270 « JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
[ October 3, 1878. 
will be found to be ruinously sreat. If, however, Mr. Pettigrew 
simultaneously adopts the new ideas, which have proved them- 
selves logical facts of great value, there may be some foundation 
for his certainty as to the general yearly boiling down of old 
combs becoming the rule in bee-keeping. : 
Last autumn I bought a quantity of comb foundations (I think 
it was from Mr. Lee of Bagshot), about 2 inches deep. It was 
rather brown stuff, nor did I think much of it when I got it. 
However, one of my sons and I used it largely. A good deal of 
what I used fell down from the bars to which it had been affixed, 
owing to the weight of the swarm of bees suddenly clambering 
upon it. This I had to remove, but a considerable quantity of it 
is now part and parcel of the comb of the hive. It was freely 
used by the bees. One of my sons was more fortunate than 
myself; owing to his more dexterous method of applying the 
comb to the bars. Hardly any of his foundation comb fell down, 
but most of it was utilised in a very satisfactory manner by his 
bees. Weare both so satisfied of the great advantage of this (to 
us) great discovery that we have just ordered a quantity more of 
Mr. Abbott’s make, intending to make great use of it next year. 
Our hives for next summer are in course of preparation, and will 
all be supplied with these artificial helps. If next year’s results 
are as promising as this year’s experience leads us to hope they 
will be, we shall provide ourselves with a comb-making machine, 
and our condemned old combs will enable us to provide the wax 
material for the new artificial combs at a minimum of cost. 
Mr. Todd remarks upon the “ perfectly straight ” combs which 
are insured by the use of these artificial comb foundations. This 
is a most important matter, by no means the least advantage of 
their use.—B. & W. 
IMPROVED STEWARTON HIVES. 
Ty reply to inquiries a description of the boxes which I employ 
may be useful, and enable your contributors to order what they 
require, My sets of Stewartons consist of three octagon stock 
boxes, each 7 inches deep and 14 inches in diameter, inside 
measure. They contain eight bars. The four central bars are 
framed, and with the bars on either side are 1} inch wide. The 
outside bars alone are 14 inch wide. The central frames are in- 
valuable, enabling the apiarian to overhaul the hive whenever it 
is requisite with very little trouble, which with bars alone is not 
so easily accomplished. Supers are usually 4 inches deep and 
contain seven bars 14 inch wide. 5 
The bees occupy either one or two stock boxes during the 
winter according to circumstances. Last winter out of three 
stocks one was allowed to retain two boxes, the others were 
reduced to single boxes. d 
The lower boxes when removed are carefully put away in a dry 
place well wrapped up to exclude moths and vermin, and are 
restored to their respective colonies as soon as the increasing 
warmth of spring enables the cluster of bees to expand and ad- 
vantageously occupy a larger domicile. i : 
When working a Stewarton hive all the slides are withdrawn 
between the stock boxes, so that the three form one hive with 
free communication between all the combs. As a rule only the 
outer slide on either side is withdrawn between the stock and the 
first super, and this is a most essential point in the management, 
as by this means chiefly is the queen excluded from the supers. 
If the central slides were drawn. and a check occurred in the 
honey-gathering, the queen would almost certainly find her way 
into the supers and quickly commence filling any empty cells with 
eggs ; the workers following suit would carry up pollen, and thus 
the purity of the super would be destroyed. As fresh supers are 
added at the top of the pile all the slides are withdrawn from 
the super beneath. You haye thus a hive in two compartments, 
three stock boxes with free communication, where the bees rear 
brood and store all their pollen, and three or four more supers 
with equally free intercommunication, but cut off from the stock 
eyerywhere except where the withdrawal of the outer slides has 
opened a communication. Under these conditions I have in- 
variably found the supers to contain nothing but pure yirgin 
honeycomb. : 
Mr. Pettigrew thinks that the stocks ought to be broken up 
every year. My first Stewarton colony was established in 1874 
(a single swarm hived in two stock-boxes). In 1875, a wretched 
season, I only obtained 27 lbs. super honey ; 1876, 144 lbs. of super 
honey and 6 Ibs. of slung honey ; 1877, 63 tbs. of super honey ; 
1878, 57 tbs. of super and 7 Ibs. of slung honey. The hive now 
contains a pure L[talian queen bred last summer (1877), and is 
thoroughly prosperous, and the stock boxes are not clogged witb 
a superabundance of pollen. 
Next summer I shall probably remove the combs from the 
upper stock box after the conclusion of the honey season, and 
compel the bees to refill it with new combs, and if a second box 
is seryed in the same way the following season the hive will be 
quite equal to a new stock. It must be borne in mind when 
estimating the honey obtained from this single colony that we 
haye no heather from which to obtain a second harvest, and_ this 
is by no means a specially favourable locality, as. white clover 
does not abound in the permanent pastures, and clover root is 
almost the only crop upon which we have to depend.—J. HE. 
Briscoe, Albrighton, Wolverhampton. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Sowmne TARES (JL, Survey)—The sooner you get your winter tares in 
the better; no time must be lost, though not yet too late. 
INDIGO BLUE BIRD (Henry F. Foy)—The blue bird you refer to is,no 
doubt, a species called the Indigo Blue Bird, several of which we haye seen 
at exhibitions. The bird is about the size of a Sparrow, of robust appear- 
ance, with an entire blue plumage, and apparently as hardy as a Canary. 
BERKSHIRE Pies (4.B.).—It is not unusual to find such white marks as 
you describe on animals that are regarded as pure. 
