858 



JOHENAli OF HOKTICUIjTXJRB A^D COTTAGE GAUDENEE. 



[ May 2, 18C5. 



■would come and examine my stock. Mr. AN'oodbuiy pro- 

 nounced tbe offensive smell to be tbe much-dreaded foul 

 brood. My friend, liowever, on bearing that our woods 

 abounded with -wild garlic, immediately attributed it to 

 that, of -which the bees ai-e especially fond. Mr. Woodbury, 

 hcweTer, did not seem to think it possible when I made this 

 Bnggestion to him ; and as the same smell has made its 

 appearance this year together with the wild garlic I cannot 

 but fancy that there is some connection between the two, 

 and wish to know the opinions of other apiarianc. 



The hive in which I tu'st discovered the supposed disease 

 last year was my strongest at the time and most prosperous 

 afterwards, it supplying me, after the stock was filled, with 

 about 40 lbs. of pure honey. If there is any connection 

 betweeen the garlic and this smell, may not other apiarians 

 in neighbourhoods where garlic abounds have been often 

 misled by the smell to think that there was foul brood, and 

 destroyed their hives without any just cause ? — A Man of 

 Kent. 



HITES WITH ENTKANCES AT THE TOP. 



In answer to your request to furnish you with an outline 

 of my hive, I send a miniature sketch of the wooden top of 

 one of my straw hives. There is no difference whatever in 

 the make of the other part, except in size, from the ordinary 

 straw hive with flat top. ]f of straw, I make the hivesround, 

 about 15 inches inside diameter (not less), by 9V deep; if 

 of wood, 12 inches by 12 inches square inside, and the same 

 depth. In general, I attach a piece of comb as a guide in 

 the centre, so that the bees may make the ends of their 

 combs come opposite the entrance. The top is securely 

 and permanently fixed to the hive, but the bottom board 

 I never fasten. The latter is made with an entrance to be 

 used if required, but which I keep closed by fitting a piece 

 of wood into it, which is soon made fast by the bees ; but if 

 at any time I find them becoming too hot for work, I extract 

 it, and they are soon thoroughly ventilated. Over the door- 

 way in the top board a piece of glas.=i is let flush into the 

 wood, or a bit of zinc may be tacked down upon it. The 

 dotted ciicle represents the interior circumference of the 

 hive, and the squares show where the supers are placed. 



!0 



O) 



A PutBge mnk In the top permuting ontrauce into tbo super. 



You will observe that I keep the holes in the top for 

 placing the supers over as near the sides of the stock-hive 

 aa possible (and a little further back from the entrance 

 than in the sketch), in order to prevent the queen ascending 

 as in large hives, for (the rarely troubles the outskirts of her 

 kingdom or colonies with her presence if she has plenty of 

 room in the capital. My greatest difficulty has been to 

 prevent tbe storing of farina in the supers ; but last season 

 I was more fortunate than I had ever been, as I had several 

 snpers without any, and one glass with 20 lbs. of pure white 

 honey, with only five cells containing pollen. It was a 

 beautiful sight, but lost season was the best that has been 

 in this part for some years. 



At first I ploced the holes for supers in or near the centre ; 

 but whether the bees entered at top or bottom of the old 

 hive, I always had brood in them. Since reading of hives 

 with moveable bars for the bees to construct their combs 

 upon, I have determined to try tbem. Of course, I shall 



make them with entrances at the top ; and I cannot help 

 sighing when I think of the many experiments I might have 

 made and the information I might have gained had this 

 plan come under my notice sooner. I fancy my feelings are 

 akin to those of Gordon Gumming, Esq., when he returned 

 from his sporting tour in Africa, where he had been obliged 

 to use the old-fashioned rifle and ball, and found that the 

 Minie had been invented during his absence. 



It will be seen that the top is made to support two supers 

 side by side, about 9 inches square by 7\ deep; but I am 

 not very particular as to size or shape, as I use my judg- 

 ment according to the strength of the stock and the season. 

 The advantage of placing two supers side by side is, that it 

 enables me to work them on the storified system, which I 

 have found to be the best, and by so doing I avoid what your 

 Renfrewshire correspondent seems to be so much afraid of — 

 i. c, the bees taking fright when a full super is raised and an 

 empty one placed under it, and employing their time in 

 undoing their former irork instead of being more profitably 

 engaged. The supers are never both filled to the day, and 

 consequently if I raise one there is stUl one left for tUo bees 

 to work at. 



I imagine if your Renfrewshire correspondent would not 

 practice so much upon his stocks, but leave well alone, he 

 would not have to begin the world so often v/ith beat-outs, 

 as the very greatest enemies the bees have are their own 

 inexperienced masters (myself included) ; and many young 

 apiarians tliat I have been acquainted with have at first 

 led me to fancy they were going to do wonders with their 

 management, and have as often lamented the loss of aU 

 their stocks, and given up bee-keeping in despair. Uj)on 

 inquu-y I generally found that when the bees were busiest 

 at work their masters were just .as busy interfering with 

 them ; whilst just at the time when the bees wanted their 

 assistance they took very little if any notice of them. 



In my fii-st letter I stated that I had kept the same stock 

 eighteen years. I have no doubt I should have had it now 

 had I not been obliged to remove and scatter my apiary to 

 the four winds, and even since then I have had to disjiose 

 of all my stocks but one, after wintering them all safely, and 

 this one I am determined, if possible, to keep under every 

 disadvantage. 



I have given the best description in my power, but as 

 there are details which are difficult to describe in writing, I 

 may add that I am able to suijply these hives to those who 

 may wish to try them, at V^s. Gel. each. — Henby Stattle, 

 Kinrjsland, Shrewslury. 



AN ANCIENT BEE-BOOK. 



I AM indebted to the Rev. F. do Soyrcs for the perusal of 

 an old bee-book printed in 1G55, entitled, " The Keformed 

 Commonwealth of Bees, pi-esented in soverall Letters^ and 

 Observations, to Sammuel Hartlibb, Esq,"* and said to 

 contain " Many Excellent and Choice Secrets, Experiments, 

 and Discoveries." Among these we find Virgil's blunder 

 repeated, and even professedly verified by, 



"An Expcnment on the Generation of Bees, practised hij tliai 

 great Husbandman of Cornwell, Old Mr. Carcw, of Antho^iy. — 

 Take a Calf, or ratl'icr a Sturk (or Steer), of a year old, about 

 the latter end of Aprill, bury it eight or ten dayes, till it 

 begin to putrefio and corrujit ; then t.ako it forth of the 

 earth, and opening it, lay it under some hedge, or wall, 

 where it may be most subject to the Sun, by the heat 

 whereof it will (a great part of it) turn into Maggots, which 

 (without any other cure) will live upon the remainder of the 

 corruption. After a wlr.le, when they begin to have wings, 

 the whole putrefied carcase would be carried to a place 

 prepared, where the Hives stand ready, to which, being 

 perfumed with honey and sweet hearbs, the Maggets (after 

 they have received their wings) will resort." 



Next follows a description of a "New Bee-Hive," which 

 is of a circular form, made of wood and to "contain a just 

 burihell within the work." Three of those appear to consti- 

 tute a set, and the first, when filled, is raised on an empty 

 one, with a circidar aperture in the top, and this in its torn 



• AllhouKli apparently not very loiirncd on Iho subject of bo«*, Mr. 

 Hiirtltbb ii<;em» to have been n muu of home literary uininence, gad was a 

 Iricnd of Ibo Ulustrloua Millun, wlio dcilicalea a wurlt on educnfon lo him. 



