84 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 22, 1875. 



The state of the weather on the eve of the dog days, as well 

 as the present conditioDB of hives, indicate that " attention to 

 feeding" should be the watchword of apiarians during the next 

 sis weeks. If the weather do not soon improve much feeding 

 will be necepsary to fill hives with combs and brood and furnish 

 them with sufficient food. — A. Pettigbew. 



HOW TO DEAL WITH SUPERS. 



At this time of tlie year there are ever recurring questions as 

 to what is to be done with supers. " How are we to get rid of 

 the bees ? " "What shall we do with the brood ? " And so on. 

 Let me state my own practice under such varying circumstances 

 as occur to me. 



First of all, there need be no difficulty where the super ia 

 well filled and there is no brood in it. I have never yet found 

 Aston's bee trap fail. The only care requisite in the use of it is 

 to see that the little talc valves act properly, dropping down 

 easily in their separate chambers, so as to close the aperture at 

 once upon the exit of each bee. An ill-constructed trap would 

 be worse than useless. Mine is affixed to a shallow box, which 

 is absolutely closed up save where a long narrow aperture con- 

 ducts the bees into it from the super, and there ia an oblong 

 opening in the side of the box just under the aperture alluded 

 to which corresponds to the trap that is affixed to it outside, 

 When once I have put my super over this box I trouble no more 

 about it, sure that in the course of an hour (more or less) I 

 shall find it empty — that is to say, provided the queen be not 

 there and the super is empty of brood. I prefer to put it as 

 near to the parent hive as I can, in order that the younger bees 

 in it may be attracted home by the joyful hum of their return- 

 ing companions. I may add that it is better to remove supers 

 late in the day when there is less chance of annoyance by stray 

 foragers from other hives. 



A friend of mine who dispenses with bee traps simply removes 

 his supers towards sunset, turns them up uader a bush, and 

 says he never experiences trouble from robber or returning 

 bees. He gives the super a knock or shake or two before he 

 deposits it on the ground to give the bees notice of the change 

 in their circumstances. This excites them to inquire for their 

 queen-mother, and hastens their departure if she is not to be 

 found. 



Where the super is large and very full of bees, also whenever 

 It has been ascertained that the queen is among them, or brood 

 in any quantity, it is good policy to drive out the mass of in- 

 mates before placing the super over the trap. As soon as driven 

 they should be put back over the parent hive. By this treat- 

 ment you will have far less trouble in the end, and a multitude 

 of young bees will be saved which otherwise would perish from 

 their ignorance of the locality, not to speak of their inability to 

 fly. This done, we would treat the super as before till the rest 

 of the bees had flown home. Should any remain a little fumi- 

 gation may be had recourse to with brimstone or chloroform to 

 get rid of them. 



The last difficulty concerns the treatment of the brood. If in 

 any quantity this is always worth preserving. It should be cut 

 out as soon as possible and be carefully adjusted in some super 

 reversed, care beiag taken that a hole in the super shall corre- 

 spond with the hole at the top of the hive to which it is to be 

 given. When put over the hive the bees will quickly come up 

 and take care of it. A loose board must be put over it for the 

 time — that is to say, until the super is to be removed in the 

 autumn after the young bees have been duly hatched-out. — 

 B. &W. 



TWO QUEENS IN ONE HIVE. 

 In the autumn of last year I forwarded to you an account of a 

 hive of Ligurian bees belonging to Mr. John Boulton, a trades- 

 man of Ulverston, North Lancashire, in which two young fertile 

 queens were found working together. Eventually, when the 

 hive had seemingly attained its original strength, one of the 

 queens was either killed or left the hive; at all events she dis- 

 appeared, and nothing more was seen of her. It may interest 

 your readers to know that the hive has been since doing as well 

 as could be expected in a bad season, and that on Sunday, 

 July 5th, it threw a fine swarm. — Beta. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Oatmeal (F.). — Yes, it ehonld be as you state, " nearly a8 fine aa flour." 



Bees not Swarmjng (Rlv. J. lireruin). — Aa it is too late for BwarmiuR 

 this year we advise you to take off the large Ruper, which yon say e<^eiii8 

 nearly full, and to cat oat of it any honeycomb that is fully sealed, and then 

 to replace it; or you may substitute another smaller super aa the honey 

 Beaaon iri drawing to its close. If you are near heather of course you have 

 BtiU a possible harvest additional, which we of the low country know nothing 

 of. The dt'ad beBs were probably drones. 



LiouanN Uers {Iifi\ F. B. Hutchinson). — Send U8 a epocimen of the bee 

 and we will let yon know if it is true. 



Canaries and Poultuv {E. Suldell). — Reply to queafion 1. Wo would nnt 

 reoommend yon to breed in-and-in as a rule, but lo introduce iieah blood 



each time you match your birdi for breeding. For mule-breedinc purposes 

 in-and-in breeding is sometimes practised, Although birds of very close 

 relationship are Bometimes paired and breed together without any perceptible 

 detriment to the offripring, still it is natural to suppose thit bli.od, form, and 

 f^ize must eventually become de^euerated in each succcpsive (.'eneration. 

