THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Masch 12, 1861. „ 350 
be more valued on that account; for, on the other hand, it is 
more ungainly in appearance, and the eara are more difficult to 
get into a proper position—in faet, it ia impossible to make 
perfect lops of Horn-lops cither by capping or stitching. 
Stitching is sometimes practised by fanciers—that is, the ear 
is placed in the required position and stitched to the side of the 
face and allowed to remain so for a week, when the stitch is 
drawn ; but the cap is much the best. 
In colour, form, and size, the Jforn-lop resembles the other 
varieties of the Ldp-eared Rabbit.—R. S. S. 
(Zb be continued.) 
FLOUR AS A SUBSTITUTE FOE POLLEN, 
ITS USE AND ABUSE. 
I PERUSED the interesting articles in your columns last spring 
on the substituting of flour as an artificial food for bees. The 
idea was new to me; but from its feasibility I was induced to 
try the experiment, and found it much more practicable than I 
had anticipated. A few flat pan3 wore provided, into which the 
flour was put, and placed at a distance of about twelve yards 
from the hives, in the locality where the bees in the spring are 
accustomed to come for water which is constantly supplied them 
when required : consequently they readily found their way to the 
pans containing the flour, and within an hour some of the 
stronger hives were as busy going in with their pollen as if the 
flowers had been all in blossom. 
After various trials with various sorts of flour, it was dis¬ 
covered -that they decidedly gave the preference to the finest 
pea-meal mixed with about onc-tliird of fine flour, and sprinkled 
with a little water. 
As the spring was somewhat advanced before the trial above 
mentioned was made, it was not necessary to continue it long, 
and it was discontinued as soon as a supply of farina could be 
got from the ordinary sources, but during the time which the bees 
were supplied with the flour they seemed to work with a3 much 
energy as at other times. 
Being anxious to ascertain the use they specially made of it, 
[ found on examination that they were applying it for the 
iouble purpose of ceiling up their young brood, and also storing 
t away as bee-bread, a fresh supply of which at this season of 
he year must be advantageous to the hives artificially fed with 
*yrup. 
Having thus stated what we consider the favourable view of 
lupplying the bees with artificial pollen, it is but right to state 
hat we believe that the supply should be limited, as, if they are 
applied with it very liberally, in the end it will prove more 
njurious than beneficial. 
In the experiment referred to above there were sixteen hives 
ed indiscriminately. One of the number, from the avidity with 
vhich the bees went to work, probably took in as much as any 
'tlier six, and thus supplied them3elves with a store beyond 
resent consumption; and although it swarmod early and did 
/■ell in the beginning of the summer, yet the result was, that 
he combs, although new, were overrun with an excess of mites, 
uch as I have never observed in any other, and suppose this to 
j entirely attributable to an over-supply of the flour.—J. S. 
BEES BEGINNING TO COLLECT POLLEN. 
Your correspondent, “A Renfrewshire Bee-keeper,” quite 
stonished me with the information that his bees were busy 
Electing pollen so early as February 3rd ; his locality being two 
undred miles north of mine, and there not being the least pro¬ 
ability of mine commencing for some time to come, as the spring 
owers are only just making their appearance. 
The earliest date I ever knew them to commence carrying 
ollen in was the 25th of February, 1859—an early season ; and 
lis was from the willows, which will probably not be in flower 
.r several weeks from this date (March 1st). 
As respects the effects of frost, both your Devonshire corre- j 
jondent and “A Renfrewshire Bee-keeper” appear to have 
leaped much better than I, or others, in this locality; where 
le reply to my inquiry frequently is, “ all dead,” “ only one 
4ft,” &c., two or three hives living being a remarkable exception. ! 
Iiill Jn my own case I had the vexation of discovering four hives j 
igU>ad out of seven; two of those dead being very strong in the j 
fitumn, one of them not having swarmed last year. The cause 
If the mortality appears to have been the liquifying of the food, ! 
(of which they had a considerable quantity), by the frost, as it 
appeared to have run down the combs in streams; and it is a 
remarkable circumstance that nine-tenths of the filled cells were 
not sealed, and the contents of a very dark filthy appearance, a3 
unlike good honey as possible.—A Nobth-Staffokdshirk Bee- 
KEEPER. 
