484 



JOUENAL OF EOBTICULTUBB AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ December 20, 1877. 



in them tees are five hundred per cent, easier handled, and 

 gather fonr hundred per cent, more honey than they do in other 

 hives. This adjustable hive is the only one that will winter 

 bees in any latitude without loss. Its price is only 75 cents. 

 "We have been selling townBbips at 25 dols., and counties at 

 from 100 to 200 dols." He means the right to sell his " Ad- 

 justable " hives in townBbips and counties. It is to be regretted 

 that such extravagant statements are ever made, and that any 

 bee-keepers are so gullable as to believe them. Even in this 

 England of. ours it was stated by a gentleman this year, that 

 owing to the materials and construction of a hive in his garden 

 it gathered three hundred per cent, more honey than a straw 

 hive standing beside it, and donhtleBS Bome believed him. 



W ih a view to enlighten pni ic opinion and advance apiarian 

 Beience I beg leave to so^gcM, ihat next year (1878) we may 

 have a test trial or friendly competition between Italian and 

 common bees and hives of different kinds. It appears to me 

 that an enterprise of this kind will be of great advantage to the 

 bee-keepers of this and other countries. All the reading public 

 of England would be put into the jury-box to Bee and hear for 

 themselves. The story of the trial would be told in every place, 

 and truth would prevail. If three or four or more gentlemen 

 on either side or different schools will undertake to provide four 

 or six hives for trial it would be easy to make arrangements for 

 a pub in competition. The conditions should be left to a com- 

 mittebr- and be discussed by the public. By reason of the weight 

 of years resting on me I am not so able and active as I once was, 

 but if no younger man comes to the front with common beeB 

 and straw hives for the proposed competition I will find some 

 in my own garden and willingly send them to the arena of con- 

 test; and I earnestly hope that some of our friends on the other 

 side will have the courage of their opinions and be ready to 

 appear with the Italian bees and hives after their models. In 

 such a trial honest men have nothing to lose but much to gain. 

 The best hives and best bees would be put into the top class 

 by general consent. In all honourable contests and discussions 

 those that lose the day are the greatest gainers, for they gain 

 truth by defeat, and truth is better than victory. 



As this is the last effort I shall make to bring about a public 

 competition of bees and hives I should like it to be successful. 

 I rather fear that some of our friendB may not like to venture 

 their bees in a public trial, and some others would not part 

 with theirs for a season. Hence I am going to take a liberty by 

 asking ten or twelve of our friends to promise £1 a-piece to 

 help to carry out our proposal of testing in a satisfactory manner 

 the powers of some kinds of hives and bees. I do not want to 

 touch a penny of money, but in the event of no one appearing 

 with Ligurians to prove their superiority, that three or four 

 hives of them be purchased for the proposed trial. If arrange- 

 ments be made for trial next year, and the season be favourable 

 for honey-gathering, the bees of eight or ten strong hives would 

 gather honey enough to pay all the expense and cost of purchase. 

 I commend the consideration of the proposal to the bee-keepers 

 of Great Britain, believing aB I do that a trial of the kind would 

 do more to advance apiculture than many bee and honey shows, 

 and at much leBS expense. 



If we can see onr way to secure the hives for the enterprise 

 satisfactory conditions would be arranged afterwards. I am 

 quite sure that we have in the bee-loving community means 

 and energy enough to carry out the suggestion to a successful 

 issue. It is a question for the multitude, and the greater interest 

 will be excited if many people take part in the undertaking. I 

 shall be glad if the readers of the Journal will give us their 

 opinions and aid. — A. Pettigbew. 



LAKGE v. SMALL HIVES. 



I have no sort of wish to do injustice to Mr. Pettigrew, nor 

 did I think I had done so. Perhaps if I had written " be has 

 frequently admitted that he has little or no personally practical 

 experience of the management of bar-framed hives," I should 

 have expressed myself more accurately. Such certainly was 

 what I meant to convey. 



Ab to my " reckless " statement, I shall not " squabble " with 

 Mr. Pettigrew about it. Nevertheless, it is a fact of my own 

 experience, and I must adhere to it. I have no doubt that 

 " wherever honey can be obtained large strong hives gather it 

 faster than strong small hives." All I say is, there must be 

 honey in sufficient quantity to fill these large strong hives, 

 otherwise the bees will waste both energy and honey in making 

 an unnecessary quantity of comb, which will not be the case 

 in smaller and compacter hives. Having tried both larger and 

 smaller hives in this poor honey-gathering district I again 

 repeat that " I have abundantly proved my statement to be 

 true."— B. &W. 



OUR LETTER. BOX. 



Doeeiso Cock Diabehceaed (<7. S. T.).— The cock is suffering either from 

 unwholesome food or from imperfect digestion. In either case it is necessary 



that purgatives should be administered in order to get rid of that which 

 offends. ActiDg on that which yon assure us to be the case, that the bird, 

 except as regards hiscomb, is in perfect health, we should at once administer 

 a good tablespoorful of castor oil, and after that had operated we would give 

 gome stale crusts soaked in strong ale and a conple of pills of camphor the 

 size of a small pea. The colour of the comb should then begin to return. If 

 it does not afler two or three days repeat the dose. 



