November 30, 1866. 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



3'J'i 



I know several parlies who have tried and failed like myself. 

 There is evidently something in the physiology of natural 

 hatching which we do not understand and do not imitate. To 

 he successful wo mut obtain at least ten chickens from twelve 

 eggg — not once, but repeatedly. If any one does so, and would 

 clearly state how, and at what expense, ho would be a general! 

 benefactor. H may do to raise half a dozen chickens fr om 

 twenty or thirty eggs as an interesting experiment, but not as 

 a paying matter. What is wanted is a system of certainty, 

 easily worked, which can bo applied on a large scale for a 

 commercial profit. When the chickens are hatched they can 

 be reared, that is certain — with the exception of the usual 

 casualties. — Cu.uil^s H. Brown, SouthiMiyt. 



the night mail. The Secretary's entries wore not lor compe- 

 tition. The l'oultry Company's birds were not sent, owing to 

 an oversight. 





IIYIUUMSATIOX. 



Tiif. note of a "Sorni fiixcASHiKE Bee-keeper" in last 

 week's Journal reminds me of an inquiry which I have for 

 some time wished to make respecting hybrids. 



My own experience has been very limited, but I gather from 

 what has been written at various times that the influence of 

 the mother bee upon her progeny largely preponderates at first, 

 but gradually diminishes, while the drone influence gradually 

 increases. To what oxtent this is the case, and whether in 

 its turn it finally preponderates, is one point on which I ask 

 for information. 



Thus, where a Ligurian queen is crossed with a black drone, 

 the progeny at first take almost entirely after th-3 mother, and 

 both in form and colour cannot be distinguished from pure 

 Lignrians. Perhaps one bee out cf five or six is dark in 

 colour, but most even of these have the characteristic Ligurian 

 shape ; but I gather that in the Eejond, and still more in the 

 third year, the orange bauds become more irregular and im- 

 perfect, and the proportion of black bees increases;. May I ask 

 whether with t lie colonr the form of the progeny also alters'.' 

 The most singular case is that recorded by " B. & W." in 

 which, if I remember rightly, a Ligurian queen bred perfectly 

 pure bees for two seasons, and the third year degenerated! If 

 my memory is correct as to the facts, I should hazard the 

 suggestion that this might be a case of breeding back, and that 

 the cross occurred in the previous generation. Be that as it 

 may, we have heard very little of the opposite cross, in which 

 the queen mother is a black bee. Will some one who has kept 

 such queens kindly state whether in this case also the orange- 

 banded bees, which at first are rare, become more numerous ? 

 ami what proportion they bear to the black bees — say in the 

 third year, or as far down as the queen can be traced'.' and, 

 especially, if. along with the colour, a change occurs in the 

 form — F. II. Wr i. 



[" A r>K\vi:,Miii;i: I'.i'i-.Kp.r.rr.R " cannot impart information 

 on this point, as he always removes hybrids as soon as 

 possible. 



LEES viiiws DRONES. 



I li.vvi; frequently been very much interested Ly some of the 

 very able letters from your correspondents on bees, though it 

 is very rarely any of them say rnoc.i fcr the lewis cf the bee 

 creation, the drones. I believe it is new an admitted fact that 

 drones (and they may be couuted by thousands in every hive, 

 especially those upon the non-swarming system), are' worse 

 than useless, as they not only do not work, but consume many 

 pounds of honey each season. I wish to ascertain from some 

 of your practical bee-masters whether their opinion isin favour 

 of killing the drones. lea\iug only about a hundred for the 

 qneen. 



I have for some years past applied a small contrivance upon 

 each of my hives, tor catching the drones without in the least 

 interfering with the working bees, but I hesitate to make it 

 known to your correspondents, not knotting the light in which 

 it will be received, as I feaj there is much diversity of opinion 

 even on this question. Will Mr. 'Woodbury, and some other of 

 your scientific bee-masters, give me their ideas upon the subject, 

 whether the drones ought or ought not to bo exterminated? 

 I will add that from those hives which have been deprived of 

 their drones I have invariably obtained the greater amount of 

 honey. — C. Id. L. 



leswicn Pouliih S,u-ii:u.-Wc are informed that all speci- 

 mens v,e;e duly sent off on the Friday evening, tie last being 

 delivered to the railway company !y twelve o'eke, in time for 



DOINGS IN A SMALL APIARY IN 1880. 



