62 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 15, 1880. 
working before the issue of the swarm. All this took about an 
hour. Since then work has been going on as if nothing had hap¬ 
pened ; the supers are fuller than ever, and I trust there will be 
no more swarming. 
This evening curiosity has moved me to examine the box oc¬ 
cupied by the swarm for about twenty-two hours. I have also 
counted the new cells which during that time the bees have 
added to the pieces of comb foundation ; they amount to over 
2G50. Besides this all the 16,000 foundation cells have been 
elongated, and a quantity of honey placed in them ; also the 
queen had laid a lot of eggs. They would probably have worked 
much more in the new box had it not been for my having placed 
the Woodbury over them, into which I found this morning that 
the majority of the bees had ascended, as I expected they would. 
This gives some idea of the rapidity with which bees can work, 
but I confess I was surprised to find it was so much greater than 
I had imagined.—B. & W. 
As I may fairly claim to have my say in the discussion on 
the merits of comb foundation now going on in our Journal, I 
make no excuse for departing from my usual rule of avoiding 
controversy in these columns. Like Mr. Cheshire I have been 
experimenting in various ways with sheets strengthened, by 
the introduction during the process of manufacture of various 
strengthening materials. I have embedded in the heart of the 
sheets threads of silk and raffia, and strips of parchment and 
tinfoil, and generally with satisfactory results. My aim has been 
to devise something that might enable us to fill the frame entirely, 
at least from side to side, and render impossible the risk of break¬ 
ing down when new swarms are introduced among full sheets. 
But although I have had excellent results so far, I cannot claim 
any special advantage in sheets so strengthened, seeing that plain 
ordinary sheets have uniformly done just as well. The general 
result of my experiments is a conviction that for ordinary pur¬ 
poses strong well-made foundation without any strengthening 
material is as good as any. I am confirmed in this by the uniform 
testimony of my numerous correspondents. Only the other day I 
received a letter from an Irish Church clergyman who uses the large 
Langstroth frame, and whose experience may therefore be re¬ 
garded as affording a severe test of the value of foundation. He 
says, “ It is satisfactory to be able to say, that having used about 
two hundred sheets of your foundation, I have not had more than 
one (and that through my own fault) either broken down, torn, 
or distorted; and I look with contempt upon wired and wooden 
foundation.” 
Mr. Cheshire does not give the results of his experiments with 
plain unstrengthened sheets, but I feel confident that had he done 
so it would have confirmed my opinion that the supposed advan¬ 
tages of rakes, threads, See., are quite immaterial compared with 
the expense and trouble of fussing with them. I think, therefore, 
that bee-keepers may still possess their souls in patience and 
content themselves with what in experienced hands has hitherto 
yielded such satisfactory results. 
I feel truly grieved to have to advert, as I feel bound to do, to 
the remarkable notes on page 506 in the issue of June 24th from 
my friend Mr. A. Pettigrew. More than a year ago the world of 
bee-keepers learned with satisfaction that Mr. Pettigrew had so 
far yielded to modern ideas as to obtain 10 lbs. of comb founda¬ 
tion for experiment. Though somewhat late in the day the results 
have by many been eagerly looked for. Being informed how he 
proposed to fix his sheets in supers—viz., by wedging them be¬ 
tween sloping sides—I wrote him privately, warning him that 
only failure could result, and enclosing printed directions for the 
proper fixing of the sheets. But, not content to tread in the foot¬ 
steps of other experienced men, Mr. Pettigrew set3 to work in a 
fashion that is marvellous indeed. He attempts to stand a rope 
on end, and invites the small boys to have a climb ; down comes 
the fabric, boys and all, and at once the verdict goes forth, 
“ Ropes are of no earthly use unless they can be made to stand on 
end.” He builds a structure on a base one-sixteenth of an inch 
broad, and because it topples over under superincumbent pressure 
he is surprised. Now, this is really trifling both with science 
and Nature. Ropes and chains are made to be suspended, and 
in that position may bear their tons. In a state of nature bees 
never build their delicate combs from the floor upwards, but from 
the ceiling downwards. Still, if Mr. Pettigrew will insist on 
reversing Nature it is satisfactory to know that wondrous art has 
just in time come to his assistance in the form of wooden founda¬ 
tion. Mr. Abbott will doubtless be delighted to supply Mr. Petti¬ 
grew with samples for experiment, and the world will anxiously 
await the result. 
I do not know that I would have thus noticed your correspon¬ 
dent’s wonderful experiments were it not for his challenge that 
“others” should answer why his foundations thus toppled over, 
and his inuendo following, “if they are made of pure wax.” It 
is well known that the foundations in question were obtained 
from me. They were of the thinnest and whitest material, such 
being requested. That they failed under a test they never were 
made to stand, will not suggest to any experienced bee-keeper 
the least idea of adulteration ; yet this is hinted at. Now, so con¬ 
fident am I of their purity that I declare myself ready to pay the 
expense of analysis by a public analyst should the decision be an 
adverse one, and I hope Mr. Pettigrew may thus set his mind at 
rest on the matter. The immense importance of comb foundation 
to bee-keepers makes it desirable to obtain all the light we can 
upon the best form to use and the way to use it. Let others report 
results whether adverse or favourable. Especially should those 
who have had years of experience come to the front now. Let 
them, however, learn before committing themselves to print, that 
it is just possible that any such failures as those referred to may 
be the result of their own mismanagement.— William Raitt, 
Blairgowrie. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Swans ( Cucl-Jield ).—Wo do not think that they feed on fish. They are 
known as feeders on aquatic plants and insects. The fish in your pond may 
hide from the swans. If you went to the pond at night with a light you might 
see if the fish came to it. 
