126 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENBB. [ February 10, 1863. 



PEOFITLESS BEES. 



Ml Journals of this week and last hare greatly interested 

 me — Mr. Xowe last week, Mr. Woodbury this ; also"T.'s" ex- 

 perience is such a parallel with mine and that of hundreds of 

 others, that additional remarks on these subjects must be greatly 

 valued by all classes of apiarians. 



Now, as to my former complaint of the gradual decrease of 

 bees from their hires. From all I can gather this does arise from 

 the want of fertility in the queen, either from age or otherwise. 

 Now, it is a well-known fact that the kind of food taken by the 

 female of all animals greatly influences her productive powers ; 

 this is Been conspicuously in the common fowl. 



I have always administered to my bees in autumn a liberal 

 supply of syrup made of loaf sugar and water. Think you this 

 artificial food is in any way injurious to the queen's productive 

 powers ? Fearing this might be the case I have fed with honey, 

 dearly purchased, this autumn ; but I determined to have one 

 more good trial. 



As to their unprofitableness. It appears to me there are three 

 requisites absolutely necessary to insure success — First, fertility in 

 the queen ; second, suitable pasturage ; third, favourable weather. 

 The absence of either of these, in whatever hive the bees may be 

 located, will be sure to cause a failure ; for although the queen 

 may be very fertile, with good pasturage combined, yet if the 

 weather be bad there will be no collection ; neither if the weather 

 be ever bo fine and the queen very fertile, if there be no pasturage 

 within reach there can be no collection ; or if the pasturage be 

 good, joined with good weather, yet if the queen be not fertile 

 then there will be no collection. Of course it is out of the power 

 of any apiarian to affect either pasturage or weather ; but to 

 keep a succession of fertile queens is, I certainly think, as pos- 

 sible to an intelligent bee-keeper as it is to a farmer to keep 

 good stock of any of our domestic animals ; but the way to do 

 this is the difficulty. The recent remarks in the Journal of 

 Dzierzon and " A Devonshire Bee-keeper," on this subject, 

 have I think been conflicting ; I, therefore, beg the particular 

 attention of our intelligent correspondents to this one point, and 

 their early remarks will oblige and gratify your readers. 



Before I conclude my note let me remark as to pasturage. 

 Very much must depend upon its distance from the apiary ; and 

 the question, so often put and never answered, constantly recurs, 

 How far doeB the bee fly in search of honey ? Many have re- 

 marked upon it, the indefatigable Huber, Huish, and others, 

 but their observations do not agree. I sincerely hope if any of 

 your correspondents have any facts on this subject they will give 

 them to the world through your Journal. For these two ques- 

 tions — First, How to secure a fertile queen; second, the probable 

 distance of the flight of the bees — concern every bse-keeper on 

 the face of the earth ; for the latter will inform us if our situa- 

 tion is suitable, and the former in that case will teach us how to 

 insure success. — E. Fatbbeother, Woolwich. 



[Feeding bees in autumn on sugar and water alone in no way 

 affects the reproductive powers of the queen. We shall be glad 

 of the opinions of our correspondents on the other questions 

 mooted in the foregoing communication.] 



"TETJTH" AND THE BOTTLE. 



I All so glad to find that Truth is still on the earth, for, 

 from the legend reported about her a short time ago, I very 

 much feared she had become entirely disgusted with mankind. 

 The Times gave the history, but as I have not the original 

 printed wordB by me, I will merely write my own impressions 

 of them, in order to reveal my joy at learning that Truth is 

 still bravely amongst us above ground. 



Well, poor Truth feeling herself very cold and uncom- 

 fortable at the bottom of her well, resolved one fine day to 

 resort for an airing amongst the green budding bushes, and 

 enjoy the warblings of the robins and hedge sparrows, the 

 warm banks where the violets and the primroses bloom ; and 

 went sauntering about the beautiful meadows, where the sun- 

 bearr.B and the yonng lambs played, which so invigorated and 

 emboldened her, that she determined to try the villages and 

 small country towns. Poor Truth fared but badly there, 

 she was laughed at, flouted, and insulted, and found it such 

 hard lines to exist amongst the grandest bipeds of Nature's 

 workmanship, that she determined to return to her well again. 

 When lo ! sitting upon the brink of the subaqueous habitation, 

 she encountered a fine lady dressed all in the extreme of the 



fashion, who exclaimed, " Dear Truth, don't run away or 

 feel alarmed, my name is Fiction. But, darling, wherever 

 have you been ? How could you think of going about in that 

 state ? There, now, cool your eyes and temples with Bome of 

 this eau de cologne, and let ub commune a little together. But, 

 first, tell me what has happened ?"..,." Well, I can 

 go about freely enough," replied Fiction. " In fact, I have 

 been, and gone, and rather overdone it, and feel quite Hose ! 

