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THE 


mtitral, 


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BEE-KEEPER'S  ADVISER. 

CONDUCTED   BY 

CHARLES   NASH   ABBOTT, 

SOUTHALL. 

VOLUME    VIII. 

1880—81. 


Abbott's  Royal  Standard  Hive. 
First  Prize,  Royal  Acrictltdral  Society's  Show  at  Kilecrn,  1879. 


PUBLISHED   AT   THE   OFFICE   OF   THE   BRITISH   BEE   JOURNAL, 
SOUTHALL,    NEAR    LONDON; 

AND   r.r 

KENT  AND  CO.,  23  PATERNOSTER  ROW,  E.C. 


US.OS" 

•       13  7  7  + 

I  N"T>  Edk. 


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Abbott's  smelter,  5  ;  flat- 
bottorned  foundation  on 
wood,  31,  47,  64,  157; 
Observatory  hive,  69 ;  wide- 
shouldered  frames,  99 ; 
Irish  hive,  126,  127,  149  ; 
long-holed  excluder  zinc, 
167 ;  speciality  feeder,  209 

After-swarms  or  casts,  44 ; 
preventing,  243 

Aged  bees,  then-  antipathy  to 
new  queens,  6 

Aged  stock,  74 

Aldridge,  Rev.  J.  M.,  interest 
taken  by  him  in  apiculture 
in  Ireland,  84,  103,  104 

Alighting-boards,  in  winter, 
102 

Amateur  lecturing,  147 

American  honey,  12 ;  hives, 
12, 13 ;  cheese-boxes  covers 
for  skeps,  140 

Ammonia,  use  of,  in  bee- 
stings, 42,  57 

Ants  in  hives,  18 

Apiarian  library,  17,  67 ; 
notes  for  1880,  172 

Apiary,  position  of  the,  42 ;  a 
curious,  99 ;  moving  an, 
141  ;  managing  an,  188, 
207 

Apiculture,  progress  of,  in 
1880,  125,  165,  172;  pro- 
fessorship of,  66 

April,  229 

Arabis  alpinus,  166,  167, 
206,  209 

Armagh  B.  K.  A.,  229,  235 

Artificial  heat  applied  to 
weak  stocks,  38 

Artificial  pollen,  166 

Artificial  swarming,  6,  22  ; 
caution  respecting,  7 

Artificial  swarms,  making,  77 

Associations,  duty  of,  to 
provide  the  requisites  for 
lectures,  126  ;  advantages 
of,  177 

Auckland,  N.  Z.,  bees  in,  72 

August,  61 

Australia,  bee-keeping  in, 
116  ;  Ligurian  bees  in,  21 

Autumn  feeding,  85 

Ayrshire,  harvest  in,  121 

Bar-frame  hives,  advantages 
of,  39 

Barley-sugar,  144,  182 ;  re- 
cipe for,  186,  244 

Bartrum,  Bev.  E.,  his  paper 
on  the  Stewarton  hive, 
153  - 155  ;  discussion  on 
his  paper,  169,  170 

Bee,  a  contribution  to  the 
physiology  of  the,  by  Dr. 
Donhoff,  105,  172,'  194, 
210,  215,   236 

Bee  and  honey  shows,  17, 31, 
61,  80,  100.  215 

Bee,  mental  life  of  the,  194 

Bee,  the,  196 

Bee  Associations,  30 

Bee-culture,  progress  of,  198 

Bee-destroyers,capturcof,198 

Bee  -  farming,  information 
wanted  respecting,  37 


Bee-flora,  18,  45 

Bee-houses,  39,  56 

Bee-keejn-rs'  Almanac,  217 

Bee-keepers'  Associations,  in- 
crease in  number  of,  165 

Bee-keeper,  the,  57 

Bee-keeping,  commercial,  13 ; 
lessons  in,  30  ;  profits  of, 
35,  141,  202  ;  disappoint- 
ments in,  75 ;  near  two 
thousand  years  ago,  96 ;  in 
1832,  114;  in  England  in 
1880,  130-133;  in  1654, 
136 

Bee-killing  with  a  vengeance, 
157 

Bee-stings,  cures  for,  12,  13, 
21,  42,  57,  73 

Bee-story  from  San  Fran- 
cisco, 98 

Bee-tent,  10 ;  engagements  of, 
17,  31,  61,  80,  100,  210, 
215,  237 ;  transmission  of, 
65 ;  its  lessons,  68 

Bee-trees,  182 

Bees,  starting  with,  2 ;  are 
they  a  nuisance  ?  17 ;  dead, 
at  entrances,  19 ;  mortality 
of  young,  ib. ;  freaks  of,  21, 
56;  moving,  21,  62,  144, 
183,  187  ;  mortality  of,  in 
winter  of  1879-80,  22; 
quieting,  26 ;  great  loss  of, 
34,41 ;  not  working,  37 ;  in 
a  mill,  ib. ;  and  bee-sheds, 
38 ;  in  a  farm-house,  39  ; 
water  for,  54,  72  ;  age  of, 
57  ;  markings  of,  60  ;  and 
the  fly-catcher,  71 ;  driven, 
utility  of,  78;  their  relation 
to  flowers,  85-88;  and 
honey,  early  history  of ,  94 ; 
in  a  chimney,  ib. ;  packing 
for  winter,  102  ;  plenty  of, 
a  requirement  for  whiter, 
ib. ;  crowding  of,  in  win- 
ter, 103 ;  prolific,  117  ;  a 
dispute  about,  123 ;  and 
honey  shows,  124 ;  con- 
versations on,  suggested, 
126  ;  in  a  dwelling-house, 
139  ;  busy  or  robbing? 
162  ;  breeds  of,  183  ;  re- 
moving and  transferring, 
184 ;  moving,  short  dis- 
tances, 187 ;  driving  by 
lamplight,  199 

Beeswings''  Advice  to  Bee- 
keepers, 99 

Beginners  in  bee-keeping, 
encouragement  to,  141 

Belvoir  Castle  and  spring 
flowers,  14 

Benton,  Mr.,  Cyprian  queens 
raised  by  him  in  Cyprus, 
25  ;  on  conveying  Cyprian 
queens,  46 

Berks  and  Bucks  Association, 
32,  235 ;  their  show  at 
Windsor,  69 

Berlepseh,  Baron,  von,  95,  96 

Best  hive,  the,  177 

Bcvan,  Dr.,  his  work  on  bees, 
95 

Blacks  v.  Ligurians,  139 


Bonner,  the  apiarian,  95 

Boston,  Lincolnshire  B.  K.  A. 
exhibition  at,  109 

Bottle,  as  an  indicator  of 
need,  41 

Box-hives  with  frames  to  be 
recommended  to  the  cot- 
tager, 2 

Boyle,  Hon.  B.,  218 

Breeding  and  feeding  in 
autumn,  123  ;  late,  169 

Briscoe,  Mr.,  his  experience 
with  the  Stewarton  hive, 
154 

British  Bee-farming,  181 

British  Bee  Journal,  1,  53, 
59 ;  proposed  alteration  in 
sizeof,15,16,40;  its  teach- 
ings needed,  56 ;  appre- 
ciated, 56,  242;  end  of 
Vol.  VHI.,  229 

British  Bee-keepers'  Associa- 
tion, 10,  32,  52,  65-8,  85, 
88,  108,134,  152,153,168, 
190,  209,  211,  213,  234 

British  Dairy  Farmers'  As- 
sociation and  bee-keeping, 
106,  108,234;  at  the  Agri- 
cultural Hall,  Islington, 
10,  133 

Brood -nest,  increasing  the, 
205 

Brother  Joseph,  assistance 
rendered  by,  to  the  Irish 
deputation,  104,  106,  151 

Brown,  J.,  report  from,  161 

Brussels  Exhibition,  157 

Buckwheat,  121 

Caledonian  Apiarian  Society, 
88,  135,  177,  234 

Candied  honey,  how  to 
liquefy,  138 

Cardboard,  employment  of, 
in  hive-making,  224 

Carlisle,  Agricultural  Show 
at,  32 

Carniolan  bees,  8 

Carr,  W. ,  his  queen-cage,  6  ; 
accompanies  the  bee-tent 
in  Ireland,  82 , 

Casts,  44  ;  value  of,  60 

Cataract,  cure  of,  by  means 
of  honey,  77,  99 

Chaff  cushions,  48,  103 

Chaplin,  C,  takes  charge  of 
Ligurian  queens  for  New 
Zealand,  128 

Cheap  hives,  35 

Cheap  bar-frame  hives  for 
cottagers'  use,  211 

Cheltenham,  Association  for, 
242 

Cheshire,  F.  B.,  his  mode  of 
making  and  fixing  founda- 
tions, 4,  5  ;  lectures  by,  on 
bee-keeping,  32,  85 ;  on 
the  shape  of  the  cell-base, 
50;  his  wire-rakes,  50,  64; 
diagrams  of  the  bee,  52  ; 
on  the  relation  of  bees  to 
flowers,  52,  65,  85,  88 ; 
appointed  librarian  to  the 
B.B.K.A.  182  ;  on  the 
Stewarton  hive,  155,  169  : 
his   experiments  in   non- 


ductivity  in  hives,  232 ;  on 
the  temperature  of  bees  in 
winter,  233 

Cheshire  entrances,  174,  244 

Cheshire  rakes,  50,  64  ;  sub- 
stitutes for,  71 

Clergy,  influence  of,  126 

Clonmel,  report  from,  162  ; 
the  Bee  tent  at,  82 

Collin,  Abbe,  his  oblong  ex- 
cluder zinc,  167 

Cologne,  Congress  of  bee- 
masters  of,  107,  108,  142, 
156  ;  show,  award  of  gold 
medals  at,  162 

Comb-building  impulse,  5 

Comb-foundation,  its  value 
to  bee-keepers,  12,  41,  49, 
50,  63,  64  ;  mode  of  fixing, 
120,  230 ;  made  on  wood, 
130 

Combination  hive,  123,  163, 
180 ;  principle  of,  144  ; 
storing  honey  in,  225,  226 

Combs,  how  to  melt  old, 
2  ;  dark,  42 ;  across  the 
entrance,  74;  old,  78; 
crooked,  226 ;  mildewed, 
and  pollen,  227 

Coming  bee,  the,  32 

Conversations  on  bees,  sug- 
gested, 126 

Cori,  M.,  his  efforts  in  pro- 
moting improvement  in  the 
breed  of  bees,  8 

Cornwall,  season  in,  91 

Corrections,  136 

Cottager,  intermediate  hive 
for,  91;   hive  for,  244 

County  associations,  10,  32 ; 
conditions  of  affiliation 
with  B.B.K.A.,  14,  65; 
experts  for,  140 

County  representatives,  134 

County  shows,  10 

Cowan,  T.  W.,  on  the  pro- 
duction of  American  hives, 
12 ;  on  commercial  bee- 
keeping, 13  ;  his  rapid  ex- 
tractor, 67,  68,  89  ;  on  the 
Stewarton  hive,  167;  on 
the  temperature  of  hives 
in  winter,  233 

Covers  for  straw  skeps,  140 

Cream  of  tartar,  its  effect  in 
making  syrup,  144 

Crocuses,  45,  166,  183,  206 

Cumberland,  bees  in,  198 

Cyprian  bees,  10,  19,  32,  45, 
63  ;  shipment  of,  from  Cy- 
prus, 25 ;  appearance  of, 
20 

Cyprian  queen,  enthroning 
her  with  old  bees,  46 

Cyprian  queens,  price  of,  at 
first  importation,  25 

Cyprus,  its  climate,  9 ;  its 
honey-bees  and  hives,  9, 
137 ;  introduction  of  bees 
from,  165 

Dalmatian  bees,  8 

Damp  and  dysentery,  186 

Danish  exhibition  of  hives 
and  honey,  144 

December,  146 


IXDEX  TO  VOLUME  VIII. 


in 


Dennler,  M.,  on  the  assist- 
ance granted  by  the  Go- 
vernment in  Germany  to 
apiculture,  33 

Devon  and  Exeter  Bee  and 
Honey  Show,  15,  111,  193 

Diagrams  published  by  the 
B.B.K.A.,  32,  52,  88,  121, 
126,  153,  16G 

Discussion,  subjects  for,  in 
1881,  166 

Distance  tacks,  232 

District,  overstocking  with 
bees,  141 

Division-boards,  -19,  103,  205 

Donhoff,  Dr.,  contribution 
by,  to  the  phvsiology  of 
the  bee,  145, 166, 172,173, 
194,  215,  236  ;  remarks  on 
his  views  on  the  physiology 
of  the  bee,  196 

Dorset,  bee-keeping  in,  119  ; 
well  done !  161 

Dorsetshire,  state  of  hives 
in,  57 

Dorsetshire  B.K.A.,  13,  90, 
135,  192 

Driving,  the  art  of,  11,  115 

Drone-cells,  76 

Drone -comb  caused  by  an 
over  -  abundant  supply  of 
syrup, 5 

Drones,  early,  41 ;  late,  164, 
183 

Dryness  of  hives,  102 

Dry  sugar  for  bee-food,  224 

Dummy,  49 

Dunham,  W.  H.,  jun.,  119 

Dunham  foundation  ma- 
chine, 67 

Dusseldorf  Exhibition,  156 

Dysentery,  146.;  carbonic  acid 
the  cause  of,  202 

Dzierzon,  Dr.  John,  his  im- 
provements in  hives,  95 ; 
his  discoveries  of  the  doc- 
trine of  parthenogenesis, 
ib.  ;  remark  by,  166 

Eggs,  duplication  of,  243 

Egypt,  hives  of,  137  n. 

Egyptian  bees,  9 

Entrance-screen,  20 

Entrances,  closing,  184 

Essex  Agricultural  Society, 
53 ;  County  Association 
proposed,  32 ;  formation  of, 
68 ;  meeting  of,  215 

Evans,  Dr.,  extract  from,  95 

Exchange  column,  23 

Excluder  zinc,  49,  74,  183 

Expert,  cottager,  in  shallow 
water,  152 

Experts  for  County  Associa- 
tions, 140 

Extracting,  77,  79 

Extractor,  its  value  in  bee- 
keeping, 12  ;  a  new,  20 

Fanning  at  entrance,  6 

February,  185 

Feeders,  208 

Feeding  bees  with  milk,  97 

Feeding-bottle,  inverting,  208 

Feeding  and  breeding,  159 

Fenwick,  Ayrshire,  sale  of 
bees  at,  34 

Fertilisation  of  plants,  S6, 
87 ;  of  bees  in  confine- 
ment, 239 

Fettercaim,  bee:;  at,  37 

Flat  -  bottomed  foundation, 
mode  of  fastening,  47 


Floor-board,  48 

Floral  and  bee  gold,  17 

Flowers,  relation  of  bees  to, 
85-88 

Fly-catcher  and  the  bees,  71 

Foreign  honey,  fraud  in,  53 

Forfarshire  B.  K.  A.,  236 

Foundation, fixing, 4;  'fixers' 
for,  74  ;  wooden,  121 

Foul  brood,  203,  238  ;  cure 
of,   143 

Frame-ends,  20 

Frame-hive  management,  48, 
209 

Frame-hives,  cheap,  3,  11  ; 
American,  ib. 

Frames,  directions  as  to 
making,  3 ;  their  distances 
from  each  other,  ib. ;  in 
Mr.  Nellis's  hive,  ib. ;  pur- 
chasing, 3,  48 

Frames  across  hives,  164 ; 
width  of,  180 ;  distances 
apart,  ib. 

France,  bee-keeping  in,  58 

Frederickstat  water  -  boxes 
suitable  for  frame-hives,  14 

Frey,  Mr.,  of  Nuremberg,  on 
the  cure  of  foul  brood,  143 

Frost,  the,  185 

Germany,  promotion  of  api- 
culture by  the  Govern- 
ment of,  33  ;  bee-journals 
in,  33,  34;  regulations  in, 
as  to  number  of  hives,  142 

Giotto  hive,  3,  122 ;  prin- 
ciple of,  189 

Gippland,  bees  in,  161 

Gloves,  and  sting  poison,  60 

Gnats,  plague  of,  in  1880,  26 

Goethe,  on  the  metamor- 
phoses of  plants,  145 

Gold  from  wax,  55 

Gothenburg  Bee-keeping  As- 
sociation, 224 

Gravenhorst,  Herr,  a  gold 
medal  awarded  to  him  at 
the  Cologne  show,  162 

Green  and  Sons,  their  feeder, 
154 

Guides,  fixing,  4 

Hale,  Isaac,  his  hives,  122 

Handbook  for  Cottagers,  32, 
65,  70,  88,  135,  152,  168, 
217 

Hanwell,  a  candidate  for,  118 

Harvest,  a  good,  120 

Heal,  to  be  retained  in  win- 
ter, 102 

Heather,  183;  sending  stocks 
to,  62 

Heather-honey,  161 ;  extract- 
ing, 118,  120,  139 

Hertfordshire  B.K.  A.,  62, 
88,  172,  190,  192,  235 

Herzegovina  bees,  9 

Hive  aspect,  a  new  idea,  51 

Hive,  a  curious,  in  Ireland, 
83;  the  best,  200;  advance- 
ment, 217 

Hive-making,  164 ;  by  cot- 
tagers. 35 

Hive-manufacturers,  a  hint 
to,  174 

Hive-stand,  49 

Hives,  selection  of  new,  2  ; 
bar-frame,  preferable  to 
skeps,  ib.  ;  treatment  of 
old,  before  using,  (7).;  with 
legs,  hiving  in,  6  ;  paper 
felt,  a  protection  for,  118  ; 


second-hand,  42;  shading, 
44  ;  battle  of  the,  47  ;  for 
convenience,  159, 180;  ex- 
perience with,  160 ;  spare, 
167  ;  materials  for,  177  ; 
longitudinal,  178,202;  and 
systems,  179  ;  impervious 
coverings  to,  187  ;  open- 
ing, 203;  and  frames, 
width  of,  203 ;  paper  for, 
224;  lion-condr.ctive  pack- 
ing for,  232 ;  temperature 
of,  in  winter,  231,  232 

Hiving,  5 ;  under  difficulties, 
59 

Holy  Land  bees,  9,  10,  25, 
32,  45,  63 

Honey-bees,  improvement  of, 
8,9 

Honey-jars,  78,  231 

Honey  market,  a,  140  ;  ab- 
sence of,  37 

Honey-recipes,  41 

Honey  harvest,  197 ;  a  good, 
ib. 

Honey-storing,  207 

Honey,  extracting,  44,  72  ;  a 
remedial  agent  in  the  re- 
storation of  sight,  77,  99 ; 
quantity  of,  employed  in 
making  wax,  97;  candy- 
ing, 124,  141,  226  ;  its  use 
in  arts,  140  ;  price  of,  in 
Ireland,  173 ;  gathering, 
188  ;  market  for,  219  ;  me- 
dicinal properties  of,  242  ; 
surplus,  244 

Horsham,  lecture  on  bees  at, 
195 

Hot- water  tin,  advantage  of, 
in  winter,  48,  49 

House  partition,  hiving  bees 
from,  124 

Huber,  94,  95 

Hungarian  bees,  8 

Hunter  Dr.,  (1789),  dis- 
coveries of,  94 

Hunter,  John,  on  the  future 
of  British  bee-keeping,  10- 
12  ;  his  death,  54 

Hybrids,  superiority  of,  60, 
198;  irascibility  of,  144 

Hyrnettan  honey,  116,  137 

Hymettus,  137 

Idea,  a  capital,  179 

Indian  Mutiny,  incident  in 
the,  34 

Ingram,  W. ,  his  invitation 
to  the  members  of  B.B.K.A. 
to  Belvoir  Castle,  14 

Ireland,  the  bee-tent  in,  30, 
63,  81,  103,  149;  Messrs. 
Abbott  and  Carr  appointed 
to  represent  the  B.B.K.A. 
in,  32  ;  bee-keeping  in,  40, 
55,59,  149,  162,177;  bee- 
keeping in  1765  in,  200  ; 
honey-market  in,  117. 159 ; 
standard  frame  for,  175,237 

Irish  Bee-keepers'  Associa- 
tion, 162,  175,  176,  197, 
219.  220,  229.  237,  238 

Irish  hive,  126,  127,  149, 
175,  176,  182,  183,  198 

Irving,  Dr.,  his  exertions  in 
behalf  of  apiculture  in  New 
Zealand,  128  ;  lectru'e  on 
the  extractor  by,  129 

Italian  bees,  8  ;  superiority 
of  the,  173 

Italian  extractor,  199 


Italian  hive,  163 

Italianizing,  opportunity  for, 
78 

Ivy  honey,  237 

Jackson,  J.  P.,  on  village- 
clubs  possessing  extrac- 
tors, 13  ;  presents  to  the 
B.B.K.A.  a  Cyprian  queen, 
52 ;  books  given  by  him  to 
the  Association  library,  149 

January,  165,  166 

Jones,  J.  A.,  his  shipment  of 
Cyprian  and  Holy  Land 
bees,  25  ;  account  by,  of 
his  adventures  in  securing 
colonies  of  Holy  Land  bees, 
33;  queen-cage,  devised  by 
him,  33,  46 ;  his  shipping 
crate,  33 ;  his  report  to 
American  journals  of  Ab- 
bott's wood  foundations 
and  Cheshire's  wire-rakes, 
63,  64 

July,  43 

June,  25 

Kaolin,  its  use  in  Cyprus,  9 

Kelso  Show,  corrections  in 
account  of.  140;  show,  158 

Kennaway,  Mr.,  193 

Kirriemuir,  bees  in,  39 

Kolowrat-Krakowski,  Coimt, 
assistance  rendered  by,  to 
M.  Cori,  in  importing 
Cyprian  stocks,  10 

Keys,  John,  his  Practical 
Bee-keeper,  74 

Langstrotb,  Dr.,  his  im- 
proveinents  in   hives,   95 

Larva1,  transfer  of,  from  one 
cell  to  another,  142 

Leaflets  for  Cottagers,  120 

Lectures  on  bees  and  bee- 
keeping, 15,  65,  99,  130, 
195,  196,  236 

Lecturers  required,  125 

Lecturing,  aids  to,  148 

Legg,  J.  E.,  on  salicylic  acid, 
16 

Library  of  the  B.B.K.A.,  10, 
149,  217 

Ligurian  bees,  8 ;  in  Aus- 
tralia, 36  ;  an  instance  of 
their  superiority  to  English 
bees,  95 

Ligurian  queens  and  aged 
bees,  29  ;  then-  colour,  60 

Ligurianizing,  and  artificial 
swarming,  51  ;  and  foul 
brood,  181 

Limnanthes  Douglasii,  45, 
121,  167 

Lincolnshire  B.K. A.,  53,  85, 
109 

Little  Wonder,  120  " 

Loaf-sugar,  dry,  for  bees,  199 

Lobster  -  boxes  suitable  for 
cheap  bar-frame  hives,  212 

Local  and  champion  prizes, 
160 

Long  Sutton,  bees  at,  70 

Lyon,  F.,  on  cheap  bar-frame 
hives  for  cottagers' use, 211 ; 
discussion  on  his  paper,  232 

McPhedran,  J.  M. ,  his  water- 
fountain,  82 

Makeshif  t  hives,  3,  35 ;  testi- 
monials in  favour  of,  4 ; 
improvement  of,  ib. ;  in 
whiter,  23 

Maraldi,  218 

March,  205,  230 


INDEX  TO  VOLUME  VIII. 


Martin,  W.,  his  ability  as  an 

expert,  152 
Maryborough,  Bee-tent  at,  83 
May,  1,  26 

Mead,  recipes  for,  137,  236 
Melksham,  show  at,  91 
Melting  old  combs,  2 
Mimn,   Major,   his  improve- 
ments in  hires,  95 
Nellis,  Mr.,  his  hive,  3 
Neighbour,  A.,  his  cottager's 
hive,  13  ;  his  report  of  the 
Cologne  Show,  142,  156 
New  facts !  116 
Newman,  T.  G.,  on  wooden 

comb-foundation,  130 
Newry,  Bee-tent  in,  101 
Newspaper  bee-keeping,  163 
New  South  Wales,  bee-keep- 
ing in,  201 
New  Zealand,  bee-keeping  in, 
41, 127, 178, 194, 239;  Ligu- 
rians  in,  162,  239 
Non-swarming    hives,    prize 

for,  42 
Non-swarming,  77 
Norfolk  Bee  Association,  179, 

198 
Northumberland,  bees  in,  198 
November,  125 
Nuclei,  stocking,  44 
Nursing  weak  hives,  38 
Observatory  hives,  218 ;  clos- 
ing, 23 ;  stocking,  227 
October,  101 
Offer  made,  126 
Old  combs,  2 

Palestine,  hives  of,  137  n. 
Paper  felt,  a   protection  for 

hives,  18 
Paris  Universal  Exhibition. 
1876,  Report  on  useful  and 
noxious  insects,  136 
Parsonstown,  Bee-tent  in,  103 
Parthenogenesis,  95 
Pea-flour,  166,  183,  206 
Peel,  Bev.  H.  R„  letter  from, 

53  ;  lecture  by,  130-133 
Pettigrew,  A.,  his  champion- 
ship of  straw  skeps,  47 
Phormium  tenax,  194 
Pine,  qualities  of,  244 
Plants,  worker-bee  analogous 

to  the  flower  of,  145 
Pollen,  86  ;  do  bees  eat?  20; 
two  different  kinds  of,  car- 
ried by  a  bee,   22 ;    pre- 
serving, 123 ;  artificial,  207 ; 
how  do  bees   gather,  221, 
239 
Porches,  49  ;  protective,  102 
Tost-cards,  79 
Practical  demonstrations  of 

bee-keeping,  11 
Primrose,  section  of  a,  222 
Prize  Fund,  10,  32,  52 
Prizes,  unpaid,  199 
Procter,  Rev.  G-.  A.,  of  Tulla- 
melan,  his  apiary,  82,  106 
Professional  and  non-profes- 
sional bee-keepers,  211, 226 
Professorship  of   apiculture, 

135,  165 
Proline  bees,  99 
Propolising  the  quilt,  140 
Protest,  curious  case  of,  120 
Queen, how  treated  at  swarm- 
ing time,  5  ;  of  a  swaini, 
exchanging,   60  ;    and  her 
followers,  77  ;  return  of  a 
truant,  118  ;   finding  the. 


144 ;   removal   of,    dming 
the    honey   harvest,   208 

Queens,  uniting,  6,  18,  225 ; 
transferring  from  breeding 
stocks,  29  ;  are  simply 
mother-bees,  46 ;  responsi- 
bility for,  57 ;  death  of, 
ib.  ;  dying,  72  ;  plurality 
of,  with  casts,  79  ;  purely 
mated,  97 ;  young,  desir- 
able for  winter,  102  ; 
cleansing  flight  for,  144  ; 
clipping  the  wings  of,  219 ; 
mixing  up,  225  ;  value  of 
imported,  f&. ;  leaving  hive 
in  March,  242  ;  removing, 
243 

Queen-cage,  designed  by  J. 
A.  Jones,  33,  46 

Queen-cages,  (i ;  various  kinds 
of,  ib.  ;  improvement  in,  7 

Queen-cells,  76 ;  in  lieu  of 
queens,  55  ;  cutting  out, 
226:  early,  242 

Queen-excluding  dividers,  49 

Queen-introduction,  199 

Queenlessness,  225 

Queenless  bees,  36 

Queen-wasps,  231 

Quieting  bees,  26,  60 

Quilt,  the, 48, 124, 184, 231 ;  a 
new,  51 ;  and  ventilation, 
123 

Quilts,  rotten,  187 

Railway  charges,  59 

Raynor,  Rev.  (jr.,  his  queen- 
cage,  6  ;  a  lecture  on  bee- 
keeping by,  99 ;  remarks 
on  the  Stewarton  hive,  170 

Renfrewshire  Bee-keeper,  his 
queen-cage,  6  ;  his  bottle 
and  stage  for  giving  water- 
to  bees,  54  ;  remarks  by, 
on  the  Stewarton  hive, 
153,  154,  155,  170,  240 

Responsibility  for  queens,  57 

Robbing,  164 ;  prevention  of, 
61,  174,  205 

Roofs  of  hives,  49 

Root,  A.  I.,  on  the  invention 
of  Cheshire's  wire -rakes, 
64  ;  on  excluder  zinc,  167 

Rusbridge,  A.,  on  wooden 
foundation,  31 

Rush  covers,  grocers',  useful 
to  make  hives  warm  for 
winter,  140 

Sack,  English,  237 

Salicylic  acid,  16,  226 

Saragossa  wine,  237 

Schiraeh,  discoveries  of,  94 

Schlosser,  A.,  his  apiary,  156 

Schmid,  Mr.,  his  apiary,  157 

Science  schools  and  bee- 
keeping, 135,  136 

Scotland,  harvest  in,  140 
Sealed  stores,  sufficiency  of, 

requisite  for  winter,  102 
Season,  the,  93,  164 
Second-hand  hives,  23 
Secretaries,  hint  to,  161 
Section -frames,  20 
Sectional  supers,  7 
Section  dividers,  proposed,  41 
Sections,  packing,  62 ;   best 
positions  for,  189 ;  and  en- 
trances,  arrangement   of, 
203 
Separators  for  sections,  18 
September,  84 
Sevenoaks,  Kent,  bees  at,  117 


Shilling  Stewartons,  240 
Shows,  judging  at,  223 
Shropshire,  harvest  in,  99 
Siebold,  Professor,  his  views 

of  parthenogenesis,  95 
Simplicity  hive,  11 
Smelter,  the,  5 
Smoking  apparatus,  42 
Smyrna  bees,  9 
Somerton,  show  at,  92,  117 
South  Kensington,  show  at, 

10,  52,  64,  65,  101 
Spiraea  ulmaria,  a  preventive 

of  foul  brood,  143 
Spring  d3'sentery,  36 
Spring  feeding,  183,  187 
Spring  treatment,  187,  206 
SiJroule,  R. ,  and  Irish  B.K.A., 

151 
Stealing    or     appropriating 

ideas,  223,  241 
Stewarton  slides,  144 
Stewarton     hive,     153-155, 

169-172,  220,  240,  243 
Stewarton    hives,    sectional 

supers  in,  23 
Stimulating  bees,  207 
Stimulative  feeding,  85,  205 
Skeps  should  be  abandoned,  2 
Sting,  a,  in  the  throat,  160 
Stingless  Bee  Association  of 

America,  168 
Sting-poison  an  alkali  ?  73 
Stings   of   bees   and   wasps, 
138  ;  cure  for,  12,  13,  21, 
42,  57,  73 
Stirling     Apiarian    Associa- 
tion, 114 
Strasburg,  congress  of  bee- 
masters  at,  1875,  34 
Straw  skeps,  covers  for,  140 
Stutterd,  S.,  his  translation 
of  Dr.  Donhoff  s  paper,  166 
Suffolk  B.  K.  A.,  114 
Sugar,  feeding  bees  with  dry, 
93,  186,  243  ;  the  best,  for 
syrup,  160 ;   derivation  of 
the  organic  powers  of  the 
bee  from,  241 
Sun  and  rain  screen  for  hives, 

232 
'  Sun-flower,  the  big,'  206 
Sunshine,  its  importance  in 

winter,  103 
Supering,  best  time  for,  7 ; 
early,  41  ;  its  value  ques- 
tioned, 139 
Supers, sectional,  7;  manage- 
ment of,   27-29 ;    admis- 
sion  to,  42  ;    removal  of, 
43  ;  attractions  to,  178 
Surrey  B.  K.  A.,  90,  113 
Stocks,  uniting,  102 
Swarm,  out  of  the  water,  58 
Swarming,  5 ;  extraordinary, 
72 ;    prevention   of,    from 
supered  hives,  207 
Swarms,  preferable  to  stocks, 
2  ;   feeding,  5 ;   returning, 
42,   79  ;   unexpected,  45  ; 
the  old  monk's  way  to  pre- 
vent, 219 ;  time  for  making 
artificial,  226 
Swiss  milk  boxes  suitable  as 

frame-hives,  14 
Tasmania,    bee-keeping   in, 

202 
Tay  hir's  lien -keeper's  Manual, 

70 
Thermometers,    use    of,    in 
hives,  23 


Tiverton,  show  at,  92 

Transferring  from  straw 
skeps,  124,  224 ;  caution 
respecting,  231,  238 

Traynor,  J.,  of  Tiuahely,  106 

Trigona, or  stingless  bees,  168 

Tropics,  bee-keeping  in,  217 

Ucraine  bees,  8 

Uniting  bees,  227 ;  queens,  6 

Vale  of  York  feeding-stage, 
201 

Ventilation  of  hives,  79, 115, 
226,  227  ;  upward,  103 

Village  bee  clubs,  10,  15 

Virgil  on  bee-keeping,  96 

Visitors,  showing  bees  to,  124 

Vosges,  bee-keeping  in,  194 

Wall-flowers,  45 

Warwickshire  B.  K.  A.,  135, 
234 

Wasp,  stung  by  a,  138 

Wasp-stings,  effects  of,  117 

Wasps,  destruction  of,  79 

Water  for  bees,  vase  for 
giving,  67,  72 

Wax,  formation  of,  by  bees, 
5  ;  honey  consumed  in 
making,  97 ;  utilised  by 
bees,  200 ;  clarifying,  244 

Wax-guides  for  frames,  20 

Wax-moth,  123 

Waygandt,  Professor,  on  the 
transfer  of  larvse,  142 

Weak  stocks  and  Ligurian 
queens,  231 

Weather,  changes  in,  7,  230 

West  Kent  B.  K.A.,  113,  155 

What  to  do,  and  when  and 
how  to  do  it,  26,  43,  61, 
101,  185,  205,  230 

Whealler,  E.,  his  departure 
for  China,  243 

White  brood,  123 

White-eyed  drones,  71 

Wide-ended  frames,  criticism 
on,  73,  92 

Wildman,  his  bee  -  keeping 
and  moveable  combs,  96; 
notice  of  his  death,  73 

Windsor,  show  of  bees,  hives, 
and  honey  at,  52,  69 

Winter  breeding,  19 ;  feed- 
ing, 21,  22  ;  preparations 
for,  101,  120;  require- 
ments for,  102  ;  crowding, 
123  ;  covering  up  for,  140 

Winter  feeder,  238 

Wintering,  219,  224,  238; 
various  modes  of,  219  ;  in 
frame-hives,  239 

Wire,  searching  hive  with  a, 
147 

Wired  foundation,  8,  41,  55, 
158;  Given  and  Dunham's, 
130 

Wisbeaoh  B.K.A.,  69 

Wolff,  Dr.  C,  on  the  organs 
of  fructification  of  plants, 
145 
Wood  foundation,  71,  77,  94, 

118,  178 
Wood,  W.  D.,  his  observa- 
tory hive,  89 
Woodbury  compound  frame, 

20 
Worker  cells,  76 
Worker  bee  analogous  to  the 

flower  of  plants,  145 
Worker-comb,    the   first   re- 
quirement of  a  swarrn,  5 
Zinc  excluder,  49,  167 


vxthh 


THE 


[No.  85.    Vol.  VIII.] 


MAY,  1880. 


[Published  Monthly.] 


(^bttnrial,  Joitas,  $t. 


MAY. 

The  unusually  fine  weather  of  the  past  two 
months  leads  us  to  hope  the  month  of  May  will 
be  indeed  a  merry  one  for  advanced  apiarians. 
It  has  seldom  been  our  privilege  to  record  so 
excellent  a  season  as  this  hitherto  of  1880,  and 
we  most  heartily  hope  and  trust  that  it  is  the 
happy  harbinger  of  a  splendid  year.     Gratitude 
has  been  cynically  defined  as  a  season  of  favours 
to  come,  but  in  common  with  all  bee-culturists 
we  have  every  reason  to  be  deeply  grateful  for 
the  delightful  time  that  has  been  vouchsafed 
to  us,  for,  whether  in  regard  to  the  health  and 
well-being   of  humans   or  bees,  we  say  with 
thankfulness  that  it  has  been  all  that  could  be 
desired.     There  is  an  old  saying  that  'March 
winds   and   April    showers   bring    forth    May 
flowers,'  and  truly  the  prospect  is  a  charming 
one.     For  bees,  in  the  hands  of  those  who  have 
cared  for  them  the  past  few  weeks  have  been 
most  precious,  enabling  them  to  recover  strength 
after  a  protracted  time  of  trial,  and  to  renew 
their  populations  almost  without   let   or   hin- 
drance ;  and  now,  writing  from  our  own  ex- 
perience, they  are  fit  for  anything,  and  a  genial 
summer  will  show  what  bees  in  careful  hands 
are    capable    of   do'ng.      With    every   known 
appliance   at  hand,  or  easily  to  be  obtained, 
price  being  now,  in  its  most  favourable  sense, 
'no  object,'  the  skilled  apiarian  will  prove  the 
inestimable  advantage  of  the  modern  system  of 
bee -management    as    compared   with    that   of 
letting  them  alone.     Accidents  will  happen  in 
the  best-regidated  apiaries,  and  in  most  there 
will  naturally  be  losses ;  few  indeed  after  such 
times  as  ruled  of  late  will  have  come  scatheless 
out  of  the   ordeal   through    which   they  have 
passed,   but  while  the  advanced  culturist  can 
afford  to  smile  over  his  two  or  three  per  cent 
losses,  the  '  let-alones '  are  grieving  over   the 
total  destruction  of  their   bees,   many  having 


not  a  remnant  left  alive.  The  latter  is  a  sorry 
picture,  and  not  a  source  of  pleasing  contempla- 
tion to  those  who  have  railed  at  improved 
methods  of  bee-keeping,  denounced  modern 
appliances,  and  scouted  the  teaching  that  has 
been  promidgated  in  this  Journal. 


WHAT  TO  DO,  AND  WHEN  AND 
HOW  TO  DO  IT. 

Beginning. — That  is  exactly  what  we  are 
doing,  we  are  beginning  a  new  volume  of  the 
Bee  Journal,  and  we  hope  that  every  one  who 
hears  of  it  will  begin  bee-keeping  under  its 
guidance,  andactup  to  the  principles  it  expounds. 
There  be  many  who  have  lost  all  their  bees, 
which  could  not  have  happened  except  as  a 
catastrophe  had  they  followed  its  dictates.  A 
few  there  are  who  having  neglected  the  first 
duty  of  paying  their  subscription  could  not  be 
expected  to  adhere  very  strictly  to  other  impor- 
tant suggestions,  and  they  have  suffered  pro- 
portionately ;  and  there  are  a  vast  number  who 
with  the  Journal  for  their  guide  have  avoided 
all  the  rocks  and  quicksands  on  which  the  hopes 
of  others  have  been  wrecked,  and  though  often 
in  troubled  water  have  come  safely  out  of  it, 
and  are  eager  for  fresh  enterprises.  To  the 
'many'  we  would  say,  Take  passage  with  us,  our 
ship  is  well  found,  our  lieutenants  are  all  volun- 
teers who  love  the  service  and  are  most  obliging 
to  passengers,  and  the  captain  commanding, 
owner  also,  is  ever  on  the  alert,  anxious  for  the 
safety  of  the  craft  and  the  well-being  of  all 
connected  with  it.  To  '  the  few  '  as  would  say 
'it's  never  too  late  to  mend,'  and  'better  late 
than  never,'  Sign  fresh  articles,  clear  off  old 
reckonings,  and  begin  anew ;  and  to  the  vast 
mi)  iber,  including  all  our  able  volunteers,  we 
tender  our  best  thanks  for  their  substantial  help 


2 


THE  BEITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[May  1,  1880. 


in  the  past,  and  for  the  many  evidences  of 
confidence  with  'which  they  have  favoured  us  ; 
help  and  confidence  we  invite  them  to  renew 
with  a  full  assurance  that  no  efforts  shall  be 
spared  on  our  part  to  make  the  voyage  through 
Volume  Eight  in  the  season  1880  an  unexampled 
success.  This  lengthy  '  order  of  the  day '  has 
almost  crippled  our  speaking-trumpet,  but  we 
hope  it  is  not  too  long  to  be  agreeable. 

Starting  with  Bees. — In  beginning  -we 
have  always  recommended  that  swarms  should 
be  obtained  in  preference  to  stocks,  and  that 
new  hives  shoidd  be  used  in  preference  to  old 
ones,  so  that  perfect  healthiness  may  be  assured. 
Amateurs  are  often  tempted  to  buy  stocks  in 
the  expectation  that  in  a  few  weeks  they  will 
get  swarms  from  them ;  but  it  frequently  hap- 
pens that,  through  disease,  bad  weather,  or  want 
of  sufficient  knowledge  of  bee-management  on 
the  owner's  part  during  the  critical  months 
preceding  the  swarming  time,  they  (the  stocks) 
dwindle  instead  of  increase,  and  remain  pro- 
fitless during  the  summer,  causing  disappoint- 
ment and  disgust. 

Old  Hives. — Many  who  will  begin  again 
this  season  through  having  lost  their  bees  in 
the  past,  will  be  tempted  to  put  their  newly 
purchased  swarms  into  their  old  hives  of  comb ; 
but  now  that  comb-foundation  can  be  so  readily 
obtained,  we  strongly  urge  them  to  cut  out  the 
old  combs  and  melt  them  up,  and  thus  destroy 
the  probability  of  their  communicating  disease, 
or  propagating  wax-moth,  the  germs  of  both  of 
which  they  often  contain.  Old  hives  and  frames 
should  be  thoroughly  cleaned,  all  the  propolis 
being  scraped  off,  and  they  should  be  boiled,  or 
scrubbed  in  boiling  water,  disinfected,  re-washed, 
and  dried,  and  their  covers  should  be  repainted. 
It  would  be  well  to  take  old  hives  to  pieces  if  it 
be  possible  to  do  so,  and  cleanse  all  the  parts 
separately,  replannig  the  inside  and  painting 
the  parts  that  join  together  so  that  all  suspicion 
of  disease  or  vermin  may  be  removed.  Those 
that  are  furnished  with  zinc  runners  should 
have  the  zinc  removed,  for  that  metal  being 
very  expansive,  through  heat,  is  liable  to  buckle 
and  permit  a  deposit  of  propolis  and  dirt  between 
it  and  the  wood  which  it  is  not  easy  to  remove 
without  actual  scraping. 

Melting  Old  Combs. — This  is  often  a  source 
of  considerable  trouble  and  vexation,  but  it  is 
easy  to  perform.  Make  a  bag  of  cheese-cloth 
and  put  all  the  combs  into  it,  put  in  also  suffi- 
cient weighty  material  to  keep  it  under  water 
when  immersed.  Take  a  garden  sieve  and  lay 
it  in  the  bottom  of  a  copper  or  large  iron  boiler, 
set  the  bag  of  comb  in  it,  weighty  end  down- 
ward, and  fill  up  with  water  until  the  bag  is 
covered.  Boil  up  quickly,  kneading  the  bag 
with  a  crutch-shaped  stick  or  a  hairless  broom- 


head,  to  cause  the  separation  of  the  comb-cells, 
and  when  done,  let  out  the  fire  and  leave  the 
whole  till  cold.  This  work  should  bedone  at  night 
to  prevent  the  bees  being  attracted  by  the  odour 
of  the  boiling  wax,  &c.  The  sieve  will  prevent 
the  bag  from  burning;  the  wax  will  float  on 
the  top  of  the  water,  and  next  morning  may  be 
removed  in  a  cake  to  be  afterwards  reboiled, 
clarified,  and  cast  into  any  shape  required. 
Old  combs  are  a  fruitful  source  of  mischief  in 
an  apiary,  and  should  never  be  allowed  to  lie 
about :  if  not  worth  melting  up,  it  is  better  to 
burn,  or  bury  them. 

New  Hives. — These  can  now  be  had  at  al- 
most any  price,  but  it  would  be  wise  in  all  cases 
for  beginners  to  adopt  some  form  of  the  move- 
able comb  hive.  We  have  every  respect  for  the 
skep,  box,  and  tree  trunk,  as  ancient  institutions, 
and  because  from  them  we  can  learn  the  natural 
condition  of  a  bee-nest,  but  for  the  purposes  of 
bee-culture  we  strongly  deprecate  their  use.  It 
is  sometimes  argued  that  a  cottager  cannot 
understand  the  use  of  a  frame-hive  ;  that  a 
simple  skep  or  a  plain  box  is  all  that  he  re- 
quires, and  that,  when  he  has  learned  to  prefer 
the  supering  to  the  sulphuring  system  of  honey- 
getting,  he  can  be  gradually  taught  to  use  the 
more  advanced  hive.  We,  however,  would  most 
strongly  advise  that  the  skep  shoidd  be  aban- 
doned, and  that  boxes  only  should  be  recom- 
mended and  used,  and  that  they  (the  latter) 
shoidd  be  furnished  with  frames,  so  that  when 
the  combs  are  built  they  may  be  moveable. 

This,  of  course,  is  a  recommendation  of  the 
modern  hive,  and  the  fear  that  the  cottager 
cannot  understand  its  uses  is,  we  venture  to  sug- 
gest, but  a  poor  argument  against  our  position. 
Whatever  a  cottager  can  do  with  a  skep  or 
simple  box  hive,  he  can  do  equally  well  with  a 
frame  hive.  The  frames  being  inside,  out  of 
his  sight,  need  not  disturb  his  mind  in  the 
slightest  degree ;  he  may  imagine,  if  he  pleases, 
that  they  are  not  there,  and  that  his  bees  are  in 
a  simple  box,  with  large  top  hole  for  feeding 
and  supering  purposes,  and  he  can  proceed 
exactly  as  with  a  skep,  but  will  have  the  ad- 
vantage over  the  latter  of  a  smooth  flat  top  on 
which  he  can  place  his  supers,  without  the 
necessity  for  the  cost  and  labour  of  providing 
and  fixing  an  adapting-board.  The  frames  will 
be  no  hindrance  to  him  or  to  his  bees,  but,  if 
properly  made,  and  fitted  with  foundation,  their 
use  will  be  helpful  to  the  latter,  and  by  hastening 
the  production  of  comb,  procure  for  the  cottager 
the  earlier  completion  of  his  supers. 

An  objection  may  be  urged  that  the  intro- 
duction of  frames  to  the  box  will  add  to  the 
expense  of  the  hive,  but  that  is  valid  only  in 
degree,  and  does  not  affect  the  question  of  their 
extreme  desirability;  and  bearing  in  mind  that, 
though  it  is  the  chief  obstacle  in  the  way  of 


May  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


improvement,  the  use  of  frames  in  hives  is 
essentially  the  key  to  improved  bee-culture,  and 
we  take  it  to  be  the  duty  of  those  interested  in 
promoting  the  art  to  spare  no  pains  in  advocating 
them,  and  overcoming  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
their  adoption. 

Cheap  Frame-hives. — Nothing  is  more  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  the  promotion  of  bee-cidture 
as  a  popular  pursuit  than  the  production  of  cheap 
hives,  yet  there  is  no  branch  of  the  business 
which  is  more  neglected  Mr.  Hunter  made 
allusion  to  this  subject  in  his  reading  at  the 
Conversazione  on  the  14th  ult.,  when  '  teaching 
the  cottager  to  make  his  own '  was  a  subject  of 
considerable  interest,  in  which  several  took  part. 
It  transpired  that  an  amateur  made  his  own  hive 
for  little  more  than  the  cost  of  the  wood  and  the 
nails.  He  just  cut  out  'this'  with  a  circular 
saw,  and  turned  '  that '  in  his  lathe,  and  thus 
everything  being  accurate,  he  succeeded  ad- 
mirably. But  cottagers  and  amateurs  in  general 
have  no  such  appliances ;  a  saw,  a  hammer, 
and  a  knife  are  about  all  the  tools  a  cottager 
can  command,  and  with  these  he  ought  to  be 
able  to  make  a  hive  as  good  as  any  domicile 
the  bees  usually  select  for  themselves,  and  there- 
fore one  that  ought  to  be  good  enough  as  far 
as  they  are  concerned.  Mr.  Hunter  thinks  that 
associations  should  stick  more  closely  to  the 
interests  of  the  cottager  class  of  bee-keepers, 
and  gave  some  excellent  suggestions  on  the  for- 
mation of  hives  from  the  boxes  in  common  use 
as  packing-cases,  and  comparatively  valueless 
for  other  purposes.  There  is,  however,  the  dif- 
ficulty almost  insuperable  to  '  knife  carpenters ' 
of  making  the  frames  of  accurate  shape  and 
dimensions,  and  many  amateurs,  with  better 
appliances  find  here  a  stumbling-block,  and 
practically  find  it  cheaper  and  better  to  purchase 
the  frames  ready  made,  and  avoid  the  disagree- 
ables arising  from  ill-made  home-spun  work. 

Making  Frames.  —  Those  who  intend  to 
utilise  boxes  of  any  pattern  easily  obtain- 
able to  make  into  hives,  will  bear  in  mind 
that  the  relative  dimensions  of  the  frames 
to  be  put  into  them  are  very  important. 
It  ought  to  be  thoroughly  understood  that 
their   (the  frames)   internal  dimensions  are  no 


'v 


guide,  as  differences  in  the  thickness  of  the 
material  of  which  they  are  made  will  spoil  the 
relation  of  frame  to  hive.  The  size  of  the  box 
governs  that  of  the  frame  measuring   outside 


the  latter,  and  the  space  between  them  should 
be  as  nearly  a  quarter  of  an  inch  as  it  can  be 
made,  that  being  sufficient  for  the  passage  of  a 
bee.  It  may  be  well  to  state  as  a  reason  for 
this  particular  dimension,  that  any  cranny,  crack, 
slot,  or  crevice,  into  or  through  which  a  bee 
cannot  easily  pass  will  be  almost  surely  stopped 
with  propolis  apparently  to  prevent  the  lodgment 
of  vermin  within  them,  while  any  larger  space 
the  bees  will  fill  with  comb  as  soon  as  their 
hive  becomes  crowded.  The  distance  of  frames 
from  each  other  when  in  the  hive  is  not 
the  governing  principle  in  their  arrangement, 
nor  is  their  individual  width  of  very  great 
importance ;  but  it  is  essential  that  they 
shall  be  not  more  than  an  inch  and  a  half 
from  centre  to  centre  of  each  other,  and  not 
less  than  one  and  nine  twentieths,  the  differ- 
ence, one  tenth  of  an  inch  being  within  the 
margin  of  bee-deviation.  Frames  are  usually 
made  about  an  inch  in  width,  the  top  bars  near 
half  an  inch  in  thickness,  the  ends  three  eighths, 
and  the  bottoms  a  quarter,  or  less.  In  the 
March  Journal  allusion  was  made  to  the  Amer- 
ican frames  we  had  seen  in  the  hives  sent  over 
by  Mr.  Nellis  in  which  the  frame-ends  are 
somewhat  similar  in  construction  to  those  ex- 
hibited in  a  hive  we  showed  at  the  Alexandra 
Palace  in  1876,  and  we  venture  to  illustrate  the 
improvement  we  believe  will  make  the  same 
perfect.  It  will  be  obvious  that  frames  with 
ends  wider  on  both  sides  than  the  combs  are, 
will  not  lie  comfortably  on  the  flat  wire  frame 
of  an  extractor,  which  is  a  serious  drawback  to 
their  efficiency.  Extractors  can  of  course  be 
provided  to  suit  such  frames,  but  they  would 
probably  not  be  equally  suitable  for  all  frames, 
and  therefore  we  think  it  equally  reasonable  to 
make  the  frames  so  that  they  will 
sit  conveniently  in  ordinary  ex- 
tractors. Instead  therefore  of 
widening  the  frame-ends  on  each 
side  we  suggested  that  they  be 
widened  on  one  side  only  at  each 
end  as  shown  in  wood-cut,  so  that 
the  widened  part  can  rest  on  the 
top  edge  of  the  extractor  cage, 
and  the  comb  lie  flat  upon  the 
wire-work.  Such  frames  would  of 
themselves  form  a  hive  on  the  Italian  (Giotto) 
principle,  and  would  need  only  floor  -  board, 
back,  front,  and  quilt  to  render  it  useful  as  a 
'  Make-shift  hive.' 

Purchasing  Frames. — Purchasers  of  frame, 
are  naturally  anxious  to  have  them  completes 
correct  in  shape,  and  with  wax-guides  affixed  ; 
but  in  this  state  they  require  a  box,  into  which 
they  will  fit,  to  preserve  them  from  damage  on 
the  journey ;  and  we  always  advise  that  such 
box  shall  be  ordered  to  be  correctly  made  of 
the  dimensions  of  a  hive,  so  that  in  emergency 

a2 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[May  1,  1880. 


it  can  be  used  as  a  '  Makeshift,'  instead  of  being 
useless  and  not  worth  returning.  Such  a  box 
and  frames  can  be  had  for  four  shillings  and 
sixpence,  and  is  easily  convertible,  by  the  addi- 
tion of  floor-board  and  cover,  to  an  excellent 
hive.  As  a  nucleus  and  pattern  for  intending 
hive-makers  it  is  invaluable.  Frames  can  be 
bought  in  pieces,  but  in  that  condition  the 
guides  are  liable  to  be  broken.  They,  how- 
ever, pack  in  very  small  compass,  and  the  cost 
of  carriage  is  thereby  reduced. 

Improving  Makeshift  Hives. — Makeshift 
hives  are  not  generally  very  kindly  mentioned 
by  those  whose  interest  is  better  served  by  selling 
more  expensive  wares.  A  letter  from  a  reverend 
corresjwndent  in  Nottinghamshire,  whose  queries 
are  published  on  page  23,  gives  such  encourag- 
ing testimony  in  their  favour,  and  we  have  so 
many  other  evidences  to  the  same  effect,  that  we 
shall  continue  to  make,  use,  and  vend  them. 
Some  persons  object  to  their  being  unplaced, 
but  such  we  would  refer  to  a  letter  of  an  old 
and  able  bee-master  (Mr.  Geo.  Fox  of  Kings- 
bridge,  Devon),  whose  pen  is  at  present  far  too 
silent  for  the  interests  of  bee-culture.  He  says, 
on  p.  136,  Vol.  II.  B.  B.  J.,  and  the  letter  is  well 
worthy  of  re-perusal,  '  I  would  here  just  state 
that  the  delightfully  rough  condition,  externally 
and  internally,  frames  and  all,  in  which  some 
boxes  are  sent  out,  instead  of  being  carefully 
planed,  is  quite  a  treat  to  the  bees.'  Those, 
however,  who  wish  to  improve  such  hives  by 
increasing  the  protective  character  of  their 
walls,  may  easily  do  so  without  greatly  in- 
creasing their  cost,  as  may  be  gathered  from 
the   illustration.      We   have   here   depicted   a 


the  land,  always  supposing  thickness  of  wall  to 
be  a  desideratum. 

Fixing  Guides  and  Foundation. — Having 
hives  and  frames,  the  mode  of  fixing  the 
guides  needs  explanation,  as  it  is  to  many 
a  puzzling  process.  A  simple  guide  of  plain 
wax-sheet  is  very  easily  made  and  fixed, 
and  requires  very  little  preparation.  Sup- 
jDOsing  the  frame  to  be  of  Woodbury  size, 
the  under  surface  of  the  top  bar  will  be  about 
13  inches  long  between  the  frame-ends,  and, 
say,  1  inch  wide ;  and  the  guide  will  be  re- 
quired along  its  centre.  Get  a  piece  of  wood 
about  an  inch  wide,  f  inch  thick,  and  14  to  15 
inches  long ;  cut  a  corner  out  of  each  end,  and 
shave  off  the  front  bottom  edge,  as  shown  in 
the  woodcut,  leaving  the  front  part  of  a  length 


simple  box,  like  an  ordinary  hive  when  the 
frames  are  removed,  and  supposing  it  to  re- 
present  a  Woodbury  hive  in  size.  If  four 
pieces  of  wood,  each  8f  inches  long,  2  inches 
wide,  and  1  inch  thick,  be  nailed  to  the  corners 
as  shown,  four  pieces  of  thin  board  can  easily 
be  nailed  around  the  hive,  making  it  double- 
walled,  with  air-spaces  between,  which  latter 
can  be  closed  with  slats  at  top  and  bottom,  or 
filled  with  shavings,  sawdust,  or  chaff,  as  may 
be  preferred.  Such  a  hive  will  then  be  equal 
(for  bee-comfort)  to  the  highest-priced  hive  in 


to  go  into  the  frame  and  of  a  width  to  bring 
its  face  where  the  line  of  wax  is  to  be.  Lay  it 
in  cold  water  to  soak  while  the  wax  is  melting 
(a  glue-pot  is  the  best  melting-pot),  and  then, 
with  the  frame  in  the  left  hand,  its  wet  front 
face  on  the  under  surface  of  the  frame-bar, 
where  the  wax-guide  is  to  be  formed.  Apply 
the  hot  wax  with  a  brush  all  along  both  the 


piece  of  wood  and  the  frame-bar,  giving  one  or 
more  coats  according  to  the  thickness  the  guide 
is  required  to  be.  When  it  has  '  set,'  the  piece 
of  wood  will  come  away  and  leave  a  clean  guide 
of  plain  wax-sheet,  which  will  ensure  straight 
combs  in  the  hive  if  the  frames  be  properly 
arranged.  The  secret  of  success  is  having  a 
wet  piece  of  wood,  a  dry  frame-bar,  boiling 
wax,  and  a  clean  brush.  This  method  is  a 
modification  of  Mr.  Cheshire's  plan  of  making 
and  fixing  foundations  by  using  plaster  casts. 
For  fixing  conib-foundation  in  frames  a  wider 


May  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


wooden  arrangement  is  needed.  We  use  a  piece 
of  board  A  with  two  strips  EE  nailed  along  the 
back  of  it  projecting  both  ways.  The  frame 
is  laid  against  the  wood  as  shown  in  woodcut, 
the  foundation  I)  laid  in  its  place,  and  molten 
wax  run  along  the  junction  of  frame-bar  and 
foundation.  If  the  latter  is  more  than  an  inch 
wide,  wax  is  afterwards  poured  along  its  other 
side,  and,  provided  the  frame-bar  be  quite  dry, 
and  the  wax  quite  hot,  it  will  not  be  likely  to 
give  way  or  flake  off.  The  best  apparatus  for 
applying  the  boiling  wax  in  this  case  is  Abbott's 
smelter — a  spouted  boiler  on  the  glue-pot  prin- 


^    ^ 


ciple,  in  which  the  wax  is  kept  at  boiling  heat 
until  it  is  poured  out  at  the  fine  spout.  The 
inner  vessel  is  for  wax,  the  outer  for  water  ; 
and  the  whole  being  of  copper  will  last  a  life- 
time, if  not  allowed  to  burn  itself  out  through 
getting  dry. 

Swarming  and  Hiving.  —  The  glorious 
weather  of  spring  which  has  given  surviving 
bees  so  good  a  start  after  the  long  bad  winter, 
will  insure  early  swarming;  and  probably  ere 
this  reaches  our  readers,  the  first  natural  swarm 
will  have  issued,  and  its  advent  have  been  duly 
chronicled;  but  there  will  be  many  to  come  in 
this  merry  month,  and  we  hope  they  will  be  well 
cared  for.  When  a  natural  swarm  issues  they  will 
have  with  them  in  their  stomachs  (honey-sacs) 
sufficient  honey  to  enable  them  to  live  for  two 
or  three  days,  and  for  the  first  day  or  two  will 
require  no  feeding ;  but  after  that  time  they 
should  be  fed  on  every  day  during  which  they 
have  not  been  able  to  gather  freely  from 
natural  sources.  The  first  requirement  of  a 
swarm  is  worker-comb,  in  which  the  queen  may 
deposit  eggs  to  be  developed  into  young  worker 
bees  ;  and  so  long  as  the  honey-supply  is  mode- 
rate they  will  build  worker-comb  only :  but  if 
large  quantities  of  honey  are  at  hand,  or  if 
syrup  be  supplied  to  them  too  abundantly  they 
will  build  drone-comb  to  store  it  in,  which  they 
appear  to  do  on  the  principle  that  it  is  easier 
and  less  wasteful  to  build  large  cells  than  small 
ones;  but  afterwards  when  those  store  cells  arc 
used  for  breeding  purposes,  eveiy  egg  deposited 
in  them  will,  if  permitted  to  mature,  become 
a  drone  bee.  On  the  other  hand,  if  through 
unkind  weather  the  out-door  supply  of  food  is 
stopped  and  syrup  is  withheld,  the  building 
of  comb  will  be  discontinued,  breeding  will 
flag,  and  the  prosperity  of  the  swarm  will  be 


greatly  hindered.  Combs  are  formed  by  the 
bees  out  of  wax  which  they  make  by  digesting 
honey  in  their  bodies ;  and  this,  the  first  duty 
of  -warms,  they  will  continue  to  do  until  they 
have  made  as  many  combs  as  they  can  occupy, 
provided  they  can  get  the  honey  with  which  to 
form  the  wax:  to  make  them.  Swarms  have 
what  is  called  the  '  comb -building  impulse;' 
but  a  cessation  of  the  honey  supply  destroys  it, 
and  when  a  swarm  has  once  ceased  to  build,  the 
bees  will  not  recommence  until  a  later  supply 
necessitates  room  for  storing  it,  and  then  they 
will  build  drone  cells  as  before  stated.  Heavy, 
indiscriminate  feeding  of  swarms  is  therefore 
not  to  be  commended;  it  may  make  wealthy 
hives,  but  they  will  be  achieved  at  the  cost  of 
a  working  popidation,  and  the  production  of  a 
lazy  one,  and  such  a  hive  will  never  do  well 
thereafter.  When  a  first  swarm  issues  from  a 
hive,  it  whirls  about  in  the  air  for  a  time  and 
settles  in  a  cluster,  usually  on  a  bush  or  tree, 
and  awaits  the  coming  of  the  queen.  When 
she  has  joined  it,  which  may  be  known  by  the 
bees  having  quietly  collected,  it  is  fit  for  hiving. 
If,  however,  from  any  cause  the  queen  does  not 
join  the  swarm,  the  bees  separate  apparently  to 
search  for  her,  and  if  they  find  her  they  join 
her  ;  but  should  they  not  succeed  in  discovering 
her,  they  will  return  to  the  hive,  to  swarm  again 
on  another  occasion.  When  the  bees  do  not 
find  their  queen,  it  is  usually  because  through 
infirmity  of  wing  she  has  fallen  to  the  ground ; 
and  a  careful  search  will  generally  be  rewarded 
by  her  discovery,  usually  with  three  or  four 
bees  attending  her,  a  sorry  picture  of  fallen 
greatness.  If  she  be  now  put  into  an  empty 
hive,  and  the  latter  be  set  in  the  place  of  the 
Ml  one  which  may  be  put  upon  another  stand, 
the  bees  will  gradually  join  her,  and  all  will  be 
well.  Shoidd  the  bees,  however,  find  her  while 
looking  for  her,  and  join  her  on  the  ground, 
the  hive  may  be  set  over  them,  and  they  will 
go  up  and  cluster  in  it.  We  will,  however, 
suppose  that  the  queen  joined  the  swarm  on 
the  tree  as  first  suggested,  in  which  case  hiving 
cannot  be  too  quickly  performed.  Having  their 
queen  with  them,  if  they  be  not  soon  hived, 
they  will  look  out  for  a  home  for  themselves, 
and  scouts  having  been  sent  forth  to  find  a 
suitable  place,  they  will  presently  decamp  and 
take  possession  of  such  as  may  be  found. 

This  is,  however,  not  an  invariable  ride ; 
sometimes  from  not  finding  a  home,  or  through 
a  change  of  weather,  the  cluster,  if  not  hived, 
will  continue  in  the  bush  untd  they  have 
formed  wax  and  commenced  comb-building,  in 
which  case  they  will  stay  for  days  unless  found 
and  hived,  or  till  they  perish  through  ad- 
verse weather,  and  dwindle  ere  they  have 
time  to  bring  forth  young  bees  to  replenish 
their  numbers. 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[May  1,  1880. 


Artificial  swarming  and  hiving  are  fully 
described  in  leaflets  sold  at  a  halfpenny  each, 
and  the  limit  of  space  forbids  repetition  here.* 
Nevertheless,  as  some  doubt  exists  as  to  the 
mode  of  hiving  in  hives  with  legs,  we  would 
say  that  having  made  all  '  ready,'  we  turn  back 
the  quilt  and  remove  two  or  three  frames  from 
the  hive's  side,  then  catching  the  swarm  in  a 
skep  or  pail,  we  carry  it  to  the  hive  and  pour 
in  the  bees.  They  immediately  run  under  the 
covered  frames  and  commence  fanning  at  the 
entrance,  while  we  gently  return  the  frames, 
restore  the  quilt  to  its  correct  position,  and 
cover  up  the  hive  to  keep  out  the  sun's  rays. 
The  fanning  and  buzzing  at  the  entrance,  or, 
as  we  are  much  more  inclined  to  believe,  the 
odour  thereby  driven  forth  from  the  swarm  (of 
which  we  shall  take  an  early  opportunity  to 
write  more),  will  be  sufficiently  attractive  to 
straggling  bees  to  induce  them  to  join  the 
latter,  and  nothing  more  (as  a  ride)  need  be 
done  unless  the  weather  be  hot  and  more  ven- 
tilation be  needed,  which  may  be  given  by 
lowering  the  floor-board,  or  sliding  it  forward 
and  leaving  a  space  between  it  and  the  hive  at 
the  back.  When  swarms  pitch  at  a  distance 
from  the  hive  intended  to  receive  them,  they 
can  be  caught  in  a  skep  or  pail  and  left  until 
evening,  when  the  above  operation  can  be  per- 
formed with  safety. 

Uniting  Queens. — This  is  one  of  the  ticklish 
operations  upon  the  method  of  performing 
which  there  is  great  difference  of  opinion,  and 
about  which  much  that  is  nonsensical,  the 
result  of  immature  observation,  has  been  written. 
Why  bees  will  sometimes  accept  a  queen  and  at 
others  refuse  her,  or  why  they  will  persistently 
refuse  one  queen  and  presently  accept  another, 
almost  without  care  on  the  part  of  the  operator, 
the  apparent  conditions  being  the  same,  are 
puzzles  we  will  not  now  enter  upon  ;  our  object 
being  to  show  the  amateur  how  to  avoid  the 
various  causes  of  failures,  or  rather  to  afford 
him  the  means  of  overcoming  them,  so  far  as 
they  are  known  and  understood.  Very  large  ex- 
perience has  proved  beyond  a  doubt  that  in  hives 
in  which  there  is  hatching  brood,  and,  conse- 
quently, young  bees,  queens  may  with  safety 
be  entrusted  to  their  care  in  the  honcyless  cage, 
i.e.  a  cage  unconnected  with  the  cells  in  which 
honey  is  stored,  whereas  in  hives  that  contain 
no  brood,  and  the  bees  are  presumably  '  aged,' 
it  is  not  safe  to  confine  them  without  provision. 

In  hives  in  which  young  bees  abound,  as 
indicated,  a  cage  made  of  zinc,  in  the  form 
of  a  tube,  three  or  four  inches  long,  j  in.  wide, 
and  |  in.  thick(inside),  with  a  plug  in  each  end, 

*  Leaflets  are  sixpence  per  dozen,  post  free,  or  assorted 
at  a  halfpenny  each,  and  a  halfpenny  for  postage  at  this 
oilice,  Southall,  London. 


is  all  that  is  necessaiy.    The  reigning  sovereign 

having   been  removed,   the  new  queen  is  put 

alone  into  the  cage,  which  is  fixed  on 

a  comb  amongst  the  brood  by  thrusting    ' 

a  hairpin  through  the  perforations  in 

the  cage.    The  hive  is  then  closed,  and 

after  forty-eight  hours  the  queen  may 

be  released.     By  having  a  hole  made 

through  the  plug  in  the  upper  end  of 

the  cage,  a  wire  may  be  pushed  down 

to  thrust  out  the  plug  from  the  lower 

end ;  and  by  this  arrangement  the  queen 

may  be  released  at  any  moment  without 

disturbance  to  the  hive,  on  the  prin-    ' w 

ciple   strongly  advocated  by  '  A  Ren- 
frewshire Bee-keeper,'   Rev.    George  Raynor, 
and  Mr.  W.  Carr. 

On  another  page  will  be  found  a  method  of 
substituting  queens  without  a  cage  by  John 
Enock,  and  we  have  every  faith  in  his  report ; 
but  we  find  the  chief  difficult}'  in  this  branch 
of  bee- culture  to  arise  from  its  often  being 
necessary  to  re-queen  queenless  stocks,  the  bees 
of  which  are  generally  '  aged'  before  their  con- 
dition is  discovered.  Under  these  conditions 
the  bees  seem  to  have  lost  all  sense  of  moral 
rectitude,  if  we  may  judge  by  their  actions,  for 
they  encase,  maul,  sting,  starve,  or  dismember, 
as  may  happen,  the  mother-in-law  sought  to  be 
imposed  on  them.  Being  aged,  and  out  of 
their  apprenticeship  as  nurses,  bees  seem  to  lose 
the  instinct  which  prompts  to  increase  their 
species  :  they  are  old  and  testy,  and  evidently 
do  not  want  to  be  bothered  with  a  new  mamma, 
with  babies  to  follow,  so  they  '  set  up  their 
backs '  and  oppose  her  introduction  to  the 
family.  There  have  been  thousands  of  failures 
in  the  attempts  to  introduce  alien  queens  to 
aged  bees,  and  it  is  often  a  comparatively  use- 
less task,  though  accepted,  for  old  bees  do  not 
care  (or  are  not  competent)  to  be  nurses  to  their 
brood,  and  though  they  be  ever  so  numerous, 
breeding  will  go  on  very  slowly  indeed,  until 
young  bees  begin  to  come  forth.  This  fact 
often  procures  an  ill  report  for  Ligurian  queens 
(they  are  frequently  introduced  under  these 
circumstances),  and  the  great  expectations  with 
which  they  were  united  are  disappointed, 
through  the  queens  having  been  imposed  on 
demoralised  populations. 

In  uniting  queens  the  essential  element, 
thoroughly  recognised  in  the  principle  advo- 
cated by  the  clever  bee-masters  named,  is 
quietness,  i.e.  non-disturbance  of  the  hive  and 
bees  when  the  queen  is  to  be  united.  Caging 
on  a  comb  in  a  pipe-cover  or  thimble-cage 
creates  disturbance  as  a  matter  of  course,  on 
seating  the  queen  alone  in  a  honeyless  cage,  and 
insures  (amongst  old  bees)  her  starvation.  If 
a  few  of  her  own  bees  be  put  in  the  cage  with 
her  they  will  yield  up  to  her  the  last  drop  from 


May  1,  1880.J 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


their  honey-sacs,  and  die  within  forty-eight 
hours,  while  she  will  be  left  alone  to  starve,  or, 
if  set  at  liberty,  to  be  destroyed.  Next  to 
queenless  old  bees  those  that,  having  a  queen, 
have  been  long  broodless,  are  thfc  most  difficult 
with  which  to  unite  an  alien  queen,  and  may  be 
dealt  with  as  if  queenless. 

Experience  has  shown,  however,  that  not- 
withstanding the  seeming  antipathy  of  old  bees 
to  queens,  if  the  latter  are  kept  engaged,  or 
within  '  speaking  distance  '  of  the  former,  for  a 
few  days,  the  latter  will  forget  their  antagonism, 
and  union  may  be  quietly  effected.  The  oldf  ashion 
of  using  the  boxes  in  which  queens  are  imported 
as  cages  is  effectual  with  old  bees,  but  there  is 
a  risk  that  the  dysenteric  odours  therein  conse- 
quent on  the  confinement  of  the  bees  during 
their  journey  may  have  an  evil  effect.  The 
method  consisted  in  replacing  the  wooden 
bottom  of  the  box  with  one  of  perforated  zinc, 
and  placing  it  with  its  contents  on  the  hive 
over  the  feed-hole.  The  odour  from  below 
would  thus  impregnate  the  bees  and  queen,  and 
in  due  time,  the  zinc  being  withdrawn,  the 
union  would  take  place.  It  is  always  better,  if 
possible,  to  avoid  the  chance  of  infection  from 
d}rsenteric  odours  by  presenting  the  queen  and 
her  attendants  without  their  imported  sur- 
roundings, in  the  actual  bee-nest  where  she 
cannot  suffer  from  cold,  as  otherwise  might  be 
the  case,  and  in  such  a  way  that  she  shall  be 
secure  from  liability  to  starvation.  To  do  this 
we  have  simplified  our  queen-cage,  and  in  lieu 
of  the  upper  plate  of  perforated  zinc  or  vul- 
canite have  introduced  a  wire  bar  that  acts  as 
a  gate  across  the  opening  at  the  top,  and  think 
it  is  as  perfect  as  a  cage  can  be  for  the  purpose. 
It  now  contains  all  the  best  principles  of  all 
others.  To  introduce  a  queen  to  a  queenless 
colony,  the  position  of  the  bee-nest  must  be 
ascertained,  and  a  '  feed-hole  '  cut  in  the  quilt 
above  it.  The  cage  is  then  thrust  down  be- 
tween the  combs  amongst  the  bees,  and  if  there 
be  time,  ere  the  queen  arrives  it  may  be  filled 
with  crumbs  of  barley  sugar,  which  the  bees 
will  consume.  When  emptied  by  them,  the 
queen  and  a  dozen  or  so  of  her  bees  shoidd  be 
put  into  it,  and  the  bar  laid  lengthways  across 
the  opening  ;  a  bottle  of  scented  syrup  tied 
over  with  canvas  should  be  kept  over  the  cage 
during  the  incarceration,  and  after  a  few  days 
by  withdrawing  the  wire  the  union  will  be 
quietly  effected. 

The  bar  is  a  continuation  of  the  moveable 
wire  running  down  the  side  of  the  cage,  and  is 
formed  thus: — the  point  a  locking  into  a  hole  in 
the  top  plate,  securing  the  bees  and  a  queen, 
yet  permitting  access  to  the  feed-bottle.  Two 
or  three  holes  may  be  made  in  the  top  plate 
around  the  cage  to  permit  the  bees  of  the  hive 
partaking  of  the  syrup,  an  amusement  for  them 


that  will  cause  the  hive  to  acquire  the  odour  of 
the    syrup,  i  .^nd    ensure    cordial   fraternization 


with  the  queen  and  bees  introduced.  This  cage 
has  been  well  tried,  and  can  be  used  under  all 
conditions  of  queen-introduction  and  barley- 
sugar  stimulation. 

Change  of  Weather.  —  Although  March 
and  April  have  been  so  exceedingly  fine,  it 
should  be  remembered  that  there  is  usually  a 
fortnight  at  the  least  of  miserable  bee-weather 
during  May,  and  when  not  recognised  and  pro- 
vided against  the  bees  suffer  heavily.  When 
breeding  extensively,  as  they  now  are,  a  sudden 
return  of  cold  weather  and  the  consequent  pre- 
vention of  honey  gathering  stoj^s  the  deposition 
of  eggs,  and  often  causes  the  bees  to  consume 
or  destroy  the  larvtc  and  white  nymphs  which 
they  throw  out  of  their  hive.  Feeding,  and  the 
partial  closing  of  the  hive  entrances,  will  help 
to  counteract  the  evil,  and,  therefore,  careful 
attention  should  be  given.  With  the  prospect 
of  a  change  in  view,  we  ask  all  bee-keepers  not 
to  be  hasty  in  making  artificial  swarms,  or  doing 
anything  in  which  lowness  of  temperature  is 
inimical  to  success. 


SUPERING. 

When  shall  we  put  on  our  supers  ?  is  an 
inquiry  commonly  heard  among  bee-keepers  ; 
and  in  reply  we  would  say  when  the  hive  is  full 
of  comb-bees  and  brood,  the  weather  fine,  and 
the  honey  yield  abundant.  It  is  of  little  use 
to  go  by  the  dates  named  in  bee-books ;  the 
fthoes  therein  mentioned  may  be  cold  and  miser- 
able, and  putting  on  supers,  which  is  literally 
enlarging  the  hive,  may  be  an  injury  rather 
than  a  help  since  it  will  tend  to  cool  the  hive 
when  heat  should  be  economised.  The  style  of 
super  to  use  depends  on  the  taste  of  the  bee- 
keeper, but  we  strongly  recommend  sectional 
supers  as  being  far  preferable  to  those  of  glass, 
the  latter  being  cold,  inelastic,  and  when  filled, 
unsaleable.  For  description  of  supers  to  use, 
advertisements,  or  the  catalogues  of  any  of  the 
dealers,  will  supply  the  information,  but  we 
should  use  nought  but  sectionals. 

Supering  may  not  actually  prevent  swarming, 


ft 


TIE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[May  1,  1880. 


but  will  tend  to  hinder  it.  IS  <■  Ireful  not  to 
use  sections  that  have  been  ston  \i  away  where 
mice  have  access :  the  smell  of^fep  vermin  is 
particularly  offensive  to  bees,  an* is  often  the 
reason  of  their  avoiding  them.  There  is  no 
way  of  forcing  bees  to  work  in  supers,  but 
when  they  are  in  a  condition  to  do  so  artificial 
heat  applied  to  them  will  often  tempt  them  to 
take  possession. 

Bees  that  are  preparing  to  swarm  often  use 
their  supers,  as  people  do  their  club-rooms,  for 
lounging,  and  purposes  of  amusement,  while 
waiting  for  expected  events.  Hence  we  are 
often  told,  '  My  bees  have  taken  possession  of 
the  supers,  but  do  not  work  in  them.'  If  the 
supers  were  not  there  the  bees  would  be 
clustering  outside  the  hive  in  warm  weather, 
but  during  cold  woidd  crowd  into  the  hive, 
and  preserve  the  temperature  necessary  for 
the  safety  of  the  brood. 


WIRED  FOUNDATION. 
We  regret  that  we  are  unable  to  #fer  a 
further  supply  of  wired  foundation.  Tfeiii  we 
had  through  Messrs.  Tlrurber  has  been  disposed 
of,  and  no  further  supply  appears  to  be  forth- 
coming. A  letter  received  from  Mr.  Nellis  on 
18th  of  March  apprised  us  that  a  second  lot  of 
goods  was  on  the  way,  and  naturally  we  #x- 
pected  to  get  tidings  of  their  arrival  within  a 
few  days ;  but  Messrs.  Thurber  say  they  ha  -e 
not  yet  received  the  bills  of  lading,  so  ve  a*e 
unable  to  describe  them.  We  have  A^B  i 
flat-bottomed  for  supers,  and  Raitt's  Amc 
machine-made  foundation  for  hives  on  ha  id.— 

Ed.  B.  B.  J. 

-'■ 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  OF  OUR  HONEY  BEES. 
By  J.  P.  Jackson. 

One  thought  in  particular  occurred  to  thoughtful  bee- 
keepers who,  a  few  years  since,  reflected  on  the  best 
means  of  elevating  apiculture  and  making  it  worthy  to 
march  side  by  side  with  other  branches  of  rural  economy, 
namely,  that  sufficient  attention  had  not  been  paid  by 
apiarists  to  the  improvement  of  the  breed  of  their  bees  ; 
for  while  other  kinds  of  stock  had  been  wonderfully 
altered  in  chaiacter  and  improved  by  being  crossed  with 
fresh  strains,  few  efforts  had  been  made  thus  to  improve 
our  indigenous  bees. 

Mr.  Edouard  Cori,  of  Brtix,  in  Bohemia,  set  himself,  a 
score  of  years  since,  to  this  ta  -'■ .  and  his  efforts  have  led 
to  discoveries,  and  have  been  crowned  with  a  success, 
that  I  feel  sure  English  bee-keepers- will  be  glad  to  have 
particulars  of. 

The  first  point  to  be  settled,  before  beginning  such  a 
task  as  this,  is  where  the  stock  in  quesl  ii  m  i-  found  in  the 
state  of  highest  perfection.  In  the  case  of  horseflesh  this 
was  found  to  be  Arabia,  of  kind,  Switzerland,  and  of 
sheep  (merino),  Spain.  But  whither  shall  we  go  for  the 
choicest  race  of  bees  P  To  answer  this  question  Mr.  Cori 
began  a  series  of  importations  ami  exp(  rimental  breeding, 
and  each  effort  he  made  brought  him  nearex  to  a  decisive 
reply. 

lie  began  with  a  stock  of  Hungarian  Bees  from  Neu- 
sohl,  in  the  Lipta  Alps,  and  found  they  have  a  thicker- 


set  and  rather  longer  body  than  our  bee  and  are  quite 
black,  also  their  pubescence,  or  hairy  covering,  is  longer 
and  of  a  light  colour.  They  are  superior  to  our  bees,  in 
that  the  queens  are  more  fertile  and  the  workers  hardier. 
A  curious  habit  they  have  is,  that  should  a  visitor 
approach  quite  near  to  their  hive,  single  bees  slowly 
circle  round  his  head,  as  the  swallow-tail  butterfly  dees 
round  a  flower,  and  if  he  stays,  and  does  not  quietly 
move  away,  they  dart  at  him  with  great  fury  and  at- 
tempt to  sting  him  in  the  face.  In  the  meantime  the 
bees  on  the  alighting-board  remain  unmoved. 

The  C'arniolan  or  Ucraine  Bee  then  engaged  Mr.  Cori's 
attention.  This  variety  of  black  bee  is  well  known  in 
Germany,  and  is  celebrated  for  its  great  docility  and 
gentleness,  as  even  when  excited  it  is  less  fierce  than  any 
other  kind  that  is  known.  Its  failing  is  that  it  is  so  fond 
of  swarming  that  it  is  not  able  to  lay  by  much  honey, 
and  thus,  at  the  fall  of  the  year,  stocks  of  C'arniolan  Bees 
often  have  not  even  sufficient  stores  to  carry  them 
through  the  winter. 

The  Italian  or  Ligurian  Bee  was  next  experimented 
with,  but  from  some,  to  me,  inexplicable  cause,  it  did  not 
prove  its  elaim  to  the  praises  that  are  generally  bestowed 
on  it ;  Mr.  Cori  considers  that  the  Smyrna  Bee,  which 
will  shortly  be  described,  is  greatly  its  superior. 

The  Dalmatian  Bee  from  Cattaro.— In  1864  Mr.  Cori 
imported,  via  Trieste,  a  stock  of  this  variety.  These  we 
may  consider  the  purest  black  bees,  for  their  bands  have 
not  the  least  trace  of  colour,  but  are  covered  with  a  light 
yellow  pubescence.  After  a  time  this  rubs  off,  and  the 
body  is  then  seen  to  be  perfectly  black.  On  the  shores  of 
the  Gulf  of  Cattaro  there  is  but  little  land  capable  of 
cnllivation,  and  the  native  bees  are  thus  obliged  to  gather 
most  of  their  honey  from  the  sage  and  other  flowers, 
which  grow  in  the  cracks  and  crevices  of  high  cliffs 
and  rocks.  They  therefore  have  to  fly  long  distances, 
at  a  great  elevation,  and  often  in  a  high  wind.  Their 
thorax  is  from  this  cause  developed  to  a  marked  degree, 
and  if  imported  into  this  country  they  would  be  found 
to  fly  to  a  very  long  distance  in  search  of  food.  Their 
abdomen  being  long  and  pointed  they  look  like  black 
wasps.  There  is  this  peculiaiity  about  them,  that,  when 
the  day  is  over  and  honey-gathering  suspended,  they  frisk 
upon  the  alighting-board  like  flie  ■,  hopping  about  and 
apparently  teasing  one  another.  They  are  of  a  good- 
tempered  disposition,  and  though  when  you  approach 
their  hive  they  dash  at  your  hands  or  face,  they  do  not 
sting  if  you  keep  still,  but  they  return  to  their  hive  again 
— very  different  to  our  native  bees,  who  dart  and  sting  in 
one  and  the  same  breath.  Though  as  a  rule  perfectly 
gentle,  they  get  most  excited  if  they  are  disturbed  by 
their  hive  being  roughly  opened,  and  plenty  of  smoke  at 
repeated  intervals  is  needed  to  enable  them  to  be  handled. 
The  Dalmatian  Bee  is  an  industrious  honey-gatherer,  is 
extremely  fertile,  and  must  be  considered  a  great  im- 
provement on  our  English  bee. 

After  a  time  Mr.  Cori  was  desirous  of  obtaining 
another  stock  of  Dalmatian  Bees,  but  unfortunately  the 
Trieste  friend  who  had  obtained  the  former  one  for 
him  had  meantime  died.  Many  were  the  letters  he 
despatched  to  addresses  given  him  by  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances; but  the  answer  he  always  received  was 
that  Dalmatian  bee-keepers  had  a  superstitious  horror  of 
selling  their  bees,  and  feared  that  their  remaining  stocks 
would  die  at  the  thought  of  their  sisters  having  been 
betrayed  for  filthy  lucre. 

At  last  a  highly-placed  personage  of  Ragusa  promised 
to  a  asist .  and  said'  that  as  in  Dalm  itia  the  bees  of  Turkish 
Herzegovina  were  considered  superior  to  the  native  sort, 
he  would  send  some  of  them.  He  thereupon  applied  to 
the  Turkish  Consul-General  at  Ragusa,  who  being,  as 
Diplomatic  Agent,  above  the  Pacha  of  Serajevo,  instructed 
the  latter  to  obtain  two  stocks  for  him.  In  the  Turkish 
provinces  bordering  on  Dalmatia  there  exists  the  same 
horror  about  selling  bees,  but   a  Turkish  Pacha  takes 


May  1,  1880.] 


THE  BKITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


9 


little  heed  of  the  superstitions  of  Slav  rayahs.  Two 
native  hives,  one  in  part  of  the  trunk  of  a  hollow  ash, 
the  other  of  a  magnolia,  and  each  carefully  packed  in  a 
case,  were  laden  on  a  mule,  and  after  a  journey  of  five 
days  across  the  mountainous  Dalmatian  frontier  they 
arrived  at  Ragusa,  and  were  put  on  hoard  the  steamer 
for  Trieste.  Their  destination  in  Bohemia  was  at  last 
safely  reached,  and  they  were  found  to  be  filled  from 
top  to  bottom  with  comb.  Of  stores  there  was  plenty, 
not  a  cell  was  broken,  and  but  few  bees  were  dead. 
This  was  a  result  far  more  successful  than  had  even 
been  hoped  for,  and  probably  such  a  case  would  not 
occur  again  once  in  a  hundred  times. 

The  Herzegovina  Bee.  The  mountain  range  which 
separates  Dalmatia  from  the  Herzegovina  is  on  an  average 
from  six  to  seven  miles  broad,  with  peaks  3000  to  7000 
feet  high.  As  there,  at  a  height  of  from  400  to  500 
feet,  vegetable  life  ceases,  and  bare  rocks  alone  are  to  be 
seen,  an  effectual  barrier  is  placed  between  the  Dalma- 
tian and  the  Herzegovina  bee,  and  any  cross  of  the 
breeds  is  impossible.  The  side  of  the  range  which  slopes 
towards  the  Herzegovina  is  far  more  fertile  than  that 
towards  Cattaro,  and  the  climate  being  milder,  the  flora 
is  more  luxurious  and  diversified. 

In  such  a  position  a  better  bee  has  been  developed,  and 
in  southern  Dalmatia  the  Herzegovina  Bee  is  greatly 
preferred.  It  has  no  equal  among  black  bees,  and  is 
a  far  better  honey -gatherer  than  they.  It  is  very 
gentle  and  industrious,  and  the  hardiest  of  all  bees ; 
the  queen  also  is  most  fertile.  The  Herzegovina  Bee 
is  as  large  as  the  Dalmatian  ;  its  abdomen  is  not  so 
slim,  but  it  has  the  same  well  -  developed  thorax.  It 
has  not  the  intensely  black  colour  of  the  Dalmatian, 
in  fact  if  the  first  abdominal  ring  is  carefully  scanned 
a  glimmer  of  colour  may  be  perceived,  but  it  is  not  suffi- 
ciently intense  to  be  called  yellow.  The  honey  which 
was  imported  in  the  original  hives  was  dark,  and 
possessed  a  peculiar  spirituous  taste. 

If  we  imagine  a  line  running  from  North  Germany, 
through  Bohemia,  the  Ucraine,  the  east  coast  of  the 
Adriatic,  Asia  Minor,  and  Cyprus,  and  continued  as  far 
as  Cairo  in  Egypt,  we  may  consider  the  Herzegovina  Bee 
as  the  transition  race  from  the  black  to  the  yellow  bee. 

The  Asia  Minor  or  Smyrna  Bee.  Three  stocks  of  this 
strain  reached  Mr.  Cori,  two  in  hives  that  he  sent  out 
expressly,  and  one  in  a  native  hive  of  wickerwork  be- 
daubed with  camel-dung  and  strongly  scented  with 
musk.  This  is  not  a  pure  breed,  as  some  bees  were 
banded  and  some  black ,  and  though  the  variety  was 
cultivated  for  several  years,  and  every  effort  was  made  to 
obtain  a  constant  breed,  in  the  best  stocks  of  banded 
bees  there  would  always  be  now  and  again  a  recurrence 
of  black  specimens.  The  abdomen  of  the  Smyrna  Bee 
is  thin  and  waspish,  and  the  pubescence  light-coloured  ; 
ihe  greater  number  have  the  two  first  bands  of  an 
orange  -  yellow  tint.  The  drones  are  mostly  black, 
but  a  few  have  the  first  bands  dark  red,  and  the  re- 
mainder black,  the  bally  being  of  a  light  yellow  colour, 
extending  to  either  side  of  the  abdomen.  They  have 
also  on  each  side  two  black  spots  similar  to  those 
we  notice  on  wasps.  The  queens  are  slim  and  rather 
short,  and  have  the  first  three  bands  of  an  orange 
hue  and  the  remainder  of  the  abdomen  of  a  dark  copper 
colour.  The  Smyrna  Bee  is  extremely  industrious  and 
the  queens  are  most  fertile ;  they  are  superior  in  these 
respects  both  to  Dalmatians  and  Herzegovinians. 

Mr.  Cori  relates  that  in  1867,  a  very  poor  year  for 
honey,  one  of  his  Smyrna  stocks,  a  cast  of  the  year 
before,  increased  to  nine  colonies,  four  of  which  gathered 
sufficient  stores  to  carry  them  through  the  winter.  This 
feat  created  quite  a  sensation  among  the  bee-keepers  of 
his  native  place. 

It  is  remarkable  how  hardy  are  these  bees  and  how 
little  affected  by  cold,  for  early  and  late,  before  and 
after  other  kinds,  they  may  be  seen  busily  at  work,  and 


they  sally  forth  in  search  of  forage  on  days  when  others 
remain  at  home.  When  the  day's  labour  begins  they  do 
not  start  off  one  by  one,  but  en  masse,  and  the  joyous 
rush  with  which  they  leave  their  hive  is  a  sight  not  soon 
to  be  forgotten.  They  are  of  a  peaceable  disposition,  and 
allow  an  observer  to  approach  close  to  the  hive,  and  even 
to  stand  in  the  line  of  flight ;  but,  like  most  bees  of  a  high 
temperament,  if  once  enraged  they  are  very  fierce,  and 
smoke  must  be  freely  used  when  their  hive  is  opened. 

It  was  while  Mr.  Cori  was  cultivating  this  variety 
that,  he  tells  us,  two  curious  occurrences  took  place. 
The  first  was  that  the  bees  of  a  queenless  colony  carried 
an  egg  he  gave  them  to  a  sheet  of  drone-comb  which 
they  had  built,  and  duly  hatched  it  into  a  queen.  In  the 
other  case,  while  a  swarm  was  settling  the  virgin  queen 
that  led  it  off  was  fertilized,  and  he  found  her  on  his 
pocket-handkerchief  which  he  had  laid  down  on  a  garden 
seat  close  by. 

To  sum  up  the  description  of  this  bee,  Mr.  Cori  thinks 
that,  although  it  is  not  a  pure  strain,  it  possesses  some 
most  valuable  characteristics,  and  deserves  to  be  better 
known.  It  is  especially  recommended  for  crossing  with 
other  varieties. 

Although  the  results  hitherto  attained  were  so  grati- 
fying, Mr.  Cori  did  not  rest  satisfied,  and  could  not  help 
thinking  that,  to  the  south  of  Smyrna,  a  still  better  race 
of  bees  must  exist. 

The  Egyptian  Bee  he  now  made  the  acquaintance  of, 
and  was  surprised  to  find  it  far  inferior  to  any  of  those 
he  had  been  cultivating.  It  is  very  handsome,  but,  besides 
being  a  tropical  bee  and  therefore  unsuited  to  our  climate, 
it  is  when  imported  and  remains  under  cultivation  much 
smaller  than  our  native  bees ;  also  when  enraged  it  attacks 
all  living  beings  within  reach  with  uncontrollable  fury. 
It  was  therefore  clear,  that  in  Egypt  bees  had  deterio- 
rated, and  that  the  perfect'on  Mr.  Cori  looked  for,  must 
be  sought  between  Smyrna  and  Egypt.  But  such  an 
improved  race  of  bees  could  not  exist  in  Asia  Minor,  as 
there  it  would  be  exposed  to  contamination  f  om  the 
neighbouring  black  and  banded  bees.  The  study  of  geo- 
graphical works  and  books  of  travel  then  led  Mr.  Cori 
to  the  surmise,  that  a  perfectly  pure  race  might  in  course 
of  time  have  been  developed  upon  an  island  of  the  Medi- 
terranean, if  it  possessed  a  favourable  climate  and  flora, 
and  were  sufficiently  distant  from  the  mainland  to  pre- 
vent bees  passing  to  and  fro.  His  thoughts  then  flew 
to  Cyprus,  and  its  race  of  bees  has  realised  all  his  hopes. 

This  island,  which  is  149  square  miles  in  extent,  has 
been  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation  from  the  earliest 
times.  Its  first  inhabitants  are  said  to  have  been  Phoe- 
nicians, and  about  1100  B.C.  Greeks  and  Egyptians,  and 
ultimately  Romans,  joined  them.  Cyprus  was  at  that 
time  looked  upon  as  the  seat  of  all  grace  and  loveliness ; 
the  glorious  climate,  the  exuberant  vegetation,  and  the 
abundance  of  natural  produce  of  every  description,  weie 
the  theme  of  constant  praise.  Even  now  this  island, 
in  spite  of  the  neglect  of  the  Turks,  into  whose  pos- 
session it  came  in  1570,  is  celebrated  for  its  rare  fer- 
tility. Luxurious  woods  of  cedars,  cypresses,  pines, 
chestnuts,  ash  and  beech  trees,  cover  the  slopes  of  the 
mountains,  and  olive  and  mulberry  trees  clothe  the 
hills.  The  cultivated  fields  bear  a  constant  succession  of 
honey-producing  plants,  and  together  the  climate  and  the 
flora  seem  those  most  suited  to  the  highest  development 
of  the  bee.  Cyprian  honey  had  a  high  reputation  long 
before  the  birth  of  Christ,  and  ancient  writers  declared 
it  a  most  acceptable  offering  to  the  gods. 

The  native  hives  consist  of  a  cylinder  of  yellowish-red 
burnt  clay,  two  feet  long,  nine  inches  in  diameter,  and 
three-quarters  of  an  inch  thick ;  the  ends  are  closed 
with  a  slab  of  kaolin  or  china-clay,  being  the  entrance 
hole  cut  in  one  of  them.  Kaolin  is  very  common  in 
Cyprus,  and  is  used  for  such  purposes  as  building  walls 
and  making  tiles.  It  is  whitish,  soft,  and  friable,  and 
cuts  like  meerschaum.     This  hive  is  probably  the  first 


10 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[May  1,  1880. 


kind  used  in  warm  climates,  as  the  primitive  material  it 
is  formed  of  suggests ;  it  was  in  use  by  the  Greeks  and 
Egyptians,  and  was  not  discarded  when  the  island  was 
captured  by  the  Turks. 

Mr.  Cori,  in  conjunction  with  Count  Kolowrat-Kra- 
kowski,  has  imported  a  large  number  of  Cyprian  stocks, 
and  the  bees  have  been  similar  in  every  aspect,  not  one 
black  bee  having  been  foimd  among  them.  This  is  a 
proof  that  the  breed  is  perfectly  pure  and  constant  and 
need  not  surprise  us  when  we  call  to  mind  that  the 
island  is  about  fifteen  geographical  miles  distant  from  the 
mainland. 

The  Cyprian  Bee  is,  when  imported,  a  trifle  smaller 
than  our  bee,  but  it  quickly  increases  in  size,  and  is  then 
the  largest  honey-bee  known.  It  is  of  a  waspish  shape, 
and  is  covered  with  a  light-yellow  pubescence ;  the  bands 
are  yellow,  and  the  remainder  of  the  abdomen  is  quite 
black.  Mr.  Cori  cannot  speak  too  highly  of  this  race  of 
bees,  and  considers  it  far  above  airy  other  he  has  met 
with.  They  have  no  equal  among  yellow-banded  bees, 
and  are  as  superior  to  them  as  the  Herzegovina  Bee  is  to 
other  black  bees.  The  queens  are  most  fertile,  and  begin 
to  lay  earlier  than  those  of  any  other  race  ;  the  workers 
are  but  little  inclined  to  build  drone -comb,  and  the 
queens  dislike  furnishing  such  cells  at  all  plentifully  with 
eggs.  Drones,  therefore,  hatch  out  in  Cyprian  hives 
much  later  than  is  the  ease  with  other  breeds  of  bees, 
and  only  when  the  season  is  far  advanced.  It  not  seldom 
happens  that  a  stock  of  bees  allows  a  few  drones  to  live 
peaceably  with  them  the  winter  through.  The  workers 
are  very  industrious  and  good-tempered,  though  they  show 
plenty  of  spirit  when  provoked.  The  Cyprian  bee  is 
especially  suitable  for  crossing  with  other  kinds,  and  the 
drone  in  particular  is  most  valuable  for  this  purpose. 

Altogether  I  think  the  discovery  of  the  Cyprian  bee  is 
a  most  important  one  for  the  bee-keeping  world,  and  that 
the  thanks  that  have  been  piesented  to  Mr.  Cori  and  to 
Count  Kolowrat-Krakowski  by  the  most  notable  German 
bee-keepers  and  Apiarian  Societies,  express  but  a  small 
part  of  what  is  due  to  them,  for  the  great  expense  and 
trouble  they  have  incurred,  for  more  than  twenty  years,  in 
their  endeavours  to  improve  our  race  of  bees. 


BRITISH  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION 
The  Association's  programme  for  the  present  year  is 
now  nearly  complete.  In  addition  to  the  Annual  Show 
at  South  Kensington,  which  is  fixed  for  July  27  and  fol- 
lowing days,  and  extending  over  the  Bank  Holiday  in 
August,  and  thereby  giving  the  masses  of  the  metropolis 
an  opportunity  of  witnessing  the  wonders  of  bee-life,  the 
Association  will  offer  prizes  for  bees,  hives,  and  honey  at 
the  Dairy  Show,  to  be  held  in  the  Agricultural  Hall, 
Islington,  in  October  next.  Schedules  and  entry-forms 
for  both  these  Shows  may  now  be  had  upon  application 
to  the  Honorary  Secretary.  A  good  list  of  engagements 
has  also  been  made  for  the  attendance  of  the  Bee-Tent 
at  country  Shows,  including  the  Royal  Agricultural 
Society's  Show  at  Carlisle.  The  Honorary  Secretary 
will  be  glad  to  receive  donations  to  the  Prize  Fund  for 
the  South  Kensington  and  Dairy  Shows ;  and  members 
of  the  Association  and  others  who  may  be  desirous  of 
assisting  the  Association  in  its  work,  either  by  contri- 
buting to  the  Prize  Fund  or  giving  donations  of  books  to 
the  Preference  Library  now  in  course  of  formation,  are 
requested  to  communicate  with  the  Rev.  H.  R.  Peel, 
Abbot's  Hill,  IlemHl  Hempstead.  The  following  dona- 
tions to  the  Prize  Fund  have  already  been  promised  :— 

Eev.  G.  Raynor       £110 

Rev.  H.  R.  Peel      2     2    0 


Hooker,  J.  Hunter,  C.  N.  Abbott,  J.  P.  Jackson, 
W.  O'B.  Glennie  (Treasurer),  and  Rev.  H.  R.  Peel 
(Hon.  Sec).  The  following  count}'  representatives  were 
also  present : — Rev.  F.  G.  Jenyns  (Hertfordshire),  Capt. 
Campbell  and  Mr.  F.  H.  Lemare  (Surrey),  and  Mr.  Jesse 
Garrett  (West  Kent). 

The  minutes  of  the  former  meeting  were  read  and 
unanimously  confirmed  and  signed,  also  the  balance-sheet 
for  the  month  ending  March  :31st,  showing  a  balance  in 
hand  of  24/.  18s.  bd.  The  Committee  then  proceeded  to 
discuss  various  matters  relating  to  County  Associations. 
Suggested  rules  and  regulations  tending  to  promote  the 
union  existing  between  the  County  Associations  and  the 
central  Society,  were  brought  forward  by  the  chairman ; 
and  having  been  discussed  at  some  length,  it  was  re- 
solved, '  That  the  same  should  be  printed  and  circulated 
to  the  several  County  Associations  in  affiliation  with  the 
Central  Society  for  their  approval,  and  suggestions  invited 
for  the  improvement  of  such  rules  previous  to  the  next 
quarterly  meeting.' 

The  subject  of  the  formation  of  Village  Bee  Clubs,  as 
tending  to  promote  the  more  efficient  working  of  County 
Associations,  and  the  spreading  of  a  knowledge  of  im- 
proved bee  culture,  was  brought  forward  by  Mr.  F.  H. 
Lemare  ;  and  after  some  discussion  it  was  resolved  that 
the  regulations  relating  to  the  village  bee  clubs  in  Surrey 
should  be  sent  to  all  affiliated  Associations. 

Mr.  Jesse  Garratt  called  the  attention  of  the  Committee 
to  the  desirability  of  the  central  Society  drawing  up 
schedules  of  prizes  suitable  for  the  adoption  of  small 
shows.  It  was  the  general  opinion  of  the  meeting  that 
such  schedules  would  greatly  assist  the  Secretaries  of 
County  and  other  local  Societies,  and  the  Chairman  very 
kindly  promised  to  draw  up  suitable  schedules,  and  to 
submit  the  same  to  a  future  meeting. 


The  second  Quarterly  Meeting  during  the  present 
year  was  held  at  44G  Strand,  on  Wednesday,  April  14. 
Present:  Mr.  T.  W.  Cowan  (in  the  chair),  Mr,  J.  M. 


The  Quarterly  Conversazione  of  the  British  Bee-Keepers' 
Association  was  held  at  the  Board  Room  of  the  National 
Chamber  of  Trade,  446  Strand,  on  Wednesday  evening, 
April  14th.  Dr.  Lionel  S.  Beale,  F.R.S.,  of  Grosvenor 
Street,  was  voted  to  the  chair,  and  there  were  also  present 
the  Rev.  F.  G.  Jenvns,  Captain  Campbell,  R.N.,  Messrs. 
W.  O'B.  Glennie,  J.  M.  Hooker,  J.  Hunter,  C.  N.  Abbott, 
F.  H.  Lemare,  T.  D.  Hardy,  T.  W.  Cowan,  J.  P.  Jack- 
son, A.  Neighbour,  H.  Jonas,  C.  Stevens,  D.  Clapham, 
and  the  Rev.  H.  R.  Peel,  Hon.  Sec. 

Mr.  J.  Hunter,  of  11  Argyle  Road,  Ealing,  read  the 
following  paper  on  '  The  Future  of  British  Bee-keeping 
in  a  Commercial  point  of  view,  and  how  the  Working 
Classes  can  be  most  successfully  aided,  and  taught  the 
Truths  and  Advantages  of  Modern  Bee-culture :' — 

'  It  is  now  six  years  since  the  British  Bee-keepers' 
Association  had  its  birth,  and  proclaimed  its  avowed 
objects  for  the  "  encouragement,  improvement,  and  ad- 
vancement of  bee-culture  in  the  United  Kingdom,  par- 
ticularly as  a  means  of  bettering  the  condition  of  cot- 
tagers and  the  agricultural  labouring  classes,  as  well  as 
advocacy  of  humanity  to  the  industrious  labourer — the 
Honey-bee."  For  the  attainment  of  these  desired  ends  I, 
in  common  with  many  gentlemen  I  see  around  me,  have 
devoted  much  thought,  money,  and  valuable  time ;  and 
my  object  in  now  inviting  discussion  is  to  briefly  recapi- 
tulate what  has  been  done,  and  to  ventilate  the  question 
whether  we  have  adopted  the  best  means  in  our  past 
power,  and  how  we  can  improve  in  the  future  :  for  it  is 
indisputable,  however  well  a  thing  may  be  done,  there  is 
a  possibility  of  doing  better  ;  perfection,  we  may  assume, 
is  unattainable  by  erring  man.  When  this  Association 
commenced  its  task  bee-keeping  among  the  labouring  and 
artisan  classes  was,  we  ma}'  say,  wholly  confined  to  straw 
skeps  and  common  box-hives,  for  the  exceptions  were  so 
rare  as  to  be  practically  inappreciable.  Among  educated 
bee-keepers  also  the  straw  skep  was  still  in  great  force. 
Although  the  writings  of  the  late  Mr.  Woodbury  and 


May  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


11 


others  had  made  known  the  advantages  of  frame-hives, 
their  cost  as  a  fancy  article  was  too  great,  where  motives 
of  economy  had  to  be  considered,  for  their  general  adop- 
tion. Again,  in  a  great  many  instances,  although  the 
best  of  hives  might  be  in  use,  their  owners,  from  want  of 
ocular  demonstration  of  the  way  of  handling  bees,  seldom 
ventured  to  investigate  the  internal  economy  of  the  hive, 
and  therefore,  practically,  the  expensive  frame-hive  was 
no  better  than  a  common  skep  or  box.  I  may  be  par- 
doned for  citing  my  own  case  as  an  example  of  the  diffi- 
culties of  an  enthusiastic  bee-keeper,  anxious  to  advance. 
.  I  commenced  bee-keeping  in  1861  with  one  stock  in  a 
skep  and  its  swarm,  which  latter  I  put  into  a  frame-hive 
costing  me  26s.  These  soon  increased  by  purchase  to 
about  forty,  many  of  them  in  frame-hives  made  by  my 
own  hands.  My  text-book  was  the  Journal  of  Horti- 
culture, to  which  Mr.  Woodbury  was  then  a  constant 
contributor.  By  its  lessons  I  soon  became  an  adept  in 
the  art  of  driving,  made  many  experiments,  such  as 
queen-raising,  artificial  swarms,  &c,  which  very  often 
were  failures.  From  stings,  although  not  daunted,  I 
suffered  fearfully,  and  at  the  end  of  six  years  a  virulent 
attack  of  what  I  now  know  to  be  foul-brood  left  me  bee- 
less  and  a  legacy  of  infected  hives,  which  troubled  me 
many  years  after.  During  all  these  years  I  never  met 
with  any  one  to  whom  I  could  personally  explain  my 
troubles,  and  be  sure  of  getting  sound,  practical,  expe- 
rienced advice.  I  feel  that  a  few  hours  spent  in  the 
company  of  one  of  the  many  practical  bee-keepers  I  now 
have  the  honour  of  acquaintance  with  would  have  saved 
me  years  of  trouble,  much  money,  and  more  vexation. 
Hooks  are  valuable  aids  to  all  studies — we  could  not  do 
without  them  ;  but  it  has  been  no  uncommon  occurrence, 
after  having  shown  and  explained  to  a  visitor  all  the 
working  of  my  apiary,  for  my  guest  to  exclaim,  "  You 
have  taught  me  more  in  one  hour  than  I  could  have 
learnt  from  books  in  a  year."  This  little  personal 
digression  will,  I  believe,  exemplify  the  greatest  require- 
ment to  advancement  of  apiarian  knowledge,  which  I 
will  call  "practical  demonstration;"  and  to  fulfil  this 
need  a  great  step  was  taken  at  the  first  Crystal  Palace 
Show,  not  only  by  the  manipulations,  but  in  the  oppor- 
tunity given  for  lovers  of  the  bee  to  meet  together, 
gossip,  handle,  criticise,  and  examine  all  hives  and  ap- 
pliances, and  demand  and  give  explanations  of  the  various 
exhibits. 

'  By  "  practical  demonstration  "  I  do  not  merely  mean 
the  manipulatory  exhibition  with  live  bees  we  have  had 
at  all  our  shows,  but  all  other  processes  of  management. 
AVith  our  driving  we  have  descended  to  too  much  of  the 
showman,  only  defensible  on  the  same  ground  that  the 
liquor  and  opium  duties  are — that  it  brings  cash  to  the 
exchequer.  More  practical  work  was  done  at  the  first 
Show  than  of  late  years :  the  Extractor  was  in  greater 
use ;  the  feeding-bottle  explained,  and  to  be  seen  at  work ; 
fully-stocked  hives  were  handled  and  shown,  the  examin- 
ation and  view  of  which  sent  away  the  real  bee-keeper 
full  of  ambition  to  go  and  do  likewise.  The  driving  at 
first  was  a  great  attraction,  not  only  to  the  general 
public,  but  to  the  rustic  bee-keeper  of  many  years'  stand- 
ing ;  but  the  process,  thanks  to  our  exertions,  has  be- 
come well  known,  and  our  appreciative  audience  now,  at 
our  metropolitan  Shows  at  least,  is  mainly  confined  to 
non-bee-keepers,  who  are  surprised,  and  wonder  at  the 
"  performing  bees  "  and  their  showman.  Practical  de- 
monstration should  include  many  more  things  than  we 
have  seen  at  our  great  Shows.  There  are  difficulties,  I 
know,  but  difficidties,  grasped,  disappear,  not  all  at  once, 
perhaps,  but  one  at  a  time ;  and  so  that  we  make  pro- 
gress, never  mind  the  speed.  On  the  art  of  (hiving 
depends  the  saving  or  destruction  of  the  bees  in  autumn. 
The  lesson  we  have  given  herein  has  taken  root,  and  in 
time  will  flourish  vigorously.  In  a  few  years  the  cot- 
tager will  have  learnt  that  if  he  does  not  want  his  bees 
himself  thev  are  a  marketable  commodity.     Last  autumn 


I  saw  several  advertisements  for  driven  bees,  and  I  find 
their  price  is  rising;  and  every  bee-keeper  who  learns 
our  lesson  in  driving  returns  home  a  wiser  man  and 
a  more  qualified  teacher  to  his  neighbour. 

'  One  principal  desideratum  of  the  Annual  Shows  has 
been  to  demonstrate  how  a  frame-hive  within  the  means 
of  the  cottager  can  be  made ;  for  in  this  mainly  depends 
whether  or  not  the  frame-hive  shall  become  as  common  as, 
or  take  the  place  of,  the  skep.  It  is  not  that  a  bee- 
keeper prefers  the  straw  skep,  but  that  it  is  cheaper. 
I  venture  to  assume  that,  allowing  a  straw  skep  and  its 
stand  cost  2s.,  if  the  labourer  was  offered  a  frame-hive 
equally  complete  for  Is.,  he  would  choose  the  latter,  the 
cost  being  the  thing  principally  standing  in  the  way  of 
its  adoption ;  and  unless  this  can  be  at  least  equalised,  or 
it  can  clearly  be  shown  and  brought  home  to  the  man's 
understanding  that  the  profit  is  necessarily  greater  from 
the  frame-hive,  there  is  no  chance  for  a  general  reform 
in  that  direction.  The  first  of  these  contingencies,  I 
fear,  cannot  be  realised,  but  it  remains  to  be  seen  how 
near  we  can  attain  to  the  desired  end ;  and  probably  it 
will  be  thought  we  have  already  discovered  this  by  the 
results  of  the  competitions  at  our  Shows  for  "  the  best 
and  cheapest  frame-hive  for  cottagers'  use,"  &c.  But  I 
much  fear  the  object  of  many  exhibitois  has  been  not  to 
sell  the  hives,  but  to  win  the  prize  ;  and  the  desired  hive 
is  not  within  reach  of  the  cottager,  and  I  doubt,  if  ever 
made  by  paid  labour,  it  can  be  bought  cheap  enough  to 
supplant  the  skep.  It  may  be  useful  to  compare  English 
hives  with  American  as  to  their  relative  cost.  I  find 
that  the  prize  hive  at  the  South  Kensington  Show,  1879, 
cost  10s.,  no  reduction  being  offered  by  the  dozen  or 
hundred,  or  in  the  flat  not  put  together.  In  America 
many  are  sold  in  this  latter  state,  as  I  believe  they  are 
in  this  country  by  some  hive-makers.  From  catalogues 
now  before  me  I  see  Mr.  Boot,  of  Medina,  Ohio,  supplies 
his  ten-frame  Simplicity  hive  (frames  17f  inches  by  9§ 
inches)  complete,  with  cover-bottom,  frames,  and  mat,  for 
97|  cents  (3s.  llirf.),  10  cents  (5d.)  being  charged  extra 
if  painted.  This  hive  has  no  facilities  for  supering, these 
being  given  generally  by  another  hive,  exactly  similar, 
filled  with  sections,  and  used  as  an  upper  story,  making 
the  whole  cost  about  double.  The  hive  that  most 
accords  with  our  ideas  of  what  is  wanted  here  is  that 
which  Mr.  Boot  calls  his  Story-and-a-half  hive.  The 
lower  portion  is  as  above,  and  a  shallow  ridge-roof  upper 
story,  containing  twenty-seven  section-boxes  in  position 
for  filling,  this  costs  4s.  7d.,  and  is  a  much  cheaper 
article  than  any  produced  here.  When  these  goods  are 
taken  by  the  hundred  in  the  flat  a  reduction  of  about 
twenty  per  cent  is  made.  This  difference  in  price  is  not 
the  only  consideration,  the  carriage  of  hives,  made  up 
with  the  necessary  crate  for  protection,  being  an  ap- 
preciable item  in  their  cost-  A  glance  at  any  American 
trade  catalogue  will,  I  think,  satisfy  most  people  that 
manufactured  goods,  with  few  exceptions,  are  more 
costly  there  than  here,  and  I  know  not  why  hives  should 
be  one  of  these  exceptions ;  but  I  rather  think  it  is  the 
quantity  manufactured  that,  in  a  great  degree,  rules  the 
cost,  if  this  is  the  case  it  may  yet  become  worth  while 
for  some  of  our  English  hive-makers  to  vend  their  goods 
at  a  much  lower,  yet  remunerative,  price  than  at  present ; 
and  the  Association  would  do  good  service  if  they  can 
find  it  in  their  power  to  organize  some  means  by  which 
cottagers  may  get  the  shaped  material  at  lowest  prime 
cost,  and  access  to  a  pattern  hive  by  which  to  build  their 
own.  For  what  we  may  term  the  aristocracy  of  bee- 
keepers, I  affirm  the  Association  has  done  enough  and  to 
spare,  and  its  money  may  be  applied  to  better  use  than 
again  offered  as  a  premium  for  the  designing  of  hives 
with  all  the  intricate,  complicated,  and  expensive  ap- 
pliances that  can  never  be  of  any  use  to  the  cottager  we 
hope  to  benefit,  but,  on  the  contrary,  alarms  him  as  a 
possible  cost  should  he  adopt  our  notions. 

'  Straw  skeps  do  not  give  the  necessary  facilities  for 

a  3 


12 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[May  1,  1880. 


raising  honey-comb  in  a  nice  form,  and  it  is  only  by  the 
adoption  of  frame-hives  that  we  can  acquire  the  means. 

'  The  future  of  British  bee-keeping,  in  a  commercial 
point  of  view,  mainly  depends  on  the  ability  of  the  bee- 
keeper here  to  compete  with  the  American  ;  for  there  is 
no  denying  the  fact  that  the  market  for  first-class  honey- 
comb at  prices  ruling  of  late  years  is  lost,  and  at  lower 
prices  is  now  in  the  hands  of  others.  Our  consolation  is 
that  America  has  the  dead-weight  against  her  of  freight 
and  packing  as  a  set-off  against  her  longer  summers  ;  and 
I  believe  it  is  not  j'et  too  late  for  our  countrymen  to 
hold  their  own  against  all  comers  if  they  will  accept  the 
lesson  offered,  and  learn  to  market  their  honey  in  the 
same  attractive  form  that  we  see  filling  our  grocers' 
shops.  To  teach  how  to  do  this  must  now  be  the  aim  of 
the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association  and  the  various 
county  associations.  At  the  Shows  the  cottager  sees 
full  sections  which  he  must  admire,  and  perhaps  empty 
sections  are  also  there,  but  nothing  to  tell  him  how  they 
get  filled — he  cannot  understand  them.  If  I  presented 
him  with  a  hundred  they  would  be  useless,  he  would  not 
at  all  comprehend  how  to  use  them.  I  believe  my 
Manual  of  Bee-keeping  is  at  present  the  only  English  book 
that  treats  of  them,  and  probably  he  has  never  seen  or 
heard  of  that ;  therefore  what  is  the  use  of  telling  him 
he  must  get  up  his  honey  in  a  style  that  is  out  of  his 
power?  The  remedy  for  this  is  to  make  a  prominent 
feature  at  the  shows  the  exhibition  of  sectional  supers  in 
abundance,  supers  filled  and  supers  empty,  on  the  hives 
as  well  as  off  them ;  let  the  learner  handle  the  empty 
ones  and  see  how  they  are  placed  for  the  bees  to  fill,  let 
him,  if  possible,  see  the  bees  filling  them,  and  I  venture 
to  assert  that  five  minutes'  sight  of  such  in  actual  position 
partly  filled,  will  more  impress  the  lesson  on  a  working 
man  than  talking  to  him  or  reading  for  a  week.  We, 
the  members  of  the  Association,  are  banded  together  for 
a  good  purpose,  to  teach  and  be  taught ;  while  we  do 
not  fail  to  learn  all  we  can,  let  our  efforts  be  equally 
exerted  to  teach  ;  and  I  would  suggest  that  every  one 
who  is  able  should  keep  a  show-hive  in  as  complete  a 
state  as  possible,  to  which  he  should  invite  the  attention 
of  all  neighbouring  bee-keepers,  more  especially  at  any 
specially  appropriate  times,  such  as  when  bees  are  actively 
storing  their  honey.  Also  let  every  scientific  bee-keeper 
have  minor  exhibitions  of  his  own,  inviting  all  comers  to 
see,  perhaps,  his  filling  supers,  perhaps  artificial  swarm- 
ing, at  another  time  the  autumnal  deprivation  of  honey, 
driving,  uniting,  &c.  A  brief  notice  in  a  local  paper  will 
generally  draw  together  an  appreciative  group  of  bee- 
keepers. Pupils  will  be  made  in  more  classes  than  one, 
who  will  all  tend  to  spread  the  good  work. 

'  The  introduction  of  comb-formation  will  prove  of  im- 
mense value  to  bee-keeping,  but  we  can  hardly  expect 
cottagers  to  adopt  it  at  once  ;  the  first  outlay  is  a  bar  to 
this,  although  it  may  afterwards  be  recouped,  but  I 
venture  to  say  an  intelligent  man  who  has  adopted  and 
succeeded  with  frame  hives  will  soon  see  the  advantages 
of  foundation.  The  exhibition  of  comb-fo.uiidation,  and 
a  plain  explanation  of  its  use,  cost,  and  value,  should,  I 
think,  never  be  omitted  from  an  exhibition. 

'  The  extractor,  like  the  foundation,  is  also,  I  think,  an 
article  for  secondary  adoption ;  the  man  must  have 
learned  to  manage  his  hive  and  handle  his  bees  before  he 
can  use  it,  and  when  he  can  do  this  he  probably  will 
discover  a  want  which  the  extractor  will  supply.  When 
practicable,  the  instrument  should  be  shown  in  action. 

'  The  cottager  seeing  the  beautifully  filled  supers  dis- 
played so  abundantly  in  the  grocers'  windows,  can  no 
longer  wonder  that  he  cannot  sell  his  honey,  and  to  im- 
press upon  him  that  if  he  will  only  take  the  lesson  to 
heart  and  place  his  honey  in  an  equally  tempting  form 
before  (lie  public,  and  that  it  is  in  his  power  to  do  so, 
it  also  will  soon  find  buyers,  must  be  the  work  of  the 
Association.  Without  he  fully  comprehends  this,  his 
bee-keeping  will  not  pay,  and  the    work   of   the  Asso- 


ciation will  be  in  vain.  The  profitable  use  of  frame- 
hives  entails  more  trouble  on  the  owner  than  the  old 
slovenly  use  of  skeps,  giving  of  course  better  returns,  and 
I  think  it  will  be  found  that  as  improved  methods  of 
bee-keeping  become  general,  the  idle  and  inattentive 
bee-keepers  will  be  weeded  out,  for,  in  competition  with 
the  superior  produce  we  hope  will  be  sent  to  market,  their 
harvest  will,  from  its  inferiority,  be  unremunerative,  and 
their  bee-keeping  abandoned.  While  we  give  the  place 
of  honour  to  full,  clean  honey-comb,  we  must  not  neglect 
or  forget  liquid  honey — the  common  form  in  which  bee- 
keepers obtain  it.  We  will  not  dilate  on  the  wasteful, 
uncleanly  manner  of  depriving  the  bees  of  their  stores, 
but  pass  to  the.  supposition  that  a  cottager  has  obtained 
say  fifty  pounds  of  honey,  stored  doubtless  in  an  odd  lot 
of  old  pickle  jars,  bottles,  jugs,  or  anything  but  such 
clean,  ne.:t  glasses  as  should  tempt  a  buyer.  No  facili- 
ties are  offered  for  the  purchase  of  a  pound  or  two  by  a 
passing  stranger.  No  show  is  made  of  the  article  to  sell. 
The  owner  probably  inquires  of  his  neighbour,  the 
chemist  or  grocer,  if  he  wants  any  honey,  and  if  the 
reply  is  in  the  negative,  it  remains  in  the  cupboard,  and 
the  cry  goes  forth  that  it  is  no  use  raising  honey,  for  we 
cannot  sell  it.  Again  I  recommend  a  lesson  from  the 
Yankee.  See  the  pretty  neat  glass  jars,  full  of  the  sweet 
liquid  they  send  over  here.  Our  grocers  find  a  ready 
sale  for  them,  not  because  the  honey  is  better  than  ours, 
but  because  it  looks  better.  "  Fine  English  Honey  "  will 
hold  its  own,  even  against  the  famed  honey  of  Hymettus, 
provided  it  appeals  to  the  eye  as  well  as  the  taste. ;  and 
although  glasses  are,  costly,  the  increased  value  of  con- 
tents will  return  the  outlay.  A  bee-keeper  who  habitu- 
ally obtains  honey  for  sale,  will  in  most  cases  readily 
find  a  home  market :  customers  coming  to  him  for 
honey  that  they  know  to  be  pure,  clean,  and  wholesome. 
But  when  the  home  market  is  not  to  be  had,  the  g  ocers 
of  country  towns  will  be  found  buyers,  if,  as  I  said  be- 
fore, the  honey  is  placed  before  them  in  a  tempting 
form. 

'  To  return  to  the  queries  at  the  opening  of  my  paper, — ■ 
Whether  to  teach  improved  methods  of  bee-culture  the 
Association  has  adopted  the  best  means  in  the  past,  and 
how  to  improve  in  the  future.  I  say  if  it  has  not  done 
the  best  it  has  done  well,  and  for  the  future  it  may  do 
better,  keeping  more  to  the  front  other  details  of  man- 
agement than  driving',  and  more  especially  bringing  pro- 
minently to  notice  the  manner  in  which  the  Americans 
so  far  excel  us  in  marketing  their  honey,  and  aiding  our 
countrymen  to  follow  in  their  steps.  At  my  suggestion 
prizes  will  be  offered  at  our  next  Annual  Show  for  the 
exhibition  of  hives  with  supers  in  being  filled  with  the 
bees  ;  and  I  have  in  this  paper  stated  other  points  which 
I  believe  the  Association  could  profitably  adopt.  Those 
gentlemen  on  the  Acting  Committee  bring  forward  any- 
thing that  strikes  them  as  likely  to  be  beneficial,  but  I 
do  not  lose  sight,  of  the  fact  that  we  have  many  talented 
members  who  are  not  so  placed,  and  whose  ideas  are 
probably  of  greater  value  than  ours,  which  have  but  to 
be  brought  before  the  Committee  to  ensure  adoption. 
The  ends  of  my  paper  will  be  answered  if  in  the  dis- 
cussion I  invite,  some  such  valuable  suggestions  are 
brought  to  light.' 

Mr.  Cowan  wished  to  make  one  or  two  remarks  upon 
the  piper.  The  American  hives  could  be  made  cheaper 
than  the  English  hives,  because  the  wood  in  that  country 
cost  less  than  half  what  it  did  here.  As  to  cottagers,  the 
wrong  mode  had  been  adopted  with  the  viewr  of  teaching 
them  bee-keeping.  A  great  many  sensational  writers 
had  said  there  was  an  immense  profit  to  be  made  out  of 
bee-keeping.  This,  however,  was  the  same  as  other 
businesses :  it  was  necessary  to  spend  a  certain  amount 
of  capital  before  the  profit  could  be  obtained,  and  this 
the  cottagers  could  not  do.  To  give  a  cottager  a  bar- 
frame  hive  and  tell  him  to  stock  it  with  bees  was  about 
the   most   harmful   thing  they  could  do  ;  and   as  to  the 


May  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


13 


profits,  they  would  find,  by  taking  the  bad  years  with  the 
good  and  striking  a  balance,  the  profits  of  bee-keeping 
would  come  to  about  the  same  as  in  other  things.  Bee- 
keeping could  not  be  made  to  pay  unless  it  was  properly 
carried  out.  Moreover,  instead  of  telling  bee-keepers  to 
use  bar-frame  hives,  they  must  begin  with  the  A,  B,  C, 
and  teach  them  the  science  of  bee-culture.  It  was  quite 
true  that  everyone  could  keep  bees,  but  it  was  not  true 
that  everyone  could  be  a  bee-master.  So  the  cottager 
who  is  willing  to  learn,  and  go  in  for  the  science  of  bee- 
keeping as  well  as  the  practical  part  of  it,  would  be  likely 
to  succeed.  As  to  commercial  bee-keeping,  that  was  a 
thing  of  the  future.  Here,  in  England,  they  were  princi- 
pally amateur  bee-keepers,  there  being,  he  thought, 
only  one  or  two  at  present  who  go  into  it  in  a  wholesale 
manner  :  they  would  have  to  pick  up  a  great  deal  from 
the  Americans  if  they  were  to  go  in  for  commercial  bee- 
keeping. No  doubt  it  would  pay  if  sufficient  time  were 
■devoted  to  it,  but  not  only  a  small  portion  of  one's  leisure 
was  given  to  the  subject. 

The  Rev.  F.  G.  Jenyns  said  he  lived  among  cottagers, 
and  knew  they  were  quite  able  and  willing  to  learn. 
There  was  only  one  suggestion  he  should  like  to  make, 
and  that  was  with  respect  to  the  hives.  It  was  a  very 
difficult  thing  for  a  labouring  man  to  obtain  a  good  hive. 
It  meant  an  investment  of  capital  which  he  was  either 
unwilling  or  unable  to  make,  and,  therefore,  every  en- 
couragement should  be  given  to  him  to  make  his  own 
hive.  He  had  seen  very  good  home-made  hives,  and  at 
the  country  shows  he  should  like  to  see  prizes  offered  for 
hives  made  by  bona  fide  labourers  out  of  old  boxes  or 
anything  of  the  kind  they  could  get. 

Capt.  Campbell,  R.N.,  said  the  future  of  bee-keeping 
by  cottagers  was,  in  his  opinion,  a  very  important  point. 
lie  had  been  rather  censured  by  his  learned  bee-keeping 
masters  for  recommending  cottagers  to  commence  with 
straw-skeps ;  but  the  price  of  bar-frame  hives  was  such 
that  cottagers  could  not  adopt  them  at  present.  He  quite 
agreed  that  it  would  be  desirable  to  induce  the  labouring 
classes  to  make  their  own  hives.  In  his  neighbourhood 
they  had  held  a  local  inquiry  on  the  subject,  and  one  of 
the  committee  exhibited  a  hive  that  he  had  made  him- 
self for  2s.  Of  course  this  gentleman  had  a  circular 
saw  and  a  lathe  that  cost  60/.  At  the  same  time  the 
exhibition  of  the  hive  had  been  useful,  and  in  this  way 
he  thought  cottagers  might  be  taught  how  to  make  their 
own  hives.  He  still  held  that  it  was  best  for  bee- 
lecturers  to  encourage  the  cottagers  to  begin  with  the 
skep.  He  would  get  plenty  of  stings  and  lots  of  trouble, 
and  would  then,  con  amore,  go  in  for  bar-frame  hives. 
In  Guildford  they  had  a  very  industrious  man  who  was 
presented  with  a  frame-hive  stocked  with  bees ;  but  the 
poor  bees  came  to  grief,  and  there  was  the  empty  hive, 
the  man  not  knowing  what  to  do  with  it.  If  this  man 
had  commenced  with  a  straw-skep  lie  would  probably 
have  been  better  able  to  manage  the  bees  in  a  frame-hive. 
He  did  not  think  the  English  had  much  to  fear  fiom  the 
American  competition,  for  he  had  purchased  a  2  lb.  sec- 
tional super,  but  nobody  in  his  household  would  touch  it. 

Mr.  .1.  P.  Jackson  thought  that  in  future  honey  sent 
from  America  would  be  slung  honey.  With  reference 
to  slinging  hone)7  for  cottagers,  the  Surrey  Association 
was  about  to  establish  bee-clubs,  and  when  once  this 
was  adopted  there  would  be  no  difficulty,  each  centre 
having  a  slinger,  members  coidd  have  honey  slung  for 
(hem,  either  at  their  own  homes  or  at  the  depot, through 
the  medium  of  the  clubs. 

Mr.  Peel  was  pleased  to  inform  the  meeting  that  a 
prize  was  to  he  offered  for  the  best  hive  made  by  a  bond 
fide  cottager.  But  it  was  almost  as  difficult  to  define  a 
bond  fide  cottager  as  a  bond  fide  traveller.  I  le  thought  a 
cottager  was  a  man  whose  income  did  not  exceed  30a. 
a-week,  and  who  did  not  live  in  a  house  rented  at  more 
than  10/.  a-year.  As  to  cottagers  commencing  with 
straw  skeps,  lie  quite  endorsed  the  opinion  of  Capt.  Camp- 


bell, for  it  would  not  be  wise  to  at  once  take  cottagers  to 
a  point  that  had  only  been  reached  by  themselves  after 
great  difficulty  and  perseverance.  The  hives  of  Mr. 
Neighbour  which  were  exhibited  at  the  last  Kensington 
show,  were,  in  his  opinion,  admirable  for  cottagers'  use; 
and  they  only  cost  5s.  each.  They  were  a  round  straw 
hive  with  a  fiat  top.  having  holes  in  it,  into  which  bees 
could  ascend  and  work  in  supers.  There  was  also  an 
admirable  wooden  cover  to  protect  it  from  the  weather, 
and  anyone  who  started  with  such  a  hive  would  attain  to 
great  knowledge  of  the  hive  and  the  customs  of  the  bees. 
And  this  was  a  most  essential  point  for  a  bee-keeper  to 
acquire.  In  Hertfordshire  they  had  adopted  the  system 
of  having  depots  in  all  the  principal  towns  in  the  county, 
at  all  of  which  there  either  was  or  shortly  will  be  one  of 
these  hives  placed  so  that  all  the  bee-keepers  in  the 
neighbourhood  might  see  it,  and  if  they  chose  so  to  do, 
recommend  it  for  the  cottagers'  use.  They  had  hives  of 
all  other  descriptions  so  that  people  could  pick  and 
choose  as  they  might  please.  An  extractor  was  also 
placed  at  these  depots,  and  bee-keepers  could  have  the 
use  of  it  for  extracting  their  honey,  either  at  their  own 
homes  or  at  the  depots.  This  plan  was  commenced  last 
year  and  found  to  work  very  well.  He  agreed  with  the 
suggestion  of  Mr.  Hunter  as  to  aiming  at  a  higher  educa- 
tion in  regard  to  the  exhibition  of  bees  at  shows ;  and  for 
this  purpose  Mr.  Baldwin  was  constructing  a  travelling 
moveable  frame-hive,  which  he  could  take  about  with 
him,  remove  the  frames,  and  show  an  audience  the  prin- 
ciples of  construction.  In  the  proposed  tour  through 
Ireland  next  autumn,  whoever  went  must  take  one  of 
these  travelling  moveable  frame-hives  with  him  in  order 
to  show  the  Irish  people  exactly  what  may  be  done  in 
bee-keeping.  He  was  very  much  struck  with  Mr. 
Hunter's  suggestion,  relative  to  meeting  together  for 
the  interchange  of  ideas;  and  when  recently  in  War- 
wickshire he  met  a  very  intelligent  bee-keeper  who  told 
him  that  he  should  be  most  delighted  to  confer  with 
others  on  the  subject  of  bee-keeping.  When  a  bee-keeper 
found  himself  in  alliance  with  all  the  best  bee-keepers  of 
the  present  day,  and,  through  them,  with  the  writings  of 
all  bee-keepers  of  former  days,  who  had  been  the  pioneers 
of  bee-culture,  he  then  began  to  feel  that  he  was  pursuing 
a  noble  task  which  would  elevate  him  and  bring  out  the 
better  part  of  his  nature.  He  hoped  they  would  all 
profit  by  the  paper  of  Mr.  Hunter,  and  endeavour  to  do 
what  they  could  to  bring  cottagers  to  adopt  a  better 
system  of  bee-keeping  so  that  they  could  compete  with 
their  American  neighbours,  and  reap  the  advantage 
which  their  being  on  the  spot  ought  to  secure  for  them. 
He  allowed  the  fact  of  British  honey  being  superior  to 
that  of  the  Americans,  and  expressed  hoj,e  that  if  this 
year  the  sun  condescends  to  show  himself  on  occasions, 
British  honey  would  be  found  more  commonly  on  break- 
fast-tables, and  that  the  Americans  would  be  forced  to 
consume  more  of  their  own  honey  themselves. 

Mr.  Stevens  was  of  opinion  that  the  English  manu- 
facturers should  endeavour  to  reduce  the  price  of  their 
hives,  and  he  was  glad  to  hear  the  suggestion  with  the 
view  of  encouraging  cottagers  to  make  their  own  hives. 

Mr.  Glennie  said  one  way  to  teach  cottagers  how  to 
make  cheap  hives  was  to  tell  them  where  to  get  boxes  of 
suitable  dimensions,  such  as  were  used  for  packing 
American  lobsters,  which  contained  in  themselves  the 
material  for  bar-frame  hives. 

The  Kev.  F.  G.  Jenyns  said  if  carpenters  were  included 
in  the  definition  of  cottagers,  ordinary  labourers  would  be 
discouraged. 

Mr.  C.  N.  Abbott:  That  would  be  hard  on  the 
carpenters. 

Mr.  Peel  said  the  competition  would  include  straw 
hives. 

Mr.  Hunter,  in  reply,  said  he  did  not  disapprove  of 
bee-keeping  being  commenced  in  straw  skeps,  but  he 
wanted  to  teach  those  who  had  had  these  skeps  in  use 


14 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[May  1,  1880. 


the  advantages  of  tar-frame  hives.  As  to  slinging  honey, 
it  was  important  not  to  disturb  the  hive,  but  to  take  the 
slinger  to  the  hive.  Some  of  the  American  honey  was 
bad,  but  he  had  a  section  that  seemed  remarkably  good. 
He  quite  agreed  with  the  idea  of  cottagers  making-  their 
own  hives,  and  the  best  box  for  the  purpose  was  the 
Frederiehshal  water  box,  which  consisted  of  substantial 
wood,  and  plenty  of  nails ;  this  could  be  purchased  foi- 
ls, or  Is.  m.  The  Swiss-milk  box' was  very  good,  and 
these  could  be  obtained  at  2s.  9d.  per  dozen. 

Cordial  votes  of  thanks  were  passed  to  Mr.  Hunter  for 
his  excellent  paper,  and  to  Dr.  Beale  for  presiding,  and 
the  proceedings  terminated. 


Suggested  Conditions  op  Affiliation  fob  County 
Associations  desiring  to  Co-opeiiate  with  the 
British  Bee-keepers'  Association.  To  be  Dis- 
cussed at  the  next  Quarterly  Meeting  of 
County  Representatives. 

County  Associations  desirous  of  co-operating  with  the 
Central  Society,  and  of  being  affiliated  to  it,  shall  accept 
the  principles  enunciated  by  the  Central  Society ;  shall 
undertake  to  send  a  yearly  report  and  an  audited  balance 
sheet;  shall  pay  an  annual  subscription  of  one  guinea. 

Privileges  of  Affiliation. — Every  affiliated  association 
shall  have  power  to  send  two  representatives  to  attend 
each  quarterly  meeting  of  the  Central  Association,  and 
to  make,  through  them,  any  suggestions  or  recommenda- 
tions for  the  mutual  advancement  of  the  relations  be- 
tween the  Central  and  Affiliated  Associations.  Shall  be 
entitled  to  receive  a  copy  of  all  papers  and  memoranda 
published  by  the  Society,  except  those  for  which  a  charge 
is  made.  One  copy  of  all  publications  for  which  a  charge 
is  made  shall  be  supplied  to  Affiliated  Societies  at  the 
same  price  as  charged  to  members  of  Central  Society.  May 
obtain  from  the  Central  Society  any  information  regard- 
ing the  laws,  regulations,  and  other  matters  connected 
with  the  advancement  of  bee-culture.  Shall  have  the 
free  use  of  the  Bee  Tent  at  their  annual  shows,  on  con- 
dition that  it  is  accompanied  by  the  Society's  authorised 
expert,  who  will  superintend  its  erection  and  removal. 
(The  expert's  fee  of  10s.  Qd.  a-day  and  his  travelling  ex- 
penses, as  well  as  the  travelling  expenses  of  the  Tent  to 
and  from  the  exhibition,  to  be  paid  by  the  Affiliated 
Association.)  Shall  be  entitled  to  all  the  proceeds 
accruing  from  the  use  of  the  Tent  at  their  show.  Shall 
be  entitled  to  receive  a  Silver  Medal,  a.  Bronze  Medal, 
and  a  Certificate  of  the  Association,  to  be  offered  as 
prizes  for  honey,  more  especially  for  the  production  of 
honey  in  the  comb.*  The  members  of  affiliated  associa- 
tions" shall  be  allowed  to  avail  themselves  of  the  faculties 
provided  by  the  Central  Association  for  the  sale  of 
honey  in  the  London  markets. 

General  advantages  to  be  derived  from  Affiliation. — 
1st.  The  interchange  with  other  districts  of  experience 
and  information,  e.g.  on  the  advancement  of  bee-culture, 
on  the  practical  measures  for  improving  the  methods  of 
bee-keeping  amongst  the  cottagers  on  the  means  of 
disposing  of  honey,  on  the  best  method  of  organizing 
district  societies,  and  on  other  kindred  subjects.  2nd. 
The  improvement  of  bee-culture  by  concerted  action. 

Suggestions  to  Affiliated  Associations. — 1 .  It  is  suggested 
that  affiliated  associations  should  adopt  the  same  desig- 
nation as  tin-  Central  Society  (with  the  exception  of  the 
substitution  of  a  County  name  for  'British'),  and  add 
the  words, '  In  connexion  with  the  British  Bee-keepers' 
Association.'  2.  That  affiliated  associations  should  issue 
their  reports  and  balance-sheets  yearly,  made  up  to  31st 
December.     3.  The   reports   should    be    issued    by   the 

*  Secretaries  of  affiliated  associations  are  requested  to 
furnish  the  Hon.  Sec.  of  the  Central  Association  with  the 
names  of  the  winners  of  medals  and  certificates,  with  a  view 
to  their  being  included  in  the  Annual  Report. 


1st  February  in  each  year.  4.  That  in  order  to  secure 
uniformity,  the  size  should  be  ordinary  8vo.,  and  that 
the  length  of  line  be  similar  to  the  report  of  the  Central 
Association.  5.  The  sequence  of  subjects  in  the  report 
should  be  as  follows: — 1.  List  of  committee  and  officers;  . 
2.  Report;  3.  Financial  Statement;  4.  List  of  Sub- 
scribers, printed  so  as  to  be  separable  from  the  body  of 
the  Report.  It  is  requested  that,  to  facilitate  separation, 
the  list  of  subscribers  should  in  all  cases  be  made  to  be°-in 
on  a  fresh  leaf  :  not  on  the  same  leaf  as  the  balance-sheet 
or  other  matter.  6.  It  is  also  suggested  that  the  balance- 
sheet  (specimens  of  which  and  of  a  title-page  can  be  had 
of  the  Hon.  Sec.  of  Central  Society)  should  contain  a 
note  stating  the  gross  amount  of  liabilities  (if  any)  at  the 
time  of  balancing  the  accounts.  7.  That  a  certain  number 
(say  twenty-five)  of  copies  of  these  reports  be  sent  to  the 
Central  Society  to  he  bound  up  with  its  Annual  Report ; 
a  bound  copy  of  such  reports  to  be  sent  to  each  affili- 
ated association.  It  is  hoped  that  affiliated  associations 
may  he  able  to  carry  out  the  suggestions  with  regard  to 
annual  reports,  so  that  the  report  may  be  uniform  in 
style.  It  is,  of  course,  essential  that  the  reports  should 
be  uniform  in  size,  otherwise  they  cannot  be  bound 
together. 

BEL  VOIR  CASTLE  AND  SPRING  FLOWERS. 

Several  leading  apiarians,  accompanied  by  the  Rev. 
Herbert  R.  Peel,  of  Abbot's  Hill,  Hemel  Hempstead. 
Hon.  Sec.  of  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association,  paid  a 
visit  to  Belvoir  on  Thursday,  the  15th  ult.,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  surveying  the  rich  display  of  spring  flowers, 
with  a  view  to  recommending  their  more  general  culture 
as  bee  forage.  Wm.  Ingram,  Esq.,  of  the  Belvoir  Castle 
Gardens,  who  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  work  of  the 
Association,  and  who  has  on  various  occasions  f  jrwarded 
collections  of  spring  flowers  to  the  meetings,  besides 
reading  a  paper  before  the  Association,  very  kindly 
invited  the  members  to  Belvoir  on  this  occasion  ;  the 
Lincolnshire  Association  was  represented  by  H.  Yates, 
Esq.,  of  Grantham,  and  G.  F.  Barrett,  Esq.,  of  Spalding. 
Mr.  Ingram  met  the  party  at  the  Denton  Gate  entrance, 
and  accompanied  them  to  'Belvoir  Inn,'  where  luncheon 
had  been  provided.  They  were  then  conducted  to  the 
gardens  to  enjoy  a  sight  of  the  numerous  beds,  clothed 
with  a  mantle  of  sweet  flowers  of  endless  variety,  such 
as  can  be  seen  at  few  places  in  the  perfection  attained 
at  Belvoir.  It  was  pleasing  to  notice  the  visitors, 
pocket-book  in  hand,  taking  down  the  names  of  the 
plants  as  the  latter  were  fully  described  by  Mr.  Ingram — 
strongly  reminding  one  of  the  busy  bees  themselves, 
whose  welfare  they  so  closely  watch,  so  eager  were  they 
to  gather,  if  not  the  honey,  a  full  knowledge  of  the 
flowers  best  suited  for  the  production  of  that  com- 
modity, at  a  time  when  the  delicious  nectar  is  scarce. 
It  would  be  well  if  all  bee-keepers,  who  have  a  piece  of 
ground  at  disposal,  would  give  more  attention  to  the 
cultivation  of  spring  flowers ;  if  this  were  done,  not 
only  in  many  instances  would  an  untidy  corner  be  made 
to  look  pleasing,  but  the  result  would  also  be  most  pro- 
fitable to  the  enterprising  apiarian.  The  party,  having 
spent  some  three  enjoyable  hours  with  the  urbane 
gardener,  expressed  themselves  amply  repaid  for  the  long 
distances  some  of  them  had  travelled  —  from  the  Metro- 
polis, Kent,  Surrey,  Herts,  &c. — and  they  returned  home 
rich  in  the  knowledge  of  spring  flowers,  and  delighted 
beyond  measure  at  the  great  courtesy  and  kindness,  as 
well  as  with  the  valuable  information,  they  had  received 
from  Mr.  Ingram,  to  whom  all  thanks  are  due  for  his 
successful  endeavours  to  make  the  visit  both  interesting 
and  profitable. 

The  presence  of  the  Baroness  Burdett-Coutts,  President 
of  the  Association,  was  anticipated,  but  her  ladyship  being 
on  a  vi.-it  in  the  south  was  prevented,  as  also  was  the 
Bishop  Suffragan  of  Nottingham  (Dr.  Trollope),  President 
of    the    Lincolnshire    Bee-keepers'  Association,    whose 


May  1,  1880.] 


THE  BKITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


15 


absence  was  explained  by  the  following  letter,  addressed 
to  Mr.  R.  E.  Godfrey,  the  Hon.  Sec, from  Gainsborough  : 
'Dear  Sir, —  I  am  now  on  my  visitation  tour,  which 
absorbs  all  my  days  for  the  present,  hence  I  much  regret 
that  I  cannot  be  with  you  and  our  bee  friends  at  Belvoir 
on  Thursday  next,  which  I  beg  you  will  express  to 
them.    I  am,  yours,  very  faithfully,    E.  Nottingham.' 


DEVON  AND  EXETER  BEE-KEEPERS' 
ASSOCIATION. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  members  of  this  Association 
was  held  at  the  Museum  on  Monday,  April  12,  the  right 
worshipful  the  Mayor  (W.  H.  Ellis,  Esq.)  presiding. 
There  were  also  present,  the  Rev.  J.  G.  Dangar,  Mrs. 
Hartley,  Miss  Pocock,  Admiral  Norman,  Messrs.  Cowan, 
R.  J.  Gray  (Hon.  Treasurer),  W.  N.  Griffin  (Hon.  Sec), 
W.  H.  Gamlen,  J.  Harding,  S.  B.  Fox,  and  W.  Church. 

The  report  of  the  Committee  was  read  by  the  honorary 
secretary,  and  its  adoption  moved  by  the  right  wor- 
shipful the  Mayor  of  Exeter,  and  seconded  by  Mr. 
Gamlen,  was  carried  unanimously  w-ith  applause.  Votes 
of  thanks  were  accorded  to  the  President,  Chairman,  and 
retiring  officers,  to  the  Devon  and  Exeter  Albert  Memorial 
Museum's  Committee  for  the  use  of  the  committee  and 
meeting  rooms,  and  to  the  Committee  of  the  British 
Bee-keepers'  Association  for  their  help.  The  right 
worshipful  the  Mayor  was  elected  President,  and  the 
Committee — the  Rev.  J.  G.  Dangar,  Rev.  J.  Dickenson, 
Rev.  P.  Williams,  Rev.  E.  Gregory,  Rev.  E.  Neame,  and 
Mr.  S.  Bevan  Fox, — were  unanimously  elected  for  the 
ensuing  year,  and  Mr.  W.  N.  Griffin  was  re-appointed 
hon.  sec. 

Under  the  auspices  of  this  Association  lectures  on 
the  '  Wonders  of  the  Bee-hive '  were  also  delivered  by 
Mr.  F.  R.  Cheshire,  A.C.P.,  F.S.A.,  at  Tiverton,  on 
Wednesday,  14th  April,  the  Rev.  E.  T.  Gregory,  Vicar 
of  Halberton,  in  the  chair. — At  Plymouth,  on  Thursday, 
loth  April,  A.  J.  Kerswell,  Esq.,  President  of  the 
Mechanics'  Institute  in  the  chair. — At  Torquay,  on 
Friday,  16th  April,  E.  Vivian,  Esq.,  in  the  chair. — At 
each  of  the  above  places  the  Hon.  Sec.  W.  N.  Griffin, 
Esq.,  previous  to  the  lecture,  addressed  the  various 
meetings,  pointing  out  the  objects  of  the  Association, 
alluded  to  the  work  carried  out  during  the  last  year,  and 
hoped  that  not  only  apiarians  but  others  would  be  in- 
duced to  help  forward  the  work  by  adding  their  names 
to  the  list  of  members. 

Syllabus  of  the  Lecture. — The  life  history  of  the  bee- 
grub — the  wondrous  changes  of  the  bee  pupae — the  eye  ; 
its  achromatism — singular  discoveries  of  Dr.  Hicks— 
the  use  of  simple  and  supplementary  eyes — the  tongue  ; 
its  adaptation  to  flowers  —  the  wings;  why  four  in 
number,  instead  of  two — breathing  apparatus — the  modi- 
fications of  the  legs  for  pollen  gathering — what  is  wax  ? 
— queens :  their  productiveness  ;  how  produced — marvel- 
lous transformations  brought  about  by  feeding — romance 
of  bee-life  —  swarming  —  modern  inventions  and  dis- 
coveries, &c. 

All  who  heard  Mr.  Cheshire  were  highly  pleased. 


DORSETSHIRE  ASSOCIATION. 

A  meeting  of  the  Committee  of  the  above  was  held  at 
Dorchester,  March  23rd,  for  the  purpose  of  auditing  the 
accounts,  appointing  the  officers,  and  discussing  the  pro- 
gramme of  the  Association  for  the  coming  year. 

The  accounts  were  audited  and  the  report  ordered  to 
be  printed. 

The  Honourable  G.  D.  W.  Digby,  Esq^,  M.P.,  was 
elected  President  in  the  place  of  the'Rev.  G.  W.  Skene, 
who  has  left  the  county.  Mr.  W.  II.  Dunman,  jun.,  was 
elected  joint  hon.  sec.  with  Mr.  Norton,  and  Mr. 
Coombs  and  Mr.  Dibben  were  elected  members  of  the 
committee  in  the  place  of  Mr.  Sly  and  Mr.  Newman, 
deceased. 


It  was  decided,  if  possible,  to  hold  two  Shows  this  year 
— one  at  Weymouth  and  one  at  Sherborne,  in  connexion 
with  the  Horticultural  Shows  at  those  places  ;  also  to 
apply  for  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association  Tent. 

Mr.  Cheshire  gave  a  lecture  on  bees  the  same  evening 
at  Allington  Hall,  Dorchester,  which  was  very  well 
attended,  especially  by  the  labouring  classes. — W.  H. 
Dunman,  Jun.,  Son.  Sec. 


VILLAGE  BEE  CLUBS. 

At  the  Conversazione  on  the  14th  ult.,  F.  H.  Lemare, 
Esq.,  of  Guildford,  Hon.  Sec.  of  the  Surrey  Bee-keepers' 
Association,  read  the  following,  which  he  proposes  as  an- 
explanatory  circular  for  the  use  of  those  intending  to  form 
Village  Clubs  in  that  county,  and  which,  subject  to  alte- 
ration in  names,  might  be  helpful  to  others: — 

'  In  affiliation  with  the  Surrey  Bee-keepers'  Associa- 
tion. Village  Bee  Clubs  for  Surrey.  Object. — To  in- 
duce cottage  bee-keepers  to  increase  their  stocks  of  bees, 
to  take  more  care  of  them,  and  to  lead  them  to  adopt 
improved  methods  in  bee-culture.  Suggested  rules. — 
That  all  members  of  a  club  should  be  members  of  the 
"  Surrey  Bee-keepers'  Association."  A  club  should  elect 
its  own  secretary,  who  should  be  the  medium  between  it 
and  the  parent  association.  That  the  members  of  a  club 
should  hold  monthly  meetings  to  learn  from  each  other 
all  that  may  have  happened  to  their  stocks  from  time  to 
time,  so  gaining  information  from  one  another.  Greater 
knowledge  may  then  be  arrived  at,  inducing  improve- 
ments in  their  different  ways  of  management.  The. 
parent  association  will  willingly  give  any  information 
and  assistance  on  application  to  the  secretary.  The 
Association  propose  from  time  to  time  giving  short 
lectures,  or  holding  conversation  meetings  with  members 
of  the  clubs;  also  offering  bar -frame  hives  on  easy 
terms  of  payment.  Showing  the  advantages  of  these 
hives  over  the  common  straw,  ami  with  them  the  honey- 
slinger.  A  weekly  subscription  to  meet  expenses  is 
suggested,  the  amount  and  plan  of  payment  to  be  left  to 
the  club.  It  might  provide  for  the  purchase  of  hives,  or 
any  other  thing  connected  with  bee  management.  A 
market  for  the  sale  of  honey  is  being  arranged;  but  if 
preferred,  the  secretary  of  the  Association  is  willing  to 
purchase  all  honey  a  cottager  may  have,  provided  he 
himself  may  sling  it  from  a  bar-frame  only,  within  six 
miles  of  Guildford ;  but  he  cannot  take  honey  from 
straw  hives,  except  it  is  in  sectional  supers.  Any  cot- 
tager, or  other  member  of  the  Association,  willing  to 
commence  a  club,  shall  receive  all  the  aid  the  secretary 
can  render. — F.  H.  Lemahe,  Hon.  Sec.  S.  B.  R.  A., 
Guildford,  1st  March,  1880.' 


SIZE  OF  JOURXAL. 

We  have  received  the  following  letters  in  reply 
to  our  desire  for  an  expression  on  the  part  of  our 
subscribers  as  to  the  advisability  of  a  change  in  the 
size  of  the  Journal,  and  the  following  are  a  few  of 
of  the  many  with  which  we  have  been  favoured  : — 

'  I  notice  you  ask  for  suggestions  as  to  altering  the 
form  of  the  British  Bee  Journal.  Really  I  do  not  think 
you  want  any  alteration  whatever.  The  size,  shape,  and 
style  of  printing  are,  in  my  opinion,  all  that  can  be 
desired  for  neatness  and  elegance,  and  being  pi  inted  on 
toned  paper  gives  it  altogether  a  finished  appearance. 
Being  a  printer  myself,  I  have  always  admired  the  neat 
and  clear  manner  in  which  the  printing  has  been  done. 
I  think  if  you  alter  the  shape  it  wiD  he  decidedly  a  step 
in  the  wrong  direction,  and  I  should  be  very  sorry  to 
find  it  changed  in  any  way  from  what  it  has  been. — 
Samuel  Simmins,  Crawley,  April  15th.' 

'  I  cannot  agree  with  Mr.  Carr  to  reduce  the  size  of  the 


16 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[May  1,  1880. 


pages  of  the  British  Bee  Journal,  for  the  reason  that  I,  and 
no  doubt  many  others,  have  had  the  first  six  volumes  bound 
up,  and  for  the  future  to  he"  dwarf  "  would  have  an  odd, 
if  not  mean,  appearance,  so  much  so  that  I  should  not  be 
"  oddity  "  enough  to  go  to  any  further  expense  to  have 
them  bound.  But  I  am  only  one  individual;  neverthe- 
less, I  don't  like  things  altered  without  very  good  and 
sufficient  reasons. — S.  F.  Clutten,  Pressing  field, Norfolk , 
April  IQth.'  J  J 

'  Find  a  Post-office  Order  for  6s.  for  next  volume  of 
Bee  Journal  (the  last  for  me  if  you  alter  the  size),  and 
Is.  for  the  cover  for  volume  now  ended.  My  advice  is, 
that  you  should  permanently  give  us  four  pages  more  and 
a  few  more  woodcuts.  I  think  then  you  will  please 
every  one  of  your  subscribers. — Chas.  H.  Edwards, 
29  Oakley  Square,  April  9th.' 

'  You  request  subscribers  to  give  their  opinion  on  the 
proposed  alteration  of  size  of  the  Journal.  It  seems  to  me 
a  pity  to  make  any  change.  It  is  very  convenient  as  it  is, 
and  it  spoils  the  uniformity  of  the  set  when  you  have  the 
volumes  bound  from  their  commencement. — A  Lady 
Subscriber,  Stockton-on-Tees,  April  6th.' 

'  I  see  you  ask  your  subscribers'  opinion  on  the  size  of 
the  British  Bee  Journal.  For  my  own  part,  I  care  little 
about  the  size,  so  long  as  it  contains  such  valuable  in- 
formation as  preceding  numbers  have  done,  although  if 
smaller  and  thicker  it  would  be  more  in  book  form  wien 
bound.— A.  W.  C,  Micldleham ,  April  9th.' 

'  I  stated  in  a  former  letter  (I  think  it  was  of  date 
23rd  Feb.)  that  my  subscription  would  be  renewed  in 
due  time  ;  but  on  receiving  the  British  Bee  Journal  to- 
day I  concluded  to  withdraw  that  statement.  The  size 
and  form  of  the  British  Bee  Journal  are,  in  mv  opinion, 
all  that  can  be  desired,  and  two  volumes  will  make  a 
nice  and  handy  book,  very  cheap,  because  the  matter  is 
very  good.  Should  you  see  fit  to  continue  the  size  of 
the  page  and  the  form,  I  will  renew  for  the  volume ;  if 
not,  I  will  not  require  vol.  8. — John  Hume,  Cherrytrees, 
Dumfries,  April  3rd.' 

'I  should  be  sorry  to  have  the  size  of  the  Journal 
changed,  even  if  I  preferred  the  smaller  size,  which  I  do 
not.  Let  all  be  same-sized  volumes  from  commence- 
ment.— C.  E.  F.,  Maidstone,  April  8th.' 

'  Respecting  proposed  alteration  of  form  of  Journal,  I 
think  any  change  would  be  a  mistake.  In  its  present 
form  it  is  readable  and  convenient,  and  for  binding  it  is 
suitable  for  yearly  volumes  or  several  in  one.  If  smaller, 
say  like  Macmillans  Magazine  or  the  Comhill,  the  double 
column  would  be  too  narrow,  especially  for  small  illus- 
trations; and  if  the  whole  width  was  used  there  would 
often  be  loss  of  space:  while  if  the  printed  matter  was  in 
one  column,  with  your  numerous  small  paragraphs  there 
would  also  be  great  loss  of  space.  And  while  there  are 
these  and  perhaps  other  objections, "I  cannot  see  any  ad- 
vantage to  be  gained  by  the  change.— J.  B.,  Falloirfield, 
Manchester.' 

In  the  face  of  these  opinions,  and  without  one 
other  in  favour  of  the  proposed  change,  we  feel 
encouraged  to  continue  in  the  old  course. — Ed. 


SALICYLIC  ACID. 

{From  the  '  Journal  of  Horticulture.') 

Having  determined  to  add  salicylic  acid  in  a  diluted 
form  to  the  syrup  with  which  I  am  feeding  my  bees,  I 
collected  the  various  recipes  and  placed  them  in  the  hands 
of  my  friend  and  colleague,  Mr.  .1.  E.  Legg,  who  has 
charge  of  our  chemical  laboratory,  requesting  Trim  to  pre- 
pare the  salicylic  solution.  Finding  considerable  dis- 
crepancies between  the  amounts  of  the  acid  recommended 
by  its  various  friends  he  has  been  good  enough  to  draw 


up  a  paper  with  details,  and  I  venture  to  forward  it  to  you 
for  publication. — E.  Bartrum,  King  Edward  VI.'s 
School,  Berkhampstead,  Herts. 

The  preparation  recommended  by  Herr  Hilbert,  the 
German  bee-keeper,  is  a  10  per  cent  solution  of  the  acid 
in  pure  spirits.  He  tells  us  to  add  one  drop  of  this  solu- 
tion to  a  grain  of  water  and  use  the  mixture.  A  prepar- 
ation suggested  as  an  improvement  on  this  by  Mr.  Muth 
consists  of  a  solution  containing  rather  less  than  2  per 
cent  acid  and  2  per  cent  borax  in  water.  Both  these 
solutions  appear  to  be  used  merely  for  disinfectant  pur- 
poses.—  Cook's  Manual,  p.  261. 

Two  formulae  are  given  for  the  preparation  of  food  in 
the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  October  2nd,  1879,  and  in 
the  British  Bee  Journal,  December  1st,  1879,  p.  169,  the 
recipe  of  Mr.  Cowan  is  given.  It  is  a  solution  in  water 
containing  If  per  cent  acid,  and  lj  per  cent  borax. 
One  ounce  of  this  is  directed  to  be  added  to  certain  quan- 
tities of  sugar,  &c,  and  would  form  a  mass  containing 
■00477  per  cent  acid. 

In  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  (February  19,  1880,  p. 
1-50)  Mr.  J.  M.  Hooker  recommends  the  use  of  a  patent 
solution  '  sold  in  pint  bottles  containing  the  equivalent  to 
five  ounces  of  acid,'  that  is,  a  solution  of  25  per  cent  acid, 
lie  directs  one  half-ounce  of  this  to  be  used  instead  of 
one  ounce  of  Mr.  Cowan's  solution,  so  that  one  would 
obtain  a  food  mass  containing  '0477  per  cent  acid,  or 
exactly  ten  times  as  much  acid  as  Mr.  Cowan  recom- 
mends. In  the  same  Journal,  October  9th,  1879,  Mr. 
F.  Cheshire  recommends  a  food  mass  containing  nearly 
four  times  as  much  as  that  recommended  by  Mr.  Cowan 
— i.e.  30  grains  to  a  14  lbs.  mass  of  food  instead  of  8 
grains. 

It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  apiarists  are  b)T  no  means 
agreed  as  to  the  exact  pi'oportions  of  acid  to  be  adminis- 
tered to  bees  in  their  food  for  the  cure  of  foul  brood,  and 
inasmuch  as  their  observations  are  based  on  different 
strengths  of  acid,  their  results  do  not  admit  of  compari- 
son. If,  however,  some  definite  solution  were  adopted  as 
a  standard,  and  the  amount  of  it  varied  in  food,  say  10 
lbs.  sugar,  we  should  then  soon  arrive  at  an  experimental 
and  therefore  sound  knowledge  of  the  proportions  of  acid 
best  suited  to  the  end  in  view,  instead  of,  as  at  present, 
finding  one  author  recommending  ten  times  the  amount 
suggested  by  another.  I  would  venture  to  suggest  as 
the  standard  solution  a  5  per  cent  solution  of  acid  in 
water  containing  also  5  per  cent  borax,  prepared  by  dis- 
solving one  ounce  of  borax  and  one  ounce  of  acid  in  a  pint 
of  water.  The  addition  of  one  ounce  of  this  solution  to 
a  food  mass  containing  10  lbs.  of  sugar,  would  give  a 
mass  with  0'01  per  cent  of  acid. — J.  E.  Legg,  B.A. 

['  In  the  multitude  of  counsellors  there  is  wisdom,'  but 
it  is  not  always  easy  to  pick  it  out.  The  recipe  given  by 
Mr.  Cowan  works  well,  and  has  the  rare  merit  that  it 
provides  the  unscientific  with  a  mixture  that  can  be 
used  at  once  for  disinfecting  by  painting  or  spray- 
ing, or  may  be  bottled  and  kept  to  be  added  to 
the  liquid,  food  to  be  given  to  the  bees  for  medicinal 
purposes  as  occasion  may  require.  Divested  of  all 
technicalities,  simple  as  A  B  C,  it  directs  that  an  ounce 
of  salicylic  acid  and  an  ounce  of  borax  shall  be  dissolved 
in  two  quarts  of  water ;  it  is  then  '  the  Cowan  salicylic 
solution,'  thoroughly  tested,  and  invaluable  as  a  disinfec- 
tant for  painting  hives,  frames,  and  floor-boards,  and  for 
spraying  diseased  combs.  If  it  be  necessary  to  give  it  to 
bees  medicinally,  an  ounce  of  the  solution  should  be 
stirred  into  each  gallon  of  syrup  and  it  will  be  ready  for 
use,  but  as  amateurs  do  not  all  make  syrup  by  the  gallon, 
we  would  observe  that  a  teaspoonful  of  the  solution 
mixed  with  a  pint  of  syrup  would  make  the  same  chemical 
strength.  For  the  convenience  of  those  who  have  diffi- 
culty in  procuring  the  acid  or  borax,  we  offer  to  send  an 
ounce  packet  containing  equal  parts  of  each  to  any'  ad- 
dress, post  free,  for  a  shilling.  Our  acid  is  delivered  to  us 
in  sealed  boxes,  labelled,  Acid  Salicylic,  crystals  chemi- 


May  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


17 


cally  pure  after  Kolbe's  Patent,  manufactured  by  Dr.  F. 
V.  Heyden,  Dresden,  Patent  No.  595,  1874.  E.  Schering 
Berlin,"  License  of  Patent ;  and  our  borax  is  also  guaranteed 
pure.  We  mix  a  pound  of  each,  and  when  thoroughly 
incorporated  send  it  to  those  who  want  it.  Mr.  Bartrum 
and  Mr.  Legg  have  rendered  good  service  in  bringing  this 
matter  so  tersely  before  the  bee-keeping  world,  and 
deserve  a  hearty  vote  of  thanks,  as  does  also  Mr.  Cowan 
for  his  simple  recipe. — Ed.  B.B.J.] 


Aug. 
Aug. 
Aug. 


THE  FARMER'S  SOLILOQUY. 

To  Bee  or  not  to  Bee, — that  is  the  question — 

Whether  'tis  nobler  in  the  main  to  suffer 

The  Stings  and  (Hlarrows  of  outrageous  fortune, 

Or  to  take  arms  against  overwhelming  troubles, 

And  by  bee-keeping  end  them  ?     The  bees  to  keep, 

Far  more  ;  and  by  our  bees  assuage  or  end 

The  heartache  and  the  cumulative  shocks 

That  farming's  heir  to, — 'tis  a  consummation 

Devoutly  to  be  wished.     The  bees  to  keep, 

To  keep,  and  wealth  achieve — ay,  there's  the  rub ! 

Shakespeabe,  with  variations. 


BEE  TENT  ENGAGEMENTS. 

BRITISH    BEE-KEEPERS'   ASSOCIATION. 

June  30. — Farningham  Rose  Show. 

July  1. — Tiverton  Horticultural  Show. 

July  12-16.— Royal  Agricultural  Show  at  Carlisle. 

July  21. — Southborough  Flower  Show. 

July  27-August  2. — Kensington  Show. 

Aug.  11,  12. — Surrey  County  Show. 

Aug.  18,  19. — Shropshire  County  Show. 

Aug.  24. — Long  Buckhy  Horticultural  Show. 

Sept.  3. — Devon  and  Exeter  County  Show. 

HERTFORDSHIRE  COUNTY  ASSOCIATION. 

July  7. — Herts  Agricultural  Show  at  Hatfield. 

Aug.  5. — Frogmore  Cottage  Garden  Show. 

Aug.  27. — Much  Hadham  Cottage  Garden  Show. 

Sept.  2. — Harpenden  Horticultural  Show. 

Sept.  8,  9. — Hertfordshire  County  Bee-keepers'  Show. 

TOUR  IN  IRELAND. 

Aug.  10. — Royal  Agricultural  Show  in  Clonmel. 

Aug. — Maryborough  County  Agricultural  Show.  ( Date 
not  fixed.) 

Sept.  3. — Newtownhards  Flower  Show.    Near  Belfast. 

Sept. — Royal  Horticultural  Show  at  Dublin.  First 
week  in  September. 


BEE  AND  HONEY  SHOWS  FIXED  FOR  1880. 

