UMASS/AMHERST 312066 0333 3288 5 *fe LIBRARY OF THE MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE Source. fh THE ifisli 3k Snnnial, BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. EDITED BY TIIOS. WM. COWAN, F.G.S., F.L.S., FTK.M.S., &c.; and W. BROUGHTON CARK VOLUME XX, January-December, 1892. PUBLISHED BY SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT, & Co., Limited, 23 PATERNOSTER ROW, E.C. LIBRARY_ uSo-tyof mas jsetts amherst, mass. l . 677 ■v,?.0 LONDON: PRINTED BY STRANGEWAYS AND SONS, Tower Street, Upper St. Martin's Lane. INDEX. P Abbe Giotto Ulivi, 103 About swarms, 4 Accident to Mr. Pugh, 16 Advantages of a late spring- time, 121 Advertising bee shows, 431 African bees, 1-t, 257, 278 After-swarms and increase, 68 ; preventing, 80 Agricultural, education, bee- keeping and, 142 ; show, Bojal, 258 Agricultural Society, Ly- iham aud Blackpool, 325 ; Yorkshire, 311 Alfalfa for bees, 191 Amateur's success, Au, 451 America, queen trade in, 476 Amti-ican Bee Journal, 255 Annual, excursion of work- people, 326, 366 Aunual show, Bishops Stort- for.l B.K.A., 357 ; Notts B.K.A.,356 Another way to prevent swarming and increase surplus, 476 Antiseptic qnilts, 264, 295, 297, 318, 338, 347 Ants, in hives, 44, 129, 141 ; destroying, 350. Apbidian honey, 350 Apiarian Society for Moray- shire, 27 Apical are, at the Colum- bian Exposition, 40 Apifugj, bad-tempered bees and, 17 Apples and honey, 42 Appliance dealers and their customers, 209 Appliances, during 1892, im- provement in, 401 ; im- proved, 354 Artificial, heat, 509; honey, 91,138,411; pollen, 42, 49 ; swarms, Making, 187, 229 Ash, the oak and the, 221 Aspect for entrances, 118 Associations : — Bedford, 27," ; Berkshire, 28, 317, 335, 363; Berwickshire, 315 ; Bristol, 82, 292, 335; British Bee-keepers' ,13, 51, 111, 122, 132, 152, 1S2, 191, 202, 211, 225, 283, 377, 385, r,7, 115, 155, 465; Bucks and district, 303; Daru- away.Moyness and district, 314; Derbyshire, 62, 323, 3b J ; Essex, 63, 217, 235, 45'J ; Gloucester, 337 ; ( Jo. ill- aud district, 52, 336; H uits and Isle of Wight, 458 ; Herefordshire, 93, J 33, 142, 246, 275, 364; Hun's, 114, 445 ; Irish, 29, 162, 275, 303 ; Jedburgh and District-, 82 ; Kent, 8, 191, 212, 283, 442 ; Kuares- borough, 83; Lancashire and Cheshire, 72, 302, 355; Leicestershire, 92, 336; Liuciilnshive, 283, 315; Melrose, 73; Middlesex 72, 476 ; Northamptonshire, 73, 133, 162, 192, 218, 289, 309; Notts, 92, 2; 5, 356; Oxon, 324; Roxburgh- shire, 377 ; Scottish, 32, 114, 171, 246, 301,335, 355, 496; Shropshire, 220, 238, 276, 324; Staffordshiie, 377; Vale of Severn, 344 ; War- wickshire, 153 ; Wil'S,336; Wotton-under-Edge, 458 ; Yorkshire, 51, 264 Associations of bee-keepers, their work and claims, 134 Audlem, Ch> shire, honey show at, 343 Autumn robbing, 314, 392 Ayrshire Agricultural So- ciety, 418 Bad-tempered bee; and api- fuge, 17 Bees, 136 ; and combs, Trans- ferring, 90; away from home, Managing, 117; aud brew - houses, 372 ; and fruit-growers,379; and bee- culture, Lantern slides on, 386 ; at Hale End, 278 ; and whisky, 348 ; and bee-keeping, Lectures on, 143 ; aud stored pollen, 148 ; attacking fowls, 230 ; and decoy hives, 249; as fertilisers, 411 ; and honey gathering, 422; by post, Sending, 274 ; becoming vicious,197; buildingdrone comb, 240 ; Carrier, 50 ; casting out candy, 100; Curious effects from hand- ling, 380; carrying honey and pollen, 238, 267 ; Driv- ing, 279, 369; deserting observatory hives, 309; dying, 198 dwindling -1- Diseased, 392; Exhibiting diseased at shows, 416 ; eggs, The sex of, 319; fighting when united, 360, 380; for winter, Prep iring, 353; 375; from hollow trees, Removing, 236 ; from supers, Removing, 291 ; from ehurch roof, Taking, 308; for winter, Packing, 349 ; Intellect aud instinct of, 29, 38; in suburban gar- dens, Keeping, 48; in cel- lars, Wintering, 87 j in a block of stone, 88, 103 ; in a chimney, 509 ; in skeps for railway journey, 361 ; in Northants, 381 : in twin hives, Uniting, 179, 332 ; in hollow trees, 260 ; in hive roof, 269; in the North, 278; in Derby shire, 286 ; in Yorkshire, 295 ; in straw skeps, Feeding, 286; in East Lines., 205; in Wexford, 400; in Co. Kdkenuy, 413, 419; in skeps, Moving, 483 ; killing droues in spring, 214 ; kill- ing each other, 433 ; Law relating to, 446; Moving 17, 59,' 169. 289, 297, 372; Manse burned through, 361 ; Merits and demerits of so - called Punic, 264 ; miscjlled " Panics, " 331; Manipulating, 187 ; North Africa o,257; near London, 223; Out-door wintering of, 154; Planting crocuses for, 46 ; Punic (or Tunisian), 365; Palestine and Tuni- sian, 227; pure, Keeping races of, 404; reason? Can, 68; refusing to accept a queen, 260 ; Races of, 289; refusing to swarm, 298; refusing to work in supers, 329; short of food, 500; South African, 14 ; to hea- ther, Moving, 289; Tu- nisian, 293, 360 ; taken to Brazil, 196 ; Transferring, 298; thrown out, Young, 157 ; through uniting, Death of, 392 ; uncon- scious of their acts, 9 : Utilising driveD, 294,372; Utilising queeuless, 177 ; Uniting, 234, 239, 326; Varieties of, 253 ; Vitality of, 266 ; wintering in an oak stump, 78 ; Wintering, 99 ; in Warwickshire, 500 Beauties of Ireland, 203 Bee-keeping,and agricultural education, 124 ; and gar- de jing associations, 153; A lady's, 83; audmeteor- ology, 47 ; for beginners, 118,' 139; in Palestine, 76 ; Instruction in, 394 ; Lectures on, 105, 109, 454, 476 ; Science of, criti- cal, H9, 427,410; Season- able notes o», 185 ; Staf- fordshire County Council aud, 476 ; my first year's experience in, 508 Bee-keeping in, Algeria, 390, 460 ; Canada, 348 ; Devon- shire, 410 ; Dumfriesshire, 183 ; Lincolnshire, 223 ; Minorca, 346 ; Moravshire, 228; New South Wales, 371 ; N. Africa, 369 ; Rad- nor, 221; Scotland, 1S2 Bee-keepers, beware ! 33 ; Women as, 426 Bee Associations, and Co anty Council grants, 62; for Sussex, 129 ; Local, 85 ; Notes on county, 449 Bee, and honey figures, 52 ; case, A, 370 ; desigus, 233, 259 : dr.". Ltfg ami meslilei'' ism, 359 ; episode, A, 468 experience, An actual, 384 > flowers, 187 ; lectures, 131, 153 ; lectures, Lantern slides in, 407 ; Life and labours of the, 64 ; litera- ture, Circulating, 328 ; management, 393 ; Notes from Ireland, 267, 348, 420 ; p rasites, 146 ; season in Yorkshire, 432; show at Westerby, 303; shows to come, 169, 179, 189, 199, 206, 216, 224, 232, 241, 250, 261, 270, 280, 290, 299, 311, 321, 331, 341, 352, 362, 373, 384, 394,404, 414, 423, 434 ; sigas, 42 ; stings and rheu- matism, 304 ; tent at the Yorkshire show, 451 ; The honey, 462 ; van, A travel- ling, 246 Beginner's queries, A, 178, 207, 443 Beginning bee-keeping. 149, 433 Berks B. K. A. (Windsor), 212 "Birds of a feather Hock together," 51 Bishops Stortford B. K.A, annual show, 356 Black honey, 328 Blankney horticultural ihow, 335 Brace combs, 59, 308 Breeding, Early csssation of, 375 Brentwood autumn show, 378 Bristol district, Stray shots from, 450 Brood, Chilled, 157, 229; in sections, 239 ; without chilling, Carrying, 148 Brood combs, Spacing, 166 Broseley Horticultural So- ciety, 357 Bucks annual show, 303 Building up, nuclei, 230 ; stocks, 239 Burnt sugar for bee-food, 414 Burying bees in winter, 77 Buying, bees, 297 ; foul broody stocks, 249, 464; honey, 452 Canada, Bee-keeping in, 343; 452 Candy feeding, 67, 80, 100 Capturing a truant swam, 288 Carbolic acid, Honey aud, 309 Cardinal points of bee-keep- ing, 24 Caruiolau, queens, Golden, 104; bees, 247 Carrier bees, 50 Carrying, combs of brood without chilling, 148 Case for the benevolent, 62 IV INDEX TO VOLUME XX Catalogues received, 130, 159, 199. 300 Caution, A, 137 Cedar felt for quilts, 133 Cell-building on wired foun- dation, 55 Cellars, Wintering bees in, 87 Certificates, Examination for, 289 Cessation of breeding, Early, 375 Changing, from skeps to frame Lives, 198; hives, 291 Characteristics of foul brood, 206 Chicago, Exhibition, 153, 323, 376, 399, 405, 111, 421, 421, 425, 435, 437, 460, 465, 431, 483, 500 Chilled brood, 157, 220 Church roof, Taking bees from a, 306 Circulating bee literature, 328, 347 Cleaning floor-boards, 162 Clearing bees from supers, 291, 314 Clipping queen's wings, 7, 16, 35 Clover, Value of red, 288 Clustering on dummy-board, Swarm, 308 Cobs and kernels, 381, 391 Colour of granulated honey, 67.97 Combs, Brace, 59 ; broken down in skeps, 401 ; build- ing and supering, 149 ; built crooked, 239; foun- dation, 78, 163, 172, 18d Comb, in hives, Foul-broody, 139 ; in skeps breaking- down, 280 ; Misshapen, 168; Sp-ce between, 463; Wa' er in, 67 ; with eggs by post, Sending, 250 Completing unfinished combs in skeps, 59 Concentration of forces and non-swarming, 35 Concerning, sugar honey , 157 ; swarms, Notes, 285 Condemned bees, Driving, 369 Conditio a of bees, Present, 128 Cone clearer, Using the simple, 339 Confining, bees while snow is on the ground, 473 ; to hives in winter, 473 Continental bee-papers by J. Dennler, Review of, 351, 361, 433,444,501 Co-operators at the Crystal Palace, 343 Correspondents, Notices to, Weekly Correspondence, Some criti- cisms on, 117 Cork duit for making hives wati-r-tight, 99 Cottager's results, A, 115 Count C. Bianconcini, 102 County Council, bee story, 365; grants, 62, 217; lec- tures, 472 Covering, for hive roofs, AVaterproof, 138 Coverings, Felt, 3s2 Covers lor sections, Gla s, 222 Cwuiloigh, Honey show at, 432 Creating honey market, 57, 99 Criticising, judges' awards, 415; "Wells'" svstem, 506 Criticism, More, 435 Crocuses for bees, 46 Crystallising Syrup, 422 Cure, for bee-stings, 461 ; for the gravel, Honey a, 110 ; for laying workers, 403 Curing, foul brood, 204, 267, 284, 294 Curious, car^e of mating, 381 ; effects of handling bees, 380 ; place for bees to swarm in, 109 Dairy Show, to exhibitors, 385 ; Honey at the, 418 Damp quilts, 156 Darnaway, Moyness B. K. A., 344 Desd, drones, 297 ; stocks, 41,81 ; queen sand workers, How to distinguish, 156 Dealing with, foal brood, 231 ; weak stocks, 198 Death of beas when uniting, 383, 892 Decamping swarms, 231 Decoy hives, 185, 195, 205, 223, 249 Derbyshire Notes, 307 Detecting foul brood, 197 Devonshire, Bee-keeping in, 110 Diagrams, B. B. K. A., 67 Diary for 1892, My bee, 479 Diseased bees, 392 Disqualified exhibit, 258, 265, 278 Dividers, Matt rial for, 483 Divid ng, colonies, Prevent- ing swarming by, 97 ; In- creasing stocks by, 291 ; stocks, 196, 298; stocks after swarming1, 483 Division-board, The "Wells," 472 D«i bees, damage f i'uit !J 77, 81, 89 ; prepare a home before swarming 'i 9, 28 Double, stocks, 500 ; Food consumed in winter by single and, 472; swarms, Preserving queens when returning, 478 Doubling colonies, 145, 147 Drawing - room, A bumble- bees' nest in a, 221, 247 Drawn-out combs, The value of, 173 Driven bees. Building up stocks from, 239 ; Utilising, 294, 372 Driven stock in a skep, Win- tering a, 128 Driving, bees, 279 ; con- demned bees, 369; Queen injured in, 329 Drone, brood in surplus chambers, 329 ; cemetery, A, 400; comb, Bees build- ing superfluous, 240 ; foun- dation, 25, 56 ; traps, 26S Drones, alive in October, 412; and swarming, 260; flying in February, 100; from fertile workers, 157 ; in spring, Bees killing, 214 Dumfriesshire, Bee-keeping io, 483 Dummy-board, Swarm clus- tering on, 308 Dwindling, bees, 21 1 ; Spring, 192, 249", 267 Earl's Court, ScoLch honey _ at, 443 Early, cessation of breeding, 375; granulation of honev, 291, 318, 319, 327; granu- lating and hoiu-y -dew, 333; honey harvest, An, 141, 147 ; spring work, 71 ; swarm, An, 153; swarms in Scotland, 249 ! Earwigs in hivts, 389 I Easy method of measuring out Naphthol Beta, 390 Echoes from the hives, 7, 29, 37,47,60,68, 89, 109, 117, 139, 147, 156, 179, 138, 199, 215,223,231,250, 279, 295, 319, 350, 372, 393, 432, 501 Edinburgh, the S. B. K. A. show at, 370 Educational aspect of bee- keeping, 151 Education, in bee-keeping, Free, 217; Technical, 3l, 358 Eggs in a cell, Queens laying several, 192 Enibedder, A new, 212 Empty combs and old foun- dation in sections, 184 Entrances, Aspect for hive, 117 Essex B.K.A. 63, 217, 235,459 Equinoctial gales, The, 396 Examination, for certifi- cates, 289 ; Spring, 121 Escluder, Queens passing through, 280, 303; zinc, Using, 205 Exchanging old for young queens, 36 Excursion of workpeople, 366 Exhibiting bees with foul- broody combs, 416 Exhibition at shows. Orna- mental desigus for, 238, 259 Exhibitions in south of Eng- land, 420 Experience, A swarming, 287 ; My, 450; Some Welsh, 381 ; with my sclf-hiver, A year's, 131 Experiment, Burying bees for winter, An, 177 Expert help, 441 Experts, Foul brood and, 246, 213; visits, 237 Explanation, An, 212 Exportation of honey ,iod wax, Importation and, 351 Extracted honey, How to raise good, 18 Extracting, frames, Thin foundation for, 197; from brood combs, 19 ; honey, Time for, 329; surplus syrup, 414 ; Using old combs for wintering and, 320 Extractor, Handy wax, 46 Extractors, for sections, 399 ; home-made, 66 ; Lending, 214 ; Spreading foul brood by lending, 247 Europe, From Palestine to, 347 Fair at Hereford, Honey show and, 364 Faulty combs, Getting rid of, 80 I Feeder, A new spring, 115 I Feeders, Super-clearers aud, 354 Feeding, 161, 1S1 : and foul brood, Open-air, 346 ; back honey to have sections fiuished,49; back granu- lated honey 59 ; bees in sti aw skeps, 286 ; bees, Heather - flavoured syrup for, 399 ; Candy, 67. SO ; Late, 395 ; supered stocks, 382 Felt, for quilts, Cedar, 138; coverings, 382 Fertile worker-, 308, 102; Drones from, 157 Fertilisers, The value of bees as, 411 Fight in an apiary, How to put down a, 412 Fighting, amongst united bees, 3S0 ; Naphthaline and, 390 ; when being united, 360 Figures, Bee and honev, 32 FTrst-cliss goods must be high-priced, 17 First reported twarm for 1892, 177, 205 Fixing foundation, 209, 2LZ Floating bee-hou.es on the Nile, 446 Floor-boards, Cleaning, 162 Flour for uniting, 500 Flower and honev show, Bramall, 365; Hale End, 324; Sevenoaks, 335 Food, consumed in winter by single aud double stocks, 472 ; spring, 81 Foreign bee journals, 8 Fortifications, Wax, 307 Foul brood, 16, 46, 259, 279, 358, 413 ; and cottagers, 481 ; and foundation, 43, 310; aud experts, 246,213 ; aud medicated winter food, 396; Characteristics of, 206 ; Curing, 201, 267, 284, 294; Dealing with, 231; hereditary, Is, 349; Hy- pothesis on the propaga- tion of, A, 93 ; or pollen 1 207 ; Precautions against, 273; remedies, 74, 349, 421 ; Robbing aud spread of, 334 ; Spreading, 247 ; Supposed, 269; Treating, 236 ; U^ing preventives against, 157 Foul-broody combs, Sending, 60, 139; Exhibiting, 116; stocks, 148, 249, 3-10, 464 Foundation, Comb. 163, 186 ; drone, 25, 56 ; Improved, 78; in sections, 184; in standard frames. Super, 308 ; in toil bars, Inserting, 209 Fowls, Bees attacking, 2 50; in au apiary, SO Frames, for surplus cham- bers, Size of, 129 ; Wir.ng, 98 Frame hives, Changing from skeps to, 198; Hiving swarms in, 205, 267 ; Straw skeps on, 228, 26^, 299; Transferring to, 129 ; Set- ing skeps a^ove, 239 Free education in bee-keep- ing, 217, 152, 153, 394 French and English, weights aud measures. 129 From, Palestine to Europe, 347 ; the South of France, 98 Gardening Associations, Bee- keeping and, 153 Getting rid of faulty combs, 79 Giving a laving queen to a parent colour, 39 ; surplus chambers, 201 Glass covers for section. 222 Glimpse cf Cumbrian and Northumbrian bee-keep- ers, 44S Glueing sections, 183 Golden Carniolan quee is, 104 Gradii g of honey, 165 Granulated houev, Colour of, 67, 97; Feeding back, 59 Granulation, and lion' y dew. Early, 333 ; of honey, Enly, 291, 318,319,327 Grow ing hops for shade, 443, Handling hiv. s inuleiid o£ frames, 55, 65, 86 Heather, clad hills, Ireland's 203 ; flavoured syrup for feeding, 399 ; honey for sale, Preparing, 340; Mo, INDEX TO VOLUME XX. ving bees one mile to, 289 ; season in Durham, 432 Height of hive stands, 60 Helping on the Bhows, 263 Hints for levelling hives, 347 Hive, entrance in winter, Width of, 34 ; entrances, Aspect for, 117; robbed, S83 ; roof, Bees in a, 269 ; roofs. Waterproof covering for, 138 : Two queens in each, 168, 193, 318, 339, 4*9, 470 ; Wanted, a, 143 Hives for the heather, 84, 95, 106, 126, 152 Hiving, a swarm in a photo- graphic camera, 149 ; his first swarm, A novice, 230 ; swarms, 297 ; swarms in frame hives, 205, 267 History of a straw skep, 471 Honey imports, 23, 52, 61, 78, 102, 162, 226, 275, 301, 358,396,437,487; for 1891, 24 Honey, and carbolic acid 309 ; and its uses, 57 ; Aphidian, 350; Apples and, 42 ; Arti- ficial, 91, 411; as a medi- cinal agent, 116; at Earl's Court, 449 ; at shows, 66 j for Chicago, 411, 460, 465, 431, 483; Grading of, 165; harvest, An early, 141, 147 ; transit, Loss of, 28 ; Stand- ard, 410, 420, 439 ; jars, Wide, 280 ; Market for, 99 ; sweetmeats, 29 ; the colour of, 366, 386 ; Time for ex- t racting, 329 ; Where to keep, 110 Honey-dew, 347; 'Prevent bees from gathering, 401 Honey show at, Audlem, Cheshire, 343 ; Armagh, 303 ; Banbridge, Co. Dowu, 335 ; Blanklev, 335 ; Cran- leigh, 432, 438 ; Bramall, 365; Hereford, 364; Pot- 1 v.s Bar, 324; Sevenoaks, ■15 Horn" made extractor for sect ons, 399 H v.ker self-hiver, Tbe, 173 ' Hollow trees, Bees in, 253 ; Removing bees from, 286 How doth the little busy bee, 384 How to, distinguish a dead queen from a worker, 156; put down a fight in an apiary, 412 ; raise g iod extracted honey, 18 ; select colonies, 19 ; to raise honey in poor districts, 497 Huber's letters, 3, 13, 23, 83, 103 Humbug in the bee-trade, 27 " Hut," The other, 276 Importation of honey and was, 351 Improved, appliances during 1892, 401 ; methods of man- agement, 2 Increasing stocks by divid- ing, 479* Indignant bee's forcible re- monstrance, 291 In the Hut. 15, 75, 137, 168, 287, 305, 345, 409, 469 Iufection in hives, Prevent- ing, 298 Influenza, 21 Intellect and instinct of bees, 29,38 International fruit and honey show, 105, 128, 212 Introducing queens, 69, 290, . 299, 378 Inverness, Show at, 301 Iodide of potassium for bee- stings, 237 Is : foul brood hereditary? 349 Is the standard frame large enough ? 103 Inserting foundation in top- bars, 209 Instruction in bee-keeping, 153, 171, 264, 394 ; Techni- cal, 183, 191, 246, 412 Jars, Wide honey, 280 Jedburgh and District B.K.A...82 Judging- observatory hises, 408, 43<">, 452 Judcres awards, Cn'ieising, 415 Keepin?, bees in suburban gardeas. 48 ; races of bees pure. 404 ; for profit and pleasure, 503, 506 Killing drones m spring, Bees, 214 Lady's bee-keeping, A, 88 Lantern slides on bees and bee-culture, 386, 407 Larva-, Cast out, 297 Late mating of queens, 167 Law relating to bees, 446 Laying queen, or fertile workers, 248 Leaky roofs, 36, 44, 67, 78, 89 Lecture notes, 195, 213, 218, 237 Lectures on bec-beepmg, 52, 105, 109, 126, 143, 153, 345, 454, 476 Legalities of bee-keeping, 453 Lending extractors, Spread- ing foul brood by, 214, 247 Levelling' hives, A hint for, 347 Library table, Our, 149, 341 Life and labours of the bee, 64 Liuolenm for covering frames, 350 Location and its bearing, 39 Look out for wreckers, 340 Loss of honey in transit, 28 Loss of queen, 308 MacKnight, Mr. Robert, 459 Magnitude of the queen trade in Americi. 476 Making, roof and hives water- tight, 99 ; the most of the season, 253 Managing, bees awav from home, 117 ; swarms. 260 Manse burned down through bees, 361 Mating of queens, Late, 167 Marriage of Mr. John D. McNallv, 64 Marshall fund, The, 74, 84, 95, 105. 114, 126, 134, 152 Mead recipe, 59 Medicating bee food, 472, 393 Mesmerism, Tee-driving an', 359 Meteorology and bee-keep- ing, 47 Metheglin, 299 Method in bee-keeping, 11, 35 Misshapcu rombs, 168 Moors, Taking bees to the, 115, 310 Moist sugar for eyrup mak- ing, 382 Moayshiro, An ap'arian society for, 27; bee-keep- ing in, 228 More, criticism, 435 ; Science of bee-keeping, 477 Moth-, in cow hs. 203; Naph- thaline for, 413 Moving bees. 59, 297, 372 ; in winter, 17 ; in the busy season, 169 ; in the day- time, 288, 294 ; in skeps, 433 ; one mile to the heather, 289 My, bee diary for 1892, 479 ; experience, 450 Naphthaline, and its uses, 202, 416 ; and fighting, 390 ; for moths, 413 Naphthol Beta.Alcholic solu- t on of, 422; Measnring, 390 New, embedder, 209 ; met- hods of bee-keeping versus old, 21 ; spring feeder, 115 ; theory of pollen-gather ng, 285,495 Non-swarming, 35 Non-sectional supers, 320, 421 North African bees, 233, 243, 354, 257 North Africa, Mr. Cowan's tour in, 131 Notes, by an amateur bee- keeper,t303, 317 ; concern- ing swarms, 285 ; on county Bee Associations, 1 4Q ; by the Way, 5, 26, 44 55, 86, 106, 127, 144, 175, 194, 213; 221, 226, 248,275, 304, 316, 338, 368, 388, 409, 426, 447, 468, 498 Notice to correspondents, Special,! 242, 505 Nucleus hives, Building up, 280 Oak and the ash. The, 221 Ubituary — Sir Win. G-ibson- Carmichael, 3 ; Waller Douglas, 3; S. Stutterd, 323; William Lyon, 443 Observatory hives at War- wick, 228 Old combs for wintering od, 320 Old foundation in sections, 184 One way of curing leaky roofs, 36 One versus two queens in a hive, 339 One more from Bucks, 471 Opeu-air feeding and foul brood, 346 Order in the apiary, 64 Ordering goods, 141 Out-door wintering, 154 Outside indica'ious that Lees are getting honey, 422 Our year's sunshine, 22 Over-manipulation, 353, 371 Overfed brood chambers, 422 Oxfordshire, Season in, 47.! Packing, bees for winter, 349 • hees in skeps for a rail journey, 351 ; hives with chatf, 116 Palestine, and Tunisian bees, 227; to E irope, From, 347 Parasites, Bee, 143 Past season in the North, 430 Pastur ige, Bee, 491 Photography and bee-keep- in?, 344 Plants for bee - fountains, 116. 129 Points in bee-keeping, 74 Pollen, Artificial, 42, 49; Bees and stored, 148; bees carrying in, 238, 267 ; Combs, Surplus, 473 ; gath- ering, 420, 485 Practical questions, 327 Preparing for winter, 353, 375; hives for awarms, 209 Preserving qeeens when re- turning s warms, 478 Preventing, after -swarms, 80 ; bees gathering honey dew, 491 ; infection in hives, 298, 4t>3 ; swarming 52, 57, 97, 139, 148, 181, 188, 308,461,476,491 Price of, honey and wax, 449; sugar, 141 Prize schedules, 79 Prominent bee-keepers: — William McNally. 1 , Wil- liam Woodley, 101 Proposed honey and ap- pliance company, Another, 355, 365 Prospects of the season, 234 Pugnacity of queens, 293 " Puuic " bees, American opinion on, 310, 340 ; Rev. L. L. Langstroth on so- called, 315 ; The so-called, 233, 243, 254, 264, 331, 352, 362, 366 Queen injured when driving bees, 329 ; killed and cast out, 215 ; Loss of, 309 ; not laying, 230; Unfertile, 210; Excluddr, 6 Queens, Drone-breeding, 186 ; feitilised in colonies with a laying queen, 95, 155- (rolden Carniolan, 104 ; In- tmlueing, 69, 299, 378,; leivinn- hives, 454; Late matin- of, 167 ; laying s- veral eggs in a • ell, 1 92 ; pa sing through excluder, 280, 306 ; Pugnacity of 303; Rasing, 139, 227; Rehewiog, 238 ; TJnprolific, 205 Queenlessness in spring, 81 Queeukss stocks, 147 Queries and replies, Weekly ; on swarmiuc, 269 Quilts, Cedar-felt for, 138; damp, 156 Races of bees, 239 R icks, setting on section, 188 Raisins, hives for ventila- tion,' 8 ; queens in August, 3 S3 Ratafii, A good recipe for, Redpe', Houey, 58, 59, 98 Rec >jnising ol 1 queens, 4_-^ Red clover, Tbe value of, 288 Reducing stocks. 392 Removing bees, 157; from a hollow tree, 285; section rack:.-, 320; se-tions from skeps, 339: supers with brace combs, 303 ; surplus, 273, 298 ; sectieus, 32 Reuewing, combs, 298 ; queens, 238 RHfiucenins, Is it advisable . Iu7 ; stocks, 207, 463 R-ph in? to queries, 228 Report, "A Scotch, 43t ; for the vear 1391, Weather, 8; Right to stray «ams, 2 40 Robbed hive, 333 Robbing, and the spread of foul hroo 1, 334 ; Autumn, 314, 392 ; Suspected, 48 Royal Agricultural Show at Warwick, 162, 244, 255, 258 '-'65, 278 Seasoi, iu 1892, 348; ia Canada, 452 ; in Durham, 432 ; in Ea-t Cheshire, 4)2 ; in Mid-Oxon, 412; in the North, 430 ; in Sussex, 390; in Yorkshire, 432 Seasonable, 6, 49i ; uotes on bee-keeping, 55 Yl INDEX TO VOLUME XX. Sections, Glueing,183; Home made extractor for, 399 ; racks and hanging frames, 220; The " Wells " system and working for, 482, 499 ; "Weeping," 68 Science of bee-keeping, 390, 369, 406, 417, 425, 480; Critical, 419, 427, 410; More, 477 Selling honey, 7, 100 Selecting stocks and queens, 41 Self-hivers, 7, 45, 142, 204, 431, 500; hiviuo-. Decoy hives, 220 ; The " Hooker," 173 Sending foul-broody combs, 60 Setting skeps above frame hives, 239 Sex of bee's eggs, 349 Shooting at a swarm, 259 Simple cone cleaner, Using the, 339 Six years' honey harvests, 410 Size, of frames for surplus chambers, 129; of hives, 463 Skeps, Combs broken down in, 401; Moving bees in, 483; on frame hives, 268, 299 ; taken by storm, 196 ; to frame hive?, Changing from, 198 Some, bee incidents, 176 ; Welsh experiences, 331 Song (from The Foresters), 394 Spacing, brood combs, 168, 463 ; frames for surplus, 188 Spreading fonl brood, 247, 334 Spring, dwindling, 192, 249 ; examinations, 121 ; food, 81 Standard honey jars, 389, 410, 420, 429, 439', 448, 470, 475, 509 State aid for bee-culture in America, 25 Stimulating, 122, 383 Sting preventives, 307, 327 Stingless bee, A, 177 Stocks on forty standard frames, 268 ; to the moors, Taking foul-broody, 340 Straightening up hives for wiuter, 421 Straw skep, inakinu', 473,490 ; on frame hives,"228 ; The true history of a, 471 Stray, shots from the Bristol district, 450 ; swarms, The right to, 240 Strengthening weak stocks, 178" Suburban gardens, Keeping bees in, 48 Sugar, crystallising, 422 ; for bee-food, 414 Sulphur fumes and wax moth, 464 Snpered stocks, Feeding, 382 Supering, 161, 149; non- sectional, 320, 421; with brace combs, 308 Super, clearers, 327, 334, 346, 354, 429 ; foundation in standard frames, 308 Surplus chambers, Drone brood in, 329 ; Queen- excluders for, 6; Giving, 201 Surplus pollen combs, 473 ; syrup, Extracting, 414 Sweet spirits of nitre in honey recipes, 98 Swarming, Artificial, 229 ; Do bees prepare a home before, 9, 2S ; Drones and, 2 "0 ; Dividing stocks after, 483 ; experience, 287 ; Pre- venting, 52, 57, 97, 139, 148, 181, 188, 303, 461 ; Queries on, 269 Swarms, 161, 201, 285; A novice hiving his first, 230; clustering on dummy b^arJ, 308; decamping, 131; for 1892, The first, 177, 205; Hiving, 297; in the day-time, Moving, 288, 291 ; Making artificial, 187 ; Preparing hives for swarms, 209 Switzerland, 320, 330 Syrup for feeding bees, Heather-flavoured, 399 Taking, bees from a church roof, 303 ; foul - broody stocks to the moors, 340 Technical instruction in bee- keeping, 31. 