December 10, 1874. ] 



JOUBNAL OP HOBTICDLTOBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



633 



apartment to the other. A few days before the doe kindles I 

 place a strip of one-half-inch board, 

 6 inches wide and 17 inches long (see i>, 

 fig. 151), across the front end of the 

 apartment {in prooves formed by nail- 

 ing on two small strips) about 12 inches 

 from the end ; this forma the breeding- 

 nest, 12 by 17 inches. I fill this with 

 straw, in which the doe forms her nest. 

 In placing this board I do not allow it 

 to rest directly on the floor, bnt about 

 three-qaarters of an inch above it ; the 

 floor has a gentle descent towards the 

 back part of the hutch. The advan- 

 tages of this arrangement are — the nest 

 being on the elevated part of the floor, 

 all the urine drains through the straw 

 on to the floor and out under the board, 

 leaving the nest perfectly dry at all 

 times ; the small door (.\, fig. 150) opens 

 directly at the nest, so that the young 

 can be easily examined at any time, and 

 by letting the board extend about 3 ins. 

 above the straw the young will not get 

 out of the nest iintil they are old 

 enough to take care of themselves and get back again. By 

 placing a slide over the door (s, fig. 151) the young may be shut 

 out of the feeding apartment while the old doe is eating her 

 green food, too much of which is sure death to young Rabbits. 



The feeding apartment is 2 feet 10 inches by 3 feet. It has a 

 wire front (E,fig. 150), to admit sun and air. The wires are 

 galvanised, and placed three-quarters of an inch apart to keep 

 the young Rabbits from squeezing through and falling out. On 

 the side in front are the doors opening into the feeding apart- 

 ments through which the Rabbits are fed. (See D, fig. 150.) The 

 floors all descend towards the back, as before mentioned, and 

 extend out about 3 inches beyond the back side of the hutch 

 (see F,j?^. 152); the back part of the hutch is furnished with 

 swinging doors (o, fig. 152), one opening into the breeding apart- 

 ment, and forming, when closed, the back of it, and one opening 

 into the feeding apartment, and forming, when closed, the back 

 of that apartment. These doors do not shut down upon the floor, 

 but when closed there is an aperture about three-quarters of an 

 inch between the floor and the bottom of the door. 



Fig. 151. — End view of 

 Breeding Hutch, show- 

 ing Breeding Apart- 

 ment, &c. 



Fig. 152. — Back View of Breeding Hutch. 



I claim that this hutch is self-cleaning, for the urine runs out 

 under these doors, and the dang also is worked down the floor 

 by the Rabbits, and falls out into the trough (h, fig. 152), which is 

 also inclined, and leads into the pail at the end (j, fig. 152), 

 which receives the whole and is easily emptied. A large door 

 ln,fig. 150), made of tongaed and grooved boards, swings aroand 

 against the end of the hutch, when it is open in clear weather, 

 and in stormy weather it is shot and covers up all the wire front, 

 and keeps out the rain. I also keep it closed at night in winter. 

 — W. F. Hallock, Mattituck, Suffolk C, N.Y.— [The American 

 Pet Stock Bulletin.) 



THE HIVE CONTBOVEESY. 



" B. & W." has lately told the readers of this Journal that he 

 expresses " only the general sense of annoyance which exists 

 at the constant nibbling by Mr. Pettigrew at those who differ 

 from him." Is this true, or is it not? If it is true it is high 

 time for me to turn my attention to something else than 

 scribbling about bees. If it is not true, there is injastice done 

 in making the assertion. In writing I do not deal with those 

 who differ in opinion from me ; indeed, my aim is to get as far 

 removed from them as possible. Not a word that I have 

 written for the press for years bears the impress of snubbing or 

 nibbling, and as to " the general sense of annoyance which 

 exists," I may be permitted to say that it is not general, but 



limited to those who differ in opinion from me. The late 

 Mr. Woodbury was delighted to record the successes of every 

 class of bee-keepers. I think I have abundant evidence to prove 

 that my very humble efforts have given more satisfaction to the 

 apiarians of this country than offence, hence I have continued 

 to write while some have been sneering at me. While they have 

 been finding fault, hundreds, if not thousands, have been thank- 

 ing me for the information given, and asking for more at the 

 same time. The productions of my pen have been copied into 

 many newspapers and magazines, and have been commended 

 by about eighty of our most influential periodicals. A very 

 large edition of my book on bees has been sold, and a new 

 edition has been loudly called for for months. All these things 

 are more astonishing to me than to anybody else, and I know 

 that in mentioning them I am stooping to the weakness of 

 egotism ; but I do it to rebut the charge of being an annoyance 

 to the public. 



