400 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTURB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ May 18, 1876. 



and I shall be pleased to show and explain anything; after 6 p.m. 

 any evening, but an appointment is desirable; and if any bee- 

 keepers will favour me with a visit on the last Saturday of this 

 month at 3 p.m. I will endeavour to show the modus operandi of 

 making artificial swarms, queen-raising, &c. ; of course, weather 

 permitting. — Joun Hunter, 5, Eaton Rise, Ealing. 



HOW TO SECDEE PREMIUM HONEY. 

 Db. p. a. Baier, ia the "Bee-keeper's Magazine," publishes 

 a pkn to secure the largest quantity and the best honey, which is 

 well worthy of trial. The plan is simply to keep a very strong 

 colony queenless during the greatest flow of honey. AH apia- 

 rians know that a virgin swarm will work with more energy in 

 building comb and storing honey than one with a full supply. 

 It is not uncommon for strong fumiliea, with everything needful 

 for storing honey in surplus boxes, to loaf about the hivo until 

 a few empty frames are given between the full ones, when they 

 will soon be filled ; but being in the queen's chamber she im- 

 mediately performs her maternal duty, and you get no honey. 

 The law is immutable in their allowing no empty space between 

 broad combs, and the law impelling the bees to fill the space 

 with comb acts with like force in indicating to the queen her 

 duty. By virtue of cause and effect, if the entire hive is made 

 into space it is but fulfilling that law for the bees to promptly fill 

 it with comb and honey if, perchance, it ia in abundant supply; 

 but madame queen being present, we must allow a considerable 

 force to assist in attentions to her royalty. Dethrone her and 

 supply the colony with material to make a new one, and yet 

 allow none to mature for a period, and we shall have our boxes 

 filled with the beauteous nectar. The operation is to put two 

 large swarms, without queens or comb, into a hive filled with 

 empty sectional frames or honey boxes, and give one broad 

 comb at one end of the hive, and before the new queen is hatched 

 remove the comb and give them another. When the second 

 has become fertile, the greatest flow of honey being over, remove 

 the honey frames or boxes and fill the hive with combs or empty 

 frames, as the fall season for honey may indicate. The queens 

 and brood combs can be utilised to advantage, which any in- 

 telligent apiarian will understand. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Books {V. XJ.Y — Oar "Poultry Book for the Many" will suit yon. You 

 can have it post free if yoa enclose seven postage atampa with your addregs. 



Fowl's Thigh Swollen {J. 0. TF.),— We do not know the disease. We 

 think it must be the result of an accident, or from the attack of some 

 animal, such as a hedgehog. The hedgehog is very fond of ohickeno, and 

 will attack them night after night. 



HouDAN Hen's Abdouen Bearing Down (W. H. IT.).— Old hens are 

 Bubject to the beai-ing-down you mention. The upright position is common 

 to pullets when laying their first eggs. They are then egg-boand, relief is 

 easy, and they recover. Not ho with tbe old birds : either they are raptured, 

 and consequently incurable, or they are iujared, and if old are hardly worth 

 keeping till they recover. The number ot cocka running with hons should 

 be much diminished at this time of year as compared with winter. Inatten- 

 tion to this fatally injures many hens and pullets. 



Goose Egos lAlicia). — If the eggs were good when put under the hens 

 there ia no doubt they will batch them. There is sometiraeft uncertainty as 

 to date, bat we know they will hatch in ppite of the east wind. You must 

 be careful to keep them well wetted; the Goose retarns to hsr eggs dripping 

 with water. If the eggs be kept dry every gosling will dlo in its shell. 



Insects on Chickens (ZO^m).— We cannot understand about the chickens, 

 hut we should not be anxious to keep any suffering from hereditary vermin. 

 Such are sure to die when featheriDg. They are literally worried to death. 

 Try the change of air, but as soon as you discover any signs of the visitation 

 get rid of them. 



HrvES (Youthfid Amateur).— Vlr. Pettigrew will tell you his hive is the 

 best ; other people will tell you differently. We have no " best " hive in use ; 

 bat find every hive good in its way, and make the " best " of it. Tbe question 

 of best depends upon a variety of circumstances, such as climate, pasturage, 

 strength of swarms, object in' view in bee-keeping. Your hive ought to do 

 well enough. As to your bees not taking to the boH-glHs?, that is because 

 they have no need for it yet. Wait till hooey abounds, and they will take to 

 it fast enough if kept warm and it has a nice piece of comb in it. Write to 

 Mr. Pettigrew, Sale, Manchester, for his book. 



Driving Bees {Qlastonhury).—i:'hQ fact that drones made their appear- 

 ance on the let of April (this very late unfavourable seaaoni, and a queen 

 being frequently seen at the entrance of your hive since, indicate that the 

 bees lo&t their old queen in April and reared a young one to take her place. 

 Fertile queens never come out or exposa themselves except in the act of 

 swarming. The queen which was seen on the fl^^'ht■board was either the old 

 one mercifully treated after bein^ dethroned, or her successor going out to 

 meet the drones. If we are right your hive was not in a proper coudition for 

 swarming, the young queen not basing commenced laying, and it is just 

 poseible that she may be unfertilised. Before artificial swarming be again 

 attempted young brood should be eeen in the oomha. Tbe tapping or drum- 

 ming Fpoken of must have been too Reatle, for if it had been sufTiciently 

 heavy almost all the bees would have been driven up in less than half an boor. 

