THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, September 20, 1859. 
377 
Hamburgh (Silver-pencilled).—First and Second, J. Dixon, Bradford. 
Chickens. —Prize, J. Dixon. 
Polands (Black).—First, J. Dixon, Bradford. Second, T. Battye, Holm- 
bridge, near Huddersfield. Chickens. —First, T. Battye. Second, J. 
Dixon, Bradford. 
Polands (Golden-spangled).—First and Second, J. Dixon, Bradford. 
Chickens. —Prize, J. Dixon. 
Polands (Silver-spangled). — First and Second, J. Dixon. Bradford. 
Chickens. —First, J. Dixon. Second, Rev. J. Bowden, Thurgoland 
Parsonage. 
Game (White and Piles).—Prize, J. Crossland, jun., Wakefield. Chickens. 
—First, J. Wilcoek, Thurgoland, near Sheffield. Second, M. Ridgway, 
Dewsbury. 
Game (Black-breasted and other Reds).—First, Noble and Tneson, Stain- 
cliffe. Second, T. Dobbs, Ovenden, Halifax. Chickens. —First, J. Dixon. 
Second, H. Hibblethwrite, Holmfirth. 
Game (Blacks and Brassy-winged except Greys).—First, S. Schofield, 
Heekmondwike. Second, J. Crossland, Wakefield. Chickens. —First and 
Second, Noble and Ineson. 
Game (Dnckwings and other Greys, &c.).—First, Noble and Ineson. 
Second, J. Crossland. Chickens. —Pirst, T. Dodds, Ovenden, Halifax. 
Second, i. Crossland. 
Bantams (White).—First, J. Crossland, Wakefield. Second, S. Schofield. 
Bantams (Black).—First, J. Dixon. Second, M. Ridgway, Dewsbury. 
Bantams (Gold and Silver-laced)..—Prize, J. Dixon, Bradford. 
Bantams (any other variety).—First and Second, J. Thornton, Heck- 
mondwike, near Leeds. 
Any other distinct breed.— First and Second, W. D. Hemshall, Hud¬ 
dersfield. Chickens. —First, M. Ridgway, Dewsbury. Second, Rev. J. 
Bowden, Thurgoland Parsonage. 
Guinea Fowls. —First, W. D. Hemshall. Second, H. Carter. 
Ducks (Aylesbury).—First. Rev. J. Bowden, Thurgoland Parsonage. 
Second, M. Thompson, Dewsbury. 
Ducks (Rouen).—First, S. Pickard. Second, Rev. J. Bowden. 
Geese. —First, J. Dixon. Second, J. Fawcett, Wakefield. 
Turkeys. —First, J. Fawcett. Second, G. Wentworth, Woolley Park. 
Judges. —Mr. Hutchinson, York ; Mr. Jos. Tuley, Keighley. 
Secretary.—Mr. J. Richardson, jun., Bretton, near Wakefield. 
BEE-KEEPING IN DEVON.—No. XII. 
THE HONEY-HARVEST — EXTRAORDINARY SUCCESS OF THE 
SWARMING SYSTEM — SINGULAR EFFECTS OF EXCESSIVE HEAT 
-ARTIFICIAL SWARMS—-REMOVAL TO THE HEATH AND ITS 
RESULTS—APIS LIGUSTICA. 
The working season having now closed, it is to be hoped that 
many of the apiarian readers of The Cottage Gardener will 
favour us with the results of the honey-harvest, so far as it may 
have come under their observation. In this locality it has 
certainly been by far the best I have ever experienced ; and m one 
instance I have witnessed so great a success under the old swarm¬ 
ing system with common straw-hives, that it deserves to be 
recorded. 
A single stock, about half-a-mile from Exeter, has increased to 
four, the parent hive having swarmed twice, and a swarm having 
issued from the first swarm. At the beginning of August these 
four hives weighed— 
lbs. 
ozs. 
Old stock. 
. 29 
12 
First swarm ...... 
. 37 
0 
Swarm from ditto ..... 
. 34 
8 
Second swarm .. 
. 30 
4 
131 
8 
Deduct weight of hives and floorboards . 
. 26 
8 
Net weight . 