July  1. — Tiverton.     Devon  and  Exeter. 

July  27,  28,  29,  30,  31,  and  August  2.— South  Ken- 
sington.    British  Bee-keepers'. 

July  27,  28,  29,  and  30. — Caledonian  Apiarian  and 
Entomological  Society's  Show  at  Highland  and  Agricul- 
tural Society's  Meeting,  Kelso. 

Aug.  5. — West  Kent. 

11,  12. — Surrey  County. 
18,  19.—  Shropshire  County. 
25. — East  Scotland.     Arbroath. 

Sept.  2. — Exeter.     Devon  and  Exeter. 

Sept.  3. — Central  Training  College.     Exeter. 

Sept.  8,  9.— Herts  County,  at  St.  Albans. 

Sept.  9.  10.— Herts  County. 


Cflrresponuciue. 


%*  These  columns  are  open  to  Subscribers,  so  that  their 
queries,  replies,  correspondence,  and  experiences,  may  be 
fully  and  faithfully  recorded ;  and  for  the  discussion  of  all 
theories  and  systems  in  Bee-culture,  and  of  the  relative  merits 
of  all  hives  and  appurtenances,  that  the  truth  regarding  them 
may  be  ascertained.  The  Editor,  therefore,  nmst  not  be  ex- 
pected to  coincide  with  all  the  views  expressed  by  the  various 
writers.    All  Correspondence  is  addressed  to  tlxe  Editor. 


APIARIAN  LIBRARY. 

In  last  month's  Journal  I  notice  a  slip  of  the  pen 
or  a  misprint  which,  if  not  pointed  out,  may  cause 
some  misapprehension. 

In  your  reference  on  p.  239  to  the  Apiarian 
Library  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association  is 
forming,  an  appeal  to  the  members  for  donations 
for  books  is  mentioned.  Any  subscription  that  we 
may  receive  towards  the  Library  Fund  will  be 
most  welcome,  but  it  is  donations  of  books  that 
we  solicit.  Any  books  or  pamphlets,  ancient  or 
modern,  in  good  or  bad  condition,  will  be  most 
acceptable,  and  may  be  sent  either  to  the  Rev. 
H.  R.  Peel  or  to  myself. 

Every  accommodation  has  been  afforded  us  by 
the  Royal  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to 
Animals  ;  and  if  our  members  will  only  take  the 
matter  up  warmly,  we  shall  soon  be  in  possession  of 
a  library  worthy  of  our  Association  and  our  cause. 
I  trust  each  reader  of  the  Journal  will  send  us  one 
book  at  least.  All  contributions  will  be  duly 
acknowledged. — J.  P.  Jackson.  Brigadier  Hill, 
Enfield,  April  20,  1880. 


FLORAL  AND  BEE  GOLD. 

These  are  distinct  from  each  other.  The  sample 
in  which  Mr.  Hunter  could  find  no  trace  of  gold  was 
precipitated  gold,  and  should  have  been  cupelled. 
Floral  gold  was  never  submitted  by  me  to  the 
assayers,  and  the  flower  from  which  I  obtained  it 
shall  in  due  season  be  forwarded  to  you.  I  should 
indeed  have  beln  the  vainest  of  men  had  I  asserted 
that  bees'  wax  was  rich  in  gold  without  submitting 
samples  to  three  independent  assayers.  I  have 
asked  them  by_  this  post  to  repeat  their  assay. 
Meanwhile,  I  am  showing  a  firm  of  refiners  of  pre- 
cious metals  how  to  extract  it  from  the  wax,  which 
last  will  be  found  after  all  to  be  only  '  pitch.' — 
James  Bruce,  8th  April,  1880. 

[This  came  with  a  request  that  it  might  be  forwarded 
to  Mr.  Hunter,  who  writes,  '  Had  gold  been  present  in 
any  form  in  the  sample  I  had,  it  must  have  been  revealed.' 
Mr.  Biuce  must  send  us  full  corroborative  evidence  of 
the  alleged  discovery  if  he  wishes  further  notice  of  in  it 
these  columns. — Ed.] 


ARE  BEES  A  NUISANCE? 

Referring  to  the  paragraph  in  this  month's  B.  B.  J. 
it  is  a  nuisance  if  life  be  made  uncomfortable  by 
the  apprehension  of  danger,  and  I  take  it  that  the 
distance  between  the  hives  and  the  gentleman's 
garden  in  question  renders  it  quite  possible  for  the 


18 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[May  1,  1880. 


bees  belonging  to  them  to  sting  him ;  in  which  case 
it  would  not  be  necessary  for  him  to  prove  that  it 
was  one  of  them  that  actually  did  so.  As  far  as  I 
know  there  are  no  precedents  to  go  upon,  but  I  am 
of  opinion  that  the  complainant  has  a  prima  facie 
ground  of  action. — R.  W.  Partridge,  10  Coningham 
Road,  Uxbrklge  Road,  April  7,  1880. 


INTRODUCING  QUEENS. 
From  one  cause  or  another  I  have  lost  four  stocks 
since  last  September,  but  the  eight  I  have  left 
appear  very  healthy  and  in  good  condition,  which, 
I  am  pleased  to  say,  include  the  three  stocks  headed 
by  the  Ligurian  queens  I  had  from  you  in  the 
autumn,  and  which  are  now  rapidly  increasing  in 
population,  the  young  bees  being  very  finely  marked. 
I  mean  the  colouring  is  good,  for  I  find  that  this 
often  varies  considerably  in  the  progeny  of  different 
queens,  although  pure  breed  and  imported.  I  have  in- 
troduced alien  queens  to  stocks  in  the  autumn  nearly 
every  year  since  1872  and  never  use  cages.  I  will 
not  say  that  I  have  been  entirely  without  a  failure, 
but  I  find  that  those  who  use  cages  are  not  uni- 
versally successful,  and  I  do  not  think  any  failure  I 
have  had  would  have  been  avoided  if  a  cage  had 
been  used.  I  rely  on  the  assertion  of  Huber  that 
the  bees  will  accept  a  new  sovereign  if  twenty  or 
twenty-four  hours  are  allowed  to  elapse  after  re- 
moving the  old  one  before  she  is  introduced.  I 
therefore  remove  the  old  queen,  and  on  the  evening 
of  the  next  day  following  her  removal  I  place  a  bell- 
glass  on  the  centre  of  the  crown  of  the  hive,  having 
first  driven  the  bees  down  with  a  little  smoke,  and 
having  smeared  the  alien  queen  with  a  little  honey 
or  syrup,  I  place  her  under  the  glass,  and  the  bees 
soon  come  up  and  receive  her  with  a  loud  hum  of 
joy  ;  in  fact,  they  seem  as  if  they  would  go  mad.  I 
then  cover  them  up  for  the  night,  and  remove  the 
glass  at  a  future  time.  As  I  do  my  Ligurianiziug  in 
September,  the  rejection  of  the  alien  queen  un- 
noticed by  me  could  not  fail  to  betray  itself  in  the 
spring,  as  it  would  be  too  late  in  the  season  for  the 
bees  to  raise  another  fertile  quee^  I  was  much 
interested  in  Mr.  Raynor's  paper,  published  in  the 
February  number  of  the  Journal,  which,  amongst 
other  interesting  matter,  alludes  to  the  subject  of 
introducing  alien  queens,  for  I  have  often  thought 
the  operation  is  made  more  complex  than  it  need  be. 
— John  Enock,  Sibford,  near  Banbury. 


BEE-FLORA. 


I  intend  giving  myself  the  pleasure  of  a  visit  to 
your  establishment  first  opportunity,  as  I  see  it  is  free 
to  subscribers  to  B.  B.  Journal,  and  will  bring  some 
seedlings  of  a  curious  plant,  which  blows  early  in 
February  and  continues  in  bloom  until  after  crocuses 
have  started.  I  have  never  been  able  to  find  out 
name  of  same,  although  I  have  asked  several  gar- 
deners. It  is  earlier  and  hardier  than  any  of  the 
other  early  flowers  now  grown  for  first  crop  of  bee 
fodder  ;  and  as  I  consider  that  natural  pollen  is 
inure  inducive  to  bees  than  artificial  (although  your 
recommendations  on   this   point   are  excellent),  I 


think  if  more  extensively  grown  it  would  prove  a 
great  help  to  early  stimulative  feeding.  I  have 
seen  it  come  into  bloom  as  the  Clmstnias  rose  was 
fading. — Jas.  Janes,  Jun.,  Cowley's  Road,  Uxbridge. 


SEPARATORS  FOR  SECTIONS. 
In  the  matter  of  separators  (page  236,  vol.  vii.) : 
Are  they  necessary?  and  if  so,  what  is  the  objection 
to  strips  of  thin  glass  1  Surely  it  would  come  cheap 
enough,  can  be  easily  cleaned,  and  as  long  as  un- 
broken could  be  used  over  and  over  again.  I  have 
a  plan  in  use  (which  answers  admirably,  and  as  I 
have  not  seen  it  elsewhere,  I  suppose  it  is  new, 
although  it  may  not  be  so)  for  securing  a  set  of 
sections  perfectly  and  yet  easily  detachable  in  a  mo- 
ment, viz.  a  piece  of  tin  about  1-J-  inches  broad,  and 
about  \  inch  longer  than  the  number  of  sections 
to  be  fastened  together,  the  extra  length  at  either 


end  is  turned  round  a  pair  of  round-end  pliers,  which 
then  clips  the  sections.  Two  pieces  of  tin  are  re- 
quired for  each  set  of  sections. — W.  Walker,  Jun., 
North  Devon. 


PAPER  FELT. 
I  am  pleased  to  see  in  your  Journal  paper 
felt  mentioned  as  a  good  protection  for  hives. 
I  can  confirm  the  remarks  of  Mr.  Godfrey,  for 
most  of  my  hives  were  completely  covered  witli 
this  in  November,  and  during  the  severe  frosts 
and  snow-storms  I  am  pleased  to  say  my  hives  have 
escaped  destruction,  they  are  now  in  a  very  healthy 
state.  The  felt  keeps  them  warm  and  dry.  I  think 
it  is  of  great  value  to  bee-keepers,  and  so  cheap,  too, 
costing  only  about  20s.  per  cwt.  It  can  be  taken 
off  in  the  spring,  and  a  fresh  lot  put  on  in  the 
autumn,  with  a  very  small  cost,  when  preparing 
the  hives  for  the  winter. — H.  Warren,  Woolmer 
Forest  Apiary,  Liphook,  Hants. 


ANTS  IN  HIVES. 

It  is  generally  understood  that  preventing  is 
better  than  curing;  to  follow  the  above  I  have  hit 
upon  a  plan  to  prevent  the  ants,  earwigs,  &c,  from 
crawling  into  bee-hives,  and  I  hope  it  will  be  bene- 
ficial to  many  bee-keepers,  who  like  to  try  it.  Take 
four  stout  nails,  2-|  or  3  in.  long,  and  put  them  into 
the  legs  of  the  stands  endways,  so  that  they  project 
about  li  or  2  in.  ;  take  four  garden-pot  saucers,  fill 
them  with  water,  and  place  the  stand  in  them,  and 
no  vermin  will  be  able  to  crawl  up  the  legs  into 
the  hive,  and  the  nails  will  keep  the  ends  of  the 
legs  out  of  the  water. — A.  Neubert,  Reigate. 

[The  above  will  answer  well  as  regards  wingless  ants ; 
but  earwigs  can  Hy,  and  cannot  be  so  easily  kept  from 
the  hive. — Ed.] 


May  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


19 


WINTER    BREEDING.— GREAT    MORTALITY 
OF  YOUNG  BEES. 

As  all  ideas  pertaining  to  bee -culture  are  of 
value,  I  venture  to  give  you  an  item  of  last  winter's 
experience.  First  I  wintered  my  bees  by  casing 
the  hives  in  outer  boxes  and  the  intervening  space 
filled  up  with  saw-dust,  and  about  two  inches  over 
the  top ;  then  a  f\  shaped  roof.  Sawdust  is  an 
excellent  non  -  conductor  of  heat,  and  useful  to 
keep  out  the  cold.  As  an  illustration  of  what  I 
wish  to  convey,  I  will  confine  my  remarks  to  two 
stock-hives  from  out  of  others,  all  treated  with  saw- 
dust packing.  No.  1.  The  best  hive  in  my  apiary 
was,  in  Oct.  1879,  requeened  with  an  Italian  from 
Messrs.  Abbott,  and  at  the  time  little  or  no  brood 
was  in  the  hive ;  plenty  of  pollen  and  sealed  honey- 
comb (i.e.,  sugar  syrup),  all  the  honey  having  been 
extracted  in  September.  The  queen,  a  very  fine 
one,  must  have  at  once  commenced  to  deposit  eggs, 
for  in  due  time  young  Italians  began  to  appear,  and 
at  such  a  rate  did  they  hatch  out  that  before 
Christmas  the  Ligurians  were  at  the  entrance  six  to 
one.  At  that  time  some  correspondence  was  going 
on  in  the  Journal  about  winter  breeding  and  feeding 
with  artificial  pollen  (pea-meal),  various  views  being 
tendered.  During  the  snow  storms  I  was  greatly 
surprised  to  see,  in  front  of  the  hive,  and  for  the 
space  of  two  or  three  yards,  several  young  Italian 
bees.  This  at  first  looked  strange,  as  the  accepted 
theory  is  that  it  is  the  young  bees  that  survive  the 
winter  ;  by-and-by  they  became  so  numerous  that 
I  began  to  be  seriously  alaimed  for  the  healthiness 
and  safety  of  my  hive,  and  determined  at  all  hazards 
to  make  an  examination  as  soon  as  possible.  The 
opportunity  came  ;  and  with  a  warm  fit  of  sunshine, 
when  all  were  out  for  a  flight,  I  took  off  the  covers, 
and  out  with  the  frames.  Everything  appeared  all 
right,  not  a  sign  of  foul  brood  or  any  fault  whatever. 
There  was  plenty  of  stores  and  young  brood  in  all 
stages  of  development  inside  of  the  hive.  There 
was  abundance  of  black  bees,  and  plenty  of  young 
Italians.  I  closed  up  the  hive,  hoping  for  an  im- 
provement, and  awaited  events.  Another  severe 
snow-storm  came,  and  just  as  before  the  ground 
was  strewed  with  yellow-jackets,  not  a  dead  black 
to  be  seen.  The  entrances  of  all  the  hives  were 
shaded  from  the  light.  Another  fit  of  sunshine 
and  warmth  and  bees  were  out  for  a  flight,  and  I 
took  the  opportunity  to  again  examine  this  hive. 
Things  were  just  as  before,  breeding  going  on  vigo- 
rously. Knowing  the  combs  which  contained 
polleu  by  marking  them  in  the  autumn,  I  took  them 
out  as  well  as  some  sealed  combs,  and  supplied 
empty  combs  ;  breeding  ceased  immediately,  and 
soon  also  the  mortality.  Seeing  in  the  pages  of  the 
Journal  some  of  the  ideas  of  giving  jjolleu,  I  just 
gave  them  a  little.  By  the  way,  1  may  mention 
how  I  fed  my  bees  up,  and  then  you  will  under- 
stand how  I  give  my  pea-meal.  My  hives  are  your 
Standard,  and  on  the  top  another  empty  hive ;  a 
small  hole  through  the  quilt,  not  over  an  inch  in 
diameter,  serves  for  ventilation,  and  for  the  bees  to 
come  up.  Inside  of  this  empty  hive  is  an  ordinary 
dripping-pan,   9   in.   by   G.     This  holds  the  syrup 


with  a  few  pieces  of  comb  on  top  as  floats.  Bees 
come  and  take  it  down  as  fast  as  it  is  judicious  to 
give  it  to  them.  Also  the  pea-meal  is  just  put 
away  in  front  of  the  tin  pan ;  at  once  they  find  the 
meal,  and  either  avoid  or  take  it  as  they  wish. 
They  took  it  with  avidity,  and  breeding  recom- 
menced, and  a  month  after  also  the  mortality.  I 
only  let  them  have  three  days  at  the  meal,  and  then 
took  it  away. 

Stock  No.  2.  A  fine  stock  in  October.  In  fact  those- 
two  stocks  were  chosen  as  equals,  and  set  apart  to  try 
the  pure  Ligurians  and  blacks  together.  Well,  the 
blacks  were  nearly  torpid  all  winter,  and  are  now 
going  to  work  in  proper  style  :  breeding  freely,  and 
altogether  a  strong  stock.  In  contrast  the  Italian 
is  very  weak  ;  scarcely  au  Italian  to  be  seen.  No 
breeding  going  on,  and  I,  a  few  days  ago,  contracted 
their  hive  to  five  frames,  and  the  black  stock  is  in 
twelve  frames.  Now  the  problem  is,  do  young  bees 
require  a  cleansing  flight,  and  thus  perish  with  cold, 
for  you  see  on  the  flight-board  the  Italians  were  six 
to  one,  and  all  the  old  black  bees  remaining  inside  '? 
Or  is  sugar-syrup  improper  to  raise  brood  upon  'I  I 
incline  to  the  former  opinion,  as  the  No.  2  stock  was 
fed  upon  the  same  as  No.  1,  and  it  is  in  a  first- 
class  healthy  condition.  And  as  a  further  sujjport 
of  this  supposition,  after  the  mortality  ceased  a  little 
artificial  pollen  recommenced  the  evil.  So  that  I 
have  no  doubt  nature  is  the  best  adviser,  and  that 
a  slack  season  is  the  best  in  winter  for  both  man, 
and  beast,  and  insect.  Hoping  for  a  successful  year 
in  bee-culture. — W.  Crisp,  Chester  le  Street,  April 
12,  1880. 

[The  youth  of  the  queen,  the  excitement  of  the  journey, 
being  joined  to  a  stroDg  stock  after  being  used  to  a  nu- 
cleus, and  the  feeding-,  doubtless  excited  the  breeding  pro- 
pensity at  an  unseasonable  date.  Young  bees  are  the 
nurse-bees,  and  the  preparation  of  bee-pap  in  their 
stomachs  rendered  cleansing  flight  occasionally  necessary, 
and  to  this  much  of  the  mischief  is  probably  due.  There 
must  have  been  great  moitality  amongst  the  blacks  in 
the  hive  in  question  at  some  time  in  the  autumn,  or 
where  are  they?  Probably  the  young  blacks  died  of 
exertion  in  providing  for  the  early  broods  of  Ligurians, 
as  the  latter  did  in  nursing  those  which  came  after. — Ed.] 


DEAD  BEES  AT  ENTRANCES. 

For  some  time,  now  and  then,  we  have  noticed 
dead  bees,  many  times  from  six  to  eight,  at  tin-  en- 
trances to  our  hives,  both  boxes  and  straw-skeps  : 
and  the  circumstance  has  been  to  us  so  inexplicable 
that  I  venture  to  ask  what  you  deem  to  be  the 
cause  of  it.  We  have  five  hives,  and  have  noticed 
dead  bees  at  the  entrance  of  them  all.  And,  not- 
withstanding the  loss  that  has  occurred  in  this  way, 
we  are  still  able  to  notice  indications  of  considerable 
strength  in  all  the  hives,  which  iuduce  hopes  that 
they  may  survive  the  winter.  I  must  mention 
that  we  gave  them  last  autumn  about  100  lbs.  of 
sugar  made  into  syrup,  so  that  their  dying  cannot 
presumably  be  attributed  to  want  of  food.  I  hope 
you  will  be  able  to  shed  some  explanatory  light  upon 
the  matter. — J.  R.,  Wigton. 

[The  appearance  of  a  few  dead  bees  on  the  alighting- 
board  is  not  necessarily  an  unhealthy  sign,  as  amongst 
many  bees  some  must  die  naturally  every  day.     If  the 


20 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[May  1,  1880. 


weather  permitted,  the  surviving  bees  would  carry  them 
away  and  drop  them  at  a  distance,  and  probably  their 
death  would  not  be  suspected.  During-  the  period  of 
activity,  bees  in  prosperous  colonies  are  hatched  into  life 
at  an  average  rate  of  about  two  thousand  per  day  for 
several  weeks  successively ;  and  many  such  hives,  not- 
withstanding the  immense  number  of  births,  do  not 
swarm,  but  spend  their  strength  in  breeding,  building- 
comb,  and  storing  honey  and  pollen,  yet  at  the  end  of 
the  season  the  great  increase  will  have  spent  itself,  and 
the  hive  will  go  into  winter  quarters  in  about  the  usual 
condition.  In  the  meantime  there  will  have  been,  per- 
haps, a  quarter  of  a  million  bees  that,  having  played 
their  part,  will  have  died  and  left  no  sign.  What  a 
pile  they  would  have  made  had  they  accumulated  about 
the  entrance,  the  heap  would  have  been  as  large  as 
from  ten  to  fifteen  average  swarms :  it  does  not  seem 
possible,  but  it  is  a  fact! — Ed.] 


WAX-GUIDES  FOR  FRAMES.— FRAME-ENDS. 
—ENTRANCE-SCREEN.— EXTRACTOR. 

Last  summer,  if  you  remember,  I  showed  you  my 
wax-guide  for  cottagers,  made  by  dipping  string 
into  melted  wax.  I  have  now  greatly  improved  on 
that.  I  take  pieces  of  paper,  about  the  texture  of 
stout  cream-laid  note,  cut  them  the  required  size, 
and  dip  them  rather  quickly,  but  evenly,  in  melted 
wax,  holding  them  until  set,  and  then  laying  them 
on  a  flat,  smooth  board  ;  I  have  then  a  first-class 
wax-guide  which  will  not  easily  break  :  one  or  two 
dippings  may  be  necessary,  according  to  the  heat  of 
the  wax.  The  cooler  the  wax  the  thicker  coating 
you  will  get. 

My  frame-ends  I  now   make   like   the   enclosed 

drawing.  I  find  them 
easier  to  make,  and 
the  frames  fit  better 
in  the  slinger.  I  also 
enclose  sketch  of  a  con- 
trivance, which  if  placed 
in  front  of  the  hive  en- 
trance in  autumn  and 
winter,  has  the  advan- 
tage of  lessening  rob- 
bing, preventing  draught,  and  sunlight  during  cold 
weather.  The  bees  find  no  difficulty  in  entering,  and 
a  robber  has  to  pass  clown  the  corridor,  in  which  he 
will  probably  encounter  many  bees  who  strongly 
object  to  his  company. 
The  dotted  lines  show 
hive-entrance.  E  is  the 
entrance  to  the  corri- 
dor, a  is  the  alighting- 
board.  It  is  made  of 
three  pieces  of  thin 
wood — 2,  1^  in.  x  4in.,  and  1,  li-in.  square  for  one 
end.  It  may  be  fixed  by  two  pins,  or  by  putting  a 
stone  on  the  top. 

A  good  way  to  fasten  foundation  so  as  to  pre- 
,  vent  its  falling,  is  to  cut  the 

frame  through  at  the  top, 
and  then  made  a  groove  at 
the  top  to  run  the  wax  along. 
The  dotted  line  is  the  foundation.  It  rather 
weakens  the  middle  of  the  frame,  but  the  wax- 
sheet    cannot   drop.     Thick   packing-paper   makes 


7 


\  r— 1   \ 

E  / 

~^~ 


good  top  layers  of  quilt. — H.   Parson,   The  Firs, 
Guildford. 

[We  are  also  favoured  with  a  sketch  of  an  Extractor, 
in  which  the  combs  are  laid  in  a  tin  receiver,  similar  to 
that  of  our  Little  Wonder,  and  is  made  by  gearing  to 
revolve  on  a  horizontal  axis.  This  produces  an  irregular 
motion,  and  the  pressure  of  the  honey  on  the  comb  is 
uneven,  so  that  it  is  not  so  commendable  in  principle  as 
those  in  which  the  revolving  shaft  is  perpendicular. — 
Ed.] 

DO  BEES  EAT  POLLEN  1 
I  don't  think  they  do  !  Mine  had  none  to  eat 
during  the  winter,  and  such  of  them  as  are  saved 
from  foul  brood  are  quite  healthy.  Neither  will 
they  eat  artificial  pollen  given  in  the  shape  of  flour 
in  a  sugar-cake.  The}7  eat  the  sugar — part  of  it, 
but  the  flour  is  found  on  the  floor-board.  So,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  I  take  it  for  granted  they  don't 
want  it.  I  may  also  state  that  in  two  hives  I  had 
a  hatch  of  brood  in  October  (from  sugar-built 
combs),  without  any  pollen.  At  the  present  date, 
none  of  my  hives  are  breeding  yet,  and  I  fear 
young  bees  will  be  scarce  this  spring.  Hives  will 
require  good  attention  to  keep  them  alive. — A. 
Cockburn,  Cairnie. 


SECTION   FRAMES. 


The  wide  frames  I  alluded  to  as  Mr.  Cheshire's 
are  described  in  Journal  of  Horticulture  for  Feb.  5th. 
The  wide  frames  sent  out  by  you  are  very  well 
made,  also  the  sections,  hence  with  a  little  trouble 
they  fit  well ;  but  after  bees  have  built  comb 
and  propolised  heavily,  it  becomes  a  very  difficult 
matter  to  take  the  sections  out  again  quickly  with 
the  new  tender  comb  and  bees  on,  to  put  as  supers 
proper  over  brood  nest.  The  advantage  of  the 
section-frame  is  to  get  comb  built  in  sections  at  the 
side  of  the  brood-nest,  to  be  afterwards  put  above, 
and  hence  it  is  a  great  object  to  arrive  at  easy  and 
speedy  removal  of  sections.  Mr.  Cheshire,  there- 
fore, proposes  the  wide  frame  (if  so  it  may  be 
called)  to  hinge  at  bottom  corner,  and  without  top 


bar;  Separators  are  thus  easily  arranged,  and  sections 
easily  removed,  and  the  weight  of  the  sections,  (fee, 
keeps  the  frame  in  its  place.  I  have  sawn  through 
the  top  bar  of  the  wide  frames  supplied  by  you, 
and  think  this  will  to  a  certain  extent  obviate  the 
objection  and  have  no  other  bad  effect. — F.  W.S., 
Chesterfield. 

[The  above  arrangement  is  a  modification  of  the  Wood- 
bury compound  frame,  designed  by  the  late  Mr.  Woodbury, 
to  permit  the  super  bars,  as  then  used,  to  be  utilised  in  the 
stork  hive,  and  vice  versd  -when  clean  combs  were  built 
upon  them.  It  was  found,  however,  that  the  weight  of 
the  frame's  contents  caused  the  knuckles  of  the  frame,  a, 
to  give,  and  they  became  practically  useless.     A  similar 


May  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


21 


result  will  occur  -with  the  present  arrangement,  unless 
the  knuckle  or  hanging  piece  be  lengthened  so  as  to 
project  on  to  the  sections,  an  improvement  practically 
carried  into  effect  by  the  method  our  correspondent  has 
adopted.  Our  '  section  frames,'  as  at  first  arranged,  were 
composed  of  sections  only,  and  required  to  be  cut  to  form 
separate  sections;  but  they  have  been  'improved'  to 
utilise  and  hold  together  the  slight  Yankee  productions 
until  they  have  become  a  nuisance  and  have  caused  an 
immense  waste  of  ingenuity. — Ed.] 


CURE  FOR  BEE  AND  WASP  STINGS. 

In  looking  over  some  old  Exchange  and  Harts 
last  week  I  came  across  the  following  : — '  It  cannot 
be  too  generally  known  that  the  juice  of  a  bruised 
onion  is  a  remedy  for  bee-stings  I  have  never 
known  to  fail.  I  once  knew  a  person  stimg  in  the 
throat  by  swallowing  a  wasp  in  beer,  and  chewing 
and  swallowing  a  piece  of  an  onion  removed  the 
dangerous  swelling  and  pain.' — H.  F.,  Reading. 


LIGURIAN  BEES  IN  AUSTRALIA. 

Will  brother  readers  kindly  inform  me  through 
your  Journal,  whether  any  one  ever  sent  Ligurian 
bees  to  Australia  1  if  so,  to  whom,  or  to  what  part  1 
If  not,  would  it  be  practicable  to  forward  some  by 
the  Torres  Straits  mail  boats,  with  any  chance  of 
success'! — L. E. R.,  Alderley  Edge. 

[We  do  not  know  of  Ligurian  bees  having  been 
sent  to  Australia ;  certainly  we  have  not  sent  any, 
nor  do  we  know  what  would  be  the  probable  cost  of 
sending  them. —  Ed.] 


FREAKS  QFBEES. 

Can  any  of  your  readers  throw  any  light  on  the 
following  curious  circumstances  that  occurred  recently  in 
connexion  with  one  of  my  stocks  ? — 

About  the  first  week  in  March  I  found  the  bees  in 
a  good  and  healthy  stock,  with  some  amount  of  sealed 
brood.  Later  on  I  wras  quite  satisfied  that  young  bees 
were  matured.  About  the  10th  of  April,  upon  examining 
the  hive,  I  found  the  bees  in  an  excited  state,  and  the 
brood-cells  torn  open,  with  the  'nymphs'  exposed.  The 
circumstances  being  a  puzzle  to  me,  I  felt  that  I  could 
only  wait  and  watch  events.  I  therefore  a  few  days 
later  examined  the  hive,  and  found  that  breeding  was 
entirely  suspended,  although  I  distinctly  saw  the  queen, 
who  was  apparently  in  a  healthy  condition.  On  the 
17th  April  the  queen  issued  with  about  two-thirds  of 
the  number  of  bees.  They  were  duly  hived,  but  forsak- 
ing their  new  abode,  chose  an  empty  hive,  and  have 
since  conducted  themselves  in  an  ordinary  manner.  It' 
is  now  six  days  since  they  swarmed  (?) ;  but  there  are 
no  signs  of  breeding  on  their  part,  or  on  that  of  the 
stock-hive  whence  they  issued.  I  have  therefore  de- 
prived another  stock  of  one  comb  containing  brood 
in  different  stages  to-day,  and  given  it  to  the  latter  in 
the  hope  that  they  may  be  able  to  raise  a  queen. 

I  would  state  that  they  are  thoroughly  supplied  with 
food,  but  until  recently  pollen  has  been  very  scarce.  I 
would  also  say  that  there  are  no  drones  in  the  apiary. 

There  has  been  great  mortality  among  the  cottagers' 
hives,  and  unless  it  were  for  the  introduction  of  the 
improved  system  the  precious  little  workers  would  have 
been  nigh  extinct.  The  plum  blossom  is  now  simply 
magnificent,  and  it  is  very  sad  to  think  such  a  splendid 
opportunity  can  be  only  partly  used. — J.  Gabhatt, 
Hockendon,  St.  Mary's  Cray,  April  23,  1880. 


(Btym  front  %  Hibes. 

Nottingham,  March  29,  1880.— 'March  has  up  to  this 
dav  been  a  splendid  month  here.  We  have  bright  warm 
sunshine  every  day,  though  the  nights  are  still  chilly. 
March  4th  was  the  first  day  our  bees  were  noticed  hearing 
pollen,  and  since  then  they  have  been  at  work  every  day. 
The  purple  crocus  is  now  in  full  bloom  in  the  fields,  and 
the  spring  flowers  and  flowering  shrubs  in  the  garden 
afford  plenty  of  pollen,  and  possibly  some  honey  during 
the  sunny  mid-day  hours.  The  season  promises  to  be 
very  favourable  so  far. —  W.  S,' 

Horsham  Vicarage,  April  3. — '  I  put  up  seven  boxes 
for  wintering,  fed  well  during  autumn,  found  all  of  them 
strong  in  February,  and  last  month  they  were  unusually 
"  busy."  It  is  a  treat  to  see  them  at  work  to-day.  I 
still  feed  gently  every  other  day.  Nineteen  out  of  twenty 
of  our  cottagers  have  lost  all  their  bees. — J.  W.  H.' 

Battle,  Sussex,  April  loth. — '  The  bees  about  here  seem 
in  a  very  bad  state,  eight  hives  out  of  ten  having  died,  ex- 
cept those  belonging  to  a  few  persons  who  have  taken  the 
trouble  to  feed.  Some  do  not  intend  keeping  bees  any 
longer  if  they  lose  what  they  have.  I  had  nine  in  the 
autumn,  one  died  during  the  early  spring  of  queenless- 
ness.  The  remaining  eight  are  strong  and  thriving,  and 
work  hard  whenever  they  get  the  chance. — J.  W.  H.' 

Moving  Bees. — '  T  have  lately  removed  from  Cumber- 
land to  Sussex,  almost  from  the  extreme  north  to  the 
extreme  south,  and,  of  course,  I  could  not  leave  my 
favourites,  the  bees,  behind  me.  They  bore  the  journey 
splendidly,  and  now  are  working  in  their  new  home  as 
zealously  as  they  did  in  their  old.  I  fastened  them  in 
very  securely,  putting  perforated  zinc  against  the  en- 
trances of  the  hives,  a  crown-board  screwed  down  on  the 
top,  with  a  hole  for  ventilation  covered  with  perforated 
zinc  ;  and  the  frames,  at  least  all  the  centre  ones,  well 
secured,  so  as  not  to  shift  from  their  places.  The  railway 
guards  took  great  interest  in  them,  handling  the  hives 
gently,  and  putting  them  into  parts  of  their  vans  where 
they  were  least  likely  to  be  disturbed.  My  bees,  of 
course,  gave  me  hardly  any  honey  last  year,  but  I  sent 
them  to  the  moors  in  the  autumn,  and  there  they 
gathered  sufficient  honey  to  last  them  well  through  the 
winter.  They  are  now  very  strong,  and  they  have 
conclusively  proved  the  superioi  ity  of  the  new-fashioned 
method  of  management  to  the  old,  for  my  neighbours  in 
the  north,  who  adhered  to  the  old  method,  lost  all  their 
bees  during  the  past  winter,  whilst  I  lost  none. — An 
Amateur,  April  \2th.' 

Baldorie. — '  Terribly  cold  weather.  The  first  two 
weeks  of  March  we  had  exceptionally  fine  weather : 
everything  offered  well  in  favour  of  bees  and  bee-keepers. 
The  crocuses  well  blown,  and  pea-meal  taken  freely  from 
them  and  the  shaving-basket  almost  every  day  :  but  alas  ! 
at  a  rare  interval,  for  the  scene  has  been  entirely  altered 
for  the  last  three  or  four  weeks,  veny  little  sunshine  with 
.  •  tv  cold  east  wind,  and  I  may  say  almost  continuous 
rain.  The  gooseberries  are  in  full  blossom  hereabout, 
but  no  chance  for  the  bees  to  get  at  tliem  as  long  as  this 
weather  continues.  The  first  humble  queen  I  saw  this 
season  was  on  the  8th  March,  but  have  seen  very  few 
since.  The  first  and  only  queen-wasp  was  on  the  1st 
April,  and  I  took  her  prisoner.  Breeding  is  going  on 
fairish,  but  not  with  the  same  spirit  as  if  the  weather 
had  been  genial ;  but  I  hope  it  will  take  a  change  for  the 
better  ere  long.  If  we  get  another  season  like  last,  sugar 
is  bound  to  rise  tstill  more  in  price. — D.  Ramsay,  Wth 
April.' 

Southwell,  April  20. — 'I  have  wintered  fourteen  hives 
out  of  eighteen,  having  thus  lost  four,  one  of  them  being 
queeuless.  I  am  the  only  one  in  the  parish  of  Southwell 
that  has  any  bees  left  :  they  have  all  paid  the  penalty 
of  letting  them  alone.     I  have  given  in}'  bees  at  least 


22 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[May  1,  1880. 


2  cwt.  of  sugar  during  last  autumn  and  this  spring;  but 
I  am  well  repaid  for  my  trouble  and  expense.  My  bees 
have  lived  entirely  on  sugar  syrup  during  the  winter,  as 
most  of  my  hives  were  entirely  honeyless ;  so  bad  was 
last  season,  that  had  I  not  fed  liberally  I  should  not  have 
had  one  stock  left.  I  trust  the  coming  season  will  cheer 
us  all  up.' — S.  S. 

Warwick,  April  21. — A  Caution  on  Removing  Bees 
Short  Distances. — '  I  was  obliged  to  remove  my  bees  at 
Lady  day,  and  as  the  distance  was  not  far,  and  un- 
fortunately for  them  the  day  following  was  about  the 
brightest  day  we  have  had,  causing  a  serious  loss  to  some 
of  them  through  their  flying  back,  otherwise  they  win- 
tered tolerably  well,  and  no  loss  of  stocks.' — G.  F.  P. 

Frampton,  Boston,  Lincolnshire. — '  My  fourteen  stocks  of 
bees  appear  strong  and  in  a  good  and  healthy  condition, 
ready  and  willing  to  work  at  sunshine  amongst  my  crocuses 
and  white  arabis,  of  which  I  have  a  good  plot,  eaeli  £ 
which  appears  very  acceptable  to  them.  We  have  had  a 
fairly  good  March  for  bees — dry  up  to  last  week.  April 
comes  in  rainy,  and  prevents  the  bees  foraging  at  present , 
but  they  are  ready  to  migrate  in  search  of  food  as  soon 
as  sunsliine  may  appear.  In  hopes  of  having-  a  better 
harvest  of  honey  in  future.' — Jas.  Lighton. 

Shifnal. — '  Thanks  for  information  derived  from  your 
Bee  Journal.  My  three  stocks  of  bees  are  all  now 
breeding  nicely,  owing,  without  doubt  to  following  the 
advice  given  by  you, — in  re  feeding.  The  "  grand- 
mother's" plan  has  not  answered  well  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood during  the  last  twelve  months,  as  I  have  not 
any  hesitation  in  saying  that  from  eighty  to  ninety  ]  <t 
cent,  kept  and  treated  on  that  system  are  now  defunct.' — 
M.R.C.V.S. 

Harrogate. — '  I  have  one  stock  left  in  the  wooden  hive 
obtained  from  you.  A  few  are  left  in  a  straw  hive.  I 
was  speaking  yesterday  to  the  man  from  whom  I  bought 
my  first  lot  three  years  ago,  and  he  says  he  has  lost  nine 
hives  this  winter :  in  fact,  he  has  not  one  left,  and  the 
same  is  the  case  with  others  round  about.  My  bees  were 
busy  during  the  fine  part  of  the  last  few  days,  bringing 
in  whatever  they  could  find.' — H.  P.  J. 

Bodmin. — '  Bees  in  these  parts  will  be  rare  this  season, 
few  stocks  having  survived  this  unusually  cold  winter. 
Last  autumn  there  was  little  or  no  hone}',  and  as  few 
fed  their  bees,  the  result  is  not  to  be  wondered  at.  One 
man  with  seventeen  stocks  last  autumn  has  four  weak 
ones  this  spring ;  and  he  is  better  off  than  many  of  his 
neighbours.  My  own,  I  am  glad  to  say,  are  doing  well ; 
and  already  I  have  found  that  there  is  a  good  supply  of 
young  bees.  Spring  flowers — crocus,  gorse,  snowdrops, 
&c,  are  plentiful,  and  the  bees  are  hard  at  work  at  them.' 
— F.  C.  G. 

Dumfries,  N.B. — 'I  have  the  pleasure  to  state  that 
my  bees  (eight  stocks)  are  all  in  very  good  condition  at 
this  season,  and  promise  an  early  increase.  The  queens 
began  to  deposit  eggs  in  the  cells  at  the  beginning  of 
February,  and  on  the  5th  and  7th  I  noticed  worker- 
coming  in  with  white  pollen.  The  number  so  working  i 
increasing  every  fine  day.  In  order  if  possible  to  secure 
the  combs  againsl  damp  or  mould  during  winter,  I 
placed  each  hive  on  an  eke,  about  three  inches  deep,  at 
the  close  of  October ;  and  it  seems  to  me  the  care  is 
likely  to  be  well  rewarded,  as  they  are  quite  clean  and 
free  from  disease  of  any  kind.  They  are  also  all  very 
populous,  several  almost  bursting  with  bees — thanks  to  a 
liberal  supply  of  sugar  syrup,  from  21st  June  1  i  11 
8th  August  last  year,  and  to  slow  feeding  till  the  close 
of  October.  I  obtained  two  swarms  of  pure  Ligurians 
in  June  lasl  year,  which  did  as  well  as  bees  could  be  ex- 
pected to  do  in  such  a  bad  season,  and  with  a  good  year 
to  come,  as  is  forecast  by  Borne,  they  will  well  repay  me. 
I  have  heard  of  great  mortality  and  the  loss  of  stocks  in 
this  neighbourhood,  Imt  chiefly  where  the  let-alone  prin- 
ciple— the    most    common     in    this    country — prevails. 


Hoping  we  shall  reap  one  hundred  fold  this  year  to  repay 
what  we  sowed  in  1879.' — John  Hume. 

Via  Canterbury. — '  I  wish  to  discontinue  taking  the 
Bee  Journal  (at  any  rate  for  the  present).  I  have  spent 
man}-  pounds  on  the  bees,  to  say  nothing  about  the  hours 
each  day  given  to  their  attention,  and  now  I  have  only 
twelve  hives  left.  It  may  be  all  very  nice  for  corre- 
spondents to  say  they  don't  lose  any  of  their  bees,  but  if 
I  do  not  read  any  publication  on  this  subject  for  a  time  I 
shall  not  be  annoyed  from  that  source.  I  am  giving  each 
hive  |  lb.  food  per  week.  I  have  thirty  large  American 
currant  trees  which  have  been  in  full  blossom,  besides 
double  that  number  of  gooseberry  well  stocked  for  fruit, 
and  my  garden  is  white  with  plum,  cherry,  and  other 
blossoms — yet  I  have  lost  three  hives  within  this  last 
week.  I  examined  one  of  them4aat^yening,  and  found 
worker  brood  in  every  stage,  with  some  pollen  at  places 
in  the  hive.  If  this  state  of  things  goes  on  much  longer, 
there  will  not  be  a  bee  in  this  district.' — A.  F. 

[Losing  three  hives  within  a  week  during  such  lovely 
spring  weather  does  not  evidence  the  close  daily  atten- 
tion reported  in  the  foregoing.  With  brood  in  all  stages, 
stocks  ought  not  to  be  allowed  to  slip  through  one's  fingers ; 
and  had  they  been  really  attended  to  they  could  not  nave 
been  lost.  The  reason  given  for  discontinuing  the  Journal 
appears  somewhat  singular. — Ed.] 

'  There  is  a  village  twelve  miles  from  here,  where  all  the 
bees'  are  dead  this  winter.  I  heard  of  none  being  dead  in 
tli is  district.  Thanks  to  your  Journal,  fo»I  send  it  to 
most  of  the  bee-keepers  round  here  to  read  it.  We  lost 
aost  of  the  bees  in  this  district  in  the  winter  of  1877. — 
Sidney  Roebuck,  7  Holidays  Park,  Selkirk,  N.  B.' 

Retford. — '  It  h,  I  believe,  usually  asserted  that  bees 
gather  only  one  description  of  pollen  on  the  same  journey. 
To-day  I  noticed  a  bee  returning  to  her  hive  having  on 
each  thigh  two  balls  of  pollen  of  different  colours.  Is 
not  this  very  uncommon  ?' — T.  B.  G. 

Horsham. — '  This  is  indeed  a  splendid  spring  for  bees. 
I  have  furnished  some  of  the  cottagers  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood with  bees,  as  they  have  lost  nearly  every  hive 
round  about  here,  and  I  think  I  shall  have  to  start  many 
more,  as  they  have  not  the  capital  to  purchase  bees,  so  I 
intend  to  increase  my  stocks  as  much  as  I  can 
Mespilus  Canadense  is  in  fidl  bloom,  and  the  bees  are 
very  busy  on  it.'— T.  W.  C. 

$M  anb  Jkplics. 

Query  No.  334. — Artificial  Swarming.  The  Thermo- 
meter.— There  is  always  some  risk  attending  the  opera- 
tion of  artificial  swarming  with  closed  hives,  but  I  think 
the  following  methods,  which,  I  believe,  are  new,  would 
reduce  the  chance  of  failure  to  a  minimum.  I  should  be 
glad  of  your  opinion  as  to  which  way  would  be  most 
likely  to  succeed. 

(1.)  In  fine,  settled  weather  stop  up  the  hole  of  a 
stock  at  night  with  perforated  zinc.  Next  day,  if  fine, 
drive  all  the  bees  into  an  empty  hive,  and  move  it  to 
a  distance,  putting  the  old  hive  on  the  old  stand.  I 
think  sufficient  bees  would  soon  go  back  to  stock  the 
old  hive.  The  chief  risk  would  be  that  the  brood  might 
be  chilled  before  the  bees  went  back,  and  those  that 
returned  would  he  chiefly  old  ones,  and,  according  to 
your  theory,  might  not  raise  a  queen,  but  there  would 
be  the  advantage  of  most  of  the  drones  going  back.  If 
the  swarm  is  found  to  be  too  light  at  night,  change  it 
with  the  old  stock. 

(2.)  In  the  middle  of  a  fine  day,  when  the  bees  are 
Hying,  drive  all  the  bees  from  a  stock  and  move  them  to 
a  distance,  putting  the  stock  on  the  old  stand  to  receive 
the  flying  bees.  There  will  not  be  many  bees  in  the 
swarm,  as  some  will  leave  it,  but  at  night  change  it  with 
the  stock.     The  swarm  would  have  both  old  and  young 


May  1,  1880.] 


THE  BEITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


23 


bees,  as  in  natural  swarming,  and  the  old  hive  would 
probably  not  swarm  again. 

(3.)  As  a  sign  of  swarming,  I  think  more  use  might 
be  made  of  the  thermometer,  if  Nutt's  statements  be 
correct.  He  says  that  the  normal  temperature  of  a  pros- 
perous hive  is  about  80  degrees,  but  that  before  swarming 
it  rises  to  100  degrees  and  upwards.  If  this  be  so  it 
would  be  a  useful  indication  of  the  time  when  a  stock 
requires  more  room  to  prevent  swarming;  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  it  would  be  a  great  relief  for  a  business  man 
to  know  that  he  need  not  fear  a  swarm  leaving  in  his 
absence,  if  the  temperature  were  below  that  point.  If 
any  of  your  subscribers  could  give  statistics  on  this  point, 
I  thinklt  would  be  of  much  use.  About  eight  or  nine 
at  night  would  be  a  good  time  to  take  observations,  as 
the  bees  would  be  all  at  home,  and  the  heat  of  the  sun 
would  not  influence  the  hive. 

Lastly,  I  shall  be  obliged  if  you  can  tell  me  which  of 
your  sectional  supers  are  best  suited  to  a  Stewarton 
hive  ?  whether  it  is  not  necessary  to  separate  the  boxes 
of  a  Renfrewshire  Stewarton  in  order  to  find  the  queen? 
and  if  the  wired  flat  foundation  will  compel  the  bees  to 
build  worker  comb  ? — Delta,  Yorka. 

Reply  to  Queey  No.  334. — (1.)  There  would  not  be  any 
risk  in  artificial  swarming  if  those  essaying  it  would 
follow  the  lead  we  have  so  often  given.  A  hive  to  be 
swarmed  should  be  in  swarming  condition,  i.  e.  there 
should  be  a  large  surplus  population,  plenty  of  worker 
brood,  a  fair  supply  of  honey  within  and  without,  and 
fine  weather.  Stopping  up  the  entrance  of  a  hive  in 
swarming  condition  for  a  night  would  probably  cause 
suffocating  heat,  and  the  collapse  of  the  combs  through 
the  frantic  efforts  of  the  bees  to  get  out.  Putting  the 
old  hive  on  the  old  stand  would  ruin  the  swarm,  sis  the 
chief  of  the  bees  would  desert  it  and  go  back.  If  the 
weather  were  fine  the  brood  woidd  not  be  injured  by  an 
hour's  desertion,  and  if  the  hive  were  in  swarming  con- 
dition young  bees  would  be  hatching  out  at  the  rate  of 
near  2000  per  day,  so  queen-raising  would  soon  be  com- 
menced. The  drones  would  go  back  of  their  own  accord 
when  theyf ound  they  were  unwelcome  in  the  hive  with  the 
swarm.  Changing  places — hive  with  swarm — would  be 
but  a  sorry  corrective  to  an  ill-arranaged  operation. 

(2.)  The  objection  to  proceeding  as  per  No.  2  lies 
in  the  fact  that  after  the  swarm  (consisting  of  all  the 
bees)  had  been  taken  out,  the  old  stock  hive,  though 
replaced  on  its  stand,  would  at  evening  have  no  bees 
in  it  but  the  flying  bees,  and  the  young  ones  that  had 
hatched  during  the  afternoon ;  and  next  day  those  that 
had  flown  would  fly  again  and  join  the  swarm  on  the 
old  stand  as  you  suggest.  There  would  then  be  less  than 
a  full  day's  hatch  of  young  bees  left  in  the  old  stock, 
and  though  they  might  (in  fine  weather)  hatch  out  the 
brood  and  raise  a  queen,  we  agree  that  they  would  not 
be  likely  to  swarm  again  in  the  same  season. 

(3.)  If  the  rise  in  temperature  were  gradual,  as  is  the 
increase  of  bees,  and  the  maximum  insured  the  issuing 
forth  of  a  swarm,  a  thermometer  would  be  a  sure  guide  ; 
but  ordinarily,  when  a  hive  gets  too  hot  the  bees  go 
into  the  verandah,  or  elsewhere  outside,  if  the}'  are 
not  confined  as  suggested  in  the  first  query.  The  rise  of 
temperature  alluded  to  is  consequent  on  the  determina- 
tion to  swarm,  when  instead  of  going  out  to  work  the 
bees  rush  in  thousands  to  the  honey  cells  to  load  them- 
selves with  honey,  the  whole  proceeding  often  lasting  not 
more  than  an  hour.  At  night,  when  in  swarming  con- 
dition, the  bees,  though  at  home,  are  often  'lounging' 
outside  to  prevent  high  temperature,  so  the  thermometer 
would  be  of  little  use  as  an  indicator  at  that  time. 

All  sectional  supers  are  as  applicable  to  a  Stewarton  hive 
as  to  any  other,  but  it  may  be  more  convenient  to  use  a 
square  adapting-board  than  to  place  them  on  the  octagon- 
shaped  hive.  Sections,  G  inches  by  2,  and  4  or  5  inches  high 
would  come  in  nicely,  but  they  can  be  made  of  any  size 
or  shape.     It  is  often  necessary  to  remove  upper  sections 


of  a  Stewarton  or  other  storifying  hive  to  enable  one  to 
capture  a  queen,  and  this  is  by  many  held  to  be  an  ob- 
jection to  their  use.  Foundation  worker-comb  will  not 
compel  the  bees  to  build  worker  cells  if  they  need  drones, 
but  otherwise  they  are  almost  sure  to  do  so. — Ed. 

Query  No.  335. — 1.  How  am  I  to  avoid  crushing  bees 
in  closing  the  observatory  hive  I  pur-chased  from  Abbott 
Bros  ?  The  bees  rim  all  over  the  wood-work,  and  in 
shutting  the  door  many  are  sacrificed,  2.  One  of  my 
stocks  died  recently,  and  on  examination  I  found  some 
brood  in  worker-cells  capped  like  drone-cells,  a  queen 
with  a  moderate  quantity  of  workers,  some  queen-cells, 
one  of  them  sealed,  in  which  was  a  queen.  Am  I  right 
in  concluding  that  the  original  queen  had  died  in  the 
winter,  and  that  the  new  one  was  only  a  drone-pro- 
ducer ?  3.  In  spite  of  the  severity  of  the  winter,  I  find 
that  my  stocks  in  your  Makeshift  hives  standing  in  the 
rpen  are  stronger  than  my  other  stocks  which  are  in  a 
bee-house,  and  in  other  respects  in  a  much  more  sheltered 
position.  Does  not  this  go  far  to  prove  that  neither 
double  walls  nor  even  thick  walls  are  necessary  in  this 
country  ?  4.  Seeing  that  the  bees,  at  a  great  cost  of 
time  and  labour,  most  carefully  propolise  the  quilt  at 
the  beginning  of  the  breeding  season,  and  thus  make  it 
no  longer  serviceable  for  carrying  off  the  vapours  of  the 
hive,  would  it  not  be  advisable  to  remove  it  then,  and 
substitute  crown-boards  until  the  time  for  supering, 
retaining  the  quilt  in  the  autumn  and  winter  ? — T.  B.  G. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  335. — 1.  When  it  is  necessary  to 
open  the  observatory  door,  which  ought  to  be  very 
seldom,  a  little  care  is  required  on  closing  it.  In  doing 
this  we  place  a  slip  of  wood  a  full  eighth  of  an  inch  thick 
(a  thin  pencil  will  do)  in  the  joint,  near  the  hinged  part, 
at  top  and  bottom,  and  gradually  slide  them  towards  the 
other  side  of  the  observatory,  closing  the  door  upon 
them  as  they  are  moved.  By  doing  this  no  bees  can  get 
in  the  crack  between  the  '  pencils  '  and  the  hinged  side, 
and  the  bees  will  be  pushed  out  of  the  way  as  the  pencils 
are  moved,  and  the  door  can  be  finally  closed  without 
hurting  a  bee.  2.  The  reason  suggested  is  a  highly  pro- 
bable one ;  we  presume  the  queen  found  in  the  cell  was 
a  dead  one.  Drones  in  queen-cells  do  not  come  to 
maturity,  and  the  bees  often  do  not  unseal  them  for 
many  days;  the  queen  never.  3.  Our  theory  on  thin 
versus  thick  walls  is  that  if  there  is  an  empty  comb  next 
inside  the  hive  wall,  the  thin  wall  is  as  good  as  the  thick 
one,  to  say  the  least  of  it.  4.  Unless  the  crown-board 
were  kept  a  quarter  of  an  inch  above  the  frames,  the  bees 
would  propolise  it  worse  than  they  do  the  quilt,  and  if  it 
be  so  kept  up  the  loss  of  heat  from  the  brood-nest  would  be 
very  great.    The  quilt  appears  to  be  the  lesser  evil. — Ed. 


NOTICES  TO  CORRESPONDENTS  &  INQUIRERS. 

Second-hand  Hivks. — So  long  ago  as  September,  1873, 
vide  Journal,  we  cautioned  readers  against  the  use  of 
second-hand  hives  as  follows : — '  Second-hand  hives  are 
useful  as  patterns,  but  we  should  be  sorry  to  place  bees 
in  one  unless  we  had  either  boiled  or  baked  jt  to  insure 
(die  destruction  of  vermin  and  the  germs  of  all  disease ;' 
and  we  have  not  altered  our  opinion  of  the  danger 
attending  their  promiscuous  use.  Thoroughly  cleansed 
and  disinfected,  second-hand  hives  are  as  good  as  new 
ones  as  far  as  the  bees  are  concerned,  and  being  a  drug 
in  the  market,  they  may  be  had  for  a  mere  song. 
This  was  practically  proved  at  the  sale  (?)  which  took 
place  here  a  short  time  since  when  25s.  hive3  realised 
5s.  each  :  and  many  of  equal  value  originally  found  no 
bidders  at  all. 

EXCHANGE  Column. — Want  of  time  and  space  prevent 
our  opening  an  Exchange  Column  in  these  pages. 
Those  who  need  such  accommodation  should  apply  to 
the  obliging  Editors  of  the  Bazaar,  Exchange  and 
Mart.  82  Wellington  Street,  Strand,  whose  charges  are 
very  moderate,  and  the  arrangements  perfect. 


ADVERTISEMENTS  TO  THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL.  [May  1,  1880. 


SUBSCRIBERS'   COLUMN. 


To  meet  the  wants  of  Subscribers  who  require  a  cheap 
mode  of  advertising  their  wants,  we  have  opened  an 
Advertising  Column,  for  non-trading  Subscribers  only, 
wherein  they  may  make  their  wants  or  ivishes  knoivn 
at  the  rate  of  One  Penny  for  every  six  words,  or  part 
of  six  toords,  but  no  advertisement  must  contain  more 
than  thirty-six  words. 

Stamps  to  accompany  in  all  cases,  and  there  can  be  no 
reduction  for  repetitions. 


F 


OR  SALE.— Vol.  III.  of  British  Bee  Journal,  complete. 
"Unbound,  4s.     Letters  to  Editor. 


ANGSTROTH  on  '  The  Hive  and  Honey  Bee.'     9s. 
J    Free.    Letters  to  the  Editor.  fo.  101 


Q 


UINBY  on  '  The  Mysteries  of  the  Bee-hive,' 
Free.    Letters  to  the  Editor. 


F 


OR  SALE.— Nos.  2,  3,  4,  8,  and  10,  of  B.  B.  Journal, 
Is.  each.     Apply  to  the  Editor.  fo.  104 


Y 


YOL.  II.  B.  B.  Journal,  minus  May  and  Aug.  Nos. H  3s. 
Office  of  Journal.  fo.  106 


"NDEX,  Vol.  I.     Price  6d.    Apply  to  Editor. 


fo.  100 


ROYAL  FOREST,  improved  Straw  Hive,  cane-worked, 
straight  at  sides,  centre  lathe  turned,  feeding  and 
supering  hole,  oak  hoop  at  bottom.  If  you  want  strong 
colonies,  good  swarms,  and  hives  to  last  many  years,  try 
them.  Price  3s.  9d.  each,  with  new  pattern,  excluder,  and 
quilt.    Isaiah  Gadd,  Wokingham,  Berks.  fo.  14 

QTRAW  SKEPS,  not  quite  new ;  also  Bell-glass  Supers, 
(o     cheap.     Isaiah  Gadd,  Wokingham,  Berks.  fo.  14 

BEE-KEEPERS.— Arthur  Clarke,  Esq.,  Clevedon 
Villa,  Perry  Vale,  Forest  Hill,  S.E.  Mr.  Campbell, 
Messrs.  Carter's  Nurseries,  Forest  Hill,  S.E.  Mr,  Dunn, 
Undertaker,  Cecilia  Cottage,  near  Sidcup.  fo.  9 

COMB  FOUNDATION.— The  best  American, 
as  per  Abbott's  Catalogue.  RAITT'S  FOUNDATION 
at  his  prices,  from  Abbott  Bros.,  Fairlawn,  Southall,  Mid- 
dlesex. 

PRIME  BEES'  WAX  at  Is.  9d.  per  lb.,  in  large 
or  small  quantities.    Address  Abbott  Bros.,  Fairlawn, 
Southall. 


OL.  II.  B.  B.  Journal,  with  Index,  minus  the  No.  for 
May,  5s.     Office  of  Journal.  fo.  105 


VOL.  I.  B.  B.  Journal,  very  scarce,  30s.    Apply  to  Editor. 
fo.  104 

SEND  Two  Stamps  for  Abbott  Bros'.  Catalogue.   Southall, 
Middlesex. 

PRIME  Swarms  of  British  and  Hybrid  Bees  for  Spring 
delivery,  at  18s.  2s.  returned  if  the  box  be  returned. 
Address  Geo.  Reynolds,  St.  Mary's  Street,  Eynesbury, 
St.  Neots.        fo.  43 

FOR  SALE. —  Two  Stewarton  Hives:  one  square,  four 
body-boxes,  and  one  octagon,  three  body-boxes  ;  all 
complete,  with  supers,  floor-boards,  slides,  &c.  Been  once 
used.  Price,  half  cost  —  square,  12s.  6d.  ;  octagon,  16s. 
Forfarshire.     Letters  to  Editor.  fo.  42 

SPLENDID    cane-worked    new    straw   Hives,   flat   top, 
straight  up  at  sides,  lathe-turned  centre  supering-hole, 
thick  oak  hoop  at  bottom.     A  first-class  hive.     Price,  only 
3s.  6<Z.  each.     Write  to  Isaiah  Gadd,  Wokingham,  Berks. 
fo.  14 

WANTED,  soon,  a  strong  swarm  of  Bees  in  exchange 
for  a  new  set  of  the  '  Italian  Anatomy  of  the  Bee,' 
value  21s.  Address  Mr.  Camaschella,  10  Derby  Villas, 
Forest  Hill. 


TO  be  sold  cheap,  thoroughly  well-made,  double-walled 
Cottage  Hives,  complete  ;  also  Abbott's  Little  Wonder, 
and  several  pure  Italian  Queens.  Apply  to  J.  Camaschella, 
10  Derby  Villas,  Forest  Hill. 

COTTAGE  Bar-frame  and  Flat-top   Straw  Hives  (new 
and  nearly   new).      Send   stamp   for  list.      Sami  el 
Simmixs,  Crawley,  Sussex. 

DRY  PUFF  BALL,  for  fumigating  Bees.  Will  render 
them  perfectly  harmless  to  the  comfort  of  the  most 
timid.  Is.  per  packet.  F.  S.  Clutten,  Fressingfield, 
Harleston,  Norfolk.  fo.  32 

TTIOR  SALE. — 12  flat-topped  Straw  Hives,  second  1     I 
I'       Ids. ;  12  Wire-feeders  and  Glasses,  3s.  6d. ;  12  Floor- 
I. i.auls,  6». ;  4  Supers,  is. ;  6  Adapting-boards,  5s. ;  1  Nadu 
Hive,  2s.  ii</.,  all  bought  of  Mr.  Pagdeu.      1  Crystal  Palai 
Hive,   never   been    used,    2/.,    stand   and    glass    complete. 
F.  Cooper,  Bishopstowe,  Lewes,  Sussex. 


28>MMlS>a 

ABBOTT   BROS,    supply   IM- 
PORTED QUEENS  of  Purest  Strain, 
in  May,  at  10s.  6d.  each. 

SWARMS  of  BEES,  headed  by  im- 
ported Queens,  42s.,  free  on  Rail.  Ditto, 
with  English  Queens,  21s.  Small  Swarms, 
with  imported  Queens,  for  Ligurianising, 
25s.  each.  All  Queens  professedly  Ligurian 
are  guaranteed  to  have  been  imported. 
Address  Fairlawn,  Southall,  Middlesex. 


§ritislj  gee -ke^rs'  j|ssoriat'um. 

EXPERTS  WANTED  to  accompany  the  Bee 
Tent  to  Horticultural  and  other  Shows,  conduct 
Manipulations,  and  give  short  and  practical  Lectures  on 
the  best  Methods  of  Bee  Management,  Terms :  10s.  6d. 
per  day,  and  Third  Class  Railway  fare.  Allowance  made 
for  necessaiy  expenses. 

GLASS  HONEY  JARS.— First  Prize  at  South 
Kensington.  1  lb.,  15s.  per  gross  ;  2  lb.,  18s.  per  gross, 
direct  from  the  Works  at  Birmingham.  Address  Abbott 
Bros.,  Southall,  Middlesex. 

VEGETABLE     PARCHMENT    for    Covering 
Glasses  and  Jars  of  Honey,  &c,  2s.  per  lb.     Sample 
Sheet,  id.     Prices  for  larger  quotations  on  application. 
Letters  to  Editor. 

American  Implements  for  the  Apiary. 

GEO.  NEIGHBOUR  &  SONS  have  the 
pleasure  to  announce  that  they  have  received  a 
large  consignment  of  BEE  FURNITURE  from  Messrs. 
T.  G.  Newman  &  Son,  of  Chicago,  which  is  now  on  view. 

The  Collection  consists  of  the  EXCELSIOR  EX- 
TRACTORS, BINGHAM  &  HETHERINGTON'S  UNCAP- 
PING KNIVES,  Improved  LANGSTROTH'S  HIVES  and 
SECTIONAL  SUPERS,  LEWIS'  SECTIONS,  all  in  one 
piece;  BrNGHAM  SMOKERS,  WIRED  WAX  FOUNDA- 
TIONS, which  are  not  liable  to  curl  in  Stock  Hives  ;  THIN 
\\  \\  FOUNDATIONS  for  Supers.  SWISS  WAX  EX- 
TRACTOR, and  NOVICE'S  QUEEN  CAGES;  also  a 
renewed  supply  of  '  Cook's  Manual  of  the  Apiary,'  bound 
in  cloth,  price  5s.;  'Newman's  Bee  Culture,'  Is.  6(2. ;  and 
■  1 1 y  as  Food  aial  Medicine,'  2d.  per'oopy. 

An  inspection  of  the  above  Novelties  is  respectfully  solicited. 
PRICE  LISTS  forwarded  on  application. 


Address  GEO.  NEIGHBOUR  &  SONS, 

14!)  Regent  Street,  and  127  Holborn,  London. 


fo.  28 


THE 


[No.  80.    Vol.  VIII.] 


JUNE,  1880. 


[Published  Monthly.] 


CYPRIAN  AND  HOLY  LAND  BEES. 

At  the  last  moment  we  are  enabled  to  report 
the  safe  arrival  in  England  of  Mr.  D.  A.  Jones 
with  his  first  shipment  of  queens  from  Cyprus 
and  the  Holy  Land.  By  a  telegram  on  the 
26th  we  were  made  aware  of  the  fact,  and  on 
the  27th  we  had  the  pleasure  of  welcoming  that 
most  enthusiastic  and  enterprising  apiarist  at 
Fairlawn.  He  brought  with  him  about  150 
queens  in  his  new  cages ;  and  so  well  had  he  pro- 
vided and  cared  for  them  that  every  one  of  them 
is  safe,  and  those  that  appeared  to  need  a  flight 
will  have  had  it  ere  this  reaches  our  readers. 

His  letter,  which  appears  on  another  page, 
gives  a  feeble  idea  of  the  troubles  he  has  had, 
the  convictions  he  has  arrived  at,  and  the  pre- 
parations he  has  made  for  supplying  Europe 
and  America  with  the  finest  races  of  bees  the 
world  produces.  He  will  leave  England  for 
Canada  about  the  4th  of  this  month,  but  will 
leave  with  us  a  few  of  the  bees  of  both  breeds. 
Mr.  Benton  at  Larnica  is  actively  employed  in 
raising  Cyprian  queens  for  shipment  to  us,  en 
route  to  America;  and  having  'flown,'  and  re- 
packed them,  we  shall  send  them  forward  minus 
such  as  may  from  time  to  time  be  ordered  for 
England  and  the  European  Continent.  Mr.  Jones 
has  constituted  us  sole  agents  for  the  United 
Kingdom,  and  it  will  give  us  much  pleasure 
to  distribute  his  queens  amongst  our  friends. 

The  enormous  expenditure  which  he  has  in- 
curred, to  say  nothing  of  the  personal  suffering 
he  has  borne,  fully  evidenced  by  his  altered 
appearance  since  we  last  saw  him,  but  from 
which,  thanks  to  an  '  iron '  constitution,  he  is 
rapidly  recovering,  will  probably  lender  his 
enterprise  profitless  to  him  in  a  pecuniary  sense 
for  a  long  time  to  come,  but  to  him  will  belong 
all  the  honour  due  to  such  unexampled  skill 
and  personal  pluck.  To  such  a  man  the  idea 
of  failure  never  once  occurred ;  he  determined 
to  do  what  many  others  have  tried  to  do,  and 


pronounced  a  comparatively  hopeless  task,  and 
he  has  fulfilled  his  self-imposed  mission  to  the 
very  letter.  British  bee-keepers  have  now, 
therefore,  an  opportunity  of  acquiring  the 
coveted  Cyprians  of  undoubted  purity  ;  and  we 
shall  have  the  honour  of  breeding  from  the 
first  '  Holy  Bees '  that  have  ever  reached  our 
shores.  Mr.  Benton,  we  are  glad  to  say,  is 
quite  well  and  as  happy  and  busy  as  a  bee 
among  newly-blown  flowers,  and  we  hope  to 
hear  of  his  continued  success. 

"VVe  make  no  apology  for  here  stating  that 
single  queens  of  the  present  importation  will  be 
reserved  by  immediate  application — Cyprians, 
30s.;  'Holy'  bees,  3/.  8s.  In  quantity  here- 
after the  prices  may  be  had  on  application  to 
our  office.  

JUNE. 

Notwithstanding  the  prevalence  of  the  east 
wind  .  during  the  past  month,  the  bees  have 
been  gradually  progressing ;  and  in  sheltered 
situations  have  thrown  off  what  may  fairly  be 
termed  '  early  swarms,'  but  in  exposed  places 
they  are  generally  not  better  off  than  at  the 
end  of  April.  In  the  early  spring-time  the 
genial  weather  permitted  the  development  of 
the  art  of  stimulative  feeding,  and  the  bees, 
under  careful  treatment,  were  enabled  to  re- 
cover from  the  effects  »f  a  protracted  winter ; 
but  the  cold  time  which  usually  visits  us  about 
the  middle  of  May  came  earlier ;  and  the  bees 
in  exposed  situations  received  a  serious  check. 
The  old  foragers  that  had  helped  in  the  nur- 
sery during  the  earliest  breeding,  and  had  aided 
in  maintaining  the  heat  of  the  hive  as  the 
brood-nest  became  gradually  enlarged,  were 
naturally  tempted  forth  to  their  pleasant  labour 
by  the  brilliant  sunlight,  and  in  too  many  in- 
stances never  returned.  Thousands  of  the  all- 
necessary  producers  of  honey  and  heat  were 
untimely  cut  off  by  the  chilling  wind  ;  and,  as 
a  consequence,  the  activity  which  had  given 
such  lively  evidence  of  prosperity  during  April, 
gave  place  to  listlessness  ;  and  the  appearance  of 


26 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[June  1,  1880. 


dead  white  grubs  on  the  alighting-board  showed 
but  too  plainly  the  effect  of  their  loss  upon  the 
hive's  economy.  The  loss  of  heat-producers 
when  recurring  cold  rendered  their  presence 
more  necessary  than  before,  permitted  the 
brood  in  the  outer  parts  of  the  nest  to  become 
chilled  and  die  ;  and  their  bodies  were  cast 
forth  at  the  earliest  opportunity.  And  coupled 
with  this,  there  was  the  usual  effect  produced 
by  loss  of  income  ;  the  hungry  bees  declined  to 
continue  the  pioduction  of  labourers,  for  whom 
there  was  apparently  no  occupation,  and,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  destroyed  them  in  their  cradles, 
and  threw  them  out  at  their  leisure.  As  a 
consequence  of  the  check  which  bees  have 
thus  received,  swarms  which  appeared  im- 
minent at  the  end  of  April  have  been  delayed  ; 
and  supers  that  were  progressing  favourably 
have  been  deserted,  the  bees  having  (as  is  their 
wont)  carried  all  the  unsealed  honey  in  them 
into  their  combs  in  the  hives. 

May  has  been  remarkable  for  the  almost 
total  absence  of  rain.  Except  on  the  morning 
of  the  11th,  when  a  slight  shower  sprinkled 
the  dust,  there  was  not,  in  our  locality,  even 
sufficient  to  form  a  dew-drop.  On  the  20th 
there  was  an  ominous  threatening,  but  no 
rain ;  and  the  atmosphere  continued  dry, 
though  the  wind  had  changed  to  the  west, 
varying  a  little  toward  the  north. 

Our  neighbourhood,  during  the  month,  has 
been  visited  by  a  perfect  plague  of  gnats,  said 
to  be  foreigners,  and  certainly  of  a  different 
race  to  the  old-fashioned  weather  guides ;  for 
their  bite  is  poisonous,  and  far  more  irritating 
in  our  own  experience  than  the  sting  of  the  bee. 
Bee-poison  is  evidently  no  antidote  to  that  of 
the  gnat  of  the  present  day,  or  being  thor- 
oughly inocidated  Avith  it  woidd  give  one  im- 
munity from  the  effect  of  the  gnatly  probe, 
which  we  are  painfully  aware  is  not  the  case. 
Last  year,  about  this  time,  we  were  deploring 
the  dreadful  downpour  of  rain  that  daily 
drenched  the  earth  and  drowned  vegetation ; 
but  this  year  we  should  esteem  a  heavy  rain  a 
blessing.  What  creaAres  of  circumstances  we 
are ;  always  complaining, — '  always  to  be  blest ; ' 
yet  there  is  comfort  in  the  thought  that  what- 
ever the  circumstances  may  be  they  will  surely 
suit  somebody. 

WHAT  TO  DO,  AND  WHEN  AND  HOW 
TO  DO  IT. 

Quieting  Bees. — The  fenr  of  stings  is  one 
of  the  chief  hindrances  to  bee-culture,  yet  under 
proper  treatment,  they  are  comparatively  harm- 
less. The}7  never  volunteer  an  attack,  but  are 
extremely  sensitive  and  easily  provoked,  and 
when  irritated  are  fierce  in  their  defence  of 
their  hive  and  its  belongings.  Away  from 
their  hive  they  arc  as  harmless  a.--  robins,  and 


unless  caught  in  the  dress,  entangled  in  the 
hair,  or  subjected  to  pressure  accidental  or 
otherwise,  they  are  unwilling  to  use  their 
dreaded  weapons  of  defence.  Near  their  homes 
they  are  more  alive  to  interference,  and  unless 
civilised  by  the  habitual  presence  of  man,  are 
sometimes  truculent  in  the  extreme,  and  ready 
to  sting  without  apparent  provocation.  They 
vary  greatly  in  character  in  this  respect ;  but 
all  are  subject  to  an  ascertained  principle,  viz. 
that  when  gorged  with  sweets  they  are  not 
easily  offended,  and  will  not  show  resentment. 
This  fact  is  the  level  used  in  subduing  them, 
and  the  method  adopted  to  bring  it  about,  is ' 
called  'quieting'  them.  It  has  been  discovered 
that  under  the  influence  of  great  fear  they  will 
rush  to  their  hon^y-cells  and  fill  themselves 
therefrom,  as  if  determined  to.  save  all  the 
treasure  they  can,  ere  quitting  their  apparently 
untenable  home,  and  '  frightening  them '  is 
therefore  a  sure  means  of  '  quieting '  them, 
provided  there  be  honey  in  the  hive  of  which 
they  can  readily  partake.  There  are  two 
methods  of  alarming  them  which  are  always 
found  effectual.  One  is  the  violent  jarring  of 
the  hive  and  combs,  and  the  other  the  intro- 
duction of  smoke  amongst  them,  if  the  former 
be  relied  on,  the  entrance  of  the  hive  should  be 
closed  for  a  moment  ere  the  jarring  is  com- 
municated, or  at  the  first  tap  the  sentinels  on 
guard  at  the  entrance  will  rush  out  and  give  a 
hint  '  where  it  hurts,'  which  will  be  likely  to 
frighten  the  offender  instead ;  but  if  confined 
they  will  be  subject  to  the  impulse  described, 
and  will  soon  be  indisposed  to  resent  the  inter- 
ference inflicted  upon  them.  If  smoke  be 
introduced  within  the  hive,  the  sentinels  will 
be  among  the  first  to  feel  its  effects,  and  terror 
overcoming  their  sense  of  duty  they  will  rush 
to  the  cells,  and  having  gorged  to  the  full,  will, 
with  their  comrades,  be  incapable  of  active 
defence,  and,  indeed,  will  scarcely  attempt  to 
take  wing  or  move  from  their  combs,  and  in 
this  condition  may  be  dealt  with  at  will.  In 
frightening  them  with  smoke  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  force  a  little  into  their  hive  ;  if  much 
be  given  it  may  cause  their  partial  suffocation, 
and  render 
their  honev 


them  incapable  of  partaking  of 
and  in  that  condition,  although 
quiet  for  a  time,  the  effect  of  the'smoke  (unless 
any  be  killed  outright)  will  soon  pass  away, 
and  they  will  attack  the  operator  without 
mercy.  Another  cause  of  failure  in  '  quieting  ' 
bees  exhibits  itself  when  a  hive  contains  only 
a  few  open  honey-cells.  If  there  be  10,000 
bees  in  a  hive,  and  only  500  open  cells,  it  would 
take  twenty  minutes  for  the  bees  to  gorge, 
supposing  they  occupied  only  a  minute  each,  for 
only  one  bee  can  feed  from  a  half-empty  cell; 
and  as  waiting  so  long  would  be  tiresome  to 
the  operator,  the  honey  supply  should  be  sup- 


June  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


27 


plemented  by  sprinkling  the  combs  with  syrup, 
so  that  all  the  bees  may  readily  obtain  a  supply 
of  sweets  during  their  first  spasm  of  fear. 

The  amateur  should  therefore  arm  himself 
with  a  means  of  conveying  smoke  into  the  hive, 
and  with  a  bottle  of  syrup  of  thin  consistency 
that  will  not  stick  the  bees  together  should 
they  be  accidentally  wetted  with  it.  Smokers 
of  tobacco  need  only  reverse  their  pipe  and 
blow  through  the  bowl,  directing  the  jet  of 
smoke  into  the  hive-entrance.     One  blast  only 


is  needed,  i.e.  as  much  as  can  be  discharged 
with  one  exhalation  of  the  breath  ;  more  may 
defeat  its  object,  as  previously  explained,  and 
if  the  hive  be  a  skep  it  shoidd  immediately  be 
turned  over,  and  the  syrup  should  be  sprinkled 
on  the  combs  and  bees.  In  turning  over  the 
hive,  care  should  be  taken  that,  the  combs  are 
not  held  sideways,  or  they  might  fall  and  break, 
but  if  kept  perpendicular  they  can  be  inverted 
with  impunity.  The  syrup-bottle  should  be 
fitted  with  a  cork  in  which  a  notch  has  been 
cut  after  the  manner  of  the  vinegar-bottle  at 
an  ancient  oyster-shop,  that  the  syrup  may  be 
spurted  in  drops,  instead  of  poured  in  streams,' 
upon  the  combs  and  bees,  and  it  will  be  seen' 
that  the  bees  will  immediately  begin  to  feast 
upon  it.  If  the  hive  be  a  frame-hive,  the 
crown-caver  should  be  raised  when  the  smoke 
has  been  injected,  and  the  syrup  spurted  be- 
neath. All  the  bees  will  then  get  a  supply, 
and  the  '  quieting '  will  presently  have  been 
effected.  The  gorging  will  be  hastened  if  the 
alarm  be  rendered  constant  by  gently  jarring 
the  hive  and  combs  after  smoking  them,  but  if 
the  former  be  continued  the  bees  will  feel  com- 
pelled to  leave  the  hive,  as  they  do  when  sub- 
jected to  the  process  called  '  driving.' 

Nervous  bee-keepers  should  always  protect 
themselves  with  a  veil  and  gloves.  Precaution 
is  wisdom  exemplified,  prevention  is  better  than 
cure,  and  bees  are  apt  to  teach  the  lesson  in  an 
abrupt  and  painful  fashion. 

Non-smokers  and  anti-tobacconists  may  use 
any  available  means  for  effecting  the  purpose 
intended.  A  roll  of  smouldering  cotton,  rag, 
or  corduroy,  a  piece  of  burning  touch-wood 
(rotten  wood  from  an  old  willow  pollard  is  ex- 
cellent), or  anything  that  will  hold  fire,  and 
not  blaze,  held  near  the  entrance,  and  blown 
into  the  hive,  will  answer  the  purpose,  or 
smoking }  machines    may     be     purchased,     as 


the  catalogue  of  any   hive-manufacturer   will 
show. 

Management  of  Supers. — Supers  are  used 
as  convenient  receptacles  in  which  the  bees, 
having  stored  their  surplus  honey,  it  may  be 
removed  by  the  bee-keeper  without  undue  inter- 
ference with  the  bee-nest  and  its  occupants. 
It  is  well  known  that  in  a  thriving  hive  the 
population  usually  gather  during  the  season  of 
flowers  and  blossoms  considerably  more  honey 
than  they  need  for  their  daily  use,  and  the 
skill  of  man  has  long  been  exercised  in  endea- 
vouring to  discover  the  best  means  by  which 
the  bees  can  be  induced  to  store  it  in  the 
purest  state  in  virgin  comb,  so  that  it  may  be 
free  from  the  suspicion  of  contamination  by 
contact  with  brood,  pollen,  or  old  and  dirty  cells. 
A  super,  as  its  name  implies,  is  used  above  the 
brood-nest,  and  that  position  for  surplus-honey 
receptacles  being  necessitated  by  the  shape  of 
the  old-fashioned  skep  with  its  central  crown- 
hole,  has  generally  been  adopted,  and  is  usually 
relied  on  by  English  bee-keepers  as  the  best 
for  the  purpose.  Our  object  here  is  not  to 
prove  that  this  assumption  is  incorrect,  though 
we  think  it  a  debateable  one,  but  rather  to  offer 
a  few  suggestions  to  aid  the  amateur  in  attaining 
the  end  in  view,  by  showing  the  conditions  under 
which  the  bees  will  be  most  likely  to  take  pos- 
session of  the  supers,  and  fill  them  with  the 
coveted  nectar.  A  hive  in  spring,  while  breed- 
ing rapidly  furnishes  full  employment  for  every 
living  bee  that  it  contains,  some  acting  as 
(foragers  during  fair  weather,  others  as  nurses 
continually,  and  the  whole  as  heat-producers 
at  night,  and  when  the  weather  will  not  permit 
them  to  go  abroad  in  search  of  honey  and 
pollen.  During  these  early  days  of  increase  in 
numbers  every  precaution  should  be  taken  by 
the  bee-keeper  to  economise  the  heat  generated 
in  the  brood-nest,  for  with  bees  heat  is  life, 
and  the  adoption  of  any  measures  that  may 
tend  to  lessen  it  will  be  injurious.  At  such  a 
time  giving  super  space  above  the  brood-nest 
will  allow  the  heat  to  escape  from  the  latter 
and  be  dispersed  above,  so  that,  instead  of  the 
bees  leaving  it,  and  ascending  to  the  supers, 
their  presence  with  their  brood  will  be  ren- 
dered more  than  ever  necessary,  and  thus  many 
will  be  prevented  from  leaving  the  hive  in 
search  of  provender.  Too  early  supering  will 
therefore  be  mischievous,  as  instead  of  offering 
facilities  for  profitable  labour,  it  will  often 
retard  it  by  necessitating  the  presence  of  the 
bees  at  home.  When,  however,  the  number  of 
bees  has  increased  so  that  the  army  of  foragers 
are  able  to  bring  home  more  honey  than  is  re- 
quired for  the  daily  wants  of  the  brood,  and  they 
are  storing  the  excess  in  the  body  of  the  hive, 
which  may  be  easily  ascertained  in  a  moveable 
comb-hive  by  actual  examination,  super  space 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[June  1,  1880. 


should  at  once  be  given.  The  bees,  by  storing 
their  surplus  in  the  cells  newly  vacated  by  the 
brood,  would  be  curtailing  the  boundaries  of  the 
queen's  dominion,  and  preventing  the  deposi- 
tion of  eggs,  a  proceeding  that  would  shortly 
reduce  the  population,  for  the  great  labour  vof 
honey  gathering  wastes  them  very  rapidly,  and 
the  supply  of  young  bees  being  prevented  the 
numbers  would  perceptibly  decrease.  In  hives 
having  only  a  central  toj)-hole,  the  supers  can- 
not well  be  put  anywhere  but  above  it ;  but  in 
frame-hives  where  their  position  can  be  deter- 
mined at  will,  we  woidd  advise  that  they  be 
put  towards  the  back,  the  entrance  to  them 
being  towards  the  rear  of  the  centre,  or  to  the 
right  and  left  rear  of  the  brood-nest.  It  is  an 
axiom  in  bee-culture  that  bees  store  their  honey 
at  the  farthest  point  (or  points)  from  the 
hive's  entrance,  evidently  from  instinctive 
secretiveness,  as  cautious  men  put  their  trea- 
sure where  it  appears  least  likely  to  be  stolen, 
and  it  is  therefore  evident  that  the  entrances  to 
supers  should  be  made  with  due  regard  thereto. 
Giving  access  to  supers  near  the  entrance  of  a 
hive,  to  facilitate  the  storing  of  honey,  is  often 
fatal  to  the  intention :  it  seems  '  convenient 
for  the  bees,'  but  they  prefer  hiding  it  away 
beyond  the  brood-nest.  The  entrances  to 
supers  being  to  the  rear  of  the  brood-nest  pre- 
vents the  rapid  loss  of  heat  from  the  latter, 
which  has  been  hereinbefore  deprecated,  and 
provided  they  be  well  wrapped  up  the  danger 
attending  their  early  imposition  will  be  consi- 
derably reduced.  Supers  placed  over  the  brood- 
nest  often  offer  a  tempting  field  for  queenly 
incursion,  and  unless  prevented  there  is  danger 
that  brood  may  be  raised  in  the  new  combs 
built  in  them — a  misfortune  that  will  spoil  them 
for  exhibition  or  sale.  Interposing  Abbotts' 
Excluder  Zinc  will  bar  the  passage  of  the  queen 
and  drones,  and  she  being  kept  out,  there  will 
be  but  slight  probability  of  the  cells  being  used 
for  the  storage  of  pollen,  though  this  latter 
vexation  may  happen  when  access  to  the  supers 
is  given  in  front  of  the  brood-nest.  On  skeps 
with  central  hole,  a  piece  of  the  excluder  zinc 
can  be  readily  fixed  with  a  few  hair-pins,  and 
will  be  easily  removeable ;  but  on  a  frame-hive 


it  is  usually  fitted  to  a  light  wooden  frame  of  a 
5  inch  in  thickness,  the  zinc  being  uppermost 
to  permit  the  bees  more  ready  access  to  the 
supers  at  all  points. 

In  the  height  of  sximmer,  when  honey  is  being 
gathered  freely,  and  excess  of  heat  may  be 
detrimental  to  the  brood-nest,  this  arrangement  I 


is  not  harmful,  and  except  that  it  facilitates 
the  entrance  of  pollen- gatherers  to  the  supers 
cannot  be  complained  of,  but  in  doubtful 
weather  we  would  prefer  to  cover  the  front 
part  with  the  quilt,  and  to  limit  the  entrance 
to  the  supers  to  the  rear. 

When  supers  have  been  placed  on  a  hive, 
they  are  subject  to  vicissitudes  that  may  arise 
through  swarming,  loss  of  queens,  or  changes  of 
weather.  We  bave  many  times  repeated  that 
supering  will  not  prevent  swarming,  but  may 
lessen  its  probability ;  and  it  is  no  uncommon 
thing  for  bees  to  leave  an  almost  completed 
super  and  swarm  out.  This  often  arises  from 
overheating  of  the  hive,  consequent  on  an 
immense  population,  and  because  the  bees  will 
not  permit  ventilation  through  their  honey 
store  (the  supers),  apparently  from  the  convic- 
tion that  what  will  let  out  the  heated  air,  will 
let  in  insect  enemies.  To  lessen  the  chances  of 
swarming  from  this  cause  ventilation  must  be 
given  below,  either  by  widening  the  entrance- 
way,  or  by  raising  the  hive  bodily  from  the 
floor-board.  In  hives  with  legs,  the  same  result 
will  be  attained  by  lowering  the  floor-board ; 
but  in  neither  case  should  this  means  of  venti- 
lation be  continued  if  cold  or  wet  weather 
causes  a  cessation  of  the  honey-yield,  or  with 
such  extensive  openings  robbing  might  be 
invited,  and  once  begim,  would  probably  spread 
throughout  the  apiary  with  disastrous  results. 
In  treating  of  supers  we  are  supposing  that 
those  only  are  used  which  are  composed  of 
sections  such  as  are  general  in  the  honey-mar- 
ket, as  illustrated;  the  old-fashioned  bell-glasses 


■BUf-SC" 

HiXj52J^!i 

ilfflP*^ 

?l;.ii^  =  —    " 

WH 

jp7pl 

if  I 

If1'! 

being  expensive  luxuries,  difficult  to  get  filled, 

and  only  fit  to  be  looked  at  afterwards,  they 

being    unsaleable   at 

show  and  market,  and 

'  messy  '    affairs    for 

table     use,     whereas 

sectional    supers   can 

be    readily    taken   a- 

part,  and  the  sections 

packed  separately  for 

sale  or  exhibition,  or  brought  out  singly  for  use 

on  the  breakfast-table. 

When  such  supers  are  filling  nicely,  and  a 
sudden  change  of  weather  cuts  off  the  honey 


June  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


29 


supply  from  "without,  the  bees  will  at  once 
begin  to  carry  down  the  unsealed  honey  for  use 
within  the  hive,  but  they  will  not  interfere 
with  that  which  is  sealed  unless  they  have  posi- 
tive need  of  it.  Should  the  latter  occur,  it 
would  be  well  to  remove  the  supers,  and  feed 
the  bees  until  a  return  of  the  honey-yield 
warrants  the  replacement  of  those  uncom- 
pleted. In  the  meantime,  every  section  that 
has  been  sealed  out  shoidd  be  removed,  and 
packed  away  for  sale  or  exhibition,  and  the 
incomplete  formed  into  a  set  for  future  trial, 
though  after  a  severe  check  such  as  has  been 
herein  anticipated,  their  filling  out  is  proble- 
matical except  where  second  and  late  harvests 
are  the  rule. 

Many  bee-keepers,  however,  do  not  dream  of 
putting  on  their  supers  until  swarming  has 
taken  place,  and  with  such  the  question  is,  How 
soon  shall  it  be  done?  Replying,  we  would 
say  that  considering  the  bulk  of  the  population 
will  have  departed  to  form  the  swarm,  giving 
additional  space  immediately  will  scarcely  seem 
wise,  for  there  will  be  a  vast  quantity  of  eggs 
and  brood  requiring  protection,  and  a  cold 
change  of  weather  may  do  much  mischief ; 
nevertheless,  there  may  be  instances  when  the 
heat  of  the  weather  and  the  numbers  left  in  the 
hive  will  warrant  that  proceeding.  We,  how- 
ever, would,  as  a  ride,  wait  for  a  few  days 
until  the  young  bees,  hatching  at  the  rate  of 
2000  to  3000  per  day,  had  recuperated  the 
population,  and  then  the  supers  may  be  put  on 
with  impunity.  Taking  the  average  of  eggs 
laid  by  the  queen  prior  to  swarming  to  be  2000 
per  day,  and  that  it  takes  three  days  for  the 
eggs  to  become  larvae,  there  will  at  the  time 
of  swarming  be  6000  eggs  in  the  cells,  and  as 
the  larva;  remain  unsealed  for  about  six  days, 
there  will  be  about  12,000  of  them:  and  as  it 
takes  twenty-one  days  nearly  for  the  perfect 
hatching  of  bees,  there  will  be  about  twelve 
days'  production  of  eggs  in  the  more  advanced, 
or  sealed  condition,  and  these  may  be  estimated 
at  24,000,  or  a  grand  total  of  say  40,000  bees 
which,  if  all  goes  well,  will  hatch  out  of  the 
cells  within  twenty-one  days  after  the  swarm 
has  issued.  Now,  considering  that  immediately 
the  queen  has  left  the  hive  with  the  swarm,  the 
production  of  eggs  wdl  cease,  and  that  on 
every  day  two  thousand  of  the  sealed  brood 
will  be  hatching  out,  while  the  same  number 
of  larva)  will  naturally  have  been  sealed  up, 
and  will  not  need  to  be  fed,  it  will  be  evident 
that  the  18,000  eggs  and  larva)  will  have  been 
changed  into  sealed  brood  within  about  nine 
days  after  the  swarm  has  left,  and  there  being 
then  no  brood  (save  that  of  drones)  to  attend 
to,  the  whole  mass  of  bees  will  be  at  liberty  to 
gather  and  store  surplus  honey,  and  if  the 
weather  and  surroundings  be  favourable,  the 


quantity  they  would  gather  before  a  young 
queen  brought  again  upon  them  the  stay-at- 
home  duty  of  nurses  would  be  simply  enormous. 
A  consideration  of  these  points  will  suggest 
to  the  true  bee-culturist  the  propriety  of  pre- 
venting the  production  of  excessive  quantities 
of  brood  during  the  height  of  the  honey  season, 
a  subject  we  have  touched  upon  in  former 
volumes,  and  have  had  in  view  in  the  gradual 
changes  we  have  been  permitted  to  effect  in 
the  construction  of  hives.  Looking  also  at 
the  facilities  that  will  be  offered  when  comb- 
foundation,  which  the  bees  cannot  tunnel 
through,  shall  have  been  perfected,  as  we 
have  every  confidence  it  soon  will  be,  we 
see  no  difficulty  in  the  way  of  confining  the 
queen  to  a  portion  of  a  hive,  and  enforcing 
a  rest  from  her  labour  that  may  be  bene- 
ficial in  promoting  a  later  production  of  brood. 
On  this,  however,  we  must  enlarge  at  another 
opportunity. 

Ligurian  Queens  and  Aged  Bees. — Upon 
discovering  a  stock  to  be  queenless,  the  usual 
course  with  unthinking  bee-keepers  is  to  take 
advantage  of  the  opportunity  for  introducing  a 
Ligurian  queen,  but  we  have  many  times  shown 
that  the  aged  bees  of  queenless  stocks  have  not 
the  power  (or  the  will)  to  perform  the  duties  of 
nurses,  and  as  a  consequence  brood  is  very 
slowly  produced,  if  at  all.  Under  these  cir- 
cumstances the  poor  queen,  from  whom  such 
great  expectations  were  entertained,  is  unable 
to  exhibit  her  powers  of  oviposition;  and  the  s/ 
bee-keeper,  under  a  feeling  of  disappointment, 
denoimces  her  as  '  a  fraud,'  and  the  advantages 
claimed  for  Ligurians  a  delusion.  If  it  is 
intended  to  ligurianise  by  the  introduction  of  a 
queen,  she  shoidd  be  united  to  a  thriving  colony, 
and  the  queen  of  the  latter  transferred  to  the 
queenless  colony.  The  Ligurian  will  then  have 
full  scope  for  the  display  of  her  powers,  and  in 
ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a  hundred  will  give 
satisfaction. 

Transferring  Queens  from  Breeding 
Stocks. — It  is  often  desirable  to  exchange  lay- 
ing queens  from  one  colony  to  another,  a  pro- 
ceeding that  often  causesloss  and  disappointment. 
When  a  queen  charged  with  eggs  is  suddenly 
removed  from  a  hive  and  placed  in  a  cage,  the 
sudden  change  stops  her  power  of  oviposition, 
and,  as  may  be  imagined  by  those  who  will  take 
the  trouble  to  'think'  on  the  subject,  her  sys- 
tem soon  becomes  disorganized,  and  she  dies, 
through  being  surcharged  with  ova.  If,  how- 
ever, she  be  confined  for  a  day  in  a  small  hive 
or  box  containing  comb  and  bees  (an  ordinary 
travelling  queen-box  will  do),  she  will  quickly 
accommodate  herself  to  the  change,  and  may 
then  be  caged  without  any  danger  from  the 
cause  in  question. 


30 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[June  1,  1880. 


THE  CYPRIANS  AND  'HOLY'  BEES. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  28th  ult.,  these  bees 
were  allowed  their  first  flight  in  England,  and, 
whatever  doubt  had  existed  as  to  their  true 
nature,  through  our  never  having  seen  the  pure 
natives,  was  at  once  dispelled.  Though  imported 
without  a  vestige  of  comb  (except  in  six  of  the 
cages),  the  bees  on  being  liberated  were  in  a 
few  minutes  thick  upon  the  flowers,  the  hairy 
immigrants  from  Jaffa  and  Beyrout  being  par- 
ticularly interesting  from  their  quick  darting 
movements.  The  extreme  beauty  of  the 
Cyprians  is  undeniable,  and  they  will  doubtless 
prove  a  most  valuable  acquisition. — Ed.  B.  B.  J. 


LESSONS  IN  BEE-KEEPING. 

Those  of  our  readers  who  wish  to  see  the 
pi-ogress  of  queen-raising  from  the  egg  to  the 
perfect  insect,  will  have  the  opportunity  afforded 
them  if  they  will  visit  our  apiary  on  any  or  all 
the  following  days : — June  8,  11,  14,  17,  20, 
and  24.  We  propose  to  deprive  a  stock  of  its 
queen  on  the  8th,  and  after  that  queen-cells 
will  be  in  course  of  formation  and  perfection  to 
the  17th  at  earliest,  and  24th  at  latest ;  and 
we  shall  have  great  pleasure  in  explaining  all 
the  circumstances  that  attend  their  develop- 
ment, weather  permitting,  at  half-past  three 
o'clock  on  each  day.  We  are  eight  minutes' 
walk  from  the  Southall  Station,  on  the  Great 
Western  Railway.  The  porters  will  point  out 
the  direction.  Trains  from  Paddington,  2.35 
—2.50  ;  Saturday  only,  2.30  ;  Victoria,  1.48  ; 
Brentford,  2.45  p.m.  This  being  a  very  busy 
season,  we  trust  intending  visitors  will  be 
punctual. 

BEE  ASSOCIATIONS. 

England  and  Scotland  are  doing  good  service 
to  the  cause  of  apiculture  in  Great  Britain,  and 
doubtless  Ireland  will  follow  the  lead  when  the 
Association's  Tent  has  made  the  circuit  pro- 
posed. There  are  still  vast  districts  unrepre- 
sented by  associations  where  bee-keeping  is 
extensively  carried  on,  and  where  with  slight 
effort  those  great  levers  of  reform  could  be 
called  into  existence. 

We  are  hoping  that  Wales  will  wake  up  to 
the  necessity  for  an  association.  There  are 
many  excellent  apiarians  in  the  Principality, 
and  at  the  same  time  much  ignorance  that  re- 
quires enlightenment.  There  are  many  counties 
in  England  that  ought  to  bestir  themselves  to 
keep  pace  with  the  times ;  and  notably,  this 
may  be  said  of  Lancashire,  the  home  of  the 
skep  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Pettigrew,  and  of 
the  humane  moveable  comb  system  as  fostered 
by  Mr.  Carr,  the  clever  all-round  bee-master 
who  has  been  told  off  with  us  for  the  expedi- 


tion into  Ireland.  We  have  reason  to  believe 
that  the  way  has  been  made  easy  to  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  County  Association  for  Lanca- 
shire, whose  influence  would  be  unbounded. 
With  a  noble  Lord  ready  to  accept  the  Presi- 
dency, and  with  a  string  of  nobles  and  honour  - 
ables  as  vice-presidents  and  patrons,  that  great 
county  might  become  an  immense  power  for 
good  in  the  cause  of  cottage  bee-culture. 

Are  there  no  plucky  volunteers  in  Lancashire 
who  would  give  the  time  necessary  for  so  good  a 
purpose  ?  We  say  '  the  time  '  only,  because 
we  feel  assured  that  money  woidd  not  be 
wanting  to  keep  up  a  well-organized  movement 
for  so  excellent  an  object.  Who  will  come  to 
the  front  ?  Our  energetic  Hon.  Secretary,  of 
Abbot's  Hill,  Heir;pl  Hempstead,  will,  we  are 
assured,  give  all  possible  help,  and  his  vast 
experience  will  enable  even  a  nervous  beginner 
to  take  the  reins  with  confidence,  and  go 
bowling  along  the  beaten  track,  like  a  tram-car. 
England  expects  every  county  to  do  its  duty, 
and  every  man  should  be  jealous  to  see  it  done. 


THE  BEE  TENT  IN  IRELAND. 

We  have  received  a  Schedide  of  Prizes  from 
the  Hon.  Secretary  of  the  Newtownards  Horti- 
cultural Society,  Belfast,  at  whose  show  on  the 
2nd  September  next  there  will  be  an  exhibition 
of  bee-manipulation  in  the  tent  of  the  British 
Bee-keepers'  Association.  The  Newtownards 
Association  offer  as  prizes  for  the  best  stocks  of 
bees  (not  being  swarms  of  this  year)  in  straw 
skeps,  three  new  moveable-comb  hives,  a  guinea, 
and  a  bee-dress.  The  bees  of  the  winning 
hives  are  to  be  transferred  with  their  combs 
into  the  new  hives,  and  manipulation  is  to  go 
on  from  one  o'clock  during  the  whole  of  the 
afternoon,  weather  permitting.  There  will  also 
be  three  prizes  for  the  best  exhibitions  of  honey 
in  supers,  1/.,  15s.,  and  10s.,  open  to  all,  and  a 
special  competition  for  the  County  Down,  in 
which  a  Lanarkshire  hive,  15s.,  a  super  (sec- 
tional), 2  lbs.  of  comb-foundation,  and  a  bee- 
feeder,  are  promised  as  prizes.  The  Newtown- 
ards Society  is  a  highly  successful  one,  and  for 
twenty-four  years  has  neld  its  annual  show,  the 
exhibition  of  flowers  being  a  speciality  which 
attracts  immense  numbers  of  visitors.  Its 
committee  have  gradually  increased  the  prize 
list  until  it  has  now  assumed  a  national  charac- 
ter. Latterly  dogs  have  been  admitted,  and 
last  year  horses  and  jumping  have  been  added  ; 
and  this  year  bees  will,  we  are  glad  to  say,  find 
a  place,  and  if  they  do  not  prove  a  source  of 
wonder  and  delight  it  shall  be  from  no  fault  of 
ours.  Mr.  Carr,  of  Newton  Heath,  near  Man- 
chester, and  our  humble  self,  have  been  ap- 
pointed to  represent  the  British  Bee-keepers' 
Association  on  the  occasion;  and,  all  being  well, 


June  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


31 


we  shall  not  fail  to  show  how  bees  may  be 
dealt  with,  as  if  they  did  not  sting.  We  trust 
some  of  the  residents  who  have  bees,  with  a 
reputation  for  fierceness,  will  bring  them  under 
our  hand,  that  we  may  show  that  even  the  most 
truculent  are  subject  to  the  influences  which 
on  another  page  of  this  Journal  is  called 
'quieting'  them.  While  on  the  subject,  we 
feel  the  Newspaper  Press  authorities  would  be 
doing  a  service  to  the  world  if  they  would 
rejDublish  the  article  mentioned. 


ABBOTT'S  FLAT-BOTTOMED   FOUNDA- 
TION ON  WOOD. 

At  last  this  long-talked-of  material  has 
been  manufactured,  and  will  presently  be 
submitted  to  the  fierce  fire  of  experiment  and 
criticism.  We  have  sent  specimens  of  it  to 
sundry  friends,  and  shall  doubtless  hear  a 
variety  of  opinions  on  its  merits.  Our  first 
experience  with  it  surpassed  our  most  sanguine 
expectations.  We  hived  a  swarrn  in  eight  frames 
filled  with  it  at  noon,  May  19,  and  next  morn- 
ing at  eight  o'clock  one  comb  was  finished  out, 
and  others  begun.  Next  day  a  second  was 
completed,  and  others  well  forward  ;  but  we 
found  that  out  of  a,  b,  c,  d,  e,f,  g,  and  h,  c  and 
e  were  splendidly  perfect,  while  d  was  cleared 
in  a  great  measure  of  the  wax,  and  the  comb 
built  in  ridges,  as  it  often  is,  on  the  glass  sides 
of  an  observatory.  Another  swarm  in  a  second 
hive  built  dead  across,  scraping  the  wax  off  the 
boards  and  using  it  as  contrariiy  as  they  could, 
putting  a  damper  on  our  glee  and  a  considering- 
cap  on  our  caput.  Why  should  the  bees  act  so 
strangely  ?  To  the  human  mind  '  they  do 
nothing  invariably,'  but  though  instinct  dis- 
plays itself  in  a  variety  of  features,  it  never 
errs  ;  and  if  some  of  the  foundation  was  ac- 
cepted, why  not  all  ?  and  the  conclusion  we 
arrived  at  we  will  make  known  after  we  have 
had  a  little  more  experience  with  it.  In  the 
meantime  one  gentleman  has  sent  an  opinion 
which  he  wishes  to  be  recorded,  as  follows  : — 

'  Allow  me  to  congratulate  yon  on  having  brought 
to  perfection  your  long-promised  wooden  founda- 
tion, as  shown  by  the  samples  received  yesterday. 
It  will  prove  of  immense  advantage  to  advanced 
apiarians  ;  and  though  last  in  order,  yet  on  the 
score  of  practical  utility,  it  assuredly  deserves  the 
foremost  place  in  that  long  list  of  your  many  in- 
ventions. A  great  future  awaits  it.  It  is  another 
hill-top  gained — a  lofty  stand-point,  opening  up  a 
new  region  of  pleasant  scenes,  fresh  fields,  and 
pastures  new.  —  Alfred  Rusbridge,  Sidlesham, 
Chichester,  May  22,  1880.' 

There  are  many  others  in  a  similar  strain, 
which  we  have  received.  We  have  not  had 
our  machine  a  week  (May  25),  and  it  has 
opened  a  new  field  for  thought  and  speculation  ; 


and  though  we  mention  the  facts  herein,  we  ask 
the  indulgence  of  our  readers  if  we  refrain  from 
publishing  our  convictions  for  the  present. 
Suffice  it  that  the  combs  are  now  built  straight 
and  perfect,  and  are  fidl  of  sealed  honey,  sealed 
brood,  eggs,  and  larva?. 


BEE  TENT  ENGAGEMENTS. 

BRITISH    BEE-KEEPERS'    ASSOCIATION. 

June  10,  11. — Essex  Agricultural  Show,  Mistley  Park, 
Manningtree. 

June  30. — Farningham  Rose  Show. 

July  1. — Tiverton  Horticultural  Show. 

July  6. — Ipswich  Horticultural  Show. 

July  12-16. — Royal  Agricultural  Show  at  Carlisle. 

July  14.— Bexley  Heath. 

July  15. — AVoodbridge,  Suffolk. 

Juh'  16. — Bucklesham  Rectory,  Ipswich. 

July  21. — Southhorough  Flower  Show. 

July  27-August  2. — Kensington  Show. 

July  23. — Frant  Flower  Show. 

July  30. — Liphook  Flower  Show. 

Aug.  3. — West  Wycombe. 

Aug.  5. — West  Kent  Show. 

Aug.  11,  12. — Surrey  County  Show. 

Aug.  18,  19. — Shropshire  County  Show. 

Aug.  24. — Long  Buckby  Horticultural  Show. 

Aug.  27. — Sandy. 

Sept.  3. — Devon  and  Exeter  County  Show. 

Sept.  17. — Great  Dunmow. 

HERTFORDSHIRE  COUNTY  ASSOCIATION. 

Julv  7. — Herts  Agricultural  Show  at  Hatfield. 
July  8. — Hertford  Cottage  Garden  Show. 
July  15. — Hoddesdon  Cottage  Garden  Show. 
Aug.  5. — Frogmore  Cottage  Garden  Show. 
Aug.  20. — County   Show   of  Flowers,   Fruits,   Vege- 
tables, Bees,  Hives,  &c,  at  St.  Albans. 

Aug.  27. — Much  Hadham  Cottage  Garden  Show. 
Sept.  2. — Harpenden  Horticultural  Show. 

TOUR  IN  IRELAND. 

Aug.  10. — Roval  Agricultural  Show  in  Clonmel. 
Aug.  18. — Maryborough  County  Agricultural  Show. 
Aug.  28. — Newry. 

Sept.  2. — Newtownards  Flower  Show.    Near  Belfast. 
Sept.— Royal  Horticultural  Show   at   Dublin.     First 
week  in  September. 


BEE  AND  HONEY  SHOWS  FIXED  FOR  1880. 

July  1. — Tiverton.     Devon  and  Exeter. 

July  27,  28,  29,  30,  31,  and  August  2.— South  Ken- 
sington.    British  Bee-keepers'. 

July  27,  28,  29,  and  30.  —  Caledonian  Apiarian 
Society's  Show  at  Highland  and  Agricultural  Society's 
Meeting,  Kelso. 

Aug.  5. — West  Kent. 

Aug.  11,  12. — Surrey  County. 

Aug.  18,  19.— Shropshire  County. 

Aug.  20. — Herts  County,  at  St.  Albans. 

Aug.  25. — East  Scotland.     Arbroath. 

Aug.  26,  27,  28.— At  Dundee. 

Sept.  2. — Exeter.     Devon  and  Exeter. 

Sept.  2. — Newtownards  Flower  Show. 

Sept.  3. — Central  Training  College.     Exeter. 


32 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[June  1,  1880. 


BRITISH  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

Committee  meeting  held  at  105  Jerrnyn  Street  on 
Wednesday,  May  12.  Present:  Mr.  T.  W.  Cowan,  in 
the  chair ;  Mr.  J.  P.  Jackson  ;  Rev.  G.  Raynor  ;  Mr. 
J.  Hunter;  Mr.  F.  Cheshire;  Mr.  R.  R.  Godfrey  ;  Mr. 
J.  M.  Hooker ;  Mr.  W.  O'B.  Glennie,  Treasurer ;  and 
Rev.  H.  R.  Peel,  Hon.  Secretary.  The  minutes  of  the 
last  meeting  having  heen  confirmed  and  signed,  the 
Secretary  read  a  letter  received  from  Mr.  Oarr,  offering 
to  accompany  the  Bee  Tent  throughout  the  tour  in  Ire- 
land. It  was  resolved  unanimously  that  Mr.  Oarr  and 
Mr.  C.  N.  Abhott  should  represent  the  Association  in 
the  Irish  tour,  to  commence  on  August  10  at  Clonmel; 
and  that  Mr.  Cheshire  and  the  Assistant  Secretaries 
should  attend  the  Royal  Agricultural  Show  at  Carlisle, 
commencing  on  Monday,  July  12.  Judges  for  the  several 
Classes,  and  Lecturers  for  the  Bee  Tent,  at  the  Associa- 
tion's Annual  Show  at  South  Kensington,  commencing 
on  July  27,  were  appointed,  and  the  Secretary  was  re- 
quested to  write  to  the  several  gentlemen  selected,  and  to 
report  their  replies  to  the  next  meeting. 

Votes  of  thanks  were  passed  to  Mr.  Hunter  and  Mr. 
Cheshire  for  their  labours  in  writing  the  MS.  of  Hand- 
book for  Cottagers.  The  diagrams  about  to  be  published 
by  the  Association  were  reported  to  be  making  satisfac- 
tory progress  towards  completion.  The  Balance-sheet 
for  the  month  ending  April  30  was  read,  showing  a 
balance  in  hand  of  25?.  7s. 

Donors  to  Prize  Fund. 

£     s.    d. 

Rev.  G.  Raynor 110 

T.  W.  Cowan,  Esq 110 

R.  R.  Godfrey,  Esq 110 

H.  G.  Morris;  Esq 1     1     0 

F.  R.  Jackson,  Esq 1     1     0 

Rev.  H.  R.  Peel    2     2    0 

Rev.  J.  Lawson  Sisson 0  10     0 

Mrs.H.  R.  Peel 0  10    6 

Edward  Wilson,  Esq 0  10    0 

Mr.  R.  J.  Tomlin  0     5     0 

Mr.  J.  Walton   0     2     6 

H.  Bostock,  Esq 2     2     0 

R.  Symington,  Esq 2     2    0 

F.  C.  C.  Barnett,  Esq 0  10     0 

C.  II.  Hodgson,  Esq 0     5    0 

Capt.  P.  E.  Martin    1     1     0 


COUNTY  ASSOCIATIONS. 

It  is  gratifying  to  announce  that  since  the  Central 
Society  established  its  present  mode  of  procedure  of 
assisting  in  the  establishment  of  County  Associations 
much  progress  has  been  made  in  their  formation.  As- 
sociations for  Warwickshire,  Suffolk,  and  Berks  and 
Bucks,  have  been  recently  formed,  and  have  affiliated 
themselves  with  the  Central  Society.  Eleven  County 
Associations  are  now  affiliated  with  the  British  Bee- 
keepers' Association,  and  are  making  good  progress  in 
their  work.  The  Hertfordshire  Association,  one  of  the 
most  recently  established,  now  numbers  250  members, 
and  upon  reference  to  our  advertising  eolumns  it  will  be 
observed  that  it  holds  its  Annual  Show  in  connexion 
with  a  County  Flower  and  Fruit  Show  on  a  large  scale 
at  St.  Albans  on  August  20  and  21st ;  the  date  of  this 
Show  has  been  rearranged :  it  was  originally  fixed  for 
September  8th  and  0th,  but  as  it  was  found  practicable 
to  hold  a  County  Flower  Show  in  connexion  with  it,  it 
was  requisite  to  change  the  date  in  order  that  the  time 
fixed  upon  should  be  suitable  for  the  holding  of  the 
Flower  Show.  The  Executive  of  this  Association  have 
also  in  contemplation  the  publication  of  a  small  quarterly 
paper  for  the  purpose  of  reporting  information  relating  to 
the  Association's  work. 


PROPOSED  ESSEX  COUNTY  ASSOCIATION. 
We  are  requested  to  announce  that  Mr.  G.  D. 
Claphani,  of  Great  Dunmow,  has  most  kindly  con- 
sented to  act  as  Hon.  See.,  pro  tern,  of  an  Essex 
County  Bee-keepers'  Association.  Essex  bee-keepers 
wishing  to  join  a  County  Association  may  forward 
their  names  to  Mr.  Clapham.  It  is  proposed  to 
hold  a  meeting,  for  the  purpose  of  starting  the 
Association,  at  the  Show\of  the  Essex  Agricultural 
Society  at  Mistley  Park,  Manningtree,  on  June 
10th  and  11th. 


BERKS  AND  BUCKS  ASSOCIATION. 

The  Annual  General  Meeting  of  the  Association  took 
place  on  Saturday  evening,  May  15th,  and  after  the 
business  Mr.  Hunter  gave  a  very  interesting  lecture  on 
'  Bee-keeping '  at  the  Albert  Institute,  Windsor,  P. 
Williams,  Esq.,  Eton  College,  in  the  chair.  He  had  a 
moveable  frame  hive  to  explain  the  modern  sj'Stem  of  bee- 
keeping; and  several  sections  of  supers  (American  dove- 
tailed) also  some  diagrams.  He  very  clearly  explained 
their  workings,  and  greatly  encouraged  many  of  those 
who  had  been  so  thoroughly  disheartened  by  wet  weather 
and  loss  of  bees  last  season.  Many  questions  were  asked, 
and  satisfactorily  answered  by  Mr.  Hunter. 


THE  COMING  BEE.— CYPRIANS  AND 
HOLY  LAND  BEES. 
Dear  Friend  Abbott, — I  would  have  written  to  you 
before  I  left  here  for  Palestine  and  Syria,  but  I  thought 
Mr.  Benton  had  written  you  all  about  the  island  of  Cyprus 
and  Cyprian  bees ;  but  I  learn  on  my  return  that  he  did 
not,  and  I  hope  you  will  pardon  the  delay,  as  we  have 
been  very  busy  getting  things  in  shape  here.  After 
visiting  the  principal  bee-keepers  of  Europe,  or  rather 
some  of  them,  as  well  as  the  various  editors  of  Bee  Jour- 
nals (and  here  permit  me  to  say  the  visit  to  your  place 
will  ever  form  one  of  the  happiest  recollections  of  my 
life),  I  sailed  down  the  Adriatic  Sea,  crossed  the  Medi- 
terranean, and  landed  at  Alexandria.  From  there  we 
went  to  Cyprus,  and,  after  visiting  almost  every  point 
where  bees  were  kept,  we  succeeded  in  purchasing  a  large 
number  of  Cyprian  bees.  We  located  out  apiary  at  Larnica 
and  prepared  hives  for  over  two  hundred  colonies.  Mr. 
Benton  started  transferring  and  bringing  over  the  moun- 
tains about  one  hundred  colonies  on  mules  and  camels' 
backs,  a  distance  of  from  thirty  to  forty  miles ;  and  the 
expense  is  very  great  transporting  in  that  way,  as  there 
is  only  one  waggon-road  from  Larnica  to  Nicosia,  and 
only  mide  and  camel  paths  where  the  bees  were.  So 
while  Mr.  Benton  was  collecting  bees  and  getting  things 
in  form  at  the  Larnica  Apiary,  I  went  across  to  the 
Holy  Land,  and  made  a  flying  visit  through  Palestine 
and  Syria,  and  examined  the  bees  in  all  parts  of  that 
country,  my  object  being  to  ascertain  if  they  had  any 
valuable  characteristics  worthy  of  notice.  I  was  happily 
surprised  to  discover  a  most  valuable  race  of  bees ;  and 
I  think  I  have  struck  the  fountain-head  of  superiority. 
I  was  so  wonderfully  attracted  by  them  that  I  ventured 
into  some  not  very  safe  places  to  investigate  and  ascertain 
if  there  was  any  difference  in  the  bees  in  the  different 
parts  of  the  country.  I  found  them  going  double  the 
distance,  and  in  some  instances  more,  for  honey  when 
necessary,  than  any  of  our  Italians  or  blacks  do  in 
America.  They  also  fly  very  much  faster,  and  dart 
from  one  flower  to  another  with  such  rapidity  that  I 
found  great  difficulty  in  catching  them,  which  I  only 
succeeded  in  doing  after  they  were  very  heavily  laden ; 
they  seem  to  be  able  to  carry  immense  loads,  and  fly 
wonderfully  swift  when  so  loaded.  In  numbers  of  in- 
stances, I  found  them  at  an  incredible  distance  from  their 


June  1,  1880.] 


THE  BEITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


33 


hives.  I  secured  a  number  for  microscopic  examination, 
as  they  have  powers  of  locomotion  not  possessed  by  any 
races  I  have  ever  seen.  That  they  are  a  pure  race  of 
bees  which  have  existed  there  for  thousands  of  years, 
and  probably  since  the  foundation  of  the  world,  I  have 
no  question.  That  they  have  valuable  qualities  not  pos- 
sessed by  any  others  I  feel  very  sure.  I  may  say  I 
was  so  favourably  impressed  with  them  that  I  sent  a 
cable  message  home  to  Canada  from  Jerusalem  for  a 
large  sum  of  money  to  further  enable  me  to  import  a 
large  number  of  them,  as  well  as  the  great  Cyprian 
bee,  which  has  proved  its  superiority  over  our  blacks 
and  Italians. 

I  have  secured  a  large  number  of  colonies  of  the  'Holy' 
bees,  as  the  natives  call  them.  I  got  them  from  the  follow- 
ing places,  Mount  Lebanon,  Mount  Hermon,  Mount  of 
Olives,  the  Valley  of  Sharon,  Bethlehem,  the  Hills  of 
Judea,  Jerusalem,  Jordan,  Amnion,  East  of  the  Jordan 
near  the  Desert,  Galilee,  Damascus,  and  various  other 
places  in  Syria.  I  sent  them  to  the  coast  on  camels, 
mules,  "and  donkeys,  and  the  loss  was  very  heavy  in 
getting  them  to  the  coast;  in  some  instances  it  took  nine 
days  to  make1  the  journey.  When  they  arrived  at  the 
coast,  and  the  expenses  were  counted,  I  was  astonished  to 
find  some  costing  very  many  pounds.  I  had  them  trans- 
ferred to  steamers  and  sent  to  Cyprus,  where  I  have  my 
great  Cyprian  Apiary,  as  the  natives  call  it,  for  raising 
queens,  and  they  will  be  transferred  from  their  hives,  of 
various  sizes  and  shapes,  to  my  moveable  comb-hives, 
and  prepared  for  their  long  journey  to  Canada.  I  think 
after  my  losses  are  taken  out  I  will  have  left  at  least  one 
hundred  and  fifty  queens  from  Palestine,  but  as  the 
combs  are  so  badly  broken  in  the  hives  I  cannot  tell 
until  I  get  them  all  transferred  and  in  shape. 

There  are  so  many  orders  arriving  here  for  queens  that 
I  have  made,  arrangements  to  increase  my  apiary  to 
three  hundred  colonies  if  necessary,  or  more,  to  supply 
the  demand  for  Cyprian  queens.  Some  of  the  Italians 
are  importing  now  to  improve  their  stocks,  and  we  expect 
large  orders  from  Italy,  and  we  already  have  orders  from 
a  large  number  of  the  best  breeders  in  Europe,  especially 
Germany  and  Austria. 

I  will  start  from  here  with  a  large  number  of  colonies 
for  Canada  about  the  12th  of  May,  stop  in  London  to 
give  them  a  purifying  flight,  then  proceed  to  America, 
where  I  hope  to  arrive  with  all  safety.  I  have  devised 
a  most  extraordinary  queen-cage,  one  which  I  believe 
willkeep  bees  ingoodconditionto  transport  almost  any  dis- 
tance. It  is  very  cheaply  made,  and  is  so  constructed  that 
any  amount  of  ventilation  can  be  given.  Food  and  water 
can  be  given  at  any  time  without  opening  the  cage.  All 
dead  bees  can  be  removed  without  disturbing  the  live 
ones,  and  they  can  be  given  a  purifying  flight  by  simply 
drawing  a  slide,  and  the  condition  of  the  bees  and  queen 
can  be  seen  without  disturbing  them  :  in  fact,  it  far 
surpasses  any  yet  invented  that  I  have  ever  heard  of ; 
and  as  I  do  not  patent  it,  it  is  public  property,  and 
therefore  I  hope  all  bee-keepers  will  avail  themselves  of 
its  use. 

I  have  also  devised  a  shipping  crate  that  allows  a  free 
circulation  of  air  to  even-  cage  or  nucleus,  so  no  danger 
w-ill  occur  by  close  packing.  Mr.  Benton  remains  here, 
and  raises  and  ships  queens  to  all  parts  in  Europe,  and 
to  me  in  America.  After  I  leave  here,  in  about  a 
month,  another  shipment  of  two  hundred  will  follow, 
and  all  orders  sent  to  your  office  you  can  fill  from  the 
shipments  to  me  in  America.  As  you  are  giving  them 
a  purifying  flight  at  your  apiary,  you  can  select  all 
strong,  healthy  queens,  and  guarantee  their  safe  arrival. 
In  fact,  if  you  wish  we  can  send  you  a  stock  to  keep  on 
hand,  so  that  you  may  supply  all  orders  promptly.  As  the 
steamer  with  the  mail  is  about  leaving  I  must  close  ;  but 
I  look  forward  with  pleasure  to  the  time  when  I  will 
have  another  opportunity  of  visiting  you  at  Fairlawn. 
— D.  A,  Jones,  Island  of  Cyprus,  27th  April,  1880, 


LETTER  FROM  M.  DENNLER 

Enzheim,  1st  March,  1880. 
k 

My  dear.  Mb.  Peel,-  -I  have  read  with  great  in- 
terest and  pleasure  your  kind  letter  and  report  on  the 
annual  meeting  of  your  honourable  society ;  I  have  read 
it  with  much  more  pleasure  because  it  was  the  first  let- 
ter in  English  that  I  have  been  able  to  read  without  a 
dictionary.  I  thank  you  for  having  written  to  me  in 
English  :  my  friend,  Colonel  Pearson,  writes  to  me  very 
often, — every  eight  or  ten  days,  and  always  in  English ; 
so  that,  with  several  newspapers  in  that  language,  and  a 
special  study  which  I  am  making  of  it,  in  a  little  time  I 
hope,  to  completely  understand  English. 

But  let  us  now  come  to  the  true  end  of  the  present  letter. 
You  wish  to  establish  in  England  a  professor's  chair  of 
apiculture,  and  you  ask  me  what  the  German  Govern- 
ment does  to  promote  the  knowledge  of  rational  bee- 
culture.  I  can  inform  3-011  exactly  on  that  subject.  From 
what  I  have  read  in  the.  report  of  the  Rev.  E.  Bartrum's 
speech,  the  professor  of  English  Apiculture  would  have 
to  give  himself  up  entirely  to  apiculture,  and  would  re- 
ceive a  fixed  annual  salary.  He  would  have  to  teach  in 
turn  in  the  different  establishments,  agricultural  or 
otherwise,  in  the  normal  schools,  and  hold  public  classes 
in  different  places. 

This  is  not  the  case  in  Germany.  The  different  pro- 
vincial governments  allot  annually  a  certain  sum,  200, 
oOO,  1000,  or  even  2000  marks  for  apiculture,  and  place 
that  sum  at  the  disposal  of  Apicultural  Societies.  It  is 
for  the  latter  to  make  the  best  use  of  it.  The  money  is 
generally  expended  in  the  following  manner  : — 

The  Society  appoints  one,  two,  or  even  three  capable 
members,  learned  in  the  science  of  practical  apiculture, 
and  sends  them  to  hold  conferences  in  different  localities, 
selected  and  announced  in  advance  in  the  Bee  Journals 
and  in  the  newspapers.  These  travelling  professors — if 
I  may  so  call  them — are  almost  always  schoolmasters, 
and  the  time  employed  in  performing  the  stated  course 
is  ruled  by  the  summer  or  harvest  holidays.  The  country 
of  Baden  reckons  thus  three  apicultural  professors  who 
are  by  profession  parish  schoolmasters.  They  have  a 
fixed  salary  for  their  course  of  lessons,  which  they  give 
during  their  scholastic  holidays.  In  Alsace  our  Society 
is  divided  into  about  thirty  sections,  of  which  the  presi- 
dents hold  one  or  two  conferences  annually  in  the 
respective  countries.  If  the  presidents  wish  it,  one  of  the 
assistants  comes  to  them  at  the  lectures  and  at  the  prac- 
tical experiments.  In  the  last  case  the  conferences  take 
place  on  Thursday  or  Sunday  after  the  service  in 
church. 

As  far  as  I  know  a  bee  professor's  chair  does  not 
exist,  teaching  exclusively  this  subject;  I  know  that 
normal  schools  or  establishments  for  teaching  agriculture 
where  apiculture  is  taught  without  being  placed  definitely 
on  the  programme  of  teaching.  At  Poppelsdorf,  near 
Bonn,  is  the  only  academy  of  agriculture  which  has  a 
special  professor  of  apiculture — Dr.  Pollman. 

Another  use  for  the  money  allotted  by  the  Govern- 
ment is  in  giving  prizes  at  numerous  bee  shows,  which 
take  place  during  the  summer  and  autumn,  in  distributing 
hives,  models  to  the  poor  peasants  and  beginners,  so  that 
they  make  hives  in  the  gardens  of  the  parish  school- 
masters, and  to  send  one  or  two  delegates  to  the  most 
important  exhibitions — be  they  in  the  country  itself  or 
abroad. 

The  Minister  of  Agriculture  chooses  besides  each  year 
one  or  two  members  of  each  to  be  present  in  the  Grand 
Reunion  called  Dutch  and  Austrian  Bienenwurthe. 
The  delegates  have  to  furnish  a  detailed  report  of  their 
remarks,  which  is  printed  in  the  Agricultural  and  bee- 
keeping papers  of  the  country. 

There  are  to-day  in  Germany  fifteen  bee-keepers' 
journals,  of  which  thirteen  are  monthly,  and  two  fort- 
nightly.    The  most  important  of  these  is  the  Bee-keeping 


34 

$ 

Gazette,  of  Eichstadt,  published  by  M.  Schmid,  edited  by 
Dzierzon,  Hilbert,  and  other  great  learned  bee-keepers  in 
Europe.  This  paper,  started  by  Mr.  Schmid,  who  still 
edits  it,  has  existed  for  thirty-six  years.  It  is  the  oldest 
Bee  Journal  in  the  whole  world,  and  the  Friend  of  the 
Bee  in  Saxony  are  published  by  private  persons  at  their 
own  risk  and  peril.  All  other  German  bee  papers  are 
published  by  the  Societies  of  Apiculture,  for  which  they 
serve  as  the  organ  of  publication  and  instruction  in 
apicultui  e. 

I  send  you  the  papers  published  during  the  twentieth 
Congress  of  Bee-cultivators  at  Strasburg  in  187o.  You 
will  find  in  them  much  information  relating  to  the 
history  of  bee-culture  in  the  provinces  of  Germany  and 
Austria,  which  will  interest  you.  I  think  I  have 
said  enough  now  in  reference  to  a  professorship  of 
bee-keeping.  I  shall  be  very  pleased  if  this  information 
can  be  of  any  use  to  you,  and  it  will  always  be  a  pleasure 
to  me  if  in  future  I  can  furnish  other  information  con- 
cerning the  culture  of  our  dear  bees.  Meanwhile  I  pray 
you,  dear  Mr.  Peel,  to  believe  me,  always  yours  very 
truly,  Dennler. 

P.S. — As  vol*  have  asked  me  on  two  occasions  the  price 
of  the  Bienenzuchter,  it  is  for  members  2  marcs :  for 
foreigners,  5  marc  more  for  postage. 


THE  BKITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[June  1,  1880. 


SALE  OF  BEES  AT  FENWICK,  AYRSHIRE. 

Mr.  Muir  having  announced  a  few  weeks  ago  that  he 
intended  to  sell  off  his  apiary  by  auction,  it  was  with 
delight  many  apiarians  from  all  parts  proceeded  to  attend 
the  sale  of  one  who  is  going  to  'swarm'  for  hundreds  of 
miles  from  his  native  tend. 

This  gentleman  will  be  greatly  missed.  At  all  the 
principal  shows  throughout  Scotland,  he  was  as  regular 
as  the  '  mail,'  and  was  always  sure  to  be  at  his  post  when 
duty  called  him;  and  of  him  it  has  always  been  remarked 
by  all  who  attend  them  'that  he  was  like  the  "Worker 
Bee,"  as  he  toiled  from  early  morn  till  night'  to  make  the 
exhibitions  as  interesting  and  successfid  as  possible.  He 
was  always  noted  for  the  patient  way  in  which  he  per- 
formed the  arduous  duties  which  generally  devolved  on 
him  of  collecting  the  admission-money.  He  will  also  be 
greatly  missed  by  his  large  circle  of  friends  in  and  round 
all  Ayrshire,  as  he  was  greatly  respected  by  all  who 
knew  him  for  his  kind,  genial  manners. 

The  following  was  the  order  of  sale  and  prices  realised  : 

No.         Kind.  Wnig-ht.        Price.  Buyer. 


1  Straw  Skep  22  lbs. 

2  Stewarton  Hive     25  ,, 

3  „  27  „ 
■1                 „  28  „ 

5  Straw  Skep  24  „ 

6  Stewarton  Hive     30  ,, 

7  „  25  „ 

8  „  33  „ 

9  Straw  Skep  18  „ 

10  „  21  „ 

11  „  17  „ 

12  „  20  „ 

13  „  27  „ 


Price, 

s.  d. 

30  0  Angus  Cameron. 

31  0  Andrew  Stitt. 

31  0  Bobert  J.  Bennett. 

30  0  Bobert  Beid. 

31  0  William  Shields. 
39  0  Bobert  J.  Bennett. 
27  0  William  Shields. 
31  0  James  Paton. 

30  0  Angus  Cameron. 

26  0  John  Alexander. 

29  0  William  Shields. 

29  0  John  Howard. 

26  0  John  Deans. 


A  large  quantity  of  miscellaneous  bee  furniture  and  gear 
was  then  disposed  of.  The  Stewarton  honey  and  body- 
boxes  alone  realised  31.  14b.,  and  the  other  articles 
21.  5s.  1  Id. 

Total  Amount  Bealised. 


Bees 

Bee  furniture,  &c. 


£19  10    0 
5  19  11 

£25     9  11 


AN  INCIDENT  OF  THE  INDIAN  MUTINY. 

On  the  way  to  Alum  Bagh  an  incident  of  a  singular, 
and,  it  might  have  proved,  of  a  sei  ious  nature,  befell  our 
soldiers.  In  a  tope  (clump)  of  trees  through  which  our 
force  passed,  Lieutenant  Evans,  of  the  9th  Lancers, 
perceived  a  nest  of  bees  hanging  from  a  branch.  In 
thoughtless  mischief  he  ran  the  point  of  his  lance — with 
which  weapon  most  of  our  9th  Lancer  officers  in  those 
days  provided  themselves — into  the  brown-paper-looking 
bag.  The  infuriated  miscreants  rushed  out  of  their 
dwellings  in  myriads,  and  attacked  their  aggressor  and 
the  whole  of  the  advanced-guard  with  such  resolution  as 
to  send  them  to  the  right-about,  bolting  as  if  a  whole 
army  of  demons  were  pursuing  them ;  indeed,  had 
such  been  the  case,  I  believe  they  would  have  stood  their 
ground  unflinchingly.  Col.  Hope,  seeing  the  flight  of 
these  brave  soldiers,  and  not  knowing-  the  cause  of  it,  in 
hot  haste  formed  up  his  men  ready  to  resist  an  attack  of 
cavalry,  supposing  the  enemy  were  coming  down  in 
force  upon  them ;  but  when  he  saw  the  poor  fellows 
with  their  faces  and  hands  covered  with  the  little  black 
bees,  which  woidd  not  be  shaken  off,  his  amusement  was 
unbounded.  I  am  sorry  to  say,  though,  that  for  some 
days  afterwards  one  poor  artillery  officer  was  in  danger 
of  his  life  from  the  effects  of  the  stings. — From  Gen. 
Sir  Hope  Grant's  Incidents  of  the  Sepoy  War. 


GREAT  LOSS  OF  BEES. 
(From  the  Western  Gazette.) 
The  time  is  fast  approaching  when  bee-keepers  will  be 
'  all  alive,'  and,  with  your  permission,  I  venture  to  lay 
before  your  readers  a  few  particulars  showing  the  great 
destruction  of  bees  during  the  past  season  in  this  district. 
The  returns  from  the  undermentioned  parishes,  kindly 
supplied  by  trustworthy  residents,  are  now  in  my  pos- 
session, and  may  be  inspected  by  anyone  interested  in  the 
matter :  No.  of  stocks  at  No.  alive  at 

Michaelmas,  1879.       date  of  return. 
Somerton    ...         ...         ...  64       ...         ...       10 

Charlton  Adam     28       2 

Street  46       2 

Keinton       ...         ...         ...  21       ...         ...         1 

Compton  Dundon  ...         ...  43       ...         ...         0 

Kingweston  ...         ...   19       ...         ...         9 

Babcary      ...         ...         ...  19       ...         ...         3 

Long  Sutton  78       7 

Pody more  Milton  ...         ...  20       2 


338 


36 


The  returns  also  state  the  class  of  hive  used  in  each 
case,  but  the  hiformation  so  gained  does  not  afford  any 
means  of  judging  as  to  which  has  been  the  most  success- 
ful. They  also  show  the  great  extent  to  which  neglect 
of  feeding  has  prevailed.  Had  this  precaution  been 
adopted,  the  losses  recorded  would  hardly  have  numbered 
more  than  one-fourth  of  the  actual  number.  Two  of  the 
stocks  of  bees  operated  upon  by  Mr.  Abbott,  at  our 
flower-show,  last  year,  purchased  after  the  show  by  a 
novice,  though  weak,  have,  by  means  of  liberal  autumnal 
feeding,  been  preserved,  and  are  now  in  a  prosperous 
condition. 

The  fortunate  owners  of  strong  stocks  should  look 
forward  to  a  profitable  season ;  a  large  demand  for  early 
swarms  may  be  expected,  and,  on  the  basis  of  figures 
quoted,  each  stock  will  have  an  average  bee-pasturage  of 
640  acres. — Thomas  C.  Head,  Somerton,  May  4th,  1880. 

[Three  hundred  and  two  stocks  dead  out  of  three 
hundred  and  thirt3'-eight !  That's  brave.  Had  a  mur- 
rain carried  off  one-half  the  percentage  of  sheep  or 
lambs,  there  would  have  been  a  terrible  outcry,  and 
probably  a  Government  inquiry  into  the  cause.  In  this 
case,  however,  the  calamity  is,  of  cjurse,  attributed  by 
the  owners" to  Bad  Luck. — Ed.] 


June  1,  1880.J 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


35 


(lurrcsponbcntc. 


*#*  These  columns  are  open  to  Subscribers,  so  that  their 
queries,  replies,  correspondence,  and  experiences,  may  be 
fully  and  faithfully  recorded;  and  for  the  discussion  of  all 
theories  and  systems  in  Bee-culture,  and  of  the  relative  merits 
of  all  hives  and  appurtenances,  that  the  truth  regarding  them 
may  be  ascertained.  The  Editor,  therefore,  must  not  be  ex- 
pected to  coincide  with  all  the  views  expressed  by  the  various 
writers.     All  Correspondence  is  addressed  to  the  Editor. 


PROFITS  OF  BEE-KEEPING. 

On  page  249  of  the  April  Journal  I  asked  Mr. 
F.  Cheshire  if  he  would  explain  how  a  cottager 
could  make  a  profit  of  31.  per  hive  per  year,  he 
(Mr.  Cheshire)  having  made  a  statement  to  that 
effect,  as  reported  in  a  Hertfordshire  newspaper. 
In  reply  to  this  Mr.  Cheshire  {tide  Exeter  Gazette, 
April  16)  at  a  lecture  delivered  before  the  Devon 
and  Exeter  Bee-keepers'  Association,  is  thus  re- 
ported :  '  He  had  said  that  a  cottager  might  make 
31.  a-year  by  a  hive,  and  that  had  been  questioned 
by  some  one  who  did  not  give  his  name.  He  was 
not  accustomed  to  make  statements  he  could  not 
substantiate,  and  he  preferred  not  to  deal  with 
anonymous  correspondents.  But  they  knew  what 
a  wretched  season  the  last  had  been,  and  he  might 
mention  that  he  had  last  year  bought  a  hive  for 
\l.  Is.,  from  which  by  proper  treatment  and  feeding 
he  had  had  5/.  worth  of  honey.'  This  is  rather  a 
startling  statement,  and  although  followed  by 
urgent  remarks  on  the  value  of  judicious  feeding 
generally,  so  large  a  honey  result  in  the  honeyless  (1) 
year  1879  leaves  me  still — A  Questioner. 


COTTAGERS'  HIVE-MAKING. 

A  great  deal  has  been  said  and  written  about 
cottagers  and  others  making  their  own  hives,  and 
buying  boxes  for  Is.  wherewith  to  make  the  same, 
irrespective  of  shakes  and  old  nail  holes,  not  to 
speak  of  wood  of  an  improper  thickness,  and  in  nine 
cases  out  of  ten  quite  unsuitable  for  such  important 
work.  But  suppose  the  wood  was  all  right,  how 
often  do  we  find  them  far  from  perfect  1  I  have 
seen  them  well  finished  with  their  frames  fitted 
into  the  hives  just  about  as  tight  as  a  cabinet- 
maker would  fit  a  drawer.  Again,  I  have  seen 
them  with  a  space  of  half  an  inch  at  the  ends,  and 
the  same  at  bottom.  Sometimes  they  (the  frames) 
would  measure  If  inches  from  centre  to  centre.  I 
once  saw  a  '  home  spun  '  hive  with  frames  2  inches 
broad. 

I  do  not  mean  to  put  a  '  damper '  on  working 
men.  I  would  rather  encourage  them  to  make 
their  own  hives;  but  not  unless  they  can  do  it. 
To  the  handy  cottager  who  can  work  both  the 
square  and  rule  I  would  say,  Buy  a  sample  hive — 
a  complete  one  if  he  is  able — if  not,  a  cheap  one 
properly  made.  If  I  mistake  not,  Abbott's  cheap 
Standard  costs  4s.  6d.  What  more  is  needed  1 
This  hive  can  be  made  quite  as  good  as  the  most 
expensive,  with  a  little  work.  I  have  seen  hives 
not  so  good  as  the  one  I  have  mentioned  cost  25s. 
Improperly  made  hives  often  do  a  great  deal  of 


mischief.  I  would  therefore  advise  all  who  are  about 
to  start  bee-keeping  to  have  to  do  with  those  properly 
constructed.  Another  practice  is  quite  common, 
viz.  buying  a  sample  hive,  and  giving  the  order  for 
say  a  dozen  more  to  one's  own  carpenter.  The  car- 
penter is,  perhaps,  quite  ignorant  of  practical  hive- 
making,  and  the  result  is  a  complete  failure.  The 
system  is  blamed,  and  everything  else  save  the. 
right  one.  Is  it  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  the 
hive-maker  will  make  the  best  job  t  Yes,  and  the 
cheapest  in  the  long  run  :  therefore  I  say,  Buy  from 
such,  and  avoid  the  mistakes  so  common  in  home- 
spun work. — A.  Cockburn,  Cairnie,  N.  B.,  May  13, 
1880. 

[If  amateur  hive-makers  and  country  carpenters  would 
believe  that  the  technical  dimensions  we  give  are  correct 
they  could  doubtless  make  hives  as  well  as  they  do 
who  make  the  business  a  speciality.  But  they  too  often 
think  it  cannot  make  any  difference  whether  the  dis- 
tance round  frame  ends  is  j  or  5  an  inch,  and  ere  now 
we  have  been  tod  of  our  folly  in  keeping  frames  and 
combs  so  close  together  in  hives,  '  when  if  more  room 
were  allowed  there  would  be  as  many  more  bees  able  to 
work  between  them,  and  store  honeyr,'  &c.  Of  course 
these  ideas  could  come  from  a  tyro  only,  but  such, 
unfortunately,  are  too  often  those  who  persist  in  ignor- 
ing the  experience  and  instructions  of  older  hands,  and 
when  they  have  reaped  the  penalty  of  their  folly  are  the 
loudest  in  condemning  the  improved  hives.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  an  amateur  who  is  handy  with  the  saw,  hammer, 
and  square,  may  make  hives  more  cheaply  than  he  can 
buy  them  if  his  time  is  not  of  value ;  but  if  he  can 
earn  from  eightpence  to  tenpence  per  hour,  it  ought  to 
pay  him  better  to  buy,  unless  the  work  he  accounted 
relaxation  or  amusement. — Ed.] 


CHEAP  HIVES. 


I  can  add  my  word  to  the  goodness  of  your  Make- 
shift Hives,  as  I  have  had  bees  in  them  the  last 
two  winters,  with  no  further  protection  than  a  good 
roof  over  them,  and  the  bees  have  been  as  warm 
and  dry  as  possible.  \Vhen  I  examined  them  this 
spring  I  only  found  a  very  few  dead  bees  on  the 
bottom,  and  only  one  comb,  an  outside  one,  slightly 
mouldy.  In  fact,  it  seems  to  me  as  if  the  simple 
Makeshift  is  quite  as  good  as  the  more  elaborate 
double -walled  hives,  and  I  have  found  the  bees 
keep  drier  in  it.  I  hope  we  are  going  to  have 
some  encouragement  this  year  in  the  matter  of 
weather,  as  we  have  not  had  much  the  last  year  or 
two. — S.  Clabke,  New  Court,  Ross. 


CHEAP  HIVES. 

I  see  from  the  report  of  your  meeting  held  April 
1 4th  that  the  conversation  turned  upon  cheap  hives. 
I  have  seventeen  stocks  of  Ligurians  all  doing  well. 
I  have  no  difficulty  in  wintering.  I  have  a  wood 
bee-house  made  of  f-inch  boarding,  waterproof. 
The  hives  stand  on  shelves,  three  tiers  one  above 
the  other.  The  house  is  capable  of  holding  fifty- 
three  hives.  My  hives  are  made  principally  out  of 
salmon-boxes,  which  only  cost  me  a  few  pence 
each.  Inside  measure  they  are  12£  inches  from 
front  to  back,  and  19  inches  the  other  way,  by  9 
inches  deep.     They  contain  about  2000  cubic  inches, 


36 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[June  1,  1880. 


some  of  them  only  1600  cubic  inches.  They  are 
plain  boxes  without  frames,  with  two  2-inch  holes 
in  the  top  for  feeding  and  supering.  I  have 
different  kinds  of  supers — bell-glasses,  plain  boxes, 
and  several  crates  of  sections.  I  cannot  fully  judge 
yet  how  my  mode  of  working  will  answer.  I  have 
no  doubt  but  the  bar-frame  system,  when  it  is 
rightly  worked,  is  the  most  profitable.  From 
various  reasons  I  have  decided  not  to  adopt  it,  and 
have  thought  the  mode  I  have  adopted  to  be  the 
next  best  way  to  work.  Would  you  kindly  give 
me  your  opinion  about  this,  and  also  as  to  the  size 
of  boxes  I  have  named  1  I  intend  increasing  my 
stocks  to  fifty.  I  erected  my  own  bee-house,  and 
prepare  my  own  hives  and  wood  supers.  Send'me 
any  information  you  can  to  help  me  to  successful 
working. — Thos.  Whitehouse,  near  Brierly  Hill. 

[The  boxes  will  do  admirably  for  the  bees,  hut  frames 
would  render  them  more  convenient  to  you  (not  to  the 
bees)  if  you  at  any  time  want  to  investigate  their  con- 
dition. The  size  most  suitable  is  a  matter  in  which 
experience  of  the  district  will  be  a  better  guide  than 
would  the  individual  opinion  of  any  one  at  a  distance, 
with  no  knowledge  of  the  locality.  Two  thousand  cubic 
inches  is  about  the  contents  of  our  eight-framed  Standard, 
and  that  is  rather  small  for  some  places  and  seasons, 
and  a  little  too  large  for  others.  In  some  years  there 
is  no  difficulty  in  getting  60  to  80  lbs.  of  surplus  honey 
from  such  boxes,  while  in  others  the  bees  may  possibly 
barely  maintain  themselves.  When  you  feel  the  neces- 
sity for  frames,  which  may  not  be  until  a  difficulty 
arises  within  the  hive,  we  would  advise  that  you  adopt 
such  as  will  prevent  the  escape  of  heat  round  the  ends  of 
the  combs,  as  suggested  in  Journal  for  May  last,  p.  3. — 
Ed.]  

LIGURIAN  BEES  IN  AUSTRALIA. 

I  send  you  the  following,  which  is  a  copy  of  what 
appeared  in  the  Journal  of  H  orticulture,  June  27th, 
1865.  Perhaps  it  may  be  of  interest  to  your  corre- 
spondent, L.  E,  R.,  Alderle^&lge. — W.  T.  Joyce.  ' 

'  The  Liyurian  Bee  and  the  Vineyards. 
'  I  have  been  asked  to  confute  a  very  absurd  paragraph 
under  the  above  heading,  which  has  been  copied  from  a 
Melbourne  paper  into  several  of  our  English  newspapers, 
and  which  declares  thai,  much  damage  has  been  done  to 
the  vineyards  in  Australia  by  the  new  bee.  I  need  only 
state  that  no  complaint  of  the  kind  appears  ever  to  have 
been  made  in  Italy,  where  this  bee  is  indigenous,  nor  has 
it  arisen  in  the  Rhine  provinces  of  Germany,  into  which 
the  Ligurians  have  been  extensively  introduced,  whilst 
nothing  would  in  the  slightest  degree  tend  to  give  even 
a  colour  to  the  imputation  has  ever  come  under  the 
observation  of — A  Jjevonshire  Bee-keeper,'  Farnborough, 
Hants. 

SPRING  DYSENTERY.— QUEENLESS  BEES. 

I  think  it  would  help  me,  and  some  others  that 
I  know  of  in  this  neighbourhood,  if  in  the  next 
number  of  the  B.  B.  J.  some  light  could  be  thrown 
on  the  cause  of  the  dysentery  which  attacked  almost 
all  my  stocks  about  a  fortnight  ago.  I  know  of  no 
cause  for  it  myself— unless  it  has  something  to  do 
with  the  sugar  with  which  they  have  been  fed. 
They  have  all  safely  got  over  it,  nor  did  it  appear 
to  interfere  with  the  bees  working,  although  one 
had  to  watch  very  carefully  to  see  that  they  got 
into  their  hives  when  they  g^t   home.     I   might 


have  thought  that  the  large  quantities  of  pea-flour 
which  my  bees  have  taken  may  have  had  a  bad 
effect,  but  I  find  the  disease  attacked  other  people's 
apiaries  about  the  same  time  where  little  or  no 
pea-meal  had  been  taken. 

The  complaint  broke  out  simultaneously  with  the 
blooming  of  the  dandelions.  I  suspected  that  flower 
at  one  time. 

I  am  happy  to  say  that  all  my  sixteen  stocks  have 
now  safely  weathered  the  winter  and  spring,  and 
are  in  a  fair  way  to  do  well — with  the  exception  of 
one,  which  has  lost  its  queen,  and  which  I  am 
puzzled  to  know  what  to  do  with,  although  it  fairly 
maintains  its  own  so  far.  I  wonder  if  it  would  do 
to  give  it  a  piece  of  brood  comb  when  the  drones 
come  out. — J.  H.  D.,  Hungerford,  May  15. 

[From  the  fact  that  the  dysentery  was  not  confined  to 
one  apiary,  the  inference  is  that  it  sprang  from  a  cause 
common  to  all,  and  not  from  any  special  mode  of  treat- 
ment. It  is  pleasant  to  find  that  the  suspicion  which 
seemed  to  attach  to  the  pea-flour  is  thus  dispelled,  it  (the 
meal)  being  an  invaluable  aid  in  early  spring.  Though 
the  pea-flour  was  not  given  all  round,  it  is  probable  that 
syrup  may  have  been,  and  such  syrup  may  have  been 
made  from  an  inferior  sugar,  supplied  to  a  whole  neigh- 
bourhood from  one  source.  Except  on  some  such  hypo- 
thesis it  is  difficult  to  ascribe  a  reason  for  dysentery 
making  its  appearance,  and,  in  some  instances,  making 
dreadful  havoc  in  apiaries  during  such  comparatively  fine 
weather  as  we  have  been  of  late  enjoying.  The  disease 
is  unusual  at  times  when  bees  can  take  wing,  hut  we  have 
heard  this  season  of  an  apiary  of  many  stocks  being  com- 
pletely ruined  by  dysenteric  disorder,  the  feeding  having 
been  as  in  former  years,  except  that  possibly  the  sugar 
obtained  from  beetroot  may  have  been  used  instead  of 
that  from  cane.  These  sugars  are  pronounced  by  authority 
to  be  chemically  the  same  when  properly  refined,  but  short 
of  that  they  may  be  very  different  in  character.  We 
shall  esteem  it  a  favour  if  any  friend  will  help  to  solve 
the  question  asked  above. 

If  a  brood  comb  were  given  to  the  queenless  bees  they 
would  doubtless  raise  a  queen,  but  it  would  be  better  and 
save  time  to  give  them  a  sealed  queen-cell.  If  in  straw 
skeps,  from  which  it  is  often  difficult  to  transfer  brood  or 
queen-cells  without  damaging  the  combs,  it  would  be 
good  to  interchange  hives  with  another  stock,  giving  the 
queenless  bees  the  hive  of  brood,  and  those  having  a 
queen  the  hive  of  broodless  combs.  The  bees  themselves 
should  in  the  latter  case  be  driven  out  of  both  hives 
before  the  interchange,  and  be  allowed  to  run  into  the 
exchanged  hives  on  their  own  respective  stands. — Ed.] 


PROLIFIC  BEES. 
I  had  a  Ligurian  queen  of  you  two  seasons  ago. 
You  may  be  interested  to  know  that  last  year  she 
led  off  a  swarm  (and  four  strong  after-swarms  fol- 
lowed from  the  same  stock,  which  were  joined  two 
together,  all  of  which  are  strong  and  healthy  now  ; 
but  the  after-swarms  turn  out  hybrids).  The 
swarms  afterwards  sent  off  a  virgin  swarm,  a  very 
fine  one ;  but  they  strayed  a  couple  of  miles,  and  I 
didn't  discover  them  for  a  fortnight.  This  virgin 
swarm,  as  well  as  the  one  it  left,  have  both  win- 
tered capitally  ;  and  to-day  I  have  had  the  finest 
natural  swarm  from  the  virgin  swarm  that  ever  I 
remember  to  have  seen.  I  needn't  say  that  I  value 
this  queen  very  highly,  and  shall  take  great  care  of 
her  and  her  progeny.  She  is  the  quickest  and  best 
breeder  that  I  have  ever  had  to  do  with.     She  is  as 


June  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


37 


pure  as  when  I  had  her ;  but  all  her  grandchildren 
are  only  half-breds,  which  is  not  remarkable,  seeing 
what  a  quantity  of  black  drones  there  are  within 
range. — Geo.  F.  Baerell,  Spalding,  May  6,  1880. 
[A  queen  of  such  extraordinary  breeding  power  is  the 
right  sort  to  breed  from ;  aud  every  one  of  the  queen- 
cells  raised  from  her  brood  should  be  utilised  in  hgu- 
rianising  the  black  stocks  in  the  neighbourhood.  Her 
drone  progeny  will  doubtless  have  a  considerable  in- 
fluence in  that  direction,  but  the  cross  will  be  the  wrong 
way  round.  The  influence  of  Ligurian  fathers  is  good  in 
a  degree,  but  that  of  Ligurian  mothers,  even  though  they 
may  happen  to  mate  with  native  drones,  is  far  better,  and 
more  lasting. — Ed.] 

BEES  IN  A  MILL. 
I  tried  to  hive  the  bees  out'  of  the  mill  to-day,  and 
partly  succeeded.  I  found  out  whereabouts  they 
were  by  thrusting  a  gimlet  in  in  several  places, 
then  cut  out  the  boards ;  but  when  out,  the  combs 
were  a  yard  long  from  the  joist  where  they  were 
fastened,  and  the  bees,  well — I  cannot  describe  the 
number,  it  was  truly  legion.  I  could  not  distin- 
guish the  queen,  it  was  impossible,  so  I  cut  out 
brood-combs  as  well  and  carefully  as  possible,  and 
transferred  them  to  the  hives  I  intended,  and  then 
swept  the  bees  in.  Fungus  processes  were  perfectly 
useless.  I  filled  three  hives.  I  would  willingly  have 
paid  a  guinea  and  expenses  for  some  one  to  come  and 
stake  them  for  me,  had  I  known  what  a  splendid  lot 
they  were,  but  I  have  now  done  it  as  best  I  could. 
I  shall  plaster  up  the  places  where  they  go  in  be- 
tween the  boards  to  prevent  their  return. — R.  R., 
Maidenhead. 

BEES  AT  FETTERCAIRN,  N.B.— NO  HONEY 
MARKET. 

This  district  (with  its  large  area  of  pasture-land 
and  honey-producing  plants,  flanked  by  the  Gram- 
pian Mountains,  on  whose  rugged  sides  towards 
autumn  may  be  seen  thousands  of  acres  of  '  bloom- 
ing heather ')  is  certainly  a  splendid  place  for  the 
pursuit  of  apiculture.  Here  is  abundant  material 
for  work,  but  where  are  tBe  workers  ?  They  are,  I 
am  sorry  to  say,  almost  extinct.  When  visited  by 
bad  honey-gathering  seasons  (such  as  last)  cottagers 
in  this  vicinity  won't  be  persuaded  to  feed  their 
bees,  but  foolishly  permit  them  to  starve,  rather 
than  incur  any  expense  for  food  to  tide  them  safely 
through  the  winter.  Thus  their  valuable  lives  are 
sacrificed,  and  on  the  return  of  better  times,  tons  of 
honej'  (are  ungathered  and  apparent!}'  wasted.  The 
principal  reason  for  this  procedure,  on  inquiry,  I 
find  to  be,  that  it  requires  an  outlay  of  money  to 
purchase  food  for  their  bees,  without  the  prospect 
of  a  cash  return,  because  they  cannot  find  a  market 
for  their  honey.  This  is  the  great  rock  on  which 
bee-keeping  makes  shipwreck  in  these  parts,  and 
until  some  means  be  devised  whereby  the  cottagers 
can  find  a  ready  sale  for  the  produce  of  their  hives 
at  fairly  remunerative  prices,  bee-keeping  will  be 
altogether,  as  it  is  now  almost, 'abandoned. — J.  S., 
Fettercaim,  May  22nd,  1880. 

[It  is  simply  absurd  for  cottagers  and  others  to  ci  y  out, 
in  excuse  of  their  stupid  neglect  of  their  bees,  that  there 
is  no  honey  market,  when  there  is  scarcely  a  grocer's 
window  in  the  whole  country  that  does  not  prove  to  the 


contrary.  The  fault  is  not  in  the  honey,  nor  in  the 
public,  who  fully  appreciate  and  freely  purchase  a  good 
article,  hut  in  the  bee-keepers  themselves,  who  will  not 
take  the  trouble  to  produce  their  hone}'  in  a  saleable 
form.  Instead  of  old  gallipots  and  pickle-jars,  that 
suggest  the  odour  of  pomatum  and  onions,  if  the  com- 
plainers  would  pack  their  honey  in  suitable  form  as  sug- 
gested by  Mr.  Hunter  in  bis  paper  on  the  subject  (p.  12 
of  present  volume),  and  send  it  to  Mr.  Baldwin,  the  agent 
of  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association,  who  has  arranged 
with  honey-dealers  for  its  sale  (see  p.  204,  Vol.  VII.), 
they  would  soon  find  an  outlet  for  it. — Ed.] 


BEE-FARMING— INFORMATION  WANTED. 
Can  anyone  inform  me  of  a  bee-farm  in  England 
on  which  is  cultivated  nothing  but  bees  1  If  a  man 
were  to  start  as  a  bee-farmer,  could  he  make  a  live- 
lihood by  so  doing ;  and  could  he  readily  dispose  of 
the  honey  if  he  farmed  on  a  large  scale1!  What 
capital  would  be  necessary  in  order  to  start  a  farm 
that  would  bring  in  an  income  of  100/.  per  year]  I 
shall  be  very  grateful  for  full  particulars  on  the  fore- 
going questions,  as  I  have  been  thinking  of  starting 
a  bee-farm,  but  am  quite  ignorant  as  to  whether  such 
an  undertaking  would  pay. — J.  A.  R.,  Croydon. 


BEES  NOT  WORKING— WHY  1 
I  have  a  hive  of  bees  that  wintered  all  right.  They 
commenced  breeding  early.  The  hive  is  a  straw 
skep ;  it  was  full  of  bees.  There  was  plenty  of  young 
workers.  The  drones  came  out  in  full  force  on  the 
14th  of  April,  on  the  28th  they  began  throwing  out 
drones  and  drone-brood  in  all  stages.  They  have 
stopped  breeding  and  working,  though  we  are 
having  lovely  weather.  They  have  plenty  of  food. 
I  have  given  them  pea-meal.  If  you  could  tell  me 
what  is  the  matter  and  how  to  cure  it,  I  should  be 
very  greatly  obliged.  My  other  stocks  are  all 
right.  Could  you  recommend  a  cheap  book  of 
reference  1  I  bought  two,  but  they  give  the  anatomy 
of  the  bees,  but  nothing  of  management.  I  am  a 
working  man,  and  cannot  afford  to  spend  too  much, 
having  a  family  of  children. — James  Hadfield, 
Wadsley  Bridge,  near  Sheffield. 

[The  casting  forth  of  drones  and  drone-brood  indicates 
that  the  hive  received  a  severe  check  when  presumably 
it  was  progressing  gaily.  Young  bees  were  there  to 
testify  to  the  presence  of  a  fertile  queen  at  a  slightly 
earlier  period,  so  the  drones  cannot  he  supposed  to  be  the 
offspring  of  a  fertile  worker.  It  is  evident  that  the  cold 
or  short  commons  that  caused  the  destruction  of  the 
drones  and  brood  also  led  to  the  death  of  the  queen,  from 
which  calamity  they  have  not  yet  recovered.  We  would 
give  them  a  sealed  queen-cell  as  a  test ;  if  it  be  not 
destroyed  within,  say  twenty-four  hours,  you  may  feel 
assured  of  the  presence  of  a  queen,  though  it  is  possible 
she  may  prove  unfertile,  hut  that  cannot  he  governed, 
or  even  discovered  until  her  brood  is  sealed.  Should  there 
be  no  queen  present  the  queen  in  the  cell  will  hatch  out 
in  due  course,  and  all  will  probably  come  right.  The 
drone-brood  of  an  unfertile  queen  makes  itself  con- 
spicuous by  the  worker  cells  being  elongated,  as  illus- 
trated in  a  late  No.  of  the  Journal.  Messrs.  Hunter  and 
Cheshire  are  preparing  a  '  Handbook  '  under  the  auspices 
of  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association,  but  we  cannot 
say  when  it  will  be  ready.  In  the  meantime  we  cannot 
suggest  a  better  help  than  our  '  Leaflets  for  the  Million,' 
at  a  half-penny  each,  lrf.  post  free,  6d.  per  dozen  post 
free,  or  25s.  per  thousand. — Ed.  ] 


38 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[June  1,  1880. 


BEES  AND  BEE  SHEDS. 

It  is  very  lamentable  to  see  the  frightful  moo- 
tality  among  bees  that  have  been  neglected.  In  my 
walks  I  come  upon  hives  one  after  the  other  with  the 
bees  starved  to  death.  A  gentleman,  who  has  spent 
I  daresay  20/.  on  his  bees,  and  who  has  them  in  a 
smart  house,  full  of  boxes,  met  me  last  week,  and 
told  me  all  his  bees  were  dead.  '  I  have  been 
losing,'  he  said,  '  on  the  average  two  every  year,  till 
this  year  all  have  gone.'  On  visiting  his  apiary,  it 
was  not  difficult  to  see  the  reason  of  this ;  on 
opening  the  hive  the  stench  was  so  great  from  foul 
brood  that  we  both  had  to  retreat.  I  have  forwarded 
him  the  Journal  on  foul  brood.  These  bee-houses 
seem  to  me  to  combine  every  disadvantage  possible 
for  bee  comfort.  I  have  two  weak  stocks,  but  they 
both  have  queens,  and  both  are  breeding,  though 
they  have  no  reserve  of  food.  Would  it  be  best  to 
unite  them1?  I  am  loth  to  do  so;  or  to  take  two 
combs  from  my  strong  stocks  to  strengthen  them  1 
— H.  C.  S. 

[As  a  rule,  we  dislike  the  principle  of  levelling  down, 
or  taking  from  strong  stocks  to  give  to  weak  ones,  as  it 
is  often  much  more  profiiable  to  unite  the  latter.  The 
old  adage  is  true  of  bees  when  perfect  '  unity '  is  accom- 
plished, for  the  'strength,'  or  the  power  to  labour  and 
multiply,  are  increased  more  than  three-fold  by  the  union 
of  two  stocks.  If  the  queens  are  of  especial  value,  we 
often  nurse  weak  stocks  into  strength  in  preference  to 
risking  the  valued  lives  ;  otherwise  we  would  unite  under 
one  queen  and  dispose  of  the  other.  We  quite  agree  on 
the  value  of  Bee  houses. — Ed.] 


NURSING  WEAK  HIVES. 

Perhaps  the  important  work  implied  in  the  above 
heading  may  be  a  soiirce  of  annoyance  to  many 
bee-keepers.  I  purchased  a  stock  of  bees  last  April 
on  the  verge  of  starvation,  hive,  bees,  and  contents, 
barely  8  lbs.  weight.  I  considered  it  profitless  ; 
and  but  for  having  pity  for  bees  would  not  have 
purchased  it  on  any  account.  Well,  to  plan  !  I  got 
a  tundish,  and  placed  it  over  top  of  skep, 
and  filled  it  with  tea-leaves.  I  filled  it  up 
with  syrup  after  nightfall.  I  listened  atten- 
tively, when  lo !  I  heard  the  merry  tune  of  the 
queen.  I  continued  at  this  during  the  whole  of 
April,  all  the  time  admiring  the  notes  of  her 
majesty.  In  a  short  time  it  turned  out  one  of  the 
most  prolific  hives.  A  friend  told  me  he  fed  a 
swarm  he  got  from  a  hedge  with  new  milk  and 
sugar ;  and  when  May  came  he  stopped  feeding 
them  with  such,  and  one  Sunday  he  went  out,  and 
as  they  were  inactive  he  lifted  up  the  hive,  and 
found  them  spread  upon  the  board  quite  lifeless. 
He  brought  them  in,  spread  them  before  the  fire, 
and  dusted  sugar  amongst  them.  By  the  time  he 
arrived  from  church  the  bees  had  resumed  their 
wonted  liveliness.  He  fed  some  time  longer  with 
cream  and  sugar,  and  they  swarmed  twice  after- 
wards. 

Well,  now  I  never  gave  a  bee  one  morsel  since  last 
October  (adhering  strictly  to  Bee  Journal  and  its 
teachings).  I  bought  a  couple  of  hundredweight  of 
sugar  of  course.  I  was  the  laughing-stock  of  the  dis- 
trict, with  all  the  bottles  of  syrup  about  the  house. 


I  was  daily  receiving  reports  of  hives  being  dead, 
and  of  course  they  said, '  Your  bees  must  be  dead  too,' 
and  to  further  joke  me  they  asked  me  had  I  got 
the  '  faren '  bees  yet  (meaning  the  Italians)  1  On 
March  8th  my  wife  reported  bees  in  splendid  con- 
dition.    They  all  flew  about  me,  and  I  brought  out 

;  a  plate  and  covered  it  over  with  tea-leaves  ;  and  I 
had  a  bottle  of  syrup  left,  and  I  poured  it  upon  the 
plate,  and  placed  it  in  one  of  the  onion  ridges,  'And 
the  creatui-es,'  says  she,  '  they  flew  around  me  like 

I   chickens.'   I  put  a  lot  of  pea-flour  in  the  crocuses,  and 

'.  one  would  think  it  was  a  swarm  around  me.  I  have 
them  in  good  condition,  although  I  never  gave  them 

|  food  since  autumn ;  but  still  I  think  it  rather  early 
for  feeding  yet.  You'll  awaken  the  ancients  with 
your  Bee  Tent  here  in  autumn,  as  I  see  a  report, 
from  Bee  Journal  in  Wexford  Independent. — J.  Teay- 
nor,  Tinahely. 

ARTIFICIAL  HEAT,  AS  APPLIED  TO  WEAK 
STOCKS. 

The  last  summer  and  winter  have  indeed  been 
teasers  to  all  engaged  in  the  pleasant  and  generally 
profitable  occupation  of  bee-keeping.  But  for  the 
lessons  I  have  learned  from  the  Bee  Journal,  I 
should  have  had  to  bewail  the  loss  of  my  five  stocks, 
instead  of  being  able  to  say  four  of  them  are  strong 
as  needs  be  at  this  season,  and  the  other  alive  and 
able  to  give  a  kick,  if  required  ;  though,  through  the 
severity  of  the  season,  and  being  weak  in  numbers, 
it  has  had  a  hard  road  to  travel,  and  but  for  a  little 
artificial  heat,  might  have  been  eaten  out  of  house 
and  home  by  the  stronger  hives.  This  weak  one  is 
the  product  of  the  Carniolan  queen,  which  I  mistook 
for  a  Ligurian  hybrid,  and  which  was  kindly  pre- 
sented to  me  by  Mr.  Walton  last  summer. 

Knowing  that  by  the  many  dead  bees  near  the 
entrance  to  this  hive  that  it  had  suffered  much,  I 
opened  it  with  some  anxiety  to  see  if  the  queen  had 
survived,  and  finding  that  she  had,  though  with  not 
more  than  a  handful  of  workers,  I  commenced  feeding 
with  one  of  Mr.  Hunt's  ;;:ill  feeders  :  but  in  this  I 
made  a  mistake,  and  as  to  chronicle  our  mistakes  is 
to  teach  others  to  avoid  them,  I  give  particulars. 
I  ought  to  say  that  the  hive  had  been  well  fed  in 
the  early  autumn,  and  had  plenty  of  sealed  food. 
When  I  gave  the  food  in  quill  feeder,  the  bees 
seemed  to  be  much  aroused  ;  but  not  being  able, 
from  the  smallness  of  their  number,  to  take  it  up 
well,  some  ran  on  the  board  and  attracted  robber 
bees,  besides  the  evil  of  dampness  generally.  This 
last,  however,  I  corrected  by  changing  floor-board  ; 
but  the  robbers  still  would  come,  though  I  narrowed 
entrance,  and  removed  the  feeding-quill,  and  the 
rightful  owners  becoming  weaker,  I  tried  another 
method.  This  was  to  heat  some  bricks  in  oven, 
and  apply  them  over  the  hive.  This  succeded  to 
admiration,  for  after  a  few  days  I  saw  the  marauders 
enter  with  much  more  caution,  and  some  of  them 
were  dragged  out  neck-and-heels,  and  others  held 
in  the  deadly  embrace  of  the  Austrians,  who,  though 
said  to  be  gentle,  like  the  Ligurians,  are  evidently 
able  to  hold  their  own.  When  I  see  them  begin  to 
bring  in  pollen  I  shall  give  them  stimulating  food 
again,  but  in  small  quantities  at  first. 


