June 1, 1876. 1 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



439 



In the next Game class the first and second Black Rod cocks 

 ran each other close for first honours, the winner having per- 

 haps a little more style. Class -1 was supposed to be for Indian 

 (lame, but we conclude it is pretty woU known that Malays in 

 Devonshire and Cornwall answer all the requirements of the 

 judges in these classes ; anyhow, nine pens appeared, and if the 

 class had been called Malay there would very likely have been 

 eighteen. A fair pair of young birds won, but not quite large 

 enough. Dorkings had only six entries, but a very good pen was 

 first; the hen nice in colour, and very good iu shape. We liked 

 the second-prize pen very much also, the cock being of good 

 colour, and altogether a showy bird. Cochins, Buff or White, 

 competed together, while Partridge had a class to themselves. 

 This is a most absurd classification, and we cannot think why 

 this Society persists in it. The winning Buffs were very good. 

 We liked the cock very much ; his shape is good, and his colour 

 very fairly clear. Capital Whites were second, the cock very 

 showy; but we liked either of the highly commended hens 

 better than the second-prize one. The third pen cf Bufis con- 

 tained a smart young cock of pretty colour. The first-prize 

 Light Brahma hen was extremely good in shape and neat in 

 head. In the Darks we liked, as a pair, almost the third-prize 

 pen best, though the second hen was well marked and neatly 

 made. Houdans made a small hut good lot of seven pens. The 

 first-prize pair were evenly marked and good in points. In the 

 next class only one solitary pen appeared, in which the birds were 

 not superior. The Golden-pencilled and Silver-spangled Ham- 

 burijlis made the best show. We liked the hen in 142 (Thomp- 

 son) very much, as her pencillings were clear and her colour 

 bright. The Judge seemed more at home here than among some 

 of the other birds, and there was very little indeed for any to 

 find fault with. The markings of the first Silver-spangled hen 

 were decidedly good, and tJbe cock with her had very good 

 sickles. In the Variety class Polands won all three of the prizes, 

 thus showing the lottery of such a receptacle and the great 

 want of better classification, for although the Polands were 

 excellent and the first-prize pen especially so, still there were 

 other pens of less-cultivated breeds which were in their way 

 quite up to the standard of the second and third-prize Polands. 

 The Sale classes were large, and we noticed a good Game cock 

 first among the cocks, and a pair of good Spanish and Dorkings 

 first and second among the hens. A pen of Aylesburies of 

 massive shape and clear in bill were first in their class ; while 

 in Rouens, unless they were judged by weight, we Uked the 

 Duch in the second-prize pen best, the drakes being about equal 

 in merit. Turkeys only mustered two pens, where a very good 

 pair of Cambridge won first. 



In Pigeons the entries were very small, and Mr. Yardley had 

 it pretty much his own way. 



PonLTRY.—GiME.-PniiubbeA-Cocfr.—l.H.E. Martin. 2, J. Maaon. 3, J. 

 C. Huxtable. 4, N. Barter. Any variety— Cock— I, H. E. Martin. 2, E. G. 

 Farqubarson. 3, J. T. Browne. Black or Brown. Red.—\, J. T. Browne. 2, 

 J. P. Dunatan. 3, Rev. A. Oriiwys. Any other variety.— 1,3. ^^%oti. 2, J. T. 

 Browne. 3, T. J. Lobb. Indian— \, airs. J. Partridge. 2 and 3, J. Bone. 

 Dorkings.— Coiourerf.—l, R. W. Beachey. 2, Rev. H. F. Hamilton. 3, Rev. G. 

 Watson. Cochins.— Uujr, H'/ii(f, and Cinnamon. — 1, S. K. Harris. 2, J. N. 

 "Whitehead. 3, Rev. G. F. Hoclson. Partridge and Brou-n.—\, G. Lias. 2 and 

 3, H. Moore. BHAnMA3.-L)ff/t(.— 1, Rev. G. Watson. 2. J. Croote. 3, J. H. 

 Nicholls. Dark.— I, Mrs. Radcliffe. 2, J. Lung. 3, Rev. H. V. Hamilton. 

