October 21. 
THE COTTAGE GAEDENER. 
40 
CONFINHSTG BEES. 
It is a very singular coincidonce, that the hive from which 
a number of drones were brought out dead, became queen¬ 
less, as well as Nos.2 and 10, of “B.B." Its history confirms 
the opinion of “ A Country Curate,” that the death of the 
drones was not the cause of the subsequent misfortune. 
The drones were brought out Jmie Kith, and the hive 
swarmed on the 10th, and it is very certain that the old 
queen would not have left the hive unless the royal larvaj 
had been in a satisfactory state of progress. 
Piping was listened for at the usual period, hut in vain. 
Neither was a young queen seen, and as the hive appeared 
weak and dispirited on the 0th July, the combs were taken 
up on the bars and examined. Neither queen nor brood 
being found, a young queen was introduced, and then the 
hive revived, and on the .’ith of August it contained a large 
quantity of brood, being then sent to the moors ; it is now 
(Sept. 11th) working vigorously in a super. This condition 
of these liivcs is not likely to have been caused by the wet 
and windy weather, as young queens do not leave their hive 
unless the weather is fine; how'ever, it is not uncommon for 
a swarming stock to become queenless, and this is not sur¬ 
prising, when w'e consider the risks to which queens are ex¬ 
posed during their frequent excursions. Some instances of 
this have fallen under my observation, and perhaps some of 
the readers of The Cottage Gabdeuee may be able, from 
their experience, to give some information on the subject, 
and also as to what is the immediate effect of a young 
queen’s absence and loss; if it resembles the wild disorder 
(which all bee-keepers must have witnessed) whicli takes 
place when a queen dies in the hive, or is removed after she 
has began to lay eggs. This is a subject of importance, to 
which I have given some attention, and to which I may 
revert, and should also be glad to le.arn any obseiwations 
that have been made on the longevity of queens, whetlier 
they have been traced more than four years, and at what 
season their death usually occiu’s. 
The enquiiy of “ C. It. R.,” .Inly 1st., has just met my 
eye, and I am happy to he .able to answer it. In a hive to 
which I had returned the first swarm, by taking away the . 
old queen, piping commenced on the Htli day, and, as is I 
usual, with the long note, for the earliest nymph being | 
liberated as soon as rflie arrives at maturity, is unable to fly 
for some hours, and the expectant swarm is compelled to 
w'ait. There is always piping as long as there is a plurality 
of nymphs and queens. 
May I suggest that the earthenware-pan described July 
both, will not prove a suitable habitation for bees in winter? 
The non-absorbing quality of the surface will cause great con¬ 
densation of moisture, and the combs will in conse(iucnce 
become mouldy, and the bees probably unhealthy. Could 
not these bees now be joined to No. 2, which is no doubt 
queenless. They might be removed by driring. If a hive 
of the circumference of the pan is not at hand, a bell-glass 
or other vessel might answ^er, by pasting paper over the 
inside, the bees would probably not refuse to ascend, and | 
then the required weight of food might be supplied from 
their owir honey, with a few pounds of sugar. Six pounds 
of sugar will yield 10 lbs. of syrup, and though ale may be 
best, water will answ^er to boil it in, with the addition of the 
rum.— Investigatok. 
THE COCHIN-CHINA FOWL’S REMON¬ 
STRANCE. 
Sir,—I and all our tribe havo bad our courage worked up 
to the crowing point by the boastful crow of tliose Spanish 
and Dorking cocks of yours, that they and their families are 
more prolific, eat less food, and are altogether more valuable 
than we, who have filled so many pockets with the produce 
of our numerous golden eggs. I am deputed by the rest to 
deny that wo are gourmands, and to say that we eat only in 
proportion to our size, and that if their wives produce larger 
eggs, they do not produce so many, nor such rich ones. One 
of our family was hatched in April, 1850, laid early in August, 
continued to lay nine out of eveiy ten days, till Christmas, was 
then broody ten days, laid again in the same ratio till April, 
1851, sat three weeks, was then released of her burden, laid 
in ten days, and so on. Let them produce one of their 
family that has done more. Then look at our little ones, 
how easily reared, while the Spanish tribe are notorious for 
moping when chickens, and for dying by the dozen. And 
compare us in size and beauty; some of my wives weigh 
Olbs., O^lbs., and lOlbs., and even lOJTbs., and several of 
my brethren weighed 13 lbs., and my father was the same 
weight. I am glad you will allow me to crow as well as 
them, and that you do not thrust pieces of wood into my 
nostrils, to prevent my crowing, as do some of the brutes, 
who caU themselves men, when we are on ship-board. 
