63 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, April 24, 18G0. 
many exhibitors of this breed at the Crystal Palace, ft is a 
common thing for a Hamburgh chicken of undoubted purity 
to come with a single comb ; unfortunately, it must he destroyed. 
We say, unfortunately, for such an one is always the best 
Pencilled and plumaged bird of the brood. It must not, how- 
I ever, be allowed to run about the yard. There is little doubt 
I the defect in the comb might be traced to some distant ancestor. 
While on the subject we may mention, Black Cochins are said 
to be produced by breeding between the White and Buff. We 
know a good breeder of the Blacks who always refreshed his 
yard now and then by turning down a White cock.] 
BEES AND THOSE WHO HAVE WRITTEN 
ABOUT THEM. 
(Continued from page 47.) 
Conrad Heresrach, counsellor to the Duke of Clcves, pub¬ 
lished a work in dialogue entitled Rei Ruslicte, libri qvaluor, but 
which would not have had more than this brief notice if it had 
not been translated into English, in 1578, by Barnaby Googe. 
Googe was a poet, born in Lincolnshire, educated at Christ’s 
College, Cambridge, studied at Staples Inn, London, and through 
the influence of his relative Sir William Cecil, became Gentleman 
Pensioner to-the Queen. In 1563 appeared bis “ Eglogs, Epitaphs, 
and Sonnets,” which is a very rare book. In 1565 he translated 
and published “The Zodiake of Life,” from the Italian, by ralin- 
genius. His translation of Ileresbach was printed in 1578, though 
the preface is dated 1557, and is entitled “ Foure Bookes of 
Ifusbandrie, containing the whole art and trade of ITusbandrie, 
Gardening, Graffeing and Planting with the antiquite and com¬ 
mendation thereof.” It was reprinted in 1614, by Gervase 
Markham, with additions. 
The concluding pages are devoted to bees, but contain little 
more than an epitome of the details and directions given by 
Columella, Palladius, Varro, and Virgil, and the work is chiefly 
noticeable for containing the first translation into English verse 
with which we are acquainted of a portion of the “ Georgicks.” 
The following brief extract will serve as an example of both the 
prose and the poetry :— 
“ Virgill following herein Aristotle, doth most commend the 
little, long, smootlie, and faire Bee, and making mention of two 
sorts of Kings, he describes the woorser, whereby he shall doe 
no harnie. 
“ Destroy (saith Iig) and let the other line, 
Whose golden hew (loth glister in the eye : 
And decked with glittering scales, faire shew' doth gine, 
Of farre more grace, and furre more Maiestie. 
With loathsome looke the other doth appoare, 
And dragling drawes his tayle with heauic cheare. 
“And as there is two sorts of kings, so is there of the Other 
Bees. 
“ Some Vglie seeme, and some againe doe shine, 
Bedash! with drop of golden colour fine. 
| Being milde and gentle : for the Bee, the greater he is, the worse 
ho is, and if he be angrie, and fierce, and round, hoc is woorst of 
all. And because (as I said before) the best are onely to be 
medled with, sith the good and the bad are a like chargeuble, and 
require like tendance, aud speciall heede to be had that you 
mingle not the bad with the good; for lesse will the encrease of 
your Honey be, if some of your Swarms be ill matched.” 
There is little, if any doubt, that the bee “ bedasht with drop 
of golden colour fine,” is the Ligurian bee, for the introduction 
of which an effort is now being made by Mr. "Woodbury. 
Aristotle’s reference to these bees is as follows:—“There are 
more kinds of bees, but only two sorts of kings. The best is of 
a red colour, and the other is dark, and of various hues, being 
also twice as large as the best.” 
Googe interpolates but very few notes relative to the English 
bee-management of his period, and of his interpolations this is 
chief 
“ This driuing and gelding of Hiues is not eommonley used in 
the Countrey, but they rather, according to their custome, at the 
end of the veere burne them, alledging for their autlioritie an old 
English Prouerbe of their owne : 
“ Driuc Bees, and loose Bees : burne Bees, and haue Bees. 
And in somo places they drowne them. When you haue thus 
spoiled your Hiues, you shall carry all your Combes into some 
handsome place, where you meane to make your Honey, and 
stoppe up all the holes and creuisses of the walles and windowes, 
as close as you may : for the Bees will be very busie to recouer 
the pray.” 
