Bepteml>er 24, IS71. ] 



JOUKNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



289 



year. The chair was taken by the Hon. and Rev. H. Bligh. 

 The Chairman congratulated the meeting upon the successful 

 progress of the undertaking thus far, and hoped that it would 

 not be the last, as it was the first, year of such prosperity. 

 He attributed their success to the strenuous exertions of the 

 organisers of the Exhibition, and to the publicity given to it by 

 those to whom we looked for information in this country. Sir 

 John Lubbock had consented to act as President, and the Hon. 

 Secretary, Mr. John Hunter, mentioned that the President had 

 promised to subscribe what sum might be wanting for the 

 expenses of tlie Exhibition. Mr. C. N. Abbott was elected 

 Treasurer, and a list of Vice-Presidents was adopted, which in- 

 cluded the names of Mr. Bligh, the Chairman, Lord Clifton, 

 the Hon. and Rev. A. Legge, the Hon. B. C. TroUope, Sir 

 Robert Briscoe, Messrs. Melladew, Symington, Hooker, Raynor, 

 Carr, Cheshire, Filleul, Pennell, and other well-known bee- 

 masters. The following resolutions were passed : — 



1. That the name of the Association be the British Bee- 

 KEEPEBs' Association. 



2. That its objects shall be for the encouragement, improve- 

 ment, and advancement of bee-cul'ure in the United Kiugdom, 

 particularly as a means of bettering the condition of cottagers 

 and the agricultural labouring classes, as well as the advocacy 

 of humanity to the industrious labourer — the honey bee. 



3. That its officers shall consist of aPresident, Vice-Presidents, 

 General Committee, from whom shall be selected an Acting 

 Committee not exceeding seven. Secretary, and Treasurer ; the 

 whole of whom shall hold office for one year, and be eligible for 

 re-election. 



4. That the management of the Association shall be vested in 

 the Acting Committee, of which the Secretary and Treasurer 

 shall be ex-oj^cio members. 



5. The annual subscription of members shall be .5s., due and 

 payable oa the first day of May. 



6. The Committee shall cause to be held an annual apiarian 

 exhibition, at a time and place they may deem most suitable to 

 the interest of the Association and its objects, and adopt all such 

 things as they believe will most conduce to extend and improve 

 a knowledge of bee-keeping so far as the funds of the Association 

 will permit, provided always that they shall in no case con- 

 travene a rule made in General Meeting. 



7. That an ordinary General Meeting shall be holden once 

 in each year, when the officers for the ensuing year shall be 

 elected, and questions of government of the Association be dis- 

 cussed and resolved upon. An extraordinary General Meeting 

 may be called by the Acting Committee at any time, and shall 

 be called by the Secretary within fourteen days upon receipt of 

 a requisition signed by any ten members of the General Com- 

 mittee, stating the nature of the business for which the General 

 Meeting is to be called. 



8. That as soon and so far as the funds of the Association will 

 permit the Committee will endeavour to carry out the objects 

 of the Association by means of lectures, meetings, the circu- 

 lation of suitable books, certificating and sending out experts 

 as qualified teachers and examiners of apiaries ; exhibition and 

 circulation of hives, of apiarian apparatus, ttc. ; to spread a 

 knowledge of all improvements and best possible methods of 

 beekeeping, and of the most profitable use and disposal of bee 

 produce; also to establish a model apiary and an apiarian 

 museum and honey market, assist in the formation of provincial 

 clubs affihated with the Association, and generally to do all in 

 their power for the advancement of apiarian science. 



BEE-KEEPING IN HAMPSHIBE. 



About eight years ago I thought I should like to be able to 

 tell the cottagers here how to manage their bees, without every 

 autumn that wholesale and awful destrnction of these wonderful 

 little workers — in this neighbourhood not by thousands merely, 

 but by bushels and bushels. Accordingly I made myself ac- 

 quainted with aU I could possibly on the subject from all sources 

 at my disposal. I concluded my plan should be wooden boxes 

 14 inches by 14 by 10, li-inch pme, wiih holes at top for feeding 

 and supering. Driving was not in my thoughts, but the power 

 of preventing swarming at will, and large bell-glasses full of 

 pure honey every season were. I need not tell you I did not get 

 either, although I soon worked-up a fine lot of healthy stocks 

 from two good stocks purchased from cottagers. " How is 

 swarming to be prevented?" was the common question. " Give 

 the bees room." " What's the use of that when bees will swarm 

 from the roofs of houses and large hollow trees ? And see what 

 combs they make in such places. Why, I once took enough out 

 of a roof to fill the old ooman's biggest washing pan besides 

 what was wasted, as 'twas runnin down my elbows all the time; 

