198 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 5, 1878. 
Three and three-quarters of a sheet make up a pound, which gives 
the cost per pound as about 4s. It is not this cost but the 
American prices that in the future of artificial foundation will be 
the basis for its cost, plus or minus the difference of value of wax 
in the United States and England. At present fancy prices rule, 
and if Mr. Pettigrew were wide awake to his own interest he 
swould be in possession of a machine to-day and turning out a 
large quantity per day as long as novelty lasts. He could have 
been coining, but he has left it to to others who by their foresight 
advance the cause of scientific bee-culture, and earn the honest 
penny also. : é 
Here in Algeria I have tested the value of foundation, and I 
believe the day is come when the scientific bee-keeper who works 
for profit will not be without it. My observation and practice 
Jead me to discard the natural comb, and when a fresh comb is 
necessary I employ foundation. I quite agree with the best 
‘American authorities in that for the brood chamber “foundation 
is a magnificent success,” but that for supers, unless an excessively 
thin foundation be used, it is best not to tack on the word “arti- 
ficial” to super honey, and so ieave it open to the charge of being 
adulterated. Let me mention a few points wherein I think it 
pays to use foundations, assuming that all persons know that the 
best gives not only the base of the cells but shallow side walls 
with enough wax to form the sides of the cells. ; 
By introducing a swarm to a hive supplied with foundation I 
insure combs perfectly straight, and positively priceless when you 
come to use the extractor. I insure all worker comb, a little 
drone comb, or none at all, just as I chose. I have given the bees 
wwax enough, and no more, to make their combs without their 
having consumed honey to secrete it. In twenty-four hours 
several sheets of the foundation will be worked out three-quarters 
of the full depth of the cells, and each unfinished cell may actually 
contain an egg. Each sheet of foundation, now a frame of honey- 
comb, I can with growing interest hold in my hand, while my 
bees quietly proceed with their work—yea, even find the queen 
mother, follow her as she proceeds to inspect each cell, which, 
finding suitable, she soon tenants with an egg, apparently un- 
conscious that the writer has her well in the focus of a powerful 
lens, and can observe a natural phenomenon that Huber and other 
great and observing men never saw with such facility. Again, 
this August 2ist have I observed the queen laying with naked 
eye, and on bright new foundation comb each movement is easily | 
visible. Of the population of a swarm to which foundation is 
thus given two-thirds will be out honey-gathering, while the 
remaining third elongate the cells and tend the young, &c. Had 
the swarm no foundation two-thirds of the population must stay 
at home to aid the wax secretion by mutual warmth, &c. Here is 
a direct gain through being able to send more labourers to the 
fields at the most precious period of the year. The swarm has 
had eight sheets at Is. 6d., value 12s., given it. These weigh 23ibs., 
which weight of wax represents an actual amount of Mr. Pettigrew’s 
honey at Is. 3d. per pound. j : : 
Opinions. vary as to the precise weight of honey consumed by 
Dees to secrete 1 lb. of wax. We will err on the safe side, and 
take that 5 lbs. of honey go to make 1 fb. of wax. Then the 
swarm was started with a gift of an equivalent to 11 Ibs. honey at 
1s. $d. per tb., value 1as. 9d., but the foundation cost 12s., and the 
palance therefore is on the side of foundation. At once, with this 
calculation fresh in our minds, let us take the possibility that it 
only takes 3 tbs. of honey to produce 1 lb. of wax, this being the 
conclusion arrived at by Mr. Vignoles in France after experi- 
menting, and contrast that with the American prices : 3 
- Wax foundation 2! lis. at 2s. per pound..........-...+.+++++ 4s. 5d. 
62 lbs. of Mr. Pettigrew’s honey at Is. 3d. per pound ...8 2 
Ts there not a balance of 3s. 9d. on the side of artificial foundation? 
‘Add these apparent facts to the advantages I have mentioned, 
and I leave it to your readers to judge whether or no foundation 
oe on I hope to see my convictions endorsed by such able 
writers as your esteemed correspondent “ B. & W.” and others, not 
forgetting Mr. Pettigrew, who can easily experiment next spring. 
‘At the moment of writing this letter Ihave received the American 
« Bee Journal” for August, and from it I cull a portion of a letter 
bearing on the subject in hand. The letter is dated July 14th, 
1878, and reads :—“Arkansas, Wisconsin—Two apiaries close by 
us of twenty-three colonies each haye not had a single swarm yet. 
TI intend to use the Langstroth hive altogether next year. I 
found the comb foundation a present help in time of need. I 
used 25 tbs. with good success. This is my-experience with the 
foundation. I have doubled my stock by its use, while my neigh- 
pours in the bee business have just as many colonies as they had 
when the working season commenced and no more, and im no 
better shape than ours are now.” : i } 
T need only say that these observations tally with my experi- 
ence. The desire to answer Mr. Pettigrew’s remarks suggested to 
me the advisability of making an experiment by transferring an 
‘Arab hive recently purchased, carefully noting its progress, and 
giving your readers the benefit of the same. As my hives contain 
thirteen frames 132 by 8 inches, and there was only brood enough 
to barely fill three frames, I had to fill up the hive with ten frames 
of foundation. I estimated the bees to weigh about 5lbs. The 
hive card reads as follows : 
Hive No. 42.—An Arab hive transferred August 9th, 1878. 
