168 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Angust 23, 1877. 



doing it later in the Beaaon, so far as breeding and comb-building 

 go. Bees are easily stimulated into active efforts daring warm 

 weather, whereas they are more difficult to move in the way 

 of extension and expansion daring the chilly weather of autumn ; 

 then they naturally abstain from comb-building and cluster 

 closely together. 



In breeding and comb-building there is necessarily a great 

 consumption of food. Early and continuous feeding produces 

 better stocks, and thereby necessitates a larger supply of food. 

 Some of the larger supply goes for comb-building, some for 

 brood, and some is needed for the increased population of the 

 hives. What a stupid and strange mistake some writers on 

 bees made in asserting that a small population in a hive needs 

 as much food as a larger one ! The readers of this journal know 

 better. I know that 40,000 bees require twice as much food as 

 20,000. If a large swarm of 40,000 bees (about 8 lbs. in weight) 

 be placed in an empty hive at the end of August it will require 

 about 20 lbs. of sugar (40 lbs. of syrup) to make it safe for the 

 winter. From the 40 lbs. of syrup the bees would fill or nearly 

 fill their hive with combs and brood, and store-up food enough 

 for themselves till the end of JJarch. About one half (20 lbs.) 

 of the syrup is used in comb-building and for brood and bees 

 during tbe month of September. The other half is stored up 

 for winter keep, and in ordinary seasons is enough for a very 

 strong hive. Hives that are full of combs do not require so 

 much syrup, and if hives have bees enough for winter con- 

 tinuous feeding should be avoided. The more rapidly such 

 hives are fed the more food is stored up, because less is con- 

 sumed in the excitement of feeding. The principal idea I am 

 seeking to convey in this letter to youthful apiarians is this — 

 that syrup given regularly every night to healthy hives will 

 cause the bee3 to recommence breeding, and thus replenish 

 their hives with a numerous and valuable population. Feeding 

 should be commenced as soon as possible, and be continued 

 without halt till it is completed. Late feeding is attended with 

 the danger of causing the bees to breed at an untimely season. 

 Bees may be lost in going out for water, and brood may be 

 chilled to death. 



Our third watchword is a good warm house for bees to live in. 

 It is much, to the interests of the bee-master that his little 

 industrious servants be well provided for, and be well protected 

 during the winter months. Bees deserve comfortable houses 

 with all proper sanitary arrangements, including proper and 

 perfect ventilation, for the internal moisture of hives is often 

 more hurtful to them than anything else either outside or inside. 

 Many of my readers would be astonished, if they were to turn 

 up their hives at the present time and examine their insides, 

 what a hurtful mess of .condensed moisture they would find on 

 the inner surfaces of their hive?. This discovery would per- 

 haps lead to a second examination and the consideration of the 

 importance of the ventilation of hives. In touching this sub- 

 ject on former occasions I have given offence to some parties, 

 but my object is to enlighten public opinion and advance apiarian 

 Bcience. Hives that let their internal moisture sift out and 

 escape are far more comfortable and better for bees than those 

 that keep it in. Many bee-keepers have this lesson yet to learn. 



Hives of proper materials — indeed, hives of all kinds— require 

 protection by covering from the storms of winter. Hives stand- 

 ing out of doors cannot be too warmly covered during the 

 winter and early spring months. This lesson is easily learned, 

 but more difficult to practise, especially where many hives have 

 to be covered. — A. Pettigkew. 



FEEDING BEES. 



I have tried two ways of feeding— with barleysugar and 

 syrup, sugar and water boiled to a proper consistence. The 

 former I find very useful, patting the sticks on the top of the 

 hive, as I find feeding at the top always be6t. Some time ago I 

 found a quantity of fat left by the bees from the barleysugar, 

 and it is a curious fact that they should be able to suck-out the 

 saccharine matter and leave the fatty. To make the syrup I 

 put only sugar and water boiled to a proper consistence, fill a 

 wide-mouth bottle, tie-down with muslin, atd turn over and 

 insert into the hole at the top of the hive. This I find a good 

 plan when regular heavy feeding is required, but watching iB 

 necessary that the syrap may be renewed. I have never found 

 it become candied, although some persons object to it on that 

 account. But it would very soon be found out and remedied. 

 Beer or vinegar may be added to it. I have never tried either. 

 — R. B. R. 



OUR LETTEB BOX. 



Masking Poultry. — " A. B." aBks fora simple method of markingpoultry 

 fo as to distinguish readily birds of one year from those of another year. 

 There ia the drawing of a ring for the purpose in our twenty-sixth volume, 

 new series. 



Confined Space for Fowls (J. S. T.). — Cochin-Chinas or Houo'aus 

 would endure the confined space much better than any variety of Dorking. 



Taking Honey {£ Novice). — We advise you to drive the bees out of the 



old straw hives and put them into empty bar-frame hives. Probably the 

 hive that you have made ia as good as any you cau buy, but the "Italian 

 frame hive " which you have purchased is not a proper hive for bees in this 

 country. The people and country that produce aud use Buch hives are not 

 far advanced in the art of bee-keeping. Mr. Lee of Windlesham, Bagshot, 

 and others about Loudon can supply you with hives far superior to the 

 Italian one. First drive the bees into straw hives or round boxes, then cast 

 them into the bar-framers and place them where they now stand. Boil 30 lbs. 

 of sugar in thirty pints of water, and give all the syrup to the two swarms 

 iu fouiteen days— about 2 lbs. of syrup every night to each swarm. In this 

 way you will get the honey from the old straw hives and two good stocks in 

 frame hives. Do not attempt to fill the frames with old combs— a most 

 foolish practice with some bee-keepers, for bees readily make fresh cornea 

 from syrup, and thrive and prosper amongst them exceedingly. If you want 

 the honey from your large circular box the bees should be driven from it and 

 hived in a bar-framer. Your three swarms in smaller boxes may remain as 

 they are for stocks. Tou will have to venture sometime on the task of drivin« 

 bees, and you may as well begin at ouce. All you want is a little courage 

 and self possession. As soon a3 the bees are driven from the combs see that 

 the honey is run from them. Honey should be run before it cools. — A. P. 



