Aagttst 20, 1874. ] 



JOUKNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



177 



Lop bncks, and one for Lop does, one for Silver-Greys (buck or 

 doe), and one for the heaviest. Then cornea a class for " Any 

 other pure breed (bucks)," and a like one for does follows. I 

 regret to see this arrangement, for where five distinct breeds 

 that are fjeuerally allowed a class each, are huddled-up iu one 

 class, the Judge cannot be expected to do justice to them, par- 

 ticularly if there should be anything like a large entry, and as 

 the prizes are rather higher than usual, such I suspect there will 

 be. A sale class with the price unrestricted finishes this badly- 

 arranged schedule, which I hope will be thoroughly revised 

 before nest year's Show. 



A glance at any of the above-mentioned prii^e lists will show 

 that committees are more liberal in the number of classes they 

 give than hitherto; yet, as will be perceived, there is ample 

 room for additions to the number. But though Rabbits may 

 have more classes than they had formerly, are the prizes iu 

 these classes of sufficient value to encourage exhibitors to send 

 their stock ? I think not. Exhibitors, as a rule, do not care to 

 send valuable Rabbits to a show where, though they may be 

 almost certain of winning, the first prize is about 7s. Gd., well 

 knowing that the entry fees and carriage to and from the show 

 often takes nearly if not all of the prize money. 



As an instance of the support given to exhibitions which will 

 give liberal prizes, let me refer to the Leeds Ornithological 

 Show, held in April last, when no less than 120 Rabbits were 

 entered in four classes. Why ? Because the prizes were worth 

 the attention of fanciers, being a silver medal for first, and Ifls. 

 for second in each class, except the sale class, which had a silver 

 eup for first, a silver medal second, lO.s. third, and 5.9. fourth. 

 The consequence of this liberality was, that forty Rabbits were 

 shown iu this class alone. Here, then, is an iustance of a show 

 which, giving good prizes and well-arranged classes, secured 

 itself one of the largest entries of the season. 



Exhibitions after September are few and far between, but the 

 Crystal Palace schedule will doubtless renuire a short notice. — 

 A RiBBiT Fancieb. 



DRIVING AND UNITING SWAKMS. 



As "F. C." and others want to know which is "the best 

 time of the day for driving and uniting bees," I shall here state 

 that we have always found the afternoon or evening to be better 

 for this work than the earlier parts of the day. After the 

 labours of the day are over bees are at home, and may be driven 

 hitker and thither at will without molestation from the bees of 

 other hives flying about. Of course, if bees are not at work they 

 may be driven as quietly at 12 o'clock noon as at Gr.ji., but 

 for those who have not their evenings to spare, let me say that 

 bees can be easily driven iu warm weather at any time of the 

 day. In cold weather, and when they have been nestling for 

 some time amongst the centre combs (and not at work), they 

 are more difficult to drive. They are reluctant to leave their 

 cozy quarters. In cold weather we feed the bees before we 

 begin to drive them, by pouring halt a pint of syrup over the 

 combs and bees. In about fifteen or twenty minutes after they 

 have been fed the heat of the hive, together with the gladness 

 and noise of the bees, becomes very great. They are now easily 

 driven. Even in the coldest months of winter bees thus treated 

 may be readily driven into other hives. In very cold weather 

 we carry them into a vinery or a room of a dwelling house when 

 about to drive and unite them. All this is stated that bee- 

 keepers may know and bear in mind that warm weather and 

 warm hives cause bees to run better and faster when driving 

 and artificial swarming are practised. In hot honey weather 

 four minutes' drumming will be ample for an artificial swarm, 

 and from fifteen to twenty minutes' constant drumming will 

 drive nearly all the bees into an empty hive. 



As to the best time of the day for uniting swarms I think there 

 can be but one opinion — viz., about sunset. We frequently 

 drive bees in the forenoon, and unite them in the afternoon. 

 By feeding the hive to receive the bees some twenty minutes 

 before the union takes place, fighting is prevented. Feeding 

 thus, we throw the bees of the hive into a state of hilarity and 

 joy. Dr. Gumming has told us that honey to breakfast makes 

 people sweet-tempered. Perhaps this was said by way of banter. 

 We all know that a child with a lump of sugar candy in his month 

 is difficult to exasperate, and that bees after being well fed are 

 not disposed to quarrel and fight. This, touching bees, cannot 

 be too widely known and practised. As soils are prepared for 

 the reception of seeds, hives should be prepared for the re- 

 ception of bees. Inattention to this particular will be frequently 

 followed by failure. As bees know each other by smell, I use 

 and recommend minted syrup when xiniting swarms. Success 

 is certain if these conditions are complied with. By feeding 

 bees at sunset, and casting a swarm amongst them twenty 

 minutes after, we have never failed in uniting swarms, and very 

 often without the loss of a bee. If bees united abstain from 

 fighting for fifteen minutes at first, they do not fight at all. A 

 union lasting as life is thus cemented. 



