324 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
[ October 24, 1878. 
one but three separate straw hives—an old stock 92 Ibs.,its first 
swarm 160 lbs., and second swarm 76 tbs. Which version of this 
story are we to credit ?—A RENFREWSHIRE BEE-KEEPER, 
MANAGEMENT OF STEWARTON HIVES. 
Mr. PETTIGREW has completely misunderstood my notes which 
appeared in your Journal of the 3rdinst. In reply to “ZENO” he 
affirms that I recommend a mode of procedure which I most 
strongly condemned. I state that “All the slides are withdrawn 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outer slide cn either side is withdrawn between the stock and 
the first super [Sometimes when honey is very abundant a second 
slide is either entirely or partially withdrawn], “ and this is a 
most essential point in the management, kc.” Again, “ You 
have thus a hive in two compartments, three stock boxes with 
free communication, &c., and three, four, or more supers, with 
equally free intercommunication, but cut off from the stock 
everywhere, except where the withdrawal of the outer slides has 
opened a communication.” 
Mr. Pettigrew is well versed in the management of bees in 
straw skeps, but appears to have had no experience in the manage- 
ment of Stewarton boxes, with the theory and practice of which 
he is manifestly altogether unacquainted. —J. E. BRIscok, 
Albrighton, Wolverhampton. 
BEE-KEEPING IN THE NORTH OF SCOTLAND. 
Since the publication of Mr. Pettigrew’s “ Handy Book of 
Bees” great improvements have been made in the north of 
Scotland. Previous to its publication bees were greatly neglected 
and mismanaged. As soon as I read the work I put its lessons 
into practice, and shortly afterwards I gave my experience in two 
of our northern newspapers. In 1875 I wrote a small work 
entitled “The Scotch Bee-keeper,” and, as might be expected, my 
teaching was almost the same as Mr. Pettigrew’s. A few weeks 
after its publication I received many letters asking information 
regarding Mr. Pettigrew’s book, which I at once furnished ; this, 
of course, assisted the sale of the “ Handy Book,’ and spread a 
knowledge of bee culture far and near. 
Every week I receive letters from interested bee-keepers either 
asking questions or intimating their success. To-day (Oct. 12¢h) 
one has come to hand which I consider very worthy of publication. 
It is from Mr. Trorp of Birchwood Cottage, Corgarff, Strathdon, 
and is as follows—viz., “ I have long intended writing you a few 
lines about my bees. I noticed with pleasure your communica- 
tions in the Banffshire Journal many years ago, and I commenced 
bee-keeping about three years before you published the “ Scotch 
Bee-keeper,” of which I obtained a copy ; and since that time I 
haye united my bees at the end of the season instead of burning 
them in the brimstone pit. I have adopted your instructions 
regarding big hives. I haye not any larger than 17 and 18 inches 
inside measure. I find that swarms from hives of the above size 
are about twice as large as the swarms I used to have from small 
hives. The season of 1877 was a trying one for bee-keepers. I 
had no swarms, but I lost none of my stocks. I had three stocks 
at the commencement of the season.. I took my first swarm on 
the 8th of July, and by the 20th the same hive had given three 
swarms. My other two stocks both swarmed on the 17th July, 
and by the end of the month they had each swarmed three times. 
One of the top swarms weighed 53 Ibs., another 5 Ibs. of bees. At 
the end of the season both of them weighed 82 Ibs. gross. My 
other top swarm weighed 74 tbs. The parent of this top weighed 
68 lbs. The other two swarms were 53 and 44 Ibs. respectively, 
which is not bad for this late locality.” The above results from 
such a late district as Corgarff are very satisfactory. 
