228 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, July 13, 1858. 
dangerous ground, being contrary to the received opinion of 
by far the greater part of the bee-keeping intelligence of 
Great Britain. Yet I made the venture, because I imagined 
that my reasons for so thinking were at least not absurd. 
I was not surprised, therefore, when Mr. Wighton took 
exception to my theory; but I am bound to confess that my 
stiffnecked and stubborn mind did not yield to his argument. 
And so tile matter stood, until the 18th of the past month 
of June. In one of my hives, directly opposite the lower 
: $drt of the window, a royal cell was built and tenanted, and 
1 on the 13th sealed up. The three following days were 
j superb days for swarming. On the 17th it rained inces¬ 
santly, from morn till eve. The 18th was warm and mild, a 
very ideal swarming day. I watched the hive closely from 
eight o’clock till noon, when, shortly after, it was evident 
something was about to occur, and a complete uproar began. 
The bees, like soldiers in a captured town given up to 
pillage, attacked the cellars’ stores; then raced and chased 
in whirling groups, like mad things, upon the window. Out¬ 
side the hive, the creatures filled the air with their noise 
and presence, as portentous of a coming swarm as anything 
I ever saw. At length her majesty mingled with the throng 
careering on the window; her slow and stately gait and 
majestic bearing all gone, and as wild and reckless as any of 
j her offspring rotating about her. And what becomes of 
thee, my princess, wrapped in thy swaddling bands, should 
thy insensate mother find thy cradle out? No sooner did I 
thus soliloquize than it fell out as feared. Spying the royal 
crib, she rushed at it with impetuous fury, but was driven 
back. Three times she acted thus, and three times was 
driven back by the guardian bees : the fourth time, she ac¬ 
complished her bloodthirsty object by making a breach in 
the side of the cell. As quick as thought, after she had 
made the opening large enough, by gnawing and tearing fu¬ 
riously at it, she brought the lower extremity of her ab¬ 
domen over it, then passed from my—shall I say enraged or 
admiring—gaze, for in truth I experienced both sensations. 
I conclude from the above facts—First, not only that the 
idea of swarming does not originate with the queen, but 
that it is, even in an extraordinary degree, repugnant to 
her; for what else can we say, when we find her sacrificing 
her maternal feelings, and choosing rather to become the 
murderess of her royal infant, than leave the city she has 
ruled so long and well. Secondly. Had the guardians of the 
cell been successful in saving its occupant, she, finding her 
intentions frustrated, would, in high huff and displeasure, 
have left the hive. Thirdly. That the bees, in gorging 
themselves with honey, prior to the royal onslaught, showed 
that the idea of swarming was not foreign to them. And 
fourthly. That the pains they took to save the young 
princess appears to sanction the notion, that they wished 
the queen to leave or abdicate in her favour. 
I would wish, before closing this paper, to submit, with all 
respect, for Mr. Wighton’s consideration, whether or not the 
mere fact of a few pollen-laden bees mixing with the swarm, 
is not too narrow a basis on which to rest his belief, that the 
time of swarming is a matter of uncertainty with the bees j 
generally. This mode of reasoning appears to me to be j 
unsound, inasmuch as it makes the exception govern the 
rule. I am rather disposed to think, from the simple fact 
alone that the bees composing the swarm fill their crops 
prior to leaving, the time is not so great an uncertainty, 
provided the weather is suitable.-— D. G. M‘Lellan. 
POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY’S MEETING. 
A meeting of the British Pomological Society 
was held at St. Martin’s Hall, Long Acre, on Thurs¬ 
day, the 8th inst., Robert Hogg, Esq., Vice-President, 
in the chair. 
Mr. C. Edmonds, gardener to the Duke of Devon¬ 
shire, Chiswick, was elected a Member of the Society. 
