594 



JOUBNAL OP HORTICULTURK AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 30, 187S. 



former there are two constant objections urged — cost and damp. 

 I do not hesitate to say both are bugbears. A substantial frame 

 hive with floor board, super chamber, and cover all complete, 

 which will last oat two or three straw hives, may be maae by 

 any man who can nse a saw and drive a nail for 6s. In 

 the second edition of my manual of bee-keeping I have shown 

 how this can be done, giving drawings of every piece of wood. 

 Even this Gs. can be considerably reduced by the use of 

 old packing cases, etc., for material. If the bees are now in 

 straw hives they may be transferred, combs and all, to the 

 improved dwelling in an hour's work, and the labours of the bees 

 will soon pay for their better lodging. As an example of how 

 much under control the bees and their belongings are in such 

 hives, I may say that in one hour and a half, at the end of 

 October, I made a thorough examination of eight hives, took 

 out, examined, and returned all the combs (eighty-eight), saw 

 the queen in every hive, and satisfied myself of their good 

 condition for wintering, and although I worked with naked 

 hands I do not think I was stung at all. 



I do not keep my bees for pecuniary profit but for the bound- 

 less pleasure they afford me to watch their wondrous doings. 

 Barely does a day pass when weather permits that I do not in- 

 vestigate the interior of some of the hives, which I should be 

 whoUy unable to do if they were on the old system. The other 

 day, when visiting a friend who had this summer adopted a 

 frame hive, I naturally examined the condition of the bees 

 which, although numerous, I soon pronounced to be broodless 

 and queenlesB. By mere chance I had a deposed queen in my 

 pocket, which I at once placed among the bees. The poor queen 

 was too feeble to stand, but the bees seeming to grasp at the 

 chance of their salvation crowded round, licked and fed her so 

 that in ten minutes I had the satisfaction to see her happy at 

 home with the well-known circlet of workers round her. The 

 acceptance of a queen on such an offhand introduction was 

 scarcely to be hoped for, but it was her only chance, like a 

 desperate operation, and it was successful. The hfe of the 

 colony is probably saved. Had they been in a skep their death 

 was certain, for their condition would not have been discovered. 

 But I am wandering from my subject, so to return. When the 

 contents of a straw skep are broken up for the honey there is 

 generally a quantity of brood, which too commonly is squeezed 

 with the honey. But even suppose this is avoided, it is rarely 

 that it escapes destruction, permitting which is about as wise 

 as a gardener burning the seed which he will require in the 

 spring, for this brood would produce the very bees which would 

 live over the winter. Every young bee is worth many old bees in 

 autumn. In a vigorous prosperous stock every bee found therein 

 in April will have been born since September, and as in the 

 early spring stocks are never too strong, imagine the loss to 

 them if their autumn brood be destroyed. Where the combs are 

 in frames wo are able to select those containing honey alone, 

 leaving the brood and bees to perform their allotted task in 

 nature. 



The question of wooden hives being damp I may dismiss by 

 saying it is an evil I am not troubled with, and by attention to 

 proper ventilation I am sure it need not be feared. Doubtless 

 many stocks have perished from that cause, but so have they in 

 straw hives, and they will again wherever negligence is allowed. 



I have before me now " Gleanings in Bee Culture," an 

 American magazine. It is, I believe, an honestly conducted 

 serial. It contains many scores of returns from its subscribers. 

 I open it at random, and without selection I find the fol- 

 lowing: — "Number of stocks in spring 26, three of which 

 were queenless. Number of stocks to date, 40 ; surplus 

 honey, mostly iq 5 lb. boxes, 1.541 lbs." " By use of extractor 

 and plenty of empty combs got from eight stocks three new 

 Bwarms and 1026 lbs. of honey." " I took out 600 lbs. and am 

 confident I should not have got 60 lbs. of box honey." "Had 

 fifty hives, and have sold 429 dollars worth, and can spare 100 

 dollars more honey." " Have 500 lbs. comb honey, and 135 

 gallons extracted from forty-four stocks." " Commenced with 

 forty-two stocks, increased to seventy-five, taken 150 lbs. box 

 honey, 3800 lbs. extracted." " The hives I extracted yielded on 

 an average nearly 100 lbs. From three hives for box honey it 

 is not worth weighing ; some of the extracted ones gave me 

 150 lbs., one 70 lbs. in one week." "Five hives 1342 lbs." 

 These statements are all signed with names and addresses, and 

 are, I have no doubt, in the main true. The yield of honey 

 through the extractor is more certain than in supers. In the 

 latter the bees somehow will not work, charm we e'er so well; 

 if their combs are emptied they must. Figures of American 

 extractors with explanatory notes were published on page 479 

 and 480.— John Hunteb, Eaton Rise, Ealing. 



