480 



JOUKNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ November 30, 187S. 



Eolid ball aB big aa a bantam's egg is formed, with the queen in 

 the midst. A vigorous hissing is kept np, and so intent are the 

 bees on their attack that the ball of bees may be taken up into 

 the hand without any fear of stinging. At the Alexandra Palace 

 Bee Show I several times caused the formation of such a bee 

 ball, which was handed round among the spectators from hand 

 to hand. I find the workers rarely sting a strange queen : they 

 will keep her encased until she dies or their fury abates, and 

 then release her. I have known one confined in this manner 

 for a fortnight, when she died ; it is certain they must at least 

 sometimes feed the prisoner, for a queen will die of starvation 

 in twelve hours. So eager are the bees to encase a new queen, 

 that if the latter be held by the wings with the thumb and finger, 

 the bees will gather there into a ball. I have said workers 

 rarely sting a queen, but they do sometimes. I have seen al- 

 most the first bee that perceived her jump on her back and 

 sting her in an instant, when she would quickly die — not always, 

 however, for twice have I seen a queen stung and the sting left 

 in her, and yet no fatal result occurred. 



Remembering the old tale of how the reigning qneen would 

 seek out an intruder, some two or three years ago it occurred to 

 me what an easy way it would be to extract the old queen from 

 a skep to substitute a new one if I first caged the latter in the 

 hive. I tried it several times, but in no instance did ever I find 

 the old queen come to my bait. Several times when wishing to 

 preserve a queen for a few days I have caged her in the midst 

 of a populous hive, where she obtained food and warmth. I 

 never found the reigning queen trouble herself, although the 

 cage would be sure to be thickly covered with the excited workers. 

 I am also sceptical as to the invariableness of fighting to the. 

 death between queens which meet. If we put two queens under 

 a wineglass, and watch the result, we see them seize each other, 

 wrestle and fight like two gladiators, and sometimes one re- 

 ceives a sting and dies, but more often they separate, again come 

 together for another battle with still a negative result. This 

 is repeated until they get tired of fighting and let each other 

 alone. 



Twice this year I came across instances of two queens in a 

 hive, but I do not think in either caEe they were both fertile. 

 In the first instance, the old queen was evidently worn out. She 

 had bred an inordinate number of drones — no hope of a swarm; 

 yet instinct guided the bees t3 raise a young queen, which soon 

 took the place of the old one, which I found thrown out of the 

 hive. I once divided a hive by a diaphragm of perforated zinc, 

 filled each half with combs and a swarm, gave entrance to one 

 colony in front, and to the other at the back of the hive. It was 

 no use. One queen went on with her maternal duties, the other 

 was encased by her own bees. I caged and released her several 

 times but in vain, the bees had evidently made up their minds 

 it was one hive, and therefore they would not havo two queens. 

 — John Huntee, Eaton Rise, Ealing. 



ITALIAN versus BLACK BEES. 



This is my third year's experience in bee-keeping at this 

 place. I commenced with eight stocks of Italians. I bought 

 fifty stocks of black bees from different parties and italianised 

 about one-half of them the first season. I put boxes on the 

 hives during buckwheat, and to my surprise the black bees were 

 the firBt to commence in them, and gave me by far the best 

 yield, though the Italians were the strongest. The next Beason 

 I put on the boxes early and gave the Italians every advantage, 

 but the blacks were the first to commence, and kept a-head all 

 the season. 



This season I commenced with sixty-five stocks, about one- 

 half of them were Italians and hybrids. Commenced boxing 

 during fruit bloom, but the weather was cold and windy. None 

 commenced in boxes till white clover, June 5th. The clover 

 season ended July 5th, and was the best I ever knew while it 

 lasted. My best Btock of black bees put up 150 lbs. of white 

 honey in 4-lb. boxes, while the best Italians put up 120 lbs. 

 Several stocks of blacks went from 100 lbs. to 150 lbs. Only one 

 Italian reached 100 lbs., yet the stocks were all strong and in 

 good condition in the spring. After this experience I am forced 

 to the conclusion that as box workers the black bees are the 

 best. "Where the extractor is used the Italians are all that is 

 claimed for them. I use the extractor only as a necessity. Box 

 honey is my hobby. Bees have jost commenced on buckwheat; 

 the prospect is good for a fine crop. — John Vandebvokst. — 

 American Bee Journal) 



FBAME HIVES versus SEEPS. 

 Let me assure Mr. Pettigrew that the statement of the Swiss 

 gentleman he quotes, that frame hives are on their trial in 

 Germany or America, is incorrect. It is true as to France, and 

 of Switzerland I know nothing ; but in America skeps are now 

 unknown. Some few use boxes, others hollow logs of wood, 

 but I think I may venture to say that all who pursue bee-keeping 



there as a trade, and there are many hundreds who do so, use 

 frame hives. One of the leading bee journals lately remarked 

 with surprise that a well-known English firm still exhibited 

 straw hives ! In Germany, wherever bee-keeping is pursued 

 largely frame hives are used. My correspondent, Baron 

 Ambrozy of Hungary, sent me a photograph of his apiary, 

 which contained 1200 hives all with frames. I thintMr. Briscoe 

 is quite correct in saying that *' all scientific apiarians of Europe 

 and America have adopted some modification of the bar or bar- 

 and-frame hive." — John Hunteb, Eaton Bise, Ealing. 



OUB LETTEE BOX. 



