350 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
and daughters of toil and of affliction. Endless and diversi¬ 
fied indeed are the various forms of what are called gardens 
in and near towns, until we arrive at almost the last and 
humblest link in the horticultural chain,—that dismal spot, 
half garden and half drying-ground, where nought rises 
from the ground hut a few patches of grass, overshadowed 
by those “ hanging woods ” called drying-posts. 
Who can forget, as he walks along the streets of a city, 
how often his thoughts are unexpectedly recalled to other 
scenes by the sight of a few flowers growing in pots, or 
bulbous roots is phials of water, fondly cherished by those 
who have no garden at all ? Who has not seen in the 
filthiest parts of a town the inmates of attics 
“ overhead 
Suspend their crazy boxes, planted thick 
And watered duly. There the pitcher stands, 
A fragment; and the spoutless teapot there : 
Sad witnesses how close-pent man regrets 
The country ; with what ardour he contrives 
A peep at nature, when he can no more.” 
We must not, however, in our hasty view of the various 
links in our chain, pass over one of them, though lowly, yet 
much cherished by the readers of this little work—the cot¬ 
tage garden. Here, as in a mirror, we may read with toler¬ 
able accuracy the owner's character. If it be well laid out, 
well fenced, well drained, well cultivated, how loudly it speaks 
of his industry and skill. If it be all devoted to cabbages 
and potatoes, it proclaims the master one who leaves all to 
nature, bestowing the least possible quantity of his own exer¬ 
tions on it. If it be a garden of flowers only, it marks im¬ 
providence. If it be all fruits and vegetables, it marks a too 
calculating spirit, which forgets that some of the fair flowers 
of nature may inspire an air of comfort, and bestow as much 
of ornament as God permits; whilst a few well selected herbs 
of medicinal qualities afford a simple remedy for many of the 
ailments and wounds of humble life ; whilst footpaths neg¬ 
lected, and doors and gates dilapidated, speak of idle habits 
and ill-conducted children. The bee-hive, that emblem of 
industry and source of a poor man’s wealth, should always 
find a place in his garden, where flowers would thereby bring 
back a reward in golden treasures. 
The cottager sometimes, with the best intentions, errs in 
undertaking too large a garden, forgetting that his time and 
labour are usually his master’s property, and that a very 
small portion of ground ought to engage his moments of 
leisure, which, as well as his hours of toil, belong (for bodily 
refreshment) to the earthly master whom God has placed 
over him; always excepting that day on which he is charged 
to do “ no manner of work.” 
We have particularised, as far as our limits will permit, 
the varieties of garden ground which conduce to man’s health 
or wealth upon the soil; and wo have also cursorily alluded 
to the “ crazy boxes ” and “spoutless tea-pots ” suspended in 
mid-air in the name of gardening. But man’s unextiuguish- 
able love for the pursuit is carried with him to the very sur¬ 
face of the sea. In proof of this, let any one sail down the 
Thames, or into Portsmouth, or any other harbour, and 
there, from the very windows aud port-holes of the shipping, 
whether homeward-bound, outward-bound, or at auclior, still 
the “ crazy boxes,” &c., present themselves in every variety, 
in evidence that even many waters cannot drown our inhe¬ 
rent love for vegetable life. 
Having traced this natural and innocent feeling over earth, 
and air, and water, we still find the name of garden adopted, 
as expressive of beauty, where no vegetable life remains. 
When the botanist, has ransacked every part of the habitable 
globe in collecting rare specimens of dried fruits, flowers, 
herbs, seeds, leaves, reeds, and mosses, and has arranged 
them in scientific order in glass cases, from want of a more 
expressive name, he calls the collection a “ Hortus siccus,” 
or dry garden —and there is something both poetical and 
beautiful in the idea. 
When Noah was anxiously awaiting his release from the 
arli, how joyfully must ho have recognised the olive branch 
presented to him, as a fit emblem of the goodness of God in 
permitting him to return to a world, once more to be beauti¬ 
fied by fruits and flowers, and trees and herbage, some 
springing spontaneously into perfection, but others (to 
remind man ever of his “fall”) procurable only by “ the 
sweat of his brow.” 