June  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


39 


My  other  stocks  were  very  active  in  bringing  in 
loads  yesterday,  and  seem  to  be  very  vigorous. 
This  may  be  partly  due  to  the  infusion  of  Ligurian 
blood,  which  I  had  from  you  a  few  years  since, 
though  from  the  bad  seasons  and  want  of  experience 
I  was  only  able  to  keep  pure  for  one  year ;  and  now 
all  trace,  except  the  vigour  above  referred  to,  and 
a  rather  lighter  tinge  in  the  colour  of  the  bees,  is 
lost.  I  shall,  however,  try  again,  I  hope  under 
more  favourable  conditions,  and  with  improved 
surroundings,  in  a  year  or  so  hence.  I  was  very 
much  pleased  with  the  account  of  bee-flora,  con- 
tained in  the  Journal  for  October  last,  and  subse- 
quent number.  Can  any  of  your  readers  inform 
me  if  Myrobella,  or  plum-cherry,  which  is  so  highly 
spoken  of  for  fencing,  would  be  of  any  value  to 
bees  t  It  is  said  that  this  flowers  abundantly  at  the 
time  the  blackthorn  does,  and  is  a  much  more 
vigorous  grower;  and  if  so,  would  be  at  a  time  when 
help  to  bees,  either  in  the  shape  of  honey  or  pollen, 
would  be  most  needed.  I  should  also  like  to  know 
what  is  the  best  way  of  propagating  this  hedge- 
plant,  whether  by  seed  or  otherwise ;  and  if  our 
Editor  could  supply  plants  or  seed,  if  required. 
I  have  forwarded  my  subscription  to  the  Midland 
Counties  Bee-keepers'  Association,  and  suggested 
that  one  means  of  improving  the  stamina  of  the  bees 
themselves  would  be  the  judicious  interchange  of 
queens  among  the  members ;  or  the  same  thing 
might  be  done  with  swarms  where  practicable,  as  I 
have  heard  that  great  mutual  benefit  would  result 
from  this  practice,  especially  when  the  bee.-;  are 
brought  from  a  distance  beyond  the  reach  of  flight. 
Trusting  you  and  all  of  us  may  have  a  fine  season 
to  compensate  for  the  last. — C.  Shufflebotham, 
Coventry. 


ADVANTAGES  OF  A  BAR-FRAME  HIVE. 

Having  taken  up  the  vocation  of  an  amateur  bee- 
farmer  and  a  subscriber  to  your  valuable  Journal, 
from  which  I  have  learnt  somewhat,  and  seeing 
you  are  willing  to  help  the  uninformed,  I  wish  to 
know  the  chief  advantages  of  a  bar-frame  hive 
above  others,  and  whether  nailing  bars  on  to  the 
top  inside  a  common  hive  is  any  advantage  to  the 
bees  building  their  comb;  and,  further,  if  they  were 
lined  with  the  comb,  laid  on  with  a  hot  iron,  would 
they  build  to  it  J  Also,  will  not  holes,  made  about 
three-eighths  diameter,  in  the  adapting  board  for  the 
bees  to  get  through  to  the  super  boxes  (about  half- 
a-dozen  in  a  space  about  two  inches  square)  do  as 
well  as  the  slits  which  are  generally  used.  As  I 
find  I  have  much  to  learn  I  shall  be  thankful  some- 
times to  have  your  advice. — G.  R.,  Walcot  Green, 
Diss. 

[The  advantages  of  the  moveable  comb  hive  over  those 
in  which  the  combs  are  fixed  are  manifold,  and  include 
facilities  for  ascertaining'  the  exact  condition  of  a  stock 
of  bees  at  any  moment,  capturing  a  queen,  proving 
queenlessness  or  otherwise,  the  prevention  of  over- 
swarming  by  the  easy  and  certain  removal  of  queen- 
cells,  the  excision  or  adjustment  of  drone  comb,  the  cut- 
ting out  or  extraction  of  honey,  the  interchange  of  full 
and  empty  combs,  the  division  of  stocks,  the  removal  of 
vermin,  the  detection  of  disease  in  its  early  stages,  the 
enlargement  or  contraction  of  the  brood  nest,  the  ascer- 


tainment of  a  young  queen's  fertility,  and  a  hundred 
and  one  other  operations  that  are  well-nigh  impossible  in 
a  hive  in  which  the  combs  cannot  be  invaded.  Fixing 
bars  to  skeps  with  foundation  attached  would  ensure  the 
building  of  straight  combs,  and  be  helpful  to  a  swarm, 
if  placed  an  inch  and  a  half  (nearly)  from  centre  to 
centre.  Holes  will  do  as  well  as  slits  for  the  bees ;  but 
the  slits  are  intended  to  prevent  the  passage  of  queens 
to  supers,  and  the  spoiling  of  the  latter  by  the  breeding 
that  would  take  place  in  them. — Ed.] 


BEES  IN  A  FARM-HOUSE. 
Some  bees  had  established  a  colony  at  a  farm- 
house (Church  Hall,  Paylisham),  and  the  farm 
bailiff,  considering  them  a  nuisance,  ordered  the 
bricklayers  to  remove  the  plaster  and  lath,  and 
after  suffocating  the  bees,  the  mechanics  took  out 
with  their  trowels  beautiful  combs  not  less  than  4 
feet  long  and  1  foot  wide.  I  am  sorry  I  had  not 
the  chance  of  taking  one  of  the  combs  and  preserv- 
ing it  intact  under  glass  for  exhibition,  &c. —  David 
King,  Rochford. 


BEE-HOUSES. 


Some  time  ago  you  asked  for  information  about 
bee-houses.  As  I  have  had  one  in  use  for  nearly 
twenty  years,  I  think  I  understand  as  much  of 
their  advantages  and  disadvantages  as  most.  Mine 
has  a  pointed  roof,  which  turns  off  wet  well,  and 
will  hold  seven  to  eight  hives,  and  when  managed 
simply  on  the  depriving  system,  is  all  that  can  be 
desired  to  those  who  have  limited  space.  But  when 
bars  have  to  be  removed,  or  any  thorough  examina- 
tion entered  into,  it  is  very  inconvenient,  for  though 
each  hive  has  its  own  board,  and  the  house  opens 
fully  at  back,  the  hives  have  to  be  moved,  which 
causes  disturbance  ;  and  the  bees  who  take  flight 
are  apt  to  go  into  other  hives,  which  leads  to  quarrels, 
so  that  I  should  say,  for  advanced  bee-culture,  bee- 
houses  are  worse  than  useless,  though  to  remove 
bees  to  a  shed  during  severe  weather  is  no  doubt 
wise.* — C.  Shufflebotham. 


BEES  IN  KIRRIEMUIR. 


This  is  a  splendid  country  for  bees,  and  used  to  have 
a  large  bee  population ;  but  now-a-days,  I  hear  old  people 
say,  there  is  not  one  hive  kept  for  ten  that  wont  to  be. 
One  old  farmer  used,  about  fifty  or  sixty  years  hack,  to 
pay  his  rent  off  his  bees.  The  honey  produced  is  col- 
lected almost  entirely  off  white  clover  and  '  the  bonnie 
bloomin'  heather.'  The  last  year  and  a  half  has  almost 
blotted  out  the  genus  Apis  from  the  neighbourhood 
altogether.  Even  the  very  humble-bees  are  compara- 
tively scarce  this  spring.  Small  straw  hives  used  to  be 
the  ride,  but  the  owners  of  these,  like  Lord  Ullin,  are 
left  lamenting  'their  bees  're  aw  deed.'  Most  of  the  bees 
left  alive  are  in  bar-frame  hives,  and  have  been  cared 
for  under  the  new  regime  for  some  rears.  There  are 
upwards  of  twenty  bar-frame  stocks  in  the  parish  just 
now  and  five  or  six  new  school  bee-masters.  I  think 
most  stocks  that  have  been  attended  to  are  prosperous. 
I  know  best  about  my  own,  and  propose  to  tell  a  few  of 
my  own  experiences. 

*  Moving  bees  during  severe  weather  to  a  dark  shed  is 
not  a  bad  practice,  but  they  should  be  returned  when  flight 
i9  again  possible. — Ed. 


40 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[June  1,  1880. 




In  1878  I  began  with  four  stocks.  I  bought  one  small 
swarm  from  Abbott  Brothers  that  summer,  and,  though 
I  have  had  '  ups,'  I  have  also  had  '  downs  '  since  then  ;  so 
that  this  year  I  begin  with  only  five  serviceable  stocks 
again.  In  1878 1  sold  upwards  of  20/.  worth  of  honey,  but 
last  year  I  only  sold  10s.  6d.  worth.  I  think  that  my 
expenses  for  hives,  apparatus,  bees,  and  sugar  at  this  date 
somewhat  over  my  drawings  for  honey ;  but,  viewing 
the  returns  as  '  interest  on  capital,'  I  am  exceedingly 
well  satisfied.  Laying  all  considerations  about  '  filthy 
lucre  '  aside,  I  still  mean  to  go  on  with  my  bee-keeping. 

Last  season  was  very  trying,  as  almost  all  my  plans 
miscarried.  I  had  some  old  queens,  but  I  could  not  get 
young  ones  reared  and  mated  to  take  their  place  ;  so  they 
had  to  reign  all  winter.  These  have  mostly  done  well 
too,  while  two  of  last  year's  mating  have  done  ill,  one 
dying,  and  another  (an  imported  Ligurian)  abdicated, 
leaving  two  square  inciies  of  brood  and  eggs  to  take  her 
place.  That  circumstance  somewhat  provoked  me.  I 
found  the  queen  cast  out  in  a  dying  state  one  day,  and 
but  a  small  number  of  bees  in  the  hive,  while  the  hive 
next  to  it  (a  black  one)  was  strong,  and  seemed  to  have 
been  augmented  by  great  numbers  of  Italians,  no  doubt 
from  their  yellow  neighbour.  Rats  are  said  to  leave  a 
sinking  ship  :  would  this  be  the  principle  of  their  migra- 
tion, think  you  ?  Since  then  a  young  Italian  queen  has 
been  hatched  from  the  brood  left,  but  I  suppose  she  will 
be  too  early  to  get  a  mate.  I  have  bought  seven  yellow 
queens,  costing  me  about  3/.,  and  this  is  the  last  of  them 
again,  the  whole  seven  dying  without  issue. 

Last  September  I  bought  a  yellow  queen.  I  caught 
the  old  black  queen  of  a  hive,  and  caged  the  new-comer 
in  her  place.  In  two  days  I  went  and  released  my 
prisoner.  She  took  wing  immediately,  and  flew  off,  and 
I  saw  her  no  more.  On  examining  the  hive,  to  see  what 
could  be  the  reason  for  her  not  going  down  into  it,  I  was 
surprised  to  find  a  plump,  healthy-looking  black  queen  in 
it,  besides  the  one  I  had  removed  before.  I  was  not 
quite  sure  if  she  was  fertilised,  for  I  observed  drones  in 
good  numbers  ;  and  I  am  almost  sure  some  drones  were 
in  the  hive  all  winter.  However  she  is  breeding  now, 
but  about  a  third  of  her  brood  is  drones  in  workers'  cells, 
and  that  scattered  promiscuously  through  the  nest.  No 
wonder  her  yellow  majesty  absconded  in  September. 

The  best  bee-plant  I  have  is  Arabis  alpina.  The  bees 
work  on  it  like  they  do  on  clover.  The  crocuses  are 
neglected  for  it,  and  the  meal-store  which  I  have  set  up 
in  an  empty  hive.  I  fill  the  hive  with  fine  shavings 
(turnings  I  use),  and  raise  the  roof  about  3  inches  to 
allow  the  bees  entrance  below.  I  then  sprinkle  pea-flour 
on  the  top  of  the  shavings,  and  the  hive-roof  keeps  all 
dry.  That  is  the  most  popular  meal-store  I  ever  saw. 
To  teach  the  bees  to  take  the  flour  I  just  dust  a  little  of 
it  on  them  at  the  hive-entrances  for  a  few  days,  and  they 
soon  learn  to  go  in  search  of  it  personally. — G.  A.  R., 
Lintrathen,  Kirriemuir. 


BEE-KEEPING  IN  IRELAND. 
I  am  glad  to  see  that  the  Bee  Tent  is  going  over  to 
Ireland  ;  great  good  will  result  I  am  sure.  My  pleas- 
antest  bee-keeping  days  were  spent  in  Ireland,  but  I 
cannot  subscribe  to  the  puff  by  It.  S.,  in  Daily  Express. 
Doubtless  bee-keeping  is  in  a  very  bad  state  in  Ireland, 
but  so  it  is  in  England.  I  would  wager  that  if  Ire- 
land were  canvassed  on  the  subject,  it  would  be  found 
that  the  peasantry  make  a  better  return  from  their  bees 
than  the  same  number  of  their  English  brethren  do.  I 
have  travelled  over  the  bulk  of  country  lying  between 
Belfast  and  County  Waterfurd,  and  itjj'ould  astonish  an 
outsider  to  see  the  quantity  of  honey  that  is  grown.  Of 
course  it  is  not  obtained  in  glass  supers  or  sections,  but 
in  the  old  style,  not  the  least  portion  being  taken  with- 
out smothering  the  bees.  I  know  one  gentleman  in  the 
County  Wickiow  who  keeps  from  thirty  to  forty  stocks 
in  bar-frames,  and  whose  intelligent  gardener  has  been 


the  means  of  doing  a  deal  of  good  both  among  the  neigh- 
bouring and  distant  peasantry,  not  excepting  many  small 
farmers.  But  what  is  the  fact  ?  How  are  the  people 
to  be  taught  improved  bee-culture,  unless  by  some  neigh- 
bourly friend  ?  There  is  practically  no  bee  literature  ' 
for  them.  The  Bee  Sfmimal  is  comparatively  unknown. 
I  know  I  had  difficulty  in  making  out  its  whereabouts. 
I  applied  twice  for  its  address  to  a  London  firm,  and 
then  did  not  receive  it  until  I  gave  them  a  small  order. 
The  principal  farming  journal  completely  ignores  bee- 
culture.  The  Practical  Farmer  (an  excellent  paper  in 
some  respects)  gives  a  little  help,  but  being  from  Ameri- 
can papers,  is  not  exactly  wnat  is  wanted.  If  you 
would  only  take  some  steps  to  make  your  Journal  better 
known  throughout  not  only  Ireland,  but  England,  I 
doubt  not  but  that  you  would  be  pleasurably  surprised 
at  the  influx  of  subscribers,  while  at  the  same  time  you 
would  become  a  national  benefactor.  Another  sugges- 
tion I  would  make,  especially  to  Irish  bee-keepers,  that 
they  should,  by  inducing  clergymen  to  accept  swarms  of 
bees  (a  small  matter  ic  an  earnest  lover  of  the  science),  and 
by  a  little  personal  attention,  secure  their  proper  manage- 
ment, and  so  enlist  them  in  the  promotion  of  the  indus- 
try. Another  plan  would  be  for  apiarians,  who  are 
members  of  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations,  to  give 
an  occasional  lecture,  illustrated  with  appliances  of  prac- 
tical use,  and  I  would  vouch  that  bee-culture  would  soon 
become  understood,  and  consequently  appreciated ;  for  in 
my  opinion  (which  I  trust  you  will  pardon)  the  Irish 
peasant  is  a  more  intelligent  being,  more  given  to  thinking, 
than  his  English  brother.  I  am  an  Englishman  myself, 
therefore  I  do  not  make  this  assertion  from  national 
pride,  but  truth  compels  me  to  do  so.  When  I  started 
bee-keeping  (in  Ireland)  I  expended  during  the  first  year 
over  20/.,  but  during  the  second  year  I  discovered  the  Bee 
Journal;  all  was  ignorance  to  that  time,  and  by  its  aid 
and  advice,  instead  of  being  all  expenditure,  I  was  en- 
abled to  turn  bee-keeping  to  some  account.  I  condemned 
all  my  previous  purchases,  and  at  the  end  of  the  third 
year,  I  was  enabled  to  sweep  off  over  357.  of  expenses, 
besides  carrying  forward  4/.  lis.  8d.  cash,  and  10/.  14s.  Id. 
worth  of  useful  apparatus ;  from  that  time  until  the 
close  of  last  year,  I  made  bee-keeping  a  pecuniary  success. 
Unfortunately  at  the  present  time  I  am  bee-less,  a  state 
of  matters  brought  about  by  change  of  residence,  which 
compelled  me  very  reluctantly  to  part  with  all  my  bees. 
In  1878  one  of  my  stocks  in  a  Woodbury  hive  returned 
me  6/.  clear  profit,  but  that  was  exceptional.  I  have 
only  lost  one  hive  by  foul  brood,  not  any  otherwise.  I 
have  on  every  available  opportunity  shown  my  bees,  and 
explained  their  management  as  well  as  I  was  able,  to 
many  people,  often  to  the  injury  of  my  legitimate  busi- 
ness. One  word  to  brother  bee-keepers.  Advertise  the 
British  Bee  Journal  amongst  friends  and  neighbours  by 
every  possible  means.  That  is  the  lever  that  will  help 
on  bee-culture,  for  the  people  only  want  apprising  of 
what  national  importance  bee-keeping  can  become,  to 
compel  them  to  enter  the  field  as  honey  producers,  to 
help  them  to  better  their  own  condition,  and  keep  the 
money  in  the  country  that  is  now  paid  abroad  for  very 
inferior  honey  and  wax. — H.  D. 

[Our  correspondent  sent  with  his  communication  the 
name  of  a  new  subscriber,  and  has  thereby  shown, 
in  the  most  practical  form,  his  enthusiastic  appreciation 
of  our  efforts  as  journalists,  and  his  desire  to  spread 
a  knowledge  of  bee-keeping ;  and  if  every  one  who  has 
found  help  in  our  pages  would  do  likewise,  it  would  no 
longer  be  inferred  that  the  B.  B.  J.  is  '  comparatively 
unknown.'  Our  Journal  may  be  considered  in  the  light 
of  an  educational  work,  helpful  to  those  who  desire  to 
improve,  but  sneered  at  by  the  multitude  who  have  per- 
fect faith  in  their  own  knowledge  ;  and  before  it  will  be 
appreciated  generally  as  our  enthusiast  desires,  the  bee- 
keeping public  have  to  learn  the  necessity  for  some  such 
counsellor  and  guide.     Advertising  will  not  teach  this, 


June  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


41 


but  example  will,  and  after  a  few  more  bad  summers 
and  severe  winters,  in  which  the  self-satisfied  lose  all 
their  bees,  while  those  who  follow  the  teachings  of  the 
Journal  are  enabled  to  preserve  theirs  alive,  the  bee- 
keeping public  will  have  learned  how  little  they  know, 
and  how  much  they  have  to  unlearn,  and  then  perhaps  a 
knowledge  of  the  existence  of  the  Bee  Journal  would 
be  welcomed,  and  advertising  would  pay.  In  the  ex- 
cellent American  '  Gleanings  on  Bee-culture,'  a  writer  on 
advertising  says,  '  There  is  no  advertisement  like  a  pleased 
customer,'  and  on  such  we  rely  for  recommendation  and 
help  in  our  work. — Ed.] 


d£rjj0£S  from  %  ^iucs. 


Honey  Recipes. — I  think  it  would  add  interest  as  well  as 
be  of  value  to  your  paper  if  you  had  a  column  set  apart  for 
recipes  in  medicine  and  cookery,  where  honey  was  an 
ingredient.  Your  readers  being  invited  to  send  them  in 
from  whatever  source  foimd,  whether  written,  printed, 
or  either,  care  only  being  taken  not  to  repeat  the  same 
twice.  One  of  my  family  once  made  some  very  nice 
vinegar ;  I  do  not  know  whether  others  have  done  the 
same,  or  what  the  cost  would  be  compared  with  malt- 
vinegar  if  made  in  larger  quantities  for  the  wholesale 
trade.— W.  H.  T. 

Andover,  May  19. — Early  Drones. — '  You  were  quite 
right  about  the  hive  of  bees  I  mentioned  in  my  letter  of 
March  11th  (which  was  hatching  out  drones  in  the 
middle  of  February.)  It  had  a  drone-laying  queen,  but 
the  workers  were  so  strong  that  I  could  hardly  think  it 
at  the  time.  The  hive  is  still  in  existence,  but  is  now  on 
its  last  legs.' — Capt.  0.  A. 

Early  Supering. — '  On  April  21st  I  put  supers  on  two 
stocks,  each  of  which  when  filled  would  contain  about 
40  lbs. ;  the  bees  immediately  took  possession,  and  began 
comb-building.  On  May  13th  and  14th  I  had  two 
swarms  from  the  same  weighing  7§  and  0  lbs.  each.  The 
bees  had  built  all  the  comb  in  one,  and  each  super  con- 
tained 14  lbs.  of  hone)',  a  few  inches  of  it  being  sealed.' 
— George  Allen. 

Hailsworth,  April  26. — '  I  have  lost  all  my  bees,  some 
forty  stocks  and  swarms,  by  foul  brood.  I  kept  them 
in  improved  Woodbury  hives.  I  have  broken  up  my  hives 
and  burnt  most  of  them,  and  given  up  bee-keeping  in 
despair.'— Geo.  F.  Tabram. 

Wired  comb  foundation,  May  10. — 'The  wired  foun- 
dation curls  up  as  much  as  the  English,  but  the  bees 
gnaw  away  the  bottom  where  it  is  not  straight,  which  I 
have  not  found  them  do  to  the  other.  I  have  one  frame 
built  out  and  fuller  of  brood  than  any  other  comb  in  the 
hive.'— G.  C.  E.,  Bart. 

Clifton  Parsonage,  Ashburne,  April  27. — '  I  went  away 
in  the  middle  of  February  to  the  south  of  France,  leaving 
my  Ligurian  swarm  of  last  year  in  very  good  order  after 
a  month's  feeding.  Some  time  after  I  was  gone  my 
gardener  took  it  into  his  head  to  drench  them  with  syrup. 
The  consequence  is  that  I  find  the  bottom  of  the  hive  a 
mass  of  dead  bees  and  sugar,  the  door  clogged  up,  and  all 
the  bees  dead  ;  stifled  for  want  of  air.' — G.  A.  F. 

New  Zealand  Bee-keeping.  —  'A  gentleman,  Mr.  Lee, 
explained  to  me  about  bee-keeping  in  New  Zealand,  as 
follows : — "  You  know  (he  says)  there  are  good  and 
bad  seasons  for  bees  as  here.  The  year  before  I  left  I 
smothered  three  hives,  and  the  least  weighed  132  lbs., 
after  deducting  the  weight  of  the  packing-case,  as  that 
is  the  only  hive  used ;  but  I  have  experienced  seasons  in 
which  the  bees  didn't  nearly  fill  them.  We  smother  in 
February  and  March,  and  leave  a  few  stocks,  same  as  our 


own  country  people  do.  The  bees  swarm  and  hang  out 
in  a  bush  same  as  here  (Ireland).  We  consume  all  the 
honey  in  the  household.  No  such  thing  occurs  as  two 
crops  in  one  }'ear ;  we  oftentimes  hardly  have  one  good 
crop.  Bees  don't  gather  honey  all  the  year  round  as 
some  people  would  make  you  believe."' — J.  Traynor, 
Tinahely. 

Hill  Cottage,  Falfield,  Gloucestershire — Suggested  Section 
Didders. — '  Would  not  the  thin  wood  used  for  making 
match-boxes  do  well  for  dividers  in  sectional  supers  P 
It  is  very  thin,  and  cut  out  by  machinery  at  a  great 
rate,  so  should  be  cheap. — H.  Jenner-Fust,  Jun.' 

Bivlchbychan,  May  21st. — 'Owing  to  the  cottagers 
about  here  keeping  their  bees  in  the  old  straw  skep  they 
have  died  by  hundreds,  and  it  was  with  great  difficulty 
that  I  procured  any.  At  present  the  weather  is  lovely, 
and  we  have  had  no  rain  for  the  past  month.  I  hope  by 
next  summer  to  be  able  to  report  the  formation  of  a 
Bee-keepers'  Association,  as  the  people  are  beginning  to 
see  the  folly  of  their  ways. — J.  C.  P.  Vaughan  Pryse.' 

Nottingham. — Drones  were  first  seen  on  May  20th, 
so  that  no  swarms  have  issued  yet,  although  the  weather 
during  the  present  month  has  been  all  that  could  be 
wished.  April,  however,  was  a  cold  month,  and  the 
progress  made  was  not  so  rapid  as  we  had  been  led  to 
hope  from  the  state  of  our  stocks  in  March.  All  at 
present,  however,  seems  to  presage  a  good  season  both 
for  bees  and  honey. — W.  S. 


(luetics  anb  JUplbs. 


Query  No.  "3(*. — Comb  foundation. — Is  it  safe  to  fill 
all  the  bars  of  a  hive  for  the  reception  of  a  swarm  with 
American  comb-foundation  (wired),  or  would  it  be  more 
secure,  and  prevent  curling,  to  tie  thread  across  them,  as 
described  in  a  former  number  of  Bee  Journal? — G. 
Allen,  Orpington. 

Eeply  to  Query  No.  336. — It  is  supposed  to  be 
quite  safe  to  fill  frames  with  the  wired  foundation.  We 
intended  to  give  it  a  good  trial  this  year,  but  by  inad- 
vertence every  bit  of  it  was  sent  out,  and  no  more  is  at 
present  forthcoming.  Tying  threads  across  can  be  no 
detriment  to  foundation  or  bees,  and  would  be  useful 
experimentally. — Ed. 

Query  No.  337. —  The  bottle  as  an  indicator  of  need.— 
Last  October,  when  feeding  my  bees  with  syrup  from 
one  of  your  bottles  with  three  holes  in  the  cork,  they 
ceased  to  take  the  syrup.  I  could  not  see  that  it  was 
candied.  I  therefore  concluded  that  they  did  not  want 
it,  and  that  the  syrup  did  not  flow  without  the  suction 
from  the  bees,  and  I  recognised  this  as  a  valuable  guide 
as  to  their  needs.  Now  I  cannot  reconcile  this  with  the 
fact  that  the  syrup  runs  through  the  holes  when  one 
inverts  the  bottle  before  it  is  placed  on  the  perforated 
zinc  stage  :  ought  I  to  infer  from  this  that  the  bees  cannot 
get  it,  because  it  is  either  too  thick  or  candied  ? — K.  C.  J. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  337.— If  the  bees  are  in  actual 
need,  and  do  not  take  the  syrup,  it  must  be  inferred  that 
they  are  unable  to  do  so  either  through  its  having  can- 
died, because  they  do  not  like  it,  or  through  their  inability 
to  reach  it.  If  the  bottle  be  quite  full  of  syrup,  there 
being  no  air  within  to  become  attenuated,  it  can  be 
inverted  and  held  level  with  the  mouth  downward  with- 
out a  drop  of  the  contents  running  through  the  holes  in 
the  zinc  or  vulcanite  with  which  it  may  happen  to  be 
covered,  but  if  only  partly  rilled  with  syrup,  the  air 
within  will  become  attenuated  in  a  greater  or  less  degree, 
and  a  few  drops  of  syrup  will  escape.  When  put  upon 
the  zinc-stage,  if  it  be  level  not  a  drop  of  the  syrup  can 


42 


THE  BKITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[June  1,  1880. 


get  out,  and  no  air  can  get  into  the  bottle  unless  a  bee 
inserts  its  tongue,  and  sucks  out  some  of  the  syrup, 
when  by  a  natural  law  air  will  find  its  way  in  to  supply 
the  place  of  the  syrup  taken  out.  A  feeding-bottle  with 
uncandied  syrup  in  it  is  but  a  poor  guide  to  the  need  of 
bees,  since,  as  a  rule,  they  cannot  withstand  the  tempta- 
tion to  take  it  and  store  it  under  ordinary  circumstances 
if  they  can  get  at  it.  When  honey  is  abundant  they 
will  naturally  give  it  the  preference,  and  if  several 
sources  be  open  they  will  select  the  best.  When  syrup 
is  candied,  or  very  cold,  they  neglect  it,  though  they  may 
be  in  a  state  of  starvation. — Ed. 

Query  No.  338 — Returning  Swarms. — Not  wishing 
to  add  to  the  number  of  my  hives,  may  I  return  a  first 
swarm  to  the  hive  ?  and  must  I  take  away  the  old  queen 
before  doing  so,  or  let  the  two  queens  fight  it  out?  It 
is  so  very  difficult  to  find  the  queen  in  the  swarm.  I 
hope  some  of  your  contributors  will  give  their  experi- 
ences and  difficulties  with  the  zinc  queen  includer. — 
K.  C.  J. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  338. — A  normal  first  swarm 
may  be  returned  to  the  hive  without  danger  to  the 
queen,  because  there  will  be  no  other  queen  within  the 
hive.  Such  swarms  issue  seven  or  eight  days  before  the 
young  queens  which  are  maturing,  hatch  into  life. 
Though  swarms  be  returned  as  suggested,  it  by  no  means 
follows  that  they  will  not  issue  again,  since  having  deter- 
mined on  swarming,  and  having  raised  queen-cells  pre- 
paratory to  doing  so,  the  bees  may  insist  on  their 
maturing  ;  otherwise,  the  young  queen  will  be  allowed  to 
destroy  them. — Ed. 

Query  No.  339. — Admission  to  Supers.  —Can  you  or 
any  of  your  subscribers  tell  me  which,  after  experience, 
is  found  the  best,  the  side  slot  or  perforated  zinc  (round 
or  oblong  hole )  to  place  under  supers  ?  I  myself  incline  to 
quarter  inch  space  above  frame  with  side  slot  in  adapt- 
ing-boards,  with  corresponding  bottom  to  super,  and  wny 
should  not  the  top  bar  of  hives  be  made  of  such  a  width 
that  the  intervals  between  them  should  admit  workers 
and  not  queen  to  supers  ? — S.  Nicholl. 

Reply  to  Query'  No.  339. — We  have  many  times 
shown  that  bees  prefer  to  store  their  surplus  honey 
at  the  farthest  point  from  the  entrance  of  the  hive ; 
and  in  an  article  on  supering  in  this  Journal  have 
again  referred  to  it.  It  is  quite  useless  for  writers, 
however  great  their  experience,  to  lay  down  any 
absolute  rules  for  others'  guidance,  for  since  '  bees  do 
nothing  invariably,'  the  rules  do  not  always  apply,  and 
are  therefore  often  looked  upon  as  whimsical.  Some 
writers  assert  that  honey  is  always  stored  in  the  coolest 
part  of  the  hive,  others  will  as  strenuously  assert  that 
bees  prefer  to  store  it  on  the  top,  which  is  the  hottest 
(next  to  the  actual  brood-nest)  ;  and  thus  opinions  vary, 
and  the  public  are  left  in  a  state  of  incertitude.  Our 
dictum,  however,  helps  to  reconcile  these  opinions,  and 
we  have  little  doubt  but  that  admission  to  supers  at  the 
back  or  beyond  the  brood-nest  will  be  generally  most 
acceptable  to  the  bees ;  and  whether  excluders  be  used 
or  not,  will  offer  the  least  inducement  for  the  queen  to 
enter  them.  Top  bars  of  wood  are  liable  to  expansion, 
contraction,  and  warping,  and  cannot  be  relied  on  as  ex- 
cluders in  the  ordinary  sense.  We  hold  that  the  quarter- 
inch  space  is  unnecessary,  and  often  hurtful  as  permitting 
the  loss  of  heat.  Others  differ  in  opinion,  but  we  cannot 
help  that ;  our  argument  is  based  on  the  bees'  own  works, 
and  their  protest  against  the  conveniences  which  humans 
offer  them,  and  they  as  persistently  reject. — Ed.] 

Query  No.  340. — Prize  for  Non-mcarming  Hives. — 
Why  do  people  go  on  talking  and  advertising  non- 
swarming  systems  to  the  delusion  of  novices,  when  they 
know  perfectly  well  that  there  is  a  prize  offered  which 
has  never  been  taken  for  any  such  system  ? 

Ammonia  for  stingt. — Mr.  Jenner-Fust  recommended 


some  time  the  strongest  ammonia  for  cure  of  bee-stings. 
I  should  like  to  caution  those  who  have  not  used  it, 
that  if  they  apply  it  to  eye,  nose,  or  lips,  they  may  find 
those  members  skinless. 

My  bees  have  prospered.  I  have  lost  none  owing  to  the 
winter.  I  took  14  lbs.  of  honey  yesterday,  May  21st, 
from  one  hive,  and  two  frames  from  a  second,  and  might 
have  taken  six  times  as  much. — S.  Nicholl. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  340. — A  great  writer  and 
philosopher  has  described  our  thirty  millions  of  popu- 
lation as  '  mostly  fools  ; '  and  though  we  do  not  subscribe 
to  this  entirely,  we  cannot  shut  our  eyes  to  the  fact  that 
a  very  large  number  of  the  people  are  ever  ready  and 
willing  to  be  gulled,  and  that  there  are  'hawks'  and 
'  cormorants '  mostly  on  the  look-out  for  them. 

Wre  should  be  glad,  however,  if  our  correspondent 
will  furnish  us  with  the  particulars  of  the  challenge 
prize  he  mentions,  and  the  conditions  under  which  it  is 
offered,  as  we  are  by  no  means  certain  that  such  a  hive 
cannot  be  produced  if  it  is  not  already  in  the  market. 
The  warning  to  those  inclined  to  use  ardent  ammonia 
will  doubtless  have  due  weight. — Ed.] 

NOTICES  TO  CORRESPONDENTS  &  INQUIRERS. 


Bwlchbychan. — The  bees  being  weak  should  be  fed, 
and  that  robbing  may  not  be  provoked  it  would  be 
better  done  at  night,  and  so  leave  the  bees  free  to  work 
during  the  day.  Newly  purchased  weak  stocks  are 
not,  as  a  rule,  very  promising,  but  their  being  so 
helps  to  bear  out  our  suggestion,  oft  repeated,  that 
people  are  not  fond  of  selling  their  best.  It  would 
have  been  better  to  have  purchased  new  swarms. 
Being  weak  it  would  be  better  not  to  transfer  them  at 
present,  but  nurse  them  into  strength  by  feeding,  and 
transfer  about  twenty  days  after  swarms  have  issued 
from  them.  An  orchard  screened  on  the  north  and 
west  by  spruce  plantations  should  be  an  excellent 
position  for  an  apiary,  provided  the  country  around  is 
productive. 

Bark  Combs.  —  The  dark  colour  of  combs  is  caused 
by  the  breeding  which  has  taken  place  in  the  cells. 
Every  young  bee  during  its  transformation  spins  a 
silky  cocoon  around  itself,  which,  when  matured,  it 
leaves  behind  in  the  cell.  These,  though  almost  as 
'thin  as  air,' accumulating  in  the  cells,  tinge,  darken, 
and  blacken  them ;  but  it  takes  some  years  of  succes- 
sive breeding  to  render  the  cells  too  small  to  be  ser- 
viceable. One  year's  breeding  will  turn  white  comb 
to  very  dark  brown. 

G.  R.,  Diss. — Second-hand  hives. — Our  caution  was  in  re- 
spect of  purchased  hives ;  if  one  is  certain  that  his 
own  contain  none  of  the  germs  of  foul-brood  or  other 
deleterious  growth,  he  can  use  them  if  he  chooses  to 
do  so,  but  in  all  cases  a  thorough  cleansing  cannot  be 
other  than  beneficial.  To  keep  down  drones  and 
queens,  the  bars  are  inefficient ;  and  if  they  were 
widened  to  narrow  the  passage  way  between  them, 
warping,  &c.  would  render  them  ineffective.  For 
information  on  the  quilt,  see  Index.  The  Warder 
system  of  storifying  by  mounting  full  stocks  on 
empty  hives,  and  removing  the  tops  when  the  har- 
vest has  ceased,  is  out  of  date,  as  the  honey  taken, 
having  been  stored  in  brood-combs,  is  too  often  mixed 
with  pollen  and  other  impurities ;  hence  the  reversal 
of  the  system  now  called  supering.  The  feeding-stage 
need  not  be  removed  until  you  intend  to  put  on  supers ; 
the  '  cushion  '  laid  on  will  keep  the  bees  warm.  The 
smoking  apparatus  should  be  charged  lightly  with  dry 
material,  cotton  rags  will  do,  a  lighted  fusee  applied, 
and  the  bellows  set  to  work.  The  neighbourhood  of 
Biss  is  fortunate  in  having  lost  so  few  bees. 


THE 


n  Umtptl, 


mm 
i  i 


aSv 


*>  ■<j 


[No.  87.    Vol.  VIII.] 


JULY,  1880. 


[Published  Monthly.] 


(ffibxtaxml,  Hrrtkes,  $r. 


JULY. 

Prospects  brighten,  and  there  is  fair  reason 
to  hope  that  a  good  honey  harvest  will  set  bee- 
keepers rejoicing.     Already  we  hear  of  the  re- 
moval of  well-filled  supers,  and  of  vast  quanti- 
ties of  honey  having  been  obtained  by  the  use 
of  the  extractor;  and  with  the  limes  and  clover 
in   hand,    there    is   room    for   rejoicing.     The 
weather  during  June  has  been  kindly  on   the 
whole,  though   its  first   ten   days  were  not  en- 
couraging, and  sharp  frosts  did  much  damage 
to  tender  crops;  but  since  then  there  have  been 
sunshine  and  rain,  which  have  promoted  the 
growth  of  vegetation,  and  much  honey  has  been 
secreted,  and,  we  are   glad    to    repeat,  secured. 
Notwithstanding  the  terrible  experiences  of  the 
past  two  years,  we  are  glad  to  be  able  to  report 
that    the    interest  in    scientific   bee-culture   is 
rapidly  increasing,  the  country  at  large  being 
apparently  fully  awakened  to  its   importance, 
not  only  as  a   paying  industry,  but  as  the  sine 
i/iid  noil  to  the  preservation  of  the  busy  insects. 
Doubtless  the  bad  times  which  have  visited  the 
careless  and  dilatory  have   tended  to  this,  but 
much,  we  are  assured,  is  due  to  the  efforts  that 
have  been,  and  are   continually  being  made  to 
promote  and  extend  a  better  knowledge  of  the 
art  than    has    hitherto    prevailed.     Clubs    and 
associations  are   everywhere   springing  up,  and 
in  the  laud;  and  bees,  hives, 
are  now  attractions  as   exhibits  at 
most  of  the  local  and  many  of   the   county  and 
national    agricultural,   horticultural,  and  floral 
exhibitions.      Patronised  by  the   nobility,    and 
earnestly  fostered  by  the  clergy,  who  arc  ever 
to  the  fore  in  promoting  whatever  will  conduce 
to  the  corporal  as  well   as  spiritual  welfare  of 
the  community,  bee-culture  may  be  now  said  to 
have    taken    its  true   position   with    its   sister 
sciences,  and  we  have  every  faith   thai    its  re- 
cognition as  a  lucrative  and  cheap  source  of  in- 
come will  be  permanent. 


taking  firm  root 
and  honey, 


WHAT  TO  DO,  AND  HOW  TO  DO  IT. 

Supers  and  their  Removal. — Honey  being 
now  plentiful,  and  supers  nearly  fit  for  removal, 
it  is  often  a  question  whether  to  leave  them  to 
be  completed,  or  to  add  to  them,  and  thus  give 
the  bees  full  scope  for  their  power  of  collecting 
it.  There  can  be  no  ride  laid  down  in  this 
respect  because  of  the  difference  in  the  honey- 
yield  of  the  various  localities,  the  power,  i.e.  the 
comparative  strength  of  the  colonics,  and  the 
duration  of  the  harvest ;  and  therefore  every 
bee-keeper  must  make  a  law  for  himself.  When 
it  is  desired  that  supers  should  be  completed 
outright,  for  exhibition  purposes,  it  will  be 
unwise  to  disturb  them,  but  additional  space 
may  be  given  above  them  if  the  yield  of  honey 
will  warrant  it.  In  giving  additional  space  for 
honey-gathering,  it  is  better  to  put  a  second  set 
of  supers  above  the  first  that  are  being  filled  in 
preference  to  the  common  practice  of  raising 
the  latter  and  interposing  the  empty  ones.  The 
last-named  may  ensure  additional  comb-build- 
ing, but  it  will  often  be  at  the  expense  of  the 
honey  in  the  top  super.  Those  using  sectional 
supers  may  remove  the  central  sections  as  soon 
as  they  are  completed,  the  partially-filled  ones 
being' closed  up,  while  additional  sections  may 
be  added  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  latter,  but 
on  no  account  should  empty  sections  be  placed 
between  them  unless  for  experiment.  Sectional 
supers  should  be  cleared  of  bees  individually  ; 
a  little  smoke,  that  from  smouldering  '  touch- 
wood,' is  least  likely  to  suggest  an  unpleasant 
taste,  should  be  blown  into  them  or  between 
them  and  the  hive,  and  in  a  minute  or  two  they 
may  be  parted  and  taken  away,  each  being 
brushed  clear  of  bees,  and  wrapped  in  paper 
to  prevent  other  bees  attacking  them.  A 
bunch  of  grass  will  make  an  excellent  brash 
for  the  purpose.  Larger  supers,  after  the 
smoking,  must  be  lifted  bodily  and  carried  away ; 
and  if  inverted  and  gently  tapped,  the  majority 
of  the  bees  will  'boil'  over  their  edges  or  out  of 
the  entrance-holes,  and  should  he  brushed  off 
while  they  are  beingcarried.  They  should  then  be 


44 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[July  1,  1880. 


put  iu  a  cool  room  or  cupboard,  protected  from 
bees,  and  so  arranged  that  their  occupants  can 
get  out  of  them,  which  they  will  do  gradually  as 
they  become  cold,  when  they  may  be  brushed 
off,  and  set  at  liberty.  Another  plan  is  to  put 
the  supers  into  an  open  box  covered  with  a  sheet, 
and  as  the  bees  congregate  upon  the  latter,  turn  it 
over  leaving  them  to  make  their  way  home.  A 
third  plan  is  to  put  them  into  an  empty  hive, 
the  entrance  of  which  is  guarded  by  a  bee-trap 
that  permits  of  bees  coming  out,  but  prevents 
them  re-entering. 

Extracting  Honey. — When  comb-honey  is 
not  principally  the  object,  vast  quantities  of 
liquid  honey  may  be  obtained  by  the  use  of  the 
extractor.  In  good  districts,  with  plenty  of 
combs  in  the  hive,  bees  will  store  it  rapidly, 
and  it  may  be  extracted  in  keeping  condition 
at  intervals  of  a  few  days.  Newly- gathered 
honey  is  too  thin  and  watery  to  keep  well ;  it  is 
liable  to  ferment  and  become  sour,  and  should 
not  be  removed  in  that  condition  ;  but  where 
the  bees  have  begun  to  seal  it  over  it  may  be 
taken  forthwith  and  bottled  for  store  or  for 
market.  To  give  the  bees  facility  for  storing, 
it  is  a  good  plan  when  a  stock  has  swarmed  to 
stand  the  latter  in  the  place  of  the  former,  and 
towards  evening  shake  all  the  bees  out  of  the 
stock,  and  thus  strengthen  the  swarm,  and  set 
the  hive  of  beeless  combs  ivpon  another  strong 
stock,  taking  care  to  remove  all  queen-cells. 
The  hatching  brood  will  then  increase  the  popu- 
lation of  the  doubled  stock,  and  the  bees  will 
rind  room  for  storing  without  the  waste  of 
comb-building,  and  extracting  can  go  on  merrily. 
The  swarm,  if  provided  with  full  sheets  of 
foundation,  will  be  fit  for  supering  in  about  ten 
days. 

Stocking  Nuclei. — One  of  the  simplest 
ways  of  doing  this,  for  queen-raising  purposes, 
is  to  take  a  queen  from  a  strong  colony,  and 
having  placed  her  in  a  new  hive,  set  it  in  the 
place  of  the  former,  which  should  be  carried  to 
the  stand  where  nucleus  No.  1  is  to  be  formed. 
All  the  old  bees  will  then  desert  it,  and,  joining 
the  queen,  a  swarm  will  be  formed  which  can 
be  dealt  with  in  any  way  thought  proper.  The 
next  day  or  the  following  the  nucleus  can  be 
formed,  one  frame  of  comb  and  brood,  with  a 
frame1  of  comb  containing  honey  and  syrup  on 
each  side  of  it  will  be  sufficient,  the  stock-hive 
being  carried  to  a  third  position.  On  the  suc- 
ceeding day  the  operation  may  be  repeated, 
and  so  on  from  time  to  time  unt  il  only  a  nucleus 
remains.  This  method  is  subject  to  variation 
as  to  time  according  to  the  strength  of  the 
colony.  A  quicker  method  is,  after  having  rid 
Ihc  hive  of  the  old  bees  as  first  suggested,  fit- 
up  a  sufficient  number  of  nuclei  with  brood- 
coiub  from  oilier  stocks,  and  then,  carrying 
the  hive  first   mentioned    to  each,    divide    the 


young  bees  within  it  (which  have  not  flown) 
amongst  the  nuclei,  after  which  the  beeless 
combs  and  hive  may  be  returned  to  their  own 
stand,  and  the  old  bees  and  queen  re-admitted. 
The  nuclei  may  have  queen-cells  given  to  them 
after  twelve  hours. 

Shading  Hives. — Shade  is  important  during 
hot   sunny  weather,   as  without  it  hives  may 
become  so  hot  that  the  bees  will  fear  to  work 
in  them,  and  the  combs  may  melt  and  break 
down.     When  operating  on  a  hive  the  sun's 
rays  shoidd  be  prevented  from  striking  upon 
the  frames,  and  the  hive-cover  should  not  be 
left  off  for  even  a  few  minutes.     A  splendid 
stock    of  Ligurians  of  ours  was  once    utterly 
ruined  in  a  few  minutes  from  the  neglect  of  the 
last-named  precaution,  the  combs  softened  and 
fell  in  a  heap  in  the  hive,  the  honey  ran  out  of 
the  entrance,  robbers  came,  and  in  half-an-hour 
the  bee-garden  was  a  scene  of  the  wildest  con- 
fusion, and  the  excitement  continued  for  days. 
Water   for    Bees. — This   has   been    pecu- 
liarly  essential  during  this   spring  and   sum- 
mer,   and    to    meet    the    necessity    we    have 
mounted  two  kilderkins  of  it  on  bee-stands  in 
different  parts  of  our  garden,  so  arranged  that 
the  water  drips  from  a  spigot  into  a  bowl  full 
of   pebbles.      One   large    stone   the    size  of  a 
cricket-ball  receives  the  drip  which    splashes 
over  the  pebbles,  and  all  excess  runs  over  the 
bowl  into  a  hole  filled  with  shingle  into  which 
it   is   bedded.     Thus  there   is   always  a   good 
supply  of  well-aerated  water  into  which  the  bees 
cannot  fall,  and  they  may  be  seen  by  hundreds 
daily   partaking.      Prior   to   this  they  visited 
water-butts  ard  dirty  pools,  and  many  were 
drowned  if  not  rescued  from  their  unwelcome 
bath.  The  '  Renfrewshire  Bee-keeper  '  has  pro- 
vided a  valuable  watering  stage,  and  has  pre- 
sented us  with  one — a  handsome  glass  vase  with 
elegantly  chased  pattern,  too  beautiful  for  use 
in  exposed  situations,  as  may  be  inferred  from 
the  wood-cut  on  another   page.     The  stage  is 
a  most  welcome  acquisition,  and  will  doubtless 
be  much  in  request,  as,  with  the  aid  of  a  tin 
shovel,  it  may  be  surmounted  hy  an  ordinary 
water-bottle  in  the  same  way  that  the  syrup 
is  put  upon  an  ordinary  feeding-stage. 

After-swarms  or  Casts. — Theseusually  come 
forth  about  nine  days  after  first  swarms  have 
issued  ;  they  are  subject  to  no  rule,  but  issue  at 
any  time  of  the  day,  and  in  almost  any  kind  of 
weather.  They  are  headed  by  young  queens, 
three  or  four  of  which  will  sometimes  be  found  in 
a  single  swarm,  or  they  may  be  separately 
attended  by  a  small  retinue,  and  form  separate 
clusters.  Several  casts  may  thus  appear  simul- 
taneously, or  they  may  issue  at  intervals  ex- 
tending over  several  days.  Sometimes  a  stock 
attempts  to  swarm,  and  its  mother-queen, 
through  defect  of  wing,  falls  to  the  ground  and 


July  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


45 


is  lost ;  or  a  queen  may  die  near  swarming- 
time  from  other  causes,  and  swarms  issuing 
from  these  will  be  in  the  nature  of  '  casts  ;  ' 
and  though  they  may  be  very  large,  having 
young  queens  they  will  be  subject  to  all  imagin- 
able vagaries.  All  swarms  with  young  queens 
should  be  hived  separately,  for  the  time  being 
at  least,  or  the  young  aspirants  to  the  honour 
of  matronly  governance  niay  quarrel  and  de- 
camp with  their  respective  adherents  (an  even- 
tuality to  which  casts  are  especially  liable)  ; 
and  in  the  evening  they  can  be  dealt  with  as 
circumstances  determine.  If  they  are  not 
wanted  as  a  means  of  increase  and  at  nightfall 
they  be  returned  to  the  parent  hive,  the  young 
queens  will  fight  out  the  question  of  supremacy, 
and,  as  a  rule,  the  hive  will  not  '  cast '  again. 
If,  however,  they  are  required  for  increase 
of  stock,  they  may  be  left  to  fulfil  that  end 
alone,  or  they  may  be  united  at  dusk,  as  from 
their  relative  strength  may  seem  advisable. 
In  returning  casts  to  the  parent  stock  it  is  only 
necessary  to  shake  them  out  in  front  of  the 
entrance  on  an  extemporised  stage,  or  having 
set  the  hive  on  the  ground  to  throw  them  near 
it,  so  that  they  can  run  in. 

Bee    Flowers. — We    cannot    refrain    from 
remarking  on  the  great  assistance  that  our  bees 
have  derived  during  the  spring  months,  and  up 
to    now,    from    that   hardy   perennial    Arabis 
alpinus.     Commencing  with  its  silver  blossom 
ere  the  crocuses  had  begun  to  decline,  it  gave 
useful  occupation  to    ©ur   bees    from   the   be- 
ginning of  March  to  the  end  of  May,  when  it 
began    to    decline ;   and    even   now   there    are 
many   tufts    in    flower.       As    a   bee-flower    it 
cannot  be  too  highly  spoken  of ;  and  as  it  ■  will 
grow  almost  anywhere  and  requires  no  cultiva- 
tion, we  specially  recommend  it.     Following  it 
we  have  the   excellent  flower  so  prominently 
mentioned  by  Mr.  Ingram  of  Belvoir  Castle, 
as  specially  valuable  for  bees,  the  Limnanthes 
Douglasii.       It  is  an  annual  of  dwarf   habit, 
bearing  a  profusion  of  white  flowers  with  yellow 
centres,  like  huge  buttercups  with  white  outer 
rims.       It   is   perfectly    hardy,    and    sown    in 
autumn   it   has  bloomed    with  us   during   the 
whole    of   June,   when   practically    there    was 
nothing  else  (save  the  arabis)  for  the  bees  to 
gather  from.     How  long1  it  will  continue  we 
cannot  tell,  but  its  blossoms  stand  literally  in 
heaps  on  its  foliage,  and  the  bees  revel  in  the 
feast  of  honey  and  pollen  which  it  affords.      It 
has  won  its  way  to  our  affections  at  the  first 
trial,  and  we  have  little  doubt  but  that  it  will 
become  a  general  favourite.    Wall-flowers  have 
done  their  usual   good  service,  and  are   great 
favourites.     Through  April  and  May  they  were 
a   glorious  treat ;   and   our   old   favourite,  the 
mustard,  is  in  grand  form  at  the  present  time. 
We  cannot  too  strongly  recommend  these  few 


things  to  the  attention  of  bee-keepers  as 
yielding  a  supply  at  intervals  when  there  is  no 
other  general  crop.  Crocuses  first,  then  Arabis 
and  Wall-flowers,  next  Limnanthes  Douglasii, 
and  then  mustard.  The  first  for  early  spring, 
the  next  two  before  the  apples,  and  the  re- 
mainder between  the  apples  and  the  white 
clover  and  limes.  Old  cabbage-stumps  laid  in 
by  the  heels  afford  also  capital  help  in  the 
last-named  interval. 

Unexpected  Swarms. — It  is  not  uncommon 
for  swarms  to  issue  unexpectedly,  and  it  would 
be  well  to  keep  an  eye  upon  all  shrubs  and 
bushes  in  the  bee-garden,  particularly  on  those 
on  which  swarms  have  previously  clustered. 
However  safe  one  may  feel  in  regard  to  one's 
own  bees,  an  apiary  is  attractive  to  swarms 
from  other  hives ;  and  unless  followed  and 
claimed  they  become  the  property  of  those  who 
hive  them. 


CYPRIAN  AND  HOLY  LAND  BEES. 

On  Wednesday,  the  2nd  ultimo,  there  was 
quite  a  gathering  of  notables  of  the  Bee  world 
at  115  Cannon  Street,  to  greet  Mr.  D.  A.  Jones 
and  his  importation  of  queens  prior  to  his 
departure  on  the  following  day  for  Canada. 
Amongst  the  visitors  there  were  Sir  John 
Lubbock,  M.P.;  Rev.  Chas.  F.  Deene,  New 
York  ;  Mr.  Terry,  British  Museum  ;  Mr. 
McLeod,  Science  and  Art  Department,  South 
Kensington  Museum ;  Major-General  H.  A.  C. 
Hines,  Mr.  A.  D.  Bartlett,  Zoological  Gardens  ; 
Mr.  Hunter,  Mr.  Cheshire,  Mr.  Neighbour,  Mr. 
Hooker,  Mr.  Robarts,  Mr.  J.  P.  Jackson,  and 
Mr.  C.  N.  Abbott.  A  letter  from  the  Baroness 
Burdett-Coutts,  and  a  telegram  from  Rev.  H. 
R.  Peel,  were  received,  regretting  their  inability 
to  be  present. 

Mr.  Jones  gave  a  lively  and  interesting 
account  of  his  journey  and  experiences  while 
in  search  of  the  bees,  and  exhibited  numerous 
bottles  containing  specimens  of  bees  and  other 
insects  captured  on  the  route,  the  bees  being 
intended  for  microscopical  investigation  by 
Professor  Cook  in  America.  Mr.  Jones  took 
with  him  the  bulk  of  the  queens  that  he 
brought  with  him  from  Cyprus  and  Palestine, 
but  stated  that  arrangements  had  been  made  by 
which  a  second  consignment  would  reach  our 
office  at  Southall  in  about  a  fortnight  from  that 
time  ; — but  up  to  the  time  of  writing  we  have 
had  no  tidings  of  them. 

On  July  11th  we  had  a  parcel  by  post  from 
Mr.  Frank  Benton,  of  Cyprus,  who  is  there 
acting  for  Mr.  Jones,  which  contained  a  queen 
and  about  thirty  workers.    Mr.  Benton  wrote: — 

'  No  doubt  Mr.  Jones  has  told  you  that  we  have  suc- 
ceeded in  securing  about  two  hundred  colonies,  mostly 
Cyprians,   and   twenty   Syrians.     I   have    about    three 


I 


46 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[.Inly  1,  1880. 


hundred  young:  queens,  a  few  of  which  mated  before  I 
had  destroyed  all  the  Syrian  drones.  One  of  this  sort  I 
w  ill  send  you  by  this  mail  as  an  experiment.  Please 
tell  me  by  return  how  she  arrives,  how  much  water  is 
consumed,  how  much  sugar,  and  number  of  dead  bees,  &c.' 

The  Travelling  Cage. — The  cage  in  which 
the  queen  was  packed  was  a  model  of  simplicity 
and  perfection  ;  it  was  made  out  of  a  block  of 
wood  about  five  inches  long,  one  and  a  half 
wide,  and  an  inch  thick.  Near  one  end  two 
holes,  an  inch  and  a  quarter  in  diameter,  had 
been  bored,  so  as  to  cut  into  each  other,  as  b 
and  c,  and  at  the  other  end  an  excavation  had 
been  made  to  receive  a  small  phial,  a.  The 
phial  was  fitted  with  a  cork,  into  which  a  notch 
had  been  cut,  and  in  which  notch  a  few  inches 
of  cotton-string  had  been  placed,  so  that  when 
filled  with  water  the  bees  could  suck  the  mois- 
ture which  flowed  by  capillary  attraction  along 
the  string,  one  end  of  which  protruded  from 
the  cork  into  the  cavity  at  b.     The  other  part 


^€£&sm 


of  the  cavity  (e)  had  been  filled  with  hard  dry 
sugar,  poured  in  while  hot  (not  barley-sugar), 
and  both  the  top  and  bottom  of  the  block  were 
covered  with  fine  woven  wire.  The  queen  and 
bees  were  put  in  the  cavity  b,  so  had  a  supply 
of  water  on  one  side,  and  a  solid  lump 
of  sugar  on  the  other ;  and  this  arrangement 
most  admirably  fulfilled  its  purpose.  It  is  well 
known  that  bees  when  alarmed  by  jolting,  as  in 
travelling,  partake  inordinately  of  sweets  if 
they  can  get  them,  but  by  the  arrangement 
described  they  could  not  take  the  sugar  until 
they  first  moistened  it  Math  water,  and  thus 
their  natural  impulse  was  curbed,  and  they 
only  took  as  much  of  both  as  they  actually 
needed  for  their  sustenance. 

Mr.  Benton  continued  in  his  letter: — 

'  It  will  be  quite  an  easy  matter  to  send  bees  by 
express  as  far  as  England,  but  by  mail  it  is  doubtful  I 
am  aware,  as  the  bags  are  sealed  and  put  into  the  hold  of 
the  vessel  that  carries  them.' 

Nevertheless,  though  sealed  up  in  the  mail- 
bag,  and  buried  for  ten  days  in  the  hold  of  the 
vessel  amongst  tons  of  letters  and  packages, 
the  queen  and  her  retinue  were  delivered  at  our 
office  with  only  one  of  the  number  dead,  her 
majesty  and  the  remainder  of  her  fellow- 
prisoners  being  in  splendid  condition,  without 
a  speck  to  suggest  dysentery  or  ailment,  and  as 
clean  and  lively  as  one  could  wish.  The  quan- 
tity of  water  consumed  was  barely  a  teaspoon- 
ful,  and  the  sugar,  of  which  there  had  probably 
been    two    ounces,    was    about    half    consumed 


Of  these  facts  we  at  once  informed  Mr,  Benton, 
and  also  thought  it  right  to  tell  him  that  British 
Postal  Authorities  would  not  permit  the  transit 
of  live  bees,  or  of  bottles  through  their  offices, 
■if  they  knew  of  them  being  enclosed. 

Enthroning  the  Queen  (with  old  bees). 
— No  sooner  arrived,  and  admired  to  the  full, 
than  it  became  necessary  to  introduce  the  royal  - 
lady  to  her  future  people.  Of  pure  Cyprian 
breed,  and  probably  mated  with  a  Syrian 
drone,  to  say  nothing  of  the  interest  attaching 
to  her  as  the  first  that  had  been  delivered  by 
postalroute,  we  were  specially  anxious  to  preserve 
her ;  but  our  apiary  had  been  so  cut  up,  to  fur- 
nish '  early  '  swarms  (which  everybody  wants), 
and  so  many  hives  were  occupied  in  hatching 
Cyprian  queen-cells,  that  we  were  compelled 
to  dethrone  a  black  queen  from  a  swarm  of 
sixteen  days  old  to  find  a  suitable  following  for 
her  majesty  of  ancient  race.  Knowing  that  in 
this  hive  there  were  no  hatching  bees,  and  that 
consequently  there  was  a  probability  of  the 
queen  being  encased  when  she  was  set  at  liberty, 
we  did  our  best  to  dull  the  sensibilities  or 
caprice  of  the  bees  with  tobacco-smoke  ;  after 
which  we  laid  the  cage  and  its  contents  over 
the  feed-hole,  and  covering  it  with  quilting, 
left  it  for  three  days,  in  the  meantime  giving 
an  occasional  whiff  to  distract  their  attention. 
On  setting  her  free  a  sprinkling  of  scented 
syrup  was  given  with  the  same  object;  and  an 
hour  afterwards,  on  examining  the  hive,  we  found 
her,  as  we  feared,  rolled  up  in  a  tight  ball  of 
bees,  from  which  it  was  difficult  to  release 
her.  She  was,  however,  wonderfully  lively  and 
vigorous,  and  was  then  placed  alone  in  one  of 
our  own  cages  (p.  7,  vol.  viii),  and  to  insure  her 
against  starvation  a  bottle  of  syrup  was  placed 
over  it,  and  in  twenty-four  hours  a  second 
attempt  was  made  to  enthrone  her,  with  the 
same  result ;  and  not  until  after  five  trials, 
with  and  without  smoke  or  scent,  each  carefully 
watched,  was  she  permitted  to  occupy  the 
vacant  throne.*  She  is  now  '  as  happy  as  a 
queen,'  and  her  first  progeny  will  be  bred  hi 
combs  built  on  Abbott's  Flat-bottomed  Wooden 
Foundation,  all  as  straight  and  true  as  is  pos- 
sible. The  record  of  the  difficulties  attending 
her  introduction  will,  we  hope,  be  valuable  to  the 
inexperienced  as  another  warning  that  old  bees 
will  not  readily  accept  a  new  mother-in-law. 

*  From  force  of  habit  we  write  and  speak  of  queens  as 
being  enthroned,  and  reigning  over  their  subjects,  but  in 
reality  they  do  nothing  of  the  kind  :  they  are  simply  the 
mother  bees  essential  to  the  well-being  of  bee  families, 
and  therefore  objects  of  the  greatest  solicitude  amongst 
them.  We  have  strongly  urged  that  the  true  relation- 
ship of  the  queen  (?)  to  the  bees  should  be  explicitly 
delined  in  the  Association's  coming  Handbook  for 
Cottagers,  and  have  every  reason  to  believe  the  sugges- 
tion, which  lias  also  been  frequently  made  by  Mr. 
Cheshire,  will  be  adopted.. — Ed, 


July  1,  1880.  J 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


47 


ABBOTT'S  NEW  FLAT-BOTTOMED 
FOUNDATION. 

The  immense  demand  for  foundation,  coupled 
with  its  apparent  scarcity,  put  us  aground  for 
home    consumption,  hut   having  succeeded   in 
making  it  upon  wood,  we  tried  our  machine  in 
the  manufacture  of  it  from  wax  alone,  and  are 
turning  out  what  we  have  every  faith  will  give 
satisfaction.       It    is    flat-bottomed,     and    has 
thick  cell-walls,   containing  sufficient  wax  for 
their    completion.     It   is  very  strong,  and  will 
not  warp,  '  sag,'  or  break  with  any  weight  of 
bees  likely  to  be  clustered  upon  it.     A  newly- 
made    strip,    a   foot   long,  and  not    quite    two 
inches  wide,  bore  a  weight  of  3  lbs.  without  in- 
jury, but  3 1  lbs.  broke  it.     Possibly  it  may  be 
thought  that  there  is  an  excess  of  wax  in  it, 
but  that   is  not  worth  considering  if  it  can  be 
produced  cheaply,  is  acceptable  to  the  bees,  and 
can  be  used  with  confidence  without  the  neces- 
sity for  artificial  support.     As  regards  the  cost 
of  production,  sheets  to  fill  "Woodbury  frames 
will  average  6d.  each,  all  wax,  no  wire,  or  wire 
supports,  no  hair  or  fibre,  indeed   no   impedi- 
menta of  any  kind,  and  the  frames  inay  be  filled 
with  it  to  within   a  quarter  of  an  inch  of  the 
bottom  rail,  and  left  with  safety,  provided  they 
have  been  secured  at  the  top.  We  mention  this 
as  a  sine  qua  non,  because  in  fixing  foundation 
to    the   top   bar,    many   bee-keepers   use   wax 
that    is    only   half    hot,    which    is    not    safe 
until  the  bees   have   fixed    it,    but    with    this 
foundation,  if  it  be  properly  fixed  by  the  bee- 
keeper,  it  will   be    independent  of    the   bees, 
and  they  may  begin   elongating  the  cell-walls 
in  whatever  part   of  it   they  please.     We  are 
not  supposing  that  a  single  frame  of  it  will  be 
put  alone  into  a  hive,  and  a  full  swarm  of  bees 
made  to  cluster  upon  it,  perhaps  unevenly,  as 
then  it  might  be  made  to  bulge,  but  if  fairly 
used,  as  many  frames  of  it  are  being  used,  as  the 
bees  can  cover,  no  evil  can  properly  arise,  and 
in  a  very  short  time  it  will  be  converted  into 
beautifully  even  worker-comb.     As  regards  its 
acceptance   by   the   bees,  we   must   confess   to 
liming  been  somewhat  startled.     A  swarm  Mas 
received  from  Suffolk  at  8  p.m.,  we  had  only 
seven  full  frames  of  comb  to  put  into  the  hive, 
and  the  eighth   was   filled  (nearly)    with    the 
foundation  ;  there  is  an  idea  that  giving  fully 
worked  combs  is  a  great  help  to  the  bees,  and 
probably  new  combs  are  an  acquisition,  but  this 
swarm  preferred  the  foundation,  and  in  twenty 
hours  had  built  it  out  nearly  to  the  full,  and 
(he  queen  had  well   stored   it  with  eggs,  while, 
curious  to  say,  not  an  egg  was  to  be  found   in 
any   other   of  the  combs.      Experimentally   a 
frame  containing  it  was  put  into   a    stock  from 
which  a  swarm  had  been   taken,  and  in  which 
queen-cells  were  being  raised,  and  in   sixteen 


hours  the  bees  had  half  completed  the  ceUs, 
every  one  of  which  was  of  worker  size.  It  is 
extraordinary  that  the  queen  of  the  swarm 
should  prefer  the  flat-bottomed,  partly-formed 
cells  to  the  fully-built  natural  ones,  but  such  is 
the  fact,  which  we  will  leave  theorists  to  ex- 
plain ;  and  the  experience  has  determined!  us 
never  again  to  use  old  combs,  while  we  can  rig 
out  full  frames  of  foundation  so  thoroughly  ac- 
ceptable for  6(i.  each.  Combs  that  have  been 
used  are  always  objects  of  suspicion  to  the  ex- 
perienced, now  with  us  they  will  be  tabooed, 
and  swarms,  casts,  foul-broody  bees  (after 
quarantine)  and  condemned  bees  in  autumn, 
will  be  furnished  straightway  with  new  ones, 
i.e.  foundation  from  which  in  a  few  hours  they 
can  make  them.  In  fixing  it  to  the  top  bar, 
we  would  recommend  that  the  old-fashioned 
saw  scarf  be  re-adopted,  the  frame-bar  to  be 


sawn  through  from  end  to  end  nearly,  a  nail  or 
screw-driver  to  be  then  inserted,  and  the  foun- 
dation slipped  into  the  opening  thus  made  in 
the  bar,  when  by  withdrawing  the  nail  the  bar 
will  close  upon  the  foundation,  and  hold  it  se- 
curely. Failing  appliances  of  this  kind,  the 
foundation  must  be  securely  waxed  to  the  top 
bar,  or  safely  fixed  by  other  means,  when  it  will 
be  readv  for  the  bees. 


THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  HIVES. 

For  several  years  in  the  past,  it  pleased  Mr. 
A.  Pettigrew,  the  champion  of  straw  skeps  and 
fixism,  to  issue  an  annual  challenge  to  frame- 
hivists,  to  try  the  relative  merits  of  the  skep 
with  fixed  combs,  v.  the  frame-hive,  in  which 
the  combs  are  moveable  ;  and  although  we  ac- 
cepted his  challenge,  and  expressed  a  ready 
willingness  to  enter  the  lists  with  him,  he 
eventually  declined  the  contest,  and  the  trial 
has  never  been  voluntarily  made.  It  is,  per- 
haps, well,  in  many  respects,  that  it  did  not 
take  place,  for  victory  on  either  side  might 
have  been  attributed  more  to  personal  clever- 
ness than  to  either  principle  of  management, 
and  the  lesson  might  therefore  have  been 
valueless.  On  the  other  hand,  could  it  have 
been  so  managed  that  success  on  cither  side 
would  have  been  convincing,  the  trial  might 
have  been  a  real  blessing  to  those  who  have 
looked  to  their  bees  for  the  means  of  providing 
additional  comforts  at  the  wane  of  the  year, 
and  perchance  many  thousands  of  hives  now 
tenant  less  might  be*  overflowing  with  life,  and 
the  productions  of  their  happy  occupants. 
There  is  an  old  saying,  that  '  what  is  to  be, 
will  be  ; '  and  though  the  friendly  trial  thirsted 
for,  at  least  on  our  side,  could  not  be  amicably 


48 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[July  1,  1880. 


arranged,  the  two  systems  have  been  put  upon 
their  merits  by  a  superior  Power,  which  has 
taxed  the  cleverness  of  individual  bee-keepers 
to  an  unprecedented  extent.  Instead  of  a  duel 
with  the  partisans  of  the  combatants  on  both 
sides  as  observers,  it  became  necessary  for 
every  man  to  look  to  his  own  safety,  for  the 
elements  had  waged  war  upon  them  indiscrimi- 
nately, and  tried  the  resources  of  every  one  to 
the  utmost.  For  two  years  the  weather  has 
been  more  adverse  to  bees  than  has  ever  been 
known  for  a  like  period,  and  bees,  hives,  and 
systems  have  all  been  on  their  trial,  with  a 
result  that  has  convinced  thousands  of  bee- 
keepers of  the  advantages  of  the  moveable 
comb  hive,  and  the  improved  system  of  bee- 
culture,  and  left  onty  too  many  with  a  legacy 
of  empty  skeps  and  sad  experiences. 

Frame  Hive  Management. — The  superi- 
ority of  the  moveable  comb  system  of  bee- 
keeping being  thoroughly  established,  and  the 
demand  for  frame  hives  having  multiplied  a 
thousandfold,  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  if  we 
offer  a  few  suggestions  as  to  their  uses.  Ex- 
perts write  and  talk  glibly  of  manipulations  ; 
and  at  the  shows  such  splendid  results  are  ex- 
hibited from  frame  hives,  that  intending  bee- 
keepers are  captivated  at  once,  and  determine 
to  adopt  them,  though  often  they  have  not  the 
faintest  notion  of  the  purposes  for  which  their 
several  parts  are  intended.  For  their  informa- 
tion, then,  we  would  say  that  a  frame  hive  is 
composed  of  a  body  box,  containing  a  number 
of  frames,  a  floor-board,  a  quilt,  a  roof,  a  porch, 
entrance-slides,  and  a  stand. 

The  body-box,  as  usually  made,  is  intended 
for  the  bee-nest,  and  it  should  be  of  a  size  to 
suit  the  requirements  of  the  bees,  and  of  the 
locality.  In  good  honey-yielding  districts  the 
bees  will  breed  much  more  extensively  than  in 
poor  ones,  and  for  this  reason  hives  are  made 
of  various  sizes,  and  some  are  of  an  expansive 
nature,  the  brood  nests  being  capable  of  great- 
expansion  or  contraction,  being  calculated  to 
meet  all  emergencies.  The  frames  are  designed 
to  hold  the  combs,  and  each  being  fitted  with 
suitable  guides,  or  with  sheets  of  comb- founda- 
tion, and  placed  in  correct  position,  the  bees 
build  their  combs  in  them,  and  they  are  then 
'  moveable,'  and  hence  the  hives  take  their 
name.  The  floor-board,  when  received  with  the 
hive  is  usually  found  nailed  or  screwed  to  the 
bottom  of  the  body-box,  or  it  may  be  otherwise 
secured,  but  as  a  rule,  it  also  is  intended  to  be 
moveable,  to  give  facilities  for  cleaning  or  ex- 
changing it  when  from  any  cause  it  becomes 
dirty  or  wet.  The  quilt  is  composed  of  several 
layers  of  porous  material,  separate  or  sewn  to- 
gether. It  is  intended  as  a  covering  for  the 
body-box,  to  keep  the  brood-nest  warm,  yet  to 
permit  of  the  escape  of  the  moist  vapours  en- 


gendered within  it,  that  condensation  and  con- 
sequent dampness  may  be  avoided.  It  is  ap- 
plied close  uj)on  the  frames,  and  to  prevent  the 
crushing  of  any  bees  that  might  be  upon  them, 
it  is  usual  to  have  the  first  layer  of  a  very  light 
material,  that  the  bees  may  crawl  from  under, 
when  it  is  laid  upon  them.  To  facilitate  their 
escape  from  the  danger  that  thus  threatens 
them,  the  first  layer,  usually  of  sheeting  or 
ticking,  when  put  upon  the  hive,  should  be 
gently  moved  backward  and  forward  across  the 
frames  until  every  bee  has  gone  down  between 
them  when  it  (the  first  layer)  should  be 
smoothed  down  closely  upon  the  frame-bars,* 
after  which  the  remainder  of  the  quilt  is  laid 
upon  it.  When  feeding  becomes  a  necessity, 
a  small  hole  must  be  cut  clean  through  the 
quilt,  between  two  of  the  bars,  and  a  feeding- 
stage  put  upon  it.  In  cutting  the  hole,  we 
would  advise  that  it  be  made  an  inch  or  two  on 
one  side  of  the  centre,  as  then,  by  reversing  the 
upper  thicknesses  of  the  quilt,  it  can  readily  be 
covered  without  additional  material  or  by 
turning  the  whole  round,  the  feed-hole  can 
be  brought  to  a  different  position  over  the 
frames. 

When  supering  is  necessary  the  quilt  is 
usually  removed,  and  an  adapter  put  in  its 
place,  in  which  case,  if  the  apertnres  through 
the  adapter  be  not  covered  by  the  supers,  the 
quilt,  or  part  of  it,  folded  to  a  suitable  size, 
should  be  laid  on  them.  Those  who  object  to 
adapters,  and  who  do  not  cover  the  whole  of  the 
frames  with  their  supers,  should  act  similarly 
with  them;  or  they  may,  if  the  super  be  of 
peculiar  shape,  cover  the  exposed  parts  of  the 
bee-nest  with  bits  of  carpets  cut  to  fit,  laying  a 
heavier  material  upon  them  to  keep  them  flat,  and 
to  prevent  propolising  and  the  escape  of  bees. 
During  the  summer,  covering  the  quilt  with 
impervious  material  will  not  do  much  harm, 
but  in  the  winter  or  in  cold  weather  it  will  be 
exceedingly  hurtful,  as  the  vapours  of  the  hive 
will  condense  beneath  it,  and  the  quilt  will 
become  wet,  mouldy,  and  rotten.  The  quilt, 
simply,  is  at  all  times  the  best  covering  for 
brood-nests,  and  should  give  place  to  nothing 
but  supers,  unless  a  chaff-cushion,  which  we 
hold  to  be  only  another  form  of  quilt,  be  pre- 
ferred. In  winter  a  hot-water  tin,  or  india- 
rubber  bag,  is  sometimes  laid  upon  the  quilt  at 

*  This  is  of  more  importance  than  at  first  thought 
would  appear.  If  there  are  any  wrinkles  or  hollows  in 
the  quilt  through  its  not  touching  the  frame-bars,  the 
bees  will  fill  up  the  little  spaces  with  propolis,  and  iu 
doing  so  will  force  so  much  of  the  '  glue  '  into  them  that 
they  will  sometimes  raise  the  quilt  along  the  whole 
frame,  so  tightly  do  they  cram  it  in.  Large  quantities  of 
propolis  are  thus  often  found  between  the  quilt  and  the 
frame-bar,  which  must  have  given  the  bees  immense 
labour,  and  cause  annoyance  and  disgust  to  the  bee-keeper, 
for  bee-glue  is  not  pleasant  to  handle. — Ed. 


July  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


49 


night  to  warm  up  the  hive,  and  give  the  bees, 
during  a  long  spell  of  hard  weather,  an  oppor- 
tunity of  changing  their  position  ;  but  it  should 
always  be  removed  before  it  gets  cold,  or  con- 
densation "will  take  place  beneath  it.  Exclud- 
ing adapters  are  not  essentially  part  of  the 
hive,  for  many  bee-keepers  do  not  approve  of 
or  use  them  :  but  those  who  use  them  in  the 
usual  form,  chiefly  composed  of  long-holed  zinc, 
would  do  well  to  keep  them  on  the  top  of  the 
quilt  to  keep  it  flat,  and  prevent  the  bees  lifting 
its  edges  and  escaping.  The  roof  of  a  hive,  as 
may  be  inferred,  is  to  shelter  the  body-box 
from  the  weather  ;  but  it  is  often  made  with  a 
deep  compartment  to  afford  room  for  supers,  or 
for  a  feeding  apparatus  between  it  and  the 
former.  Hives  that  do  not  comprise  this 
addition  should  be  furnished  with  them  when 
supering  or  feeding  is  necessary.  To  do  this 
four  pieces  of  board  are  required  of  the  length  of 
the  hive  sides,  and  all  of  the  same  width,  which, 
when  nailed  together,  will  form  a  '  raise,'  the 
height  of  which  must  be  equal  to  the  height  of 
the  super  or  feeding-bottle.  It  is  highly  im- 
portant that  the  roof  of  the  hive  should  be 
weather-tight,  i.e.,  impervious  to  ram  and 
snow  ;  but  it  is  essential  that  the  air  should  play 
freely  between  it  and  the  quilt  to  carry  off  the 
vapours  that  arise  from  the  hive,  otherwise  the 
inside  of  the  roof  will  become  wet  with  con- 
densed moisture,  and  the  quilt  so  cold  that  it 
also  will  become  wet  from  the  same  cause  and 
be  injurious. 

The  porch  is  a  most  useful  adjunct  to  a  hive 
to  prevent  rain  and  snow  from  entering  it, 
and  to  protect  the  sentinel  and  outlying  bees 
from  the  intense  heat  of  the  sun,  and  from 
sidelong  winds.  Previous  to  a  thunderstorm 
the  heat  often  causes  the  bees  to  lie  out  in  large 
clusters,  and,  but  for  such  protection,  the 
pelting  storm  might  drown  them  by  thousands. 
The  entrance-slides  are  most  useful  for  con- 
tracting the  entrances  in  cold  or  windy  weather, 
and  should  be  well  regulated,  for  in  this  pre- 
carious climate  a  sudden  change  might  do  great 
harm  if  the  entrances  of  hives  remained  wide 
open. 

The  stand  is  an  important  feature  in  hive 
arrangement,  but  it  need  not  be  an  expensive 
one.  There  is  no  better  arrangement  than  that 
which  in  the  form  of  four  stout  spreading  legs 
gives  firmness,  and  prevents  the  body  box  being 
blown  off,  a  casualty  to  which  it  is  liable  when 
it  and  the  stand  are  separate.  Hives  with 
fixed  legs,  as  stands,  usually  have  an  arrange- 
ment by  which  the  floor-board  can  be  removed 
without  disturbing  the  body  box,  and  this  is  a 
valuable  aid  in  management;  but,  except  when 
the  floor-board  is  lowered,  to  give  ventilation 
(or  for  removal)  it  should  be  wedged  up,  or 
made  to  fit  quite  close  to  the  body-box  to  keep 


out  vermin,  and  robbing  bees,  and  prevent 
injurious  draught. 

Supers,  nadirs,  and  ekes  do  not  form  part 
of  the  hive  proper,  and  as  they  are  special  will 
not  be  discussed  here. 

There  are,  however,  many  specialities  in  and 
for  hives  that  ought  to  be  mentioned,  not  the 
least  important  of  which  is  the  division-board 
or  dummy,  as  it  is  often  called.  Many  hives 
are  not  fitted  with  it,  as  many  bee-keepers  do 
not  care  to  pay  for  what  they  can  extemporise, 
but  there  are  hives  of  which  it  forms  a  leading 
feature,  as  with  it  the  breeding  space  (the  bee- 
nest)  can  be  enlarged  or  contracted  to  suit  all 
contingencies  of  weather,  locality,  and  strength 
of  colony.  A  divider,  or  dummy,  may  be 
quickly  made  by  nailing  a  piece  of  thin  board 
to  the  side  of  a  frame,  so  that  it  shall  fit  across 
the  hive  parallel  with  the  combs,  the  frame 
itself  being  filled  with  straw  cut  to  the  proper 
length,  and  held  in  position  by  fine  wires  drawn 
and  tacked  across  it,  or  it  may  be  filled  with 
felt  or  other  warm  material,  or  covered  with 
thin  board  on  the  other  side  to  form  a  dead-air 
case,  either  side  of  which  may  be  turned  to  the 
brood-nest.  The  division-board  is  for  use  at  all 
times  when  the  preservation  of  heat  is  neces- 
sary, that  being .  its  chief  function  :  but  for 
whiter  use  it  is  often  displaced  by  a  flat  cushion 
of  warmer,  i.e.  less  conductive  material. 

Queen-excluding  dividers  are  also  used  by 
many  bee-keepers,  and  with  the  dummy  are 
special  features  in  Abbott's  Combination  Hives, 
which  are  constructed  for  receiving  surplus 
honey  in  frames  or  sections  at  the  back  of  the 
brood-nest.  Excluding  dividers  may  be  made 
by  slipping  sheets  of  Abbott's  excluder  zinc 
between  the  frames,  thereby  shutting  the  queen 
from  the  frames  or  sections  which  are  set  apart 
for  honey  only,  and  preventing  her  from  spoil- 
ing them  b}'  the  introduction  of  brood.  They 
may  also  be  used  to  enclose  the  queen  upon  one 
or  more  frames  of  comb  whenever  it  may  be 
desirable  to  limit  the  extent  of  her  breeding,  so 
that  during  a  glut  of  honey  the  bees  otherwise 
necessary  at  home  as  nurses  may  be  free  to 
work  as  gatherers.  They  may  be  further  used 
to  enclose  and  separate  combs  which  contain 
queen-cells,  that  the  firstborn  may  not  '  run  a 
muck '  on  her  sisters  and  slay  them,  and  they 
may  also  be  used  to  delay,  if  not  entirely  pre- 
vent swarming  at  undesirable  times,  for  if 
placed  near  the  entrance  across  the  hive  (in 
hives  of  the  pattern  named)  the  queen  cannot 
escape,  and,  as  is  often  the  case,  lead  a  swarm 
away  when  'nobody's  looking.' 

Comb-Foundation. — This  is  now  recognised 
as  of  the  greatest  importance  in  profitable  bee- 
culture,  and  many  minds  have  been  exercised 
on  the  best  means  of  so  applying  it  that  the 
bees  may  have  fidl  sheets  of  it  to  raise   their 


50 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[July  1,  1880. 


combs  upon  without  its  becoming  distorted,  by 
stretching  unevenly  or  breaking  by  the  weight 
of  the  bees  when  they  first  cluster  upon  it.  Being 
liable  to  this  it  was  for  a  long  time  used  only 
as  guides ;  then  it  was  found  that  by  suspend- 
ing a  full  frame  of  foundation  between  others 
full  of  comb  ;  the  former  was  built  out  in  safety, 
and  presently  it  was  shown  that  by  incorporat- 
ing thin  wire  in  its  manufacture  (to  be  after- 
wards pulled  out)  it  was  built  without  stretching ; 
and  a  year  ago  in  this  Journal  we  recorded  an 
experiment  that  was  highly  successfid,  to  wit, 
that  instead  of  wire  being  wrought  in  the 
foundation,  if  sheets  of  wire-netting  were  sus- 
pended between  the  frames  containing  it,  the 
wire  would  bear  the  weight  of  the  bees  (as  the 
full  combs  did  above  mentioned),  and  the  foun- 
dation built  out  correctly.  The  next  step  was 
the  production  of  flat-bottomed  foundation  with 
hair-like  wires  worked  up  in  it  which  were  to 
remain,  for,  being  embedded  in  the  wax,  it 
could  do  no  possible  harm,  and  greatly  to  the 
surprise  of  the  scientific  -world  the  bees  adopted 
it,  showing  that  the  angular  shape  of  the  cells' 
base,  as  they  build  it,  was  not  the  desideratum 
with  them.  Following  the  hint,  and  anxious  to 
produce  unbreakable  as  well  as  inelastic  combs, 
we  tried  the  effect  of  wax  upon  wood,  and  by 
perseverance  caused  the  bees  to  build  their  cells 
upon  thin  sheets  of  wood  which  had  been 
simply  dipped  in  wax,  and  finding  that  they 
bred  and  thrived  in  them,  we  became  anxious 
to  form  foundation  upon  wood,  and  freely  venti- 
lated the  subject  in  these  columns.  We  at 
length  succeeded  in  producing  what  we  desired, 
and  our  first  experiments  with  it  filled  us  with 
delight ;  presently,  however,  they  were  failures, 
which  were  puzzling,  but  they  are  now  over- 
come to  our  entire  satisfaction,  and  we  hope  to 
show  what  the  bees  will  do  with  it  at  the  coming 
exhibition  at  South  Kensington.  In  the  mean- 
time we  decline  to  vend  it  except  for  experi- 
ment, as  we  have  had  no  experience  with  it  for 
wintering,  so  for  the  present  it  may  rest.  AVe 
may  say  by  way  of  explanation,  however,  that 
the  failures  that  arose  were  consequent  on  our 
leaving  no  wax  on  the  wood  at  the  bottoms  of 
some  of  the  cells ;  we  had  in  some  instances 
put  too  much  pressure  on  the  machine,  and  left 
only  a  tracery  of  cell-wall  upon  the  wood;  and 
wherever  this  occurred,  the  bees  built  their  cells 
parallel  to  the  wood,  or  formed  a  curtain  of 
cell  bases  upon  it,  and  built  cells  on  one  side  of 
it  (the  curtain)  only,  at  the  same  time  they 
cleared  off  all  the  wax  tracery,  and  used  it  to 
carry  out  their  own  devices.  This  has  estab- 
lished a  valuable  fact,  viz.  that  bees  will  accept 
offered  wax  under  certain  conditions,  and  that 
fact  will  not  bo  lost  sight  of. 

The  rapid  sale  of   the  inelastic,  wired  founda- 
tion  imported  from  America,  notwithstanding 


its  high  price  as  a  patent  article  proves  the 
intense  desire  on  the  part  of  bee-keepers  for  a 
foundation  that  can  be  relied  on,  and  while  we 
are  satisfied  that  our  wooden  foundation  will 
fill  the  requirement  provided  bees  can  winter 
well  in  it,  which  time  will  prove,  we  make  no 
apology  for  publishing  a  device  invented  by 
Mr.  Cheshire,  which  will  be  helpful  in  enabling 
bee-keepers  to  use  full  sheets  of  ordinary  foun- 
dation with  safety.  Mr.  Cheshire  has  shown  in  a 
conrmimication  to  this  Journal,  p.  226,  vol.  vii., 
that  the  shape  of  the  cell-base  need  not  be  an- 
gular as  the  bees  make  it,  his  argument  tending 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  saving  of  material  is 
the  chief  cause  thereof,  seeing  that  the  angles 
so  soon  become  filled  up,  and  he  has  taken 
objection  confessedly,  on  very  limited  experi- 
ence, to  the  wired  foundation,  on  the  grounds 
that  it  is  difficult  to  fix,  and  that  the  wires  are 
injurious  to  the  brood,  and  should  be  removed,* 
matters  of  which  we  have  had  no  experience. 

The  invention  for  securing  the  ordinary 
foundation  is  highly  ingenious,  and  will  pro- 
bably find  many  admirers  ;  and  undoubtedly, 
when  carefully  applied,  will  be  highly  suc- 
cessful. Instead  of  fixing  fine  wires  in  the 
foundation  on  the  American  plan,  he  supports 
the  sheets  on  a  series  of  wire-points,  which  hold 
it  firmly  in  its  correct  position,  and  do  away  for 
the  necessity  for  the  wax  pot  or 
smelter  usually  used ;  since  once 
in  its  place  it  cannot  fall,  nor  can 
it  be  shaken  out  of  the  frame  by 
even  violent  effort.  The  means 
employed  is  a  kind  of  wire-rake, 
the  long  teeth  of  which,  A  and  B, 
go  above  and  beneath  the  top  and 
bottom  bars  of  the  frames,  and  the 
shorter  ones,  e,  d,  e,  f,  y,  h,  hold 
the  comb  -  foundation  on  their 
points  in  the  exact  centre  of  the 
frame.  Each  frame  requires  six 
of  the  rakes,  all  being  on  one  side 
of  it ;  and  as  each  rake  has  six 
points  piercing  the  foundation,  it 
is  held  in  thirty-six  places  without  any  other 
aid,  until  the  bees  build  it  up  to  the  top  bar 
and  draw  out  the  cell-walls  on  the  sheet,  when 
the  rakes  being  removed  the  bees  close  up  the 
pin-holes  and  make  the  combs  perfect.  The 
method  of  applying  them  is  extremely  simple. 
A  piece  of  board,  the  size  of  the  frame,  and 
half  its  thickness,  is  laid  upon  the  table,  the 
frame  is  laid  over  it,  and  the  sheet  of  founda- 

*  The  importation  through  Messrs.  Thurber,  of  which 
notice  was  published  in  the  Journal  some  time  since,  was 
all  distributed  by  us  before  we  were  aware  that  a  further 
supply  could  not  be  had,  so  we  had  no  opportunity  of  testing 
its  merits.  Mr.  Cheshire,  however,  in  the  Journal  of  Marti- 
culture,  of  May  6  and  further,  dispraises  it  sadly,  though 
we  have  never  heard  a  complaint  of  it  from  any  other 
source. — En. 


July  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


51 


fixing 
no    extra 
through 
Mr. 


or, 
the 


bees 


tion,  cut  to  fit  the  frame,  is  laid  on  the  board ; 
being  then  in  the  exact  position  it  is  to  occupy  in 
the  frame,  the  rakes  are  then  applied,  A  and  B 
slipped  over  the  outside  at  any  angle  until  they 
grip  the  top  and  bottom  bars,  and  the  short 
teeth,  being  inside  the  frame,  are  pressed  down 
into  the  wax.  The  woodcut  gives  a  section  of 
a  frame  showing  one  of  the 
rakes  in  position  holding 
the  wax- sheet,  which  can- 
not fall,  bend,  or  stretch ; 
and  the  wires  being  but 
little  impediment  to  the 
boos,  the  work  of  building 
proceeds  rapidly.  Care 
has  to  be  taken  in 
the  rakes  that 
holes  be  made 
the  foundation, 
Cheshire  states, 
on  opposite  sides  of  the 
sheet  will  '  talk  '  to  each 
other  through  the  aper- 
tures ;  and,  instead  of  fix- 
ing the  foundation,  will 
amuse  themselves  by  clear- 
ing the  wax  away  from 
the  points  of  the  rakes,  and  the  foundation 
will  collapse ;  but  that  is  a  casualty  which, 
being  understood,  can  be  provided  against,  and 
does  not  affect  the  principles  or  merits  of  the 
invention.  The  only  drawback  we  see  is  the 
possible  expense,  there  being  six  rakes  to  each 
frame.  A  Woodbury  hive  will  require  sixty  of 
them,  and  as  they  cost  Id.  each  the  prospective 
outlay  is  rather  alarming.  It  is  true  that  they 
will  last  for  many  years,  but  usually  they  will 
all  be  wanted  at  swarming-time ;  and  to  have 
a  number  of  hives  in  readiness  will  entail 
rather  a  large  outlay.  The  foundation  which 
Mr.  Cheshire  experimented  with  was  that  sup- 
plied by  Mr.  Raitt,  thinner  foundation  he  had 
not  tried  when  exhibiting  his  invention. 


HIVE  ASPECT;  A  NEW  IDEA. 
Sunday,  the  S28th  ult.,was  a  lovely  day  with 
us,  and  strolling  amongst  our  bees,  we  noticed 
(2  p.m.)  a  commotion  at  a  nucleus  hive,  in 
which  there  were  about  200  bees  in  charge  of  a 
young  Holy  Land  queen,  and  suspecting  some- 
thing was  amiss,  it  was  the  object  of  particular 
attention,  and  presently  we  saw  her  young 
holiness  return  from  a  flight,  but  without  the 
usual  appearance  of  success,  and  in  a  few  min- 
utes all  was  quiet.  This  hive  was  in  a  shel- 
tered corner,  S.S.W.  by  S.,  into  which  the  sun 
does  not  shine  till  after  1  o'clock.  Later  on, 
about  4,  a  similar  state  of  affairs  occurred  at  a 
hive  facing  due  west,  but  here  we  did  nut  see 
the  queen.     At  the  first-named  there  were   no 


drones,  and  seemingly  none  flying  from  other 
hives ;  in  the  second  there  were  plenty  of 
drones  out,  but  as  far  as  we  could  ascertain, 
those  belonging  to  hives  with  a  southern  and 
eastern  aspect  were  all  at  home.  If  we  waited 
for  further  experience  in  this  matter,  our 
readers  woidd  not  have  our  thoughts  until 
August,  so  we  hazard  the  suggestion  that  a 
system  of  shading  in  the  one  case,  and  reflect- 
ing the  sun's  rays  into  hive  entrances  in  the 
other,  may  be  helpful  in  controlling  fertilisa- 
tion. In  large  apiaries  this  might  be  trouble- 
some, but  in  small  ones,  where  often  the  great- 
est help  is  needed,  it  might  be  worthy  of  con- 
sideration. 

NEW  QUILT. 

By  favour  of  a  Kidderminster  subscriber,  we 
have  received  a  bale  of  quilted  material  that 
will  be  admirable  for  covering  hives.  One 
layer  of  it  is  equal  to  about  four  of  house- 
flannel.  There  is  only  about  enough  to  make 
400  quilts  for  hives,  and  probably  no  more  will 
be  forthcoming,  as  it  is  a  job  lot  that  did  not 
suit  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  originally 
intended.  When  bound  in  squares  and  laid 
on  hair-cloth,  it  will  form  a  splendid  quilt,  and 
will  cost  lOd.  per  yard  cut  t<>  Woodbury  width 
(16  inches),  or  Is.  for  Standard  (18  inches  . 


LIGURIANIZING  AND  ARTIFICIAL 
SWARMING. 

We  have  been  favoured  by  a  cutting  from 
the  Aberdeen  Free  Press  of  June  14th,  and  to 
those  about  to  follow  the  advice  therein  given, 
we  say,  '  Don't !  ' 

'  Those  who  are  new  hands  among  bees,  and  wish  an 
easy  and  profitable  method  of  making  an  artificial 
swarm,  should  follow  the  plan  I  am  now  about  to  de- 
scribe : — Procure  an  Italian  queen  from  some  of  the 
dealers  in  apiarian  supplies.  Take  two  bars  of  comb 
from  a  hive,  shake  off  the  bees,  placing  the  combs  in  the 
centre  of  another  bar-frame  hive,  prepared  beforehand 
for  the  reception  of  the  new  swarm.  Cage  the  Italian 
queen  between  these  two  combs  to  prevent  the  bees 
killing  her.  Remove  any  strong  colony  a  few  yards  from 
its  present  stance,  placing  the  new  hive  containing  the 
caged  queen  in  its  place.  The  bees,  returning  from  the 
fields,  enter  the  hive,  rushing  hither  and  thither  in  wild 
despair  for  some  miuutes,  until  they  ultimately  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  "  what  can't  be  cured  must  be,  en- 
dured." They  will  soon  be  found  depositing  their  loads 
near  the  caged  queen,  and  returning  again  to  work  with 
renewed  energies.  The  queen  may  be  set  at  liberty  in 
about  twelve  hours.' 

We  cannot  see  a  single  reason  why  the  Ligu- 
rian  queen  should  be  put  in  the  position  of 
danger,  amongst  the  savage  old  bees  forming 
the  artificial  swarm,  seeing  that  their  own 
queen  could  equally  well  be  put  with  them,  and 
good  order  preserved,  while  the  golden  beauty 
could   as  easily,  and  far  more  safely,  be  intro- 


52 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[July  1,  1880. 


cluced  to  the  young  bees  in  the  stock  hive. 
Nor  should  we  feel  safe  in  releasing  a  valued 
queen  under  any  conditions,  after  twelve  hours' 
probation  only  amongst  old  bees,  but  should  be 
more  inclined  to  believe  in  ninety-six  at  the 
least.  It  is  well  known  that  occasionally  alien 
queens  are  accepted  almost  without  precaution, 
but  in  the  majority  of  instances  it  is  the  re- 
verse ;  and  after  our  late  experience  in  the  in- 
troduction of  the  lady  from  the  Holy  Land 
(p.  46),  we  advise  those  who  are  introducing  val- 
uable queens  to  be  cautious.  More  than  half  the 
failures  that  occur  in  introducing  queens  arise 
from  the  presence  of  old  bees,  they  hug  the 
queens  to  death,  but  whether  from  love  or  hate 
we  cannot  say.— Ed. 


THE  COMING  SHOW  AT  WINDSOR. 

There  will  be  eleven  exhibitions  of  bees  and  their 
products,  hives,  bee-furniture,  and  manipulation 
during  the  present  month,  all  of  which  have  been 
heretofore  notified  in  these  pages,  except  that  of 
the  newly-formed  Berks  and  Bucks  Bee-keepers' 
Association,  which  will  take  place  in  the  Home 
Park  on  the  1 3th  inst.  in  connexion  with  the  Prince 
Consort's  Windsor  Association. 

Numerous  prizes  are  offered,  open  to  all  England, 
with  others  limited  to  local  exhibitors,  and  His 
Royal  Highness  the  Duke  of  Connaught  will  distri- 
bute the  awards  at  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

The  Prince  Consort's  Association  was  initiated  by 
'  Albert  the  Good  '  '  for  improving  the  condition  of 
labourers  and  others,'  and  is  under  the  special 
patronage  of  Her  Majesty  the  Queen,  who  usually 
honours  its  exhibition  with  her  august  presence ; 
and  it  is  hoped  that  similar  favour  will  be  extended 
to  the  exhibition  of  the  Association  of  Bee-keepers 
that  has  been  established  for  a  similar  purpose. 
Like  their  bees,  who  will  cluster  wherever  their 
queen  perchance  may  be,  bee-keepers  will  swarm 
with  their  products  to  the  Royal  Borough  on  the 
13th,  and  will  be  happy  in  the  knowledge  that 
their  queen  has  given  countenance  to  them  even 
vicariously  while  the  actual  'Presence  '  would  render 
them  wild  with  delight.  British  bee-keepers  are 
essentially  loyal,  and  their  Associations  are  happily 
kindred  in  purpose  to  that  which  the  great  Father 
of  Kings  deemed  not  unworthy  his  direct  personal 
influence,  and  which  now  bears  his  honoured  name. 
Bee-keepers  are  of  all  classes,  and  their  Associations 
have  but  one  object,  viz.  '  the  encouragement,  im- 
provement, and  advancement  of  bee-culture  in 
Great  Britain,  particularly  as  a  means  of  bettering 
t/ie  condition  of  cottagers  and  the  labouring  classes,' 
and  they  have  reason  to  feel  honoured  by  their 
connexion  with  the  Prince  Consort's  Windsor 
Association.  Members  of  such  Associations  may 
say  with  perfect  good  feeling, — 

'  I'" roni  the  loom,  from  the  mine,  from  the  forge,  from 

the  mart, 
From  the  cells  of  stern  science,  the  halls  of  fair  art, 
From  the  homes  of  calm  learning  we  come  ; 
Who  grudges  his  brother  a  brotherly  part 
In  our  work.     Let  him  hence  and  he  dumb.' 


BRITISH  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

Committee  meeting  held  at  105  Jermyn  Street  on 
Wednesday,  June  9th.  Present,  Mr.  T.  W.  Cowan  (in 
the  chair),  and  Messrs.  J.  P.  Jackson,  J.  M.  Hooker, 
C.  N.  Abbott,  J.  Hunter,  F.  Cheshire,  Kev.  E.  Bartrum, 
W.  O'B.  Glennie  (Treasurer),  and  the  Rev.  H.  R. 
Peel  (lion.  Sec.)  The  minutes  of  the  previous  Com- 
mittee Meeting  were  read  and  confirmed.  The  Secretary 
reported  that  all  the  gentlemen  selected  to  act  as  judges 
at  the  South  Kensington  Show  had  accepted  office  with 
the  exception  of  Mr.  Herbert  Jenner-Fust. 

The  Treasurer  reported  a  balance  in  hand  of  62^.  3s.  4d. 
The  Rev.  E.  Bartrum  moved,  and  the  Honorary  Secretary 
seconded, '  That  Mr.  Cheshire  be  requested  to  chww  up  an 
explanatory  account  of  the  diagrams,  such  account  wdien 
printed  not  to  exceed  twenty-six  pages  of  300  words 
each.'  Mr.  J.  P.  Jackson  having  offered  a  Cyprian  queen 
to  the  Association  in  lieu  of  the  one  placed  in  the  care 
of  Mr.  Cheshire  in  October  last,  it  was  moved  by  the 
Secretary,  and  seconded  by  Mr.  Hooker,  '  That  the  best 
thanks  of  the  Meeting  he  given  to  Mr.  Jackson  for  his 
kind  and  valuable  present.'  The  Committee  then  pro- 
ceeded to  make  the  several  arrangements  for  the  Annual 
Show  to  be  held  on  July  27th,  28th,  29th,  30th,  31st, 
and  August  2nd,  the  entries  for  which  close  on  Saturday, 
July  17th,  in  accordance  with  the  following  notice,  viz., 
'  The  third  quarterly  meeting  during  the  present  year  of 
Representatives  of  Count)'  Associations  to  he  held  at 
the  Royal  Horticultural  Gardens,  South  Kensington  on 
Tuesday,  July  27th,  the  first  day  of  the  Show  at  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  special  subject  for  consideration, 
'  Suggested  rides  and  regulations  for  County  Associations 
in  affiliation  with  the  Central  Society.'  A  Conversazione 
will  be  held  at  the  close  of  the  Quarterly  Meeting.  Sub- 
ject for  discussion,  '  The  relation  of  Bees  to  Flowering 
Plants,'  to  be  introduced  by  Frank  R.  Cheshire,  Esq.,  of 
Avenue  House,  Acton.  The  meetings  will  be  held  in  the 
large  Conservatory.  A  General  Meeting  of  the  Members 
of  the  Association  will  be  held  on  Wednesday,  July  28th, 
at  six  p.m.,  and  the  prizes  gained  by  the  successful 
exhibitors  will  be  distributed  at  six  p.m.  on  Thursday, 
July  29th.  The  Show  will  open  on  July  27th  at  twelve 
o'clock,  and  on  each  succeeding  day  at  ten  o'clock  a.m. 


BRITISH  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

Donors  to  Prizk  Fund. 

£     s.  d. 

Rev.  G.  Raynor 1     1  0 

T.  W.  Cowan,  Esq 1     1  0 

R.  R.  Godfrey,  Esq 1      1  0 

H.  G.  Morris,  Esq 1      1  0 

F.  R.  Jackson,  Esq 1      1  0 

Rev.  H.  R.  Peel    2    2  0 

Rev.  J.  Lawson  Sisson 0  10  0 

Mrs.H.  R.  Peel 0  10  6 

Edward  Wilson,  Esq 0  10  0 

Mr.  R.  J.  Tomlin  0    5  0 

Mr.  J.  Walton   0    2  0 

H.  Bostock,  Esq 2     2  0 

R.  Symington,  Esq 2     2  0 

F.  C.  C.  Barnett,  Esq 0  10  0 

,  C.  H.  Hodgson,  Esq 0    5  0 

Capt.  P.  E.  Martin    1     1  0 

S.  Walker,  Esq.  (jun.) 0  16  0 

T.  F.  Ward,  Esq 0  10  6 

W.  E.  Warren,  Esq 0  10  6 

Mr.  W.Sells 0    5  0 

Mr.  Thos.  Sells 0     2  6 


July  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


53 


LETTER  FROM  THE  REV.  H.  R.  PEEL. 

Dear  Sir, — Will  you  allow  me  to  remind  the 
members  of  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association 
that  they  must  bring  their  tickets  of  membership 
for  1880  with  them,  if  they  wish  to  obtain  free 
admission  into  the  gardens  of  the  Royal  Horticul- 
tural Society  during  our  approaching  show  1  Every 
member  who  has  paid  his  subscription,  due  on  May 
1st,  1880,  has  received  a  ticket  of  membership  with 
his  receipt.  Those  who  are  in  arrear  with  their 
subscriptions  are,  in  accordance  with  Rule  vi,  not 
entitled  to  the  privileges  of  the  Association. — I 
remain,  Sir,  yours  truly,  Herbert  R.  Peel,  Hon- 
orary Secretary. 

ESSEX  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 

We  have  much  pleasure  in  extracting:  from  the 
Chelmsford  Chronicle  of  Friday,  June  11,  the  following 
account  of  the  appearance  of  the  Bee  Tent  at  the 
Annual  Meeting  of  the  Essex  Agricultural  Society,  held 
at  Mistley  Park,  Essex,  the  seat  of  the  Rev.  C.  F.  Nor- 
man, and  also  of  the  inauguration,  under  most  favourable 
circumstances,  of  the  Essex  Bee-keepers'  Association  : — 

'  A  great  novelty  in  our  county  exposition  was  the  Bee 
Tent  (kindly  sent  by  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association) 
and  the  operations  performed  and  explained  by  an  expert 
who  accompanied  it.  We  cannot  imagine  anything 
better  calculated  to  create  an  interest  in  bee-culture 
than  displays  of  this  nature.  Looking  to  the  system  in 
vogue  with  our  agricultural  population — inherited  from 
their  forefathers,  and  so  pertinaciously  adhered  to,  of  de- 
stroying their  bees,  to  a  great  extent,  annually,  in  order  to 
obtain  a  small  quantity  of  a  filthy  mixture  of  grubs,  pollen, 
and  honey — an  exhibition  of  this  kind,  in  which  the  modern 
and  scientific  appliances  in  use  by  the  skilled  disciples  of 
apiculture  of  the  greatest  honey  and  wax-exporting 
nations  of  Europe  and  America,  are  presented  to  the 
wondering  eyes  of  our  rural  population,  cannot  fail  to 
exert  a  beneficial  influence,  and  to  be  of  the  greatest 
service,  in  an  economical  point  of  view.  When  our 
tenant  farmers,  and  their  landlords,  begin  to  realise  the 
great  importance  of  the  honey-bee  in  the  fertilisation  of 
their  crops,  as  well  as  in  its  honey-collecting  propensities, 
they  will  awake  to  the  fact  that  the  half-million,  or 
more,  which  we  pay  annually  to  other  nations,  may  as 
well  be  retained  in  our  own  country.  For  reasons  like 
these  we  give  our  hearty  good  wishes  to  those  gentlemen 
who,  at  a  considerable  outlay  of  time  and  money,  are  en- 
gaged in  forming  an  Essex  Bee-keepers'  Association,  and 
of  thus  removing  from  Essex,  at  least,  the  stigma  and  re- 
proach of  doing  nothing  to  advance  this  long-neglected 
industry.  Mr.  J.  S.  Baldwin,  an  expert  of  the  Asso- 
ciation, explained  the  improved  method  of  bee-manage- 
ment. At  four  o'clock  a  meeting  was  held  in  the  Tent 
for  the  purpose  of  forming  an  Essex  Bee-keepers'  Asso- 
ciation. Mr.  G.  1).  Chapman,  Hon.  Sec.  pro  ton.,  made 
a  few  remarks  upon  the  importance  of  possessing  such  an 
association  in  the  county,  and  the  Rev.  G.  Raynor, 
Rector  of  Ilazeleigh,  then  pointed  out  the  advantages  to 
be  derived  from  forming  the  Association.  He  said  that 
similar  societies  existed  in  twelve  English  counties,  and 
it  was  discreditable  for  Essex  to  be  so  much  behind  in 
this  matter.  These  little  things  were  not  sufficiently 
studied  in  England  as  a  ride,  and  it  was  necessary  that 
attention  should  be  called  to  them  in  this  time  of  de- 
pression as  being  calculated  to  assi  i  agriculturists.  An 
immense  quantity  of  honey  was  annually  produced  in 
Germany  and  America,  owing  to  the  improved  methods  of 
bee-keeping  adopted  by  them ;  whereas  in  England  farmers 
and  labourers  were  allowed  to  go  on  keeping  bees  in  the 
manner  which  their  grandfathers  and  great-grandfathers 


kept  them.  It  was  hoped,  by  forming  this  Association, 
to  bring  under  public  notice  in  Essex  any  improvements 
or  advances  made  in  apiculture  ;  and  the  promi  .ters  also 
aimed  at  diffusing  a  knowdedge  of  the  elementary  prin- 
ciples of  the  art  by  sending  a  Bee  Tent,  similar  to  the 
one  in  which  the  meeting  was  being  held,  to  horticultural 
and  cottage-garden  shows  throughout  the  country,  and 
by  having  the  proper  methods  of  bee-keeping  explained. 
Baring  the  winter  months  it  was  proposed  to  give 
lectures,  and  to  invite  public  discussions  afterwards. 
The  British  Bee  Journal  would  also  be  circulated  among 
the  members  of  the  Association.  It  was  hoped  that 
ladies  and  gentlemen  would  become  members,  and  Lord 
Rosslyn  was  to  be  asked  to  become  President.  A  list  of 
vice-presidents  was  to  be  proposed,  and  it  was  trusted 
that  a  flourishing  Association  would  be  formed  at  a 
meeting  to  be  held  subsequently.  The  minimum  sub- 
scription would  be  2s.  6d.  per  annum.  Mr.  Baldwin  also 
spoke  in  favour  of  the  formation  of  the  Association,  and 
a  number  of  visitors  afterwards  gave  in  their  names  for 
membership. 


LINCOLNSHIRE  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

We  learn  that  the  Lincolnshire  Bee-keepers'  Associa- 
tion has  made  arrangements  to  be  represented  at  the 
Grantham  Horticultural  Society's  Show,  to  be  held  on 
the  27th  July;  also  at  the  Caythorpe  Horticultural 
Society's  Show  to  be  held  on  the  29th  July;  and  at 
other  flower  shows  during  August.  The  Association's 
great  show  is  to  be  held  at  Boston  on  the  9th  of  Sep- 
tember. Boston  is  a  town  easy  of  access,  and  we  hope 
the  Association  will  be  honoured  with  a  large  gathering. 


FOREIGN  HONEY. 

FALSE  PRETENCES. ARTFUL  FRAUD. 

At  the  Omiskirk  Police  Court,  May  28,  a  young 
woman,  Leah  Gabriel,  was  charged  with  selling  foreign 
honey,  falsely  pretending  that  it  was  pure  English. 
There  were  over  fifty  cases  against  her.  She  passed 
herself  off  as  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Barnes,  head 
gamekeeper  to  the  Earl  of  Lathom,  stating  that  he 
had  thirty  hives  of  bees,  and  that  the  honey  was 
their  first  make,  representing  also  that  various 
neighbouring  residents  had  directed  her  where  to 
call,  and  thus  she  artfully  got  introductions  to 
houses  where  otherwise  she  would  have  had  no 
hearing.  In  some  cases  she  said  it  had  been 
'  ordered,'  and  obtained  2s.  and  2s.  (i</.  per  jar.  The 
honey  (1)  was  described  as  foreign,  and  very  poor 
stuff,  and  prisoner  said  she  bought  it  in  Liverpool 
at  6d.  per  jar. 

Mr.  Barnes  denied  all  knowledge  of  prisoner,  did 
not  keep  bees,  and  had  become  notorious  against 
his  will  as  a  honey-merchant,  receiving  letters  and 
newspapers  so  addressed,  and  found  that  to  further 
her  ends  the  prisoner  had  been  promising  private 
rook  and  rabbit  shooting  to  her  customers. 

The  poor  girl  pleaded  hard  to  have  the  case 
settled  at  once,  evidently  under  the  impression 
that  she  had  merely  done  a  smart  business,  saying, 
'  Please,  sir,  I  have  never  stolen  anything,  and  I  have 
ahead}'  been  here  eight  days.  Do  whatever  you  will 
with  me,  but  do  not  keep  me  here  any  longer,  or  I 
shall  go  mad.  I  have  neither  father  nor  mother,  and 
nobody  in  the  world  to  help  me.5  She  was  com- 
mitted for  trial  at  the  Kirkdale  Sessions,  begging 
hard  that  she  might  not  be  prosecuted. 


54 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[July  1,  1880. 


DEATH  OF  MR.  JOHN  HUNTER, 

OF      EALING. 

We  are  exceedingly  grieved  to  lie  called  upon  to 
chronicle  the  decease  of  our  friend  and  associate 
John  Hunter,  Esq.,  of  Ealing.  The  presence  of 
Mr.  Hunter  has  been  so  conspicuous  in  our  midst 
for  so  many  years,  that  we  have  no  slight  diffi- 
culty in  realising  this  sad  event :  even  in  this 
number  of  the  Journal  it  will  be  seen  that  he 
attended  two  meetings  during  the  past  month, 
and  a  contribution  from  his  pen  will  be  found  in 
our  Correspondence  columns.  The  bee-keeping 
community  generally,  and  the  British  Bee-keepers' 
Association  specially,  will  ever  remain  deeply  in- 
debted to  Mr.  Hunter  for  having,  in  the  year  L874, 
undertaken  the  onerous  duties  of  the  Honorary 
Secretaryship  of  that  institution,  and  in  that 
capacity  he  contributed  greatly,  by  his  strenuous 
exertions,  by  his  indomitable  energy,  and  by  his 
business  tact,  to  render  the  first  show  held  at  the 
Crystal  Palace  a  success ;  also,  after  the  resigna- 
tion of  the  Secretaryship,  for  his  devoted  stead- 
fastness in  the  performance  of  his  duty  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  working  committee  of  the  Association ; 
and  for  his  contributions  to  apiarian  literature. 

Mr.  Hunter  was  born  in  London  December  10, 
1881.  He  was  the  second  son  of  Mr.  James 
Hunter,  of  Bloomsbury,  who  was  the  founder, 
and  for  thirty-eight  years  the  secretary,  of  the 
Royal  Standard,  one  of  the  largest  and  most  suc- 
cessful benefit  societies  in  the  kingdom.  Mr.  John 
Hunter  was  one  of  the  originators  of  the  British 
Bee-keepers'  Association,  and  his  interest  in  its 
welfare  he  retained  to  the  last.  He  was  the 
author  of  the  Manual  of  Bee-keeping,  which  has 
now  attained  its  third  edition.  He  was  the  writer 
of  the  article  '  Apiary '  in  the  last  edition  of  the 
Encyclopaedia  Britannica ;  also,  in  1875,  of  a 
pamphlet  entitled  The  Cottage  Frame  Hive,  spe- 
cially written  for  the  use  of  cottagers.  He  was 
for  several  years  on  the  staff  of  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture,  and  also  on  that  of  the  Gardeners 
Chronicle,  and  was  a  constant  correspondent  to 
both  British  and  American  apicultural  magazines. 
Many  contributions  from  his  pen  will  be  found  in 
the  earlier  volumes  of  the  Journal.  The  paper  which 
he  read  at  the  Conversazione  on  April  14,  on  '  The 
Future  of  British  Bee-keeping,'  will  be  fresh  in  the 
recollection  of  our  readers.  Mr.  Hunter  was  selected 
by  the  Committee  of  thev British  Bee-keepers' Asso- 
ciation, together  with  Mr.  Cheshire,  to  compijgthe 
Handbook  for  Cottagers. 

At  the 'South  Kensington  Show  in  1878  Mr. 
Hunter  was  awarded  a  silver  medal  for  a  very 
fine  collection  of  microscopical  objects  illustrating 
the  natural  history  of  the  honey  bee. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Quekett  Microscopical 
Club  of  London,  and  also  of  that  in  Ealing,  and 
on  October,  25,  1878,  he  read  a  most  interesting 
paper  on '  The  Queen-bee,  with  especial  reference  to 
tin-  Fertilization  of  her  eggs.'  This  paper  was  pub- 
lished in  the  Journal  of  the  Quekett  Club,  and 
reproduced  in  our  pages.  He  was  also  fur  many 
years  a  member  of  the  Entomological  Society. 

Mr.  Hunter's  exertions  and  spirits  were  always 
in  excess  of  hisstrength.  lie  bad  beenin  very  deli- 
cate health  fur  many  years,  and  succumbed  after 
an  attack  <>f  pleurisy,  culminating  in  congestion  of 
the  lungs,  of  less  than  a  fortnight's  duration,  at  his 
residence  at  Ealing,  on  Sunday,  the  27th  June. 
His  deatb  will  be  a  very  great  loss  to  the  cause 
of  Bee-culture  and  Science  in  general. 


€axx£8$ovfomtt. 


*„*  These  columns  are  open  to  Subscribers,  so  that  their 
queries,  replies,  correspondence,  and  experiences,  may  be 
fully  and  faithfully  recorded;  and  for  the  discussion  of  all 
theories  and  systems  in  Bee-culture,  and  of  the  relative  merits 
of  all  hives  and  appurtenances,  that  the  truth  regarding  them 
may  be  ascertained.  The  Editor,  therefore,  must  not  be  ex- 
pected to  coincide  with  all  the  views  expressed  by  the  various 
writers.    All  Correspondence  is  addressed  to  the  Editor. 

WATER  FOR  BEES. 

With  the  exception  of  a  deep,  moss-lined  old 
spring-well  in  the  garden,  the  bees  of  my  apiary 
have  no  water  near  at  hand. 

More  than  twenty  years  ago,  noticing  the  number 
of  bees  which  flitted  over  the  old  well  and  sipped 
its  water,  resting  on  the  moss,  I  had  freestone 
troughs  specially  cut,  and  set  in  the  centre  of  each 
hive-grouped  crescent.  These  were  filled  with 
moss,  which  was  saturated  with  water  to  overflow- 
ing every  morning.  The  plan  wrought  well,  saving, 
during  dry  weather,  the  blackbirds  and  thrushes 
visited  the  water-troughs  as  well,  and  tossed  about 
the  moss  in  quest  of  the  snails  and  worms,  which 
the  dampness  naturally  attracted. 

Reading,  in  Mr.  Root's  Gleanings  in  Bee-cull  are, 
the  interesting  story  he  told  of  discovering  the 
quantity  of  water  his  bees  drank,  and  the  provision 
he  made  to  supply  it,  and  thinking  the  wooden 
stage  he  recommended  always  liable  to  crack  and 
rend  in  hot  weather,  I  thought  it  could  be  improved 
upon  ;  so  to  utilise  a  pair  of  rather  handsome  vases, 
I  had  a  circular  marble  slab  cut,  twelve  and  a  half 
inches  in  diameter,  to  fit  the  vase-top.  From  the 
common  centre  eight  shallow  gutters,  five  inches 
long  by  half  an  inch  wide,  were  hollowed,  falling 
into  a  similar  circular  gutter  all  round,  whose  outer 
bead-edge  was  kept  a  shade  lower  than  the  plain 
central  surface,  so  that  the  waste  water  would  over- 
flow over  the  bead  down  the  inclined  chamfered 
outer  rim,  and  not  disturb  the  bees  drinking  on  the 
plain  dry  surface  between  the  grooves. 

For  to  supply  the  water,  I  had  a  barrel-shaped 
bottle  blown  holding  eighteen  gills,  fully  half  an 
imperial  gallon,  bottomless,  with  spaces  ground  for 
the  free  emission  of  water  to  save  tilting  it  on 
glass,  as  advised  by  Mr.  Root.  A  knob  on  top  to 
turn  by,  and  a  nicely  engraved  fern-pattern  on  the 
glass  gives  the  whole  a  cool,  refreshing  appearance 
to  the  eye. 

As  marble  cutting  is  rather  an  expensive  luxury, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  fraternity  I  went  to  the  ex- 
pense of  having  a  mould  made  by  a  pottery  firm, 
and  after  considerable  care  and  trouble  in  the  tiring 
to  preserve  their  levelness,  at  last  produced  the 
idea  in  white,  glazed,  dry,  hard  porcelain  or  earthen- 
ware material,  which  could  be  marbled  at  a  trifling 
extra  cost  if  considered  an  improvement.  The 
lower  side,  having  a  circular  hollow,  offers  facility 
for  receiving  a  wooden  bung,  which  could  be  set  in 
a  four-inch  glazed  fire-clay-pipe  pedestal,  such  as  I 
introduced  years  ago  as  a  suitable  stand  for  bee- 
hives. They  cost  9d.  each,  retail.  Ornamental 
iron  pillars,  or  any  other  form  in  keeping  with  the 
taste  of  the  bee-keeper  or  surroundings  of  the  apiary, 


July  1,  1880.  ] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


55 


would  do  equally  well,  only  the  watering-stage 
must  be  set  dead  level,  otherwise  water  would 
escape  from  the  bottle. 
When  filled,  it  can  be 
turned  on  a  bit  of  thin 
wood,  veneer,  or  glass, 
set  on  the  stage,  and 
material  used  to  turn 
by,  carefully  drawn  out. 
I  have  pleasure  in 
sending  our  editor  a 
photograph  of  the  water- 
ing-stage, pedestal,  and 
bit  of  lawn  before  my 
observatory  stock  here ;  also  a  sample  bottle  and 
stage  for  his  acceptance  and  opinion. — A  Renfrew- 
shire Bee-Keeper. 


bottle,    as   set   upon    a 


BEE-FLOWERS. 

Among  the  various  lists  of  bee-flowers  appearing 
from  time  to  time  in  apiarian  literature,  I  do  not  re- 
member seeing  mentioned  a  common,  old-fashioned, 
herbaceous-bordered  Geranium  pratense — a  very  free 
bloomer,  and  constantly  visited  by  the  Italian,  Car- 
niolan,  and  Black  bee  alike. 

When  my  first  Italians  were  liberated,  now  many 
years  since,  they  at  once  went  to  work  on  the  Scarlet 
Monarch — a  flower  I  had  never  seen  a  black  bee 
alight  upon  ;  and  the  orange  banding  of  the  new- 
comers looked  beautiful  on. scarlet  back-ground  as  a 
foil. — A  Renfrewshire  Bee-Keeper. 


WIRED.  FOUNDATION. 
I  consider  the  wired  foundation  a  mistake.  I 
tried  it  in  two  hives  against  the  English,  into  which 
I  put  swarrns.  By  the  English,  I  mean  the  foun- 
dation you  supplied  me  with  last  year.  Some  that 
I  got  before  elsewhere  was  very  inferior.  Having 
been  troubled  with  the  wired  foundation  curling 
up,  I  stretched  across  the  frame  about  two  inches 
from  the  bottom  two  pieces  of  silvered  wire  such  as 
is  used  for  tying  up  bouquets.  I  treated  both  the 
foundations  the  same,  that  is,  I  filled  the  frames  to 
within  a  jof  an  inch  of  the  bottom,  and  securely 
held  the  foundation  with  the  silvered  wires,  which  I 
removed  as  soon  as  the  bees  began  building  out 
the  cells.  The  wired  foundation  cm-led  below  my 
wire,  the  bees  gnawed  it  away,  leaving  the  wires 
projecting  at  an  uncomfortable  angle  ;  and  then  if  I 
did  not  cut  them  away  at  once  they  proceeded  to 
build  the  comb  down  straightwith  the  curled-up  wires, 
and  therefore  of  course  spoiling  many  cells.  The 
English  in  every  case  was  worked  out  beautifully 
straight  from  top  to  bottom.  The  bees  are  longer 
in  working  out  the  American.  I  have  not  yet  found 
that  the  larva;  are  killed  by  the  wire,  but  I  found 
in  one  hive  a  number  of  dwarf  bees,  some  very 
small  but  equally  as  well  marked  as  the  other 
Ligurians.  It  is  undoubtedly  the  case,  as  the 
Editor  of  the  American  Bee-keepers'  Magazine  at 
last  admits,  that  the  bees  alter  the  shape  of  the  flat 
bottom.  Of  course  they  cannot  alter  the  shape  of 
those  cells  through  which  the  wire  passes,  and  if 


the  bees  hatch  out  they  must  naturally  be  smaller. 
Either  the  queen  shows  a  remarkable  preference  for 
laving  her  eggs  in  the  combs  made  from  the  wired 
foundations,  or  the  bees  object  to  storing  the  honey 
in  them,  and  so  leave  more  room  for  the  queen  to 
lay  her  eggs.  Whatever  the  reason,  these  combs 
are  always  filled  with  a  great  deal  more  brood  than 
any  others  in  the  apiary. — G.  C.  E.,  June  22,  1880. 

[The  foregoing  was  kindly  forwarded  to  us  in  reply  to 
a  request  for  a  report  on  the  merits  of  the  wired  founda- 
tion. We  mentioned  the  objections  which  Mr.  Cheshire 
had  urged  against  it  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  and 
our  anxiety  for  confirmation  or  otherwise  of  his  statement 
that  the  wire  killed  the  brood,  and  hence  the  necessity 
for  tearing  it  (the  wire)  out,  after  the  combs  are  built. 
Mr.  Cheshire  confessed  to  a  limited  experience  with  the 
foundation  in  question ;  but  our  distinguished  correspon- 
dent, while  objecting  to  the  wire  because  of  its  curling 
propensity,  gives  high  praise  to  the  foundation  in  regard 
to  its  use  for  breeding  purposes,  since  the  queens  seem  to 
prefer  it  to  all  other  in  which  to  lay  their  eggs.  Although 
we  are  courteously  permitted  to  publish  the  above,  it 
was  conditional  that  initials  only  should  be  given;  but 
we  venture  to  assert  that  the  writer  is  strictly  impartial, 
and  his  evidence  indisputable. — Ed.  B.  B.  </".] 


GOLD  FROM  WAX. 


I  have  just  heard  of  a  large  quantity  of  gold 
having  really  been  extracted  from  wax  !  A  friend 
who  deals  in  wax  in  very  large  quantities  has  a 
customer  who  is  a  silk  mill  proprietor,  and  it 
appears  part  of  the  machinery  is  formed  of  gold 
wires  which  require  coating  with  wax,  and  as  it 
gets  dirty  is  removed  and  renewed.  Several  tons 
of  this  dirty  wax  had  accumulated,  and  was  re- 
bought  by  my  friend  at  5d.  per  lb.  It  afterwards 
struck  him  that  as  it  had  been  in  contact  with  gold 
some  of  it  would  probably  remain  in  the  wax  ;  and 
the  result  proved  he  was  correct,  for  out  of  9  cwt. 
he  obtained  enough  metal  to  pay  for  several  tons 
he  had  bought.  Perhaps  your  late  correspondent's 
gold  came  from  a  similar  source. — John  Hunter, 
Argyll  Road,  Ealing,  May  31. 


BEE-KEEPING    IN    IRELAND. 

queen-cells  in  lieu  of  queens. 

I  have  good  news  for  you.  A  great  many  per- 
sons about  here  are  beginning  to  take  a  great  in- 
terest in  bees.  Some  persons  came  twenty  miles  to 
see  my  bees  and  hives,  and  were  astonished  at  wdiat 
they  saw  and  heard.  Although  one  of  them  at- 
tended a  bee  show  in  England,  he  said  it  was 
nothing  compared  to  what  he  saw  and  heard  to-day. 
I  asked  him  if  he  saw  the  Editor  of  the  Bee  Journal 
he  said  not.  He  will  take  the  Journal,  and  I  think 
I  shall  get  several  others  to  take  it  soon.  I  forgot 
to  first  thank  you  for  your  kind  letter  ;  I  shall  do 
all  that  you  have  recommended.  I  have  got  some 
friends  to  join  with  me  in  getting  a  pure  Cyprian 
queen,  as  soon  as  possible,  as  I  should  like  to  take 
some  with  me  to  the  show.  Would  you  mind 
sending  me  a  queen-cell  (of  the  Holy  land  bees)  with 
a  few  bees  I  should  like  to  see  them.  I  hope  to  be 
soon  able  to    subscribe   to  the    Irish  Bee-keepers' 


56 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[July  1,  1880. 


Association  (which  I  hope- will  be  established)  after 
the  show. 

[We  will  certainly  comply  with  the  request  for  a 
queen-cell  as  well  as  queen,  at  the  earliest  opportunity. 
Near  ten  years  ago,  when  queens  were  very  expensive, 
we  suggested  the  feasibility  of  sending  brood,  and  queen- 
cells  too,  to  those  who  wished  to  improve  their  bees  at 
small  cost,  and  advertised  our  willingness  to  do  so  in  the 
English  Mechanic  and  World  of  Science,  but  queens  be- 
came cheaper  when  the  Journal  came  into  existence,  and 
the  idea  was  lost  sight  of.  Now,  however,  that  Cyprians 
and  Holy-landers  are  so  scarce,  their  influence  in  an 
apiary  might  be  obtained  by  skilful  bee-keepers  in  the 
above  inexpensive  way. — Ed.] 


THE  JOURNAL  NEEDED. 

I  have  a  weak  stock  of  common  bees.  I  think 
they  must  have  lost  their  queen,  and  are  gradually 
decreasiug.  Would  this  be  a  good  opportunity  to 
introduce  a  Ligurian  queen  1  As  there  are  no 
Ligurians  in  this  district,  I  have  no  one  I  can  con- 
sult about  them.  This  has  been  a  serious  season 
for  bee-keepers  here.  I  am  the  only  survivor  in 
this  village,  and  have  lost  myself  eighteen  from 
twenty-five  stocks. — Ray  Tyrrell. 

[We  have  many  times  pointed  out  the  folly  of  wasting 
Ligurian  queens  on  old  dwindling  queenless  stocks.  Old 
bees  cannot  or  will  not  attend  to  brood,  and  the  strength 
and  value  of  the  Ligurian  wrould  therefore  be  lost. 
Attention  to  Journal's  advice  would  probably  have  saved 
ten  times  its  cost. — Ed.] 


APPRECIATION  OF  THE  JOURNAL. 
I  was  struck  with  the  force  of  your  remarks  in 
reference  to  the  practical  form  in  which  your  corre- 
spondent '  H.  D.,'  in  June  number,  had  evinced  his 
appreciation  of  your  efforts,  and  his  desire  to  spread 
a  knowledge  of  bee-keeping  ;  and  for  your  informa- 
tion I  may  state  that  for  years  past  when  I  have 
been  asked  by  beginners,  '  Which  is  the  best  book 
to  buy  1 '  my  invariable  reply  has  been,  '  Take  the 
Bee  Journal ! '  and  I  am  pleased  to  know  that  not  a 
few  have  acted  upon  the  advice.  As  an  instance  of 
how  the  turning-point  in  a  bee-keeper's  practice  may 
lie  brought  about  in  this  way,  I  may  mention  one 
remarkable  case.  Some  two  or  three  years  since  a 
gentleman  from  Sweden,  who  had  then  about  eighty 
stocks,  called  upon  me  asking  to  be  allowed  to  see 
my  bees  and  hives.  He  had  then  just  come  from 
visiting  a  neighbouring  apiary,  where  he  had  men- 
tioned that  he  found  it  very  difficulty  to  preserve 
his  bees  from  damp  during  the  long  Swedish 
winters,  as  he  used  only  wooden  hives.  The  apiary 
referred  to  was  strong  in  straw,  and  its  owner  was 
so  strong  on  '  straw,'  that  my  friend  concluded  at 
once  that  he  had  discovered  the  grand  secret  he 
was  in  search  of,  and  he  resolved  at  once  to  make 
firewood  of  all  his  hives  the  moment  he  got  home. 
Having  mentioned  this  intention  to  the  gentleman 
who  had  sent  him  to  the  straw  apiary,  the  latter 
suggested  to  him  that  before  putting  it  into  execu- 
tion lie  had  better  call  upon  me.  I  showed  him  my 
wooden  hives,  and  how  I  wintered  them,  and  the 
result  was  his  immediate  reconversion  ;  the  wooden 
hives  were  saved  from  the  flames,  and  he  at  once 
deposited   with   me   the   money  to   pay    for   back 


volumes  of  the  Journal,  together  with  subscription 
for  the  then  current  year,  all  to  be  sent  after 
him  to  Sweden.  I  may  also  add  that  in  a  letter  I 
received  from  him  some  time  after  he  had  got  home 
he  informed  me  that  he  had  sent  to  you  for  one  of 
your  hives,  which  he  was  daily  expecting.  You 
will,  no  doubt,  remember  all  the  circumstances 
though  I  have  not  before  related  the  circumstances 
under  which  this  gentleman  became  a  subscriber  to 
the  Journal.  If,  therefore,  the  Journal  and  its 
teachings  are  '  comparatively  unknown,'  it  is  not 
the  fault  of — D.  Breen,  Manchester. 


BEE  HOUSES. 

After  an  equally  long  experience  of  bee-houses 
with  Mr.  Shufflebotham,  I  have  arrived  at  the  very 
opposite  conclusion  from  that  which  he  lays  down 
in  your  last.  For  the  sake  of  economy,  I  persisted 
for  a  time  in  houses  holding  four  or  more  hives, 
but  found  that  the  disadvantages  were  such  as  he 
states,  and  even  worse.  The  plan  which  I  now  fol- 
low is  to  have  a  house  for  each  hive,  and  I  consider 
the  result  most  gratifying  in  every  way.  I  can 
manipulate  the  frames  with  a  minimum  of  disturb- 
ance to  the  bees ;  do  not  interfere  with  those  which 
are  out  on  flight,  and  am  not  in  the  least  exposed 
to  attack  from  the  watchers  at  the  door  of  the  hive. 
My  bees  are  protected  better  from  rain  and  storm, 
and  I  can  keep  them  warmer  in  winter,  and  venti- 
lated better  in  summer.  My  houses,  besides,  are 
quite  ornamental,  and  the  whole  affair,  house,  hive, 
frames,  and  one  tier  of  supers,  I  can  produce  for 
20*.,  a  small  sum  to  expend  on  a  swarm  that,  in  a 
good  season,  may  produce  surplus  honey  to  five  or 
six  times  its  value. — Alrofi. 

[These  '  houses'  seem  very  much  like  the  single  '  hives' 
we  so  constantly  recommend. — Ed.] 


FREAKS  OF  BEES. 


Relatively  to  my  letter  of  the  23rd  April,  in 
which  I  described  the  strange  action  of  one  of  my 
stocks  of  bees,  I  continued  to  observe  them  care- 
fully, and  about  the  10th  May  I  found  that  the 
queen  (in  the  swarm)  had  commenced  breeding  ; 
but,  unfortunately,  the  worker-cells  were  being 
transformed  into  drone  -  cells,  consequently  the 
colony  is  useless.  The  old  stock-hive  is  queenless, 
and  rapidly  lessening  in  numbers.  The  experience 
of  the  present  month  is  that  the  bulk  of  my  bees 
are  in  an  unsatisfactory  condition,  but  I  have  some 
promising  hives.  I  secured  a  good  natural  swarm 
about  Whitsuntide,  which  is  very  rapidly  building 
and  storing.  But  every  report  that  I  have  heard 
of  the  bees  this  spring  is  far  surpassed  by  our 
Treasurer's  (Mr.  G.  Allen  of  Orpington).  I  visited 
his  apiary  on  Whit  Monday,  and  was  delighted  to 
be  able  to  confirm  what  he  had  already  told  me. 
I  found  that  he  had  two  stocks  of  blacks  working 
in  sectional  supers — one  had  filled  up  completely 
with  comb,  and  the  other  bad  stored  to  the  extent 
of  14  lbs.  in  a  set  of  sections  capable  of  weighing, 
when  full,  42  lbs.  The  work  at  the  time  of  my 
visit  was  not  progressing  very  rapidly  as  swarms 
had  recently  issued,  one  of  which  he  stated  weighed 


July  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


57 


7.1,  lbs.,  the  other  6  lbs.  I  think  you  will  be  pleased 
to  hear  this,  and  you  have  my  full  permission  to 
use  the  information  as  you  please.  To  refer  to  my 
own  bees,  I  suppose  the  best  plan  would  be  for  me 
to  unite  the  weak  stocks,  giving  them  the  best 
queen  that  I  find  among  them. — G.  Gareatt. 


AMMONIA  FOR  STINGS. 

Your  correspondent,  Mr.  S.  Nicholl,  cautions 
those  who  have  not  used  this  remedy,  that  if  they 
apply  it  to  eye,  nose,  or  lips,  they  may  find  those 
members  skinless.  I  can  only  say  that  before  I 
became,  by  constant  practice,  almost  insensible  to 
bee-poison,  I  used  it  constantly  myself  without  any 
such  result ;  and  that,  within  the  last  few  days,  I 
applied  it  to  the  extreme  tip  of  the  nose  of  a  fair- 
haired,  thin-skinned  boy  of  5-|  years  of  age,  the 
result  being  the  immediate  cessation  of  pain.  No 
swelling  took  place,  and  there  was  no  appearance 
next  day  either  of  ammonia  having  been  applied, 
or  of  a  sting-  having  been  received  in  so  tender  a 
place.  Nevertheless,  it  is  well  to  be  cautious  m  the 
application  of  so  potent  a  remedy,  as,  doubtless, 
ammonia,  like  bees,  does  nothing  invariably. — 
H.  Jennkr-Fust,  Jun.,  Hill  Cottage,  Gloucestershire, 
June  20,  1880.    

AGE  OF  BEES.— DEATH  OF  QUEENS. 

The  Ligurian  queen  I  got  from  you  in  August 
last  has  till  to-day  realised  all  hopes.  Her  brood- 
nest  is  full,  from  the  four-day  grub  upwards  ;  but 
herself  is  amongst  the  things  that  were.  I  have 
just  found  her  on  the  ground  in  front  of  the  hive, 
dead,  with  wings  distended  and  torn.  There  is  not 
an  egg  in  the  hive,  but  a  queen-cell  with  grub  and 
jelly  gives  promise  of  a  successor.  Drone-cells,  too, 
are  well  advanced.  Though  released  on  the  22nd 
of  August,  two  days  after  her  predecessor  had  been 
removed,  the  native  bees  still  hold  on  as  about 
two  to  five,  evidence  that  at  least  a  bee's  winter  and 
spring  life  exceeds  nine  montlts.  Was  the  queen 
murdered  by  her  family,  or  has  she  died  of  old  age  1 
— Jas.  G.  Cuthbert. 

[It  is  not  possible  to  account  for  the  death  of  the 
queen.  She  was  one  of  last  year's  breeding,  so  could  not 
have  died  of  old  age ;  and  as  she  had  fulfilled  all  expec- 
tations up  to  a  short  time  before  she  was  found  dead,  it 
is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  she  was  a  victim  to  encase- 
ment from  some  cause.  Loss  of  queen  life  has  been  very 
common  this  year,  our  own  stocks  having  suffered  enor- 
mously from  queen -encasement,  apparently  without 
reason.  During  such  a  winter  the  young  bees  would 
have  to  perform  little  labour,  but  by  the  time  the 
Ligurian  brood  has  all  batched  out  there  will  be  few 
black  bees  left.— Ed.] 


STATE  OF  HIVES  IN  DORSETSHIRE. 
There  has  been  a  great  mortality  of  bees  in 
Dorset,  especially  amongst  the  straw  skeps,  this 
last  winter,  but  those  who  have  adopted  the  frame- 
hive,  and  looked  to  them,  have  generally  managed 
to  save  them.  The  bee-keepers  hereabouts  have 
learned  the  advantage  of  nucleus  hives,  as  there 
has  been  a  great  loss  of  queens  this  spring.  I  have 
lost  two  hives  through  their  being  queenless,  and 


all  my  neighbours  round  have  lost  some  from  the 
same  cause.  Our  bees  are  now  doing  well,  but  the 
dull,  cold  weather  of  the  latter  part  of  the  last  month 
and  beginning  of  this  has  kept  the  bees  at  home, 
and  I  think  made  them  think  of  queen-raising.  A 
friend  of  mine  had  four  hives  working  in  supers, 
and  every  one  of  them  have  swarmed.  I  have  had 
two  of  my  best  hives  that  were  working  in  supers, 
do  the  same.  We  have  not  had  our  bees  in  such 
good  condition  for  several  years  ;  and  if  the  season 
only  continues  favourable,  we  hope  to  take  a  good 
harvest  of  honey.  Our  Annual  Show  takes  place 
this  year  at  Weymouth  in  August  next,  and  I  shall 
be  glad  to  give  all  requisite  information  to  inquirers. 
— W.  H.  Dunman,  Jun.,  Hon.  Secretary  Dorset  Bee- 
keepers' Association. 


THE  BEE-KEEPER. 
No  doubt  you  have  heard  some  particulars  of  the 
collapse    of   the    'Bee-keeper'   or    'Bee-keeping.'      I 
enclose  post-card  for  your  inspection  : — 

Bee-l-eeninq  Office,  1  Catherine  fit..  Strand,  W.C. 

Feb.  17,  1880. 

Dear  Sir,— As  I  had  to  wait  at  the  Old  Bailey  all 
last  week,  before  our  case  came  on,  I  have  not  been  able 
to  bring  out  the  February  number  punctually,  but  will 
send  it  as  soon  as  possible. 

You  will  be  glad  to  hear  that  we  were  victorious,  the 
jury  having  stopped  the  case  before  we  were  called  for 
our  defence.  Yours  faithfully, 

The  Rev.  R.  J.  Rogers.  Geo.  Rose. 

Since  its  receipt,  neither  I  nor  other  friends  here, 
who  subscribed,  have  received  a  copy  or  any  com- 
munication respecting  the  paper.  The  prize-money 
for  article  printed  was  never  paid  me,  nor  even  1  s. 
for  telegram  sent  at  request  of  Mr.  Rose.  I  su  p- 
pose  it  was  the  same  with  the  other  'prize-winners.' 
— R.  J.  R,  Tunbridge  Wells,  June  17,  1880. 

[We  give  this  matter  publicity,  as  it  may  prevent 
further  inquiry. — Ed.] 


RESPONSIBILITY  FOR  QUEENS. 
I  had  a  Ligurian  queen  from  you  last  autumn, 
and  when  it  arrived  I  was  so  much  disappointed 
that  I  thought  of  returning  it,  and  letting  it  take 
its  chance  of  reaching  you  alive,  that  you  might 
judge  if  I  had  reason  for  doing  so,  but  I  decided  on 
giving  it  a  trial,  and  thereby,  perhaps,  I  have  for- 
feited any  claim  I  might  have  urged.  It  was  little 
larger  than  a  worker,  its  abdomen  all  bloodshot, 
scarcely  able  to  ci-awl,  and  evacuating  horribly.  I 
gave  it  a  day  to  recover  in  a  warm  place,  then 
caged  it  in  my  best  hive,  after  removing  the  queen. 
On  examining  the  hive  a  day  after  opening  the  cage 
I  saw  it  alive,  but  never  again.  The  hive  wintered 
better  than  any  of  my  three  hives,  but  never  a 
yellow-striped  bee  appeared,  so  that,  although  all 
strong,  it  is  all  common  bees.  I  may  say  I  care- 
fully cut  out  my  queen-cells.  In  such  a  case,  are 
you  in  the  habit  of  making  good  the  loss  in  whole 
or  part]  Had  the  queen  looked  well  on  arrival,  I 
should  not  have  asked  this,  as  I  know  how  unreason- 
able complaints  of  a  similar  nature  are  sometimes 


58 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[July  1,  1880. 


made  in  my  own  business. — J.  W.  L.,  Stirling,  \bth 
June. 

[From  the  description  of  the  queen  on  its  receipt  it  is 
evident  that  our  correspondent  mistook  a  distended 
worker  for  the  queen.  We  never  before  heard  of  a  bee 
being  '  bloodshot,'  or  of  a  queen  '  evacuating  horribly,' 
or  at  all,  visibly.  It  is  impossible  that  we  can  be  respon- 
sible for  queens  after  they  have  been  delivered  alive. 
We  never  hear  any  dolorous  accounts  of  queens  that 
have  been  safely  introduced;  it  is  only  after  failures 
(and  in  this  case  nine  months  after  introduction)  that  we 
are  told  of  their  awful  sufferings  after  they  have  left 
our  hands.  It  is  somewhat  singular  that  queens  should 
travel  safely  from  Italy,  and  except  a  few  dysenteric 
stains  in  their  boxes,  both  queens  and  bees  should  be 
well,  yet  that  one  day's  journey  from  here  should  take 
all  the  life  out  of  them.  Notwithstanding  her  dreadful 
condition,  she  survived  a  day  before  being  caged,  was  in 
durance  while  queen-cells  were  being  raised  and  cut 
away,  and  was  alive  next  dajr.  We  guarantee  safe  arrival 
of  the  queen ;  we  set  no  store  upon  the  bees  accompanying 
her ;  and  whether  they  be  dysenteric,  swollen,  or  blood- 
shot, is  of  little  consequence,  so  that  she  be  alive  and 
uninjured.  Fertile  queens  have  usually  a  steady  matronly 
gait ;  they  must  not  be  expected  to  stand  on  their  hind 
legs  and  crow. — Ed.] 


A  SWARM  OUT  OF  THE  WATER. 
The  above  is  a  strange  heading ;  and  it  may 
interest  your  readers  to  know  what  it  means.  One 
of  my  straw  hives  swarmed  on  the  second  of  the 
month,  and  having  heard  '  piping '  at  intervals  dur- 
ing three  dull  or  wet  days,  I  was  expecting  a  cast 
on  the  first  appearance  of  sun.  Accordingly,  yes- 
terday, the  14th,  I  was  not  disappointed.  I  cannot 
say  that  the  clay  was  bright,  though  the  barometer 
was  rising,  and  there  was  every  appearance  of 
decided  fine  weather  in  a  few  hours.  However,  at 
3  p.m.,  after  considerable  excitement  at  the  hive's 
mouth,  sundry  impetuous  exits  of  bees  to  look  at 
the  weather,  and  sudden  returns  back  again  with 
reports,  out  they  came,  and  settled  almost  at  the 
extremity  of  a  branch  of  a  beech-tree,  about  twenty- 
five  feet  from  the  level  of  a  pond  below.  What  was 
to  be  done  1  I  got  my  man  to  lash  together  two 
ladders,  which,  after  considerable  difficulty,  we 
'  rose '  clear  of  limbs  in  the  way,  and  settled  them 
carefully  down  on  the  limb  about  eighteen  feet 
from  the  bees.  A  rope  was  then  got  up,  but  over 
a  branch  above,  and  fastened  to  that  which  we 
wanted  to  lower.  And  now,  while  one  holds  firmly 
the  end  of  the  rope,  another  begins  to  saw  with  all 
possible  care  ;  but  suddenly,  before  he  could  lay 
hold  to  ease  it  down,  the  brittle  wood  went  oil'  with 
a  crash,  and  down  toppled  sixteen  foot  branch,  send- 
ing a  mass  of  bees  (oh,  horror  !)  plump  into  the 
pond.  Imagine  the  consternation.  And  what  is 
to  be  done  now  ?  Well,  I  seized  my  rake,  fished  out 
lump  after  lump,  took  them  up  carefully,  and  put 
them  into  the  straw  hive  by  my  side.  My  helpers 
fished  out  more,  and  soon  I  went  off  with  my  cargo, 
shifted  the  clean  sheet  to  an  airy  place,  and  care- 
fully threw  the  reeking  mass  upon  it.  Soon  they 
began  to  crawl,  for  it  brightened,  though  the  sun 
did  not  shino.  Now  more  bees  were  brought,  and 
I  sent  for  some  new  sheets  of  blotting-paper,  which 
did  good  service.      In  a  few  minutes  the  little  folk 


began  to  separate  themselves  thoroughly,  and  I 
looked  carefully  for  the  queen,  finding  her  eventually 
more  dead  than  alive.  She  could  just  move  one 
leg ;  but  I  started  off  as  quickly  as  I  could,  held 
her  before  the  kitchen  fire  on  a  piece  of  blotting- 
paper,  and  in  two  minutes  she  was  so  lively  that  I 
had  to  wrap  her  up  carefully,  and  left  her  disporting 
herself  under  a  wine-glass  on  the  sideboard.  Sally- 
ing forth  to  the  lawn  more  bees  are  brought,  and  I 
hear  that  there  is  a  considerable  '  cob '  on  the 
branch  which  now  hangs  alongside  the  ladder.  At 
once  I  bring  out  my  queen,  and  place  her  under 
guard,  go  up  and  shake  the  '  cob,'  bring  it  down, 
pop  her  ladyship  in,  invert,  &c,  &c,  and  in  about 
two  minutes,  the  word  having  been  passed,  the 
whilome  lame  ducks  turn  their  heads  and  troop  into 
the  hive, "like  (if  it  is  not  an  uncomplimentary 
comparison)  the  onward  undeviating  march  of  an 
army  of  locusts.  I  afterwards  found  another  queen 
dead  :  besides  her,  only  about  forty  workers  suc- 
cumbed after  their  rescue  from  the  water,  in  which 
I  fancy  hardly  a  hundred  perished.  In  the  evening 
I  duly  made  the  party  comfortable  near  where  they 
are  to  be  permanently  settled.  The  cast  was  about 
three  pints,  and  had  five  or  six  drones  in  it.  Our 
friends  are  alive  and  well  to-day. — C.  R.  S.,  St. 
Goran,   Cornwall,  June   Ibth. 


<2£rJKixs  from  %  |§tbes. 


Holl,  Fochabers,  N.  B.,  May  Mth.~ '  Fully  one-half  of 
the  stocks  of  bees  have  died  in  this  district  in  the  last 
twelve  months.  One  bee-keeper  who  had  sixteen  stocks 
last  autumn  has  now  only  one.  Another  who  had  eight 
has  now  three.  I  had  two  robbed  in  September,  but 
with  liberal  feeding  the  nest  are  all  alive  and  doing  well, 
except  one  whose  queen  died  on  the  1st  of  May.  She 
would  have  been  four  years  old  in  July.  A  young 
queen  was  cast  out  on  the  19th.  I  saw  a  young  queen 
leave  the  hive  on  the  16th  at  3  p.m.,  but  heard  no  drones 
about.  On  the  23rd  saw  drones  on  the  wing  first  time. 
So  I  hope  she  has  got  mated,  and  all  right.' 

Coldham,  Cambs.,  May  :Mst,  1880. — '  Bees  in  this  im- 
mediate locality  do  exceedingly  well.  There  is  scarcely 
any  limit  to  the  vast  quantity  of  honey  that  may  be 
obtained  from  the  hundreds  of  acres  of  mustard,  turnips, 
and  beans,  white  clover  and  other  flowers ;  and  in  the 
late  summer  we  have  buckwheat.' 

Jit ne  1,  France. — 'Here  we  had  a  good  flush  of  honey 
with  the  apple  blossom,  but  I  don't  think  much  is  coming  in 
just  now  with  these  dry  and  rather  cold  winds  and  hot  suns'. 
But  I  never  saw  swarms  so  numerous.  ( hit  of  seven  hives 
I  have  already  five  swarms  boxed,  all  good  sized  ones 
(though  I  think  some  are  easts),  and  two  at  least  have  gone 
away,  so  the  farmer  tells  me.  I  have  been  absent  all  the  time 
myself.  Of  these  five  swarms  one  is  entirely  established, 
and  already  pretty  heavy,  and  another  nearly  so.  Gene- 
rally, I  have  had  no  swarms  here  before  the  1st  June  ; 
on  the  other  hand,  I  have  a  "  new  idea  "  on  a  very  strong 
Combination  hive ;  and  though  the  bees  seem  to  live 
inside  it,  they  have  as  yet  built  nothing  there.  I  have 
two  of  old  Collin's  skep-hives,  very  heavy  ;  and  yesterday 
I  cut  them  in  two,  and  put  a  six-inch  ring  into  the 
middle  for  the  bees  to  fill  up.  Herr  Dennler  tells  me  he 
has  already  extracted  1 .",()  lbs.  of  honey,  and  to-day  he 
an  ans  to  take  nearly  as  much  more;  but  he  has  done  all 
lie  can  to  prevent  swarming.  In  spite  of  this  he  says  lie 
has  as  many  swarms  as  he  can  manage,  and  he  .seems  in 


July  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


59 


the  highest  spirits  about  his  beef.  I  sent  him  your 
piece  of  wood-foundation.  His  only  doubt  is  not  that 
the  bees  won't  store  in  flat-bottomed  cells,  but  he  thinks 
the  queen  won't  lay  in  them.  Have  you  vet  any  ex- 
perience on  that  head?  I  am  off  again  on  the  3rd  till  the 
25th.  For  me  bee-keeping:  is  quite  impossible.  My  bees 
keep  themselves,  but  I  get  more  honey  than  my  neigh- 
bours, because  I  feed  and  care  for  them  when  they 
require  it.' — Or.  F.  Peabson. 

[We  have  much  pleasure  in  assuring  Heir  Dennler  that 
breeding  goes  on  just  as  well  in  flat,  wooden-bottomed 
cells  as  in  others,  and  the  bees  hatch  out  as  nicely.  We 
hope  to  exhibit  a  hive  in  '  full  fig !  at  the  forthcoming 
show  at  South  Kensington. — Ed.] 

Coldham,  Cambs.,  June  2nd,  1880. — '  The  bees  have 
done  so  far  extraordinarily  well,  from  one  hive  I  have 
already  over  50  lbs.  collected  in  two  supers.  I  am  only 
waiting  for  your  slinger  to  commence  extracting.  I  did 
not  lose  a  stock  during  the  last  winter,  and  all  (nine)  are 
wonderfully  strong  and  vigorous.  During  the  last  mouth 
I  have  had  a  field  of  turnip  seed  (fifteen  acres)  in  full 
bloom— this  will  account  for  the  vast  quantities  of 
honey.' 

Somerton,  Somerset,  June  4th,  1880. — 'I  notice  you 
have  my  letter  to  the  Western  Gazette  in  this  month's 
B.B.J.  Since  it  was  written  things  have  turned  out 
worse  than  mentioned  therein.  The  two  frame-hives 
spoken  of  are  doing  splendidly,  and  do  your  lessons  of 
last  year  at  our  show  great  credit. — John  Hind.' 

Ruabon,  June  7th,  1880. — 'I  commenced  bee-keeping 
about  eighteen  months  ago.  I  have  now  twelve  hives. 
I  wintered  them  all  safely  savd  one,  the  victim  of  a 
simple  accident,  not  due  to  the  weather.  It  was  unfor- 
tunately one  of  my  very  best  stocks.  I  will  give  some 
interesting  details  of  the  accident  another  time.  I  had  a 
\  my  fine  swarm,  May  26.  I  must  attribute  my  success 
to  safely  wintering  mv  bees  to  the  timelv  advice  given 
in  B.  B.  J.— O.  0.  K.' 

June  11th,  1880. — '  Am  at  Dartmouth  for  a  few  days. 
It  is  cold  down  our  way,  and  no  supers  filling  now,  but 
much  swarming.  Where  is  the  hot  June  ?  There  is 
only  one  hive  of  bees  in  Dartmouth  !  Yet  it  is  a  capital 
place  for  them. — Geo.  Fox.' 

Isleworth,  June  14. — '  I  took  off  0.3  (lb.)  sections  super 
honey  last  Friday  and  Saturday.  From  one  hive  I  took 
25  lbs.,  leaving  17  lbs.  not  quite  finished  ;  from  two  other 
hives  I  took  21  lbs.  from  each.  If  this  will  interest  any 
of  your  readers  in  the  Journal,  you  are  at  liberty  to  print 
it.  The  remainder  of  the  sections  (26)  were  taken  from 
three  hives,  leaving  most  of  the  others  not  quite  capped.' 
— W.  E.  Waiuien. 

Brislington,  June  loth,  1880. — 'I  have  been  rather 
unfortunate  in  my  hives,  having  lost  five  early  in  the 
spring,  not  from  want  of  food,  as  in  each  of  the  hives  a 
considerable  quantity  of  honey  remained  in  the  fombs 
after  the  bees  were  extinct.  On  the  20th  May,  I  had  a 
very  strong  swarm  of  Ligurians,  which  were  twice  taken 
and  came  off  the  third  time,  and  settled  on  a  tire  near  a 
very  weak  hive  of  black  bees.  They  left  the  tree,  rising 
high,  into  the  air,  and  we  thought  they  were  lost,  but 
they  soon  made  a  descent,  alighting  on  the  flight-board  of 
the  weak  stock  which  they  very  soon  exterminated,  and 
are  now  in  possession,  working  very  strongly.  There  is 
a  fair  appearance  of  honey  about  here,  my  son  took  a 
beautiful  super  of  20  lbs.  for  a  gentleman  last  Saturday. 
— D.  M'Pherson.' 

Ryde,  June  17. — Hiving  under  Difficulties. — 'In  my 
travels  I  have  heard  a  good  deal  of  the  losses  of  stocks. 
The  testimony  is  universal  that  the  last  season  was  the 
worst  known  within  memory  of  man.  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  hiving  a  swarm  one  day  that  had  settled  on  a  large 
yew  out  of  reach,  and  the  old  folks  had  1 n  busily  em- 
ployed for  an  hour  or  more  shaking  the  branches  to  get 
them" "down,"  as  they  said,  the  only  result  being  hun- 


dreds of  dead  and  wounded  bees  on  the  ground,  and  sun- 
dry stings  they  had  sustained.  Asking  for  a  dung-prong, 
I  thrust  it  into  the  top  of  a  skep,  and  sent  the  old  man 
up  his  ladder  with  it,  turning  it  up  under  the  swarm  ; 
then  with  a  well-crook  over  the  branch  we  shook  the 
swarm  into  the  skep,  and  brought  them  down.  I  re- 
turned that  way  in  a  couple  of  hours  after,  and  was  over- 
whelmed with  thanks  from  the  grateful  old  folks  :  and  the 
bees  were  all  comfortably  housed  and  steady  at  work.  I 
hope  your  hives  are  prosperous.' — J.  W.  Pewtress. 

Leicester,  June  17. — '  I  forgot  to  mention  that  the 
carriage  of  the  hives  yesterday  was  Us.  4d.,  which  seems 
rather  much.  Is  there  not  a  cheaper  mode  of  convey- 
ance, as  it  adds  to  the  cost  of  the  hive  considerably  ?  I 
attribute  the  healthy  state  of  my  bees  to  having  fed  them 
regularly  with  Abbott's  barley-sugar.' — S.  T. 

[We  have  no  control  over  railway  charges,  and  when 
hives  are  wanted  in  a  hurry  they  must  go  by  quickest 
route.  A  passenger  weighing  two  hundred  pounds  or 
more  can  travel  by  third-class  train  from  London  to 
Leicester  for  about  8s.,  while  a  parcel  of  thirty  pounds 
in  the  guard's  van  is  charged  5s.  id.  In  the  one  case  an 
accident  might  cost  a  railway  company  1000/.,  while  in 
the  other  the  risk  is  only  about  30s.  Surely  this  is  an 
anomaly.  A  remedy,  however,  coidd  be  provided  by 
ordering  hives  sufficiently  early  to  permit  their  going  by 
goods  train,  a  practice  we  have  often  recommended  ;  and 
emergencies  ought  to  be  provided  for  by  bee-keepers 
having  on  hand  a  few  Makeshift  hives,  the  frames  of 
which  coidd  be  exchanged  with  those  of  superior  class  at 
a  later  period. — Ed.] 

Barmeath,  Ireland,  June  18. — Swaems  in  Wooden 
Toundation. — '  The  swarms  (five)  arrived  quite  safely, 
not  a  bee  lost.  I  like  the  look  of  the  wood-foundation, 
and  will  give  it  a  trial.' 

Ulrerstan. — '  My  bees  are  getting  honey  very  fast  just 
now.' — W.  B.  Butler. 

Sevenoalcs. — '  With  my  little  influence,  I  am  trying  to 
induce  the  cottagers  to  use  the  bar-frame  hive,  but  they 
want  a  lot  of  persuasion  to  get  them  out  of  their  old- 
fashioned  notions.  I  had  some  very  good  swarms  in 
May  this  year,  and  have  taken  two  supers  off  (small  ones). 
I  eau  drop  you  a  line  now  and  then,  stating  the  condition 
of  this  district.  They  had  very  bad  luck  last  winter — 
some  lost  all ;  some  have  one  left  to  start  with  this  sea- 
son. I  have  twelve  lots  now,  and  intend  keeping  nine 
stocks  next  winter,  if  all  be  well.  Hoping  Ave  shall  have 
a  better  honey  season  this  year.' — G.  Sands. 

Bee-Keeping  in  Ireland, — '  I  secured  three  swarms  in 
one  day.  Before  leaving  for  work  in  the  morning,  I  told 
the  boy  (twelve  years)  to  cut  a  (scioc)  whitethorn  bush, 
and  plant  it  in  the  middle  of  the  potato  patch.  I  told 
him  the  bees  woidd  knit  in  the  bush,  af.d  that  day  two 
out  of  three  swarms  went  into  it.  After  I  returned  that 
evening  I  had  proceeded  well  in  placing  two  swarms  into 
the  bar-framers  (the  first  ever  put  into  such  this  side  of 
Wicldow,  save  those  of  Henry  Dunning,  see  last  month's 
Journal).  The  boy  in  bringing  up  the  third  swarm  let  it 
fall,  being  stung  in  wrist.  Oh  f  what  a  mess  of  bees 
seething  upon  the  ground.  Nothing  daunted,  I  took  au 
empty  step,  placed  it  over  the  fallen  bees,  and  all  went 
into  it.  I  then  gave  the  skep  a  smart  blow  at  the 
entrance  of  a  frame-hive,  all  commenced  in  a  stream  to 
go  into  it,  and  I  had  now  completely  finished  by  9  p.m. 
Bees  work  from  5  a.m.  till  8  p.m.  (good  for  blacks.)  1 
have  three  old  straw  stocks  I'll  get  you  and  Mr.  Carr  to 
try  your  hand  on  at  Dublin.  I  gave  a  full  frame  of  old 
comb  in  the  middle  of  each  frame-hive.  I'll  have  eight 
long  frames  now.  If  it  was  not  for  Journal  I  would  not 
have  the  pluck  to  stick  to  it. — J.  Thaynok.' 

Blair  Athole. — '  I  had  a  queen  (Italian)  from  you  hist 
year,  and  such  fine  yellow  fellows  are  seldom  seen  any- 
where ;  and  as  for  temper  they  do  not  seem  to  have  any. 
I  do  not  say  this  of  them  because  1  never  put  it  to  the 


CO 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[July  1,  1880. 


test.  But  just  think  of  taking'  out  frame  after  frame, 
cutting  the  comb  out — first  shaking  the  bees  off,  but  still 
a  good  many  on  frame — and  fitting  it  into  a  different 
sized  frame,  and  all  this  rather  rough  job  without  either 
veil,  gloves,  or  even  smoke,  which  is  considered  so 
essential  in  operations  of  this  sort,  and  yet  without  a 
single  attempt  to  sting.  I  am  anxious  to  have  this  queen 
duplicated  if  possible,  and  in  view  of  this  I  mean  to  have 
a  few  cells  raised,  and  then  foim  nuclei,  and  along  with 
another  good  hive  full  of  drones  sending  them  to  a  distance 
of  twelve  miles  from  the  nearest  apiary.  Will  they  not 
breed  pure  at  that  distance  ? — Angus  Cameron.' 

Haltwhistle,  Northumberland. —  Casts  not  to  be  desjn'sed. 
— '  I  have  a  hive  that  was  a  second  swarm  on  the  8th  of 
August,  1879,  and  it  has  cast  a  splendid  first  swarm  on 
the  12th  June,  it  being  the  first  heard  of  in  this  cold 
district. — J.  Leake.' 

Gloves. — '  Is  there  any  means  of  preventing  bees  from 
stinging  the  gloves  which  are  used  in  operating  upon 
them  ?  Gloves  seem  to  become  impregnated  with  poison 
when  once  a  bee's  sting  is  thrust  into  them,  and  the  bees 
fiercely  attack  them  again,  apparently  smelling  the 
poison.' — An  Amateur. 

[Kindly  read  reply  to  R.  Ranger. — Ed.] 

Maiden  Neicton,  Dorchester.^-'  Your  junior  will  re- 
member me  as  his  assistant  two  years  ago  at  Dor- 
chester. Out  of  my  seven  hives  I  have  only  had  yet 
two  first  swarms  and  one  second.  I  have  not  taken 
artificial  ones  this  year.  All  other  bees  (with  two  ex- 
ceptions) within  two  or  three  miles  are  dead.  The 
exceptions  were  the  only  ones  who  fed,  or  who  fed  in 
any  quantity.' — John  Brown. 


uctics  anu  JUbUcs. 


Query  No.  -'341. — Bee  Gloves  and  Sting  Poison. — Is  it 
a  bad  plan  to  wear  soft  leather  gloves,  as  when  I  am 
doing  anything  to  a  hive  when  open,  they  fly  on  to  the 
gloves  and  sting ;  I  have  had  as  many  as  five  or  six  all 
stinging  into  the  glove  at  the  same  time,  although  being  of 
a  stout  substance,  the}'  do  not  reach  my  skin.  I  notice 
when  they  settle  on  clothing  they  do  not  try  to  sting,  but 
soon  fly  off  again.  I  began  by  not  wearing  either  gloves 
or  veil,  but  got  so  badly  stung  several  times,  that  I  have 
been  compelled  to  wear  both,  much  against  my  will.' — 
Robert  Ranger,  Maidenhead,  June  18. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  84F. — Leather  gloves  will 
protect  the  hands,  but  having  been  stung,  accidentally  or 
otherwise,  they  absorb  the  poison,  and  give  forth  its 
odour,  which  is  specially  irritating  to  bees,  and  provokes 
them  to  sting  the  same  part  repeatedly,  causing  much 
loss  of  bee  life,  for  the  bees  cannot  withdraw  their  stings 
from  them.  It  is  a  mistake  to  fluppfee  that  bees  do  not 
sting  other  parts  of  the  clothing,  but  as  a  rule,  they  do 
not  reach  the  person  ;  and  as  they  are  generally  able  to 
withdraw  their  weapons,  the  attempts  are  not  often  no- 
ticed. The  poison  of  a  bee  is  its  means  of  alarm  in  the 
hive  Being  highly  volatile,  its  emission  fills  the  air 
with  its  odour,  and,  like  the  sentinel's  gun-lire,  alarms 
the  garrison,  and  the  bees  fly  from  all  points  to  the 
focus,  guided  by  their  sense  of  smell,  which  is  highly 
acute  ;  and  then,  as  if  they  had  found  their  enemy,  they 
pour  out  their  vengeance.  Most  persons  who  have  been 
stung  are  painfully  aware  of  the  quickness  with  which 
another  bee  will  endeavour  to  repeat  the  infliction  near 
tin'  same  spot;  and  there  are  few  who  have  had  an  angry 
bee  in  then  hair  but  have  a  lively  recollection  of  how 
speedily  a  dozen  others  will  come  to  his  assistance.  The 
best  gloves  to  wear  are  those  made  of  and  coated  with 
indiar libber,  tin-  bees  can  sting  through  it,  ordinarily,  but 
they  do  not  like  to 'do  so,  and  if  they  by  accident  inflict  a 
sting,  the  poisofl  is  not  absorbed,  and  the  gloves  are  not 
rendered  personally  offensive  as  are  those  of  leather. — Ed. 


