HIVES. 47 



' Old stock, or mother, was 92 lb. weight. 

 First swarm from it, 160 „ „ 



Second swarm, 76 „ „ 



Altogether, 328 lb. weight." 



In the year 1865, the first swarms at Carluke weighed 

 about 90 lb. each while on the clover ; but after being 

 taken to the moors many of them lost weight, owing to 

 the weather being unfavourable for gathering honey. 



The heaviest swarm of 1866 at Carluke was 148 lb. 



The account of the success of 1868 came to us in a 

 letter from our friend Mr Eeid, part of which we shall 

 here quote : — 



" Cablukb, 25iA Sept. 1865. 



" My deab Feiend, — We brought our bees home from 

 the moors the week before last ; the weather being fine, 

 we thought they would be gaining weight, but were 

 wrong. Henshilwood got his home about ten days before 

 us. During that time ours lost each 8 lb. and 10 lb. in 

 weight. Our heaviest swarm was 112 lb.— another about 

 6 lb. lighter. Our best second swarm was 75 lb. 



" Robert Scouler had three first swarms, which were 

 about 120 lb. each. His best was 130 lb. 



" John Jack had two stocks in spring, which did better 

 than most. One first swarm weighed 161 lb., another 

 104 lb., and a second swarm 68 lb. I have not heard of 

 the weights of the old ones, but he took 230 lb. of honey 

 from the produce of his two stocks. 



" Samuel Dempster had two also in spring. His first 

 swarms weighed respectively 110 lb. and 148 lb. Hen- 

 shilwood had one 168 lb., and my brother one 130 lb. 



" P.S. — Scouler had two seconds, one of which weighed 

 80 lb. and the other 90 lb.— Yours truly, 



" Egbert Rbid." 



