152 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, December 7, 1858. 
plexicaulis, rvfjosa, and salvifolia : the last-named is certainly the 
best for continuous blooming, although it is long-jointed and 
lanky-looking. 
During September the plants grew apace ; but there were few 
flowers, except on amplexicaulis , and that sparingly, so that the 
beds of Calceolaria, as a whole, were far from satisfactory. As 
they were about the same last year, I fear the best period of 
Calceolaria display is past; and perhaps the only way to restore 
them again is, to have recourse to the original kinds to breed 
from. But even this promises but little, as a neighbour of mine 
grew the old narrow-leaved C. angustifolia with no better success 
than some of the more recent ones. With me, also, the old 
C. rugosa, which ranks backward as far as 1829, or even earlier, 
was as shy in flowering as any kind we have. 
I am unwilling to believe that there is any constitutional de¬ 
bility in the way ; but I am totally at a loss to account for the 
plant not flowering well in moist places. Another season will, 
perhaps, determine this. Old worn-out soils are not in every 
case to blame, for I planted some on ground that had not been 
in tillage for thirty years or more, with no better success than 
elsewhere. However, I hope that others will come forward, and 
give the result of their experience in this matter, and let us learn 
all we can about this, I am almost inclined to say, indispensable 
flower-garden ornament. 
If recourse to the original species of this plant again does not 
result in its doing better service than it has the last two years, 
we must look round for some other plant of like colour and 
merit. But I fear it will be difficult to find a substitute for it, in 
its various merits of symmetry, hardihood, colour, and general 
adaptability to all circumstances. Nevertheless, we may expect 
to find some of our old familiar faces in the flower garden die off 
from our view, to give place to newer introductions. Why this 
should be with species having a botanical distinction I have yet 
to learn ; but I do not at all doubt that varieties will wear out; 
yet whether this be in ten years or a hundred, it is needless to 
argue here. It is certain, however, that the hybrid varieties of 
Calceolarias are not so near to being healthy, in many parts of 
the country, as they once were; and whether they will cease 
their usefulness at once, or prolong it under favoured circum¬ 
stances, will be seen in the sequel. At all events, those who have 
found the Calceolaria to thrive and flower as well with them the 
last two years as they did before that time, will confer a great 
favour on the flower-gardening public, by stating what descrijition 
of soil they were grown in, and other features of then’ treat¬ 
ment.— J. Robson. 
BEE-KEEPING IN DEVON—No. VI. 
CRANIOLOGY— EXTRAORDINARY DEVELOPMENTS—EEFECTS OF 
BEE-POISON — SUBSTITUTE FOR A BEE-DRESS — UNCONDI¬ 
TIONAL SURRENDER — STRENGTHENING WEAK STOCKS — 
ATTEMPTED FORMATION OF A NEW COLONY—A DARK NIGHT 
—THE BLIND LEAD THE BLIND—EARLY RISING. 
HAVING effected a not very dignified retreat, I proceeded to 
examine my wounds. Like Pompey’s soldiers, my face was my 
first care, and this I was well satisfied to find had escaped witli a 
single sting, which, however, was sufficiently near the eye to have 
caused partial blindness in most persons. Hastily withdrawing 
the barbed weapon, I quickly performed the same operation on 
my wrists, wherein some dozen stings had been implanted, above 
the protecting gloves. Next, I passed my hand lightly over my 
cranium, where I found such a multitude of bumps a3 might 
have driven a professor of phrenology to distraction. As the 
discovery and extraction of so many stings from amidst the hair 
would have involved the sacrifice of more time than 1 could then 
devote to it, I amused myself with the idea of the porcupine-like 
appearance which my head would have presented if the little 
spears could have been perceived, and quietly set down the novel 
developments as so many additions to the organ of “ cautiousness.” 
Before dismissing the subject, I may state, that these trifling 
swellings soon subsided, and a slight sensation of soreness during 
the next day or two was the only inconvenience experienced from 
the largest dose of bee-poison it has been my fortune to imbibe. 
Calling a council of war, I honestly confessed my mistake, and 
received a due amount of good-natured reproof for not making 
earlier mention of an omission that could so easily have been 
supplied. Two or three old veils and pieces of net, rapidly run 
together by the nimble fingers of a “neat-handed Phyllis,” soon 
formed an efficient substitute for the missing bee-dress, and I 
found myself in a condition once more to take the field. This 
time the contest was not prolonged. The brave garrison, finding 
themselves overmatched, speedily surrendered at discretion. 