NOTICES  TO  CORRESPONDENTS  &  INQUIRERS. 

W.  J.  G. — The  queen  will  be  none   the  worse   for   her 
honey-bath,  as  the  bees  will  quickly  clean  it  all  from 
her  body.     The  pushing  about  is  of  no  consequence. 
All  queenless  stocks  build  drone-comb  if  they  build  at 
all,  and  that  is  a  reason  why  the  queen  should  always 
be   present  with  the   artificial  swarm.     You   cannot 
in, ike  the  bees  of  the  queenless  swarm   build  worker 
comb ;  it  will  be  better  to  fill  the  hive  with  it  from 
other  hives,   and   let   those   with   queens  build   new 
combs.     If  you  fill  the  frames  with  worker  founda- 
tion, they  will  do  so  quickly,  and  little  time  will  be 
lost.     Remove  all  the  drone  comb  that  is  newly-built, 
and  use  it  as  attraction  comb  for  supers.     The  sheets 
of  foundation  will  be  much  safer  if  put  between  two 
finished  combs.     The  mode  of  quieting  bees  was  fully 
described  in  last  month's  Journal.     Putting  a  super  on 
a  hive  without  a  queen-excluder  would  probably  tempt 
the  bees  into  it  more  quickly,  but  it  would  permit  of 
the  queen's  presence   also,  and  instead  of  honey  you 
might  get  brood.     Try  the  effect  of  giving  entrance  to 
the  supers  along  the  back  of  the  hive  only,  instead  of 
over  the  brood  nest,  even  though  the  super  itself  covers 
the  whole  hive.     It  is  natural  for  the  bees  to  store 
their  honey  in  the  innermost  places,  and  they  do  not 
.  seem  to  mind  taking  it  right  through  the  hive. 
Goldings  Hill. — All  hive  bees  are  amenable   to  the 
quieting  process  described  on  p.  26  of  June  Journal, 
the  smoke  is  used  to  alarm  the  bees,  but  it  is  necessary 
that  they  should  be  cm-ged  with  honey  or  syrup,  or 
they   will  not  be    quiet    for   many    minutes    unless 
killed  outright.     Bv'  multiplying  the  Ligurian  drones 
early  in  the  spring  that  they  may  be  flying  before  those 
of  our  native  bees  have  been  normally  produced,  the 
chances  are  greatly  in  favour  of  the  young  Ligurian 
queens  mating  with  them  and  of  the  breed  remainin  r 
pure.   Hybrids  are  three  to  two  better  than  blacks,  and 
they  have  not  the  same  swarming  fever  as  Ligurians. 
J.   Baker,   Darlington. — Exchanging  the   queen    of   a 
swarm.     Catch  the  queen  of  the  swarm,  and  encage 
her  first  in  an  Abbott's  cage  for  twenty-four  hours  while 
the  bees  get  fairly  to  work,  then  without  disturbing 
the  cage  or  the  bees,  get  her  out  and  insert  the  new 
queen  leaving  her  encaged  for  forty-eight  hours  and 
feeding  continuously  in  contrast  with  the  cage  so  that 
the  queen  may  get  a  supply.     Exchanging  the  queen 
of  a  swarm  is  bad  in  principle ;  it  is  much  easier  to  do 
it  a  short  time  beforehand  and  thus  avoid  the  danger 
attending  it  at  that  critical  time,  and,  if  the  impioved 
queen  is  of  superior  breed  there  will  be  young  queens 
forthcoming  raised  from  her  own  larvse. 
J.  Holmes. — Markings  of  Bees. — Ligurian  queens  vary 
m-  ch  in  colour  and  marking,  and  the  quality  of  their 
fertilisation,  whether  black  or  otherwise,  does  not  make 
anv  difference  in  them.     No  one  can  tell  a  hybridized 
Ligu.'ian  or  black  queen  from  a  pure  one,  both  may 
be  equally  fair,  or  dark,  and  only  '  by  their  fruits  shall 
ye  know  them.'     The  pure  have  pure  offspring  evenly 
marked  and  of  the  same  appearance,  while  the  hybridized 
have  bees  of  various  colours,  some  'looking'  pure,  others 
with  unmistakeable  but  uneven  bais  of  colour,  and  not 
a  few  black  or  only  slightly  tinged  with  gold,  but  they 
are.  all  alike  vigorous  as  workers,  and  thoroughly  good 
defenders  of  their  homes.     The  drones  of  black  queens 
are  black,  those  of  Ligurians  are  often  as  dark,  but 
sometimes  they  bear  beautiful  badges  of  gold  on  their 
abdomens. 
'  Bee  Journal'  complete. — Does  anyone  want  a  com- 
plete set  of  Journals,  from  its  beginning  to  the  end  of 
Vol.  VII.  ?     A  gentleman,  bankrupt  in  bees  through 
foul  brood,  wishes  to  give  up,  having  broken   up   hi 
hives,  and  will  sell  his  Journals,  some  of  which  are  on 
of  print,  for  a  fair  price.     Complete  sets  are  very  scarce 


THE 


[No.  88.    Vol.  VIII.] 


AUGUST,  1880. 


[Published  Monthly.] 


d^frteial,  gofias,  $t. 


AUGUST. 

The  weather  during  the  past  month,  though 
not  universally  agreeable,  has  stamped  July  in 
red  letters  in  the  diary  of  bee-culture,  its  atmo- 
spheric conditions,  though  often  proclaimed  in 
thunder,  having  caused  a  yield  of  honey  that 
has  made  the  hearts  of  careful  bee-keepers  to 
rejoice  exceedingly.  There  may  be  localities 
and  conditions  in  which  this  feeling  is  not 
reciprocated,  but  as  a  rule  the  land  is  literally 
flowing  with  honey,  much  of  which  will  be  lost 
through  lack  of  bees ;  but  the  exhibits  at 
coming  shows,  as  was  the  case  at  Windsor  on 
the  13th  ultimo,  will  prove  our  assertion  to  the 
hilt.  From  reports  daily  received  the  bees  are 
'  doing  wonders,'  hives  attaining  '  immense 
weight,'  and  supers  being  '  crammed '  as  tier 
upon  tier  are  piled  upon  them.  The  extractor 
also  is  doing  great  service,  and  where  last  year 
there  were  empty  vessels,  honey  has  become  so 
abundant  that  the  owners  scarcely  know  what 
to  do  with  it ;  while  on-lookers  stand  amazed 
at  the  results  attained  by  the  '  new-fangled  ' 
system.  It  gives  us  immense  pleasure  to  be 
able  to  report  this  state  of  bee-keeping  affairs 
after  the  adverse  conditions  under  which  we  have 
laboured  in  our  advocacy  of  the  modern  system, 
— a  system  which  shines  out  the  more  brightly 
when  contrasted  with  that  upheld  by  fogeyism 
and  ignorance,  but  which  has  led  to  destruction. 


WHAT  TO  DO,  AND  WHEN  AND  HOW 
TO  DO  IT. 

Prevent  Robbing.  —  During  the  present 
month  the  honey  harvest  in  many  parts 
of  this  country  will  have  come  to  an  end, 
and  supers  will  (or  ought  to)  have  been 
removed,  and  then  will  come  the  necessity 
for  considering  the  future  well-being  of  the 
colonies.     There  will  be  stocks  as  a  matter  of 


course  that  will  have  repudiated  the  super 
receptacles  provided  for  their  accommodation, 
and  their  surplus  will  have  been  stored  within 
their  brood  compartment,  or  hive  proper  ;  and 
there  will  be  others  that,  from  queenlessness, 
over-swarming,  being  of  themselves  late  or 
weak  swarms,  or  from  being  in  poor  localities, 
or  suffering  from  disease,  will  not  have  laid 
by  a  surplus  at  all.  At  the  end  of  the  harvest, 
bees  that  have  been  strong  enough  to  store 
a  surplus  will  be  in  fit  condition  for  rob- 
bing those  that  are  weaker ;  and  if  they  find  a 
hive  weak  and  assailable,  and  commence  de- 
predations, they  will  not  lose  their  propensity 
for  thieving  as  long  as  they  can  find  means  of 
gratifying  it.  Here  then  is  a  grave  source  of 
danger,  and  it  behoves  every  one  with  weak 
stocks,  more  particularly  if  they  are  diseased, 
to  take  every  possible  care  to  prevent  the  com- 
mencement of  brigandage 


Prevention  is  better 

therefore  it  would  be  well  to 

rules    at    this    time    of 


following 


than  cure,  and 
observe  the 
year : — 

1.  Do  not  open  a  weak  stock  during  the  day 
when  bees  are  abroad.  There  will  be  a  hundred 
rovers  from  strong  hives  to  one  of  the  weaker, 
and  an  attack  can  have  but  one  result. 

2.  Keep  entrances  to  weak  stocks  partly 
closed,  so  that  only  two  bees  can  pass. 

3.  Do  not  feed  weak  stocks  during  the  day, 
and  do  not  on  any  consideration  leave  syrup  or 
honey  about  where  bees  can  get  at  it.  If  any 
gets  spilled,  wipe  it  up,  and  smear  a  little  carbolic 
acid  on  the  place. 

4.  After  taking  honey  in  any  way,  do  not 
give  the  bees  the  refuse  comb,  or  the  old  hives 
or  implements  wet  with  honey  to  clear  up,  near 
their  hives.  The  reeking  odour  of  honey  fills 
the  atmosphere,  and  may  attract  foragers  from 
other  apiaries. 

5.  Do  not  attempt  uniting  until  evening, 
when  strong  stocks  will  be  at  home,  and  even 
then  it  would  be  well  to  close  their  entrances 
(giving  plenty  of  top  ventilation)  while  the 
operations  are  being  proceeded  with. 


62 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[August  1,  1880. 


6.  Remember  that  though,  during  a  honey 
harvest,  when  bees  are  too  busy  in  the  fields  to 
pay  attention  to  little  matters  at  home,  the 
foregoing  cautions  are  scarcely  needed,  their 
observance  is  imperative  on  its  cessation. 

7.  Remember  also  that  when  robbing  has 
commenced,  the  delay  which  occurs  in  seeking 
aid  to  stop  it  gives  opportunity  for  its  fulfil- 
ment, and  encourages  the  bees'  propensity  for 
thieving. 

8.  If  robbing  shoidd  take  place,  remove  the 
victim  stock  to  a  dark  cellar,  and  put  an 
empty  hive  in  its  place  as  a  baulk  to  the 
thieves.  Having  no  cellar,  set  the  robbed 
hive  upon  the  ground  in  a  shady  place,  and 
invert  over  it  a  large  tub,  isolating  the  bees 
by  banking  earth  around  its  bottom  edge,  if 
put  over  an  untrapped  ventilating  water-drain 
(not  a  sewer)  so  much  the  better.  At  evening 
unite  the  stock  to  another  near  its  own  stand, 
in  the  usual  way. 

Sending  to  the  Heather. — In  many  dis- 
tricts there  will  yet  be  a  harvest  of  heather  or 
moor  honey,  to  which  bees  will  be  sent  from  long 
distances  ;  and  as  there  is  danger  to  stocks  in 
transit  through  the  heat  that  is  generated  by 
the  confined  bees,  we  would  advise  that  the 
majority  be  driven  out  from  their  hives,  and 
that  they  be  packed  to  travel  as  swarms.  A 
few  days  since  we  removed  six  heavy  May 
swarms  of  this  year's  nearly  forty  miles  in  per- 
fect safety,  by  road  and  rail.  They  were  in 
round-topped  skeps,  and  our  mode  of  procedure 
was  as  follows  : — 

About  midday  swarms  were  driven  from  the 
hives,  and  placed  upon  their  old  stands  on 
squares  of  strainer  cloth,  the  skeps  containing 
them  being  tilted  to  give  easy  access  to  return- 
ing bees.  The  hives  of  comb  with  only  a  few 
hundred  bees  in  them  were  packed  with  paper, 
a  fold  like  a  V  being  slipped  into  each  of  the 
spaces  between  them,  and  then  filled  up  to  fit 
comfortably  with  other  papers  or  bunches  of 
grass  rolled  on  paper  ;  the  object  being  to  pre- 
vent the  combs  leaning  or  falling  sideways. 
The  combs  being  so  far  secured,  and  the  hives 
covered  over  with  strainer-cloth,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  steady  the  hives  themselves,  or,  being 
round-topped,  they  would  roll  about  '  anyhow,' 
for  which  purpose  large  linen  handkerchiefs 
and  a  barrow  full  of  long  grass  had  been  pro- 
vided, the  former  being  laid  upon  the  ground, 
and  big  bunches  of  the  latter  formed  into  the 
shape  of  large  bottomless  birds'-nests,  were  laid 
upon  them.  The  hives  were  then  set  upside 
down  in  the  nests,  the  four  corners  of  the  hand- 
kerchief gathered  up  and  tied  together  to  form 
one  hand-hold,  and  the  packing  was  done. 
The  bunches  of  grass  formed  capital  cushions 
(or  buffers)  to  prevent  injury  by  jolting,  and 
there  only  being  one  hand-bold  to  lift  by,  the 


hives  when  handled  were  carried  sueadily. 
These  are  more  important  matters  than  is 
generally  supposed,  as  the  kerchief  corners 
are  often  tied  in  pairs  only,  and  the  hive, 
lifted  by  one  pair  only,  gets  pulled  into 
oval  shape,  and  the  combs  become  crushed 
and  broken.  "When  packed,  each  hive  was 
set  in  the  shade  to  cool  a  little,  and  at  evening 
the  swarms,  already  set  on  strainer-canvass, 
were  packed,  and  carried  bottom  (upwards 
safely  home. 

In  the  transit  of  bees,  one  must  not  entrust 
railway  guards  or  porters  with  them  ;  these 
gentlemen  have  a  way  of  packing  things  the 
reverse  of  healthy  for  bees,  and  insist  on 
squatting  one  hive  upon  another,  and  if  not 
prevented  will  turn  the  hive  to  its  natural 
position.  Their  mothers  all  kept  bees,  so 
they  ought  to  know  the  right  side  up  of 
a  hive  ;  and  thus  the  bees  get  suffocated. 
The  best  way  of  sending  swarms  is  in  boxes 
ventilated  on  all  sides,  and  so  fitted  with  cross 
ledges  that  accidental  suffocation  shall  be 
impossible. 

Packing  Sections. — We  of  late  purchased 
a  parcel  of  one  poimd,  one  piece,  American 
sections  of  honey,  and  requested  that  they 
should  be  carefully  packed  and  sent  in  a  ham- 
per of  straw,  that  they  might  be  saved  from 
the  jarring  and  rough  usage  of  a  railway  jour- 
ney, but  the  vendor  sent  them  wrapped  sepa- 
rately in  paper,  and  tightly  packed  in  a  square 
box,  with  nothing  beneath  to  save  them.  On 
arriving  there  were  only  four  out  of  twenty 
perfect,  the  remainder,  having  been  jolted  loose, 
were  bleeding  and  damaged,  and  the  paper  was 
saturated  with  honey.  None  of  the  sections 
had  been  filled  with  comb,  nor  did  they  weigh 
one  pound  each,  including  the  section-box,  a 
fact  attributable  to  their  having  been  placed 
close  upon  the  frames  of  the  hive,  with  no  space 
between  through  which  the  bees  could  pass. 
The  sections  by  handling  came  undone,  as  they 
had  not  been  nailed  or  glued  together,  but  had 
been  simply  pressed  together  at  the  tenoned 
ends.  Sections  in  order  to  travel  well  should 
be  built  solid  to  the  top  and  bottom,  or  they 
should  be  packed  solidly  with  paper,  and 
carried  bottom  upwards,  the  underside  of  the 
package  being  well  cushioned  with  straw,  or 
other  elastic  material. 


HERTFORDSHIRE  BEE-KEEPERS' 
ASSOCIATION. 
We  understand  that  T.  \V.  Cowan,  Esq.,  will  act  as 
the  Judge  of  the  Local  Classes  at  the  Show  of  the  Hert- 
fordshire Bee-keepers'  Association  at  Gorhainbury,  near 
St.  Alban's,  on  Friday  and  Saturday,  August  20  and  21, 
and  that  two  Hertfordshire  gentlemen  will  act  as  Judges 
in  the  Classes  open  to  all  England.  We  hope  that  the 
members  of  the  B.  B.  K.  A.  residing  out  of  Hertfordshire 
will  support  their  Hon.  Sec,  the  Rev.  Herbert  It.  Peel, 
by  contributing  a  goodly  show  of  exhibits  on  this  occasion. 


August  1,  1880.J 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOUKNAL. 


63 


THE  TOUR  OF  THE  BRITISH  BEE 
TENT  IN  IRELAND. 

Up  to  the  present  time  four  fixtures  have 
been  arranged  at  which  the  art  of  bee-keeping 
will  be  taught  by  lectures  and  practical  opera- 
tions in  the  Association  Tent  ;  but  we  hope  the 
intended  usefulness  of  the  visit  will  not  be  con- 
fined to  those  occasions  only.  The  first  meet- 
ing will  take  place  at  Clonmel,  in  connexion 
with  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society's  Show, 
and  will  continue  during  August  11,  12,  and 
13,  commencing  each  day  at  noon.  The  next 
meeting  is  arranged  for  Maryborough,  in  con- 
nexion with  the  Maryborough  County  Agricul- 
tural Society's  Show,  which  takes  place  on  the 
18th  August.  The  next  will  be  at  Newry  on 
the  28th,  and  the  last,  as  arranged,  on  the  2nd 
September,  at  Newtownards  great  Flower  Show 
(near  Belfast).  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  though 
we  (which  we  includes  our  esteemed  friend  W. 
Carr,  Esq.,  of  Newton  Heath,  Manchester)  shall 
be  in  Ireland  on  Tent  service  for  twenty-three 
days  at  the  least,  we  shall  only  be  publicly  en- 
gaged (as  at  present  arranged)  on  six  of  the 
days.  There  will  be  plenty  of  opportunities  for 
other  engagements,  both  public  and  private, 
should  they  be  desired,  as,  in  the  interest  of 
bee- culture,  we  trust  will  be  the  case.  The 
Rev.  H.  R.  Peel  has  proposed  to  the  Rev.  Canon 
Bagot  that  a  steward  shall  be  appointed  to  make 
arrangements  for  and  superintend  the  bee- work 
in  each  of  the  localities  named  ;  and  that  being 
effected  and  publicly  notified,  the  arrangements 
of  other  seances  will  be  easy. 

Beks  for  Manipulation. — It  will  be  easily 
understood  that  if  we  bring  bees  with  us  from 
England  for  manipulation,  an  impression  will 
probably  be  created  that  the}'  have  been  pre- 
viously '  tamed,'  or  so  treated  as  to  be  harmless  ; 
and  the  public  may  in  such  case  lose  faith  in 
the  lessons  we  hope  to  teach  and  illustrate  ;  and 
with  this  view  in  mind,  we  sincerely  hope,  aye, 
and  beg  if  need  be,  that  we  may  be  furnished 
with  native  bees  at  each  of  the  places  to  be 
visited.  Clonmel  being  the  first  '  pitch  '  of  the 
Tent,  and  the  operations  extending  over  three 
days,  it  will  be  obvious  that  with  a  limited 
number  of  stocks  such  as  it  would  be  possible 
to  bring  from  England,  the  poor  bees  would  be 
'  wearied  to  death  '  by  continual  exhibition,  or 
the  operations  would  have  to  be  limited  in 
variety  and  frequency.  To  prevent  this,  and 
the  chance  of  misapprehension  as  to  the  bona 
fides  of  the  manipulation  as  above  suggested, 
we  offer,  as  far  as  time  will  permit,  to  perform 
the  following  operations  gratuitously  in  the 
Bee  Tent  subject  to  arrangement  with  the  Rev. 
Canon  Bagot,  or  the  steward  he  may  appoint. 
August  being  '  taking-up  time  '  in  many  locali- 
ties, we  will  exhibit  the  best  means  of  taking 


honey  from  sleeps,  and  transferring  the  surplus 
contents  (that  otherwise  would  be  wasted)  to 
frame-hives,  showing  how  to  do  what  one  reads 
of  as  transferring  in  autumn.  Anyone,  there- 
fore, who  will  provide  a  stock  of  bees,  a  framed 
hive,  and  half-a-dozen  sheets  of  Raitt's  or 
Abbott's  foundation  (for  either  will  be  strong 
enough  for  the  purpose)  may  have  the  honey 
removed  for  themselves,  and  the  bees  an- 
brood  disposed  in  their  new  hive,  so  that  with 
the  aid  of  a  few  pounds  of  sugar  properly  ad- 
ministered they  will  become  a  valuable  stock 
for  future  profit.  This  operation,  or  rather 
series  of  operations,  involves  the  processes  of 
'  quieting  bees,'  '  driving  bees,'  '  transferring 
combs  and  bees,'  'extracting  honey,'  'fixing 
comb -foundations,'  'finding  the  queen,'  and 
(frequently)  of  '  uniting  bees  ;  '  and  as  during 
the  work  the  contents  of  the  hive  will  be  sub- 
ject-matter for  full  explanation  and  observation, 
we  trust  much  interest  will  be  created,  and  that 
there  will  be  no  lack  of  bees  or  visitors  at  the 
exhibitions. 

CYPRIAN  AND  SYRIAN  BEES. 

Notwithstanding  the  '  faint  praise '  which 
the  Judges  at  the  late  South  Kensington  Show 
awarded  to  the  exhibition  of  Foreign  Bees,  we 
are  quite  sure  that  the  interest  in  them  which 
took  Mr.  Jones  to  Cyprus  and  the  Holy  Land 
in  search  of  the  '  Simon  pure '  is  shared  by 
many  British  bee-keepers.  We  have  had 
numerous  letters  on  the  subject  of  queen-cells 
per  post  and  per  rail,  and  have  given  it  due 
consideration,  but,  accepting  the  experience  of 
American  bee-keepers,  have  concluded  that  it 
will  not  be  safe  to  send  such  tender  articles  in 
either  way.  We  prefer  to  send  live  queens,  and 
are  breeding  for  the  purpose  ;  we  have  lots  of 
Syrian  (Holy  Land)  drone  brood,  and  hope  to 
keep  the  drones  alive  till  late,  and  so  give 
every  possible  chance  for  yellow  impregnation 
of  young  Syrian  queens.  We  have  on  hand 
four  that  have  thus  mated,  and  one  that  has 
the  black  cross  ;  and  we  are  breeding  others 
as  fast  as  we  can.  We  propose  to  send  out 
newly-hatched  Cyprians  or  Syrians  for  5s.  each, 
laying  ditto  (chance  the  impregnation)  10s. 
and  those  that  produce  yellow  bees  only  20s. 
Queens  that  have  mated  with  black  drones  will 
be  5s.  each. 

COMB-FOUNDATION. 
Mr.  D.  A.  Jones,  of  Canada,  'after  he  got 
home  '  {vide  Gleanings  in  Bee-culture  for  July), 
gives  'Three  cheers  for  C.  N.  Abbott,  of  the 
B.  B.  J.  He  has  made  foundation  on  wood  a 
success.  I  saw  it  in  his  yard  while  I  was  giving 
my  bees  a  purifying  flight  there.  Mr.  Abbott 
is  a  live  progressive  bee-keeper,  chock-full  of 


64 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[August  1,  1880. 


new  ideas  and  constantly  trying  new  inventions, 
and  is  fast  bringing  up  bee-culture  to  a  high 
standard  in  England.'  There  is  more  on  the 
subject ;  but  Mr.  Jones  tells  our  transatlantic 
friends  that  '  the  comb  must  be  put  very  close 
until  the  bees  get  the  cells  started,  and  then 
they  can  be  jmt  at  the  usual  distance  apart,' 
which  is  an  invention  entirely  his  own,  for  our 
frames  cannot  be  put  less  than  the  '  usual ' 
distance  apart,  a  feature  we  claim  for  them  as 
most  valuable  in  amateur  bee-keeping.  Mr. 
Root  makes  reference  to  some  experiments  he 
has  made  with  wood  as  a  base  for  foundation, 
and  insinuates  that  we  use  him  as  a  base  for 
our  experiments ;  which  we  utterly  deny,  and 
shall  be  glad  if  he  can  give  colourable  reasons 
for  the  aspersion. 

Mr.  Jones  has  also  given  a  description  of 
Mr.  Cheshire's  wire  rakes,  and  makes  him 
(Mr.  C.)  say  that  '  he  had  just  invented  a  new 
process  of  putting  in  comb- foundation,  and  pre- 
venting sagging,  even  though  it  were  only  half  as 
thick  as  foundation,  usual///  is;'  and  we  sincerely 
hope  it  will  be  found  to  be  so  ;  but  certainly 
Mr.  Cheshire  did  not  say  so — at  least,  in  our 
presence.  We  call  attention  to  the  matter 
because  there  may  be  attempts  made  to  fix 
foundation  that  will  not  bear  the  bees'  weight, 
and  thus  a  good  thing  may  get  a  bad  name. 

Mr.  Root  thinks  so  highly  of  the  invention 
that  he  apostrophises  thus :  '  Mr.  Cheshire, 
your  experiments  are  most  valuable,  and  the 
united  world  of  bee-keepers  owes  you  its 
thanks ' ;  but  he  adds,  '  Most  of  your  experi- 
ments I  have  gone  over  in  past  years,  but  the 
little  rake  is  entirely  your  own  invention,  the 
nearest  approach  to  it  I  have  ever  heard  of  was 
given  several  years  ago  in  Gleanings,  where  R. 
S.  Becktell  used  little  strips  of  wood  which 
were  afterwards  pulled  out.'  And  so  we 
Britishers  must  console  ourselves  with  the  ad- 
mission that  we  have  succeeded  where  American 
inventors  have  failed,  and  we  think  Mr.  Root 
is  very  mercifid  in  admitting  so  much.  Mr. 
Root,  however,  denies  Mr.  Cheshire's  assertion 
that  the  wire  in  the  wired  foundation  kills  the 
brood. 

Individually,  we  feel  '  muchly '  the  high 
wind  which  Mr.  Jones  has  used  in  our  favour, 
but  the  receipt  of  the  promised  Cyprian  queens 
would  have  been  far  more  agreeable. 


BRITISH  BEE-KEEPEKS'  ASSOCIATION  SHOW 
AT  SOUTH  KENSINGTON. 
The  sixth  great  exhibition  of  bees  and  their  produce, 
hives,  and  bee-furniture,  was  opened  on  Tuesday,  the  27th 
ult.,  at  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society's  Gardens,  South 
Kensington,  under  the  presidency  of  the  Baroness  Burdett- 
Coutts,  and  will  continue  open  until  the  2nd  inst.,  to  give 
Bank  Holiday  visitors  to  the  beautiful  grounds  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  the  display.     Seeing  that  bank  holidays 


are  an  institution  brought  about  by  Sir  John  Lubbock,  a 
former  President   of  the  Bee-keepers'  Association,  this 
arrangement  is  appropriate,  and  we  trust  will  be  appre- 
ciated on  all  sides.     The  day  was  lovely,  not  a  cloud 
dimming  the  brightness  of  the  warm  sunshine,  and  the 
attendance  of  visitors  both  numerous  and  select.     The 
entries  for  bees,  hives,  and  bee-furniture,  were  not  nume- 
rous as  compared  with  former  years,  nor  was  there  any 
speciality,  if  we  may  be  permitted  to  except  our  improved 
Observatory  hive,  so  constructed  that  though  the  bees  live 
in  frames  of  comb  side  by  side  as  in  ordinary  hives,  they 
can  be  separated,  turned  about,  brought  to  the  glass  side 
of  the  hive,  and  replaced  without  difficulty  or  injury  to 
a  single  bee.    Cyprian  and  Holyland  bees  were  exhibited, 
also   Circassian   and  Hungarian.     The  exhibits   in   the 
honey  classes  were  excellent  as  regarded  native  produce, 
but   of   foreign   exhibits,  'Oh,  what   a   falling  off  was 
there,  my  countrymen ! '    the  meagre   exhibit,  as  com- 
pared with  that  of   last   year  at  Kilburn,  when   timid 
bee-keepers  were  frightened  out  of   their  wits  by  the 
prospected 'deluge' of  honey  from  America  which  was  to 
engulf  British  apiculture.     This  time  America  was  not 
at  Kensington,  and  it  may  be  concluded  either  that  honey 
is  not  so  plentiful  there  as  has  been  represented,  or  that 
the  '  co-operation '  brought  about  by  Bee-keepers'  Asso- 
ciations has  so  far  facilitated  production  and  sale  as  to 
fence  the  foreigner  out  of  the  market. 
The  following  is  the  list  of  awards  : — 
Hives  and   Bees. — Class   1  —  For   the   best  Frame 
Hive,  fully  stocked  with  bees  and  combs,  with  sectional 
supers  in  process  of  filling,  separators  and  end  glass  to  be 
in  position ;    due  consideration  to  be  given  to  straight- 
ness  of  combs,  scarcity  of  drone-cells  m  Breeding  Hive, 
amount  of  brood  and  strength  of  population,  cleanliness  of 
the  whole.  The  facilities  afforded  by  the  Hive  forexamina- 
tion  when  supers  are  filling  to  be  taken  into  consideration. 
1st,  W.  Hunt,S.  Warnborough, silver  medal  and  40s. ;  2nd, 
W.  Martin,  Hampstead,  bronze  medal  and  20s.     Class  2 
— For  the  best  stock  of  Ligurian  Bees:  1st,  S.  J.  Bald- 
win, Upper  Norwood,  silver  medal ;  2nd,  Neighbour  and 
Sons,  London,  bronze  medal.   Class  3 — For  the  best  stock 
of  Cyprian  Bees  :  1st,  Abbott  Bros.,  Southall, silver  medal. 
Class  4 — For  the  best  stock  of  other  Foreign  Bees  :  1st, 
Neighbour  and  Sons,  silver  medal;  2nd,  Abbott  Bros., 
bronze  medal.     Class  5 — For  the  best  Hive  for  observa- 
tion purposes,  all  combs  to  be  visible  on  both  sides,  to  be 
exhibited    stocked    with   Bees   and    their  Queen :    1st, 
Abbott  Bros.,  silver  medal;    2nd,  R.  Scott,  Godstone, 
bronze  medal.     Class  6 — For  the  best  Moveable  Comb 
Hive.     These  Hives  are  exhibited  in  duplicate,  firstly, 
for  summer  use,  with  facilities  for  harvesting  Honey ; 
secondly,  with  arrangements  for  winter  use  :  1st,  Neigh- 
bour and  Sons,  silver  medal ;  2nd,  Abbott  Bros.,  bronze 
medal;  3rd,  Green  and  Sons,  Rainham,  certificate.     J. 
Clapp,  commended.    Class  7 — For  the  best  Frame  Hive 
of  a  substantial  character  for  general  use  in  an  Apiary. 
Price  not  to  exceed  15s. :  1st,  Green  and  Sons,  silver 
medal ;  2nd,  J.  M.  Hooker,  Sevenoaks,  bronze  medal ;  3rd, 
S.  J.  Baldwin,  certificate;  W.  Plollands,  Croydon,  com- 
mended.    Class  8 — For  the  most  economical   (best  and 
cheapest)  Hive,  on  the  moveable  comb  principle,  for  Cofr- 
tagers'  use,  with  arrangements  for  summer  and  winter 
use.     Price  not  to  exceed  10s.  6d. :  1st,  Green  and  Sons,  * 
silver  medal;  2nd,  R.  McGregor,  Banchory,  bronze  medal; 
3rd,  W.    Hollands,  certificate;    H.   Parson,    Guildford, 
commended.      Class  0 — For  the  best  Straw  Hive  for 
depriving  purposes,  cost  to  be  taken  into  consideration. 
Price  not  to  exceed  5s.  :  T.  Sells,  bronze  medal. 

*  This  was  undoubtedly  the  cheapest  hive  for  the  price  in 
the  whole  Show. — Ed. 


August  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


65 


Supers. — Class  10 — For  the  cheapest,  neatest,  and 
best  Supers  for  harvesting  Honey  in  the  Comb  in  a  sale- 
able form  :  1st,  Green  and  Sons,  silver  medal  ;  2nd,  J. 
M.  Hooker,  bronze  medal ;  3rd,  J.  Clapp,  certificate. 

Honey-. — Class  11 — For  the  best  exhibition  of  Super 
Honey  from  one  Apiary  :  1st,  W.  E.  Warren,  Isleworth, 
40s. ;  2nd,  S.  Thorne,  Baldock,  20s.  ;  Rev.  E.  Bartrum, 
Great  Berkhamstead,  10s.  Class  12 — For  the  best 
Super  of  Honey.  The  Super  to  be  of  wood,  straw,  or  of 
wood  in  combination  with  glass  or  straw :  1st,  S. 
Thorne,  20s. ;  2nd,  W.  E.  Bacon,  Ashwell,  15s. ;  3rd, 
W.  H.  Dunman,  Dorchester,  12s.  6d. ;  4th,  Rev.  E. 
Bartrum,  7s.  Qd. ;  5th,  Mrs.  Leigh  Spencer,  Bedford,  5s.; 
Mrs.  L.  Spencer,  commended.  Class  13 — For  the  best 
Glass  Super  of  Honey  :  1st,  Rev.  F.  Jenvns,  Knebworth, 
20s.  ;  2nd,  W.  Sells,  Uffington,  15s.  ;  3rd,  W.  Sells, 
12s.  6d. ;  4th,  R.  Scott,  7s.  6d. ;  5th,  W.  E.  Warren,  5s. 
Class  14 — For  the  best  exhibition  of  Comb  Honey  in 
Sections,  each  not  more  than  3  lbs.  in  weight,  the  total 
weight  of  each  entry  not  to  be  less  than  20  lbs. :  1st,  J. 
Thorne,  30s. ;  2nd,  S".  Thorne,  20s. ;  3rd,  T.  W.  Cowan, 
Horsham,  15s.  ;  4th,  W.  E.  Warren,  10s. ;  5th,  W.  H. 
Dunman,  5s.  In  Class  14,  aggregate  weight  not  to  be 
taken  into  consideration.  Class  15 — For  the  best  10 
Sections  of  Comb  Honey,  each  Section  weighing  not 
more  than  3  lbs. :  1st,  S.  Thorne,  20s. ;  2nd,  Miss  Gayton, 
Much  Hadham,  10s.;  3rd,  P.  Skinner,  Swanley,  5s.; 
extra  prize,  F.  Cheshire,  Acton.  Class  17 — For  the 
largest  and  best  exhibition  of  Run  or  Extracted  Honey 
in  Glasses,  not  to  exceed  2  lbs.  each :  1st,  R.  Scott,  30s. ; 
2nd,  F.  H.  Lemare,  Guildford,  20s.  ;  3rd,  S.  Thorne, 
12s.  6d.;  4th,  W.  Sells,  7s.  6d.;  J.  Walton,  commended. 

English  Comb  Foundation. — Class  18 — For  the  best 
sample  of  Comb  Foundation  (worker  cells)  made  of  pure 
Bees'  Wax,  not  less  than  10  lbs.  in  weight,  manufactured 
in  the  United  Kingdom,  with  price  per  pound  attached  : 
1st,  W.  Raitt,  Blairgowrie,  silver  medal. 

Cottagers'  Classes. — Class  19 — For  the  largest  and 
best  exhibition  of  Comb  Hone)',  the  property  of  one 
Exhibitor,  and  gathered  by  his  own  Bees :  1st,  P. 
Skinner,  20s.  and  hive;  2nd,  M.  Freeman,  Slinfold,  10s. 
and  hive  ;  3rd,  T.  Sells,  5s.  and  certificate.  Class  20 — 
For  the  best  Super  of  Honey :  1st,  P.  Skinner,  20s. ; 
2nd,  H.  Ellingham,  Heston,  15s.  ;  3rd,  M.  Wood,  God- 
stone,  10s.  ;  4th,  T.  Sells,  5s.  ('lass  21 — For  the  largest 
and  best  exhibition  of  Comb  Honey  in  Sections,  each 
Section  not  to  exceed  3  lbs.  in  weight:  1st,  P.  Skinner, 
20s. ;  2nd,  W.  Martin,  15s. ;  3rd,  W.  Hunt,  10s.;  4th, 
T.  Sells,  5s.  Class  22— For  the  best  exhibition  of  Run 
or  Extracted  Honey  in  small  glass  jars,  not  to  exceed 
2  lbs.  each.  Total  weight  of  each  entry  not  to  be  less 
than  10  lbs. :  1st,  J.  Walton,  20s. ;  2nd, P.  Skinner,  15s.  ; 
3rd,  M.  Wood,  10s. ;  4th,  T.  Sells,  5s. 

Foreign  and  Colonial  Classes. — Class  24 — For 
the  best  exhibition  of  Run  or  Extracted  Honey  in  glass 
jars,  not  to  exceed  2  lbs.  each :  2nd,  Lucio  Paglia,  15s. 
Class  25 — For  the  best  sample  of  Comb  Foundation 
(worker  cells)  made  of  pure  Bees'  Wax,  not  less  than  10 
lbs.  in  weight,  with  price  per  pound  attached  :  Newman 
and  Sons,  Chicago,  bronze  medal. 

Comestibles. — Class  26 — For  the  best  Mead  or 
Metheglin  made  from  Honey,  with  recipe  attached  :  1st, 
Abbott  Bros.,  bronze  medal ;  2nd,  R.  Scott,  certificate. 

Miscellaneous. — Class  27 — For  the  best  and  largest 
collection  of  Hives  and  Bee  Furniture,  most  applicable 
to  Modern  Bee-keeping,  no  two  articles  to  be  alike  :  1st, 
Neighbour  and  Sons,  silver  medal.  Class  28 — For  the  best 
Extractor:  1st,  T.  W.  Cowan,  silver  medal;  2nd,  J. 
Walton,  bronze  medal;  3rd,  Abbott  Bros.,  certificate. 
Class  29 — For  the  finest  sample  of  Pure  Bees'  Wax,  not 
less  than  3  lbs.  in  weight,  produced  by  the  Exhibitor's 
own  Bees:  1st,  W.  Hunt,  10s.;  2nd,  W.  Sells,  7s.  6d. ; 
3rd,  J.  M.  Hooker,  5s. ;  Lucio  Paglia,  Italy,  2s.  6d. 
Class  30 — For  any  Invention  calculated  in  the  opinion  of 
the  Judges  to  advance  the  culture  of  Bees  :  F.  Cheshire 


(new  system  to  prevent  sagging  wires),  silver  medal ; 
commended,  T.  W.  Cowan  (swarm  box),  Green  and  Sons 
(regulating  feeding  stage  and  bottle),  F.  Cheshire 
(divisional  feeder).  Class  31 — For  the  best  Microscopic 
Slides  illustrating  the  Natural  History  of  the  Honey 
Bee :  J.  Hunter,  Cranbourne  Street,  Leicester  Square, 
silver  medal.  Class  32 — For  the  best  and  largest  display 
of  British  Bee  Flora,  in  a  dried  state  or  otherwise ;  each 
Plant  or  Specimen  must  have  a  card  attached  stating 
time  of  flowering,  duration  of  bloom,  and  any  other 
particulars  calculated  to  be  of  interest  to  Bee-keepers: 
1st,  W.  Ingram,  Belvoir,  silver  medal;  2nd,  A.  G.  Gibbs, 
St.  Albans,  bronze  medal.  Class  34— For  the  best  Set 
of  Diagrams  illustrating  the  Honey  Bee  :  Abbott  Bros., 
bronze  medal. 

Driving  Competition.  —  For  the  Competitor  who 
shall,  in  the  neatest,  quickest,  and  most  complete  manner, 
drive  out  the  Bees  from  a  Straw  Skep,  capture,  and 
exhibit  the  Queen:  1st,  J.  Walton,  4  mins.  15  sees., 
silver  medal  and  20s. ;  2nd,  J.  Filbee,  4  mins.  15  sees., 
bronze  medal  and  10s. ;  3rd,  W.  Hunt,  8  mins.  35  sees., 
certificate  and  5s. 

Quarterly  Meeting,  July  27th. 

The  Quarterly  Meeting  of  the  Committee  for  confer- 
ring with  the  representatives  of  the  County  Associations 
was  held  in  the  Western  Arcade  of  the  Royal  Horti- 
cultural Gardens,  South  Kensington,  on  Tuesday,  July 
27th.  Present— Mr.  T.  W.  Cowan  (in  the  chair),'Mr.  F. 
Cheshire,  Mr.  C.  N.  Abbott,  Mr.  J.  M.  Hooker,  Mr.  W. 
O'B.  Glennie,  Rev.  G.  Raynor,  Rev.  H.  R.  Peel  {Hon. 
Sec.~),  Mr.  W.  Griffin  (representative  of  Devon  and  Exeter 
Association),  Rev.  A.  Roberts  (Hertfordshire),  Mr.  J.  N. 
Bower  (Warwickshire),  Mr.  F.  Lemare  (Surrey),  Hon. 
and  Rev.  C.  Feilding  and  Mr.  C.  Fletcher  (Shropshire), 
and  Mr.  J.  Garrett  (West  Kent). 

The  minutes  of  the  last  Quarterly  Meeting  were  read, 
confirmed  by  the  meeting,  and  signed  by  the  chairman. 

The  Suggested  Conditions  of  Affiliation  for  County  As- 
sociations desiring  to  co-operate  with  the  British  Bee- 
Keepers'  Association  were  read  by  the  chairman,  and 
discussed  by  the  meeting. 

With  regard  to  the  transmission  of  the  Bee  Tent  from 
one  County  Association  to  another,  it  was  proposed  by 
Mr.  F.  Cheshire,  and  seconded  by  the  Rev.  G.  Raynor, 
'  That,  in  the  event  of  the  Tent  passing  from  one  County 
Association  to  another,  the  expense  shall  be  divided  be- 
tween them  in  a  manner  decided  by  the  Central  Associa- 
tion, provided  always  that  the  cost  to  either  shall  not 
exceed  the  carriage  to  or  from  London.'  Carried  unani- 
mously. 

With  regard  to '  Suggestions  to  Affiliated  Associations,' 
No.  V.,  it  was  proposed  by  Mr.  W.  N.  Griffin,  and 
seconded  by  the  Rev.  H.  R.  Peel,  '  That  in  Suggestion 
No.  V.  all  the  words  after  "  4,  List  of  Subscribers,"  be 
struck  out.'     Carried  unanimously. 

A  proposition,  made  by  Mr.  J.  N.  Bower  (the  repre- 
sentative of  the  Warwickshire  Association),  that  the 
Handbook  for  Cottagers  should  be  issued  to  secretaries  of 
County  Associations,  taking  a  quantity  of  not  less  than 
two  or  three  hundred,  at  the  cost  price,  was  referred  to 
the  consideration  of  the  Committee  of  the  British  Bee- 
Keepers'  Association  at  a  future  meeting. 

At  six  o'clock  Mr.  Cheshire  delivered  a  lecture  'On 
the  relations  of  Bees  to  Flowers,'  which  we  purpose 
giving  >7i  e.rtenso  in  our  next  issue. 


ANNUAL  GENERAL  MEETING. 
The  Annual  General  Meeting  of  the  Association  was 
held  in  the  Conservatory,  at  6  p.m.,  July  28th,  1880,  the 
Baroness  Burdett-Cout'ts  presiding.  Present,  Hon.  and 
Rev.  C.  W.  A.  Feilding  (Hon.  Sec.  of  Salop  Beekeepers' 
Association),  Charles  E.  Fletcher,  W.  W.  Dunman  (Hon. 
Sec.  of  Dorset  Beekeepers'  Association),  A.  Sanders,  Mrs. 


6(5 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[August  1,  1880. 


Fielder,  F.  H.  Meggy,  Rev.  Thos.  Sissons  (Shooter's  Hill), 
F.  Lyon,  C.  J.  Stevens,  T.  De  L.  Hardy,  T.  B.  Blow,  T.  B. 
Latchniore,  E.  S.  Whealler,  "VV.  A.  Kirchner,  Col.  M. 
Lockwood,  Captain  Chas.  D.  Campbell,  R.N.,  Fred.  H. 
Lemare,  Rev.  J.  Lawson  Sisson,  John  Walton,  Piers  Edg- 
cumbe  Martin,  George  Green,  Richard  Scott,  John  M. 
Hooker,  J.  Thomas  Sells,  William  Groombridge,  F. 
Cheshire,  Samuel  Thome,  Alfred  Neighbour,  W.  M. 
Kingsmill,  Rev.  Herbert  R.  Peel. 

Minutes  of  last  meeting  were  read  and  confirmed. 

The  Presidents  of  the  County  Associations  were  elected 
Vice-Presidents  of  the  Parent  Association  as  follows : — 

1.  Bath  and  Bucks,  H.R.H.  Princess  Christian.  2. 
Dorset,  the  Hon.  Colonel  Edward  Digby,  M.P.  3.  Devon 
and  Exeter,  the  Right' Worshipful  the  Mayor  of  Exeter. 
4.  Essex,  the  Earl  of  Rosslyn.  5,  Hertfordshire,  the 
Earl  of  Verulam.  6.  Lincolnshire,  the  Bishop  Suffragan 
of  Nottingham.  7.  Shropshire,  Lord  Berwick.  8.  Suf- 
folk, Lord  Rendlesham.  9.  Surrey,  H.R.H.  the  Duke 
of  Connaught.  10.  West  Kent,  the  Riirht  Rev.  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  11.  Warwickshire,  Lord 
Leigh. 

Deputation  to  Ireland. — The  Hon.  Soc.  reported  that 
although  relations  between  landlord  and  tenant  in 
Ireland  were  somewhat  unsettled,  he  had  not  felt  it 
wise  to  lean  to  the  suggestion  that  the  expedition  to 
Ireland  should  be  postponed,  but  the  hand  having 
been  put  to  the  plough  he  had  determined  not  to  look 
back.  Messrs.  Abbott  and  Carr  would  visit  Clonmel, 
Maryborough,  Newry,  Newtownards;  and  were  ready 
also  to  make  further  visits,  according  to  arrangement  at 
times  not  at  present  disposed  of. 

Carlisle  Show. — The  Hon.  Sec.  made  a  statement  re- 
specting Carlisle  Show  that  much  interest  had  been 
awakened  and  good  done;  and  called  upon  Mr.  Cheshire 
to  give  some  account  of  the  way  in  which  the  Bee 
Tent  had  been  received. 

Mr.  Cheshire  stated  that  the  interest  at  Carlisle  had 
almost  reached  excitement,  and  that  it  had  been  necessary 
to  remove  the  outside  canvas  in  order  to  satisfy  the 
crowds  desiring  to  get  some  sight  of  the  operation. 

Dairy  Show. — The  Hon.  Sec.  reported  that  all  arrange- 
ments respecting  the  Dairy  Show  had  been  made,  and 
that  a  good  exhibition,  associating  again  milk  and  honey, 
was  expected. 

Life  Memberships. — The  Hon.  Sec.  raised  the  question 
as  to  whether  Life  Memberships  should  not  be  raised  to 
10/.,  since  51.,  as  had  been  resolved  at  the  last  General 
Meeting,  when  funded,  produced  only  3s.  6d.  or  4s. 
annually. 

The  matter  was  discussed  by  General  Sanders,  Mr. 
Dunrnan,  Mr.  Lemare,  and  Mr.  Lyon.     The  discussion 
was  dropped,  and  deferred  to  next  meeting. 
Lord  Spencer's   reply  to   the   Secretary's  communication 

respecting  the  appointment  of  a  Professorship  of  Bee- 
culture. 

The  Secretary  explained  that  the  General  Election 
had,  by  changing  Government,  displaced  Lord  George 
Hamilton  as  President  of  the  Committee  of  Council  on 
Education,  and  that  it  was  decided  at  last  committee  meet- 
ing that  Lord  Spencer  should  be  communicated  with 
before  the  estimates  were  presented  on  October  8th. 

Rev.  E.  Bartrum  had  prepared  the  following  address: — 

'  There  can  be  no  question  about  the  fact  that  in  spite 
of  the  exertions  of  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association, 
bee-keeping  in  England  is  in  a  backward  condition,  and 
that  as  a  people  we  are  surpassed  by  the  Germans, 
French,  and  the  Americans,  in  the  practice  of  this  art. 
The  most  antiquated  methods  of  bee-keeping  are  still 
popular  among  us,  and  consequently  not  a  tithe  of  the 
quantity  of  honey  that  might  be  secured  in  our  own 
country  is  obtained  in  England,  and  a  large  amount  of 
honey  is  now  imported  from  Germany,  the  United  States, 
Canada,  and  elsewhere.  To  promote  then  a  more 
general   and  more  scientific  knowledge  of  bee-keeping, 


and  thereby  to  largely  increase  the  supply  of  food  raised 
in  our  own  land,  it  is  suggested  that  a  Professor  of 
Bee-keeping  shall  be  appointed  in  connexion  with  the 
Education  Department ;  and  the  following  resolution  was 
passed  unanimously  at  the  General  Meeting  of  the 
B.  B.  K.  A.  on  the  18th  of  February  last,  the  Baroness 
Burdett-Coutts  being  President : — 

' "  That  in  the  opinion  of  this  Association  it  is  very 
desirable  that  a  Professorship  of  Bee-culture  should  be 
established  in  connexion  with  the  Science  and  Art 
Department  at  South  Kensington." 

'  The  duties  of  such  a  Professor  would  be  very  much  as 
follows : — 

'  I.  To  visit  the  Training  Colleges  connected  with  the 
Education  Department  three  times  a-year  at  least, 
to  deliver  lectures  at  such  colleges,  and  to  assist  in 
the  management  of  the  hives  belonging  to  such  colleges 
where  the  neighbourhood  allowed  any  prospect  of 
moderate  success.  His  visits  should  embrace  the  colleges 
in  England,  Wales,  perhaps  also  Ireland.  In  Scotland 
the  art  of  bee-keeping  is  better  known,  and  remarkable 
results  are  consequently  obtained  in  very  many  in- 
stances. He  would  thus  explain  to  the  teachers  who  in 
course  of  time  would  be  dispersed  throughout  the  entire 
land  the  importance  of  the  moveable  comb  hives,  ex- 
tractors, comb-foundation,  supers,  sections,  and  other 
such  matters,  subjects  about  which  the  public,  and  espe- 
cially the  lower  orders,  know  absolutely  nothing,  but  a 
knowledge  of  which  is  essential  to  that  success  which, 
with  such  knowledge,  can  undoubtedly  be  attained. 

'  n.  To  visit  the  universities,  the  various  county  schools, 
the  agricultural  and  other  colleges  and  schools,  not  neces- 
sarily connected  with  the  government,  the  authorities  of 
which  might  be  willing  to  receive  him  and  endeavour 
thereby  to  diffuse  an  intelligent  knowledge  of  bee-keeping. 

'  III.  To  visit  the  various  agricultural  centres  and  other 
localities  where  his  presence  would  in  any  way  be  wel- 
comed for  the  same  purpose. 

'  IV.  To  deliver  lectures  at  South  Kensington  at  stated 
intervals  on  subjects  connected  with  bee-keeping. 

'  V.  To  superintend  at  South  Kensington  any  col- 
lections that  might  be  established  there,  containing  ex- 
amples of  the  best  hives,  the  best  extractors,  and  other 
articles  required  in  scientific  bee-keeping. 

'  Such  a  professor  would  act  very  much  as  a  peripa- 
tetic lecturer,  doing  for  bee-keeping  what  Mr.  Buckmaster 
has  done  in  promoting  the  knowledge  of  art  among  the 
artisan  class  in  establishing  schools  of  cookery,  and 
latterly  in  promoting  a  scientific  knowledge  of  agricul- 
ture. The  advance  that  has  been  made  in  England  in 
the  knowledge  of  science  and  art  during  the  last  twenty 
years  has  been  marvellous.  Schools  of  cookery  are  also 
being  established  on  all  sides ;  let  a  similar  plan  be 
adopted  with  regard  to  bee-keeping,  and  satisfactory 
results  are  certain  to  ensue.  The  cost  of  such  a  Pro- 
fessorship need  not  be  large.  The  usual  salaries  of  the 
professors  at  South  Kensington  are  200/.  per  annum,  in 
addition  to  allowances ;  and  this  sum,  with  an  allowance 
for  travelling  expenses  and  special  attendances,  would 
secure  a  thoroughly  competent  and  scientific  teacher. 
The  total  cost  ought  not  to  exceed  400/.  per  annum. 
The  German  Government  give  grants  in  aid  of  scientific 
bee-keeping,  and  the  English  Government  woidd  do  a 
great  service  to  their  countrymen  by  following  their 
example.' 

The  following  reply  from  Lord  Spencer  was  read : — 

'  July  26th. 

'  Sir, — I  am  desired  by  Lord  Spencer  to  acknowledge 
the  receipt  of  your  letter  and  enclosures,  and  to  inform 
you  that  his  Lordship  has  read  the  Address  with  great 
interest  and  will  give  the  subject  his  careful  considera- 
tion.— I  am,  sir,  yours  most  faithfully,  John  R.  Dasent. 
'  H.  R.  Peel,  Esq.' 

The  Secretary  added  that  a  deputation,  consisting  of 
Rev.  H.  R.  Peel,  Mr.  Cowan,  and  Rev!  E.  Bartrum,  was 


August  1,  1880.] 


THE  BKITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


67 


prepared  to  wait  on  Earl  Spencer  at  any  time  that  he 
might  appoint,  to  give  him  further  information. 

Library. — The  Secretary  made  a  statement  respecting 
the  library  to  the  effect  that  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  had  not  room,  and  Chiswick  would  he  too  far 
from  the  London  centre.  The  Secretary  of  the  Society 
for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals  had  kindly 
placed  a  part  of  the  book-shelves  at  105  Jermyn  Street 
at  their  disposal. 

Mr.  Lyon  proposed  and  Mr.  Stevens  seconded  the  fol- 
lowing resolution  : — '  That  a  fimd  be  raised  to  be  called 
the  Library  Fund,  and  that  subscriptions  to  the  same  be 
solicited  ;  and  that  this  fund  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of 
the  Acting  Committee  for  the  time  being  for  the  purchase 
of  books  relating  to  bee-culture  and  kindred  sciences.' 

The  Baroness  offered  51.  to  be  spent  on  books,  and 
General  Sanders  gave  1/.  for  the  same  purpose. 

Rev.  E.  Bartrum  offered  to  read  at  the  next  quarterly 
Conversazione  a  paper  on  the  '  Stewarton  Hive.' 

The  Baroness  proposed  that  H.R.H.  Princess  Christian 
be  requested  to  give  away  the  prizes  at  the  Annual 
Show  of  1881. 

On  Thursday,  the  Show  and  the  Bee  Tent  were 
visited  by  Lord  Spencer,  who  appeared  much  interested 
in  the  articles  exhibited,  and  in  the  operations  of  the 
Association.  On  the  evening  of  the  same  day  the  prizes 
were  distributed  by  Lady  Aberdare  in  the  large  Con- 
servatory. 

The  Show  will  be  continued  over  the  Bank  Holiday, 
which  will  give  an  opportunity  to  the  numerous  visitors 
to  the  Royal  Horticultural  Gardens  of  having  an  insight 
into  the  mysteries  of  bee-culture. 


Judges'  Report  in  Classes  1, 2, 3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9,  and 
10,  and  the  Driving  Competition. 

Class  1. — The  entries  in  this  class  did  not  in  many  re- 
spects comply  with  the  conditions  of  the  competition.  The 
hives  exhibited  were  not  well  calculated  to  be  opened  to 
show  the  conditions  of  the  combs,  the  brood,  and  other 
conditions  above  referred  to;  still  the  Judges,  taking  into 
consideration  the  great  risk  in  the  transport  of  full 
stocks  of  bees,  felt  themselves  justified  in  awarding  a 
first  and  second  prize,  and  hope  that  in  future  years,  if 
this  prize  be  continued,  that  more  competition  will  take 
place,  and  more  regard  be  had  to  the  conditions  on  which 
the  prize  is  offered. 

Classes  2,  3,  and  4. — In  these  classes,  again,  there  can 
scarcely  be  said  to  have  been  any  competition ;  and  the 
bees  exhibited,  with  the  exception  of  the  Ligurians,  may 
be  treated  as  amongst  the  curiosities  of  the  show,  their 
practical  utility,  or,  indeed,  whether  they  can  be  utilised 
at  all  in  England  being  yet  unknown,  and  the  Judges 
would  suggest  that  in  future  years  these  classes,  or  at 
least  Classes  3  and  4,  might  be  amalgamated. 

Class  5  calls  for  no  special  remark. 

Classes  6,  7,  and  8  do  not  show  any  material  improve- 
ment on  hives  exhibited  in  former  years,  except  that  the 
hives  to  which  first  prizes  are  awarded  in  Classes  7  and 
8  seem  to  have  been  the  subject  of  careful  consideration 
in  the  mind  of  the  maker,  and  are  especially  to  be  noticed 
for  the  reasonableness  of  their  price. 

Class  9  needs  no  comment. 

Class  10. — The  exhibits  in  this  class  were  all  of  the 
same  character,  and  the  Judges  had  merely  to  consider 
one  exhibit  against  the  other  on  the  score  of  cost. 

Driving  Competition. — The  Judges  in  reporting  on  the 
driving  competition  consider  it  was  done  in  general  very 
successfully,  the  queen  being  captured  by  Mr.  Walton 
in  3  minutes  5  seconds,  and  the  bees  being  completely 
driven  in  4  minutes  15  seconds ;  and  Mr.  Filbee,  to 
whom  the  second  prize  was  awarded,  being  only  38 
seconds  more  in  capturing  his  queen  than  Mr.  Walton. 

July  With,  1880.  J.  G.  Derborofoh. 

William  Carr. 


Judges'  Report  in  Classes 
11,  12,  13,  14,  15,  16,  17,  18,  19,  20,  21,  and  22. 

Considering  the  season,  the  display  of  honey  was 
fairly  creditable,  especially  comb  honey. 

In  the  Cottagers'  Class  we  are  glad  to  see  most  of  the 
comb  honey  in  sections ;  but  we  would  suggest  the  pro- 
hibition of  figured  paper  being  attached  to  them. 

It  would  be  advantageous  if  there  were  separate  classes 
for  lib.  and  21b.  sectional  supers. 

We  are  of  opinion  that  bell-glasses  should  not  be 
encouraged,  as,  although  they  have  a  handsome  appear- 
ance, they  are  most  inconvenient  in  every  way. 

In  classes  in  which  honey  is  exhibited  from  one  apiary, 
it  is  suggested  that  the  number  of  hives  should  be  stated 
from  which  it  has  been  collected,  or  that  the  amount  to 
be  exhibited  should  be  clearly  set  forth. 

We  think  that  the  exhibitors  should  be  made  to  declare 
the  total  nett  weight  of  each  exhibit. 

We  are  pleased  to  remark  that  there  is  no  'fanciful 
device'  exhibited,  as  we  fail  to  see  how  its  encourage- 
ment can  be  of  any  service. 

We  venture  to  think  that  it  would  be  a  great  advan- 
tage to  the  public  if  the  names  of  the  prize-winners  were 
written  on  the  prize-card,  and  also  a  statement  for  what 
the  prize  was  awarded.  C.  Feilding. 

James  Noble  Bower. 
N.  Bostock. 
Wh.  N.  Griffin. 


Report  of  Judges 

In  Classes  23  to  34  inclusive,  but  exclusive 

of  Class  32. 

Foreign  and  Colonial. — Class  23. — No  competi- 
tors. 

Class  24. — In  this  class  there  was  only  one  entry  to 
which  the  Judges  awarded  an  equivalent  of  second  prize. 

Class  25. — Two  entries,  one  wholly  of  large  sheets  of 
very  thin  flat-bottomed  foundation  of  very  pale  colour, 
the  other  wholly  of  flat-bottomed  foundation,  rather 
thicker  and  rather  darker  colour,  and  with  wires  in  it  to 
prevent  sagging.     A  bronze  medal  was  awarded  to  each. 

Comestibles. — Class  26. — There  were  four  entries 
No.  160  received  first,  and  No.  158  second  prize. 

Miscellaneous. — Class  27. — There  was  only  one  com- 
petitor in  this  class.  The  collection  of  hives  and  appli- 
ances was  a  very  numerous  one,  and  included,  besides 
those  hives  of  general  use  in  England,  the  Langstroth 
hive  as  sent  out  by  Mr.  A.  T.  Root,  in  the  United  States. 
Frames  of  this  size  have  been  so  largely  adopted  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  as  to  afford,  in  great  measure, 
the  very  great  convenience  of  a  general  standard-sized 
frame ;  a  thing  much  to  be  desired  in  England,  though 
probably  a  smaller  frame  would  with  us  be  more  gene- 
rally acceptable. 

Among  other  novelties  displayed,  was  the  white  glazed 
earthenware  stage  and  vase,  brought  out  by  the  '  Ren- 
frewshire Bee-keeper,'  for  giving  bees  either  water  or 
syrup  in  the  open  air,  as  advocated  by  Mr.  A.  T.  Root, 
which  supplies  a  perfectly  cleanly  material  for  the  stage 
in  place  of  the  wooden  one.  The  Dunham  foundation 
machine  and  excellent  comb  foundation,  uncapping  knives, 
smokers,  and  very  many  other  appliances,  besides  hives, 
bees,  etc.,  etc.,  appear  in  this  collection,  to  which  the 
silver  medal  was  awarded. 

Class  28. — There  were  six  exhibits  in  this  class.  The 
Judges  had  no  hesitation  in  awarding  the  first  prize  to 
No.  167.  This  extractor  is  the  invention  of  Mr.  Cowan, 
who  last  year  showed  one  that  reversed  the  two  combs 
on  reversing  the  handle  that  turns  the  revolving  spindle, 
thus  saving  all  trouble  of  lifting  the  combs  out  and  re- 
inserting them  for  extracting  from  the  other  sides.  The 
machine,  No.  167,  however,  is  a  vast  improvement  upon 
the  one  exhibited  last  year.  The  effect  of  reversing  the 
combs  is  the  same,  but  the  means  by  which  it  is  done  is 


68 


THE  BKITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[August  1,  1880. 


greatly  improved.  There  is  enclosed  in  the  metal  hori- 
zontal box  that  lies  at  right  angles  to  the  revolving 
spindle,  and  on  each  end  of  which  one  of  the  comb-cages 
is  carried,  a  metal  rack  having  sufficient  longitudinal 
play  to  permit  of  the  two  cogwheels,  fixed  one  at  each 
end,  having  one  half  revolution  to  and  fro,  the  rack 
coming  in  contact  with  either  end  of  the  metal  box  so  as 
to  arrest  the  revolution  of  the  two  comb-cages  (which 
are  pivoted  into  the  two  cogwheels)  exactly  at  the  right 
place  to  bring  the  one  surface  of  each  comb-cage  to  a 
tangent  with  the  circle  of  its  larger  revolution ;  and  at  the 
same  time,  with  reversal  of  the  motive  power  to  permit 
them  to  revolve  freely  on  their  central  pivot  one  half 
revolution,  and  then  to  arrest  them  with  their  reverse 
surfaces  in  the  aforesaid  position.  All  the  parts  are 
easily  get-at-able,  and  can  all  be  taken  to  pieces  and  put 
together  again  in  a  few  moments.  The  extremely 
ingenious  mode  of  detaching  the  upper  part  of  the  re- 
volving spindle  from  the  arm  supporting  the  multiplying 
gear  permits  of  the  instant  withdrawal  of  the  whole 
apparatus  from  the  can  for  purposes  of  cleaning,  &c, 
which  is  an  advance  over  all  other  machines  hitherto 
brought  out.  It  is  much  to  be  desired  that  the  arrange- 
ments Mr.  Cowan  hoped  to  have  made  last  year  to  enable 
the  public  to  obtain  his  machine  may  be  carried  out  in 
connexion  with  this  much-improved  model  extractor. 
In  the  other  exhibits  of  this  class  the  only  novelty, 
if  indeed  it  can  be  so  called,  was  the  rubber  friction 
rollers  fixed  to  No.  164  (to  which  the  second  prize  was 
awarded)  in  place  of  the  ordinary  multiplying  gear. 
The  action  is  noiseless,  and  No.  164  was  excellent,  ex- 
cept the  wooden  revolving-cage,  which  hardly  comes  up 
to  the  metal  in  point  of  cleanliness.  The  third  prize  was 
awarded  to  '  The  Little  Wonder,'  which  has  been  long 
enough  before  the  public  to  prove  its  great  utility  and 
portability. 

Class  29. — There  were  eight  exhibits,  all  good.  No.  172 
received  first,  No.  177  the  second,  No.  173  the  third,  and 
No.  177a  the  fourth  prize. 

Class  30. — There  were  a  number  of  entries  in  this 
class,  and  many  displayed  great  ingenuity,  and  several  of 
them  great  simplicity,  in  make  and  use,  thus  rendering 
them  the  more  valuable.  The  silver  medal  was  awarded 
to  No.  199,  wire  '  rakes '  for  fastening  sheets  of  comb- 
foundation  in  frames  in  a  very  quick  and  ready  manner, 
and  at  the  same  time  preventing  all  possibility  of  sagging  ; 
and  further,  of  inducing  the  bees  to  fix  it  permanently 
themselves  as  quickly  as  possible  to  the  top  bar — a  thing 
they  are  apt  to  leave  undone  for  some  time  when 
melted  wax  has  been  used  to  fix  it.  These  'rakes'  are 
very  easily  and  inexpensively  made,  and  will  last  a 
lifetime.  Mr.  Hooker's  plan  for  inserting  sheets  of 
foundation  into  a  saw  cut  made  through  the  length  of 
the  top  bar  was  ingenious  and  useful.  No.  195,  an  ex- 
cellent and  well-finished  bottle  and  regulating  feeding- 
stage,  was  commended,  as  was  a  swarm-box,  No.  192. 
No.  197,  a  divisional  feeder  displayed  great_  ingenuity, 
and  is  very  well  fitted  for  feeding  inside  the  hive  without 
interfering  with  the  colony  of  bees  ;  but  its  cost  must 
preclude  it  from  use,  except  in  those  cases  where  an  ama- 
teur considers  expense  of  little  importance. 

Class  81. — There  was  only  one  entry  in  this  class,  and 
a  very  excellent  collection  it  was,  and  received  the  silver 
medal. 

Class  33. — There  were  two  exhibits  in  this  class ;  in 
one  case  the  Judges  considered  that  the  coverings  and 
fastenings  could  not  be  supplied,  and,  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
are  not  supplied,  at  the  prices  quoted ;  and  in  the  other 
case,  the  price  not  being  attached,  the  Judges  withheld 
the  prize.  J.  Law.son  Sisson. 

Charles  E.  Fletcher. 

"William  II.  Dunman. 

Frederick  H.  Lemare. 

F.  R.  Jackson,  per  J.  L.  Sisson. 

Duncan  Stewart. 


THE  BEE  TENT  AND  ITS  LESSONS. 

I  think  that  the  enclosed  letter  from  the  Rev.  Canon 
Kewley  might,  if  published,  prove  interesting  to  such  of 
your  readers  as  are  members  of  the  Hei  tf ordshire  Bee- 
keepers' Association.  It  shows  that  the  cottagers  in  this 
county,  for  whose  benefit  the  Association  was  chiefly 
intended,  are  beginning  to  take  advantage  of  the  in- 
struction and  assistance  which  are  now  within  their 
reach. — Herbert  R.  Peel,  Abbot's  Hill,  Hemel  Hemp- 
stead, July  20,  1880. 

[copy.] 

The  Rectory,  Baldock,  July  7th,  1880. 
Dear  Mr.  Peel, — You  will  remember  coming  over  to 
Baldock  with  your  expert  Baldwin  in  the  spring  of  1879 
to  hold  a  meeting,  and  introduce  the  Bee-keepers'  Asso- 
ciation here.  That  meeting  stirred  up  many  of  us  who  in 
former  years  had  taken  an  interest  in  the  management  of 
bees  to  new  efforts,  and  also  to  keep  ourselves  informed 
of  all  the  new  and  improved  methods  of  bee-keeping. 
But  it  did  more.  It  excited  an  interest  in  a  few  who  had 
never  before  thought  of  the  matter  either  in  the  way  of 
amusement  or  profit.  Among  those  was  a  young  trades- 
man, who,  having  attended  this  meeting,  reported  to  his 
father  afterwards  what  had  been  said  and  shown  there. 
The  father  is  aged  and  very  infirm,  and  much  confined  to 
his  own  house  and  little  garden.  Father  and  son  deter- 
mined to  become  bee-keepers.  Each  procured  a  single 
stock,  and  borrowed  from  me  one  of  the  improved  bee- 
hives as  a  pattern.  This  was  in  the  beginning  of  the 
most  discouraging  year  (1879)  bee-keepers  have  ever 
known  ;  but  they  were  not  to  be  discouraged  by  one  bad 
season.  Their  two  stocks  swarmed.  They  made  hives 
themselves,  fed  their  bees  attentively,  and  about  a  month 
back  I  went  down  one  evening  to  their  house,  and  fouud 
in  their  small  garden  no  less  than  thirteen  stocks,  all 
strong  and  prosperous,  as  far  as  I  could  examine  them, 
and  promising  a  large  and  profitable  return  for  their  care 
and  labour  within  a  short  time.  The  point  of  this  story 
is,  first,  what  a  source  of  interest  and  amusement  has 
been  so  provided  to  the  infirm  man.  The  pride  and 
pleasure  with  which  he  showed  me  first  one  hive  of  bees 
and  then  another,  proved  evidently  that  bee-keeping  and 
bee-hive-making  had  given  him  a  new  interest  in  life, 
and,  to  a  great  degree,  made  him  forget  his  infirmities. 
Secondly,  here  was  a  case  in  which,  beyond  the  cost  of 
his  two  stocks  and  the  small  expenditure  in  deal  and 
nails,  quite  a  little  property  had  been  accumulated;  for 
it  would  certainly  not  be  too  much  to  value  the  thirteen 
stocks  in  their  well-made  bar-hives  at  201.,  which,  with 
care  this  winter,  will  surely  produce  them  a  very  plea- 
sant addition  to  their  income  in  the  next  and  following 
years.  I  thought  you  would  like  to  hear  of  this  instance 
of  success,  as  a  proof  of  the  usefulness  of  the  Herts  Bee- 
keepers' Association,  and  also  that' you  might  make  use 
of  it  in  stirring  up  others  to  avail  themselves  of  a  means 
of  great  pleasure,  and  at  any  rate  of  some  profit,  which 
is  almost  within  the  reach  of  all.  1  find  from  a  visit  to 
a  well-known  bee-keeper  in  this  neighbourhood  that 
honey  in  sections  is  producing  Is.  6d.  a  lb.  At  this  rate, 
and  with  the  abundant  honey  harvest  of  this  season,  bee- 
keepers should  do  well,  and  get  back  their  heavy  expenses 
of  last  year. — Believe  me,  very  truly  yours,  J.  Rigby 
Kewley.      

BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION  FOR  ESSEX. 

A  Bee-keepers'  Association  for  Essex  has  been  formed, 
under  the  Presidency  of  the  Earl  of  Rosslyn,  the  object 
being  the  encouragement  of  improved  apiculture.  Depots 
will  be  established  in  the  principal  towns  of  the  county 
where  cottagers  will  be  able  to  purchase  all  the  newest 
and  most  approved  appliances  at  a  very  cheap  rate ;  and 
shows  will  be  held  and  lectures  delivered  under  the 
auspices  of  the  Society  at  various  places.     The  promoters 


August  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


69 


of  the  Society  point  out  that  there  has  been  a  great  in- 
crease in  bee-keeping  throughout  the  United  Kingdom 
during  the  past  seven  years,  and  that  where  cwts.  of 
honey  were  produced  ten  years  ago,  tons  are  now  gath- 
ered in  and  sent  to  market. —  The  Times,  July  21. 


BEES,  HIVES,  AND  HONEY   AT   THE   PRINCE 
CONSORT'S  ASSOCIATION. 
Show  at   Windsor. — This  event  came   off  with   great 
eclat  on  Tuesday,  the  13th  ult,  and  was  patronised  by  a 
lengthened  visit  from  their  Royal  Highnesses  the  Duke 
and  Duchess  of  Connaught,  who  have  been  guests  of  the 
Queen   at  the   Royal  Castle.     Their  Royal  Highnesses 
were  attended  by  the  Hon.  Rev.  Gerald  Wellesley  (Dean 
of  Windsor),  Mr.  Richardson-Gardner,  M.P.,  Colonel  the 
Hon.  H.  A.  Liddell,  Mr.  J.  Webb  (Mayor  of  Windsor), 
the  Rev.  Canon  Gee,  the  Rev.  A.  Robins,  Mr.  G.  Cart- 
land,  Mr.  C.  W.  Seabrook,  and  other  gentlemen,  the  band 
of  the  Grenadier  Guards,  under  Mr.  Dan  Godfrey,  play- 
ing the  National  Anthem.     The  company  included  the 
Rev.  C.  O.  Goodford  (Provost  of  Eton  College),  Mrs. 
Goodford,  Mrs.  Richardson-Gardner,  and  a  large  number 
of  ladies,  and  most  of  the  local  clergy  and  gentry.     The 
weather  was  not  Queen's  weather,  and  her  Majesty  did 
not  appear,  as  would  have  been  probable  under  sunnier 
circumstances,  but  the  show,  nevertheless,  was  a  great 
success.     The   Windsor  Gazette  gives  a  full  account  of 
the  show  as  a  whole,  and  in  regard  to  the  department 
under  notice  says  : — '  Two  small  tents  were  devoted  to  the 
novel  and  interesting  exhibition  promoted  by  the  Berks 
and   Bucks  Bee-keepers'  Association.     In  one  was  pre- 
sented all  the  newest  apparatus  for  the  successful  culture 
of  bees,  while  the  insects  in  glass  hives  might  be  seen 
carrying   on   their   most   useful  and   energetic   labours. 
Pots  of  extracted  honey,  which  looked  beautiful,  pure, 
and  clear,   were  to   be    bought,   while   all  the   various 
utensils  necessary  to  a  bee-fancier  were  displayed  and 
explained.     The  other  tent  was  possessed  by  two  of  the 
Association's  agents,  who,  without   a   covering,  in   the 
midst  of  the  bees,   which   were  swarming   about   and 
crawling  all  over  their  faces,  necks,  &c,  showed   the 
methods  of  extracting  honey,  captured  and  exhibited  the 
queen,  removed  the  combs  from  the  hives,  explained  the 
best  means  for  the  promotion  of  apiculture,  and  clearly 
negatived  the  old  cone  straw  -  plaited   hive  in   favour 
of  the    Standard    wooden    hives,   which    appear    most 
simple,  far  more  economical,  and  very  easy  in  manage- 
ment.    Messrs.  Abbott  Bros,  of  Southall,  Middlesex,  and 
Messrs.  Neighbour  and  Sons,  of  127  High  Holborn,  Lon- 
don, were  chief  among  the  exhibitors  of  bee  apparatus.' 
The  first  prize  for  Observatory  Hives  was  awarded  to 
Abbott   Brothers  of  Southall,  for  a  handsome  hive  of 
polished   mahogany   and   plate   glass,   fitted   with   new 
combs  built  on  wooden  foundation  by  the  descendants  of 
one  of  the  queens  imported  from  Cyprus  in  May  last, 
which,  with  her,  were  particularly  admired   for   their 
extreme  beauty.     This  hive  is  peculiar   from  the   fact 
that,  except  at  the  entrance-hole,  there  is  no  possible 
place  in  it  where  a  single  bee  can  hide  from  view,  though  it 
contained  six  combs  of  Woodbury  size.     The  first  prize 
for  Observatories  in  the  local  classes  was  taken  by  G.  P. 
Cartland,  Esq.,  with  one  of  Abbott's  hives  of  last  year, 
of  which  the  Judges  at  South  Kensington  gave  so  ex- 
cellent a  report.     All  its  walls  and  its  top  were  of  glass, 
in  which  bees  are  supposed  not  to  prosper ;  but  in  this 
hive,  under  the  careful  management  of  its  owner,  a  swarm 
of  this  year  had  thriven  amazingly,  filling  it  from  end  to 
end,  and   rendering   it  so  heavy  and  crowded  that  on 
arrival  it  was  deemed  advisable  to  remove  a  part  of  the 
contents  to  give  room  for  observation  in  a  more  general 
seni;e.     Their  Royal  Highnesses  and  party  paid  consider- 
able attention  to  this  part  of  the  show,  and  listened  with 
evident  interest  to  Mr.   Cartland's  explanation  of  his 
exhibit,  and  needed  reminding  of  other  engagements  ere 


leaving  it.  Messrs.  Neighbour  and  Sons  exhibited  an 
Observatory  containing  two  frames  of  comb-foundation, 
to  which  some  of  the  Cheshire  'rakes'  or  'fixers'  had 
been  attached ;  but  so  inexpertly  had  this  been  done 
that  they  were  tumbling  and  '  sagging  '  in  very  improper 
directions.  It  will  be  just  to  say  that  this  was  not  from 
any  fault  in  the  '  fixers,'  but  through  their  having  been 
misapplied.  The  foundation  used  was  the  thin  American 
flat-bottomed  with  wires,  which,  when  properly  sus- 
pended, does  not  need  other  support.  The  honey  classes 
were  exceedingly  well  filled,  the  exhibits  of  Messrs. 
Harris,  Carter,  Filbee,  and  Warren,  being  especially 
attractive. 

The  following  are  the  awards  in  the  various  classes  : — 
Open  to  Members  of  the  Berks  and  Bucks  Bee-keepers' 
Association. — Hives. — Class  I. — For  the  best  Observatory 
Hive.— First,  1/.,  G.  P.  Cartland,  Windsor.  Class  II.— 
For  the  best  moveable  comb-hive,  price  not  to  exceed 
10s.— First,  15s.,  G.  Howard,  Eton  Wick. 

Honey. — Class  III. — For  the  best  display  of  comb- 
honey  in  sections.— First,  silver  medal,  and  10s.,  Leonard 
Harris,  Bradenham ;  second,  7s.  6rf.,  Jonathan  Filbee, 
Naphill;  third,  5s.,  W.  E.  Warren,  Isleworth.  Class 
IV. — For  the  best  exhibition  of  comb-honey  in  supers. 
— First,  bronze  medal  and  10s.,  W.  Carter,  Maidenhead  ; 
second,  bs.,  Rev.  S.  R.  Wilkinson,  Great  Marlow  ;  third, 
2s.  6d.,  Jonathan  Naphill.  Class  V.— For  the  largest 
and  best  exhibition  of  run  or  extracted  honey. — First, 
certificate  and  10s.,  W.  Carter,  Maidenhead. 

Open  to  all  England. — Class  VI. — For  the  best  Obser- 
vatory Hive. — First,  12.,  Abbott  Bros.,  Southall ;  second, 
10s.,  G.  Neighbour,  Regent  Street,  London ;  third,  W. 
Martin,  Great  Marlow.  Class  VII.— For  the  best  move- 
able comb-hive  for  general  use,  price  to  be  taken  into 
consideration. — First  \l.,  J.  A.  Abbott,  Southall;  second, 
10s.,  G.  Neighbour  and  Son.  Commended,  S.  J.  Bald- 
win, Upper  Norwood.  Class  VIII. — For  the  best  move- 
able comb-hive  for  cottagers'  use,  price  not  to  exceed  10s. 
— First,  11.,  S.  J.  Baldwin ;  second,  Neighbour  and  Son. 
Class  IX. — For  the  best  and  most  complete  collection  of 
hives  and  bee-furniture. — First,  1/.,  Neighbour  and  Son. 
Class  X. — For  the  best  display  of  comb-honey  in  sections. 
—First,  10s.,  W.  E.  Warren,  Isleworth.  Class  XL— 
For  the  best  exhibition  of  comb-honey. — First,  10s.,  W. 
Carter,  Maidenhead ;  second,  5s.,  T.  Knowles,  Windsor. 
Class  XII. — For  the  largest  and  best  exhibition  of  run  or 
extracted  honey.— First,  7s.  Qd.,  R.  Scott,  Blindley 
Heath  Apiary,  Godstone.  Class  XIH—  Driving  Com- 
petition.— First,  1/.,  Martin,  4}  mins. ;  second,  10s.,  T. 
B.  Blow,  A\  mins. ;  equal  thirds,  J.  Filbee,  6  mins.,  and 
J.  A.  Abbott,  5  mins. 

The  Berks  and  Bucks  Association  may  congratulate 
themselves  on  a  perfect  success  which  augurs  well  for 
the  future.  The  arrangements  were  admirable,  and  re- 
flect great  credit  on  the  indefatigable  local  Hon.  Sec,  to 
whom  we  feel  personally  indebted  for  having  so  well 
borne  out  the  opinion  of  the  Judges  on  our  Kensington 
exhibit  of  1879  (p.  97,  Vol.  VII.,  B.  B.  J.) 


WISBECH  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 
An  Exhibition  of  bees  and  bee-furniture  will  take 
place  at  the  Working-men's  Annual  Show  and  Fete,  on 
Monday,  August  2nd,  1880,  in  the  grounds  of  Harecroft 
House.  Messrs  J.  G.  Desborough,  of  Stamford,  and 
R.  R.  Godfrey,  of  Grantham  (hon.  sec.  of  the  Lincoln- 
shire Bee  Association),  members  of  the  British  Bee- 
keepers' Association  will  attend  to  lecture  and  manipulate 
the  bees,  driving  them  from  one  hive  to  the  other,  cap- 
turing the  queen  and  exhibiting  her.  The  most  improved 
and  modern  appliances  in  apiarian  science  will  be  shown, 
and  the  exhibition  is  intended  to  be  of  a  highly  inter- 
esting and  useful  character.  The  bee  operations  will  be 
conducted  with  perfect  safety  to  the  spectators.  Prizes 
will  be  offered  for  the  best  filled  super  of  any  description ; 


70 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[August  1,  1880. 


for  the  best  piece  of  honey  in  the  comb ;  for  the  best 
glass  or  jar  of  run  honey ;  for  the  best  specimen  of 
bees'-wax ;  and  for  the  best  collection  of  bee-furniture. 
Application  for  entries  (free  of  charge)  to  be  made  to 
Mr.  A.  Bothamley,  Market  Place. 


BEES  AT  LONG  SUTTON. 

I  have  been  urged  by  Mr.  Godfrey  to  write  you  an 
account  of  our  doings  here  since  the  visit  of  the  Bee-Tent 
in  October  last. 

At  the  visit  of  the  Lincolnshire  Association  I  pur- 
chased a  stock  of  bees,  which  were  transferred  into  a 
frame-hive  in  the  tent.  They  were  well  fed  in  accord- 
ance with  the  instructions  then  given,  and  the  stock 
wintered  well.  This  spring  they  were  again  fed,  and  on 
the  10th  of  June  threw  off  my  first  swarm.  They  were 
put  into  a  hive  containing  ten  of  Abbott's  Standard 
Frames,  but  were  allowed  access  to  only  five  of  them. 
These,  assisted  by  a  little  feeding  at  night  and  on  wet 
days,  they  filled  in  ten  days.  I  then  put  on  a  super,  in 
which  after  a  day  or  two  they  commenced  working. 

My  second  swarm  came  off  on  the  20th  of  June,  and 
were  hived  in  like  manner.  This  swarm  was  nearly  as 
large  as  the  first,  and  for  ten  days  did  well ;  but  on  the 
4th  of  July  I  had  occasion  to  examine  the  hive,  and 
having  removed  about  6  lbs.  of  honey,  I  failed  to  find 
the  queen,  and  renewing  my  search  I  found  neither  queen 
nor  brood,  so  I  gave  them  a  frame  of  brood  from  the 
first  swarm,  and  on  opening  the  hive  on  the  9th  I  found 
six  queen-cells. 

This  deprivation,  and  the  wet  weather  we  have 
experienced,  have  caused  the  bees  to  forsake  the  supers ; 
but  as  the  limes  are  coming  on  I  do  not  despair. 

On  the  30th  of  June  I  deprived  the  original  stock  of 
12  lbs.  of  extracted  honey ;  so  that  altogether,  if  I  get 
nothing  more  from  it,  I  cannot  complain  on  the  returns 
of  my  investments. 

My  friend  (Mr.  C.  Clarke),  induced  by  what  he  saw  at 
the  show,  also  commenced  bee-keeping  in  October  by 
purchasing  two  skeps  about  a  week  after  the  show.  On 
examination  we  found  one  a  very  fair  stock,  but  the 
other  very  light — probably  a  late  swarm.  We  decided 
that  it  would  be  too  expensive  to  feed  up,  and  joined  it 
to  the  first.  This  wintered  well,  and  gave  the  earliest 
swarm  in  this  neighbourhood  about  the  20th  of  May, 
and  about  nine  days  after  a  second.  These  were  hived 
in  frame-hives ;  and  twenty-one  days  after  the  first 
swarm  we  drove  the  bees  out  of  the  skep,  giving  part  of 
the  bees  to  the  second  swarm,  which  was  weak,  placing 
the  remainder  in  a  frame-hive,  giving  them  one  frame 
of  brood  from  the  first  swarm,  as  we  were  not  sure  of 
the  queen  being  present  (being  only  novices).  They 
have  raited  a  queen,  and  are  doing  well.  The  comb  was 
very  old,  and  was  not  transferred. 

In  company  with  this  gentleman  I  have  personally 
visited  nearly  every  bee-keeper  within  six  miles  (perhaps 
I  ought  rather  to  call  them  bee-stand  proprietors). 
Many  stands  are  empty ;  still  more  have  lost  half,  and 
some  three  out  of  five,  feeding — that  is  real  feeding — 
being  almost  unknown,  the  elder-scoop  being  the  usual 
weapon  of  destruction.  One  woman  informed  us  that 
she  fed  her  bees  well.  On  inquiry  we  found  the  follow- 
ing was  her  idea  of  good  feeding : — Having  made  a 
round  of  dry  toast,  soak  it  well  with  ruin,  and  cover  it 
with  coarse  sugar.     What  a  delectable  feast ! 

And  now  a  word  of  warning  to  those  gentlemen  who 
accompany  such  exhibitions  as  were  given  here.  The 
following  will  tell  its  own  tale  : — On  the  evening  of  the 
11th  we  visited  a  man  who  had  been  supplied  by  the 
Association  with  two  frame-hives  in  return  for  the  use 
of  his  bees.  We  found  several  very  good  stocks  in  skeps 
full  of  honey,  and  bees  hanging  out  idle.  Under  these 
we  placed  some  cheese-boxes  with  a  hole  in  the  lids,  as 
nadirs.     On  asking  about  the  frame-hive,  and  seeing  it 


empty,  he  told  us  that  the  bees  there  soon  died,  although 
they  were  fed.  On  lifting  the  top  we  found  that,  true 
enough,  an  attempt  had  been  made  to  feed  them  by  a 
bottle-feeder,  but  the  contents  of  the  bottle  had  crystallized 
so  that  the  bees  had  starved,  though  within  reach  of 
apparent  plenty.  Asking  how  the  food  was  prepared, 
he  replied,  'As  I  was  told — by  boiling  sugar  and  water.' 
Now  I  do  hope  that  those  gentlemen  who  so  kindly  visit 
our  local  shows,  and  give  so  generously  their  instruc- 
tions, will  give  no  more  such  meagre  instructions  as  to 
boil  sugar  and  water;  it  will  most  surely  crystallize 
either  in  the  bottle  or  cell,  and  thus  bring  the  improved 
system  into  undeserved  disrepute.  Would  it  not  be  better 
in  all  such  cases  to  accompany  the  gift  or  sale  of  hive  by 
one  of  the  Editor's  Leaflets  on  Feeding  f 

By  the  visit  of  the  Association  here,  and  I  must  add 
by  our  personal  visit  to  each  bee-keeper,  an  interest  has 
been  aroused  on  the  subject,  and  I  feel  sure  that  I  shall 
be  able  to  report  improvement  next  year,  and  also  an 
increased  number  of  frame-hivists. — J.  W.  Measures, 
M.K.C.S.E.,  Long  Sutton,  July  Uth,  1860. 


BRITISH   BEE-KEEPERS'   ASSOCIATION'S 
HANDBOOK    FOR   COTTAGERS. 

Ere  this  appears  before  pur  readers,  the  British 
Bee-keepers'  Association  will  have  published  its 
promised  Handbook  of  Modern  Bee-keeping  for  the 
use  of  the  Cottagers.  The  work  is  the  joint  pro- 
duction of  Mr.  F.  Cheshire  and  the  late  Mr.  John 
Hunter,  and  having  the  approval  of  the  committee 
as  a  body,  its  contents  may  be  relied  on  as  eminently 
practical  and  useful.  It  contains  many  excellent 
illustrations,  and  has  the  rare  merit  of  explaining  the 
uses  of  modern  appliances  without  giving  promin- 
ence to  the  wares  of  any  special  maker.  Further 
particulars  will  be  found  in  advertisement. 


Taylor's  Bee-keepers'  Manual  (New  Edition). — 
We  have  been  favoured  with  a  cutting  from  the 
Examiner  of  July  24,  1880,  as  follows  : — 

'  The  demand  that  has  grown  up  for  information  on 
apiculture  has  induced  Messrs.  Groombridge  to  bring  out 
a  new  and  seventh  edition  of  the  Bee-keeper's  Manual, 
wiitten  by  the  late  Mr.  Henry  Taylor,  which  has  been 
produced  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Alfred  Watts.  That 
there  is  plenty  of  matter  in  the  book  we  need  not  deny  ; 
while  at  the  same  time  we  are  bound  to  notice  the 
pointed  omission  of  all  reference  to  the  British  Bee- 
keepers' Association,  to  the  British  Bee  Journal,  or  to 
the  labours  of  the  Rev.  Herbert  Peel  and  of  Mr.  Abbott, 
who  have  done  more  than  all  the  Englishmen  named  in 
the  book  put  together  to  popularise  scientific  bee-farming 
in  England.  It  is  time  Mr.  Abbott  brought  out  a  really 
complete  manual  of  apiculture  compiled  from  his  un- 
rivalled personal  experience,  and  from  the  rich  stores 
accumulated,  if  we  may  be  allowed  the  expression,  in  the 
comb  of  the  Bee  Journal' 

We  sincerely  thank  the  Examiner  for  its  very  kindly 
mention  of  our  efforts  in  conjunction  with  those  of  the 
B.B.K.A.  and  its  able  Hon. 'Sec,  the  Kev.  H.  R.  Peel, 
in  behalf  of  apiculture.  We  have  not  seen  the  new  book 
alluded  to,  and  cannot  therefore  offer  an  opinion  on  its 
merits ;  but  as  Editor  of  a  journal  devoted  to  bee- 
culture,  and  in  a  sense  the  guardian  of  its  interests,  we 
think  it  should  be  known  that  up  to  1879  Mr.  Watts 
'  never  handled  a  bee,  nor  kept  a  hive  in  his  life.'  We 
wore,  in  1879,  in  correspondence  with  Mr.  Watts  re- 
specting the  book  in  question,  but  withdrew  from  the 
negotiation  on  his  malting  us  aware  of  the  fact  we  have 
italicised ;  and  this  may  afford  a  partial  clue  to  the 
'  pointed  omission '  the  Examiner  has  discovered,  but  why 
the  B.  B.  K.  A.  is  left  out  in  the  cold  we  cannot  surmise. 


August  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


71 


Cnrrtspoatrnuc. 


*„*  These  columns  are  open  to  Subscribers,  so  that  their 
queries,  replies,  correspondence,  and  experiences,  may  be 
fully  and  faithfully  recorded ;  and  for  the  discussion  of  all 
theories  and  systems  in  Bee-culture,  and  of  the  relative  merits 
of  all  hives  and  appurtenances,  tliat  the  truth  regarding  them 
may  be  ascertained.  The  Editor,  therefore,  must  not  be  ex- 
pected to  coincide  with  all  the  views  expressed  by  the  various 
writers.     All  Correspondence  is  addressed  to  the  Editor. 

THE  CHESHIRE  RAKES. 

At  the  Tiverton  Bee  Show  (Devon  and  Exeter 
Society)  I  noticed  our  ingenious  friend,  Mr.  Ches- 
■  hire's  mode  of  securing  foundation,  and  it  im- 
mediately occurred  to  me  that  the  wire  '  rakes ' 
might  be  simplified  and  cheapened,  thus  :  Strips 
of  tinplate,  tolerably  stout  in  consistency,  are  to 
be  cut  in  excess  of  the  depth  of  the  frame  to 
allow  of  bending  over  the  top  and  bottom  bar. 
I  then  snip  one  side  in  four  places  (as  per  figure), 
and  bend  them  down  at  right  angles.  The  en- 
closed '  cut '  will  better  illustrate  the  mode.  I 
then  simply  place  the  foundation  sheet  on  the 
points  and  press  down.  By  this  plan  about  three 
dozen  strips  may  be  obtained  for  the  price  of  one 
sheet  of  tin-plate,  viz.  4d.,  a  contrast  to  Id.  per 
rack  when  made  of  wires  with  the  wire  pins 
soldered  to  them.  Six  '  snips '  are  (perhaps) 
better  than  four,  and  five  strips  are  enough  to 
a  frame.     (Proved  ! ) 

A  splendid  season  !  Bee-keeping,  as  a  science, 
will  now  undoubtedly'  hold  its  own.'  Sectional 
supers  are  the  right  thing,  and  the  next  best 
are  the  Scotch  Octagons,  as  shown  at  the  first 
Crystal  Palace  Exhibition,  but  no  more  monster 
hundred-pounders  shall  be  worked  in  the  apiary 
of  yours — Geo.  Fox,  Fore  Street  Hill,  Kingsbridge. 

[Our  esteemed  correspondent  will,  we  are  assured, 
permit  us  to  say  that  a  very  similar  idea  to  the  foregoing 
was  mentioned  by  Mr.  Hoge,  of  115  Cannon  Street, 
when  Mr.  Cheshire  exhibited  his  '  fixers '  to  Mr.  Jones, 
of  Canada.  The  fact  in  no  way  detracts  from  the 
originality  of  Mr.  Fox's  suggestion,  and  is  only  men- 
tioned as  an  instance  wherein  two  minds  at  first  sight  of 
an  invention  have  entertained  the  same  idea  of  improving 
it.-En.] 

WOOD  FOUNDATION. 

When  last  at  your  place  you  kindly  gave  me  a 
sheet  of  wooden  foundation  for  experimental  pur- 
poses. I  think  it  only  right  to  inform  you  that  it 
has  succeeded  perfectly,  and  is  now  one  mass  of 
brood.  In  future  I  shall  only  use  the  wooden 
foundation,  and  I  can  see  no  reason  why  it  should 
not  winter  as  well  as  the  ordinary  frames.  I  trust 
the  Cyprian  cell  idea  will  be  carried  out  extensively. 
I  shall  certainly  adopt  it  when  opportunity  offers. — 
Henry  J.  Wilcox,  Frithsden,  Berkhamstead. 


and  a  quantity  of  honey  and  pollen.  The  comb 
foundation  has  answered  my  highest  expectation, 
and  eight  of  the  ten  frames  are  already  in  use 
almost  throughout. — C.  W.  Brooks,  Manningtree, 
Essex,  June  29th,  1880. 


WOOD  FOUNDATION. 

I  received  the  hive  safely  a  week  ago,  and  had  it 
painted  at  once,  stocked  it  with  a  large  swarm  on 
the  24th  inst.,  and  to-day  (the  29th)  on  examina- 
tion found  it  already  with  a  large  number  of  eggs, 


WHITE-EYED  DRONES. 

Last  year  I  sent  you  some  white-eyed  drones, 
you  were  kind  enough  to  give  an  opinion  ;  but  as 
they  have  appeared  again  this  year  I  venture  to 
trouble  you  with  a  few  specimens.  I  think  I  told 
you  they  seemed  blind,  now  I  have  no  hesitation  in 
saying  they  are  so,  for  they  seldom,  if  ever,  get 
directly  to  the  hive  entrance,  and  are  to  be  found 
lying  about  the  ground  all  over  the  garden.  They 
fly  against  the  hives,  trees,  and  walls,  or  whatever 
comes  in  their  way.  If  there  needs  more  evidence 
of  the  blindness  of  these  insects,  I  dare  say  I  could 
get  it  from  the  person  who  owns  the  bees.  This  is 
the  third  season  they  have  appeared.  I  trust  I 
may  make  your  acquaintance  during  the  show  next 
month ;  and  meanwhile,  if  you  will  favour  me 
with  a  line,  I  shall  be  glad,  for  I  am  very  much 
interested  in  the  cause  of  white-eyed  drones 
appearing  in  this  hive  year  after  year. — Hardriding, 
Northumberland. 

[The  drones  came  safely,  and  are  in  a  bottle  with 
spirits ;  and  we  shall  be  glad  to  send  specimens  to  any 
one  who  will  undertake  to  examine  microscopically,  and 
report  upon  them. — Ed.] 


BEES  AND  THE  FLY-CATCHER. 

I  think  it  was  about  two  years  ago  I  saw  in  your 
Journal  a  letter  from  a  bee-keeper  recommending 
the  destruction  of  all  fly-catchers  and  their  nests. 
I  must  say  I  was  a  little  bit  dismayed,  for,  being  a 
bee-keeper,  and  I  might  almost  say  a  fly-catcher- 
keeper  as  well,  I  began  to  think,  if  your  correspon- 
dent were  correct,  how  bees  and  birds  could  get  on 
together.  How  I  loved  to  see  my  pets,  who  had 
made  their  nest  in  a  pear-tree  at  one  end  of  my 
lawn,  flying  in  and  out  with  that  elegance  so  cha- 
racteristic of  this  beautiful  bird,  alighting  now  on 
one  croquet  hoop,  then  on  another.  Nor  would  they 
leave  the  lawn  even  while  a  game  was  going  on ; 
they  were  always  to  be  found  either  on  the  garden- 
roller  handle,  on  the  hoops  or  pegs,  or  in  their  nest. 
Now  I  ask  you,  Mr.  Editor,  would  you  have  signed 
the  death-warrant  of  these  interesting  little  birds 
without  making  yourself  fully  convinced  of  their 
mischief?  Well,  /  thought  so,  and  I  am  so  glad  to 
think  I  put  them  to  the  test.  I  drove  a  stick 
into  the  ground  about  four  yards  from  their 
nest,  and  only  one  yard  from  a  very  favourite  perch 
of  theirs,  on  the  top  of  which  I  nailed  a  piece  of 
wood,  and  placed  upon  it  a  large  piece  of  comb  filled 
with  sugar-syrup.  The  bees,  as  you  may  imagine, 
frequented  this  spot  in  hundreds.  I  took  up  my 
station  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  lawn  and  watched 
the  result,  opera-glass  in  hand,  for  fully  an  hour, 
without  even  seeing  them  even  try  to  catch  a  bee. 
They  took  in  that  time  hundreds  of  flies,  bearing 
them,  when  they  had  partially  filled  their  beaks,  to 


72 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[August  1,  1880. 


their  brood  in  the  nest,  then  about  a  fortnight  old. 
I  should  like  to  know  if  this  has  been  the  experi- 
ence of  other  bee-keepers.  That  the  locality  in 
which  they  were  situated  might  have  been  favour- 
able in  providing  a  fly  of  which  they  were  particularly 
fond,  and  that  in  the  event  of  the  fly  not  having 
been  there  they  would  have  taken  the  bees,  might 
perhaps  be  urged  by  some,  though  I  am  inclined 
very  much  to  doubt  the  probability.  The  sting  of 
a  bee  iu  the  craw  of  a  bird  would  be  anything  but 
pleasant  to  the  latter,  even  though  swallowed 
many  minutes  after  the  death  of  the  bee.  In  all 
these  things  we  want  men  of  greater  observation, 
for  why  try  to  extirpate  a  lovely  little  bird  like 
our  common  English  fly-catcher,  when  it  might  be, 
and  probably  is,  as  harmless  to  our  bees  '  as  the 
sigh  of  a  butterfly  in  love  1 ' — A.  E.  Booker-Hill, 
Whissonsett,  Norfolk. 

[The  letter  mentioned  was  from  a  bee-keeper,  written 
and  inserted  in  good  faith,  and  without  prejudice  on  our 
part.  It  isprohahle,  as  is  now  suggested,  that  at  certain 
times  there  are  insects  abroad  that  are  more  attractive  to 
the  fly-catcher  than  are  bees ;  hut  that  does  not  prove 
them  to  be  innocent  of  bee-icide  at  other  seasons.  The 
tom-tit  is  a  terrible  turk  in  the  winter  months,  but  is 
careful  to  avoid  danger  from  the  sting  by  picking  it  out 
with  his  beak  and  laying  it  on  his  perch  for  the  time 
being ;  but  at  other  seasons  he  does  not  come  near  a  hive. 
We  are  too  fully  impressed  with  the  value  of  small  birds 
to  wish  to  see  them  destroyed,  and  would  much  prefer  to 
see  them  guarded  against  than  massacred,  and  thank  our 
correspondent  for  giving  us  the  opportunity  of  saying  so. 
— Ed.1 


QUEENS  DYING. 
A  queen  received  on  1st  June  died  about  a  week 
after  being  united  to  a  common  swarm.  There 
was  a  white  hard  substance  found  in  the  abdomen. 
I  found  the  same  last  year  in  a  young  queen,  which 
died  after  commencing  to  lay.  Can  any  one  give  a 
reason  for  this  1 — D.  S.  Larbert. 


WATER  FOR  BEES. 
'  The  Renfrewshire  Bee-keeper's  '  '  too  beautiful ' 
an  apparatus  for  the  above  purpose,  must  be  meant 
for  Windsor,  Osborne,  Blenheim,  or  such-like  places, 
not  for  general  use.  I  use  a  common  flower-pot 
shallow,  filled  with  well -washed  tea-leaves;  on 
these  the  bees  alight  with  safety,  and  suck  up  the 
water  in  which  they  float.  The  shallows  often  re- 
quire refilling ;  in  doing  so,  pour  the  water  gently 
down  on  the  inside  of  the  shallow  that  the  tea- 
leaves  may  float,  and  the  bees  not  be  drowned,  as 
they  would  be  if  the  water  wire  poured  upon  them. 
— F.  H.  Lemare,  Sydney  Terrace,  Guildford. 


WATER  FOR  BEES.— SWARMING  FREAK. 
I  find  that  sheets  of  your  very  yellow  foundation 
laid  flat  on  the  garden  walk — in  the  shade,  and 
occasionally  sprinkled  with  water — make  a  very 
attractive  source  of  water  supply  for  the  bees.  I 
put  it  out  to  bleach  a  little.  I  intend  in  spring  to 
try  whether  shallow  trays  of  this  wax-foundation, 
made  by  just  bending  up  the  sides  and  pinching  at 
the  corners,  will  not  be  attractive  with  a  little  pea- 


flour  for  artificial  pollen  and  others  by  the  side  with 
sprinkled  water  ;  perhaps  a  very  little  moss  on  the 
former  would  be  an  improvement. 

A  fine  swarm  yesterday  was  nicely  hived  and 
transferred  to  a  box,  where  it  remains.  Another 
swarm,  half-an-hour  afterwards,  went  into  the  stock 
from  which  that  swarm  issued,  and  are  quickly 
finishing  sectional  supers  which  otherwise  would 
not  have  been  resumed.  Nothing  remarkable,  per- 
haps, but  this  has  not  occurred  before  in  my  experi- 
ence.— George  Fox,  July  8th,  1880. 


HONEY  SLINGING. 
The  honey  harvest  in  this  part  is  now  at  its 
height.  Following  the  valuable  directions  given  in 
the  July  Number  of  the  Journal,  I  sling  just  when 
the  comb  is  about  to  be  sealed  up.  I  have  extracted 
a  large  amount  from  the  frames.  Your  slinger 
works  well.  The  people  in  these  parts  are 
astonished  at  it,  and  every  evening—  for  I  think 
nearly  every  day — I  am  surrounded  by  several 
willing  helpers,  who  come  to  lend  a  hand,  and  see 
how  the  work  is  done.  The  hives  which  have  not 
swarmed  have  done  remarkably  well ;  but  when 
they  have  swarmed  I  succeed  in  getting  very  little 
honey  from  them. — G.  W.,  Coldham,  July  5th,  1880. 


BEES  IN  AUCKLAND,  NEW  ZEALAND. 

In  reference  to  Mr.  Chaplin's  note  in  March 
number,  as  far  as  I  can  ascertain  (and  I  have  made 
many  inquiries)  Ligurians  have  not  been  introduced 
here  at  present.  I  have  not  yet  come  across  any 
bee-keeper  using  frame-hives,  but  all  of  them  keep 
(I  cannot  say  work)  plain  boxes  with  flat  or 
slightly  sloping  roofs.  I  have  heard  of  two  apiaries 
with  modern  hives,  but  they  are  about  200  miles 
away,  quite  out  of  my  district. 

While  writing  you,  a  word  of  advice  to  Mr.  C, 
and  any  others  that  think  of  '  swarming'  over  here 
may  not  be  out  of  place  ;  and  that  is,  '  Don't  come 
unless  you  have  a  place  already  prepared  for  you, 
or  have  money  sufficient  to  keep  you  without  work 
for  a  few  months  ;  or  unless  you  are  prepared  to 
buy,  or  take  up  laud,  and  get  it  into  cultivation ; 
as  business  here  is  very  quiet  indeed,  and  no  sign 
of  it  improving  at  present.  When  it  does  there 
will  be  work,  and  good  wages  for  all  here ;  but  I 
am  sadly  afraid  that  next  Christmas  will  not  see 
business  in  full  swing  again.  I  personally  know 
many  that  have  been  in  the  colony  for  periods 
varying  from  two  to  six  months  who  have  not  even 
yet  obtained  permanent  situations,  and  have  only 
been  able  to  do  an  odd  day's  work  occasionally,  and 
yet  they  are  good,  able,  and  willing  men.' — James 
J.  Potter,  May  20th,  1880. 


SWARMING  EXTRAORDINARY. 
A  Lady  Bee  keeper  thinks  our  readers  may  be  in 
terested  in  what  she  hopes  is  an  unusual  occurrence 
among  bees.  She  writes  : — '  I  had  five  stocks  in 
April,  one  weak,  four  strong  in  bees,  and  drones 
out  on  the  22nd.  Honey  seemed  plentiful,  and 
although    I    put   large   glasses   on  each    stock,  of 


August  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


73 


which  they  took  possession,  swarms  came  out 
about  the  middle  of  May.  About  9.30  a.m.  two 
stocks  sent  out  large  swarms,  which  united  and 
clustered  high  up  in  an  oak-tree,  round  the  bare 
stem  of  a  branch  about  as  large  round  as  a  man's 
arm.  Just  as  they  appeared  knitted  enough  to 
take,  a  third  stock  sent  out  a  swarm,  which  joined 
them  ;  and  this  was  repeated  by  a  fourth  swarm  ! 
Thus  each  of  my  four  first  swarms  had  formed  one 
immense  mass,  and  the  small  stem  became  as  large 
as  that  of  an  immense  tree  !  My  man  made  a  plat- 
form in  the  tree  beneath  them,  of  a  door,  &c.  Of 
course  I  had  no  bos  that  could  hold  them;  but  at  the 
second  attempt,  he  filled  my  largest,  and  set  it  on 
the  platform,  with  a  second  adjoining  it,  all  covered 
with  bees  as  well  as  the  platform,  which  looked 
covered  with  a  thick  brown  carpet.  Suddenly  they 
rushed  out  of  the  boxes,  and  away,  my  butler  and 
another  following.  They  ran  for  nearly  a  mile,  the 
bees  sometimes  high  in  the  air,  sometimes  a  cloud 
round  them  ;  at  last  they  settled  near  the  ground. 
Boxes  were  sent  for,  and  I  heard  no  more  till  dusk, 
when  the  men  came  back  much  stung,  with  my 
large  box  full  of  bees  inside  and  out,  and  the  wheel- 
barrow in  which  they  had  placed  it,  also  covered 
vith  them.  I  got  them  to  carry  the  full  box  to  a 
dark  room,  charging  that  all  perforated  zinc  tops 
and  bottoms  of  boxes  should  be  uncovered.  Those 
in  the  wheelbarrow  I  had  swept  off  into  another 
box,  and  set  by  the  first.  I  resolved  to  write  you 
for  advice  next  morning,  on  plea  of  being  one  of  the 
first  subscribers  to  your  invaluable  paper,  and  1 
went  to  rest,  rejoicing  in  my  strong  colony,  but, 
alas  !  when  morning  came,  the  bees  in  the  large 
box  were  suffocated  !  those  swept  from  the  open 
wheelbarrow,  alone  were  left  alive  which,  beingqueen- 
less,  rushed  back  to  the  old  stock ;  and  so  I  lost 
ray  four  first  fine  swarms.  Three  casts  have  issued 
since  ;  I  have  taken  some  eighty  or  ninety  pounds 
of  honey  in  supers  from  the  old  stocks,  and  have 
much  more  to  take,  but  cannot  quite  get  over  the 
loss  of  four  such  swarms.  I  hope  no  other  lover  of 
bees  has  had  so  sad  an  experience.' — Henfield, 
Sussex. 

REMEDY  FOR  STINGS. 
I  have  lately  had  much  need  to  make  use  of 
antidotes  to  bee-stings,  and  have  found  two  very 
effectual — the  leaves  of  the  plant  called  Saponaria, 
(it  seems,  from  '  Withering,'  a  variety  of  the  S.  offici- 
nalis). My  plant  has  a  double  cream-coloured 
flower.  It  grows  plentifully  when  once  planted. 
In  using,  it  merely  requires  to  be  moistened  on  the 
upper  part  and  applied,  and  in  a  few  minutes  re- 
moves the  pain  of  a  bum  or  scald,  or  sting  of  a 
wasp  or  bee,  and  several  other  ailments.  Another 
antidote,  which  I  have  not  seen  quoted  in  your 
Journal,  is  the  simple  remedy  of  applying  honey, 
which  I  have  also  found  very  helpful. — G.  R,  Diss. 


THOMAS  WILDMAN. 

The  latest  addition  I  have  made  to  my  stock  of 
bee  literature  is  a  copy  of  the  London  Chronicle  of 
December,  1781,  containing  the  following  notice  of 


the  death  of  this  celebrated  bee-master,  which 
must  be  interesting  to  many  others  as  well  as  myself. 
—J.  G.  Desborough,  12  St.  Peter's  Hill,  Stamford. 

'  The  London  Chronicle,  from  Saturday,  December  15, 
to  Tuesday,  December  18,  1781.  Vol.  L.  No.  3908.— 
Lately  died  at  the  seat  of  Sir  Martin  Folkes,  of  Hilling- 
ton,  in  Norfolk,  Bart.,  Mr.  Thomas  Wildman,  celebrated 
for  the  method  of  managing  bees.' 

[It  woidd  he  interesting  to  many  to  learn  more  of  the 
doings  of  Wildman  at  Norfolk  ;  can  any  of  our  readers 
furnish  any  information  thereon  ? — Ed.] 


STING  POISON  AN  ALKALI? 

I  have  written  to  you  before  about  bee-stings. 
Having  a  very  thin  skin,  I  suffer  much,  and  after  a 
few  hours  have  great  swelliug.  I  have  tried  every- 
thing in  vain.  Dr.  Pine's,  and  all  alkali  dressings 
were  of  no  avail.  I  was  driving  bees  in  Ireland, 
and  my  veil  came  off,  and  I  had  a  swarm  of  bees 
on  my  head  ;  I  swept  them  off  as  well  as  I  could, 
and  ran  away,  being  stung  in  about  thirty  places. 
The  people  pulled  out  the  stings,  and  I  kept  washing 
my  head  with  vinegar.  I  had  no  swelling,  and 
little  or  no  irritation.  I  am  perfectly  satisfied  the 
poison  is  an  alkali,  instead  of  an  acid,  as  all  the  bee 
world  have  hitherto  concluded. — T.  B.  Brown, 
Harleton,  July  23rd. 


CRITICISM  ON  OUR  WIDE-ENDED 
FRAMES. 

I  have  a  bone  to  pick  with  you. — Some  years  ago 
the  Woodbury  Hives  were  all  that  was  bad,  be- 
cause the  frames  were  propolised  in  the  receptacles 
made  for  them.  A  few  years  later  you  introduce 
a  frame  with  a  projecting  piece  which  virtually 
makes  the  propolisiug  surface  as  large  as  in  the 
Woodbury ;  and  now,  as  far  as  I  understand,  you 
go  a  step  further,  and  prefer  making  the  whole  side 
of  one  frame  to  rest  against  the  next  frame ;  the 
propolisiug  surface  therefore  being  the  whole  depth 
of  the  frames.  I  pity  the  poor  novice  who  adopts 
the  plan,  and  finds  the  whole  of  his  moveable  bar- 
frame  hive  one  immoveable  mass  ;  and  who,  after 
wrenching  it  apart,  squeezes  half  the  bees  in  at- 
tempting to  put  it  together  again,  and  is  himself 
stung  to  death  by  the  remainder.  I  should  advise 
your  calling  it  '  The  patent  suicidal  slaughter- 
house and  immoveable  bar-frame  hive,  warranted 
to  kill  bees  and  owner.' — S.  Nicholl,  Coiobridge. 

[We  are  simply  delighted  with  this  straightforward 
criticism,  because  there  is  no  possibility  of  misunder- 
standing it ;  at  the  same  time  we  demur  to  it  as  being 
based  on  incorrect  premisses.  When  objecting  to  the 
notches  and  racks  in  the  original  Woodbury,  p.  52, 
Vol.  I.,  1873,  we  wrote  : — '  The  notches  in  the  rabbets 
and  bottom  rack  we  have  always  denounced  as  most 
objectionable  features  in  the  WToodbury  arrangement, 
and  cannot  consider  any  hive  perfect  which  contains 
them,  or  any  modification  of  them.  In  addition  to  the 
danger  of  crushing  bees  when  replacing  the  frames  of 
comb  after  manipulation  and  examination,  often  causing 
the  death  of  valuable  queens,  there  is  the  still  more 
awkward  fact  connected  with  them,  that  the  frames 
cannot  he  moved  in  a  lateral  direction  in  the  slightest 
degree  until  they  have  been  prised  out  of  the  notches; 


74 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[August  1,  1880. 


and  in  doing  this  it  often  happens  that  the  bottom 
corners  (of  the  frames)  are  forced  against  the  inner  front 
or  back  of  the  hive,  to  the  great  danger  of  the  bees 
passing  round  them  ;  '  and  there  is  not  a  word  that  we 
can  discover  that  points  to  propolising  as  an  objection  in 
the  sense  our  correspondent  implies.  Our  indictment 
against  the  notches  and  racks  was  based  on  the  fact 
stated  above,  viz.,  that  when  in  them  the  frames  could 
not  be  moved  laterally  without  first  raising  them  up,  and 
possibly  damaging  the  combs  in  them.  Ivor  did  we  wait 
'  for  a  few  years  '  before  introducing  wide-ended  frames, 
for  on  p.  70  of  the  same  Vol.  (1873)  we  gave  a  sketch  of 
them,  and  on  p.  99  a  more  detailed  engraving  of  them, 
with  a  description  of  the  means  by  which  the  much- 
desired  lateral  movement  could  be  obtained.  Propolising 
is  undoubtedly  a  very  great  nuisance ;  but  its  presence 
in  a  hive  is  more  often  the  consequence  of  bad  workman- 
ship in  the  hive's  construction,  or  carelessness  in  re- 
arranging its  parts,  than  from  any  love  of  the  bees  for 
its  use.  Not  a  w-ord  that  our  correspondent  advances  so 
trenchantly  against  our  proposed  frame-ends  touching 
each  other  has  less  force  in  respect  of  the  highly-valued 
sectional  supers  now  in  general  use,  both  here  and  abroad  ; 
yet  no  one,  after  years  of  experience,  has  aught  to  say  in 
their  dispraise,  though  many  of  them  are  so  constructed 
that  they  touch  all  round.  What  a  bug-bear  propolisa- 
tion  is  !  We  have  italicised  the  last  three  words  of  the 
former  sentence,  because  in  them  lies  the  charm  that 
exorcises  the  ghastly  spirit  of  propolis  that  would 
frighten  the  bee-world  out  of  all  idea  of  improvement. 
It  is  well  understood  that  bees  propolise  all  cracks  and 
fissures  in  both  hive  and  super  ;  and  we  have  seen  many 
samples  of  both,  through  which  the  wind  could  whistle 
as  readily  as  through  a  wattled  hurdle,  and  they  have 
been  plastered  with  propolis  as  such  hurdles  are  with 
mud.  But  in  respect  to  wide-ended  frames  as  of  sections 
proper,  we  have,  iu  our  mind,  those  that  closely  '  touch 
all  round,'  leaving  no  crack  or  crevice  for  the  bees  to 
daub,  as  a  protest  against  the  manufacturer.  The  evils 
prognosticated  are  happily  confined  to  the  imagination  of 
our  correspondent.  He  has  never  tried  the  hive  or  frame 
to  which  he  has  alluded,  if  he  had  his  opinion  and  judg- 
ment would  be  entitled  to  more  earnest  consideration. 
We  have  tried  both,  and  our  experience  has  led  us  to  dare 
the  chances  of  adverse  criticism,  though  fully  alive  to  its 
probability.  We  sincerely  thank  our  correspondent  for 
going  so  straight  to  the  root  of  his  objection  to  what  in 
our  mind  will  effect  an  immense  improvement  in  hives  in 
which  the  comfort  of  the  bees  is  to  be  taken  into  account. 
It  is  not  a  new  thought ;  we  gave  it  practical  utterance 
at  the  Alexandra  Palace  Show  in  1876 ;  but  it  met  with 
no  response,  and  we  have  ever  since  been  urging  the 
necessity  for  a  means  of  preventing  the  escape  of  heat 
from  the  brood-nest  between  the  ends  of  the  frames. 
The  principle  is  closely  allied  to  the  '  Giotto,'  commonly 
in  use  in  Italy,  and  it  has  now  the  sanction  of  America, 
as  is  proved  by  the  pattern  hives  sent  here  by  Mr.  Nellis 
of  Carajoherie  ;  and  we  venture  to  assert  that  it  will  one 
day  be  generally  adopted. — Ed.] 


AN  AGED  STOCK.— COMBS  ACROSS  THE  EN- 
TRANCE.—EXCLUDER  ZINC— FOUNDATION 
'  FIXERS.' 

We  have  had  a  pretty  good  season  for  bees  in  this 
quarter  up  to  this  time.  The  weather  is  rather  un- 
settled now,  however,  so  that  storing  is  not  going  on  so 
fast  as  it  was  a  week  or  ten  days  ago.  The  white  clover 
is  just  at  its  best,  and  the  loss  by  every  wet  day  is  con- 
siderable. The  electrical  conditions  of  the  weather, 
necessary  to  the  secretion  of  nectar  in  the  flowers,  are, 
however,  continuing,  so  that  we  have  a  prospect  of 
getting  a  few  supers  filled  this  season. 

About  a  fortnight  ago,  by  the  kind  invitation  of  the 


proprietor,  I  paid  a  visit  to  the  '  Aged  Stock,'  so  well 
described  by  'N.'  in  No.  78,  Vol.  VII.,  page  1:28,  of  this 
Journal.  This  stock,  notwithstanding  its  age,  is  in  a 
most  thriving  condition.  It  has  thrown  two  large 
swarms  this  year,  and  the  population  is  still  numerous. 
Assisted  by  my  friend  '  N.  I  cut  out  a  lot  of  the  old 
comb,  and  filled  up  the  space  with  sections. 

Enclosed  please  find  a  specimen  of,  I  have  no  doubt, 
the  oldest  of  the  comb,  supposed  to  have  been  built 
about  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago.  This  stock  is  wholly 
in  a  natural  state,  just  the  same  as  we  would  find  bees 
in  a  hole  in  the  rocks,  or  in  the  decayed  bole  of  an  old 
tree.  It  is  therefore  interesting  to  find  that  apparently 
they  have  always  been  storing  their  surplus  honey  at  the 
back,  that  is,  at  the  point  farthest  from  the  entrance. 
Nearly  all  the  comb  at  the  back  was  honey-comb,  while 
their  brood-comb  was  at  the  front  and  sides,  and  right 
up  to  the  roof,  as  you  will  observe  from  the  piece 
enclosed,  one  end  of  which  was  attached  to  the  roof. 
Then  their  entrance  is  a  hole  cut  through  the  stone  wall, 
just  under  the  eaves  of  a  two-storied  house.  There  is  no 
flight-board,  nor  no  necessity  for  it,  for  the  bees  pop  in 
and  out  at  their  hole  much  more  naturally  than  they  do  in 
a  hive  with  modern  front  fixtures.  If  one  more  heavily- 
laden,  than  the  rest  falls  a  foot  short,  it  gets  a  hold 
of  the  rough  wall,  and  climbs  up  to  the  entrance. 

I  can  testify  to  your  excluder-zinc  being  the  right 
thing  to  prevent  a  queen  passing  through  into  supers,  or 
for  confining  a  queen  to  any  part  of  the  hive  one  wishes, 
while  it  is  no  hindrance  to  the  bees  in  whatever  position 
in  the  hive  it  is  put.  In  doubling  stocks  for  extracting, 
a  sheet  of  it  placed  between  the  upper  and  lower  box 
keeps  the  queen  confined  to  the  lower  box.  In  side  or 
back  storing  it  is  invaluable  to  keep  the  sections  clean 
and  free  of  brood ;  and  as  dividers  for  sections  it  is 
superior  to  either  wood,  glass,  or  tin,  for  the  bees  have 
free  communication  from  one  section  to  another  in  every 
part,  and  the  necessary  temperature  passing  freely  through 
all  the  set  enables  the  bees  to  cluster  better  and  build 
comb  faster  than  where  they  are  cut  off  from  each  other 
by  a  thickness  of  tin,  wood,  or  glass.  As  a  means  of 
preventing  swarming  it  is  of  no  use  whatever.  The  bees 
build  queen-cells,  swarm  out  at  their  appointed  time, 
leaving  the  poor  queen  in  the  hive  vainly  endeavouring 
to  push  herself  through  the  excluder  zinc.  True  the 
swarm  returns  again  after  a  little  time,  just  to  again 
issue  in  an  hour  or  two  or  next  day  if  the  weather  is 
right.  If  left  alone,  this  state  of  matters  goes  on  for  a 
week  or  ten  days,  till  the  young  queens  are  hatched.  If 
there  is  one  of  them  puny  enough  to  pass  through  the 
zinc,  the  swarm  clusters,  and  does  not  return.  During  all 
this  time  the  bees  are  doing  nothing  but  swarming, 
and  if  matters  are  left  thus  they  may  go  on  swarming 
and  returning  through  the  best  of  the  honey  season,  and 
a  fine  stock  gives  little  surplus. 

My  experience  of  it  as  a  means  of  preventing  swarming 
is,  as  I  have  described,  so  that  it  is  not  only  useless,  but 
if  left  in  the  hive  to  confine  and  prevent  swarming  it  is 
positively  injurious.  It  strikes  me  swarming  cannot  be 
absolutely  prevented  till  the  nature  and  instinct  of  the 
bee  are  changed. 

I  am  very  much  surprised  at  the  difficulty  you  bee- 
keepers in  the  South  have  with  comb-foundation.  To 
us  in  this  quarter,  who  regularly  use  it  with  the  greatest 
success,  and  who  never  have  a  broken-down  sheet  or  a 
bulged  or  sagged  comb,  it  is  a  matter  of  wonder  and 
amusement  to  read  in  your  own  and  contemporary 
journals  the  schemes  and  devices  proposed  to  prevent 
sagging  and  breaking  down. 

Fine  wire,  silk  linen  and  cotton  threads,  sheets  of  wood, 
small  iron  rakes,  ladies'  hair,  appear  to  us  to  be  all  un- 
necessary, and  only  increase  the  cost  without  any  corre- 
sponding advantage.  I  am  glad  the  ladies'  hair  plan  has 
been  abandoned.  Fancy  the  idea  of  a  few  bee-keepers 
going  along  the  street,  examining  with  the  critical  eye  of 


August  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


75 


a  connoisseur  the  heads  of  the  passing  ladies,  and  specu- 
lating on  whether  the  fair  ringlets  of  this  blonde,  the 
dark  tresses  of  that  brunette,  or  the  silvery  locks  of  your 
stately  matron,  were  longest  and  strongest  for  their  pur- 
pose. Seeing  that  anything  that  is  put  in  a  sheet  of 
foundation  besides  wax  is  to  a  certain  extent  an  obstruc- 
tion to  the  bees,  and  also  extra  expense  to  the  bee- 
keeper, do  you  not  think  that  all  these  devices  complicate 
matters? 

WohH  it  not  be  more  advantageous  to  show  bee- 
keepers the  method  of  making  the  most  of  what  is  perfect 
as  it  is  ?  It  is  all  very  well  for  experimentalists  (and  I 
give  them  full  credit  for  their  good  intentions),  who 
have  plenty  of  time  on  their  hands  to  devise  ingenious 
methods  of  doing  things,  but  all  those  things  that  require 
time  and  patience  are  a  nuisance  to  the  ordinary  bee- 
keeper. vSimply  because  the  bulk  of  bee-keepers  in  this 
country  have  neither  the  time  nor  the  means  for  such 
fussing.  Raitt's  foundation  this  year  leaves  nothing  to 
be  desired.  If  properly  attached  to  the  frames  with 
melted  wax  from  an  Abbott's  srnelter,no  sheet  ever  breaks 
down,  every  cell  is  built  out  perfect,  and  every  comb  is 
as  true  as  if  cast  in  a  mould. 

Now  what  more  would  one  wish  ?  Only  the  combs 
built  out  and  finished.  It  appears  to  me  an  enterprising 
bee-keeper  might  start  a  trade  in  finished  combs.  He 
might  be  able,  if  the  frames  and  comb-foundation  were 
sent  him,  to  supply  them  at  about  6d.  a  frame,  which  is 
about  the  cost  of  the  Cheshire  rakes,  and  no  bother  at 
all  except  putting  them  in  the  hive,  and  getting  the  bees 
in.— J.  S.,  Arbroath,  July  10th,  1880. 

[The  piece  of  comb  shows  plainly  that  it  has  been 
bred  in  up  to  the  roof,  proving  beyond  a  shadow  of 
doubt  that  bees  do  not  preferentially  store  their  honey 
above  their  brood.  In  the  description  of  the  hive,  p.  128, 
Vol.  VII.,  the  removal  of  the  back  revealed  a  surface  of 
comb  '  two  feet  square,'  so  that  there  was  ample  space 
for  the  bees  to  exhibit  their  propensities. — Ed.] 


BEE-KEEPING  DISAPPOINTMENTS. 

Yes,  Mr.  Editor,  it's  a  charming  pursuit  is  bee-keeping, 
and  a  most  money-making  thing,  too ;  the  honey  that 
you  get  cost  you  just  about  its  weight  in  silver ;  and  as 
for  gold  being  got  out  of  the  wax,  as  one  of  your  corre- 
spondents asserts,  I  should  think  that  is  not  so  improbable, 
considering  the  large  amount  that  has  gone  into  it.  Now 
I'll  tell  you  how  I  got  on  with  bees.  In  1877  a  friend 
gave  me  a  hive  of  Ligurians.  They  were  in  an  old  cheese- 
box,  and  he  did  not  expect  to  see  a  swarm  from  them 
that  year.  But  they  did  swarm,  and  I  put  it  into  a 
box-hive  with  frames,  See.,  to  the  size  and  pattern  he 
gave  me  ;  but  whether  Woodbury,  or  what  the  name  be, 
I  know  not.  I  sent  both  hives  up  to  the  heather  in  that 
year,  but  it  broke  down  the  combs  in  the  frame-hive. 
And,  as  I  thought,  the  other  wanted  feeding,  I  lifted 
up  the  edge  of  the  cheese-box  and  put  a  bird  fountain- 
feeder  underneath.  The  consequence  was  there  were  soon 
as  many  wasps  as  bees  in  the  box,  and  after  a  little  it  was 
all  wasps  and  no  bees,  for  they  had  just  died  out.  So  I 
put  it  away.  Last  year  my  one  swarm  gave  me  six 
new  ones,  seven  in  all :  I  had  fed  hard  all  the  winter ;  and 
they  had  plenty  of  food,  which  I  suppose  accounted  for 
some  40  lbs.  or  so  of  white  loaf-sugar.  Last  year  the 
seventh  hive  came  off  on  the  27th  August.  I  got  some 
fountain-feeders  and  a  cask  of  two  cwt.  of  sugar,  and 
gave  it  them.  This  year  I  found  two  hives  dead,  but 
the  last  of  all  alive  and  well.  I  continued  feeding,  and 
found  they  had  stores  of  honey  left.  One  hive  that  died 
had  none,  but  another  that  also  died  had  plenty.  I  took 
a  little  honey  last  year,  but  it  was  not  honey  only,  sugar 
and  water  quite  devoid  of  flavour  and  taste,  rubbish  and 
slops.  I  found  some  big  cells  in  one  comb  fully  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  across,  and  with  a  greenish  tinge  on  them. 
Thinking  they  might  be  moth-cells  I  cut  them  out,  they 


looked  like  little  volcanoes.  What  are  they  ?  Yester- 
day I  had  another  look  at  the  strongest  hive,  and  found 
a  lot  of  queer  cells  like  brownish  thimbles  stuck  among 
the  others  :  what  are  they  ?  for  neither  in  Hunter  nor 
Pettigrew  do  I  see  any  mention  of  them.  Are  they 
drone-cells  ?  There  were  probably  a  dozen  on  one  side 
of  the  comb,  and  half-a-dozen  on  the  other,  comical, 
rough-looking,  something  like  velvet  on  the  outside.  One 
had  a  clear  top  like  a  bit  of  glass  let  into  it.  How  am  I 
to  tell  breeding-cells  ?  I  find  some  closed  with  white 
wax,  and  some  with  yellow  or  brownish  wax.  Which  is 
which?  And  what  are  pollen  cells?  Also  I  notice  in 
all  books  that  you  are  to  be  sure  and  catch  the  queen  as 
the  first  point  of  doing  anything  in  the  swarming  way ; 
but  that's  just  nonsense.  How  are  you  to  do  it  ?  There 
is  a  game  I  used  to  know  in  my  yonth  called  '  Catch  the 
ten,'  the  ten  being  the  winning  card,  and  very  difficult  it 
was  to  catch.  But  that's  simplicity  itself  to '  catching  the 
queen.'  I  never  even  saw  the  queen  but  once,  and  that 
was  in  the  August  time  when  there  were  very  few  bees. 
I  fancied  I  saw  her  once  in  another  hive,  but  in  a  mo- 
ment she,  if  it  was  she,  was  lost.  Catch  her,  indeed ! 
You  must  find  her  first,  and  that  I  have  entirely  failed 
to  do. 

Then  again,  what  is  a  queen-cell  like  ?  No  book  gives 
it.  Hunter  gives  a  cut  of  some  little  circular  cells,  but 
there  are  plenty  of  them  at  the  bottom  of  all  the  combs ; 
are  those  the  queen-cells  ?  And  what  is  the  meaning  of 
'  ripe  ?  '  What  is  it  like  when  it  is  '  ripe  ?  '  No  infor- 
mation. Also,  when,  at  what  time  of  year  ought 
supers  be  put  on  ?  and  when,  at  what  time  of  year, 
should  the  frames  be  taken  way  ?  and  if  they  are  full  of 
young  bees,  what  is  to  be  done  with  them  ?  For  it 
is  a  pity  to  take  a  lot  of  frames  away  and  find  you  have 
only  got  a  lot  of  young  bees  instead  of  honey.  Oh,  yes ; 
it's  a  charming  amusement,  and  so  cheap.  My  house- 
keeper grumbled  woefully  when  I  used  up  all  that 
sugar ;  and  no  wonder.  How  much  jam  would  it  not 
have  made,  and  ever  so  much  better  and  nicer  than  the 
rubbish  we  are  now  eating !  And  if  I  take  a  frame  off 
and  put  it  into  one  of  those  whirling  things,  won't  the 
young  bees  fly  out  along  with  the  honey  and  make  the 
whole  thing  a  mess  of  pollen,  bees,  and  a  little  real  honey 
to  glue  it  together  ?  I  have  a  carpenter  here  who  makes 
my  bee-boxes,  and  who  has  kept  bees  all  his  life  ;  but  he 
says  he  has  never  seen  a  queen-cell.  When  I  can  find 
out  which  they  are,  how  would  it  do  to  take  a  comb 
with  some  on,  put  it  and  another  comb  or  two 
into  a  fresh  box-hive,  and  set  it  on  the  old  stand, 
and  move  the  old  hive  awa}',  so  that  the  bees  flying 
about,  and  those  that  might  leave  the  old  hive,  would  go 
to  the  new  one,  and  so  make  a  colony  ?  Plenty  would 
come  back  to  the  old  stand.  But  how  to  catch  the 
queen  ?  That's  the  rub  :  first,  however,  to  see  her.  Also, 
can  you,  or  any  of  your  correspondents,  tell  me  any 
way  of  arranging  the  bottom  glass  of  conservatories  and 
hot-houses,  so  as  to  allow  the  bees  to  escape  ?  I  find 
that  they  come  in  hundreds  into  my  hot-houses,  and 
perish  against  the  glass  at  the  angle  that  it  makes  with 
the  wooden  ledge  it  rests  upon.  Could  the  glass  be 
contrived  to  lift  up  and  let  them  out,  for  sometimes  they 
are  quite  a  nuisance,  besides  their  being  killed  in  hun- 
dreds ? — J.  R  Hair,  Blair MU,  Perthshire. 

[We  are  scarcely  surprised  at  your  ill  success  with 
bees,  seeing  that  you  confess  to  so  very  slight  a  know- 
ledge of  their  habits,  and  the  means  of  their  manage- 
ment. Instead  of  '  how  you  get  on  with  bees,'  your 
communication  is  more  in  the  character  of  a  report  of 
how  they  got  on  with  you,  if  you  will  pardon  the  obser- 
vation. The  cheese-box  swarmed,  its  swarm  was  put 
into  a  frame-hive,  and  both  were  sent  to  the  moors.  The 
tender  combs  of  the  latter  broke  down,  as  might  reasonably 
have  been  expected,  unless  they  were  packed  and  carried 
with  very  great  care.  Nevertheless,  in  spite  of  the  disaster 
they  rallied  and  did  well,  giving  you  six  swarms  the  next 


76 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[August  1,  1880. 


year,  i.e.,  1879.  The  cheese-box  hive  probably  failed  in 
requeening  itself  after  swarming,  and  being  sent^  to  the 
heather  queenless,  it,  of  course,  came  back  weak  in  bees. 
Mistaking  the  cause  of  its  lightness,  you  fed  it  by  raising 
it  and  inserting  a  fountain-feeder  under  its  rim  —  a 
very  old  method  of  inviting  robbers  of  all  kinds — so  it 
was  not  surprising  that  they  deserted  the  hive,  leaving 
it  to  be  overrun  with  wasps  or  other  vermin.  The 
seven  hives  (swarms  and  stocks)  were,  it  seems, '  fed  hard 
all  the  last  winter,'  another  mistake  that  ought  to  have 
killed  the  whole  of  them.  The  last  swarm,  of  August, 
1879,  had  the  best  chance ;  for  being  late  it  was  neces- 
sarily fed  at  the  right  time,  and  thus  stored  its  food  in  a 
'  natural '  way,  when  sealing  it  up  was  possible,  and 
breeding  could  go  on  to  a  reasonable  extent.  The  others, 
without  any  knowledge  on  your  part,  whether  they  were 
queenless  or  otherwise,  were  obliged  to  take  food  all  the 
winter,  when  they  could  not  seal  it  up ;  and  the  proba- 
bility is  that  dysentery  set  in  and  caused  them  to  perish. 
The"' big  cells,"'  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  are 
drone-cells,  built  originally  to  receive  honey,  but  after- 
wards, when  bred  in,  producing  only  drones,  as  has  so 
often  been  explained  in  the  Bee  Journal.  Moths  do  not 
build  cells :  they  lay  eggs  in  the  hive,  and  their  larva? 
eat  away  the  combs  and  tend  to  destroy  them.  The 
brownish  thimble-shaped  cells  are  either  those  of  drones 
that  have  been  bred  in  worker-cells,  as  shown  in  Bee 
Journal,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  245,  April  last;  or  if  pendulous, 
which  you  do  not  state,  they  are  queen-cells  probably  in 
a  state  of  formation  :  the  clear,  glazed  end  of  one  of 
them  must  be  accidental,  perhaps,  through  a  snail. 
Breeding  and  pollen-cells  are  determined  by  their  con- 
tents, as  those  of  both  drone  and  worker  are  used_  for 
storing  honey  and  pollen,  and  breeding  bees.  When 
unsealed,  their  contents  (if  any)  may  be  seen,  the  honey 
glistening  and  clear,  the  pollen  of  various  colours — 
orange-yellow,  green,  and  brown.  When  sealed,  the 
honey-cells  (both  drone  and  worker)  are  covered  with 


M 


WORKER  CELLS. 


DRONE  CELLS. 


impermeable  wax,  usually  white,  but  sometimes  with  a 
yellow  cast ;  they  present  a  surface  of  flatfish  corruga- 
tions. Sealed  brood  is  dome-shaped  ;  the  sealing  being  a 
mixture  of  wax,  pollen,  and  fibre;  it  is  usually  of  the 
same  colour  as  the  comb  upon  which  it  is  laid,  varying 
from  pale  buff  to  dark  -  brown.  The  surface  of  the 
sealed  worker  brood-cells  presents  the  appearance  of  a  lot 
of  peas  pressed  together,  while  the  drone-cells  suggest  a 
mass  of  miniature  sugar-loaves  standing  closely  side  by 
side.  A  practised  eye  will  detect  a  queen  in  a  moment 
if  she  presents  herself,  and  a  patient  hand  will  look  over 
the  combs  separately  until  she  be  found.  The  queen  is 
as  easy  to  distinguish  from  the  drones  and  workers,  as  a 
kidney-bean  is  from  a  lot  of  peas  and  horse-beans,  or  as 
a  brazil  nut  from  barcelonas  and  chestnuts ;  but  one 
must  learn  to  know  the  difference.  As  regards  supers 
and  supering,  the  Journal  for  May  shows  reasons  why 
no  dates  can  be  given  for  putting  them  on  to  hives. 
It  is  a  question  of  expediency,  and  requires  judgment ; 
and  their  filling  is  no  more  a  matter  of  course  than 
that  the  sun  crossing  the  line  (so  called)  will  determine 
the  future  seasons.  Taking  away  the  frames  that  are 
filled  with  honey  is  quite  proper,  so  long  as  there  is 
sufficient  honey,  or  its  equivalent,  left  in  the  hive  for 
the  use  of  the  bees ;  but  taking  away  combs  of  brood 
would  be  utter   folly,  or  worse.     Sugar  and  fruit  are 


assuredly  the  chief  constituents  of  real  jam  ;  but  a  cook 
or  housewife  must  understand  the  difference  between 
fruit  and  caterpillars,  and  must  not  stew  up  the  latter 
simply  because  they  are  to  be  found  on  the  same  trees 
with  the  fruit — that  would  be  a  '  charming  amusement,' 
indeed  !  You  are  quite  correct  in  supposing  that  an  ex- 
tractor will  throw  out  the  brood  from  a  comb,  if  it  be 
whirled  rapidly  enough ;  but  no  sensible  m  an  would  wilfully 
do  it  when  honey  only  is  wanted.  When  the  honey  has 
been  carefully  extracted,  it  is  an  advantage  to  be  able  to 
unseal  and  throw  out  the  immature  drone-brood  from  a 
hive,  and  thus  prevent  the  advent  of  unwelcome  drones. 
The  carpenter  is  not  singular  amongst  bee-keepers  of  the 
old  school.  With  many,  the  queen,  or  mother  bee,  is  the 
'  king,'  who  has  a  cell  of  his  own  to  live  in,  and  from 
which  to  issue  his  royal  commands,  which  are  implicitly 
obeyed.  With  such  the  drones  are  workers  that  have 
lost  their  stings,  and  grown  lazy  and  fat ;  and  it  is  not 
surprising  that  such  bee-keepers  are  unable  to  recognise 
queen-cells,  though  they  may  have  seen  hundreds  of 
them.  We  have  no  desire  to  get  up  a  controversy  on  the 
relative  merits  of  the  authorities  mentioned ;  history  will 
find  them  a  place  hereafter,  we  can  only  be  responsible 
for  what  appears  under  our  own  hand  in  the  Bee 
Journal;  and  in  that  the  secrets  of  the  hive  will  be 
found  revealed  in  language  easily  understandable.  A 
queen-cell  is  a  cell  built  up  (or  down)  around  an  egg 
that  is  intended  to  be  a  perfect  female  when  fully 
developed  into  life.  It  is  deemed  '  ripe '  when  it  is 
almost  ready  to  hatch ;  whilst  being  built  it  very  much 
resembles  an  acorn  cup  (a)  with  very  thin  edges  slightly 
drawn  together  ;  when  complete  it  is  somewhat  like  an 
acorn  in  its  cup  (b),  and  is  then  called  a  sealed  queen-cell ; 
and  when  ripe  it  will  be  found  that  the  end  has  been 
partly  pared  by  the  bees  to  facilitate  the  coming  forth  of 
the  queen  when  she  bites  her  way  out.  Having  bitten 
her  way  through,  the  cell  assumes  the  c  appearance, 
though  the  flap  sometimes  closes,  and  leaves  the  cell  ap- 


parently sound — a  fact  which  leads  the  inexperienced 
discoverer  thereof  to  believe  that  the  bees  had  sealed  up 
an  empty  cell,  whereas  it  is  but  a  '  mare's  nest.'  After 
the  cell  has  been  vacated  the  bees  gnaw  away  the 
lower  part  of  it,  leaving  it  again  of  acorn-cup  shape  (d), 
but  with  thickened  and  widened  edges,  e  shows  a 
queen-cell  newly  torn  open  by  a  queen,  /  a  queen-cell 
newly  hatched  without  the  flap.  As  regards  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  queen,  there  is  scarcely  a  book  published 
that  does  not  show  the  difference  between  the  queen,  and 
the  drones  and  the  workers.  We  would,  however,  recom- 
mend those  who  cannot  recognise  the  difference  to  get 
an  observatory  hive  containing  a  queen  whose  thorax  has 


August  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


77 


been  painted,  so  that  no  one  could  fail  to  discover  her.  The 
vendor  of  the  hive  and  bees  could  touch  her  with  a  slight 


QUEEN. 


dab  of  white  or  red  paint,  and  when  seen  she  would 
almost  invariably  be  found  surrounded  by  a  set  of 
courtiers,  as  shown  in  the  cut.     After   the  eye  had  a 


little  tuition  with  a  queen  illuminated  as  suggested, 
there  would  he  little  difficulty  in  detecting  other  royal 
dames,  however  clad  or  surrounded.  The  method  sug- 
gested for  making  artificial  swarms  would,  in  a  measure, 
succeed ;  but  would  be  very  wasteful.  Instead  of  taking 
a  comb  or  two,  with  queen-cells  on  one  of  them,  a  comb 
with  the  queen  herself  should  be  taken,  and  put  into  the 
new  hive  on  the  old  stand  (as  suggested),  and  all  would 
be  correct.  To  give  bees  egress  from  conservatories,  cut 
away  a  quaiter  inch  space  from  the  front  edge  of  the 
'  plate  '  on  which  the  glass  eaves  rest.  The  aperture  will 
be  sufficient  to  allow  bees  to  pass,  but  can  be  closed  with 
a  strip  of  wood  or  a  short  bit  of  cord,  to  keep  out  the 
cold  air  when  ventilation  is  not  needed.  '  Prevention  is 
better  than  cure,'  and  covering  the  ventilators  with 
mosquito  netting  would  save  many  hundreds  of  bees. 
If  anything  we  have  tried  to  elucidate  has  not  been  made, 
plain,  we  shall  be  glad  if  you  will  inquire  further,  or  if 
vou  are  ever  in  our  neighbourhood,  and  will  favour  us 
with  a  call,  we  will  undertake  to  show  you  all  we  have 
tried  to  explain.— Ed.] 

Honey  a  Remedial  Agent  in  the  Restoration 
of  Sight. — A  correspondent  in  Church  Bells  (May  29) 
says  :  —  'I  am  desirous  of  your  inserting  a  remedy,  which 
has  lately  come  to  my  personal  knowledge,  of  a  gradual 
restoration  of  sight  to  a  person  of  about  55  years  of  age, 
whose  eyes  had  been  pronounced  to  have  cataract  by  a 
clever  medical  practitioner,  and  that  nothing  could  he 
done  till  sufficiently  advanced  to  be  operated  on.  The 
person  heard,  some  time  afterwards,  that  the  simple  pro- 
cess of  anointing  three  times  daily,  with  pure  and  fresh 
honey,  first  cleansing  the  lids  of  the  eyes  before  applying 
it,  would  remove  cataract.  She  tried  the  remedy  success- 
fully, and  though  now  obliged  to  wear  magnifying-glasses 
for  reading,  can  otherwise  see  comfortably.' 


(Skljoxs  from  %  Hitrcs. 


Battle,  June  29,  1880. — 'I  have  not  heard  how  the 
bees  are  getting  on  around  here.  I  know  of  one  case  in 
which  the  owner  had  one  stock  in  the  spring  which 
swarmed  twice,  and  the  first  swarm  has  swarmed  three 
times. — J.  W.  Hallaway.' 

York  Road,  Tunbridge  Wells,  June  20,  1880.— 
'  Wherever  I  have  been  I  have  found  that  the  mortality 
among  bees,  where  not  properly  cared  for,  was  frightful 
during  last  winter  and  spring.  Some  districts  could  not 
show  a  stock  of  bees  alive,  but  it  was  cheering  to  see  the 
prosperity  of  colonies  under  the  care  of  intelligent  bee- 
keepers, notably  those  of  Mr.  Griffin  at  Alphington,  near 
Exeter,  and  of  other  gentlemen  at  Taunton  and  Bridg- 
water, in  Somerset,  and  a  friend  in  Monmouthshire  had 
carried  his  safely  through  a  most  trying  time.  I  see 
them  well  cared  for  down  the  South-Eastern  line,  some 
stocks  at  the  Wadhurst  railway  station,  in  improved 
hives,  looking  in  flourishing  condition.  For  the  first 
season  for  many  years  I  am  without  bees  of  my  own, 
but  hope  soon  to  fix  on  a  good  locality  for  their  culture, 
and  enjoy  their  constant  companionship  again. — P.  H. 
Phillips.' 

Chieliester,  Ju'y  6. — '  What  enormous  quantities  of 
honey  bees  are  getting !  This  is  the  best  season  1  ever 
knew.  Two  of  my  first  swarms  have  already  filled  three, 
large  supers  last  week.  I  emptied  some  supers — I  forget 
the  number  —  with  a  result  of  upwards  of  200  lbs. 
Should  the  weather  continue  as  now  for  another  month, 
the  honey  results  in  this  part  of  the  kingdom  will  be 
enormous. — Alfred  Rusbridge.' 

Rashwood,  Droitwieh,  July  1 ,  1880.— 'The  foundation 
came  to  hand  all  right,  and  is  most  of  it  made  into  comb. 
I  think  your  flat-bottomed  quite  as  good  as  the  more 
finished  article.  I  put  the  sheet  sent  into  a  hive  about 
10  a.m.  that  day,  and  on  looking  at  3  p.m.  the  next 
found  it  half  made  into  comb,  and  very  regular.  The 
weather  here  has  been  '  bad,  very  bad,'  the  last  few  days, 
though  some  time  ago  we  were  in  for  a  good  thing,  but 
begin  to  doubt  it.— H.  W.' 

Apiary,  Sydney  Road,  Guildford,  13th  July,  1880. — 
'  Swarms  in  abundance.  I  commenced  the  season  with 
a  stock  of  ten  hives.  I  have  now  thirty-one  swarms, 
casts,  and  maiden-swarms,  and  "  still  they  come," — all 
strong  swarms,  of  course  at  a  great  loss  of  honey,  which 
the  bees  take  instead  of  me. — P.  H.  Lemare.' 

Winsford,  July,  14. — [After  a  removal].—'  What  a 
mighty  change,  from  the  beautiful  bee-flora  to  a  sul- 
phur-blighted land,  not  a  vestige  of  the  lovely  flowers. 
And,  O  my  poor  bees !  seventeen  hives  scattered  all  over 
by  my  removal  to  such  a  changed  place.  Three  bad 
seasons,  yet  fate  still  pursues  with  unrelenting  fury ! 
When  will  the  gods  interpose  ?  My  Ligurians  are  show- 
ing themselves  in  their  golden  armour,  and  are  doing 
prodigious  feats.  Still  I  must  sell  to  reduce,  therefore 
kindly  insert — oh  wretched  ! — I  cannot  help  it  —the  en- 
closed advertisement  in  the  subscribers'  column. — Yours 
in  grief,  Parent  Stock. 

Wood  foundation. — '  I  like  the  wooden  foundation  very 
much  after  a  ten-days'  trial.  The  season  here  is  a  very 
good  one  for  honey-collecting. — Bossell  Park,  Buekfast- 
leigh,  Devon,  July  19.' 

Barraldine,  July  \9th. — 'Am  pleased  to  be  able  to 
state  that  I  have  been  successful  in  introducing  a 
Ligurian  queen  put  into  the  improved  cage  got  from  you. 
It  was  a  grand  sight  to  me  the  other  day  to  notice  the 
young  worker-bees  playing  so  lively.  They  are  slender 
in  form,  and  very  distinct  in  colour.' — P.  McPherson. 

The  Lawn,  St.  Leonards,  July  23.  —  Extracting. 
Non-Swarming. — '1  have  succeeded  in  obtaining  about 


78 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[August  1,  1880. 


300  lbs.  of  honey,  and  shall  take,  in  all  probability,  about 
200  lbs.  more,  but  the  season  generally  in  this  neighbour- 
hood has  been  disappointing.  I  attribute  nay  success  to 
your  extractor,  which  enabled  me  to  take  a  lot  of  honey 
in  the  busy  time,  and  to  the  fact  that  my  bees  did  not 
swarm.  Those  stocks  that  swarmed  have  done  little  or 
nothing.' 

Westmoreland,  July  24. — '  The  mortality  amongst  bees 
was  very  great  in  Westmoreland  this  spring.  Many  who 
did  not  feed  in  autumn  lost  their  entire  stock.  Swarming 
generally  was  very  late,  and  we  have  a  very  poor  prospect 
for  honey  this  season.  Humane  and  scientific  bee-keeping 
is  spreading  very  fast  in  our  county  since  your  visit  to 
Carlisle  in  1878.  Open  driving  has  come  very  much  into 
use ;  bar  -  frame  hives  also  are  much  used  now.  For 
several  years  I  have  done  a  quantity  of  artificial  swarming 
for  my  friends,  many  of  whom  now  do  it  for  their  neigh- 
bours, so  that  the  principle  is  spreading  fast.  Several 
are  also  well  up  in  driving,  transferring,  and  uniting.' — 
Thomas  Harrison. 

Nottingham,  July  24th,  1880. — '  Some  of  our  friends  in 
your  July  issue  speak  of  taking  big  supers,  filled  with 
honey  in  a  most  tempting  manner  ;  but  I  fear  that  our 
bee  lines  have  not  fallen  in  such  pleasant  places.  We 
have  plenty  of  bees,  but  the  weight  of  honey  sealed  up 
to  this  date  has  been  very  small.  June  was  a  wet  month, 
and  July  has  been  a  very  stormy  one,  every  fine  day 
being  usually  followed  by  three  or  four  wet  or  indifferent 
ones,  so  that  I  am  afraid  we  shall  not  have  any  brilliant 
results  to  show  for  our  pains  in  1880.  My  first  swarm 
issued  on  May  27th,  the  last  on  July  13th.  This  was 
from  a  skep  which  I  had  doubled  on  Mr.  Pagden's  plan 
on  July  1st ;  but  instead  of  building  comb  in  the  lower 
hive  as  I  expected,  they  clustered  in  it  for  thirteen  days 
and  then  swarmed  suddenly.  I  gather  from  this,  that 
nadirs  ai'e  not  certain  to  prevent  swarming  any  more 
than  supers.  On  June  27th  I  transferred  a  stock  to  a 
bar-frame  hive  (this  was  twenty-four  days  after  swarming), 
and  the  weight  of  honey  taken  from  the  transferred  comb 
was  7  lbs.  Killing  drones  commenced  on  July  loth,  and 
still  continues. — W.  S.' 

Horsham. — '  Mr.  H.  has  never  before  had  so  pros- 
perous a  time,  though  he  has  kept  bees  forty  years.  The 
hive  which  lost  its  queen  (about  which  he  wrote)  was 
treated  as  directed — with  a  brood-frame  from  another 
hive ;  and  queen-cells  were  formed  immediately,  out  of 
one  of  which  her  majesty  walked  one  fine  day,  and  he 
saw  her,  having  first  observed  the  largest  queen-cell 
(closed  the  day  before)  was  now  open.  This  hive  has 
progressed  ever  since,  and  has  nearly  filled  a  super.  He 
has  not  altogether  succeeded  in  preventing  swarming. 
One  box  has  swarmed  and  thrown  out  besides  two  casts, 
and  also  gave  Olbs.  of  honey  from  it  in  a  glass  super. 
Two  others  have  swarmed  only,  thus  three  out  of  seven. 
One  that  did  not  swarm  has  already  furnished  over  50  lbs. 
in  Neighbour's  sectional  super,  and  will  afford  (probably) 
50  lbs.  more.     A  Woodbury  size,  ten  frames.' 

Tale  of  York. — 'The  weather  here  since  July  set  in 
has  been  most  unfavourable;  for  the  last  fortnight 
nothing  but  thunderstorms,  and  rain,  and  the  bees  have 
been  prisoners  at  home.  I  have  not  a  single  super  filled, 
or  even  promising  to  be  so.  One  of  my  strongest  hives 
is  throwing  out  its  drones,  though  it  has  not  swarmed. 
I  suppose  this  betokens  shortness  of  supplies.' — J.  H. 

Bodmin,  Cornwall. — 'Everywhere  in  this  neighbour- 
hood the  bees  seem  in  a  most  flourishing  condition,  and 
there  seems  every  prospect  of  a  very  heavy  yield  of  honey. 
Swarms  are  very  plentiful.  One  swarm,  a  stranger, 
settled  near  ray  hives,  and  three  weeks  afterwards  gave 
me  a  very  good  swarm.  All  my  bees  are  working  well 
in  supers.  I  find  the  comb  foundation  you  sent  me 
answer  admirably.  I  find  tying  two  or  three  stout 
threads  across  the  foundation  prevents  it  curling  up.' — 
F.  C.  G. 


mxm  Hub  J^plixs. 


Query  No.  842. —  Good  opportunity  for  Italianising  (?) 
— Would  you  oblige  by  giving  me  an  explanation  of  this 
phenomenon?  The  bees  in  some  hives  all  died  in  the 
last  sharp  frost  we  had  about  the  end  of  January,  but 
the  hives  were  left  standing  as  they  had  brood  in  them, 
which  hatched  out  in  the  spring  ;  but  they  do  not  seem 
to  work  as  they  should.  Do  you  suppose  as  all  the  first 
lot  died,  they  are  minus  a  queen,  or  do  you  think  they 
are  all  right  ?  The  hives  are  common  straw  skeps.  If  they 
are  minus  a  queen,  would  it  not  be  a  good  opportunity 
for  Italianising  ? — J.  T.  Lewes,  June  26,  1880. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  342. — When  the  bees  died  it  is 
quite  certain  that  the  brood  died  also  ;  there  can  be  no 
doubt  of  that,  and  the  bees  in  the  hives  must  have  come 
there  since.  They  may  be  a  swarm,  or  they  may  be 
robbers  from  another  apiary.  In  the  former  case  they 
have  a  queen,  and  in  the  latter  they  are  only  temporary 
visitors.  It  is  further  possible  that  they  may  be  scouts 
from  another  hive  looking  out  for  a  new  home  for  a 
swarm ;  if  so,  they  will  probably  come  in  a  few  days. 
In  neither  case  do  we  recommend  the  introduction  of  a 
Ligurian  queen.  Leaving  old  hives  of  comb  on  stands  is 
a  reprehensible  practice.  They  are  called  decoy  hives, 
because  they  decoy  other  swarms  to  them ;  and  leaving 
them  for  that  purpose  is  not  thought  honest  amongst 
bee-keepers.  In  your  case  it  is  evidently  the  result  of 
carelessness,  and  the  want  of  knowledge  of  the  natural 
history  of  bees.  The  eggs  of  a  bee  will  not  hatch 
without  heat,  and  the  brood,  when  hatched,  will  die 
through  lack  of  food  and  heat.  In  this  case  the  chances 
are  against  there  being  any  of  either  in  the  hives  when 
the  bees  died,  and  this  makes  them  more  in  the  cha- 
racter of  objectionable  decoy  hives  as  mentioned. — Ed. 

Query  No.  343. — I  have  a  queenless  stock  of  bees, 
about  200  in  number,  and  do  not  Know  what  to  do  with 
them.  Do  you  think  it  would  be  practicable  to  introduce 
a  Ligurian  queen  to  them,  and  with  advantage  ?  or 
would  a  common  queen  be  better  ? — J.  B.  J.,  Finsbury. 

Eeply  to  Query  No.  343. — It  is  difficult  to  believe 
that  so  little  is  known  of  bee-culture  as  the  foregoing 
implies.  Of  course  we  scouted  the  idea  of  requeening 
such  a  stock,  except  by  uniting  a  swarm  or  cast  to  it. — Ed. 

Query  No.  344. — I  have  several  hives  in  which  the 
combs  are  five  years  old  and  very  dark-coloured.  Is  it 
advisable  to  change'  them  ?  If  so,  what  is  the  best 
method, — to  cut  them  out  and  leave  the  bees  to  make 
fresh  ones,  or  to  fill  them  with  flat  foundation  ? — J.  H. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  344. — The  condition  of  the 
combs  and  bees  will  afford  the  best  indication  of  the 
necessity  for  changing  the  former,  should  a  change  be 
needful.  If  the  bees  are  brisk,  of  fair  size,  and  plentiful, 
there  can  be  little  the  matter.  When  a  change  is  deter- 
mined on,  we  would  cut  out  the  objectionable  combs  and 
fill  up  the  frames  with  comb  foundation. — Ed. 

Q,uery  No.  345. — Will  you  tell  me  if  bees,  when 
driven  in  the  middle  or  end  of  September  from  a  cot 
tager's  skep  hive,  to  save  them  from  being  smothered, 
into  a  bar-frame  hive,  can  fill  their  hive  with  sufficient 
comb  to  protect  them  during  the  winter,  and  store  syrup 
given  to  them  ? — K.  C.  J. 

Kbply  to  Query  No.  345. — If  put  into  hives  with 
frames  filled  with  foundation  that  will  not  sag,  they  will 
build  out  their  comb  in  a  week,  provided  they  have 
food. — Ed. 

Query  No.  346. — Honey  Jars. — Will  you  please  write 
me,  and  let  me  know  if  you  can  do  the  1-lb.  glass  honey 
jars  cheaper  than  15s.  a  gross,  as  they  are  advertised  at 
that,  and  customers  do  not  want  to  give  more  than 
Is.  Sd.  a  dozen  ?  If  you  can  allow  me  a  profit  I  can  do 
with  some. — R.  Harborough. 


August  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


79 


Reply  to  Query  No.  346. — As  a  matter  of  fact  we 
make  no  profit  on  the  honey  jars,  and  therefore  can 
allow  none.  After  a  very  great  trouble  we  found  a  man 
who  works  in  his  own  factory,  and  having  obtained  his 
prices  we  went  in  for  the  prize  offered  by  the  British 
Bee-keepers'  Association,  and  received  it ;  and  that  was 
practically  a  premium  for  discovering'  a  cheap  market. 
All  who  want  them  can  get  them  at  the  prices  named, 
viz.  15s.  and  18s.  per  gross,  plus  the  charges  for  packing 
and  the  carriage  from  Birmingham,  which  is  all  we  can 
offer.  The  establishment  of  depots,  or  agencies,  is  out  of 
the  question,  except  at  an  advance,  and  that  the  traders 
must  arrange  for  themselves.  We  have  had  many  appli- 
cations for  our  manufacturer's  address,  which  we  decline 
to  give.  He  is  a  poor,  hard-working  man,  who  is  grate- 
ful for  the  business  bee-keeping  has  put  in  his  way ;  and 
while  our  arrangement  exists,  bee-keepers  and  those  who 
preserve  fruits  may  benefit  by  it  without  the  assistance 
of  a  middleman  if  they  please. — Ed. 

Query  No.  347. —  Ventilation. — Mr.  Cowan  advocates 
the  covering  of  floor-boards  during  the  winter  months. 
Is  this  a  safe  plan  to  adopt  in  very  severe  frosty  weather, 
and  would  it  be  advisable  also  in  the  summer,  as  I  notice 
that  a  great  deal  of  '  fanning  '  goes  on  at  the  entrance 
day  and  night  ? 

(2) — Supering. —  Some  three  weeks  since  I  placed  a 
very  large  swarm  into  one  of  Abbott's  Standard  Hives, 
No.  1,  supplied  with  comb-foundation  to  each  of  the  ten 
frames.  They  were  very  soon  settled  in  their  new  domi- 
cile, and  began  to  work  with  a  will  amongst  the  field 
beans,  of  which  there  are  many  acres  in  blossom  in  the 
immediate  locality.  Under  such  favourable  circumstances, 
should  supers  be  supplied  to  them  this  year  ;  and  when  ? 
I  have  given  them  one  bottle  of  syrup  only.  The  last  few 
days  I  have  noticed  several  drones  passing  in  and  out  of 
the  hive.     Did  they  come  with  the  swarm  ? — C.  N.  H. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  347. —  Ventilation. — When  Mr. 
Cowan  advocated  the  lowering  of  floor-  and  the  raising  of 
crown  boards  for  winter  ventilation,  he  kept  his  bees 
within  doors,  in  lofts,  &c,  where  they  were  not  subject 
to  severe  storms  of  wind.  We  cannot  say  if  he  now 
advocates  the  plan ;  but  certainly  we  do  not,  particularly 
in  '  severe  frosty  weather.'  In  summer,  when  there  is 
much  fanning,  we  recommend  bottom  ventilation,  by  en- 
larging the  entrance,  or  lowering  the  floor-board  along 
the  front.  Perhaps  Mr.  Cowan  will  oblige  us  all  round 
by  giving  his  later  experience  in  his  new  locality., 

(2)  Put  on  the  supers  by  all  means,  as  advised  in  the 
Journal  for  June,  lately  to  hand.  The  drones  may  have 
come  with  the  swarm,  or  have  found  their  way  into  the 
hive  since.  Perhaps  the  hive  contemplates  throwing  off 
a  virgin  swarm,  in  which  case  the  drones  would  be  wel- 
come, though  strangers. — Ed. 

Query  No.  348. — Extracting. — ( 1)  I  find  your  extractor 
most  valuable,  more  especially  for  the  stock  hives,  as  the 
bees  in  old  hives  rarely  go  up  into  supers.  When  a  hive 
is  very  full  of  bees  I  rind  it  generally  impossible  to  find 
the  queen  without  shaking  the  bees  off,  so  as  to  put  the 
comb  in  the  extractor.  I  always  put  a  large  board  in 
front  of  the  entrance  and  shake  the  bees  on  to  it.  Is 
there  much  risk  of  losing  the  queen  by  so  doing? 

(2)  One  of  my  stock-hives  swarmed  on  the  0th  June, 
and  has  not  swarmed  since.  It  was  full  of  honey  and 
bees,  and  I  took  out  all  the  combs  yesterday,  and  ex- 
tracted the  honey.  In  so  doing  I  did  not  see  a  trace  of 
brood  in  any  stages.  Do  you  think  the  hive  will  be 
queenless  ?  It  is  crammed  with  bees,  and  after  shaking 
theni  on  to  a  board  they  ran  into  the  hive,  and  many  set 
(stood  on  their  heads)  at  the  entrance.  Is  this  latter  per- 
formance a  certain  sign  that  they  have  a  queen  ?  If  so,  why 
does  she  not  breed? — J.  W.  II.,  Uipon,  June  29. 

Reply  to  Q,uery  No.  348. — There  is  not  much  im- 
mediate risk  of  losing  the  queen  by  the  mode  of  operating 
suggested;  but  it  is  very  likely  to  cause  robbing,  as 
when  the  bees  are  shaken  on  to  the  board  some  of  the 


liquid  honey  will  be  shaken  out ;  and  if  the  bees  of  other 
hives  are  not  more  agreeably  engaged  in  fields  of  plenty 
they  will  be  attracted  there  too.  The  bees  of  the  hive 
operated  on  having  been  '  quieted,'  will  not  be  in  good 
condition  to  repel  robbers,  and  much  evil  might  result. 

(2)  Twenty-one  days  after  first  swarming  is  about  the 
time  when  there  is  least  likelihood  of  finding  brood  in 
the  hive.  The  bees  standing  on  their  heads  is  not  a  sign 
of  queenlessness  or  otherwise,  but  is  more  indicative  of 
alarm  on  their  part.  The  queen  is  probably  not  more 
than  about  ten  to  twelve  days  old  ;  she  will,  if  present, 
begin  to  lay  in  a  day  or  two. — Ed. 

NOTICES  TO  CORRESPONDENTS  &  INQUIRERS. 