171, 178, 183, 191, 216, 358, 462 Te nperature for opening hives, 48, 491 The value of drawn - out combs, 173 Thin foundation for extract- ing frames, 198 ; walled hives, 51, 65 To, members of the B.B.K. A., 24; our readers, 274, 301, 376, 405 Transferring to frame hives, 90, 129, 298 Travelling bee van, A, 246 Treating foul brood, 236 Tunisian bees, 293, 352, 363 Twin hives, 197, 198 Two queens in one hive, 146, 168, 176, 193, 339, 400, 429, 437, 438, 461, 470, 472, 487, 500 Undue interference, 353, 368 Unfertile queen, 240 Unfinished combs in skeps, Completing, 59 Uniting bees, 59, 234, 239, 306, 326; Death of bees when, 383 ; in twin hives, 179, 198, 382; using flour in, 500 Unprolific queens, 203 Useful, hint for bee-keepers. 488 ; notes, 158 Useful hints, 2, 21, 41,71, 81, 121, 131, 141, 161, 181, 201, 209, 234, 253, 273, 291, 313, 333, 353, 375, 395, 415, 435, J75, 505 Using, preventives against foul brood, 157 ; excluder zinc, 206 Utilising, driven bees, 294, 372 ; queenlesss bees, 177 ; weak stocks, 206 Value of, bees as fertilisers, 411 ; drawn-out combs, 173 Varieties of bees, 253 Varnishing hives, 188 Vaseline for supers, 205 Ventilating hives, 8 Vicious, Bees, 197 Vinegar, as a sting remedy, 432 ; Recipe for, 59 Visit to Southall, 453 Wanted, A hive, 145 Warwick, Observatory hives at, 288 Wasps' nests in hives, 222 Water, &c, 42 Water in combs, 67 Waterproof covering for hive roofs, 138 Wax, fortifications, 307 ; ex- tracting, 116, 128 ; wax- moth, Sulphur fumes and, 464 Way to prevent swarming and increase of surplus, 476 Weather and bees at the moors, 353; charts and forecasts, 21 Weather reports, 48, 90, 109, 138, 143, 177, 187, 229, 279, 309, 339, 350, 394, 402, 483, 501 " Wells," division - boards, 472 ; system, 195, 437, 459, 461, 482, 500, 505, 506 Weights and measures, French and English, 129 Wet earth a enre for bee- stings, 461 Wexford, Bees in, 400 What are Punies ? 233, 243, 254 Where to keep honey, 110 Whisky and bees, 348 Will bees pay for keeping in Yorkshire'? 487, 507 Windsor branch, Berks B.K.A., 212 Winter, confining bees to hives in, 473 ; packing, 2 ; preparing for, 353, 375 ; preparation, Amount of stores, 13 ; straightening up hives, 421 - Wintering, bees, 99 ; bees in cellars, 87 ; in an oak stump, Bees, 78 ; of bees, Outside, 154; on old combs, 320 ; preparations 473 ; stocks on short stores, 395 Wiring frames, 98 Women as bee-keepers, 462 " Wonderful work of bees, 462 Working double stocks, 500 World's Fair at Chicago, 153, 367, 435 Young queens thrown 0UV57 Yorkshire, Agricultural So- ciety, 314 ; show, The bee- tent at the, 451 ; Will bees pay for keeping in, 487, 507 ILLUSTRATIONS^ Bee parasites, 146 Braula cceca, 146 Cone clearer, 402 Guide for foundation, 99 Heather hives : — Howard s "Melrose," 85; Robin- son's, 126 ; Redshaw's, 152 ; Steele's, 95 Hive prepared for swarm, 207 Hooker's self=hiver, 17il Rapid feeder, 401 Sheppard's self-hiver, 143 Skep making, 490 Sleeve hook, 402 Spur embedder, 99 Tin rapid feeder, 402 Travelling crate, 402 Wiring frames, 9g William McNally, 1 William Woodley, 101 • THE fh iritill %n 3nnraai BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 498. Vol. XX. N.S. 108.] JANUARY 7, 1892 [Published Weekly. (Sfoitnriad, Efftxas, #t. OUR PROMINENT BEE-KEEPERS. No. 35.— WILLIAM McNALLY. Amongst bee-keepers, perhaps, no name is better known in Scotland than that of the sub- ject of our notice. Mr. Wm. McNally ■was born in 1855, in the county of Wigtownshire, where he now re- sides; «nd, though quite a young man, he has had consi- derable experience of bees, and few have had greater success in their cultivation and management. His parents, who are both living, are honest working people, with a fa- mily of seven sons and one daughter. Each member of the family received a fair education, was then put to learn a trade, or whatever business was the bent of his inclination, and afterwards allowed to fight the battle of life unaided. At the age of fifteen William left school, and was shortly afterwards appren- ticed to the trade of a joiner. For several years he worked as a journeyman in Glasgow and Kilmarnock, acquiring such a knowledge of his business as enabled him, at the age of twenty- two, to begin on his own account. By his steady habits and obliging manner, and being a good workman, he secured the confidence of the public, and now possesses a thriving business, which, added to a large trade in bee-appliances, together with extensive honey-raising, has pro- Tided him with a comfortable livelihood. He WILLIAM HC NALLT. is, in the fullest sense, a self-made man, and his success in life is largely due to his intimate knowledge of bee-keeping. When a boy he was always in the country, and naturally acquired a liking for rural pursuits. Few can handle a gun or cast a line across the stream better. In his youth he collected what is perhaps as compre- hensive a collection of British birds' eggs as can be seen anywhere. Mr. McNally was first induced to start bee-keeping in 1876. Being out in company with a game-keeper on a fishing excursion, he bargained for a swarm of bees for some work done. This swarm did well, and laid the foundation of his subsequent interest in the pursuit. There were a good many bee-keepers living in the dis- trict at that time, but their methods of management did not suit our friend's energetic nature, and accordingly we find him, in 1877, taking out bees to the heather, a de- scription of which is given in the Record of Feb- ruary, 1891. He first caught the bee-fever in earnest when visiting the Agricultural Show at Dumfries in ]878, where he saw the process of 'bee-driving' and some beautiful supers of honey- comb. The following season (1879) he owned six hives, but that being a remarkably wet year, his stock died down in the spring of 1880, and left him with only two ; from these two hives he sold honey the same season to the value of five pounds, and had five stocks on hand to begin the winter with. From this time his apiary grew in extent, until it is at the present time the largest in Scotland, seldom containing less THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 7, 1892. than 100 stocks, and occasionally upwards of 150. He never could be induced to try foreign bees, although he has often handled them in other apiaries. Mr. William McNally is best known as a suc- cessful honey producer, managing his apiary strictly on commercial lines, his only assistant being a smart youth during summer. In hand- ling bees, he can get through a lot of work in a very short time. The neatness of his honey when put into the market is evidently one of the secrets of his success in disposing of his pro- duce. During the season of 1887 he took three tons of honey from his own apiary, and had the whole of it disposed of by the middle of October of the same year. As an exhibitor at shows he has been very successful, having for five years in succession gained the silver medal of the Highland Society for the best and largest dis- play of honey and honey-comb. In 1879 he married very happily, and his ' partner in life takes a lively interest in every- thing pertaining to the bees. During the bee- season they have many visitors, and all are made heartily welcome by Mr. McNally and his good wife, both of whom we trust may long be spared as living examples of the pleasure and profit which may be obtained by bee-keeping, pursued on intelligent lines. USEFUL HINTS. Winter Packing and Improved Methods op Management. — It is interesting, as well as curious, to note the written opinions and observe the tendencies of bee-keepers in various parts of the world on the question of preparing bees for wintering ; and, so far as we can gather from the numerous bee journals published on the other side of the Atlantic, there appears to be a decided tendency towards uniformity on many im- portant points or methods of management between American and British bee-keepers. Take the question of outside cases, for in- stance. Not only are these growing rapidly in favour, but light hive-bodies and shallow- framed surplus chambers for extracted honey are almost as popular among Ame- rican apiarians as here. Space below brood combs in winter, also, is becoming quite an accepted article of the bee-keeper's creed ; and last, but not least, they are now be- ginning to realise what we have appreciated for some years past, i.e., the advantages of fixed distances for frames. In this connexion it is noticeable that their methods of progression towards effi- ciency have proceeded much on the same lines as were followed here. Our cause for wonder is that American 'cuteness' has not led to the adoption of a short cut to the desired end, instead of travelling over, in quite roundabout fashion, well-trodden ground. In a word, why they did not begin where we left off, instead of trying distance tacks, staples, hobnails, and so on, before arriving at efficiency. We trust that one or more of our appliance manufacturers will show sufficient enterprise to make up an exhibit for the Chicago Exhibition next year, and endeavour to prove to our American friends that all the good things are not con- fined to their own ' bee-yards.' We also observe with much satisfaction how surely the stream of public opinion is flowing towards agreement on several other important matters connected with bee- management. The bad habit of mutilating queens by clipping off a wing to prevent loss of swarms, is dying out — the sooner it's dead the better. ' Handling hives instead of frames,' again, is a subject freely dis- cussed in American bee journals just now, though it would appear to be as much with the object of ' booming ' the Heddon hive as of making converts to the * handling ' system propounded. For ourselves, we must confess our entire inability to see ' eye to eye ' with those who declare that the quickest and readiest way of finding a queen is to take a box of shallow frames from its floor-board and shake her out from betweeu the combs on to the ground. If American bee-keepers are smart enough to do this, as some of them say, we, on this side, must be content to take a ' back seat ' as manipu- lators of bees. But we are pleased to observe that some of their best-known men see the thing more as we do. Mr. Doolittle, referring to the same subject in an article now in type, and which will appear next week, says : — ' Is it any less work to shake away on a hive till the queen is shaken out, and a lot of bees hunted over to find her, and the hive put back in place again, than it is to quietly sit on a stool and lift out the frame she is on, see her, and know what she is doing, and place the frame back in the hive again ] ' Judging the matter according to our lights, we fancy that readers will agree with us if we were to reply to Mr. Doolittle's query by saying No ; and adding that if a troublesome, roundabout, and — -to bees and bee-keeper — generally upsetting method of performing a very simple operation were wanted, the ' Heddon ' plan just ' hits it off to a nicety.' January 7, IS.^2 J THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. DEATH OF SIR WILLIAM GIBSON- CARMICHAEL, BART. It is with deep regret that we announce the death of Sir William H. Gibson-Carmichael, of Castle Craig and Skirling, Peeblesshire, which took place on the 19th ult. Sir William, while not a practical apiarian, nevertheless took a keen interest in modern bee-keeping, and en- couraged it by every possible means in the district in which he usually resided. He dis- tributed numbers of colonies of bees and books pertaining to the subject of apiculture among his humbler neighbours. The Scottish Bee-keepers' A ssociation had, since its formation, been most liberally supported by the deceased Baronet, who is succeeded in the title and estates by Mr. Thomas D. Gibson-Carmichael, well known to our readers as an enthusiastic bee-keeper, and an authority on insects generally, and who has taken an active part in the formation of the recently formed Scottish Bee-keepers' Associa- tion, of which he is the Hon. Secretary. DEATH OF A BORDER BEE-KEEPER. One of the most prominent bee-keepers in the Border district, Mr. Walter Douglas, of Melrose, died on the 8th ult., after a long illness. Mr. Douglas came of a bee-keeping family, and had kept bees practically all his life. He was at all times ready to assist beginners, and his services were in constant requisition in the district in which he lived. At the time of the Melrose Bee Exhibition, Mr. Douglas was one of the most regular attendants, and gave a great deal of his time to explaining the various exhibits to visitors. He was most enthusiastic about the formation of the Scottish Bee-keepers' Associa- tion, though, owing to his failing health, he was unable to be present at the Stirling Show. His uncle, Mr. Douglas, Galashiels, who was also an enthusiastic bee-keeper, predeceased him by a few days. HUBER'S LETTERS. Third Letter. I was afraid, Sir, that you might not have received my letter, and, that you should not have a very bad opinion of your correspondent I asked M. de Flutnet to tell you that I had written to you, and also to give me news of you. He knows what an interest I take in anything that concerns you, and you, Sir, will believe it too. When I had the honour of writing to you, I did not know that you had occupied yourself with propolis. Your memoir was read to our Society during my stay at Lausanne, and it was only at one of our special meetings, when the minutes were read, that I learned that it was at the preceding meeting that the matter was brought forward. I asked to see your memoir, and M. J urine passed it on to me. I read it with the greatest interest. You have succeeded in a very difficult research, and the fact which you have witnessed had never been seen or suspected., by anybody. Accept, Sir, my sincere con-. gr at illations. Allow me to refer to your observations when I entertain the Society with those that I have made on the same subject. They do not contradict each other; it is quite natural that you should think that the bees had only one way of collect- . ing propolis, and that you might not have thought that they could get it from the buds of the black poplar, when you have seen them gather it from the leaves of this tree. The fact is that they gather it from both. We have satisfied ourselves that they take it where they can find it. When inserting your article in my memoir, I shall only mention the fact which proves your discovery, and say nothing about the exclusion of the black poplar, which you give as a con- jecture only. I shall be delighted on this occasion, as on every other, to associate my name with that of such a distinguished lover of natural history. I have already done so, in taking advantage of the permission you gave me to use your very instructive notes on the Sphinx atropos. I sent them, together with my remarks, to Professor Pictet. I do not know if he will think them fit to publish in the Journal Britannique ; . perhaps the desire to render cultivators a service in warning them of the danger of this moth to the bees will induce the editors to put my observations in the agricultural part, though they are not of British origin. M. Pictet is just now in Paris, in his magisterial capacity. I will let you know his answer as soon as I receive it. It is a very curious feature in the intelligence of bees, or rather of the hand which guides them, this precaution which they take of, narrowing the entrances of their hives when they are threatened by the invasion of an enemy. The fact was already known in the days of Aristotle. I have only read about it in his book on animals since I have observed it in nature ; he says it is with propolis that they narrow their entrances, but without any details as to the way they set about it, or of the form they give to this strange work. Etenim, cum sint ampUores aditus, fabrica obstntentes, coarctant. I have seen some strange variations in these constructions ; they are well worth studying, for it is the finger of God that is seen there. It is as interesting as useful to follow all His divine traces. You appreciate it so much. Sir, that 1 do not hesitate to ask you to join me in an investigation which ought to be fathomed, and which, by your knowledge and talents, can be elucidated. I have seen some of their narrowed entrances, which are real works of fortification ; they show battlements, covered ways, secret doors, whose openings are masked, &c. Sometimes the wall of propolis and of old wax is only pierced by one THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [Januaiy 7, 1892 inclined and winding opening, the access to which might be easily guarded by one or two workers. When propolis fails them, this singular wall is made of pure wax, and they know how to introduce propolis afterwards. This year my bees had narrowed their en- trances at the beginning of July ; evidently this precaution was taken against the robbers of a neighbouring hive. They had only left two little openings, for two workers at most to pass through. In August, at the time that the popu- lation was large, and during the principal honey harvest, they enlarged the openings during our presence to make the passages more open; but in order that the openings should not be too large, they left a wide column, about a third of the width of the entrance, which divided it in two, and prevented the big sphinx f ron entering. Would one give the honour to blind chance for such a disposition, the useful object of which is so evident ? Do me the pleasure, Sir, of looking at your own hives as well as those of your neighbours, and make a sketch of what you observe in full hives. It will not be easy to see this work in all its details ; it would be easier in winter, when the bees are quieter. It would also be still easier if there were a few hives whose bees had died, and where the entrances might have been narrowed. Allow me to ask you for some particulars about the hives of the ' Hautes Alpes,' the con- struction of which you so approve of. I share your opinion on the disposition of bees during the bad season. Time only allows me to express my perfect considerationforyou. — F. Hcjber. — AuBouchet, near Geneva, November 19th, 1804. P.S. — I have also ascertained this year that potatoes do not attract bees, and that the gathering of propolis is subject to great varia- tions. This year it was very late, and not at all abundant. Fourth Letter. I do not know, Sir, if you receive the Biblio- theque Britannique, but if you do you will see in it that I made use of the instructive and inter- esting note that you were good enough to send me ; only your name is wanting, and I cannot imagine why the editors have abridged it. It would also have been better if it could have appeared with my memoir ; but M. Maurice carried it off to Paris, and in consequence of this it could only be inserted in the following number. They have also forgotten to engrave the drawing I sent of the entrance casemated by the bees, which my son did with sufficient accuracy to give an idea of this feature of their industry. Descriptions without illustrations never produce the same effect. I lead your notes and my second letter to the Society of Naturalists when my turn came. Perhaps you know that this Society is only com- posed of Messrs. de Luc, Jurine, Tolot, Gos, my sons, and myself. _ The Society only occupies itself with natural history, and we have numerous correspondents and foreign members. If you like, Sir, you could become a member. The pro- position that M. Jurine and I made there was well received, and I undertook to communicate to you the wish of our Society, and to be the interpreter of its sentiments. M. Jurine also asked me to tell you that he would have the honour of proposing you to the Philosophical and Natural History Society. As I was not at the last meeting, I do not know whether he did so. But in this case he will have written to you. I very rarely see our dear Count de Flumet ; he is frequently away, and much sought after. I gave him his cousin's message, and whenever we have met the Chateau de Loche and its in- mates have been the subject of conversation. I do not give up the hope of knowing them better some day ; what is quite certain is that I look forward to it, and value the correspondence, of which the advantage is all on my side. Accept, Sir, my best wishes in all that in- terests you, and the assurance of my highest con- sideration.— F. Hxjber. — Geneva, January 29th, 1805. P.S. — My eldest son presents his compliments to you. 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/or publication, but as a guarantee of goodfaith. Illustrations should be drawn, on separate pieces of paper. We do not undertake to return rejected communications. 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. Hcckle, 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. ABOUT SWARMS. [895.] The more one thinks about natural swarms, the more difficult does it seem to ac- count for them by any one hard-and-fast rule. Many people think bees are endowed with the power of reasoning, and that because two and two make four, four and four must make eight ; that because the population of the hive is rapidly increasing, it is likely to still further increase, until there will be absolutely no room for the new-comers, and, therefore, bees must be sent out as scouts, which shall return to report progress — all this to be followed up by an exodus of most of the oldest inhabitants. We ought at first to define what we mean by a sioarm and what we mean by reason. I take it that a swarm is made by any body of bees leaving a hive en masse, disgusted with the old home (whether they return to it or not doesn't matter ; they have no intentions in the matter). January 7, 1892.