January 20,1881 . ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER , 
55 
Several cottagers have already become experts, and some of them 
have done good service for the Association. Mr. F. Cheshire of 
Acton, one of the principal bee-masters in England, gave a most 
interesting and instructive lecture at Dorchester last spring ; and 
Mr. J. Brown of Maiden Newton lectured for us at Cerne in Novem¬ 
ber, when our Secretary and other friends lent valuable assistance. 
Encouraged by past success, and relying upon the generous support 
of the principal residents of the county, the Committee have made 
arrangements for putting forth greater efforts in 1881. Mr. Cheshire 
has been again engaged to give lectures in several towns, and 
members of the Association have promised to hold meetings in 
some of the villages during the winter and spring months. The 
Committee trust that the members will do their best to increase 
the number of subscribers by explaining to their friends and neigh¬ 
bours the objects of the Association, which are, first, to introduce 
a more rational and humane mode of bee-culture amongst all classes 
of the community who are in a position to keep bees ; second, to 
show them how to obtain the largest quantity of honey, time, and 
labour; third, to induce the cottagers of the district who have not 
already embarked in bee-keeping to place stocks in their gardens, so 
that the myriad flowers which now ‘ waste their sweetness ’ may be 
rifled for the benefit of man.” 
A satisfactory financial statement was also presented. The 
report was adopted, and several of the above-named gentlemen 
addressed the meeting .—(Blandford Sf Wimborne Telegram.) 
LIGURIAN BEES IN NEW ZEALAND. 
I HAVE just received a batch of papers from New Zealand, from 
an account contained in one of which I learn that the Ligurian 
bee has only just been introduced into that colony. I enclose a 
paragraph which is cut from the Otago Daily Times of September 
18th, and which it would seem appeared originally in the New 
Zealand Herald. Our colonial friends seem to me to put forward 
some novel claims to superiority on behalf of the Ligurian—viz., 
that they produce fewer drones, and that the queen lays eggs all 
the year round. The New Zealander is here as usual rather over¬ 
sanguine, but may it not be possible that in the fine climate of 
Auckland the queen might sometimes lay at all seasons ? What 
will our friends here say to the wetted sponge which appears to 
have secured that cool and moist atmosphere necessary for bees ? 
If breeding was going on in the hives water was no doubt neces¬ 
sary. Did it serve any other useful purpose ? Perhaps Mr. 
Cheshire will kindly explain.—M. H. MATTHEWS. 
“Among the many varieties of the honey bee few are held in 
greater esteem than the Italian variety, or, as it is generally called, 
the Ligurian bee. They are industrious workers, and delight in 
honey-gathering. In their hives there are fewer drones than in the 
hives of the common honey bee, and the queen produces eggs all the 
year round, though the number is considerably fewer in the winter 
season than during the'warm days of summer. After many failures 
their successful introduction into America was accomplished several 
years ago, and since then hives of these workers have been largely 
multiplied. About the time of the American Centennial Exhibition 
several attempts were made by Mr. Thomas Russell to introduce them 
to the province of Auckland, through agents he employed in San 
Francisco. The first efforts were made by sending queen bees, but 
the inmates of the several parcels of those that were forwarded all 
perished before reaching this city. As a last effort a hive was sent 
forward, but it was evident that there was something still to learn to 
secure the safe transportation of these bees long distances, for they 
were nearly all dead before reaching Auckland, and the few sickly 
ones that reached here died a few days after being landed. The 
expense of these efforts was borne solely by Mr. Russell, an example 
very different from the suggestion recently made to the Commission 
on the Colonial Industries. Nor were Mr. Russell’s failures to intro¬ 
duce these bees singular, for Mr. A. Mackay of Brisbane, who made 
efforts to the same end, at the same time was equally unsuccessful to 
enrich his adopted land. But while the suggestion was made to the 
Colonial Industries Commission to spend £500 of public money to 
send a person home to make an attempt to do that in which so many 
failures had already been recorded, private and patriotic enterprise 
was successfully accomplishing that for which State aid was being 
solicited. Mr. S. C. Farr, Secretary of the Canterbury Acclimatisation 
Society, had already communicated with R. J. Creighton, formerly of 
Auckland, and now in San Francisco, on the subject, and Mr. J. H. 
Harrison of Coromandel had also communicated with his brother, 
Mr. W. G. Harrison, San Francisco, formerly of Auckland, for the 
same object. As Mr. Creighton is regarded as the official representa¬ 
tive of New Zealand in the City of the Golden Gate, both applications 
came to be referred to him. He made his arrangements accordingly, 
and the success which has attended them deserves public recognition 
on behalf of the colony. Mr. Creighton regarded these efforts at 
acclimatisation as public enterprises, and not efforts for private gain, 
and acted accordingly. Hives were made upon a new construction, 
and a place provided, in which was kept a wetted sponge, which 
appears to have secured that cool and moist atmosphere necessary for 
bees, so that when they arrived on Thursday, per Australia, they were 
as lively as possible, and seemed to be in vast numbers. The two 
boxes were sent through the Acclimatisation Society here, and 
entrusted to the care of Captain Cargill at San Francisco, who took 
them into his own cabin, and daily attended to the wants of his 
lively colonists. Fresh water was daily supplied to the sponges, and 
everything done that was requisite for the health and comfort of the 
bees. The result is an unmistakeable success, and the colonists of 
New Zealand are deeply indebted to Captain Cargill and Mr. Creighton 
for what has been accomplished. Mr. Creighton, in his letter to Mr. 