 2. The various breeds of Canaries, with their eharacteristic points, may be 

 found in a work partly re-written by Sir. Famesby — viz., "Becbstein's 

 Chamber and Song Birds," published by Ilaidwicke, PiccaiUily, London, 

 price 3s. 6rf., which work would " enable a beginner to identify " the respective 

 breeds. We believe the book is the lirst pubHehed wherein the p'dotB by 

 which Canaries and Muies are judged axe set forth. S. We should a^dviee yea 

 to dispose of the " forty head of poultry of mixed breeds" in the nearest 

 market, or strike a bargain with some respectable poulterer, through each of 

 which sources you may obtain a raarketnble value for the same. With the 

 bare knowledge that '" there is Game and Houdan blood among them," and 

 that " about two dozen head are chickens of this year," it is impost^ible with- 

 out HeeiLig them to name the value of the lot. Chickens are chickens it is 

 true, but some chickens differ mnch from others. Had the fowls been of 

 pure and distinct breeds you would have had an oppi^rtnnity ol realising a 

 better price fur them than you may otherwise do. Throut,'h the medinm of 

 an advertisement, describing the fowls and giving your addrees, in all pro- 

 bability you may obtain an offer for the same. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 



Camden Sqcare, Lowdhn. 



Lat. 5l°S2'40" N.; Long. 0= 8' 0" W.; Altitude. Ill feet. 



REMARKS. 

 14th. — Rain all day, very heavy after 9 p.m; the heaviest fall since July 25th, 



lt567. [night. 



15th. — Another wet day and night, but not such heavy rain as on the previous 

 16th. — Raining at timet^ nearly all day, sometimes heavily, but fairer towards 

 17th. — Wet morning, and till ab mfe 4 p.m., then tine till 10 r.M. [night. 



18th. — Fair, but rather cloudy in morning, but soon clearing off and becoming 



a very pleasant day, though rather close. 

 19th. — Morning wet; day showery, but fine at intervals; fine evening, but 



thick haze from 9 p.m to 8 a.m. on the following morning. 

 20th. — Slight rain when the haze cleared off, but the after part of the day 



fine and pleasant. 

 Owing to the rain falling on every day, and its unusually large amount, the 

 air wa3 extremely damp. The maximum in sun fell from an average of ICS^" 

 to 92'^, but owing to the eame cause nocttimal radiation was diminished, and 

 the night minima were 5° higher than in the previouB week. — Q. J. Symoss. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— July 21. 

 The last week's incessant rain has had a most ruinous effect upon the soft 

 fruits, which at this time of year form our staple article of trade. Good 

 samples of Currants, Chwrries, Strawberries, and G joseberries, having become 

 quit? scarce. It has also affected the produce from under glass, which is all 

 Hufferiug from want of sunshine. Potatoes are beginoing to show blight. 

 The last cargo of West India Pines are very good, price ranging from U. 

 to 2s. each. 



FRDIT. 



8. d. B. d. 



Apples i sieve 1 Cito3 



Apricots box 16 



Cherries lb. 6 



Chestnuts bushel i) 



Currants i sieve 2 



Black do. 2 6 



Figs duzen 8 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 



Gooseberries quart 4 



Grapes, hothouse.... lb. 2 



Lemons ^100 ft 12 



Melona each 2 5 



I 6 







S 



8 G 



12 











6 



a 



Mulberries lb. 



Nectarines dozen 



Orangea V 100 



Peaches dozen e 



Pears, kitchen.. .. dozen 



dessert dozen 2 



Pine Apples lb. 3 



Plums 4 sieve 



Qoincet* dozen 



Raspberries lb. 



Strawberriea lb. 



Walnuts bnshel 



B. d s- d. 



OtoO 

 6 12 

 8 14 

 6 n IS 

 

 i 

 5 



ditto., 



13 U 



^-lOO 1 U 16 



Artichokes dozen 



AsparagnH %*" 100 



French bundle u u 



Bcana. Kidney .J sieve 2 



Broad i sieve 2 6 



Beet, Red dozen 2 



Broccoli bundle 9 



Brussels Sprouts 4 sieve 



Cabbage dozen 1 



Carrots bunch 6 



Capsicnms ^ 100 



Cauliflower dozen S 



Celery bundle 1 6 



Coleworts.. doz.bnochea 2 



Cucnmbera each 3 



pickling dozen 



Endive dozen 2 



Fennel bunch 6 



Garlio lb. 6 



H.^rbfl bunch 8 



IX'.'rse radish .... bondle 



VEQETABLES. 



d. s. d. 



Otof 

 H 

 

 8 

 6 i 

 4 

 9 1 

 U 



Leeks bnnch 



LetiQce dozen 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustard & Cross. .ponnet 

 Unions bushel 



pickling quart 



Paraley doz. hunches 



Parsnips dozen 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do. 



Radishes.. doz.buneheB 



Rbubarb bundle 



Salsafy bundle 



Scorzuuura boudle 



Seakale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach baebel 



Tomatoes dozen 



Tarniyi buncli 



Vegetable Marrows. .doz. 



d B. d. 

 4 too 



