40 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER 
[April 18. 
nature," as Nutt calls it, was instantly placed over the mouth 
of the hive, and a sheet twisted into a loose kind of rope was 
hastily adjusted to the points of junction of the hive and box, 
as accurately as could be managed, so as to prevent the egress 
of the bees. As soon as this was tolerably well arranged, 
the gardener, sitting on a low stool, set briskly to work tap¬ 
ping with light sticks against the sides of the reversed hive; 
in a very few moments it was evident by the loud hum that 
the whole population was thoroughly aroused. Instead, 
however, of yielding to our requisition, we soon became 
aware that the bees had courage to defend their homes, and 
to stand by their queen ; for, owing to the crevices between 
the hive and the, box not having been stopped up with suffi¬ 
cient care—a difficult thing to do, as the one was round and 
the other angular—the infuriated insects issued forth in 
crowds, while the light of the moon pointed out to them their 
assailants. Then came a curious scene. The first to de¬ 
camp were the female assistants, each literally with “ a bee 
in her bonnet.” The gardener followed next, after haring 
stood his ground right manfully for awhile, in spite of seve¬ 
ral stings. T, too, though as yet unharmed, seeing small 
hope of success, and opportunely recollecting that old pro¬ 
verb, “ He that fights and runs away,” <fcc., had retreated in 
good time; so that hitherto the bees had the best of it. 
Again we returned to the charge, and were again repulsed; 
as the cloth became unfastened and gave way altogether, 
leaving to the bees a free passage, who were soon flying about 
in all directions. What now was to be done ? The evening 
clearly was lost to us, and we must tiy again some other 
time, or give it up. 
After letting the bees settle, I gently took the box away 
from the hive and rested it upon the old stool, while the 
gardener conveyed the hive itself to a distant part of the 
garden. There were many bees in both, and it seemed 
doubtful as to which the queen had chosen for a place of 
refuge. Curious to know the result of our efforts of the 
evening before, I was up betimes the next morning. The 
sun was already warm, and its rays were fierce throughout 
the day ; while my poor bees, whom I cordially pitied, were 
passing and repassing from hive to box, and from box to hive, 
in great apparent disquietude. The ground, too, was strewed 
with many corpses, who had fallen bravely in battle the night 
before. As soon as evening came—most of them haring re¬ 
turned to the hive, from which it was evident that the queen 
mother had not been dislodged—we resumed our efforts to 
transfer them to the box, but with no better success; though 
this time I applied the octagonal cover of Nutt’s boxes to 
the hive, which, having a broad external base, was better 
fitted to confine the bees. None accordingly escaped ; but 
tap as we might the queen would not ascend. Doubtless 
she and her subjects were congregated together beneath the 
ledge, presented by the base of the cover, there not being a 
clear and uninterrupted ascent into it, which is absolutely ne¬ 
cessary to insure the success of the driving scheme. Very 
much disappointed at my repeated failure, I was again 
obliged to retire for the evening, heartily repenting of my 
scheme, and wishing I had let my bees alone. Again they 
were left till morning, when, haring determined on a forcible 
ejection at all hazards, the gardener and I visited the scene 
of action, carefully protected by canvas screens, for the face 
and neck, and leather gloves. The sun had but just risen, 
aud the bees were still dormant when the operation began. 
Discarding the square boxes, which had given us so much 
trouble, I took a common hive (the diameter of which at the 
base corresponded with the diameter of the old stock) and 
placed it carefully upon the reversed hive, which was poised 
in a pail as before ; a cloth also was twisted about it, and 
the hive tapped. On this occasion we succeeded beyond ex¬ 
pectation in the attainment of our object, as, after a very few 
minutes, the queen and the major part of her subjects had 
ascended into the upper hive. After a brief interval, this 
was taken off and placed upon a table at hand, while the I 
bees which still adhered to the combs of the old hive were 
swept off with a goose feather. The combs were next cut 
out of the old hive on the spot, and removed quickly into an 
empty room at some distance from the garden. Of course 
during this operation the bees were very angry, but our de¬ 
fences were proof against their stings, though we were sur¬ 
rounded and attacked by thousands of them. 
So far I had succeeded in dislodging the bees from their 
old dwelling, but much remained to be done, and I was 
sorely puzzled to know how I should get them into the box 
destined for their final location. As there were many bees 
who still resorted to the box, attracted doubtless by the 
honey with which it had been smeared, it struck me that, 
perhaps, if I suddenly shook the swarm out of the empty 
hive hi front of the boxes, the heat of the sun would compel 
them to seek a refuge, and so that they might all resort to 
the box with which they had become partially acquainted two 
evenings before, and where some of them were still to be 
found. It was so done accordingly by a rude blow on the 
outside of the hive, and the bees fell out instantly in a body 
to the ground, where they soon congregated in a lump about 
their beloved queen. Oveijoyed at seeing this, I quickly 
placed the octagonal cover (it ought to have been the centre 
box) partly over them, so as to shelter them from the sun, 
elevating it on one side with fi stone from the ground. 
Attracted by the friendly shade, the whole swarm, to my 
great joy, put itself in motion, and quickly crept into the 
cover. Towards evening, as soon as the bees were quiet, 1 
lifted it gently from the ground and placed it over the centre 
box, at the same time withdrawing the tin slide, which 
usually closes the communication between the cover and the 
box. Here, then, at last my long cherished wishes were 
gratified, and I had the inexpressible pleasure of seeing my 
bees safely housed—deprived of a comfortable home it is 
true, and of all their stores, but with much of the heath 
season before them, and, as I flattered myself, a careful 
master to boot. How it fared with them shall be told in due 
season. A Country Curate. 
EXTRACTS EROM CORRESPONDENCE. 
Mushrooms. —The year before last I gathered a great 
number of mushrooms upon my asparagus beds, but last 
year there was notone to be seen, although the beds received 
similar treatment to the year before, excepting that I sowed 
salt over them last year for the first time. If, as Mr. Brow¬ 
nell states, salt is an article capable of producing mushrooms 
when applied to grass lands, why, may I ask, should it not 
have the same effect when sown on asparagus beds ?—J. Y. M. 
[We cannot say why salt should not excite mushrooms 
into growth upon an asparagus bed as well as upon a pasture, 
if the mushroom spawn was there. Forking an asparagus bed, 
and exposure to frost, will effectually prevent mushrooms 
appearing a second year.—E d. C. G.] 
Since the above was written we have received the following 
from a Hampshire clergyman :— 
“ Mr. Brownell’s letter respecting ‘ Mushrooms,’ which i 
appeared in your paper of March 21st, surprised me as much i 
as it seems to have done you; and, as you invite any who | 
happens to have had experience on the subject to contribute 
it, I beg to inform you that in the winter of 1847 I sowed 
some acres of pasture land with common salt, and have not 
seen, I think, a single mushroom since, whereas before the 
application of this saline dressing, some few mushrooms at 
least might be expected at the proper season.”—J. T. P. 
Flower Garden Plans. —It is with much pleasure that I 
find, on reading your number of ilst March, that Mr. Beaton 
lias given us an example, of the manner which he approves 
of laying out a flower-garden of limited extent. Now, as one ' 
example is better than 100 pages of letterpress devoted to 
the principles of the art in a general way, I trust we shall 
again be favoured with other and more varied designs. 
Having said thus much in approbation of Mr. Beaton's 
bringing an example before us, I hope to give no offence by 
differing from him in almost all that relates to the design 
which he seems to laud so much; very possibly my taste 
may be bad, or the divisions into which he says the triangles 
