40 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND. COTTAGE GARDENER. 
{ July 11, 1878. 
All the cabbage, kale, and turnip tribe of plants have cruciform 
flowers, like those of ketlock or field mustard, and yield a great 
deal of honey and pollen. Probably the honey from the cabbage 
tribe is, like that of field mustard, not of the highest quality in 
flavour. 
Maples, laurels, gorse, broom, and snowberry are all honey 
plants ; but gorse and broom belong to the fourth or fifth grade 
of honey plants. However, they yield pollen enough to send our 
bees home besmeared with it yellow as soldiers. 
Lotus corniculatus, called yellow clover in Scotland, is a capital 
plant for honey. It is found in some districts of poor soil, and 
on roadsides in great abundance. It continues a long time in 
flower, and is very attractive to bees. J imagine the honey from 
this is superexcellent. Amongst the garden annuals that yield 
honey a place and good name are given to borage, poppy, Centaurea 
cyanus (bluebottle), and mignonette, especially mignonette. 
Wild thyme which grows plentifully in some parts of some 
southern counties of England, North Wales, and Wigtonshire in 
Scotland, is a grand plant for bees, for it yields the highest quality 
of honey. Buckwheat is sometimes sown in patches about the 
woods of noblemen’s places in England for pheasants. It is 
extensively grown in America, and in the apiarian world there it 
takes the place of our heather. Bees are fond of it everywhere, 
but the honey from it is said to be strong-tasted. The American 
willow (Epilobium angustifolium), which is often seen in cottage 
gardens and in shrubberies about gentlemen’s gardens, is one of 
the best honey plants known. An acre of it would be a “Lake 
Superior” indeed for bees. Many more honey and pollen plants 
could be named, but as they are scarce in some districts, unknown 
in others, not plentiful anywhere, their enumeration here is un- 
necessary. I haye seen bees working on the hawthorn, the field 
daisy, the common buttercup, the dock, and the dandelion, but I 
date not say that honey can be found in the flowers of these 
plants. 
No two kinds of plants yield honey alike in flayour, or pollen 
alike in colour. 
Let me now congratulate the bee-keepers of Great Britain on 
the favourable change that has taken place in the weather. Since 
the 22nd of last month both wind and weather have been very 
favourable for honey-gathering. If this weather continue for 
two or three weeks the year 1878 will be a remarkable one for 
heavy hives. Let all the empty supers be put in use, and all the 
honey jars be got ready —A. PETTIGREW, 
BEES IN THE NORTH. 
Mr. PETTIGREW’S contributions are interesting, but I should 
like to see letters from other parts of England giving the ex- 
perience of those who use large hives, 
I mentioned in a former letter that I started in the spring of 
1877 with three very small hives. I had three first swarms which 
I put into 18-inch hives, and two second swarms which I put 
into 12-inch skeps. All my hives lived through the winter, but 
one, a small old one, died m May with 14 tbs. of honey in the 
hive. The three top swarms in the 18-inch hives were not filled ; 
one which was swarmed on the 27th June, 1877, was not half full, 
but strange to say it weighs now 56 lbs., after having sent offa 
swarm on the 26th. The others are quite full, but as I am going 
from home and it is late I am trying to prevent swarming. I 
have put on ekes and supers,in which they are working as only 
large stocks in large hives can do. 
I want more particularly to let Mr. Pettigrew and others know 
about an 18-inch hive which last September I populated with the 
bees of two or three people who intended to “smoor” (suffocate) | 
them with brimstone. These were six small swarms; I fed with 
syrup according to instructions, but they only about one-quarter 
filled the hive, and I was afraid they would not winter, and as 
this spring has been very unfavourable I have fed frequently but 
not largely with this result :—Hive, board, honey, and small 
super weigh 65 tbs., and as I write they will be 70 Ibs., for I 
weighed it last evening. I weighed it first on the 18th of June, 
when it was 34 lbs., hive and board included ; 19th, 36 lbs. ; 20th, 
87 ibs. ; 28rd, 43 tbs. ; 25th, 49 Ibs. ; 29th, 65 tbs. 
I put an eke on last night to prevent, if possible, swarming ; 
not that I object to swarms if they come before the 15th of June, 
but my hives not being full to begin with, and a wretched wet 
spring, they have had little chance with small hives ; but even 
those in this part haye in few cases thrown off swarms till within 
a week or so. Our honey season is only commencing. I have 
done some artificial swarming with small stocks with complete 
success. 
Tf some of your correspondents would give results of large hives 
well managed I feel sure many others would be glad besides— 
HARDY OF THE HILis, Northumberland. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
HENS UNMATED (7. M/.).—Hens lay perfectly well if kept without a cock, 
almost as well as with one. We know many amateurs who live in towns who 
never keep one, but when the opportunity occurs they borrow one for a few 
hours. This is easily done, and where it is not intended to hatch chickens 
the breed is unimportant. Any will do. We do not think it any advantage 
to keep the cock between this and the middle of December. We speak, of 
course, of eggs intended only for the table. 
FULL HIvE (Comber).—As your hive has filled a large eke and is very 
strong it should be either supered or swarmed at once. If you resolve to 
super it first, cut a good large piece of white comb out of the side of the hive 
and fasten it in the super before it is put on. The piece of comb will tempt 
the bees to enter the super and commence work. The super should be large 
enough to give room for the bees and hold 20 ibs. of honeycomb. If you 
resolve to take a swarm instead of using a super, put the swarm in a small or 
16-inch hive, which will be easily filled and made into a good stock. If you 
want honey this year your better way will be to super. If you want an in- 
crease of stocks swarm the hive artificially, and encourage both swarm and 
stock to breed well at the end of this season. 
