284 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 4, 1864. 



much as I found her rigorously imprisoned more than once ; 

 but ultimately all turned out right, and, as before stated, 

 she commenced laying worker eggs when thirty days old. 



Plates for impressing artificial combs are made of type 

 metal.— A Devonshire Bee-keepee. 



BEES AT THE EXHIBITION op the WHITWORTH 

 AND BOCHDALE AGBICULTTJKAL SOCIETY. 



We learn from the Rochdale Observer that '.' In centuries 

 long past the good people of Rochdale every year, in the 

 month of August, made an excursion into the marshes lying 

 round the town to gather rushes to strew the stone or mud 

 floors of their churches and chapels through the chill winter 

 months. "When the use of rushes for carpets had been 

 superseded by less barbarous expedients the people pre- 

 served the memory of the custom by the pantomime of 

 dragging a monster rushcart through the town for the edifi- 

 cation of their friends and visitors. But in process of time 

 this pantomime fell into evil hands and disrepute, becoming 

 merely the excuse for a gross public scandal; and at last 

 this scandal was suppressed by the public voice, the name 

 only remaining to keep alive the recollection of a fine old 

 religious custom. 



" The great feature of the rush-bearing week, for several 

 years past, has been the exhibition of the Whitworth and 

 Rochdale Agricultural Society ; and this year that Society 

 has had probably the most successful, and certainly the 

 most satisfactory, of its meetings. 



"With regard to the extra stock, the palm must be 

 awarded in this class to Mr. John Wrigley's collection of 

 bees. These bee-hives were a great point of attraction, and 

 throughout the day by far the most interesting collection 

 on the field to many visitors. Mr. Wrigley was literally 

 besieged. The collection consisted of an observatory-hive, 

 a bell-hive, a unieomb-hive, a cottage-hive, with a super 

 containing 25 lbs. ot honey, and a comb of last year's honey, 

 containing 20 lbs. of the precious store. To those who have 

 followed the recent newspaper controversy as to the habits 

 of the bee it must have been especially interesting to watch 

 the movements of the bees. Por several hours a violent 

 fratricidal war was carried on, and to the drones Wednesday 

 was a day of merciless slaughter. Penned up in their hives 

 as they believed for the winter, the little bees occupied 

 ■ themselves most gallantly in driving out their big brothers 

 and uncles, twisting their wings, hunting them to the 

 bottom of the hive, and there summarily dispatching them 

 by a process of lynch law. The motive apparently prompt- 

 ing this measure was the instinct of self-preservation to 

 protect themselves against starvation by the exhaustion of 

 their honey before the return of spring with its flowers. No 

 idle bee is ever tolerated within the hive. As soon as the 

 slightest sickness or defect is discovered in a bee it is 

 instantly hustled out of the hive, and left to die or recover, 

 just as the case may be. The movements of the queen bee 

 excited the liveliest interest and attention. She is the very 

 arch-type of a constitutional sovereign— reigning without 

 governing. Her subjects possess all the rights of a free 

 people. They believe in the sacred right of rebellion ; and 

 when any especially gross act of regal tyranny has been 

 perpetrated, when the sovereign prerogatives have been 

 stretched beyond the constitutional point, not even the 

 great English people can be readier than these little repub- 

 licans to vindicate themselves against the royal authority. 

 Not only are cases of deposition frequent, but occasionally 

 the queen is put to the cruellest torture and death. Still, 

 when ail goes well, the bees are the most loyal and dutiful 

 of subjects. They respect and reverence their queen to a 

 degree which seems greatly out of character with their really 

 high spirit of independence and self-assertion. We are 

 assured by Mr. Wrigley that it is a gross libel on the bee 

 to say, as the Times " Bee-master " says, that she is fond of a 

 little beer. Bees may be tempted to indulge in fermented 

 liquors, but — listen to this ye teetotallers ! — both from prin- 

 ciple and taste, they infinitely prefer a glass of clear cold 

 water with a cinder and a few lumps of sugar." 



syringe full of water, and give them a gentle shower with 

 a very fine rose, not vindictively to half drown them, but to 

 give them a hint that they had better look out for shelter. 

 I tried it first some years ago, and it has always been suc- 

 cessful.— E. M. W. 



ANALYSIS OF THE EXCBETA OE BEES. 



