September 10, 1874. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTIODLTOBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



245 



Now for milea round Manchester but few swarms of condemned 

 bees can be had at any price. Here, as elsewhere in England, 

 bee management had made no progress for a hundred years, 

 Large hives dropped into Lancashire and North Cheshire. Their 

 owner was condemned for his ignorance of bees and bee-keeping 

 " in this cold climate." Now large hives are in vogue ; the 

 lives of bees are precious ; bee-keeping is becoming an art and a 

 science. Working men are obtaining from 20 lbs. to 40 lbs. per 

 hive three weeks after swarming. The mists of ignorance are 

 passing off, and apiarians are beginning to see and know what 

 can be done. 



Those who keep their bees in bar-frame hives should take 

 especial care of the brood combs in the honey hives. The stock 

 hives would be greatly improved and strengtheued by the brood 

 of the honey hives. Every apiarian who uses bar frames knows 

 how to remove a comb filled with honey or an empty one, and 

 put a brood one in its place. The brood hatched now lives all 

 the winter; the more brood a stock hive has now, the stronger 

 in bees it will be next spring. If a hive has six sheets or combs 

 of brood now, it will be in good condition next spring, so far .is 

 population goes. Six combs of brood now indicate five Beams of 

 bees at the beginning of March next. I wish the young apiarian 

 to make a note of this simple remark, for he will find it of great 

 importance in guiding him in future years at the season of 

 selection. 



At the end of August and beginning of September honey- 

 gathering generally ends, and drones are killed off. If the bees 

 of one or more hives do not seem to molest the drones, there is 

 some reason to fear that they have lost their queens. An ex- 

 amination should be made, first by looking for brood in the 

 hives, and secondly, if none can be found, by driving the bees to 

 see if they have queens. Queenless swarms will remain in a 

 hive of combs if they were there when bereft of their queens, 

 but will not settle or remain in an empty hive if driven into it. 

 An experienced man can very often tell from the conduct of the 

 bees whether they are queenless or not. Such knowledge comes 

 by observation, and not from books. Of course queenless hives 

 at this season should either be set aside for honey, or for the 

 receptions ef queens and bees from honey hives. 



In fair weather bees instinctively seek honey. If it cannot be 

 had from the fields, they try to get it by robbing other hives. 

 In September perhaps more attempts at pillage are made than 

 in any other month. The doors of all hives should be contracted 

 to help the bees to defend their stores. 



September is the best month for autumn-feeding. There is 

 considerable risk run in feeding late, for feeding continuously in 

 October or November very often causes the bees to breed. If 

 frost set in before the brood be hatched, it is often destroyed in 

 part, and becomes foul and ruinous to hives. Winter-feeding 

 indicates neglect or ignorance. Hives that have not stored 

 enough should be fed as soon as possible or convenient. About 

 15 lbs. of honey or stored syrup keeps a strong hive of bees from 

 September till March. Better have 3 lbs. or 4 lbs. more than is 

 required, than an ounce too little. About the half of 1.5 lbs. will 

 serve the bees of small old fashioned hives during the autumn 

 and winter mouths. Let food be given according to population. 

 Three swarms eat as much in one hive as they do iu three 

 separate ones. 



We now come to the honey hives, and by weighing them we 

 can ascertain how much honey they contain before the bees are 

 driven out of them. We have a rule or standard of calculation. 

 After deducting the weight of hives and bees we reckon 5 lbs. of 

 honey for every 7 lbs. weight. A hive may weigh 100 lbs. The 

 hive, board, and bees may weigh 20 lbs., leaving 80 lbs. of combs. 

 According to our standard there would be about UO lbs. of honey 

 and 20 lbs. of refuse. The refuse from old combs and leau hives 

 is greater than the standard indicates, and in the case of heavy 

 hives of the current year's swarms (with young combs), the 

 yield of honey will be greater than the standard. In the case, 

 too, of hives without brood the refuse will be less and the yield 

 of honey greater. The standard given is accurate enough for 

 practical apiarians. — A. Pettigkew. 



(To be ooatiuued.) 



have adopted it several times with stock liives to prevent their 

 swarming, but always without success. 



As for bee houses, they may be necessary for a few favourite 

 wooden hives; but for the rank and file give me Mr. Pettigrew'a 

 three posts, which can easily be made low enough for nadir or 

 " nether" to rest upon with safety. — E. H. It. 



NADIRING. 



I .iM glad that your correspondent "B. & W." admits the 

 distinction between the nadir proper of Taylor and Pettigrew, 

 and the "nether" of the former, which he calls the " quasi- 

 nadir." I venture to suggest that it will save much confusion 

 to bee-keepers in their interchanges of thought and experience if 

 they will adopt Taylor's expression " nether," which is, after 

 all, the more correct opposite to " super," for an additional 

 chamber given below instead of above. The term nadir will 

 then resume its original signification of a hive placed under 

 another hive, " in order that it may be treated as a stock hive 

 another year." 



I may mention that I have only found the nadir proper 

 auBWer with strong and early swarms of the cxirrent year. I 



CRYSTAL PALACE EXHIBITION; OF BEES, 

 HIVES, HONEY, &c. 



The following are the awards at this Show, which opened on 

 the 8th inst., and will be continued to-day. We shall give a 

 report of the exhibits next week. 



HIVES. 



Hive for observation purposes.— Witliheld, 



l?kep or box hive for deprivinf? putposee, for coltagerb' use, that can be 

 supplied for 5s , exclusive wf tloor-boiinl.— Prize, 0. N. Abbott. 



Moveable comb hive fur depriving purposes.— Prize. F. Cheshire. 



Hive fijr use on tbe BtorifyioK priuciple.— Prize, J. Lee. 



