286 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[AprU14,1863. 



Pastor Heine said, " I do not claim any particular advantage 

 for artificial over natural swarms, nor will I allow that artificial 

 swarms are in any respect inferior to natural ones. All depends 

 upon setting to work in a sensible manner — on going hand in 

 hand with nature so as to make artificial equal to natural 

 swarms, and even to secure to them important advantages. It 

 cannot he denied that in bee-keeping, according to Dzierzon, they 

 have obtained a degree of certainty which obviates failure. In 

 respect to the second part of the question, I may be allowed to 

 communicate my mode of procedure which enables me safely to 

 use all royal cells in one and the same apiary. About eight or 

 ten days before I begin to make artificial swarms, I choose one 

 or several stocks to rear young queens. According to the number 

 of begun and disposable queen-cells, I make artificial swarms, 

 inserting brood-combs and giving to every swarm a sealed royal 

 cell, so that it may come into possession of a young queen with 

 as little loss of time as possible. However, I always insert the 

 queen-cell where the bees naturally make their chief seat — thus, at 

 the top or middle of a brood-comb in order that the nymph may 

 not lack the warmth necessary for hatching, even if the bees should 

 not collect themselves about it. Thus it very seldom happens 

 that one of the inserted royal cells fails to hatch. But in order 

 also to provide against this contingency, I always leave in the 

 queen-rearing stocks a few superfluous royal cells, especially 

 those which have been made on the surface of the combs, and 

 the cutting-out of which, moreover, would damage the comb. 

 In order, however, that the young queens confined in them may 

 not be torn out, I protect the sealed cell by means of a very 

 simple apparatus, by a queen-cage, which by its simplicity and 

 practical usefulness distinguishes itself as much from the trap of 

 the heath bee-keepers, as from the Dzierzon queen-cage and the 

 various imitations of it. This queen-cage is nothing but a 

 tobacco-pipe cover made of wire, such as is frequently used by 

 smokers, and which one may buy for a few pence at every wire- 

 worker's. Such a cover I put over the queen-cell and press it 

 into the comb as far as the partition- wall, bo that the bees may 

 not be able to gnaw through under the edge of the cover and 

 destroy the cell. If I have also some cells which have been 

 made at the edges of the combs, and which on account of their 

 position cannot well be protected in the above way, I cut them 

 out, fasten them separately in flat- pressed pipe covers, which I 

 close from the access of the beeB with thin pieces of wood, and 

 hang each cell near the top between two combs. All royal cells 

 treated in this way generally hatch, and it is easy thus to 

 arrange a regular breeding-cage, as four or five cells may be 

 conveniently inserted in one passage." 



Count Stosch said the honour of introducing the tobacco-pipe 

 cover belonged to Dr. Donhoff. 



Herr Weitzel Baid, " In Wiirtemburg we have had experience 

 and are convinced that artificial swarms are in all cases to be 

 preferred to natural ones. In a country v> here natural swarms 

 issue freely and in good time, it is of course superfluous to make 

 them artificially." He then described his mode of making 

 artificial swarms, which differs little from that already described 

 in these columns by — A Devonshire Bee-xeepeb. 

 ( To he continued.) 



THE DISTANCE BEES PLY. 



In Vols. VII. and VIII. of The Cottage Gabdenee you 

 will find some observation on this head — it depends much upon 

 the season. In the month of June, when the fields are covered 

 with flowers, I do not think that the flight of bees exceeds from 

 800 to 1200 yards. Then, again, bees will take long flights 

 when the lime trees are in full blossom ; these blossoms seem 

 immense favourites with them, for the bees will dash through 

 heavy showers in an unusually fearleBS manner, and to the dis- 

 tance of a mile and a half, to wallow in the fragrance, and there 

 49 certainly a way with these insects of communicating intelli- 

 gence to each other where bee pasture is to be found. 



In your Journal op Hoettcultt/be mention was made that 

 hive bees were frequently seen on the BaBS Rock, in the county 

 of Haddington (East Lothian), between Dunbar and Haddington. 

 I have visited the Bass Rock, which is three English miles from 

 the main land, and I enjoyed a pleasant day's shooting at the 

 Gannets, or Solan geese. No bees are kept on that beautiful 

 and romantic Utile rocky island. 



Bees will also fly a great distance late in the Bummer to find 

 heath or white clover (Trifolium repens), hut they are more 



excited and busy when that sweet exudation called "honey- dew" 

 is plentiful. This happens only about every third or fourth 

 summer on an average of twenty years. 