Bee Pasturage (G. C.).~ The bees will obtain honey from the pepper- 

 mint. They have been proved to visit flowers nine miles distant from their 

 hive. 



Creosote.—" ill. A. H." a3ks what are the proper proportions of creosote 

 to mix with water to steep different kinds of wools in, and more especially 

 prepared oak for waterwheels at a com mill ? Will water counteract the 

 desired effect '? aud will creosote take the same effect on firs and pines as on 

 all hard woods ? 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



Camden Square, London. 



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



Date. 



9 A.M. 



Ix the Day. 





1877. 



©!M !3 . 



Hygrome- 



a . 



°*J 



Shade Tem- 



Radiation 



a 



Ms 



ter. 





5 X- 



perature. 



Temperature. 



K 



Aug. 



SSfl-1 











In 



On 









Dry. 



Wet. 



So 





Max. 



Min. 



sun. 



grass. 







Inches 



cleg. 



deg. 





deg. 



deg. 



deg. 





deg. 



In. 



We. 15 



29 908 



612 



61.7 



w. 



61.0 



79.5 



59.1 



129 9 



55.S 





Th. 16 



29 955 



66.0 



60.5 



w. 



61.5 



77.4 



58 3 



125.9 



54.6 





Fri. 17 



29.918 



•66 6 



60.4 



w. 



64.6 



74.6 



54 5 



127.0 



51.3 





Sat. 18 



31.061 



61-8 



59.4 



w. 



61.8 



76 6 



52.7 



118.8 



48 2 





Sun. 19 



29.757 



72 9 



66.S 



w. 



66 3 



77.4 



60.0 



11S.1 



58 I 





Mo. 20 



29.813 



75.8 



67.8 



s. 



65.2 



82.9 



60.0 



124.0 



60.6 



0.05O 



Tu. 21 



29 569 



67.9 



61.5 



w. 



66.7 



76 3 



77.S 



65.2 



127.7 



61.6 



55.5 



255 



Sleans 



29.859 



63.3 



62.5 





65.0 



58.3 



123.6 



O.305 



RE MARES. 

 15th. — Very thick morning, but soon clearing ofi\ and the day beautifully 



fine; starlit night. 

 16th. — Fine pleasant day ; cooler towards evening, and bright starlit night. 

 17th. — Another bright fine day. 

 ISth. — Rather hazy in the morning, bright pleasant day, and not quite so 



hot. 

 19th. — Grey morning and forenoon, afternoon close and stormlike, with 



sudden gusts of wind both afternoon and evening. 

 20th. — Hazy in morning, but very fine by 9 a.m. ; fine all day, and very hot 



in the afternoon and evening. 

 21st. — Rain at 6 a.m., fair but with high wind at 8 A.M., forenoon rather 

 cloudy, afternoon looking stormlike, a short very heavy shower between 

 4 and 5 p.m., and strong gustB of wind more or less all day, and the 

 temperature much ccoler. 

 A fine pleasant week. The mean temperature about 3 3 above that of last 

 week. The heat was rather oppressive on Monday the 20th. — G. J. Symons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— August 22. 

 No improvement iu business, the supply of home-grown fruit being nearly 

 limited to Apples and Nuts. Large quantities of Grapes are now arriving 

 from the Channel Islands. 



FRTJIT. 



Apple3 



Apricots 



Chestnuts ... 

 Currants 



Black 



Figs 



Filberts 



Cobs 



Gooseberries 

 Grapes.hothouse 

 Lemons . 



£ sieve 



dozen 



bushel 



i fcieve 



£ sieve 



dozen 



lb. 



lb. 



i bushel 



lb. 



1*100 



s. d. s. d. 



Artichokes dozen 



Asparagus ^ 100 



Beans, Kidney., buahel 



Beet. Red dozen 



Broccoli bunale 



Brussels Sprouts 1 sieve 



Cabbage dozen 



Carrots bunch 



Capsicums V 100 



Cauliflowers.... dozen 



Celery bundle 



Coleworts doz. bunches 



Cucumbers .... each 



Endive dozen 



Fennel bun ch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Lettuce dozen 



Leeks bunch 



6 to 3 

 6 3 



Melons r each 3 



IS ectarines .... dozen 4 



Oranges y- 100 10 



Peaches dozen 3 



Pears, kitchen.. dozen 



deeeert dozen 1 



Pine Applea .... lb. 5 



Plums j sieve 



Raspberries .... lb. 



"Walnuts * bushel 5 



-ditto $>100 0. 



d. s. d 



0to8 



18 



16 



20 







s:o 

 8 o 







it o 



8 

 



VEGETABLES. 



. d. s. d, 

 0to6 

 





 



3 



1 6 

 



2 

 9 

 a 

 i 

 2 



Mushrooms pottle 1 



Mustard & Cress punnet 



Onions bushel 



pickling quart 



Parsley doz. bunches 2 



Parsnips dozen 



Peas quart 



Potatoes bushel 5 



Kidney bushel 5 



Radi=hea.. doz. bunches 1 



Rhubarb bundle 



Salsafy bundle 



Scorzonera .... bundle 1 



Seakale basket 



Shallots lb. 



Spinach 3 bushel 2 



Turn-pa ~ bunch 



Veg. Marrows..' _^ each 





