244 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t September 20, 1877. 



what popular in this country. Questions by the score were put 

 and answered ; first and second swarms were taken from their 

 hives, and queens transferred from one hive to another in his 

 presence. Then he entered our dwelling house to get a cup of 

 tea with my queen bee. The bread and butter was welcome 

 enough, but he was more hungry for every scrap of bee know- 

 ledge that he could pick up and carry home to Sweden. He and 

 his family possessed thousands of acres of land covered with 

 good pasture for bees, and he said he would establish an apiary 

 of hundreds of hives made after the fashion of those he saw 

 here. " Why don't you yourself keep hives by the hundred 

 instead of the dozen 1" is one of the last questions he put to me. 



Some of our customers for honey on finding that it is all 

 sold ask, "Why not keep more bees?" This question has 

 often risen up in our minds, and been answered by the fact that 

 our occupation of gardening is quite enough for our declining 

 strength and energies. Bee-keeping is but an adjunct of secon- 

 dary importance here, but it is an adjunct that yields a great 

 fund of enjoyment and a large margin of profit. 



Between thirty and forty years ago we were sent by the late 

 Dr. Lindley to a situation as head gardener. Iu this situation 

 we found some things of a disquieting character. The servants 

 of the house had access to the fruit (there being no walled gar- 

 den), and the housekeeper and her friends were allowed to take 

 what they liked best, and sometimes the under gardeners were 

 blamed for what was missed. Then I was strongly tempted to 

 entertain the thought of abandoning the occupation of garden- 

 ing and betake myself wholly to bee-keeping. But we bore the 

 disquietudes of the place as well as we could for two or three 

 years. Our nest situation was an exceedingly comfortable one, 

 and so we have continued at gardening up to the present time. 

 Our confidence in bee-keeping rather increases than abates. 

 Any active man with a knowledge of bees may earn a substantial 

 and good living from them. We were born and brought up in 

 the midst of successful bee-keeping, and the impressions we 

 received in early life have been deepened by a life-long experi- 

 ence. In making these remarks our object is not to tempt any- 

 body to leave his calling or occupation and betake himself wholly 

 to bee-keeping : it would be risky in our opinion to do so, and 

 it might be ruinous. All beginnei'3 in every trade and line of 

 business have difficulties to overcome. To all who contemplate 

 bee-keeping on a large scale we would suggest caution, and that 

 a commencement be made with bees as a remunerating adjunct 

 for two or three years, so that the right way be felt, an experi- 

 ence gained, and a market for the produce found. Bee-keeping 

 to us and many others is a source of profitable enjoyment, and 

 to many more moving in the higher walks of life it is a source 

 of pleasant recreation. To the sons of toil we have commended 

 bee-keeping. To well-behaved and well-intentioned and indus- 

 trious working people we more strongly than ever commend 

 bee-keeping. To those who are partially disabled for hard work, 

 to widows and others in straitened circumstances, bee-keeping 

 in its simplest form would be a great helper. I have only one 

 aunt surviving, about ninety years of age : after an experience 

 of seventy years amongst bees she holds to their worth with a 

 certitude of grasp, and no wonder, for she has found them to be 

 a source of support to her during her widowhood. Last time 

 I was in Scotland, about six years ago, her first swarm that year 

 had gained 60 lbs. weight on the heather, and she had realised 

 200 lbs. (£10 worth) of honey from four stocks of bees. But 

 few .£10 will be realised this year from bees, I fancy, for I do 

 not remember a worse season ; at any rate, I never had bees to 

 manage in a worse season. For a series of years we have had 

 cold late springs, but this year we have had a cold, late, rainy 

 summer, which has been most disappointing and discouraging 

 to apiarians generally, especially to beginners who 'have never 

 yet had a remunerating return from their bees. With strong 

 hives in our possession we know how difficult it is to subdue 

 the felt impatience for sunshine. We are in no mood to stint 

 our sympathy for beginners who have had their hopes blighted 

 this year. It is not a pleasing thing for bee-keepers to balance 

 their gains and losses at the end of such a season as the present 

 one. We have taken but one hive of honey (15 lbs. only), sold 

 some stocks, and placed about forty stocks in our garden for 

 another year. Our expenses so far are greater than our income. 

