December 30, 1369. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICTJLTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



537 



mildew (OlJiumj, that infectious scald-head (Achorion Schon- 

 leinii) ia nothing but the Oidimn of the usual brnsh-mUdew, 

 so that we have at once in n<j. 3 a representation of the fila- 

 ments of this form. The difficulty of its cure arises in this 

 way : the minute filaments of the Oidium penetrate into the 

 interstices in the texture of the skin, whither the extermi- 

 nating action of an external remedy is unable to reach it, so 

 that 3ven when apparently destroyed it continually springs 

 afresh from its hiding-place. In this manner maybe explained 

 the obstinacy of many other skin diseases, which arise from 

 the action of parasitic vegetable forms. 



Numberless examples occur throughout nature of the power- 

 ful effects of the minutest forms of fungus. Of these I quote 

 a few:— If the starch with which body-linen is stiffened con- 

 tains blight-fungus, this fungus developes itself on the human 

 skin as Pityriasis (little scab). The Oidium of Aspergillus 

 Ustilago produces Herpes tonsurans, which causes the hair of 

 the head to fall off. The muscardine kills the silkworm cater- 

 pillar, which first becomes of a reddish colour, and stiffens and 

 often dies whilst spinning its cocoon. Oiiium Tuckeri, the 

 grape fungus, is destructive to the vine. The potato disease, 

 often so disastrous to entire nations, is produced by Fusispo- 

 rium Solana, Oidium violaceum, and Peronospora devastatrix, 

 all of which are proved by recent investigations to be only 

 different forms of the same fungus. 



Milk-fever arises from Bacillaria;, a rod-like form of fungus. 



It may be perceived by the foregoing, that in the present ad- 

 vanced state of science and of scientific instruments, we are 

 in a position to examine directly all these minute forms, as 

 well as to prove their natural history, and, by the theory 

 founded on their discovery, can readily explain what often 

 appears wonderful in the manner of infection, and the trans- 

 port of diseases by intermediate bodies, as well as their pro- 

 pagation after a long interval of time. Hallier relates an in- 

 stance in which small-pox had long since quitted a room. A 

 mason scraped the walls, and a few days afterwards was 

 attacked by the disease. Every medical man can cite similar 

 oases from his own practice. As all the phenomena of the 

 ▼ast celestial universe became explicable after the promulgation 

 of the Copernioan system, so after the discovery of the effects 

 of these minutest forms, many terrestrial phenomena, and es- 

 pecially those relating to infections and epidemic diseases, can 

 be explained without difficulty. When the opponents of the 

 parasitic theory say that its adherents need seek for nothing 

 farther, they indeed accord to it the highest meed of praise 

 that can be given. Truth demands no forced interpretation ; 

 she is throughout simple, and easily understood. — De. Pbeuss, 

 Sanitatsrath. 



(To be continned.) 



THE BEE YEAR 1809. 



QUEEN HNCiSEMESIS AKD LATE-EEED DEOSES. 



I BELIEVE it will be generally admitted, both by English and 

 Scottish apiarians, that the bee year of 1869 opened and closed 

 rather favourably. In Scotland, especially, we commenced with 

 the brightest prospects. The close of the previous year found 

 most of our apiaries in the best condition. Stores were ample, 

 and the character of the autumnal months conduced to keep up 

 throughout a good population, and thus to add an important 

 element towards future prosperity — namely, a considerable 

 number of young bees. For my own apiary, bees wintered 

 remarkably well ; comparatively few dead, and scarcely any 

 symptoms of dysentery appeared. The result was that the 

 opening season found my hives in splendid condition. Still 

 the apiarian, guided by former experience, knows quite well 

 that the best appearances in February do not always betoken 

 futtire prosperity. Ample stores are good, and population ex- 

 cellent, but there is one individual unit, one important person- 

 age in each colony, upon whom moredepends than anything else. 

 This is the queen, and now, therefore, comes the trying, testing 

 season of her real condition. Hence, in large apiaries we must 

 not be unprepared, as March and April approach, for several 

 marked changes or declensions, and probably some deaths. 