[September 5. 
May we not say that the earth itself is one vast garden, 
nourished and tended by the Hand Divine ? What a field 
for thought, for adoration, and praise, is the simple cottage 
garden! 
HISTORY OF AN APIARY. 
Let me say a few words more on the subject of.my last I 
communication, before I pass on to my report of this year’s 
res yest.ee in my apiary. In recommending the adoption of 
the plan there proposed of increasing a stock of bees, let 
me not be misunderstood. I do not propose it either as a 
cheaper or a better plan than the good and old-fashioned 
method, by purchase of swarms in May or June. It has too 
much of hazard to be generally recommended, requiring, as 
it does, perpetual attention during the feeding-time. I would j 
advise none but amateur apiarians, who make it their hobby 
and amusement to keep bees, to undertake it. Few persons 
in active business would have the necessary leisure, or the 
inclination, to carry it through with perseverance. And it is 
very little less expensive than would be the purchase of a 
prime swarm in the height of the season. I speak, of 
course, according to my own experience, for I do not pretend 
to specify the minimum quantity or the precise quality of the 
food requisite to ensure the success of the experiment. I 
simply recommend the plan (as I have tried it myself) for 
the amusement and interest which attends it,—an interest 
which is earned on so much later than is usual in some 
localities. For instance, in my own neighbourhood no ad ¬ 
dition is made to bee stores after July is over. From this 
time my hives cease to interest me : the drones are killed ; 
the bees become remiss ; the temperature of the hive sinks 
many degrees ; and the weight diminishes gradually day by 
day. In places, however, where ling and heather abound, or 
other late blooming plants, it is very different; then from 
5 to 20 lbs. of honey may yet be gathered. No strict rule, 
therefore, can be laid down; but when the circumstances of 
a locality are similar to those of my own, I do highly recom¬ 
mend my plan to all who love bees and their interesting 
habits. Only let them be careful to feed regularly and 
liberally , to use good and wholesome beer as an ingredient in 
the syrup, and to keep their bees as warm as possible the 
while. To this I add,-—-the more bees the better ; the stronger 
and fuller the hives whose population is saved, the greater the 
chance of success. To those who can meet all these requi¬ 
sites, I can promise a due reward and great gratification. 
And now to resume the long-suspended story of my second 
start in bee-keeping. You will be curious to know the ulti¬ 
mate fate of my various stocks, and the results of my pro¬ 
jected experiments, as spoken of when I first had the 
honour, in January last, to communicate with you on the 
subject. It has been a very busy year with me, and not, on 
the whole, an unsuccessful one, although in general, in this 
as in other localities, there are sad complaints among the 
cottagers of the unkindliness of the season. 1 should say 
however, that but for the evil spring and the ignorance of 
those said cottagers as to some of the mysteries of bee¬ 
keeping, to which I alluded in a former paper, the season 
has been, in this part of the country at least, an average good 
one. My stock, “ A,” for instance, which I plundered rather 
too freely, as you doubtless thought at the time, and which I 
really feared had begun to perish in March, is now as strong 
a stock as I could wish. I took from it a beautiful bell- 
glass containing RJlbs. of perfectly pure honeycomb, on the 
loth July, and a second, containing 2 lbs., on the 0th inst., 
besides 8 lbs. equally pure from the side-box, on the 19th 
July. This stock, therefore, has yielded me this year in all 
I lbs., and I shall be careful not to touch the contents of 
the stock-box, as I did foolishly last October, though its 
weight is at least 30 lbs. I doubt whether I should have 
reared it, but for a judicious supply of food in March and 
April, when the weather was sufficiently warm to tempt the I 
bees up into my feeder, and for the addition to them, on the 
5th of April, of about 1000 bees taken from another hive. 
The second hive (B) was veiy strong in February and I 
March—as strong as any of my others; but its population I 
seems to have been larger than the supply of food, lor they 
perceptibly, though gradually, fell off in numbers till the | 
beginning of June, when they rallied, and have thriven well 
since. On the 10th of that month the weight of the hive 
