478 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Jane M, 1865. 



doubtlees have obtained from the old stock had it continued 

 in poeeession of its original queen ; but, on the other hand, 

 he considered he had gained far more than its value from 

 the experience it had afforded him ; actual experience being, 

 as he justly remarked, of far more practical value than any- 

 thing that could be learnt from books. 



Passing the other colonies, some swarms, some old stocks, 

 and some working handsome supers, but all in a most 

 flourishing condition, my friend paused befoi-e a flat-topped 

 straw-hive. "Here," said he, "I fear I have made another 

 mistake," and proceeded to explain that a swarm having 

 settled in two clusters he had hived them in different hives, 

 which were left on the ground side by side until the evening, 

 when finding that both hives continued tenantec'" he con- 

 cluded that each possessed a queen, and placed them on 

 their respective stands, but now feared that the one before 

 which we stood was in reality queenless. On turning it up 

 I saw a small cluster of bees and three or four new pieces 

 of comb, but immediately and confidently pronounced my 

 friend's suspicions to be correct, for of these new construc- 

 tions all were drone-combs. "What is to be done with 

 them ? " was the next question. " Give them to me," was 

 my reply, "and if I am lucky in queen-reai-ing you shall 

 have them back again with a Ligiirian queen at their head." 

 And so I took my place in the railway carriage on my way 

 home, putting the hive of queenless bees under the opposite 

 seat, which was forthwith occupied by a clerical gentleman, 

 who on finding the kind of company he was in, smilingly 

 requested to be informed if the railway bye-laws did not 

 prohibit the conveyance of lucifer matches, bees, gunpowder, 

 and other explosive combustibles ? declaring that for his 

 part he would rather be seated on a cask of gunpowder, since 

 it was scarcely possible that that would explode, whilst he 

 deemed it highly probable that the bees might escape ! Our 

 safe arrival at the Exeter station, however, speedily relieved 

 him of his jocularly-expressed fears, and of the company of 

 the bees as well as that of — A Devonshire Bee-keeper. 



PUTTING TWO SWARMS INTO A STEWAETON 

 HIVE. 



Will you kindly inform me whether if I put a swarm of 

 bees in the lower box of a Stewarton hive and a second in the 

 box immediately above it, the two could be made to unite 

 and so form an extra strong stock ?— G. H. H. 



[If the two swarms issue within a few days of each other 

 and are united immediately, we do not think there would be 

 much riek of a quarrel.] 



SWAE.MING TEEsus STOEIFYING. 



In my communication under the signature of " Amateue," 

 at page 277, detailing my success with the storifying as com- 

 pared with the swarming system, I promised to record my 

 further progress. 



Acting on my resolution, I procured from the country a 

 couple of stocks of bees in common straw skeps to people the 

 boxes of my two new octagon covers, and after these had 

 remained sufficiently long to become familiarised with their 

 new locality, I had them driven on May 9th, and their 

 combs tranBferred to the frames of my new Stewarton boxes. 

 This last operation was accomplished in a most expert and 

 satisfactory manner in the genial warmth of the greenhouse, 

 thanks to tlie considerate kindness of my friend, " A Ren- 

 FBEwsBiBB Bek-keepbb," in again sending his man to aid 

 me in the work. 



After the two new octagon frame boxes had been com- 

 pleted, we had as much brood comb left over as filled the 

 frames of a third octagon-box, with which I resolved to 

 nadir my old strong colony. On attempting to raise the pile 

 of three boxes out of the cover, the weight was so great 

 that I first lightened it of the topmost breeding-box, and 

 was taken by surprise to find its every cell filled with fine 

 honey, as it doubtless had been left at the end of the season. 

 It weighed 30 lbs. gross ; deducting 4 lbs. for the box leaves 

 26 lbs. nett ; this added to the 6H lbs. formerly reported at 



Eage 278, gives a total honey harvest of 94 lbs. from the one 

 ive. Last season, the remaining two boxes were still so 

 weighty aa to quite justify the preliminary spoliation process 



by the removal of end combs, &c. ; but the season I con- 

 sidered not sufficiently advanced, and resolved to content 

 myself meantime with what I had taken. 



Such a yield of honey from one stock, in a, town locality, 

 too, impresses me most favourably with the storifying 

 system, and the skilled manipulation of Stewarton hives in 

 effecting results I could hardly have supposed possible from 

 my experience of the old swarming plan. — R. B. 



BEES IN AUSTRALIA. 



