21S 



JOUBNAL OP HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



( March 19, 1871. 



the Hominp; Antwerp type, which is the sort I keep. — Haeky 

 Knowles, The Woodlands, Seaton, Bolton. 



CRYSTAL PALACE BEE AND HONEY SHOW. 



The letter of your correspondent, "T. Bagshaw," seems to 

 me to convey such an entirely different construction of the 

 published schedule of the forthcoming show of apiarian pro- 

 duce, itc, at the Crystal Palace, from the one evidently intended 

 by the promoters, that I hope you will insert in reply thereto 

 the opinions entertained by others. The covert allusions as to 

 the framing of the classes to meet special cases at present 

 existing, seem to me so very unjust, and so calculated to injure 

 the object with which the Show is identified — viz., the advance- 

 ment of all branches of apiculture, that I cannot refrain from 

 opposing my opinions to those of your correspondent. 



First, as to the amount of the prizes being likely to hinder 

 competition, especially of those from a distance. I am of 

 opinion that the majority of exhibitors from all parts of the 

 country will be amateurs, to whom the money value of the 

 prize will not be so much an object as the honour of distancing 

 aU comers in the particular class in which they elect to enter 

 for competition ; and even if that were not so, the owner of any 

 apiary can exhibit in so many classes with a probability of 

 success, should he be a fairly skilful apiculturist, that the 

 aggregate value of the prizes he may hope to secure will induce 

 him to enter all his best productions, whether hives, bees, or 

 honey. 



"With regard to the definition of the hives, surely " the most 

 improved " will be that which in the opinion of the judges is 

 likely to secure the best results with the least complication of 

 construction ; and as a class is provided for every kind of hive 

 now in use, from the straw skep to the most elaborately con- 

 structed bar-and-frame hive, nothing could be more compre- 

 hensive or more Ukely to insure a large exhibition of hives of 

 all kinds, whether the production of the hive-manufacturer 

 proper, or the skilful and ingenious amateur who has " im- 

 proved " any hive so as to render it more simple of construction, 

 more easy of manipulation, or more likely to secure what we all 

 alike desire, a good yield of honey. 



Mr. Bagshaw asks why, in giving a prize for the most beauti- 

 ful progeny of a queen, the queen herself is not to be taken into 

 account ? I answer. Because the most beautiful bees are of ten- 

 time? the progeny of a dark-looking unhandsome queen, whilst 

 very handsome queens sometimes produce very ordinary bees 

 both in looks and qualities ; and as it is upon the bees that we 

 depend for honey-gathering and storing, a fine strain of bees 

 should not be deprived of their due because they happen to 

 have an ordinary-looking mother. 



Then, as to " the largest breed of bees." It certainly does 

 follow that they will be able to carry more honey, but that they 

 will be likely to consume more requires some stronger proof 

 than Mr. Bagshaw's bare assertion. As there are only three 

 nationalities or varieties of bees under cultivation in this 

 country — the native blacks, the Italians, and the hybrid cross 

 between the two, there cannot be much doubt as to what is the 

 meaning of the words " of any nationality." In spite of the 

 wonderment expressed by Mr. Bagshaw as to who will bring 

 bees from abroad for the chance of winning £2, 1 shall be much 

 surprised if we have not some of our famous breeders of bees 

 upon the Continent enter into competition for the advantage 

 sure to accrue to them from a demand for progeny from prize 

 strains of bees likely to follow success. 



For the sake of brevity I will pass over the remarks upon the 

 honey classes from A to P, and say why I think Q has crept 

 iu. It is because it is now so well authenticated a fact that the 

 honey harvest of any country can be so greatly increased by the 

 use of the extractor, that it is evidently thought desirable to 

 encourage its introduction and general use by the offer of a 

 prize that can only be competed for by those who, recognising 

 its utility, have adopted it for use in their api.iries. I do not 

 think the competition in the cottagers' classes will be left to 

 those in the neighbourhood of London alone, although there is, 

 as Mr. Bagshaw ought to know, quite a sufficient quantity of 

 tliat class near the metropolis to make a very respectable show 

 of themselves. 



I feel sure the Committee who have the arrangements for the 

 Show in hand will be obliged to Mr. Bagshaw for the freedom 

 of his criticisms, which are, no doubt, given in the best of 

 spirit, if I except his allusions to the Show being evidently in 

 tlie interest of fancy-hive makers, and the prize for the largest 

 breed of bees being introduced for the purpose of rewarding the 

 lucky owner of some monstrosity now residing somewhere near 

 our great city, and they will feel flattered that he has been 

 pleased to commend most of the miscellaneous classes. 



