September 17, 1874. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTIOOLTDBE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEB. 



267 



bees held at Sydenham will mark a new era in the history ot 

 bee-keeping in this country. — D., Deal. 



The Committee did well in selecting the Crystal Palace for 

 their first Show. Very few buildings could afford a length of 

 mi)re than 600 feet of staging, and leave room for the perambu- 

 lation of many thousand people. The astonishment of the 

 visitora at the beautiful houey display was excelled by the 

 earnestness with which the bee-keepers and the ivoitld-be bee- 

 keepers examined the various hives and apparatus. The exhi- 

 bitors present, and the gentlemen ot the Committee, spared no 

 paius to explain the working of everything inquired about ; and 

 we will now endeavour to place before our readers our imprea- 

 Bions of what we were enabled to inspect. 



Commencing with the hives, we found nearly all the various 

 systems represented. CUss 1, f jr observation purposes, had six 

 entries. The Judges, however, awarded no prize, on tbe ground, 

 as we were informed, that they saw nothing of sufficient merit. 

 We think they were in error here, as an observatory hive. No. 1, 

 exbibited by the well-known Messrs. Neighbour & Sons, was one 

 of the best hitherto designed ; and although an experienced bee- 

 keeper can dispense with the necessity of having the bees all 

 imprisoned when studying their economy, it should not be 

 forgotten that ladies and others cannot all act with the same 

 impunity, and for such a glais-covered hive is a desideratum. 

 No. 2, exhibited by the Rev. F. Leaver, was simply a pretty toy 

 of no practical use. 



Passing on to Class 2, " for the best step or box hive for 

 depriving purposes that can be supplied for 3s." Some very 

 g'lod straw skeps were shown. One, No. 9, exhibited by 

 W. Martio, even was fitted with bars, but the prize in the class 

 was, we think, ju-itly awarded to Mr. C. N. Abbott for a veritable 

 Woodbury, price 3.5., with many improvements, small in them- 

 selves, but great in the ao;gregate, which time and experience 

 have taught to be desirable. Practical men have begun to think 

 tbat a close-fitting crown-board is a mistake ; and here we have 

 a square of carpet in its place, which is said to be a better cover- 

 ing, allowing easier ventilation. If the spirits of tbe departed 

 can take any interest in things mundane, how gratified the shade 

 of our late esteemed correspondent, Mr. Woodbury, must be at 

 finding that no excuse can now be made by the poor man that 

 scientific hives are too expensive for his use ! In this class there 

 were seven entries, each well worth tbe price affixed. 



Passing now to Class 3, " for the best moveable comb hive for 

 depriving purposes," we have no limit of cost; and, consequently, 

 the prices range from 5s. to £21. The latter for No. 16, which 

 its inventor styles the " Sibertswold," we can only look upon as 

 a fancy price. The prize was awarded to Mr. F. Cheshire ; and 

 certainly this hive was a marvel of good workmanship and 

 thoughtful attention to the requirements of its inhabitants, both 

 for breeding and honey-gathering purposes. All who can afford 

 its price, 50s., will do well to provide themselvea with one, if 

 only as a pattern for home-manufacture. Among its specialities 

 we may mention that the outer case is double, enclosing an air 

 space, which greatly assists in keeping an equable temperature. 

 Tbe floor-board is moveable, and fluted to facilitate the riddance 

 of wet. The entrance can be contracted at will, and the whole 

 is covered with a substantial weather-proof roof. An inspection 

 of the inside shows the frames reposing on a knife-edge slip of 

 zinc in such a manner that they cannot be propolised. There 

 is no interspace between frames and crown-board ; and the latter 

 also forms an adapter, and enables feeding to be carried on with- 

 out disturbance. A moveable diaphragm at one end of the hive 

 permits space to be at once obtained whence to shift tbe frames 

 without being under the necessity of removing them from the 

 hive. Its capacity by the same means can also be reduced at 

 will. Altogether, we think that Mr. Cheshire may be congratu- 

 lated on exhibiting the best hive we have yet seen. 



Another novelty was No. 36, exhibited and designed by Mr. 

 C. N. Abbott, the Editor ot the " British Bee Journal." This 

 hive attracted much attention, and is likely to do good service 

 to its purchaser. One ot the peculiarities ot the frames is an 

 absence ot the bottom rail. Excepting being some protection 

 against the warping of the frame, we think it well dispensed 

 with. There is no vacancy here between the upper surface of 

 the frames and the quilt or carpet, which takes the place of 

 crown-board. This is put forth as an advantage proved. Wood- 

 burys of more pretensions than No. 13 figure here, but seem 

 rather in the shade by the side of their aristocratic rivals. Alto- 

 gether we found twenty-five entries in this class, and Class 4 

 obtained eleven, the prize in which was taken by Mr. J. Lee 

 with the well-known Carr-Stewarton, a useful hive, and very 

 ornamental for the lawn or garden. No. 40, " Rusbridge's 

 Cabinet." attracted much attention, and its courteous inventor 

 waa unflagging in explaining its features. It, however, seemed 

 far too complicated to make much way. The same remark 

 holds good with No. 42, " King's Patent Safety." 



Class 5, " for the best hive for use on the collateral principle." 

