August 20.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
339 
Wine may be made from almost any fruit, also from ginger 
and parsnips, but the three I have now given are, I think, 
the easiest as well as the cheapest to make of any. Ginger 
wine is very wholesome if taken as a medicine, but it is too 
heating to be useful as a constant beverage. 
A Friend. 
WINTERING BEES. 
Among the memorabilia of the year which I have preserved 
in my note-book, I find the notice of an interview which I 
had on the 2nd of May with that veteran in apiarian science, 
Dr. Bevan. On that day he did me tire honour to pay me a 
visit at my cottage, in consequence of a correspondence 
which I had with him relative to the subject of the burial of 
hives in winter. Yom' readers will, I am sure, be glad to hear, 
that he then appeared hale and hearty; and bore the weight 
of eighty years with cheerfulness and dignity. In proof of 
his activity of mind, he told me, that he had been busied of 
late in preparing a lecture on bees, to be delivered before 
some society' in Hereford. Our intercourse originated in a 
desire on my part to be more particularly informed, touching 
a curious experiment which both himself and his friend Dr. 
Dunbar (living in Scotland) had successfully tried some 
years ago with a couple of hives buried in the ground, at a 
depth of two feet—the one for four months, the other for 
three. The former, which weighed at the latter end of 
November 37 lbs., was found to have diminished only 2 lbs. 
in weight, when on the 1st of April following it was resus¬ 
citated. The bees, too, were in good health ; and at once, on 
being restored to light and liberty', set to work with all vigour, 
as if nothing had happened. This hive had a tube of ^ inch 
bore inserted at the entrance “ brought above ground with a 
curved extremity',” and communicating with the open air. This 
experiment was repeated (I suppose in the same manner) 
the following year by Dr. Bevan; the only precaution which 
he (as well as Dr. D.) used, being, as lie informed me by 
letter, to “ give the hive a light covering of straw, to prevent 
the super-ambient earth from coming in close contact with 
the hive.” It was dug out on the loth of March, having 
been buried “ as soon as the frost had fairly set in in 
December.” The bees in this, as in the former case, were 
found to be in good health, with stores reduced in v'eiglit by 
about 411). He told me afterwards that this hive “ continued 
vigorous for several years.” Of Dr. D’s, he heard nothing 
subsequent to its disinterment. 
Now, in this account is to be observed the very great dif¬ 
ference in the consumption of honey in these two hives: 
that buried four months decreased only two pounds in 
weight, while that interred three months lost as much as 
four pounds. If the latter were the usual result of the expe¬ 
riment, I would hardly recommend the trial of it in prefer¬ 
ence to any other plan of wintering bees—at least, my 
note-book tells me that my two box hives lost in the same 
time last winter very little more, i.e., about five pounds 
a-piece, as they stood in my window with a S. W. aspect. 
But if Dr. Dunbar’s statement be correct, and the result as 
a usual thing inclines to the figure which he shows, it really 
becomes a matter of importance to ascertain vdietlier success 
would generally attend a more extensive adoption of this 
plan. Dr. B. did not repeat the experiment, because he has 
not since had any hives ( cottage hives) which he could have 
buried ; his apiary consisting of hopes worked on the depriv¬ 
ing system. 
A more extraordinary fact, however (if fact it really is), 
connected witli this subject, appeared in the same number 
of the “Hereford Times" which contained Dr. Bevan’s 
remarks. The editor of that paper has not furnished his 
readers with the name of the individual who professes to 
have verified this singular experiment, nor indeed is there 
any signature of any kind to the paper. It runs thus 
(speaking of two somewhat different experiments) : — 
“ The first experiment was made on two hives in the 
autumn of 1831—32; the quantity of honey in each hive 
having been ascertained, as near as circumstances would 
permit. Both hives were then placed on a stone floor in an 
open shed, and were covered over with leaves to the depth of 
about two feet. Here they remained for five months, and 
were then extricated (there arc no dates specified). On 
examination the bees presented an appearance as if dead, and 
no perceptible diminution had'taken place in the honey. The 
day being very fine they were removed to a warm situation. 