Before I conclude I may state that bees haye done well this 
year over the whole of the north of Scotland. Several swarms 
have reached the weight of 130 lbs. My best top swarm built 
13 square feet of comb and stored 80 Ibs. of honey. A swarm of 
June 26th filled its hive and gave a super of 374 lbs. of very fine 
honey. I may also state that my frame hives measure 18 inches 
from back to front and contain from ten to twelve frames. My 
straw hives measure 16 inches and 20 inches, and are about 12 inches 
deep. When working supers on the Stewarton system I place 
the empty one below the full one, and I have no difficulty in 
preventing brood in the supers. I cause the bees to build thick 
combs, hence they are all but useless for breeding purposes.— 
A. CocKBURN, Aberdeenshire, N.B. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
TURKEYS’ HEADS SWOLLEN (J. W. G.) —Your Turkeys are either suffering 
from the change of the weather, or if they are still with the hen she is 
allowed to drag them about in the morning while the grass is wet and damp. 
They are very susceptible to injury by cold. If they are with the hen keep 
her under her rip till the sun is up and the grass is dry. If they have left 
her shut them up till the chill of night, the white frost, and the icy dew are 
gone off, then let them out. Fyom your description they are far gone in 
disease. Wash the heads of those affected with vinegar and cold water 
mixed.in equal parts. Feed them on ground oats, to which add a small 
quantity of bean or pea meal. Slake the whole with milk, and mix with it 
chopped onion greens. Give morning and evening a good feed of stale. 
bread soaked in strong beer. Give every evening two pills of camphor, each. 
the size of a large garden pea for adults, smaller for poults. If they do not 
improve give one pill in the morning. This treatment should cure them. 
F CAYENNE FOR CANARIES (W. J. G.).—Begin with a small quantity, and 
increase until a small teaspoonful is mixed with each egg. Use both white 
and yolk. It is effective with any variety of the Canary. 
CORN COCKLE (F. G. H.)—We do not think the seeds are poisonous, but 
such inferior corn as you have sent us is bad poultry food. 
BEES (KR. Filmer).—* Bee-keeping for the Many,” post free for five penny 
postage stamps from this office, will afford you useful information. 
POTATOES AFTER LUCERNE (G. R. P.).—The best sorts of early potatoes. 
are the Early Rose and Myatt’s Prolific. These may be planted in February. 
and will be fit to dig up the first or second week in June, quite in time for 
drilling lucerne. In planting early potatoes, instead of putting dung in * 
with the sets it is a good plan, especially if the horse or pig dung is com- 
posed of long fresh straw, to place it on the top directly over the sets. This 
preserves them against the night frosts, and in the act of hilling-up the 
dung is buried. If the land is out of chalk lime may be dug into the land, 
but not chalk with the potatoes, for it makes the tubers spotted and spoils 
their appearance for sale. 
ABBOTT'S COMBINATION Hives (Ff. J.).—*B. & W.” has no personal 
acquaintance with Mr. Abbott’s combination hive. He believes that most 
commonly bees build their combs from front to back, but it is by no means 
universal. For many years “B. & W.” worked hives with bars across his 
hives ; but now that he has adopted bar-and-frame hives &@ la Woodbury, his 
bar-frames all run from front to back. 
PRICKLY COMFREY (7. James).—We can only suggest that you give 
frequent and liberal dressings of freshly-slaked lime and soot, so as to pre- 
vent your plants being deyoured by slugs. The soot would further enrich 
the ground and increase the produce of plants. The lime is best applied at 
night when the slugs are active. 
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. 
ta 2he2_.| Hygrome-| £4 /S#,;/Shade Tem-| Radiation | 4 
OPEL ie ter. Sa |¢-9| perature. |Temperature,) & 
afgo s& |e5=2| ————_|—____| & 
Oct. [2554 BF |ou0nd In On 
Fass) Dry. | Wet.| QS |H ‘Max.} Min.| sun. | grass) 
Inches.)} deg. | deg. deg. | deg.| deg. | deg. deg.| In, 
30.065 53.4 | 53.0 N.E. 52.0 } 56.2 | 51.4 59.1 50.1 _ 
30.012 | 50.9 | 50.9 |) N.E. 52.2 | 55.4 | 50.3 66.5 47.0 _ 
29.880 | 53.0 | 49.7 N. 52.2 | 56.3 | 46.8 69.6 | 39.5 _ 
61 | 54.7 | 51.8 S8.E. 52.1 | 58.7 | 50.0 78.9 | 44.2 —_ 
53.0 | 52.3 W. 52.5 | 59.6 | 50.2 66.1 48.3 0.010 
57.7 | 56.1 Ss. 52.9 | 65.0 | 50.3 91.0 | 44.6 | 0.220 
47.7 | 46.6 S.W. | 53.4 | 59.3 | 45.9 100.0 | 47.3 | — 
29.758 | 52.9 | 515 52.5 | 586 | 49.3 | 73.9 | 45.9 0.230 
i 
REMARKS. 