Enjoying this privilege, as champion for our whole tribe, I 
cballenge “Gallus” to a fair and honourable trial of our 
individual merits, with an ecpial number of each, equal food 
in proportion to weiglit and eggs, .and equality in evi.u-y 
respect. Mind! I mean true Cochins, not mulattos, quad¬ 
roons, etc., for allow me to say, I have travelled much, and 
latterly have been invited to p.ay many visits to professed 
relations, but was sadly surprised and ihsappointed to find 
that tlie relationship was only this—that some gentlemen | 
from Dorking, and other places in SiuTey, had married 
some of my wives’ cousins, and these were their children. 
At other places I saw the descendants of families who only 
came from the snme place as we did. Only think of the. im¬ 
pudence of claiming relationship! As well might every 
ugly cm’ from the Isle of Skye claim to be a Skye terrier. 
Pray, Sir, do what you can to prevent this for the future, or 
I fear these base alliances .and assumptions will quite 
ilestroy our identity. While I am about it. I’ll just ask you 
another favour. Will you try to invent a poultiy exhibition 
man-trap, for I was once in Sturgeon’s prize pen, at Bii- 
mingham, and when half asleep, and half awake, at witching 
time, I think you call it, I was disturbed by the introduction 
of a sly hand into our pen, which withdrew the eggs my 
wives had laid, marked them, and then did the same with 
some other pens ; these I am told were hatched, and thus 
my good master’s breed was abstracted without pay. 
In self-defence, and conscious superiority, I crow defiant, 
C0CK-A-C00DLF,-D0-0-0-O. 
SENDING COCHIN-CHINA FOWLS TO THE 
SHOW. 
Choosing, catching, feeding, preparing baskets, and 
directing them, putting in the chickens, and tying down 
the lids, .all is bustle, and the little cart waiting at the gate. 
The gardener, at iwesent the guardian of the chickens, has 
just won a second prize for flowers. “ Wo must stand first 
this time. Ma’am ; good bye. Miss,” and .away rattles the 
little cart with its astonished burden. The dear little 
chickens, how modest, and how pretty they looked ! How 
bright the yellow ones ! How decided in their markings ; 
and how bright, too, the partridge! And so they started on 
their way, to show their beauty among hundreds of the 
most beautiful in all the eastern counties. Ho they started. 
But how did they come back ? Looking well and hand 
some, perhaps handsomer than ever, change of air seemed 
, to have agreed with them; but-—chickens no longer-—they 
must lord it now; they must have establishments of their 
own ; they can no longer rest contented, placed apart with 
pullets, and with cock birds respectively. WTien let out 
next morning, the pullets—I love the pullets, pretty con¬ 
fiding, tame little creatures—contented themselves with 
fluttering all legs and wings across the long grass, “Hock! 
hock ! hock I there he is,” to where the companions of their 
recent excursion were confined within a network of wii’e, 
and when they found joining company impracticable, re¬ 
turned to eat their breakfast. Not so, the yellow cock. 
'‘Young Giant” he had been called before ho went, when 
he was in the habit of being satisfied if be could get his 
share of the victuals, and avoid the beak of his great red 
brother ; but “ Young Tickle ” is the name he has gained for 
himself since he came back, for lie has heard of prizes 
(and done his jiart towards gaining them, too), he has become 
self-willed and conceited, he will no longer remain with the 
cocks. He can surmount, in his eagerness, the little fence 
which has scarcely ever been surmounted by Cochin-China 
before, and nothing remains but to give my lord an esta- 