M. — Pluralitihof  Queens  with  Carfs.— The  experience  re- 
lated was  anticipated  on  p.  44  of  our  last  issue.   It  is  not 
uncommon  for  several  queens  to  come  off  with  a  cast. 
J.  Bruce. — If  you  will  kindly  favour   us  with  your 

address  we  shall  be  glad  to  communicate  with  you. 
Inquirer. — 1.   The  mode   of  fixing  guides  was  fully 
explained  in  May  Journal.     2.  We  cannot  tell  the  best 
week  or  month  for  taking  the  honey  and  uniting  the 
bees  to  other  stocks,  but  should  do  it  at  the  end  of  the 
harvest.     3.  There  is  no  objection  whatever  to  healthy 
old  comb  for  wintering  and  breeding  in.     4.  Uniting 
was  fully  described  in   October  Journal.     It  means 
rnariying  the  bees  of  different  stocks  without  respect 
to  the  combs  they  are  on.     5.  Honey  flies  out  of  that 
side  of  the  comb  which  is  farthest  from  the  centre  of 
the  machine ;  the  whirling  tends  to  throw  it  from  the 
centre  as  water  is  thrown  from  a  '  trundled '  mop,  or 
mud  from  the  wheel  of  a  carriage.    Centrifugal  force 
acting  in  an  outward  direction  from  the  centre,  it  is 
impossible  that  the  honey  on  the  inner  side  of  the 
comb  can  be  extracted  thereby. 
Wasps,  Limerick. — Wasps  do  not   attack  bees.     They 
will  plunder  from  their  stores  if  they  can  reach  them, 
or  they  will  bite  off  the  abdomen  of  an  injured  bee  and 
carry  it  away  for  home  consumption,  but  they  will  not 
face  or  fight  a  healthy  one.     To  keep  them  out  of  a 
hive,  the   population  should  be  sufficiently  strong  to 
protect  it;  keep  the  entrance  narrow,  and  fill  up  all 
openings  about  the  edges,  that  the  bees  may  have  only 
the  one  opening  to  defend.     It  is,  however,  far  better 
to  get  rid  of  the  wasps ;  find  their  nest  and  inject  a 
gill  of  turpentine  into  it,  closing  the  hole  with  a  plaster 
of  soft  clay.     If  this  be  done  at  night,  when  all  are  at 
home,  all  will  be  killed,  and  may  be  dug  out  in  half-an- 
hour.     No  fire  is  required. 
Post-cards. — The  reply  was  sent  per  post-card,  there 
being  no  stamp  or  envelope  enclosed  with  the  query. 
During  the  week  ending  the  17th  July  we  replied  per 
post  to  nearly  two  hundred  queries  on  bee  matters,  for 
ninety-one  of  which  we  had  to  pay  the  postage.     Our 
poor  right  hand  often  protests  against  the  labour  of 
writing  so  much ;  although  change  of  work  is  some- 
times considered  as  good  as  play,  it  is  not  particularly 
refreshing  to  have  to  put  it  so  often  into  our  own 
pocket.     LickiDg  penny  stamps  under  such   circum- 
stances is  not  conducive  to  health  or  good  temper. 
Post-cards  in  these  cases,  if  not  thankfully  received, 
ought  at  least  to  be  considered  of  value. 
R.  S.,  Bedford. — Swarms   returning  to    their   hives. — 
Your  remarks  on  swarms  issuing  and  returning  apply 
generally  this  year,  the  queens  which  have  survived 
the  winter   appearing  to  be  unable  to  join  them,  as 
explained   in   previous  Journals.     Coupling  this  with 
the  fact  so  commonly  observed  this  year  of  queens 
being  destroyed  by  encasement,  an  idea  is  suggested 
that  they  were  victims  to  the  stimulative  efforts  of 
the  bees  at  a  time  when  breeding  could  not  go  on 
through  the  absence  of  pollen.     On  no  other  ground 
can  we  account  for  the  loss  of  and  injury  to  queens 
that  have  been  so  prevalent  during  this  season. 


ADVERTISEMENTS  TO  THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL.         [Aug.  1,  1880. 


BEE  AND  HONEY  SHOWS  FIXED  FOR  1680. 


Aug.  S.- 
Aug. 10, 
Aug.  11 
Aug.  11, 
Aug.  11, 
Aug.  18, 
Aug.  20, 
Aug.  25. 
Aug.  26, 
Sept.  4.- 
Sept.  9.- 
Sept.  13. 


West  Kent. 
-Weston  super  Mare. 
— Melksham. 
— Dorsetshire  County. 
12. — Surrey  County. 
19.—  Shropshire  County. 
21. — Herts  County,  at  St.  Albans. 
— East  Scotland.     Arbroath. 
27,  28.— At  Dundee. 
-Stirling. 

-Lincolnshire,  at  Boston. 
—Honey  Fair,  Grantham. 


BEE  TENT  ENGAGEMENTS. 

BRITISH    BEE-KEEPERS'    ASSOCIATION. 

Aug.  3. — West  Wycombe. 

Aug.  5. — West  Kent  Show. 

Aug.  11. — Dorchester. 

Aug.  11. — Eastbourne. 

Aug.  11,  12. — Surrey  County  Show. 

Aug.  18,  19. — Shropshire  County  Show. 

Aug.  24. — Long  Buckby  Horticultural  Show. 

Aug.  27.— Sandy. 

Sept.  3. — Devon  and  Exeter  County  Show. 

Sept.  7. — Suffolk  County  Show  at  Ipswich. 

Sept.  7,  8. — Warwick  County  Show. 

Sept.  17. — Great  Dunmow. 

HERTFORDSHIRE  COUNTY  ASSOCIATION. 

Aug.  3. — Frogmore  Cottage  Garden  Show. 
*  Aug.  18. — Rickmansworth. 

Aug.  20,  21. — County  Show  of  Flowers,  Fruits,  Vege- 
tables, Bees,  Hives,  &c,  at  St.  Albans. 

Aug.  27. — Much  Hadham  Cottage  Garden  Show. 

Sept.  2. — Harpenden  Horticultural  Show. 

Sept.  9. — Bengeo  Cottage  Garden  Show. 

TOUR  IN  IRELAND. 

Aug.  10. — Royal  Agricultural  Show  in  Clonmel. 
Aug.  18. — Maryborough  County  Agricultural  Show. 
Aug.  28. — Newry. 
Sept.  2. — Newtownards  Flower  Show.    Near  Belfast. 

VEGETABLE     PARCHMENT    for    Covering 
Glasses  and  Jars  of  Honey,  Ac,  2s.  per  lb.     Sample 
Sheet,  id.     Prices  for  larger  quotations  on  application. 
Abbott  Bkos. 

COMB  FOUNDATION.— The  best  American, 
as  per  Abbott's  Catalogue.  RAITT'S  FOUNDATION 
at  his  prices,  from  Abbott  Bkos.,  Fairlawn,  Southall,  Mid- 
dlesex. 

FOR  SALE.— Two  Double-walled  WOODBURY 
HIVES,  with  fixed  legs.  Complete,  10s.  6d.  each. 
One  Single-wall  WOODBURY  HIVE,  with  two  Supers,  7s.  6rf. 
HONEY  EXTRACTOR,  5s.  'BEE  JOURNAL'— Vol.  II., 
commencing  at  No.  17  ;  Vol.  HI.,  complete  ;  Vol.  IV.,  com- 
plete ;  10s.  6rf.     C.  H.  Goodman,  Lesness  Heath,  Kent. 

REMOVAL.— A  few   BLACK  'STOCKS  or 
SWARMS  to  SELL.     Earliest  in  the  neighbourhood. 
Station  Master,  C.L.C.,  Winsford.  fo.  47 

BY   KIND    PERMISSION. 

PHOTOGRAPHS  of  the  late  JOHN  HUNTER, 
Esq.   may  be  obtained  of  T.  B.  Blow,  Welwyn,  Herts. 
Prices — Cabinet,  Is.  liil. ;  Carte-de-Visite,  Is. 

MODERN  BEE-KEEPING.     A  Handbook  for 
Cottagers.     Price   Git.      Published  by  the    British 
Bee-Keepers'  Association. 


SUBSCRIBERS'   COLUMN. 


To  meet  the  wants  of  Subscribers  who  require  a  cheap 
mode  of  advertising  their  wants,  we  have  opened  an 
Advertising  Column,  for  non-trading  Subscribers  only, 
wherein  they  may  make  their  wants  or  wishes  known 
at  the  rate  of  One  Penny  for  every  six  words,  or  part 
of  six  words,  but  no  advertisement  must  contain  more 
than  thirty-six  words. 

Stamps  to  accompany  in  all  cases,  and  there  can  be  no 
reduction  for  repetitions. 

FOR  SALE. — Vol.  HI.  of  British  Bee  Journal,  complete. 
Unbound,  4s. 

LANGSTROTH  on  'The  Hive  and  Honey  Bee.'     9s. 
Free. 

UINBY  on  '  The  Mysteries  of  the  Bee-hive.'    8s.  &d. 

Free. 


Q 


FOR  SALE. - 
Is.  each. 


•Nos.  2,  3,  4,  8,  and  10,  of  B.  B.  Journal, 


"T7~OL.  H.  B.  B.  Journal,  with  Index,  minus  the  No.  for 


V 


May,  5s. 
OL.  H.  B.  B.  Journal,  minus  May  and  Aug.  Nos.,  3s. 


"NDEX,  Vol.  I.    Price  6d.    Apply  to  Editor. 


fo.  100 


s 


END  Two  Stamps  for  Abbott  Bros'.  Catalogue.   Southall, 
Middlesex. 


DRY  PUFF  BALL,  for  fumigating  Bees.  Will  render 
them  perfectly  harmless  to  the  comfort  of  the  most 
timid.  Is.  per  packet.  S.  F.  Clutten,  Fressingfield, 
Harleston,  Norfolk.  fo.  32 

WILL  give  3s.  6<f.  per  year  for  '  American  Bee  Journal,' 
or  '  Gleanings  in  Bee  Culture,'  post  free,  end  of 
month,  or  6s.  for  both.     C.  E.  Norton,  Shaftesbury,    fo.  45 


BEES  for  SALE.— Good  strong  Stocks  in  Straw  (4) ;   or 
would  exchange  for  Abbott's  Royal  Paris  Prize  Double- 
walled  Hives.     J.  Traynor,  Tinahely. 

FOR  SALE. — Several  strong  Swarms  in  Frame  Hives. 
Apply  to  W.  Smith,  Strensall  Vicarage,  York.      fo.  49 

FOR  SALE. — 6  Drawers  for  Supers,  for  Woodbury  Hive. 
2  Crystal  Palace  Supers.  1  Abbott's  Tin  Feeding 
Regulator,  complete.  4  Abbott's  Feeding  Bottles,  small 
size.  9  Feeding  Stages.  1  Edwards'  do.,  tin.  2  Neigh- 
bour's do.  2  Swarm  Boxes.  1  Straw  Storifier,  complete. 
2  Pagden's  Nadirs.  4  Pagden's  Adapting  Boards  for  Queen 
exclusion.  4  Nucleus  Hives.  1  Can's  Hive,  complete  with 
Stand  and  Floor-board.  1  Carr-Stewarton,  and  Floor-board 
and  Stand.  1  Carr-Stewarton  Honey-box.  2  Ditto  Supers. 
1  Sherrington  Super.  To  clear  out,  low  prices  will  be  taken. 
Letters  to  Editor.  fo.  200 

I  '.  ""HREE  Neighbour's  Mahogany-top  Feeders,  3s.  each. 
1  1  Neighbour's  35s.  Improved  Cottager's  Hive,  second- 
hand, with  3  bell-glasses,  10s.  6d.  1  Land  Measuring  Chain, 
66  feet  (invaluable  for  Cricketers),  3s.  6<J.  1  Hexagon  Stock 
Box,  1  window,  2s.  6d.  2  Octagon  Stock  Boxes,  3  windows, 
each,  3s.  &d.  Nucleus  Hive  3  Woodbury  Frames,  each,  2s.  6rf. 
Nucleus  Hive  3  Standard  size  Frames,  each,  3s.  6d. 

FOR   SALE  or  EXCHANGE.— A   General   System  of 
Nature  through  the  Three  Grand  Kingdoms,  by  Linne, 
7  vols.,  leather,  beautiful  condition.     Published  1806. 

[These  are  the  property  of  a  Cottage  Bee-keeper,  near 
Bristol,  who  is  leading  off  a  pure  English  Queen  and  Swarm 
of  young  Britons  to  New  Zealand. — Ed.] 

PRIME  BEES'  WAX  at  Is.  9d.  per  lb.,  in  large 
or  small  quantities.    Address  Abbott  Bros.,  Fairlawn, 
Southall. 


THE 


[No.  89.    Vol.  VIII.] 


SEPTEMBER,  1880. 


[Published  Monthly.] 


(flfoftflfrial,  Itoitus,  tfcc, 


THE  BEE  TENT  IN  IRELAND. 

On  Wednesday,  the  4th  ultimo,  the  Tent  of  the 
British  Bee-keepers'  Association  was  entrusted  to 
the  care  of  the  London  and  South-Western  Railway 
Company  in  London  for  transport  to  Clonmel  Show- 
yard,  on  the  distinct  understanding,  as  expressed 
on  the  address  label,  that  it  should  be  delivered  at    : 
the  latter  place  on  Monday,  the  9th,  to  be  in  good    | 
time  for  the  Show,  which  had  been  fixed  for  the    I 
11th,  12th,  and  13th  of  that  month.     In  perfect   I 
confidence  that  the   arrangements  were  complete,    ' 
Messrs.  Abbott  and  Carr,  as  representatives  of  the    I 
British  Bee-keepers'  Association,  accompanied  by 
Mr.  Timberlake,  who  was  to  take  charge  of  the 
Tent,  started  for  Ireland  on  the  7th,  vid  Bristol,  and 
arrived  at  Waterford  on  the  evening  of  the  8th 
(Sunday). 

The  journey  to  Bristol  was  performed  in  a  cease- 
less downpour  of  rain,  which  continued   until  the 
vessel,  the  steamship  Reginald,  started  at  a  quarter 
past  seven  p.m.,  when  the  wind  arose  and  blew  a 
hurricane   such   as  had   not   been  known  in    the 
summer   season   for   many   years,   as  testified    by 
Captain  Bunns  and  his  chief  mate  ;  and  the  passen- 
gers in  consequence  were  exceedingly  discomfited. 
The  passage  occupied  21i  hours,  and  but  for  the 
weather  would  have   been   most   enjoyable.     The 
cabin  arrangements  were  perfect,  but  the  steerage 
was  simply  abominable  from  the  smell  of  cattle  and 
the  deodorisers  (1)  used  for  sanitary  purposes;  and 
the  poor  fellows  with  their  wives  and  families,  who 
for  their  own  comfort  (V)  had  stowed  themselves 
amidship  in  the  cattle  pens,  suffered  terribly.     The 
scenery  on  both  sides  (leaving  Bristol)  is  magnifi- 
cent, and  but  for  the  smoke  of  the  tug  which  towed 
the  ship  out  of  harbour,  was  an  unmitigated  source 
of  pleasure  ;  but  when  cast  off,  and  the  ship  reached 
the   open   sea,  the   faces  of  the  majority   of  the 
passengers    paled    considerably,    and    appeals    to 
steward  and  stewardess  were  unpleasantly  frequent, 
many,  especially  the  ladies,  becoming   quite  pro- 
strated.    The  night  passed,  however,  and  by  mid- 
day the  wind  moderated,  and  about  2  p.m.  sails 
were  hoisted,  when  the  ship  flew  over  the  water, 


Central  Railway  autho- 

an   introduction   to  Mr. 

manager,    through    Mr. 

Gate,  St.  James's,   and 


and  the  passengers  began  to  reappear ;  Ireland 
was  well  in  sight,  the  rugged  outline  gradually 
assumed  form,  and  presently  its  beautiful  scenery 
came  well  into  view,  and  elicited  the  intense 
admiration  of  all.  A  pleasant  passage  of  nineteen 
miles  through  the  tortuous  windings  of  the  river 
Suir,  each  bend  discovering  fresh  beauties,  com- 
pleted the  journey  to  Waterford  at  about  5  p.m. 

On  arrival,  our  first  care  was  for  the  bees  we  had 
with  us,  it  being  important  that  they  should  be  set 
at  liberty ;  and  having  discovered  an  hotel  (the 
Adelphi),  where  the  accommodation  could  be  ob- 
tained, we  took  up  our  quarters  there. 

Next  day  we  ('  we '  includes  the  whole  trio) 
sought  out  the  Waterford  Shipping  Company,  and 
having  represented  to  them  that  our  visit  to  Ire- 
land was  for  Ireland's  benefit,  they  cheerfully 
remitted  the  charge  made  at  Bristol  in  respect  of 
the  transit  of  the  bees,  which  we  were  not  then  in 
a  position  to  question.  Our  next  business  was 
with  the  Waterford  and 
rities,  Mr.  Carr  having 
Williams,  the  courteous 
White,  of  Queen  Anne's 
were  most  kindly  received. 

Mr.  AVilliams  showed  us  every  possible  attention 
and  gave  great  assistance,  obligingly  issuing  free 
passes  to  and  fro  between  Waterford  and  Mary- 
borough on  that  railway,  an  example  that  remained 
unique.  In  packing  up  the  bees  for  transit  to 
Clonmel  we  discovered  that  one  of  the  queens  had 
died,  perhaps  of  sea-sickness,  and  a  telegram  was 
sent  to  Southall  for  another,  which  duly  arrived  by 
post,  a  circumstance  that  caused  considerable 
interest  at  the  Show-yard,  as  may  be  inferred  from 
the  Press  reports  of  the  Show.  Our  journey  from 
Waterford  to  Clomnel  took  us  through  near  thirty 
miles  of  mountainous  country  of  undoubted  fertility, 
the  scenery  beingsimply  charming.  We  saw  two  skeps 
of  bees  only  on  the  way,  the  first  we  have  seen  in  Ire- 
land,— a  circumstance  the  more  to  be  deplored  since 
the  land  is  literally  overflowing  with  honey,  clover, 
limes,  and  heather  abounding  in  profusion.  On 
reaching  the  show-yard,  we  were  taken  aback  by 
the  information  that  the  Bee  Tent  had  not  turned 
up,  and  no  bees  having  been  obtained  we  felt  con- 
siderably nonplussed.  Playing  Handet  without 
the  Prince  of  Denmark  was  not  our  forte,  so 
scattering,  we    hunted   the    railway   stations,   the 


82 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[September  1,  1880. 


Show-yard,  and  the  quays,  and  could  get  no  tidings 
of  it,  but  were  buoyed  up  by  the  information  that 
trains  and  boats  would  be  shortly  due,  and  it  might 
yet  be  in  time.  For  the  absence  of  bees  we  were 
in  a  measure  prepared  by  a  communication  re- 
ceived ere  starting  from  England  from  the  Rev.  G. 
A.  Procter  of  Tullamelan,  an  advanced  bee-keeper 
of  the  modern  school,  who,  while  deploring  the 
almost  total  absence  of  bees  around  Clonmel 
through  the  badness  of  former  seasons  and  the 
ignorance  of  bee-keepers  in  general,  gave  hope  of 
substantial  aid  from  his  own  apiary.  Pending  the 
coming  of  the  trains,  &c,  in  which  our  hopes  for 
the  arrival  of  the  Bee  Tent  were  centred,  a  visit 
was  made  to  Mr.  Procter ;  and  it  is  with  no  slight 
degree  of  pleasure  that  we  are  able  to  report  on  the 
excellence  of  his  bee-keeping  arrangements.  Nearly 
fifty  large  hives  containing  Langstroth  frames  (18 
inches  by  11)  studded  his  apiary,  every  one  evi- 
dencing health  and  prosperity,  though  a  temporary 
lull,  through  a  spell  of  bad  weather,  had  prevented 
the  completion  of  the  magnificent  supers  and 
sections  with  which  the  majority  of  the  hives  were 
surmounted  or  surrounded.  It  may,  however,  be 
taken  for  granted  that  the  splendid  weather  with 
which  the  country  is  now  blessed,  will  enable  the 
bees  to  complete  a  magnificent  harvest,  and  many 
hundredweights  will  yet  be  stored  in  this  '  vale  of 
honey,'  the  beautiful  '  Glen  meil '  known  in  the 
present  day  as  Clonmel.  Mr.  Procter  manufactures 
his  own  hives  and  the  chief  of  his  appliances,  and 
dearly  loves  his  bees;  yet  in  the  interest  of  the 
science  had  prepared  himself  by  the  purchase  of 
strainer  canvas,  to  be  tempted  to  send  what  he 
could  to  the  show  ground  for  manipulation,  and 
this  he  most  willingly  undertook  and  did,  and 
justly  deserves  the  thanks  of  the  Irish  community 
for  his  generous  kindness,  for  without  his  help  the 
Bee  Show  at  Clonmel  would  have  been  poor  indeed. 
We  (Carr  and  Abbott)  were  most  kindly  entertained 
at  Tullamelan,  and  left  our  hospitable  friend  in  need 
with  feelings  of  sincere  gratitude. 

Returning  to  the  Railway  Station,  our  hopes  for 
the  Tent  were  so  weakened  that  preparations  were 
made  for  extemporising  a  substitute,  which,  how- 
ever, could  not  be  made  ready  until  the  evening  of 
the  11th  ;  and  thus  the  first  day  of  the  Show  was 
lost  so  far  as  the  object  of  our  visit  was  concerned. 
Writing  solely  in  respect  of  the  latter,  for  our 
Journal  is  '  devoted  to  bee-cult  are,'  and  cannot 
meddle  in  other  matters,  we  may  safely  say  that 
the  proceedings  in  the  extemporised  Bee  Tent,  not- 
withstanding the  difficulties  of  the  case,  produced  a 
profound  sensation. 

.     The  Freeman's  Journal  says, — 

'  A  good  deal  of  interest  was  centred  in  the  "  Bee 
Tent."  It  was  expected  that  the  mysteries  of  bee-cul- 
ture would  have  been  exhibited  and  illustrated  yester- 
day ;  and  in  point  of  fact  everything  was  ready  for  the 
purpose.  The  Tent  was  there,  the  lecturer  was  there, 
the  gauze  nets  were  provided  in  profusion,  and  the 
public  were  ready  to  he  informed  ;  but  the  busy  bees 
themselves  were  not  forthcoming.*    It  appears  that  a 

*  This  statement  is  rather  (garbled,  and  considering  it  was 
the  Tent  and  not  the  bees  that  went  astray,  may  be'iegarded 


supply  of  these  industrious  little  insects  were  (sic)  for- 
warded from  London  ;  but,  unfortunately,  the  Cockney 
strangers  went  astray  on  the  road,  and  did  not  turn  up  in 
time.  The  result  was  that  Irish  bees  had  been  substituted, 
and  seem  to  take  rather  kindly  to  the  experiments.  It 
is  a  curious  fact,  and  one  illustrating  a  strange  incident 
in  the  development  of  bee-culture,  that  the  queen-bee 
was  actually  sent  by  post  from  London.  She  was  en- 
closed in  a  box  with  a  wire-gauze  cover ;  attending  her 
majesty  was  a  small  retinue  of  her  loyal  subjects,  who, 
as  was  explained  by  the  bee-lecturer,  fed  her  on  the  way, 
a  small  tube  of  water  and  some  sugar  having  been  sup- 
plied by  way  of  provision  for  the  journey  to  Ireland. 
In  the  afternoon  the  science  of  bee-keeping  was  fully 
explained  in  a  most  interesting  lecture.' 

The  Irish  Times  gives  a  far  more  lucid  account 
of  the  proceedings,  which  testifies  to  the  painstaking 
energy  of  the  reporters  for  that  distinguished  news- 
paper.    It  says  : — 

'  Under  the  auspices  of  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Associa- 
tion, a  series  of  demonstrations  as  to  the  most  approved 
manipulation  of  bees  is  being  given.  Unfortunately,  the 
Tent  of  the  Association  was  lost,  and  an  extemporised 
screen  had  to  be  erected,  so  that  the  experiments  were 
conducted  somewhat  under  difficulties.  The  operations 
witnessed  were  extremely  interesting.  Mr,  Abbott  of 
Southall,  London,  manipulated  the  bees  as  if  they  had  no 
stings,  while  Mr.  Carr  of  Manchester  explained  the  various 
operations.  We  were  shown  how  to  drive  the  bees  from 
hive  to  hive,  and  thus  assist  nature  in  forming  swarms, 
and  preventing  the  bees  wasting  valuable  time  in  clus- 
tering about  the  hive's  mouth,  a  most  useful  feature. 
The  management  of  frame-hives  was  also  shown,  a  hive 
having  been  brought  from  London  for  that  purpose. 
Queens  also  were  exhibited,  the  mode  of  raising  them 
from  the  egg,  the  shape  and  state  of  the  cells  in  which 
they  are  cradled,  all  being  most  eagerly  explained. 
There  are  so  many  features  of  interest  connected  with 
this  department  of  the  show  that  full  description  is 
impossible,  and  a  visit  most  essential.  There  are  nu- 
merous appliances  on  view,  the  uses  of  which  were 
explained,  and  created  great  interest,  such  as  the  mode 
of  feeding  bees,  extracting  honey,  packing  hives  for 
summer  and  winter,  the  use  of  supers,  the  mode  of  fixing 
comb-foundation  to  help  the  bees  in  their  work  of  comb- 
building,  the  mode  of  sending  out  queen-bees  per  post  or 
otherwise,  the  cages  used  in  introducing  them,  and  many 
other  matters  which  tend  to  show  the  depth  of  thought 
and  care  bestowed  on  the  cidtivation  of  these  interesting 
and  valuable  insects.  The  Rev'.'  G.  A.  Procter,  of  Tulla- 
melan, one  of  the  stewards,  was  present ;  and  endorsed 
the  views  of  the  exhibitors  as  to  the  profitable  nature  of 
bee-keeping  as  a  business  pursuit,  himself  keeping  bees 
extensively  on  the  modern  system.  Doubtless  the  visit 
of  the  British  Bee  Tent  will  be  most  valuable,  as  the 
bees  perform  so  important  a  part  in  agriculture.' 

The  Clonmel  Chronicle  gives  the  following  excel- 
lent account  of  the  experiments,  which  were  many 
times  repeated  : — 

'  Owing  to  some  disappointment  the  Tent  of  the  British 
Bee  Association  did  not  arrive  in  time,  but  the  officials 
connected  with  this  interesting  exhibition  improvised  a 
marquee,  which  was  found  to  answer  the  purpose  excel- 
lently. They  had  with  them  a  good  stock  of  bees,  and 
the  various  improved  modern  appliances,  which  ilus- 
trated  most  perfectly  the  system  of  bee-keeping.  They 
were  also  kindly  favoured  with  a  strong  stock  of  bees 


as  unique,  The  '  gauze  nets  in  profusion  '  consisted  of  one 
straight  piece  of  gauze  twelve  yards  long  and  nearly  a  yard 
wide  attached  to  the  side  of  the  Tent  for  the  public  to  see 
thiough, — Ed. 


September  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


83 


belonging  to  an  esteemed  clergyman  in  this  neighbour- 
hood, the  Rev.  George  A.  Procter,  Rector  of  Tullamelan, 
who  takes  an  enlightened  interest  in  this  special  and 
interesting  subject.  The  tent  was  opened  for  exhibition 
on  Thursday  and  on  yesterday  at  stated  hours  each  day, 
and  on  these  occasions  a  number  of  very  interesting  ex- 
periments were  displayed  by  Mr.  C.  N.  Abbott,  Editor 
of  the  British  Bee  Journal,  in  a  most  successful  manner  ; 
while  Mr.  W.  Carr,  of  Manchester,  delivered  addresses 
respecting  the  different  modes  of  bee-keeping,  as  illus- 
trated by  the  various  manipulations  which  Mr.  Abbott 
had  gone  through.  The  interesting  process  of  driving 
bees  from  a  full  hive  to  an  empty  one  was  shown,  and 
perfectly  carried  out.  The  modus  operandi  was  as  fol- 
lows:— From  a  tube,  to  which  a  small  bellows  was 
attached,  a  quantity  of  smoke,  obtained  from  burning 
pieces  of  brown  paper,  corduroy, — in  fact,  anything 
igniteable,  was  ejected  over  the  top  of  the  combs,  when 
the  bees  becoming  alarmed,  rushed  to  their  cells,  and 
filled  themselves  with  their  store  of  honey  to  carry  airay 
with  them  in  their  emergency.  The  operator  then 
struck  the  sides  of  the  straw  skep  (or  hive),  when  the 
bees  commenced  to  migrate  from  the  lower  to  the  upper 
chamber — in  .fact,  swarming  out,  but  slowly,  well  tilled 
with  honey.  As  was  afterwards  shown,  the  bees 
became  quite  tame,  and  Mr.  Carr  handed  round  to 
the  visitors  literally  bunches  of  the  little  insects.  The 
more  courageous  of  the  lookers-on  received  them  at  first 
rather  unwillingly,  but  with  perfect  impunity,  as  the 
result  proved.  While  present  we  did  not  hear  of  a 
sting  having  been  suffered  by  any  one.  So  much  for 
the  process  of  "  driving."  Several  times  the  queen-bee 
was  captured  from  the  swarm  and  exhibited  around. 
She  was  distinguished  b"y  her  greater  length,  smaller 
body,  lighter  colour,  and  smaller  wings  overlapping  eacli 
other  across  the  body.  We  may  mention  in  connexion 
'  with  this  part  of  the  exhibition  that  the  owners  of  the 
tent,  in  coming  across  from  England,  lost  one  of  their 
queen-bees.  They  sent  a  message  back  to  their  head- 
quarters to  be  supplied  with  another,  and  she  arrived 
safely  by  post.  Next  it  was  shown  how  much  easier 
and  better  it  is  to  keep  bees  in  bar-fraine  hives,  from 
which  the  honey  can  be  taken  away  with  great  facility ; 
further,  how  much  better  the  practice  is  of  creating 
artificial  swarms  than  to  leave  the  bees  to  their  own 
habits  of  swarruing,  when  there  is  considerable  likelihood 
of  losing  the  honey.  -There  was  a  further  interesting 
experiment  shown,  viz.,  a  mode  of  extracting  the  honey 
in  a  machine'  into  which  the  comb  was  placed ;  the 
handle  was  then  twirled  round  rapidly,  and  the  honey 
driven  out  into  'a  y.ecpive&..by  centrifugal  force.  Thus 
the  pure  liquid  was  obtained  wit)iou>  any  admixture  of 
the  wax,  whilst  the  brood',  in  the  comb  were  perfectly 
preserved.' 

Leaving  Clonmel,  we  returned  to  Waterford, 
whence  we  were  enabled  to  take  advantage  of  the 
'  passes,'  so  kindly  furnished,  over  the  railway  to 
Maryborough,  at  which  place  we  arrived  on  Monday, 
the  16th,  and  were  most  kindly  received  by  Dr. 
Symes,  the  local  Hon.  Secretary  of  the  Show,  and 
by  his  help  enabled  to  secure  bees  for  manipulation 
from  Mountmellick,  a  village  near  by.  Our  appear- 
ance at  this  place  was  welcomed  by  the  bee-keeping 
gentry,  who  were  glad  of  our  services  in  rectifying 
their  hives,  and  the  '  charm  '  which  was  supposed 
to  influence  the  bees  was  the  subject  of  much 
wonderment,  though  nothing  was  used  but 
tobacco-smoke.  The  road  from  Maryborough  to 
Mountmellick  runs  across  a  peat  moor  of  many 
miles  extent,  covered  in  the  main  with  beautiful 
blooming  heather,  which  would  have  yielded  tons 
of  honey  had  there  been  bees  to  extract  it ;  but 


alas  !  the  bees  were  not  there,  and  the  honey  wasted 
itself  in  a  land  where  waste  of  any  kind  can  be  but 
ill  afforded.  On  the  evening  before  the  Sbowwe  heard 
of  a  stock  of  bees  at  a  farm  at  Rosslean  (]),  about  a 
mile  from  Maryborough,  whose  owner,  Mr.  Clarke, 
offered  them  for  manipulation  if  we  would  put  the 
bees  into  a  new  hive.  They  had  been  ten  years  in 
their  then  abode,  and  he  had  never  had  any  profit 
from  them,  and  thought  the  combs  must  be  too  old. 
We  at  once  started  (with  Mr.  Carr),  and  discovered 
one  of  the  finest  specimens  of  bee  colonisation  we 
had  ever  seen .  It  consisted  of  an  old  cheese-box  set  on 
a  pig-tub  top,  and  surmounted  with  three  old  skeps, 
which  had  stood  so  long  and  suffered  so  much  from 
exposure  that  they  were  as  rotten  as  tinder,  and 
bad  subsided,  the  upper  into  the  lower,  until  all 
above  the  cheese-box  was  a  heap  of  old  comb  and 
powdered  thatch.  There  were  holes  all  round  it, 
one,  where  a  rat  had  nestled,  being  as  large  as  a 
saucer,  and  several  others  through  which  mice  and 
snails  had  played  hide-and-seek.  The  cheese-box 
had  sunk  in  at  the  top,  and  the  floor-board  had 
rotted  at  all  its  joints,  so  that  the  bees  could  get  in 
and  out  all  round  it,  and  all  over  it  indeed,  for  it 
was  thoroughly  'honey-combed.'  The  bees  having 
had  no  disturbance  for  years  were  hot-headed  home 
rulers,  and  resented  our  inquisition,  but,  after  con- 
sultation, we  determined  to  operate  upon  them 
forthwith,  as  they  were  totally  unfit  for  removal  to 
the  show-ground,  since  it  was  almost  impossible  to 
confine  them  for  transit.  We  therefore  had  an 
'  exhibition  '  at  short  notice,  and  having  explained 
to  Mr.  Clarke  and  his  farm-men  what  would  be 
done,  set  to  work,  and  having  smoked  the  bees  in 
(for  they  were  lying  out  all  over  the  heap),  and 
done  our  best  to  make  theni  gorge  themselves,  we 
chopped  and  prised  the  whJl<?*thing  to  pieces  with 
a  spade,  and  having  forced  out  what  bees  we  could 
by  kicking  the  clumps,  and  ascertained  that  the 
queen  was  safe  in  the  new  hive,  we  tore  the  comb 
to  pieces  in  the  best  way  we  could,  separated  the 
brood-combs  from  those  containing  honey,  brushed 
the  bees  on  to  or  about  their  stand,  and  received 
the  most  earnest  thanks  of  the  farmer,  and  the 
offer  of  all  the  honey  and  combs  we  had  removed 
for  our  trouble,  an  offer  which,  under  the  circum- 
stances, we  begged  leave  to  decline.  Never  in  our 
experience  had  we  seen  such  a  case  ;  here  was  a 
box  of  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  thickness 
standing  on  a  big  floor-board,  exposed  to  all  the 
vicissitudes  of  the  climate,  rotten  and  full  of  hole.., 
exposed  also  at  all  points  to  invasion  by  insect  and 
other  enemies,  yet  continuing  strong,  healthy,  and 
prosperous. 

After  such  an  experience,  one's  faith  in  the 
necessity  for  elaborate  contrivances  and  gimcrack 
hives,  with  special  appliances  for  summering  and 
wintering,  would  be  considerably  impaired,  and 
the  conviction  assured  that  bees  will  do  well  in 
anything,  and  that  improved  hives  are  merely  for 
the  convenience  of  the  bee  -  keeper,  a  state  of 
matters  to  which  we  have  pointed  on  many  pre- 
vious occasions. 

At  the  Maryborough  Show  there  was  little  to 
call    for   special  remarks  during  the  day.     There 


84 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[September  1,  1880. 


was  the  usual  driving-,  transferring,  and  extracting, 
with  full  explanations  by  Mr.  Carr  ;  the  frame-hive 
and  its  facile  management  were  also  many  times 
exhibited,  and  the  greatest  interest  was  created 
amongst  those  who  had  witnessed  the  operations. 

In  the  evening  the  lessons  on  subduing  and 
driving  the  bees,  and  taking  their  honey,  received 
practical  acknowledgment  in  a  very  unexpected 
fashion.  A  lot  of  urchins,  no  part  of  whose  bodies 
was  protected  from  stings,  got  possession  of  a 
splendid  hive,  the  property  of  a  lady  at  Mount- 
mellick  ;  and  in  a  few  moments  had  devoured  all 
the  honey,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  brood,  &c, 
leaving  the  bees  and  only  two  pieces  of  brood-comb 
in  the  capsized  hive. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  the  first  result  of  our 
efforts  to  promote  improvement  in  bee-culture  was 
the  creation  of  a  horde  of  juvenile  'bee-lifters;' 
but  the  fact  of  their  so  quickly  accepting  and 
practising  the  method  of  taking  honey,  which  we 
had  shown  to  be  so  easy,  will  perhaps  do  more  to 
satisfy  the  doubting  mind  of  our  audiences  as  to  the 
bona  fides  of  our  experiments,  than  any  argument 
we  could  orally  advance.  The  feeling  of  anger  at  the 
intrusion  of  these  young  scamps  who  (as  Josh 
Billings  says  of  'unny  bees')  'can  get  over  a  very  high 
fens','  gives  place,  on  consideration,  to  a  hope  that 
the  sharp  appreciation  of  the  youngsters  will  in  turn 
be  appreciated  by  their  elders,  and  that  means  will 
be  adopted  by  which  the  rising  generation  will 
be  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  bee  -  keeping, 
with  a  view  to  the  development  of  the  art  as 
a  remunerative  industry.  Ireland  teems  with 
bee  flora,  it  is  literally  flowing  with  honey,  and 
were  bee-culture  recognised  and  taught  to  its  youth- 
ful population  it  would  becoma  a  highly  remunera- 
tive source  of  revenue."  "sVhen  will  our  Government 
awaken  to  its  importance  1  and  make  it  a  necessary 
branch  of  national  education  1 

While  at  Maryborough  we  were  sought  out  by 
the  Rev.  J.  M.  Aldridge  of  Eyrecourt  Vicarage,  Co. 
Galway,  who  is  most  anxious  for  the  welfare  of  the 
people  under  his  care,  with  a  view  to  an  exhibition 
of  the  usual  character  in  his  neighbourhood,  and  on 
the  day  following  (Aug.  19)  received  a  telegram 
from  him  stating  that  he  had  arranged  a  demon- 
stration for  the  25th  ;  and  we  accordingly  made  a 
detour  to  that  place,  he,  in  conjunction  with  others 
of  local  influence,  guaranteeing  an  appreciative  audi- 
ence. We  were  also  visited  by  a  cottager  corre- 
spondent of  the  Bee  Journal,  Mr.  Traynor,  from 
Tinahely,  sixty  miles  distant,  who,  we  regret  to  say, 
was  sadly  inconvenienced  by  the  show  having  been 
announced  for  the  18th,  whereas  it  had  been 
arranged  for  the  19th,  on  the  occasion  of  the  Queen's 
County  Agricultural  Show — an  error  which  was  not 
ours,  and  which  we  did  not  discover  until  we  had 
reached  the  showyard  on  the  16th.  Mr.  Traynor 
was,  however,  determined  not  to  miss  the  oppor- 
tunity for  witnessing  the  manipulations,  and,  while 
gleaning  information  for  himself,  afforded  most 
valuable  assistance   in   the   Bee  Tent. 

The  distance  from  our  office  will  preclude  the 
possibility  of  further  report  until  next  month,  when 
we  hope  to  resume  the  subject. 


SEPTEMBER. 

During  this  month  the  bee-keeper  should 
make  every  possible  preparation  for  the  coming 
winter.  The  weather  during  the  past,  espe- 
cially in  Ireland,  where  we  now  write,  has  been 
most  delightful ;  and  those  who  have  the 
heather  (which  abounds  here)  within  reach  of 
their  bees,  will  have  great  stores  of  honey  in 
their  hives,  provided  they  were  healthy  and 
well  arranged  when  the  harvest  set  in.  Before 
the  month  closes  the  harvest  will  be  over,  as  it 
has  been  already  in  many  parts  of  the  kingdom, 
and  we  cannot  too  strongly  advise  that  imme- 
diately on  its  cessation  a  thorough  examination 
should  be  made,  and  all  queenless  and  weak 
stocks  united  and  fed  up,  that  they  may  store  and 
seal  up  a  sufficiency  of  food  for  winter  ere  cold 
weather  sets  in.  There  are  many  localities  in 
which  the  harvest  closed  during  the  early  weeks 
of  August,  and  having  been  removed,  the  bees 
have  little  store,  and  are  now  scarcely  able  to 
get  even  a  hand-to-mouth  living,  and  in  such 
cases  we  would  remind  their  owners  of  the 
necessity  for  gentle  feeding,  which  will  stimu- 
late the  bees  to  continue  their  breeding,  and 
enable  them  to  go  into  winter  quarters  with  a 
youthful  population  which  will  live,  instead  of 
an  aged  one  that  will  be  physically  unable  to 
withstand  winter  hardships. 

This  is  an  oft-told  tale,  but  one  of  which  too 
many  need  reminding ;  they  do  not  intend  to 
neglect  the  bees,  but  too  often  put  off  the 
attention  necessary  for  their  welfare  until  it  is 
too  late  to  be  effectual.  Delays  in  this  parti- 
cular are  dangerous,  and  procrastinators  must 
not  complain  if  their  neglect  lands  them  in 
serious  winter  difficulties.  Being  absent  from 
England,  we  are  not  able  to  enter  largely  upon 
the  state  of  bee  affairs  there,  but  here  in  Ire- 
land, notwithstanding  the  immense  natural 
advantages  its  magnificent  floral  condition  offers, 
bee-keeping  is  at  a  verjr  low  ebb. 

The  adverse  seasons,  1878-9,  destroyed  the 
great  majority  of  those  that  had  existence,  and 
the  country  is  almost  beeless.  There  was  a 
market  at  Waterford  (a  honey  factor's),  where 
the  peasants  and  small  farmers  used  to  bring 
their  skeps  of  comb  and  brood  (the  bees  having 
been  killed  with  brimstone  fumes)  by  the  cart- 
load, and  where  several  tons  of  honey  (?)  were 
annually  expressed,  but  now  there  is  little,  if 
any,  and  the  people  are  too  poor  to  begin  again. 
The  bees  that  we  have  seen, — and,  save  those  so 
ably  kept  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Procter,  of  Tulla- 
mclan,  they  have  been  few  indeed, — are  very 
poorly  cared  for.  Supering  seems  to  be  almost 
unknown,  and  nadiring  but  little  practised, 
the  brimstone  pit  rules,  the  skeps  are  put  down 
yearly  ;  and  though  honey  be  ever  so  abundant, 
the  bees  cannot  store  more  than  they  will  hold, 


September  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


85 


but  hang  idly  about  the  hives,  or  swarm  out 
when  it  is  too  kte  for  them  to  be  of  service 


under  existing  conditions. 


LINCOLNSHIRE  BEE-KEEPERS' 
ASSOCIATION. 

We  desire  to  draw  the  attention  of  our 
readers  to  the  announcement  of  this  important 
County  Show,  which  is  to  be  held  on  the  9th 
inst.  at  Boston,  under  the  patronage  of  the 
Mayor ;  and  we  would  urge  our  friends  to 
support  it  both  by  their  presence  and  by  for- 
warding exhibits,  so  that  this  Association  may 
continue  to  maintain  the  prominent  position  it 
has  held  in  former  years  amongst  kindred 
societies,  and  enable  the  committee  to  chronicle 
another  successful  result  to  their  self-denying 
labours.  We  regret  to  hear  that  the  yield  of 
honey  in  Lincolnshire  has  been  very  indifferent 
this  season ;  this  will  afford  a  grand  oppor- 
tunity for  those  in  more  favoured  districts  to 
surprise  the  bee-keepers  in  Lincolnshire. 

We  woidd  also  direct  attention  to  the  an- 
nouncement of  an  address  to  be  given  by  the 
Rev.  Herbert  R.  Peel,  Hon.  Secretary  of  the 
British  Bee-keepers' Association,  on  the  evening 
preceding  the  Show  at  Boston,  on  '  Bee-keep- 
ing in  England  in  1880.'  Such  a  subject  from 
89  able  an  exponent  will  be  looked  forward  to 
with  no  little  interest  by  the  bee-keeping  world 
generally. 

AUTUMN  FEEDING. 

If  skeps  at  the  middle  of  September  weigh  20  lbs. 
they  may  generally  be  considered  heavy  enough  to 
stand  the  winter;  but  allowance  must  be  made  if 
the  combs  be  old  and  heavy,  when  the  weight  ought 
to  be  more  than  that  stated  ;  but  with  frame-hives 
each  stock  will  be  amply  provided  if  it  have  about 
two  square  feet  of  sealed  store.  If  the  bee- 
keeper does  not  intend  to  extract  his  honey,  poor 
hives  may  often  be  most  conveniently  assisted 
by  exchanging  one  or  two  combs  with  their 
richer  neighbours.  In  feeding  to  bring  stocks  up 
to  the  required  weight,  the  syrup  should  contain 
5  lbs.  of  sugar  to  each  quart  of  water.  Let  this 
syrup  be  taken  quickly,  or  much  of  it  will  be  em- 
ployed for  raising  brood. 

Feeding  at  the  close  of  the  honey -harvest  has 
often  for  its  object  the  raising  of  young  bees.  This 
is  called  '  stimulative  '  feeding.  In  this  case  the 
food  is  given  slowly,  but  very  regularly,  a  gill  more 
or  less  each  evening  ;  and  the  result  is  the  en- 
couragement of  the  queen  in  egg-laying,  by  which 
is  raised  a  large  population  of  j'oung  bees,  which 
will  live  well  into  the  succeeding  spring,  and  keep 
the  stock  strong  until  other  hatchers  of  brood  are 
ready  to  take  their  place.  The  syrup  used  for 
brood-raising  should  contain  about  3  lbs.  of  sugar 
to  a  quart  of  water. — Modern  Bee-keeping :  a  Hand- 
book for  Bee-keepers. 


BRITISH    BEE-KEEPERS'   ASSOCIATION. 
THE  RELATION  OF  BEES  TO  FLOWERS. 

[The  following  lecture  was  delivered  by  Mr.  F. 
Cheshire,  at  the  Quarterly  Conversazione  of  the  British 
Bee-keepers'  Association,  in  the  Conservatory  at  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Gardens,  South  Kensington,  July 
27tn;  1880.  The  lecture  was  illustrated  by  large  dia- 
grams, to  which  the  report,  for  the  sake  of  clearness, 
does  not  refer,  but  figures  are  added  w-hich  relate  to  the 
diagrams  published  by  the  Association.] 

If  we  take  our  stand  before  a  flourishing  hive  of  bees 
on  a  fine  day  in  summer,  we  shall  note  crowds  of  busy 
workers  settling  on  the  alighting-board,  as  they  return 
from  their  excursions  in  the  fields,  whilst  they  bear  upon 
their  hind-legs  pellets  of  pollen  of  various  colours.  Could 
we  follow  them  as  they  enter  we  should  find,  in  almost 
every  instance,  that  this  visible  load  is  not  all  they  carry, 
but  that,  having  freed  themselves  of  this,  they  proceed  to 
empty  from  a  false  stomach  the  nectar  gathered  also  from 
the  blooms,  and  which,  when  thickened  by  evaporation, 
we  call  honey.  Two  questions  maynow  be  asked, — Why 
do  the  bees  gather  these  two  substances,  and  why  do  the 
blooms  supply  them  ?  The  answer  to  the  first  every  bee- 
keeper would  readily  give  :  These  form  the  food  of  the 
whole  community,  although  pollen  is  principally  needed 
by  the  growing  larva?.  To  supply  the  answer  to  the 
latter  interrogative,  Why  are  the  wants  of  the  bee  sup- 
plied by  the  flower?  is  the  object  of  our  gathering  this 
evening. 

Plants  bloom  in  order  that  seed  may  be  produced  and 
perfected,  and  the  race  continued.  But  before  seed,  in 
the  true  sense,  can  be  produced  at  all,  pollen,  which  is 
borne  by  the  anthers,  and  wdiich  we  all  have  noticed,  by 
example,  in  the  lilies  as  an  abundant  orange-coloured 
dust,  must  be  placed  upon  a  certain  special  part  of  the 
flower  called  the  stigma.  Should  the  pollen  be  of  a  suit- 
able kind  and  the  stigma  in  a  receptive  condition,  a 
delicate  thread,  known  as  the  pollen  tube,  is  thrown  out  by 
the  pollen-granule  through  the  stigma  into  the  seed-vessel, 
by  which  the  seed  becomes  fertilised,  and,  when  mature, 
capable  of  germination.  The  great  majority  of  flowers 
possess  both  anthers  and  stigmas,  they  carry  the  two  sexes 
within  themselves;  and  we  might  suppose  that  this  being 
so  the  form  of  the  flower  would  secure  the  transmission  of 
its  pollen  to  its  stigma  in  order  that  the  end  of  its  being- 
might  be  certainly  accomplished.  So  thought  the  older 
botanists,  and  were  in  consequence  much  puzzled  in  ex- 
plaining the  reasons  for  the  forms  of  the  blooms  they 
examined.  The  genius  of  a  few  modern  investigators 
has,  however,  shown  that  flowers,  generally  speaking,  are 
especially  formed  to  prevent  fertilisation  by  the  pollen 
they  themselves  produce,  while  marvellous  contrivances 
are  exhibited  to  secure  pollen  from  some  other  plant  or 
flower.  For,  amongst  those  that  have  been  studied  in 
reference  to  this  matter  there  exists  but  a  very  incon- 
siderable number  of  real  or  apparent  exceptions  ;  whilst 
the  latter,  under  renewed  examination,  are  not  infre- 
quently affording  delight,  as  they  are  found  to  possess 
some  previously  unsuspected  adaptation  to  cross  fertilisa- 
tinn,  which  in  occasional  instances,  especially  amongst 
the  orchids,  is  so  droll  as  to  sound  rather  like  the  out- 
come of  a  rampant  fancy,  than  a  narration  of  sober  fact. 
I  am  not  unmindful  of  the  cleistogamous  blooms  pro- 
duced by  some  plants,  in  which  the  pollen  is  shed  by 
the  anther  immediately  into  its  stigma.  These  blooms 
are  quite  outside  the  question  before  us,  but  had  we  time 
to  examine  them  we  should  find  they  rather  represent  an 
abnormal,  than  the  normal  method  of  reproduction.  The 
protest  of  nature  then,  made  for  some  profound,  perhaps 
inscrutable  reason  against  in-breeding,  applies  no  less  to 
plants  than  to  animals.  But  blooms  are  fixed.  How  is 
the  all-needful  fertilising  dust  to  be  carried  from  one  to 
the  other?  For  some  the  work  is  done  by  the  wind. 
Pollen  is  formed  in  countless  millions  of  granules,  and 


8(5 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[September  1,  1880. 


carried,  at  its  proper  season,  by  every  breath  of  air  to 
the  stigmas  made  branched  and  hairy  to  increase  the 
chance  of  grasping  it  as  it  travels  past.  But  with  by 
far  the  greater  number  the  insects  are  looked  to  to  bring- 
about  those  unions  which  without  them  would  never  be 
effected.  And  amongst  insects  the  bee  especially  has 
been  made  the  complement  of  the  bloom,  the  love- 
raessenger  of  the  little  beauties  of  our  woods  and 
fields,  supplying  the  eyes,  legs,  and  wings,  which 
to'  the  flower  itself  have  been  denied.  As,  then, 
the  visit  of  the  insect  is  essential  to  the  existence  of 
most  plants,  the  flower  secures  that  visit  by  spreading 
a  banquet.  Pollen,  it  is  true,  is  necessary  for  blooms 
themselves,  butthe  amount  produced  is  always  enormously 
greater  than  that  required  for  mere  fertilisation,  and  the 
excess  is  the  flesh-forming  food  of  the  pollen-gatherer, 
while  honey,  the  heat-and-force-forming  food,  sograteful 
to  the  insect's  palate,  is  produced  entirely  for  its  benefit. 
Thus,  then,  insects  perpetuate  flowers,  and  flowers  con- 
tinue the  existence  of  insects,  both  being  but  mutually 
sustaining  parts  of  one  great  whole. 

In  referring  now  to  examples  of  the  general  prin- 
ciples enunciated,  let  us  commence  with  the  Dianthus 
as  especially  appropriate,  since  we  have  been  to-day 
favoured  by  a  great  show  in  the  adjoining  corridor 
of  pinks  and  picotees.  When  this  bloom  opens  it 
first  displays  its  five  anthers,  which  mature,  shed  their 
pollen,  and  then  fade  away.  The  bloom  might  have 
been  visited  many  times  for  honey,  and  the  pollen 
all  carried  off  on  the  hairy  -breasts  of  the  honey  - 
seekers,  but  fertilisation  could  not  have  been  effected 
because  the  stigma  is  not  as  yet  developed,  but  the  fading 
of  the  anthers  is  the  signal  for  its  appearance.  Its  recep- 
tive surface  now  occupies  the  very  position  in  which  the 
anthers  previously  stood  whilst  dusting  the  breast  of 
insect  visitors,  and  so  it  waits  to  receive  upon  its  sticky 
face  pollen  brought  to  it  from  some  younger  flower  whose 
anthers  are  at  this  time  emptying  themselves.  This 
device  for  securing  cross-fertilisation  is  one  of  the  most 
frequent,  and  blooms  which  employ  it  are  said  to  be 
proterandrous,  i.e.  the  anthers  are  mature  before  the 
stigma.  Another  example,  to  which  Mr.  Ingram  last 
year  drew  our  attention  as  being  an  abundant  honey- 
producer,  is  furnished  by  the  Epilobium  angustifolium 
(34  and  35),  which  at  first  throws  forward  its  anthers 
but  recurves  the  style  upon  the  extremity  of  which 
the  stigmas  are  placed.  Their  immaturity,  their  faces 
being  closed  up  together,  and  their  position,  make  fer- 
tilisation quite  impossible.  But  in  two  or  three  days 
the  anthers  will  have  shrivelled  and  the  style  straight- 
ened, while  the  four  stigmas  will  have  expanded 
waiting  for  pollination  from  the  hairy  breast  of  bees 
flitting  from  some  younger  bloom.  Almost  every 
garden  contains  its  Tropceolwn  majus  (39,  40),  the  gay 
flowers  of  which  expand  before  the  anthers  are  well 
developed.  The  latter  now  hang  down,  but  one  after 
the  other  they  mature,  raise  themselves  into  such  a 
position  that  a  bee  gathering  honey  from  the  spur  must 
wipe  off  the  liberated  pollen.  As  the  work  of  each 
anther  is  completed  the  filament  upon  whose  end  it  is 
supported  bends  down  and  so  gives  place  to  others. 
"When  all  have  fulfilled  their  office  the  style  lengthens 
and  brings  the  stigma  into  the  position  the  anthers  had 
by  turns  occupied,  when,  of  course,  cross-fertilisation 
occm-s  in  the  manner  I  have  already  explained  in  re- 
lation to  the  pinks  and  Epilobium  angustifolium.  The 
geranium  and  pelargonium  of  the  conservatory  furnish 
to  the  hand  of  us  all  nearly  throughout  the  year  ex- 
amples of  proterandrous  flowers,  a  careful  inspection 
of  which  will  enable  us  to  note  the  different  phases  of 
the  life-history  of  those  blooms  to  which  I  have  called 
attention. 

Hut  it  is  not  alwavs  that  the  anther  is  the  first  to 
mature.  In  many,  though  in  far  fewer  instances,  the 
stigma  is  receptive,  and  receives  fertilisation  before  the 


anthers  have  commenced  to  shed  pollen.  Of  this  we 
have  an  example  in  Scrophvlaria  nodosa  —  (41,  42,  43)- — 
a  plant  not  without  a  reputation  amongst  bee-keepers  on 
account  of  the  honey  it  supplies.  The  stigma  presents 
itself  immediately  over  the  lip  of  the  young  bloom,  and 
bees  having  been  dusted  by  pollen  in  their  visits  to  those 
that  are  older  in  a  manner  we  shall  presently  see,  as  they 
reach  in  after  honey,  transfer  this  pollen  from  their 
hairy  breasts  to  the  sticky  stigmatic  surface.  Cross- 
fertilisation  having  been  secured,  the  stigma  shrinks,  and 
the  style  droops,  while  the  anthers,  which  previously  had 
been  hiding  in  a  manner  which  almost  looks  like  humour, 
in  a  pouch-like  form,  given  to  the  front  of  the  bloom  for 
their  accommodation  in  their  moments  of  bashfulness, 
now  rise  into  view,  take  the  place  whence  the  stigma  has 
retired,  and  begin  to  shed  their  pollen.  But  the  busy 
bee  plays  its  part,  carrying  away  the  honey  in  its  sack, 
and  the  pollen  on  its  chest,  while  of  necessity  it  disposes  > 
of  some  of  the  latter  in  fertilising  younger  blooms,  as  I 
have  already  pointed  out. 

We  shall  now  consider  a  device  of  a  totally  different 
character.  An  examination  of  a  bunch  of  primroses 
(30,  37)  gathered  promiscuously  will  show  that  the 
blooms  are  of  two  kinds.  In  one  the  anthers  stand  at 
the  top  of  the  corolla-tube,  in  the  other  the  stigma 
occupies  that  position.  If  the  flowers  be  torn  open  we 
shall,  half  way  down  the  tube,  find  in  the  former  the 
stigma,  and  in  the  latter  the  anthers.  If  bees  seeking  honey 
travel  about  amongst  these  two  forms  they  will  clearly 
get  the  root  of  the  tongue  coated  with  pollen  from  the 
first  form,  which  they  must  transfer  to  the  stigma  of  the 
second  form  ;  whilst  the  anthers  of  the  second  form  will 
apply  their  pollen  to  the  centre  of  the  tongue,  the 
accurate  position  for  transferring  it  to  the  stigma  of  the 
first.  Not  only  here  then  does  each  bloom  seek  pollen 
from  some  others,  but  the  arrangement  of  its  parts  is 
such  as  to  suit  it  to  fertilisation  only  by  pollen  produced 
by  a  bloom  of  the  complementary  form,  i.e.  by  pollen 
produced  not  only  upon  another  flower,  but  upon  a  dis- 
tinct plant.  The  pollens  produced  by  the  two  kinds  are 
far  from  identical,  and  each  by  experiment  has  been 
proved  to  have  special  suitability  to  the  form  of  bloom 
for  which  it  has  evidently  been  intended.  The  wonders 
of  these  dimorphic  flowers  afe  far  exceeded  by  those 
where  three  forms  exist,  as  for  example,  in  the  Lythrum 
Salicaria,  around  which  Darwin's  researches  have  gathered 
so  much  interest. 

The  labiate  flowers  are  amongst  the  most  attractive 
to  bees ;  they  commonly  have  strong  perfumes,  while 
their  honey  is  pronounced  in  flavour ;  but  their  curious 
forms  and  adaptations  to  crossing  place  them  amongst 
the  most  interesting  to  bee-keepers,  who  are  also  students 
of  nature.  Let  us  examine  one  of  these,  selected  on 
account  of  its  structure.  The  Salvia  officinalis  (44,  45) 
has  but  two  developed  anthers ;  the  others  are  aborted. 
The  filaments  of  these  are  very  short,  while  the  two  cells 
of  the  anther,  which  are  usually  quite  close  to  each 
other,  are  here  widely  separated  by  an  unusual  develop- 
ment of  the  '  Connective.'  This  '  connective '  may  be 
said  to  be  hinged  to  the  extremity  of  the  filament.  When 
the  bee  enters,  the  lower  anther-cells,  which  produce  no 
pollen,  but  answer  the  purpose  I  am  now  explaining, 
are  pushed  forward  by  the  advancing  head  and  thorax, 
these  two  cells  actually  fitting  over  the  front  of  the 
insect  much  as  a  horse's  collar  sets  upon  his  chest.  The 
connectives  now  turn  upon  their  hinges,  and  throw  the 
other  anther-cells  over  upon  the  bee's  back,  and  there  fix 
patches  of  pollen.  As  the  bee  retires,  the  old  position 
is  taken,  so  that  the  trick  may  be  repeated  upon  the  next 
visitor.  When  the  anthers  wither,  the  flower  by  the 
growth  of  its  style,  brings  the  stigma  into  just  the  posi- 
tion into  which  the  pollen-bearing  anther-cells  were 
brought  by  the  action  of  the  bee,  which  insect  in  due 
course,  in  its  honey  seeking,  applies  its  back,  bearing 
the  pollen  given  to  it  by  a  bloom  in  its  earlier  condition, 


September  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


87 


to  this  stigma,  and  so  brings  about  in  a  most  singular 
fashion  the  crossing  required. 

The  heaths,  so  important  on  account  of  the  large  quan- 
tities of  honey  they  yield,  give  it  all  in  order  that  they 
may  obtain  possible  fertilisation.  The  anthers  open  by 
pores  in  their  sides,  but  the  pollen  cannot  escape  since 
the  anthers  stand  against  each  other,  and  so  mutually 
close  the  apertures;  but  every  anther  is  provided  with  a 
couple  of  processes  like  horns,  which  stand  out  in  the 
body  of  the  tiny  wax-like  bell.  The  bee's  head  is  too 
large  to  enter,  but  its  tongue  is  long  enough  to  reach  the 
honey;  as  it  passes  upwards  to  this,  however,  it  strikes 
the  horns  and  moves  the  anthers,  and  as  a  consequence 
the  pollen  falls,  and  is  received  upon  the  head  of  the 
bee,  a  position  in  which  it  must  be  applied  to  the 
stigma  of  the  next  heather-bloom  visited,  since  the 
stigma  occupies  a  central  position  at  the  entrance  to  the 
bloom. 

It  would  be  unpardonable  to  omit  altogether  the  won- 
derful Older,  Compositte  ;  and  I  select  the  Cineraria  (-'!8) 
as  a  plant  commonly  to  be  found  in  our  homes,  and 
which  we  may  at  any  time  study  in  a  spare  moment. 
These  Composite  blooms  vary  somewhat  in  their  struc- 
ture, but  a  little  patience  will  enable  us  to  understand 
all  when  we  have  really  conquered  one.  The  explanation 
I  am  about  to  give  of  the  Cineraria,  for  instance,  would 
apply  almost  entirely  to  the  daisy  or  sunflower,  and  with 
but  slight  alterations  to  the  dandelions,  thistles,  mari- 
golds, chrysanthemums,  &c. 

Each  anthodium,  popularly  called  a  flower,  really  con- 
sists of  a  considerable  number  of  blooms  or  florets 
gathered  into  a  unit.  If  we  examine  one  of  these,  as  we 
tind  it  in  the  Cineraria,  we  shall  discover  that  the 
central  convex  part  is  formed  by  the  extremities  of 
perhaps  1.50  florets  closely  packed  together.  These  are 
in  different  stages  of  development,  the  youngest  occupy- 
ing the  centre  of  the  anthodium.  As  we.  proceed  from 
the  centre  we  come  to  florets  just  opening,  and  still  fur- 
ther from  the  centre  are  others,  more  matured,  having 
a  stick-like  arrangement  growing  out  of,  and  rising 
above,  their  corollas.  These  are  the  anthers,  which 
are  joined  to  one^  another- .by  their  edges  (synge- 
nesious).  The  pollen  lias  been  shed,  but  since  by  their 
junction,  the  anthers  form  a  closed  tube  none  has  yet 
escaped.  In  the  ring  of  florets  again  beyond  these 
we  shall  observe  probably  the  next  stage.  Here  the 
pollen  is  showing  at  the  top.  The  style  has  grown  up 
under  the  pollen,  and  having  a  brush  on  its  extremity, 
has  actually  ^wept  the  pollen  out  from  between  the 
anthers.  Insects  now* carry  it  away,  but  fertilisation 
cannot  yet  be  brought ''about  in  the  floret  yieldinfj.it. 
Passing  again  outwards,  we  find  floi-ets  with  their-.pollen 
Ml  gone,  and  their  styles  standing  out  above  the  corollas. 
The  stigina  now  developes,  and  pollen  can  be.  received, 
but  this  pollen  must  of  course  be  provided  from  some 
younger  floret,  or  even  by  some  distinct  anthodium.-  -, 
,  The  external  florets  carry  each  a  wide,  long  ray,  which 
together  make  up  the  outside  conspicuous,  surf  ace  of  the 
bloom,  increasing  its  charm  in  tbei'eye  of  the  florist,  and 
making  it  more  conspicuous  so  as  to  attract  insect  life. 
These  outside  florets  produce  no  pollen,  and  so  singularly 
have  no  brush  on  the  end  of  the  style  ;  ..and  this  is  not 
all,  for  with  that  marvellous  be.auty  of  economy  we  so 
often  are  able  to  trace  in  the  Creator's  works,  pollen  is  .■ 
not  found  here,  be?Mse  here  it  would  not  be  of  value  to 
the  plant ;  for,  frtV  what  we  have  already  seen,  .this 
fertilising  dust,  if  not  passed  frOjdBB;  an'thodiuni"  to 
another,  must  be  used  on  ^lloretjBHher'from  the  centre 
than  the  one  producing  it,  frorrf^vmcii  it  is  clear  that 
pollen  on  the  outside  row  would  be  produced  in  vain. 

The  orchids  have  always  been  objects  of  wonder,  but 
never  have  they  attracted  more  attention  than  at  pre- 
sent, and  the  investigations  made  have  revealed  devices, 
as  I  have  already  hinted,  which  appear  to  the  last  degree 
romantic. 


The  one  example  chosen  of  a  British  species  (Orchis 
musculo)  is  more  sober  in  its  behaviour  than  some  which 
could  have  been  selected,  but  it  will  furnish  a  sort  of 
type  for  many,  and  so  has  its  advantages.  The  pollen 
is  here  gathered  into  two  masses  called  pollinia..  When 
the  flower  is  visited  a  fissure  occurs  in  the  covering  of 
these  pollinia,  and  stick}'  bases  which  they  possess  are 
made  bare.  As  the  bee  remains  upon  the  lip  of  the 
bloom  seeking  honey,  these  sticky  bases  aie  in  contact 
with  her  head.  The  viscid  matter  quickly  sets,  and 
when  the  bee  retires  the  pollinia  are  so  firmly  fixed 
that  they  are  drawn  out  of  their  cases,  and  carried 
away  like  two  erect  horns.  As  she  flies  through  the  air 
with  her  whimsical  decoration,  an  uneven  contraction  of 
the  pedicel  of  each  pollinium  alters  its  position,  so  that  in 
a  few  seconds  they  are  found  standing  directly  forward 
in  front  of  the  head,  and  ready  to  pass  at  once  into  the 
next  bloom  as  the  bee  enters,  and'so  striking  the  stigmatic 
surfaces,  and  effecting  cross  fertilisation. 

In  such  a  consideration  of  our  subject  as  the  present, 
the  action  of  bees  as  fertilising  fruit  blooms,  and  so 
actually  instrumentally  producing  fruit,  ought  not  to 
be  altogether  omitted.  If  we  examine  a  strawberry  we 
find  a  vast  number  of  (popularly)  seeds,  (really)  achenia 
studding  its  external  surface.  Every  one  of  these 
possessed  a  style  and  stigma,  and  has  had  pollen  con- 
veyed to  it  by  the  action  of  insects,  bees  mainly.  When 
the  bee  settles  in  seeking  for  honey  it  walks  round  the 
bloom,  and  so  rubs  off  on  to  the  stigmas  the  pollen 
brought  from  some  other  similar  flower  (for  the  stigmas 
are  receptive  before  pollen  is  produced),  but  if  any  one 
stigma  remains  unfertilised,  the  fruit  fails  to  develope  at 
that  part,  and  continues  hard,  shrunken  and  green  when*1 
the  rest  (the  fertilised  portion)  is  fully  ripe.  We  must 
all  again  and  again  have  seen  illustrations  of  this;  from 
which  we.  learn  that  every  strawberry  requires  from  one 
to  two  or  three  hundred  distinct  fertilisations  for  its 
production.  The  raspberry  and  blackberry  are  similarly 
dependent  upon  bees.  Each  little  rounded  mass  of  these 
fruits — called  a  drupel — has  been  independently  fertilised. 
If  we  take  a  green  raspberry,  and  look  at  it  with  a 
hand-magnifier,  we  shall  find  the  withered  style  and 
stigma  remaining  in  every  case ;  and  indeed  they  are 
frequently  traceable  when  the  fruit  is  fully  ripe.  Some 
drupels,  withered  and  greyish-g;reen  in  colour,  may  often, 
be  seen  in  the  dessert  dish,  iihd  marking  a  point  where 
the  bee  has  failed  in  her  work,  and  proving  conclusively 
that  without  her,  or  some  ojher  insect,  the  blooms  would 
have  become  hlind,  and  no  fruit  at  all  woidd  have 
followed.  The  gooseberry  wholly  depends  on  insects. 
Its  anthers. are  ripe  before  its  stigma,  and  fertilisation 
without  insects  is  impossible. 

.The.  apple  and  pear  no  less  require  insect  visits,  and 
each  one  demands,  as  its  bloom  has  five  distinct  stigmas, 
five  sepal-ate  fertilisations.  An  apple  often  developes, 
though  imperfectly,  if  four  only  are  effected,  but  it 
generally  drops  before  ripening.  Such  a  fruit  may  be. 
usually  known  by  a  deformity,  one  part  has  failed  to 
grow ;  and  if  we  cut  it  across  with  a  knife  one  of  the 
five  divisions  (dissepiments)-  of  the  perfect  core  will  be. 
found  wanting. 

Some  complain  that  bees  eat  fruit,  a  charge  which 
need  not  he*e  be  rebutted  ;  but  it  is  for  us  to  proclaim 
that  while  tliey  gather  honey  for  "the  benefit  it  may  be 
"f  their  flutters',  they  confer  a  no  less  benefit  on  the 
fruit-growerAry  jJ»OT^  him  a  crop  in  return. 

I  fear  to  ytyearvTt'nt  before  sitting  down  beg  a  few 
moments  to  point  out  that  the  sense  of  smell  possessed  by 
the  lire,  of  which  we  have  constant  evidence,  and  that, 
appreciation  of  colour  which  Sir  John  Lubbock  has 
Moved,  have  been  important  elements  in  developing  the 
beauties  dl  the  floral  world.  Man  has  long,  by  hybri- 
dizing and  selecting,  been  improving  flowers;  but  where 
men  have  worked  for  seasons  bees  have  worked  for  age?  ; 
and,  although   unconsciously,  still   on   the   same    lines. 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[September  1,  1880. 


Those  flowers  that  have  had  more  than  usual  sweetness 
of  perfume  or  brightness  of  colour  have  been  more  surelv 
visited  and  fertilised;  and  since  the  characteristics  of 
the  parents  would  be  repeated  and  occasionally  intensi- 
fied in  the  progeny,  every  movement  towards  the  beauti- 
ful has  been  by  the  bee  perpetuated,  while  from  the 
same  cause  the  less  desirable  has  had  less  chance  of  being 
preserved  alive  upon  the  earth. 

The  Chairman,  having  adverted  to  the  valuable  educa- 
tional lessons  derivable  from  the  interesting  lecture  of 
Mr.  Cheshire,  proposed  that  a  vote  of  thanks  should 
be  tendered  to  him,  which  was  cordially  agreed  to  by 
the  meeting. 

BRITISH  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

Committee  meeting  held  at  105  Jermyn  Street,  on 
Wednesday,  August  18th.  Present,  Mr.  J.'M.  Hooker  in 
the  chair  ;  Dr.  Lionel  S.  Beale,  Mr.  F.Cheshire,  and  Rev. 
H.  R.  Peel,  Hon.  Sec.  The  minutes  of  the  last  meeting 
were  read  and  confirmed.  The  balance-sheet  for  the 
month  ending  July  30th  was  also  read,  showing  a  balance 
in  hand  of  56/.  7s.  G±d.,  It  was  resolved  that  the  pam- 
phlet entitled  Modern  Bee-Seeping  should  be  sold  at  the 
price  of  40s.  per  hundred  copies  if  not  less  than  200  were 
■were  taken,  and  at  35s.  per  hundred  if  not  less  than  250 
were  taken,  and  that  advertisements  for  the  next  issue 
should  be  solicited  from  florists,  seedsmen,  and  others 
connected  with  horticulture.  It  was  resolved  that  two 
pages  of  the  advertisement  sheet  should  be  devoted  to  the 
list  of  publications,  and  prices  of  the  various  works  pub- 
lished by  the  Association.  It  was  also  resolved  that  any 
non-members  purchasing  not  less  than  5  copies  of  the 
diagrams  be  allowed  to  have  them  at  5s.  per  set,  the  same 
price  as  charged  to  members. 

Letters  were  read  from  Mr.  Duncombe  and  Colonel 
Donnelly  of  the  Science  and  Art  Department,  and  ordered 
to  be  placed  on  the  minutes. 


HERTFORDSHIRE  BEE-KEEPERS' 
ASSOCIATION. 

The  third  Annual  Show  of  the  Hertfordshire  Bee- 
keepers' Association  was  held  on  Friday  and  Saturday, 
August  20th  and  21st,  at  Gorhambiiry  Lodge,  St. 
Michael's,  near  St.  Albans,  by  the  kind*  permission  of 
the  Earl  of  Verulam,  President  of  the  Association.  In 
connexion  with  the  Show  was  held  the  County  Flower, 
Fruit,  and  Vegetable  Show.  The  attendance  of  the  band 
of  Grenadier  Guards  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Dan 
Godfrey,  the  auspicious  weather,  and  the  quantity  and 
quality  of  the  exhibits,  contributed  to  make  the  combined 
shows  a  grand  success.  The  Hertfordshire  Bee-keepers' 
Association  have  good  reasons  for  congratulation  in 
having  so  energetic  and  enthusiastic  a  Secretary  as  the 
Rev.  Herbert  R.  Peel,  seeing  that,  through  the  exertions 
put  forth  by  that  gentleman,  the  number  of  its  members 
far  exceeds  that  of  any  other  County  Association,  and  by 
the  employment  of  travelling  experts  penetrating  to  the 
furthest  limits  of  the  county,  the  cottagers  in  all  the  various 
villages  are  reached  and  instructed  in  the  art  and  mysteries 
of  bee-keeping.  The  results  of  these  efforts  were  visible  in 
the  large  number  of  visitors,  of  all  classes  of  society,  on 
both  days  of  the  show,  and  in  the  intelligent  interest 
taken  in  the  proceedings.  T.  W.  Cowan,  Esq.  of  Hor- 
sham, and  the  Rev.  J.  L.  Lisson,  Edingthorpe  Rectorv, 
North  Walsham,  Essex,  were  the  judges  of  the  county 
classes;  and  the  Rev.  Canon  Kewl'ey,  Baldock,  and  the 
Rev.  .Mr.  Wilcox,  of  the  open  classes. 

The  honey  exhibits  were  highly  creditable.  There  « -as 
a  beauty,  a  translucence,  and  a  deliciousness  in  the  run 
honey  which  indicated  the  pains  which  had  been  taken 
by  the  exhibitors;  while  the  clearness,  the  evenness,  the 
attractive  appearance,  and  (he  excellence  of  the  honey  in 
sections,  bore  evidence  of  the  readiness  of  the  exhibitors 


to  profit  from,  and  adopt,  the  teachings  afforded  by  our 
Transatlantic  brethren  ;  and  we  have  reason  to  hope  that, 
now  the  best  method  of  marketing  honey  has  been  attained , 
an  amount  of  honey  will  be  produced  by  the  bee-keeners 
of  the  United  Kingdom  from  the  vast  tracts  of  country 
where  at  present  its  rich  fragrance  is  lost  in  the  desert  air, 
which  will  enable  us  to  dispense  with  honey  imported 
from  abroad,  and  develope  in  our  midst  a  new  industry 
and  a  fresh  occupation  beneficial  alike  to  the  cottager  and 
to  the  farmer.  It  would  be  invidious,  where  there  was 
so  much  of  excellence,  to  specify  any  individual  exhibits; 
but  we  cannot  refrain  from  expressing  our  delight  at 
witnessing  those  of  Mr.  S.  Thorne,  Mr.  E.  Bacon,  Miss 
Gayton,  Dr.  Smith,  Rev.  H.  R.  Peel,  Col.  Smyth,  and 
Mr.  Gulston.  Some  splendid  Stewarton  supers  were  ex- 
hibited by  Rev.  J.  Jenkyns  and  Rev.  E.  Bartrum.  The 
specimens  of  bee-flora  exhibited  by  Mr.  Gibbs  of  St.  Albans, 
were  very  creditable.  The  exhibits  of  bees-wax  by  Miss 
Gayton,  Mr.Thorne,  and  Mr.  Olapp,  deserve  commendation. 
The  Hertfordshire  Show  treading  so  closely  on  the 
heels  of  the  South  Kensington,  it  could  scarcely  be  ex- 
pected that  any  novelty  would  be  shown  in  the  provincial 
that  was  not  to  be  seen  in  the  metropolitan  show.  We 
are  bound,  however,  to  make  an  exception  in  favour 
of  some  specimens  of  comb-foundations  exhibited  by 
Abbott,  Brothers,  obtained  from  impressions  of  wax- 
foundation  in  plaster  of  Paris.  They  appeared  as  perfect 
as  the  best  foundations  furnished  by  Mr.  Raitt ;  and  if 
capable  of  being  made  in  larger  sizes  and  of  greater  thick- 
ness than  those  exhibited,  the  invention  will  prove  a 
formidable  competitor  to  the  American  machine-made 
comb-foundations. 

The  manipulations  in  the  Bee  Tent  were  a  great  source 
of  interest  to  the  visitors.  These  exhibitions  of  the  mastery 
of  the  experts  over  the  bees  are  of  high  educational  value. 
It  may  be  advancing  a  heterodox  opinion,  but  it  seemed  to 
us  a  question  whether  the  object  of  the  exhibition  would 
not  have  been  better  attained  by  the  absence  of  prizes  for 
those  capturing  the  queen  and  transferring  the  contents  of 
the  skep  to  the  bar-frame  hive  in  the  shortest  period  of 
time.  The  '  hot  haste'  and  the  excited  hurry  displayed  by 
the  competitors  have  an  injurious  effect  on  the  minds  of 
the  spectators,  who  can  scarcely  avoid  falling  into  the 
excitement  of  the  moment,  and  witnessing  a  rapid  race  be- 
tween the  competitors,  instead  of  being  the  sober  and  calm 
recipients  of  a  valuable  lesson.  The  prize-takers  in  the 
contest  were  Mr.  S.  J.  Baldwin  and  Mr.  W.  Martin,  who 
captured  the  queen  and  transferred  the  comb  in  the  skep 
to  the  bar-frame  in  ten  and  eleven  minutes  respectively, 
while  one  of  the  competitors,  Mr.  R.  Baldwin,  did  not  suc- 
ceed in  capturing  her  majesty,  and  in  searching  for  her  and 
in  transferring  occupied  thirty-two  minutes  ;  yet  the 
more  composed  and  deliberate  method  adopted  by  him 
permitted  the  spectators  to  follow  his  actions  more  closely 
and  to  have  the  desired  educational  lesson  more  deeply 
impressed  on  their  minds  and  memories.  Mr.  H.  C.  Finch, 
of  Riekmansworth,  and  Mr.  G.  Henderson,  of  Ealing,  were 
the  judges  of  the  manipulations.  At  five  o'clock  the  prizes 
were  given  away  by  Lady  Jane  Webster. 

The  Hertfordshire  Association  may  feel  assured  that  for 
the  short  time  it  has  been  in  existence  a  good  and  a  great 
work  has  been  done  in  the  county  ;  and  we  hope  that  the 
time  is  fast  coming  when,  through  its  exertions  and  those 
of  kindred  institutions,  the  skep  will '  hide  its  diminished 
head,'  and  when  all  antiquated  practices  of  taking  honey 
will  lie  abolished. 


CALEDONIAN  APIARIAN  ASSOCIATION. 
This  Society  held  its  Seventh  Annual  Show  of  honey, 
hives,  and  bees  to  the  left  of  the  entrance-gate,  within 
the  Highland  and  Agricultural  Society's  show-yard. 
The  exhibits  ill  the  show-tent  this  year,  although  not  so 
numerous  as  on  some  previous  years,  show  a  marked 
improvement  in  the  science  of  apiculture.     The  centre 


September  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


80 


of  interest  to  strangers  was,  as  on  other  occasions,  the 
observatory  hives,  where  the  Ligurians  and  the  Blacks 
were  seen  working  side  by  side. 

Among  the  observatory  hives  was  one  exhibited  by 
Mr.  D.  Wood,  of  Benmore,  Argyllshire,  which  proved 
an  object  of  great  interest  to  all  who  entered  the  tent. 
Indeed,  so  great  at  times  was  the  eagerness  evinced,  that 
the  people  climbed  on  to  the  tables,  and  pressed  around 
in  such  numbers  as  to  endanger  the  safety  of  the  hive. 
It  is  an  attempt  to  solve  the  difficult  problem  of  con- 
structing a  hive  suitable  for  winter  or  summer,  indoors 
or  out.  We  have  had  ample  opportunity  of  seeing  the 
hive  at  work  under  various  conditions,  and  were  more 
than  pleased  with  its  completeness  and  thorough  adapt- 
ability for  all  purposes  of  bee-culture.  When  we  first 
saw  it  Mr.  Wood  had  but  just  introduced  two  bars 
from  one  of  Neighbour's  hives  taking  a  few  bees  along 
with  the  queen,  and  had  taken  it  away  into  a  field  some 
distance  from  his  home  to  break  the  bees  off  their  old 
flight,  and  the)'  were  then  working  admirably.  We  have 
quite  recently  seen  it  indoors,  and  found  the  bees  not 
only  healthy  but  prospering.  The  queen  was  still  busy 
depositing  young,  and  several  of  the  combs  contained  a 
large  quantity  of  sealed  brood,  whilst  all  the  other  frames 
were  being  rapidly  filled  with  new  comb  and  honey.  The 
hive  consists  of  seven  bars  having  comb  space  lOj-in.  by 
lOi-in.  They  are  so  constructed  as  to  slide  in  so  as  to 
form  a  compact  square  hive  when  not  needed  for  obser- 
vation. The  foundation  of  the  hive  is  formed  by  a 
single  piece  of  board,  through  which  seven  holes  are  cut 
over  a  common  entrance-chamber,  and  these  afford 
direct  entrance  into  each  bar,  thus  doing  away  with  all 
long  tunnels  and  obstructions.  Into  the  floor-board 
channels  are  cut  to  receive  hollow  slides,  which  are 
closed  at  the  outer  end.  When  the  bars  are  drawn  out 
these  slides  are  drawn  along  with  them,  and  are  brought 
exactly  over  the  entrance-chamber,  thus  preserving  unin- 
terrupted communication ;  before  drawing  out  arrange- 
ments are  made  by  the  means  of  a  simple  slide,  easily 
got  at,  to  close  off  the  entrance  in  the  centre  of  bar, 
another  entrance  formed  at  the.  end  of  bar  by  being 
drawn  out,  is  brought  over  the  opening,  thus  the  bees' 
egress  and  ingress  is  never  interfered  with.  Close  to  the 
two  outside  slides  are  two  pillars  supporting  a  strip  of 


lp  0 
Plies 


wood,  through  which  seven  holes  are  bored.  These 
correspond  to  holes  made  in  the  ends  of  the  bars,  and  by 
passing  a  piece  of  stout  wire  down  through  the  strip, 
bars,  and  floor-board,  the  whole  can  be  moved  backward 
and  forward  at  pleasure,  somewhat  after  the  style  of 
Mr.  Wilson's  ingenious  hive,  but  minus  its  tunnels. 
Another  and  most  interesting  feature  in  it  is  that  every 
bar  can  be  drawn  out  at  pleasure,  and  be  quite  detached 
from  the  body  or  entrance-chamber  (each  bar  closing  its 
own  entrance  automatically),  thus  rendering  it  possible 
to  make  the  xery  closest  inspection  without  a  single  bee 
escaping,  or  in  any  way  irritating  them ;  indeed,  so 
quietly  and  smoothly  is  the  whole  operation  performed, 
that  the  queen  very  often  continues  depositing  eggs 
when  the  bar  she  may  happen  to  be  on  is  taken  quite 
away  from  the  remainder  of  the  hive.  .  In  order  to  make 
it  adapted  for  wintering  each  glass  is  made  to  slide  out, 
so  that  when  the  bars  are  closed  in  the  glasses  can  be 
drawn  out,  thus  making  it  to  closely  resemble  an  ordin  lry 
bar-frame  hive,  and  putting  the  bees  in  the  very  best 
condition  for  wintering.  The  bars  fit  so  closely,  and  the 
edges  of  grooves  and  glass  are  so  thin,  that  they  occupy 
very  little  over  lj-in.  to  each  bar. 

To  render  it  still  more  comfortable  a  square  cover  is 
slipped  over  the  whole,  and  it  is  then  capable  of  with- 
standing all  kinds  of  weather  if  it  is  thought  desirable. 

As  we  stated  at  the  outset,  it  is  an  attempt  to  make 
an  all-the-year-roimd  observatory ;  and  we  think  Mr. 
Wood  lias  fairly  earned  the  position  he  claims,  that  of 
putting  that  difficulty  one  step  nearer  solution  by  his 
ingenious  and  well-considered  hive. 


Two  well-got-up  Woodbury  hives  in  glass  cases  were 
also  much  admired.  Of  greater  interest  to  the  bee- 
keeper, however,  was  the  excellent  assortment  of  hives 
and  bee-gear  exhibited,  showing  all  the  most  recent 
improvements,  several  of  which  have  not  hitherto  been 
before  the  public.  Mr.  R.  Steele,  Fowlis,  Dundee, 
deservedly  carried  off  most  of  the  honours  in  this  depart- 
ment. It  is  to  the  enterprise  of  this  gentleman,  along 
with  Mr.  Thomson,  Blantyre ;  Mr.  Young,  Perth,  and 
others,  that  Scotland  owes  the  rapid  advancement  in  bee- 
culture  that  has  been  made  of  late  years.  Mr.  Steele's 
collection  of  bee-furniture  was  quite  a  museum.  It  con- 
tained, amongst  its  thirty  articles,  a  wax  foundation 
machine,  hives  of  all  sorts  and  sizes,  supers,  honey  ex- 
tractors, &c.  One  of  the  best  articles  in  the  tent  was  the 
extractor  belonging  to  this  collection,  invented  by  Mr. 
Cowan.     This  is  evidently  the  extractor  of  the  future. 

The  display  of  honey,  especially  the  2:i  lb.  super,  made 
up  of  1  lb.  sections,  was  very  creditable. 

The  following  is  the  prize  list :  — 

Clover  oe  Flower  Honey.— For  the  best  super, 
above  10  lbs.  and  under  20 :  W.  Sword,  Falkirk.  For 
the  best  sample  of  run  or  extracted  honey,  not  less  than 
4  lbs.,  to  be  exhibited  in  glasses:  1,  O  Carnegie,  Mary- 
hill,  Montrose;  2,C.  Carnegie;  •"',  J.  Thomson,  Dalbeattie. 
Highly  commended,  R.  Steele,  Fowlis.  Special  prize, 
offered  bjr  Mr.  R.  J.  Bennett  and  Mr.  Wm.  Sword,  for 
the  best  exhibition  of  pure  honey  in  sectional  supers, 
each  section  to  be  separable,  and  not  more  than  '■*>  lbs. 
each  ;  the  total  weight  of  each  entry  to  be  not  less  than 
12  lbs. :  R.  Steele,  Fowlis. 

Hives  and  Wax. — For  the  best  hive  for  observation 
purposes,  all  combs  to  be  visible  on  both  sides,  stocked 
with  bees,  and  their  queen:  1,  J.  Ellis,  Bridge  of  Earn  ; 
2,  1).  Wood,  Benmore;  ;),  J.  Welsh,  Kinghorn.  For 
the  best  and  most  perfect  bar-frame  hive,  with  super,  or 
set  of  sectional  supers,  and  cover  complete  for  summer 
use:  1,  R.  Steele;  2,  D.  Wood.  For  the  most  perfect 
hive  on  the  storifying  principle,  with  the  best  arrange- 
ment for  securing  harvest  or  comb  honey :  R.  Steele. 
For  the  best  hive,  complete  with  summer  and  winter 
arrangements  :  1,  R.  Steele  ;  2,  D.  Wood.  For  the  best 
straw  hive  of  any  description :  V.  Novitzky,  Pitlochry. 
For  the  two  best  samples  of  wax,  in  cakes  of  not  less 
than  1  lb.  each :  1,  R.  Steele ;  2,  W.  Laughland.  For 
the  best  sample  of  wax  guide-sheets,  not  less  than  six 
sheets:  1,  R.  Steele;  2,  W.  Raitt,  Blairgowrie.  For 
the  best  bar-frame  hive,  in  the  moveable  comb  prin- 
ciple :  J.  Ellis. 

Comestibles. — For  the  best  liqueur  or  wine  made 
from  honey,  with  recipe  attached  (not  less  than  two 
quarts) ;  age  of  wine  to  be  given :  .1.  Wilkie,  Gourock. 
For  the  best  cakes  made  with  honey,  with  recipe 
attached,  not  less  than  2  lbs.  :  1,  J.  I).  Hutchison,  Glas- 
gow ;  2,  J.  Ellis,  Bridge  of  Earn ;  •'?,  J.  Scott,  Falkirk. 

Miscellaneous. — For  the  best  collection  of  hives, 
bee  furniture,  bee-gear,  not  to  exceed  30  articles,  and  no 
two  articles  to  be  alike,  or  for  the  same  purpose  :  R. 
'  Steele.  For  the  best  bee  feeder  :  1,1).  Wood  ;  2,  J.  Ellis  ; 
•'!,  R.  Steele.  For  the  cheapest,  neatest,  and  best  supers 
for  producing  honey-comb  in  a  saleable  form,  and  to  be 
complete  with  glass:  1,  R.  Steele;  2,  ditto.  For  the 
best  wax  extractor,  cost  to  be  taken  into  consideration  : 
R.  Steele.  For  the  best  honey  extractor,  cost  to  be  taken 
into  consideration :  R.  Steele.  For  the  best  and  most 
interesting  collection  of  natural  objects,  models,  or  dia- 
grams connected  with  apiculture,  and  illustrating  the 
natural  history  and  economy  of  the  honey  bee :  No 
entries.  A  silver  medal  was  awarded  for  water  fountain, 
exhibited  by  Mr.  Bennett,  and  invented  by  .1.  M. 
McPhedran,  Craigbet,  Renfrewshire. 

On  Wednesday  a  'manipulation'  tent  was  erected 
adjoining  tin'  exhibition,  and  here  from  time  to  time 
dining  each  day  interesting  manipulations  with  live  bees 
were  carried  on,  by  which  the  uninitiated  are  acquainted 


90 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[September  1,  1880. 


with  the  method  of  taking  the  honey  without  resorting 
to  the  destruction  of  bees.  A  gauze  screen,  through 
which  the  whole  operations  can  be  witnessed,  protects 
the  visitors  from  the  attacks  of  the  busy  little  creatures. 
The  driving  competition  took  place  on  Friday  for  the 
Highland  and  Agricultural  Society's  Silver  Medal,  and 
was  gained  by  James  Johnstone,  Touch,  via  Stirling. 
He  drove  the  bees  and  captured  the  queen  all  complete 
in  less  than  7  minutes. 


DORSETSHIRE    BEE-KEEPERS'    ASSOCIATION. 
The  Bee  Show  at  the  Alexandra  Gardens. 

The  Dorsetshire  Bee-keepers'  Association  held  their 
annual  exhibition  at  the  Alexandra  Gardens,  Weymouth, 
in  connexion  with  the  Weymouth  Horticultural  Society's 
Flower  Show  on  August  1 1th,  and  a  spacious  tent  was  set 
apart  for  the  numerous  entries.  There  were  about  40 
prizes  offered,  ranging  in  value  from  1/.,  to  2s.  Gd.,  in  ad- 
dition to  silver  and  bronze  medals  given  by  the  British  Bee- 
keepers' Association.  The  competition  wasexcellent,  there 
being  seventy-four  entries,  and  the  various  exhibits  were 
admirably  arranged  under  the  superintendence  of  the 
honorary  secretary,  Mr.  W.  H.  Dunman,  jun.,  of  Troy- 
town,  near  Dorchester,  to  whose  efforts  the  success  of  the 
show  is  mainly  attributable.  The  principal  competition 
in  the  open  classes  was  for  hives,  and  the  leading  exhibitors 
were  Messrs.  Abbott,  of  the  School  of  Apiculture,  South- 
all,  and  Messrs.  Neighbour,  of  High  Holborn  and  Regent 
Street,  London,  who  sent  specimens  of  some  of  their  best 
work.  Messrs.  Abbott  and  Neighbour  also  sent  large 
and  varied  collections  of  apicultural  appliances — feeders, 
smokers,  supers,  queen  excluders,  section  frames  and  crates, 
comb-foundation,  queen-cages,  bee-veils,  English  and 
American  bee  books,  &c.  Two  local  hive-makers  entered 
for  competition — namely,  Mr.  J.  Cox,  of  Whitchurch, 
with  a  slight  modification  of  the  Cheshire  frame-hive  ; 
and  Mr.  R.  Legg,  of  Buckhorn  Weston,  with  straw  skeps. 
Both  hives  were  well  made,  but  call  for  no  special  mention. 
The  exhibition  of  honey  in  the  comb  was  simply  splendid; 
but  the  principal  competition  was  really  confined  to  three 
persons — namely,  Mr.  W.  H.  Dunman,  jun.,  Troytown  ; 
Mr.  Antell  and  Mr.  Stickland,  Puddletown,  who  have 
carried  all  before  them  for  three  years  past  at  Sherborne 
and  Dorchester.  They  contributed  a  very  large  weight 
of  honey  of  the  choicest  description,  and  all  in  a  very 
marketable  form,  most  of  it  being  in  sections  weighing 
one,  two,  or  three  pounds  each.  The  sections  were  well 
filled  with  beautiful  straight  comb,  most  of  which  was 
sealed  from  top  to  bottom  and  end  to  end,  without  a  spot 
of  pollen  or  brood.  The  weights  taken  from  single  stocks 
ranged  from  89f  lbs.  to  08  lbs.  while  from  a  single  apiary  as 
much  as  .'!41bs.  was  sent.  The  competition  was  so  close 
that  the  judges  awarded  '  equal '  prizes  in  more  than  one 
instance.  There  was  plenty  of  run  honey  in  glass  jars, 
the  colour  and  quality  varying  from  the  delicious  nectar 
of  the  white  clover  to  the  darker  and  coarser  kinds 
gathered  from  limes  and  heather.  Both  comb  and  run 
honey  sold  freely  at  Is.  to  Is.  Gd.  per  lb.  The  leading 
exhibitors  were  all  disciples  of  the  bar-frame  school.  The 
principal  '  skeppist '  who  exhibited  was  Mr.  M.  II.  Tilley, 
of  Dorchester,  who,  like  his  neighbour,  Mr.  Vatcher,  is  a 
disciple  of  Mr.  Pettigrew,  and  is  still  quite  content  with 
the  results  obtainable  under  the  old  system.  He  uses 
enormous  straw  skeps  and  very  simple  frame  hives,  ranged 
tier  above  tier  in  a  large  bee-house,  and  gets  some  splendid 
supers,  his  harvest  this  year  being  probably  half-a-ton, 
while  his  Intal  weights  from  single  hives  would  not  be  far 
behind  those  of  his  mure  advanced  brethren.  Unfortun- 
ately, very  few  cottagers  exhibited,  and  the  Association 
has  yet  much  to  do  in  the  way  of  educating  the  labourer 
in  the  methods  of  modern  bee-culture.  The  observatory 
hives  sent  by  .Mr.  Dunman  and  Captain  Downes  were 
sources  of  great  delight  to  visitors.  The  judges  in  this 
department   were  :— Rev.   L.  Stanton,  Combe  Keynes 


Mr.  C.  Tite,  Yeovil ;  and  Mr.  W.  R.  Vatcher,  Dorchester. 
Their  awards  were  as  follow : — 

Local  Classes. — Best  super  of  honey  from  one  apiary 
— Fiist  1/.,  Mr.  W.  H.  Dunman,  jun.,  Troytown,  Dor- 
chester ;  second,  10s.,  Mr.  J.  Antell,  Puddletown ;  third, 
5s.,  Mr.  T.  Stickland,  Puddletown  ;  commended,  Rev.  T.  A. 
Greaves,  Weymouth.  Best  exhibition  of  super  honey  in 
the  comb  from  one  stock  of  bees — First,  Mr.  J.  Antell, 
S>9  J  lbs ;  second,  10s.,  Mr.  W.  H.  Dunman,  jun.  86  lbs  ;  third 
os.,  Mr.  T.  Stickland,  69  lbs  ;  highly  commended,  Mr.  W. 
H.  Dunman,  jun.,  68  lbs.  Best  super  of  honey,  not  sectional 
— First,  10s.,  Mr.  M.  II.  Tilley,  Dorchester  ;  second,  5s., 
Mr.  W.  II.  Dunman,  jun. ;  commended,  Mr.  J.  Sherring, 
Puddletown.  Best  exhibition  of  comb  honey  in  sections 
— First,  1/.,  equal  first,  Mr.  T.  Stickland  and  Mr.  J .  Antell ; 
second,  5s.,  Mr.  W.  H.  Dunman,  jun.  Best  eight  sections 
of  comb  honey — First,  15s.,  equal  first,  Mr.  T.  Stickland 
and  Mr.  W.  H.  Dunman,  jun.  ;  second,  10s.,  Mr.  J.  Ante'd. 
Best  collection  of  comb  honey — Silver  medal  of  the 
British  Bee-keepers'  Association, Mr.  W.  II.  Dunman,  jun. ; 
bronze  medal  ditto,  Mr.  J.  Antell ;  certificate,  Mr.  T. 
Stickland.  Best  exhibition  of  run  or  extracted  honey  in 
glasses — First,  10s.,  Mr.  T.  Stickland  ;  second,  -is.,  Mr.  W. 
H.  Dunman,  jun.;  third,  2s.  Gd.,  Mr.  J.  Antell.  Best 
sample  of  bees'  wax — 5s.,  Mr.  J.  Sherring. 

Cottagers'  Classes. — Best  exhibition  of  comb  honey  ' 
in  supers — First,  5s.,  Mr.  J.  Sherring  ;  second,  2s.  6c?.,  Mr. 
James  Woodland,  Troytown.    Best  super  of  honey — First, 
7s.  Gd,  Mr.  J.  Sherring;  second,  5s.,  Mr.  James  Woodland. 

During  the  afternoon  Mr.  C.  Tite,  of  Yeovil,  gave  a 
series  of  short  lectures  to  small  groups  of  interested 
listeners  who  were  anxious  to  know  something  about  bees 
and  their  habits,  as  well  as  the  advantages  claimed  for  the 
modern  mode  of  bee-keepiug. 

The  extractor  was  a  source  of  very  great  interest,  and 
one  of  Abbott's '  Little  Wonders'  was  kept  at  work  during 
a  considerable  portion  of  the  time  the  show  was  open,  Mr. 
W.  II.  Dunman,  the  indefatigable  secretary,  using  his 
muscles  and  his  tongue  verv  freely  in  connexion  therewith. 

Mr.  M.  II.  Tilley  and  Mr.  W.  R.  Vatcher,  of  Dor- 
chester, who  are  members  of  the  committee  of  the  Dorset 
Bee-keepers'  Association,  answered  a  host  of  questions  and 
gave  much  interesting  information  respecting  bees  and 
their  management,  as  also  did  Messrs.  Antell  and  Stick- 
land, of  Puddletown. 


SURREY  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

This  association  held  its  second  county  show  on  Wed- 
nesday and  Thursday  at  Croydon,  the  disused  Skating 
Rink  forming  a  suitable  place  in  which  to  hold  the  ex- 
hibition. The  show  comprised  bees,  honey,  and  apiarian 
appliances  of  all  kinds.  Messrs.  Neighbour  gained  first 
prize  for  the  best  complete  frame-hive,  and  also  a  prize 
for  straw  hives.  Among  the  other  exhibitors  of  all  kinds 
of  appliances,  honey,  bees,  wax,  &c,  were  Messrs.  S.  J. 
Baldwin,  Norwood  ;  J.  Wood,  Croydon  ;  D.  Smith, Croy- 
don ;  Mrs.  Wayling,  Croydon;  Mr.  A.Stone,  Croydon; 
Mrs.  M.  A.  Harrison,  Croydon  ;  Mr.  W.  Hollands,  Croy- 
don ;  Mr.  R.  McGregor,  Aberdeen  ;  Mr.  S.  Sells,  Stam- 
ford ;  Mr.  P.  Skinner,  Swanlev ;  Mr.  F.  Mace,  Sutton ; 
Mr.  R.  Scott,  Godstone ;  Mr.  J.  Fowler,  Sutton  ;  Mr.  M. 
Wood,  Godstone ;  Mr.  W.  Marriott,  Woodside  Green  ; 
and  Mr.  Lemarc,  Guildford.  The  most  successful  ex- 
hibitor was  Mr.  Hollands,  while  Mr.  Scott,  Mr.  Wood, 
and  Mr.  Baldwin  took  several  prizes. 

The  driving  competitions  were  subjects  of  much  in- 
terest. The  competitions  took  place  in  the  gauzed  tent 
of  the  Society,  which  enabled  the  timorous  spectator  !■> 
watch  the  contests  without  fear  of  being  stung.  In  the 
Bee  Tent,  also,  various  manipulations  were  performed 
with  live  bees  by  Captain  Campbell  and  other  gentlemen. 
These  manipulations  were  accompanied  by  popular  lectures 
or  explanations.  The  method  of  extracting  the  honey  with- 
out destroying  the  comb  was  fully  shown  and  explained, 


September  1,  1880.J 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


01 


At  eight  o'clock  on  Thursday  evening  the  prize  distri-  \ 
bution  took  place,  the  ceremony  being  performed  by 
Bishop  Tuffnell,  vicar  of  Croydon,  who  was  supported 
by  Captain  Campbell,  and  Messrs.  Lemare  and  Whealler, 
all  three  of  whom  had  been  untiring  in  their  exertions  to 
make  the  show  a  success. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  prize-takers  : — 

Bees. — For  the  best  stock  of  bees  in  a  frame-hive,  with 
sectional  supers  in  process  of  rilling:  1st,  Mr.  S.  J.  Bald- 
win, Norwood.  For  the  best  stock  of  bees  in  a  bar-frame 
hive  :  1st,  J.  Wood,  Croydon;  2nd,  D.  Smith,  Croydon  ; 
3rd,  Mrs.  Wayling,  Croydon.  For  the  best  stock  of  bees 
in  a  straw  hive  :  2nd,  A.  Stone,  Croydon ;  ;ird,  Mrs. 
M.  A.  Harrison,  Ciwdon. 

Hives  and  Appliances. — For  the  best  complete  frame- 
hive.  The  hive  to  be  exhibited  in  duplicate — firstly,  for 
summer  use,  with  facilities  for  harvesting  honey ;  secondly, 
with  arrangements  for  wintering :  1st,  G.  Neighbour  & 
Son,  Kegent  Street,  London  ;  2nd,  W.  Hollands,  Croydon. 
For  the  best  double-walled  bar-frame  hive  for  cottager's 
use,  complete,  with  water-tight  cover,  sectional  supers, 
quilt  or  blanket,  feeding-stage,  and  bottle.  To  be  painted. 
Price  not  to  exceed  15s. :  1st,  W.  Hollands,  Croydon ; 
2nd,  It.  McGregor,  Aberdeen.  For  the  best  and  cheapest 
frame-hive  for  cottager's  use,  with  summer  and  winter 
arrangements.  Price  not  to  exceed  10s. :  1st,  R.  McGregor, 
Aberdeen ;  2nd,  W.  Hollands,  Croydon  ;  highly  com- 
mended for  simplicity,  H.  Parson,  Guildford ;  highly 
commended  for  cheapness,  F.  Lyon,  Harlevford  Road,  S.E. 

Straw  Hives. — For  the  best  and  cheapest  straw  hive, 
with  flat  top,  adapted  for  sectional  supering ;  a  hive  that 
shall  be  intermediate  between  a  bar-frame  and  common 
straw :  1st,  T.  Sells,  Uffington,  Stamford ;  2nd,  G. 
Neighbour  &  Sons,  Regent  Street,  London. 

Supers. — For  the  cheapest,  neatest,  and  best  supers 
for  harvesting  honey  in  the  comb,  in  the  most  saleable 
form.  Applicable  to  wooden  or  straw  hives ,  1st,  W. 
Hollands,  Croydon;  2nd,  and  highly  commended,  Abbott 
Bros.,  Southatl. 

Extractors  or  Slingers. — For  the  best  honey-ex- 
tractor, calculated  to  meet  the  requirements  of  cottagers : 
S.  J.  Baldwin,  Norwood. 

Honey. — For  the  best  exhibition  of  honey  in  supers, 
or  sections  of  supers,  the  total  weight  of  each  entry  to  be 
not  less  than  lolbs. :  1st,  P.  Skinner,  Swanley  ;  2nd,  F. 
Mace,  Sutton,  Surrey ;  3rd,  R.  Scott,  Godstone;  highly 
commended,  M.  Freeman,  Slinfold.  For  the  best  exhibi- 
tion of  honey  in  supers,  caps,  or  sectional  supers ;  the 
total  weight  of  each  entry  to  be  not  less  than  8  lbs.  :  1st, 
J.  Fowler,  Sutton,  Surrey;  2nd,  M.  Wood,  Godstone; 
;!rd,  A.  Stone,  Croydon.  For  the  best  exhibition  of  comb- 
honey  in  sections,  each  section  of  not  more  than  .'S  lbs.  in 
weignt ;  the  total  weight  of  each  entry  to  be  not  less 
than  10  lbs. :  1st,  R.  Scott,  Godstone;  2nd,  W.  Hollands, 
Croydon ;  3rd,  W.  Marriott,  Woodside  Green.  For  the 
best  exhibition  of  comb-honey  in  sections,  each  section  of 
not  more  than  3  lbs.  in  weight ;  the  total  weight  of  each 
entry  to  be  not  less  than  5  lbs.;  INI.  Wood,  Godstone. 

Run  or  Extracted. — For  the  best  and  largest  exhi- 
bition of  pure  run  or  extracted  honey  in  glasses  (no> 
exceeding  2  lbs.  each) :  1st,  F.  H.  Lemare,  Guildford ; 
2nd,  W.  Hollands,  Croydon;  3rd,  R.  Scott,  Godstone. 
For  the  best  exhibition  of  pure  run  or  extracted  honey  : 
1st,  M.  Wood,  Godstone;  2nd,  J.  Fowler,  Sutton, Surrey. 
Bees'  Wax. — For  the  best  exhibition  of  pure  bees' 
wax :  1st,  Mrs.  Wayling,  Croydon ;  2nd,  A.  Stone, 
Croydon.  

BEE  AND  HONEY  SHOW  AT  MELKSHAM. 

By  the  kind  permission  of  the  Keevil  District  Horti- 
cultural Society,  a  few  of  the  leading  bee-keepers  of  the 
neighbourhood  were  enabled  to  hold  their  first  meeting 
in  connexion  with  a  grand  floral  fete  at  Melksham  on 
August  11th.  The  display  consisted  of  bees  in  observa- 
tory hives,  super  and  run  hone}',  wax,  some  of  the  most 


approved  bar-frame  hives,  and  a  set  of  drawings  illus- 
trating the  anatomy  of  the  honey-bee.  Special  prizes 
were  also  offered  for  wasps'  nests.  The  exhibits  were 
all  admirably  arranged  in  a  special  tent,  one  side  of 
which  was  covered  with  a  network  screen  (kindly  lent 
by  Mr.  C.  N.  Abbott,  Editor  of  the  British  Bee  Journal), 
through  which,  during  the  afternoon,  upwards  of  a 
thousand  persons  interested  in  apiculture  watched  the 
processes  of  artificial  swarming,  extracting,  and  trans- 
ferring. 

The  managers  had  secured  the  services  of  Mr.  W. 
Hunt, of  South  Warnborough,  a  member  of  the  B.  B.  K.  A., 
who,  with  the  assistance  of  Messrs.  Adams  and  Childe, 
successfully  demonstrated  how  tractable  bees  may 
become  under  proper  management,  and  that  the  horrid 
brimstone  pit  is  not  only  unnecessary,  but  cruel  and 
extravagant  if  honey  is  required.  The  arrangement  of 
the  Show  reflected  great  credit  upon  Mr.  Robert  Man- 
field,  who  is  a  most  enthusiastic  bee-keeper,  and  untiring 
in  his  efforts  for  the  advancement  of  apiculture.  Mrs. 
Manfield  and  other  friends  had  tastefully  adorned  the 
tent,  and  the  general  effect  was  exceedingly  pleasing. 
The  Show  was  a  great  success  for  a  first  attempt.  There 
was  a  good  supply  of  honey,  some  of  the  finest  being 
exhibited  by  a  cottager.  The  awards  amounted  to 
81.  Is.,  of  which  71.  went  to  cottagers.  The  amount  taken 
at  the  entrance  to  the  tent  was  10/.  17s.  5%d.  Generous 
friends  gave  more  than  enough  to  pay  the  prizes  and  all 
other  expenses,  and  a  balance  of  131.  will  be  handed  to 
the  Treasurer  of  the  Cottage  Hospital.  This  is  not  the 
first  time  Mr.  Manfield  has  made  bee-keeping  help  a 
good  cause.  Some  of  our  readers  will  remember  the 
account  we  gave  three  or  four  years  ago  of  the  manner  in 
which  he  raised  money  for  a  church  clock  at  Bere- 
Regis,  Dorset,  by  the  sale  of  his  honey ;  and  others  will 
recollect  what  splendid  supers  he  has  exhibited  on 
various  occasions  at  the  Dorchester,  Sherborne,  and 
Weston-super-Mare  Shows. 

We  hear  on  good  authority  that  bee-culture  is  making 
rapid  progress  in  the  district".  Instead  of  burning  their 
stocks,  many  cottagers  now  drive  such  bees  as  they  still 
have  left  in  skeps,  and  those  they  do  not  require  for 
doubling,  &c,  they  sell  readily  at  Is.  6rf.  to  2s.  3d.  per  lb. 
We  append  a  copy  of  the  balance-sheet  made  up  after 
the  Show  referred  to  above,  as  the  particulars  may_  be 
useful  to  others  who  are  thinking  of  getting  up  similar 
exhibitions : — 

By  subscriptions,  19/.  15*.  5|d. ;  admission  fees, 
10/.  17s.  oid.;  flowers  sold  in  the  tent,  .'is.  Id. ;  total, 
30/.  16*. ;  to  printing,  2/.  9s.  ;  advertisements,  paper,  and 
postage  stamps,  18s.';  Messrs.  Hunt  and  Davis  for  mani- 
pulating, 1/.  0s.  6rf.;  Mr.  Hunt's  travelling  expenses, 
&c,  1/.  6s.;  bees  for  manipulations,  1/.  7s.  6d. ;  hire  of 
tent,  2/.;  man,  for  helping,  2s.  Of/.;  carpenter's  bill, 
lis.  Gd. ;  prizes,  SI.  Is.;  total,  17/.  16s.  The  judges 
were:  The  Rev.  P.W.  G.  Filleul,  Trowbridge;  and  Mr. 
Hunt,  Warnborough.  The  following  is  a  list  of  their 
awards  : — 

Observatory  Hives,  stocked  with  Italian  bees. — 
10s.,  Mr.  A.  Adams,  Melksham.  Observatory  hives, 
English  bees  :  10s.,  Mr.  Clarke,  Neston. 

Cottagers. — Super  honey,  in  comb:  15*.,  Mr.  T. 
Owen,  Corsham;  10s.,  Mr.  Davis,  Neston;  5s.,  Mr. 
Bushell.  Glass  super  of  honey:  10s.,  Mr.  Pearce, 
Neston ;  5s.,  Mr.  Clarke.  Straw  super :  10s.,  Mr. 
Bryant,  Sectional  supers:  10s.,  Mr.  Clarke;  5s.,  Mr. 
Pearce.  Run  or  extracted  honey,  in  glasses  :  5*.,  Mr.  T. 
Owen;  2s.  67/.,  Mr.  W.  Guv',  Melksham.  Hive  of 
honey:  5s., Mr.  S.  Rogers  Cake  of  wax  :  equal  second, 
Mr.  6.  Bryant,  Corshamside,  and  Mr.  T.  Owen. 

Gentlemen's  Gaudenbrs.  Super  of  honey:  LOs., 
Mr.  Clarke  (gardener  to  Mr.  G.  P.  Fuller);  "«.,  Mr.  E. 
Deverell  (gardener  to  Mr.  C.Webb,  Trowbridge),  and 
Mr.  Button  (gardener  to  Lord  Methuen)  ;  3s., Mr.  Gray 
(gardener  to  Rev.  E.  L.  Barnwell,  Melksham). 


92 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[September  1,  1880. 


Open  to  all. — Super  of  honey :  10s.,  Mrs.  Moule, 
Melksham  ;  6s.,  Mr.  C.  Webb,  Trowbridge  ;  3rd,  Mr.  S. 
Bailey ;  4th,  Mr.  Adams.  Wasp's  nest :  5s.,  Mr.  J. 
Hammings,  Sandridge,  Mr.  Cole,  Melksham ;  2s.  Gd., 
Mr.  Crew,  Corsham  ;  3rd,  Mr.  C.  Homes,  Melksham. 


SHOW  AT  TIVERTON. 

The  Devon  and  Exeter  Bee-keepers'  Association  held  a 
branch  exhibition  on  the  1st  July  on  the  Cricket  grounds, 
in  connexion  with  the  Flower  Show  of  the  Tiverton 
Horticultural  Society.  There  was  a  fair  amount  of  ex- 
hibits, which  were  arranged  in  one  of  the  Flower  tents. 
On  this  occasion  the  Tent  of  the  British  Bee-keepers' 
Association  was  used  for  the  manipulations,  and  much  in- 
terest was  taken  by  the  visitors  in  the  proceedings.  The 
honorary  secretary,  W.  N.  Griffin,  Esq.,  was  assisted  in 
the  manipulations  by  George  Fox,  Esq.,  of  Kingsbridge, 
one  of  tne  best  known  scientific  and  enthusiastic  bee- 
keepers. The  Judges  were  the  Rev.  W.  J.  R.  Neame, 
and  R.  Veitch,  Esq. 

Sombrton  Show.  —  At  the  Flower  Show  held  at 
Somerton,  Somerset,  on  Friday,  August  20th,  there  were 
a  few  very  fair  exhibits  of  comb  and  rim  honey,  sent  by 
Mr.  P.  C.  Head,  Mr.  Sherwood,  and  others,  who  are 
doing  their  best  to  improve  the  method  of  bee-keeping 
in  the  district.  There  were  also  prizes  given  for  the 
destruction  of  wasps'  nests,  the  awards  being  at  the  rate 
of  6c?.  for  each  perfect  nest  sent  in.  There  were  348 
entered,  one  man  named  Ferguson  sending  70,  and  thus 
gaining  1/.  15s.  The  uumber  was  very  large,  as  wasps 
have  been  unusually  plentiful  at  Somerton,  as  elsewhere, 
this  season.  The  following  were  the  prize-takers  : — 
Supers  of  honey  (hives  given  as  prizes),  21s.  P.  C.  Head; 
7s.  Gd.  Win.  Snowr. 

ARBROATH  SHOW. 

The  East  of  Scotland  Bee-keepers'  Society  held  their 
annual  exhibition  of  bees,  honey,  wax,  &c,  in  connexion 
with  the  Horticultural  Society's  Show  in  the  Corn  Ex- 
change, Arbroath,  on  Wednesday,  25th  August. 

This  exhibition  shows  decided  progress  in  the  get-up 
of  honey-comb  in  a  handy  and  saleable  form.  Although 
the  white  clover  had  partially  failed  this  year  owing  to 
the  heavy  falls  of  rain  in  July,  the  show  of  honey  from 
other  sources,  principally  wild  flowers,  was  good.  The 
bulk  consisted  of  small  boxes  or  sections  containing  from 

1  to  2  lbs.  of  honey  nicely  glassed  to  keep  the  honey- 
comb clean  till  wanted  to  cut  out  for  the  table — a  vast 
improvement  on  the  old  wasteful  skep  system.  The 
observatory  hives,  witli  their  stocks  of  Ligurian  bees 
and  queen,  were  a  great  attraction.  A  nest  of  wild  bees 
in  a  neat  rustic  cottage  hive,  exhibited  by  Mr.  J.  Nicoll, 
fun.,  Cemetery  Lodge,  attracted  crowds  of  spectators. 
The  judges  were  Mr.  Bisset,  Banchory,  and  Mr.  Rogerson, 
Blairgowrie. 

Prizes. — Best  display  of  honey-comb,  produce  of  one 
apiary,  in  sections  not  over  4  lbs.,  total  weight  to  be 
not  less  than  40  lbs :  1,  John  Nicol,  jun.,  Cemetery 
Lodge,  80  lbs. ;  2,  John  Stewart,  Letham  Mill,  48J  lbs. 
Best  sectional   super   under   20  lbs.,  sections   not  over 

2  lbs.  each :  1,  John  Nicoll,  jun.;  2,  John  Stewart;  3, 
W.  Raitt,  Gowan  Bank.  Best  single  supers  in  wood  or 
wood  and  glass :  1 ,  George  Greig,  Arbroath ;  2,  R. 
Lowson,  Arbroath  ;  3,  John  Stewart.  Best  straw  super 
under  12  lbs. :  James  Glen,  Arbroath.  Six  lbs.  run 
honey  in  show-glass:  1,G.  Greig;  2,  1).  Smart,  Waulk- 
mills  ;  3,  James  (  Urn.  Best  2  lbs.  wax  :  1,  John  Nicoll, 
jun.;  2,  Mrs.  Stewart,  Letham  Mill.  Six  sheets  ciimb 
foundation:  1,  W.  Raitt,  Beecroft,  Blairgowrie.  Best 
observatory  or  linicomb  hive,  stocked  with  bees  and 
their  queen  :  I,  John  Stewart;  2,  Ml'8.  Stewart.  Best 
sweetmeats  made  with  honey,  receipt  attached,  not  less 
than  2  lbs.,  Mrs.  Stewart,  Letham  Mill. 


CoTOspntrmtt. 


*,*  These  columns  are  open  to  Subscribers,  so  that  their 
queries,  replies,  correspondence,  and  experiences,  may  be 
fully  and  faithfully  recorded;  and  for  the  discussion  of  all 
theories  and  systems  in  Bee-culture,  and  of  the  relative  merits 
of  all  hives  and  appurtenances,  that  the  truth  regarding  them 
may  be  ascertained.  The  Editor,  therefore,  must  not  be  ex- 
pected to  coincide  icith  all  the  views  expressed  by  tlie  various 
writers.    All  Correspondence  is  addressed  to  tlie  Editor. 


CRITICISM  ON  WIDE-ENDED  FRAMES. 

I  am  glad  you  inserted  my  criticism  on  your 
proposed  new  frames,  as  I  was  afraid  the  Bee 
Journal  was  to  become  a  close  borough  in  which 
none  but  the  member  sitting  in  the  Editorial  chair 
was  to  be  allowed  to  express  an  opinion.  I  do  not 
know  that  it  is  worth  while  to  say  more  on  this 
subject,  beyond  that  I  stand  to  my  criticism,  that 
you  having  denounced  the  Woodbury  for  its 
liability  to  crush  a  valuable  queen,  and  because  of 
its  large  propolising  surfaces,  introduced  frames  in 
which  both  these  evils  are  increased,  and  not 
diminished. 

You  say,  '  There  is  not  a  word  that  we  can  dis- 
cover that  points  to  propolising  as  an  objection  in 
the  sense  our  correspondent  implies.'  Is  not  having 
to  prise  the  frames  out  of  the  notches  such  an  ob- 
jection, especially  as  the  additional  objection  was 
alleged,  that  in  doing  this  the  dividing  pieces 
between  the  notches  were  often  broken  away  ;  a 
similar  catastrophe  to  that  which  happens  with 
your  frames,  when  the  projecting  piece  breaks  off 
for  the  same  reason  % 

You  say  that  I  have  not  used  the  patent  bee- 
crushing  frames,  which  is  true  in  the  letter ;  but  I 
have  a  hive  over  which  sectional  supers  are  hung 
two  deep  in  frames,  touching  one  another  ;  and  I 
know  the  utter  impossibility  of  seeing  what  is  going 
on  in  the  way  of  crushing  when  restoring  such 
frames  to  their  places  ;  but  this  is  not  so  objection- 
able as  your  proposal,  because  the  queen  being 
excluded  there  is  no  possibility  of  crushing  her. 

But  I  can  quote  a  higher  authority  than  myself. 
Cook  (p.  141,  3rd  Edition),  speaking  of  the  Quinby 
and  Russel  hives,  says,  '  The  objection  I  have 
found  is  danger  of  killing  bees  in  rapid  handling.' 
Yet  these  hives  seem  to  me  to  point  to  the  true 
principle  for  attaining  your  end  if  it  is  desirable 
and  workable.  A  hive  built  up  of  sections  touching 
at  the  sides,  with  a  box  put  over  the  whole,  making 
a  double-walled  hive  with  no  vacant  places  between 
combs  and  side  of  hive.  By  removing  the  box- 
cover  before  manipulating  the  sections,  every  part 
of  the  whole  would  become  visible,  and  bee-crushing 
reduced  to  a  minimum. 

You  asked  in  a  former  note  for  particulars  as  to 
prize  for  non-swarming  system.  You  will  find  it 
in  the  same  edition  of  Cook,  p.  176,  'Mr.  Quinby 
offered  a  large  reward  for  a  perfect  non-swarming 
hive,  and  never  had  to  make  the  payment.'  I  think 
the  Association  might  well  do  the  same,  ami  pro- 
bably witli  as  much  safety.— Stephen  NlOOLL. 

I  We  are  quite  willing  to  agree  to  disagree  on  the  points 
mentioned,  relying  more  on  the  practical  working  out  of 


September  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


93 


the  question  than  on  the  evidence  of  authorities  who 
work  under  an  entirely  different  aspect.  Time  and 
experience  will  settle  the  question,  and  in  the  meantime 
we  hope  to  try  by  every  possible  means  to  produce  the 
best  winter  hive,  for  the  necessity  for  such  is  at  the 
bottom  of  the  question.  The  section-frames  alluded  to 
are  not  in  the  same  parallel  with  those  which,  having 
been  proposed,  called  forth  the  criticism  alluded  to,  the 
publication  of  which  has  at  least  satisfied  our  esteemed 
correspondent  that  our  columns  are  '  open,'  as  we  have 
all  along  professed  them  to  be.  Prevention  of  swarming 
and  propolising  will  only  be  effected  when  the  nature  of 
the  bee  has  been  chanced ;  in  the  meantime  we  can  only 
do  our  best  to  render  them  as  little  inconvenient  as  is 
possible. — Ed.]         

INTERMEDIATE   HIVE   FOR   COTTAGERS. 

There  is  a  great  desire  in  England  to  persuade 
the  cottagers  to  adopt  the  frame  principle  in  hives. 
But  many  are  very  timid  or  backward  in  doing  so, 
and  I  think  that  a  great  deal  lies  in  the  difficulty  of 
going  over  from  the  skep  or  dome  hive  to  the  hives 
of  the  day,  viz.,  frame  hives.  As  I  have  not  seen 
or  read  of  the  plan  I  have  tried  and  exhibited  here 
to  aid  or  help   over  the   difficulty,  I  thought  you 

would   have   no   objec- 


tions to  give  a  small 
space  for  the  following. 
In  any  ordinary  skep 
or  dome  hive  of  straw 
cut  a  circular  hole  two 
inches  in  diameter  in 
the  top.  Then  make  a 
simple  box,  the  two 
ends  being  deeper  than 
the  sides,  and  cut  out 
to  the  rounding  of  the 
hive  to  support  the  box 
in  its  place  on  the  hive. 
In  the  centre  of  the 
bottom  cut  a  hole,  in 
which  insert  a  card- 
board tube  and  tack  it  fast  in  the  bottom  of  the 
box,  with  so  much  projecting  as  will  go  through 
the  top  of  the  straw  hive  as  shown.  The  box  can 
be  made  so  large  as  to  take  three  to  four  frames 
9 in.  long  by  Sin.  deep  or  other  size  to  suit  fancy. 
The  frames  rest  on  lists  at  each  end  of  the  box, 
and  two  lists  or  stops  are  nailed  on  the  cover  to 
keep  it  in  its  place.  The  hole  in  the  hive  is  of  use 
for  inserting  the  feed-bottle  in  the  spring  and 
autumn  if  necessary,  when  the  box  or  super  is  not 
in  use.  By  having  reserve  frame,  others  can  be  put 
in  the  box,  and  the  full  ones  taken  out  and  the 
honey  extracted  as  usual.  The  above  plan  is  I 
think  the  simplest  and  easiest  way  for  a  cottager 
beginning  to  keep  bees  on  the  humane  principle. — 
J.  S.  Wood,   Nyborg,  Denmark. 


SEASON  IN  CORNWALL. 
This  has  been  a  rare  season  for  those  who  fed 
their  stocks  well  last  winter,  but  most  did  not  do 
so,  and  have  lost  the  greater  part  or  all  of  them. 
Seven  of  mine  survived  cut  of  nine,  and  1  have  now 
twenty,  three  or  foul"  of  (hern  doubles.  They  have 
bred  so  freely  as  to  be  quite  a  trouble,  no  adequate 


time  being  available  to  attend  to  them.  Honey  has 
come  mostly  from  clover  with  which  the  fields  have 
been  covered,  and  the  country  filled  with  the  per- 
fume. So  late  as  yesterday  a  small  swarm  emerged 
from  a  chimney,  old  quarters  to  which  a  previous 
swarm  had  gone  this  year.  This  late  lot  must 
actually  be  great-grandchildren  of  this  year  !  I  in- 
tend uniting  them  to  another  swarm.  I  have  had 
some   beautiful   comb    in  sectional   supers — about 

201bs.  from  one  bar-frame  hive  and  a  little  more  to 

come. 

I  am  going  to  try  ammonia  on  my  poisoned  gloves. 

The   bees  are  now  revelling   in   mignonette,  and 

several  seem  to  find  sweets  in  thesedums. — C.  R.  S. 

St.  Goran,  Cornwall,   August  17. 


THE  PAST  SEASON. 
Now  the  season  with  us  is  over,  I  am  in  a  position 
to  decide  as  to  its  character  as  far  as  I  myself  and 
my  neighbours  are  concerned.  I  should  say  that  it 
has  not  been  a  very  good  honey  season.  During 
the  time  when  the  fields  were  full  of  flowers,  beans, 
and  mustard,  and  turnips  for  seed,  the  weather  was 
not  genial,  and  during  the  past  week,  when  the 
buckwheat  has  been  in  full  flower  the  bees  have  been 
out  very  little  on  account  of  the  N.E.  wind  and  the 
dull  sky.  I  have  succeeded  in  taking  a  little  over 
4001bs.  of  honey,  which  is  less  than  I  anticipated. 
I  have  been  able  to  sell  it  readily  at  from  Is.  to 
Is.  Qd.  per  lb.  The  principal  part  of  this  yield  has 
been  from  three  hives,  two  of  which  never  swarmed  ; 
the  third,  an  enormous  double  swarm.  These  three 
hives  will  have  averaged  lOOlbs.  apiece.  They  are 
bar-frame  hives,  and  I  have  slung  them  repeatedly. 
I  leave  them  now  for  the  winter  with  a  very  heavy 
stock  of  honey  in  them.  My  own  experience  leads 
to  the  conclusion,  that  if  you  wish  to  obtain  a 
quantity  of  honey,  keep  your  stocks  strong  and  do  not 
let  them  swarm.  My  neighbours  who  keep  bees 
on  the  old  principle  intend  this  winter  to  make  the 
bar-frame  hive,  and  work  with  the  slinger.  I  have 
gone  round  to  several,  and  have  driven  the  bees  out 
of  the  skeps  that  were  to  be  taken  up  and  then  slung 
the  honey  for  them,  proving  two  things,  1st,  that 
the  honey  so  obtained  is  more  than  by  the  old  sys- 
tem of  draining  ;  2ndly,  that  it  is  all  good,  not  mixed 
with  brood  or  bee-bread.  I  have  taken  the  brood 
and  bees  and  added  them  to  my  stocks. — G.  W. 
Wisbeach. 

FEEDING  BEES  WITH  DRY  SUGAR. 
Well,  I  have  seen  a  little  of  it  in  my  lifetime  of 
seventy  years.  Mrs.  Morgan,  of  Pontyrhydarw, 
sixty  years  ago,  was  reckoned  an  adept  at  bee 
managing.  A  swarm  once  settled  on  her  back. 
She  had  the  presence  of  mind  to  quietly  undo  her 
Welsh  bed-gown  (so  called),  let  fall,  very  gently, 
both  gown  and  bees  ;  then  fetched  a  hive,  and  got 
the  swarm  safely  housed  in  it.  The  floor-boards 
were  then  invariably  stones.  Mrs.  M.  used  to  feed 
them  occasionally  ;  she  placed  a  small  handful  of 
brown  sugar,  carefully  dry,  on  the  stone  in  front 
of  each  of  her  half-dozen  hives,   and   the  insects 


94 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[September  1,  1880. 


came  out  and  disposed  of  it.  But  I  suppose  a 
pound  or  two  at  furthest  sufficed  for  the  season. 
Mr.  Jenkin  Davies,  of  Craig-rhyd-y-maen,  was  an- 
other great  apiarian  in  those  days,  and  fed  with 
dry  sugar,  adding  a  pinch  of  oatmeal.  The  killing 
of  bees  in  October  was  a  grand  affair  with  these 
good  people.  Later,  Mr.  Jones  of  Cromtwrch  fed 
with  dry  sugar,  which  used  to  cost  him  at  the  rate 
of  threepence-halfpenny  a  pound  ;  the  sum  of  per- 
haps one  shilling  and  two-pence  during  a  hard 
season,  to  feed  ten  or  twelve  hives.  But  now  Mr. 
Jones  feeds  with  syrup,  and  instead  of  three  or 
four  pounds  during  the  season,  his  bees  consumed 
so  much  every  night,  and  he  would  laugh  to  scorn 
the  idea  of  placing  a  pinch  of  dry  sugar  at  each 
entrance.  Pity  he  has  not  yet  been  persuaded  to 
do  away  with  the  sulphur  pit! — John  Davies, 
Ystalyfera,  Swansea,  Aug.  21,  1880. 


WOODEN  FOUNDATION  UTILISED. 

I  just  drop  you  a  line  upon  the  subject  of 
economy  of  hive  interior.  I  am  using  half  or  split 
combs  for  front  and  back  of  hive,  or  moveable 
sides,  and  so  using  up  two  naked  surfaces  that 
have  never  been  utilised  before  the  introduction  of 
your  wooden  foundation.  If  you  think  it  worth 
mention  in  the  Journal  you  are  quite  at  liberty  to 
do  so. — W.  G.,  The  Croft,  Nantwich,  August  21. 

[Some  hives  were  exhibited  at  the  late  Kensington 
Show  bv  Messrs.  Abbott  Brothers,  the  dummies  of 
which  were  made  of  wood  foundation,  which  the  bees 
could  work  out  on  one  side,  forming  a  very  warm  wall 
of  air-cells,  and  being  similar  to  the  above. — Ed.  B.  B.J.~] 


BEES  IN  A  CHIMNEY. 

I  was  sent  for  on  Friday,  June  25th,  to  take  a 
swarm  which  had  settled  in  an  unused  chimney  or 
flue  (not  sooty),  about  a  foot  down  from  the  top.  I 
scraped  them  into  a  skep,  but  could  not  find  the 
queen.  Still  they  seemed  to  settle  in  the  hive,  but 
towards  the  evening  they  all  went  down  the  flue 
again  15  feet,  when  I  left  them  until  the  following- 
Wednesday,  June  30th,  when  I  found  them  busy, 
but  could  not  then  see  to  the  bottom,  I  filled  a 
small  tin  can  with  holes  in  the  bottom,  with  pre- 
pared touch-wood,  lighted  it,  and  put  the  can  on 
some  wire  and  twine,  and  let  it  down  the  flue  ; 
but  it  only  excited  them  a  little.  On  looking 
down  after  the  smoke  cleared  away  (the  sun  shining 
brightly),  I  could  see  five  or  six  pieces  of  comb  pro- 
jecting from  the  wall  on  one  side.  So  refilling  the 
can,  and  letting  it  down  again  under  the  combs,  I 
sxtcceeded  in  raising  the  alarm,  for  out  they  came 
pell-mell,  just  as  in  a  natural  swarm,  and  were 
settling  on  a  large  tree.  I  was  anxiously  looking 
to  see  the  queen  come  up,  and  wondering  whether 
it  was  to  be  or  not  to  be,  as  Shakespeare  says, 
when  she  came  marching  up,  and  when  about  a 
foot  from  the  top,  I  popped  a  small  cage  over  her, 
and  put  her  into  the  skep.  But  they  did  not  seem  to 
find  her  until  I  brushed  a  few  into  the  skep  with  her. 
After  a  few  minutes  the  joyful  news  was  commu- 
nicated, and  the  bees  came  from  the  tree  and  all 


parts,  and  joined  her  majesty  in  the  hive,  when  I 
brought  them  safely  down. — A.  Adams,  Melksliam, 
Wilts.  

INTRODUCTION :  OR  EARLY  HISTORY  OF 
BEES  AND  HONEY. 

No.  VII. 

{Continued  from  parte  207,  vol.  VII.) 

We  now  come  to  the  physiological  discoveries  of 
Schirach,  1761  ;  Hunter,  1789;  Huber,  1796;  and 
others — men  who  have  wonderfully  advanced  the 
science  of  entomology  by  a  series  of  experiments 
most  ably  conducted,  by  the  most  patient  investiga- 
tion, and  the  most  accurate  and  enlightened  ob- 
servation, and  placed  it  upon  the  solid  foundation 
of  rational  induction. 

Several  other  writers  also,  both  in  systematic 
works  and  in  periodical  publications,  have  contri- 
buted to  throw  much  light  upon  the  economy  and 
habits  of  the  bee,  amongst  whom  was  John  Keys, 
who  published  his  first  work,  The  Practical  Bee- 
Master,  in  1780.  My  father  was  a  disciple  of  Keys, 
and  adopted  his  humane  system,  and  never  killed 
his  bees  to  take  the  honey.  He  was  a  very  humane, 
good  man,  and  almost  the  first  thing  he  taught  us 
was  : — 

'  Take  not  that  life,  thou  canst  not  give, 
For  all  things  have  an  equal  right  to  live.' 

I  have  now  some  bees  in  a  wood  hive  that  my 
father  got  made  in  1806,  on  Key's  system,  and 
there  have  been  bees  in  it  from  nearly  that  time  to 
the  present,  yet  it  is  as  sound  and  good  as  the  day 
it  was  made :  this  shows  the  great  durability  of  wood 
over  straw  hives. 

The  immortal  Thomson  thus  describes  the  bar- 
barous practice  of  murdering  the  bees  with  sulphur 
to  take  the  honey: 

'  Ah,  see  where  robb'd,  and  murdered,  in  that  pit, 
Lies  the  still  heaving  hive  !  at  evening  snatch'd, 
Beneath  the  cloud  of  guilt  concealing  night, 
And  fixed  o'er  sulphur ;  while,  not  dreaming  ill, 
The  happy  people  in  their  waxen  cells, 
Sat  tending  public  cares,  and  planning  schemes, 
Of  temperance,  for  winter  poor;  rejoiced, 
To  mark,  full  flowing  round,  their  copious  stores. 
Sudden  the  dark  oppressive  steam  ascends; 
And,  us'd  to  milder  scents,  the  tender  race, 
By  thousands,  tumble  from  their  honey'd  domes. 
Convuls'd,  and  agonizing  in  the  dust, 
And  was  it  then  for  this  you  roam'd  the  spring, 
Intent  from  flower  to  flower  ?  for  this  you  tou'd 
Ceaseless  the  burning  summer  heats  away  ? 
For  this  in  autumn  search'd  the  blooming  waste, 
Nor  lost  one  sunny  gleam  ?  for  this  sad  fate  ? 
O  man !  tyrannic  lord  !  how  long,  how  long, 
Shall  prostrate  Nature  groan  beneath  your  rage, 
Awaiting  renovation  P    When  obliged, 
Must  you  destroy  ?     Of  their  ambrosial  food 
Can  you  not  borrow  ?  and,  in  just  return, 
Afford  them  shelter  from  the  wintry  winds ; 
Or,  as  the  sharp  year  pinches,  with  their  own 
Again  regale  then  on  some  smiling  day? 
See  where  the  stony  bottom  of  their  town 
Looks  desolate,  and  wild  ;  with  here  and  there 
A  helpless  number,  who  the  ruin's  state 
Survive,  lamenting,  weak,  cast  out  to  death.' 


September  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


95 


For  Thomson's  humane  appeal  lie  has  been  thus 
apostrophised  by  Dr.  Evans  : — 

'  And  thou,  sweet  Thomson,  tremblingly  alive 
To  pity's  call,  has  mourn'd  the  slaugliter'd  hive, 
Cursing,  with  honest  zeal,  the  coward  hand 
Which  hid  in  night's  dark  veil  the  murd'rous  brand, 
In  steam  sulphureous  wrapt  the  peaceful  dome, 
And  bore  the  yellow  spoil  triumphant  home.' 

Keys  was  succeeded  by  a  host  of  writers  on  bees, 
including  Sydserff,  1792  ;  Bonner,  the  clever  Scotch 
apiarian,  in  1 795  ;  Huber,  179G,  the  king  of  bee- 
masters,  who  (although  he  was  perfectly  blind) 
made  more  true  discoveries  about  bees  than  all  the 
writers  before  him  or  since.  Huber  invented  the 
first  bar-frame  hive,  but  his  frames  formed  the  ends 
and  sides  of  the  hive,  and  they  opened  with  hinges 
the  same  as  the  leaves  of  a  book.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Kirby,  1801;  Buffon,  1812;  Huish,  1815;  and 
Dunbar  in  1820. 

Dr.  Edward  Bevan  published  his  first  work  on 
Bees  in  1827.  This  was  the  most  scientific  and 
useful  work  on  bees  that  had  been  published  in 
England  up  to  that  date,  nay,  I  may  say  up  to  the 
present  time,  it  has  not  been  surpassed  by  any 
English  writer.  He  was  succeeded  by  Thomas 
Nutt,  who  brought  the  collateral  system  so  promi- 
nently forward  in  his  work,  '  Humanity  to  Honey 
Bees,' published  in  1832;  and  he  says,  'Is  it  not 
inhumanity  to  force  bees  to  depwsit  their  treasures 
in  a  garret,  two  or  three  stories  high,  when  a  far 
more  convenient  store-room  may  be  provided  for 
them  on  the  first  floor  V  Now  this  sort  of  reasoning 
sounded  veiy  true  and  nice,  but  the  bees'  instinct 
taught  them  to  reject  his  collateral  boxes  on  the 
ground-floor,  aud  to  deposit  their  honey  in  the 
highest  and  consequently  the  warmest  part  of  the 
hive,  as  heat  will  ascend ;  so  Nutt's  collateral  sys- 
tem has  long  since  gone  out  of  use. 

Our  late  friend,  Rev.  William  Charles  Cotton, 
published  his  first  work  on  bees  in  1838  ;  Short  and 
Simple  Letters  to  Cottagers,  of  which  twenty-four 
thousand  were  distributed,  and  his  enlarged  work, 
My  Bee  Book,  in  1 84-2  ;  before  he  took  the  bees  out 
to  New  Zealand,  which  so  benefited  the  colony;  as 
before  the  introduction  of  the  honey-bee,  they  had 
yearly  to  import  fresh  white  clover  seed  (Trifolium 
repens),  but  by  the  agency  of  the  bees,  they  are  now 
able  to  export  it.  We  should  have  little  seed  or 
fruit  if  it  was  not  for  the  agency  of  bees  in  carrying 
the  pollen  from  the  male  to  the  female  blossoms. 
On  April  8th,  1870,  I  visited  the  residence  at 
Highgate  of  our  noble  and  good  President  of  the 
British  Bee-keepers'  Association,  the  Baroness 
Burdett-Coutts,  whose  name  is  almost  a  household 
word.  When  I  went  into  the  peach-house  the 
gardener  said  to  me,  '  See  !  what  a  quantity  of 
peaches  I  have  got  set !'  I  looked  round  and  said, 
'  You  have  indeed ;  how  do  you  account  for  it  ]' 
'  Well !'  he  said,  '  I  have  always  kept  bees  to 
fructify  my  fruit  bloom,  but  last  autumn  I  bought 
a  stock  of  Ligurian  or  Italian  Alp  bees,  and  they 
being  hardier  than  the  common  English  bees,  they 
began  working  earlier,  and  got  into  the  peach-house, 
just  as  the  trees  are  coming  into  bloom,  and  the 
result   is,   I    have  nearly  double  the  quantity  of 


peaches  set  I  ever  had  before.'  So  you  see  it  is  not 
only  honey  that  we  get  from  the  bees,  but  nearly 
everything  else  that  we  grow. 

Mr.  Cotton  published  and  printed  a  work  on 
bees,  in  New  Zealand  in  1848,  A  Manual  for  New 
Zealand  Bee-keepers.  The  natives  called  the  bees 
'The  White  Man's  Fly.'  In  1872  Mr.  Cotton 
published  an  amusing  work  entitled  Buzz-a-Buzz ; 
or  the  Bees  done  freely  into  English,  from  the  Germam 
of  Wilhelm  Busch.  , 

Major  W.  A.  Munn  published  his  first  work  on 
bees  in  184-1,  and  took  out  a  patent  for  his  bar- 
frame  hive  in  Paris  in  1843.  Munn  was  the  first 
to  put  a  bar-frame  inside  a  hive,  but  it  was  left  to 
the  Rev.  L.  L.  Laugstroth  in  America,  Rev.  John 
Dzierzou  and  Baron  von  Berlepsch  in  Germany ; 
unknown  to  one  another  at  the  time,  to  simul- 
taneously invent  the  modern  bar-frame  hive  in  1852 ; 
which  quite  revolutionised  bee-keeping,  and  brought 
it  to  such  great  perfection,  that  it  has  now  become 
of  national  importance  in  many  countries.  These 
hives  have  rendered  bee-keeping  a  more  scientific 
study,  as  with  them  we  have  the  full  control  over 
the  bees,  and  can  investigate  all  their  proceedings 
whenever  we  like. 

The  Rev.  John  Dzierzon,  the  poor  Carlsmark 
curate,  published  his  first  work  on  bees  in  1846, 
and  announced  the  discovery  of  the  true  doctrine 
of  parthenogenesis  in  the  honey-bee,  or  production 
by  the  queen  without  having  any  intercourse  with 
the  male  or  drone  bee.  This  is  so  contrary  to  almost 
a  universal  law  in  the  animal  and  vegetable  king- 
dom, that  he  raised  such  a  swarm  of  opponents,  in 
nearly  all  the  naturalists  in  Europe,  who  scouted 
the  very  idea  of  such  a  production,  and  raised  such 
a  host  of  objections  against  such  a  theory  being 
true,  that  Dzierzon  himself  began  to  doubt  the 
correctness  of  what  he  had  seen  with  his  own  eyes. 
A  number  of  them  set  to  work  to  prove  the  fallacy 
of  such  a  statement,  but  every  experiment  that  was 
properly  conducted  only  confirmed  the  correctness 
of  Dzierzon's  theory,  and  Professor  Theodor  Von 
Siebold  (one  of  the  most  distinguished  German 
naturalists  and  physiologists)  fully  confirmed  this 
doctrine ;  after  a  laborious  dissecting  and  micro- 
scopical investigation,  he  discovered  a  set  of 
voluntary  muscles  for  imparting  some  of  the  male 
element  which  is  stored  up  in  the  spermatheca,  to 
every  worker  egg,  during  its  passage  through  the 
common  oviduct.  He  also  discovered  lively  sper- 
matozoids  in  the  semen  of  the  drones,  as  well  as  in 
the  contents  of  an  impregnated  spermatheca,  and 
detected  the  same  spermatozoids  in  worker  eggs, 
whilst  they  were  entirely  wanting  in  these  eggs  that 
would  produce  drones. 

This  long  and  acrimonious  dispute  was  at  last 
conclusively  settled,  and  it  has  explained  many  of 
the  mysteries  of  the  hives  in  which  the  great  king 
of  bee-masters,  the  illustrious  Huber,  after  discuss- 
ing the  effects  of  retarded  impregnation,  exclaimed, 
'  It  is  an  abyss  wherein  I  am  lost !'  All  other  great 
bee-masters  have  been  equally  lost  in  this  abyss, 
until  Dzierzon  discovered  the  doctrine  of  true 
parthenogenesis,  and  it  is  now  a  confirmed  fact  that 
the  queen-bee  has  the  power  at  will  to  lay  drone  or 


96 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[September  1,  1880. 


unfnictified  eggs,  or  fertilised  worker  eggs  :  and  I 
have  conclusively  proved  the  correctness  of  these 
statements  with  my  own  experiments. 

All  honour  is  due  to  Pastor  Dzierzon  for  his 
laborious  observations,  for  which  and  his  numerous 
other  discoveries  the  Emperor  of  Austria  in  1873 
decorated  Dr.  John  Dzierzon  with  the  Cross  of 
the  Knightly  Order  of  Francis  Joseph  ;  and  may 
he  long  live  to  enjoy  his  advancement  and 
honours. 

Dzierzon  was  succeeded  by  Miner,  1849  ;  Rev.  L. 
L.  Langstroth  and  M.  Quinby,  who  both  wrote  very 
excellent  works  on  bees  in  1853;  and  the  Baron 
von  Berlepsch,  who  published  his  first  work  on 
bees  in  18G0,  a  second  edition  in  18G8,  in  the  pro- 
duction of  which  he  bestowed  immense  labour,  and 
it  is  said  he  read  seventeen  thousand  pages  of  the 
best  bee-books  in  the  world  to  make  it  the  most 
perfect  bee-book  ever  published.  The  Bee  Journals 
in  different  countries  have  done  a  great  work  in 
advancing  bee  culture. 

I  think  I  have  now  given  you  a  short  account  of 
bee-keeping  from  the  earliest  date  of  which  we  have 
any  records  to  the  present  time,  the  compiling  of 
which  has  taken  a  very  great  amount  of  labour ; 
and  in  conclusion,  can  truly  say  the  culture  of  bees 
is  indeed  an  object  highly  deserving  the  attention 
of  the  agriculturist  as  well  as  of  the  natural  philo- 
sopher. Their  study  is  an  endless  source  of 
pleasure,  and  the  more  you  know  about  them,  the 
more  you  will  want  to  know.  To  go  and  sit  down 
near  your  bee-hives,  when  your  mind  is  troubled 
with  the  cares,  crosses,  and  afflictions  of  this  life, 
the  bees'  soothing,  happy  hum,  contented  busy  life, 
constantly  going  in  and  out  of  the  hive,  impercep- 
tibly draws  your  attention  from  yourself  and  your 
great  sorrow,  for  a  time  at  least ;  and  many  an  hour 
have  thus  been  passed  in  comparative  happiness  by 
the  poor  sufferer,  that  would  otherwise  have  been 
spent  in  agony,  in  mourning  over  his  affliction  or 
bereavement.  I  speak  from  experience. — -William 
Carr,  Nnvton  Heath  Apiary,  near  Manchester. 
(To  be  continued.) 


BEE-KEEPING  NEAR  TWO  THOUSAND 
YEARS  AGO. 

A  quarter  of  a  century  before  the  Christian  era, 
the  poet  Virgil  appears  to  have  been  studying  api- 
culture on  his  father's  farm  near  Mantua,  in  Cisal- 
pine Gaul.  His  hints  on  the  habits  and  require- 
ments of  this  wonderful  insect  have  not  only  a 
classic  interest,  but  after  the  lapse  of  nearly  nine- 
teen centuries  may  be  read  and  followed  with 
advantage  by  the  bee-keeper  of  the  present  time: — 

'  First  for  thy  bees  a  quiet  station  find, 

And  lodge  them  under  covert  of  the  wind 

(For  winds,  when  homeward  they  return,  will  drive 

The  loaded  carriers  from  their  evning  hive). 

But  near  a  living  stream,  their  mansion  place 
Kdg'd  round  with  moss,  and  tufts  of  matted  grass, 
And  plant  (tin-  wind's  impetuous  rage  to  stop) 
Wild  olive-trees,  or  palms,  before  the  busy  shop. 


Then  o'er  the  running  stream  or  standing  lake, 
A  passage  for  thy  weary  people  make. 
With  osier-floats  the  standing  water  strow ; 
( >f  many  stones  make  bridges,  if  it  flow. 
That  basking  in  the  sun,  thy  bees  may  lie, 
And,  resting  then,  their  flaggy  pinions  dry, 
When,  late  returning  home,  the  laden  host 
By  raging  winds  is  wreck'd  upon  the  coast. 
Wild-thyme  and  sav'ry  set  around  their  cell, 
Sweet  to  the  taste  and  fragrant  to  the  smell. 
Set  rows  of  rosemary  with  flow'ring  stem, 
And  let  the  purple  vi'lets  drink  the  stream. 
Whether  thou  build  the  palace  of  thy  bees 
With  twisted  osiers  or  with  harks  of  trees, 
Make  but  a  narrow  mouth  :  for  as  the  cold 
Congeals  into  a  lump  the  liquid  gold, 
So  'tis  again  dissolved  by  summer's  heat ; 
And  the  sweet  labours  both  extremes  defeat. 
And,  therefore,  not  in  vain  the  industrious  kind, 
With  dauby  wax  and  flowers  the  chinks  have  lined. 
And,  with  their  stores  of  gather'd  glue,  contrive 
To  stop  the  vents  and  crannies  of  their  hive. 
Not  birdlime,  or  Idsean  pitch  produce 
A  more  tenacious  mass  of  clammy  juice. 

But  plaster  thou  the  chinky  hives  with  clay, 
And  leafy  branches  o'er  their  lodgings  lay  ; 
Nor  place  them  where  too  deep  a  water  flows, 
Or  where  the  yew,  their  poisonous  neighbour  grows.' 
L.  E.  R.,  Alderletj  Edge. 


WTLDMAN'S  BEE-KEEPING  AND  MOVEABLE 
COMBS. 

Having  found  in  the  library  here  a  copy  of  Wildman's 
work  on  bees,  dated  1778,  I  have  thought  it  might  be 
interesting  to  your  readers  to  learn  something  of  what 
he  was  acquainted  with  in  the  handling  of  bees,  as  I  do 
not  remember  reading  in  your  Journal  any  previous  notice 
of  his  work. 

The  one  thing  that  strikes  me  as  remarkable  in  his 
book  is,  that  with  all  his  well-known  mastery  over  bees 
he  seems  to  have  been  quite  unacquainted  with  the 
reason  why  bees  are  quieted  by  smoke.  He  appears  to 
have  used  it  under  the  impression  that  it  stupified  them, 
as  he  never  notices  the  effect  which  it  produces  in  making 
them  gorge  themselves  with  their  sweets. 

In  his  instructions  about  handling  bees  I  do  not  find 
him  advocating  the  use  of  smoke,  except  as  a  means  of 
driving  bees  from  one  hive  to  another. 

He  describes  two  sorts  of  hives,  which  he  recommends. 
The  first  of  which  is  a  common  round  straw  hive,  with 
seven  fixed  bars  half  an  inch  apart,  and  with  a  cross- 
piece  to  run  through  the  combs  to  keep  them  firm,  which 
would  effectually  prevent  their  being  removed.  Over 
these  bars  was  to  be  placed  a  piece  of  paper,  which  was 
to  be  covered  with  a  compost  of  dung ;  and  the  whole 
was  to  be  roofed  with  straw.  The  second  hive  was  a 
combination  of  two  boxes,  one  placed  above  the  other, 
with  slides  to  separate  them  when  wanted.  These  were 
furnished,  also,  with  frames,  which,  however,  are  not 
described  as  moveable ;  but  the  cover  of  the  upper  box 
was  arranged  of  wood  and  glass,  and  was  capable  of 
removal. 

In  one  part  of  his  book,  in  accordance,  as  he  says,  with 
an  '  unwary  '  promise,  he  reveals  the  secret  by  means  of 
which  he  attached  bees  to  different  parts  of  his  body. 
He  states  that  long  experience  had  taught  him  that  as 
soon  as  he  turned  up  a  hive  and  had  given  some  taps  on 
the  sides  and  bottom  the  queen  immediately  appeared,  to 
know  the  cause  of  the  alarm,  but  soon  retired  again 
among  her  people.  Having  nimbly  seized  her,  he  was 
by  this  means  able  to  attract  the  bees  to  any  place  he 
pleased  ;  and,  by  sometimes  tying  a  thread  of  silk  round 


September  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


!)7 


her  body,  he  compelled  her  to  remain  wherever  he  chose 
to  place  her. 

The  only  other  matter  which  I  have  remarked  in  his 
book  worthy  of  note  is  a  quotation  from  the  travels  of 
a  Mr.  Geo.  Wheeler,  who  describes  the  method  adopted 
by  the  natives  on  Mount  Hymettus.  He  says  : — '  The 
hives  they  keep  their  bees  in  are  made  of  willows  or 
osiers,  fashioned  like  our  common  dust-baskets,  wide  at 
top  and  narrow  at  the  bottom,  and  plastered  with  clay 
or  loam  within  and  without.  They  are  set  with  the 
wide  end  upmost.  The  tops  are  covered  with  broad  flat 
sticks,  which  are  also  plastered  over  with  clay  ;  and,  to 
secure  them  from  the  weather,  they  cover  them  with  a 
tuft  of  straw,  as  we  do.  Along  each  of  these  sticks  the 
bees  fasten  their  combs,  so  that  a  comb  may  be  taken 
out  whole,  without  the  least  bruising,  and  with  the 
greatest  ease  imaginable.  To  increase  them  in  spring- 
time— that  is,  in  March  or  April,  until  the  beginning  of 
May — they  divide  them  ;  first  separating  the  sticks  on 
which  the  combs  and  bees  are  fastened  from  one  another 
with  a  knife  :  so  taking  out  the  first  comb  and  bees  toge- 
ther on  each  side,  they  put  them  into  another  basket,  in 
the  same  order  as  they  were  taken  out,  until  they  have 
equally  divided  them.  After  this,  when  they  are  both 
again  accommodated  with  sticks  and  plaster,  they  set  the 
new  basket  in  the  place  of  the  old  one,  and  the  old  one  in 
some  new  place,'  &c. 

By  this  it  would  appear  that  the  natives  of  Hymettus 
have  long  had  a  rude  sort  of  moveable-frame  system,  with 
artificial  swarming ;  and  it  is  rather  astonishing  that 
Wildman  himself  did  not  take  example. — C.  Feilding, 
Neiu  Paddo.r,  Lutterworth. 


PUBELY  MATED  QUEENS. 
Since  the  introduction  of  Italian  bees  much  effort  has 
been  put  forth  in  the  endeavour  to  have  the  young 
Italian  queens  mated  with  pure  Italian  drones,  resort 
being  had  to  attempts  at  fertilisation  in  confinement, 
isolating  the  queen,  rearing  stocks  on  islands  and  other 
out-of-the-way  places,  and  a  common  plan  being  to  dis- 
pose of  as  many  of  the  black  queens  and  drones  in  the 
vicinity  as  possible.  Much  money  and  labour  have  been 
expended  in  these  directions  with  not  always  satisfactory 
results ;  and  it  is  out  of  the  reach  of  a  large  majority  of 
bee-keepers  to  obtain  purely  mated  queens  in  these  ways  ; 
hence  they  have  to  run  their  chances  by  raising  as  many 
pure  drones  as  they  can  in  their  own  yards.  This  will 
go  a  great  way  towards  the  desired  object,  but  we  can 
still  add  much  more  that  is  within  the  reach  of  all 
bee-keepers.  But  we  will  begin  back  at.  the  start  and 
see  how  best  to  accomplish  this.  The  time  taken  to 
raise  a  queen  from  the  egjx  to  hatching  is  sixteen  days, 
but  they  are  many  times  raised  from  eggs  already  hatched 
as  workers  before  the  bees  take  them  to  raise  queens  of ; 
hence  some  queens  are  hatched  in  eleven  or  twelve  days. 
These  young  queens  usually  do  not  make  their  fertilising 
flight  under  five  days  old,  and  we  should  have  had  plenty 
of  drones  flying  from  our  best  Italian  stocks  by  the 
time  these  young  queens  are  ready  for  their  bridal  trip. 
Drones  and  young  queens  usually  fly  from  one  to  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Now  we  want  to  get  the  start 
of  these  black  and  hybrid  drones  if  we  can,  so  about 
half-past  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  we  will  go 
to  our  stocks  containing  young  queens  of  the  right  age, 
and  also  to  our  pure  Italian  stocks,  from  whose  drones 
we  wish  to  breed,  take  off  the  caps  of  the  hives,  then  the 
quilt  or  honey-board,  and  thoroughly  sprinkle  each  stock 
with  very  thin  warm  honey,  or  a  like  mixture  of  sugar- 
syrup,  and  close  the  hives  at  once.  In  a  very  few 
minutes  the  air  will  be  filled  with  bees,  drones,  and 
voung  queens  (if  of  the  right  age)  rushing  out  of  the 
hives  like  a  pack  of  schoolboys  at  recess,  and  making 
about  as  much  noise,  too,  the  worker-bees  to  hunt  around 
for  that  inflow  of  warm  honey,  thinking,  perhaps,  that 


the  flowers  have  got  tired  waiting  for  the  tardy  bees, 
and  are  bringing  it  to  the  hives,  roots,  plants,  honey  and 
all ;  the  drones  and  young  queens,  hearing  the  noise, 
want  to  know  what  it  is  all  about,  and  come  out  to  have 
a  '  finger  in  the  pie  '  too  ;  and  as  there  are  but  few  drones 
flying  at  this  part  of  the  day,  your  chances  for  purely- 
mated  queens  are  tenfold  greater,  and,  too,  with  drones 
raised  from  the  most  prolific  queen,  whose  bees  are  the 
hardest  workers.  This  plan  followed  up  day  after  day 
till  all  the  young  queens  are  mated  will  well  repay  all 
extra  trouble  in  bringing  it  about. — Wit.  M.  Kellogg 


(in  Prairie  Farmer). 


FEEDING  WITH  SWEETENED  MILK. 

As  in  our  cold  districts  the  flowers  do  not  appear  in 
any  quantity  at  least  before  the  loth  or  :20th  May,  and  as 
one  generally  reckons  thirty-seven  days  before  the  bees 
commence  collecting  honey  and  pollen,  feeding  is  not 
commenced  till  about  the  1st  of  April.  In  stimulating 
breeding  too  soon  terrible  accidents  are  sometimes 
brought  about  by-  the  unexpected  return  of  cold  weather. 
If  the  brood  is  too  numerous,  and  too  widely  spread  re- 
latively to  the  number  of  bees,  and  if  cold  weather 
suddenly  supervenes,  the  bees  cluster,  and  the  brood, 
being  abandoned,  dies,  decomposes,  and  generates  foul 

j  brood.  However,  it  is  known  that  beyond  what  can 
be  used  for  building  combs  or  feeding  the  brood,  our 

'  pet  insects  will  not  take  food  well.  While  the  weather 
continues  cold  they  will  not  willingly  accept  milk-food. 
To  accustom  them  to  taldng  the  food  they  should  first  be 
given  liquid  honey  mixed  with  water,  or  a  syrup  of  moist 

1  sugar  in  proportion  of  four  parts  of  water  to  seven  of 
sugar.     At  the  end  of  a  few  days  we  give  them  white 

|  sugar  dissolved  in  good  milk  fresh  from  the  cow.  At 
first  we  put  2j  lbs.  of  sugar  to  If  pints  of  mills ;  the  pro- 
portion of  sugar  should  be  diminished  by  one  half  when 
one  is  assured  that  the  bees  like  that  which  has  been  given 
them.  The  sugar  should  be  dissolved  in  boiling  milk 
and  given  to  the  bees  lukewarm,  but  its  temperature 
must  not  be  above  twenty  degrees.  It  may  be  given  to 
them  in  a  bottle  covered  with  a  sheet  of  metal  and  re- 
versed on  the  bars,  or  simply  in  an  ordinary  bottle  re- 
versed on  a  metallic  platform  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
liquid  shall  not  escape  faster  than  the  bees  can  consume 
it.  Theoretically  speaking,  milk  such  as  one  draws  from 
the  cow  is  preferable  to  whey  which  is  deprived  of  its 
azotic  elements,  for  the  nourishment  of  milk  owes  its 
efficacy  precisely  to  the  azotic  substances  which  it  con- 
tains. 

Add  no  salicylic  acid,  as  you  are  told  by  the  German 
bee-keepers,  for  it  immediately  produces  a  curdling,  and 
the  solid  part  is  then  lost. 

The  greatest  possible  quantity  of  this  food  may  be 
given  without  danger.  Yet  as  it  turns  sour  after  two 
days,  it  is  better  to  give  little  at  a  time  and  renew  it 
frequently.  When  the  colony  is  strong  and  the  queen 
fertile,  the  milk-syrup  accelerates  the  construction  of 
combs  in  a  prodigious  manner  if  the  weather  is  mild. — 
A  Fribourgh  Bee-keeper,  Bulletin  a" Apiculture  pvur 
la  Suisse  Iiomande. 


THE  QUANTITY  OF  HONEY  EMPLOYED  IN 

MAKING   WAX. 

By  M.  Arviset. 

From  curiosity  and  for  self-instruction,  I  made  several 
experiments  in  the  years  1866  and  1867,  on  the  quantity 
of  honey  employed  by  the  bees  to  obtain  wax.  These 
experiments  have  given  variable  results,  according  to  the 
manner  in  which  I  operated,  the  time  at  which  I  gave 
the  honey  to  the  bees,  and  the  degree  of  temperature. 
But  I  shall  not  enter  into  the  details,  they  would  be  too 
long.  To  make  these  experiments  I  constructed  a  new 
hive,  in  order  that  it  should  nut  have  a  vestige  of  wax  or 


OS 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[September  1,  1880. 


propolis.  This  hive  consisted  of  a  square  box,  furnished 
with  several  ventilators,  and  two  windows,  one  on  each 
side,  so  that  one  might  see  what  passed  within  the  hive 
without  disturbing  the  bees.  By  setting  the  hive  in  an 
obscure  place,  and  presenting  a  light  at  one  of  these 
windows,  the  bees  could  Ire  effectually  seen  at  their  work. 
The  floor-board  of  the  hive  was  grooved  in  the  middle, 
and  received  a  feeder  which  was  flush  with  the  surface. 
In  the  upper  part  of  the  hive  was  a  perforated  metal 
case  which  contained  a  thermometer,  to  show  the  degree 
of  heat  in  the  hive  near  the  bees,  or  in  the  clusters  which 
they  formed. 

When  all  was  prepared,  as  I  have  already  said,  I 
ascertained  the  weight  of  my  empty  hive,  transferred  to 
it  a  strong  swarm  of  bees,  and  then  reweighed  the  hive 
to  find  the  weight  of  the  bees.  I  took  the  precaution  to 
transfer  the  bees  on  a  wet  day,  in  order  that  they  should 
have  no  pollen  in  their  baskets,  and  but  little  honey  in 
their  stomachs  or  wax  in  their  wax-pockets.  I  then 
placed  the  hive  on  its  stand,  on  which  was  the  feeder, 
containing  newly-taken  liquid  honey. 

I  carried  the  hive  to  an  obscure,  healthy  room.  The 
bees  showed  great  alacrity  in  getting  possession  of  the 
honey  in  the  feeder,  and  forming  themselves  into  clusters 
for  the  purpose  of  converting  the  honey  into  wax.  As  a 
swarm  which  had  been  placed  in  an  empty  hive,  the 
bees  immediately  commenced  to  build  combs,  as  they 
soon  had  wax-scales  in  their  pockets  ready  to  be  used. 
I  left  the  bees  shut  up  from  four  to  six  days,  but  never 
more  than  six. 

The  bees  suffered  much  from  being  submitted  to  this 
treatment,  both  from  being  deprived  of  pollen  and  water, 
and  from  the  increased  heat  of  the  hive,  which  from  their 
struggles  to  escape  sometimes  rose  from  twenty  to  thirty- 
six  degrees.  But  towards  night  they  became  calm  and 
constructed  combs. 

At  length  when  I  considered  that  the  honey  had  been 
converted  into  wax,  I  again  transferred  the  bees  to  an 
empty  hive,  and  weighed  them  to  see  if  they  were 
heavier  than  before  their  instalment.  I  detached  the 
combs,  which  were  partly  filled  with  uncapped  honey, 
and  weighed  them,  and  then  gave  it  to  the  bees  to 
suck  out.  After  that  I  weighed  the  wax,  and  sub- 
tracted the  weight  from  that  of  the  partly-filled  comb, 
and  found  by  approximation  the  quantity  of  honey 
used  in  the  formation  of  the  wax  which  I  had  obtained. 

The  average  of  my  experiments  has  proved  that  500 
grammes  of  honey  give  100  grammes  of  wax  (one 
part  of  wax  to  five  of  honey).  I  think  that  when  at 
liberty  the  bees  could  produce  a  much  larger  quantity : 
but  it  appears  to  me  very  difficult  to  verify  precisely. 

I  have  made  six  experiments,  and  in  all  of  them  the 
bees  have  produced  combs  resembling  those  built  by 
swarms  during  the  first  few  days  of  their  instalment,  and 
from  no  other  substance  than  honey ;  and  as  the  bees 
were  entirely  deprived  of  pollen  this  proved  that  that 
matter  does  not  enter  into  the  confection  of  wax,  or  at 
least  that  it  is  not  indispensable  for  its  production.  This 
is  a  fact  which  every  apiarist  from  the  time  of  Huber 
can  ascertain  for  himself. — L'Apiculteur. 


