298 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. c September 23 , isso. 
is most delicious, resembling that of the Pheasant. The hen lays 
from sixty to a hundred eggs per annum, the eggs being rather small, 
very pointed at the end, and of a dark cream colour. These eggs are 
of beautiful flavour, and there is considerable demand for them in 
London, where we have often seen them exposed for sale i.i little 
baskets lined with green moss.—(From The Illustrated Boole of Poultrij 
for April.) 
THE PROFESSORSHIP OF APICULTURE. 
[A CONVERSATION.] 
Mr. B.—I daresay you are aware, Mr. P, that there is now 
afloat in the bee-keeping community the idea that we are going 
to have in England a professor of apiculture. I have come here 
to-night with the hope that you will let me have your opinions 
about the matter. I should like to know if you think the country 
is ripe and ready for a professor, and also if it is possible to find 
a gentleman ripe and ready for the professorship. 
Mr. P.—I am aware that there has been some talk about having 
a professor, but whether the bee-keepers of Great Britain would 
attach much importance to such an appointment I cannot say. 
On this point there will be a difference of opinion. If a qualified 
and suitable gentleman be found and he accepts the office I believe 
the appointment would be an advantage to the nation, and if an 
unqualified person get the appointment it will be a misfortune 
for the nation. Such a person would do more harm than good. 
Mr. B.—In what ways would a qualified and able man do good 
as a professor ? 
Mr. P.—His appointment to the office would raise him to the 
highest platform of teaching and give him a nation to instruct. 
His utterances would be extensively quoted by the periodical 
press of the country, and be well read throughout the land. The 
responsibility of his position would cause him to ponder deeply 
every phase of apiculture, and cause him to take broad and 
commanding views of his profession. His language, spoken or 
written, would be clear and weighty, and his teaching would 
generally follow and run on the lines of his own experience and 
seldom in advance of it. A professor of apiculture should be a 
person of very extensive experience—one who has managed and 
can manage bees successfully and profitably, and well able to tell 
others how to do it. As a lecturer he should possess the power of 
free speech—the power of interesting an audience and command¬ 
ing attention—the power of leaving his mark behind him as 
the horse does of his hoof. Such a man would be a light in the 
world, and a boon to his generation and country if installed as 
a professor. 
Mr. B.—Have we such a man amongst us at the present time ? 
Mr. P.—This is the question of questions, often put to myself 
by myself during the last three months, and I dare not speak 
confidently on this point. In my humble opinion there is at least 
one gentleman amongst us qualified for the chair of a professor of 
apiculture ; but as the proposal of having a professor may never 
be crystallised into shape, or receive the sanction and approval of 
the authorities, it would be premature and over-officious to name 
anybody. 
Mr. B.--Well, but I think the matter should be talked about 
and well ventilated by advanced bee-keepers, so that the best 
man may have the post in the event of the authorities deciding to 
have a professor. I believe with you that harm instead of good 
would result if an unqualified man were to receive the appointment. 
Mr. P.—You see, Mr. B, that the first professor would have no 
precedent and no parallel in this country, and therefore if an 
unqualified man were to be appointed to the office he would 
probably be allowed to remain in it for many years. Without 
ability to teach from his success and experience he would natu¬ 
rally fall back on the statements and guesswork cf other ad¬ 
venturers. A professor of apiculture should not live and move in 
a sphere of speculation, neither should his time be wasted among 
the knick-knacks of bee-keeping. What is wanted is a man who 
has made money from bees, and who will show the people how to 
obtain honey. 
Mr. B.—Would you pay such a man well, and forbid trading of 
every kind on his part for profit ? 
Mr. P.—Yes, I would vote for his having a handsome salary, 
and forbid his trading in hives and bees for profit, for in my 
opinion such conduct would undignify both himself and office, 
and tend to make him appear small and impotent for good in the 
eyes of all around him. For instance, Mr. Ollerhead’s lecture on 
bees had more influence than any other lecture we have had for 
a long time, simply because it was disinterested and free from 
onesidedness. 
Now, Mr. B, I have told you all I have to say at present about 
a professorship of apiculture. If a competent person can be found 
who will accept the office I will vote for him, and vote for his 
being well paid, supported, and encouraged. I would suggest 
and vote for his having an apiary of twenty or thirty hives kept 
solely for experiment and comparison, and would vote for his 
having an assistant to carry out his experiments while he is 
absent on a lecturing and manipulating tour in the provinces. 
Those who have the arrangements to make touching a professor¬ 
ship should aim at efficiency and completeness. It were easy 
to name scores of problems in the natural history of bees that 
require solution, and as the times bring no second Huber, the 
professor and .Ins assistant would find work enough at home and 
abroad in connection with their profession. 
That bee-keeping will yet become a source of profit and plea¬ 
sure to thousands of the rural population of this country I firmly 
believe, and therefore hope that the proposal of having a pro¬ 
fessor of apiculture will soon become an actuality in the appoint¬ 
ment of a competent man who will stimulate attention and guide 
bee-keepers in the right direction.—A. Pettigrew. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Selling Honey (A Honey-eater ).—If bee-keepers obtain more honey than 
they can readily sell locally we presume they would advertise it. We suspect 
there ai’e many honey-eaters besides yourself who would prefer to purchase 
“ 30 lbs. or more ” direct from the producers than from grocers and chemists. 
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. 
1 O 
^ ^ c3 — 
g 05 QJ O) 
otS 00 > 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
©'d 
-m d 
K- 
5 o 
Q— O 
a o£ 
H 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
.2 
c 3 
« 
Sept. 
c* ^ jEj ^ 
MS 3 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
sun. 
On 
grass. 
