248 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. December 29. 
and sown immediately with White Mustard, to he eaten off 
in a few weeks by sheep folded on the ground. 
Fourth crop —Wheat. Land ploughed shallow, and pre¬ 
pared for Wheat directly after the Mustard is eaten off by 
the sheep; or should a cereal crop to be sown in spring be 
more appropriate, sow Colewoits instead of the Mustard. 
Tares may be sown after the cereal crops, to keep the land 
active the following winter, and then come the course of 
Turnips again. 
This idea, as from one who is not a farmer (at present), 
is not written without regard to deference. I should be 
sorry to mislead, by advising a system which I have not 
proved by trial; still, I have confidence sufficient in the 
course, to say, had I the opportunity, I would work it out.— 
Upwards and Onwards, 
BEE-KEEPING FOR COTTAGERS. 
(Continued from page 15.) 
Position for Hives .—Hives should be placed as nearly as 
possible facing towards the south-east, it being best that 
they should receive the morning, but not the afternoon 
sun. They should be sheltered from the north-west, north, 
and north-east winds, by the cottage, or the hedge-rows, or 
trees, otherwise the bees, in trying to enter the hives on 
their return home, laden with spoil, are likely to be blown 
to the earth and destroyed; and the hives themselves are 
in danger of being upset. Should no such shelter be at 
hand, a willow hedge might easily be planted at the back 
and sides of the bee-stands, to break the force of the wind. 
Willow sticks grow like weeds, and if nicely trained and 
trimmed would present a very neat appearance. It is 
always best to have hives so placed as to be able to pass 
behind them. The close neighbourhood of large brooks 
or ponds should be avoided. Means should, if possible, 
be found for protecting the outside of the hives from the 
direct heat of the sun, for bees delight in cool places, seek¬ 
ing, in a wild state, the deep, cool places of the forest; 
whilst, therefore, in our country of short seasons, we must, 
during the summer months, expose the bees to the influ¬ 
ence of the morning sun for our good, we should give them 
some protection from its noon-day heat for their comfort. 
In winter, also, the cooler the bees are kept the better; 
then it is best altogether to shut out the sun-light; the 
straw hackles and the blocks we shall presently describe, 
will, we think, effect both these objects. 
Stocking a Bee-Garden .—In our introduction we spoke of 
getting swarms. Care must be taken that first swarms only 
be had, any others being of very little use. The hive in¬ 
tended to receive the swarms should be sent to the man 
who is to supply it sometime before it is expected to come off. 
We strongly advise beginners to purchase a one-year-old 
hive with a young queen. It costs but a few shillings more 
than a swarm, and by throwing off a swarm in the first year, 
gives at once the delights of bee-keeping, and saves a year’s 
time. New hives can be told from old ones by the light 
colour of the combs in the former. They can be removed 
at any time between November and February, or even as 
late as April, if from a distance of about three miles. In 
all cases the greater the distance from which they are 
brought, the better, as otherwise the bees might return to 
their old haunts, and die for want of shelter. 
Age of Hives .—A hive should not be allowed to stand for 
more than four years, that is, five summers. Each bee that 
is bred leaves a thin skin in its cell; in the course of time 
\ the cells are thereby partly filled up, the bees cannot reach 
their full size, and the hive consequently dwindles away. 
In Section V. we shall point out a system of management 
! by which it is believed the stock of bees can be kept regu- 
j larly renewed. 
! Strength of Hives , and the Depriving System .—In keeping 
I hives strong lies the great secret of success : every bee 
‘ that is destroyed is so much loss; hence the merits of the 
: depriving system, that is, the system whereby the honey is 
taken without destroying the bees. (The method of taking 
' it, both by joining in the autumn, and by super-hiving in 
I the summer, is the easiest thing possible, and will be ex¬ 
plained in Section IY.) It is a well-proved fact, that the | 
consumption of the populations of two or three hives united 
together is little more than that of a single hive ; whether 
this arises from the greater numbers that can be spared 
from nursing, in the spring, to collect what little honey can 
then be had, or whether, from increased warmth and com¬ 
fort, and consequent decreased hunger, has not yet been 
determined. It is, however, a fact; and as these strong 
hives collect twice the honey of a weak one, and throw 
earlier and stronger swarms, by all means beg the stupified 
bees that such of your neighbours as continue in the old 
course are about to bury, and join them to your own hives. 
