LIBRARY OF THE MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE SOURCE__V J5 THE Srifei §Bn %mu± BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. EDITED BY TEOS. WM. COWAN, F.6.S., F.L.S.; F.R.M.S., &c," and W. BROUGHTON CARS. VOLUME XIX. January-Decembee, 1891. PUBLISHED BY SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT, & Co., Limited, 23 PATEENOSTER BOW, E.C. LIBRARY UNIVERSE Cf MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST, MASS. 4 3 8,0 S" L O N D O H : PRINTED BY ST R AtfGEWAYS AND S0NTi Tower Street, Cambridge Circus, W.O. INDEX. -Appliance dealers, 10, 45, 68, 90 Autumn preparation, 25 Amount of bees and food for winter, 23 Amateur hive-making', 33 Adding to warm wrappings, 50 Aged queens, 56 Another tall one, 72 Abnormal drones, 155 Alimentary canal, 196 Are bees a nuisance, 201 An early swarm, 242 Apicnltural mems., 257 Ants in hives, 263 April swarm, An, 301 Advance in price of beeswax, 302 Appreciative, 312 Address on bee-keeping, 371 ; Autumn feeding, 413, 421 ; work, 437 Are the queens of foul-broody stocks diseased, 467 Another bee-case, 487 Average honey yields, 500, 513, 528 Amount of food for winter, C04 About bees, 509 Are we drifting from our moorings, 518 Associations :— British Bee- keepers', 15, 52, 87, 110,135, 146, 194, 225, 229, 236, 279, 288, 307, 326, 427, 438, 450, 462, 485, 533, 581 ; Irish, 28, 184,358,462; Leicestershire, 40, 150, 184, 199, 347 ; Kent, 40, 307, 572 ; Sotting- ham, 52, 337, 367 ; Der- byshire, 88, 452; North- ampton, 89, 357; Notts, 102; Middlesex, 111, 316; Essex, 138, 289, 464, 530; Ulster, 138, 291, 302, 358; West Cumberland, 163 ; Worcestershire, 184, 327 ; Scottish, 185, 348, 356 ; Bristol, 246 ; Warwick- shire, 246; Hull and East Riding, 249; Hants and Isle of Wight, 336 ; Lin- colnshire, 346, 347 ; York- shire, 356 ; Berwick, 357 ; Bristol & District, 358, 549 ; Wigtownshire, 359, 428 ; Grlamorgaushire,368; Buck- ingham and District, 368 ; Shropshire, 377 ; Wilts, 378; Goole and District, 379 ; Etwell (Derby), 379 ; Melrose, 380 ; Stafford- shire, 390 ; Wotton-under- Edge, 402; Oxfordshire, 403; Lancashire and Che- shire, 414, 427; Jedbnrgh and District, 417 ; Here- fordshire, 428 ; Berkshire, 535 ; Hunts, 559 Apology, An, 533 Average yields, 540, 554 Averages, Honey, 542 Asthma and Naphthaline, 545,553 A reply, 561 An explanation, 582 A few mems. from recent readings in the Bee Journal, 533 A warning, 594 Bee-papers for winter read- ing, 2, 22, 25, 49, 73, 97, 134, 146, 158, 170, 182, 195, 206, 276, 513 Bee, associations in America, 29; clippings, 72 ; rambles in Savoy, 76, 87, 100, 111, 148, 160, 171, 196, 218, 229 ; appliances, 106 ; flowers, 118, 242 ; association for North Wales, 130 ; houses, 139, 177, 201, 385, 430; and honey shows, 150, 166, 194 ; shows to come, 239, 247, 256, 282, 290, 303, 314, 322, 331, 353, 363, 366, 372, 380, 395, 410, 421, 434, 445, 453, 464, 483, 494, 505 ; experiences, 248 ; manage- ment, 281 ; association in the Midlands, 309, 327; show at Portsmouth, 311 ; Associations, County Coun- cils, and Technical Educa- tion, 315 ; sugar, 328 ; sea- son in the North, 361 ; and honey statistics, 386; As- sociation for Sussex, 444; law, 501 ; Associations and County Council Grants, 502, 527 ; notes, 529 ; cul- ture in Southern Califor- nia, 530, 537; candy, Mak- ing, 534 Bees, in a blackberry bush, 21 ; perishing on snow, 68 ; refusing candy, 83 ; desert- ing hive, 119, 424 ; dying, 119 ; robbing, 119 ; and odours, 124 ; in Cumber- land, 176; in a tree, 179; and red clover, 189; in Valentia, 21<>,241; andfru t growing, 213, 491 ; and vaseline, 213; fighting, 231; and orchids, 245 ; fighting, 258, 272 ; and horse food, 281 ; fighting among them- selves,'290; of the Old World, 298; in Scotland, 311 ; gathering from laurel leaves, 313 ; in a pillar letter box, 314 ; and super- fluous wax, 321 ; refusing to enter supers, 323 ; in Canada, 329; settling on the right man, 332; The, 333 ; and fruit-growing for farmers, 335 ; attaching combs to separators, 352 ; and second-crop red clover, 353 ; casting out drones, 354 ; transferring them- selves to lower hive, 375; not working in supers, 395 ; and hops, 443; attacking horses, 444; at the Wether- by Agricultural Society's Show, 453; for South Af- rica, 455 ; in hive roof, 456 ; and fruit, 457 ; in County Wexford, 479 ; in Califor- nia, 479 ; mating; 483 ; as fertilisers, 510 ; and the production of heat, 513 ; in North Wexford, 542 ; the law of, 542 ; sending, by post, 543 ; Cyprian, The last of, 537; for South Africa, 563 ; near towns, 564 ; in South Africa, 575 Bee-keeping, for women, 29 ; near towns, 33, 57; in Spain, 43 ; and technical educa- tion, 150, 225,236; in Kent, 164 ; for profit, 201 ; in Ireland, 231, 407; in the mountains, 331 ; from a man's standpoint, 372 ; in Middlesex, 455 ; extraor- dinary, 501 ; in South Aus- tralia,515 ; in Lincolnshire, 554,563; Technical Educa- tion in, 551 ; The future of, 585 ; How to begin, 599 ; in South Australia, 596 Bee-keepers' Association for Scotland, 103 Beginner's query, A, 23, 83 Buying baes, 70 Building np in spring, 76 British and Irish honey com- pany, 23, 114 Brood nests and queen -ex- cluder, 116 Bath and West of England Agricultural Society, 146 Biographies of bee-keepers, 170 Balance sheets, 175, 200 Beginning bee-keeping, 173 Beet sugar for bee-food, 186 Bruin, 208 Balling queens, 244, 445 Bacillus minor and bacillus depilis, 282 Buying honey for competi- tion, 312 Bee-keepers, at Wakes Colne Rertory, 317, 326; special gathering of, 536 Boxes for carrying driven ' Bees, 354 Biter bitten, The, 370 Bird stung to death by bees, 371 Booming Punic (?) bees, 419 B.B.K.A., 533 Berkshire B.K.A., A, 535 Bee - culture in Southern California, 537 Bee Associations and County Council grants, 551 Beeswax, Taking care of, 555 Bee-decorations, 562 Bee-keeping, Skep, 563 Bacillus depilis, what causes it ? 578 Bees and bee-keeping, Lec- ture on, 589 Bad-tempered bees, 594 Completing unfinished sec- tions, 30 Cheap hives and appliance dealers, 33, 46 ' Cleansing flight, 34 | Cheap hives, 58 ' Curious experience in queen- ing, A, 67 i Curing foul brood, 81, 441 I Cutting down combs, 106 Curious wintering results, 116, 152 Clippings, 119 County Councils and techni- cal education, 133, 425 Clipping queen's wings, 143 Cleaning the specimens, 147 I Coloured plates of bees, 152 Changing hives, 167 ; and dis- infecting combs annually, 178 Compound eyes, 208 Coming campaign, The, 216 Comparative weather report of 1891 and 1890 (first quarter), 233 Combs broken down, 243 Complaints of dealers, 250 Cane sugar, 259 Country visitors, 269 Conference of bee-keepers at Doncaster, 274, 279 Comb honey production, 275 Cheap feeder wanted, A, 282 Controlling swarming, 233 Carniolan bees, 288, 290, 301, 409 Cheap feeders, 291, 292 Cone super-clearer, 311, 370 Carniolan queens and swarms, 311 Cardboard wrappers for sec- tions, 319 Carniolans as non-swarmers, 320 Covering for hives, 321 Clearing bees from supers, 325, 370 Cone-shaped super-clearers, 329, 330 Cork -dusk for winter pack- ing, 330 Checking foul brood, 339 Curing foul brood, 352, 430, 432 Cure of foul brood, 359 Chloroforming and driviu bees, 362 Completing unfinished sec- tions, 363 Co-operative bee-keepers at the Crystal Palace, 367 17 INDEX TO VOLUME XIX. Comb sometime? produced without loss, 3/3 Comb foundation, 374 Contracting hives, 421 Cuban honey yields 421 Cleaning up empty combs, 445 Crossing of races, The, 452 Castle Douglas Show, 1891, 454 Clover honey granulating, 456 Chain sign, The, 461 Careful handling of bees, 475 Crowding the brood nest, 506 Cleaning out shallow frames, 516 Candy feeding, 531 Candy, Making, 534, 569, 576 Cyprian bees, The last of, 537 Completing winter packi'ig, 545 Comb foundation, Foul brood in, 550 Curious bee-decorations, 5S2 Cleaning up shallow frames, 576 Combs for melting, 576 Concentration of forces and non-s warming, 597 Development in the honey- bee (continued), 6, 52, 101, 162, 209, 266, 33S, 404, 483, 518 Double and single - walled hives, 15, 63, 91, 95 Doubling, spreading brood, &c, 22 Double-cased hives, 28 Dysentery and raw sugar for syrup-making, 39 Death of a Scotch bee-keeper, 69 Dysenteric bees, 83 Direct hiving of swarms, 92 j Damp and mildewed wraps, 115 Dr. Tinker's book on bee- | keeping for profit, 119, 131 J Deserted hive, 119 Dry mounting, 146 Drying the specimens, 147 Detection of rosin in bees- wax, 190 Dissection of insects, 195 Dorsal vessels, 2i)i Driving-sticks, 241 Disinfecting hives and granu- lated honey, 251 Death of * A Renfrewshire bee-keeper," 256 Doubling- for prevention of swarming, 273 Deaf comb, 283 Deooy hives, 292 Death from arsenical poison- ing, 368 Dealing with foul - broody stock, 375 Dome shape v. flap top, 3S5, 418 Driving bees, 396, 421 Dairy show, The, 403, 477 Discontinued breeding, 421 Difficulties of autumn feed- ing, 433 Distance bees will go to heather, 446 Destroying a hornet's nest, 455 Dry food for bees, 469, 490, 514 Drones and queen in hive at end of October, 492 Disinfecting combs, 505 Drone-breeding queen, 529 Disinfecting hives, 550 Damage from storms, 569 Experiment in wintering, An, 8 Echoes from the hives, 23, 35, 47, 59, 71, 83, 96, 106, 130, 143, 156, 167, 179, 202, 214, 224, 234, 243, 252, 262, 273, 283,293,303,314, 322, 331, 343, 372, 386, 398, 410, 422, 434, 457, 471, 482, 494, 556 Examining bees, 47 English bees v. hybrids, 56, 64, 92, 95 Early queen- wasp, An, 68, 154 Excessive death rate, 70 Experts' visits, 90 Extracting. 98 Entrances blocked in winter, 117 Experts and their work, 129 Experience, An, 129 " Excluder zinc, 169, 193, 201, 221 Examination of honey by dialysis, 197 Experiments in apiculture, 233 Early sections, 258 Experts' certificates, 301, 433, 504 Early morning with the bees, An, 302 Eucalyptus honey, 331 Extracting heather honey, 364, 446 Extracted honey for showing, 364 Extracted combs, 409 Examining stocks in autumn, 433 Editorial amenities, 523 Eucalyptus, Foul brood and, 534 Experience of uniting, 561 Excluders, size of, 573 Entrance during winter, Width of, 576 Extracted honey, Shallow frames for, 583 Foul-brood bactei'ia, The, 16 Food and risks of starvation, 39 Foul brood, 41, 166, 243, 249, 406, 444, 469, 497, 498, 505 ; and its remedies, 54, 283 ; in Canada, 66 ; and comb foundation, 155 ; and Naph- thol Beta, 186; and in- fluenza, 240; and foreign bees, 282 ; and driven bees, 362 ; and naphthaline, 393, 419 ; remedies, 438 ; in Scotland, 478 ; legislation, 521, 513; and eucalyptus, 534 Few hiats on fixing up bees in winter, &c, 105 Flour for uniting, 114, 432 Furniture polish, 162 Foreign honey, 163, 340, 507 Future of bee associations, The, 181 Four bee-way sections, 224 Fertile queens, 241 Finding the queen, 300 Finding queens, 312 Forcing hives for clover har- vest, 330 Fatality at a bee-show, The, 346 For sign notes, 422 Feeding up transferred stocks, 435 Feeding up, 456 ; for winter, 459, 481 Finding queens, 464 Fair exhibits, 468 First and second-class ex- aminations for experts' cer- tificates, 488; Fnel for smoker, 517 Flour candy in winter, 519 Foul-brood notes, 589 Foul - broody hives, Winter treatment of, 555 Feeding in skeps in De- cember, 533 Getting rid of fertile workers, 31 Grading honey, 100 Gardeners and bee-keeping, 187 Ganglionic chain, 206 Gleanings, 218, 481, 500, 517 ' Gleanings,' and its new cover, 438 Getting bees into sections, 283 Granulated honey, 528, 540 Golden syrup for bee-food, 597 Handling bees, 2, 5 House apiaries and a new departure, 20, 33 Hard bee-candy, 23 Hive for wintering, 27 How I use the Raitt honey press, 46 Hive entrances in winter, 57 Heavy winter loss, 130 Hardiness of beas, 153 Horses and bees, 189 Head, The, 208 Huber's letters, 245 Home-made, foundation, 274 ; simple queen-cage, A, 328 ; appliances, 449, 476, 514 ; feeders, 477 ; rapid feeders, 515 Hive temperature, 300 Hatching bees in incubators, 321 Hiving swarms without guide combs, 384 How to clarify black and dirty wax with sulphuric acid, 336 Heating uncapping knife, 395 Hairless bees, 396 Handling hives instead of frames, 439 Hiving driven bees, 444 Hints, 445 How to find a queen, 458 Harvest in West Middlesex, The, 492 How to make bee-keeping pay, 525 Honey, companies, 43 ; granu- lating, 69, 435 ; producing, 97 ; imports.100,146,170,233, 268, 307, 343, 356, 393, 403, 455, 512, 560,; comb designs, 131 ; and asthma, 189 ; bees of South-west France, 210 ; at the Dairy Show, 350, 362, 405, 473 ; from foul-broody hives, 387 ; or increase, 408; beverages, 506 Hives in the fiat, 542 Honey avenges, 542 Humbug in the queen trade, 516 Huber's letters, 547, 570 Hives, Disinfecting, 550 How to begin bee-keeping, 587 How to find a queen, 591 In the hut, 29, 89, 127, 174, 240, 299, 369, 465, 538, 5S5 Is mead-making illegal ? 33, 43, 55, 65, 67 Importation of foreign bees into Germany, 35 Is it dysentery ? 59 Incompleted sections, 67 Importing foreign bees, 78 Is bee-keeping a success ? 139 In an old garden, 179 Inside measurements of frames and hives, 214 Inconsistent showing, 384, 407, 419, 431, 432, 477, 504 Italians and Caruiolans, 3.1 3 Joining, bee asso jiations, 233, 248 ; bees, 273 Journey for queen-cells in South Devon, A., 319 Killing queen-wasps, 272 Keeping bees and fowls in orchards, 456 Lecture on the honey-bea, 7 Liquid fruit sugar, 40 Lectures on bee-keeping, 102 ; Lincolnshire notes, 113 Labarraque's solution, 199 Legal right to bees that have swarmed, 303 Lessons of experience in bee- keeping, 309 Let-alone system, The, 318 Lady's bee-keeping, A, 341 Late, mating of queens, 492 ; feeding, 498 ; drones, 516 : syrup feeding, 519 Law of bees, 542 Lecturers and their critics, . 552 Lecture on bees and bee- keeping, 589 Moth larvas in top bars, 23 Moving bees, 34, 131, 189, 213, . 457, 519 ; short distances, . 23; in winter, 32; sixty miles, 364 Mice, 34 Making soft bee-candy, 51 Meadows' new registered ' frame, 88, 155 Mounting objects for the microscope, 91, 145, 158, . 170, 182, 195, 206 Metal ends. 153, 167 Mounting in aqueous medii, 182 Mel sapit omnia, 187 Muscles, 206 Mouldy combs, 234 Malagasy bee, The (apis uui- color), 250, 259, 268, 279 Marriage, of Mr. James Ab- bott, 256 ; of the Rev. Dr Bartrum, 393 Melting combs for wax, 283 Making, a swarm cluster and stay upon a stake in front of its hive, 332 ; beeswax, . 45 Metal screw tops, 353 Metheglin, 394, 419 Marauding bees at sweet stalls, 397 McNally, Eoenezer, 434 Maltese honey, 482 Menis. by a Cheshire Bee- keeper, 503 Mead- making and wax-ex- tracting, 517 My average yield, 554 Moist sugar for wintering on, 564 My honey report, 538 Natural aptitude for bee- keeping, 2 Nomadic bee - keeping and Monte Rosa honey, 8 National honey competition, 79, 25S Napthalised bee-candy, 67 Naphthol, 91, 255 ; for foul brood, 68 Native bees v. foreigners, 154 Naphthaline and foul brood, 291 ; and asthma, 545, 553 New section box, The, 312, 320 Nil desperandum, 341 Novel bee -arrangement, A, 343 INDEX TO VOLUME XIX. Native bees in India, 350 New hive, A, 351 Naphthol Beta and Naph- thaline, 401 New, heather honey press, 402; wax extractor, A, 419; twin dovetail hive, 453 Norfolk bee-keepers, To, 431 Notices tc correspondents, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96, 107, 119, 131, 144, 156, 168, 180, 191, 203, 214, 224, 234, 244, 254, 263, 274, 284, 293, 303, 314, 323, 333, 343, 353, 364, 37S, 387, 398, 411, 423, 434, 446, 459, 471, 483, 495, 507, 519, 531, 543, 555, 567, 579, 591 Notes, by the way, 18, 34, 44, 55, 65, 78, 94, 104, 115, 128, 142,151,175, 185,200,242, 223, 232, 247, 271, 290, 310, 327, 359, 381, 405, 429, 442, 475, 503, 528, 552, 560, 574, 595 £by village bee-keeper, 41 ; on wintering, 117 ; on bee-keeping, 165, 489; from Ireland, 249 ; on bee-keeping in Hunts, 257, 382 ; in the country, 269 ; from North Yorks, 383; from North Kent, 418; from South Devon, 454; from North Devon, 490; on robbing, 492 ; from my diary, 516 Nominal one-pound bottles, 542, 553, 575 Notes for winter manage- ment, 545 Not a bad result, 553 Otjr Prominent Bee-keep- ers : — John H. Howard, 13; John Love, 37; Pastor Paul Schonfeld, 61 ; Rev. J. Lawson Sisson, 85 ; Miss Macdonell of Glengarry, 122; Richard Atkins Grim- shaw, 157 ; J. Dennler, 557 Our library table, 11, 26, 572 Odd thoughts, 177 Overdosing, with salicylic acid, 201; bees with naph- thaline, 280 Ovary of queen, 207 On, the loss of heat in hives, 216 ; the way to the moors, 362 Old railway carriage for a bee-house, 433 Overstocking bee districts, 513 Obituary : — Alfred Neigh, beur, 1 ; Rev. J. M'Neene, 69; John McDowall, 69; J. M. McPhedran, 256, 285 ; C. C. Pilfold, 512 Observations by an outsider, 541 Our nineteenth volume, end of, 592 Protection from stings, 4 Preventing,swarming,22 ,368, 432 ; granulation of honey, 492 Photographs, of apiaries, 95; of honey displays, 303 Proposed Scottish Bee-keep- er's Association, 113 Painting, hives, 118, 178, 321 ; insides of hives, 70 Proposed conference of bee- keepers at the Royal Show, 151 Preparing bee-food, 154, 414 Process for detecting paraffin in beeswax, A, 163 Preventive measures against disease, 169 Pure cane - sugars for bee- food, 194, 205 Prospects of the season, The, 288 Perils of bee-keeping, The, 322 Preserving,sections,333; store combs, 497 Preventives against foul brood, 346 Punic bees, 390, 408, 434, 445 ; and golden Carniolans, 392 Poisonous honey plants, 455 Patent hives, 459 Prevention of swarming, im- portant to all, 478 Prizes at the Dairy Show, 488 Poetry : — In an old garden, 179; to«X-Tractor,' 250; The bees, 333 ; Natural his- tory from the classics, 446; Stung, 482 ; The swarm that deserted its hive, 543 Perforated zinc, 553 Preserving old combs for melting, 576 Queries and Replies, 22, 34, 47, 59, 69, 82, 95, 106, 118, 130, 143, 154, 167, 178, 189, 201, 213, 224, 234, 243, 251, 261, 273, 283, 292, 303, 312, 320, 330, 342, 352, 362, 371, 384, 395, 409, 420, 433, 444, 456, 480, 494, 504, 517, 529, 543, 555, 564, 576, 588 Queen, rearing, 81, 105 ; in- jured, 273 ; rearing in full colonies without first re- moving the brood, 273; catcher and holder. A, 464 Queens, and excluderzinc,118, 259 ; passing through ex- cluder zinc, 176 ; failing to mate, 342 ; from foul-broody stocks, 462 ; fertilised in full colonies with a laying queen, 596 Quieting bees, 3 Queen-excluding boards, 558 Queen-excluders, Size of, 573 Reviews, 11, 24, 47, 190, 253, 261 Royal showatDoncaster, 40, 206 Review of, German Bee Jour- nals, 47, 589 ; of the Bee Journals of Germany and Austria, 322,589 ; of French and Belgian Bee - papers, 493 Royal show prize schedule, 57 Restless bees, 59 Raw sugar syrup and dysen- tery, 59 Removing, bees, 82; glass supers, 321 ; surplus, 345 ; supers, 364 ; propolis, 444 ; bees from a hive roof, 495 Returning, second swarms, 118 ; swarms, 375 Report of recent researches, &c, 190 Re-queening hives, 330, 353, 354 Robbing, 345, 366 ; the brood nest, 461 Remedies for and prevention against foul brood, 366 Renewing combs in brood nest, 447 Ripening honey, 451 Resin cerate or basilicon ointment, 483 Roofs blown off, 483 Recipes, Standard, 545 Re-queening for stopping robbing, 545 Repairing damage from storms, 569 Shows :— Bath and West of England, 229, 265; Royal Agricultural Society, 295, 306; Scottish B.K.A. at Stirling, 317, 348, 356; Hants and Isle of Wight, 336; Nottingham, 337, 367; Lincolnshire, 346; Leices- tershire, 347; Yorkshire, 356 ; Northampton, 357 ; Berwick, 357 ; Bristol and District, 358 ; Ulster, 358 ; Irish, 358; Wigtownshire, 359, 428; Glamorganshire, 368 ; Buckingham and Dis- trict, 368; Shropshire, 377; Wilts, 378 ; Goole and Dis- trict, 379 ; Etwell (Derby), 379 ; Staffordshire, 390 ; Wotton-nnder-Edge, 402 ; Oxfordshire, 403 ; Lanca- shire and Cheshire, 414, 427; Castle Douglas, 415; Wrockwardine Bee Club, 416 ; Bridgwater, 427 ; Hereford, 428 ; Edinburgh, 429 ; Derbyshire B.K.A., 452 Seasonably appreciative, 11 Sections in frames, 33 Selling honey, 34 Spring, management, 45, 47 ; dwindling, 50 ; overhauling, 50 ; report,|104 ; work, 109 ; flowers, wax extracting, &c, 188 ; wasps, 214 Stimulating, or building up, 49,255 Spreading brood, 51 Sndden death of an Irish bee-keeper, 69 Specific gravity and melting point of beeswax, 69 Securing well-filled sections, 81 ; frames for travelling, 144 Syrup from raw sugar, 82 ; for spring feeding, 244 Single.ordouble-walled hives, 15, 63, 91, 95, 143; egg in comb, 420 Single - walled hives, Thin, 152, 164, 187 Suspected foul brood, 95 Sawdust for pollen, 117 Sugars for bee-food, 118 Shallow frames for extract- ing, 155 Size, of standard frames, 155 ; of the Layens and Dadant frames, 213; of hives for the North, 248 Super-clearers, 188, 305, 343, 360, 361, 365, 395, 443 Sting, 206, 208, prevention, 283 Salivary glands, 206 Section, cutting,207 ; folding, 222 ; cases or wrappers, 329 ; boxes, 481 Sending queens by post, 215 Swarming, 235, 250 ; in Scot- land, 301 ; and its anoma- lies, 312 Supering, 235, 305 Sweetness and light, 242 Size of hive for the North, 248 Self -hi vers, 271, 287, 290 Salted syrupf or bee-paralysis, 280 Swarms, 287, 305 ; returning, 313 ; taking possession of empty hives, 323 Separating, queen from bees and brood, 293 ; queen from brood, 341 Swarm inside a hobby-horse, A, 319 Swarm - catchers and bee - veils, 407 Should bees be transferred from skeps in July, 320 Surplus honey, 325; queens, 389 Sad lightniner fatality at a bee show, 33b Second swarms supposed queenless, 363 Sticking to old notions, 374 Straining honey, 387 Season's experience, The, 408 Special query (disqualifying exhibits), 454, 467 Storing away stock combs, 461 Space below combs, 462 Successful producer, The, 463 Shakespeare on bees, 495, 507, 519, 598 Stocks queenless, 505 Smacking, 517 Season, The, at Easter Ross, 370; in Strathtav, Perth- shire, 394; in Mid-Corn- wall, 444 ; in Switzerland, 469 Standard recipes, 545 Spores of foul brood in foun- dation, 550 Skep bee-keeping, 563 Sections, Getting bees into, 564 Surplus chamber, Size of excluder for, 573 Surplus chambers, Leaving on, 576 Skeps, Frame hives versus,. 575 Shallow frames, Cleaning up, . 576 Superseding old queens, 579 Seasonable, 581 Sad accident to a bee-keeper, . 581 Shallow frames for extracted honey, 583, 588 Syrup, Utilising surplus, 588 To, correspondents, 40; our Scottish readers, 87 ; Cam- bridgeshire bee - keepers, 131 ; ' Extractor,' 250 Transferring bees, 96 ; to clean hives indoors, 258;. bees and combs from old skeps, 375 ; from skeps to- frame hives, 385 ; bees to frame hive in Autumn, 434 Thin single- walled hives, 103 ; 126 ; 164 ; laths for quilts, 326 Trade catalogues received, 119, 179, 202 ; 292 Tracheae, 206 Tongue and mouth-parts, 208 The prospects of the season, 289 Timely help, 301, 333 Truant swarm recovered, 310 Taking bees to the heather, 391 Talk about bees. A, 466 Tippling bees as burglars, 518 Technical education in bee- keeping, 551J Things I have noted, 566 Tunisian bees, 570 Transferring bees to frame hives, 576 The future of bee-keeping, 585 Useful Hints, 15, 39, 63, 76, 86, 109. 123, 145, 169, 193,. 215, 235, 255, 287, 305, 325, 345, 365, 389, 413, 437, 461, 497, 545, 569 Yl INDEX TO VOLUME XIX. Uncleanness is disease, 80 Using, combed sections, 243 ; naphthaline, 255, 457 ; queen-excluder, 255; car- bolised sheets, 321 Utilising, driven bees, 342, 420; weak colonies in the spring, 371 ; surplus syrup, 588 Unnecessary stimulating, 386 Uniting, stocks in autumn, 456 ; bees, 505 ; An experi- ence of, 561 Virgin, queens, 64 ; swarms, 371 Vagabond swarm, A, 154 Vaseline, 193, 215, 221 ; for use in hives, 211, 231 ; a sting -preventer, 248; and bees, 248 ; in hive, 252 Vagaries of bees, 264; of a swarm of bees, 308 ; of swarms, 313 Visit of the B.B.K.A. to Wakes Colne Rectory, Essex, 302 Varieties of heather, 352 Vicious bees, 353 Ventilation, &c, 462 Vaseline for stopping rob- bing, 515 Weather, The, 11. 15, 39, 63, 86, 109, 145, 169, 193, 215, 235, 255, 287, 305, 325, 345, 365, 389, 413, 437, 461, 497 ; report for 1890, 21 ; reports, 69, 82, 94, 131, 178, 189,233, 256, 273, 308, 363, 405, 433, 455, 481, 506, 513 Warning, A, 21 Wax extracting, 22, 69, 154, 361 ; furniture finish, 84 ; polish, 84 Wintering bees, 25, 153, 175 ; 318; report, 68, 95; on natural stores, 117 ; bees in North Scotlaud, 189; bees in cellars, 232; in skep, 421 ; a small swarm, 480 ; bees in outhouses, 596 Width of top bar in frames for extracting, 45 Working for extracted honey, 97 Willesden card for hive roofs, 152 Water for bees, 221 When doctors and professors difEer, 239 Webster's carbolicf umigator, 244 Why, bees fight among them- selves, 271 ; do we smoke, 417 Wood laths for quilts, 328 Wild bees, 330 Wilful destruction of bees, 355,462 Wearing bee-veils, 383 Wildman on bees, 469, 477 Winter passages, 495 World's fair of 1893, 533 Winter treatment of foul- broody hives, 555 Wintering bees in outhouses, 564, 587; Moist sugar for, 564 Weather reports, 565 Wax secretion, 567, 577 Weather, 569 Width of entrance during winter, 576 Which hives swarms come from, 534 Year's experience of bees. A, 152 Ye experience of ye Spread Eagle, 222 ILLUSTEATIONS. Handling frames of bees, 5 Bee, veil, 5 ; houses, 140, 141, 178 ; rambles in Savoy, 161, 172, 173, 219, 230 Feeders, 26 Ekes, 27 Bottom boards, 27 Body-boxe3, 27 Quilt adjusters, 28 Bacillus, 62 Stomach mouth, 62 Packing, sections of honey, 74 ; run honey, 75 Uncapping combs, 29 Braula coeca, 144 Excluder zinc, 176 Queen-box(for sending queens by post), 215 On the loss of heat in hives, 217 Section folding, 222 Bees and orchids, 245, 246 Comb-honey production, 275 to 278 Queen-cage, 329 New, hive, A, 351 ; heather honey press, 402 Rack for store comb, 498 PORTRAITS. Alfred Neighbour, 1 John H. Howard, 13 John Love, 37 Pastor Paul Schonfeld, 61 Rev. J. Lawson Sisson, 85 Richard Atkinson Grimshaw, 157 J. Dennler, 557 THE Irish %n 3nurnal, BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 445. Vol. XIX. N. S. 53.] JANUARY i, 1891. [Published Weekly. (Jtrxtnrkl, Ufatitts, &. MR. THE LATE ALFRED NEIGHBOUR. Just a year ago we had to record the death ■of a well-known bee-keeper, and now it is our painful task to make kn jwn to our readers the loss of another widely known and greatly re- spected bee-keeper and appliance manufacturer, whose name has been associated with bee-keeping for more tban half a century. Mr. Alfred Neigh- bour, who passed away on the 10 th of December, was born in High Hol- born, London, on the 24th October, 1825, and was therefore sixty- five years of age. He was the son of Mr. George Neigh- bour, and a partner in the firm of George Neighbour «fc Sons. His father established the business in Holborn about 1814, aud in 1852 the firm acquired business premises at 140 Regent Street, possession of which was re- tained till recently, when they were required for Government purposes. In 1824 Mr. Thomas Nutt, the inventor of the Collateral hive, offered Mr. G. Neighbour the agency for the sale of his appliances, and in 1827 published the first -edition of his work, Humanity to Bees. He was in the habit of periodically visiting his patrons who resided in the neighbourhood of London, and Mr. Alfred Neighbour frequently accompanied him in these excursions, and wit- \LFRED NEIGHBOUR nessed his fearless manner in manipulating with bees. These were practical lessons that young Mr. Neighbour derived much benefit from, and thus in early life he acquired a taste for bee- keeping. Mr. Neighbour for many years kept a public apiary in the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, principally in Nutt's hives, but later on Observatory hives were substituted, as being more attractive to visitors. The Royal princes and princesses -when children were ac- customed to pay frequent ea'dy morning visits to the gardens, and also gave the bee-house its share of attention. On one of these occa- sions Mr. Neigh- bour happened to be at the apiary, and had the honour of pointing out the queen, and ex- plaining the mode of working the hives. The first oppor- tunit3r of making a display of hives was at the Great Exhibition of ls-jl,whenMessrs. Neighbour and Mr. John Milton exhibited living bees in glass hives and a collection of bee-furniture side by side. In those days the movable comb hives con- structed in Eng- land were those of Dr. Revan, Mr. Goldirg, and Mr. H. Taylor ; but these had top bars only and the combs had to be severed from the sides of the hives whenever required to be drawn out and inspected. The success of this exhibition caused other exhibitions to follow, and Mr. Neigh- bour was a regular attendant at these, and was usually seen superintending the arrange- ments. Mr. Neighbour was very closely acquainted with Mr. Henry Taylor, author of the Bee- THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL, [January 1, 1891. Keeper's Manual, who was frequently a guest of Mr. George Neighbour at Dorking, whither the latter gentleman retired when he was released from business. Mr. Taylor persuaded Mr. Neighbour to apply to Mr. Hermann in Switzerland for a Ligurian queen -bee, as he had offered to send one to Mr. Woodbury— an offer that gentleman availed himself of. The two queens arrived simultaneously. _ This was the commencement of anew era in bee- keeping, and with the introduction of Ligurians into this country, there sprang up an acquaint- ance between Mr. Woodbury and Mr. Neighbour, which continued till the death of the former in July, 1870. Soon after the introduction of the Ligurian bee, Mr. Langstroth published his work The Hive and Honey Bee, describing his invention of hives with frames, and at the same time frame hives were brought to the notice of bee- keepers in Germany by Baron von Berlepsch. Mr. Woodbury, grasping the advantages of his idea, soon adapted the combs of bis bar hives to it, and constructed what he called the 'com- pound frame.' Messrs. Neighbour were the first vendors of the Woodbury bives, and resorted to frames as originally planned, and which have been in use ever since. Mr. Neighbour was engaged, with the aid of Mr. Duncan Keir, who was introduced to him by 'The Benfrewshire Bee-keeper,' in packing and forwarding humble-bees to New Zealand during winter in a torpid state, for the purpose of fructifying red clover. The importation of Cyprian, Syrian, and Holy Land bees also claimed much of Mr. Neighbour's attention, and he was the first to introduce Carniolan bees into this country. At the German Department of the Exhibition of 18ol, Mr. Neighbour purchased the improved metal plates for making wax foundation, and it was with these that the foundation we used when we first commenced bee-keeping was made — a very different article to what is now used. Mr. Neighbour enjoyed unusual opportunities of becoming acquainted with the leading apiarian celebrities of the day; amongst others, Rev. William Charles Cotton and Dr. Coster. In 1S8CT Mr. Neighbour attended, in com- pany with Mr. S. Stutterd. the translator of Dzierzon s book, the German meeting of bee- masters at Cologne, and received the State silver medal. Here he was introduced to most of the leading bee-keepers attending the Con- gress, which included Dzierzon, Yogel, Baroness von Berlepsch, Dr. Pollman, and many others. Mr. Neighbour kept bees for some time at Dorking, but ' foul brood ' broke out there, and a convenient plot of ground offering at West End, Hampstead, he began afresh in London. Over twelve years' residence at Hampstead was brought to a close in consequence of the ground being required for building purposes, so be removed to Buncefield, Hemel Hempstead, where the apiary is now situated. Mr. Neighbour was a member of the B.B.K.A. from the commencement, and also a member of several of the County Associations. At most of the exhibitions he 'received prizes, medals, or certificates, and all goods turned out by his firm were of a high class as regards manufac- ture. Mr. Neighbour was the oldest established hive manufacturer in the kingdom, being in' the business long before the British Bee Journal was thought of. He was also the author of a work on bees, entitled The Apiary; or, Bees, Bee Hires, and Bee Culture, which has passed through three editions . He also had a very ex- tensive library of books on bees and bee-culture, many of them being of great age and very rare. He was extremely affable, and always ready to assist any one in bee-keeping. His strict in- tegrity caused him to be trusted by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. He had been suffering for some time from rheumatic gout,, and had been to Aix-les-Bains for the baths, where we heard about him when we visited the place. However the disease was too deep-rooted to give way to this treatment, and, although he returned better, it was not long before he was again laid up, and after being confined to his bed for six weeks, he passed away on the 19th of December, 1800. He was married in February, 1885, to Mrs. Johnson Bromley, who survives him, and with whom we deeply sym- patbise in the loss sustained by all who knew him. BEE-PAPERS FOR WINTER READING. No. 1.— HANDLING BEES. Natural Attitude for Bee-keeping. — In the whole range of the practice of apiculture there is no one feature of such paramount impor- tance in attaining success as that of knowing how to handle bees properly, and judiciously, and well. Indeed, to the man who is by tem- perament and habit hasty, jerky, and rough in his method of doing things — who bangs about him in ' now then, hurry up' style — we emphati- cally say, Don't keep bees. Such a one will never make a successful bee-keeper, but will only go from bad to worse in his ' handling ' if he makes the attempt, and assuredly end in giving up in disappointment and disgust. It is most curious to note the varying feelings with which different men regard bees : we have seen a military officer — a model soldier in physique, and, as we were told, plucky enough to face anything in the shape of man or beast — so nervously afraid of the stings of bees that he could not be induced to look on at the opening of a hive, though offered a bee-veil and gloves for protection. Again, we have enjoyed a good laugh at a big farm labourer, about six feet high, running away along the road a couple of hundred yards because he fancied a bee was after him. In these cases an innate fear of bees would very properly deter either man from attempting to become a bee-keeper. Then there is a class of unpromising candi- dates for success in the pursuit who possess January 1, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. no natural aptitude at all for it, and who -should never attempt to engage in it. One of these well accounted for his failure when he remarked to us : - My bees were awfully savage the other day: but Jack was as good as his master, and I gave it them hot ! ' And very 4 hot ' indeed had he given it them, for on lifting the quilts the number of dead bees we saw lying with their crushed bodies flattened on the top bai'3 fully attested the warmth of his 4 handling.' On the other hand, an}* man or woman pos- sessed of an ordinary amount of gentleness, patience, and firmness, and having no actual distaste for the work, may become skilful in handling bees, as well as a successful bee-keeper, by intelligently applying the knowledge which is nowadays within the reach of all. Courage, in the ordinary sense of the word, is not needed, only just that small amount of nerve which will save the operator from starting, as if shot, or dropping the frame he happens to be holding, should a misguided bee chance to sting him. Some men are more successful than others in handling bees, because of their natural aptitude and liking for the work; but almost any one may by experience and practice gain sufficient control over their bees and themselves to remove the unpleasantness and annoyance which, in nineteen cases out of twenty, is caused either by want of knowledge or by mismanagement. It is just as necessary that the bee-keeper should know when to leave the bees alone, as it is to do the right thing at the right time ; and he who persists in carrying through operations at the wrong time, and while the bees deter- minedly resent it, not only acts unwisely, but lays the foundation of further trouble. Gentle handling at all times, and judicious waiting for • another chance ' to carry out operations if the bees are disposed to be - awkward,' will have a remarkable effect in preserving the bee-master's control of the apiary, and in maintaining that order therein which is so necessary for comfort and for success. Quieting Bees. — -Without an efficient means of quieting or controlling the vast army of little workers under his charge the bee-keeper's occu- pation would be gone, or at least it would be- come impossible so far as management by modern methods is understood. And so, for the purpose of subduing bees and rendering them amenable to control, one of two agents is used, as prefei'red, viz., smoke from burning or smoul- dering rags, &c, or the fumes of carbolic acid, the latter being administered in several forms, while the former is universally applied by means of the - Bee-smoker,' an implement too well known to need description here. But for the fact that carbolic acid, as used for quieting bees, is so useful in quite another direction, viz., as a disinfectant and preventive against disease, Ave should advise the using of no other implement than the ordinary smoker and smouldering rag for manipulating purposes, for, spite of all that is urged in favour of the fumes of carbolic acid or of creosote, we must confess to an all-round preference for a good smoker • and a bit of dry fustian. Bearing in mind, how- ever, the favour with which some regard the use of carbolic acid, and appreciating its value disinfectant, we give particulars of the three distinct methods of using it for bee-purposes, as advocated by the late Rev. George Raynor, Mr. W. B. Webster, and Mr. John II. Howard respectively. Mr. Raynor for more than twenty years dispensed with smoke and smokers, using instead a solution composed as follows : — H oz. Calvert's No. o carbolic acid, \\ oz. glycerine, 1 quart of warm water. The acid and glycerine to be well mixed before adding the water, and the bottle to be well shaken before using. Formerly Mr. Raynor applied the solution by means of a feather, first round the entrance and over the alighting-board of the hive, then to the tops of the frames, smearing each top bar as the quilts were removed. In later years, how- ever, he seemed to prefer his second plan of using the carbolised sheet, which was simply a piece of open cheese-cloth, seventeen inches wide, and long enough, when it had tacked on to it at each end a light wooden roller, to haa.- over the hive sides when stretched across the whole of the frame tops. This cloth, when in use, was kept moist with the acid solution, and when manipulating the quilts were quickly stripped off and replaced by the cloth before the bees had time to fly. They would immediately retreat below, and then the operater gently rolled back the cloth, uncovering as many frames as desired on one side, then covering up again and beginning on the opposite side in the same way. Considering that so reliable an authority as Mr. Raynor chiefly attributed his immunity from foul brood for more than forty years 1 3 the constant use of carbolic acid in this way, its advantages are worth considering. Great care, however, is required in using it, not only oh account of its highly poisonous character, but. from the painful effect it has on the skin if the solution is made too strong, or without gly- cerine, besides the objectionable odour it convey* to honey if used carelessly. The quiet style of handling bees and the orderly care so charac- teristic of Mr. Raynor were admirably adapted for the successful use of carbolic acid about bee* and honey. His carbolised sheet, neatly rolled up in a piece of American cloth, glazed side in, was always ready for use and never objection- able ; nor'was his honey ever - redolent of car- bolic,' as often is that of some who use that useful but not savoury-smelling antiseptic too freely in the apiary. Next we have the carbolic fumigator of Mr. Webster, who describes it as follows : — -This is a zinc cylinder mounted upon, and in direc" communication with, a bellows. At one end of this cylinder is an inverted cone, from the lowest "part of which a nozzle protrudes : cover- ing over the hole at the back of this nozzle is a shield, to prevent anything but air or vapour beino- blown through ; the other end of this THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 1, 1891. cylinder has a cover, the inside of which is fur- nished with four hooks holding a piece of sponge. The sponge is saturated with carbolic acid, creosote, and water. At the hack of this sponge a piece of carbonate (the common hard or crystal form) of ammonia is placed ; when so prepared the f umigator is ready for use, and will last, according to the amount of work, for weeks or months, without any further trouble. The fumigator is used exactly in the same manner as an ordinary smoker, and the S3 desirous of trying the carbolic fumigation method may, according to Mr. Cheshire, improvise a good substitute for the orthodox implement by form- ing a roll of the corrugated brown paper used for packing purposes, saturating this in the solution and inserting it in an ordinary smoker. Next we have the ' carbolised spray,' first used by Mr. Howard to quiet bees. This consists of one part (not more) of Calvert's No. 5 acid to ten parts of rather hot water, the solution to be shaken till the brown, oily globules disappear, and the acid is thoroughly merged in the water. It is used warm, and before spraying the bees the bottle is again well shaken. A strong atomiser, like these used by hairdressers, is best for the purpose when spraying ; the nozzle should not be pointed at the bees, but directed so that the solution will fall on them in a fine spray as the quilt is turned back. Sometimes a second application is needed to subdue a strong stock, but the bees generally retreat from the spray just as they do from smoke. Judiciously applied — and only in spring and autumn work — this spraying with carbolic acid must be of great value if foul brood is about, seeing that in application it disinfects hives, bees, implements, clothing, and everything it comes in contact with. There is, of course, always the danger of a careless person making the solution too strong, or so drenching the bees with it as to half kill them; otherwise the carbolised spray has much to recommend it, especially when disease is being fought with, but as a bee-quieter it is obviously more suitable for the use of experienced bee- keepers than for the ordinary amateur. Beyond those enumerated above, there are several other quieting agents used for protecting the hands when handling bees, notably Grim- shaw's ' apifuge,' Shipman's ' pirasedo,' &c, which have the excellent effect of giving that confidence so helpful to the timid beginner, Protection fkom Stings. — We cannot en- tirely agree with the oft-repeated assertion that 1 bees will never volunteer an attack/ nor sting ' except in self-defence.' Neither is it quite correct to say that ' after a little practice and experience no protection is required ;' indeed, it will usually be found that in apiaries of any extent, where the bees are ' natives,' and possess- ing the ' grit ' and the healthy vigour requisite to make good returns possible, there is not that complete immunity from the risk of an oc- casional sting which some would have us believe. As a matter of fact, in all our ac- quaintance with successful bee-men, we never vet found one who hadn't a veil somewhere in the house, and who didn't wear it at one time or another. Personally, we almost invariably have our veil on when working among bees, not always pulled down over the face, but ready on the hat for instant use on an emergency. It lessens the risk to have it so, and a sting in the. eye is at no time agreeable. On the other hand, there is no bee-keeper who does not fall considerably in our estima- tion (as a bee-keeper) when we drop in un- expectedly on a hot day and find him among the bees, topcoated, tightly muffled up, with bee-veil tied on ' to stay,' long stockings drawn over his hands and arms, gloves over them, trousers tied inside his socks : in fact, rendered hot and perfectly wretched with the defensive precautions taken against being stung. In such a costume he takes no care in handling his bees. They cannot get at him, and he ' gets at them * instead, and gets on badly in consequence. This is the other extreme, and extremes are to be avoided in bee-keeping as in everything else. It is perfectly true that many become so con- versant wdth the ways of bees, and so fully aware of how to avoid their stings, that it gives rise to the idea, in the minds of inexperienced persons, that some men possess a special power over bees quite unattainable by others ; while,, as a matter of fact, the ' power ' arises from the simple knowledge of certain peculiarities in the character and temper of the insect, which may be acquired by any one. A personal experience of our own may serve to convey a lesson while illustrating this. A few years ago we con- sented to do some manipulating in the apiary of a gentleman very enthusiastic over his bees, but not very conversant with their ways. Quite a company had been invited to be present, and when we arrived our friend hastened to explain that he had inadvertently left a recently emptied honey cask right in front of the hives, to be cleared by the bees of the honey left on the sides of the tub ; and, said he very apolo- getically, ' The tub is full of bees ; whatever shall we do to get rid of them before beginning operations ? ' ' Clear them out/ was our reply ; and, without using either veil or smoker, we at once seized the tub with both hands and banged it from one side to another, till the poor bees,, gorged and frightened, and, as any bee-man would know, harmless as flies, arose in a perfect cloud about our head, and scampered off to their respective hives in thousands. The onlookers were, of course, amazed, but we, knew that any among those who gazed, wondering at the 'power' displayed, could have done the same thing themselves. Under the peculiar condi- tions existing at the time the bees were per- fectly harmless, and the idea of stinging the rude disturber of their feast would never enter their little heads— or tails either, for that matter. Knowledge first, confidence after- wards, are the main points in handling bees, and those possessing any aptitude at all for the work may soon acquire^these ; but it is just as important to know when and under what circumstances it mav be risky, if not a little- January 1, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. dangerous, to take liberties with bees as it is to know when they may be handled roughly with impunity. In any case analogous to the one described above, it is only necessary to bear in mind the fact that bees, when carrying off food they have had no hand in storing, or when appropriating honey belonging to their neigh- bours, i.e., ' robbing,' will stand any amount of rough driving off without resenting it. Wives of bee-keepers especially should remember that a roomful of bees which have found their way into the 'honey-room' of the house, as some- times happens in harvest-time, may be driven out by a child without it receiving a sling. The beginner must first wear a bee-veil and gloves. The latter may be such as are sold by dealers, i.e., a pair of thick woollen one3, with a second pair of thin cotton to slip over these. If the hands thus gloved are dipped occasion- ally in water and vinegar while working, bees will seldom attempt to sting. Rough, home- made gloves of American cloth, made with the glazed side out, are also a good protection for the hands. Thick woollen ones, covered on the out- fide with silk, say the cover of an old umbrella, also answer capitally during the elementary stage of the learner's experience. But gloves of any kind should be discarded at the earliest day when confidence is gained, and once cast aside, they will rarely be resumed. Their place should then be taken by a pair of ' sleevelets,' made from strong black ' silesia,' such as is used by tailors for the backs of vests. The form and size will be seen at once in the cut (Fig. 1). No further description is needed beyond saying they are about nine inches long, and wide enough to slip easily over the coat-sleeve, with a band of elastic run into the hem at the bottom, and a rather longer band of the same material in the top edge. These keep the coat clean and pre- vent the possibility of bees getting up the arm or being crushed while on the wrists by the coat- sleeves. We much prefer them to the usual elastic band passed round the sleeve at the wrist. These sleevelets and a veil are all the protec- tion necessary for any and every operation required in bee-keeping. For the veil get a good one, take care of it, and it will last ten years or more. The best material for the pur- pose is fine black silk net; next to this, and fess expensive, of course, is fine Brussels net. These materials, though not so cheap as the ordinary coarse net or leno, are so much prefer- able to the latter, and withal so light and pleasant to wear, while hardly obstructing the vision at all, that any careful bee-keeper may invest in a veil of the right sort, though its cost is more than double that of a common one, for the material is so durable that it becomes cheap in the end. Our own veil weighs less than half an ounce, and may be carried unnoticed in the waistcoat pocket. Use no colour but black, and let it be simply a bag without covering top or bottom, about half a yard across and eighteen inches deep. Into a hem at the top edge insert a band of light elastic to slip over the hat. Notwithstanding the almost invariable advice given to have the lower side of the veil op»n for slipping beneath the coat collar, we much prefer to have a long piece of elastic (a narrow tape will answer, but not quite so well) run in the lower edge of the veil, not tight enough of itself to draw the veil close round the throat, but loose, so as to require pulling out in front while the veil is pressed back close to the throat with the hand. Worn so the veil hangs loose and clear of the face, while it is held close round the neck, as in the cut (Fig. 2). It is safer, cooler, and pleasanter to wear thus than when the lower side requires tucking in beneath the coat in the ordinary way. Handling Bees. — It is a well-known truism that if bees had no stings we should soon have no bees, and the fact that these little weapons are always ' about ' and ready for use is never lost sight of by the experienced bee-keeper. It trains him in ways of gentleness while handling his bees, and they show their appreciation of his methed as surely as they will emphatically resent the rough usage of an unskilful operator. The learner must also bear in mind that there are times when outside influences — such as the weather, season, kc. — have so great an effect on the temper of bees that operations which may be carried through in comfort and without disturbance at one time, may, if persisted in at another, cause an upset in the apiary and be troublesome to a degree. We may indicate in a general way how this peculiarity should be met, but experience and watchfulness are the best teachers. Besides, we shall have occasion to refer to this variation in temper among bees in future papers, when Q THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 1, 1891. treating of special operations, and why our bees are more amenable to handling at one time than at another ; but, broadly speaking, it may be "stated that when honey is being gathered freely in -spring they are rarely troublesome, while on some hot days in summer (at times oven though honey may be plentiful) they are quite jealous of interference and resent it strongly. Again, in autumn, when_ surplus honey is being removed, some days it can be done as easily as lifting a roof off, and on others, especially when all the bees are indoors and no work to do, they will not yield up their stores without a very forcible protest. On these occa- sions, if convenient, don't persist ; defer the job till another day, when the bees may be as quiet as need be. With these few general observa- tions we pass on to the actual work of opening hives and handling bees. The different way in which an inexperienced bee-keeper proceeds in his first attempts at manipulating when contrasted with the method of an old hand at the work is of course very marked ; but it is a hopeful sign when we see him sufficiently cautious and deliberate in his movements while betraying no nervous dread of the insect. Assuming that the ordinary smoker and smouldering fuel of some sort is used for quieting the bees, the first thing is to see that both smoker and fuel are in order — the former clean and the latter quite dry. Make a loose roll almost thick enough to fill the tin cylinder of the smoker, and, after igniting, thrust the burning end in, adjust the nozzle, and work the bellows rapidly till a good volume of smoke issues. Set the smoker down, always with the nozzle pointing upwards, slip on the sleevelets, adjust the veil — see that it is drawn close round the neck — thrust the end of the elastic band, or of the tape, in between the vest-buttons, and ybu are ready to start work with no fear of taking harm except the trifling risk to the hands. We regard this latter risk as a positive advantage, as having the excellent effect of in- ducing greater care and caution in handling the frames and bees. If the day is a ' quiet ' one, give no smoke at the entrance to the hive before removing the roof. If the bees are a bit spite- ful, a couple of puffs as a beginning may be necessary. Then quietly lift off the roof, causing no jar in doing it, and being careful not to kick the legs of the stand as a preliminary ; lay the roof, end up, on the ground, and removing all quilts save the one next the frames, deposit them on the roof, and, with the smoker in one hand, with the other gently fold back the quilt, while puffing in a little smoke as the bees become exposed. After uncovering two or three top bars pause a moment to see how the bees are disposed to act, and give no more smoke than is needed to frighten and keep them down ; set the smoker down on the folded-back edge of the quilt, and with a small screw-driver (or a common oyster-knife answers admirably) gently loosen the dummy, or whatever is used to gain lateral sjace, and lift it up right out of the hive. If there are any adhering bees a down- ward jerk or two will shake them off back into the hive, and when cleared it is set down on the ground. The first frame is then loosened and drawn quietly apart from its neighbours towards the operator, or lifted up for examination as required. In raising frames the ' lugs ' or ends of the top bars are held between the fingers as in Fig. 1, and for inspection the frame is lifted to a level with the eyes, while held over the open hive. After examining one side, the comb is turned half round away from the operator ; the furthest end of the top bar is then pulled over towards him while lowering the nearest hand, so that the comb is turned over on its edge, the reverse side being inspected while held bottom upwards. The same movements are gone through before returning the frame to the hive, and after a little practice even tender honey-laden combs may be examined, which would assuredly break away from the frame if turned round in any other way than on their edge or base. In lifting and returning frames no crushing of bees either beneath the frame ends or against the hive sides must occur, and while operating an occasional puff of smoke may be needed just to keep the bees quiet. As each frame is examined it is returned to the hive by placing it close against the side next the operator, and when as many have been gone through as necessary they are pushed up en bloc into their former position, and. the dummy replaced. He only who succeeds in covering all up without killing or crushing a single bee completes the job as it should be done. This paper has already taken up more space than we intended, so we must leave further information on 'handling' to be gathered later on, and conclude by observing that as 'bees do nothing invariably' it is impossible to -work entirely by rule of thumb ; but intelligent obser- vation and practice will soon teach the bee- keeper what to do and when and how to do it. [The above series of Papers ivill be continued fortnightly. — Eds.] DEVELOPMENT IN THE HONEY-BEE. By Pi. A. H. Grimshaw. (Continued from p. 577.) Much interest has been aroused by the observations of Darwin, Grant Allen, and others, in the subject of the cross-fertilisation of flowers by insects, and the effect of such cross-fertilisation on the colours of the flowers ; indeed, the whole subject is really a historj' of that development of colour in flowers which has proceeded cotemporaneously with the develop- ment of both the flower itself and the insect world, conspicuous amongst the latter being the results of the efforts made by nectar-getting bees of many kinds to maintain and improve their position on the graded ascending and descending ladder they find themselves placed upon by their ancestors ; in other words, to live on, struggle for existence, and reproduce 'anuary 1, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. their kind, handing forward to posterity the results of their own life — these newcomers in their turn being better or worse (as the case may be) enabled to maintain their hold on the ladder-rung- than were their ancestors, but all, I suppose, being in absolute ignorance of the why and wherefore of their acts. In the case of the honey-bee, it does not know, nor can it care, whether or not it performs for the plant a service (in return for the nectar it takes) so vital and essential that, without it, in many instances the plant would at once cease to produce seed and succumb in the wrestle for room always going on in the vegetable world ; in other cases self -fertilisation would be accom- plished without insect visitation, and the sub- jects failing to partake of such benefits as are believed to result from crossing varieties, would not be able in time to hold their own in com- petition with more successful rivals, and would ultimately be crushed ' out of nature's garden into the barren rock wastes,' where only a mere existence is maintained (the Equisetum comes to my mind as a suitable example). In still further instances the plants would in all pro- bability revert from cross-fertilised to wind- fertilised, then to self-fertilised forms, losing their colours and perfumes as the degradation process proceeded. Of course, as I said, the honey-bee knows nothing nor cares anything of all this, nor of the future status of her race. It is nothing to the queen whether her eggs result in queens, drones, or workers — she me- chanically lays eggs, that is all ; nothing to the drone what becomes of his whole fraternity so long as he is successful in his heated noonday flight; the worker cares and knows nothing about the past or future of her home and its contents so long as she, during her own life, can fulfil her own instinct-guided mission of incessant work. But all these things, animal and vegetable, work in wondrous folds of intricate harmonious interchange, weighing and counterbalancing each other in a most admirable warp and weft of woven complications which appear threads of inextricable confusion to the eye of man, yet to the gaze of the Great Weaver the whole comes out of His loom perfect in design, accurate in execution, admirable in completion. He sees that it is good! Still every unit, every living atom in- the fabric, is sent forth with the mission to revel in its existence, to live and enjoy life, for itself in the first place, and secondly (if endowed with sufficient intelligence to compre- hend the thought), for those of its surrounding kind; higher still, to sacrifice its own pleasure for others ; and yet further, to try and obtain some faint inkling, some dim glimmering and glimpse, of the great design of the Grand Artificer. In this desire men of science dive and probe into the unwritten history of the earth's past, analyse and scheme amongst the chemical mysteries of the present, speculate and wonder into the probabilities of the hidden future. Each in some special and favourite walk; the mycologist amongst funftj, the bacteriologist amongst minute germs of life, the botanist deep in the chemistry of the plant-cell ; the astronomer, at the other extreme, seeks to unravel the truth in the immensities of space, whilst (perhaps most insignificant of all) the student of insect life fiuds his life-pleasure in trying to recognise the threads in nature's garments unwittingly spun by the numberless forms of winged life which come under his notice ; amongst these we find our honey-bee. Let us speculate upon the colours of flowers, since they play such an important part in the life of the bee, by attracting it with their brilliancy to come for the stores of nectar secreted in various parts of the flower. I do not believe there is such a substance as colour ; it is simply an effect upon the eye caused by light falling at such an angle upon substances which have such various chemical peculiarities that the ray is refracted and broken up. The particular colour we see is the one rejected and reflected by the cells composing the flower-petal; the other colours are absorbed by the cell-contents, remem- bering, as we must, that in a white ray of light there is every colour, and that such substances as appear to us black absorb the whole of the colours composing the white ray7 whilst Avhite substances reflect them all. If, then, the cells of flower-petals are so arranged side by side, and are so superimposed in layers at various angles, each cell being perfectly transparent, or semi-transparent in degrees until we get almost total opacity, and in these cells tha contents are of very varying chemical composition, it is not hard to imagine that the colours of flowers owe their diversity more to chemical matters drawn from the soil into the sap by the roots, than to the commonly supposed causes, such chemical substances being acted upon by sunlight in the presence of a perfect circulation of air in eon- junction with the peculiar powers possessed by the plant of perfecting varied characteristic pro- ducts. Thus in the green parts of plants we find the colour owing to minute grains of chloro- phyll floating about in the white cell-sap, this chlorophyll absolutely requiring for its increase both the presence of iron in the sap and of light shining upon it. (To be continued.) LECTURE ON THE HONEY-BEE. At Castle wellan, in County Down, there is a flourishing Literary and Scientific Society, be- fore the members of which Mr. Paul McHenry, hon. secretary of the Ulster Bee-keepers' Asso- ciation, lately read a paper on the ' Anatomy and Physiology of the Honey-bee.' The meeting was presided over by Clatworthy W. Murland, Esq., J.P., Ardnabannon, and was very well attended by the local gentry and shopkeepers, in addition to the members of the Society. The essayist illustrated the subject with the diagrams published by the British Bee-keepers' Associa- tion, and kept his audience thoroughly interested for nearly an hour. So much interest has been stirred up that Mr. McHenry has been asked to THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 1, 1891. repeat his paper, a number of working men in the Ansborough Mills being anxious to hear it. It is intended to follow this with an exposition of the practical part of modern bee-keeping, and in Mr. McHenry's hands it is certain to be done well. Bee-keeping with bar-frame hives has received such an impetus in the district that quite a number of bee-keepers purpose starting the pursuit next year, for which the locality is remarkably well suited, lying as it does between a wide stretch of cultivated and pasture land and heather-clad mountains. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are re- quested to write on one side of the paper only , and give their . real names and addresses, not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of goodfaith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, re- verts of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, &c, must be addressed only to 'The Editors of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C All busi?iess communications relating to Advertisements, &c, must be addressed to Mr. J. Htjckle, Kings Langley, Herts (see 1st page of Advertise- ments.) *** hi order to facilitate reference, Correspondents, when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted, will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well as the page or. which it appears. AN EXPERIMENT IN WINTERING. [49-3.]] My hives, about thirty in number, are situated in two rows at the north side of a wall some five feet high. The sun shines over the wall on the outer row at midwinter, and on the inner row only till October, and not again till March — that is, not at all during the winter months. I observed the outer row gave the best returns in bees and honey, and to prove the certainty of this, and find out the cause, I tried the following experiment. I placed a dome- shaped skep well provided with bees and stores on a low stand close under the north wall, entrance facing due north, with no protection from that quarter, covered the hive well up with hay, and over this a sheet of zinc weighted down. I also placed a ten-framed, half-inch, single-walled hive in the sunniest place in my outer row, painted it black, entrance facing south-east, and a fence at back protecting it from the north. The bees in the skep lay dormant all winter. I observed they only once came out in. numbers till late spring. When all other stocks were carrying in pollen those were still quiet. At last, on a close, warm day, when all were out for a fly, those came out the strongest, and apparently as numerous as when put into quarters in October. Later on, when inverting the skep into a box, over which I placed a ten-framed hive, which gave fifty pounds extracted honey during the season, I found very little of the winter stores consumed. Those in the thin single-walled hive, on the other hand, were out every dav the sun shone during the winter. I expected a strong case of spring dwindling — they had been only a single driven lot of bees well fed up — but in place of this they were the first to find out and bring in pollen, the first to show signs of overcrowding ; a box of ten frames additional underneath was not too much for a brood nest, and at honey- flow time twenty frames additional overhead were too few for surplus. I took 90 lbs. ex- tracted honey .from it in eight days of the memorable three weeks' 18S9 honey-flow. A box of ten standard frames taken off on a Monday were full again of sealed honey on the Tuesday week following. Altogether it gave 112 lbs. surplus, with a sufficiency for winter, a good artificial swarm, two nuclei, and four young queens. Again, in the past season this hive, with a new young queen, was in advance of the rest of my hives, giving 25 lbs. extracted, my next best only 10 lbs. The past was a much worse season with us here than 1888. The lesson to be learned from this experiment is, if desirous of sparing the bees, saving the stores, and economising the brood-producing powers of the queen, place the hive under a north wall and cover up warm, and if anxious to get the best returns from bees put them in a warm, sunny place, in a thin single-walled hive, painted black. There is very little doubt but that the sun's heat has a beneficial effect on bees in winter. Mr. Simmins, in one of his writings, refers to it thus : ' That it enables them to change their place and move to fresh stores in the hive, and there is no doubt what- ever that it stimulates both queen and bees in the production and rearing of brood in spring.' The winters of '88 and '89 were very mild, snow but once in '88, none in '89, and very little frost in either. My half-inch walled hive re- quired no extra covering outside. It is very different this winter, and I have a strong idea the bees are the better for the sugar-bag, tar- paulin, and straw around it at present. These comes away from the front when the great cold goes, to admit the sun's heat ; and the hive I might recommend as being neater and nearly as effective as this thin single-walled is one com- posed of the f-inch inner and outer case of the ' W. B. C hive and the 15^-inch top bar of the ' Cowan,' with metal ends or tin plinth to cover ends of frames. This enables the two cases to close together, and equals a f-inch single-walled hive, with many additional advantages. I have several of these now in use, and expect good results from them. — W. B., Patrickswell, co. Limerick, NOMADIC BEE-KEEPING AND MONTE ROSA HONEY. [494.] In view of the large production and consumption of honey in England, Germany, France, Switzerland, and Austria generally, but especially in the United States of America, both for trade purposes, as well as in connexion with medicine and food, I thought I would try to promote this industry in Valsesia, not only for home use of honey, but also for export abroad. January I, 189 1. J THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 0 Returning from abroad in 1867, where I Lad opportunities of seeing bee-keeping carried on in all kinds of hives, I at once cleaned out the cobwebs from an old apiary that I had inherited, and then began to purchase bees with a view to stocking it again. The task, although at first, to all appearance, an easy one, soon began to be sur- rounded by a great variety of difficulties, for owing doubtless to the peculiarities of our climate, coupled with telluric, hydrographic, cos- mie, and other influences, rapid breeding was evidently less easy than it had probably been in former days. Again, the presence of the eating-chestnut tree, more or less conspicuous all over the middle and lower part of our valley, and producing as it does a rather coarse honey, difficult to separate from that obtained from other plants, made pair natives look with indifference upon the produce of their beehives as an ordinary article of food. Pondering how this indifference could best be overcome, 1 thought of the many millions of pretty little flowers I used to see and admire on the slopes of our high mountains during my Alpine excursions, not only interesting in them- selves, but also sought after by botanists, and I argued that the exceedingly fine perfume with which they filled the air was to my mind a sure index of their value as honey producers. I thereupon made a trial on a small scale, the result being fairly satisfactory. But although the honey thus secured was of a superior quality, the trouble and expense incurred were out of all proportion with the amount realised. True, many of these drawbacks have since been removed ; but I do not feel that I have succeeded in placing this industry upon a purely self- supporting basis. Nor am I sure that it will be sufficiently rooted to hold its own after I have passed away. After a long series of trials and experiments, 1 decided upon a novel modus operandi, the plan of which consists in the concentration of the whole strength of 100 stationary stocks into thirty nomadic ones, without suppression or division, thus acting on the principle that better results are to be obtained from one single strong stock than from five, or six weak ones. Once supplied with the brood, combs, bees, and the choice queens of the other seventy, these thirty stocks are removed, at the proper season, to Mount Rosa, where they are in a position to put forth the whole of their strength in the collection and storage of honey, without loss of time, and giving as good results, if not better, than 100 ordinary stocks would give. It is now several years since I adopted this — what I may call artificial — means of obtaining a natural product, the development of which can, (if course, be further extended by increasing the number of stocks so treated. Nay, I believe that with the exception of unfavourable seasons — not infrequent of late years — when weather and temperature seem to combine and act adversely against agriculture generally, efforts in this direction would be crowned with fair results. I will now relate how I proceed with the strengthening of my stocks, in order to render them capable of collecting the greatest possible amount of honey in those high regions. I winter my stocks as strong as possible, and then, by supplyingthem with plenty of stimulating food mixed with honey in the early spring, I promote rapid breeding. I then select the bestr and add to their strength by giving them welL advanced brood from others, so that when blossoms begin to appear, and the time for removing to Alagna, on Mount Rosa, has arrived, they may be full of adult workers, already used to the collection of honey. Here they are situated at about forty kilometres from, the other stand. The removal is done on vehicles at night, when every precaution, learned at my cost or by experience, is taken with them. When we consider that the lives of millions- of delicately constructed insects are at stake, the difficulties of the task can be easily imagined. How often have I exclaimed, with a deep sigh, when undertaking this work : — ' Oh, happy the bee-keeper who can always keep his bees by the side of his residence ! ' Arrived at our destination the stocks are placed, in numerical order, in an Alpine chalet, the shape of which makes it well adapted to that purpose ; then overhauling them, a super, in the shape of another hive, is placed upon each . This additional hive or super is supplied with fifteen combs of worker cells, so that no time may be wasted for buildinq- purposes, knowing that, besides the loss of time, about eight kilos of honey are sacrificed for every kilo of comb built. Then again, I do not want drones fed upon honey that had better be stored away. Gradually, and as the season and breeding advance, 1 add, where necessary, additional boxes or supers of same size on the top of the others, thus forming a roomy body-hive with- out divisions of any sort. In this way, in some, although rare seasons, several of my stocks bring their population up to over 80,000 bees, covering sixty frames of our Italian standard size. A medium-sized stock serves me as a nectarmeter. This is placed on a weighing machine, and by its daily rising or falling I can tell exactly how the collection of honey is pro- gressing. If I see that there has been a conspi- cuous decrease in weight, owing, more often than not, to a sudden change of temperature, I feed immediately and without stint, so that my bees may always have plenty of food for themselves and for their little ones as well, which in the height of the season may average from 15,000 to 30,000 in each stock. I look upon this liberal feeding as a sine qua non if the strength of my stocks is to be kept up. If, as it will occa- sionally happen, this perversity in the state of the weather lasts a long time, several hundred- weight of inferior honey is consumed as food by my bees, and this feeding is done with the double object of keeping up the breeding of the queens as well as preventing the bees from con- 10 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 1, 1891. surning the exceptionally fine honey they have collected in the locality, this being the only quality I sell to my customers. I find that if bees are fed liberally in this way, when little or nothing is to be had from flowers, they resume work with increased vigour when circumstances permit, and new, genera- tions of flowers are blooming and succeeding each other until about the end of August, when I b9gin extracting from every comb, except those close to the brood nest, which has by this time decreased in size. After this I remove my bees to the heather, near Varallo-Sesia, where they are allowed to winter. The honey obtained in this district — one of the highest of Alpine districts — has a purely crystalline appearance, particularly when it is, like mine, extracted by an extractor from combs worked on the ' cold ' system, and is in every other way prepared with every possible care, and when still fresh it will run like oil. Later, according to the season, it gradually becomes more dense until granulation sets in, commenc- ing with the appearance of small specks, which are often mistaken by customers for bits of comb or wax. Honey thus put up will keep for an indefinite length of time — its beautiful aroma, which distinguishes it from all other honey, gaining it the praise not only of connois- i seurs, but also of hygienic celebrities, and the medical faculty as well. It is now generally known as ' Monte Rosa Honey] and is much in demand by English and German visitors who come to spend some of the summer months in Valsesia. It has also been awarded the highest prizes wherever it has been exhibited (including the recent Italian Exhibition held in London), and has had the. honour of being selected by His Majesty Humbert I., King of Italy. Now, from the above explanation^ it will be easy to form an idea of the work and trouble involved in this system of nomadic apiculture, to say nothing of the valuable time taken up by the removal of the bees to great distances and to such altitudes. But in my love for this industrious insect, whose labour man should turn to better account, as well as for my native valley, to the trade of which I should like to add another item of ex- port, I have been induced to persevere, and will do so still, in the hope that ere long the honey yielded by our great Monte Rosa will become better known in commerce. It will not be out of place to give here the result of the analysis made in the agricultural testing laboratory of Turin, viz : — Water 16-00 Saccharine substances 2.37 Dextrose 33-70 Levulose , 43-60 Ash 021 Other undefined substances .... 0412 100-00 Such a composition shows that the honey is absolutely pure and free from all foreign matter. Moreover, microscopic examinations have shown that this honey is entirely free from dust, starch, particles of wax or of insects, thus showing that also as regards purity it is as perfect as it can be, and consequently a good article of food. — Giacomo Bertoli, Varallo-Sesia, Italy, Sep- tember 20th, 1890. APPLIANCE DEALERS. [495.] It appears that my letter (No. 471, p. 582) has not been altogether unnoticed. Pre- sumably Mr. Woodley (No. 477, p. 591) was thinking of my complaint, as well as that of others, when he suggested the desirability of ascertaining whether the delay of goods is due to the negligence of the railway company or of the dealer ' before rushing into print.' In my case it was plainly the dealer's fault, as his own invoice and the goods arrived almost simulta- neously. To Mr. ' W. B.' (No. 484, p. 605) who accounts for my trouble on the score of 'inatten- tion ' to the repeated advice given in the B. B. J. to order early, let me say I had relied on getting my supplies from a local dealer, but finding his prices higher than others advertised I decided, unavoidably, in the last moments to order from the last-mentioned source, with the result already related. But can any impartial person exo- nerate the dealer in question from a charge of want of common courtesy in not, at least, apolo- gising for the delay of goods ? much less for sending goods value 5s. less than P.O. remitted at the first, exclusive of the discount of Is. 6d. in the pound ? My apparent want of attention I think hardly justifies Mr. * Dealer ' in thus taking advantage of me, and yet this is the in- evitable inference of Mr. 'W. B.'s' theory. Delay was not the only thing I complained of. A loss of 6s. 6d. meant something to me, though it might be of no importance to my friend 'W.B.' Again, < T. F. L.' (No. 486, p. 606) speaks dis- paragingly of cottagers making their own hives properly. My advice in No. 471 was for ' mechani- cally-inclined bee-keepers,' and of these I could name several in this neighbourhood, which is quite a country place, who could make a hive in all its parts as accurate as need be for all prac- tical purposes. There is, in my opinion, a great deal of hair-splitting in many of the instructions for hive-making, which only tend to mystify the whole business, and discourage many from trying to make their own hives, &c, who would like to try but for fear of failure. In my humble judg- ment, however, while a few hives might be spoiled at the outset, a sufficient degree of pro- ficiency would, in most instances, be attained after a few trials, for ' practice makes perfect.' There are no insuperable barriers to the man who has a will. Still I am thankful for ' W.B.'s ' offer of putting me, or any one else, into com- munication with an honest dealer, also to ' T.F. L.' for his suggestion of getting a cheap hive in the flat, &c, which is certainly something to the point ; but, as will be seen by my address, it does not benefit me anything, living out of the reach of Associations and such-like, the same as January 1, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 11 many others, for whose especial encouragement these remarks are penned. — Gr. J., Ashfield Lodge, Cootehill, Ireland, Decemher '22nd. [We quite endorse our correspondent's views as to cottagers and others ' mechanically inclined ' making their own frame hives. It always adds to the interest with which a bee-keeper regards his hives when they are the work of his own hands ; but we should never advise any amateur joiner ^ attempt making bar-frames. It seems to us almost like trying to save money by making one's own nails, when accurately-cut, machine-made frames can be had for about a penny each ; and on this ground we always recommend amateurs to ' make your hives and appliances by all means if you can, but draw the line at frames and sections.' Buy them, and save money, time, and temper, and secure efficiency by so doing. — Eds.] SEASONABLY APPRECIATIVE. i 406.] The opening chapter of your British Bee Journal last week contains a modest opinion that not a bee-keeper in a hundred would care one jot what ' Mr. Useful Hints ' might have to say at Christinas-time. The postman brought my Journal on Christmas Day, just after the annual turkey, pudding, and mince pies had been disposed of, and with dessert on the table ; but oranges, apples, preserved fruit, walnuts, and a good glass of port had to wait a few minutes, so far as I was concerned, until I cut open my bee-paper. Not very polite to the company, you will say. Well, perhaps not ; but being my own family circle, who knjw I am ' mad ' on bees, they would forgive me readily enough. There is a something irresistible about the Journal. Again and again, when I have been on the point of writing to you to ask for some information, the very thing I wanted to know has been anticipated in the next number. Personally I look forward to my Journal every Thursday with the greatest interest, and there is an uneasy look on ' father's ' face if he comes down to breakfast and does not see it lyinjr on the table. No ! a better conducted paper there could not be ; and I feel sure I am right in saying that every bee-keeper is under a great obligation to the editors for the infinite pains and trouble they take. — Amateur, Neiveastle- on-Tyne. [Many thanks for your kindly appreciation.— Eds.] THE WEATHER. [497.] I am relying on your teaching when you tell us to leave the bees untouched though the hives are snowed over. My six stocks lie on low ground just under a hillock, and the snow has completely covered them in. I trust they will not be suffocated. — A Nervous One. [Rest assured that the foes will take no harm. — Eds.] Ikbieftra. OUR LIBRARY TABLE. If the amount of bee literature produced every year is any indication of the progress of bee-keeping, the advance made in 1890 should be very great, judged by the number of books that have accumulated on ' Our Library Table ' and are waiting for notice. There are some good, others indifferent, and the only wonder is how some of these books ever get sold. It is true that in Germany and France an edition does not frequently consist of more than 1000 copies, and sometimes not even more than 500, so that a comparison of the different editions with our own does not give any idea of the actual number produced. There are exceptions, of course, to this rule, and such standard works as the Conduite du Hueher for example, by M . Bertrand, finds a ready sale even though a couple of thousand copies compose an edition. First among the books we have to notice is ■ Conduite du Ruche r : Calendrier de T Apk-v.l- tenr Mobiliste. Par Ed. Bertrand. time edition. Revue et augmentee (Published by R.Burkhardt, Geneva.) — This is a new edition of this popular work, which we have already alluded to. We are pleased to see that it has been considerably improved by being issued in a more convenient form, and can now be easily carried in the pocket, a convenience which bee-keepers anxious to learn will appreciate. The work has been entirely revised and brought up to the times ;. a number of new illustrations have also been added. On page 171 there is a chapter on ' The Management of an Isolated Apiary,' by M. G. de Layens, in which he describes the hive and appliances used. The hives are very large, and M. de Layens only visits them twice a-year, in the spring and autumn. This simple method of bee-keeping yields satisfactory results, although, of course, such large harvests cannot be expected as are obtained by other methods ; but it is a plan that would commend itself to those who have only very little time to^ spare. At the end of the work, which contains 284 pages, is given a list of hive manufacturers and appliance dealers, and a folding sheet con- taining details and dimensions of the two most popular hives in Suisse Romande, viz., the- Layens and the Dadant. The work is full of practical information, and an indispensable guide to the bee-keeper. We recommend it to those acquainted with the French language. Guide de I'Apicidteur Anglais. Par T. W. Cowan, F.G.S., F.L.S., kc. ; traduit par Ed. Bertrand. 2me edition. Pub. R. Burkhardt, Geneva; P. Gaiiel, Paris; and J. Lebegue j the Way.' Your special Christmas Number might contain a photograph, almanack, weather chart, tales, and witty bits, &c, which, would be very acceptable as we quaffed our cold tea, sipped the condensed milk, or sucked the acidulated drop round the gas stove at merry Christmas - time, which, being translated, meaneth roasting our corns before a roaring fire, toasting absent friends, and smoking the pipe of peace, as does — X-Teactor. COMPLETING UNFINISHED SECTIONS. [503.] I must ask you to give me a little space in your valuable Journal to reply to the letter of Mr. Blankley (No. 485, p. 605), and will say at once that I had not the slightest intention to question that gentleman's honesty, neither did I think that he intended to get his sections completed with syrup, or that he had any other object in view in giving his ' theory ' to the readers of the B. B. J. than that of furthering the cause of bee-keeping. But I would remind him that— ' Evil is wrought for want of thought As well as want of heart ; ' and I certainly think that bee-keepers should pause before they put theories in the columns of B. B. J. which they have not themselves tested, and which in the hands of novices and bee- keepers who have made little or no study of bees and bee-keeping may do much mischief. If Mr. Blankley will read my letter (No. 469, p. 580) carefully he will find that I did not construe his ' theory ' to mean that feeder and sections were to be on the hive at the same time. What I said was, that ' were he to fix a feeder,' &c. — not thinking for a moment that he or any other bee-keeper worthy of the name would do so. No, it is not Mr. Blankley, but his ' theory ' that I condemn with all the force I can command, because I am fully convinced that if put into practice it would do incalculable injury to our cause, and I wished to show as forcibly as I possibly could how it would work itself out in the hands of ignorant and dishonest bee- keepers. I pass by Mr. Blankley's remarks as to what January 15, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 31 lie has done for the cause of bee-keeping, &c, simply remarking that there are many other 'humble bee-keepers who possibly have done as much as he, in a quiet and unostentatious manner, without ever thinking of 'blowing their own trumpets' in the columns of B. B. J. Indeed, I think bee-keepers, as a rule, are the most unselfish of men, at any rate as far as bee-keeping is concerned, freely giving the benefit of their study and experience to all who seek it. The question at issue is, whether bees under the circumstances described will carry up the syrup into the sections ; and to make the matter clear, and to help us to come to a correct conclusion, I will quote the ' theory ' as given by Mr. Blankle}' in No. 450, p. 559, which is as follows : — ' When the clover is about three jiarts over take off sections, place on a Canadian feeder well charged with warm syrup (possibly a strong stock would take down sufficient in one .night to fill up the brood chamber). If put on at six p.m. the feeder might be removed in the morning early, replacing it with a crate of partly finished sections with no storage-room below. All must go above deck, and with warm wrappings my theory is (not " ex- perience" yet, for I failed to find time to test it this season) that more sections would be got finished in a poor season this way than any other.' This, then, is the theory ; let us examine it. 'Be it remembered the idea is to fill up all empty and partly filled cells in the brood nest or body- box, so that there will be no room for the honey the bees gather from the clover, which must there- fore go into the sections. Now, I say that the bees, having a quantity of unsealed syrup below, will carry a lot of it up into the sections when they are replaced on the hive ; at least, I know my Welsh bees would do so. Possibly Mr. Blankley's niay be of the Punic breed, which are said to do such remarkable things, and may act differently ! Let us proceed to sum up the evidence as far as given, and leave the readers of the B. B. J. to give the verdict. Our highly inspected editors say, ' Personalty, we have already expressed our fears that the syrup will be carried into the sections above by the bees.' Mr. Walton, whose experience is greater than JMr. Blankley's and mine put together, says (No. 473, p. 590) : ' My idea is that a lot of the syrup will be carried up from below into those sections, and if so, what is the good of being at the trouble to take them off and put them on again, kc. ? Besides, what would folks say who knew what we had done ? ' Mr. Woodley says {No. 477, p. 592) : ' This is a game that won't pay for the candle.' ' X-Tractor ' (No. 481, p. (303) says : ' I would only advocate again my ..proposal in such cases as when the heather is " on," and to those who are dubious about the result I say, When you feed up a few days be- fore the trip, use extracted honey.' This is a very different thing from feeding up with syrup, .and he is evidently of opinion that the bees would carry it up into sections, for he proceeds to say — ■ and such as is hoisted upstairs will be mixed with the heather, and give what to my mind is the crime de la crime of delicious honey.' Mr. Blankley is thus left the sole parent of his ' theory,' and let us see what he says (No. 485, p. 600) : ' I am quite alive to the danger there would be to a novice working on the above plan, but that might be kept in check until some safe lines had been discovered through experience. Neither do I overlook the possi- bility of the bees carrying up the syrup out of the brood combs into the sections. But surely that propensity of the bees may be overcome if the principle itself is likely to be an advance and help to bee-keepers. There is, to my mind, more than one way out of that difficulty.' Now, I think Mr. Blankley, seeing the danger to novices, should have given his check along with his theory, and not keep it back until the mischief has been done ; and that he should also have given us the way to prevent the bees carrying up the syrup. I know one sure and simple way, which I strongly advise all bee- keepers who wish to secure nothing but pure honey to adopt. It is this : Keep the syrup in the syrup can, and out of reach of the bees, until the honey harvest has been secured, when, if necessary, it may be used for feeding up for winter. Seeing that the theory has been con- demned by all who have expressed an opinion, and strangled by its own parent, I have no wish, and think it quite unnecessary, to pursue the matter further, feeling sure that no bee-keeper who values his own reputation, and who wishes to secure nothing but honey of the best quality possible, will ever put it into practice. In con- clusion, I would strongly recommend every bee- keeper to read and well digest the able letter of Mr. Grimshaw (No. 487, p. 606), and the ' leader ' in the same number on ' Liquid Fruit Sugar,' as much of it will apply equally to feeding with syrup during the honey season. I would also suggest that one of the promised ' Papers for Winter Reading ' be devoted to 'Feeding,' for I think the subject has not had the attention paid to it that it deserves in the columns of the B. B.J., as there is no doubt but that much mischief is done (in most cases quite innocently and unintentionally) through errors in feeding. — Cymro, Builth Wells, Breconshire. GETTING RID OF FERTILE WORKERS. [504.] A few days ago I procured your very interesting and instructive book, The Honey Bee, &c. On page 6, plate 1, you give a drawing, illustrative of the progress of the bee from the one-day-old egg till the grub is sealed over. I am not aware that the changes in the position, of the egg have ever been noticed before, and it is very interesting. In the plate in my copy of the book, the fourth-day egg, or grub, is considerably darker than the three_ first, and as this reminds me of an incident in one of my hives last spring, and as it may be interesting to 32 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 15, 1891. some of your readers I will mention it, and perhaps you willl kindly give ycur opinion. Early in March I watched my bees flying out and in, and from what I saw I was quite satis- fied that they were healthy, and had queens. I was confined to the house for some weeks with a cold. On again looking, I found one hive in a weakly state. This was about May 1st. There were a few drones flying, and comparatively few workers. They were coming in with pollen ; but they loitered at the entrance. I examined the hive. I could not find a queen, but plenty of drone brood, two or three eggs in each cell, and the large lumps of pollen were not pressed down in many cases. There may have been a drone-breeding queen ; but most likely a fertile worker. I thought from the number of worker- bees that there must have been a healthy queen in the early spring. I determined to procure a half-bred Carniolan queen, and accordingly wrote to Messrs. Neighbour, who offered to send one as soon as the season would allow. I explained my position to a bee-keeper well acquainted with apiculture. He said, 'Don't get a Carinolan queen, as my hive, with a Car- nolan queen, swarmed and flew right away without settling. Perhaps a half-bred one may do better ; but,' he added, ' remove your hive to some distance, brush off all the bees from the combs, and return it to its pierce.' I did so as quickly as possible with an assistant, and in a few minutes the bees were again in their old place, having flown home. I could not discover on the short grass afterwards that any bees were left behind, but there must have been young drones. In a few days the half-bred queen came, and I decided to put her into this hive. I may here state that I kept my bees in a bee- house, two hives in each. The bees enter into two separate entrance chambers, seven or eight inches square, and perhaps eighteen inches to twenty inches from front to back. The two hives front to the sides of the two chambers, and|there is a slide which can be opened or shut, so as to cut off the hive from this chamber altogether if wished. _ On receipt of the queen I again examined the hive. I brushed off the bees from the combs, and they flew home ; but the slide was in, and the bees crowded the entrance chamber. It was evident that a first operation, a few days before, had disposed of the fertile worker. There were no fresh - laid eggs, but there were about two inches square of dark-looking large eggs, on both sides of one comb. They may have been chilled in the last operation, or they may have been in the state shown in the Fig. 1 of my copy of The Honey Bee. I felt at the time the eggs had been chilled, and I hoped it was not a commence- ment of foul brood. However, I decided to join the new queen. The home-coming bees had not got into their hive, but were crowded in the entrance chamber. I placed the new queen among them, and she was at once fed, and I hoped all was right. I pulled out the slide, the bees at once entered, but not so the queen ; she ran about, and as I was afraid she would fly, I secured her. I lifted the lid to put her into the top of the hive, and left her for a few minutes. I found her balled, so I put ou my glove, which was saturated with diluted car- bolic acid, and pushed a finger in amongst them. All but one bse and the queen departed at once. The one bee returned again and again to her, but finally I got the queen caged under a pipe-cover cage on the comb and left her. In twenty- four hours I looked again; she was dead. I saw no more of the dark-coloured eggs. I then added some worker eggs from another hive, but the bees made no attempt to raise queens from them, and I then left them alone, there being still a number of workers. I joined my first swarm, and moved the hive to another bee-house. As far as I saw, none of the old bees returned ; and though owing to the very bad season there was no honey, yet they be- came very strong in bees, and threw off a swarm in September, and in a few days after- wards a cast. As far as I remember, this has been my only experience of a fertile worker. Later. — I would say a word in answer to your correspondent who writes on page 20 (No. 499), and has evidently misread my letter (page 018,. No. 491). I am an old bee-keeper, but I have my spectacles on, and the word printed in my copy of the Bee Journal, December 24th, is 'course,' and not ' cause.' I have said what I think. If your correspondent in his very laudable efforts to keep his bees warm succeeds in keeping them healthy, we shall all rejoice to follow his example. — A Bee-keeper, Past and Present. MOVING BEES IN WINTER. [505.] I moved my two hives this after- noon in accordance with your kind advice, and with as much care as possible, though they nevertheless got several knocks and shakes going through doors, &c. Consequently when they^ arrived at their destination one could hear a decided buzzing inside. I then made the mis- take of opening the door of one of them too soon, and a number of bees crowded out, some of which fell upon the snow, resulting in the death of, say, ten or twelve bees. Some days since I noticed that from the door I of a combination hive there was quite a trickling ; of water, which had frozen. I therefore slightly j raised the back of the floor-board, to let moisture | run out more freely. To-day I found that the | entrance (say one and a half inches) was nearly j closed with ice, in which a few bees were frozen.. i On raking the full size of the entrance to about two inches inwards, I drew out quite fifty or possibly more dead bees, and they all appeared wet. I have accordingly again tilted the hive slightly forward, but in doing so I could hear a good deal of life inside. Can you account for all this wet ? The coverings are three or four thicknesses of felt, and a cork cushion, say two- January 15, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. inches thick, and there appears no way in which wet can penetrate. Do you suggest my doing anything when the weather changes ? I presume I can do nothing now. — East Duxwich. [In so severe a season, there is sure to be more or less condensed moisture in a hive containing a strong colony, though it should not become so excessive as to result in blocking the entrance with ice. Keep the entrance clear, and so long as there is ' a good deal of life inside,' all will be right. — Eds.] • AMATEUR HIVE-MAKING— SECTIONS IN FRAMES. [506.] After reading the apparently excellent advice of ' T. F. L., Brondesbury ' (486) of the 18th ult., re ' buying body-box with dummies and frames complete, making the outer cover and floor-board oneself,' I must ask him to accept my thanks for this, to a beginner, very useful suggestion. At page 47 of the Guide-book are mentioned sections 4h x 4 x 2 inches. Can these be fitted into the standard frames, [and, say, one body- box containing them be placed over another body-box without using crates for sections, or are the crates desirable ? I am sorry to have to f:sk what would appear, at least to many, perhaps, such a simple question, hut as a beginner I like to start without a doubt of any kind. — Recruit. [The 4J x 4J x 2-inch section is so generally used that any other size of one-pound section is now very seldom made ; besides, it is found so much better to work sections either in the ordinary racks or in hanging frames made specially to take three one-pound sections in each frame, that it is not advisable to use any other. — Eds.] CHEAP HIVES AND APPLIANCE DEALERS. [607.] Referring to No. 495 (page 10), as ' tne proof _of the pudding is in the eating,' I have written by this post to Mr. J . H. Howard, in- structing him to send a ' W. B. O.1 body-box in the flat, with frames, &c., by parcels post to ' G. J.,' and I will let you know the cost, including postage. I hope that ' G. J.' will do me the favour of accepting this hive (or rather body-box), and will let me know from actual experience whatt he thinks of the suggestion I made in my las letter. — T. F. L., Brondesbury. Later.— Mr. Howard reports that he has sent off the ' W. B. C body box to ' C. J.' by parcel post, and the cost is us. and Is. \\d. postage — total 4s. \\d. for hive in the flat with necessary nails, also frames, &c, complete. — T. F. L., Brondesbury. [Our correspondent demonstrates his confidence in the soundness of his advice in very practical fashion ; and we are glad to know that the sample box he sends for ' G. J.' to deal with is going' into such good hands. — Eds.] BEE-KEEPING NEAR TOWNS. [508.] Passing strange it may appear, yet the- sentiments expressed by ' Amateur, Newcastle- on-Tyne,' re what Mr. ' Useful Hints ' might have to say at Christmas-time, are an echo of my own . Every week I look forward and anticipate the arrival of my Journal, and each issue seems to add a little to my ' small ' knowledge of bee- keeping. A friend of mine and I were having a chat" the other day on bee-matters. He made a re- mark anent his knowledge on the subject which: I thought pregnant re apiculture, viz., ' The more I know, the less I know.' It is some con- solation to know we have a Journal now within the reach of all where he that runs may read. But I am digressing from the point uppermost- in my mind now, and has been since I read letter No. 496. It is this. Knowing Newcastle and. its suburbs fairly well, I wondered in what part of the * Northern Metropolis ' are his pets kept.. I have wandered along the moor edge and. Jesmond Vale, also on toward Bentick ; never a« hum heard nor a bee have I seen. Living out here in the country one cannot realise the fact of any one keeping bees in Newcastle, the sur- roundings seem so unfavourable. Perhaps in the- future he may favour us with an account of his success, and give us a little hint as to the locality - of his apiar}'. Very heartily do I wish him every success and good luck in 1891. — Roman Walt.,. Haltwhistle. IS MEAD-MAKING ILLEGAL ? [509.] Would you kindly oblige by stating in the Bee Journal if bee-keepers are legally allowed to make mead of their honey, as the exciseman here informed me it is not lawful to do so, and that he should come down upon any one and fine them for making mead. I want to know if it is right or wrong ?— H. Langdon, Godshill, Isle of Wight. [We are not aware of any excise officer in these realms ever before displaying such anxiety for the revenue of our good lady the Queen, as to threaten pains and penalties to the humble bee-keeper who would fain discourage the publican's trade by making his modest glass of mead at home, from the produce of his own bees. Is your friend the exciseman a descendant (in the direct line) of Shakespeare's ' Dogberry V or has he become dyspeptic through partaking of something stronger than mead at this festive season ? In any case, make your mead, and drink it too, in peace. We should like to see the name of the magistrate who would convict for so heinous an offence as this ; and if you are convicted we will gladly pay the fine if you will allow us to do so.— Eds.] HOUSE APIARIES AND A NEW DEPARTURE. [510.] Many thanks for your foot-note on page 20 with regard to my mistaking the word ' course ' for • cause,' and also for drawing my attention to it. There is also another mistake. 454 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 15, 1891. made perhaps also in consequence of my being a foreigner writing in a foreign language. It is in line ten from the finish, and should have read ' not ' — i.e., ' the results of their not clustering Are,' and again on p. 20, "bee-hive should read bee- . house, which makes all the difference in the meaning. — J. G. K., Grove House, Southborough, Tunbridge IVells. NOTES BY THE WAY. [oil.] The weather in this district up to the present continues cruel. Wind remains steady in north and north-easterly quarters. The frozen snow, drifting into hollows and filling lanes and roads that are across the current of the wind, makes locomotion very difficult ; sleighs travel on the hard frozen snow much easier and better than traps, and some of our leading lights are driving them. One, I hear, has driven along the frozen surface of the Kennet at Hungerford ; and the Thames is frozen over at Abingdon. This has not happened before since 1813-14, though severe winters seem to run in a cycle of about ten years and at the close of each decade. The years 1860 and 1870, 1880 and 1890, have all closed with hyperborean weather. [Can any of your readers give their experience of the honey seasons fol- lowing these periods of intense cold ? I notice in the Bee Journal for July, 1881, in the ' Editorial Notices'— 'Honey everywhere,' and I expect that the Editor of the B.B.J, then, as now, was behind the scenes, and knew what was going on amongst progressive bee-keepers from 'Laud's End in Cornwall to John-o'-Groats. Clear the gangway ! The entrance of every hive in our home apiary has been kept banked ■up with light, porous snow, especially those that felt the keen wind sweep the alighting-boards. This must add to the comfort of the inmates when the weather is so very cold ; but when a thaw sets in, with a possible return of frost during the night, then we shall want to attend to the entrances, or probably the entrances may get frozen up with ice from the melted snow ; also on the first change don't omit to clear out any dead bees that may block up the entrances of the hives with the usual wire bent at one end. Mice. — Those who still have bees in skeps will do well to take off wraps and hackles when a thaw comes, and see if any mice have chosen the warm, snug quarters offered under hackles, &c. These must be trapped, or before the winter is over they will be eating through the skep and destroying the colony. Selling Honey. — Having been written to re this question must be my excuse for referring to the subject so shortly after a previous note relating thereto. I think the best answer I can give to the question is — Aim at a high standard of commercial integrity ; that is, always send in the bulk of an order equal, if not superior, to the sample. This will inspire confidence be- tween buyer and seller. Don't, if you wish to hold your customers, put all the best sections at the top of the case ; or if in open -sided travelling crates, don't put all the best-filled ones of the whitest capping next the glass, but let the whole be of uniform quality. Don't forget that a pleased customer is one of the best and cheapest advertisements you can have. Don't forget that your large customers, as a rule, buy to sell again, and if inferior sections are sent to them, they will have to be sold at a cheaper rate to clear. This means loss of confi- dence between the contracting parties, and is not likely to lead to business another year. For myself, I would rather hold one old customer by mutual confidence than gain two new ones whom I did not know anything about and have to deal with them on the ' deposit system.' These remarks leads on to the only system that can inspire that confidence referred to above, and that is, grading your honey. At the end of the honey harvest all the produce should be graded, a system I have practised from my first start in bee-keeping. I have as first grade all well-filled sections of good colour ; as second grade, sections sealed both sides, but not so well filled, and any that are of a darker colour ; and as third grade, sections that are sealed perhaps on one side and not completely on the other, and those sections that weigh just over twelve ounces. These lower grades, of course, are not uniform in colour, and have to be sold for what they are worth ; this can be easily ascertained by balancing a piece of board on the scales and weighing them in dozens, then charge fairly according to weight, colour, and quality. Cleansing Flight. — Our bees after this long spell of frost will need a cleansing flight ; and as a preventive to wholesale destruction, it will be a good plan to sweep the snow away for a distance of a few yards in front of the hives, if it is not melted before the bees begin to make an appearance. When bees alight on the snow — attracted, no doubt, by its whiteness — they seldom rise again, or if they do, it is only to settle down again a short distance away, and after a few struggles, die from chill. But if the ground is clear of snow, and they alight on the ground to rest, they rise again and reach home all right.— W. Woodley, World's End, Newbury. mnm ratr IjUpIm [298.] Moving .Bees.— Will you kindly tell me : — 1. Whether it is safe to remove my bees at this time of the year ? It seems that they will have to be taken from their present locality, as the person who cares for them is leaving her house. 2. If not safe to remove them now, when ? 3. What is the safest mode of re- moval?— G. B., Craven Terrace, W. Beply. — 1 and 2. After so long a frost the bees may be removed, for preference, at once. If they have had a few airing flights before it is convenient to change the location, the chances January 15, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 35* of losing bees are greater. 3. The safest way is for two men to carry the stocks singly on a hand- barrow, or a couple of poles pushed below between the legs. [209.] May I ask a word of advice concerning my two stocks of bees ? I opened them up the other day and found a large number of them dead on the floor of both hives — maybe 100 in each hive. I fed them up each with twenty pounds of syrup, and plenty of clothing. — A Subscriber, Pontypridd. Reply. — There is no cause for alarm : the dead bees indicate no very high death-rate for so severe a season. €tfym ixam % pities, Bridgham, Harley, January 10th. — My results this last season were as follows: — I had ten hives (holding thirteen frames each) including one swarm. I had them carefully watched, and every swarm except the aforesaid was taken and replaced at night. I have tried every pos- sible way to prevent swarming, but the only successful way, I find, is to be patient. I re- place the bees as often as they come out. Three of the hives came out three times each, two came out once, and the others not at all. They re- quired very little feeding. I only had twenty- five pounds of sugar throughout the year. I ex- tracted honey round the brood nests continually up to the middle of July, the total result for the season being 570 lbs. — viz., 167 completed sections and 403 lbs. from the extractor. I have only one super on each hive, and never kill the queens, either when returning a swarm or when adding bees from villagers' skeps in the autumn, leaving them always to fight it out. Last year (1889) I took just over 1000 lbs. from the same ten hives. The chief secret of success in bee-keeping, in my opinion, is simply constant attention. — Wilfrid Blunt. IMPORTATION OF FOREIGN BEES INTO GERMANY. Lecture Given by Mr. Dennler at the Apicultural Congress held at Strasburg. The President invited Mr. Dennler, of Enz- heim, to give his address on the importation of foreign bees into Germany. ' I chose for the subject of my address/ said Mr. Dennler, ' the importing of foreign bees into Germany, since of late this question has again been raised by Mr. Weygandt, a pastor of Hesse, and because it is of great importance to our bee-keeping. Every year thousands of marks are sent out of our country to purchase foreign bees, and generally for the purpose of repairing the losses that have been suffered. Is the German bee, then, degenerated, weakened, and incapable of producing lucratively ? * Let us first consider the origin of the dif- ferent kinds of bees, and then perhaps we shall find the solution of this question. ' According to the opinion of some entomolo- gists our " honey-bee " is a native of India, whence some thousands of years ago it under- took a kind of emigration towards the west, to spread itself partly in Europe and partly in Africa. 'Let us now follow those bees that chose Europe for their country; of which some estab- lished themselves in pushing forward success- fully towards the mild, temperate shores of the Mediterranean, where they were favoured by a sky always blue and a delicious flora; whilst others chose for their home the sides and valleys of the high mountains, such as the Styrian Alps and those of Carniolar where little by little they became accustomed to a climate more severe ; others still peopled the great plain of Central Europe, from the steppes of Russia as far as France and England. 'Climate, habits, and other local conditions have, in course of time, exercised a certain degree of influence on the qualities and exterior characteristics of our winged travellers. In the sunny countries and in the islands of the Medi- terranean the colour of their bodies has by- degrees become lighter. From these originated Italian and Cyprian bees, whose activity has in reality been much praised, but which, on the contrary, conforming to the irritability of character of the southern people, can be terrible in their anger, especially the Cyprians, who use their stings like little demons, and often put to flight bee-keepers who are engaged in removing them. ' In the Austrian Alps we find the birthplace of the present race of the Carniolan bee, with grey body, and which is distinguished by the great fertility of the queens and by its gentleness of character. 'The native bee, called German, whicfe dominates the whole of the central plain of Europe, is well enough known to us, a part of this race having already, from the earliest ages, found its way beyond this limit towards the northern regions, where it has since remained,, in spite of the most unfavourable conditions of climate. ' It is only fifty years since Dr. Dzierzon intro- duced the first Italian queen into Karlsmarkt. This Italian, of a light yellow colour, had decidedly captivated the grand-master of bee- keeping, and from that moment the Italian bee became a favourite. In a short time the whole of his apiary became Italianised, and sufficiently populated to allow him to furnish all the coun- tries of the world with Italian queens of his own rearing. At this time there was a real craze for Italian bees, and everybody wished to have some in their apiaries ; it was even quite the correct thing- to have at least one hive of pure Italians. ' There is no need to refer, especially in Ger- many, to the notable services rendered to the study of natural sciences by the introduction of this fine race of bees, and we are full of ■86 THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 15, 1891. gratitude to the honourable grand-master bee- keeper for the disinterestedness he showed in "this connexion. ' But as to the superiority of Italian bees and of their crosses with the German bee, in respect to production, such a pretension has been in ^advance of proven facts. I might just as well pretend, and perhaps with still better right, that had the German bee been introduced into Italy, it mio-ht perhaps be more fertile and more active than°the Italian bee, already enfeebled by the mildness of the climate. Also, do we not see plants and animals, natives of northern coun- tries, succeed better in southern regions than those which, on the contrary, were transplanted from the mild climate of the south to the colder regions of the north ? Why should not the same thing take place with bees ? If our German Tbee is really capable of improvement, it would be better, perhaps, to use for this purpose, as M. Weygandt recommends, the" bee from the most northerly countries or even those from the Car- niolan Alps ; and these climates being more severe and colder than that of Germany, they ■ could bear our winter more easily than the Italian or Cyprian bee, which is accustomed to mild winters and very hot summers. ' With respect to the much-boasted fertility of •these foreign races, this circumstance arises most ■from this fact, that the queen-dealers only pro- vide young queens, one year old. Why do we not renew our queens also every year ? Why should we not make use of. the lesson the dealers have given us ? It is to you, gentlemen, that I ! leave the answer to this question. 'As to myself, my opinion is this, that the native bee cannot be more active than it really is. If the number of hives is constantly de- creasing, the fault certainly does not lie with our native bee, but rather with the bee-keeper, who, always following the old routine, does not know how to keep up with the times. How- ever, we can find the same inconvenience in many hives of Carniola or of Italy, because all the bee-keepers there do not call themselves Ambrozic or Sartori. ' The ignorant bee-keeper, said our honourable President, Mr. Bastian, in his writings, is the bee's greatest enemy, but the real faults are -•very often put to the account of the German bee's, and when, after bad management, they •cannot get through the winter, they say that they are old and worn out, and that they must get some new blood from Carniola, Italy, and who knows where ! In this we do a great in- justice to our bee, which is so courageous. Our .native bee is neither degenerated nor unprolific, as is sometimes said. Our native bee is as gentle in character as those of other races, pro- vided that you know how to treat it properly, and at the proper time. Our native bee merits still to- day, as in times gone by, to be considered as the symbol of activity. ' From that you must not infer that by inter- changing German bees with other races you cannot attain good results.; but a beginner must .not imagine that without importing foreign bees ani without cross-breeding a rational bee-cul- ture is impossible. The best proof is that the bee-keepers of Carniola and of Italy do not go in for cross-breeding. On the contrary, they abstain from it, and keep their races as pure as possible. Good reasons dictate this method to them. The more simple the art of bee-keeping, the more popular will it become, and so much the sooner will the wish of M. le Pasteur Baelz be realised, viz., to find a pot of honey in every household.' Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. II. E. WALLER^Highbury).— Condition of Bees after Long Frost.— Assuming your description of the contents of the ten frames to bj quite accurate, the hive should have had in it (on October 4th) between 30 and 40 pounds of food. This, with nine full seams of bees and brood on six combs, makes up an exceptionally good stock for that time of the year. One hundred and seven dead bees on the floor-board on January 5th, after the long frost, is not at all an alarming quantity, and you may be quite easy a3 to the bees being all right. East Dulwich. — Moving Bees 100 yards. — ■ Move the beej at once before the frost is gone. As you have but two stocks it may be done after nightfall, and if such a hive is carried carefully by two persons the bees need not be disturbed at all. You need not even trouble to close the entrance, as no bees will be likely to take wing. Amateur (Bath). — The bees sent have evi- dently died in the ordinary course, and the paper received contained only particles of old pollen cast out of the cells by the bees. The subscription for our monthly, the Record, is 2s. 6d. per annum, post free. W. F. Sheppard (Woodford). — Views and Descriptions of Large Apiaries. — We have re- ceived several photographs of apiaries kindly sent from time to time by readers, and have under consideration the advisability of_ re- producing them in our pages. A serious difficulty, however, exists in regard to your suggestion as to 'description' beyond the photo-engraving. In that, to do impartial justice, we should require a special corre- spondent to visit each place ; but we will see what can be done to overcome this. John Smith (Cumnor, Oxon).— Bees Flying in Winter. — There must be something radically wrong when the bees of one particular stock fly out in numbers in such weather while all the other colonies are quiet. Of course it is possible that the bees— being driven lots joined in autumn — may be les3 quiet under the influence of a little sunshine than stock-* in normal condition ; but we should advise an examination the first warm day if the un- seasonable flying continues. BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER, No. 448. Vol. XIX. N.S. SO.] JANUARY 22, 1891. [ Published Weekly. OUR PROMINENT BEE-KEEPERS. No. 30.— MR. JOHN LOVE. We have much pleasure in giving this week the portrait and a biographical sketch of the veteran bee-keeper, Mr. John Love. Born in the village of Kilbarchan, Renfrewshire, on 10th April, 1800, bred a hand-loom weaver, as were his father and grandfather, three Johns in line, he may be said to have been a born bee- keeper, as he re- members a saying of his father's, that in the old garden the hum of the bee had been heard without a break for sixty years. Of middle height, fair complexion, with high colour, the fringe of pretty, •fair, silky hair be- low his wide-awake behind, this ' yel- low-haired laddie ' of eighty-five sum- mers is frequently taken by the stran- ger as wearing on to seventy. Still remarkably nimble and fleet of foot, •of a very amiable disposition, his laugh is as happy and jubilant now as I believe it to have been when, a boy of nine, he remembers lis- tening to accounts read from the papers of the glorious victory of Waterloo. For many years an exemplary Presbyterian elder, growing deaf- ness (his only infirmity) prevents him now from performing all the duties of the office. So healthy has he been that only once during his ME. JOHN" LOVE. long life, for a fever, has he required medical advice. He married, 12th August, 1833, Mary Cliinie, daughter of a weaver's agent in his own village, and has been blessed by a numerous offspring. A few years after his marriage the subject of our sketch moved to Mount Pleasant, beautifully situated on rising ground above the village, and occupied jointly with his brother-in-law, the upper flat as their dwelling - house — workshops below, a g'ood garden behind. Thejpasse r-by could not but be attracted by the bee-house, a neat model of a two-storied dwell- ing-house, complete to the sweep on the chimney. The numerous odd hives of the two dwellings were cosily placed in sheltered nooks under the many grafted fruit-trees. The floral display of roses, herbaceous plants, &c. was very fine ; but in their season the bed of pinks was the great attraction. Mr. Love f o r many years was the ac- knowledged Scot- tish champion ' p i n k ' grower. Upstairs his stuffed specimens of natural history re- flected (Trent credit, on our friend's taste and neathandedness in another direction. It has been recorded in these pages long ago, when the Italian bee was newly imported, how a petition was couched in respectable verse from the Kilbarchan fraternity for leave to inspect the new bee : the writer of it was Mr. Kobert Climie. Mr. Love's brother-in-law. Alas ! that deputa- tion has all passed away save Mr. Love. Curious how the poetic vein descends, coming out in 38 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 22, 1891. the children and grandchildren of Mr. Love. Robert Climie's end, some twenty years ago, was very affecting. He was invited over to a neighbouring village to examine the bees of a married daughter of Mr. Love. A non-smoker himself, he administered a whiff of the pipe, said to his niece he felt sick, and would never touch that vile pipe again, retiring to an inner room, where she in a little while found him kneeling by the sofa in prayer, in which posture his gentle spirit passed away. The funeral was largely attended, service in the open air, a beautiful spring day, the woods of Glentyan across the strath, and the village nestling in the hollow, bees out in force — very touching to bee- keepers present to see his little favourites hover over the pall and odd ones resting on it, as if taking a long farewell of the old master ere his remains were borne away. Time brings its changes, the kindly old Laird dies, the estate is sold, and Mr. Love after an occupancy of thirty-eight years has to move his looms into the smoky atmosphere of the town of Paisley, where he and an unmarried daughter bravely struggle on, plying their shuttles side by side. In the interim, first the partner of his joys and sorrows, then his youngest and fairest flower, droop and die. Gladly he accepts an offer to take charge of a cottage and pony, grow and dispose of a large fruit-garden crop in the island of Bate. Rarely do we find a man at seventy-six so cheerily abandon his life-work, and begin to earn his bread by his hobby. In the autumn of that year, 1881, the writer sailed to Bute and made the acquaintance of that steep ascent, the serpentine road, resting to gaze on the beauty of the grand prospect : Rothesay Bay at our feet, Joward Castle on the opposite shore, the glassy smoothness of the far reaches of the Kyles of Bute in the rugged distance. The hill-top is at last gained ; there, bare- headed as usual, busy among his strawberries, stands our hero. The joy at meeting ! ' Why, John, you look like an old eagle perched on this hill-top ! ' The bees and honey prospects are discussed, and the tremendous crop on his gifted young Caledonian plum-trees presented by John ; a branch promised and hamper fol- lowed. By return of post the hit-off thanks : — 4 Through wind and rain your basket came In safety — it is here. 'Twas careful hands that packed it With its richly-laden store. I never can repay you, But I thank you o'er and o'er, For there are deeds of friendship Words may not all impart, Their sterling worth, as deep they sink Into our inmost heart. Then, once again I thank you From here, my mountain home, And, one and all, I wish you joy In the year that is to come. ' I gave him an introduction to my good friend iss Macdonell, of Glengarry, and he assisted her with her bees, and that lady, in the kindest manner possible, presented him with a couple of swarms, and he was once more into stock, whose descendants he still carefully preserves. The- above lady takes an enthusiastic interest in the- bee and the silkworm. A handsome mahogany rotating observatory ornaments her drawing- room, and the supers from her gigantic Stewar- tons overtopped everything at the Rothesay Exhibition. She also takes a warm interest in the cause of religion and education, in maintaining the purity of worship in the National Church ; is thoroughly practical, projected and supports an Initiatory School where poor boys are taught the ground-work of religion, besides the ability to sew on buttons or patches on their jackets. At the School Board she has sat for nearly six years, the only lady, and heroically defends her position with as much determination as did her illustrious uncle the gates of Hougoumont at Waterloo. Three verses are extracted from a letter of Mr. Love's on another occasion: — ' I will whisper my tale to the Yule-log As I muse in its ruddy glow, As here again comes Christmas, With its holly and mistletoe. ' Yes ! that is the tale I whisper, As I muse in the firelight glow, As I sit, in the hush of the evening, And think on long ago ; ' On the happy home of my childhood, On the friends I held so dear : One by one they have left us, They are no longer here.' After a five years' residence in Bute he comes back to Kilbarchan, and the bees and pinks are safely flitted to his present garden. After the labours of the week are over, it is a ruuch-antici pated pleasure on the Saturday half-holiday, skimming over the four miles that part our dwellings. The newest ideas in bee-keeping are discussed, the last bed of pinks planted by him- self seen to, and the latest- come herbaceous plant criticised; and if in autumn the fruit-crop is peculiarly interesting — those 'Bouquet trees,' the waxy purity of the white ' celestial ' apple, flanked on either side, same tree, by branches of the scarlet or striped varieties successively. He often ejaculates, 'It bates a'! How comes such heavy crops ? ' ' Your good grafting and the fertilising powers of our little friends, the bees.' ' Nae doot, nae doot ! ' One fine Saturday afternoon autumn was a twelvemonth, we were favoured by a visit from 'Our Editor/ pointing out to him how ' history repeats itself,' our old Japanese lion, worshipped for 3000 years, had been peopled: that season by a colony of humble-bees as Samson's was, the subject of our sketch arrived, and the pleasure of that introduction he will never forget. — A Renfrewshire Bee-keeper. January 22, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 39 USEFUL HINTS. Weather. — Still King Frost holds every" thing in a grip of iron, the few ' threaten- ings ' of a change having resulted in the partial disappearance of the snow for a time, only to be followed by another ' fall ' and moi-e frost. We can hear of bees having had a ' flight ' here and there, and as a result of this a good many parcels of dead bees have been received from corre- spondents, who are generally in a state of considerable uneasiness at what appears to be an abnormally heavy mortality among their stocks. They overlook the fact that we recorded a temperature of 27° below freezing on the afternoon of November 28 th last, and that — in the south and south-east of England, at least — there has scarcely been a break in the frost now for sixty days ! during the whole of which time bees in many parts of the kingdom have never seen the outside of their hives. How long it will last none can tell, but it is not an encouraging sign of a ' break up ' to learn that at Norfolk the thermometer on the 18th inst. registered 27° degrees below freezing-point ; on the grass, at the same time and place, it was only a shade above zero. So long a spell indoors as this, and not a single dead bee carried out in the meantime, is sure to result in an accumula- tion of dead in many cases which, under ordinary conditions, might mean serious mischief. As it is, however, there is no special cause for alarm. The chief consider- ation is to get the accumulations on floor- boards— consistiug of dead bees, or the debris from uncapping of food, or both — cleared away, so that no choking up of entrances may occur; in properly con- structed hives the orthodox bent wire will accomplish this. When all is cleared from entrances, floor-boards, &c, and in very sus- picious cases a glance got at the bee-cluster, to see that it still exists as a cluster, the bees may again be allowed to go to rest till outside warmth arouses them to activity once more. So keen has been the frost that we hear of entrances being blocked with ice formed from condensed moisture 'from the inside.' There is something wrong about the ' inside ' when this result is brought about, and it will be well to guard against such a contingency by tilting hives a little forward, so that any wet may pas3 freely away until an examination can be made. Food and Risks of Starvation. — As we have already said, it is quite impossible to forecast when a change in the weather may be expected ; we see the Thames covered each morning with masses of floating ice, and read of a gentleman driving tandem across the water in a London park the other day, so that present appearances point to a continuance of hard winter weather for some time yet, and there is real cause for uneasiness when bees are relying, as some are, almost solely on candy-food for their daily supply, while the said candy is as hard as a stone. Not an hour should be lost in guarding against disaster from causes like these. If the chance occurs of an hour's airing flight, advantage must be taken to remove any stone-hard food, and replace it with properly-made soft candy, which bees consume almost as readily as they could chocolate cream. In other cases relief from impending hunger risks may be given by a comb containing sealed food being moved from the outside nearer to the centre. In doing so care must be taken not to divide the cluster of bees when inserting the frame of food ; place it so that the outer seam of bees are directly in contact with the food, and if the surface of the latter is either bruised by scratching, or the capping cut away altogether, they will soon remove the food to the centre of the cluster to be ready for use. That the extreme severity of the present winter will try the vitality of bees as well as the efficacy of the measures taken for their safety cannot be doubted, and it will be an anxious time for most readers until evidence has been forthcoming that stocks are all right. The necessity, therefore, for a careful watch being kept on the first flight-day for any stocks which appear per- fectly still while others are busy is so apparent as to need no urging. A day's delay may mean death to the colony, while a few minutes' labour judiciously spent on it may preserve it sound and strong. Nothing in bee-management is more annoy- ing than to find a strong stock dead through sheer carelessness, and yet such cases too often happen to permit of the risk being unnoticed. Dysentery and Raw Sugar for Syrup- making. — If anything were wanted to con- vince bee-keepers of the folly of using un- suitable sugar for syrup-making it, would surely be found in the sad condition in which some stocks are just now. It is 40 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 22, 1891. not for us to say how it comes that, in spite of our continual warnings, some readers have used sugar for syrup which is utterly unfit for the purpose. They are in- duced by grocers to try it, and do so on their assurance of its being genuine cane sugar— which no doubt it is, but several samples received are so full of molasses as to be almost black. The natural conse- quence of bees existing on syrup made from this would be bad enough in an ordinary season, when frequent opportunity offered for a cleansing flight; but long confinement on such food will inevitably cause bowel- distension, fouling of hives and combs, and too often death ! We are thoroughly con- vinced that dysentery among bees is a pre- ventable disease, and that nothing more is needed to avoid it than careful attention when making syrup for bee-food — using only pure granulated caue- sugar, from which the molasses has been refined away, to boil it for a minute, and also avoid ' drowning the miller ' by over-watering. This, and the exercise of care and a little common sense in preparing for winter, has enabled us to keep bees for twenty-five years without ever having had a single case of dysentery among them yet. Where the disease is present in pronounced form through improper food, a change into a sweet, dry hive, and to fresh combs if possible, and good freshly -made syrup, given warm, or a cake of soft candy, are the only remedies. THE 'ROYAL' SHOW AT DONC ASTER. The Royal Agricultural Society of England holds its annual exhibition at Doncaster on Monday, the 22nd of June next, and four fol- lowing days. We invite the attention of readers to the prize list for the bee and honey depart- ment, which appears in our advertisement columns this week. The list has again been revised by the Committee of the British B.K.A., and a large increase in the value of the prizes made in some classes. We therefore hope to see a good entry, and, more than that, a good display of bee-goods as well as honey. TO CORRESPONDENTS.] We take this opportunity of thanking the numerous friends who have been good enough to forward the season's compliments and good wishes for the new year, and to very cordially reciprocate the same. If half the success wished for the weekly and monthly Bee Journals is realised in the current year we shall be very thankful, but whether this be so or not we shall hope to deserve all the good fortune wished us. — Eds. LIQUID FRUIT SUGAR. We have received from the importers of licpiid fruit sugar a further communication referring to the article on the subject printed on page 597 of our issue for December ; but as nothing new is advanced in the letter, wre see no reason for publishing, anything further wdth regard to it. LEICESTERSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. A Committee Meeting was held in the Mayor's Parlour, Old Town Hall, Leicester, on Friday, the 9th, to consider the doings of the past year and arrange the annual report. After carefully going over the details of the work done, it was gratifying to learn the year had been more favourable for the Association than for several seasons past, and that the financial affairs were in a better condition than had been expected. Mr. W. P. Meadows read a pleasant report in a local paper respecting their former respected Secretary, Mr. E. Ball, in which that gentleman was, on his retirement from the mastership of Waltham School, presented with testimonials from the inhabitants and from the past and present pupils of the schools. All present wished Mr. and Mrs. Ball health and strength to enjoy many years of comfort in their new home. They much regretted his absence there that day, and that their funds did not allow of the Society pre- senting him with a substantial testimonial. They also hoped the sound practical advice given and signed 'E. B.' from North Leicestershire in the B.B.J, would continue, if from another district. KENT BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The annual meeting of the members of this Association was held on the 13th inst. in the Board-room of the Royal Society for the Pre- vention of Cruelty to Animals, which was kindly lent for the purpose. The attendance was small. The Rev. F. T. Scott occupied the chair. The report and balance-sheet, duly audited, were read, the latter showing a balance in hand of SI. 2s. Qd. The income of the year showed a falling off of KM. 4s. 1^. ; nevertheless, much useful work had been performed, and the prospect of progress in the early future was promising. During the year the Association had been instrumental in bringing about the apiarian exhibition at the Bath and West of England Society's Show at Rochester, which resulted in a thoroughly successful manner. Lectures had been given in several districts of the county, and fresh interest was stirred up. The apiarian competition between members of the cottager class in the district of Hawkhurst was repeated, and the result was recorded that in a year generally looked upon as unfavourable for bee-keeping the first prize was taken by an agricultural labourer with an average of fifty- six pounds of honey, he being the owner of (spring count) six hives of bees. Foul brood January 22, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 41 was still working destruction in many apiaries, but its ravages would seem to be concentrated in fewer localities than in previous years. The President chosen for the ensuing year was Lord Northbourne, and the Committee and officers were re-elected. NOTES BY A VILLAGE BEE-KEEPER. Mr. Matthew Freeman, of Slinfold, a well- Inn ran and worthy cottager bee-keeper, sends us a few notes of his bee-work in the past which are worthy of beirg recorded, as an incentive to others in his station of life to go and do likewise. Mr. Freeman's first statement tells how he established a swarm in a skep in the year L874, and at the close of 1883 (ten years later) the same skep had yielded a profit value of 107. 10s., or over 30s. per year. Another return details how twenty-five bee-keepers, all residing within two miles of Slinfold Parish Church, took a total of 2188 pounds of honey, besides increasing stocks to the extent of ninety-four swarms, and securing thirty-one pounds of beeswax in the year 1885. Bearing in mind the fact that all the persons whose names appear in the list are simply amateur bee-keepers, owning (except Matthew himself) only a few hives each, a result like that given speaks volumes in favour of bee-keeping. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are requested to write on one side oj the paper only, and give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith, Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, ic, must be addressed only to 'The Editobs of the "British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C All business communications relating to Advertisements, &c, must be addressed to Mr. J. Huckle, KingsLangley, Herts (see 1st page 0/ Advertise- ments). %* In order to facilitate reference, Correspondents, when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted, will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well as the page on which it appears. FOUL BROOD. The Canadian Treatment : is it New ? [512.] In the B. B. J. of November 20th, your correspondent, ' X-Tractor,' (448, p. 558) criticises our official methods of dealing with the foul-brood plague as given in the Journal of November 13th. He ridicules our modus operandi, and advises us to ' take a lesson from the custom as practised by the Editors of the B. B. , 1891. ]' THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 43 mended of placing bees in empty hives for a few days until the honey in their honey sacs is con- verted or consumed. On p. 66 of the same volume it is stated that the worst feature of the disease is ' that the honey in the hive is also charged with the germs of infection, and that any robber-bee "which gets even one load of it carries home to its hive the poison.' In the first five or six volumes of the Journal there are plenty of such references and records of experiments, so that with us, at any rate, the theory is not new, whatever it may be over in Canada. German bee-keepers have also advocated the same thing, and there are plenty of articles on the subject in the Bienenzeitung even as far back as 1865. Does our correspondent know that Berlepsch, Dzierzon, and all the leading bee-masters of Europe, have tried it and failed ? — and certainly it cannot be said that in their hands the treatment would be either ' bungled ' or ' mismanaged.' And this is the remedy which we are seriously told we ' will not try from prejudice,' to again quote our corre- spondent. Besides, it is absurd to say that ' prejudice or preconceived opinion ' would prevent a bee-keeper from accepting so simple a remedy for a disease which is in itself entirely subversive of all that is good in the pursuit. We should like to see the bee-keeper who would withhold his blessing from the benefactor at whose hands he received a cure for foul brood, without in- quiring as to the source from whence it came, or its orthodoxy either ! Foul brood in Canada must be very different to what it is in Europe if the treatment advocated is efficacious ; perhaps it is what is called d nj foul brood by German bee-keepers, which is not con- tagious, and is not the malignant form we have in Europe. At any rate, the foul brood we usually have is contagious and infectious enough. Although not denying that honey is a possible source of in- fection — that it is the usual means we cannot admit, as we have abundant proof to the contrary. We know of many instances where the introduc- tion of a queen has resulted in foul brood, and we also know that it can be carried from one apiary to another. Canadian foul brood is not the Euro- pean form if it acts differently. It i3 because all the starvation methods have so signally failed that European bee-keepers are resorting to more rational treatment, and more in accordance with the pre- sent-day knowledge of disease. When bees are gathering honey freely almost any method suc- ceeds, and at such times the cure is supposed to be due to the extra quantity of formic acid used by the bees, this of itself being a disinfectant. We only wish that such a simple method as that pro- posed were effectual ; if it had been, foul brood would long ago have disappeared. Try it by all ■means, we say to our readers, but do not be dis- appointed if a cure does not result.— Eds." IS MEAD-MAKING ILLEGAL? [513.] The answer to the above question de- pends entirely upon the alcoholic strength of the beverage produced. If the amount of alcohol be less than three per cent, of proof spirit the beverage can be made and sold "without payment of duty. If the percentage is greater than three, duty must be paid and could be legally enforced. The same question has frequently been raised in the case of ginger beer, and it has been decided that even in cases in which vendors of ginger beer were ignorant of the alcoholic nature of the article the magis- trate has no alternative but to convict. As the percentage of alcohol in mead would almost certainly be much greater than the above limit, it appears to me that mead cannot be made, and certainly cannot be sold, without a licence. Under the Inland .Revenue Act of 1S80 mead is specially mentioned, and the licence to be taken out by a retailer of the same is fixed at 1/. 5s. The Customs and Inland Revenue Act, 1885 (48 and 49 Vict., cap. 51 sect. 5) states as to private brewers' licences, ' On and after the first day of October, 1885, the duty of excise, payable under the Inland Revenue Act, 1880, on a licence to be taken out by a brewer of beer (not being a brewer of beer for sale) shall be four shillings.' I believe this clause holds good not only for beer, but for all other alcoholic beverages, excepting that in the case of beer the dutiable limit is two per cent, of proof spirit instead of three per cent, as in other cases. If you, Messrs. Eds., in your exuberance of generosity, will gladly pay any fines which the magistrates will have to inflict without any option whatever, then you must indeed be in the possession of a most cheerful temperament. — Otto Hehner, Analyst to the B.B.K. Associa- tion, President of the Society of Public Analysts. [We did not lose sight of the fact that the strict letter of the law prohibits the manufacture of alcoholic beverages of any kind without a licence ; we had only in view the absurdity of an excise officer putting the law in motion against a bee- keeper for making a little mead at home for his own use, as well as the fact that practically we suppose it would be impossible to find a single person in the whole kingdom who manufactures mead, for sale. In assuming that we 'will gladly pay any fines which the magistrates may inflict ' our esteemed correspondent credits us with an ' exuberance of generosity ' to which we can lay no claim. Nevertheless, we will cheerfully fulfil the undertaking made in our foot-note to No. 500 (p. 33), in this one case, if for no other reason than that it will enable us to inform bee-keepers what to expect if they continue to sin in that way. — Eds.] BEE-KEEPING IN SPAIN. [514.] Your name is familiar to me as that of an authority on the subject of bee-keeping through the columns of the Hevista Apicola of Mahon, and through the means of a treatise in French, written by you on the subject ; I there- fore, at the risk of being troublesome, venture to address these lines to you. For many years past I have devoted all my spare time and some capital to bee-culture. I have looked out eagerly for works and publi- cations of all kinds relating to the subject, and succeeded, with some difficulty, in obtaining and reading hastily through a treatise by Varembey (French), which, however, gave me little more than the traditional practice of u THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 22, 1891. Spanish bee-keepers applied to cylindrical hives of various materials. In this country, and es- pecially in the inland districts, we are in a very backward state, but in spite of many formidaLle obstacles I have continued to struggle onwards, refusing to believe that our knowledge of bees could long remain in such narrow limits. Last spring I happened to come across a work from your pen, in French, as mentioned above, and a hive arranged according to your instruc- tions. This put fresh heart into me, and I have now obtained a number of D. JB\ F. Andreu's Revista, but not yet a copy of your work. Since then I have become a subscriber to M. Andreu's paper, and later on I obtained a copy of his manual. [ am thus in a position to undertake the task of 'converting my 200 old- fashioned hives to the frame system, and have obtained some of the necessary appliances from the manufacturers through M. Andreu. The adoption of the new system, however, would not be satisfactory unless it involved con- siderable advantages, especially in the matter of economy of appliances. In his volume M. Andreu set such expenses at a low figure, but then he is referring to such articles of his manufacture as might be desirable for those living close to him ; but in my case the expenses would be much heavier, as I should have to pay shipping, railway, and carrier's dues on the large quantities of things I should require, without taking into consideration the fact that I could only receive the articles ordered after an interval of two months. In order to be able to surmount these and other obstacles, I propose to endeavour to construct some of my appliances myself, and to read up as much as I can with regard to the advances which have been made by the great bee-keepers. One of the most important materials I require is comb foundation, and as I collect my own wax, I could effect a considerable saving if I had a machine for manufacturing it. I shall be much obliged if you will kindly assist me in obtaining a copy of your treatise, and to become a subscriber to your Journal, provided a French version is obtainable, for I do not know a word of English. Will you kindly let me know where I can obtain an apparatus for the manufacture of comb founda- tion ? I have no idea of the cost of this, but will remit amount to you to send what I want. "Will you have the goodness to reply in Spanish or French. — Manuel Romersy Ortiz, Huescar, Province of Granada. NOTES BY THE WAY. [515.] The Weather.— Yes, the principal topic of the day is still 'the weather.' Was ever such weather known since the glacial period as we have experienced during the last eight weeks ? The Standard was jubilant the other day that the frost had really broken up, and a right, good, soaking thaw had set in all over the land; but one ought to be careful in prophe- sying about the weather unless one really knows. We, in West Berks, have reason to be thankful for the water provided by the thaw. The snow wasted considerably during Monday night and Tuesday, with the thermometer steady at 38°,. wind north to north-west ; but Tuesday night the thermometer fell again to 33° by ten p.m., and Wednesday morning found the roads coated with ice again, and it continues very severe up to time of writing. During last night the thermometer registered as low as it has been at all throughout the long-continued frost. Bee-flights. — I have heard privately of bees in full flight. One friend in Scotland (Suther- landshire) speaks of his bees on the wing in great numbers on New Year's Day, which he remarks was a very mild day. Another, from Warwickshire, writes : 'I trust your bees have had a good flight, as I am pleased to say mine have. It was impossible to remove the snow out of the apiary, but I well bedded up with nice dry straw, and lost very few through chill.' Here's a good suggestion — if you cannot clear the snow, spread some straw, hay, or ferns over the snow, so that when your bees are on the wing they may find a resting-place from which they may take wing again. Well, it is good news to hear that some apiaries have been able to get a cleansing flight ; but I am sorry to say we, in this neighbourhood, have not reached the temperature requisite to tempt the bees out. On Monday afternoon I was busy clearing alighting-boards and around the front of hives, hoping on Tuesday to see a general exodus — but very few bees were on the wing ; not seven per cent, of the hives in the apiary showed signs of life. In two cases I have had mice in straw hives, not by boldly going in at the entrance, but by nibbling the hive at the back under cover of the wraps, and getting in that way. Ths mouse- trap was baited, and the entrance of it placed very invitingly near the hole in hive, and in the morning I had a prisoner, who could not resist the allurements of toasted cheese. Contemporaneous bee literature does not seem to be on the decline in America. The Ainerican Bee Journal has just completed its twenty-sixth volume, and starts the new year with a new shape, similar in size to our own Bee Journal. Hitherto it has had sixteen pages ; for the future- it will contain thirty-two pages, or 1664 for the year. Gleanings in Bee-culture boasts its 10,000 subscribers. The Bee-keepers' Review dons a new cover with the new year, and the W. T. Falconer Manufacturing Company issued a new magazine, the American Bee-keeper, on the 1st of January, 1891. To these may be added Bee- keepers' Guide, the Apiculturist, Bee-keepers' Advance, and last, though not least, the Canadian Bee Journal. This surely is a good array of bee periodicals ; but when we come to consider- that 300,000 Americans are engaged in the pur- suit of bee-keeping, there is abundant room for all the periodicals mentioned, as also others who. have *■ bee departments/ such as agricultural and: horticultural publications. January 22, 189 l.j THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 45 The single and double-walled hives seem likely to have a good test this winter. Possibly bees may exist as well in one as in the other, and if so the single-wall hive must commend itself to the apiarist on the point of economy ; but from another point this cheeseparing in the matter of hives may prove false economy, as probably more food will be consumed by the bees to keep up the animal heat in the single- walled hive than in the hive with double walla : but I am inclined, not only by my own ex- perience, but by the experience of others, to think that the crux of the question comes in during the spring months — say, middle of April till the middle of June. This is the period when our stocks are built up to boiling .point, and it is in the development of the brood nest, to the extreme limits of the brood compart- ment, that the advantages of double walls be- come apparent, especially if the weather should be cold during that period, or even part of the time. The hive with single walls, containing ten frames, even on the most generous estimate would not contain more than eight frames of brood, while the hive with double walls, under the same management, would probably contain ten frames of brood, the queen being induced to visit the outside combs in the brood chamber by the equable temperament of the hive. These two important items — viz., bees' consumption of stores during winter and an extended brood nest in spring — may be means to an end in the apiary during the honey harvest ; in fact, it may make all the difference, when results are totted up, if the balance is on the right or the wrong side. The Berks Association has lost one of its old members by the death of Mr. W. Champion, Oxford Road, Reading. The deceased was the son of the late Mr. Champion, and formerly owner of Calcot Mill, and was known as a shrewd farmer and judge of cattle. He held the office of Steward of the Corporation Sewage Tarm from it formation some sixteen years ago till 1888, when he resigned through failing health. He was an enthusiastic bee-keeper, and has staged some fine exhibits of honey at several shows in connexion with the Berks Association. — W. Woodlby, World's End, Newbury. SPRING MANAGEMENT. [516.] Having tried the plan of removing all combs that are uncovered by bees and closing up with division boards at end of February, and having also tested wintering on all the frames in the hives (ten and twelve in each), and leaving the bees undisturbed on this number all through the spring and summer, I am unable to say which seems the better plan of the two. Of course, when left on full frames every attention was given to warm quilting, feeding, &c. Doubtless weak colonies, deficient in bees, are considerably helped by confining them to just the number the bees can cover ; but I am doubt- ful if a strong stock of bees, with young queen, warm quilts, and proper feeding, will derive any assistance by ' crowding up.' Might I suggest a little discussion under this head as being just now in season ? "Will Mr. F. Boyes favour us with his views on the subject, as I see by referring to back numbers of B.B.J, he has had drones flying on the 10th of April, fully six weeks before us ? This may seem a trifle to some, hut to me it means bees in supers and sections ready for taking off in May gathered chiefly from whitethorn, gooseberries, rasp- berries, &c., whilst those who are a little behind time never get any of this early honey. 1 con- sider that where there is no heather we ought, by hook or crook, to have our bees in the supers by the time the orchards are in bloom ; we can- not afford to miss the beautiful early honey ; if we do, there is but one other chance left, i.e., the clover ; and if it happens to be cold and wet the latter part of J une, this chance is gone, and it is twelve months before we can try again. The longer I keep bees the more surely do I realise that there is always something to learn or to unlearn ; and so I would ask, Has any one tried newly ' slacked' lime for disinfecting hives by giving a good coat inside ? Would the bees object? In conclusion, let me take this opportunity of wishing first our editors, ' Mr. Useful Hints/ every contributor to the B. J. pages, and every reader a happy and prosperous new year. — J.W. Blank ley, Denton. [Many years ago, when disinfecting hives, we gave a coat of hot newly slacked lime to the insides of all the outer cases, roofs, &c, of our hives ; but the hives themselves got two good coats of paint inside, and both lime and paint were effectual. — Eds] WIDTH OF TOP BAR IN FRAMES FOR EXTRACTING. [•517.] "Will you kindly give me your opinion as to whether, in working for extracted honey by means of shallow supers, it would be best to use a frame with top bar and sides of the dimensions as to width used in the brood body or whether it would be better to use a wider top bar, say one and a half inches ;j I have worked my hives hitherto for sectional comb honey, but am thinking of trying a few hives for extracting during the coming season, and wish to start on the best lines. — S. W. R., Ascot. [Practically to use top bars of two widths means multiplying items in bee-work, and there is no need for it. In preference, when we want to obtain thick combs by working nine frames in a surplus chamber made to ,hold ten, slips of wood — similar to those used between the end combs and hive slides — are inserted between each pair of frames. — Eds.] APPLIANCE DEALERS. [518.] In reply to 'Mr. G. J.,' 495, page 10 anent common courtesy, might I again refer to first extract from * Mr. U. H. ' in my letter, 484, page 605 ? ~ ' It is not fair to blame manu- facturers who are overdone for a few weeks,' Sec, and if overdone, what time have they for usual civilities to customers P This was not written 4G THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 22, 1891. by ' Mr. U. H.' for the purpose of justifying dealers, as ' Mr. G. J.' would make it appear I considered to be the case, but for the purpose of warning bee-keepers, if all sent in their orders to them at the same time, what would be likely to take place, and curt courtesy must accompany delay in the execution of orders ; for if the dealer has time for the one, why not also for the other ? I know of a manufacturer having 400 orders on hand at one time last season. Would he not be serving bee-keepers more by getting through with his work than wasting his time making explanations ? But except in the matter of discount (and in warning of this ' Mr. U. H.' also refers, ' We hear of dealers refusing altogether to wholesale any'); how is it that ' Mr. G. J.' has been taken advantage of by the, to me, unknown dealer ? I have sent on my Journal containing his letter (471, page 582) to a friend, and must write from memory. ' Mr. G. J.' sends money to a dealer for sections, &c, according to catalogue. Mr. Dealer writes : ' Sold out of those sections, but have others better and more expensive. Shall I send them instead ? ' ' Mr. G. J.' says 'send them on.' Mr. Dealer then forwards the number he had paid for according to the increased rate — not the number ordered at lower rate. Has ' Mr. G. J.' not the value of his money ? How, then, can he say he has been taken advantage of by Mi- Dealer ? The burning down of one of the largest factories and stores in America, with some other reasons for the scarcity of sections, in the hands of a Higher Power than that of dealers or manufacturers, was the probable cause of ' Mr. G. J.'s ' troubles. I am sorry for them, and hope next time matters will work smoother. — W. B., Patricksivell, Co. Limerick. [The ventilation of grievances pro and con be- tween bee-keepers and dealers has been productive no doubt of much good, but we trust correspond- ents will agree that the matter may now be allowed to end. — Eds.] CHEAP HIVES AND APPLIANCE DEALERS. [519.] < G. J.' writes me that the ' W. B. C body-box is very cheap, and so constructed as to require no great skill in putting it together, and he confesses that in many cases of cottagers not very expert in handling tools it would be better to purchase the ' W. B. C as I suggested, and make the cover and outer walls themselves. The cost of the body-box, with frames, &c, complete, is 3s., and postage Is. l^d., and I am anxious to point out that by buying in quantities and sending by rail the cost of carriage could in most cases be reduced to a few pennies ; and no doubt county associations, by contracting to have a large number made in the winter, could buy them, carriage free, at the rate of 3s. or 3s. Id. each, at which price they could be sold to members. Permit me to add that a box turned upside down makes a capital floor-board and stand combined, and that pieces of newspaper crumpled up and lightly pressed down make a capital packing, which can be easily re- moved and replaced without making a litter. The size of the pieces should be about four to a page. — T. F. L., Brondesbury. HONEY COMPANIES. [520.] I have received several queries as to the result of my proceedings re the British and Irish Honey Company. I think if you will insert the following letter, sent to me by my solicitors, it may interest creditors of the above-mentioned company, although it is not very edifying reading : — ■ ' The liquidator informs us that the only asset was the business, and that the business has been sold by the bondholders (by which, probably, he means the debenture-holders) for about 200/., that this amount will not be sufficient even to pay the bondholders or debenture-holders, and that, so far as the ordinary creditors are con- cerned, there will not be a farthing for any one.' It would be interesting to know if any honey sold to the company has ever been settled for. I believe that the origin of the slang expression 'going to pot' dates from the good old times when bankrupts who could not give a good account of their doings were boiled in oil. I begin to sigh for those good old times. I have not thanked you for your prompt establishment of the ' deposit system,' but do so now with all gratitude. In future I am determined to dis- pose of any honey produced either by demand- ing cash before dispatch, deposit system, or, failing to obtain these terms, to give it away. Probably, if my friends read this, they will not encourage the ;deposit system as they ought. — C. S. Read, Binsted House, Arundel. HOW I USE THE RAITT HONEY PRESS. [521.] A few seasons ago I purchased a 'Raitt honey press,' which I required to use with thick autumn-gathered honey. On arrival of press I was at a loss how to use it — I mean to make it firm — until I proceeded as follows : I had a 30s. Raynor extractor from which I took cages and loose parts away. I then got a stout board, eleven inches in width by about three feet six inches long, in which I cut a square hole for the rim belonging to press to fit in ; two holes were next bored nineteen inches apart for the screws on extractor side to fit in. The board was then screwed down, the rim and press placed in position. I could then screw away without fear of an upset. By placing a piece of straining cloth over extractor before screwing board on you can have the honey straining as it falls from the press. My opinion of press is, it works — to use Mr. Howard's own words — ' Slow but sure. — John Wharton, Halves, North Yorks. January 22, 1891.J THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 47 mxm mxir Implies. [300.] Spring Management. — May I ask for a reply to the following? — 1. Is it a 'positive help ' to the bee to use ' American cloth in spring ?' 2. Will it help a fairly strong colony to take away all combs uncovered by bees ? 3. What is the very earliest time one may with safety begin to stimulate for brood-rearing in the spring, supposing the bees are in double- walled hives, and that every precaution is taken in protecting tbe bees from cold ? 4. I thought of pasting a newspaper over top when giving my first crate of sections. Has any one tried it?— J. W. B., Benton. Reply. — 1. Personally we use American cloth next the top bars, winter and summer, and so you may take it that we deem it of use. 2. It helps a weak colony to do as you say, but a strong one does need troubling about in this way. 3. The orthodox time of ' six weeks prior to the time the honey-flow begins ' is about correct. 4. Pasting a newspaper over sections is a nui- sance. Try warm quilting and a board well pressed down over all, and at the junction of the crate and the hive insert long strips of news- paper pressed sharp at one edge, so as to exclude air from the outside. [301.] Examining Bees. — How soon may I open up my hives to ascertain their condition ? — J. GUNN. Reply. — When the weather is warm enough for the bees to take a flight. (SkJKres ixmn % Ipite, Denton, Lincolnshire, January 14th — Weather here same as it was a month ago : frost, snow, cold winds ; in fact, a real hard winter all along. Bees have not had a flight for over two months. On the 9th I gave a cake of candy each to two stocks about which I was doubtful, and found them lively as crickets after their long imprison- ment. This argues well for bees put away in good condition. — J. W. Blankley. Built h, Wells, Breconshire, January, 1891. — It may interest you to know that in the past poor season I had a surplus of fifty pounds per hive, and left ample stores for winter; and the fact that I took first prize for sections, and first for extracted in a keen competition at one show ; first for section and second for extracted at another; and first for extracted and ' h.c.' for sections in open class at a third, or in all four firsts, one second, and one ' h.c.,' for six entries, shows the quality Avas pretty good. I only wish I had two or three times as much of it, for I should have no difficulty in selling it all— T. L. Dr. Tinkers new work on ' Bee-keeping for Profit.'' — Since our review of this book on p. 24 of B. J. for Jan. 8th, we have received several letters making inquiry as to price, where it can be had, &c. In reply, we beg to say the price in America is 25 cents, and it can only be had by direct application to Dr. Tinker, New Philadelphia, Ohio. As, however, the extra cost and trouble of procuring single copies of the work in this way may prevent many from reading it, we have decided — should a few more applications for it be received — to obtain a small stock of the book for the accom- modation of bee-keepers here, and will report their arrival should the idea be carried out. We have received Nos. 1 and 2 of the Apistische Bibliothek, by Tony Kellen, pub- lished at Zurich. No 1, Gluck des Landleute durch Bienenzucht (fortune of the country people by bee-keeping), treats of the advantages to be derived by people in the country keeping bees, and the benefits bees confer on mankind in various ways. No 2, Die Bienenzucht in der Welt-Aussiellung zu Paris, 1889, is a description with illustrations, of the progress of bee-keeping, as evidenced by the exhibition of honey, hives, and appliances by different countries at the Ex- hibition in Paris last year. We have besides a number of other works, which hardly need mention, unless it is one by E. Weygand on his method of treating hives in winter by keeping them in heated i chambers. This system has been tried, and ' although some have written in its favour, the majority of bee-keepers pronounce against it. REVIEW OF GERMAN BEE JOURNALS. By J. Dennler. (Engheim). Der Bukowinder Bienenfreund. Editor, Moritz Muller, of Czernowitz. — No. 7 gives a biography of M. Hamet of Paris, as well as a portrait of a young man carrying a whole swarm attached to his hand. This young man (Fritz Feller) had held by the wings a queen that had come out with a swarm, and placed himself in the centre of the flying bees, which soon settled round their mother, with- out stinging either the hands or face of this master. Der Elsass- Lothringische BienenzYichter. 18th year. Editors, Dennler and Zwilling. — The ministry of Alsace-Lorraine has instructed the directors of districts to proceed to an in- quiry as to the noxious influence of bees. If necessary, the Governments would propose legislation for their repression. This inquiry was promoted by a statement of a delegate of Alsace-Lorraine during last session. Ac- cording to this gentlemen, bees voluntarily 48 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January. 22, 1891. attack fruit and grapes, and cause serious damage. Every bee-keeper knows that, on the contrary, the damage caused is so insig- nificant that it is hardly worth mention. Bees never attack fruit or grapes not already damaged by birds or wasps. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Letters or queries asking for addresses of manufacturers or correspondents, or where appliances can be purchased, or replies giving such information, can only be inserted as advertisements. The space devoted to letters, queries, and replies, is meant for the general good of bee-keepers, and not for advertisements. We wish our Correspondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessary for us to go to press in advance of the date of issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue immediately following the receipt of their com- munication. All queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only of personal interest will be answered in this column. We beg to acknowledge, with thanks, receipt of Report of the Proceedings of the Twenty-first Annual Convention of the North American Bee-Tieeperd Association from the publishers, Messrs. Thos. J. Newman & Son, Chicago, 111. W. Goodall (Hastrick, Yorks.). — Cotton Knobs for Fuel. — We fear the ' cotton knobs ' you suggest as fuel for smokers, unless confined by the wire gauge tube, would be apt to burn too freely, and soon become a mass of fire. However, we will be glad to have your report when tried as you suggest. Thanks for good wishes. W. A. Walker (Ripley). — BeesDyiug. — There is nothing very alarming in raking out fifty dead bees per week after so severe a time as they have had for many weeks past ; but the dead bees received are covered with either honey or syrup, and this does want seeing to the first chance. The sample of candy sent is quite useless to the bees as food in winter ; it is as hard as stone. Only soft candy should be used. Full instructions for making it are given in B.J. for Oct. 2;hd, 1890, p. 514.3 I il Ballindallock. — There is no trace of Ligurian blood in bees sent, though it is quite possible there may have been ten years ago ; practically they are now natives. Henry Smith (Winchester). — We shall be very pleased to have a 'Weather Report' from you. J. B. (Durham). — Sugar as sample sent will be good for either syrup or candy. %* Several letters, dx., are unavoidably heldover till next iceek. THE DEPOSIT SYSTEM. NOTICE.— We request our correspondents in future to address all communications relating to lie literary department, &c, to ' The Editors of the "British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London. W.C British Bee Journal and Bee-keepers' Record. Office : Kings Langlet, Herts ; and 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C. The following are the Bules under which we are prepared to receive Sums of Money on Deposit from persons buying and selling goods. In order to save trouble it is requested that the Rules be carefully read over by persons using the Deposit System of trading. DEPOSITING. 1. Method. — When strangers are dealing together, the purchase-money of the articles is deposited at our office. We acknowledge receipt of the deposit to both parties, and hold the money until we are satisfied that the purchase is concluded. If a sale be effected, we remit to the seller the amount deposited, less a charge of 6d. and the expenses of Post Office Orders and postage, &c. Cash will be forwarded by cheque, Post Office Order, or by Postal Order as pre- ferred. If a sale or exchange be not completed, we return the amount deposited, after making the same deduction. By this means buyers and sellers ara secured from fraud. 2. Deposits.— Postal Orders (drawn on General Post Office) and Cheques must be made payable to John Huckle, and crossed ' Bucks and Oxon Bank.' The numbers of the Postal Orders should be kept by the sender. We cannot be responsible for any losses that may occur in transit. 3. Honey on Approval. — All honey will be sold by sample, which must be sent direct to buyer. 4. Bee-appliances. — In ordering, the time allowed for completing the order to be stated to us when sending cash. If maker accepts, we hold cash till transaction is satisfac- torily completed, when the amount will be remitted subject to conditions as in Clause 1. 5. Bees and Queens. — These will be dealt with entirely by the parties concerned, so far as price, &c., goes, and when the purchase is satisfactorily completed cash will be re- mitted as per Clause 1. 6. Goods in Transit.— Thpse are at the seller's risk, i.e., any damage to or loss of an article on its journey is borne by the vendor ; but a rejected article mus^ be pro- perly packed and returned by the same means as was used in sending it. 7. Carriage. — The carriage of all goods, except such as are sent by post, is payable by the buyer, unless otherwise agreed, if any article sent on approval be returned, each party to the transaction must pay carriage one way. JUDGING HONEY. By the Eev. J. L. Seaqer. Price 3d. FEEDING BEES. By George Walker, M.R.C.S.,L.B,C.P. Price 3d. HOW TO COMMENCE BEE-KEEPING (Leaflet). Price 4s. 6d. per 1000, 6d. per 100, post free. WINTERING BEES. By Thomas W. Cowan. The most complete work on the sub- ject of Wintering published. Third Edition. Price 3d. QUEEN INTRODUCTION. The Ligurian Queen Bee and her Introduction to Alien Stocks. By the Eev. George Batnor. Second Edition, enlarged and fully Illustrated with engravings of the various Cages in use. Contains full descriptions of the different methods practised in this and other countries by Chloroform, Caging, Direct Introduction, &c. Price 3d., post free 3Jd. John Huckle, Kings Langley, Herts. BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 449. Vol. XIX. N. S. 57.] JANUARY 29, 1891. [Published Weekly, (giritnrial, ^iatmBt tit. BEE-PAPERS FOR WINTER READING. No. 3.— SPRING MANAGEMENT. 'Stimulating' or 'Building up.' — The very essence of the ' art of hee-keeping ' consists in being able to bring the colony up to full working strength so early in the summer as to be ready for the honey-flow when it comes. In saying this much, we do not lose sight of the fact that ' seasons' in different localities vary as -widely as the times of ripening in different kinds of fruits and vegetables ; and it is just as necessary for the bee-keeper to make himself acquainted with the honey-producing flora of his district as for the gardener to ' time ' the sowing of his seeds. The circumstances under which the writer finds himself to-day furnish a very apt personal illustration of this fact. For nearly a quarter of a century we had kept our bees in one locality — indeed, in the same garden — and could tell to a few days when the bees would begin storing, because of our intimate knowledge of what was growing within the whole radius of the bees' foraging-ground. Consequently no attempt was made to start early, and so prepare and force on our army of workers for labouring on a source of supply which did not exist. Such a course would have been like hurrying to get up steam for starting the printing machine before the type was set. Full populations by mid-June was what Ave worked for in past days. All this, however, is now changed, and we find ourselves and our bees located in a district entirely different in character from that we have left. Here plums, damsons, currants, and such-like are grown in fruit-gardens the extent of which was a revelation to us ; while whole fields of raspberries and strawberries surround us on every side, so that we are ' in ' for quite a new condition of things, and it would be the height of folly to go on in the old way. We- hope to be removing surplus in the coming early summer-time before the bees in Cheshire have started working on the clover, just as surely as we expect that the honey harvest here will be over and ended while more northerly apiaries will be gathering fast. This puts the matter in a plain light, we hope, as proving the necessity for the bee-keeper * knowing his grolind;' and when he has gained this knowledge by experience and observation, he will realise the difficulty we have in replying to the oft-repeated, but very vague question, ' When must I begin to stimulate ? ' A stereo- typed, and withal a very sound, reply is usually given, viz., ' Six weeks before the honey-flow ; ' but we would like to bs able to add, ' Don't stim- ulate at all,' for happy is the man whose stocks do not need it ; and not seldom does it happen that the inexperienced and over-anxious bee- keeper actually retards the progress of a thriving colony by his endeavours to help it on. Another point may be noted here for the information of those who wish to prevent swarming, and that is, stimulation in spring has a tendency to create in the bees a desire to swarm, and adds to the difficulties of preventing it. ' Right here '—to borrow an Americanism — we would say, if a stock of bees is seen to be working vigorously, with an ever -increasing population — and it needs no great amount of bee-knowledge to judge of this without the necessity for opening the hive — leave that colony severely alone. If food is safe, and you know that the combs are in good condition, don't tinker with it, don't bother it, and don't stimulate it. The fact is, the condition of things inside such a hive are as naturally stimulating as things can be, and to interfere is to do harm. On the other hand, it is of very great import- ance sometimes, especially where the bees are required to be strong quite early in the year, to do something by way of creating a mild form of excitement among the bees. This is done by gentle continuous feeding, forestalling the natural income as it were, and thus raising the temperature to a degree which stimulates the queen to increased egg-laying, and results in a considerable enlargement of the brood nest. The point we would ask readers to bear in mind is, to see that nothing is done in early spring to lower the temperature of the hive when dis- turbing the quilts for the purpose of feeding. Warm wrappings must be added to, not lessened, at this time ; and if a colony is only of medium strength, it will also assist it to con- tract the hive by removing a few combs, to be returned later on, when the bees are seen to need room. A considerable number of stocks in mo:-t apiaries will so surely be found requiring atten- tion after the winter is over that we must not allow readers to suppose that ' stimulating ' or ' building up ' of colonies is the exception rather than the rule. We wish it was so ; but in the 50 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 29, 1891. face of the facts our desire is to put forth a restraining hand, to assure them that there is no need to begin eagerly stimulating all and sundry, whether they need it or not. It will not be difficult to grasp our idea of good management when we say it is the stocks which dorit ' get on ' that require most attention in endeavouring to make them ' move ' by supply- ing something they lack. Those that are safe and thriving will need no interference. A pre- valent but rather mistaken impression prevails among inexperienced bee-men that ' a colony of bees may be built up to full working strength in six weeks ' by the simple process of stimula- tive feeding. The numbers who have written us after trying this experiment, and failing, testify to the unreliability of the notion in its strict literal sense. In fact, some colonies can- not be built up to full working strength at all, and to suppose that weak stocks — without any reference to the inherent cause of Ihelr weak- ness— can be so built up is quite an error. Only hives with bees full of vitality and waiting but for the natural stimulus arising from partaking of freshly gathered pollen, or that just exposed in the combs by the consumption of its thin covering of honey, can be so aided by stimulat- ing as to produce the desired effect. The slow continuous feeding apparently gives them the impression that summer is come — and no doubt breeding increases largely under its influence. Spring Dwindling. — There can be no doubt that badly prepared and unwholesome food and cold damp hives are at the bottom of the mysterious and unaccountable ' dwindling ' which troubles some bee-keepers in spring. The bees have all the heart knocked out of them by living on food which, though it might do no harm in warm ' flying^' weather, so lowers their vitality in the long and close confinement of the winter that they can make no headway at all. A few eggs are laid, and are allowed by the poor debilitated bees to dry up and wither away, instead of hatching them out. Bees are continually dying off, or being lost through lack of strength to return to the hive against the force of a cold spring breeze. The few young ones which do hatch are too few to re- place those dropping off, and so the population diminishes, dwindling away till the outside warmth of the summer weather assists the bees in hatching the brood, and perhaps after the season is well over the stock becomes just strong enough to carry on for another year. Meanwhile it is neither of ' use nor ornament.' The question is, ' What is the remedy? ' And our reply, ' See to the food.' Even the hives are secondary in importance to this. The quality of the honey gathered in districts where ' spring dwindling ' is periodical and chronic may have a deal to do with it, and in this case we advise wintering entirely on good cane-sugar syrup, and an avoidance of nitrogenous food altogether for winter, if possible. The less pollen bees con- sume in winter, the less occasion for their taking cleansing flights; and this is most im- portant, as all will admit. Syrup made of raw sugar is also very bad for the bees. Some of the samples forwarded to us— after the mischief had been done — would be little better than treacle for syrup-making. No wonder it pro- duced dysentery and general weakness, which is the great cause of spring dwindling. A pint of bright, strong, healthy bees will often work up into a good stock, while a peck of weakly ones will fail and droop through sheer inability to obey the demand nature makes on their energies in hatching and rearing brood in spring. Spring Overhauling. — While desiring to restrain the anxious fingers 'itching' to begin manipulating as soon as the spring warmths brings the bees forth and their ever-tuneful hum is heard, we must emphatically urge the- absolute necessity for a thorough overhaul of every stock in the apiary regarding which the least uncertainty is felt. To say that every colony must be examined carefully is contrary to the views we have already expressed. Good ones need no more than a glance beneath the quilts to make it certain they are good, and to note them as such. All the rest must be gone through, and careful notes of their condition taken for future reference. It is most important that this be done for many reasons, but, among others, it enables us to consider and perfect our future arrangements with regard to each colony quietly from these- notes indoors, without the need for constantly disturbing the bees, in realising what is required for meeting the necessities of individual cases. The time for making this examination will, of' course, be regulated by the weather ; when this is favourable, and the bees are able not only to ' turn out,' but to go off foraging for pollen, a start is made. Beginning at one end of the apiary (say of twelve hives), examine No. 1; next go to No. 6 ; then return to No. 2, and so on. Thus, as each stock is examined, the bees have time to settle down quietly before the hive immediately adjoining is opened ; and there is less ' mixing up ' of the flying bees during the excitement generally caused by the first ' over- haul ' of the year. With a full report of the internal condition of every stock in the apiary in his possession,, the bee-keeper is saved a world of worry and trouble. He can just do the right thing required, while leaving what would be in too many cases the wrong thing undone. Colonies found queen- less are dealt with by uniting, combs and food seen to, and that inestimable boon to a starving stock, a cake of soft, warm candy, administered where wanted. Once the bees are started on properly made soft candy, given below the quilts in spring, and the supply regularly kept up, they seem — according to our experience — to be stimu- lated and kept going better than in any other way. Adding to Warm Wrappings. — This is a point much neglected by careless bee-keepers, yet it is of considerable importance in early- spring. At that time warmth means increase of breeding, and when, in giving a cake of candy, January 29, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 51 the quilts are disturbed "and disarranged, then carelessly replaced, the 'lump' formed by the candy makes them fit badly, the warmth of the brood nest escapes on every side, and unmis- takable damage is done. Stocks cannot be 4 built up ' in this way. It is done by ' nursing ' — i.e., making the bees warmer and more snug than before by contracting the breeding space, doing away with winter space below frames, and stopping up all ventilation — just as the bees will themselves do as soon as propolis is to be had. Our own plan is to remove the ' eke ' (Fig. 5, p. 27) from below the body-box or brood chamber, and the latter is dropped down on the floor-board in its normal position. The ' eke ' is next turned over or reversed, and slipped on the top of the body-box ; the side slips — now turned down- ward—keep it firm in position, and the quilts, with the cake of candy beneath, can then be packed close down at the sides quite warmly, the sides of the ' eke ' enabling us to do this more ■effectually than is possible when the coverings •are simply laid on the flat surface of the top bars. Making Soft Bee-Candy. — Before giving •directions for making this, it may be well here to say a word regarding the prevailing uncer- tainty as to what is meant by ' soft bee-candy.' It should be quite firm and stiff, so as to bear its own weight without gradually falling down between the top bars, and yet of such a con- sistency that it becomes ' buttery ' — to coin a word — when its surface is rubbed with the finger; just as a piece of butter will if treated in the same way. Candy may be made ' short ' in the grain, so as to break easily ; but dry and ' crumbly,' without being ' stone hard.' This kind, how- ever, is quite unsuited for bee-food in spring. Not knowing the secret of how the best Scotch bee-candy is made, we cannot print the exact modus, but fancy it is kneaded or worked well with the hands while ' cooling off,' and that this process of working gives it the soft, •creamy character — like stiff chocolate cream — which is its point of superiority. A good soft candy can be produced by closely -adhering to the following instructions for making, written by the late William Raitt : — ' 1. Use preferably a brass jelly or preserve pan, otherwise an enamelled-iron or plain iron ■one. 2. Put in ten pounds of white granulated sugar at 2d. or 2\d. per pound, two pints im- perial of cold water, and half a teaspoonful of •cream of tartar. 3. Set on or hang over a brisk fire, and stir gently now and then till the sugar is all melted. This should require about fifteen minutes. 4. Almost immediately afterwards the whole will reach the boiling point, at first throwing up a deal of froth. The fire may be moderated or the pan withdrawn a little at this stage, when the foamy boil will settle down to a clear crackling one. This boiling should only occupy about ten minutes. 5. Now try a drop let fall on a cold surface, withdrawing the pan from the fire in the meantime. If the drop at once begins to set so that in a few seconds it will draw out as a thread when touched with the finger, the mass is cooked enough. If not, boil a few seconds longer and try again. G. Remove the pan from the fire, and set it in a trough of cold water. It may be left there for a few minutes while the moulds (flat or soup plates will do) are being set ready, each with a thin sheet of paper rather larger than the mould laid in. Returning to the pan, commence and continue to stir briskly until the mass be- gins first to get dim in colour from incipient granulation and then to thicken to the consis- tency of thin porridge. Then pour into the moulds, warming any remainder slightly to get it to leave the pan. This cooling and stirring process should take about fifteen minutes more. 7. Thus in about thirty-two minutes we finish the whole process, with the result that we have twelve pounds of candy from ten pounds of sugar. The cakes should set within an hour so as to be safely turned out of the moulds. When quite cold they should still be soft enough to be easily scratched into with the finger-nail, and to melt in the mouth with a soft grain. 8. In- vert them over the cluster of bees with the paper left on, and cover up warmly. This may be done while they are still somewhat warm.' To the directions under No. 6 we would add the_ hint to ' work ' the candy with the hands while cooling, in order to give it the ' buttery ' consistency already mentioned. Spreading Brood. — No operation we know of connected with modern bee-keeping has been productive of more mischief, through mis- management, than indiscriminate spreading of brood in spring. If anything were wanted to confirm this view it would surely be found in the numerous samples of 'chilled brood received during the early summer months of Last year, the majority of which were the un- mistakable outcome of this particular operation in the hands of inexperienced bee-keepers. Indeed, so disheartening is it when the mis- chievous effects of injudicious management in this line are brought under one's eyes day after day, that we have over and over again wished that brood-spreading had never been heard of, that it was eliminated from all our guide-books, or — let us add — that bee-keepers would only practice it when they had gained experience to guide them as to when it is safe. Yes ! this last reservation should be added ; for in proper hands and at proper times it is so beneficial to do a little judicious manipulation of the brood combs, that we cannot wonder at writers possessing the necessary experience in- cluding it in the ' good things ' they have to tell off. A sheet of foundation dropped in the centre of the brood nest in a strong colony during warm weather in April or May will often be partly drawn out, and contain some thousands of eggs, in about twenty-four hours after its insertion. And there is so much fasci- nation in raising up that particular frame and finding it so, that one can hardly marvel at so many being tempted to spread brood, and 52 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 29, 1891. spread it till a sudden ' cold snap ' comes, and finds the tender larvae left outside the contracted cluster to chill and die ! To record the gist of these remarks in prac- tical form, let us say to the inexperienced amateur : If you will try this operation, never part the cluster constituting the brood nest by adding more than one frame of comb or one sheet of foundation at a time, and then only when there is a spare seam of bees, on each side, beyond the combs which contain brood or eggs, so that the cluster may contract thus much without risk of leaving the brood un- covered. (A good deal is left unsaid anent directions for spreading brood, and it is omitted advisedly, because, speaking in the light of experience, and for reasons stated, we do not desire to revive a practice which, thank good- ness ! is falling into disuse.) It might be added that the risk is minimised when the weather is settled and warm; but the mischief is that it is only in early summer, when building-up is in progress and weather is uncertain, that brood- spreading is desired. In warm weather supers are on, and the brood nest is then safe from interference. BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. Committee meeting held at 105 Jermyn Street on Tuesday, 20th inst. Present : T. W. Cowan (in the chair), Rev. R. Errington, J. Garratt, W. H. Harris, Dr. Raynor (ex officio), and the Secretary. Communications were received from the Rev. Dr. Bartrum, Captain Campbell, and H. Jonas, regretting their inability to be present. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. Resolved, that the Chairman do convey the sympathy of the Committee with the family of the late Mr. Alfred Neighbour in the sad loss they have sustained, and express their appreciation of the valuable services which he has rendered to the cause of bee-keeping during the many years he was a member of the Association. The statement of accounts for the year 1890 was considered, and, after some discussion, adopted and ordered to be printed. The Secretary was requested to communicate with the Dairy Farmers' Association, with the view of securing an exhibition of honey at the next Dairy Show. We desire to remind the members that Saturday next is the last day for sending in notices of motion for discussion at the annual generalmeeting,and also for nominating members to serve on the Committee for the ensuing year. NOTTS BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The annual meeting of the above very active Association takes place at the People's Hall, Nottingham, on Saturday, the 7th of February. The President of the Association, Viscount St. Vincent (himself a successful bee-keeper), pre- sides on the occasion, and will be supported by the Mayor of Nottingham. At the conclusion of the business portion of the proceedings, which commence at 3.30, the members and their friends partake of a substantial 'meat tea.' A* social evening' follows, when the annual prize drawing takes place. Then follows a lec- ture on ' Bee-keeping ' by Mr. John H. Howard. Altogether the proceedings are so arranged as to make up a very enjoyable evening, and re- flect much credit on the gentlemen concerned in making the arrangements. DEVELOPMENT IN THE HONEY-BEE. By R. A. H. Gbimshaw. (Continued from p. 7.) Continued sunlight in many cases results in the removal of the blue from the green, leaving yellow ; the yellow fades into almost white, or else by absorbing red becomes orange; the orange loses its yellow and gives place to red ; varying chemical changes in the sap alter its light-re- fracting power until we get all the intermediate colours between red, yellow, and blue — orange, green, purple, russets, browns, citrons, olives, greys, in their many hues and intensities from the white to the black (in violas alone). Well, if bees carry pollen and cross-fertilise the plant it is left on, the pollen cell gives up its contents to the cells of the seed, in which they are ab- sorbed, and give to the seed certain peculiarities possessed by the plant from which the pollen was obtained, contributing such chemical power to the future plant as enables it to derive from the earth, air, light, &c, substances, which change the tints of the flower, the aroma of the nectar, the flavour, size, and colour of the fruit, or the subtle active principle of the plant itself, which may prove to the animal kingdom either a wholesome food, a restorative medicine, or a deadly poison. For instance : — A bee visiting red flowers for either nectar or pollen carries on its body-hairs a few adhering grains from flowers visited on a previous journey; these flowers may be of a deeper shade than the red (say, purple — by ad- mixture of substances which enable the plant- cells to reflect more blue), or of a lighter shade, say, orange — by reason of cell-contents absorbing more red and reflecting more yellow) ; it then becomes very plain to see that the pollen grains, containing vivifying nitrogenous matter secreted by the male parent plant, left on the stigmatic surface of the plant destined to bear the future intercrossed seed, will so chemically alter the nature and composition of the cell-contents with which their cell-contents coalesce that the future reflecting and refracting power of the cells of the flower petal will be considerably modified — the flowers will partake of and resemble the colours of the male parent. We see, then, that the alter- ation of the colours in cross-fertilised plants, the passage from green flowers to white — green to red, yellow, or blue — is entirely the work of the male pollen brought from plants which have per- fected in their cells a greater power than their neighbours of reflecting the composing colours oi January 29, 1891.J THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 53 a white ray of light, this power in its turn being traceable to the greater or less ability of the plant-cell (from the cell of the petal to that of the spongiole of the root) for secreting such chemical substances from the soil as give it this power. The same rule applies with regard to the fragrance of the flower, the aroma of the essential oil found in the hairs on the leaves, in the sap of the leaves, in the strong medicinal alkaloids lodged in many barks, in the poi- sonous pith of many plants (the manioc, for example, which yields us, after steeping, tapioca). These active principles show them- selves also in the nectar produced by the flowers, which is gathered by the honey-bee, and converted by it into honey. But we must not forget that if this nectar contained much more of the plant-essence than it does, the honey would lose its wholesomeness for us — would be too medicinal and become absolutely poisonous. That a quantity of pure honey in bulk, from only one specie3 of flower, is posi- tively injurious to many peculiarities of con- stitution cannot be denied ; but this objection is removed or obviated in this country by the fact that a great variety of plants bloom at the same time, the honey from which negatives each other's injurious properties ; thus do we get, almost always, in our honey, a compound sweet' extract of flowers, the medicinal bene- ficial effects of which our individual systems partake of, whilst, in most cases, the injurious and poisonous nature is annulled by the fact that one poisonous essence is generally antidotal to another. In this country the danger we run of having large quantities of honey from one source only is mostly confined to sainfoin, clover, and heather. Each of these honeys will be found to disagree with some idiosyncrasies of constitution, though fortunately the percentage is so small as to be of little account, the essential principle of each plant not being poisonous to man except in concentration ; and even this question — the poison of heather or clover in a concentrated extract — is only a surmise of my own drawn from analogy, believing as I do that every plant could be found to yield a substance fatal to human life if partaken of as a very strong extract. Although the medicinal proper- ties of honey do not come within the province of these article I cannot refrain from saying that its use in the relief of human suffering, and for the cure and prevention of disease, is as yet but little understood. I doubt not there is a great future for honey in this direction when scien- tific medical men will recognise that a natural compound of medicinal essences is present in honey, which may be of as much service in its proper place as an artificial compound syrup of hypopho3phites is in its place in the pharmaco- poeia. The value of insects— bees amongst the rest — as cross-fertilisers has become somewhat over- estimated. There is always this tendency where a great discovery has been made; indeed, so much is this the case that a common opinion prevails amongst those only slightly acquainted with botany that plants using insects as pollen- carriers find them absolutely necessary, and cannot ripen seed without strange pollen being brought to them. There can be no greater fallacy than this. The exhaustive experiments of Darwin provide uswith a list of sixty-three plants ' which, when insects are excluded, are either quite sterile, or produce less than half the number of seeds produced by unprotected plants.' Only twenty-four of these are quite sterile, the remaining thirty-nine were capable of self-ferti- lisation. In the next list given, of ' plants which when protected from insects are either quite fertile, or yield more than half the number of seeds produced by unprotected plants,' there are sixty, and of these no less than forty do quite as well without insects as with them. Of the 123 plants experimented on there were, there- fore, but twenty-four that entirely depended upon insect visitation for the setting of their seed. Amongst those which seem entirely inde- pendent in the matter there are many surpi-ises i Candytuft, mignonette, buttercup, poppy, fumi- tory, Adonis, linseed, balsam, the far-famed Limnanthes Douglasii, chickweed, beet, tares or vetches, common pea, sweet pea, lupin, rest- harrow, kidney bean, haresfoot clover, yellow clover (this, strange to say, when protected from insects yielded nearly twice as much seed as when unprotected), eye-bright, mimulus, calceo- laria, mullein, and parsley. On the other hand, we know of numerous plants, visited by bees at least, which yield more and finer fruit (for the seed is the true fruit) when so visited than when deprived of their services ; nevertheless it behoves us not to unduly magnify the extent of the benefits thus conferred. If we take our particularly favourite white, Dutch, or alsike clover, Darwin gives us some startlingly con- soling statistics. Ten unprotected heads gave about ten times as many seeds as ten protected heads, and in a further experiment twenty un- protected heads gave 2290 seeds to one solitary aborted seed from twenty protected heads of this clover. The red clover surprises us still more, for 100 heads of bloom (protected) did not give a single seed against 2720 yielded by the same number of unprotected heads. The carnation clover gave five and six times as many seeds un- protected as against protected plants. When we come to consider the great value of bees to man in cross-fertilising the plants used by him in feeding himself and his cattle, the fruits in his garden, and the produce of his fields, we have, I think, reached the true platform — the acme of its place in the scale of animated nature, as a not insig- nificant member of that vast mutually interde- pendent family of living things, which go in chorus to form on the earth perhaps but a single chord in the grand harmonious whole of the universe. I may, however, be too sanguine in holding the opinion that in the future no incon- siderable amount of credit will be given to the honey-bee as a collector of medicinal food, probably of more real service to humanity than is its work of cross-fertilisation. {To be continued.) 54 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 29, 1891. f proof spirits ' (48 and 49 Vict., cap. 51 sect. 4). I would say, however, from the limited quantity made at any one time, the mode of manufacture and of use would not bring it under the above Act, and render the maker thereof liable to the brewing licence under the Beer Act, 43 and 44 Vict. I think with you, however, that should a fair case be brought forward, there would be a diffi- culty in getting the Commissioners to sanction a prosecution, and a still greater difficulty in getting a magistrate to convict. I should be interested to know (if ' H. Langdon ' will inform us) under what Act the officer is going to pro- ceed against him, and I am sure a large number of bee-keepers must be interested in this question. I myself am fond of mead and metheglin, and do not wish to have to pay for the making of these drinks for my own use, and do not see why I should do so, when I can make any description of wine at home duty free. I am afraid you will think my zeal leans more to the bees than the revenue ; however this is not so, although I am — A Bee-feverish Excise Officer. 16 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 29, 1891. ENGLISH BEES VERSUS HYBRIDS. [525.] Kindly allow me a word on the sub- ject of native bees and their supposed superior qualities over foreigners and hybrids. To-day I found two pure English stocks dead, with plenty of stores in each case, while my remain- ing forty-two colonies are alive and apparently doing well. I m&y say one of the English stocks was not fed in autumn, and the other with only two pounds of syrup, as I found they had enough honey to winter on. I took these two stocks of bees in frame hives of a neighbour last summer, so I feel somewhat contented about my own make of hive and also the breed of bees, inasmuch as if forty-two stocks safely live through such a frost as we have had this winter, without an exception, there can be no room for discontent with one or the other. My bees, with the exception of a few driven stocks, are hybrids, with about an equal part of Cyprian, Carniolan, and English blood, which cross I have found to be far superior to the old English black bee, for the three elementary qualities of honey- gathering, prolificness, and wintering. Very much has been said against the Carniolan breed lately, and if all seasons were like 1890 I should quite agree with it, for a cold, wet summer is altogether against the progress of the foreign races ; but in such a summer as 1885 or 1887 no one can deny the superiority of the working qualities of Cyprian and. Carniolan hybrids over pure English bees. I had Cyprian hybrids at the end of 1887, with all their combs full of honev, while Eng- lish stocks had combs scarcely half full. Of course ' every dog has his day,' but because the foreign races have been lauded above measure it does not follow, that they should be discarded from our apiaries. If in-and-in breeding has been the chief ruin of the British bee, surely the introduction of foreign blood is the nearest way out of the wood, and scarcely any one can fail to notice the deterioration of the ordinary PJnglish bees through in-breeding, as they are usually kept by cottagers. The same stocks, with the same queens, that gave me forty to fifty pounds of sur- plus honey in '89 did not store enough in '90 to winter on. Shall we blame the bees for it? No ; I am quite sure my bees were as willing to work in '90 as m '89. I had the good or bad fortune to see six swarms come out successively one morning, and all settle in one lump ; and as I had another small ' cast ' the same day I hived the seven swarms of bees in one hive on ten frames and 105 one-pound sections. They joined peaceably and started work well, but that was all ; the wet weather kept them at home so constantly that by the time the bees could work their numbers were much reduced. Had the season been a good one the 105 sections would have been complete in a fortnight, for the hive was literally crammed with bees ; but as it was, I scarcely had a finished section from them. Such an autumn for winter preparation as the last I have never seen before, and a winter such as_ we are passing through I have never before witnessed. Only about half the young queens of last year were successfully mated, so by the time the second lot of queens, raised to replace the unfertile ones, began breeding, these stocks had dwindled very much ; but by careful atten- tion and feeding they became strong again, a's- the weather was splendid from the third week of August till the end of October. Following some exceedingly trying years for the patience of bee-keepers, let us hope that the present extraordinary winter will turn the tide,, and that a few old-fashioned summers will fol- low so old-fashioned a winter. I only took 550 lbs. of honey last summer, while less bees- gave me 1069 lbs. in 1889. In conclusion, let me advise others not to throw up any race of bees after trying them for one season, nor because they may be fond of stinging, for I have found that good stocks will always be ready for invasion of their domiciles. — Ernest E. Da vies, Great Bookham, Leather' head. AGED QUEENS. [526.] Late last autumn, as I was examining a hive belonging a member of the Lincolnshire B. K. A. in this district, to see how it stood as regards stores, and to put it into order for winter, I observed the following, to me, unusual circumstance, which has considerably puzzled me to account for ; and as the experience may point a moral to keep respectably behaved young queens only, I will relate it, feeling sure that you will, with your long experience, be able to enlighten me. The hive was a 'combination' one of Abbott's make, the bees slightly hybrid, fairly strong,, and with twelve frames in the hive. They had gathered about fifteen pounds of honey, stored chiefly in the neighbourhood of the brood nest. I commenced the examination by removing the dummy and the last four frames, and on looking through the other frames I kept an eye open for her majesty — for as all brood-raising had then ceased hereabouts on account of the cold summer, I did not expect to get any evidence of her in that line. In the centre of the brood nest, however, I saw some eggs in scattered patches all over the frame, two, three, four, and even five in one cell, and I began to think a ' fertile worker ' was to blame ; but on turning the comb round, I immediately saw the queen. She was a good-sized one, aged at least two years, as the hive had not swarmed this year (1890), and the owner was not sure about 1889 either. Do you think the eggs were de- posited by the queen, as it had been very fine for a few days before I examined the hive,, which was towards the end of September ? I did not have a further opportunity of seeing if the eggs came to anything, neither did I see any signs of the bees having swarmed, in the shape of old queen-cells. No drones were anywhere about at that time, or I should have thought January 29, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 57 they had deposed the original queen, and that the new one had remained unfertilised. Now, having given you all the data and symptoms of the case at my command, I hope you will be able to solve it. Thanking you m anticipation, — F. J. Chibb, Morton, Gains- borough. [Aged queens are very erratic in their ovipositing, and act much in the same way as fertile workers. We should judge this queen to be an old one.— Eds.] _____ ROYAL SHOW-PKIZE SCHEDULE. [527.] I am pleased to note that no price is fixed for hives, &c, in the prize list just issued. Although it will not affect me personally, yet I think the Committee have taken a step in the right direction, as I know the schedules of the past led to dishonesty, and landed some manu- facturers in the Bankruptcy Court. Every trader is entitled to a fair profit. — L. Wren, Lowestoft. HIVE ENTRANCES IN WINTER, [528.] For many years I have been opposed to leaving the entrances to our hives open, ' full width,' during the winter months, and no doubt many a thoughtful bee-keeper, who has had the welfare of his bees at heart, will have partly closed them in such a winter has this has been. All my entrances are through two-and-a-half- inch tunnels in the bee-house, and these are greatly reduced in width at the outside, thus practically carrying out the Editor's idea as ex- pressed on page 27, where it is stated, ' We regard it as one of the best points in a hive with outer case, that a full-width entrance and its accom- panying advantages is practically secured, while the doorway to the outside, of only half an inch in width, keeps out piercing cold winds and driving snow, &c.' My bee-house (heated) forms the outer case of my half-inch beehives. Very often the snow is our best friend, when entrances are closed up completely by it, because a frosty night generally follows a downfall ; but we must not forget that the snow by degrees disappears, and frosty nights continue. The snow, up to a certain date, has kept our en- trances closed, and all warm inside ; but this month there is no snow left here, so I have kept my entrances closed with imaginary snow, by placing a little white crystallised sugar instead outside of the entrances, and with good effect. I see a writer in a German bee journal, Die Biene, has taken the inside temperature on the floor-boards of three hives on November 30th of last year, while the thermometer outside regis- tered 11° of frost (or 21* Fahr.) The result was as follows : — No. 1 (weak colony) .... 26°, or 6° of frost. No. 2 (medium strength) 28°, or 4° of frost. No. 3 (strong stock) .... 31°, or 1° of frost. Then on December 9th the same experiment was tried after the entrance had been protected by a moss cushion with an air-hole to the out- side. He registered inside : — No. 1, 32°, or freezing point ; No. 2, 39°, or 7° above freezing point ; No. 3, 41°, or 9° above freezing point ; whilst the outside temperature was 17° of cold, or 15° Fahr. It is stated that an average tem- perature of 12° warmer results in favour of the protected entrances and surely tells its own tale. How differently the bees feel the winter's cold with protected entrances. What distances entrances may be from the hives! The Bienenzeitung has the following, referring to Weygandt's heated bee-houses : — A bee-keeper living next door to a baker, placed a. hive against the warm oven of the latter, and the tunnel through which the bees had to travel to reach the hive measured three yards long, with several turns in it! Nevertheless this stock swarmed last summer, the young queen took her mating trip, was fertilised, returned through this long tunnel, and the bees have done remarkably well.— J. G. K., Grove House, Southborough, Tunbridge Wells. BEE-KEEPING NEAR TOWNS. [529.] 'Roman Wall' (fro. 508, p. 33) asks in what part of Newcastle I keep my bees. Had he, instead of 'wandering by the moor edge,' turned along to the left at the commence- ment of the moor from the town side, he would have come to a terrace of houses with long gardens in front. Beyond these is the Leazes ; beyond this again the Leazes Park, while at the back of the houses stretches the moor, the whole comprising an open space of about 1200 acres of grass-land, park, and gardens. On the moor and Leazes there is a fair growth of white clover at the proper time, while the gardens and park are well filled with flowers during the season. But when ' Roman Wall' asks for an account of my success — there ! I confess he ' has me.' This is only my third season of bee-keeping. The first winter I sent you an account of how I lost my whole stock through inexperience. Last spring I was staying in the country, and made friends with a bee-keeper there, from whom I purchased a good stock. These, 1 believe, would have done fairly well last year had not the season been such an extremely untoward one. However, I fed them well up for the winter, and hope for better things this year ; but as I keep bees for the pleasure of seeing them and not for profit, a larger or smaller quantity of honey is not of much consequence to me. There are, I think, other five or six bee-keepers within a radius of half a mile or so. The greatest diffi- culty we have to deal with is in preventing small boys from catching the bees and putting them into bottles with a few heads of clover, under the mistaken impression that they will 'lay honey.' One boy told the gardener that he had caught 200 of my bees in one week last summer^ 58 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 29, 1891. I enclose you my address should ' Roman Wall ' •care to ask for it, and will be heartily glad to see him at any time if he is passing this way. I 'know Haltwhistle, well where he dates from, having spent many a pleasant day in fishing the moorland streams to the north of it, and the •next time I am there I will certainly give him a ■call. — Amateur., Nexvcastle-on-Tyne. < CHEAP hives: [530.] Under the above head, which I re- spectfully borrow from Mr. ' T. F. L.,' I wish to describe how myself and others about here make some of our own appliances ; but first, with your permission, I wish to thank ' T. F. L.' for the 'pudding ' (W.B.C. body-box and bar-frames with metal ends) he has sent to me by Mr. J . H. Howard. Puddings never come amiss at Christmas-time, and I assure ' T. F. L.' I have great pleasure in accepting it. It is, I must say, indeed very cheap at 8s. cost price, and for many not accustomed to using tools, it would be cheaper in the end than any imperfectly * home-made ' article. Still, as there may be some amateurs who, like myself, would rather save 3s. than spend them, for their benefit I shall describe how I make my appliances. Let it be understood, however, that I do not lay claim to much, if any, originality of thought or design, except it be in making practical use of the instructions often given on this very subject, and also utilising boxes and other material (which otherwise, in most cases, are allowed to go to loss) in making our bee-requisites, thus minimising expenses — the point in question. In making the body -box, I select two boards 19 x 8| x 1, and two others 17 x 8| x 1.J, which I plane smooth, edges and ends included, especially making the latter of the shorter boards perfectly rectangular. I now apply a coat of rather thick white lead paint to these ends, and proceed to bore three holes in each end of the longer boards, and nail them to the shorter ones with 3-inch wire nails, making all quite flush outside. To make sure of having it rectangular, I hold the square to the corners inside whilst nailing. I have now four sides 17 x 17 inches inside measurement. Next I lay the square 1J inch from the'end inside, and with ■a strong sharp penknife or chisel cut a mark down the whole depth of the board. I then shift the square almost half an inch nearer the end, and make another cut in the same manner. I do the same on the other end, and also on those of the opposite side. Having taken a little of the wood out between these cuts with a f-inch chisel, I further deepen the groove to about a ij-inch with the help of a tenon saw. Two boards 17|X8|X^ in. are next planed, and, first having painted their ends, they are pressed down into the grooves, which also should be painted, to the bottom. The top edges of these boards should be chamfered, sloping up towards the inside ofjthe body-box at an angle of about 45 . On this chamfered edge a strip of zinc should be nailed, which forms a very good metal runner for the frames. A neat-fitting piece of wood must be nailed in between these two walls at bottom and top, making simply a 'a dead air-space.' To pre- vent any possible shifting of the inside board in the groove a small wire nail might be driven through their ends from the inside into the out- side walls. Two clo3e-fitting dummies, one on each side of the frames, can be used in winter, thus making the body-box equal to being double- walled on all sides. To make the bar-frames I get a piece of clean board 3 ft. x 9 in. x |in., the edge of which I plane ; then with a moving gauge I mark a strip up the entire length, 1| in. wide, which I cut off with a fine tenon saw. I again plane this edge level and take another strip off in the same way, and so on till I have five strips cut. I now proceed to cut each of these in two, aud having marked off exactly 17 ins., I cut them perfectly square in a mitre cutting block, which is provided with a saw-run for cutting squares. These strips are then marked down the centre and a slit cut in each (to hold the foundation) almost their whole length with a rather fine rip-saw. Next I make a mark round the four sides at 1| in. from each end. I then set the moving gauge at J in. with a tooth ^ in. and draw it up and down between the marks, and with a fine tenon saw I cut through at each end to the scratch, when the centre pieces can easily be detached with a chisel, watching which way the grain runs. The ends are next cut, 7| in. x 1 in.xf in., in long strips of about 3 ft. first. To make sure of having these all the same length I put a stop on one side of the mitre block at 7§ in. from the square saw-run. The bottom strips of £ in. thick I cut in a similar manner. In nailing the frame together I have a board perfectly rectangular and of the exact size of the inside of the frames, fastened with ends at right angles to the bench. I now bore two holes at each end through the top bar from the under side, so that there may be no pro- trusion of the wood to prevent it lying quite flat on the top of the end pieces. I now place the top bar on the upper edge of the block, and drawing the end pieces up to the ends of the same, I drive two H in. fine wire nails through into each end. It is very important to have the whole kept in a perfectly rectangular position when nailing. I have learned thus much by experience, that if the frame is nailed out of shape it cannot easily be set right afterwards. The bottom piece is then tacked on, and the whole is ready for use except to put in the foundation, which is readily done by springing the centre slit with a chisel, and gently pressing the foundation in from end to end till it is sufficiently caught. I will not describe how I make the. floor-board and cover, as every one has his own idea how these should be made, and mine might only evoke criticism. As regards smokers, I have made excellent ones at a total cost of sixpence. I simply use an empty Newsom's coffee canister for the barrel. The nozzle is also made out of any waste piece January "2d, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 5fr of tin. In cutting out this I use a paper pattern to guide me, which is more easily cut to the right shape so that when folded it will assume the desired tapering shape. As every on9 is familiar with the appearance of the Bingham Smoker, for instance, I shall not further describe it. I rivet the nozzle and rim which goes down on the barrel with one-sixteenth of inch copper wire. All the laps, before being riveted, should be coated with paint. The canister is double- lapped, so there is no possibility of it coming asunder with the heat. I usa a short coil of wire for the bellows spring, and a piece of perforated tin in the barrel to prevent the burning material getting- into the pipe. In riveting I may just say I pierce the holes with an awl the same size as the wire, and I use the horn of a pick as anvil ,which answers admirably. As regards the mounting of the bellows I con- sider this more easily done than described, and any one can suggest a method for himself. Re- specting veils, I use one I made out of hexagon netting with a mesh about one-sixteenth of an inch. This is a material generally used for pro- tecting fruit-trees from frost, &c., and is well known to all belonging to my craft — gardening. I make mine as is generally described, except that I have a light willow hoop sewed in to keep it from my neck. The end of the veil I tuck not under the collar of my coat but inside, and then button my coat over it. — G. J., Ashjield Lodge, Cootehill, Ireland. xxtxm mttr Unites, [302.] Restless Bees — Is it Dysentery? — I have at present five stocks of bees (natives) in frame hives. For a fortnight past three out of the five have been unusually restless, and for the last few days still more so, coming out and for the most part dropping on the ground in a helpless state, never to rise again, the ground in front of the hives being strewn with dead bees. On Saturdav, the 17th inst., I saw some come out, rise in the air, and fly right away, as late as 4.30 p.m., yet it was freezing hard all day long. I may say they are disturbed by neither mice nor tits, and the hives have been well watched to try and find out the cause of their being so restless. I have not disturbed them in any way, except to remove the dead bees, &c, and I have carefully shaded the hives in front, and covered the top of the hives with sacks, so that the warmth of the sun should not tempt the bees out to their destruction. They have plenty of food, though not fed up until almost the end of October. (I could not do the feeding before.) The hives have good roofs and are double- * walled, with chaff packing. I noticed the other day that the bees had been discharging dark- coloured, offensive- smelling matter inside and outside their hives, which I think, from the description in Guide-book, must be dysentery. Would the late feeding and long confinement cause that complaint and thus account for the commotion ? I have sent you a few of the bee* to examine : the live ones seem bright and clean. — Brickjiaker, Horsham. Reply. — If the ' specking ' outside the hive- and on the combs is excessive, no doubt the bees are suffering from a mild attack of dysentery. We say ' mild attack ' because the bees sent show no signs of bowel-distension. They are quite in the normal condition of bees which have died a natural death. AVas the syrup made from unsuitable ' sugar ?— because, if so, that might account for the restlessness and commotion, while the extreme cold would render it very doubtful whether bees flying abroad under such conditions would ever get back home. Examine the hives the first favourable oppor- tunity and see if anything in their interior con- dition will help to clear matters up. If neces- sary, write again and report their condition later on. [303.] Saw-sugar Syrup and Dysentery. — Through some mismanagement (? giving syrup made of raw sugar) two or three of my hives were attacked with dysentery, and the bees are all dead ; but before they died they tore off all the cappings of the combs, and have left the hives and frames in a great mess. Must I burn the frames, or can I extract, [disinfect, and use- them again, or would the frames come in* again if baked after removing comb and dirt ? Reply. — Our impression is that the bees of some of your other hives have ' torn off all the cappings of the combs.' Dysenteric bees are not in a condition to act in that way, and it is; probable that after the diseased colony perished some other stock has been engaged in appropriat- ing their stores. If the combs are melted down, for wax, the frames may be used again without risk after scraping. }m from % |Jitae8. Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington, January 2-ith,. 1891. — I am very pleased to say that my bees. had a giand fly on Tuesday, the 13th inst., although the thermometer only reached 43°, but the sun shone nice and warm, and it was very calm. As the ground was covered with snow I took the precaution of shaking a lot of loose dry straw over it all among the hives, thereby preventing many bees from losing their lives by being chilled. I took the opportunity to look over any stocks that I thought might possibly be getting short, and gave them a good-sized cake of soft candy under the quilts. One lot was rather too quick for me, and a bee saluted me just under the eye. When I went down to the house, Percy says, ' My father seems as though he liked it ! ' Certainly, I may say, I did not dislike it, and it soon passed off. For several days the sun shone warmly on the hives, and I thought of what friend Abbott used to recom- mend years ago, of having a sheet of glass let into the front of the hive, so that it could warm up the bees to enable them to move to their food €0 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 29, 1891. I think the bees must have had some intuitive knowledge of what was coming further on, for at night it began to freeze again, and continued through the remainder of the week, but only a few degrees of frost, till Sunday morning early, when we had 24° of frost. However, the sun shone warmly during the day, but the cold at night was more intense than ever, culminating on Monday morning in 26° of frost, the lowest temperature we have had here all the season. What a winter ! such as we have not had for years. I have found three stocks that have lost more bees than I like, and I find they had eaten up all their food on the combs where they were, and the others were cram-jammed so tight they could not get by them to the food. Certainly, if I had thought we should have had it so long and so sharp I would have put a large cake of candy on every stock I have. I had three stocks of bees given me in the autumn by a gentleman at Leamington, and as he had pre- pared them for winter, with enamel cloth on top of frames and quilts, I thought I would let them go ; but as the frost wove on, I did not like the look of the entrances, so I turned up the corners of the enamel cloth to let out the moisture. There was a lot of water in the recess where the frames lodged on, but as there were no metal ends I suppose the moisture condensed and dropped into this recess. Well, friend Abbott will say, ' I told you so.' After I turned up the corners I covered them up again with some porous material, so as to let off some of the ex- halations of the bees. All right, 'X-Tractor,' woe betide you if we don't have a good honey season ! If all is well I shall remember what you said, but I have an idea myself that we shall have a good season. I perfectly well remember 1861 as being an exceedingly good honey year; 1871 1 have forgotten about ; but 1881, that was grand ! I think that beat all I ever had, espe- cially for quality. — John Walton. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Letters or querns asking for addresses oj manufacturers or correspondents, or inhere appliances can be purchased, or replies giving such information, can only be inserted as advertisements. The space devoted to letters, queries, and replies, is meant for the general good of bee-keepers, and not for advertisements. We wish our Correspondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessary for us to go to press in advance of the date of issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue immediately following the receipt of their com- munication. All queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only of personal interest will be answered in this column. Dr. Tinker's Book on ' Bee-kebping fob, Profit.'— Several applications having reached us for this book, we, are procuring some copies of the work, and will report when received. The book costs in America 25 cents, to which will have to be added cost of carriage and duty. Price will be fixed when these details are to hand. J. G. Kirsten (Tunbridge Wells).— We thank you for translation of the article 'Biid Luck ' from the Bienenzeitung. It is very humorous and quite harmless, but it scarcely harmonises with British notions of pro- priety, and is therefore unsuited to our columns. G. F. — Stocks formed from driven Bees perishing in Winter. — Having started bee-keeping so lately as June last, you were too inexperienced to attempt establishing stocks from driven lots of bees in autumn. Why you have failed is not easy to say without knowing all about what you did and how it was done. How- ever, six lots of bees in experienced hands should have made, two good stocks by joining three in each and treating them properly: but if, as we suspect, the operation was deferred till late in autumn; no ready-built combs given the bees to winter on ; no time for them to seal them over ; and maybe insufficient warm wrappings allowed, the disaster is easily accounted for. There is no reason to suspect foul brood. Either of the hives you name are good ones ; as to their being ' the best,' that is, of course, a matter of opinion. Wm. Greener. — Mouldy Combs and Moth Larva in Hives. — We should judge that the syrup injudiciously left on all winter has leaked from the feeder, as it will do, and running down among the combs has caused the mouldiness — or a damp, cold hive, through faulty top-packing, will result in mouldy combs. The larvae in the debris sent is that of a small wax-moth which, through want of strength in the colony, has been allowed to effect a lodgment beteeen the hive and floor- board. All this should have been cleared away in the autumn. It would appear as if the skep was the warmer domicile in your case, hence its freedom from mouldiness. As the colonies increase in population the bees will clean up the mouldy combs, if not too far gone. A. Wellbridge (Parracombe). — We shall be glad to have your ' experience ' when con- venient. W. F. T. (Morchard Bishop).— Members of Associations affiliated with the B.B.K.A. can obtain the use of a set of lantern slides at a nominal cost on application to the Secretary, Mr. J. Huckle, Kings Langley, Herts, and paying carriage. Erratum. — Tn our last number, p. 42, fourth line from bottom of second column, for ten — recti two. %* Several letters, dc, are unavoidably held over till next week. NOTICE. — We request our correspondents in future to address all communications relating to he literary department, dc, to ' The Editors of the "British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C THE Sritt %n 9tomiai BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 450. Vol. XIX. N. S. 53.] FEBRUARY 5, 1891. [Published Weekly. OUR PROMINENT BEE-KEEPERS. No. 31.— PASTOR PAUL SCHONFELD. Certainly amongst the most prominent bee- keepers in Germany we find the name of Paul Schbnfeld, who has not only con- tributed much towards practical bee-keeping, but has done great service to the science by work- ing out and ex- plaining many mysteries con- nected with the anatomy and physiology of the bee. To him, also, bee-keepers are indebted for a knowledge of the nature of foul brood, and to its being caused by ' bacteria.' That brood food was produced in the chyle stomach of the bee has also been clearly demonstrated by him, and most interesting are his articles in the German papers about his experi- ments on this subject. Paul Schon- feld was born in Sulau, a small town of Lower Silesia, on the 30th of November, 1821. From 1840 to 1843 he went to college at Breslau, where he studied theology with the object of entering the ministry of the German Protestant Church. In 1847 he was ap- pointed to the living of Teutschel, near Liegnitz, where he has resided and continued his pastoral duties until quite recently. He was much loved TAUL SCHONFELI'. and highly honoured by all his parishioners, and also by all who have had the privilege of knowing him. Outside his ministerial duties, Schbnfeld devoted all his spare time to the study of bees, not only in practical bee-keeping, but also in microscopical work. It was quite by chance that Schbnfeld be- came a bee-keeper, and it happened by his tak- ing over from his predecessor in office a colony of bees in an enormous log hive, which had been mismanag- ed, and had not even given off a swarm. The next year, in Schbnfeld's pos- session, it gave off three swarms, but these died of starvation the following-winter. This determined Schbnfeld to look after the bees himself, and he at once read up what literature he could find ou the subject, and made himself thoroughly ac- quainted with both the theory aud practice of bee - keeping. With persever- ing study he soon became master of the subject, and as a result his apiary flour- ished. As his colonies in- creased, so also his devotion to the bees increased. After work- ing at the anatomy and physiology of the bee for five years, he communicated the results of his observations to the Bienenzeitung, and had been a regular contributor to its columns for upwards of thirty years when, owing to some disagreement, he transferred his articles to the Illustrierte Bienenzeihing, edited by Gravenhorst. One of C2 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [February 5, 1891. his most important works was in connexion with his researches on the five senses of bees, which made a considerable stir at the time. Baron von Berlepsch, seeing their value, induced Schonfeld Fig. 1. Fig. 2. to write article 105 of his celebrated book. Berlepsch always considered this contribution as a most valuable addition to his book. Through the instrumentality of Schonfeld, Dr. "Wolff searched for and dis- covered the organ of smell of the bee, which re- sulted in his writing his now classical work on the subject. Many investi- gations were made on the tem- j>erature which bees require for their well-being, and many arti- cles were written on this subject which have led to a proper un- derstanding of the theory of wintering. One of the most important subjects with which Schon- f eld's name is connected is that of foul brood. With regard to his studies on this subject he had to fight hard battles against Fischer and Von Molitor-Miihlfeld, which ended in Schonfeld's favour, and it is to him that we owe our present knowledge of the real cause of this most terrible disease of bees. As Schonfeld's experiments have been so misrepre- sented, and statements have been attributed to him that he never made, we make no apology for giving an extract from the Bienenzeitung for 1874. Following the investigation of Dr. Preuss, who discovered minute bodies of an oval shape in foul-brood matter, which he termed ' micrococci,' and which he considered to be the cause of foul brood, Schonfeld proved these supposed micrococci (Fig. 1 ) to be neither more nor less than the spores of a ' bacillus' (Fig. 2), and he maintained that it was these bacilli, and not micrococci, that were the cause of the disease. On page 201 of the Bienenzei- tung for 1874 Pastor Schonfeld, giving a de- scription of his observation on foul brood, says : — ' On the 24th of July, the smell from an exami- nation of the hives showed that foul brood was raging in all three of them. I therefore took out one comb from each, and drove to Breslau, where they were most carefully examined in the Physio- logical Institution by Dr. Cohn and Dr. Eidam. This examination showed that in every dead larva, and in each foul-broody cell, whether the contents were yet white and fluid, or brown, tenacious, and ropy, there were to be found long, oval bodies, which Dr. Preuss called ' micrococcus.' Close to and amongst, them Dr. Cohn was the first to find, with the most powerful of the five microscopes which were used, a countless number of slender, pale rods, joined together, and which he at once identi- fied as bacteria of the 'genus ' bacillus. ' The length of a single rod was about six micrometres, but many of them were two and three jointed, so that these foul - brood bacteria, as I will call them, micro- scopically resem- ble the anthrax bacteria, which produce the dreaded splenic fever in cattle, and also those which produce pustula maligna in man, though, of course, both these are different, physiologically and in the manner in which they act as ferments.' Schonfeld had many opponents, and ten years later, viz., in 1884, Mr. Che- shire accused Schonfeld of stating that ' micro- cocci' were the cause of the disease, and claimed to have discovered that it was really due to a ' bacillus' which the Germans called 'alveolaris,1 and Cheshire named ' alvei,' without any regard to the fact that this ' bacillus ' had been dis- covered ten years previously, and had been de- scribed in Bienenzeitung in 1874. The know- ledge of the cause of foul brood led to the suggestion of remedies, such as phenol by Boutleroff, and salicylic acid by Hilbert. Schonfeld then turned his attention to the food of larvae, and the study of the stomach- mouth of the bee ; and he was able to demonstrate that chyle food was not a product of the glands, but of the real stomach of the bee; and Dr. de Planta's later chemical re- searches have shown him to be correct in his statement. The anatomical researches of Schon- feld respecting the mouth of the stomach of the bee, the true character of which he was the first Storiiacli-moutk February 5, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 63 to discover, have solved the hitherto unexplained problem as to how hees take food, and how it is possible for them, as members of a swarm, from the honey taken with them on leaving the parent hive, either to construct cells very rapidly when the weather is favourable, or to exist for days without other visible supply of food when the weather is the reverse of favourable. Our illustration (Fig. 3) shows a section of this stomach-mouth. Schonfeld has also taken up the question of drone food, and has shown that they are also dependent on chyle food, and that if it is withheld they die, after three days, in the presence of abundance of honey. Pastor Schonfeld has now retired to Liegnitz, where he is devoting all his time to scientific investigation and microscopic woik in connexion with bees; and we hope he may long live to continue his researches, and give them to the world in the free, generous manner he has hitherto done. USEFUL HINTS. Weather. — At length we have some- thing fresh to say on this interesting topic, interesting in a tenfold degree to the bee- keeper, of all men, at this time, because of the change it has wrought on the face of the earth, and the consequent release it ha3 given to the little prisoners so long frost- bound. Yes, bees have at last had a flight. Alas ! that to so many thousands it should have been a flight out of existence ! So long a period of continuous confinement very rarely occurs in this Kingdom, and the heavy death rate among the stocks of some bee-keepers is very excusably causing considerable alarm. We may, however, just give the comforting assurance that it frequently happens that stocks which suffer, through such causes as are not the actual, effect of weakness or of disease, pull up mar- vellously when once breeding is started. Although a few reports received are gloomy enough, it seems quite plain from the details given th.at.bad food has been the main cause of disaster, not the severe cold. And this fact places the mischief so clearly among results which are avoidable or pre- ventive that sufferers among bee-men may take heart of grace, and resolve to do better next time. Wei say this quite seriously, because when it is seen that experienced bee-keepers can keep their bees alive— and none will dispute this fact after the small percentage of loss in such apiaries as are managed by men of this class — it only needs this same "experience to ensure like results all rounds i;._." There is one thing, however, against which it is necessary to guard readers, and that is the necessity for being careful in drawing conclusions based on a single ex- periment or a solitary experience. For in- stance, a bee-keeper finds his bees dead "be- tween the combs with no food in reach ; for the first time he has omitted to cut winter passages, and, of course, 'through that omission he has lost his bees.' But what about the other correspondent, who finds his bees dead with plenty of food in the outside combs, and with full winter- passages cut in the orthodox fashion 1 In both cases it would have, been safer to at- tribute death to the excessive and long-con- tinued frost having overcome stocks with population too sparse to resist its effects. Too few reports have as yet been received to form an accurate notion of how the bulk of stocks have borne the strain of long con- finement. Double v. Sixgle-walled Hives. — We have on another page referred to the fact of our own hives and bees being, through circumstances beyond our control, left to take their chance of wintering safely, with- out being in any way specially prepared for it. They were thus left until the 31st of January, when an opportunity offered for paying them a visit. Having reduced our apiary to ten stocks on coming south, it was not a big job, but the examination resulted very satisfactorily in every way. First let us say that one colony was dead ! This is a rather paradoxical method of arriving at satisfactory results, and yet it is none the less true, for had the same occurred to any one else we would— in . effect if not in words — have said, . Served - you right.' The colony in question was a fairly good one when last we saw it, in September, '90 ; but in the coming darkness and haste to catch our train it was inad- vertently left without slides to the outer case — i.e., with an entrance about sixteen inches wide : and as it faced nearly east, some idea of what the bees had to stand may be imagined. In consequence, they perished, with plenty of stores about them, from the piercing cold. The other nine colonies are all in good health, and in one .. hive young bees were seen. Now, when it is , considered that these nine stocks are in thin single-walled hives, with equally thin outer cases, and with no packing between hive' and case, we shall conclude that for ' winter protection nothing more is required. (Remainder of ' Hints' will appear next week.) ■ ■■ u THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [February 5, 1891. (&axxtz$Bvtomtt. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are requested to write on one side oj the paper only, and give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, Sic, must be addressed only to 'The Editobs of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C All business communications relating to Advertisements, &c.t must be addressed to Mr. J. Huckle, Kings Langley, Herts (see 1st page of Advertise- ments). %* In order to facilitate reference, Correspondents, when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted, will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well as t?ie page on which it appears. ENGLISH BEES VERSUS HYBRIDS. [531.] Mr. E. E. Davies's letter (525, p. 56), on the above is very good, but' I would like to ask him in a friendly way if the results he gives in favour of the hybrids are the best and most con- clusive he has to offer, as I certainly fail to gather from what he says any decided superiority belonging to the hybrid bees. Cyprian bees I have had nothing to do with, but have had some experience with Ligurians and Carniolans, and their crosses; not very extended, perhaps, with the latter, but sufficiently so to enable me to judge of their three qualities Mr. D. names, viz., honey -gathering, prolificness, and wintering; and right here I would ask, Is not a poor honey season a good one to test the honey-gathering qualities of bees by ? In a good season almost any kind of bees will breed sufficiently, and gather sufficient honey if it is to be found within their beat, and have we not had abundant proofs of the excellent qualities of our native bee in storing honey in good seasons? But in the case of a short ' come off,' either with the one or the other, they will in a gpod season be pretty well sure to get enough to winter on anyway without feeding, and then it is not so much minded or noticed. But to take a season like the last, we actually feel their different qualities in that respect. The question then is, will they get enough for their own use, or will we have to pay away our money to feed them ? The latter is a point lfeelmost uncomfortably. This last season I had about an equal number each of Ligurians, Carniolans, and their crosses, and the natives, all located in the same apiary under precisely the same conditions, and the honey- storing results read like this, in the autumn : Foreigners and their crosses, entirely destitute to a hive; natives almost all amply provided for winter, and some given a small surplus. I am well aware of the cause of this very marked difference in results, and I readily admit that the foreigners are quite as industrious, or, per- haps, more so than the others, and possibly gather more honey than the natives ; but the mischief is here — they are such breeders that their large populations consume all they gather. Management at fault ! Well, I am not quite a novice, but I confess I cannot manage these bees to advantage. If you attempt to limit the brood nest, swarming is intolerable^ while with an un- limited brood nest you have nothing but an entire hivef ul of brood and bees, and eicen then excessive swarming. There is no mistake about their being the ones for bee-sellers ; but I would sajr, bee-buyers, beware ! I refer chiefly to Car- niolans and their amiable crosses. And next as to their wintering qualities. I must say I find them good winterers (although I have one lot of Carniolans I fear, gone dysen- teric.at the present time), but have never found them better in that respect than the natives. I do not, as a rule have any trouble in that way, . except through carelessness. And then, as to their ' stingitiveness.' I think the Cyprian and Syrian have pretty well got their verdict in that line, while the Carnio- lans are generally supposed to be fairly amiable, likewise the Ligurians ; but the difficulty — nay<- the utter impossibility — is to keep them pure in . this country. Then, what about their crosses ? Does not pretty well every one who has had to do with them credit them with a superabund- ance of the registry business ? and perhaps that would not so much matter if I don't mind a few stings. But how about my neighbour's bees ? He may not be quite so much in favour of foreign strains of bees nor of stings as I, but his bees will as surely get crossed as mine. I had a proof of this last autumn, in driving some skeps for a neighbour a mile away from my bees, and mine are the nearest foreigners to his, I know ; there were many grey and yellow-banded, and pretty much sting-banded ones, too, as I found to -my cost. This very marked feature in the so-called hybrid is, I believe, a very great barrier in in- ducing the cottager to take up bee-keeping. The chief drawback with them is, they are afraid of of the stings attendant upon the pursuit ; and it will soon be difficult to find the pure, quiet, native bee in this country. My foreigners and hybrids have all notice to quit — some are gone. As to deterioration from in-and-in breeding, can, that possibly occur when our drones fly three or four miles from their hives ? In conclusion I would, ask, How do you knoio that you are not introducing foul brood into your apiary with an imported queen ? There is at least a risk, of no small importance, either. Heartily wishing friend E. E. D. and all bee- keepers a good year, — Henry Neve, Warbleton, Sussex, January 30th, 1891. VIRGIN QUEENS. [532.] Some time ago 'A Hallamshire Bee- keeper ' sent out a number of virgin queens, if I am correct, to establish as a fact that they could all be safely introduced, and that colonies in which they were would winter well. If you think it would be of sufficient general interest, would you kindly review the matter, and tell us if it was entirely successful, and, if so, what was the plan of raising such queens, and the plan of introducing ? February 5, 1891. J THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. Go Weather is a queer thing, isn't it ? While you are talking about very severe winter weather, we are having, in northern Illinois, as we had ■last winter, a remarkably mild season. The coldest we have had this winter was 3° below zero. Perhaps you don't think that very torrid. Well, we are accustomed to have it play around zero and below it for days together, sometimes going 35° or more below ; and this winter the thermometer has not, I think, been below zero •but the one time. Most of its time it has spent among the twenties, rangiDg from 15° to 40°. I don't mind cold so much, but I envy you your English climate for rosea. I thought you were going to let Mr. Cowan make us another visit before this. I have never ceased to regret that I didn't meet him when he was here before. If you will let him come into the western wilds as far as Marengo, I'll promise not to scalp him. Kindest wishes. — C. C. Miller, Marengo, III. [We are forwarding by first mail a copy of the Record for August, '89, in which is reported ' A H. B. K. 's ' own account of introducing virgin queens, and also a copy of Record for June, '90, in which appears a report on these queens. These will give an opportunity of judging of the success of the plan from the originator's own standpoint. If our good friend, Dr. Miller, will just think of what is involved in a journey to America, and visiting the bee-keepers there, by imagining that he was going to leave his ' western wilds,' and visit this country on the same errand, he will under- stand why we cannot regard the undertaking as lightly as he does in kindly expressing his inten- tion of subduing his scalping instincts in our case. We may say, however, that if our Co-Ed. does visit America again he will not pass by Marengo, or fail to made a call at the Avorthy Doctor's home. —Eds.] NOTES BY THE WAY. [533.] The weather during the past week has been all that bee-keepers can desire at this early period of tie year, the sun shining bright and warm, and the bees disporting in its warmth on several occasions. Some stocks have been hard at "work clearing out the debris from hives, while many bees have been busy around the drinking- troughs, possibly more for water to reduce the candy and crystallised honey to an edible con- sistency than as an indication of breeding, though in strong colonies the small patch of a few cells of brood will now begin to grow in size, and we shall get a veritable spreading of the brood nest. Any stocks that are likely to run short of food for the next few weeks should have a supply given while the weather con- tinues mild and open. Leaky roofs must be attended to ; it is an im- perative duty the bee-keeper owes to his bees to see that their domicile is dry. Damp wraps, cushions, &c, should be removed and dry ones put in their place. Dryness is a sine qua non to the well-being of the colony. Head carefully what our Editor says in last week's Journal on spring management. Mead-brewing. — I was surprised to see that mead-making is considered by some to be illegal. If our exciseman is going to charge— and for illegal brewing surcharge — bee-keepeis for mead- brewing, what of the multifarious other de- coctions brewed by cottagers from mangolds, carrots, parsnips, gooseberries, currants, and elderberries, not forgetting the home-made wines of a superior quality brewed by thousands of careful farmers' wives? — if, as I say, the ex- ciseman is going to prosecute in all cases of * brews ' for home use, of even intoxicating liquors, he or they will have a busy time of it, and I opine will raise such a nest of bees about their ears as will give a shake to any government that ordered such prosecutions. I am glad to see that the B. B. K. A. intend holding a honey show in connexion with the Dairy Farmers' Association's "next show, and I trust the Dairy Farmers' Association will come out handsomely with special prizes and plenty of space ; also that we may have a good honey sea- son, and be able to prove to them that in the interval since we last hekla show in connexion with their Association (Irthink in '81 or '82) our industry has grown and is still making pro- gress. This metropolitan gathering of bee- keepers would be a good opportunity for holding that 'Grand National Honey Competition,' to decide the championship, which our Scotch brethren, with just a wee bit o' clannish pride, have located for the present in the person of Mr. Rae, of Dalbeattie. No doubt the repre- sentative of the clan McNally, at present located in the Emerald Isle, will scent the battle from afar, and be ready when the time arrives to enter the lists again with redoubled ardour. This national class"could easily be made a source of income to the ' British,' as the small quantity sent from each exhibitor would not, except in the winning exhibits, be worth the carriage and trouble of the return journey; therefore all ordinary exhibits could be sold and the pro- ceeds handed to the Association; and also a small entry of, say, Is. each would, if it was taken up with spirit, augment the resources of the show account considerably. Here, too, at a great metropolitan show, we should' have representa- tive bee-men from all parts of the kingdom, who could act as judges; thus we could have an English, a Scotch, and ah Irish judge, one from each part of the kingdom, and also a Welsh, so that all interests would be repre- sented. Now, bee-keepers, what do you say to the idea ? Mr. Read (520), re British and Irish Honey Company, is in much the same plight as others who are so unfortunate as to be creditors of the concern. I know a bee-keeper who took action in the county court, with the result that he is the loser of the court fees. The Company treats the matter with contempt, and does not even put in an appearance, and in this . case it was an example of ' throwing good money after bad.' The bee-keeper who has honey for sale in the future will only have himself to blame if he parts with his honey without the cash. The 66 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [February 5, 1891. ' deposit system ' inaugurated recently by the management of tEe Bee Journal places the nefarious dealer in an awkward position if the seller insists on dealing as Mr. Read says he is determined to for the future — ' cash or deposit.' Mr. Read wonders if any honey the British and Irish Honey Company bought was ever paid for ? Yes, sir ; I sold them a parcel at Windsor at the Show in 1889, which was promptly settled for, and that strobe of business, coupled w-th what I was told they were doing in the trade, induced me to send two large consign- ments afterwards, for which a cheque was promised in a few days after delivery. After repeated applications I obtained a cheque for 71. odd some months afterwards, and the promise of another cheque for the last and largest con- signment in a few days. That cheque has never come to hand, and I fear never will. But bee-keeper8 have even a crumb of comfort in this failure to meet engagements, for had it not been for the ventilation of the several delin- quencies reported, we should have had no ' deposit system ' started. English Bees versus Hybrids. — Mr. Davies (525, p. 56) does not tell us the reason why his two stocks of pure natives should be dead, while the rest of his stocks, composed chiefly of hybrids, are alive. I expect there is some cause for the disaster other than difference in the race. In-and-in breeding is only a scientific ' bogie,' as applied to bees kept by cottagers in the past. If it is so difficult to keep any par- ticular race of bees pure— unless isolated on all sides by a long distance — where does ' in-and-in breeding ' apply to the English bees as formerly kept by cottagers and farmers in every village, hamlet, and farm ? Why, there was not even a remote chance of anything of the kind; the bees of one village or hamlet fraternised and mated with the bees in the next or adjoining village, and so on all sides. Mr. Davies says ' No one can fail to notice the deterioration of the English bees through in-and-in breeding.' My dear sir, it is the system of the cottager that is at fault, not the cottager's bees ; and if Mr. Davies likes to put my assertion to the test in the coming season (good or bad), let him procure a four-pound swarm of these cot- tagers' deteriorated bees and place them oh the same treatment as a four-pound swarm of his improved hybrids. If he will do this I have no fear that,' when he tots up results at the end of the season, the balance will be on the side of the English swarm, supposing, of course, they start equal. I have sent swarms of these despised natives to all parts of the kingdom, and have yet to hear of a complaint of their working qualities, though numerous testi- monials have proclaimed their honey-gathering qualities. In conclusion, may I ask how many centuries would be required for a race of bees to deteriorate by so-called in-and-in breeding? We know that bees would pass through, say, thirty generations per century. I am referring to the mother-bees, not the ordinary worker- bees.— W. Woodley, ' World's End, Neiobury. FOUL BROOD IN CANADA. [534.] The letter of Mr. Allen Pringle (512, p. 42) claiming credit to Mr. McEvoy and Canada for the discovery of the ' purgatorial ' means of curing foul brood ' is indeed rich,' to- say nothing about his assertion that 'practically the honey is the only medium of communication of the germs.' The plan adopted and recommended by Mr. McEvoy, and now put forward by Mr. Pringle, is practically, if not exactly, the one I published in the Record in 1887, with one important omission, viz., the thorough disinfection of the old hive, and without which the disease invar£T ably breaks out again. If Mr. McEvoy can make a permanent cure of the disease on the lines he has laid down, he can do more than I ever could ; and I think I have cured as many cases of foul brood and experimented as much as most men. I consider that honey is a means of infection, no matter what any one may say to the contrary ; and I have an opinion that it is so simply because of its sticky nature, which allows spores of the disease to adhere to its sur- face, to be licked off by the bees. But to say it is 'practically the only medium,' is what no one, with any experience of it, would maintain for a moment. You say regarding the Canadian method, ' They are where we were ten or fifteen years ago.' Have they got even as far as that ? Thirty years ago we cured foul brood by the starving or purgatorial process, but we never omitted scalding or baking the hive and all be- longing to it, to kill the spores. There is one more matter touched on by Mr. Pringle, viz., he credits Mr. McEvoy with curing foul brood of fifteen years ago, and bases his claim on a private letter written in Novem- ber, 1890. Now, according to well-known journalistic etiquette, no one is entitled to set up ' priority ' claims that cannot be supported by unquestionable evidence, such as something published in a book or journal. If Mr. Pringle or Mr. McEvoy cannot do this, then they must admit that they either have or could have got the information from published British works. The only part that is ' new ' is purging the bees, and yet giving them their liberty, and this part, is claimed as the discovery of the undersigned, and will be so until prior publication is shown. — ■ A Hallamshire Bee-keeper. [The f plan ' mentioned by our correspondent as having been published in the Record four years' ago referred to what he then called ' Odourless fold bro»d,' probably some less malignant form of the disease than Bacillus alvei. What we main- tain is that foul brood proper, as we find it affect bees in the United Kingdom, cannot be cured by the ' starvation ' method. Beyond this, we say that for Mr.. McEvoy or any one else to claim 4 priority ' in introducing this latter method, in the face of what we have shown was printed and pub- lished over a hundred years ago, and even after what appeared in our own pages eighteen years since, is simply absurd. — Eds.] February 5, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 67 IS MEAD-MAKING ILLEGAL ? [535.] If Mr. Hehner is correct in 513, page 43 of the B.B.J., I am afraid there has been a great leakage of revenue for the last thirty years or more. Upon reference to the Act of 1880 mentioned by him, I find it has no refer- ence to mead-making at all, but to ' sweets ' (under which category mead and metheglin come). Retailing. — Seeing that mead is particularly mentioned as sweets, I do not see how the Beer Act can affect the matter in question, as it cannot be called beer or a beer substitute. As in my previous letter, I am still of opinion that there is no law affecting the manufacture of sweets, mead, or metheglin, or imposing any duty upon such industry. The law only steps in when sale of , the same commences, and im- poses licences of 5/. 5s. upon persons selling in quantities of two gallons and upwards (such person not being a wine dealer), and 11. 5s. upon persons selling in any smaller quantity (such person not being a wine retailer). The alcoholic percentages mentioned by Mr. Hehner have reference only to the maximum amount of spirit allowed to be present and sold free of licence duty. I still think that you will not be mulcted in any very heavy penalty over your rash promise made to H. Langdon. I will be much obliged to any reader of the B.B.J., or indeed any other person, who will point out to me the Act of Parliament imposing any excise duty upon the manufacture of sweets, or made wines (mead or metheglin), and as I do not think such an Act exists, I must conclude that mead-making, is legal, and may be indulged rn to any limit the bees will permit by honey gathered, and that there is no fear at present of any law being able to touch the maker. — A BEE-FETERI8H EXCISE OFFICER. A CURIOUS EXPERIENCE IN t queening; [536.] I have had an experience with one of my hives which to me is interesting, and may be interesting to some of your readers. When my hives returned from the heather, I found one — a bar-frame — queenless. I left them as they were till near the end of November, when I saw an advertisement in the Journal from a Sussex bee-keeper offering Carniolan queens at four shillings each. I thought I would have four shillingsworth, and sent a postcard for one. The advertiser very kindly. sent one by return post, advising how to introduce her. This was, I believe, on the 26th of November, by which time very few bees remained in the hive, and of the number a good few were drones. I caged her for twenty-four hours, and then liberated her. The following day they commenced killing the drones. On the 2nd of December I saw some bees carrying pollen, the latest date I ever remember to have seen such a thing. On New Year's Bay — a most beautiful spring-like day here — numbers of young bees (workers) were flying, and have been many times since. Yes- terday (the 27th) I found the queen at the mouth of the hive, dead. To-day I got another surprise. I found some young drones thrown out. Now, I would ask, Is it not a little remarkable she should have started breeding in a hive so weak in bees at such a late date ? and is it not still more re- markable she should breed drones ? I enclose the queen and three young drones. I should be glad if you could find out the cause of her death. — R. T., Midlothian. [The dead queen sent is doubtless the Carniolan introduced last autumn, for a post-mortem prove3 her to be fertile and laying. The question there- fore arises, Whence the young drones ? Are you sure there was not a queen reared late last year,, and that, being unfertilised, she is not the drone: layer? Should this hypothesis be correct, the pro- bability is that the two queens have been kept apart in the hive all winter, and now, having met, one has been killed ; unfortunately the fertile one. —Eds.] NAPHTHALISED BEE-CANBY. [537.] 1 noticed in the B.J. of January 8th (p. 16) an article on ' The Foul-brood Bacteria,' which interested me much. Taking for granted that the chemical, naphthol ft, can be consumed by the bees, by means of ' soft candy ' as well as syrup, would it not be well for some of our well- known appliance dealers to make some naphtha- lised candy, and offer it for sale, at a slight advance upon their present prices, so that it may be thoroughly tested? Many amateurs, like myself, have neither the time nor the appliances for such candy-making. The English proportions I take to be : 5| grains of naphthol ft dissolved in 1 quart of water, with 19 grains of alcohol ■ added; or perhaps 5 grains of naphthol in If pints of water, with 15A grains of alcohol, would be more correctly the same as the French quantities . given. I am glad to say my bees have survived ' the winter so far, in spite of one hive leaking, which I have just found out and corrected. The bees were flying on the 26th and 27th, clearing out their dead most busily. — W. H. Hughes, Llanbedr Rectory, Ruthin. [We trust that some of our manufacturers of bee - candy will adopt the above suggestion.— Ens.] INCOMPLETES SECTIONS. [538.] The question is often raised, what is the best thing to do with them ? Most bee- keepers who work for section honey will admit (even in a well-managed apiary, and especially through a bad season) that a number of such sec- ' tions often come to hand. But. for section honey to command a remunerative price, the combs must be evenly built out, Avell sealed, and of a good colour, and produced in its purest and most cleanly form. Unsealed sections, if allowed to stand long, are objectionable,; as the honey often becomes watery and deteriorates in quality, rendering it almost unfit for use, and a poor 08 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [February 5, 1891. price only can be obtained for sections with combs partly and unevenly built out. Two remedies are generally adopted — the feeding process (or giving back natural stores •at the end of the season, in order that the bees •may complete such sections,) ..or the extractor remedy. _ Speaking individually, I have tried the feeding method on several occasions, both with unsealed combs and extracted honey, by reducing the number of section crates and re- arranging those sections nearest completion: but the results have not been very encouraging. The plan I now adopt during the honey season is to extract all sections not likely to be evenly built out and completed so as to class with the marketable bulk, and at once return the empty combs to hive for bees to refill, and all sections not completed and sealed at the end of season I extract, and carefully store away the empty combs for use in the early spring, which to my mind is an inducement for bees to com- mence with the sections, and a means of securing the early crop. One thing I find very desirable in the plan is that the best average samples, both section and extracted, are secured in labable form, for which the best market price can be obtained, and involve very little trouble or dis- appointment to the bee-keeper. — Amateur. BEES PERISHING ON SNOW. [539.] Although the snow is gone it is not too late to have a recurrence of the same kind of weather; perhaps therefore you may think the following of some use. On the first sunny day during the late snow I lost a considerable quantity of bees, as they alighted on the snow and were unable to rise again. On their next flight, at the suggestion of a , neighbour (Mr. Moseley), I spread some straw in front of the hives, and I think I lost scarcely a single bee afterwards. I would have written last week, but waited to see if any one else had tried the same thing.— J. T. Ambrose, Bishampton, Per- shore, Worcester. APPLIANCE DEALERS. _[540.] With all due respect to your footnote to your correspondent 'W. B.'s' last letter (518, page 45), I am constrained to ask the favour of this once only replying through the medium of the B.B.J. to fr06t» frost- ' • ( snow. enow. snow. | snow. J. BlNT. (tileries raft Replies, [304.] Specific Gravity and Melting Point of Beesioax. — What specific gravity or what melt- ing point of wax is safe for introduction into brood chamber or supers ? (I have an amount of wax.) Can anything be added to raise the melting point ? I ask for the information for my own private use only. — W. J. S. Reply. — The specific gravity of beeswax varies from 0965 to 0*972, and the melting point 143-00° to 147-20° Fahr. The following vegetable and other waxes have a higher melt- ing point : — Chinese insect wax, 177'80° to 179-60° Fahr. ; Carnauba wax, 181° to 20600' Fahr. ; Palm-wax, 161-60° Fahr. ; Mineral wax, 136-40° to 212° Fahr. They are, however, none of them suitable for mixing with beeswax, and can only be treated as adulterants. [305.] Wax Extracting. — Will you kindly tell me what is the matter with the enclosed wax ? At first the comb was soaked, then put in a muslin bag and boiled in five gallons of water. As the wax came to the surface it was skimmed off and put in cold water, and in order to clear it this process was repeated. The water was then drained from it. The wax was then melted in a small saucepan, about two pounds at a time, and poured out into basins. There was nine pounds. This is my first attempt. — F. R. Holness, Whitstable, Kent. Reply. — From the appearance of the wax sent it would seem as if the frothy scum formed on the surface of the boiling wax had been skimmed off as it rose to the top, and in conse- quence only about half an inch of clear wax lies on the surface, while the remaining two or more inches of the cake is a frothy admixture of wax and pollen. There is a large amount of pollen in it, and from the smell it must have been mouldy before melting. Boil the whole in clean water and let it cool gradually. "When cold the .wax may be lifted off, and the debris gathered on the under side removed with a knife. [306.] Honey Granulating. — Some of my honey has granulated, and some is still quite liquid. Will you please tell me why this is ?— F. R. Holmes, Whitstable, Kent. Reply. — Perhaps the following remarks on the granulation of honey, written by Mr. Grim- shaw, and reprinted from page 214 of Record for October, 1889, will serve the purpose of reply as well as anything we could say : — ' We must first think of nectar being simply a solution of cane sugar in water, the amount of sugar and chemical peculiarities varying, of course, with the kind of plant, with the wetness of the season, and also with the humidity of the air at the time of the nectar-flow (electrical influence is, for the moment, beside the question). The business of the bee is to gather the nectar, remove some of the water by the help of its own system, and by the help of a salivary ferment convert the cane into grape sugar ; by 70 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [February 5, 1891. Adding formic acid to the honey regurgitated into the cell its further1 fermentation is arrested, and its keeping quality well assured after still more surplus water is allowed to evaporate before the bee seals it up in the cell. ' The honey is still one-fifth of it water ; two- fifths of the rest is dextrose, or crystallisable sugar; with two-fifths levulose, or non-crystal- lisable. Extracting honey before it is all ripe will, we know, throw out some bearing an un- due proportion of water in it, this having a tendency to retard the candying, but we shall throw out nearly all the dextrose, which in- creases this tendency. If, however, one waits till all is sealed, good ripe stuff, when it is ex- tracted a certain portion of the crystalline sugar remains in the cell, and thus give out a greater share of levulose (non- crystallisable) sugar. Such honey naturally holds out longer in a clear, fluid state. If I had to decide between A and B in the same district, A having readily- candying honey, whilst Ks remained fluid, I should say B extracted from nothing but sealed comb, whilst his neighbour was not so particular. If this was not the case, my alternative would be that the bees of A had easier access to water, thus allowing the crystalline sugar to be readier slung out of the cells. I am presuming that A keeps his honey in as warm a place as B; if not, there is really no question at issue.' [307.] Buying Bees. — I beg to thank you for ycur reply to my query (No. 303). The mis- chief is even worse than I suspected, for five out of my seven hives (four driven lots and one very strong Carniolan lot) are dead, and the other two badly diseased. The first I noticed was the Carniolans, but I. did not dare open the hive during the intense cold. I know they must have been too strong to allow of robbing, yet the cappings were only recently torn, as the honey had not begun to drip from the combs, as it has done since.; 1. I have been told by a man who has kept bees for sixty-three years come next swarming -time> and whose father kept bees before him> that the reason my driven lots did not thrive is because I did not feed them. I ought to have shot and partly plucked a sparrow or two, and hung over the feed-hole, so that the bees could get good meat, and become strong enough to live till honey-time. 2. As I shall want to buy some bees . for the good summer promised by ' XnTractor,' and can get some cheap now, how can I best judge of their fitness? I suppose I could not look for the queen this side of April y so what points should be noticed besides strength in numbers and amount of stores.?— W. F.lL.,Morchard Bishop. Reply.— 1. This same 'sparrow' superstition was alluded to last month by a correspondent in the Record, with the difference that the beea in that case were treated to roast 'fowl,' instead of having the bird raw and 'partly plucked.' We pay no attention to these ' old rales ' about bees. 2. The. 'fitness' of a stock can best be judged by an, examination to ascertain the amount of brood hatching ; at the same tim$, if the bee3 are seen to be numerous and working vigorously, carrying in pollen, &c, it may be safely assumed that all is in good order within. [308.] Excessive Death Rate. — I shall be glad if you can say what has been the cause of six stocks of my bees dying. Saturday was the very first opportunity that I could look through my fourteen stocks, when I found six of them dead, and a tremendous lot of dead bees in three of the others ! In nearly all instances the dead bees were in a heap in the centre of the hive just under where the cluster should have been ; in some of the frames in several of the hives also the bees were quite in a saturated condition. 2. In other cases the bees were filled with a dark brown fluid. None of the bees in any one instance had gone beyond the three centre frames, although there were passages for them and plenty of honey. Some of the combs were very mouldy, and the pollen gone quite bad. My hives are double-walled, and well packed on every side. The only conclusion I can come to is that through the intense cold the bees were compelled to throw off an excess of moisture, which has caused the mischief. Two stocks in exactly the same sort of hives are as strong and clean as possible. 3. Are the frames filled with comb (and honey part the way down) any good to use again ? 4. If so, how can the dead bees and pollen be got out of the cells ? I have kept bees now for ten years, but never saw such a sight as now. I shall be glad of any informa- tion you can give me (as a constant reader of the B.B.J.) concerning the other stocks, of which I have cleared all dead bees and taken all frames out which were in quite a bad state. The top coverings were damp, but no rain could possibly enter, as the roofs of all my hive3 are in good condition. — H. C. Sclater, The Court, Little- hampton, February 2nd. Reply.— 1. You give no particulars as to top coverings used, and without an opportunity of actual examination we can only imagine that in some way either the food or the ' packing ' is at fault, combined, of course, with the terribly severe winter. In this connexion you might refer to ' Useful Hints ' on another page. Had you not cut winter passages most persons would at once have laid the fault on want of these, and it shows how careful we must be in jump- ing to conclusions. The stocks which have survived will no doubt be all right if food is seen to. 2. This appearance denotes bowel-dis- tention, and is caused through bad food and inability to leave the hive for the purpose of voiding the faeces. 3. The cleanest and best of the combamay be used again. 4. It causes the bees a lot of labour and trouble to remove dead bees and pollen from combs, so where they are very foul we should, burn the combs. The honey will do for. future use, as there is no disease indicated. [309.] Painting Insides of Hives. — Is there any disadvantage , in painting the inside of body- boxes and floor-boards ? I have always found it practically impossible to get them perfectly I February 5, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 71 clean by washing and scrubbing, and I think of trying painting in addition. — H. Livermore. Reply. — Excepting where it is desired to dis- infect hives after being occupied by foul-broody bees, we should scarcely advise painting the insides. At the same tirae,we always recommend two good coats of paint inside and oat when ■disinfecting hives, and we followed that plan many years ago — when curing foul brood — without experiencing any ill effects from the paint. (Btlgm fxam t\)t Jjiites, JBideford, January 26th. — Bees Hying to-day, and some of them going in and coming out of one hive in particular with a business-like air, that meant work of some sort going on. I thought they might be carrying water, and afterwards, passing by the pond, iu which for many weeks past the goldfish have appeared * framed and glazed ' below a coating of ice, I saw to my regret seven apparently drowned bees floating on the surface. I collected their bodies, took them indoors, put them on a plate, ■and covered them with a little heap of table salt, inverting a tumbler over them, and set them in the fender in front of the fire, and in a few minutes one bee began to move a leg — ultimately the whole seven ' came to life.' I allowed them to remain enjoying the warmth for a few minutes, and then, still keeping the glass over them, took them to the hives. When the glass was removed I had the satisfaction of seeing them fly, and after a gyration or two ■select the hive I had noticed, and expected they belonged to, and enter it. We have had mo snow — perhaps half an inch on one or two occasions — in this happy region, although the thermometer at night has once or twice registered as low as 17° Fahr. Stormy wind and rain characterised last week, with thermometer at 47° about.— C. T. Later. — January 27th. — Passing the front of my house this morning I was arrested by the sound of bees at work, and saw them thick upon the blossoms of the yellow jessamine ! Neither crocuses nor snowdrops are out yet, and the abnormal activity of these bees is perhaps due to their having undergone a long railway journey ■ during the frost. — C. T. Warbleton, Sussex, January 20th, 1891. — Yesterday and to-day the bees have been favoured with a partial flight, but not sufficient for a good cleansing. The greater part of them have been confined to their hives for nine weeks, and none have had a thorough flight during that period. Never in my bee-memory have we had such a trying time of it for the pets. Mine were all packed up well, with an abundance of good sealed stores, in pood health and strength, but notwithstanding I fear some have fallen a prey to dysentery. In previous winters I have used a substitute for the 'Hill's device '-**« couple of sticks across the frames— considering it an advantage, but decided to try it without any passage-ways at all this winter ; but upon slight examination I found several hives with whole seams of bees dead, apparently from being unable to move on to fresh feeding - ground during the late severe weather. The mortality is great in almost all hives, but curiously enough in the thinnest, apparently coldest, single wall I have, with a wide-open entrance facing north- east and always in the shade, there was the smallest amount of dead of the whole lot— not twenty bees. The present seems a very oppor- tune time to again ventilate the subject of Single versus Double-walled Hives. After this very trying time the frost seems to be well broken up now. Let us hope for a week or two of open weather now. — Hy, Neve. The Apiary, Higher Bebington, January 26th. — Grand cleansing flight. Every hive has had a turn-out. Find that two out of thirteen have ceased to exist ; one in consequence of two mice haying got in and made a nest. They (the mice) paid the penalty for such an act. The other, a weak lot, that did not take the food well fast fall, and of which I had great fears. — H. 11. Lindon. Castleerqft, near Wolverhampton, January 21th. — On Sunday, the 2oth, bees were flying from all my five hives. I seized the oppor- tunity to give a cake of candy to one hive which I was very anxious about ; it was very late in the autumn when I made it up of two weak stocks, and I couldn't get them to take syrup. I was agreeably surprised to find them looking very well. Another hive seems weak, but they lost a lot of bees through flying one morning during snow when the sun was out very bright. Sunday was the first day here that bees could fly since middle of November. The frost has been terribly severe, and I hardly expected the bees would come through so we'll. With best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year to you and your delightful Journal, — Harold E. TWENTYMAX. Oakfidd, Old Parle, Enfield, February 1st— I have just been looking over my stocks (five), giving additional candy where necessary, and find all have apparently passed through the winter in first-rate condition. The bees were flying in great numbers this afternoon — a most beautiful one. I take this opportunity of say- ing how greatly I appreciate the Journal, which I eagerly look for every Friday, and I am greatly indebted to it for what little I know of the fascinating bee. — Herbert Livbbmoee. Uttoxeter, January 31st. — -Effects of the Winter on Bees. — As soon as the severe weather was over I examined the entrances of each of my six hives, and one or two others belonging to friends, and, by means of a bent wire, cleared- out an immense quantity of dead bees; and, being rather alarmed at the unusual number of dead bees in one of my hives (a single-walled one made of inch stuff — the only 72 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [February 5, 1891. single-walled one I have), I opened it, and found all were dead, having eaten all the food in the front frames, where the hees had clustered, although there was plenty at the hack. The other hives have lost large numbers, but still are in a hopeful condition, and a good calve of candy was necessary for one of them, this being the first time I ever fed with candy, which goes to show me that more food than usual has been consumed this winter. I have partially ex- amined several hives, and in one or two instances found a seam of dead bees between outer combs, where no winter passage had been made, which will teach me in future always to make provision for bees getting easily from one part of the hive to another — a thing I had done regularly for many years until last year, and I appear to have suffered for it the first time I failed to do so. — Uttoxeter. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Comb - Honey ( Kent ). — Sections in Hanging Frames, fyc. — 1. Instead of making a double- walled body -box with frames to hold six one-pound sections in each, you would be far more likely to succeed with a super built on the lines of ' Lee's section case' sold by Neigh- hour & Sons. This carries out your notion of having the sections in hanging frames, and by purchasing one as a pattern you will have t all the measurements, &c, correct. 2. When " using full sheets of foundation in grooved sections no space is allowed at bottom for stretching. 3. The one-pound is the best size, but it is a moot point between two and four bee-ways. 4. With strong stocks and good management moths are never troublesome. 5. Bees were in a ' mashed ' condition when received and quite unrecognisable. 0. It is possible to clear ' an average of thirty shillings per hive in one year,' but as to the probability of your doing it we have strong doubts, Henry Smith (Winchester). — Sugar sent is genuine Porto Rico. Honey - Bee.— The comb sent is foul-broody. Burn all combs and honey and frames, and disinfect the hive well before using again. Boston Stump will find full details for candy- making on page 51 of last week's issue. Bottle-breaker. — You have overlooked the fact that the admission of air from the bottom of a feeder (which when reversed becomes the top) will cause the syrup to run through. This is the difficulty which renders it next to impossible to make a feeder capable of being refilled without removal from the hive. Make a trial of the bottles you have succeeded in boring, and report results. G. Kilby (Westfield, Hereford). — There is no cause for alarm in what you have observed, unless the ' markings ' on the flight-boards are excessive. So long as the bees appear vigorous and fly strongly, all will be well after a few warm days. BEE-CLIPPINGS. Bee-keeping for Farmers. At one of our large shows the other day I was told by an exhibitor in the honey depart- ment that the supply of honey was not equal to the demand, and, upon my asking whether the short supply might not be attributed to the wet weather experienced during the last honey- gathering season, she said that she was not re- ferring particularly to this season, but that honey always is a scarce article, and one for which a good price is willingly paid. This im- mediately suggested to me the question, ' Why in this country is bee-keeping so neglected by farmers ? ' It is not so in America. Almost every farmer in that country keeps at least a few hives ; and last year it was estimated that the honey product of the United States and Canada was worth no less than 3,000,000. Bee-keeping is, properly speaking, a branch of agriculture, and the place for the apiary is on the farm. The native haunt of bees is in the field, and not in the town garden. Garden flowers yield but little honey, many none at all, but, on the farm, clover and buckwheat furnish the bees with large quantities of honey. Again, there is no more convenient place than the farm for keep- ing bees ; near large centres of population they are apt to become a nuisance, especially at swarming-time in early summer, and in autumn when honey is scarce. In America, bee-keeping- forms the exclusive business of many people ; but the majority of bee-keepers have compara- tively small apiaries, and make a fair livelihood by keeping from 100 to 200 hives. Every farm should have on it at least a few colonies ; they can be kept without adding seriously to the- cares of the farmer, while the profits will make a respectable addition to the owner's income. Ten hives, well managed, may be counted on- bring in 15/. to 20/. a-year. — Farm and Home.. Another 'Tall' One. A successful boring for honey has been made- in North Tennessee. For many years swarms- of bees have been noticed by boatmen on Fox Bluff, on the Cumberland River, near Franklin, Kentucky. The bluff is 170ft. high, and the river's ■ channel runs directly under it. The bees have been observed about a big fissure near the centre • of the bluff, and the opening could not be reached from above or below without great danger of being stung to death. As the bees had never been robbed, it was believed a large j amount of honey was stored in the cliff. Recent a well-borer visited the bluff, and was at once impressed with the idea that he could reach the wonderful honey storehouses with his drill. After some coaxing he persuaded a number of farmers to undertake the expense, and a three- inch hole was bored from the top of the bluff. At a depth of eighty-five feet the drill struck the honey. Barrels and tubs by the score were filled and carried off to neighbouring farms, and the syndicate has sent to Louisville for more receptacles. — Boston Transcript. BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 451. Vol. XIX. N.S. 59.] FEBRUARY 12, 1891. [Published Weekly €bxtcixml, Ifcrtias, $z. BEE-PAPERS FOR WINTER READING. No. 4.— PACKING HONEY. Sending Honey in Bulk by Rail. — No one -with any experience of handling honey after it has undergone a journey by rail will read the above heading without an instinctive smile or a frown — as the results happen to affect him — at the recollection of the many and various ' smashes ' revealed on the opening of packages received from inexperienced packers. And if this is so at the present day, when the general adoption of the one-pound section as a receptacle for honey in the comb ought to have reduced the chances of breakage to a minimum, how much greater were risks incurred a few years ago, when the efforts of bee-keepers were directed to having the combs built with no attachments to the bottom board, or adapter, so that the super could be turned over and shown ' bottom up,' with combs sealed and rounded off without a single broken or un- sealed cell ? Nowadays we make every sort of endeavour, when working sections, to have the comb built and attached to the wood on all sides of the section ; this end attained, there ought to be no difficulty whatever in packing sections for transit to any part of the kingdom in perfect safety. Indeed, it is proved beyond doubt that there is no difficulty, as buyers who regularly receive parcels of honey from experi- enced producers can attest. The question then arises, Why should so many breakages occur? Why is it that comb honey sent by rail, when packed by the inexperienced producer, so frequently reaches its destination with combs broken away from the sections and honey running ' all over the shop ?' Our endeavour in this paper will be to show how the loss, vexation, and annoyance which such results naturally bring about may be avoided. In the first place, then, it must be borne in mind how fragile and tender a thing is the comb in which honey is stored. The wonder is how so great a weight of liquid sweets in its delicate waxen encasement can, even with all our care, stand the jolting, and shunting, and rough handling inevitable in a railway journey by goods train, and be delivered perfectly safe at its journey's end ? To illustrate our meaning, let any one take a section of honey in which the comb is attached to the top and a little way down the sides only ; hold this ten or twelve inches from the ground, and suddenly let it drop. There is nothing to check the suddenness of the shock, and of course the comb attachments break away, and it falls in a bruised mass ; but if the comb is built well on to the wood all round, and the section falls on a bed of any soft material, no harm will follow. Surely this is plain enough, yet it is just the extent to which we realise the cause of breakdown, or the reverse, which marks the difference between good and bad packing. No bee-keeper does himself justice who, well knowing what care is required at all times in handling sections of comb honey, to avoid pok- ing his fingers (accidentally, of course), through the capping, or damaging the beautifully clean surface left by the bees, yet omits the exercise of the same thoughtf ulness in packing his honey for transit. Suppose we have half a gross of one-pound sections of comb honey to prepare for a journey by rail : procure a strong, second-hand packing- case, large enough to hold comfortably twelve separate parcels of six sections in each, with room for two or three inches of hay, or other similar material, above, below, and on all sides. If possible, a box of suitable size should be chosen — say about 28 by 17 by 14 in. deep — for holding the twelve parcels in two layers, six in each. Place six sections side by side — prefer- ably with a square of glass on the outside of the one at each end — wrap in brown paper, and tie together, across the top and round the sides, with strong twine, so firmly and securely as to bear lifting about by the cord without the sections slipping, out of place. When the twelve parcels are ready, prepare a level bed of hay, two or three inches thick, on the bottom of the box, and on this set six parcels, with just a little hay between each. The spaces at the sides are then stuffed with hay, pressed suf- ficiently firm to keep the parcels from moving about, even though the package be turned ' end up.' After sprinkling a little loose hay on the top of the first layer, a thin board is laid over all, and on this is set the second six parcels, which are packed on each side as before, the whole being covered with sufficient hay to keep all close down and firm when the lid is nailed, on. A stout rope is then tied round the pack- age convenient for railway porters to lift by, and after labelling ' Honey in comb : this side 74 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [February 12, 1891. up, with care,' dispatch by goods train. We have only to add that sections in transit should stand the same side up as when on the hives, so that any odd unsealed cells may not drip and cause the honey to run over the face of the comb. The only exception to this rule is when the comb is not well secured to the bottom of section, in which case it should travel bottom upwards. If the above instruc- tions are faithfully carried out there is little risk of breakage. Extracted honey is, of course, less liable to damage than comb. With it the chief trouble is to prevent leakage, in order to avoid the messy, untidy appearance, so objectionable to the tradesman on whose counter the honey has to stand. Almost any kind of covering we can name, short of careful capsuling, will leak if honey jars are laid on their sides for a few hours, and this makes it necessary to pay special atten- tion to packing, so that boxes are not liable to be turned over in the rail journey. The best preventive we know of against this trouble is to make the package too heavy for one man to lift so easily as to toss it about. When two pair of hands do the lifting, and a bold label is affixed to the top, worded — ' This side _ up,' sufficient care is generally taken to keep it right. Good screw-cap jars with cork wads are now so much in favour with honey-buyers, and withal are such a saving of labour to the packer, that the parchment covers largely used a few years ago are gradually dropping out of use. In packing jars of honey each one should be wrapped in separate paper, and laid on a layer of hay or soft straw, two or three inches thick, each jar having just as much (or as little) of packing around it as prevents the glass from touching. When the bottom of the box is full, the sides and the spaces between the jars are packed so tight as to keep the latter in an upright position. In preparing for second or third layers of jars a little packing should be sprinkled over the first lot, and a thin board laid over all. On this the second layer may stand on the bare boards with packing between each jar as before. Single Sections and Jars by Parcel Post. — On this little need be said beyond ob- serving the points specially emphasised in the foregoing remarks. With the sections the comb must be well built to the sides all round. This seen to, a box of quarter-inch wood is made, just large enough, when lined with pieces of corrugated paper cut to size, to hold the section. After 'glassing,' and tying on the squares of glass with string for convenience of lifting, the section is dropped in the box, a piece of corru- gated paper laid on to keep it from shaking about when the lid is nailed down, and it will travel safely any distance. Single glass jars, when they can be safely guarded against leakage — such as dry sample jars, with good corks — may be sent safely by post if a piece of corrugated paper, cut a little deeper than the height of the jar, is folded round it, and the jar piotected top and bottom by a circular piece of the paper tied in before- the outside wrapping is put on. Ordinary honey jars, however, are so difficult to make leak-proof that it is best to choose one with a good cork wad and a well-fitting screw cap ; pack in a wood box with either bran, hay, or corrugated paper, send it by rail, and endeavour by the directions on label to induce the carrier to bear it ' right side up.' Sending Honey to Shows. — If we can do anything by way of inducing exhibitors at honey shows, who may read these papers, to bestow a little consideration on the unfortunate and usually overworked Hon. Sees., and others who have charge of the ' staging,' we shall be aiding in the removal of a source of frequent trouble and annoyance to these latter gentlemen which is altogether inexcusable ; and the worst of it is,, it frequently happens that those who take most pains in packing their exhibits for transit to the show, give quite as much trouble as those who take least : for the time and labour involved in- unpacking and repacking some exhibits is, as we know from personal experience, ' a caution.' We therefore propose to show how bee-keepers, who aspire to show honours, may send their dozen sections or their dozen jars of extracted honey by rail to the show, and have them un- packed, staged, repacked, and returned safely with the minimum amount of trouble to all concerned, and with no great outlay for appli- ances. The cut (Fig. 9) represents a crate for holding Fig. 9. a dozen one-pound sections, and as no great amount of skill is involved in its construction,, it may be said that any amateur joiner can make it for himself. It is a box within a box, the inner one resting on six spiral springs fastened to the bottom of the outer box, while the innei one is pulled down a little by a strip of leather at each corner, as shown. This form of crate, without the lid, was first introduced by a well-known firm in 1886, and it answers the pur- pose admirably. The lid we had made for our own use, and its construction will be at once seen in the cut. The lower or inner lid is of thin board cut small enough to fit easily inside, close on to the- February 12, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 75 -tops of sections. The upper one is of the same light wood, with cross-pieces at each end of three-quarters of an inch stuff, and a strip of the same forms a handle to lift by. Five springs are fixed between these two lids and fastened to both, so there is no risk of one being lost. A •stout screw driven in at each corner forces this double lid close down on to the sections and •keeps them firmly in place. As all sections sent to shows must be glazed, no other glass protection is used. The inner box is made 12f inches long by Sh inches wide, so there is room for a small roll or wedge of corrugated paper to be slipped down at the outside of each row, which keeps them firm in place, and when withdrawn allows the section to be lifted out readily. Except to caution the maker not to cut the end-pieces of the crate so that the screws are driven in to the top of the grain, and to have all its parts strongly nailed together, no further instructions are needed for making, save a close inspection of the cut. For extracted honey in glass jars make a -strong box divided into twelve partitioned -squares, as shown in cut (Fig. 10). The exact Fig. 10. size of these squares is determined by the par- ticular make or form of the hcney jar used, but they are made sufficiently large to held the jar ■comfortably when the latter is encircled by a fold of corrugated paper. The bottom of each portion has also a square of the same paper on which the jar rests. A strong lid hinged, on the inside of which is nailed a square of corru- gated paper as shown, completes the box, while the Tieight of the jars is so arranged that the ridged portion of the paper rests close on the screw-caps and keeps all firm. A single screw in centre of lid at the front fastens it down, and when a strong cord or rope, with a nail driven through it at the bottom, to keep it fast to the box and prevent its going astray, is tied round the whole, with a label on the top as before, the package is ready for travelling any distance without breakage. The saving of trouble and labour to the officials of a show when dealing with honey packed in this form is simply astonishing. The cord is untied, the single screw drawn, and the jars lifted out without disturbing the packing one bit, or losing any of the parts. There is no littery mess about ; the box is put away ; when wanted after the show is over it is ready for dropping the jars into, and the honey is safely repacked, for the return journey in about five minutes. Those who have had to do with shows will know what this means, and we therefore venture to express a hope that exhibitors will earn the gratitude of officials, and at the same time con- duce to their own satisfaction, by following our advice in the matter of ' packing honey for shows.' It will be observed that in packing comb honey for travelling to shows, spiral springs are relied on for safeguarding it from damage, and for glass jars corrugated paper is made to act as the ' buffer' against breakage. Both articles are very inexpensive, the springs costing only a few pence at any ironmongers, while corrugated paper is sold at less than a penny per superficial foot. Unlike a beehive, [no great accuracy is required in making, so that amateur joinering is peculiarly suited for making both section crate and box for jars. At the same time any appliance dealer will make them for a very small cost when it is understood that only rough, strong articles are required. It sometimes happens that persons have to assist in staging and unpacking who are not accustomed to handling honey, and these gentle- men are placed at a double disadvantage when bad packing has to be dealt with. Referring to persons unaccustomed to handling honey, and the many ' slips ' they make through inexperience, we may conclude this paper with an illustratioa from our many experiences. Some fifteen years ago we had as regular customers for honey the establishment in the North known as the head- quarters of the Mormon community at the port of embarkation from this country to the Salt Lake. The chief elder or officer in charge was a very nice fellow indeed, highly intelligent, well read, a man of much travel, and, but for his peculiar religion, a gentleman with whom we could have got on very well indeed, especially as he knew something about bees. He was especially fond of good honey, and, moreover, was a first-rate judge of its quality. We took especial pride in supplying him with our best, and he always paid us Is. 6d. per pound for extracted honey in bulk. The season in question was a good one, and the honey in Cheshire was extra fine. So our friend sampled out a quarter-hundredweight ; it was put into a large stone jar and taken a dis- tance of six or seven miles to his place by a special messenger of our own, who carried it all the way. The honey was, after the long journey, safely handed over to a servant, and by him carried down a dozen stairs, and two minutes after it left his hands our messenger was asked to ' come down and see what could be done, for the servant had dropped the jar!' He went and found the jar broken, the contents all over the kitchen floor, and the culprit a standing lesson in handling honey by an inexperienced carrier ! 76 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [February 12, 1891. USEFUL HINTS. Building Up in Speing. — We had under consideration — when our space ran out last week — the effect of a severe winter on stocks of bees in light, single-walled hives, and, seeing that our own colonies — all of them in hives so constructed — have stood the test so well, the question arises how are such hives adapted for building up stocks rapidly in spring ? Up to now they have had for top-coverings, first, a sheet of American cloth, with its glazed side nest the top-bars ; next, a single thickness of grey felt undercarpeting ; on this the top- board (a covering of half-inch board in three pieces) ; and over all the ordinary summer quilts, consisting of several thick- nesses of felt, &c. It has been our custom hitherto to do no more at the hives in early spring than take away space from below combs and add a little to top cover- ngs ; but we had no particular object in forcing on the bees very early in the year, as the honey only began to turn in in quantity about mid-June. Now, how- ever, we are in a new district, and must prepare for a new ' gathering-time,' so the majority of the hives will be well packed all round with some warm material, 4:o raise the internal heat as much as possible. At the same time, by way of experiment, a few hives will be left just as before, and we hope by this course of procedure to do something towards solving the problem of the relative efficiency or the reverse of thin hives as against double-walled ones. The weather has become so warm and sunny during the last few days that every- one so disposed has had full opportunity for ascertaining how the bees have fared. Some appear to have come through wonder- fully well ; and others, with apparently no very great difference of treatment so far as can be gathered from the details given, have fared badly ; but the general mortality has not been at all high when the extreme winter is taken into account, and if no further disasters occur, through starvation or other preventable causes, the all-round result may be set down as a very satisfactory one. All stocks should be raised from floor- boards the first chance which occurs, and the dead bees and rubbish cleared away. Water may also be given, either by spent tea-leaves kept moist or by troughs on which the bees may alight and take the water without getting into it. BEE EAMBLES IN SAVOY. The winter of 1889 will be remembered ^as- one of the most trying, not only in England,, but all over the world, owing to an epidemic of influenza which spread far and wide, laying- low the strongest and carrying off those who wera not strong enough to battle with the disease. All classes, poor and rich, were smitten alike, and among one's friends there was hardly a family where at least one of the members had not been a victim. Fortunate are those who escaped, for the disease left every one weak, and it was a long time, frequently months, before the patients were themselves- again. Unfortunately we were amongst those attacked, and although we partially recovered, we were not able to get rid of the complaint entirely, and thoroughly broken down in health we left England to try and regain strength in our favourite country, Switzerland. Here we arrived in May, and while breathing in fresh mountain air and new life a letter was received from our friend, M. Ed. Bertrand, proposing that we should accompany him and M. G. de Layens, who was staying at that time with him,, on a trip to Savoy. We coidd hardly realise this as a fact, for we had long wished to visit the bee-keepers in Savoy, and had never been able to do so. We had seen the splendid honey coming from amongst the Savoy mountains, and; had heard of their rich crops of esparcette (sainfoin), from which most of their honey is- gathered, and had longed to see the pasturage- Here was an opportunity not to be lost, more especially as two such bee-keepers as M. Bertrand and M. G. de Layens were to accompany us. We three had already made a pleasant trip together in 1883, and the remembrance of that trip certainly gave us the prospect of similar enjoyment on this occasion. The invitation was at once accepted, for there was nothing to hesitate about. W& were- resting and regaining strength, and could do this with change of scene as well as by staying at home — which was always a temptation to be at some sort of work, which was strictly pro- hibited. Just about this time the weather was- very bad, and it was decided to start as soon as there was a promise of settled weather, our object beingto see the bees at work during the graphs of the flowers. When this work is to be height of the honey-flow. M. de Layens was also resting from his labours,, a. rest richly de- served, for he was engaged upon a voluminous- work on botany in connexion with M. Gaston Bonnier. It is on the flora of France, and is to. contain something like 3000' to 4000 illustrations- which M. de Layens is preparing from photo- finished it is difficult to say, but that it will be a valuable addition to the literature on the subject there can be no doubt, after his previous pro- ductions in this branch of science. Most of our readers know both M. Bertrand and M. de Layens by repute ; but if there is one who doe&- not we would just introduce them by saying M> February 12, 1891. J THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 77 Bertrand is certainly one of the leading and most indefatigable bee-keepers in Switzerland. He is the editor of the Revue Internationale, without exception the best bee journal in the French language, and has written Conduite du Rucher, a thoroughly practical work, which has reached the sixth edition, besides many pam- phlets. He is the life and soul of the Soci6te Bomande d'Apiculture, and to him is mainly due the advance made in bee-keeping in the French-speaking cantons of Switzerland and the adjacent departments of France. A partisan of large hives, he has demonstrated that it is only by the use of such that a large harvest is possible. M. de Layens, besides being a botanist of mark, is without question the foremost bee- keeper in France belonging to the modern school. His object has always been to popu- larise bee-keeping, and to enable the working classes to obtain a good return with the minimum of labour. His methods are simple in the, ex- treme, but his hives are enormous — too large, many of our old-school bee-keepers would say, but sometimes really too small, as we have ourselves seen. What will our bee-keepers say to a hive with twenty frames double the size of our standard ? — yet we have not only seen these filled, but also some with twenty-six frames, and even then supers had to be added to give more room. M. de Layens has also written Elevage des Abeilles, a practical book with especial refer- ence to management of bees in these hives. He has also been a regidar contributor to the Revue Internationale, and we have frequently translated his excellent articles for the benefit of our readers. Such are the two men with whom we were about to make a bee-trip to Savoy. The weather having at last become fine, and the barometer rising steadily, on the 80th of May we left Lausanne for Kyon, where the night was spent at the residence of M. Bertrand. The evening was passed in making arrange- ments for the journey : our pleasure being greatly increased by the promise of Madame Bertrand to accompany us, at any rate during part of the excursion. The barometer was right, for on the next morning the sun rose in a clear sky, and there was but a slight ripple on the beautiful blue Lake of Geneva. On the opposite side Mont Blanc stood out in all its grandeur, and there was every indication that we would be favoured by the weather. At ten o'clock our party left Nyon by steamer for Nernier, on the Savoy side of the lake, and here we were met at the pier by M. Genoud, of Messerie, a village about two miles from Nernier. A char was in readiness to take our bags, while we walked and admired the vast expanse of lake on our right, and in all directions fields of esparcette in full bloom. Nyon was prettily situated on the opposite side of the lake, but not nearly so favoured as regards pasturage as the plains on this side. Arriving at Messerie, after a few minutes' rest we were invited by Madame Genoud to lunch, and here we had our first experience of what the famed Savoy hospitality was. Much was the astonishment of our host when we declined wine, and it was with difficulty that our friends explained that we never took any, but preferred water instead. Of course, the talk was of bees, and we tasted a specimen of honey, which was delicious. We then went to the apiary at the back of the house. M. Genoud has about sixty hives, but he had, un- fortunately, made a mistake in starting with the wrong hive. Some one, when he was a novice, had recommended him to start with German hives of the Berlepsch pattern, and he had a number of these made, but found out bis mistake when he began to read the Revue and talk to progressive bee-keepers. He was, however, doing his best to remedy the mis- take by transferring the bees to larger hives. All the hives are under cover, and amongst them he has several Layens, Dadant, and Cowan hives. He also showed us some Cowan hives he was making for an exhibition in the autumn. He told us his winter losses in the Berlepsch hives were fifteen per cent., whereas the other hives have wintered well. M. de Layens persuaded us to bring a photographic apparatus with us, to take views of apiaries, which would at some future time be a pleasant reminiscence of this trip. This we consented to do, and the first view was taken of M. Genoud's apiary ; but owing to the limited space we could not get back far enough to take any more than a small part of the apiary. Another look at the bees, which were very strong and hard at work, and then we went to pay a visit to the Rev. M. Magnin, the cure of the place, whom we found in his cassock amongst the bees. This gentleman has sixteen hives with the Burki frame. Carniolan and common bees were principally kept. M. Magnin was an enthusiast, still quite young and very full of energy. He made his own hives, and took us to his workshop, which was fitted up with a bench and all the necessary carpenters' tools. Here he showed us a peculiar feeding appliance of his invention. It was sunk in the floor-board, and supplied by a wine- bottle inverted behind the hive. It was very simple, and we were told it worked well. The bees here were also kept in a bee-house on shelves, of which there were three rows. Bather an awkward arrangement for any one not endowed with the same muscular power as our friend, the cure. Hospitality was again proffered, and coffee was selected, over which there was a pleasant chat. The cure thought bees settled when they heard a noise, and told an amusing anecdote bearing upon this. He said on one occasion he saw, near the parsonage, a swaim of bees that had come from some distant apiary. They were evidently intent on pur- suing their course when the thought struck him that he would try what effect music had upon them. He at once sat down to his har- monium, beside the open window, and after playing a little he had the satisfaction of seeing the swarm settle in front of the par- 78 THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL. [February 12, 1891. sonage. He also said many of the country- people attribute bees swarming more frequently on a Sunday to the ringing of the bells. Honey was also tasted here, and after taking leave we started in an open carriage for a drive to Anne- masse, where we wished to call and see Dr. Henon before proceeding further. (To be sjntinued.) The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are re- quested to write on one side of the paper only, and give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of goodfaith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, re- ports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, Sec, must be addressed only to 'The Editors of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C All business communications relating to Advertisements, &c, must be addressed to Mr. J. Heckle, Kings Langley, Herts (see 1st page of Advertise- ments.) *„* In order to facilitate reference, Correspondents, when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted, will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well as the page on which it appears. IMPOKTING FOREIGN BEES. [545.] I adopt the above heading with the hope of gathering from readers of the B.J. some expression of opinion as to the benefits likely to accrue to British bee-keepers from the importa- tion of foreign bees into this country. We have a native bee most suitable to the peculiar changes of our climate, and withal one of the best of workers under the sun with proper management — a race capable of showing a bold front, and making themselves felt, too, if not properly handled. Of foreign bees we have, first, the Italian — a bee, we are told, possessing every good quality possible, and the one best fitted for crossing with our native strain. Next comes the Carniolan, introduced to us as possessing all the above good qualities, and a few others besides. An attempt has also been made to bring into our midst some of the African races of bees. We hear great things of the good qualities of Italians and Carniolans and other races, and of their various crosses ; but what about the attending evils or bad qualities possessed by these bees which have been introduced in our midst, and will in the near future be sown broadcast amongst us? I would like to ask, Are the bee-keepers of Oarniola introducing other races to improve their native bee ? No ; they try to keep the race as pure as possible. The same with the Italians ; while we read that in Australia they are about to introduce a bee best suited to the country, and to keep that race as pure as they can. Able writers tell us that the honey-bee is a native of some part of Asia, and that by a kind of natural emigration it has spread itself all over Europe, and climate, habit, forage, and other conditions have wrought the various changes characteristic of the various European bees of to-day. The Carniolan, for instance, sends out swarm after swarm in unlimited numbers, some of which swarms contain about half-a-dozen queens and a handful of bees. These swarms (?) may be good for certain purposes, but not for English apiaries. We cannot get a fixed strain of hybrids by crossing two different races of bees, for in a few years the special characteristics of the one race will disappear. If we breed for colour or any other quality by crossing and selection, that strain may be fixed only by constant care, and without such it is but labour lost. Granting that fresh blood among our native bees is a necessity, why develop the tendency for over-swarming still further by adding the swarming propensity of Carniolans ? Some authorities tell us that the Italians are very prolific, make few queen-cells, and consequently swarm moderately, are early and late workers, and good honey-gatherers. Then why is it that we hear so little of them now ? Where are the Italian and black hybrids of a few years ago ? Do they still retain the quality of the first cross, or has the character of the one race disappeared? And if this is so with Italian hybrids, so it will be with Carniolan hybrids a few years hence. In view of these facts, I|hope that British bee-keepers will see the folly of sending their money abroad to buy foreign queens and obtain a cross, which they are not able to keep. The more simple the art of bee-keeping the more popular will it become. As we have just passed through one of the coldest winters experienced for some time, it will be interesting to know how these foreign or crossed races have passed through the late spell of cold weather, taking into consideration food, hives, their position, and packing. For myself, I believe that the native bee cannot be improved by crossing with any of the foreign races we now have amongst us. Let British bee-keepers endeavour to maintain the good quality of the native bee by purchasing queens from good black stocks, and by buying virgin queens to be mated with our own drones. By doing this I believe the race may be improved, foul brood stamped out, and our efforts rewarded with good returns at honey harvest. At all events this will be my system for the future. My stocks will be of the best old English race, and all queens sent out or bought by me shall be of the same strain. I hope to give you an account of our district in a future issue. — G. W. Ed- lington, Brigg, Lines. NOTES BY THE WAY. [546.] The weather has continued very mild during the week, bees on the wing every day, busy at the watering-places. Fancy giving bees water the first week in February ! Truly this has been a phenomenal winter so far. Candle- mas Day has come and gone, and the sun shone brightly before twelve o'clock ; this, according Tebruary 12, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 79 to the old belief, is a sign that winter is not half over yet. Though we know that the continuance of such mild weather is unseasonable at this early period of the year, yet one hopes that we may not have such another cold spell as we had from November to well into January. The fields have began to put on a mantle of green ; the birds have commenced singing; the part- ridges are calling to their mates in the gloaming, leading one to suppose that they have paired be- fore the usual time — Valentine's Day. The old couplet says, — 1 Of all the monthes in the yeare, Curse a faire Februear.' This spell of warm weather has given our bees the chance of clearing out their dead, and in some cases the numbers of dead bees have been very considerable, caused, no doubt, by the long confinement, and in some cases pro- bably the outside seam of bees perished if un- able to reach the cluster without going around the ends of the frames. The cappings of comb brought out testify to the fact that the bees have been adjusting their larder, and possibly would come out better in April and May if we could get a month or six weeks' cold, seasonable 'weather. Scarcity of Early Bee Flowers. — The severe winter has played sad havoc with our hardy herbaceous plants, and we shall have to depend, on the tuberous-rooted plants for early natural pollen, such as crocus, snowdrops, &c. I have not noticed many catkins, but there is a wealth of swelling buds on the palm, or withies, as they are called in some parts. On the other hand, there will be very few wallflowers left to blos- som, as the bulk is killed, so that in large apiaries, with a long distance to the woods, the bees will have to depend principally on artificial pollen. Those in the suburbs of towns will, of •course, have abundant natural pollen from the number of early spring flowers that will soon be bursting into bloom. ' G. J.' (540) must admit there are two sides to every question. It the appliance dealer advertised an article at a certain price, of which article he has (yes, must have) a limited •quantity, and he receives orders for more than he has in stock — i.e.', the demand exceeds the supply — what can he do in the matter ? Why, it is a case of first come, first served. Even if his orders came by the same post, the letters opened should obtain priority. To the orders opened last he would have to say how sorry he was to disappoint, but all the articles were sold when the order was received, and that it was impossible to replace same at previous rates, but that he had sent the nearest in stock to the goods ordered, though of an enhanced price. This is the only way out of the difficulty, and 1 see nothing unfair or calling for the epithet 4 defaulting.' I am not either a maker or dealer in bee-keeping appliances, neither am I inter- ested in the trade in any way, so that I feel free to speak on the subject. Queen-wasps are numerous this year I think. I have found and killed several among the winter wraps and cushions in my apiary — those in a state of hybernation have their wings laid down straight, rather below their legs, while in those that are dead the wings are along their backs, as in a state of rest. The writer in Farm and Home should read up the American bee-papers carefully before he ventures into print with the assertion that a fair livelihood can be or is made by keeping 100 to 200 hives in America. No doubt, if every season were good, and a good market could be secured, such a thing would be possible, but during the past three years bee-keeping in the States has been under a cloud on account of the successive poor seasons. The English Honey Season. — I was talking to an old bee-keeper the other day, an intelli- gent mechanic, who told me he had kept bees fifty years, and that he did not remember but seven or eight really good honey years in all that time, and he had kept bees in various kinds of hives. / Of course,' he added, ' there have been some fair honey seasons, but we do not get a really good one only about once in seven years as a rule.' — W. Woodley, World's End, New- bury. NATIONAL HONEY COMPETITION. [547.] Yes, friend Woodley, if a national competition could be arranged — and I see no reason why it should not— on the lines sug- gested by you (533, p. 65.), if I am in the land of the living most assuredly will I again enter the lists with renewed energy, and with as much enthusiasm as I ever entered any con- test, and endeavour to win the lost laurels of the past year. Being accused (and perhaps rightly, too) of issuing a challenge when all the best nectar had passed into oblivion, I will not lay myself open to the same charge for the coming season. I trust this early notice will stimulate the many who intend to compete for champion honours in such a laudable com- petition, to reserve samples of their very best produce for the occasion ; this done, and the judges drawn from the different nationalities as suggested by Mr. Woodley, the contest should be a good one, and the decisions settle once and for ever the claims to championship. As the matter now seems to rest with the Com- mittee of the B.B.K.A., I trust they will soon take action and put the matter into shape. If the classes are made small enough — say one 1-lb. jar of clover or flower honey, one 1-lb. jar of heather or dark honey, one 1-lb. section of comb honey — these could all be sent in by parcel post, and undoubtedly the entries would be large and representative. For my own part, though defeated in the recent contest, I am still willing to submit another sample of Irish nectar alongside either English, or Scotch, or Welsh : all I desire is a fair field and no favour. — John D. McNally. 80 THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL. [February 12, 1891. 'UNCLEANNESS IS DISEASE.' [548.] Foul brood is loathsome. Tell me, please, its cause and prevention. I don't want to know what is the possible cause and possible means of prevention, but the certain. We have had absolutely no experiences of this disease in our apiary, and should be delighted if all bee- keepers could say the same. Is it a scourge for mismanagement, or did it come in the 'new blood ' of foreigners ? It is here and there and everywhere. Whence came it ? How shall we stem its advance, and stamp it out ? Acres of paper have been covered in the dis- cussion of this fold disease ; and yet, I suppose, Messrs. Editors, you are constantly receiving bits of suspected comb, and constantly replying, 'Bad case of foul brood,' 'A case of chilled brood,' and so on ; evincing that bee-keepers in general are still in a fog. We have a very strong impression that a large number of cases of foul brood — some directly and some indirectly — are the inevitable consequence of bad manage- ment. Just as with mankind cleanliness is half the battle in striving after the security of health, so, in bee-keeping, sanitary hives must ever be the summum bonum. I mean by sanitary hives, clean within and without, waterproof, with plenty of paint and putty, warm, clean covering quilts, ventilation, &c. It will not do for the bees and their keeper to be separated by a hundred miles, as in some cases. They must live and move about in the same garden, not now and again, but daily, in spring, summer, and autumn, else much will be left undone that ought to be done ; and we all know the ad- vantage of being within hearing distance of the issuing swarm. I have been horrified at the sight of the in- ternal filthiness of some hives, and have won- dered how bees could exist in such ' East End ' dens of accumulated rubbish. Can it be won- dered at, when hives stand year after year, un- cleansed within, paintless without, a stiffened, coarse, dirty old square of carpet, or sacking, as the only quilt, that there is disappointment and disease ? Verily, no. I visited an apiary several times last summer, of about forty hives, standing where, under proper management, a good harvest might have been secured — yes, even in such a season as last. But such was by no means the case. They did not average a return of 2s. per hive, all worked for sections. The bee- keeper was a man of the most fatal indifference as to his hives, bees, &c. ; and replied to all questions in such a way as to excite no end of laughter. To this gentleman there were no such things as important details in the management of his bees ; clumsy, awkward, and careless in manipulation, the workers lost no time in being about his ears, and he, in return, showed no mercy or regard for their lives. He opens a hive without having used a smoker, catches hold of the old quilt and doubles it back, when up come the enraged bees, and down goes the quilt on top of them. Hundreds of worker- bees lay in heaps in all the hives ; and what frames ! some close together, others two inches- apart, no metal or other ends, some stuck to sides of hives, and as rough on top with propolis as a newly ploughed field. ' You must scrape and adjust these frames,' I said. ' I never bother to scrape the tops of frames I shall lave 'em jest as they are.' 'Are you not afraid of the rain getting through these hive roofs?' ' Oh ! that often gets thro' ; then the sun comes and dry 'em agin.' ' Are you troubled much with moths ? ' ' Moths don't bother me so long as I get plenty of honey.' ' What do you mean by plenty ? ' ' Well, they yielded me 15s. a hive my best year.' ' Do you ever transfer your bees into clean,, well-painted hives?' ' No ! I never interferes with 'em ; I used to ollus keep pullen 'em about, an' I didn't see they were any better for that. Now I let 'em hev a good deal of their own way. I know nobody was ever more careless with their bees than I am.' Did you ever hear of such a bee-keeper ? I found, when next I gave him a call, that one of his stocks had been wholly destroyed by moths. Did he destroy the moths ? Oh dear, no ! he simply carried combs and sections and dropped them into a large box in the bee-house, wherein he had several stocks. What a sight was there !. Moths of unusual size and fatness all over the place, half buried in the wood, and hundreds- infesting the combs. I tried to take a few sections, as there were hundreds in the hives,, some without crate or dividers, standing on top- of frames, others in crates but no quilt on, and bees working up in the roof. One roof had about twelve pounds of nice comb quite in the top. There was not a single perfect section to be found, and simply all caused by the most culpable mismanagement. Some were half-full and capped, others more than full, and a number joined together. It is to hoped that such bee- keepers are few and far apart. If filth is a disease, surely such apiaries become a nuisanco and a danger to neighbours, and it makes one thankful to be at a safe distance from such a spot. Here was a case where, at first, from anxiety, perhaps, there was over-manipulation. Now the hives, bees, and appliances are grossly- neglected. Indifference is a poor substitute for enthusiasm, and when the bee-keeper fails to take an absorbing interest in his pursuit con- fusion sets in, and ' the moth doth corrupt and thieves break through and steal.' Most of our bees are in Cowan hives, and are transferred each spring into clean brood cham- bers and freshly-painted outer cases ; and floor- boards, and roofs, quilts attended to, and tops of frames scraped. We manage this by having two or three hives ready for a start, and transfer,, clean, and paint right through the spring. Are bees not less liable to foul brood when treated in this way than those which receive no • February 12, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 81 attention whatever ? We did not make a drop of syrup here last autumn, so I feel rather anxious to ascertain the condition of our thirty- stocks after the long spell of snow and frost. They all looked well and lively. We now yearn for sunshine and flowers, both for the bees and ourselves. — Fbelkich, Methwold, Norfolk. [It will be a happy day for bee-keepers— and bee- keeping editors of all men— when a reliable reply can be given to the query with which our corre- spondent prefaces his letter. For the present, how- ever, we can only say that foul brood is caused by the presence of bacterial germs in the body of the larva?, or brood, of the bee, just as small-pox and other kindred diseases result from the presence of similar germs in the human frame ; and when the most eminent scientists of the age are engaged in investigating the mysteries of these terrible germ diseases without being able to name a certain means of prevention, our correspondent may well pardon us for admitting our entire inability to supply the information asked for. At the same time if he can, by a continuance of the excellent precautions hitherto followed, remain in blissful ignorance of foul brood in his apiary, he may indeed say ' it is folly to be wise,' and he may rest assured that when a certain cure is found the B.B.J, will not be long in apprising its readers of the fact. — Eds.] CURING FOUL BROOD. [549.] The following brief account of my endeavours to cure foul brood may be of interest to some readers of the Journal. The disease showed itself in April last : one weak stock and two strong ones were badly affected ; four others slightly. 1. — Weak ; burned bees, combs, frames, quilts, and hive. 2. — Strong ; used one-third of a pound formic acid (B brand) without producing any visible sign of improvement. Burned six combs, two- thirds of each being filled with rotten grubs ; killed queen ; gave clean hive and combs ; left in a couple of shallow combs -of brood. Two ripe queen-cells given in succession were de- stroyed ; no eggs were laid for twelve days. Then introduced fertile queen and treated with naphthaline crystals— about a dessert- spoonf id every week. Bees did not attempt to remove it from frame-rests, where it was placed. The number of bees seemed to keep up, and some surplus was stored, but the disease did not quite disappear. In August tried a new solution sent me by Mr. Harrison. Sprayed combs, un- capped cells with sunken lids, and poured in solution. Fed with syrup containing the solu- tion. A few weeks later the characteristic smell was absent from the rotten matter, of which not many cells remained. This solution is, at any rate, a deodorant. The stock appeared to be cured before closing down for winter, but further trials are necessary with this solution. 3 and 4. — Used one-third of a pound of formic acid to each without visible improvement. Afterwards used naphthaline. 5, 6 and 7. — Very slight cases — used naphtha- line only, and less than with the above stocks. All signs of disease gone in a few weeks. All the stocks yielded surplus, and are apparently cured. I do not consider re-queening (though adopted in one case) as actually necessary; but I think that in all but very slight cases of disease the combs and frames should be de- stroyed, or the chances of cure (if a cure there prove to be) will be small. Other precautions to prevent the disease being spread were : — 1. Disinfecting the hands with Calvert's medical carbolic soap. 2. Naked arms and hands when manipulating a diseased stock. 3. Separate veils when needed. 4. If smoker used, it was disinfected with the above soap or carbolic acid. 5. If hives were worth preserving they were well scalded, scrubbed with carbolic soap, rinsed with carbolic acid solution, and well painted within and without with two coats, before being used again, and were used only for stocks which had been diseased — not for those which were undoubtedly healthy. All stocks are at present alive, and have plenty of stores. Hoping that foul brood has, like the dirt, made a ' remarkable disappearance ' from my apiary, — Thos. Badcock, Southjieet, Kent. February Qth. SECURING WELL-FILLED SECTIONS. [550.] I have seen in great part your varied correspondence relating to tilling sections, but yet wish to see a thoroughly practical hint or two relative to filling them as far as possible to corners with comb, for after that it greatly depends on the good or bad season. Would they fill best with section-ends some way apart, or would they be better hung in frames one or two deep ? As far as my experience goes, if kept too warm, it is conducive to edge or corner holes. Should you consider it worth while to bring this subject before your readers, it would be in good time to arrange for coming season, be useful to myself, and maybe to my fellow-bee-keepers — at least, in this locality. My bees are all in prime condition, having passed the winter so far well, with very little loss. They are mostly in double-walled hives with winter passages, and dry. — An tell, near Dorchester. [We hope to treat of the above in the series of winter papers now appearing. — Eds.] QUEEN-REARING. [551.] I should be glad to know, with a view to the coming season, with how many stocks it is advisable to go in for queen-rearing — honey being the chief object in view, and I myself being a novice. Also, is it ever worth while to make one's own foundation? I, for one, should be glad of a copy of Dr. Tinker's book. May I suggest that in reviews of books the price should always be stated, and if published abroad how it can be obtained ? — E. M., Fressing field, Harleston. 82 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [February 12, 1891. WEATHER REPORTS. Bucknall, Lincoln. BM. 25. January, 1891. iMaximum 51° on 28th. Minimum - 5° on 18th. Mean max SI'S* Rain P58 inches. „ min 22-4° In 24 hrs. 037 on 31st. „ temp 30-1° Rain on 16 days. „ of 5 yrs. . . 34-5° Average, 5 yrs. 1*26 in Remarks. — The weather has been bright and clear generally, the mean daily range being 15*4°. The rainfall, though above the average of five years, has fallen chiefly in showers and at night, leaving the days bright. The mean minimum is exceptionally low, the ground being covered with snow till the 21st. Ice, ten to fifteen inches in thickness. There have been two very cold periods : from 5th to 11th, minimum being • 6° on the 10th ; and from 16th to 19th, when a minimum of - 5° was touched at 8 a.m. on the 19th. The bees have been flying every day since 25th. — J. Bint, Fehruary 2nd. Westbourne, Sussex. January, 1891. Maximum . . 50° on 31st. Rain: — 2"54 in. Minimum . . 17° on 18th. Heaviest fall, '59 in. Min. on grass 14° on 18th. on 29th. Frosty nights 22 Rain on 14 days. Average, 5 yrs., 2*66 in. Sunshine: — 117"40 hrs. Brightest day, 5th, ~7 hrs. Sunless days, 8. Remarks. — A phenomenally bright month. Bees were out first on the 21st, and from the 25th to the end of the month were flying every day. — T. B. Birkett. umm ratr Implies. [310.] Removing Bees. — My two hives I find ihave to be removed at least two and a half miles from where they now are, and so will require a cart. Will you kindly direct me how to manage this ? 1. Must the hives be taken off their stands ? If so, how wrapped up ? 2. If not, how should they be fastened together? 3. Is the evening the best time to remove them ? 4. Are all wraps to be removed when they get to their new quarters at once ? 5. What quarter would you advise the entrances to face when in their new location ? — G. B., Craven Terrace, W. Reply. — We can reply to your queries en bloc. Pray give up the idea of a cart for con- veying the hives. A couple of men will carry them both on a handbarrow (or on a couple of poles made to serve as such) for less cost, with less disturbance, and they will travel almost without any special preparation whatever beyond closing the entrances with perforated zinc to keep the bees in. Carefully and quietly done at night, the bees will hardly be aware of the re- moval ; whereas the shaking and jolting of a cart is likely to cause much disturbance. Re- move the zinc from entrances as soon as the hives are fixed up on their new stands. S.E. is the best direction for entrances to face. [311.] Syrup from Raw Sugar. — I fed my bees up last autumn on syrup which was guaran- teed to be a pure cane sugar, but I fancy it con- tained treacle, as all my bees are badly affected with dysentery, and several stocks dead, while others are very weak. I enclose a sample of sugar, and will thank you for your opinion of it. I have taken all combs containing food away from my remaining stocks, and given them three or four clean combs, and poured about half a pound warm thick syrup in one comb, and put a cake of candy on top, and covered up warmly. I would like to know if I can use the food in the combs which I have removed from the living stocks, or shall I have to throw it away ? If the fault is in the sugar, I presume it would be best to put it away. — Tom, Northioich. Reply. — The sample sent is no doubt pure cane, but it is a raw sugar, and such does not make good bee-food. Granulated sugar should always be used. The syrup in combs may be used for spring food if boiled again after ex- tracting. In fact, bees in flying weather can take food with impunity which would be ruinous to their health when they cannot get abroad for a flight for weeks together. [312.] 1. When is the best time to transfer bees from straw skeps to bar-frame hives, now or in autumn ? 2. When severe frost gave in a little and weather soft, I opened hive and found a few bees alive, since dead. Frames contain sealed honey, also dark unsealed syrup — I suppose that with which I fed late in autumn. Some cells have a substance which looks like wax ; a few are sealed, and, when opened, have fully developed dead bees in. They are slightly mouldy. Do you think this is foul brood? 3. Would it be safe to uncap honey and put frames into other hives for food ? 4. Can any- thing be done to remove mould from comb, or will the bees do this and clean out cells ? 5. Bees were fed on best quality of saccharine, or in- verted cane sugar, such as used by brewers. Is this good feeding ? 6. With respect to ' mead- making,' how does it compare with cider- making ? Farmers make hundreds of hogsheads of cider for sale, and pay no tax and require no licence ; yet in strength cider is equal to beer, and very intoxicating, and cannot be retailed to be drunk on premises, except in licensed houses. — Idle Hour. Reply. — 1. The operation of transferring bees and old combs from skeps to frame hives is fast falling into disuse, and wisely so, for in these days of cheap comb foundation there is no need for utilising old combs in that way. Let the skep swarm, and hive it in the usual way. When the second swarm or cast has come off, return it to the skep, and leave the bees in the latter till the twenty-first day from the issue of the first swarm, when they may be driven and established as a swarm, the old combs in skep being melted down for wax. 2. We cannot venture an opinion as to foul brood with- February 12, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 83 out seeing a sample of the comb and brood. 3. If it is honey you wish to uncap, and there is no disease, yes ; but taken in connexion with query No. 5, it is very questionable. 4. If not very foul, the bees will clear out the mould. 5. This substance is entirely unfit for bee-food. If bees are to be safely carried through severe winters, nothing but pure cane granulated sugar must be used for syrup-making. 6. The law defines all drinks containing more than a certain percentage of alcohol as chargeable with excise duty, and we see no reason why cider should be exempted if it come within the statute. [318.] Dysenteric Bees. — Kindly tell me what it is best to do -with a moderately strong stock rather badly suffering from dysentery at the present time ? They have sealed stores at hand, but at present the weather is not warm enough for them to get out. An answer in next issue of Journal would be esteemed a favour. — Punnet Street. Reply. — Take advantage of the first warm day to transfer bees and combs into a -warm, dry hive, and let all top coverings be well dried, too, before replacing. Good, warm syrup will also assist in removing the trouble. [314.] A Beginner's Queries. — I have three hives, each containing six frames, and would like to have them made up to ten by the time the honey season commences here — early in June. 1. Should I place the four frames to the side of the other six, or set one or two of them in the centre ? 2. Should I com- mence stimulative feeding in March ? Each hive had 20 lbs. of stores last autumn. 3. Sup- pose a swarm came off, would it be best to re- turn it again or hive in a separate hive, so as to have the best advantage of the honey crop ? The heather is very plentiful about a mile dis- tant. 4. Would you recommend me to get Lee's sections ? 5. How many crates would be sufficient for each hive ? A reply will greatly oblige— A Beginner, Carnforth. Reply. — 1. Set the frames to the outside of those already in. Beginners should not attempt ' brood-spreading.' 2. April is soon enough to start stimulating if food is all right. 3. All depends on the date the swarm came off. If at the early part of the honey season locate it on the old stand, and give it the supers from the parent hive to finish a week after hiving. If season is nearly over return it, otherwise neither stock nor swarm will complete the unfinished sections. 4. Yes. 5. It entirely depends on the season. [315.] Bees refusing Candy. — Can you tell me why it is my bees have not taken the candy left on the hives last autumn ? Is it because the candy is hard ? — Frampton. Reply. — Most probably the candy is so hard that the bees can do nothing with it. We have had samples of bee-candy sent here recently which would be about as useful for bee-food as a stone. Only soft candy is suitable at this season. ffitlptttB ixam % pities, Westbourne Rectory, Sussex, February 4th. — My bees passed the winter with entrances full width, porous quilt, no winter passages, but space given over the combs, and with about six thicknesses of carpet or felt, but no chaff or cork cushions, and they are all alive and well. — L. B. BlRKETT. Needingivorth,St. lues, Hunts, February 5tk. — On looking over my twenty-one stocks of bees, I find they are all alive. Sixteen are in single- walled inch-thick hives, and five in skeps. Three of the wood hives have lost a great many bees. Indeed, there has been greater mortality all round in the wood hives than in the skeps, although the former have five or six inches of chaff packing on them. Respecting cheap ap- pliances, I make all my hive frames and section racks. Last year I made ten hives complete, including two coats of paint, for half-a-erown each, not counting labour. Last year was a bad one, but not so bad as 1888. That year it cost me thirty shillings to feed up for the winter. Last year I had honey of that value to sell, so that they kept out of debt. The year 1889 was a good one, so was 1887. I am happy to say we have no foul brood here. I' have never seen it, and don't want to. I had only one swarm from twenty stocks last year. Instead of putting a hive on the top of the brood chamber, I put it underneath. They filled it with comb, but no honey. — St. Ivian. Valley Apiary, Hundon, Suffolk, February 7th, 1891. — On Wednesday last, being a nice day and bees on the wing in thousands, I took the opportunity to examine my thirty-four stocks, and am pleased to state I have only lost two, one from mice and one owing to a leaky roof. I find they are breeding profusely, some of them having patches of sealed brood as large as one's hand, so they appear none the worse for their long confinement. I never knew them so long without a flight before. My hives are double- walled, three-quarters of an inch stuff, with no packing between walls, three thicknesses of good porous covering above frames, and a crown board with a couple of bricks above that, and a three-inch entrance. I always winter on seven or eight Standard frames, and when packed in October they average twenty-five to thirty pounds sealed stores. I think a winter like this will test the hives and bees too. Mine are all pure natives, and they are the bees for me ! A cunning skeppist told me the other day that he had lost seven out of eight, and I am afraid I shall hear of several more losses, and yet they will not feed. — 0. Whiting. Bridgnorth, Shropshire, February Srd, 1891. — The exceptionally severe winter has decimated a good many stocks hereabouts ; but I was agreeably surprised to-day on examining a colony to find a fine brood nest in three or four of the middle class. The queen— a Carniolan — 84 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [February 12, 1891. was laying freely, and there were goodly patches of sealed Brood in a perfectly healthy condition. Is not this very early brood, considering the intensely cold weather of the past few months, with 31° of frost on one occasion ? [Yes. — Eds.] I may add that this particular stock was ■wintered on natural stores, has plenty of pollen, in a hive double-walled and air-space on two sides only, entrance open full width, and a south aspect. Early crocuses and the willow catkin are just coming into bloom, and will furnish the first forage for our favourites in this district. — J. Edmund Roden. Hawkhurst, Kent, February 7th. — I have just taken a peep at my bees, and find all are alive so far. I have five stocks ; one a condemned lot in a makeshift hive, and even these appear to be all right. I have not heard yet of any losses about here, but I expect to where the bees are not properly looked after. I trust we shall have a good season. I shall look out and get my bottles set the right end upwards when it comes. — F. R. Midland County, February 5th. — My eight hives are all in good health and spirits, ready to make use of every hour of sunshine. There has never been a winter passage cut for them, and the hives are one large bar-frame (double walls), one single-wall (thin), one Neighbour's cottage (straw), one flat-topped skep, two boxes without frames, two boxes late but well-fed swarmers of July 13th. Plenty of variety here, and in each case doing well. — Midland County. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Letters or queries ashing for addresses of manufacturers or correspondents, or where appliances can be purchased, or ■replies giving such information, can only be inserted as advertisements. The space devoted to letters, queries, and replies, is meant for the general good of bee-keepers, and not for advertisements. We wish our Correspondents to bear in ■mind that, as it is necessary for us to go to press in advance of the date of issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue immediately following the receipt of their com- munication. All queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only of personal interest will be answered in this column. Turlough B. O'Bryen (Carron, Ennis). — Quality of Honey. — To keep bees in quantity in a district the honey from which is not sale- able by reason of its flavour is certairily not to be recommended ; but are you sure the fault is in the locality and not in 'the sea°on ? A good deal of honey-dew was gathered last year in some parts, and it went far to spoil what good honey was already in surplus chambers. Might not this have spoiled yours ? At any rate, if the main crop is gathered, as state, in ' late July and early August,' you cannot charge the mischief on the sycamore, for that bloom is over before June is out. When the sample promised comes to hand we will give you our opinion on it. Meantime we should say your best plan would be to work for comb honey in the early season while the quality is good, and the later or inferior crop could be extracted and sold at a cheap arate for manufacturing purposes. Richard Dutton (Witham).— Any raw sugar will not do as a substitute for Porto Rico. Good Demerara is the next best, but, accord- ing to Mr. Simmins, genuine Porto Rico is the only really suitable sugar for dry feeding. S. George Field. — Of the two samples sent No. 1 is a good make of soft candy. No. 2 is as hard as a stone, and not fit for spring food — indeed, the sugar of which it is made has not even been thoroughly melted. No doubt bees store a portion of the soft candy, as they will any other food they can take down into the hive. If there is no pollen in the comb you may give pea-flour outside as a substi- tute. Referring to the cutting on ' spreading brood,' it appeared ten years ago, and the writer had no idea of the amount of evil which would result from the practice in the hands of inexperienced bee-keepers. Be guided by what appeared in our article on the subject on p. 51 of B.J. for Jan. 29th. Alpha. — Comb sent is slightly affected with foul brood — not the malignant type — Candy is all right. We don't know what is meant by ' spring beans.' Bees do work on field beans, or horse beans as they are called. R. Auld. — We think there is no cause for alarm, it is only a bad case of chilled brood. R. French (Leamington). — Your parcel has not reached us. WAX FURNITURE FINISH. A wax finish for furniture woods is made by mixing about three ounces of washed tallow and three and a quarter pounds of wax with one pint of turpentine, constantly stirring while boiling and until cold. The paste is rubbed in, the superfluous wax removed with a wooden scraper, and then gone over with soft woollen cloths until it shines. Some workmen prefer to let the wax dissolve in the turpentine cold, as they fancy the heat diminishes the polishing effect. If a coat of French polish is afterwards applied it deepens the gloss. — English Mechanic. WAX POLISH. An excellent wax polish for wood is made by boiling a quarter of a pound of white wax with an ounce of pearlash in a quart of water. It should be continually stirred while boiling and until thoroughly cool. It is applied to the surface of the wood with an ordinary paint- brush, and rubbed briskly until dry with a velvet or plush rubber. A very high polish is the result. — Builder and Woodworker. %* Several letters, dbc.,are unavoidably heldover till next week. NOTICE. — We request our correspondents in future to address all communications relating to tlxe literary department, &c, to ' The Editors of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London. W.C THE •Brifeli Ik Smiriial, BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 452. Vol. XIX. N.S. 60.] FEBRUARY 19, 1891. [Published Weekly (Sfoitcrml, Unites, $t. THE LATE REV. J. LAWSON SISSON. With much sorrow we have to announce the ■decease of the Rev. J. Lawson Sisson, who passed away on the 11th of February, after a long and painful illness. Mr. Sisson, as one of the pioneers of modern bee- keeping, had been indefatigable in advancing the in- dustry in every way he possibly •could, and his los-< will be much felt "by bee-keepers generally, and more particularly by those who knew him. He was born in Leeds on the 10th of January, 1816, and was therefore just seventy-five years of age. His father. Dr. Sisson, was master at the Wakefield Gram- mar School, and was a scholar of some distinction as well as a writer. He wrote an Anglo - Saxon grammar, an his- torical sketch of Wakefield, a work on Inland Navigation, and also on Divinity questions. His house was the rendezvous of authors and pub- lishers, whom Mr. Sisson used to meet. As he was a delicate lad he was kept much at home, and having obtained a scholarship at Wakefield SchoDl of fifty guineas a-year for four years, he commenced his school-life there. From school he went to Jesus College, Cambridge, and after taking his degree he was ordained to the curacy •of Monmouth fey Dr. Musgrave, bishop of REV. J. LAVi'SON SISSON. Hereford, in December, 1840. He took priest's orders in 1841. The climate being very relaxing he left Monmouth, and entered on the curacy of Hunstanton, in Norfolk. A few months after he was presented to the living of Swafield by Lord Granville Somerset, who was Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster at that time. This living he held for seven years, and was then presented by Lord Carlisle to Edingthorpe, which living he held to his death. He and his pre- decessor had held this living for just over one hundred years. Mr. Sisson first began to take an interest in bees in 1850, and being a good carpenter he made a number of hives — Nutt's, for instance, and those illustrated in a tract by Mr. Cotton of Oxford — the ' Conservative Bee- keeper.' Having put a curate into the living, he took his family to Swit- zerland for a time, and while there he was offered the English chap- laincy at Lau- sanne, to which he was licenced by the Bishop of London in January, 1857. After ten years' residence abroad he returned home to take up his work at Eding- thorpe, and started bee-keeping. His connexion with the British Bee-keepers Association dates from its commencement, and he was frequently called upon to judge at its exhibitions. He was also among the first sub- scribers to the British Bee Journal, and con- tinued his interest in it to the last. His con- tributions were generally instructive as well as amusing. His handsome countenance and long, white, flowing beard gave him the appearance 8G THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [February 19, 1891. of a patriarch, and his powerful voice and fluency of speech caused him to be attentively listened by all whom he addressed. Fearless with bees he was always a welcome manipulator in the bee-tent, where his replies to questions often caused a good deal of amusement. He took a great interest in the promotion of the Norfolk County Association, and he wrote some hundreds of letters on bee-keeping for cottagers in the local papers. His letters made a stir among those who did not think of keeping bees, and through them many were induced to make a start. He was judge at many of the shows of the B. B. K. A. as well as County shows, and being a thoroughly practical man his awards generally gave satisfaction. Every new im- provement that was worth anything was tried by him, and without reserve he was always willing to give information and advice. Besides bee-keeping, photography was a hobby of his, and was commenced by him some forty years ago. So proficient had he become in this science that Messrs. Marion published a small work of his on the paper negative process, illustrated with stereoscopic views taken from his negatives. The loss of his son a few years ago was a sore trial to Mr. Sisson, and for some time he had little heart to attend to his bees ; but his ardent love for them revived, and although he was seventy-five, to the last he gave his bees the attention they required. His fading health during the latter years of his life had prevented him from taking a prominent part at shows, but those who remember him a few years ago will not easily forget how he attracted audiences to the bee-tent by his fearlessness with bees and his quaint, humorous remarks. We are sure all bee-keepers will feel that they have lost a good friend, and one who has done much for bee-keeping, and will join us in sympathy with his relatives at his decease. USEFUL HINTS. Weather. — If Southern bee-keepers have a complaint just now against the weather, it is because of the summer-like warmth which for several days has been tempting the bees out, and mayhap inducing brood- raising on a more extended cell-surface than is quite safe. Notwithstanding the reports of a temperature certainly high for Febru- ary in some parts, the frequently recurring night frosts warn us that bees would be all the better for a week or two of cool weather yet before normal spring activity is begun. Not that we should complain, for the sunny days with which we have been favoured have been of the utmost value to bees and their keepers alike, and it is not too much to say that both have profited by them. Causes op Mortality among Bees.— It is perfectly bewildering — while going through the correspondence received during the last few days referring to this subject — to at- tempt a diagnosis of the various cases pre- sented to us for our opinion, and the simple confidence with which correspondents write to say — 'My bees have died, with plenty of food in the hive ! I send you a few dead bees to examine. Please say what has caused their death1?' — is very flattering to us as betokening the idea that the Eds. of the B. J. are veritable ' wells of wisdom ' in bee-affairs. Unfortunately, however, we are entirely unable to give any answer at all in the majority of cases, other than that ' we don't know.' Moreover, the very few details vouchsafed in most instances make it impossible to even venture a guess why the bees have died. This much may be said : Bee-keepers, who have have had experience in managing' fairly large apiaries can keep their bees alive in any winter experienced in the United Kingdom with a very small per- centage of loss ; and this being so, it only re- mains for less experienced readers of the B. J. to follow one or other of the methods adopted by such men. Having done so, they may rely on us when we tell them that in some way their management is at fault if they fail, and that when further experience has been gained they will bo enabled to winter their bees safely. At the same time, we can arrive at some general conclusion on the effects of the past, winter, so far as it has affected bee-life, and it points to the certainty that bees have fai'ed worse in cases where upward ventila- tion has been allowed than where close, non- porous coverings have been adopted. Odd instances will appear where contrary results have followed, but those who would dispute the point must kindly bear in mind that we are in an exceptionally favourable position for judging, and that our sources of information are such as are possessed by none other in the Kingdom. It seems as if the escape of heat — insensible though it would appear, and productive of no harm in an ordinary winter — has told its tale in reducing the vitality in some stocks. This, and the mistake made by so many of feed- ing on raw sugar, give the most tangible evidence which can be gathered from the correspondence before us. After all, the winter has been anything but a disastrous one, for the great majority of reports sent in are most favourable. February 19, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 87 BBITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. Annual Meeting. We draw the attention of bee-keepers and those interested in the pursuit to the annual meeting of the above Association, which takes dace at the offices of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 105 Jermyn Street, on Tuesday, the 24th inst., at 8.30 p.m. — the President of the Association, the Baroness Burdett-Coutts, in the chair. A conversazione will afterwards be held in the same rooms at six o'clock, when a paper will be read by Mr. R. A. II. Grimshaw on ' Bees acd Odours.' ! TO OUR SCOTTISH READERS. Scottish Bee-keepers' Association. We are glad to hear that there is a prospect of the formation of a Bee-keepers' Association for Scotland. For a great many years the Caledonian Apiarian Society has done good work. It was, in fact, one of the first societies to be started, and its foundation dates as far back as 1875, when it was brought into existence under the title of the Caledonian Apiarian and Entomological Society, and in connexion with the Glasgow and West of Scotland Horticultural Society. Shows were held in connexion with the Highland Agricultural Society, which was found to be more advan- tageous for the spread of bee-keeping than those previously held under the auspices of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Horticultural Society. Much energy was displayed by the Society when Mr. R. J. Bennett assumed the secretary- ship and while he was able to take an active part in the work, and much credit is due to him for the manner in which he managed the Society. However, increasing pressure of work has not allowed him to devote so much time to bee-keeping as formerly, and as he get no assist- ance from his Committee, and had frequently to supplement the funds by contributions from his own friends, the annual shows have ceased to be held, and when we were in Scotland Mr. Bennett was anxious to find some energetic gentleman, with time at his disposal, who would be able to work up the Association. Practically, therefore, the Association has ceased to exist, and we think it would be of immense advantage if an entirely new associa- tion were formed, and work commenced de novo. In a country so highly favoured as Scotland for bee-keeping, and with such an array of bee- masters, there should be no difficulty in founding a society upon a sound and permanent basis, and we would ask our numerous Scottish readers who are willing to co-operate in form- ing such a society to put themselves in corre- spondence with Thomas D. Gibson Carmichael, Esq., of Chiefswood, Melrose, who is in com- munication with Mr. Bennett on this subject. BEE RAMBLES IN SAVOY. (Continued from page 78.) A pleasant drive of two and a half hours brought us to the residence of Dr. Henon, who met us at the threshold with his wife and little daughter, giving us a hearty welcome. We had seen Dr. Henon some years ago and were glad to visit him again, for he was an ardent bee-keeper, and a noted botanist as well. In his beautifully kept garden we found forty hives of the Layens pattern, all in good order. Dr. Henon does not interfere with these hives except to satisfy himself that they have plenty of food. They are left to develop themselves, and have all the frames (making up the twenty) given to them in the spring at one operation. They are then not interfered with. until the honey has to be extracted in the autumn, and the bees prepared for winter. Wonderfully well this let-alone system seems to succeed : Dr. Henon is rewarded by a fair harvest of honey, while he has time at his disposal for his other occupations. Just now he was ex- perimenting on grafting vines on American stocks in order to resist the phylloxera, which had devastated the vineyards of France as well as the adjacent countries. Refreshments were partaken of here, and Dr. and Madame Henon accompanied us to the station to see us off to La Roche, en route for Bonneville, whither we were bound that night, promising to spend the next day with our friends, when our bee-chat was to be continued. The line from La Roche to Bonneville was to be opened the next day, so they were going to take advantage of this to see more of us. Our hosts accompanied us to the station at Annemasse, which we left by the 8.30 p.m. train, our destination being La Roche, where we arrived soon after nine o'clock. We passed through some lovely scenery, and regretted that in the dim twilight we could not enjoy it more. We remembered a rocky valley near Reignier seen some years previously, where amongst masses of rocks grew the lovely little cyclamen in profusion, but we were not able to see anything of them, and had to be content with past remini- scences, when we had visited this valley in the company of M. Bertrand and Dr. Henon. At La Roche we took the omnibus which was to carry us as far as Bonneville, in the valley of Chamounix. After a considerable delay a start was made, and the reckless driving soon con- vinced us that the driver had been indulging rather freely. A halt was made at several cafes of such duration that at last we remon- strated, and asked if we were ever likely to reach our destination, for at every halting-place more wine was imbibed, and we began to fear lest we should never get to Bonneville at all. In reply, the driver said, ' Mafoi ! what would you have ? After twenty years' work on the road, there were many friends to take leave of, and one must take a parting glass, as this was the last run of the coach on this road ! '—as the railway was to be opened on the next day. However, 88 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [February 19, 1891. there was one consolation, and that was that the horses were soher and knew the road, and after a rather perilous journey in dense darkness we arrived at Bonneville, where M. Morel- Fredel met us, wondering what had caused such an unusual delay in our arrival. We walked to M. Fredel's residence, and there met with a hearty welcome from Madame Fredel and her son, which quite made up for any inconvenience we might have experienced in our journey. Late as it was we were glad of some supper, and then retired to rest, but not before we had had a good talk about bees. The night was lovely, and from our open windows could be heard the loud contented hum of the bees which were in the garden below. M. deLayens said they were forging , and it certainly sounded like the perpetual din of ironworks in the distance. Next morning we had an opportunity of seeing the bees and inspecting the premises. M. Morel-Fredel has between fifty and sixty hives of the Lay ens pattern, and obtains very large yields of honey. Bonneville is picturesquely situated in the fertile valley of the Arve, flanked on the right by the rugged limestone works of the Bregon, and on the left by the slopes of the Mole, the summit of which rises 6127 feet. The valley is not very broad, but extremely rich in cultiva- tion, so that there is very good pasturage for the bees. The honey - flow is generally continuous throughout the summer. In the meadow-lands esparcette is cultivated, and when this is over the bees find their way to the higher ground of the Mont Bregon range, and also to that of the Mole. There is a continuous succession of bloom, and as the flowers low down become exhausted the bees ascend. Sainfoin was to be •een in all directions, and we tasted some honey having a most decided flavour of astrantia. M. Morel-Fredel, who knew the neighbourhood well, said that the nearest place where astrantia grew was eight kilometres, so that the bees must have gone all that distance to collect it. The hives were arranged in the garden with their backs to the paths and faced in all direc- tions, so that they could easily be examined without standing in front of the stream of bees which come pouring in and out, most intent in their work. On some of these hives, although occupying twenty frames, M. Morel-Fredel had worked supers. For several years he has obtained an average of 50 kilos, of honey per hive (110 lbs.), and one hive gave him 104 kilos.; and on another, occupying twenty-one frames, he was obliged to put a super to give the bees room to store their surplus. M. Morel-Fredel showed us his store-room, where his extractor was kept and honey and frames stored, and also told us a curious fact about the hone3r=flow. A hot day and a cold, dry night generally produced a large yield of honey the next day, but if it happened that there was a hot day followed by a cold dew at night, the next day produced honey-dew in profusion, so that the moisture in the atmosphere appears to have something to do with it. Then with a bise, which is a sort of dry north-east wind, the honey-flow ceased altogether. We also remarked rotten wood placed on some of the hives, and this, we were told, was to amuse wasps and hornets, which were attracted by it and did not interfere with the hives. In fact we saw several wasps, while we were watching, come and nibble away at this wood, and carry small pieces away quite contentedly. Both wasps and hornets use rotten wood in the con- struction of their nests, and it would not be a bad plan for us to follow the example of M. Fredel, and give our wasps something to do instead of worrying our bees by endeavouring to get into the hives. Dr. and Madame Henon arrived, and a most . enjoyable day was spent comparing ideas and talking about bees and flowers. We shall never forget the hospitality of Monsieur and Madame Fredel, and how they made us feel at home at once. (To be ijntlaued.) MEADOWS' NEW REGISTERED FRAME. Mr. W. P. Meadows (Syston) forwards a sample of this newest form of frame in the market. The sketch given by the manufacturer in our adver- tisement columns conveys so clearly the idea of the invention, that detailed description is un- necessary beyond saying that the new features in the frame fully answer the purpose intended. The foundation is fixed very rapidly, and when fixed it is quite firm. Many bee-keepers will no doubt adopt it because of its removing the (to many) objectionable lodging-place for the wax- moth larvae afforded by the saw-cut in upper side of top bars. We shall give a personal trial of the frame this spring, and will report results. The ' paper-clip ' is a very simple arrangement for keeping the lower edge of foundation in line with bottom bar. DERBYSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The tenth annual meeting of the Derbyshire Bee-keepers' Association was held on Friday, January 30th, in the Town Hall, Derby, under the presidency of Mr. J. L. P. Barbar, J.P., C.C., there heing a very good attendance. Mr. Atkins, Secretary, read the balance-sheet of the Society, which showed a balance in hand of about 40/. The annual report was next read, which stated that the annual show was held by permission of the Derbyshire Agricultural Society in their grounds on September 10th, 1890. A large tent- was erected, and in it was located a display of bees, honey, and appliances for bee-keeping on modern principles. The show was not so large as that of 1889, but, considering the very un- February 19, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 89 favourable season, it was about equal in merit to any sbow to be met with in any part of England. The staging and the whole arrange- ments were carried out by Mr. W. T. Atkins, the Secretary, and reflected much credit upon him. Mr. C. N. White, of Somersham, was the judge, and during the day he also conducted an examination of candidates for the third-class expert certificates ; all three candidates were suc- cessful. The same candidates contended for second-class certificates, and again all passed with credit. From the Experts' spring reports we gather that the loss of bees belonging to members in the winter of 1889-90 was very small compared with the previous winter. The year's honey results to members have been much below the average, and some considerable feeding had to be done to get the bees into condition for wintering. In moving the adoption of the report the Chairman impressed upon the bee-keepers pre- sent the necessity for competing with the large trade done in foreign honey by inducing persons to join the Society and produce honey at home. The report and balance-sheet was adopted unanimously, and after the usual votes of thanks to the various officials, who had rendered ex- cellent service to the cause of bee-keeping by their personal efforts, the proceedings terminated by the election of officers for the current year, Mr. W. T. Atkins being again elected Hon. Sec. NORTHAMPTONSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The annual meeting of the Northamptonshire Ree-keepers' Association was held on Saturday, the 14th of February in all Saints' Schoolroom, Northampton. The Rev. J. Phillips presided. There were also present Messrs. A. L. Y. Morlev, H. Collins, W. Manning, G. E. Atkins (Hon. Treasurer), R. Hefford (Hon. Secretary), &c. The report for the past year was read by the Hon. Secretary and adopted as follows : — ' In presenting the Eighth Annual Report and state- ment of accounts for the year 1890, your Com- mittee have the pleasure to state that after paying all liabilities due at the close of the year, a balance of 5/. 8s. lid., besides other assets, remain in favour of the Association. The annual show was held at Delapre in connexion with the Northamptonshire Horticultural Society Show on August 4th and 5th, when in conse- quence of the very poor honey season, the quantity exhibited was not so large as the previous year; Mr. J. R. Truss again under- taking the lecturing and manipulating in the bee-tent with bees lent by Mr. II. Williams. The Association also offered a few prizes, and sent the bee-tent to FawsleyShow on August 1st, Mr. C. Cox kindly undertaking the manipulating, &c, which was of considerable interest to mem- bers and others in that district, three new sub- scribers having since joined the Association. The Association owes its best thanks to the Rev. R. A. White, Mr. J. Shaw, and Mr. J. R. Truss for kindly officiating as judges. The Association is also indebted to the following gentlemen for their kindness in offering prizes : — Messrs. Johnson and Wright, H. Williams, II. Collins, C. Cox, W. Bazeley, 0. C. Hollis, and R. Hefford.' The balance-sheet was then produced by Mr. Atkins, and after his explanations thereon it was considered very satisfactory. The election of officers for the ensuing year was then proceeded with, Mr. A. L. Y. Morley being elected President, Mr. Hefford and Mr. Atkins were re-appointed Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer, and the following gentlemen were elected on the Committee: — Rev. J. Phillips, Weston Favell ; Messrs. H. Collins, Berry Wood; J. II. Truss, Ufford Heath; C. Cox, Brampton ; W. Manning, Northampton ; J. Cox, Badby. Votes of thanks were passed to the retiring President, Lady Knightley, to the Managers for the use of the schools, and to the Chairman for presiding. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are requested to write on one side oj the paper only, and give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, ic, must be addressed only to 'The Bditoes of the "British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C All business communications relating to Advertisements, &c, must be addressed to Mr. J. Huczle, Kings Langley, Herts (see 1st page of Advertise- ments). *»* In order to facilitate reference, Correspondents, when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted, will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well as the page on which it appears. IN THE HUT. 'If thou be a severe, sour-complexioned man, then I here disallow thee to be a competent judge.' Izaak Walton. [552.] Mr. Allen Pringle does not seem to like my italicising his article entitled ' The In- spector's Work.' I repeat my remark that ' He (the inspector) examines eighty-one apiaries, and finds foul brood in 350 stocks, and then, to use his own words, rushes on to other places. Yes, I think a great deal of it will be his work, per- formed, of course, in all innocence, and meaning well.' This, mind you, is in a district where foul brood is rampant, and where Mr. Pringle's inspector has been for fifteen years deeding suc- cessfully with the pest, Surely, they ought over there, with a fifteen-year-old ' sure cure,' to clear themselves of it, before roasting for us this ' chestnut ; ' before making one's maternal grand- parent acquainted with the proper method of extracting the contents from the ovarian pro- ductions of female members of the poultry yard! 90 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [February 19, 1891. On the 1st instant I examined hives, seeing that bees were having a good flight in a tempera- ture of 55s, and was surprised to find they had wintered so well. They have opened out strong and vigorous. A good deal of this is perhaps attributable to my having wintered them on nothing but heather honey, which contains only a small proportion of water, and is very slow in candying in the comb. I recently used a splendid shallow-frame slab of two years old for the table, and it was_ no more candied than marmalade. My neigh- bours (Huttites) are also delighted with their ' opening out.' I have just returned from my first spring ride on my three-wheeler, having intended to see how the bees of the blacksmith's wife were looking ; but alas ! the roads were too rough and hard, and the rider too soft — the paste (pace) was too stiff, and the paper (X-Tractor) too thin ! So I gave in after ten miles, and came home with ' a head so little there is no room for wit/ but room enough for a headache ; and Moore tells us — * You write with ease to show your breeding, But easy writing's curst hard reading.' Mead-making is legal enough, I think, but the rub comes when one sells it. Your readers will remember how the ' Devil of an Exciseman ' stopped the sale of mead by the old lady, so well written of a couple of years ago by Mr. Godfrey. Brew it, and drink it instead of strong tea (the doctor's truest friend). We must all thank our brethren in the Inland Revenue Department for their good advice on this debatable point. This bit of advice is only for those be- nighted (?) individuals who, like 'X-Tractor,' believe in frames parallel with the entrance : — At the first opportunity (50° in shade) take out two frames nearest entrance (probably now quite empty), and substitute the two back frames (probably quite full). Likely enough we shall have another cold snap (please don't take this as a prophecy), and the reduced area, with still plenty of food, will tend to keep all warm and snug. Of all the bee-keepers I know, Mr. ' Useful Hints ' is most to be commiserated. With the bees he loves so well so far from him, well may he wish — ' Mine be a cot beside the hill ; A beehive's hum shall soothe mine ear ; A willowy brook that turns a mill With many a fall shall linger near.' I should like to be behind him and ' tak' notes' when he goes to see them, and fulfil the office of — X-Teactob. with a memorandum-book, the leaves of which should have a form something after the follow- ing printed on them : — ■ Name of Association. Expert's visit made by Date 1891. Name and address°of person visited, Number of hives, frames, skeps, Time occupied in visit — from to Condition of bees, Instructions left, This form to be filled up in duplicate, one copy to be left with the member or person visited, and one copy left in the book. The back of the forms left might be used as a means of advertising the Association when a visit was made to a non-member, by printing the rules and advantages of the Association. By having a book of this kind the headquarters of the Association would be well posted in the work done by their experts, know exactly how their time was employed, and the persons visited would have the written instructions for refer- ence. At the Committee meetings of the Associa- tion the book would be open for examination by any member, and places where foul brood was prevalent, and whether the expert had gone direct, from a foul-broody apiary to another, seen at a glance. A certain number of these books might be issued by the Committee to the local hon. secretaries,' or others who were competent experts and thoroughly acquainted with foul brood, and who were willing to devote some of their time to expert work free of charge to their Association. There would by this means be a permanent record of the members visited and the expert work done during the season. — T. D.S. [A very excellent suggestion, and one we should like to see carried out by every B. K. Association, not only for the ready means of keeping Committees posted up as to the work of their experts and the condition of members' bees, but for the extra pre- caution against foul brood it will ensure on the part of experts themselves. — Eds.] EXPERTS' VISITS. [553.J As the time is now approaching when County Associations will be sending out their experts on their spring visits, I should like to suggest that every expert should be supplied APPLIANCE DEALERS. [554.] It is very indulgent of you, sirs, to again allow space for discussion of this subject. 