431 



JOUftNAL OF HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARBENER. 



[ December 8, 1868. 



bat I think such horsea are not seen here at the present 

 time, and it seems a pity that the energy of breeders appears 

 now to be devoted to racers, which, from circumstanceg, must 

 be only second-rate, rather than to more generally useful 

 qualities. 



Sheep and pigs for the Jersey market are mainly importations 

 irom France, and they have the merit of supplying excellent 

 mutton and pork, but it has always appeared to me that, 

 with regard to sheep, this most enjoyable climate might be 

 valuably utilised in the acclimatisation of the Merino sheep. 

 I know that chickens, which can scarcely be reared in England 

 without many deaths after every cold wet spell, thrive here, 

 and from that I judge that the Merino sheep might do well in 

 Jersey. 



Many of the pigs which are seen here have remarkably fine 

 ears, taking that word to apply to size, not to delicacy. The 

 bristles, too, are stout and abundant compared with those on 

 the animals we have been in the habit of admiring at the Lon- 

 don and Birmingham Shows. Possibly, however, prize and 

 useful qualities do not of necessity go hand in hand, for the 

 pork in Jersey is excellent, and, I think, generally that which 

 is bred" in France and imported, is better in quality than that 

 from the Jersey-bred pigs. — E. Vf., Jersey. 

 (To be continued.) 



MANAGEMENT OF SUPERS. 



Having during the past summer found great difficulty in in- 

 ducing the pure and hybrid Ligurian occupants of several 

 Woodbury hives to enter supers, both of glass and wood, any 

 information on the tuljcot, which several of your more success- 

 ful correspondents are so well able to give, will be valued. 



My first hive, supered on the 27th of April, was of wood, the 

 super also ; and the bars were furnished with pieces of guide 

 comb. This hybrid colony never entered the super, but swarmed 

 on the 16th of May, and again later in the season. 



My next attempt, on the 27th of April, with a similar super 

 on a straw hive, met with the same success, the bees swarming 

 on the 16th of May. 



The third, a pure Ligurian in a straw hive, supered on the 

 30th of Maj', a super with glass top and sides being used, and 

 the bars furnished with guide combs, failed also. The bees 

 being thickly at the entrance of the hive for weeks, never 

 entered the super, and on the 30th of June, when 1 formed an 

 artificial swarm,, they had made no preparation for natural 

 swarniing, though the hive was full to overflowing. 



During the summer I have supered seven hives, and have 

 had no honey, the bees of two only having taken to the supers, 

 and that too late to do much. 



The coverings of my hives are of wood, as used by Mr. Wood- 

 bury, and the glass supers are always covered with a thick 

 padding of cotton wool. The adapting boards are on Mr. 

 Woodbury's plan, and my two apiaries, distant about two miles 

 from each other, are well situated. The season in the neigh- 

 bourhood has been above an average one. — A. B. 



..B^^TO^*?"'*^ ^^ ^'"'^ '^ " A Eekfrewshire Bee-keepek," 

 " B. & W.," or such other of our correspondents as may have 

 had experience in supering, would advise "A. B." inhiadiffi- 

 onlty.] 



FOUL BROOD— SWARMS FROM INFECTED 

 COLONIES. 



The able paper on foul brood by " E. S." which appeared in 

 page 372 of "our Journal " is noticed by " A Devonshire Bee- 

 p;EPER," who, however, has had no experience of swarms from 

 infected stocks, and has had no opportunity of ascertaining the 

 result ; it is, therefore, with great pleasure that I contribute my 

 mite of practical experience with regard to the question of 

 swarms carrying the disease with them. If the reader will 

 refer to this Journal of January 2!jd, 1868, it will be seen that 

 I there stated that a swarm csme off from a diseased stock 

 during the previous summer. The stock in question was the 

 only one out of many diseased colonies which I have had, where- 

 in I saw any attempt made to clean out the polluted cells; so 

 well did the bees do it, however, that when the young queen 

 began egg-laying it might have passed fur a healthy stock. Yet 

 the first brood which was batched out became diseased, and t,ie 

 •jlony was at once destroyed. « 



But to return to the swaim— it was put into a clean hive with 



clean guide combs, and removed to a distant cottage garden, 

 there to await the result. My other swarm was from a strong 

 stock of black bees in which a day or two previously, two queen 

 cells had been inserted. This young queen, and her attendants, 

 were also put into a clean hive with waxed bars and undoubt- 

 edly pure combs, and sent away to the same cottage at a 

 distance. 



