496 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



[ Deoeinber 25, 1866. 



mended, G. Ure. Bens.— First, .1. Wallace. Second, J. Huthven. Third, 

 G. Mackenzie. Highly Commended nnd Commended, J. Montgomery. 



Powtehs (Mealy).— Cocks— First. G. Ure. Second, G. STKenzie. Third, 

 J. Porteous. Highly Commended, M. Stuart. Commended, W. Light- 

 body. Hens.— First, M. Sanderson. Second, G. Ure. Third, G. White, 

 Paisley. Highly Commended, J. A. Thomas, Glasgow. Commended, 

 G. Ure. 



Powters (Any other markings).— CocAm.— First, J. Ruthyen CWhite 

 marked). Secoud, J. Montgomery. Third, G. Ure (Splash). Highly 

 Commended, F. Keir. Commended, G. Ure (Splash). Hens. — First, J. 

 Muir, Glasgow. Second, G. White, Paisley. Third, M. Stuart (Checker). 

 Highly Commended, J. Montgomery. Commended, M. Stuart (Checker). 



Carriers (Blacki.— CocAs.— First and Second, T. Colley, Sheffield. 

 Third, G. Ure. Highly Commended, G. Ure. Commended", J. Wallace. 

 Hens. — First, J. Montgomery. Second, G. Ure. Third, H. Holman. 

 Highly Commended and Commended, G. Ure. 



Carriers (Don;. — Cocks.— First, J. Montgomery. Second, G. Ure. 

 Third, J. Wallace. Highly Commended, F. Else. Commended, G. Ure. 

 Hens.— First and Second, G. Ure. Third, F. Else. Highly Commended, 

 J. Montgomery. Commended. T. Colley. 



Carriers (Any other colour).— Cocks.— First and Third, T. Colley. 

 Second, Highly Commended, and Commended, J. C Ord. Hens. — 

 First and Second, T. Colley. Third, Highly Commended, and Com- 

 mended, J. C. Ord. 



Axmonds (Short-faced).— First, Portrait, and Third. F. T. Wiltshire 

 Croydon. Second, J. Wallace. Highly Commended, J. Ford. Com- 

 mended, F. Else. 



Mottles (9hort-faced).— FirBt, G. Ure. Second, W. H. C. Oates, Bes- 

 thorpe. Third, H. Yardley, Birmingham. 



Agates (Short-faced).— First, J. Ford. Second, T. Short. Third, J. 

 Fielding, jun., Rochdale. Highly Commended, G. Ure. Commended, J. 

 Muir. 



Barbs. — Silyer medal or £2 2s., presented by a Friend. — First, J. 

 Montgomery. Second, J. Bromily, Tongmoor. Third, G. W. Brown. 

 Highly Commended, G. W. Brown. Commended, H. Yardley. 



Fantails.— Silyer medal, or £2 2s . presented by George White, Esq. — 

 First, F. Else. Second, J. Sharpe, Johnstone. Third, H. Yardley. Highly 

 Commended, G. Ure. Commended, G. W. Brown. 



Jacobins. — Silyer medal or £2 2s., preFented by James Muir, Esq. — 

 First, E. Horner. Second, J. R. Rennards, Helensburgh. Third, J. Sharpe. 

 Highly Commended, G. White. Commended, J. G. A. Spence, Mussel- 

 burgh. 



Trumpeters (Mottled or Black).— Silyer medal or £2 2s., presented by 

 a friend. — First, J. Montgomery. Second, J. Wallace. Third, E. Horner. 

 Highly Commended, G. White. Commended, J. Lang, Iryine. 



Trumpeters (White).— Silyer medal or £2 2s., presented by A. B. Boyd, 

 Esq.— First, W. H. C. Oates, Besthorpe. Second and Third, 0. Bulpin. 

 Highly Commended, A. B. Boyd, Trinity, Edinburgh. Commended, F. 

 Else. 



Turbits. — e ilver medal or £2 2s., presented by J. R. Rennards, Esq.— 

 First, G. W. Brown. Second, R. Paterson, Melrose. Third, J. Percival, 

 Peckham Rye, London. Highly Commended, G. W. Brown. Commended, 

 J. Montgomery. 



Owls (Not foreign). — Silver medal or £2 2s., presented by Thomas 

 Short, Esq.— First, J. Percival. Second and Third, C. Bulpin. Highly 

 Commended H. Yardley. Commended, J. H. Frame. 



Nuns. — First, W. Cheyne, Selkirk. Second, W. R. Park, Melrose. Third, 

 J. & D. Gray, Kilbarchan. Highly Commeaded, M. Richard, Dumbarton. 

 Commended, T. C. Benson. 



Beards and Balds.— First. J. Percival. Second, W. H. C. Oates (Beards). 

 Third, J. Sharpe (Beards). Highly Commended, J. Fielding, jun. 



Dragons.— First, H. Yardley. Second, J. Wallace. Third, J. Bell, New- 

 castle-on-Tyne. Highly Commended, J. Wallace. Commended, H. 

 Yardley. 



Tumblers (Common). — First, J. Sharpe. Second, G. W. Brown. Third, 

 J. Percival. Highly Commended, C. Bulpin. Commended, T. Rule, 

 Durham. 



Any Other Breed. — First and Second, J. Montgomery (Lace Fantails). 

 Third, J. Wallace (Lahores). Highly Commended, G. W. Brown. Com- 

 mended, A. B. Boyd (Schillers). 



Judges. — W. B. Tegetmeier, Esq., E. L. Corker, Esq., James 

 Miller, Esq. 



HYBRIDISATION. 



