March fl, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOKTIOULTURU AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



203 



TAit,B.— Cock or J/f?i.— 1, 2. and S, E A. Scale, vhc, A. A. Vander Meerach. 

 ASTv>-iiaPH.— Short-faced.— Cock or Hen.—l and 2. H. Yardley. 8, C. Gamon. 

 vhc, T. Tweedale. Lima-faced —Cock or Ben.—\, U. Scrapg. 2. T. Mason. 3. H. 

 W. Johnson. Ni:xs.— CocA: or Hen.—\, W. Brown. 2, A. A. Vander MeerHcli. 

 3, E.A. Soalo. MiGPiEa. -Cocfc or ijfjl —1, F. P. Bnlley. 2, E. A. Soale 3. II. 

 Jacob. Any 0Tni;a Variktv.— Cocfc or Hen.-l, T. Tweedale. 2. W. Harvey. 

 3. A. & W. H. Silvester, vhc, F. P. liullv. SpECUL Sellino Clabs.— Cocfc or 

 JJcn.—l and 2. W. Nottace (Carrier, Pouter). 8, T. Heriieff (Short-taced Ant- 

 werp), vhc, W. G. Hitncock, W. Dravcott. Jan. Cock or Hcn.—\, H. Yardley. 

 2 and 8, W. NottaRo (Carrier, Pouter), vhc, H. Uutoliinnon, H. Yardley, T. H. 

 Stretcli, J. Baiter. Cock or Hen.— I. T. F. K'ckbam (Duu Carriers). 2, C. E. 

 Cbavaase (Black Carriers!. S, G. C. Livett (silver Hants), vhc, P. Hatchinson, 

 K. Woods. E. T. Dexter (Blue Drapoons). J. J. Oshond. 



KABBIT <.— Lop Ear.— Buck or Doe;,— 1. Mrs. \V. S. Wade. 3, H. W. Simmons. 

 3, J. Bingham & Son. Angoba.—BmcA; or Doc- 1, II. Swetman. 2. R. A. Boissier. 

 8, J. Martin (Doe), vhc, H. E. Gilbert (Doe). R. H. Swain. Himalavan.— Biwfc 

 or Dof.—i, S. Ball. 2, W. Hey (Doe). 3, H. E. Gilbert (Back), vhc, S. Ball, 

 James & Ilallam (Doe). Dutch.— Bttcfc or Doe —1, A. W. Whitehouae. 2, F. 

 Sabttape. 3, Mrs. J. Foster, vhc, Mrs. J. Foster. C. I.iley, G. Johnson. Silver- 

 greys. —Bucfc or liOf.—\, F. Purser. 2, J. Firth. 3, F. Purser, vhc, 5. Amos, 

 Rev. T. Beasley (Buck), H. Woods, Mrs. J N. Beasley (Bnck\ Any other 

 Variety.- Bucfc or Dor.—l, G. C. Livett (Belfrian Hare). 2. E. Robinson (Bel- 

 (tian Hare), 8, Rev. T. Beasley (Silver Cream), vhc. Rev. T. Beasley (Belgian 

 Bare), J. E. Pili?rim (BelRian Bare), G. Johnson (Belgian Hare). Speciai. Sell- 

 ing Class. — Lops excepted.— Buck or Doe —1, Foster 4 Chambers (Dutch). 2, E. 

 Robinson. 8, W. Nottaffe (Areola Doe) vkc, W- Lamb (Belgian Hare), J. 

 Martin (Angora Buck), Loj> Ear.— Buck or Doe.— I, H. W. Simmons. 2, T. H. 

 Jones (Black). 3. Bingham & Son (Doe). 



CATS.— LoNO Hair.— ^/uic—l, E. Cumpaton. 2, R. H. Thompson. 8. Mra. 

 Sarjeant. vhc, Misa L. N. Beaslev. Female.— \, T. W. Faulkner. 2, A Bedford. 

 3. J. W.Howard. Tabbies.— Jtfa'c or Ffmaic.-l, T. N. Gilbert, 2. E. Baxter. 

 3, J. Woods, vhc, S. Deane, Miss L. Parker, B. Hughes. Any other Variety. 