1 am accused by Mr. ' G. J.' (540, p. 68) of being ' a friend in court of defaulting appliance dealers,' and of 'an attempt to make them out pure and spotless;' but, sirs, od opening my Journal (12th inst,) received this morning, I find there (546, p. 79) a complete refutation of the epithet 'defaulting' by Mr. Woodley as applied to the unknown dealer against whom Mr. ' G. J.' makes this grave charge, and which is the case in hand — not that of all defaulting appliance dealers, which Mr. ' G. J.' would make it to appear. I can add nothing to the simple, quiet defence of this dealer's character by Mr. Woodley as in accordance with the evidence submitted ; it makes everything so clear that I should say it is unanswerable. I might have an equal ' intention ' with Mr. Woodley, whatever Mr. ' G. J.' means by that, but would be unable February 19, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 91 to defend him anything like so -well. But, sirs, there is another aspect of the case : the word. ' defaulting ' being swept away by Mr. Woodley, I presume I am to be cousidered as a friend in court of this unknown appliance dealer, and that Mr. ' G. J.' wishes I should be considered as such. Let us then investigate the evidence as contained in his letter (471, p. 582) a little more closely. I have done exactly as I have been * desired,' have written to my friend for the Journal containing it, received it back on Thursday last, and now, with your permission, will quote a few extracts, not my own mild version of the affair, but Mr. ' G. J.'s ' own exact words, and see what inference we can draw from them. Mr. ' G. J.' writes to a dealer for sections, &c, enclosing payment for them according to the dealer's advertisement, and continues : ' We got word that the particular priced section was sold out, but he could supply a dearer and better quality if we advised. There being no time to wait we were reluctantly obliged to wire him, to " send goods specified to amount sent." ' Now, sirs, what did or could this telegram mean but to send the better goods at the higher price ? and does not this telegraphic contract rule Mr. ' G. J .' altogether out of that of the advertise- ment ? What, therefore, does he means by ' We wrote again, threatening litigation except the balance was refunded :' and, as in his last letter, 'Emphatically no ; he had not the value of his money acoording to the dealer's advertised price list.' This all just means Mr. 'G. J.' is en- deavouring to force the dealer in question to give him his best at the price of his inferior goods, and, when threats of litigation fail, branding him in the B.B.J, with the epithet of fraudulent. I leave it to the readers of the Journal whether this is not so, and whether such a course is reasonable, right, or just. I might use stronger expressions, but forbear, and pass over Mr. 'G. J.'s' remaining personalities with the remark that they show a weak case, and that the complainant resorts to them only from ck of argument and knowing he is in the wrong. — W. B., Patrickswell, Co. Limerick. [We must respectfully decline to insert further letters on the above subject— for the present at least. — Eds.] MOUNTING OBJECTS FOR THE MICROSCOPE. [555.] Could you, or any of your correspon- dents, give some plain instructions on mounting insect subjects for the microscope? I have a powerful microscope and should like to study the anatomy of the bee. I have never mounted any objects properly, and have no appliances for injecting the blood vessels, &c. Can this be dispensed with ? Also, is it necessary to make sections of the part it is desired to study, or can the organ, if not too large, be mounted as it is ? What preservative fluid should be used ? The subjects I should like to try my hand on would be the wings, legs, tongue, sting, and any of the internal economy possible. I am afraid that the above inquiry is rather a large order ; but there may be others whom it would interest, and any hints would be gratefully received by — MOUCHE A MlEL. B.S. — Can you recommend any low-priced book on the subject ? [The subject referred to by our correspondent will be dealt with ere long in the series of ' Bee- Papers for Winter ' now appearing in this paper. It will not be possible in the space of a single paper to do more than glance at a few of the many branches of the science interesting to microscopists ; but ' mounting objects for the microscope ' will have special attention from one of the Editors, a practical microscopist, who has himself mounted some hundreds of objects for his own use, and who will give the information asked for from personal and practical experience. A suitable book for the purpose is Davies' on The Preparation and Mount- ing of Objects for the Microscope. W. H. Allen & Co., Waterloo Place, Pall Mall, London. Price 2s. Qd.— Eds.] NAPHTHOL 13. [556.] I find naphthol /3 is very difficult to keep soluble. It dissolves very easily in alcohol, but the moment it is added to cold water it precipitates again, and if this is so in cold water would it not do th3 same when the syrup is cold ? I should be glad if some bee-keeper who is a chemist would give some information on this subject, and the best way syrup and candy could be medicated with it. — T. D. Schofield, Oakfield, Alderley Edge. [Naphthol /3 is soluble in alcohol, and if this solution is poured into hot water it remains in solution even on cooling, unless there is an excess of naphthol. It should be put into syrup when this is hot, or before it is taken off the fire. The simplest way to prepare syrup would be to weigh out thre c grains of naphthol for every pound of sugar used, and dissolve it in as much alcohol as will form a solution, then add this to the syrup while it is being boiled. Eor medicating candy, when the syrup is boiled to the proper consistency, pour in the solution and stir till set. — Eds.] SINGLE OR DOUBLE- WALLED HIVES. [557.] The break-up of the frost is evidenced by the well-filled and diversified pages of the Journal as well as by flights of the bees. The regular staff were, of course, compelled to give us ' copy ' whatever the state of the weather, and notwithstanding a probable desire on their part to hibernate with the rest of us. I hope that all feel duly grateful to them for ' keeping the pot a bilin' ' while we were lazily doing- nothing ; or, perchance, sedulously bumping 92 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [February 19, 1891. ourselves against the ice — almost as lively an occupation as that of bumping bees. Considerable interest is naturally aroused as to the comparative virtues of the single and double-walled hives. The writer of ' Useful Hints ' comes to the conclusion, after recent ex- perience, that the single-walled hive with out- ward casing is all-sufficient. Such a hive is practically a double-walled hive, and to describe it as single-walled is liable, I think, to lead beginners astray. ' So high an authority having - pronounced in favour of the single-walled hive,' the beginners will say, and forgetful of the outer casing, ' what need have we of more ? ' and come to grief in consequence. Mr. ' U. H.'s ' double-walled hive, though these walls be thin, gives, in my estimation, greater protection than would a hive whose single walls were 1^ in. thick. How has Mr. Wood fared this winter ? Likely enough his bees have as much grit as their keeper, and have persisted, in spite of the cold, in doing well in their half -inch walls. A temperature of 35° below zero, such as Dr. Miller (532) speaks of, would be the test for the rival systems. I had the pleasure of knowing what 34° below zero felt like when I passed a few months in the State of Illinois, seven years ago. My great regret now is that I was not then acquainted with the names of American apiculturists, else I should have considered it incumbent upon me to honour the Doctor with a call as a relief from the dreary work of tie- counting, which I was engaged upon in the previous autumn. Professor Cook, of Lansing, in whose neighbourhood I passed the greater part of a year, would doubtless have been similarly distinguished. Right here allow me to correct the writer in Farm and Home, whom you quote in your last number. ' Almost every farmer in that country' (America) ' keeps at least a few hives.' So far as my observation went (not very keen for bees then, it is true, and that was seven years ago) very few farmers kept bees. Almost all the bees I saw were kept in their spacious villages — no, not villages, but cities — I doubt whether any well-regulated American would be so wanting in civic pride as to refer to his cluster of cottages, hotel, saloon, post-office, and store, as a village ! /No, sir ree ! ' I have unwittingly wandered from my sub- ject, and return to it to say that a single-walled hive that I have has, up to the present winter, persistently given bad results. The hive was always damp, and the bees dwindled in numbers. This winter it has done well. The change is due to a return to the crown-board of the early frame hive. This board, half-inch thick, I placed so as to allow bee-space between it and the frames, and was, with the exception of a single thickness of slightly overlapping calico, the only top covering the bees had besides the cover itself. The hive is now strong in bees, and is dry. There has, however, been con- siderable consumption of stores. My experience during this and past winters points to the following as the ideal conditions for successful wintering : — A watertight ' parallel ' hive having double side-walls with air-space only between ; six or seven fairly filled broad-shouldered or metal-ended frames of natural stores (cheaper than sugar in the end), and two or three empty frames next the entrance ; the entrance not less- than four inches wide, and a strong stock of bees packed beneath a substantial porous quilt of calico and sacking. Such is my ideal, and it will be my endeavour in future to come up to- it. I am short of it this winter, for I have two stocks defunct mainly through the absence of one of the above conditions, viz., that of having the bees strong. These two stocks were queen- less for several weeks in the autumn, and went into winter quarters weaker than they should have gone. — East Glamorgan, February Qth,. 1891. DIRECT HIVING OF SWARMS. [558.] On page 170 of last year's Illustrierte Bienenzeitung was a description in an article- by the respected editor,M. Gravenhorst, of a new- swarm-box, into which the swarm is placed,, and no second transfer is needed. As repre- sented it does not seem a practical one for English frame hives, but it may be adapted to suit our requirements by the exercise of a little ordinary ingenuity. Let me borrow the W. Bt Carr hive to explain further, and refer to the- figures on p. 17 of your monthly, the Record for '90, for each separate part. I want three of these parts, No. 5 (the body-box), No. 7 (the stand), and No. 8 (the eke), although the latter is not necessary. The very simple idea is, if the swarm settles low, place the stand over it, near it, or as best you can, with the body-box containing six of the ten frames, with or without the eke between them. No floor-board is wanted. Darken the inside as much as possible by placing two pieces- of black calico crosswise over all down to the ground, leaving an entrance or two for bees to. join the swarm, which will, in all probability,, at once ascend into the frames, and if tempted by some comb foundation, will take possession of the body-box at once, to be treated like any other swarm when hived. The frames, put a good way apavt, allow the bees to crowd into them better, and the frames can be filled up to the full number afterwards when all have settled down and been placed. — J. G. K., Grove House,. Southborough, Tunbridge Wells. ENGLISH BEES VERSUS HYBRIDS. [559.] No, Mr. Woodley, it would not take centuries for a race of bees to deteriorate. With- out going into unlimited time, does your corre- spondent think that young queens bred from parents that are themselves so nearly related as cousins would be as strong, active, and healthy as those bred from bees where there is no con- sanguinity ? Can we point to any animal with February 19, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 93 which we are familiar, and say in-breeding is not detrimental to its health ? I admit that bees have a very wise natural instinct which impels them to mate with fresh blood ; and I am not aware that it has ever been noted as a physio- logical fact of a queen-bee mating with her brother; but I fully believe queens are very much in the habit of mating with their own near relations where there are only two or three hives kept in a large radius. Where a bee- keeper has a continual supply of fresh blood every autumn in-breeding undoubtedly will be very small, but where no fresh queens are brought to a small apiary mating of blood re- lations is sure to take place ; and if others are blind to the inevitable evils thus arising, I, for one, am not. .Referring to the proposal of Mr. Woodley on p. 66, I have five pure English stocks of bees in my apiary, just about equally strong with the other forty-seven, and at the end of the coming season I intend comparing results as intimated. I have successfully wintered fifty-two stocks of bees ; by mistake my last communication gave the number as forty-two. I can assign other reasons than those given for the two English stocks dying. Mr. Henry Neve (No. 531, p. 64) cites it as an advantage gained by English bees over hybrids that they did not breed as many young bees last autumn as the foreigners. If ' No. 531 ' ever gets a heavy honey yield he must have plenty of workers, and this is just what my hybrid stocks have throughout summer ; they will keep up their numbers, and as a consequence, in a poor season like '90, they have all bees and little or no honey. But what in a good season ? Why, instead of storing nearly all their honey in the brood combs, and crowding out the queen and then lying idle the remainder of the season, they have a good-sized brood nest to keej) up the continual supply of workers needed to gather surplus for any length of time. They are exceedingly energetic whenever there is honey to be gathered, and if they have not room in advance of their requirements they resort to swarming. Let Mr. N. or any one else procure a good, strong, well-bred stock of pure English bees, and he will find them resemble hybrids in all noticeable qualities, including ' stingitive- ness.' With regard to the risk of introducing foul brood with imported queens, my reply is : I have never experienced foul brood either through imported queens or by any other means. Mr. N. also refers to excessive swarming with a limited brood nest, and over-breeding in an un- limited brood chamber. But how could my hybrids have given such good results in 1889 ? No, sirs, 1890 was not the best year to compare natives with hybrids, nor the fairest. We must take, say, six to ten seasons together to com- pare results fairly. Carniolan bees, though easily subdued with smoke, are very excitable, and must not be disturbed needlessly. Birds are a great nuisance in this neighbour- hood ; however, I am trying to defend my bees against their attacks. I have caught twenty- three tomtits since Christinas in steel traps baited with suet. — Ernest E. Daa^is, Great Bookham, Leatherhead. BRITISH AND IRISH HONEY COMPANY. [560.] It has for some time been my intention to give some account of the transactions of the British and Irish Honey Company, which have resulted in considerable loss to many corre- spondents, as well as myself. I have been waiting for the co-operation of the Chairman, but after reading letter 533 I wait no longer. In this letter Mr. Woodley gives information which comes as a surprise to me, as I distinctly recollect the Chairman say- ing that Mr. Woodley 's, among other accounts, must be paid. No one sympathises more than I do with those whose losses have been so heavy. ' A fellow-feeling makes us wondrous kind.' I have this week received a cheque for 1/. 7s. 2d., my share for debenture of 25/. To this loss must be added the value of one share and the expense of attending meetings. Twice no meet- ing could be held for want of a'quorum. I was induced to take shares in the Company in October, 1889, through the representations made to me by the then manager, and after re- ceiving a prospectus, on which was printed in red type, ' A well-established Home Industry, earning ten per cent, per annum, with prospects of considerable increase.' How such a state- ment could be made by the light of subsequent events I fail to understand. To me at the time everything appeared satis- factory, and, desiring a fair interest for a small investment, I took the step I very shortly after- wards had reason to regret. Being asked to become a Director, I thought an opportunity presented itself for enabling me to do something towards assisting bee-keepers to find a good market for their honey at remunerative prices, and therefore I agreed to accept the position. When I went up to a special meeting of the shareholders, called for the purpose of electing me to the position of Director, I found matters in a sorry state, the Company being in the hands of a Receiver. Of course I naturally declined to accept the position of Director under such cir- cumstances. The Manager declared that the Company had been brought to ruin by the Directors, and that if only they were removed the Company could not fail to prosper. He also introduced a gentleman who, if the Directors were removed, was prepared iu a short time to put 500/. into the concern, so convinced was he of its ultimate success. This gentleman took one share and became a Director. Accepting the assurances given for the future success of the Company, and seeing that the only way for any creditor to be paid was to carry on the Company in a more economical and more business-like manner, I was prevailed upon to become a Director on the 94 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [February 19, 1891. new Board. This was in March, 1890, although 1 had been advertised as a Director the previous autumn. This I found was sent to the B. B. J. by certain of the officials on their own respon- sibility, and for this action 1 hold an apology from them. When 1 went on the Board it was on the distinct understanding that 1 should not attend all the meetings, and I was content to leave matters wholly in the hands of the Chairman. At the first meeting I proposed that cheques should be signed only by the Chairman, but it was not acceptable to the Board. I subsequentlv learned that business from that time was carried on almost wholly by the Manager and the Director who lived near the depot, and had risked one share in the affair. At a meeting called by the Chairman, who was not satisfied with the management, it was found that matters were as bad, if not worse, than they had been a few months before, and he remonstrated strongly on the reckless business transactions which had been carried on, with the result that the one- share Director resigned. The Chairman then sent me an urgent request to attend a meeting, which I did ; but the Messrs. . Timberlake, who held 500:. Double-walled Hives which is riow receiving some attention from advocates pro and eon. First, then, we personally refuse altogether to give countenance to or tolerate in any way attempts to ignore the British Standard frame, or alter its recognised measurement of 14 x 85, with a top bar of seventeen inches. The benefits which have accrued to bee-keeping, to bee-keepers, and to hive- makers since its adoption by the B.B.K.A., are so clearly de- monstrated to those best able to judge, that arguments on the point seem so much time 98 TEE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [February 26, 1891. wasted. Indeed, the extreme jealousy with which many of our best men regarded any attempt to alter the measurements of the 'Standard' formed the main obstacle to our efforts in endeavouring to dissociate the brood frame from that intended exclusively for surplus honey-storing. Having, however, made clear the point that a dual frame would be an all-round advantage ; moreover, having retained the exact measurements of the Standard minus three inches of its depth, the shallow frame is now accepted as advantageous for its special purpose by some of the most determined opponents of any interference with the dimensions of the former. When stocks are being pushed forward in spring and syrup is being given, it is very essential to avoid having cells intended for brood filled up with more food than is actually required ; in fact, when surplus chambers are set on, the frames in the brood nest below should be as nearly occupied wholly with brood as is possible, so that the lower chamber is ex- clusively devoted to its legitimate purpose of brood-raising, while the bees are perforce com- pelled to utilise the combs given them overhead for storing honey as gathered. To attain this end some attention is needed by way of scratch- ing the surface of sealed food on the upper portion and sides of the frames, to induce egg- laying over as much of the comb surface as we can, and at the same time to get rid of any surplus sealed food, which renders comb so occupied useless for brood-raising. The time for stimulating is, as we have already said, best gauged by the date when natural pollen can be had outside, and this will serve as a safe guide for any locality, north or south. Some advantageous stimulating may be done by safe h«nds at this time in weeding out faulty combs by removing such — one at a time and at intervals of a few days between each removal— and inserting a full sheet of foundation right in the centre of the brood nest. Eggs will be laid more rapidly this way than if ready-built combs are given, and so long as the operation is only performed when stocks are strong — eovering, say, seven or more frames — no harm from brood- chilling will result. When honey begins to come in in perceptible quantities, and bees indicate the 'comb- building impulse' — i.e., when whitened edge3 appear on the combs, as seen between top bars — surplus chambers may be given, and in doing this it is worth noting what quality of honey is coming in. If from sycamores, or some other such inferior source, the bees may do a little comb-building while gathering it. Under such circumstances we therefore give frames with half -sheets of foundation ; but if the finer qualities of nectar are within reach, full sheets of foundation or ready built combs should invariably be given. A good stock of these combs, from which brood and pollen has been rigidly excluded, is so much valuable plant, to be carefully preserved year after year, and kept ready for immediate use as required. Extra heavy comb? may be secured if preferred by using nine frames in the chamber made to hold ten, slips of wood half an inch in width, cut from broken sections, being inserted between the shoulders of the metal ends of each frame. Queen-excluders are also indispensable in working for extracted honey. Even those who- dispense with them below section racks are agreed on this point, so we need say nothing by way of enforcing it. Whether the excluder be- a plain sheet of perforated zinc of the usual long-hole pattern laid flat on the top bars, or a honey-board in which the metal is framed, with bee-space below, be used, we care not, so long- as the queen is confined to the hive body or nursery below. After setting on the surplus boxes, carefully exclude the air from outside by slipping short lengths of newspaper, folded to form a knife-edge at one side, between the junction of hive and upper chamber to keep all as warm as possible. As soon as required, ad- ditional boxes may be given — whether under or over the one already on we won't stop to argue, except to say we have always set them ' over No. 1,' mainly to save trouble, and we think that is some gain ; besides, honey foi~ extracting is best ripened on the hive, and the whiteness or otherwise of the capping is of no account in these cases. Extracting. — It can hardly be termed pla- giarism to quote oneself, and having written in the Record on the subject of extracting a year or two ago, we may be pardoned for quoting portions of our article here. Tt was written in response to a correspondent who wrote as fol- lows : — ' I am a comparative novice in bee-keeping,. with plenty of enthusiasm, but with only three- years' experience of bees, and I have had so much trouble, coupled Avith unsatisfactory results in my efforts to get my bees to build sections > that I am resolved in future to change my plan and confine my bee-labours to what is called "working for extracted honey."' I have this year used a few of the shallow frames, which I know you, Mr. Editor, to be a warm advocate of, and am much pleased with the results ; but my extracting — chiefly, I believe, because of badi uncapping— is not a success. I therefore ask you if you could not, for the benefit of readers of the Record, including myself, give a short article on the method by which to obtain such beautiful' extracted honey as that which won the prize in the County Competition at South Kensington in 1886 ? I heard at that exhibition that a good portion of the honey in question came from your own apiary, and though we do not all- dwell in so favoured a county as Cheshire, we want to make the best of the honey available to us, and to learn how far the skill of the bee- keeper himself assists in bringing about the de- sired result.' In reply, we observed that— first, and cer- tainly foremost — the skill of the bee-keeper has no influence whatever on the quality of the honey gathered by his bee3, except so far as the- 'handling' of the product goes.- The bees of February 26, 1881.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL 91) <:iiles, the labourer, kept, mayhap, in a half- rotten old straw skep, gather precisely the same aieetar and visit the same flowers as do the squire's, there being neither aristocrats nor democrats among the community of apis melli- jfca. All that the ' art of bee-keeping' does is to help the bees to ' sort the stuff.' However, we willingly tell all we know on the subject ; merely premising that any one intending to keep a dozen or more hives of bees, will find it true economy to provide himself with a fairly good set of implements wherewith to do the work. Nothing so much aids us in this part of our bee-work as yood tools. Ours consist of an extractor, holding four combs; a 'strainer and ripener.' the upper or movable portion of which is of sufficient capacity to hold five or six gallons of water, and will, of course, contain a great quantity of cappings, from which the honey is day and night gradually dripping 1 hrough the sieve into the receptacle below. It seems incredible how the honey drains through ; but it doe3 in time, and so none is lost. Then we have a lamp 'knife-heater;' a couple of keen- edged old carving-knives, with blades about ten inches long, the points of which are curved in- wards for about one and a half inches; a wooden * tray,' with a raised edging half-inch high all round it, and near the left corner a couple of small pieces of wood nailed on so as to form an angle or rest, so— L — to keep the frame from slipping. Finally, we have a brown holland ' blouse,' which slips over and protects the clothes. A bowl of clean, cold water, for ■dipping the hands in, and a towel complete our * kit.' Thus equipped, and with the boxes of honey piled one above the other, we prepare to start. First, with a pencil, we consecutively number lhe combs in each box, so that they may be re- placed in the same order as built by the bees — experience will show the wisdom of doing this. Our correspondent has alluded to ' bad un- capping,' and we may say that that has a deal to do with the difficulty of extracting cleanly and rapidly. The aunexed sketch shows the manner of holding the comb while uncapping. With a sharp knife just withdrawn from hot water, and a shallow comb held as in the sketch, the whole sheet of wax capping may, with a little prac- tice, be removed at one cut, without bruising or breaking the cell walls in the least. This is an important point, because if the cells are damaged, the honey will not freely leave the comb as the cage of the extractor revolves. The operator, grasping the ' lug ' of the top Bjar firmly in his left hand, places the lower end in the ' rest,' a knife is lifted from the hot water, and, after touching the blade with the towel to ff amove* the drip, he leans the frame forward so that the sheet of capping, as it is severed, hangs clear of the surface of the cells, as seen in the sketch. When cutting, do not give the knife goo mud .of a 'sawing' motion, and endeavour f St. Veryan, Cornwall, has given a series of lectures in the St. Michael-Caerhays Reading-room on the subject of ' Bees and Bee- keeping.' The lectures have been illustrated by some remarkably good magic -lantern slides, many of them being taken from instantaneous photographs. Mr. Kempe also showed some good diagrams, and further illustrated his re- marks by exhibiting a bar-framed hive with all its fittings," &c., also honey extractors, section cases, and all the appliances needed in the management of bees. The lecturer not only gave minute directions for the proper keeping of bees, with full instructions what to do and what to avoid doing at the different seasons of the year, but he also kindly explained to those present how to prepare the honey and wax for exhibition or market. A large and appreciative audience has attended at each of the lectures, and from signs already apparent, it is evident that bee-keeping in this little remote parish has had a great impetus given to it in consequence of Mr. Kempe's lectures. At the close of the last lecture, which was given on February 10th, the Rector of the parish (Rev. H. M. Crossing, M.A.) proposed a hearty vote of thanks to the lecturer, on behalf of the members of the Insti- tute and the parishioners generally, for the great treat afforded to them by the course of lectures. This was seconded by" Mr. E. Martin, Hon. Secretary to the Institute, and carried unanimously. As a result of the lectures, a considerable sum has been added to the funds of the Institute, for which the Treasurer and Committee are very grateful. NOTTS BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The annual meeting of the above Association was held at Nottingham on February 1st — the President, Lord St. Vincent, presiding. A large company, including the Mayor of Nottingham, assembled, among those present being many influential bee-keepers of the county, including several ladies. According to the annual report, read by the Hon. Secretary, Mr. A. G. Pugh, the Notts B.K.A. continues to make progress, showing a net increase of forty-six members since 1889, the number last year being 167. The principal show of the year was that held in connexion with the Notts Agricultural Society at Wollaton Park. Minor shows have also been held in con- junction with the local horticultui'al societies at Beeston, Southwell, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Arnold, and Moorgreen, at all of which considerable interest was aroused. The executive of the Association are making strenuous efforts to render bee-keeping popular, and are arranging to assist members with advice and help through the agency of certified experts, &e. In responding to a vote of thanks, the Mayor expressed the pleasure it gave him to hear so February 26, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 103 favourable a report of their position, and trusted Lord St. Vincent would honour them by pre- siding over their meetings for many years to come. For himself, he gladly accepted their invitation to become one of the Vice-Presidents, and hoped to be present at their next meeting. After the meeting in the afternoon about 110 persons sat down to a substantial tea. Subse- quently another meeting was held, Lord St. Vincent presiding. The following gentlemen were re-elected to act on the Committee : — Messrs. F. H. K. Fisher, M. Linley, S. W. Marriott, W. F. Newman, H. Price, A. Warner, and S.White; Messrs. A. Simpson, Rawson,sen., Baguley, Watts, J. E. Phillips, and Thompson were elected in the place of the retiring members ; Mr. P. Scattergood was appointed Auditor; Mr. A . G. Pugh, Hon. Treasurer and Secretary ; Mr. J. E. White, Assistant Secretary. The Vice-Presidents, with the addition of the Mayor, were re-elected. In the course of the evening Mr. John Howard, of Holme, Peterborough, gave an in- teresting lecture on bee-keeping, which was heartily appreciated. dt0msp0n&titfje. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are re- it we will send the number for two penny stamps. H. Howell (Ingatestone). — Moving Bees. — If the bees are moved at once, and the appearance of the hives altered somewhat to attract the notice of the bees to the change, very few will be lost. Don't attempt the plan you propose of keeping the bees indoors and feed- ing for a time. That will never do. Novice (Kidderminster), queen. -The bee sent is a %* Several letters, &c.,are unavoidably he'd ever till next week. THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [March 12, 1891. The Original and ONLY PERFECT Preventive against STINGING. Quality Improved & Price Reduced, In 1/- & 2/- Bottles ; British postage 2d. extra. All orders must be accompanied by remittance. Special Terras to the Trade. DARCY GRIMSHAW, Horsforth, Leeds. Invaluable to Travellers Abroad as an Insectifuge. THE HONEY BEE : Its Natural History, Anatomy, and Physiology. By T. W. COWAN, F.G.S., lume adopted by our friend to pre- vent confusion with one (by a strange coincidence) Rich- ard Atkinson Grim- shaw, of exactly the same name in an ad- joining village, but who is no relation. Mr. Grimshaw, whose portrait we present to our rea- ders, was born at Norwich on the 3rd June, 184-5, of York- shire parents. At the early age of thirteen he com- menced work with Messrs. John Pepper & Co., carting agents to the Great Northern Railway, and remained with them for thirteen years, during the last six of which he held the position of cashier to this firm at Liverpool. He was afterwards occupied for some years as traveller for an ironworks, until in 1877 he became associated with his brother and cousin in the manufacture of nails in Leeds, his firm of Josiah Grimshaw being second to none in the kingdom, and capable of turning EICHARD ATKINS out upwards of a hundred tons of nails a-week. We have ourselves used the oval nails made by this firm, and can say from experience that there are none more suitable for hive-making. Mr. Grimshaw's schooling having terminated at so early an age and being fond of acquiring knowledge, all his spare time was devoted to reading. During the past thirteen years he has been constantly travelling for his firm between London and Aber- deen in the prose- cution of business, and he computes that he has ridden not less than a hun- dred thousand miles in railway carriages during that time Mr. Grimshaw was married in March, 1868, and has had a family of twelve children, of whom eleven are still alive. He comes of a musical family, and having a good baritone voice, he was for ten years a chorister, during five of which he assisted in Leeds Parish Church choir, finish- ing by being choir- master of St. Cathe- rine's, Wakefield. He sung at three festivals as a paid singer in the choir of the famous Leeds Festival Chorus. A love of music and n sbimshaw. painting being here- ditary, considerable time was given to these hobbies, and numerous water-colours from his hand lend interest to his home. Both of these hobbies, however, had to give way to a study of botany, which had peculiar charms for a keen lover of nature like Mr. Grim- shaw. This study was chiefly prosecuted by theoretical reading in the long railway journeys, and practically supported by close observation in the botanic gardens of Kew, Edinburgh, and 158 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [April 2, 1891. Glasgow, not omitting ' Glasnevin,' Dublin. So assiduous was he at this study, that for three years one Sunday in every month was spent in Kew Gardens, from the time it was opened until it closed, the study of orchids and tropical plants claiming most of the time. The physiology of plants also claimed his attention, and the reasons for the various parts, from simple cell to com- plex fructification, were carefully studied. It is not surprising that after such careful study he should he considered fit to write for One of the leading horticultural periodicals of the day, the Garden, from which he had a roving commission during the years 1882 to 1886 to visit and describe such parks, noblemen's gardens and glasshouses, with their contents, as fell in his travels. These articles were fre- quently interspersed with others on matters of vegetable chemistry and arrangements of colour in the flower-garden, these being of such interest as to be frequently copied into the Field and Gardening Illustrated; and these questions — the colour and perfume of flowers — directed his studies towards organic chemistry and the effects of plant secretion on animal life. Being a close follower of Darwin, the transition to the work of insects amongst plants was easy, the insect enemies of plants being followed by their insect friends. It was by a happy accident that he was led to the study of bees. A son — of akindred spirit with the father's — was in the habit of obtaining nests of humble-bees and keeping them in boxes through the season, until their number sometimes became troublesome. Mr. Grimshaw was told by a friend, if he did the lad justice he should obtain a hive of bees for him. This was no sooner said than done, and as a matter of course, with such an inquir- ing spirit and thirst for knowledge, fascination and bee-fever followed. These were followed by contributions to the B.B.J., of which he has been a most loyal supporter ever since. In 1886 he became a member of the B. B.K. A., and has since that time been a regular attendant at the quarterly conversaziones. In January, 1886, he read a paper on the ' Identity of the Bee's Sting with the Ovipositor of other Insects.' He has since contributed several papers : in January,1887,on'The Vocal Organs of Bees,' and in July of the same year on ' The Visual Organs of Bees.' Besides several others he read one on ' Heredity in Bees,' which he also read before the Linnae-an Society. All these papers were noted for thedeep thought bestowed upon them, and the arguments brought forward showed that he had acquired much more than a superficial grasp of tho subjects of which he treated. Combining theory with practice, Mr. Grimshaw is certainly one of our most progressive bee-keepers. In 1887 he invented '.spifuge,' and in the same year was appointed joint lion, secretary of the Yorkshire Bee-keepers' Association. In this work he was most assiduous, frequently giving lectures on bee-keeping in various villages of the county. In 1888 he became the hon. secretary of the Y. B. K. A., the work done since that time being the founding of district association?, which flourish better than the parent. Secretarial work is not to Mr. Grim- shaw's taste, but he prefers study, observation, and writing to the B. B. J. — which he calls his agreeable relaxations. The writings of Mr. Grimshaw are well known to our readers. One of his articles, namely, that on ' The Medicinal Properties of Honey,' has been reprinted in the American B.J. In 1887 he joined the staff of the B. B. J.t and many articles have appeared from his pen. In 1889 he commenced ' Development in the Honey Bee,' which has appeared month by month up to this day. Last year he was ap- pointed representative for his county at the Central Associations meetings. In scientific fol- lowing he is distinctly Darwinian, taking, how- ever, the theistic idea of evolution which acknowledges nothing less than the development of the divine plan in the construction of the universe. In all he is a searcher after truth, which, after all, is real science. In manner he is genial and fluent in speech, and he is rarely at a loss for an argument. We hope that we may long have -Mr. Grim- shaw amongst us, and feel sure that if he con- tinues his investigations in the manner he has done hitherto, and communicates his ideas as freely in the B. B. J., we shall all be the gainers. Theory without practice, and practice without theory, do not lead to the best results even in bee-keeping ; but when we find the two com- bined, as they are in Mr. Grimshaw, with sound common sense and indefatigable perse- verance, we have the necessary qualifications for a true bee-master. BEE-PAPERS FOR WINTER READING. No. 6.— MOUNTING MICROSCOPIC OBJECTS. (Continued from page 147.) We will now direct our attention to mounting in gum-resins. Of these, those principally used are Canada balsam and gum dammar. Insects to be mounted in these media require quite as much preparation as those specimens mounted dry, but they have the advantage of being much more permanent, and if properly prepared and carefully mounted they are prac- tically indestructible. This cannot be said of any other method of mounting, for objects pre- served in fluids frequently after a few years are valueless. Objects may be mounted either pressed flat or without pressure. Of course, to get a correct idea and study of an organ or parts of an insect, pressure should not be used, as by*t more or less distortion is caused ; but there are some objects whose detail it is necessary to study, and in this case pressure is admissible. Until quite recently it was the fashion to mount only the external skeletons of insects, all the internal parts being dissolved out. These are pretty pre- parations, and in some cases useful, but in ad- dition to these the same objects should be mounted without pressure for comparison. April 2, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 159 We shall want, besides the gum-resins men- tioned above, rectified turpentine, oil of cloves, alcohol, ether, and benzole. The Canada balsam we prefer is that dissolved an benzole, and sold under the name of benzole balsam. This is the best for general use, and , for mounting -without heat. Where heat can be applied pure Canada balsam can be used, and in some cases balsam dissolved in chloroform is best used. The balsam must be kept in a glass-capped bottle or jar with a glass rod in it, with which the medium can be conveyed to the object and dropped upon it. For pure balsam we use a glass syringe. It is filled by removing the plunger and pouring in the balsam from the bottle in which it came from the optician's, and when nearly full the plunger is put in the syringe. The point of this is slightly warmed over a spirit- flame, and a little pressure on the plunger forces a drop of balsam out. When not in use the point may be covered with a cork, and the syringe placed point upwards. Any air-bubbles escape at the point. There are always air-bubbles when mounting any other way with thick balsam, and we know of no method better than that of the syringe plan to avoid them. We will now take some simple subject to mount, and cannot do better than begin with the wings. Every part of an insect contains air, and if we were to place it direct into balsam it would be disfigured by a multitude of tiny bubbles of air which could not make their escape from the tracheae as soon as these are closed by the viscid medium comiDg in contact with them. To get rid of the air we have to place the object in oil of turpentine, which not only expels all the air, but also reduces the colour of the chitine. The wings must be carefully de- tached from the thorax at the roots, and we can mount them either separately or the front and back wing locked together as in the act of flying. After the wing has been in the turpentine a few hour3 it is placed on a slip of glass and examined under the microscope. If all the air has not been removed return it to the turpen- tine until the object has been thoroughly perme- ated with this. When sufficiently clear place the wing on a clean glass slip, and with a needle remove any foreign substance that may be pre- sent. We next place it in benzole for a short time to remove excess of turpentine, and it is now ready for mounting. We next place the object in the centre of a glass slip, and with a small piece of blotting-paper take up the excess of benzole ; then with the glass rod drop a little benzole balsam on the object, and taking up a well-cleaned cover glass, with the forceps place it carefully upon the object in a perfectly hori- zontal manner. Then carefully press down the cover with the handle of a camel's-hair pencil, very gently, so as not to displace the object. We then put on a spring mounting slip, which can be purchased at the optician's at Is. Gd. a dozen, and is indispensable. We now set the slide on one side for a few weeks in some warm place : the top of a cupboard in the sitting-room does very well. By this time the excess of balsam on the outer edge of the cover glass will be hard enough to remove, and it can be scraped away with a knife, and the glass cleaned by slight friction with a piece of sponge, moistened with methylated spirit. The 3pring clip can be dispensed with, and the slide allowed to remain to further harden for another week or two. After that it is placed on the turntable, and a coating of varnish applied, so that the ring embraces the edge of the cover and the slide, after which it may be finished with a ring of white-zinc varnish, or coloured rings, at the dis- cretion of the mounter. The structure of the fore and hind wings is slightly different. The inner edge of the fore wing has the membrane folded under, so as to form a sort of trough iuto which the hooks on the outer edge of the hind wing hook. It is very easy to put the two together under the micro- scope after they have been soaked iu turpentine, and if only one slide is prepared, they should be shown in this position. Several parts of the bee can be mounted in this way without any further preparation than soaking in turpentine and benzole. Thick objects will require to be soaked first in liquor potassse for a certain length of time, depending upon whether we require only the outer skele- ton or, in addition to this, the preservation of certain of the internal tissues. Supposing we only require the outer skeleton, the object is allowed to remain in liquor potassae until the inside is quite soft. We will, for example, take the leg of a bee. As soon as it is soft enough place it in a saucer of water, and holding down the claw end of the leg with a camel's-hair pencil with the left baud, press on to the first joint with another camel's-hair pencil, and with a rolling motion squeeze out the contents towards the upper end of the leg. As the brush is lifted, a quantity of water will take the place of the ejected contents. Then apply pressure to the next joint and so on, until there remains nothing but the chitine. If the con- tents do not flow out freely, it is a sign that a little more soaking is required. The object is then thoroughly washed in clean water, and left to soak in several changes of water for five to six hours. It is then placed under the micro- scope and cleaned. At this stage there are two methods of proceeding : the one is to dry the object and press it out fiat, or to mount it as it is, using different fluids, the one taking the place of the other in succession — for it must be remembered that oil of turpentine and benzole are not mix- able in water. In adopting the first method, we place the object on a clean glass slide, and under the microscope arrange it in such a way as to show to the best advantage the principal parts. (By reference to The Honey Bee, pages 33 to 37, some idea will be gained as to the principal parts to show.) When the object i3 properly arranged, place another glass slip on the top of 100 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [April 2, 1891. it, tie the two together with thread, or place them between a spring mounting slip, and put them on one side until quite dry. When dry, the object is removed, soaked in turpentine and benzole, and mounted as we have described for the wings. Another way is : — After the object has been thoroughly washed, to place it in methylated .spirit for a few hours and then transfer to abso- lute alcohol until all the moisture has been ex- tracted. The time will vary from a few minutes to several hours, according to the size and texture of the object. It is then taken out, drained on blotting-paper, and put for a few minutes into ether. From this it is transferred into oil of cloves, on which it will at first float, but when it sinks to the bottom it can be re- moved and placed in rectified turpentine until sufficiently transparent, when it is put in benzole for a few minutes. It is then placed on a gla^s slip, arranged in position, and can be mounted in balsam as already described. Not only legs but also the whole insect can be treated and mounted in this way. Of course, ■when a whole bee has to be mounted it will have to remain in liquor potassfe a very long time be- fore all the inside can be dissolved. Also very great care will be required in squeezing out the contents not to rupture the outer' skin. The inside must also be well cleaned. When the bee is sufficiently soft it is placed in water, and we begin by forcing out the contents at the end of the abdomen, and these are driven out at the anal opening. Then go higher until the abdomen is clear. It will be found necessary to replace the object in liquor potassse for some time longer, as the thorax will be found to be very hard, and as all the contents have to pass through the petiole, only a very gentle pressure must be ap- plied. When, the thorax is done the head can be tackled, the contents of which may be forced out of the mouth, and lastly, the legs must be cleaned out. The object should be frequently examined under the microscope, and when thoroughly clean can be washed and soaked in changes of water for a day or two, so as to get rid of all the potash. It can then be arranged and dried, or dehydrated in alcohol and oil of cloves, as already described. From such a skeleton a number of slides can be prepared. There are the spiracles which extend on either side of the abdomen. These can be dissected and mounted separately. Then there are the abdominal rings, and the ventral plates showing the wax-pockets. One of these, neatly dissected and mounted in balsam is a very interesting object, aird presents the appearance of Fig. 62 in The Honey Bee. The bee-keeper who is desirous of mounting parts of bees cannot do better than try to imitate the figures given in this book, most of which have been drawn from microscopic preparations. Continued soaking in oil of turpentine, especi- ally if this is placed in a glass vessel and exposed to full daylight, will generally make the objects sufficiently transparent, and it must be borne in mind that Canada balsam has a tendency to make the objects still more transparent. But there are some which are so dark that they require a little bleaching — such, for instance, are the an- tennas— and these can be placed for twenty-four hours in Labarraque's solution, diluted with four times its quantity of water. In using this solu- tion it must be remembered that it has a power- ful solvent action on chitine, which it rapidly softens ; therefore, if allowed to remain too long- in the solution, or if this is too strong, the object may disappear altogether. After treatment with this solution the object must be thoroughly washed in several changes of water. (To be continued.) Errata. — In our last number, p. 147, second column, 19 lines from bottom, for white-pink read white-zinc, and 16 lines from bottom of same column, for flush read black. BEE RAMBLES IN SAVOY. (Continued from page 149.) We stopped to inquire for M. Fabian Picon, and curiously enough we addressed his brother, M. Marie Picon, who asked us to go in and see his bees, and he would afterwards accompany us to his brother's place, which was situated some little way further. We very soon had a number of the natives round us, who very much wondered who we were, and what the curious thing was that we carried about with us and with which we took pictures. Massingy is a good specimen of a Savoy mountain village. Curious stone and stuccoed houses, with thatched roofs and projecting eaves, beneath which invariably hung the large cage containing the cheeses manufactured here — ( Tonnes' they are called, and there are big, little, and middling - sized tonnes, made of skimmed milk. Not very famous cheeses these, but there are some that are excellent, and we were much pleased with many of them, one par- ticularly, called ' Le Mont-Cenis,' which is very much like a mild Roquefort of a greenish colour. At many of these houses there are bees kept in skeps and boxes, which are placed pretty high up on shelves fixed against the walls, the hives being protected from the weather by the pro- jecting eaves of the houses. We also saw many such shelves where formerly bees were kept, but now, alas ! no longer are they to be seen in the places specially prepared for them. Marie Picon had some hives of the Layens pattern, and when we reached them he at once proceeded to open one or two, to allow us to examine them. They were full of bees, and the combs were beautifully straight, and had all been built out on wired foundation. It was quite a treat to see hives so well and intelligently cared for in such an out-of-the-way mountain village. The little vegetable garden in which the hives were situated was adjacent to a field of sainfoin, which sloped away from it. We stepped a little way back into the field, and could not help admiring the picture before us, so much so that we were tempted to photograph April 2, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 1C1 the scene. There was this b?ave peasant in front of us in his home-spun linen shirt, bare- headed, and a pipe in his mouth, manipulating the large frames of a hive, the bees of which were too intent on work to take any notice of what he was doing. Close by him stood three small children, bare-headed and with bare arms, perfectly unconscious that bees have stings, in- tently watching the curious strangers. In the background the house, with its eaves projecting a deep shadow nearly down to the open door, against one of the posts of which stood the good wife in wide straw hat, such as is worn in the mountains. Two diminutive boys, not quite so courageous as the little girls, stood in front of her with their eyes as wide open as possible, wondering what it all meant. Such a scene does not frequently present itself, but when it does it and well managed, the Dadant having been doubled according to instruction given in our Guide-book, the French translation of which we found these mountaineers of Savoy one^and all to be perfectly familiar with. It was not long before the father made his appearance, and was also introduced to us. He said he was not a bee-keeper himself, and had been very much against his sons having anything to do with bees ; but rinding that they were so successful he had quite come round, and looked upon the bees as the most remunerative of the farm stock. Seeing the venerable father and his three sons so en- thusiastic about bees made us wish to possess a picture of them as a souvenir, so the idea occurred to us to photograph the whole group of those surrounding us, and the picture^here given is the result. makes one feel happier for having participated in it, and leaves an impression that is not easily forgotten. lime, however, did not allow us to linger over this scene, and so we got back to our carriage, and 3Iarie Picon accompanied us to his brother's farm, a little farther out of the village. When we got to the farm, we decided to take a short cut to where Fabian Picon was at work, and send the carriage round. We very soon came upon him, and then commenced the introductions, and as each was introduced sepa- rately, an exclamation of surprise, a beaming face, and a hearty shake of the hand, told us that we were welcome. He said he little ex- pected to see us in his mountain home, and felt pleased that we had come, and at once left his work to conduct us to his house and apiary. Here he introduced us to another brother, and then the inspection of the hives commenced. Fabian Picon has twenty-four hives, of which twenty-one were Layens, one Dadant, and one an observatory hive. His hives were all strong In the background we have the farmhouse with projecting eaves, and just in front of one of the windows hangs the cage containing the tonnes. The old gentleman on the right, hold- ing his hat in his hand, is the father ; near to him stands M. Mermey, and sitting in front is M. Layens ; the mother is standing between him and M. Bertrand, and holding the hand of one of the grandchildren. The three bee-keeper sons are all dressed alike in their field costume, Fabian sitting on a log of wood to the right, and Marie standing in the centre. The third brother is standing next to M. Bertrand, and holding one of the children by the hand, while his wife is holding the rather shy baby in her arms. After this picture was taken, refreshments were handed round, and these worthy peasants made us feel at home at once. They told us there was great prejudice against bees, and they were laughed at for keeping them according to the new method, and were told they would never pay; but they had proved the contrary. 10? THE BEITISH BEE JOUBNAL, [April 2, 1891. We went into the workshop where these brothers make their own hives, and where they have made 120, besides those they have sold. Bee-keeping is taking hold of the small pro- prietors in the district, and as they have found that these brothers have succeeded so well, they are now beginning to think seriously about it. Just around them, thanks to the assiduity of these brothers, there are sixty frame hives, be- longing to twelve persons. From the abundant pasturage on all tides it was evident that if every one in the village kept a few hives the district could hardly be overstocked. The brothers have a lathe in their woi'kshop, and make many things they would otherwise have to purchase. The time came for departure, and after a hearty hand-shaking all round we left these people, carrying away a pleasant reminiscence of our short visit. We promised to look in on M. Ramuz, the Maire of Massingy on our road, and when we arrived here, and just as we got into the garden, we heard the ringing of a swarm at a farmhouse just opposite. The swarm had issued from a skep on a shelf high up the side of the house, and was settling on a high tree, while an old dame was beating a scythe with a key and making a frightful din to induce the bees to cluster. As quick as lightning M. Bertrand suggested that a looking-glass should be tried, and the light flashed on the bees. This had been mentioned in the Revue Internationale as being successful in getting a swarm to settle. Some time, however, elapsed before a glass could be found, and when it was brought out the larger number of the bees had already settled, so the experiment was of no value. M. Ramuz had the bee-fever very badly, and he had got ten hives of the Layens pattern. So convinced was he that bees were a good investment that when he took his cattle to market he sold them and invested the money in bees ; and his old father was quite pleased with his son's success with bees, for he took us to his workshop, where he with pride showed us an extractor that his son had made, and for gearing had utilised that from a hand-drill. This ex- tractor only cost him fifteen francs, or tAvelve shillings. The extractors used by these people are very simple. The outer cylinder is generally of wood, with a wooden spindle in the centre carrying cross-bars of iron, with four pieces of wood for the corners of the cage. The wire is then wound round the four pieces of wood and tightened by nuts, which turn on screws on the ends of the cross-bars. In this simple manner any amount of tension is obtained, and bulging ic prevented. This plan we believe was copied from models obtained from Switzerland, where it is usually adopted. (To be continued.) FURNITURE POLISH. Moisten 120 parts beeswax with oil of tur- pentine, and add 7'5 parts finely pulverised resin, and enough aniline red to give the desired mahoganv colour. DEVELOPMENT IN THE HONEY-BEE. By R. A. H. Gbimshaw. (Continued from p. 102.) The inclination to sting certainly accom- panies hard work and prolificness, and is a symptom both of sedulous care of the young and of indefatigable nectar - gathering. It is, perhaps, worthy of consideration whether this disposition, often seen amongst bees removed to the moors, is not in some degree to be traced to their changed surroundings. In the valleys the bees are more accustomed to the presence of man and various animals near their home than they are amongst the heather, where for a couple of months few animals are seen other than odd mountain sheep and moor game, even these rarely venturing near the solitary keeper's homestead. On the other hand, I have fancied I discerned, on the re- moval of hives to the moors, an immediate tendency to become aggressive amongst hitherto mild-tempered bees, which I (wrongly or rightly) attributed to the strong smell of the heather bloom ; and again, when bees (quietly wintered in the lower levels) were fed with combs of heather honey, the result has been the same. We should not always brand a disposition to sting as vice; a laudable effort to defend home should be indicative of constitutional vigour, and when properly viewed is a sign that there is something in the hive worth protecting — pro- lific queen, combs of brood, or stores of honey — always supposing the bee-keeper handles his bees with the calmness and care now considered orthodox. If, unfortunately, he has been guilty of extracting honey from the combs (or has opened his hives) too often, and thus, time after time, has aroused what temper the bees have, he must'not be surprised at an ebullition of vice ; he has taught his bees that the often bungling meddler is their enemy, they resent the inter- ference and approach of any animal near the hive, and by some occult means (I again suggest the hereditary transmission through brood-food) have the power of giving their acerbity of temper to their successors. Like a horse that has once learnt the trick of bolting, the bee finding- its power over the quasi bee-master does not fail to exercise it. I am not of opinion that in such a case bad temper is communicated to the queen, resulting in the laying of eggs which bring forth b?vd.-tempered workers, or that re-queening the hive is a proper cure, but I would rather suggest the transference of the brood combs, with caged queen, to a hive placed upon the stand of another which will bear the loss of an artificial swarm, the latter hive being removed to another part of he garden. Another hive, containing a few combs, might be placed upon the stand of the vicious bees, and a piece of perforated zinc fastened at night- fall over the entrance ; then by sulphur fumes from a smoker the ill-tempered bees should be smothered. One objection to this plan is the brood might hatch out vicious workers, but it seems to me (for there is no method without some April 2, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 1G3 objections) the best way, at the least cost to rid the bee-garden of a vicious stock — for rid it ought to be one way or another, as soon as pos- sible, lest young queens and swarms issuing from such a hive of ill-natured foster-mothers -contaminate a whole apiary. "We must not lose sight of vice in bees, which results directly from the crossing of varieties — varieties so distinct and pronounced in their peculiarities that one might almost consider them different species when thinking of the results to be ob- tained by crossing. True hybrids, such as those obtained by inter-breeding the linnet and gold- finch with the canary, are unfertile we are told : yet it must not be laid down as a law, for there are many instances in nature of fertile hybrids, and when we are treating of insects the whole subject is such a complexity of seeming breaches of all recognised canons, that if it were possible to cross the honey-bee with the humble- bee or wasp, we could fairly expect a fertile pro- geny. The preventionof vice amongst honey-bees by crossing varieties is not so complex in theory as it is difficult in practice, because of the physical obstacles to selected mating. The virgin queen, obeying an important instinct, sweeps upward in her first flight until she reaches an altitude much beyond that used by the workers or by the majority of the winged enemies of the bee ; on this aerial coursing-ground takes place that admirable selective process by which an over- a'uling power decides which species, varieties, or individuals shall live on in posterity or become extinct. Here the queen of an inferior kind, or .an inferior queen of a good kind, flying in a marital race at utmost speed is easier overtaken by a correspondingly inferior drone (perhaps of the same hive), and they go down to posterity ■' with all their imperfections on their heads.' On tli9 other hand, a vigorous virgin of a finer race can only be equalled in speed or agility by d rones of a robust strain, and then begins the crucial contest amongst these for superiority in wing-power and dexterity. True, it must be confessed, nature often steps in en this mating- ground, and enables an effete and dying race to become recuperated and revived by the cross- mating resulting from the easy capture of poor queens by drones of vigorous varieties. Could we, as bee-keepers, control the mating of our bees as we do that of domesticated animals, we •might hope that science would come to our aid in this, as in other cases, and give us a perpetu- ation of desirable qualities and an elimination of objectionable points. We might argue (and the results of experiment would confirm or destroy 'theory) that physical 'points ' — points of a struc- tural, constitutional nature — would be generally displayed in perfection,workers where the queen was of a perfectly robust, strong strain, whilst the mental (if one may use this term) qualities would in all probability resemble those of the workers in the hive who raised the drone parent. Therefore we ought not to permit any drones to be raised in hives showing bad temper, irri- tability, vice, or whatever we like to call it. (To be continued.) WEST CUMBERLAND B.K.A. The members of this Association recently met at Cleat or Moor, and it was decided to hold the annual exhibition for the current year at that place. Mr. E. McNally gave an address on ' The Work of District Associations,' and at the close received the thanks of the delegates present. Mr. McNally, who has been the leading spirit in the formation of the Association, is leaving Cumberland to take up his abode in Glasgow, and we learn that he was made the recipient of a testimonial from his co-workers, in appreciation of the public services rendered during his resi- dence in Harrington, coupled with regret at the loss of so active a worker. A PROCESS FOR DETECTING PARAFFIN IN BEESWAX. A process for detecting paraffin in beeswax has been found useful in Germany by II. Ilager. A few grammes of the sample to be examined, in fine air-dried shavings, are gradually heated in a small porcelain capsule until fumes begin to arise. A pint wide-mouthed bottle is then inverted upon the capsule, and when it is filled with white vapours it is closed and set aside uutil the fumes have condensed upon its sides. The sublimate thus produced is then dissolved in three cubic centimetres of chloroform, and this solution being evaporated in a test-tube, the residue left is boiled with four cubic centimetres of caustic soda solution. If paraffin is present it will be now found floating on the clear alkaline solution when the latter has cooled. A drop of the chloroform solution may also be placed on a slip of glass and evaporated, after which the spot is examined under the microscope. The author remarks that the fumes from pure bees- wax are not so white as those from paraffin, and are only obtained at a higher temperature, which he estimates at from 300° to 320° Centi- grade. The sublimate produced in the above experiment gives a coloured solution with chloro- form, and a coloured and turbid solution with soda. The residue from the chloroform solution is a dull film ; paraffin, on the contrary, gives separate grains in a clear field.— Magazine of Pharmacy. FOREIGN HONEY. Mr. T. Christy exhibited and described, at a recent meeting of the Linneean Society, speci- mens of honey from different countries. From Turkey, 'arbutus honey,' which is said to produce drowsiness and sleep ; ' eucalyptus honey,' from Mount Barker, Adelaide, is sup- posed to possess therapeutic qualities ; and what is called ' wool honey,' from the Euphrates, which is a sort of honey-dew deposited by aphidce on the leaves of oaks, from which it is collected. 164 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [April 2, 1891. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are requested to write on one side oj the paper only, and give their real names and addresses, not necessarily }or pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Querns, Boohs for Review, J&c, must be addressed only to Ike Editors of the "British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C All business communications relating to Advertisements, &c, must be addressed to Mr. J. Huckle, KingsLangley, Herts (see 1st page of Advertise- \* In order to facilitate reference, Correspondents, when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted, Kill oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well as „7ie page on which it appears. BEE-KEEPING IN KENT. [604.] It is late in the day to talk about 18D0, but better late than never, and so, as usual, I send you a short account of our bee-doings for that year. As it fell to my lot to keep the bee- account, I give the facts from my note-book. Our stock came through the winter of '89-90 well, and we began the spring with _ fifteen colonies, most of them in good condition for gathering from the fruit-bloom. By the middle of May, hives worked for sections had from forty-two to forty-eight on each, with fourteen standard frames in brood chambers. Other stocks had double, and in two cases treble body-boxes, holding from twenty-eight to forty-two combs for extracting, all crammed with bees, and doing better on the fruit-bloom than we ever remember them at the same date. We work our stocks on the non-swarming plan, but three hives swarmed in spite of us, and fro oi each of the swarmed stocks three nuclei were formed by dividing the bees and brood left behind by the swarm, a good queen-cell being given to each of the nine lots into which the bees were divided. Each parent hive was then filled up with store comb, or with full sheets of foundation, the swarm returned, and all surplus boxes, &c, replaced as they was before swarming. The hives so treated did as well as any of the non-swarmers, and we had the extra colonies to the good. After finishing extracting we had taken altogether 285 one-pound sections and 577 pounds of extracted honey — total, 862 pounds, or an average of over 57 pounds per hive. As, however, we used queen-excluders between brood nest and surplus chambers, nearly all the honey was stored in the latter, and in conse- quence we used two hundredweight of sugar in feeding in addition to one hundredweight of the darkest honey. Most of the honey was a little dark in colour, but it has sold fairly well. It has been our custom to change queens every year, but as many young ones failed in mating we decided to keep the old ones a year longer. By uniting we reduced the number to twelve stocks for the winter. On opening the hives this spring we found in two or three cases large patches of unhatched dead brood, chilled, I suppose, by the severe weather in November last. The combs were removed, dead brood uncapped and washed out with a garden syringe, combs dried, disinfected with carbolic acid, and stored away for future use. Where stores were short, combs of sealed food were given- Three hives were rather weak, but all the others are in splendid con- dition, with brood in all stages. The following is our bee-account for 1890 : — Expenditure. £ s. d. Various requirements during season . . 5 0 8 Two hundredweight of sugar 1 15 0 One hundredweight of honey fed back 4 4 0 £10 19 8 Income. £ s. d. 577 pounds of honey at 9d 21 12 9 285 one-pound sections at 9d 10 13 9 21 pounds of wax at 2s ; . . . . 2 2 0 34 8 6 Deduct expenditure 10 19 8 Balance for labour and profit . . £26 8 10 Just a word respecting queen-excluders. We find that we do not require them in a good honey year, but in a season like the past they have proved invaluable. If we had not used them the queens would most likely have ascended into the sections and store combs. In conclusion, we are trying a new method of working the bees this year, and if successful will report the same. One stock was tried on the plan last year with great success, but we think it should have another year's trial before recom- mending the principle for general use. — A. E. W. for C. H. W., Aylesford, Kent. THIN SINGLE-WALLED HIVES. [605.] In answer to your footnote to my letter (No. 580, p. 126), I may say that in a. previous letter to the Journal some years since I explained that the hive I use is simply Abbott's ' Makeshift ' hive. I do not think it is any advantage having two dummies, thus making the hive double on two sides. It is only during the last two winters I have used more than one. If I wintered bees- on ten frames, as many do, I should certainly prefer double walls ; but I have always pointed out the importance, when using single walls, of wintering on seven frames only. This, I believe,, is the whole secret of success. I have tried eight frames, and found bees backward in the spring, and have come to the conclusion that if you put up an ordinary strong stock in the autumn on seven frames only they will keep any frost out that we get in England. I have tried them for ten or twelve years alongside of double walls and skeps, and never could detect the slightest difference, but both the former have April 2, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 165 been -wintered on seven frames. It is all a question of management, as I know of a bee- keeper who has lost all his stocks in double walls. In answer to your question anent roofs, I use Simmius' roof at present, but have used all kinds. I have not been using roofs that come down over the sides of hives except in a very few cases, -where for exposed hive3 I put a vim on three inches deep to prevent them being blown off. I have about half a dozen like this, and only put them on last year. With all respect for our editors, I belie re single -walls are gaining in favour. — Arthur J. H. Wood, Bell- wgod, liipon. [We cannot think our correspondent means to seriously contend that the whole secret of success in wintering in single-walled hives lies in confining the bees to seven frames only, and that to try and winter them on eight, or any other number, means failure ? No ! there must be something in his good management beyond the magic of the number seven. Personally, we have often found it impos- sible to get our bees crowded into a ten-frame hive when putting them up in autumn ; indeed, we have more than once been compelled to leave a ten-frame shallow surplus chamber on to hold the bees till the weather became cold enough to crowd them into the ten-frame brood chamber. — Eds.] NOTES ON BEE-KEEPING. [006.] My bees have had a rough time of it since I wrote to the Journal in April last year. I do not remember ever having my apiary in better condition than it was last spring. I had not lost a single stock during winter, and every colony was in the most flourishing condition possible. My prospects were bright and en- couraging in the extreme. But this highly satisfactory state of things was of short dura- tion ; the summer was a most unfavourable one. Stocks at the beginning of July were in a de- cidedly worse condition than they were at the beginning of May, and never once throughout the summer reached that boiling-over point so essential for the rapid filling of supers ; conse- quently but very little surplus was gathered, and breeding ceased at a very early date. In the autumn I found that some stocks had got more stores than was necessary. This was taken away and given to those that were short, by which means all were supplied with natural stores. The only syrup used was thirty pounds, which I had made before I had ascertained the exact condition the bees were in, and which was distributed amongst about twenty stocks. The unfavourable summer was followed with the finest autumn that I can remember — in fact, it was real summer weather, and bees were on the wing every clay right up to the middle of November, when winter — such as I had never before experienced — set in in right earnest. For ten long weeks my bees were complete prisoners ; eight weeks out of the ten hard frost, snow, and dense fog prevailed, and I truly believe that during that time not a bee in my apiary ' moved a peg.' The thermometer went down to zero no less than six times, and on three times out of the six thirty-three degrees of frost were registered. There was skating on the river Ouse — which had not been frozen over since 1881— six weeks with but slight interruption ; during the last week of the frost the ice was no less than eighteen inches thick. Several times during this severe weath.r I passed my apiary between twelve and one o'clock in the night ; the scene was magnificent, not a sound to be heard but the creaking snow beneath my feet. My rows of hives were covered with frozen snow, upon which the moon wa* shining with a brilliancy that made the night practically as light as day and the snow sparkled like so many diamonds. The trees were so heavily laden with rime that they bowed down like weeping willows, and telegraph wires covered in the same manner appeared to be a good inch in diameter. A grander picture I thought it impossible for nature or man to produce, and with my hands up to my ears to ascertain whether the latter were really frozen or only so cold that they were beyond feeling, I thought if bees in single-walled hives can stand this they can stand anything. At last the thaw came, and I lost neither time nor opportunity in examining my stocks, twenty- six of which were in double- walled hives, and, with one or two exceptions, all were snugly packed with chaff cushions. The other eight — a total of thirty-four— were located in single- walled hives. The death-roll was very much the same in both, and it is no exaggeration when I say that every hive, whether double or single- walled, contained ten times more dead bees than were seen in the whole of my thirty stocks during the whole of the previous winter. In several instances thequeenwas amongstthe dead. In one case the bees had acted very foolishly : instead of proving themselves good unionists, they had followed a separatist policy— that is, they had formed two clusters, which meant, of course, their mutual destruction. In one or two other cases the bees had all died of starvation with sealed stores in the very combs on which they were clustered ; the moving up of a few inches would have landed them in the midst of plenty. Dysentery — a complaint with which I had never before been troubled during the fourteen years that I have kept bees on the modern system- was my greatest enemy. Six stocks had got it in a terribly bad form. Those who have never seen a bad case of dysentery, and are anxious to know what it is like, can paint the picture for themselves in a few minutes. Remove the quilt from a hive that is full of combs, take a sixpenny tin of chocolate-coloured paint, remove the lid and pour out the contents in such a manner that it splashes all over the frames, combs, hive sides and floor-board, and you have as good a repre- sentation of a bad case of dysentery as can well be described. A few weeks ago, Mr. Editor, you stated that dysentery is the effect of one of two causes, viz., unsuitable food, improper ventilation. As stated above, the whole of my stocks were packed up on natural stores, and as regards the hives they LOG THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [April 2, 1891. .are hives in which bees have wintered success- fully for the last eight years. 1 am quite satis- fied that in my case dysentery was caused through the ten weeks' confinement, and the extremely •cold and foggy weather that prevailed during that time. But why some should have suffered while others that were treated the same escaped is only one out of many mysteries with which I have been confronted since the breaking up of the hard weather, and of which I may have anore to say in future notes. What with my Josses from starvation — or, more correctly, cold, for I only found one lot that had actually run out of stores — dysentery, and the uniting of weak and queenless stocks, my autumn count of thirty -four colonies is now reduced to about two- thirds that number. This is by far the most serious loss 1 have ever had. Even two years ago, when my bees were wintered almost entirely on syrup, and when so many hundreds of stocks died throughout the country, my actual loss was limited to one or two — I forget which — out of •thirty, but the winter then was nothing to be compared with what we have recently passed through. — A. Shabp, Huntingdon. (The above is the communication referred to in 4 Useful Hints ' last week, p. 145. — Eds.] FOUL BROOD AGAIN. [G07.] Touching the editorial comments on my letter in Journal of January 22nd (512, p. 41), I may be permitted to make some remarks. In the first place, it is evident that my position on this question has been somewhat misappre- hended. Personally, I have never either seen or treated a case of foul brood. During a quarter of a century or more of bee-culture 1 have always had the good fortune to escape the plague. But my position as President of the Ontario Bee-keepers' Association, the past year and the present, brought me in contact with the foul- fcrood inspector and his work, and forced upon my particular attention an unpleasant subject with which I had never been personally troubled before. When I saw the remarkable success of the inspector's simple method of cure, and procured from independent sources ample proof of the efficacy of his treatment, I deemed it my duty to make the facts as widely known as possible, and to even urge them upon the attention of bee-keepers everywhere. This I have diligently and persistently done, with the single object of benefiting those concerned. And while I have been criticised by both the Americans and English, it is worthy of note that the facts I have presented have never been disputed, and I still maintain that we are safer in following facts than theories or hypotheses, no matter how plausible. The plain fact is, we cure foul brood by a simple process. If that process clashes with certain theories, so much the worse for the theories. Whether the disease is the 'dry' kind or the wet kind it yields to the treatment, and that is the main point with us. According to the undoubted testimony of the Inspector (Mr. McEvoy), Mr. D. A. Jones, and many others, as to the malignancy and offensiveness of the disease as found here, I can only say, if you have any worse forms of it over there, we may well extend our sympathy as well as advice. So far as the scientific view of the origin, nature, and treatment of foul brood is concerned, I have never denied any of the scientific facts, nor do T feel disposed to. No man has greater respect for demonstrated science. Indeed, she is my guide in life in everything so far as I have made her acquaintance. I have not even dogmatically denied the theories which stand, or appear to stand, in the way of the facts before me — theories emanating from very re- spectable scientific authorities on the foul-brood question. I refuse even to make a generalisation from the facts before me — strong and numerous as they are — except for- practical purposes, not to predicate a principle or theory. While the induction of a principle from such an array of instances might be logically justifiable, it might not be scientifically safe. My position is there- fore, I think, a reasonable one. So long as our method of treatment continues so thoroughly efficacious, we shall continue to practice it. Should it fail, that will be time enough to cast about for a different and better one. Mr. D. A. Jones has had a long and ex- tensive experience with foul brood, and I fancy the English authors and journalists would have a big undertaking on hand to attempt to con- vince him that the ' starvation plan ' of curing foul brood ha3 been 'proved a failure.' I did not say or mean that the theory or principle of Mr. McEvoy's plan of treatment was new. I be- lieved, and still believe, that his modus operandi was new and original with him, as I have seen no reason yet to change that opinion. The Journal says, 'It is absurd to suppose that '■' prejudice or preconceived opinion " would prevent a bee-keeper from accepting so simple a remedy for a disease which is in itself sub- versive of all that is good in the pursuit.' This is not quite what I meant. I meant that the authorities and journals — not the common bee- keeper— would not heed the remedy placed before them, it being so opposed both to their theories and practices. I note with satisfaction that the B.B.J, concludes its criticism by ad- vising its readers to 'try it by all means,' but presents the wet blanket with the other hand. I would say, try it, and go through it with at least enough faith in its efficacy to enable you to do it properly without bungling it. — ■ Allen' Prin&le, Selby, Ontario, February 9th. BEE AND HONEY SHOWS. [608.] I notice that 'Bee-Kay ' (589, p. 150), has been informing your readers that on the 2s. Qd. day of the Hull Show of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society in 1889, _ he (or she) was present and was dissatisfied with the want of April 2, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 167 preparation evident in the exhibits, the bee-tent, &c. I think ' Bee-Kay' must be alluding to the appearance of things before noon, at which time, as we all know, tent-work would not have commenced. After that time, during- the whole afternoon, in fact, until the close of show, the lecturing and manipulation of bees, &c. continued almost without intermission. Even in the short space of time when the voice needed a little rest, a notice was fastened on the tent stating the time fixed for the resumption of the work, but the interest of the spectator- was such that continued conversation and explanations had to be proceeded with. In fact the lecturing and manipulation was scarcely fairly stopped from the time the bee and honey show opened till closing-time. As for the exhibits and judging, they were as forward as could be expected. It is really too much for visitors to expect the pot to. be incessantly on the boil, yet in this case, as I happen to know, it was so. Mr. Seager, W. Dixon, Leeds (the expert), Mr. A. Woodhead (Goole), Mr. Jemieson, (York), Dr. Wray, and Mr. Atkinson (Tockwith) will, I think, be able to say that on that day his duty was done by — Hon. Sec, Yorkshire B.K.A. METAL ENDS. [609]. Replying to 597 (p. 153), I shall be very happy to supply your correspondent, or any one else, with ' W.B.C ends in zinc, or even brass or copper, if he wishes. He seems to reverse the order of things ; few people now will use any zinc in their apiaries. — W. P. Meadows, Syston, near Leicester. (fumes antr Regius. [337.] Changing Hives. — I bought a couple of strong stocks of bees in frame hives last year, along with the small bee-house in which they stood. The hives are almost touching each other in the house, and so they are very awkward to manipulate. I therefore want to transfer the bees into two new hives ; but the combs now in the hives, and some good spare ones I have, would not fit between the rabbet of the new hives like the frames with ' W. B. C ends. I can easily manage the spare combs ; but how am I to do with the frames occupied by the bees in transferring them to the new hive3 ? Even if the rabbets were planed down, the frame ends would overlap the sides of the hives. Can you tell me — 1. A way out of the difficulty other than by using double side walls to the hives, or cutting out the combs and fastening them into new frames by tapes, &c, for the bees to fix ? 2. When would be the best time for changing the bees ? 3. Ought I to change the two stocks at the same time, or only one, allowing it to settle before doing the second ? 4. As the present structure is well raised from the ground on legs, and the new hives are without the latter, and close to the ground, would the bees readily find the entrances so much lower ? 5. Should I at once remove the house after changing or leave it as a landmark for the bees, with the hives just in front of the present en- trances, which would, of course, be blocked up ? 6. How should I proceed generally in the matter ? I may say here that the hives now in the house are not suitable for standing outside. — Snowdrop. Reply. — 1. If your intention is to use the 15^-inch top bar instead of the orthodox 1 standard' of 17 inches, and work the ends in a half-inch rabbet, the best course will be to cut away the projecting broad shoulder and reduce the length of top bar to lo| inches. 2. Any warm day ; but the combs with brood in should be taken into a warm room while being altered, and care must be taken not to damage the sealing of the cells, or the brood will "suffer. 3. It is just a question of expediency. 4. Use a loose stand for the hives, with legs 10 inches long, and bring the hive entrances to as near the present level as convenient, lowering them by a foot at a time till in their permanent position 5. Move the bee-house away at once. 6. Refer to Xo. 4. dfSrjprjes farm % pibes. Draycott, Derby, March 24th. — My stocks have all survived the winter, though some were far from strong when put up. In my own apiary native bees are far behind Car- niolans, and I have reasons for believing that the latter are longer lived than British bees. When I have experimented further on this point I will give my reasons. Perhaps others who have both races will also test them in thi? respect. Whenever my bees begin to show a tendency to rob in early spring and autumn, I use the carbolic cloth in preference to smoke, as it tends greatly to check robbing. Mr. Woodley (on page J 42) rather disapproves of using full sheets of foundation in brood nest-;, and thus limiting the production of drones ; but, on the other side, may we not do harm by using too little ? As a case in point, I once bought a stock of bees, to which only strips of foundation had been given, with the result that two-thirds of the comb in the hive was drone-comb. More- over, I think we should rid our hives of black old combs oftener than we usually do when foundation is so cheap. Much has been written for and against the use of excluder zinc, but, after trying to do without it, and being con- tinually annoyed at results, I have resolved to use it always in future. The weather of late has been a blessing in disguise, serving as a warning against meddlesomeness and stimu- lating yet. When the warm weather does come, breeding will go ahead at express rate. Queens meanwhile have had an easy time, and the workers, by being confined to the hive, have been spared from death by thousands. I shall certainly not commence stimulative feeding 168 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [April 2, 1891. until weather is more settled, but, once begun, shall not stop until no more is needed. No feeding by driblets for me.— Charles Wootton, Sscond-class Expert. Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington, MarchTitli. —After a mild February, with high temperature, March broueht us a terrible blizzard. Not so bad here as" that in 1881 ; but a day or two after we had 14° of frost, which was very sharp for the time of year. Again, this last two or three days, bees have been enjoying themselves, carrying in water, and busy on the pea-flour I placed outside for them. I have only begun giving it this week, and the bees were at it in a few minutes by hundreds. The palm is out slightly, and fruit-trees are showing expanding buds, so that we may expect in a few days, with good weather, bees will have plenty to do, but there is blackthorn-winter to come yet, and we have had snow to-day (Good Friday, 2° of frost.) — John W Alton. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Letters or queries ashing for addresses of manufacturers of correspondents, or where appliances can be purchased, or replies giving such information, can only, be inserted as advertisements. The space devoted to letters, queries, and replies, is meant for the general good o/bee-fceepers, and not for advertisements. We wish our Correspondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessary for us to go to press in advance of the date of issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue immediately following the receipt of their communication. All queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only of personal interest will be answered in this column. A Constant Reader (Redbourne, Herts). — There is no foul brood in comb sent, but the comb is so old, pollen-choked, and generally unfit for use, that we would almost sacrifice the little honey rather than give tbem to the bees again. In any case we would only in- sert them in the hive, after uncapping the food, for a day or two while the bees con- sumed the honey. St. Ivian (Hants). — 1. Pea-flour candy cake is a suitable spring food for bees, but yours has been overcharged with flour. 2. No : usually it is used for feeding purposes by the nurse-bees. Dorset (Wimborne). — Move the bees at once, and make some temporary change in the out- side appearance of the hive. E. R. B. (Denmark Hill). — It is rather too early to quite decide that the hive is queenless. Remove the candy put on in autumn, and stimulate the bees for about a week by giving warm syrup daily and uncapping a little of the sealed food ; then examine for eggs and brood. %* Several letters, &c, are unavoidably held over till next week. NOTICE. — We request our correspondents in future to address all communications relating to the literary department, &c, to ' The Editors of the "British Bee Journal, " 17 King William Street, Strand, London. W.C1 THE DEPOSIT SYSTEM. British Bee Journal and Bee-keepers' Record, Office : Kings Langley, Herts ; and 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C. The following are the Rules under which we are prepared to receive Sums of Money on Deposit from persons buying and selling good3. In order to save trouble it is requested that the Rules be carefully read over by persons using the Deposit System of trading. DEPOSITING. 1. Method. — When strangers are dealing together, the purchase-money of the articles is deposited at our office. We acknowledge receipt of the deposit to both parties, and hold the money until we are satisfied that the purchase is concluded. If a sale be effected, we remit to the seller the amount deposited, less a charge of 6d. and the expenses of Post Office Orders and postage, &c. Cash will be forwarded by cheque, Post Office Order, or by Postal Order as pre- ferred. If a sale or exchange be not completed, we return the amount deposited, after making the same deduction. By this means buyers and sellers ara secured from fraud. 2. Deposits.— Postal Orders (drawn on General Post Office) and Cheques must be made payable to John Huckle, and crossed ' Bucks and Oson Bank.' The numbers of the Postal Orders should be kept by the sender. • We cannot be responsible for any losses that may occur in transit. 3. Honey on Approval. — All honey will be sold by sample, which must be sent direct to buyer. 4. Bee-appliances. — In ordering, the time allowed for completing the order to be stated to us when sending cash. If maker accepts, we hold cash till transaction is satisfac- torily completed, when the amount will be remitted subject to conditions as in Clause 1. 5. Bees and Queens. — These will be dealt with entirely by the parties concerned, so far as price, &c, goes, and when the purchase is satisfactorily completed cash will be re- mitted as per Clause 1. 6. Goods in Transit. — These are at tho seller's risk, i.e., any damage to or loss of an article on its journey is borne by the vendor ; but a rejected article must be pro- perly packed and returned by the same means as was used in sending it. 7. Carriage. — The carriage oE all goods, except such as are sent by post, is payable by the buyer, unless otherwise agreed, if any article sent on approval be returned, each party to the transaction must pay carriage one way. Tenth Edition. Nineteenth Thousand. BEE-KEEPERS' GUIDE BOOK. Con- taining Management of Bees in Modern Moveable Comb Hives, and the Use of the Ex- tractor. By Thos. Wm. Cowan, F.G.S., F.R.M.S., &c. With numerous Illustrations. Fcap. 8vo., price Is. 6d. ; or in cloth gilt, 2s. 6d. Postage 2d. To be had of Houlston & Sons, Paternoster Square, all Hive Dealers, Secretaries to Bee- keepers' Associations, and of J. Huckle, British Bee Journal Office, Kings Langley, Herts. BEE-KEEPING, its Excellence and Ad- vantages. Price Bd. British Bee Journal Office, Kings Langley, Herts, and 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C. JUDGING HONEY. By the Rev. J. L. l) Seager. Price 3d. DIAGRAMS ILLUSTRATING BEE- CULTURE and the Relation of Bees to Flowers. Drawn by Fbank R. Cheshire, F.R.M.S. Approved and recommended by the Science and Art Department. 4s. per set. John Huckle, Kings Langley, Herts. THE •Srifei %it 3mtrnal BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 459. Vol. XIX. N.S. 67.] APRIL 9, 1891. [Published Weekly. USEFUL HINTS. Weather. — Still another change, and that for the worse this time. The genial warmth and bright sunshine which bees and men were so thoroughly enjoying when last we wrote in this column was followed by some welcome rain, only to be succeeded by a return of cold north-east wind and more gloomy dulness. The present backward condition of the fruit-bloom everywhere iu the south makes it unsafe to hope for any very early honey from that important source of supply, but we have the comforting re- flection that the tender blooms, so snugly folded away in the roundness of plump buds ready to burst forth, are safe from sharp frosts aud drying east winds. Passing through some acres of fruit-gardens daily, we can see abundance of promise for the bees ; but even the black-currant bloom is only just showing its tiny purple pellets half hidden between the opening leaves, while plums, which we thought to have seen white with blossom by this time, are still a thing of beauty which 'is to come.' We do not share the prognostications of a cold summer some talk of one bit — at least, so far as that unhoped-for condition of things is to be associated with a poor honey harvest. All our experience points to the fact that very severe and long winters have been followed by good bee-seasons, and we trust 1891 will be no exception. The present untoward condition of the weather, however, renders it very necessary for beekeepers to be watchful, because, not- withstanding the cold, good colonies will be breeding well, and a constantly increas- ing number of mouths to feed means a corresponding increase in the consumption of stores with almost no income whatever, except what is provided by the thoughtful hands of the bee-keeper himself. In some seasons bees in early districts are gathering honey by the second week of April ; but we are safe in saying that no nectar of 1891 has yet been seen, though three or four days may see a complete change and bses finding out sunny spots where honey may bo gathered by the time these lines are in print. For the present, however, the two words — watchfulness and warmth — com- prise about all that is needed in the apiary and among the bees. Preventive Measures against Disease. — Already samples of comb are making their appearance, though, so far, only a single case of foul brood has been received. Per- haps it is too much: to hope that the plague has been more than partly scotched, to say nothing of its being killed. We are, per- haps, open to the charge of confusing readers by the multiplicity of the remedies advocated in this Journal, but this is a thing very difficult to avoid. Our sole and only object is to find out the best, and give prominence to whatever we believe to be good in the interest of bee-keepers, who, so far from feeling anything like dissatisfaction at the multiplication of remedies fur this disease, should be grateful that so much of the time of eminent scientists is given to the elucidation of questions connected with bee-diseases. We write thus because of being reminded that several remedies for foul brood have appeared in our pages, the latest of which (Naphthol Beta) is now find- ing a good deal of favour, mainly, we sup- pose, because of its harmlessness compared with fornvc and other powerful acids. What all bee-keepers need is a simple disinfectant or preventive agaiust contagion, and if con- stant watchfulness is exercised in using such in all food given, it cannot be doubted that immense good will result. Excluder Zinc. — A correspondent on p. 170 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [April 9, 1891. (176) calls attention to the fact of six queens in one season having passed through the perforations in the metal of the queen-ex- cluder (?) used. No doubt it was, in this case, the faulty make of zinc which caused the mischief, and it is an unpardonable over- sight on the part of our appliance dealers to send out such so called excluders. There are several patterns of zinc on the market which are more or less faulty in our view ; among these is the one in which the perfora- tions run in parallel rows. When it is borne in mind how zinc contracts and ex- pands under variations of temperature, we can understand how the smallest amount of buckling or stretching will cause an upward bend in one side of the long-hole perforation, and allow the queen to pass through. There is no form of zinc so likely to minimise this risk as that shown on p. 176, and if bee- keepers when ordering ask for this make there need be no difficulty in obtaining it. Another point is the use or non-use of a bee- space between the tops of frames and the under side of the zinc. "We prefer the metal to lie close on to the top bars with no space between, and with the lengthway of the holes running across the space between the frames. It seems to us far better for the bees to pass through the perforations direct rather than enter a space above the top3 of frames and then climb up to the perforations above. We have seen the bees covering the top bars for some time before entering supers, owing, as we thought, to this defect. HONEY IMPORTS. The total value of honey imported into the United Kingdom during the month of March, 1891, amounted to 2927/. — From a return fur- nished by the Statistical Office, H.M. Customs. BIOGRAPHIES OF BEE-KEEPERS. Of the numerous appreciatory letters received respecting our biographies is the following from a Scotch clergyman, referring more especially to the biography of Miss Macdonell : — ' The photograph is excellent, beautiful, with the index of great strength of character. I must order several copies for transmission abroad. In Prince Edward Island I know how much it will be appreciated ; and then I shall keep a copy for myself. In the real excellence of the portrait and the rare interest of the story I am sure even the Bee Journal has had nothing of finer interest for many a day. The expe- riences of my Perthshire contemporary, "Biz-E- Bee," in his early bee-keeping, also are especially g-ood.' BEE-PAPERS FOR WINTER READING. No. 6.— MOUNTING MICROSCOPIC OBJECTS. (Continued from page 160.) Another method of mounting is that without pressure, and this, from a scientific point, yields the most satisfactory results. In the methods of mounting we have described, as only the outer skeleton is required, it is not very material how the insects are killed, or how long they are kept previous to preparation. But in mounting without pressure, in order to show the internal structure and muscular fibres, it is absolutely necessary that the insects be quite fresh and only recently killed. We place ours in an entomo- logist's killing-bottle, which is prepared with cyanide of potassium. It must be remembered that this is a most deadly poison and should not be smelled, therefore great care should be exercised in its use. The insect is killed by the vapour in a few seconds, and should not be left in the bottle more than half an hour at the most, as cyanide of potassium would, in a short time, materially injure thejnuscular structure of the insect, and spoil it as a microscopical object. The insect is removed before its legs and wings become rigid. We now take any part of the insect we require, say, for example, the head, and soak it for a couple of days in equal parts of spirits of wine and water, after which we trans- fer it to absolute alcohol for two or three days longer. It is then transferred to oil of turpen- tine and placed in the light until it is sufficiently bleached, when it is taken out of the turpentine and soaked in benzole until this has replaced the turpentine. Then select a glass or tin cell just deep enough to hold the object, rinse it out with benzole and place the head in the centre,, pouring in benzole balsam until the cell is full. Then put on a glass cover and place in a warm place until the benzole escapes, and the balsam becomes hardened round the edge. No pressure must be used, as this would depress the thin glass, and when the pressure is removed air would find its way under the cover and thus spoil the object. After a few weeks the balsam may be removed from the edges, and the slide finished by having several coats of varnish applied. We prefer giving first a ring of dammar, and finishing off with asphalte varnish. Particular care must be taken not to use brass rings when mounting in balsam, as it acts upon this metal. Should we wish to have the tongue extended and the mouth-parts well shown, these should be placed in the position they are to occupy before being put into the spirit. To do this we first spread a thin film of Canada balsam upon a glass slide, and on this place the head in, the position we desire. The tongue and mouth- parts are then arranged with a needle, and made to adhere to the balsam. In this position they may remain for two or three hours, after which the glass with the insect can be placed in the spirits of wine. The hardened film of balsam will keep the mouth-organs in position until the April 9, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 171 balsam is dissolved by the turpentine, into which the objects are transferred from the absolute alcohol. If desired, the parts can be pinned out on a piece of cork, but we prefer the film of balsam, as being in every way the most ex- peditious. Objects mounted in this way show the internal structure very well, especially if they are soaked long enough in turpentine to make them transparent. Another way of mounting with 'slight pressure, which is sometimes employed, is to place the object in pure liquor potass* mixed with one-fifth part of strong ammonia. It must, however, not be left too long in this solution, and must be tested from time to time by putting it in water and pressing the thorax, which is the hardest part of the body. When this is soft, as are also the legs, place the insect in water for twenty-four hours, then soak in a mixture of equal parts of glycerine and glacial acetic acid for several hours. The insect can now be left and pre- served in this solution until required for mount- ing. Then immerse it in several changes of water for twenty-four hours, after which it may be laid out and arranged on a slip. We then place a glass cover over it, and tie round with cotton thread, so as to keep the object and cover in position. We next place the slip on end on a piece of blotting-paper to drain, and then put it into dilute spirit for twenty-four hours ; or, if we allow more time, we can put it direct into the turpentine, and leave it there until all the moisture has been driven out and the insect is thoroughly saturated by the tur- pentine. We then drain off the turpentine, and remove any excess under the cover by means of blotting-paper. Lastly, we run in benzole balsam at the edge, and allow it to fill the space by capillary attraction. The slide is then put in a warm place, and can be finished off when sufficiently hard. By this method very good results are attained, but the best are undoubtedly objects mounted in cells without pressure, as previously described. Instead of mounting in benzole balsam in cells, thick pure balsam may be used, but in this case the cell must be filled above the rim and placed under a bell glass, to exclude it from dust, for four-and-twenty hours. This will allow all the air to escape, when a drop of fresh balsam is applied and a glass cover slightly warmed let down gently upon it. Objects mounted in this way are very clear, but pure balsam is a long time in setting and getting hard, therefore gi'eat care must be exercised not to knock off the cover glass, which should have several coats of varnish applied to the edges. It will be noticed that all the objects are de- hydrated, and upon the efficiency of this depends the future state of the slide. Unless all the moisture is got rid of the slide soon gets cloudy. Alcohol removes the water, and oil of cloves takes out the alcohol, with which the oil changes place, one volume of oil of cloves dissolving an equal volume of alcohol. Turpentine replaces the oil of cloves and clears at the same rims. Benzole still further clears the object, mixes with the turpentine, and causes the benzole balsam to flow over and penetrate the object more rapidly. Benzole, however, is extremely inflammable, and great care should be taken not to bring it anywhere near a light. We have mentioned ether, and this follows alcohol, dissolving it, and therefore making a suitable intermediate bath between alcohol and oil of cloves. It can, however, be dispensed with, although we prefer to use it in our preparations, as it is also a solvent of fats. Many of the internal parts can be mounted in balsim, but these we must allude to when speaking of dissection. We have now given general directions for mounting dry and in gum-resins ; it remains for us to treat of mounting in fluid media. (To be continued.) BEE RAMBLES INT SAVOY. (Continued from page 162.) After taking leave we started on our way, and a drive downhill of about one hour brought us to the village of Albens, which is on the main road to Aix-les-Bains. Leaving our luggage at the station we returned to the inn, and after lunch went in search of M. Rochet, who was the director of the ecoles communales there. He was busy with a class, but on our arrival the school was dismissed, and the rest of the day was given to us. The school was a large one and quite modern, and at the back there was a large garden where M. Rochet kept hi9 hives. These we found ranged with their backs to a path running parallel with the house, and very conveniently situated for examining the bees without disturbing them by going in front. He told us that there was one hive he was not quite satisfied about, and would like our opinion. This we left until last, and examined some of the others. M. Rochet had not kept bees very long, and was a learner, but several hives we found in very good order. He had seven Layens and two Dadant hives. We at length came to the one we left to ex- amine last, and it was decided that one of us only should manipulate the frames, and the others scrutinise them. M. de Layens undertook the manipulation, and took out one frame after another. There were few bees, and very soon M.Bertrand was the first to discover a suspicious- looking cell which turned out to be foul-broody. Others were then found, and after satisfying ourselves that the hive was diseased it was closed, and we went away to wash our hands and get rid of any contamination. M. Rochet wa3 recommended to at once try naphthaline, as his hive was not badly affected, and we went to the village chemist to get some ; but as he had not any, M. Mermey undertook to bring some from Aix-les-Bains the next day, and as he had already had experience, he was to superintend the cure. After this, a pleasant time was spent in bee-chat, and after dinner we retired to the inn for the night, being too late for the last train 172 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [April 9, 1891. to Aix. We found also here as in other places where we had been that bees had been kept much more generally in former days, but that owing to disease and other causes they had disappeared. Now another start was being made on modern principles and bees are again becoming a good source of income. The bee-keepers we visited at Massingy told us they had no difficulty in selling all the honey they could get at remune- rative prices, and they got 2 francs to 2 francs 50 cents a kilo, for it. Sections they could sell for 1 franc 50 cents. Most of the honey went to Lyons and Paris, and they could easily sell ten times the amount they get. Savoy honey, being principally from sainfoin, was much appreciated, but there are other 'sorts of honey from various mountain districts having par- ticular flavours that also command a good price. Mermey is standing to the left, and on the extreme left stands a woman just from the hayfield, while her faithful hound lies at her feet. The wall of this house looks rather de- lapidated, but gives easy access to the loft by means of a ladder placed against it. The car- riage holds four persons, who sit back to back, and contains a receptacle for the luggage at the back and a seat for the coachman in front. On arriving at the chateau we found the Count absent, but his son received us very graciously, and told us his father would be sorry to have missed us, and was sure that he would have been pleased to have shown us the correspondence of his grandfather with Huber. We were shown over part of this ancient chateau, which dates from the fifteenth century, and there was much of interest in it. It is rather carious that it is Early next morning M. Mermey, who had gone to Aix-les-Bains on his bicycle, joined us, and we decided, instead of going by train, to make a slight detour, and pass by Gr6sy, calling on Count Mouxy de Loche at the chateau there, as we were told he had a number of unpub- lished letters of Francois Huber, which we wished to see. We ordered a carriage, and to our delight one of the native vehicles made its appearance, and the master of the inn offered to drive us. We passed through pretty lanes with thatched houses and several disused bee- houses. Thinking it would be a pleasant re- miniscence to have a picture of this primitive carriage, which is fast disappearing and giving place to more modern vehicles, we decided to photograph it, and for this purpose we stopped in front of one of the old farmhouses. We pre- sent our readers with the picture, which is a faithful representation of the scene. M. Ber- trand and M. de Lay ens are sitting in the car- riage, and the Jehu on the box-seat, while M. supposed Gresy derives its name from a Greek colony which settled in these mountains. The Celtic is Graig-hill, and Latin Grceci or Gre~ siacum, which, converted into French, became Graisi, and finally Gresy. The grandfather of Count Mouxy de Loche was a scientist of some- renown, and devoted himself to the study of bees. He was also in correspondence with many scientific men of the day, including Huber. He was in the military service, and in 1786 his taste for natural history commenced, when he published his first papers. Six years later he was elected a member of the Royal Agricultural Society at Turin. In 1798 he settled in Turin, and continued his studies in apiculture, entomology, agriculture, and archaeology until 1805, when he returned to Savoy, and was ad- mitted a member of the Natural History Society at Geneva. In this way he came in contact with Huber, and from that time frequently corresponded with- him. He was most assiduous in his observations on bees, and published a April 9, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 173 number of papers and work?, some of which we are fortunate enough to possess in our own library, which our visit to his chateau renders all the more interesting. Amongst the memoirs published by him on bees the following may be mentioned : — 1. De la culture des abeilles dans le Dcpartement du Mont -Blanc; 2. Dune resine employee par Vabeille dans la construction de ses gateaux ; 3. Culture de Vabeille ; 4. Des causes qui deter- minent les abeilles a construire lews gateaux; 5. De Vabeille chez les anciens ; 6. Traite gene- ral de Vabeille; 7. Memoire sur la generation des abeilles males ; 8. Memoire sur les abeilles et principalement sur la maniire de /aire les essaims ; 9. De la culture des abeilles sur les Alpes et les pays voisins; 10. Memoire relatif Layens and Dadant patterns. The long hives seen in the front row are the Layens, while those at the back are the Dadants. We found M. Mermey a very intelligent as well-fas'' an enthusiastic bee-keeper, and were therefore not surprised to find his apiary in such good order. He is very well situated, and has a good oppor- tunity of disposing of all his honey to advantage, as he lives on the main road from Aix to Humilly, and there are a large number of visitors from Aix who pass his place every day when out for a drive or walk. 3Vf . Mermey told us that the late Mr. Alfred Neighbour came out several times when he was staying at Aix. M. Mermey keeps a first-class restaurant in the house seen in the background of the picture, and we advise any of our readers who visitJAix not aux cires de France; 11. Recherches physiolo- giques sur les abeilles. Thesewritings extended over the period from 1806 to 1836, and will show that at the begin- ning of this century bee-keeping occupied a pro- minent place in Savoy. We were sorry, how- ever, not to see the letters, and the son said he was sure his father would call on us. His younger brother, a young gentleman of about twenty, had taken to bee-keeping, and his father encouraged him in his pursuit. Leaving the chateau, we drove towards Aix, and stopped within about a mile of the town at the residence of M. Mermey. Here, curiously enough, we met the Count returning from Aix, and he pro- mised to call upon us at our hotel in the even- ing. M. Mermey took us at once to see his bees, which he kept in a garden on the opposite side of the road. These were beautifully kept, and we found this quite a model apiary. The illustration will give a very good idea of what it was like. M. Mermey has twenty-four hives of the to forget to go out as far as the ' Kendezvous des Chasseurs,' where they will not only get good refreshment, but will be able to see an apiary kept in first-class style, and make the acquaintance of a very pleasant and agreeable bee-keeper. The pasturage about here, though good, is not nearly so good as in some of the places we had visited, and it was because M. Mermey had such a good demand for honey that he was establishing an apiary at Kumilly, which he could conveniently reach on his bicycle. After partaking of a meal that was certainly more to our liking than any other we had had in Savoy we took leave, and determined to spend the rest of the day in sight-seeing. After depositing our luggage at the ' Hotel de Geneve ' in Aix, we went down to the Lac du Bourget, and made an excursion in a steamer to Haute Combe, a Cistercian monastery at the foot of the Mont du Chat. This was quite one of the lions of the place, and was well worth a visit, having been formerly the burial-place of the Princes of 174 THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL. [April 9, 1891. Savoy. One of the reverend fathers accompanied us, and showed and explained all the curiosities. In the church were the monuments of Amadeus V., VI., VII., Humbert III., Boniface of Savoy, who was Archbishop of Canterbury, and many others. The place now belongs to the Italian Ptoyal Family, and was frequently visited by the late King Victor Emmanuel. (To be continued.) €nxTZ8]j!i0ribmtz. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice -will he taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are re- quested to write on one side of the paper only, and give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, re- ports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, Sec, must be addressed only to ' The Editors of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C All business communications relating to Advertisements, Sec, must be addressed to Mr. J. Htjckle, Kings Langley, Herts (see 1st page of Advertise- ments.) %* In order to facilitate reference, Correspondents, when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted, will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well as the page or. which it appears. IN THE HUT. ' The humble-bee the wide wood-world may roam ; One feather's breadth I shall not stir from home.' BlCHABD JeFFERIES. [610.] Not with lamb-storms rattling about and filling one's windward ear with hail-stones, instead of the dulcet spring tones of bird-song and bee-hum; not with snaps of cold sand- wiched between spells of sunshine, that make, one wheeze and whistle with bronchitis like a distant chorus of woodland warblers ! Oh, shade of Hoge ! where is now th}' compound of Murrubium - cum - mel (otherwise horehound honey) ? Time was when I wanted an extract of horehound, but could only obtain the herb ; the materia medica knows it not, yet the ancients made great use of it to remove obstructions from the lungs, in consumption, and in cases of hack- ing cough. 'X-Tractor' is one of those old- time believers, and thinks that those who went before us certainly knew one or two things — items of wisdom ; therefore why should we not credit them with a knowledge of the virtues of the white horehound plant amongst the very few things they did know ? So, if you want to cure a cough, ask a herbalist for some of it, boil it down to an extract, and mix with honey. Spirit will also draw its virtues from it. Some odd days, in this miserable, bleak part of Yorkshire, really do seem fine ones, and then a sneaking visit is paid to the hives, and an en- trance effected by the back premises (parallel dummy-board), an empty comb is extracted (yes !), and one substituted for it, over one side of which pea-meal has been ' shaken and well rubbed in.' A bottle is stealthily refilled with syrup (on the slow system), and placed over f eed-hoie ; then, like miscreants who have done some wrong, a quiet retreat is beaten. Some odd days the sun shines, and the crocuses, won- derful hygrometric foretellers of a few rays of sunlight, open and spread out their fan-like stigmas of saffron for the heat-beams, which will bring on their lines the bee from the hive. Then, again, the bee-keeper skulks out, and, glancing about to see that he is unobserved, takes from his pocket a packet bearing a yellow cover. To the old lady, peering behind the window-blind, it seems that he is ' giving them snuff,' and with a mournful sigh of charity and a strange shake of the head, she turns away full of pity for the friends and relatives of the poor fellow who pours snuff into his hives and medicates his flowers with pea-meal. Never mind, my dear neighbour ; who has such cro- cuses and spring flowers, self -sewn — not renewed year by year from ' sales of Dutch bulbs ?' How often a scarcity of bees accompanies a splendid season for honey ! This year, to hint at a well-known phrase, ' bees will be BB,' and we must work right up to the elbow for early swarms or strong stocks by all sorts of stimula- ting treatment consistent with safety, but in our garden only outside frames shall be disturbed. I hope your readers will not forget ' Hooker's device ' as explained at the recent meeting of B.B.K.A. In short, it is a box made to hold one, two, or more frames. Down one corner, open at bottom, is a tube; down tube pour syrup (pour sirop), and as it (the syrup) slowly ascends it fills the cells, gradually expelling the air the while. This is a simple, safe method of feeding in tricky weather, such as we are now having. I do not know that 'X-Tractor' will be tres- passing on an any one's pseudonym when he makes a few remarks upon that useful article — always an odoriferous treat of a high order — ■ ' the smoker ' — I mean the man, not the machine : ' Man, the machine ; ' I mean the smoker who smokes tobacco, and dispenses with the tin utensil. He dispenses the pungent fumes amongst his frames, fragrant with tobacco : — ' Divine in hookahs, glorious in a pipe.' Really, my bees will not be near so mild with me with anything so well as with tobacco ; at times rebellious, they can be ' sent down ' with a ring and a bang. ' If tobacco be there, I have never a care.' The soothing fumes of fustian are soon forgotten. The old familiar twang of carbolic is soon, as with us, ' rather liked if any- thing ; ' but for really pleasant manipulation commend me to my pipe stuck through a hole in the veil, replenished and used on the bees at pleasure. Then again, if at no other time, the bee-keeper gets a really good smoke at each manipulation — pipe after pipe in quick succes- sion— he knows about it. The studious and inquiring have a nice problem before them : How is it stocks, for no apparent reason, pop off en masse, and join the ranks of their deceased progenitors? I was examining the bees in a bee-garden on Easter Tuesday, and found whole brood nests filled with dead bees on plenty of stores, thick-walled hives well pro- tected and packed with quilts. The presence of April 9, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 175 young or old queens does not come forth as a factor in such cases as these ; the bees were dead with all surrounding conditions present to enable them to keep alive. One is always expected to assign a reason for anything curious or abnormal about honey-bees, so I thought in this case that as there was excessive ' abominable detention ' ■(to use a Partingtonism), the cold weather, con- tinued for during nearly three months, had pre- vented the bees leaving the hive to void faeces, and as this act generally requires muscular con- traction of the abdomen when on the wing, the poor things died because they were not 'allowed to go out.' I see wax has gone up in price, and like the almanac writers of the stamp of Zodiac (I don't mean Zadkiel) I will try to fit in the facts after they have occurred with my prophecy. As to the coming honey season, the signs in the heavens tell us (?) the weather we have had is just what we might have expected, and that the longer it continues unpropitious, the greater are the chances that when we do get a peep into spring, the spring will be a bound, flowers and fruit will abound also. By the way, do seasons ever take their names from seasonal conditions? Does Easter get its name from easterly winds, for example, just as a receptacle for honey gives its name to — X-Tkactob ? WINTERING BEES. [611.] Referring to your footnote to my letter (No. 605, p. 164), I wish to say that I conclude seven frames to be the right number to winter bees on, because I have found they do not build up so well in spring on a larger number, presumably because they are unable to keep up the heat in a larger space in thin hives. For the same reason I should prefer six frames for wintering on, except for the difficulty of getting stocks in autumn into such a small space, and also six frames do not hold quite enough food to winter on without running a risk of scarcity. If a hive is extra strong in the autumn I raise a dummy, to allow the bees to cluster between it and the hive-side. As the cold weather advances they retreat to the combs, when the dummy can be dropped. — Arthur J. H. Wood, Belhvood, Hipon. BALANCE-SHEETS. [612.] From time to time contributors send for publication in the B.B.J, balance-sheets of their bee-keeping, and although an experienced bee-keeper is not misled by such, yet I fear there is danger that those who are thinking of starting the hobby will get the idea that much larger profits are made than is really the case. In last week's B.B.J., for instance, 'C. H. W.' (604, p. 164) publishes most excellent results for so poor a year, in fact he shows over 200 per cent, profit ; but, unfortunately, the balance-sheet is incomplete, as no account is taken of how much the stock had cost at the beginning of the season, •and how much it was worth at the end. In my experience of an apiary of 100 stocks it is need- ful to deduct a large sum (at least twenty per cent, per annum) from the cost of hives, ex- tractors, &c, as they not only wear out but become old-fashioned and practically unsaleable in a few years. I believe 'O. H. W.'s' profit, from a business point of view, is really about half the sum shown. I hope he will not take this note as finding fault, for I think he is to be greatly congratulated on obtaining, even accord- ing to my figures, so handsome a result. It is well to bear in mind that many hobbies show enormous profits for one year, but that if an average of, say, four years be taken the results are very different. I should be glad if you, Mr. Editor, would criticise in a footnote all the balance-sheets which you publish. — E. J. Gibbins, Neath, April 3rd, 1891. [We did not regard the communication on p. 164 as a ' balance-sheet,' but simply as a statement of expenditure and income — a ' bee-account for 1890' as it was designated by the writer — and as such no fault could be found with it. No doubt in striking a balance it would have been better to give value of stock at beginning and at end of year ; but it would come with a bad grace from us to take upon ourselves to criticise keenly such communications as bee-keeping readers are good enough to favour us with, and would, we fear, rather tend to dis- courage them from sending in reports at all if they were to be regularly held up to editorial criticism in the way our correspondent suggests. — Eds.] NOTES BY THE WAY. [613]. The weather in West Berks continues cold, scarcely a bee moving during the past week, and of those that have braved the ele- ments many have been blown down and chilled ; a change to warmer weather will be appreciated by both bee-keepers and bees. I notice that 'bee-escapes,' or super clearers, as we more commonly term in this country, are receiving commendations from the bee-keepers who have used them in America during the past year. The horizontal escape appears to hold the field, and has proved a success in the hands of several prominent bee-keepers ; so much so that they assert that it has ' come to stay.' Referring to what 'Bee-Kay' says anent shows, and their failure to be ready by the opening of the gates, the schedules always state a specific time when all honey, appliances, &c, are to be staged ready for the judges, but only those who exhibit and the secretary and acting committee know of the many difficulties that have to be surmounted before the exhibits are staged. The railway companies, with the large amount of extra work on their hands (I am speaking of large agricultural shows) are thrown into confusion. As an example, to illustrate what I mean, I will take the Royal Counties' Horsham meeting, 1889. There the company had erected temporary offices, and engaged or drafted a staff of hands specially for the goods, &c, going to the show-yard, which was some three miles from the station. If I take my own 176 THE BRITISH BEE JOUKNAL. [April 9, 1891. case it will suffice. I had consigned several cases of honey to the show some days previously, so that there should be no hitch when I got there, the day before the show, and expected to find all ready to be carted to the show-ground under my own superintendence ; but on inquiry I could hear no tidings of my consignment, but was buoyed by the assurance that trains would be coming in all night from London, and I had better look down early in the morning. Asking what time they would be open, as I intended to be one of the first next morning, the manager told me they should be on duty all night. Ac- cordingly I was astir early, and with the aid of a porter uncovered several trucks of goods, all marked ' show,' and at last found my cases. These I managed to get transferred to a van, with the promise that they should form part of the next load to the show-ground. This was about 6.30 a.m. I then got breakfast in the town, and started for the show-yard, and then had to wait until nearly eleven o'clock before my honey was delivered at the tent, and it was only by dint of having everything in readiness to stage be- fore I left home that I was enabled to stage some four to five hundredweight of honey in the various classes, with only a few minutes to spare. This will give ' Bee-Kay ' a glimpse of some of the difficulties that have to be overcome by exhibitors who are on the spot to stage their own exhibits. How much more difficult it must be for a committee or secretary to have to arrange exhibits only just to hand in time for staging, when they have to feel their way, so to speak, with the exhibits. I don't think there is anything gives a secretary so much pleasure as to have all in readiness for the judges on their arrival. I have noticed many times how thankful they have been when there has been a little time to spare, so that a few plants could be inter- spersed among the exhibits, or a few finishing touches given to the exhibits where required. Metal Ends. — Have these been made two inches wide yet for super compartments ? ' If not, why not ? ' Hardy annuals, if not already sown, should be got into the ground ^at once; also wallflower seed sown now will grow strong, bushy plants for another spring. This is one of the best early bee-flowers, and what can be more refresh- ing to the bee-keeper than inhaling its sweet perfume when working amongst his bees? — two excellent reasons why it should be grown in every apiary ; and if you have spare plants, don't throw them to the waste-heap ; give them away to your neighbours, and so increase the breadth of your bee-garden while extending a friendship with your neighbours. Only those bee-keepers with a good number of hives near or in a village, and close to a high road, can understand how essential it is to cultivate neighbourly and friendly feelings, so that when swarms intrude on your neighbours' gardens you can secure the same without any fuss. Then, later on, the gift of a little honey to the little folks, and in the winter, if your neighbour suffers from sore throat, a little honey works- wonders ; in fact, it is ' Mel sapit omnia! — W- Woodley, World's End, Newbury. QUEENS PASSING THROUGH EXCLUDER ZINC. [614.] In answer to Mr. Woodley 's inquiry (582, p. 128) for particulars about the queen-ex- cluders used, the hives named are not bar-frame hives, but Scotch box hives, 12 x 12 x 9 inside- measure, with fixed bars on the top ; the ends rabetted on the inside to bring the bars level with the sides, and a crown board screwed on, to take off in summer. There are also box supers,. 12 x 12 x 4, with bars for tiering. The excluder zinc was nailtd close on the top bars, with pro- jecting sides bent down around the outside of hive, so it was impossible for the queens to get through except by the perforations in the zinc, of which I send a sample. — Alpha. [The sample of zinc is not a good one for use as queen-excluders. It is coarsely made, and the per- forations are not regular, some being larger than others — sufficiently so to admit of very diminutive queens pushing through. The most perfect form of excluder we know of is that of which an impression* (taken direct from the zinc itself) is given above. It is one of several patterns made by Dr. Tinker, of Philadelphia, and there should be no difficulty in having it manufactured in this country if dealers in t>ee-applianees would take the trouble to move in the matter. — Eds.] BEES IN CUMBERLAND. [615.] It is long since I sent a line to your delightful Journal, whose coming I look forward to every Thursday. Last summer my bees did very badly ; there was little to record but con- tinuous rain. I took about 60 lbs. of honey from fifteen hives. I gave it back to the bees, and bought 2 c wt. of Egyptian cane sugar, and made as- much into syrup as they would take down. This was done rather too late in the autumn, as my bee-man had to finish with the harvest before he could help me to take off the supers, which were well worked out with cells, but had little honey in them — very few perfect sections. I never saw more clover in the fields or more wild flowers in the hedges, but being always April 9, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 177 wet, they were of little use to the bees. In January last I made a slight examination of the hives, and found one colony dead and several with very little or no food ; so took out a frame or two and filled in with sections, in this way giving from 6 lbs. to 9 lbs. of honey to each hive. All have looked very flourishing ever since. On the 21st inst. I began syrup-feeding, having to get my bees ready for the sycamore bloom, and five of my hives being Abbott's old pattern, with large tapering frames, they hold a great quantity of bees, but they give the best results; one of them in a good summer gave me 154 lbs. of honey in sections. I never feel quite content unless my hives average 100 lbs. of honey each. I began bee-keeping in 1881 with four skeps, which each swarmed three times. In the autumn an expert came and put all into three of Abbott's large hives. Since then, taking good and bad years together, I have had nearly 4000 lbs. of honey more than it was possible to either sell, use, or give away. One year I sold 161. worth, but generally I can- not get it sold at all, and so give it away. If any of your readers find mice troublesome to their bees or to crocus bulbs, or in their houses or out- houses, cork shavings, or thin discs cut from old corks, and fried in bacon fat, till, as cooks say, a nice brown, and placed about where mice or rats come, the creatures will eat it, and it will destroy them : dogs, cats, and poultry are said not to touch it. I should be glad if the inventor of the funnel- shaped super-clearer would tell me what the consequences would be if the queen was up in the super when the ' clearer ' was on and the bees coming out of it. Would it be advisable to give a puff of smoke to the bees before lifting off the super — a sort of notice to quit to Her Ma jestj'? Having a grent number of sections filled, or partly filled, with comb, the queen is very likely to go up, and I have an objection to excluder zinc. My bees are all perfectly healthy ; we have never had foul brood in this neighbourhood. I consider the secret of getting plenty of super honey is in having plenty of bees in the hive, plenty of flowers in the neighbourhood, and plenty of warm wraps over and around the supers. I use chaff cushions, thick, new felt drugget, and newspapers. I have my hives washed out with carbolic soap and water every spring, not long before putting the supers on. Most of them double-walled hives, the single- walled hives have sheds to oover them. The bees are wintered on all the frames, and with no winter passages except what they make for themselves. — Beeswing. ODD THOUGHTS. [616.] In Gleanings (American) a few weeks back, something was said about beetroot sugar being as good as cane sugar for feeding bees. Professor Cook endorsed it, producing scientific evidence that beetroot sugar is identical with cane sugar, and that it is suitable for feeding bees. We, on this side, are of a different opinion. I, myself, about 1879 or 1880, lost over twenty stocks by spring dwindling, caused, I and others had no doubt, by feeding up after a bad season with cheap (beet) loaf sugar. I have procured one of Mr. Flood's bee- escapes, and I think it will answer its purpose well; of course, I have not tried it yet. Now, while I think of it, I hope to make some reversible floor-boards for some of my hives for another winter ; something like Dr. Miller uses in America, with a two-inch rim for the hive to stand on for winter, and to be reversed for summer use, only having three-eighth inch strips for the same purpose. Queen Wasps. — I have found two or three that had crept in amongst some of my appliances this spring — winter, I may say, although spring time of year. Other years I have found them many times between boards, tiles, &c. I do not think they feel the cold at all. I think they really do hybernate — not so the bees ; at least, that is my opinion. What will the season of 1891 prove ? There's the rub. I see some have prophesied that we are to have a cold, wet summer. All bee-men will hope this forecast may prove a false one. What a fuss about native bees versus foreigners. All I can say is, if there is any honey about, the foreigners are bound to be amongst it, but if there is very little, like last season, with us, how can either kind get it ? Excluders. — 1 like them for extracted honey, to keep queens out of the boxe3 ; also it prevents the bottom of frames being joined to the top of the brood frames. Likewise for comb honey, the excluder, with me, saves a lot of trouble by doing away with burr combs. Winter Passages. — I never cut any in my combs, neither do I place any device on top of frames for passages ; but another winter I may place something over, and that will probably be a good large cake of candy, not too soft. Years ago I have kept driven bees, of course,, giving them some ready -built combs and a small quantity of syrup, and then placing a large lump of loaf sugar, cut off a sugar loaf, on top of frames, and covering up warm, and the bees wintered exceedingly well. This was before Simmins' dry-sugar feeding came into vogue. — John Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington. BEE-HOUSES. [617.] I am thinking of putting up a bee- house against a wall facing south. One side of the house would be formed by a wall ten feet high, facing east, and forming the fence to a road — in fact, the main street in our village. 1. Will the bees from this house interfere with passerS-by in the road ? — and if so what distance from the road would it be safe to put the house along the inside of the wall facing south ? 2. Would two feet between entrances to hives in house be too close ? — if so what would be a safer distance? 3. I would be glad to know if you have a back number of B. J. giving 187 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [April 9, 1891. a description of a good bee-house to take ten or more hives in one row? — Dorset Bee-keeper. [1. If there is a wall or close fence nine or ten feet high over which the bees must pass in their flight from ihe hives, no danger need be feared to passers-by, as the bees will fly quite clear of the road. 2. Two feet is as far apart as we find entrances in most bee- ihouses, unless the style of house as shown in ^ sketch be adopted. In this the entrances face in several directions and are kept wide apart. 3. A good form of bee-house for holding a large number of hives was fully described in B. J. for April 10th, 1890 ; unfortunately, however, that number is now out of print. The annexed cut taken from the article referred to, will give an idea of the form of the house. Then there is the portable house for holding seven hives, described on p. 367 of B. J. for July 31st of last year. We have never seen a lean-to bee-house, such as you suggest. Indeed a structure of that kind would be more properly described as a bee-shed for keeping the hives dry. —Eds.] WEATHER REPORT. Westbottrne, Sussex. March, 1891. Maximum, 55" on 1st. Rain : — 2.6-5 inches. Minimum, 24° on 22nd. Heaviest fall, -55 on 9th. Min. on grass, 17° on Rain on 20 days. 31st. Average, 5 years, 2-22. Frosty nights, 15. Sunshine : — 96-85. Mean max 43° Brightest day, 8.30 on „ min 33° 3rd. „ temp 38° Sunless days, 6. Remarks. — A dull and very cold month. The snowstorm of 9th and 10th produced, when melted, exactly one inch, equal to about one foot of snow. Since the first, there has not been a single day on which it has been warm enough to open the hives. Many have lost their bees this month. — L. B. Birkett. [338.] Changing Hives and Disinfecting Combs Annually. — 1. I suppose it is well to shift the frames into clean hives annually when cleaning floor-boards, and what time do you consider the best for it, spring or autumn ? 2. When surplus combs and frames are scraped and cleaned, what process should they undergo in the way of fumigating, &c, to render them safe for future use (of course I don't ailude to foul-broody combs, but healthy ones), and the proper way to do so ? — F. Jelico. Reply. — 1. It is not at all necessary to move bees into clean hives annually if they are kept in generally good condition, though, if con- venient, it is a good plan to clean each hive thoroughly while temporarily denuded of bees, May is the best month to do it. 2. The same with store combs : it is safer to guard against harm by fumigation with sulphur-fumes or by syringing with salicylic acid solution before storing them away ; but if they are known to be clean, healthy, and free from moth, it becomes a matter of time and convenience whether they are so treated or not. [339.] 1. Painting Hives. — I have nine stocks in frame hives. I want to put these into make- shift hives while I clean and paint. I have not enough makeshifts to do all at once. Please say how soon may I with safety begin, and how long may they remain in makeshift hives while I clean and paint ? 2. Bees are feeding well on candy. When may I with safety start on syrup food?— J. T.N. Reply. — 1. There is no need to remove bees from hives while painting the latter. If the fronts are painted after the bees have done work for the day, the other parts may be done at any time. If, however, it is more convenient to do the painting indoors, we should defer it till weather is more settled, and frosty nights are less frequent. The bees might with safety be left in makeshift hives if warmly packed and protected from wet. 2. Any time now. [340.] Beginning Bee-keeping. — Being de- sirous of trying my hand at bee-keeping, I bought three hives in December last, having no previous knowledge whatever of the subject. One hive is of wood, fourteen inches square, with two square boxes inside ; the other two are skeps. I left them as they were all winter, and in February I found bees were issuing from one of the skeps, but the other two were dead. The bees in the living stock carry in pollen busily on fine days, and as I have made a frame hive I would like to put them into it, if I knew how to set about the job. 1. Can you tell me April 9, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 179- how ? 2. Will the bees want feeding now, and, if so, with what food ?— R. H. F., Foot's Cray, Kent, Reply. — 1. Gain more experience before attempting to transfer bees. Allow them to swarm naturally, and hive the swarm into your new hive (standard size, we hope). 2. If food is short, give a one-pound cake of soft candy, which can be bought from any dealer and sent you by post for a few pence. [341.] Bees in a Tree. — I have just discovered a swarm of bees which must have wintered in the fork of a tree about three hundred yards from my apiary. They are about twenty feet from the ground, and could be easily reached by a ladder. Would it be possible to drive them, and if so, how should I proceed ? They seem strong and healthy, and appear in great num- bers on sunny days. — (Mrs.) C. N., Co. Deriy. Reply. — The task you propose undertaking i3 a difficult one for an experienced bee-keeper, and in the absence of anj' actual knowledge of the ' conditions ' to be faced, it is impossible for us to give instructions such as could be carried out by a lady. In fact, we cannot do more than advise calling in the help of some strong man accustomed to handling bees, and let him do the work. im txam % flite. Keswick, Cumberland, March 20th. — My eighteen stocks have wintered safely, and after the long frost have only shown very slight symptoms of what may be dysentery, while they flew as vigorously on New Year's Day as if it had been June, after being confined from early in November till the last day of 1890 through frost. New Year's Day, 1891, was the warmest I ever remember in mid-winter and the ' outing ' did the bees good. Afterwards they had another spell of confinement for a month, followed by several weeks when they were on the wing almost daily, busy on the crocus, in which I had put artificial pollen. March has brought another change of weather. Strong winds, hills around us covered with snow, but in the vale of Keswick the fields were only once covered with snow during the six weeks' frost. I have done no examining yet further than glancing at the tops of combs to see that all was right. Bees here did not do much last year in the way of surplus honej'. A few, whose stocks are close to the heather, got some and did not forget to charge an extravagant price for it. Other bee-keepers, myself included, had the con- solation, however, of being saved expense in feed- ing up, for the bees got enough for themselves and to spare in the brood combs, though the sections were almost empty. I left my stocks on all their combs and with all the food they had gathered, and am hoping that, as we have only had one good year out of the last three, we shall have a good reward in 1891. — Bee-Robin. TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. Geo. Neighbour & Sons, 127 High Hol- boen, London (64 pp.) — Messrs. Neighbour's catalogue is, as usual, very full and complete. It contains over one hundred illustrations, com- prising almost everything required by bee- keepers. We are glad to see this firm, in addition to the manufacture of high-class goods for which they have so long maintained their good name/are turning out hives in the cheaper forms adapted to later notions of economy in bee-appli- ances. That Mr. Jas. Lee still continues at the head of the manufacturing department is a guarantee for the accuracy of the work turned out. W. P. Meadows, Syston, near Leicester. — Another excellently go t-up thirty-two page list, descriptive of bee-goods. Formerly Mr. Meadows made a specialty of tin-work for bee-keepers, and his extractors, feeders, &c, had, and have, a very high reputation. Recently, however, he has erected steam-power wood-working machinery of the most modern construction for hive-mak- ing and general bee purposes. Several novelties for the coming year are also depicted among the- capital illustrations the list contains. IN AN OLD GARDEN. Yellow roses, purple pansies, Tufts of heavy-headed stalks, Either side the quaint old gateway — Blazing torch-like hollyhocks. Sweet-peas tossing airy banners, Saintly lilies bending low, Daisies powdering all the greensward With a shower of summer snow. Boxwood borders, yews fantastic, Wallflowers that with every sigh Spill such scent that e'en the brown bees lle^l with rapture, wandering by. And the pear-trees, long arms stretching O'er the sunny gable wall, Scarce can hold their ruddy nurslings, Ripening wrhere the warm beams fall. Oh ! the ecstasy of living, How it thrills my heart to-day! I can almost hear the flower-belis Tinkle where my footsteps stray. In a garden G ,d first placed man, There firdt woke love's magic thrill ; And methinks a breath of Eden Clings to earth's old gardens still. Maria IIedderwick Browne. — Girls' Own Paper. 180 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [April 9, 1891. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers- Letters or queries asking for addresses of manufacturers or correspondents, or where appliances can be purchased, or replies giving such information, can only be inserted as advertisements. The space devoted to letters, queries, and replies, is meant for the general good of bee-keepers, and not for advertisements. We wish our Correspondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessary for us to go to press in advance ■of the date of issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue immediately following the receipt of their com- munication. All queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only of personal interest will be answered in this column. Moorland. — All three samples of sugar sent are good for bee-food. L. S. (Alton). — Any dealer advertising in our pages will supply you with the long-hole pattern of excluder zinc, which is the right kind for bees. H. S. (Tarbolton, N.B.)— The articles on ' Queen Rearing,' by Mr. Ii. Alley, were discontinued in May, 1889, because the author ceased sending on advance proofs at the time named. John Smith (Cnmnor). — 1. If the stock in skep is as heavy as stated there is no need to feed the bees. 2. You can unite the cast with the top swarm by sprinkling both lots with flour. S. G. Field (Crouch End). — Siraw-sided Frame Hives. — With some undoubted advantages these have many drawbacks, which, in our opinion, outweigh the former. All brood chambers, of whatever type of hive, should be made to take standard frames. Your quota- tion about 'bees revelling in flower blossoms/ does not appear in our pages. Coal Porter (Colchester). — The condition of comb sent, though not foul-broody, shows an unmistakable want of care for the bees. The whole mass is wet and decaying, and as is usual when such corruption sets in maggots (not wax-moth larva?) generate therein. We are sorry your loss has reached so high as fifty per cent, of the whole, and no doubt the severe winter has contributed largely to the heavy mortality. James Hutchinson (Cheltenham). — Comb being full of badly mildewed pollen is quite unfit for use, and should be destroyed. There is no foul brood in it. Novice (Woking).— 1. It is not the rule to expect swarms and honey the same year, and, in so moderate a season as that of last year, to increase from one to three stocks — all of which have wintered safely without feeding cannot be called failure. You would do well to read some small book on the subject of bee- keeping before investing further. 2. Do not attempt transferring ; allow one skep to swarm naturally, and super the others as last year. 3. The frame sent is not a correct ' standard size,' nor is it a very well-made one. 4. For syrup-making and feeding refer to B. J. for January loth and 29th last, pp. 26 and 50. R. W. (Cinderford).— Comb sent contains chilled brood and pollen only, not foul brood. We attribute your loss to syrup being made too thin and from beet sugar, together with some fault in packing which caused the combs to be * wet and unhealthy -looking.' Melt down any combs containing dead brood, and only use such as are clean and wholesome. Wotjld-be Expert (Hutton Rudby). — Mr. J. Huckle, Kings Langley, Herts, will supply information as to qualifying for examination for experts' certificates. %* Reports of Worcester and Irish B. K. Asso- ciations will appear next week. THE DEPOSIT SYSTEM. British Bee Journal and Bee-keepers' Record. Office : Kings Langley, Herts ; and 17 King William Steeet, Steand, London, W.C. The following are the Rules under which we are prepared to receive Sums of Money on Deposit from persons buying and selling goods. In order to save trouble it is requested that the Bules be carefully read over by persons using the Deposit System of trading. DEPOSITING. 1. Method. — When strangers are dealing together, the purchase-money of the articles is deposited at our office. We acknowledge receipt of the deposit to both parties, and hold the money until we are satisfied that the purchase is concluded. If a sale be effected, we remit to the seller the amount deposited, less a charge of 6d. and the expenses of Post Office Orders and postage, &c. Cash will be forwarded by cheque, Post Office Order, or by Postal Order as pre- ferred. If a sale or exchange be not completed, we return the amount deposited, after making the same deduction. By this means buyers and sellers ar3 secured from fraud. 2. Deposits.— Postal Orders (drawn on General Post Office) and Cheques must be made payable to John Huckle, and crossed ' Bucks and Oxon Bank.' The numbers of the Postal Orders should be kept by the sender. We cannot be responsible for any losses that may occur in transit. 3. Honey on Approval. — All honey will be sold by sample, which must be sent direct to buyer. 4. Bee-appliances. — In ordering, the time allowed for completing the order to be stated to us when sending cash. If maker accepts, we hold cash till transaction is satisfac- torily completed, when the amount will be remitted subject to conditions as in Clause 1. 5. Bees and Queens. — These will be dealt with entirely by the parties concerned, so far as price, &c, goes, and when the purchase is satisfactorily completed cash will be re- mitted as per Clause 1. 6. Goods in Transit. — These are at tho seller's risk, i.e., any damage to or loss of an article on its journey i3 borne by the vendor; but a rejected article must be pro- perly packed and returned by the same means as was used in sending it. 7. Carriage. — The carriage of all goods, except such as are sent by post, is payable by the buyer, unless otherwise agreed. If any article sent on approval be returned, each party to the transaction must pay carriage one way. Tenth Edition. Nineteenth Thousand. BEE-KEEPERS' GUIDE BOOK. Con- taining Management of Bees in Modern Moveable Comb Hives, and the Use of the Ex- tractor. By Thos. Wm. Cowan, F.G.S., F.R.M.S., Ac. With numerous Illustrations. Fcap. 8vo., price Is. 6d. ; or in cloth gilt, 2s. &d. Postage 2d. To be had of Houlston & Sons, Paternoster Square, all Hive Dealers, Secretaries to Bee- keepers' Associations, and of J. Huckle, British Bee Journal Office, Kings Langley, Herts. BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 460. Vol. XIX. N.S. 68.] APRIL 16, 1891. [Published Weekly. fflhxtttxwl, ^iatmn, $t. THE FUTURE OF BEE ASSOCIATIONS. Among the annual reports ^of Bee Associa- tions periodically reaching us^it is depressing to find an occasional one in which the view is expressed that the work for which such Associations were originally formed has been, in a measure, completed, and the mission of the County Bee-keepers' Associa- tion having been fulfilled, that there is no need for its continued existence. Such, in point of fact, was the substance of a reso- lution proposed at the annual meeting of the Staffordshire Association, held a few days ago. We are pleased, however, to observe that an amendment to the effect ' that the Society be continued ' was carried by a majority of two to one. The same views were given as a reason for the decline of active work in another county a year or two ago, and resulted in the Association concerned ceasing to exist. We entirely refuse to accept this in- terpretation of the fact that members are falling away from and losing interest in Bee Associations. With far more reason may it be supposed that some variation in the method of working is needed beyond the no longer novel exhibition in the bee-tent and the orthodox bee-tour of the expert. It may be admitted that the art of bee- keeping has been introduced and well taught in every corner of many counties by important exhibitions of bees, honey, and appliances, as well as by the periodical tours of that curious nomadic creation of modern times — the County Expert ; but there is surely more scope for the efforts of an active executive Committee than is conveyed in the very limited programme detailed above. Why should work begin and end with the show of honey and appliances, the bee-tent, and the expert's tour? What reason is there why the public -spirited efforts of our prospering Associations should not be shared by all others 1 Bee-keeping is being prominently recognised in quarters where it was entirely ignored a few years ago. The Royal Agricultural Society of England— probably the most important of its kind in the world — in its quarterly Journal, just issued, prints a special article on modern bee-keeping, while in the same journal in another paper, on ' Tech- nical Education in Agriculture/ the writer says : — ' There might be instituted a series of lessons in what might be termed rural economy, which would certainly attract the attention of farm labourers, and possibly of their wives as well, and if the older people were secured the children would follow. Practical instruction might be given upon the making of butter, the management of bees, and the keeping of poultry, whilst a lecture or two upon the pig would find attentive listeners. Bees, poultry, and pigs would afford safe staples to work upon.' We quote the above because the attention of Bee Associations is just now being directed towards the grant to County Councils of an annual sum to be devoted to the furtherance of technical education ; and it will be well not to lose sight of the recognition bee- keeping is thus receiving at the hands of our important agricultural societies. Ap- plications have already been made on behalf of two Bee Associations for a share of the above-named grant, which may or may not for the present be successful ; but in any case the facts we have drawn attention to will tend to strengthen the hands of those who are thus in- teresting themselves on behalf of bee- keeping, and it is not unreasonable to hope that sooner or later their well-meant efforts will be suitably rewarded. Instead of taking the gloomy view we deprecate so strongly, our flourishing County 18? THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [April 16, 1891.. Associations are extending their spheres of usefulness in several directions, depots are being established for the disposal of mem- bers' honey, and special attention is given to its being produced and prepared for sale in attractive form. Extractors and other of the more costly appliances are being lent to cottage members at a nominal charge, and we hope soon to see glass honey jars, &c, supplied to working men bee-keepers, to be paid for when the honey is sold. To teach a man how to manage bees and obtain surplus honey is good, but instruct- ing him further till the value of his produce is realised in cash is better, while continu- ing the educational process by loaning or supplying him with appliances of the best kind for helping him on in his work is better still. Yet this is now being done by some well-worked County Associations to-day. They do not say their mission is accom- plished. Their complaint is that in some cases the better class of members do not infuse a little more public spirit into their bee-keeping, and continue their subscrip- tions though receiving no direct pecuniary benefit from membership, so as to provide the necessary funds to help cottagers and others less fortunately situated. Nor can we avoid directing attention to the fact that the most successful Associa- tions are those which distribute most freely the current bee journals of the day among their members. Some retain the old and rather troublesome method of issuing a limited number of journals, and these are passed on from member to member after perusal ; but this plan does not work very satisfactorily, and such Associations as offer to members the option of including in their subscription a copy of the Record at a re- duced rate freely acknowledge that the receipt of the bee-paper every month con- tributes almost more than anything else to maintain the interest of the recipients in the Association and its work ; and it is a significant fact that the particular Associa- tion which has, probably, laid more stress on this point than any other, regularly issues nearly 300 copies of the Record per month among its members. It has just been suggested by a Avell- known bee-keeper that we should endeavour to issue the Record in similar form to the parochial magazines distributed by various religious bodies, in which the main portion of the literary matter is printed in large numbers and issued with local matter added on ; and our correspondent expresses a hope- that we could see our way to print the- necessary few pages of Association news and matters of local interest at a small ad- ditional cost to Associations. It must, how- ever, be pointed out that this idea is im- practicable. Local printers could produce a hundred or two sheets of extra local matter for insertion in the paper at as low a cost as it could be done in London, while the trouble of attending to it here would' be more than we could undertake. We are willing to issue the Record to Associations at the usual wholesale rate,. and print the whole (cover and all if re- quired) on white j^P^r, so that a coloured cover could be added, which cover would be available for four pages of local matter,. advertisements, or whatever was most re- quired, while the advertisements would probably cover the cost. We urge the importance of bringing these matters forward, not from the selfish standpoint of increasing our circulation, but because we believe that much good has been done, and can be done, in the way we indicate. BEE-PAPERS FOR WINTER READING. No. 6.— MOUNTING MICROSCOPIC OBJECTS. (Continued from page 171.) Mounting in Aqueous Media. — In this way of mounting it is better not to allow the objects to become dry at all, and they should invariably be soaked for some time in the medium before they are mounted to enable it to thoroughly- penetrate the tissues. Various media are employed, but for our purpose there are two which are the most useful. These are glycerine and glycerine jelly. Most off the objects can be mounted in glycerine, and that will be found the most satisfactory. For this method of mounting we prefer the insects freshly killed and soaked in diluted glycerine for a few days. They are then transferred to a stronger solution of glycerine, until; they can be finally put into pure glycerine. We generally begin with a thirty per cent, solution, then go on to sixty per cent., then eighty per cent., or even undiluted, according to the size of the object. The reason for this is that the glycerine may gradually penetrate all the tissues, and take the place of the fluids, which it does not do so readily if used too strong at first. Objects that have been preserved in glycerine and acetic acid should have all the acid washed out, and this is best done by allowing the pre- paration to soak in water and then put it into glycerine. All objects in glycerine should be mounted in cells of suitable depth, and much more care is needed to exclude air bubb les than April 16, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 183 when mounting in balsam. In fact, sometimes it is impossible to do so without the use of an air-pump ; but the risk of air bubbles is very much diminished by long soakage in glycerine if commenced with a diluted solution and gra- dually increased to the pure. We place the preparation that has had all the superfluous matter removed in the centre of a suitable cell, and drop pure glycerine upon it by means of a glass rod. We then put a little varnish or gold size round the edge of a thin cover glass, and drop this down upon the walls of the cell. We have found a convenient method of holding this glass was to put a little beeswax on the end of the stick of a camel's-hair pencil, and pressing this on the glass causes it to adhere. When in position the stick is easily re- moved by giving it a twist, which separates it from the glass without displacing the latter. Very little pressure must be used, but sufficient to make the glass adhere to the cell-wall and force out the superfluous glycerine. This is soaked up with a little blotting-paper and the remainder removed with a camel's-hair brush and water. When this is done, and the slide is free from the greasiness caused by the glycerine, a very thin ring of gold size can be put on, using the turn- table. In this first application we must be care- ful to use very little gold size, otherwise it is liable to run in and spoil the slide. The object can then be put on one side for a few days and another ring applied, and when this is quite hard it can be finished off with asphalt varnish. During preparation the object should be ex- amined under the microscope, and before the first ring is put on, if any air bubbles are found, either put the object back into glycerine and begin again, or place it under the air-pump until the air bubbles are removed. Mounting in glycerine jelly is more trouble- some, and requires much practice to attain good results. In using this cells are not required, except for very thick objects. The jelly, which is usually sold in small bottles, is warmed in a water bath, and must only just be melted, any extra heat being detrimental. The object should be soaked for some time in some of this jelly dissolved in water, and then placed on the glass slip. Remove the excess of liquid, and pour some of the melted jelly on the object. For this purpose we use a glass tube, drawn out to a point. The tube is warmed and plunged into the warm jelly, which rises in it. The upper end of the tube is then closed with the finger, which, on being removed, allows the jelly to flow out. Allow a liberal quantity to flow over the object, and gently lower the cover glass upon it, press- ing it down into position. It sets almost imme- diately, and the excess of jelly can be scraped away and washed with water. The edges should be covered with rings of varnish. Rapidity of operation is requisite for mounting in this way, as the jelly soon becomes set. The setting can be retarded by warming the slide and cover glass. Another way where objects are thick is to cut out a piece of the jelly and put it upon the object. Then gently warm the slide, when the jelly will diffuse itself through the object. Some objects are improved by being boiled upon the slide, and this method gets rid of air bubbles, but is not suitable for every preparation, as some would be entirely spoilt by boiling. If the object is to be boiled, a clip must be used to hold the glass in its place. A special clip is made for this purpose, and is called Smith's mounting clip. It has a set screw, so that pres- sure can be regulated. The slide is then held over the flame of a spirit lamp, and it will be noticed that it begins to bubble from the centre outwards. The slide must be carefully watched, and a distinct crack will be heard. This is a critical moment, and the slide must at once be removed and placed upon a cold surface. The jelly soon sets, and air bubbles will be absent. If the proper moment is missed the slide will be spoilt by over-boiling, or the bubbles will not be expelled if insufficiently boiled. These slides may have white zinc varnish rings put on first instead of gold size if preferred ; but we like in any case to finish them off with asphalt varnish. There only remains now to finish our slides by cleaning them and putting on rings of coloured varnish according to the mounter's fancy. Then stick on a gummed label describing the object, and stating the medium iu which it is mounted. Objects mounted in glycerine and fluid media require a fresh ring of asphalt varnish run round them from time to time, as they are liable to leak. Some prefer to cover their slides with coloured papers instead of using ground -glass slips. Those who do so can use ordinary rough- edged slips and square cover glasses, as these are a trifle cheaper than the others. Coloured paper gummed on one side is cut into pieces 3 j x H inches. A circular hole is then punched in the centre, a little smaller than the square cover, and the paper is then stuck on to the under side of the slide, so that the hole may come exactly in the centre. The corners are then cut off and the edges folded over the glass slip very tightly. After all the four edges are brought over, an ornamental cover, which can be purchased of the opticians, must have a cir- cular hole, a little smaller than that on the under side, punched in the centre, and can then be stuck on. These covers are generally gummed on the under side and gilt on the top. A label then completes it. There are, of course, many other media which may be used, but the principle of mounting is the same as described, and it is only by practice and experiment that the mounter can arrive at an idea of the best medium for a certain prepara- tion. As we have already stated, some objects should be mounted various ways for comparison, and some show details in one medium that would be entirely lost if mounted in another. We will now proceed to dissect our bees, and can at the same time mention the best medium for preserving each part. (To be continued.) 184 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [April 16, 1891. WORCESTERSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The eighth annual general meeting was held at the Guildhall, Worcester, on April 1st last — Mr. C. H. Haynes, of Hanley Castle, in the chair. The attendance was not large. Before the ordinary business was proceeded with, the following resolution was proposed by the Chairman and carried : — 'That this meeting desires to place on record its deep sense of the loss the Association has sustained by the death of the President, Earl Beauchamp.' Mr. A. H. Martin, the hon. sec, then read the report for the past year, which stated that owing to the poor honey season last year the Committee had not deemed it expedient to hold a show of honey, &c. The report also expressed regret that from the same cause the number of members had decreased. Notwithstanding this fact, how- ever, the Association is in a sound condition financially, the balance-sheet showing a balance of 211. 16s. Qd. in the hands of the Treasurer. The Rev. E. Davenport, in moving the adop- tion of the report, thought that notwithstanding the falling-off of members, and the dark outlook which the Association had at present, they had a *great deal to congratulate themselves upon. The funds had been sufficient to meet the ex- penses, and through good management they had a balance on the right side. He thought* there was every prospect of their having an abundant honey season this year, and that, no doubt, would give a stimulus to the Society. The Earl of Coventry, the new Lord-Lieu- tenant of the county, was unanimously elected President. In consequence of increasing professional duties Mr. Martin was compelled to resign his post of Hon. Sec, and the Rev. E. Davenport was elected in his place. The Chairman proposed a vote of thanks to Mr. Martin, and in a few appreciative remarks expressed the indebtedness of the Association to that gentleman for the services he had rendered to the cause of bee-keeping. It was afterwards suggested that steps should be taken to present Mr. Martin with some mark of their appreciation of the service he had rendered. Mr. Martin, who has been connected with the active work of the Association since its forma- tion in 1873, replied in a few appropriate words ; and after the election of Messrs. Haynes and Davenport as representatives to the Quarterly Conference, and of Mr. Martin to represent the Association on the Committee of theB.B.K.A., the proceedings were brought to a close. The annual ballot for hives resulted in Messrs. J. Partridge, of Alvechurch, and S. Tombs, of Droitwich, being declared the winners. IRISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The annual general meeting was held on the 2nd inst., Mr. J. K. Millner in the chair. The report, which was adopted, states that the year 1890 was discouraging to bee-keepers, the wet and chilly summer having proved most un- favourable to the production of honey, especially where none could be obtained from heather. There had been, however, no diminution in the work accomplished by the Association, but, on the contrary, in that most important department of its work — promoting the knowledge of bee- keeping— distinct progress had been made. Mr. C. N. White, a well-known and ex- perienced apiarist, kindly made a tour on behalf of the Association in counties Dublin and Louth, inspecting hives and giving advice as to their management. Lectures on bee-keeping were also given in four different localities. A large amount of honey was sold at the depot, the sections of 1890, when up to a fair standard, having usually fetched from 9d. to 10^. The bee-disease known as ' foul brood ' having become alarmingly prevalent, a special committee had been formed to inquire into the subject, but had not yet completed its investigations. Miss F. W. Currey made some suggestions with regard to this latter question derived from her own experience, and moved a resolution, which was passed unanimously, 'That the attention of the Association be specially given to the subject of foul brood.' The following officers and Committee were elected for the year 1891-92 : — President : Lord Ardilaun. Vice-Presidents: The Earl of Rosse, Miss Rutherfoord, Rev. Canon Procter, Hon. Richard Bellew, Mr. W. J. Bramley. Hon. Treasurer : Mr. J. Edmundson. Hon. Secre- tary: Mr. Henry Chenevix. Hon. Auditors: Messrs. J. K. Millner and M. H. Reed. Com- mittee: Mr. M. H. Reed, Dr. Traill, Miss F. W. Currey, Rev. P. Kavanagh, Rev. Canon Sadleir, Rev. R. Seymour, Messrs. R. T. Croasdaile, J. K. Millner, J. M. Gillies, W. Morony, T. B. O'Bryen, Oswald Hardy, Dr. Knight, T. G. Bar- low, and G. W. Hargraft. The President, Vice-Presidents, Treasurer, and Secretary, are also members of Committee ex- ojficio. LEICESTER B.K.A. It may not be generally known in the Loughborough and Ashby district that Mr. A. Harding, Park Road, Loughborough, has kindly undertaken the duties of Secretary to the Leicestershire Bee-keepers' Association for that division of the county, and at the general meet- ing, held in the Mayor's Parlour, Leicester, on March 7th, Mr. Page, of Loughborough, was unanimously elected as Expert for this same division. His appointment, I have no doubt, will give great satisfaction to all the members and bee-keepers with whom he will be brought into contact, and will fill a want which has been felt for some time past, for it goes without saying that a man residing in the district it is his duty to visit has a great advantage over a stranger. — Henry M. Riley, Hon, See. Leicestershire B.K.A., Tower House, Leicester. April 16, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 185 SCOTTISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. • A meeting was held in Glasgow on April 8th -of persons interested in bee-keeping in Scotland. There was a good attendance. Mr. R. J. Bennett, who was in the chair, explained that the Caledonian Apiarian Society has for the last two years practically ceased to exist, and the meeting had been called to consider how ibest to remedy what is felt to he a loss to bee- keepers in Scotland. The first thing they must •determine was whether they should attempt to resuscitate the old Society, or whether it would not be better to start a new Society with a new name. After some discussion it was seen to be the general desire to form a new Society, and those present agreed to enroll themselves as such and endeavour to get others to join. Mr. Gibson-Carmichael said that from the number of letters he had received on the subject he was sure that a good many members from various parts of Scotland would join, and it was agreed to try and get active bee-keepers to work up every district. It was agreed that the new Association should try and till the same part in Scotland as the British Bee-keepers' Association ■did in England, and that local bee-keepers' societies should be encouraged to affiliate them- selves to it. Mr. Bennett proposed that Mr. Gibson-Car- michael (Chiefswood, Melrose) should be asked to be secretary and treasurer until the new Society was well started. Mr. McNally suggested that Mr. Bennett might himself be treasurer, but Mr. Bennett ex- plained that he had not enough spare time. Mr. Carmichael was therefore appointed secre- tary and treasurer. It was determined to appoint a small Com- mittee to assist the Hom. Secretary in drawing up rules, &c. Messrs. McNally (Glenluce), Ross {Stranraer), and Johnstone (Sterling) agreed to serve, and it was determined to a^k Messrs. Cameron (Blair Athol), Fraser (Strathpeffer), Sutherland (Golspie), and Wilson (Dumfries) ■also to join the Committee. The name of the new Association was left to the Hon. Secretary to settle, who said that he should suggest that it be called the 'Scottish Bee-keepers' Associa- tion.' It was also remitted to the Hon. Secretary to make arrangements for holding an apiarian exhibition in connexion with the Highland Society's Show at Stirling in the summer. There was some conversation as to whether a second show might not be held in the autumn for honey, so as to give heather honey a chance. The Secretary promised to consider what could be done in that direction. The annual subscription was fixed at half-a- crown. It was determined to hold the next meeting of the Association at Stirling during the show, when it is hoped many new members may be present. €BXTZB#ttVtomt£. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are requested to write on one side oj the paper only, and give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, £ c~, must be addressed only to "The Editors of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C All business communications relating to Advertisements, &c, must be addressed to Mr. J. Huckle, KingsLangley, Herts (see 1st page of Advertise- ments). *«* In order to facilitate reference, Correspondents, when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted, will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well as the page on which it appears. NOTES BY THE WAY. [613.] We are now in the fourth month of the year. The weather continues of the phe- nomenal kind. January was cold to a degree ; February was the driest on record ; March will be remembered for its blizzard and heavy falls of snow, and now April is ushered in with heavy rainfalls. Bee-keepers in this country have been hoping and prophesying (as also bee-keepers in America) that we were to have a good honey year, though, according to the weather forecast for the summer by Belgian and English meteoro- logists, we are to have a wet and cool summer. This they deduce from records during the past sixty years, which show that a cold winter has never* been followed by a very hot summer ; on the contrary,' those summers have been com- paratively cool, and from a comparison of former observations, therefore, it is predicted that, after the recent cold winter, the tempera- ture of June and July (our two honey months) will be below the average. It is not very com- forting, after the poor season last year, to be told not to expect too much from 1891, as we know that the secretion of nectar in the flowers depends on certain conditions of the atmosphere, and that our honey-flosvs in the years that lie behind was always associated with a high temperature ; last season the flowers bloomed profusely, though the busy bees searched in vain for the tiny globules of nectar, owing to the low temperature. Manipulating-houses for the apiary are very convenient during the busy season, and those who intend building one should begin to get out their plans. I would suggest that they should be built on one side of the apiary, with the window on the side giving a view, if possible, of the whole of the hives. When I laid out my own apiary some few years back, I placed my manipulating-house at one end. This is con- venient for one end of the apiary, but very in- convenient for the other end farthest away, and necessitated building another makeshift last year, which I hope to make permanent this season. The house should be bee-proof . This is a great point when you get into actual work, as 186 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [April 16, 1891. the bees soon find they cannot gain an entrance, and give up the attempt, and if honey is left for a time in the house, it is safe. This often happens with a man who has several things to attend to; someone or something calls him away just as he is busy taking off honey, and it is a great comfort to him to be able to shut the door of his manipulating-house, and feel the contents are safe until he can attend to it again. Then the window should have a bee-escape at the top, to allow any bees that are carried in with the honey, and also bees that follow the bee-keeper, to escape. I hear of a few losses during March, princi- pally from dysentery, resulting from the long confinement of the bees to the hives by con- tinued cold spells, and I expect to hear of cases of spring dwindling induced by the same cause. — W. Woodley, World's End, Newbury. FOUL BROOD AND NAPHTHOL BETA. [619.] Owing to some remarks in your Journal I determined to give naphthaline a chance in my hives, where it would have every opportunity of displaying its merits, if any. 1 began inserting it about January 20th, when I first noticed a few bees carrying in pollen. Owing to the cold and wet I could not continue the formic acid treatment very late last summer, so united my stocks to six fairly strong colonies, most of which were much improved as to disease, though none were free of it. Of these, two hives perished in the winter, and both were reeking with foul brood, which apparently broke out with virulence when the formic acid was dis- continued. Another gave out from queenless- ness. The three others, which have been treated with the naphthaline, are apparently well. On lifting the covers the other day I was instantly aware of the strong smell of healthy brood— an odour to which, unhappily, I have long been a stranger. I did not like to examine the combs as a cold east wind was blowing, though it was hot enough in the sun ; but I could not detect the smallest taint of foul-brood odour. I re- newed, with something like hope, the supply of naphthaline. I give a teaspoonful or two, powdered, about every ten days, and either blow it in at the door with the smoker, or drop it in with the spoon under the quilt at the back of the hive. I can answer for one thing : it does not in the slightest degree harm the bees, and they do not seem to object to the smell, though it is strong enough for me to de- tect it sometimes five or six yards off. Since I began using it we have had snow and severe cold, but the bees kept close to their disinfected homes. I have to leave home for three weeks in a day or two, so must defer a real examina- tion till my return ; but this I can say, I looked at some hives belonging to a neighbour to-day, who has suffered a little less severely, if any- thing, from foul brood than I have, and the horrible old smell was quite strong — very dif- ferent to the unmistakable odour of fresh, healthy grubs in my hives. Considering the severity of the winter, my bees are strong in stores, and I shall now feed a little, but only for the sake of giving some Naphthol Beta a trial. — F. W. Cuebey, The Mall House, Lismore, Ireland. BEET SUGAR FOR BEE-FOOD. [620.] In company with many others in this world I have been afflicted with La Grippe, and along with it loss of hearing. While removed from active work my greatest pleasure was- reading, and the British Bee Journal, along with other bee-periodicals, was brought to my bedside. As what is ' far-fetched and dear bought ' is usually most pleasing to the ladies, I took off the wrapper of what our little girl is pleased to call the ' Britisher.' What good times we are now living in, and what a blessing the mail facilities are ! This Journal, starting from London, carries the kind wishes and valuable thoughts of bee-keepers all over the world. After removing the wrapper my eyes caught sight of the picture of Miss Macdonell, of Glengarry. What a beautiful pen picture she gives of her home-life in the Highlands, and of their games, pastimes, birthdays, &c. ! I am very fond of the busy bees, and take a lively interest in others who delight in their culture. There is something charming in the way Miss- Macdonell tells of her interest in bee-culture, and the way the boy Peter tamed the bees, pointed out the queen, &c. It is a delightful conversational paper, and I wish that we could have more of them. Ladies, we have the repu- tation of being great talkers ; why not imitate the brevity of the lady who has spoken ? Beet Sugar. — At the late North American Bee-keepers' Association, Eugene Secor, of Iowa, introduced the subject of beet-sugar, and quoted the authority of Frank Cheshire, of England,, who declares that it is detrimental to bees for food. There was quite a spirited discussion for a while, many claiming that granulated sugar was granulated sugar whether manu- factured from beet or cane. I wrote something about beet-sugar afterwards, and the editor, in a footnote, remarked that he was sorry this subject had been brought forward, and re- quested Professor Cook's opinion, who answered that the sugars were the same. I see in the issue of the B.J. for March 12th, 1891 (p. 130), it is stated that beetroot sugars are not fit for bee-food. I wish some of your correspondents would relate their experience in feeding with beetroot sugars, as it is now manufactured in large quantities in the State' of Nebraska. Feeding Bees. — It appears to me that yoit feed your bees much more in the British Isles than we do in the United States. One spring a neighbouring woman, in a boasting way, said that she intended to have her bees stronger than mine at the commencement of white clover bloom. With that end in view she? made a slab of candy and hung it alongside April 16, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 1ST of the bee-cluster. It was run into a frame, and weighed about five pounds. The Lees ate it all up, and she owned that her bees were not as strong as mine, that depended upon their own stores and what they gathered from the fields. To-day (March 25th) a heavy snowstorm is prevailing. March has been colder than the previous winter months; only one or two pleasant daj7s. Bees in the cellar and upon their summer stands appear to be doing well. — Mrs. L. Harbison, Peoria, III. [We are sorry not to be able to agree with Professor Cook in the conclusions he comes to with respect to the sugars derived from sugar cane and from beet being alike. Chemically they are so, and if we obtain them from a chemist's labora- tory no doubt we should get them exactly alike. But commercial sugar from beet contains sub- stances which distinguish it from pure cane-sugar, and just as commercial glucose differs from grape sugar, although chemically alike, so also beet- sugar differs from cane-sugar. Amongst the im- purities are potash salts, in which the sugar-beet is very rich, and which can be removed from the sugar only with the greatest difficulty, and these cause fermentation. Beet sugar has a lower sweetening power, and a peculiar unpleasant odour, which distinguishes it from cane. It is very prone to ferment, which cane-sugar is not, and it is a well-known fact that per serves made with beet sugar soon become mouldy, whereas those made with cane-sugar keep very much longer. Chemists find that cane sugar gives a clearer and sweeter syrup than that made from beetroot, the clearness being due to its greater purity. Ex- perience has also long since enabled bee-keepers in this country to decide against using beet-sugar for feeding bees, and many of the winter losses have been attributed to it. If beet- sugar were a chemi- cally pure sugar, it might be admissible, but in commerce it is not so, and we do not consider it fit for bee-food. — Eds.] GARDENERS AND BEE-KEEPING. '[621.'