As far as the weather was concerned there was not much to 

 complain of. The bees were occasionally deterred from pro- 

 secuting their labours, but, on the whole, there was no serious 

 check to onward progress through the spring months. Some 

 of the best and earliest-flowering plants, such as the goose- 

 berry, pear, and apple, afforded excellent pasturage in my own 

 locality, and when May arrived several of my hives exhibited 

 great advancement. Drones appeared ten days earlier than in 



ordinary seasons, and swarming propensities were already be- 

 ginning to manifest themselves. Unfortunately a period of 

 cold east winds prevailed about the middle of May, which in my 

 locality evidently exercised as blighting an influence over the 

 ardour of my bees as they did over the various products of garden 

 and field. Hence the bees of most of my advanced hives were 

 completely frustrated in their emigrating intentions, and the 

 most strange anomalies, freaks, and out-of-the-way proceedings 

 took place. Well versed and much experienced as I am in all 

 the forms and phases of this the most interesting department of 

 apiarian science, natural swarming, I confess I never observed 

 so many anomalies occurring as during the past summer. This 

 arose, as I have said, from the unfavourable weather which 

 prevailed during the latter half of May, during which the old 

 queens were absolutely prevented from leading off' the first 

 swarms as in ordinary circumstances. 



It was about this time, the 21st of May, I think, that oneof 

 your esteemed contributors paid me a visit. The day was in- 

 auspicious, and the apiary all but silent. Eight in the door- 

 way of one of the hives a suspicious-looking cluster about the 

 size of a hen's egg attracted my notice, to which I drew my 

 friend's attention. On a more minute examination we found 

 it was a queen encasement, and on dispersing the bees a beau- 

 tiful queen was found lifeless in the midst. A dissection 

 proved her to be normally fertile, the spermatheca exhibiting 

 the usual well-known appearances in such circumstances. But 

 for the explanation. If a stranger queen, how came she there? 

 it the hive's own queen, why her encasement and death? My 

 friend suggested the former, on the supposition that another 

 hive might have thrown a swarm that returned, and the queen, 

 missing her way, had entered this the wrong hive, and hence 

 her captivity and death. The bad weather, however, was against 

 this view, and, besides, the queen was an Egyptian, exactly 

 corresponding to the one I knew the hive possessed. A few 

 more days, however, cleared up the mystery, and showed that 

 this was indeed the hive's own queen— a queen, too, only one 

 year old, and apparently free from any physical disability. 

 Soon thereafter piping commenced, and on the 28th of May, 

 and Ist and 2ad of June respectively, three swarms issued 

 forth all headed by young queens, In four cases the prime 

 swarms were thus led forth by young queens, the old ones having 

 either been sacrificed or having otherwise disappeared. 



First and foremost in my apiary stood at this time another 

 Egyptian colonv, domiciled in a large straw skep, which had 

 good stores and "an immense population. This hive appeared 

 ready to swarm about the 18th May, but no opportunity was 

 afforded it by reason of the unsuitableness of the weather. On 

 the 29th of May I was astonished to find a young fuU-grovm 

 queen extended dead. Conjecturing that this hive had been in 

 the same position as the Egyptian hive already alluded to, I 

 wished to try an experiment to force a swarm. I have on & 

 former occasion adverted to a practice which I generally found 

 efficacious in forcing after-swarms at any favourable hour of 

 the day I chose — namely, by feeding with a little sugar syrup 

 or honey. I wished now to see if excitement produced by 

 another process than feeding would have the same effect. The 

 process I meant to adopt was simply that of rapping on the 

 upper and anterior part of the hive. Accordingly, on the 

 morning of the Ist of June, the first favourable opportunity 

 which occurred, and about nine o'clock, when the sun began to 

 shine out warmly, I gave the hive several smart strokes with 

 the palm of my hand, and went back a few paces to watch the 

 result. In a minute or two considerable hubbub and excite- 

 ment followed. By-and-by regimental files of heavily-laden 

 bees, those sure precursors of readiness, slowly but steadily 

 poured out. A slight hitch occurring, I again applied the 

 alarum beat, and off they flew. Unfortunately a passing cloud 

 damped their ardour, and the great mass clustered up and 

 around the skep, and beneath the landing-board, and nurnbers 

 on the wing began to return. I conjectured the queen had not 

 risen, so I immediately brushed off the hive a large hangmg 

 mass'of bees, to counteract, if possible, the effects of those re- 

 turning upon the stUl rushing swarm. The queen, however, 

 though among the bees I brushed off, did not take wing, and I 

 now found I was too late, as the returning bees prevailed. I 

 tried to collect as many bees as possible, by putting a skep 

 over the queen and those brushed off on the ground, but find- 

 ing that I could not secure so large a swarm as I could wish, I 

 returned the whole to the parent hive, and thus I was obhged 

 to be contented so far with the result of my experiment. In 

 this melee a fine young queen was sacrificed, having been stung 

 to death either by the bees or a rival. During the middle of 