Various opinions are held respecting the composition of 

 the excrement of bees. While most persons regard the 

 contents of the rectum as composed of the "indigestible 

 remains of pollen, Dr. Alefield recently declared them to be 

 uric acid. An analysis of the excreta has shown the follow- 

 ing ingredients : — 



1. Remains of pollen. — I boiled the excrement in caustic 

 potash lye, slightly diluted. After filtering, I washed the 

 residuum in hot dilute muriatic acid. What was left after 

 again filtering, could, from its insolubility, be only the re- 

 mains of pollen. It appears under the microscope like an 

 indistinctly granular mass. 



2 Uric acid. — I immersed the excrement in concentrated 

 sulphuric acid, in which uric acid remains undeeomposed. 

 After carefully decanting the liquid from the resulting car- 

 bonaceous mass, I added water; and then washed the preci- 

 pitated matter in water. I now added one drop of liquor 

 ammoniw and one drop of muriatic acid. On heating, the 

 mass assumed a purplish hue — the characteristic action of 

 uric acid. 



3. Hippuric acid. — I boiled some excrement in caustic 

 potash lye. After filtering, I added dilute muriatic acid, 

 and obtained a precipitate which proved to be composed of 

 uric and hippuric acid. 



According to an approximate estimate, the excreta of bees 

 consists of about one-third uric and hippuric acid, and the 

 rest of indigestible portions of pollen. — (Canada Farmer.) 



Volatile Soap for Removing Paint, Geease, Spots, 

 Arc. — Pour tablespoonfuls of spirits of hartshorn, four table- 

 spoonsfuls of alcohol, and a tablespoonful of salt. Shake 

 the whole well together in a bottle, and apply with a sponge 

 or brush. — (Scientific American.) 



OUR LETTER BOX. 



DISTINGUISHING GANDER3 FROM GeEBE (B. S. W.).—lt 18 Very difficult 



to speiik p isiUyel-y as to the sex of Geese, and therefore all flnrts of expe- 

 dients are reared lo— some trust to one, some to another. The gander is 

 supposed to rave a shxrter and thicker neck. He is said to have the bag 

 between the lees 6ingle, while the goose has it double. In adult bhds the 

 sex may be discovered by examination. Many people try them with a dog. 

 If the birds are shut up in a small place like a pigstye, and a dog put in, 

 the ganders will all lower their heads and hiss at it. 



Brahma Pootra Characteristics ^A. G.)— There are light and dark 

 Brahmas. You shruld choose one or the other. In the dark variety the 

 cock should have a black breast, thickly spotted with whit ; dark tail, light 

 hackle and saddle, bhick, or nearly black, thighs. The pu lets are pencilled 

 all over, except the hackle, which is black and white striped. Vulture hocks 

 yre not desirable, I Brahma Pootra),— The vulture hocks are great defects, 

 but not disqualifications. The crooked breasto are not im portrait. 



Podi-tkt Exhibitions (An Exhibitor of Poultry).— We insert in our list 

 gratuitously every forthcoming poultry show that the secretary announces 

 to us ; and we ask all such secretaries to send the announcements. 



Golden Pheasants (TT. E. B.).— Golden Phensints are n< \ productive 

 till they are two years old. It is after the same time the crck* get their 

 plumage. Barley is the best food, but they are fond of and n quire green 

 mod. They must have clean water. They are very hardy, and require 

 little or no shelter. They may be allowed to run about in all weathers^ If 

 the house is not already covered, we advise you not to cover it. Toe birds 

 do not ic quire it, and any little gain by keeping out rain is mure than 

 counterbalanced by the loss of sun. , 



Causing a Swarm to Setti^e. — To prevent a swarm 

 fling away, or to make one settle, take your longest garden 



LONDON MAEKETS.— October 3. 

 POULTET. 



The principal feature in our market this week is the Goose trade for 

 Michaelmas. It has been diminishing for years, but the trade has never 

 been so bad as this time. It was difficult to find buyers at low prices. 

 M ichaelmas remains as quarter day, but it Is forgotten so far as Goose-eating 

 is concerned. 



s. d. s. d. 



Grouse 2 6 to 3 



Partridges 1 6 „ 1 9 



Pieeons 8 „ 9 



R*bbits 1 4 „ 1 5 



Wild do 8 „ 9 





s. 



2 



2 



1 



a. b. 



6 to 3 

 „ 2 

 6 ., 1 

 „ 7 

 3 „ 2 



d. 

 

 3 

 9 





5 



n 





2 



6 



