516 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 16, 187S. 



ing ofi the honey by means of an extractor ? If eo, what should 

 be the size of one such, and how many frames should it con- 

 tain ? " They are meant to be used both for storifying and 

 draining purposes, also for increasing the number of hives by 

 swarming. The usual number of frames in a hive is ten, their 

 depth about 7 inches. This size is very useful in the way of 

 increasing the number of hives, bat is far too small in a honey 

 season for increase of population or for a large yield of honey. 

 Hives twice as large as the existing ones in the bar- frame school 

 would breed and rear much larger populations and gather twice 

 as much honey. When public opinion is well enlightened on 

 this point the present race of bar-frame hives will be pushed 

 aside for others of larger demensions. 



Mr. J. Hale of Kedington, Suffolk, who has upwards of a hun- 

 dred stocks of bees, many of them ligurianised, and offered for sale 

 at 30s. each, in bar-frame hives, informs me that he is going to 

 make some with twenty frames for swarms next year. If he give 

 Buch hives a fair trial he, though so extensive an apiarian, will 

 be gratified with the results. The principle of Mr. Hale's hive 

 deserves mention here. The perpendicular parts of his bars are 

 IJ inch wide, and touch each other all the way down, and are 

 kept from the sides of the hive by two small ribs of wood. Be- 

 tween these ribs there is a cavity of air which will help to keep 

 the hive warm. Provision should be made in all wooden hives 

 for theescapH of moisture : not less than 1 lb. of moisture escapes 

 from a strong straw hive every night in summer. 



In closing these remarks on bar-frame hives it may be well to 

 give a simple lesson to those who have to send them to a dis- 

 tance by railway or cart. In sending them to a distance many 

 bee-keepers turn them upside down. Good hives thus sent in 

 the summer will be very much injured, if not completely 

 destroyed. Why ? Because in this position the honey readily 

 runs out of the cells, daubs and smears the inmates ; the heat 

 of the hive speedily rises and softens the combs, and before the 

 bees reach the end of their journey many are smothered to 

 ■death, and some are weltering in a sea of honey. Bar-frame 

 stocks like others should be carried in their natural position 

 with all the ventilaHon possible given to them in the summer. 

 In winter such ventilation is not necessary. By placing fly- 

 proof wire over their mouths and crown holes, and by raising 

 them a little way off their boards, and the lids raised a Uttle 

 above the hives, ample ventilation will be thus given. No 

 suffocation can take place in them on the journey if the combs 

 be not disturbed by rough usage. 



r n n 



_n TL 



Fig. 114. 



A very simple contrivance introduced into the hives before 

 they be fastened to the boards would keep the combs in their 

 places. This simple contrivance (fig. 114) we use with common 

 £rge, round, straw hives, when they have no cross sticks to 

 keep steady and support their combs. 



The combs rest ou the bar of wood, and are kept from moving 

 sideways by the projections which go between the combs. — 

 A. Petugbew. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Food Eeouibed by Fowls (K. F. B.).— It is almost impossible to name 

 the quantity of food fowls ehonld coDBume. It is a question often askod, 

 and one we cannot answer satisfictorilj even to ontselves. Yon are more 

 explicit than many of onr qnerists. Tnu say your fowls have an unhmited 

 mn. That under ordinary circumstances is a great resource. But there are 

 times (Uie the preseut when this is written), when snow and severity of 

 weather set all calculation at defiance. Take an instance; As a rule all 

 ieeding from troughs or vessels is bad for poultry unless they be fed on soft 

 food, yet with some inches of snow on the ground it is almost necessary to 

 feed from something ol the kind. If the food be thrown on the ground 

 either a large proportion is lost or it is eaten with snow— a very injurious 

 addition to it. In suoh weather the amount of food must be increased. 

 When the grass is growing, the weather warm, and the da78 long, the birds 

 are wandering about eighteen out of the twenty-four hours, and findmg 

 natural food then feeding may be diminished. If they are always hungry, you 

 do not overfeed. It is essential to their health they should be so. The object 

 of all feeding is to keep bh-ds healthy, and nothing defeats it so much as 

 overfeeding. You must answer your question by an experiment. Mis every 

 morning and evening a quart of meal with water, feed with it by throwing 

 down small pieces which must break and scatter. Feed at mid-day with a 

 anart of maize. At this time of year you may add the table scraps, but in 

 the summer they may take the place of the maize Try this for a week ; if 

 they fall off increase the quantity of meal, or add to it a few handsfal of 

 whole corn. If they do well upon it make it your standard, retaining to 

 yourself the right of adding or diminishing according to the weather and 

 season of the year. We should also observe that when the number is made- 

 op chiefly of growing chickens they require more than alult fowls. 



Lives Disease in PocLTnr (W. U. Pat/iic).— There is little doubt the 

 birds you mention die of liver complaints. Liver disease in poultry is two- 

 fold. One arises from overfeeding and esceaaive lat. This oauses an enlarged 

 and fat liver, but it is firm to the touch. It absorbs all the bile, the bird 

 loses flesh, but does not become a skeleton. The other is caused by im- 

 proper or insufflcient feeding, and frequent chang>-8 of temperature. The 

 former does not furnish sufficient strength to withstand the latter In this 

 case the liver is enlarged, gorged with dark-coloured blood, and will not bear 

 touching without breaking. The cure is to feed better. This last disease la 

 very common when potatoes form the chief food. As yotu- poultry is out of 



condition feed freely, as long as the birds will eat, on barleymeal or gronnd 

 oats slaked with water morning and evening. Feed them an 1 jng as they will 

 eat at mid-day vrith whole corn. barley, or maize, bat do not allow themto have 

 food by them. Do aot feed them alter they become careless about it. We 

 believe this dietary regularly carried out will be a cure. 



