August 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
285 
atcly ascend and join Hie sprinkled ones. Very early 
tlie next morning put the hive in its place. It is very 
desirable to place it precisely in the centre of the 
place they both occupied before tho union. Three 
stocks may bo united in the same manner, and with 
the same success, taking care only to empty in the 
morning those on each side, and make the bees enter 
the middle one in the evening, after it has been 
sprinkled with honey. In this case it is not neces¬ 
sary to remove the one that unites the three families. 
As Mr. Taylor very truly says, “ whether the fumi¬ 
gated hive be new or old, poor or rich in honey, the 
plan of expulsion of the bees is applicable, and that 
with quite as little trouble, expense, danger, or loss 
of time, as by suffocation with brimstone. The bees 
thus preserved in existence are a clear gain to the 
proprietor of so many able and willing labourers, 
eager to enrich him in the early spring, and merely 
transferred to other winter quarters with no extra 
expense of feeding whatever. What, now, can be 
urged in extenuation of a wanton waste of valuable 
life'.’ The plea of necessity no longer avails as an 
excuse for what henceforth becomes an act of deli¬ 
berate folly—perhaps 1 might say wickedness—that 
of killing bees.” 
ft is a most extraordinary fact, that this doubled, 
or trebled, population, will consume no more honey 
(if so much) in the winter as a single one; “ the why 
and the wherefore” of this I leave for others to decide; 
1 am satisfied of the fact. Some persons, reasoning 
from analogy, say that as cattle well housed require 
less food than when exposed to wind and rain, so 
where there are many bees in a hive they can keep 
themselves warm by hanging close together instead 
of eating: so that in a full liive the same quantity 
of honey goes farther than in a weak one, each bee 
eating less. 
Method of Draining Honey from the Combs. 
—Place a sieve, either of hair or canvass, over an 
earthen jar, cut the combs containing honey into 
small pieces, and put them into the sieve ; let them 
be cut in an horizontal direction. It is better to 
slice them twice, that is, at the top and the bottom, 
than in the middle; crushing or pressing should he 
avoided, for, as a portion of brood and bee-bread 
generally remain in the comb, pressure would force 
it through the sieve, and the honey would thereby 
be much injured both in colour as well as flavour. It 
is very desirable to have two sieves, for in every hive 
there will bo two kinds of honey, the one almost 
colourless and line flavoured, found at the sides of 
the hive ; the other dark and not so good, stored in 
tho centre; these should always be kept separate. 
The draining process may occupy, perhaps, two days; 
but the largest quantity, as well as tho best quality, 
will be drained off in three or four hours. The honey 
should be put into jars immediately, and the jars 
fdlcd and tied down with bladder, for exposure to the 
air, even for a few hours, very much deteriorates its 
flavour. 1 may here observe that honey in the combs 
keeps remarkably well if folded in writing paper, and 
sealed up so as to exclude the free entrance of the 
air, and is placed in a dry warm closet. 
Preparation of Wax. —Having drained all the 
honey from the combs, wash these in clean water 
(this liquor, by exposure to the sun and air, will make 
most excellent vinegar); put them in a clean boiler 
with some soft water, simmer over a clear lire until 
the combs are melted, pour a quart or so into a can¬ 
vass bag, wide at the top and tapering downwards, 
like a jelly bag. Hold this over a tub of cold water; 
the boiling liquor will immediately pass away, leav¬ 
ing the liquified wax and the dross in the bag; have 
ready a piece of smooth board of such a length that 
one end may rest at the bottom of the tub, and the 
other end at its top; upon this inclined plane lay 
your reeking bag, but not so as to touch the cold 
water, then, by compressing the bag witli any conve¬ 
nient roller, the wax will ooze through and run down 
the hoard into the cold water, on the surface of which 
it will set in thin flakes. Empty the dross out of the 
bag, and replenish it with the boiling wax, and pro¬ 
ceed as before until it has all been pressed. AVlien 
finished, collect the wax from the surface of the cold 
water, put it into a clean saucepan with very little 
water, melt it carefully over a slow fire, skim off tire 
dross as it rises; then pour it into moulds, or shapes, 
and place them where they will cool slowly. The wax 
may be rendered still more pure by a second melting 
and moulding. 
MY FLOWERS. 
(No. 41.) 
I do not admire marygolds—they do not please my 
fancy ; yet they are gay and rich looking, and at this 
season they enliven the garden with their deep gol¬ 
den flowers. There is an interesting tradition con¬ 
nected with the French and African marygold, from 
which the Italian name, that of “ fior di morto,” or 
death flower, most probably has sprung. They are 
natives of America, and are said to have first ap¬ 
peared on the soil where the blood of the unhappy 
Mexicans flowed so freely, when sacrificed to the 
Spaniards’ thirst for their country’s gold. Although 
in these days of purer light and higher civilization 
such horrors are not known, yet do we not need con¬ 
tinual warnings to guard us against making “ gold” 
our “ hope,” which is equally perilous to the soul ? 
We may “ do no murder,” but we may unwittingly 
worship a god whose name is not “the Lord.” If 
this cottage flower brings this truth sometimes be¬ 
fore our eyes, it will, indeed, be worthy a place in 
every garden, although its colour and scent may not 
please every taste. The French and African mary¬ 
golds are both American in their origin, yet they 
adorn tho gardens of India, Japan, and China, where 
so many far more beautiful flowers abound. The 
African variety was brought into England about the 
year 1578. The common marygold is, I think, a 
prettier flower than these ; it is a native of southern 
Europe, and has long been a useful and favourite 
flower of the cottage. The leaves of the flower used 
formerly to be frequently strewn upon broth to add 
a peculiar flavour, and 1 can still remember the dis¬ 
like which I ever had, as a child, to their taste and 
smell. 
The hollyhock is still blooming, and adding much 
to the beauty of the garden. In large groups, 
among shrubs, this effect is extremely good, and 
the variety of colours enlivens the back ground, and 
brightens the dark mass of evergreens. 11 is a native 
of the glowing east, of the cooler soil of southern 
Europe, and also of the freezing climate of Siberia. 
How rich, and beautiful must its rose-like flowers 
appear among the desolate plains of that dreary land, 
where there is so little to cheer the heart of man ! If 
tho inhabitants of those northern latitudes have any 
j.^ stc for the beautiful things of nature, how they 
‘ list cherish their few flowers, and what a treasure 
m ust the hollyhock bo during their short and liur- 
J .ed summers! A single yellow variety has been 
Vound growing wildly even in Africa—thus remark- 
1 ably connecting tho hottest and tho coldest regions, 