 If we part with a few more hives the balance will be placed on 

 the right side, and our stocks then will be as numerous as 

 they were at the commencement of the season. Let us all look 

 forward hopefully, and believe what Mr. Gladstone told some 

 excursionists lately amid a downpour of rain — viz., " when 

 things are at their worst they grow better." — A. Pettigrew. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Silver-Grey Dorkings at the Crystal Palace.— "May I, as in former 

 yearfl, appeal once more through your columns for aid towards a five-guinea 

 cup for the beat adult Silver-Grey Dorkiog cock or hen at the nest Crystal 

 Palace Show ? My apology for so often begging for this class must be that 

 I have never myaelf won the cup for which I collect. If subscribers are kind 

 enough to send me their subscriptions without my writing to them personally 

 they will confer an additional favour.— O. E. Cresswell, Eaily Wood, Bag- 

 shot, Surrey." 



Poultry House (An Irish Subscriber). Yon will find plans in our " Poultry 

 Book for the Many." 



Brahma Vulture-hocked (C. S.).— Vulture hocks are a great disadvan- 

 tage to Brahmas, and should never be seen on a prize bird It is only of 

 late they have been Bhown, and the sooner they become extinct the batter. 

 They are a deformity, and caunot be credited with the least usefulness. A 

 Brahma hen should have no black in the wing. 



Duck Management (Constant Subscriber). — The drake, having been the 

 stock bird for three years, should now be set aside for a younger one. Ducks 

 lay the greatest number of eggs the first year. Their eggs are more to be 

 depended upon as fertile the second year, and after the third they should be 

 put in a pie and their places filled by younger birds. 



Aylesbury Ducks (W. H.).— Yellow bills demonstrate that the birds are 

 not purely bred. The following are the requisite characteristics — plumage 

 spotless white, bill pale flesh colour, legs orange. 



Grey Linnet (A Constant Reader).— The bird pecking at his feathers so 

 much is undoubtedly caused through the vermin or bird lice infesting its 

 habitation. You have a remedy by changing the bird's quarters, and that 

 must be effected speedily, especially as the system is in a poor state now the 

 bird is moulting. Remove the bird into another cage whilst you destroy 

 with turpentine or naphtha the vermin Becreted in the infested cage. After 

 well scalding and cleaning the cage will be again fit to use. Linnets in their 

 wild state eat many kinds of seeds, especially rape seed, cabbage seed (not 

 winter cabbage seed), poppy, dodder-grass seed, berries, and buds of trees. 

 In confinement they will live best on summer cabbage seed, which does not 

 require to be soaked as for Chaffinches, as Linnets have a powerful crop and 

 stomach, and can therefore better digest the seed. To our Linnets, which we 

 let fly about with some Canaries, we give Canary, summer rape, linseed, and 

 only very sparingly indeed of hempseed. Linnets require exercise, m< re so 

 than Canaries, and if they be too well fed in cages they often quickly die from 

 over-feeding and want of exercise. They like to peck at salt, and it is necessary 

 to occasionally supply them with a little. It is ao excellent preventive against 

 disease. Train your Linnet to use the bath. Some birds will very quiokly 

 take to it, and even over the moult it will do more good than otherwise. 

 Birds should be freely supplied with sand and water. 



Bees under a Floor ( W. Burst). — If you can remove the boards above 

 the bees, and cover them all round with a handkerchief or thin rag wet with 

 chloroform, they will rapidly drop from the combs in a helpless Btate and 

 remain motionless. As soon as this shall take place cut all the combs out 

 and place them in an empty box or milk-pan for removal. If you have not 

 courage to do this, you, perhaps, could fill the cavity which the bees inhabit 

 with the fumes of sulphur or powder, and thus destroy the whole swarm. 

 Seek the assistance of any old bee-keeper in your neighbourhood. 



