252 
empty spaces right and left of the contracted centre will be filled 
with shavings after the dummy slides have been slipped into 
their grooves. 
Next year will afford the opportunity of fully testing this hive. 
As it is, am so well pleased with it that I shall construct two 
more this winter on the same principle and of the same size. And 
to insure as far as possible its success as a non-swarming hive I 
purpose to construct a nadir hive to go under the floorboard, 
thus affording the bees all possible space above (by super) and 
below, as well as on the two wings of their central breeding 
home. The floorboard will be perforated with long and narrow 
slits, so narrow as to exclude both queen and drones. It will be 
in use during the summer months only, being replaced by an 
ordinary floorboard the greater part of the year. Before quitting 
the subject of this hive I must express a hope that Mr. Phillips 
will kindly tell me whether he is as pleased with his hive and 
has been as successful with it as he was last year. Perhaps, too, 
some other of your apiarian readers has made trial of it; if so, we 
should like to know how it has fared with him. 
Talking of strong hives, here is everything calculated to pro- 
mote strength. Has Mr. Pettigrew anything to say against it, 
barring his dislike of bar-framed hives? Large and roomy, with 
powers of expansion and contraction integral to the hive itself, 
and super or nadir space above and below, affording space for 
ad libitum management, whether on the swarming or non-swarming 
principle, methinks this hive meets all needs and embodies the 
perfection of a bee domicile. There is, of course, the one crucial 
difference between straw and wood; but the experience of forty 
years has convinced me that bees thrive as well in one as in the 
other.—B. & W. 
THE STEWARTON SYSTEM. 
Some remarks of Mr. Pettigrew on pages 215 and 216 call for 
comment. The Stewarton hive has been adopted in Ayrshire for 
a much longer period than twenty years, having been in operation 
there since 1819, or nearly seventy years. From the beauty of 
the octagon supers exhibited last month at the Caledonian 
Apiarian Society’s Exhibition at Dumfries, and this month at 
their Glasgow Show, we must have better authority that the 
Ayrshire fraternity have abandoned their pet hive and been con- 
verted into skepists. 
That straw hives “have been refused admission to a Crystal 
Palace Bee Show,’ is to me new and somewhat startling. It is to 
be hoped the Hon. Sec. of the British Bee-keeper’s Association 
may do something to remove this blot from their escutcheon. 
Straw skeps, big as well as little, I readily grant never will 
cease out of the land as long as bee-keepers are ignorant of better ; 
but my stipulation was “enlightened apiarians.” With those 
the day of skeps, like that of the monster super, is over. These 
last, 4 inches deep, contain fully 20 tbs. while the 33 octagon 
super which is abundanuly large for home use or for the market, 
contains 15 lbs. Some of my Stewarton colonies are made to carry 
for variety, tier upon tier, little sectionals at times. Whatever 
description of hive is employed, the advanced bee-master to have 
his bees thoroughly in command must have their combs moyve- 
able, and it cannot be called in question that from the super or 
separate compartmental arrangement the purest and finest honey- 
comb is obtained free from all pollen, brood, or other impurity, 
and in the north, as I have already abundantly proved, sells, as it 
deserves, at a proportionally higher rate. The consumers of 
Wrexham may haye no choice, but must purchase it as they can 
get it run into jars. 
So far as reports have yet gone the season has been more 
favourable north than south, hence Mr. Pettigrew quotes Mr. 
Briscoe’s smaller harvest of 56 Ibs., and ignores the Renfrewshire 
parish clergyman’s of 924 and 88 tbs. super honey from a single 
hive ; and in his comparison of my good harvest of 1868 it must 
be borne in mind that it was almost exclusively pure flower 
honey in super and nett weight, whereas what he pits against it 
was gross weight of a straw hive 328 Ibs. including a huge skep 
well stored with thick broodcombs, brood pollen, and bees, and may 
we add board to boot? as part of the gross, and in Lanarkshire 
with vast tracks of heath to continue the season. Had my colony 
been transferred thither on the close of the flower honey harvest 
what a very different result might have been obtained. Fair com- 
parisons, hives,bees,or systems of management can only be obtained 
from their being placed side by side in one and the same district. 
Three weeks ago, in company with a keen apiarian, I paid a 
visit to a friend who possessed a yaluable stock of bees, all in 
boxes excepting two large eked straw hives stocked by numerous 
odd swarms. When his boxes became exhausted in summer he was 
desirous to be put in possession of their store,and I cheerfully offered 
to lend a helping hand. After moving them from the stance we 
had but few of the bees driven, when the Italian section of the 
apjary were down upon us robbing as well as stinging badly, 
causing us to shift camp again and again; but there was. no 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
eluding them. We failed to see her majesty ascend and were 
forced to break up the skep to find her. Drawing the cross-sticks 
caused much breakage and more thieving, and though a ‘med with | 
[ September 26, 1878. 
a couple of good honey knives there was no such thing as removing 
the deep combs entire. Our fingers and thumbs would sink into 
the warm soft pulpy mass. One basin after another of cold water 
was brought to clean and cool our hands, but the thick weighty 
cakes would give way, while with honey-draggled feathers we 
swept the poor clogged bees from the plates. We pitied the 
honey-smeared brood, and still more the poor half-drowned 
queen fished out of a pool of honey in a corner of the crown. 