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. They will stop with the queen (attracted by her scent), and insanely perish, or, if she fly away ttgain, after the usual clustering, will accompany ■ her, until they crowd her and themselves into any hole they light upon which offers darkness as a security against daylight. A swarm may leave a hive for various causes — lack of food, overcrowding, or a too plentiful supply of queens. Reason, it seems to me, may be defined a? a process of logical deduction, a sort of mathema- tical sequence — that as A is to B, so is B to C. It is also a kind of mental argument by analogy —that if A + B = C, B + C will=D. I have long thought that what we term reason is the result of an argument in the mind, and is more a product of education and civilisation "than an inborn gift. The lower we look in the scale of human civilisation and education, the less use do we find of reason, the greater do we find the use of inborn instinct. The higher we look amongst men, the more do we find reason as the chief guide, until instinctive action (by comparison with the savage) almost disappears. So much is this so, that men try to unravel, by the aid of rational argument, every problem that shows itself; thus, by the right exercise of this artificially cultivated acquirement, science (know- ledge) is advanced. Believing, then, that the use of reason is the result of teaching and learning, by personal ex- perience and by observing or learning the ex- iperience of others, I will deny the possession of the reasoning faculty in the bee, not only in the matter of swarming, but in all the working of the hive, feeling sure that we may in time rationally find out causes for what we have been taught to consider wonderful mysteries. Every 'bee-keeper knows that a very slight use of reasoning power, if the bee possessed it, would be of immense service to it. For instance, the bee-keeper would not have to go twice into the same bee-garden to take honey or examine a hive unless he went armour-clad. The slightest use of reason would save the lives of individual bees under many circumstances. In swarming they would not leave the hive without the queen, and would hesitate to rush out as casts, and would, besides, return to the old home sooner than perish. Again, how is it that having once got what is called the ' swarming fever,' bees will persist in coming off ? (I am supposing them under natural conditions.) If, as we are told, plenty of room in advance of requirements prevents that overcrowding which is the first cause of swarming, how is it we are brought face to face with the fact of swarms issuing from natural and artificial homes of almost unlimited space ? Surely it must be that at a suitable part of the summer, workers are moved by an unreasoning impulse (instinct) to build queen-cells and attend to their contents, that the presence in the hive of young queens in the cells causes great agitation, increasing as the time approaches for their hatching out, until, the climax being reached, in the heat of the day the agitation becomes terror ; this leads to gorging, and adding to the trouble, no relief is possible without a veritable stampede into the open. The rush having been started soon becomes general, and the air is filled with beea. A stampede amongst animals is not unlike the issuing of a swarm : once let it be started, and off they all go — all who are capable ; the young remaining unaffected by the surrounding alarm. If the bee were able to use reason at all about her swarming, she would use it when (under artificial conditions) the bee-keeper provided more room both for brood and honey. The action of bees in first and second casts drives one still further from the idea of their be- ing possessed of reasoning power. Yet they do so many wonderful things that we must credit them with the gift of instinct in such a large degree that they are well compensated by the substitution. When we read of other animals acting with so much sense, we are driven to the conclusion that the dividing line between in- stinct and reason is so fine as to be almost imperceptible to the mind, and that the nomen- clature is purely our own. We cannot help, too, observing again, that the one is the result of education in a great measure, and grows at the expense of the other. — R. A. H. Gbtm- shaw. NOTES BY THE WAY. [896.] ' " Wring " out the old (wet) year, ring in the new.' May 1892 prove a seasonable year for our craft, and bee-keepers rejoice in a good harvest of honey during the coming summer. After several poor seasons our faith in the return of a succession of good seasons is as firm as ever. It is encouraging to find the cir- culation of our Journal extending and increas- ing year after year ; this evidence of growth i> satisfactory and gratifying to those who have watched its career through these nearly twenty years. The volume following this will complete its majority ; in the meantime I trust we shall get some rousing, relevant, and concise articles from our older hands, those who laid the founda*- tion of its present prosperity. Surely these have not forgotten their first love, nor how anxiously we looked forward to our B. B. J. once a month, so that we might as scholars revel in the doings of the masters in the craft. Re- membering all this, I say, ' 0 my masters,' allow us the privilege of sitting at your feet again as of yore. To those few who read these ' stray notes ' I would like to say a word of encouragement to induce them also to write their experiences, so that we all may compare notes, and thus help and encourage our less experienced brethren. The honey industry is more dependent on the weather than any of the minor industries, or possibly the larger and more important one of farming, therefore our reports must fluctuate acccording to the seasons — some will be good, some poor, and some bad ; but, by jotting down our notes and recording them for reference in the columns of B. B. J. or Record, we may b erecting safeguards to enable others, another THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 7, 1892' season, to steer clear of failure and loss by the knowledge acquired from our practical ex- perience. It is rather unusual to see bees at the water- ing-troughs on New Year's Day, but such was the case in our home apiary, and also again to-day; must I take it as an evidence that breeding has commenced, or were the water- bearers after a fluid wherewith to moisten some extra dry candy ? Either one or the other must have induced the visits to the tea-leaves. Don't neglect those leaky roofs if you care for the well-being of the bees ; if paint and putty will not make a sound job, try a piece of un- bleached calico. First give a good coat of paint to the boards forming the roof ; then cut the calico large enough to cover and turn under the eaves, secure the edges with tacks to the under- side of the eaves of the roof, then give a good saturating coat of paint on the calico, and with proper ventilation your roof will be dry ; or, better still, remove the old, cracked, and leaky boards, and replace with new, sound pine boards, as free as possible from knots, drive nails well in, then give a good coat of boiled oil, and when it is dry putty the nail-holes, and give two coats of stone -colour paint, and you will not be troubled with wet cushions for several years to come. Wet cushions and wraps should be removed, and dry ones given instead. This may be done with very little disturbance to the bees, and is essential to their health and well-doing. Our Berks B. K. Association Annual Meeting is to be held on Wednesday, the 13th inst. On dit, that our energetic Assistant Hon. Sec, Miss Oarr-Smith, has wiped off the rather heavy deficit of last year. That we start the new year free from debt. That the Annual General Meeting will be held in the Abbey Hall, Read- ing. That Professor Cheshire will give a lecture on bees, honey, and flowers at 7.30 p.m., admission free. Now, if I could only steno- graph like Mr. Bead, your readers should have a verbatim report of Mr. Cheshire's lecture ; but, as I can only jot from memory, I trust our editor will do us the honour of coming down to report and take notes. Bee-keepers generally will re- ceive a hearty welcome, and as Beading is centrally placed, with good railway communica- tion, I hope to see a crowded audience. — W. Woodley, World's End, Neivbury. SEASONABLE. [897.] Christmas greetings heartily recipro- cated. This time I received B.B.J, on Christ- mas morning, just before starting to spend the day at a friend's house. I hope one and all have had a happy time, and here I take leave to ex- press my gratification at the continued interest I find in the perusal of your Journal. I fed my seven stocks of bees in the beginning of October on syrup made from seventy-five pounds of sugar, using the feeder (a description of which you honoured me by publishing on pp. 515-16), previously packing all with several thicknesses of quilts and of brown paper, and! filling the air space all round with cork-dust, paper, or cocoanut matting. And to further satisfy myself as to their store of provisions for the winter, I gave each a two-pound cake of soft candy in the tins, on November 25th, as. well. The weather has been exceedingly boisterous and trying in this exposed situation. On the 11th December my bee-house was lifted on the sill, and one or two empty hives upset. Fear- ing other damage, more weight was placed on' each hive, and the house secured to stakes by stout wire, &c. But the wind was on and off, andi on the 13th inst. it was most furious. Ridge? tiles and slates (one slate carried over 200 feet) were blown off, and between seven and eight a.m. three empty hives and one stock were turned over. Luckily, I saw the disaster early,, and, though Sunday morning, I hastened to put the hive in an upright position, arrange the frames, and temporarily cover all up, while re- moving wet wraps and feeder to dry at the fire,, and, as soon as the storm abated, I returned to > the hive, and wrapped up with warm coverings,, taking care to increase the weight on all the hives. No further injury has occurred. Sunday, the 27th, was a charming day, my thermometer reaching 57° at 11 a.m., when I seized the opportunity to unload and look into the hives, and (first pushing- the slide home)' into the feeders also. I found each cake had been tasted, and candy firm — not hard, but soft enough to thrust my finger in easily. By this I conclude the bees are not in want of food. Under this arrangement my bees were not in the least disturbed, and the loss of heat was imper- ceptible. A large number were on the wing^ and the dead brought out. One of your correspondents expressed a desire for Christmas cards of beehives covered with snow. A friend, knowing my hobby, has sent me such a one. I should say that, for fear of robbing, I took all the honey from one stock in skep when transferring, partially from five, and none from two. Both syrup and candy were medicated according to instructions, with the exception that, instead of dissolving Naphthol Beta in pure alcohol, I did it in brandy. Wishing yon a prosperous New Year — J. Quabtebmain, Tenby + December 28th. QUEEN-EXCLUDERS FOR SURPLUS. CHAMBERS. [898.] I was pleased with the remarks of ' J. G. K.' (880, p. 573) on the size of queen- excluders for surplus chambers. He touches on an important point when he says queen-excluders over the whole of the frames must cause draught from the entrance through the brood nest, where the heat is most wanted, as it undoubtedly escapes upwards. I am afraid the system followed by us modern bee-keepers in supering is a great mistake ; the hive is uncovered, smoke,, in many instances, is used to drive back the bees,. January 7, 1892.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. the supers are put on, and the once cosy hrood nest loses much of its needed ■warmth. The result is that more bees have to stay in the hive to look after the brood, and consequently we have fewer bees in the fields ; thus our harvest is lessened. How are we to prevent this ? Why, by simply filling the spaces between the frames with strips of wood, something after the Stewarton principle, leaving a half- inch space on either side of the hive to admit bees to the supers. This prevents the honey-gatherers from passing through the brood nest ; they travel up the sides of the hive, and so reach the supers without coming in contact with the brood nest at all. I take very unkindly to queen-excluders ; it must hamper the workers returning from the fields loaded with stores. I rarely find any brood in my sections, and, if hives are up to supering strength, the hive crowded with bees ready to enter as soon as section racks are put on, the queen will trouble them very little. At least, I think so myself. But I will try with and without excluders this year, and so compare results. — A Howden- shire Bee-keeper, East Yorks. SELLING HONEY. [899.] Though a constant reader of the B.B.J., I do not often trespass on your valuable time or space. May I, therefore, claim your indulgence for a little, whilst I relate my first experience in soliciting an order for honey. I would not trouble much with my small griev- ance, but I have a particular objection to be ' taken in.' Here are facts to which I ask your attention : — I replied to a recent advertisement in the B.B.J., informing the advertiser that I could supply him with the amount of extracted honey re- quired, stating the quality of my honey, the form put up in, and the price. In reply, I was asked to send a specimen of my extracted honey, and also inform the writer if I had any comb honey to spare. I replied by sending a one- pound bottle of extracted honey, having nothing smaller, and sent a note with it, stating the quan- tity of comb honey I could supply, and the price. I also asked for an early reply. This was on the 17th, and I waited till the 23rd, when, receiving no answer, I wrote, expressing my disappoint- ment, and asking (if my honey did not meet with the approval of the advertiser, and it did not suit him to give me an order) if he would be good enough to pay me the wholesale price of the one pound of honey sent, and one penny for letter. My bottles (tie-over) hold from sixteen up to eighteen ounces, so I think I have not asked too much. Now, I believe that I was justified in expecting an answer, especially as I informed my correspondent that I held over a grocer's order pending his reply, and I believe there are few who would hesitate to comply with my small request, seeing that I only asked payment for value received, taking no account of trouble and postage on parcel, which cost me sixpence, but, up to the present, I have had no reply. The question, therefore, I would like to ask is: Has the advertiser in this case acted within his rights ? Are vendors expected to give their time, their money, and their goods, be they ever so small, without any compensation ? In this case the inconvenience from want of common civility has been considerable, and I shall be grateful for any word of guidance for the future. — R. Auld, Bath, January 2nd. [Judging from the facts as stated, there is, no doubt, a want of courtesy on the part of the advertiser referred to in not replying to letters, but we should like to have a word of explanation from him before offering any advice beyond a recommendation to send not more than a couple of ounces of honey as samples, and on no account to expect payment for them. —Eds.] CLIPPING QUEENS' WINGS : SELF-HIVERS. [900.] Could you give a paragraph in the Journal upon the subject of clipping queens' wings, with the object of preventing the loss of swarms ? I ask this because I am a sufferer from this cause, and have lost several swarms last season, and am rather surprised that the article at page 332, July 23rd, 1891, has not received more attention from bee-keepers in the Journal than it has. Would not the present be the best time of the year for clipping the wings ? I may mention that I keep my bees a mile away, and I have no facilities for watching them in swarming-time. — Expert, Blackheath Hill. [The custom of mutilating queens by partially destroying their wings is a cruel practice, and one we do not care to advocate, because, though the removal of the wing of a bee may appear to us a painless operation, to the insect it is not so ; in fact, it is only a short remove from cutting off their legs to prevent walking. Under the circumstances in which you are placed we would far rather try the ' self-hiver.' In an early number we shall be giving an illustration of a new and improved form of this contrivance, which seems likely to answer the intended purpose well. — Eds.] )M8 from tyz pitas. Alsace, December \Qth, 1891. — The tempera- ture at the present time here is very mild, 8° to 10° C. during the middle of the day, so that the bees can fly nearly every day. I am wintering thirty hives, which are all up to the present time in very good condition. My honey harvest has not been very rich this year : six hundredweight instead of twelve and three-quarter hundred- weight in 1890. — J, Dbnnler. Witney, Oxon, January '3rd, 1892. — Bees have done fairly well here ; my ' take ' for 1891 was 393 pounds — viz., 130 sections and 263 pounds ex- tracted honey from ten hives. Skeppists have not done much. — C. B. Bartlett. THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 7, 1892. ($mxm atttr spites. [471.] Raising Hives from Floor-boards for Ventilation. — The entrances to my hives are cut in the body-box, and a plinth runs round the two sides and back with movable floor-board, to give them plenty of ventilation in the summer, and so help to prevent swarming. Could I place two sticks across the hive on the floor-board, thus raising the hive up so that there would be an entrance all round ? Would this plan answer ? I should like to prevent them swarming if possible. — John Smith, Oxon. Reply. — It is a common and an excellent plan of giving ventilation in very hot weather, to raise hive bodies from the floor-board, so that bees can pass out on all sides. [472.] Foreign Bee Journals. — I hope I am not trespassing too much in asking you for the names of the French, German, and Ameri- can journals most likely to be of service to me ; also, where I am likely to obtain them. — C. B. Babtlett, Oxon. Reply. — French : — Revue Internationale, edited by E. Bertrand, Nyon, Switzerland; LApiculteur, published by the Societe Centrale d'Apiculture, 167 Rue Lecourbe, Paris. Ger- man : — Bienenzeitung, edited by W.Vogel, Nord- lingen; Illustrierte Bienenzeitung, edited by C. J. H. Gravenhorst, published by Schwetschke & Sons, Brunswick. Others will be found on page 589 B.B.J. American: — American Bee Journal, T. G. Newman & Sons, 199 Randolph Street, Chicago, U.S.A.; Gleanings, edited by A. T. Root, Medina, Ohio, U.S.A. This can be had of Mr. J. Huckle, Kings Langley, Herts. KENT BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The Annual Meeting of the above Association will be held on Wednesday, the 13th inst., at 105 Jermyn Street, at 4 o'clock p.m. WEATHER REPORTS. Westboukne, Sussex. December, 1891. Rainfall . . Heaviest fall Rain fell on Average . . Max. temp. Min. temp. Min. on grass, 18° on 25th. Frosty nights, 13. . . 4-15 in. .. -81 „ (on 1st) . . 24 days. . . 2-21 in. 53° on 4th. 22° on 25th. Sunshine, 87 hours. Brightest day (19th) 6-50 hrs. Sunless days, 9. Mean max. . . 4P6° Mean min. . . 34*5° Mean tern. . . 39*6° L. B. Birkitt. Bucknall, Lincolnshire. December, 1891. BM. 25. Maximum, 56° on 3rd. Minimum, 9° on 21st. Mean max 42"2° „ min 29-4° „ temp 35*8° „ of 6 Years . Minimum on grass, 7° on 2l8t. Rain, 2-93 ins. Average in 24 hrs. '44 on 1st. 33;4°_ Rainy days, 16. A mild month, with spell of sharp weather from 17th to 25th. Bees flving on 26th and 27th.— J. Bint. WEATHER REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1891. Westbourne, Sussex. Rainfall . . . . 35*94 in. Heaviest fall . . 2-04 „ (on August 21st) Rain fell on . . 198 days. Average . . . . 27'09 in. Max. temp. 78° on May 13th. Min. temp. 17° on January 18th. Min. on grass, 14° on January 18th. L. B. BlBKETT Sunshine, 1682 hrs. Brightest day (June 17th) 1*3-50 hrs. Sunless days, 61. Last year, 1773 hrs. WEATHER KEP< Bucknall, 1 3RT FOR T HE YEAR e. BM. 25. 1891. jINCOLNSHIR Jan Feb. March. Apr. May. June. July. Aug-. Sc-pt. Oct. Nov. Dec. Maximum, 51° 59° 63° 66° 76° 78° 74° 74° 80° 63° 55° 56° — 80° Minimum, -5° 16° . 17° 19 19° 32° 36° 32° 32° 26° 21° 9° — 5° Mean max. 37-8° 46-3° 47-7° 52 2° 58 4° 67-6° 63-4° 66-2° 67-8° 565° 46-3° 42-2° — 54-8° „ min., 22-4° 28-6° 30-9° 33° 37-7° 46-9° 47-3° 47-3° 45-3° 39-6° 33-9° 29-4° — 36-9° „ temp., 30-1° 37*5° 3i:»-30 42-6° 48-1° 57-2° 57-8° 56-8° 56-5° 48° 40 1° 35-8° — 45-8° „ of6yrs .34-5° 36-r 38-7° 42-80 50-1° 566° 58-5° 56-6° 543° 46-8° 40-8° 33-5° — 45-8° Rain (in.) 1-58 •09 1-25 1-08 2-78 2-58 2-55 319 1-42 3-S3 2-92 2-93 —26-2 in Rainy diys, 16 o 19 9 18 11 21 26 11 22 22 16 — 194 Remarks : — very cold dry, nrild cold, cold windy N. wine very I coll two dull, weeks wet nne very wet fine, warm mild, Writ dull, wet variable — dull, wet J. Bint. January 7, 1892.] TBE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. BEES UNCONSCIOUS OF THEIR ACTS. Do Bees Prepare a Home before Swarming ? Some inquiry seems to have been awakened involving the question, ' Do bee3 reason ? ' Pro- perly, ' Are bees intellectual beings ? ' Were I going to decide the question upon the evidence, * Do bees reason ? ' I woidd commence at the bottom of the proposition, and reason upward to a conclusion. Those answers to the query that tend to the affirmative, begin their reasoning at the top and proceed downward. Such a method of reasoning is faulty because it assumes the thing to be true that is to be proven. The best philosophy, most universally accepted in all the ages of the past, and which is sup- ported by Divine revelation, teaches that the animate creation of the universe consists of two classes of beings, with a sharply cut line between them. The one class is rational, intellectual, spiritual, immortal. Man stands at the foot of the ' created intelligence,' being ' a little lower than the angels.' The other class is animal only — irrational. I will not insult the intelligence of the reader by asking to which of these classes the bee belongs. She is an irrational creature, ttnd, therefore, does not ' reason.' But it is argued that bees do things that seem to be the effect of ' reasoning,' and perform some acts that look like the exercise of the faculty of memory, &c. Admit this, and yet this sort of reasoning is the merest assumption, because it assumes as true the thing to be proven. The question does not rest upon the acts the bees perform, however worderful they may be. Do they perform their part in the economy of life consciously, as rational beings? When this is proven affirmatively, it will be time enough to assert that 'bees reason.' Until the proof is forthcoming, those of us who are less credulous will be content with the belief that bees, like other irrational animals, perform their acts in the economy of life unconsciously, under the directions of the promptings of instinct, which is the ' property of animal life.' I might safely let the subject drop here, but as it is an interesting one to me, I propose to suggest a few ideas that may interest some, and 1 be of benefit to all who care to study the instincts and habits of bees. The notion that bees ' send out scouts ' from the clustered swarm is an ancient story. It dates back to where the 'memory of man runneth not.' It is as old as that other story that bees look after the coffin that saddened the > household — especially if there was the smell of ■ varnish about the coffin. It is a good story cal- culated to excite the wonder of lovers of the ' curious,' and no set of people is more fond of the curious than bee-people. I once thought it was true, and when I was i investigating its claims I was very slow and shaky to give up my faith in the ' bee scouts,' after the fashion of Moses and Joshua, with the ■ historical Rahab left out. If our romantic fathers had held on to the Rahab episode, it would have ' shaken ' me all over to give it up. But one thing that I observed made it more easy to me. When experimenting I noticed how unreasonable these ' reasoning ' bees were. As soon as the cluster was formed, a ' counsel was held,' and ' scouts ' were ' sent out ' in all directions, and as soon as one of them returned and reported that a home was discovered and pre-empted (no title papers), the swarm, without further ado, would ' light out ' to the pre-emption, leaving the other faithful scouts to mourn the perfidy of the commonwealth. It seemed to me that this was as mean a trick as any ' reasoning ' beings could be guilty of. Many times nations of people have declared war because of acts of less treachery than these. In fact, and free from all romance, I discovered that when a swarm is about to issue, the whole of the colony is not ' struck ' with the swarming impulse alike and at once. This is a wise pro- vision of nature to guard against the entire desertion of the brood. This is shown by the fact that some individual bees are taken by sur- prise and hurry off with the swarm while loaded with pollen. Others seem to go without the promptings of the swarm impulse, and true to habit, not broken by the swarm impulse, these individual bees leave the cluster to pursue their daily work, some to the watering-places, and others to the fields. It is this class of bees, and others that get lost from the swarm, that visit the place where the swarm settled. Such bees always return to the hive where the swarm came from. These observations, with the fact that not one swarm out of a half-dozen goes straight to their future home, settles the ' scout ' romance. I have seen a great many swarms find their way into hollow trees and empty hives, but have never seen a single case where they entered the place deliberately. On one occasion I had been watching a large colony that looked like swarming for several days, and was near the hive when they came out. They raised high in the air, and I was sure of losing them, but as the swarm passed over a large apple-tree that had a dead hollow limb near its top, the lower part of the swarm paused, as though something attracted their attention, and speedily began to enter the hole in the dead limb. The main part of the swarm, higher up in the air, seemed to hear the ' call,' and swung around in a circle and joined the general rush for the ' new home.' It was as clear a case of finding a ' home' by the echo responsive to the multitude of vibrating wings, as the most incredulous would demand. When I drove these bees out of their 'new home,' I found the cavity in the limb too small by half to accommodate a colony of bees. On another occasion I was doing some work in the woods, and a swarm of bees passed over the tops of the trees, and I followed them, and as they passed near the top of a tall poplar the very manoeuvring I have described above occurred, and the swarm entered a hole high up in a limb of the tree. I told the owner of the 10 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 7, 1B92 ' land on which the tree stood of the find, and he cat the tree some time afterwards, but got no honey of consequence. The hollow in the limb was entirely too small to accommodate the swarm. I can only speak of two more cases now, and they occurred at my apiary. A swarm issued on a windy day, and was struggling against a strong wind in their effort to cluster on a small hackberry-tree that stands about two rods from the south-west corner of my apiary. They nearly reached it several times, but were as often driven back by strong gusts of wind. I was standing by, deeply interested in the struggle. There was an empty hive in the corner of the apiary, and as the swarm was driven back by the wind, they swung down in front of the empty hive, when some of the bees made a change in their course and entered the hive, while the greater part of the swarm took advan- tage of a lull in the wind-storm and reached the tree. The ' call ' rang out from the hive, and from the tree, and the result seemed doubtful. But the hive furnished the best ' sounding-board,' and the bees gradually left the tree and joined their comrades in the hive. I can give but one more ca^e among many. Last summer, in swarming-time, a swarm of bees passing over my apiary on a bee-line, apparently making their way toward a woodland pasture a mile ahead, paused over the apiary as they caught the sound from below, and swung down and clustered on a hive cover, and finally entered the hive. In my rather long experience as a bee-keeper, I have never known a swarm to pass near my apiary that was not attracted by the sound from it. I capture from one to three swarms every season in this way. That other story about bees selecting and ' cleaning out ' a ' home ' in advance of ' moving to it,' has not been as popular as the ' scout ' story, because the one contradicts the other. If bees select a home and ' clean it out,' and 'glue it up,' preparatory to taking possession of it, there is no use of sending out ' scouts ' from the clustered swarm to hunt a home that has already been discovered, and made ready for occupancy. The fact is, a little knowledge of the habits of bees ought to teach any observing person that bees visit 'decoy hives,' and other hives that have been occupied by bees, to carry away the bits of wax and propolis they contain, and that they are often seen gathering the liberated albumen and glucose substance produced by chemical changes in the decay of wood in and out of hollow trees. Let this suffice. Concluding this article, as I do not care to discuss the subject further here- after, I wish to lay down these propositions. It is utterly impossible to prove or disprove that beee send out scouts. No man has ever ' shadowed ' a bee scout with a full knowledge of her identity, from the time she leaves the hive or swarm cluster, iu all her meanders, until she returns to the hive or swarm from whence she was sent out, Such a feat would be a physical impossibility, out of the range of humane power, yet nothing less would suffice to prove • that bees send out scouts. A question like this cannot be taken on ' faith.' It is a question susceptible of proof, or no ■ question at all. Let us have the proof or nothing. — Gr. W. Demaree, in l American Bee Journal? [Without desiring to discount Mr. Demaree's deductions on the question of preconcerted action ■ of swarms as given in the interesting article quoted above, it will occur to most bee-keepers of experi- ence that there is strong presumptive evidence that bees possess the instinctive foresight to provide a home beforehand when about to swarm, in the fact that ' scouts,' or whatever we may call them* are so frequently seen ' rummaging ' over and cleaning up unoccupied hives, left about an apiary at swarming-time, and that when this happens, , a swarm, if left to itself, will usually take possession.. in a day or two. — Eds.] 