390 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, March 20, I860. 
to tyrannise over a weak neighbour. A needy stock ought, 
therefore, to be encouraged by feeding within the hive, con¬ 
tracting the entrance to enable them the better to repel invasion ; 
though sometimes it might bo well to remove such stock to a 
distance, and confine them for a short time. There is always an 
evil in crowding hives too near together ; and a bee-house three 
yards in length for five stocks is rather insufficient in point of 
space apart. In the case of young queens, after going abroad, 
they have sometimes met death by entering a wrong hive. 
Fighting has been known at this time to occur in the event of 
the death of a queen bee, when the family, having no means of 
supplying the loss, endeavour to unite themselves to some other 
stock. We should prefer a bee-house rather than a wall to range 
the hives against, as this is seldom desirable or convenient. As 
to aspect, there is no rule absolutely, much depending on cir¬ 
cumstances—as trees, buildings, &e., obstructing the flight of 
the bees. We have known bees to thrive under almost any 
aspect; but a preference is commonly given to south-east. 
West, we think, is the most objectionable, on account of the 
afternoon sun.] 
LIGURIAN QUEENS: 
DIRECTIONS EOR UNITING TO STOCKS OR SWARMS. 
As soon as the small box containing a Ligurian queen and her 
attendants has been received, steps should be taken for removing 
the common queen from the stock, or swarm, to which the 
strangers are to be united. 
Where bar-hives are in U3e the operation is sufficiently easy 
but should not be attempted without the protection afforded by 
a bee-dress and thick pair of woollen gloves. The services of an 
assistant similarly accoutred will be found very useful, but are 
not absolutely indispensable. 
The middle of a fine day is the best time for the operation, 
which should be commenced by removing the stock a little either 
to the right or left of its usual position, which must be occupied 
by an empty hive, from which the top-board and comb-bars have 
been removed. The top-board of the full hive must then be 
shifted on one side sufficiently to expose a single bar, which may 
be carefully withdrawn after the attachments of the comb have 
been severed from the back and front of the hive by a bent knife. 
Both sides of the comb must be rigidly scrutinised, and any 
clusters of bees gently dispersed with a feather, until it becomes 
evident that the queen is not present, when it may be placed in 
the empty hive. The same process must be repeated with each 
successive comb until the queen is discovered and secured, when 
the bees may be either allowed to remain in the hive to which 
they have been transferred, or replaced in their original domicile. 
Sometimes the queen is not to be found on any of the combs, 
but may be detected among the stragglers remaining in the hive. 
In practised hands her discovery may be reckoned on with 
tolerable certainty during the first removal; but if she succeed 
in escaping detection, the process must be repeated until she is 
secured. 
Driving is the best method to adopt with common hives or 
boxes; and the bees, having been expelled from their habitation, 
may be knocked out on a cloth and searched over until the queen 
is discovered. 
Should the bee-keeper be unable to perform the operation of 
driving, fumigation may be resorted to, and the queen secured 
whilst the bees are in a state of insensibility. 
It is unnecessary to describe the mode in which either driving 
or fumigation may be accomplished, a3 full directions for per¬ 
forming both these operations are to be found in nearly every 
bee-book. 
Presuming the queen to have been removed, and the bees 
restored to their original hive and position in the apiary, measures 
must now bo taken to introduce the Italian sovereign to her 
future subjects. The first step will be, carefully to remove the 
lid of the small box, replacing it with a slip of perforated zinc 
without permitting the bees to escape. The whole must then be 
inverted over an opening in the top of the hive containing the 
queenless stock, where it should remain undisturbed till the next 
day, when the perforated-zinc divider may be withdrawn, and the 
union will be complete. The small box itself need not be re¬ 
moved till the third day, when the bees will be found to have 
quitted it. 
After the lapse of about thirty days, young Ligurians may, 
probably, be discovered taking their first flight, and affording 
unmistakeable evidence of the consummation of a dynastic 
revolution. 
For the encouragement of those who are disposed to doubt of 
success in substituting Ligurian for English queen-bees, it may 
be stated that all these methods have been tried and all have 
proved so fortunate in their results, that not a single failure either 
by himself or others, has come to the knowledge of—A Devon- 
1 shire Bee-keeper. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Box foe Carriage of Eggs {IF. It. E.). —We cannot tell you what 
the size of the hox should be unless we knew what eggs you intended to send. 
