278 



JOUENAL OP HOETICULTtTKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ April 4. U6S. 



comb? of defunct colonies in the gardens of some of my neigh- 

 bours, whose hives swarmed abundantly, but who took no 

 pains to feed, allowing them to perish and be thus repeopled. 



Aa mentioned, I had but one hive in the summer of 1863, 

 and having the good fortune to know yoiu: esteemed corre- 

 spondent, •' A Rentrewshire Bek-keepek," I made him 

 acquainted with all my misfortunes. He strongly advised 

 me to order a set of improved Stewarton octagon hives, and 

 keep my bees on the depriving or storifying plan, as being 

 by fer the most suitable in my case. I was to drive the bees 

 of the old stock into one of the boies, appropriate its contents, 

 nadir with breeding-box after breeding-box as the inmates- 

 required room, and not to look for any honey that year. 

 From the greater earliness of the swarms in mine compared 

 with my friend's inland and later locality, he raised my hopes 

 by telling me, that notwithstanding my bad start, I might 

 yet turn out a most successful bee-keeper. I received the 

 octagon boxes, the bars all moveable, with the neat little 

 Woodbury rib, to which, as directed, my bees were speedily 

 transferred and rapidly made combs, at the end of the season 

 becoming a weighty stock. In the beginning of summer this 

 stock was about fuU in all the boxes, and I much dreaded 

 the escape of a swarm, when I fortunately met your corre- 

 spondent one day in town. He explained that to obviate 

 this and again to stimulate their exertions, I could with 

 effect re-arrange the boxes, appropriate end combs, excise 

 royal cells if any, and admit to a super. This operation of 

 taking the boxes apart and having the immense population 

 of this strong colony about my ears, I frankly owned my 

 want of nerve to carry out, but he quite relieved my fears 

 by kindly promising to send his man to assist me in the 

 work, which he accordingly did. We got through most 

 capitally, and I was put in possession of 14 lbs. of beautiful 

 honey. I had the further satisfaction of seeing my bees go 

 on with redoubled ardour, and the super occupied. As I saw 

 it verging towards completion, I put on a second above the 

 first (my friend having warned me of the risk of placing an 

 empty box between a full one and the stock). This too was 

 taken possession of and the first removed so soon as com- 

 pleted, and in like manner a third was given when the 

 second was well advanced, which latter was afterwards taken 

 off complete. The weather broke before the third was al- 

 together filled. However, on the whole, I was highly pleased 

 with the result, this one storified stock having yielded me 

 68 lbs. nett, of the finest honeycomb entirely free from either 

 pollen or brood. It was my intention to have given the 

 weight of the stock as it now stands, but on trying to raise 

 the pile of boxes out from their octagon cover, I found it 

 snch a lift that I thought it prudent to leave it alone in the 

 meantime. The great weight, however, augurs well for a 

 repetition of the preliminary spoliation process early next 

 summer, which I think a much safer procedure than encroach- 

 ing on the store in the breeding portion of hives in autumn. 



My experience of the storifying process in the past season 

 has been so satisfactory that I have akeady prepared two 

 handsome octagon covers to set up as uniform with the first, 

 to people which it is my intention to purchase two good 

 colonies in common straw hives, transferring by means of 

 frames, which I think of adopting, their entire contents, 

 combs as well as bees, into the two new sets of octagon 

 boxes, thereby avoiding the risk of swarming, and I hope to 

 be able to report the success of my fresh attempt in the 

 coming season. — Ahateub. 



STOKK-ROOM FOE BACC».'. 



Which of the three following positions would be the best 

 for keeping six sides of bacon? X have an underground 

 room, with a window opening to the garden, with a door 

 opening into a passage, which passage has a door leading 

 to the garden also. 1 could cut a ventilator through the top 

 of this door so as to let a current of air throngli the room. 



I have some spore room in the scullery attached to the 

 kitchen ; would this be a suitable place ? — this is also 

 undcrgronnd — ar would the steam from washing, &c., affect 

 it? I have also a spare room at the top of the house, which 

 I oonld devote to the purpose. Perhaps " A Wiltshire 

 Eectob" could give me some advice. — A Hocskholdbr. 



[" ▲ Hou8KHOu>BB," like the late Sir Sobert Feel, offers 



three courses for choice, but I cannot wholly approve of 

 any of the three. The second is without doubt much the 

 worst, the steam would be niinous, and the room being 

 underground, far from favourable. The first is better, fent 

 still underground. I should, therefore, advise "AHotrsK- 

 HOLDEK " to try the room at the top of the house, especially 

 as we have not winter before us. Let the bacon be weU 

 watched, I mean frequently examined, lest the fly should 

 get into it ; neither let it be covered up, for then detection 

 is less easy. — Wiltshire Rector.] 



OUE LETTER BOX. 



Eggs Exposed to Feost (G. ZT.).— There is no doubt eggs are injured by 

 frost. "We are unable to give jou the number of degrees, but we have 

 proved, to our cost, that there are frosts in May bard enough to spoil them. 

 Our impression is that 6' will do it. The appearanc? of a frozen egR is 

 that of one with the yolk and white partially mixed, and giving Uie latter a 

 cloudy appearance. The difference, though not to the same extent, is much 

 the same as in oil in warm or frosty weather. 



