May G, 1875. ] 



JOURNA.Ii OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



361 



is, to take the bird fresh and to freeze it to the very middle. 

 Thousands upon thousands are passed into freezing houses 

 artfully constructed for the purpoEe. When quite stiff and hard 

 they are taken out, wrapped in coarse paper like bottles of 

 champagne, and packed carefully in barrels. The paper plays a 

 very important part in the business. In the first place it is a 

 non-conductor, and it therefore assists in the isolation of each 

 bird, so that when the barrel is opened at the end of a fortnight's 

 voyage the contents have positively not begun to thaw. Then, 

 again, the wrappage keeps the feathers smooth ; and the birds 

 being more sightly find a better sale. It is said, indeed, that a 

 sbilling a brace, or more, is the difference between Prairie fowl 

 which have been wrapped in paper and those which have not. 

 As for the freezing process itself, something of the same kind 

 has been an old practice in Russia and Canada for home pur- 

 poses, and the Russians know well that the best way of thawing 

 the frozen birds is to begin by putting them in cold water. 



A more delicate bird than the Prairie fowl — namely, the Vir- 

 ginian Quail, is brought to fioglish markets in the same manner 

 as that we have described in the case of the Prairie hen, which, 

 by the-by, is sometimes called — with sad ignorance of natural 

 history — the Canadian Pheasant. Epicures may sneer at both 

 those dainties ; but they would not sneer at either were they to 

 taste them skilfully prepared in New York or Montreal. Even 

 here, after the freezing process, the packing, and the sea voyage, 

 a housewife with a quick eye for the signs that make or mar a 

 bird for cooking will be able to pick out a plump young brace 

 from a row of these Prairie hens in front of a poulterer's shop. 

 Up to the present time the outlay has been ^f 93, 000; and we 

 believe that the round sum of £1.50,000 will be about the ultimate 

 cost of this well-planned poultry market. — (Irish Farmers' 

 Gazette) 



FEEDING TROUGH. 



This is the best and handiest instrument for feeding bees that 

 we have ever seen. It is made of tin, and costs id. It can be 

 made of any required length, and narrow enough to enter hives of 

 any kind. By filling this trough on the flightboard of a hive 

 and pushing it into the hive the bees can be easily fed. The 

 trough can be pushed 2 or 3 inches beyond the doorway, and 



Feedmg Truuy 



remain there without molesting or hindering the bees in any 

 way. An ordinary-sized trough will hold more than a quarter 

 of a pint of syrup, and this given daily to a hive in March and 

 April, or in cold weather, will encourage the bees to breed and 

 develope their powers. Those most attentive to the wants of 

 their bees in cold weather will generally h ive the largest harvests 

 of honey at the end of the season. — A. Pettigkew. 



LIGTJRIANS. 



I HAD no wish to continue any controversy on this subject, 

 bnt as Mr. Pettigrew challenges me I feel bound to reply. In 

 the first place I never doubted the wisdom of settling the 

 matter — i.e., the superiority of Ligurians, for I consider the 

 matter long since settled, and it seems to me on a par to trying 

 the convict Orton over again. Your valued correspondent 

 "B. & W." has said in your columns, " The breeding powers of 

 the queens in my possession, particularly the hybrids, have 

 been greatly in excess of anything I had ever experience of 

 before. ... I have found this fecundity quite a nuisance, 

 as they have multiplied to such an extent in hives as to have 

 occasioned an excess of swarming." I will quote no other 

 opinions, but by reading any of the American, German, or 

 English bee journals any apiarian will find numberless confirm- 

 ations ; so taking my stand on " B. & W.'s " opinion I will say 

 although I never said it before, " If the Ligurians are better 

 breeders, it follows they are better workers." 



Instances are not uncommon of queens producing such a great 

 quantity of brood that the hive has no space left available for 

 honey storage unless a super be supplied, and then again if the 

 super be removed at the close of the honey season the stock may 

 die from famine unless fed with judgment. Experience and care 

 will guard against both these contingencies, although perhaps 

 the race would be blamed by the ignorant for the misfortune. 



In the poultry world we do not find a breeder of Brahmas 

 writing down Cochins, or the Dorking fancier maintaining a 

 controversy to prove there is nothing so good as his particular 

 favourites. Each have poiuts of excellence, and so have the 

 varieties of bees, so I say Cliaqun il son gout. 



If auy of your readers wishes the trial made, why not make it 

 himself ? A fancy price need not be paid for queens. They 

 may be imported from Italy in May and June at 10s. each, and 



the old qneen of the swarm will be worth half the money to 

 return to her hive, where she will recommence breeding with- 

 out delay. I am not a bee-doaler (although, of course, I like to 

 make money of my surplus swarms), but I will undertake to 

 import any number of queens required at the above price for 

 purposes of Mr. Pettigrow's wished-for trial. — JouM Hunteii, 

 Eaton Rise, Ealing. 



