22 



JOURNAL OF HORTIODIiTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



[ January 7i 1875. 



them over that trying period, and the way to success after is 

 clear. — David Lawbie, Kihnarnock. 



DO BEES SLEEP-.' 



It has not, we think, been proven that bees ever sleep. We 

 have never seen one either in winter or summer asleep. Analogy 

 and their very ar;tive industrious habits would lead to the belief 

 that they do sleep. When, where, and how they do sleep, we have 

 hitherto being unable to discover. In summer they work both 

 night and day, and never seem to tire. In early life we thought 

 they worked harder after a day of rest— that is to say, if weather 

 kept all at home for twenty-four hours they were recruited in 

 strength and vigour, and worked better on the day following. In 

 later years we have considered, that in the absence of outdoor 

 labour more work was done in the hive. When weather is 

 favourable and honey abundant we know that frequently honey 

 is gathered into hives faster than the indoor labourers can 

 manage — it accumulates too fast on their hands. The cessation 

 of outdoor work for a time enables the bees to remove the accu- 

 mulations of honey from the centre combs, and store it up in 

 their outer and upper edges. Thus the domestic arrangements 

 are advanced, and room made for more honey, and more 

 labourers are set at liberty to gather it. When bees have no 

 domestic work to attend to, as is the case when a swarm is put 

 into a hive of empty combs, they work prodigiously fast. By- 

 and-by the brood and honey of such a hive require much atten- 

 tion. Hence, outdoor-work activity seems to abate. But when 

 no bees leave their hives we have never been fortunate enough 

 to find one asleep or anything like it. Young queens on coming 

 to perfection sometimes pipe or call for seven days without 

 cessation. During that time they can get no sleep. And if it 

 be true that pregnant queens deposit in cells two thousand eggs 

 a-day — that is, eighty eggs every hour, throughout the summer 

 months, when, pray, can they find time to sleep 1 



In winter bees have few domestic duties to perform, and there 

 is no honey to gather. But the question of bees sleeping or 

 hybernating in winter is just as difficult to answer as that of 

 sleeping in summer. I know what others say on this question, 

 but I like to read nature through my own eyes ; and I trust the 

 readers of this Journal will ever be guided in great measure by 

 their own observation and intelligence. I have examined hives 

 at all seasons, even when there was 20' degrees of frost, and I 

 never found a bee asleep. Still I do not say that they never 

 sleep. Can any of our readers give evidence ou the question ? 



Bees rest in winter, and crowd together for mutual warmth. 

 To-day (2ud of January), the wind being south, and the mercury 

 2' above freezing, my bees attempted to come out for an airing, 

 hut were prevented owing to the snow being still on the ground. 

 Tip to the present time bees have been healthy this winter, and 

 if prevented from leaving their hives while snow is on the 

 ground, will likely be in good condition when spring comes. 

 But absolute confinement is hurtful to bees. When weather 

 permits they prefer to go abroad to evacuate, and if they do this 

 when snow is on the ground they fall into it in hundreds and 

 perish. Hence their doors should be shut when snow is on the 

 ground. 



The question as to whether a north or south site is the better 

 for bees in winter, has often been put and discussed. Mr. Nutt 

 who had a hive of his own was rather an impulsive bee-keeper, 

 and came to hasty conclusions. " In November, 1834, Mr. Nutt 

 placed three hives on the north side of his house and three 

 remained on the south side. 



No. 4 weighed 42 



„ D , S2 



» B ,. 37 



Ua 111 



On the 26th of the following March they weighed as follows :- 



i^T , . V . ""• I "IS- 



^o. 1 weighed 15 No. 4 weighed S7 



..a 16 I „ 5 , 27 



.•3 19 „ 6 82 



50 



96 



The first three — those on the south side — lost 63 Iba., on an aver- 

 age 21 lbs. each ; those on the north only 1.5 lbs., average 5 lbs. 

 each. The three last — those on the north — swarmed in May, 

 the three first not till July." 



Some apiarians may consider the experiment conclusive that 

 a north aspect is better for bees in winter than a south one. 

 The results of the experiment have no weight with us, believing 

 that if any unbiased man had been on the spot he would have 

 been able to trace the difference of results to something else 

 than position of hives. At present we are not going to attempt 

 an analysis of Mr. Nutt's experiment. In our experience we 

 find that hives do as well in one position as another — that on 

 the north side of a house the bees are abroad at the same time 

 as those ou the south aide— and that neither the consumption 



of honey nor the times of swarming are much affected by the 

 position of an apiary. We have hives looking east, north, west, 

 and south, and have invariably failed to find any advantage that 

 one may have over the other. The strength of the hives in 

 autumn is of far more importance than their position or aspect. 