I AM just now interested in the subject of hybridisation, 

 which seems to me to deserve more attention than it has yet 

 received. I am endeavouring to obtain from careful observers 

 the history of as many hybrid stocks as possible, tracing, how- 

 ever, the history of each from year to year rather than giving 

 general impressions. I believe that you have had more ex- 

 perience of hybrids than any other English bee-keeper, and 

 I should feel myself under great obligation if you would favour 

 me with any particulars of one or more stocks that you think 

 may be serviceable. 



The points on which I chiefly seek information are : — 



First, as to bees which in appearance take decidedly after 

 one or other of the parents. Whether the proportions vary, 

 either during the same season, as described by one observer, 

 or from year to year, as described by others, — and if so, 

 following which parent ? — and to what extent ? 



Secondly, as to bees which are " intermediate between the 

 two." Whether they take exclusively the shape of one parent 

 and the colour of the other, or whether these intermediate bees 

 follow the rule of hybrids among the higher animals, and 

 unite indiscriminately and irregularly the characteristics of 

 both parents ? Also what proportion these intermediates bear 

 to the whole population ? 



There is one case especially described by you in January last 

 of a queen which bred perfectly pure bees for two seasons, if 

 not more, and then degenerated, which is very remarkable, and 

 from a scientific point of view is worthy of some detailed 

 history. Though I have as yet adopted no hypothesis, but am 

 merely seeking information on which to ground a theory, this 

 case seems to show that the influence of the mother first pre- 

 ponderated, and then gave way more or less to that of the 

 drone, but as I understand the influence of the drone gra- 

 dually increased. — F. H. West. 



[The foregoing letter was addressed to our correspondent 

 " B. & W.," and to it he replied as follows : — 



" I am afraid I cannot satisfactorily reply to your questions 

 relative to the hybridisation of beeB, although I have had, as 

 you remark, considerable acquaintance with hybrids. The fact 

 is, that Mr. Woodbury sent me at first one or two imperfect' 

 queens with which I laboured for two years endeavouring to 

 Italianise my apiary in vain. Their offspring was, on the 

 whole (the second especially), so well marked that I was thrown 

 off my guard, and it was only as time passed that I found my 

 bees degenerating instead of improving, as they ought to have 

 done on the parthenogenesis theory. The fact was, the drones 

 bred by my presumed Italians were nearly all, if not all, com- 

 mon black drones, and hence in the next generation the Italian 

 bees were only as one to three instead of three to one as they 

 had been. The degeneracy was in fact more rapid than this 

 ratio of figures would indicate. 



" To your first query I can give no reply at all, not having 

 watched with sufficient closeness the progress of the taint. I 

 doubt, indeed, whether any closeness of observation would have 

 enabled me to reply to it, because I had no satisfactory data to 

 go upon. 



" For a like reason I cannot satisfy your curiosity on the second 

 point. One only matter struck me as remarkable — that is, the 

 extraordinary rapidity of the downward progress. For instance, 

 let A represent Mr. Woodbury's best queen (No. 2), B a 

 swarm from it, and C a swarm out of B. A's offspring, the 

 queen of B, would give as three yellow-jackets, more or less 

 beautifully marked, to one black bee, but the offspring of C 

 would breed as five black to one imperfectly-marked Italian ! 

 In the next generation the yellow would have disappeared or 

 been hardly perceptible ! Other experience I have none to 

 relate. 



" You have, however, to be corrected in respect to the case 

 described by me in January last. I ought to have stated that 

 the hive had degenerated, not its queen. My observation has 

 not led me to believe or suspect that any change takes place in 

 the purity of the brood of any given queen. 



" As I think my reply may interest others as well as yourself, 

 I send your letter and mine to the Editors of The Journal op 

 Horticulture by to-day's post. 



" I hope, with the help of the queens since supplied to me by 

 Mr. Woodbury, to carry on operations more successfully in 

 future.— B. & W."] 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



SchruDee's Incubator.— "A Spanish Breeder "doubts Mr. Schroder's 

 statement of his incubator being " perfect,'' and wishes for a detail of 

 results. 



Crowing Hen (H.). — It is not very uncommon for a hen t<» crow, and 

 it is usually an intimation that she is ceasing to be productive. Sickle 

 feathers in the tail will probably be developed, and other changes charac- 

 teristic of what is known to poultry-keepers as " a hen cock." 



Muddy Field (S. W.). — The portion railed off for your fowls ought to 

 be well drained, and, when the surface haw dried, a part of it covered 2 or 

 3 inches deep with sand or fine gravel. 



Poultry Company {H. Wilcocks).— There is such a Company Wo 

 cannot tell you why its Secretary, Mr. Massey, does not answer your 

 letters. 



Black Bantams at the Birmingham Show.— Mr. Jessop, of Hull, in- 

 forms us that the second prize was awarded to birds belonging to him. 



Nantwich Poultry Show.— Mr. Tudman writes to us, that he declines 

 a controversy with anonymous correspondents. 



Stewarton HrvES {A. £.).— They are octagonal in shape, and are 

 13$ inches in diam ' r by 5£ inches deep inside measure. Three boxes 

 of this size, called "body boxes," and one "honey box" of the same 

 diameter, but shallower, constitute a set, the price of which and all f ailher 

 particulars may be readily obtained by applying to Mr. Robt. Eaglesham, 

 Stewarton, Ayrshire. These hives are less expensive than those of Mr. 

 Taylor, and arejustas likelvto obviate swarming. You maywith a littlo 

 care drive the inhabitants but of one of Neighbour's Improved CotUge 

 Hives without injuring either the hive or the bees. 



* Imperfect only in the sense that in my then incomplete knowledge of 

 the subject I was unable to insure their absolute purity.— A Devonshire 

 Bee-keeper. f/\fl, 



