May 4, 1871. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



329 



whilst arbitrating. For your information I will also state why, 

 long after this introduction, and before I liegan jadging at all, 

 but was waiting for the penning of the birds, then going on, 

 I said to the Secretary, Mr. Clayton, " Never ask mo here again, 

 for I will not comp." It was because (aa per Journal of April 

 27th) " our officer, who has been connected with the Society for 

 many years," said to me, " That's my pen. I am showing two 

 pens in that class," &c. I am quite prepared to make an affidavit 

 that VotJi pens of winning Dragoons, iclien judged, were Yellows, 

 and that Mr. Yardley's tv?o pens (as per catalogue), one a pair 

 of Barbs, and the other a single Carrier, were empty pens 

 when I awarded the prizes — entirely empty. 



I know nothing at all of the feeding or watering of any of the 

 pens in the show, for I saw nothing whatever (myself) of either 

 ■duty. Mr. Yardley, it seems, won two second prizes out of 

 twelve pens exhibited. 



I am confident beyond the possibility of mistake, if the 

 catalogues sold at the show are worthy of dependance, that 

 Mr. Ashworth's pen of Dragoons, second prize, pen 389, were, 

 when judged. Yellows ; Mr. Y'-irdley'a highly commended pen, 

 391, were then, when judged, Bines. 



If such practices are rendered permissible in poultry shows, 

 the respectable poriion of society will withdraw from a pursuit 

 in itself health-giving and harmless, but winch might at length 

 equal the worst features of a racecourse. — Edwaiid Hewitt. 



[As Mr. Hewitt does not intend to proceed against one of 

 the parties miied up with the proceedings at this show, we 

 iiave inserted his letter. Vv'e have received other letters upon 

 the subject, but it is needless to insert more. — Ens.] 



BEE-KEEPING FOR COTTAGERS. 



Although it is an indisputable fact that cottagers may, in 

 favourable situations, materially add to their by-no-means-'large 

 incomes by what is commonly termed " bee-keeping," yet how 

 few avail themselves of the oppo-tuuity ; and apart from the 

 question of profit, there is without doubt a great moral benefit 

 to be derived from the practice. Toe man who undertakes the 

 judicious management of bees, will seldom fail to follow the 

 example of industry set by these diligent and hard-working little 

 labourers, and profit accordingly; his garden will generally he 

 found well kept, and, as a rule, he is not the person who will 

 spend his evenings, and hia earnings too, afc the publiohouse. 



As it is intended in these lines to oiier a few practical sug- 

 gestions on the subjoct of bee-keeping to our brethren of small 

 means, to whom of course profit will ba at all times the main 

 object in the undertaking, it will not be necessary nor advisable 

 to enlarge upon the different systems of management advocated 

 by many in the present dsy, the necessary adjuncts of which 

 are in most cases bee houses, patent or other expensive hives, 

 numerous glass supers, and other paraphernalia, quite out of 

 the reach of most cottagers, and only suited to those who can 

 afford the expense. 



In the case of a cottager about to engage in bee-keeping, the 

 first thing to be considered is the sort of lodging he will provide 

 for the bees ; and he can find nothing better for this purpose 

 than the straw hive, but not one of the shape used in the time 

 of our great-grandmother?. It should be moderately large, with 

 a flat top, and a hole in the centre of the top about 2 inches in 

 diameter, which, when the bees are first hived, should be closed 

 with a strong bung ; besides the hive, a straw cap or super 

 should be provided for future use. Instead of placing the hive 

 on a fixed stool or stand, the most convenient method is to pro- 

 cure boards about 18 inches square, and let these rest on stal- 

 ders about 6 feet long ; one of these would hold four hives. The 

 advantage of this method is, the hives can be moved without 

 disturbing the bees, for the purpose of weighing, &c., as the 

 hive is taken up, board and all. The entrance to the hive 

 should be cat in the board — never in the hive, as ia sometimes 

 the case — about 3 inches wide, and three-eighths of an inch deep, 

 gradually sloping up to the centre of the board ; this plan allows 

 the moisture to drain from the hive, while it affords a passage 

 for the bees. The hives should be placed in the most sheltered 

 position facing the south. For coverings, nothing ia better than 

 the old-fashioned straw cover or cope, which, while being useful, 

 presents at the same time a pleasing and rustic appearance. 



