192 



JOURNAL OP HOBTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Mareb 6, l&X. 



cotiraging the bar and frame system by remlcrinp the hivoa 

 obtainable at a lower price, I will describe the mode of mauu- 

 lactme according to my plan. 

 The accompanying liketch is that of the {mme I nse ; it is 



made of half -inch deal, the 

 sides 3 incheii deep, the 

 cross pieces only 2 inches 

 deep, and set in the sides 

 2 inches from their ends. 

 This frame is 14 inches 

 square from external cor- 

 ners to external comers. 

 I have other frames made 

 on the same plan for nu- 

 cleus, hexugon, or foran\' 

 number of bars as re- 

 quired. 



The sewing the straw 

 (and my man never uses 

 a ring), is conducted from 

 end to end, not along the 

 side pieces, and when the 

 end of the side is arrived at, the frame is lifted out, turned one- 

 qaarter round, and replaced, for the sewing to be carried along 

 the next side, the cross pieces being set back for that purpose. 

 This moving of the frame keeps the inside dimensions per- 

 fect ; the side pieces, with a little beating of the straw, give a 

 flattened surface to the inside. 'When finished the hive retains 

 its shape admirably, is perfectly uniform in diameter, and I have 

 never noticed any bulging or conical form whatevei- with this 

 frame. The maker can turn it in his lap ; there are no incon- 

 veniencing wires or laths ; and any degree of tightness can be 

 exercised that is desired, a point upon which in reality the 

 goodness of the hive depends, jly man now uses nothing but 

 cane. I would recommend Mr. C. F. George to purchase one, 

 from which, if he can obtain any hint, I am sure he is heartily 

 welcome. — J. H. Blount, M.D., BaysJiot, Siurcij. 



LIGURIAN BEES. 



Whem taking steps for raisiag queens from the brood of my 

 pure Italian mother, upon the 20th of May, I introduced her 

 with a considerable number of her subjects into a frame hive 

 furnished with several frames of empty brood comb, selecting 

 for the centre tlrree combs consisting in a great measure of 

 drone cells, as I wished, if possible, to rear and preserve a 

 number of di'ones for the fertilisation of queens late in the 

 season. Towards the end of June these combs were well filled 

 with drone brood, and as the honey season began t-o break up 

 early in July, I was apprehensive lest the workers should begin 

 to oast out the immature drones. By Mr. Woodbury's adrice I 

 reimoved the queen, placing her again at the head of a new colony. 

 The bees In the parent hive at once constructed royal cells ; 

 but these having been all excised before they came to maturity, 

 the bees were unable to take aay further steps for supplying 

 themselves with a new monarch. They continued, nevertheless, 

 to work pretty nearly as well as usual, but were rather more 

 irritable than their neighbours ; still, had I not been acquainted 

 with their internal history, I should not have supposed that 

 they were both destitute of queens and young brood. 



On the 4th of August I supplied the hive with a frame of 

 bees and brood from the young colony founded upon the 6th of 

 July, and governed by the pure ItaUan queen, which was now 

 a populous and flourishing family. Many royal cells were at 

 onoe foimded upon tliis comb, but, owing to the unsettled wet 

 weather then prevalent, I did not inspect the proceedings of the 

 bees very closely. 



On the 15th of August (the eleventh day from the time when 

 the bees were supplied with the brood), I found one cell open. 

 from which a queeu had evidently emerged. " The shades of 

 night were falling fast," and I was unable to do anything fur- 

 ther that evening ; but as no time was to be lost, early next 

 morning the hive was again inspected, and I found five royal 

 cells were already torn open, the work, as I thou supposed, of 

 the senior princass. I soon detected a queen with her head and 

 nearly the whole of her bodyiu one of the worker eclLs ; having 

 carefully excised the piece of comb, I gently broke open the 

 cell into which the queen had retired, and having ascertained 

 that she was very beautifully marked and perfect in all respects, 

 though rather below the average size, I at once removed the 

 comb containing the royal cells (seven of which were still in- 

 tactj, and returned the queen to her native abode. 



On Soturday, .August I'Jth, I found this queen l.Wng in front 

 of the hiv« almost dead, and feared that the hire wai then 

 queenless. In the afternoon, to my surprise, I found another 

 queen, of rather a dork colour, lying in front of the hive, and 

 still able to move a little, proving that she too had only recently 

 received the mortal wound. On opening the hiv» I soon de- 

 tected a third queen perarabiilating the combs. It is evident 

 that in this instance at least three queens at Uberty co-existed 

 in one hive for three days. The victorious queen was duly ler- 

 tiliKcd, but did not begin to lay before the middle of September. 



I have upon several occasions introduced strange queens 

 (both virgins and matrons), into my unicomb hive when it con- 

 tained a queen regnant, and in every instance the stranger was 

 gradually surrounded and imprisoned by the workers ; but the 

 legitimate queen has never been in any way molested or inter- 

 fered with. Supernumerary queens are, I know from actual 

 observation, frequently disposed of by the workers; but the 

 queens are in all probability often allowed to engage in single 

 combat for the supremacy, and this was doubtless the way in 

 which the matter was settled in the hive alluded to, as neither 

 of the dead queens presented the usual disfigurement observ- 

 able in those which have perished from encasement. — J. E. B. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



.loDOF.s AND JuDoiNci IN ScoTLiSD (.Scolfliimin).— The Tomnrki wcro 

 ((eiieml, and do not require a defence of the Paisley Show. Snub t!ener«l 

 remarkK direct attuutiuu to the subject, oud if they are not wcU-groimded 

 are best allowed to piitis unnoticed. 



