September 10, 1868. 1 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTUEB AND COTTAGB GAEDBNEE. 



199 



lifted the crown-board from the box, thinking to transfer it 

 with the adhering cluster of bees to the hive itsulf ; when lo, 

 jnst as I had raised it a few inches the entire cluster became 

 detached and fell in a mass to the ground ! Many would, doubt- 

 less, be somewhat nonplussed at such an accident, but I was 

 too old a hand to be much disconcerted, so after putting on the 

 crown-board with such bees as still adhered to it, I mf-rely 

 covered the cluster on the ground with an empty box propped 

 np on one side, and turned my attention to other matters. 

 Numbers of bees at once took wing and flew to the mouth of 

 the hive, and on returning in about half an hour I found that 

 the remainder had sought refuge within the empty box whence 

 they were speedily shaken into their own hive on the top of the 

 bars, and the crown-board being replaced this apparently for- 

 midable mishap was rectified with but little trouble and no 

 appreciable loss of life. The entire operation was indeed very 

 successful, although there was rather more quarrelling than 

 in the former case, and in the whole from one hundred to two 

 hundred bees might probably have been killed. — A Devonshire 

 Bee-keepeb. 



IMPRESSED WAXEN SHEETS. 



In reply to the inquiries of " Aris," in page 161, I last year 

 naed embopsed wax sheets in frames largely, and with uniform 

 success when care was taken to hang them by their thickest 

 edge, failing which they are apt to break down, especially with 

 & new swarm. The combs are built much more rapidly, and 

 on several occasions queenless stocks were compelled to build 

 worker comb instead of drone. In supers partly fitted with 

 sheets and partly with guide comb, I found the bees, however, j 

 pertinaciously reject the sheets and build from the comb, 

 causing much irregularity and delay. I therefore this year 

 used nothing but guide comb in the top supers ; but when they 

 were well advanced introduced intermediate supers fitted with 

 wax sheets, on which the bees at once fastened, and filled the 

 supers very rapidly. 



The expense is, however, a great objection, the makers charg- 

 ing 6ii. a-piece for the sheets ; considering which, and the fact 

 that the bees always reduce the thickness of the sheet very 

 greatly as they build, it struck me that the embossing was a 

 superfluity, and I therefore resolved to try the effect of plain 

 unstamped sheets. This I have done all the present season, 

 using plain and stamped sheets in the same hives, and I find 

 that the latter are in no respect superior to the former, whilst 

 the plain sheets have the advantage of considerably greater 

 strength, as the embossed ones are apt to crack if not very 

 carefully handled. They are easily made as follows : — Procure 

 a tin kettle without a lid, like a narrow fish kettle ; mine, 

 larger than necessary, is 2 inches wide at the top, 4 inches wide 

 at the bottom, 16 inches long, and 12 inches deep. Fill it 

 with water to within 3 inches of the top, and melt a pound or 

 two of wax in it. Have a piece of thin smooth board, mine 

 is 20 inches by 12, and three-eighths of an inch thick ; soak it 

 in a flat-bottomed sponge bath for half an hour, dip it endwise 

 into the kettle of wax, and withdraw it rapidly. If you wish 

 the sheets thick (I prefer them about one-sixteenth of an inch), 

 dip again. The wax sheets will peel off easily and unbroken. 

 Cool the board in the bath, dip again the other end of the 

 board, letting the first-used end cool, and so on, using either 

 end alternately. The thickness of molten wax must not be 

 diminished to less than one-quarter of an inch, or it will fail 

 to adhere evenly to the board. Instead of a board, a piece of 

 glass dusted with whitening may be used, but I prefer the 

 board. The sheets are thus produced for the value of the wax. 

 About Id. each. 



With respect to the use of narrowed communications between 

 hive and super, I have adopted them this season, and find no 

 inconvenience whatever in consequence ; so that in future I 

 shall never put on a super without such a protection. Sly plan 

 is to take a common Woodbury adapter, and divide each side 

 slit into two by a longitudinal bar about one-quarter of an 

 inch thick, thus leaving in each slit two j-assages three-six- 

 teenths wide ; the adapter thus guarded, I generally place with 

 the slits across the hive instead of at the sides. — AricoLA, 

 Murraythwaite, N.B. 



consisted in keeping her family in the nest ; she would drag 

 them in one by one, making them squeak all the time. No sooner 

 had she put one back than out she would run and seize 

 another. Of course they would not stay there, and I have seen 

 her do this for a long time. The same Ferret was once taken 

 to a neighbouring farm on a hunting expedition. I suppose she 

 was not very closely watched, lor she came home alone, walked 

 under her hutch, and waited for some one to pnt her in. I 

 find Ferrets can go back to a place where they have been kept, 

 it not too far. Mine are very gentle, and will play with my 

 children without ever showing a tendency to bite. They will 

 let a child two years of age play with them. I believe they 

 detect a stranger, for I have seen them look timid when one 

 approaches. 



