136 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



C February IS, 1866. 



APIARLVN NOTES. 



{Continued from page S2.) 



Is resnining the acconnt of " My Apiiiry," I now propose re- 

 ferring to the pages of my note-book, and jotting down a few 

 leailing particulars of the results of the year's operations. I 

 take each hive in order, as numbered li low. 



No. 1. — One of the hives attacked by dysentery, strengthened 

 by the union of bees and brood-combs from another sufferer. 

 No. 19. A large frame-box super was put on, in wliich the bees, 

 so long as it was allowed to remain, worked admirably. This 

 was removed, prior to being completed, on .Tune 19th, as the 

 hive was required to furaish bee.'! for a large artificial swarm. 

 The hive was transferred to anuther stand in the same garden, 

 and a great number of the bees left it for tlie new hive sub- 

 stituted for it. Notwithstanding the enforced diminution, this 

 stock threw off a large natural swarm on the 22nd, three days 

 later. No further honey was obtained, but it is now one of the 

 strongest and most populous hives that I have. 



No. 2. — On the 29t!i of May. while obsei-ving No. 18 — a Li- 

 gurian stock, with a beautifully pure Italian queen — a large 

 swarm suddenly jioured out froin it, and the bees appeared to 

 fly right away without attempting to settle anywhere. After a 

 long period of suspense they were discovered in the act of 

 clustering at a considerable altitude on a large beech tree grow- 

 ing in the garden of our right reverend diocesan, on the top 

 of the old city wall. To reach the swarm at all was a matter 

 of very great difliculty, as it hung suspended from the end of 

 a long and flexible branch ; but it was at length happily and 

 successfully temporarily secured in a common straw hive, and 

 was permanently domiciled in a large bar-and-frame box. 



On the 8th of .June this box was nearly filled with combs, 

 and on the 19th it was deprived of all save one, on which, after 

 a search, a queen was found. This, with the bees and her 

 majesty, was placed in an empty hive on the stand previously 

 occupied by the swarm. All the bees were shaken or brushed 

 off the remaining combs, and were left to furnish a new habita- 

 tion, while the combs which had been taken away, and which 

 contained splendid masses of brood in every stage, were re- 

 stored to the now tenantless box. No. 1 having been removed, 

 as before stated, this hive of brood-combs was located in its 

 place ; a large population at once took possession, and numerous 

 royal cells were in time constructed. From these several small 

 nuclei were supplied with one or two royal cells, and small arti- 

 ficial swarms, in order to increase the number of my T.iguriau 

 stocks, were started ; but I was not very fortunate iii obtaining 

 pure breeding queens, owing to the inimense number of com- 

 mon drones in my own and the adjoining apiaries. 



No. 2, the pillaged swarm, containing the original Ligurian 

 queen, refilled its hive with combs, but required copious feed- 

 ing in the autumn. 



No. 4. — An octagonal box hive, in which all the bees died in 

 the winter. On the 24th of May bees were observed flying in 

 and out, evidently reconnoitering, and preparing the hive for 

 the reception of a swarm. I cut away a gi-eat deal of bad comb, 

 and removed the dead bees, leaving the hive on its stand. On 

 the 28th a swarm rose from a hive on the opposite side of the 

 lawn, and without any preWous attempt at settling, flew right 

 across to this box. A most cmious sight was presented ; the 

 hive seemed a mass of moving insects, rolling over and over 

 each other, and tumbling in large clusters to the ground. It 

 was a long time before all the bees could effect an entrance 

 through the contracted doorway. When quite settled the hive 

 appeared crammed, and I resolved to put on a super as soon as 

 possible ; but, imfortimately, this apiarj' being in the country, 

 I had'none then at hand. On the 30th, before I could again 

 visit this apiary, to afford the requu-ed accommodation, No. 8 

 threw off a swarm, which pitched on an espalier tree, not far 

 from No. 4, the bees of which sharing in the excitement rushed 

 out of the hive and clustered within a few yards of the other. 

 Both swarms were secured in separate receptacles ; but in a 

 quarter of an hour that from No. 4 suddenly left, and the bees 

 tumultuously joined with those of the swarin from No. 8. All 

 the bees were in the evening transferred into a large-sized 

 frame hive, which they appeared to more than fill, so vast were 

 their numbers. I may have to notice this hive further on, 

 but now return to No. 4. A few of the bees did not go off 

 with the rest, and these, with returning stragglers, formed a very 

 diminutive cluster. It was doubtful whether the old queen 

 was left behind, or whether the bees were engaged in rearing 

 royal larv» from the eggs which had been deposited by her 

 before the desertion took place, as they appeared to work steadily, 



carrj-ing in pollen as well as honey. On the 8th of June a 

 second swarm was added, leaving the queens to chance, and 

 the hive having been previously tolerably full of comb, a very 

 nice stock is the result. 



No. ,^.— A frame hive on which a super was put in May, in 

 which the bees at first worked vigorously. A very fine swarm 

 was thrown off, which clustered in the top of a high fir tree ; 

 before proper means could be taken for securing it, the bees 

 rising suddenly flew off in a straight line to a wood more than 

 amile distant, where, though followed as quickly as possible, 

 they were utterly lost sight of. — S. Bf.van Fox. 

 (To bo continued.) 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Fecckdatino Eogs (Cockerel).— In Turkeys the whole of the eggs ol 

 tho season arc fcctmdaicd at once, and so, probably, arc those of other 

 poll it r>-. 



