418 



JODBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



C November 9, 1876. 



tenants, labonrers, and visitors a lecture on bee-keeping. The 

 day being exceptionally fine, Mr. Hunter was enabled to illus- 

 trate his lectnre by practical demonstrations of the methods of 

 driving and transferring a stock of bees from a straw Bkep to a 

 frame hive. The impunity with which the bees were handled 

 greatly astonished a large audience of rustic bee-keepers. 



BAELEYSUGAE FOR BEES— POLLEN. 

 I will endeavour to answer the questions put to me by your 

 correspondent " O. B.," taking them in the order in which he 

 places them. 



1st, "What kind of barleysugar did I administer?" I make 

 my barleysugar thus — I put a wineglassful of water, half the 

 sime quantity of vinegar, and a pinch of salt into a stewpan, 

 adding to this 3 lbs. of good loaf sugar (3J<Z. per lb.). Sometimes 

 I make a greater quantity at the time, but these are the pro- 

 portions. I place the pan over a bright fire, and keep its oon- 

 tentB Btirred for about fifteen minutes — that is, until all the sugar 

 is melted, and boils well. I then draw it a little way from off 

 the fire, and keep it gently simmering, and above all constantly 

 stirred. Soon a crackling noise proceeds from the boiling. I 

 then try a drop or two on a cold plate. If it becomes solid and 

 brittle the Bugar iB sufficiently cooked. T pour the liquid into 

 ordinary shallow tin drirjping-pans, so that the cakes will be 

 about half an inch thick. The liquid sets in a short time, aud 

 with a sharp rap at the bottom of the tin, or by banging it down 

 bottom upwards on a board, the barleysugar is at once emptied 

 out and broken into suitable pieces. I have always put it at 

 once into air-tight vessels. Pickling bottles will do. If exposed 

 to the air it will liquify. 



2nd, "In what form and in what way is the barleysugar ad- 

 ministered ? " The pieces as broken by the method stated above 

 I give to my bees by placing a piece of perforated zinc or small- 

 me8hed wire netting over the central hole above the hive, or in 

 the quilt, and I use a flower-saucer, small biscuit- tin, finger-glass, 

 or flower- pot to cover it, wrapping all up warmly again afterwards. 

 3rd, "What i3 the cost?" Made as above, 3|<2. per lb. If 

 bought, dd. per lb. 



4th, " With regard to artificial pollen, &e. ? " This is Bimply 

 pea flour bought from any grocer for 2d. per packet. The best 

 way to administer it is by adopting Mr. Abbott's plan, which is 

 to place some clean deal shavings in a Bkep and to scatter the 

 contents of a packet over the shavings. To allure the bees at 

 first to it, put a piece of recently burnt honeycomb in the skep. 

 I have placed a sheet of glass over the skep, leaving slits at the 

 Bide as entrances, and the Bkep has been placed in a sunny 

 corner. Thousands of bees will enter this Bkep, coming out of it 

 like millers white with the flour. 



5th, "Can anyone say from experience if the same results 

 could be produced by feeding, and omitting the pollen?" In 

 former years I fed, but only used the artificial pollen this spring 

 for the first time. Young bees were most numerous with me 

 both early last season and this, but their numbers this year from 

 individual hives far surpassed those of last year. I may or may 

 not be right, but I attribute much to the good results arising 

 from a supply of baby food being early and constantly carried 

 home. This influx must excite the queen's egg-laying pro- 

 pensities as much as the sight of food for the adults. 



6th, " Will not the ivy pollen now being collected supply the 

 spring wants ? " To this I can only answer, that juBt as a hive 

 with many pounds of stored honey is still idle, and its queen 

 unproductive far into the epring, ioeoming pollen retards the 

 prosperity of the hive. How eagerly the bees Beek out and 

 collect every grain from the earliest floxers. As soon as there 

 is at all an abundance of natural pollen the artificial flower 

 is entirely disregarded. As many of my hives have been newly 

 filled with combs taken from skeps, I have cut out those with 

 plenty of pollen and equally distributed them, and my bees now 

 amuse themselves on fine days by carrying off the pea flour 

 from a Bkep under shelter of a large cart shed. The ivy has 

 been in berry here for some time. 



One other remark about syrup and barleysugar. I never 

 employ syrup for late autumn or very early spring feeding. For 

 early autumn in rapidly feeding-up weak stocks it is preferable 

 to barleysugar, and, again, it can be given gently when warm 

 Bpring weather has really commenced, but the superfluous 

 water contained in it is injurious to the welfare of the hive in 

 cold weather. Not only iB barleysugar better for the bees, but 

 it is also so much more eaBily given and cleaner to handle by 

 the master. 



Another of your correspondents asks for information concern- 

 ing Lee's 12s. 6d. hive, and Abbott's 3s. 6d. hive. I have both. 

 Two of the 3s 6d. hives Btood out all last winter, and each gave 

 me over 60 lbs. of 6uper honey this seaBon. But — and the but 

 must be attended to — I wrapped them up very warm, giving 

 tbem an overcoat of straw-bottle covers, those sent out over 

 wine bottles ; these I tied together closely, and tacked them top 

 and bottom to strips o laths. The laths were fastened to the top 

 and bottom edces o the hives, thus 'eaving a space of air be- 



tween the straw and wood. I put some quilts of old carpet over 

 the frames, some dried grass above them, and a wooden roof 

 covered with waterproof felt, and projecting well over hive, and 

 floor-board over all. 