| Readers of the Bee Journal will be glad to see the portrait of Mr. Grimshaw. His works are most interesting. Being myself a gardener and a bee-keeper, I read them with much interest. I wonder why more gardeners don't keep bees ? If they only knew the value of bees in a garden, I am sure that more of my craft would take to keeping them. I have been a bee-keeper for many years, and was sorry to have to part with them when I came to London. Formerly I had eleven stocks all in hives of my own make, and was very successful with them. I have taken from a single hive 123 one-pound sections in a season. Bees are very profitable when well managed, and very interesting too. I was like a fish out of water when I got to London without my bees, so determined to try a hive in spite of the smoke. I purchased a stock in the spring of 1890, but the season being a bad one they did not do much; still, they gave a full crate of twenty-one sections, and partly filled the second, besides ample stores for winter, proving that bees can be kept in town as well as country. The only drawback is a place to put them, but where there is a will there is a way, and so mine stand in a small garden at the back of the house, and I have had to fix them on the top of a wali, where they have wintered well, and are now quite strong, spite of the severe winter. I have been a reader of your Journal for six years, and look for it every week with much interest. — John Dunster, Upper Tooting, S. TV. ' MEL SAPIT OMNIA.' [622.] ' Once upon a time ' I slung ink, at- tended meetings, conversaziones, gave lectures,, received and paid visits, took the dear old ' Sage ' and ' X-Tf actor ' and all the rest of them for a ride behind ' St. John,' and kept bees. The bees still flourish, ' St. John ' is still musical, ' The Sage ' is beyond the small worries of this poor world, 'X-Tractor' I have not seen for what seems an age, but the bee-papers still come to the tune of seven different ones — home, colonial, and foreign. I have seen the kindly efforts of my friends in the B. B. J. from time to time to draw me out, but all of no avail. But I will tell you what did it at last. We have a new postman ! The former one delivered the bee-papers with the conventional bang ' bang ! ! on the knocker, but one day I was startled by a double lump ! lump ! ! on the panel of the door. It was our new postman operating with his fist. He gave me a book-packet ; it bore the Leeds post-mark. I opened it with wonderment; it was a copy of the B.B.J, with a (for the B. B. J.) very good portrait of Mr. Grimshaw. How young he looks after all his profound study of ' Development.' I con- gratulate him, as I also do bee-keepers generally on retaining such a zealous and enthusiastic worker amongst them. As I always get two copies of the B. B. J. weekly, of course it did not come as a surprise, nevertheless I was pleased to find myself remembered, although I had almost forgotten I once was — Amateur Expert. SINGLE-WALLED HIVES. [623.] I have eagerly watched the correspond- ence in the Journal and Record for and against single-walled hives, which Mr. Arthur J. H. Wood brought to the front some time ago, and which hives it appears he so successfully uses ; but I must protest against his letter (No. 605, page 164), wherein he states that the whole secret of success is in wintering on ' seven frames,' which leads one to the conclusion that your correspondent is not too sanguine of the wintering qualities of single - walled hives. Single-walls have had a fair trial with me, and I will give you my experience of them. I began with two of these hives in the latter part of 1888. In the following year I saw no differ- ence in the returns of honey between single and double-walled hives. I then went further, and 188 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [April 16, 1891. tried twenty stocks in single- walls in 1890. They did very well — better than the double- walled ones in the production of honey. I have not had a swarm from a single-walled hive. I have now thirty-five stocks in them — twenty-four in double-walls — at my home apiary, and all have wintered equally well on ten and twelve frames. I contract none, and have not as yet lost a stock in a single-walled hive. 1 use strips of wood laid across the frames to form winter passages, and use only porous covering, and I find that bees winter as safely and well in a single-walled hive with ten or twelve frames as they will do in a double-walled of the same capacity : plenty of top covering, a narrow entrance, and plenty of food — I care not whether natural or artificial, if it be of good quality — and bees in single-walled hives will stand the most severe weather with impunity. I hope Mr. Wood will try more than seven frames next winter. I have wintered seven nucleus hives on three frames, all in single-walled hives, but as I have not opened them yet I cannot say anything about them, only they are all alive as yet. They will be allowed to work up to full stocks to test to my own satisfaction whether there is any need' of such a thing as a double-walled hive in the north of Scotland. We have had a very severe winter, yet I have never seen the bees in better condition than they are this year. I noticed young bees on the wing on Sunday, March 1st. Bees in the Orkney Islands have wintered very well, but as I have not been to my apiary there this year I speak from report only, but I am surprised that bee-keepers there do not take the trouble to send short reports to both the Journal and Record. I will send you my return from single-walled hives at the end of the season, as I believe in a few years double- walled hives will be a thing of the past. — A. G. M'Glashan, Kirriemuir, N.B., April 6th. SPRING FLOWERS, WAX EXTRACT- ING, ETC. [621.] It may be my fancy, but I believe, if there is any nasty weather about, it comes here first and leaves us last of all ; at any rate, we are generally a fortnight later than places fifteen to twenty miles away. Yesterday the sun did condescend to shine for a short time — a most unusual occurrence, it being Saturday afternoon — and bees were bringing in a little pollen from crocuses, which have scarcely been open before, this season, owing to want of sun. I examined a few hives, and was quite prepared to find very little brood and food getting scarce, so I got the feeders out and placed them ready for syrup to-night. Every one should grow the lovely Siberian squill for their bees ; it will be in full bloom in a few days. The beautiful marsh marigold will not be out yet, but when it is the bees will revel in its golden cups. The willow (palm ?) is now in its prime. If only the poor bees could reach it, what pellets of pollen they would get ! This flower seems to act as a nar- cotic on moths, for they will fall off quite help- less if the bough be tapped ; but I have failed to see bees affected by it. The poplar buds are now full of propolis — sticky fingers later on ; a whiff of its peculiar smell is very pleasant to me when passing by the trees. How marvellous is the economy in nature ! I took advantage of my mother's absence the other day, and got the back kitchen boiler in full swing. A large sack of old combs, cappings, &c. (the accumulation of twelve months), and a fourteen-pound weight to keep it down, was inserted therein, and it was soon wobbling (a most expressive word !) away splendidly ; but the bag was too large or the boiler too small, so I had to get the clothes-prop and fix one end in the bag and the other against the roof. It was a novelty being stoker, but I kept up full steam, and was rewarded with six pounds of wax, which, after being twice remelted, is a good colour. I find this much the best and quickest plan, and have practised it for years. Tin extractors certainly waste a good deal of wax. My friend, John Walton, is quite right about queen-wasps. I have found them, apparently dead, where they must have been frozen to the very marrow, and yet they revived in a warm room. I should like to remind ' Beeswing ' (No. 615, p. 177) that I am fond of honey, and our servant has a sweet tooth. The Editors know my name and address ; the former 13 not really — Lordswood, M.W.B.K.A., Birmingham. SUPER-CLEARERS. [625.] Your correspondent, ' Beeswing,' (on page 117) asks the inventor of the funnel, really cone-shaped super-clearer, what would happen if the queen chanced to be in the super after the clearer has been put on ? As I have no objection to excluder zinc, and take good care always to use the most perfect kind, as illus- trated and recommended by you this week, I have no personal experience of the peculiar state of things suggested. Speaking, therefore, hypothetically, and bearing in mind the well- worn saying that ' bees do nothing invariably,' several possibilities suggest themselves to me. First of all, the queen being in the super, I should expect the clearing to be considerably delayed beyond the ten or twenty minutes usually occupied in the process, which, of course, would at once put me very much on the alert, as the delay would be indicative of some- thing most unusual in the bee- world. It is also possible that the bees would rush out in tke usual helter-skelter fashion ; in that case, the queen being with them, I should expect a natural swarm artificially made (pardon the bull) settling somewhere, to be duly caught and re- turned to the hive, or the queen might have the goodness to fly at once back into the hive without further trouble ; or it is possible that April 16, 1891,] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 189 the bees would leave slowly one by one, and her majesty remain behind with a dozen or so in attendance ; in that case, on taking the super away I should find her, secure her by duly re- turning her to her proper place, i.e., the brood chamber. Respecting the objection to ex- cluder zinc, ' on principle,' I cannot help re- marking here that I have never found anything a success in bee-keeping that was done ' on principle.' Bees themselves are most unprin- cipled things: 'cussed-like,' as our American cousins would say, they pay little respect to our principles at any rate. It seems to me like tempt- ing Providence, when we run the risk of getting our supers spoiled all ' on principle.' However, as I am well aware that many bee-keepers have to suffer not ' on principle,' but because the materials supplied to them are defective, I in- tend making some experiments as soon as the weather gets warmer (no signs of that good time yet though in this part of the world !), and I hope to let ' Beeswing ' and your readers generally know, before it is time to take supers off and employ clearers, how my bees behaved during the clearing process when the queen was with them. — P. Harbordt, Liverpool. [Our own experience, under conditions similar to these described, is that a very large proportion of the beas will remain with the queen, if the later chances to be in the surplus chamber, and that nothing short of driving will cause them to leave it.— Eds.] WINTERING BEES IN THE NORTH OF SCOTLAND. [626.] A correspondent (' D. G.,' Derbyshire) has Written asking me to state my method of wintering bees in your columns. For his in- formation I beg to refer him to the Record for December, 1889. I may also state that I do not wish to pose as an authority on this question. My method has proved itself most successful in this locality, but differences of locality, &c, naturally demand differences of treatment, or, at least, modifica- tions of any particular system. Young bee- keepers generally deduce infallible results from their ' experiences.' Nine years' experience has convinced me that there is no infallible system. — W. Stokes, Balnastraid, C'arr Bridge, Inver- ness-shire. WEATHER REPORT. Bucknall, Lincolnshire. BM. 25. March, 1891. Maximum, 63° on 1st. Bain : — 1*25 inches. Minimum, 17° on 21st. and 31st; ■ Heaviest fall, 'loon 8th. Mean max. ...... 47*7° Rain on 19 days. „ min. ..... 309° Average, 5 yrs. T78 in. „ temp 39-3° Frosty nights, 20. ■ ,,, of 5 yrs. . . 38-7° Range of temp., 16-8° Remarks. — A dull, cold, and boisterous month. — J. Bint. items rab splits. [342.] Moving Bees. — I purpose moving ten hives of bees to a clover district five miles away, and hardly know how to arrange for the best. I thought of dividing each hive at the end of May, or, say, on Whit-Monday — or would it be better to let them swarm and shake the swarms into hives, with ready-built combs, at the new ground? I want as much surplus honey as- possible, and also to guard against their swarm- ing, as the new apiary is so far away from my house. 1. Will they get strong enough to divide by that time, seeing they now cover three to four combs ? All have young queens, and I am stimulating regularly. 2.1 am also feeding outside by giving very thin syrup in flower-saucers with tea-leaves in. They take a lot of syrup in this way on warm days. Do you think there is any risk of harm in doing so ? I am told it induces robbing. — A Lover of Bees. Reply. — 1. We advise pushing on the bees to swarm early. When the clover begins to yield, drive a swarm from each of the stocks sufficiently populous and hive them on a limited number of combs (say six) at the new apiary, giving surplus room a week or so later. 2. Open-air feeding- requires to be done under close supervision, and with no other bees about save your own, other- wise mischief may follow. [343.] Bees and Red Clover. — Do ordinary black bees fertilise red and white clover ? As I have heard that humble bees were imported into Australia to fertilise the clover there, I would ask — 1. Is it right to infer that humble-bees are better adapted for fertilising clover than ordi- nary bees ? 2. Were they imported to Aus- tralia to fertilise some particular kind of clover? — H. Corch, Launceston, Cornwall. Reply. — 1. Humble-bees fertilise red clover^ ordinary hive bees do not. The latter some- times work on second- crop red clover, and can gather nectar from it because of the reduced length of the nectary in the second-crop bloom. 2. The humble-bee has been introduced into Australia and New Zealand specially to fertilise red clover, which before their advent never seeded in those colonies. [344.] Honey and Asthtna. — Has honey been known to benefit or to cure asthma, and, if so, kindly explain how it is to be taken? — Jo. Ro. Lo. Reply. — We have heard of honey being used with good results by mixing two tablespoonfuls of honey with the juice of one lemon, and taking a teaspoonf ul when the asthma was troublesome. [345.1 Horses and Bees. — lam removing my hives, and shall Lave tj place them in an orchard at one end of a paddock. Will the bees annoy any horses which may be grazing ? -J. T. F. Reply. — Some little care may be required in keeping the bees orderly when taking honey, but if there is plenty of space no harm will follow. 190 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [April 16, 1891. REPORT OF RECENT RESEARCHES AND IMPROVEMENTS IN ANALYTICAL PROCESS. Detection' of Rosin in Beeswax. H. Rottger (Chem.Zeit. No A, 91J. — DonatKs pro- cess : If a sample containing- 5-10 per cent, of rosin is heated up to 110° C., a strong smell of turpentine will be noticed. But pure wax col- lected in the neighbourhood of pine woods also emits tbis odour. If large quantities of rosin are present, any dealer will at once notice this from tbe very appearance, but small percentages are best detected as follows : if rosin is boiled for some time with strong nitric acid, it is gradually dissolved with evolution of nitric vapours. Water being added, a yellowish floccu- lent precipitate is obtained, which is not altered by fixed alkalies, but dissolved in ammonia with a blood-red colour. A nut-sized piece of the wax is therefore boiled in a test-tube with strong nitric acid for fifteen minutes, A little cold is carefully added to solidify the layer of wax, so as to enable to pour off the acid fluid. On cool- ing, or, better still, on addition of more water, a precipitate is obtained which gives the charac- teristi creaction with ammonia. E. Schmidt's process : 5 grammes of the sample are boiled in a flask with twenty-five grammes of common nitric acid of 1'33 sp. gravity for one minute. An equal volume of cold water is then added, and then ammonia in slight excess. If now the fluid is poured off from the wax into a cylindric glass, the colour will be yellowish if the wax were pure ; but if adulterated with rosin, even with only one per cent., the colour will be reddish brown. It is as well to test a pure sample side by side. Hag er's process : The sample is boiled with fifteen times its weight of dilute alcohol r Copy at once. Address— W. B. MONAIR, Beecroft, Blairgowrie. THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [April 23 1*91. THE NEW QUEEN-EXCLUDER ZING. Having had a number of sheets of this Queen-Ex- cluder stamped to the exact size and pattern as recom- mended in the Journal last week, I am prepared to supply Bee-keepers at the following rates : — 1 sheet, 8 ft. by 3 ft. ... 10s. each. O StlGGtS. »j j) ••• ... ... oS. ?j ^ j) j) )) ®s* )) CHEAP COTTAGE HIVE, 10 Frames, Body Hive, with Roof, Floor-board, and Rack of Sections, only 6s. 6 j. Smoker, 2s. 9d. post free ; Wire Veil, 2s. post free. If paid through the Deposit System, please add 8d. extra for sums under £1 to cover expenses. CHARLES T. OVERTON, Lowfleld Apiaries, Crawley, Sussex. Owing to the continued rise in the price of Beeswax, my Foundation is now offered at the following rates : bbood iFO'crisra^.^.TiTxois'. Best Quality : 4 lbs. , post free, 7/6 ; 9 lbs. , post free, 1G/0 ; 14 lbs. and upwards, at 1/7 per lb., carriage extra. Second Quality (Dark, but pure): ■libs., post free, 6/9; 9 lbs., post free, 14/0; 14 lbs. and upwards, at 1/3J per lb., carriage extra. si3-:e»:ee3fs, 3EvoT7Krx>^^.y post that very few indeed, in cool weather, reach their destination alive if sent alone. About a dozen bees should always accom- pany queens, and besides this it is well to insert a little food — not syrup— in the box. Very fine sugar, made into a thick paste by mixing with honey, is the most suitable food for bees in transit. But the box or travelling package itself is what most con- cerns us at the present time, seeing that within the last few days queens have reached us in curiously unsuitable packages. One comes by Parcels Post, weight nearly a pound; others not quite so heavy, but still cumbersome to a degree, and costing- more for postage than needed. Some years ago a box containing a queen and a few bees was sent to us in a package weighing about seven pounds ! A sketch of the proper form of box for sending queens by post is here inserted. Fig. 1 shows its form. With a ' brace and bit ' cut two cir- cular holes each \\ inch in diameter, and a |-inch circle above, in a slip of light, dry, yellow pine, 3| x 1| inch wide and § inch thick — all three circles being cut right through the wood, and so close together as to overlap and make a communication be- 21G THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [May 7, 1891. tween them, as shown. A piece of stout card, glued on, forms the bottom of box, and a similar card, fastened at the top corner by a tack, makes the movable lid The food is placed in the small compart, ment, the queen and her attendant bees occupying the others, and they can freely pass from circle to circle. Two small holes are made with a sprig-bit in either side of the bottom circle for ventilation, as shown, and when the cardboard lid is tied on as in Fig. 2, the package will travel quite safely by post for a penny stamp. The Coming Campaign. — As a conse- quence of the present fine weather so much activity is now apparent among bees, that preparation for the coming busy season should not be delayed for a day. If May continues as fine a month as its first week has been, plenty of supers will be filling before it is out, and give us good hope of seeing more honey of the current year at the 'Royal' and others of the earlier shows than we have been favoured with for several years back. ON THE LOSS OF HEAT IN HIVES. In the Revue Internationale Professer Gaston Bonnier, of the Faculty of Science, Paris, de- scribes the experiments he has been conducting with a view to determining- the advantages or otherwise of division-hoards for the purpose of concentrating the heat in hives. We are in- debted to M. Bertrand for the illustrations kindly placed at our disposal. M. Bonnier washed to find out the difference between a division-board and one or more frames of empty comb in preventing loss of heat. The operations were conducted in the month of October in one of the apiaries of M. de Layens at Louye. M. Bonnier hasoccupied him- self with bees for the past twenty years, and has endeavoured to determine many questions, some purely theoretical, others capable of practical application. "When the experiments were com- menced the bees no longer flew out, as the tem- perature was low, and was below zero Centi- grade during the night. The weather was fine during the whole time the experiments were carried on. Accurate thermometers were used, and a case Jin which an equable temperature could be maintained. Several difficulties pre- sented themselves ; for instance, when the ther- mometers were first introduced into the hives the temperature rose rapidly owing to the bees surrounding; the instruments. To get over this difficulty one of the combs was replaced by a frame on which wire gauze was stretched (G G, Fig. 1). The meshes were pretty large, and the gauze was so placed as to prevent bee3 passing round the sides. All the bees were driven back from the space between the gauze, G G, and the side, B, of the hive : experiments could there- fore be carried on in this part of the hive with- out disturbing the bees, and a frame of honey- comb, C, was placed next to the gauze parti- tion. The temperature was then taken outside the frame, C (Fig. 1), and close to the division- board, P. A thermometer was placed here.. Without disturbing any other parts, the division- board, P, could be replaced by a frame of comb full or empty. It seems evident that if a division-board is a better preventive of the loss of heat than the comb, all things being equal, the thermometer t ought to indicate a higher temperature. A fresh difficulty presented itself from the fact that the external temperature had an influence more or less on the temperature of the hive operated upon. To eliminate this source of error the division-board and comb were re- placed alternately at short intervals, and every time the one or the other was removed it was placed in the case that was kept at the uniform temperature. The average temperature Mx were then taken with the division-board, then the averages M2 with the comb, and these could be compared. To obviate error occurring from the influence of the variation of the outer temperature, duplicate experiments were made, but in this case beginning with the comb. This second series furnishes fresh averages, Ms for the division-board and M4 for the comb. The average of the averages M1 and M3 can then be compared with the averages M2 and M4. Results of Experiments with Hive No. 1. — First Series of Experiments (October 9th, 1890). — The cluster of bees occupies tenframesbetween the side A (Fig. 1) and the frame covered with gauze (G G). The eleventh frame of comb, C, is placed next to the frame G G, and thermometer t by the side of C. Another thermometer (B, Fig. 1) indicated the external temperature. Beyond the thermometer t would be placed the" division-board P, or this could be replaced by a frame of comb. All the frames were covered with woollen cloths, but the space between P and B was simply covered by boards and a quilt. In the first series of experiments nineteen observations were made between 6 a.m. and 9.40 a.m., the division-board and frame of comb changing places six times. The temperature inside the hive rose from + 6"75° to 4- 9*25°, whilst that outside rose from -+-600° to 11-00.° Second Series of Experiments (October 10th, 1890). — This v» as carried out like the first, ex- cept that it was commenced with the comb instead of division-board. The results of the two series of experiments were that the average for the division-board in May 7, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 217 the first series was = 7'54° ; the average for the comb was = 7-64°. In the second series the average for the division-board was — 8-23°, and for the comb = 8-08°. From this it follows that the average of the averages is for the — Division-board .... 7" 88° Comb 7'8G° The experiments on hive No. 2 gave for — Division-board .... 8-44° Comb 840° There were nine combs in the brood nest between the side of the hive and wire gauze, then came the thermometer, and it was beyond this that were placed either one or five frames of comb. The average temperature was with — One comb 11-00° Five combs ll-25° Therefore it will be seen that there is no appreciable difference between the efficacy of one or several combs with respect to loss of heat. M. Bonnier points out the objection that \J\j\J\J\J\J\J\J\J\J\i\J 2L 1 " " " ■' Fig. 1. From which it results that the temperature out- side the cluster of bees, taken at the same point, is exactly the same whether there is a division-board or whether this is replaced by a frame of comb. Experiments with several Combs (October 12th, 1890).— Having ar- rived at the above unexpected results, M. Bonnier wished to see might be raised to these experiments, and the means he took to avoid any errors in his calcu- lations relative to the temperature of the cluster in respect to that of the outer air. Method of Verifying the Experiments. — Profiting one day by the temperature in one of the rooms of his biological laboratory at Fontainebleau, which was steady at —3°, he placed a hive there arranged in thejfollowing J \J t' Fig. 2. what would be the difference in placing five combs at a time one behind the other instead of the division-board. manner : — The cluster of bees was replaced by a tank of glyceiine (E, Fig. 2), heated to a given temperature. A frame of comb was 218 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [May 7, 1891. placed on each side of this tank, one (0, Fig. 2) against the side of the hive, the other, C1, towards the centre. The thermometer, t, was placed next to this, and the temperature of the tank was observed by another thermometer, T. Outside C1 could be placed either a division- board or a frame of comb. The division-board was covered with wadding on both sides, so that there should be no passage for air except at the bottom. The top of the hive was covered with boards, which were in turn covered with wadding, the entrance was open as in winter, and was in direct communication with the outer air, which stool at - 3°. Thus arranged the hive wa? placed in the cold chamber, and the division- board and frame of combs were interchanged alternately. The tank was allowed to cool gradually. It is evident that if the effect produced by the division-board and comb are the same, the temperatures indicated by the thermometer, t, must decrease in a regular manner. It would be otherwise if the loss of heat were greater with the one than with the other. The experiment proved that the thermometer, T, in the tank fell gradually from + 355° at 3 hrs. 45 mins. p.m. to + 31-5° at 5 hrs. 15 mins. p.m. So also the temperature .indicated by the thermometer, t, fell from + 15-00° to + 14-00° in the same time, the exterior temperature being constant at - 3-00°. The division-board and comb took each other's place alternately, being changed four times. The general conclusion M. Bonnier comes to is that one or more combs are just as efficient with respect to the prevention of loss of heat in a hive as a division-board. In endeavouring to ascertain the reason for this astonishing equality he sums up in the following way : — The heat produced by a cluster of bees can be dissipated on the empty side of the hive in three different ways : — 1. By conductivity. 2. By radiation. 3. By the current of air produced at the bottom and sides of the hive. A. — Wax is not quite such a good conductor of heat as wood, which gives a slight advantage in favour of the comb, B. — Of all bodies wax allows the least amount of heat to pass by radiation (Tyndall's experi- ments), which gives a second advantage in favour of the comb. C. — The division-board is closed at the sides, and only allows air to pass at the bottom, which gives an advantage in favour of the division- board. The above results show that the advantages of the one over the other are about evenly balanced, and that there is really no advantage in the division-board with regard to retaining heat in a hive. GLEANINGS. In the Deutscher Bienenfreund, 0. Krancher explains the tones caused by the vibration of the wings of the honey-bee. Humming in the musical tone of A, its wings vibrate 440 times a second, and only when tired out after a long flight the tone may become lowered to E, which represents 330 vibrations per second. When the number of vibrations is reduced to 190 the humming is over an octave lower than the note A. BEE RAMBLES IN SAVOY. (Continued from page 197.) Albertville was our terminus, the railway going no further, and we decided to have dinner at the Hotel Million. There we had a character- istic Savoy dinner, a great variety of different dishes and delicacies ; amongst other things, livers of small birds, stuck on to a silver skewer alternately with small pieces of bacon. We had already made a good dinner, and when this arrived there was no appetite left for the bonne bouche ; but the waiter pressed us to try it, saying it was a very rare dish, and the chef would feel giieved if we did not do so. We therefore tasted them, and found them delicious, but we could not help feeling that many small and useful birds had been wantonly slaughtered for the sake of this epicurean dish. Our own preference would have been to see these birds flying about, and to hear their sweet song. At last our dinner came to an end, and we engaged an open carriage, which was to take us as far as Moutiers, a distance of about twenty miles. On leaving Albertville our road took a sharp turn, following the course of the Isere, and entering the district known as the Tarentaise through a succession of beautiful scenes. The low ranges of the mountains are beautifully wooded, the valley narrow and pastoral in its character, sainfoin being seen in all directions. Several ruins of castles were seen on heights that jut out on rocks from the rich background of forest trees, and the road itself winds through pleasant shades overhung by walnut and chest- nut trees. We passed the village of La Batie, and here we found several bee-houses containing largre straw and the old-fashioned box hives, as well as some shallow wooden hives, storified three and four high. Several such houses, under the shade of trees, were seen — at some of them the bees hanging out in large clusters. M. de Layens told us, apropos of these hives in the shade, that he had two apiaries, one situated in a wood and another in a garden. The hives in the wood were completely in the shade, and at the inspection he gave them before he came to Switzerland he found them to contain one-third more capped brood than those in the garden, although they had all been wintered under similar conditions. Moreover, those in the garden had consumed six pounds more of their provisions. He considered that wintering under the shelter "of trees is better than in" the open air, and May 7, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 219 thinks that the hives are hetter protected from the winds and sudden changes in temperature. After leaving La Batie we passed a fine cataract which dashes amidst immense rocks, and a portion of whose waters works a saw- mill. A few miles further on we came to Aigueblanche, and here we got out, with the intention of going up to Le Bois to visit M. Ruet. A climb of a little over half an hour brought us to a small hamlet of a few houses scattered on the slope of the mountain, and we had not much difficulty in finding M. Ruet. When we presented ourselves at his workshop door we found him busy at work making frames. He did not know we were coming, and when M. Bertrand told him who we were he looked quite he has eighteen frames of double the usual depth — making the hives equal to thirty-six frames. The colonies were enormous and gathering honey in abundance. There was another bee-house where the hives were arranged on two shelves, with a passage at the back. When a hive has to be examined a temporary platform rests on the shelf and a ledge at the back ; on it are two guides which correspond to similar guides on the shelves. The hives are on rollers which run between these guides, so that they can be rolled back on to this platform. One of these hives was examined M. Ruet standing on one side and we on the other, and we very much admired this neat and simple contrivance for getting over the difficulty of inspecting hives on APIARY OF M. BULLIEK. perplexed, and did not seem at all pleased to see us, in fact he received us very coldly. However, he asked us to go in and have some refreshment, and made us partake of bread and cheese and honey before he warmed up. After this hospi- tality, however, he became most enthusiastic and communicative. He afterwards confided to Mi Bertrand that although he knew us all very well he was so amazed at seeing us three before him that he could not realise if it was reality or only a dream, for he never expected that we would ever come up to his mountain home. He makes all his hives himself, and has a nice circular saw with which he cuts out his small work. We then went to see the bees. He had a number of hives standing out in the open, six of these of the Layens pattern besides a number of the Burki pattern. Several hives were examined and then an inspection was made of a bee-house which contained twelve colonies on Burki frames, only instead of the twelve frames shelves. These bees were Cyprians crossed with blacks, but very quiet. Last year they gave a swarm weighing 5 kilos. 100 grammes, which built eight frames and gave eighteen sections of honey. The stock made thirty sections and fifteen kilos, of extracted honey. Another colony we examined had given twenty-eight double sections, that is sections of two pounds, besides fifteen kilos, of extracted honey. M. Ruet. has also four Dadant-Blatt hives at Les Avanchets, about one hour higher up, and the honey from this place, which we had an oppor- tunity of tasting, was remarkably fine, almost as smooth as butter and with a distinct almond flavour. In addition to his own hives M. Ruet looks after 116 other hives in the neighbourhood, all on the movable comb system, and all of which have been started through his instru- mentality. The people about here are taking to modern methods, and bee-keeping is spreading rapidly. 220 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [May 7, 1891. There was one bee-house with large straw hives which were used for furnishing swarms. M. Buet was communicative enough before we left, and insisted on accompanying us down to Aigueblanche, where he saw us off, and pro- mised to be with us at Moutiers the next day. After leaving Aigueblanche the road rises for some distance, in order to avoid the deep gorge through which the Isere passes, and then after making a turn round a pro- jecting piece of mountain descends to Moutiers. Here we stayed at a comfortable little inn, kept by M. Bertoli, and in course of conversa- tion we found that he was an Italian, and a cousin of M. G. Bertoli, of Valsesia, whose bee- keeping on Monte Bosa is described on page 8 of this year's B.B.J. Unknown to us M. Buet telegraphed to M. Bullier, at Bellentre, to say we were staying at Moutiers, and to our surprise next morning, as we were at breakfast, in stepped this gentleman, having walked four or five hours to this place to see us. This was a quiet day for us, and M. Buet walked over from Aigueblanche to dine with us, and we found him most agreeable, and very different to what he appeared at first. He had got to know us better, and realised that -we were but humans, and not the ogres he must have fancied us at first. In the afternoon M. Bertrand and M. de Layens drove over with M. Buet to Brides-les-Bains, a bathing establish- ment, the Doctor, who is also the principal, being a bee-keeper, and supplying his guests with honey produced by his own bees. There was not much of interest in Moutiers[except the river and a few ruins of what were formerly salt works. At six next morning another start was made, as we wished to get to Bourg St. Maurice as early in the day as possible, and we had to drive uphill all the way for twenty miles, which meant going at a walking pace. M. Bullier walked back to Bellentre the night before, and promised to be ready to receive us in the morning. In a district where the scenery is generally fine it is difficult to pick out anything especial for separate notice, but we certainly were much charmed with the grandeur of the scenery through which we passed. The road ascends the right bank of the Isere, and the valley becomes very narrow, so that the road has to be carried over a neck of rock for some considerable distance at a great height above the foaming torrent. In several places there are tunnels cut through the rocks overhanging the river. The view looking back upon St. Marcel, with the snow-topped mountains in the distance, is very fine. AVe could not help on our return journey taking a series of views of this picturesque part of the road. We passed through one tunnel, and over our heads roared a cataract, which dashed into the torrent below, and reminded us very much of the galleries on the Simplon Pass. Just beyond, the valley was again wider, and several villages were scattered about, which lent enchantment to the view. We saw several bee-houses containing straw skeps, and learnt that this district of the Taren- taise was famous for its honejr, which was much sought after. In 1881 there were 19,600 hives in the department, which, according to the returns, yielded 88,200 kilogrammes of honey and 16,600 of wax. Longefoy, which was specially pointed out to us, on the slopes of Mont St. Marcel, and of which we saw the church and spire high above our heads, standing out in relief against the sky, is' particularly famed for its honey. We then passed Aime, containing ruins of an old castle and a large disused convent, and were not long before we reached Bellentre, where we found M. Bullier awaiting us. M. Bullier is the schoolmaster of the village, and was able to dismiss his school and devote that day and the next to us. He is the President of the Bee Association of the Petit St. Bernard, and is quite an important personage in the district. Of course, after our long drive we were ready for breakfast, after which we made an inspection of the apiary. The illustration on p. 219 gives a good idea of the apiary. M. Bullier has in all thirty-six hives of various patterns. In the bee-house different sorts of hives are placed on two shelves. Here we found straw, box, and ordi- nary frame hives. On the boxes racks of sections were being worked, and there were two hives with frames 13x135 inches. Along the front will be seen seven Dadant and four Layens hives, teeming with bees, and partly hid by the luxurious growth of sainfoin before them. Here, while we were preparing to take this photograph, a bee took a fancy to M. de Layens, and would not leave until it had made better ac- quaintance with his nose. M. Bullier last season took 300 kilos, of extracted honey, 50 sections of 500 grammes each, and 50 larger sections of 600 grammes each. Hives were opened and exa- mined, and the bees were intent on their work, as this was just the beginning of the honey harvest in this district. AVe then went into the house and were shown appliances without number. There were racks of sections and supers of frames ready to put on the hives, which would all be wanted in a few days. M. Bullier instructs the children attend- ing the school in bee-keeping, and on the walls of the schoolroom we found, amongst others, diagrams used in the technical instruction of this branch of industry. The grape-vine is cultivated as far as Bellentre, beyond which it no longer succeeds, but here also bee-keepers thought wine could be profitably replaced by hydromel. M. Bullier makes his own comb foundation on one of Beitsch's machines; but we did not like the look of it very much, as it was very full of holes, which the bees would enlarge rather than fill up. However, we were told this was not a good sample, and certainly the combs that were examined were found to be all that could be desired. (To be concluded next iceek.) May 7, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 221 The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are re- quested to write on one side of the paper only, and give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of goodfaith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, re- ports of Associations, Shoves, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, &c, must be addressed only to 'The Editors of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C All business communications relating to Advertisements, <£'c, must be addressed to Mr. J. Huckle, Kings Langley, Herts (see 1st page of Advertise- ments.) %* In order to facilitate reference, Correspondents, when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted, will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well as the page or. which it appears. EXCLUDER ZINC— VASELINE. [63G.] Now that the above is on the carpet, it may be well to give it a good airing. To judge from the advertisements, &c, it appears we are going to have a very superior article to that formerly used in the way of excluder zinc to keep our queens in proper limits. Has the new pattern been practically tested, and proved to be better in any way than the ordinary pattern, or does the improvement remain at present only in theory ? We have many times seen complaints respecting defective zinc. Sometimes the de- fects are said to be irregular perforations, and many times weakness of the material, when, as soon as placed into a heated hive, the expansion of the metal has caused buckling, which, of course, would enlarge some holes sufficiently for a queen to pass. In the new pattern I notice the perforations are longer, and less material is left between them than the ordinary kind, which, of course, materially weakens the sheet, and would increase the buckling tendency ; while, on the other hand, the more metal there is cut out the less obstruction is offered to the passing bees. Personally I am quite content with the old sort, which I got from Messrs. Abbott, I believe. I have used it now four or five seasons with most satisfactory results, have never known a fertile queen to pass it, or ever had the least difficulty to get the workers through it. Vaseline on our frame-ends, dummies, and section racks would no doubt make them run lighter, as most things do when well greased, but how will it fare with the poor bees when chilly autumn comes on, with innumerable small holes and chinks between and under frame-ends, and around dummies and badly fitted quilts, and all so vaseline bedaubed that they cannot stop the intolerable draught which, led by unerring instinct, they are sure to do if possible for their own comfort and safety ? I fancy I can see the little creatures standing peeping into these little crannies, shivering with the cold draught, and yet quite unable to stop them. Our microscopic friends owe the editors their best thanks ; they have had a grand treat, I should think. — Hy. Neve, Warbleton, Sussex. [There can be no objection to ' airing ' the subjects alluded to by our correspondent, and we shall welcome expressions of opinion having any real bearing upon the points at issue. At the same time it must be borne in mind that opinions expressed by editors carry with them a measure of responsibility from which the ordinary communi- cation of correspondents are free ; this responsi- bility we shall not seek to avoid. In view of this we must be allowed to state that the initiators steps towards obtaining a more perfect make of queen-excluder zinc emanated from ourselves, and were rendered necessary by bee-keepers justly com- plaining of the defective kinds now sent out. In the interest of readers we recommended a pattern of zinc free from the defects complained of, in- cluding those mentioned in the above letter, for our correspondent is altogether wrong when stating that in the new pattern ' less material is left between the perforations than in the ordinary kind ' (see B.J. for April 9th, p. 17(3). As to the use of vaseline, we need merely refer readers to our remarks last week, on p. 213. — Eds.] WATER FOR BEES, ETC. [637.] During the spring months bees carry a large quantity of water into the hives, and as very many perish in the attempt to obtain it from soft- water cisterns and tubs, bee-keepers should provide water for them close to the apiary. An excellent plan is one that I found out quite by accident. Two years ago, being much interested in certain bog-plants— Sundews, Buttenvorts, Pimpernel, and several orchids — I filled a pan with these plants and a large quantity of sphagnum moss. This pan stood in a larger one, kept full of water, and formed a miniature bog. On a warm day the bees swarm on this sphagnum, and I counted fifty- two on it recently at one time. I believe it is no exaggeration to say that an apiary of fifty hives would take a quart of water a day iu this way. ^ I notice tho ' bee-papers for winter reading' are still continued. This is as it should be, for there was ice as thick as a shilling on our fowls water on April 17th ! The Chinese name for honey, which being translated means ' sting-bug juice,' reminds me of the natives of Tahiti (in the tropics), who on first seeing a horse named it the ' man-carrving pig ! ' In your reply to W. II. Dallas, page 191, 1 was surprised to see the nasturtium mentioned as a bee-flower. In this district, so far as I have observed, it is rarely visited by hive bees, but is great favourite of the humble-bees. Be- sides those flowers you name I would recom- mend the Canadian balsam, a very good autumn plant, which flowers profusely till cut down by severe frosts. This is the plant that causes our bees to look like so many dusty millers. They cannot get at the pollen on the thorax with their legs, and so have a moiddy appearance, sometimes for weeks. A bee-keeping friend of mine was quite frightened at this apparent mould i- ness until I explained the cause. An interesting thing about this plant is the way in which it scatters the seed. The valves of the pod or capsule, when ripe, have a wonderful elastic 222 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [May 7, 1891. power, bursting with a sharp report and scatter- ing the seeds far away with considerable force. I should like to know if others have seen bees •working the nasturtium. They may do where other flowers are scarce, for it is well known that in some places the hawthorn is well worked, while in others the honey-bee passes it by and hurries on to the sycamore, fruit-tree blossom, or some other greater attraction. It is a fact that neither of these two flowers are worked by the bees of — Lordswood, M.W.B.K.A. SECTION-FOLDING. [638.] ' The time of the siDging of birds is come ; ' and so the time for the folding of sec- tions is at hand. For the benefit of other readers of the B.B.J., I send description of 'folder' made and used by myself, so that any who are of a mechanical turn may construct one for themselves. It is after the -style of the iron press sold by Mr. Meadows, of Syston. A refe- rence to sketch (Fig. 1) will show its COnstruc- Hg. 1. tion, while the trouble of making it will be far outweighed by its usefulness and the saving of time, the sections being folded in a second, square and true, by simply uplifting the handle of eccentric lever. Fig. 2 is drawn on a 1^-inch scale, i.e., \\ inch to the foot, so that the size of the several Fig. 2. parts may be at once ascertained. The bottom board may be f-inck thick ; the square, cramp, lever, and blocks should be 1 inch, either red deal or hard wood ; the square and blocks to be firmly screwed to board to withstand pressure. Up the front of cramp (which slides in a mor- tise) is cut a square V groove, to hold corner of section. The bottom of cramp is shouldered, leaving tenon of sufficient length to be flush with under-side of board, a block being screwed to tenon underneath, holding cramp firmly, but giving sufficient play to move easily. Sections are best and easiest folded by putting dovetail corners next cramp.— Un Ami. YE EXPERIENCE OF YE SPREAD EAGLE. [639.] I commenced 1800 with two double- walled hives (standard frames), one straw skep (on examining which later in the spring I found, the bees had gone over to the majority), and one single-walled antiquated consarn (built about the time of Noah), with bars ten inches deep : to gain a little experience I determined to place the bars therefrom in a box, which was placed on another double-walled standard hive with full sheets of foundation in the frames. They certainly did go down, and eventually used the seven ten-inch bars as their pantry, of which I took charge at one time, but came to the con- clusion that it was very slow work, and not worth trying again ; still, I had not the bother of a swarm. On Whit-Sunday a man rang my bell about 9 a.m., and told me that he thought my bees had swarmed and were going into the wall of an old house. I went to look and soon came to the conclusion that they were not mine, but soon would be, nem. con. On the next day (Whit- Monday) having seen all my hee-neiglibours without finding an owner, I set to work, getting a ladder, hammer and chisel, a saw, and a cold chisel. The old house, where the bees had taken up their quarters, being built — like a great many in Sussex — on the weather-board prin- ciple : some of your readers may know what that means, but for those who do not I will try to explain, viz., the sides of the house are built of bricks in the ordinary manner, while the front and back have a wooden framework of battens, with laths and plaster on the inner side, while the outer side is covered with tiles, slates, or weather-boards. The interspace, being hollow, is sometimes inhabited by a truant swarm of bees, as in the present instance. I provided myself with a hive, carefully putting in a frame of brood, with one or two frames containing food, and nearly filling up with frames of foundation, leaving room to shake the bees into the back of hive, when I had succeeded in getting them. Having got all in readiness, business commenced by putting on my Cardigan (which I always wear when manipulating), filling a stock of pipes, then choosing the largest which was carefully lit, the veil was put on, and mounting the ladder I was soon at work, pulling off the tiles — which were thrown to some distance in case of a hasty descent being necessary ; but on this occasion all went as merry as the proverbial marriage bell. Judging by the colour and toughness of the combs, it was evident that several genera- tions of bees had first seen the light there. The combs were placed in a slanting direction about eight or nine inches in breadth, and some of them at least nearly two feet in depth, and fairly crowded with Carniolans, ' all very fine and large.' "With the aid of smoker and pipe the combs were cut out one by one and carried down the ladder ; the bees were then shaken into the back of the hive and covered with a cloth. I was a little bothered at not being able to find May 7, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 223 the queen, but by the time I had about two- thirds of the combs down, I noticed some of the bees fanning on the floor, or rather alighting- board. I therefore came to the conclusion that her Majesty was at home, and I simply threw the remaining bees on the alighting-board as I brought them down. This took me the best part of the afternoon, but I was well satisfied with this (my second) venture at removing bees from a similar building. There was, as usual, some bad language floating round, but only by the bees ; your correspondent did not get stung, or — well, never mind, he didn't. After dusk the hive was carefully carried home and placed in the garden. They swarmed again and I made four nuclei from them as well. One of my old stocks gave me sixty good sections, about forty of which were first-class. Last December I had to remove my hives from Sussex to Northamptonshire ; the ventilating floors were opened and the entrances securely blocked, they were placed in a furniture vau, and had a journey as follows : five miles by road to rail, thence 50 miles to Victoria ; across London to St. Pancras ; thence to our station, about 64 miles, and again by road 3| miles; total distance, as near as I can tell, Y22\ miles. They were put into the vans on Thursday and taken out on the following Tuesday. I should mention that the five hives were brought in this manner : three double-walled all round'; one double at sides, but single front and back with half-inch dummy in front ; and one single-walled all round. On an examination during the first warm days in February, the un- fortunate beings in the single-wall had gone over to the majority, one of the double-walls had lost a great many, but the others not so many as I expected ; and what was most cheering, all had sealed brood, and some had hatched out and looked strong and healthy. They look at present ft and well and likely to do good service here. — Ye Spbead Eagle. NOTES BY THE WAY. [640.] We have entered into the 'merry month of May >' when, as the old song says, ' bees from flower to flower do hum.' The boisterous wind with which the month was ushered in, reminded one of the beginning of March rather than May; but Nature has been, and is still, putting on her verdant robe, and the woods echo with the trilling and warblings of our feathered songsters, proclaiming that spring is here, and before the end of the month no doubt we shall hear of swarms of bees in some of the sheltered forward districts. We have had a beautiful rain so much needed after nearly three weeks con- tinued dry weather, coupled with cold searching winds, which have retarded the growth of vege- tation very much in our district. The opinion that foul brood has been propa- gated by the use of foundation made from wax from infected colonies, appears from the American B.J. to have received its quietus, and any fears entertained on that point are groundless, as wax, before making into foundation, requires to be kept at a high temperature so many hours for any impurities to settle at the bottom of the vessels containing the wax. Pasteur, the French savant, has ascertained that all the seeds of disease which may exist in winp, can be des- troyed if the wine is heated to a temperature of 140°, and as beeswax does not melt below 148% there can be no doubt that the spores of foul brood would be destroyed ; but as Mr. Dadant observes that their firm, probably the largest manufacturers of foundation in the world, keep their wax liquid for at least twenty-four hours, and that they in the first boiling mix the wax with water, and keep the temperature at 212°, and that any scum that arises is taken off and placed in barrels out of doors to which their bees have free access, and visit freely, yet they have never contracted the disease during the past fourteen years, this points to the fact that we need not fear infection by using foundation. _ The present month will be an opportune time to discuss self -swarm hivers. Will those who tried them last year kindly give us their opinions on the matter, also on style of automatic hiver used P Thanks, Mr. Brown, for your letter re Bees and Fruit-growing. An ounce of practice is worth a pound of theory, and items of fact, such as your letter, are a grand refutation of the detractors of the busy, useful bee. Vaseline, 1 take it, will be used fn small quantities, simply rubbed on the wood runners, and the sides and ends of the metal ends, or wood shoulders of frames, to prevent propolisa- tion of the movable parts of the hive, and instead of looking at it in the light of an infliction on my bees, as our Rochford friend seems to imply, I had looked forward that it would save the- bees much labour, collecting propolis; there is- very little scent to the bottle of vaseline we have in the house, nothing obnoxious to my olfactory nerves, though what effect it may have on my bees' more highly strung nerves I have not had an opportunity of knowing at present. Our good. friend, E. H. Leeney, speaks very highly of its utility ; I suppose— nay, more, I hope— his use of vasaline in no way affects the mortality in 1 i< apiary, for want of propolis to fill up all crevices and keep out all draughts; but information to hand from private sources, speaks of other causes for heavy mortality this past winter. One says his losses are chiefly among the old-es- tablished (propolised ?) stocks, while his success has lain, this season, with driven lots fed up- quickly at end of summer. Another says he has successfully wintered some small lots of driven bees in nucleus hives ; while I myself can aver that two stocks of bees that are strong now, had crates of empty combs and empty sections left in all the winter till I lookedin and removed them a month back, and only two thicknesses of hemp carpet over the top of crates ; one crate had only six sections of empty comb, the re- mainder of crate was empty, with dividers lying crosswise just as they fell when the honey was taken off last summer. Yet others in straw skeps, with food in store, had died off during wiuter, 224 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [May 7, 1891. standing all in the same row, and wintering on the same natural stores gathered by the bees. Why is this ?— W. Woodley, World's End, Newbury. (twerua anir Implies. [351.] Four Bee-way Sections.— Being anxious to make for own use some four bee- way section racks, what would you advise as a substitute for Hookers metal supports (p. 50, Guide-bock). I'm taking it for granted that four bee-way sections are better than two bee-way. — Box, Feltham, Middlesex. .Reply. — The advantage claimed for the per- forated supports is that the bees can reach upper stories without travelling over the combs _ of lower ones. No substitute will quite accomplish this. However, if slotted dividers are used and the sides of racks are hollowed out to allow & bee-passage from section to section they will answer your purpose. )m from % Hite. Paignton, South Devon. — My stocks are working with good-will, thanks to the bright sunshine we are having all through this month, although the easterly wind remains with us still. Generally stocks in this part have stood the severe weather well and are strong and healthy. Trusting your own bees are equally well favoured. — George John Freeman. Morchard Bishop, North Devon, May 2nd. — The weather here has been very cold and windy; flowers of all sorts are backward. To-day I see the bees hard at work and cirrying in lots of pollen. I heard of a swarm (?) on the 24th coming out and making their way into a neigh- bouring hive, and settling peaceably with the lot already in possession. I do not think we shall have any natural swarms here for the next fortnight. — W. F. Tronson. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Replying to the notification on p. 203 of B.J. for April 23, Mr. Geo. J. Freeman, of Glen- mire, Paignton, South Devon, writes : — 'Failing any reply from a "Bee Expert," I should be pleased to give the lady at Staver- ton, near Totnes, any advice on practical experience that lays in my power, should she feel disposed to write me; I am only a few miles by road from her abode.' Dr. Tinker's Books. — A correspondent who writes concerning these under date 24th April and signs himself 'J. C, a Donegal Bee-keeper,' will be communicated with on sending his full name and address. T. G. (Staffs.) — We regret your inquiry has been mislaid for a few days. The bees may be got into condition for gathering supplies by mid-June if the dwindling has not been ex- cessive and the queens are fairly prolific. Feed regularly and pack very warm. Charles M. Ellis (Llanfairfechan). — We advise your beginning to build up stocks at once, to be ready for clover by the second week in June. R. Puttock. — Hiving Swarms. — Refer to B.J. for May 15th, 1890 (p. 231), or we will send the number post free for three halfpenny stamps. W. F. Tronson (Morchard Bishop). — Comb contains only pollen, which has been kept fresh by being covered with honey or syrup. If there are no signs of foul brood in the hive, the combs may be used again. *#* Communications from 'Augustus,' T.Kirwan, and Dr. Miller, together icith some queries, are in type, and will appear next week. LOWTH'S JhnprobeD patent 'Unique' Bar-frame and Section EXTRACTORS. Twelve High-class Awards at Royal & County Shows. I These Machines are suitably adapted to meet the^ In requirements in both large and small Apiaries. -7 : ■"" Illustrated Circulars Free. Full' 'Instructions, No- 2- Price 7s. (id. No. i.— Price 21s. Packed in Case, is. 6.Y. extra. INVENTOR AND PATENTEE: T. LOWTH, Riseholme, Lincoln. Postage 9 L.~- — -W — ,_ _j^B ><.-Jr\ , <&*% &£%:&/} 1KI1111 i*SKSSa APIARY OF M. HILAIRE ARPIN. M. Arpin thought it had foul brood. So it had in a mild form, and he was recommended to try naphthaline, as he was already using camphor. M. Alphonse Kullier said he also had foul brood, and had been using camphor with success. He said when he took away the camphor foul brood broke out again, but when it was put into the hives the disease diminished. He thought at any rate if it was not a complete cure for the disease it kept it in check, and he did not intend to do without camphor. The whole party de- scended to the town and looked at a few hives scattered about the place, and then adjourned to the summer-house in the hotel garden to par- take of coffee, and stronger beverages for those that liked. Here the rest of the time was speut relating experiences and talking of the progress of bee-keeping in the district. M. Emprun, amongst other things, said that one day he had to move twelve hives only 200 metres from his place, so that a large number of bees came baek. He then put in the place a hive with some combs, visit would be a memorable one for them and would be entered in the archives of the Commune. It will also be a memorable one for us, for we shall never forget the hospi- tality of these Savoy mountaineers and the kindness shown to us. We were very much struck and impressed with the advance bee- keeping was making in that country, although this district was much later than others we had visited, and, owing to its altitude, it was not quite so good. We found all the bee-keepers we came across most intelligent, and they were doing their best to spread a knowledge of modern methods amongst their neighbours. There were already in this district 200 frame hives, besides 300 common ones. M. Brunet, whose apiary is already situated at an altitude of 1200 metres, carries his hives, when the harvest is ended in his neighbourhood, several hundred metres higher up : and in this way he gets a second harvest, or rather a continuation, for the flora is similar, although later. Moun- May 14, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 231 tains and valleys surrounded the inhabitants ; thus the honey season lasts from spring to •autumn, vegetation being constantly luxuriant within a small area and at different altitudes, according to the time of year. At last the time arrived, after a friendly meal, to take leave, we retiring to rest and the others dispersing to their various homes. Al- though we saw no more of our bee-friends, we carried away a pleasant recollection of the hospitality of these members of the Petit St. Bernard Bee Society, and will often think of them amongst their wild and lovely pastures and passes. Next day M. Rullier accompanied us part of the way on our journey, and told us much about the bee-keeping in the neighbourhood of the places we passed. We descended much more rapidly than we came up, and reached Albert- viile in time to catch the train for Aix-les-Bains, where we intended to break the return journey. It was very curious that, although the weather had been unsettled for some time before we started on our excursion, it cleared up the day before we left Switzerland, and all the time we were away the weather was superb. We had not been prevented by rain from carrying out all that we had planned ; but now, as though to make up for it, no sooner had we entered the railway carriage than large drops of rain began coming down, and these were only the precur- sors of a tremendous storm that burst over us before we had got very far. There was a regular downpour of rain, and we were very glad when we reached Aix and got into the hotel. Next day we left early, and here parted with M. de Lajens, who was going on to Lyons : and before he left we came to the unanimous conclusion that we had spent a very pleasant and profitable time together, and hoped that at some future period we three might again make a similar excursion. We had visited nineteen apiaries and examined several hundred hives, and during the whole of that time only one of our party had got stung, which will give some idea of how busy the bees were at work. Our trip was now at an end, and, after a rather tedious railway journey, dropping M. Bertrand at Nyon, we reached Lausanne in the afternoon, much improved in health by reason of our ' Bee Bambles in Savoy.' €axxtsyiavfoMtt. Communications relating to the literary department, reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, &c, must be addressed only to 'The Editors of the "British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C BEES FIGHTING. [6-11. ] I herewith enclose some bees which were killed under very extraordinary circum- stances, as the following facts will show: — Saturday, the 2;")th April, being a bright day, I exposed outside some surplus frames removed from stocks which had been shifted into fresh hives (a thing I seldom or never do and highly disapprove of). I uncapped what honey re- mained in them (mostly heather), and the bees cleaned it out fairly well, though, as heather honey is very thick, they were somewhat slow about it. I kept a close watch on them during the whole time, to see that no fighting took place on the combs as they were being emptied ; but all went on right, and I removed them when empty. Now here comes the curious part. About 5.30 in the afternoon I observed a few dead bees in front of my best stock, but thought little of it. By this time the bees in the other hives were singing their evening song and all quiet. I re- turned in about an hour and found a good number of dead bees about the same stock. I brushed these away, but I still surmised all was not right, for, on returning before going to rest, I found a fierce battle raging and scores of dead bees scattered around the entrance. On going in the morning to note the state of affairs 1 was disgusted to find my best stock a mere wreck ! There is not the slightest doubt that these bees fought among themselves, for the other hives were perfectly quiet when the strife began and equally so in the morning. The sample of bees enclosed Avere just swept from the flight-board into the box, and if they can throw any light on the affair I will be glad. I have kept bees some sixteen years, and I never saw them fight among themselves in that manner, and most sincerely hope will never again. The same stock (as were all the others) is carrying in pea-flower, is also busy on the gooseberries, which are now in bloom with us. I can't say I noticed the bees struggling _ or fighting with each other, but they came rolling out at the entrance in great numbers. I gave them a puff from the smoker and some warm syrup before leaving them for the night, but all to no purpose. The hive had not been disturbed for seven days, nor the stock next it, i.e., both these stocks were put into clean hives the pre- vious Saturday, and have been working steadily since. It also has brood in all stages. I shall be glad to have your opinion on the case, and will be also very pleased to furnish you with further particulars, if needed. — Augustus, Renfrewshire, April 27th. [We cannot think the bees have fought among themselves, as suggested. Examine the combs and note if there is so serious a diminution in numbers as to warrant the statement that the stock is ' a mere wreck ! ' If it is, we shall, under the circum- stances, be very much surprised indeed. The dead bees sent offer no explanation whatever of the affair, though we cannot help suspecting they belong to some other hive. — Eds.] BEE-KEEPING IN IRELAND. Vaseline in Beehives. [642.] Seeing in the Bee Journal of April 23rd reference to the use of vaseline, 1 thought you might like to hear of the experience of 232 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [May 14, 1891. those who have used it. From something I read in the Journal last year, I used it freely the greater part of last season, and would strongly advise its use. I found frames, supers, &c, treated with it could he moved with little or no disturbance. Using divisible supers, I found I could put on one crate under another almost unknown to the bees until it was on. I found the sections when taking them off finished, nearly as clean as when put on, and easily taken out of the supers. I also tried Mr. Abbott's suggestion, with three or four hives, of putting the second crate over the first, though the bees took to the second freely, and did quite as well as in the others, still I would not like to try it again, as, not having used vaseline then, the crates being on from May to late in September, I could scarcely get them off the hives, the disturbance was so great. The sections were very much discoloured, and much too thickly sealed, and there seemed to have been relays of brood hatched in most of the sections; also it was nearly impossible to get them out of the boxes without breaking them. I had a fairly good season last year. I com- menced with twelve frame hives. I sold 394 sections, for which I got 15/. lis. l^d., less com- mission, and had neai"ly 100 not quite finished ; besides, three of the twelve swarmed twice, and I did not get ten sections from them ; two were, from robbing, not as strong as the others, and only gave between twenty and thirty each ; the other seven supplied the rest. I am just com- mencing this season with twenty hives, only losing one from having moved it too late, when the frost had gone. — T. Kibwan, Dunmore, co. Galway. WINTERING BEES IN CELLARS. [643.] By some means my British Bee Journal for February 19th was belated. In it Mr. Woodley refers to an item in the American Bee Journal in which Mr. Pearce reports his bees as not losing weight for a month. Mr. Woodley says this was after the bees were put in the cellar, and I do not much wonder at his so under- standing it, as the item was somewhat mixed ; but if he will look again he will see that it is not so stated. The weighing was done ' the last of September,' and ' again in a month.' That, you see, would be very early cellaring. As a matter of fact they were not put in the cellar till about November 20th. So there was nothing so very strange about the matter, for they may have gathered from some source, even in the month of October. By the way, the tendency seems to be towards lengthening the time of cellaring at both ends. I put a few colonies (twenty-seven) in the cellar October 28th and the rest ten days later, taking them out April 16th. That makes 160 and 170 days' confinement. I do not think one in twenty-five showed any signs of dysentery. Success to our English cousins.— C. C. Miller, Marengo, III, U.S.A., April 17th, 1891. NOTES BY THE WAY. [644.] Since I wrote last week we have had a few days of bright, warm, spring weather,, which has infused life into the apiary, and hope has been renewed in the breast of the bee-keeper. There is a grand promise of fruit I hear this season ; the trees are white with bloom in our immediate district. We have only a few trees in each hamlet or village, but those are covered with bloom, as are also the wild cherry-trees in the woods. Water for Bees. — I notice ' Lordswood ' (637, p. 221) recommends sphagnum moss in water for bees to drink from. No doubt this is a good plan — the only difficulty is to get the moss. Many bee-keepers will not be able to get a supply, but every bee-keeper can get spent tea- leaves, and this I find, year after year, to be a good medium by which bees can drink without the possibility of their getting drowned. I have five drinking-places in my apiary, and although we have a roadside pond within a hundred yards of the apiary, it is rarely that any bees visit the pond for water. We always save the leaves as emptied from the teapot into a dish,, and when this is put out at the back, it is covered with bees, although on the cold, shady side of the house. This proves that bees, like many of the genus homo, are fond of a decoction of tea. I feel sure that these drinking-places near the apiary are the means of saving a great amount of bee-life in the early part of the season. There appear to be large numbers of queen- wasps about this spring. I looked through a neighbour's apiary a few evenings since, and killed seven fine queens that had located them- selves among the wraps for the night, and in the roof of my own hives I have killed a great many, four or five per day, when feeding the bees, and still they come ; therefore I advise a sharp look-out for them now one has the chance of catching them. In a week or two's time- they will be starting nests in various holes and other suitable places, and our only chance of capturing them then will be when they are on. the wing during the day. I have been hoping to glean ideas on bee- escapes and super-cleaners from those who have used them in past seasons ; surely some of our progressive bee-keepers have given them a trial. I have had some made, and shall be pleased to- give my experience after I have tried them, but that cannot be till towards the end of coming honey season. Supering Bees. — The past fesv warm days- have given the bees a good start, setting their home in order, clearing out dried pollen, many pellets of which are strewed on or below the' alighting-boards of strong colonies ; but except in fruit districts, or where a goodly number of sycamore-trees are, or fields of turnip or swede- seed is grown, I should not advise putting on supers. To show how bee-keepers are easily influenced by two or three warm days, I may mention a gentleman called on me asking if L was open to buy his apiary. I said, ' Yes, if we- May 14, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 233- can agree in price ; ' but I could not, owing to previous engagements, attend to the matter till late the following week. Accordingly I went on Friday, only to find that he had overhauled his apiary and put on his supers ready for the honey harvest next month, and did not want to sell unless at a high price. The weather had changed his ideas on bee-keeping, and he is looking forward to having several hundred sec- tions of honey for sale, and then possibly he may sell out. I pointed out that unless the warm weather continued (which, alas ! it ha9 not) he would retard the development of his colonies by putting on supers so early. — W. Woodley, World's End, Newbury. JOINING BEE ASSOCIATIONS. [645.] Some time ago I noticed in the B.B.J. a report of the Ulster Bee-keepers' Association giving in detail the progress bee-keeping was making in the north of Ireland, and the good work the Association was rendering. Con- sidering that in this district there is quite an army of beginners, like myself, I made appli- cation to become a member some months ago. Judge my surprise at receiving from the Assistant Secretary a letter informing me that my nomina- tion had fallen through for lack of a seconder. Now, sirs, if all applicants are treated in a similar manner, I would like to know what good the Association can do to any except the chosen few ? Personally, however, I may say my bse-keeping prospects are not the least daunted by remaining outside the Association, and when the proper time comes, perhaps not a few from this part will be able to compare results favourably with the more privileged, and testify that without any assistance we are not so far behind our neighbours in the matter of honey production. — John D. McNally, Laurencetown, co. Down. [If the Association you name reserves to itself the right of ' blackballing ' persons seeking mem- bership, you cannot complain of their exercising that right, though we must say the opposite course is usually adopted in most Associations we know of, the rule being to welcome bee-keepers desirous of joining. — Eds.] WEATHER REPORTS. Bucknall, Lincolnshire. April, 1891. Maximum, GG° on 30th. Bain :— 108 inches. Minimum, 19° on 25th. Average, 5 years, 1-16. Mean max 52-2° Heaviest fall, 0--30 on „ min 33-0" 4th. „ temp 42-6° Rain on 9 days. „ of 5 years . .42-80 Frosty nights, 15. Range of temp. 19-2° Bemarks. — April has been about the average as far as absolute temperature, but the dry, cutting winds have made it seem very cold, and very much retarded brood-rearing.— J. Bint. Westbourne, Sussex. April, 1891. Maximum,60° on 27th. Bain : — "98 inch. Minimum, 25° on 1st. Heaviest fall, ^Son 4th. Minimum on grass, Rain on 9 days. 20° on 1st. Average, 1*71 inch. Frosty nights, 5. Sunshine, 131 "55. Mean max 509° Brightest day, 23rd. „ min .... 35*6° Sunless days, 6. „ temp 429° Bemarks. — A cold and dry, but dull, month.. Bees doing little for the first fortnight, and very backward. Stores almost entirely con- sumed. Losses of bees in skeps about seventy per cent. — L. B. Birkett. COMPARATIVE WEATHER REPORT OF FIRST QUARTER OF 1891 AND 1890. Blair-Athol, Perthshire. (420 feet above sea level.) January, 1891. Maximum, 49-5° F. on 11th. Mean max., 40 0°. Minimum - 8-6° on 8th. „ min., 29-0°. Rain on 17 days, 205 inches. Bees flying on 11th, 12th, 13th, and 25th onwards. February, 1891. Maximum, 580° F. on 15th. Mean max., 42 8° Minimum - 18-0° on 26th. „ min., 27'8°. Rain on 6 days, 0 45 inch. Bees flying throughout the month with very few exceptions. March, 1891. Maximum, 5Cr2° F. on 1st. Mean max., 43,0°. Minimum — 10-0°,9th and 13th. „ rain., 26 6°. Rain on 14 days, 2-41 inches. January, 1890. Maximum, 540° F. on 31st. Mean max., 45,0° Minimum - 16"0° on 24th. „ min., 32-5°. Rain on 25 days, 694 inches ; 100 per cent, above average. Bees flying on several days. February, 1890. Maximum, 54-5° F. on 24th. Mean max., 42-0°. Minimum - 15-8° on 15th. „ min., 27'5°. Rain on 9 days, 0'65 inches. Bees seldom out, but carrying pollen on 24th. March, 1890. Maximum, 54 5° F. on 31st. Mean max., 47 0°. Minimum - 135° on 3rd. „ min., 31 "5°. Rain on 19 days, 257 inches. — A. C. HONEY IMPORTS. The total value of honey imported into the United Kingdom during the month of April, 1891, was 7334/. — -From a return furnished by the Statistical Office, H.M. Customs. 234 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL [May 14, 1891. mxxtB amfo fyt$m% [852.] 1. How is it that, though we have so many orchards around, we rarely get surplus from the bloom ? Do you think the following plan would succeed in bringing in a good honey crop this season ? I have four skeps, and thought of dividing two and joining the bees as one lot in a frame hive on the old stand of the stronger stock, then putting the two skeps one above the other on the other stand for three weeks to hatch out brood ; then removing top one and putting on sections, and the same treatment with the other two skeps. I like to have one or two straw skeps to look at, and the frame hives for the real work. — W. F. Tronson, Morchard Bishop, North Devon, May 2nd. Reply. — 1. "We see no reason why bees should not store surplus from the orchards of Devon if the weather be favourable for honey- gathering. 2. The fault of your proposed plan lies in your treatment of the two skeps after bees of both have been driven. The brood in them would surely be chilled to do as you propose. We should rather further strengthen two already strong stocks in frame hives by setting one of the skeps and brood over each, with queen-excluder between ; removing the skeps in three weeks and replacing with sections instead. [358.] Mouldy Combs. — What would you advise me to do so that I might freshen up over fifty bar-frames filled with comb, as they are slightly mouldy, having come from hives in which the bees died during the winter P — H. 0. 8clater, Littlehampton. Reply. — If the combs are sprayed wzth salicylic acid solution and dried, they will be all right. (Hkjxoxs foam % pitxes, Oldbury, Bridgnorth, South Shropshire, May Gth, 1891. — The warm weather of the past few days has been a welcome change for the bees. Damson, plum, gooseberry, and currant bloom is exceptionally good this year, and bees are freely working these sources. Young bees (workers) in strong stocks are now daily hatching out by scores, but I have not yet noticed any drones. Bee-keepers and fruit-growers will do well to note that queen-wasps appear to be very numerous this season. I have this day destroyed half a dozen in my own garden. — J. E. Roden. Bishops Waltham, Hants, May 11th, 1891. — Early Swarms. — My three stocks have wintered well ; one swarmed on -the 7th of May, and one to-day, the 1 1th — both good strong swarms. I took all the top honey from them on bars and in sections last autumn, and have not had to feed them once. — J. Ives. New Philadelphia, U.S.A., April 12th, 1891.— Our bees here are in splendid condition, and blossoms just beginning to open. The prospect for a good crop of honey seems fully assured. — Dr. G. L. Tinker. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. All queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only of personal interest will be answered in this column. T. Bonner Chambers. — A.n exactly similar implement, and used for the same purpose, i.e., impressing the base of cells on wax, is described and illustrated on p. 69 of the late Mr. Alfred Neighbour's book, The Apiary, published in 186-5. Amiccts._ — Messrs. Abbott's full address is given in their advertisement. Frank Light. — Full instructions for hiving swarms are given in B.J. for May 15th, 1890. See reply to R. Puttock last week. Downcast (Lowestoft).— Sugar sent is not Porto Rico at all. The latter has a finer grain than sample. ***%Report of proceedings of the B.B.K. A. occupies so much space this iveek, ice are \compelled to hold over several articles till our next. SWARMS! SWARMSi~SWARMSi TEUTTH S"3A.S03Sr. 3 lb. SWARMS, 10s. Qd. ; larger if desired at same rate. Boxes to be returned, or Is. 3d. added to remittance. Orders executed in rotation. C. W. WHITE, Somersham, Hunts. 237 British Bee Journal and Bee-keepers' Record. Office : 17 King William Street, Strand, Loxdon, W.C PURE CANE SUGARS. For the accommodation of Bee-keepers, guaranteed Pure Cane Sugar will be supplied in large or small quantities through this office at the under- mentioned rates : — CRYSTALLISED. i' 2?d •!?£/?/ 1 Neat bags, 14-lbs. 28-lbs. 56-lbs. Cwts. 6. TRINIDAD j Crystals 2/9 5/4 10/6 20/6 REFINED CANE. 7. WHITE CRYSTALS (Small) 3/0 5/10 11/6 22/6 8. 9. (Medium and Large sizes, 1/- per Cwt. extra.) 10. LUMP (Cut Loaf) ... Boxes, 3/3 6/3 12/3 23/6 11. LUMP DUST ... 3/0 6/0 11/9 22/9 All abooe guaranteed mtde from Cane Sugar only, and free from Beet, Chemicals, etc., etc. Carriage Paid on Orders over 5/0 (or 28-lbs. Sugar) to London and Suburbs. Country Orders, not less than 2-cwt. carriage paid at 1/0 per cwt. extra. (Scotch and Irish orders, special arrangements.) Cash to be sent with order, and purchasers will please observe that if samples are required or replies asked to inquiries, a stamped addressed envelope must be sent, as we cannot undertake cost of postage. THE MM %n 3mmtal, BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 405. Vol. XIX. N.S. 73.] MAY 21, 1891. [Published Weekly <8foit0nal, Entias, #r. USEFUL HINTS. Weather. ■ — Yet another ' experience,' such as surely none but dwellers in Britain ever go through. After calculating on a week or two, at least, of settled weather, — in fact, after enjoying several successive days of real summer warmth — a change for the worse occurred on the 15 th, simply marvellous in its completeness. Reports from various parts of the country show that the astonishing and unlooked-for disturb- ance in the weather conditions on that day extended over the whole of the kingdom, some parts of course feeling it in increased severity, but everywhere strong winds and squalls of hail and snow have been more or less severely felt. In London the tempera- ture did not exceed 47° all day, which, with the exception of one day in May, '69, and May 18th, '72, is the lowest day temperature during the latter half of May for over forty years. Few counties escaped damage to fruit-bloom through the fierce hailstorms which poured down on the tender leaves and bloom with such tre- mendous force. Incredible though it seems, ice an inch thick is reported on ponds in north-east Lancashire on the morning of the 17th. It is fortunate that many varie- ties of fruit are so late in blooming this year as to escape serious damage, but a considerable amount of mischief has no d«ubt been done in some parts. Here in Kent, however, the storm was less furious than elsewhere, while the copious rains must have done an incalculable amount of good everywhere, and it would appear as if the worst had come and gone, for to-day (19th) the weather is bright and warm, so we may now hope for that most delight- ful of all spring conditions when vegeta- tion seems to make such progress in the moist, warm soil that we can almost see it otow. Swarming. — Bee-keepers have already had a taste of what to expect if hot weather comes, for we note that swarming was quite common a week ago. It will be well, therefore, for those who have newly- hived swarms on hand, to remember how necessary feeding is while cold weather lasts. Artificial swarming is less often practiced among beginners than was the rule a year or two ago, and nothing is lost by the change, for many were the mishaps through undue haste in increasing stocks before safe conditions had been reached. In the hands of the ordinary amateur, natural swarming is in every way preferable when increase is desired, and if waiting for natural swarms is sometimes rather weary work, by reason of the persistency with which they refuse to ' come off,' it suffices to pass away the time until the arrival of swarming weather, when it is more safe to perform the operation of artificially swarm- ing stocks. No bee-keeper should now allow a day to pass without preparing for swarms by fitting frames with foundation, and arranging a few hives for immediate use. Superixg. — The question has been lately asked, ' When am I to begin supering '? ' to which we replied, ' When the hives are fairly full of bees, and honey is coming in.' Then our querist retorts, ' But how am I to know when honey is coming in ] ' We have requested our correspondent to look in this week's ' Hints ' for a reply ; and yet we hardly know how to word it. An 'old hand ' can make a very safe guess ' when honey is coming in,' but he cannot quite express in words what the outward an. I visible signs are. Nor can he suggest to the beginner to examine the frames every day for ocular demonstration of the fact ; and so we must ask our querist to content himself with the assurance that he will soon acquire the knack of knowing many things which are taking place within the hive if he carefully observes the Avays of bees from the outside. We may say that the bees work as if they 236 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [May 21, 1891. meant zvorl- when honey is coming in. More- over, the weather must be warm and plenty of bloom about. He can also, when giving supers, assist the bees by carefully covering supers in any way which will tend to keep them warm. We always insert folded paper with one edge pressed sharp, so that it may be passed in between thej unction of hives and supers, to keep out the cold and make a ' tight joint 'all round. Precautions of this kind will not seldom keep bees working in supers even during cold nights, when they Avould otherwise desert them for the warm brood chamber below. Referring to the storm on the 15th, we had a personal experience, novel in more ways that one, for we found ourselves among the sheltering wayfarers who took refuge in the nearest doorways, gazing on a perfect storm of hail, snow, and rain, which came on us in a moment. Hailstones as large as horse- beans whitened the roadway, and formed quite a winter scene in a few minutes. A flash of lightning and a sharp thunder- clap, however, ended the downfall. Cross- ing the street wc reached our destination, which happened to be the new premises of Messrs. Abbott Bros., in High Holborn. The firm occupy the whole building from floor to roof, the ground-floor being entirely devoted to bee - appliances of all kinds, while, on the upper floors are displayed a large stock of household decorative articles manufactured by the firm. Here we thought our inspection over, but Mr. Abbott producing a stout ladder observed, ' Oh, you mustn't leave without seeing the Apiary!' and, mounting the ladder, he pushed open a trap in the roof. We followed, and sure enough, on the flat, lead-covered roof of the building, were located a couple of stocks of bees at work. It seemed almost cruelty to animals to watch the plucky little fellows coming out of the clouds around us, as it Avere ; where they found flowers to dive down to, and, more than all, how they suc- ceeded in threading their way among the thousands of chimney-pots to that par- ticular stack behind which their 'town residences ' stood, seemed a marvel quite beyond anything bees in the country ac- complish in the way of 'homing.' And when Mr. Abbott assured us they were carrying in pollen quite briskly the previous day, we recanted our former doubt as to the sincerity of the writer who records his belief that ' bees would gather if located in the dome of St. Paul's.' BPJTISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. Discussion on Grants fob Technical Education in Bee-keeping. (Continued from page 229.) Mr. Meggy said that of course the amount which each bee-keepers' association was likely to get from his county depended on the size of that county, and the amount at its disposal. In Essex there was 17,0007. available. The County Council felt there was great diffi- culty in reaching the rural population, and of instructing people in their own districts. They had decided first of all that the whole 17,000^. should be devoted to technical educa- tion, and that a certain grant should be made to the Agricultural College for the promotion of dairying and farriery. That, at present, wa* the only grant proposed. He did not doubt for a moment that a portion of the grant would be given to bee-keeping ; but it was a question whether it would come through the County Bee Association, or the Agricultural Society, or through what was known as the Essex Field Club, which had a big scheme for teaching technical education. He (Mr. Meggy) was. using his influence to obtain the funds for the local Association, which, he argued, was an organization already in existence for the teaching- of that particular branch of technical education. He thought the feeling of the County CounciL in his district was that they did not want to- fritter their money away in small doles, but preferred to give out a good sum for the furtherance of useful objects. Captain Campbell said that a meeting had- been held in Guildford to consider the county- grants, the result of which was that 50001. was- te be asked for on behalf of the Science and Art Classes and King Edward's Grammar School. It had been decided to leave any application in favour of technical instruction in bee-culture to the British or Parent Association rather than, ask far small sums. The Chairman explained that theB.B.K.A. could not app'y for any of the grants, but that the applications must come from the County Associations themselves. Mr. Garratt thought the first step to be taken. was to come to some sort of agreement as to how, in the event of funds being granted, they were to be applied. It was necessary to be- provided with some reasonable scheme, which, should be so framed as to commend itself to the- County Council. Another point was, how should application be made? Should there- be a kind of concerted action, or should each Association apply in its own way ? The Council' of his Association (Kent) had considered the- matter, and drafted an application which embodied the plan they thought most suitable for the appropriation of any money that might be obtained. After reading the application < made by his Association, he suggested the ap- pointment of a small Sub-Committee to draft the applicition form to be recommended by thec B.B.K.A. May 21, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. T37 Mr. Harris said that Captain Campbell's remarks plainly intimated that the local Association at Guildford was looking to the B.B.K.A. for advice and assistance in the matter of these grants ; and he thought the parent body would do wisely to draw up a ■scheme which should be sent to the various ■county associations suggesting the form their •applications to the County Council should take. It was most desirable to incorporate therein arguments something like the following in support thereof :— (1) That apiculture was distinctly recognised as an object for State help on the Continent, in several countries whei'e bee- keeping had attained success. (2) It was well fitted to be encouraged as one of our minor rural •economies, not solely because it could be con- ducted with financial success, but because itgave the poor man something to think about and employ his leisure hours, and was likely to morally elevate him. (3) That it was a most important factor in fruit-growing. (4) That it was of greater importance still in relation to seed- growing. He also considered it advisable to formulate suggestions with regard to the line which should be taken in respect of the pro- posed lectures ; a syllabus might be drawn up as a guide, which would be of practical help. In regard to the Chairman's recommendation that several counties should unite any grants they might obtain, he thought it would be difficult for them to make suitable arrangements during the bee-season for the whole of the counties to be properly visited and practical instruction given throughout their entire area. He hoped Mr. Garratt's suggestion of a Sub- Committee would be adopted. Mr. Carr thought that the programme carried out on the Continent was an excellent example to be followed in this country. He considered that Associations could not do better than adopt the system successfully carried out abroad as abasis upon which to frame their applications to County Councils. If Government recognition had been obtained there, why should not the same be achieved here ? In supporting the proposal for a Sub-Committee, he thought the most practical way of using the grant would be by appointing travelling lecturers, who would have little difficulty in obtaining the use of apiaries when necessary for practical instruc- tion. Mr. Garratt doubted whether the Swiss system could be adopted entirely with advan- tage in this country. He feared that the school and the professor at its head would always lack students. He had some experience in those matters, having done his best to popularise bee- keeping in his own county, but found it im- possible to overcome the apathy thereon. He believed it would be best to adopt the plan of the dairy schools, which were to be migratory and travel about where there was a disposition to appreciate the services rendered. Mr. Carr thought Mr. Garratt's view too des- ponding. If the instruction were entirely free and adapted to young people he hoped for better results. Most people were disposed to accept ' something for nothing.' A long discussion ensued as to the best way of approaching the County Councils, the Chair- man, Messrs. Hooker, Garratt, Carr, Harris, and Davenport taking part therein. Mr. Hooker and the Rev. Mr. Davenport did not think it necessary that the applications should enter into minute details, which were matters for after-consideration should the grants be forthcoming, a general outline of the proposed disposal of the grants being sufficient. Ulti- mately, on the motion of Mr. Garratt, seconded by Mr. Harris, it was unanimously agreed, ' That a Sub-Committee be appointed to draw up in outline a general form of application to County Councils for grants towards technical instruction in bee-keeping.' It was also unani- mously agreed that the Sub-Committee consist of the Chairman, Mr. Garratt, Mr. Harris, and Mr. Carr. It was deemed advisable that not a moment should be lost by the Sub-Committee in getting on with the business, especially as some counties had already begun to apportion the grants, and the Bucks and Nottingham Associations were waiting advice. The Sub-Committee therefore arranged to meet the next day. A vote of thanks to the Chairman consluded the proceedings. BEE - KEEPERS' ASSOCIATIONS AND COUNTY COUNCIL GRANTS FOR TECHNICAL EDUCATION. The B.B.K.A. having been asked in several instances to advise County Bee-Associations with regard to obtaining grants from the funds now at the disposal of County Councils for technical education purposes, it has been con- sidered advisable to call the attention of all the County Bee-keepers' Associations to the follow- ing points : — Firstly. — That considerable sums have been allotted by Parliament to County Councils, which may be devoted in whole or in part to — (a) the reduction of rates, or (b) the promotion of technical education. Secondly. — That, as far as is yet known, in only two cases has the former of the purposes' been adopted, while in the large majority of in- stances the second object onlyhas been recognised. Thirdly. — That, in the rural counties, agricul- tural subjects will be chiefly those for which grants in aid of practical instruction will be given, and that bee-keeping is distinctly acknowledged as being included in such agricultural subjects. Fourthly. — That, in making application _ to County Councils for money grants for teaching apiculture, the following points should be spe- cially set forth :— («) Apiculture has long been admitted among continental nations as a subject of technical education ; (b) it is recognised by our own Education Department as a subject for teaching and examination in elementary schools ; (c) the leading Agricultural Societies in Britain give bee-keeping a definite place in technical 238 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [May 21, 1891. education in agriculture ; ((/) as one of the minor rural economies, bee-keeping- may, and should assume an importance equal at least to poultry- raising ; {e) in view of a probable large increase in fruit-growing, the extension of apiculture has a most valuable practical bearing, while its rela- tion to successful seed-growing {e.g., mustard, turnip, rape, and white clover) is equally certain and important. Fifthly. — That much will depend on setting forth with distinctness the use? to be made of any funds which may be granted to bee associa- tions. Among these use3 may specially be noted the payment of teachers and experts for — (a) The delivery of courses of lectures, elementary and advanced, in different suitable localities, and with or without fees, according to circumstances (For such lectures diagrams and apparatus would have to be provided.) ; (b) the manipulation and management of bees in skeps and in bar-frame hives ; (<:•) the systematic inspection of apiaries, and giving advice in case3 of bee-diseases, de- ficient stores, and difficulties in bee-keeping in general. Sixthly. — Most of the requisite machinery for promoting the extension of apiculture already exists in County Bee-keepers' Associations. We append a form of application to County Councils, which S3cretarie3 of County Bee- keepers' Associations may fiud suggestive and helpful. It will probably need supplementing, or otherwise modifying, for special localities. — T. W. Cowan, Chairman B.B.K.A. [Suggested Form of Application.'] To the County Council. Re Grants of Money for the Promotion of Technical Education. > On behalf of the Bee-keepers Association I beg to present an application for a portion of the fund allotted to technical edu- cation. The Association has for its chief objects the development of bee-keeping as one of the minor, but important, rural industries. The following facts are worthy of careful consideration : — (a) Apiculture has long been admitted among continental nations as a subject of technical education. (b) It is recognised by our own Education Department as a subject for teaching and ex- amination in elementary schools. (c) The leading Agricultural Societies in Britain give bee-keeping a definite place in technical edu- cation in agriculture. (d) As one of the minor rural economies, bee- keeping may, and should, assume an importance equal at least to poultry-raising. (e) In view of a probable large increase in fruit-growing, the extension of apiculture has a most valuable practical bearing, while its relation to successful seed-growing {e.g., mustard, turnip, rape, and white clover) is equally certain and important. (/) English honey has greatly advanced in> popular estimation, and is now much in demand. Should the ' Bee-keepers'' Association be so fortunate as to secure a grant from the County Council, the sum allotted will be chiefly devoted to the employment, with suitable equipment, of a travelling lecturer, who shall work systematically throughout the county. His principal duty will be to afford each eligible locality a full opportunity of becoming acquainted with the theory and practice of bee-management, just as dairy schools, in different counties, are imparting instruction in improved methods of making cheese and butter. I beg, therefore, re- spectfully to ask that the sum of £ may bi granted to the Bee- keep3rs' Association for the furtherance of the above-named portion of its educational work. Hon. Sec Bee-keepers' Association. EXPERIMENTS IN APICULTURE. We have received Bulletin No. 9 of the Rhode Island State Agricultural Experiment Station, which treats of experiments in apiculture conducted by Mr. Samuel Cushman. The pamphlet contains a report of trials of arti- ficial heat for promoting brood-rearing, hives on scales, sources of honey, and Carniolan bees. There is also a chapter on foul brood. Two hives were prepared for heating. They had double walls and cork-dust between. Be- fore artificial heat was applied on May 14th the readings of the thermometer in the corner of the hives was — Time. First hive. Second hive. 10 o'clock .. 73° .. 74° 12 „ .. 78° .. 76° 2 „ ,, 81° .. 76* 4 „ .. 82° .. 76' The difference in the heat received from the sun accounts for the change in the temperature the first hive receiving much le3s early in the morning, the second receiving none after noon. That "night four stone bottles, each holding a half-pint, were filled with boiling water, and placed behind the division-board of first hive. This was renewed each morning and evening until June 20th, while a record was kept of the thermometer readings for the remainder of the month. The next morning, before the water was removed, the thermometer stood in No. 1 at 68" and No. 2 at 66°. Tin thermometer among the bees showed a temperature morning and night of 86" in No. 1, and in Xo. 2 it stood at 84° and 87°. The record for the rest of the month showed that where the heat was used the average tem- perature of the cluster at night and in the morning was no higher, and that when there was any difference between the two the tempera- ture of the cluster where the heat had been given was lower. This was as might be ex- May 21, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 239 pected, as it is well known that the cluster expands as the surrounding- temperature rises, therefore it would go no higher. The records also show that where the hot water had heen given the temperature of the hive outside the cluster was many degrees higher. The weather was cold and changeable, and the artificial heat was found of the greatest value during the nights, or chilly, sunless days, and better enabled the bees to cover the brood. On May 31st, just before the thermometer was removed for the season, No. 1 indicated 94° in the cluster and 73^° out, No. 2 showed 94° and 71°. No. 1 gained brood and bees steadily till artificial heat was discontinued on June 20th. No. 1 over- flowed the brood nest long before No. 2 had used all the combs, and by July 1st occupied two brood chambers and was about twice as strong. On July 18th, No. 1 gave thirty-five pounds extracted honey and No. 2 fifteen pounds. Owing to the arrangement being rather crude the record of the temperature in the cluster is of no value except to compare the two hives, but the simplicity of the arrangements makes it more practicable for apiarists to follow the same plan, and with any number of hives. The stone bottles were wrapped in bagging, so that the heat was given off slowly, and when room was wanted in the body of the hive for frames, the bottles were placed on the top of the frames. The result, Mr. Oushman thinks, promises well, and he hopes that the plan will be tried. This plan is similar to that recommended some years ago in the B.B.J, by Mr. Abbott. The hives on scales showed that the flow of honej lasted from June 15th to July 10th. A second flow commenced on July 23rd and ended on August 3rd. The largest amount of nectar brought in on one day over the amount con- sumed was eight and a quarter pounds, the largest on two consecutive days was fifteen pounds, and the greatest gain on three days was nineteen and three-quarter pounds. The greatest loss was the day following the removal of the first lot of honey, consequent on the excitement, and the bees consumed three pounds more than they gathered. After the bloom of golden rod in September, and while the colony was still active, they took from half to two and a half pounds each day ; but after October 1st, as they became less active and clustered more closely, the loss was less, and was shown to have been one-third to one pound only. After the 10th the scales showed loss each second or third day, while from 21st to 27th the loss was not enough to be shown by the scales used. Mr. Cushman does not recommend Carniolan bees, but thinks that to produce the finest comb honey, common black bees, or black and Italian crossed, are the best. BEE SHOWS TO COME. June 3rd to 8th inclusive. Bath and West of England Agricultural Society at Bath. Entries close May 23rd. J. Ruckle, Kings .Langley. €axxm^nitmt. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are re- quested to write on one side of the paper only, and give their real names and addresses, notnecessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of goodfaith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, re- ports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, &c, must be addressed only to 'The Editobs of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C All business communications relating to Advertisements, Ac, must be addressed to Mr. J. Hijckle, Kings Langley, Herts (see 1st page of Advertise- ments.) %* In order to facilitate reference, Correspondents, when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted, will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well as the page on which it appears. WHEN DOCTORS AND PROFESSORS DIFFER ! A Young Queen hatching in a Hive above Queen -Excluder, placed on the Old Brood Chamber. [646.] Dr. Tinker's book, p. 29, ' Preventing Increase,' the bottom lines read : ' If the bees have a good queen below the excluder, the young queen will be balled and killed.' Doolittle's book, 23rd chapter, referred to by the German Illustrated Bee Journal, p. 375, 1889, which I translate : ' To raise two beauti- ful queens in a hive which has a laying queen without the least loss seems marvellous — was thought an impossibility. If you wish to raise two queens, do so . . .' &c, &c. Exactly on the same plan and on the same lines as stated by Dr. Tinker, when the young- queen is balled and killed. Other large American bee-masters have tried and approved Doolittle's practice. I shall try it this summer. Dr. Tinker's book reads much like Mr. Simmins' Non-Sicarming System, or Mr. Munz's German books, which I followed years ago. — J. G. K., Grove Mouse, SoutJiborough, Tunbridge Wells: [In making comparisons we think it more satis- factory to go straight to the authorities themselves, and not to the translations, for passages often suffer from translation and retranslation. It is so in this case, for we have carefully compared the passages our correspondent quotes in the Bienen- zeitung and Doolittle's book, and find that in the former a free translation, or rather a summary, of Doolittle's plan is given. Now, comparing the plan advocated by Doolittle for rearing two queens above excluder zinc, and Dr. Tinker's plan for preventing increase, we find that these two plans differ in one very important point, but we are not prepared to say without further observation whe- ther this makes all the difference in the results attained, or any difference at all. Doolittle raises his queens above the excluder zinc and bores a hole at the back of the upper chamber, to enable the queen to fly out for fecundation, so that she is not obliged to go through the main body of the hive at all. Dr. Tinker does not make. a hole, so we must suppose that the young queen, when she makes the attempt to get through the main hive for the purpose of mating, is balled and killed. no THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [May 21, 1891. In the one case the young queen does not intrude or trespass on the domain of the old queen, whereas in the other she does. Possibly our cor- respondent has overlooked the following passage which we translate from the Illustrierte Bienen- zeitung : ' If the two queens of the honey chamber are to be fecundated, two flight-holes must also be provided for them.' This certainly implies the necessity for these holes, and that the absence of them would lead to non-success. Now, in Doo- little's book, on p. 96, he makes a great point of having these holes at the back, and not on tbe same side as the entrance, because in the latter ■case 'now and then a queen will go to the entrance upon returning from her wedding tour, and as tbe bees are all of the same family, this young queen will be allowed to go in and kill the one reigning below.' Here we would point out that Mr. Doo- little and Dr. Tinker are both agreed that one of the queens will be killed, but they do not agree as to which of the two succumbs. Dr. Tinker says the young queen is killed, and Mr. Doolittle asserts that the old queen is always killed. There is a discrepancy here which is of importance to the bee-keeper, and which should be settled by experi- ment. We should be glad to hear what these gentlemen, or any others who have had experience, have to say on the matter. — Eds.] FOUL BROOD AND INFLUENZA. [647.] On reading the subjoined letter, cut from the Birmingham Daily Post of yesterday's date, it struck me as possible that the same cause— i.e., the burning of rotten and decayed wood in our smokers — might he the origin of foul brood, and that if so sulphur, used, of course, in moderation, might also prove the cure for foul brood as for influenza. At any rate, I throw out the suggestion, and leave it to wiser heads than mine to decide the point. It might, however, he as well for bee-keepers to eschew the use of rotting and decayed wood In their smokers until the question is decided one way or the other. — James Hutchinson, Chel- tenham. ' The present epidemic of influenza may be averted in its earlier stages by the following simple remedy, namely, by inhaling the fumes of burning sulphur. The incipient stage of the disease is a dry irritating feeling in the throat. The animalcule by which the disease is propa- gated have lodged in the throat, and are living on the juices of it. When these are exhausted they go deeper, and the disease assumes a more virulent form. It is to the earlier stage that I would direct attention. Take a piece of ordinary roll sulphur, lay it on a fire-shovel on the floor of a close room, and touch it with the point of a hot poker to start it into flame. The person afflicted should be in the room, but some distance off the burning sulphur at first, as the fumes are very irritating to any one having the disease. In about two minutes the irritating symptoms subside, and the patient can then inhale them with deep inspirations, and stand- ing directly over the burning sulphur. He will feel a stinging feeling in the throat, which is the evi- dence of the remedy proving complete. It is also curious that the patient seems to feel instinctively at this stage that he is being cured. The irritating feeling when first breathing the fumes may be eased by taking a sip of water, but the less the better. ' I have lived in Kussia, and have been familiar with the disease on the spot. It is caused by animalcula?, generated between the bark and the wood of their firewood. When these billets of firewood are laid on the fire, the germs of disease are warmed into life and float off upon the air to spread the disease wherever the wind carries them. The reason of the disease being more virulent this year is in consequence of the long, severe winter, a greater demand has been made on firewood, and in many instances the rotting and decaying timber at the bottom of the stack has been drawn upon to a larger extent than in a mild season. — Pko Bono Publico.' FERTILE QUEENS. [648.] If any of our friends have any of these to spare, by all means advertise them in the Journal. There is a heavy demand for them (natives preferably). I was not able to supply one-sixth part of the applicants in an- swer jto my little advertisement, and I should like to hereby inform intending applicants that I have sold out. — Hy. Neve, Warbleton, Sussex. IN THE HUT. ' A mimic shower Just shaken from a branch, how large it sounded, As 'gainst our canvas roof its three drops bounded.' B, W. GlLDEK. [648.] The Hut has & felt-covered roof, but it doesn't matter : I drag in the quotation to draw your attention to the glorious rainfall we are having ; the sounds of the drops falling on the hut are even more welcome to ' X-Tractors ' ear (why do they alwaj-s put this auricular ap- pendage in the singular ? — it is singular !) than even the hum of bees. Rich fertilising showers make one wish to be young again, and free from rheumatics, just to get wet through for the fun of the thing. I see many of our readers are going in for using vaseline as a preventive of propolisation. In August, 1888, readers of ' Hut ' notes were made acquainted with its value. I was indebted to Mr. Stephen Abbott for the idea, who probably obtained it from that worthy ' grand old ' bee-keeper, his father (I beg his pardon for the hinted political comparison) ; indeed, you tell us so on p. 213. This brings me to the ' very earnest protest against a growing act of unkindness and injustice towards our beloved bees,' by ' Hive,' on the same page, and as he or she also writes under a nom de plume, I am free to criticise. It makes one ' so wild, you know,' to hear this pleading from one who excuses the use of carbolic acid and smoke. How are we to do about naphthol, camphor, and many other things good bee-keepers use about hives ? And how does ' Hive ' know that the bee does not posi- tively feel a thrill of gratitude travel the length of its dorsal vessel, and drop on its tibia, whilst its ocelli are moistened with a token of May 21, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 241 thankfulness at the kind provision of the thought- ful hee-master who saves it a vast amount of trouble by stopping air-currents between frames with such an innocuous substance? Use it ' early and often,' bee-keepers ; but to extreme susceptibilities I would say — Never tear the bees' home to bits any more, by removing quilts and dividing frames; leave the whole thing entirely to nature and the bees ; in fact, the bees would perhaps thank you to leave them too ! I was particularly pleased to see the old familiar ' Mel Sapit Omnia ' of your erstwhile well-liked correspondent, ' Amateur Expert.' During his long self-imposed exile, I can assure you 'X-Tractor' has felt very lonely in your columns. There is, indeed, a close friendship of the pen, and well I mind the times he speaks of the results of this friendship. I am at present experimenting with two stocks of about equal strength, both having plenty of natural stores and equal conditions all round. I started slow stimulation with them, and found the usual amount of resultant ' vino.' Next I removed the feeder from No. 1, when, lo ! the impetus slackened off, and the feeder has to go on again. ' Just what any one could have told you,' says one. Precisely so ; and that is why one keeps on trying and proving, year in and year out, for how many hundreds of bee- keepers are there at this moment who are saying, ' Yes, they're all right ; they've plenty ? ' It is the excitement caused by hauling down syrup that stimulates the workers into stimulating the •queen. We know ' everybody knows it,' but we need to bear it in mind. ('In quires, &c, here followeth ' — la grippe.) And now, after ten days' punishment, never having spent a day in bed before, all that remains of ' X-Tractor ' sits at his bedroom window on a glorious bright morning, with a splendid stretch of brilliant green fields, purple distance, and blue sky before him, and takes up his pen in the fond endeavour to complete these notes — - not ' In the Hut ' — in the same flippant style as when he broke off. I had plenty of time to ponder over the mysteries of microbes, ' as I laye a-thynkynge, a-thynkynge, a-thynkynge,' and. wonder if the distinctly alkaline medical treatment would at all apply to that .other microbe bee-keepers are all so interested in — and, to tell the truth, I gave a passing thought to the obituary column. . . . ' 'Tis still, — and yet what woody noises loom Against the background of the silent gloom ! One well might hear the opening of a flower, If day were hushed as this.' — Gilder. And I, to-day, have thought I saw the daisies and dandelions opening in sheets of bloom, just as at this time I fancy, as ' evening's twilight gathers round,' I can see them close together their petals, to protect their stigmas and anthers from the gently falling rain. It is no great stretch of the imagination for the opening of flowers to be heard. I have heard the opening of buds like the hissing of wave-tops and the cracking, rending, ripping of bark, startling like the sound of musketry — here a shot, there a shot — this in the Braemar forests, at the close of a hot spring day. Do we always remember that trees and roots are elongated only by growth at their tips, and that growth of girth must, in trees, be accompanied by bursting of barks ? Hence the marks and channellings. If I have forgotten the bees, reader, they have not forgotten me, at least I must suppose so, for one or two have darted past my window to-day, as if they would say they have stolen a march on — X-Tractob. DRIVING-STICKS. [050.] I find sticks for drumming hives when driving bees got up as below very useful. Two pieces of wood, eighteen inches long and one inch square. At end of each screw on a cork at right angles to length of stick. Round the other ends, for comfort in handling. They save one's fingers, and crush fewer bees than'plain sticks. Our Irish bees in this neighbourhood seem to have stood the winter very well. The number of extinct colonies is not much above the average. The frost of March was the most try- ing. Cool days and frosty nights have kept our little friends back so much that I fear we shall have but few May swarms. Slowly but surely the bar-frame is taking the place of the skep. — An Irish Parson, Belturbet. BEES IN VALENTIA. [6-51.] What could have induced me (in 631, p. 210) to say that Valentia was in the north- west of Ireland, when no one knows better than I do that it is in the south-west ? Not worth while to correct it, I dare say, but it is such a stupid mistake. I said it was windy down there, didn't I ? Well, so it is ; we read in the papers sometimes of ' a gale in Valentia.' Fresh from the Atlantic, the wind blows before it has had time to conform to the manners and customs of civilised life. Didn't it lift a large pleasure-boat, lying at the end of our house one day, across the lawm of more than fifty yards, over the wall, across the road, down the strand, into the sea? Yes, it did all this, and as the result of this and many similar pranks, I am obliged to drive the posts of my bee-stands firmly into the ground, to fasten the hives to the stands with iron hooks and eyes, and fasten also the roofs to the hives in a similar manner. With all these pre- cautions, I have more thau once found the roof of a hive carried over a higli bank into the adjoining field. Nevertheless, the bees seem rather to enjoy the fun of a good blow. There are, 1 think, about five bee-keepers in the island, the largest apiary being that of Miss Fitzgerald, the sister of the Knight of Kerry, very beautifully situated at Glanleam, surrounded by large gardens, woods, and every- thing to give delight to her bees, which I trust 242 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [May 21, 1891. have come well through the long winter. We have no foreign bees in the island, and, as I think, in consequence, we know nothing of foul brood. Why don't some of you English bee-keepers, when out for your holidays, come down 1o see us ? Nothing much to look at in the way of bees, but a hearty welcome, and as fine a bit of Irish coast scenery as you will find anywhere. Will you come, some of you ? The Valentia hotel would give you all the comfort and atten- tion you require, kept a short time ago by Dan Cremsie and his five handsome daughters. But poor Dan has gone to ' the undiscovered country,' and three of his daughters would persist in getting married (is this also an undiscovered country ?). However, there are still two of the daughters left. Only I would caution any young fellows likely to be smitten not to come, for ' the daughters of Erin ' and all that — you know ! Then we have other things to show you. Here it is, as some say, that a good deal of the weather is brewed, as to which, Mr. Cullum of the Meteorological Office would give you much information and explain his wonderful instru- ments—such as those for measuring the sunshine (alas ! so little as yet this year) ; for registering the dew and rainfall; also the one about the wind, which would be so useful to some of you if it be true that it is an instrument for ' raising the wind ' as well as registering its force. Here also is the Anglo-American cable station, with its wonderful arrangements and its large and intelligent staff of clerks working night and day, with some thousand messages going and comino- across the Atlantic. By the grace and favour of the superintendent, Mr. Graves, you might be allowed to send and receive a message across to Heart's Content, with reference to the weather in that far-off land. Only don't trouble him during the 'stock period,' when they are busy enough, and are perhaps sending a message from London to New York, and will get an answer back to London in one minute ! Here also you can see the fishing fleet of fifty or sixty vessels from Belfast, Isle of Man, Kirk- caldy, and other ports, engaged in mackerel fishing.^ For their well-conducted crews we are this year building a reading-room, to be used also for amateur concerts, and other purposes. I think this is all I have to say about the island. Oh ! there is the big fuchsia in the Knight of Kerry's garden, the largest in the world, I believe, and I am afraid to say how many yards in circumference. But there, you see flowering shrubs grow so luxuriantly down here. Now, if I don't say a little about bees, this article will scarcely be acceptable for the B. B. J,, so I will ask you to come and look at one other thing and that is an old hive full of comb. A year or two ago there was a great discussion in the Journal as to whether parallel frames or right-angled ones were the best for the bees. It is in reference to this controversy that I want you to look at this sleep. I had a swarm rather late in the season and very weak, and, un- fortunately, this swarm was robbed to death. They had built three combs parallel to the entrance. When they were all killed, I pre- served the hive, and early the next summer I put in another swarm. Says the queen, or chief architect, or whoever arranges their plans in the hive, ' this is not the right way to work at all,' and forthwith they began to build their combs at right angles to the entrance, and so they filled and finished the skep. Odd, isn't it, that the two lots of bees did not agree as to which way was the best ? Not odd, therefore, that our most expert bee-keepers did not agree either ! I dare say I shall be home in Valentia about swarming - time. Will you come ? — C. C. P., Horsham. BEE-FLOWERS. [652.] Like your correspondent, ' Lords- wood ' (637, p. 221), I was surprised to see the nasturtium mentioned as a bee-flower. I have a large quantity of them in the garden, and never noticed a single instance of them being visited by bees. I cut a very large bunch of the blossoms, and placed them in a jug near the hive, to satisfy myself on the point, and not the slightest notice was taken of them. A large pailful of branches of giant balsam simi- larly treated was visited by hosts of bee3 until they were exhausted. If any of your readers are unable to get plants of the giant balsam, and will write me, I will send them a few. I think I must be the only bee-keeper in this neighbourhood, as I see no other bees about, of which I am rather surprised, as there is an open space quite as large as Battersea Park, and a great deal of fruit grown there. — G. Newman, 57, Coldharbour Lane, Camberivell, E.C. [Bees will neglect nasturtiums as they will other flowers, when better forage is about, and we have known the giant balsam, of which our correspon- dent speaks so highly, to be entirely unvisited by bees until other plants preferred were over. Setting branches of bloom by a hive is also a very unre- liable test of its quality as a bee-flower. — Eds.] AN EARLY SWARM. [653.] On Monday, May 4th, a very fine swarm of bees issued from a straw skep in the apiary of Rev. E. Davenport, of Stourport, Worcestershire. This, so far as we have been able to ascertain, is the earliest swarm of which we have any record for the present year. < SWEETNESS AND LIGHT.' [654.] A correspondent of Notes and Queries says that the expression ( Sweetness and Light ' is meaningless unless we know the context. It may therefore be useful to give it. In Swift's May 21, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 243 Battle of the Boohs there is a dispute between a spider and a bee. Afterwards ^Esop takes up the cause of ancient authors, whom he likens to bees, and says that ' instead of dirt and poison (such as are collected by modern authors or spiders), we have rather chose (sic) to fill our hives with lionet/ and wa.r, thus furnishing mankind with the two noblest of things, which are siveetness and light? — Communicated by .Rev. Dr. Bartrttm. utxm anb spites. [354.] Combs Broken Donm.—l. What had! best do with my bees under the following cir- cumstances : — In the autumn I put two swarms together into a frame hive on four frames filled with honey and as much syrup as they would take down. They have lived well through the winter, but on examining I find the combs broken away after removing the tapes, and they are built across the frames. What can I do to remedy this ? 2. I put three weak swarms into another hive on five frames, and these also are doing well. How soon may I add additional frames to the lot, and how many may I give at one time ? 3. I have two box hives, which I intend to unite in one bar-frame hive. When will be the best time — now, or in the autumn ? 4. Look- ing into one of these through a glass at the back, I see the combs near the bottom are spotted with a yellowish excrement. Is this an indication of dysentery, or of any disease ? 5. I send herewith a couple of bees and some of the comb, and should be greatly obliged if you could say whether there is any disease ? 6. Will it be safe to put the combs in a bar-frame hive to start a swarm with ? 7. I notice also two or three dead bees in front of each of the other stocks ; is this right P — Inquirer, Launceston. Eeply. — 1. Much depends on the actual con" dition of the combs as they now stand. If the four frames can be lifted out en bloc, it may be possible to separate the combs one by one, and by using spare frames re-tie them in without moving the hive or causing much disturbance. The middle of a warm day must be chosen, and the stock carried to a sheltered corner while being operated on. Place a hive — with a frame or two of comb in it — on the old stand, to re- ceive the bees as the latter are shaken from the combs and allowed to run into it. When all have gone through, the beeless combs may be taken into a warm room and tied into spare frames, care being taken not to chill or damage the brood. Replace in the hive as soon as pos- sible, setting the four combs together in the centre. 2. Extra combs may be given as soon as the others are well covered with bees. Add only one at a time — on the outside — till the weather is settled and warm. 3. If both stocks are now doing well, defer uniting till autumn. 4. Not necessarily. It may be merely the result of long confinement last winter. 6. Bees or comb have not been received at Kings Langley, where your queries have been wrongly addressed (see instructions on front page). 6. Yes ; but if there is any suspicion of disease, i.e., sealed cells in the combs, they should be disinfected. 7. Two or three dead bees in front of hives are quite common and mean nothing. [355.] Using Combed Sections. — Having a number of sections well filled with comb with- out honey over from last year, would you advise me to give them, or the best of them, to the bees this year instead of new one3 ? Some are rather green-coloured, as most of my honey was last year. — Reader, Glanmire, Cork. Reply. — The sections will have a brighter and cleaner finish when filled with this season's honey if you cut down the combs with a very sharp knife until the cells are reduced to half- • depth from the midrib. [356.] Foul Brood. — Last summer I found my bees were attacked by this disease, and wrote for your advice. I regret to say three out of my four stocks are in a worse plight than ever. No. 1, strong in bees, with about a tenth of brood diseased. No. 2, strong in bees, and almost in perfect health. Nos. 3 and 4, rather weak in bee?, and about one-third of brood diseased. Last autumn I burnt the combs that were very badly affected, sprayed remainder with salicylic and borax, as per your instruc- tions, and gave same in syrup. In the autumn there was little or no disease, and I was hoping it was gone. This spring I served them similarly as soon as I found they were diseased. 1. Can you give me any further advice or cure ? 2. I have an idea of uniting the two weak ones, first depriving them of their present combs, put the bees into a skep for a couple of days, and then give them a new hive fitted out with whole sheets of foundation. Do you think this will answer ? — W. J. G., Exmouth. Reply. — 1. Naphthol has been successful where salicylic acid has failed, so we advise a trial of it, though much, of course, depends upon the thoroughness with wtich any remedy is applied. 2. A fortnight hence will be the most favourable time of the whole year for trying the starvation method of cure, so there is every chance of success if the bees are suffi- cientlv numerous. (&t\)m% fram % Ipibxs, Weston, Leamington, May 8th, 1891. — At last we have had a grand week for the bees ; they have revelled to their hearts' content in such a mass of bloom as I do not recollect seeing for many years. I have been looking over stocks, giving room where necessary, at the same time noticing the new honey shining in the cells, also there is a decided fragrant smell all among the hives. We all hope that this nice weather will last, for we have had a good dose of the opposite kind. Yesterday evening the wind was blowing 244 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [May 21, 1891. very keen from the east, so we must not count too" much on the fine weather calmly for fear of being disappointed. The hedgerows (where there is blackthorn) are quite white — so great is the profusion of blossom. Sycamores round here, too, have been alive with bees, and horse- chestnuts also look very promising, as does also the whitethorn, which in all probability will be in bloom and over before we have any white clover in bloom, so that we cannot have honey from whitethorn and clover, as our old friend Eusbridge had at Sidlesham many years ago. The recent heavy rains have set all vegetation on the move : the clovers especially look healthy and vigorous. A bee-keeper of the old school came to me for a queen last week. I gave him one, and, seeing my bees out in great force, he could scarcely believe his own eyes. His own management (?) of his skeps and the untoward weather had reduced his stocks down to two ! He is a non-believer in bar-frame hives. I showed him a half-inch Live in which I had safely wintered a nucleus of four frames. — John Walton. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Letters or queries asking for addresses of manufacturers or correspondents, or where appliances can be purchased, or replies giving such information, can only be inserted as advertisements. The space devoted to letters, queries, and replies, is meant for the general good of bee-keepers, and not for advertisements. We wish our Correspondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessary for us to go to press in advance of the date of issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue immediately following the receipt of their com- munication. S. Willett (Kettering). — Webster s Carbolic Fumigator. — Seeing that the inventor himself sells the fumigating agent used in the above, it can hardly be expected that he will furnish particulars of the method of preparing it. Besides, a bottle, costing sixpence, will last several seasons, so it would not be worth any one's while to purchase materials to prepare it for themselves. W. Hawkes (Royston).— 1. Syrup for Sjning Feeding.— Seven pints water to ten pounds granulated cane sugar, boiled gently for one minute. 2. Boiled Honey. — This is not in- jurious to bees, but why boil it P A Holmes (Harrington). — Dr. Tinker's book is scarcely adapted for a beginner. Modern Bee- keeping, price Gel., or Cowan's Guide-book, price 1-s. 6d., would suit you better. Either can be had from J. Huckle, Kings Langley. G. B. (Craven Terrace).— The arrangements for supplying sugar are already completed (see next column. 1. Syrup is the most suitable food for a swarm. "J. Supers are needed as soon as hives are fairly full of bees and honey is coming in. 3. The bluebell is not a bee- flower. K. M. PuGHE(Whitehaven). — Balling Queens.— The queen sent has been ' balled ' and killed by the bees, without doubt, and it is also safe to assume that it was due to the excitement caused by opening the hive on previous day. There is, however, no reason why so simple an operation as inserting a comb should cause excitement and consequent ' balling ' of queens, unless in some way mismanaged. The bees will raise another queen, but it is for you to say ' if it would not be best to purchase another queen ? ' It would save time, no doubt, but there is the cost and risk of safe introduction as a set-off. %* Several letters, <&c.,arc unavoidably heldover till next iceek. British Bee Journal and Bee-keepers' Record. Office : 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C. PURE CANE SUGARS. For the accommodation of Bee-keepers, guaranteed Pure Cane Sugar will be supplied in large or small quantities through this office at the under- mentioned rates : — CRYSTALLISED. t' £?rr?t^qA 1 Neat bags, 14-lbs. 28-lbs. 56-lbs. £wts. & TRINIDAD J ClTstals 2/9 5/4 10/6 20/6 REFINED CANE. 7. WHITE CRYSTALS (SmaU) 3/0 5/10 11/6 22/6 8, 9. (Medium and Large sizes, 1/- per Cwt. extra.) 10. LUMP (Cut Loaf) ... Boxes, 3/3 6/3 12/3 23/6 11. LUMP DUST ... 3/0 6/0 11/9 22/9 All above guaranteed made from Cane Sugar only, and free from Beet, Chemicals, etc., etc. Carriage Paid on Orders over 5/0 (or 28-lbs. Sugar) to London and Suburbs. Country Orders, not less than 2-cwt. carnage paid at 1/0 per cvrt. extra. (Scotch and Irish orders, special arrangements.) Cash to be sent with order, and purchasers will- please observe that if samples are required or replies asked to inquiries, a stamped addressed envelope must be sent, as we cannot undertake cost of postage. APIARIAN SUPPLIES. WE make undoubtedly the Finest PER- FORATED ZINC, and the Nicest WHITE POPLAR SECTIONS now made. Any style of ZINC, or FOUR-PIECE SECTIONS desired. Address for Catalogue, DR. G. L. TINKER, New Philadelphia, OHIO, U.S.A. 235 SWARMS! SWARMS! SWARMS! TBHXH SSASOH. 3 lb. SWARMS, 10s. Qd. ; larger if desired at same rate. Boxes to be returned, or Is. Bd. added to remittance. Orders executed in rotation. C. K". "WHITE, Somersham, Hunts. 23? The mSA 8w BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 4GG. Vol. XIX. N.S. 74.] MAY 28, 1891. [Published Weekly (filarial, Ifcrtias, &• HUBER'S LETTERS. We wish to inform our readers that, by the courtesy of Count Mouxy de Loche, we have had the original letters of Francois Huber entrusted to our care. These letters were referred to by us in ' Bee Rambles in Savoy,' on page 112 B.B.J. We shall be pleased to show them to any of our friends who are interested in seeing these curiosities at the office of the Journal on Thursday and Friday, May 28th and 29th, and on Monday, June 1st, between two and five o'clock in the afternoon. The letters con- tain many subjects of interest, and have never yet been published. We hope those who can avail themselves of this opportunity will do so. BEES AND ORCHIDS. At this time of the year hees will be seen entering- hives carrying what to a casual observer would appear as horns on their heads and be- tween the antennae. Every spring we have such bees sent to us, and this season has not been an exception. We have one before us having several such horns (Fig. 1), and our corre- spondent who sends it sup- poses it to be a fungus of tome sort. Now, these are nothing more nor less than pollen masses, or pollinia, as they are called, of orchids, in this particular instance it being Orchis mascula, in full bloom just now in many of our moi3t woods, meadows, and shady places. Fertilisation is effected in orchids quite dif- ferently to what it is in such flowers, for in- stance, as those of our apple and pear trees. In these the pollen is in a powder, which sticks to the hairs of the bee, and is collected and trans- ferred to the pollen-baskets on the hind legs. The bee, in passing from flower to flower, is almost sure to bring some of the pollen-grains on its body in contact with the stickv stigma, and in this way cross-fertilisation is effected. I f we examine an orchis bloom from the front (Fig. 2) we shall get an idea of its structure, Kg. 2. Fig. 3 giving a side view of the same flower on rather a smaller scale. The wrinkly stalk is seen in Fig. 3, and just below it, and between 11 Fig. 3. and S T, Fig. 2, is the nectary or tube in which the nectar collects, and down which the bee has to put her tongue in order to reach the nectar. The stigma, S T (Fig. 2), is bilobed, consists of two almost confluent stigmas, and lies just under the pouch-formed rostellum, 11. The anther just above it; L, consists of two — one of which, on the opposite side, corresponds to L — widely separated cells, which are open longi- tudinally in front, and each cell contains a pollen-mass or pollinium, P. The pollinia removed from these cells, and showing their relative positions, are seen at Fig. 4. Each pollinium consists of a number of packets of pollen-grains united together by elastic threads. These threads unite at the lower end of each pollen-mass, and form what are termed the caudicles, at the bottom of each 246 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [May 28, 1891. being attached a viscid disc. Each pollinium has its own separate disc, and the balls of viscid matter constituting these discs lie enclosed to- Fig. 4. gether within the rostellum. The rostellum is almost a spherical, somewhat pointed projection overhanging the stigma, and seen in Fig. 3 just over theopening of the tube. Without going into full details of the structure of this complicated organ, we can explain that the pollen-masses are enclosed in two pouches, with the viscid discs downwards, these being covered by a very delicate membrane whilst in position. To under- stand how these pollinia get transferred to a bee's head, and fertilisation effected, we must watch a bee ; and we shall see her alight on the lower petal or labellum, as it is called in orchids, and at once insert her head as far as she can get it into the tube. This is not far, for it is stopped by the projecting rostellum, this act, rupturing the thin membrane, and exposing the viscid discs, which now adhere to the bee's head. The viscid matter has the property of becoming hard and dry in a few minutes. After taking the nectar, when the insect withdraws its head, one or both of the pollinia will be firmly attached to the head, and pro- ject like horns. The firmness of the attach- ment is very important, for if the pollinia were to fall sideways or backwards, they could not fertilise the flowers. Now, the most marvellous contrivance exists by which the pollen-masses are brought into position for touching the stigma. The caudicle has the power of con- traction in such a way that it causes the polli- nium to sweep through an angle of ninety degrees, but always in the direction towards the proboscis of the insect, in the course of thirty seconds on an average. The time it takes to complete this movement is about sufficient to enable a bee to fly to another plant. On a bee entering the flower from the alighting-place, 1 he thick ends of the pollinia exactly strike the stigmatic surface. This is also viscid, but not so viscid as to pull off the whole of the pollinium from the insect's head. It is sufficiently viscid to break the elastic threads, and leave some of the pollen-grains on the stigma, and in this manner the insect may, by means of one pollen- mass, fertilise several stigmas, until nothing but the caudicles remain. Darwin, in his Fertilisation of Orchids, describes how the whole of the pro ess of removing the pollinia may be shown by inserting the point of a pencil into the nectary. The pollinia stand at right angles to the sloping side of the pencil, and if this is held still for half a minute it will be seen that the pollinia sweep towards the point of the pencil until they lie in a horizontal position (Fig. 5). We have many times used Figr. 5. this means of illustration, which has always caused astonishment and admiration of this contrivance for ensuring the fertilisation of these flowers. BRISTOL BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The Bristol District Bee-keepers' Association for South Gloucestershire and North Somerset held their annual general meeting in that city on Tuesday, May 5th — Mr. J. B. Butler in the chair. The Secretary, Mr. H. M. Appleton, on behalf of the Committee, presented a very encouraging report, showing that the Society is making great progress, that the work of its Expert, Mr. J. Martin, is much appreciated, and that the subscriptions are rapidly increasing. The report stated that money is put to the best advantage in the encouragement of bee-keeping. The tent of the Association has visited a number of horticultural shows, and most instructive lectures have been delivered by some of the more energetic members, showing how much more profitable it is to keep bees on the new system. The report was unanimously adopted. Lady Smyth was re-elected President, Mr. J. B. Rutler, Treasurer, and Mr. J. Brown, of Baldwin Street, Hon. Secretary. It was unanimously resolved to have a show of honey, bees, &c, in connexion with the Long Ashton flower show, which is to be held in August, and to issue at an early date a schedule of prizes. WARWICKSHIRE B.K.A. The annual meeting of the above Association was held on Thursday, the 21st inst., at the Midland Hotel, Birmingham. Mr. Richard Ramsden presided, and was supported by Dr. Savage, Miss Savage, Mr. R. Bowen, Mr. S. Round, Mr. R. H. Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Young, Mr. Barwell, Mrs. Sargent, Mr. J. N. Bower (Hon. Secretary), Mr. J. R. Inglethorpe (As- sistant Secretary), &c. Letters of apology for non-attendance had been received from Lord Leigh, Mr. J. Chamberlain, M.P., Mr. J^.s;<(>, Collings, M.P., Mr. Joseph Rowlands, &c. May 28, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL 24? The report for the year 1890 stated that the Association is now free from debt. Tbe in- come from all sources amounted to 39/. 4s. Gd., and the expenditure, including an adverse balance from the previous year of 8/. 2s. Id., to 29/. Is. 3d., leaving in hand 101. 8s. 3d. The work of 1 he Association had been very much impaired for lack of funds, and the Committee had conse- quently been unable to carry out fully the objects of the Association ; but they now hoped at this turning-point that all members would make a good effort during the current year to enable the Committee to arrange not only for tke two tours, but a good county exhibition. The report and balance-sheet were unanimously adopted. The officers, with the addition of Mr. Richard Ramsden as Vice-President, were re-elected. A vote of thanks was also given to Mr. Sum- merskill for his services as expert to the society, he having received another appointment. Mr. Summerskill afterwards gave a short address on the hive bee. |kc jgjmfos to (flmnc. June 3rd to 8th inclusive. — Bath and West of England Agricultural Society at Bath. Entries closed. J. Ruckle, Kings Langley. June 22nd to 26th. — Royal Agricultural Society at Doncaster. Entries closed. July 2nd. — Kent Association in conjunction with the Rose and Horticultural Society at Farningham, Kent. Entries close June 27th. Jesse Garratt, Hon. Sec, Meopham, Kent. August 5th, 6th, and 7th. — Yorkshire Agri- cultural Society at Bradford. Entries close June 27th. Marshall Stephenson, Sec, York. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will be talccn of anonymous communications, and correspondents are re- quested to write on one side of the paper only, and give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. NOTES BY THE WAY. [655.1 I don't think it will require any excuse this week if I refer to the weather first. The foreigner makes fun of us English because we always talk 'weather' when we meet, and often avers with some truth that we get only samples of weather. Well, it is a consolation to us bee-keepers that the present ' cold wave ' or 'depression' — call it which you like — is only a sample: it must be some remnant of winter that has got out of its true course. Why, less than a fortnight ago we fondly hoped we had reached the period of the year when we were safe from the ravages of 'Jack Frost,' but last Saturday and Sunday taught us a stern lesson and dis- ?elled our hopes of an early swarming season. he question for a few days was, ' Have you had a swarm yet?' and to a negative answer I got the rejoinder, ' Why, you are all behind this May; I had two out on Wednesday, and Farmer Mathews two swarms the same day.' That was on the 13th inst., the last day of spring weather, and since then we have returned to the period of frost and snow, of hail and sleet, of cold, dull, wet, sunless days, and at the time of writing — 2.30 p.m. — the barometer stands steady at 29 in. rain, and the thermometer at 42°. The trees, erstwhile white with blossom, are seared and brown now, and our prospects of fruit very meagre. The apiary, still and quiet as 'the great lone land,' made more noticeable after the few hot days we had early in last week when every colony was busy, and the strong ones were booming and roaring as they generally do towards the end of June. I trust those who were fortunate enough to secure swarms have taken them in charge and given a constant supply of food to them, or many must have died if the bees were driven to seek food in such untoward weather. We have had a considerable rainfall during the last few days, which was badly wanted, as the ponds and tanks in which our stores of water are kept for future use were all getting very low, and the crops also required rain, especially the grass, so that, notwithstanding the check it has given to bees and bee-keepers, we must console ourselves with the knowledge that, given season- able weather during the next two months, we may eventually be thankful for the rain that has come just at the opening of our busy swarming season. -i was surprised to see Mr. J. D. McNally's letter (645) re the exclusiveness of the Ulster Bee-keepers' Association. Is it from clannish- ness, or must we go to a lower level — i.e., jealousy — to find a cause for non-admission to one bearing a honoured name among leading bee-keepers in the northern part of our land ? For my own part, I should have expected that any association of bee-keepers would have been proud to add the name of McNally to their list of members ; it is to progressive bee-keepers that Ave owe our present position in the apicul- tural world. Thanks, Dr. Miller, for correction (643), which quite explains the reason for the stationary con- dition of hives as regards weight at the two weighings. I was very sorry to see in last issue that friend ' Extractor ' has been in the grip of la grippe. I extend my sincere sympathy, and trust he will be able to write his next article in ' The Hut.' Bee Flowers. — I, too, have never seen bees woiking on nasturtiums, but it does not follow that bees do not visit this flower on other soils. On looking through an apiary for a lady friend recently, we talked bee-flowers, and she praised the Myosotis (garden forget-me-not) as a capital bee-flower. Now I have never seen a bee work- ing them, although I have some in bloom every spring, so that possibly the kind of soil on which our flowers grow may have a great influence on 248 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [May 28, 1891. the honey production ; thus the same species may produce honey on some kinds of soil and not on other kinds. Excluder Zinc. — Now that the season is at hand when excluders will he in use, I would mention that our American brethren in the craft use slatted excluders— i.e., a strip of zinc and a stiip of wood alternately — and I notice Dr. Tinker is advocating that strips of zinc should be only two holes wide, so that the bees, on reaching the tops of the combs, may still run up the edges of the wood through the holes in the zinc. This suggestion is very reasonable, and 1 think is worthy of adoption, as it stands to reason that a bee loaded with honey can get through the perforations in the excluder quicker and better if it has a foothold below, just as in like manner we can get over a stile if there is a step quicker and easier than without one ; or perhaps a better illustration of what I mean will be a trap-door which one can scarcely reach, but if we can place a stepping-stone or stool how much more quickly and easily we can get through. I notice that in America they have had a beautiful spring, and bee-keepers are looking forward to one of the good old-fashioned honey harvests this year. — W. Woodley, World's End, Newbury. VASELINE A STING-PREVENTER. [656.] There have been many notes lately in the Bee Journal in reference to the uses of vaseline iu hives. It will be found to be equally as useful as a sting-preventer. Four or five years ago I suffered badly with eczema of the hands. It was painful to touch anything, and it made me very sensitive to the stings of bees. I tried the best recommended sting-preventing lotion, but, though it pacified the bees, it had a bad effect on my hands by drying the skin. I therefore had recourse to vaseline, and found that, in addition to benefiting my hands, it had as good an effect, as a sting-preventer, as any remedy I have tried. Perhaps this information may be of use to others. The remedy is cheap, efficient, and a benefit to the hands. — John Pudge, Dursley, May 22nd. JOINING BEE ASSOCIATIONS. [657.] Under the above heading (on p. 233, No. 645) I read Mr. McNally's letter with deep regret. Who would have thought, after the great effort made last season by that gentleman to champion Irish honey against the world, that he should now be denied membership in the Ulster B.K.A.? This flourishing Association, I think, can hardly be guilty of such discourtesy when we remember the good it has done, and, I trust, will continue to do, for the bee-keeping fra- ternity in the north, by holding its annual shows, giving: lectures, &c., at various centres through- out Ulster. I only became acquainted with Mr. McNally last year, having met him at Newtownards Show, where his exhibits of honey were awarded premier honours, and the previous week the gold medal at Larne. The style and finish of Mr. McNally's exhibits at the said show were the admiration of all who witnessed them, and clearly demonstrated the fact that in the matter of honey-showing he had no rivals. Surely it is not jealousy on the part of the Ulster Asso- ciation, yet why should they slight one so com- petent, one so worthy of a place amongst them, as the gentleman in question ? There can be no doubt that the action of the Association or its representatives will be justly condemned by every bee-keeper in Ulster ' outside the chosen few ' until some explanation is forthcoming why the application for membership by Mr. McNally was refused. — J. M., Dunmurry, co. Antrim, May I8tk, 1891. SIZE OF HIVES FOR THE NORTH. [658.] There seems to be an idea among bee- keepers in these parts that a hive containing nine frames is large enough for all practical purposes so far north. Will you kindly allow any northern bee-keepers to give us their ex- perience in the Journal on this point ? We had most severe weather here last week. Thir- teen degrees of frost were registered not far from Ripon, and all the leaves were killed on the beech-trees, and now crumble away when touched. The bloom on the sycamores was destroyed, and there was a deep fall of snow, much of which was lying the following morn- ing. Need I add there are no reports as yet of bees swarming? — Arthur J. H. Wood, Bell- ivood, Ripon, May 23rd. VASELINE AND BEES. [659.] I should esteem it a great favour if you would allow me to express to ' X- Tractor ' my deep regret that my remarks on vaseline should have made him ' so wild ' as to have apparently brought on an attack of influenza. I beg to assure ' X-Tractor ' that in future I will endeavour so to shape my remarks that they may not excite his 'extreme susceptibilities' for becoming 'so wild, you know.' I have also a feeling of sympathy for the members of his household and for his dear bees. My bees are very naughty, but they will have it that, in some way, the ' ten days' purishment, never having spent a day in bed before/ was associated with the being ' so wild, you know.' They are also of opinion that in ' X-Tractor's' case the use of vaseline on the various parts of the hive would be advantageous. — Hive. BEE EXPERIENCES. [660.] I started bee-keeping about five years ago, and so great is the interest I now take in it that it seems part of my life. My hives are all May 28, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 249 home-made, each holding- nine standard frames, and when the bees have filled one box I add another. Last year one stock had three such boxes, one on the top of the other. My queens have the whole run of the hive. I never use excluder zinc, although not condemning it, be- cause I have always done very well without it, both for sections and extracting. If the queen does stray into the top boxes I don't mind, be- cause any extra brood combs come in handy in the autumn for driven bees. I never let my bees swarm more than I can help ; it don't pay, as I can get plenty of bees in the autumn for the driving of them. I use galvanised roofing for roofs; a seven-foot sheet cuts into three roofs, and I don't wish for anything better. My bees were wintered on nine frames, but this winter I tried a stock in two boxes, one on the top of the other, with plenty of sealed food. There were plenty of bees in the lower box, but scarcely any food. Now, talk about wintering your bees on six frames, as some of your corre- spondents do, why that lot of bees with eighteen frames will very soon have a crate of sections on; they are the strongest lot I have. — Owrn Browning, Kivgs Somborne, Hants. HULL AND EAST ELDING DISTRICT BRANCH OF THE YORKSHIRE B.K.A. [061.] I regret to have to inform your readers that the above Branch Association has taken the liberty of dying, and has handed over its effects to me. Mr. H. E. Holmes, the Hon. Sec, desires me to acknowledge receipt, through your columns, of the books, cash balance 11. 12s. 10d., an ex- tractor, thirty-five copies of Modern Bee-keeping, and several copies of the Bee-keeper£ Record. I can only add, it seems a pity, on looking back to the good show this Association made at Hull in 1889, that it should so soon have burst up. But, to any one acquainted with the peculiar disadvantages under which it laboured, it is no mystery. — R. A. II. Grimshaw, Crag Hill, Horf-fvrth, near Leeds, May 18th, 1891. FOUL BROOD. [662.] On looking through my hives I find that foul brood is again visible in three stocks, so that — the various remedies tried notwith- standing— it has only been ' scotched,' not cured. The stock which was worst last year, and which was re-queened, is not so very bad at present ; possibly the progeny of her young majesty having greater vigour of constitution are not so susceptible to attack. In feeding this spring I have used naphthalised syrup ; but now supers are on, and this cannot be done. I have noticed that when new combs are built out, the per- centage of diseased grubs is greater than in old combs. Can our friend Mr. Woodley give us the benefit of his experience as to which coloured enamel on the metal cases harmonises best with the colour of the comb ? Last season I used bronzed cases, and liked them very well. I should be glad if you will allow me to ask whether any reader of the Journal living in a moorland district could oblige by sending me a fresh specimen of Piltdaria, Chara, or Nitella (stoneworts), and Saloinia? I would gladlv pay postage. The specimens would travel well if packed in damp moss or cotton-wool, or even in a small tin box. — Thos. Badcock, Southfleet, Kent, May 25th. NOTES FROM IRELAND. [663.] Early in the present year there passed from our midst one of the most promising bee- keepers in Ireland. I refer to the late Rev. J. McNeece, A.M., of Tullylish, an eminent servant of God, reverenced and loved by all who knew him, and always the more the larger the per- sonal acquaintance. He was as well in point of bodily health apparently as any of us, and more likely than some to see increase of days and usefulness. He was taken away by a sudden and unexpected death. It is not necessary to refer at any length to the character of the noble man whose loss came upon the community at large, and especially the bee-keepers, as a stun- ning blow almost impossible to realise. It may require a mind somewhat akin to his own to be able fully to appreciate and adequately describe his many high qualities, the relation in which they stood to each other, and their mutual in- fluence on those with whom his ministerial office brought him in contact ; but the more prominent features were within the observation of, and were felt by, all classes. His self-sacrificing spirit endeared him to all who knew him. By his teachings not a few of the bee-men in this district attained their success. Some time ago Mr. W. G. W. Flynn, another prominent bee-keeper, removed from Laurence- town to Banford House, near Gilford. On Friday last, May 22nd, I had the pleasure of paying him a visit there, and inspecting his apiary. His stocks (seven in number) are in splendid con- dition, and should favourable weather sat in he is certain to have a large yield of honey, the locality is so well adapted for bees, with un- limited forage of every description. For a number of seasons bees have got under the roof of Banford House, and while there I watched them busy working away. It is in- tended to make a raid on their retreat at the end of the season, and I trust the efforts of those who undertake the job will be rewarded with a large haul of honey. Mr. Flynn has his bees beautifully arranged on the lawn in front of the house, and when driving along they present from the road quite a picturesque appearance, being all in well-made frame hives. As the pioneer bee-keeper of the district he still holds the lead, and last season was a very successful exhibitor I have no doubt he will be able to give a good account of himself during the coming season. We have no swarms in this part so far, 250 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [May 28, 189i. but a number of leading lights are busy making self-hivers in order to test their merits. For my own part, after what I saw of these last year I will prefer running the risk of allowing my bees to swarm naturally.— John D. McNally, Laurencetown, co. Down. [664.] TO 'X-TRACTOR.' Alas, alas ! the other day Much grieved was I to find That ' X-Tractor ' la grippe had got, And had thought o' the broad black line. Long may he reign o'er ' Hut ' and home, And his mighty smoker wield ! Long may his pen more mightier still Those spicy writings yield ! May much warm sun and merry hum Recruit ' all that remains,' Is the wish of one, who now to him This sixth huge beaker drains ! Phobmic. SWARMING. [665.] I had a swarm yesterday weighing Just over three pounds, from a skep which had wintered well, and been carefully spring fed. 1 think this is fairly early for so backward a season. It has come in A*ery hot the past few days, and plenty of pear-blossom. — A. J. GorWyn, Torquay, May \2>th. COMPLAINTS OF DEALERS. [666.] We often see complaints from cus- tomers that advertisers do not attend to their orders ; but what is an advertiser to do when he receives a postcard without signature, such as the enclosed, on which was written as follows: — 'N. Petherton, -9/4/91. — Please send per return post 1 lb. formic acid, with instruc- tions with invoice of the same, advertised in Bee Journal, Sept. 18th, 1890. Will return cash on receipt of same.' The above was received by me bearing a Bridgewater postmark. Now, what was I to do ? Send ' 1 lb. formic acid ' to Mr. , N. Petherton, Bridgewater ? I rather think the postman would have some difficulty in finding the nameless one. Moreover, as the gentleman who forgot to sign his name could quote the date of advertisement, why wait till he received the acid before remitting? The advertiser must be located, whilst the gentleman may be nomadic, and, beyond the promise in postcard, the advertiser has no guarantee that he will ever hear again from N. Petherton, or any other place. Should this meet the eye of the sender, he will understand how it is that he has not heard of the acid. — Harold H. Lindon, The Apiary, Higher Bebington. THE MALAGASY BEE (APIS UNICOLOB): Its Habits, Enemies, and Culture. If we agree with those entomologists who consider that the honey-bee has wandered west- ward from India and the East, spreading north- wards and southwards over Europe and Africa, and owing to climate and isolation has slightly altered its habit and appearance in the different regions where varieties Are found, then the comparison of the English (Apis mellijica) with the Malagas}7 bee (Apis unicolor) presents special interest, for in them Ave can see in what way, and to how great an extent, the two opposite extremes of migration have differed during thousands of years of separation. Supposing also that the social bees have, as is only in accordance with the laws of evolution, sprung from the solitary bees, we must admit, I think, that this development must have been complete before the great westward migration began ; for had this not been the case, it is scarcely likely that there would have been so great a similarity in the result, as I shall point out in the course of this paper. Yet, again, there must have been some land connexion, or else some great change of habit common to all the varieties — which is contrary to the supposition above — seeing that it would be impossible for a swarm headed by its queen to cross so large a stretch of water as the Mozambique Channel, or perhaps even the English Channel, or, if not impossible, yet con- trary to all present habits ; and yet a single queen, or a queen followed by one or two neuters only, cannot raise a colony. Thus we see that there is no small geographical and scientific interest in the subject before us. Apis unicolor differs but little in appearance from Apis mellijica, so slightly in fact that one is surprised; many of the European varieties differing much more from each other, as also some African varieties. Apis unicolor is smaller, darker, and less hardy, with less decided rings on the abdomen. The drones are nearly iden- tical. In both, the queens have reddish-brown legs, whereas the workers have black legs ; the queen of Apis unicolor perhaps having redder legs than that of the European variety, and in general appearance the latter more closely re- sembles the worker. The queen of the Mala- gasy bee has a most beautiful bluish-black sheen over its abdomen, aud the hair on the thorax is lighter than that on the neuter. Both varieties have the peculiarity of a curved sting in the queens, and a straight sting in the workers. We thus see how • true ' the bee has kept through countless generations and under vastly different circumstances. No other domestic animal has varied so little or thrown so few ' sport*,' for there are only twelve species of Apis known, and but few varieties, differing slightly in colouring and habits. This, no doubt, is due in a great measure to the extreme difficulty of artificial selection, yet Apis is emphatically an May 28, 1891.] THE BRITISH SEE JOURNAL. 251 in-breeder, brother and sister almost invariably pairing when in their native haunts; so that varieties, or even malformations, might have been expected to a much larger extent than is the case. In a country, too, so isolated as regards its fauna as Madagascar, we might easily have ex- pected some more decided type of Apis, or none at all — as is the case in Australia — but such we see is not the case ; in appearance and in habits, too, there is as great a resemblance. They choose the same situations for their hives if left to nature. They multiply in the same way, by the old queen leading the first swarm, and the young ones the casts.* This last fact is important where the geographical distribution is concerned, for an old queen is generally heavy with eggs, and in any case is not accustomed to fly far, certainly not across the sea; whereas the young, active queens who lead the casts are still unfertilised, and must be in the proximity of the drones after a site has been found, for not only workers but also drones must follow in her wake. Then again, the drones are idle and are killed off at certain seasons. Fertile workers appear if the hive is queenless, but, as in England, only produce drones. They gather the same food in the same manner. Even in the minutipe of habits they are the same. They hum if excited and when ventilating their hives. They only gather from one species of flower at one flight, a habit among the solitary bees as well. Even their enemies are the same, the wax-moth, the Sphinx atrojws (death's-head moth), and the rat. Some of the diseases I have not found, but possibly these are products of a higher state of domesticity. Their very behaviour when robbed or queenless is the same. Both will rear queens from worker eggs on an emergencj', and in precisely similar a manner, by enlarging the worker cells and altering the food ; both diminish the entrance if harassed, and cling in clusters for warmth and for wax- making. Yet there are many slight differences. Drones seem to be bred with much more regularity by the English bee. There is one great breeding- just before the swarming season, and another small one later on ; whereas the Malagasy bee seems to breed drones on and off all the year round. There is seldom a month in the year, summer or winter, when drone brood cannot be found. Then, again, the English bees kill their drones off in autumn, the massacre lasting per- haps a day, and not a single drone being left, except in the case of a queenless hive ; but the Malagasy bees, though they kill them off to a large extent when food begins to run short in autumn, yet they seem always to leave a few, even in the most prolific colonies — in fact, the greatest number was left in the hive that had the most fertile queen among mine last year. * A « cast ' is a swarm led by a newly hatched or virgin queen. The first swarm is led by the mother queen; all others that follow from the same hive are 'casts.' This year, however, all the drones were killed,! but not in one day, only a few at a time. This, 1 fancy, was owing to food being short on account of the ravages of Sphinx atropos earlier in the year. Difference of climate most likely accounts for this, for the drones being perfectly lazy, col- lecting no honey and consuming a considerable quantity, would in England help to exhaust the stores before spring, and hence greatly endanger the chance of the colony surviving the winter ; but in Madagascar the bees work all the year round without intermission — except, perhaps, a day or two at most in Imerina — consequently there is no such danger, for they even find suffi- cient food to raise brood during the winter months. Only in one month during the whole of last year did I notice the hives without brood, and possibly there may have been some then, for not having the colonies at that time in hives with movable frames, I could not examine the centre, where in all probability it would have been. The fact of the bees keeping their use- less drones after the swarming season was past, and breeding more, would, one would think, point to a second swarming season in countries where brood can be raised all the year round ; yet I have never seen or heard of such a thing here — in fact these bees seldom swarm at all un- less cramped for room. I have now two hives that have not swarmed for three seasons; but one that was in a small native water-pot, and full to the mouth, threw a very large swarm and four casts in one season, which weakened it to such an extent that, eventually losing its queen during fertilisation, it died out. I watched it to see if there were any fertile workers, which I found to be the case. These fertile workers are supposed to be those which have been bred near the rojTal cells, and have inadvertently obtained a small amount of the royal food during the larva stage ; but they never produce the eggs of workers, only those of drones, and cannot save a colony from ex- tinction. (To be continued.) ixtxxtB mxtr §Uplixs. [357.] Disinfecting Hives, and Granulated Honey. — 1. What is the best mode of disin- fecting empty hives and combs ? My bees have had a touch of foul brood, and I want to be on the safe side and disinfect all empty hives and combs. If necessary, with half a day's labour I could take all and put in a steam chest and use sulphur ; but if naphtha, Naphthol Beta, or ordinary carbon would in any way disinfect as effectually, that of course would save me time and trouble. 2. How to keep honey liquid for the following reason and purpose : — I sold to t Since writing the above I have discovered the presence of drones in two of my hives which have fertile queens. 252 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [May 28, 1891. a grocer doing a first-class trade a quantity of honey in one-pound and half-pound bottles, which of course in a short time became granu- lated. With this granulated honey on the counter he had another sort, bearing the label of a London firm, which I may say is a straw- coloured honey, and to this day has not set, as I have the sample before me as I write. Prefer- ence was given to the last-named article on account of its liquid state. I have taken every pains to have mine nice and clean, neatly labelled, and in screw-top jars, &c. In order not to have my honey a burden to any one, I have taken back thirty shillings' worth. This was a damper to me, as I have of late been trying to raise a connexion. People seem to prefer it in the liquid state around here, so if I could surmount that difficulty with your help and advice, I should be grateful.— A rthtj a Cole, Luton, Beds. Reply. — 1. No method of disinfecting can be more effective than using the steam chest and sulphur, as proposed. Neither naphtha nor or- dinary carbon have ever been recommended to bee-keepers as disinfectants to our knowledge, and Naphthol Beta is only used for medicating bee-food, as it is too costly for sprinkling on floor-boards. For the latter purpose naphthaline is used, and is very inexpensive. 2. Granulated honey may be liquefied by placing the vessel containing it into hot — not boiling — water, and leaving; it till thoroughly melted. A few pebbles should be put into the hot water to raise the honey vessel from the bottom of the pan. We should like to examine a sample of the non- granulating- honey sold by the London firm, for honeys of that character are nearly always adul- terated with glucose. [358.] Vaseline in Hive. — Is there any danger that putting vaseline round the edges of section crate where they touch the hive, and also on the inside of crate where the sections rest on, will in any way prevent the bees from going up — it is, of course, the smell I allude to ? — F. J. Reply. — No ill effects will be felt from the use of vaseline. Of course, it should be used sparingly, for the sake of cleauliness, &c. There is no smell about it. <$rIj0C3 farm % Ditrcs. JJsworth Villac/e, Washmqton Station, co. Durham, May &'h, 1891.— My fifteen stocks of bees, in single-walled hives, are all doing well. I only lost one lot in the winter, so it speaks well for single walls. To-day they are carrying in the golden pellets with a will, and working on the gooseberry bloom. It is a delightful sight to see young bees strolling about on the combs, and brood in all stages in frame hives, and how different to the straw skep o" olden days! I called upon an old skeppist the other night to inquire ho\A his bees were getting on. They had never been fed in the back end' of last year, and in consequence there is about a half- pint of bees in one skep — the other two had died. The old story of leaving the poor bees to take their chance. As the old man is about seventy, it is too late for him to learn better ways. — W. B. Chambers. Myth, Perthshire, May 12th, 1891.— The bees here about stood the winter well, and were breeding in February, but the cold, stormy weather of March and April prevented them from making headway. However, the weather has improved, and they are now working away busily, getting a little honey and pollen from fruit-blooms and from whins. About a month ago I put pea-flour on the crocuses and other flowers, and the bees carried away a good quantity of it. I might say that I put five hives on the heather, two of them doubled and three with worked-out sections. One of the doubled ones was about filled from top to bottom ; the nine frames of the top story weighed fifty-one and a-half pounds gross weight. From the three with sections I got nearly thirty pounds of honey. — East Perth- shire. Nyon, Switzerland, May 12th. — The weather for some days has been splendid, and my bees are at least ten days in advance of the usual time. I have been obliged to put supers on most hives. The bloom of the fruit-trees is splendid, and the hives, on scales, show a daily increase of 600 to 1100 grammes, which I have never known before at this season. May 22nd. — Bees are all up in the supers ; sainfoin "is just coming into flower. We only now want fine weather. Just as I write wo are having sunshine and showers alternately, and the hives do not increase in weight. — En. Bertrand. Honey Cutt, Weston, Le iminyton, May 18th. — ' There ! that is the last of the honey ! ' Such were the words made use of by my better half on Whit Sunday morning at breakfast-time, as she placed a small jar on the table with not more than a quarter of a pound of honey in it; ' I do not recollect being driven so close for many years.' What a medley of thoughts parsed through my brain while having my breakfast : visions of honey seasons when there was honey everywhere, and plenty to eat, too ; also visions of bad seasons, when we had scarcely any honey at all. What thoughts and surmisings about this season's crop ! Lately, for a few days, we have had some very hot weather, 80° in the shade (too good to last as I said, and found out later), for the last two or three days have been very cold indeed,, with heavy rain, hail and snow storms, and a temperature scarcely exceeding, and ofttimes lower than 50°. In the early morninir of Whit Sunday there had been a sharp frost (2i°), and everything as white as snow, making it look like midwinter instead of getting on into the summer. On Sunday night the temperature was down to 3o°, and it was snow- ing ! — which continued all night, and on Whit Monday morning the ground and fruit-trees and May 28, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 253 beehives were covered witb snow, although the temperature bad only just gone down to tbe freezing-point. I pity' the poor bees; where hives have been supered it must have done them a lot of harm, except they were very strong. Two or three nights ago I went round my hives and shut up the entrances to their usual spring- size, as I had opened them a good bit a few days before, when it was so hot. Have been tacking three-eight-inch strips on sides of some shallow frames of comb that I had ueed for extracting, thus making the top bar full one and a-half inches ; also when the extract ing-boxes are tiered up there is not so much liability for the bees to join the top of the frames with the bottom of the other ; also it makes thicker combs, so that they will hold more honey, consequently there wifl be fewer combs to extract for a certain amount of honey. — John Walton. The Apiary, Higher Bebington, May Y&th. — The weather here the last few days has been quite like winter; too much so, I fear, for the poor bees, who, with the fine weather im- mediately preceding this cold spell, have been breeding fast, and I fear that much brood will be chilled. To-day (18th) the weather is again fine, and as the day gets on will probably be warm. — H. H. Lindon. REVIEW OF THE BEE JOURNALS OF GERMANY AND AUSTRIA. By J. Dennleh. 1. Bienenwirtschaftliches Centralhhitt. Twenty-seventh year. No. 3. Lehzen, editor. — This German bee journal has the most readers, 12,000, in consequence of its being the organ of several large societies of bee-beepers. The article, ' Monthly Work,' is edited this year by Rud. Dathe, the Director of the celebrated bee- establishment of Eystrup, in Hanover. In the report R. Dathe gives of the results of his system of heating, we read that the interior temperature of his apiary was raised as the outer temperature decreased. During the intense cold weather the outer entrances of the hives were closed. His colonies both in the heated apiary and those not heated have been free from dysentery. The bees in the upper stories suffered a little from thirst, as did also those that were not supplied with syrup in the autumn to make up their deficiency in provisions. These colonies were at once supplied with water, and the disease disappeared. The heating during the month of December required three hundred- weight of coal and three hundredweight of coke. The bees consumed during the same month l-9 pounds of food in the non-heated apiary, and 1*3 pounds in the heated apiary. Otto Bannesdorf treats of swarming in con- nexion with the movable-comb system, and demonstrates that it is prejudicial in hives with movable combs; the bee-keeper using such hives should not allow his bees to swarm, but, on the contrary, he ought to provide room for his bees to store and to work, they will not then think of swarming. 2. Zeitschrift fiir Bienenzucht. First year. No. 1. The Editor, A. Alberti, is the inventor of a leaf hive (Bliitterstock), and the author of a work on apiculture, which describes the management of bees in this hive. W. Ohly recommends giving bees water in winter, and more especially in the spring, by means of the Ziebolz bottK' 3. Blatter fiir Bienenzucht. Sixth year. No. 1. Editors, Kuhne and Binder. — The latter de- scribes a new compgtitor of sugar, saccharine, a chemical product derived from coal tar, which contains 280 times more saccharine matter than sugar. Thus, for example, in sweetening a certain quantity of water with one gramme of saccharine, to arrive at the same degree of sweetness with sugar it would require 280 grammes of the latter. Only saccharine does not possess any nutritive qualities, and can, therefore, not serve as food — either for man or bees. These will not even touch it. 4. Oesterreich-Ungar . Bienenzeitung. Four- teenth year. No. 2. Editor, P. C. Schachinger. — This number contains an account of a voyage made by Father Schachinger in Italy, Egypt, and Syria. He gives interesting descriptions of bee-keeping in these countries, and also a de- scription of an apiary in a cloister near Rome. He also calls attention to a number of bees, carved, chiselled, and cast, which are found in the interior of St. Peter's at Rome, dating back to Pope Urban VIII., who completed this fine church. These bees are found on his escutcheon, which is attached to different parts of the church. Schachinger thinks the movable-comb system should not be recommended to poor peasants, but they should be assisted to cultivate bees in skeps in a rational way. To subdue bees Hippauf recommends a spray of water, ad- ministered by means of a spray-producer, instead of smoke. 5. Ungarische Biene. Nineteenth year. No. 1. Editor, Grand. — Francois Hill treats on parthenogenesis. Reiter describes the agave (Agave Americana), a plant whose origin is Mexico, cultivated with us in greenhouses. Planted out in the borders in summer, the flower produces such a quantity of honey that it is always covered with bees. (3. Der Bienenvater aus Bohmen. Seven- teenth year. No. 1. Editor, Schusser. — Diseases of bees in winter. As such are described, diarrhoea, want of Avater and air. Hives wintered in good condition are exempt from these. — In No. 2. F. Gut has a long article on heating hives in winter. Brother Z'ino, from a convent of Trappists, in South Africa, gives a description of the bee of that country. The South African bee is a little smaller and darker than the German bee, and easily supports great heat, the sole condition being that the hives are placed in the shade. Generally speaking, they are very quiet, but during the principal honey harvest, and on the approach of a storm, the 254 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [May 2S, 1891. bee-keeper must be on his guard, for they then become veritable furies. 7. Ber Deutsche Imker aus Bohmen. Editor, Bohrn.— 0. J.H. Gravenhorst describes a simple method of iuduciris- activity in a colony. As soon as the bee-keeper notices that a hive is not very active he removes two frames of capped brood and replaces them by two similar frames from a vigorous hive. Junginger has noticed that after having pounded and rubbed honey in a porcelain basin for an hour the aroma became much more distinct and the flavour more deli- cate, making it more suitable for medical pur- poses. This would lead one to suppose that nature had neutralised the medicinal properties in honey (possibly through the formic acid), and that it is by" the electricity produced by friction that these properties become more efficacious. (To he continued.) Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Letters or queries asking for addresses of manufacturers of correspondents, or where appliances can be purchased, or replies giving such information, can only be inserted as advertisements. The space devoted to letters, querits, and replies, is meant for the general good of bee-keepers, and not for advertisements. We winJi our Correspondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessary for its to go to press in advance of the date of issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue immediately following the receipt of their communication. All queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only of personal interest will be answered in this column. 1\. de B. Saundeeson. — Chilled Brood in Hive. — 1. Remove the dead brood as soon as pos- sible. The remedy for chilled brood is to have the hives well filled with bees, and to keep the brood as warm as possible, especially avoiding exposing it to the cold. It does not necessarily ' eventuate in foul brood,' but it creates just the condition favourable for the propagation of that disease. T. Gavin Jones. — Comb sent contains only food and pollen, but the bees show signs of dysen- tery. John Doyle (co. Wexford). -If the sections are intended for sale, separators should be used. Otherwise their use is quite optional. Two-inch sections are most saleable. A Novice (Beckenham, Kent). — Beeswax from Syrup.. — 1. Yes, bees will build combs when fed with sugar syrup just as they would if gathering honey in the natural way. 2. Bobbie's Bee Pasturage, price Is., is the only book we know of entirely devoted to that subject. J. H. P. (Camborne).— If both stocks are weak, and not making much headway, you had better unite them, preserving the best queen, and feeding regularly till honey comes in. J. C. — The ' simplest and cheapest ' super-clearer we kuow of is the cone-shaped one described in B. J. for August 28th, 1890. Leicestek. — Give supers when the hives are well filled with bees and honey is coming in, not before. The Original and ONLY PERFECT Preventive against STINGING. Quality Improved & Price Reduced. In 1/- & 2/- Bottles ; British postage 2d. extra. All orders must be accompanied by remittance. Special Terms to the Trade. One Correspondent says : — * I have used it on removing a particularly irascible colony into a clean hive, with perfect success.' Another says : — 'I have kept bees for thirty years and have lately purchased a bottle of this wonderful stuff, and cannot persu»de my bees to sting me do what I will with them.' DARCY GRIMSHAW, Horsforth, Leeds. Invaluable to Travellers Abroad as an Insectifuge, PEOTECT your PEUIT TBEES and SEED BEDS.— Tanned Netting, 100 yards by 2 yards wide, 10s. 6d. ; 50 yards by 4 yards wide, 10s. 6d. ; 24 yards by 8 yards wide, 12s. P.O.O. or cheque to accompany order, made payable to L. Ween & Son, 139 High Street, Lowestoft. 2566 FOI7X. tROOD. FORMIC ACID, packed, post free, with instructions, 3s. 6d. per lb. PHENOL (Cheshire's Cure), ditto, Is. 2d. per oz. NAPH- THOL BETA, Is. per packet, post free. Address H. H. Lindon, The Apiary, Higher Bebington, Cheshire. GLEANINGS IN BEE-CULTURE. Edited by A. I. ROOT. Published Fortnightly. Post free, 5s. per annum. J. Huckle, Kings Langley, Herts. British Bee Journal and Bee-keepers' Record. Office : 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C. PURE CANE SUGARS. For the accommodation of Bee-keepers, guaranteed Pure Cane Sugar will be supplied in large or small quantities through this office at the under- mentioned rates : — CRYSTALLISED. ~t 5?cDARrt?aA 1 Neat bags, U-lbs. 28-lbs. 56-lbs. Cwts. k TMNIDAD } Cl'ystal3 2/9 5/4 10/6 20/6 REFINED CANE. 7. WHITE CRYSTALS (Small) 3/0 5/10 11/6 22/6 8, 9. (Medium and Large sizes, 1/- per Cwt. extra.) 10. LUMP (Cut Loaf) ... Boxes, 3/3 6/3 12/3 23/6 11. LUMP DUST ... 3/0 6/0 11/9 22/9 All above guaranteed made from Cane Sugar only, and free from Beet, Chemicals, etc., etc. Carriage Paid on Orders over 5/0 (or 28-lbs. Sugar) to London and Suburbs. Country Orders, not less than 2-cwt. carriage paid at 1/0 per cwt. extra. (Scotch and Irish orders, special arrangements.) Cash to be sent with order, and purchasers will please observe that if samples are required or replies asked to inquiries, a stamped addressed envelope must be sent, as we cannot undertake cost of postage. THE ifek 5Bw 3niiraai BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 407. Vol. XIX. N. S. 75.] JUNE 4,1891. [Published Weekly. ^intaml, Mtttxmf #r. USEFUL HINTS. Weather. — At length it would appear as it' the weather bad settled down into normal ■condition, for we have had a whole week of sunny days, varied only with an occasional gentle shower of what felt very like warm vain — a very welcome change for bee- keepers, for farmers, and it may be said for tbe whole of the dwellers in the land. Surely we shall have no further outbreaks of wild storm for some time to come, seeing that sunny June is now with us, and all the bad weather that could come has come, and after doing its very worst has quieted down, fairly worn out and exhausted, let us hope. Stimulative Feeding. — Jtislate intheday to allude to this subject. A correspondent, however, writes as to the principle involved in the stimulation of a stock kept in by bad weather. ' Can,' he says, ' the driblet of syrup allowed the bees for the purpose of stimulating them, be too small so long as it is absolutely continuous? Or, put in another way, judging from your own experience of feeding-bottles, if it were possible to supply the said stock with less than the amount given down by one hole, but 9, who object 25G THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [June 4, 1891. to its being used so, because it ' at once blocks up half the perforation.' Now, in the first place, our correspondent's assertion is not quite correct, in so far as he does not start fair. Bees, to reach the excluder, must first pass up the half-inch space be- tween each two combs ; therefore the width of the top bar — -which is what we suppose is referred to as ' stopping the |ierforations ' — offers no hindrance whatever, because the bee passes through the perforation di- rectly it reaches the top of the half-inch space between the frames. But that is not the point we lay stress on ; we prefer the zinc close on the top bars — though it no doubt causes trouble in removing the pro- polis therefrom at the close of the season — in oi'der to accomplish the end aimed at by Dr. Tinker, and referred to on p. 243 of last week's B. J. by Mr. "Woodley. The wood-zinc excluder, illustrated in Dr. Tinker's catalogue, has evidently been de- signed expressly to meet what we have for years contended for, viz., ' that the bees may be enabled to run up the edges of the wood through the holes in the zinc' If the metal is laid flat on the top bars they can so run, but if the perforations are raised a quarter-inch above, naturally the bee must reach up to the opening and hoist itself through — an acrobatic performance highly objectionable to a tired and heavily laden bee, as we think. But we consider that altogether too much stress is laid on the so-called disadvantages of blocking up or reducing the number of perforations in excluder zinc ; there is practically no dis- advantage at all — at least, we fail to dis- cover any. If there is an opening for bees to pass every eighth of an inch along the whole space between the combs, what in- crease in this number of openings, we ask, would further help the bees 1 MARRIAGE OF MR. JAMES ABBOTT. Quite by accident we learn that tbe above •well-known and esteemed bee-keeper was married on the 26th ult. The announcement in the Standard runs thus : — 'May 26th, at St. John's Church, Southall, James Andrews Abbott, of 9 Merchants' Quay, Dublin, eldest son of Mr. Charles Nash Abbott, of Fairlawn, Southall, Middlesex, to Mary Anne, eldest daughter of Mr. William Price, of Annes- borough, Eobertstown, county Kildare, Ireland.' Few bee-keepers were moie actively engaged in the work of publicly furthering and teaching the ' ait of modern bee-keeping,' a few years ago, than Mr. James Abbott (or ' Jim ' Abbott, as he would insist on being designated by his friends), and we know of no one more deservedly popular. By his modest and genial bearing- he was — and we hope still is — a favourite everywhere, and it has been a mystery to us- how so good a fellow managed to remain a bachelor for so long ; and now that a ' daughter of Erin ' has removed that ' fault ' from his- character, we are sure that his troop of friends who are readers of the Bee Journal in congratu- lating him will cordially wish long life and happiness to James Abbott and his good wife. WEATHER REPORT. Westbourne, Sussex. — May. 1891. Maximum . . 78" on 18th. Minimum . . 29° on 17th. Min. on grass 23d on 17th. Frosty nights 2. Mean maximum . . 5o'6\ Mean minimum . . 41-4°. Mean temperature 43-8\ Rain: — 2T3 in. Heaviest fall, "43 in.. on 17th. Rain on 17 clays. Average, 2-52 in. Sunshine: — 209'4 h.. Brightest dav, 31str 13-35: Sunless days, 3. The bees have mide very little progress the past month. There have as yet (June 1st) been no swarm3 in this neighbourhood. — L. B. Birkett. >krtos ta €mm. June 10th, 11th. — Wilts Association at Mal- mesbury. W. E. Burkitt, Hon. Sec. June" 18th, 19th. — North-East Agricultural Society at Belfast. G. Gerald Bingham, Esq.,. J.P., Waring Street. June 22nd to 26th. — Royal Agricultural* Society at Doncaster. Entries closed. July 2nd. — Kent Association in conjunction with the Rose and Horticultural Society at Farningham, Kent. Entries close June 27th. Jesse Garratt, Hon. Sec, Meopham, Kent. July loth, 16th.— Armagh. Mr. E. BesV Armagh. death of 'a renfrewshire bee-keeper: Just before going to press we learn with deep- regret of the death, on the 23th ult., of Mr. John M. McPhedran, better known to our readers as 'A Renfrewshire Bee-keeper.' The deceased gentleman was a few years ago one of the foremost bee-keepers of the day, and. numerous articles from his pen will be found in former volumes of the B. B. J. He was a warm advocate of the Stewarton system, and very successful himself with hives of that type. The last contribution from Mr. McPhedran's pen in our columns was the biography of Mr. John Love, which appeared in the number for January 22nd of this year. Jnne 4, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 257 €ttXXtB$ttV&Mtt. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are requested to writeon one side oj the paper only, and give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, reports of Associations, SHouis, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, £c, must be addressed only to 'The Bdiioes of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C All business communications relating to .Advertisements, &c, must be addressed to Mr. J. Huckle, KingsLangley, Herts (see 1st page 0/ .Advertise- ments). •«* In order to facilitate reference, Correspondents, when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted, will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well as tfi« •page on which it appears. NOTES ON BEE-KEEPING IN HUNTS. [067.] Bees are having a quiet time here. "\Ve had a few warm days in February, which I took advantage of, and got through a good deal of uniting and other necessary work in the bee- garden. Since then we have had an almost un- broken continuation of bitter cold weather, and my bees have remained practically undisturbed. 1 have kept them warm and well supplied with «andy, which they appear to be very fond of, -and do remarkably well on. I was a long time before I succeeded in making candy of the right consistency ; I invariably got it too hard. I hare a lot of recipes for candy-rn airing, all of which state that the candy should be soft ; but to get it soft enough without having it too soft requires a certain amount of art, which can only be achieved by practice. It was not until 1 had -poilt several lots of sugar that I succeeded in making a candy that would fully answer to the description given in the recipes referred to. Candy-making is, like most other things, very easy when you know how to do it, and properly made candy is, in my opinion, the best bee- food as a substitute for natural stores that can possibly be obtained ; to supply twenty or thirty stocks with sufficient to last two or three weeks is only a matter of a few minutes' work — a very great consideration where time is an object. When pollen is being freely gathered syrup is again quickly. Nothing will beat this treatment for stopping a riot. — T. W. Y., Draycott, Mai/ 18th, 1891. [We must beg leave to differ from the views ex- pressed by our correspondent, and to maintain the opinion expressed on page 231. As to dripping combs causing the bees of a hive to begin ' fighting; among themselves,' we have given many thousands of such combs to bees to be cleared up after ex- tracting, and have never seen any approach to a ' riot ' caused thereby. — Eds. ] A NATIONAL HONEY SHOW. [672.] Noticing your comments in B.B.J, or" April 23rd, with reference to having a national show at the London Dairy Show this next autumn, I would suggest that the contest be for one single jar or section, or both. In having this the entries would, I am certain, be very nume- rous, and it should also be distinctly understood that all honey sent would be forfeited to the- B.B.K. A. I trust you will further ventilate the subject in B.B.J., notifying those who intend to compete for champion honours to prepare for the battle.— J. D. McNally. [Our correspondent is wrong in his inference, as. we have heard nf no intention on the part of the B.B.K. A. to make the event referred to a ' national honey show.' To do so, and make the exhibition at all worthy of so pretentious a title, would in- volve considerable effort, to say nothing of the creation of a special fund for covering the expense, and so far nothing in this direction has been even mooted at the B.B.K. A. meetings. At the same time bee-keepers may themselves make the honey competition at the Dairy Show as 'national' as- June 4, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 259 they please by staging exhibits from various parts of the kingdom, and we shall be very pleased to see a good entry of honey thereat. We cannot agree with the suggestion of our correspondent that the competition should be restricted to a single one-pound section, or a single one-pound jar of ex- tracted honey, unless it included both. Take, for instance, an entry of 150 single one-pound sec- tions of comb honey ; among these would probably be a dozen or more so nearly equal that it would be 'past the wit of man : to choose between them. If this were so, where would the ' championship ' honours come in ? As well might lots be drawn amongst the best exhibits as to which should be dubbed ' champion.' If, however, the class con- sisted of one section and one jar of extracted honey (or, better still, two of each), the competition would be a much more legitimate one, and in consequence yield more satisfactory results. — Eds.] CANE SUGAR. [670.] Bees still in winter quarters and not yet overcrowded . Only two short days' work this year so far, besides bits and snatches. I am afraid pollen is getting scarce. I have been con- fined to the house for over a month and shall be for some time yet (influenza), and can only get a man who is frightened of bees to feed them very irregularly. The weather here at this date is cold and raw, with rain-squalls. On "Whit Sunday it snowed all day. My grocer assures me there is no such thing as pure cane granulated sugar at the present time ; the so-called is only part cane. The sugar he recommends is that in seven-pound bags, known as preserving sugar, at \l. 4s. per cwt. of him. There is a printed guarantee on the bag and a printed paper within declaring it pure and free from chemicals. — Alpha, Stamford, May -2m. [We must ask you to accept our statement re- garding pure cane sugar as perfectly accurate, even at the risk of differing from your grocer. The sugar supplied through this office is pure cane, and we guarantee it to be so. — Eds.] QUEEX-EXCLUDER ZINC. 1 674.1 Before last year I used this on every hive I had, but was somewhat shaken in mind through seeing so many leading bee-keepers speaking of it as unnecessary. So I went back again to using it only below extracting supers. But, oh ! the sections I got! Well, 'never no more for me.' I have got an excluder for every hive now. But I cannot see, with Mr. ' Useful Hints,' re laying it flat on top of frames, which at once blocks up above half of the perforations. This, to my mind, is ' going back.' With strong stocks, a few ready-built combs in sections, and warm wraps, there is no trouble with me in getting bees upstairs, provided, always honey is coming in. — J\ W. Blankley, Granthain, Lin- colnshire. [Our correspondent's comments are referred to in ' Useful Hints ' on p. 255. — Eds. THE MALAGASY BEE (APIS UNICOLOR): Its Habits, Enemies, and Culture. {Continued from page 251. ) Apis nnicolor is much more gentle when, handled than Apis mellifica, and, like the Car- niolan bee, which has been introduced into England from south-western Austria, can be managed easily without the need of smoke or veil ; yet this is not always the case, for I have known some colonies much more fierce than others. Two of my hives I could never open without a lighted cigar in my mouth, though they would allow me to do anything I liked with them with that accompaniment. I have even taken a cluster of bees from some hives with my bare hand, and have thus cleared the combs with impunity; and, when cutting out comb from a native hive, the bees always seem to be much more intent on saving the honey spilt than on attacking the intruder. It is a well-known fact that if a bee is smoked it im- mediately fills itself with honey, and when •gorged is much less inclined to sting than at other times ; but in the case of the cigar it was otherwise, for I seldom used it to smoke the bees, but merely held it between my lips ; pos- sibly they' recognised their master by the smell. One might imagine that such gentleness was the outcome of long intercourse with man, but, considering in how very few places the honey- bee is ' cultivated ' in Madagascar, and how very great a percentage of them are wild, or come directly from wild stock, this can scarcely be the reason ; more especially when we remember that the English bee has been ' cultivated ' to a very much greater extent and yet is the more savage of the two. It may be that the Mala- gasy bee, never having had to contend against the larger enemies, such as the bear, has less inclination to use its sting against man ; but it is much more likely to be simpty a difference of temperament, often noticeable in wasps as well as in the different varieties of Apis. Another difference, wrhich points to a less highly domesticated state, is the great difficulty of hiving the swarms. In England you take your swarm, throw it gently down in front of the hive you wish the bees to enter, and they immediately run in and take, possession. In Madagascar, if you do the same, you will be woefully disappointed ; they will run in and perhaps stay there an. hour, sometimes even a day, sometimes not five minutes, and then find out it is not to their liking. Tempt them with comb filled, with brood — a temptation which rarely fails, in England— and they will not look at it." _ Confine the queen by force, and if it be a ' cast ' they will soon forsake her, to die of hunger. Confine an old queen, and they will occasionally stay, but even should she have be- gun to lay, and you enlarge the opening, there is every chance she will lead out the swarm and leave her progeny to die. If left to themselves, they will choose the 260 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [June 4,1891. most inhospitable-looking places, and, unlike the English bee, seem indifferent as to the comb being exposed to view or not. I have seen a swarm in half an old clay cooking-pot with the bottom knocked out, and it was not from any love of an old home, for there was not above an inch of comb formed, and that had no brood or even eggs in it. I have seen another in the middle of a low palm-tree entirely exposed, but this was unusual.* Heat or damp seem to have but little effect on them, for I have not unfre- quently seen hives with an inch of water in the bottom, and the side combs full as well, yet the bees were working hard, and were to all appear- ance in no way inconvenienced ; yet this must have happened every week, if not more fre- quently, during the rainy season. "When the Malagasy wish to increase the number of their hives, they place several of the hollowed tree-trunks they use for that purpose in the neighbourhood of a wild colony in the forest. As soon as this throws off a swarm, it usually takes to one of the many convenient places put in readiness, and thus a new coloi^ is started; then the trunk is taken to the village. But sometimes, in taking a wild nest, they catch the queen and amputate a wing, so as to render flight impossible ; they then place her in a hive, which they fix as nearly as possible in the posi- tion of the nest destroyed, and the bees cluster round her. Owing to the difference of climate, these bees will rear a colony from a very much smaller begin- ning than is possible in England, where sufficient bees must be bred to ensure a high temperature during the winter as well as an abundance of food, for in Madagascar the temperature is seldom, if ever, low enough to kill the bees, or even to render the queen unfertile — a not unfrequent event in England. I once saw a swarm here — the whole of it, comb, bees and all, would have gone into a tumbler — it was quite exposed to the wind and sometimes to the rain, yet the bees were working quite happily, and the queen was fertile. I took it and placed it in what I considered a most comfortable bar-framed hive, with combs worked out ready for them ; next day they left it. I found them on a tree near, and put them back, confining the queen and giving them young brood ; they took no notice of the brood till it was dead, and they then sucked the juices out of the larvae and began to clear the comb. A few dajrs afterwards, when they had begun to gather pollen, I en- larged the entrance, and they swarmed again. I happened to find them, and put them back once more, confining the queen. She soon began to lay, and they increased quickly ; seeing there was every chance of the little community working itself up, and having no further interest in that direction, I thought I would help them, so I added about 500 bees from another hive ; * The Malay bee (Apis dorsata) builds its comb hanging from the branches. Apis dorsata is, as it were, at the third great terminus of migration. there was very little fighting, and the new- comers soon clustered on to the comb. Next day they all swarmed, leaving only about twenty bees in the hive, and I never saw them again. The few remaining bees set about rearing a new queen from an egg of the last, but they died out before she became perfect. There is another peculiarity about these bees when throwing a cast : the casts will often leave the hive and cluster, but after about half an hour will return to the hive. At first I natu- rally supposed it was owing to the queen not having joined them ; but as it occurred fre- quently, often twice in an afternoon, I began to doubt if such were the case, so I examined the cluster and found the queen with it. Thinking they would not then return, I put them into a new hive, and they seemed inclined to stay, as it was already evening ; but early next morning they joined the old hive, and swarmed again the nest afternoon, when they once more re- turned. I then put the queen in a bar-framed hive, leaving only sufficient space for the egress of the workers ; they, however, forsook the queen, and she herself made every effort to follow them, rushing about the hive as if dis- tracted and seizing the woodwork in her man- dibles. A very few of the workers stayed with her, and one or two from outside joined her, but eventually they too left. This was a virgin queen, but I hope to be able to try the experi- ment with an old queen leading the first swarm. I have stated that these bees continue to store honey during the winter months. This is not altogether in accordance with Huber's idea that honey is not to be found during long pro- tracted heat, cold showers, or a north wind,* for the two former conditions are those normal to a winter in the forest in Madagascar, the natural haunt of the bee, and yet honey is Stored. In Imerina the winter is as a rule very dry, only a cold drizzle every now and again, barely sufficient to wet the ground. This con- tinues from May to October, yet honey is almost continuously stored. So great is the flow that often large combs are built and filled, yet, curiously, the honey is scarcely palatable, being extremely bitter, probably owing to some winter- flowering shrub, perhaps the Seva (Buddleia madagascariensis, L.), or the Tsiufakbmby (Ccesalpinia sepiaria, Hoxb.).t It is also very thick, almost gelatinous, and of an oily appear- ance. I have never yet seen honey at all poi- sonous in Madagascar, though it varies very much in flavour and in quality, nor have I ever heard of people being at all inconvenienced by eating large quantities of new honey. As regards the bees themselves, they differ slightly in size, according to the age of the comb in which they were reared; those from old combs are smaller, owing to the cells being * Natural History of Bees, by F. Huber ; trans- lator's preface, p. xviii. t The peach honey, gathered about the same time, has a bitter flavour. June 4, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 261 partially filled up by the old silk cocoons left in them. I have sometimes wondered if it were possible to increase the size of the workers by very gradually increasing the size of the foun- dation cells given to them. I have sometimes fancied that I have noticed a difference in colour among the bees, but I imagine it is only from the difference in size, the larger naturally looking lighter. I have also carefully examined bees from different places on the coast, and from the central pro- vinces, but can detect no difference whatever, either in size or colouring. These bees work in all weathers. In England a cloud passing over will often send all the bees in the fields hurrying home ; whereas the Mala- gasy bee will take no notice, even should rain begin to fall. This is noticed among the dif- ferent varieties now established in England : the Cyprian bee being extremely cautious about flying in heavy winds, yet both it and the Italian bee work earlier and later than the English one. But it is marvellous in what weather the Malagasy bee will continue to work. I have seen them both entering and leaving the hive during a heavy thunderstorm, when I should have thought it impossible for them to fly twenty yards without being beaten down, the wind at the same time being very strong. Any ordinary rain seems not to affect them in the least, and I have seen them rushing in and out of their hives — what the natives call ' playing ' — a habit they have when breeding freely, during the heaviest rain. When the day is rainy and the bees heavily laden, they often fall near the hive, but are seldom if ever chilled, as in England, but after resting a short time they reach the hive. I have several reasons for thinking that the death-rate among these bees is not so great as among the English. Many trustworthy writers in England state that the average life of a worker during the summer months is from about six to eight weeks — in winter, as there is no work to be done, it is much longer — yet several colonies which I have left queenless during the height of summer have usually lasted from four to six months. Again, they seem to diminish much less rapidly than the English when the breeding stops ; however, as I have stated, this is seldom the case, and naturally there is not so much work done in a queenless hive as in one with a fertile queen. The enemies of the Malagasy bee are not so numerous as in other countries, especially tro- pical countries, and what there are are common to the English. I have never heard of any bird •enemies, or of any indigenous mammal that attacks them ; though no doubt there may be, if more were known of the forest mammalia. The Norwegian brown rat, which is fast spread- ing over the island and driving the light-grey native rat before it, is very destructive to bees, eating through the native wooden hive and stealing the comb. Insects, however, are their chief enemies. (To be continued.) Jleirufo. Webster's International Dictionary of the English Language. Revised and enlarged under the supervision of Noah Porter, D.D., LL.D. (London : George Bell & Sons.) — This is an entirely new edition of this standard work, and is the most complete revision that the work has undergone during the sixty-two years that it has been before the public. It contains 2118 pages, or 200 more than the last revision, and nearly 4000 illustrations, about two-thirds of winch have been specially done for this edition. A superficial comparison with the last edition will show to what an extent the revision has been carried, for almost every page has been treated as though the book was entirely rewritten. The work of revision was com- menced ten years ago, and 100 paid editorial assistants have been engaged upon it, besides many other learned men who have, in various ways, contributed to the work. The various definitions have been supplied by specialists of eminence. Many errors existing in the former edition have been eliminated, and it is certainly made more valuable by the addition of new material, to make room for which certain con- densations have been made, which we think very much improve the -work. To make room for the increased number of words the page has been enlarged and the number of pages increased. In addition to the dictionary of words, their pronunciation, etymology, and meaning, illustrated by quotations and 8-500 woodcuts, there are several valuable appendices, comprising a gazetteer of the world, vocabu- laries of Scripture, Greek, Latin, and English proper names, and several others, including a biographical dictionary with 10,000 names. New and recently coined scientific and other words are not forgotten, and in this respect the dictionary will be a great help to the reader, as such words now abound in every publication of the day. It is compact, being in one volume, and cheap enough, so that it should find a place on the bookshelf of every household. tttxm antr ^tplm [359.] Having purchased two stocks of bees this spring, I notice one stock is continually bringing out dead brood, which for the greater part are larvae or grubs, quite white, wet, and heavy, although some are young bees which have almost reached maturity. These latter appear to be dead until warmed, when they are seen to have life in them. I have enclosed a few as a sample. I have lost hundreds in this manner during the last fortnight, and being only a beginner this spring, I should feel greatly obliged if you would reply in your journal. — Chas. Bradley, Church Road, Tottenham. Reply. — Food should be given to the bees without delay, and continued until the natural 262 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [June 4, 1891, supply can be had from the outside. White mutilated larvae, thrown out as described, are a sure sig-n of scarcity of stores. ms ixam % pitas. Tkuxton Walton, Norfolk, May 19^,1801.— Bees here have stood the winter well, and are in splendid condition. The crab-apple, pears, and hawthorn show plenty of blossom ; I do not remember ever seeing such an abundance of bloom before. I hope we shall get some of the hot weather prophesied by 'X-Tractor.' — Be Thankful. Oak Apiary, Great Yeldham, Essex, May 17th. — I have not noticed many early swarms yet, so wish to say I had a good fourth swarm from a skep on May 13th. — James Hardy. Grantham, Lincolnshire, May 2\st. — The bright sunny weather we have had for ten days, which has put new life in both bees and bee-keepers, has taken a sudden change, and whilst I write it snows. It was something won- derful for the 18th of May to see the hedges, trees, and ground nearly an inch thick with snow, looking like Christmas again. On the 14th and loth it was very hot here, the glass marking 185 degrees and 207 degrees in sun, 80 degrees in shade; 18th, every appeai*ance of a sharp frost ; J9tb", seven degrees of frost ; 20th, five degrees of frost; this morning, 21st, eleven degrees. All early potatoes cut down. Change fpr better during to-day — bright and warm. — J. W. Blankley. Rawcliffe, near Selby, Yorks, May 29th.— A late season in this neighbourhood ; bees only getting to work these last few days. No drones seen as yet. Weather warmer, but nothing to . gather from except fruit-bloom. — R. S. Haivkhurst, Kent, May 30th. — Glorious weather come at last ! Two good bee -days together ! And how needful is this welcome change, for on the 28th and 29th ore of my stocks was bringing out drones, and I found over twenty on the ground in front of one stock. Although they had been gently fed during the last three weeks of bad weather, they are very short of stores, where three weeks ago theyseemed to have plenty. I am not alone, for two neigh- bouring bee-keepers have had drones brought out this week, although they were feeding. Since then I have giveu about three-quarters of a pound of syrup a-day, and shall continue if weather is unsettled. I hear of several scep- tical old skeppists that have lost their bees lately through starvation, but there are not many skeppists here now, thanks to the teachings of the Association. Queen-wasps are most nume- rous.— John Collins. East Lincolnshire, May 80th. — The bees with us, with few exceptions, came through the late severe winter anything but favourably, whether in skeps or bar-frame hives, and are now mostly weak in numbers. Some are in fair condition and ready for the honey-flow, but they are few and far between. There has been a great drain on their stores recently, and not a few have died from starvation — one gentleman, a large bee- keeper, having lo3t some in that way, he not liking to examine them in the late cold weather,, thinking they were well provided with stores ; but not seeing them flying as usual one of the recent few fine days, he examined and found them dead, with four frames of brood — a pain- ful sight ; and several skeppists I fear will be in the same plight, as they will not feed their bees. My own stocks are, as a rule, weak, but it is- wonderful how they have progressed lately. My driven bees have done badly so far, and are very weak, while usually they have been among my strongest stocks at this time. The late rain, has done great good to the clover and meadow- fields, which look promising. Bees to-day hard at work on sycamore and apple-blossom. — E. L. Mount Pleasant, near Tenby, May 30th. — To- day I had a four-pound swarm from a cast of 1890 (hived in a tub) which I purchased last November. In addition to the honey it had previously stored, I regularly fed on soft candy made from white granulated sugar. The swarm was most conveniently located on a currant-bush near by. My other stocks are in straw skeps,. and preparing to swarm. Notwithstanding this place is wholly exposed to the elements, the little creatures have come well through the long- and severe winter, and I have hardly seen thirty dead ones all the while. Flowers are fairly abundant, and the gorse is a mass of bloom. OUR LIBRARY TABLE. Since our last review of books quite a number have accumulated on ' our library table.' The first of which we have to notice is Lanystroth on the Hire and Honey Bee, revised ,. enlarged and completed by Chas. Dadant & Son : published by Kegan Paul, Trench, Triibner & Co.,. London. This is a revised edition of that issued in 1859, and has had a few alterations made» , which bring it up to the times. Little need be said of this well-known book, which is recognised as a standard work on the subject. Originally written by Langstroth, it has been considerably enlarged and revised, and this*, having been done by such practical and suc- cessful bee-keepers as Messrs. Dadant & Son is- a sufficient guarantee that the information is- reliable in every respect. The book is pro- fusely illustrated, well printed, and written in paragraph form, each paragraph being numbered, and when reference in one part of the book is made to another, the number of paragraph is quoted in brackets. It is a book that should find a place on the book-shelf of every bee-keeper. L. L. Langstroth. L'Abeille et la Ltuche : ouvrage traduit, revu et complete, par Charles Dadant. Geneve: Librairie R. JBurkhardt. 7 fr. 50 c. — This is a French translation of the above work. When we say translation we do not mean a literal translation, for several Jane 4, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. £G3 alterations, additions, and omissions have been made in order to bring it more in conformity ■with, and make it more applicable to, European bee-keeping. The work has been considerable, and Mr. Dadant expresses his indebtedness to our friend M. Bertrand, who has not faltered in the task he undertook of revising- and correcting the manuscript and proofs, and superintending the publishing of it. Mr. Dadant says if the reader finds some interest in reading and studying this book he must give some credit to M. Ber- trand, for -without his disinterested assistance so generously offered, its publication would have been indefinitely put off, possibly for ever. Fortunately for French bee-keepers M. Bertrand did not recoil from this work, and the result is that this valuable work is at their disposal as well as of those who read only the English edition. There are several improvements in the French edition ; for instance, all that is taken from the original book of Langstroth is in brackets, so that the reader can at a glance see what is Langstroth's and what to attribute to Dadant. Extracts from other works are in smaller type, and great care is taken to acknow- ledge all the sources. Some of the illustrations are also improved, and as a frontispiece there is a capital autotype portrait of Langstroth; and in the body of the work, besides engraved portraits of the leading bee-keepers in Europe and America, there are autotype portraits of Ber- trand and Layens. European apiaries are also illustrated, and the most recent remedies for foul brood are given, such as treatment with Xaphthol Beta. Altogether the work is a valu- able addition to our bee literature, and even those who have the edition in English, and are acquainted with the French language, would find much fresh matter in this work to interest them. Repertoire de I Apieulteur Fixiste et Mobiliste. Par J. B. Voirnot, a Villers-sous-Preny , par Payny-sur-Moselle. 1 fr. 50 c. — A little of every- thing will be found in this little book. A few pages are devoted to a brief history of the con- tents of the beehive ; then comes a monthly calendar of operations, a blank page for notes being given to each month. There are a num- ber of illustrations, to which, however, no reference appear- to be made ; short articles on various subjects, practical, humorous, and in- structive, as well as a few recipes and some verses. M. Voirnot propounds his theories in several articles, and there are others by such well-known bee-keepers as M. Dadant on ' Bee- keeping in the United States,' and M. Dennler gives a review of German periodicals similar to the articles that appear from his pen in the B. B. J. M. Guilloton writes about bee-keeping in England in very complimentary terms. This gives some idea of the variety of subjects treated of, and putting on one side the theories, with some of which we cannot agree, this little book contains much that is practical and instructive, and is one that can be taken up for recreation when a few minutes are at liberty. Passeka petrovsltoi sehixoi-hosiaist vennoi aJca- demiei. By P. Kuleshoff and N. lVtroff.— This pamphlet contains a report of the Petrowskv Agricultural Academy in Russia. M. Kuleshoff is Professor of Agriculture at the Academy, and in this report gives the results of his ex- periments in bee-keeping. A summary is given of bee-keeping according to English and Ameri- can methods, and it is shown that the results obtained by hives such as we use are superior to those of the German pattern. After two years' trial M. Kuleshoff gives the preference- to Boot's chaff hive as more suitable to the cold climate of Russia. The pamphlet is well written, but, being in Russian, it would be of little use to the majority of our readers. Poukovodietel Anglieskavo Ptschelovoda.. By T. W, Cowan. Translated by A. de Zoubareff St. Petersburg. — Another Russian book, being a second edition, and a translation from the tenth English edition of the British Bee-keepers' Guide- book. Bee-keeping is making rapid progress in Russia, and it is very satisfactory to find that English methods are found to succeed in that country, and that a second edition of this book has been so soon called for. Thos. Win. Cowan's Fiihrer des Englischm Bienenziichters. Translated by Tony Kellen. Braunschweig : published by Schwetschke & Sons. 2 marks. — This is a German transla- tion of the British Bee-keepers Guide-book from the tenth English edition. It is well got upr with an introductory preface by the translator. Much prejudice exists in Germany against English methods, which it is hoped this book will be the means of removing. Thirty Years amony the Bees, by Henry Alley, Salem, Mass. (o0 cents), is a book of seventy pages, giving the author's experience of queen-raising as practised at his apiary. It contains much useful information. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Letters or queries ashing for addresses of manufacturers or correspondents, or where appliances can be purchased, or replies giving such information, can only be inserted q-s advertisements. The space devoted to letters, queries, and replies, is meant for the general good of bee-keepers, and not for advertisements. Luton. — Ants in Hives. — There are several methods of preventing ants from entering hives — perhaps we should say hive roofs, for they rarely enter the brood nest of a hive. 1 . Set the legs of stands in vessels of water. 2. Wrap tarred cord round each leg. 3. Make a broad chalk line round each leg a few inches above the ground. 4. A piece of rag kept damp with paraffin or carbolic acid — in fact, any strong odour — they will not face, and it only needs renewal to make any of the above remedies effective. Ants may also be trapped by soaking a piece of sponge in sweetened water, and when squeezed out set it in then- haunts. They will enter the sponge and be unable to get out : drop it into hot water and their dead bodies will be easily washed out of the sponge. 264 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [June 4, 1891. >G. G. Drake. — Skeps nearly always yield a second swarm in from eight to twelve days after the issue of first or ' top swarm.' Nine days is the usual interval if weather conditions are favourable. Sometimes a third swarm, or ' cast,' will issue a day or so after the second ; but you may ascertain if there is a probability of this latter event by listening if ' piping ' is continued on the evening of the day on which the second swarm came out — if it is, look out for a third swarm next day. Dusky (Stirlingshire). — Vagaries of Bees. — There is little analogy between your case and the one you refer to,though one is as difficult to comprehend as the other. For bees to roll out in a ball with a queen in their midst : for the bees then to return into the hive, leaving the queen to fly off and be seen no more, is an ex- perience in- regard to bees altogether new to us. You ask if we, or any of our readers, can account for the following : — ' A ball of bees, fifty or sixty strong, was seen rolling on the alighting-board, and on inspection a large queen was seen with them. The bees re- entered the hive shortly, leaving the queen walking about on the alighting-board. Pre- sently out comes another ball of bees, with a drone thistime, the bees leaving him to re-enter the hive as before. The drone took wing, and a minute later the queen followed in the same direction, neither queen nor drone being seen again, though watch was kept for some time.' Candidly, we cannot say why the bees acted as above — can ' any of our readers ? ' Charles Poole (Brighton). — Comb sent is badly affected with foul brood. No matter how strong the stock is, as you say, it can make no headway against the disease with combs in the hive like that sent. Since you ask our opinion as to ' the best course to pursue ' with so bad a case, we should say shake the bees into an empty skep, tie them up, and keep them in a dark place indoors for a couple of days, while you burn the combs, frames, and contents. Then disinfect the hive with sulphur fumes or some other power- ful disinfectant ; fit it with new frames and full sheets of foundation. Return the bees, and feed with medicated syrup. The alter- native plan would be to burn the hive, bees, and combs. 'C. H. Cutling (Derby). — Bees, when clustered on combs, frequently pass the food from one to another. A. E. W. (Aylesford). — Queen sent is a young one. E. F. S. (Uplands, co. Wicklow). — When white grubs are carried out, it is a sign of want of food. Nina (Cornwall).— No doubt the wasps you killed were queens. They always attempt to sting when being killed. Q- — 9^ *ke samples sent, we think No. 1 is entirely beet, and that No. 2 is part cane sugar, but mainly beet. The Original and ONLY PERFECT Preventive against STINGING. Quality Improved <£* Price Reduced. In 1/- & 2/- Bottles ; British postage 2d. extra. All orders must be accompanied by remittance. Special Terms to the Trade. One Correspondent says : — ' I have used it on removing a particularly irascible colony into a clean hive, with perfect sucsess.' Another says : — 'I have kept bees for thirty years and have lately purchased a bottle of this wonderful stuff, and cannot persuide my bees to sting me do what I will with them.' DARCY GRIMSHAW, Horsforth, Leeds. Invaluable to Travellers Abroad as an Insectifuge, 'PERFECTION QUEEN-EXOLUDING ZINC. THOMAS B. BLOW begs to announce that he is sole Wholesale Agent for Haevey & Co.'s New Pattern QUEEN-EXCLUDING ZINC. This particular perforation is absolutely perfection for its purpose, and is an exact repro- duction of one of the patterns known as DR. TINKER'S QUEEN-EXCLUDING ZING. Purchasers are cautioned to be careful to observe that they get zinc with the exactly correct width of perforation (which this is), as much of the zinc at present on offer is either too large or two small — thus either letting the queen pass through or ex- cluding the worker-bees. For retail prices see Catalogue, sent free on appli- cation. Special quotations, according to quantity, will be given to dealers. ^XTiXXOTKEAS DEC. !BX.O"TO7"3 MANUFACTURER OF BEE-KEEPING APPLIANCES WEIWYW. HERTS. PROTECT your FBUIT TREES and SEED BEDS.— Tanned Netting, 100 yards by 2 yards wide, 10s. 6d. ; 50 yards by 4 yards wide, 10s. 6d. ; 24 yards by 8 yards wide, 12s. P.O.O. or cheque to accompany order, made payable to L. When & Son, 139 High Street, Lowestoft. 2566 Yorkshire Agricultural Society. Patron : H.RiH. The Prince op Wales, K.(t. President: S. Cunliffe Listek, Esq. THE FIFTY-FOURTH GREAT ANNUAL SHOW Will be held at BRADFORD, ON THE 5th, 6th, and 7th of AUGUST, 1891, When Prizes amounting to £3190 WILL BE OFFERED FOR CATTLE, SHEEP, PIG-S, HORSES, SHOEING}, BEE APPLIANCES, BUTTER, AND DAIRYING. The Entry Closes on Saturday, 27th of June. Prize Lists and Forms of Entry for Stock and Implements will be forwarded on application to Marshall Stephenson, Yorl;, May 23rd, 1891. Secretary. 240 THE Irifeft %n 3nitnial BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 468. Vol. XIX. N.S. 76.] JUNE 11,1891. [Published Weekly. BATH AND WEST OF ENGLAND AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY'S SHOW AT BATH. The annual show of the above Society opened in beautiful weather at Bath on the 3rd, and was continued till the 8th inst. The programme of the five days' proceedings offers so many attractions to the general public at these meet- ings that, given fine weather, a large attendance invariably results, and it is matter for regret to bee-keepers that the early date on which the show is usually held seriously interferes with the display in the bee and honey department. This season, when everything has been so back- ward, and honey-storing has scarcely begun, it had the effect of entirely limiting the display of honey to last year's produce, and consequently very much reduced the number of exhibits staged in this division. Only one of the five honey classes could be considered as at all representative, viz., Class 9, for granulated honey in jars. Nine exhibitors competed in this class, and some really good samples were staged, the majority being so evenly balanced in quality that it took some considerable time to decide fairly on their respective merits. So many of the ordinary guiding points are absent when the honey under consideration is old and granulated, that the usual conditions of 'judging' are entirely altered, and it illustrates the care with which the awards were made when it was after- wards discovered that with samples so nearly equal in quality all three prizes had gone to the same exhibitor. The other honey classes call for no special comment, except regret that the lateness of the season made it impossible for intending competitors to put in an appearance. Appliances. — Class 1, Best collection of bee- appliances, was not well filled, consequently Messrs. GeorgeNeighbour & Sons easily carried off the first prize. Their collection, however, would have been difficult to beat, for after a close examination of every article staged, we failed to discover a single faulty one. The second prize went to Mr. C. Overton. — Class 2, Best observatory hive stocked with bees. Messrs. Neighbour were again placed first with a very fine stock of Ligurians, and Mr. Overton also again took second with a smaller lot of Carniolans. — Class 3, Best and most complete hive for general use. Seven competitors ex- hibited in this class, and the same number in Class 4, for the most complete and inexpensive hive for cottager s use, but in neither class could the competition in any sense be considered a keen one, seeing that about one-half the hives staged had faults so conspicuously the result of careless workmanship, that it would have been absurd not to pass them over as practically disqualified in a prize competition. One would think that some appliance dealers were either lamentably ignorant as to the requirements of a workable hive, or imagined that judges were very easily satisfied indeed if they supposed that such glaring faults would be overlooked or condoned. What excuse, we ask, is there for a manufacturer or dealer who stages a hive where- in there is an inch and a half space to which the bees have free access at one side of the surplus chamber? Can it be supposed for a moment that the bees will not fill that space up with comb and honey ? Or where is the sense of sending a hive for judicial criticism with three-eighths of an inch top bars to the frames and dummies, the said frames being fitted with cast metal ends, while the dummies have no ends on them at all, thus leaving an opening of one-eighth of an inch wide along both sides of the surplus chamber when the latter was in position on the frames ? Again, a sheet of queen-excluder zinc is framed in wood so thick as to leave the bee- space (?) above the top bars so deep that a bee preparing to mount into the chamber overhead would be like a man trying to touch the ceiling of a room with his hands ! Several hives also had such imperfect supering arrangements that it was impossible to prevent the escape of both warmth and bees from the brood chamber when section racks were on. Transparent faults like these — so easily remedied, too — disqualify an ex- hibit, and it is well that exhibitors should be told of the fact if they are so ill-informed as not to be aware of it themselves. We make these comments in the true interests of dealers as well as of bee-keepers, because badly constructed hives bring untold discomfort and annoyances to the bee-keeper using such, and tend to dis- courage, if not to disgust, him with the pursuit. Having said this much it is an agreeable re- lief to turn to the more satisfactory side of the appliance classes, and refer to those exhibits which were efficient and well built, as hives should be. The first-prize hive was a model of accurate machine-made joinery, so true in cut and finish 260 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [June II, 189-1. that all its movable parts — roof, lifts, outer case, frames, &c. — worked beautifully smooth and easy. The roof, also, while light, was strong and about as water-tight as a roof could be, which is saying a great deal. The only fault we discovered in it was the legs being fastened to the floor-board. A separate stand would to our mind have been an improvement. Both first and second prizes were awarded to hives of the same type, i.e., with loose outer case and free air-space between it and the hive proper ; but the second-prize hive was built of heavier timber, and was consequently not nearly so handy in use as the other. In Class 4, the seven exhibits were priced re- spectively 19*. Qd., 13s., 10s. Qd., 12s., 10s. Qd., 14s. Q>d., and 6s. Qd. These prices hardly reach one ideal of a cottager's hive, 19s. Qd. and 14s. 6d. being almost prohibitory to a man of that class. We do not say the hives staged were dear at the prices affixed, but too much ' completeness ' was aimed at. Class 5 — best feeder. Here was shown a novelty in the shape of a ' rapid ' and ' slow ' feeder combined in one. This exhibit was awarded first prize, and we hope, later on, to give a fuller description of it. The second prize was given to a regulating feeder of the Kaynor type. The remaining class (11 , for novelties) only brought two exhibits, and a third prize was given to a super-clearer, clearly an adaptation of the American article known as the Dibbern bee-escape. List op Awards. Appliances. Class 1. Best collection of hives and appli- ances.— 1st prize, George Neighbour & Sons ; 2nd, C. T. Overton. Class 2. Best observatory hive, stocked with bees and queen. — 1st, George Neighbour & Sons ; 2nd, C. T. Overton. Class 3. Best and most complete frame hive for general use. — 1st, George Neighbour & Sons ; 2nd, C. T. Overton. Class 4. Most complete and inexpensive frame hive for cottager's use, unpainted. — 1st, George Neighbour & Sons ; 2nd, J. Trebble. Class 5. Best feeder. — 1st, W. Perkins; 2nd, George Neighbour & Sons. Honey. Class 6. Best twelve 1-lb. sections of comb honey. — 1st, not awarded ; 2nd, Rev. W. Bancks ; 3rd, E. Hancox. Class 7. Best six 1-lb. sections of comb honey. — 1st and 2nd, not awarded ; 3rd, C. T. Overton. Class 8. Best twelve 1-lb. jars of run or extracted honey (not granulated). — 1st, not awarded ; 2nd, S. Agg. Class 9. Best exhibit of granulated honey in jars, not exceeding 1 lb. each, the gross weight to approximate 6 lbs. — 1st, Captain Ord ; 2nd, Captain Ord ; 3rd, Captain Ord. Class 10. Best and most attractive display of honey, in any form, not less than 56 lbs. gross weight. 1st, not awarded; 2nd, C. T. Overton. Miscellaneous. Class 11. Most interesting and instructive exhibit of any kind connected with bee-culture. — 1st and 2nd, not awarded ; 3rd, T. A. Flood. DEVELOPMENT IN TEE HONEY-BEE. By R. A. H. Grimshaw. [Continued from page 210.) At this point it seems proper, when consider- ing the mingling of varieties, to say something- regarding what may be the birthground of the German brown bee, for it is not indigenous to this country. At the commencement of this article we took it for granted that many of our readers would hold to the belief that most living things were created somewhere about the tropic of Cancer, (or, at least, within 2000 miles of the equator), according to the narrative inferences of the Old Testament ; and that from a very circumscribed area all things were distributed to people the earth — northwards and southwards, eastwards and westwards. Following this distribution we accompanied the honey-bee, in imagination, down the Nile to Egypt, the home of the writer of Genesis, northwards and eastwards into Asia Minor. Stopped by the Caucasian mountains it was supposed to travel westwards, crossing the Dardanelles into Europe, leaving a branch of its species to develop for ages in Cyprus, in the valleys of the mountain ranges capped by Olympus. A descent into Greece, and a spread into the islands of the Archipelago would be easy, aided in all probability by man, the hereditary honey- stealer. On the north the Balkan mountains would divert the emigration westwards into Servia and Bosnia, along the coast and amongst the islands of the Adriatic, until the high lands of Carniola again turned the stream westwards over the plains of Lombardy, until the well- known province of Liguria is reached, when the Alpine chain effectually stops further natural migration. It will be easily called to mind how surely and steadily the bee has developed, and, so to speak, perfected distinctly characteristic varieties in those regions (Cyprus, Greece, Carniola, and Liguria), where they have been compelled by natural barriers to suspend their migratory instincts and interbreed, until, in long periods of time, these variations, alight at first, appear to us in well-developed, clear marks, absolutely fixed sports from the type of the Apis mellifica of the equator, or of the neighbourhood of the Euphrates valley. What- ever the writer personally believes on the subject of the original home of our honey-bee is of little- importance, but, as stated in an early chapter,, the evident course of the Mediterranean bee seems distinctly to point to the neighbourhood in which we are told our first parents were created. June 11, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 2G7 But, in common fairness to the students of geology, ancient botany, and zoology, we must tell quite a different tale when dealing with the supposed history of the German honey- bee. Supposing the earth in its earliest history to have been a mass of molten matter, revolving on its axis, we should expect it to be greatest in diameter (as is the case at this day) at the equator, and flattened at the poles. It would be in time surrounded by an envelope of gas given off by itself; oxygen and hydrogen would com- bine to form water (even if in a superheated form), oxygen and carbon would unite to form carbon dioxide (ultimate plant-food). Water and carbonic oxide, obeying the same laws then as now, would rise towards the outer edge of the gaseous covering, their places being taken by newly - formed compounds. Constantly driven upwards they would become condensed, and becoming colder could only reach their proper level in the gaseous strata by taking a northerly and southerly direction. Circula- tion then, as now, would be the result, the cooled gases would strike the regions of the poles, cooling them in their southern passages towards the equator, to be again superheated in a never-ending alternating cycle. Where, then, is the surface of the earth to be first so much cooled that a film of fire-formed rock may be termed, very appropriately, its crust ? If we look at the amount of dry land on the globe (in the proportion of a square mile of land to three of water) we shall notice a great predominance of the dry land in the Arctic and sub- Arctic regions. In cooling there was necessarily contraction, and as the liquid matter gradually occupied less and less space its hardening enve- lope must perforce have become wrinkled into folds, which would in time overlap each other and spread gradually southwards from the north pole, forming the veritable flooring of the earth. The configuration of the northern hemisphere, the leaf upon leaf history of geological strata, tell us this was the case. If we examine the deposits of limestone, they tell us that, at least since life first appeared on the earth, the poles have been where they are at present, so that any disturbances must have been fractional and of little moment. Again, if we take note of the overlapping of the skin-like covering strata, we find them in circles and parts of circles, having the present poles as their centres ; and, coming nearer to the subject of this article, when vegetable life, with its accompanying insect myriads, was luxuriant on the cooled surface of dry land, when water was condensed and collected over at least three parts of the whole globe surface, when what we term the coal measures were growing and being deposited in layers of varying thickness, according to the suitability of the plant surroundings, we find, again, in digging them up for fuel, that they were gradually spread from the north. Leav- ing the almost entirely green vegetation of coal formations, advancing in the scale of the plant kingdom until coloured flowers were developed, with their accompanying and all-necessary in- sect clouds (all these being varied to suit their surrounding conditions), we can trace those richest and most plentiful back to a home originating within the present polar circle. If we seek amongst fossil plants, we have the con- viction forced upon us that the oldest, most ex- tensive, richest discoveries are in the regions of Greenland, Labrador, and to the north of New- foundland. What we now consider tropical and subtropical vegetation travelled southwards as the more southerly land became fitted for its reception, and as the land in the neighbourhood of the north pole became cooler. Suitable forms of life were developed and forced on the skirts of their prodecessors, this process being continued until vast ice-sheets forced all animals and plants southwards, until the heat of the sun and the radiation frorn the earth formed a tem- perate region, perhaps not far in latitude from our own Mediterranean, beyond which the ice- cap might not travel. At the edge of this ice- sheet would be found representatives of plants and animals now classified as the Arctic flora and fauna, and amongst these rich and most suitable surroundings I should expect to find the German honey-bee, always found as a migrant northwards and upwards to the verge of snow and ice. When we investigate the flora of Great Britain we are driven to the conclusion that in the post- glacial period, when the ice-fields retreated northwards and left the earth warmer again, they were followed northwards by Arctic and sub-Arctic flora and fauna, these being followed up by plants, insects, and other animals luxuriat- ing in a temperate climate. A northerly and north-westerly migration would thus flow back over France, Germany, and Britain, joined to- gether as they were by land only now slightly submerged by the German Ocean. If we ex- amine our present flora, we find it consisting principally of plants which have come from Eastern Europe, following the retreat of the glacial ice-fields. Amongst the vast sheets of nectar-yielding plants, never having voyaged south of the Alps, we should, without doubt, find our brown honey-bee, a true descendant of northern climes, bearing all the characteristics of northern hardihood, like the frost-resisting plants it loves to feed on, fighting in retreat with them inch by inch, and returning with them, as at the present time, aggressive on the margin of frost and snow. In fine, when deal- ing with the ancestry of our bee, I can come to no other conclusion in my own mind than that it is a true lineal descendant of the first honey-bee ever existing in the northern hemisphere, of which family there has been an immense con- tingent, void of such vigour as would enable it to fight along with the rearguard of animal life, driven further south with its food-plants, but following again the subsequent northern attack, until arrested by peninsulas and moun- tain-chains, at which barriers they have sported and developed. (To be continued.) 268 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [June 11, 1891. HONEY IMPORTS. The total value of honey imported into the United Kingdom during the month of May, 1891, was 6070/. — From a return furnished by the Statistical Office, H.M. Customs. THE MALAGASY BEE (APIS UNI COL OK) : Its Habits, Enemies, and Culture. ( Continued from page 261. ) The wax-moth may generally he seen in the neighbourhood of the hive, into which it dodges, with remarkable skill and presence of mind, past the sentry bees, who, as soon as they have recovered from their astonishment, turn and chase the intruder. But when once in, it is not easily dislodged, running swiftly about the sides of the hive until it finds some shelter, and, as opportunity offers, laying its eggs among the debris. Here they hatch out, and the grub, pro- tecting itself with a silken cocoon in the form of a pipe, eats its way through comb and brood with impunity. They, however, do little or no harm in a strong colony, confining themselves, or rather, being confined by the bees, to the debris alone. Possibly they may even do good, for they eat up the particles of wax that are too small for the bees to clear away. Weak or queenless hives they destroy in a very short time. I have never seen a hive without them. Ants, again, are more troublesome, perhaps, than dangerous. They hang about the hives, forming their nests in or about the sides, or under the bark that is used as a shelter, and do the work of scavengers. Any bee which is sick unto death will of its own accord leave the hive, to be immediately seized upon by the ants. Bees are very cleanly insects ; they do not allow dead bodies to remain in the hive, and as a rule carry them to a considerable distance before they drop them; yet during the massacre of the drones there are many left near the hive, for they are too heavy and large to carry away — so in cases of that sort the ant is a help ; but it likes honey immensely, and is always trying to thieve. To prevent this the bees have recourse to a very ingenious method. As soon as an ant — it is Only the small species that rob — appears on the alighting-board, a sentry bee runs up to it. The ant is too small and nimble to be seized by the bee's mandibles; so by turning its head and raising its abdomen, the bee brings its wings into a proper position, and with one buzz and a sharp twist round to the right, the ant is sent flying into space. Should there be many, the process is repeated, first to the right, then to the left, and so on, until the board is cleared. The greatest enemy of all is the death's-head moth, Sphinx atropos, which is very common. In the evening, should you watch a hive, you will soon hear a sound as of distant thunder, and then a rush. A huge moth hovers for a second over the hive and then alights. With- out fear or hesitation he pushes his way to the entrance. If the bees are strong and aofe^ccus- tomed to being robbed, they will give battle, crowding on to the moth's back in a mass, and striving to lay hold of his slippery fur or sharp- spined legs. With one flutter of his large- wings he sends his despised opponents hither and! thither, and slowly enters. The guards have no power to stop his huge frame, for sting they cannot, they can get no grip, and their stings- cannot pierce that tough, soft skin, but merely slip along it harmlessly. As soon as he is within, he keeps his wings vibrating with a low humming noise, and leisurely sucks his fill — a very big fill. Then he rests lazily, hanging from one of the combs, utterly heedless of the weight of bees that cluster over him. The bees, too, have learnt their powerlessness and attempt no more to dislodge him. How long he stays I know not — sometimes a fortnight, and some- times only a short time, but the damage he does is immense, and in any other climate would be fatal. I have known a hive sucked dry during six months of summer weather, and not so much as a drop of honey to be found in it, although a very strong colony, and upwards of two hundred bees a minute leaving and return- ing. All this immense harvest has been taken day after day. From that hive alone I took ten moths in one fortnight. I left them to test Huber's words, where he says that the bees themselves will close the entrance. Mine did not ; they closed a few places, but obstinately left a large one open, and when I closed it for them with wax they opened it again. This hive had quite given up resisting, and the moths walked in and out as if the place belonged to them ; but I often took a moth from it and placed it on the alighting-board of another hive, and in ten seconds it was one black mass of bees ; sometimes more than a thousand bees at once clustered upon it, but they could never kill it. I killed one and put it on the board ; this they tore to pieces, as of course it could not vibrate its wings, but though so many bees were trying to sting it, not a sting entered until it was torn piecemeal. I repeated this experi- ment often, but with the same result, no sting piercing the intact skin. Another thing I noticed was, that the moth never used its peculiar squeaking noise to effect an entrance. It has been repeatedly affirmed by European writers* that the noise of this moth enables it to subdue the bees ; and the reason given is, that it is the same noise as that made by the queen-bee when approaching the queen-cells with the intention of destroying them. As long as she is silent the bees prevent her doing so, but directly she emits the noise they all give way, putting their heads down and remaining as if paralysed. Now, though the noise to human ears seems the same, yet I have no hesitation in saying that the bees re- cognise the difference, and pay no respect to the * Huber : preface, Circle of the Sciences, p. 144. June 11, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 69 moth when emitting the sound : if there is any difference, they attack it with greater force. I have tried over and over again, and have watched very many moths, both when entering the hive and when actually inside, and in no one case did I hear the sound emitted, but the moth evidently knew that the bees were powerless to hinder it. However, wishing to know if the bees could be subdued by the noise, I caught a moth and held it gently between my finger and thumb, thrusting it among the bees. As is its custom, it began squeaking under the restraint ; but the bees flew to the attack and crowded on to it, quite disregarding my hand, but intent on the moth. I then took another and made it squeak on the alighting- board ; the bees at once rushed out to give battle. These experiments I have repeated at least a score of times, with the same results. In every case, as soon as the moth was released from my fingers it stopped the squeaking, although it was still surrounded by the bees. The queen-bee and the Sphinx atropos are not the only insects which emit the same sound ; there is another Malagasy Sphinx which does it, and also a hymenopterous wingless insect very common here. The reason for it, or the means by which they do it, are, I believe still unknown. The larva of the Sphinx atropos emits a similar noise, but yet slightly different. When doing so it sits in the position which gives rise to its name of Sphinx, with its head raised, and works its anterior pair of pro-legs, as if mandibles. I have, on several occasions, found old battered specimens of the moth dead in the hive, but whether killed by the bees, or whether having died from natural causes, I do not know. There is another thing, perhaps, worth men- tioning about this moth, and that is, its larvae feed for the most part on the potato-plant, both here and in Europe. Now, considering that the potato is an introduced plant in both places, it is very curious that such exclusive feeders as the larvae of moths should change their diet — and that, too, in widely different regions — to a non- indigenous plant. The native plant they feed on is a vetch, and as different to the potato as one can well imagine, both as to appearance and the texture of the leaf ; yet one finds only about one in ten on the native plant. I have tried them on tomato, and on many of the native nightshades, but they prefer dying to eating what is evidently unclean to them. I have heard people, who ought to know better, say that the larvae of butterflies and moths eat the leaves of the shrub on which the perfect insect laid its eggs, and once having begun on that, will not change. The absurdity of such a state- ment is obvious to any one who has bred cater- pillars to any extent, or who has watched the habits of the imago. Besides, why should the moth choose the potato ? While I am digres- sing I might add that another Sphinx cater- pillar feeds on arum, fuchsia, vine, and balsam, and refuses all else, the native wild balsam being its indigenous food. ( To be concluded next iveek. ) Corasjjartbma. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice toill be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are re- quested to write on one side of the paper only, and give their real names and addresses, notnecessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of goodfaith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, re- ports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, &c, must be addressed only to ' The Editors of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William, Street, Strand, London, W.C All business communications relating to Advertisements, &c, must be addressed to Mr. J. Hockle, Zings Langley, Herts (see 1st page of Advertise- ments.) COUNTRY VISITORS— NOTES IN THE COUNTRY. [675.] One lives, it is true, to learn, but one also lives to unlearn. Something that may suit Somerset will not, perhaps, suit the inhabitants of Essex. Cicero (Tully, as he was called, curi- ously enough, half a century ago) tells us that among the pleasures of age is the fact that it is always increasing its stock of knowledge. He refers to the boast of Solon, that every day he added to the store he had already gathered. And no doubt it is important to keep the mind fresh and young, by studium et industria, to the very end of life. Still, as I have said, it is necessary sometimes to unlearn as well as learn. Let me illustrate my meaning by a recent expe- rience. My hives, bought at various times, have usually had some kind of slide in front, run- ning in a narrow wooden cover outside, so that the opening could be enlarged or diminished as desired. These slides, ' cabined, cribbed, con- fined ' in this wooden covering, were often un- willing to ' move on ' when required, so bloated had they become in a moist climate and in wet weather. So I had them all, together with the covering, taken away. Blocks of wood, on the American plan, were substituted. Now I am in a worse plight than before ! The blocks of wood are constantly knocked out of position. The hives are often almost closed at night, yet the doors are opened wider than ever in the morning. Just as many children living in the country go off at eventide, first to feed their guinea-pigs, their pigeons, and other darlings, and then to shut them up for the night, so I go to the hives, and almost close the entrances, after a sunny day, against the cutting winds. (How strange, by-the-by, it is that the bees have not had la grippe, like our beloved ' X-Tractor,' after this long ' grim ' winter and bitter spring !). Well, again and again these blocks of wood have been disturbed. Sometimes they have been actually knocked off the landing- stage ! The gardener's boys, of course, were called to account. A boy is always a convenient creature in a garden. Everything that goes wrong, every ruddy strawberry, blushing rose, Hesperian apple, or golden pear that is missed, can be charged to him ! But what infatuation could lead a country lad — imagination is not 270 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [June 11, 1891. usually a leading feature of their lives — to knock away these blocks of wood ? 1 told the gardener that the wheelbarrows were evidently knocked against the hives, but he assured me they were not—' The boys were not so fond of bees as all that.' At length the secret was out. One evening, as I approached to discharge an almost daily duty, I observed a small four-legged creature that has a very keen scent and a great appre- ciition of sweets He most joyously ran up the side of the hive — as nimbly, indeed, as a sailor runs up a rope ladder, or an Irish hodman a builder's ladder. He was on the landing-stage in a moment, and at once began to disturb the entrance-doors. But now it was my turn, and I soon gave him notice to quit. Your readers will have guessed that this four-legged creature •was a rat. He has taught me to unlearn, as well as to learn — that the old method, after all, is better than the new. What a veritable problem these rats are to those who lead a country life ! It is not every one who loves the country or can be happy in a country village. The fallentis seniita vitce is a path which one may not choose on one's own account; yet, once chosen, it may be a very useful and a very pleasant path. If, then, you live in the country, and indulge in country tastes, you must face the great rat problem. These wretches, as evening approaches, sally forth from their hiding-places, like the ' Bill Sykes' and the 'Artful Dodsrer' of our large cities. Night after night the coachman mounts guard with his gun ; a lady, too, may be seen armed with what looks, appropriately enough, like a needle gun. Still the cry is, ' They come, they come ! ' In the winter they enter the out- houses and too often manage to munch the combs and devour whatever wax they can reach. Wood will not keep anything securely. Poison is sometimes tried, but poison is double-edged, and may kill the wrong party. Others believe in cats. Formerly I detested them ; now I love them. Cats love a house, a kitchen, a cushion, a fire, a haystack, a mouse ; but a man or woman — never ! Forgive me, fair reader ! I don't believe in a cat's love. Why, then, do I love them? Because they hate rats, and in many cases will keep the coast clear of them. Many a cat is more than a match for a rat ; but here, again, I have had to unlearn. Every kitten but one, when four or five little blind beings arrived, was formerly consigned to a watery grave. The survival of the fittest was the universal law. Not so now ! Each one is carefully kept, ten- derly treated, gratefully fed. Yet all our efforts are in vain. Why ? Because, if the truth is to be told, those who love the game don't love cats. A lady friend who is fond of bees, and who lives not far from a farmyard, tells me that her skeps were invaded by a number of mice on one occasion and were all destroyed. A rick had been threshed, the mice had been driven out, but not killed, so that, deprived of the bread, they betook themselves to the honey. It is surprising how fond the bees in Essex are of human habitations. I have three settle- ments of bees in my own house. They are in a very inaccessible position, and give me no annoy- ance, except that I am forced to guard my hives most carefully against robbers. On the other hand, they assist in fertilising the fruit. It is all-important, in my opinion, to have bees close at hand if a good crop of fruit is to be assured. In such weather as we have had this spring bees won't fly any great distance ; but they will avail themselves of every opportunity to do their special work and gather their daily bread. Sitting recently as a guest at a farmer's house — what jovial fellows many of these farmers are ! — he told me that he had bees in the roof of his house, and his son assured me that his ex- perience was the same. If the bees did not fertilise the clover, they had no clover seed to sell. Some of your readers may not know the story which our dear departed friend, George Raynor, used to tell about Kelvedon Church. He was curate of Kel- vedon for a time. A swarm of bees settled in the porch of his church. So the country boys used to poke up the bees shortly before service-time. The effect may be imagined! Mr. Raynor's aid was invoked, and the bees were removed. In the parish next to me, a large tree, in which a colony of bees had long lived, has re- cently fallen. The guardian of our peace, the village policeman, an excellent bee-keeper, not afraid of men, boys, or bees, has cut out the log which forms their habitation and has taken them to his home. It is pleasant to note the steady progress which bee-keeping is making. Vaseline seems to me to be the great discovery of later days. It appear an established fact that it checks propolisation. It is probably a safeguard against stings. This very morning, when my gardener and I were examining our supers (bees, by-the-by, were more plentiful than black- berries in autumn, or grapes in a cluster, but honey was as scarce as wisdom in infancy, or health in a hospital), I told him to 'vaseline' his hands as a prevention against bee-poison. We were not stung, it is true, but I am not about to argue that vaseline therefore is a perfect protection. Others, how- ever, assert that it is, and I, for one, intend to give it a thorough trial. But in one re- spect, as it seems to me, there is still some room for improvement. We want a better feeder at a reasonable price. The Raynor, Blow, and other feeders are all, of course, good ; but large, or even medium-sized bottles, are often inconvenient. They are awkward to cover, and require a high top. If, too (as has been the case with me this year), when the hives are crowded, and the supers are on, it is necessary from a change of weather to feed the bees, bottles on the top of supers are most in- convenient. Some persons may say, ' Take off the supers.' The game, I reply, is not worth the candle. The trouble is excessive. The east June 11, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 271 Jwind, too, may be blowing. You suspect, :perhaps, that influenza is en route to your residence. Tbe boles, moreover, in the bottles sometimes become clogged. You think the bees are being fed, but they are not. I asked Debnam, the Essex expert, to send me the best feeder he knew. He sent me what I believe is •called the Simmins' feeder. It is circular in form, but flat on the surface, about 2\ inches .high, and therefore does not require a high joof. The bees enter from the hive into the centre of the feeder, and take just as much .as they can carry off. There is no system of holes, nor any graduated feeding ; but frequent doses, easily administered, are probably as effec- tual. The cost, however, is serious. Two shillings for every feeder, besides the carriage, is more than a poor man can afford, and more than a careful man will give. A good, cheap feeder, in my opinion, is still a desideratum. — E. Bartrum, D.D., Wakes Colne Rectory, .Essex. P.S. — Since writing the above, I have met my friend Mr. Fitch, the well-known bee-keeper of Sible Hedingham. He assures me that his bees as yet have gathered no stores. My gardener and I have vaselined our hands to- day, and our faith is confirmed. — E. B. WHY BEES FIGHT AMONG THEMSELVES. [676.] Referring to 641 (p. 2-31) and 671 ,(p. 258), I am inclined to differ from you all. A few years ago I was indebted to a bee-keeping friend for solving the problem of why bees tight .among themselves or with their own fellow- workers. I believe that in nine cases out of ten it can be traced to the bees entering worn-out Jhives of one kind or another, such as the deserted borne of a stray swarm which has lived for a season in the trunk of a tree or house-roof, and, succumbing to the rigours of winter, has left stores behind; or to weak or defunct hives in your own or neighbour's apiary. Since my friend pointed out the cause to me, I bave been able to trace righting, in almost every case, to old combs. Here is a case in point : — My friend only ten days ago found the bees in one •of his best hives slaughtering each other like a miniature ' Waterloo,' and, as a few hives be- longing to a cottager were located about two bundred yards away, he at once guessed the true state of affairs, and going to the said hives, found his bees busy robbing a defunct hive, and as sure as they entered that hive and gorged .themselves with the honey tbey were doomed ; Jflying off with it, and alighting on the entrance- board of their own home, so sure were they met with their own kith and kin, to be hurled over- board and killed. _ I have for years now formed a fixed conclu- sion anent bees fighting among themselves, and that is^ if you allow your bees to enter hives containing old combs and honey, and carry .away with them the odour peculiar to that comb, you will have fighting. Dripping combs may be hung in reach of the bees without any bad effect. The danger exists only when the bee carries away with it the smell peculiar to the strange hive. I have no doubt in my mind that bees are known to one another by their scent only, and when that scent is distroyed or replaced by another, fighting begins. I have also seen fighting started by giving a comb of strong- smelling foundation : so sensitive are bees to odours. — Croftamie. NOTES BY THE WAY. [677.] We have reached the greatest and best bee-month of the year, leafy June; would that I could say, also, sunny June. Instead of sunshine, so much needed to bring the flowers to perfection, we are getting dull, cold, sunless days, with a cold north-east wind, and a correspondingly low temperature. This re- tards the bees breeding so freely as under more favourable circumstances, and makes swarming late this year; in fact, at time of writing, I have not heard of any swarms except two or three that wrere ' rushed out,' so to speak, about the middle of May, when we had a few summer days, and the sycamore-trees were in full bloom. I hope to get a speedy change, as I have a number of swarms ordered, and have no doubt, if weather is suitable, I shall fill several ere this appears in print, as I have had drones flying for nearly a month past, showing that prepara- tions are made by the bees for sending out new colonies as soon as the opportune weather arrives. I have tried vaseline on the runners of some new hives when transferring some stocks to new hives, and find that the frames run very easily and with less irritation to the bees. This is especially noticeable where the hive is made to correct size, and the frames have become propo- lised underneath, making a ' tight fit ' without the vaseline. Self-hivers. — Now that we have reached the swarming season, will our brethren in the craft kindly give us their experience of self-hivers. There was a very simple form of self-hiving arrangement illustrated in the American Bee Journal lately, the invention of Mr. Alley, of queen-raising fame. The means of communica- tion between the parent hive and the hive which was placed by the side of the parent hive to receive the swarm was by means of three oblong queen-excluders — or, should I say queen- includers? The first was constructed of ordi- nary excluder zinc, and placed at the entrance of the parent hive, then another similar placed at the entrance of the new hive, with holes at the top side, by the ends nearest together ; then on the top of these queen-confiners was an oblong wire-cloth passage, with holes corre- sponding, and covering the holes near tbe top ends of the entrance excluders; the entrance and exit from the wire-cloth passage was formed cone-shape — this arrangement would prevent the return of the queen to the parent hive even if 272 THE BEITISH JBJEE J OURNAL. [June 1J, 1891. she wished to do so, as the probabilities would be against her finding her way through the points of two wire cones. I have no doubt any . of our leading appliance makers could make the passages according to Mr. Alley's directions and drawings in the A.B.J., or possibly our editors could give us a drawing. To a busy man, or one whose business calls him away from home all day, or whose apiary is located at some distance from his home, the development of self-hivers will prove a boon. Then to the commercial bee-keeper, who runs out-apiaries — what a feeling of security against loss of valuable swarms will be engendered by knowing that the instinct of the bees will be allowed full play, and at the same time the swarms secured without the expense of hired help, on which one cannot always place full confidence ! There is certainly the expense of these makeshift hives, many of which will not be wanted except for a short time during the summer months. But, just show our enterprising appliance manufac- turers that there is a demand for makeshift hives that will take apart and stack in a small space during the winter, and you may depend the hives will be forthcoming to meet the requirements. Our American brethren in the craft are beginning to find out some of the bitters of the ' McKinlay tariff.' The said ' Act ' has saddled them with an import duty of twenty per cent, ad valorum on imported queen-bees, and the im- portation of queen-bees through the mails from Italy is prohibited by law, and if so imported, the sender would be liable to fine or seizure. Brother Jonathan is up in arms against the re- strictions, and intends testing the law at an early date ; possibly the loss to Italy may be a gain to us in this country if we have any queens to spare. Beeswax seems going up in price in all parts of the world, and consequently bee-keepers will have to pay more for their foundation. Is it the modern system of bee-keeping that re- stricts the production of beeswax, or is more of the commodity used than formerly ? I am well aware that many tons of beeswax are in constant use in bar-frame hives, and this must make some difference; though what we put into the hive we take out again when we break up the colony, with very little, if any, loss, unless the moths riddle the combs before melting. — W. Woodley, World's End, Newbury. BEES FIGHTING. [678.] I am pleased to see another correspon- dent, 'T. W. Y.' (671, p. 258), has come to the front in connexion with the above subject. I own — I frankly own — that had any other person told me that his bees had fought in a similar manner to mine I would have been very much inclined to regard the whole affair as a fairy tale. I hesitated for a time in writing to the B. B. J., thinking readers might be in- clined to doubt my accuracy and to regard ' Augustus ' as rather an imaginative individual. But my own experiences do not at all coincide with ' T. W. Y.'s,' for I have not only given stocks dripping frames to be cleared up after .extraction (as our worthy Editors remark), but up till very lately regularly sprayed my bees- over with their syrup when uniting in order to prevent fighting, and which I believe it did. Feeding as I did is by no means to be recom- mended, but in the case of ' T. W. Y.' it is quite the reverse, for if bees fight, or even have fought, under such circumstances it is much to be deplored, as I have always considered it an excellent plan, and attended with no risk what- soever. But the Editors, I think, are rather in- clined to doubt the whole affair, as per the foot- notes, and it is certainly a very strong position to take up ; but as my bees fought when the evening was advancing, and when no other stocks were astir, and as the havoc was done by night, not the remotest particle of doubt exists in my mind but that the bees of the same stock destroyed one another, and I will make bold to say that one and all of the bees which I sent our Editors for examination belonged to the same stock. But we must congratulate ourselves that such disasters are few and far between — at least in my case, and I sincerely trust in that of ' T. W. Y.' Perhaps some other correspondents who have had similar experiences will come to- the front and give their views on the matter ; but if 'T. W. Y.'s' bees will vow never to repeat the same again I am quite sure we're both willing to let the Editors' opinion hold good in the meantime ; but we are certain to be up in arms against them when our little favourites quarrel amongst themselves over cleaning up a. few extracted frames. I beg to thank your correspondent for his kind hint, viz., dusting the- bees over with flour. I think it would have- done nicely under the circumstances. Stocks are far behind in this district as com- pared with last season. I have not heard of any swarms here yet, though in Fife there have been a few ; but I think swarming is the exception there, not the rule. — Augustus, Renfreioshire. KILLING QUEEN- WASPS. [673.] As there are a large number of queen- wasps this season, and the number that I killed in the spring among the wraps and roofs of the hives did not satisfy me, I have hit on a plan that is new to me for kil.ing them — that is, by placing a few cakes of candy in convenient places- about the apiary to attract the wasps' attention,, and when the queens are busy feeding, press on. them with the forefinger, or with a small stick. I beg to send you the number that I have killed the last few days in this way : — May 23rd, 1 ;. 25th, 3; 26th, 3; 27th, 2: 28th, 3; 29th, 6;. 30th, 2; 31st, 6 ; June 1st, 2 ; 2nd, 10; 3rd, 15. This will be 53 queen-wasps killed these last few days in my apiary, besides those found in the- roofs of hives in the spring. I hope to kill ai good number more yet. — W . W. PryoRj,. Welwyn, Herts, June Ath. June 11, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL. 273" WEATHER REPORT. Bucknall, Lincolnshire. BM. 23. May, 1891. Maximum, 76° on 12th. Rain : — 2-78 inches. Minimum, 19° on 17th. Average, 5 years, 2,03. Mean max 58-4° In 24 hrs. *50 on 24th. „ min 37*7° Rain on 18 days. „ temp 48-1° Frosty nights, 7. „ of 5 years . .501° Range of temp. 207° Remarks. — May has heen cold. Bees quite a month behind. No swarms heard of in this neighbourhood yet. About two inches of rain so far in June. — J. Bint. [360. J Doubling for Prevention of Swarming. — 1. I have four very strong colonies of bees, and they look very like swarming. I propose to double the strongest one by taking two or three frames out of each of the others, and putting them into an empty hive and on to the top of the one to be doubled, and then to put sections on the others, and work the double one for extracted honey. Would you recom- mend this ? 2. I have a lot of run honey which I took off in a straw super last season, and not worth sending to market. Is there any way of utilising it if it is not required in the apiary ? Could you give any recipes, say, for sweets or mead, &c ? 3. I have a fifth hive in a wooden box (not framed), which is not very strong. Could 1 utilise this as a nucleus hive, so as to have a spare queen in case the others swarm or lose a queen ? How would you ad- vise me to proceed ? — Clutha, Greenock, N.B. Reply. — 1. Doubling is very advantageous at times, but you must take care the stock to which the brood is added has bees enough to cover all the combs given them. 2. Recipes for making mead have frequently appeared in our pages. One is given in the B. J. for February 20th, 1890 ; another in number for December 4th, the same year. We will send you both these numbers for two stamps. 3. The box referred to is altogether unsuitable for a nuc'eus hive, in which movable frames are a sine qua non. [361.] Joining Bees. — Will you kindly tell me whether it would be safe to join a swarm to a stock in cottage hive which has been a few weeks queenless, or whether the bees would be likely to destroy the queen ? Also whether a stock in frame hive, with four good seams of bees, is any good for this year, the harvest being over about middle of July, or whether it should be united ? — S. D., Leeds. Reply. — It would be 'safe' for an experi- enced hand to do as you propose, but far safer for one not well versed in bee-management not to attempt it. Your best course will be to join the queenless lot to the stock on four frames, and to do this only needs to bring the two stocks close together by moving a couple of feet each day till a yard apart, then sprinkle both lots- with flour from a dredger and unite. [362.] Queen Injured. — 1. Can you tell me what is the matter with the enclosed queen ? This time last year a swarm was given me ; it soon worked up, the queen was apparently a very good one, and the bees became so strong that they gave me very little honey.* They came safely through the winter, however, and when I last looked at them, about a fortnight ago, there were four or five frames of brood. This afternoon, when going to put super on, I was surprised to find the combs quite broodless, though the stock is still strong. I put in a frame of brood, in which I cut a hole under some eggs,. and in the evening also gave them a half-com- pleted queen-cell. Five or ten minutes after- wards I noticed a little excitement at the en- trance, and found they were turning out the enclosed queen half dead. Is the queen un- fertile ? If so, why ? 2. Why did the bees not turn her out before ? Was it on account of the frame of brood or the queen-cell ? My bees are very strong, and so are stocks I have looked) at for other people. — E. M., Twyford, Berks,. June 6th. Reply. — 1. The queen sent is a very pro- lific one, her ovaries being full of eggs. She has, however, been hurt or injured by some misadventure, and in consequence has ceased ovipositing. The damage has probably hap- pened when you examined the hive ' about a fortnight ago.' 2. The bees have ' balled ' and deposed the queen, probably during the excite- ment caused by the introduction of a queen- cell. [363.] Queen-rearing in Full Colonies with- out first Removing the Brood. — Did Mr. Alley ever publish full particulars as to the letter bearing his name on p. 497 of the B. B. J. for October 11th, 1888, on queen-rearing, or was the- plan not a success ? — East Kent. Reply. — The information will be found in the pamphlet mentioned on p. 263 B. B. J., Thirty Years among the Bees. (&tym ixam % Jites. Cawsand, near Plymouth, May 30th. — The weather in this neighbourhood has been gene- rally unfavourable to bees during May. Cold — at times very so — heavy showers, with strong breezes, have visited us frequently since the 12th, when the thermometer stood at 74° Fahr. in the shade. I am now feeding my bees with syrup, as they were able to gather little food from the fruit-blossoms. To my surprise and regret, I found yesterday that Porto Rico placed in Simmins' dry feeders had been almost un- touched in six hives. I cannot account for this re- * You got very little honey last year because the- season was a bad one, and to say the stock ' became so strong that they gave you very little honey ' is mis* leading. — Eds. 274 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [June 11, 1891. f usal on the bees' part, as there is no lack of water, and of course they have enamel-cloth quilts on. Owing to cold weather, perhaps. Have not heard of any swarms in this part yet. — Wm, Victor Howe. Goonhavern, Truro, June 4th. — Bees have ■come fairly through the winter, a small per- centage only of losses being reported. We have a hardy strain on the north coast of Cornwall. In •evidence, though I have had a fair amount of experience, I have never seen foul'brood. With the exception of, say, half-a-dozen fine days, weather has been bad since February. The way stores have disappeared since brood-raising commenced in earnest is alarming, and great eare has been necessary to keep the bees from starving. Still, my stocks are in good condi- tion, and ready for supering as soon as the honey-flow commences, which here is about mid-June. — W. Tresidder. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Letters or queries ashing for addresses of manufacturers of correspondents, or where appliances can be purchased, or replies giving such information, can only be inserted as advertisements. The space devoted to Utters, queries, and •replies, is meant for the general good of bee-keepers, and not for advertisements. We wi*h our Correspondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessary for us to go to press in advance ■of the date of issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the .issue immediately following the receipt of their communication. All queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only ■of personal interest will be answered in this column. C. F. Mills. — Home-made Foundation, — In- structions for comb-foundation making will be found in the Beekeeper's Guide-book (T. W. - Cowan), but we cannot recommend any bee- keeper to make his own. Skill and experience are required, and the necessary plant is costly, ■so that it is more convenient to buy it ready made. ]F. J. — Comb is perfectly healthy and contains wholesome pollen only. The ' yellow to brown contents ' of the majority of the cells is pollen gathered from various plants. The white covering to some of the cells of pollen is mildew. Albert Armitage (Huddersfield). — We do not think that either of the samples sent are ' pure Demerara cane sugar.' "Thos. Kendall (Knittleton).— The queen sent is the old one, and has been ' balled ' and killed by the bees themselves. Carniolan bees are very prone to this ' balling ' of their •own queens during the excitement caused by frequent opening of hives in spring. You may be quite sure the hive has not swarmed. W. H. Jenkins (Swansea). — We have carefully considered your letter, and can arrive at no other conclusion than that the preparation of the food has been in some way faulty, com- bined, of course, with the long confinement bees had to endure last winter. We have used the sugar named for syrup, and it never had the same taste as your sample. There is & greasiness in the latter we cannot at all under- stand, and the flavour is entirely different from ours. Not only so, but we had modified our opinion that refined, cane sugar was best for winter food, because of the uniformly good results yielded by the granulated unrefined sort you name. Conference of Bee-keepers at Doncaster. —Mr. A. G. Pugh, Hon. Sec, Notts B.K.A., writes : 'I am sorry to see so little notice is being taken in your correspondence columns and elsewhere of Mr. Coxon's suggestion that a friendly gathering should be convened at the Royal Show at Doncaster. I am sure many of us who propose attending would have been delighted to have known at what hour, date and place we should be able to meet a few of the fraternity, and I trust it is not too lute to have it inserted in your Journal. I trust it may be on Thursday, the 25th, as that will be likely to be the most popular day.' %* Several articles are held over for want of space and icill appear next week. ON HIRE, BEE TENT.— For Terms apply to A. J. Beown, Hon. Sec, Bradley, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucester. 238 'PERFECTION QUEEN-EXCLUDING ZING. THOMAS B. BLOW begs to announce that he is sole Wholesale Agent for Harvey & Co.'s New Pattern QUEEN-EXCLUDING ZINC. Tins particular perforation is absolutely perfection for its purpose, and is an exact repro- duction of one of the patterns known as DR. TINKER'S QUEEN-EXCLUDING ZING. Purchasers are cautioned to be careful to observe that they get zinc with the exactly correct width of perforation (which this is), as much of the zinc at present on offer is either too large or two small — thus either letting the queen pass through or ex- cluding the worker-bees. For retail prices see Catalogue, sent free on appli- cation. Special quotations, according to quantity, will be given to dealers. rraionc^LS us. blow, MANUFACTURER OP BEE-KEEPING- APPLIANCES WEIWYW, HERTS. LINCOLNSHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. BRIGG EXHIBITION, 1891. PRIZES to the amount of £25 are offered for HONEY, HIVES, and BEE APPLI- ANCES, to be exhibited at Brigg, on the 23rd and 24th of July next. Entry closes July 7th. For PRIZE LISTS and FORMS apply to STEPHEN UPTON, St. Benedict's Square, Secretary. Lincoln, 3rd June, 1891. THE ■MM %n Sural, BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 469. Vol. XIX. N.S. 77.] JUNE 18, 1891. [Published Weekly. (&)xxtmm\f Ifatiug, #r. BEE-PAPERS FOR WINTER READING. No. 7.— COMB HONEY PEODUCTION. In dealing with the production of comb honey, we shall treat the subject mainly from the com- mercial point, taking for granted that the bee- keeper intends the bulk of his produce for sale in the open market. It should, therefore, be understood at the outset, that the reader whose only object is to raise honey for ordinary family use may relieve himself of much of the trouble and care required when the product is intended for sale. In the latter case, an attractive appear- ance is almost as important as the quality of the honey itself, and, to obtain it in this form, a considerable amount of experience combined with ' nattiness ' is required. Of late years section honey, as it is called, has nearly super- ceded all other forms of comb honey produced for sale, and the folding wood section-box, as made in America and imported into thi3 country, cannot well be improved upon as a portable and convenient receptacle for storing comb honey in. In Scotland there still exists some preference for boxes of comb, and for single combs of heather honey, weighing three to four pounds each, but elsewhere the one-pound section is in universal demand, very few producers using even the two-pound section-box. Premising, therefore, that the bee-keeper who only requires comb honey for home consumption will use such receptacles for its storage as are more con- venient to handle, and less hampering to the free working of the bees than a rack of sections, with its twenty-one little clusters of bees divided one from the other by tin or wood separators, and all the rest of it, we pass on to the con- sideration of the work absolutely necessary in order to produce comb honey in attractive and saleable form. The first point for consideration is the choice of a ' rack,' or box, in which the sections are to be worked on the hive. Fig. 12 is the form most frequently made and sold just now. In it are placed twenty- one sections, fitting quite close together and against the wood of the rack on three sides. On the near side a movable dummy, of wood or glass, is pressed close against the sections by a spring, as shown, keep- ing all firm and close together. Between each row of sections is placed a slotted divider, Fig. 12. usually of zinc or tin, and cut in the shape shown in Fig. 13, these dividers being impera- Fig. 13. tively necessary if section honey is to be properly prepared for sale. The working of this particular form of rack, however, is not, and never has been, to our liking. The sections are often so difficult of removal, and withal are so awkward to handle piecemeal when on the hive, in any but the most experienced hands, that we have long looked upon it with a good deal of disfavour. Attempts have been made to overcome the faults indicated by the introduction of what is known as the ' Raynor ' or divisional section rack, which allows of sections being removed or handled in single rows, so that the centre row may give place to those outside when the former is nearly completed. This was a step in the right direction, but we have always considered that sections should be wrorked in some form of box which would allow of as easy handling and examination as a box of shallow combs, and yet so completely cover and protect the wood of the sections from lecoming soiled by the bees, that they could be turned out for sale as clean and fresh-looking as when put in. The cut (Fig. 14) gives our idea of a workable section box for a ten-frame hive. In it are seven frames, two inches wide, and each hold- ing three 4 \ X 4| sections. There is the usual space at sides and below the frames. The separators are of wood, permanently fixed to the near side of each frame, the dummy, or ' fol- 276 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [June 18, 1891. lower,' having a full bee-space on the face next the separator, to prevent crushing bees when closing up. There is also a free passage between the sections on all four sides, and a very little trouble will enable the bee-keeper to reduce the number of sections to as few as the bees can complete as the season closes. A wedge, cut so as to be capable of easy removal, is inserted on the right of each frame, and presses the sections close up together. When ready for removal, tbis wedge is withdrawn, a tbin-bladed knife passed round the outside of sections, and when they are turned face down, the frame may be gently lifted off them, as they will come out by their own weight. Hand-holes are provided for lifting by, and tbe small circular hole seen on the right is to allow of the escape of any odd bees which may get into the space below the ends of top bars when the section boxes are being storified one above another. There is nothing very new or original in this box, so far as working sections in frames goes. The idea has been acted on ere now in several forms, notably in the wide frame for securing sections of comb honey in hive-bodies or brood nests ; but the results have hitherto been so generally unsatisfactory, that few now use them, except in getting sections started for removal after- Fig. W. wards, into the ordinary rack. What we do think has been secured in the box (Fig. 14) is the removal of the faults and imperfections found in others of the same type, so that, as we said at the outset, sections may be worked as readily and as comfortably as shallow frames for extracting are. So far as our experience has gone in using these boxes this season, they accomplish the purpose admirably. And so, having indicated our own preference, we leave readers to make their own selection. Preparing Sections for Use. — Sections are sold r i 'l i I, |l i 11 <" \f< Fig. 15. in the flat, and usually made from bass-wood in one piece, the strip of wood forming the folding Fig. 16. box, or section, having three V-shaped grooves cut equi-distant across its width and nearly through the wood. Each end is tongued, as in the cut (Fig. 15), so that when the section is folded, as in Fig.' 16, it holds quite firmly. The section illustrated is that known as the four bee-way one, as distinguished from those with openings through which the bees pass on their top and bottom sides only, and called two bee-way sections. Although possessing some trifling disadvan- tages, we consider the four bee- way section best for general use, as it tends greatly to the building and sealing of the comb close to the wood all round, thereby making it travel better, saving ' drip ' or leakage, and giving it a better appearance in the eyes of a purchaser. If the sections are very dry when being folded, turn a bundle of them edge up, and pour a thin stream of hot water down each row of V-shaped grooves to wet the flexible folding joint, and so prevent its breaking. Comb Foundation for Sections. — For guiding bees in building straight combs, very thin foundation, made from a superior quality of beeswax, is used. Too much importance, however, is given to the colour of the wax used in making super foundation. Light-coloured wax is, of course, desirable for this purpose, but there is no need for its being tohite, as some think. Personally, we prefer using pale yellow foundation for comb honey, mainly because bees themselves like it better, nor can we see the slightest difference in the colour of the finished comb whether the one kind or the other is used. The point is to have it made as thin as possible, and from pure bees- wax only. Several new methods of fixing foundation in sections have been devised since the using of full sheets has come into vogue. Formerly only a small triangular-shaped slip of foundation was used as a guide, but the grooved section, and that with a divided top bar, introduced a year or two ago, have done much to popularise the full sheet of foundation as a means of securing more complete combs. Some bee-keepers, however, still use the triangular-shaped guide and the simple little implement made from a bent spoon (Fig. 17), in Fig. 17. which the wax is heated over a lamp and poured while hot along the edge of the foundation where it touches the wood, for fixing it to the top of the sections. Many, again, prefer the wood roller and block June 18,1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 277' introduced by Mr. Abbott (Fig. 18). In this the foundation is fixed before the section is folded, Fig 18. the sheet or strip of wax being laid flat on the the upper side of the section, and the wooden guide-block placed in position, when the roller, held firmly in the hand, is run along the edge of the wax, using some pressure at the same time. The guide-block is then turned over on to the just-pressed edge of the wax sheet, and held there while the latter is raised to its position at right angles to the joining. If the wooden wheel is kept slightly damp, and the wood of the sections perfectly dry, this method of fixing is quite secure, while, with a little practice, it can be done very rapidly. Then we have the ingenious plan of fixing foundation, perfected by Mr. Howard, in which the top bar is divided and the sides of the sec- tion grooved. The cut (Fig. 19) illustrates the method of attaching the foundation to the bar, Fig. 19. which is divided, as shown. When the section is folded it is placed in the block, the sheet of foundation being laid on the face of the wood, with its edge close to the split top bar. By closing the jointed flap on the left the upper half of the top bar is pressed home, and fastens the sheet firmly, and, once fixed, it cannot give way unless the wax breaks down. A section grooved on all sides has also been brought out expressly for using with full sheets of foundation. In this the section, after folding, is placed — top bar pointed upwards, as in Fig. 20 — in a block which holds it perfectly square; the sheet of foundation, cut to the exact size, is then slipped down the groove till it rests on the bottom, when the top bar is folded down on to it. Finally, we have the old, and with many still preferred, method of fixing foundation by means of wax made very hot in the well- known smelter (Fig. 21) designed by Mr. Abbott several years ago. No apiary is complete without one of these use- ful little imple- ments, and ano- ther known as the ' Carlin Cut- ter'(Fig. 22), for cutting up sheets of foundation. After fitting up recently a lot of the grooved sec- tions last men- tioned, we have just ' tacked ' the foundation on its top side with melted wax from our smelter, to prevent any risk of a breakdown. Whenever uncertainty Fig. 20. ^ ^ Fig. 21, exists as to the stability of the various methods of fixing foundation, a little hot wax will always make it safe, and those who find any difficulty in using full sheets, owing to their liability to bulge or sag, can always ensure freedom from risk in the triangular piece of foundation for a guide and the wax smelter for fixing it. If full or even half sheets of foundation are fixed in this way, a guide block — made by nailing a piece of | inch board, 3| inches square, on to a slip of light wood 6x3 inches — is used to hold the foundation in position while being attached. The section is slipped over the square piece on the block — the latter being held in one hand — the foundation is then placed on the square, with touching the wood of the section. in this position a little molten wax is poured from the smelter on to the junction, and allowed to run up and down by inclining the section to the necessary angle until the wax has cooled and set. Queen-Excluders below Sections. — The use of Fig. 22. its edge While 278 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [June 18, 1891. these is another moot point with bee-keepers, among whom we have always advocated their use when working for extracted honey, and now that we are in a measure compelled, by change of location, to do some sectioning, we find our- selves with excluders below all our surplus chambers, whether section-boxes or combs for extracting. In our own case the excluders are set close on to the top bars, with the length of the perforations, as usual, running across the spaces between the frames, for the reasons al- ready given on p. 256, and once the bees pass through the excluders into the free space below and around the frames in which the sections hang in our new section box, there has been no hesitation in their taking full possession of the section? and starting work. We lay stress on the need for keeping sections as warm as pos- sible in the early part of the season, using news- papers as coverings over the quilts above and around the sides of boxes, in addition to slips of paper between the junction of hive and section box, for the purpose of maintaining the heat therein. Various methods are adopted to induce bees to take possession of sections, one of the most successful being the insertion of a square of comb with honey in it — freshly gathered if possible — in one of the section boxes. The bees pass through into the upper chamber attracted by the odour of the honey, and (as the bee- keeper hopes) stay there. As to the most suit- able or proper time for setting on sections, no date can be given. So much depends on the honey resources of the district — to say nothing of the preparedness or condition of the stock — that no guidance can go beyond saving that when the hive is fairly full of bees and honey is being gathered surplus chambers should at once be put on, and the precaution as to maintaining warmth, already indicated, carefully attended to. Using Ready -combed Sections. — These are seldom satisfactory owing to the fact that they usually have a coarse, rough appearance when refilled by the bees with honey. They may, however, be used with advantage if about one- half depth of the cell-walls are removed, and the bees allowed to lengthen them out again with newly formed wax. Partly drawn-out sections of comb are valuable for future use, and should be carefully preserved from moths and dust when removed from the hives at the close of the season. Storifying. — While all agree that several racks or boxes of sections may be worked at one time on a hive, some difference of opinion exists as to whether the additional room in storifying should be given above or below the chamber already on the hive. Our own view is that the judgment of the bee-keeper and the circum- stances at the time should guide him. It is very undesirable to have a lot of half-finished sections left on hand, but no rule of action can be laid down and not departed from when so much depends on the season, &c. For instance, we have this year given our first surplus room in the shape of boxes of ready-built shallow combs. These hold the slowly gathered honey stored earlier on, and, now that the weather has become propitious, sections have been placed over the first boxes, which latter will remain on probably till the close of the season, as bees can do no harm by travelling over and soiling the surface of sealed combs intended for extracting. But we shall, in the event of fortune favouring us, raise the section boxes when well forward and set a second lot over the extracting frames but under the first sections. The object is to get sections worked out and filled as rapidly as possible. Once finished, remove them from the hive without delay, and when indoors, keep them fresh and clean for market, by storing in a crate like Fig. 23. Fig. 23. Grading Sections for Market. — Experienced honey producers have long ago realised the importance of grading their sections into several qualities when marketing. The simple business rule observed in all trades applies here, and the best will command the highest price. Hence it is that he exercises his skill in getting as many of the best and as few of the worst as he can. Two or three poor sections will spoil a crate holding a couple of dozen, and tend to lower the price, though all the rest be good ones, so they should never be mixed. Besides, buyers soon know how to estimate the judgment of the producer, and once a man can be relied on for sorting his produce aright he has little difficulty in finding regular customers. Some bee-keepers have, unfortunately, almost no idea of the importance of fully considering these points, and the result is that many retailers will on no account buy comb honey without seeing samples, or having some knowledge of the seller or of his method of preparing the product for market. It is perfectly certain that the trade in honey has been hitherto much hampered and limited in its scope in consequence of the poor fashion in which sections are prepared for the market ; therefore, when we hear complaints of slow sales it should be borne in mind how much fault lies with the bee-keeper himself. Section Cases. — Some laudable attempts have been made to introduce a case suitable for dis- playing sections of comb honey in, while afford- ing safe protection from dust and damage, and several of the articles so designed answer the purpose admirably in all respects save one. They have removed a long-standing difficulty on our show-tables, and are recognised as a real boon at exhibitions, where nearly all sections June 18, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 279 -are now staged either in tin or cardboard cases — glassed on both sides — which safely protect them from leakage and robber bees. Besides these, there are cases of tin and of wood, made to fold over and protect sections in transit, each neat and efficient to a degree in themselves ; yet none of these cases seem to be popular with •the Italian warehouseman, or with the florist or •grocer who sells section honey acro?s his counter. Our experience goes to show that they each and -all prefer the sections of honey sent to them in «, crate like Fig. 23 ; and to entertain the idea that ' beauty unadorned,' &c. — that is, that if "the wood of the section be perfectly clean, as when made, free from propolis, and the combs sealed over with cappings of transparent purity and whiteness, no covering of any colour or Jrind is needed to add to their attractiveness, but that it rather spoils a fresh section to cover it up with anything. We close this paper with the advice that all comb-honey producers should aim at an ideal section, which looks best when offered to buyers just as it comes from the hive. BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. All communications to the Secretary from this date until Thursday, 25th inst., should be addressed to 67 Cunningham Road, Doncaster. The Secretary will be glad to receive small parcels of cut flowers, clovers, &c, for embellish- ing the Bee Department of the Royal Show. Carriage will be paid on such parcels. They should be sent by parcels post, unless within ■an easy distance of the show, when they may \>e forwarded by rail, addressed, ' The Secretary, Bee Department, Show-ground, Doncaster,' so :as to be received by the 22nd or 23rd inst. CONFERENCE OF BEE-KEEPERS AT DONCASTER. We have just received the following note : — 'Sib, — I fully endorse the remarks of Mr. Pugh in last week's issue respecting the friendly gathering of bee-keepers at the Royal Show. I shall try to get over, merely for the apiarian department, and should be most happy to meet " a few of the fraternity," as I consider this .golden opportunity should not be lost. To me, -a chat with others in the craft is one of the greatest luxuries connected with bee-keeping. I hope something definite has been arranged. — O. Wootton, Draycott, Derby, June 15th.' Our correspondent overlooks the difficulties attending his proposal. First, there is no room or building available for such a meeting within the show-ground, and second, it is quite certain ihat a meeting held outside would not be well attended. We, therefore, can do no more than say that both Editors of the B.J. will be present on the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th, and Mr. Cowan, as steward of the Bee Department, will of course remain until the close. THE MALAGASY BEE (APIS UNI COLOR) : Its Habits, Enemies, and Culture. ( Concluded from page 269. ) Another caterpillar of a Bomby.v feeds on the Eucalyptus (red), geranium, and a native shrub, and nothing else, and will readily change from one to the other. What is there in common between such dissimilar plants ? There is a field open for investigation here, and one in which, after three years' careful study, I have myself made no progress. Some moths will lay their eggs on a wall near which at least ten different kinds of plants grow, all equally re- mote from the eggs. As soon as the young are hatched, instinct leads them to one, and one only, of these ten bushes. I have taken the eggs and put them so that there was no plant on which they commonly feed near. The young, when hatched, wandered helplessly about and perished. There are many caterpillars which will eat anything, more especially the hairy kinds, but very many are most exclusive. (The readers of this paper must excuse the digression.) The other enemies of the bee that I have noticed are a parasitic solitary wasp, which lays its eggs in the hive ; and another, which seizes the bees returning to the hive for the sake of their laden honey-bag. It kills the bees with wonderful celerity. I have also found a parasite of small dimen- sions on the drones, and sent a description of it to Mr. T. W. Cowan, who informs me that it is different to any he has noticed on the European bees. A few further particulars about native bee- culture may be of interest. The hives the Malagasy use are hollowed tree-trunks, much the same as those employed in many other countries. A rough plug of wood is inserted in either end, through the interstices of which the bees find entrance and exit. Some natives fix a piece of comb by means of a split bamboo in new hives, so as to induce the bees to build at right-angles to the trunk ; the combs containing honey can then be got at more readily without destroying the brood, which is usually in the centre combs. The natives, when taking the honey, open one end, and holding a piece of burning rag, blow the smoke gently in; this drives the bees to the further end, when the combs can be cut out without fear. Then, going to the other end, they do the same, leaving the centre combs untouched. I have already stated their method of in- creasing the stock. They have a good general idea of the economy of the hive, and of the habits of the bees. They usually find the wild nests by watching the flight of the laden bees, and then by listening during the hot part of the day, when the bees are 'playing.' There are only two villages that I know of where bees are kept to a large extent ; at most other places the people know of a certain number of wild nests, over which they keep supervision. 280 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [June 18, 1891. When the honey is taken they pound up the comh, honey, and pollen all together, placing it in gourds, and then take it to the market. In many places they make large quantities of mead, more especially when the rite of circum- cision is being observed. — 0. P. Cory, Mada- gascar Magazine. C0rriesp0ttirma. Tlie Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are requested to write on one side of the paper only, and give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, Sec, must be addressed only to "The Bditobs of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C All business communications relating to Advertisements, Ac., must be addressed to Mr. J. Htjckle, KingsLangley, Herts (see 1st page of Advertise- ments). *„* In order to facilitate reference, Correspondents, when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted, will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well as the page on which it appears. SALTED SYRUP FOR BEE-PARALYSIS. [680.] Having gained a great deal of infor- mation from the experiences of others regarding bee-matters in the B.B.J. , I feel it is a duty devolving on me to give my experience of the disease called bee-paralysis {Bacillus depilis). On May 10th I noticed one of my stocks — which went into winter quarters fully covering seven frames, and which had during the bad season of 1890 yielded upwards of forty pounds of honey — was suffering from this disease, which I had never seen or heard of until last year in the B.B.J. But once seen, it could not be mis- taken, as scores of bees, black aud shiny, were running about on the ground, trying to fly, but quite unable to do so. On the 11th matters were very much worse, and there were hundreds of them dying and dead ; and as some of your correspondents had tried salt and water with only partial success, I gave the bees a dose of syrup strongly salted — so much so that I had doubts as to whether they would touch it. Next day, however, I was agreeably surprised to find that they had not only taken down the whole of the syrup, but that at do time during the day were there more than half-a-dozen bees on the ground at one time. I continued the salted syrup for ten days, and have seen no trace of the disease since. I overhauled this hive on 12th May, and found there were not sufficient bees left to cover four frames, and only two small patches of brood, about four inches square ; but on examination to-day, find there is a good increase in numbers, and the queen seems determined to make up for lost time, for there are now five frames crowded with brood in all stages, and a fair prospect of the bees being fully prepared to give a good account of themselves before the season is over. That all bee-keepers will have a better harvest this sea- son than they did last is the earnest wish of — J. S. M., Myland Road, Colchester, June 8th. OVERDOSING BEES WITH NAPHTHA- LINE. [681.] I found to my horror a few days since that five out of my fifteen stocks were more or less affected with foul brood, which I attribute to using two super-clearers last autumn after they had been used in an apiary where foul brood existed, although unknown at the time. I have been a subscriber to the Bee Journal ever since I began to keep bees, some six years ago, and have often read therein about foul brood and its treatment. Salicylic acid used to be recommended as a specific ; then Mr. Cheshire- came to the front with phenol as a certain cure. Later came formic acid, and now naphthaline and Naphthol Beta are the popular remedies. From all which I infer that no real and sure- cure has yet been discovered. When I found that my own apiary was suffering from the disease I hastened to procure some naphthaline and also- some Naphthol Beta. I put some naphthaline just inside the dummies, and as I had not seen anything as to the quantity to be used I just shook some out of the bottle into my hand and dropped it in, giving, I dare say, a good table- spoonful. This morning I received the Journal — I get it with other papers from the bookstall on Saturdays — and there, in ' Useful Hints,' I saw that the proper quantity to use was tts much as would lay on a sixpence ! Going to the hive least affected, and which was fairly strong in bees and brood, I found comb after comb of brood in the imago stage apparently dead, and the bees had been tearing open the- cappings and pulling some of them out. It gave me the heartache to see it, and my time being gone, I have not examined the others, but fear they are the same. Would that I had had the information a week or two earlier. You speak of a case where an impure sort used in excess had caused the bees to desert the brood, which had become chilled in consequence ; but it seems to me that the nymphs were poisoned by the vapour. I did not notice that the young grubs were injured, though I am not sure on the point. The bees did not leave the hives, so how could the brood be chilled in my case? Did not inhaling the vapour kill them, for the capping, I take, is not air-tight ? I send you herewith a little of the naphthaline I used, and I would ask — 1. If it is the right sort ? 2. How often should it be applied ? 3. What would you advise under my present circum- stances ? Would it be wiser to let the bees clear out the dead brood and start afresh, or to take away the combs and give foundation ? or would you destroy the lot, and so make sure of stamp- ing out the disease, instead of trying uncertain methods of cure. As I am a poor man, I wish to do the most profitable thing. When I was a boy at home in South Wilts I remember hearing- bee-keepers talk of their custom of cleaning- down their bee-stools (skeppists) on St. Valen- June' 18, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 281 tine's Day, and salting them. I have never read of this custom of salting in the Journal: have you heard of it hefore ? But it occurs to me it might he useful to destroy insects and contagion that might get on the floor, though I should think it tended to keep the floor-hoard damp. — Signalman, June 6th. [Foul brood among bees, like influenza, con- sumption, and other germ diseases among humans, is not yet mastered (would that it were !) ; and scientists are applying the knowledge acquired by modern researches in endeavouring to find out a means of destroying those mysterious bacterial germs so destructive to many forms of life. Mean- time we must apply ourselves to find out what remedy is most effective as it touches bees. This is all that can be said, except to urge more care in the application of the remedy than was unfor- tunately displayed by yourself. Replying to your questions, we would say — 1. Your sample is quite right, and as much as will cover a sixpence is the correct dose. 2. Once a week. 3. In a case like yours, where foul brood is actually present, it would be a fatal policy to leave dead brood in the combs. The decaying larval matter is the very best medium for developing the spores or germs of the disease, and, as such, should be removed and destroyed. If the stocks are strong we should not hesitate to reduce them to the condition of swarms, and by feeding with medicated syrup allowing them to build new combs in disinfected hives. The stocks less badly affected might be cured by using Naphthol Beta in the food and a pinch of naphthaline on the floor-boards, as advised above. —Eds.] BEES AND HORSE-FOOD. " [682.] Could you or any of your corre- spondents kindly inform me how it is that bees frequent the stable-meat cooler so much ? It has often heen noticed that when the man takes the cooler round the hack of the steading to the boilers he is met hy a perfect swarm of bees, and they wait about until the cooler is brought outside and again filled with the meat, which consists of barley, heans, turnips, and chopped hay all boiled together. We fancy the bees know when the food is comatahle by the noise the iron cooler makes in going over the cause- way in the courtyard on its way to be filled, and after it is filled it is literally covered with hees. — Clutha, Greenock, N.B. BEE-MANAGEMENT. [683.] The question as to how stocks of hees can he most profitably increased must be one of very great importance to a large number of bee- heepers at any part of the active season, but it is of the utmost importance at the commencement. In the early spring most bee-keepers find that there has been a more or less severe lo>s in the number of their stocks during the winter months, and that their usual number will need to be made up for active work during the season, as well as for the autumn preparation for winter. It will generally he found, where a large number of colonies are kept, that there is a loss in win- tering. How that loss can be repaired in the most efficient manner, and with the hest results, must of necessity hecome a subject of the great- est importance to the generality of bee-keepers ; especially will it be the case with those who have been taught to depend, to a certain extent on the surplus store gathered by their bees to assist them in maintaining an honest and inde- pendent living. The first thought will be, ' What is the best method to he adopted ? ' The choice would be between either natural or artificial swarming ; both systems have for advocates men of emi- nence in the profession, many of whom have had large experience, but possibly the latter has the greater number, and they are gradually in- creasing in proportion as improved methods are practised and understood. The most common objections to natural swarming are : The time spent in watching ; the loss of queens by the bees mixing ; the loss by swarms flying away ; the queens laying less, and the hees storing less, when preparing for swarming. The general un- certainty of their swarming may very seriously affect the profitableness of the colony. The most powerful argument used by the advocates of natural swarming is that it imparts a greater amount of energy to the bees when they are allowed to swarm naturally. The success of artificial swarming greatly depends upon the experience of the bee-keeper and the method he adopts. The first can only be overcome by careful practice ; the other hy comparing his own with that of others who may have been more successful. The second thought would he, ' When would be the proper time to make the swarm ? Should it be hefore the main honey-flow begins, during the time of the flow, or after it has ceased ? ' The correct answer to these questions would very much depend on the condition of the bees at these various times. To divide a weak stock at any time would not be considered a very judicious act by the most intelligent bee-keepers ; only bees which are sufficiently numerous could be in a proper condition for dividing. Some of bee more timid and less experienced among the the-keepers might be disposed to ask, 'When are the bees in the best state for dividing?' The reply being ' When the brood nest is full to over- flowing with bees.' It is possible that even below that standard they may be divided to advantage. There is no doubt the age and general condition of the queen must have due consideration if the division is to be a success. If the queen is old, or her general condition has been impaired, though she may have been formerly prolific, there might be cause for doubt if she could maintain the brood nest at the normal state. In such case her successor would have to be provided. If a colony is sufficiently forward in numbers that it would admit of being divided at a time before the honey-flow, so that both colony and swarm would be able to fill their brood nests with a large proportion of sealed brood before the flow commenced, under such conditions it would be the hest to divide : there would be two colonies to work instead of one ; but if the 2S2 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [Jane 18, 1891. period would not allow of more being done than filling the greatest part of the brood nest with eggs and larvse, to divide under such cir- cumstances would be a questionable good. The young larvae would need the attention of the older bees, and, consequently, many would be at home which might have been in the fields gathering honey, and a large proportion of the stores brought home would be consumed by the brood, and less surplus could be stored. Some eminent bee-keepers have strong objections to late-reared queens. They are said to be short- lived, uncertain in their prolificness, having no security that they are properly fertilised. — R. M. FOUL BROOD AND FOREIGN BEES. [684.] Accept my best thanks for your reply to my inquiry respecting foul brood. It may perhaps be of interest to you to know that I keep about a dozen stocks of bees in frame hives, and have kept bees for upwards of twenty years, and up to this spring have never suspected foul brood. Two years ago I became possessed of two Car- niolan queens. These two stocks I have kept with difficulty to this spring, and I am glad to say both are now dead. It was from one of these stocks I sent the comb — I think the worst piece I could find ; but throughout each hive a few cells were to be found, and both suffered very much with dysentery. After my experience with foreign bees I shall have no more. I have no doubt my remaining stocks are more or less affected, but none of them, I hope, seriously. I shall take every precaution, and hope to soon have a clean bill of health. I had my first swarm on May 31st, very early for this district, and the earliest I have heard of.— C. C, Dalkeith, N.B. BACILLUS MINOR AND B. DEPILIS. [685.] Thanks for reply to my note. I was in- clined to be incredulous at first on your deciding so definitely that the comb I sent was badly in- fected with foul brood, as the disease has been until now quite unknown in this district, and I have kept up to a dozen hives for the last twelve years. I take it, however, you are likely to be correct in your opinion. The question with me now is, What ought I to do ? I must say that for a few years back, at least, I have occasionally noticed a few cells in some combs with similar appearance to those now condemned, and yet it does not seem to havB spread rapidly, nor yet impaired the vitality of my hives, for I consider my average yield has been very satisfactory. The hive from which the comb was taken was much weakened last season by the appear- ance of a disease referred to in the B.B.J, as paralysis. The bees seemed to be effected only on very warm days, and by August it seemed to have spent itself. I now find my best hive is also showing signs of the same disease, and a large number of dead bees are lying in front of the hive, so I presume that that hive is also doomed. I have now ten hives, all with frames, and standing about a yard or so from one another, and I do not know but that some of the frames from the diseased hive have been interchanged with the others. I have now closed up com- pletely, and destroyed the remaining bees in the affected hive. From what has appeared in the B. B. J. of the experiences of others in dealing with foul brood, I am not inclined to be sanguine about the powers of so-called 'cures.' It seems the disease, in some cases, may be stayed for a time only to appear again. I infer that you advocate the use of dis- infectants, and if so, will you kindly say which is the best to use ? Is it necessary to destroy the complete hive as well as combs ? One certainly grudges to lose or burn valuable hives, still, if absolutely necessary, I, at least, would be quite prepared to do so. — H. B., Kilmarnock, N.B. [Your experience, as detailed above, goes far to show that the disease under which the bees have been labouring ' for a few years back ' is the mild form commonly known as Bacillus minor, and, no steps having been taken to combat it, the wonder is that the more malignant Bacillus alvei has not developed itself ere now. Until it is known which of the other hives (if any) are affected with foul brood, we advise the use of a pinch (not more) of naphthaline, once a week, dropped down on to the floor-brood at the back or side of the hive as a preventive. But where it is known that any stock is f oul-broody, use formic acid or else Naphthol Beta as directed in former pages of B.J. There is no need to destroy hives in which diseased stocks have lived. Sulphur fumes properly applied will destroy any infectious germs completely. — Eds.] A CHEAP FEEDER WANTED. [686.] I quite endorse what Dr. Bartrum says re cheap feeder. Cannot you, dear sirs, urge some dealer to bring out a good, yet cheap, feeder ? I am in want of half a dozen now, but the price is a big item at present rates. — C. N. P. >Ij0ixis ia €nmc. June 22nd to 26th. — Royal Agricultural Society at Doncaster. Entries closed. July 2nd. — Kent Association in conjunction with the Rose and Horticultural Society at Farningham, Kent. Entries close June 27th. Jesse Garratt, Hon. Sec, Meopham, Kent. July 8th.— Middlesex B.K.A. County Show at Hampton. Hon. and Rev. H. Bligh, Hon. Sec. July 15th, 16th.— Armagh. Mr. E. Best, Armagh. July 15th, 16th. — Notts Agricultural Society at Nottingham. Bees, honey, and appliances. Entries close June 20th. For schedules, &c, A. G. Pugh, Hon. Sec, N.B.K.A., 49 Mona Street, Beeston, Notts. June 18, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 283 tymxit* antr Stylus. [364.] Foul -Brood Remedies — Controlling Swarming. — 1. Which of the three cures for foul brood— viz., (a) phenol, (b) formic acid, or (c) Naphthol Beta— do you consider the best and most certain ? I have three stocks in my apiary affected with foul brood. One especially, which seemed quite cured last autumn, has within the last three weeks become again badly attacked. Would you advise removing it some distance away or destroying it altogether ? Are not the healthy stocks in danger of getting infected, being all in the same garden ? Kindly say how Naphthol Beta should be used. 2. Is there any method of preventing the recurrence of swarm- ing ? I only want to take one swarm from each of my hives, and I have found that in spite of taking away the queen and returning second swarms, they keep on swarming several times, and the sections are, in consequence, deserted, and the principal flow of honey— viz., the clover — often lost. I have tried cutting away the sealed queen-cells, but have not found this of much use. Do you recommend putting the swarm into the parent hive, and removing the latter, viz., the brood combs and bees adhering to them, to another stand? — H. B., Galway. Reply. — 1. We are only able to judge of the •efficiency or otherwise of the several remedies named by general results in the hands of ordi- nary bee-keepers : (a) though no doubt effective in proper hands, has failed so frequently that we have ceased to advise its use, except in food as a preventive of infection ; (b) has done a good •deal of good in a general way, and stocks have been reported as quite cured by it ; (c) we are very hopeful that this remedy will prove an effective one, as it has the merit of possessing few of the drawbacks of the others. It is easily mixed with the food, the bees evince no dislike to it, and, if used in conjunction with a sparing use of naphthaline on floor-boards, will, we trust, prove a boon to bee-keepers. Directions for use accompany the remedy. 2. If an arti- ficial swarm is taken in the usual way from each hive, there should be no difficulty in pre- venting the old stock from swarming naturally a second time. Cut out all queen-cells found, save the best and most forward one, ten or twelve days after the swarm is taken from the stock. It is not a good practice, however, ' to take one swarm from each hive,' because the dividing of stocks seriously interferes with the chances of surplus honey-storing the same season. [365.] Melting Combs for Wax — l Deaf Comb.' — In this district (Cornwall) people say that no wax can be obtained from what they call 'deaf comb.' The method of obtaining wax from combs is to put the combs in a cloth and boil them in a saucepan or some suitable vessel for some time. The saucepan is then removed from the fire, and the wax is allowed to solidify on the surface of the water. They say here that the deaf comb remains in the cloth with other useless matter. Why should this be ? 1. What is deaf comb? 2. Does any change occur in the wax of comb used for breeding, so as to make it less meltable than the honey-comb? — H. C, Cornwall. Reply. — 1. We have heard the term ' deaf comb ' applied to combs in which the cells are so full of pollen as to be useless for breeding purposes. 2. Yes. Very old brood combs yield little wax, and are not worth the trouble of melting down. The cell-wall consists of nume- rous skins left behind by the bee when it emerges from the cocoon state ; and this seems to absorb the little wax left when the whole is melted in hot water. [366.] Sting-Prevention. — Can you tell me — 1. If you know a certain preventive to rub on hands to protect from stings ? I have tried winter-green oil and others, but they are not sure. 2. I have two stocks, not strong enough. Would the bees go back to their old place a few yards away if I united them and then removed one hive ? — H. C. Reply. — 1. Not using any preventive against stings ourselves, we cannot do more than advise a trial of such remedies as are recommended by those who do require such things. Vaseline has just been tried by some of our readers, and found effectual, but we think a good nerve and a steady, quiet method of handling is, after all, the best preventive. 2. Yes. It is necessary to bring the two colonies close together before uniting them. (Bfyais from % pitas. Leicester, June 3rd. — Getting Bees into Sec- tions.— The book (Tinker's) you lent me I was pleased with. Here and there I found some very good ideas, but there were others not practical with the ordinary English standard hives. I should not care to follow the book as a guide in everything. I think our books and journals are really more practical here in Eng- land. Modern Bee -keeping cannot easily be beaten for beginners. A new edition with a few changes and some additions would, I think, make it perfect for all ordinary bee-keepers. My bees are doing well. The weakest lot (youngest queen) at the middle of April is now my best. I have supers with ten shallow frames in each on three hives, all crowded with bees ; the fourth hive I have put sections on. At first bees would not go up, so I put on the top of sections a drone comb with a little honey, which I took out of the hive. This brought them up to clear it, of course. It has now been removed two days, and the bees are now crowding the sections, so I hope to get some this year. I have got a friend to do the same with his, and I believe it will succeed. We have abundance of 284- THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [June 18, 1891. bloom — apple, laburnum, horse-chestnut, crab, &c. The apple will last a full week yet, the chestnut more, and then there will be May- blossom and beans, &c. — T. D. JParracombe, near Barnstaple, June \§th, 1891. — Bees have done fairly well here during the past winter. I packed ten stocks in autumn, and looking- over them a month since, 1 found they had come through safely, four being very good, four good, and two weak, but all abun- dantly supplied with food. Since that date, however, both the weak ones have collapsed, leaving eight in good trim. A neighbour of mine has lost several stocks through robbing, and some others perished in the snowstorm on March 10th. The bees being in an exposed position, the snow drifted in all day through the entrances, and passed up between the combs and chilled them. Several others around here have lost rather heavily, but in many cases a little better management, might have prevented it. Somehow bees cannot manage to live with- out food any more than we can, and some folk won't feed them. I examined eight stocks for a farmer about a fortnight ago, and found them doing splendidly, almost every stock crammed full of bees, ready for sections as soon as weather gets a little warmer. I hear of several swarms having issued a few miles away, but none here as yet, though drones are flying. Beautiful weather here for the last few days, and I hope we shall soon see sections filling. — A. Delbridge. Bradford-on-Avon, Wilts, June 12th, 1891. — 1 have this last winter lost seven out of ten stocks. Have kept bees now four years, and never before lost one. They had plenty of stores, and were covered up thoroughly, but the frost penetrated, and killed them, I suppose. My bees have gathered a great deal of honey of late. Some bars with foundation, put in ten days ago, are filled, and yesterday (11th), I put about a dozen standard frames on top of hives. I may say I bought half a dozen more stocks two months ago ; all were weak, but they are now very strong. — H. C. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Letters or queries asking for addresses of manufacturers or correspondents, or where appliances can be purchased, or replies giving such information, can only be inserted as advertisements. The space devoted to letters, queries, and replies, is meant for the general good of bee-keepers, and not for advertisements. We wish our Correspondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessary for us to go to press in advance of the date of issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue immediately following the receipt of their com- munication. All queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only of personal interest will be answered in this column. H. S. W. — Queen is an old one. All queries should be forwarded to editorial office in London, not to King's Langley. East Lincoln. — We should have no objection to try the remedy if a sample were sent ; but it is scarcely reasonable to ask us to purchase an article for the purpose of gratuitously ad- vertising it. R. McC. (Paisley). — Queen bears the appearance of an adult, but a very small one. The body is quite unfit for post-mortem examination, being quite dry and hard. L. A. W. — Comb sent is affected with foul brood. Matthew H. Read. — The mutilated queen has lost a portion of two legs by some mis- adventure ; after fertilisation, we think. Her subsequent unprolificness is simply the result of her inability to move about on the comb. C. "Waldy (Sutton-on-Derwent). — The insect3 sent are the common burrowing sand-bee. They belong to the class Andrenidse, of which there are several varieties. Their habits are entirely different from the hive-bee, though they resemble the latter very much in appearance. J. W. Wright (Wakefield). — Comb sent is foul-broody. ON HIRE, BEE TENT.— For Terms apply to A. J. Beown, Hon. Sec, Bradley, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucester. 238 'PERFECTION' QUEEN-EXGLUDING ZING. THOMAS B. BLOW begs to announce that he is sole Wholesale Agent for Haevet & Co.'s New Pattern QUEEN-EXCLUDING ZINC. This particular perforation is absolutely perfection for its purpose, and is an exact repro- duction of one of the patterns known as DR. TINKER'S QUEEN-EXGLUDING ZING. Purchasers are cautioned to be careful to observe that they get zinc with the exactly correct width of perforation (which this is), as much of the zinc at present on offer is either too large or two small — - thus either letting the queen pass through or ex- cluding the worker-bees. For retail prices see Catalogue, sent free on appli- cation. Special quotations, according to quantity, will be given to dealers. MANUFACTURER OP BEE-KEEPING APPLIANCES WESWYST, HERTS. LINCOLNSHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. BRIGG EXHIBITION, 1891. PPJZES to the amount of £25 are offered, for HONEY, HIVES, and BEE APPLI- ANCES, to be exhibited at Brigg, on the 23rd and 24th of July next. Entry closes July 7th. For PRIZE LISTS and FORMS apply to STEPHEN UPTON, St. Benedict's Square, Secretary. Lincoln, 3rd June, 1891. THE %n Smmial, BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 470. Vol. XIX. N.S. 78.] JUNE 25, 1891. [Published Week!;/. (ffitittaxml, Wiotxan, t^r. THE LATE ME. J. M. McPHEDRAN. We have already alluded to the death of the ' Renfrewshire Bee-keeper ' on page 256 of the Bee Journal, and are now able to give a few particulars of his life which, we hope, will in- terest our readers. Mr. McPhedran was horn at Greenock in 1827. His father was Archibald McPhedran, whose ancestors were from Inverary. His mother was Miss Mary McCulloch, daughter of Mr. John McCulloch, of Craigbet, Bridge of Weir. He had two sisters and a brother, the latter dying of fever at the age of fourteen. Mr. McPhedran was educated under Dr. Brown at the Grammar School in Greenock, •■and when his education was completed he en- tered the mercantile office of Mr. McCurn, Excise Buildings, Greenock. There he remained some years, and this period of his life was most useful to him, for it laid the foundation of those exact business methods which distinguished him all through his after-life, and which those who have had anything to do with him could appre- ciate. In 1854 he gave up business and retired 1:o Craigbet, which he had inherited. Since that time he lias led the life of a country' gentle- man, taking special interest in Ayrshire cattle and Leicester sheep, for which he obtained a good many valuable prizes at various agricul- tural shows. It was soon after he settled at Craigbet that he took up bee-keeping, into which he entered with an enthusiasm which he retained to the end. Even during his illness he did not forget his bees, alluding to them in a letter he ad- dressed to us so late as the 11th of April last, in which he mentions the mildness of the weather, and his seeing the bees busily flitting amongst the crocuses, while he was a prisoner indoors, suffering from bronchitis. It is interesting to know how he was first induced to take a special interest in the honey-bee. He heard of washing- tubs full of honey-comb having been removed at the destruction of colonies of bees established in the roof of an old mansion in the district, and of a neighbour utilising a similar possession by getting a portion of the laths and plaster removed, and a board with buttons to keep it in its place substituted, and that this gentleman, with no little pride, would order his butler to cut out and set on the breakfast or dessert table honey -comb warm from the hive, to the ad- miration of his friends. Mr. McPhedran decided to try a similar plan with some colonies of bees that he found in the roof of his own house. He opened up a couple of the many stocks of bees which had from time to time established themselves in the roof of his house. Each colony occupied the vacant space between the rafters forming the roof, their combs being attached to the inner side of the boards to which the slates were nailed externally, and from whence they were carried down to the lath and plaster, a depth of about ten inches. To compel the bees to extend their combs out into the boxes he had prepared and set up to fit the square space cut out of the lath and plaster, he had the spaces below the combs boarded off level with the bottom of the boxes. Their ends fitting into the spaces were quite open, and top and bottom fitted with bars and slides for supering and nadiring, with glass fronts and thermometer for observation. The plan succeeded so well that the first season he took from these two hives half a hundred- weight of beautiful honey. The following season, to prevent swarming, he had to go on nadiring till he had one of the colonies occupying four roomy breeding-boxes. He took much interest in watching the proceeding of the bees through the front windows of the boxes, and became s<> deeply engrossed that he diligently read up all he could get hold of on the subject. He deter- mined to transfer some of these colonies to bar hives, and during winter he carefully removed the board of the boxes to which the combs werj fastened, and in their stead substituted tier upon tier of bar-frames, but found it a great difficulty to fix the combs in these. By patience and perse- verance the difficulty was overcome, and at length the bees were safely lodged in these hives, and he was rewarded the following season by quite a haul of honey. Although he kept the key of the loft in his pocket, necessary operations during summer would set a few workers free and they would get into the house, much to the annoyance of its inmates. He was consequently obliged to in- dulge his growing passion for bee3 by purchasing a couple of stocks from a weaver at the village, transferring the contents of the musty old skeps into his improved bar-frame hives. It chanced that about this time he saw s)me beautiful supers of honey in Stewarton boxes in a grocer's shop in Glasgow, which attracted his 285 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [June 25, 1891. attention, and, asking the price, he found three guineas asked for one of the best. Next season he again visited the shop, and was told by the dealer that the honey all came from Ayrshire, and was chiefly the product of white clover. He was pre- viously familiar with the milking qualities of the Ayrshire cow, and from this display of honey was naturally led to the conclusion that that county was literally a ' land flowing with milk and honey .' He therefore determined to explore the system that could produce such honey, and with this object in view made a tour the following season. Authority after authority on the bee was ransacked in vain for the Stewarton system— all were alike silent. The projected trip was carried out, and so pleased was he with what he saw that he determined to try it himself. Stewarton hives were procured, and by painstaking study of the system he very soon succeeded. It was not long, however, before he found he could improve the hive, and this he did by altering the bars, which were It? inches wide, with f- inch slides between them, to lr} inches for the breeding-boxes. He also increased the depth of these from 7 inches to 9 inches, and later added frames to the central bars. He was always a warm advocate of these hives, and maintained that the Stewarton was the best hive for working men, whose object was to get a good supply of honey. He also invented a queen-introducing cage, and other things, which he described in the earlier volumes of the Bee Journal. His first contribution on bees was made in 1860 to the Cottage Gardener, and he continued to write regularly for that paper (latterly known as the Journal of Horticulture) until the death of Mr. Woodbury, who conducted the bee- department of that periodical. When the British Bee Journal was started, he com- menced writing for it from the first number in 1873, and has been faithful to the Journal ever since. In this Journal he brought the Stewarton hive into prominent notice, tracing its origin to Sir Christopher Wren. The Rev. R. Saunders questioned this, and suggested Me we. This he later accepted, and admitted that the invention of the octagon hive was due to Mr. William Me we. Mr. McPhedran wrote under the nom de plume of 'A Renfrewshire Bee-keeper,' and stated that his reason for doing so was that when he first wrote to the Cottage Gardener he found Mr. Woodbury, who was the leader, had adopted the nom de plume of ' A Devonshire Bee-keeper,' which carried with it an idea of the writer's whereabouts, for comparison of seasons, &c. This nom deplume Mr. Woodbury used down to the last, and Mr. McPhedran determined to follow him, and hoisted the ' distinguishing pennant,' a ' Renfrewshire Bee- keeper.' He was in frequent correspondence with Mr. Woodbury, and was supplied by him with the first Ligurian queen, and also im- ported foul brood from Devonshire. Mr. McPhedran was an able writer and critic, and in all his controversies he was alwavs courteous to his opponents, though firm in the advocacy of his principles. Of a broad, liberal, and well-cultured mind, he was one of the most genial and interesting companions one could find. It is a good many years ago since we first made his acquaintance, and we have been in constant and frequent correspondence with him nearly up to the end, his last letter being that of April 11th, in which he tells us about his attack of bronchitis, and being obliged to have an eminent physician from Greenock. He was a faithful friend to the B.B.J. , and not only introduced it to his friends, but never failed to send us anything of interest culled from local papers. Not only has he obtained new adherents, but on several occasions he purchased 100 extra copies of the B. J. at one time to circulate among his bee-friends. The biography of Miss Macdonell, of Glengarry, pleased him so much that he forthwith ordered 150 copies of B.J. to be sent to him. His last contribution was the biography of Mr. John Love, which appeared in the number for January 22nd of this year. Mr. McPhedran had a serious illness about two years ago, from which he appeared to- recover thoroughly, and when we then visited him he seemed in perfect health ; but it was, doubtless, a forerunner of the speedy end. In the beginning of March of this year he caught a cold, which developed into an attack of bron- chitis, and this continued with more or less- obstinacy to the end. Behind this, however, there was a valvular affection of the heart, and the physician's certificate showed ' cardiac dis- ease ' and ' pulmonary congestion.' By the decease of Mr. McPhedran we have- lost an estimable man, whose like we see at long intervals only. He was a fine, strong-built man, and retained his vigour almost to the end.. He had been visited by his clergyman (Rev.. Thos. Duncan) less than twenty-four hours be- fore he died, and after prayer, in which he always very heartily engaged, he wished his- minister a hearty good-bye. Mr. McPhedran was a Presbyterian, and at home he was most careful of the religious and Scriptural training of his household. He- was a regular attendant at his church, and to his minister and family there never was a truer- or kinder friend. Every new boy who entered his employ received a Bible and a ' Shorter Catechism.' He was questioned on them every Sunday, and a prize was given for exact repe- titions of Catechism and Psalms. In fact, Mr.. McPhedran represents a class of noble and pious men, some of whom still remain, but many also seem to have passed away. Writing of him, Miss Macdonell says: 'I never met with so. many excellent qualities combined in one as I always found in him. Some faults he must have had, but his kind-he ai ted, generous use- fulness, and his religious opinions showing- through his words and actions, always struck me as very beautiful and very uncommon.' His living was most temperate. Spirituous, liquors he never touched, and it was with diffi- June 25, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 287 culty his physician constrained him, within a -week of his death, to accept the least quantity of it even as a medicine. Such power had his conscientious scruples with him that, on being asked to become a Justice of the Peace, his sense of the responsibility incurred in granting licences for the sale of liquor prevented him accepting the position. In 1881, Mr. McPhedran was dragged into liti- gation with a claimant for Craighet, but the claim was declared utterly groundless. The litiga- tion, however, caused him a good deal of trouble, and, doubtless, also expenses arose, although his adversary was saddled with them. Mr. McPhedran was never married, but had a sister living with him at Craigbet, who survives him. He was very fond of flowers, and we were much pleased with his garden, which was always a picture of neatness. Always generous with his flowers, it was in gathering some to send away to a friend that he caught the cold which had so fatal an end. He took a great interest in Quarrier's Homes for Destitute Children, and left 1750 I, to build a cottage in connexion with these homes. As one of the leading Scotch bee-keepers he will be missed by bee-keepers generally, and as a friend and neighbour by a still larger circle of friends. To his sorrowing relations we extend our sympathy. Personally, we feel the loss of our esteemed friend greatly, for we had so many interests in common that very soon after our acquaintance a friendship sprang up, and a constant correspondence was kept up to the last, even to his writing to ask us to advise him what had cured our attack of bronchitis. Honey and lemon was recommended, and the letter of 11th April before alluded to was the last in response. USEFUL HINTS. Weather. — What bee-keeper, we wonder, is complaining of the weather now 1 In the south it is, as we write, glorious for bees, and they know it, and show it too ! Had the ' Royal ' Show at Doneaster been fixed to take place a week or so later, a large display of honey would, no doubt, have been staged. As it is, we fear many have been reluctantly compelled to with- draw their entries, for, though supers are filling fast with us, nothing is sufficiently forward for removal. If the present high temperature does not culminate in a thunderstorm, and stop operations, a deal of honey will be secured in the next ten days. Swarms. — How do they come 1 We hear of four and six in one day in comparatively small apiaries, and, as many stocks have perished since last autumn, no doubt in most instances they will be accepted gladly to fill up empty hives. If dead colonies have left clean and healthy combs behind, these latter will be of the greatest service in helping on swarms to fill surplus cham- bers during the current year. We arranged a hive for the occupation of a fine swarm of our own the other day by giving four frames of worker comb, two of foundation, and two combs nearly full of sealed brood — most of which we uncapped — left in a stock which succumbed last winter. A box of shallow combs, nearly built out, was placed over the body-box, with excluder between, and the bees, we suspect, have carried much of the stores given them into the surplus chamber in addition to newly-gathered honey, for they are rapidly filling it. The eight frames will form a sufficiently capa- cious brood nest for this time of year. Swarms treated in this way may easily yield very good returns this year. When time is so precious, it is folly to give swarms more labour in comb-building than is really needed. Some work in that line must be provided, because it is the comb-building impulse — so characteristic of a newly-hived swarm — which makes the bees labour with such increased energy once they leave the old home to establish a new one, and if this instinct is made the most of this season we shall hope to hear of swarms doing considerably more than merely filling their hives with combs and food for themselves. Some we hear of, only hived ten or twelve days ago, have over twenty pounds in surplus chamber already. Sanding Alighting-boards. — Why do not bee-keepers more frequently use sand on alighting-boards ? The other day we saw the honej'-laden bees in an apiary struggling to mount the smooth painted surface of alight- ing-boards cut at a steep angle, and it was to the tired little creatures very much like ' climbing a greasy pole ' to enter their domicile. They slipped again and again in their efforts to get indoors. The owner acknowledged it was very disadvantageous, but had never thought of the ' dodge ' of painting the surface of the alighting-board after the day's work was over, and sprinkling a handful of fine sand over the wet paint. His bees in future will have no further trouble in that line. Self-hivers. — A report appears in this issue of the successful use of one of these the other day. We also note that a firm of appliance manufacturers have brought out a ' hiver ' in a somewhat changed form from those in use hitherto. The idea is a 288 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [June 25, 1891. good one ; it removes the disadvantage hitherto felt in placing the hive intended for the swarm with its face opposite to that of the full stock. Some hindrance to the free working of the bees resulted from this arrangement, and the new plan is to make the hiver in triangular form, thus : so that the hives are placed at right angles, with their respective fronts facing A and B. The hiver fills up the space between. The bees are directed to take a ' curv- ing sweep' — in the act of swarm'ng — from the parent hive into the new one, and judging from appearances we think it should work well. Surplus Honey. — 'Sectioning' and the filling of combs for extracting will demand most attention now. The value of ready- built combs in stock will be appreciated, much to the advantage of the extracting system as we think, for a world of trouble is saved when it is but necessary to add boxes of combs, the work of a couple of minutes, and the longer they are left on undisturbed the better, until the honey inflow begins to wane. Honey for extracting ripens and is preserved in better condition by remaining on the hives till required for market. Sec- tions, on the other hand, are best removed at once when sealed over ; they also re- quire careful attention to secure them in good form and of fine quality, and in view of these things it is quite worth considering whether the production of well-finished sections is adequately remunerative when compared with that of extracted honey. At all events, we consider our honey-pro- ducers well deserve all they earn in dis- posing of good sections at present prices. Carniolan Bees. — It will be an unmixed blessing to bee-keepers when these bees have absorbed so much of the characteristics of our non-swarming races as will tone down their excessive swarming propensities. At present they give much trouble to those who work on the non-swarming system, and so far as reports serve to guide us in forming an opinion, there seems no reliable plan of controlling them. A case has just occurred in which a full body-box of frames, with starters only, had been set below the brood chamber of a hive for some time with the view of stopping swarms, yet the first warm day out they came, though given ventila- tion, room, and plenty of comb-building to do, at which last operation they had re- fused to make a beginning. Carniolans have some good points without doubt, but if their faults are not soon ' improved out of them,'" we fear they will lose favour in this country. The Prospects of the Season. — It is gratifying to chronicle so favourable an out- look as the present weather affords. After much disappointment there seems to be a. very hopeful prospect of a good bee-season ; and not a whit too soon, many will say, for bee-keepers will be apt to forget what a real bee-year is unless some reminder of the old days comes around again ere long. The remembrance of a glut year, with ' honey everywhere,' is becoming quite a ' memory of the past ' with us, and we shall welcome any approach to a season which will serve to remind us of the good old times, of which the grand weather as we write seems to give us a foretaste. Northern bee-keepers, however, will be likely to reap more ad- vantage from the present fine weather, if it continues, than Southerners, the season with the former having scarcely begun yet ; while with the others three weeks of it are already gone. BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. Meeting of the Committee, held at 105 Jermyn Street on Wednesday, June 17th. Present: T. W. Cowan (in the chair), Hon. and Rev. H. Bligh, Rev. Dr. Bartrum, Rev. F. T. Scott, W. O'R. Glennie (Treasurer), J. M. Hooker, Dr. Ray nor {ex-officio), and the Secretary. Communications were received from Mr. Jonas, Captain Campbell, Mr. Carr, and Mr. Garratt, regretting their inability to be present. The Finance Committee presented their report, re- commending the payment of the prizes awarded at the Bath Exhibition, and also of certain ac- counts connected therewith. Resolved, that the best thanks of the Association be given to Mr. A. F. Martin for the valuable services he had rendered to the Committee in connexion with the Bath Show. The Chairman announced that Dr. Bartrum had very kindly invited the members of the Association to spend an afternoon at Wakes Colne. Resolved, that the best thanks of the Association be given to Dr. Bartrum for his kind invitation, and that endeavours be made to ar- range for an excursion party from Liverpool Street Station, Great Eastern Railway, on Satur- day, July 11th. Members of the Association desirous of joining the excursion party to Wakes Colne, Essex, by the kind invitation of the Rev. Dr. Bartrum, on Saturday, July 11th, are requested to commu- nicate with the Secretary, J. Huckle, Kings Langley, Herts, not later than Monday, July 6th. June 25, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 289 ESSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The annual count}' show of this flourishing Association was held at Maldon on June 10th and 11th. Mr. Jesse Garratt had accepted the po?t of judge, but owing to his serious indis- position, was unable to keep the engagement, and at the last moment Mr. T. W. Cowan kindly consented to fill his place, an honour which the bee-keepers of Essex duly appreciated. As for some years past, the show was held in con- nexion with the Essex Agricultural Society, forming the Honey and Hive Department of their annual county show, which is the largest got together by any single county, and more nearly approaches in size that of the Bath and West of England Society. Not the least interesting department of the" show was the bee and honey exhibition which was placed under the manage- ment of Mr. F. H. Meggy, of Chelmsford, as Hon. Secretary of the Essex Bee-keepers' Asso- ciation, and which occupied a spacious tent and range of shedding adjoining, centrally situate in the ground. The classes were divided into twenty-four competitions. The entries were about the same as last year at Chelmsford, and if the last few weeks of the season had been favourable there would have been a grand show of this year's honey. In accordance with the plan adopted by the British Bee-keepers' Asso- ciation, most of the honey classes this year were open to the exhibition of either old or new honey, and some very good exhibits were staged ; but owing to the inauspicious season there were only two unfinished sections of 1891 honey in the show. Messrs. Dines & Son, the well-known makers of Maldon, and Mr. W. Debnam, of Chelmsford (the expert of the Essex Associa- tion), were the only two firms who exhibited in the class for collection of hives and appliances, the latter showing the new Canadian super- clearer. Mr. A. Gayford, of Hervey Street, Ipswich, was a competitor against them in the class for the most complete frame hive. A very useful lot of hives, with all the latest improve- ments, were exhibited. Wax formed two very strong classes, and the quality was of such an even character that the judge had not an easy task in awarding the prizes. An admirable syllabus indicating the times on each day at which ' talks about bee-keeping ' would be in progress in the bee-tent, had been scattered broadcast over the town and show- ground, and partly as the result of this, no doubt, there were at intervals numerous gather- ings of those interested in the scientific culture of bees. The talks were given by the Be v. E. Bartrum, D.D., Wakes Colne ; Mr. E. Durrant, Chelms- foad; Mr. C. B. Finch, Great Baddow; and Mr. F. H. Meggy. Mr. F. H. Brenes, Brentwood, and Mr. F. Tunbridge, Broomfield, rendered valuable assist- ance in the tent, wheie an observatory bar- frame hive of four frames, well stocked with b.-ee, proved a great attraction. Representatives of the Association were pre- sent in the tent during the whole time the show was open to interview those who came in be- tween the lectures, and to answer questions with regard to bee-keeping. The driving was chiefly done by Mr. W. Deb- nam, expert of the Association. Dr. Bartrum examined two candidates for the B.B.K.A. certificate of proficiency in practical bee-keeping, but neither satisfied the examiner. Nearly fourteen thousand people paid for en- trance to the grounds during the two days of the show. The Essex Agricultural Society gave 10/. to- wards prizes, and provided covered shedding. The local Committee granted 10/. to ensure the attendance of the bee-tent and free lectures. Mrs. Watson and Miss Colvin, sister of the Pre- sident of the Agricultural Society, took this de- partment under their special patronage, and gave 51. towards the prizes, and special prizes amount- ing to upwards of 5/. were given by Mr. C. W. Gray, M.P., Mr. L. Bentall (the Mayor of Mal- don), Messrs. L. Belsham, Ed. Durrant, Dines & Son, F. II. Meggy, and J. T. Weston. Prize List. Class 127. Collection of hives, &c. — 1st prize, certificate and 11. 10s., Dines & Son ; 2nd, 1/., W. Debnam. Class 128. Frame hive. — 1st, 10,?., Dines & Son ; 2nd, 7 s. 6cl., W. Debnam. Class 129. Inexpensive ditto.— 1st, 10.*., Dines & Son ; 2nd, 7s. Gd., W. Debnam. Class 130. Pair of section racks. — 1st, 10?., Dines & Son; 2nd, 7s. Gd., W. Debnam. Class 131. Frame hive with pair of section racks, by amateur. — 1st, withheld ; 2nd, 10s., W. Barthrop. Class 132. Honey, 40 lbs. to 50 lbs.— 1st, certificate and 30s., A. Barnard; 2nd, 10s., W. Debnam. Class 133. Honey, 12 lbs. to 20 lbs.— 1st, certificate and 10s., Mr. W. Christie-Miller. Class 134. Three frames filled with comb honey. — 1st and 2nd, withheld ; 3rd, 5s., Mrs. T. Jackson. Class 135. Twelve 1-lb. sections of comb honey. — 1st, 10s., Mr. Christie-Miller; 2nd, 7s. 6d., W. Debnam; 3rd, -5s., J. C. Chilling- worth Class 136. Twelve sections 1891.— No ex- hibits. Class 137. Six 1-lb. sections of 1890 comb honey. — 1st, 10s., W. Debnam ; 2nd, 7s. 6^., the Rev. F. M. Sparks ; 3rd, 5s., F. H. Brenes.. Class 138. Single-section 1891 comb honey. — No award. Class 139. Twelve 1-lb. jars of extracted honey. — 1st, hive value 15s., Mrs. Cobb ; 2nd, 7s. Gd., W. Debnam ; 3rd, 5s., J. C. Chilling- worth. Class 140. Six 1-lb. jars of extracted honey. —1st, 10s., A. Mayell ; 2nd, 7s. Gd., Mrs. Cobb ; 3rd, 5s., W. Debnam. Class 141. Twelve 1-lb. jars of granulated honey.— 1st, 10s., F. H. Brenes; 2nd, 7s. Gd., W. Debnam ; 3rd, 5s., Mrs. T. Jackson. 290 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [June 25, 1891. Class 142. Beeswax, from 2 lbs. to 3 lbs.— 1st, 5s., Mrs. Cobb ; 2nd, 35., W. Debnam ; 3rd, 2s.. A. Mayell. Cottagers Classes. Class 143. Collection of honey, 12 lbs. to 20 lbs. —1st, certificate and 10s., C. M. Collins ; 2nd, 7s. 6d., G. Gibson; 3rd, 5s., A. Mayell. Class 144. Section of 1891 comb honey. — 1st, withheld; 2nd, 3s., J. Winter. Class 145. Six 1-lb. sections of comb honey. 2nd, 5s.f A. Mayell. Class 146. Six 1-lb. jars of extracted honey. —1st, 7s. foofos tcr €mm. Secretaries will please foneardbrief particulars of any Shows j; of included for insertion in this column, as early as possible to 17 King William Street, Strand, W.C. July 2nd. — Kent Association in conjunction with the Rose and Horticultural Society at Farningharn, Kent. Entries close June 27th. Jesse Garratt, Hon. Sec, Meopbam, Kent. July 8th.— Middlesex B.K.A. County Show at Hampton. Hon. and Rev. H. Bligh, Hon. Sec. July 15th, 16th. — Armagh. Mr. E. Best, Armagh. July 15th, 16th. — Notts Agricultural Society at Nottingham. Bees, honey, and appliances. Entries close June 20th. For schedules, &c, A. G. Pugh, Hon. Sec, N.B.K.A., 49 Mona Street, Beeston, Notts. July 23rd, 24th. — Lincolnshire Agricultural Society at Brigg. Stephen Upton, Sec, St. Benedict's Square, Lincoln. Julv 28th to 31st. — Highland and Agricultural Society at Stirling. Mr. T. D. Gibson-Car- rnichael, Melrose, N.B. August 5th, 6th, and 7th. — Yorkshire Agri- cultural Society at Bradford. Entries close June 27th. Marshall Stephenson, Sec, York. €nxxz8$ttriimxtz. BEES FIGHTING AMONG THEMSELVES. [687.] I intended to write to you a fortnight ago on the above subject, but was prevented by pressure of various kinds. I have not the slightest doubt of the correctness of the sug- gestion made by a correspondent that the apparently unaccountable quarrels of bees of the same hive occur through confusion of odours, consequent on part of the community feeding on honey given to them from some other stock, and possessing a strong and very different aroma from that stored by the par- ticular community. A friend of mine in this neighbourhood — a number of the M. B.K.A. — had detailed to me, some weeks ago, the account of a serious fight which had taken place in one of his hives after he had supplied them with frames of honey from another stock. On his inquiring what could be the reason of the occur- rence, I at once suggested the above explanation, the truth of which seems to me beyond doubt. The subject is of great importance. A sure preventive would be to spray the combs of the stock, and those to be introduced from another hive, with weak syrup slightly scented with peppermint. — W. H. Harris, Ealing, Middlesex. CARNIOLAN BEES. [683.] May I trouble you with my troubles ? I am the fortunate (?) possessor of two stocks of Carniolan bees. I have two neighbours who hold six or seven stocks of the same nationality. Not one of these gave us one ounce of honey last year, they did not even store enough for their own sustenance. This year their frames are not worked full of comb, and the cry is, 'The Carniolans are swarming again!' They invariably settle on the highest trees, in the most inaccessible places (to the bee-keeper). The trouble they give, as compared to blacks or Italian hydrids, is in proportion to the maximum of honey stored by blacks to the nil stored by Carniolans. Their much -vaunted gentleness I must call ' cussed laziness.' They are too idle to sting. Why ? Because they are too idle to store, so they have nothing to protect. Do they come from a colder climate than ours, that the genial temperature of some days in our summer is more than they can bide ? If so, do you think I could get a Green- land queen from the ' icy mountains ' to restore the balance by mating with one of our numerous Carniolan drones ? I have studied and valued the B. B. J. for nearly two stages of my life, and I am in this position. A young lady wished to commence bee-keeping, and upon the faith of opinions in the B. B. J. I bought her a stock of what have turned out to be ' cussed lazy one3.' She reminds me now that for twenty months she has kept bees, as they would not attempt to keep themselves. So consider how I have fallen in the opinion of one under whose sunny glance 1 would have risen — I dare not say how much ! Awaiting your help, — Tinker, Hert- ford, June loth. SELF-HIVERS. [689.] Just a line to say that I hived a swarm by means of the ' self-hiver ' on June 4th, after being on only two days. This is considered early for this district. — W. Pattinson, Sunderland, June 7th. NOTES BY THE WAY. [690.] Well, Mr. Editor, we have entered on summer at last. Though long wished for, and late in coming, it has not failed us, verifying June 25, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 291 the old, old text, ' Summer and winter, seedtime and harvest, shall not fail.' My bees have changed from want to plenty. Only a short time hack we were feeding to keep them from starving, and now they are booming and roaring — literally rolling in wealth. Swarm- ing has become general, the tone of the skeppist is changed from doleful strains to a good ' brag/ ■and all goes merry as wedding bells. In my home apiary we have had swarming in ail directions — to the right and to the left, in front and in the rear, while swarms that located them- selves in prepared hives with combs last Sunday now want supering (Thursday), showing what British bees are capable of if only the weather is right. Queen-wasps are still numerous, and every one is killed that it is possible to reach. I look forward to some trouble with them this coining 'barley harvest.' I never remember them so numerous as this spring, showing the rascals are hardy. I can endorse the argument of ■ Crof tamie ' {676, p. -71), on scent in bees, and have no doubt his idea is very feasible about bees entering and ■cleaning out old combs, thereby getting perhaps a musty scent,' and with such are not allowed to enter their home without molestation. I hope the weather will hold up all the time of the ' Royal Doncaster ' this week, and that the honey classes will be fairly well filled. If this grand bee-weather had come a week sooner, we should have had a good show of honey staged. The ' Royal Counties ' is -at Portsmouth this year, but owing to the exclusiveness of the Hants and Isle of Wight Association, the show of honey must be of a limited quantity, as it is confined to the county of Hants and three miles outside — but as a great part of this three-mile boundary is water, it does not include many bee-keepers. I must conclude these short notes, as another swarm is on the wing, and where is the bee-keeper who can pleasantly write when bees are swarming ? Au revoir. — W. Woodley, World's End, Neivbury. CHEAP FEEDERS. [691.] Your readers may find the following letter, which was kindly addressed to me, inter- esting and useful. — E. Bartruji, D.D., Wakes •C'olne Rectory, Essex, June \2th. ' Dear Sir, — I have just been reading 3-our letter in the Bee Journal and remarks about cheap "eeders. I venture to describe a plan of my own, which is cheap enough and which I find answers very well. It consists of the lid of a coffee tin, or, when I want to give more food, an old sardine tin, with a hole punched through the centre with a large wire nail. Then I have a little piece of tin about the size of a sixpence, which also has a hole punched through the middle, with a wooden pep; fixed tightly in it. This fits loosely into the hole in the box, and the syrup gets under it. The bees take it, I ■dare say, by their mouth ; they shake the peg, and so promote the flow. I then lay a piece of glass on the top, and it is complete. When feeding I move the glass a bit on one side, and pour in till the food touches the glass. If at any time it gets clogged, all one has to do is t > take hold of the peg and raise it, and it clears itself. It is important, of course, that the little piece of tin should be quite flat, or the syrup might escape too quickly. I find that by this plan I can feed five or six hives in a very few minutes, with hardly any mess and without making my hands sticky. For filling these feeders, at least the small one, I use an oil-can with a long spout, but with the sardine tin a bottle or jug will do. It is a simple matter, and it is very cheap. The feeders stand on a bit of wood with a hole in it. — J. W. Napier. ULSTER B. K. ASSOCIATION. [692.] A letter headed 'Joining Bee Associa- tions,' on p. 233 of your issue of 14th May last, signed ' J. D. McNally,' though not of general interest, concerns me, so I beg leave to trespass a little on your valuable space to correct an erroneous impression it seeks to give, i.e., that the Ulster Bee-keepers' Association is a select or exclusive association. Your remark on ' blackballing ' is hardly ap- plicable in this case, as I will show, nor can I find that any one was ever blackballed by this Association, nor, except in this case, did any one to my knowledge ever fail to gain admission thereto. Mr. J. D. McNally classes himself as a ' be- ginner,' so, perhaps, he may not be the Mr. McNally who exhibited honey at the North-East of Ireland Bee-keepers' Association Show in 1888. I believe, however, that at least one member of the Committee present at the meet- ing when Mr. McNally 's name was proposed, was under the impression that he was the same. The name was proposed by me in the usual way, but was not seconded, so could not be put to the vote. Regretting that your pages should be occupied with such a matter as these letters — J. Frew, Assistant Secretary, U.B.K.A., Bel- fast, June \-jth. NAPHTHALINE AND FOUL BROOD. [693.] I am sorry to have to trouble you again after the pains you took last year with a case of foul brood in my apiary, and I tender you my thanks for the advice you then gave, which I think has proved successful. The stock then affected is now apparently perfectly healthy ; but will you kindly give me your opinion of the piece of comb sent by this post, which I have to-day taken from another stock ? I don't think it is foul brood, as two years ago the same stock was similarly affected, and you then pronounced it not foul brood. I also sub- mitted to you a similar piece of comb from another strong stock in the village, which you pronounced not foul brood ; but the question is, 292 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [June 25, 1891. If this is not foul brood, what is it ? and why- two years ago, and again now, should the brood die in this manner ? If you find foul brood it may be interesting to yon to know that this stock has been care- fully spring-fed every night with Naphthol Beta in syrup (seeing you are now very much recom- mending it), and that rather more than a week ago, in cutting out comb to send to you, I put a teaspoonful of naphthaline on floor-board, same as that sent to you, and in examining to- day was agreeably surprised to find only one dead grub in the whole stock, This, to me, speaks highly for the naphthaline. I hope you will not conclude it is chilled brood, as the piece of comb was taken from the middle of a strong stock. The only mention I can find in my bee- books of anything similar is in Simmins's book, where he attributes brood dying to the want of vigour in the queen — but that certainly cannot be the case with mine, as the stock is very strong. Is the sample of naphthaline enclosed the right kind ? My chemist tells me it is pure naphthaline, but I am afraid it has not sufficient odour to be effectual. It certainly is not so strong as that I used last year. — L. H. W. [We have very carefully examined with the microscope the contents of comb sent, and can find no trace of foul brood. You ask us ' not to say it is chilled brood,' and we would gladly not do so, since it is so difficult to realise that the brood can have become chilled under the circumstances stated ; but there are all the usual symptoms of chilled brood in the remains of the dead larvre under the microscope, and we can offer no other explanation of the fact. The naphthaline sent is the kind known as albo-carbon, sold in sticks and pounded. It is scarcely so powerful as the pure white crystals we use, but we are glad to notice its beneficial effects in your case. Mind and not overdose the bees with it, as some have done recently. — Eds.] CHEAP FEEDERS. [694.] In Dr. Bartrum's letter (675, p. 269), he asks for a bee-feeder that can be used with less inconvenience than those now in use. I have recently taken out a ' provisional specification ' for a hive I have named the ' English ' hive, in which this matter was con- sidered, with the result that, with this hive, the bees can be fed at side of hive at all times (with or without crate on top), with either syrup or dry food. Next week I hope to send you plan and particulars of the hive.— A. T. Wilmot, St. Albans. TRADE CATALOGUE RECEIVED. Wm. McNally, Glenluce, N.B. (32 pp.) — Mr. McNally has this season extended his neatly got-up price-list, and included in it is to be found almost every necessary required for bee- keeping purposes. The specialities of this catalogue are metal roofs for hives, a list of prices for hives in the flat, honey-comb designs, and recipes for candy and syrup-making. ($mxu8 arid* ^splits. [367.] One of my stocks (a hybrid Carni- olan) is on ten frames, with ten empty frames fitted with half-inch starters underneath, as I wish to prevent swarming if possible. There was also a crate of sections on, partly worked out. On Saturday, the 13th inst., the bees were seen coming out in large numbers, the air appeared full of them and the ground strewn, and my people at home thought, of course, the bees were swarming. My wife threw a wet cloth over the hive, and in about ten minutes- most of the bees had returned to it, and matters quieted down. I was told, that when the bees returned, they hung in a large mass from the alighting-hoard, and also complete!}- covered one of the hive legs. For two or three days previously the sections appeared full of bees, but little work was done^ On reaching home about two p.m., I opened the hive, cut out four or five sealed queen-cells,, placed an outside frame, which had no brood but only some stores, in centre of hive, and a second crate of sections underneath the first, and the bees yesterday seemed inclined to work; any- way, they did not cluster in the upper sections,. but, flew freely. Can you account for the com- motion ? Is it possible the bees attempted to- swarm, but the queen refused to go ? I do not think an}7 actually went, as although I did not see the queen afterwards, it may be because I did not look carefully for her. The bees were so thick on the combs that I had to shake them off before I could see the queen-cells. Have I done the best thing, or what could I have done better ? Can I do more to prevent swarming, and would you advise me periodi- cally to look for and cut out queen-cells ? I do- not like pulling the hive to pieces more than need be. — East Dulwich. Reply. — You should clear up the uncertainty as to the queen being still with the bees or not.. If the swarm has returned to the hive through some mishap to the queen, your action in de- stroying all the queen-cells will be disastrous unless eggs are given the bees, from which to raise another queen. [368.] Decoy Hives. — My hives cannot be constantly under observation. If I were to- place an empty hive, fitted with comb founda- tion, alongside the hive I expected to throw off a swarm, would the swarm be likely to take possession of it ? Would there be any harm in. placing such an empty hive alongside a full one? Would it create the inclination to rob ? An answer will oblige. — Subscriber, June 17th. Reply. — The chances are very much against your own swarm taking possession of the vacant hive, though it is quite common for stray swarms to enter hives left prepared for occupa- tion. No harm will result from your placing- the hive as proposed. June 25, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 293 [369/] Separating Queen from Bees and Brood. — I have a stock wintered on a double set of frames, but which are working in the top story only. There is plenty of brood in tbis top story, and I wish to place the queen in bottom story, and confine her there. Is it best to change the bottom frames to the top and vice versa, or brush the bees from top frames, leaving the bees in latter case to return to brood and hatch out, leaving queen in bottom meanwhile ? — J. G., Great Wyrley, June 17th. Reply. — On no account do as you propose. If you did, the bees would probably pass through the excluder to the brood above, and leave the queen alone in the body-box below to die. If you move the queen at all into the lower chamber, the brood and bees must be moved with her. [370.] Have you, or any of your friends, ever *ried the ' Conqueror ' hive, and does it carry out all the Crown Bee Company claim for it ? — East Kent. Reply. — We have not, but cannot answer for others. <£r|j0jes ixmrt % Hikes, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington, June loth, 1691. — -At last we seem to have got a whiff of summer, although the nights are very cold — and don't the bees enjoy it ! We have hawthorn out in abundance ; also the beans are just coming into bloom. I was coming across a field on the 10th (after going to hive my second swarm at a small experimental out-apiary), and saw quite large patches of white clover just breaking into bloom, showing unmistakably that it is no myth to get whitethorn and clover honey. Have got a lot of stocks supered, and hope that Ave may soon have some honey, as I should like to try the bee-escape. Just a word to friend Woodley : There is a lot of forget-me- not in my garden, and my bees have worked on it a good deal. Whether they get much out of it or not I cannot say. — John Walton. Willsnaclc, Germany, June 15th, 1891. — We have had here all throngh May and June the Avorst imaginable weather for bees — night-frosts, rain, and such weather that bees are unable to fly. New and old colonies have had to be fed. Swarms of May 22nd, notwithstanding daily feeding, have not been able to build out tAvo inches of comb. — C. J. H. Graa'enhorst. Stratton St. Margaret, Wilts, June loth, 1891. — A ' bee-autif ul ' week's weather for the bees. Our doctor had two swarms on Wednesday last and one on Saturday. Our season is very back- wark — quite a fortnight later than usual. Our main ' flow ' will not commence for a week yet. No grass has yet been cut. To-day is very windy, with sharp showers this evening. — C. J. G. Gilbert. Rivington, Chorley, Lancashire, June 15th. — Bees here have at last had a glorious week, working on the hawthorn and carrying in water ; and how delicious the smell of the hives in the evening ! — it cheered me up to the extent of putting ten frame supers on two or three hives, and now, alas ! the Aveather has changed, and the cold N.E. winds have come again. This year the bees are fully a fortnight behind. I have not heard of any swarms about here. I find corks, cut in tAvo or three pieces, and put in the water, prevents the bees from droAvning better than anything else. I do not like tea- leaA-es, as they decay. I sprinkle a pinch of salt in the water every two or three days, as I once noticed a number of bees drinking on the grass, after a shower of rain, where some salt had been accidentally spilt, and ever since I have supplied them Avith it, and they seem to like it.— A. AULSEBROOK. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Letters or queries asking for addresses of manufacturers of correspondents, or where appliances can be purchased, or replies gioing such information, can only be inserted as advertisements. The space devoted to letters, queries, and replies, is meant for the general good of bee-keepers, and not for advertisements. We wish our Correspondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessary for us to go to press in advance of the date of issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue immediately following the receipt of their communication. A. W. Ping (Auchtertool, N.B.).— Queen sent is an old one ; she shoAvs no trace of Ligurian blood. W. J. S. (Woodford.)— We should say the best districts, at the distance named, are on either the G.N. or S.E. lines. Ellis E. Crisp (Stafford).— Queen was dead when received ; she is evidently old and ex- hausted, hence her breeding only drones. Anxious (Draycott, Derby). — The queen looks much older than one year. Are you not mis- taken in her age ? The body is too dry for dissection. Col. — If you will send another piece of comb with dead brood we will examine it under the microscope, and report. From inspection with the naked eye we should say it is not foul brood. No stamped envelope was enclosed. E. C. It. W. — If you will read the Guide-hook carefully, you will not find any inconsistency in the two passages you allude to. You have overlooked the fact that in the chapter on ' Nucleus Hives,' the time of fertilisation is given from the time of inserting queen-cells, and not from the laying of the eggs. Deduct ' three or four days ' from ' the week, or little more,' and you will find the period of flight agrees with the passage alluded to. S. A. Hughes. — Something in the nature of a race between bees and pigeons is supposed to have taken place in Germany a year or two ago, and the matter has several times been referred to in our columns. R. Dutton (Witham). — Queen is an old one. R. Godson (Alford, Lines.). — The bees have evi- dently deposed and killed the queen themselves, and the 'turn-out' witnessed would be just due to the excitement. It has been very common this spring for bees to destroy their queens in this way. THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [June 25, 1891. ON HIRE, BEE TENT.— For Terms apply to A. J. Brown, Hon. Sec, Bradley, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucester. 