Mangold Leaves Blistered (A. S .).—The leaves are infested with one 
of the leaf-miners—the maggots of a fly of the Dipterous order, which punctures 
the leaves and deposits eggs in them, the maggots which succeed feeding on the 
parenchyma or pulp of the leaves and often quite destroy them. If you hold up a 
leaf to the light and examine the papery white patches, these maggots will be 
easily discernible. In one of the leaves you have sent, the freshest, we found four 
in the space of a square inch. From the more withered leaves the maggots had 
escaped, no doubt changed into the pupa state, and entered the earth to undergo 
their transformation to the chrysalis form and produce more flies. The leaf- 
miners are most destructive insects, and when very numerous almost ruin the 
crops. Some of the species attack Turnips persistently; indeed this form, until 
the present season has been more common than that affecting the Mangolds. 
Unfortunately we know of no other remedy than gathering the leaves immedi¬ 
ately any blisters are seen and burning them. It is not safe to give the leaves 
to animals, and to permit them to remain and shrivel is to increase an insidious 
and destructive pest. Some Mangold crops have been almost destroyed this year 
by the maggot; indeed we have heard of some being ploughed up and the land 
sown again ; but this we think a mistake, as the next crop affords food for the 
perpetuation of the enemy it is so desirable to banish. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51°32'40" N.; Long. 0° 8'0" W.: Altitude,111 feet. 
DATE. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAY. 
1880. 
| Barome- 
! ter at 32° 
| and Sea 
Level 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
Direction 
of Wind. 
§*J 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Rain, 
1 
July. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
O^rH 
H 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Sun. 4 
Inches. 
29.845 
deg. 
59.2 
deg. 
54.1 
N.W. 
deg. 
60.0 
deg. 
66.8 
deg. 
53.8 
deg. 
120.8 
deg. 
52.8 
In. 
Mon. 5 
30.165 
61.1 
53.3 
N.W. 
59.2 
73.0 
47.8 
130.6 
45.0 
Tues. 6 
30.053 
62.6 
57.5 
S.W. 
00.6 
73.0 
53.3 
107.6 
49.7 
0.010 
Wed. 7 
29.730 
59.3 
56.6 
S. 
60.2 
63.1 
55.5 
88.7 
52.7 
0.077 
Thurs. 8 
29.831 
6H.6 
54.3 
w.s.w. 
59.3 
68.7 
51.1 
122.3 
46.9 
— 
Friday 9 
29.766 
54.7 
52.3 
w. 
59.3 
69.3 
52.3 
122.2 
48.6 
0.180 
Satur. 10 
29.858 
62.7 
57.2 
N.W. 
59.0 
68.8 
52.0 
117.2 
47.0 
0.138 
Means. 
29.864 
60.0 
55.0 
59.7 
69.4 
52.3 
115.6 
49.0 
0.405 
REMARKS. 
4th.—Rain in early morning, generally fine and bright during the day, over¬ 
cast with heavy clouds about at intervals, fine evening. 
5th.—Fine and bright before noon, afternoon overcast, fair evening. 
6th.—Overcast and gloomy, very slight sunshine, rain in evening. 
7th.—Dull cool morning, showery all day, slight intervals of sunshine, fine in 
evening. 
8th.—Very bright in early morning, shower at 10 A.M., very heavy rain for 
about a quarter of an hour from 1 p.m. during a thunderstorm, fine 
afterwards. 
9th.—Dull morning, heavy showers between 9 and 10 A.M., fine and bright 
afterwards. 
10th.—Dull in forenoon, heavy shower between 1 and 2 P.M., fine afterwards. 
Temperature below that of the previous weeks, and air damp with occasional 
drenching showers.— G. J. Symons. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET.—JULY 14. 
OUR market is well supplie 1 with all classes of goods, prices generally being 
lower. The soft fruit is well crop, being on the whole short with the excep¬ 
tion of Raspberries, which mee with a slow demand. 
FRUIT. 
s. d. s. d. 
Apples. § sieve 2 Gto4 6 
Apricots. box 10 2 6 
Cherries. VB). 0 4 10 
Chestnuts. bushel 12 0 16 0 
Figs. dozen 2 0 4 0 
Filberts. If ft. 0 0 10 
Cobs. If ft 0 0 10 
Gooseberries .... J sieve 2 6 4 0 
Grapes, hothouse ^ ft 1 6 3 0 
Lemons. 4fl00 6 0 10 0 
Melons . each 2 0 4 0 
Nectarines. 
Oranges . 
Peaches . 
Pears, kitchen .. 
dessert. 
Pine Apples .... 
Plums . 
Raspberries .... 
Strawberries .... 
Walnuts . 
ditto . 
s. d. s. d. 
dozen 2 OtolO o 
If 100 4 0 12 0 
dozen 3 0 10 0 
dozen 00 00 
dozen 00 00 
ifft 10 3 0 
j sieve oo oo 
^ft. 0 3 0 6 
if ft. 0 6 10 
bushel oo oo 
fioo 0 0 0 0 