 This system is evidently, like the old close skep, doomed. It 

 elicited but five entries, not one of which had much merit; and 



this was the opinion of the Judges, the prize being withheld. 

 No. 51 was certainlv novel, as was its name — " The Bell-glass 

 Straw Balloon." We pity the bees compcdled to dwell in it. 

 From the great loss of heat they must sustain, prosperity would 

 be hopeless. 



The completion ot the hives was attained by Class 6, " for 

 the most economical (best and cheapest), complete hive on the 

 moveable-comb system for cottagers' use." The prize in this 

 was taken by Mr. C. N. Abbott, tor what may be termed an 

 "improved" Woodbury, price 6s. Gd., with quilt and roof, only 

 wanting paint to make it a hive good for ten years' service. 



Altogether the hives numbered sixty. Certainly a better assem- 

 blage than ever was gathered together before, from which the 

 working man with brains as well as hands could see at once 

 how to make the hive most suitable to his wauta. 



In Class 27, " for the best and largest collection of hives, 

 bee furniture, &o.," the two competitors, Messrs. Abbott and 

 Lee, ran a neck-and-neck race. The first-named made his show 

 in greatest variety, the latter's certainly appeared neatest aud 

 best made. No other competitors came near them, and the 

 third prize was withheld. 



Class 28, " for the best drone trap," elicited four competitors, 

 and the prize was gained by Mr. Cheshire; and in the next 

 class, for feeders, the same gentleman showed a contrivance 

 beautiful in its simplicitv, but which the Judges evidently 

 thought inferior to No. 246, exhibited by Mr. J. S. Turner. 

 Mr. Cheshire's feeder simply consisted of a plate of vulcanite 

 on a pivot pierced after a particular pattern, and intended to be 

 used instead of the perforated zinc usually placed on the feeding- 

 hole. Being a non-conductor, it is not chemically affected. 

 A bottleful ot syrup is simply inverted on it, and the vulcanite 

 can be turned about to regulate the supply at will. 



Class 30, "for the best appliance for introducing queen bees 

 to stocks." Nothing better appeared than the queen cage ot 

 our old acquaintance, "A Renfbewshiee Bee-keeper," which 

 gained the prize. 



Class 31, "for the best bee-dress." No novelty appeared, if 

 we except an excellent make of gloves of india-rubber, similar 

 to tobacco pouches, which is a great improvement on the clumsy 

 macintosh. 



Class 32, "for the best method of quieting bees during 

 manipulation." The articles competing were simply smokers. 

 The prize went to No. 264, Mr. F. Cheshire. 



Class 33, " for the cheapest and beat supers for general use." 

 Nothing particularly worth notice ; but Class 34, " for the best 

 honey-extractor," seemed the most valuable novelty of the 

 Show. There were but four entries, the principle of all being the 

 same — i.e., centrifugal force. The decision of the Judges was 

 in favour of No. 246, made by Stirling & Co. Herein we must 

 differ. Those exhibited by Mr. Walton and Mr. Cowan certainly 

 appeared to work smoother, had greater simplicity, and last, not 

 least, were about halt the price. Starling's machine consisted 

 ot a skeleton wooden frame nearly 2 feet square, and about 

 31 feet high. Within the frame is a galvanised iron barrel, 2 feet 

 high, and nearly the same in diameter, enclosed in which is a 

 revolving framework in which the combs ara put to be emptied. 

 Motion is obtained by handles and cog-wheels at the top, and 

 the centrifugal force given to the frame throws out the honey 

 against the side of the can, whence it runs to the bottom to be 

 afterwards let out at a tap. The whole machine appears to be 

 about one-third bigger than it need be. 



In Class 27, which was devoted to new inventions, Mr. F. 

 Cheshire took no less than four prizes — in fact, all tbat was 

 awarded. The gem of the whole being what he termed a 

 "transferring board," for the purpose of transferring combs 

 from straw skeps to bar-frame hives, of which we will 

 endeavour to give a description, but it can only be properly 

 explained by means of a drawing. When open, the board 

 consists of sixteen wooden tongues, fixed like the teeth of 

 a comb. It has legs which support it at a convenient height 

 above the table, and underneath, a pan to catch any drip- 

 ping honey. On the tongues is placed the comb to be trans- 

 ferred, and the frame is fitted on to it. A lath is then laid 

 in position under the comb, and a tape passed between the 

 tongues and fastened at once at the top. The board is very 

 ingeniously arranged, so that it can throw the comb at once 

 into the perpendicular, and enable the comb to be lifted out 

 and placed forthwith in the new hive. Mr. Cheshire truly must 

 have the organ of invention highly developed. 



Having gone through the hives and apparatus, we now pass 

 into the manipulating-room, where experienced hands are giving 

 public lesBona in driving, transferring, .tc. This is a most inter- 

 esting part of the Show, and the public think so too, for the 

 place seems always crowded. Behind a glass screen the de- 

 monstrator exemplified how simple it was to empty a hive of its 

 rightful inhabitants. The operation seemed the same as de- 

 scribed by Mr. Woodbury in our columns many years ago. The 

 combs of many skeps were dexterously transferred to frame 

 hives cleanly and quickly by means ot the prize "transferriog- 

 board," and the action of the honey-slinger shown many times 