 -Male or Female.— I. Mrs Staler. 2, S. Hickman. 3. R, Love. Special Sell- 

 mo CLAB8.—Ma(/' or F<mo!f,—l, W. Nottage. 2, Miss C.Bonsor, S,T. J.Pallett. 

 vhc, Mrs. M, A. Mundav. 



LONGEVITY OF BIRDS. 



A VALDED friend, the Rev. Father Noethen, has in his poBses- 

 Bion a Bing neck Dove which he has owned for nineteen years, 

 and which up to the time of writing is wonderfully prolific 

 and as sprightly as when young. He also states that he has 

 known one specimen to live to the age of thirty years. 



The domestic Goose sometimes attains very great age. Some 

 time ago a statement was made in a paper that Geese frequently 

 live to be very old, and at the same time a record was given of 

 one which had attained the age of 128 years. 



Mrs. Colrose now owns a Canary which she has had in her 

 possession thirteen years. It was an old bird when it flew from 

 some cage in the vicinity in her window. She has another 

 which she reared which has passed its twenty-first year, and 

 from appearances may live much longer. — {Aincricati Fanciers' 

 Journal.) 



Mr. G. Shkimpton. — Wo hear the painful news that another 

 of our poultry fanciers has passed away — Mr. George Shrimpton 

 of Leighton Buzzard. He was well known as a true fancier. 

 He made Cochins his speciality, and was a good and careful 

 breeder. All who had business with him found him fair and 

 honourable in his dealings. We can speak with confidence our- 

 selves, for perhaps no other fanciers have had more dealings 

 with him. 



REFORMATION IN BEE-KEEPING IN THE 

 NORTH OF SCOTLAND. 



" The bee-keepers of Aberdeenshire and Banffshire are in the 

 van of progress and success," or words to the same effect were 

 made by Mr. Pettigrew in his article " Retrospect," , in the 

 Journal of Horticulture of October 14th last. I was much 

 struck with the remark, and coming as it did from such a high 

 authority on bees, I have often since thought of giving you my 

 account of how we have arrived at our present position. 



The parties named in the " Retrospect " in these counties 

 were George Campbell, New Pitsligo ; Robert Gordon, Garly; 

 Alexander Cockburn, Caimie, and myself also, of the latter 

 parish. Mr. Campbell will not be referred to in my remarks. He 

 is a bee-keeper, I understand, of over thirty years standing and 

 of great experience, although owing to his distance from us we 

 had not heard of him until two or three years ago. On the other 

 hand, what standiug we have attained has been reached in less 

 than six years. I began bee-keeping in 1870, A. Cockburn a 

 year or so after, and R. Gordon about 1872. We have been 

 earnest-enough apiarians since, but before that we knew com- 

 paratively little if not absolutely nothing about bees. We and 

 many others around us who have made rapid improvements in 

 bee-farming live in the Huntly or Strathbogie district of the 

 above-named counties, and some miles distant from the Great 

 North of Scotland Railway. 



About the month of April, 1870, the Banffshire Journal con- 

 tained a review of Mr. Pettigrew's " Handy-Book of Bees," the 

 first edition of which was juat then published. This review 

 was 80 favourable and represented the book in such approving 

 terms that I resolved to have a copy for myself. On ordering 

 the book from a bookseller in Huntly, who had it not in stock, I 

 was cautioned that often the best of a book was contained in a 

 review, and as it cost then 4s. 6d. I should better consider ere 

 I invested. Well, I had considered and resolved to have it. 

 When I perused it I became immensely captivated with the 



writer, his writings, and particularly with bees: he appeared 



so thoroughly acquainted with the subject, the style was clear 

 and comprehendable, his aim appeared so disinterested — namely, 

 to learn beginners, the most timid or ignorant ; then the littlo 

 trouble or expense that seemed necessary in following out the 

 instructions that pervaded every page of the book. For these 

 reasons I resolved, believing every word, to act up to every 

 injunction, and also to have bees in my possession as soon as 

 possible. I accordingly obtained a swarm in the July following. 



