20 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTURB AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



[ Itnutry i, 1866. 



genesis as pertaining to bees), that my so-called " pore Italian " 

 queen of c was really a hybrid. Other circumstances have 

 oonnnced me of this, and Mr. Woodbury was of the same 

 opinion when he paid me a visit in August lost ; but of this 

 more presently, and yet I am not aware that I ever saw any 

 black English bees in c since it became liguriauised three 

 years ago ; whilst the various young queens which I have raised 

 during the last two seasons have produced a mixed race, in 

 which the golden zones have largely displayed themselves. It 

 is certain, however, that in no single instance has the doctrine 

 of parthenogenesis demonstrated its truth in my apiary, al- 

 though there were clouds of drones all this summer, bred by 

 at least five (supposed) pure Italian queens, some of them, too, 

 very distinctly marked, making the welkin ring with their 

 noisy trumpetings. I confess to haWng been very much dis- 

 appointed at the result of my painstaking labours in weeding 

 out my English blood, which bids fair to prove the stoutest in 

 the contest, and to remain master of the field. In justice to 

 Mr. Woodbury I am bound to say that be has kindly supplied 

 me with another queen,' which I sincerely hope may turn out 

 all that he and I could wish.— B. & W. 

 (To be continued.) 



FEEDING RESCUED BEES. 



I HAVE bought, in order to save them from the brimstone-pit, 

 a small lot of bees, which only weighs 10 lbs. Last week I gave 

 them a quart of syrup (2 lbs. of sugar in a pint and half of 

 water) in a bottle through the top of the hive, and they have 

 not taken it half down yet. — A. B. B. K. 



[Your syrup appears to have scarcely a sufHcient proportion 

 of sugar. We use 3 lbs. of sugar to 2 lbs. water by weight. We 

 do not know how you can accelerate matters so late in the 

 season. If the contents of the bottle remain, as they should do, 

 perfectly suspended, and do not drip into the hive, it need not 

 be removed during the winter.] 



BEE DYSENTERY. 

 As your correspondent "A. W." desires the opinions of 

 apiarians regarding dysentery in bees, I beg to submit the 

 following as the result of my own experience. Bees in fine 

 weather have little or no disease, foul brood excepted ; it must, 

 therefore, be in cold damp weather that we expect such. It is 

 well known that they can raise or lower the temperature of 

 their hives according to circumstances — in fact, that they are 

 a kind of Uving fire which requires fuel in the shape of honey to 

 keep it up. We will imagine the case of a hive not very strong 

 in numbers : the bees are then obliged to feed more frequently 

 than in one which is strong, for the purpose of keeping up that 

 degree of heat which is essential to their health, and, conse- 

 quently, when they have fiUed themselves with honey there is 

 more perspiration, and there not being sufficient heat in them 

 to send the etoam off, it falls back and is condensed on and 

 absorbed by them, disease and death being the result. We 

 only look for this disease in cold weather, and in hives which 

 are damp, as dry cold does not injure bees. How, then, can 

 their safety bo cared for? as even if there were a medicine for 

 their cui-e, it could not be administered in such cases since it 

 would only hasten the catastrophe. We must, then, keep as near 

 to nature as possible by applying heat to restore them ; and this 

 requires time, because they must be let alone \mtU the weather 

 be such as to admit of their flying abroad. In such cases I 

 choose the first fine day that I can, have some thick boards ready 

 to place below the hives, baring had them preriously well heated, 

 in fact as warm they can be without burning. When these 

 are put under the liivos they raise the temperature, setting the 

 bees in motion, and when these come to the warm hoard it 

 strengthens them greatly. They are then able to fly out and 

 empty themselves. It is well to do this with all the hives, as 

 the heat tends to dry up any moisture that may be in them. 



I add the following for the benefit of " M. S." in regiu-d to 

 queens mating with drones. So late as the 2nd of September, 

 (when I considered that all the black drones were slaughtered, 

 at least they were so in our neighbourhood, and two weeks 

 before that they had made a wholesale slauglitcr at the moors, 

 and therefore thought there would be none but Lignrian ones 

 bring, which two hives had preserved), whilst watching a hive 



* I also last year presented my esteomcd friond with an Italian quoen 

 ot oniincstionable purity, but she, unfortunately, came to grief oa her 

 amvftL — A D£vo>'saxa£ B££-K££P£r. 



I saw the queen come ont and fly for fifteen minutes before the 

 hive: she then went in, but immediately came out again and 

 joined a drone. I watched them till they come down to the roof 

 of the house, but in a minute she returned again, when she 

 again took flight, and this time she must have gone a long way 

 off to choose for herself a husband, as she is now the breeder 

 of hybrids, proring she had been wedded to a black. — A Las- 



ARESBIIIB BeE-KSEFEB. 



PoLLEN-OATHERiNo OM Christmas-dat. — PoUeu was colleotcd 

 by my bees on the shortest day ; but what is even more remark- 

 able, on Christmas-day, which was both mild and sunny, quite 

 a stream of busy and successful little foragers poured in and 

 out of the stock referred to in page 536, filling the air with a 

 delightful melody which, however nnnsoal at this advanced 



season, discoursed most excellent music to the ear of A 



Devonsbire Bee-keeper. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



DABLncGTOH Snow.— We arc informed that Iho flrst prize for Pewter 

 cocks was awarded to Mr. H. Bcldon. and not to Mr. J. R. Itobiason. 