Be careful yourselves never to destroy a bee. 
Cleanliness .—Take care to keep everything about the hives 
neat and trim, and let nothing grow in front higher than 
the entrances. Let no drip come upon them, no rain beat 
against them. By means of the feeders, to be used as 
hereafter described, keep the inside of the hives as dry as 
possible. Unless some plan be adopted when the bees are 
confined to the hives in the winter months, the perspiration 
from the bees settles, or is condensed, upon the combs, and 
runs down upon the floor-boards; they, being constantly 
damp, turn mouldy and rot, breed dysentery and destruction 
in the hives, and ruin all the bee-master’s expectations. 
Personal cleanliness must also be attended to, the sense of 
smell in bees being very acute ; they are very apt to resent 
inattention to this, and to punish such as approach them 
reeking with beer and filth. 
Enemies, and Decline of Hives .—The foregoing directions 
having been attended to, and the hives kept strong, clean, 
and dry, you need fear no enemies, for you and the bees 
between you will prevent all attacks from spiders, wasps, 
hornets, ants, moths, woodlice, mice, lizards, and all such 
vermin, whilst fresh air and good food will prevent dysentery 
from making its appearance. Perhaps the chief cause of 
the decline of hives is the death of the queen, from old age 
or some other cause, when there is no young queen to suc¬ 
ceed, and no brood in the hive from which a new queen 
may be reared. This danger is greatly lessened by the 
joining system, for if bees with a young queen are joined to 
a hive with an old one, the chances are that the one that is 
young and vigorous will, in the fight that is snre to ensue 
between the rival queens, quickly dispatch her old and worn- 
out rival. 
Stings .—Numberless are the cures that have been pro¬ 
posed for stings, and it is difficult to say which of them is 
the best; we will, therefore, mention two or three, that each 
may be tried in turn. The first step to be taken is to draw 
out the sting, (which, being barbed like an arrow-bead, is 
sure to be left in the skin), and by pressing a key, or some 
hollow tube, over the wound, squeeze out as much as 
possible of the poison that has been thrown in. As a cure, 
some propose tobacco-juice, applied as follow's Moisten a 
little tobacco with water, and work it into a pulpy juice in 
the palm of the hand; then apply it in its moistened state 
to the wound, rub in the juice with the finger from about 
from five to ten minutes, moistening the tobacco afresh as 
the juice is rubbed-in. Others recommend that a slice of ( 
onion, covered with fine salt, should be tied over the wound. 
Others recommend liquor potassre to be introduced into the 
wound on the point of a needle, or the nib of a clean pen. 
Carbonate of soda may be rubbed into the wound with good 
results. Others (and this plan, by-the-way, seems to be 
the best cure that there is for the- stings of serpents), having i 
extracted the sting, hold a piece of hot iron, or live coal, or | 
charcoal, as near to the wound as possible, renewing the 
application (as long as it can be borne) until tbe effect of 
the poison has been destroyed. Others simply recommend 
bathing the wound in cold water. Whichever of these 
modes is adopted, it should be adopted quickly. Some 
persons are scarcely at all affected by a sting; the wound 
smarts a bit and that is all. With others, the poison is 
carried quickly through the veins, and some days elapse 
before the swellings that ensue subside. A cold lotion 
applied frequently to the swollen parts, is, perhaps, as good 
a remedy as any in this case. Although hardly coming 
within the scope of this section, the subject of stings has ' 
been introduced here as the most convenient place. 
Books .—As a knowledge of the habits of bees, and with 
it the profit to be derived from keeping them, increases, 