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. Henry Stuart (Winchester)* — American- made Smokers. — The price of smokers ia. America is higher than here, but as good an article as need be desired can. be had for the - price you name (5s.) ; personally, we woidd not use these large, heavy smokers, they are too cumbersome. Why not try the new ' Hill ' Smoker ? You will have no difficulty in keep- ing it alight. E. Stellingvverff (Belgium). — Foundation Making. — 1. No; the comb foundation made • by the Bietsche or other amateur presses is not as good as that sold by dealers, and is a very poor substitute for it. 2. The Guazzoni, is the best of these amateur presses- • for small sheets, but we do not know if it is in the market. The Bietsche press seems to be - the one mostly in use now, but we have not seen any sheets of foundation made on this.- press that we should care to use. A Middlesex Bee-keeper. — 1. The hive re-, f erred to is a good one for the purpose. 2t : One shallow body above brood: nest will nor prevent swarming. 3. You will find our preference for shallow surplus chamber fo extracting purposes freely expressed in both; weekly and monthly issues. F. W. S. — We believe that the stockcof medals has run out, and that a new supply is expected daily. No doubt this accounts for the delay. *#* We beg to thank the many correspondents . who have written expressing their good wishes for the coming year, and assure - them their kindly feeling is very CiDrdially reciprocated. SJriM THE BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 499. Vol. XX. N.S. 107.] JANUARY 14, 1892. [Published Weekly. (Sbitorial, Wiotxttn, tit. METHOD IN BEE-KEEPING. The beginning of a new year brings with it, in the minds of most men, some kind of resolve to make a change for the better in their plan of action, or, perhaps we ought to say, in their method of doing things. They have the past year's experience to guide them, and there follows a very natural desire to avoid a recurrence of mistakes as well as to make the most of past successes. Bee-keepers, no doubt, among the rest, are more or less in this condition of mind regarding that portion of the coming year's labours with which we are especially con- cerned, viz., the work among the bees. We therefore take the first opportunity of im- pressing upon readers who are beginning to consider their plans for 1892, the absolute necessity for proceeding according to some well-arranged method. There are few pursuits in which fore- thought is of more importance than in that of modern bee-keeping; in fact, it is the very keynote of success. Moreover, the exercise of an enlightened intelligence, the outcome of study as well as of practical experience, is, in our view, one of the greatest charms about the business. To have his own carefully thought-out plans succeed and accomplish all he expected of them gives intense satisfaction to the bee- student, and yields an amount of pleasure Avhich far more than repays him for what it has cost. But, while remembering all this, we have no desire to confine our observations altogether to the sentimental side of the question. There is in most things a stern necessity impelling us to bear in mind the fact that the main object of all labour is to secure some tangible result, which in one form or another consti- tutes its reward. The half-witted fellow who 'didn't believe in doin' nothin' for nothin' for nobody ' had his reasons for thus delivering himself, and we take it that the vast majority of those who in this country keep bees even for pleasure retain a pardon- able weakness for the profit side of the account. This is exactly as it should be, and we trust none will quarrel with the principle involved ; nevertheless, the British bee-keeper, in nineteen cases out of twenty, views his bee-garden from an altogether different standpoint to that of a man who follows bee-keeping — like so many do in other countries — as his sole occupation, for we know that a man who lives entirely by honey-production goes about his work with the ever-pi-esent and anxious feeling that a good or a bad honey season means, to him, comparative plenty or otherwise. To the one, almost the very home comforts may depend upon the bees : with the other, they are a pleasure-giving hobby, which he de- sires to make profitable, of course, but not a matter of serious consequence at all. ] It is well for all who love bees as some of us do that this is so, because, however earnestly we may hope for the permanent success of British bee-keeping as now fol- lowed, there is no resisting the conclusion that the climate of this country is too un- certain, and the season too brief, for the indulgence of any hop s of its ever rising beyond the position of a minor industry. In acknowledging th's much we rather see cause for congratulation than otherwise. As a minor industry we claim for it a fore- most place ; but our country is too thickly populated to allow of the establishment of large apiaries in any great number, and so we gather comfort for readers and for our- selves in being perforce compelled to remain bee-keepers in a comparatively small way, in that it relieves us of any very serious forebodings for the coming season, while allowing us the use of every effort to make it as successful as we can, and our present object in writing is to give a little advice respecting the best method of securing this desirable result. Cheapening Honey Production. — 0n3 12 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 14, 1892. of the main objects to bear in mind is to use every means of cheapening the cost of production, by which is meant the outlay of as little capital as may be without doing anything tending to lessen the amount of honey gathered. With less uncertainty about our honey season, less caution would be needed in preparing for it, and our advice would be not to follow any cheese- paring method. But, when we reflect how the chances run that free dealing with, and a too liberal use of, articles which cost money may end in very little return, it behoves us to frame our plans with caution, and to be guided by circumstances in our method of carrying them out. Suppose we take two items of bee-management on which opinions differ : (1) stimulating bees by feeding in spring, and (2) the prodigal use of comb foundation in frames and sections. One bee-keeper feeds in spring for the purpose of ' stimulating,' whether the bees require food or not. He also fits all his sections with full sheets of foundation — costing about 3s. per 100 sections — and fills the frames of hives prepared for swarms with ditto, at an outlay of 2s. Qd. to 3s. per hive. This, of course, dips heavily into the money-bag. Well, another bee-keeper takes an entirely opposite view, contending that a single sheet of foundation, costing about id., is quite sufficient, when cut into ' starters,' to give to any swarm. He also argues that starters, at a cost of about 9d. per 100 sections, are as rapidly built out into comb as are full sheets of founda- tion. Continuing his economies, he does no stimulating — leastways, none that involves food-giving. Seeing, then, that men of equally wide experience in all parts of the world, as well as among ourselves, entertain such diver- gent views, the question arises, Which is the best all-round plan to follow 1 From the cheapening-of-production point, the saving method would seem most likely to tend that way ; but we incline to the opinion that our bee-keepers will, as they become more thoroughly conversant with the science of bee-keeping, follow no rule of thumb, but will govern their action by the circum- stances of the time and season, as well as of each case to be dealt with. For instance, bee-keepers located in early fruit districts will stimulate their bees, as we do ours, in spring, because it pays to do so. We want to see our stocks strong in numbers a full month earlier than is needed in places where the first source of supply is the white clover. In the latter case mid-June is- about the date for surplus-gathering, and there should be little need for spending money on stimulating to have the bees ready for work at that date. The second point to which careful atten- tion should be given, is economy in the use of foundation. By this we mean avoiding its use in a too liberal way when no equiva- lent return for its cost can be looked for. It is a very easy matter for a bee-keeper to expend a couple of pounds, or more, on foundation in a season, and find himself very little further forward than if he had kept the money in his pocket. But, in saying this much, we quite believe that judicious use — liberal use at the proper time — of foundation is as good a bee- investment as can be made ; and the point to consider is when to use it freely and when ' not to.' If a swarm comes off" a week or so before the pasturage is ready for bees working on it, it will pay well to use full sheets, and feed to the extent of a few pounds of syrup as well, if by doing so we can have the hive full of combs, and the combs full of eggs and brood, by the time honey comes in freely. In this way we- compel the bees to store the income in surplus boxes, because there are no empty cells in the brood chamber. If, on the other hand, a swarm issues at the tail-end of the harvest, we would give the bees frames furnished with starters only, and save our full sheets. By following the- latter course, the bees will work all the harder during what remains of the season, and the bee-keeper, expecting no more than that the bees may be able to provide for themselves, does well to let them do all they can in this direction, only helping them in case of actual scarcity of food for winter. Editors who are themselves bee- keepers have, of course, methods, as well as individu- ality, of their own, which they follow and recommend as the best ; but there is no reason why our preferences should be those of all. It is quite open to the humblest cottage bee-keeper to find out ' dodges ' of his own which may beat our best results. We only desire to impress on all the need for working according to some well-defined method, in which is contained all the good which the experience of years furnishes, and if our readers will adopt a course midway between the two extremes to which reference has been made, they will have no cause for dissatisfaction with the result of their labours in an ordinary season. January 14, 1892.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL 13 BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. Nominations of members for election on the Committee for the year 1892 must be made not later than Saturday, January ;>0th. Each can- didate must be nominated by two members of the Association. Forms for such nominations may be obtained upon application to the Secre- tary, Jobn Huckle, Kings Langley, Herts. The annual general meeting of the members of the Association will be held on Wednesday, February 17th, at 105 Jermyn Street. Notices of motions for this meeting must be made not later than January 30th. Subscriptions for 1892 became due on Jan. 1st. HUBER'S LETTERS. Fifth Letter. Sir, — I have communicated the contents of your letters to the members of our little society. They learnt with much pleasure that you con- sented to become one of us, and requested me to tell you so. M. Jurine, to whom I gave your letter to remind him of what you were expecting of him, told me he had not yet proposed yoa to our Philosophical and Natural History Society, but was going to do so at the next meeting ; it will be held at my house on the 28th of this month, and, as 1 shall preside, you may be sure that the proposition will be brought forward, and that you will have my vote. 1 do not doubt, Sir, but that all the communi- cations you are willing: to make to the editors of the Bibliotheque Britannique will be received with the readiness that they deserve. I shall be particularly pleased to know your observa- tions on the formidable Atropos, the cause of its cry, its tongue, &c. ; your drawing will make these remarks still more interesting : perhaps it would not be impossible to have it engraved here. Have you never tried etching yourself ? My father succeeded in this art, as in everything else that he applied himself to; however, al- though be took so much care, we were always rather afraid of the effect the aquefortis used in the process might have upon him. M. Jurine read to us the other day his paper on the wings of flies, and showed us the beauti- ful drawings done by his daughter. This paper and these drawings will remain in his bureau, because of the impossibility of engraving the beautiful plates. One of my acquaintances has had this year eleven hives devastated by the Atropos; if all the hives are not to be lost next summer, they must be absolutely protected against this for- midable enemy by some means analogous to what I have indicated. In their native country the bees, no doubt, know how to resist these inva- sions better than they can do where they have been transplanted, and where they have not all their former instinct or their energy. Proust wrote to La Metairie (Journal de Phy- sique de Ferme, 13), dated 19th November, 'There are two sorts of honey, one generally liquid, the other dry, deliquescent, crystallisable in its own way, and not so sweet as sugar. They can be separated with spirits of wine ; for this it is necessary to operate on granulated honey.' It is a pity that there are not more details. If Proust were not in Spain — that is to say, at the end of the world — I should have asked him for these. As far as I can remember, the ancients dis- tinguished three sorts of honey'. I will look for this in Pliny. Because their writings are not read, often something is said to be new which was universally known in the days of Aristotle. I recently saw Count de Flumet, who is always amiable, happy, and well. It is because he has known how to resign himself; here he is as much loved as admired for his moderation and courage. This is a good gift of Providence, and it will not be the last. I thank you, Sir, for all your good wishes for the work of my son on humble bees.* You would have received it long ago, if it had been in our possession. Here there is only one copy, in an English collection which belongs to the Public Library. Those that have been printed in London have not yet reached us. Last Thursday, he read at a public meeting of the Philosophical and Natural History Society, a short memoir on the relations between ants and aphides. Everybody seems satisfied. I hope the encouragement he received on this occasion will confirm his taste for the study of natural history. They asked me for this memoir for the Journal Britannique. He does not like to be made so public, and I am not sorry that he is modest and timid. I have the honour to remain your devoted servant, — Hub KB.. — Genera, February Vdih, 1805. WINTER PREPARATION — AMOUNT OF STORES. Some seem to think that bees need little or no attention during the months of September and October, believing that the month of No- vember is early enough to prepare bees for winter. I used to think so too, but later on I took the advice of an old bee-keeper, who told me that the month of September was the proper time to prepare the bees for winter. After working on his plan for a number of years. 1 find that he was quite right about it, and as I am now prepaiiDg my bees for the coming winter, I thought it might not be uninteresting to the readers of the Review to know how 1 doit. The point which seems to have the greatest bearing on successful wintering is the getting of the winter stores near and around the cluster of bees in time for them to settle down into that, quiescent state so conducive to good win- tering prior to November 1st. To arrange these * ' Observations on several Species of B ees : Transactions of the Linnean Society, Vol. VI. It THE BKCTISB BEE JOURNAL. [January 14, 1892. stores, and properly seal thern, requires warm weather, hence all will see the fallacy of putting off caring for them till cold weather arrives. To be sure all have the desired amount of honey or stores, there is only one certain way to do, and that is to open the hives and take out each frame and weigh it, after having shaken the bees off from it. Next weigh a frame of empty comb, or several of them, so as to get the average weight, which, when deducted from the weight of those in the hive, will give the weight of the honey. If it is found that there are twenty-five pounds of honey, and the bees are to be wintered out-door, I call that colony right for winter, or from then till the bees get honey again in the spring. If I intend to feed in the spring, if necessary, then twenty pounds will do well enough. If I winter in the cellar, five pounds less stores will do. If less than these amounts are found, the colony must be fed to make up the deficiency ; if more is found, then some can be spared to help another colony which may be short. In this way I go over the whole apiary, equalising and feeding, as is required, till ail have the required number of pounds for each colony. But, I hear some one say, this is a fearful job to shake the bees off from every comb and Aveigh it. Well, so it would be if done Avith each colon}', but you will only have to do this with one or two till vou get the right conception of just how much honey there is in each frame by simply looking at it, when you count off the numher of pounds almost to a certainty. I can count off combs of honey so as to rarely vary one pound on the whole hive, and yet do it as rapidly as I can handle the combs, and when the apiary is thus gone over there is a certainty about it which gives the apiarist a great advantage over any other method. But I hear another say, ' We have more bees than we want, with a prospect of not enough honey for them to winter upon. What shall we do in such a case ? ' Why, unite the colonies, of course. And right here I will tell the reader of a plan of uniting which I think is boss, the uniting being done so that they can be ready early, instead of being only poorly fixed at best, when left till October, as they usually are. The plan is this : The latter part of August select out as many colonies as you wish to winter, making this selection according to those having best queens, best combs, hives you wish them in, or from any preference whatever, when you are to go to the ones you do not care to keep, and take all but a very little brood away from them, dividing this brood among those selected for winter. In doing this, I take the bees along which ad- here to the combs of brood, being sure I do not have the queen. If the queen is of no value to me she is killed, and the bees left to store fall honey, if there is any. In ten days the queen- cells on the little brood left are destroyed, and when the honey season is over the few old bees remaining are killed, when Ave have the combs ready to store away, after the honey is fed to the bees, should they require it. In our hives selected for Avinter we have plenty of b^es hatch- ing for the next twenty-one days, which bees are the ones to go over Avinter, and with me- prove of a better age to stand the Avinter than those hatched either earlier or later. After practising this way of uniting for several years, I must say that I like this uniting in the brood form much better than in the bee form. I think I hear a third saying, ' If, after uniting and economising in every way, the bees still do not have stores enough, Avhat shall I do in such a case ? ' Well, if you are to be a bee-keeper in the future, feed them. If not, kill them, and eat the honey. I trust I am writing to no one aa'Iio has any idea of taking the latter advice, for I belieA'e that if you feed those bees, after they are properly thinned or pruned out as- above, it would pay you to feed them enough for Avinter if you had to pay as high as fifteen cents a pound ' for sugar to do it with. Don't get discouraged; there are better times ahead; and remember the fun you have with the bees, Avbich fun gives you good health and counts- something toward the sugar. — G. M. Doolittle in the ' Bee-keepers' Review.' (Kamspen&nuje. Die 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. We do not nnd rtalce to return rejected communications. Communications relating to the literary department reports oj Associations, Shows, Meetings, Echoes, Queries, Books for Review, tc, must be addressed only to 'The Editors of the " British Bee Journal," 17 King William Street, Strand, London, W.C AH 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. SOUTH AFRICAN BEES. [901.] In the Bee Journal for October 1st, yon have a [paragraph on so-called Punic bees, now being made much of by some persons in America, wherein it is considered probable that they come from the north of Africa. I am forAvarding you some South African bees for examination, and will be glad to see your remarks on them. You will notice that the two queens I send are differently coloured, and that the same applies to the drones and workers — bees from the same lm-e are dark and light ; can you explain the reason for this- peculiarity ? If any one interested in bees would care to have a South African sAvarm, and would under- take to make the necessary arrangements for their ti ansit, I shall be very pleased to supply two or three SAvarms without charge. You have my full address to give to any who may apply for it. On the same page above referred to, ' Balling ' January 14, 1892.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 15 queens is mentioned ; kindly explain the term, and how frequent manipulation would be likely to cause the trouble. On page 455 in the number of October 8th, under the heading ' Bees for South Africa,' your Natal querist, who 'has had a little Eng- lish tuition,' is inclined to despise the uncivilised African bees. The writer has several hives of these bees, and finds them very tractable and marvellously industrious. When first captured, if from a wild hive, they are very much in- clined to sting, but soon become accustomed to people, and unless they have already selected quarters, are not at all difficult to get settled ; but if they have been captured after selecting quarters the}' are most obstinate. Cutting the queen's wing, as is commonly practised here, is next to useless, as the bees fly away, and the queen, in her endeavour to follow, generally perishes. The bast way is to securely cage the queen until the swarm is well settled and work- ing steadily. But with bar-framed hives, where combs of young bees can be givea to the new swarm, there is no difficulty whatever. — W. B. Oumming, South Africa. [We are sorry that the bees sent have arrived so completely covered with mould that it is almost impossible to identify them. We have, however, by diligently removing some of the mould, been able somewhat to make them out. They are a cross between the black and yellow races of South Africa. In your district there are two distinct races, one entirely shiny black, the workers being smaller than our European race. The queen and drones are also black. The workers of the yellow race are smooth and glossy, the hairs on head and thorax are yellow, and also the scutellum, or triangle, on the mesothorax. The upper abdo- minal rings are bright yellow, streaked with black, and the two lower segments are entirely black. The queen is of a deeper golden colour, and in the drones the upper segments of the abdomen are banded alternately black and dull yellow, the lower segments being similarly but less distinctly marked. The crosses between these two races produce very considerable variations, from pure black to those banded with yellow, and are found promiscuously in the hive. Your bees being a cross of these two races accounts for the different bees you find in the same hive. Bees occasionally surround the queen in a compact cluster, or ' ball,' and this is called balling. It is apt to occur when a strange queen is introduced to a colony, although sometimes a colony will ball their own queen if unusually excited or disturbed, more especially in spring and autumn. Bees sometimes ball their own queen for the purpose of protecting her from strange bees, as when robbing is going on. If the queen is not soon released, she is usually suffo- cated, and is thrown out of the hive. — Eds.] IN THE HUT. 