Leghorns (H. J. B.). — We presume that you mean these varieties of 

 poultry. We never heard of fowls of the name you have written. Leghorns 

 may be managed the same aa Silver Hamburghs. 



Ajiatece Pigeon Club.—" W. S." wishes to know if there is one in the 

 neighbourhood of London formed for the purpose of training and flying 

 Pigeona as the sport is carried on in Belgium. 



Dbtvtng Bees (T. Jones).— Ton will find full directions in our "Bee- 

 keeping for the Many." You can have it free by post if you enclose rive post- 

 age stamps with your full direction. 



Gallon (IF. H. Attwoodj.—Thae are 282 cubic inches in a gallon. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



Casidsn Sqillbe, London. 



Lat. 5P 32' 40" N. ; Long. 0" 8' 0" W. ; Altitude, 111 feet. 



Date. 



9 A.M. 



In the Day. 





1876. 



oct a . 



Hygrome- 





S~. 



Shade Tem- 



Radiation 



a 



9 «s^ > 



ter. 



fS 



5 a *« 



perature. 



Temperature. 



« 



Nov. 











In 



On 









Dry. 



Wet. 



S o 



r* 



Max. 



Min. 



.sun. 



grass 







Inches. 



deg. 



deg. 





deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



In. 



We. 22 



80 265 



42.1 41.7 



N.E. 



46.1 



47.2 



40.6 



48.4 



86.1 



— 



Th. 23 



30.183 



89.0 1 36.6 



E. 



44.2 



40.9 



37.1 



43.0 



37 1 







Fri. 24 



29 935 



40.3 , 38.6 



E. 



43.2 



42.3 



S7.S 



46 4 



37.0 



256 



Sat. 25 



29.460 



44.3 ! 44.3 



S.E. 



43.8 



55.0 



41.2 



6J.0 



S9.7 



0.072 



Sun. 26 



29 655 



44.6 ! 44.0 



s. 



43 8 



52 8 



31.9 



71.2 



80.9 



0.178 



Mo. 27 



29.377 



48 2 ' 47.6 



S. 



45.0 



52.1 



43.4 



53 



42.3 



0.383 



Tu. 28 



29.473 



39.0 380 



w. 



45.2 



47.4 



43.2 



37.4 



73.8 



35 3 

 86.9 



0.103 



Means. 



29.764 



42 5 41 5 





44.5 



S9.1 



56.5 



0.992 



EE3VIABKS. 



22na\ — Fair, but rather hazy morning ; very dell all ciay, but without rain. 



23rd.— Dull and dark (though without rain) all day; rather cold at night. 



24th.— Dall and dark at 9 A.H., bat fine and bright by 10 a.m. ; rain at 1 p.it., 

 and showery after. , 



25th. — Rainy forenoon, dry afternoon ; fine at night, win! very high for a 

 short time about noon. 



26th. — Fine morning, but heavy shower about noon ; dampj though not rain- 

 ing all the rest of the day. 



27th. — Rain in the night; damp, doll, and dark at 7 a.m., and eo continued 

 all day. 



28th. — A remarkably fine, bright, pleasant day throughout; lunar halo in 

 evening ; rain at night. 

 A colder week than the previous one, and very damp. — G. J. Symoks. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— November 29. 

 There is no improvement in our market this week, all classes of goods 

 having a very slow Bale. Tha supply of Grapes has fallen off, and good 

 samples of late sorts will now fetch better prices. Pines are dull. A fair 

 business in Rent Cobs doing at last week's rates. 



Apples 1 sieve 



Apricots dozen 



Chestnuts bushel 



Currants J sieve 



Black | do. 



Figs dozen 



Filberts lb. 



Cobs lb. 



Gooseberries quart 



Grapes, hothouse.... lb. 



Lemons 3*100 



Melons each 



Artichokes dozen 



Asparagus ^ 103 



French bundle 



Beans, Kidney ^ 103 



Beet, Red dozen 



Broccoli bundle 



Brussels Sprouts. .£ sieve 



Cabbage dozen 



Carrots bunch 



Capsicums ^10 



Cauliflower dozen 



Celery bundle 



Coleworts.. doz. bunches 



Cucumbers each 



Endive dozen 



Fennel bunch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Horseradish bundle 



Lettuce dozen 



l 

 

 





 

 

 6 

 10 







1 6 

 6 



d s. d 

 CtoO 

 12 

 



d. b d. [ 



6 to 5' 1 Nectarines dozen 



Oranges *- 10 J 



I Peaches dozen 



Pears, kitchen.... dozen 1 S 



dessert dozen 2 9 



PineApples lb. 16 4 



1 Plums i seive 



1 3 Quinces bushel 



! Raspberries lb. 



6 | strawberries lb. 



10 j Walnut a bushel 5 8 



ditto ^100 1 



VEGETABLES. 



OtoO 

 



1 Leeks bunch 



■ Mushrooms pottle 



Mustard & Cress punnet 



Onions bushel 



pickling qu«rt 



Parsley. . . . doz, bunches 



Parsnips dozen 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 



Kidney .. do. 



Radishes., doz. lunches 



Rhubarb handle 



Salsafy bundle 



( Scorzonera bundle 



Seakale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach bushel 



, Tomatoes j Bieve 



.Turnips bunch 



Vegetable Marrows 



d. a. d. 

 4 toO 

 6 2 







5 







4 «0 











4 



6 



1 







1 







8 