After the young are removed the old one should still have 

 milk or water. Keeping them without drink is very cruel. One 

 of my children had one given him, because it was so spiteful. 

 The owner never gave it drink. My boy gave it milk, petted 

 it, and it became so gentle, that it would follow him anywhere, 

 gambol about his feet like a playful kitten, and run all over 

 him ; it was never spiteful afterwards. So much depends on 

 treatment.— L. B. 



MANAGEMENT OF FERRETS.— No. :i. 



The Ferrets may be taken from the mother at any time 



after they are two months old, as they will then be able to take 



care of tliempelves. I have one Ferret that was m'.^^t amu.-'ing 



with her family. She is now too old to breed. Htr anxiety 



MY DOGS. 



[Continued from jyage 69.) 

 OoK hearts— that is, the dog-loving part of them, a very 

 warm part — were sore for a long time after the death of old 

 Keeper ; so sore that we could not think of a successor. It 

 sufficed for us to talk of his good deeds, and to point to big 

 picture, with "Poor old fellow 1" or "Dear old fellow!" or 

 similar expressions of affection. But we were not let alone in 

 our grief. Other suitors to our favour came, or rather were 

 brought. The old dog had been a hero ; he had been pointed 

 to in the streets as the dog who had won such and such a battle 

 —just as, I fear, a retired pugilist has a number of admiring 

 eyes fixed upon him by a number of very indifferent characters. 

 So it had been with Keeper. Hence when the grand old hero 

 with the many scars on his face was missed from the streets 

 and lanes of the town, it was naturally thought by persons in- 

 terested in the sale of dogs that we should wish for a successor 

 of the same breed. So sundry " bankers,"— afterwards called 

 " navvies " when the railways came to be made, but before 

 that era employed to make and repair the embankments which 

 kept out the Wash— sundry of these gentlemen made their ap- 

 pearance, and a pretty appearance they themselves had. Yon 

 all remember Bill Sykes of one of Dickens's tales. The bankers 

 were so many Bill Sykeses. They wore stout laced boots, 

 speckled worsted stockings, corduroy breeches, and very fuU- 

 pocketed fustian shooting jackets ; their necks encircled by a 

 red handkerchief, and above that decidedly unprepossessing 

 figureheads, close-shaven, and not unfrequently a long curl on 

 each side hanging between the ear and the eye, and the creature 

 crowned by a flattened wideawake. Many pairs of such gentry 

 found their way into the old surgery. Mysteriously did they 

 shut the door— I mean with a mysterious air, leaving a couple 

 of friends or more outside, probably in fear lest the dear lambs 

 should come to harm. Out of the huge pockets were brought 

 divers blind and shuddering bull pups, which the mother eyed 

 from behind the thick boots fondly yet jealously. The one 

 dear lamb began with the invariable " My mate Bill," here he 

 jerked his thumb towards Bill, who acknowledged the words 

 with an understanding grunt, " heerd a chap say as he heerd 

 you was in want of a dawg." I need hardly add that we de- 

 clined the " dawg." We loathed the thought of a second edition 

 bound in rough of our old hero ; and so our favour was sought, 

 but sought in vain. 



At length time, the great healer of broken hearts, healed 

 ours. Have you never known a widow who was wont to gaze 

 at the likeness of her dear deceased, and talk of his merits often 

 and long? She was besieged by suitors, but in vam. At last 

 a handsome stranger quite unlike her late spouse comes on the 

 stage ; and the widow's parlour-maid declares in the kitchen 

 that " she just now went suddenly {by mistake, of course), into 

 the drawing-room," the handsome stranger being theie, "and 

 missus's face was scarlet, and her cap was the leastest bit on 

 one side." This is|n odd metaphor for us (I speak this once 

 in the dignified plural), to use, as we were ever guiltless even 

 of a nigktcap. 



Well, the handsome stranger who won our hearts was a 

 young liver-and-white spaniel from " the high country," as 

 feumen call it, though Northamptonshire is not very high either. 