Three frames brood, ten frames foundation, bees of native breed— 
Apis fasciata. 
August 10th—AlIl sheets of foundation worked out more or 
less. One sheet having fallen down, although partly worked, had 
to be replaced by a fresh sheet. 
August 11th.—Every sheet of foundation worked out, and those 
next the brood extended entirely, and fresh-laid eggs in some of 
-the sheets. 
August 13th.—Fresh eggs fill three sheets foundation entirely. 
Honey in three also. Four sheets of foundation are not quite 
extended, but have honey stored in them. 
August 19th—Caught queen and clipped her wing. Plenty of 
fresh eggs and brood. Extracted honey in six frames. 
August 21st.—Honey stored in frames that were extracted. 
August 26th.—Saw queen. I was obliged to extract one frame 
of honey to give queen vacant cells to lay in. 
August 27th—All going on well. 
I will conclude my observations by saying that for warm 
climates foundation obviates the necessity of storing empty 
frames of comb, which so soon become .a breeding ground for 
moth. I am, therefore, determined to get a machine and make my 
own foundation for the future—ARTHUR TODD, Algeria. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
KERRY Cows (Capt. Thompson).—If you communicate with Mr. Wicken- 
den, Maynard’s Green, Horeham Road, Hawkhurst, you wili no doubt get 
some information about Kerry cows. He has a very fine herd of these useful 
little animals. 
GAME BANTAMS (Amateur’).—We never like to recommend anyone. 
had better consult our advertising columns. 
BEES FIGHTING (IW. £Z. G.).—In feeding bees in autumn great care should 
be taken to prevent fighting. All feeding should be done after sunset in 
favourable weather, and nothing left about the hives fed to attract strange 
bees. If feeding be done in a careless way at this season all the bees in the 
neighbourhood become excited with robbing propensities. The bees that 
you see rolling oif the fight boards of your hives are strange bees or robbers 
stung to death. Suspend feeding for a few days and contract the doors of 
your hives. All will be well. 
You 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32° 40" N.; Long. 0° 8’ 0" W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
IN THE DAY. | 
9 AM. 
Shade Tem-_ Radiation 
:| Hygrome- | & 
perature. ,\Temperature. = 
j Fa 
ter. 
a 
E 
z leant On | 
fa} Max.| Min. sun. | grass 
S.W. 
N.E. 
S.W. 
N.W. 
N.-W, 
N.W. 
S.W. 
REMARKS. 
28th.—Fine bright morning, heavy showers afterwards. 
29th—Dull and showery, but the sun shone occasionally ; thunder at 
9.15 A.M.,a very rough night. 
30th.—Alternately dull, showery and bright; a very heavy shower at 
0.45 P.M. one vivid flash of lightning at 0.47 Par. 
31st.—Showery with a little sunshine. 
1st.—Rather dull all day but no rain. 
2nd.—Morning rather dull; brighter in the afternoon. 
3rd.—Fine bright day. 
The first part of the week was very unsettled, Friday and Saturday being 
particularly wet. The barometer, which had been rather low for some time, 
fell rapidly just before 8.30 A.M. on the 30th, but from that time it rose 
steadily and the weather improved, the last three days being fine with a high 
barometer. Barometer higher than last week, temperature rather lower, 
rainfall heavyy.—G. J. SYMONS. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET.—SEPTEMBER 4. 
TRADE still keeps qniet, there being no recoyery from last week's quota- 
tions. Pears are the main supply, reaching us from the Continent, and con- 
sist of Williams’ Bon Chrétien and Duchesse d’Angouléme. Kent Cobs 
and Filberts, owing to shorter supply, are selling freely at higher rates. 
FRUIT. 
s.d. s.d. s. d. s. a 
Zsieve 2 Oto4 0. Melons.......... each 1 Uto¢ 0 
dozen 0 0 © 0 Nectarines dozen 10 8 0 
Pib 0 0 O 0) Orang #100 S 0 16 O 
Chestnuts bushel 0 0 0 0) Peach -- dozen 10 8 0 
Currants 3sieve 0 0 @ O| Pears,kitchen.. dozen 0 0 U O 
Black zie 00 00 dozen 10 3 0 
dozen 10 3 0 @ib. 5 0 6 0 
vib. 08 10 ., 3 Sieve .3) \G) coma 
# ib 0 S 1 O}| Raspberries.... vib. 00 00 
5 quart 0 0 © 0O| Strawberries ¢ib. 0 0 OU 
Grapes,hothouse ib 0 6 6 0| Walnuts bushel 56 0 $ 0 
Lemons ........ Pid 6 0 WW O ditto... #1000 00 
