! 0(JT0BEE 7. THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 15 
favour their growth; and to such an extent did this in- 
1 juriona practice proceed, that it became necessary to enact 
i severe laws for its suppression. The TniJJh: lias boon cul¬ 
tivated on the continent with more or less success ; a light, 
dry soil appears most favourable to its growth ; but, like 
other fungi in their natural state, it is a most capricious 
; plant. 
It is ivell known that serious accidents have arisen from 
the careless way of collecting and jireparing fungi for the 
table (which I shall endeavour to explain in a future paiier 
■ on the Poisonous Eungi). For collecting, therefore, line 
dry weather should bo preferred, and tho.se should be chosen 
I cautiously which grow in wot, shady, and unhealthy situ¬ 
ations, although they are well known to be wholesome 
species; those being preferred which are found in open, dry 
situations, and exposed to light and a free current of air. 
A Hat-bottomed wicker basket, with clean cloth, as used in 
the south of England in the markets for eggs and butter, 
should be chosen, also a house-painter’s brush should bo 
provided, to remove dust, dirt, leaves, insects, Ac., and a 
knife to remove the roots ; the stems may be cut otf close, 
aud should generally be rejected, and the fungi may then 
be closely i)acked. They should always bo gathered before 
fully grown, and all that are maggoty, or attacked by insects, 
.also all that have been dislodged from their resting-place by 
boys or cattle, should be rejected. Having obtained as 
many as re(iuireil, they should be conveyed home, and, with 
as little delay as possible, pirepared for the table, or pire- 
served for future use. 
I find space will not allow me, as I intended here, to 
enumerate those most esteemed as food in dilferent parts of 
the globe; I shall, therefore, defer it to my next piaiier, 
which will also contain receipits for cooking.—i'. Y. Beocas. 
{To he coniinued.) 
THE HONEY HARVEST. 
I BEG to offer my mite to the common stock. Up to the 
month of July, 1 never knew so bad a season since 1 have 
had bees. An agreeable change at that time took pdaco, we 
had copious showers of rain, and then splendid weather to 
the end of the month; after which the honey gathering 
I season is about over in this locality, as it is principally an 
hay-growing district. 
Aly No. 1 swarm, an artificial one, was t.aken off June 
I'.lth, and put into one of Taylor’s Bar Hives, and pilaced 
where the stock formerly stood (according to the “Country 
Curate’s” plan, which answered very well in preventing any 
casts from coming off). But there is danger of over¬ 
doing it, as a nciglibour of mine did, as in his case there 
were not bees enough left to defend the hive, which was 
attacked by a neighbour’s bees, who succeeded in carrying 
off evci'y particle of honey, in spiito of narrowing the 
entrance to the hive. However, I could not, by any means, 
induce them to work in the super, although the stock-box 
Wias full of honey, nearly down to the floor-board. So I 
fumigated them, .and took two bars of comb out weighing 
Tibs. 
I No. 2, also an artificial swarm, taken off .Tune 2.5rd, into 
I a common cottage hive, plundered it the middle of August, 
j and took 18 lbs. of honey from it. 
No. .’1, natural swann, June 25th, which was a very small 
; affair, as wo did not see it go off, but found it hanging from 
\ a tree close by, late in the evening, and I suppioso the prin- 
j cipal pai't of the bees had returned back again to the piarent 
, stock. I supposed, by pdacing the swarm in the stock’s 
! pdacc, I should get pilenty of bees to it. But I was wofully 
i disappointed, for a most deadly warfare commenced. The 
’ result was the loss of a greater part of the bees. Can any 
of your readers account for the fighting? — the swarm 
must have come out of the hive that I attributed it to, there 
I being no other at all likely. (But I observed fighting, 
; more or less, at all the swarms that had been put where the 
stock formerly stood.) From this swarm I took 12 lbs. of 
honey, by destroying the bees. 