 Spanish. — 1,J. Boulton. 2, .J.Bassett. 3, Mrs. Martin. TAisoRc^s.- Red faced, 

 —1, W. Jeffries. 2, J. Harwood. 3, H. Elston. Houdans.— 1 and 3, W. H. 

 Copplestone, French.— .^ny other variety. — 2, J. H. Nicholls. Hambcrghs. — 

 Gold-pencillea.—\, N. Barter. 2, W. Speakman. 3, G. Packham. Silver- 

 pencilled.— 1 and 3, i^ . 'Barter, 2, H. Pickles. Gold-simngled.-l,J.hong, 2, N. 

 Barter. 3, H. Pickles. Silver-Spangled,— 1, H. Pickles. 2, N. Barter. 3, J. 

 Carr. Bantams.— Grt7nc.—1. E. G. Farqubarson. 2, F. S. Hockaday. 3, W. M. 

 Cardwell. Any other variety.— I, 3. A Dakin. 2, G. J. Cruwvs. 3, C. H. Pope. 

 Ant other Yabietv.— 1, J. Hinton (Silver Polands). 2, J. Long (Polish). 3, H. 

 Pickles (Polands). Selling Class.- Cocfc.— 1, J. T. Browne (Game). 2. J. H. 

 Nicholls. 3, J. Harwood (Black Minorca). Ben8,—\, J. Boulton (^Spanish). 



2, K. W. Beacbey (Dorking). 3, W. T. Lovering{Game). DvcKS,— Aylesbury,— 



1, E, Snell. 2 and 3, S. R. Harris. Eouen,—l, Rev. A. Cruwys. 2, Mrs. J. 

 Partridge. S, J. T. Browne. Geese.— I, W. H. Copplestone. 2, B. J. F. OUfford. 



3, E. SnelL Turkeys.— 1, Rev. N. J. Ridley. 2, Mrs. Troyte. 



PIGEONS. — Cahbieeb. — 1, W. D. Richardson. 2, T. Wicks. Pobtebs. — 

 1,F. Beck. 2, H. Yardley. Barbs.— 1, H. Yardley. Tosiblers.—I, H. Yardley. 



2, F. Beck. Fantajls.— 1, J. F. Loversidge. 2. H. Yardley. Owls.— 1, F. Beck. 

 2, H. Yardley. Tdbeits.— 1, G. H. Gregory. 2, H. Yardley. Antwerps.— 



1, G. Colaon. 2, W. D. KicbarSson. Tbumpetebs.— 1, H. Yardley. 2, H. Denham. 

 Dragoons.— 1, H. Yardley. 2, T. Wicks. ANt other Vabiety.- 1, H. Yardley. 



2, G. O. Lamoureux. 



SYSTEMS OF MANAGEMENT.— No. 2. 



In our letter on this subject which appeared last week notice 

 was taken of the way in which the cottagers of England hobble 

 along, or rather allow their bees to hobble along, from genera- 

 tion to generation, for very few of the said cottagers have any 

 bright viewer intelligent grasp of their own or any other system 

 of managing bees. Brighter views, more intellectual pleasures, 

 and larger returns, let us hope, are in store for them. 



In oratory it has been said that action is the first, second, 

 and third best thing. In bee-keeping strong hives are the 

 first, second, and third best things in any system of manage- 

 ment. Other good things are young combs, young queens, and 

 stock hives that have never been once filled with honey to 

 repletion. Fat plethoric hives should not be kept for stock 

 for many reasons. A superabundance of honey in stock hives 

 in autumn, winter, and early spring is very hurtful. It is so 



cold that bees will not sit on it; they nestle as far from it m 

 winter and cold weather as possible, and may sometimes be 

 found clustering on the outsides of hives even in summer, 

 rather than sit on honeycomb; and in winter they often huddle 

 themselves in heaps on their boards or sides of their hives inside 

 rather than risk their lives near an iceberg of honeycomb. 

 Besides, honey contracts the breeding spaces of hives in two 

 ways. A superabundance of honey in stocks occupies too much 

 comb, and generally with a superabundance of honey there is a 

 superabundance of pollen, which is as injurious in a bee hive 

 as a sluggish liver is in an animal. The best bee-keepers, then, 

 have four points to their charter— namely, strong hives, young 

 queens, fresh combs, and plenty of breeding space. 