And now supposing everything to be ready for the new 

 comers, the next business is to purchase a first swarm from 

 some neighbour willing to sell ; one thrown off about the middle 

 of May, containing about a gallon of bees, will be the best for 

 the purpose ; the price probably will be ruled by the season or 

 locality, but a good swarm would not cost less than lOo-. After 



establishing the bees in their new home, if the weather ia at all 

 favourable they will shift for themselves for a fortnight or three 

 weeks, when they must be watched, and if they then cluster 

 in front of the hive it is a sign that the hive is well filled, 

 aud should it be a good season, they will undoubtedly swarm ; 

 but this should cover under any circumstances be allowed, for 

 if such happen to ba the case the swarm will generally be worth- 

 less, and the parent stock will be very much weakened. In 

 order to prevent this stite of things, as soon as the bees are 

 seen to cluster in front of tbe hive in large numbers, the cap 

 or super should bo placed on Ihe top of the hive ; the bees will 

 soon fill it. if, as was before mentioned, it happens to be a good 

 season. When the cap is full, which can be easily ascertained 

 if a small pane of glass is inserted in the super, it should be at 

 once removed. The better plan is to take the cap off in the 

 middle of a warm day, replace the bung at once, and carry the 

 cap some little distance, placing it on a board so that none of 

 the bees can escipe ; in a few minutes the bees will become 

 uneasy and restless it the queen do not happen to be with 

 them ; the cap may then be lifted, when the greater portion will 

 escape and make for home, the rest may be dislodged with a 

 feather, generally with impunity ; but if the queen happens to 

 be in the cap with them, which is not often the case, the bees 

 will rest contented, and display no anxiety to escape; under 

 such circumstances the cap must be replaced until the following 

 day, when, in most cases, there will be no difficulty in freeing 

 it from the bees. A cap of honey thus obtained will generally 

 weigh 8 or 10 lbs., and as it is of the very best quality it com- 

 mands a good price. In towns there ia generally someone who 

 will buy it at 2s. a-pound, thus rendering a cap of honey fur 

 more valuable than a late swarm of bees ; and the whole of the 

 bees being retained in the parent stock, it is left in a much 

 better position to stand the winter than it would have been 

 had it swarmed. 



The following year, supposing the stock to have stood the 

 winter well, it will come out strong, and probably swarm early. 

 This first swarm should be managed as has been directed in the 

 case of its parent stock, but on no account should the old stock " 

 be allowed to swarm a second time ; to prevent this, two or 

 three days after swarming it should be capped, which will 

 generally answer the purpose. A good cap of honey will always 

 poy better than a second swarm, and the old stock will always 

 be left stronger ; but if the stock is determined to throw ofi a 

 second swarm, it should be hived in a cap, aud placed on the 

 top of the parent hive. The bees will then go to work at once, 

 and in a good year the cap will soon be full, and, of course, 

 when full removed at once, another cap being substituted for 

 the full one, unless the season ia far advanced. In some sea- 

 sons several caps of the very best honey may ho taken from 

 one stock by pursuing this method, and at the same time the 

 parent hive will be full of honey ; but in moderate seasons 

 both the old stocks and the first swarms should produce one 

 good cap of honey. 



In the case of stock hives, the cottager must first determine 

 how many he will keep, and then, as a rule, leave the heaviest 

 swarms of the previous year ; they should never be less than 

 20 lbs. in weight in the autumn to stand the winter well. If 

 there are not sufficient swarms of the year, old stocks may be 

 left. The writer knew a case where a stock of bees stood for 

 fifteen years in a straw hive, swarmed every year, and only 

 came to grief by the foot of the stool decaying in the ground, 

 and the hive tumbling over. After the stock is selected, the sur- 

 plus hives should be taken in the autumn. Notwithstanding 

 all that has been said to the contrary, it will be better for the 

 cottager to employ brimstone torches for this purpose ; he 

 might fumigate the bees, and by these means return those he 

 wishes to take to his stock hives ; but it is very doubtful 

 whether this is an advantageous plan, although many, whose 

 opinions are entitled to respect, advocate the method. 



It would be highly gratifying to see the practice of bee- 

 keeping more universally adopted by the poorer class of cot- 

 tagers, and should these hasty lines tend to that end; the 

 writer would be abundantly satisfied. — W. J., Shepherdswell. 



THE EGYPTIAN BEE, THE RASCAL. 



At the meeting of the American Bee-keepers' Convention, a 

 paper was read by Mr. Mitchell, the substance of which was as 

 follows :^ 



The Egyptian bees were beautiful little fellowa. He took a 

 lo of hives to the prairies. He found that the Eayptiau bees 

 were cross fellowa. They went out of the hive like a fiock-of 



