414 Dyer's Retrocoupling Bee-boxes. 



the others used for future plantations, and repairing any de- 

 ficiencies, should these occur ; or, what is better, the trees 

 may be planted at 12 ft., and the intervening space be planted 

 with white beet, potatoes, or turnips. If, on the other 

 hand, the quantity of manure should be small, a little may be 

 placed at every 12 or 15 ft., where the tree is afterwards to 

 grow, and the intervening space hoed, or cropped, if it will bear 

 any thing. 



I would almost venture planting a large field of very indif- 

 ferent ground in an exposed situation on this principle, and I 

 think with every prospect of success. The expense of fences 

 would be saved in a great degree, compared with enclosing a 

 park with a belt, and I think the cropping might be carried on 

 for years, and when in full heart, and the trees approach too 

 closely for the proper ripening of grain crops, the whole might 

 be laid down in very rich meadow or pasture, whenever the 

 cattle would not injure the trees. I intend, as soon as I can 

 regain possession of a piece of land, to try the experiment ; 

 and were it not for overturning and altering the shape of my 

 present home farm, I would commence forthwith on a pretty 

 large scale. The distances may be considered great, but the 

 comparatively few trees will be more easily attended to, and if 

 you look at the distances between trees in a well trained and 

 thinned forest, from 30 to 40 ft. between each tree would be 

 found close enough, and then the ground can be longer cul- 

 tivated with grain crops. Yours, &c. 



Argyleshire, July 25. 1827. W. M. 



Art. IX. Description and Use of Dyer's Betrocoupling Bee- 

 boxes. By Mr. C. Hale Jessop, Nurseryman, Chelten- 

 ham. 



These boxes were invented by a shoemaker of a village in 

 this neighbourhood, of the name of Dyer, about half a century 

 ago, but not, as far as I know, used by any one but myself. 

 I adopted them twelve years ago, and consider them superior 

 to every other, except the Polish hive. I have paid a good 

 deal of attention to bees, and have always had a tolerable 

 apiary in my nursery. 



Dyer's hive [Jig. 157.) consists of two deal boxes of exactly 

 the same size (a), outside height 10 in., breadth 1 1 in. in every 

 way, inside exactly square. The top front and two sides 

 should be an inch thick, the back half an inch. The back (b) has 