Such is our practice and experience ; but there are other ways 

 of uniting swarms. Chlorofoim, a puff-ball, are resorted to in 



this work of unions. Both of these when properly used produce 

 prostration and unconsciousness amongst bees. They fall from 

 their combs as dead bees, and may be safely united in their 

 state of unconsciousness and helplessness. The use of chloroform 

 and puff-ball is so hurtful and dangerous to bee life that I 

 follow, and recommend others to follow, a more safe and merciful 

 course. 



As the honey hives of " F. C." are at one end of his garden, 

 and his young stocks at the other, he seeks for advice how to 

 proceed. He has not told us whether he wishes his stocks to 

 remain where they are, or whether he wishes them to occupy 

 the place of the old ones. It does not signify. He should drive 

 all the bees from the old stocks into empty hives first, then 

 bring the stocks and bees together at 7 o'clock p.m., and unite 

 them as described above. There is but little risk at this season 

 in changing the positions of hives iu a garden, if all be moved 

 at once ; the bees could be taken to the stocks, or the stocks to 

 the bees, or both on being united could be placed half way 

 between the two stands, or in any other part of the garden. But 

 let it be understood, if sucli change of position be contemplated 

 and undertaken, all the hives must go at the same time. One 

 hive left on a stand from which others were removed but a short 

 distance would draw the bees that returned to the stand from 

 their new position. We have known bees removed from one 

 side of a dwelling house and from one side of a garden to the 

 other side without injury, but then all the hives were removed 

 at once. 



The hive that gathered 10 lbs. of honey in one day belongs to 

 Mr. Sheai'er, near Huntly, in the north of Scotland. The case 

 was mentioned to stimulate the apiarians in the south. " They 

 are far behind who cannot follow." — A. Pettighew. 



THE HONEY SEASON. 



It is difficult not to feel envious as one reads the accounts 

 now coming-in from many parts of the country telling of glorious 

 harvests of honey, while no such plenty has blessed one's own 

 vicinity. I wiU not say utter barrenness is our experience per 

 contra, but it is as near to that as possible. I left home on the 

 18th of July for the Lizard district in Cornwall, and was absent 

 three weeks. My bees at home had managed in the splendid 

 comet weather to recover themselves somewhat, and honey was 

 glistening in many cells, but evidently gathered with difficulty. 

 On my return home three weeks later, hearing of abundant 

 rains in many quarters, I hoped to find that my own bees had 

 shared in the good luck reported from other parts of England. 

 Not so, alas ! on the contrary, my bees had fallen olf unquestion- 

 ably, breeding had quite ceased in most hives, and all was still 

 as in September, that dreariest of months for bee-keepers. The 

 cause of all this poverty in our country is that which has pre- 

 vailed throughout this remarkable season— namely, the absence 

 of moisture. Rains have fallen elsewhere in abundance, floods 

 even occurring in some places ; here nothing beyond a good 

 shower occasionally from the 14th of April to the 7th of August, 

 showing a drought unparalleled in this west English county. 

 Grass is only just beginning to grow. The curious thing is, 

 that only a few miles from us there has been a fair quantity of 

 rain. Nevertheless, matters are certainly much better than they 

 were last year. Then every hive was pauperised ; now half my 

 stock is sufficiently supplied with sealed honeycomb to survive 

 the winter, and the rest will only require partial feeding. More- 

 over, I have actually harvested from two or three hives several 

 pounds of honey. 



Curiosity moved me to carry-oS a " turnout " hive into Corn- 

 wall, as I did two years ago, the history of which hive was given 

 in this Journal. I wished to see if they would do as well as they 

 did then. They travelled well, and were full of brood all sealed- 

 up at the expiration of my three- weeks holiday ; but although 

 the weather was generally fine, and heather was within reach 

 as well as clover, the result was certainly no more increase to 

 their stores than 3 or 4 lbs. of honey at the utmost I and yet 

 I took down rather more bees than I did two years ago. They 

 travelled well thither, but remembering how the heat of the 

 train caused the collapse of the comb two years ago, we thought 

 it advisable to destroy the bees the day before our return, save 

 only the queen and a few workers. These were fortunately 

 saved, as I found one of my hives which had recently swarmed 

 minus a queen. Over these the rescued queen with all the 

 brood was immediately put. I had the pleasure of seeing her 

 majesty well received by her new subjects. 



It is to be hoped that further reports may be sent-in from 

 other parts of England. I am curious to learn if in the great 

 plains of Berkshire, Lincolnshire, or elsewhere, droughts have 

 prevailed as largely as in our smaller Somersetshire levels. — 

 B. & W. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Young Dorkings at Bishop Auckland Suow. — AJJow me to inform 

 you that I took first and second prizes for young Dorkings. — C. Widdas, 

 Howdcn-lc-Wt:ay. 