HACKLES, AVAUNT! 
When I read your Renfrewshire correspondent’s phillippic, 
and his method of getting up the straw-hackles (page 296), like 
Robert Bloomfield on hearing of the translation of his “ Farmer’s 
Boy” into Latin, I was tempted to exclaim— 
“ Iley, Giles! in what new garb art dress’d? 
For lads like you methinks a bold one; 
I’m glad to see thee so caress’d; 
Jiut, hark ye ! don’t despise your old one. 
Thou ’rt not the first by many a boy 
Who ’ ve found abroad good friends to own ’em ; 
Then, in such coats have shown their joy, 
E’en their own fathers have not known ’em.” 
Notwithstanding my unlucky flash having drawn your Renfrew¬ 
shire correspondent’s “thunder plump” upon my venturesome 
head, I cannot forego the evidence of my senses; for, in almost 
every instance where I have come in contact with the “hackles 
of our ancestors,” I have found them — through neglect, of 
course,—most abominable things; and it was from witnessing 
their repeated ill effects which led me to consider whether I 
could adapt a hive which would encourage me to recommend the 
discontinuance of coverings, which, nine times out of ten, their 
owners allow to become aged and filthy, and prejudicial to the 
bees. Your Renfrewshire correspondent has complained more 
than once, and severely condemned the blue Titmouse on account 
of the poor little fellow’s attacks on his bees, and he informs us 
that he manufactures his hackles from “good oat sheaves.” 
Now, Titmice, (Parus major and P. coeruleus) have certainly a 
weakness for insects and oats, and where would they more 
naturally expect to find them, or more eagerly search for them, 
than in good oat straw, and, in default, will feel no objection 
to the bee-sentinels which are on the qui vive to know what the 
tappings are all about? 
No birds are destroyed on these premises. Their name is legion, 
and we have the species of Titmouse in numbers, which we con¬ 
sider our most useful and interesting feathered friends. I never 
saw them attack the bees, and it could not have escaped my 
notice if such had been the case; though I very much suspect, 
if the hives were enveloped in hackles, this latitude would be 
quite sufficiently north for me to complain of the breed if not of 
the mice also. We really appear here to live upon the edges of 
all the cycloids; it is a spot where a connoisseur of the winds 
might revel in continued observations, and fairly box the compass. 
If I felt ever so much inclined to use the hackles, I dare not do 
so. I should evidently arise some morning to find them blown 
either into the lake in Blenheim Park for the admiration of the 
swans, or into the streets of Woodstock, to the delectable satis¬ 
faction of the inhabitants. Even my “thunder plump3” I am 
obliged still further to secure by laying heavy pieces of old 
sculptured stone mouldings upon them. 
Whatever compensative merits my bee-keeping may have over 
other systems, or whether I am right or wrong in what I am about 
to write in some following papers, it will be the result of my own 
management, not a grand climacteric or a learned disquisition. 
Whatever may be thought wrong by more experienced hands, I 
shall feel happy to have it pointed out, and to rectify it if 
possible. I well know that bee-keeping may be made to become 
as expensive an affair as keeping racehorses; but, simplicity of 
arrangement and construction are the objects I have sought and 
still seek to obtain, knowing that, in all improvements, the most 
perfect is that which is reduced to the simplest plan; and when it 
is found to be successful, the result is then fit for recommendation. 
Suffice it now to say, in answer to Mr. Fox, my bees are in 
perfect health and activity, and so are also those of two other 
persons in this town which are kept on my system, and who 
adopted the hives I recommended to them last year: the winter 
at present has had no ill effects on the stocks, and they have 
been merely sheltered with the milk-pans. I have been searching 
the villages round in order to send you a report of our bee 
disasters and prospects, and the result gleaned from eleven 
apiaries is as follows :— 
No. 1*.—Ten stocks, common hives ; one remains alive. 
No. 2f.—Ten stocks ; six alive, five weak ; one strong on my 
plan with pan only. 