Sun. 12 
Mon. 13 
Tues. 14 
Wed. 15 
Thurs. 16 
Friday 17 
Satur. 18 
Inches. 
29.685 
29.64.5 
29.623 
29.254 
29.481 
29.835 
29.718 
deg. 
61.0 
59.8 
57.9 
55.4 
58.4 
58.8 
58.0 
deg. 
56.8 
56.3 
55.0 
53.6 
55.4 
53.0 
56.8 
s.w. 
N. 
S.E. 
W. 
N. 
N. 
S. 
deg. 
61.5 
61.0 
60.0 
59.0 
58.4 
58.2 
58.3 
deg. 
69 8 
65.5 
64.2 
64.4 
68.1 
67.4 
63.5 
deg. 
51.0 
54.2 
46.8 
53.3 
50.4 
49.4 
52.3 
deg. 
113.2 
116.5 
100.8 
113.2 
119.2 
117.2 
115.2 
deg. 
48.4 
53.0 
43.1 
51.2 
48.8 
43.2 
48.4 
In. 
0.410 
0.088 
1.178 
0.441 
0.090 
0.308 
Means. 
29.006 
58.5 
55.7 
59.5 
66.1 
51J. 
113.6 
48.0 
2.515 
REMARKS. 
12th.—Fine bright breezy day ; overcast evening. 
13th.—Early morning fine, T. 11 A.M. and heavy shower; thunder 1.5 r.M. till 
1.20 P.M., heavy rain 1.45 p.M. ; fine afternoon and evening. Lunar halo. 
14th.—Showery morning; afternoon fine; rain 7.30 P.M., very heavy 8.15 P.ir. 
and 10.30. 
15th.—Heavy rain in morning; afternoon fine with sunshine for short time; 
cloudy evening. 
16th.—Fine day, cloudy at intervals; misty in evening; lunar corona; bright 
moonlight 11 P.M. 
17th.—Fine bright day; moonlight night. 
18th.—Stormy morning ; rain and high wind, fine with sunshine in middle of 
day; very heavy shower, with lightning, thunder, and hail 2.30 P.M., 
fine and sunny after 3 P.M.; starlight evening.—G. J. SYMONS. 
COVBNT GARDEN MARKET.— September 22. 
Tfee supply of Plums is now falling off and Apples are well taking their place 
prices all round being thoroughly maintained. Trade steady. 
FRUIT. 
8. 
d. 
8. 
d. 
8. 
d. 
8. 
d. 
Apples. 
§ sieve 
2 
6 to 4 
6 
Melons . 
each 
2 
0 to 4 
0 
Apricots. 
box 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Nectarines. 
dozen 
2 
0 
8 
0 
Cherries. 
¥> lb. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Oranges . 
%» 100 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Chestnuts. 
bushel 12 
0 
16 
0 
Peaches . 
dozen 
3 
0 
10 
0 
Figs. 
dozen 
0 
6 
1 
0 
Pears,kitchen .. 
dozen 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Filberts.. 
¥>■16. 
i 
6 
1 
9 
dessert. 
dozen 
2 
0 
8 
0 
Cobs... 
If 16 
i 
6 
1 
9 
Pine Apples .... 
¥> 16 
1 
0 
3 
0 
Gooseberries .... 
$ sieve 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Plums . 
1 sieve 
2 
c 
4 
6 
Grapes . 
¥>• 16 
0 
9 
8 
0 
Walnuts . 
bushel 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Lemons. 
¥>100 12 
0 
18 
0 
ditto . 
¥> 100 
0 
0 
0 
6 
VEGETABLES. 
8. 
d. 
8. 
d. 
8. 
d. 
S. 
d- 
Artichokes. 
dozen 
2 
0 to 4 
0 
Mushrooms . 
dozen 
1 
Oto 1 
6 
Asparagus. 
bundle 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Mustard & Cress .. 
punnet 
0 
2 
0 
3 
Beans, Kidney .... 
V lb- 
0 
0 
0 
6 
Onions. 
bushel 
3 
6 
5 
9 
Beet, Red. 
dozen 
1 
0 
9 
0 
pickling. 
quart 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Broccoli. 
bundle 
0 
9 
1 
& 
Parsley. doz. bunches 
6 
0 
0 
0 
Brussels Sprouts.. 
i sieve 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Parsnips. 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Cabbage . 
dozen 
0 
6 
1 
0 
Peas . 
quart 
0 
9 
1 
0 
Carrots. 
bunch 
0 
4 
0 
6 
Potatoes. 
bushel 
3 
9 
4 
0 
Capsicums. 
w 100 
1 
6 
2 
0 
Kidney. 
bushel 
4 
0 
0 
6 
Cauliflowers. 
dozen 
0 
0 
8 
6 
Radishes.... doz.bunches 
i 
6 
2 
0 
Celerv. 
bundle 
1 
6 
2 
0 
Rhubarb. 
bundle 0 
4 
0 
0 
Coleworts_doz. bunches 
2 
0 
4 
0 
Salsafy. 
bundle 
i 
0 
0 
0 
Cucumbers. 
each 
0 
4 
0 
6 
Scorzonera . 
bundle 
1 
6 
0 
0 
Endive. 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Seakale . 
basket 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Fennel. 
bunch 
0 
3 
• 
0 
Shallots . 
¥> lb 
0 
8 
0 
0 
Garlic . 
¥>• 16. 
0 
6 
0 
0 
Spinach . 
bushel 
3 
0 
0 
0 
Herbs . 
hunch 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Turnips. 
bunch 
« 
4 
0 
0 
Leeks. 
hunch 
0 
3 
0 
4 
Vegetable Marrows 
each 
0 
2 
• 
0 