. 105 
0 
The following are the results of my own bee- 
keeping during 
the past- season with four hive3 :— 
No. 1. From this stock an artificial swarm was 
taken 
on the 
25tli May, and placed in a unicomb hive of novel construction,^ 
and which I hope at some future time to have the pleasure of 
describing in the pages of The Cottage Gardener. Both 
parent stock and swarm succeeded admirably until the 7th July, 
when I was unfortunately induced to exhibit them at the Exeter 
Horticultural Society’s Show. Owing to the confinement and 
heat of the weather, the parent hive was killed outright, and the 
swarm in the uuicomb much weakened, notwithstanding which, 
the latter worked in a small super, and gave mo about 4 lbs. of 
the whitest possible honeycomb. The Society s bronze medal 
and a trifling extra prize, formed but an indifferent compensation 
for my loss. Finding four of the combs which remained attached 
to the bars crowded with brood and honey, I at once re-stocked 
the hive with an artificial swarm from No. 4. Singular to relate, 
all the brood, to the number of many hundreds, issued from the 
cells with imperfect wings, and were, consequently, turned out to 
perish. From this it would appear that the excessive heat which 
caused four of the combs to eollapse, and destroyed the adult' 
bees, operated in a less direct- but eventually equally fatal manner 
on the rising generation. In order to remedy this mischief, I 
added, on the 25th July, the inhabitants of a condemned hive 
which stood in a neighbouring garden, and which I expelled by 
driving. In this case, I was astonished to find comparatively so 
few bees return to the accustomed spot. Notwithstanding its 
proximity, the loss was trifling. On the 29th July, this hive was 
removed to the heath, whence it returned on the 6th September, 
with an increase of about 7 lbs. Present net weight, 18J lbs. 
No. 2, From this, my strongest stock, I expected great things, 
but, unfortunately, lost much time in supering. I also erred iu 
giving it too small a box. Owing to these mistakes, the harvest 
was restricted to about 25 lbs. This hive was conveyed to the 
heath and returned at the same time as No. 1, having gained 
7 lbs. Present weight 20i lbs. 
No. 3 had a full-sized super, and rewarded me with 47 lbs. of 
excellent honeycomb. Was not taken to the heath, and will, 
therefore, require feeding. Present weight 13£ lbs. 
No. 4. This artificial stock, formed last autumn by driving 
four condemned cottage-hives, gave me a lOlb.-glass, which took 
the third prize at the July Show of the Exeter Horticultural 
Society, besides the artificial swarm with which I re-stocked my 
unfortunate No. 1. Has not been removed to the heath, and 
now weighs 19 lbs. 
To these four hives may now he added No. 5 artificially-formed 
stock with Ligurian queen. Young bees of this species* were 
first seen in full flight on the 3rd inst., and at this time (9th Sept.) 
appear pretty numerous, on inspecting the interior of the hive 
through the windows at the back. Food has been liberally sup¬ 
plied, and the stock now weighs 20| lbs. 
Having thus given a brief resume of my apiarian operations 
during the last summer, I am not without hope that others may 
be induced to follow in this respect the example of—-A Devon¬ 
shire Bee-keeper. 
P.S.—I have much pleasure in informing “T. A.” that it is 
my intention to establish two or three stocks of Apis Ligustica, 
and to report progress from time to time in The Cottage 
Gardener. I must, however, beg to decline conducting the 
joint-stock experiment. My inducement to keep bees is the 
interesting occupation they afford ; and I take pleasure in record¬ 
ing my experience in the pages of The Cottage Gardener. 
The kindly appreciation of its Editors and the apiarian portion 
of its readers and correspondents forms a more than ample 
reward for my contributions. 
APIARIAN NOTES.-No. III. 
SEPTEMBER. 
The bee season of 1859 will, in many districts, be remembered 
by at least some apiarians as a particularly productive one. In 
this neighbourhood (Exeter) a few, including myself, have met 
with an unusual amount of success ; and yet there are those who 
complain of their “ bad luck ” in the non-issue of their swarms. 
Nor do I consider it to have been a “ good swarming year” on 
the whole. Some few bee-keepers were fortunate in having their 
swarms early in May, all such have become extremely weighty. 
With others their stocks, though very populous, and exhibiting 
the usual symptoms of swarming early, did not throw off' their 
colonies until the middle or end of June, or even later. Fortu¬ 
nately for these last, a second honey-harvest set in, which con¬ 
tinued until the end of July; consequently a light hive, even 
among these late issues, is exceedingly rare. As a case in point 
I may mention that I purchased a swarm on the 12th of June, 
which was so small that I did not care to bring it into my own 
apiary, or transfer it to the box-hive for which it was obtained, 
and left it under the charge of the cottager, the late owner. It 
weighed on the 8th of August 22 lbs. nett, which is more than 
most of the large and early swarms contrived to do in 1858. 
The bees were certainly fewer in numbers than in many a second 
swarm. An instance of extraordinary prosperity has occurred 
in a cottage garden about a mile from this place, in which stood, 
in the spring, a single cottage-hive. This threw off two swarms, 
the first of which also swarmed again. On being weighed, the 
following was the result :— 
* I have recently ascertained on undoubted authority that these bees 
are the true Apis Ligustica of Spinola. 
