m 



JOBRNAiOF HOBTICfI.?ULia .ASD CuXX.AGE .GAKjp^gET^, C F.Uugr^ 27, 1368. 



consequently I liavo to trust much to tlic supcmsiou of others. 

 It go happeued in several instances, that wlicn the .bees cliose 

 to Bwarm, most provokingly no one was at hand ; the dishrter 

 being discovcrej uuly when an evening inspection maU^: the 

 fact but too nianifest. ... . 



I have tliorefore, to acknowledge disappointment on two 

 points. 1 have usuaUy been most Buccessfnl in iiresornnK all, 

 or nearly all, mv Btoek hives thi-ongh the winter, and Imvo re- 

 corded timt fact" in foregoing Numbers of tins Journal. Ihia 

 winter several hives succumbed to, or were purposely broken 

 np in couseciucucoof disease. Then again, with rcganl to un- 

 wishedfor swarms, I have gcneraUy had hut little "ason to 

 complain of my super-working colonies causing much trouble 

 on that ttccoimt. If swarms have issued imder such circum- 

 stances, I have usually accepted them as a boon, though not, 

 perhaps, what would have been desired, removing the partiaUy- 

 filled supers to be completed by other old stocks, or by the 

 swarms. This season, however, I was doomed to misfortune 

 in the loss of many swarms from my best hives, notwithstand- 

 ing that sufficient super accommodation had been afforded 

 them.— S. Bevas Fox, Exeter. 



DRIVING BEES "SMTHOUT llEVEKSIKG THE 

 HH^E. 



I SEE that yon want the evidence of a third party on tlie plan 

 of driving bees upwards. Well, I am this third party, so be 

 not afraid, brother Devonshire, although I ilid not see what 

 was said at the time, as I have only taken in " our .Journal " 

 during the last two years. WOiat an age and world we Uve in ! 

 Some jeering, some sympathising, some feeding their bees with 

 mutton chops, others with turkey di-umstieks, and I was told 

 whilo I was in Oxfordshire that they fed them there with 

 treacle roUs— that is, they mix up flour and treacle together. 

 But stop : this is not driving bees upwards. Well, in 18G1 I 

 tried to di-ive an old stock that was in a straw hive, and, as 

 there was only a two-inch hole in the top of the hive, I failed. 

 In 18W I tried again, and this time aU right ; I had then a 

 box hive which for some reason I could not turn up ; but I 

 ■wanted the bees out, and I had them out. There was a three- 

 inch hole in the top, so I lifted the hive, and out into the garden 

 I went (no use to be afraid), opened the hole, put on a glass 

 Bnper, and drummed until the super was full ; I then slipped a 

 sheet of tin between the box and super, put the latter with the 

 bees on an empty hive, drew the divider, and all was right. — 

 A Bucks Bee-keeper. 



[We do not mind the trouble you speak of, but, on the con- 

 trary, shall always be glaJ to hear from you.] 



DROPSY INJJBEES. 



When " A Devonshire Bee-keeper" first hinted that he 

 had experienced a new disease amongst his bees, I must confess 

 I was a Uttle perjilexed, thinking and hoping that he was mis- 

 taken, and that it would turn out Uttle more than an advanced 

 stage of what has already been termed dysentery. When, how- 

 ever, he explained its nature, it flashed across me that I had 

 had a similar case in the preceding year in a weak colony, and 

 in which all succumbed to the disease save the queen, which I 

 gave to another hive ; but a few days afterwards I found her 

 abandoning the hive in a weak state, and much swollen. This 

 case was allowed at the time to pass unobserved, and now I 

 regret to say that another instance came under my observation 

 only a few days since, in which I have to add to my obituaij 

 the loss of another queen from dropsy. The hive in which it 

 took place was at the time in good condition in every respect, 

 being quite dry, well ventilated, and well stored, and to all ap- 

 pearance a perfectly healthy stock, although it was the one 

 mentioned some time since as breetling drones and workers 

 successively. I happened to bo taking a cursory glance at my 

 hives, when, seeing something unusually large on the alighting- 

 board, I stepped forward, and foimd it to he the queen in a 

 weak state, and much swollen. I took her in my hand, and 

 tried to recuscitate her, but in vain. I next endeavoui-ed by 

 gentle pressure to expel the accumulated water, but she did not 

 survive the operation. In this case the queen and one worker 

 are as yet the only victims. I may now say with certainty that 

 the misfortunes which have befallen the apiary of " A Devon- 

 shire Bee-keeper," have made themselves no less conspieuous 



in that of — A LU(ASESaiB£-£££-E££r£B. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



aiBEJOisVfiv i>f r...i.s (V. I. ir.l.— Yonr BveniKo (ooo itonv from ••»»»• 

 leon1icnR:miliinU.t9i. is a bod one, 1ml lar better than our »*"• "" 