We three, accustomed to find her majesty at pleasure on frames 
and reaping large harvests of super honey without soiling a finger, 
then sweltering in the honied mess, were tickled by our host 
putting the question, Does Mr. Pettigrew really style this sort of 
thing advanced bee-keeping? We fixed the soft broodcombs of 
both skeps as best we could into frames of Stewartons, then intro- 
duced the respective queens and workers in inaugurating a new 
and better state of things—A RENFREWSHIRE BEE-KEEPER. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
; DYING DURING TRANSIT (F. P. Z.).—A bird or animal booked, and then 
in perfect health, dying during transit is a loss to the purchaser, unless it 
was not sent by the conveyance he directed it to be sent by. 
DYING FEATHERS (4A. Z.).—White feathers can be bleached, but we know 
of no mode by which coloured feathers can be rendered white. 
Books (£. C. H.).—Graham’s “ Domestic Medicine” is preferable. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 33’ 40" N.; Long. 0° 8’0"” W.; Altitude, 11] feet. 
9 AM. IN THE Day. 
:| Hygrome-| 25 :|Shade Tem-|_ Radiation | & 
| ter. = a perature. |Temperature,! E 
F tes In | On 
Dry.'| Wet.! AS Max.| Min.| sun. | grass 
deg. | deg. | a deg.| deg.| deg. | deg.' In. 
61.5 | 60.7 | S.W. 63.3 | 59.4 98.8, 55.7 | 0.063 
53.9 | 49.3 W. 63.3 | 442 | 105.9 | 40.5 | 0.055 
53.2 | 49.7 | NOW. 59.9 | 44.0 105.1 40.7 | 0.012 
50.2 | 47.9 W. 62.3 | 39.0 104.2 | 35.3 = 
53.4 , 51.0 Ss. 59.0 | 445 715 39.6 | 0.070 
511 | 491] W. 613 | 45.0 | 1014 | 398 | — 
46.6 9 45.6 | S.W. 62.1 | 37.7 | 100.2 | 349 = 
52.8 | 50.5 61.6 | 44.9 98.2 40.9 , 0.200 
REMARKS. 
18th.—Wet and windy ‘morning; fine and sunny afterwards: 
evening. 
19th.—_Very fine bright morning, shower at 0.10 P.M.; fine and bright 
afterwards ; starlight evening. 
20th.—Bright sunny morning; cloudy in middle of day, shower at 2.30 Pt. 5 
fine afternoon; bright starlight night. 
21st.—Fine autumnal day ; misty evening. 
22nd.—Misty morning, dull and cloudy all day, slight shower at 0.40 P.ar.; 
wet evening. 
23rd.—Fine pleasant day ; bright starlight night. 
24th.—Foggy in early morning, bright and sunny from 10 A.M. ti113 Par; 
fair but dull afterwards, and cool. 
Although the prevalent wind has been westerly the temperature has fallen 
considerably, and one or two mornings have been almost frosty —G.J. 
SYMONS. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET.—SEPTEMBER 25. 
TRADE is very quiet, Pears being the only fruit in good demand, the crops 
on the Continent being short and consisting only of Duchesse d’Angonléme. 
Kent Cobs are lower. 
FRUIT. 
s. d. s. d s.d. s. d 
Apples.......-.- sieve 2 Otot O| Melons ........ each 1 Oto4 0 
Apricots oe dozen 0 0 0 O|} Nectarines dozen 00 00 
Chestnu bushel 0 0 O 0} Oranges........ #100 § 0 16 O 
Figs’: dozen 1 0 8 O| Peaches ........ dozen 8 0 BO 
Filberts tb. 0 8 1 0} Pears,kitchen.. dozen 00 0 0 
P tb. 0 8 1 0} dessert........ dozen 20 6 0 
eb. 0 9 6G 0} Pine Apples €eib. 3 0 6 0 
100 6 0 18 0| Walnuts ...... bushel 5 0 8 0 
VEGETABLES, 
5: du eSeid- sd. sd 
Artichokes...... dozen 2 Oto4 0|Mushrooms.... pottle 1 6to2 0 
Asparagus -. bundle 0 0 06 0} Mustard & Cress punnet 0 2 0 4 
Beans,Kidney .. ~Ib 0 3 O G6) Onions ........ bushel 2 6 8 0 
Beet, Red .. dozen 1 6 3 0 pickling ...... quart 0 4 06 
Broccoli ........ bundle 0 9 1 6/P . doz.bunches 2 0 0 0 
Brussels Sprouts }sieve 0 0 0 0} Pa dozen 0 0 0 6 
as dozen 1 0 2 O| Peas quart 09 10 
Carrots bunch 0 4 0 8| Potatoes bushel 3 6 7 0 
Capsicums 7. 100 1 6 20 Kidney ....... bushel 5 0 7 0 
Canlifiowers.... dozen 3 0 6 0| Radishes.. doz.bunches 1 0 1 6 
ot (Faesmpecoe cen bundle 1 6 2 0} Rhubarb. -. bundle 0 0 0 0 
doz.bunches 2 0 4 0|Salsafy . bundle 09 10 
each 0 4+ 1 °0 bundle 10 00 
Endive .... dozen 10 2 0 basket 0 0 0 0 
Fennel.. bunch 0 3 O 0 Pib os 00 
Garlie PD. 0 6 0 0} bushel 26 49 
Herbs bunch 0 2 00 bunch 0 6 6 4 
Leeks bunch 0 2 0 4 each 0 2 0 4 
Lemons ... dozen 1 0 2 0 