Kice Meal fob Fowls [M. B.). — We are very sorry our experience does 

 not tally with that of your friend. "We hold rice to be useless food in every 

 shape and form. We have tried it not only with poultry but with game and 

 pigs. 'J he fat put on disappeared at the fire, and the lean of the flesh might 

 have claimed relationship with indiarubber. It is needless to Bay tbat in 

 such condition thtre cannot be good plumage. We have always found rice to 

 be bo poor in itself that it is favourable to the production of parasites. It 

 has always done so in our trials. Feed on barleymeal or ground cats slaked 

 with water morniDg and evening, midday give barley or mai2e or kitchen 

 scraps. If your stock is as good as that of your friend, if the eggs are set at 

 the same time and the chickens equally cared for, we do not hesitate to say 

 you will beat the lice. 



Pbices of Babbits {B. M. F.).— Two such Babbits as you describe can be- 

 put on board a New York steamer in a proper hutch for £5 10s. This suxri 

 would not include food. 



Bees rN Towns {Lex). — By intelligent management and judiciously feeding 

 the bees a fair amount of success is attainable. W T e shall shortly publish an 

 instance of successful bee-keeping in London. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSEBVATIOXS. 



Caiiuen Sqoabe, Londox. 



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



Date. 







9 A.M. 









In the Dav. 









ilia 





a . 



«J 



Shade Tem- 



Radiation 



a 



1877. 





ter. 



:3 a 





perature. 



Temperature. 



PS 



Dec. 









In 



On 







a.25" 



Dry. Wet. 



So 



EH 



Mas. 



Min. 



sun. 



grass* 













deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



deg. 



In. 



We. 12 



•29.717 



51.0 i 49.0 



w. 



41.1 



51.6 



S4.1 



62.0 



33 3 



0.070 



Th. 13 



29 98 



36.0 '■ 35.6 



W. 



41.2 



42 9 



35 4 



61.2 



30 5 



— 



Fri. 11 





34.8 | S4.'J 



w. 



40.2 



41.7 



30.9 



61.3 



26.2 



— 



Sat. 15 



30 520 



32.6 ! 32.3 



w. 



S9.0 



43 8 



28.7 



45.2 



23 2 



o-oia 



sun. 16 



30.311 



43 9 i 42 2 



N.W. 



89.3 



492 



32 6 



5S.:', 



31.8 



— 



Mo. 17 



30.412 



43.9 



42.7 



w. 



41.1 



4S.5 



43.4 



50.1 



38.7 



— 



Xu. IS 



30.524 



39 6 



SS.6 



N. 



41.7 



46.7 

 46 3 



38.6 



631 



33.3 



— 



Aleans 



30.232 



403 



39.2 





40 5 



318 



57.7 



31.0 



O.OSO' 



REMARKS. 

 12th.— Boisterous and wet in the early morning, but fine by 9 A.M., and sunny 



after 10 a.m. 

 13th.— Bright sunny day but cold ; line night. 



14th.— Pioe morning, with thick v>hite frost ; fine and bright all day. 

 15th.— Morning misty end cold, sky overcast most of the day; but a Innar 



halo visible at 6 p n. 

 16th.— Generally overcast, but a pleasant day; rather windy in afternoon? 



raotnlight evening. 

 17th. — Mistv morning but fine ; rather dull all day ; finer at night. 

 18th.— Very" floe aDd bright throughout, with very high barometer. 



A dry fine week, with high barometer. Westerly wind and very little rain. 

 — G. J. Syhons. 



COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— December 19. 



This being Christmas time a little more activity is displayed in onr Market 



bat as a rule prices are not what might ba expected. Pears are making highi 



prices, but there is no improvement in the value of Apples. Kent Cobs ar& 



higher. 



FRUIT, 

 d. 



s. d. s 



Apples A sieve 2 6 to 5 



Apricots dozen 



Chestnuts bushel 10 



Currants* i tieve 



Black i sieve 



Figs dozen 6 



Filberts lb. 6 



Cobs lb. 6 



Gooseberries .. i bushel 

 Grapes. hothou=e lb. 1 

 Lemons ^iOO 



U U 



;0 o 



u o 



o 



o 





 



Melons 



Nectarines 

 Oranges . 



s. d. s. d 

 each OtoO 

 dozen 0- 

 t- luu 3 10 



Peaches dozen 



Pears, kitchen., dozen 1 



dessert dozen 2 



Pine Apples .... 



Plums . 



Raspberries .... 

 6 8 " 

 U 10 



sieve 

 lb. 



"Walnuts bushel 5 



ditto ^100 







3 



9 



5 



C 







S 



VEGETABLES. 



Artichokes dozen 2 



Beans.Kidneyforced^ieo 1 



Beet. Ked dozen 1 6 



Broccoli bundle 9 



Brussels Sprouts J sieve 2 6 



Cabbage dozen 1 



Carrots bunch 4 



Capsicums ¥* loO 1 6 



Cauliflowers dozen 2 



Celery bundle 1 6 



Coleworts doz. bonebes 2 4 



Cucumbers each 10 1 



Endive dozen 10 2 



Fennel bur ch 3 



Garlic lb. 6 



Herbs bunch 2 



Lettuce dozen 10 2 



Leeks bunch 2 



to 4 

 1 

 3 

 1 

 

 2 

 

 2 

 4 



Mushrooms .. .. 

 Mustard & Cress 

 Onions 



pickling 



Parsley doz. 



Parsnips 



Keas 



Potatoes 



Kidney 



Radishes., doz. 



i hubarb 



Salsafy 



bcorzonera .... 



Sc-akale 



Shallots 



Spinach 



Turnips 



Yes. Marrows.. 



pottle 



punnet 



bushel 



quart 



bunches 



dozen 



qnart 



busbel 



bushel 



bunches 



bundle 



bundle 



bundle 



basket 



lb. 



bushel 



bunch 



each 



6 

 4 















6 











6 



9 











3 



2 6 



3 







