141 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Mat 29, 1860. 
stocks, which I ventured to suggest in No. 601 of The Cottage 
Gardener. I quite concur with him as to the danger of hybrid¬ 
isation resulting from my plan in the case of the younger queens. 
I think, however, I shall have recourse to it; leaving it to next 
spring to decide whether I shall breed pure or hybridised Ligu¬ 
rians, according as the different varieties survive the winter. It 
would not be amiss that the hybrids should have a trial in 
England as well as the pure breed. My first drone was seen on 
the Oth inst., and I saw a swarm in this neighbourhood on the 
15th.—B. & W. 
NEW BOOK. 
Tayi.or’s Bee-Keeper’s Manual.* —We consider this the 
best modern work upon bee-keeping. It is concise and cheap, 
yet the author has succeeded in effecting his purpose announced 
in the preface to this sixth edition, “ the condensation of a large 
amount of useful apiarian knowledge, assisted by an unusual 
variety of illustration.” There is scarcely a subject connected 
with bee-keeping that has not relative information in the pages of 
this volume, and the information is readily found, for there is a 
good index. The various forms of hives used in keeping bees on 
the depriving system are considered fairly, their merits and 
defects stated and liberally illustrated with drawings. 
We have recently received several inquiries relative to painting 
hives, so we turned to the index and found references which lead 
to this extract. 
“Various opinions have prevailed as to the, expediency of 
painting the exterior of straw hives, some believing that absorp¬ 
tion of vapour best takes place where it is omitted. My own idea is 
that, for exposed hives, an annual coat of paint is desirable, and 
nothing looks better for the purpose than a natural straw colour. 
We may resort to the words of Gelieu, who says, ‘it is commonly 
supposed that bees thrive best in straw hives, because the straw 
absorbs the moisture, and the combs are less liable to mould. 
For my part I can perceive no difference. The bees are careful 
enough to varnish over the interior of the straw hives with a 
coating of wax, or rather propolis, to prevent the settlement of 
the Moths; and in the old hives this varnish is so thick that no 
moisture can penetrate between the cords of straw. Wooden 
hives will also absorb moisture to a certain extent; and experience 
has shown me that it is a matter of indifference which are 
employed, except as to the price.’ ” 
Painting (he hive should be “a sufficient time before use, or 
the smell is offensive to the bees ; indeed, I have known a swarm 
forsake a box in consequence.” 
LIGURIAN OR ALP BEES. 
Belonging to that antiquated class who look with no great 
favour on the rage of the present day for everything foreign, I was 
rather startled by the announcement in your columns that the 
“Spirit of the Age” had infected our very bee-keepers—that 
there had been imported into the apiary of a Devonshire cor¬ 
respondent some yellow strangers which were to be disseminated 
therefrom over the length and breadth of the land, and from their 
superior size and strength were expected to extirpate and supplant 
for ever, in the abominable Hanoverian rat fashion, the good old 
black aborigines. 
My fears were allayed by the good character subsequently 
borne by the new comers for hardihood, gentleness, and industry. 
I anticipated sunken rocks ahead of “ A Devonshire Bee¬ 
keeper ” in his cruise of artificial queen-raising, against some of 
which his keel is now grating ; but—knowing the ability of the 
helmsman to be only brought out by the intricacy of the navigation, 
and that in this instance the pilot was “ first-class extra,” and 
that his pen can picture with singular graphicness the incidents 
of the voyage—Hooked forward with much interest and pleasure, 
in common with all your apiarian readers, for reports of his 
progress. 
I notice with much regret the reduction of his stock hives to 
two : should he now doubt his ability with those left at his com¬ 
mand to supply the requisite number of pure impregnated 
queens—seeing his list of parties desirous to possess the race 
must be numerous—could not a negotiation be opened up with a 
* The Bee-Keeper's Manual, or Practical Hints on the Management and 
complete Preservation of the Honey Bee ; with a description of the most 
approved Hives, and other Appurtenances of the Apiary. By Henry 
Taylor, London: Groombridge & Sons. Sixth Edition, 
| respectable party for supplying those so disposed with entire 
hives of Ligurians at a moderate cost, the said hives being 
isolated from their other bees so that the new race and its capa¬ 
bility for our climate may be tested as early as possible ?—An 
■ Old Friend of the Black Bee. 