238 'PERFECTION' QUEEN-EXCLUDING ZING. THOMAS B. BLOW begs to announce that he is sole Wholesale Agent for Harvey & Co.'s New Pattern QUEEN-EXCLUDING ZINC. This particular perforation is absolutely perfection for its purpose, and is an exact repro- duction of one of the patterns known as DR. TINKER'S QUEEN-EXCLUDING ZINC. Purchasers are cautioned to be careful to observe that they get zinc with the exactly correct width of perforation (which this is), as much of the zinc at present on offer is either too large or two small — thus either letting the queen pass through or ex- cluding the worker-bees. For retail prices see Catalogue, sent free on appli- cation. Special quotations, according to quantity, will be given to dealers. THOMAS 33. BXiOTXT, MANUFACTURER OF BEE-KEEPING APPLIANCES V7E1WYN, HERTS. LINCOLNSHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. BRIGG EXHIBITION, 1891. PRIZES to the amount of £25 are offered for HONEY, HIVES, and BEE APPLI- ANCES, to be exhibited at Brigg, on the 23rd and 24th of July nest. Entry closes July 7th. For PRIZE LISTS and FORMS apply to STEPHEN UPTON, St. Benedict's Square, Secretary. Lincoln, 3rd June, 1891. NAPHTHOL BETA. AS we find that some of our Subscribers are not able to procure the right sort of NAPHTHOL BETA, we shall be pleased to supply any who are not able to obtain it through the usual sources, at Is. a packet, post free. The packet contains an ounce, and is sufficient to medicate 145 lbs. of sugar. Printed instructions accompany each packet. British Bee Journal Office, 17 King William Street, Strand, London. BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' PEACTICAL NOTE-BOOK, With Rules for the General Management of Movable Comb Hives. By THOS. W. COWAN, F.G-.S., &c, Editor British Bee Journal. Consists of a Series of Tables by means of which the Bee-keeper can keep a record of all his Obser- vations and Operations. A Pocket-companion in- dispensable to the practical Bee-keeper. Price Is., postage Id. Bee Journal Office, Kings Langley, Herts ; and 17 King William Street, Strand, W.C. THE HONEY BEE: Its Natural History, Anatomy, and Physiology. By T. W. COWAN, F.G.S., &c, &c, Editor of tlie British Bee Journal. Cloth gilt, price 2s. 6d. ; postage 2\d. London : Houlston & Sons, Paternoster Square ; all booksellers; and British Bee Journal Office, Kings Langley, Herts ; and 17 King William St., Strand, London, W.C. I. P. MEADOWS, SYSTON* LEICESTER PATENT EXTRACTORS. A SPECIALITY. THE RA.YNOR 30/0 THE GUINEA 21/0 THE WINDSOR 12/6 The vert Best and Cheapest made . New Gearing with Ball Bearings. NEW CATALOGUE POST FREE. My Spec Extractors. New Frame. Feeders. Dividers. ities are- XL Ail Hive. W.B.C. Ends. Section Cases. Smokers, &c. THE Irish %n 3mmtal, BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 471. Vol. XIX. N.S. 79.] JULY 2, 1891. [Published Weekly. editorial, jtolTOg, fo, ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY'S SHOW AT DONCASTER. We are glad to record a very successful week at Doncaster. Beginning1 with the journey down, the ' bee-keeper ' arose within us at the sight of extensive sheep-pastures white with clover-bloom following each other in rapid suc- cession right through Herts, Lincolnshire, and on into Yorkshire. It made one sigh for ' a good time on it ' for the bees, and so far the weather has been all on our side. Excepting a brief but heavy downfall of rain on the third day, it has been warm and bright, favourable for the show and for the bees at home. A hundred acres of the town moor, or racecourse of St. Leger fame, were boarded off for the requirements of the show, and its fine park-like turf was admirably adapted for the purpose. Moreover, the people of Doncaster are so accustomed to ' haudling ' great crowds, that half the elements of success were there beforehand. The broad highway known as the York Road, allowing free driving-room for six or seven lines of vehicles, was quite a sight with its never-ending stream of conveyances going and coming to and from the ' course ; ' then the roomy footway for pedestrians, flanked by noble trees, which, affording a grateful shade from the hot sun, tended to give one the idea that the place had been designed and laid out with the special object of providing for the passage of large bodies of people from the town to the racecourse. Anyway, it served that purpose well last week, for there was no inconvenient crowding, no ' blocks ' of vehicles ; indeed, it was quite a ' comfort ' to either walk or ride the mile and a half of distance between the town and show-ground, forming a marked contrast to the constant stoppage and difficulty of locomo- tion in the ' long walk ' in Windsor Great Park a couple of years ago. Arrived at the ground we at once made our way to ' the bees.' By the way, let us here give a 'hint' to all bee-men who attend 'Royal' shows, and often experience some trouble in finding out where the bees are located, the same spot being arranged for each successive year. If the visitor, on entering the ground, bear3 round to the left, keeping close to the outer line of the stands on that side, he may continue his walk till he reaches the bee department, sur- mounted by a flag with the large black figure of a bee upon it. The first view of the frontage to the bee- shedding impressed us favourably ; indeed, county secretaries and those who have the management of shows would do well to adopt either the same arrangement or some modifica- tion of the plan wherever the extent of the exhibition warrants it. Mr. Huckle has worked now for some years improving and perfecting his method of displaying the exhibits to the best advantage, and we venture to say that, if all the entries for honey had been staged, the show at Doncaster would have been the best-arranged one yet held. The total length of shedding occupied was 125 x 25 feet, a stand running right round the shed on its three inner sides. Here were staged the several collections of appliances, a fine Observatory hive stocked with bees dividing each exhibitor's goods from those of his neigh- bour, and as the bees of all these had free flight to the outside they worked comfortably and laboriously every day while the show lasted. The bees confined in Unicom b Observatory hives — of which three were staged — had a less happy time of it, and it would be an improvement if it were made imperative that all bees shown must have the means of flight provided. • The frontage of the shedding was mainly occupied by the single hive classes, and that for extractors, the whole of which were staged on a low platform, sixty feet long. Raised above the hives at the back ran a light open shelving, on which exhibits in the several classes for comb and for extracted honey were displayed, both sections and glass jars being well seen from both sides. At each end stood a table, about seven by four feet, intended for the ac- commodation of Class 311, For the best and most attractive display of Honey ; but, as only four exhibits of the nine entries put in an appear- ance, all were staged at one end. The bee-tent, wherein manipulations and lectures took place, was admirably situated about thirty yards away, just in front of the main portion of the department, a most con- venient position, as the attention of visitors could be easily directed to it, and large audiences were present at each of Mr. Green's lectures. On Friday, Sir Jacob Wilson, hon. director 296 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [July 2, 1891. of the show ; Earl Cathcart, chief steward ; the Mayor of Doncaster ; Mr. Ernest Clark, secretary, and several members of the Council, who were accompanied by Lady Wilson and other ladies, paid a'visit to the bee department. They were received by Mr. Cowan, who explained various matters connected with bee-keeping to them. At a special lecture which was arranged for them, the visitors expressed themselves much pleased with all they had seen and heard. Altogether the incident of the visit afforded a further proof of the interest taken in the bee department by the leading members of the Council and their friends. The attractiveness of the bee-exhibits was considerably enhanced by the beautiful flowers and plants generously sent, in response to the Secretary's request made in our columns, by Miss Cooper, Leicester, and Messrs. Hodgeman, Bodding, Kent ; Pickering, Elmswick, Yorks. ; Sells, Alfreton; T. Giles, Cowfield Apiary, Salisbury ; and Green, Rainham, Kent. Several boxes of fresh flowers arrived during the week, and Mr. Huckle is indebted to the senders for enabling him to keep all so blight and attractive while the show lasted. The Exhibits. The total number of entries in the fifteen classes connected with bees, hives, honey, &c, was 143, and, excepting those for honey of the current year, there were few absentees. Class 300, for collection of hives and appliances (seven entries) was a good one, Messrs. George Neighbour & Sons taking the first prize of ol. with an excellent display of goods, well made and thoroughly efficient from the practical point of view. The second prize of 21. 10s. went to Mr. W. Dixon, of Leeds, who was run very close for second place by another northern exhibitor, Mr. A. C. Jemieson of York, the latter being highly commended. The winning points in the second prize exhibit were gained in the ' other distinct articles beyond those enu- merated in the schedule.' Class 301. Best observatory hive stocked ivith bees. (Seven entries.) — Some fine hives were shown in this class, the first prize being an especially good stock of bees on six combs, while the second and third were on four combs respectively. A fine colony of Carniolans — completely filling a thirteen-frame glazed hive, besides a single comb in a separate unicomb hive filled with bees, and the presumed queen of the hive below — was unnoticed by the judges, probably in consequence of its not fulfilling the requirements of the schedule. Class 302. Best hive for general use. (Nine entries.) — The first prize was taken by a hive known as 'Neighbour's W.B.C. Hive,' with the general features of which readers of the B.J. are familiar. Here, again, the accuracy of make in the article staged was much in its favour. It consisted of body-box and shallow-frame chamber, each with ten frames, and the section box described on page 276 of our issue for June 18th. The only feature in the hive we did not care for was an alteration in the orginal size of the outer case. Here the maker, in order to secure some supposed advantage in making the outer case square, has reduced the space between the back of the hive and the outer case so as to render packing at that part difficult. We advise a return to the more oblong form as in the original, where there is nearly one and a half inches of packing space on three sides. The second prize was awarded to Mr. C. Redshaw for a well-made hive of the same type, but with a different porch and entrance, and an ordinary rack of sections in lieu of that shown in the premier exhibit. Mr. Redshaw also gained third prize for a double-walled hive of somewhat similar construction to his ' Nottingham ' hive, the difference consisting in the substitution of a shallow-framed surplus chamber for the second body-box of standard frame, with its unsightly double porch, and the lift in two parts, as in- troduced into the same hive at Plymouth last year. Among the six unplaced exhibits in this class were some very good hives. No. 296, staged by Mr. E. C. Walton, had an uncanny look by reason of the numerous ' buttons ' fixed to each of its various parts to keep all together. It was a cheap hive at the price (15s.), and included a ten-frame body-box of standard frames, with shallow-frame super, convertible into a cover for section rack if needed. No. 297 was a very commodious hive, suitable only for very good honey districts. The body contained thirteen standard frames, and there were, besides, two shallow-frame surplus chambers, with thirteen frames in each — in all, thirty-nine frames for brood and honey. Messrs. Neighbour, who ex- hibited this hive, do not often allow ' faults ' to exist in their goods, and this fact impels us to- notice one blemish in an otherwise excellent hive — the same fault also existed in Mr. Wal- ton's exhibit just mentioned — viz., the open space below the lug of the frame ends, in which stray bees are imprisoned only to perish when storifying the surplus chambers one above an- other. No. 301 — Meadows' 'XL all ' hive — has the advantage esteemed by some bee-keepers of having its various chambers square in form, sa they can be worked at will with frames either parallel or at right angles to entrance. We do- not like Mr. Meadows' method of fixing the porch to the floor-board. It is surely better to lift it off and on along with the outer case. In Class 303—; for an inexpensive frame him- for cottagers' use (eleven entries) — Mr. Redshaw took first and second prizes with hives priced at 10s. 6d. and 12s. 6d. respectively, the cheaper article getting first place. Both these hives are- well-known ones of Mr. Redshaw's make, and are excellent articles for the money. An adap- tation of his 'XL all ' hive by Mr. Meadows-, was awarded third prize, the body, frames, roof, and stand being priced at 8s. 3d. Of the re- maining exhibits in the class some were too- high-priced, hives at 19s. 6d., 15s., and 14s. 6d.. each scarcely meeting the idea of ' an inexpensive- July 2, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 297 hive for cottagers' use,' as specified in the schedule. Class 304. For the best honey extractor, (Three entries.) — Mr. Meadows received first award for the ' Raynor,' with an improvement (?) in the form of a 'gearing' similar to those used in tricycles. The maker takes the pre- caution to include with the machine means for dispensing with the multiplying gear and for using the simple handle affixed to the shaft, which would seem to meet all requirements. Messrs. Neighbour's second-prize machine could easily he made much less cumbersome by re- ducing the diameter of the cylinder without in any way detracting from its efficiency. It is practically the ' Rapid ' designed by Mr. Cowan some years ago, and holds two shallow frames in each of the swinging cages, in which the combs reverse without removal. A ' highly commended' was given to Lowth's improved ' Unique ' machine, which is now made to take in standard and shallow frames as well as sections. Class 305. For the best pair of section racks. (Eight entries.) — Messrs. Neighbour got first prize for a pair of section boxes illustrated in our pages recently in the article on ' Working for Comb Honey.' It is called Neighbour's '-W.B. C section box, and needs no further description than has already appeared. Mr. C. Redshaw took second prize for a good pair of racks of the well-known type in general use, and Messrs. Neighbour were highly commended for their second exhibit. Class 306. Best rapid feeder, (Seven entries.) — Manufacturers are still busily occupied in im- proving and perfecting this useful implement in the apiary. Slow feeders are well-nigh as per- fect as they will be, but the more recently intro- duced rapid feeder has not yet exhausted the ingenuity of inventors, judged by the exhibits staged in this class. Complaints have been justly made against wood for the syrup-troughs, because of frequent leakage, and its becoming soured by frequent use, and rather tending to induce fermentation. But for these defects it is quite possible the commended exhibit of Mr. Meadows might have been placed first. It is a very practical attempt to combine a slow and rapid feeder in the same article, and if after full trial it develops no weak points in the way of leakage, we hope to see it again stand in compe- tition with those placed before it at Doncaster. Mr. Redshaw 's exhibit, which took first prize, is a dual feeder, and may be used in combination, or singly on two stocks. Priced at 3s., it is a remarkably cheap article, and a good one for the purpose. But along with Messrs. Neighbour's second-prize article it had the fault of requiring the removal of the ' lift,' generally used when large feeders are on before the glass cover can be removed for refilling. Messrs. Neighbour were awarded second prize for a large feeder, in which leakage is avoided by the syrup-trough being made of tin. It is a good article, but would be improved by raising the central wood portion of the feeder one-eighth of an inch above the tin trough to allow free passage for the syrup below. Though well worth the money,' the price (6s.) is rather against it. We should also like to see all rapid feeders so made that covers may be raised or lifted off for refilling, without the necessity for disturbing the 'lift' — nearly always used to raise the roof when the feeder is on the hive. Most makers overlook this point. Taken altogether, the articles staged in this im- portant class were very good indeed. Passing for the present the honey classes, we come to — Class 312. For useful inventions introduced since 1890. (Fifteen entries.)— This was a fairly interesting class this year, though several of the exhibits were obviously not ' inventions introduced since 1890/ and had to be passed over in consequence. The most ambitious ex- hibit in the class was that of Mr. P. Harbordt, who made a meritorious attempt to design a hive which may be sent out in the flat and°put together almost entirely without nails. The hive staged was but a hand-made one to illus- trate the principle of its construction, and ' it is intended eventually to have it made entirely by machinery.' After a severe test we must say the ' twin-dovetail ' used makes a remarkably stiff, strong, and rigid joint, and (if it will not loosen by shrinkage) it is quite as firm as if nailed together in the ordinal way. The judges awarded a silver medal for the exhibit, and we shall await with some interest the further de- velopment of the idea. Messrs. Neighbour also got a similar award for the 'W.B.C section box already noticed, and a bronze medal was given to Mr. W. P. Meadows for his new registered frame. The very attractive little rack of glass sections exhibited by Mr. Redshaw was highly commended. For those who appre- ciate a handsome case of glass sections to show to friends, in which the bees can be seen at work above and on all sides, this will be much admired. A 'swarming arrangement,' staged by Mr. Dixon, would, we fear, prove a ' block- ing ' arrangement unless some frames were re- moved to allow free ingress into the new hive while the 'rush' was on. The new 'Hill' smoker, shown by Mr. Meadows, arrived too late for competition. Class 313. For the best-designed model of a tent. — This brought but one entry, by Mr. P. Harbordt. It was more in the form of a ' screen ' than a tent, and will require some alteration in the arrangement of the guy-ropes, or we fear visitors standing round to watch the manipula- tions inside the screen would be uncomfortably hampered by them. The use of strong bamboo canes for the ordinary tent poles is a good idea ; and as the designer hopes the whole tent will be put up and taken down in a few minutes, while the total weight is estimated at only eighty- four pounds, it is a commendable attempt to introduce a portable tent for use at small shows, where the ' expert ' may carry it off with him and take it by rail as personal luggage, thus avoiding the expense and delay in transit which so frequently causes trouble with the ordinary 298 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [July 2, 1891. tee-tent. The judges awarded a silver medal to Mr. Harbordt, though expressing their feeling with regard to the small defects of the exhibit. Class 314. For the most interesting exhibit not mentioned in the foregoing classes. (Three entries.)— Mr. W. Dixon, of Leeds, was awarded a second prize for an interesting case of speci- mens, natural and otherwise, among them being a swarm of bees clustered on a branch, a honey- comb design, specimens of bees preserved in spirits, photographs, and numerous other things possessing interest to bee-keepers. A notice of the honey classes, together with the full prize list, will appear in our next issue. THE BEES OF THE OLD WORLD. If we draw a diagonal line, beginning at Genoa, Italy, and ending at Tripoli, Africa, across the Mediterranean, we find the bees east of this line inclining to the yellow race — Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Egypt having the banded bees, while Tripoli, Tunis, Algeria, Morocco, Spain, and France have the black bee. Just as the banded Italian differs from its fellow-insect in Egypt, so does the black of France from that of Tunis and Tripoli. On the north of the Mediterranean the Alp3 are the limits, while on the southern shore the Lybian Desert forms a barrier. Again, if we compare all countries ' where Mohammedism has had its sway for any length of time, we find those countries lying like a big crescent, one tip beginning at the Pyrenees, the concave line running down below Italy, and mounting again to the Bosphorus, including Greece. These have hives lying hori- zontally, and, as a general rule, worked more humanely than those in the region of the ' cross.' Italy forms the vertical axis; the hives stand upright, and the bees are sulphured every autumn, to take away all wax and honey. In southern Europe the bar-frame hives are finding their way with great difficulty. In the south of France the bee-keepers (or, rather the keepers of bees, for there are none that are real apiculturists) possess between five and one hundred hives, which they keep in long square boxes, about three feet high and one foot broad. The top is nailed with a board, while the bottom is open, and put simply on a flat rock or stone, the unevenness of which forms different flying-holes. Some are also kept in hollow tree-trunks with big flat stones on the top, on an inclined plane for the rain to run down, and, at the same time, by its weight to keep the hive from falling in case of wind. Generally they place them against a wall, to shelter them against the north and west winds. They expose them to the south and east. It is a very curious sight to see a number of those hives standing upright and irregular, just as a flat rock may be right or left, up or down, in crooked trunks, with huge stones on top. I confess the apiaries away in Palestine or on the borders of the Nile, or in the wild recesses of the Atlas Mountains in Algeria, do not present such a novel and altogether savage aspect as does such an apiary in a civilised country, where everything is flourishing except apiculture. How often since I have been wandering about the Provencal Alps, and finding such neglected apiaries, have I put the question to others as well as to myself, ' Why is apiculture so low in such a beautiful country, abounding in fruit- trees, red and white clover, thyme, rosemary, heather, and a deal of other plants too varied to enumerate ? ' They are free from taxes. The only answer I invariably got was, ' The cruel winter kills so many bees, thus discouraging the farmers.' I came across an old bee-book, written by an ' Abbe Della-rocca,' in Syra, in the Grecian Archipelago, and printed in Paris in 1790. The book is very ably written — or, rather, the three volumes — and it seems that, more then a century ago, the bees were treated here just the same as they are now ; and the desolate priest says the cause of neglected api- culture in France is because the noblemen had a certain right on beehives ; and, second, when the farmer could not pay the heavy taxes asked for the treasury, the tax-gatherers would take away his hives to fill up the sum. Disgusted with such robbing, they finally gave up bee- keeping. Since then the French Revolution has put a stop to all these abuses ; but, still, apiculture has not come to its bloom. It was inevitable that this discouragement should then become so general that a century has not sufficed to wipe away the bitter feelings that have so fast taken root in the French country people. The way they now work the hives is as primi- tive as can be imagined. The swarms are lodged in a box or trunk of a tree, as above described, and left alone. In autumn all hives are visited and 75 par cent, are left untouched ' for seed ' as they call it. The other 25 are sulphured, and the combs, with the honey, sold to dealers who come yearly to buy all they can. The 75 are the stock left to swarm the following spring. Such hives are full of honey and pollen, and are capable of giving good swarms. This part is very humane, but not very remunerative to the owner. If the 75 have wintered safely, a good stock and strong apiary follow next spring. They never (but in a very few cases) take out a part of the honey. In consequence of such treatment, they want no smokers, no veils, and, generally speaking, no bee-keeping utensils. The honey and wax merchants are experts in this kind of apiculture, and take the hives destined to be sulphured to death and weigh them. They then deduct the possible weight of the empty hive, and pay for the wax and honey per pound. They scrape out comb, honey and dead bees, and put the whole into wooden tubs, taking as much as 150 lbs. of comb. The hives are then covered, and they thus go around from one apiary to another. When the waggon is well loaded they drive home. The comb is now broken up into the smallest possible pieces, and put into a stone trough having a wooden sieve at the bottom, thus permitting the honey only to pass ; and by an outlet into a receptacle, such a trough may easily take over a thousand July 2, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 299 pounds. This first honey is sold on the market as virgin honey, mostly stored away in wooden barrels, holding between 140 and 190 pounds of honey. The residue of the trough is now put into flat baskets, having a small opening at the top to introduce the comb ; and half a dozen such flat round baskets are now put under a large press, with a big wooden screw acting on the pile of baskets. On top of the baskets a board is laid to produce equal pressure. The honey from this pressing is impure, and is sold as second-rate honey in the same receptacles as the virgin honey. A. good deal of honey is sold to the factories of Montelimar, Aries, Aix, Nimes, Narbonne, &c, where honey cakes are made. No Frenchman will pass his Christmas without having a taste of these honey cakes, called nougats. Hundreds of thousands of pounds are consumed yearly. They are made of honey, sugar, and almonds. The trouble is, thev keep only during the cold season. As soon as the hot weather comes on they begin to flow. Thus they are sure to be fresh every j-ear. The comb pressed out is now put into a big cauldron and boiled. When it is well fluid this is put into the same baskets again, which are now furnished with long straw, and, as quickly as possible, put under the press again, and received in wooden receptacles. While the pressing is going on, boiling water is poured over the pile of baskets to keep the wax flowing. In some cases the farmers do the whole work themselves, pressing out the honey with their hands, and putting the boiled wax into a sack, and twisting at both ends to get the wax out. This wax is generally of a nicer colour, as being better strained, while the honey is not as pure, having a mixture of pollen, wax, &c. The bee in the south of France is black, showing some white bands at the first and second rings. The fuzz is strongly inclined to yellow; a slight tinge of orange marks both sides of the first ring. Very few men (as a rule no bee-keepers) have any movable-bar- frame hives, either Langstroth, Abbott, or Bastain. None of them have an extractor. They can have only a very little more honey than the ' fixists.' About Toulon, Cannes, and Nice, they move their bees on mule-back to the higher Alpine regions in summer, putting the hives individually in sacks, tied at top. In autumn they bring them back again, and then take the honey in the' manner above described. In Nice a single woman had a beehive in a cork-oak trunk, only the bark being used as a hive. She was selling comb honey right out of the hive. The bees, naturally enough, had been sulphured previously. The hive was well filled with sealed comb, and might have contained 40 pounds of honey. No robbing was going on, as the hives are kept some distance from town ; and even Nice had such weather in January as to keep bees at home. They seldom have ice here, though. Flowers are" sold all the year round. Foreigners from England, and even America, flock here in winter. — Ph. J. Baldek- sperger, in ' Gleanings.'' <&0rr*sp0ttirma. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are requested to viriteon one side oj the paper only, and give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, tc, must be addressed only to 'The Editoks of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C All business communications relating to Advertisements, &c, must be addressed to Mr. J. Hucklk, JCingsLangley, Herts (see 1st page of Advertise- ments). •»* In order to facilitate reference, Correspondents, when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted, will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well as the page on which it appears. IN THE HUT. ' Like the leaves of the forest when summer is green.' [695.] Green, leafy June here, and 'X-Tractor' has lost six weeks of life ! Slipped by like a. dream, and la grippe is but a memory ! Lost* say I? Not entirely so, for in my enforced abstention from business and all literary work I found that, certainly amongst our fraternity, I was thought kindly of by many more than I wot of, and this I expressed to you in a letter privately. I have still a further penalty to bear,. I find. I cannot spare even a day on my way up to town for the ' Royal Show,' where I had anticipated meeting so many old friends in the craft ; and again, I must also miss entirely my county show, at which I should have some duties to perform. I would like Dr. Bartrum to know that I did not fail to see the point, the ' grim ' point, of his kindly reference- to myself on p. 269. ' All thing, which that shineth as the gold Ne is no gold, as I have herd it told.' Chaucek. Yet year after year I have had what I called golden bees come into my hives, bees as richly golden and glistening as a nugget in the sun- light, but until to-day I have not known whence came the glittering chrome-hued pollen — it is from the gorse. The overhanging, bent bow- like stamens manage to rub their dust quite on the back of the bee, on the thorax (as the bee seeks the nectar), whence it is difficult to dis- lodge it. A week ago I was in Dublin, and could not fail to notice (where bee-appliances were sold) what a profusion there was of straw skeps on sale— higher and rather narrower skeps than our own. There seems to be plenty of work in Ire- land for modern bee-teaching in the way of wooden hives. Abbott Brothers make a promi- nent display on Merchant's Quay. The last of Ireland I saw was a bit of true Emerald Isle- far away across the sea, on Bray Head, bright green fields surrounded clear yellow patches of wild mustard (charlocks and ketlocks we call them), and when I get home I find this very 300 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [July 2, 1891. stuff the only sustenance worth mentioning for my bees. Two stray heads of white clover give promise of a good time for bee-keepers, although it is certainly three weeks late. Being so late I fancy bee-keepers will score off the farmer for once. The grass is much too short to think of cutting, so I think the white clover will get a fortnight's start of the haymaker; they gene- rally mow it down hereabouts just when it is in its pride of bloom, so as to prevent it shed- ding its seed on the field, and thus robbing the hay of much weight and nutriment. Having got sections and shallow frames on, I have, of course, stopped feeding, but have put on the outside of the super one or two half- filled frames of heather honey, of no other use to one except in mead-making. I find they are removing the honey, drawing out or renewing the cell walls with immaculately white wax, and working on the foundation with a vicious ' vim ' particularly characteristic of heather honey-getting. To go near them means to soon withdraw from the unpleasant society of those omnipresent bees who consider it part of their duty to see one safely (?) out of the garden. Everybody will have noticed how the beech- trees were blasted by the May blizzard, but we Lave yet to notice how conspicuous the sycamore bloom is by its absence. A bee-keeper I spoke to to-day says the frost nipped the bloom,which dropped off in withered bunches ; yet still we must not murmur, for we cannot alter things one jot, and must be thankful things are not what they might be, for although we cannot say — ' Oh, fragrant is the scent of new-mown hay, "Which telleth June is here— the sultry June ; ' we know — ' The fields are green, the skie3 are bright, The leaves are on the tree ; And 'rnong the sweet flowers of the thyme, Far flies the honey-bee.' And to-morrow also to fresh woods must fly — X-Teactok. FINDING THE QUEEN. [696.] Has it occurred to you, Messrs. Editors, how many of your readers must be, to a great extent, deprived of scientific pleasure in their bee-keeping by not being able to find the queen? Take my case. I have kept bees long enough to be able to handle them gently and fearlessly, and I love to watch them. I have four colonies, and the enthusiasm for forty. In a small hive I can sometimes find Her Majesty, but in the case of a teeming hive — and it is just then that the question of her whereabouts is often most important — I am constantly at fault. Hence failures of introduction, and loss of time and money. Now, cannot you do something for us? Doubtless with yourself, and most of those who write in your columns, it is a matter of routine o open any of your hives and find the queen. But can you not recollect the time when ycu couldn't manage it ? — the feeling of shame when, with an inward apology to the patient or, occasionally, somewhat ruffled bees, for having disturbed them so long -for nothing, you shut up the hive and went away dejected? How did you get over the difficulty ? Please do not answer, ' Practice and the personal in- struction of an expert.' The latter we cannot all of us command, while there must be many hints to assist the practice ; many little signs in the behaviour of the bees, &c, to tell where to look ; ideas as to what the queen is likely to be doing — all of which would be most useful. Any hints that you or any experts can give will be received with gratitude by many of your subscribers, and especially by — A South Devon Enthusiast. [It is quite impossible to find queens by any ' rule of thumb.' And the ' many little signs in the behaviour of bees ' are so difficult to define in print that we cannot do more thau say that, when opening a frame hive, the operator should put aside the first two combs he comes to, and confine his first examination to the combs of the brood nest proper. He should also accustom himself to the appearance of the queen, whose legs are longer and lighter in colour than those of the workers. — Eds.] HIVE TEMPERATURE. [607.] I have been asked some questions on the temperature of hives which seem quite out- side of any book-teaching, either foreign or English, that I can find to refer to. Would you kindly insert the following, if it has any interest for readers ; you might tell me if there is any explanation of these observations taken by a very keen bee-keeper, who is more skilful in handling his bees for science' sake than for profit. He writes: — 'I am managing three frame hives beautifully this year, at last form- ing straight combs and strong stocks, but I never succeed much with my supers. I use only strips of ^calico now directly over the frames, and strip each piece off as 1 please, and the bees mind it very little indeed. Smoking is so easy, too ; run the nozzle along the comb you mean to inspect and no others. A carpet frame also is a great thing ; strong square wood frame with carpet bottom to place over these linen strips. It holds all loose carpet pieces, and odds and ends, and ensures a close fit of the warm cover. Why does the hot air of the hive come out of the mouth ? Does it mean that a con- tinuous stream of cold air is pouring down from above ? If so, surely the upper layers of brood must be easily chilled. ' I have taken the temperature of the draught which came out of my hives. I have proved by smoke that the draught is an outward one, at times quite suddenly violent, rarely blowing in for a moment at one side or another. The temperatures are something like this on an average :— 'Air =55° in shade. Top of bar-combs over July 2, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 301 linen and under carpet=08°. Outward breeze from mouth of hive below = 72°. * This is the result of some six or seven experi- ments on four hives, viz., two bar-frames and two skeps. In the mornings there is no such draught, only in the hot evenings. [I suggest that these observations were probably taken during the most excited period prior to the swarming of each hive, when the overcrowding of the bees returning home at night might account for a greater zeal in the fanning at the doorways. Would this be a fair deduction ?] ' How can I tell whether a swarm hived four days ago is a cast or not ? I have already secured three strong swarms from my four hives but this last one is not strong, and to-day I see that although the bees have built well, the cells have honey in them and not an egg to be seen. Must a cast have a queen, and if there would she be lajing eggs in the first-finished cells ? ' What is the best modern book which treats of the social life of the bee from season to season .apart from the commercial point of view?' — F. H., Slough. [1. It is quite certain that there is an inward as well as an outward current of air in hives, strong or weak according to the temperature outside and in, and these currents are made more rapid in hot weather by the vibration of the wings of the 4 fanners.' If a lighted taper is held at the hive entrance, the flame will indicate the different currents. 2. You can only decide whether a swarm is a top swarm or a cast by some knowledge •of the stock it comes from. ' Piping ' is always heard prior to the issue of a second swarm. 3. Simmins's Modern Bee-Farm treats of bee-keeping from the commercial point. — Eds.] TIMELY HELP. [698.] In B. J. of April 23rd is a query from ' F. K.,' of Bournemouth, which you have •answered. The writer desires to set up a poor man with bees and the necessary apparatus. I would willingly supply him, gratuitously, with a, lot of surplus hives, &c, which I have no longer use for if you would kindly put me in communication with ' F. K.,' for, of course, a letter so addressed would never reach your cor- respondent. I still keep a few bees in my garden, but last year I had sixteen stocks. I have given up try- ing to carry on a bee-farm here, as we are on a wretched clay, and Ryde is, perhaps, the worst place in England for bees. The southern half of the island is admirable, but we are a good four miles away from it. All the land about here is being laid down in pasture, and very poor pasture it makes. Bournemouth, I know, is ■quite different, and bees there ought to put many an odd half-sovereign into a poor man's pocket, besides supplying him with a wholesome relish to his bread and butter. Please help me if you can. — C. S. P., Ryde, Isle of Wight. [We are extremely pleased to find that the pub- lication of 348, p. 201, has produced the above generous offer, which has been gratefully accepted, and there i3, therefore, a fair chance of the working man referred to making a very favourable start in bee-keeping. — Ens. ] EXPERTS' CERTIFICATES. [099.] I should like to have the views of other experts upon the certificate given to those who pass the B.B.K.A. Expert Examinations. I consider it of a most paltry character, and, whereas many of us would be pleased to have a nice, bright, artistic certificate, framed and hung up in our homes, the present one is usually consigned to oblivion. Considering that a better certificate is given for honey, and that all first and second-class competitors pay the parent Association a fair examination fee, I think we ought to have something better. — A. G. Pugh, Second-class Expert. CARNIOLANS. [700.] Your correspondent, < C. C (684,_ p. 282), is evidently 'down upon' everything which is not British, and the gentle, pretty Carniolans in particular. But his experience of them is ap- parently limited to two queens only, and these he thinks undoubtedly were the cause of foul brood in his apiary. Poor dears ! they have much to answer for. I doubt very much if they are at all more liable to foul brood, than blacks; at any rate, I have kept several stocks for the last five years, and have never seen the least suspicion of disease. We frequently hear them condemned as inveterate swarmers, but here, too often, the management is as fault ; nothing less than twenty frames should be used for the brood chamber when a good queen heads a colony of Carniolans. — C. B. SWARMING IN SCOTLAND. [701.] At Sandyford, near Paisley, a stuck oil shallow-bar frames cast a good natural swarm on the 16th ult. The first last year was on the 20th of May — it is, therefore, nearly ;i month behind last season ; this was followed by two swarms on the 19th, one of which, headed by a pure Carniolan queen, was a very large lot indeed, and by another on the 20th. — Augustus. AN APRIL SWARM. [702.] I cut the following from a local paper : — ' If the old adage be true, that a a swarm of bees in May is worth a load of hay, and a swarm in June is worth a silver spoon," what must be said of the following incident : On April 28th a swarm of bees flew into the garden of the Rev. A. T. Crisford, Ovington Rectory, and took possession of an empty hive. They soon commenced work, and remain here.' — C. T. 302 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [July 2, 1891. ULSTER BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. [703.] After reading the reply (692, p. 291) of the Ulster B. K. A., through their Assistant Secretary, I may say the explanation, if not edi- fying, will be found, at least, amusing. Not a word is said as to why my admission was refused, and as to the uncertainty about my having exhibited at a certain show, surely the books or records of shows, meetings, &c, of the Association would clear up the point ? Your correspondent also reports me as having exhi- bited honey at the North-East Show in 1888, and in this he is wrong. The previous year, 1887, 1 did, in company with my brother, ex- hibit at Belfast very successfully. But what has that got to do with the point at issue? It appears I am the only individual who has been refused admission, and I must perforce conclude there is something against my charac- ter or conduct. That being so, I think I am entitled to ask that some reason should be given in print for refusing me as a member of the Association, so that I may have an opportunity of admitting or denying the charge against me. ■ — John D. McNally. [We have omitted from the above letter a con- siderable amount of very strong language, which can have no interest for general readers ; besides, we wish our correspondent would kindly understand that personal quarrels or disputes are quite un- suited to our pages, and, if allowed to have free scope, would take up space which may be more profitably occupied. Personalities are objection- able in every way, and, as our object is to avoid creating ill-feeling among readers, we shall con- tinue to repress them wherever we can. — Eds.] ADVANCE IN PRICE OF BEESWAX. [704.] All readers of the B.B.J, are no doubt interested in the recent advance in price of beeswax. The Apiculteur for June says on the subject : ' On account of very large purchases for Russia, wax has gone up to a price unknown for several years. The stocks existing in the seaports of Marseilles, Havre, and Hamburg have been bought up in a few days, and our interior stores have exhausted their annual provision.' — Peter Bois, Jersey, June 26tk. VISIT OF THE B.B.K.A. TO WAKES COLNE RECTORY, ESSEX. Saturday, July 11th, 1891. Arrangements for the day: — Railway Station, Chappel, Great Eastern Railway, half a mile from Wakes Colne Rectory. A train leaves Liverpool Street (main line) at 12, and should reach Chappel at 1.23. Fare for return tickets, third class, about single fare and a quarter. There is a later train at 2.36, due at 4.12 at Chappel. A return train to town should leave Chappel at 6.49, and is due at Liverpool Street at 8.52. It may be necessary to change at Mark's Tey both in going and returning. Objects of Interest. — The village of Chappel, as seen on the left-hand side in coming from Mark's Tey ; a high viaduct, with numerous arches, running across the Colne Valley, to be noticed on the way to the Rectory ; the village of Chappel, with its church ; the Rectory grounds, with garden, orchard, and garden- orchard ; the apiary ; the old Norman church, opposite the Rectory ; two ' rams,' which supply water to the Manor House and Rectory, about half a mile distant (open to inspection by the kindness of Mr. C. Page Wood) ; the valley of the Colne, opposite to the Rectory, full of rustic beauty and interest ; the tennis lawn for players with tennis shoes. Lunch at 2 ; tea at 5.45. A few ladies can be conveyed in a carriage from the railway station to the Rectory and also to the return train. It might be well for members intending to visit Wakes Colne to send a postcard intimating their intention, to be despatched not later than Thursday, to the Rev. Dr. Bartrum, Wakes- Colne Rectory, Essex. AN EARLY MORNING WITH THE BEES. With gloom and chilling wind each day, The wished-for spring has past ; But now, with warm and gladsome ray,. Bursts out the sun at last. And, see ! against the cloudless sky The apple-blossom fair ; For sun still stays, and will not die Till it has had its share. With joy resounds each hill and dale, Again the cuckoo calls, And in the woods the nightingale Sings when still evening falls. Thou in this joy, too, hast thy part, O happy, busy bee ; Swift from the hive I see thee dart, Singing in merry glee. In sunshine only, wilt thou roam, Thy honey-bag to fill ; Thou wisely keep'st within thy home When days are damp and chill. • But when comes glorious summer-time,. The deep-toned murmurous sound, Of thousands of thee in the lime, Spreads music all around. Oh ! would that we, in such glad mood,. Sped on our work in life, Striving, like thee, for others' good, Calm 'midst its noisy strife. Of Nature's gifts, since ancient days Thee most have poets sung, Praising thy works and wondrous ways-j. In lands of ev'ry tongue. Fly forth, while sun doth brightly glow,. To honey-yielding flowers ; I to the gloomy town must go, To spend day's brightest hours. June, 1891. Evan Franks. July 2, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 303 ®mxu* mttr Replies. [371.] Legal right to Bees that have Swarmed . — Last week I had a heavy swarm of bees, which were hived the same day. The next day they were seen to leave the hive, and after travelling a distance of 400 yards, they entered an empty hive belonging to a neighbour, who also keeps bees. He refuses to give them up, saying that he has a right to them, because they were not followed in a direct line. To have done so would have been to trespass on other people's property. They were followed round the road and seen to enter the hive, which my neighbour does not deny was empty. I should feel grateful for any advice on the subject. — Live and Let Live, Horndean, Hants. Reply. — If you have witnesses who observed the bees leave your hive, and, without losing sight of them, saw them enter the hive of your neighbour, you can recover the value of the swarm in the County Court if he will not return the bees or pay for them. [372.] Photographs of Honey Displays. — Could I get photographs of successful ' artistic displays of honey,' as exhibited at some of the leading shows ? Also, would it be admissible to include in such displays for competition ' shallow frames ' of comb honey ? — A. Fine ay, Johnshaven. P.S. — Clover out — fair amount of bloom ; luxuriant display of ' skellach ; ' bees storing honey rapidly. — A. F. Reply. — 1. Some photographs were taken of the displays of honey at the ' Colinderies ' a year or two ago. Mr. Huckle might be able to inform you if copies can be had. 2. Certainly ! Shallow frames of comb, if protected by glass, form a very handsome addition to a ' display.' >Ij0foS t0 th, 1891. THE COXE SUPER-CLEARER. [709.] Yesterday (1st July) I removed the top crate of three which were on a hive, using one of Harbordt's cone super-clearers, with which I am very much pleased, my only trouble being that when the crate was lifted off the empty box, over which it had been placed, the under-side was all over bees, which would have been crushed if the crate had been placed on the top of the quilts. I tried to sweep them gently off with a feather, which did not answer ; then 1 gave them a little whiff of smoke, and they all ran up, and the crate was safely placed in position. As the afternoon, though warm, became dark and gloomy, the bees only oozed slowly out of the end of the cone, and I began to fear perforations and gorging. The cone was on three hours, and still there were a good number of bees left in it, which, however, were easily swept off the sections with a feather; not a single bee was carried into the house. I fancy a bright morning would be best for the opera- tion. There were no perforations, fortunately, but I shall be much obliged to Mr. Harbordt if he will kindly tell me, through your Journal, how to remove the bees from the bottom of the crate without either carbolic or smoke ? I think his cone is a perfect little invention, ex- cepting for the bees at the bottom of the crate. Perhaps in Mr. Harbordt's hands they don't act so, but in practice mine do. My hive roof had three ventilating-holes, besides the one the cone was placed over. I plugged them with cork to exclude the light, and 1 used several folds of paper instead of a quilt under the crate, as 1 do not like my quilts to be made sticky. I think a double American leather quilt would be best for this purpose, shiny on both sides, as it could be washed. — Beeswing, Carlisle. CARNIOLAN QUEENS AND SWARMS. [710.] From a strong stock of Carniolan bees crossed with Ligurian blood I had a heavy swarm on June 17th, which I duly hived, and supered the parent stock on the 20th, the bees immediately entering the super. On Sunday, the 28th, a cast issued late in the afternoon, which I also hived. About 5.30 to 6 p.m. I found a virgin queen on the roof of the parent hive, but while examining her she took to flight. On July 2nd a second cast came out which 1 had some difficulty in securing, as it had at least five queens with it. I saw this number. Two or three entered the new hive, one flew, and the remaining one I introduced into a queenless hive. On July 3rd I found one dead queen outside the new hive early in the morning. At 6 p.m. I picked up two dead queens near the parent hive, and four more at 8 p.m., life not being quite extinct in two of them. Is it usual for so many queens to issue with a cast, and also for so many queens to be bred as I have seen and enumerated ? A curious feature, also, is the varied colours of the queens. One or two were perfectly black, others banded, and two at least had almost wholly orange abdomens. — J. F. B., July 3rd. [The number of queens raised in Carniolan stocks at swarming-times varies considerably, as does their appearance, and yours is not at all an exceptional case. We have known as many as twenty-three or more queens to hatch out in one stock at such times. — Eds.] BEE3 IN SCOTLAND. [711.] The biography of Mr. McPhedran is a very pleasing and satisfactory one, and will be read by a great number with deepest interest. Many to whom Mr. McPhedran showed much kindness will feel for a very long time that in his death they have sustained a very heavy loss. Previous to Friday last strong stocks mad; rapid progress here in filling supers, but since then more or less rain has fallen daily, putting an end to the work. But stocks generally are about three weeks behind, and only in the warmest and most sheltered places have swarms been on the wing. Last summer bees got over-crowded, and when, with small stores, the harvest suddenly ended, their energies seemed to get paralysed, and attempts to hatch out brood were aban- doned ; consequently it rotted in the cells, and a-sumed the appearance of foul brood, if it were not identical with it, which I had not an oppor- tunity of ascertaining. A.t present the weather appears broken, and if it continues so for a couple of weeks, it will spoil the honey harvest in this district. But all kinds of crops, except rye-grass hay, eaten too long, are looking remarkably well, and since rain fell, growth has been verv rapid. — R. S., Tundergarth, N.B., June fflth, 1891. BEE-SHOW AT PORTSMOUTH. [712.] B.B.J, just to hand, and I notice that Mr. VV. Woodley, of Worlds End, Newbury (690, p. 291), says :— ' The " Royal Counties " is at Portsmouth this year, but owing to the exclu- siveness of the Hants and Isle of Wight Asso- ciation, the show of honey must be of a limited quantity, as it is confined to the county of Hants and three miles outside— but as a great part of this three-mile boundary is water, it does not include many bee-keepers.' I hope that in Mr. Woodley's ' Notes ' in your Journal there are not often such mistakes as the 312 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [July 9, 1891. above. He should remember that he himself has not done badly at Portsmouth as an ex- hibitor in the past, and should first have obtained a schedule and then a map of the county. Surely some one has been playing' a joke upon him to prevent him competing: ! I enclose you a schedule, and copy from it the classes open to the United Kingdom, which even includes ' World's End.' I shall be pleased to forward a schedule to any one willing to compete. We hope to have a huge show, under the presidency of H.R.H. the Duke of Connaught, who has promised to be present on two days of the show. — John J. Candy, Commercial Road, Landport, Hon. Show Sec, THE NEW SECTION-BOX. [713.] In the B.B.J, for June 18th, p. 276, you described a good frame section-crate (Fig. 14). I should be glad if you would say in B. B. J. where the crate can be purchased. Perhaps other bee-keepers will be equally glad with myself of the information.— Dorset Bee- KEEPEEj Dewlish, Dorchester. [We have received several letters similar in pur- port to the above, and must refer correspondents to our advertising pages for the information sought for.- Eps.] FINDING QUEENS. [714.] Would it be of any service to ' South Devon Enthusiast,' in looking for a queen, to recommend searching very minutely the frame on which the bees appear to be in the greatest state of excitement ? She will probably be there. If he examines his frames, and puts them into an empty hive, or box, and inadvertently puts in the one with the queen on, the bees will immediately set up a roar of welcome. That frame might be taken up and examined again, though if the queen is young and sprightly, she may have escaped and got upon some other frame in the box, or be walking- about on the bottom of it. — Beeswing, Carlisle. [Except in difficult cases, it is not advisable to set frames into an empty box when searching for the queen. Besides, it most frequently happens that the bees are less excited on the comb where the queen is than on others. The best plan is for the operator to accustom himself to the queen's appearance, and acquire a habit of passing his eye over every portion of the comb in turn. — Eds.] APPRECIATIVE. [715. J Allow me to thank you most heartity for the splendid papers on 'Mounting Micro- scopic Objects.' ' 636 ' is quite right, these articles — with Cowan's Honey Bee, which I selected as one of my science prizes last year — will be ' a grand treat.'— N. C. Hambeook, Shenley, Barnet. BUYING HONEY FOR COMPETITION. The following letter (from which we omit name and address of writer) was recently ad- dressed to a correspondent, who, of course, promptly declined to sell on any terms his honey for any such purpose as is therein indicated : — ' Dear Sib, — Would you kindly let me know at what price you could supply me with the follow- ing : — Four standard frames of comb and one dozen one-pound sections filled and sealed up 'perfect this year. The combs must not be more than twelve months old. The same would not ba wanted until July 15th next. Please let me know as soon as you can.' We advise managers of shows, especially in Wales, to pay attention to the clause in prize schedules, wherein it is expressly stipulated that the honey must be gathered by the exhibitor's own bees; and, moreover, we cannot too strongly condemn a fraudulent practice we had hitherto supposed bee exhibitions to be free from. — • [Eds.] ==== <$ueries ratr ^plies. [373.] Swarming and its Anomalies. — May I ask yuir opinion of the following? — June 3rd. — Examined single stock of bees. At end of manipulation queen was lying on the ground, apparently hurt; could not walk straight, but rolled over. Placed her at entrance, and she slowly walked in. Several days later found some very young brood, so queen apparently still laying. 12^. — Bees swarmed, and were hived ; but left hive almost at once and re- turned. Queen found on the ground as before ; put her near entrance, and she again crawled into hive. 13th, — Bees swarmed again and re- turned as before. Could not find queen this time. 17th. — No unsealed brood. Heard noise that might have been 'piping' of a queen. 18th. — Fine swarm issued ; flew very high. Successfully hived. Placed swarm on stock stand. 20M. — Live queen found on grouud outside hive in front of swarm. Put her in at feed-hole, and she ran down. 21st. — Dead queen in front of stock at 1 p.m. At 3.30 p.m. stock threw a second swarm. Hived success- fully, and saw queen go in. 22nd. — Second swarm came out of its hive and clustered all over the front of it about midday, and then went back into hive and quieted down. 23rd and 2Mh. — About seven or eight queens turned out of stock, and on the 24th a dead queen out- side the second swarm, in no way disfigured, after manipulation of this second swarm. 27th. — All three hives broodless, except for sealed brood in stock. Some drone-comb built in each of the swarms, and drones present. 2Sth. — Queen left stock, amid a good deal of excitement, at 1.15 p.m. ; took wing, flying with her head towards hive, and evidently noting its appear- ance for a few minutes, and then flew away. Bees rather restless until 2.45 p.m., when I saw July 9,1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 31 o queen return, presumably mated, and bee8 quieted down. July 1st. — United two swarms. Both ap- parently broodless. Could not see eggs in any of the combs. Used peaflour. Bees united peace- ably. Now and then the bees in the stock drag out a drone, but only about one a day. Both the stock and the first swarm brought in a little pollen, but not much compared to what they had done previously. The first swarm has some pollen stored in new-built combs. The third swarm brought in no appreciable quantity of pollen. The first swarm had begun a queen-cell, though it had no brood. To-day (the 2nd) I found a dead queen, which I enclose for your inspection, outside the united swarms. She appears to me a very fine one, and is bigger than those that were turned out of the stock. 1. Is she fertile or not ? 2. How long is it before the queen begins to lay after mating? Which of the swarms is this queen likely to have belonged to, and why have the bees turned her out ? If she is fertile, why was there no brood ? 3. Does the presence of an in- cipient queen-cell in a swarm prove the absence of the queen, when there is no brood ? 4. Do queenless stocks ever bring in pollen ? I should be glad to know in what condition the queen reaches you, as I am packing her with bruised laurel-leaves. I do not know if this method has ever been tried for keeping the bees relaxed, so as to be fit for dissection ; but I know that moths, if kept in bruised laurel- leaves, are perfectly relaxed, and as fresh as if newly killed, even after a fortnight's time, and I do not see why the method should not be used for bees. Some of your correspondents may find the method a useful one in sending queens for examination, but this is my fii-st trial of it, — Herbert E. Waller, Highbury, London, N\ Reply.— 1. Unfertile. 2. Usually about two or three days. Surplus queens (or, more cor- rectly, princesses) are nearly always killed and thrown out from hive after the issue of second swarms. 3. The indications named go to prove that the young queen has met with some misad- venture, and been lost after the swarm had settled down to work in their new home. If the queen is lost or killed the same day as the swarm is hived, the bees return to the old home ; but after a few days' dwelling away as a new colony, the bees become a new stock, and are as strangers to the old hive. 4. Occasionally in small quantities. [374.] I began the season with two stocks in frame hives and one skep. The latter swarmed on June 5th, and the other two a fortnight later. I united the first of these to the swarm from skep, and when, a few hours later, the other frame hive swarmed, I hived the swarm on six frames. I have therefore five lots, all doing well. I have section racks on three of the five hives, but cannot get the bees into sec- tions in the other one. 1. Should I unite those in skep to this stock? If so, which is the method of doing it ? I do not wish to keep any bees in skep3, nor to increase my stocks' 2. You advise that sections should be removed as soon as completed. Must I take the rack off hive and remove completed sections, or can I take them out as the racks stand ? 3. I should also like to know dimensions of section box and frames illustrated on page 276 of B. J. for Juno 18th (Fig. 14), together with such illustrations as would enable me to make one. — More Light, U.rbridge, Middlesex; Reply. — 1. The bees should have been driven from the skep and united to the weak stock twenty-one days after swarming. As, however, that date has passed a fortnight or more, do it at once, using flour when uniting, and preserv- ing the young queen of the skep by removing the other before joining the two lots of bees. 2. The rack may be lifted off entire if most of the sections are finished, or they may be re- moved singly, using a little smoke or the car- bolised cloth to keep the bees quiet while lifting them from the rack. 3. The various parts of the section box named are cut by machinery, and would be very difficult to make by hand ; but in any case you would require to purchase one as a pattern to work by. Consult our ad- vertising pages for price, &c. [375.] Vagaries of Swarms. — I am sending you a queen which led off a swarm yesterday. Can you tell me what is the matter with her, and whether she is a perfect queen ? The swarm issued, and she was picked off the alighting- board. The bees did not cluster in the skep last night, but remained all over the sides of it. They were more compact this morning. What do you advise doing with them ? I have put the skep next to parent hive. Is this right ? I may say that a nucleus was made from this hive about three weeks ago, but by mistake the queen was put in the nucleus and has not been removed. — R. T., Leicester. Reply. — The natural inference is that the dead queen sent is one of several in the hive at the time the swarm issued. When the old queen was removed with the nucleus, the bees would in due course raise new queens in the parent hive, and all the subsequent proceedings were just such as occur when second swarms issue. Leave the swarm where now placed, and if no queen remains with the bees, they will return to the parent hive. [376.] Bees Gathering from Laurel Leaves. — Will you kindly say what it is bees are gathering from the back of young laurel-leaves at present ? — W. P. Lowe, Cloverhill, Belturbet. Reply. — On the under-side of laurel-leaves will be found two small brown spots, one on each side of the central sinew, and near the base of the leaf. These are nectaries, from which exudes the substance — honey in some form — gathered by bees at this season. [377.] Swarms Returning. — A swarm has come out of one of my hive four successive times, and they have always gone back again after a few minutes. I fancy something must be wrong 314 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [July 9, 1891. with the queen, as she never come3 out with the swarm. I have sections on the stock re- ferred to, and as my hives stand very close together I do not like to examine them in the middle of the day to see what is the matter, as I am afraid the smell of honey would upset all the other hees. If you will kindly tell me what ought to be done I shall feel much obliged. — M. II., Alton, Hants. .Reply. — Examine the stock at once, and if queen-cells are in progress, remove and destroy the queen. There must be some fault about her likely to cause a recurrence of tli8 trouble in the future. BEES IN A PILLAR LETTER-BOX. As our Halstead representative was walking from the town across to Dynes Hall on Monday eveniug, he saw a man named Plumb, with a skep, pail, &c, standing near the letter-box at Doe's Corner. A good swarm of bees had got into the letter-box, and Plumb had determined, if possible, to ' hive ' them in his skep and find a fresh home for them. After waiting a quarter of an hour the mail-man drove up and unlocked the box, but not being a bee-man he evidently did not care for the job of taking out the letters. Plumb came to his assistance, and having got the letters out commeuced operations in earnest. He puffed and blew smoke into the bees, pulled them from the walls into a meat cover, and from thence to the skep, but all to no purpose, for the queen-bee clung to the home she had selected and declined to quit at so short a notice. A large number of the bees were, however, persuaded to stay in the skep for the night, and Plumb retired with the hope that better luck would await him in the morning, when he in- tended to repeat his efforts. — Essex County Chronicle, July 3rd, 1891. (Bthm ixmxx tin liftes. Shilminyton, East Devon, June 30th, 1891. — Bees have commenced gathering honey here at last. All through the month of May we had it cold and windy, which prevented anything being done except feeding. My seventeen stocks win- tered well, and in February things seemed going on nicely, weather fine, but all of a sudden the cold and snow and wind came on again, and four of my stocks perished. I am pleased to tell you the others are doing well, four out of the thirteen are skeps, from which I have secured five swarms, and one flew away. I put on sections on nine frame hives early in June, and most of them are working away finely. I took off fourteen beautifully sealed sections from one of the hives on June 27th. I also examined the other hives and found a lot of the sections nearly finished. We have just had a regular swarmiog-time of it around this neighbourhood. I examined a friend's bees, and found they were working in the sections with a will. As a con- stant reader of the B.J., I owe much of my bee-knowledge to its valuable pages. Wishing success to all its readers, — J. W. Sanders. Dewlisk, Dorchester, June- 23?-d. — My bees are doing very well during this fine weather. I have one hive with two section crates (forty- two sections) which will be ready to come off in a day or two. I hope others are doing equally well. — P. A. Kent. >Ij0hjs to €mmt July 14th to 17th.— Hants and Isle of Wight B.K.A. at Portsmouth, J. J. Candey, 197 Commercial Road, Landport. July 15th, 16th.— Armagh. Mr. E. Best, Armagh. July loth, 16th. — Notts Agricultural Society at Nottingham. Bees, honey, and appliances. A. G. Pugh, Hon. Sec, N. B.K.A., 49 Mona Street, Beeston, Notts. July 23rd, 24th. — Lincolnshire Agricultural Society at Brigg. Stephen Upton, Sec, St. Benedict's Square, Lincoln. July 28th to 31st. — Highland and Agricultural Society at Stirling. Mr. T. D. Gibson-Car- michael, Melrose, N.B. July 29th, 30th. — Leicestershire B.K. A., in connexion with the Leicestershire Agricultural Society, at Leicester. Entries (except for honey) close July 11th. Entries for honey may be made up to 22nd July. II. M. Riley, Tower House, Leicester. August 5th, Gth, and 7th. — Yorkshire Agri- cultural Society at Bradford. Entries closed June 27th. Marshall Stephenson, Sec, York. Sept. 5th. — Alderley Edge and District Branch of the Lancashire and Cheshire B.K.A. Chel- ford Flower Show, Astle, Chelford. Schedules, &c, T. D. Schofleld, Alderley Edge, Cheshire. Sept. 9, 10. — Derbyshire Bee-keepers' Asso- ciation at Derby. Entries close August 27th. W. T. Atkins, Sec, 12 North Street, Derby. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. A. B. C. (Leeds). — Bees will swarm from hives without drones, but by no means so freely as where the latter are present. Bee (Durham).— The probability is that the queen is all right, but you should examine the hive again for eggs in a few days. E. Aulsebrook. — The information contained in cutting sent appeared in our pages some time ago. Box (Feltham, Middlesex). — The bees sent belong to the family of Upholsterer bees. They are called rose-leaf cutters, and make their nests in the earth, in cavities of walls, or decayed wood. In this nest the bee constructs several cells about an inch in length, thimble-shaped, and made from por- tions of leaves cut from rose-trees and neatly folded together. It is not at all uncommon in this country. THE Irifel If? Smmial, BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 473. Vol. XIX. N.S. 81.] JULY 16, 1891. [Published Weekly.. (Sfoiinrial, ftotitea, #r. BEE ASSOCIATIONS, COUNTY COUN- CILS, & TECHNICAL EDUCATION. At the conversazione of the B.B.A. K., held on the evening of February 24th last, Mr. Meggy, hon. sec. of the Essex B.K.A., referred to certain sums of money at the ■disposal of County Councils by way of grants-in-aid for the purposes of technical -education. He also explained that appli- cation had been made on behalf of his Association for a share of such grants. Since that time the matter has been fully •discussed, and reports of the steps subse- quently taken are recorded in our issues for May 14th and 21st. Once definite action had been decided on, and the views of prominent bee-keepers had been placed before • the powers that be ' by such Asso- ciations as determined to move in the matter, nothing remained but awaiting patiently the result of the several appli- cations. It is now our pleasing duty to make known the fact that the Technical In- struction Committee of the Essex County Council has recognised the claims of the Bee Association, if not in quite so liberal a spirit as could have been wished ; but once the justice of the claim has been admitted, and it is granted that bee-keeping fairly comes within the scope and objects of the Act of Parliament, it only needs that Bee Associations should carefully husband any •sums granted them under the Act, aud =show that the amount of good done is only limited by the means afforded them, to ensure an augmented grant in the course of a year or two. We, therefore, welcome this, the first step towards a large measure of ultimate success to the cause, and heartily con- gratulate the Essex B. K. A. — and Mr. Meggy personally, as its moving spirit — on being the first Association in the kingdom to re" ceive assistance from the public funds. The following extract from the proceed- ings at the quarterly meeting of the Essex County Council, which took place in the Shire Hall, Chelmsford, on Tuesday, the 7th inst. (as reported in the Essex County Chronicle), will show exactly how the matter stands, and give to other Associa- tions interested a correct view of the present position of affairs in Essex : — ' The quarterly meeting of the Essex County Council was held at the Shire Hall, Chelmsford, on Tuesday, the 7th inst. The gathering took place in the Ball-room, which has been specially fitted up for the Council. Alderman Andrew Johnston presided, and there were a large number of Aldermen and Councillors present.' The subsequent portion of the proceed- ings specially interesting to our readers appears in the report of the Technical Instruction Committee, wherein it is re- commended : — ' That a sum not exceeding 500/. be granted to the same Joint Committee for the purchase of apparatus and diagrams, which are to be the property of the Council, and that a sum not exceeding 100/. be granted to the Committee for the storage and carriage of such apparatus and diagrams; that a sum not exceeding 50/. be granted to the same Committee to be expended in lectures under the direction of the Essex Bee- keepers' Association ; and that local committees throughout the county, especially in rural dis- tricts, be recommended to make application to the said Joint Committee or the Essex Agri- cultural Society, for aid in lecturers or teachers, obtaining apparatus or materials, the conducting of examinations, and seeking help and guidance generally.' The very fact of ' State aid ' being thus afforded to bee-keeping opens up a new page in the history of the pursuit suffi- ciently important to warrant us in welcom- ing the new departure as inaugurating a better condition of things in the near future. Hitherto progress has been mainly dependent upon individual effort, and to ensure a succession of men of the right 316 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [July 16, 1891. stamp willing to continue the work begun by others as time passed has constituted a serious difficulty with Associations gene- rally. It can hardly be expected that the active work connected with the manage- ment of Bee Associations will be continued for an indefinite period by the same per- sons ; obviously it becomes necessary to look out for successors, and as financial diffi- culties are perhaps the most trying of all hardships to be contended with, it will afford considerable relief to future officers of Associations when a small amount of the public funds becomes available for work which is, of all things, especially intended for the public good. It can at least be claimed for the labours of our Associations in the past that they have been entirely directed to the philanthropic object of dis- seminating the most improved methods of bee-keeping, and it cannot be denied that the chief labour has devolved upon a compara- tively few persons, who have ungrudgingly given both time and money in promoting what they believe to be a good cause. It Avill be a source of satisfaction to these gen- tlemen to see the prospect of a probable lightening of one portion of the cares and anxieties of Association management in the hands of their successors. One of the strongest arguments in favour of obtaining grants in aid of technical in- struction in bee-keej;>ing lies in the fact that, for some years past, our Bee Associations have laboured on much the same lines as are proposed to be now continued with assist- ance from the public funds. Much of the machinery for the work already exists, and the sober judgment of practical men is available — men as conversant with the diffi- culties to be faced as with the advantages to be gained. We may, therefore, be quite sure that such Associations as are benefited by the grant will show a good return for the money expended. Fifty pounds in a county will not go very far, we admit ; but it is absurd to suppose that the sums first voted will not be augmented if the results are sufficiently satisfactory to justify further expenditure. In conclusion, we venture to impress upon the executive of such Bee Associations as succeed in obtaining a grant, the necessity for perfecting a scheme of procedure which will commend itself to County Councils, and prove to them that substantial good has been done by including bee-keeping among the subjects worthy of assistance from the public funds. By doing this they will not only ensure a continuance of the grant, but where necessary may reasonably hope to receive a sum sufficient for carrying out the work in a thoroughly complete and satis- factory manner. Since writing the above we have to-day (13th) received the following gratifying, note from the President of the Northants. B.K.A. :— ' You will be pleased to hear that the Tech- nical Education Committee of the Northampton- shire County Council yesterday voted 251. (the sum I applied for) towards the funds of the- Northants Bee-keepers' Association, which of course is to be spent in instruction and demon- strations in bee-keeping within the county. 'Bee-keepers generally should be pleased to hear that our County Council has acknowledged the principle that instruction in bee-keeping is "Technical Education." — A. L. Y. Moblky„ President A/orthants Bee-keepers1 Association? MIDDLESEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSO- CIATION. This Association held a show of honey, hives,, and bee-gear in conjunction with the Hampton Hill and Hampton Horticultural and Cottage- Garden Society, in the grounds of the Manor House, Hampton, on July 8th. As far as regards the show, it was all that could be wished' for, there being plenty of honey, and most of it of very good quality, but owing to the wet the attendance of visitors was very small, and not one-half of the usual gate-money was taken. The arrangements made by the Hon. Sec, the Hon. and Rev. H. Bligh, were admirable, and the bee-tent was placed at the further end of the meadow. No extra charge was made for admission to the manipulating tent, which was occupied by 'Mr. Baldwin, who, between the showers, interested his audience by explanations of the various operations he was performing. There was a very fair competition in several of the classes, and in Class 1, for the British B. K. A. silver medal there were twelve com- petitors, the first prize going to some very fine sections of honey gathered at Hampton Hill by the station-master of that place. In Class 2, the bronze medal went to some excellent ex- tracted honey, gathered at Shepperton. There were some very good white sections from Brondesbury, the apiary being situated within three and a-half miles of the Marble Arch, showing that even in London one need not despair of getting honey, if not for sale at any rate for one's own use. Between four and five in the afternoon there was a veritable downpour of rain, and every one took shelter in the tents. However, later in the day more people arrived,, but still the attendance was at no time very large. Those who witnessed the bee-show and manipulations expressed themselves well pleased.. July 16, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 317 It is a pity that larger prizes are not awarded for collections of hives, &c, so as to encourage more competition. At this show there was only one entry in the collection class. The Rev. Dr. Bartrum was the judge, and his awards gave general satisfaction. Class 1. Best twelve sections of honey (twelve exhibits). — First prize (silver medal), Mr. Veysey, Hampton Hill; second, Mr. H. Jonas, London (honey produced in Cambridge- shire) ; third, Mrs. Luscombe, Teddington. Class 2. Best twelve 1-lb. bottles extracted honey (four exhibits). — First (bronze medal), Mr. J. Gittins, Shepperton ; second, Mr. Mitchell, Hillingdon ; third, Mr. Harveyson, Finchley. Class 3. Largest and best exhibit of honey in and out of comb (four exhibits). — First, Mr. J. Harveyson ; second, Rev. W. Handcock, Hampton Hill. Class 4. Best twelve 1-lb. sections (open to members of Southern Province only). — First, Major Fair, Teddington ; second, Mr. R. Kees, Hampton Hill. Class 5. Best exhibit of honey, open to members in Hampton, Hampton Hill, &c. (two exhibitors). — First, Mr. J. P. Kitchen, Hampton ; second, Rev. W. Handcock. Class 6. For the best collection of exhibits or appliances (one exhibitor). — First, Mr. S. J. Baldwin, Bromley. SCOTTISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION SHOW AT STIRLING. The fine weather of the last few days, which, fortunately, so far gives no sign of breaking up, •ought to have the effect of making the Stirling show memorable in the annals of Scottish bee- keeping. Everything points to a most successful gathering if bee-men themselves will but recipro- cate the action of the gentlemen to whose dis- interested labour the very liberal prize list and excellent arrangements are mainly due. If the entries are anything like as numerous as they should be in view of the amount offered for ■competition, and considering the rapid honey- gathering now in full swing, the show will be a great success. We therefore express a hope that British bee-keepers from all parts — but especially Scotchmen — will show their apprecia- tion of the work done for them by the newly organized Association, notably that of Mr. Gibson-Carmichael himself, by making the list ■of entries as liberal as the prize list. The Highland Society has decided that all admission fees to the bee-department, bee-tent, &c, are to be done away with, and in thus fol- lowing the example of the Royal Agricultural Society of England they have displayed a wisdom which will have an influence for good on all future shows held under their auspices. We have always considered that to make a charge for admission to that portion of a show which happens to be devoted to bees or to the manipulating tent was a short-sighted policy. It might bring a few pounds into the coffers of the Bee Association, but it told to its disadvantage in a hundred ways, and we are glad to find admis- sion fees abolished at bee-shows wherever free admission is practicable. BEE-KEEPERS AT WAKES COLNE RECTORY. The small party of bee-keepers who availed themselves of Dr. Bartrum's invitation to spend an afternoon with him at Wakes Colne Rectory, Essex, on Saturday last, had a most enjoyable afternoon at the delightful retreat, in which the worthy Doctor has before him, we trust, the en- joyment of many happy years. But for the difficulty of arranging for the comfort of a large number of visitors, Dr. Bartrum's invitation would have been extended to bee-keepers generally, instead of limiting it to members of the B. B. K. A. However, if the party assembled on Saturday was not a numerous one, it perhaps added to the pleasure of those who did go, for there was no dividing into separate groups, but just enough in point of number to form one body, all intent upon making the most of the occasion. Leaving London in beautiful weather, the prettiest picture on the way down was seen at our journey's end in the charming little village of Chappel, almost toylike in its arrangement as seen from the train above. Dr. Bartrum met the party at the station, and pointed out the various objects of interest — of which there are not a few — on the walk to the Rectory, where all were pleased to see Mr. and Mrs. Cowan, who had been spending a few days there prior to our arrival. After a passing look at the various and charming surroundings of the Rectory-house — to be inspected at leisure later on — lunch was partaken of, and the party then assembled in front of the lawn, with the flower-covered walls of the Rectory as a background, while a photo- graph was taken as a permanent record of the visit. No time was then lost in visiting the apiary, consisting of fourteen hives of various ' makes.' All were in good condition, and apparently doing well — if rapidly gathering honey of good quality fully expresses that happy condition; moreover the bees were on their best behaviour, not even forgetting themselves so far as to leave a single unfavourable ' impression ' on the visitors. Perhaps the most interesting thing from the bee-keeper's point of view was the remarkable automatic smoker used by Mr. Cowan, made for him by his friend, M. de Layens, and now seen for the first time by all present except the writer. The smoker is quite original in form, held by a handle on the top side ; the nozzle is flat, and from two to three inches wide. With- out going into full details of its make, we may say that once wound up and started going, its interior fan works for au hour or more without winding, and the draught or volume of smoke 318 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [July 16, 1891. can be regulated to a nicety. When it is set on one side of the open hive, the operator is per- fectly free to go on with his work without giving the least attention to the bees, the gentle stream of smoke wafted over them keeping all quiet without any ' driving down ' of the bees by the volume of smoke poured in among them. The action of the smoker was considered perfect by all who witnessed its working, and we hope to see a sketch of it in the B.J. Not that it will be likely ever to come into general use — the beautifully made implement, . with its delicate interior clockwork, being too costly for that, but it would interest bee-keepers to know that a perfect bee-smoker can be made if cost is no object. (To he concluded in our next.) Cnrrespoixtrmre. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are requested to write on one side o) the paper only, and give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, ic, must be addressed only to 'The Editors of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C All business communications relating to Advertisements, &c, must be addressed to Mr. J. Huckle, King s Langley , Herts (see 1st page of Advertise- ments). *»* In order to facilitate reference, Correspondents, when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted, will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well as the page on which it appears. THE 'LET-ALONE' SYSTEM. [716.] On looking at a stock of bees the other day for some friends, I thought I should like to send you an account of how well bees may do on the ' let-alone ' system. Last year, about the beginning of summer, the family had a hive of bees sent to them, with supers on, and all ready for work. They knew nothing about bees, and put them down on the lawn in front of the house. But their close proximity to the house- proving rather uncom- fortable to some members of the family, the bees were unceremoniously moved into the kitchen garden and perished in large numbers, not being able to find their new location. Towards autumn one member of the family ventured to take off the roof to see if there was any honey to be got; but like many more in 1890 the yield was nil. From that time to Tuesday, June 30th, they have been left to themselves, with the exception of reducing the door to half an inch in autumn, which was increased to one and a half inches about the middle of June. The section crate was left on — no feeding whatever. There were no quilts except one thickness of Dutch carpet over the sections. The ends of the frames were open, so that the bees had free access to the roof — a means which they had readily availed them- selves of when finding room short, for when the roof was removed on the morning of the 30th, when the son, again thinking it was time to look in and see what the bees were doing (not knowing any one was coming to see to them), he found the bees had taken possession of the roof in strong force, with a good deal of comb and honey. The roof was turned upside down on an adjoining hedge, and the bees left to do as they liked, until a friend who preceded me put some cloths over the hive and tied the roof on again. By the free use of carbolic cloths we managed to get the bees down into the sections and body- box. The section crate was removed with some difficulty, being so tightly sealed down, and the bees dislodged by a series of bumps round the garden path, when w-e took out twenty-one sections filled and sealed to a cell with beautiful honey, besides some four or five pounds in the roof after the bees had been freely carrying it away all day. We were rather in a fix as to- what to do to give surplus room, my friend having no bee -gear whatever, and about a gallon of bees hanging out on the front of the hive. However, we decided to bring the crate home with us, some seven miles, and refit from my stock, my friend volunteering, to return and put it on first thing next morning ; and I hope they are now busily engaged in filling the second crate as well as they did the first. I am afraid, Mr. Editor, I have made this much too long ; but I thought yon would like to hear of such good results from such a meagre bestowal of care or management. — G. C. Lyon,, Hastings. WINTERING BEES. [717.] If the subject of ' wintering ' bees is not altogether unseasonable in the midst of a sunny July, it may interest some of your readers to hear how one stock of mine came alive through last severe winter under most unfavour- able conditions. On January 8th last I noticed a hive, apart from the rest, standing upon the gravel path with the roof lying by its side, and no cover re- maining but one thickness of old green baize and the calico quilt. How this came about is not quite clear, and I will not trouble you with surmises ; but upon inquiry I found that it had been in this state since the end of October. On examination I was surprised to find that many bees were still alive,, so the hive was at once carried into a warm laundry, where ironing had been going on, and all dead bees and damp re- moved, and the survivors made as warm and dry as possible. Their master confesses his sins of neglect before the bee-world, and sighs to think of the hardships endured by his charges while left roofless, to be at one time thatched by the snow, and at another slated with ice, and occa- sionally saturated with water when their tem- porary cover thawed. This hardy stock is now working hard in two crates of sections. I have read many accounts of the merits of single and double-Walled hives, but I have never yet heard of a stock surviving the coldest months of a winter so severe as the last without any roof ! — G. M. E. July 16, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 319 A JOURNEY FOR QUEEN-CELLS IN SOUTH DEVON. [718. J It may be refreshing to you to know my surroundings, so I will give you a rough idea of a journey for queen-cells made the other day in company with my son. Having a necessity for such, we walked to Dittisham, about five miles from here. The day was fine, in fact an ideal bee-day. Starting from Paignton, which is situated on the inner shores of Torbay, and commanding views of Torquay on the left and Brixham and Berry Head on the right, we made our way along the main road, from which grand views of the coast and bay are seen. Leaving the main road, we struck across the common, down the lane to Glampton village, thence along the road to Greenway Ferry : the ' peeps ' com- mand the creek running in from the Dart (or English Rhine, as it has very aptly been named). Glampton, by the way, enjoys a small ship- building industry. Arriving at the ferry, we crossed to Dittisham, of plum renown : orchards cover the slopes to the river for many an acre. Imagine yourself walking up the roof of a house, and you would have the correct idea of the main street of Dittisham. ■ My friend's abode is at the top, where in due course we arrived, and made our way to his apiary, which is situated on the hill-side. The hives, forty or fifty in number, are rather too shaded in my simple idea, but having no open space, I think it is ' Hobson's choice ' with him. Swarming has been an almost every-day occurrence lately, but his hives are rather of a small make. Having cut out the requisite number of queen-cells, and enjoyed a quiet chat — of course, on bees — we wended our way homewards in the cool of a most beautiful evening, and could not help thinking our editors would have enjoyed a similar trip amid such beautiful surroundings. I suppose it is too much to think you will ever pay this part of the country a visit, but (if you should journey this way) I enclose my card, and hope you will not hesitate to come and see — Dkoney, Paignton, South Devon. P.S. — My hives are doing well. Most hives have two crates of sections, or shallow- frame supers, on. Some are good enough for three. Weather now dull and inclined to be wet, but warm. I hope for sun again soon, as the clover is plentiful and in its prime. [We had the pleasure some years ago of walking over the ground referied to, and have a pleasant recollection of the beautiful scenery and surround- ings of the district. Thanks for your kind invite, which we will bear in mind should we ever again visit South Devon. — Eds.] CARNIOLANS [719.] Owing to bees which appear time, I got a queen I find they are the had, besides being sections from them I have taken this AND CARBOLIC ACID. the accounts of Carniolan in the Journal from time to last autumn from F. Benton. best honey-gatherers I ever good breeders. I took some on Friday, the 3rd, the first season ; but they refuse en- tirely to be driven with carbolic acid. I pur- chased some of Calvert's No. 5, and diluted it with about one pint of water to an ounce of acid, but the bees took hardly any notice of it. Then I used the undiluted acid, but I might as well have tried to move the earth as drive them out of the sections with it ; they would not stir one jot, so I had to use smoke. Can you account for this indifference to the acid fumes, for I can assure you the bees don't care for it a bit ? The weather here was very bad all the spring for bees, but the past fortnight has been a grand change. — Thos. Kendall, Knittleton. [Before we can quite decide why the bees refused to move when the acid was applied, you must make it clear whether it was used in the form of a ' carbolised sheet ' or in your ordinary smoker, after the fashion of Webster's fumigator. Kefer to ' Notices to Correspondents ' for reply to your other question. — Ens.] CARDBOARD WRAPPERS FOR SECTIONS. [720.] Three years ago I bought from the ' British Bee-keepers' Stores,' 23, Cornhill, E.C., one gross of scored cardboard wrappers for Is. 6d. They were plain pieces of cardboard, scored, made just to fit around a 4j x 4j x 2 section of honey. I tried last year, and again this year, unsuccessfully to get any from several of the principal advertisers in the B. B. J. Can you tell me where to get them ?— F. P. Cham- berlain, Soley, Ramsbury. [Perhaps some reader or advertiser will furnish our correspondent with the desired information. — Eds.] A SWARM INSIDE A HOBBY-HORSE. [721.] We often read in the Bee Journal of bees, when they swarm, entering into strange places, and making use of them as hives. The following may be of interest to your readers : — A.month ago a neighbour of mine, named Coppin, had a swarm, which was seen to leave one of his hives, and fly away without settling, and as there was no one near able to follow them they were lost. About two hours afterwards Coppin was told that a swarm of bees had been seen on a horse at the Rye House, but he, thinking it was a hoax, took no notice of it at the time. The Rye House (scene of the Rye House Plot) is situated about five minutes' walk from where we live. During the summer months the castle, gardens, and grounds are open to pleasure parties. There are all sorts of amusements in the way of swings, roundabouts, &c. After the season is over the roundabouts are taken down and packed in an open shed. The wooden horses are hollow inside, having a space about 2 ft. 3 in. x 9 in. x 7in. The iron rods, which are suspended from the roof, pass through the middle of the horses, and are secured by a nut screwed under- neath. For convenience these rods are taken out when the horses are packed away, thus leaving an entrance to the space inside the. 320 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [July 16, 1891. horse. It was through this hole that Coppin's hees found their way in. A fortnight ago the horses were wanted for use, and were taken out of the shed and put together on the roundabouts. The horse with the bees in it was one of the centre ones. When the iron rod was put in it closed the entrance, and the bees were imprisoned inside the horse. After a day or two they found a way out. The wooden plug which fastens the horse's tail in did not fit the hole tight, and by the side of this the bees made a new entrance. Meanwhile the horses were being used, but it was soon too warm a quarter for the visitors. The men in charge of the horses stopped up the holes, but the bees managed to get through again, and soon cleared the course, driving the visitors to a safe distance, which was a loss to the owner of the roundabout. He sent word, asking us to go and destroy the bees. So last Wednesday evening, after the visitors had left, we went, taking with us an empty skep, smoker, and some tools. We took the horse off the iron rod, took its tail out, which left a hole about one inch in diameter ; over this hole we placed the skep, stopped up the hole in the horse's back, and gave an injec- tion of smoke through the rod-hole on the under- neath side. After about a quarter of an hour's driving we had about two quarts of bees out, and safe in the skep. We then made the tail-hole large enough to put one's arm through, and pro- ceeded to get the comb out. The inside of the horse was quite full. The combs were built very irregular, and were a shapeless mass — no doubt the centrifugal force caused by the horses going round displaced them. There was a fair amount of brood, and a nice lot of honey. Altogether we had a good pailful of comb. We took the bees home, and now they are working very well, and seem none the worse for their visit to the old Rye House, and their ride in the hobby- horse.— Henby Inston, Whitby Road, Hoddes- don. CARNIOLANS AS NON-SWARMERS. [722.] Having read in the B.J. many praises of Carniolan bees as being a good swarming sort, and seeing in the summer of 1889 choice young Carniolan queens advertised for sale at 4s. each, I thought I would try one. She arrived all right, and was safely introduced in the month of August. The bees went into winter quarters very strong, and came out well in the spring of 1890, but did not swarm as I expected. I waited day after day, and though the hive was crowded no swarm came off. What was I to do ? Swarm they would not ! so 1 decided t<_- place a second frame hive over the first one, and they at once took to it. The hive then contained fifteen standard combs crowded with bees ; they filled the top frames and I extracted twenty-two pounds of honey from them, returning the frames the same evening. In about a week they had filled the combs up again with honey, so I took them off and examined the lower body-box, and to my surprise found that the eight frames in it were well filled with honey, on which they wintered, so that I got nearly forty pounds of honey for myself last year. This season (1891) they were very strong early in May ; towards the end of the month they lay outside the hive in a large ball. I again waited day after day to see if they would swarm, but no ! they still hung out, the cluster of bees getting larger every day, but they flatly refused to swarm. The fine weather was passing away and I did not like to see them idle, so after waiting nine or ten days I decided to give them surplus room again ; they have now sixteen frames this year, and are working well. If the fine weather lasts I am hoping for a good harvest. I may here say my Carniolans are the best stock I have. All being well you shall hear what they have done later on. — T. Linter, Alma Road, Winton, Hants. [Are you quite sure the bees are Carniolans ? — ' non-swarming ' being altogether foreign to the nature of these bees. — Ens.] THE NEW SECTION BOX. [723.] In the B. B. J. of June 18th you de- scribed a section crate (Fig. 14). In your issue of the 9th inst. ' Dorset Bee-keeper ' asks you who is the maker, and you refer him to the ad- vertising pages. I have eagerly sought the de- sired information in every issue since the descrip- tion appeared, and cannot find it. Is there no way you can convey the information to your readers without appearing to favour one manu- facturer of bee-appliances more than another ? There are many of your readers who would be glad to know where to obtain the section box from, and among them, yours — Thos. Morgan, St. Wenegride's, Malvern, July 11th, 1891. P.S. — I keep about twenty stocks of bees myself. [We are pleased to find the firm who made the article referred to are now advertising it for sale in our columns. — Eds.] mxm atxft spites. [378.] Should Bees be transferred from Skeps in July ? — I bought a stock of bees in a skep the beginning of June, and to shelter from heavy rains put them, skep and all, into a bar-frame hive, and put crate of twenty-one sections on top. I examined them on Wednesday, and found the skep full of comb and bees, the out- side of skep also being thickly covered with bees, but they do not seem to be filling the sections anything like so quickly as those of some of your correspondents, only four being full and ten in different stages of completion. Will you kindly advise as to whether I had better transfer the combs in the skeps to the frames at once, or leave them till later in the season, there being four unsealed queen-cells at the bottom of comb, or would it be better to drive bees only out of skep and let them build July 1G, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 321 fresh comb in the frames, and the best time of year to do it ? — T. Barry, Sutton, Surrey, July llth. Reply. — By the time this appears in print the bees will either have swarmed or be on the point of doing so. If not too late to deal with the swarm, we should advise its being hived on full sheets of foundation, set on the old stand, and the uncompleted sections, along with a few more, being given to it to finish, the parent hive, of course, being moved to a stand some distance away. On no account do any trans- ferring, such as you suggest, at this season. [379.1 Bees and Superfluous Wax — Painting Hives, $c. — 1. If combs from which the honey has been extracted are put back into the hive for the bees to refill, what do the bees do with the wax scales secreted in their bodies, and with which they would otherwise construct cells? 2. Is it advisable to paint a hive occupied at present ? 3. Whether is an old straw hive with flat crown or super or a new movable frame hive the more suitable for taking to the heather ? 4. What does the early killing of drones, averaging one per diem, signify ? — Dumb arton- shire, Kirkintilloch, July 9th. Reply. — 1. Bees only secrete wax when it is required for their own purposes, and any super- fluous wax-scales are usually dropped on the floor of the hive. 2. If urgently needed, paint- ing hives at this time will do no harm, care being taken to paint the front portion and top of roof after the bee-work of the day is over. Should the alighting-board be painted, a handful of fine dry sand must be sprinkled lightly over it while the paint is wet. 3. All depends upon the construction of the frame hive. Supposing it to be of a type suitable for moving to the moors, we should prefer taking a frame hive to a skep for the heather harvest. 4. It signifies nothing. [380.] Hatching Bees in Incubators. — 1. Has honey stored in combs previously occupied by brood an unpleasant or different flavour from that stored in new combs ? 2. Is the young worker-bee always fourteen days after leaving the cell before she flies to gather honey ? 3. In the spring I took some frames of sealed brood from hives, and placed them in warmth. The bees came forth in due course. Meantime young brood was produced in hives in added frames. Has this kind of artificial incubation ever been tried on a large scale ? Would it not be an easy means of increasing stock, as the bees usually clustered to give warmth to sealed brood -might, during the fortnight the brood is sealed, bring on two sets of combs from the egg to sealing? 4. To make sure of swarms, why not clip the queen, and place an empty hive or one with foundation on the ground opposite the hive from which a swarm is expected ? — N. Smith. Reply. — 1. Honey is not so good when stored ;in old combs as when extracted from clean, virgin combs, never occupied by brood or pollen. 2. No ; much depends on the weather, though ■>the young bee does do a certain amount of nurse-work while gaining strength of body to enable it to undertake the harder labour of foraging. 3. Yes. Experiments have been tried in that direction, not with any encouraging amount of success, we fear ; we shall be glad to have the results when you have given your plan a trial. 4. This also has been tried, though with what success we cannot call to mind. An American writer reports being able to secure 'clipped queens' and swarms by placing a bough of a tree m front, up which she climbs. [381.] Using Carbolised Sheets. — I have only just commenced to use the carbolic sheet instead of smoke. 1. Please say whether it is correct to let it remain on top of frames as long as the hive may be open, say a quarter of an hour or more, merely turning back the end to take out such frames as one may wish to manipulate, or should it be removed after a minute or so, and if thus what is to prevent the bees crowding up again ? The former plan is the one I have adopted. 2. A queen raised from a hybrid Ligurian egg in a hybrid Camiolan stock — would she partake in any degree of Carniolan nature in consequence of the feeding, &c. ? — East Dulwich. Reply. — 1. The best material for use as carbolic sheets is coarse open canvas, and if this is used the sheet not be removed till the examination of the hive is completed. On the other hand if a close or impervious material is used, the fumes of the carbolic acid might drive the bees almost en masse from the hive. 2. No. [382.] Covering for Hives. — What is the best covering for bees in bar-frame hives for winter ? Last October I had a stock, strong and well stored with honey. In March, to my surprise, I found the bees dead and mouldy, and the comb damp and offensive; three woollen quilts on the top (covered with a piece of oilcloth) all wet and rotting. I directly examined four other stocks, on which an oilcloth or enamel-cloth lay first, and other woollen quilts above, and found all right, dry and healthy. Do you advise thin board, enamelled cloth, or hempen carpet, as a first covering ? — A Charlburian. Reply. — To cover frames with pervious coverings or quilts, and place over these an im- pervious covering of oilcloth, means nothing less than condensing and preventing the escape of any moisture which may arise from the warmth of the hive below. The oilcloth, if used at all, must be placed directly on the top bars and the quilts above it. Our own practice is to cover with oilcloth, next set on the quilts, and over all we place a covering of board in three pieces. [383.] Removing Glass Supers. — Will you kindly advise me as to best means of removing a glass super to prevent bees piercing the caps ? Said super being five sheets of glass fastened with transparent cement, and intended for ex- hibition, therefore I cannot smoke or use car- bolic from above the combs. If I draw a car- bolised cloth between super and frames, would not this cause bees in super to at once begin on 322 THE BRITISH BEE JOUENAL. [July 16, 1891. the sealed combs at top. — Geokge Corbyn, Snettisham. Reply. — The carbolised cloth will do more harm than good in your case. The only course is to use one or other of the super-clearers ■which have been described in our pages, and to proceed as gently as possible in raising the super from the hive, so as not to excite the bees. THE PERILS OF BEE-KEEPING. A good instance of the perils of bee-keeping may be found in the story, first given, we believe, in a bee-newspaper some years ago, of two men who were transferring five straw hives to a lonely cottage on the moors, in order to reap the late honey-harvest of the heather. The con- veyance used was a spring-cart with two wheels. When the men reached their destination they unharnessed the horse, put him in the stable, and shut the door. Meanwhile they had propped up the shafts of the cart upon a fence. So far so good ; but the taking of the hives out of the cart proved to be a delicate business. One of the men climbed into the cart, and began to hand out the skeps one by one. But the man in the cart (to avoid periphrases we will call him A) forgetting how insecurely the vehicle was balanced, incautiously stepped over the seat, holding one of the straw hives in his hands. The shafts instantly tipped upwards, the whole cart turning on its wheels like a sea-saw on its fulcrum. The other man, B, with great presence of mind, seized the tail of the cart with both hands, and tried to hold it up by main force. But A had hopelessly lost his balance, and floundered heavily forwards upon B. As he fell, the floor-board of the hive which he held in his hands dropped off, and he rammed the hive down upon B's head like an extinguisher upon a candle. Then followed a complete collapse. Two boys, who were sitting on the fence, began to laugh immoderately at first, when the catas- trophe took place, but in a very few minutes they were running away as fast as they could, hitting fiercely about with their caps. This shows that one should not laugh prematurely at themisfortunes of others. The story has several variants; if we remember aright, A and B, although badly stung, recovered in due course, but the five colonies of bees were hopelessly lost. — R. C. D.— Graphic. €t$m ixam % Jibes. Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington, July 10th 1891. — The three stocks at my small out-apiary have done fairly well. Last Saturday, as the weather looked promising, 1 went and put crates of sections under those that were well on the way. I may say one lot had two crates on, and some were filled ; however, as it was too late to take any off, I just slipped another crate under other two stocks, thinking they would go on and fill them. Well, it came on to rain for three days ; I quite expected to find, when I went after it cleared up, that the bees had taken a lot of the honey down. Judge of my surprise when I uncovered the sections to find them quite deserted — the under empty crate and the cold nights had made the bees entirely withdraw, so that I took off forty splendidly filled sections, and scarcely a bee, not more than twenty amongst them; the cold nights and the empty crate had acted as a perfect bee-escape. If we can but have some nice warm weather (and it seems to look more like it now), there will be some honey yet. I do not think I have seen so much white clover round here since 1881. The last few days of wet have made stocks start queen-cells, and English bees seem determined to swarm as well as others. Had two immense swarms join yesterday, and, after taking out queen -cells from old stock and putting eight frames of combs and foundation under the old stock, and excluder on again, I gave them two more extra boxes of shallow combs, putting one with bees and honey on top, and throwing united swarms back in the evening. Truly this has been a curious season. — John Walton. §ce Sljflfos t0 €amt. July 23rd, 24th. — Lincolnshire Agricultural Society at Brigg. Stephen Upton, Sec, St. Benedict's Square, Lincoln. July i;8th to 31st. — Highland and Agricultural Society at Stirling. Mr. T. D. Gibson-Car- michael, Melrose, N.B. July 29th, 30th.— Leicestershire. B.K.A., in connexion with the Leicestershire Agricultural Society, at Leicester. Entries (except for honey) close July 11th. Entries for honey may be made up to 22nd July. H. M. Riley, Tower House, Leicester. August 5th, 6th, and 7th. — Yorkshire Agri- cultural Society at Bradford. Entries closed June 27th. Marshall Stephenson, Sec, York. Sept. oth. — Alderley Edge and District Branch of the Lancashire and Cheshire B.K.A. Chel- ford Flower Show, Astle, Chelford. Schedules, &c, T. D. Schofield, Alderley Edge, Cheshire. Sept. 9, 10. — Derbyshire Bee-keepers' Asso- ciation at Derbv. Entries close August 27th. W. T. Atkins, Sec, 12 North Street, Derby. REVIEW OF THE BEE JOURNALS OF GERMANY AND AUSTRIA. By J. Dennleh. (Concluded from p. 254). 8. Deutscher Bienenfreund. Twenty-seventh year. Editor, Krancher. — Near Oeningen, a small village in Baden, is situated a stone quarry, in which Professor Heer, of Zurich, discovered some years ago 844 species of fossil insects dating from the Tertiary period. Amongst them is also found a bee, well pre- served, and at present in the Museum at Zurich.. The size is about that of our ordinary worker.. July 16, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. S2i Part of the tongue, the thorax, wings, and ab- domen are well displayed. In the head are easily distinguished the two compound eyes and two of the simple ej'es. It was called Apis adaniitica by Professor Heer. [We fully de- scribed these fossils and the flora of the period in the B.B.J, for 1844, page 94, showing that the Apis cidamitica could not be looked upon otherwise than as the ancestor of our present bee.— Ed. B.B.J.] 9. Bienenzeitung. Forty-seventh year. Editor, Vogel. — Dobratz recommend Wistaria chinensis as a honey plant. This is a climbing plant, flowering in June, some of the flowei's even postponing their opening till August. The blue fiowers resemble those of the acacia, and are much visited by bees. The Wistaria came originally from China. Professor Caspar Wistar, of Philadelphia, who died in 1818, gave it his name. This plant climbs to a height of thirty metres. 10. Elsass - Lothringischer Bienenziichter. Nineteenth year. Editors, Dennler and Z wil- ling. No. 1. — Scarcely has Pastor Baelz, of AViirthemberg, sounded the funeral knell of the Koerbs comb foundation than two others make their appearance. A Saxon named Cesar Beyer claims to have invented a machine by means of which comb foundation can be produced having cells one to two centimetres deep. He has patented this invention, which he calls ' Edi foundation, patented? An Austrian dealer has manufactured combs of tin. Cells the depth of natural ones, and even double, were tilled with honey by the bees and then capped 'just the same as though they were waxen combs. Several specimens of these combs filled with honey were shown at the Agricultural and Forestry Exhibition at Vienna last season. Jules Steigel, of Pernersdorf, is the inventor. [Unfortunately for him, this invention is not new, such combs having been made by Quinby in 1870, and were not only filled with honey, but were also used by the queen for brood-rear- ing. The fact was demonstrated that bees would accept and occupy combs made of foreign materials, but after thoroughly testing them it was evident that the weight and the expense of such combs would render them impractic- able, and they were given up. — Ed. B.B.J.~\ Adulteration of tuax. — In order to determine if comb foundation is pure and contains only beeswax, put a small piece of foundation in a basin and melt it, without, however, overheat- ing it. In another basin dissolve a piece of soda about the size of a nut in two spoonfuls of hot water. Then mix the two. If the comb foundation is of pure beeswax the resulting mixture is white mass. If, on the contrary, the foundation contains ceresine, this floats on the surface in the form of an oily substance. Ceresine does not saponify with soda. — No. 2. Dennler gives an instance where a young queen stung him three times. Vierling had a young mated queen that laid sterile eggs — i.e., eggs from which neither workers nor drones were pro- duced ; he was obliged to replace her by another. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Letters or queries asking for addresses oj manufacturers or correspondents, or where appliances can he purchased, or replies giving such information, can only be inserted as advertisements. The space devoted to letters, queries, and. replies, is meant for the general good of bee-keepers, and not for advertisements. We wish our Correspondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessary for us to go to press in advance of the date of issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue immediately following the receipt of their com- munication. All queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only of personal interest will be answered in this column. Mr. A. J. Carter, of Billingshurst, Sussex,, requests us to state that the honey for which he was awarded first prize in Class 809 was gathered this year. [We gladly insert the above correction, and must congratulate the winner on what must have been a very exceptionally warm clover corner to have secured such honey when the failure was so general everywhere else. — Eds.] Thos. Kendall (Knittleton). — All subscribers have their Journals posted the same da)', and should be received on the Thursday of publi- cation. Your postman must, we think, be at fault ; else why do not other subscribers com- plain of late delivery ? W. Farnworth (Swindon). — Swarms taking Possession of Empty Hives. — It is quite im- possible for us to advise you what to do with only the scant details given to guide us. Were the empty hives prepared for the swarm — i.e., fitted with comb foundation or with ready-built combs, and are they perfectly free from disease ? If the bees persistently refuse to enter the hive, there must be some- thing wrong in the interior. If a fair portion of the swarm has taken to the hive, and the queen is with them, eggs and brood will be found in the cells by the time this appears in print. But if the ' discontented bees ' have no queen, they cannot possibly raise another unless eggs be given them from the other hive. James Hutchinsox (Cheltenham). — 'Our idea of a workable section box' is given in the article you refer to, and we cannot very well give further information regarding it except saying that if you purpose making similar boxes it would be necessary to procure a pattern to work from. Mottche-a-Miel (Wolverhampton). — 1. To divide colonies at this time will certainly lessen very considerably your chance of ob- taining much surplus honey. 2. To a great extent, yes. 3. Yes. James Byde. — Bees Refusing to Enter Supers. — The bees in question are not increasing so rapidly as your other stocks, or they would certainly take to the supers, all other things being equal. Perhaps the present rapid inflow of honey will put things right. %* Several letters have been received to ichich replies ivill be given next iveek. THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [July 16, 1891. BALDWIN'S is the Oldest Es- tablishment in the United King- dom wholly de- voted to Bees and manufacture of Bee-keepers' supplies. His prices will compare most favour- ably with those of any other Maker, while for quality of material, suitability and workmanship, he has no rival. ' Why can he give better value for money than others ? * Because he spends less in large ' puffing ' advertisements, buys in the best markets for prompt cash, has no rent to pay, and personally conducts his own business. For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com- bined), which ' contains more practical and reliable hints than all the large, expensive books,' post free for 2d. stamps. Address s. J. BALDWIN, The Apiary, Bromley, Kent. N.B. — More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable. BEST FOUNDATION for WIRED FEAMES, 2s. 3d. per lb. (about 9 Sheets). Best SUPER, 2s. Id. per lb. Perfect SMOKER, 2s. 6d. FRAMES, 10& per doz. SECTIONS, 2s. &d. 100. METAL ENDS, 5d. doz. METAL DIVIDERS, lOd. doz. CATALOGUE FREE. In- numerable Testimonials received. G. STOTHARD {1st Class Expert), Welwyn, Herts. WELWYN LUBRICATING GREASE for CARTS, 2s. 6d. per 28 lbs. 2489 CHEAP WOOD FEEDERS, HOLDING ONE POUND OF SYRUP. Can be used for Fast or Slow supply. 4d. each, postage 3d No. 88 in List. Bright Foundation, 1/10 lb. Darker ditto, 1/3 lb. EDEY & SO 23% STEAM JOINERY WORKS, ST. NEOTS. ON HIRE, BEE TENT.— For Terms apply to A. J. Brown, Hon. Sec, Bradley, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucester. 238 British Bee Journal and Bee-keepers' Record. Office : 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C. PURE CANE SUGARS. For the accommodation of Bee-keepers, guaranteed Pure Cane Sugar will be supplied in large or small quantities through this office at the under- mentioned rates : — CRYSTALLISED. t' £*rra™?«A 1 Neat bags, 14-lbs. 28-lbs. 56-lbs. Cwts. I TRINIDAD j Crystals 2/9 5/4 10/6 20/6 REFINED CANE. 7. "WHITE CRYSTALS (Small) 3/0 5/10 11/6 22/6 8, 9. (Medium and Large sizes, 1/- per Cwt. extra.) 10. LUMP (Cut Loaf) ... Boxes, 3/3 6/3 12/3 23/6 11. LUMP DUST ... 3/0 6/0 11/9 22/9 All above guaranteed made from Cane Sugar only, and free from Beet, Chemicals, etc., etc. Carriage Paid on Orders over 5/0 (or 28-lbs. Sugar) to London and Suburbs. Country Orders, not less than 2-cwt. carriage paid at 1/0 per cwt. extra. (Scotch and Irish orders, special arrangements.) Cash to be sent with order, and purchasers will please observe that if samples are required or replies asked to inquiries, a stamped addressed envelope must be sent, as we cannot undertake cost of postage. The Original and ONLY PERFECT Preventive against STINGING. Quality Improved & Price Reduced. In 1/- & 2/- Bottles ; British postage 2d. extra. All orders must be accompanied by remittance , Special Terms to the Trade. One Correspondent says : — * I have used it on removing a particularly irascible colony into a clean hive, with perfect success.' Another says : — 'I have kept bees for thirty years and have lately purchased a bottle of this wonderful stuff, and cannot persuade my bees to sting me do what I will with them.' DARCY GRIMSHAW, Horsforth, Leeds. Invaluable to Travellers Abroad as an Insectifuge, THE YORKSHIRE Bee -keepers' Supplies. willi aFdixon. 5 Beckett St., LEEDS. Hives.Extractora, Smokers, Feeders, Foundation, 4c. Prizes awarded, Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals. 226 PRIZES awarded at the Royal Agricultural Show, held at Doncaster: — Second Prize for the Best Collection of Appliances. Second Prize for the Best Observatoiy Hive, stocked with Bees. First Prize for the Best Display of Honey. Certificate for Swarming Arrangements, and other Prizes. WOOD BEE FEEDERS.— Hold 2 lbs. Syrup, Gd. each, by post, 6d. extra ; 5s. per dozen on rail. Address J. M. Baljibba, East Parade, Alnwick. 2920 THE HONEY BEE : Its Natural History, Anatomy, and Physiology. By T. W. COWAN, F.G.S., me curious cells, seemingly of a kind of mud. There were only two or throe bees apparently doing the work. I send specimens, and shall be glad if you will tell me what they are. 2. Also I send a specimen of a black bee with very bright brown fur (?) on the back. I never have seen one before, and shall be obliged to you for information. 3. Do you approve of placing a second hive underneath the original one? A huge swarm came out of an Italian stock of mine on Friday last, leaving a super of hanging frames, which was not half full — almost empty. I regret now that I did not place a super (?) beneath them. — H. S. H., Taunton. Reply. — 1. The mud cells filled with pollen are those of the mason-bees, very common in some parts of the country. 2. It is one of the common humble-bees. 3. As a regular thing, no ; though a super may be temporarily placed so in specially constructed hives for removal above after the bee3 begin working in them, but unless the bee-keeper is at hand at the right time to remove the super to its proper place at the top of the hive, it is best not to attempt operations of this kind. They ai*e the ' finer points' of the pursuit; very advantageous in experienced hands, but— as with the operation known as ' spreading brood '- — very apt to go wrong in those of the amateur bee-keeper. You should give the ' half-filled frames ' to the ' huge swarm ' to complete. July ?3, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 831 <2fojj0jes from % jjto, Ticehurst, Sussex, July \Qth.~ The weather here just now is delightful, and there are acres of white clover for the bees to work upon, and the limes are rapidly coming into bloom. A fine swarm I bought on June 20th, putting them on nine frames, and a crate of twenty-one sections were all filled by to-day, and with the exception of a few outside ones were beauti- fully sealed over, so I have added another crate. Respectfully adding my thanks for the valuable information gained from the B. B. J. — A COTTAGEIt. Kincardine Cottage, Aviemore, July 12th. — Bees are doing well for the last month, previous to then they had a hard struggle, weather being very cold and backward. I expect a few swarms from straw ruskies some of these da)rs — fully two weeks behind former seasons. — A. Clabkb. Gainsborough District, July 20th. — Honey has been coming in fairly well this month, although we had several thunderstorms and showers last week, with cold nights. Truant swarms are numerous this year. I have heard of six in this neighbourhood. The enclosed cutting from the Gainsborough Times is an example of what may be done by an ardent bee-keeper. — F. J. Cribu. 'A Novel Use for Bicycles. — An enthusiastic apiarist, living at Kirton, mounted on a safety bicycle, followed a swarm of bees for two miles on Wednesday afternoon, and after safely hiving the wanderers, returned home with the skep containing the numerous living freight securely fastened to the frame of his machine.' >{j0fo8 t0 €0iM, July 23rd, 24th.— Lincolnshire Agricultural Society at Brigg. Stephen Upton, Sec, St. Benedict's Square, Lincoln. July 28th to 31st. — Highland and Agricultural Society at Stirling. Mr. T. D. Gibson-Car- michael, Melrose, N.B. July 29th, 30th.— Leicestershire B.K.A., in connexion with the Leicestershire Agricultural Society, at Leicester. Entries (except for honey) close July 11th. Entries for honey may be made up to 22nd July. H. M. Ililey, Tower House, Leicester. August 5th, 6th, and 7th. — Yorkshire Agri- cultural Society at Bradford. Entries closed June 27th. Marshall Stephenson, Sec, York. Sept. 5th. — Alderley Edge and District Branch of the Lancashire and Cheshire B.K.A. Chel- ford Flower Show, Astle, Chelford. Schedules, &c, T. D. Schofield, Alderley Edge, Cheshire. Sept. 9th, 10th. — Derbyshire Bee-keepers' Association at Derbv. Entries close August 27th. W. T. Atkins, Sec.,* 12 North Street, Derby. N.B.— Exhibitors are particularly requested to follow the instructions {riven for ' Sending Honey to Shows ' in the number of the British Bee Journal for 12th February, 1891. " EUCALYPTUS HONEY. In a paper read before the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, Professor T. P. Ander- son Stuart, University of Sydney, N.S.W. speaking of Eucalyptus honey, says : — The main facts about the honey are that two or three years ago it was reported that a honey had reached Paris from Sydney which was said to be gathered from eucalyptus-trees by the ' black bee of Australia.' Astounding state- ments were made regarding the productiveness of this bee, and of the properties of the honey. As much as 600 kilos, (about 13 cwt.) were said to be obtained from one hive (generally a hollow tree), and the reported arrival of 6000 to 7000 kilos, of the stuff at Marseilles from Sydney served to give some credence to the statement. But the peculiar thing was that Australians knew nothing about this honey, and several prominent Australasian pharmacists, amongst them Mr. Melhuish, pronounced the thing a fraud. Of course, there is plenty of honey pro- duced in Australia, but it is ordinary honey, Professor Stuart explained, worth 3±d. per pound in first hands. He proceeded to tell the whole history of the honey, the object being to show that the statement that a honey containing 17 per cent, of eucalyptol and other active prin- ciples is a natural product is fallacious. There is no doubt that a substance of this character was introduced in France, and was the subject of a discussion before the Academy of Medicine there, M. Herisson, of the Chevrier Laboratory, reporting that it contained 6116 of sugar (mostly levulose), 1"8 of ash, 215-6 of moisture, and 171 of active principles (eucalyptol, eucalyptum, cymol, colouring-matter, resin, &c) in 1000, while its specific rotary power was 22°, and its density 1-440. Further, it was related in Christy's Commercial Plants and Drugs that the honey was discovered first in 1884 by a traveller named Guillemet while exploring Tas- mania. The account given of the discovery sounds most mythical, and it will suffice to state that the traveller said he found his treasure in a tree 7 metres in diameter, which requires 14 natives to encircle it with arms spread out. ltoughly, the tree must have been about 60 feet in circumference. It is not surprising, therefore, that the traveller carried away with him the whole hive of honey obtained from the hollow of this tree, and that the sweet load was between 3 and 4 tons in weight ! Beside that man the modern Samsons would tremble for their repu- tation, and it is conceivable that such honey might be possessed of the properties which the Academy of Medicine endorsed — viz., that it is a specific for laryngeal, bronchial, pulmonary, cardiac, and scrofulous affections ; an ant ifebri- f uge in malaria and typhoid ; a blenorrhagic, and a thing to rely on for catarrhs, especially when influenza happens to be fashionable. But the curious thing is that the bee which Guillemet described (Apis nigra mellijica) is an insect with which Australian experts are un- familiar ; nevertheless, Professor Stuart sought 332 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [July 23, 1891. for one of the kind,, and found that, in addition to an imported bee, which ia the chief honey- gatherer in Australasia, there is a tiny bee, a little smaller than a house-fly, and not unlike it, to judge from the specimens which 'were shown on Wednesday night. This is the Triyona car- bonaria (Smith), and it does gather honey, a specimen of which was also shown. This honey is a little darker than golden syrup, and a little thicker than simple syrup, which never crystallises, although the French kind does. Professor Stuart had this examined chemically, and got several specimens, one from Mr. Maiden, of the Sydney Museum. The analysis of this by the Government analyst there will suffice to show what we are dealing with in this case. The sample reduced Fehling's solution readily ; gave no precipitate with alcohol, barium chloride, and lead acetate ; it fermented with yeast (a thing which the French hortey did not) ; showed the presence of pollen-grains from the wattle (an acacia); gave evidence of the presence of a glucocide and other bitter principles, but gave not a trace of essential oil on distillation. Dili- gent inquiry was made all over the Australasian continent. Every nook appears, in fact, to have been explored, to find a honey such as the French people have exercised themselves about, but not a trace of it could be discovered ; and Professor Stuart quoted authority after au- thority to show that Guillemet, the traveller, the big trees, the hives, and all the other tall things, have never been seen or heard of in Australia. In addition to that he gave a good deal that was interesting about the native bee. It is dying off, a victim to the imported bee, which is bigger, hardier, and has a sting — all the qualities, in fact, which make it the stronger species in the struggle for existence. The way in which the natives find out the hives of the tiny trigona is curious. They catch one, gum a bit of a flower to it, let it escape, and then run after it over all obstacles until they reach the tree where the wee guide alights. There the hive is, and a section of such a tree was shown. It was scarcely afoot in diameter, had the comb right in the centre, and could not have contained more than five pounds, far less the 10,000 pounds which the imaginative traveller would have us believe. The ordinary white honey of Australia is gathered by the imported bee, and does not contain essential oil. ' How can it ? ' says Pro- fessor Stuart. Even if gathered from eucalyptus- flowers, which is questionable, they are not known to contain eucalyptol. This, and much more, was told in a very long paper; but what we report suffices to show that natural euca- lyptus honey of Australia does not contain eucalyptol — the French article is an artificial mixture. [At a time when the medicinal value of the Eucalyptus-tree, as well as the honey gathered from it, in cases of influenza is being discussed, the aboVe paper will have especial interest for bee-keepers.— Eds.] MAKING A SWARM CLUSTER AND .STAY UPONT A STAKE IN FRONT OF ITS HIVE. Every bee-keeper knows of the dist03ilion of bees to crawl ujnoards. To iniuce a queen to leave a cage, turn the opening up. Those who have watched the motions of a clipped queen in front of the hive from which a swarm has just issued, have probably noticed her disposition to crawl up a spear of grass, or anything of this nature that she can find. At the recent meeting of the Huronj Tuscola, and Sanilac Co. bee- keepers, a Mr. West told how it was possible to take advantage of this climbing disposition on the part of the queen, to induce a swarm with a clipped queen to cluster and remain upon a stake in front of the hive from which it had issued. This discovery was the result of an accident, or, rather, of a lucky ' happen so.' In front of one of his hives a mullein had been allowed to form a stalk. Coming home one day he found a swarm from this hive clustered upon the mullein stalk. He at once reasoned that the queen, as she alighted in front of the hive, found and climbed the mullein stalk, and the swarm, upon its return, found and clustered about her. Taking a hint from this, he cleared away all rubbish from in front of all the hives, and a few inches in front of each hive he thrust into the ground a branch of an apple-tree. He used branches perhaps an inch in diameter and two feet long, with a few short twigs at the top. The twigs were cut off to a length of four or six inches. The branch was not planted in an upright position, but leaning away from the mouth of the hive. Then it was not in the way, of the workers as they passed out and in the hive, while a swarm clustered at the top would be held so far from the entrance of tli9 hive that there would be no danger of its being enticed back into the hive. This plan proved a perfect success. He had practised it for three years, and one year had as many as sixty swarms, and it had never failed. It seemed to me that the queen might not always find the tree to climb, but would crawl off in some other direction, but he said not ; that the stake was planted just about where she would naturally strike the ground when leaving the hive, and she invariably found and climbed the pole, and that the bees clustered about her and remained. As the queen could not take wing, and the bees would not desert her, it naturally followed that they would remain until removed by the bee-keeper. If this plan only proves as successful as repre- sented, it will be a great thing for the bee- keeper with a small apiary, who cannot always be present with his bees in the middle of the day. — From American ' B. K. Review.' BEES SETTLING ON THE RIGHT MAN. As Mr. F. C. Lewis, of Buckland Terrace, Yelverton, near Plymouth, was passing Horra- bridge Board School on Saturday, July 4th, a July 23, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL 33: swavm of bees began to alight, on bis bat, and he at once placed it on the ground that the bees might quietly settle. Lewis, well known as a clever manipulator of bees, returned to Broad Parks for a hive, and easily secured the swarm, which will, no doubt, repay him for his skill and trouble. — Communicated, TIMELY HELP. Inferring to 098 (p. 301) and our footnote appended thereto, ' F. K.' writes: — ' I am very much obliged to you for so kindly inserting my letter in the Bee Journal, and very grateful for the most unexpected result. Mr. C. S. P., Ryde, Isle of Wight, has been so exceedingly kind and generous, and has supplied two poor men for me with most complete set of appliances. He knows t bis district, and thinks it a good one on account of the heather, Sec, so we are very hopeful of success.' THE BEES. First bees in rocks their habitations sought, Or in hollow trees their wondrous structures wrought, Till man a more commodious mansion gave, And called them from the woods and dreary cave. Tnvited thus to neat and ready bowers, They cull the choicest of the vernal flowers, Survey the enamelled plain on rapid wing, Range o'er the lawns, and rifle all the spring : Succeeding blooms their arduous toils renew, To steal the sweets and sip the nectar'd dew. Puled by a queen with all the pride of state, A numerous guard around their monarch wait ; Some from the busy hive explore the way In search of sweets amid the blooms of May ; Others the wax in various hues collect, Part build the comb, and some the work inspect. What skilful artist better knows to trace Such cells complete within a given space ? The young, no sooner hatched, impatient try Their unused wings in air, and boldly fly O'er groves and meads, for fragrant treasures roam, And instinct guides the little wanderers home. Ah ! leave them happy in their copious store ; A part they'll give, and why desire ye more ? • In just return, the happy race reward, From chilling winds the peaceful mansion guard ; Pegale them, too, upon some smiling day, Thy tender cares they amply will repay. Bryan I'Anson Bromwich, M.A., 1754. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Letters or queries asking for addresses of manufacturers ir correspondents, or where appliances can be purchased, or replies giving such information, can only he inserted as advertisements. The space devoted to letters, queries, and replies, is meant for the general good of bee-keepers, and not for advertisements. Wevjish our Correspondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessary for us to go to press in advance of the date of issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue immediately following the receipt of their communication. A Subscriber (Carnarvon).— Queen sent is a young one, and has not been fertilised. Kobkrt dk B. Saunderson. — Preserving Srctinns.— Sections of comb honey may be preserved from granulating by keeping them in a dry, warm place, and at a temperature of about 00° to 05° (70° is still better). More- over, the honey should be ripe when stored away. Sealed honey in sections is sometimes thin and poor in quality, and this kind will usually sweat or ' weep,' as it is called, after a time, eventually becoming slightly fermented. The greasy or damp appearance of the capping indicates this condition. Some interesting particulars on the preservation of honey appeared in our monthlv, the Record, for May, 1880. Johnson (Castle Douglas). — 1. Some honey willkeepliquid for along time, while in another year that gathered in the same district will granulate in a month or less. There are, of course, a variety of chemical reasons for this difference, which it would be impossible t(\ explain here. 2. Straining honey means) cutting the combs up, and allowing it Ud ■ strain through some material of open texture; ■-. into a vessel placed" below. 3." No. '4'."" Bees • one mile and a quarter from heather would; travel to it no doubt, but could hardly be expected t'o gather so freely from it as if on the spot. We should, howevel', not .advise incurring the trouble and expense of moving for all the difference it would make... .-- , A Cottager (Ticehurst). — Comb' 'contains" chilled brood only, hot foul broSC - . :. J. B. (Keighley).— No one can gauge the age of adult queens except by their appearance", and then it is more or less guesswork. Queen sent is an adult and of the ordinary native variety. John Waddington (St. Neots). — There is foul brood in comb sent, but only in a very few of the cells. The general appearance of the dead brood, however, gives the impression that the comb has been put through the extractor, and that the brood has got chilled in consequence. The Village Blacksmith. — The honey sent is largely from ' charlock,' or wild mustard, and it has the peculiar property of rapidly granulating. No. 2 is a better honey than No. 1, but both are good. Inquisitor (Manchester). —The bee sent is an immature queen. It is not uncommon to see such thrown out of hives after the issue of second swarms or casts. T. Charlton (Chester-le-Street).— The 'Model Beehive' is simply the beginning of an ordi- nary wasp's nest. The queen wasp often chooses an empty hive in which to start opera- tions, only to desert her work when the hive is opened for any purpose. J. Morgan (Pontypridd). — This also is a case of wasps nest-building in a hive, and the bees have actually used a portion of the paper-like material — of which the nest is made — among the wax-cells of their own combs. C. Redshaw. — Queen sent is old and nearly worn out ; but few eggs remain in the ovaries. TEE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [July 23, 1891. BALDWIN'S is the Oldest Es- tablishment in the United King- dom wholly de- voted to Bees and manufacture of Bee-keepers' supplies. His prices will compare most favour- ably with those of any other Maker, while for quality of material, suitability and workmanship, he has no rival. * Why can he give better value for money than others ? ' Because he spends less in large ' puffing ' advertisements, buys in the best markets for prompt cash, has no rent to pay, and personally conducts his own business. For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com- bined), which ' contains more practical and reliable hints than all the large, expensive books,' post free for 2d. stamps. Address 8. J. BALDWIN, The Apiary, Bromley, Kent. N.B. — More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable. BEST FOUNDATION for WIRED FRAMES, 2s. 3d. per lb. (about 9 Sheets). Best SUPER, 2s. Id. per lb. Perfect SMOKER, 2s. &d. FRAMES, lOd. per doz. SECTIONS, 2s. Gd. 100. METAL ENDS, 5d. doz. METAL DIVIDERS, lOd. doz. CATALOGUE FREE. In- numerable Testimonials received. G. STOTHARD (1st Class Expert), Welwyn, Herts. WELWYN LUBRICATING GREASE for CARTS, 2s. 6d. per 28 lbs. 2489 CHEAP WOOD FEEDERS, HOLDING ONE POUND OF SYRUP. Can be used for Fast or Slow supply. 4d. each, postage 3d. No. 88 in List. Bright Foundation, 1/10 lb. Darker ditto, 1/3 lb. EDEY & SO 1ST, STEAM JOINERY WORKS, ST. NEOTS. ON HIRE, BEE TENT.— For Terms apply to A. J. Bbown, Hon. Sec, Bradley, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucester. 238 British Bee Journal and Bee-keepers' Record. Office : 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C. PURE CANE SUGARS. For the accommodation of Bee-keepers, guaranteed Pure Cane Sugar will be supplied in large or small quantities through this office at the under- mentioned rates : — CRYSTALLISED. t' S?DB?i^?aA 1 Neat bags, 14-lbs. 28-lbs. 56-lbs. Cwts. 6. TRINIDAD j C,ystals 2'9 5/4 10/6 W'6 REFINED CANE. 7. WHITE CRYSTALS (Small) 3/0 5/10 11/6 22/6 8. 9. (Medium and Large sizes, 1/- per Cwt. extra.) 10. LUMP (Cut Loaf) ... Boxes, 3/3 6/3 12/3 23/6 11. LUMP DUST ... 3/0 6/0 11/9 22/9 All above guaranteed made from Cane Sugar only, and free from Beet, Chemicals, etc., etc. Carriage Paid on Orders over 5/0 (or 28-lbs. Sugar) to London and Suburbs. Country Orders, not less than 2-cwt. carriage paid at 1/0 per cwt. extra. (Scotch and Irish orders, special arrangements.) Cash to be sent with order, and purchasers will please observe that if samples are required or replies asked to inquiries, a stamped addressed envelope must be sent, as we cannot undertake cost of postage. The Original and ONLY PEH"?ECT Preventive against STINGING-. Quality Improved & Price Reduced. In 1/- & 2/- Bottles ; British pjstage 2d. extra. All orders must be accompanied by remittance; Special Terms to the Trade. One Correspondent says : — ' I have used it on removing a particularly irascible colony into a clean hive, with perfect success.' Another says:— 'I have kept bees for thirty years and have lately purchased a bottle of this wonderful stuff, and cannot persuade my bees to sting me do what I will with them." DARCY GRIMSHAW, Horsforth, Leeds. Invaluable to Travellers Abroad as an Insectifuge, THE YORKSHIRE Bee-keepers' Supplies. WILLI AM~DIX0N 5 Beckett St., LEEDS. Hives.Extractors, Smokers, Feeders, Foundation, ered in this column Amateur (Bath). — Both samples of honey are good ; No. 1 especially so. The colour and appearance of the capping in sample No. 1 are excellent for show purposes, the other points being to secure sections with the comb built out close to the wood on all sides, and with every cell sealed, if possible. T. J. — Bees and Second-crof) Red Clover. — Every- thing depends on the weather. Do not, how- ever, leave the supers on till the bees carry the contents below. The end of August is soon enough to begin winter feeding. Five- pound bottles will answer the purpose very well. Use muslin — not flannel — for coverings, and cut an opening in the quilts on which to stand the bottles. Don't put perforated zinc between. Syrup may be given cold. Sugar sent is made from beet, and not suitable for bee-food. Mouch-a-Miel. — Vicious Bees. — It is generally conceded that hybrid, or cross-bred bees are more vicious than the pure varieties. It is not always safe to say that any particular cross will be sure to produce quiet bees. Ex- perience proves the contrary, because a stock will sometimes produce vicious bees for no reason that can be adduced, and when this occurs the queen should be promptly destroyed, and the hive re-queened. Queens may, as you observe, be introduced in early summer. Jas. Bbeweb. — Re-queening Hires. — The plan of joining casts or second swarms to stocks with old queens after removing the latter is an excellent one. Follow it by all means in your case and in the manner proposed. In uniting, drive the bees into a skep ; when driven, set it on a large floor-board, wedge it up and shake off the bees from the frames and let them join the driven bees by running in. Shake all up together in the skep, and then 364 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [August 6, 1891. knock them out in front of the frame hive they are to occupy, dredging the bees with a little flour as they run in. Of course the old queen must be removed beforehand. A Scot (Stirling). — The dead queen is the old one. It not seldom happens that bees depose their queens in this way and raise new ones. J. A. A. (Kesh). — Bees casting out Drones. — When bees begin killing drones and casting out brood, it is a sign of the approaching end of the honey season, or an indication of scarcity of food in the hive. T. R. (Durham). — Re-queening Hives. — By leaving the old queen till about this time, all the bees likely to be useful at the moors will be produce! from eggs already laid, so the young queens may be introduced at once after removal of the old ones. Bees do re- move unsealed honey into sections overhead if they lack room below for breeding. The unfinished sections had best be put on the hives at the moors for completion. JR. P. Doxford. — 1. No one can say exactly why some swarms fly off and are never seen again. — 2 and 3. There could not possibly be brood of- the young queen sooner than from sixteen to twenty days after the top swarm took flight. — 4. Not under circumstances named. — 5. Queens hatched from cells on the 24th would most likely be dead when your note reached us (on 2Sth) unless dealt with by an experienced person. Inquirer (Staffordshire). — We cannot say it is unlawful for a b^e-keeper to prepare his hives for the reception of swarms in any way he may see fit, and leave them open, too, if he so desires; but if swarm-, other than his own, enter hives so prepared, they may be claimed by their owner if not lost sight of between the time of leaving the parent stock and entering the strange hive. T. G. (Staffs). — 1 and 2. Sugar is not pure cane, and is therefore unsuitable for bee-food. 2. You can do nothing but wait till young queen is fertilised ; super had better be removed, as no work will now be done in it. 3. There are several things very ' unusual ' in what you describe, and which, on the details sent, we cannot explain or account for. Young queens seldom hatch out in less than eight days after top swarm leaves. 0. S. Bkid. — Boxes for carrying Driven Bees. — The boxes used are old 'washing powder' or ' Hudson's soap ' boxes. Beyond cutting the holes (good-sized ones) and covering with perforated zinc, little is netded in the way of ' making.' No entrance is required, the bees after driving into the skep are thrown out on to a newspaper and allowed to run into the open box, propped up to receive them. Box and bees are then lifted on to the loose lid ; all is tied together with cord, and they are ready for carrying. The box and bees, minus lid, may be set on the old stand to gather in the flying bees, if time allow it. is the Oldest Es- tablishment in the United King- dom wholly de- voted to Bees and BALDWIN'S manufacture of Bee-keepers' supplies. His prices will compare most favour- ably with those of any other Maker, while for quality of material, suitability and workmanship, he has no rival. ' Why can he give better value for money than others ? ' Because he spends less in large ' puffing ' advertisements, buys in the best markets for prompt cash, has no rent to pay, and personally conducts his own business. For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com- bined), which ' contains more practical and reliable hints than all the large, expensive books,' post free for 2d. stamps. Address 8. J. BALDWIN, The Apiary, Bromley, Kent. N.B. — More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable. WILTS BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. THE COUNTY SHOW will be held August 19th, at the SWINDON HORTI- CULTUEAL FETE, when the Medals and Cer- tificates of the B. B. K. A., and sundry Money Prizes will be competed for. W. E. BURKITT, Hon. Sec, Buttermere Bectory, Hungerford. Entries close August 12th. SHROPSHIRE $\tt-\mpx$ |Us0 tint bit. The Annual Exhibition of Bees, Honey, Hives, and Appliances, "Will be held in THE QUARRY, SHREWSBURY, in conjunction with the HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY'S GREAT FETE, On Wednesday and Thursday, Aug. 19th & 20th. PRIZES to the Value of £35 will be awarded. For Prize Lists, Entry Forms, and Information, apply to T. Whittingham, Water Lane, Shrews- bury. THE G00LE AND DISTRICT Beekeepers' association. Show of Flowers, Fruits, Vegetables, and Honey, At GOOLE, August 13th. Special Classes for Members of the Yorkshire B. K.A. ENTRIES CLOSE AUGUST 10th. Schedules, &c, of A. WOODHEAD, Hon. Sec, Edinbokough Steeet, Goole. FOT7X* BROOD, T70EMI0 ACID.— Draper's 'B' brand. JL guaranteed pure. As used and recommended by Mr. Sproule in Bee Journal. Stoppered bottles, 1 lb., 3s. 6d.; 4 lbs., lis. 6d., post free. Address Edmondson Bkos., Bee Appliance Warehouse, 10 Dame Street, Publin. 24Q THE BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 477. Vol. XIX. N.S. 85.] AUGUST 13, 1891. [Published Weekly, <0x10ot1, Ifatias, $z< WILFUL DESTRUCTION OE BEES. On Tuesday, the 4th mat., Charles Clarke, a schoolmaster, of 24 Iffley Road, Hammersmith, appeared before Mr. Plowden at the Hammer- smith Police Court in answer to a summons (issued at the instance of Mr. William Soar), charging him with having, on the 27th ult., wilfully destroyed a swarm of bees belonging to the complainant by syringing them with water and afterwards setting tire to them. The defendant pleaded guilty to destroying the bees, but urged in extenuation that at the time he did not know to whom they belonged, and that the measures he took were only for the purpose of ensuring protection for himself and family against what he deemed to be noxious insects. Under these circumstances the magis- trate invited both sides to consider whether the matter could not be settled out of Court by the payment of compensation for the damage done, he offering to adjourn the case for a week in order that the parties might have time to think over the suggestion. The defendant, however, elected that the case should proceed. Mr. William Soar then entered the witness- box, and deposed as follows : I live at 30 Iffley Road, Hammersmith, and am in business as a picture-frame maker. I am also a bee-keeper. My bees swarmed on the 27th of last month. I did not see them swarm, but my wife did ; and, in consequence of what she told me, I called on the defendant, and asked him if my bees were in his garden, and if he would allow me to take them. He replied that they were, but he would not permit me to go into the garden. My wife had previously informed me that she had seen him in the act of destroying the bees. I told the defendant it was very wrong of him to destroy them, and that he was liable to be punished for doing so. I also said that no one would have been harmed if he had allowed me to take them away. He answered that he would take the risk of any legal proceedings ; that he was quite at liberty to destroy my bees if they went into his garden, just the same as he would destroy a cat or dog, or any other animal, that trespassed there ; besides, his children were in danger of being stung-. Cross-examined by Defendant : I knew when I called on you that the bees had been partly destroyed. You did not say you Avere unaware that the bees had an owner, nor did you tell me that one of your children was very ill in conse- quence of a bee-sting. It is not true that you offered me any compensation, conditionally or otherwise. Mrs. Emma Soar, wife of the last witness, said : I saw the bees swarm and settle in the garden of No. 22, next door to the Defendant's house. I then went to the front door of No. 22, and saw the lady of the house, and asked permission to go through to the bees. She would not allow me to do so, but said she would speak to her son (meaning the Defendant, who is her son-in- law). I waited at the door, when the Defen- dant came out. I asked him if he would allow me through to take the bees. He said no ; he was going to kill them. I cautioned him against doing so. The old lady at No. 22 afterwards let me go to the back of the house, where I saw the Defendant put fire under the shrub where the bees were. I thereupon went home, and to a back window upstairs, from which I could see the tree all ablaze. I did not afterwards see what became of the bees. I told my husband the circumstances when he came home. Mr. William Edward Soar, a cousin of the Complainant, stated : I live at 30 Iffley Road. On the day in question I was standing at one of the top windows at the back of the house, and saw the swarm leave our garden and alight in the garden of No. 22. It had only just reached there when the Defendant came out in his own garden with a large syringe, the contents of which he squirted on to the tree where the bees were. He repeated this performance three times. I did not see the effect this treatment had on the bees, as I left the window im- mediately afterwards. The Defendant, in answer to the charge, con- tended that he did not destroy the bees with any malicious intent, as he did not know that they belonged to any one at the time he com- menced to kill them. They were an intolerable nuisance, one of his children having recently suffered with a bad hand resulting from a bee- sting. He had been annoyed from time to time by bees settling under the bedroom window-sill. lie had no idea, until these proceedings, that any man living in London would keep bees. He had to use all kinds of extraordinary means 356 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [August 13, 1891. to preserve his flowers against earwigs and other noxious insects, and he classed bees in the same category. He bad been afraid for his family to go into the garden during the last two months. Mr. Plowden said he did not think the Defen- dant intended to do any wilful damage, but that he acted more with the object of protecting himself and family from what he conceived to be a danger. He (the Magistrate) was inclined to believe that the Defendant did not know to whom the bees belonged. Under these circum- stances the complainant could not succeed on the summons before the Court, which must be dismissed. He was far from saying there was not ground for proceeding in a Civil Court, for it certainly appeared to him that the case was one in which equity demanded that the owner of the bees should receive some reparation for the loss he had suffered. [In view of the importance to bee-keepers of the issue involved in the above case we had it specially reported, and we are glad to say the expression of opinion on the part of the magistrate has caused the parties to come to a satisfactory settlement without further proceedings. — Eds.] HONEY IMPORTS. The total value of honey imported into the United Kingdom during the month of July, 1891, was 3102J. — From a return furnished by the Statistical Office, H.M. Customs, THE SCOTTISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. {Continued from page 350.) Awards. Class 1. For the best observatory hive stocked with bees and queen. — 1st, Mrs. Gibson-Car- michael ; 2nd, G. Neighbour & Sons ; 3rd, James Johnson. Class 2. For the best collection of appliances. — 1st, Not awarded ; 2nd, J. H. Howard ; 3rd, R. Steele. Class 3. For the best hive for general use and transmission to heather. — 1st, C. Redshaw ; 2nd, J. H. Howard ; 3rd, J. H. Howard. Class 4. For the best hive for cottagers' use and transmission to heather. — 1st, R. Robinson ; 2nd, W. Dodds. Class 5. For the best press for extracting honey. — 1st, A. Godman. Class 6. For the best marketable super. — 1st, C. Redshaw ; 2nd, J. H. Howard. Class 7. For the best rapid feeder. — 1st, C. Redshaw ; 2nd, G. Neighbour & Sons. _ Class 8. For the best display of honey. — 1st, Sidney Roebuck. _ Class 9. For the best super, not being a sec- tional super of comb honey. — 1st, AV. Wilson ; 2nd, W. Wilson; 3rd, Sidney Roebuck. Class 10. For the best super of honey not ex- ceeding 10 lbs. — 1st, W. Wilson. Class 11. For the best six sections of comb honey, 12 lbs. — 1st, Tom Sells; 2nd, Sidney Roebuck ; 3rd, James Crawford. Class 12. For the best twelve sections of honey, 12 lbs. — 1st, Jesse Garratt; 2nd, Miss Gayton; 3rd, Tom Sells; commended, Captain W. St. G. Ord. Class 13. For the best three sections of comb honey, 3 lbs.— 1st, H. W. Seymour ; 2nd, Tom Sells; 3rd, W. G. W. Flynn; commended, Rev. R. M. Lamb. Class 14. For the best exhibit of comb honey in sections, 6 lbs., by bees kept in Scotland. — 1st, James Findal; 2nd, C. Carnegie; 3rd, Sidney Roebuck. Class 10. For the best exhibit of heather honey, 8 lbs. — 2nd, J. McDonald. Class 17. For the most attractive display of comb honey put up in any attractive form. — 1st, Sydney Roebuck ; 2nd, W. G. W. Flynn. Class 18. For the best run or extracted honey in jars, 24 lbs. — 1st, A. J. Carter; 2nd, J. H. Howard ; 3rd, Captain W. St. G. Ord ; com- mended, Sidney Roebuck. Class 19. For the best exhibit of run or ex- tracted honey, 6 lbs., by bees kept in Scotland. — 1st, W. Wilson ; 2nd, John Kemp ; 3rd, C. Car- negie. Class 20. For the best three jars of run or extracted honey, 3 lbs. — 1st, Rev. R. M. Lamb; 2nd, W. Wilson ; 3rd, C. Carnegie ; commended, Captain W. St. G. Ord, and W. G. W. Flynn. Class 21. For the best granulated honey, 12 lbs.— 1st, Captain W. St. G. Ord; 2nd, R. Steele ; 3rd, A. J. Carter. Class 22. For the best run heather honey, 12 lbs. — 1st, C. Carnegie; 2nd, Mrs. Gibson- Carmichael; 3rd, D. Paterson. Class 23. For the best display of British bees- wax.— 2nd, R. Steele. Class 24. For the best single cake of beeswax, 2 lbs. — 1st, A. J. Carter; 2nd, James Johnston. Class 25. For the most interesting collection of useful articles in the manufacture of which honey or wax enters. — lst.W. Griffin. Class 26. For invention or improvement in- troduced since 1889. — J. Howard, two awards; R. Robinson ; J. Johnstone & Co. Class 28. For the most instructive exhibit not included in above classes. — -1st, W. Dixon. YORKSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The annual show of the above Association was held in connexion with that of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society at Bradford, on August 5th, 6th, and 7th. The exhibition of bee-appliances, together with the products of the hives, formed, as usual, a very interesting feature of the show, and the labours of the judge in these departments ex- tended to well on into the afternoon. The show in these classes generally, though not as large in the quantity of exhibits as in some previous years, is, as regards quality, in front of anything that has been seen in past shows. This fact i3 August 13, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 357 the more remarkable when it is remembered that the season has not been a favourable one, and that the period of sunshine has been un- usually short. Districts in which the white clover abounds have been the most favoured as regards the honey crop. It is evident, from the exhibitions at this and kindred shows, that the increase in the demand for honey has given a great stimulus to its production, and it is a point, in the opinion of persons in authority, whether the scope of the competition should not be so enlarged as to attract south of England ex- hibitors. The bee-appliances did not present many novel features, but the articles shown were remarkable for their durability and cheap- ness. A leading place among the exhibitors was. as usual, occupied by Mr. William Dixon, of Beckett Street, Leeds, who, in addition to taking several prizes, exhibited (not for compe- tition) some very interesting designs worked out in honey-comb by bees. Mr. E. C. "Walton, Muskham, Newark; Mr. W. P. Meadows, Syston, Leicester; Mr. A. C. Jemieson, York; Mr. T. Lowth, Riseholme, Lincoln; and Lady Hawke were also among the successful ex- hibitors. At the bee-tent lectures on bee-management and displays of bee-driving weie given jointly by Mr. G. H. L. Rickards and Mr. William Dixon, of Leeds. The cold and damp weather militated against the complete success of this feature, but in the afternoon several exhibitions were satisfactorily got through, and were lis- tened to and watched with interest by good audi- ences. Mr. Eickards explained in an intelligible and attractive style the remarkable working of the bees in their hives, paying special atten- tion to the queen-bee and her influence on the rest of the hive. Mr. Dixon also gave illus- trations of the easy removal of bees from one hive to another, and demonstrated the ease with which they can be manipulated. Prize List. Most complete frame hive. — 1st prize, W. P. Meadows, Systcn, Leicester ; 2nd, E. C. Walton, Muskham, Newark. Most complete frame hive, price not to exceed 10s.— 1st, W. P. Meadows ; 2nd, E. C. Walton. Honey extractor. — 1st, W. Dixon ; 2nd, A. C. Jemieson, 2G Colliergate, York. Honey extractor for sections. — 1st, T. Lowth, Riseholme, Lincoln; 2nd, W. Dixon. Exhibit of bee-furniture. — 1st, W. Dixon ; 2nd, A. C. Jemieson. Novelties or useful inventions brought out since 1889. — 1st, A. C. Jemieson ; 2nd, W. P. Meadows. Observatory hive. — 1st, W. Dixon ; 2nd, E. C. Walton. Comb honey in sections, weight not to exceed 18 lbs.— 1st, Kev. R. M. Lamb, Burton Pidsea Rectory, Hull; 2nd, the Lady Hawke, Wighill Park, Tadcaster. Comb honey in sections, aggregate weight not to exceed 12 lbs.— 1st, E, C, Walton ; 2nd, Ilev. R. M. Lamb. Heather honey in six 1-lb. sections, gathered in autumn of last year. — 1st, W. Dixon. Best exhibit of extracted honey, not to exceed 12 lbs.— 1st, Rev. R. M. Lamb; 2nd,T. N. Chees- man, Winterton, Lincolnshire. Exhibit of granulated honey, aggregate weight not to exceed 8 lbs. — 1st, Captain YV. St. G. Ord, Farnham House, Bury St. Edmunds ; 2nd, W. Dixon. NORTHAMPTONSHIRE B.K.A. The annual show of the above Association was held at Delapre on August 3rd and 4th, in conjunction Avith the Northamptonshire Horti- cultural Society's great summer show. The judges, Rev. R. A. White (St. Giles's), Mr. Shaw (Moulton Park), and Mr. J. R. Truss, awarded the prizes as follows : — Class 1. Best section honey. — 1st prize, C. Cox, Brampton; 2nd, W. L. Bird, High Street, Daventry; 3rd (given by the President), G. Smith, Boughton. Class 2. Best extracted honey. — 1st, C. Cox ; 2nd, W. Baldwin, Brampton ; 3rd, G. Smith ; 4th, II. Williams, Collingtree. Class 3. Best super of honey. — 1st, C. Cox ; 2nd, II. Ringrose, Boughton. Class 4. Best beeswax. — 1st (given by John- son & Wright), H. Collins, Berry Wood ; 2nd (given by Mr. Collins), C. Cox. Special prize, a cottager's hive (given by Mr. W. Bazeley, Sheep Street), for the best twelve 1-lb. sections. — 1st, C. Cox. Class 5 (open only to those who have not be- fore taken a prize for honey). Best six sections. — 1st, F. 0. Adams, Northampton ; 2nd (given by R. Hefford), S. Lowick, Harlestone. Six 1-lb. bottles extracted honey. — Equal, J. Cox, Badby, Daventry, and S. Lowick. Glass or glass and wood super of comb honey. — 1st, F. O. Adams. On the first day of the show Mr. J. R. Truss lectured in the bee-tent to large audiences. The following day was very showery. Mr. E. Ball gavelectures,&c.,and Mrs. Ball rendered valuable assistance throughout the show. BERWICKSHIRE BEE - KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The annual show of the above Society was held at Duns on August 7th, in connexion with the Berwickshire Agricultural Society. The show of honey was a very good one ; the compe- tition in the class for six 1-lb. sections more es- pecially was very keen, and it took the judges a considerable time to decide upon the first and second prizes. There were eleven entries in this class for ten prizes, and most of the sections were shown in tin cases. The extracted honey was also very good indeed. There was only one exhibitor of hivea and appliances, and it is a pity that the dealers threw away such a chance of showing their goods and doing business, for the show WftP well attended and great interest 358 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [August 18, 1891. •was shown in the exhibits. The President, the Rev. MacDuff Simpson, and the Hon. Secretary and Treasurer, Mr. Robert Greig, attended, and to the latter are due the admirable arrange- ments, for the judges were able to work com- fortably, every one but the Steward of the department and the President being excluded from the tent.- Fortunately the weather, which at first threatened to be bad, cleared up, and enabled a large number of people to take ad- vantage of the display. The judges were the Rev. John Kerr, Messrs. T, D. Gribson-Carmichael and T. W. Cowan. List of Awards. Class 1. Six 1-lb. sections. — 1st prize, J» Turnbull; 2nd, T. Weatherston; highly com- mended, J. Pringle, C. R. Wilson. Class 2. Six 2-lb. sections. — 1st, D. Conels ; 2nd, J . Pringle. Class 3. Six 1-lb. jars. — 1st, T. Douglas; 2nd, R. Wilson ; highly commended, A. Ander- son. Class 4. Best single super. — 1st, William Jamieson ; 2nd, John Laing. Class 5. Best octagon super. — 1st. J . Pringle ; 2nd, R. Greig. Class 6. Largest harvest from one hive.— 1st, J. Turnbull ; 2nd, R. Greig. Class 8.— Best 20 lbs. honey.— J. Turnbull. Class 11. Heaviest cap of honey. — J. Pringle. Class 13. Best 3 lbs. of beeswax. — 1st, T. Thomson. British Bee-keepers' Association silver medal — J. Turnbull ; bronze medal, J . Pringle. For the best collection of hives, &c. — Medal to T. Douglas. BRISTOL AND DISTRICT B.K.A. One of the prettiest shows it has been our privilege to attend for some time was held, in connexion with the above Association, on Mon- day, August 3rd, at Long Ashton, on the grounds of Sir Greville Smythe. A special tent was provided for the exhibits of honey and bees, and under the skilful guidance of the energetic Hon. Secretary (Mr. Brown) they were very tastefully arranged. A plentiful supply of flowers and ferns, in addition to the beautiful sections and supers of comb honey, made the tent appear really charming. The greatest credit is due to the Hon. Secretary and also the Expert, Mr. Martin, for the great pains they must have taken to arrange the exhibits in so attractive a form. Altogether there were forty-six entries in the various classes, and each class was keenly contested. The classes for extracted honey were well filled, and most of the honey was of such fine quality that the judges found it most difficult to decide which was best. Sec- tions were not quite up to standard mark, but one or two lots were all that could be desired. Some straw supers of honey were very fine indeed. The awards in the various classes were as follows ;-— Collection of honey in any form. — 1st prize, J. Martin, Bedminster ; 2nd, H. H. Tripp, Winford; 3rd, J. M. Rawbone, Kingswood. Twelve sections of comb honey. — 1st, H. H. Tripp ; 2nd, W. Hemmings, Wick, near Bath ; 3rd, W. Webley, Brentry ; highly commended, J . Fenner, Henbury. Twelve bottles of extracted honey. — 1st, A. H. Walters, Barrow Gurney ; 2nd, J. M. Raw- bone ; 3rd, G. Gibbons, Timsbury ; highly com- mended, H. H. Tripp. Super of honey in any form. — 1st, H. H. Tripp ; 2nd, J. M. Rawbone ; 3rd and highly commended, J. J. Brittan, Bishopsworth. Six sections of comb honey. — 1st, W. Webley ; 2nd, H. H. Tripp ; 3rd, J. Fenner. Collection of wax in any design. — 1st, G. Lovell, Wrington; 2nd, J. J. Brittan. The judges were the Rev. E. Davenport, of Stourport, and Mr. G. Lovell, of Wrington. Lectures of a popular and instructive character were given during the day by the Rev. E. Daven- port to very large audiences. Under the earnest leadership of the new Hon. Secretary (Mr. Brown) and the energetic Expert (Martin) this young Society seems to have a prosperous future before it. ULSTER BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. At a show of honey and appliances, held in connexion with the Armagh Show on the 15th and 16th ult., the following prizes were awarded : — Super of honey, over 10 lbs., not sectional. — 1st prize, Mrs. T. G. Peel ; 2nd, W. J. Anderson. Super of honey, 10 lbs. or under, not sec- tional.—1st, W. G. W. Flynn; 2nd, J. D. McNally. Twelve 1-lb. sections. — 1st, W. J. Anderson ; 2nd, W. G. W. Flynn ; 3rd, G. Running. Six 1-lb. sections. — 1st, W J. Anderson; 2nd, W. G. W. Flynn. Six 2-lb. jars of honey. — 1st, Mrs. T. G. Peel; 2nd, J. Tufft. Six 1-lb. jars of honey. — 1st, J. D. McNallv ; 2nd, Mrs. T. G. Peel. For the best hive for cottager's use.— 1st, W. Henry ; 2nd, Mrs. T. G. Peel. For the best collection of hives and appliances. —1st, Mrs. T. G. Peel ; 2nd, W. Henry. The judge was the Rev. H. W. Lett, Lough- brickland. IRISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. A meeting of the Committee was held on the 4thinst. Present: Rev. R.Seymour (in the chair), Rev. Canon Sadleir, Mr. Read, Mr. Gillies, and Mr. Chenevix (Hon. Sec). Arrangements were made for providing a judge, if desired, for the show of honey and bee-appliances at Parsons- town on the 20th inst. It was resolved to hold a conversational meeting on Thursday, the 27th inst, one of the days of the Horse Show. Sub- scriptions from seven new members in county Meath were handed in by Mr. Seymour. August 13, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 359 WIGTOWNSHIRE APIARIAN ASSOCIATION. The above Association hold their eighth annual show at Stranraer on September 4th. The prize list — which is a liberal one — for honey includes nine open classes, with twenty-seven prizes, ranging from 1/. downwards. Only the cottagers' classes are confined to the county of Wigtownshire. For particulars see 'Bee Shows to Come ' on another page. T7ie Editors do not hold themselves responsible or the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are requested to write on one side oj the paper only, and give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Boohs for Review, ic, must be addressed only to 'The Editors of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C All business communications relating to Advertisements, tec, must be addressed to Mr. J. Huckle, KingsLangley, Herts (see 1st page of Advertise- ments). CURE OF FOUL BROOD. [739.] I am very glad to see that special attention is being again given to the subject of foul brood, and that there is reason to hope that naphthaline will be found to be a preventive of it, if not a cure ; for as long as this vexing and destructive disease is constantly appearing amongst us, I cannot believe that much pros- perity can be expected in bee-keeping ; but if it could be eradicated, bee-keeping, with all the improvements of the last few years, would mate rapid progress. About five years ago it appeared badly in my apiary, just at the most undesirable time, too, viz., at the beginning of the honey-flow ; but I managed to cure it by destroying the worst combs in the infected hives, and by the combined use of Cheshire's cure and salicylic acid fumi- gation. Since then I have not had a sign of it — although it has been in the neighbourhood — until this year, when it again appeared at the same time as before, and rapidly spread from hive to hive. What a source of annoyance and vexation it is ! All one's labour seems practi- cally thrown away ; and what a serious loss too in the case of a poor cottager or person of limited means ! I have asked myself repeatedly what can have been the cause of its reappear- ance in my apiary ? Is there anything which I can have done, or left undone, which can account for it ? And the only thing which I can think of is that I omitted this year to mix salicylic acid solution with the bees' spring food, whilst in other years, since its last appearance, I have not omitted it. I have always kept camphor in all my hives, renewing it — except during the winter months— constantly ; but this does not seem to have had much, if any, effect. I have been trying the same means of cure as before with the addition of naphthaline ; and the disease seems decidedly checked and almost eradicated ; but 1 do not think that it is com- pletely eradicated, as a few cells still look very suspicious. In the case of one hive I drove all the bees out, and placed them with fresh frames in a fresh hive ; but I am not yet quite sure that this is any better than others differently treated. There have been no swarms, and scarcely any honey, from the infected hives ; so that, if a cure be effected, a whole season has been practically lost and a great deal of fruitless trouble involved. Heartily, therefore, should I indeed rejoice if some easily applied and certain remedy or preventive could be discovered ; and if you can be the means of making known such an one, you will indeed deserve the warmest thanks of all the bee-keepers in the kingdom. I have tried one of the new super-clearers, and find that it works admirablv. This will be a great boon in the future. Have any of our friends had an opportunity of trying the swarm- cluster mentioned in your columns, p. 332 ? If so, will they kindly favour your readers with the result ? The device seems feasible ; and if it be really successful it will be a great advan- tage, especially to those who have not time or opportunity to watch for swarms. — A Sussex Rector. NOTES BY THE WAY. [740.] We have now reached a period of the year when bee-keepers in the southern part of the kingdom are able to decide as to the position the year shall take in the annals of bee-culture, and, as far as I can glean, 1891 will have to be classed amongst the poor honey seasons. There are always exceptions in all cases, and even in a poor season and district generally, there may be a few spots or oases in an otherwise sterile tract of country. In our own immediate neighbour- hood this has happened. Bee-keepers of a few skeps have increased by swarming to three times their spring count, and where this has happened the early swarms are fairly heavy, while others with same number of stocks have had only one or two swarms, consequently no honey, from the simple reason they will have no hives to take up ; and others, whose bees were retarded by the ex- ceptionally cold, protracted winter and spring from building up to swarming pitch, cast late swarms. These are very light, and with after- swarms, or casts, as we term them, there will be a large percentage of queenless colonies, or drone-breeding queens, this year. This is a sequel to the continued cold, sunless weather we had just at the mating-time. I was rather surprised, though glad, to glean from August Record that the present season was a 'good one;' it shows how misleading district results may be when compared with the general results of the whole country, and I trust for the benefit of our craft generally that our Editor's prognostications will be realised. The schedule of the dairy show to be held in London in October is to hand, I am glad to 850 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [August 13, 1891. find the British Dairy Farmers' Association has again held out the ungloved hand to British bee-keepers. Let us bee-keepers reciprocate the friendly feeling, and do our best to make the honey department a success. I may add that some of my best and largest customers are dairy farmers, and what trade can more fitly introduce to the public our wares than the ' dairyman ? ' Why, for thousands of years the two products of the cow and the bee has been inseparably connected in the term ' milk and honey.' It was held out as the inducement to the children of Israel to leave the fleshpots of Egypt to go up to the good land, ' a land flowing with milk and honey.' Where shall we get a lodgment for our honey where its pristine purity shall be guarded with greater care than in a dairyman's shop ? .Therefore, I say, let bee-keepers cultivate a trade" with the ' dairy ' trade. This leads on to another item on the part of the bee-keeper, and that is cleanliness. What is there amongst the daintiest products of nature or art that can vie with a dish of honey in the comb ? Hasn't it been called 'food fit for the gods? ' Then I would impress on our fraternity to present the product of their apiaries in the cleanest possible state. This requires attention from the time the snow-white sections are taken from the case till the honey is placed on the counter of the retailer. First, the sec- tions should be folded with clean hands; the crates should be rectangular and of proper di- mensions, so that the sections are held square while being filled by the bees, and removed from the hive as soon as they are sealed over. Then, after removal, every little particle of pro- polis should be scraped off, and the sections packed away till wanted for market. Where shall we store them ? Well, that is a simple, though a wide question. Circumstances alter cases "very considerably ; therefore I can only generalise. The best place to store comb honey is a dry, warm room, carefully protected from dust, and if no shelf or cupboard is to hand after your crate has been thoroughly scraped and freed from wax, brace-combs, and propolis, lay a piece of clean white paper on the bottom of crate, and replace your full sections in the crate without the dividers, and then wedge them up tight. This crate can be wrapped in paper, and several stored one on the other without damage to the sections, as the edges of crates take the weight off the sections of honey. The season for robbing will be with us shortly. When the honey fails in the fields bees have an inherent disposition to get honey, even if they rob neighbouring hives to obtain it. This must be guarded against by keeping a watchful eye on the apiary, and keeping the entrances of hives contracted for the next few weeks. This will also act as a preventive against the in- trusions of wasps, which I anticipate will be numerous, and with warm weather will prove troublesome to the bee-keeper and fruit-grower. The best preventive measure we can put in force against the wasp is to destroy their nests early. L August 19th. — Wilts B.K.A., in connexion with the Swindon Horticultural Fete. Entries close August 14th. W. E. Burkitt, Buttermere Rectory, Hungerford. August 19th, 20th. — Shropshire B.K. Asso- ciation at the Quarry, Shrewsbury. 351. in prizes. For list apply to T. Whittingham, Water Lane, Shrewsbury. August 29th. — Forfar B.K.S. at Forfar. James Hutchinson, Secretary, Yeaman Street. September 2nd and 3rd. — Lancashire and Cheshire B.K.A. at Birkenhead. Entries close August 15th. For schedules apply Arthur H. Edwardson, 28 Hamilton Street, Birkenhead. Liberal prize list open to all comers. September 4th, at Stranraer, Wigtownshire Apiarian Association. Entries close September 2nd. Apply for schedules, J. B. Robertson, Hon. Sec, The Manse, Leswalt. Sept. 5th. — Alderley Edge and District Branch of the Lancashire and Cheshire B.K.A. Chel- ford Flower Show, Astle, Chelford. Schedules, &c, T. D. Schofield, Alderley Edge, Cheshire. Sept. 5th. — Bramhall and Woodford District Horticultural Society at Bramhall Hall, near Stockport. Entries close August 22nd. Par- ticulars of William Slater, Fern Lea, Bramhall, Stockport. Sept. 9th, 10th. — Derbyshire Bee-keepers' Association at Derbv. Entries close August 27th. W. T. Atkins, Sec.,' 12 North Street, Derby. WEATHER REPORTS. Westbourne, Sussex. — July, 1891. Maximum,73°on26th. ifr/in:— 239 inches. Minimum, 42° on 28th. Heaviest fall, '65 on Mean max 65° 26th. ,, min 51° Rain on 19 days. „ temp 58-3° Average, 2'55 inches. Sunshine, 19245 hours. Brightest day, 16th, 13-9. Sunless days, 0. Remarks. — A good deal of honey was gathered in the first half of the month, but very little in the last fortnight. Limes a partial failure. Quality of honey excellent, but quantity far below 1839 — L. B. Birkett. Bucknall, Lincoln. BM. 25.— July, 1891. Max., 74° on 10th, Rain :— 2-55 inches. 13th, 18th inst. Average, 5 years, 2-47. Minimum,36° on 25th. In 24 hrs. -44 on 22nd. Mean Max .... 68'4° Rain on 21 days. „ min 47'38D Frost on grass, 25th. „ temp. . . .57-80 Range, 21-1°. „ of 5 years 58'5° Remarks. — The month has been dull and showery, giving little honey. The honey season is but little in advance of last year. — J. Bint. 364 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [August 13, 1891. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. War. Brown (Selkirk). — Dead bee sent is too dry for microscopical examination. There is no reason for suspecting that the queen is diseased. She may have been injured in some way while you have been examining the hive. Examine the combs and see if queen-cells are . being raised. L. A. — Comb sent is foul-broody. J. B. (Shrewsbury). — No. 1 is one of the com- mon Scotch thistles, and is in no way akin to - the Chapman honey-plant. Neither Nos. 1 or 2 are of any perceptible value as bee-plants. WM.CLAiiKB(co.Kilkenny). — Removing Supers. — By using super-clearers little or no excite- ' ment is caused, and if carefully done there need be no stinging of your visitors. If the supers are left on till autumn most of the contents will probably be carried into the hive below. Uniting may be done any time next month. Colin (Sheffield). — Extracting Heather Honey. — Heather honey can only be removed from the combs by pressure, and that, of course, des- troys them. Wilson IIitson (Pickering). — Moving Bees Sixty Miles.— it will not be safe to move bees over a rough hilly journey of that length till cool weather sets in, or unless an ex- perienced person could pack and prepare them for the journey. C. Gr. W. (Mosshead). —Extracted Honey for Showing. ■ — It must be carefully strained through very fine muslin or flannel, be per- fectly free from any impurities or wax chippings, besides being of good colour, flavour, and consistency. A New Beginner (Crake Valley.) — Twenty- one days after the issue of the top swarm is • the proper time for driving bees from a skep for transference to a frame hive. The evening of a warm day is a suitable time for operating H. B. (Winchester.) — Casting out drones pretty. clearly indicates that the queen is there. W. Harland (Sunderland). — Yates, Seedsman- Deansgate. No stamp was enclosed for i'eplye T. J. Atkins (Swanscombe). — There will b some danger in moving a May swarm twenty miles by rail ; better leave them till the weather is cooler. Early in September is the best time for transferring bees from skeps to frame hives. W. P. Davies (Aberdare).— Mr. W. Drinkall, Horseshoe Corner, Lancaster, will, no doubt, give you the information asked for if applied to. Hi H. H. (Waterford). — Rhododendrons, if grown in large quantities, are known to be bad for bees. The honey from them is also bad. Report of Notts B. K. A. Shoiv at Beeston, and several Replies to Queries, are croioded out and will appear next week, is the Oldest Es- tablishment in the United King- dom wholly de- voted to Bees and BALDWIN'S manufacture of Bee-keepers' supplies. His prices will compare most favour- ably with those of any other Maker, while for quality of material, suitability and workmanship, he has no rival. ' Why can he give better value for money than others ? ' Because he spends less in large ' puffing ' advertisements, buys in the best markets for prompt cash, has no rent to pay, and personally conducts his own business. For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com- bined), which ' contains more practical and reliable hints than all the large, expensive books,' post free for 2d. stamps. Address 8. j. BALDWIN, The Apiary, Bromley, Kent. N.B. — More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable. r-OITln BROOD. FORMIC ACID.— Draper's 'B' brand, guaranteed pure. As used and recommended by Mr. Sproule in Bee Journal. Stoppered bottles, 1 lb., 3s. 6d. ; 4 lbs., lis. 6d., post free. Address Edmondson Bkos., Bee Appliance Warehouse, 10 Dame Street, Dublin. 246 ON HIRE, BEE TENT.— For Terms apply to A. J. Brown, Hon. Sec, Bradley, Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucester. 238 WOOD BEE FEEDERS.— Hold 2 lbs. Syrup, 6|r0ttrs ta €amt. August 20th, 21st.— Staffordshire B.K.A., in •connexion with the Staffordshire Agricultural Society at Leek. Entries closed. August 29th. —Forfar B.K.S. at Forfar. •James Hutchinson, Secretary, Yeaman Street. September 2nd and 3rd. — Lancashire and Cheshire B.K.A. at Birkenhead. For schedules apply Arthur H. Edwardson, 28 Hamilton Street, Birkenhead. Liberal prize list open to ■all comers. September 4th, at Stranraer, Wigtownshire Apiarian Association. Entries close September 2nd. Apply for schedules, J. B. Robertson, Hon. Sec, The Manse, Leswalt. Sept. 5th. — Alderley Edge and District Branch •of the Lancashire and Cheshire B.K.A. Chel- ford Flower Show, Astle, Chelford. Schedules, &c, T. D. Schofield, Alderley Edge, Cheshire. Sept. 5th. — Bramhall and Woodford District Horticultural Society at Bramhall Hall, near Stockport. Entries close August 22nd. Par- ticulars of William Slater, Fern Lea, Bramhall, •Stockport. Sept. 9th, 10th. — Derbyshire Bee - keepers' Association at Derbv. Entries close August 27th. W. T. Atkins, Sec* 12 North Street, Derby. October 13th to 16th.— British B.K.A., in •connexion with the Dairy Show at the Roya1 Agricultural Hall, London. All open classes. Entries close September 14th. For schedules ■apply to Wm. C. Young, Sec, 191 Fleet Street, London. j0jes txam % Pitas. Kenilworth, August 9th.— The cold nights and cold weather since St. S within have spoilt the honey harvest. I had a swarm on July 26th, and the bees have done very little since. Shallow frames have beaten sections clean out of it again. For my part, I am sick of sections. The only hives 1 was bothered with swarms and casts from had sections on, and while from one hive I have twenty-two shallow frames full, from another, equally strong in spring, I have ten sections and a single swarm. My experience, too, is that a strong stock with only sections on is sure to swarm, for, however many crates are put on, as soon as the bees touch the quilt they 8warm; but with shallow frames and floor ven- tilation they don't. — A. W. Inveravon, BallindaUoch, August 10th.— In this district bees have given no surplus. I put •cratesof one-pound sections on five hives about the middle of June, and the bees entered them in a day or two. About the last days of the month I found the centre sections being sealed over, and I immediately raised the crates and put empty ones underneath. On the 27th rain commenced, and has continued to fall at short intervals up to the present date. I do not think there have been twenty-four consecutive hours of fair weather. The greater part of this time bees have been confined to their hives, and, when favoured with an hour of sunshine, out came swarms ; in some gardens three and four in a day. About a fortnight after adding the second crate four of mine swarmed, and in every case the bees had not attempted to draw out the foundation in the under crate. While the swarm was settling I carried six frames from the parent stock (with all queen-cells), and placed them in an empty hive on a new stand. I supplied the stock with bars fitted with two inches of foundation, replaced both crates, and returned the swarm. I now find all unsealed honey has been carried down. Should favour- able weather come I shall expect thirty pounds from my swarms, as the queens were all mated about the first week of August last year, and the top crate is fairly well filled with bees ; and, moreover, there is abundance of clover still, while the limes and heather are just coming into blossom. The sprig of heather enclosed I plucked at the base of a hill a few yards off the turnpike road leading from BallindaUoch to Tomintoul. I am glad to inform you of my success in dividing a bar-frame hive of eight frames into four, and introducing these virgin queens into the queenless parts. I have never seen bees manipulated (but if spared I intend going to the Highland Society's show, to be held at Inverness next year). All my know- ledge has been derived from reading books and my B.B.J. — Alex. Strathdee. BEE-KEEPING FROM A MAN'S STAND POINT. A woman in Michigan ' commenced with but two colonies of bees ; her net profits the first season were over 100 dollars ; the second year but a few cents less than 300 dollars ; and the third year about 250 dollars.' The woman who reads that statement and is told that bee- keeping is ' light work, especially fitted for invalids and women,' is likely to go to figuring how much can be done with 100 colonies, and many a one has thus had her head turned. Let me give you a bit of my experience. In the year 1887, from about 300 colonies my honey crop amounted to 30 dollars, 10 cents per colony, and I then had to buy 2800 pounds of granulated sugar to keep my bees over winter. After paying for my help and other expenses, I was several hundred dollars out of pocket, to say nothing of losing my entire year's work. That's the other side. As to the ' light work.' When I put in from twelve to fourteen hours a day, in the hottest weather, dripping from head to foot with per- spiration, stooping and lifting till I have as much backache as can be packed in one spinal August 20, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 373 column, I hardly feel like calling bee-keeping ** light work.' Having said this much by way of caution, I am bound to say that for those who have the taste for it, I do not know of any more fascina- ting or healthful pursuit. Your true bee-keeper goes into the business in the first place for the love of it. T have kept bees for thirty years, and for the past thirteen years honey-raising has been my exclusive business, and to be frank with you I must confess that I think I would have been better off in this world's goods if I had never seen a bee ; but I am healthier, better- natured, and have a better chance for long life, ■and every year has been one of enjoyment. Many a woman engaged in indoor employ- ments might keep a few bees without interfering with her other duties, and find it a delightful recreation, adding greatly to her health, besides -adding something to her purse. So, if your taste runs that way, try it. But you must have a taste for it to succeed. If you have decided to try bee-keeping, don't commence with twenty colonies or ten — two at the utmost. You'll pay from 5 dollars to 10 dollars per colony, depending on kind and where you are, and if you succeed you can increase. But don't try to increase too fast. That's the rook on which so many beginners have split. You can easil}r make three, five, or six from one ■colon j' in a single season, and then — find them all dead the next spring. If you start with two in the spring — and I wouldn't advise you to buy at any other time — -don't try to have more than three or four at the most, at the close of the season. Get a good text-book and read as you work. Learn all you can as to the habits of bees, and the plans of others. You will find it's a business into which you can put plenty of brains. Stings ? — Of course you'll get stings. You can wear a veil and gloves and make yourself sting-proof, but you are not likely to continue gloves very long. They are uncomfortable and in the way. Still, some do wear them. For your comfort I may tell you that one becomes, to a great extent, hardened against the effect of stings. When I first worked with bees a sting ■on the hand swelled it so I could not close my fingers, the swelling reaching to the shoulder and lasting two or three days. When I am stung now I think it hurts just as much as ever for a minute or two, sometimes making me groan if I think no one is in hearing. Bees may be kept even in cities. In •Cincinnati a prosperous apiary has, for years, foeen kept on a flat roof in the heart of the city. But don't keep a hive near a sidewalk or close by a road, where passing people or animals might he stung. For the past eight years my principal assistant 'has been a rather slender girl. I favour her somewhat as to the heaviest part of the work, but in many things that require deftness rather than strength, she will accomplish more than I can, do my best, and I wouldn't swap her for any man I could get. She left teaching to work with me, and I think the outdoor life she has led with the bees has been her physical salvation. How much can you get from each colony ? That depends much upon the flora of your locality. Every flower doesn't yield honey, but the bees will work in all directions — perhaps two miles from home. If you get fifty pounds to the colony you are doing very well. You will get a larger yield per colony with only a few in a place than with many. — Dr. C. C. Miller. — American Home Journal. COMB SOMETIMES PRODUCED WITHOUT LOSS. Several days ago I noticed a colony hanging out. It was not a very warm day, and they were under a tree, so the sun did not strike them, except for a short time in the morn- ing. I did not have time to look after them until late in the afternoon. By that time there was a fair-sized swarm hanging in front. I found the upper story full, and no sign of swarming. I took out half of the combs above, and gave empty frames instead. They went in, and by the next morning had several good-sized pieces of comb, and they built those frames full in a very short time. Now, I think if I had given them foundation, or extracted the combs and returned them, that wax would have been wasted ; and that, under such conditions, wax is involuntarily produced. I find, during fair weather or a good honey-flow, by keeping about two empty frames in my upper story for ex- tracting over good colonies, I get about as much honey as though they were not building comb, and they seem much better contented — not so liable to swarm, and I have the combs for use in the upper story of new swarms. I read friend Manum's article in April 15th Gleanings with much interest : but I am afraid he will get 'stuck,' or perhaps some one with less experience will try to follow the same plan with his out-apiaries, and will get so much on his hands that he will pretty emphatically wish for some help. A little of my experience may illustrate one difficulty that may come up. This spring I have my home-yard and a yard four miles away. I planned to visit the out- yard once a week, and divide every colony that showed any sign of swarming. My home-yard built up very strong, and swarming commenced. All went according to plan for a while. Then the weather got so that, for some days, the bees could work only an hour or so ; this continued several days, bees swarming all the time, as there was plenty of honey when the bees could work. Of course, with my two yards and some one to stay at home, I did not lose many. One cool day, after working at the out-yard, I got home after dark and found my wife had three swarms clustered together on both sides, end, and bottom of a two-story hive, while the day had been so cool that bees had worked only during the middle of the day. Then we had a cool spell of four days, with frost three nights. The first and fourth days the bees flew some ; 374 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [August 20, 1891. the second and third days the yard looked like winter — hardly a hee stirring, as there was a cold north wind; and on the fifth and sixth days swarms issued. Now, if I had had more than three yards, even if I depended on dividing, I must have lost more or less swarms, as the weather would not permit of working with them, though the swarming fever kept up. In making colonies hopelessly queenless to prevent swarming, I should be afraid of fertile workers taking possession ; and a colony with- out queens, or means of rearing one, is of very little account for work with me ; and this, I am afraid, would be a greater loss than to raise bees by having a queen with them, though it may work all right in certain localities. — John B. Case. — Gleanings. STICKING TO OLD NOTIONS. W. Z. Hutchinson, of the Bee-keepers' Review, has somewhat modified his conclusions in refer- ence to the use or non-use of foundation in the brood nest, and in a paper which he read before the Ohio State Bee-keepers' Association at Toledo he gave expression to these words : ' I know it is not customary for authors or editors to ac- knowledge tbeir errors ; but, let me be editor or orator, I shall always proclaim what I believe to be the truth, even if it does conflict with my former published conclusions.' That has the right ring to it, Brother H. Would there were more authors, editors, and orators — or, if you please, contributors— who would be willing to retract some of their published statements. If there is any one thing that does the pursuit damage, it is the persistent clinging to old notions. A man who cannot change his opinion occasionally, on reasonable evidence, is a man whose opinion should not be trusted too im- plicitly. We know of some people among the bee-keeping craft — good bee-keepers and con- tributors— who, when they have once published a certain view, never change it, and who go still further to bolster up and strengthen that opinion or supposed fact. As our readers know, we have abandoned the ten-frame idea and the bevelled edge on hives — that is, we do not recommend them any more. It is no weakness to change your mind; but when it is necessary, come out and say so like a man. — Glean ngs. COMB FOUNDATION. Somb Strong Arguments in Favour of Full Sheets in Brood Chamber. This spring Goold & Co. established an apiary at the Homedale, and I think any one who would have looked through that apiary of some eighty odd colonies would have been a thorough convert to the use of full sheets of comb foundation in the brood chamber. We were very busy for a time, and colonies pur- chased from all narts of the country, and all grades, from light pure Italians to black German bees, had their own way as to drone-production, as far as the combs would allow them, and they made good use of their liberties. The time- came when, for the sake of the young queens soon to be mated, undesirable drones had to be- destroyed, and it was then we found how many there were. We trapped thousands and thou- sands of drones worse than useless to us, and in the production of which not only much valuable- honey had been lost, but, if they had not taken the room, workers would have been reared,, meaning another loss in the working force of the apiary. Italian colonies we allowed to- rear all the drones their combs would allow, and some of these have so many drones I do not believe they will either swarm or store much ins the surplus apartment. Why is this loss ? Just because it was desired to effect a saving in comb foundation. But was it a saving? Surely not. A little outlay in the beginning would have avoided this drone comb ; and not for one batch of drones only, but for many. I think no one can point out a system of securing with certainty all worker combs. The bees- will build worker comb until the first young bees emerge from the cells after swarming ; then, if they build at all, the will build drone comb. Of course, we must allow for variations of a. slight nature. But to tell a bee-keeper, and especially one of experience, that it is not ex- pensive to use only starters, is, I think, a grave- error in judgment. I say nothing about the many other arrangements in favour of full sheets of foundation. There is only one instance in which I use starters, and that is, where I put; swarms on them to get comb honey for exhibi- tion purposes. I then sacrifice the comb for a special purpose. — R. F. Holtermann. — Gleanings. UTILISING WEAK COLONIES IN THE: SPRING. Perhaps my method of handling the swarming- business will be of some use to some of the readers of Gleanings whose bees will persist in swarming, and who find their crops of honey curtailed by the same. Unless the season is an exceptional one it does not pay to build up weak- colonies in the spring, at the expense of the stronger ones. Let them get what brood and bees they can ; and when swarming commences,, hive the first swarms in these, saving the queens,, which introduce into the colony from which the- swarm issued next day. The three or four combs of brood, supplemented by a couple of combs of foundation, will usually be very ac- ceptable to the swarm, and the work-bees will be a valuable addition. Put on the sections, and your honey crop will be scarcely dimini-hed. Introduce the queen in twenty-four hours, after removing all the cells and smoking bees thoroughly, by turning her loose on the combs, and this also will soon have a full working force again. After all weak ones are treated in this manner, hive the next swarm on the old stand on half the brood combs and the rest on founda- August 20, 189!.] THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL. 375 tion, or empty combs. Put the brood taken out where it will not chill, and hive the next swarm that issues with this sivarm, catching the queen as she runs in, and return her aud the brood taken out to the hive from which her swarm issued. If she should not be caught as she enters the hive, she will usually be found balled on the bottom board inside of the hive, Avhere she is easily caught. All who have hived two ;.rood swarms together during a honej'-flow know what honey they will gather with their er.ormous stock of workers, while the stock to which the queen is returned and brood given will be a rousing colony again in a few days — one that may store a large amount of honey. By this method a comb of brood can be taken here and there for forming nuclei. It does •iway with the after-swarm nuisance ; prevents all increase, keeps all colonies strong and with a laying queen, and scarcely, if at all, diminishes the surplus. After the flow is over, weed out all poor queens. — W. W. Case. — Gleanings. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Letters or queries asking for addresses of manufacturers or ■correspondents, or where appliances can be purchased, or replies giuing such information, can only be inserted as advertisements. The space devoted to letters, queries, and ■replies, is meant for the general good of bee-keepers, and not Jor advertisements. We wish our Correspondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessary for us to go to press in advance of the date of issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the ■issue immediately following the receipt of their communication. All queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only ■ of jtersonal intm'est will be answered in this column "Chas. McGroby (Campbeltown). — Bees Trans- ferring themselves to Lower Him. — You may try setting the swarm in box on the top of your new hive, but it is not at all certain they will take possession of the lower story when the season is so nearly over. If there is any heather in your district the chances are greater, but it is more than probable that the foundation in lower hive will only be partly worked out when the season closes, aud that the bees will winter in the upper box. II. C. (North Hincksey). — You may with ad- vantage take away a couple of the full combs (if sealed over), and replace with empty combs. It is now too late to put sections on. T. 'Honeycomb' (Sunderland). — Of the two sugars sent, No. 1 is best. Apply to Mr. J. Huckle, Kings Langley, Herts. T. Matthews (Cardiff ).— Honey sent is excel- lent in quality ; it is almost wholly from white clover. As it reached us in perfect condition, and not a particle had escaped, we need say no more as to the ' packing.' Bkeswing (Carlisle). — Returning Swarms. — 1. If a top swarm is returned to the parent hive the morning after it issued without re- moving queen-cells, it will probably come off again in a day or so. 2. Swarms intended for returning should be set close to the parent stock. '■C G. (Bristol). — Transferring Bees and Combs from Old Skeps. — Leave the bees and old combs where they are till next year, and stimulate them to swarm early. Have new combs built in your new hives by all means. H. B. (Wonston).— Dealing with Foul-broody Stocks. — The present is the worst possible time to do anything by way of treating dis- eased bees. Beyond slipping in a disinfectant in tha evening, when the bees are at rest, nothing should be done till the autumn, when they are most inclined to start robbing. J. Bint. — It is difficult to name the exact cause of the bees dying without fuller particulars. Sometimes the weather causes the death of young bees, by tempting them out of the hives at unsuitable times, and they are unable to return ; but when the mischief assumes a more pronounced form, it indicates a com- plaint for which salt in food has been found a useful remedy. MODERN BEE-KEEPING. NewEdition. Post free, Id. The most useful Guide for Cottagers and others commencing to keep bees. Nearly 50,000 already sold. John Huckle, Kings Langley, Herts. ^heIioney bee r Its Natural History, Anatomy, and Physiology. By T. W. COWAN, F.G.S., &c, &c, Editor of the British Bee Journal. Cloth gilt, price 2s. 6d. ; postage 2y. London : Houlston & Sons, Paternoster Square ; ALL BOOKSELLERS; AND British Bee Journal Office, Kings Langley, Herts ; and 17 King William St., Strand, London, W.C. British Bee Journal and Bee-keepers' Record. Office : 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C. PURE CANE SUGARS. For the accommodation of Bee-keepers, guaranteed Pure Cane Sugar will be supplied in large or small quantities through this office at the under- mentioned rates : — CRYSTALLISED. 5. bSIdo/ JNeatbags Ulhs. 28-lbs. 56-11*, Cwfcj 6. TRINIDAD j ClTstals 2,9 5/4 10/6 20/6 REFINED CANE. 7. WHITE CRYSTALS (Small) 3/0 5/10 11/6 22/6 8. 9. (Medium and Large sizes, 1;- per Cwt. extra.) 10. LUMP (Cut Loaf ) ... Boxes, 3/3 6 3 12,3 2?/6 11. LUMP DUST ... 3/0 6/0 11/9 22/9 All above guaranteed wide from Cane Sugar only, and free from Beet, Chemicals, etc., etc. Carriage Paid on Orders over 5/0 (or 28-lbs. Sugar) to London and Suburbs. Country Orders, not less than 2-owt. carriage paid at 1/0 per cwt. extra. (Scotch and Irish orders, special arrangements.) Cash to be sent with order, and purchasers will please observe that if samples are required or replies asked to inquiries, a stamped addressed envelope must be sent, as we cannot undertake cost of postage. THE BKITISH BEE JOURNAL. F August 20, 1891. Special Prepaid Advertisements. Situations, Publications, Bee Plants, <&c. — Twelve words and under, Sixpence ; for every additional Three words, One Penny. Trade Advertisements not insertedunder this head. CHOICE YOUNG QUEENS. — Raised under most fa- vourable conditions. Fertile, 5s. ; Virgin, 2s. 8d. Safe arrival guaranteed. Mr. J. H. Howard writes : — ■ You excel in Queen-rearing.' Address Rev. C. Brereton, Berwick, Sussex. WANTED. — 1-lb. Sections of Honeycomb, first quality. Prompt Cash. Packages sent. Well-filled Bell Glasses, Frames and Caps purchased. Address Mr. Hurst, Bexhill, Sussex. 242 HONEY JARS, Tie-over, £-lb., 1-lb., and 2-lb. Price List Free. Address Fred. Pearson, Stockton Heath, Warrington. 243 WALLFLOWERS will give splendid forage for Bees in Spring. Fifty plants, Is., post free. Address Norman Parkin, Blakenhall, Wolverhampton. k 83 TO BE SOLD. -Two Hives of Bees (Swarms). Price and particulars of W. H. Glossof, Forest House, Babworth, near Retford. k 85 ABBOTT'S ' Little Wonder * 10s. Honey Extractor for 7s. Never used. Address RoIlins, Stourbridge. __ k86 FOR SALE. — Six Stocks of Bees in Standard Bar-frame Hives. £3 the lot. Also Cylinder Extractor, takes two Frames at once, equal to new, price 15s. Cost double. Apply to M. Baskott, 17 Salt Works, Garston, Liverpool. kJO CARNIOLAN QUEENS, wonderfully prolific strain, guaranteed healthy and laying, 2s. 6d. each, 10s. half dozen, carriage paid. Address H. Neve, Warbleton, Sussex. k91 FOR SALE —Healthy Driven Bees, Is. 3d. per lb., and Queen. Packing-box, 6d. Young Queens, Is. 6d. each. Address E. Garner, Broom, nr. Biggleswade, Beds, k 93 FOR SALE.— Pure Native Driven Bees, guaranteed healthy, Is. 3d. per lb., including Queen and packing for 5 lb. lots or over. Fine 1891 Fertile Queens, 2s. 6d. each post free, Safe arrival guaranteed. Address Chs. Whiting, Vallev Apiary, Hundon, Clare, Suffolk. K 94 FOR SALE. — Driven Bees, with Queen, healthy, at Is. per lb. Package Is. Address J. Davie s. Bee-keeper, Newport, Salon. K 95 FOR SALE.— Driven Bees. Is. per lb., 1891 Queens. Oarniolan Queens, 2s. each free, or Hybrids. Address A. Nicholls. Hazlemere, High Wycombe. k 96 FOR SALE.— Three large Skeps of Strong Healthy Bees. This Season's Queens. Packed free on rail. What offers ? Address Mr. Cadness, Chadwell Heath. k 97 FOR SALE.— Healthy Driven Bees, Is. 3d. per lb. Packed free. Ready upon receipt of P. Order. Ad- dress John Walton, Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington. FOR SALE. — Having had considerable difficulty to obtain suitable Boxes for 1 lb. Sections, and bought larger quantities than required, I shall be pleased to sell at 4s. 9d. per gross, carriage free for cash with order. Ad- dress Martin, 4 Woodland Place, f ath. HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES.— I am now booking Orders at Is. 3d. per lb., in 4 or 5 lb. lots, headed by Young Queen. Safe arrival guaranteed. Box Is. Extra Queens, 2s. each. A customer at Carnforth writes : — ' The Bees I got from you last year are far the best stocks in the- neighbourhood.' Another at Stow, N.B., writes: — 'The Queen you sent me is leading a very strong colony.' Ad- dress A. J. Carter, Newfields, Billingshurst, Sussex. 248 ANTED.— New Honey in 1 lb., 1J lb., and 2 lb. Sec- tions. State quantities of each size, and prices expected. Address Mr. Alex. Leitch, 208 St. George's Road, Glasgow. Terms cash. 247 ENGLISH QUEENS, tested, 2s. 6d. each, post free. Address C. N. White, Somersham, Hunts. manufacturer of Bee-keeping Appliances, Supplies every requisite for the Apiary equal to- any house in the trade. workmanship and quality of all goods unsurpassed. Lewis's best American Sections, 2/6 per 100. Pott Free, 3s. Pure Foundation guaranteed. FLOOD'S IMPROVED SUPER CLEARER, 2$ Post Free, 3s. A Boon to Bee-keepers. A GREAT SUCCESS THIS SEASOK. CATALOGUES POST FREE. Address— T. A. FLOOD, Donnington Road, larE-A-Diiisra-. 239> CHEAP WOOD FEEDERS, HOLDING ONE POUND OF SYRUP. Can be used for Fast or Slow supply. 4d. each, postage 3d. No. 88 in List. Bright Foundation, 1/10 lb. Darker ditto, 1/3 lb. EDBY & SOU, STEAM JOINERY WORKS, ST. NEOTS. is the Oldest Es- tablishment in the United King- dom wholly de- voted to Bees and manufacture of Bee-keepers' supplies. His prices will compare most favour- ably with those of any other Maker, while for quality of material, suitability and workmanship, he has no rival. 'Why can he give better value for money than others ?" Because he spends less in large ' puffing ' advertisements, buys in the best markets for prompt cash, has |no rent to- pay, and personally conducts his own business. For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com- bined), which ' contains more practical and reliable hints- than all the large, expensive books,' post free for 2d. stamps. Address 8. J. BALDWIN, The Apiary. Bromley, Kent. N.B. — More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable. BALDWIN'S NEIGHBOUR'S BEE HIVES. WELL KNOWN for SUPERIOR & ACCURATE WORKMANSHIP. Every Description of APPLIANCES kept in Stock. CATALOGUES FREE ON APPLICATION. GEO. NEIGHBOUR AND SONS, 127 HIGH HOLBORN, LONDON, W.C. (Corner of Southampton Street.) THE Msk fi» 3ntrrnal BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 479. Vol. XIX. N.S. 87.] AUGUST 27, 1891. [Published Weekly, (^tutorial, Ifatkes, %t. SHROPSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The annual show of this Association was held in connexion with the Shropshire Horti- cultural Society's great fete at ' The Quarry,' •Shrewsbury, on Wednesday and Thursday, August 19th and 20th, and the event must be Tegarded as a great success. The many thousands who attended the fete bear an ample testimony to its great popularity, and when it is told that the organizers are able to appropriate a hand- some surplus year by year to various benevolent objects, sufficient is stated to create wonder and •surprise at the loyalty and esprit existing in the county — the manifestation of which, to an •outsider, is one of the greatest and most inte- resting features of all. The splendid site first •of all claims our notice. Its grassy slopes, ■its magnificent and stately avenues of towering lime-trees, and the silvery Severn which flows "rapidly past, form a picture of rare attractive- ness, the possession of which must be a source •of pride to the town, of which it forms an ad- junct, and to the county at large. With a grand •exhibition of honey and appliances nothing more ds needed to explain the enthusiastic interest •which the fete evokes among the bee-keeping community. Under the direction of the able and energetic Honorary Secretary, Miss M. E. Eyton, sup- ported by an intelligent and painstaking Com- mittee, the Shropshire Bee - keepers' Associa- tion has brought into existence an interest in bee-keeping which embraces all classes, and unites them in a bond of good fellowship ; and the writer testifies to the evidence of th's in a degree seldom met with in other counties. The exhibits were effectively staged in a mar- quee of large dimensions, connected with which was a smaller tent provided for the purpose of lectures descriptive of the science of bee- keeping, the exponent being Mr. W. P. Meadows, the well-known manufacturer of bee-keeping appliances, who acquitted himself in a very ■efficient manner. The honey exhibited was generally of first- class quality, and denoted that the aim of the Association to improve the kuowledge of bee- management had been largely attained. The judges' duties were rendered difficult and arduous by the evenness of the numerous exhibits in the honey classes, but there is good reason to belie\ e that the awards gave full satisfaction. It may be observed that in the classes for bees the Observatory hive which contained them did not fulfil in a proper degree the requirements of the prize list, viz., that the bees should be secured in an Observatory hive. In each exhibit the bees were simply shown in a glass hive, which gave little or no facility for closely and practi- cally observing, whereas a properly designed Observatory should display the bees on both sides of the combs, and provide for close and thorough examination of the bees and combs. The judges were Rev. J. F. Buckler and Mr. W. Lees McClure, of the Lancashire and Cheshire Association; and Mr. J. Garratt, of the Kent Association, their awards being- as follows : — Honey Classes {Open). Class 1. Forty-eight 1-lb. sections. — 1st prize, W. P. Meadows ; 2nd, J. E. Roden. Ciass 2. Twelve 1-lb. sections.— 1st, W. P. Meadows ; 2nd, A. J. Morris. Class 3. Forty-eight 1-lb. bottles of mn honey.— 1st, J. Carver; 2nd, T. R. Hortcn; highly commended, Mr. Gregory. Class 4. Twenty-four 1-lb." bottles of run honey. — 1st, J. Palmer ; 2nd, W. P. Meadows ; highly commended, II. Wood. Members only. Class 5. Forty-eight 1-lb. sections cf comb honey. — 1st, S. Cartwright; 2nd, J. Palmer. Class 0. Twelve 1-lb. sections of comb hcnev. —1st, J. Palmer; 2nd, T. R. Horton. Class 7. Forty-eight 1-lb. bottles of run honey. — 1st, S. Cartwr'ght; 2nd, J. Palmer. Class 8. Twenty-four 1-lb. bottles of run honey. — 1st, S. Cartwright ; 2nd, T. R. Horton. Class 9. For the most attractive novelty in honey. — 1st, J. E. Roden. Honey Trophy (Open). Class 10. For the best and most attractive display of honey. — 1st, W. P. Meadows; 2nd, J. Bradley ; extra, J. Palmer. Hives and Appliances (Open). Class 11. The best hive, price Ids. — 1st, C. Redshaw ; 2nd, W. P. Meadows. Class 12. Best and most complete hive, pi ice unlimited. — 1st, J. Carver: 2nd, C. Redshaw. 373 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [August 27, 1891. Class 13. Best hive as Class 12, confined to Shropshire makers.— 1st, J. Carver; 2nd, J. Palmer. Class 14. Best collection of appliances. — 1st, W. P. Meadows ; 2nd, T. Whittinghatn. Class 15. The best honey extractor.— 1st, W. P. Meadows. Class 16. Best section rack. — 1st, C. Red- shaw ; 2nd, W. P. Meadows. Class 17. Best feeder.— 1st, C. Ptedshaw. Class 18. New invention useful to bee- keepers.— 1st, J. Bradley. Class 19. Best 1-lb. stock foundation. — 1st, T. Whittingham. Class 20. Best 1-lb. super foundation. — 1st, W. P. Meadows. Class 21. Best two samples of soft candy. — 1st, G. Lloyd. Bees. Class 22. Best observatory hive, with foreign bees and queen.— No entry. Class 23. Best observatory hive with English bees and queen. — 1st, T. Pi. Horton; 2nd, A. Beale. Class 24. For the best observatory hive with Carniolan bees and queen (restricted to the county of Salop).— 1st, T. R. Horton ; 2nd, S. E. Koden. Artisans' Classes. Class 25. Best 24 lbs. comb honey. —1st, A. Hamer ; 2nd, F. Parton. Class 26. Best 1 2 lbs. sections of comb honey. —1st, A. Beale; 2nd, F. Parton, Class 27. Best 24 lbs. run honey. — 1st, A. Hamer ; 2nd, T. Pritchard ; very highly com- mended, F. Parton. Class 28. Best exhibition of comb honey in any kind of super. — 1st, A. Beale. Cottagers' Classes. Class 29. Best 12 lbs. comb honey. — 1st, J. Ward. Class 30. Best 12 lbs. run honey.— 1st, G. Croxton ; 2nd, J. Evans ; extra, T. G. Clark. Class 31. Best six sections of comb honey. — 1st, J. Shuker; 2nd, G. Croxton; 3rd, — Ward. Class 32. Best six lbs. run honey. —1st, J. Evans ; second, G. Lloyd; 3rd, J. Shuker. Miscellaneous. Class 33. Best exhibition of bee-flowers. — 1st, T. G. Clark; 2nd, Miss M. J. Beale; 3rd, A. Beale; commended, J. Bradley. Class 34. Best exhibition of bee-flowers (cot- lagers only).— 1st, T. G. Clark; 2nd, G. Lloyd. Class 35. — Best honey beverage. — 1st, F. Pritchard. Class 36. Best preserved fruit in honey. — 1st, T. G. Clark. Class 37. Best honey confectionary. — 1st, Mrs. Shuker. Class 38. Best 3-lb. sample of beeswax (Salop only).— 1st, J. Evan3. Class 39. Best object of general interest to bee-keeping. — No exhibit. WILTS BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The County Show was held on August 19th,. at the invitation of the Swindon Horticultural Society, in the beautiful grounds of A. L. Goddard, Esq., J. P. An excellent tent, in a first-rate position, was provided by the Com- mittee of the Horticultural Society. The weather, unfortunately, was most un- propitious, there being heavy showers all day with bright intervals, and so the attendance at the flower show was very small. The bee-tent, however, was well patronised, and the money taken was double the amount received in tioo- days at the County Agricultural Show at Malmesbury in June. The entries were fewer than usual, owing to four other shows taking place in the same week at which prizes were offered for honey, and cottagers naturally entered at the shows nearest to them. The following is the schedule, with list of prizes awarded by Mr. W. N. Griffin, the- Judgeappointed by the B.B.K.A. : — Open to Members of W.B.K.A. only. Class 1. For the best collection of honey from one apiary, not to exceed 1 cwt. — 1st prize, S. W. Filtness, Swindon ; 2nd, W. E. Burkitt ;: 3rd, not awarded. Class 2. For the best twelve 1-lb. or six 2-lb. sections of honey. — 1st, S. W. Filtness; 2nd, F. New, Chilton Folliat ; 3rd, W. E. Burkitt. Class 3. For the best twelve 1-lb. bottles of honey. — 1st, G. Nailor, Pewsey ; 2nd, S. W. Filtness; 3rd, VV. E. Burkitt. Class 4. For the best beeswax, not less than. 2 lbs.— 1st, Rev. C. W. Hony; 2nd, A. Godding: 3rd, W. E. Burkitt. Classes 5, 6, 7. — No entries. Mr. S. W. Filtness exhibited his collection in Class 1 on an octagonal pyramidal stand taste- fully decoi'ated with flowers. It consisted entirely of very fine 1-lb, sections and 1-lb. bottles. Mr. Burkitt's collection did not contain so large a quantity, and his sections were fewer and less even, but a greater variety was dis- played. It consisted of 1-lb. sections; one of ' Lee's supers ' filled with beautiful comb perfectly filled, net weight 24J lbs. ; a case containing six well -worked shallow frames, net weight 22^ lbs.: and extracted honey in 2-lb., 1-lb., and \-\\>. bottles. Much of the beeswax shown was very bright and good. In Class 3 all the honey was shown. in 1-lb. bottles with screw metal caps of the same pattern, and the exhibits, though coming- from places wide apart, were so evenly good that the awarding of prizes was a matter of difficulty. Mr. S. W. Filtness occupied the whole of one- side of the tent with a good and useful collection of bee-furniture from some of our leading manu- facturers, for which he has a depot at 8 New- port Street, Swindon. This was not for com- petition. Mr. Filtness, being an energetic member of the W.B.K.A., gave great assistance- to the Hon. Secretary in making all arrange- August 27, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. )7«) ments on the spot, and providing bees in skeps and a frame hive for manipulation. A small Observatory hive exhibited by the Hon. Secretary was a great attraction. From two till dusk Mr. Burkitt was busily occupied in giving useful hints on bee manage- ment, and taking advantage of every gleam of sunshine to drive a skep and open the bar-frame hive, which he was able to do live times without any mishap, although the inhabitants of the bar-frame hive, having never been manipulated, at first resented his attentions most vigorously, to the amusement of the spectators. Mi'. Bur- kitt was assisted at times in the driving by the Rev. C. W. Hony and Mr. Filtness. Many thanks are due to the Committee of the Swindon Horticultural Society for the excellent arrangements made for the bee-show. GOOLE AND DISTRICT B.K.A. The third annual show of this society was held at Goole on August 13th, when, in addition to fruit, flowers, &c, there was a display of honey, bees, and appliances. In all respects, +:xcept financially, the show was a success The principal feature of the exhibition was the grand show of honey staged on the occasion, and the writer considers that a better show of •extracted honey has not been seen in Yorkshire for some time ; and it was a difficult task for the Judge (Mr. K. A. II. Grimshaw) to pick out the best where all was so good. However, that gentleman, assisted by his son, Mr. Darcy Grimshaw, performed his onerous duties to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. During the afternoon the show was visited by most of the gentry and professional gentlemen in the distiict, who listened attentively to the lectures on scientific bee-keeping delivered by Mr. Grim- shaw, and afterwards expressed themselves de- lighted with all they had seen and heard. Mr. Dixon, of Leeds, illustrated Mr. Griinshaw's remarks by the practical manipulation of a frame hive in the bee-tent of the Y. B.K.A. Mr. Dixon also exhibited an interesting collection of useful appliances, diagrams, honey-comb designs, &c, while Mr. Milner, of Skelton, kindly decorated the honey-tables with a variety of plants, giving this part of the show quite an attractive appearance. Prize List. Sjjecial Classes. — Prizes presented by the Y.B.KA., and open to members of that Associa- tion and the Goole District Branch. Class A. Best six 1-lb. sections — 1st, B. VValdy, Sutton-on-Derwent; 2nd, A. Woodhead, Goole. Class B. Best six jars of extracted honey. — 1st, W. Aaron, Goole ; 2nd, W. Ramsey, Raw- cliffe. W. Chester, Goole, who was highly commended in this class, received a special prize given by Mr. Dixon. Class C. Best two frames of comb honey. — 1st, R. Sykes, Rawcliffe; 2nd, W. Aaron. Open Classes. Class 1. Best six 1-lb. sections. — 1st, Rev. R. L. Lamb, Burton Pidsea, Hull; 2nd, \V. Dixon, Leeds. Class 2. Best six 1-lb. jars of extracted honey. — 1st, W.Dixon; 2nd, G. Roberts, Goole. Very highly commended, Rev. R. L. Lamb; highly commended, W. Aaron; commended, W. Ram- sey. Members' Classes. Class 3. Best six sections. — 1st (silver medal presented by Mr. T. Richardson, Goole), W. Chester; 2nd, G. Milson, Goole. Class 4. Best six 1-lb. jars of extracted honey. — 1st, W. Ramsey; 2nd, C. Watson Hook*. Very highly commended, W. Aaron ; highly commended, W. Chester; commended, G. Roberts. Class 5. Best three 1-lb. sections and three 1-lb. jars extracted honey. — 1st, E. Wainman, Saltmarsh ; 2nd, G. Roberts. Special prize (given by Mr. Dixon) and highly commended, G. Milson ; commended, Dr. Arbuckle Thome. — A. Woodheap, Secretary. ETWALL (DERBYSHIRE) HORTICUL- TURAL AND BEE-KEEPERS' SOCIETY. The inhabitants of this picturesque village, in combination with others residing in the neighbour- hood, some time ago decided to start a horticul- tural and B.K. society, and the practical result Avas apparent on August 10th, when the initial show was held (by kind permission) in the park adjoin- ing Etwall Hall. It proved an altogether lovely spot for a show of this description. The marquees were pitched on the summit of a hill, from whence visitors commanded a view of as pretty a stretch of well-wooded and undulating country as one could wish to see, while to the right stood the beautiful Hall, in the midst of its own charming grounds. The privilege of having free access here amply repaid visitors from a dis- tance, and it seems very likely that the show now founded will become an annual institution, and will attract even larger numbers to the park on future occasions. Still, the number of visitors exceeded all anticipation, several thousands attending, coming by rail and road. There was a very good display of honey and beeswax. The run honey was in splendid condition, and consequently the competition was very keen ; still the awards gave the greatest satisfaction to all the exhibitors. There was also a large show of comb honey. The judge for the honey de- partment was Mr. Atkins, North Street, Derby, who awarded prizes as follows : — Run honey. — 1st prize, Mr. Massey, Dalbury; 2nd, Mr. T. W. Jones, Etwall. Comb honey, sections. — 1st, Mr. T.W. Jones ; 2nd, Mr. W. T. Morley, Etwall. Wax.— 1st, Mr. T. \V. Jones ; 2nd, Withheld, not being weight. Bees with queen in observatory hive. — 1st, Mr. T. W. Jones; no other prize awarded. 380 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [August 27, 1891. The show was in every respect a success ; the stewards had bestowed every care in staging the exhibits to the greatest advantage. MELROSE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIA- TION. A good number of persons interested in bee- keeping met in Melrose on August 22nd, and agreed to form an Association for the district. They appointed a committee to draw up rules to be submitted to the next meeting, and agreed that one of the rules should be that 'the mem- bers shall meet once a month for discussion of matters connected with bee-keeping.' The an- nual subscription for members was fixed at Is. 6d., and it was resolved that the Association, besides having for its object the general advancement of bee-keeping, should from time to time put forward certain definite points, in the working out of which members might co-operate. It was further resolved that the Association should become affiliated to the Scottish Bee-keepers' Association at once, and thus be the first Asso- ciation to be so affiliated. Mr. Weir, Melrose, was appointed Hon. Secretary of the Associa- tion, and there is every reason to believe that the members will soon be numerous. |kc Sljotxrs la Come. August 29th. — Forfar B.K.S. at Forfar. James Hutchinson, Secretary, Yeaman Street. September 2nd and 3rd. — Lancashire and Cheshire B.K.A. at Birkenhead. For schedules apply Arthur H. Edwardson, 23 Hamilton Street, Birkenhead. Liberal prize list open to all comers. September 4th, at Stranraer, Wigtownshire Apiarian Association. Entries close September 2nd. Apply for schedules, J. B. Robertson, Hon. Sec, The Manse, Leswalt. Sept. 5th. — Alderley Edge and District Branch of the Lancashire and Cheshire B.K.A. Chel- ford Flower Show, Astle, Chelford. Schedules, &c, T. D. Schofield, Alderley Edge, Cheshire. Sept. 5th. — Bramhall and Woodford District Horticultural Society at Bramhall Hall, near Stockport. Entries close August 22nd. Par- ticulars of William Slater, Fern Lea, Bramhall, Stockport. Sept. 9th, 10th. — Derbyshire Bee - keepers' Association at Derbv. Entries close August 27th. W, T. Atkins, Secj 12 North Street, Derbv. Sept. 19th.— Jedburgh and District B.K.A. in the Sessional School at Jedburgh. Entries close Sept. 15th. For schedules apply to Thos. Clark, Sec, Pleasant's School House, "Jedburgh, N.B. October 13th to 16th.— British B.K.A., in connexion with the Dairy Show at the Royal Agricultural Hall, London. All open classes. Entries close September 14th. For schedules apply to Wm. C. Young, Sec, 191 Fleet Street, London. €QmB$Qvfomn. Tlie Editors do not hold themselves responsible or the opinions expressed by correspondents. No r.otiee will be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are requested to writeon one side oj the paper only, and give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Illustrations- shouli be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, £c, must be addressed only to "The Editors of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C All business communications relating to Advertisements, &c, must be addressed to Mr. J. Huckle, KingsLangley, Herts {see 1st page of Advertise- ments). *«* In order to facilitate reference, Correspondents, when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted, will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well as the page on wlach it appears. PUNIC BEES. [754.'] In your contemporary, the Journal of Horticulture, there has been frequent reference to ' Punic bees ' by a ' Lanarkshire Bee-keeper,' and in this week's number of that journal there is a long statement by ' A Hallamshire Bee-keeper,' giving the opinions of certain gentlemen who appear to have had some experience of these bees. As none of the names of those mentioned are known to me, would you kindly say if they are known in the bee-world as men of experi- ence, and as pioneers in their own counties? It is, I fear, too much the case for beginners in bee-keeping to catch at anything new Avliether in appliances or bees, and endeavour to invent something, or to give their opinion as if they had a long and varied experience. Readers of a technical paper, particularly those who are novices, naturally look to its editor, who is sup- posed to be ' well posted,' as the Americans put it, to be their guide, and not alloAv them to be misled by admitting articles or statements of a questionable kind without giving some word of caution. It often happens that after some glowing account of a new hive, a feeder, or a new kind of bee. puffed up by some person having such to sell, or by some friend whom he gets to write for him, and in some cases not even a bee-keeper, that those anxious to have the right thing part with their money, and in the end find that what they already possessed was far preferable. In this way, what was taken up with an idea of making a profit, turns out to be a dead loss. If this is followed by one or two bad seasons, novices get disgusted with bee-keeping and give it up — tell their friends and those they meet that it is a delusion and a snare. To return to Punic bees. ' Hallamshire Bee- keeper ' (by the way who is he, and what is his real name ?) savs, 'I first received these bees safely in 1886.' How is it, Messrs. Editors, if these bees have been introduced so long, and (as re- ported in the same article) ' construct hundreds of queen-cells,' that some of your able corre- spondents have not met with them, or given us some account of them ? The introduction of a single queen in 1886 that would raise hundreds of queen-cells would, I should have thought, in August 27, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 381 skilful hands, have stocked the whole country by this time. But what does he say? 'I am afraid that I could not count on more than 100 queens in one season.' ' I am charging 57. 5s. for them in this country for what I have to spare, and I must say that I consider them cheap at the price.' One can hardly think that any one could be found so rich as to pay this amount for the queen of a Punic race, of which so little is known after seven years in this country. Will you, Messrs. Editors, for the benefit and protection of your readers, give us any inform- ation as to the value of this bee, and what is known of it in its own country ? Reference is made to Cleanings, the American Bee Journal, and the Ganadian Bee Journal. Could you give any of the articles ? — Inquirer. [As a rule we do not like to import into our columns controversies originating in other journals, but as our correspondent asks for information for the benefit of our readers we give all we know about African bees. We know nothing of the experience of the persons mentioned, and have received no reports from any of our numerous correspondents about Punic bees. We know of no such race. Amongst African bees with which we are acquainted are those from Algeria, Morocco, and Tunis — all varieties of Apis mellifica. They are prolific black bees, said to be good workers, but which have not sustained their reputation when introduced into Europe. Queens of any of these varieties could be purchased for a few francs, and some years ago Algerian queens were offered for ten francs apiece by M. Feuillebois at Beni-Amran. The variety cultivated by the Kabyles is shiny black, and the workers much smaller than the average European bee; the drones, however, are quite as large. The Kabyles inhabit the mountains lying towards the desert of Sahara, where they live in small villages, and derive a considerable income from honey, and more particularly from wax. These bees are called 4 thizizoua tliik1 arriin,J and are cultivated in cylinders of cork-bark, basket-work, or earthenware. Some of the natives have as many as 500 such hives. They were first imported into France in 1874, and, by their behaviour, showed that tbey came from a warm climate. They are great propolisers, which shows that they are not used to cold. Although quiet at times, if stimulated they become very savage, and not only attack persons, but even enter the houses in their vicinity. They have not proved satisfactory in Europe, and we know no one now who cultivates them. We know nothing about the so-called Punic bees and can give no information as to their value. Possessing as we do one of the largest libraries of bee literature in the kingdom, it is strange that we have never found such a race alluded to. The word Punic means faithless, treacherous — neither of which should be considered good qualifications for bees. Punic bees are said to come from Africa, but the only varieties of African bees we know of are those alluded to above, besides the various species mentioned on page 366 of B.B.J, for 1888. With regard to the American papers above referred to by our correspondent, the only other person besides ' A Hallamshire Bee-keeper ' (otherwise John Hewitt) who has written in favour of Punic bees, i3 E. L. Pratt, a queen breeder and dealer, who is advertising queens imported by ' Hallamshire Bee- keeper' at 80 dollars (161.) each. We wonder how many bee-keepers will be induced to give thi3 price, or even 5/. 5.s. for one. As so little is really known about these bees we hardly think it neces- sary to advise our friends in their own interests to wait for reports from experienced and well-known bee-keepers. We shall take care to give any reliable information that may come to hand and be of value to our readers. — Eds.] NOTES BY THE WAY. [755.] The weather during the past week has been very unsettled, harvest operations practi- cally at a standstill, while the heavy rains have laid a great part of the corn uncut. This is rather a gloomy prospect for the farmer, though the enhanced prices the breadstuff s are fetching buoy his spirits and brightens his future, if only the weather will take up. The showery weather has suited some jobs, and in my extensive apiary, I have found it an opportune time to secure the honey crop. In the southern part of the kingdom all supers should be removed from the hives, and any spare combs in brood nest should be ex- tracted, and the combs returned during the evening for the bees to clear out, or use if space is required by the colony. If combs or crates of empty combs in sections for the bees to clean up for another year are returned late in the day, the excitement which is always engendered by the sudden influx of honey will be practi- cally over before the morning, and the colony subsided to its normal condition. This is a matter that requires care on the part of the bee-keeper, or robbing may start, and possibly a loss of stocks. The Berks Bee-keepers' Association has lost no time in dealing with the grant of 50/. from the Berks County Council. The executive of the Berks B.K.A. appointed a sub-committee of practical bee-keepers to consider the best means of applying the money to the advancement of humane and profitable bee-keeping amongst the bee-keepers of Berkshire, and in the first place it is intended to send experts to every bee-keeper in the county, as far as possible, not to manipu- late or dismantle his stocks, but to give advice where needed and gather information res- pecting the craft ; each expert will be provided with a map of Berks with his part of the county shaded off, and with a tabulated book in which every particular will be entered as to the number of stocks, the owner's name and address, straw hives or bar frames, average output, brimstone or humane system, &c. He will also make arrange- ments for lectures in certain centres during the winter months. Then, when we have gained this desirable information, and know where the bee-keepers are located, we intend to start quite an innovation in the propaganda of modern bee- keeping, and that is, that another spring we intend to start a 'Berkshire bee-van:' this van will reach places remote from towns where shows agri- or horticultural are held, and where demon- strations have been annually given — the idea is to introduce the bar-frame hive to the notice of 582 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [August 27, 1891. the tee-keeper on the village green, or the rectory or vicarage lawn, and give practical demonstrations and advice in the garden of the bee-keeper on the management of bees in bar frame hives. This, we believe, will induce more bee-keepers to adopt the movable-frame hive and be the means of reaching and teaching a class of men amongst the more intelligent labourers the advantages of keeping bees. Then, in our extensive tour, we intend to dis- tribute leaflets, showing the advantages of belonging to the Berks B.K. Association, and what benefits the cottager will get for his small investment of 2s. Qd. per annum in the Associa- tion: how the expert will visit him, and teach him how to proceed ; that, he will get a copy of the Bee-keepers' Record gratis, in which he will be kept posted in advanced bee-culture ; that he will participate in the great advantages of selling his honey through the appointed agents of the Association at a fair price, and the use of the extractors— one of which is located in certain district centres. Then we hope and intend to interest others outside our craft in be- half of the cottager. Of course we cannot give all the aforesaid benefits for 2s. 0>d., only we shall want the friends and the labourers to step into the breach and help us. Thus, a lady or gentleman can, by subscribing 10s. to the Asso- ciation, help four of their poor cottage neigh- bours, or 5s. per annum help two cottagers to the full advantages of the Association, and it is proposed that these subscribers shall have the privilege of naming the cottagers whom they wish to befriend. This will be introducing the practical system of helping one another, and also at the same time helping those who try to help themselves. Foul brood is a subject our experts will be in- structed to locate and tabulate, and the executive will give the matter of dealing with the subject further consideration, as to the best means of eradicating it from the county. This subject is of such vital importance to the craft that every effort should be made in curing the disaise, though I am not sanguine of success until we get the legislature to include foul brood in the ' Contagious Diseases Act,' and make it penal for bee-keepers to knowingly and wilfully keep diseased stocks of bees in their possession. I have no doubt that the pest is spread more at this period of the year than at any other, owing, as you pertinently remark in last week's ' Useful Hints/ on the predatory habits of bees. The sad death of our brother bee-keeper, Mr, Clements, is another illustration of the need of some supervision by the legislature in the in- gredients used in dyeing textile fabrics. It is nearly as bad as ' death in the pot ' to be sub- jected to a slow lingering death by poisoning from inhaling poison from carpets or wall-papers. Glass sections seem to have fallen out of the running, at least we hear nothing about them this year ; I suspect the patentee has not found it a very lucrative speculation. Mailing queens and safe introduction have been reduced to an almost certainty by Mr. J. H. Howard's queen- cage. This simple though efficient little appa- ratus introduces the queen and her attendants direct, and completely does away with the old method of handling the queen to place her in the introducing cage, and thereby endangering her life, either by injury while handling, or by giving an offensive scent to the queen by handling, which the bees it is intended shall receive her may resent, and object to receive her. The food com- partment is the outlet for queen and attendants at the will of the bee-keeper, while during the time the bees are discovering their queenless state the new arrival is in a position where she and the bees with her are receiving the scent peculiar to the hive. She is to be introduced to them in the gloaming — a gentle push, and the introduction is mutual and safe. I can speak from experience, in fact, all my experience has been on the same lines ; that is, I have always introduced in a similar manner, rarely touching a queen with my hands, and my losses have been few and far between. I have always introduced the attendants with the queen, and have never noticed them thrown out next morning, though I have looked for them many times. — W. AVood- ley, World's End, Newbury. NOTES ON BEE-KEEPING IN HUNTS. [756.] The honey sea«on in this district is over. Where no surplus has been gathered it is now too late to hope for any, and the sooner stocks are prepared for the winter the better. The season has been what the majority of bee- keepers in this neighbourhood term a bad one. The nights throughout the summer have been very chilly, and the days during the last six or eight weeks have been for the most part cold and showery. There are a few cases, including my own, where bees have done well. Nearly every bee- keeper that I have met complains of the great difficulty that has been experienced in prevent- ing swarming. This appears to have been an exceptional year for swarms, and many a bee- keeper has been driven to his wits' end to know what to do for the best. Personally, I very rarely have any trouble from that source. I keep bees for profit, and cannot afford to let them waste valuable time in swarming. During this wonderful year of swarms I have had five from about twenty stocks ; this is a larger per- centage than I have had for a number of years. But I did nothing to prevent these, but rather hoped they would swarm, as I had got several empty hives, and was also anxious to obtain some young queens. Two of the said five swarms were hived on ready-built combs, and supered forthwith. They have established them- selves for the winter, but have given next to no surplus. The stocks from whence they come ceased working in supers from the time the swarms issued. The other three swarms were treated in a different way. After taking away from each hive that had swarmed three frames of brood, bees, and queen-cells, with which to August 27, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. £83 form nuclei, and substituting for same three frames of foundation placed in centre of hive, the swarms were returned, and all went on as merrily as though nothing had happened. The nuclei thus formed have been built up into first- class colonies at practically no cost, while the stocks made from the two swarms have cost, by way of honey sacrificed, something like a sove- reign each. My stocks worked for run honey have been less trouble, and have given by far better returns than those worked for sections. I am sometimes asked if the present season has been an average one, which question I am quite unable to answer, for the simple reason that I do not understand the term ' average ' as applied to bee-keeping. Nor do the Editors, in their reply to 3U8, page 0G0, that ' forty pounds per hive is a fair average,' help me at all in the matter. I am willing to believe that in a good season a well-managed apiary could be made to yield an ' average ' of forty pounds per hive. But I have a very strong belief that, however perfect the management, it would be a most difficult job to make an apiary of any size pro- duce that average for a period of, say, ten years. And if statistics could be procured, showing the total number of hives kept on modern principles in Huntingdonshire during the last ten years, the average would be — but stop ! it is my aim to encourage and not dishearten bee-keepers, so what I was going to say I will leave unsaid, for perhaps, after all, the term 'average' has a dif- ferent meaning to what I have attached to it. Nevertheless, if any one can furnish data, show- ing the average yield per hive in the true sense of the term, it would afford most interesting reading, and would be of special benefit to those who may anticipate embarking in bee-keeping ■on a large scale. — A. Sharp, Huntingdon. NOTES EROM NORTH YOKES. [757.] I send you a little bee-news from the north of Yorkshire. We have a few hives in- fected with foul brood, and find it a difficult thing to rid a district of when once it gets a foothold. The disease first appeared in one of my weak stocks, so I destroyed the colony and all its belongings, and fed my other stocks with food medicated with Naphthol Beta. They have been very healthy and prolific this season, not a trace of the disease being present ; but I learn it has appeared in other hives in the district, and until we can get bee-keepers to understand the infectious character of the disease, and until we have some law to deal with it, the plague will siot be got rid of. We have a Board of Agri- culture, and, seeing that swine fever and pneu- monia in cattle is looked very sharply after by the Government officials, I think that foul brood should be included in the Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act; until then there is little hope of stamping it out. The Yorkshire Bee-keepers' Association are to be congratulated on the grand display of honey and appliances at Bradford ; it was certainly a better show than the ' Royal ' at Doncaster, the honey being of the finest quality and of the best colour. I think if the honey had been on raised shelving it would have shown it- self better. I wish the British Bee-keepers' Association could see their way to hold an api- cultural show of their own in some central place, later on than the ' Royal,' as it is too soon for honey of any kind — and include driving competi- tions, &c, as well as the usual prizes for hives and honey. I think it would be well patronised, and in a few years prove a great success. The honey harvest up here has not been up to the average, on account of the shortness of the season, it being very late, and the wet weather coming in July, right in the middle of the sea- son. It has rained nearly every day since, and as I am writing it is still 'coming down.' — John Bambkidge, Hutton Rudby, via Yarm. WEARING BEE-VEILS. [758.] I send you the enclosed portion of the Sheffield Telegraph for the 21st inst., with an account of a rather bad adventure with bees while taking hives to the moors. I am struck by the fact that a bee-keeper of any experience, as one may presume Mr. Dixon to have been, should have attempted to set right the hive with escaping bees without the protection of a bee-veil. The bees would, no doubt, be in a state of irritation from the jerk- ing of the vehicle over the road, and this he should have known and taken into account. Is not the practice of experts at our bee-shows rather conducive to this want of precaution ? So far as my experience goes they always manipu- late without veils. This, no doubt, has its ad- vantage in showing that bees under favourable conditions can be reduced to a state of almost absolute harmlessness. But for those whom these displays are intended to instruct I conceive the result is, to a great extent, misleading, and eventually ends in many being discouraged from the pursuit. Would it not be better for a large part of such public manipulations to be carried out ivith the use of the veil, and thus show that almost absolute immunity from stings can be secured even by the most timid ? I find by ex- perience that the use of the veil is the most effective advocate amongst would-be bee-keepers, and even with those who have been accustomed to skeps for many years. While writing I should like to add that following your advice last autumn I burned the bees, combs, &c, of one hive attacked with foul brood, and have used naphthaline since with, so far, satisfactory results, for I have seen no sign whatever of the infection in my ten other stocks, though at first I had reasons for suspect- ing its presence to some extent. I am quite satisfied that naphthaline is at least an excel- lent preventive. — W. Winterton, Xorthants. [Referring to the cutting sent we need not print the needlessly sensational account it gives of a mishap which could only have resulted from care- 384 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [August 27, 1891. lessness in preparing hives for a journey to the heather. Newspaper men usually allow their imagination pretty free play when reporting these cases ; at least, we invariably find it so on inquiry. It may be said, however, that a Mr. Dixon, of Hexham, accompanied by his son, was taking some hives of bees to the moors in a pony trap. He had several hives inside the trap and several fastened outside. While on the journey the bees from one of this latter — as we may well believe — began to escape, and Mr. Dixon being unsuccess- ful in securing them, according to the report ' the whole hive escaping and immediately attacking their owner, &c.' Afterwards the pony was stung, and started off, upsetting some of the other hives, and causing, no doubt, some mischief; but in the end we read that ' Mr. Dixon and all concerned are fortunately recovering from the effects of the acci- dent.' It goes without saying that when bees are prepared for a journey they must be safely packed so as to prevent any possibility of escape. This is so easily done by any one with the needful experience — and no others should attempt it— that most men will carry their bees to the heather for years with- out a mishap of any kind. We quite agree with our correspondent regarding the use of bee-veils, and the teaching of this Journal is always to the same effect. An expert in the tent may discard his veil to show that under certain conditions it is not needed, but should impress on his auditors the necessity for its general use when working amongst bees, except when stocks are known to be so quiet in temperament as to make it needless. In every ease, however, the veil should be on the hat, ready for use. — Eds.] mxm autr Implies, [402.] Inconsistent Showing. — There has been some ' in-and-out running ' in our local shows of late. This does not necessarily imply dishonesty, but the extremely varying quality of honey shown by the same exhibitors at different places give some ground for doubt. Perhaps, Messieurs les Editeurs, you will help the doubters to a just decision by giving your opinion upon the follow- ing cases : — A. and B.. who are near neighbours, competed along with others in the extracted honey classes of a show held at C. A. could, presumably, have shown in the three classes, but chose to conBne himself to one of twelve bottles. His was a nice exhibit of light amber honey. B. (who is no novice in the craft) showed honey of a dull mahogany colour in the three classes. He could not, he said, produce any better this season, and was quite perplexed to see the exhibit of his neighbour and erstwhile pupil. A show at D. followed, whereat B. showed honey much superior to what his neighbour had shown at C, while A., besides showing the twelve bottles exhibited at C, showed also twenty-four bottles of honey, almost, if not quite, identical with that shown by B. at C. What I wish to know is : — 1. whether, in your opinion, A.'s exhibit at C. was that of honey produced by his own bees? 2. Whether it was possible, as he averred was the case, that one of his stocks could have produced the light honey, and the remaining stocks of the same apiary the dark? It was all super honey, it should be remarked. 3. Whether it was possible that B.'s bees could have produced the very superior honey exhibited at D. between the- 22nd of July and the 10th of August of the- present season. The quality of the honey gathered prior to the former date should be- borne in mind. — J. M., August \lth. Reply. — 1 and 2. While there is much reason for doubt, we could not venture to say it is im- possible that A.'s honey could have been gathered by his own bees. B. may have allowed early honey from fruit-bloom or from sycamores to- get mixed with that from clover, and so deteriorated the lot, while that of A. was a care- fully graded sample. There may be several details known only to A., which would explain the matter. 3. This looks very bad for B, but nothing more appears against A., since the latter only showed honey in addition at D. such as- he averred was gathered by all his stocks save- one. Viewing the whole facts, we can only say they are strongly suspicious ; but stranger things- in connexion with bee-keeping have been reported to us which, when clearly and fully explained, were quite capable of proof. Bee-keepers living in the district, and knowing all the surroundings,, should be far more capable of forming an opinion than ourselves of the cases in point. [403.] Hiving Swarms without Guide Combs* — Besides being a reader of the B.J.,1 am quite a beginner in bee-keeping, and am often struck with the information that can be learnt from its pages. I have however got myself into a. difficulty, and shall feel grateful for your advice. From my one bar-frame hive I had my first swarm on June 5th, and they are doing well. On June 19th a second swarm came off quite to- my surprise, as I had given a second crate of sections to prevent another swarm, and had no hive in which to put them. However I bought one from a friend and got the bees in all right,, but, having no foundation at hand I had foolishly put in the frames without guides. The swarm has done well, but, as you may guess, all the combs are built very crooked. 1. Could I (after they have done breeding) take away the mis- shapen combs and fill other bars with foundation, so as to get them rebuilt straight, if I fed the- bees well ? 2. What kind of syrup would you advise for feeding ? They have six frames, all full of bees. I fed them on syrup made from No. 3 recipe in Bee-keeper's Guide-book for a fortnight after hiving, the weather at the time being dull and wet. 3. I have noticed a great many bees on the raspberries, feeding from the- fruit. Is this usual ? — G. L., Bradford Abbas. Reply. — 1. The task of straightening the crooked combs would be beyond the skill of a. beginner, and you will not get satisfactory new combs built so late in the season as this. If you cannot get the help of an expert or some one sufficiently experienced to examine the hive and put it right, or advise the best course after inspection, we should leave it as it is. The bees will stand a better chance of wintering safely on the crooked combs than if a bad job is made of August 27, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 385 an attempt to remedy them. Next year you will be better prepared to put the hive straight. 2. Same as before. S. The skin of the raspberries must have burst from the wet weather, or being over-ripe. Bees do not attack the fruit except under some such conditions. [404.] 1. Dome Shape v. Flat Top.— I have heard it repeatedly stated that bees winter better in dome-shaped skeps than in those witli fiat tops. If your experience confirms this, I should be glad to know how you account for it. Is it because the moisture that would condense on the top would trickle down the side, whereas, with a flat top, it might drop on the cluster, and, during a long spell of cold weather, lead to disaster? If so, would not tiltiDg- a bar-frame hive on one side, so as to cause the quilt to be of such an angle, have the same effect ? After brood is all hatched, it could have no ill effect that I can see. External appearances might be against it, but if bees wintered better with hives in this position that would be an ample set-off. Of course, rai.-ing a dome over the frames would answer the same purpose : but, I take it, the necessary angle would leave too much space above the frames. 2. Have you had any experience in wintering a stock with a shallow-frame super on ? I am thinking of trying one this winter with a very strong stock. 3. Can you suggest anything to prevent winter syrup from granulating beside so-called malt vinegar ? If cream of tai'tar, or tartaric acid, would not answer the purpose, would acetic acid, such as I use for making raspberry vinegar, one part acetic acid and seven parts water, do ? — W. H. Jenkins, Swansea, August 13th. .Reply. — 1. In principle the dome shape has some advantage in the heat rising to the highest part, but we never found bees wintered any better in dome-shaped than in flat-topped skeps, and rather think that any disadvantage the latter may possess arises through carlessness in f ailing to carefully cover up the large openings usually found in the flat-topped skeps. In neither case will condensed moisture 'drop on the cluster' if the bees are sufficiently numerous to maintain a proper temperature in the hive. "We should never advocate tilting frame hives to one side as proposed. All sorts of mischief might result from such a practice in careless hands. 2. Yes, and stocks have come out remarkably well under such conditions. 3. Acetic acid will answer the purpose very well, using about one-half as much acid as of ordinary malt vinegar. [405.] Transferring from Skeps to Frame Hives. — 1. Is it necessary to move the laths with which transferred brood comb from old skeps is fastened into standard frames with tapes ? I have removed the tapes, but in at- tempting to take off the first lath at bottom I found it fixed so firmlv that all the comb fell out with it ; I therefore left the others. 2. In feeding the bees for the winter, how am I to know what amount of syrup to give each stock, and will the Barbadoes sugar (brown) be the right kind ? I purchased the bees from our gardener about two months ago; they were then in old straw skeps, and much neglected. I have since made six frame hives, and transferred bee3 and brood comb into them, uniting two lots where they were weak, feeding until they ap- peared to be settled. They all seem to be doing well now, and are increasing in numbers fast. No honey will be taken from any of them this year, and I thought with a little syrup to help them they would store enough to carry them through the winter. — A Two Months' Bee- keepeb, Kings Langley, Herts, August loth. Bei'Ly. — 1. Laths, when used to support combs, should certainly be removed, but not before the combs are sufficiently secured hy the bees to warrant such removal. 2. Befer to B.J. for January 15th for full information on feeding bees for winter. You shape well in your bee- keeping to accomplish so much after so short an experience. Transferring old combs into new frame hives, however, is now rapidly going into disuse, and we may hope you have only two or three such frames of comb in each hive, the rest being built on foundation. [406.] As I am compelled to move my eight stocks of bees which are in frame hives, when is the best time to move them, now or in the spring ? After losing several of my stocks during last winter I think you will say I have done very well with the remainder, viz., two stocks. During the 6rst three weeks in July, I took from them ninety-one one-pound sections, and got four good strong swarms. Bees in this neighbourhood have done nothing this month, owing to the cold sunless days. 2. I was oh.iged to gather some ripe pears from a tree to-day, owing to the bee3 eating them : I have not noticed this in other years. — II. C. S., Little- hampton, August VSth. Reply. — 1. Bees can be safely moved either during the cold of winter or, perhaps better, about the end of February. At the latter date they will be lighter, and have little brood to take any possible harm. 2. Bees will not break the skin of pears. If they are over-ripe and cracked, or if wasps make the first attack, bees will suck the exposed juice, but not otherwise. [407.] Bee-houses.— Do you think bees have a better chance of wintering in a wooden bee- house, where they can be kept dry, and, if necessary, warmer than standing outside, ex- posed to all weathers ? My stocks were un- usually strong last autumn, but they dwindled down a good deal this spring, and I am thinking of having a house built for the hives. I only keep ten bar-frame hives, which are as mam- as I have time to look after. Of course, I should like to obtain the best results. — B. U., Doneaster. Beply. — Bees will do very well in properly constructed bee-houses, but as a rule they yield more satisfactory results when kept in the open on separate stands. The fact of your bees dwindling cannot justly be charged to the want of a bee -house to keep them warmer, as our most successful men keep their bees on single stands. 386 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [August 27, 189 J. [408.] 1. Unnecessary Stimulating. — I see in the Bee-keepers' Guide-booh that we are to pre- pare the bees now for winter by stimulative feeding. Does that mean that I am to give them flour candy or syrup ? 2. I have removed all section racks from the top of the frames, but find they have a great deal of honey in the body of the hive— more than they will consume during the winter — I should say ten frames full. When ought I to take, say, one or two frames away, as at present they are all crowded with bees ? I have no extractor. Perhaps you will be interested to hear that I bought a ' W. B. C hive last spring. On the 30th May I put a strong swarni into it. Since then I Lave taken two racks of twenty-one one-pound sections off, all beautifully sealed over, and find that all ten frames in the body of the hive are full of honey. I have never had such luck with a hive before, and shall certainly have no other but the ' W. B. C for the future.— Horatio Eden- borough, Egham, Surrey. Reply. — 1. Hives with abundance of natural stores need no stimulating in autumn. The axiom, 'Enough is as good as a feast,' holds good with bees as with other things, and to feed stocks already stored to repletion is use- less. Stimulate in spring, if needed, but not now. 2. Unless the honey is especially wanted, we advise leaving the bees all the brood chamber contains. Probably at end of September the quantity will not appear more than enough. Pray do not suppose we claim that the hive you refer to will enable your bees to gather more honey than others. At the same time, we are very pleased to learn that you like it. d&cjprca farm % |fte. Honey Cott, Weston, Leamington, August 21st, 1891. — For three weeks the weather here has not been good for bees, though the white clover is in bloom still ; but the temperature is too low for much honey to be gathered from it. I have got a nice lot of honey, but not anything like a full crop. Have been driving stocks a few miles away, and find that the bees have done about the same, or hardly as well, elsawhere as here. I never noticed before anything like this : — A cast had three-parts filled its hive with honey, and nearly all drone comb. On the latter at- tempts had been made to start three or four queen-cells. I suppose the queen mu^t have been lost while on her mating flight. The old man— who is nearly eighty years old — to whom the bees belonged, said he should not have cared if some more of his stocks had lost their queens, if they had only gathered as much honey as this cast. I drove four or five lots for him, but he still prefers the brimstone-pit to the trouble of driving. The old man and his niece have had good yields for three or four years from two bar-frame hives, but this year these same hives have not done so well. I have used Floods bee -escape, and it has answered fairly well, although in one case of a strong stock I placed an empty crate under the escape, and the crate of sections on top, and every bee was not out in two or three days. I am glad to see 'X-Tractor' is all right again. I will let him off this time (for his prophecy anent the weather), because we read, and lhave also heard, of some rather heavy takes of honey, showing, at least, that in some parts of the country there must have been some hot weather accompanying the extra large crops of white clover. When I visited, about a fortnight ago, my small out-apiary, I found two out of the three stocks queenless, so I took some nucleus hives, and joined them, and also found the hives crammed with honey. — John Walton. Morchard Bishop, August 17th. — I have been using the cone super-clearers lately, and find them succeed admirably. I put them on at breakfast-time and remove after my morning round— twelve to two p.m. — with only about half-a-dozen, or less, bees left. The weather here for the pist month has been wretched — next to nothing: done. — W. F. Tronson. BEE AND HONEY STATISTICS. In Greece there are 30,000 colonies, producing 3,000,000 pounds of honey ; in Denmark, 90,000, producing 2,000,000 pounds ; in Russia, 110,000, producing the same ; in Belgium, 200.000, pro- ducing 5,000,000 pounds ; in Holland^ 240,000, producing 6,000,000 pounds ; in France, 950,000, producing 23,000,000 pounds ; in Germany, 1,450,000, and in Austria, 1,550,000, each pro- ducing 40,000,000 pounds of honey. Careful estimates put the number of bee- keepers in the United States at 350,000 ; over 10,000 of this number keep more than 500 colonies each. The value of the honey produced by them in 1889 was over $100,000,000, and the value of the beeswax produced for the same year exceeded $17,000,1100. — American Bee Journal. HOW TO CLARIFY BLACK AND DIRTY WAX WITH SULPHURIC ACID. We have been experimenting for the past few days in rendering wax with sulphuric acid. Although we knew the Dadants and one or two others were using it with excellent results in clarifying old dark wax, somehow or other ' we hadn't got round to it.' For several months back we have been saving up our old inky pieces of wax, and, besides this, the scrapings from the floor, and other odd accumulations from broken bits of comb. This week we pro- cured some sulphuric acid, and proceeded to clarify first the dirty scrapings from the floor, putting them into a copper boiler holding about half a barrel. We first put in about two pails of water, and then about three ounces of sul- phuric acid, and afterwards the scrapings. We next let on steam, until the wax began to come to the top. We first dipped off the clear wax floating on the surface, and poured it through a cheese-cloth bag. We next scooped August 27, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 587 out the residue, including the dirt, dumped it into the cheese-cloth bag, put it into our wax- press, and squeezed it under a gentle and in- creasing pressure. The wax, as it oozed out, ran into the vat, and, upon cooling, proved to be nice yellow wax. On former occasions, the same treatment, without sulphuric acid, would give us wax about as black as ink — or, at least, of a very dirty and muddy colour. The action of the acid is to carbonise, or, in other words, burn the organic matter, and this frees the wax that is mingled with it, and allows it to separate and rise to the surface. We have repeated this operation with sulphuric acid on several lots of very dirty cakes of wax, many of them almost perfectly black, and each time we had as a result several nice yellow cake3 of wax and a small pile of black organic matter that had been freed by the acid. We followed the pro- portions given us by friend Salisbury in a recent article, viz., about a pound of commercial sul- phuric acid to about a quarter of a barrel of water. Into this we introduced a steam-pipe, and then filled up the receptacle with the wax accumulations, or dark cakes of wax which we desired to lighten up. Sulphuric acid, mixed in water in the proportions given, will not make a solution strong enough to be corrosive to the hand, nor dangerous to the bees after it has been remelted and worked over into founda- tion. We expect to render all our dark wax into nice yellow cakes, so that it may all be of good colour, and ready for use this fall, or for next season's trade. — Gleanings. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Letters or queries ashing for addresses oj manufacturers tr correspondents, or where appliances can be purchased, or replies giving such information, can only be inserted as advertisements. The space devoted to letters, queries, and replies, is meant for the general good of bee-keepers, and not for advertisements. We wish our Correspondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessary for us to go to press in advance of the date of issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue immediately following the receipt oj their com- munication. All queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only of personal interest will be answered in this column. W.F. T. (Morchard Bishop). — Honey from Foul- broody Hives. — May be safely used at table, but not for bee-feeding. In following the ' starvation plan ' of cure, the bees are usually kept without food till they begin to fall from the cluster through hunger ; they are then put into a clean hive, and fed on syrup (not phenolised, as yours was). Healthy combs, or combs alternated with full sheets of foun- dation, are then given, and plenty of good syrup food. Naphthaline is not used in food at all. It is a disinfectant or preventive of the spread of foul brood. Naphthol Beta is for use in the food, as has already been stated in our columns. Elm Grove (Taunton).— No. 2 sugar is better for bees than No. 1 ; but we do not consider either is cane sugar. No 1 certainly is not. M. R. Sowrey (Glos.). — There is nothing wrong with comb sent, so far as can be judged from the thin strips sent. A larger piece of comb might help us in comprehending it, but no alarm need be felt. J. Mainman (Ivnaresboro'). — There is no out- ward sign of ailment about queen sent, and the body is too dry for post-mortem examina- tion. The other portion of your query is too vaguely worded for us to comprehend it. Orchill (Alloa). — Mr. A. Pettigrew died several years since. G. F. (Chichester). — Comb sent is foul-broody, but not so bad as to make cure improbable if care is taken and proper remedies applied. Beta (Guildford). — Oilcloth, as sample sent, will do admirably for covering frames, keeping the glazed side down, of course. Novice (Salisbury). — Straining Honey. — Mu3lin if not very fine indeed, will pass any honey save that from heather. Slightly damp the muslin, and tie it over the mouth of a tall earthen- ware vessel (say, a bread-mug), and allow sufficient ' sag ' to hold half-a-dozen pounds ; it will then assuredly pass through. Sections- may now be removed from all hives save those in heather districts. Correction. — The reply to our correspondent ' H. B.' (Wonston) last week, should read 'nothing should be done in the autumn,' and not till the autumn. J. TREBBLE'S All MachinT-niade. My 8/6 COTTAGE HIVE beat all comers. Awarded Seven Prizes this year. Catalogue free on application to J. Trebble, Saw Mills, Romans- leigh, South Molton. British Bee Journal and Bee-keepers' Record. Office : 17 Kisa William Street, Strand, London, W.C. PURE CANE SUGARS. For the accommodation of Bee-keepers, guaranteed Pure Cine Sugar will be supplied in large or small quantities through this office at the under- mentioned rates : — CRYSTALLISED. i' S?RRARTt?/ ) Neat bags, 14-lbs. 28-lbs. 56-lbs. Cwts. 6.' TRINIDAD j Crvstals 2 ° 5/4 10/6 20/6 REFINED CANE. 7. WHITE CRYSTALS (Small) 3/0 5/10 11/6 22/6 8, 9. (Medium and Large sizes, 1/- per Cwt. extra.) 10. LUMP (Cut Loaf) ... Boxes, 3/3 6/3 12/3 23/6 11. LUMP DUST ... 3/0 6/0 11/9 22/9 All above guaranteed made from Cane Sugar only, and free from Beet, Chemicals, etc., etc. Carriage Paid on Orders over 5/0 (or 28-lbs. Sugar) to London and Suburbs. Country Orders, not less than 2-owt. carriage paid at 1/0 per cwt. extra. (Scotch and Irish orders, special arrangements.) Cash to be sent with order, and purchasers will please observe that if samples are required or replies asked to inquiries, a stamped addressed envelope must be sent, aa we cannot undertake cost of postage. THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [August 27, 1891. Special Prepaid Advertisements, 1 ♦ » Situations, Publications, Bee Plants, &c. — Twelve words and under, Sixpence ; for every additional Three words, One Fenny. Trade Advertisements not inserted under this head. WANTED. — 1-lb. Sections of Honeycomb, first quality. Prompt Cash. Packages sent. Well-filled Bell Glasses, Frames and Caps purchased. Address Mr. Hurst, Bexfcill, Sussex. 242 HONEY JARS, Tie-over, |-lb., 1-lb., and 2-lb. Price List Free. Address Feed. Pearson, Stockton Heath, Warrington. 2i3 "VT^ALLFLOWERS will give splendid forage for Bees in VV Spring. Fifty plants, Is., post free. Address Normal Parzin, Blakenhall, Wolverhampton. k 83 CARNIOLAN QUEENS, wonderfully prolific strain, guaranteed healthy and laying, 2s. 6a. each, 10s. half ilozen,"carriage paid. Address H. Nev£, Warbleton, Sussex. E_91 1710R SALE.— Healthy Driven Bees, Is. 3d. per lb., and J Queen. Packing-box, 6d. Young Queens, Is. 6d. each. Address E. Garner, Broom, nr. Biggleswad?, Beds, k 93 FOR SALE.— Driven Bees. Is. per lb., 1591 Queers. Carniolan Queens, 2s. each free, or Hybrids. Addrecs A. Nicholls, Hazlcmere, High Wycombe. k 96 FOR SALE. — Driven Bees, Is 3d. per lb., including Queen. Guaranteed healthy. Qneens, Is. 6d. each. Also 2-i dozen 1-lb. Sections, fine quality. First Prize at Hailsham Flower Show. What offers? Address J. Fair^ll, The Church, Eellingly, Sussex. k £8 DRIVEN BEES, Is. per lb., box Is. ; Young Queens, no disease. Extra Queens, 2s. each. Forwarded end of August paid early in September. Address S. Oaten, Expert, Prior's Farm, Pitminster, Taunton. x 99 WANTED to Purchase, Black English Queens or Driven Bees, beaded by same. Prices to J. Cooper, St. Nicholas Square, Leicester. l 1 BIVEN BEES, Is. yer lb. Choice Queens, 2s. each. Address E. Hasci>x, Sandford St. Martin, Steeple Aston, Oxon. l 2 A RARE CHANCE for Bee-keeperF. —For Sale, First- s\. class Strain of Carniolan Bees, with very prolific Young Queens, in new, well-painted ' W. B. C Hives. Supers with Comb, and Frames with Fixed Foundation. Boxes with I-lb. Sections, with Con b, Fixed Foundation, &c, all complete. The Beefi carefully packed and put on rail only 32s. cash, worth £3. Full particulars on receipt of stamped envelope. Extractor, quite new, 15s. Going abroad, because of ill-health. Addiess D. B. HOW3, Llan- brynmair, Montgomeryshire. l 3 FOR SALE.— Fiue 1S91 Pure Native Fertile Qneens, guaranteed healthy, 2s. 6d. each, post free. Safe arrival guaranteed. Three-Frame Nuclei, with Queen, lO.s. Packing included. Address Chas. Whitish, Valley Apiary, Hundon, Clare, Suffolk. l 4 THRIVEN BEES.— Orders booked for delivery in Sep- JLy tember, Is. per lb., in 4 or 51b. lots, headed by Young ■Queens, and guaranteed free from Foul Brood. Box, Is. , ^returnable. Choice Young Fertile Queens, 2s. each, post 'free. Safe arrival guaranteed. Address A. J. Carter, "Newfields, Billingshurst, Sussex. WANTED.— One or two acres of Land, with Cottage, within ten miles of London, in a neighbourhood, suitable for Bee-keeping. Apply to ' G.,' B. B. J. Office. J710R SALE. — Having had considerable difficulty to obtain suitable Boxes for 1 lb. Sections, and bought larger quantities than required, I shall be pleased to sell at 4s. 9d. per gross, carriage free for cash with order. Ad- dress Martin, 4 Woodland Place, Path. WANTED.— New Honey in 1 lb., H lb., and 2 lb. Sec- tions. State quantities of each siz°, and prices expected. Address Mr. Alt5x. Leitch, 208 St. George's Road, Glasgow. Terms c?„sh. 247 ENGLISH QUEENS, tested, 2s. 6d. each, post free. Address C. N. Weitc, Somersham, Hunts. CHEAP WOOD FEEDERS, HOLDING OxNfE POUND OF SYRUP. Can be used for Fast or Slow supply. 4d. each, postage 3d. No. 88 in List. Bright Foundation, 1/10 lb. Darker ditto, 1/3 ib, EDBY & SOU, STEAK JCIKERY WORKS, ST. IVTEOTS. THOMAS LANAWAY & SONS, Bee appliance flDamtfacturers AND DEALERS, 26 STATION ROAD, REDHILL. Catalogue post free on application. 2891 STEAM FACTORY for *g$ee Appliances. O RDEES addressed J. ROSS, Stranraer, Wig townshire, N.B., will be attended to. BALDWIN'S is the Oldest Es- tablishment in the United King- dom wholly de- voted to Bees and manufacture of Bee-keepers' supplies. His prices will compare most favour- ably with those of any other Maker, while for quality of material, suitability and workmanship, he has no rival. ' Why can he give better value for money than others ? ' Because he spends less in large ' puffing ' advertisements, buys in the best markets for prompt cash, has 'no rent to pay, and personally conducts his own business. For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com- bined), which ' contains more practical and reliable hints than all the large, expensive books,' post free for 2d. stamps. Address S. J. BALDWIN, Tbe Apiary. Broujley. Kent. N.B. — More tlian 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, F'rst and other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable. NEIGHBOUR'S BEE HIVES, WELL KNOWN for SUPERIOR & ACCURATE WORKMANSHIP. Every Description of APPLIANCES kept in Stock. CATALOGUES FREE ON APPLICATION. GEO. NEIGHBOUR AND SONS, 127 HIGH HOLBORN, LONDON, WO. (Comer of Southampton Street.) THE jfel Ipp 3nnrnal BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 480. Vol. XIX. N. S. 88.] SEPTEMBER 3, 1891. [Published Weekly. (Siritorial, Uolias, #c, USEFUL HINTS. Weather. — With bees for one's subject, the weather is so important a factor that, however willingly we would shut it out from the purview, it must come in somewhere — ■ there is no help for it. Moreover, at a time like this, there is little else for the "bee-keeper to talk about, seeing that it means so much to him. If the weather is fine, he has his good fortune for a theme ; if bad, his disappointments ; and the indi- vidual known as ' Mr. Useful Hints ' must •e'en seek for a comforting word or two for those who read him when the ' disappoint- ments ' predominate — as they do now. But, before penning the fortnightly ' Hints ' in these columns, let us confess that the writer thereof is at present engaged in the mot very onerous task of ' resting ' for a fortnight in the North. Here, then, as elsewhere, there is ' plenty •of weather about.' We had not left the ■roar and bustle of London fifty miles behind 'before it became unpleasantly apparent that we were going further only to fare worse, so far as weather was concerned ; and for a hundred miles or more the Liverpool express dashed along through torrents of Tain. Everywhere the scene was dismal and depressing : cut corn lying out soaked -and spoiling ; cattle standing under the trees, looking about as miserable as was possible ; and in some portions of the Trent Valley acres of land on both sides lying •under water combined to make up a picture not very cheering to one off for a holiday. 'On nearing Crewe, however, the rain ceased, -and for five days past the weather has iproved a very fair counterpart of that experienced in the South for several weeks past. Sunshine and rain has been the rule North and South, but the latter has benefited 'by its heaviest rainfalls occurring in the night time, whereas here, in the North, heavy showers have been frequent in the early part of most days, cutting off any chance of honey -gathering there might be. The honey harvest of the Northern bee-man thus becomes a daily diminishing quantity, and he naturally enough grumbles accord- ingly. Who can blame him 1 Few readers will need to be told how completely our pursuit depends upon the weather for any amount of success, fewer still will fail to admit the truth of the homely saying, 'We don't make the weather ;' and in the face of these truisms it may be said that the bee-keeping industry has fared very well indeed this year compared with others which, like it, experience good or bad fortune just in the ratio by which they are favoured by good or bad weather during their ' seasons.' Some one has characterised this as ' a' summerless summer,' and bitterly complained of its effect on the toilers who look forward to the delights of a holiday in the country, but who have this year found their chief enjoyment to consist in the com- fort of getting inside a suit of dry clothes after a ' wetting.' A writer in a leading morning paper with much truth observes : — ' The weather which we are at present very far from enjoying may fairly be described as almost unprecedented for the time of year. People with long experience, and of accurately retentive memories, declare, it is true, that the summer of 1860 was worse even than this one, which threatens to come to a close without having redeemed its character by a single week of consecutive warm and genial days. But it is a poor consolation to be told that nearly a gene- ration ago people were making the same complaints, and suffering from the same disap- pointments as we are to-day ; and, not without some cause, those who have betaken themselves to the country to enjoy the delights of outdoor existence are bitterly lamenting that all their attempts to extract diversion from al -fresco social gatherings end, one after the other, in exasperating failure.' In closing our present 'weather' observa- tions we will be selfish enough to hope that better days are in store for us. Surplus Queers. — Seeing how useful a 390 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [September 3, 18yi. few surplus queens preserved in nucleus colonies are at certain periods of the year, it is strange that more of them are not saved at swarming-time for future use. We see dozens of fine young queens cast out dead from swarmed hives, which, with a little trouble and hardly any risk, might have become the prolific parents of pros- perous stocks, by simply forming nuclei and establishing them therein. Natural swarming usually occurs when the weather is sufficiently warm to minimise the risks connected with nucleus colonies, as well as from chilled brood. Besides, how often do we find the bee-keeper at his wits' end to discover the best means of preventing in- crease ? He cuts out queen-cells or returns the swarm, only to find the latter very shortly re-issue and start his trouble anew. But if, say, a third of the centre combs, with brood, queen-cells, and adhering bees, are removed bodily frqm the parent hive, and replaced with foundation directly a top swarm has cleared out, the latter may be returned the same evening, and will rarely come off again ; neither will it appreciably diminish the honey crop of the stock. Of course, all queen-cells found on combs other than those removed must be destroyed, but this is easily done when so small a number of bees as remain in the parent hive are being dealt with. The removed combs, bees, and brood, may then be formed into a snug little nucleus colony, and kept till wanted in autumn for building-up, re-queen- ing, or a dozen other useful purposes. Autumn Feeding. — Preparations for this must now be thought of, and one of the first points in the preparatory stage should be the adoption of measures to avoid the beginning of robbing. As has already been urged in this column, wide entrances are the first temptation to marauding bees, therefore we would at once have them re- duced to a couple of inches in width — weak stocks to one inch. Avoid open-air feeding at this season, and carefully protect feeders from the visits of strange bees. Surplus chambers, with a little unsealed honey in them, may be left till the contents are taken below. Or, if the bees are disinclined to appropriate the honey, a slight examination of the combs will not seldom induce them to carry it below. After the experience of last winter, we need not say anything by way of making good syrup for winter food, and seeing that cane sugar only is used for it. STAFFORDSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The honey seasons have been so had of recent years that we were pleased to see such a good display of the products of the honey-bee ex- hibited under the auspices of the Staffordshire Bee-keepers' Association. Taking the classes seriatim, the first was for specimens of bees, the first prize going- to Ligurians, shown by Mr. J. R. Critchlow, and the second to Oarniolans, exhibited by Mr. E. Clowes. For twelve 1-lb. sections of comb honey, for which four prizes were offered, there were nine entries, but only two exhibitors competed. For run honey there was a very large entry, there being no less than fifteen exhibitors, and the majority put in an appear- ance. The honey was generally of very good quality. For honey in any form, not to exceed 150 lbs. in weight, there were three good exhibits. Mr. H. Wood, of Lichfield, who was the largest and most successful exhibitor in the department, made an excellent display, tastefully arranged in pyramidal form, the honey being in recep- tacles of various shapes and sizes from J lb. fancy glass jars to those containing SJ lbs. There were forty-eight 1-lb. sections, fifty-two 1-lb. jars, and in all 150 lbs., the honey being of very good colour throughout, reflecting much credit upon the exhibitor in a season like the present. In a new class for one 1-lb. section of comb honey (worker comb) and one 1-lb. glass jar of extracted honey, shown in juxtaposition, the prizes offered by Mr. E. Clowes and Mr. S. B. Fox attracted some good entries, and there was also a large exhibit of beeswax. We were sorry the prizes offered by Mr. A. H. Heath for exhibits from bond-fide labourers did not attract more entries. The Staffordshire Bee-keepers' Association is indebted to several of its members for the active interest they took in the show, and for enabling the Society to- hold the show without trenching on its limited resources. The Leek Local Committee also kindly contributed several of the prizes. Mr. W. L. McClure, of Prescot, acted as judge, and we- append his report on the prizes taken in the different classes : — Class 1. Best specimen of bees exhibited with their queen in observatory hive. — 1st prize, J. R. Critchlow, Maer Farm, Newcastle ; 2nd, E. Clowes, Black Brook, Newcastle. We hope to see an improvement in the way bees are exhibited in this class by a closer obser- vance of the meaning of the words ' observatory' hive. Class 2. Twelve 1-lb. sections. — 1st, H. Wood, Paradise, Lichfield ; 2nd, E. Clowes. Class 3. Six 1-lb. sections. — 1st, H. Wood ;. 2nd, E. Clowes. In Classes 2 and 3 the exhibits were not numerous, nor was the competition severe. Class 4. Twelve pounds of run or extracted honey.— 1st, J. Hancock, Wesley Cottage, Al- sager, Cheshire ; 2nd, E. Clowes ; 8rd, W. Sten- September 3, 1*91.] TFTE BRITISH BSE JOURNAL. 391 dall, Rodbaston, Penkridge, Stafford ; 4th, Mrs. R. Wood, Bignall End, Newcastle The prizes in this class were well competed for, and had they been arranged on stages so that they could be seen through the light, the fourteen exhibits would have made a pleasing show. Class 5. Honey in any form, not to exceed 150 lbs.— 1st, H. Wood ; 2nd, S. B. Fox, Maer, Newcastle ; 3rd, E. Clowes. The cost of staging 150 lbs. of honey is too o'reat to draw exhibits for such small prizes as can usually be offered by local committees. Class 7. 1-lb. section comb honey, and 1-lb. glass jar of extracted honey. — 1st, H. Wood; 2nd, E. Clowes. A single section and a single jar of honey is hardly what should be an open class ; as an encouragement to cottagers it would be all very well. I trust the committee will give some con- sideration to this point, especially looking to the fact that there was only one entry in each of Classes 9 and 10. Class 8. Beeswax, not less than 2 lbs. nor more than 5 lbs. — 1st, H. Wood ; 2nd, T. Bailey, Baldwin's Gate, Whitmore, Newcastle ; 3rd, E. Clowes. I have referred to the want of staging. There is still another grievance which I trust the com- mittee of management will look to at future shows, viz., to avoid placing honey near pigs. There is no pleasure in judging under such circumstances, and it must drive many visitors from the exhibit in disgust. — W. L. McClubk. TAKING BEES TO THE HEATHER. I meant to have written the third of this series of letters long ago, but my intention met with the fate which so often comes to the schemes of mice and men, and I can now only ask my readers to find an excuse for my delay in the pressure of work which managing the Show of the Scottish Bee-keepers' Association entailed. One result of the delay is, that I must write about quite other matters from what I had wished. Swarming is now over ; bee- keepers have for goxl or for bad raised their young queens. It is too late now to do any- thing to strengthen our stocks, and so make them fitter to gather honey this season. The honey harvest itself is finished in many places, and it is to the heather alone that we can now look for much return. Those who are lucky enough to have their bees within easy reach of the moors can hope for this return without giving themselves much trouble. Those who are not, ought now to lose no time in getting their bees moved to a suitable place. The choice of a place must greatly depend on the circumstances of each individual bee-keeper. He must find one where the shepherd is friendly, and to which the road is neither too long nor too rough. But if he does not wish to risk losing bees, he should move them at least three miles — as the crow or the bee flies, not merely three miles by road — and he must remember that roughness is a relative term, and that a well-pre- pared hive can be taken across sheep-drains or broken ground with less risk than a badly-packed hive can be moved along a smooth high-road. In choosing a stance, remember tbat heather yields better honey when growing on a dry hill side than when growing in a moss, and when on high ground than on low ground ; that young heather is better than old ; that as bees usually fly a little distance before collecting honey, there is no need to have heather up to the hive mouth — indeed, it is often an advantage that it should be some way off, as this lessens the loss of bees in wet weather. If we can we should choose a sunny, bielded spot [sheltered — Eds.] where bee coming home have not to fly uphill, nor to rise over any dyke or fence close by the hives. If pos- sible, there should be heather on all sides, so that from whatever direction the wind may come bees can always work on it, and yet have wind to help them home. We should avoid placing our bees where in coming back laden they have to cross a river or a big wood, into which heavy rain might beat them. If it is not convenient to find a stance right in the midst of heather hills, it is generally best in this district to choose a place where the great mass of heather lies to the north-west. Having selected a place, we should get our hives ready to send them there. If not too much trouble, it is a good plan to send all hives. The chances are that they will lay up a better stor^ for the winter than they would if left at home. But if sending all implies much work, send only the strongest. Unite any small hives to strong ones, or even join two middling hives together. The proverb tells us ' that ane horse weel whup- pit is mony a time better than twa,' and one hive really full of bees is likely to gather a great deal more honey than two of moderate strength will bring in. In uniting, the younger or most pro- lific queen should be kept ; the use of peasemeal, which I described in a former letter, is as simple a way of uniting as there is. It is perhaps better, but by no means necessary, to remove the queen which we do not mean to keep the day before we do the uniting. Do not brush away pease- meal which may remain on the tops of the frames ; recent experience makes me think that its jtresence there tends to prevent brace combs. I also now feel sure that, from its more open grain, peasemeal is better as a bee-quieter than wheaten flour. The bees should be crowded so as to force them up into the supers, and there- fore any combs not containing brood may be taken out, and dummies inserted at the sides of the brood-nest to fill their place. But it is best when the body-box is quite filled with frames of brood, the combs in which the most advanced brood is being in the centre. This last point is worth attention ; nothing tends more to delay the time when bees will store the honey below instead of taking it into the supers than sending them to heather with frames full of newly laid eggs at the outsides, and frames from which 392 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [September 3, 1891, young tees will shortly hatch in the centre of the brood-nest. With the same object I advise (•■pacing the frames close, though many good bee- men disagree with me on that point. Frames should be so secured that the hottering of the cart shall not move them out of their proper places. In my own hives this is done by fixing tacks at the ends of the top bars ; but where metal ends are habitually used they may be re- lied on almost as well to keep the frames stead}r. A sheet of excluder zinc may be placed over the frames; perhaps I ought to explain what this is. I had fancied all bee-keepers knew, but at Stirling Show I found a great many who asked me what excluder zinc was. When they asked me I felt much as the old woman must have felt when explaining to the Queen how hotch-potch is made. ' There's barley intil't, and there's peas intil't, and there's carrots intil't,' she explained. 'But/ interrupted Her Majesty, 'what is the " tilt?"' Excluder zinc is a sheet of zinc with holes punched in it of such size that though worker-bees pass easily through them the queen cannot. By its use we are able to keep our supers quite free from brood. The objection mostly made to it is -that it somewhat hinders the passage of the bees upwards, but in a well- stocked hive this is hardly felt. I myself used to be much prejudiced against it, for I often found it not successful in keeping the queen down owing to faulty construction. I still prefer working without it, and only use it beneath large supers ; but a new pattern has been brought out this year called the ' British ' pattern, which seems better than any other, and can be got from any appliance dealer, and, on the whole, I should advise any one wanting good comb honey to use it. A sheet should be cut large enough "to cover in all the tops of the frames and the clear pas- sages at the sides, and is easily fixed with a tack in each corner. Over this we put whatever form of surplus chamber we use, whether a non-sec- tional super or a crate of sections. If we can supply these with fully or partly drawn out combs we give our bees a great help. The crate or super must be so fixed — again I use tacks — that it will not be easily displaced in the cart. A piece of cheesecloth, or any other cloth with an open texture, should be tacked over the super or crate. The object of this is that air may be able to pass freely in and out when travelling. It is of great importance that the surplus chamber should be kept very warm when at the heather, and for this reason plenty of happings should be provided, and may now be laid over the crate. All the outer portion of the hive should be secured to each other and to the bottom board. To effect this I use thin slips of wood nailed at each corner to the various parts. A simple way is to put nails or screws into the different parts, and fasten them tightly together with tarred twine. A piece of perforated zinc should be ready to tack over the mouth of the hive, though if this is not easily got, provided there is plenty of ventilation above, the mouth may be stopped up with a cloth just before the hive is moved. There are many hives con- structed for easy removal to heather; several such were recently shown at Stirling, and one made by Mr. Robinson, of Hawick, was espe- cially noticed by the judges as suited for this purpose, but any hive prepared as I have de- scribed would be able to travel safely on most occasions. Having thus got hives ready, the next 'thing- is to move them. This should be done at night for the sake of coolness. Have your cart stand- ing ready — one with four wheels and springs, if you can possibly get it, is best, but I have seen an ordinary cart made quite excellent for the purpose with straw ropes and fir branches stretched across the frame. Stop up the mouths of your hives one by one, and remove the lid and all coverings except the cheesecloth; set the hives carefully on the cart, so that the combs run parallel to the direction in which they are moved. Pack on your lids and cover- ings as best you can, and get started. Travel slowly, and do not let the horse go jerkily. If you notice anything loose stop at once and put it right. The great thing is to have plenty of free ventilation at the top. When combs break down in moving it is generally because this has not been attended to. As soon as bees become excited, as they do when moved, the tempera- ture of the hive rises, so that the combs run a risk of being partly melted and easily broken down ; but as excited bees also run upwards where they can draw into an empty super, from which the heat passes off through the cheese- cloth, this risk is greatly diminished. Having arrived at the moor, get your hives as quickly in place as you can, making them stand level ; and, if it is daylight, or as soon as it is, put on all the coverings. It is a good plan to tie down the lids or put heavy stones on them to keep them from being blown off. Remove the stoppings from the hive mouths, leaving them as wide open as possible. The bees will soon take a flight, learn their new position, and, I hope, start working. After that it is only a matter of sunshine ; if there is plenty of sunny weather there will be plenty of heather honey. I forgot to say that in choosing frames to send to heather it is best, unless wired frames are used, to take those from which brood has hatched at least once. Such frames are less easily broken down than quite fresh ones are. — T. D. Gibson-Carmichael. — Scottish Border Record. FUNIC BEES AND GOLDEN CARNIOLANS. There is certainly no country where adver- tising is done on such a large scale as it is in America. We do not know what our readers would say if we filled our paper with advertise- ments, and gave them only a couple of pases of literary matter. Yet this seems to be tolerated in America, for we find the August number of the American Apiculturist contains just barely four columns of literary matter out of the twenty- eight, the twenty-four being taken up with sing- September 3, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 39:5 ing the praises of Punic bees, golden Carniolans, and testimonials from persons who have been supplied with queens bred by H. Alley, who states that the hybrid variety, which he calls 'golden Carniolans,' are the pure Carniolans. It is true H. Alley is a queen -breeder, and runs his paper in connexion with his business, so that it stands on a different footing to our papers ; nearly all other bee-papers in America are run by supply dealers, yet we do not find them puffing their wares in the same manner. One of them at any rate is out- spoken enough, only the editor of the Bee- keepers' Review has made a trifling mistake in his measurements. We said there were four columns of literary matter, but as a matter of fact two and a half columns are taken from other papers, and merely acknowledged by having Exchange put at the end. So it leaves just one and a half columns of original matter that is not trade advertisement in the body of the whole paper. This is what the Bee-keepers' Review says about it : — ' The American Apiculturist for August is but little more than a big booming circular for the business of E. L. Pratt and H. Alley. By actual measurement, more than three-fourths of its reading - matter is devoted to describing, praising, puffing, and pricing of those " wonder- ful Punic bees," the " golden Carniolans," or to be-rating those who have criticised said bees or the methods of their breeders.' HONEY IMPORTS. 1888. January . , February March April May June . . £465 528 284 . . 2508 . . 2009 . . 1739 July . . . August . . September October . . November December . £5820 . 1365 . 1114 . 1604 . 3140 . 30:33 1889. January . . February March April May . . June .. £3284 . . 2992 . . 1145 . . 62.31 . . 3420 587 July . . . August . . September October . . November December . £6765 . 1981 . 1528 . 1976 . 1761 433 1890. January . . February March . . April May . . June .. £1066 657 . . 2029 . . 8391 . . 7515 . . 1774 July . . . August . . September October . . November December . £3304 . 3981 . 3868 . 3196 . 3793 . 1747 1891. January . . February March April .. £2557 . . 3845 . . 2927 . . 7334 May June July .. . . £6070 . 5614 . 3102 MARRIAGE OF THE REV. DR. BARTRUM. We have much pleasure in announcing to our readers the marriage of the Rev. E. Bartrum, D.D., rector of Wakes Colne, Essex, to Marian, eldest daughter of the Rev. R. T. Burton, of Stott Park, Windermere, vicar of Great Tey, Essex. The marriage took place on the 18th August, at Finsthwaite Church, Windermere, and the service was performed by the Right Rev. Bishop Mitchinson. As a member of the Committee of the B. B. K. A., Dr. Bartrum is well known to our readers, and those who were present at his ' At Home' on the 11th July last will long remember his kind hospitality on that occasion. We are sure all our readers will join us in wishing Dr. and Mrs. Bartrum a long life of happiness and usefulness. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are re- quested to write on one side of the paper only, and give their real names and addresses , not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of goodfaith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, re- ports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, &c, must be addressed only to 'The Editobs of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William. Street, Strand, London, W.G.' All business communications relating to Advertisements, &c, must be addressed to Mr. J. Huckle, Kings Langley, Herts (see 1st page of Advertise- ments.) %* In order to facilitate reference, Correspondents, when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted, will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well as thepoge on which it appears. FOUL BROOD AND NAPHTHALINE. [759.] Having acted upon your advice, I have almost cured my diseased stock of bees, and it seems almost incredible that they should have become sufficiently strong to have gathered me twenty-two beautifully sealed sections, for they barely covered four standard frames on May 1st, and now they cover ten frames. In my opinion the naphthaline treatment will undoubtedly eradicate the disease in time if regularly used. Please to send me directions as to what quantity ought to be used, and how often applied. I have blown mine in at the entrance about every eight or nine days. My bees have delighted me this summer. From my strongest stock I have taken forty fine sections, eight perfectly sealed shallow frames, and seven partially filled, leaving them with their ten standard frames (not examined) with the appearance of one mass of honey, say, about seventy pounds taken off. Surely this is excellent. I had a heavy swarm June 15th, and they, working upon eight standard frames for a brood chamber, have filled and sealed ten shallow- frames, besides a crate of twenty-one sections, which, when taken off, had fifteen perfect and the remainder partially completed. All my 394 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [September 3, 1891. others, making a total of fourteen, have done equally well considering their condition in May. My only difficulty now lies with foul brood, as I find it in different directions in this neigh- bourhood. I am determined, with your aid and others (in Bee Journal) to rid myself of it. Would a short account of my experiences with the disease be of any use to bee-keepers in general ? I commenced with the disease seven years ago, when I first left school, and have now gained sufficient experience to cope with it. — J. Moreton Lobd. [We shall be glad to have your experience with foul brood, as anything which will help to eradi- cate this pest is of interest to bee-keepers. — Eds.] METHEGLIN. [760.] For some time past I have been a regular reader of the British Bee Journal. I also keep a few hives of my own, and am now writing to you to know if any of your numerous correspondents could kindly give me, or inform me where I can obtain, a proper recipe for making ' metheglin.' — Henry Twiggek, Nun- eaton, August 25th. [There is a recipe for making hydromel, which is the same thing, on page 196 of this year's B.J., on the plan recommended by M. G. de Layens. Would not this answer your purpose ? It is very simple, and the results are good. — Eds.] THE SEASON IN STRATHTAY, PERTHSHIRE. [761] . Bee-keepers in this part of the world have been favoured so far with a fairly good harvest. A good amount of nectar was gathered and sealed over during some fine weather in June and July, and the veteran bee-keeper, beaming and smiling under bis hoary eyebrows, was about to ejaculate, ' The best season for fifty years ! ' when, in August, the rains descended and the floods came, checking honey-gathering to a considerable extent. The chief sources of honey in this district are clover and heather. The clover crop has this year been almost a total failure, so that the honey-bee has had to eke out a living on the moors, which are now clad in their purple robes. The only thing needed is a few weeks of fine sunny weather. Would that the Clerk of the Weather were a bee-keeper ! Then thunder- claps and hailstorms would be unknown, and the poor bees would revel in luxurious grandeur. The swarming fever was, in most of our apiaries, pretty acute. From my five stocks I had in all five swarms, five casts, one second cast, and two virgin swarms. The virgin swarms came off both about the end of July — too late for the honey harvest — so I cut out the queen-cells, gave them three section crates each (with nine frames below), and returned them. I may here make mention of an excit- ing scene which I passed through, and which in some measure rivalled the ' three-swarm-into- one ' incident at Stranraer this year. A cast had issued from one of my hives and settled on an apple-tree in the middle of the garden. Just as I was about to skep the cast a tremendous noise arose in my rear, and on looking round I found that my strongest swarm was sending off a huge virgin swarm. I was so thunderstruck that for the moment I forgot all about the cast on the apple-tree, and stood gazing at the crea- tures gushing forth. Before I could say ' T tin,' they had reached the middle of the garden, and. were quite coolly taking up their quarters just under the cast on the same branch. In live minutes more the two clusters had become one harmonious whole, which I speedily got into a skep and shook down in front of the parental abode of the virgin swarm. There was not the least show of fight on either side, and they at once set themselves down sedulously to work in the sections. As to honey, I have already taken between sixty and seventy one-pound sections from three of my strongest swarms ; one or two of the weaker ones have their crates pretty well filled. I have this year placed vertically in each section a strip of foundation, one or two inches wide, fixed at top and bottom. It is a more economial plan than using full sheets, and the strip acts as a ladder in enticing the bees to fill the section- crate. Formerly I found the greatest difficulty in removing full crates from the hives, or rather in getting the crates off minus the bees. This operation is now, thanks to T. A. Flood's super- clearer, a tolerably easy one. The bees them- selves, I think, should be extremely grateful to the inventor of this useful appliance, for instead of being forced below with clouds upon clouds of bewildering and sickening smoke, they enter the lower regions entirely at the freedom of their own sweet will. My line of action in the matter of removing a super is somewhat similar to that of ' Purbeck, Dorset,' which is described in the B. J. of August 13th (741). When the top crate is full, or nearly full, I free it from the crate below by gently pushing it backwards and forwards, and raise it slightly, first at one corner and then at the opposite corner, applying a little smoke each time. I then quickly and steadily lift it off, and set it squarely upon the clearer, which is placed on a flat board near at hand. Most probably at this point a puff of smoke may be needed to drive the bees down into the hive, and when all is clear I lift the crate with the clearer underneath, and place both upon the hive. I give them generally a whole night or a whole day to descend, and they all descend with the exception of a dozen or so weak-chested individuals, who deem a high altitude indispensable to their constitution. A very essential accompaniment in the use of the super-clearer is a freely-working smoker. It is a curious fact that when you are hard pressed, when bees are crowding up over the sections or frames on all hands, when attacked by a dozen or two infuriated bodyguards, when September 3, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 395 you, as a last resource, stretch forth your right hand for your smoker, which a minute ago you saw going full power, nine times out of ten you find that handy appliance 'out!' You have now probahly to take to your heels to a remote corner of the garden, where you nervously ex- tract the stings, hurriedly wipe the perspiration from your brow, and set your smoker a-going. Returning to the scene of action, you half-suffo- cate the poor bees with volume after volume of deadly smoke, arrange the quilts, adjust the hive roof, and draw breath. You now no longer want your smoker, and wish, with all your heart, it would go out, as it did before ; but smokers are endowed with a very perverse, pig- headed kind of temperament, and it will pro- bably, if left, burn on for hours out of pure spite. Mr. Gibson -Oarmichael deserves the highest praise for the great treat he was instrumental in affording us at Stirling. What with the useful hints and skilful manipulations of Mr. J. H. Howard, the numerous, lucidly explained speci- mens and neatly drawn diagrams in Mr. Gibson- Carmichael's own tent, and the splendid appear- ance of the honey staged, we all returned home in right good humour, and with our knowledge and experience very much enlarged. — Biz E. Bee, August 28th, 1891. HEATING UNCAPPING KNIFE. [762 ] Is the following plan too simple to merit a few lines in your columns, or may it prove useful to some fellow-bee-keeper who, like myself, objects to multiplying the paraphernalia of the craft ? Procure a tall canister with a lid ; punch a slit in the lid sufficiently large to admit the blade of the knife. Then place the canister in an outer vessel considerably larger than itself, such as a large common jug, and fill in the space between jug and canister with plenty of cork-dust or chaff -packing. On fill- ing the canister with boiling water the tempera- ture will remain sufficiently high for a couple of hours. — A. Fjryer. SUPER-CLEARERS. [763.] There has been a great deal said about these lately, so I thought I must try them, and [ bought one from a dealer here, and I must say it is the best thing I ever saw for clearing sur- plus chambers. This is the way I have used it. I lift off the crate, put an empty one in its place, then the clearer and full one on the top. I do this in the evening, and I find in the morning that the crate can be taken into the house. It is done without any disturbance whatever in the apiary. I would not be without it for double its cost. Bees have done fairly well here on white clover. I have twenty-one hives now, all bar- frames but two. I have had hives from nearly all the manufacturers, I think. I bought one of the Acme hives in 1888, and that one has given me by far the best results of any. We are hoping to have some fine weather now for the heather, but so far it has been rain, rain nearly every day. — S. M., North Devon. §ce Sjmtxrs 10 Come. September 4th, at Stranraer, Wigtownshire Apiarian Association. Rev. J. B. Robertson, Hon. Sec, The Manse, Leswalt. Sept. 5th. — Alderley Edge and District Branch of the Lancashire and Cheshire B.K.A. Chel- ford Flower Show, Astle, Chelford. Schedules, &c, T. D. Schoheld, Alderley Edge, Cheshire. Sept. 5th. — Bramhall and Woodford District Horticultural Society at Bramhall Hall, near Stockport. William Slater, Fern Lea, Bramhall, Stockport. Sept. 9th, 10th. — Derbyshire Bee -keepers' Association at Derby. W. T. Atkins, Sec, 12 North Street, Derby! Sept. 19th. — Jedburgh and District B.K.A. in the Sessional School at Jedburgh. Entries close Sept. loth. For schedules apply to Thos. Clark, Sec, Pleasant's School House, Jedburgh, N.B. October 13th to 16th.— British B.K.A., in connexion with the Dairy Show at the Royal Agricultural Hall, London. All open classes. Entries close September 14th. For schedules apply to Wm, C. Young, Sec, 191 Fleet Street, London. mxxtB ratt §kplixs* [409.] Bees not Working in Super. — 1. I began bee-keeping this year, bought a swarm June 11th, fed them on syrup with a rapid feeder for fourteen days; then I was advised to give super to them, and let it stay until the bees had filled it. I let it stay four weeks, and nothing was stored in it ; then I took out one frame from the body to try and drive them up. I waited another nine days, and no signs of their going up. Then I took it off altogether, and took out another end comb from the body, which was sealed from top to bottom with honey and pollen. I put a frame of comb foundation in its place. That is all the honey I have had this year. 2. How many frames must I leave them to winter on ? They seem to me to be a strong stock, and any information you can give to a beginner will be very ac- ceptable.— CHABLE8 WADLAND. Reply. — 1. Such a season as this, your only chance of getting a super from a swarm would have been to put on the super at the time the SAvarm was hived. Considering the season, we do not think it strange that the bees did not go up. From the fact that you have been able to get combs of sealed honey, Ave judge that your bees were not sufficiently crowded in the hive to force them into the super. 2. As many frames as the bees AA-ill croAvd upon. Remove 396 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [September 3, 1891. the outside combs and close up with division- hoard. See that the bees have sufficient stores for wintering upon, and, if deficient, feed up rapidly. [410.] Driving Bees. — Perhaps you can give me some information, through your valuable paper, respecting the following : — I went to drive a stock of bees for a neighbour. There were two straw hives, one on the top of the other, so I had to drive them separately. I got the top lot driven very nicely, but the bottom lot caused me some trouble. Instead of going up into the empty hive, the half of them came out on to my hands ; and I'm sure I got at least thirty stings on my hands, although I had my hands well rubbed with vaseline and a pair of woollen gloves on. Will you kindly let me know with what results chloroform has been tried ? I have driven about half a dozen hives before this, and never had any trouble with them. Any information will oblige. — Wm. Alex. Watson, August 15th, 1891. Reply. — It is not usual for bees to go outside the hive, as you describe, when driven. You should have quieted the bees with a few puffs of smoke, and then, when the hive was turned up, if they were not inclined to run up when you commenced driving, it would have been better for you to place the empty hive close on the inverted one. A little thin syrup sprinkled on the bees often puts them in good temper, and causes them to run up more freely. Perhaps you were too rough in overturning and handling the hive. Chloroform is not suitable for driving- bees, as it stupefies them. [411.] Italia?is and Carniolans. — I should be greatly obliged if you would give me replies to the following queries : — 1. Do Italian bees pay ? 2. Are Italians more profitable than natives ? 3. Would it be well to have a stock of Car- niolans, and use them to supply the native stocks, with frames of brood to get cells sealed better ? 4. Would it do to introduce an Italian or Car- niolan queen to natives now ? 5. Can you tell me of a reliable man to get driven natives and queens from ? — A. E. M., Bath. Repls. — 1. Certainly, if you get the right sort, and are careful to keep only the best. Not every Italian queen imported is good, and if you take them as they come the average will not be better than blacks in working qualities. If you discard all inferior queens you can ultimately obtain a strain that would pay well. Too much attention has been paid, to colour and too little to workinor qualities, and it is not the most handsome bees that pay the best. 2. Yes, if only good queens are used. The best workers are the dark, leather-coloured Italians. But to get a good strain you would have to dis- card about fifty per cent, of the queens after trial. 3. This would be too much trouble, and would not pay. 4. Yes ; this is a good time to do so, as imported queens are much cheaper now than during the height of the season. 5. Please consult our advertisement columns; there are driven bees advertised almost every week. [412.] In the Journal of the 20th inst. you recommend 'salicylic' in syrup for autumn feed- ing. Kindly say in the next Bee Journal how much of the above must be used with, say, ten pounds of sugar, so that the proper quantity may be used. — R. Williams. Reply. — Prepare the following solution : — Salicylic acid, ^ ounce ; soda borax, \ ounce ;. warm water, 2 pints. Keep this as a stock solution. Autumn food. — White cane sugar, 10 pounds ; water, 5 pints ; vinegar, 1 ounce ; sali- cylic acid solution, 1 ounce ; salt, 1 ounce. Boil for a few minutes. [413.] Hairless Bees. — I have lately found in one of my hives one or two 'black, shiny bees/ One of these, at any rate, was entirely destitute of hairs. It had placed itself among the fanners- at the entrance to the hives, and though fanning,, was constantly turning round. It was not allowed, however, to do this long, for it was violently attacked by a worker bee, and after a severe struggle was forced off the alighting* board, and it took flight when released. The worker rode on its back and sides, as it would do with a drone. On three different days I have seen one of these bees, always, how- ever, in the same hive, and they were invariably attacked by the workers. I have sent one for your examination. It was my intention to- have joined this stock of bees to another. I presume the bees are diseased. Is it safe to do- so ? Is the disease at all of the same nature as- foul brood (I mean infectious). The hive is- apparently very healthy, and is yielding a con- siderable amount of honey. I will be obliged for your opinion. — F. McC., Blacky ett, Annan > N.B. Reply. — Bees such as you describe, and a specimen of which you send, are frequently found in hives. They have a black, shiny appearance owing to the loss of their hairs. The worker bees look upon them as enemies, and always en- deavour to drive them out of the hive. We recollect on one occasion leaving on excluder zinc with round holes and an empty super above, after removing a super filled with honey. This was done because there was not room enough for all the bees in body box when the super was re- moved. When cool weather came, we removed the empty super and found a large quantity of these bees driven up above the zinc. There is no doubt but that these bees are diseased, but the disease is not anything like foul brood. In such bees there is a bacillus present, called bacillus dejnlis, and the disease is caused by weakness and defective nutrition in individual bees. The disease is not infectious, although it is supposed that one bee can communicate it to another by contact. At any rate, this has not been our experience, and we have found hives having such bees doing quite as well as others. Were a large number of such bees present in a hive at one time it would be more serious, as diseased bees cannot be good for the general health of the community, and if the queen become diseased it might be necessary to remove her. As your hive is September 3, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 397 apparently healthy and yielding a considerable amount of honey, we should not hesitate to unite this stock of bees to another. We should feed ■with medicated syrup, if feeding be necessary. [414.] 1. Is it safe to place beehives in a row on the banks of a river ? 2. Is there any danger of the bees getting drowned ? The bank is about four feet high, sometimes less if the river (Epte) is swollen from rains. Very large trees shadow the banks, but the hives would get a good deal of sun from the south-east and the west alternately. The south is quite shaded off, and the hives would be quite protected from the north. Will you please answer a third question ? 3. Which do you consider the best honey from a saleable point of view, comb or section honey, or run honey ? I prefer section honey, but I do not know if this is a general taste. I have two Philadelphia hives and two good stocks of bees ; they are very busy over the sunflowers (for pollen) and in the pumpkins, vegetable marrow, cucumber, and melon-flowers, which all have a delicious fragrant perfume. My hives are almost in the chicken-yard, only separated by a wire netting, but the bees never sting a bird. — Gisors. .Reply. — 1. This depends upon how close to the water the bank is situated, and whether it is a wide river. We should not care to place hives nearer than ten feet from the water's edge, and very much further if the river is wide. 2. Yes ; in heavy winds bees would be likely to be blown down, and many would be lost unless the district is so sheltered by trees as to avoid this contingency. We could tell you better if we knew how wide the river was. 3. This depends entirely upon your market; in some places comb honey in sections sells best, and in others ex- tracted honey, so you must be guided by the demand. Extracted honey is considered less trouble to produce and to market, and we should advise you to go in for this unless you can get a good price for sections in your immediate neigh- bourhood. [415.] I examined one of my stocks of bees on Wednesday last, and found plenty of brood and some eggs, but did not see any queen. About two weeks ago I examined the same hive, and failed to see the queen then. On one comb I saw a patch of eggs, but there were two in almost every cell. Does this prove conclusively that there is a fertile worker in the hive ? The sealed brood had cappings just like ordinary brood, and not like the raised cappings on drone comb ; but these eggs may have been laid by the queen prior to two weeks ago. I dare say you will remember that I lost a swarm from this hive, but I believe that it returned in a day or two, for there seemed as many bees as before, and so the queen may have been lost in this way. There are no drones in hive. Please let me know in next week's Journal. — S. George Field. Reply. — If the sealed brood is like ordinary brood it cannot be that of a fertile worker, which is always raised with dome-shaped cap- pings. Queens sometimes are so prolific that they will lay more than one egg in a cell, but you can easily ascertain if the eggs are those of a queen or fertile worker. A queen lays her eggs on the base of the cell, but a fertile worker, whose body is shorter, generally lays eggs on the sides of the cells, as she cannot reach the bottom. The eggs you see now could not have been laid prior to two weeks ago, as the cells would be capped with larvse in them. The cells are usually sealed over on the ninth day from the time the egg is laid. Eggs are only three days before they hatch. Examine the hive again, and probably you may find the queen. [416.] Living within ten miles of scores of acres of heather, will you kindly give me a few hints ? 1. Whether it would pay to take half a dozen hives there. 2. As to the best form of bar-frame hives for packing and sending, as I make my own hives. 3. The best mode of packing and ventilating the bees during transit. — A Bee-keeper, Torquay. Reply. — 1. Yes, if the weather be favour- able there is still time for them to store heather honey. 2. The hive should be as simple as possible — a body-box with floor-board, with frames that can be firmly secured so that they do not move, old combs that are not likely to break out during transit, a rack of sections on top, and a good cover over all. This is all that is absolutely required. 3. We should place on the floor-board a shallow raiser a couple of inches high, the same size as hive, and. on this place the hive. Fasten the frames so that they do not move, or if they have broad shoulders or metal-ends, the section-case, placed on the top of frames, would hold them in posi- tion. Take care that the frames have no lateral movement, and fix division-board so that it is- steady. We should prefer the hive filled with frames, and also filled with bees, and if they are not strong enough, unite two lots together. The only way to obtain honey at the heather is to have strong stocks. Cover the top with per- forated zinc or cheesecloth, and fasten it down, so that the bees cannot escape. Place a piece of perforated zinc over the entrance, and nail it securely. Take care that all the parts are securely fastened together. Some put screws into floor-board, hive sides, and section crates.. and tie together with tarred string. We should prefer three pieces of wood screwed on the out- side, putting a screw into floor-board, another into the hive, and another into the super. Put one piece of wood on each side and one at the back. When the bees are placed at the heather, put on quilts, wrap up supers to keep warm, and put on roof to protect from rain. Remove the zinc from entrance. Disturb as little as possible when you have got them to their destination. Carry them on a spring lorry, and let the frames run lengthwise towards the 'horse. [417.] Marauding Bees at ' Sweet ' Stalls. — 1. How can I best prevent my bees from visiting toffy stalls in the town, where many hundreds- 398 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [September 3, 1891. are killed by the owners ? The stalls are held in the open air on Saturday only, when they are literally covered with bees in the afternoon. 2. How can 1 change my bees from a frame hive, not of standard size, into one of standard size, the combs in the present hive being very uneven and two years old, without loss of brood ? It doesn't matter whether this year or next. 3. How is it that^ my bees are not yet killing the drones? I have two hives, one of which I know for certain to have brood. The other I have not examined lately. The latter, a last year's swarm, is stronger than the former, a this year's swarm. — Geo. T. Wilson, Kendal. Reply. — 1. Only in a measure by endeavour- ing to keep your bees so well supplied with food at home that they may be as little inclined to ' rob ' as you can make them. 2. By cutting out the combs from the present frames and tying them in with tapes to those of standard size, and removing the tapes after the combs have been firmly fixed in the new frames by the •bees. 3. Drone-killing at this season is general, and any hives retaining drones now should be suspected of having either no queen or an un- fertilised one. [418.] 1. I have a hive of bees on eleven frames. It swarmed July 16th, the swarm re- turning after having lost their queen I suppose. On July 20th I saw a young queen. I have ex- amined this hive many times since, and find neither the queen, eggs, grubs, or brood in it. Would you advise giving them a fertile queen ? •Or, 2. Supposing there is a virgin queen still in, what course would you take? I have two neuclei which I gave queen-cells from the hive when it swarmed, and neither of them are laying yet, as I often see them. The cells were put in July 16th. Perhaps you will pardon my next question, though rather personal. 3. What race of queens do you keep vourselves?. — T. G., Staffs. Reply. — 1. Yes, if you have fair reason for supposing the queen unmated. 2. Leave her where she is till you can conveniently replace her. 3. Blacks and hybrid Carniolans, the former being preferred. [419.] I should, feel obliged by your giving me your advice on the following : — I have a stock of bees in a large hollow willow-tree. They have been in since last year, and seem to be strong ; enter at a small hole about eighteen inches high. I should like to know, 1, Can I transfer them into a bar-frame hive ? if so, 2, Which would be the best method to proceed ? •3. Can I remove them after transferring to my garden about a quarter of a mile distant? A few hints will be acceptable. — William Francis, August 26th. Reply. — 1. It can be done, but is hardly worth the trouble, being a very difficult opera- tion. 2. You would have to cut down the tree, after stupefying the bees, and then cut out the combs one by one. Great care would have to be taken in doing this. If you knew to what height the combs extend you could cut the tree just above, and then just at the opening. The circular trunk would then have to be split in two, and the combs removed. We do not re- commend you, however, to undertake the task. 3. When transferred, and the bees at work in the hive on or near the spot where they stood, they could be removed to a distance of not less than two miles and a half. After they have been here for a week you could bring them back to your garden. Pwllheli. — I have twelve stocks at present, and they are all from driven bees. This has been a bad summer here for bees, and hope to be able to do better before long. I only started keeping bees three years ago, and am a joiner by trade, so that I can make all the hives, and manage them very well. I read the Bee Journal regularly, and like it very much. — H. P. M. Annan, August 27th. — The heather here is splendid, but the weather horrid — rain and floods. I am gradually removing frames of comb and honey from my hives. I find the carbolic cloth most useful. My man keeps it as much as possible over the combs while I lift them out and examine. I am taking out all honey and leaving all brood, but the latter is much less than it was, and will soon be com- pressible into one box, and soon after that I winter the two hives in each bee-house, then feed if necessary. — F. M. C. Moffat, N.B., August 2dth. — Bees have done very little at the heather yet, for we have had so much rain. Notwithstanding this they get out whenever it is fine, and make straight for the heather, which is now in full bloom. I lifted the quilts off some of my sections, and I could see that heather honey was coming in, and then it cannot be mistaken by the smell. If only we could have a week of fine weather, we should be satisfied, as it would enable the bees to store sufficient for winter food, even if we do not get any sections completed. — J. M. Nyon, August 2Uh. — The honey harvest has been below the average in French-speaking Switzerland. — E. Bertband. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Letters or queries asking for addresses oj manufacturers or correspondents, or where appliances can be purchased, or replies giving such information, can only be inserted as advertisements. The space devoted to letters, queries, and replies, is meant for the general good of bee-keepers, and, not for advertisements. We wish our Correspondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessary for us to go to press in advance of the date of issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue immediately following the receipt of their com- munication. All queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only of personal interest will be answered in this column. M. E. Brooke. — If your honey (three or four years old) is much fermented, it is no use as food for bees. You had better make it into vinegar, and use it up in that way. September 3, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 390 A Modern Bee-keeper. — We send you the number asked for, but there is no difficulty in your newsagent getting it if he applied for it. Probably he did not care for the trouble. It does not matter about the combs being black for breeding purposes, but we should prefer newer combs for extracting honey from. Very old and black combs certainly detract from the appearance of the honey, and, to a certain extent, contaminate it. J. M. S. — The comb contains foul brood, and you should commence treatment without de- lay. You can give Naphthol Beta in the syrup, and place naphthaline in the hive. C. N. Parkin. — Formic acid is quite as good as salicylic acid for the purpose you require. We should, however, try Naphthol Beta, as being simpler and, from reports received, quite as efficacious as any of the other remedies. M. B. Sowrey. — You can only remove your bees the short distance you propose about three feet a day, not counting days on which they cannot fly. The best plan is to remove them to a distance of two and a half miles, and then bring them back after a week or ten days to the new locality. Bollins (Dudley). — Leave as many frames of comb as the bees can be crowded upon, and feed up so that the bees have from twenty to twenty-five pounds of sealed stores. One comb holds about five pounds, and this may do for a guide. Recipe for food given in answer to B. Williams (page 396). W. W. B. — Yes, it is foul brood. S. B. (Hollyfield). — There is no necessity to re- new the combs in body-box, unless they are very old and black. These can be removed as you propose, one at a time. A. M. (Nottingham). — The sample sent is cane sugar. R. H. A. G. — You will find prices in advertise- ment column this week. P. 0. Cuddington. — Yes, comb sent i3 foul- broody. Becipe of salicylic acid is given in reply to B. Williams (page 396;. It can be had of a chemist, who would prepare the solution for you. We should, however, recom- mend you the Naphthol Beta treatment. NOTICE. Will be ready in a few days. A New Edition, the 11th, of THE BRITISH BEE-KEEPER'S GUIDE-BOOK, Ey THOS. WM. COWAN, F.L.S., F.G.S., &c. Revised and enlarged. Almost entirely re-written. Much new matter and many fresh illustrations added. Fcap. 8vo., price Is. 6d.; or in cloth gilt, 2s. 6d. Postage, 2d. To be had of Houlston & Sons, Paternoster Sq. ; all Hive Dealers, Secretaries of Bee-keepers' As- sociations, and of J. Huckle, British Bee Journal Office, Kings Langley, Herts. THOMAS LANAWAY So SONS, Bee Bppliance HDanufacturera AND DEALERS, 26 STATION ROAD, REDKILL. Catalogue post free on application. 2891 STE^M~FAGTORY_for ORDERS addressed J. ROSS, Stranraer, Wig- townshire, N.B., will be attended to. Both the above may now be had at the Office of 'THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL' and 'BEE- KEEPERS' RECORD,' 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C. NAPHTHALINE in packets, 6d. post free. Large packets, containing more than four times the quantity of the smaller ones, Is. post free. NAPHTHOL BETA, Is. a packet, post free. Instructions for use sent with each packet.. Special prices for quantities. J. TREBBLE'S All Machine-made. My 8/8 COTTAGE HIVE beat all comers. Awarded Seven Prizes this year. Catalogue free on application to J. Tkebble, Saw Mills, Romans- leigh, South Molton. British Bee Journal and Bee-keepers' Record. Office : 17 King William Street, Strand, London, Y/.C. PURE GANE SUGARS. For the accommodation of Bee-keepers, guaranteed Pure Cane Sugar will be supplied in large or small quantities through this office at the under- mentioned rates : — CRYSTALLISED. k S?RRAPrt(?cjA 1 Neat bags, 14-lbs. 28-lbs. 56-lbs. Cwts. 6. TRINIDAD j Crvstals 2/9 5M 10/6 20/^ REFINED CANE. 7. WHITK CRYSTALS (Small) 3/0 5/1Q 11/6 22/6 8. 9. (Medium and Large sizes, 1/- per Cwt. extra.) 10. LUMP (Cut Loaf) ... Boxes, 3/3 6/3 12/3 23/6 11. LUMP DUST ... 3/0 6/0 11/9 22/9 All above guaranteed made from Cane Sugar only, and free from Beet, Chemicals, etc., etc. Carriage Paid on Orders over 5/0 (or 28-lbs. Sugar) to London and Suburbs. Country Orders, not less than 2-cwt. carriage paid at 1/0 per cwt. extra. (Scotch and Irish orders, special arrangements.) Cash to be sent with order, and purchasers will' please observe that if samples are required or replies asked to inquiries, a stamped addressed envelope must be sent, as we cannot undertake cost of postage. THE BRITISH BEE JOUFHSTAL. [Septembers. L89L. Special Prepaid Advertisements. »-»-• Situations, Publications, Bee Plants, &c. — Twelve words and under, Sixpence; for every additional "Three words, One Penny. Trade Advertisements not insertedunder this head. WANTED.— 1-lb. Sections of Honeycomb, first quality. Prompt Cash. Packages sent. Well-filled Bell "Glasses, Frames and Caps purchased. Address Mr. Hurst, Bexhill, Sussex. 242 HONEY JARS, Tie-over, ^-lb., 1-lb., and 2-lb. Price List Free. Address Fbsd. Pearson, Stockton Heath, Warrington. 243 "YT7"ALLFLOWERc! will give splendid forage for Bees in VV Spring. Fifty plants, Is., post free. Address Norman Parkin, Blakenhall, Wolverhampton. k 83 FOR SALE. — Healthy Driven Bees, Is. 3d. per lb., and Qneen. Packing-box, 6d. Young Queens, Is. 6d. each. -Address E. Garner, Broom, iir. Biggleswade, Beds, k 93 FOR SALE.— Driven Bees, Is. per lb., 1891 Queens. Carniolan Queens, 2s. each free, or Hybrids. Address A. Nicholls, Hazlemere, High Wycombe. k 96 DRIVEN BEES, Pure Natives, Is. per lb. Box, Is. 1891 Queens. Guaranteed healthy. Ready for de- livery. Extra Queens, Is. 6d. Stocks in Bar-frames cheap. Address S. Oaten, Prior's Farm, Pitminster, Taunton. k99 WANTED to Purchase, Black English Queens or Driven . Bees, beaded by same. Prices to J. Cooper, St. Nicholas Square, Leicester. l 1 DRIVEN BEES, Is. yer lb. Choice Queens, 2s. each. Address E. Hawcox, Sandford St. Martin, Steeple -Aston, Oxon. l 2 WANTED. — Microscopical Slides of Bee objects. Ad- dress Haigh, Shelford, Cheshire. l 5 FOR SALE. — A Large Stock of Bees, Sixteen Hives, and Honey, weight up to 30 lbs. per Hive, worth 25s. per Hive. What offers'? Also one of Neighbour's, and two of • Cowan's New Patent Box Hives, with Stocks. No reason- able offer refused. The Box Hives with Stocks would be sold separately. Address H. Collter, Corn Merchant, ' Tunbridge Wells. l 6 FOR SALE. — Four Standard Frame Hives, strong, no disease, 18s. each. Also heavy Skeps, lis. 6d. each, cash. Address Rev. T. Williams, Seampston Vicarage, Rillington. l 8 FOR SALE.— Pure Native 1891 Fertile Queens. Post free, 2s. 6d. each. Guaranteed healthy, and safe arrival. Address Chas. Whiting, Valley Apiary, Hundon, Clare, Suffolk. i9 FOR SALE. — Four Stocks, in two new Fifteen-bar Hives, and two Ten-bar Hives, with Super to each. All strong and healthy, with a quantity of Honey in the Bars. Price £8 the lot. Address F. Heasman, The Mill, Oxted, Surrey. LlO OFFERS WANTED.— About 800 Sections, with Comb partly and fully worked out. Clean and well packed. . Address John Chivers, Histon, Cambridge. l 11 EALTHY DRIVEN BEES, Is. 6d. per lb. With Queen, Box, and Packing free. Carriage not paid. ' Choice Natural-raised 1891 Queens, 2s. 3d. Safe arrival, and Carriage paid. Stamp for reply. Address Holder, Wim- bome, Dorset. ... L 12 FOR SALE.— Healthy Driven Bees, with Queen, at Is. per lb. Package, Is. Address J. Davies, Bee-keeper, Newport, Salop. l 13 WANTED to Purchase for Cash, Deposit System, 50 lbs. Pure Extracted Honey. Address Morgan:, 14 Myland Road, Colchester. l 14 PLANT NOW the best early Spring Flowers for Bees. Forget-me-nots, 50 Is., post free. STANDARD FRAME HIVE, complete with Lift and Shallow Frame for Extractingr, New, well painted, 10s- 6d. Address J. D., 23 Beechcroft Road, Upper Tooting, S.W. l15 DRIVEN BEES.— Orders booked for delivery in Sep- tember, Is. per lb., in 4 or 51b. lots, headed by Youmg Queens, and guaranteed free from Foul Brood. Box, Is. , returnable. Choice Young Fertile Queens, 2s. each, post free. Safe arrival guaranteed. Address A. J. Carter, Newfields, Billingshurst, Sussex. WANTED. — One or two acres of Land, with Cottage, within ten miles of London, in a neighbourhood, suitable for Bee-keeping. Apply to ' G.,' B. B. J. Office. FOR SALE. — Having had considerable difficulty to obtain suitable Boxes for 1 lb. Sections, and bought larger quantities than required, I shall be pleased to sell at 4s. 9d. per gross, carriage free for cash with order. Ad- dress Martin, 4 Woodland Place, Bath. WANTED.— New Honey in 1 lb., 1J lb., and 2 lb. Sec- tions. State quantities of each size, and prices expected. Address Mr. Alex. Leitch, 208 St. George's Road, Glasgow. Terms cash. 247 ENGLISH QUEENS, tested, 2s. 6d. each, post free. Address C. N. Whitp, Somersham, Hunts. THE 'ENGLISH' HIVE, Transferring Season now on. TRY THIS HIVE, it is the best in use, and once used will be always used. No more cutting Quilts necessary, as the Bees can be fed from the side of the Hive. See description in B. B. J., August 6th, 1891, p. 351. Price for Floor-board, Body, and Zinc-covered Roof, 11/6 only. The English Wax Extractor, price 7/6. For particulars apply to A. T. Wilmot, St. Albans. is the Oldest Es- tablishment in the United King- dom wholly de- voted to Bees and BALDWIN'S manufacture of Bee-keepers' supplies. His prices will compare most favour- ably with those of any other Maker, while for quality of material, suitability and workmanship, he has no rival. ' Why can he give better value for money than others ? ' Because he spends less in large ' puffing ' advertisements, buys in the best markets for prompt cash, has no rent to pay, and personally conducts his own business. For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin'3 Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com- bined), which ' contains more practical and reliable hints than all the large, expensive books,' post free for 2d. stamps. Address 8. J. BALDWIN, The Apiary, Bromley, Kent. N.B. — More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable. NEIGHBOUR'S BEE HIVES. 'WELL KNOWN for SUPERIOR & ACCURATE WORKMANSHIP. Every Description of APPLIANCES kept in Stock. CATALOGUES FREE ON APPLICATION. GEO, NEIGHBOUR AND SONS, SL27 HIGH HOLBOBN, LONDON", W.C. (Corner of Southampton Street.) THE ■Srifeh %n Journal, BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. ^To.481. Vol. XIX. N.S. 89.] SEPTEMBER 10, 1891. [Published Weekly* NAPHTHOL BETA AND NAPHTHALINE. Now that the season for feeding bees has arrived, we have been asked to give simple instructions in the above remedies for the cure and prevention of foul brood. Most encouraging reports have been coming in from those who have been trying these remedies, and in many- instances cures have been effected. There is, however, a great deal of misunderstanding with respect to which of the two substances to use, and this we would wish to clear up. Naphthaline is not recommended for trial as a remedy, but only as a preventive, although, in some cases, we are assured that a cure has been effected with the use of naphthaline only. How- ever, we believe it has the power of arresting the growth of bacilli, and so long as it is present in the hive, the disease is held in check. This substance has a powerful odour, and should be pure, for several cases have been brought to our notice where the bees had deserted their brood owing to an impure form of naphthaline having been used. It is sold in two forms, viz., in white crystalline flakes and in sticks. If flake naphthaline is used, about as much as can be heaped on a sixpence should be put on the floor-board of the hive as far from the entrance as possible. The quilt can be lifted up at the back, and the naphthaline dropped in between the combs. If the sticks are used, they should be cut into pieces about the size of a nut, or about three-eighths of an inch long. One or two such pieces can be put into the hive at one time. Naphthaline evaporates ; therefore, as soon as it has disappeared, renew it. This can be done at intervals of eight to ten days. Naphthaline must not on any account be used in food, and should only be administered in the manner described. In an apiar}r where foul brood exists, it would be advantageous to give some to every hive, and the same should be done if foul brood exists in the vicinity. The substance is very cheap, and could be given to cottagers, who might be thus induced to help in exterminating this pest of foul brood. For the purpose of curing the disease, it is advisable to give Naphthol Beta in the syrup. This does destroy the bacilli which are present in the alimentary canal of adult bee*, and given by the nurse-bees as food to the larvae, also des- troys the bacilli in them. Naphthol Beta is a fine crystalline powder, almost odourless, and is insoluble in cold water, but it dissolves freely in alcohol, and to a small extent in hot water. If, however, it is first dissolved in alcohol, and this solution added to the syrup while still hot, it remains in solution. The proper proportions are three grains to every pound of sugar used. This quantity will cover a sixpence heaped up in the centre to a little more than one-eighth of an inch. Such small quantities, however, are not conveniently measured by every one, and when a good many pounds of sugar have to be boiled up, measuring on sixpences is not the most ex- peditious plan. The following may be found more convenient, as avoirdupois weights are to be found in almost every household : — 1 drachm Naphthol Beta to 9 lbs. sugar. jounce „ „ 18 „ f » » » "D¥ » A 79A 2 ;> »» » '^2 » Those who have apothecaries' weights can use the following table : — 1 scruple Naphthol Beta to 6| lbs. sugar. 1 drachm „ „ 20 „ £ ounce „ „ 80 „ These proportions are not exact to a grain, but quite near enough for all practical purposes. When the proper quantity is weighed out, dissolve it in alcohol, or rectified spirits of wine, by pouring just as much of this upon it as will dissolve it, and then shaking, and as soon as all the Naphthol is dissolved stop adding the spirits. Boil the syrup in the usual way, and when it is taken off the tire, add the Naphthol Beta solution to it and stir. When cold enough it is ready for use. When Naphthol Beta is used in syrup, there is no necessity to add any salicylic acid, as it takes the place of this. Where foul brood does not exist, half the quantity of Naphthol Beta could be used as a preventive. To medicate candy the same proportions can be used, and when the syrup is taken off the fire and begins to cool, just before stirring is commenced, put in the Naphthol Beta dissolved in spirits of wine. We hope that these instructions will be found simple enough, and will be a sufficient answer to the numerous questions we have had upon the subject. .Remember that Naphthol Beta can only be used in food, and naphthaline only as a preventive. 402 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [September 10, 1891. NEW HEATHER HONEY-PRESS. A good and effective press for heather honey has long been wanted. The Raitt and other presses have not sufficiently met the require- ments, as the comb has to be cut up in pieces before it can be put into the press. Those generally used on the Continent are much arger, but are too cumbersome for general use. lljJ Heather honey from its peculiar nature cannot be extracted in an ordinary extractor. It is like jelly, and no amount of centrifugal force will drive it out of the combs. We were much amused at the Show at Stirling where a bee- keeper wished to purchase an extractor, and we had the greatest difficulty to persuade him that an ordinary extractor would not answer his purpose for heather honey. He thought an extractor was an extractor and ought to do. What has been wanted is a press that would take whole combs, and that could easily be worked by screw pressure. This we have at last in the press introduced by Mr. Barton, of Garstang, and which appears to be most perfect in its action. In fact, some combs that we had the pleasure of showing to those interested had been so perfectly pressed that there remained merely a sheet of wax, with hardly a particle of honey attached to them. By referring to the illustration it will be seen that the press has two end plates and a central plate. The central plate is loose, and the other two plates can be brought together by means of the screws. The plates are grooved vertically, each groove being about a quarter of an inch wide by the same depth, and the grooves are a quarter of an inch apart. In operation the press is laid horizontally upon a square box lined with tin, which has two bars running across level with the top. For convenience it is placed at a suitable height against a wall. The back of the press also touches the wall so as to keep it steady when screwing up. The combs are then cut out of the frames, and with- out uncapping are wrapped in one thickness of straining calico, on each side of which is placed! a piece of woven wire, eleven or twelve meshe3 to the inch. This must be the same size as the- grooved plates. The comb is then placed be- tween the grooved plates, and is prevented from slipping down by the cross-bars. A second1 comb is treated in the same way, and placed in the other opening. Pressure is now brought to< bear on the combs by turning the handles,, which draws the plates together. The woven wire prevents the combs from being forced into the grooves when they are squeezed up, and the pressure forces the- honey through the straining calico into- the vertical grooves, from which it runs- down quite clear into the receptacle below.. Any amount of pressure can be exerted, and it is so even that every particle of honey is extracted, and nothing remains but a nearly dry sheet of wax. By having additional plates in the centre more combs- can be introduced, and the number is only limited by the length of the screws and1 the number of division plates. We think; this press meets a real want, its simplicity- rendering it not liable to get out of order,, and we have no doubt when its merits- are understood it will come into general use. WOTTON-UNDER-EDGE DISTRICT BEE- KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The annual show of the above Associations was held on Wednesday, the 26th August, in connexion with the Horticultural Exhibition. Wotton-under-Edge is a very interesting old' town, and is beautifully situated at the foot of the Cotswold Hills, and its annual flower show never fails to bring together a large number of' visitors from Gloucester and Bristol. Bee and honey shows are not such ancient: institutions at Wotton as flower shows; but the- glory of the former seems to bid fair to eclipse- the glory of the latter. For three years in suc- cession it has been the privilege of the writer to- visit, officially, the annual show at Wotton, and each one has been greatly in advance of its pre- decessor. The bee-keepers here seem to be a. happy lot, a sort of 'happy family,' each one- feeling an affectionate interest in the other. The result is, they are ever ready to help one another and to rejoice in each other's successes. It is. to this feeling of mutual sympathy and help- that must be ascribed the great success of the last annual show. Each one tried to make it a success, and they succeeded. The Association does not number more than forty members, but they managed to stage about eleven hundred- weight of honey, besides wax, wasps' nests, and appliances. The honey was of the finest quality, . and, with only one exception, was free from the odious honey-dew. Some of the classes were numerously and closely contested. This was especially so in the classes for twelve one-pound sections and for twelve one-pound bottles of ex- tracted honev. There were eleven entries for- September 10, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 403 extracted honey, and, where all was good, it was difficult to decide which was hest. The class for best exhibit of honey in any form brought five competitors, two of whom had arranged their trophies in the most perfect manner ; but, as quantity was lacking, only one took a prize. This was much admired, and was one of the features of the show. It was the work of Mr. A. Jones, of Gloucester. During the afternoon the Earl and Countess of Ducie visited the tent, and displayed great interest in the various exhibits. The Countess, besides being a bee-keeper, is President of the Association, and takes a great interest in its work, helping it by advice, and liberally con- tributing to its funds. She sent two very fine exhibits, but not for competition. The Hon. Secretary, Mr. Brown, is the ideal of a district secretary, living and moving amongst the members, full of sympathy and civility, ready always to counsel and help any who need it, and he is ably assisted by a united and energetic committee. The Rev. E. Davenport acted as judge, and during the afternoon lectured in the tent, as op- portunity offered, to large audiences, as by the generosity of the Countess of Ducie the com- mittee were able to throw the tent open and free to all. The judges' awards were as follows : — Class 1. Honey in any form not less than fifty-six pounds in weight. — 1st prize, W. Griffin; 2nd, G. Gunstan ; 3rd, A. Jones. Class 2. Twelve 1-lb. sections of comb honey. — 1st, silver medal, C. W. Workman ; 2nd, W. Huland; 3rd, W. Griffin. Class 3. Twelve 1-lb. bottles of extracted honey. — 1st, H. A. Brown ; 2nd, G. Gunstan ; <>rd, Rev. E. M. Farquhar and G. Venn, equal. Class 4. Super of honey, not sectional. — 1st, A. J. Brown. Class 5. Six 1-lb. sections of comb honey. — 1st, A. J. Brown ; 2nd, H. Canadine ; 3rd, Mrs. Till. Class 6. Six 1-lb. bottles of extracted honey. — 1st, W. Huland; 2nd, A. Jones; 3rd, G. Gunstan. Class 7. Bar-frame hive.— 1st, A. J. Brown ; 2nd, G. Venn. Class 8. Largest number of queen-wasps. — 1st, W. Teagle ; 2nd, A. J. Brown. Wasp's nest. — 1st, G. Venn. Beeswax. — 1st, G. Venn ; 2nd, G. Gunstan ; 3rd, A. J. Brown. OXFORDSHIRE B.K. ASSOCIATION. This Association held a show of honey and wax at Kidlington, in connexion with the Kid- lington Horticultural Show, on August 25th, wrhich was a source of considerable interest. The tables were arranged with a centre group of honey, weighing upwards of 224 lbs., in various forms, including shallow frames, stan- dard frames, extracted honey, granulated honey, section honey, honey in skeps and bell-glasses ; one of these was the largest taken in the county, weighing 25 lbs., the property of Mr. T. Hughes, of Combe, Oxon. During the day exhibitions and lectures on the management of bees were given in the tent by Mr. E. Hancox, of Sandford St. Martin, who very clearly explained that modern bee-keeping was being recognised as one of the minor but important rural industries, and that in view of a probable large increase in fruit-growing, the extension of bee-keeping had a valuable practical bearing, while its relation to successful seed-growing {e.g., mustard, tur- nip, rape, and white clover) was equally certain and important. English honey had greatly ad- vanced in popular estimation, and was now much in demand. Upwards of 7000/. worth of foreign honey had been imported into this country this year which might have been gathered at our own doors. The classes were well contested, the following being the awards : — Class 1. For the twelve heaviest and best 1-lb. sections of honey. — E. Hancox and T. Hughes, equal 2nd prize. Class 2. For the best twelve 1-lb. bottles of honey. — 1st, E. Hancox, Sandford St. Martin ; 2nd, Mr. Packford, Headington. Class 4.— 2nd, E. Hancox, Sandford St. Martin. Class 5.— 1st, S. Hancox, Wytham ; 2nd, E. Hancox, Sandford St. Martin. Class 6. — 2nd, S. Hancox, Wytham. Class 7. — 1st, T. Hughes. Class 8. — 1st, S. Hancox, Wytham. Class 10. — 1st, H. Edgington, Cassington. Class 11. — 1st, H. Edgington, Cassington. Class 12. — 1st, H. Edgington, Cassington. Class 13. — 1st, S. Hancox, Wytham. THE DAIRY SHOW. We wish to call the attention of our readers to a letter in this issue from Mr. W. C. Young, the Secretary of the British Dairy Farmers' Association, and to remind them that the en- tries close on the 14th September. We hope that those who have any honey to show will do so, and convince the Dairy Association that the honey industry is an important one, and that honey is worthy of co-operating with dairy pro- duce. We would also like to call the attention of appliance manufacturers to this opportunity of bringing their goods to the notice of a large number of visitors. We are glad to hear that already a good many bee-keepers have entered honey for competition, and no doubt the liberal prizes offered will induce many more to com- pete. The show is held at the Agricultural Hall, London, and is visited by many thousands of visitors, who come up from all parts of the country to it. We hope, also, to find our Scotch and Irish friends competing and taking some of the prizes. HONEY IMPORTS. The value of honey imported into the United Kingdom in the month ended August 31st, 1891, was 3594/. — From a return furnished by the Statistical Office, H.M. Customs. 4Q4 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [September 10, 1891. DEVELOPMENT IN THE HONEY-BEE. By R. A. H. Geimshav. (Continued from page 338.) No one who has watched the growth of horse- breeding in this country during the last fifteen or twenty years, giving us in this short time a large export of the finest animals in the world in place of a considerable importation, can come to any other conclusion than that, in the early future, pasture land will he much more exten- sively cultivated than at present, and also that the honey-bee will be a potent factor in this branch of agriculture, performing its infinitely minute, but magnificently vast, services to nature and mankind in the same silent, un- obtrusive way characteristic of all the Creator's most important working forces. To take the bee on its first entrance into its home (skep or bar-frame matters a great deal), the antiquated skep, accompanied by a mother- bee, drones, and workers, young and old, we find, before it issued from its late home, an active swarmer, it had secreted small discs of wax in its wax-pockets; that is, superfluous nutriment in the shape of fat had oozed through the wax glands, and remained ' until called for ' in the aforesaid pockets; for who has not noticed the countless bits of wax underneath the place where a swarm has hung for even a short time only ? Careful observation in this direction shows us that the bee not only takes with it a supply of raw material wherewith to perfect the substance with which to build the cells of the future home, but has, by an occult impulse, acted as if foreseeing the coming want. She has made the finished wax beforehand, just as the emigrant might take with him a store of bread, besides a supply of flour. When I have found pieces of comb in skeps built in the short time between taking a swarm and hiving it — between noon and evening — I have found plenty of evidence to support me in discarding the old, rigid landmark that the swarm, in its entirety, gorges before leaving. The wax-builders, in the excitement of the hour, seize whatever they can lay their tongues on, the younger and nurse bees gorge, but there is, besides these, a numerous contingent who evidently do not feel it painful to bend the abdomen and sting, and have not gorged themselves before leaving home. I cannot think it is with the least prescience that those who are full have fed, that they have the slightest knowledge of the use the honey is to be put to. Perhaps, and probably, the heat and excitement of over-population cul- minates at last into such a similar state of terror as we artificially produce on them with the smoker. They hustle themselves rapidly into cells — as the ostrich is said to bury its head in the desert sand — and drown their fear in the nectar bowl. And as, according to the ancients and moderns, ' the bowl affords relief ' — alas ! only too temporary in its nature — we find the indisposition to sting follow the gluttonous in- dulgence. The bee, then, hanging in its festoon from the roof of the hive, or climbing over the backs of its sisters, seeks to fix itself as the anchor, or as a link in another chain, until in time impulse and instinct bring the whole community into a fairly ordeily arrangement, when specialists in the craft may resume their ordinary avocations. Workers at once set out (indeed, many of these never suspended work but for the short time of clustering), and cell - builders, with their raw material nearly ready for use, ascend to the tops of the festoons and deposit on the dome of the skep, or on the wax starter in the case of frames, their now prepared contribution. We hold up the bee before an admiring public a* being possessed of a surprising amount of intelli- gence, inasmuch as she is said to build her- combs perfectly straight in the hive, so cal- culated with regard to cell foundation and hexagonal mutually supporting cell walls, that a maximum of stability with a minimum of building material is the result. Is it not a fact that the pressure together of circular cells of plastic wax gives us the six-sided cell wall, especially when pared down so thin that the movements of the bee working at the opposite- side of the comb may be felt through it by the extremely sensitive antennae, the wedge-shaped head of the worker pressing on this now harden- ing wax resulting in the sharp corners of the cell base ? We also find drone and worker comb anywhere and everywhere upon a plentiful incoming of wax-making material, and this happens at swarming-time. When there is a great influx of honey we find drone comb built for storehouses ; the queen entering these lays in them eggs, which have passed down the oviduct without being subjected to the results consequent on the action of the muscles attached to the spermatheca, and drone-breeding is the: result. We also find the two kinds of cells — drone and worker — joined to each other by what are called accommodation-cells, which are simply attachments of wax built wherever the bee can plaster in wax and others can reach to scrape it away with the jaws. Such cells have been found that the bee could not enter, and these must have been pressed by comb and cluster weight into their shape before becoming hard. Again, comb has been found — there are speci- mens in Mr. Cowan's collection — having five and four sides only to each cell, which cannot have resulted from any such cause as designed purpose on the part of the bee, but, I take it, must be from the unequal pressure together of plastic circles. I am therefore forced to the conclusion that the bee has not the wisdom to so utilise its wax as to give us the result of its wisdom in the shape of beautiful hexagons. The true wisdom of the wonderfully formed cell is to be found in the motive impulse inherent in the un- conscious insect. The orderliness of comb arrangement is not to be found in the bee's home when left entirely to itself ; the combs are built wherever there is space to build, and they hang down perfectly straight, not because they September 10, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 405 are built so, but because tbe soft, tender new comb, unattached at the edges, in a hot hive, probably loaded with bees, and becoming heavy with brood or honey, follows the common law of gravitation, if, indeed, its straightness is not even previously secured, as it is being built, by the weight of the bees working in its building. This can easily be substantiated and proved by examining the building inside hives not set level. (To be continued.) WEATHER REPORTS. Westboukne, Sussex. — August, 1891. Maximum . . 68° on 14th. Rain : — 6*75 in. Minimum . . 39° on 30th. Heaviest fall, 2-04 Min. on grass 29° on 30th. on 20th. Mean maximum .... 63°. Rain on 25 days. Mean minimum .... 51°. Average, 2'59 in. Mean temperature . . 57°. Sunshine, 158*65 hs. Frost on grass on 30th. Brightest day, 30th, 10-65. Sunless days, 3. Remarks. — The wettest August I have known. Mr. Bint's results have been so much like my own that it will be interesting to compare our respective honey harvests. My average for this year is 55 pounds per hive. The best hive has gathered 110 pounds, and the worst 16 pounds. — L. B. BlBKETT. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible or the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will he taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are requested to write on. one side oj the paper only, and give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith, illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, tc, must be addressed only to 'The Editobs of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C All business communications relating to Advertisements, tc, must be addressed to Mr. J. Huckle, KingsLangley, Herts (see 1st page of Advertise- ments). *«* In order to facilitate reference, Correspondents, when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted, will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well as the page on which it appears. HONEY AT THE DAIRY SHOW. [764.] Finding that a number of intending exhibitors of honey at the approaching Dairy Show are under the impression that they will be required to attend personally, or by an agent, to see to the proper staging of their exhibits, will you kindly allow me to state through your columns that the Association will provide the requisite tables, and arrange for the due display of honey entered in the respective classes, pro- vided it is delivered at the Royal Agricultural Hall by six p.m. on Monday, October 12th. Although entries do not close until Monday, September 14th, I am glad to be able to say that present indications point to the conclusion that a good deal of interest is likely to be mani- fested in the honey classes. A great many ap- plications have been received for schedules of prizes, and I should be pleased to forward a supply to any of your readers who can usefully dispose of them. It may be interesting to add that we are pre- pared to give facilities for the exhibition and sale of apiarian appliances, close to the honey exhibits, and that several manufacturers have already taken advantage of this offer. As in former years, we are endeavouring to make arrangements with the various railway companies for the running of cheap excursion trains, to enable country visitors to attend the Show in large numbers. — William C. Young, Secretary British Dairy Farmers' Association, 191 Fleet Street, London, B.C. NOTES BY THE WAY. [765.] The weather since my last notes, a fortnight ago, has been of the same chequered kind, rain and shine nearly every day. Mornings of the brightest and most promising for a fine day, have only too quickly changed to a wet afternoon or evening. The rainfall of August has only been exceeded once since 1850, and that was in 1865, when it was 8*508 inches, as against 7*439 in August 1891. This means heavy losses to the tenant farmers, whose crops of corn are growing as it stands in the fields, while some I have seen in stock is grown into a mat of green among the ears. The bee-keeper's lot has not been a happy one this year, but we have not been so hardly pressed as the farmer. Though our crop was fight, we have not had it spoiled by the weather; our busy labourers stowed it safe from the elements when they could get the chance. I am very sorry to hear from friends in Scot- land that the weather there is on a par with ours in the south, and that they are losing the heather harvest. Bloom and honey in abundance, yet the weather is so bad the bees cannot make much pro- gress, and, according to the bee-papers of America, they have had a similar season to ours — a late, cold spring, and an indifferent summer ; of course, on their vast continent, there are many exceptions, where good yields of honey are re- ported ; but taking the country throughout, the crop is below the average. Super-clearers. — ' That bees do nothing in- variably ' is proved by the two last issues of B. B. J. ; in one, our veteran friend, Mr. J. Walton, gives an instance where the bees failed to clear out, and that was when he placed an empty super crate under or between the brood frames and the clearer. Now 'S. M.,' (763), in last week's issue, speaks in praise of the clearer, under exactly the same management. I, too, have had just the same experience myself; on two occasions I inserted crates of empty sec- tions under the clearer, and I found a great many more bees in the crates in the morning than where the bees had to crowd them- selves into the brood nest below. I have had several clearers in use, and I shall have more 406 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [September 10, 1891, another season : I predict they are come to stay, as they are a very useful appliance with modern bee-keeping, more especially where bees are kept in suburban gardens, and the neighbours over the partition on both sides have had to beat a hasty retreat when the hives have been opened to take off the honey in previous years; but with the clearer, the job can be done with very little disturbance to the bees, and it is strange the few bees that may be left in the sections do not show fright when the quilt is taken off. Mead or Metheglin. — Mix honey and water to the consistency to bear up an egg ; put in boiler (copper or brass preferably), and remove all the scum as fast as it rises, till it reaches boiling- point ; then add spices to suit taste — cloves, ginger, and pimento are the usual kinds used, equal quantities of each bruised and put in a long bag that will go in the bunghole of barrel. This spice should be put in the boiler as soon as it boils, and keep same boiling twenty minutes ; then put the liquor into a pan or cooler till nearly cold, and then put it into the barrel, and leave it to ferment spontaneously. At least, that is our plan, though some I know add a little brewers' yeast when it is blood-warm, and allow it to stand twenty-four hours before turning. I may say our mead is considered the best in the neighbourhood. Your table of { Honey Imports ' last week is suggestive of many facts connected with our pursuit, the principal of which is the growth of our imports in a short time from 23,407£. in 1888, to 41,31U. in 1890, and in the present year the increase is sustained. This shows conclusively that the public taste for honey is growing and increasing year by year, and also that bee-keep- ing is not likely to be overdone in this country for many years to come, though I expect to see in the near f ul ure a great extension in our ranks. The utility of the busy bee was never in the history of this country acknowledged in so deci- sive a manner as during the last decade ; and as the knowledge is rapidly and constantly extend- ing, the number of bee-keepers will increase, as fruit-growers will see the necessity of keeping bees near the fruit-trees to secure perfect fertili- sation of the flowers, and the action of the County Councils in different parts of the country in voting sums of money to aid the county Bee Associations, will infuse new life into the respec- tive Associations, while articles in the press will and do call attention to the craft as one of the most lucrative the cottager or small farmer can adopt, or the dweller in villadom indulge in as a hobby. Those Punic bees are being discussed — or shall I say puffed ? — to raise a ' boom ' on the American continent. One party offers them at forty dollars per fertile queen ! A humorous writer, ' Veritas,' in American Bee Journal, writing on their origin, says they were a cross, during the second Punic war, between the ' African piss- mire and the Roman mosquito,' and that, accord- ing to reports, they increase so rapidly that one colony will increase to 20, and gather 1000 lbs. of the nicest honey in one season ; the second year to 400 colonies, and give 20,000 lbs. ; and the third year to 8000 colonies, and give 8,000,000 lbs. of honey. There, friends, you have the figures; the facts will come out by practical experience in the years to come, when the African race of bees has been tested and tried side by side with the English, German, Ligurian, and Carniolan races at present with us. — W. Woodley, World's End, Newbury. THE SEASON'S EXPERIENCE- FOUL BROOD. [766.] Now that the honey season is prac- tically over (except for heather honey), there is time to put down the results of one's experience. I cannot let this opportunity pass without ex- pressing the gratitude bee-keepers owe to your Journal for the many practical instructions given in it. From amongst many such instructions,! would refer more particularly to two, namely, uniting with the help of flour, and placing swarms on the stand of the original stock. These two simple instructions have probably enabled me to double my crop of surplus honey during the past season. In this district the past season has been the best, at any rate, since 1885, the year from which my bee-keeping experience dates. I began the season with eight stocks, and after losing several swarms, I can now count twelve. I have taken off over 450 completed sections. On opening some of the hives to pack up before removing them to the heather, I find that brood frames are absolutely full of honey, so much so that I propose to give the bees breeding-space by inserting some empty frames of comb or foundation in the centre of each hive. Here the winters are very mild, and the winter consumption of honey, till at any rate the end of April, is very small. I should not hesitate to winter a stock of any size on ten pounds of well-sealed stores. Last was the most severe winter we have had for many years, and on three or four occasions we had from ten to twelve degrees of frost. I left some hives through all the winter on the heather, with empty section crates on them, and did not bring them home till about May 20th of this very backward year. I found them perfectly crammed with bees, and with at least ten or fifteen pounds of last year's heather honey in each hive. I should add that by June 15th (when honey first began to come in here) all the heather honey was gone, and even the outside frames were filled with brood. Had the season been an early one, breeding would have been checked by the cells being filled with honey. Before I close I should like to say a few words on the very sore subject of foul brood. I have had a long and melancholy experience with this pest, and in my case mere feeding with disin- fectants (salicylic acid, phenol, formic acid, or Naphthol B.) has proved useless. But, early in my troubles, I found that swarms from infected stocks, if put on sheets of foundation in fresh •September 10, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 407 hives, remained comparatively free from all trace of infection, especially if the new hive was, as far as practicable, saturated with some disinfectant. I have for some time past thoroughly washed my floor-boards and frames (when I had any suspicion as to the stock from which the swarm came) with a strong solution of carbolic acid ; but the difficulty has been that this cannot be continued with such a disin- fectant when bees are once in the hive. I welcome therefore such a disinfectant as naphthaline promises to be, for apparently it is just what is wanted, as it can be used at any time. But I should advise no half measures in ■dealing with foul brood. Has this question been ever definitely answered: Does the melting temperature of wax, or what other temperature, with certainty destroy the microbes or bacilli of foul brood ? — W., Cornwall, August 26th. [If wax is kept at a temperature of 212° for four '•minutes, it is stated the microbes are destroyed. In making foundation, wax is kept at this tempera- ture for twenty-four hours. — Eds.] BEE-KEEPING IN IRELAND. [767.] I am sure you would like to hear some of my experiences in this part of the country. I began the season with six stocks (four bar hives and two skeps). Some of my bees I keep near Lough Erne, within about twenty yards of it. 1. Would you think it a good locality for ibees P The remainder I keep about half a mile from lake. 2. Would you advise keeping all bees at last place ? I had six swarms this year ; two out of six I lost. One of the swarms I put in bar-frame hive (Abbott's) on eight frames And crate of sections. I intend taking off all my remaining sections on bar hives in a few days, as honey season is over about this district. I have got very little section honey this year, on account of swarming and so much rain. The most I have taken from one hive is thirty-six •sections. Bee-keepers about here are all com- plaining of so little honey, owing to the very wet season ; nearly the whole of July and August has been wet, excepting a week or two. I have heard of a stock of bees which left skep ■and swarmed, as they had no food — this stock was this year's July swarm — but was hived again, and is being fed ; so you see it has been a bad honey season here. I intend driving a •skep of bees in a few days, and uniting them to a second swarm, which is in a large, flat-topped skep. 3. Can I do this, and which would be the best way to proceed ? I have used cone-shaped super-clearer this year on one of my hives with success. Thanking you for insertion of above in your valuable B. B.J. — J. A. A., Kesh. [1. Not the best locality, and we should only keep bees here if we had no better place. 2. Yes ; we should prefer this locality. 3. Yes. The best way would be to drive the bees into a skep, and -towards the evening invert the skep holding the second swarm, taking care to do so in the direction of the length of the combs, so as not to break them •down. Then sprinkle the bees well with thin syrup, and turn the skep back on to a cloth, raising the edge with a stone. Throw the driven bees on to the cloth in front of the hive, and when they are all in, place the skep on its stand. — Eds.] SWARM-CATCHERS AND BEE-VEILS. [768.] 'X-Tractor' has my sympathy in his failure to produce a swarm-catcher with a piece of excluder zinc. I tried the same dodge this year, as I didn't want the swarms to go over the garden wall. After a few hours they got used to the impediment, and used to squeeze through like dying ducks. The incoming bees took particular precaution not to drop any of their pollen, for they passed in their pollen legs sideways, and the effect was very ludicrous. I kept the catcher on for about a month, and then had to take it off because the drones were unable to get out, and caused too much excite- ment. The strange part of the performance was, that when I took the bent excluder off I stood it on a box a few feet away, and nearly the whole of the bees flying home flew to the excluder, squeezed through the holes at the end, then flew to the hive. I notice, for the first time, bees working on the yellow marigold pretty freely. I quite agree with 758 (page 383), anent bee-veils. About two months back I was mani- pulating without my veil. One bee turned in honey-gathering to manipulate me. It eased itself on my eyelid, which turned out a veritable multum in parvo, for within two days one side of my face became like a half-moon, and re- mained so for a week. I was told by several young ladies that I looked very fascinating. Now respecting intoxicating plants. Nothing seems to overcome the honey-bee, but last week I took drunken humble-bees off dahlias, hollyhocks, and sunflowers, and so far were they gone as to lie on their sides on the ground and hold up a leg for a ' pal ' to give them a help up. They disap- peared by the morning, but whether they reached home in the ' sma' hours of the twa,' or have been invited into the ' proverbial parlour ' of the spider, I know not. — G. Newman, Camberwell. INCONSISTENT SHOWING. [769.] In reading my Journal to-day I noticed in ' Queries and Replies ' (No. 402) a question headed ' Inconsistent Showing.' Upon reading this I concluded the writer re- ferred to myself as ' B.' With your permission, I wish to inform ' J. M.' and others who may be interested how my honey was so much superior at the second show to what it was at the first one. Our district does not appear to be a good one (at least, for early honey) —no fruit-blossom or sycamores, and very little clover ; the conse- quence is the bees have to be fed late into the spring. Last year, 1890, 1 could not take any sections off until August, and could only extract about twenty pounds of sealed honey in time to appear 408 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [September 10, 1891. at the county show, held the last week in July, although I took over three hundredweight in the following month of extracted honey of a superior quality, which enahled me to take first place at two of the following shows. This year all the honey gathered in our dis- trict was gathered in July, and, as I had good honey last year, 1 expected to have some of the same quality this. I had some nice, clean, shal- low frames, beautifully sealed over. I extracted until I had satisfied myself that I had all the best honey. When I came to bottle it I found it much darker than last year's ; however, as I had en- tered, I thought I would take it to the show. I find the reason it is so dark this year is due to the fact that the weather was fine when the wild raspberry-canes were in bloom. There are large patches of them in the woods close by, so that men, women, and children get basketsf ul of the fruit. The reason why my honey was so much better on the 12th of August was no secret at the show, and I am surprised to find that ' J. M.' was not aware of it. 1 have a small apiary about seven miles from home, and when I found my honey at home was not so good as that of last year I took my ex- tractor down to try my luck, and had about thirty pounds of very good honey, which I was not long in getting ready for the next show, leaving all the other at home. I have no explanation to offer for ' A.,' who says he extracted his honey from sections on the same day that I extracted mine from shallow frames. His bees are somewhat nearer the rasp- berry-canes than mine. — B. PUNIC BEES (?). [770.] I read with some astonishment your note about Punic bees in this week's Journal. You profess not to know anything about them, yet that same ignorance does not prevent you giving them a bad character. The werd Punic does not necessarily mean treacherous or faith- less. The Romans used punica fides as a synonym for falsehood for the same reason and possibly with as little reality as Frenchmen of a past generation used perfide Albion to express their detestation of English treachery. However, my main object in sending you this note is to supply you with my experience of Punic bees, i shall leave the importer to settle definitely their precise location in Africa. During the past three years I have submitted the Punic bees to careful tests, and I find that they build up rapidly, winter well in our severe northern climate, and come out strong in spring. They are smaller and darker than our native bees, but are more active, working earlier and later. After trial of the various races of yellow bees, I found none to equal Howard's or Raitt's natives, but a cross between these and Punic bees gives my ideal of a good all-round business bee. By inserting this, the only contribution I mean to trouble you with on this subject, you will much oblige — W. Stokes, Balnastraid Farm, Carr Bridge, Inverness-shire, August 29th* [If our correspondent had been more careful in reading our remarks, he would not have so hastily accused us of giving Punic bees a bad character.. We said we knew nothing about such bees, and did not know any race going by that name. Our correspondent says the word Punic does not neces- sarily mean treacherous, or faithless, but he does- not say what else it does mean. We can supply the omission, as it may interest some of our readers. It is derived from the Latin punicus,. meaning of, or pertaining to, the Carthagenians ; deceitful, treacherous, faithless. Punica fides,. Punic faith, the faith of the Carthagenians, mean- ing perfidiousness, unfaithfulness, treachery. Punica fides was applied by the Bomana to the faith of the Carthagenians because they believed. in the perfidy of the latter. Are we to suppose a similar belief has given the name of Punic to bees ? We repeat that we know no such race, and the only African bees we know of are the varieties from Algeria, Tunis, and Morocco, which we described, besides the species alluded to, in B.B.J. for 1888. The Punic bees have been styled Apis- niger, and although we are tolerably well ac- quainted with the bees of Africa, we know no such species, and have strong reasons to doubt the existence of such a species. Our correspondent has not adduced a single fact to prove that what, he calls Punic bees are a distinct race or species,, or that they may not be the common black bees, which we have mentioned as cultivated in the countries of Northern Africa, with which bees we are acquainted, and which have, as we stated, not sustained their reputation when imported into Europe. It is not enough to assert that there are such bees, we want corroborative evidence to prove it, and until such proof is forthcoming, we must decline to recognise such a species as Apis niger, alias Punic bees. We note especially that from our correspondent's three years' experience of so-called Punic bees he is not satisfied with them,, and prefers a cross between them and the native races. We should be rather curious to know if he gave 51. 5s. a-piece for his queens ? — Eds.] HONEY OR INCREASE ? [771.] May I state to you, as a two-year bee-keeper, the results of this year's care for my bees, in respect to the yield of honey and in- crease of colonies, and solicit from you a frank- opinion on the matter ? Let me say, first, that my colonies are not under my own care, but are- in, I believe, good, though at present inex- perienced, hands. The hives, too, are in a splendid neighbourhood for honey - gathering. It is two years since I bought two skeps, the- bees of which were no good to me. One colony died in the spring of 1890, and the other de- camped soon afterwards, when it was found! that not an atom of honey was in the old black combs. Two frame hives were then bought and stocked with bees. These hives were removed to their present positions in February last. June 12th I had a swarm from one colony, and on June 24th the other bees swarmed. Both September 10, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOUKNAU 409- were hived successfully in frame hives, and are doing well. I have now, therefore, four colonies. Two after-swarms were returned. Supers were put on three, with foundation starters in them. I saw the state of the store-chambers and of the supers beginning of August. The stores seemed abundant, the bees very strong in numbers. The sections in each crate had some sealed comb — more were unsealed, but very nearly filled with honey, while a good many others were not filled with combs even. I waited a fortnight longer, hoping the sections would be completed and sealed ; but they were not, so, as I gave up the hope of perfection in the crates, I removed them, and. extracted the unfinished sections. All the honey I got from the three supers was about thirty pounds. The season, therefore, has given me thirty pounds of honey and two extra colonies, and the cost to me in appliances, colonies, unused sections, and food for bees, &c, has been over 14Z. But apart from the expenses, do you think that thirty pounds of honey and two extra colonies are a sufficient return for the season ? 