 Imvi' I.1C11 at a Ins3 to nci-onnt tor between two iind three hnntirea nem 

 TnidneliU! enly hwn twelve tu aixteya o»;i;a duil.v— soniL-Uimu le«a, noror 

 iii(.r.> Wo an- ol.liwi'.l ut la.-t to seek I.r the rei<«(.n tluit iiilkes yomig, 

 well ted. and healtliy Jowls lemporarilj- L.trnn; an.l having exhnMtea 

 our kiiu«rl.'Jt,'" uiid oliscrvaUon, wi- fall l.aek ..ii that miulUl.le i.hicia nod 

 r.-i.urce— Ih.- weather. JIanv weeks ol eiiiUesa rainii au.l t.'injiesls b«TO 

 «ltered the fcurhioo ..! the eaill.. and deprived io\vl» ol ►oluu e»»enti*ls to 

 tlieir he allh and ruuifort, and the result Ui\i Iwea delnmeiiUU to Iholr 

 lertiliri-. Conudaiuts ut tliid nature will siKjedily diHipP'" when the 

 Hue weather pels in. When V We mubI, however, ww-u you against one 

 thin(!—i( in tho winter vou have one out .J (oor lowhi laying every <l«y, 

 y..u must not he dissiilisUed. Vuu will never have Alirll laying m 



l'r.ri,Tnv-TAnn ISuh!irrihrr).—\r<m (incation rwimres In ho raor»expU^t. 

 Our answer vTouldlio nncthor question— Wiwt breed do y.m intond to 

 keep? nil Brahnus, Cochins, or Siianifch eliould have at leujit »n »cr« 

 and a half ; if more, ho mueh the bef.er. Tlie sajno number ol porUagS 

 should liave a tnruivard it nosfible ; tailiuj; that, one in whieh SUDie- 

 dunir &e., is deposited, and Ihev would require at least lour aeres lor a 

 run. Wo should consider a Jarnivatd in which lann operaUons were 

 continuallv carried on, eevcricK au aere, and tliree acres of grass run, as 

 belter t.,r ;i uumbei- of DorkiUKs than sLv acres of plain iirass. ^\ e IwUeve 

 stalde ilnu'^ to be west eicellent for pi>ultry. BaSIy, Monnt btri»t,Jbri)»- 

 venor Square, will send vou estiuuitci, on ;,i.plieiitiun, for any sombac or 

 deseription of fowls. The higher y.mr honset .ire the better for their 

 tenants. They should not be less than 10 feet in heiglit. 11" lowU Bnoajd 

 have 40 feet in length and 2S in hreadtli. Sneli a nombar ol fowls anonia 

 have the s-pace divided in three— it is better i.>r tlieiu; and whore 80 

 manv are kept no ceilinx is necessary, it is only robl.mK <he birds ol a 

 certain amount of .air. H the house wero divided int" tliree, and il Jls 

 height were 1(1 feet, tho partitions should not ho higher than seven. lUe 

 incubator will he advertised nojt week. «_.,. 



iJuuKisGs' Co.Mi!s Fii-LiSG ovKn iColouml Dor*in^).— Xoa are over- 

 teediiiK. If a number of youiii? Dorking CfleUa are put np to fatten, all 

 haviuii straiRht eombR.thesc will, as soou as the food tells upon (hem, aU 

 (aU over. Ovcr-fecdiu« sijoils all real condition in ovcrr point, the 

 fcalhors soften, the eomb droops, and the birds become liatless. Begia to 

 alter to-morrow when the fowls are released for the day, or, vl thoyTOin 

 and out us they please, when they are fed, give them a scanty m«»"» 