REARING LIGURIAN BEES. 
The introduction of the Ligurian race of bees into England, 
ushered in under the favourable auspices of the pen of “ A 
Devonshire Bee-keeper,” cannot fail to revive the feelings 
of apimania in the breast of every true lover of bees, and induce 
them to scribble on their favourite theme, offering advice, or 
suggesting useful hints, or, perhaps, impracticable ones. 
May I be admitted into the rank, and allowed to submit an 
idea founded on practice as well as theory ? 
There can be no doubt the real difficulty will be found in 
disseminating the species, to keep the race pure. The colour of 
the bees appears the true test; for if the Ligurian is really larger 
than the common bee, such as have been hatched in the comb of 
common bees will necessarily be dwarfs, and we cannot expect to 
see many true-sized workers at present, if we may infer from 
M. Hermann’s hieroglyphics, that one square inch of Italian 
comb is valued at Is. Nor, probably, has a queen of full size yet 
been seen in England ; those imported having been, probably, 
artificially raised, and such queens being usually of small size, 
though proving equally prolific. 
When the rapidity of fiight of both queen and drone is con¬ 
sidered, and the length of time they are so frequently on the 
wing, it may become a question whether half, or even one mile, is 
sufficient isolation from other families. To avoid the risk, I 
propose that the bee-keeper should avail himself of the well- 
known disposition of bees to form a second series of swarms, 
where a gush of honey takes place late in the season. As a 
preliminary measure, a second production of drones takes place, 
and it is not uncommon to find them in hives on the moors in 
which the first set of drones had been destroyed early in 
August. I have found them as late as the middle of October, in 
very richly-stored and populous hives. 
The method would be perfectly feasible in the hands of an 
enterprising persevering bee-master. First, let the date (within a 
week or two) of the annual destruction of the drones in a par¬ 
ticular locality be noted : for a month previous to this date, in 
the hive of a Ligurian queen in which there are no common 
drones, let food be supplied in floods. Directly the drones 
appear, supposing the general destruction to be about taking 
place, the queen should be transferred to another hive, when the 
multiplication of young queens must at once commence. It is 
imperative that the queen should be removed, otherwise there 
would be no security for the retention of the drones; and, of 
course, if more than one hive could be made available in this 
manner, the additional number of drones would be an advantage. 
There may seem to be a risk in rearing queens so late in the 
season, but I have proved that it may be done. Finding a hive 
queenless the end of July, and in a locality not very favourable 
to bees, I supplied brood-comb, and had a little queen in eleven 
days. In twelve days more she was ready to commence her 
maternal duties—about the 20tli of August; hut not having my 
memoranda at hand I cannot be certain of the exact date. 
Exeept the few drones that remained in this hive, I am not aware 
that there were any within several miles. The hive was carefully 
tended, and prospered, and, being the subject of an experiment, 
was pressed forward in the spring, and the little queen led off the 
earliest swarm that ever issued from that apiary.— Investigator. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Painting Straw Hives (Erin).—See an extract from Mr. Tavlor’s 
“ Bee-keeper’s Manual,” witli the opinion in which we quite agree. ’ 
Cock Persecuting the Hens (A. G. <?.).—All animals confined in a 
small place, like a clog chained up, become irritable and worse tempered 
than when in freedom. Your Black Hamburgh cock attacking the Spanish 
and other hens admitted to, is so influenced. Trv the effect of confining 
the hens under a coop where he can see them for some days before you 
admit them to him. If he still attacks them, you had better dispose of him 
Pullets eor Winter Laying (Brahma).— April and early May are the 
latest months in which pullets can be hatched with a prospect of their 
laying any time during the following winter, and these only of the Cochin. 
China and Brahma varieties. The latter are said to be hardier than 
Cochin-Chinas. Queries sent to our office by Tuesday or Wednesday are 
almost certain of being answered the following Tuesday, but much must 
depend upon the living authorities we think necessary to consult. 
