£06 



JOXJENAI, OP HOKTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



[ March 7, 1866. 



out "and unslung the basket he carried on his shouldar, 

 took the contents out, and put in some fresh green leaves. 

 He then collected some eight or ten stems of a dried reed, 

 and tied them together with a cone ; round these he bound 

 a lot of green leaves and a hooked stick, so that the hook 

 projected beyond the faggot or torch. All was now ready, 

 BO I followed him to a tree, where, high up on a bough, was a 

 bees' nost. It was aboxit a yard in diameter, and hung sus- 

 pended to the underside of the bough, like a great black 

 cheese. The GaiTOw having lit his torch, swung up the 

 ti-ee like a monkey, hung his torch by the hook to a bough 

 above the nest, with the lighted end hanging down under 

 the nest, so that the smoke thoroughly cleared each side of 

 the comb. This done, after waiting a few seconds, he cut 

 off the comb, put it in his basket, and descended. He was 

 only stung over the eye in one plaoe." 



EAELY APPEARANCE OF DEONES. 



In my apiary of fifteen hives, one, a squai'e box with a 

 southern aspect, has already bred numerous drones, which 

 to-day (Feb. 20th), although the ground is covered with 

 snow, are flying around in great numbers. Apparently one 

 quarter of the population of the hive consists of drones. I 

 have kept bees for many years, but have never observed 

 drones at an earlier period than the middle of March, and 

 there is an old saying that " You may count upon a swarm 

 three weeks after the appearance of the first drone." 



This hive is heavy, and strong in bees. Can any of your 

 erperienced correspondents explain this phenomenon? 



May I also ask for advice with regard to placing a swarm 

 in a unicomb hive, and also in the Stewarton hive ? A 

 single box of the latter being only 4 inches deep would appear 

 to me to cause a ditSoulty. Is it possible to obtain well-made 

 Stewarton hives in the neighbom-hood of London, and the 

 price ? 



I may here mention a curious fact which occurred in one 

 of my hives in the winter of 1863 ; — ■ 



On the 28th of June of that year I had a swarm, which was 

 hived and placed in a retu'ed part of my garden ; in the 

 following September its weight was 24 lbs. During the 

 month of December this hive was overturned by a mis- 

 chievous boy swinging near the spot. It lay bottom upwards 

 for three weeks, snow having fallen, and several severe 

 frosty nights having occurred meanwhile, before discovered, 

 this mischievous imp not daring to proclaim his own 

 delinquency. To my astonishment the bees were alive and 

 flourishing. The hive was replaced upon its stand, con- 

 tinued to do well, and threw off a good swarm early in the 

 following June. — George Eatnor, Keheohn Hatch Rcciory, 

 JSrentwood. 



[There is little doubt that the queen of your colony in a 

 square box is a drone-breeder, but in the absence of all 

 information with regard to the history of the colony wo 

 cannot explain how she has become so. She should be at 

 once destroyed, and her subjects united to the nearest stock. 

 If the box be furnished with bars her capture may readily 

 be effected by lifting out and examining the combs. If de- 

 stitute of this essential convenience, the bees should be 

 expelled by driving, and must then be looked over until the 

 queen be secured. Should you be unable to perform this 

 operation the entire colony had better be destroyed by means 

 of sulphur, and the remaining honey appropriated to your own 

 use ; or, if the combs be new and in good condition, the 

 whole may be carefully preserved until the swarming season, 

 when it wUl prove of inestimable advantage to a young 

 colony. 



Stocking an ordinary unicomb hive is generally a very 

 troublesome affair, but by adopting moveable bars the pro- 

 cess becomes an easy one. There is little difficulty in 

 furnishing any unicomb hive with moveaVjle bars three- 

 quarters of an inch wide V)y three-eighths tliick. Tliese 

 should bo ranged side by side in a box fitted to receive 

 them, and at such distance apart as to bo an inch and a-half 

 from centre to centre of each bar. Guide-combs having been 

 attached, the bees should be liivcd in the first instance, and 

 allowed to work in this box, which must occupy the position 

 destined for the unicomb. In three or four days tlio combs 

 will have made such progress that during the middle of a 



fine day they, vrith. the bees, may be at once transferred to 

 the unicomb hive. By means of tliis arrangement the 

 colony may also be preserved alive through the winter if, 

 as autumn advances, they lu-e replaced in their original 

 domicile. 



A Stewarton hive should be stocked by having a swarm 

 in the two lower boxes uuited and communicating with each 

 other. These hives are manufactured so well and so cheaply 

 in Scotland that no London workman can afford to make 

 them at the price ; nor are they, so far as we know, to be 

 obtained in the neighbourhood of the metropolis.] 



CEUMBLED COMBS— DYSENTEEY. 



I KECEivED recently from Germany a hive of bees in a 

 straw hive. They were very lively after so long a confine- 

 ment. The next day being vei-y wet very few bees left the 

 hive that day; but the day following was very fine ; yet as 

 only a few left the hive, I became uneasy, especially on 

 Xjercelving they showed signs of relaxation on the floor- 

 board. 



