100 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
t February 3,1887. 
his reply was, “ A real glide and decent kind o’ body, but his prayers did 
nae gude, nor did his swearing dae onv ill.” This is and has been the 
position of many of our writers on bee matters at the present time, with 
this difference, however, some have assumed to be qualified teachers of 
bee husbandry, and being interested in the sale of appliances their 
letters have done much harm. 
When writing upon any subject that I am not thoroughly acquainted 
with, I state exactly my experiences and what I have observed, nothing 
more. After I repeat an experiment and find the results by ocular 
demonstration in accordance with my previous opinions, I think the 
matter out thoroughly if possible, to find whether anything has not 
misled me in my observations which may have caused me to form false 
conclusions. Finding all satisfactory and in accordance with Nature 
and reason, I set down the matter, whatever it may be, as a foregone 
conclusion. 
This course is just what I have been pursuing with my eastern bees, 
therefore readily comply with the requests of “ A Hallamsliire Bee¬ 
keeper ” and give him the history of my Syrian bees. I am inclined 
to think they are pure; unlike my first Ligurian as well as my last ones. 
The former, which I had from Mr. Swan of Dunse at a cost of 5 guineas, 
had scarcely a trace of Liguarian blood in them, and the latter were 
decidedly crossed with Cyprians, which I detected at once, owing to my 
previous experience with Cyprians, but without which I could not have 
detected it. Coupled with that and the disease I termed chloric dropsical 
fever, I abandoned the Ligurian entirely, but while I did so retailers of 
Italian queens were holding them up to the public and setting them 
forth as a superior and prettier strain than previously imported ones. With 
the exception of these spurious ones mentioned, I must say that nearly all 
Italian queens I had were pure. On several occasions I had queens as 
Ligurian, but entirely void of yellow markings. I never learned whether 
these bees were a different variety or simply a freak of Nature. They 
much resembled the Carniolian bee. But how did I know these Italians 
to be pure ? Only from what Herman said about them and described at 
first, and after I had bred a number there could be no question that they 
were a fixed race of bees. After the Ligurian came the Egyptian. The 
difference in these two races was very decided. When I became possessed 
of the Cyprians I observed at once the difference in that race from any 
other variety I had seen, and when Mr. Frank Benton seut over his first 
consignment I procured two. I believed they were pure, and queens 
subsequently obtained proved them a distinct breed, not only in the 
uniformity of markings on the bees, but in their whole character. 
The first Syrian I had from Mr. A. Neighbour was killed in the cage. 
The bees accompanying it were saved, and I recognised in them a 
distinct difference from what the Cyprians were, both in colour, shape, 
and movements. The cause of the death of the queen was, there had 
been two queens regnant in the hive at the same time. A second queen 
was sent me, but it was unfertilised, and was of no use. A third one 
came late in the autumn ; it bred greatly, and being unable to attend to 
them it died. 
My next one was had from Mr. A. Neighbour in 1884. It was sent 
him direct from Syria by Mr. Frank Benton, as the others were, and its 
progeny were similar in every respect to its predecessors, and are dis¬ 
tinctly a fixed variety. That is all I can say about them, and as Mr. F. 
Benton has not, so far as I have experienced or heard, broken faith with 
any bee-keeper in this country, we may, I think, without fear, take it 
for granted they are pure Syrian bees. My imported queen is dead, but 
as I explained in a previous article, I had a number of queens fertilised 
in October by the Syrian drones. The progeny are prettily marked, and 
seemingly a little darker in colour, I suppose from the effects of the 
climate, and whether it be from the same cause or not, have wintered 
as well as any other, notwithstanding the fact they have bred the whole 
winter. In past winters many Syrian bees died. True, although the 
frost has been protracted, 7° was the lowest temperature this season, but 
I observed in previous winters many died at as low a temperature. A 
very strong swarm that belonged to my original queen, old bees, have 
wintered well. If spared in health I will do my utmost to obtain a 
few generations of them and see if I can acclimatise them to this 
country. 
As to their temper, I stated exactly their behaviour without giving 
my opinions, further thau saying, if manipulated in a high temperature 
they would probably be no worse than other bees ; and at page 308, in 
number for September 30th, 1886, I say, “ Spiteful and vicious they are 
at times, but they have this quality, and, unlike the common blacks 
they do not attack without provocation, while their crosses have proved 
superior to anything I have ever witnessed.” I trust “ A Hallamshire 
Bee-keeper ” will observe I do not set them down as “ truculent 
pests,” as some do, neither do I think I shall have occasion to alter my 
opinion of them as good honey gatherers, when the Cyprian and Syrian 
races were the only ones that gave me honey in 1886, and are promising 
now that they will not lag behind in 1887. I have faith in them, but 
will provide them with room, and not prevent their swarming if they 
are inclined.—A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
FOREIGN RACES OF BEES. 
