January 28, 1875. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBUOULTUBB AND COTTAGE GABDBNBB. 



89 



goons. All that is stated is Mr. This-person's opiuion or Mr. 

 Tbat's. Argument based ou the history of the fancy has not 

 been attempted; and the men who accept the Horseman as a 

 Dragoon know and will own that their birds are often not Dra- 

 goon-bred. That the old variety, called properly the Horseman, 

 should be an exhibition bird is my wish. In this fight of truth 

 against prizetaking I see the especial value of Pigeon periodi- 

 cals ; for a judge even is apt to say, " Well, I shall only give a 

 prize to the Pigeon I approve ;" but Pigeon-writers are too 

 strong for even prejudiced judges. I wait anxiously for argu- 

 ments, and not merely for the opinions of this fancier or that 

 keeper of Pigeons. As the matter now stauds the writers in 

 favour of the bastard-bred young Carriers, or true Horsemen, 

 are — to adopt an old phrase and putting to it a new signification 

 — " utterly routed, horse, foot, and Dragoons." — Wiltsiiiiie 

 Rector. 



STANDARD OF DRAGOON. 



I .iM very glad this question is getting somewhat nearer settle- 

 ment. I observe an article upon this subject in another perio- 

 dical by Mr. South, who has, I believe, bred some of the win- 

 ning birds at various exhibitions, and therefore ought to know 

 something about the birds in question, and with the concluding 

 part of his statement I must say I agree, though we have begun 

 at the wrong end; but no doubt we shall in due time, if we go 

 on, arrive safely to the head of the bird. Mr. South says that 

 the tail of the Dragoon ought not to touch the ground. I pre- 

 sume he means whan the bird stands quite or perfectly upright. 

 I then with my rule or straightedge referred to the bird and 

 article by *' Wiltshire Rector," in this Journal, and on placing 

 the straightedge level with the sole of the feet found that the 

 bird did carry the tail well off the ground. With this I agree 

 as being one of the true points of a Dragoon, and that no Judge 

 ought to give a prize or even a commendition to a bird, however 

 good it may be in other points, if the tail does touch the ground, 

 as a Dragoon ought not to be a long-feathered bird. 



As to the pink eye, I have always seen it in a true-bred 

 Dragoon, but if it can be bred-out as an improvement I have 

 nothing to say against it. Mr. South also says, to settle the 

 question let there be chosen (I say by ballot), two members out 

 of each society. I suppose he means a London and a country 

 society. Now, I would propose that there be twelve chosen by 

 ballot to settle this question, say two from London, two from 

 Birmingham, two from Manchester, and the other six from the 

 different parts of the United Kingdom, not forgettiug Mr. Lud- 

 low with his pencil, that he may draw a true likeness of the 

 bird chosen by the said twelve, as being the most perfect speci- 

 men. Let all the gentlemen send their names to you that are 

 willing to act, then let a printed form be sent to all Dragoon 

 fanciers, and let them place their mark X opposite the name 

 they wish to act. I will give one guinea towards the expenses 

 with pleasure. — W. Woodhouse, King's Lynn. 



BEE-KEEPING IN 1875. 



The new year dawns upon us hopefully in regard to the pro- 

 spects of bee-keepers. Frosts and snow, of which we have had 

 a fair share already, and at a very seasonable time, are an excel- 

 lent preparation for a good and plentiful honey harvest. Here 

 in the south-west of England, living as we do very near the 

 seacoast, frosts of any severity are rare. As it is, I doubt if we 

 have had more than 12' of frost, and that for only two or three 

 days' duration ; and it is now several years since we had frost 

 enough to skate anywhere about us for more than a few hours 

 at a time. Now, I have often observed that our best honey 

 seasons — and they are of rare occurrence here — have followed 

 our coldest winters. Therefore I augur hopefully for the sum- 

 mer before us. It is now (Jan. 16th) so warm, and has been so 

 for some days, that a fire might have been dispensed with. At 

 this moment I am sitting with my window wide open facing 

 north, and my bees have been busy pollen-gathering. I noticed 

 this pleasant sight for the first time on the 12th, but I have no 

 doubt they were at it some days before during my absence from 

 home. All my hives, eleven in number, seem to be in good 

 health, and well supplied with provisions. 



It is a good thing when the weather is open, as at present, to 

 clear away as many dead bees as can be got at within the hive 

 without breaking away the hive from its board. This can fre- 

 qnently be done by inserting a piece of wire with a curve at one 

 end, and hookingout the dead on the floorboard. The effluvium 

 arising from a mass of corrupting bodies is often very great, 

 and after a long period of cold weather there is sure to be a con- 

 siderable quantity of such dead bodies lying about the floor- 

 board inside. The bees ordinarily remove their dead them- 

 selves from day to day when they can get out ; but it helps 

 them much to assist them in this labour, besides adding to their 

 health and comfort. Where wooden hives are used no harm 

 can accrue from breaking-up the hive from its board in any case 

 where these fit accurately. It is in the case of straw hives, 



which rarely do sit evenly on the board, that it is perilous to 

 remove these boards in winter. Sometimes I have known the 

 dead accumulate so thickly about the entrances inside as to 

 choke them up entirely, in which case, there being no exit for 

 the bees, the hive perishes inevitably. Let all bee-keepera 

 watch against eventualities like these, as well as against long- 

 continued accumulations of snow outside on the entrance- 

 boards. 