Cochin Crossed with Dorkino (.5.1.— Sow that the hen has sot and 

 brought off a brood, the taint will most probably cease. It prevails, as iu 

 the Turkey, for many more than one egg. 



Vicious Gander (w. It,). — Your parting with him will not prevent the 

 GtKjsc continuing to sit. Perhaps you are not aware that .1 gander very 

 usually shows a violent temjier whilst the Goose is incubating. It is his 

 mode of showing his anxiety to defend her during her own defenceless 

 state. The noleut temper ceases when the goslings attain a large growth. 



Wire Kencing (Carolina Duck\. — Any wirework manufacturer adver- 

 tisinj ill our eolamns will give you the information you need. 



TcMouRs ON Turkey's Head {.4. F. S.}. — Open th'e tumour with a pair 

 of very sharp scissors. Itemove the matter, and wash the cavity 

 thoroughly with warm water. Then draw the edges of the skin together 

 very loosely with two or three stitches by means of a needle and thread. 

 No ointment is needed. Perform the operation in mild weather. Give 

 a tablespoonful of castor oil, and on no acouunt give stimulants, such as 

 " Cayenne pepper and chopped onions." The food, rather, should be 

 cooling — mashed potatoes and a little barleymeal, and plenty of green 

 food. If you send to this office five itostago stamps with your address, 

 and order " Bee-kewping for the Many," you will have it sent to you free 

 by post. Peafowl lay in spring ; usually beneath some bush ueir the 

 tree where they perch. The " Poultry-keeper's Manual," with coloared 

 plates, price Ik, 6(f.. gives full directions for keeping all kinds of poultry, 

 treatment of diseases, &e. You OAn have It from our office. 



Satikette Pigeoms.— Mr. Noye informtt us that he did not oxhibit 

 Satinettes at the Birmingham C'olumbarian Society's Show. Mr. Noye's 

 name appears, howevor. as having done so in the printed catalogue. 



Food Hbu Kinoed BENtiAi, Parroijuet {Jtf. S.l. — "To keep the bird in 

 health give it canary and hemp seed, aboat one-third of the latter to two- 

 thirds of the former; bread siMiked with water, squeezed diy, and given 

 cold, fresh every morning ; occasionally one or two ehilies as a stimu' 

 lant : and for a change give it a little sealed riee sparingly, also a small 

 quantity of water to drink in a small tin pan to hold about two table- 

 spoonfuls — not sufficient to wash in. The bird is very fond of fruit in 

 season, such as apples, pears, &e. By no means give it meat or fat to cat, 

 or bones to pick. 



Honet HAR\-BaT FOR 1866.— Mr. S. Bevan Fox informs us that the 

 amount of his last year's iioney harvest in the concluding article on 

 " Apiarian Notes," at pag« 176. w.as understated. It should have been 

 8.S0 lbs., instead of 233 lbs., as there given. 



Opbning a Woodbcry-Hive — Spring Feeding {A. JI.).— I have alroedy 

 examined all my stocks and seen either the queen or young brood in 

 each, but can scarcely be said to have commeaeed spring feeding, 

 although I have everything ready for it aa stKjn as the weather becomes 

 favourable. Birmingham being so mnch colder than Exeter, I think you 

 lirtd better defer all these operations a few weeks longer. — A Devonshire. 



HEE-KEBI'ER. 



Bee Dysentery {12. .*». — /). C.J.). — There can be little doubt that when 

 dysentery exists among bees the insects themselves are in a morbid con- 

 dition, which may arise from various causes. Dysenteric excrement is 

 profuse in quantity, of a dark colour, and emits a very otTensive smell. 

 Dr. Donhott", a distinguished German apiarian, gives the following de- 

 scription of his analysis of the excreta of healthy bees, iu which he found 

 three ingredients. *' 1. iWmaiiu of Pollrn. — I boiled the excrement in 

 caustic potash lye slightly diluted. After filtering. I washed the residuum 

 in hot dilute muriatic acid. What was left after again filtering colrid, 

 from its insolubility, be only the remains of pollen. It appe tred under 

 the microscope like* an indistinctly granular mass. -2. f'nV .Icirf.— I im- 

 mersed the excrement in concentrated sulphuric acid, in which uric acid 

 remains undecomposed. .\fter carefully decanting the liquid from tha 

 re-ulliug carbonaceous mass, I added water, and then washed the preci- 

 pitated matter iu water. I now added one drop of liquor amoioniaci and 

 one drop of muriatic acid. Oa heating, the mass assumed a jmrplish 

 h«e. the characteristic reaction of m-ic acid. 3, Hippuric Aciil. — 1 boiled 

 some excrejnent in caustic potash lye. After filtering, I added dilute 

 muriatic acid, and obtained a precipitate which i)rovod to be composed 

 of uric and hippuric acid. According to an approximate estimate the 

 excreta of hoes consist of about oue-third uric and hippuric acid, and the 

 residue of indigestible poUeu.'' 



