24 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t July 5, 1877. 



cast above mentioned also returned to the parent hive. I there- 

 fore drove out the whole population the same cUy, thus com- 

 pelling them to swarm. To make sure that they had a queerj, 

 and to diminish risk of failure, I cut out a piece of comb and 

 gave them a royal cell in a super, out of which there issued a 

 queen some hours later in the cl%y. This may explain the piping. 

 Probably both princesses lived together for several days and 

 were aware of each other's existence. — B. & W. 



THE UTILISATION OP CONDEMNED STOCKS. 



Mb. Pettigbew in his very able article of Jane 21st, in which 

 he shows how the swarming system with fixed combs may be 

 carried to the highest perfection, makes the following state- 

 ment : — " If the be6t of the three hives be selected for a stock, 

 and have the bees of the other two united to it, we obtain for 

 another year a stock hive of surpassing worth and power." This, 

 no doubt, is correct if it be done in the autumn when most of 

 the added bees would survive to the following spring. But is it 

 correct if the bees be driven and added the end of Daly ? Oar 

 honey harvest in these parts, as in many others, ends about the 

 18 h of Jaly, which woald consequently be the proper time to 

 drive condemned Btoeks. Would it be any good to unite these 

 to other stocks with a view to strengthening them for the follow- 

 ing season ? If not, would it be worth while to defer taking the 

 honey of condemned stocks two months later, say the first week 

 in October ? Would the strength given to the hives to which 

 they were added compensate for the loss of the honey they woald 

 consume during those two months ? 



This is a very important question, and one on which I should 

 like to have the opinion of others as well as Mr. Pettigrew. 

 Condemned bees in July would, no doubt, answer admirably for 

 building up into stocks by sugar-feeding; but the question is 

 the value of uniting them to other stocks. — 0. B. 



BEE MANAGEMENT— DEIVING. 



Fob the encouragement of beginners like myself in bee- 

 management I beg to give yon an account of my first attempt at 

 "advanced" bee-keeping. I bought in March this year two 

 stocks for £1 and 12s. ; the former weighing 32 lbs. hive and 

 board, and the latter 36 lbs. They were both in old straw skeps, 

 small and rotten. On the 25th of May I took an artificial swarm 

 of 4 lbs. of bees from the 12s. hive, and put it into a straw hive 

 14 by 12. I fed them for a few days, and now (June 25th) the 

 hive is three parts full of comb, and I can see young bees coming 

 out. On the 12th of June, and for two days previous, I heard 

 distinctly three queens piping in the old hive, so I determioed 

 to tarn a second swarm out. This I did into a common hive, 

 shook them into a 14-inch hive, and then put a ten-bar frame 

 hive on it. Inverted guide comb was fixed to each frame, and 

 after putting a cloth round and drumming awhile I left them all 

 night, bnt not before I heard prineesB No. 1 piping in the frame 

 hive ; and on going to listen to the old stock I heard that 

 princess No. 2 had been liberated, and that piping was being 

 carried on by two only. Next morning I found the bees had 

 gone into the frame hive, and now nearly all the frames are 

 filled with comb. The bees that were left in the stock remained 

 a few days longer, when I drummed them oat, caught the queen, 

 and divided the remainder amongst my other hives. 



The other Btock hive (cost £1) I tried to swarm artificially on 

 the 26th of May, but the beeB all went back; so I tried again on 

 the 31st of May and succeeded, getting a capital swarm, which 

 has more than three-part3 filled a 14-by-12 hive. -Tbe stock 

 remained for twenty days, and then I turned it out into a 

 similar hive, and now it is working well. So that out of my two 

 stocks I have four good hives in a forward state, and not a bit 

 of old comb. Being near the heather, I shall if all is well get a 

 fair harvest of honey, though I do not intend putting uown 

 either of my stocks this autumn, as I want to keep four at least 

 over the winter, and shall content myself with supers and side 

 combs for my honey this season. 



