266 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTXniE AND COTTAGE GAKDENER. 



[ S«pt«mber !S, 1880. 



nnfortnnate as to be similarly stung, allow me to snggest a most 

 simple and easy remedy within reach of everyone, and in every 

 household. Common soap, worked np into a lather on the 

 place stung, gives immediate relief. I think if such a remedy 

 had been applied at once in the recent fatal ca?e, no very 

 serious consequences would have ensued. I have tried it often, 

 and never found it fail ; it is instantaneous, easy, and clean. I 

 Bometimes when among my bees carry a small bit of soap dried 

 in my waistcoat pocket, and if^tiiDg I just wet and rnb the 

 place ; it is always suflicient. — D. H. 



BUCKET HR'ES. 



In my little book on " Profitable Bee-keeping," recently 

 published by the Society for the Promotion of Christian Know- 

 ledge, I recommended the use of bucket hives for cottagers. 

 I have had one in my garden during the last twelvemonth 

 whose dimensions are as follow : — Height, 81 inches ; diameter 

 at the upper and broader end, lo inches ; diameter at the base 

 where it rests on the floorboard, 12 inches, all inside measure. 

 The hive top is a flat round board an inch thick, which pro- 

 jects a little beyond the rim of the hive, and merely rests upon 

 it without any fixing. 



Last August I received from Mr. Woodbury a good hybrid 

 Italian queen, which I established in this hive at the head of a 

 colony of common bees whose queen I had previously ab- 

 stracted, the bees themselves having been driven out of a hive 

 which stood in the same place. A few pieces of old honey- 

 comb affixed to bars, and tied with bits of string to the under 

 side of the moveable top of the new bucket hive were almost 

 all the help they had. I may have given them as much as 

 5 lbs. of sugar syrup, not more, during the autumn and early 

 spring. I should have given them more, but being weak in 

 population they did not feed kindly. They managed, however, 

 to survive the winter in good health, and began to show signs 

 of coming prosperity as June wore on. How they contrived to 

 live through May I cannot imagine, but by the middle of July 

 they were glad of a small super, from which I took G lbs. of 

 first-rate honeycomb a little later. This led me to hope that 

 after all I should be able to report well on the whole of my 

 bucket hive when the time came for the partial plunder of the 

 hive itself, which I had all along meditated. 



This time ariived last Thursday, when assisted by an en- 

 thusiastic apiarian neighbour, whom I wished to convert to 

 my new method of cottage bee-keeping, I resolved to test the 

 practical value of my bucket hive. First, we drove the bees 

 into a temporary hive and put them on their accustomed 

 stand, ascertaining beyond doubt that the queen was with 

 them. Then with the aid of a few sulphur matches we stupe- 

 fied the remaining bees in the hive, most of whom recovered 

 afterwards and rejoined their companions. Next, after snip- 

 ping the bits of twine which had secured the bars (with combs 

 attached), to the under side of the top board, I passed a spatula 

 beneath it all round and separated the combs below from their 

 attachments to it. We then cut or scooped out 10-lbs. weight of 

 the best part of the honeycomb, leaving enough for their winter 

 supply, and not damaging the brood comb below. Only one of 

 the ten or eleven combs became detached from the sides and 

 was removed. All the rest were securely fastened to the sides 

 and to the cross-stick below, and remained unchanged in 

 position. The top board was then replaced, and after suffer- 

 ing the injured honeycombs within to drip into a pan, over 

 which during the operuti'n the hive had been placed, it was 

 put back on its stand and the temporary hive of refuge set 

 over it. The holes being open, the bees quickly descended, and 

 all was soon as quiet as it had been before. 



Had the honey season been more favourable, and my stock 

 originally stronger, I doubt not I should have obtained a much 

 larger quantity of honey ; but most cottagers would be well 

 content with a harvest of 161bs., without destroying the hive. 

 If necessary, I shall feed this hive in October and March next, 

 which will, of course, somewhat diminish the profit, but a few 

 pounds of sugar at 4d. per lb. are a cheap substitute for honey 

 at Is. per lb. 



The following extract from "Profitable Bee-keeping," will 

 explain the special uses of the bucket hive: — 



" One of the greatest objections to the common hive is the 

 impossibility of taking away the honey without destroying a 

 quantity of comb, which would be of value to the bees another 

 year — much more valuable than the wax to be got from them 

 would be to the bee-master. Not only so; there is often an 

 immense quantity of brood destroyed, which, if preserved, 



would add greatly to the prosperity of the hive another year, 

 as these young bees will live till spring. Now, this hive with a 

 flat and moveable top will remedy both these evriU; for, alter 

 getting rid of the old bees by driving or fumigating, you may 

 remove the top board by passing a knifo with a thin blade com- 

 pletely under it all round, so as to separate the combs from it. 

 Then the comb which contains the honey can be easily cut out 

 without injuring the lower part of the combs at all, especially 

 if there are sticks in the middle of the hive to support them. 