DOFJCiiCG Cock Scbstituted for Cochik Cock (IT. JIf.).— The snbstitti- 

 tioH of tbe Dorking cock would, in our opinion, increase the size and 

 lighten the colour of the eggs. Your next is a vexed question. Some will 

 tell you the former influence wi:I not cease till all the present laying of 

 e^gs'has taten place; others will tell j-ou the new breed begins a fortnight 

 after the change. We are disponed to hold with the former opinion. Those 

 who differ are as well versed as ourselves. Observe your birds narrowly, 

 and act as judge between us. The Bantams may run with the large variety, 

 51. DE SoKi [JI, S.]. — We shall be very much obliged if you will give us 

 your experience more in detail. We also believe Mr. de S»ra to be the 

 '* poultry Mrs. Harris." We have sought him all over Fiance, but witltout 

 success. 



Dcck's Legs Pabalyskd (Rouen). — There are places where the water is 

 not favourable for Doc^s. and we knew one where every Duck that was put 

 on the pond was immediately cramped, and fiually paralysed. The water 

 was remarkably clear and cold. Tuis is, however, a rare case, and where 

 such are frequent we are always disposed to look for want of constitution or 

 improper and insufficient feeding. Put the Dncks for a time inan outhouse, 

 or a pen of son- e kind, cover the floor with straw, and feed on oats put in a 

 trough, with plenty of gravel. Another cause of snch attacks is, that ponds 

 are very often made receptacles for everything, and that polsoooos matter 

 gets in. Snow water disagrees with Dncks, and they have bad a great deal 

 of it this winter. 



Prodccers of La^ge Eggs (Jrfcm).— If you do not like Spanish, the 

 Cri>ve Cceur, and La Fleche are equally good layeis, and do not sit. We are 

 not sure they bear close confinement so well as the first. Their eggs are, if 

 anything, larger. All hens have laid badly this year. 



Confining Geese (A. TT.).— We never shut up our Geese, yet they 

 always lay their eggs in the house. 



Floor OF Pheasantrt {A. B. C.).— The floor of a Pheasant-house should, 

 like that of a lowl-house, be of earth, a::d if covered with loose fine gravel, 

 so much the better. Ton may pot a small box in one comer if you please, 

 but both Golden and Silver prefer to scratch out a hoUow and to lay there. 



Sick Piokon {H. L. C. R ).— I think you cannot do better than give yoar 

 hen Barb, which has a rattling in her throat and watery eyes, a pill con- 

 taining one grain of calomel, to be repeated in a day or two if required, 

 and a bolus of cod liver oil made up with flour or meal, twice a-day.— 

 B. P. B. 



Laek with Weakened Sokg [F. S.). — Tour Lark, whose voice has 

 become we«k, seems either to have caught cold, or the hempseed has dis- 

 agreed with him, probably from being too fattening. Alter bis food, give 

 him no hempseed, but cooked meat and hard-boiled egg instead, and put 

 some Spanish liquorice in his water. Wiien recovered feed on minced cheese 

 and oat groats. Let him have a fresh turf as often as convenient. — B. P. B. 

 Colour op a Bee-hoise {A. B. C, Hurstpitrpoint). — We deem a light 

 stone colour the best, as tending to keep the bouse cool in summer. Alight- 

 ing boards should be left unpainted, but it would be well to shelter each by 

 a porch, and paint these porches and their interiors of different colours for 

 the better gu-.dance of the bees. 



Variois .Apiarian Qceries (IT. B. IT., Stone).— ^ay " Bee-keeping for 

 the Many," ptico 4rf. (free by post from this office, id.). Let your stocks 

 swarm, and stock Stewarton hives with the swarms. These hives are likely 

 to answer your purpose as well as any, but none can be absolutely relied OD 

 to prevent swarming in all seasons. Snowdrops and crocuses in the spring, 

 borage and mii:nonette for the later months. 



Bees o.n a House Roof (A. A I'.).— If sheltered as yon describe, bees 

 are likely to do better on the roof of your outhouse, than in a confined cotirt- 

 yard. Buckwheat forms excellent pasturage for bees, and a few acres of it 

 would be of great advantage. It should bo sown in April. 



Trassferbisg Bef.5 (heffinneri. — This is rather too difficult an operation 

 for a beginner, but full instructions for transferring bees from a common 

 hivo to a framcbivo were given in So. 75, of our New Series. Drones are 

 much larger than workers, and may usually be seen on the wing in great 

 numbers during the middle of a fine day in May, June, or Jul^. The queen 

 is seldom seen by ordinary bee-keepers. She is about one-third larger than 

 a worker, but is less bulky, and has a longer and more pointed abdomen than 

 the drone. 



PfTTiKo Surras on Common Hivi-_s 'Jersey).— GH a square platform, made 

 ofthroe-quarteT-incb wood, of sufficient si7.e to accommodate a full-siied superi 

 and clamped to prevent warping. Cut a threc-iuch hole in the centre, ana 

 insert three or four wood screws an ioch long In the underneath side, leaving 

 their heads projecting about half an inch. Then bed this platform in mortv 

 tempered with cowdung on the lop of the blve, and when the mortar Is set 

 cut an aperture In the straw with a sharp pen-knife, oorresponding with tbat 

 alre.idy existing in the wooden platform. Tbis will enable you to super sach 

 of your hives as you may deem most suitable, upon which point, however, 

 you must form your own opinion. 

 j iiiiEEP-rEKn ( I)'. iluci'<//).— Your best chance of obtaining k cuatonet Is 

 I by advcrtlsini what you hare to sell. ___ 