Bee-Cclture in California. — The Los Atigch'S Hei-ald says 

 bee-culture is spreading rapidly in California. At the present 

 rate of increase it is estimated that there will be in four years 

 one million stands of bees in that and the two adjoining counties, 

 which wUl produce annually 100,000,000 lbs. of honey, worth 



§20, 000,000, which is more than the value of the sugar and 

 molasses crop of Louisiana, Texas, and Florida combined. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Teal Pinioned not Disqualified (Bosco). — Nearly, if not all, the wild 

 fowls exhiiiited are pinionei, and la onr opinion it should be so. It is the 

 only condition on which they caa bs kept. However tame they may be, there 

 remains always a taint of the old wild blood, and when the *'whew" of the 

 birds in the air is heard every head ^oes up, and if they still possess the 

 power of flight they join them The kuowledge that they cannot fly tends 

 to reconcile them to captivity. They are not distigured by it, and when 

 swimming peaceably it cannot be seen whether they are full-winged or not. 



Flying TrMELERS and Shiirt-faced Tdmbleks iB. J.). — The former, as 

 their name imphes, are strou'^' tiiers; the latter are little delicate birds with 

 r]o strength of wing, and only lit to be kept in a small enclosed place. Some 

 of them can barely fly to the top of a wall. We advise you to begin with 

 Flying Tumblers, and after you have procured a stock have another place for 

 Shart-faces, aod the larger sort will do as admirable nurses and feeders for 

 the Short-faces, who cannot bring up their own young. For further In- 

 formation read diligently Brent's " Pigeoa Book " which you have received 

 from us. 



WoLSTENnoLME's Pictures {T. S., Oaddes^, JB<iZfimorc).—" The picture 

 of the chestnut hor.^ea I painted was the property of Messrs. Truman and 

 Hanbury. I painted all the brew-horsea of London and engraved them. I 

 also painted aud engraved the print of Pigeons which I have now by me, and 

 shall be most happy to supply any person with as many as they will give me 

 an order for, or paint a pictuie of Pigeons for any gentleman who will give 

 me a commissior:. I have three pictures in hand of horses, very fine 

 creatures, and a wonderfully large Newfoundland dog. — D. Wolstbnholue." 



Prickly Cojtfrey (G. ST.). — The land is rich loam on stone brash. Cows 

 like it and sheep alpo. I advise you to grow lucsrne instead of it. You will 

 have of lucerne three or f mr " cuts " per annum. Sow it in drills a foot wide, 

 and keep the ground free from weeds. — W. F. Radclyffe. 



METEOROLOGICAL 0BSEEVATI0N3. 



Camden Sqoabe. London. 

 Lat. 61° 82- 40" N. ; Long. 0' 8' 0" W. ; Altitude, 111 feet. 



REMARKS. 

 22tid.— Very windy ia the night, with rain before 9 a.m. Fine day and stir- 



lifiht evening. 

 23rd. — Very flue mornintr, and a beantifal day throughont. 

 '24th. — Overcast at Intervals, but rainless, aud frequputly very fine. 

 25th. — Rather thick early, but a fine .day with bright bud, especially in the 



forenoon. 

 26th. — Damp and fo^^ all day, and evening. 



27th.— Park and dull; spots of raiu at intervals, but no measurable amount. 

 28th. — Overcast throughout ; very calm, aud fair. 



A fine week for the season, scarcely auy frost ; no measurable rain, little 

 wind, and very high barometer. — Q-. J. SviioHs. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— December 1 

 Trade very quiet since Chriatoias ; no sales effected. 



FRUIT. 



s. d. B. d. 



Apples J B'eve 1 0to2 



CbeBtnuts bushel 12 2J 



Fiss diiz. 



Filbert3, Cobs lb. 5 9 



Grapes, hothouse lb. 10 5 



Lemons 1+100 fi 12 



Oranges V 100 12 



s.d. B. d. 



Peaches doz. OtoO 



Pears, kitchen doz. 



dessert doz. 2 



PineApples lb. 2 



Strawberries lb. 



Walnuts %>100 1 6 







4 



6 







a 



ditto bushel 4 10 



VEGETABLES. 



Artichokes dozen 3 



Asparagus );*' 1^0 



French bundle 18 



Beans. Kidney. . . . 4 sieve 1 



Beet, Red dozen 1 



Broccoli bundle 



Brussels yprouts i sieve 2 



Cabbage dozen 1 



Carrots bunch 



Cap*-icnms ^lnJ 1 



Cauliflower dozen 2 



Ci'Iery bundle 1 



Coleworts.. doz. bunches 2 



Cucumbers each 



pickling dozen 1 



Eiidive.. dozen 1 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Uerbs buDOh 



HoTseradieh bundlo 4 



Leeks bnnch 



d. B. 

 0to6 

 

 (I 

 2 



Lettuce dozen 



French Cabbage .... 



Mushrooms pottle 



Mustard & Cress puonet 



Onions bushel 



pickling quart 



Parsley.... doz. bunches 



Parsnips dozen 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney do... 



Radishes., doz. bunches 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salsaly bundle 



Scorzonera bundle 



Seakale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



Tomatoes dozen 



Turnips bun h 



Vegetable Marrows, 



6tol 

 1 

 







5 





 



4 n 



4 



1 6 







1 

 



5 

 6 

 

 

 

 