16th.—Foggy, dark, dull day. 
17th—Very foggy morning, cleared alittle at noon, sunshine fora short time, 
but fog continued all day and evening. {calm starlight night. 
18th.—Rather dull but clear day; high wind, little sunshine in afternoon ; 
19th.—Fair day throughout, but dull; very little sunshine. 
20th.—Fair in early morning, thick and dark from 9.30A.M. until 2P.M., 
especially dark at noon; dull evening. 
21st.—Misty early part of morning, fine and bright after 10 A.-M., very cloudy 
and dark from 2.20 till 3.15, fair but dull rest of the day; high wind 
from 5 P.M. 
22nd.—Low barometer in early morning, strong wind, heavy rain at 3.50 A.M.; 
clear sky and bright with sunshine after 10.30 a.m. 
Dull and gloomy, temperature much the same as the preyious week.— 
G. J. SYMONS. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET.—OCTOBER 23. 
OuR market is badly supplied with Pears, importations from the Continent 
being short and prices high. Large quantities of Apples are again arriving 
from America, and meet with ready sale, but at unremunerative rates. Kent 
Cobs have sold freely. 
FRUIT. 
Bh Gb gb Gh Ss. d. 6s. a 
4Zsieve 2 Oto4 0} Melons .. each 1 Oto4 0 
dozen 0 0 0 O| Nectarines dozen 00 0 0 
bushel 0 0 O O| Oranges.. #100 8 0 16 O 
dozen 0 0 O 0} Peaches........ dozen 8 0 12 O 
~ ib. 0 8 1 0O| Pears,kitchen.. dozen 00 0 0 
Cobs. E ~etb 0 8 10 dessert........ dozen 2 0 6 0 
Grapes, hothouse Ib. 0 9 6 0/| Pine Apples.... -Pib. 830 60 
Lemons ........ 100 6 0 18 0| Walnuts ...... bushel 6 0 8 @ 
VEGETABLES. 
SCS .m Oe sda sd 
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 .. Y 0) 138) 10156 |;Onionst-eeeeee bushel 2 6 8 0 
Beet, Red! ...... dozen 16 8 0 pickling....... quart 0 4 0 6 
Broccoli ........ bundle 0 9 1 6} Parsley.... doz.bunches 2 0 0 0 
Brussels Sprouts }sieve 3 0 4 6) Parsnips ..» dozen 00 06 
Cabbage .. .«. dozen 1 0 2 0} Peas.... quart 0 0 00 
Carrots bunch 0 4 0 8) Potatoes bushel 3 6 4 6 
Capsicums.. w100 16 2 0 Kidney .... bushel 4 0 6 0 
Cauliflowers dozen 3 0 6 0| Radishes.. doz.bunches 1 0 1 6 
Celeryeeiecnsens bundle 1 6 2 0|Rhubarb........ bundle 0 0 0 0 
Coleworts..doz.bunches 2 0 4 0| Salsafy bundle 09 10 
Cucumbers .... each 0 4 1 0} Scorzonera bundle 10 0 0 
Endive vA 10 2 0}Seakale .. basket 0 0 0 0 
Fennel.. 0 8 O 0} Shallots Pib 08 00 
Garlic .. 0 6 O 0} Spinach bushel 26 4 06 
Herbs .. 0 2 0 0} Turnips bunch 0°2 0 6 
Leeks 0 2 O 4\| Veg. Marrows.. each 0 2 00 
