THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, November 15, 1859. 
four hens laying generally twenty-four eggs a-week. As sitters 
and mothers they are very good, so gentle and manageable. I 
am speaking now from my own experience; other people’s ex¬ 
periences may, of course, be different. Old Smut had ten 
chickens, beautiful little creatures, of a light golden colour, with 
spots of black on tlie tops of their, heads. As soon as all the 
eggs were hatched that were going to be hatched, Old Smut with her 
chicks was removed out of the box in which she had been sitting, 
and which had been placed in a snug corner in the coach-house 
near the fireplace into a hayloft, and put under a coop. The 
coop was placed just in front of a wooden window, which was 
opened when the sun came out. The chickens were fed on hard 
boiled eggs chopped up, soaked bread, and grits. The bread 
was sometimes soaked in ale. They grew very well indeed, and 
I reared them all. I intended them to have taken the first prize 
at our local Show, the Eoke-in-Pogis ; but, alas! alas ! 
Let me beg of all who may read this, to treed only from their 
very test lirds. I had bought a prize pen of Golden-pencilled 
Hamburghs at one of the great Shows last year, and magnificent 
little creatures they were. I had also a few other Golden-pen¬ 
cilled Hamburgh hens, which, though they were very pretty 
birds, were very far from perfect. In getting eggs for my first 
hatch, I put all the hens, prize hens, and others, up together,— 
of course, with the cock,—never thinking, in my simplicity, that 
my imperfect hens would bring chickens like themselves, with 
bad combs, horseshoe markings, and the various other imper¬ 
fections which Golden-pencilled Hamburgh flesh is heir to. The 
result was, that out of my first hatch, on which all my hopes 
depended for the Foke-in-Pogis Show, which is held early in the 
season, there were only two right birds. 
Fortunately, I saw that most of the chickens’ combs were 
wrong when they were yet quite juveniles, and I took care after¬ 
wards to set no more eggs from any other but my prize birds. 
I will give you some more of my observations in another 
number.—C. 
LIGURIAN BEES (Apis Ligustica). 
May I venture to hope that others amongst the apiarian 
readers of The Cottage Gardener will follow the example so 
ably set by “B. & W.” (to whom I beg to tender my best thanks) 
in offering such suggestions as may occur to them, with the 
view of rapidly multiplying the few stocks of Ligurian bees which 
have recently been imported into this country ? 
One difficulty attends the introduction of virgin queens into 
hives of common bees, and that is the risk of their being im¬ 
pregnated by drones of the ordinary species. It appears to me 
that none but fertilised Ligurian queens can be placed at the 
head of colonies of common bees with any certainty of success. 
The following information on the subject of Ligurian bees is 
extracted from a recent number of a sporting contemporary. It 
is of so interesting a character, and so entirely confirms what has 
been already stated in these pages as to the superiority of the 
Ligurian bee, that I am induced to hope the Editors of The 
Cottage Gardener will kindly republish it, and by so doing 
oblige—A Devonshire Bee-keeper. 
“ ‘ The general diffusion of this species of bee,’ says Dzierzon, 
‘ will form a marked era in the bee-culture of Germany. The 
profit derived by the fanner from feeding stock depends not 
alone on due attention to the habits and wants of the animals, 
but mainly on the character of the breed itself. So, also, with 
the bee. We find marked difference in point of industry even 
among our common bees ; but the Italian bee surpasses these in 
every respect. A chief difficulty in the way of a more general 
attention to bee-culture arises from the almost universal dread 
of the sting of this insect. Many fear even the momentary pain 
which it inflicts, though no other unpleasant consequences follow; 
but in some persons it causes severe and long-protracted swell¬ 
ing and inflammation. This especially deters ladies from en¬ 
gaging in this pursuit. All this can be avoided by the intro¬ 
duction of the Italian bee, which is by no means an irascible 
insect. It will sting only when it happens to be injured, when 
it is intentionally annoyed, or when it is attacked by robbing- 
bees ; then it will defend itself, and such are its extraordinary 
vigour and agility that it is never overpowered, so long as the 
colony is in a normal condition. Colonies of common bees may 
speedily be converted into Italian stock by simply removing the 
queen from each, and, after the lapse of two or three days, or as 
soon as the workers decidedly manifest consciousness of the 
deprivation, supplying them with an Italian queen. We are 
thereby also enabled to note the gradual disappearance of the 
old race, as it becomes supplanted by the new. Besides the 
increased profits thus derivable from bee-culture, this species also 
furnishes us with no small gratification in studying the nature, 
habits, and economy of the insect to greater advantage, because, 
by means of it, the most interesting experiments, investigations, 
and observations may be instituted, and thus the remaining doubts 
and difficulties cleared up.’ He further says, ‘ It has been ques¬ 
tioned, even by experienced and expert apiarians, whether the 
Italian race can be preserved in its purity in countries where the 
common kind prevails. There need be no uneasiness on this 
score. Their preservation could be accomplished, even if natural 
swarming had to be relied on, because they swarm earlier in the 
season than the common kind, and also more frequently.’. 