 Everyone knows that the best honey is alwnys stored by the 

 bees in the upper part of the hive, while the queen lays her 

 eggs in the middle and lower part of the combs. A good bee- 

 keeper, therefore, will carefully preserve these oomts and the 

 young bees in them ; for these young bees will live till spring 

 and ought always to be saved." — B. is W. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Fowi.9 rs CoSTncED Space iSI. ivrlmimd*).— Wo recommend yon to 

 keep Hondans, Brnbrnas, or Crtve-Crcars. BrahmaR nro very hardy, and 

 are certainly excellent layers. They have the advanlnac of being (?ood 

 sitters and mothers if they arc required iu that capacity. Yoo m&y weU 

 keep a rock and eifiht or ten pnlletb in Bnch a space as yon describe. We 

 cannot recommend vendors. 



PocTLTRY C03IPANT— Defective Black HAiiBonon (Jf. 0. 0.).— The 

 National Poaltry Company closed its establishment Inns since, and having 

 died a natnral death it had no successor. We ne%'cr Rive (?rcnt hopes ol 

 breeding good birds from faulty parents, and do not. therefore, approve of 

 your scheme. The semi-white face of the Black Hamburgh cock spe&hs 

 of his Spanish origin, and to mate him with a Minorca hen woald be to 

 increase the Spanish. 



iKcuBATon (Cnfpc).— We cannot recommendany. Prom varlonsetnses 

 they have ceased to be patronised. 



Feeding Poultry (Amateur Poultrn-krrprr).'—\on will lose all yoiur 

 chickens through bad feeding. Stocfc meat is a capital adjunct, but It 

 does not yield nourishment enongh to feed on ; tailing wheat is bad food, 

 and rice is worse. Your meal should bo mixed only stiff enoTlgb to 

 retain its form. Havo your fowls any grass run ? Diecontinue the lime. 

 We believe it is injurious if strewed ou the pronnd, but very beneficial ij 

 used as a wash for the walls. If they have no grass, give them lettuce or 

 green food. Chickens under two months old rcqniro chicken treatment 

 and food — bread boiled in milk, a little chopped egg. chopped meat and 

 bread, and beer. They should be fed away from the old birds. The 

 latter should have barleymeal or ground oats in the morning, whole com 

 or Indian com at midday, meal in the evening. Discontinne tailing wheat 

 and rice. Give some stock meat at times for a change, (.V. S. 3.). — We 

 disapprove of your feeding. Fowls cannot be healthy with hard crops, and 

 their crops cannot be otherwise than bard wrth your feeding. Having a 

 ran of a stack-yard and field, they need only have barleymeal in the 

 morning, barley or Indian com at midday, and barleymeal in the even- 

 ing. Buckwheat, potatoes, and Indian meal will produce the symptoms 

 you mention. They are all bad food. Treat the chickens as wo have 

 described in the preceding answer. They must be well cared for when 

 small, if they are not, they die as soon as they begin to make growth and 

 feather. If you feed chickens and adults together, the latter monopolise 

 the food and starve the former. 



Game-fowl Points (.4 Subicriher). — No Game fowl should have a roBO 

 comb; such an appendage would disqualify the handsomest bird in the 

 world. Sharp snake-Uke head and face, hard feather, scanty plnmage, 

 body broad between the shoulders, and tapering to the tail, perfectly 

 straight breast-bone, are some of the principal characteristics of a good 

 Game fowl. 



Dark i:n,irMA.<i' Feathers WmTE-sTHEAKED !J. TT.).— Is the white 

 streak on 'be shaft of the feather ? If it is, examine the parents closely 

 and ascertain from which it comes, and discontinue breeding from it. It 

 will be easy next season to put a darker cock with tli» hens, bat we are 

 hardly disposed to attach so much importance to the -tripe as yon do. 

 It may arise from inter-breeding, but nuder every ' ircumstance we 

 should advise fresh and carefully-selected blood. We luive seen where 

 breeding-in has been followed, the pencilling intermixed with distinct 

 white spots. 



Pigeons Laving ForR Eggs.— A correspondent, roferring to a paragraph 

 in last week's Journal, says that a friend of his keeps " Pouting Horse- 

 men " Pigeons, and the hens almost invariably lay four eggs, and not at 

 all nnfrequently bring up four young ones. 



Grey CoLomi of Honey (S. M. J.).— We can give no reason for the 

 grey colour of your honey, except that we imagine it must ariae from 

 some peculiarity in the season, or in the pasture from which it has been 

 collected. 



Dogs' Meat (J. M. B.).— We have not the advantage of knowing a 

 single dealer in this food. 



Dried Artichoke BoTioiia (Tijnnrrt^. — Pluck yonr artichokes from 

 the stalks just before they come to their full growth, which draws out all 

 the strings from the bottoms ; boil them till you can easily take ofl tbo 

 leaves ; then lay the bottoms on (his, and set them in a cool oven. Repeat 

 this until they are dry, which you may know by holding them np against 

 the light, when, if they ore dry enough, they will appear tranflparent. 

 Put them into paper bags, hang them up in a dry place, and they will 

 keep good the greater part, if not tho whole of the year. 



POULTRY MARKET.— SEPTEMPKit 20. 



It would be easy to dismiss our notice of the market by saying there 

 is a small supply and a very dull trade. Partridges are plentiful, bnt there 

 is a large proportion of old birds. There have been fewer Grouse than 

 nsaal at this time ol i ear. It is, perhaps, to be accounted for by the 

 boisterous weather. 