About the end of the year 1870 the Banffshire Journal con- 

 tained the annual report of Mr. Pettigre^von " Bee-farming;" at 

 the close of this the editor intimated that he would report any 

 course of management, experiments, or results that might be 

 sent him on bees. Some weeks passed, and as no one wrote I 

 ventured to break the silence about the second week of January, 

 1871, after having been an apiarian for about six months. In 

 this communication four things were stated that I had accom- 

 plished, which were believed to be impracticable by every bee- 

 keeper that I had happened to come in contact with — viz., 

 1, Had driven out bees from among combs and honey without 

 smoking; 2, had united several of these swarms without their 

 fighting ; 3, had fed tbem so that, though at the end of the 

 honey season, they had nearly filled a skep with combs and 

 honey out of sugar and water; and 4th, the said skep was one 

 16 inches wide and 12 inches deep, inside measure. No other 

 party gave any account through the Journal. In course of time 

 some bee-keepers asked through the same Journal how my bees 

 were getting on. I replied, and in numerous articles after- 

 wards through the same channel were the new ideas of drum- 

 ming, uniting, feeding, and big skeps kept before the public. 

 In these communications I invariably gave out that it was by 

 acting up to Mr. Pettigrew's diiections that these revolutions in 

 bee-management were accomplished. 



The size of the skeps in general use here at that time would 

 average 12 inches wide and 11 inches deep, some bigger and 

 some less, and being bell-shaped, not flat-crowned, they would 

 be just about half as big as a 16-inch skep now so frequently 

 used hereabouts. When I received my first skep of the latter 

 size, the merchant in Keith who had it made to order said, 

 " Well, you may succeed, I hope you will, but I some doubt 

 you." On my leaving and passing along the street I was met 

 by an auctioneer, one whose calling made him acquainted with 

 most of the things in use in the country around. He accosted 

 me thus, " What in the world are you going to do with such a 

 skep 1" Its size, so immensely larger than the common kinds, 

 made every beholder predict that a failure would be the result 

 of my efforts to fill it. But my success, although only a be- 

 ginner, was so that others began to increase the size, and 

 18 inches by 12 inches, and 20 inches and even 24 inches wide 

 by 12 inches deep, and these requiring ekes at times, are now in 

 use in innumerable places. It may be said, in these northern 

 counties of course the small hives were alsj eked when re- 

 quired ; but what we say is, that the big skep or hive now in 

 use is a chief or the chief cause of the position we now appear 

 to hold among apiculturists. An author says in effect, " Al- 

 though not disbelieving about these large hives, suffice it to say 

 I have never seen one." Well, I can assure him such are to be 

 seen. I assisted to weigh one last year over 140 lbs. gross 

 weight, and over three guineas was received from a merchant 

 for its honey and comb. Another party has said, " Such should 

 appear at some of the great honey shows." A reasonable-enough 

 expectation, but for those who keep bees for profit such an 

 undertaking would be no light matter to have it conveyed some 

 six hundred miles to London. 



I cannot refrain from saying, ere I close, that the very ego- 

 tistical-like manner in which I have had to write this is against 

 my wish, but I could not otherwise, to the best of my knowledge, 

 avoid it and give at the same time an account in connection 

 with the " Handy-Book of Bees," of the great improvement in 

 bee-keeping in the north of Scotland. — James Sheaeeb, Caimie, 

 Aherdeenshire. 



THE CAPACITY OP BAR-FRAME HIVES. 



A coEEESPoNDENT (Mr. Eldridgc) puts the following question: — 

 " Will Mr. Pettigrew be good enough to say if a frame hive 

 having a capacity of 3000 cubic inches is, in his opinion, that 

 best adapted for the production of super honey ? If not, what 

 are his views of the right capacity when super honey is the 

 object in view, and where run honey only is desired?" This is 

 a very important and comprehensive question, and as it is fairly 

 and intelligently placed before us we think it deserves a special 

 answer. 



For the production of super honey in large quantity large 

 hives are necessary, but there is great difficulty in finding the 

 size best adapted for this end. I am of opinion that 3500 cubic 

 inches of space in a hive will be very near the point of excellence. 

 Were I going to keep bar-frame hives I would have them made 

 as near as possible to this size, and in shape considerably longer 

 than broad, but the longer shape would not help the bees to 

 store up super honey. The longer shape would secure a larger 