I thank “ Lanarkshire ” and “ Hallamshire Bee-keepers ” for their 
kindness in replying to my question as to average of honey yield from 
foreign bees. I must' say, though, that I am in as much of a fog as 
ever, for neither gives any idea as to their takings, but praise the 
foreigners. “ H. B. K.” we must excuse, as he has had his apiary out of 
order for years through disease. I have had some of that in mine so 
know what lit is. Tam not satisfied with “ L. B. K.’s” explanation, 
but should like to know, as he takes no averages, what was the most he 
took from a foreign stock last season, a bad one ; and what is the most 
he has ever taken from a foreign stock in a good season. I do not sup¬ 
pose that he knows to an odd pound, but he must know near about the 
quantity. I have kept bees for a number of years, and do not consider 
myself a novice : I have spent much time and money on them, have 
read a good deal and practised more, but cannot get on with these 
foreigners. I have had one stock of Syrians : they were as quiet as flies 
until they swarmed, and then they were worse than savage. I have 
had in all about a dozen stocks of Italians, but no Cyprians, and from 
the lot I have only had about 40 lbs. of honey. One season I had seven 
strong stocks of Italians which did not contain as many pounds of 
honey, while my English stocks had gathered close on 60 lbs. each. It 
has been said that 1000 lbs. of honey have been taken from a stock of 
Syrians, but it was in America I believe ; we must not, therefore, be 
surprised, for they do such “ tall ” things there ; we must not expect 
to approach it in our fickle climate anyway. During past season I have 
not been able to see any difference in the breeding powers of Italians 
and English. Stocks of each contained about twenty-five frames of 
brood at one time, but when honey harvest came the Italians were 
quickly ahead in numbers, but gathered very little honey, while the 
English stood still in numbers but gathered plenty of honey. I should 
like to get at some honey facts.— Notts Bee-keeper. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Kelway & Son, Langport, Somerset. —Manual for 1887. 
John R. Box, Croydon.— Catalogue of Flower and Vegetable A eds. 
Lucombe, Pince & Co., Exeter.— Catalogue of Vegetable and Flower Seeds, 
1887. 
James Cocker & Sons, Aberdeen.— Catalogue of Vegetable and Flower 
Seeds, 1887. 
Thyne & Paton, 18 and 20, Union Street, Dundee. —Catalogue of Vege¬ 
table and Flower Seeds. 
J. Burrell & Co., Cambridge. —List of Hybrid Gladioli. 
James Vick, Rochester, New York. —Monthly Magazine and Floral 
Guide ( illustrated). 
W. M. Beale, Neath.— Catalogue of Kitchen Garden and Flower Seeds. 
Samuel Yates, 16 and 18, Old Millgate, Manchester.— Catalogue of Vege¬ 
table and Flower Seeds. 
W. E. Boyce, Archway Road, Highgate. —Catalogue of Chrysanthemums . 
Hooper & Co., Covent Garden, London.— Seed Catalogue , Spring, 1887. 
James L. Boyson, Caen, France.— L : st of New Roses , 1886-87. 
Bruant, Poitiers (Vienne), Franc”. —List tf New Plants. 
Fisher, Son & Sibray, Market Street, Sheffi Id.— Catalogue of Ki chert 
Garden and Flower Seeds. 
Vilmorin, Andrieux & Cie., 4, Quai de la Megisserie, Paris.— General 
Catalogue of Seeds, 1887. 
Edmondson Brothers, 10, Dame Street, Dublin. —Sp ing Catalogue of 
Vegetable and Flower Seeds. 
All correspondence should be directed either to “ The 
Editor” or to “ The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Dr. 
Hogg or members of the staff often remain unopened un¬ 
avoidably. We request that no one will write privately 
to any of our correspondents, as doing so subjects them to 
unjustifiable trouble and expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions 
relating to Gardening and those on Bee subjects, and should 
never send more than two or three questions at once. All 
articles intended for insertion should be written on one side of 
the paper only. We cannot reply to questions through the 
post, and we do not undertake to return rejected communica¬ 
tions. 
TO CONTRIBUTORS.—Our friends who favour with communications 
on controversial subjects will oblige by sending their articles as 
soon after they receive the Journal as possible. Our space is prac¬ 
tically filled on Monday, and only articles that are “ expected,” and 
which arrive on Tuesday, can, as a rule, be inserted in the current 
issue. For this reason we are compelled to hold over some that we 
would have readily inserted this week had they reached us a day 
or two sooner. 
Making a Vine Border (G. E., South Wales). — Answers on all subjects 
of gardening on which information is required are readily given without 
charge to regular subscriters to this Journal. 
Campanula persicifolia coronata (Antrim ).— We believe the variety is 
very similar to, if not identical with, the old double variety. The list 
referred to includes the names of plants that are specially figured and 
described during the year, but which are not always strictly new. 