On turning the hive up, I found numbers dead, with much 

 comb crumbled, and, I believe, with little or no honey in the 

 combs. I immediately gave them some food in a plate, but 

 as I am from home while writing the above I cannot state 

 the result as to their taking it. 



I wish to know in respect to the fajoes which, I have not 

 the slightest doubt, from the colour and liquid state, indi- 

 cate incipient dysentery, what food to give them, and how 

 otherwise treat them. — T. S. 



[The crumbled comb is owing either to the bees gnawing 

 off' the cell covers, or to the presence of the wax moth, which 

 is a far more formidable enemy of bees on the continent 

 than in this country. Fine mild weather is, we believe, the 

 only effectual cure for dysentery, but feeding is often 

 beneficial, and for this purpose we should jjrefer pure honey 

 liquified by the addition of a little warm water, or even lump 

 sugar and water only, to the mixture of moist sugar, ale, and 

 honey. We have no faith whatever in any of the various 

 nostrums recommended in bee-books as cures for dysentery.] 



OUE LETTEE BOX. 



Best Age of Biikf.ding Fowls (Abraham Dnwson). — A cock two ornnore 

 years old, und a ben one year old, usually breed the best chickens. It is 

 uncevtftin how long- ihe ferUlieing: intlueiice lasts. It ia certain one inter- 

 courae U sufficient for all the eggs laid by a Turkey hvn in one season. 



Lice on CtiicKENrt ( AVZ/y).— The result, in your c isc, is that which 

 generallv occurs when chickens are reared in n rooiu. Nothinc is fo pro* 

 ductive "of parasites. Theylack air, the bcratcb, and tho numberless little 

 effi'jntiala tbcy find wbtn at liberty. The train oil klll.s the vermin, but 

 when they are very young it often kills tho chicl;enrt also. In such cases it 

 is almost as fatal us the verraim. We advise you lo do away with your 

 nursery, and to bring tbe chickens down niiiira. Put the hen under a rip, 

 in a hhellcred Kpot. free from draught. Cover her up securely at night; 

 chooce the position s<» that it there be any sun tho broodn can have the 

 advimtage of it. Chickens seldom do well on boards, let them he covered 

 ever so ihickl y, and hardly ever in doors. 



WnoLKSALi! PnirF, OF Roos. — I have re id lately with some astonishment 

 the prices madu uf new-liiid eggs by n writer in your Journal. I have 

 between eight end ten thoUHund eggs yearly from fowl'4 kept by myself in & 

 farmyard, and I lind tbe average price I make of them is G.v. 2*/. per hun- 

 dred. They ure sent to tho .'ihop generally every third day. If you, McbfrF. 

 Editors, or any of your numerous eorrospoiidents, would be good enough, 

 thniiigh your Journal, to give me a. few hints how I may dispose of them to 

 better ad'vantaue, you will greatly oblige— An Oi,d Scii[^cuibkii. 



WniTK Dohkino Cock's Lkgs PAUAt-YSKD {//". Ilowrll).~H\ic\\ paralysis 

 mav be the result of age, but It is more frc(|ucntly caused by a hurt in the 

 buck. A blow from a hione or a small switch will often inflict fatal injury 

 to the spine. It may be caused by stocpagc. If Ihac be the case, a dose of 

 casliir oil will give relief. A lull lableBpoun will be the dose. 



PouLTUY Food— Annual Koo-rRonuoKlZ/flrHr/oo?-) — P'*!'*'''^ isiiflofulas.nn 

 adjunct; hut tho best food for all poultry is ground oati<— for a change good 

 barley. Tae bet>t food Is tbe cheapest. Coehin-Chlna, Brahma Tootra, Lu 

 Ficche, ond Spanish hens should each lay 120 eggs In the year. 



TiiKAHANT WITH WiNO WouNUKi* {I'Jtm.sant). — U iUc bono is injured, 

 und if the wound is no serious ivs to expo.-^u tho injury, we advise you to 

 ampntato. If the bone remains perfrct, all you have lo do is to kc«p tho 

 wound well fomented, to let out matter that may form, and to exclude the 

 iiir. If it Is at all likely tbe operation may become necesaiiry, do not defer 

 it loo lung, it is not so iicrloUB as it soundn. 



LiointiAN Bkks (Jonas Jackson).— \'o\\ are quite right with regard to 

 Llgurlan bees loilng much of their dlBtlnctivo colour alter death ; Btill, qb 

 (ar as we can judge, those you <)nclo«o appear to be tbe olfsprlng ol a. 

 hyhridi6cd (luceu. If you will comniunlcftte your addresM to Mr. Woodbury 

 of Kxetor, ho will be happy to send you u few dead LijfurUnfl, and thus 

 enable you to judge for yourself. 



