September 3, 187J. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



223 



better than the four principal pens proved themselves to be. 

 Bouens of specially good feather took precedence, but not with- 

 out uncomfortable pressure from three pens of Aylosburys of 

 the best type; all three pens were so perfect as to all but insure 

 a dead heat. A fine day gave great success to the whole pro- 

 ceedings. 



CHICKENS. 



BsinMiS.—Darfc— I.Horace Lin^wood. 2. T. F. AnsJell. /ic, T. H. Water- 

 man ; T. t'. ADsJeU; H. Ohuwnor. c, E. PritcUard ; W. H. Crewe; Mra. E. 

 Wilkinaon; R. B. Wood; J. Watts. ^ ,. , . , 



BRAHMis— ii(;/i(.— I. e. Haiuos. 2, Horace Lmgwooil. he, E. Kendnck, 

 jun. : M. Christopher; J. Benton; Mra. F. Cheshire; H. Chawner, jun. ; t. 



Coo'hin-'ohinas.— ir;ii(f, Biitr. orPartridoe-l. C. Sidgivick. 2, W. H. Crabtree, 

 ;ic, C. Sidjnvick; H. roiiilina.iii. c, Rev. R. Filden. 



HonoANB.— 1 and 2, R. B. VV.iod. he, G. W. Hibbert ; G. D. Harrison ; K. B. 

 Wood ; \V. Drmg. t', U. D. Harrison. 



Cbeve-Ciede, Li FI.ECIIE, OB Beeda.— 1 and 2, R. B. Wood (Orcve-Coeiirs). 

 c, W. Dtina (Creve-Ccenrs). ,, ,, 



DoKEiNoa.-l and 2, Mrs. Arkwright. he, E. Cheeseman ; M. Murray, c. 

 Rev. — Bartruin. _ , ., «,■ 



Game.— 1, Duke of Sntherland. 2, G. BcnUey. he, T. P. Lyon ; C. Minors, 

 c, E. Bell ; J. Lane. 



Si'ANisn.— 1. G. H. Chiloott. 2, E. Winwood. , _, ^ 



HitlinaKaua.—aohiorSih'cr-ilim"gled.—l,J. Long. 2, T.May. 715, J. Ward; 

 Duke of Sutherland, c, J. Slater. , , , , t 



Hamoorohs —Oold or ijilnerpemiUed.—l and 2, Duke of Sutherland, he, J. 



Any' other Variety.— 1, Rev. A. G. Brooke (Malay). 2. Duke of Sutherland 

 (Black HamburgQ). he, E. Kendrick. jun. (Black Cochin); L. Nash (Black 

 Coellin); T. Buulton (Black Hamburgh). 



ADULTS. 



Any Variety.- 1, W. Cntlack, jun. (Cruve-Oiour). 2, J. Long (Silver Poland). 

 3, R. B. Wood Cn-ve-Co-ur) 4, J. Watts (Brahmas). c, E. Winwood. 



Bantams.— Oii»ie.—l, J. Mayor. 2, A. Ashley, he, — Baskerville (2) ; Duke of 

 Sutherland; A.Smith. 



Bantams.— /Im/ variety exeept Game.— I, W. H. Robinson (Black). 2, A. Ashley 

 (Sebright), he, F. Holbrook (White-booted); R. H. Asbton (Black). 



CoTTAUERS' Class.— .4/11/ variety. ~1, J. Lane (Black Red). 2, W. cope 

 (Golden spangled llamburgbs). 3, I. Gould (Cuckoo Dorkings). 



DucEi— fiou'^'i or Jy(t;s)jHry.—l, Duke o. Sutherland. 2, J. Hedges. )tc. H. 

 Chawner; W. H. Crewe. 



Mr. Edward Hewitt, of Sparkbrook, Birmingham, was the 

 Judge. 



UNITINa SWARMS. 



All earnest writers on subjects of bee history and manage- 

 ment, find that their own productions are defective and incom- 

 plete. Their ability is not equal to the work in hand. Some 

 things are forgotten ; some things are not thoroughly under- 

 stood ; and others well understood are not stated clearly enough 

 for a great number of writers. I suppose all human efforts 

 are marked by imperfection. The straightest line ever drawn 

 by man is somewhat crooked under the scrutiny of the mi- 

 croscope. 



Information was lately sought and given on driving and 

 uniting bees. More inquiries on the same subjects are to 

 hand. Every week we are receiving evidence of great and 

 enlightened progress made in bee-keeping throughout the 

 country. This morning a letter of thanks has been received 

 from a bee-keeper at Tiverton, near Bath. He says, "In driving 

 my bees according to your instruction I have succeeded better 

 than I expected. From the hive I mentioned I have obtained 

 nearly 40 lbs. of honey ; there was but little brood in it. I have 

 driven another hive with about the same results. These swarms 

 are fed with a pound or more of syrup every day. The idea of 

 driving bees is a novel one in this neighbourliood. Old bee- 

 keepers say the bees will not survive the winter, but I am 

 sanguine as to the result." The same post delivered another 

 letter from a village in Banffshire, askiug for a market for 

 honey. The writer says he has " turned out some swarms and 

 found their hives quite full of honey. Had I corne across your 

 instructions sooner more money would have been in my pocket. 

 I can now apprehend what large hives and large swarms mean, 

 I assure you. In the paths of apicirlture you have many followers 

 in this part of the country, and this year we have had extraordi- 

 nary success." 



