336 



JOUBNAL OF HORTIGULTUEB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 25, 1677. 



empty combs for me in frames, to use next spring for early 

 swarms. They have abundance of honey in both hives for 

 winter consumption, and breeding has been kept-up late by 

 giving a small but constant supply of baiieysagar. All my 

 stocks are bo fed in autumn. Syrup given at that time only 

 supplies a superfluous amount of liquid, which i3 evaporated 

 and renders the hive damp at a time when it cannot be kept too 

 dry. Of course syrup must be given to increase rapidly the 

 stores of a weak stock, but for gentle stimulative feeding I 

 prefer barleysugar; the bees cannot take this too fast. I make a 

 number of rough little boxes without bottoms or lids, about 

 4 inches square. In the place of bottoms I tack on a small piece 

 of perforated zinc, that used for supering, and a small square of 

 drugget or any warm covering is laid over the bos. Thus all 

 moisture escapes ; the barleysugar is put into the bos which is 

 placed over the feeding-hole in the quilt, and the bees fetch it 

 gradually, in quite sufficient quantities to stimulate the queen 

 to continue laying. 



But what was I writing about ? Ligurians? Yes. AreLigurians 

 more energetic in searching for food, or have they the powers of 

 scent more fully developed than our black bees ? Whether it 

 be the one or the other it matters not. If we can prove that 

 they find food much more quickly than the black bees, then we 

 at once find in them a recommendation to our favour. Let any- 

 one with both black and yellow bees in his garden test this 

 point for himself. I have done so a score of times. Place an 

 unfinished super, a piece of comb with honey in it, or some 

 scented syrup in a place unfrequented by the bees, say under a 

 cabbage in a bed of that vegetable, and note the first bee that 

 visits it. In nine cases out of ten it will be a Ligurian, and 

 among the first dozen bees that pilfer the sweets there will be 

 eight or nine Ligurians, or hybrids, as the case may be. Some 

 have found their Italians much more irascible insects than the 

 black bees. I cannot say that I find any difference in regard to 

 disposition. Both kinds can be readily made perfectly docile 

 by being first thoroughly intimidated by a puff of smoke and 

 bribed by the gift of a little warm syrup in eases of emergency. 



I find that my Ligurians visit flowers which I have never 

 seen visited by our native friends. I have had flowers of Tac- 

 sonia Van-Volsemii blooming in my conservatorynearly all the 

 year round. My bees have always visited the primulas, heaths, 

 cyclamens, and many other flowers, but until I had Ligurians I 

 never saw a bee on the tacsonia blossoms, neither on the flowers 

 of the tritonia. Again, what insinuating rascals they must be. 

 In seven different hives, when inspecting them previous to their 

 going into winter quarters, I saw Ligurians. How they had got 

 there and why they went there I leave others to answer, but 

 not a single black bee can I find in my Ligurian and hybrid 

 stocks. This fact tells me that they are more audacious and at 

 the same time more tenacious of their own rights than their 

 sombre sisters. Altogether I find myself, although only at the 

 close of my first year's acquaintance, becoming a lover of the 

 graceful Italian, and when I compare her with her Anglican 

 sister I must say that I find my predilections strongly biased in 

 her favour. — P. H. Phillips, Offley Lodge, Hitchin. 



CAN BEES EAT POLLEN? 



"Do bees eat pollen ?" is a question that was put and anBwered 

 in this Journal some months ago. Can bees eat pollen ? is a more 

 difficult question to answer. Those who have studied the struc- 

 ture of the bee, and have made anatomical investigations of its 

 head, are perhaps best able to answer ibis question. If any 

 apiarian prove that bees eat pollen an anatomical examination 

 will be quite unnecessary. The fact will establish the power. 