No. 4, a Nutt’s Hive, the bees of which I could not induce 
to work in the side-boxes. Swarmed July 1st; hived it into 
I one of the side-boxes, thinking it would commence working 
there; but no, the next morning I found them all united in 
the centre-box again. At the end of seven days, that is, 
July 8th, it swarmed again, and a magnificent swarm it was, 
and I hived it into a common hive. In tlie course! of a week 
1 pffaced an eke under it, and at the end'of fourlecn days it 
swarmed. From this swarm I took 2H lbs. of honey. Tlie 
same Nutt’s Box threw off a cast, a few days after which I 
hived it into a straw cup. From this I took C lbs. of honey, 
by fumigating it, and adding the bees to one of my stocks, 
as I considered they would be princip)ally yoiing bees, and 
might be of some service. I have abandoned the plan of 
addiTig the boos that I piluiiderod to those intended for 
stocks, as I could see no benefit from it the spiring following. 
I consider they only help to c.at up the food of the stock, 
and then die before they are of any service to the stock, 
unless bees live to a greater age than is generally supposed. 
By-the-by, I saw a notice a sliort time ago, in 'The Cot¬ 
tage Caudener, that the Entomologic.al Society had offered 
a pirizo for the best treatise on the longivity of bees. I am 
anxiously waiting the result. I think it a very good hit of 
the “ Country Curate’s,” to pireservo the brood from the 
hives you are pilundeiing. I took mine carefully out, and 
arranged it upion the top of two of my stocks, then pilaced 
empty hives over it, and the bees pircsently came through, 
.and batched it out, which appeared to strengthen those 
stocks very much.—11. T. N. 
r. S.'—I h.avo just seen a drone bee go into my No 1 
stock (Sept. 25th). I saw a great many the beginning of this 
month. Do you tliink they are without a queen ? if so, what 
will bo my best plan with them ? 
NEW M(JT)E OF MANAGING REES. 
I HAVE much pileasure in complying with yotir request, 
and forward you the following particulars relative to the 
method adopited by me at your suggestion, in the case of the 
only four swarms which came olf in my apiaiy. As soon as 
the swarms had left the hives, the stocks were stopiped up ; 
the swarms, as soon .as hived, put in the pdacc of the stocks, 
and the stocks removed a short distance, and kept closed 
from 24 to 30 horns. 
No. 3 sent out, lOth Juno, a swarm weighing 5j lbs. On 
unstopping it, the workers began to eject the drones with 
frightful rapidity, no other kind of work was carried on, and 
the hive, for we could see into it on the b.ack side of the 
box, apipicared ole.ar of them in a few days. On the 14th 
day from swarming, a few were seen; on the 20th, pdping 
was heard; and the following day a young queen was cast 
out. On the 2(ith .Inly, some of the old combs were re¬ 
moved, from which 4] lbs. honey were run; 1J lbs. of bees was 
added to this stock on the 2fith August, and ,'t lbs. sugar, 
and IRbs. honey, pircpnired as directed in (iolding’s Is. Bee 
book, was supplied previously to the 1st September, when it 
weighed njlbs. From the swarm No. 10, ten pionnds of 
honey were run on the lOlh August. 
No. 13 sent out, 10th June, a swarm weighing 4 j lbs. Im¬ 
mediately on its being unstopped, drone ejection commenced, 
and in a few days the work appeared to bo completed. On 
the 3nth July, some combs were removed, from whicli 3 lbs. 
of honey were run. No drones were then seen. As this 
stock did not <appe.ar to progress well, it was taken npi on 
the 4th August, but contained no honey, no brood, no ; 
queen, .and only half a pound of bees. The swarm. No. 15, j 
was deprived, 2!)th July, of Tibs, of honey. No. 0 sent out, ; 
1st .Tilly, a swarm weighing 4j-lbs. The pan on top was 
removed, and as it contained comb with drone aud worker 
brood, and royal cell with princess, it has, with the addition of 
Hjlbs. of bees and feeding, made a little stock. As soon as 
the parent-hive was unstopiped, the workers threw out, in 
the cour.so of two or throe hoims, between six and seven \ 
ounces of drones. No honey has been taken from this 
hive, 1^ Ib.s. bees ivas added 24th August, and it weighed, 
1st September, 12} lbs., or a little more than one-half of 
what it weighed 1st Sepitember, 1851. The swarm. No. 4, 
was taken up 24th August, and yielded Tibs, honey. 
No 2 sent out, 3d July, a swarm weighing 4} lbs. Drone 
ejection was piroceeded with, as in the three cases above- 
named, with great rapidity. Hemoved side-combs, 30th 