Cheesman, the Secretary of the Acclimatisation Society, states that 
Mr. Harrison is not to regard his hive as an object for private profit, 
but the bees are for the good of the colony, and when swarms are 
obtained they are to be distributed in the same way that he has been 
provided with them. On being consigned to the care of the Acclima¬ 
tisation Society, Captain Cargill made no charge for the conveyance 
of the boxes, but it will be for the Society or colonists to make some 
acknowledgment of some New Zealand product for his care and 
attention to them during the voyage. On the arrival of the steamer 
Mr. Cheesman lost no time in having the boxes carried to the Museum, 
and then arranging for their future disposal. The one consigned to 
Mr. Farra was conveyed free by the s.s. Arawata to Lyttleton, which 
sailed yesterday ; and the hive for Mr. Harrison was despatched per 
steamer to Coromandel, Mr. Harrison being apprised by telegraph of 
what was being forwarded. They land here at an excellent period of 
the year, and in a few weeks food for them will be in great plenty. 
It is to be hoped that they will receive judicious treatment now that 
they are safe here, and that soon the yellow-banded bee will be as 
common here as is now the common honey bee.” 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Sutton & Sons, Reading. —List of Novelties. 
William Raul & Son, Waltham Cross.— Catalogue of Vegetable , 
Flower , and Farm Seeds. 
Charles Turner, Slough.— Catalogue of Flower and Vegetable Seeds. 
Webb & Sons, Wordsley, Stourbridge.— Spring Catalogue, 1881. 
{Highly Illustrated). 
Dick Radclyffe & Co., 129, High Holborn. —Catalogue of Vegetable 
and Flower Seeds. 
Hooper & Co., Covent Garden. —Spring Catalogue. 
W. Bull, King’s Road, Chelsea. —Catalogue of Flower and Vegetable 
Seeds. 
James Tates, Stockport. —Trade Catalogue of Vegetable and Flower 
Seeds. 
Daniels Bros., Norwich. —Illustrated Guide for Amateur Gardeners. 
H. F. Sharpe, Wisbech. —Catalogue of Vegetable Seeds. 
Dickson, Brown, & Tait, Manchester.— Catalogue of Vegetable and 
Flower Seeds ( Illustrated ). 
Francis and Arthur Dickson & Sons, 10G, Eastgate Street, Chester. 
—Catalogue of Vegetable and Flower Seeds. 
Freeman & Freeman, Norwich.— Economic Gardening Guide and 
Catalogue , 1881. (Highly Illustrated). 
W. Hean, Quick, & Co., Barnstaple.— List of Farm, Garden, and 
Flower Seeds. 
J. M. Coventry, 111, Gray’s Inn Road, London. —General Seed 
Catalogue. 
The Lawson Seed and Nursery Company (Limited), Edinburgh and 
London. —Catalogue of Vegetable and Flower Seeds, and List of Gladioli. 
John Laing & Co., Forest Hill, London. —Catalogue of Garden, 
Flower, and Farm Seeds. 
Dickson & Robinson, 12, Old Millgate, Manchester.— Catalogue 
of Vegetable and Flower Seeds. 
Charles Sharpe & Co., Sleaford, Lincolnshire. —Catalogue of Flowei, 
Vegetable, and Farm Seeds (Illustrated). 
J. Cheal & Sons, Crawley, Sussex.— Catalogue of Flower and Vege¬ 
table Seeds ( Illustrated). 
George Cooling & Son, Bath. —Catalogue of Flower and Vegetable 
Seeds. 
Stephen Brown, Weston-super-Mare, Somersetshire. —Catalogue of 
Vegetable and Flower Seeds. 
Kent & Brydon, Darlington.— Seed Guide (Illustrated). 
Stuart, Mein, & Allan, "Kelso, N.B .—Catalogue of Flower and Vege¬ 
table Seeds. 
Bruant, Poitiers (Yienne) France. —List of New Plants. 
Smith & Simons, St. Enoch Square, Glasgow.— Garden Cultural 
Guide and Catalogue. 
J. C. Wheeler & Son, Gloucester.— Little Boole, or Sheet Seed List 
{Highly Illustrated.) 
J. & B. Marsh, Kingston and Wimbledon.— Catalogue of Vegetable 
and Flower Seeds. 
George Bunyard & Co., Maidstone. —Catalogue of 1 egetable and 
Flower Seeds. 
Walter Ford, Pamber, Basingstoke. —Select List of Seeds. 
F. C. Heinemann, Erfurt.— General Catalogue, and List of Vegetable 
and Flower Seeds. 
W. Wells, Earlswood, Redhill.— Seed List for 1881. 
Louis Van Houtte, Ghent, Belgium. —Catalogue of Gesneraceous 
Plants. 
Hogg & Robertson, 22, Mary Street, Dublin.— Catalogue of Floicer 
and Vegetable Seeds. 
Thomas Bunyard, Ashford, Kent.— Catalogue of Flower and Vege¬ 
table Seeds. 