Ax the commencement of the yoar my apiary consisted of 

 three black stocks of bees, A, B, C, in common round straw 

 hives ; two of these were very strong in bees, the third not 

 over-strong. 



A, a two-year stock, threw off a very fine swarm ou the 20th 

 of May, and although this stock gave no more swarms, it 

 gained in population. In June, seeing so many bees lying out 

 idle, I was induced to place on it a five-inch bell-glass. This 

 was not taken possession of until the luth of July ; ultimately 

 it gave me 1J lb. of sealed honeycomb. 



B, a one-year stock, was used as a non-swarming hive, in 

 which I was successful early in May. It was taken off its 

 board, and placed ou the top of a duplex nadir hive (Rev. W. 

 Law's), having slides giving communication to the under boxes, 

 aud thence out, the usual entrance of the stock hive being 

 closed for the time. The results were no swarm, very strong 

 in numbers, and a yield from the nadir-boxes of 31{ lbs. of 

 honeycomb well sealed, no brood, and only a small portion of 

 pollen stored in the combs, and that not until the close of the 

 honey season. On the 20th of August, seeing that the bees 

 were consuming the honey stored in nadir-boxes, the nadir 

 hive was taken away, the stock hive weighed and set down in 

 its original position, on the single pedestal-stand, for wintering 

 and similar operations next season. On the 10th of August 

 the bees of this hive were observed to be driving out the 

 drones. 



C, a two-year stock ; its weight, without bottom boards, was 

 on April 25th 16 lbs. Drones seen at this hive for the first 

 time on the 16th of May, aud on the 8th of June it threw off 

 a fine swarm, on the 21st of June a cast, and, although hived, 

 it returned to the parent hive the same day. On the 23rd of 

 June three dead queens were picked up in proximity to this 

 hive, and which were supposed to have been ejected from it. 

 At the end of June, seeing, as in the case of A, many bees 

 lying out idle, a bell-glass was put on ; and on the loth of July 

 they began building comb, and eventually built and stored one 

 comb with honey, but did not seal it. This was allowed to 

 remain until they had consumed the honey on the 13th of 

 August. At this hive the bee3 were observed to be driving out 

 the drones. 



D, a first swarm on the 20th of May from A, hived in a 

 square straw bar hive of home make. This hive was filled in 

 five weeks, the usual 13-glass super placed on the top. Three 

 combs were built and stored, a fourth commenced, when, on 

 the 13th of July, it broke down, the combs parting from the 

 bars irregularly (about one-third from the under side of the 

 bars). This accident occurred in my absence from home. 

 Judge, then, with what surprise I was informed on my return 

 of there being something wrong with this hive. The servant 

 had noticed in the evening honey running from it, and had 

 placed pans under. On going into the garden to look at the 

 state of matters I found the poor bees apparently all out of the 

 hive, clustering under it, also all up the front of the case to the 

 roof. Of course the question arose, What was to be done ? 

 The appearance of such a mass of bees was calculated to make 

 one feel nervous. If not nervous I was nonplussed, for several 

 reasons — one being that I had no spare hive ; and another, 

 that I knew business compelled me to be absent from home 

 early, as also for the greater part of the next day. Considering 

 that if the hive were left in its then state I should have sad 

 fighting amongst my bees, and in all probability even then 

 should not be enabled to deal with them, I came to the reso- 

 lution to set to and try to remedy matters, late as it was (it 

 had now grown dark) ; so I placed a light a yard or two off, 

 removed the roof-cover, then took an old empty straw hive, 

 held it over the moving-up mass in front by resting one edge 

 on the edge of the case, then gently commenced tapping the 

 hive-case near its base. This had the desired effect of driving 

 a large quantity of bees into the hive so held. When I found 

 that I could not drive any more up in this way it was removed 

 and set on one side ; next, the casing was taken off with many 

 bees still upon it. Those clusters under the hive floor ai.d 

 down the stand were not interfered with. And now having 

 got at the hive, on looking in at the windows a sad sight 

 appeared — combs leaning here and there, with very few bees 

 to be seen. The super I found contained a large quantity of 



