April 11, 18GS. ] 



JOtTRITAL OF HORTIOULTUKE AND COTTAGE (JAKDENEE. 



299 



7yumpeler».—?lrst, H. Tardlev. Second. Tl. Middleton. HiRhly Com- 

 mended, E. E. M. Rnyd. Commended. W. J. Corbridge; T. Barker. 

 Any other variety.— First, H. Taidlev. Second, O. A. Young. 



The Juds'os wore Mr. Joseph Hindson, of Everton, Liverpool ; 

 and Mr. Edward Hewitt, of Sparkbrook, Birmingham, 



THE SUBSCEIPTION POE. MES, CHITTY AND 

 FAMILY. 

 AiTHOuaH I can add nothing to the eloquent appeal of 

 " Our Chaplain " on behalf of the widow and fatherless, I 

 am very desh-ous that bee-keepers should not be behind- 

 hand in the good work. I recognise the names of some of 

 our fraternity in the list of subscriptions already published ; 

 but in such a cause I may perhaps venture to remark that 

 the Cornish motto of " One and All " should be promptly 

 and energetically acted upon, if the good work now in hand 

 is to result in substantial benefit to the bereaved wife and 

 fatherless children of one who has so suddenly disappeared 

 from amongst us. — A Devonshike Bee-keepee. 



ACCLIMATISATION AT THE ANTIPODES. 



I AM indebted to Mr. Edward Wilson, late President of 

 the Association, for the perusal of the third annual report of 

 the Acclimatisation Society of Victoria. 



Alas ! that I should have to use the word "late" in con- 

 nection with Mr. Wilson and the office which he has so ably 

 filled from the very commencement, and alas ! for the cause 

 which has compelled him to press his resignation. We 

 learn from this report, that " it is with unfeigned regret 

 that the CouncQ have to state that, in consequence of a 

 complaint in his eyes rendering necessary another visit to 

 Europe, Mr. Wilson has, in spite of their earnest remon- 

 strances, pressed upon the Council his resignation as Presi- 

 dent, which resignation the Council have most reluctantly 

 accepted." Mr. Wilson is accordingly once more among us, 

 and this time unfortunately with the view of seeking relief 

 from the skill of the British faculty. That his restoration 

 may be both speedy and complete must be the earnest 

 prayer of every well-wisher to the cause of acclimatisation 

 and of progress. 



Foremost among the Society's achievements during the 

 past year comes, of course, the sxiccessful transportation of 

 salmon ova to Australia. Regarding this feat the Council 

 announce that, although " from the few ova that were re- 

 tained in Victoria it cannot be asserted with certainty that 

 salmon is .yet established in the colony, enough has been 

 done to show that there are no insuperable difficulties in 

 the way ; whilst in Tasmania complete success has been 

 attained." 



Another subject of conrgatulation is the introduction of 

 the gouramier from the Mauritius. Twenty-four of these 

 desirable fish reached Melbourne alive, and there is every 

 reason to hope these will establish the species in the colony. 



The alpaca experiment, ii-om which so much good was ex- 

 pected, appears unfortunately to have turned out an almost 

 total failure. Nothing daunted, however, by hi3 late ill 

 success, Mr. DufEeld is about to undertake a second attempt 

 to introduce the alpaca into the colony. 



The following paragraph, relating as it does to the Italian 

 bees exported from my apiary in 1862, is peculiarly inter- 

 esting : " As a contribution of very particular interest to 

 the cottagei-, the introduction of the Ligurian bee may be 

 adduced, that insect being probably, from its industrious 

 and wonderfully prolific properties, the most valuable in 

 the world. This bee is multiplying with almost incredible 

 rapidity, and will soon be accessible to all classes." Con- 

 nected with this subject, I find an advertisement in The 

 A^istmladan, of the 24th of December last, offering stocks of 

 Ligurians for sale at iSlO each, whilst swarms of common 

 bees are offered at 20s. each. 



Just at this time, when such praiseworthy efforts are 

 being made to check the destruction of small birds, both in 

 this country and on the continent, the following paragraph 

 may be deemed instructive as well as interesting. 