'Years steal Fire from the mind, as vigour from the limb ; And life's enchanted cup but sparkles near the brim.' Bybox. [902.] Good wishes are hardly ever too late, and as I have had no earlier opportunity of wishing all our readers a Happy New Year {vulgaris, a nappy new 'ear), I do so now with all my heart, coupling with the toast ' The Old Pioneers,' so gracefully alluded to in last week's ' Notes by the Way.' I am sure, if they will only respond to Mr. Woodley's invitation to let us hear from them, that the above quotation will be falsified, and they will find, anyway, that years will not steal from us appreciation of their merits. I well recall the sturdy, manly, and outspoken opinions expressed in many of our earlier numbers. Be assured that it is not so much in well-turned sentences and closely clipped phrases as in honest Saxon straight- forwardness that we bee-keepers look to our journals for light and leading ; and it is grati- fying to find the B. B. J. holds the Record (oh ! thou innocent escaped jestlet!) as heretofore. This is not a back-handed way of 'scratching one's own back,' for ' X-Tractor ' would not be allowed, even were he able, to use the plain terms he vaunts so much, in order that we may avoid offending many sensitive minds, and bee- keepers are sensitive, let me tell you. [So is ' X-Tractor,' we hope. — Eds.] ' Willing to wound, and yet afraid to strike/ should be expunged from our minds this New Year; rather let us remember the old verse dinned into us in youth by those who have gone before : — ' At trifles scorn to take offence, That shows great pride, but little sense ; Good nature and good sense should always join : To err is human ; to forgive, Divine. This calls to mind the 'Prominent Bee-keeper' of the week — William McNally. I can only say that if he is half as good-natured as his face says he is, there is one steady contributor to your columns who would like to make his acquaint- ance. Yesterday the Hut got its roof swept clean of snow ; so did the hives. I have had painful ex- perience of the evils which follow in the train of slowly melted snow, frozen again into icicles, and into a frozen stalagmitic sort of formation on the flight-board. All without the hives is clear, dazzling, white, crisp snow, that crumbles under the feet, and even in the sunlight may be kicked off like marble dust. Although each hive has a board leaning in front of it to keep out the sunlight, a few bees are working, ' turning out the dead' — foolish things! rolling off ,' shuffling off this mortal coil ' themselves in many cases. How they make the fine grains of snow fly about in their frantic efforts to fly ! Close by are some gooseberry-bushes, and underneath one branch are legs alone, thorax and legs, heads of many bees, but no abdomens. These juicy ' tit- bits ' have been choice bits for tits, I should say. Seems to me they have only been necrophagists ; they have been making meals of the dead only, for the bough is opposite the hive that turns out the most dead, and the dead bees disappear. Cunning birds, to take them away to eat, lest ye get more than was bargained for ! By the way,, this is the thinnest-walled hive I have ; a sharp 16 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [Jamavy 14, 1892. snap of frost drops the bees off the combs like the berries off the hawthorn. Let me offer you a ' selected query.' When more room is required in a hive, where should it be given? Should it be always above brood nest, as favoured by Mr. Cowan ; or there and behind it, as proposed by Mr. Abbott ; behind and at the sides, as per ' Eclectic ;' or even under- neath, a la ' Nadir ' and Howard ? Is not one of our canons to the effect that bees store their honey as far from the brood nest as possible, and does not our observation bring us to the conclusion that they store it as near it as possible ? We were taught that bees reserve the centre of their house for brood, sensibly building worker cells there, whilst on the margins of combs drones were reared, and honey stored still further away. As I write King Winter is making a descent in force upon us — • He comes — his snow robes with icicles Adorn'd, like gems that in the sunshine gleam, And far away the sound of chiming bells Goes floating over vale and frozen stream.' Quite six inches of snow have fallen in so many hours. Just my luck ! I was congratulating myself this very morning on the satisfactory appearance of Hut and hive roofs, and now they are thicker clad than ever. Well, I must console myself with the philosophic reflection that in a frost a covering of dry snow is ab- solutely an aid to warmth in the hive. Just my luck ! It used to be considered a sure indication of rain when the garden was watered by X-Tractob. FOUL BROOD [903.] I have thought of a mode of treat- ment for foul brood which I do not recollect having seen described in your Journal or else- where. Suppose it is present in an apiary of eight to ten stocks, one or two of which are affected, the owner only learning of its presence in the autumn, when visited by the Associa- tion's Expert. He treats the diseased hives as recommended during the autumn and winter, and hopes that a cure may be worked, but, much to his disappointment, the disease again shows itself in the spring. Now, Sirs, this is the time when my mode of treatment might be tried. On or about May loth remove the queen from the diseased stock, and in eight or ten days destroy all the queen-cells started, leaving them no possibility of raising another queen. In three weeks from removing queen all the larvaa will be hatched out. On a quiet even- ing, when the bees have ceased flying, place a clean hive on the stand of the diseased stock, and in it put three or four frames of brood or eggs taken from other stocks, which they can easily spare at this time. If one frame has a ripe queen-cell all the better. Make the hive to the size required for the stock with frames of foundation. Now take the bees from the diseased stock and shake them on to the clean and healthy combs of brood, and feed them with medicated syrup for a fortnight; destroy the old comb, and with it, let us hope, the disease also. If there are two stocks diseased, they could be united at this time. Will you please state whether this mode has been tried, and if so, with what result ? I was sorry to read in Mr. White's account of his tour in Lincolnshire, which appeared in the Journal, that foul brood is present in our county, but I am thankful it is not so in my district. — East Lincoln. [We are not cognisant of any case in which the precise method detailed above has been followed. We think, however, that much better results would be obtained by a more direct or rough-and- ready method, involving less labour, loss of time, and a reduced risk of conveying the disease to other hives while manipulating, by dealing with it as follows : — If the disease has not yielded to the autumn treatment referred to, May is the month in which to expect a decided recurrence of the symptoms. When this is observed, if the bees are strong — otherwise they are not worth troubling with — shake the bees from the combs into a skep, and keep them there for twenty-four hours. Mean- time prepare a clean hive with full sheets of foundation, and when the time has expired, transfer the bees from the skep to it, and feed as proposed. We do not like robbing thriving stocks of healthy brood and combs, at a time when they are of such importance to them, in order to utilise diseased bees. Bather would we join two diseased lots together to make them sufficiently strong to recover themselves on new combs of their own building. — Eds.] THE ACCIDENT TO MR. A. G. PUGH. [904.] Doubtless many of your readers will be pleased to hear an account of the progress made by our esteemed Hon. Sec, Mr. Pugh, so well known amongst bee-keepers. I called at the infirmary in Leeds, and found our friend progressing so quickly that we soon hope to have him amongst us again. Mr. Pugh has had a large portion of each foot amputated, and also received injuries to face and legs ; his life was despaired of, but, thanks to his splendid physical condition and temperate habits, recovery seems now assured. His mental faculties are as good as ever, and he reads all our bee-literature, and is arranging report, &c, for annual meeting, and we may well hope that he may yet be enabled to resume his old post of Hon. Sec. of N.B.K.A., the duties of which are now performed by Mr. White, assistant secretary. — R. J. Glew, Neioark-on-Trent, January \Qth. -CLIPPING QUEENS' WINGS. [905.] I am very glad you have set your face against the practice of clipping queens' wings. I hope no Englishman who is a lover of his bees would ever think of doing so ; it is cruel in the extreme. I suppose because it is a general practice to clip birds' wings to prevent their flying away, we may, by the same rule, clip bees' wings ; but, in the former case we only clip the feathers, while in the latter we clip the wing itself. I would rather lose every swarm than resort to so cruel a practice. If 'Expert' will January 1 4, 1802.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 17 lead carefully The Honey Bee: Its Natural History, Anatomy, and Physiology, by T. W. Cowan, he will see that ' the wings themselves are transparent membranes covered with very short hairs, intersected by threads darker than their substance, called nervures, veins, or ribs. These are hollow and thicker towards the root of the wing, allowing blood to circulate in them, and tracheae also extend into them, the distribution of which corresponds to the course of the nervures.' Now I certainly think that cutting through such a mass of nervous matter must cause intense agony to the poor queen. — •Charles Ainger, Vaistor, January 12th. ^ntxxtB kv& Implies. [473.] Moving Bees in Winter. — Kindly advise me, per Bee Journal, on the following points : — 1. I have seven stocks of bees, and as they don't appreciate them at home, I have, up to now, kept them at a farm, distant about a quarter of a mile away. This is rather an in- convenient distance, and I have at last prevailed upon the authorities to allow me to keep them at home, on a bit of rough ground just outside the garden. There is a fence of young yew- trees at the back, about three or four feet high. If placed back to the fence, the hives would face S. by E. The fence would be about twenty yards from hives. Would it be advi-able to move the hives, or is the proposed position too exposed ? 2. When ought I to move them ? Must I wait for a spell of frost, or will any cold night do ? I have wintered three frame hives as recommended by S. Simmins, with frames placed across back of hive and front left open to the roof, without any dummy in front of cluster. Would the bees get into the roof-space when moved? I wintered two Stewartons without any outer cover, but putting a space below the frames, in one case an empty box, in the other a box of empty frames. I think they will do well. Bees did fairly well here, but I couldn't control swarming. One hive of hybrids gave me a big swarm and about forty pounds ex- tracted. With pluck I might have had more, but their tempers ! I mean to go in for blacks next season. Wishing you the compliments of the season. — Mouche-a-Miel. Reply. — 1. If your query refers to the yew- fence as a protection to perso: s in the garden from the risk of being stung, we should say it will answer the purpose very well with ordinary care in manipulating. 2. The bees may be moved any night when the weather is cold enough to keep them from stirring. Move them as quietly as possible. With care and on a suitable night the bees will remain perfectly still during the removal. [474.] Bad-tempered Bees and Apifuge. — With reference to the article on ' Bad-tempered Bees ' in Bee Journal of 31st December, p. 594, second column, would you be good enough to tell myself and other readers the constituents of the 'Bader Apifuge ?'— JR. J. P., Elgin, N.B., January -ith. Reply. — ' Bader Apifuge ' is a proprietary article — just the same as is ' Grimshaw's Api- fuge ' — the constituent parts of which are known only to the manufacturer. It is, therefore, quite beyond us to give you the information asked for. FIRST-CLASS GOODS MUST BE HIGH PRICED. 'Got him at last !' was the naughty, gloating- expression that rose to my lips on reading the April leader. Here, now, thirty-nine times I have read these plaguy leaders, and could not find a flaw sufficiently glaring to call for correc- tion. This is too one-sided altogether ! Editors ought to give their critics a chance once in a while. Well, I have got one at last, after wait- ing over three years ; and I mean to make the most of it, lest I should not get another in a hurry. You tell us tl at adulteration of honey is practised because there is profit in it. ' Right you are!' But what proof have you that if honey were as cheap as glucose or sugar, adulteration would cease ? None whatever. There would be just as much honey on the market when the yield is meagre as when it is abundant. It would be as it is in regard to port wine, the production of which is equally abundant when the vineyards fail as when they are laden with grapes. Most of the port wine of commerce never saw Oporto, or any other place in Portugal. Your p.rguinent, if it were sound, should presuppose that honey is put on the market cheaper than its rivals. At the same figure, glucose and sugar would be its rivals still. Only by cut rates could it run the adulterated products off the held. That would give the honey business its final quietus, for to sell it as low as gliu ose or sugar would entail a dead loss. It would be like cut rates on rail- roads. Wealthy corporations cannot stand that sort of thing long, and it would soon deal a death-blow to bee-keeping. There is a kind of ' Eureka ' air about your leader. Yes, you have found it, and you are in such a hurry to exhibit your discovery that you cannot wait to introduce it by due process of argument, and so the conclusion arrived at is given at the beginning of the article. It is done, too, in a gladiatorial fashion. 'I am going to say right here that I have more faith in cheap honey to prevent adulteration than I have in anything else that can be employed.' Well, I am going to say right here, that I have not a particle of faith in that way of preventing adulteration, and, farther, I don't think ' W. Z./ when he comes down to hard pan, has any more faith in it than I have. Let us see : coffee is adulterated with dandelion and chicory. How do we guard against adulteration ? By cheapen- ing down Java and Mocha to the price of the inferior articles ? No, but by taking more vigilant precautions against imposition. Cloth 18 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January U, 1892. and silk fabrics are adulterated. How do we guard against this e-vil ? By getting the best woollen goods and the richest silks down to the price of shoddy ? Not much. But by obtaining the goods from direct importers who order them from the manufacturers, and can give a guarantee of quality. There is no line of business in which a pure and genuine article can compete at the same figures with the inferior imitations. , A gullible public, caught by flaming advertise- ments, will waste its money at cheap stores where it is pretended that the best goods are sold at less than cost, and low as the lowest ; but sensible people know that a really good article must be paid for, and that in all honest trades quality settles value and fixes price. The mercantile world is chock full of this kind of humbuggery that preys on the credulity of customers, who are made to believe that a good and genuine article can be offered as low as inferior and worthless goods. There is no ' hocus-pocus ' by mear.s of which this can be done. AVe had a discussion in one of the bee journals not long since as to the actual cost of honey production. I cannot take time to hunt it up, and can only give my general impression on the subject, which was, that there is 'only a very moderate margin of profit at current prices. Now, talk about cheapening production, and finding out methods by which one man can take care of several apiaries of 150 colonies each — no man knows better than the Editor of the Review that this is romance. He almost admits it, for he gives expression to a passing thought which flitted across his mind, and which he ought to have detained for close examination. ' I may be a visionary enthusiast.' That's what vou are, Mr. Editor, in this particular, without a doubt. I am down on all superficial, hurried, slipshod ways of doing business. Whatever is worth doing at all is Avorth doing well. I do not want to see our apiaries filled with all kinds of cheap gim-crackery,hustled up for the purpose of pouring out floods of low-priced honey on the market, and running out glucose ; but I want to see them respectable business establishments, fitted up with the best appliances for producing the highest quality of honey and putting it on the market in the most attractive shape. I doubt if the actual cost of honey -production can be got down much lower than at present, and I am sure it cannot be got down low enough to run the bogus article out of the market. How does the Editor of the Review propose to outrival the cheap adulterated bee literature of the day ? By making the best as low as the worst ? By so reducing the cost of getting up a bee journal that he can give us cream at the price of very blue skim milk ? No, indeed. I _ think you do the bee-keeping public in- justice in saying that it is almost wholly on selfish grounds that they oppose adulteration. It is not selfishness to demand honest dealino- between man and man. When this is denied, there is that in human nature which bristles up and becomes indignant. A virtuous anoer is awakened. Right is right, truth and equal justice ought to prevail. I shall make no- apologies, and take no blame to myself for hating -all mean frauds, all lying cheats, all attempts to deceive the public. Adulteration is just what the word means, a contamination,, improper, unlawful mixture ; and I believe the great mass of bee-keepers oppose it because it offends their moral sense, as well as because it touches their pockets. They want a clean,, honest world to live and do business in. Neither do I believe in the policy of silence. It is to my mind a species of hypocrisy to keep mum about the evils that there are in the world. There is an element of cowardice in it as well. Either it is a fact that honey is adulterated or it is not. If it is, proclaim it with the voice of a trumpet. Shout it from the house-tops that every buyer of a pound of honey may know it. Tell the people to mind where and of whom they buy their honey. Warn them not to get it from Tom, Dick, and Harry, who concoct it in hole-and-corner glucose factories, but to buy of reputable bee-keepers, who can be found, who are not afraid to put ' Lindenbank Apiary,' or- some other well-known name on their product, and who are ready to pay a big fine if any adulterated article can be traced to their doors- I like the principle embodied in Mr. Heddonls idea of a trade mark, but it is itself so easily adulterated — rather, counterfeited — that I fear it would not have the desired effect. I see- nothing for it but for bee-keepers to enlighten) the public, unite to denounce and frown down adulteration, take pains to produce as perfect an article as possible, put their names to their wares, make a live and proclaimed business- connexion witli those who sell for them, supply their own home market in person, and trust to- quality, which is like blood, and ' will tell.' I like the way in which Dr. Tinker advertises his beautiful white poplar sections. He does- not pretend to sell them as low as the inferior brands. They are worth more, and he wants- more for them. In like manner I would have bee-keepers frankly tell the public, ' We cannot afford to sell this A 1 honey at the low price at which others offer a nondescript mixture of concocted stuff. It is worth more, and we want more for it.' The great majority of people will get the best if it does cost more. That is what we ought to educate the public up to. Putr me- on record as opposed to going it on the cheap;. I am willing to pay fair value for what I buy, and I want it for what I have to sell. — W. Fl Clarke in ' Bee-keepers' Reviezv.' HOW TO RAISE GOOD EXTRACTED HONEY. We believe it is generally admitted that more- extracted honey is secured because the bees have- no combs to build. No honey is consumed ex- pressly to produce wax, the comb-builders are- released for other labours, and, above all, wheni the honey-flow is abundant there is plenty of January 14, 1892.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 19- store-room. It has been said that the produc- tion of comb honey requires greater skill than does the raising of extracted honey. Be this as it may, we believe that the securing of a good article of extracted honey calls for knowledge of no low degree — that the subject is of suf- ficient importance to merit all the discussion that can be crowded into one number of the Review. First, let us ask what it is that gives to honey its chief value ? It is not simply its sweetness, which is of low power, but it is its fine flavour, its rich aroma, its bouquet. These are the qualities that make honey what it is — a luxury ; and, if we wish its use, as a sweet sauce, con- tinued, we must learn to raise and care for it in such a manner that its ambrosial, palate-tickling qualities will be preserved. Freshly gathered nectar is usually one of the most ' silly ' tasting and sickening of sweets. To be sure, it has the flavour of the flowers from which it was gathered; but that smooth, rich, oily, honey taste, that lingers in the mouth, must be fur- nished by the bees. Honey extracted when ' green,' and evaporated in the open air, is not only lacking in the element that come3from the secretions of the bees, but its blossom-flavour is half-lost by evaporation. To be sure, evapora- tion must take place even if left in the hive ; but evaporation in the open air, and evaporation in the aroma-laden atmosphere of the hive, pro- duce different results. One reason why comb honey is, in so many instances, found to be more delicious than the extracted is because the former is more thoroughly ripened. Seldom do we find extracted honey equal to that dripping from and surrounding the section of comb honey that is being ' carved ' upon a plate. Suppose we go over the ground and tell, as concisely as possible, how to raise, in the cheapest manner, extracted honey that will be the equal of that that drips from the delicate morsel of comb at the tea-table. Until the time of putting on the supers, our management would be the same as that advised in the producion of comb honey. In the supers we would use shallow combs, and practise tiering up, the same as in raising comb honey. Right here comes in an advantage not present in raising comb honey ; in tiering up, we need not wait for the honey to be sealed. Most bee- keepers know that honey is seldom sealed until it is ripened ; but all do not know that it may be ripe, and yet not be sealed. In fact, the ripening process may be hastened, or made more complete, if the sealing can be prevented. In other words, the ripening process goe3 on more slowly after the cells are capped, and would not go on at all were it not that the cappings are more or less porous. By raising up these shallow sets of comb as fast as they are filled, and putting another set under them, those the furthest advanced are kept at the top, and the inclination to capping thereby discouraged. If the honey can become thoroughly ripened, with perhaps only one-third or one-half of the cells sealed, what a saving there will be in uncapping! If we had plenty of combs, and could, to a large- extent, prevent the sealing of the honey, we- would leave it on the hives until the yield from one source was over. Just notice with how little labour this can be managed ; we have only to watch and give additional room when it is needed, and hive the few swarms that issue. We would use a queen-excluder; then, when- ever we were ready to extract, there would be no brood in the way. One of the most tedious- performances attending the raising of extracted honey is the getting of the bees off the combs. The smoking, and shaking, and brushing, accom- panied by robber pests if the work is done after the harvest is over, a scalding sun overhead, make up a combination that is very trying to- the ' nerves.' The bee-escape 2)romises to relieve us of nearly all of this unpleasantness. "When extracting, quite a little time is spent in taking- out the combs and turning them. We believe the reversible extractor practically saves this- time. We should be glad to hear from those who have tried the reversible extractors — or any other extractors, for that matter. It would seem that, in the raising of extracted honey, the kind of machine used would play an important part ; and, in a discusrion like this, ought rot to be omitted. After the honey has been thoroughly ripened, and is extracted, and found to le in possession, of all the line qualities we have mentioned, what shall be done with it ? How shall it be treated that it may retain its flavour? The key to succe.