In answer to the questions of "R. E.H.," we have to say that 

 after a swarm has been driven into an empty hive, they are not 

 driven in like manner " into another inhabited hive." They 

 are cast or thrown in at one stroke. If done as described last 

 week there will be no fighting. One of the queens will be killed 

 and cast out. If one of the queens is too old for keeping, it is 

 wise to kill her before the union takes place ; thus the younger 

 one will be preserved amongst the united bees. In cases where 

 stocks cannot be brought together and united, " R. E. H." asks, 

 *' What is to be done to overcome the tendency of bees to return 

 to their former stand, aud there lose their lives ? " Last week 

 we said there was but little risk or danger if all the hives were 

 removed at the time of union from their former position ; but 

 suppose all hives cannot be removed, how can the bees of a 

 honey hive be preserved ? 



1 2 3 < 5 C 



O O O O O O 



Let us say that we wish to take the honey from No. 5, and put 

 its bees into 1 and 3. Can this be done safely ? No, the bees 

 woiLld go back to their old position, and probably be killed at 

 the doors of 4 and 6. In such a case we drive the beea out of 



No. 2, and unite them to 1 and 3 ; then the bees of No. 5 are 

 driven and cast into No. 2, which takes the place of No. 5. Thus 

 by a very simple process we get the hive of honey, and strengthen 

 1 and 3 with bees without the loss of life. 



After all that can be said aud taught, much must be left to the 

 ingenuity of the bee-keepiug community. The Scottish bee- 

 keepers, as a whole, need but little stimulus and instruction now. 

 A little more experience aud practice will convince them that 

 they are in the vanguard of the apiarian army. The little 

 leaven that is now working among the rural population of Eng- 

 land will by-and-by leaven the whole. Put large hives into the 

 hands of the cottagers of England, and these will put a large 

 revenue into their pockets. The U s. d. gained go a long way to 

 clear off the fogs and widen the landscape. Large hives and 

 good management go nearly hand-in-hand, though they gene- 

 rally stand in the relation of parent to child. The question of 

 finance in bee-keeping, as in farming and market-gardening, is 

 the most up-lifting and successful. — A. Pettigbew. 



BEE PHENOMENON. 



In the beginning of July Mr. Boulton, a tradesman of Ulver- 

 ston. North Lancashire, called my attention to a hive of bees, 

 pure Ligurians, in which were two young queens working 

 together, and requested me to send particulars to the leading 

 bee journals. So far no parallel case has been published, and I 

 now append you a further history of the hive. 



The bees were a last- year's swarm, and were enclosed in one 

 of Woodbury's bar hives. All went well until the spring, the 

 swarm being a very strong one ; later on, however, it was noticed 

 that the swarm was not doing well, aud it was believed that the 

 queen was dead. This belief led to an examination about the 

 middle of June, aud a queen's cell was discovered, and a young 

 queen was seen amongst the bees. There was no worker brood 

 in the hive, but a little drone brood was noticed. On the 28th of 

 June Mr. Boulton was in his garden with several bee-keepers, 

 friends of his, when he opened the hive to see how the young 

 queen was progressing. The first bar was full of brood on each 

 side, and had on it a young queen ; the next was empty, but the 

 third also was full, and had likewiee a young queen. They con- 

 tinued on their separate bars for about a week, and on the 3rd of 

 July another examination showed them to be on the same bar, 

 but on opposite sides. A week later and they were found on the 

 same side of the bar, distant only an inch from each other, and 

 in the midst of the bees, working together in apparent concord. 

 More recent examinations have shown them in diiierent positions 

 in the hive, sometimes on one bar, sometimes on separate ones. 

 The broods from each were of the same age and in the same 

 state, showing that both had commenced laying at the same 

 ticne. One queen was a small one, and the colour not so good ; the 

 other was large, and of a beautiful yellow. During August several 

 examinations were made, but the smaller queen has not been 

 seen ; but as examination was very difficult, owing to the fulness 

 of the hive, it was hoped that she might turn up. A thorough 

 search was made on Monday week, but the result was a failure, 

 and she has evidently been killed. 



The theory of bee-keepers here is, that in consequence of the 

 loss of the old queen the bees had proceeded to hatch two young 

 ones, and seeing the weakness of the hive, had allowed both to 

 live until the hive was replenished and strong enough to do with 

 one, as it is now, for they are making honey fast. Mr. Boulton'a 

 friends wished him to divide the hive into two, but he firmly 

 refused, being anxious to see the result. — Beta. 



THE PLURALITY OF QUEENS IN A HIVE. 



ToDR correspondent Mr. B oulton's having two fertilised queens 

 working harmoniously together in one hive is so singularly 

 exceptional that no satisfactory explanation can be given of it. 

 If the witnesses were competent, who dares question their 

 evidence ? We were told that many apiarians saw both queens 

 at work in the hive at the same time. This phenomenon is of a 

 remarkable character. I shall be glad to hear again of Mr. 

 Boulton'a hive, aud whether both queens are still ahve, fori 

 have never found bees that would permit two queens to live in 

 their hive ; and, moreover, I have never known two fertilised 

 queens live long together. My experience is pretty extensive, 

 comprising the hatching of thousands of queens and unions of 

 swarms. In every case one queen only has been kept in a hive, 

 and one queen is, by reason of her fertility, as good as twenty. 



An apiarian in our neighbourhood has now two swarms m a 

 large box, separated by perforated zinc. The experiment is 

 made to find out whether both swarms will work harmoniously 

 together in filling one super over both. Doubtless the swarms 

 will become one, and work as one in filling the super. But will 

 both queens be permitted to reign jointly or separately ? When 

 the experiment in question was first mooted, I predicted that 

 one of the queens would be destroyed. About a fortmght ago I 

 was told that one of the queens was found alive in front of the 



