120 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 8, 1878. 
thunderstorms; accordingly we found swarming going on quite 
late in July—so too we found it in Jersey, nor did it seem to be 
thought an unusual circumstance. 
Owing to the Bretons being rarely able to understand French, 
as they talk a language of their own akin to the Welsh and 
Gaelic tongues, it was difficult to get any more precise informa- 
tion from the peasant bee-keepers, who alone appeared to keep 
bees.—B. & W. 
FERTILE WORKERS. 
A BETTER illustration could not be found as to how the deeper 
mysteries of apiarian science are to the skepist a sealed book, 
while to the bar-framer these are laid naked and bare for inspec- 
tion, than in the case of fertile workers. Years ago in these 
pages while, the late Mr. Woodbury, the “ RENFREWSHIRE BEE- 
KEEPER,” and myself were discussing that interesting but by no 
means yery rare phenomenon, Mr. Pettigrew in the columns of 
the “Scottish Gardener,” treated the subject as follows :— 
“Both ancient and modern writers on bees since the days of 
M. Huber have said a great deal about fertile workers. They 
tell us that some working bees lay eggs; they tell us how these 
fertile workers are produced, and describe their size and colour. 
IT wish here to move an amendment, and to meet the statements 
of these writers on this point with a direct and positive contradic- 
tion. I fearlessly affirm that there never was and never will be 
a fertile working bee ; and let me here cast the burden of proving 
their existence on the shoulders of those who write about them. 
Tf there should be one fertile worker in all England or Scotland 
this year I will here offer £10 to the owner if he will send her to 
me; and if he does not want to part with her I will give him £10 
for the poor of his parish if he will send me a dozen of her eggs. 
‘And let me hope that these writers will hold their tongue about 
fertile workers till they honestly meet my challenge and offer 
and produce one of what they write about.” i 
There at present stands in my apiary remains of a stock of 
black bees, now thirteen months old, which this season failed to 
raise a queen 
wvorker—as usual in such circumstances, took her place. She, 
her treatment by her unfertile sisters, her eggs, and Italian drone 
progeny hatched therefrom, are freely open to the inspection of 
all bee-keepers interested on the point at my apiary, Auchenraith, 
Blantyre, Lanarkshire, and it is my intention, should no accident 
befall in the interim, to exhibit the same in a small observatory 
at the Caledonian Apiarian and Entomological Society’s Exhibi- 
tion in connection with the Highland and Agricultural Society’s 
Meeting at Dumfries on 30th July—A LANARKSHIRE BEE- 
‘KEEPER. 
HONEY HARVEST OBTAINED FROM STEWARTON 
HIVES. 
Juy 29TH.—I have removed the supers from my two Stewarton 
colonies, and the results, if not equal to those I have formerly re- 
corded, are I think, if the character of the season is taken into 
consideration, highly satisfactory. Up to the 2Ist of June I do 
not think that there was a single sealed cell of this year’s honey 
in my apiary. 
a Only eae stocks were storified ; of these one has yielded 56 ibs. 
12 ozs., the other 53 ibs. of pure virgin honeycomb. 4 third colony 
established last summer in a neighbour’s garden has completely 
filled and sealed three supers containing fully 60 lbs. of beautiful 
honeycomb. In all these supers (ten in number) there is not a 
single cell which has been polluted by the presence of either 
prood or pollen. 
As an experiment I have had a set of Stewarton boxes con- 
structed of a larger sizethan usual. Thestock boxes are 16 inches 
jn diameter and 7 inches deep inside measure. The supers are of 
the same diameter, but only 4inches deep. Three stock boxes 
make up the set. A swarm was introduced into one of these 
poxes on the 15th of June, a second box was shortly placed under 
the first, and a super was placed on the top. Both of the stock 
boxes are now fully occupied, and the super which was removed 
yesterday contained 17 tbs. Sozs. of beautifully white honey- 
comb.—J. E. BRISCOE, Albrighton. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
SUPERS NOT FINISHED (J. C:).—In order to prevent your bees from 
swarming you put a super on the hive on the 6th of June, which was filled 
swith combs in a few days, when a second super was placed beneath the first. 
n the course of a few days the second super was filled with bees and combs, 
when you put another beneath the first andsecond ones. These three supers 
you say are filled with combs, but not with honey. Your management has 
been good, only the season has been unfavourable for honey-gathering. Tf 
jt had been a honey season you would doubtless have got three supers full 
and finished from one hive. If the bees were on Bagshot Moors they would 
soon finish the supers. If you do not take them to the heather we advise 
the removal of the supers. Probably you will find several pounds of honey- 
comb in the topmost super. If the combs in the others are white they 
could be preserved for use next year. If the stock hive weighs beyond 40 ths. 
the bees could be driven and fed and its honey taken. 
from Italian eggs supplied. A substitute—a fertile |. 
MAKING CAPONS (S. Zangdale):\—The operation of caponising is so cruel 
and unnecessary that we cannot recommend it. Fowls properly fattened 
will attain a:sufficiently large size without being converted into capons. 
DRIVING BEES (Wovice)—Your bees may be driven from their hives by 
anybody who has courage enough to blow some smoke from fustian rags 
into their hives amongst them, turn the hives on the crowns (upside down) 
and place empty hives on them mouth to mouth, and roll tablecloths round 
the junctions to keep the bees in. When this is done commence at once to 
drum on the bottom hives with both hands, or two books, or two pieces of 
wood, and continue this work for fifteen or twenty minutes. This drumming 
disturbs the bees so much that they run up into the empty hives. If you 
will only try it in earnest you will be astonished at your success. 