My artificial swarming was laughed at by all the bee-cages, 

 but now they see that I am ahead of them they are beginning 

 to see that there is something in it. If my experience should 

 encourage any timid ones I shall be glad. I may say that though 

 I do not use a bee-dress of any description I have not been Btung 

 in any "driving" operation, having driven Beveral others be- 

 sides my own. — R. G., Kendal. 



OUE LETTEE BOS. 



Bees Cltjstebed on Foot-boahd (J. Smith). — Bees should not be al- 

 lowed to hang in clusters for weeks outeido their hives, as it is a waste of 

 time. We advise you to swarm them artificially, or give them riom by 

 enlarging their hive. Artificial swarming has been often described in our 

 Journal. If you try the artificial mode you will find it is very simple and 

 satisfactory. Blow some smoke from fastian rags into your hive, litt it from 

 its hoard, and place it on the ground, bottom up ; place your swarm hive ou 

 it, roll a cloth round the junction of the hives, drum on the bottom (full) 



hive for four minutes, then place both hives on separate hoards some feet or 

 yards on either side of the old stand. This is artificial swarming, and it is a 

 most useful and valuable invention. We are about to swarm some hives 

 in the same way. 



Making Stbaw Hives [Novice). — By examining a straw hive you may 

 learn how they are made. A young gardener in this neighbourhood was 

 anxious to learn how to make them. He took a hive and undid the stitching, 

 hit by bit, from bottom to top. He needed no more teaching, both he and 

 his father became experts in building excellent straw hiv.s Hives are made 

 of straw stitched with cane or bramble briars. A tube about 5 or 6 inches 

 long and 1 inch wide is used to keep the Btraw in rolls. The tube is kept 

 fall of straight straw by feeding it at one end, and the stitching takes place 

 at the other end. No handy man can fail in making good straw hives after 

 the first trial. 



Bees Self-willed— the Swabm-catcheb (Novice). — When bees swarm 

 naturally they choose a spot beforehand and go there. If they resolve to 

 alight in your neighbour's garden nothing can be done to prevent tbem, 

 except the adoption of artificial swarming. The American swarm-catcher is 

 used to prevent two swarms coming off at the same time from going to- 

 gether or becoming one. This swarm-catcher is a kind of square sack of thin 

 material, and is placed around the mouth of the hive when the bees begin 

 swarming. They ruBh pell mell into the sack, and may be hived at con- 

 venience ; but the mode of arr ificial Bwarming which we follow is far better, 

 and can be done with less trouble than the use of the swarm-catcher. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



Camden Square, London. 



Lat. 51° 32' 40" N. ; Long. (P 8' 0" W. ; Altitude, 111 feet. 



Date. 



9 A.M. 



In the Day. 





1877. 



. o 



Hygrome- 



a . 



o-a 



o*. . 



Shade Tem- 



Radiation 



,S 



June 





ter. 



1? 



ft-, o 



©03 



perature. 



Temperature. 



M 



and 











In 



On 





July. 





Dry. 



Wet. 





n 



Max. 



Mm. 



sun. 



grass* 







Inches 



deg. 



deg. 





deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



In. 



We. 27 



SO 073 



59.7 



57 4 



N.W. 



62.3 



72.4 



54 9 



122.1 



51.2 



— 



Th. 28 



30.253 



66 



56.2 



N.W. 



Si 9 



7S.9 



48.4 



125.0 



418 



— 



Fri. 29 



30.246 



70,2 59.6 



W. 



65.0 



846 



56.3 



128 6 



52.6 



— 



Sat, 30 



30.199 



69.3 63.2 



S.W. 



63.6 



8 '.2 



55.3 



181.0 



51.0 



— 



Sun. 1 



3 1.029 



6».0 j 68 4 



N.W. 



61.8 



63 5 



60.0 



90.2 



60.0 



0.34S 



Mo. 2 



29.999 



653 58.7 



N.W. 



