270 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 2, 1866. 



remained quietly on their new stand, and proceeded straight- 

 way to raise a queen, while the old stock worked as briskly as 

 any swarm, and filled the new super very rapidly. The point, 

 however, is this : Three or four days before, a friend pointed 

 out a number of bees flying about a currant bush in a neigh- 

 bouring garden, and so numerous were they that we both 

 thought a swarm must be there. It was not so, but the swarm 

 in question afterwards settled there, and these were, no doubt, 

 the pioneers. It has been repeatedly said that a second place 

 is sought out and decided upon, and that if the swarm is not 

 hived speedily, it proceeds from its temporary halting place to 

 the final place of settlement. I have always considered this 

 as a doubtful point, and have inclined to think the second 

 flight is often taken at hazard. In this instance, if it was de- 

 cided to remove, and a second retreat was already provided, 

 why not proceed to it ? The queen was only in her second 

 year, perfect in all respects, and able to fly if need were. 

 Had she been lost or injured, the return to the old hive would 

 have been a matter of necessity, but this was not the case ; and, 

 after a six-hours sojourn, or longer, not finding their new 

 quarters comfortable, they returned home, having, apparently, 

 no other choice. 



The wretehed weather, and sundry misfortunes, have pre- 

 vented my doing much in the way of ligurianising. Only 

 three hybrid queens were raised, and of these one, with her 

 subjects, has fallen a prey to wasps and robber bees, both of 

 which have been a perfect pest this autumn. My stocks have 

 increased to eleven, all being made up to weight for the winter. 

 Sundry notes on a Ligurian hive and an Egyptian hive may 

 stand over for the present, meanwhile I must express my obli- 

 gations to Mr. Woodbury, who, in consequence of a disappoint- 

 ment in the Ligurian stock sent out by him last year, has 

 handsomely made all defects good and much more. 



The following table shows the results above stated, and the 

 condition of each stock at the end of March. Poor as the 

 results are, they are better than the average. 



No. 1, Very strong, 55 lbs. of honey and a swarm. 2, Strong, 

 (now a pure Ligurian queen) — a swarm. 3, Very strong, i lbs. 

 in glasses (refused super). 4, Very strong, I64 lbs. in glasses. 

 5, Very strong, 34J lbs. 6, Strong — two swarms. 7, Ligurian, 

 very weak — nothing. 8, Egyptian, 6 lbs. in glasses. 9, Hy- 

 brid, nothing, very late. 10, Hybrid, nothing, very late. 

 11, English, nothing, very late. Total, 116}, less 30 lbs. partly 

 bred in, equal to 86} lbs., and four swarms. — F. H. West. 



agile, traversing the combs when disturbed with remarkable 

 rapidity, and being little noticed by the workers, whilst one 

 impregnated soon manifests a degree of cnbonpoint that compels 

 a comparatively slow and stately progress, during which she 

 receives the caresses and respectful homage of her sisters.] 



BOILING TOTATOES. 

 I tell you, fellow-housekeepers everywhere, that the correct 

 way to cook a potato in any country, provided boiling is the 

 determination, is to wash it clean ; let it lie in clean cold water 

 two hours — ten all the better — place it in cold water in the 

 pot, without paring, and boil moderately until the test fork go 

 smoothly through the potato without encountering a mite of 

 core. Then drain off the water, set the pot ever the fire, un- 

 covered, for five minutes, after which whip off Mr. Potato's 

 jacket in a hurry, and send him to the table in a close cover, 

 piping hot ; or if you are not over-fashionable and fastidious, 

 it is preferable to serve "murphy" in his coat. — (Saturday 

 Evening Post.) 



SAVING CONDEMNED BEES. 

 I intexd to purchase or beg seveial stocks of condemned 

 bees, drive them, and bring them home (by rail) from a distance 

 of about eight or ten miles. 



Now, if I use as many empty hives as there are stocks to be 

 driven, and drive each stock into a separate hive, what a num- 

 ber of hives (some of which will, perhaps, contain not more 

 than a quart of bees), I shall have to bring home with me ! 



Why not, after driving the first stock into an empty hive, 

 continue driving others into the same, until it is about two- 

 thirds full, and so on with the remainder, joining two or three 

 in each instance ? Will there be much more difficulty in so 

 doing than in simply driving them into empty hives, which way 

 I have been accustomed to ? And should you, in Buch a case, 

 recommend sprinkling with scented syrup between each ad- 

 dition ? Or, on the other hand should you recommend driving 

 them all separately at the outset, and condensing the number 

 of hives afterwards, by joining two or three lots together before 

 bringing them home ? 



