430 THE COTTAGE GARDENER. March 3. 
tiire of God's wonders in the deep. For two days and nights, 
with sliglit intermissions, we continued thus to battle witli 
tlie waves, until we came alongside the Dudgeon Light, on 
passing wliich, the man on the look-out exclaimed, “ "Why 
you have had a rough time of it.” “Aye, a 3 'e,” said the 
captain; and in another tack or two we were in the Yar¬ 
mouth Roads, .and cast anchor among a fleet of vessels 
which had already taken refuge from tlie boisterous wea¬ 
ther.—S. P., Biishmere. 
ARTIFICIAL SWARMS. 
I A5I sure T ought to have written to you before this, to tell 
you something of my success and otherwise in the apiarian 
department, if only for the gratification of our good friend 
“A Country Curate,” who has so often urged j'our readers 
to send word how they get on, and I wish hhn to know 
the result of my attempt at “ artificial swarming ” during the 
trying summer of last year. I find, from my memorandum- 
book, that the bees in a straw stock-hive (a swarm of IbOl, 
oir the old sj'stem,) began clusteriiig at the hive’s mouth on 
the 6th of June. Not vnshing to lose them, I kept some 
person constantly watching when there was any probability 
of their swarming. On the 8th they came out in greater 
numbers; and one fto me) remarkable circumstance was, 
that I had never seen a single drone during the season, 
though I had watched for them half-an-hour at a time. On 
the 10th, a drone in a state of chrysahs was cast out of tlie 
hive dead. On the 19th they clustered again ; and on the 
20th in greater numbers than before, and remained out all 
the afternoon, and some of them all night. On the 21st 
and 22nd they were still at the old game, and remained 
out during a heavy shower. This was provoking work; and 
on the 23rd I tried to drive tliem into another skep, on the 
plan recommended by “ A Country Curate,” except that I 
made the attempt in the evening. I only got a few to ascend. 
On the 24th I tried again, between seven and eight, a.m., 
but with worse success, though I beat about the sides with 
a long cane for ten or fifteen minutes incessantly, until my 
arms ached again. Now I thought it time to try some neio 
dodye, if perchance I might succeed; so I got some rags 
steeped in a solution of saltpetre, and put a new hive under 
the stock, and fumigated them : some 20,000, or more, fell 
down into it. IVhen they had recovered a little, I took the 
new hive and placed it in the position of the old stock, 
removing the latter eight or ten yards away. However, it 
would seem her majesty had not condescended to accom¬ 
pany this portion of her subjects, for, shortly after, they 
began to leave the new hive in great numbers. They found 
out the old hive, and in two or three hours had all rejoined 
their queen and companions. Finding it was of no use, I 
removed the stock back again to its place, until I should 
decide how to act with these ungovernables. I do not 
believe I lost more than a dozen bees over this experiment. 
I found plenty of drones in the hive to-day, but none of 
them seemed able to fly. On the 2.')th they were out again, 
by half past nine, a.m. ; and on the 2Cth it was the same, 
although it was pouring with rain: they stood it bravely. 
On the 27th, 28th, and 29th, they still pursued the same 
line of conduct, and were, of course, hourly expected to 
depai't. (On the 27th I saw some drones, which were the 
first I had seen in my apiary, leaving a wooden hive.) On 
this day (the 29th) I repeated my former experiment, 
wishing to end the matter; and, in addition to the fumiga¬ 
tion, gave the hive several smart strokes with a stick, hoping 
to dislodge the queen. I then placed them on the old 
stand, and removed the stock to a distance, and made it up 
during the night, it being then between three and four, p.m. 