Googe also details the plants which he had planted about his 
apiary, of which we need only give one quotation, for he dwells 
more on their medicinal than their honied merits. 
“ And because Master Hersbach hath shewed you before in 
his Garden many good hcarbes, and yet not whereto they seme, 
I will shew you a few plants, that 1 haue set about my Bees, 
seruing both for their eommoditie, and the health of my houshold: 
I haue chosen of a great number, such as be most necessarie, & 
of greatest vertue: whose speciall vertues, and wonderfull work- 
ings, giuen onely by the most gratious and bountifull framer of 
the world, and being as it were sucked and drawne out by the 
carefull toyle and diligence of the Bee, must needes adde a greater 
perfection to their honic and their waxe. I haue first enclosed 
the Yard where my Bees stand, with a Quickset-hedge made of 
Black-thome and Hony-suckle : the one of them seruing the Bee 
with his flowres at the beginnieg of the Spring ; and the other at 
(lie latter end of Summer. The first, the Black-thorne beareth a 
pleasant white Uowre, so much the welcomcr to the Bee, as it is 
the very farewell of the winter : for he commonly flowreth not 
till the winter be past. These flowres newly gathered & steeped 
all a night in the best and strongest wine, and afterwards distilled 
in Balneo Marie, being drunke, helpeth any paine in the sides, as 
hath beene certainlie proued. Tragus the Germane eonfesseth, 
that with this onely water he hath cured all maner of paines 
about the stomaok, heart, or sides. "VVine made of the Sloe, and 
preserued vntill Julie, or August, when the bloudy Flix most 
raigneth, is a soueraigne medicine against it. The other, the 
Hony-suckle, or the Woodbine, beginneth to flowre in June, & 
continueth with a passing sweet sauour, till the very latter end of 
summer. The water thereof distilled and drunk, two or three 
daies together at times, asswageth the lieate of the stomacke, 
helpeth the Cough, and shortnes of breath. Rags of linnen 
dipped therein, and applyed, doe lieale any heate of the Eies, or 
Liuer.”—G. 
{To be continued.) 
NEW BOOK. 
TITE ITALIAN ALP-BF.E, OR TIIE GOLD MINE OP HUSBANDRY. 
Such is the title of M. Hermann’s pamphlet, published by 
Messrs. Neighbour and Sons, giving “ short and practical in¬ 
structions to breed genuine prolific Italian queens; to multiplv 
them by hundreds in a few months, and how to change German 
hives into Italian.” 
The reader of this pamphlet must make allowances for German 
enthusiasm, and may thank Messrs. Neighbour for their omission 
of many passages which would not be achnissable to an English 
family circle. We shall content ourselves with making a few 
extracts, and appending between brackets, a few remarks from 
the pen of “ A Devonshire Bee-keeper : ”— 
“ The yellow Italian Alp-bee is a mountain insect; it is found 
between two mountain chains to the right and left of Lombardy 
and Rhsetian Alps, and comprises the whole territory of Tessins, 
Veltlin, and South-Graubunden. It thrives up to the height of 
4500 feet above the level of the sea, and appears to prefer the 
northern clime to the warmer, for in the south of Italy it is not 
found. Erom the mountain those bees later emigrated into the 
plains, but they do not thrive so well there. Some learned men 
have called them Ligurian bees, but that name has neither his¬ 
torical nor geographical claim, and not one bee-cultivator of the 
whole district of the Italian Alp-bee knows what kind of insects 
Ligurian bees are. The Alps are their native country, therefore 
they are called Yellow Alp-bee, or tame house bees, in antithesis 
to the black European bees, which we might call common forest 
bees, and which, on the slightest touch, fly like lightning into 
your face.” 
[If they will thrive at 4500 feet above the sen level, they cer¬ 
tainly must be hardier than the common species.] 
“The Italian yellow bee differs from the common black bee in 
its longer, slender form, and light chrome yellow colour, with 
light brimstone coloured wings, and two orange-red girths, each 
one-sixth of an inch wide. Working bees as well as drones have 
this mark. The drones are further distinguished by the girths 
being scolloped, like the spotted water-serpent, and obtain an 
astonishing size; almost half as corpulent again as the black 
