85 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, May 11, 1858. 
the growers and convenience to the public. Not only is the 
space at command quite unequalled, but no place oilers the 
same advantage of being equally enjoyable, whatever may be 
the state of the weather. 
“ These advantages are attested by the large numbers of 
distinguished visitors who have attended the Shows, and by 
the increase in the number of competitors for the prizes. 
“ It will be the aim of the Directors to render these fUes — 
so characteristic of, and appropriate to, the Palace—even more 
attractive to the season ticket-holders and the upper classes of 
the visitors, than they have hitherto proved ; and, at the same 
time, to afford an opportunity to many who are commonly 
debarred from these exhibitions by their high prices, of 
witnessing the peculiar beauties of a Flower $how in the 
Crystal Palace. 
“ With these views, they have determined on holding three 
Grand Horticultural and Floricultural Fetes during the 
present season:— 
“ The first, on Saturday, the 22nd of May. Admission, 
7s. 6d. 
“The second, on Wednesday, the 16tli, and Thursday, 
the 17th of June. Admission, 7s. Qd. and 2s. 6d., respectively. 
“ And the third, on Wednesday, the 8th, and Thursday, 
the 9th of September. Admission, 2s. 6d. and Is., respectively. 
“ It is gratifying to find that the prizes offered to amateurs 
and cottagers at the September Show of last year were all 
competed for, and that the flowers and fruits exhibited showed 
a marked improvement over the former occasion. Encouraged 
by this improvement, the Directors have resolved to offer 
similar prizes at the September Show of this season. 
“ Schedules of prizes for the Flower Shows may be had on 
application.” 
“ POULTRY AND OTHER SHOWS. 
“ There will be two Exhibitions of Poultry in the course of 
the present season. The Summer Show will be held on the 
7th, 9tli, 10th, and 11th of August; and the Winter Show 
will be held on the 8th, 10th, 11th, and 12th of January, 
1859. The last Exhibition was admitted by all competent 
judges to have been the most perfect hitherto held in this 
country, and the Directors are encouraged to find that there 
is likely to be a still further’ improvement in future. The 
schedule of prizes and copies of the regulations at the Summer 
Show are now ready. 
“ Proposals have been made for a large Show of singing 
and other fancy birds in the Tropical Department, towards 
the close of the present year. The Crystal Palace affords 
peculiar facilities for a variety of pleasing and interesting ex¬ 
hibitions of this character, and the Directors are prepared to 
offer inducements for the carrying out of this and similar 
undertakings, which may be so organised as not to interfere 
with the ordinary arrangements of the Palace.” 
THE COTTAGE BEE-KEEPER. 
A Letter 
To ALL SIMPLE FOLK WHO KEEP, OB INTEND TO KEEP, BEES. 
By P. Y. M. F. 
('Continued from page 71.) 
How to give Bees additional Room.— Now if you shift 
your hives in the way I advise, although you will get no more 
swarms, you will get a vast deal of honey, because there will 
be so many more bees to collect it in each hive. You must 
take care, therefore, to give them plenty of room, especially 
in good seasons. This is one reason why I advise you to use 
large hives; as your swarms, managed on my plan, will gene¬ 
rally come in May, or very early in June, they must have 
plenty of room to work, and store their honey in. It will 
sometimes happen in good years, that even these large hives 
will not be large enough for the wants of the bees. They will 
require more room ; but how is this to be given ? In Scot¬ 
land, and in many parts of England, they add to the hives 
what are called ekes. These are hoops of straw, about as wide 
across as the hives themselves ; these ekes they set under the 
hives, so as to lift them up two or three inches. This, no 
doubt, gives much useful space to the bees, with very little 
trouble, and they will thank you much for it; but the new 
comb always get black here at the bottom of the hive. Besides, 
if it is easy to give an eke, it is troublesome, and sometimes 
injurious to the hive, to take it away. It is much better to 
give additional room at the top, and not at the bottom, of a 
hive; for here the new-made comb is always clean, and the 
bees prefer to store their honey above than below. It is for 
this I told you to have a good-sized hole at the crown of your 
hives. You may easily cut one with a sharp knife, even when 
the hive is full of bees ; if you do it gently, they will not 
disturb you; you may then cover it with a small hive or box. 
Here, if they want room, the bees will soon make comb, and 
store it with the most beautifid honey you ever saw : this 
honey will often sell for 2s. per lb. in the London market. 
Your hives, you see, ought to be as flat as possible, for these 
small hives to rest upon conveniently. Bees will sometimes 
fill two or more of these small hives, if not too large, in a 
good season, but only when they are very strong in numbers. 
They ought to be put over the stocks or swarms about a fort¬ 
night after the swarm was hived—later or earlier according to 
the prosperity of the hive, and the goodness of the season. 
The small hive or box must be protected from sun and rain, 
by putting a larger hive with a hackle over all. It is a good 
plan, also, to stick a bit of comb in the small hive ; it will 
tempt the bees to work much sooner than they otherwise 
would, especially if it be smeared with a little honey or sugar. 
How to take a Small Hiye, ob Box op Honey, ebom 
the Top op a Stock. —When full, these small hives can be 
very easily taken off, without destroying the lives of the bees. 
Choose a fine day, without wind, soon after the middle of 
July—earlier if the hive is full, but not later. Do it when 
the bees are mostly abroad, and the sun shines brightly. Pass 
a knife first under the edges of the small hive, to separate it 
from the lower hive ; then try gently if it will come off easily; 
if not, you may be sure the comb is fastened to the floor; 
you must, therefore, pass your knife completely under the 
hive which you wish to take off. Now put a bung in the hole 
at the top of the lower hive, and remove your small hive to 
some shady place, under a currant bush, or laurel hedge, not 
far off. You may put it on the ground upon a couple of 
small sticks, as thick as one of your fingers ; then put a large 
hive or box over all, and cover it over with a cloth. Leave it 
so for half an hour, then lift the covering hive a few inches 
on one side, and you will see a great rush of bees, all anxious 
to escape. This will continue till there is scarcely a bee left 
in the small hive or box; if, however, as happens sometimes, 
the queen is among them, they will not escape in this way ; 
some few will, but the greater number will remain. If you 
see this, you must take the bung out of the old hive again, 
and replace the small hive on the top of it. Leave it for a day 
or two, and try again in the same way. Sometimes too there 
will be brood in the little hive; if only a little, it does not 
matter; but if there is a great deal, you had better put it 
back again, and wait a fortnight before you take the honey. 
When at last you have taken away the small hive, be sure to 
close up the hole in the stock, and to cover it well over with its 
old pan or hackle, and make everything snug for winter, if 
you intend to keep your hives till you have a good number of 
them, as I advise. 
(To be continued.) 
New Palm House at Edinburgh. —The fine Botanic Gar¬ 
den at Edinburgh has just had its attractions enhanced by the 
opening of a new Palm house. It is a spacious and elegant 
structure, and has been erected at a cost to Government of 
about £6,400. The former Palm house, built about twenty- 
five years ago, has been retained as an adjunct to thejiew one. 
The old building, raised in 1833, is octagonal in form, with a 
breadth on all sides of from fifty to sixty feet, and the new 
one, into which it opens on one side, is an oblong of one 
hundred feet by about seventy. In addition to the enlarged 
space thereby obtained is the advantage gained by the way 
of height, the new building being seventy-two feet high, and j 
the old one only forty-two. The new Palm house consists of | 
a massive stone structure, thirty-five feet high, with tall arched 
windows on every side, and upon the masonry rests a double 
stage oblong dome of glass and iron, with iron galleries run¬ 
ning inside and outside both its stages. The style and propor- 
