in March and had honey in 

 their combs in April, but now the bees are lying dead all round 

 the hives both inside and out. The combs are empty of honey, 

 though the hives were full of workers, drones, young bees, and 

 brood combs. Some of the workers found dead were covered 

 with pollen.— C. D." 



The stocks thus described were lost by want of food. Many 

 other bee-keepers have lost stocks this spring from the same 

 cause. I may here say what has been said before, that one 

 cannot too strongly insist on attention being paid to the feeding 

 of bees in cold spring months. Not one bee-keeper in fifty has 

 an adequate idea of the quantity of food wanted daily by strong 

 hives. lu winter and early spring bees do not consume much 

 food, but as they increase in numbers and activity more food is 

 required. When hives become full of bees and brood and drones 

 are flying about their daily consumption is enormous. In a 

 large strong hive nearly ready for swarraiug there are probably 

 40,000 working bees, and as many cells full of brood. Here is a 

 large city full of inhabitants all wanting food. Such hives we 

 know rapidly decrease in weight during unfavourable weather, 

 when bees cannot go abroad for food or find it when they go. 

 The present season has been remarkable for cold easterly winds, 

 which are hurtful to vegetation and which hinder the flow of 

 honey into the flowers. With such winds bees may find pollen, 

 but not much if any honey. Young bees, prompted by their 

 instincts of industry, go abroad to work and find nothing but 

 pollen. In cold weather many of these may be found around 

 hives, having been chilled and starved to death. Sometimes 

 they alight on the flightboards and are unable to creep into 

 their hives. Our correspondents' bees that were covered with 

 pollen had lately been in the fields doing their best to gather 

 food for their communities, but were unable to find it. When 

 there is no brood in hives in times of famine the bees go off as 

 hunger swarms, never to return. The very name of hunger 

 swarms has a painful significance ; but when brood exists in 

 hives the bees never abandon them, and at last when the pinch 

 and pressure of hunger can bo no longer endured the bees let 

 their queens have the last sip of honey, then many of them 

 press their bodies into unoccupied cells and thus bury them- 

 selves before death. We all learn by experience, and often 

 grow wiser by misfortune. Many bee-keepers who have lost 

 hives by their own inattention have resolved that the like would 

 never happen again, and having carried their resolution out they 

 have become wise and successful apiarians. If some of our 

 readers would place their liives on some kind of weighing 

 machine or suspend tliem on steelyards, and let them remain 

 thus placed or suspended for a month, they would be interested, 

 and learn much by noticing the gains and losses every night and 

 morning. — A. Pettiorew. 



OUE LETTEE BOX. 



Reabino Chickens (Novice). — It is a generally received opinion that Juno 

 is a bad time for hatching chickens. A very old saying is — 



" Chicks that are hatched whcu there's making ol hay 

 Will never grow up, but will waste away." 

 We cannot pretend to Hay whether thuy are eubjuct to hay fever, nor can wo 

 pretend to Bay whether hay has anything whatever to do with the chickeus; 

 but it ia more than likely while " the hay i8 about " the* chickens go to the wall 

 and mine tho close attention of which they stand in need. We hatch largely 

 all the year round. Wo think we have more trouble with June chickens than 

 with any others. Where thty have tho opportunity of running in high graas 



they often suffer from cramp, but as soon aa tho grass is cut then tho 

 trouble ceases. May chickens are exceptionally strong, and give leas trouble 

 than aoy others. July chickens the same. If we had our choice we should 

 not chooeo to hatch our chickens in June, but if we had no choice wo would 

 not be deterred by sayings uor croakings. 



Banbdrt Poultrv Show. — We are informed that Mr. W. Wykea waa placed 

 first in Class 40, Turkey cock.s, and not I>r. £. V. Saell as stated In the report 

 of the Show. 



