162 



JOUBNAL OP HORTIOULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



t Febrnary 24, 1876. 



the right hand put the end glass in its place ; now slip in the 

 other end glass, for the present not Riving it much attention. 

 You are now ready for putting on the top (to which has been 

 fastened guide comb), by taking it in your right hand and slip- 

 ping one end on prongs just far enough to hold them together; 

 then reversing the position of the hand change operations to the 

 other end of the box, drawing the corners to place, inserting 

 prongs on mortice the same as at the other end of the bos, and 

 press top sqnarely down till the points of the brads are even 

 with the tops of the glass ; then take the box in hand, and with 

 a narrow stick inserted in slot crowd out the end glasses flush 

 to place; press top on lightly and hammer down litiht to glass; 

 clinch, and the box is completed. Three sizes are [principally 

 made as follows ; — 



For narrow single-comb box: wood, 63 by 2J ; glass, 5 by 6 

 and 5 by 2. For two combs : wood, 6J by 4J; glass, 5 by 6 and 

 5 by 4. For three comte: wood, 6 by 6; glass, 5 by S-jVland 

 5by5J. 



These small supers are used on any kind of moveable-comb 

 hive by removing the crown-board and laying strips quarter of 

 an inch thick across the frames forj the boxes to rest upon ; 



put on all the boxes the 

 hive will hold, covering 

 with a tight outside cap. 

 In making quantities of 

 these supers it is advis- 

 able to have a thin board 

 pattern with mortice and 

 nail holes in proper places, 

 so fastened as to admit 

 of slipping under it the 

 wood to be morticed and 

 bored. By driving your 

 chisel through the pat- 

 tern holes your wood will 

 all be prepared alike, 

 and provided your glasses 

 are also cut accurately to 

 gnage the supers can be 

 very rapidly made. Figs. 

 39, 40, which represents 

 "The American" move- 

 able comb hive, will give 

 a good example of how 

 sectional supers are filled. It will be noticed that the frames 

 (which are removeable from the side) do not reach the top of the 

 hive by 2 inches, and in 

 the space thus obtained are 

 placed one tier of supers 

 directly on the frames. 

 When these supers are 

 nearly filled they are 

 gently lifted np, bees and 

 all, and boxes with open- 

 ings through both tops 

 andbottoms are placed be- 

 neath, through which the 

 bees pass to and frcm the 

 boxes in which they are 

 workiBg. The diiiiculty 

 of inducing bees to com- 

 mence in new boxes after 

 the first set is filled is 

 thus overcome, and it is 

 only necessary to remove 

 the upper tier when fin- 

 ished, and elevate the 



Fig. 40. 



lower boxes as before, to keep the bees constantly at work while 

 the honey harvest lasts. — John Hunter, Eaton liise, Ealing. 



Hive with Combs [J. 0.).— The combs made by your Bwarm last year will 

 be of great service to a ewarm this year. As Boon an a swarm shall be cai^t 

 amoDRst the curabs e^'gs will he rapidly set acd honey rapidly path&rej. 

 Amongst such combs bees do an extraordinary amonnt o( work for some 

 days. When the combs become filled with brood many nurses are needed, 

 and less honey is gathered. 



Eemovjno Stocks (C. B. 17.).— Ton sboald remove your hives now, at a 

 time when all the bees are at home. Let buth hives be placed in the new 

 position as they stand to each other now. Confining the bees to their hives 

 afterwards will do no good ; but yon may lay a small branch of a shrub on 

 each tiight board to attract the attention of the bees when they come out, 

 and make them see and understand that an alteration has taken place. Not 

 a bee will be lost by the change of position. 



Dysentebv in Bees (.^. B.).— We have never tried the remedy for dysentery 

 which your friend recommends — viz., " A quart of syrup, with a gill of brandy 

 and a spoonful of salt in it." If brandy affects bees as it does men, the 

 remedy named would made jour bees very jolly. For dysentery we use loaf 

 sugar and pure water only, and have never found anything else 83 efficacious. 

 Bees without queens at this softsim are not very demonstrative; they do not 

 search lor them, or make manifest their loss by noisy panics, aa they do on 

 the death or loss of their queens. As queens are now laying, you will be able 

 to ascertain by au internal examination whether your hive has brood in it or 

 not. Some two years ago wo gave a list of nearly one hundred plants which 

 yield honey. All that you can raise from seed or by planting in your garden 

 will not help your bees much. They will find plenty of honey in the flowers 

 of the orchards, fields, and forests in your neighbourhood. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Marking Yodno Chickens (JJ. H,). — The yonnger they are when marked 

 the better. Punch a hole with a stimip- leather punch through the web of 

 the wing. One brood may have one wing marked, the other brood both 

 vingB. 