"_In a country so subject as this [Australia] to the ravages 

 of insects, the case of the agriculturist has always been 

 carefully considered. Hundreds of industrious farmers have 



even this year been mined by the caterpillar, and similar 

 visitations must necessarily be expected. The introduction 

 of insect-destroying birds has therefore been carefully at- 

 tended to ; and with this has been combined an effort to 

 surround our colonial residences with those interesting as- 

 sociations which constitute no slight portion of the charms 

 with which the name of "home " is ever surrounded. The 

 thrush, the blackbird, the skylark, the chaffinch, the sparrow, 

 the Chinese sparrow, the Java sparrow, and a most active 

 and interesting bird the Indian mino, may now be considered 

 thoroughly established, and are rapidly extending by natural 

 means through the colony. The goldfinch, the linnet, the 

 greenfinch, the yellowhammer, the ortolan, the canary, the 

 robin, and many kinds of the smaller birds of other countries 

 are being accumulated in the aviaries of the Society, and 

 many of them have already bred there. The nightingale 

 and the hedge sparrow have been promised us by benevo- 

 lent ladies at home, and the Queen herself has made an 

 effort to supply us with the rook." 



Appended to the report are papers on various subjects 

 read at the Society's meetings. The entire pamphlet is 

 eminently interesting and highly suggestive, and most 

 heartily do I,^ for one, wish success to the Acclimatisation 

 Society of Vin^oria. — A Devonshike Bee-keepeb. 



TEANSFEEEING BEES— STOCK INACTIVE. 



I have two stocks of bees, each two years old, in old straw 

 hives, and I wish to transfer them into two Woodbury hives ; 

 will you have the kindness to tell me what is the best time 

 of the year for performing the operation? 



Would you also advise me respecting a stock in a Wood- 

 bury hive ? It appears weak, only a few bees coming out ; 

 while in my other stocks all is now bustle and activity. 

 Near the Woodbury there were between thirty and forty 

 dead bees the other day and several dead ones on the alight- 

 ing board. On looking in at the window to-day there was 

 nothing but empty comb to be seen. Has the hive been 

 plundered, do you think ; or would you advise feeding? I 

 lifted it off the stand yesterday, and it was by no means 

 light. Still, there appears to be nothing going on inside 

 beyond a lazy crawling about of the bees. — A Subsckieek. 



[Next month (May) wOl be a very good time for the 

 operation, which is most conveniently performed on well- 

 populated, but not over-crowded stocks. Tour Woodbury 

 hive may very probably be queenless, but with a hive of this 

 description ten minutes' internal examination will solve the 

 mystery. The readiest way of accomplishing this is to com- 

 mence by removing a side comb ; then lift out and examine 

 comb after comb, depositing each in the notch occupied by 

 its predecessor, and finally placing the comb first taken out 

 at the opposite side of the hive to that from which it was 

 taken. In repeating the operation the process should be 

 reversed, so as to restore the combs to their original 

 position.] 



AETIFICIAL SWAEMING. 



I HAVE several stocks of bees in common straw hives, and 

 this season I want to increase my stock of bees considerably 

 in improved hives and boxes ; but I do not want to run the 

 risk of swarming, as I am not at home during the day, and 

 the consequence worild be that most of them would be lost, 

 as was the case last year. Now, will you be good enough to 

 inform me if the following plan of artificial swarming wiU 

 answer, or any improvement upon it ? I intend towards the 

 middle of this month to place under the stock hives the 

 empty hives I want to be tenanted, but I do not know how long 

 it is necessary to leave the stock hive at the top, and which 

 you remove to a fresh place. I shall be much obliged if you 

 would answer the above questions, or suggest any other 

 plan. I cannot run the risk of letting my hives swarm. Do 

 you think it better to confine the bees in the fresh hive for 

 a day or two after the stock hive is taken off ? — J. A. 



[The plan you describe will not result in the formation of 

 artificial swarms, but if you stop up the entrances of the old 

 hives and compel the bees to work up through the new ones 

 they wUl most probably make combs in the latter, and 

 ultimately transfer the seat of breeding to them. When 