WEIGHT OF HIVES FOR WINTER (Yom Tower).—From September till 
March an 18-inch hive well filled with bees will require from 15 to 20 ibs. of 
food, either good honey or syrup. Less of course will do for a smaller hive. 
Forty thousand bees (8tbs. weight of them) are population enough for an 
18-inch hive in September, and thirty thousand will be a fair population for 
a 16-inch hive. The more numerous the population the more food is required, 
and if the weather in autumn and winter be mild the more food is consumed. 
The estimate of 15 or 20 ibs. of food includes nothing but honey or good 
syrup at the end of August when the stores haye all been laid up.. When 
bees are working or being fed they consume a great deal of honey. Bees are 
now eating a great deal of honey and gathering very little. Every bee- 
keeper should know the weight,or about the weight, of hives and boards 
before they are put to use. 
DEPRIVING BEES OF THEIR HONEY (ZLeicester).—We can give you no 
directions as we do not know what hive they arein. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32’ 40" N.; Long. 0° 8’ 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
DATE. 9 A.M. IN THE Day. 
1878. |2h2 .| Hygrome-| Es |Ss.,|Shade Tem-| Radiation | 4 
July. |eind ter. SS |255)| perature. |Temperature,) ¢ 
and |Sfz¢ = | So=| al ae a 
= SEA 2 1504 
August|" 3 ¢ AS OR Min. 
| deg. 
NW. 547 
N. 54.0 
N.W. 54.6 
IN: 57.3 
Sia3)| 56.6 
S-E. 57.3 
S.E. 58.1 
63.8) 59.7 63.3 56.7 
REMARKS 
3lst.—Fine morning, dull and oppressive from 11 A.M. till 2 P.Af.; sunny 
afternoon ; cloudless evening; bright starlight night. 
1st.—Dull morning, followed by very fine weather rest of the day; cool breeze- 
2nd.—Dull morning, slight drizzling rain, bright and sunny from 11 A.M. 
till4P.M.; cool breeze; cloudy from 4 till 6P.M.; very fine evening. 
3rd.—Fair morning, at’ 10.30 A.M. heavy rain with lightning and thunder ; 
showery afternoon. 
4th.—Thunderstorm at midnight with heavy rain, constant thunder from 
1 to 3P.M., and from 4.15 to 6.30 P.M. occasional showers; very heavy 
rain 6.33 P.M. 
5th—Rather damp morning, bright and sunny day, lightning from 8 P.-L, 
heavy rain at intervals from 9 P.M. till 2 A.M. 
6th.—Damp morning, warm and close; bright and sunny after 0.15, clouded 
over from 6 P.M. 
Allthe means of maximum and minimum temperatures are about one 
degree above those of last week; but the dry-bulb temperature is nearly a 
degree lower. The barometer readings are rather higher than those of last, 
week. Remarkablyheavy rain on night of August 3rd—4+th—G. J. SYMONS. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET.—AUGUST 7. 
OUR market dces not recover its activity, as owing to the bank holiday 
and the recent heavy rains we have had very little to sell the last three days- 
FRUIT. 
s.d. s. d. s. d. s. d 
Apples... dsieve 2 Otot 0 | Melons.......... 4 0told 0 
Apric dozen 1 0 3 O| Nectarines 4020 
Cherries ib 0 6 1 6| Oranges § 016 0 
Chestnw bushel 10 0 20 0| Peaches........ 202 0 
Currants . 3 6 4 6} Pears, kitchen.. 00 00 
60 6 6 dessert 00 00 
2 0 + 0} Pine Apple 30 60 
00 60 jams... 36 56 
0 0 O 0} Raspberries .. 06 10 
0 6 © 9 | Strawberries ib 00 00 
10 6 0} Walnuts . bushel 5 0 8 O 
6 0 10 0 ditto... P1000 00 
VEGETABLES. 
s. d. s. d. sd sd 
Artichokes...... dozen 2 Oto4 0|Mushrooms.... pottle 1 6to2 0 
Asparagus...... bundle 0 0 O O/| Mustard & Cress punnet 0 2 0 # 
Beans,Kidneyforced? Ib 0 3 O 6| Onions ........ ushel 2 6 3 0 
Beet; Red -2= 2 dozen 1 6 8 0} pickling...... quart 0 4 06 
Broccoli ........ bundie 0 9 1 6 acc 20 00 
Brussels Sprouts 3sieve 0 0 0 0 i 00 06 
Cabbage ....... dozen 10 2 0 OSs rt “0 
Carrots bunch 0 4 0 8 So Abaee 0 
Capsicums. #10016 20 560 7090 
Cauliflower: dozen 3 0 6 0 TOME <6. 
Celery ....... bundle 16 2 0 06 09 
Coleworts mnches 20 4 0 Ciey at) 
Cucumbers . each 0 4 1 0} Scorzonera . 10 00 
Endive ... dozen 1 0 2 0/Seakale ... too 00 
Fennel... bunch 0 3 0 0} Shallots... Pith 038 0 4 
Garlic . ~tb. 0 6 9O O| Spinach........ 26 40 
Herbs . bunch 0 2 O 0|Turnips........ bunch 0 6 0 9 
Leeks . bunch 0 2  4/Veg.Marrows.. each 0 2 0 4 
Lettuce dozen 10 2 0 
