96 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 31, 1886. 



charged for Ligurians by most London and other English bee- 

 keepers are most exorbitant, and they do not guarantee their 

 safe arrival in Ireland. 



One of my stocks (one of the best as I hoped), has behaved 

 in a most extraordinary manner this year. I put on a bar 

 super box in May, and they went up in crowds at once, and 

 worked splendidly until about the 10th of June ; about that 

 time they appeared to me to be in statu quo, and remained so 

 till the end of the month. On taking off the box to examine 

 the cause, I found the passages between them clogged with 

 drones, and the bees have never since resumed work or 

 swarmed, although they appear at the entrance to be working 

 most vigorously. What is the cause ? — Squib, Co. Kildare. 



I read with great interest the account of the results obtained 

 at Marston Trussel Rectory, communicated in your Journal of 

 the 10th iust. I wish to supplement it with a statement of 

 the results realised in an apiary in this neighbourhood, where 

 the treatment was far from being scientific, and where the 

 common bee (Apis mellifica), alone is kept. The proprietrix, 

 for it is a female, the sister of a farmer, who interests herself 

 in the bee department, had only four hives this spring. They 

 were in ordinary straw skeps. and in fair condition. No. 1 

 cast three swarms, of which the top swarm cast other two ; 

 No. 2 cast three, of which, however, one was lost, and the top 

 swarm cast a virgin ; No. 3 cast three swarms ; No. 4 cast two, 

 making in all, along with the old stocks, eighteen. The swarms 

 were all large. One of the virgins I obtained to people an 

 observatory hive ; and the other, which I visited to-day, was 

 very large, so much so that a more commodious skep had to 

 be procured for it than tho one in which it was first housed. 

 If in the case of Marston Trussel six hives swelled out to 

 twenty-three, which might have been increased to twenty-five, 

 in the case I am describing four became eighteen, giving the 

 advantage in favour of the black bee. I may add that other 

 Swarms are still expected. — Presbyter. 



[It seems to us that no satisfactory conclusion can be arrived 

 at by the comparison of results obtained in different places, 

 where the season, pasturage, and mode of management may be 

 alike dissimilar. An impartial observer keeping both varieties 

 in the same locality, at the same time, and under precisely 

 similar circumstances, would in our opinion he the best, if not 

 the only, evidence that could be offered as being at ail decisive 

 on the point.] 



UNITING BEES. 



A tolerably large swarm came from one of my supered bar 

 and frame hives, and I wished to unite it to a weak Btock in 

 another bar and frame hive. The following is the plan I 

 adopted : — Having secured the swarm in a common straw hive, 

 I placed it at 7 p.m. over the bar and frame hive, and opened 

 the side slits in the adapter to allow the smell of the stock to 

 rise up to the swarm. I also somewhat freely sprinkled both 

 stock and swarm, as well as I could, with honey and water. 

 I went to them about an hour afterwards, and all appeared 

 quiet. Next morning the swarm was in its hive. I then placed 

 a glass super over the stock, and resting the swarm on its top 

 edge, gave the hive containing the swarm a smart blow or two. 

 All the bees were now inside the super, and I gave them a 

 second sprinkling of honey and water. Now began a fight 

 which continued until every bee (of the intended swarm, I pre- 

 sume), was killed and cast out of the stock on the ground in 

 front. Not a single bee is to be seen in the super. Query, 

 Do the bees that sting other bees to death themselves also 

 die, as they do when they sting human beings ? If not, why 

 not? 



An immense number of bees have been hanging on and 

 about a stock upon which there is a large bell super. Think- 

 ing it might be fit to remove I took it off the other day, but 

 found very little honey and a good deal of brood-comb. I re- 

 placed it, and still the bees are hanging by thousands about 

 the hive, doing nothing else. The same is the case with one 

 of my Stewarton hives, although the top box was put on more 

 than a week ago, and is filled with bees as idle apparently 

 as those are that are hanging in a great bunch beneath anil 

 around the alighting-board. I suppose I must put up with 

 their idleness. 



Books say that bees will not attack people at work at a dis- 

 tance from the apiary. My experience and that of my children 

 and gardener is just the opposite of this. They attack us 



when we are some distance from the apiary, and pursue ns 

 relentlessly. — T. R. Draie, Fittleworfli Vicarage. 



[The union might have been more successful had yon re- 

 moved the adapter, and knocked out the swarm on the top of 

 the exposed frames. This is, in point of fact, the mode we 

 ourselves adopt, previously deepening the hive at the top by 

 the addition of a square wooden frame of suitable diameter 

 and about 1{ inch deep, upon which we place the crown-board 

 as quickly as possible after knocking out the cluster of bees. 