 It is known that adult bees do live and are healthy for months 

 without pollen ; it is also known that pollen or bee bread is 

 largely consumed by bee grubs before they pass into the 

 chrysalis state. It is well known, too, what ravenous creatures 

 caterpillars are, and how soon they skeletonise cabbage blades 

 and gooseberry leaves ; but after the caterpillars reach maturity 

 and appear as butterflies they do not eat cabbage and gooseberry 

 leaves. Bees and butterflies evolved and matured from maggots 

 and caterpillars are altogether changed. After transformation 

 do they possess organs and instruments for mastication ? A bee- 

 keeper in Scotland once told me that he soaked a boiled potato 

 in syrup and gave it to a hive, and that the bees ate every bit of 

 the potato. A Cheshire bee-keeper says he boils honey and 

 pollen together for his bees, and that they thrive on it. I did 

 not believe the Scotchman's story, neither do I believe that the 

 bees of the Cheshireman swallow pollen. Often enough have I 

 given honey polluted with pollen to bees, bat never found them 

 to fail in filtering the honey into their hives and leaving the 

 pollen as dust in the vessels in which it was presented to them. 

 Some three months ago I soaked a boiled potato and broke it up 

 in syrup in a saucer which was placed on a board not quite full 

 of combs. The bees took the syrup and well drained the potato, 

 which lay next morning in the saucer dry and tasteless. Some 

 time ago a gentleman in Altrincham told me he bought some 

 honey of a grocer or chemist of that town for his bees, and gave 



some of it to them in a trough. Kext morning he found the 

 bottom of the trough covered with flour. The grocer was told 

 that his honey was impure, but he did not think it was so, and 

 filled a clean trough himself and gave it to the bees. He returned 

 next morning to examine the trough, when he found it covered 

 with flour, in the face of these facts the question is asked, Can 

 bees eat pollen ? — A. Pettighew. 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



Fowls is Confined Space (Hamburgh).— In a space SO feet by 60 ion 

 may keep thirty stock fowls. They would not injure the trees planted in 

 their run. 



IIaektng Fowls (TV. B. P.).— Nothing is easier than to mark poultry by 

 putting a wire ring or sewing a piece of list round the leg. and this last is 

 capable of development by enabling those who wish to do it to mark the 

 different broods by using worsted or list of different colours. There is always 

 difficulty in telling the age of hens. A very good judge may feel tolerably 

 sure aad justified in giving an opinion, but if he were asked to name the 

 grounds on which his decision was based he would be unable to do so, and 

 wonld hide behind generalities. 



Ducks Breeding (Mrs. W.).— Ducks require water in the breeding season 

 They do perfectly well without it at any other time. The Aylesborys are 

 the oest Iajei-s, but they do not sit. The Eouens come next, and then the 

 Buenos Ayrean; these last lay and sit well ; they are also hardy. YourLi»h.t 

 Brahmas will not lay before September, and that will depend somewhat "on 

 the weather. 



HETEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 



Camden Square, London. 



Lat.Sl'32-40" N.; Long. 0= S' 0" W. ; Altitude, 111 feet. 



Date. 



9 A.1I. 



In the Day. 





1877. 



. a 



Hygrome- 



a . 



°a- 



Shade Tem- 



Radiation 



a 



§b«g 



ter. 



— a 



~_ o perature. 



Temperature. 



a 



Oct. 



~ '" ^ ■ 





OtQfH 







In 



On 









Dry. ' Wet. 



3 = 





Max. 



Min. 



sun. 



grass. 

 deg. 







Inches. 



deg. deg. 





deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



In. 





30.372 



40.9 , 37.8 



w. 





53 S 



32 



95.0 



29.3 





Th. )S 



30.370 



33.9 33.9 



N.W. 



45.2 



51.8 



31.3 



91.2 



26.6 







Fri. 19 



80.266 



39.1 I 3S.0 



N.W. 



45/1 



56.4 



30.9 



S3.1 



17.?. 





Sat. 20 



30.146 



47.2 44 5 



W. 