 Strong hives eat more honey, are less affected by severe winters, 

 and swarm earlier than weaker ones. Warm covering of hives 

 in severe winters and early spring months is of great advantage 

 to bees. — A. Pettigbew. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Great Yarmouth Poultry Show (J. Watts).— The Secretary ought to 

 have replied to your applications. Your courBe to pursue is to ascertain from 

 the railway officials' parcel book if your birds were delivered, and then you 

 will know who to proceed against. 



Manchester Poultry Show.— Mr. J. Lederer informs us that he took the 

 first prize in the Trumpeter class at Belle Vue, Manchester. 



HounAN AND Brahma Characteristics (G. B.}.— Good crest and muffling, 

 comb neatly branched, less with five toes like the Dorking, soimd-coloured, 

 free from a yellow tinge, size, shape, and style, are the principal characteris- 

 tics uf the Houdan. Brahmas should be very large with a neat pea-comb, 

 heavily feathered in the legs, but not vulture-hocked. We would advise you 

 to attend some of the poultry shows and closely examine the winning birds 

 in connection with the points to which we have referred. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSEBVATIONS, 



Camden Square, London. 



Lat. 51' 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0' 8- 0" W. ; Altitude, 111 feet. 



REMARKS. 

 30th. — Cold but annehiny mominp, and a fine frosty day. 

 3l8t. — Very thick and very dark all day, and bitterly cold. 

 Jan. let. — Much finer, but still very cold and frosty till the evening, when 

 there was a slight fall of snow, and a thaw and fall of rain at mid- 

 night, freezing on the ground. 

 2nd. — Foggy morning, very fine in the middle of the day, but a wet sight; 



much warmer. 

 3rd.— Bright all day till 3 p.m., then dull ; but fair till night, when it rained. 



Snow all gone, but the roads very sloppy. 

 4th. — Very dark early, but soon clearing ofl ; fine in the middle of the day ; 



warm and damp in the evening. 

 5th.— Dark, but fair early ; fine from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., then dull ; still warm. 

 With the old year the frost may be said to have ended; for the silver thaw 

 of Friday evening was merely the result of the frost left in the ground. De- 

 cember 3lBt was remarkable for the very low maximum temperature. — G. J. 



SXMONS. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— Jancaby 6. 

 There is no revival of trado of any consequence yet. Supply was rather 

 better in consequence of the favourable change in the weather, prices remaia- 

 ing nearly the same. 



FRUIT. 



B. d. 



Apples i sieve 1 to 



Chestnuts bushel 10 



B. d. 



Filberts lb. 1 



Coba lb. 1 



Grapes, hothouse lb. 4 



Lemona ^100 U 



Melons each 1 



20 fl 

 1 6 



8 

 12 



Oranges ^ 100 4 



Pears, kitchen doz. 2 



dessert doz. 2 



Pine Apples lb. 2 



Plums 1 sieve 



Walnuts bubbel 10 



ditto ^ 100 1 



d. B. d. 



Otoli) 



8 



4 



6 







12 



6 



Artichokes doz. 



Aaparagus v- 100 



French .... per bundle 

 Beans, Kidney.. .. k sieve 



Broad bubhel 



Beet, Red doz 



BroccoU bundle 



Bruasela Sprouts i sieve 



Cabbatre doz. 



Carrots bunch 



Capsicums ^100 



Cauliflower doz. 4 



Celery bundle 1 



Coleworts.. doz. bunches 4 

 Cucumberfl each 2 



pickling doz, 



Endive doz. 3 



Fennel bunch 



Garho lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horaeradiah bundle 



VEGETABLES, 



d. e.d. r 



Otoe 









 

 

 



1 





 3 

 1 







u II 



Leeks 



Lettuce dOB. 



MushroomB poiue 



Mustard •& Cress. .punnet 

 Onions ■ bushel 



pickling quart 



Parsley per doz. bunches 



Parsnips doz. 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes., doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salsaiy bundle 



Scorzonera bundle 



Sea-kale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes doz. 



Turnips bunob 



Vegetable Marrows,, dos. 



s. d. B. d. 

 StoO 

 10 2 





 



