222 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, July 3, 1860. 
tities of honey are frequently found in the hollow trees. It is 
so plentiful that, in the summer season, it may he bought for 
Ad. the pound; and it is probable that before long bees¬ 
wax will form a staple articlo of commerce, and thus assist to 
enrich the colony. 
An emigrant from Scotland, proud of his nationality, brought 
with him to the colony a packet of thistle seed; and as soon as 
he had settled upon his grant of land, he scattered the seed 
around his dwelling, and the emblem of his native land was 
soon manifest in its forbidding grandeur. Great was the 
admiration of his friends and countrymen, and some almost 
wept as the thistle brought hack to their memory the scenes of 
their own dear fatherland. The seed was liberally supplied to 
friends far and near, and soon the down was seen soaring over 
the hills of Tasmania, hearing the seed in its flight, and the 
thistle was no longer a stranger in this our adopted country. 
But, mark the result! The thistle soon manifested itself a 
usurper, and took possession of the soil, to the exclusion of the 
native grasses and herbs. In a very few years the colonists 
began to take the alarm. Large paddocks were overgrown 
with the pernicious weed; and not only was the pasture-land 
destroyed, but, in some cases, the land became inaccessible to 
man or beast. In autumn the seeds mount in the air, looking 
like snow, and I have seen the grass perfectly white with the 
down. The mischief is irreparable, and the thistle will never 
he extirpated in Van Diemen’s Land, while the curse pro¬ 
nounced upon the ground for Adam’s sake is inflicted; and 
some think that the thistle will usurp the vast plains of Australia, 
as its congener has the pampas of South America. 
New, contrast these two actions in their results—the in¬ 
troduction of a hive of bees, and the introduction of a packet of 
thistle seed. 
Take my own case as an illustration. 'Without expense or 
trouble on my part—for any old chest or cask serves for a hive— 
the bees collect me honey and wax. In the autumn we take as 
much honey as furnishes our table, and the children use it 
profusely all the year round, and the refuse makes admirable 
vinegar. But the thistle is an intolerable nuisance. Mine is 
considered a small farm, being only two thousand acres. Of 
course, the principal part of the land is used as a sheep-walk. 
I have only occupied it for six years, and when I entered upon 
it the thistles were by no means so numerous as on the neigh- 
'bouring estates; yet, during the last six years, I have, for four 
months in spring and summer in each year, devoted many days 
to its extirpation; some weeks, each six days : and sometimes 
with one man, and occasionally the whole establishment, I 
would take the field against the prickly enemy; and this day 
10th of January, I and my eldest son have had a weary walk 
making a circuit of at least a dozen miles, peeping into and 
examining every dell and nook, for the sullen gentleman, armed 
at all points, likes a retired quiet spot to luxuriate in unmolested. 
Some hundreds have we this day destroyed, and there are yet 
many hills and valleys to examine; but one retired spot, formed 
by a bend of the river quite dispirited us, and the task of des¬ 
troying hundreds of tall weeds is left for another day; and my 
labour is each year to be begun, for my careless neighbours 
supply me with abundance of seed. 
Now, weigh well what maybe the result of your actions, even 
of what you may deem a trifling one ; for this is certain, each 
of your actions is either of faith or of sin. The one will 
produce health and sweetness; the other labour and sorrow — 
a curse ; and no power can recall an act. All the powers of the 
inhabitants of Van Diemen’s Land could not destroy the bees 
or extirpate the thistle. The importation of bees was an act of 
benevolence: the importation of the thistle had its origin in 
thoughtlessness and folly.— (Sunday at Home.) 
CAPTURING THE QUEEN AT SWARMING. 
While watching the departure of a top swarm from one of 
my lives the other day, I had a fine view of the queen, which 
made her appearance on the board when about three-fourths of 
the departing colony were in the air. She appeared to be a fine, 
large, bulky lady, very loath to take wing. I put my finger upon 
her, and was about transferring her to the box destined for the 
swarm. A friend standing by dissuaded me from it. On getting 
the swarm hived from the centre of an old gooseberry bush in 
which they had clustered, and being pretty well punished between 
stings and scratches, I regretted not acting on my first impression. 