These two swarms were freq'iently examined during the 

 autumn, but both remained heulthy, and were in October fed 

 up to moderate weights for the winter. Spring came, and 

 with its sweet influence the beauties of Nature were never 

 more fully displayed around here than during this year. The 

 clover fields were in their prime by the 6th of May, and bees 

 more forward than was ever known before. Swarms began to 

 come by the 8th, and were general by the 14lh. 



The two stocks in question remained free from disease up 

 to the 1st of May, and the old queen's stock was the stronger. 

 On the 6th of June the latter swarmed, giving me the oppor- 

 tunity of thoroughly examining all the combs. To my great 

 satisfaction I found every cell healthy. As the question of 

 how many eggs does a queen lay in a season was then being 

 discussed in " our Journal " and in the pages of a con- 

 temporary, I carefully measured all the brood combs, and, 

 allowing forty-eight cells to the inch, found that this stock con- 

 tained at the departure of the old queen 38,000 cells, filled 

 with eggs and brood. 



The other stock continued healthy up to the hot weather of 

 July. Oa the 14th of that month the disease had broken out 

 and was spreading rapidly, when the stock was at once de- 

 stroyed. 



I was quite discomfited at this terrible disease appearing in 

 one of two stocks which appeared the least likely, and was in 

 daily expectation of finding the other colony fall a prey to the 

 same dire calamity. I often examined it, and had the great 

 pleasure of finding it healthy up to the middle of September, 

 at which time it ceased to breed. I still think I am not war- 

 ranted safe, as the old proverb says, " It is better not to 

 shout until you are out of the wood." So all I can do with 

 this apiary is patiently to " watch and wait." 



I may add that all my made-up stocks of last autumn, which 

 are here at homo, and most of which had queens given to them 

 from infected colonies, remain one and all perfectly healthy. 

 How they swarmed and collected honey in this year's brief 

 honey season I leave for a future evening's scribble. — J. B., 

 Bracken Hill, Brigg. 



P.S. — I am quite of Mr. Woodbury's opinion, that on no 

 account can chilled brood ever become foul brood. I have 

 seen brood combs completely chilled, but they always dried up 

 and were easy to clean out. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



N.B. — Several answers are unavoidably postponed till next 

 week. 



N0RTHAI.1.ERTON PoOLTBv Show (TF. L.).— The rules you have sent are 



in no way applicable to your case. Consult a solicitor, and if you can 

 obtain evidence that your birds were duly received, then the Committee 

 migbt have to show what becurae of them, and your remedy would be in 

 the County Court if they could not; 



Ducks' Eogs Greenish {Idem]. — It may be from acorns or other food 

 the Ducks have eaten. See some remarks in the previous page. They are 

 only objectionable in appearance. 



Hen and Pullet Suddenly Dead {Silver -Grey). — They were in good 

 condition, yet not overfat. There were no symptoms of poisoning. The 

 crops were fuU of undigested barley. Instead of the last feeding being 

 of barley or other whole corn, let it be of barley meal mashed. Give a 

 little bread soaked in beer onco daily during the winter. The fowls were 

 fine, and evidence that a cross between the Brahma Pootra and Silver- 

 Grey Dorkings produces good table birds. 



Black Hamburgh Cock (IT. if. J. 1.— We recommend you to sue the 

 seller in the Couuty Court. The nendle thrust along the comb probably 

 killed the bird. Send us a report of the trial, and we will publishit. 



Hens Killed on Railway {T. P. Edwards). — As the railway officials 

 have acknowledged that the bens were "kill*'d in transit," there seems 

 to be no diihculty. Sue the Company in the County Court, if they refuse 

 compensation. 



Buying Unseen Pigeons ( Couiant Reader). — Never send a post-office 

 order for Pigeons you-have not seen. It would be, as th^ used to say in 

 Cambridgeshire, " buying a pig in a poke." Name a referee, and let the 

 advertiser write to him ; you proposing that the birds should be sent to 

 you for inspection, and if not approved you pay carriage. 



TuHBiT Characteristics {Idem).— The points m Tnrbits ore as 

 follows :— Size, small; beaks, short ; frill, Iars» , held, broad ; eyes, large 

 and full. .Judges now prefer a tarn crown, or point crown, to the older 

 smooth crown. In Blue Tui'bitg the colour should be sound and good. 



