854 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICOLTDltE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. [ OctoW 38. 1869. 



my apiary, which then consisted of absnt twenty stocks of 

 Liduriacs. 



In April last I transferroJ the stock from Ibo old straw tkep 

 into TettiU's " hivo of hives," taking care to cut oat all drone 

 brood, and substitute worker comb. Oa May 23th I took away 

 the black queen, which I introduced to one of my black stockf, 

 which happeued to be queenleas, and introduced a Ligniinn 

 queen in her stead. On May 26th I examined and found the 

 Ligurian queen quite at home amoDgat her new subjects, and 

 was much surprised to Cud all the young bees in the hive were 

 actually hybrids, each with one distinct yellow ring. On the 

 18th of June 1 removed the crown-board, and faw a number 

 of young Italians, but none on ihe winR until the 23rd if June. 



This stock continued to flourish until the Oth of July, when 

 I took away five of the combs with the queen, and made an 

 artificial swarm. The old stock produced a new queen July 21st. 

 which has proved a prolific one, and at the present time both 

 stocks are very strong and well populated. The old blauk 

 queen continued to produce hybrids until f ome time in August, 

 when she disappeared, for the hive was fouud to be without a 

 queen, and not having the power to raise another, the bees 

 gradually dwindled till none was left. — Sudbory. 



nothing at ail about bees, and have bad no one to instruct or 

 help me, except what I have gleaned Irom your Journal, have 

 managed it with>.iit a single mishai', and I would say to all 

 beginning bee-keeping. Procure a Woodbury frame hive, yon 

 will be delighted wiili i; ; the diflionlties about managinn it are 

 all visionary, and with a bee dress and gloves the most nervous 

 may do anything. — .V BKOiNNrii. 



[We shall bo glad to be informed from time to time of your 

 farther proceedings. — Eds. J. cf H.] 



THE EXPERIENCE OF A "BEGINNER" WITH 

 THE ^YOODBUKY FRAME HIVE. 

 Thirteen months ago a friend of niioe happened to tell me 

 that he was going to destroy two hives of bees for the sake of 

 their honey. I at once told him that he ought not to do so, 

 for I had seen a plan described in The Jouun.^l of Horticul- 

 TDRE, by means of which the honey could bo taken without 

 destroying the bees, and I then explained the process to him 

 as well as I could. " Well," B£id he, " as you seem to know 

 all about it, I will make you a present of the bees." And this 

 was how I commenced bee-keeping. Kather a strange begin- 

 ning for one who had never fcen a stock driven or a swarm 

 tiived— in fict, had never before touched either a bee or a bee 

 hive, and yet had undertaken to drive two stocks and hive 

 them in a— well, no less than a Woodbury bar-and-frame straw 

 hive, as I was determined, when once I made a ptart, to go in 

 for the best, and become a practical bee-keeper ; for, as my 

 father's gardener says (he is a Cheshire man), '■ What mou has 

 done mon cun do." 



I read Mr. Woodbury's very explicit articles on driving, &o., 

 until I could almost say them word for word. I followed them 

 out to the letter, and was perfectly succesFtul, and most amus- 

 ing was it to me to see the bees deserting their stores and run- 

 ning up into the empty hive. I brought them home, along 

 with sufficient "deaf" comb to fill six frames, in which I 

 fastened it according to Mr. Woodbury's instructions, hived 

 the bees, and put them on their stand. Three days afterwards 

 I examined the hive, and as the bees had cemented the combs 

 I removed their fastenings. 1 fed the bees until they weighed 

 26 lbs. nett, and with a feeder that some of your correspon- 

 dents seem to have a great deal of trouble with— viz., a pickle 

 bottle ; and for the information of yonr readers, I may state 

 that their entire cost was but lO.'., as they had 20 Its. of loaf 

 sugar, at firf. per lb., made into 32} lbs. of syrup. The stock 

 wintered well, scarcely a bee dying, and by Febraary 5lh they 

 were carrying pollen. 



As spring advanced my new pets throve marvellously, and I 

 was thinking of taking an artificial swarm, when I found that 

 my "new-fangled hive" and driven stock were watched rather 

 jealously, to see what results 1 obtained ; so this determined 

 me to put on a super, and show the unbelievers the honey- 

 producing properties of the " patent hive," as they termed it. 

 This I did on the 20(h of May, and it was quite filled by the 

 10th of June, when I raised it and put another one (ujious 

 the bars) between it and the stock hive, and the bees soon 

 enlarged their combs so as to fill this super also, and when 

 I took it off on the 20ih of July the united supers weighed 

 48 lbs. nett. I showed it to all the cottage bee-keepers about 

 here, and it was very amusing to hear their remarks upon 

 it. "It's a grand hive is that, mister," says one; "What 

 a pratty sect " (pretty sight), says another, &c. I have stated 

 every particular about my hive, with the exception that, not 

 to be behindhand, I have ordered a Liguiian queen to put at 

 the head of it. 



Now, my object in writing is to thank Mr. Wooflbury for 

 giving us new beginners every information, and also for giving 

 us a hive both simple and easily managed. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Fowls Eatino tuf.iu E-.r-.s iCoti-t'Mxt SuhtcTiber).—Tho best plan wo 

 Xdow to care fowls ot anlinu llicir e«e», is tn rl»co comrosilion egg« 

 nlKiat. They must be <U hard mntoriil. so that thn he«k osn make no 

 imprcSBlon on them. Tliov gel lirod ol pi-ckliic «t lh«in. and Ki»o " uP- 

 Ab wo bavo selilom met with it in a farrayat J where fowls have tholr 

 libcrtT, wc are indnoed to null whether it Is KCDcral, or confined to a few 

 birds? If, as we Bhould think, the litter 1< tbo c««e, we advise yon to 

 watch tlieui closely, and when the calpriis have laid, let n boy *> once 

 rush at and frighten tlitm off tbo nest. This is n certain oare. If Ue 

 otTenders are only two or three in nnmbor. th<y may ho detected by IBe 

 yolk hnnging about their beaks, and should Lo killed at once, aa they 

 lenm the trick one of the other. 