THE STEWARTON HIVE (C. R. R.).—This hive is made by Mr. James 
Allen, carpenter, Stewarton, Ayrshire, who charges from 20s. to 25s. for a set 
of two 6-inch boxes and two 4-inch supers, with a bundle of slides, No 
floorboard is sent with the boxes. Any country carpenter could easily make 
copies of this hive with one by his side. 
FASTENING WAX SHEETS IN GROOVES (Z. S.).—Embossed wax sheets 
are obtainable from Messrs. George Neighbour & Sons, 149, Regent Street, 
London. They are cut into strips,and after gently heating, what is intended 
for lower corners is rounded-off to prevent twisting and in imitation of the 
form in which the bee builds its comb naturally, is then set in the groove or 
saw cut found in the centre of each frame or bar, as the case may be, of a 
well-made Stewarton. Beeswax can be heated ina teacup, and, when liquid, 
with a teaspoon a litile stream is run down either side of the sheet held per- 
pendicular in the groove. When cool it is firm and sustains the weight of 
any number of bees.—A RENFREWSHIRE BEE-KEEPER. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32’ 40" N.; Long. 0° 8’ 0” W.; Altitude, 111 feet. 
9 AM. IN THE Day. 
Hygrome-| 8.5 :|Shade Tem-| Radiation sg 
ter. Ba perature. |Temperature, & 
Ee In On 
Aas (Max.| Min.| sun. | grass 
:deg.| deg. | deg. | deg.! In. 
Ss. 60.3 | 42.6 74.3 | 37.2 0.073 
N.W. 60.9 | 40.6 108.8 36.5 | 0.050 
W. 62.9 | 43.5 97.3 39.4 — 
| XW. 67.3 | 54.7 83.5 | 50.0 | — 
30.066 lee Ais 66.6 | 49.6 100.7 46.3 , 0.080 
Ao. 29.695 NYS 64.5 | 49.4 | 107.9 43.6 _— 
Tu. 1} 30.029 N. 64.2 | 50.3 99.6 | 47.2 | 0.017 
Means | 29.934 543 | 638 | 472 | 96.0 | 430 0,290 
REMARKS. 
25th.—Fair but rather misty morning, showery and dull the rest of the day ; 
heayy rain at 8.5 P.M. 
26th.—Misty morning; fine, bright, rather cool day afterwards ; starlight 
evening. 
27th.—Dull damp day, temperature warmer; dark night. 
28th.—Fair but rather dull close day, much warmer than last few days. 
29th.—Very misty in morning, afterwards fine and warm; quite a summer 
day. 
30th.—Sharp shower 6.15 A.M., high wind at 7.45 4.M.; fine breezy day. 
Oct. 1st.—Fine bright morning, cloudy in afternoon ; damp night and dark. 
Pleasant autumnal week, with a sharp squall on Monday morning.—G. J. 
SYMONS. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET.—OcTOBER 2. 
GOOD samples of Grapes will now be in demand, but second-rate qualities 
will not improve in value till the Dutch are over. Pears are selling well, the 
supply generally being short. Some good samples of late Peaches are still to 
be had. 
FRUIT. i 
s. dos. d s.d. s. d 
zsieve 2 0to4 0/} Melons ........ each 1 O0to4 0 
dozen 0 0 0 0} Nectarines .... dozen 00 0 0 
bushel 0 0 O 0} Oranges. YP 100 8 0 16 O 
dozen 1 0 8 0} Peaches dozen 4 0 12 0 
et. 0 S 1 O| Pears, k dozen 0 0 0 0 
~tb. 0 8 10 dessert... dozen 20 6 0 
tb. 0 9 6 0} Pine Apples tb. 83 0 6 0 
100 6 0 18 0} Walnuts ...... bushel 5 0 8 O 
VEGETABLES. 
s. d. s. d. sd. 3a 
Artichokes...... dozen 2 0to4 0/Mushrooms.... pottle 1 6to2 0 
Asparagus...... bundle 0 0 0 0} Mustard & Cress punnet 0 2 0 4 
Beans,Kidney .. etb 0 38 0 6] Onions ........ bushel 2 6 8 0 
Beet,Red ...... dozen 1 6 38 0 Kling .v.... quart 0 4 0 6 
Broccoli . .. bundle 0 9 1 6 +... doz.bunches 2 0 0 @ 
Brussels Sprouts }sieve 3 0 4 6 : dozen 0 0 0 6 
Cabbage :...... dozen 10 2 0 quart 0 9 10 
Carrots bunch 0 4 O 8 t bushel 8 6 7 0 
Capsicum #100 16 20 Kidney ......_ bushel 5 0 7 0 
Cauliflow dozen 3 0 6 0} Radishes., doz.bunches 10 1 6 
Celery . bundle-1 6 2 0} Rhubarb. -- bundle 0 0 0 6 
Coleworts bunches 2 0 4 0| Salsaty bundle 0 9 10 
Cucumbe: each 0 4 1 0} Scorzoner: bundie 10 00 
Endive dozen 1 0 2 0} Seakale basket 0 0 0 0 
Fenne bunch 0 $ 0 0} Shallots. Ppib 03 0 0 
Garlic e tb. 0 G O 0} Spinach bushel 2 6 4 9 
Herbs bunch 0 2 O 0} Turnips. bunch 06 0 4 
Leeks bunch 0 2 0 4) Veg. Man each 0 2 0 4 
Lemons dozen 10 2 0 