 We use, also, a little smoke and peppermint-scented syrup, 

 but, with all these precautions, are not exempt from occasional 

 failures. Bees that sting other bees do not always perish, be- 

 cause the membranes and soft integuments of the bee are so 

 delicate and fragile as to permit of the sting being withdrawn 

 without injury. When, however, as sometimes happens, that 

 weapon penetrates the head or any part of the horny armour of 

 the bee it remains immoveably fixed, and the result is fatal to 

 both combatants. The honey harvest may possibly be on the 

 wane in your locality, as it is in ours, and this would account 

 for the apparent inactivity of your bees. If, however, honey 

 is still plentiful, adequate ventilation and sufficient room 

 being afforded, they will speedily resume their wonted industry. 

 Bees do not usually annoy persons at a distance from their 

 hives. There can be no doubt, however, that their dispositions 

 vary considerably, and yours seem to be unusually irascible.] 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Weak-kneed Brahma Pootra (J. E. C. S. D.).—\t is uncommon for 

 a Brnhma cock of the age you mention to become weak at the knees; 

 that complaint belongs to youth and old age, and unless there is some- 

 thing very wrong with him he ought speedily to recover. We think your 

 stimulants should be preceded by opening medicine, and advise yon to 

 give castor oil. a table-spoonful ; you may give two doses at two days' 

 interval, and a third three days afterwards. Then feed on bread and ale, 

 cooked meat chopped fine, and chopped egg, with ground oats slaked with 

 milk. He should be put in a place by himself. Tho cross you speak of 

 is not so good as that between a Brahma and Dorking. 



Pigeons (P. B.). — Runts to bo good should weigh 41 lbs. per pair. 

 Barbs are best with pearl eyes, but often have gravel eyes. White Barbs 

 mostly have dark eyes. Fantails may have from twenty to forty feathers 

 in the tail, but I think one with twenty feathers and good carriage is pre- 

 ferable to one of bad carriage, though it may have double that number 

 of feathers.— B. P. Brent. 



Treatment of Young Canaries (Sick Bird). — Your yonng Canaries 

 " becoming puffy and dropping from the porch,'' seem to die from in- 

 fiammation of the intestines. It may arise from bad food, or from sad- 

 den changes of temperature. Let them have tho same soft food to eat as 

 that with which they were fed by the old ones, be careful to avoid pun- 

 gcHt rape or exciting hemp. Young birds are too often hung in tho hot 

 sun, and then suddenly removed to the cool shade, which acts injuriously 

 on their susceptible organisation. Fresh air, wholesome food, exercise 

 and the use of the bath, are the best promoters of robust health. See 

 that the Canary seed is good and not damaged. — B. P. Brent. 



Epptng Poultry Show (W. Tippler). — When we stated the truth that 

 the Committee were novices in the management of a poultry show, that 

 is an ad m sible excuse for their shortcomings in respect to catalogues, 

 labels, &:* . &c. The Committee will be more adroit nest year. Our re- 

 porter totally differs with you as to the Rouen Ducks. 



Spanish Fowls at the Epping Show. — Your reporter of the Epping 

 Poultry Show says that ago had laid a heavy hand on my Spanish fowls, 

 that the cock was long past his best, and that the heavy corrugations of 

 tho face rendered him almost sightless. Permit me, as the owner of these 

 birds, to say that they were nil hatched last year, and that the cock can 

 see perfectly on both sides. — R. B. Postans. 



Chickens Cramped (W. B.l. — The cold and rain suddenly coming after 

 the high temperature of the air we have had is the probable cause. 

 Crush the wheat and barley, and give them a mash of oatmeal and ale 

 once daily. Lettuce leaves will also be beneficial. 



Rabbits (Rabbit).— If you enclose seven postage stamps with your 

 direction, and order " The Rabbit Book," yon will have it sent to you free 

 by post froiu our office. It contains full particulars on all the subjects 

 ou mention, with portraits of the different breeds, &c. 



Market for Honey (S. Thorn/.).— Write to Messrs. Fortuum & Mason, 

 Piccadilly, and to Messrs. Neighbour & Sons, Regent Street, stating what 

 you have to sell. 



Rose Water (A. R.).— Three quarts of water to 4 lbs. of leaves.. Let 

 the leaves soak in the water for twenty-four hours before distilling. 



POULTRY MARKET.— July 30. 



The trade is fast disappearing, all London is getting oat of town, and 

 the demand lessens every day. 



s. d. s. d ! 8. d. S. d 



Large Fowls 2 6 to 3 Guinea Fowls to 



Smaller do 2 „ 2 6 Partridgos „ 8 



Fowls „ Hares n „ 



Chickens 1 6„ 1 9 Rabbits 1 4„ 1 5 



Geese 5 0„5 B Wild do 8 „ 9 



Ducklings 2 0„ 2 6 Pigeons 8„ 9 