Call Decks (Lost J. 3. N.).— The White Call Dock should bo perfectly 

 white, with or«n(;c bill and feet. The Brown fhoiild be in coloar tjo 

 facsimile of Wild nuck». There is no Bied w< icbt, hnt they cannot be 

 too small if they are synimelrical. The • ody Bhoild be round, and the 

 head ronnd and very small, with a short bill. 



DoRKisos KOT La-ISO (.S' P.).— None ot yoarsdnlt Dorkinffs will Uy 

 now ; it is against nature. The pallets have nrob«bly Isid their eggs, and 

 there are none of a proper nsie to succeed them. It there are manyabont 

 nine months old, some of them mnst b-i lavinc if properly feJ. What 1» 

 rnndon-math? What is the kitchen refuse? Is it stock-meat >ndeacll 

 like, or is it merely wash with refuFe vejctablee in it ? The latter la not 

 good. Feed on b;iil«y or oatmeal night and niorninir. and Hive some 

 whole corn, barley, or maize, at midday. A giod division woold be— 

 barley foar times, maize three times per week. Long eiponence o«8 

 convinced as that is the proper feeding. Constant complaints prove to 

 us that .all the new discoveries produce disappointment, and are bnt 

 apologies for proper feeding. If you will feed as wo have described, we 

 have no doubt yonr birds will lay. 



Food tor Fowls ID F.I.— We do not know the roeil of whicb yon 

 speak, and have little faith in cheap things. At the price yon menuon 

 we think there must be a groat mixture, and some of the ingredients mnst 

 be very cheap. We believe you can bay it at ■.'«, per bushel, because it 18 

 worth DO more. Our experience is that the best t..oii is the cheapest, ana 

 that two enual sums being judiciously laid ont in food, one on ine 

 cheapest, the other on the most eipensivc, the 1 -Iter though much less in 

 balk, would afford the larger supply of nutriment. The good feed of g.'Oa 

 bariov has much to do with keeping yonr birds in cond tion -" » ¥* 

 test withhold it for a few days, and see if they iA\ off ; if they do, it will Bo 

 a proof your meal is not of itself sallicient. 



Weights or Docks, Gecse, akd Tcbkevs (-<"•«•-'■;'•)•-''« 1?"° "^'"^ 

 a Dock to weigh 9* !bs., a Goose 29 lbs., a young Turkey ^, lbs., an old 

 one 39 lbs. 



DoBKisG WEiELEOCED (H. F. H ) -Any yonng cock so weak npo" W« 

 legs as to squat on his knuckles, should be kept in a drv ^lace , hn* '»>° 

 could not have cans, d the weakness yoa "'?^,t'™- . I' '''''"„ hav' 

 that caused him to bo knock-kneed and ungainly in his Af "<■; "° ''»^® 

 no hope of him, nor do wo think him worth saving. If it be the weaK 

 Dcss that makes him sit down, it is merely a t':™I'°"T,'"''?,™'A°'J„wr. 

 he will recover. Feed him on ground oali mixed with milk, 

 meat chopped ane, on bread steeped in strong beer ; 

 him worth it, on boiled egg chopped. 



COCK Canahy U.nweli. (J. V.).-Give this bird which "«P«^" '"'"'''' 

 day, and is songless, a drop of castor oU, and hang the cage away Irom 



Wink Press (O. H.).-Onc ia described and Bgurod in No. 433 of this 

 Journal. .... 



Salt.cat (A. D-Thc salt-cat is composed of abontequaljuanlit^ies 



on cooked 

 if yoa think 



of a'clean, uictnonsloam, snch as brickmakers use ; a coarse grilty sand 

 or fine gravel, in which the grains are about the '^"'e oj P.ns he,d, a„d 

 old mortar : to this is added a small quantity ot bay salt. Some pcrsoM, 

 to make il more attractive, add aromatic seeds, such •^'^^^^H"' ^'^^ 

 coriander, and caraway. The whole should be miicd with »»'" to the 

 consistent of morfr, and placed in a crock, the .^'^^^ "' "h,'<=h are 

 perforated with roanv holes, large enough to admit che Pigeons heads, 

 and covered with a lid to keep off the weather. 



HoNEV FROM A FnrL-BROODED HlTE {Tnquir,T-,.~U is Stated »»» tne 

 virus of honev which is tainted with the foul brood may be completely 

 rradicatedbyboiling; but we have ourselves had no experience on the 

 point 17 lbs. of boneT are not too much, as bees do not store /^l 'ha' '» 

 S"ven to them. Breeding is prefy certain to recommence with theexcite- 

 Kt of feeJing: and the reappearance of fonl brood, B'Jj'l"'!'"^ ""^ 

 colony to be really infected with the disease, is the too probable result. 



POULTRY MARKET.— October 2T. 



Otm market is more cheerful, and if the weather remain cool we mty 



I, v'lio knew 



lOJk for good autumn prices, 

 B. 



Large Fowls 4 



Smaller do 3 



Chickens 1 



Geese 6 



Ducts 2 



I Pheasants 3 



8. i 



rartridges 1 6 lo 1 9 



Grouse 3 6 "J 



Pigeons OB OF 



Hares 2 6 » " 



Rabbits \ * i ,,, 



Wilddo 3 1'> 



