216 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 12, 1B68. 



belonging to a neighbouring cottager. I Eubstituted a couple 

 of young Italian queens in lieu of their own sable monarchs, 

 placed each party in a common straw skep, having a little empty 

 comb, at the sametimeadministeringafair supply of "Greenock 

 crush " syrup, and in due season was rewarded for my 

 humanity, each colony last summer giving me four natural 

 swarms, and by no means contemptible swarms either. 



An apiarian friend chancing to call while one of the fourth 

 swarms emerged, was positive it contained more bees than a 

 prime black swarm he had had shortly before. — A Kenfrew- 

 SHiRE Bee-keepek. 



TO WHAT DISTANCE CAN BEES PROFITABLY 

 EXTEND THEIR FLIGHT? 



I FIND it stated in reply to " A. T.," in page 180, that 

 *' the bees' honey harvest depends upon the country within 

 a radius of five miles;" or, in other words, that a stock of 

 bees can pasture profitably over a district of ten miles dia- 

 meter ! I only wish it were true, for honey harvests would in 

 this case be vastly more abundant and far less uncertain ; but 

 unfortunately, all reliable authorities concur in limiting the 

 profitable flight of the bee to a much more restricted area, 

 whilst my owu experience and observation impel me unhesi- 

 tatingly to endorse their conclusions. Mr. Quinby and the 

 Rev. L. L. Laugstroth, who stand at the head of American 

 apiarians, concur in stating three miles as the limit of the 

 bee's range. The latter adds that beyond a circle of two miles 

 radius they can store but little honey, Huber found on one 

 occasion, that whilst his own bees were going to ruin for lack 

 of food, those of other places at about two miles distance lived 

 in the greatest abundance, threw numerous swarms, and filled 

 their hives with honey; whilst Dr. Bevan believes that one 

 English mile will be found to be the extent of the bee's flight 

 in her ordinary excursions during the honey season. That 

 bees cannot pasture profitably much beyond a radius of a mile, 

 or at the outside a mile and a half from their hive, is also the 

 conclusion arrived at by— A Devonshire Bee-keepeb. 



[Bees are known to visit an island more than four miles from 

 the shore. — Eds.] 



ARTIFICLVL SWARMING IN C0:MM0]N" 

 HIVES. 



A coEREsroxDENT, "C.A.J./' commenting on my instruc- 

 tion in No. 361 : — " The nest day remove B to a new stand . . . . 

 and put A on the stance vacated by B," asks for my " reasons 

 for not immediately placing the hives in their permanent posi- 

 tions." To this I reply, that it is better to let the confusion 

 subside which naturally arises in an apiary at such times ; but, 

 chiefly, I desire to give time for as many as possible of the old 

 bees to quit the hive A, so as to run less risk of fighting when 

 the transfer of hives A and B takes place. If the first opera- 

 tion (of driving A) Le performed before 10 o'clock a.m., there 

 would be no objection to put the deserted A into B's place three 

 or four hours later, taking care that the former is pretty well 

 emptied of its population, and that the bees of the latter are 

 much abroad at the time of the transfer. This is essential to 

 success. 



" C. A. J." aska further, " Does not the imdeveloped brood in 

 A run the risk of a check during the intervening night, there 

 being so few, if any, bees in the hive *r" Doubtless, there is 

 some such risk, but I believe it to be very trifling. There will 

 always remain a considerable number of bees, which, being in a 

 state of excitement consequent on the loss of their queen, will 

 keep up the temperature ; but I should put the hive in a sheltered 

 place, and throw something warm over it. My experience 

 knows of no failure on this score, although, of course, it is con- 

 ceivable. 



_ " C. A. J." also remarks, *' I presume there is a great possi- 

 bility of the hive being robbed, it ha\'ing no bees to defend it." 

 A possibihty there no doubt is, hut I never knew an instance of 

 it. Bees very rarely look out for plimder in May or June, being 

 usually too fully occupied with pollen and honey- gathering at 

 that period of the year. Of course, if those operations are 

 attempted later in the summer, the utmost care is requisite to 

 prevent robbery ; hut I strongly dissuade from all swarm-manu- 

 facture after Jime. 



I may add here, in reply to an inquiry of another correspon- 

 dent, that I usuaDy set about swarm-making as soon after 



nine o'clock as possible — as early as I can, in fact, but not before 

 the bees are well abroad. — B. &: "W. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Marking Chickens (Rouen).— If you wish to mark chickens so that 

 they are easily distinguishable without catching, you may do it by haTing 

 narrow strips of list sewn round their Icrb, loose enough to admit of 

 growth. Different colours may mark different breeds. If you do not 

 object to the trouble of handling, and it is not much if done when they 

 are at roost, they may be marked by cutting alternate feathers of the wing. 

 This is, however, only useful as long as they are chickens. The best plan 

 we know for permanent marking is to perforate the web of the wing with 

 a red-hot iron — a large knitting-needle will do. The mark is never effaced, 

 and there no limit to the numbers that may be differently marked. It is 

 done in a moment, .and the birds suffer little from it. Your second ques- 

 tion is a disputed point. Our own belief is you would have no produce 

 from the second till the hen had laid all her eggs, and become broody. 

 We know excellent judges and trustworthy authorities who hold a different 

 opinion. 