A  BEE  STORY  FROM  SAN  FRANCISCO. 
I  had  an  improved  back-yard.  I  went  through  a  seed 
store,  and  bought  a  sample  of  everything  that  would 
grow  in  this  climate.  The  result  was  a  perfect  tangle  of 
flowers  and  things,  from  an  overgrown  sunflower  to  a 
forget-me-not.  Mrs.  Bricktop  is  very  proud  of  our 
garden,  and  while  gushing  over  it  the  other  morning  a 
hnppy  thought  worked  its  way  under  her  back  hair. 
'  What  a  delightful  thing  it  would  be  to  have  a  hive  of 
bees  and  raise  our  own  honey,  as  well  as  everything  else.' 
I  have  always  thought  that  woman  inspired  ever  since 
she  convinced  me  that  I  couldn't  do  better  than  to  marry 


her.  This  was  an  original,  bold  idea — a  happy  thought. 
I  promised  her  a  hive  of  bees,  and  went  to  business  with 
a  lighter  heart  and  firmer  belief  in  the  genuineness  of 
home  comforts  and  amusements.  I  bought  a  hive  of 
honey-bees,  and  brought  it  home  with  me  that  very 
night.  It  was  one  of  those  patent,  lydrostatic,  back- 
action  hives,  in  which  the  bees  have  peculiar  accom- 
modations and  all  the  modern  improvements.  It  was  a 
nice  little  hive  —  none  of  your  old-fashioned  barn-size 
affairs.  It  even  had  windows  in  it,  so  that  the  bees 
could  look  out  and  see  what  was  going  on,  and  enjoy 
themselves.  Both  myself  and  Mrs.  B.  were  delighted, 
and  before  dark  I  arranged  a  stand  for  the  hive  in  the 
garden,  and  opened  the  bay  windows  so  that  the  bees 
could  take  an  early  start,  and  get  to  business  by  sunrise 
the  next  morning.  Mrs.  B.  called  me  'honey'  several 
times  during  the  evening,  and  such  sweet  dreams  as  we 
had.  \Ye  intended  to  be  up  early  next  morning  to  see 
how  our  little  birds  took  to  our  flowers,  but  a  good  half- 
hour  before  we  probably  should  have  done  so  we  were 
awakened  by  the  unearthly  yells  of  a  cat.  Mrs.  B.  . 
leaped  from  her  downy  couch,  exclaiming,  '  What  can  be 
the  matter  with  our  yellow  "  Billy  ?  " '  The  yells  of 
anguish  convinced  us  that  something  more  than  ordinary 
was  the  matter  with  him ;  and  so  we  hurried  into  our 
toilets.  We  rushed  out  into  our  back-yard,  and,  oh ! 
what  a  sight  met  our  astonished  gaze  !  The  sight  con- 
sisted of  a  yellow  cat  that  appeared  to  be  doing  its  best 
to  make  a  pin-wheel  of  itself.  He  was  rolling  over  and 
over  in  the  grass,  bounding  up  and  down,  anon  darting 
through  the  bushes  and  foliage,  standing  on  its  head  and 
then  trying  to  drive  its  tail  into  the  ground,  and  all  the 
while  keeping  up  the  most  confounded  yowling  that  was 
ever  heard.  '  The  cat  is  mad  ! '  said  Mrs.  B.,  affrighted. 
'  Why  shouldn't  he  be  P  the  bees  are  stinging  him,'  said 
I,  comprehending  the  trouble.  Mrs.  B.  flew  to  the 
rescue  of  her  cat,  and  the  cat  flew  at  her.  So  did  the 
bees.  One  of  them  drove  his  drill  into  her  nose,  another 
vaccinated  her  on  the  chin,  while  another  began  to  lay 
out  his  work  near  her  e}'e.  Then  she  howled  and  began 
to  act  almost  as  bad  as  the  cat.  It  was  quite  an 
animated  scene.  She  cried,  '  Murder ! '  and  the  neigh- 
bours looked  out  from  their  back  windows  and  cried  out 
for  the  police,  and  asked  where  the  fire  was.  This  being 
a  trifle  too  much,  I  threw  a  towel  over  my  head,  and 
rushed  to  her  rescue.  In  doing  so,  I  ran  over  and 
knocked  her  down,  trod  upon  the  cat,  and  made  matters 
no  better.  Mrs.  B.  is  no  child  on  a  wrestle,  and  she 
soon  had  me  under  her,  and  was  tenderly  stamping 
down  the  garden-walk  with  my  head,  using  my  ears  for 
handles.  Then  I  yelled,  and  some  of  the  bees  came  to 
her  assistance,  and  stung  me  all  over  the  face.  In  the 
meantime  the  neighbours  were  shouting,  and  getting 
awfully  excited  over  the  show ;  while  our  servant, 
supposing  us  fighting,  opened  the  basement  door  and 
admitted  a  policeman,  who  at  once  proceeded  to  go 
between  man  and  wife.  The  bees  hadn't  got  at 
Mrs.  B.'s  tongue  yet,  and  she  proceeded  to  show  the 
policeman  that  I  had  abused  her  in  the  most  shameful 
maimer,  and  that  I  had  bought  a  hive  of  bees  on  purpose 
to  torment  her  into  the  grave.  I  tried  to  explain,  but 
just  then  a  bee  stung  the  officer  on  the  nose,  and  he 
understood  it  all  in  less  than  a  minute.  He  got  mad, 
and  actually  lost  his  temper.  He  rubbed  his  nose,  and 
did  some  official  cursing.  But  as  this  didn't  help  matters 
at  all,  lie  drew  his  club,  and  proceeded  to  demolish  that 
patent  bee-hive.  The  bees  failed  to  recognise  his  badge 
of  office,  and  just  swarmed  on  him.  They  stung  him 
wherever  he  had  no  clothing,  and  some  places  where  he 
did  have  it.  Then  he  howled,  and  commenced  acting 
after  the  manner  of  the  cat  and  its  mistress.  He  rolled 
on  the  ground  for  a  moment,  and  then  got  up  and  made 
for  the  street,  shouting,  'Fire  ! '  Then  the  bees  turned 
to  the  people  who  had  climbed  upon  the  fence  to  see  the 
fun.    Then  they  had  some  fun.    Windows  went  down,  and 


September  1,  1880.] 


THE  BKITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


99 


some  of  the  neighbours  acted  as  though  they  thought  a 
twenty-inch  shell  was  about  to  explode.  By  this  time  a 
fire-engine  had  arrived,  and  a  line  of  hose  was  taken 
through  the  house  into  the  back-yard.  One  of  the  hose- 
men  asked  where  the  fire  was,  but  just  then  one  of  the 
bees  bit  him  behind  the  ear,  and  he  knew.  They  turned 
a  stream  upon  that  half-wrecked  bee-hive,  and  began  to 
'  play  away '  with  one  hand,  and  fight  bees  with  the 
other.  But  the  water  had  the  desired  effect,  and  those 
bees  were  soon  among  the  things  that  were.  A  terrible 
crowd  had  gathered  in  the  meantime  in  front  of  the 
house,  but  a  large  portion  of  it  followed  the  flying  police- 
man, who  was  rubbing  his  affected  parts,  and  making 
tracks  for  the  station-house,  and  a  surgeon. 

This  little  adventure  somehow  dampened  our  enthu- 
siasm regarding  the  felicity  of  making  our  own  honey. 
During  the  next  week  we  wore  milk-and-water  poultices 
pretty  ardently,  but  not  a  word  was  said  about  honey ; 
and  now  Mrs.  B.  has  gone  to  stay  a  week  with  her 
mother,  leaving  me  and  the  convalescent  tom-cat,  and 
the  tickled  neighbours,  to  enjoy  our  own  felicity. 


LECTURE  AT  CHELMSFORD. 

The  lecture  on  bees  recently  given  by  the  Rev.  G. 
Raynor,  rector  of  Hazeleigh,in  connexion  with  the  Essex 
and  Chelmsford  Museum,  seems  to  have  created  con- 
siderable interest  in  the  neighbourhood,  as  evinced  by 
numerous  letters  since  received  by  the  lecturer  contain- 
ing inquiries  as  to  bees,  hives,  &c.  Strange  to  relate, 
says  the  gentleman  named,  who  has  had  as  large  an  ex- 
perience in  bee-keeping  as  almost  anyone  in  the  kingdom, 
despite  the  unfavourable  weather,  we  have  had  several 
swarms  of  bees.  A  suggestion  has  been  made  to  hold  an 
exhibition  of  bee-drivmg  in  Chelmsford,  in  connexion 
either  with  a  summer  gathering  of  the  friends  of  the 
Museum  of  the  usual  summer  show  of  the  Horticultural 
Society,  such  exhibitions  being  easily  organized  in  any 
district  on  communication  with  the  authorities  of  the 
British  Beekeepers'  Association,  who  under  certain  con- 
ditions lend  a  specially  constructed  Bee-Tent,  and  furnish 
an  operator  and  lecturer.  The  Association  in  question, 
whose  annual  meeting  was  recently  held  at  446  Strand, 
deserves  the  hearty  support  of  all  interested  in  furthering 
the  welfare  of  the  working  classes,  and  should  not  lack 
members  from  Essex  at  the  moderate  subscription  of  5s. 
— Chelmsford  Chronicle. 

Case  of  Gradual  Cure   of  Cataracts  in  the 

Eyes. — Mrs.  U ,of  St.  Marychurch,  was  told  by  a 

clever  London  oculist,  about  three  years  since,  that  she 
had  cataracts  in  her  eyes,  and  must  wait  until  she  became 
quite  blind  to  be  operated  on.  Last  August  she  heard 
through  a  neighbour  that  her  sight  might  be  restored  by 
anointing  the  eyelids  three  times  dailv  with  pure  and 
fresh  honey,  first  washing  the  lids  with  warm  water,  to 
get  rid  of  any  dust  collected.  She  immediately  began 
regularly  anointing  her  eyes,  and  still  continues;  at  first  she 
could  not  distinguish  the  features  of  anyone,  though  very 
near  her,  and  can  now  see  a  hundred  yards  off,  and  reads 
with  magnifying  glasses.  After  each  anointing,  the  eyes 
smart,  and  run  with  water.  Much  phlegm  collects  round 
the    throat    and   ears. — Devoniensis   (Church    Bells). 

[The  above  is  a  reply  to  a  correspondent  in  Church  Bells, 
desiring  further  information  as  to  the  application  of  honey 
in  the  case  of  cataracts.     See  our  last  number. — Ed.] 

Abbott's  Wide-shouldered  Fbames. — On  account 
of  their  inconvenience  (distance)  pins  have  been  aban- 
doned by  most  bee-hivists,  who  have  replaced  them  by 
metal  ends  or  by  shoulders  or  ears  left  at  the  end  of  the 
top  bars.  The  improvement  of  '  Abbott '  is  the  most 
successful  in  this  direction ;  they  got  but  slightly  pro- 
polised,  und  surpass  the  racks  which  other  inventors 
have  adopted. — M.  IIamet,  L'Apiculteur,  August  18. 


(BtyatB  from  %  Uttrcs. 

Chichester. — 'Did  you  ever  hear  of  a  maiden  swarm 
throwing  a  swarm  the  same  year  ?  During  the  past  win- 
ter I  lost  every  bee  I  had,  but  not  for  want  of  feeding. 
This  year  I  have  started  afresh  with  three  fine  swarms, 
and  am  in  hopes  of  taking  180  lbs.  of  fine  honey. ' — A 
Believer  in  the  Bar-frame  Hive. 

Dunfermline,  Lassodie. — 'A  Curious  Apiary. — No.  4 
pithead  frame  at  Lassodie  Collieries  is  made  of  cast-iron 
pipes,  tied  together  by  wooden  blocks  between  the  pipes 
with  bolts.  In  casting  these  pipes  a  mistake  was  made 
in  putting  the  holes  opposite  to  where  they  should  have 
been,  so  that  new  holes  had  to  be  bored,  and  the  others 
were  allowed  to  remain  open.  On  26th  June  a  swarm  of 
bees  alighted  on  the  pithead  frame  and  crept  into  the  open 
hole  in  the  middle  of  the  pipe  nearest  to  the  pulley  on  the 
east  side,  and  there  they  remain.  On  July  .6  another 
swarm  alighted  in  the  same  way  and  went  into  the  same 
hole,  and  the  two  swarms  are  now  working  together.' 

Neioton  Kyme,  nr.  Tadcaster,  Aug.  11. — '  I  only  wish 
I  coidd  give  a  favourable  report  of  bees  in  this  district, 
but  I  am  afraid  we  are  in  a  very  little  better  position 
than  we  were  this  time  last  year  as  far  as  honey  is  con- 
cerned; but  we  have  this  advantage,  that  there  are 
plenty  of  bees  in  the  hives.  I  have  returned  swarms 
where  I  thought  necessary,  and  in  other  cases  put  two 
and  three  swarms  together,  and  to-day  I  lifted  my  first 
swarm  and  found  it  very  light.  In  my  four  Stewartons 
I  can  see  no  honey  through  the  glasses,  and  very  little  in 
a  Woodbury  which  never  swarmed,  and  was  my  strongest 
hive  in  the  spring.  It  is  a  case  of  feeding  again,  or  losing 
nearly  all.  We  "have  plenty  of  beans,  white  clover,  and 
a  magnificent  avenue  of  limes  ;  and  with  these  advantages 
I  cannot  get  much  honey,  even  in  favourable  years ;  and 
I  cannot  make  out  how  people  get  the  fabulous  amount 
of  honey  which  I  see  stated  is  done  in  your  Bee  Journal, 
I  have  had  from  two  to  forty  hives  since  1846.  If  any 
of  your  correspondents  could  enlighten  me  I  should  be 
deeply  grateful. — J.  C 

Market  Drayton,  Shropshire,  Aug.  4. — Honey  Harvest, 
— '  Your  favourable  notice  of  July  as  a  honey-gathering 
month  unfortunately  finds  no  echo  here.  With  us  it  has 
been  bad ;  twenty-four  da}Ts  of  rain,  with  7.62  inches 
of  rain,  have  spoilt  our  season ;  no  supers,  but  plenty  of 
swarms.  The  queens  having  abundant  cell-room  took 
advantage  of  it.  Consequently  I  have  been  persecuted 
by  persistent  swarming.' — A.  C. 

Kendal. — Prolific  Bees. — '  My  bees  have  been  remark- 
ably prolific  this  season.  I  cannot  hear  of  any  person 
in  this  district  who  has  ever  heard  of  a  second  virgin 
1  swarm.  My  only  stock-hive  (a  cast  of  last  season)  threw 
j  off  a  swarm,  May  20th,  and  a  cast  on  June  5th.  The 
swarm  threw  off  a  virgin  swarm  July  12th,  and  another 
July  21st,  so  that  I  have  now  five  hives  of  bees  which 
are  all  doing  well.  I  feed  all  new  stocks  every  night  for 
at  least  two  weeks,  and  find  that  it  answers  well,  as 
they  soon  fill  the  hives  with  combs.  In  this  district  we 
have  had  a  deal  of  wet  and  cold  weather,  and  at  present 
there  is  a  poor  prospect  for  honey.' — Robert  Davis. 

Carlisle. — '  My  bees  have  done  splendidly.  It  is  per- 
fectly astonishing  how  much  I  have  taken  from  them  by 
your  invaluable  extractor  during  the  hot  weather.  It  has 
been,  Take  all  and  come  again  as  soon  as  possible. — J.  L.' 

NOTICES  TO  CORRESPONDENTS  &  INQUIRERS. 

J. — Beeswing's  Advice  to  Bee-keepers. — The  only  address 
that  we  can  give  for  this  little  work  i«  H.,  No.  7 
Eign  Road,  Hereford.     Price  Sid.,  post  free. 

*»*  The  report  of  the  West  Kent  Bee-keepers'  Association 
Show  nt  St.  Mary'*  Cray  in  unavoidably  postponed  till  next 
month. 


ADVERTISEMENTS  TO  THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL.        [Sept.  1,  1880. 


3EE  AND  HONEY  SHOWS  FIXED  FOR  1880. 

Sept.  3. — Devon  and  Exeter  Association  at  Exeter. 
Sept.  4. — Stirling  Association  at  Stirling. 
Sept.  4. — Perthshire  Apiarian  Society  at  Perth. 
Sept.  9. — Lincolnshire  Association  at  Boston. 
Sept.  13. — Honey  Fair,  Grantham. 
Sept.  21  to  25. — Suffolk  Association  at  Ipswich. 
Oct.  26  to  29. — British  Dairy  Farmers    Association, 
Agricultural  Hall,  London. 

SUBSCRIBERS'  COLUMN. 

T710E  SALE.— Vol.  III.  of  British  Bee  Journal,  complete. 
Jj      Unbound,  4s. 

T  ANGSTEOTH  on  'The  Hive  and  Honey  Bee.'     9s. 
_Li    Free. 

/^VTJINBY  on  '  The  Mysteries  of  the  Bee-hive.'    8s.  Gd. 
Vc^J     Free. 

BEE  TENT  ENGAGEMENTS. 

BRITISH   BEE-KEEPERS'   ASSOCIATION. 

Sept.  3. — Devon  and  Exeter  County  Show. 
Sept.  7. — Suffolk  County  Show  at  Ipswich. 
Sept.  7,  8. — Warwick  County  Show. 
Sept.  17. — Great  Dunmow. 

HERTFORDSHIRE  COUNTY  ASSOCIATION. 

Sept.  2. — Harpenden  Horticultural  Show. 
Sept.  9. — Bengeo  Cottage  Garden  Show. 

TOUR  IN  IRELAND. 

Ij1UKHAL,jb._Mos.  2,  3,  4,  8,  and  10,  of  B.  B.  Journal, 
P      Is.  each. 

"VTOL.  II.  B.  B.  Journal,  with  Index,  minus  the  No.  for 

V       May,  5s. 

"TTOL.  II.  B.  B.  Journal,  minus  May  and  Aug.  Nos.,  3s. 
TNDEX,  Vol.  I.    Price  Gd.    Apply  to  Editor.           fo.  100 

^END  Two  Stamps  for  Abbott  Bros'.  Catalogue.   Southall, 
JO     Middlesex. 

Sept.  2. — Newtownards  Flower  Show.    Near  Belfast. 

REMOVAL— A  few  BLACK  STOCKS  or 
SWARMS  to  SELL.     Earliest  in  the  neighbourhood. 
Station  Master,  C.L.C.,  Winsford.  fo.  47 

Bronze  Medal  awarded  for  Straw  Skeps  at  the  Great 
Crystal  Palace  SIww,  1875. 

Sixteenth  Edition.     Price  One  Shilling. 

SEVENTY    POUNDS    A-YEAR: 

HOW  I  MAKE  IT  BY  MY  BEES. 

By  the  late  J.  W.  Paoden. 

Also,  by  the  same  Author,  price  Sixpence. 

Early  Artificial  Bee- Swarming. 

No  watching  required. 

Apply  to  Mrs.  J.  W.  Pagden,  The  Chestnuts,  Alfriston, 
Sussex,  by  whom  the  same  manufacturers  of  '  Economical 
Bee  Furniture '  are  employed  as  formerly.  fo.  23. 

BEST  BAR-FRAME  HIVES,  1  inch  wood,  8s. 
each.    BAR-FRAME  HIVES,  J  inch  wood,  unplaned, 
os,  each.    Instructions  for  Management,  illustrated,  3d. 

Orders  for  32s.  and  upwards  Carriage  paid.  HIVES  sent 
on  approval  if  requested. 

Post-office  Orders  payable  at  Horncastle. 

Address  ISAAC  HALE,  Horncasti.e.  fo.  3 

WALTON'S  IMPROVED  COTTAGE  HONEY 
EXTRACTOR,  takes  Frames  of  the  largest  size 
down  to  any  smaller.  Works  easy,  not  liable  to  get  out  of 
order,  price  £1  15s.  Address  JOHN  WALTON,  Honey 
Cott,  Weston,  Leaminoton.  fo.  12 

THE  AMERICAN  BEE  JOURNAL. 

Is  published  monthly,  at  Chicago,  111.  at  2  dollars  a-year. 
Its  contributors  are  the  best,  most  experienced,  and  success- 
ful Apiarists  in  America  and  Europe.  It  is  the  oldest, 
largest,  best,  and  most  reliable  Bee  paper  in  the  English 
language. 

Price,  including  Postage,  6s.  Gd. 

All  Orders  must  be  accompanied  by  Cheque  or  P.  O.  Order, 

payable  to  T.  G.  Newman, 

972  and  974  West  Madison  Street,  Chicago,  Illinois. 

MODERN  BEE-KEEPING.  A  Handbook  for 
Cottagers.  Price  6d.  Published  by  the  British 
Bee-Keepers'  Association,  B.  B.  Journal  Office.  Post 
free,  7  stamps. 


DRY  PUFF  BALL,  for  fumigating  Bees.  Will  render 
them  perfectly  harmless  to  the  comfort  of  the  most 
timid.  Is.  per  packet.  S.  F.  Clutten,  Fressingfield, 
Harleston,  Norfolk.  fo.  32 

FOR  SALE. — 6  Drawers  for  Supers,  for  Woodbury  Hive. 
2  Crystal  Palace  Supers.  1  Abbott's  Tin  Feeding 
Regulator,  complete.  4  Abbott's  Feeding  Bottles,  small 
size.  9  Feeding  Stages.  1  Edwards'  do.,  tin.  2  Neigh- 
bour's do.  2  Swarm  Boxes.  1  Straw  Storifier,  complete. 
2  Pagden's  Nadirs.  4  Pagden's  Adapting  Boards  for  Queen 
exclusion.  4  Nucleus  Hives.  1  Carr's  Hive,  complete  with 
Stand  and  Floor-board.  1  Carr-Stewarton,  and  Floor-board 
and  Stand.  1  Carr-Stewarton  Honey-box.  2  Ditto  Supers. 
1  Sherrington  Super.  To  clear  out,  low  prices  will  be  taken. 
Letters  to  Editor.  fo.  200 

'J^HREE  Neighbour's  Mahogany-top  Feeders,   3s.   each. 


T 


1  Neighbour's  35s.  Improved  Cottager's  Hive,  second- 
hand, with  3  bell-glasses,  10s.  Gd.  1  Land  Measuring  Chain, 
66  feet  (invaluable  for  Cricketers),  3s.  6d!.  1  Hexagon  Stock 
Box,  1  window,  2s.  Gd.  2  Octagon  Stock  Boxes,  3  windows, 
each,  3s.  Gd.  Nucleus  Hive  3  Woodbury  Frames,  each,  2s.  Gd. 
Nucleus  Hive  3  Standard  size  Frames,  each,  3s.  6<i. 

FOR  SALE. — A  Bee  House,  new  last  year,  well  painted. 
Will  hold  Thirteen  Hives.     Length  7  ft.  by  4.     Price 
50s.     Address  C.  C.  Ccst,  The  Bank,  Wareham,  Dorset. 
fo.  51 

FOR  SALE. — Dr.  Bevan  on  the  Honey  Bee.  Clean  copy. 
Author's  original  edition,  published  1827,  at  9s. 
404  pages.  Price  7s.  Gd.  A.  L.  Shipp,  Wigston,  near 
Leicester.  fo.  51 

SEVERAL  Hives  of  Bees  for  Sale  in  Bar-frame  Hives, 
(Woodbury,  and  others.)   J.  Torry,  Lower  Fant  Road, 
Maidstone.  fo.  50 

A  FEW  good  Stocks  in  Straw  Hives,  price  18s.  each. 
Also  a  few  lighter  Stocks,  will  require  feeding  up 
10s.  Gd.  each.  A  few  lots  cf  Bees,  driven  from  strong 
Stocks,  price,  with  package,  5s.  9rf.  each  lot  respectively. 
Isaiah  Gadd,  Wokingham,  Berks. 

'  T)  OYAL  FOREST  '  Straw  Hives,  3s.  9d.  each.    Supers 

JTL    for   same,   2s.  Gd.   each,   fitted  with  new  pattern 

Excluder  and  Quilt.  Isaiah  Gadd,  Wokingham,  Berks,  fo.  14 

ECOND-HAND  Walton's  Extractor,   takes  Woodbury 
Frames,  £1.    Free  on  Rail. 

SECOND-HAND  Walton's  Extractor,  in  nice  wood  frame, 
turned  legs.      Photo.      Price  45s.      John  Waj.ton, 
Weston,  Leamington,  fo.  12 


s 


PRIME  BEES'  WAX  at  Is.  Gd,  per  lb.,  in  large 
or  small  quantities.    Address  Abbott  Bros.,  Fairlawn, 
Southall. 


THE 


awx 


[No.  90.    Vol.  VIII.] 


OCTOBER,  1880. 


[Published  Monthly.] 


€tntaM,  Hotucs,  #r. 


OCTOBER . 

The  lovely  weather  of  August  and  the  early 
part  of  September,  five  full  weeks  of  glorious 
sunshine  by  day,  and  balmy  warmth  by  night, 
scarcely  varied  by  even  a  passing  shower,  has 
been  so  great  a  boon  to  the  country  at  large  as 
to  call  forth  the  deepest  feelings  of  thankfulness 
to  the  Giver  of  all  good,  for  more  splendid  har- 
vest weather  could  scarcely  have  been  wished  for, 
and  could  not  well  have  been.  The  change  that 
has  occurred  came  also  most  opportunely,  and 
agriculturists  may  now  rejoice  in  the  possession 
of  well-housed  grain  crops,  and  the  prospect  of 
heavy  roots,  and  an  abundance  of  late  pasture. 

There  will,  as  a  matter  of  course,  be  those 
amongst  the  many  culturists  and  manufacturers 
with  which  this  land  of  ours  teems  to  whom 
every  condition  of  weather  will  have  been  in  a 
measure  ill-timed  and  antagonistic,  but  in  a 
general  sense  all  must  acknowledge  that  the 
season  has  given  cause  for  rejoicing  and  praise. 
To  bee-keepers  it  has  been  especially  good,  and 
where  intelligently  cultivated  the  bees  have 
done  exceptionally  well,  having  regard  to 
their  surroundings ;  and  we  may  abnost  say 
that  in  every  district  there  has  been  at  some 
time  a  good  hone}'  yield,  and  full  opportunity 
for  its  ingathering ;  and  in  many  places  the 
happy  state  of  things  has  occurred  repeatedly. 
It  may,  however,  be  taken  for  granted  that  the 
harvest  is  now  past,  and  though  the  gleaner  bees 
may  bring  in  a  few  laboriously  gathered  grains 
of  honey,  there  is  little  prospect  of  their  increa- 
sing their  store,  or,  except  where  ivy  abounds, 
getting  more  than  a  hand-to-mouth  living. 

The  year  in  an  apicultural  sense  has  been  a 
good  one  ;  following  an  exceptionally  bad  one, 
during  the  autumn  and  winter  of  which  the 
bees  nearly  died  out  of  the  land,  it  has  been  a 
source  of  intense  wonder  how  their  numbers 
have  so  rapidly  increased  that  there  is  now  no 
scarcity    of    them.     It   is  the    same  with    the 


wasps ;  last  year  they  were  scarcely  able  to 
exist,  and  it  was  believed  that  they  were  well- 
nigh  exterminated,  but  the  remnant  have  proved 
their  '  fitness '  for  survival  by  increasing  so 
enormously  that  they  have  this  year  been  a 
greater  pest  than  ever.  With  wild  bees  there 
is  similar  evidence  of  extraordinary  fecundity, 
tending  to  show  that  after  a  year  of  famine 
and  death,  the  power  of  increase  is  more  largely 
developed  in  the  survivors,  a  fact  which  may 
account  for  the  many  complainings  we  have 
heard  of  bee-swarming  heavily  in  preference 
to  storing  honey  in  the  receptacles  provided  for 
them. 

WHAT  TO  DO,  AND  WHEN  AND  HOW 
TO  DO  IT. 

Preparing  for  Winter. — The  harvest  being 
past  and  the  summer  ended,  it  is  now  neces- 
sary to  prepare  for  the  winter,  which  in  the 
ordinary  course  will  soon  be  upon  us,  and 
which,  whether  mild  or  severe,  will  be  a  time 
of  trial  for  the  bees  and  their  owners.  Fair- 
weather  bee-keepers  there  are  in  plenty,  but  he 
only  can  be  deemed  worthy  the  name  of  bee 
matter  who  understands  how  to  winter  his  bees 
and  who  does  it  successfully.  One  of  the 
greatest  hindrances  to  success  in  this  direction 
is  the  habit  many  have  of  putting  off  the  duties 
which  naturally  devolve  upon  them ;  and  it 
may  truly  be  said  '  we  all  do  it '  far  too  much 
for  our  own  well-being,  and  instead  of  being 
'  ready,'  emergency  finds  us  unprepared,  and 
our  efforts  '  too  late '  to  be  effectual.  More 
than  half  the  bee-keeping  difficulties  that  worry 
our  friends,  and  fill  our  office  with  inquiries, 
would  never  appear  if  they  would  read  our 
Journal,  and  believe  and  act  upon  its  teaching  ; 
but  as  in  matters  incomparably  higher  in  im- 
portance, the  simple  truth  is  often  unheeded, 
and  a  '  patent '  way  chosen  that  brings  disap- 
pointment and  regret. 

With  these  ideas  fresh  in  their  minds,  we 
cannot  too  strongly  urge  amateurs  who  wish  to 
bring  their  bees  safely  through  the  winter,  to 


102 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[October  1,  1880. 


lose  no  time  in  preparing  them  for  that  time  of 
trial  and  to  follow  our  lead,  leaving-  experiments 
to  older  hands,  who,  having  former  experiences 
to  guide  them,  have  more  reasonable  right  to 
venture  into  unknown  regions. 

Requirements  for  Winter. — These  may  be 
shortly  summed  up.  A  hive  should  be  per- 
fectly dry,  should  contain  plenty  of  bees,  a 
young  healthy  queen,  and  a  sufficiency  of  sealed 
stores ;  it  should  be  capable  of  retaining  heat, 
yet  permit  of  upward  ventilation  without 
draught ;  and  it  should  be  so  arranged  that 
while  it  shall  receive  the  full  benefit  of  every 
gleam  of  sunshine,  no  bright  glaring  light 
should  be  allowed  at  the  entrance,  particularly 
when  the  ground  is  covered  with  snow;  and, 
furthermore,  it  should  not  be  exposed  to  risk  of 
accidental  disturbance  from  high  winds,  or  the 
visitations  of  cattle  or  vermin. 

Perfect  Dryness  from  without  may  be 
insured  by  a  protecting-roof,  which  shall  well 
overhang  the  sides  of  the  hive,  and  by  the 
absence  of  projections  of  the  floor-board,  or 
other  parts  on  which  driving  rain,  sleet,  or  snow 


may 


find  a  lodgment,  and  thence  soak  into  the 


hive.  Every  hive  should  stand  on,  and  if 
possible  overhang,  its  own  floor-board,  and  not 
upon  bare  benches  or  stools  that  the  body  of 
the  hive  does  not  cover,  the  latter  being  inimical 
to  dryness. 

Alighting-boards  should  have  protective 
porches,  or  should  be  non-retentive  of  moisture. 
In  this  particular  we  have  found  a  piece  of 
largely-perforated  zinc  act  admirably,  giving 
good  foot-hold  for  the  bees,  yet  permitting  rain 
and  the  dust  from  the  hive  to  pass  through. 
Its  coldness  is  no  disadvantage,  as  it  will  be 
warm  enough  for  the  bees  to  travel  on  when 
the  weather  is  sufficiently  so  to  warrant  their 
leaving  the  hive. 

Plenty  of  Bees  may  be  insured,  as  a  rule, 
by  the  process  of  gentle  stimulative  feeding, 
originated  by  us,  and  so  often  recommended  in 
the  Journal*  a  process  doubly  valuable  since 
it  causes  the  production  of  young  bees,  which 
are  more  likely  to  live  and  do  good  service  in 
the  spring  than  are  the  aged  that  have  earlier 
summer  birth.  Where  this  precaution  has  not 
been  adopted,  and  bees  are  comparatively  few 
in  numbers,  the  union  of  two  or  more  stocks 
will  secure  the  desideratum,  and  it  will  be  found 
far  better  to  unite  them  than  to  try  to  winter 
them  separately,  f 

Young  Queens  are  more  desirable  than  aged 
ones,  since  their  chances  of  living  are  greater, 
but  we  should  hesitate  before  superseding  a 
cpieen  that  had  continued  the  population  well 


'  See  Leaflet  on  Feeding.     PorI  free  fur  \rt.,  at  our 
office,  Southall. 
t  Sec  Leaflet  on  Uniting.     Post  free  \d. 


into  autumn.     It   is   often  wise   to    let   'well 
alone. ' 

Sufficiency  of  Sealed  Stores  can  be  effected 
by  feeding  bees  that  are  not  well  supplied,  in 
time  to  enable  them  to  evaporate  the  surplus 
moisture  from  their  food  before  cold  weather 
sets  in.  Liquid  food  in  a  hive  is  highly  dan- 
gerous to  bee  life,  and  likely  to  cause  dysentery, 
a  disease  that  generally  ends  in  the  destruction 
of  the  hive,  and  as  we  believe,  originates  foul- 
brood — anyhow,  in  our  experience,  the  latter 
has  generally  followed  it.  (See  Leaflet  on 
Feeding. ) 

Capability  of  Retaining  Heat.  —  This 
essential  quality  in  a  hive  is  generally  acknow- 
ledged to  be  the  most  important  for  wintering 
purposes,  yet  how  often  do  we  find  it  sacrificed 
to  whimsical  ideas  of  convenience,  spaces  being 
left  over  and  around  the  bee-nest  that  permit 
the  dispersal  of  the  heat  generated  by  the  bees, 
and  the  condensation  of  their  moist  vapours 
against  the  colder  parts  with  which  they  come 
in  contact.  The  subject  has  been  well  worn  in 
previous  columns,  and  we  have  devised,  pro- 
duced, and  exhibited  hives  that  would  prevent 
the  objections  mentioned,  but  they  are  not  yet 
acceptable  to  judges,  or  readers,  and  taking 
hives,  therefore,  as  they  are,  we  offer  such 
suggestions  as  will  best  help  to  preserve  the 
comfort  of  the  bees  within  them. 

Packing  Bees  for  Winter  is  an  art  which 
has  been  many  years  developing,  though  one 
would  think  the  natural  bee-nest  afforded  a  good 
criterion  of  their  requirements,  and  so  far  as 
the  conditions  found  therein  are  attainable  in 
hives  made  for  •  their  profitable  cultivation,  the 
model,  we  hold,  should  be  adhered  to.  In 
skeps  and  other  hives  in  which  the  combs  are 
not  moveable,  the  bees  being  healthy,  will  have 
taken  care  of  themselves,  and,  provided  they  are 
sufficiently  strong  and  well  found  in  provision, 
will  require  little  beyond  additional  wrapping 
to  guard  against  excessive  cold.  Some  old 
sacking,  hay-bands,  or  carpet  bound  about 
them,  the  whole  well  covered  with  a  roof,  will 
meet  their  requirements  as  a  rule,  but  it  would 
be  well  to  prevent  the  roof  from  touching  the 
crown  of  the  hive,  or  the  vapours  passing  up- 
wards through  it  may  condense  against  the 
underside  of  the  former  and  do  mischief. 

There  are  many  well-known  ways  of  protect- 
ing skeps  with  straw,  shavings  and  the  like  ; 
and  by  inverting  tubs  or  boxes  over  them,  any 
of  which  means  will  be  effectual,  and  provided 
the  entrances  be  altered  to  prevent  the  intru- 
sion of  enemies,  and  injury  to  the  bees  by 
suffocation  or  glaring  sunshine,  little  harm  can 
happen.  The  chief  difficulty  in  wintering  is 
with  hives  in  which  the  comfort  of  the  bees 
lias  been  the  secondary  consideration,  and  the 
bee-keepers'  convenience  the  primal. 


October  1,  1880. 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


103 


The  frames  as  arranged  in  a  hive  do  not 
touch  each  other  or  the  walls  of  the  hire,  and 
the  bees  occupying  perhaps  not  half  the  space 
between  the  actual  frames  of  combs,  will  suffer 
greatly  from  loss  of  heat,  and  therefore  it  will 
be  well  to  cut  off  the  superfluous  sj>ace  by  the 
introduction  of  a  divider,  or  better  still,  of  two, 
one  on  each  side  of  the  brood-nest,  the  spaces 
outside  being  filled  with  packing  of  hay,  chaff, 
or  shavings,  or  the  division  boards  may  be 
warmly  covered  with  woollen  or  other  quilting. 


In  the  woodcut  a  a  are  dividers,  which  may 
take  the  form  of  chaff  cushions  as  recommended 
in  America ;  c  c  are  the  enclosed  frames,  the 
interstices  between  and  around  which  should 
be  filled  with  bees  ;  and  b  b  the  empty  space 
which  may  be  filled  up  with  hay  or  chaff. 
Should  the  hive  entrance  be  at  d,  as  in  Abbott's 
Combination  Hive,  a  small  tunnel  of  perforated 
zinc  should  be  fitted  to  lead  through  the  space 
b  to  the  bee-nest,  unless  it  be  preferred  as  an 
ante-room  for  the  bees. 

American  bee-keepers,  whose  winters  are 
much  more  severe  and  protracted  than  ours, 
strenuously  recommend  that  the  bees  should 
be  crowded  into  as  small  a  space  as  they  can 
be  made  to  occupy,  that  there  may  be  no 
room  for  the  circulation  of  air,  except  amongst 
themselves ;  and  Mr.  D.  A.  Jones  of  Canada 
advised,  while  here,  that  the  bees  should 
even  be  forced  to  occupy  the  space  round  the 
frame-ends,  which  we  have  hitherto  advised 
should  be  filled  up  with  pieces  of  wood  during 
winter,  to  prevent  loss  of  heat.  Crowded  in 
this  way,  and  gently  fed,  the  bees  will  breed 
later,  and  with  more  safety  from  the  effect  of 
cold,  than  under  any  other  conditions  ;  but  we 
should  prefer  not  to  encourage  breeding  after 
October,  or  a  cold  snap  may  prevent  the  young 
and  nurse-bees  from  taking  a  necessary  cleans- 
ing flight,  and  evil  may  result.  Breeding  under 
natural  conditions  may  not  necessitate  such 
flight  in  winter  weather,  but,  when  the  result  of 
stimulation,  it  appears  to  be  essential.  Hives 
being  thus  reduced  in  size,  and  the  escape  of 
heat  around  the  nest  prevented,  it  is  evident 
chat  no  loss  of  that  important  element  can  take 
place  except  through  the  top  or  at  the  entrance  ; 


and  to  prevent  the  former  a  warm  quilt  or  porous 
cushion  will  be  effectual,  and  in  the  latter  case 
the  entrance  should  be  contracted  to  suit  the 
hive's  requirements.  As  a  rule,  half  an  inch  of 
width  and  height  will  be  ample,  but  less  may 
prevent  the  passages  of  a  live  bee  with  a  dead 
one,  and  may  cause  the  blockade  of  the  entrance, 
and  the  suffocation  of  the  bees  ■within. 

Upward  Ventilation  is  highly  essential  in 
hives  during  winter  that  the  moist  vapours  may 
escape,  otherwise  they  may  condense  and  freeze 
at  the  entrance,  or  on  the  inner  parts  of  the 
hive  ;  or,  when  not  freezing,  cause  dampness  to 
the  combs.  The  quilt  or  porous  cushion  must 
be  arranged  to  permit  this,  but  not  to  allow 
draught  through  the  bee-nest,  which  is  inimi- 
cal to  the  well-doing  of  the  bees.  The  space  be- 
tween the  roof  and  quilt  should  permit  of  a 
free  current  of  air,  or  the  vapours  may  condense 
there  and  the  quilt  become  wet.  No  hive-cover 
should  be  permitted  to  confine  the  crown  of  the 
hive  hermetically,  under  any  circumstances. 

Sunshine,  for  drying  purposes,  is  important 
for  the  well-being  of  hives  during  winter,  and 
they  should,  therefore,  on  no  account,  be  set  in 
permanent  shade.  Entrances  should  be  shaded 
as  before  suggested,  to  prevent  glaring  light 
tempting  the  bees  out  when  the  weather  is  too 
cold  for  them,  during  snow  or  cutting  winds. 
Shelter  from  the  north  and  east  winds  is  also 
desirable,  particularly  in  early  spring,  when 
bees  are  tempted  to  go  out  in  search  of  food ; 
and  hives  should  be  firmly  seated,  so  as  not  to 
be  blown  over  or  capsized  by  the  intrusion  of 
cattle  or  marauders. 


THE  BEE  TENT  IN  IRELAND. 
In  accordance  with  the  arrangement  made  at 
Maryborough,  alluded  to  on  page  84,  our  Tent  was 
duly  pitched  at  Parsonstown,  on  the  25th  ult., 
iu  Moor  Park,  near  Oxmantown  Bridge,  a  short 
distance  from  the  railway  station,  kindly  lent  by 
Colonel  Hackett,  who  took  a  lively  interest  in 
the  proceedings.  Large  posters  had  been  freely 
distributed  throughout  the  neighbourhood,  an- 
nouncing the  coming  of  the  Tent,  under  the  dis- 
tinguished patronage  of  the  Earl  of  Rosse ;  and 
every  possible  preparation  had  been  made  by  the 
Rev.  J.  M.  Aldridge,  of  Eyrecourt,  Co.  Galway 
— the  indefatigable  promoter  of  the  exhibition — to 
ensure  a  large  and  successful  gathering.  The 
'poster'  announced  the  object  of  the  visit  as  'in- 
structive '  iu  bee  management  by  '  lectures  aud 
practical  operations;'  invited  bee-keepers  to  bring 
their  hives,  and  have  the  honey  removed  for  them- 
selves, and  the  bees  disposed  in  a  new  hive  for 
future  profit;  aud  promising  three  demonstrations, 
at  each  of  which  they  would  be  shown  '  the  best 
method  of  keeping  bees,  how  to  drive  bees  from 
hive  to  hive,  how  to  take  honey  from  straw  hives 
without  smothering  the  bees,  how  to  cause  swarm- 
ing artificially,  how  to  transfer   both  combs  and 


104 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[October  1,  1880. 


bees,  how  to  unite  two  or  more  hives  of  bees,  and 
how  to  extract  the  honey  without  injuring  the 
comb.' 

Thanks  to  the  interest  thus  created,  there  was 
no  lack  of  bees,  hives,  or  apparatus ;  and  but  that 
the  proceedings  were  marred  by  a  most  inopportune 
downpour  of  rain,  the  exhibition  would  have  been 
an  unmitigated  success.  The  manipulations  had 
been  advertised  for  1.15,  2.45,  and  5  p.m.,  but  it 
was  near  3  o'clock  before  it  was  possible  to  do  any- 
thing comfortably,  and  the  company  expected  at 
about  that  time  appeared  in  diminished  numbers ; 
nevertheless  there  was  a  fair  muster,  all  things  con- 
sidered, and  a  great  deal  of  interest  was  excited. 
The  Earl  and  Countess  of  Rosse  and  party  honoured 
the  exhibition  by  their  presence,  the  ladies  doing 
splendid  service  to  the  cause  by  their  extremely 
pertinent  questionings,  thus  eliciting  the  informa- 
tion in  regard  to  bees  that  appeared  to  be  most 
needed  in  Parsonstown  district.  In  our  report  of  the 
Clonmel  show  we  accidentally  omitted  mention  of 
the  exceedingly  good  service  rendered  to  'the  tent '  in 
Ireland  by  the  assiduous  exertions  and  painstaking 
forethought  of  Brother  Joseph  of  the  Abbey,  Lough - 
rea,  Co.  Galway,  who  brought  with  him  a  uni- 
comb  hive,  with  Ligurian  queen,  bees,  and  brood, 
which  created  great  interest  there,  and  which  he 
kindly  left  in  our  charge  for  exhibition'  at  Mary- 
borough, where  it  also  did  good  service ;  and  here 
again  at  Parsonstown,  with  its  owner  to  the  fore,  it 
was  found  most  useful  and  instructive. 

Brother  Joseph  brought  with  him  a  whole  load 
of  hives  and  appliances,  and  was  indefatigable  in 
his  endeavours  to  persuade  his  countrymen  into 
the  better  way  of  bee-keeping.  He  showed  a  set 
of  combs,  formed  on  foundation  that  he  had  used 
for  several  years  on  the  doubling  principle,  for  ex- 
tracting purposes,  and  they  had  done  him  good 
service,  enabling  him  to  take  from  80  to  100  lbs.  of 
honey  per  hive  during  even  a  short  harvest,  while 
in  a  good  year  the  quantity  would  be  doubled  or 
trebled. 

To  the  Rev.  J.  M.  Aldridge,  of  Eyrecourt,  Co. 
Galway,  is  due  the  chief  merit  of  the  success  that 
was  achieved,  for,  by  his  example  and  personal  pluck, 
he  had  stirred  up  the  district  and  caused  the  display. 
He  brought  several  hives  and  bees  to  the  Tent,  and 
showed  great  anxiety  for  the  spread  of  the  modern 
system  of  bee-keeping  of  which  he  had  been  pioneer. 
Many  others  most  willingly  contributed  to  the  success 
of  the  day  by  the  loan  of  bees  and  hives  for  driving, 
uniting,  transferring,  and  depriving,  all  of  which 
operations  were  fully  carried  out  to  the  immense 
satisfaction  of  the  visitors.  Bees  and  hives  were 
also  brought  for  manipulation  by  R.  J.  Crossdaile, 
Esq.,  and  R.  Waller,  Esq.,  to  whom  many  thanks 
are  due  for  their  kind  and  careful  help. 

We  extract  the  following  account  of  the  Tent  in 
Parsonstown  from  the  King's  County  Chronicle: — 

'  Through  tin1  exertions  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Aldridge, 
vicar  of  Eyrecourt,  the  ahove  Tent,  now  on  a  torn-  in 
lii-land,  visited  Parsonstown,  on  Wednesday,  the  25th 
insi.,  anil  Sew  its  Hag  in  a  field  kindly  lent  Cor  the  occa- 
sion by  Col I  ETackett,  al  Moor  Park.     In  last  week's 

Chronicle  we  drew  attention  to  s  ime  interesting  features 
in  connexion  with   tin    present  tour ;  and  it  maybe  no 


harm  to  add  that  the  gentlemen,  Messrs.  Abbott  and 
Carr,  in  charge  of  the  Tent,  give  the  interesting  exhibi- 
tions, not  with  a  view  to  pecuniary  profit,  but  to  arouse 
a  wider  interest  in  the  "  little  busy  bee  ;  "  and  by  simple, 
lucid  demonstrations  and  explanations  to  induce  many, 
hitherto  practically  ignorant,  to  study  more  closely  the 
interesting  science  of  bee-keeping. 

'  Messrs.  Abbott  and  Carr  gave  three  demonstrations 
on  Wednesday  last,  and  showed  how  simple  it  is  to 
manipulate  bees  when  we  have  got  them  under  our  com- 
mand. They  also  transferred  both  comb  and  bees  from 
a  straw  skep  into  a  bar-frame  hive ;  and  explained  the 
superiority  of  the  bar-frame  over  that  of  the  common 
skep.  All  those  present  appeared  greatly  interested,  and 
many  questions  were  asked  and  answered.  One  iady, 
more  courageous  than  the  rest — Miss  Trench,  of  Caugour 
Park, — took  a  handful  of  bees  from  one  of  the  manipu- 
lators, much  to  the  amusement  of  the  spectators.  Among 
those  present  were  the  Earl  and  Countess  of  Rosse. 

'  We  trust  that  this  visit  of  the  Bee-Tent  to  Parsons- 
town will  create  a  greater  interest  in  the  science  of  bee- 
culture,  and  be  the  means  of  increasing  the  number  of 
bee-keepers  in  the  King's  County.' 

The  next  day  found  us  en  route  for  Newry, 
where,  in  the  Market-place,  in  connexion  with  the 
Agricultural  Show,  our  Tent  was  set  up.  Our  bees 
in  the  meantime  were  deposited  in  one  of  the  count- 
ing-houses in  the  Square ;  but  the  '  irrepressible 
urchin '  found  an  opportunity  for  cutting  through 
the  canvas  cover  of  the  skep,  and  setting  them  at 
liberty,  catching  a  tartar  on  his  cheek  for  his  pains. 
Everything  that  could  be  done  to  help  us  was 
readily  performed,  but  the  all-necessary  bees  had 
not  been  secured,  though  Mr.  Marshall,  the  enter- 
prising hon.  sec.  of  the  show  had  endeavoured  to 
procure  them.  Good  fortune,  however,  brought  us 
into  contact  with  a  bee-keeper,  who  had  been 
anxiously  awaiting  the  coming  of  the  Tent ;  and  in 
him  (Mr.  James  Shaw,  of  Priory  House,  Newry)  we 
found  a  friend  in  need  and  in  deed,  and  one  most 
anxious  for  the  introduction  of  the  moveable  comb 
system  into  his  apiary.  He  very  kindly  gave  us 
the  use  of  his  bees,  and  obtained  the  loan  of  a  stock 
from  his  brother,  who  lives  near,  and  thereby  re- 
moved an  anxiety  which  might  have  seriously 
interfered  with  the  programme. 

The  incidents  attending  the  show  call  for  no 
special  remark  ;  they  were  of  the  usual  character, 
created,  as  hitherto,  most  intense  excitement,  and 
furnished  a  topic  for  general  conversation.  The 
interest  in  the  Agricultural  and  Bee  Shows  was 
shared  by  a  Dog  Show,  held  on  the  same  day,  in 
another  part  of  the  town — an  evident  mistake,  and 
one  that  neither  committee  can  wish  to  see  repeated. 

While  at  Newry  we  were  most  kindly  entertained 
by  Mr.  Shaw,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  straightening 
his  apiary,  and  that  of  his  brother  above  mentioned. 
The  hives,  save  such  as  were  queenlcss,  were  full 
up  with  honej',  and  of  great  weight,  for  their  size ; 
they  contained  barely  a  hand's  breadth  of  brood, 
and  the  bees  were  perforce  lying  about  outside  and 
under  the  hives.  In  most  instances  pieces  of  comb 
had  been  built  in  the  folds  of  the  sacking  or  carpet 
covering ;  but,  as  a  rule,  the  bees  were  idle,  not  be- 
en use  there  was  nothing  to  gather,  but  simply  from 
having  nowhere  to  store  honey  if  they  collected  it; 
and  from  having  prevented  the  production  of  young 
broods  by  choking  the  combs  with  what  they  had 


October  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


105 


already  taken  into  the  hives.  We  have  many  times 
warned  our  readers  of  the  dangers  likely  to  arise 
from  insufficiency  of  storage  room  in  hives  during  a 
honey  glut ;  but  nowhere  have  we  seen  such  con- 
vincing proof  of  the  truth  of  the  theory  as  in  Ire- 
land, where,  except  in  moveable-cornb  apiaries  under 
intelligent  management,  the  bees  had  become  com- 
pletely demoralised  through  super-abundance  of 
income. 

The  Tent  at  Newry  was  visited  by  Mr.  C.  C. 
Russell,  the  hon.  sec.  of  the  Newtownards  coming 
Show,  to  which  we  were  next  proceeding  ;  and,  hav- 
ing seen  the  nature  of  the  business  and  its  require- 
ments, he  was  enabled  to  prepare  for  the  Tent's 
reception  in  that  ancient  town.  The  Newry  Show 
was  held  on  Saturday,  the  28th  August ;  Sunday 
was  a  rest  day,  the  afternoon  of  which  was  plea- 
santly spent  under  Mr.  Shaw's  hospitable  roof,  and 
Monday  morning  found  us  on  the  way  to  Newtown- 
ards, where  our  labours  on  behalf  of  Irish  bee- 
culture  were  to  close.  Here  we  found  abundant 
evidences  of  pre-arrangement.  Prizes  in  money 
and  hives  had  been  offered  for  the  best  skeps  of 
bees,  the  bees  and  combs  to  be  transferred  to  the 
hives,  which  were  of  the  Woodbury  style,  on  legs  ; 
but,  having  been  made  from  description,  instead  of 
from  a  pattern,  were  not  all  that  could  be  desired  ; 
nevertheless,  as  bees  had  done  exceedingly  well  in 
others  of  a  similar  make,  they  were  held  to  be  good 
enough  for  the  occasion.  Prizes  had  also  been 
offered  for  the  best  exhibits  of  honey,  that  in  sec- 
tional supers  to  have  preference ;  and  sufficient  was 
exhibited  to  satisfy  the  visitors  of  the  immense 
superiority  of  the  system  under  which  it  was 
produced. 

During  Tuesday,  which  was  a  spare  day,  every- 
thing connected  with  the  bee  department  of  the 
show  having  been  already  arranged,  we  were  the 
guests  of  Mr.  Russell,  in  whose  elegant  home  we 
received  every  possible  kindness  and  attention ;  and 
Mr.  Russell,  being  an  advanced  and  advancing  bee- 
keeper, gladly  availed  himself  of  our  proffered 
services  in  his  apiary.  A  skep  covered  with  a 
wooden  case  we  were  not  permitted  to  see,  as  it 
was  intended  for  exhibition,  and  we  were  to  be  the 
judges  at  the  show ;  but  in  other  matters  we  were 
speedily  'high  busy.'  A  Nutt's  collateral  hive  re- 
ceived special  attention.  It  stood  in  a  house  which, 
during  the  preceding  winter,  had  been  twice  blown 
over,  and  had  since  done  '  nothing,'  though  a  few 
bees  stowed  in  one  of  the  side  boxes  had  built  a 
little  comb.  The  general  inference  was  that  the 
queen  had  been  killed  by  the  rough  treatment  the 
hive  had  suffered,  but  investigation  elicited  the 
truth.  The  fall,  or,  to  use  a  more  correct  '  Irish ' 
term,  the  '  stopping  so  quickly '  when  blown  over, 
had  jarred  the  combs  into  a  heap  on  one  side  of 
the  hive,  and  they,  notwithstanding  the  bad  season 
(1879),  being  full  of  sealed  honey,  were  a  solid  mass. 
The  surviving  bees  built  new  comb  in  the  vacant 
part  of  the  hive,  but,  as  at  Newry,  they  had  filled 
it  so  rapidly  with  honey  that  they  had  prevented 
breeding,  except  in  a  very  trifling  degree,  so  that 
they  could  not  increase  in  numbers  sufficiently  to 
swarm    or    do    other   good    service.       They   were, 


'  therefore,  transferred  forthwith  to  a  frame  hive,  all 
the  straight  comb  being  tied  into  two  frames, 
foundation  being  given  in  all  the  others  ;  and  they 
were  promised  a  lot  of  condemned  bees  after  the 
show  when  their  owner  had  more  time  to  obtain 
them.  A  visit  to  the  bees  in  the  mountains,  where 
they  were  revelling  amongst  the  heather  and  white 
clover,  revealed  a  condition  of  things  not  easy  to 
understand  here  :  hives  (there  were  two)  filled  with 
honey  but  with  scarcely  any  bees  in  them  and  very 
little  brood — the  same  old  story, 

1  111  fares  the  "  hive,"  to  hast'ning  ills  a  prey 
Where  wealth  accumulates  and  "  bees"  decay.' 

One  of  the  hives  had  filled  out  four  sections, 
which  we  removed,  and  others  were  in  progress ; 
and  we  took  one  frame  of  new  comb  filled  with 
honey,  and  extracted  a  few  pounds,  for  exhibition 
from  others,  packed  up  our  spoils  and  returned  to 
Newtownards  with  the  first  fruits,  most  agreeable 
to  our  hostess,  of  the  modern  system  of  bee-culture 
in  that  district. 

The  Bee  Show  was  held  in  conjunction  with  the 
Newtownards  Flower  Show  — an  institution  which 
has  existed  for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  flourishes 
exceedingly.  It  was  held,  as  of  old,  in  the  magni- 
ficent nursery  grounds  of  Messrs.  Dickson,  and  in 
addition  to  many  items  of  farm  produce,  embraced 
dogs  and  horses,  as  well  as  bees,  in  its  schedule  as 
competitors  for  prizes.  Our  business,  however,  is 
with  the  bees,  though  we  would  fain  pay  a  tribute  of 
praise  to  the  general  excellence  of  the  whole  of  the 
arrangements,  and  of  sincere  thanks  for  the  careful 
attention  we  all  received  at  the  hands  of  the  various 
committees.  Having  casually  mentioned  that  at 
Long  Sutton  last  year  we  paraded  the  show-ground 
with  a  swarm  of  bees  on  our  hat,  Mr.  Russell  hailed 
the  idea  as  a  splendid  one  to  invoke  the  curiosity 
and  interest  of  the  visitors;  and  at  the  first  chiving, 
of  which  his  own  bees  were  the  subject,  a  repetition 
of  the  experiment  was  insisted  on  and  duly  per- 
formed, the  queen  being  secured  by  a  silken  thread 
pinned  to  the  hat,  to  the  great  astonishment  of  the 
on-lookers,  and,  as  a  result,  a  very  large  audience  at 
the  next  (the  second)  exhibition  of  manipulation. 

The  horse-jumping  at  four  o'clock  had,  however, 
superior  attractions  for  the  many,  and  the  third 
exhibition  was  but  poorly  attended  as  is  usual  under 
such  circumstances ;  nevertheless,  the  show  was  a 
complete  success.  The  hives  that  were  transferred, 
like  others  we  have  mentioned,  were  nearly  filled 
with  honey,  brood  and  bees  being  particularly 
scarce,  a  fact  likely  to  militate  against  their  suc- 
cessful wintering  without  further  attention  by  their 
owners,  who,  in  taking  the  honey  from  other  hives 
should  add  the  bees  and  brood  they  would  otherwise 
waste,  to  them.  In  the  honey  classes  very  high 
praise  is  due  to  the  beautiful  exhibits  of  Captain 
Perry,  of  Ballymena,  whose  sections  in  (Abbott's) 
section  frames  were  greatly  admired.  Those  ex- 
hibited by  Mr.  Russell  were  also  excellent,  and  the 
honey  in  frames  shown  by  Mr.  Tureton,  of  Rostrcvor, 
was  also  good,  but  the  combs  were  thin  owing  to 
there  having  been  too  many  frames  inserted  in  the 
super  box. 


106 


THE  BEITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[October  1,  1880. 


The  following  are  the  awards  : — 

For  best  stock  of  bees  in  straw  skep— 1,  C.  C.  Russell; 
2,  Hugh  Milliken,  Ballyrogau ;  3,  Alex.  Snodden,  New- 
towrurds.  Honey  competition  (open)  in  supers — 1, 
Captain  Perry,  Ballyrnena;  2,  C.  C.  Russell,  New- 
townards;  3,  Archibald  Tureton,  Rostrevor.  Finest 
quality  of  honey,  in  comb  or  otherwise,  taken  from  bees 
without  killing'  them  (confined  to  competitors  from 
County  Down)— 1,  Archibald  Tureton,  Rostrevor;  2, 
C.  C.  Russell,  Newtownards;   3,  John  Miller,  Comber. 

The  North  Down  Herald  makes  the  following 
remarks,  which  satisfactorily  indicate  the  extent  of 
the  interest  created  : — 

'  The  subject  of  apiculture  is  one  which  is  rapidly 
corning  to  the  front.  With  other  valuable  discoveries 
and  improvements  of  the  present  age,  we  have  brought 
under  our  notice  a  method  of  dealing  with  those  inter- 
esting, useful,  and  industrious  winged  workers,  whereby 
the  cruel  practice  of  taking  away  their  lives,  in  order  to 
obtain  the  results  of  their  labours,  is  entirely  obviated 
and  also  whereby  the  bees  can  be  made  a  source  of  sub- 
stantial profit. 

'  The  announcement  that  an  exhibition  of  bees  would 
be  an  item  on  the  programme  was  hailed  with  general 
satisfaction,  and  the  tent  erected  for  the  purpose  was 
crowded  during  the  day.  As  we  gave  a  lengthened 
description  of  the  tent  and  manner  of  manipulating  the 
bees  in  our  last  issue,  it  is  not  necessary  here  to  enter 
into  fuller  details.  The  inner  compartment  was  occupied 
by  Mr.  Chas.  NT.  Abbott,  of  Southall,  Middlesex,  editor 
of  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Journal;  Mr.  Wm.  Carr,  of 
Manchester;  and  Mr.  C.  C.  Russell,  of  Newtownards, 
the  owner  of  the  bees  to  be  experimented  with.  The 
exhibition  was  certainly  an  astonishing  one.  With  the 
utmost  ease,  after  having  introduced  into  the  skep  a  small 
quantity  of  smoke, produced  by  burning  a  piece  of  brown 
paper,  the  bees  were  induced  to  leave  it  and  take  pos- 
session of  an  empty  skep  placed  in  a  slanting  position 
upon  the  edge  of  the  old  one,  and  open  to  the  view  of 
all.  This  part  of  the  work  was  assigned  to  Mr.  Abbott, 
who,  divested  of  his  coat,  with  shirt-sleeves  rolled  up, 
appeared  thoroughly  at  home.  It  did  seem  as  though 
he  had  cast  some  potent  spell  upon  the  bees.  They 
clustered  on  his  hat,  perched  upon  his  face  and  arms, 
and  permitted  him  to  lift  them  in  handfuls  as  if  they 
had  been  so  many  blackberries.  Nor  was  Mr.  Carr 
behind  his  associate.  Parading  slowly  round  the  tent  he 
explained,  in  an  amusing  and  interesting  manner,  the 
structure  and  habits  of  the  bee,  its  mode  of  treatment, 
&c;  affording,  as  he  did  so,  ocular  demonstration  that 
bees  may  be  handled  with  perfect  freedom.  It  is  only 
when  crushed,  according  to  his  theory,  that  bees  will 
sting.  He  carried  them  in  his  hand,  put  some  into  his 
mouth,  allowed  them  to  settle  upon  his  face  and  neck, 
and  all  the  while  rattled  off  his  jokes  and  good-naturedl-y 
answered  all  the  questions  with  which  he  was  freely 
plied.  All  present  seemed  well  pleased,  but  we  doubt 
whether  all  could  be  induced  to  try  the  experiment.  We 
heard  one  gentleman  humorously  remark  that  while  the 
whole  thing  was  exceedingly  nice  he  would  prefer  to 
employ  a  person  to  do  it  for  him,  provided  he  could  get 
him  for  a  reasonable  salary.  Many  of  the  visitors  passed 
their  hands  under  the  inner  tent  and  allowed  the  bees  to 
be  placed  in  them. 

'We  are  certain  we  have  not  heard  the  last  of  api- 
culture in  our  neighbourhood,  and  we  are  indebted  to  our 
townsman,  Mr.  Russell,  for  the  trouble  he  has  taken  to 
provide  so  rich  a  treat.  We  are  glad  to  find  that  he  was 
so  very  successful  in  the  bee  and  honey  department, 
carrying  off  first  prize  for  bees,  and  two  seconds  for  honey.' 

Friday  morning  found  us  on  our  way  to  Greenore, 
and  Saturday  morning  dawned  upon  us  at  Holyhead, 
whence,  after  an  eight  hours' journey,  per  London 


and  North  Western  Railway,  we  reached  London 
about  1  p.m. 

As  the  outcome  of  representations  to  the  British 
Beekeepers'  Association  on  the  excellent  condition 
of  their  apiaries,  and  their  efficient  aid  at  Clonmel, 
Newry,  and  Parsonstown,  they  have  awarded  silver 
medals  to  the  Rev.  6.  A  Procter,  of  Tullamelan, 
Co.  Tipperary,  and  to  Brother  Joseph,  of  the  Abbey, 
Loughrea,  Co.  -Gal way,  which  will  be  presented 
when  duly  engraved. 

No  better  or  more  flattering  evidence  of  the 
interest  created  by  the  tour  of  the  Tent  could  be 
furnished  than  is  contained  in  the  following  report 
of  the  doings  at  the  Wexford  Agricultural  Society's 
Show  in  September.  Mr.  Traynorhas  been  already 
mentioned  as  an  active  '  Cottager,'  and  has  suc- 
ceeded, after  the  lesson  at  Maryborough,  in  carry- 
ing out  a  satisfactory  programme.  We  quote  from 
the  Wexford  Independent : — 

'  A  Bee  Tent  at  Wexford  has  been  procured  bjr  the 
Wexford  Agricultural  Society  under  the  management  of 
Mr.  Boland,  Enniscoultry,  who  spared  no  pains  to  make 
the  bee  exhibition  a  success.  Large  quantities  of  honey 
were  exhibited  by  the  local  folk.  A  strange  feature  in  the 
Bee  tent  was  that  of  several  sections  of  honey,  containing 
each  Jibs.,  the  bees  build  down  to  the  very  glass,  several 
of  them  weighed  exactly  21bs.  with  the  turn  of  the  beam 
slightly  in  favour  of  the  bees.  The  driving  method  was 
fully  exhibited  whereby  large  quantities  of  pure  honey 
can  be  obtained  without  destroying  the  bees  with  sulphur 
fumes.  The  new  comb  foundation  and  wax-guides  so 
essential  in  straight  comb  building  were  fullyexplained  and 
exhibited.  The  whole  operations  were  performed  with- 
out the  aid  of  veil  or  gloves.  A  gauze  netting  protected 
the  spectators.  The  tent  was  under  the  management  of 
Mr.  Traynor,  Tinahely,  a  cottage  correspondent  of  the 
British  Bee  Journal,  published  by  Abbott  Bros.,  South- 
all,  London.  Mr.  Traynor  took  the  opportunity  of 
shoitiny  results  of  what  was  done,  as  he  believes  there  is 
very  little  use  in  telling  the  people  what  can  be  done. 
The  bees  in  the  bar-frame  hives  were  lifted  up  from  the 
frame  and  walked  over  the  manipulator  without  in  the 
least  injuring  him,  the  bees  were  brushed  off  the  frames 
and  pure  honey  extracted  by  one  of  Abbott's  Little 
Wonders.  As  this  was  the  first  Irish  bee  tent  ever  in 
Ireland,  a  large  share  of  interest  was  bestowed  upon  it. 
New  methods  of  feeding  from  top  of  hives  were  fully 
explained.  The  bees  were  treated  and  lectured  upon  as 
if  they  had  no  stings  at  all.  The  tent  left  a  very 
favourable  impression  of  advanced  bee-culture.' 
(To  be  resumed.) 


BRITISH  DAIRY  FARMERS'  ASSOCIA- 
TION AND  BEE-KEEPING. 
An  Exhibition  of  bees,  hives,  honey,  and  wax 
(promoted  by  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Associa- 
tion) will  be  held  in  connexion  with  the  Annual 
Show  of  the  British  Dairy  Farmers'  Association, 
at  the  Agricultural  Hall,  Islington,  on  October 
the  26  Ih  and  following  days.  There  are  three 
classes  for  hives,  six  for  honey,  and  one  for 
wax  ;  most  of  the  classes  are  well  filled,  and 
some  very  largely.  The  various  exhibits  will 
occupy  a  space  of  nearly  300  feet  run,  by  3  feet 
in  depth  ;  and  we  have  no  doubt  but  that  this 
exhibition  will  form  a  most  attractive  feature  of 
the  Show. 


October  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


107 


CONGRESS  OF  BEE-MASTERS  AT  COLOGNE. 

I  have  just  returned  from  theCongress  of  Bee-masters 
of  the  German  and  Austrian  empires  held  at  Cologne, 
from  the  7th  to  10th  of  September ;  and  in  case  you 
should  receive  no  better  account  than  this  from  any  of 
the  English  gentlemen  there  present,  you  may  like  to 
have  the  following  brief  description  of  it  for  your 
Journal 

The  occasion  was  somewhat  more  than  ordinarily 
interesting,  for  it  was  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of 
the  Congress.  As  an  evidence  of  the  active  interest 
taken  by  Government  in  the  Congress  and  its  work,  the 
Burgomaster  of  Cologne  acted  as  its  President,  and  the 
Ministers  of  Public  Instruction  and  of  Agriculture  and 
Commerce  were  both  represented  by  high  officials.  I 
arrived  at  Cologne  on  Monday,  6th  September,  in  com- 
pany with  Mr.  Dennler  of  Enzheim,  who  honoured  us 
with  a  visit  last  year  at  London. 

The  proceedings  commenced  on  Monday  evening  by 
an  unofficial  meeting  of  those  who  had  arrived  from  all 

Sarts  of  Germany  and  Austria  to  take  part  in  the 
ongress.  Among  them  were  many  who  have  a 
European  reputation  as  bee-keepers,  and  I  may  specially 
notice  the  great  Dzierzon,  the  Baroness  Von  Berlepsch, 
Herr  Vogel  (author),  and  the  Pasteur  Rabbow,  of 
Hohendorf  in  Pomerania.  Dzierzon,  I  may  observe,  is 
not  a  pasteur,  as  stated  at  page  'J6  of  last  month's 
Journal;  he  icas  a  Roman  Catholic  priest,  but  he  has 
given  up  performing  any  ecclesiastical  duty,  and  does 
not  even  wear  the  dress  of  a  clergyman. 

The  Exhibition  opened  on  the  morning  of  Tuesday 
the  7th,  and  resembled  very  much  all  exhibitions  of 
the  same  description.  If  I  may  offer  criticism  on  it,  I 
should  say  that  practical  utility  was  not  sufficiently 
kept  in  view  by  the  greater  number  of  the  exhibitors, 
who  rather  sought  to  catch  the  eye  by  the  attractive- 
ness of  their  articles.  I  may  mention  with  satisfaction 
that  two  out  of  three  of  the  exhibitions  which  gained 
silver  medals  (of  whi-j.h  only  three  were  awarded)  were 
made  up  largely  of  articles  which  had  at  least  a  portion 
of  their  origin  in  England,  Mr.  Neighbour  having  carried 
off  one  of  them  for  an  excellent  collection  of  apicultural 
instruments  and  super  honey,  and  Mr.  Dennler  having 
also  a  silver  medal  awarded  to  him  for  a  dozen  of 
Mr.  Abbott's  honey-boxes  magnificently  tilled,  and  an 
extractor,  the  idea  (though  not  the  mechanism)  of 
which  was  borrowed  from  that  of  Mr.  Cowan,  which 
gained  a  prize  at  London  last  year.  I  shall  refer  to 
this  extractor  hereafter.  For  the  rest,  there  were  some 
well-stocked  hives  of  Cyprians  and  Italians  in  the  court- 
yard, with  some  well-made  portable  hives  for  transporting 
bees  or  queens  from  place  to  place.  There  were  huge 
glass  bells,  nearly  two  feet  high,  well  filled  with  comb, 
very  pretty  to  look  at,  but  not  half  so  practic?lly  useful 
as  our  honey  boxes.  This,  indeed,  the  jury  fully 
recognised  in  their  awards  to  Messrs.  Dennler  and 
Neighbour.  There  were  also  some  ingeniously  arranged 
devices  in  comb  exhibited  by  Pasteur  Rabbow,  the  bees 
having  been  made  to  build  into  moulds  or  shapes,  which 
were  afterwards  detached,  leaving  the  shapes  of  comb, 
like  shapes  of  blanc-mange,  on  a  dish.  There  were  also 
some  capital  masks,  plenty  of  good  comb-foundation, 
and  a  number  of   hives,   the   prices   of   which   ranged 

fenerally  from  seven  to  fifteen  shillings,  a  few  fancy 
ives  only  being  higher  in  price.  The  stock  of  honey 
and  mead  in  jars  and  bottles  was  very  large.  All  this 
was,  however,  nothing  more  than  may  be  seen  at  any 
bee  show. 

The  important  part  of  the  proceedings  were  the 
reunions,  where  papers  were  read  and  speeches  made. 
The  first  of  these  commenced  at  ten  a.m.  on  Tuesday, 
and  lasted  till  two  o'clock.  It  was  opened  by  the 
Burgomaster,  who  in  a  short  speech  addressed  the 
meeting,  expressing  a  hope  that  the  fiftieth  Congress 
might  be   an    international    one,   as    there    were    few 


countries  which  now  did  not  take  some  interest  in  bee- 
keeping. Then,  amidst  the  applause  of  the  whole 
meeting,  the  delegate  of  the  Minister  of  Agriculture 
and  Commerce  called  up  Herr  Schmied  of  Eichsteid, 
who  is  the  permanent  \  ice-President  of  the  Congress, 
and,  after  complimenting  him,  decorat-d  him  with  the 
order  of  the  Crown,  sent  expressly  to  him  by  the 
Emperor. 

The  real  business  of  the  meeting  then  began,  Dzier- 
zon, who  was  most  warmly  applauded,  addressing  the 
Congress  at  some  length.  Dr.  Dzierzon  dwelt  on  the 
yet  undeveloped  state  of  bee  science,  and  the  necessity 
of  close  and  patient  study  and  watching,  as  well  as 
practical  application,  if  we  would  arrive  at  results 
worthy  of  the  end  at  which  we  strive.  '  What  we 
know  as  yet,'  he  exclaimed,  '  are  like  a  few  shells  picked 
up  by  a  child  on  the  sea-shore,  which  give  but  little  idea 
of  the  wealth  that  the  sea  contains.'  Herr  Vogel, 
whose  book  on  the  bee  was  rewarded  with  the  annual 
gold  medal  of  the  Congress,  followed  next,  taking  up 
the  question  of  a  uniform  or  standard  size  of  frame  for 
all  Germany.  This  has  been  long  discussed,  and  has 
resulted  in  a  gradual  diminution  of  the  size  of  frame. 
The  time  was  thought  to  have  arrived  for  definite 
action,  and  the  size  of  frame  was,  after  long  discussions 
in  the  Congress,  finally  fixed  at  2.0j  centimetres  (or 
9  inches)  broad,  with  a  depth  of  36  centimetres  (or 
16  inches)  for  the  body  of  the  hive,  divided  into  two 
frames,  each  of  IS  centimetres  (nearly  7A  inches)  deep. 
This  hive,  however,  admits  of  being  built  up  to  any 
height  the  amount  of  honey-gathering  justifies.  There 
are  usually  two  rows  of  ten  to  twelve  frames,  or  three 
rows  of  eight  frames,  one  above  the  other,  in  each  hive, 
making  from  twenty  to  twenty-four  frames  of  the  above 
size  in  each  hive. 

.  You  are  aware  that  in  the  German  hives  the  frames 
ahvai/s  stand  acivss  the  door,  not  at  right  angles  to  it. 
In  this  principle  they  exactly  resemble  Mr.  Abbott's 
Combination  Hive.  There  was  only  one  German  hive 
in  the  exhibition  which  had  its  frames  at  right  angles 
to  the  doorway.  And  here  I  may  mention  a  Swedish 
hive  which  resembled  very  much  one  of  Mr.  Abbott's 
Combinations,  and  which  was  furnished  with  a  division- 
board  to  enable  the  frames  to  be  put  back  from  the 
entrance  in  winter.  There  was  a  tunnel  leading  from 
the  entrance  to  the  division-board,  giving  ingress  and 
egress  to  the  bees,  as  well  as  for  the  ventilation  of  the 
hive;  the  space  between  the  end  of  the  hive  and  the 
division-board  was  then  filled  with  chaff  well  rammed 
home.  -This  seemed  to  me  a  capital  idea  for  keeping 
hives  warm  in  winter. 

It  is  no  doubt  a  great  advantage  in  Germany  that 
practically  one  size  of  frame  is  adopted  by  all  bee- 
keepers in  all  parts  of  the  country.  1  am  myself 
strongly  impressed  with  the  practical  utility  of  the 
German  hives.  I  have  this  summer  been  working  very 
much  with  some  which  are  known  as  the  Baden  or 
Black  Forest  hives.  They  seem  to  me  to  present  some 
very  great  advantages,  both  in  regard  to  manipulation 
and  supering.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  bees  also 
whiter  very  well  in  them.  First,  as  regards  manipula- 
tion, the  frames  being  drawn  out  by  a  pair  of  strong 
pincers  from  the  rear  of  the  hive,  a  small  puff  of  smoke 
easily  drives  the  bees  downwards  to  the  front,  and  in 
this  way  I  really  cannot  remember  ever  having  been 
once  stung  in  opening  a  hive,  which  I  have  been  doing 
lately  every  day;  then  the  frames  have  only  a  small 
bearing  at  the  ends,  and  are  very  easily  detached  from 
the  propolis.  Thirdly,  the  brood  is  invariably  found  in 
the  front,  and  notably  the  lower  front  of  the  hive.  In 
this  way,  for  extracting,  you  may  take  out  the  eight 
upper  and  four  lower  frames  from  the  rear,  with  the 
almost  absolute  certainty  of  finding  no  brood  in  them. 
The  frames  being  of  small  size,  are  put  at  once  into  the 
extractor,  the  honey  is  taken  out,  and  the  frames  are 


108 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[October  1,  1880. 


replaced  in  the  hive  without  any  derangement  of  the 
brood  or  annoyance  to  the  queen.  Then  for  supering, 
the  narrow  hive  seems  to  concentrate  the  heat  and  send  j 
it  into  the  supers,  which  the  bees  take  to  at  once,  while 
the  broad  shallow  frames  of  the  Woodbury  would  seem  ! 
to  fail  in  this  particular.  I  can  only  say  that  two  j 
Alsatian  gentlemen  to  whom  I  gave  a  number  of  j 
Mr.  Abbott's  excellent  sectional  supers,  have  been 
showing  me  magnificently  tilled  honey-boxes  all  the 
summer  from  their  Baden  hives,  while  I  never  have 
been  able  to  get  a  bee  to  go  into  mine  except  for 
promenade  purposes.  I  am  disposed  to  think,  too,  that 
bees  winter  better  in  a  deep  narrow  hive.  By  leaving 
them  a  certain  number  only  of  frames  filled  to  all  their 
depth,  the  bees  need  never  change  from  frame  to  frame, 
but  always  keep  near  their  food ;  and  so  it  comes  to  pass 
that  after  considerable  experience,  I  have  come  to  be 
very  fond  of  these  small  frame  hives,  which  are  so 
handy  for  storing  and  manipulation.  The  only  modi- 
fication I  shoidd  tike  to  make  in  them  would  be  the 
adoption  of  the  quilt  in  winter. 

I  would  now  add  a  few  words  on  Mr.  Dennler's 
extractor.  It  was  exteriorly  of  the  ordinary  form,  the 
motive  power  being  placed  below  the  body  of  the 
machine,  and  the  centre  pivot  turning  in  a  socket  below 
all ;  so  that  all  the  weight  of  the  frames  in  the  interior 
rested  on  the  centre  pivot,  and  all  straining  was  avoided. 
The  cages  for  containing  the  honeycombs  for  extraction 
are  raised  about  G  inches  above  the  bottom  of  the 
receptacles,  so  as  to  allow  of  at  least  25  lbs.  of  honey 
being  extracted  without  drawing  it  off.  The  whole  of 
the  apparatus  for  turning  is  very  solid  and  well  made. 
The  cages  or  receptacles  for  the  combs  are  three  in 
number,  forming  a  triangle  inside  the  receptacle ;  and 
this,  I  think,  is  its  onty  fault,  for  with  three  frames  there 
is  no  counter-balance  on  the  pivot,  and  this  must 
eventually  cause  an  uneven  and  wobbling  motion.  It 
could  be  as  easily  made  with  two  or  four  cages,  and 
it  would  then  be  better;  otherwise  it  admits  of  the 
frames  being  reversed  like  in  Mr.  Cowan's  extractor, 
which  is  done  by  lifting  each  frame  up  about  a  quarter 
of  an  inch,  turning  it,  and  letting  it  drop  into  its  place. 
This  action  is  exceedingly  simple,  takes  no  appreciable 
time  to  put  in  motion,  and  is  not  exposed  to  any  chance 
of  derangement.  As  the  machine  exhibited  has  extracted 
nearly  a  ton  of  honey  this  year,  its  efficiency  may  be  said 
to  have  been  thoroughly  tested  and  established.  It  was 
very  greatly  admired  and  praised  by  Dzierzon,  and  many 
other  experienced  bee-keepers. 

Among  other  subjects  of  interest  from  a  practical 
point  of  view  discussed  by  the  Congress,  was  that  of  the 
use  of  perforated  zinc  as  a  queen-excluder.  This  was 
introduced  by  Ilerr  Gtihler,  who  very  clearly  explained 
the  great  results  which  might  be  obtained  by  the  use  of 
it,  in  reference  to  the  checking  of  swarming  and  the 
production  of  honey.  Several  bee-masters  followed  on 
this  subject,  saying  that  perforated  zinc  was  changing 
the  whole  system  of  apiculture,  and  the  principles  on 
which  it  was  conducted  from  a  scientific  point  of  view. 
It  may  be  added  that  the  sale  of  perforated  zinc  at  the 
exhibition  was  very  large,  almost  more  than  that  of  any 
article.  The  holes  are  the  same  depth  as  ours,  but  have 
a  greater  breadth,  at  least  one  and  a  half  to  one  of  ours. 

Professor  Donhoff  read  a  very  interesting  paper  on 
the  physiology  of  the  bee,  which  was  warmly  applauded. 
Ilerr  Frey  of  Murenberg  did  the  same  in  reference  to 
foul  brood,  which  he  treated  ably.  Ilerr  Deichart,  the 
President  of  the  Society  of  Apiculture  in  Hesse,  read  a 
paper  on  '  Wintering  Bees,'  the  chief  practical  hint  I 
gained  from  which  was,  that  it  was  well  not  to  leave 
ci  ilza  honey  in  a  hive  for  winter,  as  it  crystallised  very 
readily  in  the  hives,  and  was  not  made  easily  available 
to  the  bees  when  in  that  condition.  Ilerr  Sclizen  spoke 
on  the  introduction  of  Italian  and  other  foreign  queens. 
He  appeared  to  think  that  the  chief  advantage  gained 


was  in  the  infusion  of  fresh  blood  into  an  apiary,  and 
that  this  would  be  as  readily  effected  by  any  other 
exchange  of  queens  not  necessarily  of  another  race. 

The  next  Congress  was  then  settled  to  take  place  at 
Erfurt  in  1881 ;  and  either  at  Buda-Pesth  or  Frankfort- 
on-the-Maine  in  1882. 

There  was  another  point  of  interest  brought  out  in 
the  discussions.  You  are  perhaps  aware  that  in 
Hanover,  where  there  is  an  immense  trade  in  exported 
honey,  the  practice  is  to  destroy  one-third  of  the  hives 
every  year,  and  take  all  the  contents.  This  practice  is 
justified  by  the  people  on  the  ground  that  they  have  too 
many  swarms,  and  that  they  woidd  be  overstocked  with 
bees  otherwise.  In  fact,  they  say  that  in  a  good  year 
each  hive  will  give  three  swarms  and  100  lbs.  of  honey. 
Moreover,  they  say,  by  constant  renewal  of  the  combs, 
they  avoid  foul  brood,  and  have  a  much  longer  and  finer 
race  of  bees.  Pasteur  Rabbow  violently  attacked  the 
whole  system  as  being  cruel,  unnecessary,  and  not  really 
economical.  Herr  Schzen,  the  Editor  of  the  Hanover 
Bee  Journal,  replied  to  him  :  '  We  are  not  cruel,  but 
what  are  we  to  do  with  our  bees  ?  We  have  600,000 
hives  every  year  to  dispose  of,  and  if  you  will  come  in 
the  autumn,  we  will  only  too  gladly  drive  the  bees,  and 
sell  them  to  you  for  a  mark  and  a  half  (eighteen  pence) 
each  colony.'  It  is  a  question  for  our  enterprising  bee- 
merchants  whether  it  might  be  profitable  to  purchase 
bees  in  autumn  at  this  price,  feed  them  through  the 
winter,  and  sell  them  in  spring.  It  may  be  observed 
that  Pasteur  Rabbow  was  right,  and  that  by  using 
frame  hives  and  checking  the  laying  of  the  queen  by  the 
use  of  perforated  zinc  dividers,  the  number  of  swarms 
might  be  diminished,  and  the  income  of  honey  increased 
in  proportion.  The  hives  used  in  Hanover  are  tall 
conical  skeps,  with  the  entrance  near  the  summit. 

The  show  remained  open  and  the  meetings  continued 
daily  till  Friday,  when  the  prizes  were  given,  the  gold 
medal  going  with  universal  applause  to  Herr  Fred. 
William  Vogel,  for  his  recent  work  on  bee  culture; 
Mr.  Dennler  and  Mr.  Neighbour,  and  one  other,  receiv- 
ing silver  medals ;  and  many  others  diplomas  of  merit. 

So  ended  a  very  interesting  visit,  during  which  I 
visited  also  the  Industrial  Exhibition  at  Dusseldorf. 
Perhaps  the  most  interesting  part  of  the  exhibition  was 
the  pleasure  and  honour  of  meeting  renowned  bee-keepers 
like  Dzierzon  and  the  Baroness  Von  Berlepsch. — G.  J. 
Pearson,  The  Hokwald,  near  Ban;  13th  Sept.  1880. 


BRITISH  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

Committee  Meeting  held  at  105  Jermyn  Street,  St. 
James's,  Wednesday,  Sept.  15th.  Present  Mr.  T.  W. 
Cowan  (in  the  chair),  R.  R.  Godfrey,  J.  M.  Hooker, 
F.  Cheshire,  Rev.  E.  Bartrum,  and  Rev.  II.  R.  Peel, 
Hon.  Sec.  The  minutes  of  the  last  meeting  having  been 
read  and  confirmed,  the  Secretary  reported  that  he  had 
received  letters  from  Mr.  Abbott,  Mr.  Steele,  Messrs. 
Neighbour  and  Son,  and  Mr.  S.  J.  Baldwin,  stating  they 
would  be  pleased  to  contribute  specimens  of  their  goods 
for  the  purpose  of  exhibition  at  the  South  Kensington 
and  Bethnal  Green  Museums.  Promises  of  additional 
contributions  were  also  received  from  Mr.  Hooker  and 
Mr.  Cheshire.  It  was  resolved  unanimously,  '  That  in 
accordance  with  the  request,  as  stated  in  the  letter 
received  from  the  Science  and  Art  Department  on  the 
17th  of  August,  the  Hon.  Sec.  and  Mr.  Cheshire  should 
have  an  interview  witli  Mr.  Thompson,  one  of  the 
Assistant  Directors  of  the  South  Kensington  Museuru, 
and  make  the  necessary  arrangements  with  him  for  the 
exhibition  of  two  collections  of  specimens  of  the  best 
hives  and  other  apparatus  used  in  bee-culture,  as  desired 
by  the  Science  and  Art  Department.' 

It  was  also  resolved, '  That  the  next  quarterly  meeting 
should  be  held  on  Wednesday,  Oct.  27th,  the  second  day 
of  the  Annual  Show  of  the  British  Dairy  Farmers'  Asso- 


October  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


109 


ciation  at  the  Agricultural  Hall,  Islington.'  The  Rev. 
E.  Bartrum  promised  to  read  a  paper  on  '  The  Stewarton 
Hive,'  and  the  Secretary  was  requested  to  make  the 
usual  necessary  arrangements  in  connexion  therewith. 

The  schedule  of  prizes  for  the  South  Kensington  Show, 
to  be  held  next  year,  was  discussed,  and  various  amend- 
ments suggested.  It  was  resolved,  '  That  the  same 
should  be  brought  forward  for  discussion  at  the  next 
meeting.'  The  balance-sheet  for  the  month  ending 
August  Slst  was  read,  showing-  a  balance  in  hand  of 
21.  10s.  -id.  The  Secretary  reported  that  the  low  state 
of  the  finances  was  principally  due  to  the  fact  that 
upwards  of  267.  was  due  from  members  whose  sub- 
scriptions were  in  arrear,  the  same  having  been  due  on 
the  1st  of  May  last.  Resolved,  '  That  the  Secretary  do 
send  a  circular  to  all  members  in  arrear,  making  appli- 
cation for  their  subscriptions.' 


LINCOLNSHIRE  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION 
EXHIBITION  AT  BOSTON. 

The  fifth  annual  exhibition  of  this  Association  was 
held  at  Boston  on  Thursday  the  9th  of  September,  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Mayor.  The  weather  was  all  that 
coidd  be  desired,  and  so  conduced  much  to  the  success  of 
the  show,  which  was  visited  by  the  Mayor  and  Mayoress 
of  Boston,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Moore,  Mrs.  and  the 
Misses  Moore  of  Frampton  Hall,  B.  G.  Garfit,  Esq.,  W. 
G.  Pilcher,  Esq.,  G.  W.  Thomas,  Esq.,  many  of  the 
clergy  and  leading  families  of  the  town  and  neighbour- 
hood, and  a  large  number  of  the  public  generally. 

The  event  was  ushered  in  by  a  most  interesting  address 
by  the  Rev.  Herbert  R.  Peel  of  Abbot's  Hill,  Heme! 
Hempstead,  the  subject  being  '  Bee-keeping  in  England 
in  1880,'  delivered  on  the  evening  of  the  8th  at  the 
Assembly  Rooms,  which  had  been  kindly  placed  at  the 
disposal  of  the  Committee  Association  by  the  Mayor  of 
Boston.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Moore,  of  Frampton  Hall, 
in  the  unavoidable  absence  of  the  President,  the  Right 
Rev.  the  Bishop  Suffragan  of  Nottingham,  kindly  pre- 
sided, and  was  supported  by  the  Mayor  of  Boston  (James 
Thorns,  Esq.),  the  Rev.  J.  L.  Sisson,  of  Edingthorpe 
Rectory,  Norfolk,  A.  M.  Adams.  Esq.,  M.D.  Boston, 
Mr.  J.  G.  Desborough,  Stamford;  Mr.  John  Bolton, 
Grantham  ;  and  the  lion.  Sec.  of  the  Association,  Mr.  R. 
R.  Godfrey. 

The  audience  was  very  large,  amongst  whom  were  the 
Mayoress  and  the  Misses  Thorns,  Mr.  J.  Thorns,  Jun., 
and  Mrs.  Thorns,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mawson,  T.  Slator,  Esq., 
J.P.,  J.  Kenington,  Esq.,  J.P.,  Mr.  C.  Pocklington,  Mr. 
C.  Lucas,  Mr.  Perry,  Mr.  Morris,  Mr.  and  the  Misses 
Small,  Mr.  II.  Yates,  of  Grantham,  Mr.  Sells,  of 
Uffington,  Mr.  Bywater  South,  and  many  veteran  bee- 
keepers from  all  quarters. 

The  Chairman  remarked  he  had  been  requested  to 
preside  that  evening  in  the  absence  of  the  worthy  Presi- 
dent of  the  Association,  the  Bishop  Suffragan  of  Notting- 
ham. He  regretted  very  much  the  absence  of  that 
gentleman,  because  he  always  introduced  a  large  amount 
of  geniality  into  any  meeting  at  which  he  was  present. 
It  was  not  necessary  for  him  to  say  many  words  in  intro- 
ducing the  lecturer  to  them,  for  they  were  all,  as  he  was, 
very  anxious  to  hear  him,  but  there  were  one  or  two 
words  he  should  like  to  say.  He  was  sorry  he  did  not 
know  more  about  bees,  but  for  some  reason  or  other 
they  always  exhibited  a  great  antipathy  towards  him. 
It  might  be  his  own  fault,  but  they  always  stung 
him  whenever  they  got  the  opportunity ;  therefore 
he  had  not  cultivated  their  acquaintance  very  largely. 
But  although  he  had  not  had  much  practical  experience 
amongst  these  insects,  he  had  read  a  good  deal  about 
them.  Bees  were  mentioned  in  the  earliest  of  histories, 
and  if  the}'  looked  into  the  Book  of  Books  they  would 
find  that  bees  were  referred  to  at  the  commencement, 
and  the  greatest  boon  ever  offered  to   the  children  of 


Israel  was  to  be  taken  to  a  land  '  flowing  with  milk  and 
honey.'  He  need  not  tell  them  how  many  philosophers 
had  written  about  bees,  and  referred,  as  an  instance,  to 
Virgil's  poems.  Many  lessons  could  be  learned  from  bees, 
as  well  as  the  wonders  of  a  Divine  providence.  He  had 
received  letters  from  the  Sub-Dean  of  Lincoln  (Canon 
Clements),  the  Rev.  W.  V.  Turner  of  Bardney,  and 
T.  C.  Garfit,  Esq.,  regretting  that  they  could  not  be 
present.  He  had  very  great  pleasure  in  calling  upon 
Mr.  Peel  to  address  them. 

[The  most  interesting  address  of  Mr.  Peel  is  too  valu- 
able to  permit  of  curtailment,  and  space  not  permitting 
its  publication  this  month,  we  have  printed  it  in  separate 
form  for  private  distribution,  but  it  will  appear  in  e.rtenso 
in  our  next. — Ed.  B.  B.  J.~\ 

The  Exhibition. 

On  Thursday,  the  fifth  great  annual  exhibition  of  bees, 
honey,  hives,  and  practical  manipulations,  was  held  in 
the  '  Welcome,'  Bargate,  and  the  field  adjoining,  kindly 
lent  for  the  occasion  by  Mr.  Charles  Smith,  of  Kirton.  A 
large  number  of  people  visited  the  grounds,  and  the  tents 
were  well  filled  from  the  opening  of  the  gates  at  noon, 
until  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening.  The  exhibits  were 
good  and  numerous,  entries  being  made  in  every  class 
with  the  exception  of  three.  Sir.  G.  F.  Barrell,  of 
Spalding,  obtained  first  prize  in  class  1,  for  his  exhibit  of 
Ligurian  bees,  shown  in  an  observatory  hive.  In  class  3 
specimens  of  the  Hungarian  bee  were  shown  by  Messrs. 
Neighbour  and  Son,  of  London,  and  some  fine  specimens 
of  the  Cyprian  bee  were  exhibited  by  Abbott  Bros. 

In  the  honey  department  there  was  a  good  display  of 
supers,  not  ably  some  beautifullv  finished  sections  exhibited 
by  the  Rev.  Herbert  R.  Peel,  of  Abbot's  Hill,  Mr.  Tuck, 
of  Upwell,  and  Miss  Gayton,  of  Great  Hadam ;  also  a 
splendid  Stewarton  super,  exhibited  by  the  Rev.  E. 
Bartrum, of  Berkhampstead,  and  some  fairly  finished  glass 
supers  exhibited  by  cottagers.  The  extracted  and  run- 
honey  exhibits  were  large,  and  the  quality  fine.  Mr.  T. 
Sells,  Uffington,  Mr.  Roberts,  Belvoir,  the  Rev.  W.  A. 
Frith,  Welby  Grantham,  Miss  Gayton,  Great  Hadam, 
Mr.  S.  Lee,  Coningsby,  being  well  to  the  fore.  Mr.  T.  Sells 
was  successful  in  winning  the  Silver  cup  of  the  Association 
for  the  first  time ;  also  in  securing  the  Plate  Prize  pre- 
sented b}'  Mr.  Sells  ;  he  had  a  close  competition  in  Mr. 
Roberts,  and  it  would  not  be  a  surprise  to  see  at  the  next 
exhibition  a  change  of  places  with  these  two  for  the  cup. 
It  is  gratifying  to  know  that  cottagers  living  at  Bardney 
and  Southrey  were  successful  competitors  in  this  depart- 
ment. Such  a  result  is  mainly  owing  to  the  efforts  of 
the  Rev.  W.  V.  Farmer,  vicar  of  the  parish,  whose 
example  in  this  work  it  woidd  be  well  for  others  to  follow. 

In  the  hive,  &c.  department  was  a  large  and  varied 
collection  of  the  latest  improvements  in  hives.  Supers 
and  extractors  with  an  endless  display  of  bee-appliances, 
Messrs.  Abbott  Bros.,  Messrs.  Neighbour  &  Sons,  and 
Mr.  Steele  being  large  exhibitors.  In  the  class  for  ex- 
tractors there  was  great  competition,  no  less  than  nine 
machines  entered;  the  first  choice  being  Mr.  Cowan's 
'  Automatic,'  the  second  Mr.  Abbott's  '  Little  Wonder,' 
the  third  Mr.  Steel's,  II.C,  Mr.  Holland,  H.C.,  Mr.  Wal- 
ton, all  really  good  machines.  Class  for  cottagers'  hives 
was  unusually  full  and  well  contested,  cheaper  and  better 
rarely  seen.    The  result  was  a  ready  sale  and  a  clear  out. 

A  large  collection  of  bee  flora  was  on  view  in  the  tent, 
with  very  graphic  and  detailed  particulars  attached  to 
each  object.  Much  regret  was  felt  by  the  Hon.  Sec. 
and  the  members  of  the  Committee  that  there  were  no 
bee-keepers  in  Boston  that  could  compete  for  the  Vicar's 
prize.  The  prize  offered  by  the  Mayor  for  any  new 
invention  was  well  contested  for.  On  referring  to  the 
fist  of  awards  it  will  be  seen  that  several  persons  resident 
in  the  neighbourhood  took  prizes,  and  in  addition  to 
these  competitors  living  at  Homes stle  and  Grantham 
and  Louth  were  not  unsuccessful. 


110 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[October  1,  1880. 


Mr.  C.  H.  Clarke,  of  Long  Sutton,  exhibited  a  splendid 
comb  in  a  glass-case,  worked  on  Abbott's  conib-foiuida- 
tion,  the  results  of  the  Association's  visit  there  last  year. 
Mr.  Clarke  stated  that  he,  in  company  with  Mr.  Measures, 
had  driven  the  bees  from  no  less  than  forty  hives  this 
year  which  otherwise  would  have  been  murdered  by  aid 
of  the  sulphur  pit. 

At  intervals  during  the  day,  manipulations  with  live 
bees  took  place  in  a  tent  especially  erected  for  the  pur- 
pose, and  lent  by  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association  ; 
also  in  the  open  ;  and  judging  from  the  many  visitors  who 
swarmed  close  up  to  the  manipulators,  they  had  in  a 
very  short  time  learnt  to  know  there  was  not  so  much 
to  fear  from  bees  as  they  had  thought.  The  process  of 
driving  the  bees  was  fully  explained  and  illustrated  by 
J.  G.  Desborough,  Esq.,  of  Stamford,  Rev.  J.  Lawson 
Sisson,  of  Edingthorpe  Rectory,  North  Walsham,  Mr. 
Plowright,  Mr.  Yates,  and  Mr.  Baldwin,  the  expert 
from  the  Association;  and  much  surprise  was  manifested 
at  the  power  the  apiarian  had  over  his  bees.  One  of  the 
hives  driven  was  from  a  wicker  coal-scuttle,  with  a  piece 
of  drugget  stretched  on  the  outside,  belonging  to  G.  F. 
Barrell,  Esq.,  of  Spalding,  the  history  of  which  was  a 
curious  one.  The  queen  was  a  pure  Ligurian,  and  the  hive 
swarmed  and  flew  away.  He  advertised  for  its  return, 
and  found  it  had  been  taken  bj'  a  labourer  in  a  village 
two  miles  away,  who  had  nothing  ready  to  put  it  in,  so 
he  hived  it  in  a  wicker  coal-scuttle,  and  put  rhubarb 
leaves  round  it  to  keep  out  the  weather.  This  was  in 
1879.  Mr.  Desborough  managed  to  drive  this  hive,  and 
transferred  the  combs  to  a  bar-frame.  The  bees  were 
numerous,  and  it  was  a  capital  stock. 

As  is  usual,  the  manipulation  tents  proved  the  most 
attractive,  and  great  was  the  interest  manifested ; 
visitors  who  witnessed  the  first  drive  might  be  seen 
as  eager  at  the  closing  one.  The  fact  that  gentlemen 
such  as  the  Rev.  J.  L.  Sisson  and  Mr.  Desborough  can 
give  such  successful  demonstrations  as  they  did,  and  that 
Mr.  Yates  and  Mr.  Plowright  can  do  the  '  Wildrnan'feat, 
would  go  very  far  towards  clearing  the  mist  from  the 
minds  of  the  most  sceptical  about  bees.  Mr.  C.  N. 
Abbott  (Editor),  who  was  announced  to  be  present  to 
take  part  in  the  manipulation,  was,  we  regret  to  learn, 
unhappily  prevented. 

The  following  gentlemen  officiated  as  judges  : — Hives 
and  bees :  Rev.  H.  R.  Peel,  Rev.  J.  Lawson  Sisson;  J.  G. 
Desborough,  Esq. ;  and  Henry  Yates,  Esq.  Honey  :  Rev. 
W.  V.  Turner;  G.Brett,  Esq.;  I.  Plowright,  Esq.;  J. 
Bolton,  Esq. ;  and  G.  F.  Barrell,  Esq. 

Much  credit  is  due  to  the  Hon.  Sec,  Mr.  J.  Best, 
Hon.  Sec.  for  the  Boston  district,  and  the  Con  .mittee, 
for  the  arrangements  made.  The  preparations  for  the 
exhibition  were  kindly  undertaken  by  Mr.  J.  Best,  under 
the  superintendence  of  the  Hon.  Sec,  Dr.  Measures, 
Long  Sutton,  G.  F.  Barrell,  Esq.,  Spalding,  Mr.  Bywater, 
Louth,  and  Mr.  Sells,  Uffington  District  Hon.  Sec,  also 
rendered  great  aid.  The  staging  of  exhibits  was 
intrusted  to  Mr.  J.  Boulton,  Mr.  Yates,  Mr.  Barnes, 
Mr.  Roberts,  the  Rev.  W.  V.  Turner,  Bardney,  Mr. 
Brett,  and  Mr.  Plowright;  and  it  is  through  the"  untir- 
ing efforts  of  this  band  of  workers,  that  the  Show  was 
so  great  a  success. 

Thanks  are  due  to  the  Mayor  of  Boston  for  the  very 
liberal  assistance  he  has  given  to  the  Society,  for  the 
thoroughly  kind  manner  he  throughout  received  the 
committee,  and  the  warm  interest  he  took  in  the  whole 
proceedings. 

The  following  are  the  awards : — 

Bees. — Class  1 — For  the  best  specimen  of  Ligurian 
Bees,  to  bo  exhibited  with  the  queen  in  an  observatory 
hive:  1st,  G.  F.  Barrell,  Spalding,  1/.;  2nd,  Messrs. 
Abbott,  Bros.,  London,  10s. ;  3rd,  withheld.      Class  2 — 

Fell'    till'     lir.-t     -]i   i  ilnell    (if    Engli.-'h   Hits,  to  lie  exljiliili'd 

with  the  queen  in  m  observatory  hive;  lst,T.  Sells,  Uffing- 
ton, Stamford,  10s. ;  2nd,  Messrs  Abbott,  Bros.,  7s.  Qd. ; 


3rd,  R.  R.  Godfrey,  Grantham,  5s.  Class  8 — For  the 
best  specimen  of  any  distinct  variety  of  Honey  Bees, 
other  than  Ligurians  or  the  British  Black  Bees : 
1st,  Messrs.  Abbott,  Bros.,  11. ;  2nd,  Messrs.  Neighbour 
and  Son,  London,  10s. ;  3rd,  withheld. 

Honey. — Class  4 — For  the  largest  and  best  exhibition 
of  Super  Honey,  the  produce  of  one  apiary  :  1st,  Rev.  H. 
R.  Peel,  Hemel  Hempstead,  1/. ;  2nd,  Rev.  E.  Bartrum, 
Berkhampstead,  15s. ;  3rd  and  1th,  withheld.  Class  5 — 
For  the  best  Glass  Super,  over  20  lbs.  nett  weight  :  No 
entries.  Class  6 — For  the  best  Glass  Super,  under  201bs. 
nett  weight :  1st,  Thomas  Sells,  10s. ;  2nd,  Williarn 
Willey,  Bardney,  7?.  Qd. ;  3rd,  Thomas  SeDs,  5s. ;  4th, 
John  Willey,  Southrey,  2s.  Qd.  Class  7 — For  the  best 
Super  of  Honey  (the  super  to  be  of  wood,  or  wood  in 
combination  with  glass  or  straw) :  1st,  H.  Tuck,  Upwell, 
Wisbech,  10s. ;  2nd,  John  Jackson,  Skirbeek,  7s.  Qd. ; 
3rd  and  4th,  withheld.  Class  8 — For  the  best  exhibition 
of  Honey  in  Sections  (each  section  not  more  than  3  lbs. 
in  weight,  the  total  weight  of  each  entry  to  be  not  less 
than  20  lbs.) :  1st,  H.  Tuck,  10s.  and  silver  medal ; 
2nd,  Rev.  J.  L.  Sisson,  Edingthorpe  Rectory,  North 
Walsham,  7s.  Qd.  and  bronze  medal ;  3rd,  Miss  Gayton, 
Hertfordshire,  5s.  and  certificate  :  the  medals  and  certi- 
ficates presented  by  the  B.  B.  K.  A.  Class  9 — For  the  best 
Straw  Super,  by  a  cottager  :  1st,  Mr.  W.  Martin,  Hamp- 
stead,  7s.  Qd. ;  2nd  and  3rd,  withheld  Class  10 — For 
the  best  glass  of  Extracted  or  Run  Honey,  of  not  less 
than  5  lbs.  nett  weight  (quality  to  be  the  chief  point 
of  excellence) :  1st,  Thomas  Sells,  10s. ;  2nd,  Rev.  W.  A. 
Frith, Welby  Rectory,  Grantham, 7s.  Qd.;  3rd,  J.  H.  King, 
Wrangle,  5s.;  4th,* John  Willey,  2s.  Qd.  Class  11— 
For  the  best  and  largest  exhibition  of  Extracted  or 
Run  Honey,  in  glass  or  other  jars:  1st,  Thomas  Sells,  11.; 
2nd,  Thomas  Roberts,  15s. ;  3rd,  Miss  Gayton,  12s.  6d. ; 
4th,  Shadfoid  Lee,  Coningsby,  10s. ;  5th,  Rev.  W.  A. 
Frith,  7s.  Qd. ;  Gth,  Thomas  Sells,  5s.  Class  12— For  the 
finest  sample  of  pure  Bees-wax,  in  cakes  of  not  less  than 
2 lbs.:  1st,  H.  Tuck,  5s.;  2nd,  Thomas  Sells,  2s.  Qd. 
Class  13 — For  the  best  Liqueur,  Wine,  or  Mead,  made 
from  honey,  with  the  recipe  attached  :  1st,  Thomas  Sells, 
10s.;  2nd,  H.  Tuck,  5s. 

Hives. — Class  14 — For  the  best  Hive  for  observation 
purposes  :  1st,  Messrs.  Abbott,  Bros.,  11.;  2nd,  withheld. 
Class  15 — For  the  best  and  most  complete  Hive,  on  the 
moveable  comb  principle,  with  arrangements  for  storing 
surplus  honey:  1st,  Messrs.  Neighbour  and  Son,  11. ; 
2nd,  Messrs.  Abbott,  Bros.,  10s. ;  3rd,  R.  Steele,  Fowli3- 
by-Dundee,  5s.  Class  16 — For  the  best  complete  Hive, 
on  the  moveable  comb  principle,  suitable  for  cottagers, 
price  not  to  exceed  8s. :  1st,  R.  Steele,  15s. ;  2nd,F.Lemai-e, 
Guildford,  Surrey,  10s. ;  3rd,  Messrs.  Abbott, Bros.,  7s. Qd. ; 
4th,  Mr.  McGregor,  Banchory,  Aberdeen,  5s. ;  5th,  Mr.  J. 
H.  King,  H.  C.  Class  17 — For  the  best  and  cheapest  Straw 
Skep  of  any  description  :  1st,  Thomas  Sells,  7s.  Qd. ;  2nd, 
Messrs.  Neighbour  and  Son,  ■'is. ;  3rd,  William  Forman, 
Louth,  2s.  Qd.  Class  18 — For  the  best  and  cheapest 
Supers  for  general  use  in  an  apiary  :  1st,  Walter  Holland, 
Croydon,  7s.  Qd. ;  2nd,  R.  Steele,  5s. ;  3rd,  S.  J.  Baldwin, 
Norwood,  2s.  Qd.  Class  19 — For  the  best  Honey  Extractor : 
1st,  T.  W.  Cowan,  Compton  Lea,  Horsham,  11. ;  2nd, 
Messrs.  Abbott,  Bros.,  10s. ;  8rd,  R.  Steele,  5s. ;  4th, 
W.  Holland,  H.  C.  Class  20 — For  the  best  and  most 
complete  Collection  of  Hives,  Bee-furniture,  and  Apicul- 
turalists'  Necessaries  :  1st,  Messrs.  Abbott,  Bros.,  1/.  10s.  ; 
2nd,  R.  R.  Godfrey,  11. ;  3rd,  withheld. 

Objects  and  Plants. — Class  21— For  the  best  and 
most  interesting  Collection  of  Natural  Objects,  Models, 
or  Diagrams,  connected  with  apicidture  :  1st,  Messrs. 
Abbott,  Bros.,  1/.;  2nd,  D.  J.  Godfrey,  15s.;  3rd,  with- 
held. Class  22 — For  the  best  and  largest  display  of 
Honey-producing  Plants,  in  a  dried  state  or  otherwise, 
such  plants  to  have  a  card  attached,  stating  time  of 
(lowering,  duration  of  bloom,  and  any  other  particulars 
calculated  to  be  of  interest  to  bee-keepers :  1st,  Mr.  Ingram, 


October  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


Ill 


Belvoir,  Book,  Langstroth  on  Bees;    2nd,  K.  R.  Godfrey, 
Grantham,  current  vol.  of  B.  B.  Journal. 

Special  Prizes. — One  guinea  presented  by  the  Vicar 
of  Boston  (the  Rev.  G.  B.  Blenkin,  M.A.)  for  the  best 
exhibit  in  Class  4,  by  residents  of  the  parish  :  No  entries. 
Piece  of  plate,  value  1/.  Is.,  presented  by  Mr.  Sells,  of 
Ufh'ngton,  for  the  largest  exhibition  in  all  or  any  of  the 
of  the  honey  classes,  of  honey  taken  without  destroying 
the  bees,  who  shall  be  a  member  of  the  Association, 
resident  in  the  county :  Thomas  Sells,  jun.  Abbott's 
Cottager's  Standard  Hive,  presented  by  C.  N.  Abbott, 
Esq.,  Southall,  London,  for  the  best  exhibit  in  Class  8, 
who  shall  be  a  member  of  the  Association,  resident  in 
the  county :  No  entries.  Current  Volume  of  B.  B. 
Journal,  presented  by  Mr.  R.  R.  Godfrey,  Grantham,  for 
the  best  exhibits  in  classes  5,  6, 7,  8,  and  9,  by  a  cottager, 
who  shall  be  a  member  of  the  Association,  resident  in  the 
county:  Thomas  Sells.  Silver  ( 'up  of  the  Association,  open 
to  members  only,  resident  in  the  county,  for  the  best  and 
largest  exhibition,  in  all  or  any  of  the  honey  classes,  of 
honey  taken  without  destroying  the  bees,  the  cup  to 
become  the  property  of  such  member  who  shall  win  it 
three  times :  Thomas  Sells.  Special  prizes  presented  by 
the  Mayor  of  Boston  (James  Thorns,  Esq.),  for  any  new 
invention  calculated  in  the  opinion  of  the  judges  to 
advance  the  culture  of  bees:  1st,  G.  Bywater,  Louth, 
10s. ;  2nd  and  3rd,  Isaac  Plowright,  Grantham ,  7s.  and  4s. 
H.  C.  J.  Plowright,  Queen  Cage,  H.  C;  J.  Plowright, 
Bar  Frame  with  draught  preventer. 


DEVON  AND  EXETER  BEE  AND  HONEY 
SHOW. 

[  Cumin  unicated.  ] 

The  seventh  exhibition  of  the  Devon  and  Exeter  Bee- 
keepers' Association  was  held  in  the  grounds  of  the 
Training  College,  Exeter,  on  the  3rd  idt.  Brilliant  wea- 
ther did  much  to  ensure  a  fashionable  attendance,  and 
the  increasing  interest  connected  with  the  subject  of 
bees  and  their  produce  added  not  a  little  to  the  charm 
of  the  gathering.  Devonians  have  long  taken  a  leading 
part  in  matters  apicultural,  and  the  name  of  the  late 
Mr.  Thomas  Woodbury,  of  Mount  Radford,  has  linked 
Exeter  most  intimately  with  everything  appertaining  to 
advanced  bee-culture.  It  was  he  who  invented  the  bar- 
frame  hive  which  still  bears  his  name,  and  who,  more- 
over, did  much  to  popularise  the  Italian  bee ;  while  he 
never  wearied  of  impressing  upon  people  in  general  the 
homely  truth  that  the  busy  little  honey-gatherer  is,  as 
Plutarch  tells  us,  '  a  magazine  of  virtues.'  There  are 
still  in  Devon  many  zealous  disciples  of  this  worthy 
bee-master,  men  like  Mr.  George  Fox,  of  Kingsbridge, 
who  can  hold  his  own  with  the  leading  apiarists  at  inter- 
national gatherings.  It  is  only  natural,  therefore,  that 
the  Devonshire  Bee-keepers'  Association  should  receive 
substantial  support,  and  the  best  evidence  that  it  does  so 
is  to  be  found  in  its  list  of  officers  for  the  present  year, 
namely  : — President,  the  Right  Worshipful  the  Mayor  of 
Exeter  ( W.  Horton  Ellis,  Esq.)  Committee— Rev.  J.  G. 
Dangar,  Rev.  J.  Dickenson,  Mr.  F.  B.  Fox,  Rev.  E.  I. 
Gregory,  Rev.  J.  R.  Neame,  and  Rev.  1'.  Williams. 
Hon.  Treasurer,  Mr.  R.  J.  Gray.  Hon.  Secretary,  Mr. 
W.  N.  Griffin,  of  Bock  House,  Alphington.  The  aim  of 
the  Association,  as  our  readers  are  doubtless  aware,  is 
principally  to  encourage  and  advance  bee-culture  in  the 
county  of  Devon ;  and  the  show  which  took  place  on  the 
3rd  ult.  may  be  described  as  one  of^a  number  of  means 
put  forth  by  the  Committee  in  order  to  effect  so  desirable 
an  object. 

The  Devonshire  Association  was  established  in  1875 
mainly  through  the  exertions  of  Mr.  W.  N.  Griffin,  of 
Alphington,  who,  though  young,  is  one  of  the  most  en- 
thusiastic and  skilful  apiarians  in  the  West  of  England. 
This  was  the  first  occasion  on  which  the  committee  had 


ventured  to  hold  an  independent  exhibition,  having  on 
previous  occasions  been  associated  with  the  Devon  and 
Exeter  Horticultural,  the  Western  Horticultural,  and 
some  similar  societies.  The  result  of  the  experi- 
ment showed  that  the  Society  has  become  quite  strong 
enough  to  pursue  a  successful  career  on  its  own  merits ; 
and  Mr.  Griffin,  its  secretary  and  founder,  and  the  other 
members  of  the  managing  committee,  are  entitled  to  con- 
gratulate themselves  upon  what  they  have  achieved. 
Competent  judges  declared  that  the  Show,  generally 
speaking,  was  one  of  the  prettiest  and  most  complete 
they  had  seen  in  this  country,  excepting  those  of  the 
British  Bee-keepers'. Association.  Every  department  of 
bee-keeping  was  well  illustrated,  in  some  instances,  it  is 
true,  on  a  small  scale ;  still,  all  that  could  be  required  by 
cottagers,  or  by  amateurs  with  well-filled  purses,  was  to 
be  seen. 

The  schedule  of  prizes  for  the  meeting  of  the 
3rd  ult.  contained  21  classes ;  and  the  awards,  which 
were  still  more  numerous,  included  elegant  claret  jugs, 
given  by  the  Mayor  and  the  Sheriff.  The  competition 
was  excellent  in  most  of  the  classes,  and  afforded  ample 
evidence  that  Devonshire  bee-keepers  are  still  assiduously 
applying  themselves  to  their  favourite  pursuit.  Honey 
is,  of  course,  the  bee-keeper's  chief  desideratum,  and  of 
this  there  was  enough  and  +o  spare.  The  prize  ,for  the 
best  hprvest  of  comb  honey  from  one  stock  of  bees,  as 
well  as  that  for  the  best  super  of  comb  honey,  were  both 
taken  by  Mr.  G.  M.  Walsh,  whose  exhibits  gave  evidence 
of  an  abundant  harvest.  The  combs  were  as  straight  as 
a  line,  the  wax  almost  as  white  as  snow,  the  honey 
beautifully  clear,  and  the  cells  perfectly  sealed.  The 
local  prizes — the  claret  jugs  before  referred  to — were 
both  won  by  Mr.  W.  N.  Griffin,  the  energetic  honorary 
secretary.  There  was  an  extensive  show  of  run  honey  in 
glasses,  and  a  very  fair  display  of  bees'  wax  of  prime 
quality.  Cottagers  did  not  come  out  in  very  large 
numbers,  and  it  was  apparent  from  their  exliibits  that 
there  remain  many  points  in  which  the)'  may  yet  im- 
prove. The  competition  for  the  hive  prizes  lay  between 
Mr.  Griffin,  Messrs.  Abbott,  of  the  School  of  Apiculture, 
Southall,  and  Messrs.  Neighbour,  of  London.  A  varied 
assortment  of  the  newest  make  was  exhibited,  the 
numerous  mechanical  improvements  of  which  elicited  the 
admiration  of  many  competent  judges.  The  palm  for 
the  most  perfect  bar-frame  hive  was  awarded  to  Mr.  W. 
N.  Griffin  for  his  'Improved  Griffin  Hive'  (manufactured 
for  him  by  J.  H.  Cox,  of  Dawlish).  It  is  ingeniously 
de\  ised  and  admirably  made,  combining  with  most  of 
tlie  improvements  to  be  found  in  other  makers'  hives, 
several  which  are  the  result  of  Mr.  Griffin's  own  experi- 
ence and  inventive  skill.  He  has  introduced  a  very 
effective  plan  of  contracting  the  brood  nest,  and  making 
the  hive  dry  and  warm  in  -\\  inter ;  and  there  are  various 
appliances  which  give  the  bee-master  great  facilities  for 
manipulating.  Messrs.  Abbott,  with  a  hive  which  a  few 
weeks  ago  took  first  prize  at  South  Kensington,  had 
now  to  be  content  with  second  honours:  and  the  third 
place  was  awarded  to  Messrs.  Neighbour  and  Sons 
for  their  Kilburn  collateral  frame  hive.  Straw  hives 
have  not  yet,  however,  been  entirely  beaten  from  the 
field,  and  several  good  specimens  of  these  picturesque 
structures  were  entered.  As  usual,  the  observatory  hives 
were  the  centre  of  attraction ;  and  interested  groups 
watched  the  movements  of  the  busy  inmate3  with  much 
curiosity  and  delight,  some,  while  looking  on,  perhaps 
recall:. ig  Bowling's  admirably  descriptive  lines: — 

Stores  of  rich  fragrance  ?     Orchestras  of  song ! 

What  marvellous  seats  of  hidden  alchemy  ; 

How  oft,  when  wandering  far  and  erring  long, 

Man  might  learn  truth  and  virtue  from  the  bee  ! 

At  one  o'clock  the  Mayor,  who  was  accompanied  by  a 
number  of  ladies  and  gentlemen,  formally  opened  the 
show,  remarking,  in  the  course  of  a  brief  speech,  that  this 
was  the  first  occasion  on  which  the  Association  had  held 

a3 


112 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[October  1,  1880. 


an  exhibition  independently  of  any  other  Society.  His 
Worship  congratulated  those  present  on  the  splendid 
weather  with  which  they  were  favoured,  and  the  ex- 
cellence of  the  exhibition  before  them.  Having  been  Pre- 
sident for  three  years,  he  regretted  to  saj'  that  the  last 
two  years  had  been  so  bad  that  bee-keepers  were  much 
discouraged  ;  in  fact,  last  year  there  was  no  honey  at  all. 
He  had  ventured  to  predict  that,  after  such  a  bad  season, 
they  would  again  be  favoured  with  a  good  one,  and  that 
prophecy  had  happily  been  fulfilled.  His  Worship  ex- 
pressed a  hope  that  they  would  be  able  to  reap  a  good 
harvest  in  other  directions  also.  He  trusted  the  exhibi- 
tion now  to  be  opened  would  prove  so  successful  that  it 
would  induce  a  large  number  of  people  to  join  the  Society, 
so  that  in  course  of  time  it  would  become  a  first-rate 
Society,  doing  good  to  all  connected  with  it,  if  not  rival- 
ling the  great  British  Bee-keepers'  Association,  over  which 
the  Baroness  Burdett-C'outts  presided.  His  Worship 
concluded  b}r  returning,  on  behalf  of  the  Association, 
thanks  to  Mr.  Griffin,  the  Hon.  Secretary,  for  the  admir- 
able manner  in  which  he  had  worked,  and  to  the  Rev.  J. 
G.  Dangar  for  his  kindness  in  placing-  the  College  grounds 
at  their  disposal.  The  exhibition  was  then  declared  for- 
mally opened. 

For  observatory  hives  there  were  six  entries,  including 
hives  from  each  of  the  three  leading  makers  in  England, 
viz.,  Messrs.  Abbott  Bros.,  of  Fairlawn,  Southall,  Middle- 
sex ;  Mr.  S.  Baldwin  (British  Bee-keepers'  Association's 
expert),  of  Gipsy  Cottage,  Upper  Norwood  and  the 
Alexandra  Palace  ;  and  Messrs.  Neighbour  and  Sons, 
High  Holborr,  London.  The  conditions  of  exhibition 
required  that  the  hives  should  be  stocked  with  combs, 
bees,  and  their  queen,  in  proper  working  order,  the 
combs  to  be  visible  on  both  sides.  The  first  prize  was 
awarded  to  Messrs.  Abbott,  for  a  hive  stocked  with 
Cyprian  bees,  of  which  they  are  at  present  the  only 
importers.  Their  hive  is  constructed  on  an  entirely 
new  design,  being  of  oblong  shape,  and  as  deep  from 
front  to  back  as  it  is  high — enabling  the  bees  to  he 
kept  in  their  natural  condition.  It  is  really  a  bar- 
frame  hive  with  glass  top  and  sides,  but  fitted  with  a 
clever  contrivance,  by  which  anjr  of  the  frames  it  may 
be  desirable  to  examine  can  be  brought  to  the  front  and 
turned  round,  so  as  to  expose  either  side  to  view.  This 
arrangement  is  so  obviously  superior  to  the  old  one, 
in  which  the  bees  are  constantly  exposed  under  a  large 
surface  of  glass,  and  have  to  work  in  an  unnatural 
and  uncomfortable  condition,  that  Messrs.  Abbott  have 
beaten  all  competitors  wherever  it  has  been  shown 
hitherto.  Mr.  W.  N.  Griffin  was  the  winner  of  the 
second  prize,  with  a  very  complete  and  well-built  hive, 
suitable  for  standing  in  a  garden,  the  sides  of  which  are 
protected  when  necessary  by  baize  curtains  and  ^  enetian 
doors.  The  hive  is  well  ventilated.  Accompanying  it 
is  a  case  for  packing  the  frames  and  bees  in  when  it  is 
desired  to  remove  the  hive  a  long  distance.  Messrs. 
Neighbour  and  Sons  obtained  the  thiift  prize  with  a 
hive  (stocked  with  Hungarian  bees)  mounted  on  a 
pivot,  so  as  to  be  easily  turned  about.  Mr.  S.  Baldwin 
showed  a  six-framed  hive  of  Ligurian  bees.  The  other 
competitors  were  J.  R.  Mitchell,  of  St.  Thomas,  and 
Rev.  W.  W.  Pennell,  of  Bridgwater. 

In  another  room,  nearly  adjoining,  was  exhibited  a 
valuable  loan  collection.  One  of  the  most  interesting 
items  here  was  a  set  of  three  cases  contributed  by  Mr. 
D'Urban,  curator  of  the  Albert  Memorial  Museum,  and 
containing  well-mounted  specimens  and  drawings  illustra- 
tive of  the  economy  of  the  bee-hive,  the  enemies  of  the 
bee,  and  the  artificial  aids  used  in  bee-culture.  The 
specimens  included  bees  of  various  kinds,  queens,  workers, 
and  drones;  comb  in  different. stages  of  formation,  from 
the  purest  white  to  the  worn  and  discoloured  products 
of  the  now  almost  obsolete  straw  skeps ;  cells  of  the 
three  orders  of  bees,  and  comb  containing  honey.  The 
drawings,  by  Miss  E.  G.  Ormerod,  were  beautiful  and 


life-like  illustrations  of  such  enemies  of  the  '  busy  bee ' 
as  the  titmouse,  toad,  spotted  fly-catcher,  death's-head 
moth,  hornet,  wasp,  Sec.  Less  complete  museums  of  the 
same  kind  were  contributed  by  Mr.  Griffin  and  Mr. 
C.  Tite,  of  Yeovil ;  and  the  secretary  also  lent  a  photo- 
graph of  the  leading  bee-keepers  of  Europe  and  America, 
diagrams  illustrating  the  anatomy  of  the  bee,  engravings 
illustrating  bee-keeping  in  olden  times,  and  a  copy  of 
Clerici's  anatomical  plates.  Diagrams  were  lent  by 
Messrs.  Abbott  Brothers,  the  Dorset  Bee-keepers'  Associa- 
tion, and  the  British  Association.  In  the  same  room 
much  attention  was  paid  to  one  of  Abbott's  bar-framed 
hives,  fitted  with  artificial  comb  foundations,  which  are 
found  to  save  a  great  deal  of  time  and  trouble,  inasmuch 
as  the  bees  work  all  the  quicker  and  better  for  the  start 
given  them.  Specimens  of  the  centrifugal  honey  ex- 
tractors, including  one  invented  by  Mi-.  Griffin,  were 
also  exhibited  here.  Miss  Symons,  of  Hatt,  Cornwall, 
showed  three  cases  of  dried  bee  flowers. 

Amidst  the  attractions  of  the  afternoon  were  the  prac- 
tical manipulations  by  Mr.  Baldwin,  a  London  expert, 
who  handled  thousands  of  bees  as  though  they  were 
harmless  flies,  and  such  a  thing  as  a  sting  did  not  exist. 
Without  protecting  himself  in  any  way,  he  turned  hives 
upside  down,  drove  the  inmates  into  empty  tenements, 
cut  out  their  combs,  fixed  them  in  the  frames  of  their 
new  domiciles ;  and  otherwise  displayed  a  marvellous 
mastery  over  countless  swarms  of  busy,  but  withal 
obedient,  little  bees.  The  spectators  were  also  interested 
and  instructed  by  short  lectures,  delivered  by  members 
of  the  Association,  on  the  life  and  history  of  the  wonder- 
ful little  creatures  before  them.  It  should  be  stated  that 
Messrs.  Lucombe,  Pince,  &  (Jo.  lent  a  large  number  of 
fine  and  valuable  plants  for  the  decoration  of  the  various 
show-rooms,  and  that  the  entire  proceedings  were  en- 
livened by  an  excellent  programme  of  music  rendered  by 
Signor  P.  Ulrico's  Royal  Italian  Band.  At  six  o'clock 
the  prizes  were  distributed  to  the  successful  competitors 
by  the  Mayoress,  according  to  the  subjoined  prize  list, 
the  adjudications  having  been  made  by  the  following 
gentlemen,  who  kindly  consented  to  act  as  judges : — 
Honey  and  wax  (Classes  1  to  9) — Rev.  Dr.  R.  Dennett, 
Admiral  It.  Moorman,  and  Rev.  P.  Williams.  Bees 
(Class  10) — Mr.  S.  Baldwin.  Hives  and  other  exhibits 
(Classes  11  to  21)— Rev.  J.  Bartlett,  Bev.  J.  A.  Kempe, 
and  C.  Tite,  Esq. 

Prize  List. 

Honey. — Class  1 — For  the  largest  and  best  harvest  of 
comb  honey  from  one  stock,  obtained  under  any  system, 
or  combination  of  systems,  the  same  to  be  declared  on 
exhibition  :  1st,  G.  M.  Walsh,  11.  ;  2nd,  ditto,  15s. ;  highly 
commended,  W.  Church.  Class  2 — For  the  best  super  of 
comb  honey  (the  super  to  be  of  wood,  straw,  glass,  or  any 
combination  of  the  three  materials) :  1st,  G.  M.  Walsh,  11. ; 
2nd,  ditto,  15s.  Class  3 — Mayor's  Prize,  to  be  competed 
for  by  members  residing  within  ten  miles  of  Exeter,  for 
the  best  exhibition  of  comb  honey  in  sections  (the  total 
weight  of  each  entry  not  to  be  less  than  15  lbs.)  Prize, 
an  elegant  claret  jug — W.  N.  Griffin  ;  highly  commended, 
G.  M.  Walsh.  Class  4 — Sheriff's  Prize,  an  elegant  claret 
jug,  for  the  beat  eight  sections  of  comb  honey  (each  sec- 
tion separable) — W.  N.  Griffin.  Class  5 — For  best  exhi- 
bition of  run  or  extracted  honey  (in  glass  jars,  not  to 
exceed  2  lbs.  each)  :  1st,  G.  M.  Walsh,  a  5s.  book  on  bees  ; 
2nd,  Rev.  J.  A.  Kempe,  2s.  6d. ;  3rd,  C.  J.  R.  Mitchell ; 
highly  commended,  G.  M.  Walsh.  Class  7 — Open  only 
to  bond  fide  cottagers,  for  the  largest  and  best  exhibition 
of  comb  honey,  from  one  stock,  without  destroying  the 
bees:  1st,  W.  Pickings,  bar-frame  hive  (presented  bv 
Mr.  R.  Steele,  of  Fowlis-by-Dundee) ;  2nd,  T.  Taylor, 
Carr  Stewarton  super  (presented  by  Mr.  W.  N.  Griffin). 
Class  8 — For  the  best  super  of  comb  honey :  1st,  W. 
Pickings,  a  bar-frame  hive  (presented  by  Messrs.  (i. 
Neighbour  &  Sons) ;  highly  commended,  J.  Boulter. 
Class  i) — For  the  best  six  sections  of  virgin  comb  honey: 


October  1,  1880.  J 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


113 


1st,  W.  Pickings,  a  bound  volume  of  the  British  Bee 
Journal  (presented  by  C.  N.   Abbott,  Esq.) 

Bees'  Wax. — Class  6 — For  the  best  sample  of  bees' 
wax,  from  exhibitor's  own  bees:  1st,  G.  M.  Walsh,  a 
pair  of  Lee's  Crystal  Palace  supers. 

Bees. — Class  10 — A  prize  of  a  moveable  comb  hive, 
value  12s.  Gd.  was  awarded  to  R.  Richards  for  the 
strongest  and  best  straw  skep  of  bees,  not  being  a  swarm 
of  the  present  year. 

Hives. — Class  11 — For  the  best  observatory  hive 
stocked  with  combs,  bees,  and  their  queen,  in  proper 
working  order,  all  combs  to  be  visible  on  both  sides: 
1st,  Abbott  Bros.,  21.  and  first-class  certificate  ;  2nd,  W. 
N.  Griffin,  It  and  second-class  certificate;  3rd,  Neigh- 
bour &  Sons,  10s.  and  certificate.  Class  12 — For  the 
most  perfect  bar-frame  hive,  with  covering  and  stand : 
1st,  W.  N.  Griffin,  11.  10s.  and  first-class  certificate; 
2nd,  Abbott  Bros.,  1/.  and  second-class  certificate; 
3rd,  Neighbour  &  Sons,  10s.  and  certificate.  Class  13 — 
For  the  best  and  most  complete  wood  or  straw  hive 
on  the  moveable-comb  principle,  suitable  for  cottagers : 
1st,  Abbott  Bros.,  10s.  and  certificate ;  2nd,  Neighbour 
&  Sons,  5s.  and  certificate.  Class  14 — For  the  best 
straw  hive  for  depriving  purposes:  1st,  Neighbour  & 
Sons,  5s.  and  first-class  certificate ;  2nd,  J.  Wilcox,  2s.  Gd. 
and  second-class  certificate. 

Comb  Foundation. — Class  15 — For  the  best  sample 
of  comb  foundation  (worker  cells),  made  of  fine  bees' 
wax,  not  less  than  5  lbs.  in  weight :  1st,  Abbott  Bros., 
10s. ;  2nd,  ditto,  5s. 

Honey  Extractor. — Class  17 — For  the  best  honey 
extractor  :  1st,  W.  Hollands,  11.  and  first-class  certificate; 
2nd,  Abbott  Bros.,  10s.  and  second-class  certificate. 

Super. — Class  18 — For  the  cheapest  and  best  super 
for  general  use  in  an  apiary  :  1st,  Abbott  Bros.,  5s.  and 
certificate. 

Bee  Flora. — Class  19 — For  the  best  and  largest  dis- 
play of  British  bee  flora  in  a  dried  state  or  otherwise : 
1st,  Miss  Symons,  5s. 

Miscellaneous. — Class  16 — For  the  best  and  largest 
collection  of  hives,  bee  furniture,  and  apiculturists' 
necessaries:  1st,  Neighbour  &  Sons,  1/.  10s.  and  first- 
class  certificate ;  2nd,  Abbott  Bros.,  11.  and  second- 
class  certificate ;  3rd,  S.  Baldwin,  10;..  and  certificate. 
Class  20 — For  any  useful  apparatus  connected  with 
bee  management,  calculated  to  be  of  real  use  in  an 
apiary.  The  prize  was  awarded  to  Admiral  R.  Moorman. 
Class  21 — For  the  exhibition  of  hives  and  apiarian 
appliances  at  present  used  in  other  countries,  as  well 
as  any  utensils  obsolete  or  curious,  which  are  likely 
to  prove  attractive  and  interesting  to  bee-keepers.  This 
was  a  loan  exhibition.     No  awards. 

Extra  Prizes. — The  Silver  Medal  of  the  British  Bee- 
Keepers'  Association,  to  be  awarded  to  the  best  exhibit 
in  the  show  of  supers  or  sections  of  supers  of  comb  honey, 
produced  in  the  most  saleable  form — W.  N.  Griffin.  The 
certificate  of  the  same  Soeietv  to  the  second  best  ex- 
hibit—W.  N.  Griffin.  The  Bronze  Medal  of  the  British 
Bee-keepers'  Association  to  be  awarded  to  the  best  ex- 
hibit of  run  honey  produced  in  the  most  saleable  form. — 
G.  M.  Walsh. 

After  the  distribution  of  prizes,  the  Rev.  .1.  G.  Hangar 
proposed  a  vote  of  thinks  to  the  Mayor  and  Mayoress  for 
their  kind  patronage,  which  was  seconded  by  the  High 
Sheriff  of  Exeter. 

SURREY  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

The  above  Association  have  held  two  local  Exhibitions 
this  month,  whereat,  for  the  first  time,  they  erected 
their  new  Bee-Manipulating  Tent — an  admirable  con- 
struction, capable  of  holding  some  sixty  to  seventy 
people ;  well  adapted  for  local  shows  and  other  gatherings 
where  bee  promoters  encourage  bee  demonstrations  for 
the  benefit  of  the  cottager.  It  has  been  constructed 
under  the  able  supervision  of  Capt.  Campbell,  H.M.I.N., 


whose  name  is  a  sufficient  guarantee  in  his  locality  of 
its  being  well  done. 

The  first  of  the  above  exhibitions  was  in  connexion 
with  a  large  Floral  and  Vegetable  Show  held  in  the 
grounds  of  the  Sandhurst  College  Governor,  on  the  10th 
and  11th  inst.,  being  tolerably  well  attended. 

The  second  was  in  connexion  with  the  Guildford 
Agricultural  Association,  in  the  grounds  of  H.  Parson, 
Esq.,  at  Guildford,  on  the  14th  inst.  The  weather  was 
totally  opposed  to  the  display  made,  determinate^  pro- 
hibiting bee  manipulations  by  a  continuous  downpour  of 
water — a  mimic  repetition  of  Kilburn,  but  without  wind. 

Mr.  J.  A.  Abbott,  who  was  engaged  professionally,  was, 
however,  not  to  be  caught  napping  even  by  a  thorough 
wet  day,  and  managed  to  get  a  demonstration  in  the 
course  of  the  afternoon  of  driving,  slinging,  &c,  inter- 
spersed with  practical  information,  which  was  much 
appreciated  by  the  audience. 

There  was  a  good  exhibition  of  hives,  bee-gear,  and 
honey,  the  latter  supplied  by  Capt.  Campbell,  H.  Parson, 
Esq.*  J.  W.  Pewtress,  Esq.," and  F.  H.  Lemare  of  Guild- 
ford ;  also  by  Mr.  Scott  of  Hiudley  Heath,  Godstone, 
Mr.  Craig  of  Camberley,  Mr.  Hollands  of  Croydon,  and 
Mr.  Foot  of  Horsham  ;  the  latter,  as  a  Cottager,  showed 
4  lbs.  of  extracted  honey. 

Owing  to  the  incessant  rain,  the  attendance  was  very 
meagre,  almost  confined  to  gentlemen  whose  business  at 
the  Cattle  Show  led  them  on  to  the  ground. 


WEST  KENT  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

The  second  annual  Exhibition  of  this  Association  was 
held  in  conjunction  with  a  floral  exhibition  on  August 
5th,  in  the  grounds  of  W.  May,  Esq.,  Northfield,  St. 
Mary  Cray,  and  resulted  in  an  unqualified  success,  the 
fineness  and  warmth  of  the  day  contributing  much  to  the 
enjoyment  of  all  present. 

The  committee,  with  a  full  appreciation  of  the  neces- 
sity of  properly  supporting  the  dignity  of  a  County 
Association  (assumed  since  last  year),  determined  to 
offer  a  liberal  schedule  of  prizes,  the  British  Bee-keepers' 
Association  also  contributing  thereto  with  their  silver 
and  bronze  medals  and  certificate  of  merit ;  in  conse- 
quence most  of  the  prizes  were  closely  competed  for,  and 
Messrs.  F.  Cheshire  and  .1.  M.  Hooker,  who  kindly  offi- 
ciated as  judges,  had  very  considerable  difficulty  in 
determining  the  relative  merits  of  the  several  exhibits, 
this  occurring  particularly  in  the  classes  7  and  8,  viz. 
'  for  the  best  exhibition  of  honey  in  supers,  or  sections 
of  supers,'  &c. ;  and  '  for  the  best  exhibition  of  extracted 
or  rim  honey.' 

The  awards  given  as  follows  appeared  to  give  entire 
satisfaction,  viz. : — 

Bees. — Class  1. — For  the  best  stock  or  specimen  of 
Ligurian  bees,  to  be  exhibited  with  the  queen  in  an 
observatory  hive  :  1,  Mr.  S.J.  Baldwin  ;  2,  ditto.  Class  2. 
— For  the  best  stock  or  specimen  of  English  bees,  to  be 
exhibited  as  above:  1,  Mr.  11.  Scott;  2,  Mr.  S.  J. 
Baldwin. 

Bees'  Wax. — Class  10. — For  the  finest  sample  of  "pure 
bees'  wax,  not  less  than  3  lbs.  in  weight :  1,  Mr.  S.  J. 
Baldwin;    2,  Mr.  J.  Styles. 

Honey. — Class  3. — For  the  largest  and  best  harvest 
of  honey,  in  the  comb,  from  one  stock  of  bees,  under  any 
system  or  combinations  of  systems :  Mr.  P.  Skinner. 
Class  4. — For  the  largest  and  best  super  of  honey,  the 
super  to  be  of  wood,  straw,  or  of  wood  in  combination 
with  glass  or  straw  :  1,  Mr.  O.  Allen;  4,  Mr.  A.  Walker. 
Class  5. — For  the  largest  and  best  glass  super  :  1,  Mr.  R. 
Sc  >tt ;  2,  Mr.  J.  Soloman;  •'!,  Mr.  P.  Skinner.  Class  6. 
— For  the  best  glass  super,  under  5  lbs.  nett  weight :  1, 
Mr.  R.  Scott ;  2,  Mr.  W.  Waterman.  Class  7.— For  the 
best  exhibition  of  honey  in  supers  or  sections  of  supers, 
separable,  in  the  most  attractive  form,  and  each  not 
more  than  3  lbs.  in  weight,  the  total   weight  of  each 


114 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[October  1,  1880. 


entry  to  be  not  less  than  12  lbs.  nett  weight :  1,  Mr.  G. 
Allen  ;  2,  Mr.  P.  Skinner  ;  3,  Mr.  R.  Scott.  Class  8  — 
For  the  best  exhibition  of  extracted  or  run  honey,  in 
glass  or  other  jars  :  1 ,  Mr.  R.  Scott ;  2,  Mr.  P.  Skinner ; 
3,  Mr.  G.  Allen.  Class  9  (open  class). — For  the  largest 
and  best  exhibition  of  super  honey  in  comb,  the  property 
of  one  exhibitor,  and  gathered  by  his  own  bees:  1,  Mr. 
J.  Garratt.  Class  11. — For  the  best  specimen  of  run 
honey,  in  most  marketable  form,  not  exceeding  2  lbs. 
in  weight,  the  selling  price  to  be  quoted :  Equal  1  and 
2,  Mr.  J.  Garratt  and  Mr.  S.  J.  Baldwin ;  3,  Mr.  R. 
Scott. 

Driving  Competition. — Class  12. — For  the  com- 
petitor who  shall  in  the  neatest,  quickest,  and  most 
complete  manner,  drive  out  the  bees  from  a  straw 
skep,  and  capture  and  exhibit  the  queen :  1,  Mr.  S.  J. 
Baldwin.  In  consequence  of  the  three  other  compe- 
titors not  having  discovered  the  respective  queens 
within  the  prescribed  time — 15  minutes— no  other  prizes 
were  awarded. 

Class  13. — To  the  cottager  who  shall  produce  the  best 
stock  of  bees  in  a  straw  skep,  to  be  available  for  the 
manipulations:  Mr.  J.  Tough. 

The  general  character  of  the  Show  marked  a  most 
satisfactory  advance  and  improvement  over  that  of 
last  year,  whilst  some  of  the  specimens  would  in  all 
probability  take  higher  rank  in  any  exhibition.  One 
pleasing  result  of  the  establishment  of  the  Association 
was  seen  in  the  calmness  and  comparative  indifference 
of  visitors  to  the  large  number  of  bees  that  were  flying 
about,  and  were  attracted  to  the  honey  tent,  evidencing 
the  spread  of  knowledge  of  the  habits  and  instincts  of 


It  may  be  remarked  that  the  Bee  Tent,  which  is  usually 
so  attractive  a  feature,  did  not  draw  the  number  of 
visitors  as  on  some  previous  occasions ;  but  this  may  be 
partly  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  its  mysteries  had 
been  penetrated  at  last  year's  exhibition,  and  it  had 
recently  performed  under  the  auspices  of  the  Association 
a  tour  of  neighbouring  Flower  Shows,  viz.  Farningham, 
Chislehurst,  and  Bexley  Heath. 


STIRLING  APIARIAN  ASSOCIATION. 

Communicated. 

The  Annual  Exhibition  of  bees,  honey,  hives,  &c,  took 
place  on  Saturday,  4th  September,  at  the  Corn  Exchange, 
in  conjunction  with  the  Flower  Show.  The  exhibition 
opened  under  most  favourable  weather,  the  day  being- 
very  warm,  and  proving  most  favourable,  to  both  visitors 
and  bees.  The  entries  were  very  numerous,  and  far  ex- 
ceeded former  shows  both  as  to  quality  and  quantity. 
The  great  centre  of  interest  was,  as  usual,  the  observa- 
tory hives  exhibited  by  Messrs.  Johnstone  and  Peacock. 
The  former  exhibited  a  six-bar  Woodbury  Hive.  In  it 
the  frames  were  arranged  in  two  perpendicular  rows, 
showing  artificial  comb-foundation  in  the  various  stages 
of  extension  up  to  the  complete  cell.  It  was  stocked 
with  beautiful  black  bees  ;  and  many  of  the  visitors  were 
delighted  at  seeing  '  such  a  big  swarm.'  The  latter  ex- 
hibited a  leaf  hive,  which  was  also  much  admired  for  its 
beauty  and  ingenuity.  It  was  well  stocked  with  fine 
Ligurian  beef.  The  large  number  of  visitors  who 
attended  paid  particular  attention  to  these  two  exhibits. 
Mr.  Johnstone  also  exhibited  one  of  the  celebrated 
Lanarkshire  bar-frame  hives,  which  was  also  a  source  of 
attraction  to  many  apiarians  who  had  not  yet  introduced 
them  into  their  apiaries.  Several  other  articles  were 
exhibited  which  were  very  interesting.  The  entries  in 
the  honey  classes  were  numerous,  and  the  exhibits  of 
excellent  quality;  and  it  must  have  cost  the  Judges  a 
great  deal  of  trouble  indeed  in  adjudicating  their  awards. 
The  success  witli  which  they  accomplished  their  task 
drew  forth  the  warmest  approbation.     The  Judges  were 


two  of  our  old  most  prominent  bee-keepers  in  Scotland, 
Messrs.  William  Thomson,  Auchenraith,  High  Blantyre; 
and  William  Sword,  Bonny  View,  Falkirk. 

The  following  are  the  awards  in  the  various 
classes : — 

Class  1 — For  the  best  display  of  honey-comb  in  supers, 
the  property  of  the  exhibitor,  and  all  this  season,  1st, 
15s. ;  2nd,  7s.  Gd.  :  1st,  James  Johnstone,  Touch,  via 
Stirling  ;  2nd,  Andrew  Law  of  Gargannock,  via  Stirling. 
Class  2  and  3 — For  the  best  single  super,  or  cap  of 
comb-honey  in  straw,  10s. ;  7s.  (id. :  1st,  James  John- 
stone ;  2nd,  James  Johnstone.  Class  4—  For  the  best 
single  super  in  glass  or  wood,  10s. ;  7s.  (id. :  1st,  John 
Brisbane,  Old  Polmaise  ;  2nd,  James  Johnstone.  Class 
5 — For  the  best  single  super  in  glass  or  wood,  above 
10  lbs.  gross  weight,  10s. ;  7s.  6d. :  1st,  James  Johnstone, 
2nd,  James  Barclay,  St.  Ninians,  and  David  Galashen, 
Stirling,  equal.  Class  6 — For  the  best  sectional  super, 
over  10  lbs.,  combs  separable,  ar.d  not  over  3  lbs.  each 
nett,  10s. ;  7s.  6d. :  1st,  Mr.  Maine  Doune ;  2nd,  James 
Johnstone  and  Andrew  Law,  equal.  Class  7 — For  the 
best  sample  of  run  or  extracted  clover  honey,  to  be 
exhibited  in  glasses,  7s. ;  5s. :  no  entries.  Class  8 — For 
the  best  sample  of  heather  honey,  7s. ;  5s. :  1st,  James 
Johnstone ;  2nd,  John  Beaton,  Touch,  via  Stirling.  Class 
9— For  the  best  samples  of  wax,  not  less  than  2  lbs.,  5s. ; 
2s. :  1st,  Andrew  Law ;  2nd,  James  Johnstone.  Class 
10 — For  the  best  observatory  or  unicomb  hive,  stocked 
with  bees  and  their  queen,  20s. ;  10s. ;  1st,  James  John- 
stone ;  2nd,  Thomas  Peacock,  Stirling.  Class  11 — For 
the  best  bar-frame  hive,  complete,  price  not  to  exceed 
20s.,  10s. ;  os.  :  1st,  James  Johnstone.  Class  12 — For 
the  best  cottager's  bar-frame  hive  made  in  this  district, 
10s. ;  5s.  :  1st,  John  Gowans,  Stirling. 

The  Committee  may  congratulate  themselves  on  the 
success  of  their  Annual  Show ;  but  honour  should  be 
given  to  whom  honour  is  due,  and  those  most  deserving 
it  are  Mr.  Peacock,  Stirling,  and  Mr.  Johnstone,  Touch. 
These  two  gentlemen  did  their  utmost  to  make  it 
successf id  by  bringing  forward  exhibits  and  by  render- 
ing their  services  during  the  entire  day.  It  is  to  be 
hoped  that  at  the  next  show  the  Committee  will  make 
better  arrangements  for  the  removal  of  exhibits  so  that 
they  may  not  be  again  destroyed. 


SUFFOLK  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

The  first  show  of  this  newly  formed  Association  was 
held  at  the  Fine  Art  Gallery,  Ipswich,  on  Tuesday  the 
7th  September.  Though  the  Society  has  only  been 
established  a  few  months,  it  has  already  done  a  good 
work  by  illustrating  at  various  centres  of  the  county 
the  best  and  the  most  humane,  as  well  as  the  most 
profitable,  means  of  treating  bees.  The  exhibits  at 
Ipswich  were  arranged  on  eight  tables,  and  were  divided 
into  eleven  classes.  The  exhibition  was  well  attended. 
In  the  course  of  the  afternoon  Dr.  Taylor  delivered  a 
most  interesting  lecture  on  '  Bees,  their  Influence  upon 
Apiculture  and  Horticulture.' 

Bee-Keeping  in  1832. — '  The  Rev.  Mr.  Dunbar,  by  a 
series  of  experiments  in  Scotland,  ascertained,  that  when 
a  queen-bee  is  wanting  for  a  hive,  her  majesty  can  be, 
and  is,  produced  from  the  egg  of  a  working-bee.  In  one 
experiment,  having  removed  the  queen,  the  bees  set  about 
constructing  royal  cells  and  placing  common  larvae  in 
them.  In  seven  days  two  queens  were  formed.  One 
of  these  killed  the  other,  and  though,  while  in  a  virgin 
state,  treated  with  no  distinction  whatever,  she  no 
sooner  began  to  lay,  than  she  became  the  object  of 
constant  solicitude  and  respect  to  crowds  of  her  ad- 
miring subjects,  who  watched,  fed,  and  waited  upon 
her.' — Chambers'  Edinburgh  Journal,  No.  35,  p.  272, 
Sat.,  Sept.  22,  1832. 


October  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


115 


\*  These  columns  are  open  to  Subscribers,  so  that  their 
queries,  replies,  correspondence,  and  experiences,  may  be 
fully  and  faithfully  recorded;  and  for  the  discussion  of  all 
theories  and  systems  in  Bee-culture,  and  of  the  relative  merits 
of  all  hives  and  appurtenances,  that  the  truth  regarding  them 
may  be  ascertained.  The  Editor,  therefore,  must  not  be  ex- 
pected to  coincide  with  all  the  views  expressed  by  the  various 
writers.    All  Correspondence  is  addressed  to  the  Editor. 

TRANSFERRING  AND  DRIVING. 

The  following  may  interest  some  of  your 
readers ;  and  I  should  like  to  have  your  comments 
upon  it : — Last  week  I  resolved  to  unite  four  straw 
hives,  and  transfer  to  one  of  your  frame  hives.  It 
took  me  nearly  three  hours  to  get  the  bees  out  of 
the  several  hives.  To  my  astonishment  one  hive 
had  no  less  than  fifty  drones  in  it;  and  another  one 
was  raising  a  young  queen — in  fact  the  cap  of  her 
cell  was  partly  eaten  round,  and  she  was  ready  to 
come  out.  I  sprayed  the  whole  of  the  bees  with 
scented  syrup ;  but  had  to  rescue  three  queens,  as 
they  were  each  incased.  I  put  them  under  separate 
glasses,  and  then  tumbled  out  the  bees  from  the 
straw  hive  into  which  I  had  driven  them,  on  to  a 
cloth,  and  placed  the  bar-frame  hive  over  them  ;  in 
two  minutes  every  bee  left  the  hive  and  clustered 
all  round  outside  the  body -box.  I  then  took  a 
queen  and  placed  her  inside  upon  one  of  the  combs, 
first  spraying  her,  and  put  a  handful  of  bees  in 
with  her.  In  a  second  they  had  her*  down  on  the 
cloth,  and  so  she  had  to  be  rescued.  She  flew  out  of 
my  hand,  I  got  one  of  the  other  queens  and  did  the 
same,  but  the  same  thing  occurred,  I  tried  the  third 
queen,  and  so  managed  the  bees  as  to  get  nearly  half 
of  them  into  the  hive.  In  three  minutes  they  had 
the  queen  rolled  out  at  the  entrance  ;  and,  of  course, 
she  had  to  be  rescued  like  the  rest. 

Well,  I  scarcely  knew  what  to  do.  I  had  tried 
all  three  queens  and  failed.  I  thought  that  when 
bees  were  gorged  with  honey  they  would  accept 
any  queen.  [A  great  mistake.  —  Ed.]  I  then 
thought  of  the  queen-cell ;  so  I  cut  it  out  of 
the  comb  and  fixed  it  into  the  comb-foundation, 
and  also  put  back  the  third  queen,  and  then 
poured  in  some  of  the  bees.  In  a  moment  they 
began  to  set  up  a  hum,  and  away  streamed  the 
bees  into  the  hive ;  and  soon  all  were  housed. 
The  next  evening  I  opened  the  hive  to  see  how 
things  were  going  on.  I  found  that  the  young 
queen  had  left  her  cell ;  but  also  found,  on  another 
frame,  a  cluster  of  bees  encasing  a  queen.  By  the 
time  I  rescued  her  she  was  dead.  Whether  it  was 
the  third  queen  or  the  young  one,  I  can't  say  ;  but, 
at  all  events,  I  did  not  see  a  second  queen  in  the 
hive —  and  there  the  drones  are  still,  flying  in  and 
out  of  the  hive.  True,  some  of  them  have  been 
killed ;  but  nothing  like  all.  I  suppose  I  shall  be 
able  to  tell,  in  a  week's  time,  whether  there  is  a 
queen  in  the  hive,  from  the  fact  if  there  is  a  queen 
there  will  be  brood  ?  If  not ;  what  would  you 
advise  ?  Certainly  this  seems  a  decided  case  in 
which  bees  refuse  a  queen.  Do  you  think  it  is 
possible  that  it  may  be  the  bees  who  have  had  no 
queen  all  the   summer,    that  have    made  such   a 


determined  set  against  the  poor  mother-bee? — The 
Vicarage,  Eyrecourt. 

[If  the  bees  had  been  sprinkled  and  married  in  the 
usual  way,  they  would  have  settled  their  own  affairs  to 
their  own  satisfaction  in  a  very  short  time;  and  the 
result  woidd  have  been  pretty  much  as  it  turned  out, 
notwithstanding  the  great  anxiety  and  labour  bestowed. 
Had  the  queens  been  considered  worth  preserving,  the 
proper  course  would  have  been  to  remove  them  before 
uniting  the  bees,  and  then  to  have  caged  one  in  the 
midst  of  the  latter  in  the  usual  way.  Had  they  been 
indiscriminately  mixed  up  in  the  first  instance,  there 
would  have  been  the  usual  slaughter  of  queens,  but  one 
would  have  been  acknowledged  ruler ;  such  at  least  is 
the  rule,  and  except  that  the  queenless  lot  might  have 
preferred  the  occupant  of  their  royal  cell  to  a  more 
matronly  sovereign,  it  would  probably  have  obtained  in 
this  instance.  That  the  bees  on  being  tumbled  out  of 
the  skep  preferred  the  outside  of  the  hive  to  the  inside, 
was  incidental ;  they  had  been  sprayed  and  were  gorged, 
and  the  bleeding  combs  within  had  no  special  attractions 
just  then.  There  is  every  probability  that  the  encasing 
bees  were  those  that  had  been  queenless  as  is  suggested. 
If  the  newly-hatched  queen  be  the  survivor,  it  is  not 
certain  that  even  eggs  will  be  laid  within  the  period 
named,  and  brood  will  assuredly  not  be  there.  If  the 
mature  queen  survive,  she  will  doubtless  begin  to  lay  at 
once,  under  the  stimulus  of  excitement,  and  in  the  pre- 
scribed week  eggs  and  lame  will  be  abundant. — Ed.  | 


VENTILATION. 


On  page  79,  in  reply  to  Query  No.  347,  I  am 
asked  to  give  my  experience  in  my  new  locality 
with  regard  to  lowering  the  floor-boards  of  hives 
during  winter  for  ventilation.  AYThen  I  adopted 
this  plan  my  hives  were  (as  you  correctly  state) 
kept  in  lofts  over  my  stables,  and  although  facing 
the  south  they  were  further  protected  from  the 
prevailing  south-westerly  winds  by  lofty  trees.  The 
hives  kept  in  the  garden  on  the  ground  were  also 
protected  in  the  same  way,  and  I  therefore  adopted 
the  same  plan  for  ventilating  these,  viz.  lowering 
the  floor-boards  one-eighth  of  an  inch  all  round,  and 
raising  the  crown-boards  one-eighth  of  an  inch  at 
the  back.  In  the  loft  there  was  never  any  danger 
of  any  undue  influx  of  cold  air;  and  out-of-doors  the 
outer  coverings  of  the  hives  were  sufficient  pro= 
tection,  and  the  bees,  also,  were  never  exposed  to 
the  direct  influence  of  the  wind  and  weather. 

In  my  present  locality  where  I  have  not  these 
natural  advantages,  and  am  situated  on  very  high 
ground,  directly  exposed  to  the  full  force  of  the 
prevailing  south-westerly  winds,  it  is  self-evident 
that  a  different  system  of  ventilation  would  have 
to  be  adopted.  Last  winter  I  had  four  hives  of 
bees  in  a  bee-house,  and  two  of  them  were  raised 
off  the  floor-board  one-eighth  of  an  inch  and  the 
space  all  round  the  hives,  about  8  inches  deep, 
was  filled  up  with  oat-chaff.  The  opening  for  ven- 
tilation was,  therefore,  protected  by  means  of  the 
chaff,  and  also  the  outer  case  of  the  bee-house. 
The  only  ventilation  I  had  on  the  top  was  one  of 
my  now  disused  4-inch  supers  filled  with  chaff,  and 
unbleached  calico  tacked  on  at  top  and  bottom. 

You  see  this  is  a  modification  of  the  same  plan  to 
suit  the  altered  circumstances  ;  and  I  am  pleased  to 
say  that  both  these  hives  came  out  well  in  the 
spring.     I  should  certainly  never  think  of  lowering 


lie 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[October  1,  1880. 


the  floor-boards  and  exposing  the  bees  to  all  the 
changes  of  weather  of  an  English  winter  without 
some  protection.  Half  the  hives  lost  in  this 
country  die  during  the  winter  and  spring,  and  want 
of  ventilation  is  perhaps  the  chief  cause  of  this 
great  loss.  I  have  tried  a  great  many  different 
ways  of  ventilating  hives  during  winter,  and  I  do 
not  think  it  very  much  signifies  how  it  is  done, 
provided  it  is  done  without  reducing  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  cluster  suddenly,  or  causing  a  draught. 
In  addition  to  this,  as  winter  is  approaching,  let 
me  urge  upon  bee-keepers  in  general  to  have  their 
hives  filled  with  large  populations  of  young  bees, 
by  slow  and  continuous  feeding  now,  and  for  a 
short  time  longer,  say  to  the  middle  or  end  of 
October,  according  to  the  weather,  and  then  crowd- 
ing the  bees  into  as  small  a  space  as  possible  by 
means  of  division-boards.  I  attribute  my  success 
in  wintering  to  having  hives  well  ventilated  without 
draughts,  plenty  of  stores,  plenty  of  young  bees, 
and  a  very  small  space  for  them  to  keep  warm ;  and 
if  others  attended  to  these  main  points,  and  car- 
ried them  out,  we  should  not  hear  of  so  many 
losses  every  year. — Thos.  Wm.  Cowan,  Comjrtons 
Lea,  Horsham,  Sept.  23,  1880. 


HYMETTAN    HONEY. 

An  old  friend,  Lieut.  M ,  R.N.,  who  is  now 

my  guest,  informs  me  that  when  he  was  at  Athens 
last  summer  with  the  British  fleet,  they  endeavoured 
to  obtain  from  the  ship's  agent  a  supply  of  the  far- 
famed  honey,  from  the  mountain  of  Hymettus.  The 
ingenuous  Greek  informed  them  that  he  '  unfor- 
tunately had  none  in  stock  just  then,  but  he  had 
ordered  a  fresh  supply  from  England  ! '  Whether 
after  this  naive  confession  —  and  remember  the 
mountain  itself  is  only  about  ten  or  twelve  miles 
from  Athens — it  is  worth  while  giving  5s.  per  lb. 
for  Hymettan  honey,  when  it  cannot  be  procured  on 
the  spot,  I  must  leave  to  the  judgment  of  those  who 
pay  such  sums.  And  what  renders  the  story  more 
piquant  is  the  fact,  that  my  friend  and  his  brother 
officers  were  very  anxious  to  obtain  this  far-famed 
honey,  in  order  to  send  it  home  to  England  for  the 
delectation  of  their  sisters,  sweethearts,  wives,  and 
friends  ;  and,  doubtless,  their  wish  would  have  been 
gratified  had  the  supply  from  London  arrived.  The 
only  Hymettan  honey  my  friend  ever  saw  or  tasted 
in  Greece  was  contained  in  tins  labelled,  in  excellent 
English,  'Fine  Hymettan  Honey.'  Possibly  it  is 
not  the  wild  thyme,  of  which  there  remains  but 
little  on  the  mountain,  but  the  iodine  imparted 
during  its  journeys  trans  mare  that  gives  the  Hy- 
mettan honey  its  peculiar  and  delicate  flavour. — 
H.  J.  W.,  Frithsden. 


NEW  FACTS  ! 


BEE  POISON — BEE  FOOD — BORAGE — RADIUS  OP 
FLIGHT — BEE  LIFE. 

I  wish  to  let  all  our  bee-friends  know  what  I 
have  found  out — and  now  have  proved  again  and 
again, —  that  the  bee-sting  is  an  alkali,  and  acid 
cures  it  at  once.  1  have  also  been  very  closely 
finding  out  what  food  the  bees  most  like  :  and  am 


astonished  to  find  they  worked  very  little  upon  the 
lime-trees,  though  in  splendid  blossom.  I  have 
found  nothing  they  are  so  fond  of  as  borage  ;  and  I 
have  also  found  that  stalks  of  borage  cut  up  and 
mixed  with  chaff  are  eaten  most  greedily  by  all 
horses :  so  after  the  bees  have  done  with  it,  and  the 
seed  is  saved,  there  is  most  valuable  food — far 
superior  to  comfrey — for  the  cattle.  I  have  saved 
a  great  quantity  of  seed,  which  I  highly  recommend 
to  all  bee-farmers.  I  shall  grow  some  acres  next 
year,  having  near  sixty  hives — which  is  quite  as 
much  as  any  district  can  keep,  for  I  am  quite  sure 
bees  do  not  go  so  far  as  people  state ;  and  if  they  do 
the  loss  in  storms  and  fatigue  is  very  great.  They 
like  feeding  near  home  ;  and  I  am  equally  certain 
bees  live  longer  than  people  admit. — T.  Beale 
Browne,  Salperton  Park,  Cheltenham. 
[Please  read  notice  at  head  of  '  Correspondence.' — Ed.] 


BEE-KEEPING  IN  AUSTRALIA. 

Notwithstanding  the  advantages  which  the  cli- 
mate of  this  sunny  land  offers  to  bee-keepers,  there 
are  but  few  who  have  emerged  from  the  obscurity 
of  the  old  box  system  ;  and  a  person  seeking  to  in- 
troduce the  improvements  which  have  of  late  years 
found  favour  in  England,  America,  and  the  Con- 
tinent, has  to  seek  his  information  from  afar,  and 
has  to  entrust  the  manufacture  of  his  apparatus  to 
workmen  ignorant  of  the  objects  to  which  it  is  to 
be  applied.  The  climate  allows  bees  to  gather 
honey  and  pollen  all  the  year  round  ;  in  a  more 
diminished  quantity,  it  is  true,  in  winter  than  in 
summer.  My  bees  are  to-day  making  a  bed  of 
mignonette  alive  with  their  hum,  and  we  are  now 
in  the  midst  of  our  winter.  Bees  are  kept  by 
almost  every  farmer,  as,  under  the  prevalent 
system,  they  require  neither  attention  nor  expense, 
and  any  income  derived  from  the  sale  of  honey  and 
wax  is  pure  profit.  On  the  other  hand,  if  the  bees — 
owing  to  damp,  moths,  or  other  cause — forsake  their 
boxes  no  loss  is  entailed.  You  will,  therefore, 
understand  that  any  one  seeking  for  a  more  intelli- 
gent order  of  bee-government  stands  alone  in  the 
field,  and  has  much  to  contend  against. 

Please  state  in  coming  current  number  of  the 
British  Bee  Journal,  (1.)  Instructions  for  procuring 
Ligurian  queens  and  bees  in  Sydney,  say,  from  San 
Francisco.  The  voyage,  per  mail  steamers,  takes 
twenty-eight  days.  (2.)  If  the  back  numbers  of  the 
Bee  Journal  are  in  print  % 

If  notes,  from  time  to  time,  as  to  the  doings  in 
bee-culture  in  these  parts  would  be  of  interest  to 
the  Editor  of  the  Bee  Journal,  I  should  be  glad  to 
supply  them.  The  Editor  must,  however,  bear  in 
mind  that  in  the  branch  of  industry  indicated,  we 
are  in  a  very  primitive  state. — S.  MacDonnell, 
312  George  St.,  Sydney,  Australia,  Aug.  2,  1880. 

[Query  No.  1  can  be  better  replied  to  by  American 
bee-keepers  than  by  us;  and  having  given  the  full 
address  of  our  correspondent,  we  leave  the  matter  in 
their  hands,  trusting  that  someone  who  deals  in  what  is 
required  will  communicate  with  him.  The  back  volumes 
of  the  Bee  Journal  can  still  be  had,  but  Vols.  I.,  II.,  and 
VI.  are  exceedingly  scarce.  We  shall  be  glad  at  all 
times  to  report  the"  progress  of  Australian  bee-keeping. 
—Ed.] 


October  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


117 


BEES  AT  SEVENOAKS,  KENT. 

I  am  very  pleased  to  say  we  have  been  taking 
some  very  fine  supers  off  this  season,  under  the 
instructions  of  the  British  Bee  Journal.  I  toot  a 
splendid  one  off  on  the  7th  of  July  weighing  20  lbs., 
on  the  sectional  principle ;  and  have  taken  one  for  a 
cottager  that  weighs  22  lbs.,  but  that  is  in  a  glass 
super.  I  think,  taking  this  season  as  a  whole,  it 
has  been  a  very  good  one.  I  drove  three  straw 
skeps  for  a  cottager  the  other  day,  very  well 
indeed,  and  put  them  back  again  ;  but  he  has  just 
come  and  told  me  that  two  of  the  hives  are  empty. 
Can  you  give  me  your  idea  as  to  the  cause  of  their 
leaving1?  I  must  tell  you  there  are  three  straw 
skeps  just  close  to  those  that  I  took,  and  he  has  an 
idea  that  they  are  gone  into  them.  He  put  the 
feeding-bottle  on  the  same  night,  and  they  were  all 
right  two  days  after  when  I  went  to  see  about 
them.  As  I  get  the  bees  generally  for  taking,  or 
make  a  charge  for  my  labour,  I  should  very  much 
like  to  see  some  practical  hand  unite  them  success- 
fully, as  I  am  not  up  to  it  yet. — G.  Sands,  Seven- 
oaks,  Kent. 

P.S. — Is  there  any  market  for  bees  that  are 
driven  out,  amongst  your  professional  friends  1 — G.S. 

[There  is  little  doubt  but  that  the  bees  absconded 
from  the  empty  hives  in  which  they  had  been  placed, 
and  joined  those  that  were  so  temptingly  near  them, 
Bring  us  over  a  few  stocks  of  driven  bees,  and  we  will 
show  you  how  to  unite  them,  and  will  give  you  a  shilling 
a  pound  for  the  bees  into  the  bargain. — Ed.] 


A  HONEY  MARKET  IN  IRELAND. 

A  firm  in  Capel  Street,  Dublin,  require  three  tons 
of  maiden  honey  (1880).  Can  any  of  your  pro- 
ducers give  a  quotation  1  They  are  a  respectable 
firm,  but  I  am  unable  to  touch  it. — J.  Traynor, 
Tinahely. 

[Three  tons  of  honey  at  Is.  per  lb.  would  realise  S36Z. 
sterling.  A  comfortable  little  sum,  the  possession  of 
which,  as  a  bonus,  would  make  the  heart  of  many  an 
Irish  farmer  to  rejoice.  Nevertheless,  there  is  scarcely  a 
meadow-farm,  or  tract,  of  fifty  acres,  in  the  south,  east, 
or  north  of  Ireland,  in  which  that  amount  might  not 
have  been  realised,  during  our  month's  tour  there,  had 
there  been  bees  to  collect  the  wasting  nectar,  it  was 
Honey,  honey  everywhere, 
And  not  a  bee  to  sip.  Ed.] 


PROLIFIC   BEES. 

I  notice  that  some  remarks  have  been  made  from 
time  to  time  in  your  valuable  Journal  on  prolific 
hives ;  perhaps  the  following  may  interest  some  of 
your  readers,  and  encourage  intending  amateur 
bee-keepers  about  to  commence  this  fascinating  and 
profitable  pursuit. 

Last  February  I  sold  to  a  friend  of  mine  for  21.  2s. 
one  of  your  Standard  Hives,  containing  a  young 
Ligurian  queen  which  had  mated  with  an  English 
drone.  I  had  taken  great  care  in  feeding  all  my 
bees  during  the  previous  unfavourable  summer  and 
autumn,  and  it  well  repaid  me. 