No doubt, as Btated, much depends on the quantity of bfe 

 pasture, and the nearnesB to the favourite flowers, and the fine- 

 ness of the weather ; but where a great variety of bee flowers are 

 to be found, from the end of May to the first week in July, the 

 flight of bees !b not above half the distance it is at other timeB. — 

 H. W. Newman. 



BEE-FEEDING. 



As a cannie Scotchman, I wish to say a few words to your 

 correspondent " B. I. S." upon feeding. I had thought "that 

 we as a nation were the only party that had become addicted 

 to the use of the bottle; but it appears that there are some 

 apiarians across the Tweed becoming addicted to the use of 

 it also. For this I am sorry ; and as a bee-keeper of some 

 years' experience I would suggest to " B. I. S." the propriety of 

 his not adopting the bottle, as was done by our grandfathers, 

 who threw it aside years ago. Let "B. I. S." adopt the Bystem 

 of feeding below, as approved of by your correspondent " Up- 

 wards and Onwards," giving from 2 to 3 ozs. of syrup every 

 night in tins shaped like razor-strops. Remove in the morning. 

 Weigh once a-week, and see that the weight increases. Add a 

 little extra covering as long as the nights are cold ; and should 

 he have a fertile queen, we will warrant plenty of bees to take 

 advantage of the white clover when it comes in bloom. 



By adopting the above plan " B. I. S." will also find that he 

 will manage to feed six hives in the time that he would take to 

 feed one with the bottle, and run no risk of chilling the brood. 

 Let those who advocate the bottle try this plan of spring-feed- 

 ing, and I am convinced that they will throw the bottle frcm 

 them as being unworthy the advocacy it has received. — Ajs 

 Ayrshire Bee-keeper. 



OfTE LETTEE BOX. 



Preserving Eggs (i. T. B.).— Dipping the eggs in melted fat and storing 

 them in a dry cold place -will preserve eggs as long as any mode of treat-* 

 ment. We have known them thus keep good from Jlay until Christmas. 



Yard for Fowls (3". P. Ramsden). — Yon may keep a cock and six 

 hens in yonr enclosed yard. As it is gravelled have a shed at one end with. 

 6 or more inches in depth of sand on the snrface for them to hunk in ; and 

 a heap of limy rubbish for the hens to obtain material for their egg-shells. 

 Supply them with as much green food as you can, such as grass-mowings 

 and lettuce leaves. Tou will have an enclosed roosting and nest-house of 

 course. Buff or Partridge Cochin-China, or Brahma Pootra pullets, will 

 supply you best with egga in winter. 



Eggs kot Hatching (C. H. S. B. A.),— The eggs in question are clear 

 eggs — t.e , they are not impregnated in any way. They have no germ of 

 life in them, and, consequently, if a hen were to Bit on them for a year no 

 change would take place. That which has never lived cannot die. The 

 clear eggs if covered with butter, or put in lime when laid, will retain all 

 the delicacy of a new-laid egg for months. That which spoils a good egg 

 and renders it rotten is, that a hen should sit for three or four days till 

 life has begun, then desert for some hours, causing death, then sitting 

 again closely, the heat that would have brought the life to maturity merely 

 putrefies the dead chicken. Boiled rice is better than raw, and if boiled in 

 milk so much the better. It is very well as a change now and then, but 

 as food it is poor stuff. For animals, as for human beings in our climate, 

 it is only fit to be an auxiliary. 



Bees [E. Fairbrother). — There is no particular management required for 

 obtaining fertile queens. You will have seen what Mr. Newman says 

 about the distant flight of bees. There are very few flowers from which they 

 do not gather honey; but clovers, heaths, lime trees, beans, &c., &c, axe 

 wholesale pasturage for them. You have Been the drawings of Mr. 

 Woodbury's hives, and you muBt consult a carpenter how best to alter your 

 Taylor's hives. 



Day'6 Game Paste [Hamburgh). — You had better try it. It is said to 

 prevent, aB well as cure, both "gapes" and "roup." It certainly has 

 testimonials in its favour from several gentlemen in various parts of 

 England. 



LONDON MAEKETS.— April 13. 

 POULTRY. 



Good young poultry is getting scarce. The mild weather has caused 

 much that would have remained tender to become hard. The winter 

 stock is exhausted, the spring stock is not ready. Prices have advanced in 

 some instances ; and, but for the lack of trade and demand, poultry would 

 be very dear. 



s. d. s. d. 



Larg6 Fowls 3 6 to 4 1 



8maller do 2 6 „ 3 | 



Chickens 2 6 „ 3 | 



Goslings 6 „6 6 



DuckingB 3 6 „ 4 | 



8. d. s. d. 



Guinea Fowl to 3 



Hares „ 



Rabbits 1 4 „ 1 5 



Wild do 8 „ 9 



Pigeons 8 „ 9 