WAX-PRODUCING BEES (Mrs. D.).—The white scales or flakes seen on the 
bodies of the bees you have sent are pure wax, produced and excreted in the 
natural way, but in far greater abundance than we haye ever seen before. 
Bees building combs secrete wax, and the secretion is excreted and appears 
on the under sides of their bellies. Two flakes at a time are usually pro- 
duced by a bee, and are extruded at one of the rings of the abdomen; but 
in your case four and six flakes appear at the same time, all apparently per- 
fect, though some of them are extruded at the last ring of the abdomen, 
even up to the point. This superabundant production of wax is certainly 
abnormal and wonderful, but as the bees are quite healthy you have nothing 
to fear. The other hives will not be affected or hurt in any way by the wax- 
producing hive. The fact that the board of the hive is covered with flakes 
of wax is not to be wondered at, for bees that produce two flakes only at a 
time drop many on their boards, but where six are produced instead of two - 
many more will be lost in the process of comb-building. Weare obliged by 
your interesting letter. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat, 51° 32’ 40" N.; Long. 0° 8’ 0” W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 9 AM, IN THE DAY. 
1 one | Hygrome-| §,; |‘S.:../Shade Tem-| Radiation a 
1878. B23 3 ter. Ee 3 2=8| perature. |Temperature, é 
Sates a, | pay] eee =p ho )) Rene ts |S 
July. [2553 ] SE |ges In | On 
RSa™! Dry.| Wet.| Q'S | Max.| Min.| sun. | grass 
deg. deg.| In. 
v. 60.8 50.4 | 0.040 
N.W. | 59.6 41.1 _— 
S.W. | 60.8 50.5 _— 
S.-W. | 618 55.2 _ 
N.W. |. 62.2 52.2, _ 
30.073 N.N.W.| 63.1 51.3 —_ 
30.106 AG 62.9 50.4 | 0.028 
Means | 30.068 61.6 | 73.5 52.8 | 122.5 50.2 | 0.068 
REMARKS. 
8rd.—Dull showery morning ; fine and bright after 3P.M.; cool evening. 
4th.—Fine day ; heavy clouds and stormy-looking evening ; starlight night. 
5th.—Dull morning; fine afternoon and evening. 
6th.—Fair but dull morning, bright sunny afternoon; cloudy evening. 
7th.—Fine day with pleasant breeze, at times stormy-looking ; dull evening, 
few drops of rain at 8 P.M. 
8th.—Fine pleasant day ; moonlight evening. 
9th.—Fine sunny morning, gusty wind ; very clondy afternoon; slight rain 
in evening. 
Cold in night between 3rd and 4th, otherwise an uneventful week—G. J. 
SYMONS. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET.—JULY 10. 
OuR market has been very lively this last week. 
FRUIT. 
Se. Cere Sone Sg. d. is: @ 
tsieve 0 Oto0 O| Melons.......... each 4 Otol0 0 
Apricots dozen 1 0 3 0} Nectarines dozen 4 0 12 0 
Cherries .. ~ tb 0 6 1 6G| Oranges....... %100 3 0 10 0 
Chestnuts bushel 10 0 20 0} Peaches....... dozen 4 0 18 0 
Currants 0 0 O 0} Pears, kitchen dozen 00 00 
00 00 dessert .. 00 00 
6 0 12 0} Pine Apples 30 60 
0 0 © 0} Piums...... 00 00 
E B 0 0 0 0} Raspberries th. 00 00 
Gooseberries .. mart 0 6 0 9 | Strawberries . eT. 06 10 
Grapes,hothouse tb 2 0 8 0| Walnuts ....... bushel 5 0 8 0 
Lemons ........ 100 6 0 10 0 ittonreemte c ~100 00 00 
VEGETABLES. 
s. d. s. d. sd. s.d 
Artichokes 2 Oto4 0|Mushrooms.... pottle 1 6to2 0 
Asparagus 2 0 6 0} Mustard & Cress punnet 0 2 0 4 
Beans,Kidney forced P100 0 6 2 0] Onions ........ ushel 26 $8 0 
Beet, Red ...... dozen 1 6 8 O|_ pickling..... -. quart 0 4 06 
Broccoli .......- bundle 0 9 1 6] Parsley.... doz.bunches 2 0 0 0 
Brussels Sprouts 3sieve 0 0 0 0/| Parsnips........ dozen 00 06 
Cabbage '::...... ozen 1 0 2 0} Peas... quart 0 9 10 
Carrots bunch 0 6 0 9) Potatoes.. bushel 3 6 7 0 
Capsicums. . #100 16 20 USGHAY osasce bushel 5 0 7 0 
Cauliflowers.... dozen 3 0 6 0} Radishes.. doz. bunches 1 0 1 6 
Celery, ........5- bundle 1 6 2 0| Rhubarb........ bundle 0 6 0 9 
Coleworts..doz.bunches 2 0 4 0|Salsafy .... bundle 0 9 10 
Cucumbers .... each 0 4 1 0] Scorzonera bundle 10 00 
Endive ........ dozen 1 0 2 0|Seakale ., basket 0 0 0 0 
Fennel.. bunch 0 8 0 0| Shallots .. Plb 08 406 
Garlic tb. 0 6 O O| Spinach.. bushel 2 6 1 0 
Herbs bunch 0 2 O 0| Turnips......... bunch 0 6 0 9 
Leeks . bunch 0 2 0 4) Veg. Marrows.. each 0 0 0 0 
Lettuce . dozen 10 2 0 