The  above-mentioned  hive  threw  an  unusually 
large  swarm  on  the  20th  of  last  May,  a  cast  on  the 
30th  May,  and  a  colt  on  the  4th  June  (almost  as 


large  a  swarm  as  the  first  one.)  The  swarm  of 
20th  of  May  threw  off  a  maiden  swarm  on  the  26th 
of  June,  and  a  maiden  cast  on  the  4th  July  ;  so 
my  friend  had  no  less  than  five  swarms  from  the 
original  hive  I  sold  him ;  and  in  addition  I  should 
mention,  the  parent  hive  filled  a  super  containing 
20  lbs.  of  honey,  and  the  swarm  of  20th  May  also 
gave  him  some  dozen  pounds  of  super  honey. 

All  the  hives  are  doing  well,  and  he  has  had  a 
return  of  something  like  three  hundred  per  cent 
for  his  money.  This  is  only  one  instance  of  what 
may  be  done  if  the  good  advice  laid  down  by  you 
on  modern  bee-keeping  is  only  followed. — H.  R. 
Vincent,  Elmersend,  Kent,  Sept.  8. 


SOMERTON  SHOW. 

As  you  were  here  at  our  last  year's  flower-show  you 
may  perhaps  be  interested  in  our  doings  this  year. 
As  usual,  an  assortment  of  hives  and  money  were 
offered  as  prizes  for  supers  of  honey,  but  produced 
no  competition.  Three  bee-keepers,  however,  sent 
small  quantities  of  extracted  and  comb  honey,  all 
of  which  were  quickly  disposed  of  at  Is.  3d.  per  lb. 
for  the  former.  The  morning  of  the  show  a  country 
cottager  brought  in  a  super  off  one  of  Neighbour's 
No.  4  skep-hives,  8|  lbs.,  which  sold  immediately 
at  15s.  the  lot,  but  to  take  this  he  had  actually 
sacrificed  the  bees  in  the  stock  hive.  I  hear  on  all 
hands  of  this  wanton  destruction  of  bee-life  just  to 
obtain  possession  of  a  few  pounds  of  a  thick,  sticky 
compound  called  honey,  and  sold  at  lOd.  per  lb. 
Can  one  understand  such  slaughter  of  the  innocents, 
and  by  those  who  have  seen  and  assisted  at  your 
displays  1  I  know  of  one  of  your  former  helpers 
who  declares  and  spreads  the  notion  that  you  mix 
'a  something'  with  your  touchwood  for  your  smoker 
used  in  quieting.  Wasp-nests  at  our  show  were  a 
grand  line.  34S  of  these  pests  of  bee-keepers  and 
gardeners  were  brought  in,  and  brought  to  their 
captors  the  sum  of  6d.  each. — T.  C.  Head,  Somerton, 
Somerset. 

[The  former  '  helper '  wdio  spreads  such  false  notions 
has  evidently  propensity  for  lying  'mixed'  with  his  per- 
verse obstinacy  and  ignorance.     Helper,  indeed! — Ed.] 


WASP  STINGS. 

The  inclosed  cuttings  from  a  newspaper  will,  I 
hope,  be  of  service  if  inserted  in  the  B.  B.  J. 

Is  the  effect  of  a  bee-sting  known  to  be  as  rapid 
and  virulent  as  that  of  the  wasp  ] 

In  case  a  person  were  stung  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  larynx,  or  back  of  the  mouth — as  in  the  case  of 
the  poor  man  at  Goldberg — could  you  suggest  any 
probable  means  of  relief,  or  by  which  air  could  be 
supplied  1  A  surgeon  would,  perhaps,  perform  the 
operation  called  tracheotomy;  but  then  a  surgeon  is 
not  always  on  the  spot.  Is  there  any  drug  known 
which  would  reduce  the  swelling  immediately,  even 
at  the  risk  of  injuring  the  membrane  temporarily  1 

Perhaps  some  of  your  medical  readers  could  give 
a  hint  or  suggestion,  as  valuable  lives  might  thus 
be  saved. — J.  Urell,  Gt.  Maplestead,  Ualstead. 

'Death  from  the  Sting  of  a  Wasp. — Amongst 
the   smaller   miseries   of  summer,   even  in  our  temper- 


118 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[October  1,  1880. 


ate  latitudes,  are  the  formidable  aspect  and  offensive 
demeanour  of  certain  insects,  provided  by  nature 
with  threatening  voices  and  venomous  weapons,  which 
put  in  an  appearance  as  soon  as  the  hot  weather 
begins,  chilling  the  boldest  heart  with  panic,  and  carry- 
ing with  them  discomfiture  to  mankind  whitherso- 
ever they  fly.  Not  the  least  aggressive  of  these  winged 
warriors  is  the  wasp,  whose  poisonous  sting  inflicts  in- 
juries that,  under  exceptional  circumstances,  have  been 
known  to  prove  fatal  to  human  life.  A  distressing  case 
of  this  kind  occurred  last  week  at  Goldberg,  upon  the 
estate  of  a  wealthy  German  landowner,  one  of  whose 
farm-servants,  whilst  harvesting  in  the  fields,  sate  down 
to  eat  his  midday  meal — consisting  of  bread,  cheese,  and 
milk — which  had  been  sent  out  to  him  from  his  master's 
kitchen.  With  his  first  sup  of  milk,  he  took  a  wasp  into 
his  mouth ;  and,  although  lie  promptly  spat  it  out,  the 
angry  creature  found  time  to  plant  its  sting  in  the  back 
of  his  throat  before  he  could  get  rid  of  it.  The  interior 
of  the  unfortunate  man's  larynx  swelled  so  rapidly  that, 
ten  minutes  later,  he  died  of  suffocation,  after  enduring 
terrible  agonies  in  the  vain  endeavour  to  breathe  and  to 
force  open  the  air-passages  of  his  throat.  A  surgeon, 
who  had  been  sent  for  without  loss  of  time,  arrived 
within  a  quarter  of  an  hour  from  the  time  at  which  the 
sting  had  been  inflicted,  only  to  find  a  corpse  surrounded 
by  horror-stricken  peasants.  The  deceased,  an  old 
soldier  attached  to  the  reserve  of  the  King's  Grenadier 
.Regiment,  leaves  a  wife  and  family  to  lament  his  tragical 
and  untimely  end.  He  had  braved  with  impunity  the 
thousand  perils  of  battle  in  two  campaigns  to  perish 
miserably  at  last  by  the  sting  of  a  wasp.'  —  Daily 
Telegraph. 

'  Mrs.  Prior,  wife  of  a  baker,  at  Coggleshall,  Essex, 
while  about  her  household  duties  a  few  days  ago,  was 
stung  by  a  wasp  in  the  neck,  where  she  was  already 
suffering  from  soreness.  Distressing  symptoms  at  once 
showed  themselves,  and  death  occurred  in  a  few  minutes 
from  shock  to  the  system.  It  is  believed  that  Mrs.  Prior 
was  a  sufferer  from  heart  disease.' 

[Every  one  knows  how  sensitive  the  back  of  the 
throat  is,  for  when  even  a  crumb  goes  the  '  wrong  way  ' 
the  spasm  caused  is  most  painful;  how  much  worse,  then, 
must  it  be  when  stung,  and  instant  inflammation  ensues. 
We  prefer  not  to  advise  in  such  cases,  but  if  we  saw  any 
one  suffering,  we  should  try  and  keep  open  the  passage 
to  the  lungs  at  all  hazards.  A  tube  of  any  kind  put  into 
the  windpipe  would  prevent  immediate  death,  and  though 
the  remedy  would  be  a  severe  one,  it  would  give  a  chance 
to  the  patient  while  a  surgeon  was  being  fetched.  Bee- 
stings are  often  worse  than  those  of  wasps,  as  the  poison- 
bag  is  usually  left  with  the  sting  in  the  wound,  and  its 
muscular  force  continues  to  drive  in  the  poison  after  the 
bee  has  gone.  A  few  simple  directions  by  competent 
authority  what  to  do  when  dangerously  stung  woidd  be 
a  benefit  to  humanity.  Who  will  kindly  give  them  ? 
—Ed.]  _J 

A  TRUANT  QUEEN'S  RETURN. 

When  I  was  living  at  Offley  in  Hertfordshire  last 
summer,  I  lost  a  powerful  Ligurian  swarm,  headed 
by  a  Ligurian  queen  of  the  previous  summer.  I 
heard  some  time  after  that  the  swarm  had  been  seen 
to  settle  for  some  time  in  a  lane  nearly  two  miles 
from  my  house,  and  then  again  flew  off  towards  a 
park  about  two  and  a  half  miles  from  my  home. 
They,  doubtless,  had  sent  out  pioneers,  and  fixed  on 
some  hollow  tree  as  their  future  abode.  I  have 
now  just  received  a  letter  from  a  young  man  who  is 
living  in  the  house  which  I  formerly  occupied,  and 
who  keeps  bees  himself.  He  tells  me  that  some 
time  ago,  this  summer,  a  splendid  swarm  of  Lig- 


urian bees  came  and  settled  on  a  bush  in  the  meadow 
adjoining  my  old  garden,  which  he  purchased  from 
the  man  who  discovered  them.  His  letter  says, 
'  It  was  the  largest  swarm  I  ever  saw,  I  believe 
there  was  nearly  half  a  bushel.'  But  the  size  of  the 
swar-rn  does  not  much  interest  me.  There  is  no 
one  nearer  than  three  and  a  half  miles  who  keeps 
Ligurian  bees  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Offley.  Can 
that  swarm  have  been  led  back  to  the  old  locality 
by  the  truant  queen'?  If  so,  what  a  wonderful 
instinct,  akin  to  memory,  that  queen-bee  must  have 
possessed.  1  should  be  deeply  interested  if  any 
readers  of  jour  Journal  can  nan*ate  similar  instances. 
Of  course,  I  cannot  say  that  this  was  the  old  queen 
who  knew  her  way  home ;  but  circumstances  point 
to  that  inference,  although  old  queens  seldom  take 
such  long  flights.  —  P.  H.  Phillips,  13  Clifton 
Road,  Winchester,  August  28,  1880. 


A  CANDIDATE  FOR  HANWELL. 

I  have  killed  the  Cyprian  queen  because,  when  I 
looked  at  my  beautiful  Italian  queen,  I  could  not 
think  of  changing  the  queens,  the  Cyprian  being 
not  so  stout  as  a  worker,  as  you  will  see  in  the  box 
I  sent  you.— R.  J.  T.,  259  Green  Street. 

P.  S. — We  must  all  pay  for  learning. 

[Was  there  ever  such  an  act  of  madness  P  After  all 
the  trouble,  time,  and  expense  of  obtaining  pure  imported 
Cyprian  queens,  to  deliberately  kill  one,  because,  after 
her  long  journey  and  confinement,  she  was  not  as  large 
as  a  full-laying  queen  of  a  different  race  ! — Ed.] 


THE  HARVEST— EXTRACTING  HEATHER 

HONEY— WOOD  FOUNDATION. 
I  want,  as  usual,  to  pick  your  brains  a  little. 
I,  like  your  correspondent  'J.  C.,'  of  Newton  Kyme, 
who  will  know  my  initials  very  well,  found  this  last 
honey  season,  up  to  the  end  of  July,  almost  as  bad 
as  last  year.  In  the  meantime  you  were  giving  us 
glowing  accounts  of  your  honey  harvest,  which  I 
could  hardly  have  credited  if  I  had  not  been  down 
to  see  you  last  month.  I  suppose  it  is  simply  a 
question  of  weather,  and  also  that  in  the  south  your 
bees  are  ready  to  swarm  a  fortnight  earlier  than  in 
Yorkshire.  When  I  saw  you  in  the  very  beginning 
of  August,  I  told  you  I  had  to  begin  to  feed.  The 
bees  were  then  pulling  out  the  drone-grubs,  and 
they  had  nothing  in  their  hives  for  the  winter.  Since 
then,  owing  to  the  lovely  weather,  they  have  been 
enabled  to  get  to  the  moors  (a  flight  of  two  miles), 
and  have  laid  in  a  tremendous  stock.  A  friend  of 
mine,  who  is  four  (!)  miles  from  the  moors,  has  had 
the  same  result. 

Now  I  am  particularly  writing  to  ask  you  about 
your  wood-foundation.  In  a  very  few  days  after 
getting  to  the  moors,  my  bees  were  hanging  out  in 
clusters,  idle.  I  immediately  set  to  work  with  the 
extractor,  with  the  result  that,  owing  to  the  thick- 
ness of  the  honey  and  its  great  weight,  every  comb 
I  tried  broke  down  in  the  process.  I  did  not  mind  at 
all,  as  far  as  the  combs  were  concerned,  as  I  had  a 
good  stock  of  clean  combs  not  in  use.  Do  you 
think,  if  the  wooden  foundation  had  been  used,  that 
the  thickest  honey  could  have  been  slung?     I  have 


October  1,  1880.] 


THE  BEITISH  BEE  JOUENAL. 


119 


my  doubts  about  it,  as  this  honey  was  so  thick  that 
it  will  not  strain  through  ordinary  muslin.  Would 
.  it  not  be  possible  to  fix  your  wooden  foundation  by 
means  of  slips  of  tin  and  rivets  1  Having  to  pull  all 
one's  frames  to  pieces  to  fix  the  foundation,  is  a 
certain  drawback  to  its  use. — A.  W. 

[Our  experience  with  heather  honey  is,  that  it  cannot 
be  moved  by  any  extractor  after  it  has  been  stored  for  a 
short  time.  It  sets  in  a  few  days,  and  we  have  little 
doubt  but  that  even  on  wooden  foundation  it  would  carry 
the  cells  with  it  rather  than  leave  them.  Unless  operated 
on  when  newly  gathered,  there  is  little  hope,  as  we  believe, 
of  '  extracting '  it. 

Fixing  the  wooden  foundation  into  frames  ought  to 
give  no  anxiety  or  trouble.  It  can  be  trimmed  to  fit, 
i.e.,  fill,  the  frames — it  cannot  well  be  broken — and  may 
then  be  tied  in  with  wire  through  its  edges,  or  fastened 
as  picture-backs  are  in  picture-frames  with  brads  or  small 
staples.  If  the  grain  of  the  wood  (foundation)  is  made 
to  rim  up  and  down  in  the  frames,  instead  of  from  side 
to  side,  a  saw-scarf  right  through  the  top  and  bottom 
rails  of  the  frames  will  afford  very  simple  yet  efficient 
methods  of  fixing.  The  sides  need  not  in  such  case  be 
fastened. — Ed.] 

BEE-KEEPING  IN  DORSET. 

I  was  so  pleased  with  wdiat  I  saw  and  heard  at  the 
Weymouth  Show  of  the  Dorset  Bee-keepers'  Association 
last  month,  that  I  have  obtained  from  the  three  principal 
exhibitors  a  few  particulars  which  will  probably  be  in- 
teresting to  many  of  your  readers  if  you  can  find  room  to 
publish  them.  Mr.  W.  H.  Dunnian,  jun.,  of  Troytown, 
near  Dorchester,  who  is  lion.  sec.  of  the  D.  B.  K.  A., 
answers  vay  queries  thus : — 

'  I  began  this  season  with  fifteen  stocks  of  bees,  ten  of 
them  in  framed  hives  and  five  in  straw  skeps.  The  bees 
took  to  supers  about  the  last  week  in  May,  but  a  great 
number  of  stocks  would  insist  on  swarming.  I  put  back 
several  of  thein  four  times,  either  taking  away  the  queens 
or  cutting  out  the  queen-cells,  but  they  would  swarm ; 
and  at  last  1  lost  one  of  the  best  of  them  by  their  flying 
away.  Another,  after  it  had  swarmed  four  times,  I  put 
into  a  Cheshire  hive,  and  it  was  so  large  that  in  ten  days 
it  filled  every  frame  with  comb.  Into  this  hive  I  have 
successfully  introduced  an  Italian  queen.  From  the  old 
stock,  after  they  had  swarmed,  I  took  off  the  supers,  and 
they  had  nearly  30  lbs.  of  honey  in  them,  in  2-lb.  sectioLS. 
Then  I  extracted  the  bars,  and  they  have  now  sufficient 
for  the  winter.  The  fifteen  stocks  I  began  with  have 
now  increased  to  thirty,  twenty-two  of  them  in  framed 
hives  and  eight  in  skeps ;  and  I  have  taken  348  lbs.  of 
maiden  honey  in  supers  (sectional),  and  SB  lbs.  of  ex- 
tracted honey.  I  won  two  prizes  at  South  Kensington 
(the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association  Show),  a  third, 
value  12s.  Gd.,  and  a  fifth,  5s.  At  the  Dorset  Bee-keepers' 
Association  Show  at  Weymouth,  I  won  the  Silver  Medal 
giveii  by  the  British  Association,  and  three  first  and  four 
second  prizes,  value  41.  Be.  My  honey  was  chiefly  gathered 
from  Dutch  clover  and  heather.  I  have  found  no  diffi- 
culty in  disposing  of  it,  and  have  even  been  obliged  to 
buy  run  honey  to  supply  customers  and  friends.  The 
price  has  been  from  Is.  to  Is.  'id.  Our  Association 
opened  a  great  market  for  honey  by  holding  the  show  at 
Weyniouth  this  year,  and  I  have  found  that  1  lb.  and 
2  lbs.  sectional  supers  have  a  greater  sale  than  the 
heavier  ones ;  and  these  I  intend  to  use  on  a  large  scale 
next  year.' 

Mr.  J.  Antell,  of  Puddletown,  writes  : — '  I  began  bee- 
keeping a  few  years  ago,  and  wintered  about  a  dozen 
stocks  last  year.  They  are  all  in  hives  of  Cheshire 
t3'pe,  with  a  few  modifications  of  my  own.  We  have 
had  a  splendid  season,  and  I  took  as  much  as  89J  lbs.  of 
super  honey  from  a  single  stock,  thus  beating  Mr.  Dun- 


man  and  Mr.  Stickland  at  the  Weymouth  Show,  their 
greatest  weight  being-  8G  lbs.  and  69  lbs.  respectively. 
Comb  honey  sells  readily  in  this  district  at  about  Is.  Sd. 
per  lb.  and  run  honey  at  20  per  cent  less.  Our  honey- 
flow  usually  begins  the  second  week  in  June,  when  the 
thorn  blossoms,  and  this  is  quickly  followed  by  the  wdiite 
clover.  We  have  a  few  limes,  and  any  quantity  of 
heather  about  two  miles  off,  on  which  the  bees  began  to 
work  the  last  week  in  July.  Our  season  is  pretty  well  over 
by  the  second  week  in  August.  The  advantage  of  the 
Ligurian  bees  is  manifest  when  the  distant  heather  begins 
to  bloom.  Blood  tells,  as  usual ;  and  they  evidently 
take  longer  flights.  I  greatly  prefer  them  from  the 
Swiss  side.  They  are  moie  robust,  broader  at  the  shoulder, 
and  a  larger  and  stronger  bee  altogether.  I  have  had 
both ;  but  in  dull  weather  the  Italians  fall  about,  as 
though  the  atmosphere  was  too  thick.  We  have  used 
them  side  by  side,  and  have  repeatedly  marked  the  dif- 
ference.    I  think  this  is  really  worth  notice.' 

Mr.  T.  Stickland,  who  also  fives  at  Puddletown,  gives 
the  following  information  : — 

'  I  have  kept  bees  for  some  years :  first  in  bell-shaped 
straw  skeps,  then  I  had  some  flat-topped  ones  which  did 
very  well ;  but  they  are  not  to  be  compared  with  frame- 
hives,  of  which  I  have  tried  different  kinds — some  with 
long  bars,  some  deep,  some  large,  and  some  small. 
Finding  the  disadvantage  of  having  different  sizes,  I 
have  discarded  all  but  those  of  Woodbury  size,  wdiich  I 
believe  to  be  the  best,  or  as  good  as  any.  I  kept  out 
nine  stocks  last  winter,  which  lived  through  very  well ; 
but  in  the  spring  I  lost  two  queens,  which  I  think  was 
my  fault  in  not  being  caref id  to  save  young  ones ;  so  I 
raised  some  more  as  early  as  possible,  and  got  the  hives 
all  right,  and  sold  them,  with  three  others,  as  I  wanted 
to  get  rid  of  the  hives,  and  had  not  much  room  for 
swarms.  It  was  a  good  thing  I  did,  as  the  bees  woidd 
swarm  this  year.  So  I  began  this  season  with  four 
hives,  very  strong,  having  plenty  of  bees  and  food. 
Having  two  new  hives  I  wanted  to  use,  I  made  two 
swarms  about  the  middle  of  May,  and  gave  each  of 
them  five  combs  from  another  hive,  thinking  I  should 
have  no  more  trouble  with  them  swarming.  The  one  I 
took  the  bars  from  built  ten  more  combs  from  founda- 
tion when  I  supered  it.  It  did  not  swarm,  but  I  took 
sixty-nine  pounds  of  honey  in  supers,  and  I  think  they 
have  enough  for  the  winter.  One  of  the  others  did  not 
swarm  again,  but  I  extracted  twice.  The  other  hive 
swarmed  twice  more,  after  beginning  in  supers,  and  both 
swarms  swarmed.  The  other  hive  began  in  supers  very 
early,  but  swarmed,  and  left  them  a  very  large  stock, 
which  tilled  a  hive  and  put  about  30  lbs.  in  supers.  So 
now  I  have  ten  hives  strong  enough  to  winter,  and  have 
taken  260  lbs.  of  honey — about  half  in  supers,  the  rest  ex- 
tracted. We  make  about  one  shilling  per  pound  of  our 
honey  on  an  average.  We  are  about  two  miles  from  the 
heath,  of  which  I  should  think  there  are  1000  acres.  It  be- 
gins flowering  about  the  middle  of  July,  and  lasts,  perhaps, 
six  weeks  or  two  months.  Our  early  gathering  is  from 
whitp-thorn  and  white  clover.  A  cottager  living  near  me 
had  two  good  hives  in  the  spring — one  in  a  flat-top  straw, 
the  other  in  one  of  Abbott's  Standard  hives.  They  be- 
gan in  supers,  but  left  them  and  swarmed,  and  each  of 
them  swarmed  three  times  in  June.  One  of  the  first 
swarms  finished  a  Lee's  super  that  the  old  hive  began, 
and  the  other  finished  some  sections.' 

These  are  excellent  reports  from  really  practical  mid 
progressive  bee-keepers,  and  ought  to  encourage  others. 
You  will  be  glad  to  hear  that  bee-culture  is  making  very 
rapii  1  strides  in  1  )<  irset.  The  County  Association  has  nearly 
doubled  its  number  of  members,  and  the  lion.  sec.  is 
flooded  with  letters  asking  fur  information  and  requests 
for  assistance,  which  he  gives  most  readily,  for  he  is  an 
enthusiastic  apiarian,  who  does  not  mind  a  ride  of  a 
dozen  miles  over  the  breezy  downs  to  transfer  a  stock, 
and  thus  give  a  beginner  a  fair  start.     Good  bee  litera- 


120 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[October  1,  1880. 


ture  is  in  great  demand,  and  I  think  the  Hand-book  for 
Cottagers,  recently  issued  by  the  B.  B.  K.  A.,  cannot  fail 
tn  produce  splendid  results.  It  is  just  what  was  wanted. 
By-the-by,  why  did  you  not  announce  the  issue  of  more 
of  your  excellent  Leaflets  for  Cottagers?  I  saw  the  num- 
bers from  six  onwards  at  Exeter,  for  the  first  time,  and 
was  delighted  to  obtain  them.  Every  secretary  should 
keep  a  good  supply  in  stock.  They  will  save  him  no  end 
of  trouble  in  replying  to  the  host  of  questions  asked  by 
novices,  for  they  are  brief,  clear,  and  keep  close  to  the 
point  on  the  essentials  of  success  in  modern  bee-culture. 
Can  you  tell  our  Dorset  friends  of  any  volunteer  lecturers 
for  next  winter  ?  Mr.  Dumnan  is  anxious  to  arrange  his 
plan  of  campaign,  and  could  do  with  half-a-dozen  good 
lecturers.  Who  will  help  him  ?  He  is  really  working 
hard,  and  deserves  assistance. — 0.  T. 

['  Volunteers !    eyes  front  !    'tention  !  forward  !    quick 
march  !  '—Ed.] 


CURIOUS  CASE  OF  PROTEST. 

A  dispute  has  occurred  about  one  of  the  supers 
which  was  exhibited  at  a  Scotch  show  a  short  time 
since,  and  the  award  was  protested  against  on  the 
ground  that  the  honey  had  not  been  gathered  by 
the  exhibitor's  own  bees,  as  per  schedule  requisi- 
tion.    The  matter  stands  thus  : — 

A,  a  lady  bee-keeper,  has  a  bar-frame  hive  with 
two  top  swarms  in  it.  B,  a  neighbouring  bee- 
keeper, puts  on  a  super  for  her,  and  then  offers 
35s.  for  the  lot;  but  A  wants  40s.  B  will  not  give 
this ;  but  says,  when  leaving,  that  if  the  bees  fill 
the  super  he  will  give  the  40s.  Time  presses. 
B  comes  back  and  examines  the  hive,  and  finds  the 
bees  busy  in  the  super.  A  comes  out  and  asks  him 
if  the  hive  is  to  be  his  or  hers  ?  B  answers  that  he 
will  stand  to  his  word,  and  gives  her  the  40s. 

Query.  When  was  the  bargain  made,  and  was 
he  right  to  compete  with  the  super  ? 

[The  question  by  the  lady,  '  Is  the  hive  to  be  yours  or 
mine  ?  '  leaves  very  little  doubt  but  that  the  bargain  was 
not  at  that  time  complete;  and  if  the  super  was  then  well 
under  way,  the  protest  is  a  valid  one.  Had  the  agree- 
ment been  completed  at  the  first  meeting,  the  price,  35s. 
or  40s.,  to  depend  on  a  subsequent  eventuality,  B  would 
be  in  the  right ;  for  the  bees  would  have  been  his  from 
the  moment  of  putting  on  the  super. — Ed.  B.  B.  /.] 


FIXING  COMB-FOUNDATION,  EXTRACTING 
HONEY,  AND  PREPARING  HIVES  FOR 
WINTER,  ETC. 

The  first  time  I  tried  to  fix  foundation  I  made  a 
complete  failure.  Most  of  the  sheets  fell  in  a  con- 
fused mass  on  the  floorboard.  One  sheet  stuck  fast. 
I  took  it  out  and  examined  it.  I  found  the  wax 
employed  in  fixing  it  had  a  very  firm  grip  of  the 
foundation.  How  was  that?  It  had  just  been  put 
on  at  the  proper  temperature — pretty  hot.  Since 
then  I  -have  not  had  a  single  sheet  break  down, 
neither  have  1  had  any  difficulty  in  the  way  of 
sagging.  The  sheets  I  use  for  brood-frames  are 
pretty  thick  ;  but  1  also  use  very  thin  foundation, 
and  I  have  no  trouble  with  it  either,  one  way  or 
another. 


I  have  also  extracted  heather  honey  with  Abbott's 
'  Little  Wonder.'  How  often  have  we  been  told 
that  the  sliuger  would  not  do  it !  It's  a  fact  it  will ! 
Hives  which  swarmed  early  have  done  well.  I  had 
the  management  of  a  hive  belonging  to  a  gentleman 
in  a  district  where  top  swarms  usually  weigh  about 
50  lbs.  or  60  lbs.  at  the  end  of  the  season.  Well,  I 
took  about  50  lbs.  of  fine  super  honey  from  her  first 
swarm,  and  left  plenty  of  stores  for  winter.  If  the 
hive  had  been  beside  me,  I  think  I  should  have 
taken  more. 

In  preparing  my  hives  for  winter,  I  strengthen 
them  by  the  addition  of  several  brood-frames.  By 
this  means  one  is  sure  of  having  plenty  of  young 
bees.  Frames  with  closed  ends  are,  without  the 
shadow  of  a  doubt,  superior  to  open  ones.  Now,  I 
think  it  could  be  done — i.e.  the  frames  made  close- 
fitting — with  very  little  difficulty.  We  want  them 
open  during  summer,  and  the  question  is,  How 
would  you  make  them  close-fitting  during  winter? 
Well,  I  would  have  the  ends  grooved  with  a  half- 
inch  plough ;  then  by  slipjiing  a  piece  of  pine,  the 
size  of  the  groove,  right  down  to  the  bottom,  the 
ends  are  made  close.  Your  own  system  of  doing  it 
is  perhaps  better.  I  intend  to  make  a  hive  com- 
posed of  1  J-inch  sections,  and  I  will  make  it  in  such 
a  way  that  the  sections  can  be  converted  into  an 
Observatory  hive. — -A.  Cockbubn,  Honey  Grove, 
C  airnie-by-Keith,  N.  B. 


(JErljocs  fnnn  %  Htbrs. 


Salisbury,  Sept.  9th,  1880.  — '  Bees  have  had  an  excellent 
season  here,  and  the  yield  of  honey  is  above  the  average. 
One  of  our  Italian  bar-frames  has  fourteen  bars  full  of 
honey.  We  also  had  a  fair  swarm  from  the  same  hive, 
and  took  a  super  of  beautiful  honey  from  it  some  weeks 
go.— H.  A.  K.' 

Runcorn,  Cheshire,  Sept.  \0th,  1880. — 'All  my  hives 
died  last  winter  but  one  in  a  Neighbour's  Hive.  About 
the  10th  of  May  I  drummed  it  and  inserted  a  Ligurian 
queen.  From  these  I  have  now  two  black  stocks,  two 
Ligurians,  and  two  hybrids  (queens  mated  with  black 
drones).  I  have  also  harvested  30  lbs.  weight  of  beautiful 
honey.  The  honey  was  all  taken  from  the  black  bees,  as, 
wishing  to  increase  the  stock,  I  drummed  the  Ligurians  at 
the  end  of  June,  and  they  afterwards  sent  off  two  casts, 
small,  but,  with  feeding,  I  hope  to  make  good  stocks  next 
year.  All  my  stocks  except  one  are  in  frame-hives  now ; 
I  think  they  have  done  very  well. — Mat.  Steele.' 

A  Good  Harvest. — '  Last  winter  I  had  four  stocks.  I 
have  now  seven,  from  which  I  have  taken  340  lbs.  of 
honey. — E.  S.,  Hailsham,  Sept.  17.' 

The  Harvest. — '  The  last  queen  you  sent  was  a  very 
fine  one,  and  proved  a  first-rate  one  in  all  respects.  I 
kept  her  three  years,  and  reared  all  my  young  queens 
from  her  brood  during  that  period.  She  disappeared 
some  time  between  autumn  and  spring  this  year.  It  has 
been  a  very  indifferent  honey  season  in  this  locality.  I 
have  just  been  to  examine  some  hives  in  a  neighbouring 
garden,  and  find  them  almost  in  a  state  of  starvation. 
A  very  large  and  strong  Stewarton  hive  of  my  own 
gave  me  50  lbs.  of  fine  super  honey,  and  is  well  stored 
for  the  winter,  a  second  yielded  25  lbs.,  and  a  third  not 
more  than  8  or  9  lbs.  The  two  last  required  feeding  to 
prepare  for  the  winter.     These  are  the  only  hives  which 


October  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


121 


were  devoted  to  the  storing  of  honey  in  my  apiary. 
In  the  south,  and  also,  I  believe,  in  the  north,  the 
season  has  been  much  more  favourable.' — J.  E.  Briscoe, 
Albrighton,  Wolverhampton,  l&th  Sept.  18S0. 

Dumfries,  Sept.  20. — '  The  small  swarm  of  Ligurians 
I  had  from  you  some  time  ago  is  doing  nicely.  I  have 
two  nice  queens  raised  from  eggs  from  it  which  have 
been  cross-mated,  and  have  now  a  lot  of  brood  in  their 
hives.  Other  two  I  caused  to  be  reared  later  on  have 
not  been  mated  in  consequence  of  scarcity  of  drones :  so 
to  save  the  bees  I  joined  them  to  other  stocks.' — J.  S. 

Limerick,  Sept.  2'.ird. — Queries. — '  1.  What  is  the  pro- 
bable reason  the  supers  were  not  built  in  ?  2.  Will 
bees  build  in  hives  and  supers  that  have  been  used 
already,  or  should  there  be  new  ones  ?  3,  Are  the  two 
hives  waxed  together  to  be  separated  now  ?  4.  How 
can  robber-bees  be  driven  away  ?  5.  Shall  I  unite  the 
hives  I  spoke  of  ?  and  do  I  understand  the  correct  way 
of  doing  it  ?     0.  What  am  I  to  do  with  the  queens  ? 

7.  What  am  I  to  do  with  the  brood-comb  in  empty  hive  ? 

8.  Is  the  proportion,  and  quantity,  and  length  of  feeding 
I  mentioned,  all  right?  0.  What  is  the  cause  of  the 
little  heights  (lumps)  I  saw  on  the  floor-board  ?  10. 
Ought  straw  hives  be  covered  from  r..in,  or  placed  in  a 
shed  during  winter  ?  A  friend  is  making  me  a  present 
of  a  wooden  bar-frame,  but  I  do  not  mean  to  use  it  till 
next  year,  till  I  see  how  I  succeed  this  winter.  I  do  not 
mean  either  to  go  to  any  expense  unless  next  spring  I 
find  things  doing  well.' 

[The  foregoing,  with  a  preamble  of  six  pages  of 
experience,  thoughts,  and  suggestions,  come  from  a 
non-subscriber,  who  so  far  carried  out  the  resolution  to 
incur  '  no  expense,'  that  both  stamp  and  envelope  were 
omitted  from  the  enclosure.  To  reply  to  this  would 
entail  the  rewriting  of  nearly  the  whole  of  our  series  of 
leaflets,  which  we  do  not  feel  called  upon  to  do  when 
they  can  be  had  for  sixpence  per  dozen.  We  must  draw 
the  line  somewhere. — Ed.] 

Leatherhead,  Sept.  24. — 'One  of  your  cheap  Crystal  Palace 
hives  gave  out  a  swarm  late  in  June.  I  placed  an  empty 
Woodbury  on  the  stock  afterwards,  and  they  put  about 
40  lbs.  into  it,  besides  becoming  very  heavy  below. 
Pleased  mo  very  much.  This  was  done  without  the 
advantage  of  the  heather. — J.  E.  E,.' 

Comptxms  Lea,  Horsham,  Sept.  24,  1880. — Foundation. 
— I  have  tried  the  five  samples  of  foundation  you  sent 
me,  and  shall  be  pleaded  to  send  you  a  report  upon  it 
when  I  have  prepared  my  tees  for  winter,  and  am  settled 
at  home  again.  The  season  has  been  a  most  remarkable 
one.  I  do  not  recollect  when  they  have  worked  so  well 
or  so  continuously  as  they  have  done  this  summer.  With 
the  exception  of  about  a  fortnight  to  three  weeks  at  the 
end  of  July  and  the  beginning  of  August,  honey  has  been 
collected  without  a  break-up  to  the  end  of  August.  The 
extractor  has  been  incessantly  at  work,  and  although 
with  me  profit  is  not  a  first  consideration,  I  can  un- 
hesitatingly say  the  bees  have  not  only  paid  their  way, 
but  have  made  a  handsome  return.  They  cost  nothing 
for  sugar  last  spring,  as  I  then  extracted  sufficient  stores 
in  the  spring  which  I  used  diluted  to  stimulate  the  bees 
to  early  breeding,  and  by  carrying  out  the  system  as  I 
advocated  some  years  ago,  I  had  my  bees  strong  enough 
for  collecting,  and  by  extracting  continually,  the)'  have 
kept  breeding  all  the  summer.  Buckwheat.  —  I  must 
speak  well  of  buckwheat.  I  sowed  about  an  acre  of  it 
for  trial,  and  the  result  was  that  the  bees  stored  a  large 
quantity  of  honey  from  it.  They  worked  on  it  during 
the  earlier  part  of  the  day  in  immense  numbers.  Lim- 
nanfhes  Douylasii. —  I  saved  a  lot  of  seed  of  Limnanthes 
Douglasii,  and  if  any  bee-keeping  friends  wish  to  try  it, 
and  send  me  an  addressed  stamped  envelope,  I  shall  be 
pleased  to  send  some.  Now  is  the  time  to  sow  it,  and  it  i 
comes  in  early  in  spring.     Diagrams. — I  see  you  refer  in 


the  Journal  of  Horticulture  to  the  diagrams  at  the  Show. 
I  am  not  sure,  but  I  believe  I  was  the  first  who  had 
Girdwoyn's  diagrams  and  text  in  1876 ;  and  in  1877  I  lent 
them  for  exhibition  and  lectures.  Mr.  Tite  had  them  at 
Yeovil,  Mr.  Hunter,  and  others.  I  also  showed  them 
(although  not  entered)  at  the  Alexandra  Palace,  I  forget 
the  year.  The  other  diagrams  which  I  have  shown  at 
South  Kensington  I  purchased  of  you  at  the  Crystal 
Palace  Show.  Of  course,  this  has  nothing  to  do  with 
your  showing  them,  and  as  long  as  the  schedule  stands 
as  it  does,  you  are  quite  justified  in  doing  so. — Thos. 
Wm.  Cowan.' 

[The  last  part  of  the  above  has  reference  to  the  fol- 
lowing, which  was  sent  to  the  Editor  of  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture : — 

'DIAGRAMS  OF  BEES  AT  SOUTH  KENSINGTON. 

'Gentlemen, — In  your  impression  of  the  12th  ult,  p. 
154,  allusion  is  made  to  an  award  of  a  Bronze  Medal  to 
Abbott  Brothers  for  exhibiting  a  set  of  diagrams,  said  to 
he  "  now  perfectly  well  known,  and  in  which  Abbott 
Bros,  deal, :  and  in  the  same  paragraph  the  judges  are 
certainly  not  complimented  on  their  taste  in  making 
the  award.  In  reference  thereto,  may  I  be  allowed  to 
state  that  the  firm  I  i  epresent  do  not  deal  in  the  said 
diagrams,  that  they  never  have  had  or  seen  other  than 
the  one  set  alluded  to,  and  that  they  have  never  offered 
them  for  sale  ?  They  were  presented  to  me  in  1877  by 
M.  Eothschild,  of  Paris,  and  so  far  from  their  being 
"  perfectly  well  known,''  I  have  never  heard  of  or  seen 
anything  like  them,  save  in  the  diagrams  for  which  Mr. 
Cheshire  was  awarded  a  Silver  Medal  at  South  Ken- 
sington in  1879,  and  which  have  been  since  republished 
by  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association. — C.  X.  Abbott, 
Fairlawn,  Southall,  Sept.  11,  1880.' 

Hereford.  —  'Quite  two -thirds  of  the  hives  in  this 
district  did  not  survive  last  winter,  many  persons  losing 
all  their  bees.  I  saved  all  mine  (11  stocks)  by  means  of 
timely  feeding.  The  honey  season  has  been  good;  cot- 
tagers who  are  fortunate  enough  to  possess  bees  have 
their  hives  crammed  with  honey.  I  secured  a  fair  har- 
vest of  extracted  honey,  pnd  ill  sections ;  the  sections 
sold  like  "  hot  cakes "  at  a  local  grocer's.  I  believe  no 
one  need  have  any  difficulty  in  selling  neat  sections  of 
honey,  if  it  be  shown  in  a  local  tradesman's  window, 
with  a  neat  printed  card  showing  it  to  be  native  produce. 
Ivy  will  be  in  bloom  in  a  few  days,  if  the  weather  be  as 
fine  as  it  has  been.  I  think  the  bees  will  gather  con- 
siderably from  this  source,  as  I  never  saw  such  a  fine 
bloom.— A.  W: 

Ayrshire. — '  Some  of  our  hives  have  risen  immensely 
these  last  few  weeks.  I  have  taken  a  53  lb.  super  off  one,  and 
it  is  over  100  lb.  now.  The  "  Renfrewshire  Bee-keeper  " 
has  some  over  200  lb.  each,  and  "  Thomson  "  has  some 
nearly  that  weight,  so  that  we  should  have  plenty  of 
heather  honey  in  the  market.  Eighteen  pence  per  pound 
is  freely  given  for  it  ;  so  that  bees  should  be  profitable 
this  season.  Perth  and  Stirling  Shows  were  both  good. 
I  was  at  both  last  Saturday.  1  see  you  have  had  plenty 
of  work  to  do  in  Ireland.' — K.  B.  J. 

Whitchurch,  Blandford. — '  The  season  has  been  here- 
abouts unusually  good.  One  super  of  mine — 47  lbs.  in 
weight — was  filled  in  less  than  four  weeks,  and  taken 
from  a  hive  which  had  swarmed  for  the  third  time  (this 
swarm  hived  for  itself),  and  not  returned  to  the  old  one, 
and  to  which  was  added  a  swarm  which  had  lo.-t  its 
queen  It  must,  therefore,  have  been  queenless  for  some 
time,  which  makes  the  result  more  curious.'  * 


*  Page  29  of  Journal  for  June  shows  why  queenless 
stocks  in  a  good  time  gather  large  harvests,  and  suggests 
the  removal  or  confinement  of  the  queen  during  a  good 
honey  yield. — Ed. 


122 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[October  1,  1880. 


(fumes  anb  JUpItcs. 


Query  No.  349.— The  Giotto  Hive.— Will  you  kindly 

inform  me  in  your  next  Bee  Journal,  who  is  the  puhlisher 
and  also  the  editor  of  the  '  Giotto '  system  of  hive- 
making?  You  will  also  oblige  by  giving  me  your 
opinion  of  the  same,  whether  it  is  suitable  to  winter 
bees  in  or  not.  Being  pretty  handy  with  joiner's  tools, 
I  thought  the  system  would  "be  just  the  thing  for  me,  as 
I  could  make  the  hives  both  easily  and  cheaply.  As  I 
know  nothing  of,  or  know  anyone  that  has  had  any 
practical  experience  of,  the  above-mentioned  hives,  I 
shall  esteem  it  a  great  favour  if  you  will  give  me  all  the 
information  you  can  respecting  it,  as  I  have  a  notion  of 
adopting  it. — John  Dearden,  Brindley,  Nanticich, 
Cheshire,  Sept.  11,  1880. 

Eeply  to  Query  No.  349.  —In  1876,  a  pamphlet  en- 
titled '  The  Italian  System  of  Bee-keeping,'  by  Captain 
Arthur  Danyell,  was  published  at  the  Field  office,  Strand, 
in  which  the  '  Giotto  '  principle  of  hive-making  is  the 
special  feature.  It  contained  the  substance  of  several 
interesting  letters  which  were  sent  to  The  Field  from 
Italy  by  Captain  Danyell,  then  a  resident  there,  and 
the  simplicity  of  the  mode  of  hive-construction  he 
propounded  attracted  considerable  attention,  but  the 
'  principle '  has  never  met  with  the  consideration  it 
deserves.  The  Giotto,  as  then  described,  was  an 
almost  exact  imitation  of  the  Huber-leaf  hive,  and 
like  it  was  constructed  of  separate  frames  set  side 
by  side,  as  sections  are  now  placed,  to  form  sectional 
supers,  the  frames  forming  the  hive  walls  as  the  sections 
now  forrn  the  supers,  and  a  board  at  each  end  made  the 
hive  complete.  The  arrangement  gave  considerable  play 
for  ingenuity,  and  by  the  introduction  of  new  frames 
between  the  end  boards,  the  hive  could  be  indefinitely 
enlarged,  or  by  a  reversal  of  the  process,  contracted  to 
suit  the  smallest  swarm.  The  principle  of  construction 
will  be  understood  by  reference  to  the  woodcuts,  which 
show  a  Giotto  parted  near  the  centre.  Each  frame,  as 
there  represented,  is  made  of  inch-board,  \\  inches  wide, 
so  that  when  together  and  the  ends  in  place,  they  form 
a  complete  hive,  but  originally  the  bottoms  of  the  frames 
were  only  small  strips  of  wood,  kept  up  from  the  bottom 
ends  of  the  frame,  leaving  room  beneath  (the  strips)  for 
bees  to  pass,  an  arrangement  that  necessitated  a  separate 
base  on  which  the  frames  could  stand,  the  base  contem- 
plated being  the  top  of  a  wall  or  anything  similar,  but  a 
plain  boaul  would  answer  equally  well.  The  entrances, 
for  there  were  a  number  of  them,  were  cut  out  of  the 


bottom  corners  of  the  frames  as  indicated  at  a,  but  it 
was  equally  easy  to  make  one  at  either  end  as  at  b,  and 
a  feed-hole  could  be  cut  in  the  top  of  either  frame,  or 
half-way  into  any  two  of  them. 

The  Giotto  Hive  of  Captain  Danyell  was  exhibited  in 
Class  4  at  the  Alexandra  Palace  Show  of  the  British 
Bee-Keepers'  Association  1876,  'For  the  best  hive  for 
use  (in  the  collateral  principle,'  but  no  prize  was  awarded, 
the  silver  and  bronze  medals  offered  falling  to  Messrs. 
Hooker  and  Cowan,  the  hive  of  the  latter  being  on  the 


Giotto  principle  of  construction.  As  may  be  inferred, 
the  frame-bars  of  the  Giotto  being  an  inch  in  thickness, 
there  is  great  liability  to  crushing  the  bees  when  the 
separated  frames  are  being  replaced  with  the  bees  upon 
them,  and  if  they  do  not  fit  closely  there  is  plenty  of 
room  for  the  free  use  of  propolis ;  but,  as  we  have  often 
shown,  these  objections  can  be  naturally  obviated  by 
using  seasoned  material  and  good  workmanship.  The 
only  maker  of  hives  of  the  kind  in  question  that  we  are 
acquainted  with,  is  Mr.  Isaac  Hale,  of  Horncastle,  who 
departed  in  a  great  measure  from  the  original  pattern  by 
elongating  and  narrowing  the  top  bars  of  the  frames  so 
that  they  would  hang  in  a  box  as  in  ordinary  frame 
hives,  and  access  was  thus  given  to  supers,  while  the 
bottom  rail  being  already  narrow,  gave  access,  as  in 
ordinary  hives,  from  beneath  the  frames ;  and  hives  of 
this  and  the  original  Giotto  pattern  have  many  times 
been  exhibited  by  him,  but  the  judges  have  given  no 
award.  We  have  many  times  advocated  the  principle  of 
the  Giotto  in  respect  of  the  frames  being  of  sufficient 
width  to  touch  each  other  at  the  sides,  and  we  do  not 
despair  of  enlisting  the  sympathy  of  the  bee-keeping 
public  in  that  behalf  at  no  distant  date ;  for  we  hold 
that  no  hive  that  has  ever  been  made  so  closely  ap- 
proaches the  requirements  of  a  bee-nest,  and  the  advan- 
tages of  such  an  arrangement  will  presently  be  made 
obvious.  To  our  mind  they  are  so  now  ;  we  have  venti- 
lated our  ideas,  and  at  the  coming  Dairy  Show  intend  to 
exhibit  a  hive  on  the  principle  we  have  avowed.  A 
hive,  such  as  we  have  here  illustrated,  can  be  made  by 
any  amateur  carpenter  who  can  drive  a  nail  and  saw  off 
the  wood  to  the  length,  and  though  when  made  it  would 
not  be  all  that  is  desirable,  we  do  not  think  it  woidd 
deserve  all  the  hard  things  that  were  applied  to  our 
suggested  hive  on  a  similar  principle,  on  page  73. 

In  the  hands  of  the  inexpert,  it  would  probably  not  be 
so  '  convenient '  as  a  better  class  of  hive  in  which  con- 
veniences have  to  be  charged  for ;  but  as  a  commendable 
hive  for  cottager's  use,  we  think  its  adoption  would  be  a 
move  in  the  right  direction.  It  would  compete  with  the 
skep  in  regard  to  cost,  and  the  combs  in  it  being  moveable 
( though  under  difficulties),  gives  it  an  immense  advantage ; 
and  considering  that  in  such  hives  the  expert  coidd 
manipulate  (the  difficulties  notwithstanding),  the  money 
value  of  a  cottager's  bees  wotdd  be  considerably  enhanced. 
Leaving  out  for  a  moment  the  idea  of  bee-crushing  and 
propolising,  or  as  a  set-off  against  them  put  the  wretched 
principle  of  fixism,  and  the  inexpansive  and  non-contrac- 
tile nature  of  the  uninvadable  skep,  and  let  us  see  on 
which  side  the  advantages  lajr. 

The  Giotto  hive,  in  its  roughest  state,  is  better  than 
any  other  frame  hive,  and  equal  to  the  skep  as  a  domicile 
for  bees,  their  comfort  only  being  considered,  and  in 
point  of  conveniences  for  the  bee-keeper,  crude  though 
they  admittingly  would  be,  it  stands  prominently  in 
advance  of  the  skep.  It  can  be  increased  or  diminished 
in  size  at  will,  it  can  be  divided  at  any  point  for  queen- 
excluding  or  confining  purposes  during  the  honey  harvest, 
a  thin  board  slid  in  between  the  frames  would  make  it 
into  a  twin  hive,  or  it  could  be  cut  up  into  nuclei  for 
queen-raising  purposes,  ad  lib. :  for  feeding  purposes,  a 
couple  of  spare  frames  at  the  back  within  the  end  board, 
would  afford  a  most  secure  apartment  where  robbing 
would  be  impossible,  and  an  additional  pair  of  frames  in 
front  and  as  many  at  the  sides  as  woidd  enclose  it, 
would,  when  covered,  form  excellent  protection  from 
outer  cold.  Strips  of  board,  \\  inches  wide,  cut  into 
the  desired  lengths  and  nailed  together,  woidd  form  the 
frames,  ami  two  pieces  of  the  size  of  the  frames  when 

made,  would  form  tl nds.  and   excepting  guides,  or 

foundation,  an  entrance  and  a  roof,  the  hive,  when  tied, 
or  otherwise  fixed  together,  would  be  ready  for  the 
reception  of  the  bees.  We  do  not  pretend  that  it  would 
be  all  that  could  be  desired,  but  with  it  the  typical 
ignorant  cottager  could  do  all  that  he  could  with  a  skep, 


October  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


128 


and,  becoming-  more  enlightened,  would  soon  get  out  of 
the  brimstone  pit,  and  pursue  the  pleasant  and  profitable 
path  of  bee-euLTURB. — Ed.  B.  B.  J. 

Query  No.  860. — A  curious  case  of  dispute  about  bees 
occurred  in  this  neighbourhood.  A  had  a  first  swarm 
swarmed  on  the  l!)th  June.  B  had  a  second  swarm 
swarmed  on  the  8th  Jul}-,  and  they  were  both  put  into 
empty  hives  and  conveyed  some  distance  to  the  clover, 
where  they  stood  there  near  each  other.  A's  hive  swarmed 
a  virgin  swarm  on  10th  August,  and  a  swarm  was 
found  on  the  ^'Jtli  August,  and  was  claimed  by  B.  Was 
it  possible  that  his  second  could  swarm  ?  Your  opinion 
will  oblige. — Bee-keeper,  Thankerton. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  350. — It  is  possible  for  a  second 
swarm  to  swarm,  but  such  occurrences  are  by  no  means 
common.  If  B  found  the  swarm  in  question,  he  has  a 
fair  claim  to  it ;  but  if  he  argues  that  it  came  from  his 
hive,  a  reference  to  the  combs  would  help  to  clear  up 
any  doubt,  for  if  it  did,  there  would  be  queen-cells  in  the 
usual  way.  The  law  decides  that  whoever  finds  a  stray 
swarm  may  claim  it ;  but  it  is  not  clear  whether  your 
question  is  as  to  ownership,  or  the  possibility  or  proba- 
bility of  a  cast  swarming. — Ed. 

Query  No.  351. — Preserving  Pollen. — How  can  I  keep 
combs  that  contain  pollen  sound  for  next  spring's  use,  as 
they  are  getting  mouldy? — W.  H.  J. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  351. — By  adopting  the  means 
the  bees  do,  i.e.,  by  filling  the  pollen  cells  full  up  with 
honey,  and  sealing  them  over.  This  may  be  done  by 
pouring  honey  or  syrup  into  the  cells,  wiping  off  all 
superfluity,  and  brushing  over  lightly  with  hot  wax.  If 
this  be  not  thought  practicable,  the  combs  could  be 
placed  close  together  in  a  tin  case,  and  all  interstices  and 
cells  filled  up  with  syrup,  to  which  a  little  salicylic  acid 
has  been  added.  Such  combs  woidd,  when  drained,  be 
admirable  as  helps  to  poor  stocks  in  spring.  The  syrup 
should  be  poured  into  the  can  very  gently,  or  it  would 
not  find  its  way  into  the  cells. — Ed. 

Query  No.  .'!o2. — Breeding  and  Feeding. — I  am  very 
much  puzzled  by  conflicting  statements  about  the  period 
when  breeding  ceases.  I  went  to  Grantham  Show  to 
learn  something,  and  did  so.  One  of  the  '  swells '  how- 
ever, told  me  not  to  feed  now,  but  to  feed  in  January 
instead.  Baldwin  said,  when  I  mentioned  this,  Feed 
slowly  a  month,  then  quick,  which  seems  to  correspond 
with  all  I  have  read  (Root,  &c),  and  common  sense. 
But,  as  if  to  prove  the  contrary,  I  found  no  brood  at  all 
in  two  hives,  which  have,  or  had  till  lately,  queens. 
These  two  hives  I  have  been  feeding  as  directed.  Am  I 
to  suppose  them  queenless  ?  To  one  of  them  I  united  a 
hive  of  condemned  bees  a  fortnight  ago.  They  seemed 
to  be  friendly  enough ;  but  there's  no  brood.  As  I  am 
not  a  good  hand  at  spotting  the  queen,  I  can't  be  sure. 
A  line  in  your  next  issue  I  should  esteem  a  favour. — 
H.  V.  E.,  Oakb-ook. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  352. — It  is  by  no  means  easy 
or  safe  to  lay  down  rides  respecting  the  internal  economy 
of  a  bee-hive;  but  in  a  general  sense  breeding  will  not 
be  continued  if  there  is  not  an  incoming  of  honey  which 
will  warrant  the  increase  of  the  population.  Bees  com- 
mence, and  continue  breeding  under  the  influence  of 
excitement,  however  produced, — a  broad  statement,  the 
broadest  we  could  devise,  and  so  long  as  the  excitement 
is  kept  up,  so  long  will  breeding  be  continued.  In  the 
spring,  a  few  fine  days,  and  the  opportunity  for  flight, 
without  actual  incoming  of  houey,  may  be  the  exciting 
cause ;  in  summer,  as  indeed  at  all  times,  the  income 
from  orchards  and  fields  is  sure  to  cause  ovipositing  by 
the  queen,  and  its  continuance  will  warrant  the  workers 
in  raising  brood  from  the  eggs  so  laid,  but  as  soon  as  the 
incoming  ceases  eggs  and  larva1  will  disappear:  and  if  the 
cessation  has  been  sudden,  immature,  white  bees  will 
be  found  at  the  entrance  of  the  hive,  thrown  out  to 
prevent  tin-  production  of  other  consumers.     In  winter, 


in  the  coldest  weather,  the  great  quantity  of  honey  con- 
sumed in  the  production  of  the  heat  necessary  to  life, 
will  excite  bees  to  breeding.  The  excitement  consequent 
upon  a  dysenteric  condition — the  bees  dying  by  scores 
daily,  and  the  hive  being  most  unhealthy — will  induce 
breeding;  and  it  will  continue  while  the  excitement  lasts. 
The  probability  of  an  aged  queen  dying,  or  becoming 
unfertile,  though  it  be  in  the  depth  of  winter,  will  in- 
duce the  laying  of  a  few  eggs,  and  the  raising  of  a  new 
queen,  though  the  young  one  will  (often)  remain  with, 
and  be  as  useless  as,  the  unfertile  one;  and  there 
are  many  other  phenomena  in  respect  of  breeding  with 
bees,  that  can  only  be  traced  (pace  the  class  of  'swells' 
above  alluded  to)  to  excitement.  So  far  as  we  know, 
this  suggestion  starts  '  a  new  hare,'  and  probably  it  will 
be  well  hunted ;  but  we  have  every  faith  in  the  argu- 
ment implied  in  the  theory. 

Our  corre  ponden.  may  rest  assured  that  the  continu- 
ance of  breading  in  autumn  is  governed  by  the  incoming 
of  honey  as  a  ride.  When  the  latter  fails,  breeding  will 
cease,  but  may  be  continued  by  prolonging  the  incoming 
artificially.     See  our  Leaflet  on  Feeding,  price  \d. 

Que  it  y  No.  353. —  White  Brood. — Can  you  explain 
the  following  ?  I  opened  a  hive  on  Monday  and  found 
dead  brood ;  not  presenting  am'  of  the  appearances  of 
foul  brood,  as  described  in  books,  but  more  like  chilled 
brood.  The  caps  of  the  cells  had  been  opened,  and  some 
of  the  larva?  were  at  the  bottom  of  the  cells,  looking  like 
white  bees  after  they  have  been  sucked,  merely  the  skins 
being  left ;  others  were  intact,  but  dead.  The  hive  had 
done  well  during  the  summer,  and  the  queen  is  all  right. 
I  am  very  pleased  with  the  Combination  Hive  you  sup- 
plied me  with ;  so  much  so,  that  in  f uture  I  intend  using 
no  other. — Edgar  S.,  Sept.  15,  1880. 

Reply  to  Query-  No.  353. — The  symptoms  suggest 
that  the  harvest  is  over,  and  that  the  bees  have  suddenly 
found  themselves  without  income,  and  perhaps  (through 
having  been  '  deprived  ' )  (  ?  )  without  stores  ;  and  being 
in  danger  of  starvation,  have  determined  to  stop  the  pro- 
duction of  consumers.  'Feeding '  is  the  remedy  for  such 
a  stat"  of  matters,  as  so  often  advised  in  Bee  Journal. 
—  En. 

Query  No.  354. —  Quilt  and  Ventilation. — The  quilt 
that  1  use  with  my  hives  consists  of  a  sheet  of  linen  and 
four  or  more  folds  of  bagging.  I  find  that  the  bees  have 
cemented  the  linen  sheet  to  the  upper  bars,  and  have 
coated  the  under  side  of  the  sheet  between  the  bars 
with  a  layer  of  wax  or  propolis,  making  the  sheet 
nearly,  if  not  quite,  impervious  to  moisture.  I  should  be 
glad  if  you  would  state  in  your  next  number  whether  I 
should  remove  the  sheet  and  substitute  a  clean  one,  or 
leave  the  present  sheet  as  it  is  during  the  winter. — 
W.  B.  H. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  354.— It  is  perfectly  natural 
for  bees  to  stop  up  with  propolis  every  means  by  which 
heat  can  escape  from  a  hive,  or  draught,  or  enemies 
obtain  admission.  But  it  has  been  demonstrated  that 
upward  ventilation  without  draught  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  safe  wintering ;  and,  therefore,  during  October, 
when  bees  have  ceased  '  gathering,'  we  advise  the  re- 
moval of  the  impervious  quilt,  and  the  substitution  of  a 
new,  or  at  any  rate,  a  clean  one,  which  will  then  keep 
both  clean  and  porous. — Ed. 

Query  No.  355. —  Winter  Crowding.  War  M»tli. — Is 
it  really  advisable  to  contract  the  size  of  hives  for  the 
winter  season,  and  if  so,  what  is  the  best  method  of 
keeping  the  surplus  frames  of  comb  (some  of  them  con- 
taining a  little  sealed  syrup),  so  that  they  may  not  be 
receptacles  for  the  eggs  of  wax-moth  ?  Our  hives  at 
present  are  square  boxes,  1 4j  by  14J  by  8|  in.  inside,  and 
have  not  a  dummy  or  moveable  side,  so  shall  have  to 
extemporise. — A.  L.  S. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  ■'<'>'). — It  is  advisable  ;  and  we 
strongly  recommend  you  to  confine  the  bees  to  as  few 
combs  as  they  can   occupy,  it   having  been   proved  that 


124 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[October  1,  1880. 


they  winter  best  when  crowded  together.  One  of  the 
advantages  we  claim  for  our  wood-foundation  is,  that 
combs  can  be  made  to  fit  the  hive,  and  thus  render 
special  division  boards  unnecessary ;  and  as  the  cellular 
comb  is  much  less  convec-tive  of  heat  than  anything 
solid,  we  have  faith  that  it  will  eventually  be  largely 
used  for  the  purpose.  To  preserve  combs  from  wax- 
moth  we  hang  them  in  a  dry,  airy  room,  where  they  can 
be  seen  and  examined,  and  find  that  they  e-cape  the 
attacks  of  that  pest.  It  would  appear  that  the  larva?  of 
the  moth  cannot  exist  without  moisture,  which  may  be 
the  reason  for  their  immunity  ;  but  now  that  foundation 
is  so  cheap  we  prefer  to  melt  up  all  combs  rather  than 
give  them  warehouse  room,  as  one  is  able  to  produce  new 
combs  in  a  short  time  and  prevent  many  risks. — Ed. 

NOTICES  TO  CORRESPONDENTS  &  INQUIRERS. 


Burwash  Common. — Hiving  bees  f mm  a  house  partition. 
— Quiet  them  in  the  usual  way,  as  per  leaflet  on  the 
subject,  remove  the  boarding  and  cut  out  the  combs, 
and  after  brushing  the  bees  into  the  hive,  tie  the 
combs  into  the  frames,  and  put  them  in  their  places. 
When  all  are  transferred,  place  the  hive  as  near  the 
old  nest  as  possible,  and  if  the  queen  has  been  put  into 
the  new  home  the  bees  will  take  possession,  if  not  she 
must  be  sought  in  the  old  nest,  and  transferred  to  the 
hive.  At  night  the  latter  should  be  taken  away  a 
distance  of  two  miles,  and  the  entrance-way  to  the 
old  nest  completely  blocked  up.  The  Bingham  smoker 
here  is  5s. 

Run  Honey  Candying. — We  know  of  no  way  of  pre- 
venting honey  candying  except  by  the  admixture  of 
material  that  would  be  considered  in  the  nature  of 
adulteration.  Can  anyone  help  a  lady  bee-keeper 
who  wishes  to  preserve  her  honey  in  a  liquid  state  F 

Omagh,  Co.  Tyrone.  —  Transferring, — If  the  quantity 
of  bees  to  be  added  to  the  contents  of  the  skep  will 
fill  the  hive  to  which  they  are  to  be  transferred  the 
work  if  the  bees  will  be  lightened,  and  cheapened  by 
the  introduction  of  large  sheets  of  Abbott's  fiat-bottomed 
foundation.  We  mention  this  particular  kind  because 
it  is  least  likely  to  break  down  or  sag.  In  the  present 
case  it  would  be  well  to  put  it  interstitially  between 
the  frames  that  are  filled  with  the  comb  from  the  skep. 
Leave  a  quarter  inch  of  space  at  both  sides  of  frame 
and  at  the  bottom  to  provide  for  possible  stretching. 

Bournemouth. —  The  Quilt. —  The  quilt  is  intended  to 
supersede  the  crown-board  and  to  lie  close  upon  the 
frames,  thus  preventing  the  too  rapid  diffusion  of  the 
warmth  of  the  hive,  yet  permitting  gentle  upward 
ventilation.  A  feed-hole  can  be  cut  in  any  part,  to  be 
covered  with  a  feeding-stage  or  piece  of  perforated 
zinc.  The  pieces  cut  out  will  form  a  pad  to  cover  the 
aperture  when  the  bottle  is  not  in  position. 

J.  K.,  Cumberland. —  Showing  Sees  to  Visitors. —  We  do 
not  think  any  good  could  arise  from  publishing  the 
letter  to  you,  as  it  is  more  of  private  than  a  public 
nature.  Your  friend  has  wearied  of  showing  his  bees 
for  nought,  and  the  charge  named  (10s.  Qd.  per  visit)  is 
evidently  intended  to  be  prohibitory.  It  is  not  every 
one  who  can  afford  the  time  and  the  loss  to  his  bees 
which  promiscuous  exhibitions  entail.  We  have  many 
times  devoted  nearly  whole  days  to  showing  half-a- 
dozen  visitors  the  same  or  similar  things,  whereas  if 
they  had  all  come  at  once,  an  hour  and  the  opening  of 
one  stock  of  bees  would  have  sufficed.  You  should  get 
the  Bee  Tent  to  visit  your  neighbourhood,  and  then 
all  could  see  how  easy  it  is  to  perform  the  various 
operations,  and  there  would  be  no  hardship  to  any 
individual. 

*„*  Though  ire  have  given  four  pages  extra  this  month,  we 
lire  reluctantly  rompelfcrl  to  postpone  some  most  interesting 
information  respecting  tin1  progress  of  Apiculture  in  New 
Zealand,  and  other  communications. 


BEE  AND  HONEY  SHOWS  FIXED  FOB  1880. 

Oct.  26  to  29. — British  Dairy  Farmers'  Association, 
Agricultural  Hall,  London. 

Bronze  Medal  awarded  for  Straw  Sleeps  at  the  Great 
Crystal  Palace  Slww,  1875. 

Sixteenth  Edition.     Price  One  Shilling.. 

SEVENTY    POUNDS    A-YEAR: 

HOW  I  MAKE  IT  BY  MY  BEES. 

By  the  late  J.  W.  Pagden. 

Also,  by  the  same  Author,  price  Sixpence. 

Early  Artificial  Bee- Swarming. 

No  watching  required. 

Apply  to  Mrs.  J.  W.  Pagden,  The  Chestnuts,  Alfriston, 
Sussex,  by  whom  the  same  manufacturers  of  '  Economical 
Bee  Fmniture  '  are  employed  as  formerly.  fo.  23. 

MANUAL    OF    THE    APIARY, 

By  A.   J.   COOK, 

Professor  of  Entomology  in  the  Michigan  State  Agricultural  College. 

286  pp.  large  12mo.     112  Illustrations. 

Published  by  THOMAS  G.  NEWMAN  &  SON,  Chicago. 

Price,  bound  in  cloth,  5s.;  postage,  id. 


ABBOTT  BROS.,  FAIRLAWN,  SOUTHALL. 

THE  AMERICAN  BEE  JOURNAL. 

Is  published  monthly,  at  Chicago,  111.  at  2  dollars  a-year. 
It  is  the  oldest,  largest,  best,  and  most  reliable  Bee  paper 
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ODERN  BEE-KEEPING.    A  Handbook  for 


M 


Bee-Keepehs'   Assiciation,   B.   B.   Journal   Office.      Post 
free,  7  stamps. 

Now  Ready. 

rriHE  A  B  C  OP  BEE  CULTURE.     By  A.  I. 

Root,  Medina,  Ohio,  U.  S.,  Editor  of  '  Gleanings.' 
'  Invaluable  to  beginners,  and  also  as  a  book  of  reference.' 
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Abbott  Bbothebs,   Southall,  London,  Middlesex. 

Clje  grttblj  |kc  Journal 

AND  BEE-KEEPERS  ADVISER. 

The  British  Bee  Journal  is  published  monthly,  and 
contains  the  best  practical  information  for  the  time  being, 
showing  what,  to  do,  and  when  and  how  to  do  it. 

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C.  N.  ABBOTT,  Bee  Master, 

School  of  Apiculture,  Fairlawn,  Southall,  London. 

A  BBOTT'S  BEE  BARLEY  SUGAR,  best  Food 
J\  for  Bees  in  Winter.  Made  expressly,  so  that  it  shall 
all  deliquesce  and  not  leave  a  white  shell  to  be  thrown  out 
by  the  Bees.  lOd.  per  lb.,  in  14  lb.  Tins,  or  7  lb.  Boxes, 
or  4;  lb.  Bottles;  tius,  boxes,  and  packing  not  charged  for. 


THE 


n  Journal, 


[No.  91.    Vol.  VIII.] 


NOVEMBER,  1880. 


[Published  Monthly.] 


Oibitorial,  |lotucs,  $t> 


NOVEMBER. 

Now  that  the  last  announced  Exhibition  of 
Hives,  Bees,  and  their  Produce,  held  by  the 
British  Bee-keepers'  Association  in  conjunction 
with  the  Annual  Dairy  Show  of  British  Farmers 
at  the  Agricultural  Hall,  Islington,  has  been 
held,  and  bees  have  gone  into  winter  quarters, 
it  may  fairly  be  assumed  that  '  the  season  '  of 
1880  is  really  over  ;  and  so  far  ai  the  bees  are 
concerned,  we  hope  it  is  so,  for,  should  there 
arise  any  necessity  for  interference  with  them, 
it  will  be  because  they  have  not  been  prepared 
for  '  wintering.'  Whatever  may  occur  in  re- 
spect of  the  bees  themselves,  though  we  trust 
they  will  be  comfortable  during  the  next  four 
months — and  they  will  be,  if  our  directions 
have  been  adhered  to — we  must  not  forget  that 
the  long  winter  evenings  give  splendid  oppor- 
tunities for  imparting  the  knowledge  of  bee- 
culture,  which  is  so  essential  to  those  who  keep 
bees  with  the  expectation  of  profiting  by  their 
labour. 

Bee-keeping,  thanks  to  the  British  Bee- 
keepers' Association,  has  become  a  recognised 
industry  throughout  England  and  Scotland, 
and  county  and  other  local  associations  have, 
in  response  to  its  call,  sprung  up  in  all  direc- 
tions, and  have  done  great  things  in  spreading 
a  taste  for,  and  a  knowledge  of,  the  science 
and  art  by  which  it  is  made  profitable  ;  but 
very  much  remains  to  be  done. 

Ireland  has  been  made  the  subject  of  special 
care;  the  Tent  of  the  British  (the  central) 
Association  has  been  through  three  divisions  of 
that  beautiful  and  highly  fertile  land,  and  by 
its  exhibitions  has  stirred  up  the  people,  and 
through  the  press  the  profitable  nature  of  the 
pursuit  has  been  made  widely  known,  and  will 
be  largely  entered  upon.  The  Principality  of 
AVales  has  not  yet  been  (to  our  knowledge)  the 
scene  of  a  bee  exhibition,  nor  has  it  established 


an  association  for  the  promotion  of  bee-culture ; 
but  we  have  the  certain  knowledge  that  there 
are  within  its  boundaries  many  advanced  bee- 
keepers, and  that  the  leaven  of  improvement  is 
working  well.  All  this  is  highly  satisfactory 
as  far  as  it  goes,  but  we  want  to  see — 
and  every  lover  of  bees  is  with  us — a  general 
determination  to  carry  the  knowledge  of  bee- 
keeping home  to  the  people  in  every  village 
in  the  kingdom ;  and  now,  thanks  to  the  British 
Bee-keepers'  Association,  whose  diagrams  and 
key  give  all  needful  assistance  to  the  expert 
bee-keeper,  there  is  nothing  to  prevent  this 
being  done,  if  only  the  will  to  do  be  present. 
We  have  no  desire  to  encourage  the  employ- 
ment of  a  professional  lecturer,  who  may  have 
learned  his  lesson  by  rote,  and  who  will  deliver 
it  with  parrot-like  precision.  We  want  to  see 
volunteer-instructors  in  every  village,  or  drawn 
from  their  vicinities;  menwhohavehadsuccessful 
experience  in  the  management  of  bees,  and 
who  will  be  able  to  impart  their  experience  in 
language  that  will  be  understanded  by  the 
people.  We  hope  to  see  means  devised  by 
which  the  prejudice  of  individual  districts  may 
be  broken  down  ;  we  have  had  ample  experience 
of  its  existence,  and  in  our  experiments  at  ex- 
hibitions of  manipulation  have  never  so  well 
satisfied  our  audiences  as  when  we  have  operated 
on  the  bees  of  their  own  localities — we  there- 
fore feel  that  to  be  convincing  on  the  merits  of 
bee-keeping,  and  to  give  weight  to  opinions  on 
the  best  methods  of  management,  the  speaker 
should  be  a  local  man,  who  has  been  successful 
beyond  a  doubt  in  the  practice  of  the  principles 
he  recommends.  We  are  fully  aware  of  the 
difficulties  that  stand  in  the  way  of  obtaining 
from  the  ordinary  ranks  of  country  life  men 
willing  to  address  their  fellows ;  we  quite  under- 
stand, having  felt  the  terror  which  the  sound 
of  one's  own  voice  when  first  addressing  an 
audience,  inspires  in  the  heart  of  a  speaker, 
and  do  not  counsel  that  first  attempts  should 
pretend  to  exhaustiveness,  or  that  they  should 
take  even  the  form  of  '  lectures,'  which,  as  a 


126 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[November  1,  1880. 


rule,  are  like  sermons  meant  to  be  listened  to, 
but  not  discussed  in  the  presence  of  the  speaker. 
Our  inclination  is  towards  a  more  humble, 
yet  not  less  efficient,  way  of  reaching  the  minds 
and  disturbing  the  prejudices  of  the  class  for 
whom  bee-keeping  is  prescribed  as  useful,  aud 
in  whose  behalf  all  our  Bee-keepers'  Associa- 
tions have  been  especially  formed.  We  would 
suggest  that  Conversations  on  Bees  should  be 
encouraged,  we  prefer  an  English  term  as 
less  likely  to  alarm  the  timid,  which  might 
take  place  at  any  of  the  usual  places  of  amuse- 
ments, conjointly  with  music,  singing,  penny 
readings,  or  other  attractions,  or  alone  when 
sufficient  interest  has  been  created  to  attract  an 
audience.  At  such  meetings  a  very  few  words 
from  the  presiding  chairman  would  he  sufficient 
to  introduce  the  subject ;  and  instead  of  it 
being  left  to  the  volition  of  the  '  expert '  to  give 
a  formal  address,  the  chairman  might  gently  lead 
him  to  explain  the  objects  brought  for  exhibi- 
tion,-— the  hives,  supers,  diagrams,  bees,  combs, 
queen-cells,  &c,  and  thus  elicit  in  drops  the 
golden  experiences  that,  nugget-like,  are  stored 
away  unkenned  in  many  an  humble  mind.  These 
things  are  possible  in  every  village  in  England, 
and  in  many  elsewhere ;  but  who  is  to  take  the 
initiative  ?  As  a  rule,  the  clergy  are  ever 
ready  to  do  whatever  may  be  possibly  helpful 
to  their  parishioners  let  the  suggestion  come 
whence  it  may,  and  others  will  doubtless  accept 
the  suggestion.  The  clergy  are  at  the  head  and 
front,  and  on  all  sides  of  that  which  will  im- 
prove the  condition  of  their  people,  they  are, 
as  a  class,  the  best  bee-keepers  in  the  land,  and 
afford  the  best  examples  ;  but  the  peasant  mind 
can  scarcely  be  brought  to  believe,  either  by 
their  exhortation  or  example,  that  there  is  not 
something  necessary  beyond  the  means  of  the 
cottager  to  secure  profit  by  the  improved 
methods  of  bee-keeping.  We,  therefore, 
strongly  urge  those  who  have  opportunities  to 
try  the  effect  of  the  means  we  have  suggested  : 
there  are  club -rooms,  school  -  rooms,  working 
men's  institutes,  reading-rooms,  coffee  taverns, 
and  the  like,  the  frequenters  of  which  can  best 
be  '  got  at '  by  men  of  their  own  standing,  and 
with  a  little  help  from  the  prime  mover,  who 
should  be  able  to  draw  largely  from  his  county 
or  neighbouring  association  for  the  means  of 
illustration,  much  good  might  be  done. 

While  upon  this  topic,  we  cannot  but  refer 
to  what  we  conceive  to  be  the  duty  of  every 
Association,  according  to  its  strength,  and  the 
influence  it  has  at  its  command.  In  the  first 
place,  there  shoidd,  for  winter  use,  be  a  lecture- 
box,  to  be  lent  on  loan  in  aid  of  any  demonstra- 
tion that  may  be  about  to  be  made  on  behalf  of 
bee-keeping  within  its  lawful  radius,  such  box 
to  contain  a  frame-hive  of  a  kind  suited  for 
cottagers'  use,  and  with  it  all  the   requisites 


that  the  complete  system  demands,  so  that  in 
the  presence  of  the  audience  the  speaker  might 
show  how  every  needf  id  fitting  could  be  rigged, 
and  how  all  expensive  apparatus  could  be  dis- 
pensed with ;  while  at  the  same  time  there 
might  be  displayed  examples  of  the  results  of 
the  improved  method  of  bee-management.  The 
loan  of  the  box  shoidd  be  gratuitous ;  the  mem- 
bers of  Associations  should  learn  that  their  sub- 
scriptions are  doing  good  in  the  direction  for 
which  they  were  given,  and  it  should  not  seem 
that  every  effort  that  is  put  forth  is  but  a  pre- 
text for  obtaining  money.  There  is,  however, 
one  item  the  loan  of  which  we  hope  to  see  dis- 
couraged— we  allude  to  the  Diagrams  illustrat- 
ing the  bees,  &c  ,  that  have  been  published  hy 
the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association.  We  have 
had  many  applications  for  them  in  the  way 
mentioned,  the  would-be  borrowers  offering  to 
pay  for  their  use ;  but  in  all  cases  we  have 
steadily  declined  to  lend  them,  because  we 
think  it  woidd  be  exceedingly  unfair  to  that 
Association,  and  because  we  think  that  every 
village  ought  to  possess  them  for  the  use  of 
those  frequenting  their  respective  rendezvous. 
This  suggestion  may  not  accord  with  others' 
ideas,  and  mfcy  not  be  approved  by  the  Associa- 
tion in  whose  interest  it  is  put  forward,  but  it 
is  '  ours  ; '  and  considering  that  the  B.  B.  K.  A 
have  incurred  a  large  expense  in  providing  their 
diagrams,  and  practically  give  (in  them)  a 
guinea's  worth  for  eight  shillings  to  non-mem- 
bers, and  for  five  shillings  and  sixpence  to 
members  of  their  Association,  in  common  justice 
we  think  there  shoidd  be  no  lending  of  them  to 
interfere  with  their  legitimate  circulation. 
Nevertheless,  and  to  prevent  the  idea  that  our 
suggestion  springs  from  illiberal  motives,  we 
offer  to  any  one  who  wishes  to  acquire  the 
diagrams  and  key  for  illustrative  purposes,  as 
suggested,  the  use  of  a  box  containing  a  set  of 
samples,  such  as  we  have  named,  including  the 
said  diagrams,  for  the  sum  of  eight  shillings 
and  carriage  both  ways,  the  diagrams  to  remain 
the  property  of  the  hirer,  who  will,  as  a  matter 
of  course,  be  held  responsible  for  the  safety  of 
the  samples  sent.  We  trust  all  our  Associa- 
tions and  caterers  will  do  likewise. 


ABBOTT'S  IRISH  HIVE. 

In  devising  a  hive  for  Ireland,  we  have  taken 
into  account  the  heavy  cost  of  transit  from 
England  and  Scotland,  and  over  all  the  Irish 
railways,  and  have  endeavoured  in  its  construc- 
tion to  eliminate  all  that  may  puzzle  the  peasant 
mind,  cither  in  its  manufacture  or  use.  The 
cost  of  transit  induced  us,  in  the  first  instance, 
to  prepare  a  hive  in  pieces,  to  be  put  together 
on  arrival  at  its  destination ;  but  seeing  that, 
except  in  the  hands  of  an  expert,   the  pieces, 


November  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


127 


like  those  of  the  latest  'Simplicity' from  America, 
might  require  a  model  to  enable  their  recipient 
to  put  them  together,  we  abandoned  the  idea, 
and  made  a  pattern  that  any  one  may  readily 
copy  who  can  use  a  saw  and  hammer.  To 
minimise  first  cost  to  the  purchaser,  the  hive 
is  so  constructed  that  for  travelling  purposes  it 
may  be  packed  complete  in  a  parcel  not  more 
than  12  inches  high,  the  length  and  breadth 
being,  of  course,  that  of  the  boards  of  which  it  is 
constructed,  as  would  be  the  case  with  a  hive  in 
pieces.  No  packing-case  is  needed,  there  being 
no  parts  exposed  that  can  be  injured  in  ordinary 
traffic  ;  and  when  received  nothing  will  be  ne- 
cessary but  to  set  it  right  side  up,  and  insert 
the  wax-sheets  or  guides  to  ensure  straight 
combs,  and  to  introduce  the  bees  to  them.  In 
planning  a  hive  for  a  new  country,  even  a 
country  in  which  there  are  not  already  a  host 
of  hives  or  hive-makers,  whose  existence  could 
not  be  ignored,  we  have  been  guided  by  the 
light  of  our  own  experience,  and  encouraged 
by  that  of  others,  to  give  preference  to  the 
form  which  chiefly  obtains  in  the  best  Conti- 
nental apiaries,  and  which  has  been  introduced 
into  England  in  Abbott's  '  Combination '  hive. 
Accepting  the  principle  involved  therein  as  the 
best  for  all  practical  purposes,  we  have  arranged 
our  Irish  hive  of  capacity  to  contain  about  ten 
frames,  more  or  less,  of  Woodbury  type ;  but 
having  the  Abbott's  top  bars,  which  are  uni- 
versally esteemed  of  the  best  shape  for  ordinary 


I 


use  since  they  keep  their  own  distances  from 
each  other,  and  their  broad  ends  give  steadiness 
to  them  individually,  features  not  to  be  found 
in  any  others ;  and  any  number  of  sections 
may  be  placed  at  the  top,  or  at  the  back  of  the 
brood-nest.  The  hive  will  be  made  of  inch 
pine-boards,  after  the  manner  of  the  Com- 
bination hive,  and  can  be  used  in  all  respects 
in  the  same  way,  the  frames  will  be  placed 
parallel  to  the  entrance,  and  for  summer  use 
will  he  to  the  front,  but  for  winter  will  (or 
should  be)  put  nearer  the  centre  for  protective 
purposes,  as  explained  on  p.  103  of  Journal. 
For  convenience  of  transit,  the  roof  has  been 
arranged  so  that  the  body  of  the  hive  shall  slip 
into  it,  as  far  as  may  he,  thereby  contracting 
it  telescopically,  and  reducing  it  for  storage. 
As  will  be  seen  from  the  figure,  which  suggests 


the  outline  of  the  hive  from  the  front,  the  roof 
or  super-case  would  slide  over  the  body-box;  but 

to  prevent  this  while  in  use,      ._ , 

ledges  are  nailed  on  to  the 
sides  of  the  latter  at  a  a,  and 
the  roof  resting  upon  them 
keeps  all  snugly  confined,  and 
amply  protected. 

As  will  be  seen  in  fig.  2, 
the  hive  is  capable  of  use  as 
a  twin-hive,  itbeing  competent  for  b,  or  c,  to  be 
used  for  storing  honey,  or  for  breeding  purposes. 


Fig.  1. 


Fig.  2. 


When  packed  for  transit,  the  body  of  the  hive  is 
inverted  into  the  super-case,  and  the  floor-board 


Fig.  3. 

fixed  upon  the  quilt  and  frames  gives  them 
perfect  steadiness  and  security,  when  the  whole 
will  present  a  compact  appearance,  b  being 
occupied  with  frames,  c  with  sections,  and  d 
with  the  wax-guides  or  foundation,  which  is 
to  be  fixed  into  the  frames. 

We  have  here  outlined  our  plan  ;  we  provide 
for  all  reasonable  contingencies,  the  hive  is 
expansive  and  contractile ;  may  be  used  in 
various  ways,  and  to  our  mind  cannot  be  im- 
proved except  by  the  use  of  frames  that  touch 
each  other,  as  in  our  modification  of  the  Giotto 
hive,  of  which  we  have  often  had  occasion  to 
write.  In  our  next  we  propose  to  give  ample 
directions  for  making  the  Irish  hive,  and  in  the 
meantime  shall  be  prepared  to  supply  jiatterns, 
at  lowest  cost  to  those  who  prefer  them. 


BEE-KEEPING  IN  NEW  ZEALAND. 

Ligurians  not  theke. — We  have  had  the 
pleasure  of  supplj'ing  a  parcel  of  Ligurians  to  Mr. 
Charles  Chaplin,  late  of  Westbury-on-Trym, 
Bristol,  who  lately  has  'swarmed'  off  to  the  anti- 
podes. The  queens  were  sent  at  the  request 
of  Dr.  James  Irving,  late  of  Nottingham,  the 
President  of  the  Canterbury  Bee-keepers'  Asso- 
ciation, who,  seeing  by  the  Journal  for  March 
last,  that  Mr.  Chaplin  was  going  out,  wrote  : — 

'  Dear  Mr.  Abbott, — I  read  with  great  interest  Mr. 
Chaplin's  letter  in  the  March  No.  of  B.  B.  J.  just  re- 
ceived. Have  written  to  him  to  ask  him  to  communicate 
with  you,  with  a  view  to  bringing  us  out  some  Ligurians, 


128 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[November  1,  1880. 


which,  I  assure  you,  do  not  exist  here  or  in  Austral'a. 
The  Americans  won't  do.  Please  do  what  you  can  to 
help  us  in  this.  '  Believe  me,  yours  truly, 

'  Nottingham  Lodge,  '  James  Irving. 

'  Ohristehwch,  New  Zealand, 

<  May  2nd,  1880.' 

Our  farewell  was  taken  of  Mr.  Chaplin  at  the 
South  Kensington  Show,  and  the  Irish  tour 
prevented  personal  assistance  to  him  in  the 
preparation  of  the  queens  for  the  journey.  Our 
junior  supplied  Mr.  Chaplin  with  five,  in  full 
vigour,  from  our  hives,  in  which  they  had  been 
well  rested  ;  and  to  that  able  bee-keeper  will 
belong  the  credit  of  delivery  in  New  Zealand 
should  they  survive  the  passage,  which  they 
should  do  if  care  and  attention  will  ensure  it. 
Dr.  Irving's  assurance  that  Ligurians  do  not  at 
present  exist  in  New  Zealand  or  Australia,  may 
be  fully  relied  on. — Ed.  B.  B.  J. 


The  Editor  of  the  Canterbury  Times  (March  13, 
1880)  remarking  on  a  communication  respecting 
hives  and  frames,  says  : — 

'  Our  correspondent  will  doubtless  have  observed  that 
the  object  of  the  Rev.  G.  Wilks  has  simply  been  to  de- 
sign such  a  modification  of  the  bar-frame  hive  as  to 
enable  cottagers  to  ad<  pt  the  system  at  a  nominal  cost. 
The  reverend  gen'leman  will  in  future  u?e  the  Abbott 
frame  (the  standard  adopted  by  the  Canterbury  Associa- 
tion) in  all  hives  issued  under  his  supervision.  Wo  shall 
be  glad  to  receive  diagrams  and  explanation  of  the 
Giotto  hive,  as  used  by  Mr.  Caldwell. 

This  indicates  that  the  Canterbury  Bee-keepers' 
Association,  under  the  able  presidency  of  Dr. 
Irving,  has  profited  by  seeing  the  mistake  of  our 
British  Association,  in  not  at  first  adopting  a 
'  standard  frame.'  We  urged  the  question  some 
years  ago,  when  hive-makers  were  few,  and  uni- 
formity could  have  been  secured  at  small  cost ;  and 
now  that  hive-makers'  difficulties  have  multiplied 
exceedingly,  we  find  the  Judges  at  the  late  Ken- 
sington Show  recommending  the  idea.  See  report 
of  Judges  in  Class  27,  p.  67  B.  B.  J. 

We  are  pleased  to  see  that  Dr.  James  Irving  is 
taking  a  leading  part  in  the  antipodes  in  promoting 
scientific  bee-culture,  and  is  rapidly  making  converts. 
The  Canterbury  Times  gives  a  good  report  of  his 
doings,  and  the  interest  that  necessarily  attaches  to 
the  earnest  efforts  of  a  former  subscriber  and  per- 
sonal friend  is  our  excuse,  if  one  be  needed,  for 
extracting  from  that  paper.  Under  the  heading, 
'  Dr.  Irving's  Experiments,'  we  read  : — 

'.At  four  o'clock  yesterday  afternoon,  the  company 
had  reassembled,  for  they  were  most  anxious  not  to  miss 
the  opportunity ;  and  the  doctor's  promise  was  that  in 
the  event  of  the  weather  being  unfavourable  on  Monday, 
he  would  attend  on  the  first  fine  afternoon.  The  doctor 
was  punctual,  and  the  entertainment  given  by  him  was 
unique.  Nothing  at  all  approaching  it,  I  believe,  has 
ever  before  been  witnessed  in  this  colony,  and  everyone 
was  both  astonished  and  delighted.  Dr.  Irving's  first 
care  was  to  explain  to  his  audience  what  were  the 
requirements  of  a  complete  hive;  and  in  giving  these 
(45)  fundamental  rules,  he  enlarged  upon  them,  some- 
times replying  to  a  long  string  of  questions  from  one  and 
another  of" the  audience,  and  at  times  quite  an  animated 
debate  was  proceeding.     An  empty  hive  was   used   to 


explain  every  detail,  and  it  was  made  abundantly  evident 
that  with  a  framed-hive  as  planned  by  Br.  Irving, 
absolutely  anything  in  reason  could  be  done  with  the 
bees. 

'  Old  Louis  Langlois  was  looking  on,  quietly  smoking 
his  short  pipe  with  intense  satisfaction,  and  I  asked  him 
what  he  thought  of  such  a  plan  of  bee-keeping  as  that. 
He  expressed  himself  as  being  well  pleased  so  far,  but 
he  preferred  to  withhold  any  definite  opinion  until  we 
had  inspected  the  tenanted  hive,  towards  which  we 
were  now  moving.  Langlois  was  evidently  disturbed 
about  something,  but  I  could  not  yet  understand  what 
it  was.  There  was  a  short  halt,  just  before  approaching 
the  bees,  to  enable  the  visitors  to  don  their  bee  dresses, 
and  certainly  the  appearance  which  was  soon  presented 
was  ludicrous  in  the  extreme.  Some  had  provided 
themselves  with  heavy-looking  black  veils,  extending  at 
a  considerable  distance  from  their  faces  by  means  of  an 
enormously  large  false  hat-brim  of  cardboard,  and  they 
might  have  been  taken  for  some  new  o.der  of  priests. 
One  gentleman,  in  addition  to  his  big  veil,  had  a  broad 
strap  tightly  buckled  roung  his  chest,  lest  perchance 
some  prying  bee  should  insinuate  itself  beneath  the 
closely-buttoned  coat.  His  hands  were  encased  in 
hedging  gloves,  with  added  gauntlets,  and .  a  liberal 
application  of  twine  to  the  bottoms  of  his  bifurcated 
garments  had  made  all  secure  in  that  quarter.  "  Aha ! 
zee  bees  won't  sting  to-day,  and  zere  will  be  no  fun." 
Louis  Langlois  was  at  my  elbow,  and  he  it  was  who 
spoke.  I  took  the  hint,  and  thrust  back  the  veil  which 
I  was  in  the  act  of  taking  out.  There  was  a  fair  sprink- 
ling of  uncovered  faces  and  hands,  for  some  of  the 
spectators  knew  that  they  would  experience  no  ill  effect 
from  a  sting,  and  so  were  secure  in  their  immunity  from 
suffering. 

'  The  cover  of  the  hive  being  gently  lifted  off,  the 
frames  and  their  contained  combs  were  exposed  to 
view,  with  the  bees  about  them  in  rich  brown  clusters. 
They  had  been  tenants  of  this  new  home  only  twelve 
days,  but  the  work  they  had  done  was  marvellous.  The 
doctor  took  out  the  combs  one  by  one,  explaining  the 
mode  of  construction  followed  by  the  insect  architects 
and  builders,  and  the  variation  of  worker,  drone,  and 
queen  bee  cells.  For  some  time  he  could  not  find  the 
queen,  so  thickly  were  the  bees  crowding  about  the 
golden  walls,  but  she  was  at  length  detected,  and  the 
frame  containing  the  comb  over  which  she  was  travel- 
ling was  gently  lifted  out,  and  placed  in  an  exhibition 
hive.  This  hive  consists  of  a  bottom,  ends,  and  top  of 
polished  wood,  the  sides  being  of  glass,  and  the  distance 
of  the  glass  sides  from  each  other  is  only  sufficient  to 
admit  of  one  sheet  of  comb  and  the  attendant  bees  being 
included.  On  the  hive  being  closed,  no  bees  can  escape, 
and  their  movements  can  be  minutely  examined.  There 
was  something  extremely  beautiful  in  the  stately  march 
of  the  queen,  elegantly  shaped,  deliberate  in  all  her 
movements,  and  obsequiously  made  way  for  by  her  loyal 
subjects.  But  of  far  more  practical  interest  was  the  proof 
given  that  in  a  hive  of  suitable  construction  the  bees  are 
made  to  build  perfectly  flat  sheets  of  comb,  and  that  at 
any  time  a  slice  may  be  taken  without  injuring  a  single 
bee.  For  an  hour  and  a  half  Dr.  Irving  entertained  his 
visitors,  and  during  the  greater  part  of  that  time  he  was 
giving  explanatory  illustrations  with  the  crowded  hive, 
yet  so  far  as  coidd  be  ascertained  there  was  no  sacrifice 
of  the  life  of  even  a  single  bee,  and  so  little  did  they 
appear  to  be  disturbed  by  the  mode  of  inspection  adopted, 
that  no  one  even  felt  a  sting.  The  doctor  also  showed  i 
slinger,  made  on  the  American  principle,  for  extracting 
honey  from  the  combs,  and  a  large  sheet  of  comb  was 
emptied  in  less  than  half  a  minute.  It  will  readily  be 
perceived  that  by  this  method  of  taking  honey,  the  empty 
comb  can  be  returned  to  the  hive,  to  be  cleaned,  repaired, 
and  refilled,  and  that  as  a  result  the  labour  of  the  bees  is 
economised,  and  the  produce  of  honey  materially  aug- 


November  1.  1SS0.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


129 


mented.  An  ingeniously  simple  apparatus  for  feeding- 
bees  in  unfavourable  weather  was  also  shown.  Both  the 
feeder  and  the  slinger  were  manufactured  by  Mr.  G.  P. 
Day,  Colombo  Street. 

'  I  was  now  made  aware  of  the  reasons  for  the  uneasiness 
which  Louis  Langlois  had  shown.  Champion  of  the  old 
system  of  bee-keeping  though  he  was,  he  frankly  admit- 
ted that  he  was  delighted  with  the  new  plan;  but  he 
was  disappointed  that  the  bees  had  not  shown  their 
irritability  and  "  made  ze  people  dance  about."  He  was 
also,  perhaps,  a  little  disappointed  that  he  had  not  been 
afforded  an  opportunity  of  displaying  his  powers.  He 
determined  to  create  that  opportunity.  Calling  a  few  of 
us  to  him,  he  led  the  way  to  a  large  wooden  hive,  over- 
stocked with  bees,  and  so  having  an  immense  cluster  of 
the  insects  on  the  outside,  immediately  above  the  entrance, 
as  if  preparing  to  swarm.  Quietly  stepping  up  to  the  hive, 
he  gathered  up  the  bees  in  his  bare  hands,  as  if  they  were 
so  man}-  dead  flies,  and  carried  the  living  mats  to  us.  The 
bees  clung  to  his  hands,  working  about  in  confused  heaps, 
and  only  one  inserted  its  sting.  Langlois  was  pleased  at 
this,  and  with  great  glee  he  desired  us  to  notice  how  the 
little  brown  chap  was  vainly  trying  to  withdraw  the 
barbed  lance.  He  then  dropped  the  bees  repeatedly  from 
one  hand  to  the  other,  and  finally  replaced  them  on  the 
flight-board  of  their  hive.  Curiously  enough,  not  one  of 
these  bees  attempted  to  fly. 

'  At  the  conclusion  of  the  experiments,  Dr.  Irving  was 
heartily  thanked  for  the  gratification  he  had  afforded, 
and  he  kindly  undertook  to  repeat  the  exhibition  on  next 
Monday  afternoon,  at  four  o'clock.  Stops  will  then  be 
taken  to  form  a  Bee-keep  'rs'  Society,  by  means  of  which 
members  may  exchange  experience  andvideas,  and  be 
enable  to  perfect  their  knowledge  of  a  sultject  of  intense 
interest.' 

From  further  reports  it  will  be  evident  that  a 
Bee-keepers'  Association  has  been  formed  : 

'Tht?  Apiarian  Association. — At  a  meeting  of  the 
Committee  of  the  Bee-keepers'  Association  held  on 
Tuesday  evening,  it  was  decided  that  the  standard  size 
bar  frames  adopted  by  the  Association,  should  be  issued 
to  members  at  2s.  per  set  of  ten,  and  that  the  price  to 
non-members  should  be  2s.  6d.  The  Committee  was 
empowered  to  procure  specimens  of  the  cheapest  hives 
that  could  be  designed  for  use  with  the  bar-frames,  such 
hives  to  be  complete  with  roof,  &c.  It  was  also  resolved 
to  grant  members  of  the  Association  the  thse  of  a  honey 
extractor,  at  a  charge  of  Is.  per  day  ;  also,  to  prepare  a 
list  of  flowering  plants,  which  should,  if  possible,  be 
grown  by  all  apiarians.  Various  items  of  business  were 
then  disposed  of,  and  some  preliminary  steps  were  taken 
in  connexion  with  an  illustrated  bee  lecture,  to  be  given 
during  the  winter  season. 

'  Bee  Demonstration. — Dr.  Irving  gave  a  practical 
illustration  of  the  process  of  transferring  a  swarm  of 
bees  from  an  old  hive  to  one  of  the  modern  bar-frame 
structures.  At  three  o'clock  a  considerable  number  of 
people  hud  assembled  in  the  public  gardens,  some  of  the 
country  visitors  having  come  from  Timaru.  The  weather 
being  favourable,  Dr.  Irving  promptly  decided  upon 
adopting  the  driving  process  instead  of  using  chloroform, 
in  order  that  the  demonstration  might  be  of  greater 
practical  value  to  country  visitors.  The  box  hive,  which 
had  been  kindly  supplied"  by  Mr.  Armstrong,  was  a  very 
heavy  one,  and  the  very  large  amount  of  young  bees  and 
brood  comb  well  illustrated  the  generally  observed  results 
of  the  present  season.  In  the  driving  process,  the  old 
hive  had  to  be  turned  upside  down,  and  an  empty  box 
inverted  upon  it.  Then,  by  drumming  upon  the  sides  of 
the  hive,  the  bees  are  frightened,  and  induced  to  leave 
the  combs,  and  tale  refuge  in  the  upper  box.  The  pre- 
sence of  so  many  young  bees,  however,  rendered  the 
experiment   only   partially  successful.      The  elder  bees 


ascended  quickly,  but  a  large  number  of  the  younger  ones 
clung  tenaciously  to  the  combs.  This,  notwithstanding, 
the  transfer  was  successfully  effected,  and  the  sheets  of 
heavily  laden  comb  were  duly  transferred  to  bar-frames. 
At  the  same  time,  some  of  the  combs  were  deprived  of 
their  contained  honey  by  the  use  of  the  ingeniously  sim- 
ple Abbott  sLinger,  and  indeed  every  possible  detail  was 
demonstrated  and  carefully  explained,  the  transfer  being 
thus  made  a  really  valuable  means  of  education  in  apicul- 
ture. All  present  seemed  to  be  much  pleased,  and  Dr. 
Irving  certainly  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  his 
efforts  for  the  extension  of  bee-keeping  had  been  fully 
appreciated.' 

A  lecture  on  '  The  Honey  Extractor '  has  also 
been  delivered  by  Dr.  Irving,  an  extract  from 
which  will  be  read  with  interest : — 

'  The  extractor  is  undoubtedly  the  greatest  invention  of 
late  years  in  aid  of  bee  culture,  as  it  enables  the  bee- 
keeper to  double  the  honey  produce  of  his  bees.  The  bar- 
frame  principle  of_hives  brought  the  mysteries  of  the 
hive  to  light,  gave  Hf'MHeS'f or  management,  and  enabled 
the  bee-master  to  help  himself  to  their  honey  without 
destroying  the  bees,  or  materially  injuring  their  home  or 
prospects;  but  it  does  not  enable  the  bees  to  store  one 
ounce  more  than  they  could  or  would  do  in  an  old- 
fashioned  slab  or  box-hive.  The  ingathering  of  honey 
depends  entirely  on  the  nature  of  the  locality  and  the 
seasons,  and  is  regulated  mainly,  as  far  as  quantity  per 
hive  goes,  by  the  strength  (numerically)  of  the  stock. 
Bees  do  not  make  honey,  as  some  people  think,  any  more 
than  man  can  make  fruit.  They  simply  gather  itj.  wb  n, 
by  a  happy  combination  of  circumstances.it  has  l« .,,n 
secreted  in  the  nectaries  of  flowers  and  blossoms,  and 
having  collected  it,  what  they  do  not  require  for  their 
own  sustenance  they  store  in  their  combs. 

'  As  a  matter  of  course,  when  it  is  explained  that  bees 
do  not  make  honey,  and  that  they  can  only  collect  it 
when  naturally  secreted  ;  that,  moreover,  it  is  not  secreted 
in  cold  weather,  and  that  if  it  were  the  bees  could  not 
get  abroad  to  gather  it,  this  is  the  first  lesson  to  be 
learned  in  bee  culture.  As  a  rule,  the  honey  season  is 
short  in  England,  but.  it  may  be,  and  probably  is,  longer 
here  ;  but  whether  long  or  short,  stocks  should  be  kept 
strong  by  cultivation,  so  as  to  he  ready  to  take  every 
advantage  of  a  glut  of  honey.  Stocks  that  are  not  strong 
cannot  have  much  surplus  honey,  if  any.  That  is  lesson 
number  two.  Another  lesson  has  also  to  be  learned,  and 
that  is,  as  to  the  value  of  combs  as  built  by  the  bees.  It 
has  been  ascertained  that  for  every  pound  of  honey  stored 
in  new  comb,  a  full  pound  has  already  been  consumed  in 
secreting  the  wax  with  which  the  new  comb  was  built, 
or,  in  other  words,  every  pound  of  comb-honey  represents 
two  pounds  of  honey  as  collected  by  the  bees.  Now,  the 
extractor  enables  the  bee-keeper  to  prevent  the  extra- 
ordinary loss  that  results  from  the  bees  having  to  build 
new  comb  in  which  to  store  their  surplus  honey ;  and 
where  honey-getting  is  the  object,  the  result  will  posi- 
tively be  doubled  by  its  use.  If  two  stocks  of  bees  — 
similar  in  all  respects  —  be  setside  by  side,  for  every  ten 
pounds  of  honey  stored  by  one  in  new  comb,  twenty 
pounds  at  least  could  be  obtained  from  the  other  by  the 
aid  of  the  extractor,  and  the  latter  would  be  stronger  in 
bees,  and  therefore  better  able  to  stand  the  winter. 
Bearing  these  facts  in  mind,  can  anyone  who  -n  ants 
honey  for  sale  or  for  home  consumption,  doubt  the 
expediency  of  using  the  extractor  ? 

'  When  bees  appear  lazy  and  will  not  take  to  supers,  it 
is  often  because  the  combs  are  f  idl  to  repletion.  The  use 
of  the  extractor  will  relieve  the  combs,  the  queen  will  set 
to  work, having  room  now  to  lay  eggs  ;  anil  all  will  go  on 
again  as  it  should  do,  and  you  will  get  a  hive  full  of 
young  bees  with  which  to  face  the  winter,  instead  of  old 
and  halt  worn-out  bees,  which  gradually  die  out  during 
the  winter,  and  leave  a  very  sparingly  populated  hive,  to 


130 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[November  1,  1880. 


begin  the  work  of  resuscitation  in  the  early  spring.  I  am 
quite  well  aware  that  some  apiarians  urge,  that  comb 
foundation  so  largely  aids  the  bees  in  forming  new  comb, 
that  the  waste  is  not  nearly  so  great  as  formerly.  True, 
but  the  extractor,  too,  does  away  with  the  expense  of 
both  comb  foundation  in  supers  and  the  supers  themselves, 
and  where  honey  is  simply  the  object  sought,  its  value  is 
self-apparent.' 

WIRED  FOUNDATION. 

Mr.  James  Heddon,  in  an  article  in  the 
American  Bee  Journal,  p.  424,  writes  enthusi- 
astically in  favour  of  the  '  Given '  wired-found- 
ation,  and  prefers  it  to  the  Diuihani  or  any  other, 
he  says : — 

'I  do  not  want  to  keep  "foundation  "  in  its  place  ! 
only  want  to  put  it  in  its  proper  position  when  ihe 
swarm  is  put  in,  and  then  know  that  it  will  keep  itself 
there  for  ever.'  He  further  says,  '  I  was  forcibly  re- 
minded how  much  behind  our  British  cousins  are  when  I 
read  Mr.  Cheshire's  article  on  p.  372,  containing  state- 
ment after  statement  that  is  the  exact  reverse  of  the 
experience  of  many  of  our  leading  apiarists  in  this 
country.  He  talks  of  pulling  out  the  wires — I  would  not 
have  the  wires  withdrawn  from  my  combs  at  50  cents 
per  hive.  I  know  that  a  No.  86  tinned  wire  sunk  level 
with  the  surface  of  the  septum  will  cause  no  trouble 
whatever  to  bees  or  keeper.' 

[When  doctors  differ,  who  shall  decide  ? — Ed.] 


COMB-FOUNDATION  MADE  ON  WOOD. 

Mr.  C.  F.  Echard,  Woodside,  L.  I.,  N.  York, 
claims  to  have  invented  foundation  on  wood 
long  since,  and  says  he  has  had  in  it  use  for  two 
years  ;  '  but  on  the  whole  did  not  make  much 
noise  about  it,  as  he  intended  taking  out  a  patent 
on  it  as  soon  as  he  had  thoroughly  tested  it. 
This  was  now  done,  and  he  was  just  about  to 
apply  for  a  patent  when  he  was  startled  by 
seeing  Mr.  Jones's  letter  about  Mr.  Abbott's 
wooden-foundation.' 

We  are  naturally  sorry  if  our  efforts  have 
forestalled  the  chance  of  a  patent  on  this  article 
in  the  land  of  patents,  because,  had  that  insur- 
ance on  brain  effort  been  effected,  the  world 
would  have  heard  '  considerable '  noise  about 
the  advantages  which  it  possesses  over  the 
sagging,  bending,  stretching  and  breaking  stuff 
about  which  the  American  patentees  of  ordinary 
foundation  are  squabbling  eternally.  It  is  un- 
fortunate, too,  in  other  respects,  that  the  only 
foundation  that  will  not  break,  and  in  which 
new  swarms  may  be  sent  hundreds  of  miles  in 
safety,  was  not  perfected  by  an  American  in- 
stead of  an  Englishman ;  had  it  been,  it  would 
long  ere  this  have  been  applauded  to  the  echo, 
and  proclaimed  a  triumph  of  art,  and  every- 
body would  have  been  craving  for  it,  and,  at 
least,  it  would  have  led  to  extensive  experiences. 
As  it  is,  it  has  been  tried  as  a  curiosity  simply  ; 
and  of  it  Mr.  T.  G.  Newman,  Editor  of  the 
American  B.  J.,  writes  : — 

'  About  the  Otli  July  Mr.  D.  A.  Jones  sent  us  a  sheet 
of  Abbott's  foundation  made  on  a  wooden  base.     The 


board  is  about  T«  of  an  inch  thick ;  this  is  coated  on  both 
sides  with  wax,  then  placed  between  plates  which  are 
put  in  the  press,  and  a  flat-bottomed  impression  made  in 
the  wax.  This  waxed  board  was  tacked  in  a  frame,  and 
placed  in  the  brood  chamber  of  a  strong  colony.  The 
bees  took  to  it  speedily,  and  at  thii  time  every  cell  is 
built  out  and  occupied  with  brood  or  honey.' 

In  a  summary  of  his  opinions,  in  which  he 
avers  the  '  Dunham. '  foundation  to  be  the  best, 
he  writes  : — 

'  Bees  will  readily  accept  foundation  with  a  wooden 
base,  but  for  ordinary  use  in  the  apiary,  unless  much 
cheaper  in  price,  it  will  not  be  preferred.' 

Perhaps  it  is  only  natural  for  every  one  to 
believe  in  the  wares  in  which  he  has  an  interest 
— every  crow  thinks  his  own  offspring  swans,  at 
least  so  runs  the  fable. 


BEE-KEEPING  IN  ENGLAND  IN  1880. 
By  the  Rev.  H.  R.  Peel,  Hon.  Secretary  of  the 

British  Bee-keepers'  Association. 

Being   a    Lecture    delivered    on    September   8th,   at   the 

Assembly  Rooms,  Boston. 

'  Those  of  you  who  are  familiar  with  the  writings  of 
the  late  Mr.  Charles  Dickens,  and  especially  with  the 
Pickwick  Papers,  will  remember  a  garden-party  which 
was  given  by,  Mrs,  Leo  Hunter  to  her  friends  and 
acquaintances  at  Eatanswill.  Mr.  Samuel  Pickwick  was 
introduced  on  this  occasion  to  Count  Smorltork,  a  dis- 
tinguished foreigner,  who  was  writing  a  book  on  England 
which  was  to  embrace  "  music,  picture,  science,  poetry, 
poltic,  all  tings."  "  The  word  politics,"  said  Mr.  Pick- 
wick, "  comprises  in  itself  a  difficult  study  of  no  incon- 
siderable magnitude."  The  same  may  be  said  of  Bee- 
keeping. It  is  a  study  which  presents  many  difficulties, 
all  of  which,  however,  may  be  overcome  by  energy  and 
perseverance,  and  it  is  a  study  of  no  inconsiderable 
magnitude.  Indeed,  the  great  charm  of  bee-keeping  is 
that  so  many  persons  can  take  an  interest  in  it  from 
different  reasons  and  motives — that  there  are  so  many 
points  of  view  from  which  it  may  be  regarded.  A 
scientific  mind  may  look  upon  it  as  a  science  ;  a  practical 
mind  may  regard  it  as  an  art ;  the  gardener  may  take  an 
interest  in  Bee-keeping  from  its  bearings  upon  horti- 
culture, and  the  farmer  from  its  connexion  with  agri- 
culture ;  whilst  the  philanthropist  may  take  up  bee- 
keeping and  feel  an  interest  in  it  because  he  can  discern 
in  it  a  means  of  improving  both  the  temporal  and  the 
spiritual  condition  of  his  fellow-creatures.  I  must  inform 
you  that  I  belong  to  the  latter  category,  and  do  not 
pretend  to  being  either  a  scientific  or  a  practical  bee- 
keeper. As  Secretary  of  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Asso- 
ciation, I  see  and  hear  a  good  deal  about  bee-keepers  and 
bees  ;  and  from  being  obliged  to  take  a  general  view  of 
the  matter,  instead  of  looking  at  it  from  one  point 
exclusively,  I  can  perhaps  tell  you  as  well  as  any  one  else 
what  is  the  present  position  and  what  are  the  future 
prospects  of  bee-keeping  in  the  year  1880. 

'  1.  »We  will  look  upon  bee-keeping  first  as  a  science. 
What  constitutes  a  science  ?  The  science  of  Astronomy, 
for  instance— what  is  that?  Is  it  not  the  knowledge  of 
the  heavenly  bodies  which  has  been  gained,  not  by  guess- 
work or  speculation,  but  by  observation  and  experiment? 
There  have  been  many  writers  upon  bees,  notably  Virgil, 
and  our  own  great  dramatist  Shakespeare,  whom  we 
may  read  with  t'le  greatest  possible  pleasure  and  admira- 
tion, but  whom  we  cannot  call  scientific  bee-keepers. 
Virgil  seems  to  have  collected  all  the  legends  about  bees 
which  he  could  learn  from  the  peasants  of  Mantua  or 
Calabria,  and  to  have  made  them  into  a  poem.  But 
Virgil  would  be  a  poor  guide  for  any  Lincolnshire  bee- 


November  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


131 


keeper  to  follow.  One  who  had  lost  his  bees,  for  in- 
stance, would  hardly  do  well  to  sacrifice  a  young  bull 
under  two  years  old  at  the  beginning  of  winter  in  the 
belief  that  bees  would  be  hatched  out  of  his  buried 
carcase  in  the  spring.  Aristotle,  on  the  other  hand,  who 
lived  long  before  Virgil,  was  a  scientific  inquirer  into 
bee  life,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  scientific  bee-keeping. 
He  knew  more  about  bees  three  hundred  years  before  the 
birth  of  Christ  than  some  Cornish  bee-keepers  do  in  the 
present  day.  He  would  have  repudiated  their  belief 
that  "the  drones  be  they  as  lay  the  eggs,  and  that  the 
little  ones  as  work  be  the  he-bees,"  and  woidd  have  con- 
tended that  the  queen  has  something  more  to  do  in  a 
hive  than  to  be  "  a  land  of  a  governor  like  among  'em." 
I  doubt  whether  Aristotle  would  have  quite  seen  the 
necessity  for  putting  two  pilchards  into  a  hive  when  he 
took  a  swarm  of  bees.  But  just  as  astronomical  obser- 
vations could  not  be  carried  on  with  much  success  before 
the  introduction  of  telescopes  and  observatories,  so  the 
science  of  bee-keeping  could  make  but  little  way  until 
Maraldi  invented  the  first  Observatory  Hive  at  the 
beginning  of  the  last  century,  and  the  microscope  began 
to  be  used  in  anatomical  studies.  I  could  mention  a 
long  list  of  the  names  of  those  who  advanced  the  science 
of  bee-keeping  by  their  own  individual  researches ;  but 
the  greatest  advance  which  has  been  made  in  England 
was  the  formation  of  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Associa- 
tion in  the  year  1874,  when  these  individual  efforts  were 
all  brought  together  and  concentrated  upon  one  common 
object.  You  may  rely  upon  it  that  the  English  bee- 
keepers of  generations  yet  to  come  will  feel  that  they 
owe  a  greater  debt  to  the  founder  of  that  Association 
than  they  do  to  Aristotle  or  any  other  individual 
inquirers.  The  Exhibitions  which  have  been  held  by  the 
British  Bee-keepers'  Association  have  brought  together 
all  the  appliances  and  inventions  which  could  throw  light 
upon  the  anatomy  and  habits  of  the  bee,  and  reveal  all 
the  mysteries  of  the  bee-hive.  These  diagrams  which  I 
have  brought  with  me  are  an  outcome  from  those  Exhi- 
bitions. The  originals  from  which  these  two  sheets  are 
taken  were  generally  considered  to  be  of  such  merit  that 
an  application  was  made  last  year  to  the  Science  and 
Art  Department  of  the  Committee  of  Council  on  Educa- 
tion, with  a  view  to  their  being  recommended  by  the 
Department  to  the  many  schools  throughout  the  country 
which  are  connected  with  it.  This  was  a  step  towards 
the  recognition  of  bee-keeping  as  a  science ;  but  one  of 
the  members  of  our  Committee  (the  Rev.  E.  Bartrum) 
was  not  satisfied  with  this.  He  had  been  an  eye-witness 
of  the  good  done  by  the  Schools  of  Cookery  established 
in  so  many  towns  through  the  teaching  of  Mr.  Buck- 
master,  and  he  thought  a  more  thorough  knowledge  of 
bee-keeping  might  be  diffused  through  England  if  the 
Government  would  endow  a  Professorship  of  Bee-keep- 
ing, and  form  a  School  of  Bee-keeping  at  South  Kensing- 
ton. Mr.  Bartrum  was  not  unmindful  of  the  assistance 
given  from  the  public  funds  in  Germany  to  the  many 
Bee  Societies  established  in  that  country,  where  every 
sehoolmaster  is  obliged  to  hold  a  certificate  that  he  has  a 
competent  knowledge  of  bee-keeping.  In  accordance 
with  Mr.  Bartrum's  suggestion,  a  letter  was  this  year 
addressed  to  Earl  Spencer  as  President  of  the  Educa- 
tional Council,  begging  him  to  take  the  subject  under 
his  consideration.  His  reply  was  most  prompt  and  en- 
couraging, and  he  evinced  his  personal  appreciation  of 
the  grounds  for  the  request  by  visiting  the  Exhibition 
of  1880  in  the  gardens  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society,  and  witnessing  the  manipulations  which  were 
being  carried  on  in  the  Bee  Tent.  On  the  day  following 
Earl  Spencer's  visit  the  Exhibition  was  inspected  by 
Professors  Huxley  and  Norman  Lockyer,  who  both  seemed 
pleased  and  interested  by  what  they  saw  and  heard. 
Since  then  I  have  been  asked  by  Colonel  Donnelly  to 
nominate  some  gentleman  who  would  give  two  lectures 
on  bee-keeping  to  certain  students  who  wore  qualifying 


themselves  for  becoming  teachers  of  agricultural  science  ; 
and  have  also  received  another  communication  from  the 
Science  and  Art  Department  suggesting  that  two  collec- 
tions of  the  best  hives  and  appliances  used  in  bee-keeping 
should  be  formed  at  the  Museum  at  South  Kensington 
and  at  the  Branch  Museum  at  Bethnal  Green.  Mr. 
Frank  Cheshire  delivered  the  two  lectures  to  the  future 
teachers  of  agricultural  science  to  the  satisfaction  of  all 
who  heard  him.  The  collections  for  the  two  Museums 
are  in  the  process  of  formation.  On  the  whole,  I  think 
that  the  position  of  bee-culture  as  a  recognised  branch  of 
natural  science  in  1880  is  more  hopeful  and  encouraging 
than  it  has  been  in  any  previous  year. 

'2.  I  must  now  say  a  few  words  upon  bee-keeping  re- 
garded as  an  art,  and  as  I  defined  a  science  as  knowledge 
obtained  by  observation  and  experiment,  so  I  think  I 
•may  define  an  art  as  such  knowledge  applied  to  practice. 
Mr.  Squeers'  method  of  teaching  his  philosophical  class 
was  right  in  theory  :  he  went  upon  the  practical  mode  of 
teaching.  When  a  boy  knew  that  "  winder "  spelt 
"  window,"  he  went  and  cleaned  the  window  of  the  back 
parlour.  When  a  boy  knew  that  "  bot-tin-ney  "  meant 
a  knowledge  of  plants,  he  was  set  to  weed  the  garden. 
An  art,  however,  may  be  practised  without  the  science 
having  been  first  mastered.  Many  a  man  practises  the 
art  of  photography  without  understanding  the  science  of 
it,  and  it  is  the  same  with  bee-keeping.  The  art  is 
often  practised  without  regard  to  the  science.  The 
art  of  bee  -  keeping  consists  in  obtaining  as  much 
honey  from  your  hives  as  possible  in  the  most  attractive 
and,  I  think  we  may  add,  in  the  most  portable  form. 
This  art  has  had  many  phases.  I  received  a  letter  last 
year  from  an  English  officer  in  the  Himalaya  Mountains, 
asking  for  assistance  in  teaching  the  natives  to  domesti- 
cate their  bees.  The  art  of  bee-keeping,  as  practised  in 
that  part  of  the  world,  he  described  as  being  very 
primitive.  The  native  thrusts  a  long-necked  bottle 
through  the  mud  wall  of  his  house,  with  the  mouth  out- 
wards, and  trusts  to  the  chance  of  a  swarm  of  bees 
coming  to  occupy  the  bottle.  Should  the  bees  make  this 
their  home,  the  proprietor  of  the  bottle  in  due  time 
suffocates  the  bees,  breaks  the  bottle,  and  takes  the 
honey.  In  Egypt  the  hive  consists  of  a  clay  pipe,  like  a 
draining-tile.  The  early  Britons  seem  to  have  practised 
the  art  of  bee-keeping  in  an  equally  primitive  but  less 
economical  method.  They  marked  the  hollow  trees 
which  swarms  of  bees  had  chosen  for  their  homes,  and, 
when  the  time  came  for  honey-gathering,  cut  down  the 
tree  and  took  the  honey.  I  suppose  that  the  Romans 
must  have  introduced  the  well-known  skep  into  Britain, 
for  Virgil  speaks  of  hives  "constructed  from  the  limber 
osier  "  as  being  common  in  his  day.  The  coldness  of  our 
climate  probably  caused  the  "  limber  osier  "  to  be  super- 
seded by  straw,  and  when  the  dome-shape  was  intro- 
duced— with  the  object,  I  suppose,  of  giving  the  bees 
greater  facility  in  fixing  their  combs — there  was  the 
straw  skep  complete.  Under  the  straw  skep  the  bees 
abode  in  peace  for  many  generations,  enjoying,  however, 
mostly  but  a  yearly  tenancy,  as  the  greater  number  were 
suffocated  in  the  autumn.  The  good  which  the  straw  skep 
effected  was  in  getting  bees  domesticated  at  all.  Once  in 
the  skep,  the  bees  were  (except  in  the  case  of  very  skilful 
bee-masters)  completely  emancipated  from  the  control  of 
their  owners.  The  skep  was  to  them  what  the  shell  is 
to  the  tortoise,  or,  according  to  Sidney  Smith,  the  dome 
of  St.  Paul's  is  to  its  Dean  and  Chapter.  It  was  an 
immense  advance  in  the  art  of  bee-keeping  when  the 
"  moveable  comb  hive "  was  invented  almost  simul- 
taneously by  Dzierzon  and  Langstioth.  To  sum  up 
briefly  the  great  advantages  which  the  hive  with  move- 
able frames  and  combs  possesses  over  the  straw  skep,  we 
may  say  that  it  is — 1.  An  observatory  hive,  as  you  can 
:it  any  time  take  out  and  examine  the  combs  and  bees. 
2.  It  admits  of  the  use  of  comb  foundation,  with  the  aid 
of  which  a  hive  has  been  known  to  be  filled  with  combs 


132 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[November  1,  1880. 


within  the  space  of  three  days.  3.  It  allows  the  use  of 
the  extractor,  through  which  the  large  quantity  of  liquid 
honey  now  seen  at  our  shows  is  so  easily  obtained, 
whilst  room  is  given  to  the  queen  for  the  deposition  of 
her  eggs  as  occasion  may  require.  4.  It  affords  great 
facilities  for  the  storing  of  honey  in  supers,  both  on  the 
top  of  the  frames  and  also  in  what  are  illogically  known 
as  "  side  "  supers,  o.  It  makes  the  process  of  artificial 
swarming  a  much  more  simple  and  feasible  one.  It  must 
not  be  thought,  however,  that  Art  has  done  nothing  for 
the  adherent  of  the  straw  skep  in  these  latter  days.  It 
has  taught  him  how  to  make  his  bees  docile  and  harm- 
less by  means  of  a  Utile  piece  of  smoking-rag  or  fustLn. 
It  has  taught  him  how  to  drive  his  bees  from  one  hive  to 
another,  and  how  to  transfer  his  combs  from  a  skip  to  a 
frame-hive,  if  he  be  so  minded.  It  has  taught  him  the 
value  of  feeding  his  bees  in  autumn  and  in  spring,  so  as 
to  encourage  both  late  and  early  breeding  in  the  hive. 
It  has  made  him  acquainted  with  an  admirable  sub- 
stitute for  pollen,  when  that  most  necessary  component 
of  bee-food  is  not  oltainable  in  the  shape  of  pea-flour. 
It  has  fortified  the  hearts  of  the  timid  by  protecting 
them  with  veils,  gloves,  and  bee-dresses,  and  soi  ithed  the 
agony  of  the  wounded  by  the  application  of  bee-lotions. 
The  British  Bee  Journal  (which  1  recommend  you  all  to 
take  in)  is  continually  announcing  some  new  advance 
which  has  been  made  in  the  art  of  bee-keeping,  and  fresh 
inventions  and  appliances  appear  annually  at  the  Exhibi- 
tion of  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association.  Bee-keeping 
should  be  a  combination  of  science  and  art,  and  as  such  it 
has  been  recognised  by  the  Science  and  Art  Department  of 
the  Council  on  Education.  I  hope  that  the  collections  of 
hives  and  bee  appliances  which  are  being  formed  for  the 
Museums  of  South  Kensington  and  Bethnal  Green  may 
require  frequent  additions  to  be  made  to  them,  and  that 
the  specimens  which  we  now  think  to  be  the  perfection  of 
an  art  may  soon  have  to  give  place  to  more  perfect  and 
more  serviceable  inventions. 

'  3.  Hives,  as  a  rule,  are  placed  in  gardens,  and  the  gar- 
dener is  very  often  put  in  charge  of  his  master's  bees, 
and  is  supposed  to  know  all  about  them.  The  gardener, 
however,  seldom  knows  how  much  he  is  indebted  to  the 
bees ;  and,  indeed,  the  relations  of  bees  to  horticulture 
are  only  beginning  to  be  unfolded.  I  have  just  been 
speaking  of  pollen  as  a  component  part  of  bee  food.  This 
is  not,  however,  the  only  use  of  pollen.  Without  being 
much  of  a  botanist,  any  one  may  know  that  amongst 
plants  some  are  called  male  plants  and  some  female.  The 
male  produces  the  pollen,  the  female  receives  it.  The 
male  plant  is  provided  with  a  stamen  terminating  in  an 
anther,  which  holds  the  pollen.  The  female  is  provided 
with  a  pistil,  terminating  in  a  stigma,  which  detains  the 
pollen.  Some  plants  contain  both  these  organs — both  the 
stamen  and  the  pistil — as  you  see  in  Mr.  Cheshire's  dia- 
grams. Now  the  pollen  must  be  brought  from  the  male  to 
the  female  plant,  or  from  the  male  to  the  female  organ. 
Sometimes  the  wind  does  this  :  but  it  does  it  very  imper- 
fectly. The  other  alternative  is  the  agency  of  insects,  and 
amongst  these  bees  play  the  principal  part.  The  flower 
produces  the  honey  in  its  nectary,  and  attracts  the  bee  to 
it  by  its  bright  and  varied  colours.  The  bee  visits  the 
flower,  and  carries  off  the  pollen  on  its  tongue  or  on  its 
back  from  the  anther  of  the  stamen  and  lets  it  fall  on 
the  stigma.  Then  a  thread  is  spun  from  the  pollen,  falls 
from  the  stigma  down  to  the  ovary,  and  generates  the 
seed.  But  there  is  something  more  to  be  said.  You 
may  think,  if  a  plant  possesses  both  stamen  and  pistil, 
both  the  male  and  female  organ,  that  the  transfer  of  the 
pollen  is  a  very  simple  matter.  Not  so :  it  becomes 
more  difficult.  A  plant  to  be  strong  and  vigorous  must 
not  be  self-fertilised.  Nature  abhors  self-fertilisation,  as 
much  as  she  abhors  a  vacuum.  Any  breeder  of  live- 
stock, or  any  poultry  breeder,  will  confirm  this.  "You 
must  introduce  fredi  blood  from  time  to  time,  either  on 
the  male  or  the  female  side,  or  your  stock  will  degenerate.. 


There  are  villages  in  Switzerland  where  from  intermar- 
riages the  inhabitants  are  mostly  '  cretins.'  A  man  may 
not  marry  his  grandmother,  and  it  is  often  said  that  he 
would  be  a  fool  if  he  did  ;  but  whether  this  were  the  case 
or  no,  it  would  not  be  unlikely  that  his  son  would  be  a 
fool.  Mr.  Cheshire  in  these  diagrams  has  shown  you 
some  of  the  devices  which  plants  adopt  to  escape  self- 
fertilisation.  Here  the  pistil  keeps  herself  in  the  back- 
ground until  the  anthers  have  withered  and  died  down ; 
there  the  anthers  are  in  retirement  until  the  pistil  has 
been  fertilised  from  the  anthers  of  some  other  flower. 
Every  gardener  (as  well  as  every  bee-keeper)  ought 
to  have  a  set  of  these  diagrams  in  his  house  to 
teach  him  how  much  he  owes  to  the  bePS.  Many  gar- 
deners I  know  have  lost  no  time  in  purchasing  them  ; 
and  many  who  have  kept  bees  hitherto,  not  for  getting 
honey,  but  the  setting,  i.e.  the  seeding  of  their  peaches, 
have  told  me  that  they  have  been  perfectly  amazed 
at  the  revelation  of  the  intimate  connexion  between  the 
flower  and  the  bee.  The  bee-keeper  and  the  gardener 
are  in  fact  becoming  intimate  friend-).  The  bee-keeper 
is  led  to  study  the  nature  and  organization  of  plants, 
and  the  gardener  is  led  to  take  an  interest  in  the 
nature  and  habits  of  the  bee.  The  outward  and  visible 
sign  of  this  friend -hip  is  the  cordial  welcome  given 
annually  to  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association  by 
the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  in  their  Gardens  at 
South  Kensington,  and  the  eagerness  displayed  by  secre- 
taries of  horticultural  and  cottage  garden  societies  to 
secure  the  atten  lance  of  the  Bee  Tent  as  an  additional 
attraction  to  their  exhibition  One  of  the  principal  gar- 
deners in  your  county  of  Lincolnshire  invited  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Bee-keepers'  Association  this  year  to  visit 
the  grounds  of  Belvoir  Castle,  that  they  might  learn  for 
themselves  what  flowers  offer  the  earliest  pasture  to  the 
bee  in  the  spring-time  of  the  year.  And  at  the  Show 
held  lately  by  the  Hertfordshire  Bee-keepers'  Associa- 
tion, a  county  flower-show  was  held  at  St.  Albans  for  the 
first  time,  at  which  some  of  the  best  gardeners  in  the 
kingdom  gave  their  services  as  judges  gratuitously  as  a 
mark  of  their  good-will  towards  the  bee-keepers.  I  should 
mention  also  that  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  with 
their  habitual  kindness,  lent  the  Hertford  Bee-keepers 
two  of  their  largest  tents  for  the  occasion. 

'  4.  It  may  seem  more  difficult  to  establish  a  connexion 
between  bee-keeping  and  agriculture,  and  when  the 
British  Bee-keepers'  Association  hoisted  their  flag  last 
year  at  the  show  of  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  of 
England,  many  people  asked  what  on  earth  bee-keeping- 
had  to  do  with  agriculture  ?  But  I  think  that  we  can 
easily  establish  a  connexion  between  them.  Just  as  the 
gardener  depends  upon  the  bee  for  the  fertilisation  of  his 
plants,  so  does  the  farmer  depend  upon  the  bee,  though 
he  may  not  know  it,  for  the  fertilisation  of  many  of  the 
crops  on  which  the  live  stock  is  fed.  At  one  of  our  meet- 
ings in  the  early  part  of  the  year,  the  Rev.  George 
Raynor  informed  us  that  in  Essex  generally  the  white 
clover  crop  had  been  a  failure  last  year,  but  that  in  his 
own  neighbourhood,  where  a  great  number  of  bees  are 
kept,  the  crop  had  been  very  abundant.  The  Rev. 
William  Cotton  introduced  bees  into  New  Zealand  with 
the  express  object,  of  encouraging  the  growth'  of  clover, 
which  would  not  seed  for  want  of  its  natural  fertilisers. 
That  which  does  good  to  his  horses  and  to  his  live  stock, 
should  be  a  matter  of  interest  to  the  farmer ;  and  if  any- 
one could  keep  bees  under  favourable  conditions,  a  farmer 
ought  certainly  to  be  able  to  do  so.  The  advice  given 
generally  to  a  farmer  in  these  days — and  he  gets  plenty 
of  advice  just  now — is  that  he  must  not  think  of  com- 
peting with  America  in  growing  wheat,  but  turn  his 
attention  more  to  the  breeding  of  live  stock,  and  the  sale 
of  eggs  and  poultry.  He  must  no  longer  despise  what 
are  known  as  the  minor  industries,  and  of  these  the  pro- 
duction of  honey  is  one.  There  is  one  point  of  sympathy 
between  the  farmer  and  the  bee-keeper  which  must  tend 


November  1,  1880. j 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


133 


to  bring  them  together  in  a  companionship  of  either  re- 
joicing or  mourning,  and  this  is  as  regards  the  weather. 
The  fine  summer  weather  which  rejoices  the  heart  of  the 
farmer,  produces  a  corresponding  impression  upon  that 
of  the  bee-keeper ;  whilst  the  continual  downpour — such 
as  that  which  last  year  converted  the  soil  of  Kilburn  into 
an  ocean  of  mud — produces  an  equal  depression  upon  the 
mental  barometer  of  the  farmer  and  the  bee-keeper.  The 
farmers  are  indeed  rather  courting  the  bee-keepers  just 
now.  The  Royal  Agricultural  Society  of  England  was 
so  much  pleased  with  our  efforts  at  Kilburn,  that  a  sum 
of  20/.  was  offered  to  us  to  defray  the  expenses  of  send- 
ing one  of  our  bee-tents  to  the  Show  held  this  year  at 
Carlisle.  But  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  did  more 
than  this  to  connect  bee-keeping  with  agriculture,  when 
they  decided  that  if  hives  and  bee  appliances  were  ex- 
hibited, they  should  be  ranked  in  the  category  of  Agri- 
cultural Implements,  and  thereby  subjected  to  a  lesser 
scale  of  fees  for  the  space  occupied.  The  dairy  farmers, 
too,  have  begun  to  revive  the  old  associations  between 
milk  and  honey,  and  bees  and  their  produce  will  be 
found  amongst  the  other  exhibits  this  year  at  the 
Show  held  by  the  British  Dairy  Farmers'  Associa- 
tion, in  the  Agricultural  Hall  at  Islington.  In  the 
tour  which  was  made  through  Ireland  this  year  by 
Messrs.  Abbott  and  Carr,  the  first  appearance  which 
they  made  with  the  Bee-Tent  was  at  the  Show  of  the 
Royal  Agricultural  Society  of  Ireland  at  Clonmel.  Now, 
ladies  and  gentlemen,  if  we  are  invited  by  Agri  ultural 
Societies  to  attend  their  shows ;  if  hives  and  bee  ap- 
pliances are  regarded  as  agricultural  implements ;  if  bee- 
masters  are  invited  to  give  lectures  on  bee-keeping  to 
teachers  of  agricultural  science,  who  shall  say  that 
there  is  no  connexion  between  bee-keeping  and  agri- 
culture ? 

'  5.  I  might  have  added  another  reason  why  a  farmer 
should  take  an  interest  in  bee-keeping  even  if  he  does  not 
keep  bees  himself.  If  he  should  have  a  warm  corner  in 
his  heart  for  the  bees  because  they  fertilise  the  crops 
which  feed  his  sheep  and  cattle,  he  should  surely  have  a 
good  word  for  them  also,  if  they  benefit  the  labourer 
who  tends  his  stock.  Every  farmer  would,  I  should 
think,  sooner  have  labourers  in  his  employ  who  p  y  their 
rent  regularly,  whose  cottages  are  neat  and  tidy,  and 
whose  wives  and  children  are  well  fed  and  clothed.  And 
what  an  assistance  to  the  labourer  in  these  respects  may 
be  the  keeping  of  a  few  hives  of  bees  !  He  cannot  well 
keep  fowls  or  goats  unless  he  lives  on  a  common  ;  but,  at 
least,  if  he  has  a  garden,  and  any  regard  for  it,  fowls 
must  be  shut  up  and  goats  tethered,  but  there  need  be  no 
restraint  on  his  bees.  If  he  can  offer  them  no  pasture  in 
his  own  garden,  the}'  will  find  it  in  the  gardens  of  other 
people. 

'  It  has  been  asked  how  much  profit  a  labouring  man 
can  make  out  of  his  bees  ?  My  answer  would  he  that  it 
depends  entirely  upon  himself,  —  upon  his  own  intel- 
ligence, industry,  and  perseverance.  I  could  name 
several  cottagers  who  make  a  large  profit  out  of  their 
hives.  One  was  presented  to  Earl  Spencer  at  South 
Kensington,  who  I  think  convinced  his  lordship  that  there 
was  a  profit  to  be  made  out  of  bee-keeping  if  a  man  was 
only  willing  to  serve  an  apprenticeship  to  it.  No  one 
can  expect  to  make  a  large  profit  out  of  any  trade  or 
occupation  the  first  year  or  two  that  he  embarks  in  it. 
But  labourers  are  not  the  stupid  Boeotian  race  which  they 
were  before  the  schoolmaster  went  abroad,  and  I  have  no 
fear  but  that  the  English  peasant  will  soon  rival  the  bee- 
keepers of  Germany  and  America,  and  make  that  SI.  out 
of  each  hive  which  has  been  fixed  as  the  mark  at  which 
he  ought  to  aim. 

'  There  is  one  more  aspect  in  which  bee-keeping  may 
be  regarded,  and  for  the  sake  of  which  many  are  found 
to  take  an  interest  in  it.  What  he  shall  eat,  what  he 
shall  drink,  and  wherewithal  he  shall  be  clothed,  is  not 
the  one  engrossing  thought  of  the  labourers  mind.     He 


is  as  susceptible  of  religious  impressions  as  any  other 
member   of   the   community.      Paley,   in   his   book    on 
Natural    Theology,   has   imagined   a   savage    finding    a 
watch  and  examining  its  construction,  and  then  being 
irresistibly  led  to  the  conclusion  that  the  watch  must 
have  had  a  maker,  and  a  maker  endowed  with  great 
skill  and   intelligence.      Shall  the   English   peasant   be 
more  dense  and  stupid  than  the  savage  ?     Shall  he  have 
all  the  wonders  of  bee-life  unfolded  to  him  ?     Shall  he 
learn 'now  the  flower  is  adapted  to  the  bee  and  the  bee 
to  the  flower,  and  then  fail  to  rise  in  thought  to  some 
appreciation  of  the  goodness  and  the  wisdom  of  Him 
who  designed  all  this  ?     If  he  does,  let  a  heathen  teach 
him   a   lesson?      Dryden   has   translated    the   writings 
of  Virgil  so  faithfully,  that  the  utterances  of  that  poet 
are  within  the  compass  of  every  English  reader.     What 
did  he  say  about  bees  ? 
'  "  Induced  by  such  examples,  some  have  taught 
That  bees  have  portions  of  ethereal  thought, 
Endowed  with  particles  of  heavenly  fires, 
For  God  the  whole  created  mass  inspires. 
O'er  heaven  and  earth  and  ocean's  depths  He  throws 
His  influence  round,  and  kindles  as  He  goes  ; 
Hence  flocks  and  herds,  and  men  and  beasts  and  fowls, 
With  life  are  quickened,  and  attract  their  souls ; 
Hence  take  the  form  His  prescience  did  ordain, 
And  into  Him  at  last  return  again." 

'  These  thoughts  had  been  anticipated  long  before,  and 
they  are  but  the  echo  of  the  confession  which  we  find  in 
perhaps  the  oldest  of  all  the  books  of  the  Bible. 

'  "  Who  knoweth  not  that  the  hand  of  the  Lord  is  in  all 
this, 

'  "  In  whom  is  the  breath  of  every  living  thing,  and  the 
life  of  all  mankind?"  ' 


BRITISH  DAIRY-FARMERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

The  Exhibition  of  Hives  and  Honey  promoted  by  the 
British  Bee-keepers'  Association,  in  connexion  with  the 
Dairy  Show  at  the  Agricultural  Hall,  Islington,  was 
opened  on  Tuesday,  the  26th  ult.,  and  created,  ap- 
parently-, as  much  Interest  amongst  visitors  as  the  ex- 
hibitions of  cattle,  goats,  and  poultry,  if  we  may  judge 
from  the  crowds  besieging  the  various  stands  on  each 
day  of  the  show, — extending  over  four  days, —  despite 
the  unfavourable  weather.  The  exhibits  commenced 
with  Class  93,  for  observatory  hives,  in  which  we 
noticed  three  entries  only,  each  obtaining  a  prize,  that 
of  Mr.  Abbott  being  placed  first.  This  hive,  sub- 
stantially and  neatly  constructed  of  polished  mahogany 
and  plate-glass,  offers  great  facility  for  wintering  the  bees, 
the  combs  remaining  in  the  same  position  as  in  an  ordi- 
nary bar-frame  hive,  but,  by  a  simple  contrivance,  being 
easily  separated  and  examined  on  both  sides.  Thefour 
sides'  and  top  of  the  hive  are  of  plate-glass  of  the  finest 
quality,  thus  allowing  a  full  view  of  the  whole  interior 
of  the  hive,  at  the  same  time  admitting  of  free  ventila- 
tion, and,  by  means  of  a  quilted  cover,  sufficient  warmth 
during  the  winter  months. 

In  Class  94,  for  the  best  moveable  comb-hive  for 
general  use,  price  not  to  exceed  15;).,  the  first  prize  was 
taken  by  Mr.  Blake  with  a  hive  which  seemed  to  strike 
everyone  as  a  model  of  cheapness  and  simplicity,  with 
stand  and  cover  complete,  and  of  most  substantial  work- 
manship, build,  and  material.  Mr.  Baldwin,  the  well- 
known  expert  of  the  Association,  obtained  second  place 
in  this  class  with  a  neat  hive  of  simple  construction, 
and  Mr.  Abbott  third.  In  Class  96,  Mr.  Blake's  hive, 
first  prize,  priced  at  6s.  <5d.  only,  was  all  that  could  be 
desired. 

The  honey  classes  were  a  great  success,  and  we  have 
no  hesitation  in  pronouncing  this  as  the  show  of  the 
season.     Want  of  space  forbids  a  full  report  of  this  de- 
partment of  the  show ;  suffice  it  to  say,  that  the  com- 
I   mended,  and  some  of   the  unnoticed,  exhibits  were  of 


134 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[November  1,  1880. 


quality  and  magnitude   sufficient  to  have   gained  the 
highest  honours  at  any  show  at  which  we  have  hitherto  . 
been  present. 

Amongst  the  winners  of  prizes  in  this  department  we 
noticed  the  well-known  names  of  Messrs.  Cowan,  Thorne, 
Kusbridge,  Neighbour,  Scott,  &c,  and  we  were  particu- 
larly struck  by  the  fineness  of  quality  and  delightful 
aroma  of  the  greater  part  of  the  honey  exhibited,  both 
comb  and  extracted.  These  remarks  apply  parlicularly 
to  Mr.  Rusbridge's  samples  of  hawthorn  and  clover 
extracted  honey  and  the  other  prize  exhibits.  The  super 
of  6H  lbs.  exhibited  by  this  gentleman,  which  deservedly 
obtained  the  first  prize  in  Class  99,  was  the  finest  thing 
of  the  kind  ever  brought  under  our  notice,  the  evenness, 
uniformity,  solidity,  and  quality  leaving  nothing  to  be 
desired. 

Class  100. — For  the  largest  and  best  exhibition  of  run 
or  extracted  honey,  was  simply  a  superb  class,  and  we 
cannot  refrain  from  a  short  notice  of  one  exhibit  to 
which  the  judges  awarded  an  '  extra  3rd  prize,'  viz. 
that  of  Mrs.  Spencer,  of  Renhold  "Vicarage,  Bedford. 
This  consisted  of  three  cases,  each  containing  thirty  1  lb. 
glass  jars  of  fine  extracted  honey — in  all  90  lbs.  It  is 
to  the  construction  of  the  cases  we  wish  to  call  atten- 
tion, and  to  the  reasonable  price  of  each — 7s.  6d.  Each 
case  consisted  of  three  shelves,  into  which  the  jars  were 
fitted — ten  upon  each, — with  a  sliding  bar  of  iron  in 
front  keeping  the  jars  in  their  places,  over  which  a  kind 
of  shutter,  on  hinges,  closed  and  locked,  rendering  all 
compact  and  safe  for  travelling — a  great  desideratum  in 
these  days  of  hurried  railway  rushing  and  speed,  when, 
if  not  securely  packed,  so  fragile  an  article  as  honey  runs 
great  risk  of  breakage. 

The  judges,  who  had  no  easy  task  to  perform,  and 
who  devoted  much  time  and  patience  to  making  their 
awards,  were— the  Revs.  George  Raynor  and  J.  L.  Sisson, 
and  Mr.  Willard,  head-gardener  to  the  Baroness  Burdett- 
Coutts.  That  their  awards  should  have  given  full  satis- 
faction to  all  exhibitors,  is  more  than  could  have  been 
expected,  especially  in  some  of  the  classes  where  the  com- 
petition was  unusually  severe.  This  desirable  achieve- 
ment, we  fear,  will  not  be  attained  until  the  millennium 
of  judges  arrives.  On  the  whole,  however,  we  heard  of 
few  complaints. 

In  conclusion,  we  heartily  congratulate  the  Associa- 
tion on  the  success  of  its  show,  and  more  especially  on 
the  immense  strides  effected  in  bee-culture  during  the 
six  short  years  of  its  existence. 

We  append  the  list  of  prizes : — 

Bee  Hives. — For  the  best  Observatory  Hive,  stocked 
with  Bees  and  their  Queen. — 1,  J.  A.  Abbott.  2,  Neigh- 
bour and  Son.  3,  C.  N.  Abbott.  For  the  best  Moveable 
Comb  Hive  for  general  use.  Prices  not  to  exceed  15s. — 
1,  A.  Blake.  2,  S.  J.  Baldwin.  3,  C.  N.  Abbott.  For 
the  best  Moveable  Comb  Hive  for  Cottagers'  use.  Price 
not  to  exceed  10s.— 1,  A.  Blake.  2,  C.  N.  Abbott.  8, 
S.  J.  Baldwin. 

Honey. — For  the  best  display  of  Comb  Honey  in 
sections,  exceeding  12  in  number,  each  section  not 
more  than  3  lbs.  in  weight.— 1,  J.  T.  Thorne.  2.  T.  W. 
Cowan.  3,  Neighbour  and  Son.  Extra  3,  W.  E.  Warren, 
For  the  best  12  sections  of  Comb  Honey,  each  section 
not  more  than;  3  lbs.  in  weight. — 1,  T.  W.  Cowan.  2, 
A.  Rusbridge.  3.  J.  T.  Thorne.  vhc,  S.  Thorne.  For 
the  best  6  sections  of  Comb  Honev,  each  section  of  not 
more  than  3  lbs.  in  weight.— 1,  T.  W.  Cowan.  2,  C.  N. 
Brooks.  3,  S.  Thorne.  Extra  3,  J.  T.  Thorne.  For  the 
best  exhibition  of  Comb  Honey  in  one  or  more  supers,  of 
any  material,  Sectional  Supers  excluded.  1,  A.  Rus- 
bridge. 2,  T.  W.  Cowan.  3,  Neighbour  and  Son.  For 
the  largest  and  best  exhibition  of  Run  or  Extracted 
Honey  in  glass  jars  or  bottles,  each  entry  to  consist  of 
not  less  than  20  lbs. — 1 ,  A.  Rusbridge.  2,  R.  Scott.  3, 
Mrs.  R.  Spencer,  vhc,  C.  N.  Brooks.  For  the  best  ex- 
hibition ot  Run  or  Extracted  Honey  in  small  glass  jars, 


not  to  exceed  2  lbs.  each,  each  entry  to  consist  of  not 
less  than  10  jars. — 1,  R.  Scott.  2,  A.  Rusbridge.  2, 
F.  M.  Smith.  ' 

Beeswax. — For  the  largest  and  best  display  of  Pure 
Beeswax,  in  bars  or  cakes,  from  1  to  3  lbs.  each. — 1, 
C.  N.  Abbott,     2,  W.  Hunt.     3,  R.  Scott. 

On  Wednesday  evening  a  Conversazione  of  the  Associa- 
tion was  held,  at  which  a  paper  was  read  by  the  Rev.  E. 
Bartrum,  M.A.,  Head-Master  of  Berkhampstead  School, 
on  '  The  Stewarton  Hive.'  This  paper,  and  the  dis- 
cussion thereon,  we  reserve  to  the  December  number. — 
Communicated. 


BRITISH  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

•The  usual  monthly  meeting  of  the  Committee  was 
held  at  105  Jermyn  Street,  on  Wednesday,  October  16th. 
Present,  Rev.  E.  Bartrum  (in  the  chair).  Mr.  J.  M. 
Hooker,  W.  O'B.  Glennie  (Treasurer),  and  Rev.  H.  R. 
Peel  (Hon.  Sec).  The  minutes  of  the  last  meeting 
having  been  read  and  confirmed,  the  Secretary  reported 
that  in  accordance  with  the  resolution  passed  at  the  last 
Committee  meeting,  a  circular  had  been  sent  to  all 
those  members  who  were  in  arrears  with  their  subscrip- 
tions ;  and  that  Mr.  Cheshire  and  himself  had  visited 
the  South  Kensington  Museum,  and  made  the  requisite 
arrangements  for  the  exhibition  of  hives  and  other 
appliances  in  accordance  with  the  request  received  from 
the  Educavion  Department,  It  was  resolved  that  copies 
of  the  Diagrams  should  be  sent  to  all  ihe  leading  London 
papers  for  criticism  on  an  early  date. 

The  balance  sheet  for  the  month  ending  Sept.  30th 
was  read,  showing  a  balance  in  hand  of  upwards  of  20/. 

The  account  of  receipts  and  expenses  relating  to  the 
Irish  tour  was  presented,  showing  a  deficiency  of 
45/.  6s.  83d.  The  Secretary  announced  that  he  had 
received  a  donation  of  25/.  from  the  President  of  the 
Association  on  account  of  this  deficiency,  and  that  he 
himself  would  give  a  donation  of  20/.  for  the  same 
object. 

The  Quarterly  Meeting  of  the  Committee  for 
conferring  with  the  Representatives  of  County  Bee- 
keepers' Associations  was  held  in  the  Board  Room  of  the 
National  Chamber  of  Trade,  446  Strand  at  4  p.m.  on 
Wednesday,  October  27th.  Present,  Mr.  T.  W.  Cowan 
(in  the  chair),  Rev.  George  Raynor,  Rev.  E.  Bartrum, 
Mr.  F.  Cheshire,  Rev.  H.  R.  Peel,  Hon.  Sec.  There 
were  also  present,  as  representatives  of  County  Associa- 
tions: Mr.  \V.  II.  Dunman,  Dorsetshire ;  Mr.  Jesse  Gar- 
ratt  and  Mr.  George  Allen,  West  Kent;  Captain  Camp- 
bell and  Mr.  F.  Lemare,  Surrey ;  Rev.  W.  Stuart  Wal- 
ford,  and  Rev.  R.  A.  White,  Suffolk. 

Mr.  W.  H.  Dunman  suggested,  '  That  a  tent  in  which 
exhibits  might,  be  displayed  should  be  provided  by  the 
Central  or  British  Association,  and  lent  out  to  County 
Associations  on  terms  to  be  hereafter  decided,  inde- 
pendently of  the  Bee  Tent,' 

Moved  by  the  Hon.  Sec,  and  seconded  by  Rev.  E. 
Bartrum,  '  That  this  suggestion  be  referred  to  the 
Committee  of  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association.' 

Mr.  W.  H.  Dunman  also  suggested, '  That  lecturers  be 
provided  by  the  Central  Association,  and  sent  down  to 
the  counties,  the  Central  Association  being  responsible 
for  all  expenses,  and  taking  all  the  proceeds.' 

Moved  by  the  Rev.  E.  Bartrum,  and  seconded  by  Rev. 
G.  Raynor,  'That  this  suggestion  be  also  referred  to 
the  Central  Committee.' 

Moved  by  the  Hon.  Sec,  and  seconded  by  the  Rev. 
E.  Bartrum,  '  That  the  Reports  and  Balance  Sheets  of 
the  County  Associations  should  be  transmitted  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  Central  Association,  not  later  than  the 
first  day  of  February  in  each  year.' 

This  resolution  was  carried  by  the  unanimous  vote  of 
all  the  representatives  of  County  Associations  present. 
It  being  explained  that  the  intention  was  to  induce  the 


November  1,  1880.  J 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


135 


County  Associations  to  hold  their  Annual  General 
Meetings  in  the  month  of  January,  so  as  to  prevent  any 
delay  in  the  holding;  of  the  General  Meeting  of  the 
British  Bee-keepers'  Association,  which  should  take  place 
in  the  month  of  February. 

Moved  by  Mr.  T.  W.  Cowan,  and  seconded  by  the 
Rev.  E.  Bartruru,  '  That  the  conditions  of  affiliation, 
as  thus  amended  be  now  adopted,  and  that  printed 
copies  of  the  same  be  forwarded  to  the  Secretary  of  each 
affiliated  County  Association.'     Carried  unanimously. 

The  Honorary  Secretary  reminded  the  Secretaries  of 
the  County  Associations  present,  that  according  to  the 
conditions  now  passed,  he  must  request  them  to  furnish 
him  with  the  names  of  the  winners  of  the  silver  and 
bronze  medals,  and  also  of  the  certificates  awarded  by 
the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association  at  the  County 
Shows  of  1880. 

The  Secretaries  of  the  Dorsetshire,  West  Kent,  and 
Suffolk  Associations,  complied  immediately  with  the 
request. 

Moved  by  Mr.  F.  Cheshire,  and  seconded  by  the  Rev. 
G.  Raynor,  '  That  Modern  Bee-keeping,  a  Hand-book  for 
Cottagers,  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  some  publisher,  to 
be  selected  by  the  Committee,  with  a  view  to  its  general 
distribution  in  the  book  trade.' 

Moved  by  the  Rev.  E.  Bartrum,  and  seconded  by  Mr. 
T.  W.  Cowan,  '  That  the  Hon.  Sec.  be  requested  to 
communicate  with  the  President  of  the  Education  De- 
partment, and  ascertain  whether  he  is  willing  to  receive 
a  Deputation  from  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association, 
respecting  the  appointment  of  a  Professor  of  Bee 
Culture.' 

•      '  WARWICKSHIRE  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSO- 
CIATION. 

This  Society  held  its  first  Fxhibition  of  Honey,  Hives, 
and  Bees,  in  connexion  with  the  Warwickshire  Agricul- 
tural Society  at  Leamington  last  month.  The  Associa- 
tion has  purchased  its  own  Tent  for  manipulations,  and 
this  was  the  chief  attraction  of  the  Show,  visitors  swarm- 
ing into  the  Tent  to  see  and  learn  from  Messrs.  Baldwin 
and  Walton,  the  manipulators,  the  art  of  bee-culture. 
Very  great  interest  was  taken,  and  many  questions  asked 
and  answered,  several  ladies  even  venturing  inside  the 
gauze  for  a  handful  of  bees.  The  manipulations  were 
accompanied  by  lectures ;  and  much  surprise  evinced 
upon  hearing  the  wonders  of  the  honey  extractor,  which 
was  illustrated. 

A  most  creditable  display  of  honey,  hives,  bees,  and 
bee-furniture,  was  exhibited  in  a  separate  text,  which 
also  caused  much  interest,  the  tent  being  full  all  day 
with  visitors.  The  Hon.  and  Rev.  C.  J.  Feilding  (Salop") 
and  Mr.  Shufflebotharu  (Coventry)  very  kindlv  acted  as 
judges,  and  their  judgments  gave  every  satisfaction. 
We  learn  from  all  parts  of  Warwickshire  that  bee-cul- 
ture is  making  great  progress,  many  cottagers  who  have 
been  known  for  years  past  to  burn  their  bees  now  drive 
and  unite  them. 


CALEDONIAN  APIARLVN  AND  ENTOMOLO- 
GICAL SOCIETY. 

Report  of  closing  meetingof  Seventh  Session,  held  13th 
October,  1880.  Present— Rev.  John  Irvine  (Innellan), 
Messrs.  Sword,  Bennett,  Wilkie,  Johnstone,  Kinloch. 
Garvie,  Wood,  Baillie,  Laughland,  Ellis,  Sinclair,  and 
Hutcheson. 

The  Minutes  of  last  meeting  were  read  and  approved 
of.  Letters  of  apology  were  read  from  Messrs.  Paterson 
(Struan),  Raitt  (Blairgowrie),  A.  Cameron  (Blair  Athole), 
Thomson  (Blantyre),  Thomson  (Dalbeattie),  and  Ander- 
son (Dairy). 

The  Rev.  J.  Irvine,  of  Innellan,  presided.  The 
Treasurer's  statement  was  read  and  approved.  It  was 
stated  that  the  Kelso  Show  had  resulted  in  a  deficit  of 


41/.  15s.  6d.  The  Treasurer  had  communicated  with 
Mr.  Menzies,  of  the  Highland  and  Agricultural  Society, 
in  regard  to  the  adverse  balance,  and  read  reply  from 
him.  In  the  discussion  that  ensued  on  the  Kelso  Show, 
it  was  suggested  there  should  be  in  future  a  check  bar 
at  the  entrance.  The  Secretary  was  instructed  to  draw 
up  and  forward  to  the  patrons  and  members  of  the 
Society  a  statement  of  the  funds,  and  requesting  them 
to  liquidate  the  debt.  A  letter  was  then  read  from 
Mr.  Raitt,  the  Secretary  of  the  East  of  Scotland  Bee- 
keepers' Association,  suggesting  that  the  Society  be  re- 
constituted on  a  national  footing,  affiliating  all  local 
societies.  Numerous  letters  were  read  from  various 
members  on  the  same  subject.  A  long  discussion  en- 
sued, after  which,  on  the  motion  of  Mr.  Wilkie,  it  was 
resolved  to  instruct  the  Secretary  to  forward  to  the 
secretaries  of  the  various  societies  "in  Scotland  copies  of 
the  new  rules  anent  affiliation,  and  otherwise,  correspond 
with  them  on  the  matter.  The  proposal  for  a  Honey 
Fair,  to  be  held  in  Glasgow  in  September  yearly,  was 
remitted  to  the  Committee  to  be  brought  up  at  the 
meeting  in  March.  On  the  motion  of  Mr.  Sword  a  vote 
of  thanks  was  passed  to  the  Chairman. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Irvine  kindly  agreed  to  give  a  lecture 
on  Bee-culture  in  Stirling  next  March  to  forward  the 
science  and  otherwise  interest  county  proprietors  and 
bee-keepers  in  our  next  Show,  which  takes  place  in  con- 
nexion with  the  Highland  and  Agricultural  Society's 
Show  in  July,  1881. 


DORSET  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 
_  A  meeting  of  the  committee  and  friends  of  this  Asso- 
ciation was  held  in  the  Alington  Hall,  Dorchester,  on 
Monday,  Oct.  11th.  Amongst  those  present  were :  Rev. 
H.  Everett,  Rev.  J.  Stanton,  E.  Burnett,  Esq.,  T.  Coombs, 
Esq.,  Messrs.  W.  IT.  Dunman,  ran.  (honorary  secretary), 
Stickland,  and  Vatcher.  Mr.  Dunman  was  appointed  to 
represent  the  Association  at  the  forthcoming  meeting  of 
the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association  in  London  for  the 
discussion  of  rules  relating  to  county  associations.  It 
was  also  decided  to  arrange  for  a  series  of  lectures  to  be 
delivered  in  various  towns  and  villages  throughout  the 
county  during  the  coming  winter,  and  to  secure  sets  of 
mounted  diagrams  and  other  things  required  for  such 
occasions.  During  the  proceedings  a  letter  was  read 
from  a  member  who  was  unable  to  be  present,  and  it 
contained  the  following  hints : 

'The  question  of  funds  is  sure  to  crop  up.  Well, 
most  of  us  can  get  an  additional  subscriber  or  two. 
Let  us  try.  We  can  all  help  in  some  way.  One  can 
give,  another  can  beg ;  some  can  work,  and  others  can 
talk.  Our  secretary  has  the  real  work  to  do,  and  ought 
to  be  relieved  of  all  anxiety  about  money.  I  shall  be 
pleased  to  double  my  subscription  next  year,  and 
perhaps  others  will  follow  the  example.  Moreover,  if 
the  other  members  of  the  committee  will  do  the  same, 
I  will  undertake  to  get  new  subscribers  to  the  value  of 
1/.  within  a  given  time,  or  pay  the  money.  This  would 
enable  us  to  go  into  the  lecture  season  with  spirit ;  and 
there  is  very  little  doubt  about  the  result,  for  the  com- 
mittee-men who  attend  the  lectures  should  make  a  point 
of  canvassing  for  new  subscribers  on  each  occasion.  All 
dummies  should  be  got  rid  of  forthwith.  Strike  off  all 
unpaying  members.  Retain  no  one  on  the  committee 
who  does  not  help  in  some  way  :  either  by  subscriptions 
or  donations,  lectures  or  other 'forms  of  advocacy,  atten- 
dance at  committee  meetings,  giving  active  assistance  at, 
or  sending  exhibits  to,  the  country  or  local  shows.  We 
must  all  do  something  if  the  Association  is  to  be  a  success.' 


SCIENCE  SCHOOLS  AND  BEE-KEEPING. 
We  are  informed  by  a  correspondent  in  the  Western 
Gazette  _'  that  the  memorial  presented  to  Earl  Spencer  by 
the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association  has  not  been  without 


136 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[November  1,  1880. 


some  effect,  although,  at  present,  a  professor  of  bee-keeping 
has  not  been  appointed  in  connexion  with  the  Science  and 
Art  Department.  A  few  days  ago  it  was  announced  by 
Professor  Tanner  to  the  science  teachers  who  are  now 
attending  his  lectures  that  an  extra  day  would  be  added 
to  the  course  for  the  purpose  of  enabling  those  teachers 
who  wished  to  attend  two  special  lectures  from  Mr.  F. 
Cheshire  on  bee-keeping.  It  was  considered  that  it  was 
advisable  the  daughters,  as  well  as  the  sons,  of  the  farmers 
and  others  interested  in  agriculture,  should  have  instruc- 
tion in  agricultural  matters  from  the  teachers  now  pre- 
pai  ing  themselves  for  the  purpose  ;  and  for  this  reason 
bee-keeping,  and  also  every  matter  connected  with  the 
dairy,  should  have  full  attention.  One  lesson  learnt  was, 
certainly,  that,  unless  British  dairy  farmers,  as  well  as 
bee-keepers,  study  their  occupations  a  little  more  closely, 
they  will  be  left  behind  in  the  race  by  their  cousins  across 
the  Atlantic' 

PARIS  UNIVERSAL  EXHIBITION,  1878. 

Official  Re-port  of  Her  Majesty's  Commissioners  on 

'  Class  83. — Useful  Insects  and  Noxious  Insects. 

'  Bees,  Silkworms,  and  other  varieties  of  the  Bombyx 
tribe — Cochineal  Insects — Apparatus  used  in  the  Cul- 
ture of  Bees  and  Silkworms — Apparatus  and  Processes 
used  for  the  Destruction  of  Noxious  Insects.' 

'  Very  little  has  been  done  in  Great  Britain  with 
respect  to  the  introduction  and  propagation  of  useful 
insects.  Attempts  have  been  made,  from  time  to 
time,  to  promote  the  rearing  of  silkworms  in  this 
country,  but  no  considerable  progress  has  been  made 
in  this  direction,  our  climate  not  being  favourable. 
The  Alianthus  worm  and  the  Japanese-oak  silkmoth 
have  been  raised,  but  more  as  experiments  and  for 
amusements  than  as  profitable  industries.  Bee- 
keeping is  practised  in  many  quarters  of  the  king- 
dom, but  not  on  an  extensive  or  systematic  scale  in 
any  locality.  We  import  honey  yearly  to  the  value 
of  from  10,000;.  to  25,000Z.  A  British  Bee-keepers' 
Association  was  formed  in  1874,  which  held  an  ex- 
hibition of  hives,  bees,  and  their  produce,  at  the 
Crystal  Palace,  in  the  close  of  that  year  ;  but  neither 
this  nor  the  formation  of  a  Silk  Supply  Association 
has,  as  yet,  done  much  in  carrying  out  these  in- 
dustries on  a  national  scale,  nor  have  they  estab- 
lished annual  meetings  for  the  display  of  insects  and 
their  products,  useful  and  noxious,  as  is  done  in 
Paris. 

'  The  insect  products  that  enter  into  commerce 
are  cochineal,  lac,  galls,  cantharides,  and  wax,  and 
some  small  quantity  of  brilliant  insects  for  orna- 
ments for  ladies.  The  value  of  the  products  im- 
ported at  the  two  periods  under  consideration  was 
as  follows  : — 

Articles.  1867.  1876. 

£  £ 

Cochineal        777,534        343,885 

Galls       77,221  64,704 

Lac  products 169,779        530,017 

Bees' wax        77,868        146,677 

'  From  its  insular  position  and  variable  climate 
Great  Britain  has  not  hitherto  been  subject  to  any 
very  extensive  or  periodical  attacks  from  noxious 
insects.  The  hop-vines  and  some  field  and  garden 
crops  suffer,  however,  occasionally  from  insect  depre- 
dations. Much  useful  information  on  the  subject 
of  economic  entomology  has  of  late  years  been  given 


by  the  display  of  illustrative  cases  in  the  Bethnal 
Green  Museum,  under  the  directions  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Science  and  Art,  showing  the  stages  of 
progress,  ravages,  and  products,  <fec,  of  useful  and 
noxious  insects ;  and  an  official  hand-book  on  eco- 
nomic entomology  has  also  been  published.  Since 
the  scare  from  the  anticipated  fear  of  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  Colorado  Beetle,  practical  efforts  have 
been  made,  as  in  other  countries,  to  diffuse  useful 
information,  and  to  render  the  subject  more  familiar 
in  its  details  to  the  general  public' 

[Her  Majesty's  Commissioners  are  certainly  not  com- 
plimentary to  British  Bee-keepers,  or  to  the  nation  at 
large,  in  this  their  '  Report,'  which  is  vague,  meagre, 
disparaging,  and  incorrect;  and  judging  the  'work'  by 
this  example,  we  consider  it  valueless,  for  we  have  no 
faith  iu  it.  Had  the  Commissioners  confined  their 
'Report'  to  what  came  under  their  notice  at  the  Ex- 
hibition, they  could  have  been  pardoned  for  any  error 
of  judgment  that  might  have  occurred  ;  but  the  sending 
forth  of  a  Report  on  the  condition  of  Apiculture 
throughout  the  '  kingdom  '  which  ignores  the  labours  and 
the  annual  exhibitions  of  the  British  (and  its  many  kin- 
dred) Bee-keepers'  Associations  since  1S74  is  absurd  and, 
if  we  may  be  pardoned  the  term,  insulting. 

Her  Majesty's  Commissioners  evidently  took  very  little 
trouble  to  be  truthful,  or  otherwise,  in  their  Report  on 
the  '  useful  insect ' — the  bee.  They  tell  us  that  the 
yearly  import  of  honey  is  valued  at  from  10,000/.  to 
25,000/.,  a  useful  (?)  statement  in  a  statistical  sense  ; 
and  the  value  of  the  wax  imported  is  also  given  for  two 
periods,  but  not  a  word  is  said  of  the  home  produce  of 
those  articles,  or  of  the  many  thousmds  of  pounds'  worth 
that,  might  be  annually  collected  if  a  little  less  '  Greek  ' 
and  a  little  more  apiculture  were  taught  in  our  national 
schools.  The  first  sentence  in  the  report  on  bees  betrays 
the  utter  ignorance  of  the  writers  on  the  subject,  for  in 
it  they  ignore  the  fact  that  many  hundreds  of  pounds  are 
annually  spent  in  importing  Ligurian  and  other  queens  for 
the  express  purpose  of  improving  the  race  here,  and  pro- 
pagating their  superior  qualities.  The  Report  is  both 
misleading  and  disappointing,  and  should  be  made  the 
subject  of  further  inquiry  by  better  informed  and  more 
earnest  '  Commissioners.' — Ed.  B.  B.  J.~\ 


BEE-KEEPING  IN  1654. 