Babbs {A. S. B.). — The colours shown in Barbs are Black. Red, and Yellow. 

 They must be very high-class now to take prizes, and nong but high-priced 

 birds as a rale have a chance, as Barb-faucyin:; ha^ become well understood, 

 and grand strains are in esi-*teuce. As yim are a beginner we advise you to 

 get Brent's " Pigeon Book," price Is. Ihl. post free from our office, and you 

 will learn all you want to know by diligent study of it. 



0A2IE Bantams for Showing (W. A.) — A good wholesome food is all 

 that is required. Put them a few days before sending off in a loft knee deep 

 in straw, and throw some wheat in it : in searching for it they will clean 

 themselves. Peas are said to harden the flash and feel of the birds. A Black- 

 breasred Red cock is often put to Duckwing hen^ to breed Duekwing cockerels. 

 For Duckwing pallets Duckwing cock and Black-breastad Red hens. But 

 two of the same kind do often as well, or better, and certainly with Black- 

 breasted Beds it keeps the sort to itself. 



Feebing Bees (J. M.]. — The bees of your weik hive would be more easily 

 fed in a warm room at this season than in the b'se-honse. Weak hives often 

 die of cold wh'^n honey is in their combs, or when wyrnp is offered to them. 

 If you offer your bees a little warm syrup now (in a bottle) the probability is 

 gr. at that they will not take it. You may try them, and if they do not touch 

 it take them into a warm room for twenty-fourhours and then giva them some. 

 Touching your other question about turning-out bees ou the twentieth day 

 after swarmiug, let me say yon need have n:i fear for In summer the heat ol 

 the weather hatches all the yonug beei left within two days of perfection. 

 You may safely gain two days' time for the turnouts by driving on the nine- 

 teenth day swarming, but about one-tenth of the brood would be left behind 

 and lost. — A. P. 



METKOBOLOalCAIi OBSERVATIONS. 



Camben Sqoabe, Lonbon. 



Lat. Bl= 82- 40" N. ; Long. 0= 8' 0" W. ; Altitude, 111 feet. 



REMARKS. 

 8th.— Dull bnt fair ; thawing, though very slowly, all day. 

 9th. — Fine morning at times; during the forenoon very bright, but the 



snow still on the ground. 

 10th. — A dull day ; a very persistent though gradual thaw. 

 11th. — Dull morning, bright gleams about noon, but dull afternoon and wet 



night. 

 12th. — A very fine day and beautiful sunset ; snow gone. 

 13th.— Fine day, bat foggy evening, and the ground white with frost before 



midnight. 

 14th.— White frort early, but all gone before 9 A.M., as the son was bright 

 then and at times all day, but sUghtly foggy in the evening and very 

 early dark. 

 A very gradual thaw from the beginning of the week, the snow all gone, and 

 mean temperature about 7^ above last week.— G. J. Symons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— Deoehbeb 14. 

 Prices remain the same as last week, business still keeps quiet, but with 

 an improvement in the demand for best Grapes, 



FKCIT. 



B. d. B. d. 



Peaches doz. OtoO 



Pears, kitchen doz. 



dessert doz. 10 3 



Pine Apples lb. 2 6 



Strawberries lb. 



Walnuts ¥>-10O 16 2 



s, d. B. d. 



Apples j Bieve 1 0to2 



Chestnuts bushel 12 20 



Figs doz. 



Filberts, Cobs lb. 5 



Grapes, hothonse lb. 1 



Lemons 1*100 6 12 



Oranges ** 100 6 12 





 9 

 6 



ditto bushel 4 10 



VEGETABLES. 



s. d. B. d. 



B. d. 8. d 



Artichokes dozen s' b'to6 d Lettuce dozen 6tol 



- OJ French Cabbage i n i o 



Asparagus t|* lOO 



French bundle 18 



6 I Mushrooms pottle 2 



Beans. Kidney....* sieve 10 2 6 Mustard i OreBS punnet 2 



Beet.Red dozen 1 6 - ■■"-•—- -->•-' ° " 



Broccoli bundle 9 



Brussels Sprouts i sieve 2 6 



Cabbage dozen 1 



Carrots bonch 4 



Capsicums %* lOJ 1 6 



, Cauliflower dozen 2 



/Celery bundle 1 6 



C'llewortB.. doz. bunches 2 



Cucumbers each 3 



pickling dozen 1 



Endive dozen 1 



Fennel bunch 3 



Garlic lb. 6 



Herbs bunch 3 



Horseradish bundle 4 



Leeka bunch i 



I Onions bushel 2 



1 6 pickling quart 6 



Parsley.... doz. bonobes 2 



Parsnips dozen 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 2 6 



Kidney do... 8 



Radishes., doz. bunches 1 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salsaly bundle 9 



Scorzouera bundle 1 



Seakale basket 2 



Shallots lb. 8 



Spinach bushel 4 6 



Tomatoes dozen 3 



Turnips bun; 4 



Vegetable Marrows 't 



2 







2 



4 



9 



8 



2 



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3 

 

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4 

 





 4 



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