Febraary 18, 1S60. 1 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICOLTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



l'S7 



applying chemical testa. In the ahsence oi such evidence the 

 jury did right. 



One dictum of the Judge fully coincides with what we have 

 always maintained. " His Honour said if the birds were bond 

 fiilf Canaries, and not artitioially coloured, the award of the 

 Judges must be final ; and if they were afterwards found to be 

 artificially coloured, it would be contrary to all precedent to 

 allow such birds to take the prizes." 



TRANSPORTING BEES. 

 DouOTLESs many an apiarian is at a loss how to move a weak 

 hive into a better pasturage, or placed in the same position as 

 myself, when led to devise the 

 following box, to bring home a 

 valuable present, or some well- 

 selected purchase. A piece of 

 circular wood is chosen or made 

 (a), 20 inches round. On the 

 top of this is nailed another 

 piece, one quarter of an inch 

 thick and 2 inches less in cir- 

 cumference, as h in the accom- 

 panying diagram ; now, this is 

 for a bottom. Then procure a box 

 in which a cheese was brought 

 from America; somearemuch too 

 small, but choose one 18 inches 

 in circumference, then scrape it 

 well with glass and rub smooth 

 with coarse sand paper. Now 

 cut a 2-inch square hole in front, 

 and nail a small pieco of per- 

 forated galvanised zinc with small 

 tacks. Procure an old bag, cut 

 off the bottom, nail it on the rim 

 of c at d. Now this, when stuffed 

 full of straw, keeps the hive put 

 in quite firm ; if tied round with 

 a piece of strong string it makes 

 a very good handle. Directions 

 for use ; — The day before moving 

 the hive of bees, about 3 or 4 p.m. 

 loosen it from the stand and place it on the bottom a. The 

 next day, about the same time, place on c, and screw two screws 

 at e and/, then put a little hay or straw at top, and tie tightly 

 down. I had a hive of bees sent me from Devonshire into 

 Staffordshire this autumn per rail, without twenty bees being 

 killed or a comb broken. — A Staffordshire Apiarun. 



SUPERPOSING. 



" A Devonshire Bee-keeper" having given the readers of 

 " our Journal" the benefit of the superposing story (page 94), 

 related to him in a letter on another subject. I may be per- 

 mitted to add its sequel. But first of all, for the information 

 of " A. S." and more recent subscribers, I may mention that, 

 seven or eight years ago, I took occasion to call in question 

 the accuracy of the editorial reply to a querist that if he united 

 two colonies at the end of the year, witli free communication 

 between, the npper would be vacated and the lower become the 

 stock hive. I held quite the reverse of this opinion, from a 

 rather extensive experience of such cases, maintaining that the 

 lower hive would be vacated as the cold weather set in, enabling 

 the querist to remove it, his sole object in proposing the union. 

 "A Devonshire Bee-keeper" stepped forward to champion 

 the descending principle, and was supported by very many of 

 the southern fraternity, they looking at the upper stock from 

 a super standpoint ; while I was backed-up by tiJe northerners 

 on the ascending Bide, viewing the case on strict storifying 

 principles, till a regular skirmish between north and south 

 ensued, terminating, if I recollect, in your estimable corre- 

 spondent, " B. it W.," throwing a little explanatory " oil upon 

 the waters." 



lu the above controversy it was always assumed that the two 

 hives to be united should bo somewhat alike as to combs and 

 store ; but in the story inserted by my friend, Mr. Woodbury 

 (page 94), the upper hive contained so very little comb, and 

 the inmates being reduced to the famishing point, in such au 

 extreme case I frankly confess I never supposed but on the 

 union being effected they would joyfully descend to take pos- 

 session of the well-found stock below. How very different 



the result ! On raising the musty old skep to expel the occu- 

 pants, what a change in the weight, showing that, true to their 

 instincts, they had gone up, carrying no inconsiderable portion 

 of their store, and that comb-building was going on. It was in 

 vain I tried to drive them ; the day being too chilly for the 

 operation, they would not budge. What was now to be done? 