Food foe Laying Hens (R. B.). — Whole barley ia very good. It shoxild 

 be given raw. If crushed, the husks should not be taken away. 



Fowls Dying Suddenly (7*. C. H.).— There is nothing to prevent snd- 

 den death in fowls. Cocks are liable to it when crowing, hens when 

 sitting or laving. Sitting hens should not have whole com. Soft food is 

 better for tbem. It will not be hereditary. 



BnAHMAs" Combs (7dfm).— The pea comb has never been considered a 

 disqualification in either class of Brahmas. Our experience of breeding 

 the Dark is the same as yours, but we are bound to say the same of the 

 Light. We never breed single-combed birds. Our belief is, they have 

 their origin with those who are bent on making money, who obtain a pure 

 bird at a good price, on one side, and a mate as nearly like him as pos- 

 sible. They sell the failures for table poultry, and those that take after the 

 father for stock. The unfortunate purchasers soon find their acquisition 

 is the result of a 'mi'sallia7ic€. 



Scurf on Cochins' Legs (LutterJhis). — We canmot tell you the canse. 

 We have never seen it as a disease till this year, and always attributed it 

 to snow. We have, however, heard of it where there has been no snow. 

 It was always common among very old birds. Wc have, however, pullets 

 that arc now " down with it," literally. They seem to have lost all use of 

 their legs below the thighs. We have cured some with sulphur ointment 

 and principally vegetable diet, but we have some of which we despair. 



Hocks of Cochin-Chinas (C. K. .S.).— Any vulture hock would be a 

 disqualification shown against birds free from it. That which you have 

 figured is not a vulture hock ; it is a turn in the feather common to most 

 of the breed. You cannot have a better strain than Chase's. — B. 



Caponising (J. G.).— We cannot detail the mode of performing this 

 cruel and totally needless operation. 



Ground Oajs.— " G. P.'' obtains ground oat.s of good quality from 

 Messrs. J. & H. Robinson, of the Lewisham Bridge Mill, Lewisham, Kent, 

 S.E. It is cheaper to buy by the sack or half sack than by the bushel. 



Carrier Pigeon's Ette (J. R. J.). — Your treatment is good, but we 

 would advise you also to wash the parts with a weak solution of alum 

 and water. 



Dragon Pigeons (J. T.).— We do not know where you can purchase 

 superior birds. You must refer to our advertisements, and have the 

 birds sent for inspection before you pay. 



Bird with Diseased Tongue {E. H. ^.).— What bird is it ? 



Parrot Self-plucked f.^. S. .4.).— Never give hempseed to a Parrot. 

 Let the bird have a tepid bath daily. This is easily done by filling a dish 

 with the wvter. If he will not bathe voluntarily, pour the tepid water 

 over him through the rose of a watering pot. Let him have nuts and 

 apple. 



Transfersisg to Another Hive (C. H. Stock).— You can only transfer 

 your stock to a frame hive in the manner described by us in reply to 

 *' Squib '* in No.^lS; but as this is rather too difficult a task for a novice, 

 you had better let things remain as they are, and wait for a swarm. 

 Payne's hives are about 2^. Gd. each, or you may, perhaps, have them 

 made for less by a country hive-maker. Bell-glasses vary in price, 

 according to size and the quality of the glass of which they are made. 



Forming an Artificial Swarm ( ). — The best mode of making 



an artificial swai*m from either a bar or frame hive is thus described in 

 the Bee-keeper's Calendar of "The Gardener's Almanack" for 1868:— 

 " Look over the combs during the middle of a fine day until the queen is 

 discovered, then place the comb ivith her majesty upon it in the centre 

 of an empty hive, and, if possible, support this comb on either side by 

 two spare worker ones. Put the queen in her new domicile on the old 

 stance, and remove the stock hive to a new position at a short distance. 

 The returning bees will make up a good swarm, which, if the weather 

 be favourable, will rapidly fill its hive with combs, whilst the bees in the 

 old stock raise a queen, and all will proceed much in the same maimer 

 as if the hive had swarmed naturally." To this we may add, that the 

 abstracted comb should be carefully examined, in order to ascertain that 

 no queen cells are attached to it. If any be found, the queen must be 

 transferred to another comb, and the royal embryos returned to the hive. 

 The fatal objection to the course you propose is that all the combs built 

 during the interregnum, which must ensue in one of the hives, will he 

 drone combs, whose existence will prevent the colony from prospering. 



Oilcake for Cows (B. B.}. — Oilcake certainly enriches the milk very 

 much, but it does not increase the quantity. Brewers' grains, soft mashes, 

 or similar food, tends to increase the daily yield of milk, but it becomes 

 very poor. We have for some years given about one cake per day to 

 half a dozen or more of our cows that seemed to require it most, and we 

 have not experienced any bad results from its use, either in the flavour 

 of the milk or otherwise. Perhaps there is nothing to which an un- 

 pleasant taste is imparted so easily as milk, and very possibly an over- 

 supply of oilcake might have this effect; but we have found less cause to 

 complain of this than anything else given to the cows to improve their 

 yield of milk. We warn the inexperienced about the kind of cake they 

 use ; that from rape seed is very acrid and irritating, though useful as a 

 fattening agent, and when it is mixed in any quantity with the linseed 

 cake it is also bad. Cotton cake is nearly as bad. Good Unseed cake 

 should be obtained. 