In speaking of the prizes offered for essays, and first upon the 

 fertilisation of queens by selected drones : how does it follow that 

 the securing of such control should be " profitless and uncer- 

 tain ? " Is there no possibility of improving our breed of bees 

 excepting by accident 1 and if there be, how can it be accomplished 



excepting by controlling fertilisation ? I hope there are many 

 who are not so ready to abandon the attempt at improvement 

 as Mr. Bagshaw seems to be, for he who never attempts will 

 never succeed. This opinion of his seems to me to accord well 

 with one following closely after, " I believe a common straw 

 hive the best for honey-gathering purposes." With regard to 

 foul brood, Mr. Bagshaw seems to have faUen into the same 

 error as did Mr. Pettigrew, in comparing the attempt at curing 

 foul brood to that of curing rotten eggs. How does Mr. Petti- 

 grew know that rotten eggs cannot be cured ? Has he, or does 

 he know of anyone who has, ever tried ? 



It is quite evident that the cure of the diseased brood itself 

 is not meant in speaking of "the cure of foul brood;" and I 

 think, perhaps, the object would have been better understood 

 had it been worded " for the best essay on the cure and eradi- 

 cation (prevention) of foul brood," for it must be that the treat- 

 ment of a diseased hive for its restoration to health is intended. 

 That there must be a cause for this fearful disease is certain, or 

 all hives would be alike afflicted at some period of their ex- 

 istence, though what that cause is has not yet been discovered, 

 although many of the most learned and skilful apiarians have 

 devoted, and are still devoting, their attention to a subject of 

 snch great importance to all bee-keepers. One bold writer to 

 the American iJef Jozir?iaJ has, however, published a recipe for 

 its eradication in the form of a food-medicine to be administered 

 to the bees in the afflicted hive. — E, Syuisgtos. 



GENERAL BEE-MANAGEMENT— A VISIT TO 



MR. PETTIGREWS APIARY. 



My object in writing this is for the encouragement of timid 

 or amateur bee-keepers who are afraid of doing anything with 

 their bees, who have not had the pleasure of witnessing the 

 effects of corduroy smoke, and who are at present too timid to 

 try it. I have read Mr. Pettigrew's "Handy Book on Bees," 

 and I thought it was very easy reading about it, but trying it I 

 fancied I should get too many stings, and that it was therefore 

 altogether out of the question; but what I saw at Mr. Pettigrew's 

 has quite altered my opinion. I dare look now any time I want 

 at my hives, with the aid of a little corduroy smoke. 



Coming to the main part of bee-keeping — viz., the practical part. 

 Mr. Pettigrew took me to his apiary and showed me the hive he 

 had examined and considered best, then he hove it up gently to 

 show me the bees that were iu it (I standing a short distance off), 

 but they would not stand that long. He then got a piece of 

 corduroy, set it smouldering, and blew some smoke inside, so 

 that I might examine it closely. The effect of the smoke was 

 wonderful. Instead of the bees covering the combs as at first, 

 they ran up among them as far as they could get, making a 

 great noise ; and when they were beginning to come out again 

 he just blew a little more smoke among them, and off they were 

 back again. Then I was pointed out the queen cells, drone combs, 

 and brood combs, &c. I was next taken to a good 16-inch hive ; 

 this he showed me as before without smoke and then with smoke. 

 This hive he gave me bottom up in my hands, and I could have 

 walked round the garden with it if I had wanted. I was tlien 

 shown a few more in the same way. We were having a chat 

 together, and I said I had never seen a queen bee, so he said he 

 would show me one in a minute or two. It just happened that 

 there was a very weak hive which he did not think would do 

 well by itself, and which he was going to join to the next hive 

 to it that evening. Mr. Pettigrew, therefore, took an empty hive 

 of the same size and turned it bottom upwards, then he took 

 hold of the other with his fingers inside the hive and his thumbs 

 out (exactly as described iu pages ISO and 181 of his "Handy 

 Book on Bees,") and with three or four good shakes up and down 

 he had them all in the empty hive. This part he generally does 

 at night by candlelight, but he did it in the garden in the full 

 light of the sun, so that I might see it done before I went horne. 

 He now gave them a puff or two of smoke. in the empty hive 

 to keep them a little quiet while he looked for the queen, and 

 picked her out and put her into my hand to look at; that was the 

 first time I had seen a queen, and, what was better, had handled 

 her at the same time ; after that she was put back to the bees 

 again, and a short time after he turned the hive up again to see 

 if I could find the queen myself, which I did. I was also shown 

 how to fasten guide combs iu hives. I was next shown how to 

 get some honeycombs out of a hive if it was too heavy for 

 winter, or if I wanted a piece of comb out at any time. He just 

 gave the hive a few puffs of smoke and then turned it bottom 

 up ; he told me I should have to cut it straight down with a long 

 knife, and then cross-ways at the top, or as deep as I wanted 

 the comb with the comb-knife as described in Ms "Handy 

 Book." A hive can be smoked, turned-up, and some comba cut 

 out, and put in its place again in less than four minutes. 



Mr. Pettigrew next showed me how he feeds his bees for 

 quickness. He picked a hive out that was rather short of food 

 and gave it a little smoke, then turned it bottom up, and I poured 

 some syrup on one side of the combs and then on the other. 

 The noise of anger at the smoke was quickly stopped, and changed 



