Hay 8, 1S73. ] 



JOUBNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



383 



ing a National Pigeon Society, at which Mr. W. Simpson, jun., 

 of West Farms, New York, was chosen President, Mr. A. B. 

 Estes, Corresponding-Secretary, with Vice-Presidents and other 

 officers in many of the States of the Union. 



ADOPTED CHICKENS. 



Ox reading the article entitledas above in last week's impression 

 of our Journal, it occurred to me that it might interest some of 

 our readers were I to relate an incident in the history of adoption 

 which took place at Laurencekirk last year. A lady residing in 

 the outskirts of that town, a fancier of poultry, found two of 

 her chickens close by the garden wall in an exhausted state, 

 cold and quite wet, they had been unable to follow the hen and 

 the stronger members of the brood, as they had never thriven 

 like the others. Having no hen ready at the time to tend sach 

 a weakly charge, her first impulse was to place them on the rug 

 at the parlour fire ; the poor things were in the last stages of 

 misery. On the same rug already lay in all ease and comfort 

 the old house cat ; I hate cats, but must immortalise this one. 

 With half open eyes she watched the miserable atoms of life, and 

 listened to the melancholy chirpings which they uttered. The 

 eyes of the owner of the three were upon them. In a short time 

 pussy, I can hardly write such a kindly word as " pussy," rose 

 half up, put out her paw, and drew first one and then the other 

 to her breast, where they nestled in her fur, and by the altered 

 and contrasted tones of voice the chickens soon gave evidence 

 that they had been drawn into comfort. Of course this feline 

 wretch could neither teach them to eat nor drink as a hen could 

 do, but these they managed themselves, carefully and tenderly 

 nestled and defended by the cat. They by-and-bye became in- 

 dependent, having grown large and strong, and able to fight 

 their way with others of their own species. The cat made many 

 attempts to lift the chickens as she would have done a kitten, 

 but at each time failed. This is no made-up natural history 

 story, I can vouch for the whole facts. Whether the cat had 

 lately lost her kittens or not I was not made aware. — J. Hcle. 



LARGE VERSUS SMALL HIVES. 



ToTTB esteemed correspondent "R. S." (page 347), speaks in 

 most unqualified condemnation of large hives for the district in 

 which he resides. He gives as the interior capacity of the hive 

 which he states as " very suitable to Kirkcudbright and Wigton- 

 shire, bat, as I can testify from personal knowledge, it is too 

 large for Haddingtonshire," one measuring 12^ inches in width, 

 by 10* inches in height, having a slightly flattened crown. Now, 

 if my calculation is correct, this gives an internal capacity of 

 less than 1090 cubic inches, which to my mind is so absurdly 

 small that I cannot think it suitable to any district whatever, 

 however poor it may be. By the same method of computation, 

 I find the Pettigrew hive, 16 inches diameter by 12 inches in 

 depth to contain about 2040 cubic inches. The box hive which 

 I have had very largely in use for more than ten years contains, 

 without the frames, 2033 cubic inches. With the frames the 

 actual comb-building space is 1610 cubic inches, but the real 

 Capacity of the hive is larger, as the spaces between the frames 

 and the sides, top, and the bottom of the box are always 

 crowded with bees when the population is strong. Having 

 used these hives in tJiree situations simultaneously, in the 

 country, a fair honey district, in the heart of a large city, and 

 in a garden in its immediate suburbs, I can speak most con- 

 fidently as to their suitability in point of dimensions for each 

 locality. 



When I commenced bee-keeping, too many years ago to look 

 back upon with entire complacency, it was with box hives 

 of Dr. Sevan's dimensions. Cotton's diminutive collateral boxes, 

 and small straw hives fitted for supering; and I used to think 

 myself fortunate in obtaining supers of 20 lbs. Now, thanks to 

 larger hives, and the bar and frame arrangement, I think little 

 of supers under 40 lbs. or 50 lbs. weight in moderate seasons, 

 and look for much larger in very favourable seasons. 



" J. S." thinks that if large hives, such as recommended by Mr. 

 Pettigrew, had been really advantageous for the neighbourhood of 

 Edinburgh, Mr. Lowe would certainly have introduced them to 

 his apiary, but he has not done so. Bearing in mind the extra- 

 ordinary assertion made by Mi-. Lowe, which I now quote from 

 his own words — ** Only grant the two necessary conditions — 

 good weather and good pasturage, and strong hives — whether 

 domiciled in a palatial hive of the most costly material and 

 elaborate construction, if both of proper dimensions will show 

 results, C(€teris paribus, equally good." I cannot say that I 

 have much confidence in the infallibility of Mr. Lowe's judg- 

 ment on this point. For " a palatial hive of the most costly 

 material and elaborate construction," read, " a properly-made 

 and proportioned frame box-hive, or a pile of Stewarton com- 

 partments forming one hive " and for " in the simple common 

 straw," read, " the poor UtUe skeps commonly in tise, according 



to ' J. S.,' in Mr. Lowe's neighbourhood ; " and I have no hesi- 

 tation in asserting that we can compel our favourites to augment 

 their sweets. The kind of hive has a very considerable infiaence 

 on the results of the honey harvest. There are a few systems of 

 hives and management, which, by equal skill shown in their 

 several necessary manipulations, will command good and toler- 

 ably equal results; on the other hand there are hives and 

 systems, which, by the greatest skill that can be brought to bear 

 on them, will never prove productive or remunerative to any 

 great degree.— S. Bevas Fox. 



ANOTHER BEE HIYE. 

 We have to announce the invention of yet another bee hive, 

 which has been patented in the United States, and which has 

 been described in the Scientific American. It appears that the 

 new hive combines improved arrangements for permitting the 

 examination of the bees and comb frames, and also for utihsing 

 the animal heat of the insects for warming the honey and boxes. 

 The construction is such that the objectionable space between 

 the frames and sides of the hive, which in winter affords passage 

 for currents of cold air and in summer becomes choked with 



wax, is avoided. The parts of the floor A are at right angles 

 and incline upon and from the centre. In the removeable sides 

 B are openings, one of which is shown closed by the door C. 

 The side D and that facing it are composed of narrow vertical 

 boards E, aU of which, with the exception of the middle one, are 

 detachable. Each board is as wide as the distance from centre 

 to centre of the comb frames F, and is provided with a rib, G, 

 on the inside, to fit into the space between the said frames. By 

 this means, a side is obtained which, while sufficiently hght, is 

 readily removeable, piece by piece, when it is desired to inspect 

 the interior of the hive. The sides are held together by the cap 

 H, and bars I; and the boards E are further secured by metal 

 plates arranged in their upper extremities, not shown in the 

 illn5tration. The comb frames F conform in shape to the angle 

 of the floor, shghtly above which they are supported by stud 

 pins. By similar means they are separated from each other, the 

 interstices thus formed giving access to the bees. J is the honey 

 board, receiving the square honey box K, within the space occu- 

 pied by the bees, so that it will be warmed in cold weather by 

 their natural heat. Entrance to the latter is afforded through 

 the holes L. 



It is claimed that all the advantages of moveable comb hives 

 are here combined without the attendant defects. Ready access 

 to the combs, when it is necessary, is gained by removing one or 

 more of the detachable boards— an operation wliich, it is clear, 

 will not disturb the bees so much as if the whole side were, as is 

 usually the case, displaced. There are eight separate comb 