-s in this direction is exclusion from the air. Seal it up in glass jars, in tin cans, or in clean barrels. Our preference is the sixty-pound square tin can, with screw cap, and, when shipped, a jacket of wood. Upon the approach of cool weather, honey will candy; and, if put! away in a cool place, will remain in this con- dition for years ; and when sloivly and carefully; brought back to its liquid state, will be found to have retained its original 'flavour, aroma, and bouquet.' In tiiis discussion, we don't wish to» say very much about marketing, as we probably shall have a number devoted to that subject ere- the year is out ; but we will say that we Lelieve that nearly every one prefers extracted honey in the liquid state, and that it should be put upon the retail market, and sent to consumers, in this- condition. It should be liquefied just before- shipment to customers. For this reason it is- an advantage if the vessel in which it is stored, and in which it is to be shipped, is also one in which it can be melted. — Bee-keepers' Review. HOW TO SELECT COLONIES- EXTRACTING FROM BROOD COMBS. A correspondent Avrites : ' I desire to purchase- some bees in the spring. Will you please tell me how to select good colonies, and what prices I ought to pay?' A majority of persons, especially beginners, are apt to think that if a hive is heavy with honey, and there- are live bees in it, such are the ones to pur- 20 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 14, 1892. chase, without any regard to what kind of comb there is in the hive, or the size of the colony. This is a mistaken idea. Good combs and plenty of bees are of far more value than honey. As there are those at the present time who still persist in keeping bees in box hives, and the bees in such hives can be purchased for _ less money than they can in frame hives (besides, the frame IriVe might not be the purchaser's liking), I would select box hives, and then transfer to such hives as suited me. The colonies may be selected any cold day during the months of March and April, by turning the hive over carefully, so as not to arouse the bees. Examine the combs carefully .and see that they are all straight and nearly all worker comb, and there should be bees in at least five spaces; or. in other words, the bees should enclose four combs, while six to eight spaces filled with bees would be all the better, with from ten to fifteen pounds of honey. If possible, select such colonies as cast a swarm the previous season, or a second swarm, as such will have young, prolific queens. Persons having bees for sale in box hives do not, as a rule, read the bee-papers, so they do not knoAV the difference between a good stock hive and a poor one, and will make no distinc- tion in price as to tho-^e having young queens and good combs, for all are alike to them. About the price. Four dollars is the usual amount asked for bees in such hives during April, but I have seen colonies sold for eight and ten dollars that were worth but little more than the honey that was in the hive ; and I have seen colonies sold for two dollars that were better worth ten dollars than others would be .as a gift. The same holds good as to frame hives. A person had better pay ten dollars for a hive that has the frames filled with straight worker combs, well stocked with bees, than have a hive with the combs built crosswise of the frames, with two-thirds of that drone comb, and an old, poor queen, given to him for nothing. ' When I am working for section honey, my bees a,re prone to store more or less honey in the brood combs. Had I better extract this honey occasionally ? ' is a question sent in by another correspondent. I have been a careful observer, and fiad that when bees are at work best in the sections there will be scarcely a pound of hone3r in the brood frames, providing that the body of the hive is not too large. 1 mistrust that the trouble with this correspondent is that his brood chamber is too large, so that the first honey which comes in goes into the brood comb-3 instead of the sections. But the ex- tracting of this honey would only make matters worse, for it would give the bees a chance to put more honey below, instead of going into the sections, as we wish. If any one expects to get a large vdeld of comb honey, and use the extractor on the brood combs at the same time, they certainly will not realise their expectations. After the bees get thoroughly at work in the sections, let the brood combs alone, and you need have no fear of the queen being crowded, for as soon as the bees are thus occupied they will carry the little honey they may have in the brood combs, with a hive of the proper size, up into the sec- tion, thus giving the queen abundant room. For instance, lhave taken nine Gallup frames, well filled with sealed honey, having a good strong swarm of bees with a good queen in such a filled hive, putting on the sections before hiving the swarm, and in from fourteen to eighteen days (if honey is coming in from the fields) every bit of this honey and all the bees gathered, not consumed by the brood, would be in the sections. Once more. If you let a first swarm issue from a hive and keep them from swarming again (allowing the hive the swarm came from to remain on the old stand), by the time the young queen commences laying every available cell in the brood chamber will be filled with honey, and still no start be made in the sections; but as soon as the queen gets to laying to any amount, the bees will commence to work in the sections, and I have known every section to be completed in ten days from the time of com- mencing under such circumstances. Examine that hive in eighteen days, and you will find scarcely a cell of honey in the brood combs, and as nice a lot of brood as you ever witnessed. Now, we will suppose that just as this queen was fertilised the honey had all been extracted from the brood combs; not a single pound of section honey would have been ob- tained, in all probability, unless it came late in the season from buckwheat or fall flowers. Bees will alwaj^s store honey in the brood chamber in preference to the sections, when there are empty combs or empty cells there, and the more extracting of these brood combs the more empty cells we give, unless the queen has the cells occupied with brood, in which case there will be no honey to extract. Again I repeat it, if you wish a large yield of section honey, keep prolific queens, and let the brood combs alone after they are once filled with brood in the spring. — G. M. Doolittle, in 1 American Bee Journal.'' Notices to Correspondents and Inquirers. All queries Jo noarded will be attended to, and these only oj ■personal interest will be answered, in this column. *** Complaints reach us rom time to time of persons not being able to procure the ' Bee Journal' fr.-m their local bookseller. No sucli. difficulty need arise. Local booksellers experiencing such a difficulty should instruct their London agent to apply to Mtssrs. Kent & Co., Paternoster Eow,E.C. James F. (Uttoxeter). — Buying Hives. — On no account make the purchase until the weather permits of an inspection of the bees and combs. A Beginner (Warwick). — Amount of Food in Hives. — By lifting the hive as it stands you may make a fairly good guess whether it is starving or not. When the weather is warm enough unscrew the crown-board. THE MM %n BEE-KEEPERS' RECORD AND ADVISER. No. 500. Vol. XX. N. S. 108.] JANUARY 21, 1892. [Published Weekly. €bxtttxmlf Sjfoiixts, #r. USEFUL HINTS. Weather. — Bees have had a close time of late, and the weather has concerned us not : so rapidly, however, does time roll by, that bee-keepers are already beginning to shake off the apathy of winter and 'pull themselves together.' in view of the coming season's requirements. Very soon will come the counting of how many stocks are safe and likely to do well; then follows the usual amount of speculation as to the proba- bilities of a good season this year surely ! Hard frost, if it does not last too long, is all in favour of the bees ; in fact, it is one of the best preservatives of bee-life, other conditions being seen to, and if only the bees were to be considered we should not have been sorry to see it continue a couple of weeks longer. Weather Charts and Forecasts. — With- out placing too great reliance on forecasts, we find ourselves yielding to quite the usual interest in weather statistics. There is an attraction about such things which bee-keepers find it hard to resist ; and, following the bent of our inclinations in this line, we have been looking over the probable weather in the British islands for 1892, as given in a ' weather chart ' which a reader of the B. J. has kindly sent us. Our friend places great reliance on this particular chart, and points out the accuracy with which the predictions for the past year of 1891 have been fulfilled. Here is just where the interest of the reader comes in, because, according to the document before us, we are to have a good bee-time — so good that we may echo the old bee-man's exclamation, ' Send it may come !' Passing over the earlier months we find that April is set down as 'a wet month' — good for the growth of the clover root. May, ' a dry month,' warm at the beginning — just the kind of weather to make bees take to surplus chambers. In June and July, also, fine weather predomi- nates, though some thunder-storms are fore- told. August is to be wet and September dry. This is as far as we need follow the ' chart,' and surely it is good enough to suit even bee-keepers. Moreover, if any reader feels desirous of examining for himself the method in which the calculation is made, a copy of the British Weather Chart may be had from E. Morgan, 65 Westow Street, Upper Norwood, London. New Methods op Bee-keeping versus Old. — It may well encourage bee-keepers who have adopted modern methods to give a wide birth to the old fogeyism which would have us believe that nothing is good that isn't old when they read of the excel- lent results obtained in the past very moderate season, as reported in our pages. Nothing so proves the goodness or badness of a plan of bee-keeping as hone?/ results, and we think that readers of the B. J. stand so well on this particular point, and their example is so likely to be followed, that we may safely predict that a few years hence will see the total extinction of the methods of five-and-twenty years ago. Influenza. — We wonder how many of our readers are down with this scourge % It may, perhaps, seem out of place to refer to the subject in ' Hints,' but we justify our allusion to it on several grounds. First, lack of matter on which to write until the time for active work is nearer to us ; and, second, because we may venture to offer a ' hint ' or two for treating the complaint : — (1) By taking it in time, and remaining in bed for three entire days; (2) sprinkling a few drops of eucalyptus oil on pieces of blotting-paper about the room ; (3) tak- ing an occasional dose of warm whisky, with a spoonful of honey in it; and (4) carefully observing the following precau- tions, which we quote from a leading morn- ing paper : — ' The primary sefeguard is the exercise of reasonable care. If the illness be treated as absolutely trivial, it may prove extremely serious. But if the patient 22 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 21, 1892. surrenders in good time to the necessary limitations as regards exposure to air and persistence in work, he will have little save temporary inconvenience, and more or less acute discomfort to complain of.' It is re- assuring to have an authoritative opinion like the above, and especially to know the facts stated ; at the same time it is amazing that so many cases should have terminated fatally if the simple precautions noted are sufficient to render the complaint compara- tively harmless. Readers will be sorry to learn that our esteemed colleague, Mr. Cowan, is suffering from the complaint, while for the 'acute discomfort ' caused by it the writer can vouch, having had a touch of it himself. OUR YEAR'S SUNSHINE. The following extract from an article in the Standard of January 14th will be read with interest by bee-keepers : — 1 The Meteorological Council have just pub- lisked a review of observations which they have collected, bearing the title " Ten Years' Sunshine in the British Isles, 1881-1890." It is now about ten years since the systematic registration of " bright sunshine " was organized by the Meteorological Office in different parts of the United Kingdom, and the present publication gives the results obtained since the series of observations were begun. Means and averages of other meteorological elements — such as barometer, wind, and temperature — have been published, but there was not any standard by which to compare the ordinary records of bright sunshine. The volume of results now issued will enable comparison to be made of the relative proportion of sunshine in different years and different months, while the more favoured districts can be readily identified. The results are given for forty-six stations, and are entered in tables, arranged in order of latitude, showing the total number of hours of sunshine in each month, and for each of the ten years, as well as the percentage amount of the possible duration. The average is also given for each five years, and for the whole period of ten years. December is shown to be the most sunless month of the year, considering the whole of the records ; Jersey is, as in nearly all other months, the place with the largest amount of sunshine, the percentage of the possible duration there being 23 ; this is followed by Falmouth with 22 per cent. ; Southborne, Plymouth, and Dublin with 21 per cent. ; and Geldeston and St. Ann's Head with 20 per cent. ; whilst at Bunhill Row, which occupies a fairly central position in the Metropolis, the results exhibit the miserable record of 2 per cent., and Greenwich and Glasgow are not much better. January has slightly more sunshine than December, although in many districts the amount is very poor ; at Bunhill Row, in the heart of London, there is twice as much sun- shine as in December, yet the total amount is only 4 per cent, of the possible duration. A great increase of bright sunshine is noticeable in February, when Jersey, which again heads the list, has 31 per cent., and Falmouth, St. Ann's Head, Valentia, and Aberdeen, each have 27 per cent., while the only stations which fail to record 20 per cent, are Leicester, Glasgow, and London ; the lowest of all is Bunhill Row, with 9 per cent. March shows still further progress, and the only station which does not receive at least 20 per cent, is Bunhill Row, while Jersey is the only place with 40 per cent. A further considerable increase is shown in April, when there are several stations in the south-west, south, and east of England with more than 40 per cent, of the possible duration, and Bunhill Row begins to compare much more favourably with places situated in the suburbs of the Metropolis, a feature which is maintained during the summer months. May is the sunniest month of the year, except at a few of the southern stations, but Jersey is the only station at which the sun shines for more than half the time it is above the horizon. June is said not to be particularly sunny, especially considering that it is the month of the summer solstice ; outside the south and south-west districts there are only two stations with 40 per cent, of the possible duration. July is even less sunny than June, and the places with the least sunshine are now Markree and Glasgow, with 26 per cent., whilst the northern and north-western stations are generally below 30 per cent. August is par- ticularly sunny for central and southern England, and particularly sunless in the north-west of Ireland and of Scotland; Jersey averages 55 per cent, in this month, which is its highest per- centage of the year, and almost every station in England, south of the latitude of Yarmouth, registers at least 40 per cent. September exhibits a considerable falling off in the values, and this change is also maintained in October. In November the winter conditions are again* indicated, and, for the only month in the year the Channel Islands are not the most sunny part of the United Kingdom. The discussion shows that the seacoast receives more sunshine than the inland parts of the country, and the south and west coast stations, especially the Channel Islands, are particularly favoured in almost all months of the year, whilst the east coast of Great Britain, as represented by Aberdeen, Geldeston, and Hillington, is comparatively sunny. In the summer and early autumn the north-west of Ireland and of Scotland, with the Orkneys, receive very little sunshine, whereas, on the other hand, in the late autumn Ireland generally receives more sunshine than most of England. It mnst be remembered that large manufacturing cities, like London and Glasgow, cannot fairly be compared even with stations in their own immediate neighbourhood, particularly in winter, as the records seem to be materially affected by smoke. During the period of ten years the month in January 2l, 1892.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 23 which most sunshine was recorded over the United Kingdom was May, 1882, but June, 1887, her Majesty's " Jubilee " month, was almost equally sunny. The sunniest summer in the heart of the Metropolis was 1887, when the aggregate sunshine in the three months, June, July, and August, was 597 hours, whereas, during the same three months in the following year the sun only shone for 3-50 hours, the summer of 1888 being the most sunless during the period. The form of sunshine recorder generally in use by the Meteorological Office consists of a metal bowl, with two clamps holding a strip of coloured cardboard. A solid glass sphere so rests in the bowl that the sun's rays shining on it are centred on to the card, which is divided into hours and quarter-hours. When the sun shines brightly, a spot is burned upon the card, and if the sun- shine is continuous the spot develops into a line. If a cloud covers the sun the burn is intercepted, and when the sun sinks towards setting the trace ceases. At the end of the day the card is examined, and the duration of sunshine is thus obtained in hours and minutes. Detailed statistics are also given as to the position of the recorder at the several stations. The whole work is one of great scientific value, and will afford useful information to all kinds of people.' HUBER'S LETTERS. Sixth Letter. Sir, — It is a very long time since I have had news of you ; I believe it is my fault, and that does not make the matter any better. Not being able to write myself, I do not always answer so promptly as I should like to. I have to spare the eyes which are lent me, and which I make use of much more than I ought. That is the only reason for my negligence, for I very often think of you, Sir ; our mutual tastes are a guarantee of this, without reckoning that I know what a gainer I am from these communi- cations. Your memoir on the plants that the bees prefer, and on the succession of those which it is advisable to place within their reach every season, interested me very much. I communi- cated it our Society of Naturalists, which met at my house the first Tuesday in June; our col- leagues were very pleased, and it was placed in our archives. I was prevented by bad weather from attend- ing two meetings of the Philosophical and Natural History Society. There is to be one to- morrow at Professor Pictet's ; he always knows how to make them interesting. I wish you were here to enjoy them with us. Could you not come once and favour our two societies by your presence ? We would all be delighted to see you here, and to hear you read fragments from your portfolios ; for my part I am very im- patient for that time to come. ' This year, of which everybody is complain- ing, the small quantity of hot weather and these continual changes in the temperature are not unfavourable to the bees. Never have the queens been so fertile— at least, not to my know- ledge. Our hives have generally given two, and often three, swarms, without weakening the mothers too much. They even say that first swarms have been seen to swarm and found a new colony, but the good is exaggerated as much as the evil. I was assured the other day, that certain hives had swarmed five or six times. It was asserted that this was not all rare at Rumilly.* Please get as much information about that as you can, Sir. The honey and honey-dew have never been more abundant ; wax-working has never ceased, as it usually does after haymaking, and espe- cially in very dry seasons, because the plants in the mown meadows have grown and flowered very quickly, favoured by the alternations of rain and fine weather ; nor has propolis failed, as it did in the preceding years. I notice that the drones remain in some hives later than I have ever seen them. I have still number in one of my glazed hives, whereas other colonies have turned them out or killed them long ago. M. de Gelieu t wrote me the other day that there was only one year in ten in which there was really a good season for the bees in our climate. Have you made this observation ? An amateur writes me that in Italy they believe that bees can be preserved from the ravages of the wax-moth by putting a piece of Russian leather into the hives. It is not that the wax-moth dislikes the smell; on the con- trary, it attracts them, and it is because they lay their eggs under this leather that the hives are protected. You must understand that it is necessary to take it out every morning to re- move these eggs. Until this has been well proved, this remedy seems to be a dangerous one, and whoever finds a better one will render a great service to the bees and to those who cultivate them. Has the Sphinx atropos increased as much as one would have supposed? If it confides its eggs to the ground, the winter rains would have killed a good number of them. For all this, Sir, guard your hives from its attacks, and place some good gratings in front of entrances, before this winged insect appears on your property. It will give me great pleasure if you will tell me about your bees and occupations. I shall be interested to hear of your health and of that of your family. — I remain, your devoted servant, F. Hcber. — Au Bouchet, near Geneva, Thurs- day, August 8th, 1805. HONEY IMPORTS. The total value of honey imported into the United Kingdom during the month of December, 1891, was 421/. — From a return furnished by the Statistical Office, H.M. Customs. * In Haute Savoie. + Jonas de Gelieu, author of the Conservateur des Abeilles. 24 THE BKITfrH BEE JOURNAL. [January 21, 1892. TO MEMBERS OF THE BRITISH B.K. ASSOCIATION. The Secretary of the British _ Bee-keepers' Association acknowledges the receipt of a sub- scription of os. unaccompanied by the name and address of the sender. The latter bore the post- mark of Market Deeping. HONEY IMPORTS FOR 1891. The full returns of the value of honey im- ported into the United Kingdom for the year 1891, according to the returns furnished to us by the Statistical Office, H.M. Customs, are as follows : — January . February March . April May June July £2557 3845 2927 7334 6070 5614 3102 August . . September October . . November December £3594 1422 811 1150 421 Total value.. £38,427 CARDINAL POINTS IN BEE-KEEPING. Query. — What are the Jive cardinal points in bee-keeping ? I do not know.— C. C. Miller. Strong colonies at dawn of harvest. — A. J. Cook. Three points will express it : Bees, pasturage, a bee-master. — E. Secor. These cardinal points can be summed up in two : To know what to do, and do it in time. — Dadant & Son. Good queens. With good queens a good bee- keeper will look after the other points.— H. D. Cutting. 1. Entomology. 2. Botany. 3. Queen-rearing, 4. Mechanics — invention. 5. Pluck, gumption, and greenbacks. — J. "W. Tefet. As there are about as many ' cardinal points in bee-keeping ' as there are bee-keepers, I can- not answer. — J. P. H. Brown. 1. The bee-keeper. 2. Strain of bees. 3. Hives and fixtures. 4. Location. 5. Market and shipping facilities. — C. H. Dibbern. The man, the location, strong colonies at the time of honey-flow, best strain of bees, and a hive adapted to the wants of the man and bees. — G. M. DOOLITTLE. 1 . Winter well. 2. Vigorous queens. 3. Strong colonies. 4. Good hives. 