﻿168 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  G. 
  Desborough 
  oji 
  the 
  

  

  and 
  as 
  we 
  admit 
  occasionally 
  an 
  absolute 
  necessity 
  may 
  occur 
  for 
  

   reducing 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  stocks 
  (the 
  idea 
  of 
  niurdcriiig 
  the 
  bees 
  

   ought 
  to 
  be 
  completely 
  banished 
  from 
  the 
  mind 
  of 
  the 
  apiarian), 
  

   and 
  when 
  reasons 
  can 
  be 
  shown 
  why 
  a 
  union 
  is 
  really 
  an 
  advan- 
  

   tage, 
  it 
  is 
  hoped 
  that 
  the 
  brimstone 
  match 
  may 
  speedily 
  become 
  

   a 
  mere 
  matter 
  of 
  history. 
  Referring 
  therefore 
  to 
  the 
  portion 
  of 
  our 
  

   essay 
  treating 
  on 
  the 
  worker 
  bee, 
  we 
  may 
  perceive 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  

   union 
  is 
  delayed 
  until 
  after 
  the 
  1st 
  September, 
  or 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  

   safer 
  to 
  say 
  until 
  towards 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  that 
  month, 
  all 
  the 
  bees 
  then 
  

   in 
  the 
  hive 
  would 
  be 
  bees 
  which 
  would 
  survive 
  the 
  winter 
  ; 
  and 
  if 
  

   the 
  bees 
  of 
  the 
  swarm 
  are 
  added 
  to 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  stock 
  it 
  will 
  have 
  

   the 
  effect 
  of 
  doubling 
  the 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  hive 
  during 
  the 
  whole 
  

   of 
  the 
  winter 
  season. 
  The 
  consequence 
  will 
  be, 
  that 
  the 
  increased 
  

   heat 
  of 
  the 
  hive 
  will 
  sooner 
  induce 
  the 
  queen 
  to 
  deposit 
  eggs 
  ; 
  and 
  

   a 
  perusal 
  of 
  the 
  preceding 
  pages 
  of 
  this 
  essay 
  will 
  carry 
  convic- 
  

   tion 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  benefit 
  a 
  stock 
  of 
  bees 
  will 
  receive 
  from 
  the 
  renewal 
  

   of 
  the 
  population 
  of 
  the 
  hive 
  being 
  commenced 
  earlier, 
  or 
  carried 
  

   on 
  with 
  more 
  vigour 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  than 
  under 
  ordi- 
  

   nary 
  circumstances 
  : 
  if 
  instead 
  of 
  ,'J024 
  bees 
  being 
  produced 
  in 
  

   February, 
  5000 
  were 
  produced, 
  and 
  a 
  corresponding 
  increase 
  were 
  

   also 
  to 
  take 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  numbers 
  produced 
  in 
  the 
  succeeding 
  

   months 
  until 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  swarming, 
  the 
  advantages 
  must 
  be 
  pal- 
  

   pable, 
  and 
  all 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  surplus 
  population 
  obtained 
  from 
  

   autumnal 
  union 
  of 
  stocks 
  and 
  swarms. 
  

  

  In 
  thus 
  as 
  it 
  were 
  parading 
  the 
  advantages 
  of 
  autumnal 
  union, 
  

   we 
  must 
  not 
  be 
  understood 
  to 
  advocate 
  the 
  system 
  generally, 
  

   but 
  only 
  that 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  practised 
  in 
  cases 
  of 
  necessity. 
  The 
  opera- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  fumigation 
  necessary 
  to 
  complete 
  the 
  union 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  deli- 
  

   cate 
  one, 
  and 
  requires 
  to 
  be 
  performed 
  with 
  extraordinary 
  care 
  to 
  

   be 
  successful 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  practice 
  of 
  it 
  we 
  have 
  found 
  nothing 
  to 
  in- 
  

   terfere 
  with 
  the 
  operation 
  so 
  much 
  as 
  the 
  sticks 
  usually 
  placed 
  

   across 
  the 
  ordinary 
  straw 
  hives 
  by 
  cottagers; 
  these 
  sticks 
  create 
  so 
  

   much 
  difficulty 
  in 
  extracting 
  the 
  combs, 
  that 
  we 
  have 
  several 
  

   times 
  declined 
  to 
  operate 
  for 
  our 
  friends 
  solely 
  on 
  that 
  account, 
  

   being 
  desirous 
  that 
  we 
  should 
  not 
  personally 
  be 
  blamed 
  for 
  the 
  

   failure 
  of 
  an 
  experiment 
  arising 
  from 
  impediments 
  which 
  we 
  

   could 
  not 
  remove. 
  

  

  By 
  a 
  little 
  management 
  and 
  foresight 
  the 
  union 
  of 
  stocks 
  and 
  

   swarms, 
  we 
  will 
  not 
  say 
  destruction, 
  may 
  be 
  prevented; 
  and 
  as 
  

   prevention 
  is 
  better 
  than 
  cure, 
  we 
  will, 
  even 
  at 
  the 
  risk 
  of 
  being 
  

   charged 
  with 
  prolonging 
  the 
  essay 
  to 
  an 
  immoderate 
  length, 
  de- 
  

   vote 
  a 
  few 
  lines 
  to 
  this 
  important 
  question. 
  In 
  the 
  swarming 
  

   season 
  let 
  the 
  apiarian 
  consider 
  well 
  and 
  determine 
  his 
  intentions 
  

  

  