Spanish eggs take more room than Hamburghs. We are not. friendly either 
to sawdust or bran for egg-packing. Common moss is the best thing, as it 
is not at all affected by the constant shaking of a railway or other conveyance ; 
and by its elastic properties it keeps its position, and thereby causes the eggs 
to keep theirs. 
' Sitting Hf.n Fasting {Idem). —While a hen is sitting on eggs she does 
not seem affected by the ordinary wants of other times. Hunger and thirst 
do not trouble her. It is probable, unless she is shut in, that your hen gets 
something. You must watch that she does not suffer from over-fasting, and 
let her have food and water within reach : a small quantity will be enough. 
Black Spot in Eggs ( Greenhorn ).—Without seeing the spots which 
occur in the whites of the eggs we can form no opinion on either their cause 
or nature. 
Hen Eating her own Eggs {A Fancier). —There is no mode known of 
preventing this, except watching her and taking the egg as soon as laid. 
Can any of our readers give us any practical information or suggestion ? 
Golden-ssangled Polands’ Eggs ( IF. Clark). —Write to some of the 
prizetakers of this breed, and ask them their charge for a sitting. 
Brahma Pootras and Partridge Cochin-Chinas ( A Constant 
Reader.)— They are equally hardy, and there is no doubt that they are 
varieties of the same breed. 
Guinea Fowls (J. C .).—We know of no work except “The Poultry 
Book ” that treats of Guinea fowls. The answer to which you allude was a 
mistake arising from a letter received from a correspondent. Our Guinea 
fowls are wanderers. They steal their nests in all sorts of out-of-the-w’ay 
. places, and we can only catch them by watching where they roost. Never¬ 
theless, if they are not driven they will remain in the yard contented with the 
poultry. They sometimes go into the roosting-plaee. On the first alarm 
they seek the top of the highest barn. It is only by dint of watching we can 
find their nests. 
Hen Pheasants (Rcldas).— You will have no difficulty in getting some 
tame hen Pheasants. Apply to Mr. Bailv, Mount Street, Grosvenor Square, 
London. You should put two or three hens with each cock, and they must 
have separate pens. The two cocks must not run together. 
Bars of Hives for Ligurian Bees (A Bee-keeping Subscriber). —The 
bars in hives intended for this species should be of the usual width. We 
have not seen any combs fabricated by Ligurian bees. As these foreigners 
are said to be larger than the ordinary species, it is possible the cells of their 
combs may vary in proportion; but the difference (if any) is probably so 
little as to be inappreciable. Directions for multiplying Ligurian queens 
may be found in page 7S of our present volume. 
Imported Ligurian Bees—Their Produce (A South Hants Sub¬ 
scriber).— Italian bees arriving from the Continent should be set at liberty as 
soon as possible. Mr. Payne says, “ It is usual to obtain from every good 
stock twenty, or perhaps thirty, pounds of honey annually.” We should, 
however, deem it a first-rate district in which so high an average could be 
maintained. 
Taking a Queen ( Ignoramus ). —“A Devonshire Bee-kf.eper” 
deprecates fumigation in removing a queen from a bar-hive. He says, “ It 
is quite unnecessary, and I believe positively injurious.” He also gives 
instructions for performing this operation, which will be found in another 
column. 
LONDON MARKETS. —March 19. 
POULTRY. 
There is a small advance to note in the price of goo<I poultry, caused 
more by its natural scarcity at this time of year than by anv increase of 
trade. 
Each— s. d. s. d. 
Largo Fowls. 5 C to GO 
Smaller Fowls. 4 o „ 4 G 
Chickens . 3 G „ 4 0 
Geese. 0 0 „ 0 0 
Goslings . 7 0 „ 7 G 
Ducks .,. 0 0 „ 0 0 
Ducklings. 4 0 „ 4 G 
Each— s. d. s. d. 
Turkeys. 0 0 to 0 0 
Guinea Fowls . 2 6 ,, 3 0 
Partridges. 0 0 „ 0 0 
Pigeons . 0 8 „ 0 9 
Hares. o 0 „ 0 0 
Rabbits .1 4 ,, 1 5 
Wild ditto. 0 9 „ 0 10 
