January 5. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
371 
here I am in a comfortable house and a good piece of 
ground (6 acres) ; my crops have paid well considering, for 
the first season, and it has been the most expensive one 
T shall have, having had every thing to buy, my land to fence 
in, house, stable &e., to build. I never intend to work for a 
master again, although masters here dare not say any thing 
to their men. I mean to tell you, this is a place for a working 
man. I hail the day with pleasure that I landed in this my 
aclopted country, for here a man may feel what he can never 
feel in England, and that is independence. I wish I had left 
before; I like the Colony; true, there are three months in 
the year that are not pleasant, as the heat is great, but not 
oppressive; the other nine are equal to May or June with 
you, and things grow well. Grapes are as fine as in any part 
of the world ; the Muscats ripen here in the open air equal 
to any thing I ever saw in England ; and I have seen 
bunches of other kinds wliich weigh as much as 27 lbs. 
and as black as jet, with a good bloom. Peaches, and all 
European fruits, do quite as well as do many of the Tropical 
kinds. As you wish to know a little about the animals &e., 
I will tell you of a few ; but there are so many that it would 
occupy too much room here to mention all. We have the 
Kangaroo Rat; several sorts of the Kangaroo which is hunted 
by dogs called Kangaroo Dogs. Thereis the Wild Dog in great 
numbers ; these are hunted by fox-hounds; the Oppossum; the 
native Cats; Wallabeys of many kinds. Of birds there are a 
great collection ; the largest is the Emu, standing five or six 
feet high, and runs with great speed; the Turkey, large and 
good eating ; Eagles, Elawks of many kinds ; and some very 
large and handsome Bitterns, several sorts—the handsomest 
is the night Bittern; Robins, five varieties. I have seen 
Duck and Teal in great numbers ; I shot eighteen one even¬ 
ing last week, in about an hour, not five minutes walk from 
my house. Quails abound by thousands, and the sport is 
equal to Partridge shooting ; they are like the English bird, 
only about half the size; Swans and Geese are plentiful in 
winter. The Parrots are the handsomest of all the feathered 
tribes; there are many varieties, large and small; the smallest 
is the Budgaraga or Shell or Love Parrot. I have caught 
twelve and fourteen pounds worth in one day. This is a trade 
I have taken up, and a very good one it is ; I use clap nets. 
There are hundreds of other birds which I cannot name ; but 
no good songsters. The Laughing Jackass is a curious bird; 
you would think some one was laughing at you. All the 
birds here halloo and whistle. I have not as yet had time 
to get a collection. We have several kinds of Snakes—black, 
brown, silver, carpet, whip, and others ; buttlie worst of all is 
the deaf Adder; they are only found by the coast; plenty of 
Lizzards and Guanas ; these are harmless and very hand¬ 
some. Spiders of all colours ; there is one kind that builds a 
door with strong hinges by which it opens and shuts ; you 
have to ply it hard with a knife before the spider lets go. 
I earned six pounds the other day in getting their nests to 
go to England. We have the Centipede, the Tarantula, Scor¬ 
pion, and thousands of insects which I know nothing about. 
Very few Butterflies and Moths, and their colours not 
brilliant. Nothing annoys us so much as the flies, and these 
only in summer. We have few Mosquitos ; they are mostly 
near water. As soon as I can I intend to collect, but as 
labour is and has been scarce, and wages are high, I have 
had to keep close to work. I employ one hand, and I cannot 
get a labouring man under seven or ten shillings per day; 
mechanics earn from twelve to sixteen shillings. If a man 
wants to better his condition let him come here, and in 
two or three years ho may have apiece of land of his own. 
I was sorry hear of the death of Mr. J. R-; it must have 
been a great loss to many, as there were but few masters 
like him. 
“There have been thousands come to these colonies. 
The Gold diggings are yielding well, and numbers have made 
fortunes at them, but very many have done no good ; I went, 
but did not stay. My father and brothers had a long spell at 
it but did not succeed, except my brother Alfred, who has 
done better and is there still. Edwin Smyth,” 
BEE-KEEPING FOR COTTAGERS. 