5. Good judgment in managing bees and selling the product. — Mrs. L. Harrison. 1. Spring protection. 2. Large brood nests in spring. 3. Small brood nests during the harvest. 4. Plenty of surplus room. 5. Plenty of stores for winter and spring. — G. L. Tinker. I am at a loss to know what is meant by cardinal points. I can only guess. 1. A mau or woman that has ' gumption.' 2. A good movable frame hive. 3. A good location where forage is abundant. 4. A good race of bees. 5. Industry and close attention to the needs of the hour.-— M. Mahin. I was not aware that there were five cardinal points in bee-keeping, but five points can be named that are essential in securing the best, results. For instance, a person qualified for the business ; a good location ; the proper number of colonies of bees kept strong ; the best appliances ; everything done at the proper time. — A. B. Mason. 1. Perfect wintering. 2. Plenty of food during the spring months. 3. Unlimited nectar-yielding pasturage during surplus gathering. 4. A man who will give the proper space for surplus. 5. Perfect wintering. — R. L. Taylor. 1. Have all necessary supplies at hand in early spring for the summer's work. 2. Good, prolific queens from a choice strain of Italians. 3. Hives easily adapted to the needs of weak or strong colonies. 4. A location that has an abundance of white clover and other honey-producing plants. 5. Keep your colonies strong. — J. M. Hambaugh. 1. Select a good field, and keep it all to your- self. 2. Get bees enough to stock it. 3. Keep them in hives that can be handled rapidly. 4. Ripe hone}', put up in attractive form. 5. Watch the market, and hustle around and sell honey at the right time and at the right place. Some will give us the old chestnut, keep your colonies strong. Any one knows enough for that. — - James Heddon. I never heard of the five cardinal points in bee-keeping. 1 should say that there were many more than five. To learn bee-keeping thoroughly, one shovdd study the best works on bee-culture, in connexion with practical w~ork in the apiary, subscribing and paying for the America?! Bee Journal and other bee periodicals, in order to keep abreast of the times, and you will soon know all the points, cardinal or otherwise. — J» E. Pond. I should think that there are at least five times five ' cardinal points in bee-keeping ; ' and you might begin with ' adaptability of person ' and end with adaptability of person. I think it depends altogether on the man as to whether bee-keeping will be made a success as far as the rickety business admits of success. We think that there is one cardinal point, ' adaptability/ and you may repeat it five times if you like, and. you will have my answer. — G. W. Demaree. Probably the author of the question meant principal for ' cardinal.' The cardinal points in geography are the principal points of the com- pass— north, south, east, and west — just four, not five. In bee-keeping, the principal require- ments are good bees, plentiful pasturage, suitable climate, proximity to a good market, and an energetic bee-keeper who understands how to manage bees and market the produce. — The Editor. — American Bee Journal. January 21, 1892.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 25 STATE AID FOR BEE-CULTURE IN AMERICA. The Department of Agriculture has recently added to its scientific staff an expert in bees. Secretary Rusk is of the opinion that the keeping of these insects might be made a vastly more profitable industry in the United States than it now is. It is estimated that bees in this country produce a value of $10,000,000 yearly in the shape of honey and wax. This could be mul- tiplied by ten without much difficulty. First, however, the farmers must be taught the art of bee-culture, and this is precisely what it is pro- posed shall be attempted. Next year a plant will be established for the purpose by the division of entomology, and ex- periments will be made with methods for caring for bees. Also, it will be ascertained which of the various races are best adapted to the climate, and a study will be made of their diseases. Possibly, Dr. Denton, the expert referred to, will be sent abroad to get other varieties. Of course, there were no honey-bees on this con- tinent until the white man brought them hither from the Old World. There has been a great controversy for years past between the fruit-growers and the bee- keepers over the question whether bees destroy fruits by cutting them open. Bees are often seen in the act of sucking the juices of fruits, but, as a matter of fact, it is always wasps that cut the skin, and the bees subsequently drive away the wasps for the sake o getting at the juices. Thus the bees have got a bad name through a very natural mistake, while, in truth, if it were not for their assistance in fertilising the blossoms, hardly any fruit would grow and ripen. — American Bee Journal. €axxtB$imMxtz. 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 tlisir real names and addresses, not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. Illustrations should be drawn on separate pieces of paper. We do not undertake to return rejected communications. 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. 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 on which it appears. DRONE FOUNDATION. [906.] In the face of the natural dLdike of bee-keepers to drone comb, it is a bold measure to advocate the manufacture of drone founda- tion, but I would suggest that it might be advantageously introduced for shallow frames and sections for the following reasons : — Firstly, bees build drone cells for their own storing purposes, and, in the absence of the queen, they will build no other. Hence we may reasonably conclude that drone cells are more easily, and perhaps more quickly, con- structed than worker cells, and that drone foundation would be very welcome to them hi supers. Secondly, more honey could be stored in each frame. Thirdly, it would be more easily extracted. Fourthlj , 1 believe that there would be less likelihood of pollen being stored. Fifthly, sections from this foundation would be pleasanter to eat, as they would contain less wax in proportion to honey. Certainly with whole sheets, and probably with only strips of drone foundation, the cells woidd be of uniform drone size, so that the sections would not be unsightly. It would be an interesting experi- ment to try whether bees can be induced to pull out foundation with still larger cell bases for storing purposes. For getting early drones, or for causing una- voidable drones to be bred where the grubs could be easily got at and removed, there would be some advantage in drone foundation for the brood nest. In illustration of the latter purpose I may perhaps allude to certain operations of my own last spring. I had wintered a strong colony of hybrid Carniolans on ten frames in one of Baldwin's No. 2 hives, holding thirteen frames. In February, a very fine month in the south, there was reason to believe that pro- visions were running short. Having by me a frame of empty comb almost entirely drone, I took a hint from Mr. Cheshire's book, and filled the cells with a mixture of honey and pea-flour, and I placed the frame at the back of the brood nest, next to the dummy. In the end of March — sorry not to be able to give exact dates — there were drone grubs on both sides of the frame, some few being sealed.. I removed it, substituting two frames with full sheets of foundation, and at the same time closing up all the frames to one and three- eighths of an inch interval. In a few davs I put on a box of shallow frames with founda- tion, and at each end of the box a shallow dry- sugar dummy. The foundation was soon drawn out, and was replaced as wanted by fresh foundation till the honey-flow. Briefly, twenty- five sheets were pulled out, and close on one and a half hundredweight of honey sealed by the 20th July, when I removed supers and put the frames at usual intervals. Not a drone was seen till July, and then very few. Perhaps they came from other hives. Of course, no swarm. In spite of a wretched autumn, so much honey was afterwards stored that I was able to take two frames for other hives. No doubt the labour and expense of rearing drone grubs must be considerable, and it would be poor policy to tempt the bees to it by keeping a frame of available drone comb constantly in the hive. But a strong and well-fed colony will almost always produce drones in the spring, somehow or other, as a preparation for swarming, and generally speaking this is un- 26 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 21, 1892} welcome to the bee-keeper. It may well be that the loss of their first batch of drone grubs, comb and all, would dishearten most polonies, and deter them from further effort, as it seems to have done mine. Should there be anything in this idea, there would be the advantage in using drone foundation that no worker brood would be sacrificed or in any way disturbed. On the whole, I submit that a fair case has been made out for the use of drone foundation. Could any enterprising tradesman be induced to manufacture it ?— A South Devon Enthusiast. [Our correspondent seems to be unaware that drone foundation is manufactured, and has been for some years. Though less used than formerly, he will have no difficulty in obtaining it from any appliance dealer. — Eds.] NOTES BY THE WAY. [907.] The weather here shows signs of re- linquishing its iron grasp. We have had very little snow during the past fortnight, just enough to give the face of nature a wintry aspect ; but the frost has been very severe, and our bees have been confined to the hives for some time, and I have no doubt a cleansing flight will be appre- ciated by the bees as soon as the temperature is warm enough for them to venture forth. Queen-excluders, I take it, are used to pre- vent the queens going up into the supering com- partment— whether it be shallow or deep frames, or a sectional super ; and I have no doubt that the slotted honey-boards used by our American bee-keeping friends are as useful for the purpose as our whole-size-of -super sheet of excluder zinc, and would help to fulfil some of the conditions ad- vocated by Mr. J . G. K. With two large apiaries run nearly exclusively for comb honey in the sections, I have no use for perforated zinc when working hives for section honey, but with hives 'worked for shallow extracting frames I use full sheets of excluder zinc. Loss of heat in the brood nest must occur whenever a hive containing a colony of bees in a normal condition is opened for manipulation, and I fail to see how it is to be avoided if we are to continue to super the bees with either sections or frames. Several things, however, serve as counteractants and protect our bees from injury. When giving an extra story to the hive, the careful bee-keeper only supers when the colony is in prime condition to take advantage of the additional room, and, as a preventive to loss of heat, he very carefully adds more wraps. Then there is the greater preventive of loss of heat in the brood nest at supering time, and that is the higher temperature of sunny June. Then, on the other hand, we want our supers warm and comfortable, so that the bees may take to them at once, and the heat of the colony below (brood nest included) is positively required in the super if we are to secure a crop of honey, and get our crates filled with full saleable sec- tions, so that, even admitting the heat arises into the super, I maintain there is no actual loss. And provided there is no draught allowed through the brood nest, I cannot see where the objection is to full sheets of zinc under the sec- tional supers, except as I have said before. Years of practice have taught me excluders are not required for sectional supers, but so long as we use the present style of supers to hold twenty-one sections so long will the bees have the privilege of either going up the sides of the hives, or up the front or back combs, to deposit their loads of nectar in the prepared cells in the super, as fancy may dictate, or if the busy fielders prefer, they are at liberty to go through the thick of the nursery with their loads, or may transfer their loads to other young hands, who have not ventured to the fields yet, and thus possibly get the watery extract reduced to the proper consistency ere it is placed in the cell. This subject brings up such crowds of thoughts, but space forbids, and I will pass on to other items. I have no doubt you will have a full annual report of our Berks B.K.A. ; therefore I shall only touch lightly on a few points of general interest. In the first place, I would like to mention the satisfactory state of our finances, thanks to the indefatigable energy of our Assis- tant {noto Hon.) Secretary, Miss R. E. Carr- Smith. I am sorry to add that Miss Carr- Smith was unfortunately unable to be present at the annual meeting (being laid up with the prevailing epidemic — influenza) to receive the very hearty vote of thanks of the Council for her work for the Association. Thus we start the New Year with a balance of several pounds in hand, and with a feeling of courage and hope of placing our Association at the head of the list of county associations. The lecture by Prof. Cheshire on ' Bees, Honey, and Flowers,' which followed the business proceed- ings, proved an intellectual treat. Prof. Cheshire opened with a few remarks on wintering bees ; and then gave us the life history of one of the soli- tary species of bees — viz., the Megachile Centem- cularis: how she prepared a nest by burrowing into the ground, then lined her burrow with pieces of green leaf — preferably rose-tree leaves ; then how she prepared the food, a mixture of honey and pollen, in the cell formed with leaves, then laid an egg, and repeated the process until five eggs were laid; and explained how the last egg, deposited perhaps several days after the first one, hatched out first, and so consecutively, till the whole five hatched in due course; and how after the little bee had finished her nest, laid and carefully secured the last egg with a wad of rose- leaves, and so completed her work in the great economy of nature, she died, leaving her family of five orphans, three sisters and two brothers, to fight the battle of life alone, and the surviving sisters — the brothers (males) always dying in the autumn of the year — to perform the same pro- cess another year. This led on to the hive bee, with the queen's ovipositing power, and the way in which the workers fed the queens, to stimulate them to deposit a greater number of eggs in the spring and summer, was first explained; then dealing with the tongue of the bee, he showed January 21, 1892.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 27 its marvellous adaptability to its work of gather- ing the minute quantities of honey often found in flowers. The lecturer then gave a more detailed ac- count of the antenna of the bee, showing that it is the organ of communication. Passing on to speak of the legs of the bees and the pollen baskets, he lead up to the subject of insect fertilisation of flowers. This was illustrated with diagrams (as, in fact, were all the subjects dealt with), but in thi3 section the Professor used the blackboard, and, by sketching various kinds of flowers and fruits, showed conclusively that it was an impossibility for many kinds of flowers to become fertile and produce seed except by insect fertilisation. Bees as fruit-pro- ducers was also dealt with, and this was, perhaps, the most interesting part of all the lecture, and it is satisfactory to bee-keepers to know that when their bees collect the honey from their neighbours' flowers, they are at the same time performing an indispensable service to the owner of the flowers, be he flori-, horti-, or agri- culturist. Votes of thanks to Prof. Cheshire and also to Mr. Martin Hope Sutton for free use of hall having been heartily accorded, the proceedings terminated. — W. Woodley, World's End, Neiobury. AN APIARIAN SOCIETY FOR MORAYSHIRE, N.B. [908.] There being a few bee-keepers here desirous to start a Bee-keepers' Society for this district, and not knowing rightly how to pro- ceed, we take the liberty of asking your advice. There is no society of the kind hereabout ; so, if you could lay down in Bee Journal the rules required for the formation and guidance of an apiarian society, we will be very grateful to you. — Amateur, Whitemire, Darnaway by Forres, N.B. [We cannot do better than recommend our correspondent to communicate with the Hon. Secretary of the Scottish Bee-keepers' Associa- tion, Sir Thos. D. Gibson-Carmichael, Bart., Chief swood, Melrose, N.B., who will no doubt give better advice and information on the subject than we could offer. — Eds.] HUMBUG IN THE BEE TRADE. [909.] My attention is called to your editorial headed, ' Humbug in the Queen Trade,' p. 546 of the British Bee Journal for December 3rd, where you make charges that are not befitting an English gentleman, besides being mislead- ing, and I consider many of your words are wanting in foundation. I may agree with Mr. Alley in many ways, but there are many more on which we do not agree. I have sometimes altered my views, but never because Mr. Alley or anybody else did so. Experimenting and exchanging notes as Ave do in a neighbourly way would perhaps lead you to think that ' one just echoes what the other says.' This might be said in connexion with any other apiarist with whom I make experiments. Perhaps if you, sir, were a neighbour of mine, and our experiments were carried on somewhat in com- pany, it might look as if we, Cowan and Pratt, echoed each other's views. In reference to the Carniolans, allow me to say that I have never claimed Yellow Carniolans to be the typical type. I have bred the Car- niolans several seasons, using imported mothers from several prominent queen-breeders in Aus- tria. I found it next to impossible to breed them so they would not show more or less yellow in their worker progeny, which was also the experience of all the Carniolan queen-breeders throughout this entire country. I have always liked the Carniolan race of bees, and was one of the prime movers in getting them introduced into America. My statements about them, as quoted by you in your article, were as I found the Carniolans to be in my yard from time to time. You are evidently ignorant of what the queen trade in America demands, or you would not have quoted from my advertisement to make the connecting link between what I had said and what you would have me say in your article. I had calls from all over the country for Golden Carniolan queens, and I commenced to breed them from one of Mr. Alley's queens to fill this de- mand. As far as I know, they have given entire satisfaction, and I shall continue to breed them so long as there is a demand for them. I believe the Golden Carniolans will breed solid yel- low worker- bees in time, and that is what we are working for. We have found a solid ebony bee, and, until a better dark bee can be found, you may depend upon it, that I shall continue to rear Punic queens. Mr. Alley and myself are working together for the above results — solid yellow, solid jet. Is it not perfectly proper that we should ? I have never denounced any person without just cause to do so, and I believe I never touched upon a man's personal character. I have fre- quently criticised the ways and means of queen- breeding in the same manner that has been in vogue with all the publications in Amesica for years. As a queen-breeder I have been fairly successful, but I was not aware that I had attained my success at the expense of my brother breeders. I have always endeavoured to conduct my business in a fair and legitimate manner. My entire time is devoted to the rearing of queens for market, and I assure you, my dear sir, that it would not pay me to ' humbug ' my customers, as you have charged me with doing. In England, I believe, bees are kept mostly for pleasure ; in America, they are mainly kept for profit, and if my bees did not give entire satis- faction, my business would not very likely in- crease every year as it does. I breed queens by the thousand, and I think I can tell what a bee is worth to me in a season's breeding. Do you suppose I would sell my best breeding queens for even $100 each when ten time3 that amount could be realised from 28 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNA] [January 21, 1892. her daughters at a moderate price ? I shall turn my attention to other strains, as I have done in the past, as soon as I find any that are better than the ones I already have, but, for the present, I shall bend my efforts to ' American Golden Carniolans ' and Punic bees. In 1889 I started the Queen Breeders Journal, and after I had conducted it six months my health became poor, and I sold it to Messrs. Watkins, & McCullam, of Placerville, Cali- fornia, with the subscription list. You should have received the value of your 50 cents. I therefore enclose 25 cents in stamps, which I trust -will settle your claim againstthe Q. B. J. — E. L. Peatt, Beverly, Mass^., U.S.A. [Accompanying the above was a short note, in which Mr. Pratt wrote as follows :— ' Dear Sir,— I believe you are not aware that you have wronged me in your editorial in the December 3 number of your paper. I send here herewith an explanation of my position, and trust you will grant me space for the same. — E. L. Pratt.' In the above Mr. Pratt verifies our conten- tion, viz., that he and Mr. Alley 'are working together ' for certain ' results.' And if the method of working is shown from their, own words, who is wronged? In any case, we are quite con- tent that our readers should form their own opinion in the matter. We would, however, like to offer a word of advice to Mr. Pratt, viz., that he will bestow a little more care or thought on his busi- ness transactions. The 25 cents referred to in the last sentence of the above letter was forwarded in American and Canadian postage stamps of odd sizes ; they are of no use to us whatever, yet it cost us a surcharge of ten cents to get possession of them, the postage paid thereon being obviously insufficient. — Eds.] DO BEES PREPARE A HOME BEFORE SWARMING? [910.] The following extract from a paper read at the annual general meeting of the Jedburgh and District Bee-keepers' Association (N.B.), may be of some interest as bearing upon this question. ' Swarming. — When the number of bees in the hive increases so that space becomes limited, then preparations are made for swarming. It can very appropriately be compared to emigra- tion. When population increases to such an extent that there would be a difficulty in pro- viding food for all in the old home, then numbers depart to seek their fortunes and a home else- where. So with bees. The old queen leads off the swarm, but before doing so, the bees have made preparations for filling her place. Royal cells have been constructed, and a young queen is in course of being reared. The queen is fol- lowed by a large number of bees, and she usually settles upon some bush or tree at a short distance. That the bees have looked out for, and fixed upon, some place to make their abode, I have not the least doubt. I happened to have a skep standing ready filled with comb, into which I intended putting a swarm. For some days I noticed a number of bees working about the skep, and tried to discover what they were about. I could not find that they were taking anything away, though they seemed busily engaged cleaning out the house. What surprised me most was that several of them seemed to take a proprietary right, and tried to prevent others from entering. Each night every bee left. I happened to he from home one day, and, as usual, on coming home at night, first of all went to the bees, and you may judge of my surprise when I found this skep fully occupied. On entering the house I was informed that a swarm of bees from my neighbour's garden had taken possession. What was most wonderful, however, was that this same swarm had been hived two days previous, and had built a piece- of comb, and stored some honey in the skep they left. That they were the same bees that had visited and taken possession of my skep was beyond doubt. Their flight was easily followed, and, moreover, they were crossed Ligurians, of which variety there were no others for miles around. This, no doubt, accounts for swarms leaving after they have been hived and apparently settled, of which unwelcome experience I have also had a share.'— T. M. 0. LOSS OF HONEY IN TRANSIT. [911.] Concerning the bottle of honey pur- loined from my exhibit enroute to Islington, you may be glad to know I have recovered from the- Railway Company my entrance fees, railway carriage, cost of honey, and -5s., value of least prize in the class ; in all 16s. od. I am much obliged for your aid in the matter. — Jnx>, Palmer. BERKSHIRE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The annual meeting of this Association took place at the Abbey Hall, Reading, on Wednes- day, 13th inst, Mr. W. Woodley presided. The President and Vice-Presidents were re-elected,, and the following added to the list of Vice- Presidents : — Miss Noble, Park Place ; Mr. Martin J. Sutton ; and Mr. Wilberforce Bryant, of Stoke Park, Slough. Miss E. Carr- Smith was elected Secretary ; Mr. A. D. Wood- ley, Assistant Secretary; Mr. J. Simonds, Hon. Treasurer ; whilst the following were chosen on the Central Council : Messrs. A. L. Cooper,. F. Cooksey, Paxman, and H. Callas (Reading district) ; Rev. D. O. Harrington, Miss Benhani,. Miss G. Short, Mr. A. Goddard, Mr. L. Inwood, Sergt. Dance, Miss Head, Mr. W. Alexander, Mr. W. Woodley, Mr. G. T. Killick, and Mr. J. S. Griffin. Messrs. A. L. Cooper and W» Woodley were elected as representatives to the British Bee-keepers' Association. January 21, 1892.] THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. 