Mr. Henry Doubleday, of Epping, sent a dish of 
a Seedling Strawberry, which was raised, some years 
ago, by Mr. Myatt, of Deptford, and given by him to 
Mr. Doubleday. This variety is entirely different 
from the usual strain of Mr. Myatt’s seedlings, and 
belongs more to the Keens’ breed. The fruit is very 
large, generally flattened, and more or less cocks¬ 
comb-shaped, but sometimes thick wedge-shaped. 
The colour is dark red ; seeds small, and thinly strewn. 
The flesh is red, rather tender, and hollow at the core ; 
but the flavour is excellent. Mr. Doubleday stated that 
he considered it a first-rate kind, and stands the dry 
weather better than any other variety. The fruit was 
from plants two years old, which have had no manure 
since they were planted, and which have been only 
once watered this year. The flavour is evanescent, 
and Mr. Doubleday says, it is therefore impossible 
to judge of it when the fruit has been picked the day 
before ; but when fresh, he considers it excellent, and 
the most juicy kind he knows. 
Mr. Hill, of Keele Hall, Staffordshire, sent speci¬ 
mens of the Adair Strawberry , — a large and handsome 
fruit, very similar in external appearance to Mr. 
Doubleday’s variety. Its flavour, however, is not so 
fine and delicate, being rather too acid; but this is an 
objection that may be overcome in some situations 
and seasons ; for it is to be borne in mind, that the last 
fortnight has not been at all favourable for the ripen¬ 
ing of fruits that are charged with a more than ordi¬ 
nary amount of acid. Mr. Hill also sent a dish of 
Filbert Pine ,—a nice, hard, solid-looking fruit, of a 
conical shape, but rather pale colour, and thickly set 
with rather large seeds. The flesh is white, remark¬ 
ably solid and firm, with a rich, and at the same time, 
brisk and refreshing piquancy. This must be a rare 
Strawberry to bear carriage, but its colour is against 
it as a market fruit. 
Mr. James Sheppard, nurseryman, Bedford, sent a 
quantity of his Seedling Cherry, which was submitted 
at the first July Meeting, last year. It has all the ap¬ 
pearance of the Black Circassian, and is as large as 
that variety is when grown on a standard. It is quite 
equal to it in flavour, is of the same colour, and, if it be j 
hardy and a greater bearer than Black Circassian, the 
Meeting was of opinion it would be a valuable ac¬ 
quisition ; but if it has no such distinguishing merit, 
then they do not see that it differs at all, or is any im¬ 
provement on that variety. 
C. Guthrie, Esq., of Tay Bank, Dundee, forwarded 
specimens of a Seedling Cherry, raised from the Flton. 
This is a large and handsome fruit, equal in size to the 
largest Bigarreau, and has rather more colour than the 
Bigarre.au generally has. The flavour, though good, is 
not so rich as that of the Elton grown in the south; and 
to have done justice in the judgment of this handsome 
fruit, it was necessary to have had specimens of both 
varieties, as grown in the same situation and latitude. 
Mr. Pearson, of Chilwell, near Nottingham, sent 
fruit of a Cherry, inquiring whether it was the true 
Black Circassian ; and this being decided in the affirma¬ 
tive, it gave rise to a conversation as to the difference 
between the Black Circassian and Black Tartarian, the 
general opinion being that the two are identical. On ! 
reference being made to Covent Garden Market, it 
was discovered that there are two distinct varieties 
with these names sold in the market. The Black Cir¬ 
cassian is obtuse, or very bluntly ovate, and very wide ' 
at the stalk end; while the Black Tartarian is much 
more slender and tapering in its shape, and, altogether, 
a degree smaller in size. We should be very glad if j 
our readers would favour us with their ideas on this 
subject, and send us specimens of the two varieties 
where they find they are distinct. 
Dibbled Wheat. —We have received from Mr. Powel], of 
Hurst Green, an ear of Wheat, in bloom, measuring six inches 
in length. The crop is grown on the principle recommended 
by “ Sigma,” and the seed was planted by one of Dr. Newing¬ 
ton’s dibbers. 