 Look here, darling, this is crinoline. There, come now, do not 

 run away again, nor seem so frightened, for there is no fire here, 

 and I have a great mind to discard it; and then the immense width 

 of the skirts of my dress will make two nice garments for us, dar- 

 ling, and enable us both to go into society more comfortably." 



At this consummation so devoutly to be wished, your dis- 

 tinguished neighbour and contemporary took up the other thread 

 of his article, and left The Journal of Hoetictjltttre of 

 the 3rd inst. to inform ub, that Truth, as I must reasonably 

 suppose, agreed to the compact, and remains on terra firma. 

 When " Truth" comes this way I invite a call, for I have some 

 very good home-made of last year's vintage, the discussion of a 

 bottle of which I feel almost sure would cause an exclamation, 

 " Truth is in the bottom of a bottle ! " 



As to the " Bottle Bee-feeder," I would not tap the tops of 

 my hives to apply it at this time of year on any account. My 

 practice is to retain the temperature, and the topB of the hives 

 quite undisturbed at this early breeding seaBOn. Besides, the 

 " bottle-feeder " haB been so well pushed and recommended by 

 far superior authorities in the matter than I can hope to become. 

 I never said one wilful word in disparagement of the article, 

 and I do not doubt its capabilities. I would use it after what 

 has been said in its favour with pleasure and confidence ; but I 

 like to 6ee my bees partaking of their autumn banquet when it 

 is necessary to feed them. 



" Teuth's " " zinc feeders of every description," as far as I 

 am concerned, resolve themselves into one simple contrivance, 

 by whicih I am now supplying my bees with food through the 

 entrances of the hives, and they partake of it, I am happy to 

 say, with infinite gusto. 



Ah! I am sorry to inform your estimable "Devonshire 

 Bee-keeper," that we have no flowers open here yet for early 

 pollen-gathering ; but my bees are every day out and abroad. 

 They are in excellent health, and shine like French-polished 

 mahogany. — Upwabds AND Onwards. 



Early eoixen-GATHEBING.— For the last few days the bees 

 in this neighbourhood have been as active as they frequently are 

 two months later in the season. As early as January 27th, I 

 perceived pollen-gathering to be general, there being abundance 

 of flowers, and especially crocuses, now in bloom here. This 

 is earlier than in any season of my experience. I perceive that 

 "A Devonshire Bee-keeeer" has made similar observations, 

 but Lincolnshire is at least a fortnight behind DeTon in point of 

 climate. — G. F. B., Spalding. 



OUE LETTEE BOX. 



Incubator (W. B. J.).— In our No. 321 ia a drawing and notes on the 

 management of an incubator. The temperature to be maintained is 104" or 

 105°. We know of no work now on the subject that can be had except 

 occasionally at second-hand booksellers. Minessi and CanteUo printed 

 pamphlets relative to their incubators. 



Game Bantam's Legs {Bantam). — A white-legged Bantam cock must 

 not be shown with willow-legged hens. If they were the best birds in the 

 world non-matching legs would disqualify them. 



Soea's Poultey Establishment IT?'.). — We do not know the distance 

 of Mr. De Sora's establishment from Paris. The system has never been 

 tried in England. It has been successfully carried on in Germany by the 

 Prince of Tours and Taxis. 



Silver-pencilled Hambcegh's Feathers {A. Walker).— The brown 

 feathers in a Silver-pencilled Hamburgh are not desirable for exhibition. 

 They are generally found on birds that are excellent for stock; as they are 

 proved to be associated with bright, dark, and tharp pencillincs. This and 

 the creamy tinge are disadvantages in competition, but not disqualifications. 



White Crests of Polands [Constant Subscriber). — Much of the dirt of 

 which you complain on your Polands* crests is the result of the long-con- 

 tinued wet, which has made every place muddy. The only plan to avcid 

 this annoyance iB to put an india-rubber band round them about half an 

 inch from the head ; bnt we think when the weather clears up you will 

 have no cause to do so. 



Mule Cage Birds (J. IT.).— We do not think that you will be successful 

 in breeding mule birds by turning Goldfinches and Canaries into a spare 

 room as yon propose. We would recommend that they be kept in pairs in 

 separate cages. The Goldfinch should be the male bird ; and to make 

 snccesB more probable the Goldfinch should be brought up from the nest in 

 company with Canaries, or be kept in a cage about twelve months, so as to 

 he somewhat tame. They should be treated in the srme manner as Canaries 

 when breeding. 



