THE AUSTRALIAN BEEKEEPERS’ JOURNAL. 
125 
But what wc are after is something that 
may ho done by almost any one with the 
requisite qualifications to be a good beekeeper. 
I think I have heard poultry-keeping spoken 
of in connection with beekeeping. That, 
a»ain, comes too much like berry raising. 
When work begins to press with the bees, old 
Biddy will be wanting to sit, and perhaps two 
or three hens will be sitting on one nest, per- 
sistently changing from where you want 
them, till you feel like shutting your teeth 
together hard, and saying, “ What does make 
you act so, when I haven’t time to fuss with 
yon? I should just like to ring your necks 
for you.” Yet after all this is said, there 
remains the fact that, in at least two 
instances, periodicals have been published 
having for their specialties beekeeping and 
poultry raising. Why this, unless the two 
pursuits were supposed to have some special 
adaptation to each other ? 
To tell the truth, if a young man to day 
were to write me, “ I have at least ordinary 
ability as a beekeeper, and have decided that 
I must have some other pursuit to connect 
with beekeeping, what shall it be ? ” with my 
present knowledge I should reply, “ Keep 
poultry.” But I would not h ave any hens 
sitting in swarming time, nor, indeed with 
flocks of little chicks wandering about, trying 
to lose themselves in the wet grass. I have 
studied some little about it, and taken some 
observations ; and I think the whole business 
of poultry raising might he done almost 
entirely w hen bees require little attention. 
Mind you, I do not say it is best to combine 
at all ; but if combining is done, the merits 
of poultry keeping deserve consideration. 
sucked all the syrup from the skins, leaving 
the berries smooth. They sucked all the 
exuding juice of the grapes, but made no 
attempt to penetrate the skins. He found 
that not only were the bees unable to 
penetrate the epidermis of the grape, hut 
they appeared to be incapable, even when 
impelled by the direst necessity, to penetrate 
the film surrounding the berry after the skin 
1 had been removed. Clusters of sound grapes, 
which I hung between the comb frames in 
hives occupied by strong colonies were 
unbroken and sound after fifteen days’ 
exposure in the hives. The skins were 
polished smooth, but none were brokeen 
Where bee3 are found on the ripe grapes, they 
are not “ tearing the grape” as some vignerons 
suppose, but are simply gleaning the juice 
which is exuding through violence, over- 
ripeness, or decay. The result of the investi- 
gations, then, may be said to be a complete 
vindication of bees from the charge brought 
against them of being destructive to ripe 
fruit. On the other hand, there can be no 
doubt of their value to orchardists as a means 
of fertilising fruit blossoms, and it was on 
this ground that some time ago a protest was 
entered against the introduction into this 
colony of the moth-eating plant (physianthus 
albens). The fear was expressed that the 
plant would capture bees as well as moths, 
but so far there does not seem to be any suffi- 
cient ground for this apprehension. — Victorian 
Farmers' Gazette. 
QUIETING BEES WITH A CARBOLISED 
SHEET. 
DO BEES INJURE FRUIT? 
This question was the subject of a series of 
experiments recently made by Professor N. M. 
M'Lain, of Canada, and the result must bo 
interesting to both fruit-growers and hee- 
keepers. The experiments were made for the 
purpose of testing the capacity of bees, under 
exceptional circumstances, to injure fruit. 
The Professor confined two colonies of Italian 
*“<■8, two of Hybrids, one of Circassians, and 
two of Syrians, in a house specially con- 
structed for the purpose, aud by the tempera- 
ture maintained and other expedients, all the 
conditions were obtained of an unusually 
severe and protracted drought. The bees 
were repeatedly reduced to the stages of 
hunger, thirst and starvation for a period of 
W days, but every opportunity was afforded 
the bees to appease their hunger and tbirst 
attacking the fruit placed before them, 
oome of the bunches of grapes were dipped in 
•jrup. and hung in the hives between the 
comb, some placed before the hives on plates, 
und grapes were suspended in clusters from 
■he posts and rafters. The bees lapped and 
Mast British beekeepers adopt the plan of 
quieting or frightening bees with Carbolic 
Acid instead of smoke, and apj e ir to work 
successfully and comfortably with it. The 
Rev. G. Raynor thus describes the plan in the 
British Bee Journal. The Solution used is 
made aa follows : — 
Calverts No. 5 Carbolic Acid ... 1J oz. 
Glycerine ... ... ... 1 } 0 z. 
Warm Water ... ... l qt. 
The Acid and Glycerine to be well mixed 
before adding the water, and the bottle to be 
well shaken before using. A piece of calico, or 
preferably cheese-cloth, sufficiently large to 
cover the top of the hive, should lie steeped in 
this solution, wrung out dry, and spread over 
the hive on removal of the quilt, when every 
bee will quickly disappear below, and 
manipulation may be slowly and quietly per- 
formed without annoyance from the bees, 
the same plan is effectual in driving the beea 
out of section-cases. From unsealed sections 
they often refuse to budge, but a little blow ing 
through the strainer will always dislodge 
them. All our sections are thus removed, and 
we have never experienced the slightest scent 
or flavor of the carbolic acid attaching to the 