 and jes come and see what I gets out of one of my bushel hives, 

 for I've got urn what'U hold more than a bushel o' tates." The 

 last question and words were from a very successful old bees 

 keeper near here now no more — one of those men who could 

 examine his bees with bare arms, bare chest, and bare head, and 

 they seemed to like hie coming. Working in the fields all the 



day, he would return in the evening and look round the garden 

 hedges to hive what swarms were hanging there — mark this, 

 and add to it the sulphur pit in autumn; and yet this man suc- 

 ceeded in obtaining large quantities of honey most years. How 

 was it? Who can doubt that it was the swarming system and 

 the hive that would hold "more than a bushel of tates " that 

 did it ? — the old-fashioned cottagers' system now put right and 

 so ably advocated by Mr. Pettigrew. I say put right — that is, 

 securing the 4-inch hole at top and the top flat, and the plan of 

 driving and uniting, and add to that artificial swarming. This 

 poor man managing his bees under such difiiculties has taken 

 more honey from one of his bushel hives put down with a swarm 

 only four months before than I have in ail the supers I ever put 

 on my boxes. 



About two years since I changed my plan. Having Fold all 

 my stock-boxes and all their belongings, I purchased four stocks 

 once more from the cottagers in wretched hives, still the best 

 I could get, and offered at our next cottagers' show 7s. Gd. and 

 2s. Gd. for the best and second-best straw hive, diameter 17 inches, 

 depth 12 inches, flat top with hole 4 inches. This stimulated 

 the men to make their first ; now we can get good strong straw 

 skeps made by them during the long winter evenings, and earn- 

 ing many a pound. The best hands will not be able to execute 

 all orders during the coming winter, so great is the demand for 

 this class of hive. From my four stocks I obtained four first 

 and two second swarms, and last autumu I purchased at a sale 

 twelve stocks at 3s. Gd. each, mostly in a starving state. These 

 I fed with a half-hundredweight of sugar boiled with fifty-six 

 pints of water, and saved them all, and gave them a little more 

 in spring last, which set them to work in good earnest. By 

 April, from different causes, out of my twenty-two stocks I lost 

 six. The small black-headed tit worked some of them very 

 hard last spring ; one or two were robbed by bees and so killed. 

 However, from my sixteen remaining I obtained twenty-six 

 swarms, which I hived and united into seventeen hives. During 

 the summer many a pair of old sparrows fed their young from 

 my bee hives and kept their own coats very sleek, and some- 

 times I had occasion to be suspicious of starlings and swallows, 

 both of which I have always encouraged about my house. A 

 few weeks back, having received Mr. Pettigrew's good advice, 

 being anxious to get rid of my small and dirty old hives I drove 

 eighteen stocks, and united them to the bees in fourteen 18 inch 

 hives. I got about 130 lbs. of very pure transparent run honey, 

 carefully avoiding any pressure, as many of the combs were 

 black and blocked up with pollen, and the hives were rotten. 

 I threw the broken comb into water and left it to soak a few 

 hours, washing all the remaining sweet out possible. I strained 

 it and added a little sugar, and boiled up once; with this I fed 

 my united bees from large bottles. Nothing could be more 

 gratifying than to witness the hearty manner in which they all 

 went to work to take it down — no disagreeing, but that happy 

 roar. I must mention one exception, where I omitted using the 

 minted syrup. The day after uniting this stock a terrible war 

 raged, and I think most of the strangers were killed. It will be 

 seen that since the spring I have united about forty swarms 

 and stocks, which are now in fourteen 18-inch hives, for ten of 

 which I have bought 100 lbs. of lump sugar, which I think will 

 take them all through the winter in good style. 



I have driven and united numbers of stocks for the cottagers 

 during the last month; they now manage it for themselves and 

 neighbours to their great delight. To one man it has been the 

 means of saving at least twenty stocks, all of which were con- 

 demned to the pit three weeks ago. Another heard of two to 

 be smothered ; he quickly borrowed my dress, gave the owner 

 the hives and contents, and secured the bees to himself. 



And now, sir, if my story is not already too long, I have a 

 question to ask you or some of your correspondents. How was 

 it that at the Crystal Palace Show lately held the cottager, the 

 class above all others in this country who sends the greater 

 weight of bee produce into the market, was almost absent ? 

 for however barbarous their system may from all ages have been, 

 it claims one merit — simplicity. Deprive it of the sulphur pit, 

 the paltry small hive with the close lop worked up to a point, 

 and tending rapidly to a point at the bottom, and add the arti- 

 ficial swarming and feeding by the quart or gallon — in short, the 

 very teaching Mr. Pettigrew is giving, and surely we have a 

 system by far the least expensive — the system for the poor 

 man, if not for the fancif;il, but surely one that should be well 

 brought out at the great show of the year it it is, as I think it 

 should be, a national one. — W. I. C. 



DRIVING BEES AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 



I DESIRE to enter my earnest protest against a repetition of 

 one feature in the recent bee show. I refer to the driving of 

 bees in the gallery before a well-dressed crowd. As an exhibition 

 of the humane method of keeping bees it was a monstrous folly. 

 The bees being brought to a strange place, 50 feet above the 

 level of the garden, and there driven, necessarily were not able 

 to distinguish their own homes, they consequently fought 