 I procured a deep octagon eke, inverted the little straw skep 

 within it, setting the Stowarton boxes above, and on making 

 a scrutiny two or three days afterwards, I found my little fa- 

 vourites, tiue to the ascending principle, had duly vacated the 

 lower hive, re-transferring their store along with them, more 

 than establishing the opinion so strenuously advocated by — 

 A Benfrewshire Bee-keeper. 



GREAT MEETING OF GERMAN BEE-MASTERS 



AT DARMSTADT. 



{Concluded from Vol. XV., page 4.53.) 



Before the regular proceedings of the second day com- 

 menced, it was decided that next year's meeting should be 

 held at Nuremberg, and it was further agreed that Mr. Kohler'g 

 process for securing a pure breed of Italian or other species oJ 

 bees was as sure, when properly applied, as is possible in a 

 matter of the kind. Many attacks have been made upon him 

 during the past year, some persons claiming priority of inven- 

 tion, which may or may not be true, as they kept their secret 

 for the most part to themselves, and the opposition to him was, 

 as is evident to unprejudiced lookers-on, owing to jealousy, 

 and was a specimen of meanness happily not often found, and 

 to which the Germans apply the term, not quite translateable 

 into English, Niedertrdcliligkeit . 



After the settling of this business a few remarks were made 

 on the origin of hermaphrodites amongst bees, and several 

 theories started, but nothing certain produced. 



Next in order for the day's discuasion was the question on 

 some of the advantages of moveable combs, and especially 

 since the invention of the centrifugal comb-emptying machine. 

 The discussion mainly turned upon the difficulty of extracting 

 the thick heather honey. The inventor himself. Major von 

 Hrnschka, being present, rose and was received with a storm 

 of applause. He had been for the last four years considering 

 all kinds of alterations and improvements, and thought that 

 in the case of heather honey, or crystallised honey, the ma- 

 chine would do its duty if the combs were first warmed in a 

 temperature of about 00° Fahrenheit. He thought also that 

 he might soon have some other hints of the same kind to make 

 known to bee-keepers. 



After a few desultory remarks llie President read the next 

 question on the programme : " Which is the best method o£ 

 making artificial swarms ?" The speakers were Dr. PoUmann, 

 Mr. Hewpel, and Mr. Dzierzon. The opinion seemed to be 

 that driving and removing the swarm to another stand, at least 

 a mile or two off, was the best of aU, but only practicable with 

 straw hives. For wooden hives with moveable combs it was 

 recommended to remove every comb to a new hive with all the 

 bees upon them, merely securing the queen aud letting her 

 return to her old hive fitted up with empty combs, puide combs, 

 itc. The older bees will all return to the qneen and former 

 hive, and the swarm will become very strong and prosperous. 

 Of course the hive which keeps only the young bees must have 

 water supplied till they fiy out and can fetch it for themselves. 



After adjourning for luncheon, the assembly met once more 

 and discussed thequestion : " What is the most suitable inter- 

 nal size for hives, and specially for the honey magazine ?" Von 

 Klipstein remarked that he had long come to the conclusion 

 that a form as nearly circular as possible must be the best ; but 

 what is best in theory must often be modified in practice. 

 His remarks refer specially to the brood-room, whicli is practi- 

 cally much the same as the winter room of the bees. Conse- 

 quently the brood-room in wooden hives w 1 be bjstwhenas 

 nearly a cube as possible; with moveable combs one cannot 

 well get nearer to a sphere, and one might take the space of 

 12 inches as a good one for the height and breadth of the 

 frames ; but practically it has been found that the bees then 

 store too much honey at the sides of the combs, where in a 

 severe winter they cannot always rench it ; a better plan is 

 therefore to add somewhat to the height, end to diminish the 

 width, perhaps, to about 10 inches; the question tbtu remains 

 as to height under these circumstances. For hives with only 

 one storey of frames, a greater height than 14 ioi hfs would be 

 found inconvenient, as it is most important to be able to work 