1 do not feel it to be so when compared with the return in honey of other bee-keepers. What amount of honey might I have expected from the three colonies, situated, as they are, in a splendid locality for white clover and other honey flowers ? I am not soon wearied in a thing I love. — Beta, September 3rd, 1891. [We are rather in the dark as to how you have proceeded, but would say, as a rule, you must not look for increase and a harvest of honey too the same season. To obtain a harvest of honey, you should have endeavoured to prevent swarming, and put on supers so as to give room in advance of the requirements. You do not appear to have done this. Then, when the bees swarmed, the swarm should have been placed on the stand of the parent stock, and the supers from this should have been put on the swarm, when storing in the supers would have been continued. You do not say that this was done. If the hives were allowed to build up during the honey-flow, instead of working in supers, we are not surprised at the small yield ; in fact, we are surprised that you got so much. Your expenses have been high, but you have the stock in hand, and if you put a value on it, you will find the interest not so bad for a first season, when nothing should be expected. — Eds.] tywtxuB attb Implies. [420.] Extracted Combs— I. On 15th ult. I extracted from twenty-four shallow frames, and shortly after 1 replaced twenty of them in two boxes over the hive from which they had been taken. Over the brood nest were the quilts with small feed-hole. My idea was that the bees should clean up and take below all the honey they could get. I find that they have cleaned up and have even repaired the combs, but the honey has been stored in the cells again, very few of the combs being free from it. Although the ling is in blossom in the neighbourhood, the weather during the past month has been so bad that the bees can hardly have gathered from it. How can I get the honey stored below? I do not want to extract again, and the hive being very strong, I cannot well put the frames behind a dummy. Will taking the quilts off the top box have the desired effect, or would this chiil the brood below ? As things are, I fear the bees will store pollen in the combs. They deserve a little honey, fur they pulled out their combs, and gave me just a half-hundredweight to bottle. — Hybrid Carniolans.—2. In settling the choice of queens, should size go for much ? One of my hives swarmed on 18th July. The young queen is small and slim, and did not lay for quite a month. There is little brood. Would you keep her ?— H. J. O. W., Leeford. Reply. — 1. The bees have evidently no room to store their honey below, or honey is still coming in. Leave the combs on the hive a little- longer, and no doubt the honey will be carried down when they have empty cells to store it- Remove any combs that have been cleaned up- 2. We prefer large, strong queens, and should select such in making a choice. The queen may improve, and those bred so late in the season rarely lay much until the following year. You should only replace her if you have a better one to substitute. [421.] Camiolan Bees. — I enclose two bees* and another like a queen, but it seems rather yellow. I found it on the top of the quilt of a first swarm, which had cast twice, and in which I heard another queen piping after second cast.. I shall feel obliged if you let me know what it is, and to what kind or race the bees belong, or if pure. I sent for a stock of pure Carniolans from a dealer in England last spring. I said I would take a cross, Carniolan and black, but he said he had none he coidd recommend, and that he would send on the Carniolans. Well, they arrived about the 15th of May. On the 2nd of July they swarmed, and about a week after swarmed a second time, and a few days after a third time. About the 1st of August the first swarm cast, and a week or so after cast a second time. I need hardly say I had got quite dis- gusted with all this swarming and no prospect of an ounce of honey. Nay, more, it means mostly feeding, and no honey all through. I may state also that I find the bees quite vicious until subdued by smoke. I wrote the dealer twice, asking him if he could let me know for certain that the bees are pure Carniolans, or, if not, to let me know what they are, and he has not taken the trouble to reply. — J. McLennan, Ross-shire, August 26th. Reply. — The bees came quite flat, but the yellow insect you think like a queen is a wasp, and one of the bees looks like a Carniolan. The other was too much smashed to recognise. Bees for identification should always be sent through the post in a tin or wooden box. You must not condemn a race from experience with one queen. These vary in every race, some being much more inclined to rear swarmers than others. It is evident vour hive was too small for the prolific- 410 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [September 10, 1891. ness of your queen, and the only way to pre- vent swarming is to give abundance of room, and so prevent the swarming fever. When once the swarming fever is aroused every device of the bee-keeper will not avail to stop swarming. [422.] 1. Will you kindly inform me in your next number which is the best way to prevent a hive of driven bees (from a skep to a wooden hive) from robbing the next hive ? I have already contracted the entrance, without any i-esult. Ought I to feed them ? If so, please tell me what to use, including a mixture to pre- vent foul brood. 2. A few days ago I was told I might have the bees if I cared to drive them from a skep. On examination, I found the skep full of comb — no honey and no bees; probably been dead two or three months. Is the comb any good for use in a bar-frame hive ? — E. W. G., Newbury, August 25th, Heply. — 1. During such weather as we are having driven bees ought to be fed, and no doubt yours are starving. Feed with cane-sugar syrup and Naphthol Beta as a preventive of foul brood. 2. The combs are hardly worth transferring to frame hives, seeing that founda- tion is so inexpensive. There is also a risk of introducing disease with old combs from skeps. [423.] In an article by Dadant & Son, in Gleanings, quoted by you in your Journal of August 20th, Mr. Dadant says: 'After the colony has swarmed, it is sufficient to return the swarm after two days to ensure the destruction of the cells, or of the young hatched queen, or of the old queen, at the bees' choice.' Do you think he means that this may be done without flour, and that the bees would all be friendly — no fight- ing and loss of bee-life ? It would suit me exactly if I could return a swarm in this way, without removing the two or three supers generally on the hive, in order to cut out the queen-cells. — Beeswing. Reply. — During a good honey-flow, bees from different hives can be mixed without quarrelling, but otherwise the usual precautions should be taken, either to have them all scented alike, or to unite them with flour. Another way is to make a swarm of the bees in stock hive, then throw down the two lots on a board in front of entrance, and they will all mix and enter quietly. >{x0fos i0 €mm. Sept. 19th.— Jedburgh and District B.K.A. in the Sessional School at Jedburgh. Entries close Sept. 15th. For schedules apply to Thos. Clark, Sec, Pleasant's School House, Jedburgh, N.B. . October 13th to 16th.— British B.K.A., in connexion with the Dairy Show at the Boyal Agricultural Hall, London. All open classes. Entries close September 14th. For schedules apply to Wm. 0. Young, Sec, 191 Fleet Street, London. (&t\im foam ifrc pifos. Old Eastbourne, August 31st. — As I have the management of my employer's bees, I am sending the result of this summer's honey-taking. We had four bar hives, standard-frame size, to start with in the spring. No. 1 hive swarmed late in June. I returned the swarm again to the same hive. From this I have taken thirty-five pounds of honey. No. 2 swarmed within a day or two of the first, and has given thirty pounds. No. 3 hive had suffered very much with dysentery, and nearly all the bees had dwindled away, when a stray swarm came from somewhere, and took possession of the hive. They filled all ten frames in about five weeks. From this hive I have taken sixteen pounds. No. 4 hive has given thirty-three pounds. Altogether, 114 pounds extracted honey. I have found, the honey-extractor very useful. All the sections were taken off in the middle of August. I never take any honey from the standard frames. The result of my own bees will be sent later on. — B. Chateield. Odkfield, Enfield, August 31st. — It may in- terest some of the readers of the Journal to learn that, in spite of the wet summer, there has been a very fair yield of honey in this district. A neighbour of mine has had upwards of fifty sec- tions from his one hive, while I have taken 260 pounds in sections and extracted from my four stocks, at the same time leaving sufficient for the coming winter. The quality is very good, but many of the sections are not so well worked out as could be wished — owing, doubtless, to the cool nights. There is, of course, nothing- novel in the suggestion, but I am very much disposed to believe that if ' doubling ' were more generally tried the swarming nuisance would be considerably mitigated. My bees are so pro- lific that I find twenty standard frames are none too many for the brood chamber, and the result is that, although the stocks become very strong, the disposition to swarm is checked. I do not presume to advise, but would ask those who want honey and not swarms to try this plan next season. — II. L. Ballindalloc/i, August 31st. — In this district the month of August has been wetter than July. There have been twenty-seven wet and four diy days, and while I write it is pouring. Heather blossom is at its best, so that we can only count on a fortnight for any surplus. I do hope to-morrow may usher in hot weather. — Alex. Stbatham. Neio Ross, August 31st. — Naphthaline I have found most beneficial during past few months. Combined with the use of Naphthol Beta in syrup, it has, if not cured, certainly greatly im- proved the condition of my old stocks, one of which was badly attacked. I have no doubt that its continued use will give me a fair start next year. Thanking you and the Journal for the invaluable assistance given me of late in my treatment of foul brood. — Robert de R. S. September 10, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 411 Plymouth, August Z\st. — I enclose amount of honey taken this year from two hives of Carnio- lan bees: — Seventy-seven one-pound sections, and eleven pounds extracted honey, total eighty- eight pounds. — J. T. Avlbn. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Letters or queries asking for addresses of manufacturers or correspondents, or where appliances can be purchased, or replies giving such information, can only be inserted as advertisements. The space devoted to letters, queries, and replies, is meant for the general good of bee-keepers, and not for advertisements. We wish our Correspondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessary for us to go to press in advance of the date of issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue immediately following the receipt of their communication. All queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only of personal interest will be answered in this column. J. C. (Ballyshannon). — If you have witnesses who observed the bees leave your hive and, without losing sight of them, saw them hived by your neighbour, and can identify the hive, you can claim them, but not otherwise. 2. You can then sue for the value of the swarm in the County Court, if he will not return the bees or pay for them. If you will send your full name and address on stamped envelope, we will send you specimen of veil material you ask for. M. K. (co. Kilkenny). — The sample sent is raw cane sugar, and is quite unfit for autumn feed- ing. ' You must use refined cane. Miss E. Tagg. — White clover may be sown at any time, as it flowers the second year. It is frequently sown with oats in the spring, or in wheat that has been sown the previous autumn. Amateuk. (Wolverhampton). — 1. To stop rob- bing, close the entrance so that only one bee can enter at a time ; or put a piece of glass 8x5 inches in front of flight-hole, the top resting against hive, and the loose end lj inch from entrance. 2. Bees have either got a queen or have been too long without one. It is too late to rear queens now, so you had better get one and introduce. 3. 1| oz. of Calvert's No. 5 Carbolic acid, 1£ oz. of glyce- rine, 1 quart warm water. Try the cone clearer, which is more effectual. 4. The British Bee-keeper's Guide-book will suit you. J. A. Aikrn (co. Fermanagh). — 1. Calluna vulgaris. 2. Erica tetralix. Both yield honey, but the first is best. R. de B. Saunderson. — 1. Bees can make use of wax, and use up the wax from queen-cells in this way. There is no advantage in giving driven bees sections, as they do not generally remove the wax from these for building. The combs could be cut out and placed in frames, but you will not get such regular combs as you would with foundation. The sections, after cleaning up, should be stored away for use next year. 2. Demerara sugar can only be used for spring or summer feed- ing— not in candy. J. A. (Tenby). — 1. The sample of honey sent is very dark and strong-flavoured, and in a good competition would not stand any chance of a place in the prize list. 2. You do not say what you did to induce the bees to take to the sections early in the season, or when you put on the supers. 3. The sugar sent is not suitable for bee-food. Use No. 7. C. Packard (Oxford). — It is advisable to use Naphthaline as a preventive as well as medicated syrup. W. Sproat.— You can do no more than what you are doing, simply persevere in the treat- ment. C. S. (Harringay). — We will endeavour to give the information at an early date. STEAM FACTORY for ;ce Jlpplicmces. ORDERS addressed J. ROSS, Stranraer, Wig- townshire, N.B., will be attended to. NAPHTHALINE .A. ITU NAPHTHOL BETA. Both the above may now be had at the Office of 'THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL' and 'BEE- KEEPERS' RECORD,' 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C. NAPHTHALINE in packets, 6d. post free. Large packets, containing more than four times the quantity of the smaller ones, Is. post free. NAPHTHOL BETA, Is. a packet, post free. Instructions for use sent with each packet. Special prices for quantities. NOTICE. Will be ready in a few days. A New Edition, the 11th, of THE BRITISH BEE-KEEPER'S GUIDE-BOOK, By THOS. WM. COWAN, F.L.S., F.G.S., &c. Revised and enlarged. Almost entirely re-written. Much new matter and many fresh illustrations added. Fcap. 8vo., price Is. 6d.; or in cloth gilt, 2s. Qd. Postage, 2d. To be had of Houlston & Sons, Paternoster Sq. ; all Hive Dealers, Secretaries of Bee-keepers' As- sociations, and of J. Huckle, British Bee Journal; Office, Kings Langley, Herts. THE MANAGEMENT OF STKAW SKEPS. Designed to teach the Cottager how to obtain the best results at the least possible cost. Price Id. Ditto in Welsh, Id. John Huckle, Kings Langley, Herts. THE ADULTERATION OF HONEY. By Otto Hehner, Analyst to the British Bee- keepers' Association. Price 2\d., post free. B. B. Journal Office, Kings Langley, Herts. THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. fSeptember 10, 1891. Special Prepaid Advertisements. ■ ♦ i Situations, Publications, Bee Plants, dbc. — Twelve words and under, Sixpence; for every additional Three words, One Penny. Trade Advertisements not inserted under this head. WANTED.— 1-lb. Sections of Honeycomb, first quality. Prompt Cash. Packages sent. Well-filled Bell •Glasses, Frames and Caps purchased. Address Mr. Hurst, Bexhill, Sussex. 242 WALLFLOWERS will give splendid forage for Bees in Spring. Fifty plants, Is., post free. Address Norman Parkin, Blakenhall, Wolverhampton. k 83 FOB SALE.— Healthy Driven Bees, Is. 3d. per lb., and Queen. Packing-box, 6d. Young Queens, Is. 6d. each. Address E. Garner, Broom, nr. Biggleswade, Beds, k 93 EALTHY DRIVEN BEES, Is. 6d. per lb. With Queen, Box, and Packing free. Carriage not paid. •Choice Natural-raised 1891 Queens, 2s. Safe arrival, and Carriage paid. Stamp for reply. Address Holder, Wim- toorne, Dorset. 1 12 FOR SALE.— Five Strong Stocks of Bees in Bar-frame Hives, complete, 30s. each. Two Swarms in Skep3, 10s. each. Apply, Rev. E. Davenport, Stourport. l 17 TjlOR SALE.— Eight Strong Stocks of Bees in Bar-frame Jj Hives, cheap, in consequence of Removal. For price and particulars apply to Smtjrthwaite, Sutton, Retford. STRAWBERRIES.— Well-rooted plants, Keen's Seedling (early) 2s. 6d. per 100 ; Laxton's Noble (new, very •early), 3s. per 100; Sir Joseph Paxton (best main crop), 2s. 6d. per 100; British Queen (best late), 2s. 6d. per 100. Raspberry Canes, good bearers, 5s. per 100. Address Blanklet, Denton, Lincolnshire. l 19 €YLINDER EXTRACTOR for Hire, 2s. per week and railway carriage. Address Rollins, Stourbridge. L20 OTICE. — I cannot book any more Orders for Driven Bees this season. A. J. Carter, Billingshurst. N FOR SALE.— 200 Screw-capped 1-lb. Bottles. Finest quality 1891 Extracted Honey, 10s. per dozen on rail. Address Ernest E. Davis, Great Bookham, Leatherhead. l21 DRIVEN BEES, with Queen, lOd. per lb. Box, Is. Extra Queens, Is. 6d. each ; five for 6s. Guaranteed healthy. Address S. Oaten, Prior's Farm, Pitminster, Taunton. l 22 WANTED.— One or two acres of Land, with Cottage, within ten miles of London, in a neighbourhood, suitable for Bee-keeping. Apply to * G.,' B. B. J. Office. FOR SALE. — Having had considerable difficulty to obtain suitable Boxes for 1 lb. Sections, and bought larger quantities than required, I shall be pleased to sell at 4s. 6d. per gross, cash with order. Address Martin, 4 Woodland Place, Bath. WANTED.— New Honey in 1 lb., 1J lb., and 2 lb. Sec- tions. State quantities of each size, and prices •expected. Address Mr. Alex. Leitch, 208 St. George's Road, Glasgow. Terms cash. 247 ENGLISH QUEENS, tested, 2s. 6d. each, post free. Address C. N. White, Somersham, Hunts. THE 'ENGLISH' HIVE, Transferring Season now on. TRY THIS HIVE, it is the best in use, and once used will be always used. No more cutting Quilts necessary, as the Bees can be fed from the side of the Hive. See description in B. B. J., August 6th, 1891, p. 351. Price for Floor-board, Body, and Zinc-covered Boof, 11/6 only. The English Wax Extractor, price 7/6. Eor particulars apply to A. T. Wilmot, St. Albans. is the Oldest Es- tablishment in the United King- dom wholly de- voted to Bees and BALDWIN'S manufacture of Bee-keepers' supplies. His prices will compare most favour- ably with those of any other Maker, while for quality of material, suitability and workmanship, he has no rival. ' Why can he give better value for money than others ? * Because he spends less in large ' puffing ' advertisements, buys in the best markets for prompt cash, has .no rent to pay, and personally conducts his own business. For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com- bined), which ' contains more practical and reliable hints than all the large, expensive books," post free for 2d. stamps. Address 8. J. BALDWIN, The Apiary, Bromley, Kent. N.B. — More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable. THOMAS LANAWAY & SONS, Bee appliance Manufacturers AND DEALERS, 26 STATION ROAD, REDHILL. Catalogue post free on application. 2891 J. TREBBLE'S All Machine-made. My 8/6 COTTAGE HIVE beat aU comers. Awarded Seven Prizes this year. Catalogue free on application to J. Trebble, Saw Mills, Bomans- leigh, South Molton. British Bee Journal and Bee-keepers' Record. Office : 17 King William Stbeet, Stkand, London, W.C. PURE CANE SUGARS. Fob the accommodation of Bee-keepers, guaranteed Pure Cane Sugar will be supplied in large or small quantities through this office at the under- mentioned rates : — MOIST. Neat bags, 14-lbs. 28-lbs. 56-lbs. Cwts. 3. MUSCOVADO 2/7 5/2 10/- 19/6 CRYSTALLISED. 4. DEMERARA 1 5. BARBADOS V Crystals 2,9 5/4 10/6 20/6 6. TRINIDAD ) REFINED CANE. 7. WHITE CRYSTALS (Small) 3/0 5/10 11/6 22/6 8. 9. (Medium and Large sizes, 1/- per Cwt. extra.) 10. LUMP (Cut Loaf) ... Boxes, 3/3 6/3 12/3 23/6 11. LUMP DUST ... „ 3/- 6/- 11/9 22/9 12. PRESERVING ... „ 3/- 6,- 1L'9 22/9 FINE. 13. GRANULATED ... 3/3 6/3 12/3 23/9 14. CASTOR Coarse (15 Fine) 3/9 7/3 14/3 27/9 16. ICING 4/3 8/3 15/9 31/- All above guaranteed mxde from Cane Sugar only, and free from Beet, Chemicals, etc., etc. Carriage Paid on Orders over 5/0 (or 28-lbs. Sugar) to London and Suburbs. Country Orders, not less than 2-cwt. carriage paid at 1/0 per cwt. extra. (Scotch and Irish orders, special arrangements.) Cash to be sent with order, and purchasers will please observe that if samples are required or replies asked to inquiries, a stamped addressed envelope must be sent, as we cannot undertake cost of postage. THE -KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 482. Vol. XIX. N.S. 99.] SEPTEMBER 17, 1891. [Published Weekly,. d&fcritnriai, ^sims, $t. USEFUL HINTS. Weather. — Those who read our last hints will remember that a little over a fortnight ago we started for a holiday trip to the north, under the most depressing weather conditions imaginable ; the outlook being in no sense cheering, while for the farmer it was dismal in the extreme, and for the bee-keeper almost as bad. We made the return journey on the 12th inst., with the thermometer at somewhei'e about eighty degrees in the shade, after having enjoyed nearly a week of glorious summer, bright enough and warm enough to have satisfied the most exacting, even of bee-keepers, and to have turned the very moderate season of 1891 into a first-rate one if it had but come at the proper time. Moreover, it would appear as if we are now in for our share of the ' heat wave,' and may look for a con- tinuance of warm weather for some time to • come. Verily, the bee-keeper has much to try his temper in such times ; summer • coming only when summer flowers are dead and gone ; glorious weather for bees to work in, and no forage for them; and thus all his chance of success is spoiled in the most tantalising way. We might descant on ' the advantages a fine autumn affords for getting bees into condition for wintering well ; how it conduces to late breeding, and so fills hives with just the robust population which come out strong in spring, and all the rest of it. But all the same, the fact remains that bee-men in the north, with whom we have been in touch for the past few days, have had a very disappointing time this year, aud the dis- appointment is accenuated when the fine weather comes too late to be of any service. Of course, there is another side to the picture which must not be lost sight of, and we are glad to remember that bee-keepers whos) stocks are safely set down amidst the bloom of the purple heather will be rejoic- ing at th-3 unexpected change during the last few days. A cold, wet August has been succeeded by a month of September, which bids fair to redeem the character of the' year so far as being remembered only as the 'summerless summer,' for we suddenly find ourselves in the midst of as glorious an' autumn as could bo wished for, and moor- men are, no doubt, reaping the reward of the patient perseverence with which they have kept on hoping for a favourable- change, and preparing for it if it should come. It requires no little amount of enthusiasm to induce a man to add still further to his risks by incurring trouble and expense in moving bees to the heather in the face of all the discouragements bee-men have this year had to undergo. The present hopeful prospect is therefore all the more gratifying as promising a well-earned reward for the manful perseverance our Northern readers have displayed in hoping almost against hope, and refusing to believe the weather was to continue irretrievably bad. September is the best month of the year for heather honey if warm days are associated with wrarm nights ; when frosty nights are the rule, of course, a comparatively small amount of nectar is secreted, aud the income is lessened accordingly. So far, however, the weather conditions are most favourable, and we look for a good heather harvest accordingly. Autumn Feeding. — While the weather continues so warm and summer-like some extra care will be needed in feeding up stocks for winter. Bees are actively on the wing, seeking employment and finding none, for in few places will any honey be gathered now, consequently they are very ready to appropriate food being fed to their" neighbours. A close look-out should there- foi-e be kept that no headway is made in the robbing propensity which is likely to be developed at such a time. Once begun, it is not easy to stop or control, but, if taken 414 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [September 17, 1891. in time, there is seldom much difficulty in checking it. Giving food in the evening, seeing that all feeders are protected from the outside, keeping entrances contracted, and using carbolic acid freely about door- ways in extreme cases, together with a general watchfulness over the bees' move- ments, are the best preventives. Preparing Bee- food. — After the experi- ences of last winter, and the disasters which followed in the spring of this year, little should be needed in the way of cautioning readers against giving badly prepared food, or using bad materials in its preparation. With the experiences of last year to guide them, one would have thought that bee- keepers had acquired sufficient insight to enable them to distinguish between sugars fit for bee-food and those totally unsuited for the purpose ; and yet we have, within the last few days, had samples of raw sugar sent, almost black in colour and as full of treacle as it well could be, with the inquiry, ' Is it suitable for syrup-making?' About nine out of every ten samples of white crystal- lised sugar sent are either wholly beet sugar or largely mixed with it. and, as such, they are bad for bees. Some samples received are pure cane, but unrefined, or moist, raw sugars. These, though they may do for spring or summer feeding, are quite unsuit- able for autumn feeding. In all cases pure cane sugar should be used, and a reliable tradesman may be trusted to supply this, if he will but take the necessary amount of trouble, seeing that several ' makes ' are to be had which can be relied on as pure. The uncertainty in getting the right article arises from the fact that cane sugars are not, and never can be, sold so cheaply as beet sugars ; yet they have to compete with each other in the open market, and, in con- sequence, the grocer naturally prefers to sell what yields him most profit; besides, he may well be pardoned for failing to take 1 bee-feeding ' into account in his business dealings. Householders generally give little thought to the quality of the sugar used in ordinary course, provided it has an attrac- tive appearance — which all beet sugars have — on the table, and the question has only just arisen as to the preference which pure cane sugar ought to have over that from beet for household purposes. In response to letters received bearing on the point, we have, by request, extended the list of sugars obtainable through this office by adding four kinds suitable for household use. LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The Lancashire and Cheshire Bee-keepers' Association has the good fortune to hold its annual bee and honey show in connexion with that of the Wirral and Birkenhead Agricultural Society, which latter occupies a position quite exceptional, in that its annual exhibition is not movable as so many are, but is held each year on ground in the occupation of the Society. All the sheddiog and other offices are therefore more or les3 permanent wooden erections, which, excepting the canvas roofs, stand from year to year. This arrangement so familiarises visitors with the various departments of the show, whether machinery, horses, cattle, dogs, poultry, horticulture, or bees and honey, that no time is lost iu searching for what is most interesting, and the result is very satisfactory all round. The exhibition took place on September 2nd and 3rd. Notwithstanding the fickle character of the weather of late, and the depressing influence of a perfect storm of wind and rain the day before the show opened, there. was very little to complain of on the first day, while the second was beautifully fine and warm until, luckily for the society, the whole gate-money had been secured ; some heavy showers afterwards much marred the enjoyment of the crowds of visitors. The sum taken at the turnstiles exceeded by seventy pounds that of last year, though the latter was larger than any previous record since the institution of the society, forty-nine years ago. The bee and honey department presented a very fine display indeed, considering how moderate a season it has been in the North, and we were pleased to see local bee-keepers coming well to the fore in the various open classes. Only two collections of appliances were staged in Class A, but both were well up to date, few really good necessaries for work in the apiary being missing. The first-prize exhibit contained over a hundred distinct articles, against about half that number in the second-prize one. Class B. Best and most complete cottager"1 s hioe. — Though not a large entry, it brought out a few very good and serviceable hives, the same exhibitor taking first and second prize. We have not yet seen a more useful and complete hive at the price (10s. 6d.) than the premier exhibit in this class. Adaptable for sections, for shallow frames, and for carrying to the moors, it is, to our mind, a model ' cheap hive for cottager's use.' The second-prize hive was also a good one. Class C. Best and most complete hive. — Here, again, the competition was limited, only five exhibits being staged in the class. Messrs. Red- shaw and Meadows, who took first and 6econd prizes respectively, both staged good hives with outer cases, as did Mr. Harbordt, the latter being highly commended for a hive built on the new idea of a dual dovetail joint, put together without nails. It is not at all unlikely that this idea, so far only shown in the form of hand- September 17, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 415 made hives, when carried out with the help of machinery will make some stir in the hive- making trade, .13 it is capable of being developed to a considerable extent. The exhibitor of the hive priced at 1/. 15s. would do well to relegate so well worn and effete a veteran to the limbo of past things, which it certainly belongs to, as it can have no possible chance in competition with hives of modern type. The honey classes were far better filled than we had expected them to be, and the quality of the honey staged maintained the good reputation the Lancashire and Cheshire Association has earned, especially for high -class extracted honey. Class D. Best exhibition of honey (not less than 1 cwt.) Four entries. — The first prize in this class went to Leicestershire for a good miscellaneous collection of comb and extracted honey nicely displayed. The second-prize collec- tion consisted entirely of extracted clover honey very even in colour and consistency, but no attempt was made to display the exhibit to the best (or, indeed, to any) advantage. In the third prize lot the sections were not very attrac- tive, nor was the extracted honey so good as in the others. Class E. Best 12 to 20 pounds comb honey in sections. Eight entries.— This was for the season a decidedly good class, all four prizes poing to sections which, we fancy, have done duty at other shows this season ; whether this was so or not, they well merited their respective awards, and were a very fair lot. Class F. Best 12 to 20 pounds extracted honey. Twentj-one entries.- — No class in the bee department was so strongly represented as this, nor was there anything like so severe a competition as here. The four prizes went to samples of white clover honey, three of the winners hailing from Cheshire and one from Lancashire. Thus, it would appear that Lanca- shire and Cheshire bee-keepers have nothing to fear in an open class with exhibitors from north and south. The first and second prize samples were very choice indeed. Class G. Best twelve to twenty pounds comb honey in sections (members only). — If evidence were wanted of the shyness with which Lanca- shire and Cheshire bee-keepers regard working for section honey, surely it was seen here, when only two exhibitors competed for three prizes. Class H. Best ttcclve to twenty pounds ex- tracted honey (gathered in Lancashire or Cheshire). Thirteen entries. — A sample of the same honey tailing first in the open class was again placed first here, and the winner of the fourth prize in the same class was awarded second and third in this class. Class I, for the best twelve to twenty pounds heather honey in comb, did not produce a single entry, a fact which portends more or less failure this year from that usually prolific source of supply in the north. Class J. Best exhibit of beeswax put up in small cakes for domestic use. Three entries. — This was not a strong class, but we are glad to see the enforcement of the rule for putting the exhibits up in useful form. The final class, K,for useful inventions, only produced five entries, Mr. W. P. Meadows re- ceiving first for a collection of novelties, includ- ing a folding tin section box with an improved fastening, his new frame with partly split top bar, and several other useful little things : and Mr. C. Redshaw second for a new section box with hanging frames. Mr. H. H. Lindon manipulated in the tent ; and Mr. J. Palmer on the first day, and Mr. P. Harbordt on the second, rendered valuable help in lecturing to large audiences. Messrs. W. Broughton Carr and T. D. Schofield fulfilled the duties of judging, and the full list of awards is as follows : — Class A. — 1st prize, W. P. Meadows, Syston, Leicester ; 2nd, P. Harbordt, Great Charlotte Street, Liverpool. Class B. — 1st ar.d 2nd, Charles Redshaw, South Wigston, near Leicester. Class C— 1st, C. Redshaw; 2nd, W. P. Meadows. Class D.— 1st, W. P. Meadows ; 2nd, T. Green- halgh, Newton-le- Willows ; 3rd, VV. Corkhill, Edge Hill, Liverpool. Class E.— 1st, W. P. Meadows; 2nd, J. Palmer, Ludlow, Salop; 3rd, T. R. Horton, Havely Tower, Much Wenlock; 4th, G. W. Carr, Alfred Terrace, Fleetwood. Class F.— 1st, W. E. Little, Eastgate Row, Chester ; 2nd, Geo. Robb, Manor House, Barns- ton ; 3rd, H. Bradbury, Moberley, Knutsford, Cheshire ; 4th, G. W. Carr. Class G.— 1st, G. W. Carr, 2nd, J. Wynne, Waveiton, Chester. Class IL— 1st, W. Little; 2nd, G. W, Carr j 3rd, G. W. Carr. Class I. — No entry. Class J. — 1st, Mrs. Harry "Wood, Paradise, Lichfield ; 2nd, John Outram, Kingsley, Frod- sham. Class K.— 1st, W. P. Meadows; 2nd, C. Redshaw. CASTLE DOUGLAS SHOW. The annual honey show was held on September 3rd, in connexion with the flower, fruit, and dairy produce show. There was a splendid show of honey, which excited a great deal of interest. Following the custom of former years, this department was ' open to the world,' and ninety- two competitors came forward in the different classes. Regarding the principal class, that for three one-pound jars of run or extracted honey, some exceedingly good samples were shown, which in any season would be hard to beat. The unfavourable season had, however, made its mark, as a few bad samples were shown. The first and second samples were so equal in many respects that the judges decided to divide the prizes. Mr. J. D. McNally's exhibit was clearer than the other, but the latter had a better flavour. In the class for six one-pound sections of honey- comb, the exhibits on tho whole were quite 416 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [September 17, 1891. equal to any seen at this show in previous years. The first-prize honey just held its place in point of flavour with the second prize, but in point of work the first was better filled. In the classes for dropped heather honey and dropped honey the samples brought forward were only of moderate quality. In the class for three one- pound jars of run or extracted honey, the first and second honours were divided between Mr. McNally, co. Down, Ireland, and Mr. W. Maskell, Surrey, the third prize going to Mr. AV. Scott, Annan, the numerous competitors from Galloway failing to secure any honours. Although apparently the first and second were equal in this class, and the money prize was divided, the judge awarded the silver medal to Mr. J. D. McNally for colour, so as a matter of fact he carries off the highest honour, Mr. Maskell being awarded a bronze medal. The judge placed Mr. Sydney Roebuck, Troqueer Cottages, first for honey design. Mr. J. H. Howard acted as judge, and his awards were as follows : — Hun or extracted honey, other than heather. — J. I). McNally, co. Down, Ireland, and W. Maskell, Surrey (equal) ; 3rd, W. Scott, Annan. One-pound sections of honey comb. — 1st, J. LearmoUt, Balmaghie ; 2nd, W. Blackwood, Castle Douglas. Honey design. — 1st, S. Roebuck, Dumfries ; 2nd, VV. Jardiue, Dumfries, and J. C. Graham (equal). Super under twenty pounds. — 1st, W. Hogg, Castle Douglas ; 2nd, W. Brown, Chapelton, Rerrick. Scotch pint dropped heather honey. — 1st, J. Thomson, Dalbeattie ; 2nd, W. Rae, Dalbeattie. - Two-pound clear glass jars dropped honey. — 1-t, J. C. Graham; 2nd, W. Brown. One-pound clear glass jars dropped honey. — 1st, W. Blackwood; 2nd, J. Thomson. -THE- WROCKWARDINE BEE CLUB. The sixth annual exhibition of this Club was held in connexion with the Wellington Horti- cultural Society in the beautiful grounds of Apley Castle, Wellington, kindly lent for the occasion by Sir T. C. Meyrieke, Bart., the President of the Society. This is the first time the show of the Club has been held away from Wrockwardine, and we congi'atulate its members upon their fine display. For so small a Society, their schedule was a comprehensive one, and the classes all well filled with few exceptions, and many Bee Associations with more ambitious aims that this village Club have failed to make such an exhibition as they dis- played. The total number of entries was 105, arid upwards of six hundredweight of fine honey was staged, adding greatly to the splendid horti- cultural exhibits shown in a tent adjoining. Competition was keen, and some of the classes were very difficult to judge, notably Class 11, where,' out of nine exhibits" staged, ho less than eight received mention. The ditties of judge were efficiently performed by Mr. Sambel?, and his awards gave general satisfaction. Mr, . Jno. Palmer, of Ludlow, carried off the prizes and bronze medal for comb honey, while Mr. . Carver, of Wellington, succeeded in obtaining the members' and open prizes, with silver ■ medal for run honey. Among the cottagers, . Mr. R. Grainger and Mr. J. Shuker, both of Allscott, were most successful in the honey classes, with very creditable exhibits ; while Messrs. Lloyd and Clarke, of Overley, were very busy among the sundries. At one p.m. the prizes were distributed by the Hon. Mrs. Robert Herbert, the President of the Bee Club. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to the President and Miss M. E. Eyton, to whom the existence and success of this village Club are so largely due. We think the exhibition of 1891 may fairly claim to be the most successful of any yet held. Thanks are due to the Wellington Horticultural Society for the admirable arrange- ments made for the bee-show. List of Awards. Club Members. Class 1. Best six 1-lb. sections. 1st prize* J. Palmer (bronze medal); 2nd, R. Grainger » 3rd, J. Shuker. Class 2. Best six 1-lb. bottles. — 1st, J. Carver (silver medal) ; 2nd, II. Shuker ; 3rd, J. Shuker : highly commended, Hall Fail. Class 3. Best 1-lb. section. — 1st, Mr. Palmer ; 2nd, Mr. Grainger; 3rd, J. Shuker. Class 4. Best 1-lb. bottle.— 1st, Mr. Carver ; 2nd, Mr. Fail ; 3rd, H. Shuker ; highly com- mended, J. Shuker; commended, Mr. Jervis. Class 5. For best super of any description.: — No entries. Cottage Members only. Class 6. Best six 1-lb. sections. — 1st, J.. Shuker ; 2nd, Mr. Grainger ; 3rd, Mr. Clarke- Class 7. Best six 1-lb. bottles.— 1st. Mr, Grainger; 2nd, J. Shuker; 3rd, Mr. Clarke. Class 8. Best exhibit of honey (half run and half comb, not less than 21 lbs. in all). — 1st, Mr. Grainger; 2ud, J. Shuker. Class 9. Best and most complete hive, made by exhibitor. — No entries. Open Classes. Class 10. Best twenty-four 1-lb. sections. — 1st, Mr. Palmer ; 2nd, Mr. Cartwright, Class 11. Best twenty-four 1-lb. bottles. — 1st, Mr. Carver ; equal 2nds, Mr. Fail and Mr. Horton ; highly commended, Messrs. Palmer, Cartwright, Jervis, and Clarke ; commended, Mr. Beale. Class 12. Best twelve 1-lb. sections. — 1st, Mr. Palmer ; 2nd, Mr. Cartwright ; highly commecded, Messrs. Hamer and Jervis ; com- mended, Mr. Whittin^ham. Class 13. Best twelve 1-lb. bottles.— 1st, Mr. Carver; 2nd, Mr. Cartwright; highly com- mended, Mr. Jervis; commended, Mrs. Austin, Mrs. Evans, and J. Shuker. Class 14. Best and most complete hive for general use. — 1st, Mr. Carver ; 2nd, Mr. Palmer. Class 15. Best collection of apiarian appli- ances.— 1st, Mr. Whittingham. September 17, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 417 Class 16. Best exhibition of bees in obser- vatory Live. — 1st, Mrs. Austin; 2nd, Mr. I lamer. Class 17. Best collection of garden bee- flowers.— 1st, Mr. Lloyd; 2nd, Miss M. Beale. Class 18. Best soft candy for feeding bees. — 1st, Mr. Lloyd ; 2nd, Mr. Clarke. Class 19. Best 1-lb. sample of beeswax.— 1st, Miss Evans; 2nd, Mrs. Evaus; Srdj Mrs. Beale. Class 20. Best honey beverage (non-intoxi- cating).— 1st, Mr. Clark; equal 2nd, Mrs. Beale and Mr. Lloyd. Class 21. Best honey vinegar. — No entries. Cottagers only. Class 22. Best 2-lb. cake made with honey. — 1st, Mrs. Lloyd ; Mrs. J. Shuker. Class 23. Best pot of preserve made with honey. — 1st, Mrs. J. Shuker ; 2nd, Mrs. Lloyd. Class 24. Best bunch of bee-flowers. — 1st, Mr. Clark; 2nd, Mr. Lloyd. Cottage Children under Fifteen Years. Class 25. Best bunch of wild bee-flowers. — 1st, Vincent Bremmell ; 2nd, Lucy Lloyd ; 3rd, George Lloyd. Class 20. Best bunch of bee-flowers.— 1st, Emily Lloyd. JEDBURGH AND DISTPJOT B.K.A. A special general meeting of this Association was held in Jedburgh on Tuesday, September 8th, to consider the advisability of abandoning the proposed exhibition of honey, &c, for this year. The season in this district has been altogether unfavourable, and the crop secured from clover is not only small, but inferior, while the prospect of heather honey is very poor indeed. The Secretary read a number of letters from district bee-keepers, and almost all ex- pressed the opinion that it would be impossible to hold a satisfactory show this year. It was then unanimously resolved not to hold an exhi- bition this season. €orresu,0nl)cnxe. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are re- quested to wiite on one side of the paper only, and give their real names and addresses , notnecessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of goodfaith. Illustrations should be draun on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department, re- ports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, &c, must be addressed only to 'The Editobs of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C All business communications relating to Advertisements, &c, must be addressed to Mr. J. Hcckle, Kings Langley, Herts (see 1st 2'agc of Advertise- ments.) WHY DO WE SMOKE? [772.] I do not, of course, inquire why one smokes tobacco — though that would be quite a pertinent question, bee-keeping apart— but why bee-keepers use smoke in the subjugation of bees'? Even this is scarcely a correct way of putting , the query, seeing that the carbolic cloth and the fumes of the acid are equally efficacious as quellers of bee-acerbity. The commonly re- ceived opinion about the charming of bees by more or less dense clouds of smoke is, I believe, that by a fine use of its reasoning powers the bee deems the house on fire, and rushes to the honey-cell, with a view of saving as much as possible of the hoard of honey from destruction. Filling her honey-sac to repletion, the worker — like the proverbial Briton after a good meal — is in a kindly mood, or else, finding it somewhat painful to bend the abdomen sufficiently, is dis- inclined to use the sting. It only needs a moment's reflection to show us that the bee never has had any experience of fire, and therefore cannot reason as to cause and effect, even supposing we granted it the possession of this facultj'. The only possibility of the bee having any understanding on the subject of firo in the dwelling would be an hereditary impulse, handed down from ancestors who had had the home burnt in forest fires. Even this idea is only tenable for a moment, for we know such ancestral survivors from the fumes and flames must have rushed en masse from their tree home and squatted elsewhere. Hereditary dread of fire, gained by the experience of suffering an- cestors, would be transmitted to posterity, with the result that on its first approach or earliest symptom the bees would rush forth, even if without stores. No such course is followed by the honey-bee on its first acquaintance with smoke; but precisely the opposite plan is adopted to the one we should most naturally expect. It hurries away from the cloud, buries its head in a cell, or pierces the honey capping, fills its pouch with stores, and remains a sullen, quiet inmate of the hive, from the combs of which it is not desirous of moving, either to preserve its own life, that of the queen-mother, nor those of the brood ; not even does it attempt to save its store of honey, as we have been taught is the case. If we use some kinds of smoke we make the bees angry ; the fumes of paraffin oil, or oil of thyme, and many other things even agreeable to us, incense the bees against any interference, and the use of the smoker does not produce the desired effect on bees which have no honey or syrup on which to gorge. The smoke of to- bacco, or burning fustian or corduroy, as well as the unseen fumes of carbolic and some other acids, seems to make the bees shudder with horror — the noise they make as they retreat is strongly indicative of fear ; but the effect of carbolic acid appears to pass away sooner than from some other of the substances used in bring- ing them into subjection. A kick or two en the hive side seems to hurry on the gorging, and forces one to the conclusion that it is extreme terror we really produce when we smoke our bees. We must take care we use not in the smoker a second lime any kind of material the use of which has been followed by anger. Many a bee-keeper has condemned his bees as being vicious, and not amenable to the smoker, when 418 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [September 17, 1891. he has only himself to blame for using wrong material. We terrorise the bee as we terrorise wild, unreasoning animals iuto subjection; its only- escape and solace is in the depth of the cell, the darkness of other parts of the hive — the only- antidote and soother to the taste and smell of the fumes being found in the taste and smell of the honey on which it fills. I therefore sub- mit that we do not smoke to give the bee the idea of probable destruction by fire, and it does not wisely rush to save its store ; we do not stupefy it by the fumes, nor do we puzzle or terrify it by sight of smoke ; we do not encloud it with merely objectionable smells. We find that which soonest produces a lasting effect ; and this subject — the material best suitable for use in smokers — -would be one, perhaps, provo- cative of instructive and interesting debate in your columns or at a conversazione. — R. A. H. CrRIMSHAW. NOTES FROM NORTH KENT. [778.] The honey season of 1891 is over, and supers are all removed; extracting is finished and the frames of comb are being licked out pre- pai'atory to being stored away for the winter. All supers and empty combs are exposed to sulphur fumes as a precaution against foul brood and wax-moth. The weather has lately been very unfavourable — a succession of rough winds and rain, with only an occasional fine day. The progress in the harvest-field has been sadly interfered with, and hundreds of bushels of fruit have been blown from the trees. Bees have been doing very little, though there is plenty of runner-bean blossom, and where the brood chamber has con- tained but little honey, feeding has been necessary to prevent the brood being destroyed. The yield of surplus has been about equal to that of 1890. Super-clear ers.— The cone has proved dis- appointing, though tried recently on a fine day ; after being on all day many bees had to be shaken off the combs and several were seen to re-enter the cones. Moreover, the excitement was considerable, mauy bees clustering on the front of the hive. As a precaution against robbing, entrances had previously been lessened. The board clearer was quite a success with all the hives on which it was tried. It was easily slipped under the super without any dis- turbance, the time taken being only a minute. In about three hours not more than a dozen bees were left in each super, and there had been no excitement — quite a contrast to the hives having the cone, and on the same day, too. This clearer is very easily made in about a quarter of an hour and only costs twopence. Foul brood is still with us. Those stocks which were badly affected last year are now almost free, and work and breed — aye, and swarm too ; so some of the remedies have been useful. Other stocks, apparently free before, have now developed the disease rather badly. Burning the worst comb3 and giving foundation instead lessens the mischief for a time, at any rate. Most bee-keepers here are using naphthaline and Naphthol Beta. Granulated honey does not figure at our shows so often as it should do. Granulation is pre- sumptive evidence of purity, and honey will granulate sooner or later, so why not have a class for it at every show ? As one purpose of a show is to show what pure honey is like, why not present it in both its forms ? Since writing the above the weather has improved, and to-day (September 7th) hop- picking commenced here. While walking about the hop garden I noticed a number of bees busy on the hops. Each bee thrust its head and tongue within the membranous scales of the hop. I timed several and found they continued sucking with the tongue for about fifteen seconds to each scale. Inside each scale is to be found a seed, and many yellow oil globules of a somewhat sticky nature. Can the bees be gathering the oil, and would it serve for food ? No nectar appears to be secreted, nor would any be needed, as the hop is fertilised by the wind, and pollina- tion is long past. Has any other reader of the Journal observed bees visiting hops ? I never remember seeing it in previous years. — T. Badcock, Southfleet, Kent. DOME-SHAPE VERSUS FLAT TOP. [774.] In your reply to 404 (p. 385) you say you 'never found bees wintered any better in dome-shaped than in flat-topped skeps,' &c. I can hardly agree with you on this point, although I admit dome-shaped hives would be quite impracticable; still, prima' facie, the latter shape appeai'3 to me to be just the very thing to suit the bees. I cannot speak from experience of my own bees, as I do not keep them in skeps, but skeppists about here reject the flat top, and go back to the dome-shape ; but this would, no doubt, in a great measure be due to ancient custom, and also to the fact that the latter has a more rustic appearance. This leads me on to what I consider a case of — Wonderful Prolificness in Bees. — A farmer in this neighbourhood, who is a dome-shaped skep- pist, and whom I cannot by any means induce to try the modern plan of bee-keeping, during the winter of 1889-90 had his stocks reduced from thirty-six to one only (he started some years previously with three stocks only). This one stock gave him five or six swarms, I forget which at the moment. During the past winter some of these died; one of them he generously gave away — which, by-the-bye, swarmed on Derby Day — and of the remaining two, one died, leaviog him again with only one stock; this stock has this season produced him eight swarms, and he has now nine stocks. As some of your readers may like to know what kind of bees these are, I can say that they were originally black English bees— would that September 17, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 419 such bees -were obtainable now, instead of the wretched, spiteful, honeyless, hybrid bee we now have to put up with ! — but, although no foreign blood has been introduced, and there are no other bees nearer to them than one mile as the crow flies, the queens reared from the sister stock (the one referred to as given away), from which I obtained one and have reared others, are many of them of a brown-leathery colour, similar to Ligurians, and producing many bees with three yellow bands. They do not appear very spiteful, but are quite sufficiently so. What their honejr- gathering qualities are I cannot as yet say. I wish to add that I thoroughly endorse Mr. Winter ton's remarks (758) as regards wearing bee-veils. — A.-T. Wilmot, St. Alba?is, BOOMING PUNIO (?) BEES. [775.] There are two men over here, by the name of Pratt and Alley, who are trying to boom the Punic bees. They claim they get them from England, and say they are imported there from Central Africa, and that they will gather more honey than any other race of bees, and cannot be induced to sting. I do not be- lieve all of these statements. Henry Alley is the man that crossed Carniolan queens with Italian drones, then called them pure Carniolans, and tried to humbug the bee-keepers with them. Please give me a full description of them; also will you please send me a copy of the B.B.J,, and oblige — L. A. Lowmasteh, OMo. T.S. — Are they from Tunis, Africa ? [We are acquainted with the bees of Tunis, but do not know of the existence of such a race as the so called Punic bees in that country. For a des- cription of the bees of Tunis, Algiers, and Morocco, see our remarks on pages 381 and 408 of B.J., and if our correspondent wishes we can send him name and address of parties in Algeria to whom he could apply for the bees. — Eds.] INCONSISTENT SHOWING. [776.] I am pleased to find that y the bees before being driven, and allow all stragglers to join them. Then lift the box and bees on to its lid and tie the latter firmly on, Treat all driven lots iu September 17, 189].] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 421 this way. Tie the boxes three or four together for convenience of carrying, and when transfer- ring- the bees to the frame hives treat them ex- actly as when hiving a swarm. It is often ad- visable to join two or more driven lot.-! together to make up a strong stock for wintering. This is done by throwing each lot out in front of the frame hive, and sprinkling a little Hour over the bees as they are mingled together in a heap. They will then run in without lighting. Un- less you specially desire to save a particular queen, take no trouble, but let them settle among themselves which is to reign as mistress of the new colony. Ready-built combs are far pre- ferable to frames of foundation for driven bees. Feed up rapidly, and don't stint the quantity of food given too closely; better give too much than too little. [42G.] Wintering in Sleep. — Early in August last I wished to transfer a strong stock of bees from a skep to a bar-frame hive ; but, having no time for driving, and being anxious to pre- vent them swarming, I merely placed the skep upon the top of the frames, which were fitted with starters. Upon examination of the hive, after several weeks' absence, I find they have not worked down into the frame hive at all, and I should be glad to know whether it would be better to remove this for the winter, or would there be any objection to leaving it as it is ? — A, G. Reply. — If the skep is overcrowded with bees let it remain where it is; otherwi.-e, remove the frame hive, and put the skep in its place. [427.] Discontinued Breeding. — In looking over ten stocks of bees yesterday, I found three without any brood in any stage whatever. Is it a usual thing, or is it a sign of a queenless hive ? They have plenty of stores, about half of ten frames sealed over, and there are no drones in any of the hives. — T. D., Wexford. Reply. — Breeding should not have been dis- continued so soon, and ought to have been kept up to at least the middle of September. Ex- amine the hives to ascertain if queens are present, and if you do not find them, unite to others having queens. [428.] Driving Bees. — I have three skeps of bees, Avhich I intend to drive and put on frames. The skeps are about twenty feet from each other. 1. Are three lots two many for one hive? 2. If the three lots are driven, could they be placed anywhere in the same garden ? I have several stocks in bar-frame hives, and should like to put them (the driven lots) near one of those hives. 3. If I am not asking too much, would you kindly tell me how to proceed ? This is my second year of bee-keeping ; and I find the Journal a very great help. — A Moorland Subscriber. Reply. — 1. No, three lots of bees at this time of the year are not too many for one hive. 2. Bring the three skeps to the spot you wish the frame hive to occupy, moving them three feet a day, but not on days on which the bees do not fly. When clo3e together, drive them, and introduce them into the frame hive. .'). Full instructions for driving are given in every bee- book. Look in Modern Bee-keeping or Bee- keepers' Guide-book, and if you are in any difficulty, wo shall be pleased to help you out of it. [42D.] Autumn Feeding. — My two stocks of bees were not fed during the wet month of August, owing to my absence from home ; con- sequently, on my return last week (September 3rd), I found no brood, except about one dozen bees just issuing from the cells. The British Bee-Keeper s Guide pronounces this state of things as unsatisfactory. One hive has nine frames full of bees, the other eight ; can I im- prove matters now by stimulating, or should I leave them alone ? They have ample stores for wintering. — D. W. M., Clevedon. Reply. — The cessation of income, coupled with bad weather in August, has stopped breed- ing, no doubt. A little slow feeding during the present fine weather may induce the queens to make a fresh start, and in any case will do no harm. [4-'j0.] Contracting Hires. — 1. In hives with ten frames, where there are only enough bees to cover six or seven, what is the best thing to do with the other frames— leave them in the hive or take them out and extract the honey ? 2. Would the honey extracted from these frames be fit for table use ? The honey is sealed at top, but there is some unsealed below, with a little pollen in some of the combs. — Greenhorn, Harrington, Cumberland. Reply. — 1. Contract the space by divhion- boards to the space the bees will occupy ; if there is sufficient food in the remaining frames. 2. Yes. §tc Sfmfog la C0ini\ Sept. 19th. — Jedburgh and District B.K.A. This show will not be held. See notice on page 417. October 13th to 16th.— British B.K.A , in connexion with the Dairy Show at the Royal Agricultural Hall, London. All open classes. Entries close September 14th. For schedules apply to Win. 0. Young, Sec, 191 Fleet Street, London. CUBAN HONEY YIELDS. From news which comes to us from Cuba it is a wonderful honey country. The flow begins in December and lasts until May, and does not en- tirely cease at any season of the year. The honejr produced is mainly extracted, of good quality for southern honey, and sells at fifty to seventy cents per gallon in New York City. The yields reported are, some of them, very large, as much as 150 to 200 pounds per colony, from apiaries ranging from 460 to oOO colonies. — ■ Rural Homes. 422 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [September 17, 1891. $thm ixanx % pitas. Clevedon, September 10t7i. — Honey came in very fast from end of June to beginning of August. Since then weather has been cold and very wet. August rainfall exactly double usual average. Honey harvest very fair. Average per hive about thirty pounds. Super honey finer quality than usual, but rather pale. I have been a reader of your Journal for some time, and find I can never do without it, a3 it is a capital paper for reference.— E. Cottekell. Lauder, September 10th. — -Heather honey is a failure here this season. It was conspicuous by its absence from the great fruit and flower show in Edinburgh yesterday. — J. T. Blaahroch, co. Cork, Sept. 11th. — I have done pretty well this year, having taken 258 sections from six stocks and a swarm of this year. — F. Jellico. Wallsend, September 11th. — I may say the heather in Northumberland is ' going ' fast, and the honey harvest is a complete failure. — G. G. RICHARDSON. Alderley Edge, Cheshire. — After visiting all the members in my district I can report that the season, though very short, has not been a bad one, and that all bee-keepers who have managed their bees well have taken a very fair quantity of surplus. One man near me has taken two hundredweight from six hives. The honey is also of nice quality. — T. D. Schofield. FOREIGN NOTES. Abe Bees Natives op a Wabm Climate ? One of the mistakes of modern bee-keepers is the saying that bees are natives of a warm climate. Who was the first one to say so, I do not know, but nearly every day we can hear or read this fable here in the United States, as well as in the old country, but I have never seen any proof for it. This question is important because a number of winter theories are based on this, so it will be of interest to look the matter over. If we take into consideration the present geo- graphical extension of the honeyr-bee {Apis melli- fica), we see that this bee nowhere in a tropic climate is native ; where we find it, we know it is imported by man. In tropic climates we find some other species of bees. This may prove very little, but it is striking if we see that in such countries the honey-bee now is not native at all. "VVe know that Germany was a cold and rough country before she got in communication with Greece and Roman civilisation. The oldest notice from Germany about bees we receive from Pythias, living at the time of Alexander the Great (about 330 B.C.). He says that amber merchants found honey on the northern coast of Germany. Later, we read in Plinius {Hist. Nat., ix. 18), that after the battle of Arbalo, in North- western Germ any (about 12 B.C.), a bee-swarm alighted in the camp of the Romans. Herodotus (at 440 B.C.) says that north of the Danube river no invasion into that country was possible, on account of the great number of honey-bees. It may be said, nevertheless, that the bees may have emigrated there from a warmer climate. But we see that the honey-bees of that time must be especially fitted for this rough climate, if we take into consideration that the old Germans hardly knew anything of scientific wintering, of a pollen theory, or any other theory. I am sure those old forefathers of ours were bee-hunters, and understood not much more than to cut a bee-tree, to eat the honey, to make mead out of it, and were masters in drinking it. But we can prove that the honey-bee was in this country many thousands of years before men were there. Near Peningen, a small village in Baden, Germany, is found a petrified honey- bee. The rock in which it was found belongs to the Miocene, the youngest part of the Tertiary formation. No trace of a human being is found before the Diluvian, so it is sure and sufficient proof that bees were natives of Germany long before man. This petrified bee was found about thirty years ago. Besides this, we have some other proofs in the habits and anatomy of the bee that hardly any other animal is more specially fitted to stand a severe winter. While a single bee is hardly able to raise the temperature of its body about one degree over that of the surrounding air, we see that a colonv of bees, by a temperature of 20° or 10°F. outside, can keep up 60* or 70° F. or more inside of the cluster. To make this possible, the main winter food (honey) is already prepared in summer-time ; it is digested and. stored for further use, so it can be assimilated at once and changed to heat. We do not know any other animal with a similar power. If we add to this that the honey is capped to keep out the moisture, that the surface of pollen likewise is polished to keep it for use in winter and early spring, we shall hardly find another animal which instinctively makes so much preparation for a long winter. Further, the anatomy of the bee shows that this animal is especially created for a long winter. We know that bees are confined for five or six months (in Siberia even seven months) to the hive. This is possible only because the bees can accumulate their excrements for so long a time in the large intestine. Practice teaches that they can stand this long confinement as long as they remain healthy. All who have examined the alimentary canal of bees will never doubt that this part of the intestine is expressly fitted, created, or developed for this purpose. If we, by our scientific and rational methods of bee-keeping, cannot winter our bees without more or less loss, it is a proof that our manage- ment or our theories are not correct. So much is sure : that many thousands of years, bees lived and prospered, wintered, swarmed, and gathered honey in a cold climate, and without any help (:') of a scientific bee-keeper. September 17, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 423 Another proof that bees are natives of a climate with cold winters is the fact that a colony of bees breed in winter-time, and do this the more the colder the temperature. If a severe temperature in January and February causes a great consumption of honey, we shall find more capped healthy brood than later, after the bees have had a cleansing flight. Whoever examined a colony in such circumstances will never doubt this fact. An insect which in severe weather can breed and can nurse healthy young ones, and for this purpose can raise the temperature fifty or sixty degrees, will remain healthy, using no other food than that stored, disdaining even water, without discharging faeces, is surely created for a cold climate. We again come to this conclusion if we ob- serve the habits of a colony of bees. A single boe is a feeble thing, but a single bee does not winter. A single bee is, in fact, only a part of an organism, and the colony of bees is the animal proper. In this respect alone we could write many articles. If you want to know how insect colonies act which are created for a tropical climate, let me tell you how the so-called sting- less bees do, the melliponpe or trichoptera, and you will find out the difference. — L. Stachel- hausen, Selma, Texas. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Ballynahinch. — The sample of honey sent is of good colour and quality, and will im- prove in brightness if kept for a short time in a warm place, to expel the enclosed air- bubbles. The flavour is excellent. We shall be pleased to have the account you propose to send. Salopian. — It is impossible to dissect bees that are dry and hard. The box came broken, and the two bees out of the paper they were sent in. They were both black queens, and one has evidently been balled, as she has her antennae and legs bitten off. They have shrivelled from being dried up, and would have been much larger when alive. A. W. Edwards. — The two samples of sugar are different, and if you can get a guarantee that they are pure cane you can try them, but we are doubtful about them beiug pure cane. If we had a larger quantity we could tell better. No. 7 is what you should use, and if you and other bee-keepers could club together to get a quantity it would be to your advantage to do so. N. D. (Lincoln). — There is no necessity to use both. SeeB.B.J., p. 401. W. C. Warren. — Alcohol is pure rectified spirits of wine, and is much stronger than the latter. Absolute alcohol is stronger still. Methylated spirit should not be used at all, as it is an impure spirit. The stronger the spirit the less you require to use to dissolve the Naphthol B. We supply one ounce Naphthol Beta for Is., post free. GrssOiV.— 1, 2, and 3. The situation will do very well for the hives. 4. Worker-bees are dying naturally daily, so it is not unusual to find a few dead ones in front of a hive. If large numbei's were dying off it would be abnormal, and we should suspect something wrong. 5. If the seven frames are sealed over on an average of two-thirds of each frame, they would have enough provision for winter if the hives were strong iu bees. Bar-Frame (Sunderland). — Bees Deserting Hive. — The probability is the bees were queenless. If stocks are kept strong there need be no fear of wax-moth. The use of naphthaline is also good for the purpose. W. Barr (Rwell). — Sugar sent appears to be what is called grocers' ' sweepings.' It is not loaf dust ; we should not care to use it for bee-food, unless it is guaranteed as cane sugar, which we doubt its being. F. Jkllico (co. Cork). — No doubt the peculiar flavour arises from the use of the carbolic acil. STEAM FACTORY for ^8cc Jlppltcmce*?. o BDEES addressed J. BOSS, Stranraer, Wig- townshire, N.B., will be attended to. Both the above may now be had at the Office of ' THE BBITISH BEE JOUENAL ' and ' BEE- KEEPEES' EECOBD,' 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C. NAPHTHALINE in packets, 6d. post free. Large packets, containing more than four times the quantity of the smaller ones, Is. post free. NAPHTHOL BETA, Is. a packet, post free. Instructions for use sent with each packet. Special prices for quantities. NOTICE. 2>T O W IR, E .A. ID IT. The 11th Edition of THE BRITISH BEE-KEEPER'S GUIDE-BOOK, By THOS. WM. COWAN, F.L.S., F.G.S., &c. Bevised and enlarged. Almost entirely re-written. Much new matter and many fresh illustrations added. Fcap. 8vo., price Is. M.; or in cloth gilt, 2s. Qd. Postage, 2d. To be had of Houlston & Sons, Paternoster Sq. ; all Hive Dealers, Secretaries of Bee-keepers' As- sociations, and of J. Huckle, British Bee Journal Office, Kings Langley, Herts. THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [September 17, 1891. Special Prepaid Advertisements. *-+-> Situations, Publications, Bee Plants, &c.—Twtlve words and under, Sixpence; for every additional Three words, One Penny. Trade Advertisements not insertcdunder this head. ■age for Bees in Address WANTED.— 1-lb. Sections of Honeycomb, first quality. Prompt Cash. Packages sent. Well-filled Bell Glasses, Frames and Caps purchased. Address Mr. Hurst, Bexhill, Sussex. , 242 "YTTALLFLOWERS will give splendid foraj W Spring. Fifty plants, Is., post fr Norman Parkin, Blakenhall, Wolverhampton. k 83 HEALTHY DRIVEN BEES, Is. 6d. per lb. With Queen, Box, and Packing free. Carriage not paid. Choice Natural-raised 1891 Queens, 2s. Safe , arrival , and Carriage paid. Stamp for reply. Address Holder, Wim- bornc, Dorset. L 12 FOR SALE.— One Hundredweight of beautifully clear New Extracted Honey, in 1 lb. Kcrew-cap Bottles, ready labled. Also several dozen first-class 1-lb. Sections. What offers? Address Thos. Ford, Warborough, near Wallitigford, Berks. lJ^ FOR SALE.— Five Strong Stocks of Bees in Bar-frame Hives, complete, 30s. each. Two Swarms in Skep=, 10s. each. Apply, Rev. E. Davenport, Stourport. l 17 WANTED.— 1 lb. Sections, well-filled and clean, and Extracted Honey. Address Nye & So*s, 1 Western Street, Brighton. L 23 WANTED.— Two 5 lb. lots of Driven Bees, healthy, Carniolans preferred, in Exchange for valuable small foreign Birds, kept in Aviary 12 months. Particulars from 0. Puck, 7 Orchard Street, Walthamstow. l 24 WILL be Sold by Auction, September 30th, at 11 a.m., unless disposed of by Private Contract, at Perry Street Farm, Crayford, Kent. Sixteen excellent Stocks of Bees in mostly new Bar-framed Hives, with Abbott's Cy- inder Extractor, and all Bee-farming Tackle. 1-25 FOR SALE.— Several Strong Stocks in Frame Hives, fed up for winter. Price 20s. each. Address Shep- pard, Derby Road, Woodford, Essex. l 26 HALF-GALLON RAPID FEEDER.— Bees can empty twice daily, and cannot drown. Air-tight from out- side; now extensively used; simplicity itself; best ever introduced. Price, Is. 9d. ; post free, 2s. Address Watson, Warton, Carnforth, Lanes. L 27 FOR SALE.— Twelve Hives of Pure English Bees, 10s. each. Foul brood unknown. Removing. Address Cregoe, Trcdinick, Bodmin. l_28 171 OR SALE.— Choice Young Queens. Black, fertile. ' By return post, 2s. each. Safe arrival guaranteed. Address A. J. Carter, Newfields, Billingshurst, Sussex. l 29 FOR SALE.— Good Extracted Honey, in Neighbour's 1-lb. Honey Glasses, price lis. per dozen ; also a few splendid White Clover Sections, 5s. per half dozen. Ad- dress Coopers Bros., Hadleigh, Suffolk. lSO FOR SALE.— Having had considerable difficulty to obtain suitable Boxes for 1 lb. Sections, and bought larger quantities than required, I shall be pleased to sell at 4s. 6d. per gross, cash with order. AddreES Martin, 4 Woodland Place, Path. I71NGLISH QUEENS, tested, 2s. 6d. each, post free. li Address C. N. Whitf, Somersham, Hunts. THE 'ENGLISH' HIVE, Transferring Season now on. TRY THIS HIVE, it is the best in use, and once used will be always used. No more cutting Quilts necessary, as the Bees can be fed from the side of the Hive. See description in B. B. J., August 6th, 1891, p. 351. Price for Floor-board, Body, and Zinc-covered Boof, 11/6 only. The English Wax Extractor, price 7/6. For particulars apply to A. T. Wilmot, St. Albans. 3149 is the Oldest Es- tablishment in the United King- dom wholly de- voted to Bees and manufacture of Bee-keepers' supplies. His prices will compare most favour- ably with those of any other Maker, while for quality of material, suitability and workmanship, he has no rival. * Why can he give better value for money than others ? ' Because he spends less in large ' puffing ' advertisements, buys in the best markets for prompt cash, has no rent to- pay, and personally conducts his own business. For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's- Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com- bined), which ' contains more practical and reliable hints: than all the large, expensive books,' post free for 2d. stamps- Address S. J. BALDWIN, The Apiary. Bromley, Kent- N.B. — More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and other Prize i, and Testimonials innumerable. THOMAS LANAWAY & SONS, Bee appliance manufacturers AND DEALERS, 26 STATION ROAD, REDHILL. Catalogue post free on application. 2891 J. TREBBLE'S BE1XS HIVES. All Machine-made. My 8/6 COTTAGE HIVE beat all comers. Awarded Seven Prizes this year. Catalogue free on application to J. Trebble, Saw Mills, Komans^ leigh, South Molton. British Bee Journal and Bee-keepers' Record, Office : 17 King William Street, Stband, London, W.C. PURE CANE SUGARS. For the accommodation of Bee-keepers, guaranteed Pure Cane Sugar will be supplied in large or" small quantities through this office at the under- mentioned rates : — MOIST. Neat bags, 14Jbs. 28-lbs. 56-lbs. Cwte.- 3. MUSCOVADO 2/7 5/2 10/- 19/6 CRYSTALLISED. 4. DEMERARA ~) 5. BARBADOS V Crystals 2/9 5/4 10/6 20/6 6. TRINIDAD j REFINED CANE. 7. WHITE CRYSTALS (Small) 3/0 10 11/6 32/6' 8. 9. (Medium and Large pizes, 1/- per Cwt. extra.) 10. LUMP (Cut Loaf) ... Boxes, 3/3 6/3 12/3 2?/6 11. LUMP DUST ... „ 3/ 6/- 11/9 22/3 12. PRESERVING ... „ 3/- 6/- 11/9 22/9 FINE. 13. GRANULATED ... 3/3 6/3 12/3 23/0 14. CASTOR Coarse (15 Fine) 3/9 7/3 14/3 27/91 16. ICING 4/3 8/3 15/9 31/- All above guaranteed made from Cane Sugar only, and free from Beet, Chemicals, etc., etc. Carriage Paid on Orders over 5/0 (or 28-lbs. Sugar) to London and Suburbs. Country Orders, not less than 2-cwt. carriage paid at 1/0 per cwt. extra. (Scotch and Irish orders, special arrangements.) Cash to be sent with order, and purchasers will please observe that if samples are required or" replies asked to inquiries, a stamped addressed envelope must be sent, as we cannot undertake cost of postage. THE fkifak ®» Sntmiai BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. 2*o. 483. Vol. XIX. N.S. 91.] SEPTEMBER 24, 1891. [Published Weekly dfibitorial, ffatixta, $l COUNTY COUNCILS AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN BEE-KEEPING. An announcement which appears this week an our advertising columns, wherein the Lancashire and Cheshire B. K. Association invites applications from gentlemen quali- fied to act as lecturers on bee-keeping, ■marks another distinct step forward in the movement recently inaugurated. It has been intimated to the Association in ques- tion that the Technical Instruction Com- mittee of the Lancashire County Council *has, in response to the application of the L. & C. B. K. A, decided to recommend that a grant of 100/. be made by the Council in •aid of technical instruction in bee-keeping within the county of Lancashire. If, as is hoped, an equally liberal response is made ■by the Cheshire County Council to the Association's application, the executive of the L. & C. B. K. A. will be in a position to deal with the matter in a way likely to yield very satisfactory results. So far as we have TDeen informed, the Associations to which grants have been promised up to the present time are the Essex (50/.), Northants (25/.), Berks (50/.), and Lancashire and Cheshire -(Lancashire Division), 100/. Several other Associations have sent in applications, which are probably receiving consideration in their respective counties, and others will no doubt follow. For the guidance, there- fore, of committees intending to apply for a grant, we would draw attention to the terms on which the money will be voted, as some uncertainty exists on the point, and a rather vague notion appears to prevail as to the powers for dealing with funds bestowed on such Associations as are successful in their application. In the first place, then, it must be borne in mind that the sums voted will not, and -cannot, under the terms of the Act, be forth- with handed over to the executive com- mittee of a Bee Association, to be expenled or dealt with as that body may cho^e. The Association must first expend the money, and show that it has been well spent for the purpose intended. This done, the County Treasurer will recoup the Asso- ciation for its outlay to an extent not ex- ceeding the sum named in each case. Moreover, as we are given to understand, it will be quite irregular to employ the fund, or any part of it, for expert work done in the way of visiting members' apiaries, except such visits are made for public purposes. No doubt, as time passes and experience is gained, the work will develop itself in ways not thought of at present ; but so far the interest seems to concentrate on the employ- ment of public lecturers, who will be en- gaged in travelling from point to point, giving technical instruction in bee-keeping to audiences gathered together at con- venient centres by the efforts of the Asso- ciation employing them. We shall be anxious to know something- further of the scheme resolved on by the Berks Association as shadowed forth by our esteemed correspondent, Mr. Woodley, on page 381 of the B.J. for August 27th, be- cause it appears to us open to question whether it is not exceeding its powers in proceeding as indicated. To ' send out experts to visit every bee-keeper in the county,' who will occupy their time in giving advice to individual bee-keepers according to the orthodox method at present followed, scai'cely meets our view of what is meant by technical instruction in bee-keeping. However, this matter will no doubt be de- finitely decided on ere long, and we draw attention to it only for the purpose of en- joining careful attention to the subject, so that no mistakes be made which will en- danger the chances of pennant nt assistance from t' e county fund. It will be remem- bered that some little time ago a suggested form of application to County Councils was drafted by the Committee of the B.B.K.A., and printed in the B.J. for May 21st last. 426 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [September 24, 1891. We do not know to what extent this form has been utilised by Associations applying for a grant, but we have been favoured with a copy of the form adopted by the Lancashire and Cheshire Association which appears to meet the case admirably. All the salient points of preceding forms have been utilised in it, and some very important ones added. It reads as follows : — 'In making application for a grant towards the work of the Lancashire and Cheshire Bee- keepers' Association, we beg to state that Bee Associations were first commenced in this country by the British (which still continues to be the central Society) in 1874. More than thirty county and district Associations, affiliated to the British, now exist, the Lancashire and Cheshire being founded in 1882. Its object is " the en- couragement, improvement, and advancement of bee-culture in the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire, particularly as a means of bettering the condition of cottagers and the agricultural labouring classes, as well as the advocacy of humanity to that industrious labourer, the honey-bee." ' It carries out this object by means of issuing publications, lectures (during the summer at agricultural and horticultural show's, with prac- tical manipulations of five bees, and in winter in village schoolrooms, &c), expert's work in visit- ing and advising bee-keepers, prizes for the best exhibits of honey, &c. And it is worthy of mention that, whereas a few years ago the Asso- ciation had to apply for leave to lecture and manipulate at shows, the show authorities now ask the Association to visit them in such num- bers that it is often impossible to comply — e.g., the Association was asked this year to be repre- sented at four different shows held on the same date. This proves the high estimation with which the work of the Association is regarded, and its success at the present time. ' The reasons for supporting the work which Bee Associations in this country are doing are numerous and weighty. ' 1. Their value to the artisans living in the outskirts of towns, and to the cottager and labourer. Where competent knowledge of bee- keeping has been acquired, a comparatively small outlay of money and spare time afford in good seasons a pecuniary reward equal to the keeping of a pig, or sometimes even of a cow. ' 2. As a minor economy bee-keeping is as valuable an industry to the country at large as fruit-growing or poultry-raising. The value of honey as a nutritive food is almost equal to cheese, butter, or milk. ' 3. Bees are of the utmost importance in fertilising the blossoms of fruit-trees and in seed-growing. Fruit-growing is becoming more and more a staple industry in Lancashire and Cheshire. ' 4. Tons of honey and beeswax are annually imported into this country from abroad to the value of not less than 50,000£. This large sum could be retained at home if the industry of bee-keeping were stimulated and more widely diffused. _ ' 5. Bee-keeping is recognised by the Educa- tion Department as a subject for teaching and examination in elementary schools. '6._ The leading agricultural societies in Great Britain give bee-keeping a definite place in technical education in agriculture. ' 7. Apiculture has long been admitted among Continental nations as a subject of technical' education. ' Bee-keepers, as a class, are far from wealthy, and their Associations have, therefore, but limited means with which to carry on their work. This is the case with the Lancashire and Cheshire Association, which numbers up- wards of 500 members. A grant in aid of its efforts would enable the Committee to maintain a competent educational lecturer and expert, who would devote his whole time to systemati- cally travelling throughout the district, afford- ing each eligible locality full opportunity of becoming acquainted with the theory and' practice of bee-management, just as dairy schools in Lancashire and Cheshire are impart- ing instruction in improved methods of making cheese and butter. ' A further and most important feature of such an expert's work would be the giving full in- formation, with a view of checking and finally exterminating that virulent but at present little-understood disease called "foul brood," which, in its results amongst bees, is equivalent to pleuro-pneumonia among cattle. From lack of knowledge one infected hive is often the cause of wholesale loss throughout a whole district. 'The Committee of the Lancashire and' Cheshire Bee-keepers' Association estimate that an annual sum of about 350£ is requisite to carry out their work successfully. Towards this they beg for a substantial grant from the County Council, which would be utilised as above stated in the county making the grant.' Here follow the names of the president and the several vice-presidents of the- Association, followed by that of the chair- man of the executive committee. It will be observed that special import- ance is given to the subject of foul brood ; not without good and sufficient reason, for there is no one point in the whole science of bee-keeping in which technical' instruction is so much needed as this. Once enable the bee-keeper to cope success- fully with foul brood and many of the- elements which go to make a successful bee- keeper will follow, because to the woful' ignorance regarding this bee-pest may be- attributed most of the failures now too prevalent. In conclusion, we again advise that care— September 24, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 427 ful attention be given to the manner in which 'grants in aid' are expended in order to keep well within the meaning of the Act, and save complications which are likely to arise if the money is inadvertently misapplied. BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. Committee meeting held at 105 Jermyn Street, on Wednesday, September 16th. Pre- sent: T. W. Cowan (in the chair), Rev. Dr. Bartrum, Hon. and Rev. H. Bligh, Rev. R. Errington, Captain Campbell, J. Garratt, W. H. Harris, W. Lees McClure, and the following ex-officio members, viz., J. M. Hooker, W. B. Carr, Dr. Rayner, and F. H. Meggy. A letter was read from the Rev. F. T. Scott regretting his inability to be present. The Finance Committee reported that the whole of the accounts relating to the Bath and Doncaster Exhibitions were now complete. The Secretary was requested to furnish a comparative state- ment of the cost of these exhibitions with those held in previous years by the date of the next meeting. A letter was read from the Rev. J. L. Seager in reference to the arrangements for holding an examination of candidates at the Bradford Ex- hibition. Resolved : That the same be referred to the Educational Committee. The Chairman reported that the Organizing Secretary of the Educational Committee of the Surrey County Council desired information in reference to bee-keeping in the county. The Secretary was instructed to write to the Surrey Association, asking them to furnish the informa- tion required. The Chairman and Secretary were empowered to make any necessary arrangements for assisting the British Dairy Farmers' Association in the honey department at the annual dairy show. The following recommendations of the North- ern Counties Sub-Committee were considered : — (1) ' That no candidate be passed as an expert unless he be able to detect foul brood, and that those holding certificates be called upon to return them when the time for which they were issued expires, unless they are prepared to pass an ex- amination on the subject of foul brood.' Re- ferred to the Educational Committee for further consideration and report. (2) 'That in asking the County Council for grants in aid, attention should be called to the fact that foul brood is to the bee-keeper what pleuro-pneumonia is to the farmer, and as such it should be compulsory to report it wherever it exists.' It was pointed out that all matters relating to the compulsory reporting of infectious diseases amongst cattle were now dealt with by the Minister of Agriculture, and not by the county authorities as formerly. After further discusuion it was resolved that the Chairman, Mr. McClure, and Mr. W. Broughton Carr be appointed a special Sub-Committee to consider and report thereon. LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE BEE- KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. Alderley Edge and District Branch. The above Branch held its first annual show on the 5th of September, in connexion with Chelford Flower Show, in the beautiful park surrounding the residence of Colonel Dixon, Astle Hall. The show of extracted honey was very good, both in quantity and quality; but the entries for sections were few, owing to the short season and to most of the bee-keepers in the district working for the former. The honey was staged on raised shelves lent by the British Bee-keepers' Association, which added greatly to its effect. Mr. W. B. Webster, the well-known expert, acted as judge, and took charge of the manipu- lations in the bee-tent, which was surrounded by a large audience. Mr. Webster had been making the expert's tour for the Lancashire and Cheshire Bee- keepers' Association in the district, and on the evening before the show a meeting of the members of the district was held in the Con- servative Club, Alderley Edge, to meet him, when, by the request of the local Hon. Sec. (Mr. Schofield), Mr. Webster gave a lecture comprising the three following subjects : — ' Re- queening Small Apiaries,' ' Foul Brood,' and ' Preparing Bees for Winter,' all three of which were most ably dealt with by him. In spite of your valued article on sending honey to shows in the B. B. J. and Record, I am sorry to say several exhibitors at the above show had not profited by it, and some of the honey of two of them was broken in transit. The box with wood divisions and corrugated paper is so simple and easily made, and such a comfort in packing up the honey at the end of the show. List op Awards. Class 1. For the best and largest exhibit of honey from one apiary. — 1st prize, Herbert Bradbury, Mobberley. Class 2. For the best twelve sections. — 1st, R. Waldy, Sutton-on-Derwent ; 2nd, W. G. Groves, Alderley Edge. Class 3. For the best twelve jars of extracted honey. — 1st, E. Broughton, Wilmslow ; 2nd, F. W. Dunsford, Frodsham ; 3rd, Joseph Griffith, Frodsham ; 4th, John Jennings, Warford. Class 4. For the best six sections. — No entries. Class 5. For the best six jars of extracted honey. — 1st, E. Broughton; 2nd, Alfred Jen- nings ; 3rd, Joseph Griffith. BRIDGWATER FLOWER AND HONEY SHOW. At the first show recently held under the auspices of the newly-formed Bridgwater Horti- cultural Society, a department was allotted to the exhibition of honey. A good display was made in the several classes, and the result must 428 THE BRITISH BES JOUKNAL. [September 24, 1891, have been gratifying to the Committee. Mr. Peirce, of North Petherton, was the largest ex- hibitor. Three observatory hives, stocked with bees, were exhibited in competition, and formed a great attraction to the visitors. The flev. 0. G. Anderson, rector of Otter- hampton, acted as judge in the bee department, and his awards gave general satisfaction. The Rev. C. G. Anderson, at the luncheon held subsequently, responded to the toast of ' The Judges,' and in the course of his remarks stated that the portion which he had the honour of judging was remarkably good ; the honey which he had judged that day was of first-rate quality. List of Awards. Division G. — Honey. For the best six 1-lb. sections — 1st prize, R. Addison, North Petherton ; 2nd, W. Peirce, North Petherton ; 3rd, Mr. Withycomb, Bridg- water. For the best three jars extracted honey. — 1st, W. Peirce ; 2nd, Mr. Parker, Bridgwater. For the best glass super of honey. — 1st, W. Peirce ; 2nd, Mr. Withycombe. For the best straw super of honey. — 1st, A. N. Other ; 2nd, Mr. Tucker. For the best observatory hive, with bees. — 1st, Mr. Withycombe ; 2nd, W. Peirce. Special Prizes for Honey. For the best collection of honey in any form. — 1st (given by Mr. W. Thompson), W. Peirce. For the best collection from one apiary. — 1st (given by Mr. J. Withycombe), R. Addison. HEREFORDSHIRE B.K.A. The seventh annual honey fair in connexion with the Herefordshire Bee-keepers' Association was held in the Market Hall, Hereford, on Wednesday, September 9th. There were about twenty-four exhibitors, and the quality of the honey shown was certainly fully up to the average, both as regards that shown in sections and the extracted honey. The honey harvest is reported as an average one, having been very good in the earlier portion, but the bad weather in the latter part of the season having caused a slight falling off in the 'crop.' The honey ex- hibited was, considering this, very good, and a ready sale was experienced at from 1(W. to Is. per pound. The exhibits were judged by Mr. E. J. Burt, of Gloucester, and the general arrangements were superintended by Mr. Alfred Wat-kins, of Hereford, the local secretary of the Association. The following is the prize list :— Best and neatest exhibit of honey, not ex- ceeding 200 lbs.— 1st, J. H. Wootton, Byford ; 2nd, W. Tomkins, Burghill ; 3rd, M. Meadham, Huntington. Open class. Best six 1-lb. jars of extracted honey.— 1st, T.Pritchard, Bucknell; 2nd, J. H. Wootton; 3rd, Miss Marillier, Much Dew- church. Novices' class. Best 6-lb. jars of extracted? honey. — 1st, Miss Wootton. Open class. Best six 1-lb. or three 2-lb. sections of comb honey. — 1st, T. Pritchard -r 2nd, J. Wootton. Novices' class. Best six 1-lb. or three 2-lb.. sections of comb honey. — 1st, Mrs. Blaskill,. Bridge Sollars ; 2nd, Miss Stillingfleet, Holmeiv For the best single super, not being a sectional super. — 1st, W. Smith, Thinghill; 2nd, W. Tomkins. Best exhibit of honey in any shape, taken without killing the bees, and shown by a bond- fide cottager. — 1st, James Owens, Upperton ;; 2nd, Mrs. Trupp, King's Thorne. WIGTOWNSHIRE APIARIAN ASSOCIATION. The annual show was held in Queen's Hall,. Stranraer, on Friday, September 4th. The show was a great success throughout, the entries by far exceeding those of any former year. The first and second prizes in the three-pound jar competition were carried off by Mr. J. D.. McNally, now residing in County Down, Ireland. This class was the chief attraction. McNally carried off the palm with the same samples at Castle Douglas on the previous Thursday. The classes for sections, supers, and heather honey were, on account of the unfavourable season,', not up to those of former years. A special prize for a well-filled and finished bell-glass of honey was awarded to Mrs. McDouall. Praise- is due to the Hon. Secretary, the Rev. J. B. Robertson, Leswalt Manse, for the zeal and energy displayed in connexion with the annual show. The Judges were Mr. William Wilson, Dumfries, and Mr. R. McNally, Longforthr Glenluce. The latter gentleman did not judge "in those classes where his brother was an ex- hibitor, and his place was taken by Mr. John Muir, Castle Kennedy. The awards of the Judges gave general satisfaction. Mr. Ross,, of the Stranraer Reformatory, exhibited a great variety of bee-appliances. The following is the prize list : — Best six 1-lb. sections. — 1st prize, James- Wither, Lochans ; 2nd, Mrs. McDouall, Logan ;. 3rd, John D. McNally, Laurieston, co. Down. Best six 1-lb. sections of heather honey. — No- first prize awarded ; 2nd and 3rd, John Gallo- way, Garvilland, Glenluce. Best three 1-lb. jars of extracted honey. — 1st and 2nd, J. D. McNally ; 3rd, Mrs. McDouall j. 4th, John Craig, Logan. Best three 1-lb. glass jars of extracted heather honey. — 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, John Galloway. Best six 1-lb. glass jars of granulated honey.. — 1st, John Craig ; 2nd, James Fleming, Castle Kennedy ; 3rd, William Agnew, Lochryan Hall. Best super of clover honey under 8 lbs. — - 1st, James Milne, Castle Kennedy; 2nd, W. H.. McDowall, Kirkcowan. Best super of heather honey under 8 lbs.— W. H. McDowall. Best sample of beeswax. — James Fleming. September 24, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 429 Cottagers' Classes {confined to Wigtownshire). Best super of honey. — 1st, Wm, Gray, Pin- wherry; 2nd, John Craig; 3rd, Wm. Carson, Glenluce. Best six 1-lb. sections of honey. — 1st, John Craig; 2nd, Wm. Muir, Kirkcowan; 3rd, Alex. Rodie, Logan Mill. Best three 1-lb. glass jars of run or extracted honey. — 1st (and timepiece presented by the Rev. A. D. Watson), Miss Bessie Derrick, Lochans ; 2nd, Wm. Grieg, Mahaar ; 3rd, Wm. Gray ; 4th, Alex. Rodie. Extra class. — Mrs. McDouall. SHOW AT EDINBURGH. An international flower show was held in Edinburgh on 9th, 10th, and 11th September, under the auspices of the Caledonian Horticul- tural Association. It was much the largest flower show ever held in Scotland, and one of the largest ever seen in Britain. Every part of the Waverley Market was filled with a magnificent display of flowers and fruit. It had been hoped that the society would have worked with the newly formed S. B. K. A. in organizing a honey display, but the arrangements had all been com- pleted before the S. B. K. A. was formed, and it was impossible to alter them. There were, however, several liberal prizes given for honey, and the classes were mostly well filled. In opening the exhibition, Viscount Melville, him- self a member of the S. B. K. A., referred to the presence of honey in the show, and said he hoped that at future shows this part would be better developed. Unfortunately, the space assigned to honey was such that it was impossible to stage it so that it could be well seen. There were five entries for a display, all good. The appearance of the first-prize display was somewhat marred by some jars of very dark honey, but it consisted almost entirely of beautiful clover honey. In Mr. Roebuck's display there were several honey designs of great merit, but the display was put up in a corner where it was not well seen. The class for twenty sections of flower honey was a very strong one ; the second-prize lot in this class were, except in the matter of get-up, the finest in the show. There was only one entry for heather honey, some badly finished sections of honey of a poor consistency : no prize was awarded to it. Heather honey is generally the most interesting feature at this show, and every one was sorry not to see any, but its absence was, in part, made up for by the very high quality of the flower honey shown. The judges were Mr. Chouler, Dalkeith Park, and Mr. Murray, Culgean. All of their awards met with general approval. The prize list is as follows : — Best display of flower honey. — 1st prize, James Learmont, Balmaghie, Castle Douglas; 2nd, S. Roebuck, Traqueer Cottages, Dumfries ; 3rd,_W. Birrell, Bridgend, Perth. Finest 20 lbs. of flower honey in sections. — 1st, James Learmont ; 2nd, John M'Creath, Dumfries; 3rd, S. Reebuck. Finest super of flower honey, in wood or straw, not under 10 lbs. — 1st, Peter Main, Avondale, Polmont ; 2nd, Mrs. Chisholm, Traqueer Cot- tages, Dumfries; 3rd, W. Jardine, Dumfries. Finest super of flower honey, any weight. — 1st, J. M'Creath; 2nd, S. Roebuck; 3rd, W. Jardin. Finest wax not exceeding 10 lbs. — 1st, Richard Cairns, Dalkeith Gardens ; 2nd, W. Birrell : 3rd, Peter Robertson, Jedburgh. An observatory hive, any pattern, stocked with bees and their queen. — 1st, Richard Cairns, Dalkeith Gardens ; 2nd, James Hawthorn, Mof- fat Cemetery. €axxtsij}Qvfomtz. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible or the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will he taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are requested to write on one side oj the paper only, and gi:e their real names and addresses, not necessarily for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, ic, must be addressed only to 'The Editors of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King Willian Street, Strand, London, W.C All business communications relating to Advertisements, &c, must be addressed to Hr. J. Huckle, King sLangley, Herts (see 1st page of Advertise- ments). *»* In order to facilitate reference, Correspondents, whi n speaking of any letter or query -previously inserted, will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well as the page on which it appears. NOTES BY THE WAY. [780.] The week following my last notes was a grand one for the farmer, and all went merry as wedding bells ; but the past week has been unsettled, and very little corn has been gathered into the garner. The apiary during the previous week was in harmony with the weather, and some foraging amongst the late flowers was secured, and in some favoured localities, where mustard is sown to plough in for the wheat crop, a considerable quantity of stores was gathered. Here we have only a sparse sprink- ling of wild mustard (charlock) amongst the root crops, so that our bees could not net a large amount. Our Berkshire Association has during the past week had four experts on tour, on the ' wheel,' among the bee-keepers, viz., Messrs Fewtrel, Flood, A. D. Woodley, and Webster These experts have been, as I intimated in a previous note, enumerating the bee-keepers in the county, calling on each one, and tabulating the number of his stocks, the output for the year, and other interesting data. No doubt their ex- periences have been unique when they have chanced to come across a real old-fashioned bee- keeper, and I am sorry to say there are very many who still follow the barbarous method of smothering their bees at the end of the season to secure the honey crop. The bar-frame hive has still to be introduced to the country bee- keeper in the remote villages and sequestered hamlets of our county. In and near the towns the bar-frame hive predominates ; but get a few 430 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [September 24, 1*9 1. miles out and the cottager is still in blissful ignorance of the same, and where you find one with some slight knowledge of it, others still look on the same as some ' new-fangled notion ' which they do not understand, and which they do not feel inclined to adopt, remarking some- what after this manner, ' Well, maister, what you says about 'em is all very well, but I do not see as they'll benefit the loikes o' I.' But must we relax our efforts because some old-time, stand-still old fogey sees things in that light ? The thicker the jungle, the more we must wrestle with difficulties; the more dense the ignorance, the greater the need of light and knowledge to clear it away. Therefore we must forge right ahead, and if we cannot reform and reclaim the older members of bee-keepers, we must begin at the beginning with the growing intelligences, and teach the growing generation the better way of bee-keeping. And this brings me to the recent development of our County Council in the matter of ' Technical Education.' This development will enable us to make greater efforts as an Association to bring our craft to the notice of the public, and also call attention to the work we are doing in trying to teach a more profitable way of keeping bees, and prove conclusively that, though our industry is of a minor kind, yet it is one in which a great num- ber can join without infringing on the rights or domain of his neighbour ; also one from which a better return can be expected than any other of the minor industries. Sale of Members' Produce. — This is a matter that should be kept in view by any society existing for the benefit of its members, and this branch of the Berks Association has been well kept to the front. I have always contended that the sale of the honey produced in the bar-frame hive (generally in sections) would prove the greatest inducement to the bee-keeper to adopt the modern hive, and also to become and continue a member of the Association. Every one who is conversant with village life must know that the cottager cannot dispose of his honey locally in the comb, and to break up the beautiful combs and run the honey into stone crocks or pots, and sell the same for sixpence per pound is not likely to commend itself to the new recruit to the modern system ; therefore, any Association that provides a channel whereby the cottager can place his honey on the market without the trouble and expense of preparing it for the London market — a matter often bej-ond the capabilities of the village apiarian — I say that Association is filling a large measure of usefulness. — W. Woodley, World's End, Neiobury. not weak, nor was the extent of the mischief so bad as to discourage us from attempting a cure, spite of the risk to adjacent stocks. The treatment was as follows: — First, we cut out many of the diseased cells, dropping in formic acid into the cavities ; suspended a cotton cloth saturated with formic acid on a frame at the rear of the hive ; wedged camphor cake at entrance, and distributed camphor in the hive on floor-board and between shoulders of frames; then covering up with impervious quilts. A week later we cut out more diseased cells, and repeated above treatment. At the end of another week I put on the floor of the hive the small piece of naphthaline which you were good enough to give me ; but the weather at the time was unfavourable to an examination, and the hive was left for about three weeks. Yesterday, on a very careful inspection of every frame, not a trace of the disease was visible. There were unsealed grubs of that plump, pearly appearance one likes to see, and the sealed brood looked as well as it is possible to desire. The stock looked strong and active, and, so far as we can see, the disease has been vanquished, but this the winter will con- clusively prove. We shall now feed with syrup containing the prescribed dose of Naphthol Beta, and I hope when spring returns I may have the pleasure of sending you a further favourable report. During most of the time that the hive has been under treatment the weather has been unfavourable — wet, with low temperature. I send you these particulars, thinking they may interest you and the readers of your Journal. — E. D. Till, Eynsford, Kent. COKING FOUL BROOD. [781.] About six weeks since a neighbour of mine, a member of the Kent B. K. Council, drew my attention to a hive that had been neglected at Farningham, in which there were seven out of its ten frames with distinct evidence of foul brood. The usual filthy smell followed the .opening of each diseased cell ; but the stock was BEE-HOUSES. [782.] In your Journal of March 19th, 1891 (page 141 , and No. 586), you inserted a letter of mine together with a drawing of a bee-house which I had used for some little time. I need not, I think, enter into particulars, but this bee- house holds two hives, and it gives me a better acquaintance with what takes place immediately outside the bee-hive entrances than most bee- keepers possess. The entrances to the two hives in each bee- house, though practically quite separate from one another, are immediately under the eye of an observer ; but by pulling out a perforated zinc slide the bees have simply to walk sixteen or eighteen inches to get into the opposite hive. It may be interesting to your readers if I give a short account of what took place on the 11th of August last, in joining the two hives. In order to explain, I will call the hives Nos. 1 and 2. No. 2 was a weak hive, and con- sisted of one body-box, containing nine frames. No. 1 was stronger, and held two body-boxes and eighteen frames, one on the top of the other. I wished to join No. 1 to No. 2; this was done in the middle of the day when the bees were flying freely. The hive No. 2 was tern- September 24, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 431 porarily moved from its place. A slide was put in so as to prevent the bees belonging to No. 1 hive from getting into their hive, and the lower half of No. 1 hive was put into the place of No. 2 ; a little syrup was sprinkled into it with a watering-can ; No. 2 hive was placed on the top, and the upper half of No. 1 hive was placed above — the total containing three body-boxes with twenty-seven frames. In the meantime the No. 1 bees were coming home, and were crowding the entrance to No. 1 hive. The division between the two entrances was pulled out, and the No. 1 bees, finding their queen removed, and their own hive entrance shut, walked across to their own hive, sixteen or eighteen inches away. The No. 2 bees were also there, but they mixed without any fighting, and after some hours of excitement, as if neither lot of bees liked to go in, they finally, by even- ing, all went in. One of the reasons why I think they did not fight was that both lots of bees were full of honey, and another reason in my opinion is, that when bees walk to one another in that way, there is much less disposi- tion to tight than if they fly to one another. The No. 1 bees at first, for two or three days, came to their own old hive entrance and tried to get in. After that time they simply took a short cut across to their new entrance, but in gradually diminished numbers, and yesterday I counted only two per minute, while 100 or 200 were going directs. The No. 1 bees had invari- ably gone direct. Probably the great bulk of the bees alive and flying on August 11th, are now dead, and the young ones only remain. These would never use the, to them, old entrance. The number of bees using the old entrance has ■diminished very much in the last week. Another reason why I think the bees did not fight, was that, being so close to one another, and divided only by a perforated zinc slide, they got acquainted with smell of their neigh- bours. In moving bees, and joining in the ordinary way, I think there must be a great many bees which lose their way, or get into other hives by mistake, and perhaps perish. I think with this arrangement, as long as the bees join with- out fighting, none are lost, and so far I have never seen fighting. The weather here has been very fine and hot for the last few days, and bees on the heather will be doing well. My bees, though a few hundred yards from heather, never do much, but the ground is wet and the heather old. — McC, Annan, September 2fmtos in €mm. October 13th to 16th.— British B.K.A , in connexion with the Dairy Show at the Royal Agricultural Hall, London. All open classes. Entries closed. For schedules apply to Wm. C. Young, Sec, 191 Fleet Street, London. HINTS. The American Apiculturist says : — ' Remove surplus honey from the hives as soon as well capped. This will preserve its snow-white colour. The longer it is left on the hive the darker it will be, as the bees find some way to discolour the capping.' — ' When bees swarm out of season, it is generally caused by superseding the queen. If there is trouble with the queen the bees commence to construct cells, and, when capped, usually a swarm issues with the old queen. In some cases the young queen, as soon as she hatches, is allowed to destroy the old one, when no swarm will issue.' PUNIC (?) BEES. In the Revista Apicola, published in Minorca, we find the following about the so-called Punic bees : — ' An American journal publishes a notice of this variety of bees, calling them " the most marvellous bees in the world." So far as we are able to make out, this much-vaunted variety is none other than what we call the Minorcan bee. It probably comes to us from the north of Africa, hence its history.' 'Lateh. — Since writing the above, we notice in the London British Bee Journal th&t a Yankee apiculturist offers for sale queens of the Punic variety (are we to see here an allusion to the proverbial faithlessness of the Carthagenians ?) at five pounds sterling each ! ' Another dealer of the same enterprising sec- tion of the Anglo-Saxon race, a certain Mr. Pratt — we must not omit his name, for surely he has a good chance of being immortalised — asks only the modest sum of eighty pesos — or 400 pesetas (16/.). This is practically giving them away ! ' CLEANING UP EMPTY COMBS. Having about a thousand empty combs from which the honejr had been extracted, we were desirous of having them cleaned up quickly and put away into the comb closet for the winter, but the bees seemed to think there was no hurry, at any rate they were provokingly slow. The combs were hung in supers and put on top of the hives, and tiered up four and five high, but as a little honey was coming in, it being the latter part of September, the bees would collect the cleanings in the central combs of each super, leaving only the outer combs dry. Finally a large box was procured that would hold four or five dozen Langstroth frames in two tiers. This was set in the rear of a colony and connected with the hive by a tin tube an inch and a half in diameter, and about eight inches long. The box was hung full of combs and covered with a heavy cotton cloth, a board cover to keep out rain being propped up several inches above the cloth. The bees seem to think : ' Well, this is somebody else's storehouse we have got into, and we'll just take what we can get and carry it home.' At any rate, they cleaned up ex- 446 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL, [October 1,' 1891. tractor combs and unfinished sections very rapidly. The tin tubes are readily made from old fruit cans by unsoldering the joints and rolling the tin about a round stick. They should be a little over size, so that when compressed and put in the holes they will spring out and fit tightly. We prefer the large box to a stack of supers, as it will hold sections either loose or in the racks, or cappings in shallow boxes, or anything from which we want honey cleaned off by the bees. Two or three of these ' clean-ups ' make quick work of the usual fall job of putting away empty combs for the winter. The arrangement is due to the ingenuity of Mr. M. L. Williams— Pelham & Williams, Maysville, Ky., July loth, 1891. — Bee-keepers' Revieio. NATURAL HISTORY FROM THE CLASSICS.* Bees. Although of bees, ye know full well, The Roman poet sings, It seems to me that Virgil's bees Were most peculiar things. Under a spreading olive-tree His apiary did stand; His bees — of course, Italian bees — Each had a golden band. Some few Cecropian bees— but still, Whatever be their strain, Such bees have ne'er been seen before, Nor ever will again. Before them flowed a trickling stream, Whereat the bees did drink ; But frequently they tumbled in When sipping at the brink. They lived upon Narcissus' tears (So he, at least, believes) ; Their young they found, poor little dears ! Upon the tender leaves. For six or seven years these bees Did carry on their freaks ; But modern bees — 'tis strange, but true — Live six or seven weeks. In winter-time their life extends, At most, for half a year ; In summer-time, they work so hard, That Orcus soon draws near. Such warlike bees his used to be, They quite enjoyed a fight ; While Virgil U3ed to ' contemplate ' This elevating sight. The bees, all eager for the fray, Keep sharpening their stings, Until the monarch led the way— For Virgil's bees had kings. * Written for the British Bee Journal. And hotly did the battle rage, Until the royal bee The ' spolia opima ' won, And then went home to tea. But in his hives both newts and moths And lizards used to nap ; Poor man ! he sadly needed, too, A ' Demon ' beetle-trap. His cook once burnt some lobster sauce, And, as you may suppose, The smell of burning lobster sauce Offended Virgil's nose. But worse than that, it killed the beea, And Virgil in hi3 grief Denounced both cook and lobster sauce, Thenceforth to live on beef. He told the cook he didn't like This lobster-burning plan ; To us he says, ' Don't burn red crabs,' For 'lobsters' wouldn't scan. So then he went, and from the herd He fetched a mighty steer, And hung it in the stable yard (There was a wasps' nest near). And very soon the wasps found out, And came there by the score ; Hurrah ! thought Virgil, this will help To fill up Georgic IV. It seemed to him that every day The wasps came more and more ; And so he said ' that bees were bred From putrid oxen's gore.' But whether all he said was right 'Tis not polite to ask ; No doubt poetic licences Have glorified his task. Long live the Roman poet's works ! Long live the Georgics three ! Long live the Fourth ! and last, not least, Long live the honey-bee. H. E. W. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. Letters or queries asking for addresses o) manufacturers or correspon lents, or where appliances can be purchased, or replies giving such information, can only be inserted as advertisements. The space devoted to letters, queries, and replies, is meant for the general good of bee-keepers, and not for advertisements. We wish our Correspondents to bear in mind that, as it is necessary for us to go to press in advance of the date of issue, queries cannot always be replied to in the issue immediately following the receipt of their com- munication. All queries forwarded will be attended to, and those only of personal interest will be answered in this column. Philip J. Ash (Ruthin). — Extracting Heather Honey. — The ordinary cylinder extractor is quite useless for extracting heather honey. Some such press as the ' Raitt ' is required. J. Pelly (Wexford). — Distance Bees will go to Heather. — It is quite possible the bees travelled three miles if the heather was abundant at that distance. October 1, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 447 T. James. — The sample of honey sent is excellent in every respect. W. Faulkner (Leamington Spa). — The aroma of honey is peculiar, but, excepting for the minty flavour of ' lime ' honey, we cannot detect any other characteristic. J. Quartekmain. — Of the varieties of heather JS'o. 1 is Erica cinerea; 2, Calluna vulgaris ; 3, Erica tetralix. Your robber-preventing entrance is ingenious. Wm. Goi>geon. — We doubt the sugar sent being pure cane. Will your grocer guarantee it ? There is no need to use lump sugar; white crystals will do as well. J. A. A. (Kesh). — Renewing combs in brood nest. — 1. If sugar sent is guaranteed pure cane it will do very well. 2. Combs should be re- newed as often as they become more or less foul and dirty from any cause. If well kept, they may answer well for four or five years, or even longer. 3. If combs want changing, the present is a good time to give combs of honey such as you name. Kerry (Marlborough). — Write to the firm and make your complaint. If their reply is not satisfactory forward it to us. If the sugars sent are guaranteed pure cane, either will do for bee-feeding. South Devon should observe the rule. Far North. — The honey sent is very fair in quality, but hardly up to exhibition form. It has an odour of peppermint — not quites itsown, we think — which spoils it for show purposes. The pieces of naphthaline — of which we re- commend that two be inserted in each hive for winter — should be about three-eighths or half an inch square. Your other suggestions are noted elsewhere J. C. (Middleborough). — Comb sent is badly affected with foul brood. NOTICE. mHE COMMITTEE of the LANCASHIRE 1 AND CHESHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION require the Services of a Practical Bee-keeper (who will have to be specially approved by the Committee of the British Bee-keepers' Association), to deliver LECTURES in various districts of Lan- cashire, to be paid out of the grant of c£100 recommended for this purpose by the Technical Instruction Committee of the Lancashire County Council. Applicants should state terms of remu- neration required, and address The Rev. J. F. Buckler, Bidston Rectory, Birkenhead. THE 'ENGLISH' HIVE. Transferring Season now on. TRY THIS HIVE, it is the best in use, and once used will be always used. No more cutting Quilts necessary, as the Bees can be fed from the side of the Hive. See description in B. B. J., August Gth, 1891, p. 351. Price for Floor-board, Body, and Zinc-covered Roof, 11/G only. The English Wax Extractor, price 7/6. For particulars apply to A. T. Wilmot, St. Albans. 3119 THIRTEENTH EDITION. COOK'S MANUAL OF THE APIARY. New and Enlarged Edition. CONTAINING 220 ILLUSTRATIONS. Published at 6s. Reduced to 5s., Post Free. J. Hcckle, British Bee Journal Office, Kings Langley, Herts. BEESWAX: Its Economical Uses and Conversion into Money. By J. DENNLER, Author of ' Honey as Food,' * Honey and its U3es,' &e. Translated from the German, and Edited by THOS. W. COWAN, Editorof the' British Bee Journal.' Illustrated, price 3Jd., Post Free. 'Bee Journal Office,' Kings Lanoley, Herts. NAPHTHALINE -a.:et:d NAPHTHOL BETA. Both the above may now be had at the Office of « THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL ' and ' BEE- KEEPERS' RECORD,' 17 Kino William Street, Strand, London, W.C. NAPHTHALINE in packets, Qd. post free. Large packets, containing more than four times the quantity of the smaller ones, Is. post free. NAPHTHOL BETA, Is. a packet, post free. Instructions for use sent with each packet. Special prices for quantities. INTOW IR, IE J^JD^ZT. 21st Thousand. THE BRITISH BEE-KEEPER'S GUIDE-BOOK. By THOS. WM. COWAN, F.L.S., F.G.S., &c. Revised and enlarged. Almost entirely re-written. Much new matter and many fresh illustrations added. Fcap. 8vo., price Is. 6d.; or in cloth gilt, 2s. Gd. Postage, 2d. To be had of Houlston & Sons, Paternoster Sq. ; all Hive Dealers, Secretaries of Bee-keepers' As- sociations, and of J. Huckle, British Bee Journal Office, Kings Langley, Herts. THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [October 1, 1891. Special Prepaid Advertisements. Situations, Publications, Bee Plants, die. — Twelve words and under, Sixpence; for every additional Three words, One Penny. Trade Advertisements not insertedunder this head. WANTED.— 1-lb. Sections of Honeycomb, first quality. Prompt Cash. Packages sent. Well-filled Bell Glasses, Frames and Caps purchased. Address Mr. Hurst, Bexhill, Sussex. 242 HALF-GALLON RAPID FEEDER.— Bees can empty twice daily, and cannot drown. Air-tight from out- side ; now extensively used ; simplicity itself ; best ever introduced. Price, Is. 9d. ; post free, 2s. Address Watson, Warton, Carnforth, Lanes. L 27 FOR SALE. — Having had considerable difficulty to obtain suitable Boxes for 1 lb. Sections, and bought larger quantities than required, I shall be pleased to sell at 4s. 6d. per gross, cash with order. Address Martin, 4 Woodland Place, Eath. WANTED.— Honey in bulk for Cash. Deposit System. Address The Melton Sauce and Pickle Company, Limited, Melton Mowbray. l 30 FOR SALE. — Clover Hoeny, 10s. per dozen Sections on rail. Also Blow's Wax Extractor and Boiler, 10s. Address H. Lander, Wadebridge. l 31 T SMITH & Co., 17 Cambridge Street, W., are open . to purchase Honey Sections, 4£ x 4J x 2, of best quality only. l 31 FOR SALE. — Several thousandLimnanthes. Best Spring flower for Bees. 200 Plants for Is. Address G. Edlington, Lyng Place, Brigg, Lincolnshire. l 35 FOR SALE.— Healthy Driven Bees, Is. 3d. per lb. Pack- ing box, 6d. Young Queens, Is. 6d. each. Address E. Garner, Broom, near Biggleswade, Beds. l 36 FOR SALE.— Five prime Stocks of Black Bees. Two in new Bar- frame Hives, three in Skeps. Strong, healthy, and in good condition for Winter. Free on rail, Reigate, Surrey. For particulars apply to C. T. Overton, The Apiaries, Crawley, Sussex. l 37 SPECIAL NOTICE.— Cheap Crocus, 7s. and 8s. 6d. per 1000 ; per 100, 9d. and Is. Order at once (scarce). Address W. Willis, Elm Dene, Leicester Road, Coventry. L38 A FEW SKEPS of Pure English Bees for immediate disposal. No reasonable offer refused. Removing. Address Cregor Fredinick, Bodmin. L 39 FOR SALE. — Healthy Driven Bees and Queens, as ad- vertised last week. Address Holden, Wimborne, Dorset. l 40 WANTED.— One Hundredweight of Sections, and Four Hundredweight of Extracted Honey. Sample and price to W. T. Garnett, Bee-keeper, Sheffield. i 41 FOR SALE, in consequence of other engagements. — Twenty-five Stocks of English Bees in three-story Frame Hives, fully provisioned for Wintering, with three Sets of worked-out Combs, Frames of Excluder Zinc, Wood Feeders, &c, Can stand till Spring if desired. What offers for the whole, or any part P Apply to J. Greensill, Great Wyrley, Walsall, Staffs. l 42 OFFERS WANTED for thirteen dozen of Honey in 1-lb. Sections, also four dozen in 1-lb. Glass Jars, good quality. Address S. Fooks, Briantspuddle, Puddle- town, Dorset. l 43 FOR SALE.— Seven Stocks of Bees in Bar-frame Hives, 15s. each. Address George Webb, North Nibley, near Dursley, Gloucestershire. l 44 I AM uniting Nuclei, and can send Fine 1891 Fertile Queens, per return post, 2s. fid. each. Safe arrival guaranteed. Address Chas. Whiting, Valley Apiary, Hundon, Clare, Suffolk. l 45 FOR SALE.— A Strong Stock of Bees in Bar-frame Hive, 18s. Also one in Skep, 10s. 6d. Carriage paid. Address H. Nasbet, Junr., Parson's Street, Banbury. l46 UIDE TO SUCCESSFUL BEE-KEEPING, post free 4}d. Address C. N. White, Somersham, Hunts. is the Oldest Es- tablishment in the United King- dom wholly de- voted to Bees and BALDWIN'S manufacture of Bee-keepers' supplies. His prices will compare most favour- ably with those of any other Maker, while for quality of material, suitability and workmanship, he has no rival. ' Why can he give better value for money than others ? * Because he spends less in large ' puffing ' advertisements, buys in the best markets for prompt cash, has no rent to pay, and personally conducts his own business. For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's Bee-keepers' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com- bined), which ' contains more practical and reliable hints than all the large, expensive books,' post free for 2d. stamps. Address 8. J. BALDWIN, The Apiary, Bromley, Kent. N.B. — More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable. THOMAS LANAWAY & SONS, Bee appliance manufacturers AND DEALERS, 26 STATION ROAD, REDHILL. Catalogue post free on application. 2891 STEAM FACTORY for ^8cc Itppltcmce*?. ORDERS addressed J. ROSS, Stranraer, Wig- townshire, N.B., will be attended to. British Bee Journal and Bee-keepers' Record. Office : 17 King William Steeet, Steand, London, W.O. PURE CANE SUGARS. Fob the accommodation of Bee-keepers, guaranteed Pure Cane Sugar will be supplied in large or small quantities through this office at the under- mentioned rates : — MOIST. Neat bags, 14-lbs. 28-lbs. 56-lbs. Cwts. 3. MUSCOVADO 2/7 5/2 10/- 19/6 CRYSTALLISED. 4. DEMERARA •) 5. BARBADOS V Crystals 2/9 5/4 10/6 20/6 6. TRINIDAD j REFINED CANE. 7. WHITE CRYSTALS (Small) 3/0 5/10 11/6 22/6 8. 9. (Medium and Large sizes, 1/- per Cwt. extra.) 10. LUMP (Cut Loaf) ... Boxes, 3/3 6/3 12/3 23/6 11. LUMP DUST ... „ 3/ 6/- 11/9 22/9 12. PRESERVING ... „ 3/- 6/- 11/9 22/9 FINE. 13. GRANULATED ... 3/3 6/3 12/3 23/9 14. CASTOR Coarse (15 Pine) 3/9 7/3 14/3 27/9 16. ICING 4/3 8/3 15/9 31/- All above guaranteed made from Cane Sugar enly, and free from Beet, Chemicals, etc., etc. Carriage Paid on Orders over 5/0 (or 28-lbs. Sugar) to London and Suburbs. Country Orders, not less than 2-cwt. carriage paid at 1/0 per cwt. extra. (Scotch and Irish orders, special arrangements.) Cash to be sent with order, and purchasers will please observe that if samples are required or replies asked to inquiries, a stamped addressed envelope must be sent, as we cannot undertake cost of postage. THE BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 485. Vol. XIX. N.S. 93.] OCTOBER 8, 1891. [Published Weekly. tentorial, Ifoiias, <$*♦ HOME-MADE APPLIANCES. It is, to us, always a sign of a man's apt- ness for bee-keeping, as well as an en- couraging augury of his ultimate success in the pursuit, when he takes kindly to mak- ing at least the more simple of his appli- ances at home. But, except where there is a natural talent for joiner- work, and the amateur can use his tools with some degree ■of expertness, we do not advise that the bee-keeper should go in for home-made ihives and the more important of his appli- ances at all. Accuracy of fit and good workmanship are of too much importance dn bee-work to render it desirable that the use of rough home-made hives should be ■encouraged ; besides, really well - made articles, to suit all tastes and purses, are ■now so easily obtainable that few are de- barred from possessing a few good hives if ■they desire such. We contend that if the district in which bees are kept, combined with the necessary management requisite rice to W. T. Garnett, Bee-keeper, Sheffield. x. 41 WANTED.— One or ,Two Hundredweight of Extracted English Honey. First qaality; prompt Cash ; De- posit System. Address R. Chapman, Newton Kettering, Northamptonshire. WILL EXCHANGE 15 to 20 Stocks of Bees for Useful Quiet Horse to run in Light Cart. Sixty Stocks to •choose from. Address W. Pryor, Breach Wood Green, Whitwell, Welwyn, Herts. OR SALE. — Six Hives of Bees with Honey. Apply ' Apis,' Mr. Rue, Wensum Street, Norwich. F BEE SMOKE ! ! — Use the P. C. C. Cartridges. Once used, always used. Sample, 1 Dozen fiee, Is. Ad dress Thompson & Norris, Manufacturing Co. Limited- 37 and 39 Britannia Row, Essex Road, London, N. l 4» : 7 GUIDE TO SUCCESSFUL BEE-KEEPING, post free 4$d. Address C. N. White, Somersham, Hunts. HONEY BOTTLES. Good Clear Glass, packed, and free on Rail. 1-lb., 7s. 6cf. per gross; J-gross, 4s. 2-lb., 10s per gross ; ^-gross, 5s. 6d. Several Abbott's Spring Travelling Crates, for 1 doz. Sections, 2s. each. Enamelled Metal Section Cases, glazed, 18s. gross. J. B. Flatman, 40 Pevensey Ed., Eastbourne. 3133 THIRTEENTH EDITION. COOK'S MANUAL OF THE APIARY. New and Enlarged Edition. CONTAINING 220 ILLUSTRATIONS. Published at 6s. Reduced to 5s., Post Free. J. Huckle, British Bee Journal Office, Kings Langley, Herts. BEESWAX: Its Economical Uses and Conversion into Money. By J. DENNLEJR, Author op * Honey as Food,' ' Honey and its Uses,' &c. Translated from the German, and Edited by THOS. W. COWAN, Editor of the 'British Bee Journal.' Illustrated, price 3Ad., Post Free. 'Bee Journal Office,' Kings Langley, Herts. is the Oldest Es- tablishment in the United King- dom wholly de- voted to Bees and BALDWIN'S manufacture of Bee-keepers' supplies. His prices will compare most favour- ably with those of any other Maker, while for quality of material, suitability and workmanship, he has no rival. ' Why can he give better value for money than others ? * Because he spends less in large ' puffing ' advertisements, buys in the best markets for prompt cash, has no rent to pay, and personally conducts his own business. For prices and full particulars of Goods see Baldwin's Bee-keepere' Instructor (and Illustrated Catalogue com- bined), which ' contains more practical and reliable hints than all the large, expensive books,' post free for 2d. stamps. Address S. J. BALDWIN The Apiary, Bromley, Kent. N.B. — More than 500 Silver and Bronze Medals, First and other Prizes, and Testimonials innumerable. THE 'ENGLISH' HIVE. Transferring Season now on, TRY THIS HIVE, it is the best in use, and once used will be always used. No more cutting Quilts necessary, as the Bees can be fed from the side of the Hive. See description in B. B. J., August 6th, 1891, p. 351. Price for Floor-board, Body, and Zinc-covered Koof, 11/6 only. The English Wax Extractor, price 7/6. For particulars apply to A. T. Wilmot, St. Albans. 3149 British Bee Journal and Bee-keepers' Record. Office : 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C. PURE CANE SUGARS. For the accommodation of Bee-keepers, guaranteed Pure Cane Sugar will be supplied in large or small quantities through this office at the under- mentioned rates : — MOIST. Neat bags, 14-lbs. 28-lbs. 56-lbs. Cwts. 3. MUSCOVADO 2/7 5/z 10/- 19/6 4. DEMERARA. 5. BARBADOS 6. TRINIDAD CRYSTALLISED. I Crystals 2/9 5/4 REFINED CANE. 10/6 20/6 7. WHITE CRYSTALS (Small) 3/0 5/10 11/6 22/6 8, 9. (Medium and Large sizes, 1/- per Cwt. extra.) 10. LUMP (Cut Loaf) ... Boxes, 3/3 6/3 12/3 23/6 11. LUMP DUST ... „ 3/ 6/- 11/9 22/9 12. PRESERVING ... „ 3/- 6/- 11/9 22/9 FINE. 13. GRANULATED ... 3/3 6/3 12/3 23/9 14. CASTOR Coarse (15 Fine) 3/9 7/3 14/3 27/9 16. ICING 4/3 8/3 15/9 31/- AVL above guaranteed rmde from Cane Sugar »nly, and free from Beet, Chemicals, etc., etc. Carriage Paid on Orders over 5/0 (or 28-lbs. Sugar) to London and Suburbs. Country Orders, not less than 2-cwt. carriage paid at 1/0 per cwt. extra. (Scotch and Irish orders, special arrangements.) Cash to be sent with order, and purchasers will please observe that if samples are required or replies asked to inquiries, a stamped addressed envelope must be sent, as we cannot undertake cost of postage. BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 480. Vol. XIX. N.S. 94.] OCTOBER 15, 1891. [Published Weekly. (Ktriiorial, Halites, $t. USEFUL HINTS. Weather — Dilatory bee - keepers have been favoured with suitable weather in which to complete all feeding up, and the occasional warm days which intervened be- tween the wind and wet of the last fort- night have assisted bees in sealing over the food given. "We may therefore conclude that, in the south at least, stocks will go into winter quarters under very favourable conditions. Breeding has been fairly wrell maintained, and still continues to some ex- tent where feeding is going on ; conse- quently there will be a good proportion of autumn-bred bees to come out lusty and strong next spring, and we shall expect to hear of a very different opening to the sea- son of 1892 compared with the dismal spring dwindling reported from many quarters in the early part of the present year. It would have been gratifying to record an equal share of good fortune throughout the whole of the kingdom, but there is reason to fear that northern bee- keepers will have had a harder experience, judging from the terribly bad weather re- ported in the daily press as prevailing in Scotland and the north of England for some time past. Bees in our own district are taking syrup down to-day as readily as if it were the month of August instead of the third week in October, but a very few days may bring about sharp frosts and a temperature so low as to impose serious difficulties on both bees and bee-keepers in storing away sufficient food for wintering on. In view of this it should need no urging on our part to induce prompt atten- tion and the giving of food warm and in bulk, to ensure its being rapidly carried down and sealed over. Storing away Stock Combs. — Boxes of combs, wet with honey after extracting, should be carefully dealt with to avoid upset in the apiary while beiug cleaned up by the bees. Nothing causes more excitement in a stock than giving a box of combs dripping with honey. We always let one colony do all the ' cleaning up,' preparing for it carefully in the daylight, so that no access can be had from without save by the hive entrance. A board, large enough to cover the frames in brood chamber, with a feed-hole corre- sponding writh those in quilts, is laid on the latter, and on this board the boxes of combs are set after dark, all being carefully covered up without delay. If done before it is quite dark the bees will, in their excitement, take wing by scores, and many may be lost. After dark, however, though the flight- board be covered by bees running about, none will take wing. Next morning all will be quiet, and the boxes of combs quite clean and dry. They may then be raised off the boai'd, a slip of glass dropped over the feed-hole, and the boxes replaced, the bees being got rid of during the day by means of the cone clearer. At night a second lot of boxes is given, and the opera- tion repeated. When stowing away for use next year, each set of combs is packed away in a separate parcel, a small piece of naphtha- line being dropped into each to keep away moths, and as a disinfectant. Robbing the Brood Nest. — We use the word ' robbing ' to express our view of a proceeding which cannot be too strongly condemned. Except in rare instances, it is neither wise nor economical to deprive bees of the contents of the outer combs in brood chambers should they happen to contain sealed honey. Of course, we refer only to cases where about ten standard frames con* stitute the brood chamber; beyond that number there can be no harm in removing the surplus, but the practice — now, hap- pily, fast dying out — of extracting every particle of honey from broo 1 chambers and feeding back syrup, has nothing to re 462 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [October 15, 1891. commend it, and readers will consult their own interests as bee-keepers by avoiding so suicidal a habit. Whatever honey is found in that part of the hive at the close of the season, leave it for the use of the bee3 themselves. No hives come out so strong in spring, according to our own experience, as those left with plenty of natural stores ; hence, we have no good word for those who persist in robbing the brood nest in the autumn. Space below Combs, Ventilation, &c. — After the experience of last winter, some anxiety will, no doubt, be felt as to the best method of putting bees up for safely passing through their winter risks. Per- sonally, we have no hesitation whatever in again recommending a continuance of im- pervious coverings above the frames, viz., a square of American cloth next the top bars, two or three felt quilts above this, and, over all, a thin board laid on the quilts and weighted down sufficiently to keep the latter warm and close. This arrangement, with the three-inch ' eke,' or some equivalent for it, under the body-box to raise the frames that distance above the floor-board, and a fairly wide entrance, will leave little to be desired, so far as the actual well-doing of the bees is concerned, until the month of March next. It goes without saying that good syrup properly prepared from cane sugar has been used in feeding up, and if all these matters have been attended to, the bee-keeper may comfort himself with the assurance that he has done his share of the safe-wintering process. Beyond this it only remains to see that bees are fairly strong in number when put up ; if not, weak lots should be joined together. We don't care to see less than six or seven seams of bees wintered. Stocks with fewer than this should be strengthened up to that number if possible. BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The conversazione, and other meetings usually held in the month of October will take place on Wednesday, the 21st inst. County represen- tatives will meet at 17 King William Street, Strand, at three o'clock. The General Com- mittee will meet at 105 Jermyn Street at four o'clock. At five o'clock candidates for the appointment of public lecturer to the Lancashire and Cheshire Association will deliver lectures. Members of the Association are invited to hear these lectures. A conversazione will be held at six o'clock. IRISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The Committee met on the 6th inst. Pre- sent : Mr. Milner, in the chair, tMr. Read, Mr. O'Bryen, and the Hon. Sec. Mr. John Henderson was appointed District Hon. Sec. for Co. Carlow. The Hon. Sec. was empowered to purchase, at his discretion, naphthaline and Naphthol Beta for distribution amongst bee-keepers to prevent and remedy foul brood. It was resolved to enter into fresh negotiations for the sale of honey in Limerick. QUEENS FROM FOUL-BROODY STOCKS. Readers who are destroying foul -broody stocks of bees will confer a favour by sending on the queen and a few bees (alive) to this office, addressed to the Editors. As the queens are intended for microscopical exmination, it is important that they reach us alive, and we will forward suitable cages for post if an intimation be sent. WILFUL DESTRUCTION OF BEES. A case of interest to bee-keepers was heard before Judge Prentice at the Bow County Court on Monday, the 5th October. Mr. W. J. Sheppard, of Derby Road, Woodford, Essex, sued Mr. Alfred Cottage, builder, of Chelmsford Road West, Woodford, for the value of two swarms of Ligurian bees, wilfully destroyed by him and his son on the 10th and 11th July last. Mr. E. D. Simmonds, of Messrs. Emmanuel & Simmonds, Finsbury Circus, E.C., appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. Haynes defended. Mr. Simmonds stated that his client was the honorary District Secretary of the Essex Bee- keepers' Association, and the case was of the greatest interest to every keeper of bees. Plain- tiff's premises adjoined the defendant's, and it was held by Blackstone that if a swarm of bees escaped from the owner's premises he was legally justified in following the bees into other persons' premises with a view of recovering them. Mr. Haynes objected that as the summons was for wilful damage, it was a case for another court ; but his Honour decided to hear it. Mrs. Sheppard, wife of the plaintiff, was then called, and deposed that on the 10th of last July she saw a swarm leave one of her husband's hives and go on to a tree in Mr. Cottage's pad- dock, a slip of ground at the bottom of the garden. Before the bees had all settled the de- fendant and his son came up and threw bricks at them. They then went away, and soon came back with a pan containing tar or something of the kind, which was lighted, and placed on the ground under the swarm. They then shook the bough the swarm was on with a clothes prop, and the bees dropped into the fire, and were burned. Another swarm issued the next day, when the son of the defendant treated it in a similar manner. October 15, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 463 Mr. Ilaynes (for defendant) : Have you bad any complaints from the neighbours about your bees ? — No. Mr. Haynes : Don't you know that Mrs. Stubbings complained that your bees got into her wine ? — I knew that Mrs. Stubbings had said our bees got into her elderberry wine that she had placed in her garden. His Honour: I don't keep my wine in my garden (laughter) ; I should expect bees to get in it if I did. Walter Debnain, of Chelmsford, expert to the Essex Bee-keepers' Association, was the next witness, and said that he got his living amongst bees, and had a good many years' experience of them. He had over 2000 hives belonging to the members of the Association to attend to. Wit- ness said it was the custom all over Essex, and, indeed, throughout the Kingdom, when bees swarmed on to another person's premises, for the owner to go and take them. His Honour : Who made that custom ? Witness : I don't know ; but it always has been the custom. 31 r. Haynes : But we never refused their com- ing on our premises for the bees. Mr. Debnam : It is the custom to allow the bees about half an hour to settle before asking leave to take them away. The defendant killed the complainant's bees before they properly settled. His Honour suggested that the parties should try to settle the matter between them, and the defendant offered to pay 11. Is., and each side to pay their own costs, but the plaintiff would not agree to this. Mr. Haynes said that for years plaintiff's bees had damaged his client's fruit-trees. Still he did not press for a counter claim. His Honour : How could they damage his trees? Ultimately his Honour said he would give judgment, with leave to the defendant to appeal, if a nominal amount for the damages was agreed to. The plaintiff consenting, an order was then made for the defendant to pay 5s. damages, with costs, as if the judgment had been for an amount between 51. and 10/. [In view of the importance to bee-keepers of the above case, it is very unfortunate that the judge did not give a definite opinion on the point at issue. It has always been held by authorities on the sub- ject, that the law as laid down by Blackstone made it clear that a swarm of bees, if not lost sight of after leaving the hive, can be followed by their owner on to another person's premises in order to take possession or hive the swarm. The weak point in Mr. Sheppard's case appears to lie in the fact that application was not at once made for per- mission to hive the bees. If this had been done and leave refused, there would have been practically no defence to the case. As it is, however, the defendant will no doubt pause before committing so cruel and wanton an act as, according to the evidence, he was guilty of, for the costs in which he was mulcted will not fall short of six or seven pounds.— Eds.] THE SUCCESSFUL PRODUCER. I believe there is scarcely anything in which the beginner in bee-culture, as well as many of the old brimstone bee-keepers, lack knowledge as the time of the honey flow in their respective localities. I am frequently asked, after we have taken nearly our entire crop of honey, ' Do you think this is going to be a good honey season?' or a question something like the above. Now this is a question of vital importance, if we wish to secure the best possible results from our bees. In our locality we may look for a honey-flow from about June 15th to July 15th, after which bees are inclined to rob until about September 1st, when we have some honey com- ing in until frost. Yet the season, the flora, and many other things may cause a variation in the time, or even an entire failure. It is there- fore to the bee-keeper's interest to make a thorough study of this matter, so as to know when to put on sections and when to reduce the number on each hive, so as to have all, or nearly all, completed by the time the honey ceases to come in in sufficient quantity to enable the bees to build comb. It is of equal importance to know when to expect clear honey and honey of a darker colour, as we do not want the two kinds mixed if we can prevent it. If the hives are only partially filled with honey of a fair grade, and there are indications of honey of a poorer quality coming, I would advise extract- ing the surplus combs and removing all com- pleted white sections, and not wait for the bees to fill the hives. Some novice may aek, ' How am I to know when honey is coming in and when it is^pot?' In reply I would say, when your bees are work- ing with all their energy, and there is plenty of clover or other flowers in bloom, examine your strongest colonies frequently, and as soon as you see the upper edge of the combs whitened with new wax you had better be prepared to give them room in a short time. Do not wait for them to fill the lower story, for in so doing they are crowding the queen to a small space, thus restricting the brood-rearing capacity of the hive, and consequently lessening the number of workers later on. If you can get the bees started storing surplus during fruit-bloom it will be all the better, when white clover begins to yield honey. When honey ceases to come in plentifully you are very apt to know it by the bees flying around neighbouring hives looking for a crevice where they may possibly slip in and get a sup of stolen sweet, as well as being ready to pounce on you and sting without any provocation whatever. To the advanced bee-keeper this article might not be interesting, but to the beginner I would say, study closely your honey resources, learn when to prepare your bees for the harvest, and see if you will not be repaid for the time and thought given to the subject. — S. E. Milleh. — Missouri Bee-keeper, 464 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [October 15, 1891. ESSEX BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. Honey Show at Brentwood. A very creditable little honey show — pro- moted mainly by the personal exertions of a few active members of the Essex B.K.A. residing in the district — was held in connexion with the Brentwood Horticultural Society's autumn exhi- bition, held on September 17th, in genuine autumn weather. The day was ushered in with genial sunshine, and though it grew rather dull and threatening, the rain held off ; to this cause may be attributed in large measure the success of the show. Under the patronage of Lady Guise and mo3t of the resident gentry, the show was held in the grounds of Middleton Hall, by the kind permission of Mr. J. Tasker. The entries were fully up to the average of other years, and the quality was much better. In the honey there was a marked improvement, and the entries were better than in any other year. This was mainly due to the extraordi- nary exertions made by Mr. F. H. Brenes, of Warley Road. Altogether the large sum of 180/. was offered in prizes, besides many special prizes, a fair portion going to the honey classes, which were judged by Messrs. A. Tunbridge, H. Harris, and F. H. Brenes, whose awards are appended : — Pkize List. Class for Cottagers Only. Collection of honey, 12 to 20 lbs. (prizes given in this class by tradesmen of Brentwood). — 1st prize, J. Winter, Kelvedon Hatch; 2nd, J. Payne, South Weald; 3rd, G. Cornish. Open Classes. Single 1-lb. section of comb honey. — 1st and Essex B.K.A. certificate, R. R. Royds, Brizes Park, Kelvedon Common ; 2nd, J. Payne ; 3rd, J . Winter. Twelve 1-lb. sections of comb honey.— 1st, J. Winter ; 2nd, J. Payne ; 3rd, R. R. Royds. Twelve 1-lb. bottles run honey. — 1st, Mr. Oddy; 2nd, J. Winter; 3rd, R. R. Royds. Six 1-lb. sections of comb honey. — 1st, Miss Chalk, Hutton Park; 2nd, J. Winter; 3rd, G. Cornish. Six 1-lb. bottles run honey. — 1st, R. R. Royds; 2nd, J. Winter ; 3rd, Mr. Oddy. Altogether, the honey department was quite a success, and reflected much credit on those through whose active efforts it was brought about. €axxzs$avtomtt. )\pixfB I0 dUwe. October 13th to Kith. — British B.K.A , in connexion with the Dairy Show at the Royal Agricultural Hall, London. All open classes. Entries close d. Wm. C. Young, Sec, 191 Fleet Street, London. November 11th. — Essex Autumn County Show of Honey, held at Corn Exchange, Chelmsford, in connexion with Chrysanthemum Show df Chelmsford Horticultural Society. Tlie Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents. No notice will be taken of anonymous communications, and correspondents are requested to write on one side oj the paper only, and give their real names and addresses, not necessarily for pub- lication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. Communications relating to the literary department reports of Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, ic, must be addressed only to 'The Editoes of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.G.' All business communications relating to Advertisements, &c, must be addressed to Mr. J. Huckle, Kings Langley, Herts (see 1st page 0/ Advertise- ments). •»* In order to facilitate reference, Correspondents, when speaking of any letter or query previously inserted, will oblige by mentioning the number of the letter, as well as the page on which it appears. FINDING QUEENS. The Chain Sign, A Queen-Catcher and Holder. [805.] The ability to find queens readily, be the colonies large or small, can only be obtained by prolonged and judicious practice. Experts can, in the majority of cases, find queens readily, but it requires practice and experience, both of which take time to acquire. The best time to find a queen easily is when bees are gathering rapidly, and therefore breed- ing actively. When searching for queens the hive should only be opened during mild, warm . weather, in the middle of the day, or, if the weather is extremely warm, an opportunity should be chosen before or after the hottest part of the day. When there is the least signs of robbing or disturbance, queens should only be searched for towards the evening, when work has about ceased for the day. If it is desirable to show the queen and the interior working of a colony to visitors, choose a nucleus stock, or a small colony not supered, in preference to a larger one, and always take advantage of the inspection to note the wants and minister to the requirements of the colony while showing it. Another thing I would urge is, not to open a hive frequently because its queen happens to be easily found. When searching for the queen, examine only such combs as contain eggs and brood, and com- mence by fixing the e3res on the centre of the comb, and continue in constantly larger circles until every part of the surface has been ex- amined ; do that quietly and thoroughly a couple of times for each face of the comb. The eyesight will soon get trained to pass quickly from the centre or other part of the comb to the queen itself, when her form comes under observation, the eye soon becoming accustomed to the behaviour of the bees and other peculiari- ties observable in the immediate vicinity of the queen. Examine each comb thoroughly, the main object being to avoid the necessity of having to go over the combs twice. Wear a smooth, light-coloured dress. Do not smoke the hive by the entrance before opening, unless it cbntairis very irascible bees ; in that October 15, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 465 case give a few puffs once or twice at the entrance before opening, thereby causing the bees to gorge themselves, and become better- tempered in consequence. Do not let the colony, when uncovered, become disturbed by smoke, sharp motions, or rough handling. "When opening a twenty-frame hive, with frames at right angles to the entrance, stand at the back ; first remove the coverings, then raise the quilt next to the frames, covering the right half of the hive; begin from the end, draw horizontally towards the centre, steadily, yet smartly, watching that the frames are not dis- placed in so doing. Let a moment elapse before removing the quilt on the left half from the centre to the left end, during which time, if the queen is timid or inclined to run, she will do so towards the left end of the hive. Should the bees simulate an attack, remain perfectly quiet, and avoid using any intimidant unless abso- lutely necessary. Pemove one or two frames from the left end, first loosening them gently with the point of a screwdriver. Then observe how many of the frames next to those removed are only spnrsely occupied with bees; loosen these, and move them close against the end of the hive, and as far as possible from those fully covered by bees. The Chain Sign. — For the frame? that now remain to be handled, loosen from the back end of the top bar only. Let the fore end form a sort of hinge, as it were, and on that pivot open the back end an inch or an inch and a quarter ; then look down between the frames into the wedge-shaped opening so made, and so long as you do not observe the ' chain sign ' — that is, one or more strings of bees joining the faces of the combs at a right angle — draw all such frames against those at the end of the hive without lifting them, till you come to the first frame to be taken up. In a queenless hive, that has no means of rearing a queen, the ' chain sign ' is totally absent, and the bees run restlessly in all directions on each comb examined. When a hive is opened, some of the bees are disturbed from their work, or put on the qui vive, fearing molestation, while others continue to discharge their special duties, maintaining thus a semi- normal condition, and it is on some of these latter bees that we have to depend for the presence of the ' chain sign,' because amongst those bees that form the heat-giving cluster, several desert their post, but a few retain it, and by their tenacity to duty indicate the presence and the limits of the brood nest. The faces of the combs linked by the ' chain sign ' therefore contain eggs and brood, or have the cells cleaned, varnished, and kept at an equable temperature by the cluster, ready for the presence and for the eggs of the queen. These combs represent her domain, in which only it is neces- sary to look for her at all times when bad con- ditions are not present. The ' chain sign ' in early spring indicates a normal colony, a fertile queen, and the presence of young bees. It enables one to ascertain quickly the size of the cluster and brood nest iuthe spring, when the hive should be uncovered as short a time as possible, also to indicate the frame to be taken up from the side of the brood when a comb of eggs and brood is required for another colony. In the early part of the year, when all queens should have commenced to lay, the ' chain sign ' indi- cates those colonies which are in a normal con- dition, so that those only where it is absent need be examined to ascertain whether the}' are queenless. There is also a sign which consists in an almost imperceptible fluttering of the wings by the bees on the comb, caused by the presence of the queen on that comb, but this sign has the fault of being continued for a short time after she has left. Nevertheless, such a frame should be well examined before being placed back in the hive. On the other hand, under the best of conditions, with a healthy queen actively occupied egg-laying, the bees on her comb are simply passive and quiet when the frame is held in the hand. The Queen-catcher and Holder. — There are several reasons why a fertile queen should not be taken up with the fingers, aud with a sprightly virgin queen in warm weather, if a ' miss ' is made instead of a ' hit ' in attempting to take her up, she will usually take to wing if you again miss her at the second attempt. It therefore becomes necessary to use a device that will at all times enable one to catch and hold the queen with absolute certainty without handling, or the least chance of injuring her. For several years past I have found the common ' safety match-box ' to answer that purpose admirably. The great value of the empty match-box to the bee-keeper, however, is that a queen always walks inside immediately the opening is placed over her. In using, open the box about half an inch, hold it with the second finger and thumb, and place the forefinger on the end of the inner box ready for closing it ; place the opening longways over the queen, keeping the end of the box that is inside the hand about an inch above the comb, so as not to hurt any of the bees, and close a moment after. When it is desired to locate the queen in a swarm, open the box an eighth of an inch after you have the queen in, push a short tintack through the side to fasten the inner box, and put a pin or fine wire nail through the projecting part of the outer box at the other end, which serves to join the queen-holder inside the skep. — Peter Bois, Jersey, October 3rd, 1891. IN THE HUT. ' If e'er dark autumn, with untimely storm, The honey 'd harvest of the year deform.' Evans. [806.] Thanks are due by me to Mr. Walton, whom I should like to know well enough to call 'Friend John,' for 'letting me off' anent my weather prophecy at the early part of the season. Prophecies about the weather in our ficklest of fickle climates are, after all, but literary squibs, so it is quite fitting they should 466 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [October 15, 1891. be ' let off.' By the way, I take note of his statement (p. 386) that he has heard of some rather heavy takes of honey, and also found his hives crammed. I also observe that our Editor {Record, p. 121) says, ' Our southern readers have reason to be well satisfied with the season of 1891/ and that {ibid. p. 139) 'the reports will come as a surprise to not a few who were inclined to look on the honey season of 1891 as a failure.' In fact, they seem so agreeably dis- appointing' that adverse reports are almost invited. "Well, ' Home from the Moors ' is now our song. Last week we had the usual procession, and when the lorry had climbed its thousand feet (I mean, had been dragged up to 1000 feet above sea-level, not anything of a centipede or millepede nature) and joined my advanced guard, who had just finished corking up hives, and were engaged in an agreeable reversal of this process, to wit, uncorking bottles, we were agreeably surprised to find Mrs. X-Tractor and several little X-Tractors had come to share (or increase) the much dreaded troubles of the return at nightfall. However, all passed off well, and without the invariable rain of previous years. Again (and this is now settled definitely once and for all in this district), shallow frames, filled with super foundation and used the summer season for clover extracting, and then taken up to the moors, are beautifully sealed over, filled with magnificent heather honey. Sections precisely similarly treated are filled, but remain unsealed. This sets me thinking that the continuous comb gives facilities for a continuous working seam of bees, whereas, in the matter of sections, such a continuous clustering is prevented by the wooden divisions of the one- pound sections. Anyhow, the fact is there proved up to the hilt, that you can bring down slabs of honey in shallow frames, as against any number of unfinished sections. True, the frames are ' shallow,' but they have a ' deep ' significance to the bee-keeper. Speaking of the moors'reminds one of the Moors in Spain, and also in Morocco, whence hails that other ill-gotten, worse-named, and better nick- named black, the puny bee of North Africa. Selected query : What kind of honey is gathered by this bee from its native ' moors ?' ' Scotland ! thy weather's like a modish wife ; Thy winds and rain for ever are at strife ; Like thee, the termagants their blustering try, And when they can no longer scold, they cry.' Hill. This writer is evidently not a Scotch Hill, but a Hill who, being a dramatist, writer, and poet in full blast two centuries ago, mi^t have been speaking of the weather of his day ; he was not a prophet able to forecast, for my experience of bonnie Scotland tells me that the winds and rain of our day are worse on the English side of the border, except in some specially selected districts where ' it snaws when it doesn't rain.' A few weeks ago I was up north just at the time of the Flower Show held in the Waverley Market. Mr. Learmont, of Castle Douglas, showed some excellent samples of honey, but the exhibits, generally speaking, were of a decidedly mixed character — much of the extracted honey resembled dark treacle rather than pure honey ; and however creditable home-made sections and frames may be when ' made out of one's ain heed,' they do not look well on the exhibition table. Castle Douglas reminds me of a few character- istic lines (B.B.J., p. 454) which all Scotch bee- keepers should read ; truly they spur one on to keenest emulation. Will you let me tell such of your readers as use the albo-caibon light that the white substance they use is the naphthaline vou recommend as a preventive of foul brood ? It may save a poor bee-keeper a few pence. This substance may be crushed and exposed to the air, with great benefit, in any room or house in which are cases of infectious disease. Again, when finely crushed and applied dry with a small paint brush to the parts of plants infested with green fly (Aphis) it is a ' settler ' for them (the green fly, not the plants) ; they drop off, shall we say, of their own accord ? This pest holds on to the soft juicy growing parts by means of a parrot-like beak through which it sucks the sweet sap. When I winter up my bees I intend to get an old box larger than a hive, knock one end and the lid off, put it over the hive and stuff the space in with straw. I am more than ever con- vinced that an equable temperature is a sine qua non, and this is best secured by a casing of non- conducting material. There is nothing warm in a covering itself, it merely arrests heat and won't pass it along to the outside ; in fact, such a non- conductor declines to be an — X-Tkactor. A TALK ABOUT BEES, AND MY EXPE RIENCE WITH THE ' FLOUR DODGE,' CONE CLE ARE RS, ETC. [807.] The question is often asked, ' Does it pay to keep bees ? ' Doolittle a-iks, ' Does it pay to kiss your wife ? ' But with reference to bees, the question is replied to in a variety of ways. I suppose we all have what is called our 'stand- point,' or way of looking at things, as was the case with a man T knew, who never had any- thing but losses ; in fact, he lived on losses, and at last, when he died and was buried, the losses he left behind amounted to 30,000/. When we hear the farmer complain of his losses, it is usually found that he means what he has lost through his crops not being so good as they might have been; and the question might be raised, Does farming pay ? As I know some- thing about farming I do about bee-keeping. I say there is nothing so safe as land if you put money and brains into it. The same may be said respecting our bees. Invest ever so much capital in hives, bees, &c, if there is no brain- work it will be a failure. Put just a few pounds into the business of bee-keeping, use your brains, and by reading good books on the sub- October 15, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 467 ject acquire the knowledge which is the out- come of the brains of others, and success is as sure to follow as that the light will come in the morning. In this world we like to get all the pleasure and happiness we can. If we are a bit dull and inclined to lose interest in life, there is nothing in the world which will brighten a man up like the keeping of bees. To lovers of everything that is beautiful and gocd,thebee is a never-ending source of wonder. What lessoi s we get, and what examples of hard work they give us. Hours and days with the bees pass like magic, and we seem to see good- ness in everything. Surely, in respect to bee- keeping, we might with no irreverence say ' old tilings are past away, and all things have become new.' What a change from the sulphur pit ! Light now shines, and ' Progress ' is our motto, and the precious God-given bees shall have all the care and kindness that we can give them. Regarding the pleasures of bee-keeping, take the ' Hour dodge,' as it has been called. What a boon and a blessing to bee-keepers ! With me it is always a success. 1 united two lots, one of which I had to bring over a brick wall. 1 went by our Editors' directions, and kept the two hives on the trot, gradually bringing them nearer to each other. When I had got them side by side, I opened the strongest, gave them a puff of smoke, then took a comb out, and dusted both sides, put it back, and did likewise to the other frames, replaced the quilt, then went to next and repeated the operation on the other hive. When I had finished, I removed quilt from first hive, packed frames to centre, then put the centre frames from the second hive at each end. When all was completed, I set the united hive in centre between where the two hives stood, and not a bee was killed. They are in line now, and to-day (October 7th) carrying in pollen. My next word must be on cone super-clearers. I bored two holes in each gable of five hives, and placed a Mire cone in each hole, and was very sanguine that the bees would take their own time in leaving the supers ; but they came out as if they were swarming. Unfortunately, one of the hive roofs was replaced carelessly, and the bees found it out that they could get in. When I made the discovery hundreds of bees had got inside, and were having their own fun ! Wherever there was a joint or a cone there was the busy bees ' improving the shining hour ' with a vengeance ! In a word, Messrs. Editors, it was getting pretty hot, and I was myself getting it rather warm, so when I cool down I'll tell you ' a tale ' in my next, if you will allow me space. — T. H. C. ARE THE QUEENS OF FOUL-BROODY STOCKS DISEASED? in the May number of the Revue Internationale, shows me that this is not his opinion : — 1 During the latter months of the past year and this spring I have received from some of your courteous subscribers six queens taken from un- doubted foul- broody hives. I have been able, on these females, to verify that which I have already stated before, viz., that the eggs are healthy ; neither the ovaries or ovules contain bacilli. I believe, then, to be able to state once more that foul brood is not transmitted by inheritance, but only by direct contact with the infected animal, or by injecting nutritive substances containing foul- brood bacteria. — Dr. Lortet.' I think your opinion on the above, which is of so much importance in the treatment of foul brood, would be of interest to bee-keepers. — T. D. Schofikld, Alderley Edge, [The quotation our correspondent gives has not escaped our observation, but we have not thought it necessary to notice it, because we do not think it is conclusive that queens do not sometimes become diseased. It only shows that the six queens examined by Dr. Lortet were healthy. Although it is believed that queens may be dis- eased, it by no means follows that every queen is so. Hilbert found, out of twenty-five queens, only three diseased. He also found that such queens given to healthy stocks produced the disease in these stocks, and that it was very difficult and almost impossible to cure the disease while such queens were present. Just as every bee does not become diseased in a foul-broody hive, and as every human being does not contract cholera although exposed to its influence, so, we take it, there is immunity from the disease with some queens. Strictly speaking, we cannot say that every queen of a foul-broody hive is necessarily diseased, nor can we say that every queen is exempt from disease. The great hope of stamp- ing out foul brood exists in the fact that it is not hereditary, and, in cases where foul brood is difficult to cure, the queen may reasonably be suspected to be diseased, and should be de- stroyed, as it is hopeless to effect a perfect cure while such a queen is present. — Eds.] .] I have always been under the impres- sion that the foul-brood bacilli were to be, and have been, found in the reproductive organs, Sec, of some queens taken from diseased stocks; but the following from a letter of Dr. Lortet's, SPECIAL QUER¥. Disqualifying Exhibits. [809.] As you wish for the views of readers on the above (799, p. 454), I am pleased to give my opinion and experience. I have been an exhibitor at all our county honey shows. since the Association was formed in 1883, and many local s-hows, and have acted as steward ou several occasions. I have not had a single breakage of my own, but accidents will happen ; therefore I say they ought to be treated as such, if it is a pure accident or the carelessness of those delivering it (not being the exhibitor himself). I don't remember a single breakage when delivered personally. Therefore, I don't think much difficulty would arise through allowing exhibits to compete which have met with an accident, if the broken jar is staged and proved to the satisfaction of steward or com- 468 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [October 15, 1891. mittee of show. I was once taking honey to a local show, and I also took twelve one-pound jars for a neighbour. When wiping one of his it came in two; it must have been cracked before, but they were properly packed. I bought a jam- jar, put the broken one in, and saw several members of show committee, and asked them to instruct the judge to judge it as a whole ex- hibit, knowing at the time if he did, and placed it as I should, it would put me down a step, which was the case, as the exhibit with broken jar was first, mine being third. I suppose the second exhibitor was satisfied, as I never he ^rd any more about it. In my opinion, the best plan in cases like that of ' A Lancashire Bee- keeper ' is for the judge to place them in order of merit with a reserve number, and leave it for those placed lower in prize list to object. I cannot believe that a bee-keeper who is a honey exhibitor will be so selfish as to disqualify an exhibit through a broken jar. One thing much worse than a broken jar is allowed to compete at some shows, i.e., the ' nominal ' pound, which is only a nice name for a public deceiver. I should be pleased to see the Weights and Meisures Act applied to nominal pound jars ; they are much worse than a pound weight which is a little short; that can be made good weight, but a jar cannot be over- filled. Committees who word their schedules to admit anything but the right size jars are helping to deceive those who trust they are buying sixteen ounces to the pound. The Staffordshire Bee-keepers' Committee take care that nominal pound jars have no place in their schedule. — John R. Critchlow, Maer Farm, Newcastle, Staffordshire. FAIR EXHIBITS. [810.] The query put before bee-keepers as to the fairness or otherwise of allowing eleven bottles of honey to compete with other exhibits of twelve bottles, where the schedule distinctly states that the honey shall be contained in twelve bottles, suggests thoughts which I have long had upon the whole question as to what is fair between man and man on the exhibition stand, and therefore ought to be upheld and sought for, against what is distinctly unfair or unjust, and consequently should be condemned and crushed out. A conversation, on an utter- ance by 'X-Tractor' confirms me in my opinions, and leads me to lay them before your readers in the hope that, some day, what is in the consensus of ideas wrong may be put right. In the first place, it has struck me as being distinctly unfair to allow an invention to be exhibited by any one other than the inventor or maker in competition with articles staged by such inventor or exhibitor. At present any one (bee-keeper, appliance-maker, or not) may buy a hive, either privately or after having taken a prize at a sh >w, and exhibit it all over the country, even against its own counterpart as exhibited by the inventor or maker* This gap and loophole in the schedule also permits section crates, frames, smokers, extractors, and what not to be similarly purchased and shown, thus re- flecting credit on the wrong people in the eyes of the general public, only the cognoscenti being able to correctly locate the real home of the invention or appliance. Of course the case is considerably altered where an inventor has per- mitted one or more manufacturers to make the goods. A invents a new super-clearer, and gives it to the public by describing it in your columns ; B, C, and I) make it, and exhibit it, quite fairly, I think, in competition. E, F, G, however, purchase of B, C, and IJ (either before or after shows does not matter), and stage it — most unfairly, in my opinion — against the ex- hibits of either A, B, C, or D. Palmam qui meruit ferat, or Suum cuique, should certainly be our most prominent watchword, whether as members of the B.B.K.A., as exhibitors, or judges, and I contend no one should be allowed to compete for any prize with any article unless that article be invented or made by themselves. The only exception to this rule would be articles in the collection class, which is a sort of epitome, or exhibition of what the whole science of bee- keeping can offer up to date, and in which it is notorious that the items are not the invention of the exhibitor. It may be urged that such a restriction as I propose would have the effect of greatly reduc- ing the number of exhibits. Well, suppose this be so, the air would be purer, and the competing articles would be engaged in a fair fight. But I do not think this would at all be the re- sult {i.e., a less number of competing exhibits), but quite the reverse. There would be some inducement for men to devise and for manu- facturers to produce new goods, or to make im- provements on old ones. I am much mistaken if there would not be an improved inflowing of genuine competitors ; makers who do not now deem it worth while to spend brains or money on improved goods would then, at least, have a fair chance in the open field, and they have not that as things are at present. The same arguments apply with regard to honey exhibits. A dozen bottles or sections may be purchased, either before or after a show, and shown over the whole country (excepting in classes where the schedule stipulates for the honey to be the produce of the exhibitor's own apiary), taking prizes here and there without any merit whatever having been deserved by the exhibitor, excepting, perhaps, the somewhat doubtful one of being able to practise judicious piracy, of ploughing with somebody else's oxen, of reaping where they had not sown. This could be stopped by the judge stamping with a small india-rubber stamp (T. W. C, W. B. C, J. L. S.) every section, or the label of every bottle on which he had adjudicated, and, in order that additional labour be not entailed on him, the local secretary or his deputy might do this work. In the third place (and I know this will meet with opposition), I would not permit ' firsts October 15, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 469 prize ' honey to be shown again in competition. It has had its reward on its adjudication, and should be done with except for sale, ' not for competition,' or for the honey-seller's shop win- dow. A really A 1 exhibit keeps back good stuff, which the producer dare not exhibit ; he having seen the former at its previous show, competition is checked, and the show of honey much lessened by the probability, nay, almost certainty, of the ' demon first ' keeping on turn- ing up. The local man, to use a slang phrase, ' has not a look in ' even in his own district, nor, it may be, in his own county. I admit my third case is my weakest, but seeing they all strike me as drawing attention to palpable in- justice, I lay them before you, asking that they be impartially considered, in the same spirit as conceived — in the interests of justice and fair- ness.— R. A. H. Gbimshaw. FOUL BROOD— THE SEASON IN SWITZERLAND. [811.] With respect to foul brood, I should like to remind you that we have had several cures effected by simply pouring a few drops of essence of eucalyptus into the hive once a week. I also saw a hive this spring at Givrins which was foul-broody in 1890 cured in this way. The season in Switzerland, with few excep- tions, has been bad. Warnery, who had during the assembly at St. Prex on 18th May an apiary in splendid condition, has only obtained three and a half kilos, (seven pounds) per hive. He attributes this to the cold nights during the principal flowering. Descoullayes has not done any better, but here and there a few bee-keepers were more favoured. The station-master at Boudry (Neuchatel), a beginner, obtained sixty kilos, from two hives which he transferred this spring — quite incomprehensible. — Ed. Beb- tkanb, Nyon, October 7th, 1891. DRY FOOD FOR BEES. [812.] Is it possible for bees to consume dry food ? I say, No ; and I shall, perhaps, be thought heterodox in venturing to say that dry foods containing sugar should never be given to bees. I base my opinion on the following : — A quart of water will dissolve, by boiling, about five pounds of sugar, and, on cooling, any sugar in excess will recrystallise ; this is the strongest possible syrup obtainable. On the other hand, let sugar or candy be placed in a hive, the bees cannot take it until it becomes dissolved by the moisture from the hive cluster, when it becomes syrup, as in the former case, but of a weaker quality, and consequently more liable to produce dysentery, to say nothing of its probably being contaminated with the impurities of the hive. I suppose it would be an easy matter to test the above theory by experiment. The B. B. J. says beet sugar is ' bad for bees.' I think many readers of the Journal might, like myself— not that I have any doubt upon the subject — be glad to know why this is so, and in what other respects cane sugar triumphs over beet sugar, both from a household and a bee point of view. — A. T. Wilmot, St. Albans. [According to the best recipe for making syrup we know of, the proportion of water to sugar for autumn food — viz., five pints water to ten pounds sugar — so nearly makes what our correspondent terms ' the strongest possible syrup ' that it may, without discussion, be accepted as right ; and as to the objection to soft candy — for by that, we sup- pose, is meant ' dry food ' — it is so well known to practical bee-keepers that bees will thrive and build up in spring so rapidly and well with a good cake of well-made candy overhead, that it will take a deal of theory to convince them to the contrary. With reference to the relative good or bad proper- ties of cane and beet sugar, we must refer readers to our remarks in B.J. for April 30th last. — Eds.] WILDMAN ON BEES. [813.] I have lately come into possession of a very old copy of a work on bees, entitled, ' A Treatise on the Management of Bees, Wherein is contained the Natural History of those la- sects, with the various methods of cultivating them, both Ancient and Modern ; and the im- proved treatment of them. To which are added The Natural History of Wasps and Hornets and the means of destroying them. Illustrated with Copperplates. By Thomas Wildman. The Second Edition. London: Printed for W. Strahan and T. Cadell, opposite Catherine Street, in the Strand, mdcclxx.' I don't know whether it has any particular value, but I have found it very interesting reading. There is no doubt but that its author understood and acted on many of the principles of modern bee-keeping, and was a thorough master of the practical part of the art, including driving, feeding, and the general management of bees. He was even then within measurable distance of the frame, for he puts bars across the tops of his hives — fixed, of course — but to me this seems to be the germ of the movable frame. He airs many fanciful theories, and his ideas of the natural history of the bee are, on some points, very hazy and even ridiculous ; but it is easy to see that he had a thorough grasp of his subject, and fully under- stood what he was writing about. He freely quotes from the classical writers, especially Virgil and Pliny. He opens with a sketch of what has been written on the subject from the earliest times down to his own contemporaries. He accepts the name ' king,' then in common use, but knew that the bee referred to was a female, and the mother of all the others. With regard to queen- cells, he could not discover their purpose, but supposed them to be the abode of the kings — a very good guess. He thinks the queen may lay 8000 or lO,000 eggs in a year ; and, to account for the fact that two or three swarms may be thrown off in a season, each containing 10,000 or 12,000 bees, he imagines that the new queen 470 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [October 15, 1891. may produce some of the bees before they swarm. According to him the new queen leads the swarm. His description of the process of hatching is practically correct, according to our present knowledge. Pollen and propolis he couples under the name ' wax.' That queenless stocks will accept a strange queen he knew well ; and also that they will accept a queen-cell under the same conditions. The manner of mating of queens was totally un- known to him and puzzled him much. He accepts Mr. De Reaumur's calculation that a queen may lay 200 eggs a day in the most favourable seasons. With regard to the duration of life he quotes "Virgil and Pliny as though he accepted their seven or ten years as the age bees may attain. The following are his recommendation with regard to the situation of the apiary : — ' It should face between south and west, in a place neither too hot nor too much exposed to the cold ; it should be so situate as that the bees returning home from their labours may descend to their hives ; it should be near the mansion-house on account of the conveniency of watching them.' He turns the hives to the west in spring that the bees may not be tempted out in the early morning of the colder months. They must not be under the drip of houses, trees, or hedges, and a running- stream near is an advantage. The gardens in which they stand should be planted with suitable flowers, and the trees should be dwarf and bushy, to encourage the swarms to settle within easy reach. Of bee-plauts he enumerates broom, mustard, clover, and heath, and thinks broom the best. Buckwheat is also mentioned and willows. Honf.y. — With regard to this he simply quotes other people's opinions: (1) That it is simply collected ; (2) that it undergoes change in the stomach. He has a long extract from the Abbe Boissier de Sauvages about honey-dew. From this it seems that there were thought to be two kinds of honey-dew, one an exudation from the leaves of the plant, and the other the produce of an insect. It sounds rather startling to hear that, from this latter, bees collect the most delicate honey possible. Hives. — Our author recommends straw. His were seveu inches high and ten inches wide, with upright sides, and held nearly a peck. In his upper round of straw he has a hoop of wood, to which he nail3 laths of wood, five in number, a quarter of an inch thick, and one and a quarter inches wide, to which the bees may attach their combs. He has a flat straw cover put on as follows : First a large sheet of clean paper, then daub it round with cowdung, then the cover, which is to be secured with twine. Each hive should stand singly on wood, not stone, supported on a single post. Soot mixed with chaff is to be strewed round the hives to keep off vermin, and occasionally renewed. Weeds must be kept down. Boxes. — These he explains very minutely with reference to the plates, but as these are missing it is rather hard to follow him. His feeder he turns out of solid red cedar. One side is cut out to take a four-inch nozzle as entrance. The lid has a pane of glass in it. Width is nine inches. Swarming. — The signs are clustering on the outside, no work going on, and an uncommon silence. Time from ten to three, and from middle of May to end of June. His directions for hiving are practically the same as we follow now. If the bees show a disposition to return to the place where they settled he rubs the branches -with rue, nettles, or elder leaves. The hive must be clean. Casts should be united. Artificial Swarming. — Tbe following are his directions for carrying out this operation : — ' Turn the hive bottom up, give it some slight strokes on the sides so as to alarm the bees. They will immediately run to the extremities of their combs. If you look attentively to the middle of the hive you will there perceive the queen among the foremost. Seize her between the forefinger and thumb, and confine her in your hand till most part of the bees take wing ; let her then go. The bees will soon join her and settle on some branch of a tree.' He cautions against doing this unless you have a queen in reserve. In his time, by actual counting and weighing, it had been ascertained that between 4000 and 5000 bees weigh a pound. He gives very detailed instructions how to manage bees in his hives, so that honey may be taken without destroying the bees. In fact, one of his strongest points on which he insists again and again is that there is no need to kill the bees. The operation of driving might be taken verbatim et literatim from his book into any modern one, except that he was not acquainted with driving irons, but steadies the hive with his hand. Having driven his bees, he does not completely strip their old home, but only takes out the combs with honey and then returns the bees. Mr. Wildman seems to have been a perfect marvel in handling bees, but he says he uses no other means than the fear of the bees and manipulation of the queen. Enemies. — Among these he includes slugs, snails, parasitic insects, wood-lice, sparrows, house-lark, lizards, mice, and the wax-moth. Uniting in Autumn. — Drive both the stocks, shake the bees from one on to a cloth, take out the queen, and immediately place over them the hive containing the other stock to which you wish to unite them. When quiet, place over them the hive with honey which you wish them to occupy. Djseases. — A large part of his chapter on this subject is taken up with the ravages of the wax-moth. Candied honey comes in for a large share of the blame for winter losses. Dysentery is thought to be brought on by the greediness of the bees on the first blossoms of spring, or by the bees having to feed on pure honey instead of honey and wax (pollen). Rosemary and honey diluted with water is October 15, 1891.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 471 spoken of as a remedy, and also covering the bees with (warm) ashes of the fig-tree. Feeding. — Take care in autumn that your bees have plenty of food. If any are short, give them combs by cutting out the empty ones and fixing in full ones, after having taken the precaution of smoking the bees well with the smoke of burning rags ; or put honey under the combs with straws across it, and over them a paper pierced full of holes. Cover the hives to prevent robbing, and do the work in cloudy or rainy weather. Swarms are to be fed if bad weather follow their coming off. Stocks should have at least twenty pounds of honey to winter on* (To be continued.) ffitfyots farm % ||ibts. Eaglesfleld, Ecclefechan, October 3rd, 1891.— I am very sorry I was from home when you so kindly made a call, and would have liked very much to have seen you. I hope I may have the pleasure of seeing you some other time when you come to the north again. With regard to my success, 1 may state I have had a splendid season ; I got 160 lbs. from my six frame hives, and have sold it all, with the exception of some for my friends, at one shilling per pound. Mr. McConnell and myself are the only persons who have been successful in this locality. Most of our neighbours have done practically nothing, and they cannot understand the reason ; but it is not far to seek — simply mismanagement. I am putting up six splendid bar-frame hives for winter, and mean to make an addition. I took first and second prizes in three local shows in sections, and two first for extracted. — W. Nel- son. Honey Cott, Westoti, near Leamington, October 10th. — About a fortnight ago I paid a visit to Winchester, and saw some stocks of bees. I noticed they were about as well stored with honey as my own stocks. I went with my youngest son to visit Mr. Woodley, of ' World's End,' Newbury, where we had a fine bee-talk ; stayed the night with him, sitting up till middle of the night talking over bees and their manage- ment. Unfortunately we were prevented by rain the following afternoon from going to help him to drive some bees. From what friend Woodley said, I gather that he, as well as most of us bee- keepers, would like to have one of the old- fashioned good honey seasons again. We were most hospitably entertained by Mr. and Mrs. Woodley; my son and Mr. Woodley's amused themselves at draughts, while we talked bees. The time flew, and we were obliged to be off, and say good-bye, in hope to see them again some day. I have been driving a good few stocks of bees round the neighbourhood ; from one gentleman's place I had nine lot*, and many others in a radius of four or five miles, and have fed most of them up, and have now most stocks ready for winter, with the exception of a little extra covering on the quilts. I have fed driven stocks up this year, most of them by feeding at the bottom, having a hole in the bottom board, and a perforated zinc tub9, about two and a half inches diameter, going down into a tin dish. The bees only go down this tube, and can empty the tin, and about twice filling is enough to feed a lot right up for winter. I find they seal it up much better by being fed at bottom than they do with top feeders, however rapid they can get it. I did think of reducing stock, but someway or other I have made up stocks to about the usual number of between sixty and seventy. — John Walton. Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. J. Clapperton (Galashiels). — Without being absolutely certain, we are nearly sure the dead queen sent is the younger one. T. Somerville (Glasgow). — We do not know where Burns alludes to the bee as always re- turning to the hive from a westerly direction, but we incline to the belief that it will re- fer to some tradition. Nothing, to our know- ledge, is known of such a tendency on the part of the bee. NAPHTHALINE NAPHTHOL BETA. Both the above may now be had at the Office of 'THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL' and 'BEE- KEEPERS' RECORD,' 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C. NAPHTHALINE in packets, Qd. post free. Large packets, containing more than four times the quantity of the smaller ones, Is. post free. NAPHTHOL BETA, Is. a packet, post free. Instructions for use sent with each packet. Special prices for quantities. BEESWAX: Its Economical Uses and Conversion into Money. By J. DENNLEIl, Author of ' Honet as Food,' ' Honey and its U3eb,' &c. Translated from the German, and Edited by THOS. W. COWAN, Editor of the'BBiTisHBEE Journal.' Illustrated, price 3}d., Post Free. 'Bee Journal Office,' Kings Langley, Herts. THIRTEENTH EDITION. COOK'S MANUAL OF THE APIARY. New and Enlarged Edition. CONTAINING 220 ILLUSTRATIONS. Published at 6s. Reduced to 5s., Post Free. J. Huckle, British Bee Journal Office, Kings Langley, Herts. THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [October 15, 1891. Special Prepaid Advertisements. *-#-• Situations, Publications, Bee Plants, dtc— Twelve words and under, Sixpence; for every additional Three words, One Penny. Trade Advertisements not insertedunder this head. WANTED.— 1-lb. Sections of Honeycomb, first quality. Prompt Cash. Packages sent. Well-filled Bell Glasses, Frames and Caps purchased. Address Mr. Hurst, Bexhill, Sussex. *** F ijiOR SALE.— Having had considerable difficulty to Jj obtain suitable Boxes for 1 lb. Sections, aud bought larger quantities than required, I shall be pleased to sell at 4s. 6d. per gross, cash with order. Address Martin, 4 Woodland Place, Bath. ____ FOR SALE.— Healthy Driven Bees and Queens, as ad- vertised last week. Address Holden, Wimborne, Dorset. . * *° WANTED.— Set of Lantern Slides on Bee subjects. State number, subjects, and price to Jno. Brown, Polyphant, near Launceston. L 49 IOR SALE.— Seven Stocks of Bees. Owner dead. Ad- dress Theobald's Stables, Waltham Cross, Herts. l 50 F WALLFLOWERS.— Fifty Plants, Is. free. Arabis, Is. per dozen. Address Norman Parkin, Blaken- hall, Wolverhampton. L 51 BEE SMOKE ! !— No. 1 P. 0. Cartridges, 3s. 6