Only a few minutes elapsed before they presented the anima¬ 
tion of a midsummer swarm " ! 
Now, strange as this may seem, I can as readily believe, 
that bees, which apparently die of foul or exhausted air, will 
come to life again on restoration to the light of day, as that 
they, as well as other insects which have been for a long 
time immersed in water or other liquids, will recover life 
under similar circumstances. In either case there is a mere 
suspension of animal life. But to continue— 
“ One of the hives swarmed on the 28th of May, the other 
on the 8th of June, the same season. To test the practi¬ 
cability of this system of wintering bees, 26 hives were sub¬ 
jected to the same treatment the following autumn, and two 
were entirely divested of their honey and comb before being 
buried; all of them existed during the winter without any 
provision whatever (!!) and ever since, this plan of preserving 
bees during winter has been practised with eminent suc¬ 
cess.” 
Now, if this be only true, it is a secret of the very highest 
importance to every bee-keeper to be acquainted with; for, 
in such case, the keeping of bees must be a most profitable 
concern, and there can be next to no loss in it. It is a 
marvel to me, however, that such a secret should be so little 
known. I confess myself to he somewhat incredulous as to 
the truth of this story. Yet such a statement would hardly 
have been permitted by the editor of a respectable paper 
to find its way into his columns without his having some 
assurance of the truth and authenticity of the statement. 
At all events, be it true or false, I am disposed not to let the 
matter rest until I have tried the experiment myself. Will 
any of the numerous, intelligent, and curious apiarians who 
read your pages join with me in giving these different 
systems of wintering bees a fair trial ? If it be done on a 
large scale —if a dozen or more individuals would be mag¬ 
nanimous enough to sacrifice, if need be, one, two, three, or 
more hives a piece, the thing would be set at rest for ever ; 
and if successful, we should have the merit of effecting a 
most wholesome and important revolution in apiarian eco¬ 
nomics, which would, indeed, deserve for us “ the thanks of 
everj' apiarian in the kingdom.” 
It would be necessary to take careful notes in writing of tho 
date and manner of interment, the quality of the soil, tho 
situation and aspect of the cemetery, the weight of the hives, 
as well as the state of the weather at the time of interment, 
and the character of the after winter, at the same time 
noting the peculiarity of the experiment. It would be of 
importance, also, to ascertain as nearly as possible the age 
and pedigree of every queen, as an assistance in accounting 
for casualties which may occur. To insure uniformity and 
prevent mistakes, I will draw up a sort of scheme or form 
to be filled up, and returned to me in.the spring, which may 
be had from the Editor of The Cottage Gardener, who 
will, I dare say, kindly undertake to forward it to any one 
who may apply for it. Progress might be reported and 
notes compared after the 1st of April, and towards the close 
of the next honey season in July; each person verifying 
his share in the experiment by appending his or her signa¬ 
ture to the paper, the purport of which might be printed in 
The Cottage Gardener. In order to make the difficulty 
in the way of expense or sacrifice less formidable I would 
suggest that, if it be proposed to inter weighty and valuable 
hives, they should be buried according to Dr. Bevan’s and 
1 >r. Dunbar’s plan, by which the hazard would probably be 
less. As for the other experiments, it would be easy to 
make cheap bargains with cottagers for late but populous 
casts (not for poor stocks —these probably would have an old 
queen, and be useless from other causes) ; or why not unite 
the population of such doomed hives together, according to 
the plan suggested by me in a former paper, feeding them 
plentifully for a week or two, till the first frost presented an 
opportunity for interring them. It would be well for them 
to have some comb—of course the more the better—and to 
have some bee-bread and food also (say 0 or 8 lbs weight), 
if only that they might start well in spring. If any of your 
readers have ever tried one or other of these systems of 
wintering bees, or any other unusual method, the testimony 