Management of Bees (E. M, M.). — Your questions require fuller anawers 

 than we can give them now, but all the information yon seek will be given 

 iu the Journal during the aeasou. Placing glasses on hives for honeycomb 

 does not always prevent swarming ; but as one of your Bwarma baa returned 

 and commenced filling a super, you may expect that it wilt fill the super and 

 storo-up honey enough to support the bees in the hive durin;^ the winter. 

 Indeed, hives that fill supers are generally too full of honey for keeping. If 

 a Kwurm issue again from the hive cast it back on the flightboard, so that 

 the process of filling the glass may not be stopped. In the autumn you may 

 take the honey from old stocks and unite their bees to the swarms of the 

 current season. About the end of August is the best time to take honey 

 from old hiveK and melt the was. Combs two years old, or have been used 

 by bees for two HeaHons, are quite eld enough. 



Bee Hives IGardeiier.) — Your hive will probably answer as well as any. 

 The best time for the "turn-out" is three weeks after the first swarm. See 

 what we have said on this subject elsewhere. Perhaps you will have a cast 

 or second awarm before, but this will not matter if your stock is a strong 

 one, but you can generally prevent this by placing your first swarm iu its 

 new hive in the parent hive's place. Your bars of tho size you mention 

 should bo half an inch apart. Bees will go np just as well without turning 

 the hive upside down, provided there is a clear uninterrupted passage be- 

 tween every comb. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



Camden Square, London. 



Lat. 51° 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0= 8' 0" W. ; Altitude, 111 feet. 



REMARKS. 

 SOth.— Rather dull ; frequent short showers till towards the evening, which 



was fine and pleasant. 

 Slst.— Dull morning and forenoon ; showery afternoon, but fine evening. 

 June lat.— High wind in night and early morning; shower about 8 a.m.; 

 wind boisterous but not cold. 

 2nd. — Wind iu night and early morning; fine afternoon and evening. 

 Srd.— A very fine day, groat rise in the temperature, which reached Sl'^in 



the shade. 

 4th.— Rather hazy early, but followed by a very fine day, even more warm 

 than its predecessor ; much cooler iu the evening ; wind high at night. 

 5th.— Another bright sunny day and very warm. 

 A very sudden and considerable rise of temperature on tho morning of 

 June Srd. At 9 p.m. on 2nd it was 56\ before sunrise it fell to 45'= {and on 

 tho grass to 39- ) ; by 9 a.m. on 3rd it was 70^, and reached 81= at 4 p.m. 

 ~ ~ ' ■ • ■ of the 2nd and 3rd.— Q. J. 



OOVENT GARDEN MARKET.— June 6. 

 Business has been more active during the past week, and all classes of 

 goods have been readily cleared. Tho last few bright dayn have made a 

 marked improvement in hothouse goods, the supply keeping pace with the 

 extra demand. Large quantities of new Potatoes have arrived from the 

 Channel Islands, clearances being effected at lower rates. 



Apples 4 sieve ! 



Apricots doz. 



P'igs doz. : 



Filberts lb. ( 



Cobs lb. 



Grapea, hothouse lb '. 



Lemons. V 100 I 



t 



Artichokes dozen 1 



Asparagus ¥*" 100 



Bouns. Kidney «*• 100 



Beet, Red dozen 



Broccoli bundle 



Bnissels Sprouts. -J sieve i 



Cabbage dozen 



Carrots bunch 



Now do. 



CapHicuma ^103 



Caulillower dozen 



Celery bundle 



Coleworte.. doz. bunches 



Cucumbers each 



Endive dozen 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Ht'Tlis bunch 



Jjettueo ilozen 



Lccks bunch 



Oranges Tf^ ICO 



Peaches doz. ] 



Pears, kitchen doz. 



d. B. d. 

 0tol2 

 80 



. lb. 3 12 



TEQETABLEB. 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustard & Cress punnet 

 Onions bushel 



pickling qnart 



Parsley.... doz. bunches 



Parsnips dozen 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



New lb. 



Radishes., doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salsafy bundle 



Soorzonera bundle 



Seakale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Turnips bunch 



New do. 



Vegetable Klarrows 



