458 



JODfiNAL OF HOBTICb'LTUKE AND OOTXAGB GAKDENEB. 



( November 18, 187S. 



that has been written abont the clashing of shows I find there 

 are four other exhibitions on the same date, and Canterbury 

 the day after. I have heard from the Hon. Secretary of the 

 Ipswich Show that he will forward any specimens exhibited 

 there to any other show if exhibitors will send him the labels." 



CAGE BIRDS AT THE DERBY SHOW. 



The general arrangements were conducted tolerably well, still 

 there are one or two matters that in the future it would be well 

 for the Committee to alter — viz., the setting forth a day for 

 judging, and not letting it be done on the first day unless before 

 the time of opening the Show to the public. Some of the prize 

 cards were not placed upon the cages until daylight had about 

 gone ; and as to the detached list of prizes, when it did appear in 

 the form of a tabular key to the already-issued catalogue, I may 

 remark that more credit (if any) was due to the compiler for the 

 intricacy of it than for the utility to exhibitors, visitors, or 

 members of the press. — Qoiz. 



Han-ley Show. — The winners of the three special prizes for 

 Pigeons were awarded, in their sections, one to Mr. Fulton's 

 Carriers, one to his pair of Barbs, and the third to the Rev. Mr. 

 Serjeantson for his "White Fantails. As at the two former 

 shows Mr. T. H. Eidpeth judged the Pigeons on this occasion. 



THE BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. 



I AM much pleased that the Hon. Sec, Mr. E. Lanrance 

 Cleaver, has noticed my remarks touching the shows. He refers 

 me to the catalogue offering ±'10 in prizes for " the best and 

 largest harvest hive of honey in the comb." The schedule of 

 prizes which he refers to was sent to me, but if I remember 

 aright the ilO was offered by two gentlemen through the Asso- 

 ciation, but not by it. Indeed one of the gentlemen — viz., the 

 Hon. and Eav. Mr. Bligh — wrote a letter suggesting to the Com- 

 mittee the importance of offering such prizes. The effort made 

 by the hon. and rev. gentleman was most commendable. Last 

 year I suggested that handsome prizes be offered for the heaviest 

 swarms, also for the greatest results in weight (not in comb 

 merely) from one stock hive managed on any system. My sug- 

 gestion is distinctly different from Mr. Bligh'a if I understand 

 his lightly; and I believe mine is of far greater importance, 

 and if adopted will help to advance apiculture much. 



How is it that the Association does not offer prizes for such 

 results ? and how can the Secretary of that Association or any 

 one else expect to see 2 or 3 cwt. of hives exhibited when no 

 prizes are offered for them ? Will the Secretary undertake to 

 do his best next year to offer prizes for such ? and if the Com- 

 mittee will not yield to his entreaties in this direction, will he 

 promise to pay the carriage merely of such exhibits ? I care 

 not for the honour cf taking prizes ; I have never competed for 

 one in my life, and never wish to compete ; but if next year be 

 a favourable one for honey, I will send up to the Crystal Palace 

 Show the results of one or two stock hives, if the Aesociation 

 will pay their carriage. What more can I do ? What else can 

 be done if prizes and encouragements are not offered by the 

 Association ? — A. Pettigkew. 



for which he was expecting a letnm of 2s. per lb. for the honey (?) 

 —Beta. 



HIVE COVER. 



I HAVE made a hive cover which might be useful to some of 

 your readers, and which I think good and cheap. I procure 

 2 yards of the material of which rick covers are made (more or 

 less according to size of hives), which I cut so. 1 and 5 are 



sewn together to make 

 a piece like the others, 

 3 is turned up and down ; 

 the four pieces are then 

 joined with the narrow. 

 „. est ends uppermost. It 



* must be well sewn with 



thread on purpose, to be bought with the material. It must be 

 well done. I had a charwoman, a shoemaker's wife, who tho- 

 roughly understood it. I then had it well painted. — Tkiceps. 



Spdkious Honey. — A correspondent writes from the north of 

 England : Owing to the bad honey season all sorts of inventions 

 to manufacture honey are being attempted, and it may be well 

 to put purchasers on their guard. Eecently one of our grocers 

 was supplied for sale with two small supers, which looked very 

 nice. On asking the grower if he had any more he replied that 

 he had one other large super, which he promised to bring the 

 following day. He did so, and its size aroused the suspicions 

 of the grocer, who fortunately happened to be a bee-keeper. On 

 tasting the so-called super honey it was found to consist of 

 nothing but raw (or preserving) sugar. The grower was taken 

 to task, and obliged to confess that as the season had been so 

 bad he had constantly fed his bees with raw sugar at 3J(Z. per lb.. 