Should I liavo done right ? 
Is it necessary for the subsequent settling and prosperity of 
the colony that they should have the liberty of a flight, and 
gather at some spot before hiving ? If not, would it be advisable 
and save a deal of trouble, to capture in every case the queen 
and place her at once in her new home ?—P. T. O. 
[Ilad you captured the queen and placed her at once in her 
new habitation with so many of her subjects as possible, you 
might, and probably would, have escaped the stings and scratches 
you mention. The mere act of taking flight and clustering is 
certainly not at all necessary for the subsequent prosperity of the 
colony. It is not always possible to secure a queen in the act of 
leading off a swarm ; besides which, there is considerable risk of 
injuring her in so doing. For these reasons it will be found im¬ 
practicable as well as unadvisable to adopt this course in all 
cases.] 
APPROPRIATING THE CONTENTS OF HIVES 
THAT HAVE SWARMED. ’ 
I have three old-fashioned straw hives which stand on the 
condemned list of my apiary, after they have thrown off their 
swarms. Now, by winch of the following plans should I be the j 
greater gainer :—Suppose I drum out the bees twenty-four days - 
after swarming (say a month hence), I know I can appropriate 
their store free from brood, and transfer the bees to their next : 
neighbours to be retained as stocks, the increased force will, of 
course, materially improve these as accumulators ? Or, on the 
other hand, suppose I let them stand over till the middle of 
September (close of the honey season in this quarter), the young 
queens loft in the hives will speedily increase the population, and 
the combs being all ready to hand, under favourable circum¬ 
stances, should bleed well in September ? In a word, whether 
will the bees remaining after swarming do most good in their old 
combs, or added to new colonies of this season ? Perhaps you 
or some of your correspondents who have experimented on this 
can advise me.—P. T. O. 
[Much depends upon the state of the hives to be operated 
on, as W'ell as on the object you have in view. If very populous, 
the bees expelled twenty-four days after swarming might form 
distinct colonies, should you be desirous of increasing your 
number of stocks. Otherwise we should let them stand until 
autumn before driving and appropriating their stores.] 
EXPELLING DRONES ON THEIR 
APPEARANCE. 
In a two-year-old wooden hive, which threw off two swarms 
last season, the drones have but very recently appeared. I 
observe for two or three mornings back several of these in a 
weakened state about the entrance. The workers stoutly resist 
my reintroducing them. What can be the cause? I never 
noticed drones expelled with us before beginning of August. I 
was desirous that this hive should swarm. Are my hopes of this 
weakened by these proceedings ? and should I put on a super ? 
By giving me your opinion on these different points you will 
j confer a great favour on—A Young Apiaeian, not op Bagshot. 
[The premature expulsion of drones shows that the season is a 
j very bad one, and augurs ill for your prospect of obtaining swarms, 
i You may put on a super, but a prompt change of weather may 
yet do much. “A Devonshire Bee-keepee” mentions a 
similar occurrence as having taken place in his own apiary.] 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Hen with White Scurf ( Walter ).—Rub her face and legs with sulphur 
ointment. Let her have all the green food she chooses-; leave off giving 
her barley entirely, and feed her with soft food only, such as boiled potatoes 
and pollard mixed to a dry pasty state. Let her have a teaspoonful of 
flowers of sulphur ill her food every second day. If this treatment docs 
not cure her, substitute mild mercurial ointment for the sulphur ointment. 
Turkeys witii Gummy Eyes IE. D .).—This discharge of matter from 
the eyelids must be occasioned by the birds being exposed to the wet and 
ungenial weather. Keep them in a dry, sheltered, but well ventilated 
place, yet well supplied with green food." Give them a little bread soaked 
in ale daily; and two grains of powdered sulphate of copper twice a-week 
mixed with their soft food. 
Driving Bees (R. W.B .).—Driving had better be postponed until 
autumn. The plan you propose would probably prevent swarming in 
both stocks; whilst a natural swarm would stock your Taylor’s hive in a 
far more efficient manner. We doubt whether we exactly understand 
your second question; but, as a general rule, forcible interference with 
bees is to he deprecated, Ligurian stocks cannot be purchased in this 
country. 