2£ Hearty thanks to Miss Carr-Smith for her efforts in collecting ahout 201. towards clearing off the deficit were carried unanimously, as were also similar votes to Messrs. Sutton & Sons for the use of the hall, and Mr. F. Oooksey for the use of his room. The annual report and balance-sheet, which were of an encouraging nature, were then sub- mitted by Mr. Cooper, and approved, and votes of thanks to the retiring Secretary (Mr. Cooper) and the Technical Education Committee con- cluded the business. An adjournment was then made to the large hall, where an interesting and instructive lecture was given by Prof. F. R. Cheshire, F.L.S., F. R. M. S., on ' Bees, Honey, and Flowers,' illustrated by diagrams and views. Mr. A. L. Cooper presided. A large collection of honey and hive appliances were exhibited by Mr. T. A. Flood, and proved to be a great attraction. IRISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. The Committee met on the 5th inst. Present : the Rev. P. Kavanagh (in the chair), the Rev. Canon Sadleir, the Rev. R. Seymour, Mr. Mills ner, Mr. O'Bryen, and Mr. Chenevix,hon. secre- tary. It was resolved that application should be made to the National Board of Education to put a treatise on bee-keeping on their list of books, but the question of what treatise should be recommended was left for further considera- tion. HONEY SWEETMEATS. The use of honey in the manufacture of sweet- meats is evidently becoming popular just now, several firms giving prominence to goods in which honey is used. We have received from Mr. H. Faulder, of Stockport, samples of ' Honey Creams ' and of ' Honey Scotch ' — the latter, by the way, not a misprint for Scotch honey — both of which are very nice, the former being especially attractive in appearance and possess- ing a full flavour of genuine honey. It may interest bee-keepers to know that Mr. Faulder is prepared to purchase a ton of British honey of good strong flavour for use in his business if it can be had at a moderate price. Another firm, Messrs. E. Pullum & Co., of Barnsbury, London, also forward samples of their make of 'Honey Scotch' which, like the first, will just meet the taste of voung folks. ^ntxxtB antr spiles, [475.] Changing Hives. — I have kept two hives of bees for four years with but poor success. I have no doubt the cause has heen my own bad management ; one of my hives is standard-frame size, the other is not, and the frames in both hives have been badly divided, and combs are very unevenly wrought, but movable ; the bees are meantime reduced to six frames in each hive. I have been a reader of your valuable journal since October last, and also got your Bee-keepers' Guide-book, which I have earefully gone over, and think I could now do better. I have got two new hives which I mean to stock this season. I would feel obliged if you would advise me how and when would be the best way to get out these un- evenly-wrought combs. I would like to get the bees out of the hive not standard-frame size, so that I might get it altered to suit standard frames. — W. Wintee, Foraandenny,X.B., Jan. 18th, 1892. Reply. — The safest time to transfer the combs and bees to the new hives would be when warm, settled weather comes in spring. But if the combs are unevenly wrought, as stated, why seek to transfer them at all ? We would much prefer to let the bees swarm, and have new, well- wrought combs in the new hives. You will find full instructions for transferring- in Guide-book. (Srtjocs from tfye Hi&es. Betley, near Crewe. — My average last season (for six hives Avhich did not swarm) was about sixty pounds of super honey without touching brood chamber. I have not included hives which swarmed. I do not think correct averages of season can be got in that way. — F. W. P. Damaway, by Forres, Morayshire, N.B. — It is not much use talking about bees just now, with eighteen inches of snow on the ground, but we will keep up our hearts yet, if we can but get our Bee Journal. Last week's number has not yet reached this far-away spot, but hope to get it this week. Wishing a happy new year to all. — Amateur. INTELLECT AND INSTINCT OF BEES. My first acquaintance with bees began when I was a little boy. The old log school-house where I learned to read and to spell was on the edge of a wood. The cleaied ground near the wood was in those days well grown over with thistles, and when they were in full blossom large numbers of bumble-bees collected on them to gather honey, which the greater length of their proboscises than that of the honey-bee enabled them to do. I took my first lesson in entomology, as far as I can remember, in the study of these bees. One day a number of the school-boys indulged in a common sport of seizing bees by both wings and holding them without being stung. Naturally I tried the experiment, but secured only one wing, which left the bee free to turn over and thrust its sting deep into my finger. It was my first experience of this land, and the pain was very intense; but not caring to be laughed at by the other boys, I took not the slightest notice of it. 30 THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. [January 21, 1892. I have since thought that the control over the feelings which children often exhibit on account of their pride is a valuable discipline preparatory to the greater self-control required in maturer years. Be this as it may, I have ever since had a profound respect for every kind of bee, and cultivated their friendship whenever I have had an opportunity. I have never been able to examine their nervous system as a phrenologist does the brain of man ; but under the microscope I have con- vinced myself that it has a very fine one, that its brain cells or ganglions are of the same kind as those of man, and that in proportion to its weight it has as much nervous tissue, if not more, as human beings. I propose to mention some of their intellectual characteristics. In the first place the bee has an excellent memory, especially of locality. You may carry them miles away from home, arid the greater part of them will find their way back. This experiment has been tried on the bumble- bee. A considerable number were taken three miles from their home, and all came back ; then another lot were taken six miles, and most of them returned, after which they were taken nine miles away, and even then a few found their way to their nests ; and it is more than probable that those which failed to do so may not have had physical strength for so long a flight, or possibly they were young bees without experience. This memory of places must be of the highest usefulness to the bee, obliged as it is to go far from home to gather sufficient food for its needs, and the faculty has without doubt been de- veloped by culture, and transmitted from one generation to another for a great period of time. The memory of the bee for the particular plants which furnish it with honey is also very highly developed. I have observed how quickly they recognise those plants which serve their purpose from those which will not, and how little time they waste in trying to gather honey where none is to be found. The bee has a very excellent knowledge of dietetics so far as the subject can be of service to it ; a knowledge which could only have been acquired by a high order of intellect, or an in- telligence quick to take advantage of any ex- perience which had accidentally proved service- able during any period of its existence. This is shown by its conduct in the employ- ment of food for different purposes. A hive of bees is composed of three kinds — drones, or males, the queen-bee, and female workers, which are all undeveloped queens. It is by the appli- cation of their knowledge of the effects of food on development that they are able to produce workers or queens as they wish. A worker is the result of insufficient nourishment. The larvae are fed on food which only develops workers. If during the first eight days of the life of a larva it is fed on royal food, the repro- ductive organs and instincts become fully de- veloped, and the larva becomes a queen. Royal food is a highly nitrogenous diet, composed of the pollen of flowers. The in- sufficient nutrition which develops workers, but not the reproductive instincts, is less highly nitrogenous — indeed is largely carbonaceous. In case the queen dies, or is lost, the workers at once set about providing for a new queen by feeding a larva at the proper time with this highly nitrogenous food. I think this compels us to believe that they do it consciously, and that the colony of bees also rear workers consciously, for it is only by an abundance of workers that the colony can exist. How can they know, except by highly developed intellect and inherited experience, that one kind of food will produce one effect, and another kind another ? There is a remarkable difference in the mental traits of queens and workers. The queen knows that it is not well to lay eggs when there are not workers enough to feed and care for them. This is a most reasonable, procedure, and one which human beings might study to advantage. She is also aware of the fact that it is not well to have too large a number of drones, who eat honey and do no work, and so she produces them at will — by laying unf ructified eggs to the extent to which drones may be required, and no more. That bees reflect and adapt their conduct to their requirements is, it seems to me, evident from the fact that when carried to countries where they find supplies of food all the year round, they cease to store it up. They do not do this immediately, but only after they have learned that it is unnecessary. — M. L. Hol- brook. (To be continued.) 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. %* Complaints reach lis from time to time of persons not being able to procure the 'Bee Journal' fmn their local bookseller. No such difficulty need arise. Local booksellers experiencing such a difficulty should instruct their London agent to apply to Messrs. Kent & Co., Paternoster Row, E.C. John Q. — We shall not overlook the point named in jour favour of the 18th inst. Woldul. — Feeding Bees. — No food is so suit- able at this season as the soft candy you mention. A Disappointed Beginner (Shropshire). — Bees refusing to enter Section Racks. — You must not take the ' persistent refusal ' of the bees to enter supers so much to heart, or you will never make a good bee-keeper. Many experienced hands had the same disappoint- ment last year, and are content to wait another season for better luck. SUPPLEMENT TO THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. No. 500. Vol. XX .] JANUARY 21, 1892. [N.S. 108. ' THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL ' AND We now publish the correspondence that has taken place with reference to the refusal of Dr. Hogg, the editor of the Journal of Horticulture, to publish the ' Explanation ' which appeared on page 582 of the British Bee Journal of the 24th ult. in his .paper, and also with reference to the statement on page 571 of the Journal of Horticulture of the 31st ult., that the publication of the explanation by us was ' premature.' With the whole of the correspondence before them, we will leave our readers to form their own judgment as to the course Dr. Hogg has seen fit to pursue aud as to whether such publication was ' premature.' 31 Belsize Park Gardens, Hampstead, N.W. December 7th, 1891. Dear. Sir, — I send you an explanation to your ' explanation ' on page 485 of Journal of Horticulture, which I hope you will give the same publicity to as you have to yours, and regret that you should have taken this oppor- tunity of doing your contemporaries an injustice, as you are quite aware that while Mr. Carr conducts the Record, I am entirely responsible for the British Bee Journal. I must also call your attention to your last paragraph — ' and, we would add, our long experi- ence has led us to regard him as an accurate correspondent' — which I think you should have an opportunity of explaining, as it certainly implies that the libellous charges made by Mr. Hewitt and printed in your Journal of September 3rd are correct. Your apology was inserted in a friendly spirit and without comment on my part, and I hope you will be able to show that this paragraph was not intentionally inserted. — Yours truly, Dr. R. Hogg. Thos. Wm. Cowan. With this letter was forwarded Mr. Cowan's explanation, which will be found on page 582 B.B.J, for December 24th, and which it is not necessary to reproduce again. 31 Belsize Park Gardens, Hampstead, N.W. December 8th, 1891. Dear Sir, — To my letter to you and ex- planation of yesterday I wish to add that I have neither seen nor consulted Mr. Carr upon the subject. — Yours truly, Thos. Wm. Cowan. Dr. R. Hogg. Journal of Horticulture, 171 Fleet Street, London, E.C., December 9th, 1891. Dear Sir, — In reply to yours of the 7th inst., I do not see how you can dissociate your- self from the responsibility of what appears in the Bee-heepers1 Record, seeing your name is coupled with that of Mr. Carr as joint editor on the title-page of the wrapper. It is true that Mr. Carr is announced as being conductor, but, besides being co-editor and con- ductor, he is abo your servant, being, as you informed me, in your ' employ.' THE JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE.' I am ready to publish your communication of the 7th inst. whenever you publish in the British Bee Journal and the Bee-keepers' Record my ' statement,' which was printed in the Journal of Horticulture of the 3rd inst. In justice to me and to your readers, that ' statement ' ought to appear, and then your article would naturally follow as a rejoinder. — Yours truly, Robert Hogg. T. W. Cowan, Esq. 31 Belsize Park Gardens, Hampstead, N.W. December 12th, 1891. Dr. R. Hogg. Dear Sir, — In reply to your letter of the 9th inst. I shall take care that the readers of British Bee Journal and Record have full justice done them. You were two and a half months before you made any apology for the libels you published, and then it was done only after I had put the matter in my solicitor's hands, and you were threatened with an action. When you have done justice to me by insert- ing my ' explanation,' and give me a satisfactory explanation of the last paragraph of your state- ment on page 485 of J. of H, I shall be prepared to do you justice. You have returned evil for good, and have taken advantage of an uninten- tion error to repeat the libel, and you are per- fectly aware that by your inferring in the last paragraph that the charges made by J. Hewitt are true, that the libel is aggravated. Unless, therefore, my explanation appears in the next issue of Journal of Horticulture, and you give me a satisfactory explanation of the paragraph alluded to, I shall take such steps as I may be advised, and I must ask you to furnish me with the name of your solicitor, who will accept a writ on your behalf. — Yours truly, T.'W. Cowan. 11 Argyll Street, Kegent Street, London, W. December 16th, 1891. Dear Sir, — Dr. Hogg has consulted us with reference to your letter of the 13th inst., and he has placed all the correspondence, &c, in our fa ands. The earlier correspondence shows that no one could have been actuated by more friendly feel- ings than Dr. Hogg, and he inserted the notice in the Journal of Horticulture on the faith of your statements, and, in answer to the remarks in your letter you will, we think, admit that Dr. Hogg has himself some ground of complaint, inasmuch as by inserting the notice at your re- quest, he has been of necessity obliged to make his subsequent explanation. You will also admit that you must accept the responsibility of what appears in your Journal just in the same way as you seek to make Dr. Hogg responsible for the statements appearing in his journal. The matter would have dropped entirely but for the error for which you are thus responsible, and we have accordingly advised Dr. Hogg that the suggestion he made, that your explanation should be published in the Journal of Horticul- THE BEITISH BEE JOURNAL. f Supplement. L January 21, 1892. ture after his own explanation had been pub- lished in the Bee-keepers' Journal and Record, was a very proper one, and in reply to your letter of the 12th inst., we can only repeat such offer, but, if you prefer to do so, you can, while printing Dr. Hogg's explanation in your papers, print underneath it your own explanation, stating that by arrangement with Dr. Hogg such explana- tion will be printed in the Journal of Horticulture. Mr. Hewitt is also to be considered, and as an error has been allowed to creep in through no fault of our client, Dr. Hogg cannot do more than we have above suggested. — We are, yours faithfully, Webb, Burt, & Nichols. T. W. Cowan, Esq., 31 Belsize Park Gardens, N.W. 23 Birchin Lane, Cornhill, London, E.C. December 18th, 1891. Dear Sirs, — I have seen Mr. Cowan with reference to your letter to him of the 16th inst. I have advised him to carry out the suggestion made by Dr. Hogg, viz., to insert Dr. Hogg's ' Explanation,' and print underneath it my client's own explanation. This will be printed in the Record for January and in next week's number of the British Bee Journal, and I would suggest that it should be inserted in next week's Journal of Horticulture. Will you ask your client to see that this is done ? A printer's proof of the explanation, as it will appear in my client's paper, will be forwarded to Dr. Hogg in due course. — Yours truly, Edwin Ellis. Messrs. Webb, Burt, & Nichols, Solicitors, 11 Argyll Street, Kegent Street. 23 Birchin Lane, Cornhill, London, E.C. December lWi, 1891. Dear Sirs, — With reference to my letter of yesterday, I now enclose a proof of the article which will appear in the British Bee Journal and Record next Thursday, and I would ask you to see that the ' Explanation,' which my client, Mr. Cowan, sent Dr. Hogg on the 7th December, shall appear in the next number of the Journal of Horticulture, and at the same time I think Dr. Hogg should give an explanation, and with- draw the insinuation contained in the last para- graph of the explanation that has already appeared in the Journal of Horticulture (p. 485). — Yours truly, Edwin Ellis. Messrs. Webb, Burt, & Nichols. 11 Argyll Street, Begent Street, W. December 23rd, 1891. Dr. Hogg and Mr. Cowan. Dear Sir, — Referring to our interview with you this morning, with reference to this matter, we have thought it better to reduce our state- ment into writing. Your letter of the 19th inst. only reached us on Monday morning, the 21st, and we took the earliest opportunity of seeing our client upon same. Dr. Hogg has considered your letter, and has now carefully perused the explanation proposed to be inserted by Mr. Cowan. He cannot agree to the last clause of your letter, viz., to insert any additional explanation. He feels aggrieved that he has been already led, through no fault of his, into an error, to which Mr. Hewitt might reasonably take exception, and he cannot agree to publish the explanation in the form you sent it. We have made certain alterations in the proof prints and our client will be prepared to publish it in the form as altered after it has been published in your client's Journal. At our interview this morning we explained why the alterations must be made, and, with reference to the last paragraph, you will appre- ciate our contention that, since it has been sought already to make Dr. Hogg responsible- for the letter of one correspondent, care should be taken not to publish any fresh matter which another party might complain of, and the words struck out in paragraph five of Mr. Cowan's ex- planation are very objectionable, and cannot be allowed. Should your client publish his ex- planation in the form it originally stood in the- proof, he must do it at his own risk, and Dr. Hogg cannot bind himself to publish all or any part of it in his own paper. In conclusion we woidd point out again that Dr. Hogg has never been desirous of quarrelling with your client, and we hope your client will see his way to make the suggested alterations, and thus save further friction. — Yours faith- fully, Webb, Burt, & Nichols. E. Ellis, Esq. 23 Birchin Lane, Cornhill, London, E.C. December 23rd, 1891. Mr. Cowan and Dr. Hogg. Dear Sirs, — I have seen my client with reference to what passed between us to-day, and also with reference to your letter subsequently received. The British Bee Journal for this week is now printed, and is being sent to customers, conse- quently it was impossible that any alteration could be made in the explanation. I would remind you that the explanation proposed to be inserted by Mr. Cowan was sent to Dr. Hogg on the 7th of December, and that you wrote Mr. Cowan on the 16th in the following terms : — ' We can only repeat such offer ' (meaning the offer made by Dr. Hogg that Mr. Cowan's ex- planation should be published in the Journal of Horticulture), ' but if you prefer to do so you can, while printing Dr. Hogg's explanation in your paper, pi'int underneath it your own ex- planation, stating that by arrangement with Dr. Hogg such explanation will be printed in the Journal of Horticulture.' Acting on tins sug- gestion Mr. Cowan has inserted the explanation in the British Bee Journal, and now calls upon Dr. Hogg to insert it in the Journal of Horticulture as agreed. I have every wish to avoid further friction in this matter, and so has my client — at the same time what has been agreed on should be honourably carried out. — Yours faithfully, Edwin Ellis. Messrs. Webb, Burt, & Nichols. 11 Argyll Street, Begent Street, London,. W. Deceviber 24th, 1891. Mr. Coavan and Dr. Hogg. Dear Sir, — We have received your letter of yesterday's date. In your letter of the 18th inst. you say ' a printer's proof of the explanation as it will appear in my client's paper will be forwarded to Dr. Hogg in due course,' and your client had no right whatever to insert the ex- planation in the way he has done until such proof print had been approved. Supplement. I January 21, 1692. J THE BRITISH BEE JOURNAL. There is no time to take Dr. Hogg's instruc- tions this side of Christmas, but we feel no doubt whatever that he will absolutely refuse to publish your client's statement in the form in which you say it has been printed ; and we shall have to advise him that Mr. Cowan is respon- sible for the statements that he has seen fit to publish. — Yours faithfully, Webb, Burt & Nichols. E. Ellis, Esq., 23 Birchin Lane, E.C. 11 Argyll Street, Regent Street, London, W. December 29th, 1891. Dr. Hogg and Mb. Cowan. Dear Sir, — We have seen our client with reference to your letter. We can only repeat that under the circumstances (which we need not recapitulate here, except, among other things, that there was no final agreement, and the proof print had in no way been approved) the insertion of the statement in the form your client has seen fit to print it was not authorised or sanctioned by Dr. Hogg; and we are in- structed to say that he declines to print it in his Journal, but he intends in the next issue of the Journal of Horticulture to insert a short statement to the effect that the statement in your client's Journal was prematurely published. We are further advised that Dr. Hogg has good ground of complaint against your client in respect of the statements contained in his ex- planation ; but what steps (if any) he may take with reference to the matter may depend upon whether Mr. Cowan is willing to make him some sort of apology, and this letter is written entirely without prejudice. — Yours faithfully, Webb, Burt, & Nichols. E. Ellis, Esq., 23 Birchin Lane, E.C. 23 Birchin Lane, Cornhill, London, E.C. December 29th, 1891. Mr. Cowan and Dr. Hogg. Dear Sirs, — I have received your letters of the 24th and 29th. I entirely disagree with the view jrou take as to the agreement to publish the ' Explanation.' My client did not ask Dr. Hogg to publish the statement as it appeared in last week's British Bee Journal; what he de- manded was that the ' Explanation ' which was sent to Dr. Hogg on December 7th, and which he stated on December 9th he was ready to publish, should be published. If Dr. Hogg in- serts a statement in the next Journal of Horti- culture to the effect that the statement in my client's Journal was prematurely published, my client will consider it necessary to publish the whole of the correspondence, so that his readers may judge for themselves if such publication was premature. The last paragraph of your letter of to-day's date scarcely needs comment, as Dr. Hogg had my client's explanation on December 7th, and was ready to publish it, and you had it on December 16th, and you also suggested that it should be published. — Yours, truly, Edwin Ellis. Messrs. Webb, Burt, & Nichols. printed in the Journal of Horticulture for December 31st. If you will refer to the correspondence you will see that the proof print was not sent for your approval, nor was the proof returned on the 21st, My client is sending a ' protest ' to Dr. Hogg, complaining of these inaccuracies, and demanding the insertion of the ' Explanation ' as sent to Dr. Hogg on December 7th in the Journal of Horticulture. — Yours truly, Edwin Ellis. Messrs. Webb, Burt, & Nichols. 23 Birchin Lane, Cornhill, London, E.C. January