My progress was now easy. Before the day closed I had 
driven in all five stocks. Profiting by the experience already re¬ 
corded, I resolved to convey my little captives by hand; and, 
; therefore, engaged a couple of men to assist in their transport to 
; the heath, about two miles off. One of my assistants was for¬ 
tunately an old bee-keeper, who professed to have no fear, either 
of bees or their stings, and I gladly availed myself of his services 
in the concluding operations of the day. 
The fine weather we had enjoyed during the past week now 
showed evident signs of breaking up ; in fact, some drizzling rain 
had fallen in the afternoon, and a heavy canopy of clouds 
promised an exceedingly dark night. Still sufficient twilight re¬ 
mained to enable us to direct our steps in safety. Diverging from 
the high road, we took our way through a plantation, and across 
the heath, thereby shortening the distance nearly half-a-mile, at 
the cost only of a more rugged path. 
Arrived at our destination, the bees from a couple of old stocks 
which had swarmed this year, and were, therefore, selected as 
being sure to have young queens, were speedily knocked out of 
the straw hives in which they had been temporarily lodged, upon 
two cloths spread on the ground, and were as speedily surmounted 
by No. 1 and No. 3 (shallow eight-bar hives), slightly raised on 
sticks, in the manner already recommended for swarms. The 
three remaining hives were also rapidly emptied on one cloth, and 
surmounted by an entirely empty seven-bar box, the guidecomb 
with which it had originally been furnished having been destroyed 
with the bees during my former unfortunate journey. 
Everything that could at present be done having been accom¬ 
plished, my bee-keeping assistant picked up the empty hives and 
slung them across his shoulders, perfectly regardless of the few 
stragglers they might contain. Bidding adieu to the friendly cot¬ 
tager in whose garden my hives were located, we plunged into 
the darkness, and directed our steps towards the village where I 
was to pass the night. 
Such of the readers of The Cottage Gardener as may 
have done me the honour of perusing my communications, 
will readily believe that the adventures of the last few days had 
involved a vast amount of personal fatigue. When, therefore, 
we came to the by-path over the heath, the temptation of 
saving half-a-mile’s walking, added to the assurance of my 
companions, that they knew every inch of the road, and 
could find the w r ay as readily by night as by day, proved too 
strong for me, and I suffered myself to be persuaded into quitting 
the high road. The night had fulfilled its promise, and turned 
out one of the darkest I ever saw. Rallying my flagging energies, 
and being in excellent spirits at the successful result of the day’s 
proceedings, I made my bee-keeping friend lead the way, the 
light colour of the straw hives he was carrying serving as a 
lantern to direct my steps. Great was the merriment occasioned 
by his stopping every now and then to rub himself, as one by 
one the stray bees about the hives found their way under his 
clothes, and testified their presence by what ho called “ biting ” 
him. Nor was the fun diminished,when the sudden disappearance 
of the beacon-hive warned me more than once of some unseen 
obstacle which had prostrated the pioneer. The bursts of 
laughter provoked by these incidents must have astonished the 
glowworms whose pale lamps gleamed on either side our path, and 
Studded, like gems, the sable garb of night. 
Just before emerging into the high road, we reached the climax 
of our amusement, by a couple of us experiencing in a (fortunately 
dry) ditch the consequences foretold of the blind leading the 
blind. 
I was a-foot so early the next morning, that I was able to 
brush off two pretty large clusters of bees that had formed on the 
outside of the empty box, without much fear of their taking wing 
in the imperfect light of the grey dawn. I then waited till these 
had ascended with the others, when I placed the three hives upon 
their respective pedestals. Having ascertained at the same time, 
that the cluster of deprived bees in the box (which I denominated 
No. 4) was at least equal to a good-sized swarm, and that No. 1 
and No. 3 were now well populated, I took my departure 
homewards, satisfied with having effected my object, after the 
failures which I have recorded, in the hope that others may feel 
interested in, and possibly benefit by, the experience of—A 
Devonshire Bee-keeper. 
P.S.—My friend, Mr. S. B. Fox, will, I am sure, excuse my re- 