The length of the report of the Crystal Palace Show compels 

 us to omit other reports and commanicatious until next 

 week. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



FoT^xs IS Small Sp.ics IR. D.). — You cannot keep more than a cock a^d 

 three hens in a space 12 ftet by 9 feet. You do not say whether the quarter 

 of the grass run is part of the 12 feet. If it is not, you may keep mure heua. 

 If you mean a quarter of an acre the three might be eight hens. 



Rearing Dokkings iJ. D.). — The description you give leaves nothiug to 

 desire for DorkiugH, as it possesses all that is necessary. They are essentially 

 the fowl of the homestead, and will be found far more profitable than 

 mongrels, or even half-breds. There used to be a good sale in York for good 

 poultry, and if you will kill them young they will then be in perfeijtiun as to 

 quality, while the increased size of the breed will cause them to be larger 

 thau the mongrels quite full grown, and consequently tough. There aie as 

 good Dorkings bred m Yorkshire as in any part of England. 



Loss OF Bees {C. CUiral— The fact that your two old hives filled supers 

 this season is pretty good evidence that their bees were not lost from waut of 

 food, or driven from home by foul brood. No one can say with certainty what 

 was ihe cause of the loss of the bees of both your old hives. They might 

 have swarmed unseen, and lost their young queens afterwards <>n their 

 marriiii^e tours, an occurrence not at all unusual; or their queens may have 

 died uf old age when there were no eggs in the hives. More probably, suc- 

 cessors were reared and lost in going out to meet the drones. When hives 

 lose their queens from any cause their bees are often so disconsolate and dis- 

 organised that they do not attempt to defend their stores, and rapidly dwindle 

 away and die. Doubtless the bees of jour cast or swarm were so reduced iu 

 number by hunger before yoa began to feed them that they could not be pre- 

 served alive by feeding. 



Bees near Nottingham (W. T.). — We are sorry to learn that all your 

 bees were drowned by the late floods. Nottingham is an escellent county for 

 bees, and we think they would do well on the skirts of the town. The fruit 

 trees of gardens yield much honey to bees ; after the fruit blossoms fail bees 

 find more honey iu fields and forests than they do in gaidens. If you canuot 

 find a more elevated spot than your present garden on which to place hives, 

 they may be kept and do well in the lefty house you propose erecting fur 

 them. 



Pollen-carrying in Novemiiee (A. .B.).— Bees carry home pollen in fine 

 weather as long as they cau find it. Even Christmas Rosea yield some of it 

 to bees. Your bees working now is a sign of health, not of foul brood. The 

 price of a good stock hive in spring is about £2 ; small old-fashioned hives 

 may be had of cottagers at a less price. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



Cauden Sqoabe. London. 



Lat. 61° 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0° 8' 0" W. ; Altitude. Ill feet. 



REMARKS. 

 10th. — Wet and stormy early; very darkfor a short time about 8.30 a.m., then 



cleared and sun shining by 9; sun and cloud alternating all day, but 



heavy rain at night. 

 11th. — Rain iu uight aud early morning; fair at 9 a.m. andall day, but rather 



dull. 

 12th. — White frost early; a pleasant frosty day; very fine till sunset, thtn 



rather foggy. 

 13th. — A thoroughly wet morning, rather less so in the afternoon ; but high 



wind and heavy rain at night. 

 14th. — Very windy aud rainy all day. 

 15th. — Slight frost, but very fine all day. 

 16th. — Fine morning, but rain soon after noon ; showers daring the afternoon ; 



very heavy rain duriug the evening; fine at midnight. 

 Extreme oscillatii us of barometer, and frequent heavy rain; ground satu- 

 rated and air very damp.— G. J. Svmuns. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— November 17. 

 Now that the glut of Grapes is over prices begin to mend. A cargo of 

 St. Michael Pines has arrived during the week direct from the island iu very 

 good condition, and are being Rold at reasonable prices. Pears consist of 

 Marie Louise, Glou Mor^eau, aud Crassanne. Kent Cobs are realising better 

 prices. 



FRUIT. 



Apples i aieve 1 



Cbeatuuts bushel U 



Figs doz. 



Filberts, Cobs lb. 



I Grapes, hothouse lb. 1 



Lemons T400 G 



S Oranges ^100 8 



