262 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Septombor 16, 1675. 



bat the difficulty was met here by having the window-frame to 

 swing like a fanlight. The bees thus were easily turned outside, 

 and would fly homfl when no dlBturbance to the colony was 

 going on. The wjni'ws could be closed, and feeding from the 

 ordinary bottle pu sue J undisturbed by robber bees, and without 

 causing uudun exci;emeut. 



The secret of Mr. Cowan's success I apprehend is the good 

 housing his bees obtain — thorough ventilation and unceasing 

 care in stimulating feeding; each stock in the autumn is fed up 

 to 30 lbs. contents. The body of the hive and the crown-board 

 is raised about an eighth of an inch, so that a fresh current of 

 air may be always passing through the hive. Some hives have 

 even been wintered with the greatast success without crown- 

 board at all. This b ars out what I have before written on the 

 importance of fresh air to bees as well as men. I asked Mr. 

 Cowan if he liked "thw quilt" covering, and received the sig- 

 nilicant answer, "I have tried it, but you see I do not use it." 

 As soon as the severity of winter has passed the bees are trans- 

 ferred into clean hives with five or sis of the centre combs, the 

 hive being contracted to fi% and two frames at a time have the 

 knife passed over to unseal all the remaining honey. In this 

 state they are returned to the bees, which rouses them into 

 activity. They seem to believe that spring has arrived, the 

 queen sets about her important vernal business of egg-laying, 

 and the excitement being kept up by a judicious provision of 

 syrup, by the time spring really does arrive the hive has a teem- 

 ing population ready to take the utmost advantage of fruit 

 blossoms. 



Descending to the ground floor we enter a storehouse or 

 museum where all the miscellaneous apparatus of scientific bee* 

 culture seems collected together, as well as hives and supers 

 both in straw and wood ; good sound skeps, large and small, 

 with supers and ekes seldom used by our scientific friend, but 

 improved patterns, offered gratis to the cottagers .vho will con- 

 descend to ask for them, in the benevolent hope of teaching 

 them to benefit themselves; well made, substantial, cottage 

 "Woodbury hives, offered as prizes at the flower shows, but 

 which, alas ! when won are more often sold than used by the 

 winner; new hives ready for use upstairs when required, all 

 ready for the good time coming. "We pass on to the workehop, 

 where we find a lathe, circular saw, and carpenter's tools galore, 

 ready to do duty when required. Here we see a honey-extractor 

 and a couple of pans of honey obtained by its use. This ex- 

 tractor figured at the Crystal Palace Show last year, and was by 

 many thought to be the best exhibited, but I hope to find it 

 beaten this year by the experience gained in the past. My host 

 evidently has an impartial mind, for looking round I see various 

 things which are evidently put aside as not up to the mark, 

 among which are Abbott's frame-bar hive and Addey's column 

 hive, the first with the seams drawn all apart with the weather, 

 and the latter merely a couple of old cheese boxes lined with 

 straw, price one guinea. I fancy buyer as well as hive is sold 

 here. 



After viewing a few skeps in the garden whose inhabitants 

 are doomed to transfer to frame hives in autumn we terminate 

 our apiarian treat, and with a passing glance at some excellent 

 Creve-Co3ur fowls and a short turn round the garden we ad- 

 journ to the house, where I find the same cultivated scientific 

 taste displayed in collections of fossils, minerals, coins, insects, 

 as well as philosophical instruments and calnnets, mostly made 

 by Mr. Cowan's own hand. The cheering strains of the military 

 band at the neighbouring flower show then moved us there, 

 where we found much to admire in flowers and fruits. — John 

 Hunter, Eaton Rise, Ealing. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Carrier Pigeon at Sea {W. S. and Others).— It is quite certain that the 

 inscription on the wing feathers must have been moulted off many tinoes 

 since the siege of Paris, but the owner may have renewed it after each moult 

 to identify it as the bird that was then serviceable. We have heard «>( a 

 Pigeon that had the loving memorial renexed on its wlrtg annually, ** Ellen's 

 p«t." 