I have not yet tried Lee's new 12s. 6d. hive. The roof must 

 first be made waterproof, and similar jackets made for it as those 

 given to Abbott's hives, and then I have not the least fear of 

 placing it out of doors. — P. H. Phillips, Offley Lodge, near 

 Hitchin. 



OUE LETTEE BOX. 



Oxford Show.— Mrs. Pasley, Fareham, informs us that her Silver-Grey 

 DorkingB were " very highly commended," and her Gold Pheasants H highly 

 commended." 



Eight-toed Dorkings (S. W. J.). — Dorkings will sometimes come with 

 four toes on each foot, but it is rare among well-s?Iected stock. Silver-Greys 

 are birds of plumage, and Bometimes a chicken will be all that is desirable 

 in shape and colour, but will be deficient in toes ; nevertheless the defect is 

 overlooked for the sake of other points. It is just the same in Sebright 

 Bantams. Often the best laced bird will have a single comb. Every other 

 point may be unusually good, and the owner dubs her (a wise thing to do), 

 and puts her among his breeding stock. In the case of Dorking and Sebright 

 the defects are sure to be transmitted, and will soon be seen as the birds 

 emeige from chickenhood. But those that are faulty are not the only birds 

 thai suffer from defects. Many of those that are perfect have the " bad 

 drop," and will every now and then prove that Nature always vindicate & 

 herself, and will not be contravened in her laws. Many people believe the 

 Silver-Greys were made by crossing wiih Duckwinged Game. That would 

 introduce the four-clawed foot. If jour birds commonly come with four 

 toes you have some bad blood to get rid of. Do it before another season and 

 substitute better. 



Insects in Cages (M. H., Casthton). — You have done quite right in wash- 

 ing the oage, but the insects you have forwarded are harmless to the birds. 

 They vary very much in colour aLd form to the bug-shaped insects so worrying 

 to cage birds, particularly to Canaries, nor are they the same kind of insects 

 (although much resembling them in colour), which ar3 found upon fowls. It 

 it is true you may find them among old bouks, and very often in the crevices 

 and beneath the Bliding bottoms of cages. Those you have forwarded will 

 run abuut with considerable speed compared to the Canary red mites, which 

 latter are slow in their movements, and are at first white or grey, and become 

 red or vermilion after they have sucked the blood of their victims. 



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. 









a> in (fj 





a • 



OT3 





Shade Tem- 



Radiation 



a 



1876. 



!"i"3 



ter. 



lis 



So*- 



perature. 



Temperature. 

 In On 



n 

















Z)2a" 



Dry. 



Wet. 



Oo 



H 



Max. 



Min. 



snn. 



graas 







Inches. 



deg. 



deg. 





deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



In. 



We. 1 



30.291 



37-9 35.0 



N. 



44 7 



47.0 



32.7 



828 



26.2 



— 



Th. 2 



80.814 



37.8 ' 362 



N.W. 



43.5 



5'J.0 



31.0 



85/1 



24.3 



— 





30 266 



41.2 4'i5 



W.N.W 



43.5 



51.4 



353 



58.3 



82.3 



O.isn 



Sat. 4 



30.263 



50 1 49.2 



N.W. 



45.5 



51.9 



41.1 



63.0 



41.1 



O.C3i 





3'l.288 



48.4 1 48.2 



N.W. 



47.2 



53.8 



46.4 



661 



46 



— 







5 '.6 ' 48-2 



N. 



48 2 



51.4 



48.3 



76.6 



45.9 



— 



Tu. 7 



30.209 



88.1 i 86.8 



N. 



46.0 



46.4 

 50.7 



84.7 



846 



31.2 

 85.3 



— 



Means. 



30.269 



43 4 42.0 





45.5 



SS.5 



73.8 



0.21a 



1st. 



REMARKS. 



-Fair bright morning ; beautiful day, but rather_hazy at nighty 



2nd.— Slight haze in morning, but soon clearing off to fine day, but again 



hazy at night. 

 3rd.— Foggy and very cold at 8 a si , cleariag up soon after nine; but followed 



by a day neither sunny nor wet. 

 4th.— Rain past night, followed by a rather dull day. 

 5th —Rain in early morning; damp and foggy till 10 a.m.; rather better 



alter, but not a bright day at any time. 

 6th. — Rain in past night; very fine morning; rather dull for a short time- 



aboat 10 a.m., after then very fine; rather cooler at night. 

 7th.— White frost, followed by a most beautifal day and splendid starlit 



night. 

 High barometer, north-westerly wind, and very fine weather. Sharp frost 

 on the first two nights.— G. J. Ssmons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— November 8. 

 Large quantities of American Apples are still arriving, and have been 

 sold duiiug the past week at a great, reduction upon former prices. Pears 

 are realising high rates, the principal supplies reaching us from Jersey and. 

 Guernsey, aud consisting of Cbaumontelb, Glou Morcean, and Beurre Diei. 

 Kent Cobs are experiencing a steady fall. 



Apples I sieve 1 6to5 



Apricots dozen U 



Cnestnuts bushel 



Currants i sieve 



Black i do. 



Figs dozen 



Filberts lb. 6 1 



CobB lb. 1) 1 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse.. '. . lb. 1 6 6 



Lemons ^100 12 18 



Melons each 2 5 



Nectarines dozen 



Oranges **• 10J 



Peaches dozen 



Pears, kitchen. . . , dozen 



dessert dozen 



Pine Apples lb. 



Plums i serve 



Quinces bushel 



Raspberries lb. 



Mrawberries lb. 



Walnuts bushel 



ditto ^100 



8. d B. d. 



OtoO 

 