45 9 



61.2 



38.1 



92.3 



36 6 







29 988 



54 47.2 



s.w. 



47.5 



58.8 



46.1 



73.2 



42.6 



0.063 





29.830 



57.7 54.7 



s.w. 



49.0 



62.3 



52.4 



101.2 



47 3 



0. S2 



Tu. 23 



29.611 



45 4 45.3 



N. 



49.0 



56.7 

 57.3 



40.2 



62.6 



862 



35.1 



0.154 



Means 



;/>.' -; 



45.5 43.1 





47.0 



SS.7 



S55 



0.299 



EEAIAEES. 



17th. — Strong ■white frost in morning. beautif[iuly-fine and bright daring the 

 day, and at intervals cloudless ; rather cool. 



ISth. — Very foggy morning, fine day, fog^y again at night. 



19th. — Rather foggy, pleasant after 11 ait., and beautiful night. 



20th. — Very fine aad very pleasant day ; much warmer. 



21st. — Very dull all day; windy in afternoon and evening. 



22nd. — Windy with occasional showers ; fine night. 



23rd. — Doll and thick morning, rain at intervals till 6 p^i. ; fine and moon- 

 light after. 



Cooler than the previous week, but in no way remarkable. — G. J". Symons. 



COYENT GAEDEX MAEEET.— Octobeb 24. 



A eeiseer market the last few days, and clearances 

 more readily effected, though with no alteration in rates. 

 Pears still reach as from the Continent, consisting 

 d'Angoaleme and Bearie Diel. Cobs are easily cleared 

 tions, 



FEUIT. 



s. d. s. d. t 

 :' sieve 1 6to3 6 I Melons., 



in Apples have been 



Large quantities of 



mainly of Duchesse 



at last week's quota- 



Apples.... . 



Apricots dozen j Nectarines ... 





 

 



Chestnuts bushel 



Currants * sieve 



Black i sieve 



Fiss dozen 1 



Filberts lb. 4 



Cobs lb. 4 



Gooseberries .. A bushel j BaspberrieB .... 



Grapes.hothouse lb. 1 6 6 Walnuts. 



Lemons ^100 6 u lu 



Oranges . 

 Peaches . 

 Pears, kitchen., 



dessert 



Pine Apples ..., 



6 Plums . 



ditto. 



each 1 



dozen 4 



w-100 10 



dozen 3 



dozen 1 



dozen 2 



lb. 5 



$ sieve 10 



lb. 



bushel 5 



?10O 



d. s. 

 6to4 

 18 

 



Artichokes dozen S 



Beans, Kidney., bushel 2 



Beet. Ked dozen 1 



Broccoli bunale 



Brussels Sprouts i sieve 4 



Cabbage dozen 1 



Carrots bunch 



Capsicums ^ 100 



Cauliflowers. . .. dozen 



Celery bundle 



Coleworts doz. bunches 



Cucumbers .... each 



Endive dozen 1 



Fennel buDch 



Garlic lb. 



Herbs bunch 



Lettuce dozen 1 



Leeks bunch 



d. 



Ot 







6 



9 











4 



1 6 



2 

 1 6 







s 







s 



6 

 S 

 



4 



VEGETABLES. 

 S. d. 



Mushrooms .... 



Mustard & Cress 



Onions 



6 j pickling 



Parsley.... doz. 

 Parsnips 



Peas 



Potatoes 



Kidney 



Radishes., doz. 



Rhubarb 



Salsafy 



Scorzonera .... 



Seakale 



Shallots 



Spinach 



Turnips 



Veg. Marrows.. 



pottle 



punnet 



bushel 



quart 



bunches 



dozen 



quart 



bushel 



bushel 



bunches 



bundle 



bundle 



bundle 



basket 



lb. 



bufhel 



bunch 



each 



d. s. d 

 6 to 2 

 4 

 

 

 







1 

 5 U 

 7 

 1 

 1 

 1 

 

 

 

 4 



2 