63 1 



74.4 



51.8 



120.0 



49 J 



— 



Tn. 8 



30.015 



63.7 | 67.0 



W. 



62.6 



71.8 



49.6 



123.4 



47.3 



638 



Means 



30.116 



64.9 j 58.6 





61.3 



75.1 



53.8 



120.0 



50.4 



0.931 



REMARKS. 

 27th.— Rain in the morning, sunshine after 9.15 a.m., rest of the day fine and 



bright. 

 28fch. — Fine alt day, and much warmer. 



29th. — Another fine summer day, much hotter than the day before it. 

 30th. — Clear bright morning, cloudy at times in the afternoon, a sprinkle of 

 rain in the evening. 

 1st. — Dull early, rain began at 9 a.m. and fell heavily for some time; after- 

 part of the day very fine and rather less hot. 

 2nd. — Rather dull, but pleasant from there being a nice breeze, rendering it 



quite cool at night. 

 3rd. — Wind rather fresh and pleasant in morning, a few drops of rain about 

 noon; thunder about 4 p.m., and again frequent with lightning between 

 5 and 6, with a heavy but short shower ; very bright and sunny by 6.S0, 

 and ruin again at 7.30, and tremendous hailstorm from 8.4 to 8.7 p.m., 

 the st mes nearly spherical, crystalline, averaging a quarter of an inch 

 in diameter, but some were over three-quarters of an inch in diameter. 

 Leaves very much cut, bedding plants quite disfigured. 

 No special feature calling for notice except the above-mentioned hailstorm. 

 — G. J. Ssmons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— July 4. 

 Trade remains quiet at last week's quotations. 



Apples 



Apricots 



Cherries 



Chestnuts 



Currants 



Black 



Fiss 



Filberts 



cobs 



Gooseberries .. \ 

 Grapes.hothouse 

 Lemons 



J- sieve 



dozen 1 



lb. 1 



bu9hel 



i tieve 



j sieve 



dozen 6 



lb. 



lb. 1 



bushel 8 



lb. 2 



^1GJ 6 



d. s d. 

 OtoO 

 6 



18 

 



Melons 



Nectarines ... 



Oranges 



Peaches 



Pears, kitchen., 



dessert , 



Pine Apples .... 



Plums , 



Raspberries ... 

 Strawberries ., 

 Walnuts 



ditto 



each S 



dozen 12 



K*- 100 10 



dozen 8 



dozen 



dozen 



lb. a 



l sieve 



lb. 



lb. 



bushel 5 



^-100 



d. 8. 

 0to8 

 SO 



VEGETABLES. 



Artichokes dozen 3 



Asparagus -1*100 8 



Beans, Kidney.. & 100 1 



Beet Ked dozen 1 



Broccoli bundle 



Cabbage dozen 1 



Carrots bunch 



new bunch 1 



Capsicums ^ 1"0 1 



Cauliflowers dozen 2 



Ctlery bundle 1 



Coleworts doz. bunches 2 



Cucumbers .... each 



Fnriive dozen 1 



Fennel bupch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Lettuce dozen 1 



Leeks bunch 



Mushrooms.... pottle 1 



d. s. 

 0to6 

 6 

 

 6 



Mustard & Cress 

 Onions 



pickling 



Parsley.... doz. 



Parsnips 



Peas 



Potatoes 



Kidney 



New 



Radishes., doz. 



Rhubarb 



Salsafy 



Scorzonera .... 



Seakale 



Shallots 



Spinach 



Turnips 



new 



Vejr. Marrows .. 



punnet 



bushel 



quart 



bunches 2 



dozen 



quart 2 



bu-hel 2 



bushel 3 



lb, 



bunches 1 



bundle 



bundle 



bundle 1 



basket 



lb. 



bushel 2 



bunch 



bunch 



each 



. d. s. 

 2 toO 

 