 whole linrclv; at mid-day give them gi-ound oats or barley mixed witn 

 water, and nt niRht some whole com. You may Rive them bread ana ate 

 in very cold or unkind weather, kitchen scraps when yon please, not a£ 

 an extra meal, but as a substitute for one of the others ; no peas or »ca- 

 mcal ; above all, no hemp-seed, which we beUeve to be the cause of au 

 the eril. Rock-salt is not neeeseniT, nor are wo awnre that it is nseful to 

 fowls, ^\'hile comb show s want of eon>Ulion. Compound sulphur oinl- 

 menl wiU cure it. We do not know the cause of out-growing spurs. Ml 

 wo would not breed from a cock that had them. Do not be disturbed ll 

 yoiu' fowls appear restless under this regime. It will be tho sign ol re- 

 tiiniiue health and streutrth. _ , , ,.,.^ 



Cross betwt,f.n Bkaumas Ai-D ILimbceghs (i. V. P.).— We do not hie 

 your cross. Both lireeds .are good lavers; no harm can come to the egg 

 from the cross ; but tho Hamburgh does not sit, while the Brahiua is a 

 good sitter. Yon might by the cross make two bad sitters in the room oi 

 one good one. , ., ^ 



PorxTEv IS SaAiL Space (A Beginner).— Vo recommend you the 

 Brahma Pootra as the hardiest bii-d and most prolific m coclinemeni. 

 You may in tho space von name (25 feet bv IR feet, besides a roosung- 

 house), keep fourteen hens and throe cocks. They will hiy wcU and keep 

 in perfect healU), with a Uttle painstaking in iirovidiug ,them with large 

 sods of growing grass from time to thne, with nccasiou.ll lettuces, can- 

 bnges when nothing else is to be had, a barrowlond of road gnt, anda 

 bushel of brioklayer's rubbish. Mr. BaUy's address is U3, Mount btreot, 

 Grobvenor Squ:ire, London, W. Ground oats mean the whole corn en- 

 tirely ground, and pulverised so fino that it mixes as weU as thougn ino 

 bran h«d been removed from it. It is made principally m Sussex. 



Moveable Hen-uouse (T. iViorO.— We h.avo not pubUshed a drawing 

 of one, but it is briefly described in tho " Poultry-keeper's Manual, 

 published at our office. There are several at Linton Park. , ., ,, 



Gates [J. BoicAcr).— Give each chicken a piece of camphor d.iily the 

 size of a small pea. Put also a lump of camphor into their water-trough. 

 In the "Poultry-keeper's Manual," pubUshcd at our office, the remedies 

 for all poultiT maladies are detailed. 



Pii' ox CnicKEx's Tosc.i-E IE. C. K.I.— The homy substance you en- 

 closed was nothing more than the usual covering of the point of a chicken 8 

 tongue. It is painful to the bird to have it removed, and certainly of BO 

 effect as a simitary measure. . , ... 



Blce Axdalusiaxs ((;. /r.).— Thev are a large variety of Spamsii jrnn 

 slnte-eolourcd plumage. They hiv'as large eggs as any other variety, 

 their eggs weighing from S^ to 3S ozs. You wiU find them fully described 

 in the "Ponltrv-keeper's Manual," published at our ofBce. ... 



Spanish Hen (.1. O. r.).— Your hen going on to the nest and not laying, 

 intimates that her egg-organs are deranged. She is probably too fat, and 

 the egg-passage obstructed. Give her a dessert-spoonful of castor oU (ma 

 a pill containing a grain of calomel and one-twelfth of a grain of tartar 

 emetic overv second dav for a week. Feed chiefly on boiled ipotatoes, witn 

 Ten- little barlej-meal and plentv of green food, especiaUy lettuce leaves. 



rioEoss (J. B. B.I.— Wc have pubUshcd such a volmue. "The Pigeon 

 Book," by B. P. Brent. You can have it, free by poet, from our offlee for 

 twenty postage stamps. , 



Pabrots (J. B. E.I.— Brass cages are not injurious to Parrots unless 

 verdegris be allowed to accumulate on the wires. There is no worn on 

 their management. ... „_. 



UsiTixo Stocks (H'.H. P., Or/orrf).— If yon decide npon mntmg yonr 

 two weak colonies, March will bo a good time for performingthe operation. 

 With common hives we know no better mode of proceeding than that 

 described iu page 59 of the fifth ediUon of " Bee-keeping lor the Many, 

 and as it is possible that one colony may be queenlcss, we should maBe 

 no attempt to remove the driven queen, but leave tho bees to settle thiB 

 matter in their own way. There is, of course, a certain or, rather, un- 

 certain degree of risk in'aU these operations. 



Rats (G. H. O.i.— The most efi'ectual mode of driving them away IB to 

 fetiet them, and then to poor gas tar into their holes. 