Hive for use on the collateral principle.— Withheld. 



JIust economical (beat and cheapeat) complete hivo on the moveable comb 

 principle, lor coUagers' use.- Prize, C. N. Abbott, 



BEES. 



Moat beautiful breed of Ligurian bees— i.e., a queen accompanied by hor 

 proReny, the beauty of tbe queen to be of secondary importance. — Prize, C. W. 

 Smith. 



HONEY. 



Largest and best harvest from one stock of bees, under any system or com- 

 bination of eyateins. tbe same to be declared on exhibition.— Equal, A. Fergu- 

 son, Him. and Rev. H. Bligh, C. N. Abbott. 



Exhibition of super honey from one apiary.— 1, Rev. C, Raynor. 2 and 3, 

 Withheld. 



Straw super of honey, net contents above 20 lbs.— I, W. H. Clark. 2. J. Lee. 



Straw super of honey, net contenta notunder Hlbs., nor above 20 lbs. —Prize, 

 Mrs. Pagden. 



Straw super of honey, net contents not under 10 lbs., nor above U lbs.— Prize, 

 T. Bagahaw. 



Woud super of honey for wood in combination with glass or straw), net 

 contenta above 2(i lbs. — 1, W. H. Clark. 2, J. Anderson. 3. A. Kuabridge. 



Wood super of honey (or wood in combination with glasa oi- sirau), net 

 contents not under 14 Iba., nor ah ^ve 20 lbs.— Equal merit, W. Sword; J, 

 Anderson. R Grahiim, R. Anderson, D. Anderson, A. McCrone. 



Wood super of honey (or wood in combination with glass or straw), net 

 contents nut under 10 lbs., nor above 14 lbs.— 1, J, Anderson. 2, R. Anderson. 

 3, Mrs. Pagden. 



tila«s super of honey, net contents above 20 lbs.— 1, G. Fox. 2, T. W. Cowan. 

 3, S Thome. 



Glass super of honev. net contents not under 14 lbs., nor above £0 lbs.— 1, T. 

 Plumridge. 2, T. Bagshaw. 3, W. Martin. 



Glasa super of honey, net contents not under 10 lbs., nor above 14 lbs. — 1, S. 

 Thorne. 2, D. King. 



Glass super of huney, net contents not under 6 lbs., nor above 10 lbs. — 1, T. 

 Piufuridge. :', J. Lighton. 3, T. Bagobaw. 



Display of honey in comb tor table use.— 1, J. Anderson. 2, D. Anderson. 3, 

 Withheld. 



Exbibition of run honey in glasses of from 5 lbs. to 1) lbs. each, net 

 contents, the produce of one apiary.— 1, C. N. Abbott. 2, J. Aiid«rson. 3, W, 

 Laughland. 



Exhibition uf run heather honey in glasses of from 5 lbs. to 10 lbs. each, net 

 contenta — 1, D. Anderson. 2, J. Anderson. 



Exhibition of honey, obtained by the use of the honey-extractor, from one 

 colony.— 1, C. N. Abbott. 



COTTAGERS' CLASSES. 



Largest and best exhibition of super honey in comb, gathered by one stoelr, 

 or united swarms of bees, the property of exhibitor.— 1, H. Withnal. 2, S. J. 

 Baldwin. Remainder withbeld. 



Exhibition of honey in comb, produced in one apiaryiWithont the destruction 

 ol the bees.— 1. A. Fuvgueon. 2, M. Frtcman. 



Exhibition of run honey in glass jars, c'lrlt.^ining from 5 lbs to 1'; lbs. each. 

 —1, W. Martin. 2, W. Scorer. 3, J. Stephenson. 4. Withheld. 



illSCELLVNEOU?. 



Best and largest collection of hives, bee furniture, bee gear, and apiculturi^ta * 

 necessaries, no two articles to be ahke. — 1, C. N. Abbott. 2, J. Lee. 



Drone trap.— 1, F. Cheshire. 



Bee feeder, the invention or adaptation of the exhibitor.— Prize, J. ?. Turner. 



Appliance for introducing alien queen bees to stocks. — Prize, J. Anderson. 



Bte dreas. — Piize, C W. Smith- 



Method of qaietiug bees during manipulation, with appliances shown.— 

 Prize, F. Ohesnire. 



Cheapest and be&t supers for general use in an apiary.- Prize, J. Lee. 



Honey extractor. — Prize, Starling & Co. 



Mai-'hine for emboasmg wax shetts tor guide combs, with at least six sheets 

 manufactured by it. — Prize, G. Neighbour & Sons. 



fcixhibition of "pure bees' wax, the produce of 1874, in cakes of not leas than 

 lib. in weight.— 1,W. Martin. 2, W. Laughland. 3, J. Walton. 



Any new invention calculated, in the opinion of the Judges, to advance tLe 

 culture of beea.— Extra, F. Cheshire (4). 



DOGS.— No. 5. 



TEEKIEB3 IN GENERAL. 

 Although at the Home for Lost Doga ia London there are 

 always, I believe, a greater number of retrievers than of any 

 other variety (why this is the case I can never make out), yet I 

 think that retrievers are not by any means so numerous in 

 England as many other kinds of dogs. If you take your stand 

 at the market-place of any town in England, particularly near 

 the largest butcher's shop, you will find that place and that spot 

 form the meeting ground for the town dogs. At any corner of 

 any street two or three dogs will generally be found surveying 

 each other with, usually, great curiosity, occasionally with great 

 anger, and sometimes with the direct opposite to auger; but 

 stiU, at the market-place is the grand gathering. Let but a 

 carriage from the country arrive with a dog or two in attend- 