Fermenting Honey [Dorset), — Warming your honey before the fire will 

 not prevent fermentation, but rather increase it. Some American bee- 

 keepers boil their honey when fermentation begins. Boiling may act for a 

 time, and is probably the best thing that can be done to hinder the ferment- 

 ing process. As soon aB any of our honey begins to ferment we boil it, and 

 then give it either to poor people or weak hives. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



Camden Square, London. 



Lat.51°S2'40" N.; Long. 0° 8' 0" W. ; Altitude, 111 feet. 



Date. 



9 A.M. 



In the Day. 





1877 



&« sfl . 



Hygrome- 



a . 



°"3~ 



Shade Tem- 



Radiation 



a 



as o^ 



ter. 



1-9 





perature. 



Temperature. 



« 



Sept. 



I 







In 



On 









Dry. ! Wet. 



So 





Max. 



Min. 



sun. 



grass- 







Inches. 



deg, 1 deg. 





deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



In. 



We. 12 



•29.870 



63.3 1 67.6 



S.W. 



57.7 



67 8 



66.S 



109.6 



51 2 



— 



Th. 13 



30.0' 8 



61.4 ! 59 2 



s.w. 



58 



65.6 



52.2 



90.8 



46.9 



0.010 



Fri. 14 



29 935 



63 9 1 6J.8 



s. 



58.8 



67.0 



59.8 



86.4 



56 6 



0.065 



Sat. 15 



29 783 



62.4 1 57.9 



s.w. 



6S.9 



64.5 



59.5 



105.2 



65 5 



— 



Sun. 16 



30.325 



51.0 ! 49.1 



N.W. 



67.4 



66.5 



45.4 



112.8 



3S.6 



— 



Mo. 17 



80.287 



55.7 



60.2 



N.W. 



67.0 



62.0 



466 



110.8 



38.2 



— 



Tu. 18 



30.349 



52.4 



50.1 



N.W. 



56.5 



613 



49.8 



105.0 



43.4 



— 



Means 



30.080 



58.6 



55.0 





67.7 



65.0 



62.8 



102 9 



47.2 



0.075 



REMARKS. 

 12th. — Fine bright morning, pleasant day, though there were two or three 



slight showers ; rain at 9 p.m., but sfcarlignt at midnight. 

 13th. — Rather a grey day, with a Utt'e rain. 

 14th. — Dull, <3»mp, and showery all day ; high wind all night and till 9 A.M. 



on the 15th. 

 loth. — Wind and rain in early morn ; ng, rather dull forenoon; fine afterwards. 

 lGth. — Fair but dull early, getting gradually finer; very bright in the after- 

 noon and evening. 

 17th. — A very fine and pleasant day, though not very sunny, 

 lath. — Bright and fine all day ; rnuoh more sun than, there was yesterday. 

 A dry fine week ; very cold in early mornings of the 16th and 17th. 

 Ere atom. — Barometer at 9 am. on 11th should have been 29.816, 

 mean for last week 30.000 ins. — G. J. Symons. 



COYENT GARDEN MARKET.— September 19. 

 A very steady trade has been done during the past week with scarcely any 

 alteration in prices. Kent Cobs have met with a ready sale at slight ad- 

 vances but show Bigns of a reaction, the supplies being very heavy the last 

 two days. Pines in demand. 



FRUIT. 



Apples J sieve 2 



Apricots dozen 



Chestnuts bushel 



Currants 4 bieve 



Black i sieve 



Figs dozen 1 



Filberta lb. 



Cobs lb. 



Gooseberries .. i bushel 

 Grapes, hothouse lb. 1 



Lemona 3* 100 6 



d. s. d. 

 6 to 3 6 

 



Melons 



Nectarines .... 



Oranges 



Peaches , 



Pears, kitchen.. 



dessert 



Pine Apples .... 



Plums , 



Raspberries ... 

 "Walnuts 



ditto 



s. d. 9. d 



each 1 



6to4 







dozen 4 



13 







w 100 10 



16 



1) 



dozen 8 



24 



(1 



dozen 1 



8 







dozen 2 



4 







lb. 5 



8 



n 



J sieve 10 



12 



n 



lb. 







n 



bushel 5 



8 







^100 