TuUBLEE Hen's Small Eoos {Old Boh Bidley). — We are afraid your hen 

 Pigeon hae done her work at seven yeara old ; the might deserve the prefix of 

 your own name. The firt-t and last ef?RH of a bird are always the smallest. 

 In a young one it is a sign the secretions are at fault, in an old one the 

 functioDB are worn out. We can only Hdvise you to attend to her diet. 

 Give her bay salt, cild Egyptian beans, and sume pellels made of barleymeal, 

 with one quarter of powdered camphor, the whole mixed with milk, each the 

 Bize of a small pea. 



PATAOONIAN RABBIT BuRROWiNa tC. E. A.). — We do not believe that 

 Patagonian Kabbifs would buiTow their way out from any confinement. It 

 is against their nature. Neither they nor the Silver-Grey burrow. It would 

 be easy for tho Silver-Grey or the Hare Kabbit to adopt the habit from their 

 activity, and those bred between them and the wild Rabbit do so. The Pata- 

 gonian is, liowtvtr, from shape and bulk unfitted for the procesB. The 

 foreign Ilabbite have mure of the habit of the Hare, and equat or sit in forms 

 all day. 



METEOBOLOGIOAIj obsebvationb. 



Gahdbn Sqoabe, London. 



Lat.6PS2'4(i"N.; Long. 0°8'0" W.; Altitude. Ill feet. 



BEMABES. 



16th.— Rain commenced at 9.45, and continued till noon ; very dull all day. 



17th. — Raiuy morning, and showery at times all day. 



18th. — Fine morning; thunder a'jout noon; bhowery afternoon; and very 



wet evening. 

 19th. — A very fi^ne day thronghout. 

 20th. — Fine morninr;; heavy rain soon after noon, continuing for two or three 



hours; showery afternoon and evening. 

 21st. — Rainy morning ; showery day ; very windy in the latter part, and at 



night. 

 22nd. — Windy in the night and early morning, but very fine all the early part 



of tbe day ; rather showery towards evening, but very fine night. 

 Very much warmer than last week, neai-ly 15"; and also more showery and 

 windy. — G. J. Svmons. 



COVENT GAUDEN MABKET.— Febbuabt 28. 



pBicES of all kinda of best fruit have an upward tendency, the supply 

 getting shorter. Tha market is well stocked with early-forced vegetables, the 

 Channel Islands sending good samples of Ashleaf Kidney Potatoes. 



Apples i sieve 1 



Apricots dozen 



Cherries lb. 



Chestnuts bnshel 12 



Currants i sieve 



Black do. 



Figs dozen 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse.... lb. S 



Lemona ^ 100 ti 



Melons each 1 



FBOIT. 



d. B. d. B. d. s d. 



0to2 Mulberriee lb. OtoO 



Nectarines dozen 



Oranges %^ 100 6 12 



20 Peaches dozen 



u Pears, kitchen.. .. dozen 



deser.rt dozen 2 8 



PineApples lb. 10 4 



G 9 Plums * sieve 



6 9 Quinces bushel 



Kaspberiies lb. 



8 Strawbenies lb. 



ditto.. ^im 1 6 



teoetables. 



B. 



Artichokes docen 4 



Asparagus ^ HjO 6 



French handle 18 



Beans, Kidney. . . . ^lOi) 2 



Beet, Red tdozen 1 



Broccoli bundle 



Brussels Sprouts i sieve 2 



Cabbage dozen 1 



Carrots bunch 



Capfeicums ^100 1 



Cauliflower 'dozen 2 



Celery bundle 1 



Coleworts.. doz. bunches 2 



rncumbers each 1 



Endive dozen 1 



FenntI bunch 



Garho lb, 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish bundle 4 



Lettuce dozen 



French Cabbage .... 1 



d. B. d. 

 0to6 

 10 

 n 

 S 

 

 6 



s 

 1 





 2 

 8 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 6 



Leeks bunch 



Mnehrooras pottle 



Mustard & Cress punnet 

 Ouione bushel 



pickling quart 



Parsley.... duz. bunches 



Parsnips dozen 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do... 



New lb. 



Radiehes.. doz. bunches 



Rhubarb btmdle 



Salsaiy bundl o 



Scorzonera bundle 



Seakale basket 



SbaUots lb. 



Spinach buBbel 



Tomatoes dozen 



Tnmipi bunch 



Vegetable Marrows 



d. s. d. 

 4 too 

 2 