Finding, on the 30th, that the “ artificial swarm ” seemed 
to take to their new home, and to be going about very con¬ 
tentedly, I set those in the stock at liberty about ten, a.m., 
and found no inconvenience from so doing. On the 4th of 
July they had formed a piece of comb, about the size of my 
hand, and filled it with honey. On the 12th, I took a box 
of honey (a stock box); and finding a quantity of young 
brood in the combs, I put them into a box, and placed the 
“ artificial swarm ” over it, thinking they (the young bees) 
would materially strengthen it. On the 20th, I found 
nearly all the bees in the “swarm” in the bottom box 
nursing the larv'ce, and scarcely any left in them own hive, 
not sufficient to defend it from a host of robber bees which 
surrounded it, and seemed resolved to take the place by 
storm. I narrowed the enti-ance, and at night took the 
bottom hive away, and placed most of the brood comb in 
the straw cap. I am afraid you will find this a very unin¬ 
teresting tale, but I want you to know the end of the matter, 
i On the 2nd of August, thinking all was not right, I ex- 
j amined the artificial swarm, but could neither find a queen, 
' nor any brood in the comb, though I looked them over, 
' almost one by one, three times, yet I could not find her. 1 
looked for her a few days after, but could not find her; and 
on the 31st, both bees and honey seemed to be dwindling 
away, so I joined them to another stock. 
With my box-hive, mentioned before, I had better success. 
I wished to transfer the bees from this plain box into one 
of Taylor’s Bar-hives, and so I put the stock on the top of 
the bar-hive on the 1st of July. They were quite full, and 
I began to work in it directly. On the 6th, they had made 
three guide combs four inches long, and commenced two 
others. As I wished to remove them to the bar-hive stand, 
I began by moving both together a little forward, until I 
got them on an old tub (in a day or two) \n front of their 
old stand. There was a straw stock close by likely to swarm, 
which I wished to prevent, as it was so late in the season, 
and had put the bar triplet under h for that purpose. The 
bar-stock under the box was full of bees when I placed it 
on this tub ; but what was my surprise, when I looked into 
it a short time after, and found it deserted ; and turning to 
the triplet under the straw hive to find it literally crammed 
full of bees! It was evident the bees did not like the 
change, and had gone in a croivd, I should suppose, to the 
other hive, and had overpowered the few bees at the en¬ 
trance, and actually taken 2 >ossession of their bottom hive. 
I took the box away immediately, and compelled the mass 
of bees to quit it. Many of them returned to their own 
hive (now restored to its original position), but many 
clustered at the mouth of the straw hive. I took them away 
by hundreds, and placed them on the ahghting board of 
their own hive, when they immediately entered unmolested, 
and took possession of their former home. I never heard 
of such an instance before. I suppose you would call that 
“ fraternisation.” Well, on the 12th, I took this old wooden 
stock-box by fumigation, and compelled the bees to enter the 
bar-stock. I had to fumigate three times, and brush them 
out with a feather before I could come at the queen. The 
bees were flying about in all directions, evidently at a loss 
for their sovereign. I took her majesty and placed her on 
one side (the box being tilted); the bees seemed to recognise 
her instantly; she was surrounded by them, caressed, fed, 
and led into the hive, and in a few minutes all was quiet 
again. The gross weight of the box taken was 40 lbs. It 
weighed 24J lbs. on the 0th of May. On the 20th of July 
I weighed the bar-hive I had driven the robbed bees into, 
and found it weighed 35 lbs. The bees were admitted on 
the 1st, confined to it altogether on the 12th ; and thus the 
net weight of bees and honey collected in twenty days 
was 18 lbs. 
I will conclude this subject, which I hope will, at least, 
amuse our good apiarian friend “A Country Curate,” by 
saying, that having saved last year a quantity of seed of the 
favourite bee-flower, “ Melilotus leucautha,” if any of your 
readers who are bee-keepers wish to be supplied with it, 
and will send me a directed and stamped envelope, I will 
return it to them with some of the seed. It is sown in April, 
and tlie second year grows eight or nine feet high, and is a 
mass of flower. I got the seed originally from Dublin, 
through the kindness of Mr. McGlashan; and now 1 wish 
to give to any other amateur the opportunity of possessing | 
himself of this excellent bee-flower.—J. 11. Jessop, Governor, i 
Sculcoates Union, Hull. 
HOT-WATER BOTTLES IN A SMALL 
CONSERVATORY. 
I HAVE often noticed that our friends, Alessrs. Beaton | 
and Company, advocate the use of bottles of hot-water in 
small glass structm'es, but never thought of employing them 