The Australian system of managing bees comprises both super- 

 ing and nadiring. When a hive becomes full a super as large 

 as itself is placed on it for store room ; and when the combs of 

 the bottom hive become black nadiring is resorted to instead of 

 snpering. The honey, of course, is stored in the uppermost 

 hive, and the bottom one kept for stock. This systern does not 

 prevent swarming altogether, for bees often swarm with supers 

 half filled on the hives, and even with nadirs under them. 

 This system is easily understood and practised. The nadiring 

 process of securing both honey and stocks is objectionable, for 

 nadirs filled by stocks that do not swarm are often half full of 

 drone comb, and therefore very ineligible for stocks. The idea 

 of youthful queens is not considered at present ; by-and-by it 

 will be otherwise amongst our colonial friends. 



The introduction of Mr. Nutt's system of bee-management in 

 this country deepened the conviction in the minds of thought- 

 ful observers than an earnest enthusiastic person can, single- 

 handed, influence for good or evil a great number of people. 

 The Nutt hive speedily went into disuse and the waste corner. 

 If the hive had been introduced with less ostentation and as one 

 capable of improvement, the system or hive would perhaps 

 have been improved. Both hive and system were objectionablo 

 in my opinion. The openings or doors between the central and 

 collateral boxes were not large enough, nor where they ought to 

 have been. The central boxes were often full before the bees 

 entered the collateral ones, which did not prevent swarming. 

 The position, size, and shape of the partition doors were wrong, 

 and the whole thing was a failure. 



The bar frame hive or moveable-comb system, so much in 

 fashion, is now on its trial. It has many advocates and patrons 

 both in this country and America. L. L. Langstroth of America 

 is its greatest advocate and admirer. If he were less biased and 

 prepossessed in its favour his opinions would have greater weight 

 amongst thoughtful men. But I am not now going to enter into 

 controversy with anybody about this or that hive, or this or that 

 system of bee management, neither am I here to undervalue im- 

 provements of any kind made in apiarian science. I wish I were 

 able to give the reader a full-length portrait of the moveable- 

 comb system, with every feature of excellence fairly and honestly 

 shaded. Moveable combs give the students of bee history a good 

 opportunity of examining the internal operations of a bee hive, 

 and are useful for scientific purposes. Bars of honeycomb may 

 occasionally be removed from bar-frame hives, and bars of brood 

 too. The American slinger has been invented to extract honey 

 without crushing or breaking the combs of moveable frames. 

 The bar-frame hive can be managed on the swarming and non- 

 swarming system, and for both nadiring and supering. The 

 hive is generally used for supering on the non-swarming principle, 

 and is chiefly in the apiaries of amateurs and dealers— Great 

 Britain and Ireland only considered. Some of the advocates in 

 the bar-frame school become great experts in manipulating pro- 

 cesses — removing and refixing bars of brood, removing and 

 emptying bars of honey and honeycomb. The bar-frame hive 

 does not prevent swarming, and does not admit of being 

 enlarged by eking. This is one great defect in the hive, which 

 will be seen and felt by many bee farmers. The mode of swarm- 

 ing bar-framers artificially, as practised by many adepts in the 

 school, is very far from being perfect. Taking half the bars and 

 bees of a hive ready for swarming and placing them in an empty 

 hive is the nsual mode adopted in artificial swarming in this 

 school. Such splitting and halving is unnatural and objection- 

 able. The hive that has the queen will go on very well, but the 

 other having bees and combs only has a queen to rear, and while 

 rearing one or more will become filled with drone combs, for 

 bees instinctively build drone combs when young queens are 

 being hatched. In artificial swarming the bees and queen 

 only should be put into the empty hive, and all the combs 

 remain in the old stock hive. In this way we imitate natural 

 swarming as closely as possible, and it is well to be in the line of 

 natural processes, and when that is not possible let us keep very 

 near to it. 



If I were to mention all the objectionable features of the bar- 

 frame hive and system that strike me I fear some of our friends 

 of that school would look on and treat me as an enemy. Now 

 they should not do this, but rather be pleased to have the weak 

 points of the system pointed out, and removed if possible. The 

 system is on its trial, and attempts are constantly being made 