The main tiling to be attended to in any localities where common 
bees are found or kept is to secure the production of drones in 
numbers overwhelmingly large; though Dzierzon is under the 
impression that where both kinds of drones exist in about 
equal numbers, the Italian queens will usually encounter 
Italian drones, both queens and drones being more active and 
agile than the common kind. Besides, the wings of both 
queens and drones are finer and more delicate than those 
of the common kind, and the sounds produced in flying are 
clearer and higher-toned. Hence, probably, they are readily 
able to distinguish each other when on the wing. The Baron of 
Berlepsch, one of the most enthusiastic and skilful apiarians, on 
a large scale, in Germany, says he can from his own experience 
‘ confirm the statements of Dzierzon, in relation to the Italian bee, 
having found:—1. That the Italian bees are less sensitive to cold 
than the common kind. 2. That their queens are more prolific. 
3. That the colonies swarm earlier and more frequently, though 
of this he has less experience than Dzierzon. 4. That they are 
less apt to sting. Not only are they less apt, but scarcely are 
they inclined to sting, though they will do so if intentionally 
annoyed or irritated. 5. That they are more industrious. Of 
this fact he had but one summer’s experience; but all the results 
and indications go to confirm Dzierzon’s statements, and satisfy 
him of the superiority of this kind in every point ofvieiv. 6. That 
they are more disposed to rob than common bees, and more 
courageous and active in self-defence. They strive on all hands to 
force their way into colonies of common bees; but when strange 
bees attack their hives, they fight with great fierceness, and with 
an incredible adroitness.’ .... Busch (Die Honig-biene , 
Gotha, 1855), describes the Italian bee as follows:—‘ The 
workers are smooth and glossy, and the colour of their abdominal 
rings is a medium between the pale yellow of straw, and the 
deeper yellow of ochre. These rings have a narrow black edge 
or border, so that the yellow (which might be called leather- 
coloured), constitutes the ground, and is seemingly barred over 
by these slight black edges or borders. This is most distinctly 
perceptible when a brood-comb, on which the bees are densely 
crowded, is taken out of a hive. The drones differ from the 
workers in having the upper half of their abdominal rings black 
and the lower half an ochry-yellow, thus causing the abdomen, 
when viewed from above, to appear annulated. The queen differs 
from the common kind chiefly in the greater brightness and 
brilliancy of her colours.’ Otto Radlkofer, jun., Munich, in a 
communication to the DienenzeUung, says that a colony of Italian 
bees, which he transferred in February, began to build new comb 
before the middle of March, while his common bees had not, at 
the close of his communication (the last of April), begun to build 
any new comb. ‘ Not only,’ says Mr. Radlkofer, ‘are the Italian 
bees distinguished by an earlier awakened impulse to activity and 
labour, but they are remarkable also for the sedulous use they 
make of every opening flower, visiting some on which common 
bees are seldom or never seen. They have also demonstrated their 
superior agility in self-defence ; nay, they w*ould not tolerate the 
presence of other bees on comb that had been strewed with 
flour for their common use. In all these respects, the palm of 
superiority must be awarded to.the Italian bee.’ ” 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Judges at Birmingham {Fairplay ).—You had better write to the 
Council on the subject, and state names. They cannot act upon indefinite 
allusions. 
Game : Yellow-legged Black-breasted Red.— We have a letter from 
a gentleman who wishes it to he forwarded to “ Newmarket,” who wrote 
about these fowls. “Newmarket” will oblige us by stating whither we 
shall send it. 