We copy the following from The Avstralasian of March 

 4th : — Woodbury frame-hives were first introduced into the 

 colony with the Ligurians, and appear to have been fully 

 appreciated, whilst we have reason to know that the " Vic- 

 toria Apiarian Society " numbers among its members many 

 accomplished bee-keepers. The innocence of the Melbourne 

 editor's reply is, however, perfectly refreshing; he is evi- 

 dently in a state of the most blissful ignorance alike on the 

 subject of drone-breeding queens, fertile workers, or partheno- 

 genesis in the honey-bee : — " I took a notion of keeping bees, 

 and commenced six weeks since by placing a, swarm in one of 

 Woodbury's frame-hives. I thought I had a splendid hive, 

 but on closer examination I found the brood were all drones ! 



"As I understand the drones never collect any honey, and 

 are only useful for breeding and keeping the brood warm, I 

 am inclined to think that my hive will become extinct. I 

 would feel very much obliged if you would advise me how to 

 cure them. — J. G." 



[Tour communication is very remarkable. How did you 

 come to buy a hive of all drones ? It is the oddest transac- 

 tion in the apiarian line that we ever heard of. As to curing 

 a hive of being drones, alias males, you might as well at- 

 tempt to cure men of being men, or women of being women 

 — Editor of " The Australasian."^ 



CUE LETTEE BOX. 



Geesk at the Brentwood Show.— Mr. Postana of Brentwood, Essex, 

 informa us thutthe Gpese whioh took first prize on the 6tb inst. belonged 

 to Sir. ro«tana of Shellej", in SufFolk. 



Management of BnooDr Hens— Hrn's Peckino their Eoos (O. H,).— 

 We can see nothinij wronp in yonr maniiRement. It has not been ix /jood 

 hatching year because we, like yourselves, have had clear sitllnifs. We bad 

 on one day three out of four. Such a tliinjt has never happened before. 

 All our hens sit on the ground, but they are all confined, and In semi-d-irk- 

 ness. We would kill any ben that ate the egps she sat upon. We can only 

 suggest one thing, and that is, that the hens should have dust at hand when 

 they come off to feed. It is the sovereign remedy against vermin, and 

 under the influence of the irritation caused by these parasites hens can not 

 only not sit M'ell, but they will do all sorts of strange things, 



Eaei.obks of La Fleche Cock [E. F. L.).— The oarlobes should be 

 quite white. It would be a disadvantiige in exhibiting, and in close compe- 

 tition would certainly turn the scale against him. 



Food for Young Partridges ( IC. H. d'Almeidtt). — Young Partridges 

 should he fed on chopped egg, bruised wheat, bread-crumbs, and curd. 

 They must always have water. If the hen with the young is put near a 

 grass or clover field, they will run therein, and find much of fheir food; 

 but this is only a help. The hen should not bo allowed to leave the rlo, and 

 it should be secured from vermin at night. Cats are gre.it destroyers of 

 young Partridges. Maiigota of any kind are very serviceable toyoung 

 Partridges, but especially the larvto, or "eggs," as they are usually called, 

 of the ant. In June and ,Iuly they prefer these to any other food. We have 

 no recollection of your inquiry about a cow shed. 



Wc have again deferred the answer to the " Coontrt Parson " because 

 we are in dally expectation of being able to give him more information than 

 lie iwks. 



Fertile Workers { ir. Cnrr). -Having observed this phenomenon in 

 our own apiary, wc have no doubt whatever of its occasional but very rare 

 occurrence, 



Bdff and Black-spanoi.ed Piobons (a Siihscrihfr).— Your Pigeons are 

 evidently one of the varieties of Le Pigeon MaillO; probably the wslnut- 

 erdoured variety, known here variously as Porcelains, Hyacinths, Victorias, 

 and by other names.- li, P, B, 



illvEB (J'cn/rrtHnrf),— For five postage stamps you can have from our 

 oflice, free by post, it you send your (llrcctif)n, *■ Bee-keeping for the Many.'' 

 II contains drawings anrl ,i description of the Woodbury hive. .Marriott's 

 and Neighbour's lilvoa are much the ssine. The former, we believe, cannot 

 now be purchased, 



SAi-t^sT TniE I'OR Pt'lTlNO ON A .St'l'Hlt (A Wouldb** /Ire- Sfii.^ter,)—7he 

 liilddle of a fine day is the best time to put <iii a super as well as for watch- 

 ing the piooeedlngs of bees and porforriihig tntist other operations on them. 

 Wlieii honey is plentiful, their attention Is so concentrated on the one grand 

 object of C'llleeting and storing it, that they take but eomparativeiv little 

 nittlceof the operator or spectator. Towards < vening, when the day's work 

 draws near its close and most of the foragers have rctiirned home, thoy are 

 far more on the alert, and their stispicions aio so readily excited that, as in 

 your own case, rtlDK" arc fre(|uently InlUetcd with Utile or no apparent 

 provrcatlen. 



Silkworms' .Sii.k,— A lady wishes to know how to dispose of Hie silk, 

 and whether it should be wound o(f or left on the cncoonjj,— C, W, P, 