These hints are not untimely, as we shall doubtless ere long 

 be visited by a sharp increase of cold, all the more severe for 

 the present extraordinary warmth of temperature. 



Since writing the above I have been examining my hives, 

 and found ten out of the eleven pollen-gathering, some of them 

 quite vigorously. One hive, active and strong, on inspection by 

 a window at the back seemed to have a lar.<e number of dead 

 scattered below the combs. So being a " good divine that 

 follows his own instruction," I quickly heaved-up the hive by 

 means of a screwdriver, and with a thin stick swept off right 

 and left about thirty dead bees, whose fragrance was certainly 

 not of the sweetest. Sat verbuni sai)ienti ; experto crede. — 

 B. & W. 



ONWARDS. 



Apiakians as well as farmers and gardeners look forwards to 

 spring with uplifting hopes. Spring flowers, generally speak- 

 ing, afford more pleasure than autumn ones. All lovers of 

 nature admire and welcome spring. It is budding-time in many 

 senses, and with many persons and things. The enthusiasm of 

 many seems to swell with the buds of the trees. The resolve 

 is, that this year will be one of greater enjoyment and greater 

 success. Apiarians were never so enlightened as they are now, 

 speaking generally, and some of every school of management 

 are 'hoping for a year of sunshine. We sincerely hope that 

 1S75 may be a year of encouragement and success to all bee- 

 keepers. Their motto is '* Forward and onwards," not " Rest 

 and be thankful." As soon as spring commences our "busy 

 bees" will be abroad foraging. The crocuses, willows, and 

 species of tussilago are amongst our earliest flowers, and these 

 yield both pollen and honey. 



In the south of England breeding commences early in Fe- 

 bruary, when bees may be seen sipping and carrying-in water. 

 All hives should be examined now, and have their boards well 

 cleaned. If any of them have mouldy combs these should be 

 cut out to save the bees the time and trouble of doing it them- 

 selves. Some combs, not mouldy, may have perished (lost 

 their adhesive power), and crumble when touched by human • 

 hands. Damp hives from any cause will destroy the nature or 

 adhesive power of combs not covered by bees in winter. Hence 

 it is advisable to carefully examine all stocks at the present 

 time with a view to remove all impurities and hindrances out 

 of the way of the bees. If there be nothing to remove, there 

 may be always something learned by an examination of hives 

 internally. Small contracted doors and warm outer coverings 

 are of great importance in the months of February and March. 

 Then bees need all their natural warmth to assist in hatching 

 brood. 



It is yet rather too soon to begin artificial feeding. When 

 this is begun it is well to continue it in unfavourable weather, 

 whether hives really need it or not. A check to the prosperity 

 of a hive during the spring months may be a very serious affair. 

 A continuation of cold weather, together with the prospect of 

 hard times, often puts an end, for the time being, to breeding 

 in a hive. The bees instinctively decline to set eggs in times of 

 threatened starvation. Hence the importance of feeding in un- 

 favourable weather. Feeding at such times keeps-up the hum 

 of health in our hives, and causes the inmates to move upwards 

 and onwards. 



The parent hive that (with its swarms) rose in weight to 

 373 lbs. last year, "got a quarter of a pound of sugar with an 

 equal weight of water daily, from the 20th of April till the field 

 honey came in." This happened in the north of Scotland. In 

 most parts of England, and Scotland too, in ordinary seasons 

 artificial feeding may be commenced earlier than the middle of 

 April. Spring feeding is resorted to simply to stimulate and 

 keep alive our liliputian communities.— A. Pettigeew. 



METHEGLIN. 



Now that bee-farming is assuming such proportions, and the 

 sale of honey in many districts is so limited, what is to be done 

 with the hundredweights of surplus honey ? At present 

 ens omers are exceedingly scarce. Chemists will offer 8<i. or 

 9d per lb. for pure run honey, which is worth at least Is. 



Tne suggestion of Mr. Hunter is a very good one, that of 

 manufacturing honey into honey bread, bonbons, pastils, 

 chocolates, &c. If our confectioners would take a lesson from 

 our French neighbours, there would probably soon be a greater 

 demand for the delicious article. 



I do not know of anyone who can give a recipe for any of 

 the eatables mentioned by Mr. Hunter, but I can furnish a 