Will you kindly tell me how I may distinguish an impreg- 

 nated from an unimpregnated queen? as I have a few late- 

 hatched Ligurians which have not yet commenced egg-laying, 

 and I should like to know if they have had successful wedding 

 trips, before uniting them to black stocks. — A. R. 



[There is no difficulty in driving the inhabitants of two con- 

 demned hives into one in the manner you suggest. It is, in 

 point of fact, the plan we usually adopt, but we always select 

 adjoining stocks for the purpose, and then place the hive con- 

 taining the conjoined bees midway between the two, so as to 

 receive the stragglers from both colonies. Sprinkling with 

 scented syrup is unnecessary, as the bees will unite peaceably 

 without it. In the absence of actual oviposition the fact of fer- 

 tilisation having taken place can scarcely be determined with 

 absolute certainty, although an expert may form a tolerably 

 correct opinion. A virgin queen is slender and generally very 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Poultry Arrangements {Charley).— Your can easily keep three sorts 

 of fowls by choosing the proper breeds, and if yon allow each one-third 

 of the day to run, it will leave nothing to desire. Do not let one breed 

 run always in the morning, and the others later in the day. Let them 

 take their turn to be out first in the morning, the earth is more fruitful 

 then than at any other time of the day. According to your plan you 

 will have a small portable house for each breed. We would advise you 

 to carry a wooden roof the length of the three pens, and to board one-half 

 of the space to the ground from the roof, allowing the latter to project 

 4 feet ; this will give for each house 8 feet in length, and 4 feet in depth. 

 It should have a door, perch, and laying-box. The remainder of the 

 covered part will make an excellent dust-bath, and also provide a shelter 

 for wet weather. Spanish, Cochins, and Brahmas will answer your pur- 

 pose well. They are all good layers. Cochins and Brahmas are good 

 mothers, and all bear confinement well. Hamburghs will do well if you 

 prefer them, but before you make that selection, you must recollect you 

 will be choosing two non-sitters out of three pens, and although Ham- 

 burghs are hardy, they are not bo much so as Cochins. You may keep a 

 cock and six hens of each. 



Fowls Dying Suddenly {J. It. B.). — The disease yon mention is_ an 

 uncommon one ; but we have met with it, and we are sorry to say it is 

 always fatal. In Spanish fowls the liquid becomes solid. It is rare for 

 chickens to have it. Feed on dry food as much as possible ; do not let 

 them have as much water as they like ; mix sulphate of iron in all the 

 water they have. The disease is not contagious. Let the fowls have 

 water three times everyday for a quarter of an hour each time. Feed 

 them on whole corn and oatmeal. Small chickens will require different 

 treatment ; but although your space is sufficient for twelve or eighteen 

 grown- up fowls, it is not large enough to rear chickens successfully. 



Light Brahmas at Birmingham. — '' Will my brother fanciers assist 

 me in opening a sweepstakes for a cockerel and two pullets, at 10s. each? 

 — Albert O. Worthington, Newton Park, Eurton-on-Trent." 



Southern Poultry Show (A Southerner). — Any further laudatory 

 notice must appear as an advertisement. 



Cheap Ligurian Queens (Rosa).~l have some pure-bred Italian 

 queens, which I cannot warrant as having mated in their own sphere. 

 These will, however, breed pure Ligurian drones, and being esteemed 

 by some as superior even to the pure variety, and costing but fw. each, 

 will probably meet your view6 in respect of economy. — T. W. Woodbury, 

 Mount Radford, TExete*. 



Empty Black Combs (Carlinri).— Whether empty black combs will do 

 to hive a swarm into next season depends on the age of the combs. If 

 over two years we should not again make use of them. 



Stuffing and Preserving Birds (J. B.). — A cheap little volume, we 

 think it is only 1»., and entitled " Taxidermy," has been published. 



Cider-making {M. P. Y.). — To give minute directions would fill one of 

 our pages. An outline of the process is this : — The apples are crushed or 

 ground in a mill, and the pulp placed in haircloth or coarse canvas bags, 

 and subjected to powerful pressure ; the liquor which runs off is put into 

 casks, and freely exposed to the air in the shade, and allowed to ferment. 

 This part of the process is carefully watched, and as soon as the sediment 

 has subsided the liquor is racked riff into clean casks. Before winter the 

 casks are stored in a cellar, or other cool place, where the temperature is 

 low and regular, and by the following spring the liquor is fit for use or 

 bottling. 



Ornamental Out-houses (D. IT.). —Write to Mr, W. G. Smith, 

 12, North Grove West, Mildmay Park, London. 



POULTRY MARKET— October 1. 



The only alteration to note is the occurrence of Michaelmas. Geese 

 now, however, are fast going out of date. The demand is transferred 

 to Christmas. In giving any quotations of their value, it must be recol- 

 lected that the price is guided by the size, the quality being the same. 