Abtificial Hatciuxg (G. ,V. FO.—Thctoninoratarc generally must be 

 104 or 105-. It may be allowed to fall t'-* 95 once a-day for h*i,l( on boar, 

 r.R when the hen leaves her nest. If you send four postau'e .•■tainps to 

 our office with your directions and order N<». 197 of this Journal, New 

 Scries, you will find there a drawing and directions for treating the 

 chickens. 



Egg whthin Egg (T. Bottomlett)-~-lt is not a very uncommon occnr- 

 rence. The cause is explained in " The Poultry-keeper's Slanual,'' juet 

 published at our office. 



DrcKs (A. B. C.K— BarlejTneal miscd with milk i-s as good food as any 

 for Ducks to be exhibited. ' The cbaracteristics of R/men Duck-i in "The 

 Poultry -keeper's Manual" are those which constitute excellence. 



Ulcehated Face or Si-anish Cock.— ,t. B. has a Ijluck Spanish cock 

 which has a bard yellow substance on the white of hirf face and ear? ; it is 

 Uffht yellow at first, and then becomes darker, and hard like a scab, and 

 very- fast to the ear. If pulled otTii soon ctows again and becomes larger 

 than before. 



[There is no hope of your Spanish cock recovering. He may serve yon 

 to run vdih the hens during the eeason if you have no other. He has 

 the bad face to which Spanish fowls are alone subject, and for which 

 there is no cure known.] 



Poultry Diseased (PouUiy).— Yon do not tell us in what state the 

 other \iscera were— whether the liver or intestines were ulcerated. The 

 darkness of the comb, the food remaining long in the crop, and the flow 

 of liquid from tlie throat, may arise from torpidity of the digestive 

 organs. Give each bird daily a dessert-spi»oufnl of brandy: feed on soft 

 food, and give bread soakediu ale once a-day until health is restored. 

 Wo should be obhgcd by your lotting us know the result of this treatment. 



Pigeons ',S. A. C'.'.— Your yard (6 feet by 9). would be too small lor 

 even twenty Runts. If you can breed a pair of Rimts to match of 5 lbs. 

 weight, or nearly so. yon may make tolerably sure of many prizes. Runts 

 are not generally considered good breeders. For that purpose a cross 

 between Powters and Dragoons would cive more satisfaction, or any of 

 the large moncrels. By '• Blue Rock " I suppose you mean tho common 

 Dovecot Pigeon : they arc sharp-flying birds, and no doubt if trained 

 would fly long distances. Two Pigeons out of one nest will breed together, 

 pro\ided they are cock and hen ; but it is not generally advisable to pair 

 them, the young in such cases being rather more delicate. — B. P. Brent. 



GoLDFrscH Mule Breeding {C. .SV./j?--!/).— Goldfinches breed about 

 5Iay. You may put the Goldfinch and Cannr>- t<jgether in April. Let the 

 cock have possession of the cage, and when he sings stoutly pnt the hen 

 along with ixim. The cock Goldfinch sings louder and i-^ brighter in 

 colour : be has more black on the tip of the beak, and is black at the gape. 

 The ben is often grey at the comers of the mouth, and blacker on the 

 shoulders of the wings. They pair almost as readily as Canaries. Canaries 

 may be coupled this month, bnt it is better to wait a month or six weeks 

 longer.— B. P. Brent. 



WoopBCRV HrvE (A A'ortff*.— Ist, Bees will sometimes survive" the 

 winter in exposed wooden hives not more than an inch thick, but they 

 cannot bo safely kept *.n this wav. Under no circumstances should the 

 hive itself be painted. 2nd, The openings in the adapter may be half an 

 inch wide, and some apiarians prefer their running across the bars in- 

 stead of from front to back. They should then, however, bo at tho front 

 and back, and on no account across the hive's centre. 3rd, It is most 

 convenient to hive a swaiin in the first place in a common straw hive. 

 As soon as it is settled spread a cloth on the ground, on which stand the 

 fronie-hive without its floor-board, and the front raised an inch or two. 

 Then knock out the swarm on the doth close in front of the hive, towards 

 which a stream of bees should be gently directed by means of a feather. 

 As soon as all. or nearly all. have entered, the hive may be stood on its 

 floor-board, and put in the place it is intended pemianently to i>ccupy. 

 Or, if the frames are well furnished with guide-combs, the crown-board 

 may be removed, and the swarm knocked out on the top of the ex- 

 posed bars, between which the bees will rapidly disappear, when the 

 crown-board may be replaced and the hivo put on its intended stance. 

 4th. An adapter is esseutiiilly necessan.". as without one there would be 

 little chance of breeding being confined to the stork hive, and the combs 

 would be so connected that much loss, both of life and honey, would be 

 caused by rcniovini; the super. .Mb, The only entrance should be in the 

 stock hive. 6th, Equal distances between each, wliicb will bo found to 

 f^xti n space sUghtly in excess of half an inch. 7th, There is no objec- 

 tion to allowing the bees to commence in a super 4 inches deep, and tnen 

 raising it on a square frame of the same depth ; bnt it would cause them 

 much loss of time if the two were divided so as to compel them to com- 

 mence a new set of combs afresh from their foundations. 



A Good Bee-house (A lire Xo.-Ik — It is probable that in the bee-house 

 described in page 223 of our last volume, it might be found convenient to 

 have both the roof and back attached to tbe house itself by hinges, as 

 suggested by you. instead of being entirely detached. 



Gold and Silveu Fish ( ir. P.).— W*e know of no other place than in 

 the consen'atory over Covent Garden ^fa^k»■t. 



Preserving Cooked Meat iH. It. Hi7r;'i.— Cooked meat is preserved 

 " as long as possible '' in tin coses, soldered-up whilst the meat and tin 

 are hot, so as to expel the air ae much as may be. 