Eoo-PRoDCcnio Fowls (A Farmer). — For your farm, and for the pnr- 

 poHc of producing eggs, we recommend you to keep Golden-spangled 

 Hamburghs. 



Phea.sants Dyino (A. L. H.).— There does not seem any cause for the 

 death of your Phcat^auts, beyond roup. Instead of a cabbage give them 

 every day several turfs of growing graSH, cut with plenty of oarih to 

 them. Feed on bread steeped in strong ale, and put plenty of camphor 

 in their water. They will eat the fresh earth, and wo hclieVo the coar«e 

 that we have advised will prove a care. Pheasants at live years old are old 

 birds, and we should adriso you next year to save some young ones. 



Commencing Pocltev KEEriNr. ifi. liX — You have flrst to consider 

 your locality and its poultry requirements, next whether you intend to 

 breed for a local or for the London market, whether there will bo the 

 reatliersale foreggs or fowls for table. With the appliances you possess yoa 

 may fairly look for a good profit. For hardy fowls, good layers. Bitters, 

 and mothers, wo should advise Cochins or Brahmas ; for choice table 

 poultry, Dorkings. It there is a good demand for choice egga, especially 

 in winter, at large prices. Spanish pullets will be required. Such pre- 

 mises as you describe will afford facilities for keeping several breeds; 

 Spanish should be one of them. Wo believe you should give the Dor- 

 kings the chief run ; Cochins, Brahmas, and Spanish will do in confine- 

 ment in any of the out-houses you mention : a run could be aflforded for 

 them by enclosing an outer space with wire netting, because, although 

 certain breeds will do well in confinement, they do better with a larger 

 amount of liberty. Common Pii^eons will suit best as general breeders, 

 they are hardier and more prolific than fancy ones. There is no occasion 

 for more than a very small outlay to turn any out-house into a perfect 

 poultry place, having perches within 2 feet of the ground, and a dry 

 gravel floor. There are now plenty of good books giving full instructions, 

 and for your stock apply to Baily, of Mount Street. 



Fowls Suffering FlioM Champ (Subgcriber).—'Tho sudden change of 

 weather from extreme drought to constant damp and heavy rains may 

 account for much of the cramp you complain of. It is, however, more 

 often caused by improper flooring for their roosting-places. such as stone, 

 brick, or boarding. If you have either of these remove it : if you cannot 

 do that, cover it some inches deep with dry gravel. If you have no 

 gravel, get that which is most like it. Road grit is an excellent substi- 

 tute. Onions are very good for Turkeys. Stimulants, such as strong 

 beer, a mixture of bean, pea, and barley meal slaked with beer is gooil 

 food. The chickens will rally by having bread steeped in it. The pre- 

 sent weather will necessitate generous feeding. 



BREEiUNtf Sebbight Bantams (Stbrifj/i/i. — Many, indeed most, breeders 

 mix their Gold aud Silver Bantams. Still, if you wish for Silver birds, 

 you are more likely to have them from Silver thau Golden birds. Un- 

 fortunately all the Silver now have a golden tinge. 



Tlukevs' Bheedino (H.A. p.).— Turkeys will breed for many years, but 

 as they get old they are less prolific. We should not keep them after 

 five or six years. Both sexes should not be old alike, but where one is 

 old care should be taken to mate with younger. 



DoKKINGS' Combs {Scotchman). — If every other point were equal, and 

 the large comb was in every way perfect, we should certainly prefer it to 

 the small one. Small combs are not characteristics of the Dorking 

 breed. If the large comb lopped or fell over, it would be a disadvantage, 

 and we should prefer the smaller one. 



CocHlN-CulNA Cock's Comb tit'. J/. if.,jita.).— Uneven serraturea in the 

 comb do not disqualify, though they wonld be considered if the com- 

 petition were close. We take for granted that you do not mean " sprigs '* 

 on the side of the comb, which would be a JataJ objection, probably. 



Food for Goldfinches {X, N. S, S.). — Yon had best feed your Gold- 

 finch on good, soimd, and bright canary seed, give clean water, and keep 

 the cage sanded. It may have duckweed, groundsel, and the beads of 

 thistles, dandelion, and plantain when in season. A little maw seed is 

 good, but hemp and rape seed ore to be avoided, — B. P. B. 



Pol'pv Seed for Bibds [S. A.). — The seeds of Papaver somniferum 

 are very small bluish seeds, sold for birds under the name of *' maw 

 seed." They are not injurious to small birds. The seeds do not contain 

 opium, but they contain a very fine oil, and are much better for cage 

 birds thiUl cither rape or hemp seed. — B. P. B, 



POULTRY M.VRKET.-J,«iARY 1. 



Sendees seem to have exhanstod their stocks niul their enerrfee, 

 und the supply of most artioles depends on p)irt:i.*ls that have been 

 buried for daya uinUr hecatombs of Geeso and Turkeys, and now como 

 to light. iHoht Christmiis markets are alike, and while there is almost 

 always a good demand for the best of all sorts, much that is inferior is 

 difflcolt to sell at any price. 