SWARMING AND SUPERING. 



Both wind and weather at present are favourable for bees, 

 and favourable, too, for fruit-settiug in the small orchards in 

 this part of the country. The pear trees are now white with a 

 galaxy of blossoms, and the bees are busy at work on them. 

 Apple and sycamore trees are abundantly covered with flower 

 buds, which are fast expanding. If the present fine weather 

 continue for two or three weeks the probability is great that 

 there will be this autumn a very heavy crop of all kinds of hardy 

 fruit. And who can tell how much the country js indebted to 

 bees for an abundant harvest of fruit ? They gather great 

 stores of honey and pollen from gooseberry and currant bushes, 

 plums and cherries, pears and apples, and in doing this they 

 help to a groat extent to fertilise and set the blossoms. Such 

 weather makes apiarians think of swarming, supering, heavy 

 hives, great results, the Crystal Palace Exhibition, and the dis- 

 tinctive honour of being successful competitors there. We hope 

 apiarians of all creeds and classes will have a favourable season 

 for honey-gathering, and derive great encouragement and confi- 

 dence from their own practice and success, as well as pleasure 

 and stimulus from the apiarian fHes that are promised us next 

 autumn. Now let us have a few commonplaces touching general 

 management. 



Swarming. — By instinct and a law of their nature bees multi- 

 ply, swarm, and thus form independent colonies and commu- 

 nities. Swarming is one of the most interesting features of bee 

 history. Even the exploit of hiving his first swarm success- 

 fully causes a glow of pleasure to a beginner. If the present 

 fine weather continue there will he many swarms in May, not- 

 withstanding the cold spring. Many hives have their combs 

 covered with bees, and comb-building has commenced in hives 

 not fall of combs. A hive filled with combs, and these combs 

 covered with bees, is within three weeks of swarming in ordinary 

 seasons. 



Every bee-keeper may examine his hives easily by gently and 

 slowly turning them up to see how much comb is covered. My 

 bees are so accustomed to exposure in this way at this season of 

 the year that they do not seem to be disturbed by being so 

 turned up. Many visitors marvel at the quietness of the bees, 

 as well as the quiet way they are handled. By putting a finger 

 in the mouth of the hive, and raising the front of the hive high 

 enough to have a peep inside, auy bee-master may know, to a 

 certain extent, how his bees are doing. All this may be done 

 without smoke or the use of fustian rags. By using smoke from 

 such rags a more thorough examination may be made. As 

 soon as the bees can and do cover all the combs of a hive, eggs 

 are set in the combs from side to side. In three weeks all this 

 brood will be batched (and more set as it is hatched), filling the 

 hive full enough for swarming. Swarming is hastened, too, by 

 the storing of honey in the combs. The accumulation of honey 

 in the upper and outside regions of a hive compresses the bees 

 in the lower regions, &c., nearer the door, and often sends them 

 outside for room and air. As bees approach the swarming point 

 the heat and noise of their hive become very great in honey 

 weather. 



Those who manage their bees on the swarmmg system should 

 have the hives ready for their swarms. The largest sizes of 

 hives should be peopled by the largest and earliest swarms. 

 We are frequently asked if swarms from small old-fashioned 

 hives will fill 16-iuch and IS-inch hives the first season. Such 

 hives may be filled by the first swarms from small hives. If 

 the weather be unfavourable after the bees are hived, a few 

 pounds of sugar will help the bees very much, by enabling 

 them to build combs for the eggs, which are so abundantly 

 produced by their queens. We have given an order to our 

 hive-maker to send ten hives 18 inches wide and IG inches 

 deep, and ten 16 inches wide and deep. These will be peopled 

 by early swarms, and smaller hives by later swarms. First 

 swarms in May, evi:n from small hives, will, in seasons ordi- 

 narily favourable for honey-gathering, fill large hives. 



Many youug apiarians, anxious to have their bees in large 

 hives, ask if they should put two or three swarms together in 

 one large hive. It is not necessary to unite first swarms, and 

 it is not good policy to do so. Sixteen-inch hives may be easily 

 filled by small first swarms hived separately, and these will 

 make excellent stocks. In good seasons aud localities such 

 swarms will fill 18-iuch hives. The second swarms and turn- 

 outs of small hives may be united with advantage, and put into 

 larger hives. 



Supering, on the non-swarming system of management, gene- 

 rally begins about the first week in May. Indeed, it should be 