 Wby the bees were slaughtered on tbeir return we caunot imagine, for we 

 have never known returning swarms rejected or killed by tbe mother hives if 

 thty returned within twenty four hours of the time of swarming. As already 

 stated, we think the hive was not in proptr condition for swarming, and 

 probably you will be more dexterous and succeed better next time you attempt 

 artificial twarming. By drumming oil the bees out of the heavy box into on 

 empty one not smeared with sugar at all, and then examining the combs 



for eggs and brood, you would ascertain if our sarmises are correct. The 

 combs could be examined without drumming the bees out, and if brood in all 

 stages be found in tbem you may again swarm the bees by drumming for 

 about five minutes. If the swarm returns you may be quite certain that the 

 queen has not been taken with it. If you drum all the bees out and they 

 remain in the empty hive they have a queen, and if the combs be without 

 brood you could take honey, and put the bees into any kind of hive you prefer. 



Increasing Stocks of Bees (J, 0. 17.).— As you are afraid you will not 

 have time to watch for your bees swarming you should make yourself 

 acquainted with the simple process of artificial swarming, and then you ■will 

 be able to swarm your bees at your convenience, and as soan as your hives 

 are ready for swarming. At any time between 4 a.m. and 8 p.m. a hive may 

 be easily swarmed in fifteen minutes. An expert can do it in seven minutes. 

 If you expose your hives in which bees have died during the winter your 

 neighbours' swarms may bo enticed to settle in them instead of your own. 

 Your bees may swarm and be lost, even though hives of empty combs ba 

 placed in tbe same garden. If some of the combs are mora than one year 

 old we advise you to melt them for wax instead of usicg them for swarms. 

 The combs of last yeai's swarms if sweet would greatly help sworma of this 

 year. 



Hives {A Gardener).— Vfe are pleased to hear you have been so far ancoeas- 

 fal in your first efforts in bee-keeping. You are like many others ; wanting 

 to buy large hives, but do not know where to get them. We regret that onr 

 hive merchants do not advertise their goods as they ought. Mr. Yates of 

 16 and 18, Old Millgate, Manchester, supplies us with large hives ; and it ia 

 believed Mr. J. Lee, Windiesham, Bagshot, has some on sale. 



MErEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



Camden Square, London. 



Lat. 5P 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0".8' 0" W. ; Altitude, 111 feet. 



BEMABES. 



10th.— Rather cloudy morning; bright day throughont, but not warm; cold 



at night. 

 11th. — Traces of frost early, but sunny warm morning, and very fine day ; 



brilliant night. 

 12th. — Overcast morning ; fine afterwards. 

 13th. — Cold and dull; fine evening. 

 14th. — Sharp frost early ; very pleasant morning and fine day ; a few spots of 



rain in the evening, but not measurable. 

 15tb. — Ball, with occasional sunshine; fine night. 

 16th.— Overcast, except for ebo'-t intervals; clearer in evening. 



The week has been very much like the previous one : dry atmoapherfl, no 

 rain, strong sun, cold wind, and ocoaaionaL night frosts. — G. J. Sxmohs. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— May 17. 

 Bdsiness is steadily improving, and the supply of all things is well up to 

 the demand. Tbe late cold niguts have very much checked the growth of 

 English Asparatiua, the want of which has been removed by heavy importa- 

 tions from France arriving in very fine condition. 



Apples k sieve 1 



Apricots dozen 



C&erries lb. 



CbeatDuta bushel 



Currants i sieve 



Black do. 



Figs dozen 



FUberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse.... lb. 6 



Lemons ^100 6 



Melons each 6 



Artichokes dozen i 



Asparagus %*■ 100 3 



French bundle C 



Beans, Kidney.... ^^-lOJ 1 



Beet, Red dozen 1 



Broccoii bundle 



Brussels aprouts j sieve 



Cabbage dozen 1 



Carrots bunch 



Capbicaras ^ lOJ 1 



Cauliflower dozen 1 



Ct-lery bundle 1 



Coleworts.. duz. bunches 2 



Cucumbers each 



Endive dozen 1 



Fennel, bunoh 



G-irUc lb. 



HerDs bunch 



Horseradish bundle 4 



Lettuce dozen 



French Cabbage .... 1 



d. B. d. 



6 to 6 



Mulberries lb. 



Nectarines dozen 



Oranges ^ 100 6 



Peacbes dozen 



Pears, kitchen.... dozen 



deseort dozen 3 



Pine Apples lb. 1 



Plums.. i sieve 



Quinces bushel 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberries oz. 



Walnuts., bushel 4 



ditto ^100 1 



d. s. d. 

 OtoO 



VKaETABLES, 



Leeks bunch 



Mashrooms puttie 



Muutard & Cress puunet 

 Onic'Ds bushel 



picklmg quart 



Parsley.... doz. bunches 



Parsnips dozen 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney de. 



New lb. 



Radishes., doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salsafy bundle 



Scorzonera bundle 



Seakale basnet 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes do7en 



Turnips buttth 



Vegetable Marrows 



8. d. 8. d. 



4 too 



1 



6 

 1 

 1 



1 