In seeking to advance truth or give instruction all personalities 

 should be kept out of sight. The appearance of these is, gene- 

 rally speaking, an indication of an inability to uphold a cause 

 by fact and argument. If I have ever used an unkind word or a 

 personality in any of my published letters, I shall be glad to 

 withdraw it. I do not remember ever mentioning even a name 

 but in self-defence. My sole aim has been to impart informa- 

 tion, and to help others to the formation of correct ideas in 

 apiculture. The highest models and the greatest successes in 

 bee-keeping that could be found in this country have been held 

 up before the minds of the readers. By holding up these suc- 

 cesses a great impulse has been given to apiculture, and the 

 industry of a large section of bee-keepers has been guided. 



Let me warn the apiarian readers of this Journal not to con- 

 fine themselves to the imitations of others. They may travel 

 along the same road without treading in their footprints. Those 

 who never propose to surpass are never likely to equal others. 

 Let all have a higher ambition than to be mere followers, for 

 those who follow are always behind. One of the greatest suc- 

 cesses ever reached in this country that we have heard of has 

 been accomplished this year in north-west Aberdeenshire by 

 Ligurian bees in skeps 2 inches deeper than those I use. The 

 gross weight gained by the hive and its colonies was 373 lbs. 

 All honour to Mr. G. Campbell, the owner and manager of this 

 hive. — A. Pettigrew, Sale, Cheshire. 



[This temperate and excellent letter will conclude the dis- 

 cussion relative to "wood versus straw" for hives. We know 

 from letters we have received from all the disputants that they 

 think most highly of their opponents' bee knowledge, and we are 

 quite sure that if they could meet in our office and advance 

 their opposed opinions by tongue instead of pen, they would shake 

 hands and agree to differ amicably. We remember a gentleman 

 saying in a note that another was " a donkey," and that other 

 gentleman was deeply offended. They met, and the writer of 

 the note said, "I did write that you are a donkey, and I think 

 BO." They shook hands, because the " donkey " said, " Now 

 you say it pleasantly." — Eds.] 



THE SLINGEE. 



This is, in our opinion, a more descriptive name for the in- 

 strument than that of " Honey-extractor," for it casts or slings 

 honey outwards by centrifugal action. For many years I have 

 been anxious to see one at work. Well, one that was exhibited 

 and admired at the Crystal Palace Show has been sent here to 

 be fairly tested. Some of the most intelligent and leading api- 

 arians in this part of the country came here to see it at work. 

 Having plenty of hives well filled with honey, two of them 

 were placed in a vinery twenty-four hours before the time of 

 trial. Fire was applied to the boiler of this vinery with a view 

 to raise its temperature to 100'^. The combs in the hives were 

 thus made quite as soft, and the honey in them quite as warm 

 and liquid, as we ever find them in stronghives in the dog days. 

 Everything that could be done by artificial means to give the 

 instrument a fair trial was adopted and carried into execution. 

 The combs for experiment were uncapped — that is to say, the 

 lids of the cells were removed, and then placed in wood-and- 

 wire frames. Now the instrument is put in motion, and all 

 present are anxious to see how it does its work. " Reverse the 

 motion to empty the combs on the other side." The frames are 

 now examined. The clover or flower honey has been slung out, 

 or the greater part of it, but the heather honey will not go at 

 the bidding of the slinger. The strongest arms of the strongest 

 gentlemen present could not make the instrument cast the 

 heather honey from the combs. The fault is not in the instru- 

 ment, for it is a good one, and revolves rapidly enough ; but 

 heather honey can never be cast from combs in this way. The 

 clover honey cast out was full of little bits of broken combs, 

 bnt these were easily removed by straining the honey throngh 

 thin towelling. 



Some writers who are anxious to see slingers extensively used 

 tell us that the honey obtained throngh them is inferior in 

 quality to run honey. What was taken here by the slinger is 