( Continued, from page 249.) 
Section 2.—ArrARATUs required in Bee-keeping. 
We hope none of our readers will be frightened at the 
long list of apparatus that we shall mention : it by no means 
follows that every article will be absolutely necessary; or, if 
necessary, need be made as we describe; certain objects 
have to be attained, and we describe such articles as we 
conceive to bo useful in attaining such objects; if they can 
be attained in anymore simple mode, by all means let it be 
done. A bee-keeper ought to be prepared for every con¬ 
tingency, and it may be taken for granted that the little 
extra trouble that will be required to make one’s set of 
apparatus complete will be well bestowed. 
Hives. —The oldest bee-keepers are at present undecided 
whether straw or wooden hives are to be preferred. The 
former, from their cheapness, will generally be preferred by 
cottagers. All stock hives should be of the same size, viz:— 
thirteen inches in diameter, that is, across, and eight inches 
in depth, both inside measure; they should be straight in 
the sides, and quite fiat on the top; a hole, four inches in 
diameter, should be left in the top; this may be covered 
over (not fitted) with a piece of inch deal about six inches 
square, or a piece of straw-work like the hive, about six 
inches in diameter. If the entrance be made in the hive it 
may be two inches wide, and the depth of the lowest round 
of straw; it is better, however, to have the entrance in the 
floor-board for convenience in operating. (See Floor-boards). 
Three or four spare hives should always be kept ready for 
use, as there is no knowing what emergencies may arise. 
Top Hives. —For each stock-hive, you should have two 
small super or top hives, at least. These should be the 
same in form as the stock-hives, one smaller than the other, 
but both smaller than the stocks; the smaller need not 
have a hole at the top. One may be ten inches across, by- 
seven inches deep; and the other eight inches across, by 
six inches deep. Each should be furnished with a small 
glass window about three inches square. Each window 
may be covered over by a thick piece of baize, or a piece of 
linen, three or four times doubled, tucked into the bindings 
of the hive over the window, and secured from being blown 
about by the wind by a piece of twine at its lower end, or 
by a piece of deal the exact size of, and just thick enough 
to fill up the opening in which the glass is fixed, and so 
exclude the light; this deal shutter can be fixed in its place 
by a thin piece of cane laid across it, having its ends tucked 
into the bindings of the hive; all light must, in some way 
or other, be carefully shut out. It will be prudent to have 
a good stock of super-hives always ready, as in fine honey 
getting weather those on the stock-hives will be quickly 
filled, and must be replaced by empty ones. 
Wooden Hives. —Should it be wished to try wooden hives 
they may be made of full inch deal, eleven inches square, 
by nine inches deep, -both inside measure, with a hole three 
inches square at the top, and windows five inches square in 
two of the sides: these windows should be covered with 
pieces of zinc rather larger than the windows themselves, 
and made to slide over the side the hive, between two rows 
of tacks set pretty closely together in the rows. Small 
wooden boxes may be used on the top of wooden hives in 
the same manner as straw supers are used on straw hives ; 
they may be made of thinner wood than the stock-hives, 
and should have as large windows (to be covered as before) 
as can be safely made in them. 
Glasses. —If it be wished, glasses may be used instead of 
top-liives ; in that case, the top-hives will do as coverings 
for the glasses, for glasses must be covered and kept warm, 
or the bees will not work in them. They should even be 
wrapped round with tow, or a bit of old drugget, or blanket, 
before being covered, or the bees will, except in very warm 
weather, go down in the night, and not resume work till late 
the next day: it is as well to form this drugget or blanket 
into caps fitting loosely over the glasses : they will not only 
be more easily removed and replaced when it is wished to 
examine the glasses, but neatness will be thereby secured. 
It is very interesting to watch, and, therefore, desirable to 
have one or two hives worked with glasses ; it must be 
remembered, however, that bees do not work so well in glass 
as in straw. As the management of glasses and top-hives 