TRANaFERHiNG Bees {A Beginner). — First drive your bees out of their 

 present hive into an empty hive. Tten take out carefully every comb, aud 

 cut equares out of each piece ft worker comb only, wbiiih you mu^t fib into 

 the frames of the Woodbury hives, bo aa to reach from the top bar to the 

 bottom of the frames. Hecnre eaoh comb in its place by narrow utripg of 

 wood nailed with tacks or brads to the frames, and croHsingeach comb in two 

 places on each Bide. When all the bars with comb are arratiged in their 

 plact'S pot the Wuodbary hive on its staijd, and shako the driven b^es into it. 

 When all is qaiet cover up and leave for a few days, only giving them a little 

 food to quitken them. Atter a week or eo you can take ouf each cnmb and 

 remove the narrow sTips wherever the combs are securely fixed to ihe bars. 

 The orhers may be left on a little longer, or till the spring- This is not a 

 good time to transfer bees nnle^s you are prepared to give them 20 or 3U lbs. 

 of eagar at least, and immediately. 



Golden Syrdp for Bees { iV. M. B.). — We have never seen the " golden 

 ayrnp " as sold by groc<-r8 used as food for bees, but as it is a kind of refined 

 treacle or molasses we think bees would greedily eat it if prCBcnted to thom. 

 When sugar was higher in pric- than it la now we once eaw a swarm put into 

 an empty hive in September and fed with common treacle, nothing else. The 

 bees half filled the bivo with combs beaatifully white, and were healthy 



enough all the following winter. No evil resulted from the use of treacle 

 in this ca'^e. By some aiiiarian^ treacle and brown sugar are considered too 

 relaxing for bees as winter food. Apart from the question of eipenee, there 

 is nothing else to fear from its asd. 



Hives ( dn Old Subgcribcr). — We dare not answer your qnestion as to which 

 hives ara beat. The bee-keepmg world would tumble over our heads— that 

 is, all inventors and parrons of specialities in hives would pursue us with 

 maledictions. We prefer and always use ourselves boxes of wood. Some are 

 of an oblong shape to suit our boi house, with large windows on both eidea 

 aud a small one at the back. They aro of common deal. Also we have in 

 use Woodbury bar-framed hives. For profit we should advise you to adopt 

 a good-sized box, say 14 inches square, of inch deal (not red deal), and 

 'J inches high. This for the main hives. Supers should be smaller every 

 way. As you have a bee house they need no other protection. 



Stewed Water-cresses Annie). — They should be placed in strong salt 

 and water to free thera from iuaei'ts, then all the water drained off ad the 

 cresses put into a etewpon with a lamp of butter and a little salt and pepper ; 

 a few minutes will suffice to render them quite tender. A little vinegar may 

 be added just before serving, bat this must be according to taste. The cress 

 stew made thin, as a substitute for parsley and battoTi is also excellent with 

 boiled fowl. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



Caudeh Sqoare, London. 



Lat.Br82'40"N.; Long.0^8'0" W.| Altitude, 111 feet. 



REMAKES. 



8th.— Unusually dark and beginning to rainatSA.M.; dark and Novemberish 



at times all day, but very clear nevertheless. 

 9th. — Fine morning ; cloudy at times all day, but with bright intervals. 

 10th. — A most beautiful day ; rather stormlike at 6 p ai., but fine after, 

 llth. — Fine morning and ver> pleasant day, though sometimes cloudy, and 



at no time very brii^ht. 

 12th. — Dull in the morning, and rather so till noon, then bright and fine, but 



rather cool, 

 13th.— Very bright soon after 10 a.m., and all the rest of the day very fine 



and warm. 



14th.— Another fine bright day, wind rather high and cool, but very pleasant. 



A very pleasant week, dry and moderately bright, bat by no means hot. 



The mean temperature at 9 a.m. nearly the same as last week, bat the ronge 



less, the nights being slightly warmer and the sun less powerful.— G. J. 



Si'MONS. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— September 15. 

 The supply of common fruit still keeps abundant at last week's prices; 

 but hothouse fruit is quoted at a rather better figure. Of foreign fruits 

 Pines are quite over, but large quantities of Melons and White Grapes are 

 arriving from Hpaiu, as are Pears from France. The Hop season in Kent 

 has checked the supply of Cobs and Filberts, consequently quotatijns aro 

 better. 



FRUIT. 