'  We  all  dined  at  that  most  obliging  and  universally- 
curious  Dr.  Wilkins's,  of  Wadham  College  (Oxford).  He 
was  the  first  who  showed  me  the  transparent  apiaries, 
which  he  had  built  like  castles  and  palaces,  and  so 
ordered  them  one  upon  another  as  to  take  the  honey 
without  the  bees.  He  was  so  abundantly  pleased  with 
them  as  to  present  me  with  one  of  the  hives  which  he 
had  empty,  and  which  I  afterwards  had  in  my  garden 
at  Sayes  Court,  and  which  His  Majesty  (K.  Charles  II.) 
came  on  purpose  to  see  and  contemplate  with  much 
satisfaction.' — From  Evelyn's  Diary.     July  13,  1654. 


A  clipping  says  : — '  An  Athlone  shopkeeper  has  ob- 
tained a  hundredweight  of  excellent  honey  out  of  a  tall 
chimney  of  his  house,  in  which  a  swarm  of  bees  had 
built  a  hive.  The  trouble  given  by  the  bees  led  to  the 
discovery  of  their  storehouse.' 

[There  are  plenty  of  bee-keepers  who  would  be  only 
too  glad  to  be  troubled  with  bees  in  this  way. — Ed.] 


Corrections.  —  September  No.  '  Feeding  with 
Sweetened  Milk,'  after  20  degrees  add  Centigrade,  equal 
in  round  numbers  to  about  70°  Fahr. — October  No. 
'  Cologne  Exhibition.'  For  Herr  Schmied  of  Eichsteid, 
read  Herr  Andreas  Schmid  of  Eichstiidt. 


November  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


137 


Corrcspontrcntc 


%*  These  columns  are  open  to  subscribers,  so  that  their 
queries,  replies,  correspondence,  and  experiences  may  be 
fully  and  faithfully  recorded;  and  for  the  discussion  of  all 
theories  and  systems  in  Bee-culture,  and  of  the  relative  merits 
of  all  hires  and  appurtenances,  that  the  truth  regarding  tlwut 
may  be  ascertained.  The  Editor,  therefore,  must  not  be  ex- 
pected  to  coincide  with  all  the  views  exjiressed  by  the  various 
writers.     All  Correspondence  is  addressed  to  the  Editor. 

HYMETTUS  HONEY. 

About  teu  years  ago  when  on  a  private  visit  to 
Athens,  the  desire  occurred  to  rue  to  taste  the  honey 
lauded  by  the  ancients,  whose  taste  in  more  impor- 
tant matters  still  guides  us.  There  was  no  difficulty 
in  procuring  what  purported  to  be  honey  from  Mount 
Hymettus.  It  had  the  rough  appearance  of  home- 
liness, but  there  was  of  course  no  proof  of  its  being 
made  from  Hymettus  flowers ;  all  I  can  say  with 
regard  to  the  flavour  is  that  if  it  was  manufactured 
in  London,  I  should  be  glad  to  learn  where  more 
like  it  can  be  bought.  I  brought  home  for  my 
friends  a  few  jars  which  I  had  filled  with  about  a 
dozen  pounds  of  the  Greek  honey,  and  it  was  pro- 
nounced to  be  distinct  and  superior  in  its  delicate 
and  fragrant  flavour  to  heather  honey. 

It  seems  to  me  that  a  '  ship's  agent,'  more  es- 
pecially a  ship's  agent  at  the  capital  of  Greece,  is 
about  the  last  person  one  would  employ  to  get 
genuine  honey.  What  is  Hymettus  to  a  ship's 
agent  1  What  are  Hymettus  and  its  honey  to  any 
modern  Greek,  in  comparison  to  what  they  are  to, 
say,  an  Oxford  first-class  man  1  To  go  to  a  '  ship's 
agent '  for  honey  seems  to  me  uncommonly  like 
going  to  the  ship's  carpenter  for  a  coat  equal  to 
Poole.  Genuine  Hymettus  honey  is  undoubtedly 
procurable  at  Athens  if  you  go  the  right  way  about 
it.  But  demand  creates  supply.  The  Britisher 
'  doing'  Athens  gives  a  lordly  order,  the  Greek  is 
equal  to  the  occasion  and  gets  something  manu- 
factured, and  to  please  our  national  vanity  has  it 
labelled  in  our  own  language.  Are  not  Egyptian 
gods  and  mummies,  and  Waterloo  bullets,  and  old 
Greek  pottery — to  say  nothing  of  English  and 
foreign  pottery,  obtainable  by  any  Briton  with 
spare  cash  'i  Why  not  Hymettus  honey  1  And  are 
not  they  all  to  be  '  ordered  from  London  V 

'  When  Greek  meets  Greek  then  comes  the  tug 
of  war,'  then  it  is  'diamond  cut  diamond;'  but 
when  Greek  meets  a  British  sailor  ashore  there  is 
no  tug  about  it,  and  Jack  is  easily  done  with  his 
eyes  wide  open.  The  '  fine  Hymettus  honey  '  sup- 
plied to  Lieut.  M ,  B.X.,  and  apparently  eaten 

by  your  correspondent,  '  H.  J.  W.'  was  probably  a 
product  of  that  very  busy  bee,  the  Levantine  Greek, 
who  swarms  in  the  south-east  of  Europe,  and  is 
ever  ready  to  cull  from  every  opening  flower,  but 
specially  from  that  which  yields  readiest  (the 
Britannicus  auratus)  what  is  sweeter  to  him  than 
honey — money. — C.  J.  B.,  Hythe. 


he  says  about  Cyprus  and  Hymettus,  I  therefore 
copy  and  send  the  same  for  your  use.— J.  S.  Wood. 

'  In  these  little  cottages  we  found  very  large  establish- 
ments of  bees,  but  all  the  honey  thus  made  is  demanded 
by  the  Governor ;  so  that  keeping  these  insects  is  only 
as  the  means  of  an  additional  tax.  The  manner,  how- 
ever, in  which  the  honey  is  collected  is  so  curious,  and 
so  worthy  of  imitation,  that  it  merits  a  particular  descrip- 
tion. The  contrivance  is  very  simple,  and  was  doubtless 
suggested  by  the  more  antient  custom  still  used  in  the 
Crimea,  of  harbouring  bees  in  cylinders  made  of  the 
bark  of  trees.  They  build  up  a  wall  formed  entirely  of 
earthen  cylinders,  each  about  three  feet  in  length  placed 
one  above  the  other  horizontally,  and  closed  at  their 
extremities  with  mortar.*  This  wall  is  then  covered 
with  a  shed,  and  upwards  of  one  hundred  swarms  may 
thus  be  maintained  within  a  very  small  compass.' — 
Cyprus,  vol.  ii.  p.  342,  London,  1812. 

'From  this  Monastery  (Saliani)  it  is  practicable  to 
ride  the  whole  way  to  the  summit  of  Hymettus,  but  we 
preferred  walking,  that  we  might  the  more  leisurely 
examine  every  object,  and  collect  the  few  plants  in 
flower  at  this  late  season  of  the  year.  We  saw  par- 
tridges in  great  abundance,  and  bees  in  all  parts  of  the 
mountain,  not  only  at  the  monastery,  where  a  regular 
apiary  is  kept,  but  also  in  such  numbers  dispersed  and 
feeding  about  the  higher  parts  of  Hymettus,  that  the 
primeval  breed  t  may  still  exist  among  the  numerous 
wild  stocks  which  inhabit  the  hollow  trees  and  clefts  of 
the  rocks. 

'  Their  favourite  food,  the  wild  Thyme  (Thymus 
Serphyllum),  in  almost  every  variety,  grows  abundantly 
upon  the  mountain  together  with  Salvia  pomifera,  and 
Salvia  verbascum,  and  to  this  circumstance  may  be 
owing  the  very  heating  quality  of  the  honey  of  H3- 
mettus. 

'  The  powerful  aromatic  exhalation  of  these  plants  fills 
the  air  with  a  spicy  odour;  indeed,  this  scented  atmo- 
sphere is  a  very  striking  characteristic  of  Greece  and  of 
its  islands,  but  it  peculiarly  distinguishes  the  mountains 
of  Attica.' — Hymettus,  vol.  iii.  p.  576,  London,  1814. 


CYPRUS  AND  HYMETTUS. 

On  looking  through  the  Travels  of  Edward  Daniel 
Clark,  LL.D.  the  other  evening,  it  struck  me  that 
it  might  interest  some  of  your  readers  to  hear  what 


MEAD  BREWING. 

As  many  of  your  readers,  having  a  surplus  of 
honey,  might  wish  to  try  their  skill,  I  have  thought 
that  a  few  instructions,  as  a  guide  to  brewing  mead, 
might  be  acceptable  to  them. 

Notes  as  Caution. — 1.  No  reliable,  precise  method, 
or  recipe,  can  be  given,  as  the  honey,  water,  and 
temperature  vary  so  much  in  different  localities. 

2.  Cleanliness  and  observation. 

3.  That  sugar,  especially  grape  sugar,  transforms 
to  alcohol  and  carbonic  acid,  so  that  when  the 
sugar  stuff  is  consumed,  or  transformed,  there  com- 
mences another  fermentation  where  the  alcohol  goes 
over  or  transforms  to  vinegar ;  therefore,  too  little 
honey  should  not  be  used  at  first. 

4.  That  the  brewing  vats  or  tubs  are  first  well 
scrubbed  with  a  warm  solution  of,  say,  half  a  pound 

*  The  hives  of  Egypt  and  of  Palestine  are  of  the  same 
kind.  '  Those  of  Egypt,'  says  Hasselquist,  '  are  made  of 
coal-dust  and  clay,  which  being  well  blended  together,  they 
form  of  the  mixture  a  hollow  cylinder  of  a  span  diameter, 
and  as  long  as  they  please  from  six  to  twelve  feet.  This  is 
dried  in  the  sun,  and  becomes  so  hard  that  it  may  be  han- 
dled at  will.  I  saw  some  thousands  of  these  hives  at  a 
village  between Damiata  and  Mansora. '— Hasselquist' s  Voyage 
and  Travels,  p.  23(i,  London,  1776. 

t  '  The  antients  believed  that  bees  were  first  bred  here, 
and  that  all  other  bees  were  but  colonies  from  this  moun- 
tain.' 


138 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[November  1,  1880. 


of  soda  to  a  bucketful  of  water.  After  thus  cleansing, 
to  stand  a  day  with  pure  fresh  water  in.  No  new 
casks  should  be  used  to  put  the  mead  in;  but  casks 
that  have  had  wine,  brandy,  or  rum  in  are  best  after 
having  and  been  cleaned  rinsed  as  before  described. 

5.  The  water  to  be  used  as  soft  as  possible.  To 
find  out  the  most  suitable,  the  two  following  simple 
tests  may  be  employed  : — (a)  Add  a  few  drops  of 
alcohol  to  a  glass  of  the  water  intended  to  be  used. 
If  it  becomes  unclear,  it  is  unsuitable  in  proportion 
to  the  unclearness  ;  (b)  or,  take  about  one  quarter 
of  an  ounce  of  soda  and  dissolve  in  distilled  water 
(say,  a  tumblerful) ;  then  to  the  different  glasses 
full  of  waters  that  you  want  to  test,  add  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  the  soda-water,  and  decide  the  result  as 
in  (a). 

6.  Fermentation.  When  a  mixture  of  honey  and 
water  are  left  to  themselves,  fermentation  will  com- 
mence after  a  longer  or  shorter  time.  This  is  spon- 
taneo\is  fermentation,  in  opposition  to  fermentation 
produced  or  hastened  by  the  addition  of  barm  or 
yeast ;  but  as  in  the  former  it  can  take  six  months 
before  it  begins,  it  is  very  common  and  advisable  to 
hasten  the  process  by  the  addition  of  a  very  small 
quantity  of  yeast. 

7.  Not  to  forget  to  rack  off  from  one  cask  to 
another  as  often  as  necessary  and  at  a  proper  time. 

Mead  by  Spontaneous  Fermentation. — Add  honey 
to  boiling  water  until  a  saccharometer  (sugar- 
measurer)  shows  28  degrees,  then  boil  slowly  for 
three  hours,  skimming  the  scum  off  that  rises  all 
the  time.  While  boiling,  there  must  be  added  one 
and  a  half  pounds  of  good  hops  to  every  twenty 
gallons  put  in  the  mixture.  When  cold,  put  into 
a  cask  which  must  not  be  corked  too  tight  for  six 
weeks.  The  cask  must  not  be  quite  full,  and  there 
must  not  be  any  yeast  put  in. 

Mead  by  using  Yeast. —  Add  honey  to  boiling 
water,  as  in  the  last,  until  it  shows  the  proper 
number  of  degrees.  Then  simmer  slowly  for  three 
hours,  and  skim  as  before  mentioned.  When  cooled 
to  the  temperature  of  68°  or  70°  Fahr.,  it  can  be 
put  into  the  cask,  and  about  a  gill  of  well-washed 
barm  added  and  stirred  in.  Then  put  the  bung  or 
cork  with  linen  on  very  lightly  in,  and  allow  it  to 
ferment.  As  soon  as  fermentation  is  over,  it  must 
be  racked  off:  while  fermenting,  the  cask  should 
stand  in  a  cool  place,  about  55°  or  60°  Fahr. 

Mead  brewed  in  October  or  November  should  be 
racked  off  in  April  for  the  first  time  ;  if  brewed  in 
February  or  March,  in  May  month  for  the  first  time. 

If  a  saccharometer  cannot  be  got,  use  a  fresh-laid 
egg  ;  and  make  the  mixture  so  strong  with  honey 
that  it  will  float  the  egg  on  its  side,  and  show  so 
much  of  the  egg  above  the  surface  equal  to  at  least 
one  inch  in  diameter. — J.  S.  Wood,  Nyborg. 


TO  LIQUEFY  CANDIED  HONEY. 
The  best  method  to  have  honey  in  the  liquid 
state  is  to  place  the  glass  or  jar  in  a  warm  bath  or 
in  a  moderately  cool  oven.  The  heat  in  both  cases 
must  be  gradual,  otherwise  the  glass  or  jar  will 
crack.  Cover  the  honey  while  melting.  When 
candied  honey  has  been  thus  melted,  it  will  remain 
for  a  very  long  time,  and  I  have  had  cases  where  it 


would  not  even  stiffen  again.  Honey  is  much  more 
economical  and  pleasant  to  the  palate  when  liquid. 
The  covering  retains  the  aroma.- — J.  S.  Wood. 


STUNG  BY  A  WASP. 

I  send  you  the  following  particulars  with  regard 
to  an  event  that  nearly  cost  a  schoolmaster  his  life, 
through  the  sting  of  a  wasp,  fourteen  years  ago. — 
F.  H.  H,  Abbot's  Langley. 

'On  the  afternoon  of  the  27th  day  of  August,  1860, 
while  jumping  from  a  high  path  into  a  road,  I  drew  in 
a  wasp  with  my  breath,  and  was  stung  in  the  throat. 
I  nearly  swallowed  the  wasp,  and  had  great  difficulty  in 
bringing  it  up.  At  once  my  throat  began  to  swell* ;  I 
had  to  unbutton  my  collar,  and  a  feeling  of  suffocation 
and  deafness  came  on.  1  soon  became  too  weak  to 
stand,  and  my  friends  thought  it  was  all  up  with  me. 
Hot  flannels  were  applied  to  my  throat,  but  seemed  to 
do  me  no  good.  After  trying  vainly  to  swallow  a  little 
warm  water,  some  honey  was  poured  into  my  mouth, 
and  my  throat  rubbed  with  honey,  which  soon  produced 
a  soothing  effect :  and  after  clearing  my  throat  of  much 
mucus,  I  felt  myself  out  of  danger.  I  firmly  believe  I 
should  have  been  dead  in  a  few  minutes  had  not  the 
honey  been  applied. — W.  R.  H.,  Abbot's  Langley.' 


NEW  CURE  FOR  STINGS. 

I  am  so  susceptible  to  the  stings  of  wasps  or  bees 
that  I  have  almost  made  up  rrry  mind  upon  several 
occasions  to  give  up  keeping  the  latter.  I  am, 
however,  fond  of  them,  and  have  lived  in  hopes  of 
discovering  a  remedy  for  their  stings.  I  have  tried 
Liquor  potasste,  carbonate  of  soda,  carbonate  of 
potash,  vinegar,  caustic,  wetted  tobacco,  camphorated 
oil,  blue  bag,  and  several  others,  but  never  found 
anything  affect  the  sting,  which  ran  its  most  dis- 
agreeable course,  once  or  twice  necessitating  the 
calling  in  a  medical  man,  until  my  gamekeeper 
said,  Try  the  oil  made  by  melting  the  fat  from  the 
inside  of  a  viper.  He  prepared  some  for  me,  and 
it  answers  perfectly.  I  have  tried  it  upon  two 
stings,  and  the  effect  is  marvellous. — A.  W.  M., 
Liss,  Hants. 

[We  have  often  wondered  if  such  vermin  as  vipers 
had  a  use.  Who  will  breed  them  for  the  sake  of  their 
fat  ?  Genuine  viper  fat,  we  fear,  will  be  as  difficult  to- 
obtain  as  genuine  bear's  grease,  but  who  knows? — Ed.] 


BEE  AND  WASP  STINGS. 

There  is  not  much  fear  that  wasps  will  be  any- 
more trouble  this  year.  But  I  may  inform  you, 
that  gin  has  been  found  to  stop  the  tongue  from 
swelling,  by  holding  a  quantity  in  the  mouth,  and 
my  family  have  found  it  very  effectual,  by  applying 
it  with  a  piece  of  cotton  to  other  parts  that  have 
been  stung;  but  it  often  occurs  to  me,  that  what 
will  relieve  one  does  not  have  the  same  effect  on 
another.  Equal  parts  of  sweet-oil  and  laudanum 
will  relieve  also  for  the  sting  of  a  bee ;  and  I  find  for 
myself  nothing  equal  to  a  little  damped  earth  soil 
rubbed  in  as  soon  as  possible  after  the  sting  has, 
been  extracted. — J.  Tolhuest. 

[No  truer  observation  has  been  made  than  that  what 
will  relieve  one  person  will  not  have  the  same  effect 
upon  another,  and  therefore,  having  found  what  answers 
the  purpose,  each  should  keep  his  remedy  at  hand,     The 


November  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


189 


application  of  gin  to  the  tongue  would  suit  not  a  few 
probably,  but  sweet-oil  and  laudanum  should  certainly 
not  be  applied  in  the  same  way,  or,  at  least,  not  in  such 
doses  as  would  perhaps  do  no  harm  in  the  former  case, 
since  a  few  drops  of  laudanum  will  cause  stupor  or  death 
if  taken  into  the  stomach.  Those  who  suffer  from  the 
receipt  of  stings  should  have  their  remedy  at  hand  for 
instant  application,  so  as  to  prevent  the  absorption  of 
poison  into  the  system.  Afterwards  the  remedy  will  be 
for  the  inflammation  caused  by  such  absorption,  which 
is  a  very  different  matter. — Ed.] 


BEES  IN  A  DWELLING-HOUSE.— VALUE 
OF  THE  SUPERING  SYSTEM  (1). 

In  your  October  number  I  noticed  a  query  from 
one  of  your  correspondents  as  to  how  to  remove 
bees  from  a  dwelling-house.  The  following  descrip- 
tion may  be  both  useful  to  him,  as  well  as  interesting 
to  your  readers  : — A  friend  of  mine,  who  had  for 
many  years  been  troubled  by  bees  in  his  house, 
asked  me  to  come  over  and  see  what  I  could  do 
towards  removing  them.  Accordingly,  I  went  and 
found  a  very  strong  colony  had  established  itself 
between  the  ceiling  of  the  drawing-room  and  the 
floor  of  the  room  above,  access  being  obtained 
through  an  air-brick  in  the  wall.  The  village  car- 
penter was  summoned,  and  quickly  removed  the 
floor-boards  over  the  spot  where  it  was  thought  the 
bees  had  located  themselves,  but  no  combs  or  bees 
were  visible.  He  then  removed  with  his  chisel  a 
false  floor  composed  of  laths  and  mortar  to  deaden 
the  sound,  when  a  sight  was  revealed  to  gladden 
the  heart  of  any  lover  of  the  bar-framed  system  of 
bee-keeping.  A  more  perfectly  constructed  bar- 
framed  hive  I  never  witnessed.  Between  two  joists 
of  the  floor,  extending  for  more  than  two  yards  in 
a  longitudinal  direction,  were  fifty  combs,  weighing 
in  all  83  lbs.,  hung  one  behind  the  other,  and  built 
so  straight,  that  had  it  not  been  for  the  weight  of 
honey,  they  could  have  been  lifted  out  with  the 
laths,  as  in  a  frame  hive.  As  far  as  I  could  judge, 
the  combs  were  the  size  of  Abbotts'  Standard 
frames.  In  the  centre  were  empty  brood  combs, 
very  black,  with  no  brood  in  them,  and  very  little 
honey.  At  the  two  extremities,  the  combs  were 
evidently  new,  and  so  filled  with  honey  that  they 
broke  on  being  lifted. 

The  bees  were  quieted  with  copious  fumes  of 
brown  paper  soaked  in  saltpetre  ;  but  their  number 
was  surprisingly  few  compared  with  the  size  of  their 
hive.  There  could  not  have  been  less  than  fifty 
combs,  yet  I  venture  to  say  there  were  not  more 
bees  than  I  have  in  one  of  my  bar-framed  hives  of 
eight  frames.  The  sight  of  this  long,  natural 
framed  hive,  which  the  bees  had  selected  and 
worked  out  entirely  unaided,  taught  me  a  lesson  or 
two  which  I  shall  not  soon  forget. 

The  first  was  to  convince  me  of  the  absurdity  of 
the  craze  people  have  for  supers  in  frame  hives. 
Again  and  again,  I  see  letters  and  questions  with 
one  and  the  same  complaint,  'My  bees  will  not  take 
to  the  supers.  The  question  is,  '  Why  on  earth 
should  theyl'  I  believe  bees  hate  an  upper  storey; 
they  infinitely  prefer  to  be  on  the  ground-floor  with 
the  heat  radiating,  right  and  left,  from  the  brood- 
nest,  as  I  found  it.     This  year  I  had  a  very  strong 


colony  that  I  was  determined  should  yield  me  some 
comb-honey.  It  refused  to  make  use  of  the  most 
tempting  super  sections.  I  accordingly  took  out  a 
frame  of  honey,  and  broke  it  up,  inserting  an  empty 
one ;  at  once  the  bees  set  to  work  to  fill  it.  I 
believe  the  Italian  system,  which  makes  no  use  of 
supers,  but  keeps  adding  frames  at  either  end,  is 
the  system  we  ought  to  adopt.  Mr.  Abbott  hit  the 
right  nail  on  the  head  when  he  introduced  those 
long  frame  hives,  the  frames  of  which  can  be 
increased  or  diminished  in  number  at  will.  If 
sections  are  wanted  for  sale,  I  believe  he  has  frames 
to  contain  four  sections  apiece  which  can  be  dropped 
into  the  body  hive  like  an  ordinary  frame.  The 
bees  I  found  had  evidently  been  adding,  year  by 
year,  new  combs  on  both  sides  of  the  brood-nest. 
The  outer  combs  on  each  side  being  delicious  comb- 
honey  quite  fit  for  immediate  use.  Why  cannot 
our  bar-framed  hives  be  managed  on  this  principle, 
and  the  cold  upper-storey  system  of  sectional  supers, 
which  the  bees  evidently  take  to  reluctantly,  done 
away  with  1  In  the  case  I  have  mentioned  there 
were  at  least  60  lbs.  of  honey  over  and  above  what 
the  bees  required  for  their  winter  consumption,  all 
stowed  away  without  the  use  of  a  single  super. 
With  the  aid  of  a  little  smoke,  the  bees  kept  re- 
treating from  comb  to  comb,  so  that  the  taking  of 
the  honey  was  not  a  difficult  task,  and  we  scarcely 
got  stung  at  all.  I  have  taken  a  great  deal  of 
honey  this  year  from  my  own  hives,  and  most  of 
them  now  are  very  heavy  with  no  feeding ;  but  only 
one  hive  out  of  nine  took  to  the  supers,  yet  I 
obtained  a  good  harvest  from  the  body  hives.  I  do 
not  know  whether  you  agree  with  me,  Mr.  Editor, 
but  I  think  the  English  bee-keeping  public  have 
gone  super-latively  mad,  and  have  yet  to  learn  that 
more  honey  and  equally  good  comb-honey,  can  be 
procured  without  the  use  of  supers  at  all.  — 
H.   E.   Sturgbs,    Wargrave   Vicarage. 


BLACK  v.  LIGURIANS.— HONEY  HARVEST. 

We  have  had  a  first-rate  heather  honey  season 
in  this  part  of  the  country.  I  have  remarked,  and 
so  have  others  hereabouts,  that  the  blacks  fairly 
beat  the  Ligurians  as  heather  honey  gatherers  this 
year.  Supers  upon  black  stocks  were  better  finished, 
and  were  far  whiter  comb  when  sealed,  than  those 
from  yellow  stocks.  The  yellows,  however,  have 
kept  up  a  far  better  population  than  the  blacks, 
who  seem  to  have  almost  worked  themselves  to 
death. 

I  have  extracted  heather  honey  with  one  of 
Steele's  extractors  after  it  was  two  weeks  gathered. 
It  is  most  troublesome  to  manage  though  even  then, 
and  if  not  operated  on  when  hot  from  the  hive  will 
not  come  at  all.  Three  or  four  days  is  as  long  as 
it  can  be  left  in  the  hive  and  be  easily  extracted. 
If  extracted  the  same  day  as  gathered,  it  is  ex- 
ceedingly thin,  and  does  not  keep  well  in  the  jars. 
There  is  some  peculiarity  about  heather  honey, 
which  makes  it  thicken  in  the  comb  to  a  mass 
resembling  jelly,  and  when  this  is  brought  out  in 
an  extractor  it  comes  solid  from  the  cell.  Extracted 
clover  and  heather  honey  do  not  mix  well.  I  wonder 
if  their  specific  gravity  is  the  same  %     I  think  not; 


140 


THE  BEITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[November  1,  1880. 


for  when  mixed  they  do  not  amalgamate,  but  remain 
as  a  sort  of  mechanical  mixture.  Is  honey  used  in 
the  arts  to  any  extent  1  Who  will  write  an  article 
on  its  use  in  this  connexion"! — G.  A.  K,  Braes  o' 
Angus. 

A  HONEY  MARKET. 

It  may  interest  you  and  some  of  your  readers  to 
know  that  I  have  found  a  ready  way  of  disposing 
of  my  honey,  by  sending  it  to  Messrs.  W.  and  H. 
Bristow,  240  Central  Poultry  and  Provision  Market, 
London.  By  the  account  enclosed,  you  will  observe 
that  all  the  honey  realised  over  Is.  per  lb.  I  put 
up  most  of  it  in  2-lb  glasses,  which  I  procured  from 
Messrs.  Abbott  Brothers,  tied  them  over  with  vege- 
table parchment,  and  put  on  labels  '  Pure  English 
Honey ; '  and  they  looked  very  neat  and  tempting. 

Messrs.  W.  and  fl.  Bristow  have  a  good  West-end 
connexion.  I  had  previously  sent  them  two  hampers 
of  honey,  which  also  sold  well.  I  have  sold  200  lbs. 
without  any  difficulty.  Some  in  bulk,  20  lbs.,  at 
Is.  per  pound. — John  Urell,  Great  Majrtestead, 
Halstead,  Essex. 

[We  append  copy  of  the  account,  which  may  be  of 
interest  to  bee-keepers.  Inquirers  must  please  address 
one  or  other  of  the  parties  named,  as  we  have  no  know- 
ledge of  the  business;  and  letters  sent  to  our  office 
cannot  therefore  be  efficiently  replied  to. — Ed.]  : — 

Nineteen  Jars  of  Honey. 

Per  lb.  £     s.    i. 

1      8  lbs 1/1      0     8     8 

2     5  lbs 1/2     0  11     8 

Each. 

...      2/6 


16      .. 
19  Jars. 


2  lbs. 


Cyc. 
Com. 


2     0 

0 

3     0 

0     2     5 
0    3    2 

0    5 

4 
7 

£2  14 

9 

PROPOLISING  THE  QUILT. 
It  seems  now  generally  admitted  that  a  soft  quilt 
is  the  best  covering  for  the  frames  during  winter, 
with  or  without  the  adapting-board  ;  but  inasmuch 
as  they  cement  it  down  so  firmly  to  the  bars  as  to 
stop  all  ventilation,  and  is  so  difficult  to  remove, 
would  it  not  be  advisable  to  have  a  sheet  of  paper 
(such  as  the  grocers  use  for  sugar)  laid  on  pre- 
viously, and  the  quilt  over  if?  The  paper  would 
be  more  easily  removed,  and  for  the  sake  of  free 
ventilation  a  slit  might  be  made  through  the  paper 
between  the  bars ;  then  would  it  be  advisable  to 
lay  a  thin  board  on  or  not  1  My  plan  is  to  lay  a 
warm  cushion  (lined  with  thick  flannel  below,  and 
canvas  on  top,  stuffed  with  feathers  or  some  soft 
material)  on  the  board  and  roof  over,  and  a  thick 
thatch  of  straw  over  that  projecting,  so  far  over  as 
to  preclude  any  drip  falling  on  the  edge  of  floor- 
board. I  should  esteem  it  a  favour  if  you  would 
give  me  your  valuable  advice  on  the  above  subject. 
— Geo.  Ringer 

[Where  propolis  is  used  to  a  great  extent,  and  there  is 
danger  to  the  bees  through  insufficient  ventilation,  we 
would  make  a  number  of  pin-holes  through  the  quilt, 
between  the  frames,  right  over  the  bees,  and  cover  it 


with  a  pillow  or  cushion.  In  cases  where  bees  stick  the 
quilt  so  closely,  please  to  imagine  how  firmly  they  would 
glue  down  a  crown-board,  and  how  difficult  the  removal 
of  the  latter  would  he  as  compared  with  the  former.  A 
quilt  may  always  be  pulled  off  by  one  corner,  like  strip- 
ping off  a  plaister ;  and  smoke  applied  as  it  is  removed 
will  keep  the  bees  from  '  rising,'  but,  if  a  novice  wants  a 
little  '  experience,'  he  is  welcome  to  the  consequences  of 
wrenching  off  a  crown-board. — Ed.] 


KELSO  SHOW.— CORRECTIONS.— HONEY 
HARVEST  IN  SCOTLAND. 

Will  you  kindly  put  a  correction  in  the  Journal 
regarding  Wood's  prize  for  Observatory  Hive  1  He 
should  have  been  first,  and  Ellis  second.  Also 
Steele,  of  Fowlis,  writes  me  he  had  never  seen 
'  Cowan's  '  extractor  when  he  invented  his  own  ;  so 
that  it  is  the  old  story  of  two  minds  having  the 
same  idea  at  the  same  time  in  different  parts  of  the 
country.  He  says  there  is  a  description  of  his  in 
the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association's  new  book ; 
perhaps  you  will  kindly  notice  this. 

What  a  splendid  honey  harvest  we  have  had  this 
year  !  This  is  the  best  I  have  ever  known,  as  the 
last  was  the  worst.  From  one  stock  I  took 
143  lbs. ;  its  gross  weight  was  180  lbs.  That's  up 
to  the  mark,  eh  1  Heather  honey  keeps  its  price 
in  Glasgow  ;  the  shops  are  still  selling  it  at  2s.  and 
Is.  6d.  per  lb.  But  we  want  a  merchant  for  a  large 
quantity  at  Is.  %d.  Do  you  think  that  price  would 
return  a  saleable  profit  in  London  1  Ligurians  about 
here  have  been  robbing  from  many  old  hives  that 
were  left  out  —  that  had  died  during  the  winter  ; 
and  in  some  cases  foul  brood  has  made  its  appear- 
ance.— R.  J.  Bennett,  Glasgow,  Sept.  21,  1880. 


CHEAP  AND  GOOD  COVERS  FOR  STRAW 

SKEPS. 
These  can  be  made  of  the  round  American  cheese- 
boxes,  which  can  be  obtained  for  a  copper  or  two  at 
almost  any  provision-dealers.  Earthenware  covers, 
such  as  are  used  on  bread-pans,  cost  about  l.s.  6d. 
each,  and  keep  the  hives  dry  and  firm.  These  are 
infinitely  superior  to  straw  hackles,  inasmuch  as 
they  are  neat,  dry,  tidy,  do  not  harbour  vermin, 
and  give  easy  access  to  the  top  of  the  hive  for 
autumn  or  spring  feeding. — C.  T. 


COVERING  UP  FOR  WINTER. 

The  rush  covers  that  so  many  grocers  receive  on 
their  tea-chests  will  be  found  very  handy  for  helping 
to  make  hives  snug  and  warm  for  the  winter.  They 
can  be  had  for  a  mere  trifle,  and  can  be  readily  cut 
to  any  size  for  packing  the  sides  or  tops  of  frames, 
&c,  when  carpet  or  other  woollen  material  is  scarce 
— Somerset. 

EXPERTS  FOR  COUNTY  ASSOCIATIONS. 

It  is  quite  time  to  increase  the  number  of  experts, 
for  the  supply  has  long  been  unequal  to  the  demand 
during  the  busy  season.  In  most  counties  there  is 
at  least  one  man  who  can  handle  bees  with  sufficient 
skill  to  be  able  to  do  driving  at  local  shows,  and 
transfer   stocks    from   skeps   to    bar-frame    hives. 


November  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


141 


Secretaries  -will  do  well  to  look  up  such  men  with- 
out delay,  and  try  to  arraQge  for  nest  summer's 
campaign.  If  a  few  such  could  be  induced  to  place 
their  services  at  the  disposal  of  members  of  county 
associations  on  reasonable  terms,  they  would  render 
invaluable  assistance  to  our  cause,  as  each  would  be 
a  travelling  teacher,  as  well  as  a  practical  helper,  if 
they  could  be  got  to  work  amongst  old-fashioned 
bee-keepers  during  spring,  summer,  and  autumn. — 
Llongborth. 


MOVING  AN  APIARY.— OVERSTOCKING  A 
DISTRICT.—  HONEY  SOLIDIFYING.—  PRO- 
FITS ON  BEE-KEEPING.  —  HINTS  IN  GE- 
NERAL. 

Now  that  the  honey  harvest  is  over  and  things  are 
getting  a  little  quiet  in  the  bee  world,  perhaps  you  will 
allow  me  to  consult  you  on  one  or  two  matters  which  my 
season's  experiences  have  brought  up  for  consideration? 

I  am  in  difficulties  about  the  situation  of  my  apiary. 
It  occupies  a  very  good  position  so  far  as  shelter  and 
dryness  and  freedom  for  flight  are  concerned ;  but  un- 
fortunately it  is  within  from  ten  to  twenty  yards  of  my 
front  door,  a  gravel-drive  and  a  laurel-hedge  only  inter- 
vening. The  consequence  is,  that  in  the  depriving  season, 
when  my  bees,  at  all  events,  are  rather  cross,  not  only 
members  of  my  own  family,  but  visitors  occasionally, 
come  to  grief ;  and  I  find  that  with  the  usual  perversity 
of  human  nature,  and  especially  the  female  portion  of  it, 
people  will  persist,  in  spite  of  warning,  in  exposing  them- 
selves to  danger  at  such  times,  being  under  the  necessity 
of  coming  close  up  to  the  hives  and  speaking  to  one  in 
the  midst  of  the  most  critical  operations.  My  wife,  for 
instance,  who  is  quite  fearless  until  she  is  stung,  gets  her 
face  swelled  up  every  ten  days  or  so,  like  one  of  Sutton's 
prize  turnips.  Interesting  young  ladies  get  stung  in  the 
eye  with  the  immediate  and  inevitable  effect  that  one 
cannot  but  feel  oneself,  as  everybody  else  at  the  time 
thinks  one,  to  be  a  brute  for  being  the  owner  of  such 
disagreeable  bees.  There  is  added  to  these  incon- 
veniences the  fact  that,  having  met  with  a  fair  amount 
of  success  in  my  bee-keeping  this  year,  I  have  had  the 
misfortune  to  stir  up  a  little  jealousy  among  some  of  my 
less  successful  cottage  neighbours ;  and  that  consequently, 
being  a  parson,  and  therefore  not  entitled  to  existence 
as  a  bee-keeper  except  on  the  smallest  possible  scale,  it 
would  be  better  for  me  to  keep  my  apiary  in  the  back- 
ground. Under  these  circumstances  I  am  very  reluct- 
antly forced  to  think  of  adopting  another  site.  I  have 
none  so  good  as  the  present  one ;  still  I  have  one  that 
might  be  made  to  do  ;  and  I  have  reckoned  that,  accord- 
ing to  the  old  rules,  it  would  take  me  about  fifty  or  sixty 
days  of  fine  weather  and  hard  labour  to  move  my  bees 
into  it. 

Now  supposing  it  to  be  impossible,  as  I  presume  it  is, 
to  extract  honey  and  remove  supers  without  irritating 
bees,  I  want  to  know  whether  there  is  not  some  royal 
road  to  the  attainment  of  my  object.  I  do  not  wish  to 
move  my  bees  at  all  if  I  can  help  it,  because  I  in  a  great 
measure  attribute  the  moderate  degree  of  success  I  have 
had  with  my  apiary  to  the  favourableness  of  its  present 
site.  But  I  do  not  see  how  I  can  contend  any  longer 
with  the  difficulties  of  my  case  as  it  now  stands.  Can 
you  help  me  ? 

I  wish  very  much  also  that  you  would  give  some 
authoritative  pronouncement  as  to  the  number  of  bees 
that  may  be  kept  in  a  district,  with  a  radius  of,  say,  four 
miles.  I  believe  I  am  credited,  among  my  other  evil 
deeds,  with  that  of  starving  some  of  the  cottagers'  bees 
in  my  immediate  neighbourhood.     '  'Tis  na'ar  a  mossel 

o'  use  for  nubbody  to  keep  no  bees  at not  now. 

Payson's,  they  hev's  t'all  now ! '  My  own  belief  is, 
that  for  two  or  three  weeks  of  the  past  season  in  my 


own   district,  vast   quantities   of   honey   were    simply 
wasted  for  want  of  bees  to  gather  it. 

Have  you  noticed,  or  heard  of,  and  if  so,  can  you 
explain,  the  cause  of  patches  of  crystallised  honey  ap- 
pearing here  and  there  in  the  combs  this  season  ?  I 
have  found  it  so  while  extracting  from  hives  that  have 
never  had  a  chance  of  tasting  sugar.  Some  of  my 
neighbours  have  also  noticed  the  same  thing  in  their 
hives. 

I  sometimes  read  very  despondent  communications  in 
your  Journal.  I,  too,  have  my  dark  hours.  But  perhaps 
it  will  help  to  encourage  some  dispirited  amateurs  if  you 
will  record  the  amount  of  success  which  a  comparative 
bungler  like  myself  has  achieved  during  the  past  season. 
At  the  end  of  last  season  I  found  myself  in  possession 
of  sixteen  stocks  fairly  supplied  with  bees,  but  entirely 
without  provision  for  the  winter.  What  was  I  to  do  P 
I  know  they  could  not  live  as  they  were,  and  I  could 
not  voluntarily  destroy  any  of  them.  I  had  previously 
united  as  much  as  I  well  could.  I  therefore  determined 
in  good  time  to  invest  about  31.  in  sugar  and  fetch  them 
up  to  the  proper  mark.  Many  of  my  neighbours  thought 
me  wildly  speculative  and  foolishly  extravagant ;  and 
one  large  bee-keeper  I  know  prophesied  that  such  treat- 
ment would  infallibly  be  the  death  of  my  bees.  But 
none  of  them  died,  and  as  a  result  of  the  season's 
business  I  now  find  myself  in  possession  of  33/.  10s. 
in  hard  money,  and  twenty-three  good  stocks,  not  re- 
quiring to  be  fed  for  the  winter ;  my  numbers  having 
been  reduced  to  this  figure  from  a  much  laiger  one,  by 
driving,  uniting,  giving  away,  and  selling. 

To  guard  myself  in  some  small  degree  from  the 
reproach  of  misapplying  my  time  and  getting  gain 
thereby,  I  give  all  the  profits  of  my  bee-keeping  to  a 
religious  society.  May  I  suggest  that  there  are  great 
numbers  of  people  who  would  be  open  to  no  such 
reproach  if  they  devoted  some  or  even  the  whole  of 
their  time  to  bee-keeping  with  the  same  object?  They 
might  in  this  way  provide  themselves  with  an  unfailing 
source  of  wholesome  amusement,  more  especially  if  they 
could  do  a  little  carpentering  (as  all  bee-keepers  should, 
and  most — whether  male  or  female — might  easily  learn 
to  do) ;  and  at  the  same  time  have  the  satisfaction  of 
contributing  some  substantial  benefit,  more  or  less,  to 
whatever  charity  or  good  work  they  might  feel  inclined 
to  favour.  I  myself  should  like  to,  if  I  might,  put  in  a 
word  for  the  S.  P.  G.  Only  I  must  warn  all  intending 
beginners  that  they  must  be  prepared  for  failures,  diffi- 
culties, and  discouragements.  I  have  had  my  share  of 
them,  and  shall  continue  to  have  them,  no  doubt ;  but  I 
am  quite  sure  that  they  can  be  overcome  by  patience 
and  steady  resolution,  and  that  they  are  far  more  than 
compensated  by  the  pleasures  of  the  pursuit  —  to  say 
nothing  at  all  of  the  solid  gain  that  must  eventually  be 
the  reward  of  perseverance.- — J.  H.  D.,  Norfh  Hants. 

[It  is  not  easy  to  establish  a  royal  road  to  the  removal 
of  supers  and  the.  extraction  of  honey,  particularly  in  an 
apiary  already  established.  If  about  to  commence  an 
apiarv,  we  would  advise  the  use  of  hives  that  give  special 
facilities  for  deprival,  which  few  on  the  old  system  of 
supering  only,  offer.  We  have  a  royal  way  of  preventing 
the  sixty  days'  labour,  which  would  be  undergone  if  the 
apiary  be  removed  forthwith  as  suggested.  We  would 
wrait  until  spring  when  the  bees  swarm,  and  immediately 
the  swarms  are  hived  we  would  put  them  in  place  of 
the  stocks  from  which  they  came,  and  would  take  the 
stocks  to  the  new  site  that  has  been  selected,  and  set 
them  in  their  appointed  places,  and  the  same  evening  we 
would  remove  the  swarms  to  their  new  site,  and  the 
whole  business  would  be  completed.  If  swarms  (increase) 
is  not  desired,  let  them  swarm  nevertheless,  and  take 
care  to  put  stocks  and  swarm  close  together  in  their  new 
place,  and  unite  as  soon  after  as  convenient.  The  cer- 
tainty of  the  operation  consists  in  the  fact  that  at 
swarming  all  the  flying  bees  will  have  joined  the  swarm 


142 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[November  1,  1880. 


when  it  has  been  put  upon  the  old  stance,  whence  being 
in  the  character  of  a  swarm,  they  may  be  set  in  any 
place  you  please,  as  is  well  known.  To  make  them  mark 
their  new  site,  it  is,  nevertheless,  advisable  to  plant  a 
branch  of  a  tree  at  the  hive  front  so  that  they  shall 
have  their  attention  directed  thereto,  and  not  fly  abroad 
as  if  they  had  not  been  moved. 

Regarding  the  number  of  stocks  that  may  be  placed 
upon  a  district  with  a  four-mile  radius,  which  includes 
an  area  of  over  fifty-two  square  miles,  we  may  safely 
say  that  a  couple  of  thousand  stocks  woidd  be  a  com- 
paratively small  number  if  the  district  is  only  fairly 
good ;  but  we  fear  it  will  be  useless  to  tell  this  to  those 
you  mention.  They  do  not  see  that  by  attention  and 
feeding,  to  ensure  abundance  of  bees  in  time  for  the  har- 
vest, that  you  have  the  whip  hand  of  them,  and  that 
yours  begin  storing  honey  when  theirs  only  just  com- 
mence breeding,  and  that  by  the  time  they  have  their 
hives  full  of  bees,  yours  are  full  of  honey.  If  they 
would  follow  your  example,  they  would  do  as  well, 
while  yours  would  do  no  worse.  The  solidifying  of 
certain  honeys  is  quite  natural,  and  does  not  in  the  least 
imply  admixture  of  sugar-syrup.  Ivy  honey  will  set  in 
a  week. 

We  thank  you  much  for  your  excellent  letter,  and 
hope  often  to  be  favoured  with  your  observations. — Ed.] 


THE  CONGRESS  OF  BEE-MASTERS  AT 
COLOGNE. 

I  have  read  with  much  interest  Colonel  Pearson's 
report  of  the  late  Apiarian  Exhibition  at  Cologne,  and 
having  also  had  the  privilege  of  being  present,  I  should 
like  to  make  a  few  supplementary  remarks. 

In  the  general  description  of  the  Exhibition,  I  agree 
with  what  has  been  written.  Prominent  allusion  is 
made  to  the  perforated  zinc  or  queen  excluder.  My 
attention  was  also  attracted  by  the  great  number  of 
cages  (in  size  about  3  by  2  inches,  and  1  inch  deep  with 
wires  ■&  of  an  inch  apart).  These  I  understood  were 
for  the  purpose  of  imprisoning  the  queen,  and  at  the 
same  time  allowing  the  worker-bees  to  have  full  access 
to  her.  When  her  majesty  is  thus  kept  from  traversing 
the  combs,  she  is,  of  course,  deprived  of  exercising  her 
great  functions  of  egg-laying.  This  restraint  at  the 
period  of  the  year  when  honey  is  being  gathered  freely, 
is  considered  by  the  German  bee-master  an  advantage, 
because  be  wishes  the  cells  to  be  filled  with  honey  instead 
of  brood.  The  population  of  a  hive,  as  we  know, 
increases  very  rapidly  in  the  ordinary  way.  This  leads 
to  swarming,  which  interferes  with  the  productiveness 
of  the  stock  from  which  the  swarm  emanates.  When 
the  queen  is  thus  put  '  into  durance  vile,'  the  cells  are 
only  open  to  the  worker-bees  to  deposit  the  abundant 
nectar,  and  make  additional  work  for  the  extractor. 
Run-honey  appears  to  be  much  more  in  request  in 
Germany  than  honey  in  the  comb  in  supers.  Conse- 
quently the  exhibits  of  honey  in  this  form  were  large. 
I  may  mention  Mr.  A.  Schlosser,  an  able  bee-master  at 
Ehrenfeld,  near  Cologne,  who  had  1000  lbs.  of  honey  in  1  .')7 
glasses,  said  to  be  gathered  from  the  Trifolium  incarnatum, 
white  and  red  clover,  buckwheat,  and  corn-flour,  all  of 
which  I  understood  he  sold  at  Od.  per  lb. 

Most  of  the  hives  on  show  were  of  straw,  and  had 
small  frames.  There  were  a  great  number  of  them 
very  similar  in  form.  One  frame-hive,  however,  was  of 
wood,  exhibited  by  Mr.  F.  Koester,  of  Limberg,  of  very 
ingenious  construction.  |,  was  something  like  a  large 
Iluber  hive,  and  the  frames  were  kept  close  together  by 
means  of  iron  rods  screwed  tight  by  bolts,  which,  of 
course,  might  easily  be  loosened  for  ma  nipuhit  ion,  and 
at  the  same  time  allowed  little  chance  of  propolising. 
This  gentleman  had  sojourned  in  America  and  returned 
to  bis  native  country  imbued  with  inventive,  ideas,  for 
he  also  produced   an   extractor  of  novel  construction, 


the  motive  power  being  simply  friction,  by  drawing  a 
long,  smooth  piece  of  wood  against  a  wheel,  great  rapi- 
dity and  ease  of  motion  were  obtained. 

Mr.  L.  Eylenfeld,  of  Frankfort,  had  a  very  ingenious 
hive,  tenanted  with  living  bees  in  the  garden,  very 
much  in  form  like  Mr.  Gravenhorst's,  with  dome-top 
frames.  These  drew  out  bodily  at  the  side,  and  ran  on 
rollers  very  smoothly,  with  arrangement  for  easy  ex- 
traction. Dr.  Dzierzon  exhibited  a  fine  Italian  queen, 
with  a  few  workers,  in  a  small  glass  case,  which  was 
priced  at  12s.  Herr  Vogel  had  two  similar  cases  of 
Caucasian  bees  with  distinctive  markings :  these,  like 
the  Carniolan,  are  valued  for  their  docile  character.      -^. 

As  the  Colonel  has  given  some  account  of  the  papers 
that  were  read  and  discussed,  I  will  content  myself  by 
touching  on  those  to  which  he  has  not  alluded. 

One  of  the  questions  brought  before  the  meeting  was 
the  cause  of  the  decline  of  bee-keeping  in  the  city  and 
district  of  Cologne. 

Mr.  Schiiller,  a  citizen,  who  introduced  the  subject, 
attributed  as  one  great  cause  an  absurd  police  regulation, 
instituted  in  1855,  viz.  '  That  it  shall  not  be  permitted 
to  keep  more  than  five  stocks  of  bees  to  one  house 
within  the  city  and  district  of  Cologne,  in  such  a  way  as 
to  make  it  possible  for  the  bees  to  get  to  other  people's 
property.'  This  refers  to  the  sugar  refineries;  '  but,'  said 
the  speaker,  '  I  maintain  that  bee-keeping  existed  before 
sugar  factories  were  built — bees  could  easily  be  kept 
out  by  wire-netting.  It  is  incomprehensible  to  me  (he 
said,  amid  loud  applause)  how  the  tax-paying  citizens 
of  Cologne  should  so  long  put  up  with  such  a  regulation. 
Bee-keepers  of  Germany  and  Austria,  let  us  get  this 
police  regulation  withdrawn,  and  in  its  place  have  legal 
protection  for  bee-keeping !  We  in  Cologne,'  he  con- 
tinued, '  are  about  to  form  an  association,  and  we  look  on 
your  support  as  the  most  valuable  and  effective  help  we 
can  have.' 

Count  Pfeil  observed  that  the  police  regulation 
referred  to  was  another  proof  that  industries  or  manu- 
factories are  looked  upon  with  favour,  as  bosom  children, 
and  agriculture  only  as  a  step-child.  What  has  been 
stated  by  Mr.  Schiiller  holds  good,  not  for  Cologne  only, 
but  for  all  Germany. 

On  Wednesday,  the  8th  September,  the  meeting  was 
opened  by  the  Chief  Burgomaster,  Dr.  Becker.  The 
first  subject  on  the  programme  for  the  day  referred  to 
the  transfer  of  larva?  from  one  cell  to  another,  the  prac- 
ticability of  which  was  illustrated  by  Pastor  Waygandt, 
who  read  an  excellent  paper  on  the  subject. 

The  speaker  admitted  that,  strictly  speaking,  the  pro- 
cedure was  of  no  great  practical  value  at  present,  but  he 
thought  it  might  afford  many  advantages  hereafter.  For 
example,  he  said,  a  bee-keeper  may  have  a  strong  colon}' 
of  German  bees,  of  which  he  does  not  want  any  off- 
spring. He  ma}',  at  the  same  time,  be  possessed  of 
Cyprian,  Carniolan,  or  Italian  bees,  with  an  original 
queen.  It  might  thus  occur  to  him  how  desirable  it 
would  be  to  obtain  as  man}'  queens  of  the  new  race  as 
useless  queens  of  the  German  colony.  Pastor  Waygandt 
proceeds  by  cutting  open  with  a  pair  of  scissors  a  royal 
cell  in  a  comb  of  a  German  colony,  bending  the  edges 
back,  taking  hold  of  the  royal  larva  in  the  cell  by  means 
of  a  pair  of  tweezers,  and  removing  it.  He  then  places 
the  worker-larva  of  the  race  from  which  he  wishes  to 
rear  queens  upon  a  small  camel-hair  brush  previously 
moistened,  and  transfers  it  to  the  empty  royal  cell,  im- 
bedding it  in  royal  jelly ;  and  after  this  no  further 
manipulation  is  requisite.  The  workers  in  almost  every 
case  seal  the  cell,  and  the  worker-larva  becomes  de- 
veloped into  a  queen.  The  metamorphosis  in  most  cases 
v,  as  distinctly  recognisable  on  the  following  day. 

In  reply  to  a  question  as  to  the  age  of  the  larva  to  be 
employed  in  such  manipulation,  Pastor  Waygandt  said 
it  did  not  make  much  difference.  He  had  by  such  trans- 
fer succeeded  in  changing  worker-larvas,  which  were  on 


November  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


143 


the  point  of  passing  into  the  pupa  state,  into  royal 
larvae,  and  had  occasionally  obtained  very  vigorous  and 
even  the  most  beautiful  queens.  The  practical  advantage 
of  such  transposition  consists  in  our  keeping  a  German 
colony  and  a  number  of  queens  of  the  race  which  it  is 
decided  to  increase.  Pastor  Waygandt's  most  interesting 
speech  was  loudly  applauded.  It  was  followed  by  an 
animated  discussion  on  the  composition  of  chyle. 

Dr.  Pollmann,  of  Bonn,  read  a  paper  on  the  way  to 
cure  a  colony  which  had  drones  only.  The  statements 
of  this  highly-educated  bee-master  gave  rise  to  a  tolerably 
excited  discussion. 

Mr.  Fre}-,  of  Nurenberg,  favoured  the  meeting  with  a 
most  instructive  speech  on  foul  brood.  After  enumerat- 
ing the  various  dangers  of  the  disease  spreading,  which 
have  so  many  times  been  repeated,  he  came  to  the  ques- 
tion, what  can  the  bee-keeper  do  to  combat  this  dreadful 
disease  ?  1st.  He  should  take  proper  means  to  prevent 
its  appearance  by  arresting  the  conditions  favourable  to 
the  development  of  the  disease,  or  should  try  to  lessen 
their  injurious  effect.  2nd.  The  bee-keeper  should  em- 
ploy the  proper  means  to  stifle  the  disease  should  it  have 
made  its  appearance.  Upon  the  destruction  of  the 
■vitality  of  the  fungus  which  causes  the  disease  depends 
the  cure  of  the  colony.  Various  remedies  may  be  em- 
ployed to  destroy  these  fungi.  Salicylic  acid  has  been 
recommended  as  a  cure  for  foul  brood,  and  been  employed 
with  success.  But  there  is  a  substance  called  salicylous 
acid,  derived  from  salicylic  acid,  which  Nature  offers  to 
the  bees  in  one  of  our  best-known  flowering  plants — the 
Spiroea  urinaria.  This  plant  grows  in  a  wild  state  in 
Germany.  By  encouraging  the  cultivation  of  which, 
bee-keepers  would  provide  a  natural  preventive  against 
foul  brood.  Bees  are  fond  of  visiting  the  flowers  of  this 
plant ;  but  if  the  plant  were  dried,  and  then  rubbed  to 
powder,  and  mixed  with  the  food  in  spring,  it  would 
probably  also  be  of  considerable  benefit  to  bees. 

Pastor  Kabbow  stated  there  had  been  cases  of  foul 
brood  in  his  district,  which,  however,  had  disappeared 
without  any  measures  being  taken  to  cure  it.  He  Was 
inclined  to  think  that  the  bees  themselves  had  effected 
the  cure  through  visiting  the  Spiraea  ulmaria,  which 
plant  is  frequently  met  with  in  his  part  of  the  country. 

Various  other  subjects  and  propositions  were  discussed, 
most  of  which  have  been  alluded  to  by  Colonel  Pearson, 
so  they  need  not  be  repeated. 

Count  Pfeil  proposed  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  Stern- 
berg, the  Vice-President,  for  his  able  conduct  in  the 
chair,  and  this  closed  the  proceedings  of  the  discussion- 
part  of  the  meeting  for  the  present  year.  Most  of  the 
visitors  afterwards  dined  together  in  the  large  hall  of  the 
Gurzenich. 

At  half  past  two  o'clock  more  than  200  visitors,  among 
whom  were  many  ladies,  sat  down  to  a  festive  dinner 
in  the  beautiful  decorated  dining-hall  of  the  Gurzenich, 
which  is  of  baronial  appearance ;  and  when  I  mention 
that  at  the  late  fete,  on  the  completion  of  the  Cathedral, 
a  banquet  was  here  held  at  which  the  Crown  Prince  pre- 
sided with  the  Burgomaster  and  Corporation  of  Cologne 
doing  the  honours  as  hosts,  it  may  be  imagined  that  we 
met  in  no  insignificar.t  building. 

During  dinner  we  had  speeches  both  humorous  and 
grave,  and  occasionally  singing.  Chief  Burgomaster 
Becker  proposed  the  health  of  the  sovereigns  of  Ger- 
many, and  Austria  and  Hungary,  pointing  out  that  so  long 
as  the  two  Emperors  were  united,  no  power  would  ven- 
ture to  disturb  the  peace  of  Europe.  The  Baroness  Lina 
Von  Berlepsch  proposed  the  healths  of  the  two  Em- 
presses Augusta  and  Elizabeth.  After  these  two  toasts 
the  Prussian  and  Austrian  national  hymns  were  sung, 
the  company  standing — an  efficient  band  taking  the  lead 
with  the  music.  Mr.  Sternberg  proposed  the  toast, 
'Success  to  bee-keeping.'  Count  Pfeil  gave  the  toast, 
'  The  city  of  Cologne  and  Father  Rhine — the  venerable 
couple.'     Mr.  Otto  Hartman  proposed  '  The  Ladies.' 


A  pretty  little  fair-haired  girl  from  Erfurt,  of  the 
name  of  Frieda  Wachter,  recited,  very  audibly,  a  beau- 
tiful poem,  dedicated  to  the  city  and  magistrates  of 
Cologne.  After  doing  so,  the  young  lady,  who  was 
elegantly  attired,  came  round  the  tables  to  all  the  visitors, 
and  touched  glasses  with  us,  an  arduous  task  which  she 
performed  gracefully  and  unabashed. 

Among  the  bee-keepers'  songs  there  was  one  composed 
by  our  chairman,  the  chief  Burgomaster,  with  the  title, 
'  The  Bee-keepers'  Pride.'  Fritz  Bbhle's  song,  '  From  the 
bee-hive,'  greatly  amused  the  company.  The  translation 
of  the  fifth  verse  ran  as  follows  : — 

Wax  and  honey  are  doubtless 

The  monopoly  of  our  bees, 

Prince  Bismarck  failed  in  his  attempt 

To  introduce  the  tobacco  monopoly. 

The  queen,  if  well  looked  after, 

Will  lay  50,000  eggs  a-year. 

Many  a  farmer  would  no  doubt  be  glad 

If  these  were  fowls'  eggs  ! 

(I  am  sorry  I  am  not  able  to  put  the  words  into  English 
rhythm.) 

Each  visitor  was  furnished  with  a  book  with  the 
words  of  the  various  songs,  in  the  singing  of  which  most 
of  the  company  joined,  the  band  leading. 

The  speeches  did  not  all  emanate  from  the  upper 
table  where  the  principal  guests  were  seated ;  but  any 
one  at  any  part  of  the  hall  appeared  to  have  full  liberty 
to  unburden  his  or  her  mind,  for  the  speaking  was  not 
confined  to  the  male  sex. 

A  young  lady,  of  older  growth  than  the  Miss  Wachter 
before  alluded  to,  rose,  and  with  a  clear  and  pleasing 
voice  invited  the  company  in  warm  and  earnest  terms  to 
meet  next  year  at  Erfurt  in  quite  as  large  numbers  as 
they  had  done  at  Cologne.  This  speech  evoked  a  warm 
response  on  the  part  of  the  audience,  and  those  within 
reach  (as  their  custom  is  when  a  sentiment  is  expressed 
with  which  they  feel  sympathy)  rushed  to  ths  speaker 
to  touch  glasses  with  hers. 

Then  speeches  and  songs  occurred  between  the  courses. 
The  waiters  evidently  had  to  watch  their  opportunities. 
When  there  was  a  pause  they  took  advantage  of  it  to 
come  in  with  the  various  dishes. 

(To  be  continued.) 

dErJKrcs  from  %  ||te. 

Cowbridge. — '  It  may  interest  you  to  know  about  my 
bees  this  year.  I  reduced  my  hives  last  winter  by 
doubling  to  eight,  and  increased  them  to  fourteen  for 
the  summer.  The}'  are  now  reduced  to  eight  again  by 
uniting.  The  bees  made  for  me  upwards  of  seven  cwt. 
of  honey,  which,  at  an  average  of  Is.  a-pound,  is  about 
401.  I  think  this  is  satisfactory,  considering  all  the  other 
bees  in  the  parish,  and  particularly  in  the  district,  died, 
and  I  lost  none  ;  and  considering  also  that  I  have  never 
yet  used  any  impressed  wax,  or  increased  except  by 
natural  swarming  or  inserted  queens.  Had  I  used  these 
helps,  no  doubt  my  harvest  would  have  been  even  larger 
than  it  has  been.  I  may  mention  also  that  I  have  neither 
fruit-trees  nor  heather  to  help  me.  It  is  simply  the  out- 
come of  a  pasture  and  clover  district.  My  hives  are  built 
by  myself,  as  also  my  supers,  so  that  I  think  any  one 
may  see  that,  with  very  little  care,  bee-keeping  is  a  pro- 
fitable undertaking.  I  am  rather  in  a  fright  as  to  the 
winter,  as  I  had  no  time  in  September  to  attend  to  my 
bees,  the  consequence  is  that  I  shall  scarcely  get  the 
feeding  done  by  the  end  of  the  month,  and  they  are 
breeding  away  as  if  it  were  May ;  but  as  our  winters 
here  are  fairly  mild,  I  hope  I  shall  do.  I  have  only  seen 
two  wax  grubs  this  year,  and  they  both  on  a  straw  hive. 
I  kept  my  old  combs  through  last  winter  without  any 
difficulty  "on  that  score.' — Stephen  Nicholl. 


144 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[November  1,  1880. 


Basingstoke,  September  2$th,  1880. — '  This  summer 
■will  gladden  the  hearts  of  bee-keepers  a  little ;  I  have 
now  been  able  to  use  some  of  the  furniture  I  obtained 
last  summer. — George  Holley.' 

Nyborg,  Denmark,  Oct.  9,  1880. — Danish  Exhibition. 
— '  The  diagrams  arrived.  The  Exhibition  was  a  very 
fine  one.  The  Crown  Prince  and  Princess  honoured  us 
with  their  presence,  and  must  have  taken  great  interest- 
in  the  exhibits  by  the  time  they  stayed.  We  had  also 
many  noted  bee-keepers  from  the  sister  lands — Norway 
and  Sweden,  some  of  whom  had  been  to  the  Exhibition 
at  Koln,  in  Germany  ;  and  flattered  us  by  saying,  that 
with  the  exception  of  live  bees,  with  which  our  Exhibi- 
tion was  not  overstocked,  it  was  as  fine  and  imposing 
as  the  one  they  had  seen.  Our  president  this  year  for 
the  exhibitions  was  Hoff  jaegermester  Brunn,  a  name 
looked  up  to  in  Scandinavia  as  the  first  to  awaken  an 
interest  in  bee-keeping  on  the  humane  principle.' 

djitmcs  anb  Implies. 

Query  No.  356. —  Combination  Principle. —  We  con- 
stantly hear  of  bees  refusing  to  go  into  supers,  although 
working  well  in  the  hive.  Why  then  are  Combination 
hives  so  uncommon  ?  Is  there  anything  against  them 
which  in  my  ignorance  I  fail  to  see  ? — J.  H.  V.,  October 
25,  1830. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  356. — We  cannot  offer  a  good 
reason  why  the  principle  is  not  more  generally  adopted. 
Doubtless 'fashion'  has  a  great  deal  to  do  with  it;  but 
common  sense  is  on  your  side  and  ours,  your  argument 
admitting  of  no  denial.  We  know  of  nothing  against 
the  Combination  principle,  except  the  judges  at  shows 
and  the  influence  of  their  opinions  on  the  multitude. 
The  judges,  we  humbly  think,  have  a  good  deal  to  answer 
for  in  respect  of  hives,  unless  the  onus  lies  with  those 
who  appoint  them.  We  will  refer  to  this  question  in  a 
future  number,  all  being  well,  and  in  meantime  shall  be 
glad  to  publish  any  and  every  objection  that  may  be 
brought  against  the  principle  in  question. — Ed. 

Query  No.  357. — How  early  in  spring  may  I  transfer 
and  unite  stocks,  if  weak  P — J.  H.  V. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  357. — On  the  first  fine  day  after 
their  condition  has  been  discovered.  —Ed. 

Query  No.  358. — 1.  Cleansing  flight  for  Queens. — How 
do  you  give  queens  a  cleansing  flight  from  their  travel- 
ling cages?  Is  there  no  fear  of  losing  them?  2.  Irasci- 
bility of  Hybrids. — Do  you  recommend  keeping  pure  Ligu- 
rians  entirely  as  far  as  possible,  or  hybridising  ?  Is  it 
the  general  opinion  that  '  hybrids  are  even  more  cross 
than  are  the  pure  black  bees,'  as  stated  by  Professor  Cook 
in  his  Manual? — L.  N.,  Wilts. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  358. — 1.  Queens  do  not  need  a 
cleansing  flight;  it  is  the  bees  accompanying  them  that 
require  to  be  set  at  liberty  for  a  short  time,  which  is 
done  by  opening  their  box  and  treating  it  as  a  small 
hive.  It  is  very  seldom  that  queens  are  lost  in  this  pro- 
ceeding. 2.  Hybrids,  i.e.  the  cross  between  the  Ligurian 
and  black  bees,  are  much  fiercer  than  the  pure  of  either 
breed,  and  are  far  better  workers.  Professor  Cook  is  not 
far  wrong  in  bis  statement.  For  honey-getting  purposes 
we  recommend  the  hybrids  in  preference  to  others ;  but 
then  we  do  not  care  about  their  fierceness — their  stings 
have  no  terrors  for  us,  if  they  had  we  should  wear  a  veil 
and  gloves  when  manipulating,  as  we  advise  others  to 
do.— Ed. 

Query  No.  359.— Moving  bees. — I  shall  be  changing 
my  resid°nce  at  early  spring,  and  shall  be  glad  if  you 
will  give  me  your  advice  as  to  the  best  time  for  moving 
my  three  bar-frame  hives,  and  the  best  way  to  do  it. 
The  distance  is  two  miles.  I  fear  I  am  too  late  for  your 
November  Journal,  but  possibly  you  may  be  able  to 
squeeze  in  a  brief  reply. — J.  W.  A.,  Croydon. 


Reply  to  Query  No.  359. — The  removal  may  be 
effected  at  any  time  at  this  season  when  the  bees  are 
quietly  within.  Close  the  entrance  and  give  upward 
ventilation,  set  the  hives  bodily  on  a  hand-barrow  (not  a 
wheel-barrow)  and  let.  them  be  carried  by  two  men. 
There  should  be  no  jolting,  either  in  removal  or  replace- 
ment, and  the  whole  business  may  be  performed  in  an 
hour. — Ed. 

Query  No.  360. — Stewarton  Slides. — I  have  a  Stewar- 
ton  hive  in  which  I  put  three  driven  swarms  early  in 
September,  and  fed  them  at  the  top  by  drawing  two  of 
the  slides  2j  inches  out  for  the  bees  to  get  at  the  feeding- 
stages.  I  now  wish  to  close  the  sbdes,  and  next  year  I 
hope,  if  all's  well,  to  open  them  their  entire  length ;  but 
I  do  not  see  how  to  do  either,  as  the  sbdes  are  quite  im- 
moveable, and  I  dare  not  put  anything  to  melt  the  pro- 
polis, for  fear  of  loosening  the  combs.  An  answer  as  to 
how  to  proceed  will  greatly  oMige. — Ecce. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  360. — A  heated  bar  of  iron 
laid  along  the  slides  would  soften  the  propolis  that  holds 
them  without  being  hkely  to  damage  the  combs  which 
he  on  each  side  of  the  slide.  To  save  trouble,  however, 
we  should  cut  off  the  projecting  ends  of  the  slides,  and 
fit  them  into  the  openings,  so  that  in  the  spring,  or  at 
any  other  time,  there  need  not  be  the  same  difficulty  in 
opening  the  feed-hole  when  feeding  becomes  again  neces- 
sary. If  this  is  not  agreeable,  leave  the  sbdes  projecting, 
and  cover  the  opejing  with  one  or  two  thicknesses  of 
quilting  or  carpet. — Ed. 

Query  No.  361. — (1)  Barley-sugar  in  frames. — Sup- 
posing a  hive  has  not  sufficient  provision  for  winter  con- 
sumption, will  a  frame  or  two  of  barley-sugar,  hung 
next  to  the  brood-combs,  do  to  winter  them  on  ? 

(2)  Cream  of  Tartar. — In  making  barley-sugar,  I  have 
always  found  that  after  pouring  it  into  the  frames,  it 
goes  back  into  a  sugary  state  again,  a  good  deal  bke 
crystallized  sweets.  1  heard  the  other  day  (and  tried  it), 
that  a  teaspoonful  of  cream  of  tartar  to  every  9  lbs.  keeps 
the  mass  transparent.  Do  you  think  the  cream  of  tartar 
will  have  any  injurious  effect  on  the  bees?' 

(3)  Finding  the  queen. — In  opening  a  bar-frame  hive, 
can  you  tell  me  where  to  look  for  the  queen  ?  I  should 
know  her  majesty  if  I  saw  her,  but  as  yet  I  have  not  been 
successful  enough  to  catch  sight  of  her. — Anonymous. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  361. — Taking  the  second  query 
first,  barley-sugar  cannot  be  made  without  acid  being 
used.  Cream  of  tartar  is  not  injurious  when  used  as 
suggested.  Barley-sugar  in  frames  would  liquefy  on  ex- 
posure to  the  r.ir,  while  the  '  sugary '  hardbake  would 
not  do  so  until  water  was  added  to  it.  They  are  poor 
apologies  for  neglect.  A  queen  must  be  sought  over  all 
the  combs  ;  it  is  her  duty  to  visit  every  part  of  the  hive, 
and  it  is  impossible  to  say  at  what  time  she  will  be 
in  any  particular  place.  The  question  was  laboriously 
answered  in  August  number  of  Journal. — Ed. 

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THE 


[No.  92.     Vol.  VIII.] 


DECEMBER,  1880. 


[Published  Monthly.] 


(Sftilorrial,  <Batm&,  #r. 


A  CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  PHYSIOLOGY 
OF  THE  BEE. 

A  Paper  read  by  Dr.  Donhoff  at  the  Meeting  of  German 
and  Austrian  Bee-keepers  at  Cologne.  Translated  from 
the  '  Bienen  Zeitung '  for  the  '  British  Bee  Journal,'  by 
S.  Stuttekd,  Esq.,  Banbury. 

1, — The  Worker  Bee  is  analogous  to  the  Flower 
of  Plants. 

The  same  grub  which  develops  into  a  working 
bee  if  it  receives  pollen  in  the  last  days  of  its 
larval  life,  develops  into  a  queen  when  it  receives 
a  food  whose  nutritive  elements  are  extracted  from 
pollen,  and  are  already  partly  transformed  into 
peptones.  The  bee-grub  cannot  extract  from  pol- 
len so  much  nutritive  material  and  digest  it,  as  it 
can  assimilate ;  the  grub,  which  obtains  in  abund- 
ance food  already  partly  digested,  receives  sufficient 
nutritive  material.  On  that  account  the  royal  grub 
grows  much  stronger,  and  has  become  on  the  sixth 
day  of  its  life  much  larger  and  heavier  than  the 
worker  grub.  It  is  not  the  quality,  but  the  quan- 
tity, of  nutritive  material  which  determines,  that 
in  the  one  case  a  worker  will  come  into  being,  and 
in  the  other  a  queen.  In  the  first  case  the  ovaries 
remain  small,  the  spermatheca  becomes  stunted, 
the  reproductive  instinct  is  not  manifested,  the 
body  becomes  hairy,  the  corbicula  are  developed,  a 
part  of  the  abdominal  scales  is  transformed  into 
wax-secreting  organs,  and  the  impulse  to  collecting, 
comb-building,  caring  for  brood,  defending  the  hive, 
<fec,  is  manifested.  Other  animals,  which  may 
receive  food  but  sparingly — the  silkworm,  for  ex- 
ample— only  remain  of  smaller  size.  So  far  as  is 
known,  uo  similar  metamorphosis  to  that  of  the  bee 
occurs  in  the  animal  kingdom.  So  much  the  more 
interesting  is  it,  that  in  the  other  organic  king- 
dom— the  vegetable  kingdom — a  similar  phenome- 
non occurs. 

In  the  year  1764,  Christopher  Frederic  Wolff,  in 
his  book  'De  Generatione,'  brought  forward  the  pro- 
position that  the  organs  of  fructification  are  only 
modified  leaves.  The  calyx,  says  he,  of  the  sun- 
flower is  nothing  but  a  number  of  leaves  accu- 
mulated together,  and  smaller  than  usual.  The 
petals  again  are  not  otherwise,  as  the  grasses  pi-ove. 
The  seed  capsules  betray  their  nature   as  leaves 


when  they  are  ripe,  and  spring  apart  ;  every  valve  t 
is  then  a  true  leaf.  Lastly,  it  may  be  seen  in  the 
case  of  a  plant,  which  has  already  formed  its  calyx, 
and  the  beginning  of  its  corolla  and  anthers  in  a 
poor  soil,  and  is  then  quickly  transplanted  into  a 
rich  one,  how  the  anthers,  on  account  of  the  super- 
abundance of  nutritive  material,  become  trans- 
formed into  leaves.  Our  great  poet  and  naturalist, 
Goethe,  came  forward  with  similar  ideas  in  his 
metamorphosis  of  plants.  It  is  then,  as  I  believe, 
evidently  demonstrated  that  cells,  which  otherwise 
would  be  developed  into  leaves  or  buds,  in  case  of 
deficient  nutriment,  are  developed  into  flower-buds. 
The  facts  which  I  have  observed  in  regard  to  this 
are  the  following.  Weak  and  sickly  plants  bloom 
earlier  than  healthy  ones.  In  the  nursery  of  Mr. 
Steinschen,  landed  proprietor,  at  Orsoy,  there  stand 
two  thousand  trees  over  eight  years  old.  In  the 
autumn  of  1879,  forty-two  trees  bore  fruit,  thirty- 
five  were  cankered,  four  were  tall  weaklings,  about 
three  there  was  nothing  special  to  be  observed.  In 
the  case  of  these  trees,  the  flowers  had  developed 
in  the  place  where  in  the  non-blooming  trees  a 
young  shoot  had  been  produced.  Manifestly,  want 
of  nutriment  was  the  cause.  Fruit  trees,  which 
grow  very  luxuriantly,  may  attain  a  considerable 
age  before  they  bloom  ;  but  if  some  large  root 
branches  are  lopped  off,  or  some  plugs  hammered 
into  the  trunk,  then  they  bloom.  We  often  hear 
it  said,  the  tree  blooms  so  abundantly,  it  will  bloom 
to  death.  The  tree  does  not  die  because  it  blooms 
abundantly  ;  it  dies  because  it  is  out  of  health,  and 
because  it  is  out  of  health  it  blooms  abundantly. 
If  the  branches  on  espalier  trees  are  forcibly  bent 
back,  and  then  tied  firmly  ;  or  if  the  branches  of 
standards  are  weighted  with  stones  so  that  they 
bend  back,  then  they  bloom  more  freely.  The  flow 
of  sap  is  manifestly  limited  by  the  compression  of 
the  cells  of  the  lower  side.  If  a  piece  of  bark  is 
cut  away  from  a  brauch,  or  wire  firmly  twisted 
about  it,  more  flower  buds  will  be  formed.  Wild 
stocks  grow  much  taller  and  thicker  than  grafted 
ones,  but  they  bloom  much  later.  The  oftener  a 
fruit  tree  is  grafted,  the  more  is  the  formation  of 
bloom  facilitated.  If  apples  are  grafted  on  jenetins, 
or  pears  on  quinces,  or  on  dwarf  trees,  which  can 
form  but  little  sap,  they  will  often  bloom  as  early 
as  the  second  year.  With  regard  to  grafted  trees, 
the  places  of  junction    become   more   solid ;    dead 


14G 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[December  1,  1880. 


wood  is  included,  by  which  means  the  taking  in  of 
root  nourishment  is  made  more  difficult.  In  a  dry 
season  plants  shoot  earlier  than  in  genial  weather. 
The  beet-root  blooms  first  in  its  second  year,  but 
some  ripen  early  and  bloom  in  the  first  year.  If 
best-roots  are  transplanted,  the  proportion  of  bloom- 
ing to  non -blooming  plants  becomes  larger.  On 
one  half  of  a  piece  of  ground,  beet-seed  was  sown 
in  holes  ;  when  the  plants  were  about  six  weeks 
old,  all  but  one  plant  in  each  hole  were  pulled 
tip.  From  the  pulled-up  plants,  one  was  planted 
in  each  corresponding  hole  of  the  other  half.  In 
the  first  half  I  found,  at  midsummer,  two  plants 
in  flower,  but  in  the  latter  half,  twenty-three. 
The  flower  stems  sprouted  out  in  the  middle,  and 
at  the  side  in  those  places  where  leaves  stood  on 
the  non-flowering  plants.  Through  transplanting 
there  occurred,  for  some  time,  a  deficiency  of  nutri- 
ment. There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  formation 
of  the  flower,  like  the  formation  of  the  worker  bee, 
is  the  same  physiological  occurrence,  an  alteration 
of  vegetation  arising  from  deficiency  of  nutriment. 
The  quantity  of  nutriment  very  remarkably  effects 
the  opposite  in  plants  to  that  which  it  does  in 
bees.  The  leaf  and  the  shoot  are  only  capable  of 
unsexual  propagation.  Leaves  of  Bryophyllum  ca- 
licinum,  of  several  ferns,  Cardamine  pratensis,  and 
others,  have  buds  which  develop  into  new  in- 
dividuals, partly  while  on  the  plant,  partly  after 
its  decay.  A  willow  twig,  stuck  in  the  ground, 
develops  without  seed  into  a  new  individual ;  its 
equivalent,  the  queen,  is  capable  of  sexual  produc- 
tion. The  badly-nourished  flower  is  capable  of 
sexual  production ;  its  equivalent,  the  worker-bee, 
is  only  capable  of  unsexual  production.  As  regards 
the  bees,  there  occurs  yet  another  metamorphosis, 
for  the  knowledge  of  which  we  are  indebted  to  the 
sagacity  of  Dzierzon.  It  is  the  transformation  of 
an  egg  of  masculine  character  into  an  egg  of  femi- 
nine character.  The  nature  of  the  two  transform- 
ations is,  perhaps,  different.  In  the  worker  bee 
it  is  the  want  of  nourishment ;  and,  further,  of  a 
material  that  has  not  been  rendered  assimilable  as 
contrasted  with  the  superabundance  of  nutriment 
afforded  to  the  queen.  In  the  transformation  of 
the  drone  egg,  it  is  the  seed  which  contains  in 
itself  the  potentiality  to  transform  into  a  new  in- 
dividual. The  mule  possesses  just  as  much 
characteristics  of  its  father  as  of  its  mother.  In 
fertilisation  there  occurs  a  mingling  of  two  germs. 
Now,  of  course,  the  hypothesis  lies  near  at  hand, 
that  the  tendency  to  produce  a  male  is  contained 
in  the  bee  egg,  and  that  the  tendency  to  produce  a 
female  is  contained  in  the  drone  seed,  and  that  at 
the  mingling  only  the  last  formative  development 
occurs,  as  indeed  children  are  often  similar  only  to 
their  father,  the  face  type  of  the  mother  is  quite 
suppressed  by  the  face  type  of  the  father. 

[The  remaining  dii  isions  of  the  paper  treat  of — -2.  On 
the  derivation  of  the  bee's  organic  powi  rs  from  sugar. 
3.  On  the  bee's  menial  life.  1.  Every  individual  bee 
chemically  unique ;  and  6.  Comb  construction,  an  argu- 
ment against  Darwinism,  which  Mr.  Stutterd  has  kindly 
undertaken  to  furnish;  and  we  hare  little  doubt  but 
they  will  Lie  equally  interesting  and  instructive  with  the 
foregoing. — Ei>.  B,  Ii. ./.] 


DECEMBER. 

The  winter,  which  began  on  the  20th  of 
October  with  a  severe  snowstorm,  caught  many 
with  apiaries  unprepared  for  its  early  coming, 
and  its  continuance,  with  intervals  of  '  all  sorts ' 
of  weather,  has  done  no  inconsiderable  amount 
of  mischief. 

Bees  that  have  been  properly  prepared  for 
wintering  need  little  attention,  and  those  that 
have  not  will  probably  be  a  source  of  trouble, 
vexation,  and  loss. 

Dysentery. — Already  we  hear  of  dysentery 
— or,  as  some  are  pleased  to  name  it,  '  abdo- 
minal distention' — decimating  hives,  the  poor 
bees  staggering  out  of  the  entrances  to  obtain 
relief  by  a  purifying  night,  but  falling  to  the 
ground  through  being  overcharged  with  faecal 
matter,  and  perishing  through  cold  and  inability 
to  rise  on  the  wing  and  discharge  it,  a  con- 
dition of  things  that  would  have  been  pre- 
vented had  the  directions  in  this  Journal  in 
regard  to  winter  preparation  been  adopted  in 
time.  Dysentery  is  the  winter  scourge  of  the 
procrastinating  bee-keeper ;  if  he  would  but 
'  feed '  early,  so  that  the  bees  might  evaporate 
the  superfluous  water  and  seal  over  the  food, 
and  at  the  same  time  give  them  due  protection 
and  ventilation,  the  disease  could  not  exist ; 
but  with  unsealed  watery  food  that  absorbs 
the  vapours  of  the  hive  and  becomes  sour, 
the  bees  soon  become  dysenteric,  and  the 
food  turns  into  poison,  and  in  cold  weather, 
when  it  is  almost  impossible  to  help  them,  or 
for  them  to  help  themselves,  the  disease  gains 
groimd,  and  the  fate  of  the  colony  is  sealed. 
Dysenteric  bees  appear  to  be  unable  to  dis- 
charge themselves  except  when  on  the  wing, 
which  appears  to  be  a  wise  provision,  or  the 
interior  of  their  hives  would  become  filthy 
indeed  ;  but  stress  of  circumstances  often  causes 
them  to  burst  and  die  within,  and  then  the 
disease,  like/typhus  fever,  rims  '  a  muck'  among 
the  population.  The  stench  arising  from  the 
discharged  matter  is  abominable,  the  unsealed 
honey  becomes  worse  affected,  the  whole  atmo- 
sphere tainted,  and,  poisoned  by  both  air  and 
food,  the  poor  bees  quickly  die,  and,  if  not  ob- 
served, the  hive  will  become  the  prey  of  robber 
bees,  the  poison  of  the  hive  will  be  dissemi- 
nated, and,  according  to  our  theory,  '  foul- 
brood'  will  be  the  result ;  and  then  '  woe  betide' 
the  apiary.  When  a  hive  is  attacked  with 
dysentery,  the  first  steps  necessary  for  the  era- 
dication of  the  disease  are  the  removal  of  the 
unsealed  honey  from  the  combs,  and  giving  a 
purifying  flight  to  the  bees ;  but  these  are 
usually  difficult  of  attainment  when  the  disease 
is  most  likely  to  exist,  viz.  in  cold  and  wet 
weather.  Giving  wholesome  food  will  be  help- 
ful, and  the  admixture  with  it  of  salicylic  acid 


December  1,  1880.] 


THE  BEITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


147 


in  solution  as  in  cases  of  foul-brood,  will  be 
further  beneficial ;  and  if  the  bees  can  be  induced 
to  take,  and  deposit  it  with  the  unwholesome 
honey,  the  disease  will  in  a  measure  be  stayed  ; 
but  nothing  will  be  so  truly  helpful  to  the 
affected  bees,  as  a  purifying  flight.  Had  we 
a  case  of  dysentery  under  the  conditions  named, 
we  should  provide  a  box  of  the  same  size  as  the 
hive  affected,  the  box  to  have  a  glass  front,  and 
to  contain  a  layer  of  chloralum  powder  as  a  dry 
disinfectant ;  we  should  then  set  the  affected 
hive  upon  it,  remove  all  but  sufficient  of  the 
quilt  to  keep  the  bees  confined,  carry  it  to  a 
warm,  well-lighted  room,  and  set  it  before  a 
bright  fire  so  that  heat  and  light  should  have 
full  operation  for  an  hour  or  so.  The  effect 
would  be  that  the  lower  box  being  well  lighted, 
and  the  bees  warmed  into  life,  woidd  descend 
into  it,  and  have  the  opportunity  of  flying, 
which  is  essential  under  the  circumstances,  and 
the  chloralum  would  absorb  and  deodorise  what- 
ever might  fall  into  it,  while  the  hive  woidd  be 
considerably  dried,  and  the  vapours  escape 
through  the  thin  quilt  cover  left  upon  it.  This 
is  the  best  help  that  we  can  suggest  under  the 
circumstances  ;  but  when  the  weather  permitted 
we  woidd  open  the  hive,  force  the  bees  to  fly, 
and  having  extracted  all  the  loose  honey,  would 
spray  the  combs  with  salicylic  solution,  and 
feed  with  barley-sugar. 

The  worst  feature  in  connexion  with  dysentery 
is  in  its  having  usually  done  a  vast  amount  of 
mischief  before  it  discovers  itself  at  the  entrance 
of  a  hive. 

The  causes  act  chiefly  on  the  bees*  during  cold 
weather  ;  often  when  protracted  frost  has  kept 
them  clustered  for  a  long  time  so  that  the 
living  could  not  remove  the  dead,  and  the 
affected  could  not  attempt  to  fly,  and  the  hive 
has  consequently  become  a  pest-house.  When 
discovered,  the  appearance  of  a  few  dead  or 
dying  bees  on  the  alighting-board  is  but  an 
index  of  the  mischief  within,  and  the  bee- 
keeper cannot  too  quickly  take  the  case  in 
hand,  and  by  the  means  suggested  give  the 
living  bees  a  chance  of  clearing  the  dead  from 
their  cluster,  and  of  rendering  themselves  more 
comfortable. 

Searching  with  a  Wire. — In  cold  weather, 
when  bees  are  not  able  to  throw  out  their  dead, 
and  show  to  their  owner  that  all  is  not  well 
within,  it  is  a  good  plan  to  visit  the  hives  occa- 
sionally during  evening,  and  pass  a  hooked 
wire  into  the  entrance,  sweeping  the  floor-board 
in  search  of  dead  bees,  or  other  impedimenta, 
as  thereby  the  bees  will  be  protected  against 
the  danger  arising  from  accumulations  of  their 
dead,  and  the  presence  of  dangerous  conditions 
will  be  the  more  quickly  discovered. 

In  hives  where  the  entrances  are  sunk  into 
{i.e.  cut  out  of)   the  floor-board,  this  is  not  so 


readily  performed,  owing  to  the  slope  of  the 
entrance-way  being  different  to  the  level  of  the 
other  parts  of  the  floor-board  ;  hence  we  prefer 
that  entrances  should  be  cut  out  of  the  bottom 
of  hives,  and  the  floor-boards  left  quite  plain 
and  flat. 

AMATEUR  LECTURING. 

'  I  have  read  with  much  interest  your  last  number  of 
the  British  Bee  Jottrnal,  and  note  with  pleasure  that  you 
recommend  us  bee-keepers  to  try  and  extend  the  know- 
ledge of  the  art.  Now  I  wish  to  read  a  paper  on  bees 
to  a  Society  in  a  neighbouring  town,  but  am  a  little  con- 
fused as  to  where  I  am  to  begin,  the  subject  is  so  very 
wide.  Now  I  think  it  would  be  a  good  thing  if  you 
could  give  in  your  next  issue  a  few  hints  as  to  how  the 
subject  should  be  handled.— Robert  Brown,  Donogh- 
more,  Tyrone,  Ireland,  Nov.  8,  1880.' 

The  subject  is,  indeed,  a  wide  one,  and  when 
we  find  so  great  an  authority  as  Dr.  Dzierzon 
declaring  that  the  little  we  know  of  bees  is  but  as 
the  shells  on  the  sea-shore  in  comparison  with 
the  wealth  of  the  ocean,  we  may  well  conclude 
that  it  is  inexhaustible  (see  p.  107).  For  the 
purpose  intended,  i.e.,  the  encouragement ^ of 
bee-keeping  as  a  pleasant  and  profitable  in- 
dustry, we  do  not  think  it  will  be  advisable  or 
necessary  to  more  than  skirt  the  fringe  of  the 
natural  history  and  anatomy  of  the  bee ;  they 
are  subjects  too  large  to  be  dealt  with  satis- 
factorily before  audiences  such  as  are  hoped  for 
on  the  proposed  occasions.  Papers  on  bees,  to  be 
read  before  scientific  associations,  may  deal 
with  particular  branches  of  either  of  the  above- 
named  subjects,  and  in  each  the  more  the 
writer  dwells  upon  the  minutiae  of  every  par- 
ticular, the  more  interesting  will  his  paper  be 
to  the  scientists  addressed.  The  queen,  the 
worker,  the  drone,  the  brood,  the  wax,  the  cells, 
the  honey,  the  pollen,  and  the  propolis,  would 
form  subjects  for  long  dissertation  in  the 
natural  history  of  the  bee  ere  they  could  lie 
exhaustively  examined,  and  the  same  may  be 
said  of  every  part  of  the  bee's  anatomy  ;  but  it 
is  questionable  whether  a  mixed  audience  woidd 
care  to  listen  to  them,  or  would  profit  by  the 
scientific  information  given.  There  is,  unfor- 
tunately, a  tendency  in  lecturers,  as  in  writers, 
to  let  the  world  see'  how  learned  they  are  rather 
than  to  be  popular  instructors,  they  get  upon 
stilts  and  parade  themselves  before  the  multi- 
tude, and  though  looked  up  to  by  the  throng, 
are  not  under  stood  by  one  in  a  thousand.  We 
do  not  seek  to  disparage  expositions  of  scientific 
research,  they  are  invaluable  in  the  right  place, 
but  as  inducements  to  cottagers  to  adopt  the 
improved  methods  of  bee-keeping,  they  are  of 
doubtful  value,  since  the  technicalities  employed 
frighten  the  ordinary  mind,  instead  of  enlisting 
its  sympathy. 

In  proposing  a  lecture  or  reading  in  fulfil- 
ment of  the  purpose  intended,  we  think  the 


148 


THE  BKITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[December  1,  1880. 


title  given  to  it  should  convey  an  idea  of  its 
immediate  purport — whether  a  description  of 
the  bee,  the  hive,  the  method  of  management, 
the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  their  cidture, 
or  any  branch  of  either,  when,  except  the  one 
particular  subject,  neither  of  the  others  need 
be  treated  of,  except  incidentally,  by  way  of 
introduction  or  explanation.  From  our  point 
of  view,  the  purpose  would  be  best  served  by 
lectures  or  readings  On  the  Advantages  to  be  ob- 
tained by  the  modern  method  of  Bee-culture.  This 
would  give  scope  for  a  short  introduction  and 
explanation  of  the  queen,  the  worker,  and  the 
drone,  and  the  phases  through  which  they  pass, 
and  all  that  is  necessary  in  that  respect  may 
be  gleaned  from  the  excellent  paper  entitled 
Bees,  written  for  the  Science  and  Arts  (Educa- 
tional) Department,  South  Kensington,  and 
published  by  us  (by  permission)  as  a  '  leaflet.' 

Then  would  follow  a  description  of  the  waste- 
ful and  cruel  method  of  management,  which  so 
long  prevailed  throughout  the  country,  instances 
occurring  in  the  locality  being  cited,  and  the 
hive  (the  skep  or  box  with  its  fixed  combs)  with 
its  contents,  explained,  its  unsuitability  for  in- 
vestigation and  depriving  being  dwelt  upon. 
Then  would  come  a  description  of  the  improve- 
ments that  have  from  time  to  time  been  made 
in  both  hive  and  management,  aided  by  such 
examples  as  may  be  at  hand,  to  be  followed  by 
a  comparison  between  the  results  of  the  new 
versus  the  old  system,  illustrated  by  the  ex- 
hibition of  pure  extracted,  and  comb-honey  in 
sections,  as  against  the  run-honey  and  supers 
of  former  days. 

In  advocating  the  new  system,  there  will  be 
opportunity  for  explaining  the  use  of  the  ex- 
tractor, the  various  methods  of  making  swarms 
artificially,  the  methods  of  queen-raising,  in 
nuclei  and  otherwise,  the  use  and  value  of 
comb-foundation,  the  advantages  of  moveable 
combs,  the  adaptability  of  sections  for  honey- 
storing,  the  easy  way  in  which  honey  may  be 
taken,  the  facility  with  which  hives  may  be 
strengthened  and  equalised,  how  they  may  be 
invaded  and  investigated,  the  facilities  for  the 
study  of  bees  which  they  afford,  and  '  a  hundred 
and  one '  other  matters  which  the  ingenuity  of 
the  lecturer,  or  the  questions  of  the  audience, 
may  supply. 

Our  contribution  in  aid  of  the  foregoing, 
alluded  to  on  p.  126,  consists  in  An  Irish  Hive, 
in  which  we  have  placed,  for  illustrative  pur- 
poses, the  following  articles,  labelled  thus  : — 

1 .  A  Woodbury  frame,  with  fitted  American  worker 
guide-comb  foundation  sufficient  to  ensure  straightness 
in  comb-building.  The  cell  bases  of  natural  size  and 
shape. 

2.  A  Woodbury  frame  fitted  with  Abbotts'  flat- 
bottomed  foundation. 

3.  A  Woodbury  frame  fitted  with  Abbotts'  flat- 
bottomed  foundation  of  a  cheaper  kind. 


4.  A  Woodbury  frame  fitted  with  Abbotts'  wood 
foundation  ready  to  be  given  to  the  bees. 

5.  A  Woodbury  frame  fitted  with  a  full  sheet  of 
Abbotts'  wooden  foundation. 

6.  A  Woodbury  frame  with  a  sheet  of  wooden 
foundation  partly  worked  out  into  comb. 

7.  A  Woodbury  frame,  containing  a  comb  trans- 
ferred from  a  straw  skep,  and  enlarged  by  the  bees. 

8.  A  Woodbury  frame,  containing  an  old  natural 
comb,  with  five  old  queen-cells  in  the  centre. 

9.  A  dummy  frame  filled  with  Abbotts'  wood  found- 
ation. 

10.  Mechanical  dummy.    No.  40  in  catalogue. 

11.  Queen  excluder.    No.  35. 

12.  An  Abbotts'  new-idea  frame.    No.  57. 

13.  1  can  and  shovel  for  feeding  purposes.     No.  41. 

14.  1  bottle  for  feeding.    No.  42. 

15.  1  specialt3'  feeder.     No.  43. 

16.  1  Vale  of  York  feeding  stage.    No  46. 

17.  1  scraper  for  cleaning  floor  boards,  &c.    No.  48. 

18.  1  Abbotts'  Little  Wonder  Extractor.    No.  53. 

19.  1  Abbotts'  honey-knife.     No.  55. 

20.  1  Bingham  ditto.    No.  56. 

21.  1  Bingham  and  Hetherington  smoker.     No.  64a. 

22.  1  steel  gauge.    No.  74. 

23.  1  Olutton  bee-trap.    No.  77. 

24.  1  Drone  trap.    No.  78. 

25.  1  simple  queen  cage.     No.  80. 

26.  1  make-shift  ditto.     81. 

27.  1  Abbott  ditto.     No.  82. 

28.  1  pair  India-rubber  gloves.    No.  83. 

29.  1  net  veil.     No.  84. 

30.  1  Dr.  Pine  veil.    No.  85. 

31.  1  wax  smelter.    No.  89. 

32.  1  American  tin-feeder  and  stage — not  catalogued. 

33.  Seven  bottles  containing  (in  spirit)  Cyprian  bees, 
Syrian  bees,  Cyprian  queens,  Hybridbees  (Ligurian  and  En- 
glish), Hybrid  bees  (Syrian  and  Ligurians),  Hybrid  drones 
(Ligurian  and  English),  Ligurian  queens,  Ligurian  drones. 

"With  these  '  aids '  a  bee-keeper  with  average 
ability  will  be  enabled  to  interest  and  entertain 
an  audience  for  an  hour  or  two,  and  if  he  can 
exhibit  from  his  own  apiary  or  locality  some 
samples  of  honey  in  sections  or  otherwise,  show- 
ing the  residts  of  improved  management,  with 
statistics  to  prove  its  greater  value,  the  interest 
created  will  be  sure  to  bear  fruit,  and  bee- 
keepers will  be  multiplied. 

The  set  of  Association  Diagrams  costing  8s., 
and  which  accompany  the  foregoing,  will  be  the 
property  of  the  hirer  of  this  '  box  of  tricks :'  the 
charge  for  hire  is  8s.,  and  carriage  both  ways  ; 
and  the  hirer  will  be  responsible  for  the  safety 
of  the  goods,  and  must  undertake  to  pay  for  all 
damages  and  losses  while  out  of  our  possession. 
It  is  hoped  that  no  one  will  keep  the  box  long 
on  hand ;  it  is  an  expensive  'move '  on  our  part, 
and  we  ask  '  hirers  '  to  take  every  possible  care 
of  the  goods,  that  we  may  be  saved  more  trouble 
than  the  effort  naturally  causes.  At  the  late 
meeting  of  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association 
we  suggested  that  some  such  box  should  be  sent 
out  under  its  auspices,  as  an  aid  to  the  develop- 
ment of  bee  interest  at  lectures,  flower  shows,  &c, 
where  there  may  be  willing  exponents  of  bee- 
keeping who  lack  the  necessary  means  of  illustrat- 
ing its  economy,  and  have  every  reason  to  believe 
that  the  suggestion  will  be  carried  into  effect. 


December  1,  1880.J 


THE  BEITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


149 


THE  ASSOCIATION  LIBRARY. 

This  excellent  institution  may  now  be  said 
to  be  fairly  afloat,  and  promises  to  do  well  in 
the  future.  It  owes  its  birth  to  the  persevering 
energy  of  J.  P.  Jackson,  Esq.,  formerly  of  Bull 
Mill  Apiary,  Herts,  but  now  removed  to  a  new 
scene  of  usefulness  in  Lancashire,  so  that  we 
may  expect  a  County  Association  to  rise  up 
shortly  under  his  bold  hand  in  that  unrepre- 
sented shire.  Mr.  Jackson  has  given  the  Asso- 
ciation Library  a  good  start,  as  may  he  gathered 
from  the  following  list,  which  it  is  needless  to 
say  the  Committee  will  be  glad  to  see  increased 
hy  the  contributions  of  those  who  have  the  in- 
terest of  bee-culture  at  heart,  and  have  dupli- 
cate copies  of  works  not  already  subscribed. 
The  Baroness  Burdett-Coutts,  with  her  usual 
liberality,  has  given  51.  as  the  nucleus  of  a 
Library  fund,  additions  to  which  will  also  be 
welcomed.  Mr.  F.  Cheshire  is  appointed  Hon- 
orary Librarian. 

Bee-keeping :  Manuals  for  the  Many. 
L'Apicoltore. 

Gleanings  in  Bee-culture.     (America.) 
Bees :  their  Management  and  Culture.  • 
Bevan's  History  and  Management  of  the  Honey-bee. 
Bee-keeping,  by  '  The  Times  Bee-master.' 
Bees :  Habits  and  Management,  hy  J.  G.  Wood. 
Honey  as  Food  and  Medicine. 
The  Bishop's  Advice, '  Keep  Bees.' 
Cook's  Manual. 
Bienen  Zuchter. 

50  Nos.  of  various  German  periodicals  relating  to  bee- 
keeping. 

12  Nos.  of  Gleanings  in  Bee  Culture. 

Langstroth's  Hive  and  Honey-bee. 

Bienen  Zeitung,  3  vols. 

British  Bee  Journal,  6  vols.    (Including  one  unbound.) 

American  Bee  Journal,  3  vols. 

Moon's  Bee  World,  1  vol. 

Gleanings  in  Bee-culture,  1  vol. 

English  Bee-keeper. 

Bee-keepers'  Magazine. 

Kirby  and  Spence's  Entomology. 

Bevan  on  the  Honey-bee. 

Seventy  Pounds  a-year.     How  I  make  it  hy  my  Bees. 

A  Book  for  Bee-keepers. 

Pettitt's  Management  of  Bees. 

Cheshire's  Practical  Bee-keeping. 


BEE  TENT  IN  IRELAND. 

Our  Irish  friends  are  making  forced  marches 
into  public  favour  if  we  may  accept  as  evidence 
of  the  progress  that  has  been  made,  the  reply 
of  the  Royal  Dublin  Society  to  the  application 
of  the  newly-formed  Irish  Bee-keepers'  Asso- 
ciation to  admit  their  Bee  Tent  to  future  shows 
in  the  Society's  grounds  at  Dublin,  as  fol- 
lows : — 

'Royal  Dublin  Society, 

'  Nov.  2Zrd,  1880. 

'  Dear  Sir, — At  the  last  meeting  of  the  committee  on 
agriculture,  a  resolution  was  passed  granting  the  Irish 
Bee-keepers'  Association  permission  to  erect  a  tent  in  the 
grounds  at  the  forthcoming  Spring  Show,  and  to  charge 
sixpence  per  head  admission. 


'  It  is  very  unusual  for  the  Society  to  make  an  arrange- 
ment of  this  sort,  and  I  trust  that  it  will  prove  satisfac- 
tory, and  assist  in  promoting  the  objects  of  the 
Association.  No  arrangements  are  yet  made  for  the 
Horse  Show  in  August. 

'  I  remain,  dear  sir,  yours  f aithfullv, 
J.  Traynor,  Esq.,  '  R.  J.  Moss, 

The  Cottage,  Tinahely.  Registrar.' 

The  tent  heing  an  accomplished  fact,  arrange- 
ments can  now  be  made  for  exhibitions  of 
manipulations  at  local  shows ;  and  in  the  hands 
of  such  energetic  promoters  as  Ireland  can  now 
hoast,  there  is  little  doubt  but  that  they  will 
hecome  the  order  of  the  day ;  and  we  confi- 
dently expect  to  see  a  full  programme  arranged 
for  next  summer,  and  the  British  Bee-keepers' 
Association  will  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing 
that  their  missionary -like  enterprise  of  1880  was 
not  made  in  vain. — Ed. 


ABBOTT'S  IRISH  HIVE. 

In  the  manufacture  of  this  hive,  outlined  on 
pp.  126-7  of  the  present  volume  of  the  Journal, 
it  will  be  necessary  to  procure  inch  pine  for 
the  body-box  and  floor-board,  and  §  inch  *  for 
the  roof,  unless  yellow  deal  is  preferred  as  being 
more  economical.    We  prefer  pine  for  the  parts 
of  the  hive  in  which  warmth  is  of  importance, 
as  heing  of  a  soft  texture,  it  is  not  so  good  a 
conductor  of  heat  as  wood  of  harder  grain,  and 
therefore  we  use  it  chiefly  in  the  manufacture 
of  the  body-hox,  which  will  contain  the  brood- 
nest.     To  make  the  hody-box,  two  pieces  of 
inch  pine  will  be  required   for  the  hack  and 
front,  each  16^  inches  long,  and  8f  inches  deep, 
and  in  each  there  should  he,  at  a  distance  of 
about   three   inches   from    the 
ends,  and  of  J  of  an  inch  from 
the   top,    two   holes   in   which 
screws  1|  inch  long  should  be 
inserted,  so  as  to  stand  out  f  of 
an  inch,  the  purpose  of  which  will  he  discovered 
as  we  proceed.     For  the  sides  of  the  hive  two 
pieces  will  he  wanted,  each  20  inches  long,  and 
8  inches  wide,  cut  square  at  the  ends ;  and  on 
to  these  the  front  and  back  should  be  nailed,  so 
that  they  shall  form  a  hottomless  box  20  inches 
long  and  14J  inches  wide  inside,  with  the  back 
and  front  standing  |  of  an  inch  above  the  sides. 
Now  take  two  pieces  of  wood,  each  20  inches 
long  and  §  of  an  inch  square,  and  brad  (nail) 
one  of  them  to  the  top  of  each  hive-side  fair 
and  flush  with  the  insidef  for  the  hive's  frames 


*  Pine  is  ordinarily  eleven  inches  wide,  and  we  are 
presuming  that  width  will  be  purchased,  the  pieces  cut 
off  being  utilised  for  fillets,  plinths,  and  ledges ;  or  to 
make  a  fire  to  work  by  when  the  weather  is  cold. 

t  In  practice,  this  is  left  solid  on  the  hive  side ;  but  in 
writing  for  amateurs  of  saw  and  hammer  calibre,  we 
prefer  to  show  how  the  work  may  be  accomplished  in 
the  readiest  way. 


150 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[December  1,  1880. 


to  run  on  when  all  is  completed.  This  will 
still  leave  the  hive  sides  f  of  an  inch  lower  than 
the  back  and  front ;  but  the  frames,  when  laid 
upon  them  in  use,  will  raise  all  to  the  same 
level.  To  finish  the  body-box,  two  strips,  16i 
inches  long,  one  inch  wide,  and  half  an  inch 
thick,  should  be  nailed  flat  against  the  front 
and  back  of  the  hive,  close  under  the  screws 
that  are  already  there,  and  two  pieces,  each  23 
inches  long,  and  one  inch  square,  should  be 
nailed  along  both  sides  to  meet  them,  the  four 
pieces  forming  a  half-inch  ledge  around  the 
hive  for  the  roof  to  rest  upon.*  Nothing  more 
is  needed  but  the  entrance,  or  entrances,  if  more 
than  one  be  determined  on,  and  plinths  nailed 
along  the  sides  and  back  to  overhang  the  floor- 
board and  keep  out  the  wet ;  but  these,  and 
the  porch-piece,  and  entrance-slides,  are  too  self- 
apparent  to  need  description. 

For  the  floor -board,  two  pieces,  each  22 
inches  long,  and  8j  inches  wide,  will  be  wanted, 
the  strips  off  the  sides  (they  being  originally 
eleven  inches  wide)  being  used  for  ledges  to 
nail  across  them  and  hold  them  together,  and 
it  will  then  be  of  the  exact  size  of  the  body- 
box,  and  Ave  would  advise  that  it  be  temporarily 
nailed  or  screwed  on,  to  keep  the  hive  Arm  and 
square  while  the  roof  is  being  made  and  fitted 
to  it.  Originally  we  proposed  to  form  the  roof 
on  the  American  pattern  with  a  flat  top,  but  as 
there  is  little  more  trouble  in  making  it  to 
slope  a  little,  and  cast  the  wet  behind  it  instead 
of  allowing  it  to  trickle  down  the  sides,  we 
have  adopted  the  slope ;  and  to  get  it  and 
economise  the  materials,  take  a  piece  of  f  inch 
board  22|  inches  long,  and  cut  it  diagonally  as 


indicated,  leaving  each  piece  7  inches  wide  at 
one  end,  and  four  at  the  other,  as  nearly  as 
may  be.  Now  cut  two  other  pieces  7  inches 
and  4  inches  wide  respectively,  and  18  inches 
long,  and  nail  them  on  to  the  others  yf  then 
nail  two  pieces  25  or  26  inches  long,  11  inches 
wide,  side  by  side  upon  them,  and  nail  a  strip 


*  Our  dimensions  are  correct  in  this  particular,  as  the 
frame-ends  overhang  the  sides,  hut  not  the  front  and  hack 
of  the  hive;  those  who  choose  to  do  so  may  shorten  the 
ends  if  they  please,  hut  we  consider  the  projections 
valuable  as  a  means  of  lifting  or  moving  frames  without 
mixing  one's  ringers  with  the  bees,  or  messing  them  with 
propolis. 

t  In  good  work,  the  top  surfaces  of  the  roof  walls 
would  be  planed  even  so  that  the  roof-boards  would  bed 
fairly;  but  as  ventilation  is  requisite,  it  is  not  absolutely 
necessary  that  they  should  touch  all  round.  If  made 
to  do  so,  holes  must  be  bored,  and  covered  with  perforated 
zinc,  but  every  one  can  exercise  his  own  judgment  and 
taste  therein. 


about  2  inches  wide  over  the  joint  in  the  middle, 
and  the  roof  will  be  complete. 

The  roof  is  now  ready  to  be  placed  upon  the 
hive,  and  when  there  it  will  be  foimd  resting 
upon  the  four  screws  that  have  been  inserted 
in  the  front  and  back  pieces.  Hence  four  half- 
circidar  notches  will  have  to  be  cut  into  the 
lower  edge  of  the  roof-walls  to  let  the  roof 
clown  on  to  the  ledge  that  runs  round  the  hive. 
The  purpose  of  the  screws  will  now  be  dis- 
covered, for  they,  fitting  into  the  notches,  will 
keep  the  roof  from  shifting  sideways,  while 
they  will  be  equal  to  hinges  on  which  the  roof 
may  be  raised  at  either  end,  the  heads  forming 
knuckles,  which  will  prevent  it  slipping  when 
so  raised  and  lowered.  This  ingenious  device 
originated  with  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  Henry  Bligh, 
formerly  of  Nettlebed  and  Abingdon  Vicarages, 
and  who  presided  at  the  meeting  of  bee-keepers 
at  which  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association 
had  birth.  The  height  of  the  roof,  as  is  the 
case  in  all  other  hives,  may  not  be  sufficient  to 
satisfy  those  who  have  high  faith  hi  supering, 
but  it  is  tall  enough  to  admit  American  sec- 
tions over  the  brood-nest,  and  to  permit  of 
bottle-feeding ;  and  when  this  is  deemed  in- 
sufficient, an  inch  or  two  may  easily  be  added 
to  its  lower  edge,  and  sufficient  space  thus 
be  made  to  receive  any  ordinary  super,  or  pile 
of  sections.  It  is  possible  also  that  the  length 
of  the  hive  internally  (20  inches)  may  not  be 
sufficient  in  many  districts,  but  there  again  the 
maker  is  not  bound  by  the  dimensions  given, 
for  by  elongating  such  parts  as  form  the  length 
of  the  hive,  he  may  suit  his  own  convenience. 


Individually,  we  would  prefer  the  interior  to 
be  30  inches  long  instead  of  20,  but  many 
bee-keepers  would  stand  aghast  at  such  a  hive, 
because  it  woidd  seem  impossible  (to  them)  for 
bees  to  fill  it.  Nevertheless,  as  it  could  be  made 
smaller  by  contraction  from  the  rear,  and  empty 
back  space  could  do  no  harm,  we  prefer  the 
larger  measure,  if  only  for  use  as  a  depository 
for  gloves,  empty  feeding-bottle,  and  honey- 
knife,  or  as  a  safe  place  for  a  few  empty  frames 
or  sections. 

Tn  making  the  frame-bars  for  the  ulterior,  it 
is  not  essential  that  their  ends  should  be  pointed, 


December  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


151 


as  on  p.  127  ;*  but  the  widening  is  important, 
as  they  thus  become  their  own  distance-keepers, 
thev  mav  be  made  by  cutting  strips  of  deal  an 


[. 


.  Mi  inches  . 


o 


I 


inch  wide,  and  half  an  inch  thick,  and  braiding 
other  pieces  on  the  ends,  each  half  an  inch 
square.  The  strips  for  the  bars  should  be  long 
enough  to  overrun  the  walls  of  the  hive  for 
convenience  in  handling,  and  the  pieces  nailed 
on  should  extend  from  the  ends  to  the  inside  of 
the  hive -walls,  leaving  14+  inches  between 
them,  as  indicated  in  the  above  figure.  The 
bars  will  then  be  half  an  inch  thick  all  along, 
but  the  parts  resting  on  the  hive-walls  should 
be  reduced  so  as  to  form  shoulders  to  prevent 
longitudinal  movements ;  a  sixteenth  of  an  inch 
will  be  sufficient. 


In  furnishing  the  hive's   interior,   one   can 
scarcely  gauge'  the  wishes  of  the  bee-keeper,  or 
the  requirements  of  his  locale,  but  for  practical 
work  and  cottager's  purposes,  we  would  suggest 
eight  frames  as  ordinarily  sufficient  for  a  swarm's 
reception,    one   of   which    shoidd    contain   our 
wooden  comb-foundation  of  the  full  size  of  the 
hive,  to  act  as  a  divider,  or  dummy,  to  shut  off, 
or  enclose,  the  space  or  frames  at  will.     The 
other  frames  shouldbe  fitted  with  guides,  or  foun- 
dation, as  may  be  determined,  though  now  that 
it  is  so  cheap  and  effective,  the  bee-keeper  who 
does  not  use  it  will  not  be  adopting  the  best 
means  to  the  end  in  view,  viz.,  securing  a  har- 
vest of  honey.     The  frame  of  wood-foundation 
may  have  a  slot  cut  in  its  bottom  edge  to  give 
passage  to  bees,  either  to  a  feeder  at  back,  or 
to  sections  for  honey  storage.     The  advantage 
of  a  divider,  or  dummy,  made  of  comb  (which 
cannot  be  broken)  is  inestimable.     There  is  no 
known  material  that  can  be  used  for  the  pur- 
pose that  is  so  bad  a  conductor  of  heat,  and 
common  sense  would  suggest  that  comb  (even 
with   wood-foundation)   is  more  acceptable  to 
the  bees  than  plain  sheets  of  wood,  glass,   or 
metal.      And   when   the   side   exposed   to  the 
swarm  has  been  built  out  and  stored  with  honey 
or  brood,  what  so  likely  to  attract  the  bees  to 
the  sections  in  rear,  as  their  own  handiwork 
and   treasure,   enticements   readily  brought  to 
bear  by  siniply  turning  the  frame  of  foundation 
round  so  that  the  honey  or  brood  is  brought 
within  the  storage  department,  the  queen  being 
kept  out  by  a  slip  of  long-holed  zinc.     In  this 

*  The  illustration  correctly  shows  the  principle  of 
Abbott's  frame-bars,  but  not  the  way  in  which  the  ends 
are  made.  The  engraver  drew  them  from  a  photograph, 
and  they  are  made  to  appear  inverted. 


way  there  would  be  space  in  the  back  of  the 
brood-nest  for  four  sets  of  sections,  and  others 
could  be  piled  on  top.  But  suppose  the  hive 
were  made  of  greater  length,  say  30  inches, 
there  wotdd  be  space  for,  say  ten  frames  and 
five  sets  of  sections,  with  a  zinc  excluder  between 


Zinc. 


Dummy  Comb. 


Space 

for 
Bottle, 

Frames. 


Sections. 


them,  and  the  enticing  comb  of  wood- founda- 
tion at  the  hack,  and  honey  might  be  fed  to  the 
bees  in  the  back  space  to  get  thorn  well  on  to 
building  in  the  sections,  while,  if  desired,  other 
sections  might  be  placed  all  over  the  top,  and 
storing  facilities  thus  greatly  mtdtiplied. 

If  there  are  any  parts  'of  this  description 
which  are  not  easily  understandable,  or  any 
missing  link  in  the"  chain  of  description,  we 
shall  be  very  glad  to  furnish  them  hi  our  next 
issue  hi  reply  to  queries  hi  the  usual  way. 


BEE-KEEPING  IN  IRELAND. 

We  are  glad  to  find  that  an  energetic  en- 
deavour is  being  made  to  establish  a  Bee-keepers' 
Association  for  Ireland,  and  cheerfully  comply 
with  a  request  that  the  circular  of  the  promo- 
ters may  be  published ;  and  we  hope  that  all 
who  wish  well  for  Irish  bee-keeping  will  as 
readily  acquiesce  in  its  objects. 

'  A  number  of  Irish  gentlemen  interested  in  apiculture 
are  desirous  of  starting  an  Irish  Bee-keepers'  Association 
on  the  plan  of,  and"  to  work  in  harmony  with,  the 
British  Bee-keepers'  Association,  which  has  done  so 
much  to  improve  the  practice  of  apiculture  in  the  sister 
isle.  The  objects  of  the  Association  will  be  to  introduce 
bee-keeping  among  the  small  farmers  and  peasantry  ; 
and  in  districts  where  bee-keeping  is  at  present  carried 
on;  to  instruct  the  bee-keepers  by  means  of  leaflets,  &c, 
in  the  most  improved  methods  of  increasing  the  quantity 
of  honev  gathered,  and  getting  it  of  a  finer  quality, 
which,  if  successful,  will  tend  to  keep  money  in  the 
country,  which  is  at  present  sent  to  America  for  honey, 
wax,  &c.  It  is  proposed  that  the  minimum  subscription 
for  ordinary  members  should  be,  for  gentlemen,  7s.  6d., 
for  ladies  5s.  per  annum,  and  for  members  of  the  Council 
1/.  Is.  I  shall  be  glad  to  be  favoured  with  your  views 
on  the  subject,  and  any  suggestions  which  may  occur  to 
you:  also  to  know  whether  you  would  be  disposed  to 
loin  the  Association  if  Btarted.  —  Robbbt  Sprovle. 
4  Clonliffe  Terrace,  East,  C/onliffe  Road,  Dublin,  th 
November,  1880.' 

The  circular  was  sent  to  us  by  Brother 
Joseph,  of  Loughrea,  who  writes : — 

'  I  enclose  one  of  our  circulars,  hoping  you  may  refer 
to  it  in  next  Journal,  and  invite  all  Irish  bee-keepers  to 
join  the  Association.  Mr.  Sproule,  Mr.  Traynor,  and 
myself  are  working  verv  hard  to  establish  it.     We  have 


152 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[December  1,  1880. 


already  about  fifteen  names.  Mr.  Sproule  has  kindly 
consented  to  act  as  secretary.  We  could  not  have  a 
better  man.  I  have  the  greatest  confidence  the  Asso- 
ciation -will  prosper  under  his  management. — Brother 
Joseph,  Nov.  12,  1880.' 

That  the  subject  is  gaining  ground  may  be 
inferred  from  the  following,  a  short  leader  in 
the  Irish  Freeman  of  Nov.  6,  which  we  com- 
mend to  the  notice  of  the  Dublin  Society  :  — 

'  We  have  reason  to  believe  that  what  we  have  lately 
■written  on  bee-keeping  has  attracted  much  attention  in 
Ireland.     Bee-keeping  is  an  industry  that  is  peculiarly 
suited  to  our  country,  and  yet,  strange  to  say,  this  is 
almost  the  only  country  in  Europe  where  it  is  not  prac- 
tised.    There  was  an  attempt  made  to  exhibit  bees  in 
connexion  with  the   annual  Show  held  in  Dublin  last 
September ;  but  the  committee  refused  to  admit  bees  to 
the   show  ground.     There  is  not  another  Agricultural 
Society  in  any  part  of  Europe  who  would  have  acted  in 
a  similar  manner,  for  we   see  everywhere   prizes   are 
offered,  and  bee-keepers  induced  to  compete  for  them. 
The  British  Bee-keepers'  Association  visited  Ireland  last 
autumn,  and  held  shows  in  Clonmel,  Newry,  and  Parsons- 
town,  and  were  very  successful  in  creating  an  interest  in 
bee-culture,  and  we  have  reason  to  believe  there  are  now 
in  Ireland — north,  south,  east,  and  west — many  who  are 
very  successful,  and  even  enthusiastic,  in  the  study  and 
cultivation  of  bees,  according  to  the  modern  and  humane 
system.     But  there  is  a  want  of  union,  which  is  so  ne- 
cessary to  spread  the  knowledge  among  the  cottagers  of 
Ireland.     We  trust  that  something  will  be  done  before 
next  season  for  the  formation  of  a  Bee  Association,  and 
that  we  shall  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  Bee  Tent 
at  the  next  Agricultural  Show  in  the  metropolis,  as  is , 
done  every  year  at  the  Kensington  Show,  and  we  may 
say  at  every  agricultural  show  in  England.     We  have 
no  doubt  but  the  Bee  Tent,  under  the  management  of 
an    Irish   Bee  Association,  would  be  one  of  the  most 
attractive  features  of  the  show.     Seven  years  ago  bee- 
keeping  was   very  backward   in   England,  but   a  few 
earnest  bee-keepers  held  a  show  at  the  Crystal  Palace, 
and  founded  the  British  Bee  Association.     Then  they 
were  few  in  number ;  now  the  numbers  can  be  counted 
by  hundreds.    They  have  as  their  President  the  Baroness 
Burdett-Coutts.     We  find  also  that  there  is  scarcely  a 
county  in  England  which  has  not  its  own  Association 
affiliated  to  the  principal  one,  having  an  earl  here  and  a 
lord  there  as  its  president ;  and  we  have  no  doubt  but  a 
similar  patronage  would  be  extended  to  the  Irish  Asso- 
ciation, if  once  established.' 


A  COTTAGER  EXPERT  IN  SHALLOW 
WATER. 
At  the  late  Committee  Meeting  of  the  British 
Bee-keepers'  Association,  the  Rev.  H.  R.  Peel  men- 
tioned the  case  of  Mr.  Martin,  the  cottager-bee- 
keeper of  High  Wycombe,  Bucks,  whose  example  as 
a  most  successful  honey-producer  and  prize-winner 
for  several  years  past,  while  giving  him  considerable 
prominence,  afforded  a  most  valuable  stimulus  to 
others,  and  greatly  aided  the  advancement  of  cot- 
tage bee-keeping.  He  has  recently  left  the  em- 
ployment of  Messrs.  Neighbour  and  Sons ;  and 
with  the  winter  before  him,  his  own  apiary  dis- 
established, a  crippled,  helpless  son  on  his  hands, 
and  himself  lately  become  a  widower,  he  is  casting 
about  for  employment  in  bee-culture ;  and  it  is 
hoped  that,  by  his  case  being  made  known  through 
these  columns,  he  may  find  that  which  is  more 
congenial  to  his  taste  than  chair-making,  which 


was  his  calling   ere   his  success  as  a  bee-keeper 
brought  him  to  the  front  in  the  bee-world.     He 
hopes  to  be  able  to  place  his  son  in  a  '  home '  for 
incurables,  but  has  not  the  means  under  present 
circumstances.     But  to  help  him  to  this  end,  a  sum 
of  thirty  shillings  was  subscribed  forthwith,  and  we 
shall  be  willing  to  add  to  that  sum  any  donations  that 
kindly  hands  may  send  us.     He  feels  competent  to 
undertake  the  management  of  a  bee-farm,  and  go 
out  as  Association  expert,  or  to  assist  other  bee- 
keepers in  managing  their  apiaries.     In  the  preface 
to   the   Association's  Handbook,   it  is  stated   that, 
'  a  County  Association  is  no  sooner  formed,  than 
a  County  Show  is  instituted,  the  Bee  Tent  arrives 
from    London,    with    an    expert    who    shows   the 
cottager  how  to  drive  his  bees,  transfer  his  combs 
from  skeps  to  hives,  how  to  make  artificial  swarms, 
and  in  short  how  to   keep  bees  intelligently  and 
profitably.'     And    we   would   suggest    to    County 
Associations  that  William  Martin  would   be  just 
the  man  to  employ  for  the  above  purposes ;   for, 
while   doing    him   a   service,   they   would   be   ad- 
vancing the  interests  of  bee-keeping  in  their  re- 
spective districts.     William  Martin  can  make  both 
skep  and  frame-hives,'and  do  all  that  is  necessary 
in  the  economy  of  apiculture  j   and  knowing  him 
to  be  a  sober,  civil,  and  willing  hand,  we  trust  he 
may  find  the  kind  of  employment  he  is  seeking. 
His  address  is  Mr.  William  Martin,  Plummer's  Hill, 
High  Wycombe,  Bucks. — Ed. 


BRITISH  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

The  Monthly  Meeting  of  the  Committee  was  held  at 
105  Jermyn  Street  on  Wednesday,  November  17th. 
Present  Mr.  T.  W.  Cowan  (in  the  chair)}  Messrs.  C.  N. 
Abbott,  Rev.  E.  Bartrum,  F.  Cheshire,  J.  M.  Hooker, 
and  the  Hon.  Secretary. 

The  minutes  of  the  last  Committee  Meeting  having 
been  confirmed  and  signed,  Mr.  Abbott  presented '  the 
report  of  Mr.  Carr  and  himself  relating  to  their  Irish 
tour.  Votes  of  thanks  were  unanimously  passed  to  Messrs. 
Carr  and  Abbott  for  their  labours  in  Ireland. 

The  Secretary  reported  that  as  a  result  of  the  visit  of 
the  Bee  Tent  in  Ireland,  an  Association  was  now  in 
course  of  formation  for  that  country,  the  labours  of  such 
movement  having  been  undertaken  by  Mr.  Sproule,  of 
Dublin  (who  was  a  member  of  the  British  Bee-keepers' 
Association),  and  other  gentlemen. 

A  letter  was  read  from  the  Science  and  Art  Depart- 
ment, South  Kensington,  stating  'That  the  Diagrams 
published  by  the  Association  had  been  included  in  the 
department's  fist  of  apparatus  towards  which  aid  was 
granted  to  Science  Schools  and  Classes.' 

A  letter  was  also  read  from  Messrs.  Longman  &  Co., 
of  Paternoster  Row,  expressing  their  willingness  to 
undertake  the  publishing  of  the  Handbook  for  Cottagers. 
Resolved,  '  That  the  Chairman,  Mr.  Cheshire,  and  Mr. 
Hooker,  form  the  sub-committee  for  the  purpose  of  mak- 
ing the  necessary  arrangements  for  the  publication  of  the 
second  edition 'of  the  Handbook  to  consist  of_  five 
thousand  copies ;  and  that  Mr.  Cheshire  have  an  inter- 
view with  Messrs.  Longman  &  Co.  in  reference  thereto, 
and  at  the  same  time  to  ascertain  if  Messrs.  Longman 
&  Co.  would  undertake  the  publishing  of  the  Diagrams 
on  the  same  terms.' 

Mr.  Cheshire  was  unanimously  elected  Honorary 
Librarian  of  the  Association,  and  votes  of  thanks  were 
passed  to  the  Chairman  and  Mr.  Jackson  for  donations 
of  books  to  the  library. 


December  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


153 


The  Secretary  was  requested  to  communicate  with  the 
Royal  Agricultural  Society  with  the  view  of  the  Asso- 
ciation being  represented  at  the  Eoyal  Agricultural 
Show  at  Derby  next  year. 

Resolved,  'That  Mr.  Kirchner  be  appointed  Auditor 
of  the  present  year's  accounts,  and  that  the  Secretary 
prepare  the  annual  report  at  the  close  of  the  year.'  The 
balance-sheet  for  the  month  ending  October  31st  was 
read,  showing  a  balance  in  hand  of  '291.  13s.  7d. 

BRITISH  BEE-KEEPERS'  CONVERSAZIONE. 

This  took  place  at  6.30  p.m.  on  Wednesday,  Oct.  27th, 
at  the  conclusion  of  the  Conference  with  the  Comity 
Representatives.  The  Rev.  W.  Stuart  Walford,  Hon. 
Sec.  of  the  Suffolk  County  Association,  presided ;  and 
there  were  present  the  Revs.  T.  Lawson  Sisson,  J.  L. 
Sissons,  H.  R.  Peel ;  Captain  Campbell,  R.N. ;  Messrs. 
J.  R.  Jackson,  T.  W.  Cowan,  F.  Cheshire,  J.  Littleboy, 
J.  Garrett,  R.  A.  Boissier,  P.  E.  Martin,  J.  Abbott,  F. 
Lyon,  E.  S.  Whealler,  J.  Lemare,  R.  Jonas,  H.  R.  Vin- 
cent, J.  W.  Wright,  J.  Camaschella,  W.  Martin,  W. 
Allen,  and  others. 

The  Rev.  E.  Bartrum,  M.A.,  Head-Master  of  Great 
Berkhamsted  School,  read  the  following  paper  on — 

The  Stewabton  Hive. 

I  hope  I  shall  not  be  considered  presumptuous  in  bring- 
ing the  Stewarton  Hive  before  the  notice  of  the  British 
Bee-keepers'  Association.  When  I  first  determined  to 
become  a  bee-keeper,  and  consequently  was  compelled  to 
select  some  form  of  the  hive,  I  found  that  those  who 
had  used  the  Stewarton  claimed  to  have  obtained  results 
which  certainly  were  not  surpassed,  even  if  equalled,  by 
others  who  had  confined  themselves  to  the  straw  skep  or 
the  ordinary  bar-frame.  Three  years'  trial  of  this  hive, 
in  conjunction  with  other  kinds,  has  convinced  me  that 
its  merits  are  very  great,  and  that  it  only  requires  to  be 
better  known  to  be'more  highly  appreciated.  Notwith- 
standing the  able  advocacy  of  'The  Renfrewshire  Bee- 
keeper,' the  hive  which  he  has  .  made  almost  his 
own,  or,  at  all  events,  has  vastly  improved,  is  seldom 
seen  across  the  border;  and  even  persons  in  England 
who  have  adopted  it  are  not  all  of  them  aware  how  best 
to  manage  it.  I  trust,  therefore,  that  I  may  be  able  to 
contribute  something  towards  the  advancement  of  bee- 
keeping by  dwelling  in  detail  upon  the  Stewarton  Hive. 

The  subject  of  my  paper  derives  its  name  from  the 
town  of  Stewarton  or  Stuart-town,  in  the  north  of  Ayr- 
shire, on/  the  borders  of  Renfrewshire.  It  is  said  to 
have  been  invented  about  the  year  1819,  by  a  cabinets 
maker  named  Robert  Kerr,  of  that  place,  a  man  as 
remarkable  for  his  skill  in  bee-keeping,  as  in  the  secrets 
of  his  particular  trade.  '  Bee  Robin '  was  the  nick- 
name given  by  his  neighbours  to  Robert  Kerr,  and 
we  can  well  imagine  that  his  skill  as  a  workman 
assisted  him  in  no  slight  degree  in  improving  the 
form  of  the  wooden  boxes  in  which  he  kept  his 
bees.  The  octagonal  form  of  the  Stewarton  hive 
was  without  a  doubt  known  before  Kerr's  time.  '  The 
Renfrewshire  Bee-keeper'  informs  me  that  its  invention 
is  generally  ascribed  to  the  Rev.  William  Mewe,  minister 
of  Eastlington  in  Gloucestershire,  about  the  year  1652. 
In  April,  1675,  John  Gedde  obtained  a  patent  from 
Charles  II.  for  his  octagon  boxes.  They  appear,  however, 
to  have  been  used  in  Scotland  with  good  success  before 
that  date.  These  octagons  consisted  simply  of  a  series 
of  boxes  of  uniform  depth,  with  a  5-inch  square  central 
hole  in  each  top.  Robert  Kerr  seems  to  have  introduced 
the  moveable  slides  of  wood  working  in  grooves  in  li  inch 
bars  on  the  top  of  what  are  called  the  body  boxes.  Of 
late  years  various  changes  have  been  introduced  by  'the 
Renfrewshire  Bee-keeper,'  so  that  the  hive,  as  sent  out 
by  the  makers  at  Stewarton,  is  as  follows: — 

There  are  one,  two,  or  three  breeding  or  body  boxes, 
octagonal  in  form,  about  14  inches  wide  inside,  7  dr  9  inches 
deep,  and  having  eight  bars,  the  six  in  the  centre  one 


inch  and  an  eighth  broad,  the  two  at  the  ends  where  the 
honey  is  stored  lg.  The  bars  are  secured  by  ^-inch 
brass  screws,  and  are  supposed  to  be  removeable  at 
pleasure,  though  sometimes  they  require  a  sharper 
wrench  than  seems  desirable.  The  screws,  however, 
need  not  always  be  fastened,  and,  like  screws  of  another 
kiud,  their  absence  is  often  better  than  their  presence. 
Frames  are  added  to  the  four  centre-bars  so  that  combs 
may  be  interchanged  just  as  in  ordinary  bar-frames. 
The  sides  of  the  boxes  are  dovetailed,  and  if  the 
boxes  are  accurately  constructed,  as  I  have  always  found 
to  be  the  case,  they  fit  exactly  one  upon  the  other. 
There  is  a  window  with  a  moveable  shutter  on  the  back 
and  front  of  each  box,  wooden  buttons  on  each  to  keep 
the  boxes  together,  handles  for  lifting,  and  also  hooks 
or  screws  for  lashing  the  boxes;  but  these  I  have  never 
found  occasion  to  use,  the  buttons  answering  every 
necessary  purpose.  In  each  box  is  an  entrance  3j  inches 
wide,  and  half  an  inch  deep,  with  a  sliding  piece  of 
wood  for  closing  or  contracting  it.  Experience  has 
proved  that  three  entrances  are  none  too  many  if  the 
hive  is  prosperous  and  the  weather  warm ;  but  in  cold 
weather  one  will  be  found  sufficient. 

In  addition  to  the  breeding  or  body  boxes,  supers  or 
honey-boxes  are  also  required.  These  correspond  in 
width  with  the  other  boxes,  but  they  are  4  inches  only 
in  depth,  and  are  each  furnished  with  seven  bars,  1£ 
inches  broad,  whereas  the  central  bars  of  the  body  boxes 
are  one  inch  and  an  eighth  only.  The  shallowness  of  the 
supers,  the  thickness  of  the  combs,  and  the  additional 
depth  of  the  cells,  all  tend  to  deter  the  queen  from  con- 
verting these  supers  into  breeding-boxes.  The  number 
of  honey-boxes  required  for  each  Stewarton  set  is  some- 
what uncertain ;  my  Stewartons  this  season  have  been 
made  up  of  three  body  and  four  honey-boxes  or  supers, 
but  probably  the  best  Stewarton  super  exhibited  last 
year  was  obtained,  I  believe,  from  a  single  body-box. 
Very  much,  of  course,  depends  on  the  season  and  neigh- 
bourhood ;  but  I  may  saj'  that  I  do  not  at  all  despair  of 
filling  six,  eight,  or  even  ten  honey-boxes  placed  on  the 
top  of  one  Stewarton  hive  whenever  we  have  a  favour- 
able season. 

Besides  all  these  boxes,  the  wood  ul  ,\hich  is 
only  five-eighths  of  an  inch  thick,  an  outer  covering  of 
some  kind  or  other  seems  to  me  to  be  absolutely  neces- 
sary, and  the  cost  of  the  hive  is  thereby  increased. 
This  covering,  like  the  hive  itself,  must  be  capable  of 
expansion  or  contraction.  Mine  consists  of  two  or  more 
cases,  each  about  19  inches  square,  11  inches  deep,  with 
a  rim  2  inches  wide  fastened  round  the  bottom,  so  that 
it  fits  on  to  another  case.  A  moveable  top  will  also  be 
required,  and  one  of  the  cases  must  have  a  wide  opening 
at  the  bottom  for  the  admission  of  the  bees.  In  this 
case  the  rim  must  not  be  added  on  the  side  where  the 
opening  is  made,  so  that  the  case  may  fit  the  floor-board. 
The  floor-board  should  be  also  19  inches  square,  witli  a 
projection  in  front  slightly  sloping  outwards  that  the 
water  may  run  off.  Two  cross  pieces  of  wood  should 
be  nailed  at  the  bottom  of  the  floor-board  to  keep  it 
from  warping,  and  protect  it  from  the  damp.  '  The  Ren- 
frewshire Bee-keeper'  recommends  'an  outer  octagon 
case,  with  a  nicely-bevelled  roof  and  an  ornamental  vase 
on  the  top;'  but  the  moveable  cases  of  square  form 
fitting  into  each  other  are  very  convenient,  as  you  can 
easily  remove  them  if  you  wish  to  inspect  the  boxes.  My 
bees,"  moreover,  were  hanging  by  thousands  near  the 
end  of  June  at  night-time,  when  the  weather  was 
very  warm,  between  the  inner  octagons  and  the  outer 
case,  although  the  three  body-boxes  and  the  four  supers 
were  full,  and  in  this  way  the  outside  covering  forms  an 
important  protection  against  that  bane  of  a  bee-keeper's 
life— I  mean  the  tendency  of  the  bees  to  swarm.  These 
cases  can  also  be  used  to  protect  ordinary  bar-frame 
hives  constructed  with  a  single  wall,  and  if,  as  I 
have  found  necessary,  three  tiers  of  sectional  supers  are 


154 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[December  1,  1880. 


on  at  one  time,  a  second  case  can  be  added  above  the 
first  with  a  moveable  roof  to  crown  the  whole. 

Having  now  our  breeding  and  honey  boxes,  and  also 
our  outer  cases,  we  may  proceed  to  fill  our  hives  with 
bees,  and  see  how  this  complex  system  works.  In  a 
famous  passage  quoted  from  the  B.  B.  J.,  vol.  i.  page  14, 
in  Mr.  Hunter's  book,  'the  Renfrewshire  Bee-keeper' 
has  described  the  general  method  of  manipulating  the 
Stewarton  hive.  His  system  of  combining  swarms 
deserves  close  attention  on  the  part  of  those  beginning 
bee-keeping.  I  do  not,  however,  propose  to  repeat  what 
he  has  written,  but  will  give  you  the  history  of  my 
latest  Octagon. 

At  the  end  of  June  last  year,  I  placed  a  swarm  in  a 
body  box  on  a  platform  about  nine  inches  from  the 
ground,  in  the  hope  that  I  might  be  able  to  add  a  second 
swarm  within  a  few  days,  as  recommended  by  the  writer 
to  whom  I  have  referred.  The  weather,  however,  was 
so  unpropitkms,  that  no  swarm  came,  and  moreover  I 
was  compelled  to  feed  the  bees.  This  was  done  by 
cutting  one  of  the  central  slides,  and  drawing  one  of 
the  pieces  out  some  little  distance.  Above  the  hole  I 
placed  a  feeder,  made  by  Messrs.  Green  &  Sons,  of 
Rainham,  Kent,  recommended  to  my  notice  by  Mr. 
Cheshire,  whose  recommendation  I  can  thoroughly 
endorse.  Over  this  box,  when  winter  approached,  I 
placed  a  square  case,  adding  dry  fern  between  the  hive 
and  the  case,  covering  the  top  also  with  fern.  Thus  the 
bees  were  kept  both  warm  and  dry.  For  months  they 
were  left  almost  unnoticed,  until  the  fine  weather  on 
March  1st  enabled  me  to  examine  them,  when  I  found 
that  they  still  had  food  in  abundance,  and  were  evidently 
thriving.  Soon  a  second  box,  with  combs  already  con- 
structed, was  placed  below  the  first,  the  slides  from  the 
top  of  the  second  box  were  all  withdrawn,  so  that  the 
bees  could  readily  enter  their  new  apartments,  and  slow 
feeding  was  commenced. 

Ere  long  the  population  increased  so  rapidly  that  I 
claced  a  honey-box  fitted  with  guide-comb  on  the  top, 
' '-  -  <-^n  outer  slides  on  either  side  of  the 
rkers  to  deposit  their 
writes  '  the  Renfrew- 
lccessful  management 
ee  of  the  wants  of  the 
bees.       mo   openinj  ater  side  of  the  box, 

occasioned  by  the  withdrawal  of  the  slides,  were  stopped 
by  the  wooden  pegs  made  for  the  purpose.  If  the  outer 
slides  only  are  drawn,  the  queen  will  not,  as  a  rule, 
enter  the  honey  box ;  nor  have  I  found  any  occasion 
for  queen  or  drone  excluders,  as  in  the  ordinary  bar- 
frame.  '  The  Renfrewshire  Bee-keeper '  asserts  that  he 
never  found  eggs  laid  in  a  honey-box,  so  effectual  is  this 
simple  plan  of  drawing  the  slides  only  where  the  honey 
is  stored. 

This  honey-box  was  fastened  to  the  body-box  by  the 
wooden  buttons  mentioned  before,  and  thick  paper  was 
also  gummed  or  pasted  over  the  part  where  the  boxes 
meet,  so  that  air  was  excluded,  and  the  beat  of  the  hive 
increased.  The  super  was  carefully  covered  with  flannel 
or  old  carpet,  so  as  still  more  to  raise  the  temperature, 
and  induce  comb-building.  The  bees  at  once  occupied 
the  super,  and  no  great  interval  elapsed  before  white 
comb  began  to  approach  the  windows.  It  soon  became 
evident  that  more  room  was  wanted  ;  a  third  body-box, 
with  the  frames  filled  with  foundation-comb,  was  added 
below,  and  all  the  slides  between  the  body-boxes  with- 
drawn ;  then  three  more  honey-boxes  were  added  above, 
and  three  entrances,  one  in  each  box,  allowed  to  the  bees. 
Thus  my  seven-inch  box  had  grown  to  a  height  of  more 
than  three  feet;  at  the  end  of  June  it  was  full  from  top 
to  bottom,  though  we  had  had  very  little  honey  from 
the  apple-blossom  ;  large  clusters  of  bees,  moreover,  were 
hanging  between  the  outer  cases  and  the  inner  octagons 
whenever  the  nights  were  very  warm,  and  I  entertained 
a  sanguine  hope  that  I  should  obtain  an  enormous   har- 


vest from  a  single  hive.  But  the  incessant  rains  of  July 
and  the  loss  of  the  lime  harvest  occasioned  by  unending- 
wet  weather,  prevented  the  fulfilment  of  these  anticipa- 
tions. Nevertheless,  I  was  rewarded  with  70  lbs.  of 
super  honey  in  addition  to  the  contents  of  one  of  the 
breeding  boxes.  I  may  add  that  my  other  Stewarton, 
treated  in  a  similar  manner,  gave  me  a  very  similar 
result.  Some  of  the  boxes  from  these  two  hives  were 
shown  at  South  Kensington,  St.  Albans,  and  Boston,  and 
won  four  prizes.  In  1878,  the  first  year  I  tried  this 
special  hive,  I  showed  a  honey-box  on  two  occasions, 
and  won  two  prizes. 

This  brings  me  to  another  feature  of  our  subject,  I 
mean  the  extraordinary  harvests  which  the  friends  of 
the  Stewarton  assert  it  has  secured.  '  The  Renfrewshire 
Bee-keeper'  tells  us  that  in  the  year  1868  he  had  ten 
octagon  supers  from  one  hive,  and  obtained  164  lbs.  of 
super  honey  in  addition  to  30  lbs.  in  the  body-boxes. 
Mr.  Briscoe,  of  Albrighton,  Wolverhampton,  has  put 
the  fact  on  record,  that  in  1876  he  had  obtained  144  lbs. 
of  the  purest  super  honey  from  seven  octagon  boxes  by 
August  6th,  and  that  after  the  supers  were  removed,  the 
three  body-boxes  weighed  over  70  lbs.  A  second  set  of 
boxes,  fitted  with  an  artificial  swarm,  yielded  75  lbs.  of 
equally  pure  virgin  honey-comb. 

The  eminent  Scotch  bee-master,  to  whom  I  have  so 
often  referred,  obtained  nine  octagon  supers  in  that  year 
from  one  hive,  and  eight  from  another.  In  1878,  a  verv 
poor  honey  year,  he  obtained  over  80  lbs.  of  super 
honey  ;  and  a  Scotch  parish  clergyman,  we  are  informed, 
from  eight  octagon  colonies  secured  445  lbs.  of  the  purest 
comb,  entirely  free  from  pollen,  brood,  or  the  slightest 
impurity.  One  colony  contributed  92i,  the  next  best 
88  lbs.  " 

Mr.  Briscoe,  in  the  March  number  of  the  British  Bee 
Journal,  1878,  has  given  an  interesting  account  of  his 
Stewartons  for  several  3rears  in  succession,  in  which  he 
also  tells  us  that  in  his  own  case  a  good  harvest  from 
the  Stewarton  is  the  rule  rather  than  the  exception. 
And  some  of  j'ou  may  remember  that  last  year  a  dis- 
tinguished member  of  our  committee  was  able  to  show  a 
beautiful  Stewarton  box,  one  of  the  very  few  good 
exhibits  of  1879,  which  he  obtained  during  a  short  spell 
of  tine  weather,  while  the  lime-trees  were  in  blossom. 

A  hive,  then,  that  has  secured  such  remarkable  results, 
must  have  features  connected  with  it  of  unusual  merit, 
and  on  these  I  shall  now  venture  for  a  while  to  dwell. 

1.  First  and  foremost  comes  the  remarkable  power  pos- 
sessed by  this  hive  of  expansion  and  contraction,  and 
consequently  the  ready  prevention  of  swarming  if  the 
bee-keeper  does  not  wish  his  bees  to  swarm.  The  prize 
octagon  of  last  year  to  which  I  have  alluded  was  ob- 
tained from  a  single  body-box,  yet  sometimes  as  many 
as  ten  supers,  each  4  inches  deep,  three  body-boxes  each 
7  inches  deep,  and  an  eke  below  of  2  inches,  are  em- 
ployed, though  not  necessarily  all  at  one  time,  as  the 
lower  supers  when  completed  may  be  removed  and  empty 
boxes  substituted  on  top.  The  first  super,  or,  at  all 
events,  some  completing  super,  should  remain  until  the 
end  of  the  honey-harvest,  as  the  queen,  should  she  pay  a 
visit  to  this  portion  of  her  domain,  will  return,  finding 
every  cell  filled  with  honey,  and  no  opening  therefore 
left  for  her  energies.  The  outer  case  protects  the  hive 
itself  from  the  sun,  and  this  fact  again  lessens  the 
chances  of  swarming.  By  altering  slightly  the  position 
of  the  moveable  top,  a  current  of  air  will  in  the  hottest 
weather  be  created,  and  the  three  entrances  will  still 
still  further  tend  to  cool  the  hive.  Those  who  have 
tried  the  Stewarton  assert  that  the  bees  very  rarely 
swarm  if  room  above  and  below  is  given  in  due  time, 
whereas  in  the  ordinary  bar-frame  the  tendency  to 
swarm  is  often  irresistible  in  spite  of  every  effort  that 
can  be  employed. 

2.  Secondly,  this  hive  is  essentially  the  hive  of  the 
busv  man,  as  satisfactory  results  can  be  secured  without 


December  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


155 


the  expenditure  of  the  time  and  trouble  required  by  the 
ordinary  bar-frame. 

From  one  of  my  bar-frames  this  year  obtained  more 
than  70  lbs.  of  super  honey  ;  but  the  trouble  it  demanded 
was  at  times  excessive.  Every  section  required  some 
guide  comb;  to  cut  out  and  fix  this  comb  in  seventy  sec- 
tions must  cost  well-nigh  seventj-  times  seven  minutes. 
When  the  sections  were  on  they  evidently  were  in  want 
of  something  to  bind  them  together  and  exclude  the  air, 
so  that  at  each  junction  we  pasted  or  gummed  some 
paper.  The  time  this  cost  would  not  be  difficult  to  calcu- 
late. The  numbers  soon  increased  so  rapidly  that,  in  spite 
of  three  tiers  of  sections,  swarming  seemed  imminent. 
All  the  supers  were  therefore  taken  off,  and  the  hive 
examined.  What  infuriates  the  bees  more  than  the 
removal  of  their  honey?  The  task  of  cutting  out  queen- 
cells  under  such  circumstances  demands  time  as  well  as 
courage,  and  so  I  found.  No  cell  was  discovered  inside 
the  hive,  but  on  examining  the  sections  we  came  upon 
unpleasant  traces  of  the  queen,  as  well  as  a  queen-cell. 
Thus  the  sections  each  required  inspection,  until  at  last 
I  exclaimed,  in  spite  of  a  splendid  harvest,  'Le  jeu  ne 
vaut  pas  la  chandelle.' 

A  very  busy  man  must,  in  my  opinion,  avoid  the 
ordinary  bar-frame,  whereas  he  may  succeed  with  the 
Stewart  on. 

•'!.  Thirdly,  the  Stewarton  winters  well  if  only  ordinary 
and  proper  care  be  taken.  The  thinness  of  the  erown- 
board,  a  quarter  of  an  inch  only,  is  advantageous  in 
sunmier,  as  it  allows  the  heat  of  the  hive  to  enter  the 
honey-box,  and  in  winter  permits  the  moisture  to  eva- 
porate. Hitherto  I  have  not  withdrawn  the  slides  in 
winter,  but  henceforth  I  shall  follow  with  one  or  more 
of  my  octagons  the  advice  of  the  Renfrewshire  Bee 
Master,  draw  the  slides  entirely  out,  and  over  the  top  of 
the  hive  fasten  some  Indian  matting,  securing  it  with 
tacks  to  keep  it  straight.  Under  this  matting  I  shall 
put  some  flour-cake,  above  and  around  dry  fern  or  chaff, 
protected  from  the  wet  by  the  outer  case,  so  that  the. 
bees  within  will  be  warm  and  dry,  and  probably  breed 
through  some  portion  of  the  winter.  It  has  been  said 
that  the  octagon  shape  is  superior  to  the  oblong  for 
wintering,  that  in  the  ordinary  bar-frame  some  of  the 
frames  at  either  end  should  be  removed  to  prevent 
mouldiness,  whereas  nothing  of  the  kind  is  required  in 
the  Stewarton ;  that  the  octagon  shape  gets  rid  of  the 
awkward  corners ;  that  the  small  size  of  the  Stewarton 
box  enables  a  higher  temperature  to  be  maintained  with 
less  difficulty  than  in  most  of  the  ordinary  bar-frames  ; 
and  that  the  massive  honey-comb  at  either  end  of  the 
breeding-box  tends  to  keep  out  the  cold.  In  a  very 
able  and  interesting  article  entitled  'The  Philosophy 
of  Hive  Shape,'  which  appears  in  the  British  Bee  Journal 
of  September,  1874,  Mr.  Cheshire  has  assailed  the  first 
assertion;  and  I  am  not  prepared  to  controvert  his  views. 
But  I  am  expressing  not  only  my  own,  but  also  the  opinion 
of  others  better  fitted  to  form  an  accurate  judgment,  when 
I  say  that  the  bees  will  pass  the  winter  well  in  a  Stewarton 
Hive  properly  managed. 

Now  let  me  put  the  other  side  of  the  question.  Ob- 
jection is  made  to  the  slides,  which  are  often  difficult  to 
move  or  remove.  Again  I  venture  to  quote  Mr. 
Cheshire,  who  has  suggested  that  a  little  tallow  added 
at  intervals  will  make  them  run  more  smoothly :  a  small 
screw-driver  at  one  end,  and  a  pair  of  pincers  at  the 
other,  will  always  solve  the  difficulty.  A  heated  iron 
applied  to  the  slides  is  also  said  to  be  sufficient  to  loosen 
them. 

Another  and  a  formidable  objection  is  that  the  large 
supers  are  sometimes  unsaleable.  If  even  every  bee- 
keeper desired  to  obtain  honey  for  the  purpose  of  selling 
it,  the  objection  would  have  weight,  but  some  of  us  do 
not.  It  happens  in  many  cases  that  articles  in  universal 
demand  are  at  times  unsaleable,  because  the  right  means 
have  not  been  employed,  or  sufficient  trouble  taken.     If 


proper  jars  be  used,  if  the  agents  and  experts  of  this 
Association  exert  themselves  for  the  members,  as  I  trust 
the}7  do,  and  will,  I  cannot  but  think  that  honey  of  the 
purest  quality  will  find  a  ready  sale.  '  The  Renfrewshire 
Bee-keeper'  tells  me  that  he  has  been  accustomed  to 
receive  Is.  Gd.  per  lb.  for  his  honey,  and  that  in  1878 
he  obtained  16/.  for  surplus  supers. 

Another  objection  brought  against  the  Stewarton  is  its 
costliness.  No  doubt  a  set  of  octagons,  with  the  floor- 
hoard  and  outer  cases,  costs  more  than  a  simple  bar- 
frame,  but  for  my  own  part,  I  have  not  yet  come  upon  a 
cheap  bar-framed  hive  that  has  produced  great  results. 

Body-boxes  can  be  obtained  from  Stewarton  at  5s.  3d. 
each,  or  15s.  for  three,  honey-boxes  for  2s.  Qd.  each, 
a  floor-board  for  Is.  6c?.*  Thus  11.  6s.  6c!.  will  provide 
three  body  and  four  honey-boxes,  and  an  amount  of  ac- 
commodation sufficient  for  the  most  prosperous  stock. 
L:  you  are  also  to  have  an  effectual  outer  covering,  you 
will  require  two  cases  at  least  of  the  size  I  have  named, 
as  well  as  a  moveable  roof. 

My  carpenter's!  charge  for  two  outer  cases  with  the 
roof,  each  with  three  coats  of  paint,  is  13s.  The  total 
cost  of  the  hive  and  cases  will  thus  exceed  21.,  as  carriage 
from  Scotland  must  be  included ;  but  this  sum  compre- 
hends almost  if  not  everything  that  can  he  desired. 

For  purposes  of  manipulation,  of  interchange  of  frames, 
for  use  of  the  extractor,  for  the  pn  iduction  of  marketable 
sections,  it  must,  I  think,  be  admitted  that  the  ordinaiy 
bar-frame  has  the  decided  advantage.  Any  one  who 
wishes  to  become  an  advanced  and  skilled  bee-keeper 
will  never  be  without  bar-frame  hives,  provided  only  he 
he  has  the  time  to  spare  as  well  as  the  patience. 

In  conclusion,  I  may  say  that  few  things  are  more 
pleasing  to  me  as  a  bee-keeper  than  to  watch  a  pros- 
perous Stewarton  on  a  fine  summer's  day.  The  roar  of 
the  myriads  of  bees  rushing  to  and  fro  resounds  far  and 
wide;  the  air  is  filled  with  their  merry  music,  and  as 
they  disappear  in  the  distance,  the  mind  travels  with 
them,  and  wonders  what  fields  they  will  traverse,  what 
flowers  they  will  visit  before  they  return.  Life  to  them 
seems  full  of  joy;  they  are  seeking  the  sweetesl  of 
all  created  things,  they  wander  only  in  pleasant  paths, 
and  in  doing  good  to  themselves  diffuse  fertility  and 
new  forms  of  life  everywhere  around  them.  As  the  day 
declines,  they  return  to  their  home,  teaching  us  day  by 
day  the  lesson  that  so  few  of  us  are  willing  to  learn, 
that  while  we  must  not  be  over  anxious  about  the  future, 
yet  that  in  spring  and  summer  we  must  prepare  for  the 
autumn  and  winter ;  that  however  bright  the  sun  may 
be  to-day,  we  must  not  forget  the  duty  of  providing  and 

Preparing   for   the   future,   as  the  Great   Ruler  of  the 
Iniverse  may  grant  us  opportunity. 
[The  discussion  on  the  above  paper  we  reserve  for  our 
next  issue. — Ed.] 


WEST  KENT  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  above  Association  was  held 
on  Wednesday  evening,  Nov.  17,  at  St.  Mary  Cray;  the 
Rev.  Andrew  Welch  was  in  the  chair,  and  there  was  a 
good  attendance.  Mr.  Cheshire  explained  in  his  usual 
able  and  interesting  manner  the  different  and  peculiar 
methods  in  which  the  bee  entered  the  various  flowers  in 
search  of  honey,  and  also  for  the  purpose  of  fertilisation, 
which,  in  many  cases,  no  other  insects  were  skilful 
enough  to  succeed  in  doing.  The  speaker  also  showed, 
by  several  experiments,  the  manner  in  which  the  bee 
secreted  the  honey,  and  converted  it  into  wax, explaining 
the  peculiar  formation  of  the  insect's  thorax  and  stomach. 
The  Chairman  then  reported  the  progress  which  the 
Association  had  made  since  the  last  annual  meeting ;  an 

*  These  prices  have  been  obtained  from  Mr.  J.  Allan, 
Stewarton. 

t  Mr.  .T.  Matthews,  Castle  Street,  Berkhamsted. 


156 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[December  1,  1880. 


important  branch  having  been  formed  at  Bromley,  which 
he  hoped  before  long  to  see  one  of  the  most  successful 
bee-keeping  districts  in  the  country.  Dr.  Beeby,  of 
Bromley,  contributed  greatly  to  the  interest  of  the  pro- 
ceedings by  exhibiting,  through  the  microscope,  various 
Sarts  of  the  bee ;  demonstrating  clearly  the  accuracy  of 
[r.  Cheshire's  theories.  Mr.  Baldwin,  an  expert  of  the 
Association,  gave  encouraging  information  respecting 
practical  and  profitable  bee-keeping.  A  draw  by  the 
cottagers  for  a  bar-frame  hive  resulted  in  favour  of  Mr. 
John  Tough,  sen.  A  number  of  ladies  and  gentlemen 
contributed  both  vocal  and  instrumental  music  during 
the  evening,  their  efforts  to  entertain  being  fully  appre- 
ciated, and  altogether  an  exceedingly  instructive  and 
enjoyable  evening  was  spent.  Information  can  be  ob- 
tained by  intending  members  upon  application  to  Mr. 
Soanies,  of  Ravenscroft,  Mason's  Hill,  Bromley. 


THE  CONGRESS  OF  BEE-MASTERS  AT 
COLOGNE. 

(Concluded  from  p.  143). 

The  distribution  of  prizes  by  the  chief  Burgomaster 
took  place  in  the  Victoria  Hall  on  Thursday  morning,  the 
9th  September.  Mr.  Vogel  received  the  gold  medal  of  the 
Ministry  of  Instruction,  and  to  Mr.  Gravenhorst  was 
awarded  the  gold  one  presented  by  the  city  of  Cologne. 
Then  followed  the  presentation  of  the  ten  silver  medals 
granted  by  the  State.  When  my  name  was  called,  and  I 
advanced  to  the  table  as  the  others  had  done,  I  felt  that 
I  was  then  a  representative  Englishman,  and  took  my 
medal  from  the  hand  of  the  dignified  Burgomaster.  On 
returning  to  my  seat  I  was  warmly  congratulated  by 
those  near.  Next  followed  the  five  silver  medals  of  the 
city  of  Cologne.  Mr.  Dennler  carried  off  one  of  them. 
The  Silver  Medal  of  the  Rhenish  Westphalian  Bee- 
keepers' Association  was  won  by  Mr.  Thoelke,  estate- 
proprietor  of  Alvern,  for  a  colony  of  Luneberg  bees. 
Then  followed  ten  first  class  Diplomas  of  Merit.  After 
this  ten  bron?e  medals  by  the  City  of  Cologne  for  dif- 
ferent exhibits  severally  named.  In  addition  to  the 
above,  a  large  number  of  Diplomas  of  Merit  and  money 
prizes  were  awarded,  which,  of  course,  cannot  all  be 
enumerated  here. 

I  must  not  omit  to  say  something  about  the  lottery 
tickets,  which  were  freely  sold  at  half  a  mark  (6d.  each) 
during  the  Exhibition,  and  the  successful  winners  received 
their  allotments.  I  took  some  tickets,  but  the  numbers 
were  not  among  the  fortunate  ones.  The  law  of  Eng- 
land does  not  allow  of  lotteries,  so  we  shall  not  take 
pattern  in  this  respect.  There  is  one  thing  to  be  said  in 
favour  of  them,  and  that  is,  that  a  great  many  exhibits 
were  purchased  that  otherwise  would  not  have  found  a 
customer. 

In  closing  the  meeting,  the  chief  Burgomaster  pro- 
posed three  cheers  for  His  Majesty  the  Emperor,  which 
was  heartily  responded  to;  and  we,  bee-keepers,  separated 
to  meet  again  on  board  the  steamer,  which  bad  been 
hired  to  take  us  to  Rolandseck  to  enjoy  an  excursion  on 
the  Rhine.  We  embarked  from  the  quay  in  goodly 
numbers;  and  had  on  board  Dr.  Dzierzon,  Baroness 
Lina  Von  Berlepsch,  Herr  Vogel,  Mr.  Schmid,  editor  of 
the  Bienen  Zeitunt/,  Count  Pfeil,  Pfarrer  Rabbow,  &c. 
Our  vessel  was  gaily  decked  with  flags,  and  as  we 
steamed  along  with  our  band  of  music,  we  were  the 
objects  of  repeated  salutations. 

Rolandseck  is  a  pleasure  place  beyond  Bonn.  Arrived 
here,  we  marched  in  procossion  (headed  by  the  band) 
to  what  is  called  '  The  Beer  Gardens,'  where  some  par- 
took of  light  refreshments,  and  the  greater  number 
strolled  to  the  heights  overlooking  the  Rhine,  visited  tho 
ruins  of  an  old  castle,  sang  some  national  songs,  and 
returned  to  the  steamer  as  the  shadows  of  evening  were 


drawing  on.  Our  return  voyage  was  commenced  amid 
the  booming  of  cannon,  burning  of  coloured  fire,  and 
the.  hurrahs  of  the  lads  and  lasses  of  the  village.  To 
relieve  the  tediousness  of  our  homeward  journey  in  the 
darkness,  some  of  the  active  members  of  the  Committee 
provided  a  bowl  of  punch  in  the  well-lighted  cabin  of 
the  vessel.  Under  its  flowing  influence  many  eloquent 
speeches  were  made.  One  young  lady,  of  prepossessing 
appearance,  delivered  a  very  animated  address ;  not  so 
much  under  the  prompting  of  the  flowing  bowl  as  that 
of  a  young  gentleman  who  sat  near  and  refreshed  her 
memory  from  notes  whenever  she  was  at  a  loss  for  a 
word.  The  speech  was  evidently  prepared,  and  made  a 
great  impression  on  the  company,  her  utterances  being 
constantly  cheered  with  the  cries  of  Bravo,  and  at  the 
conclusion,  all  that  could  do  so  anxiously  stretched  for- 
ward to  clink  glasses  with  her.  I  understood  that  the 
subject  of  the  young  lady's  discourse  was  to  show  the 
many  excellent  lessons  and  examples  that  may  be  derived 
from  the  study  of  bees  and  bee-keeping. 

One  gentleman,  who  was  very  active  on  the  Com- 
mittee, p"  ajjosed  a  toast  in  honour  of  England  (or  Fair 
Albion  I  nk  he  said)  in  very  flattering  terms,  and  as 
I  was  ti  only  English  exhibitor  present,  the  company 
paid  me  the  honour  of  touching  glasses,  &c.  Thus  ter- 
minated a  very  pleasant  day,  and  a  long-to-be-remem- 
bered visit  to  the  Cologne  Bee  Meeting. 

On  my  mentioning  to  a  gentleman  on  the  Committee 
my  admiration  of  the  excellent  way  they  had  man- 
aged the  arduous  duty  thus  devolved  upon  them,  he 
replied,  'We  have  done  our  best,  and  no  one  can  do 
more.'  He  also  told  me  that  the  expenses  were  some- 
thing over  300/.,  and  that  100/.  was  granted  them  by  the 
State. 

After  the  close  of  the  Exhibition,  my  friend  and  myself 
(for  I  was  accompanied  from  London  b}r  M*  S.  Stutterd,  of 
Banbury,  who  is  conversant  with  the  German  language) 
spent  a  day  at  the  Diisseldorf  Exhibition,  which  was 
exceedingly  interesting.  There  was  a  large  collection  of 
painting's,  and  iron-work,  with  engineering  generally, 
was  well  represented.  We  found  nothing  on  show 
appertaining  to  bees,  but  met  with  many  of  our  bee 
friends,  who,  like  ourselves,  had  come  over  from  Cologne 
(the  distance  is  about  twenty  miles  by  rail).  Amongst 
them  we  fell  in  with  the  Baroness  Von  Berlepsch,  accom- 
panied by  Mr.  Schmid,  of  Eichstadt,  and  some  others. 
That  night  we  returned  to  Cologne,  and  next  day  started 
on  a  tour,  partly  pedestrian,  into  the  adjacent  country 
districts  in  order  to  obtain  some  insight  into  the  mode 
of  keeping  bees  in  Germany. 

Our  first  call  was  on  Mr.  A.  Schlosser,  at  Ehrenfeld, 
near  Cologne  (to  whose  exhibits  at  the  Show  reference 
has  already  been  made).  He  is  a  fruit-grower  on  a 
large  scale,  as  well  as  an  apiarian,  and  has  a  commodious 
house  and  garden.  On  applying  at  the  door,  my  friend 
asked  for  Mr.  Schlosser,  explaining  that  he  had  called 
to  see  his  apiary.  The  maid-servant  asked,  '  Are  you 
Bienen  Briiders  ? '  (Bee  brothers)  to  which  a  reply  was 
given  in  the  affirmative.  By  her  manner,  we  perceived 
that  we  had  struck  '  a  key-note,'  for  she  hastened  to  tell 
her  master  of  the  two  strangers  '  that  stood  before  the 
gate.'  Mr.  Schlosser  shortly  appeared,  and  at  once  con- 
ducted us  to  his  bee-house,  and  politely  gave  us  all  the 
information  asked  for.  His  bee-house  is  in  the  form  of 
a  cross  having  four  doors.  Each  one  of  the  four  wings 
projects  nearly  11  feet,  and  is  the  same  in  breadth, 
which,  adding  the  space  of  the  interior,  gives  a  diameter 
from  door  to  door  of  nearly  33  feet.  One  half  the  space 
of  the  interior  is  required  for  the  necessary  manipula- 
tions ;  tho  other  half  to  the  right  and  left  is  occupied  by 
the  hives.  The  first  shelf  is  about  two  feet  from  the 
ground.  The  second  tier  is  the  same  distance  above, 
and  the  third  is  also  two  feet  higher.  The  hives  are 
'  Mehring's '  twin  frame-hives,  and  of  much  the  same 
construction  as  Dzierzon's.    Each  shelf  accommodates 


December  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


157 


foul-  twin  stocks,  so  that  openings  are  cut  in  the  boarding 
for  eight  entrances,  thus  there  are  twenty-four  colonies 
on  each  of  the  eight  sides.  The  house  therefore  holds, 
when  filled,  192  hives  of  bees.  At  the  time  I  was  there 
many  hives  had  been  sent  to  the  moors,  consequently 
only  a  few  were  at  home.  The  house  is  of  wood,  closely 
boarded,  and  has  a  tiled  roof.  There  is  no  admission  of 
light  except  when  the  doors  are  thrown  open.  The 
hives  open  at  the  back,  and  are  thus  easily  manipulated, 
without  molestation  by  robber  bees.  Exit  for  any  bees 
that  are  outside  the  hives  is  found  through  the  open 
door.  There  is  plenty  of  space  to  work  the  extractor  in 
the  centre  of  the  building.  On  inquiring  if  there  was 
an  apparent  difference  in  the  prosperity  of  the  hives  in 
the  various  aspects,  Mr.  Schldsser  said  that  those  exposed 
to  the  afternoon  and  evening  sun,  which  induced  the 
bees  to  fly  out  again,  are  placed  in  the  most  unfavourabl 
position,  but  that  as  long  as  the  entrances  are  nou  ex- 
posed to  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun,  it  makes  no  difference 
whether  they  face  north,  south,  east,  or  west,  and  that 
the  only  drawback  that  he  finds  to  his  '  Pavilion,'  is  that 
the  colonies  are  placed  in  too  close  proximity  when 
quite  filled  with  stocks,  which  causes  the  loss  of  many 
queens  on  their  return  from  their  wedding  flights. 
This  is  an  objection  that  might  be  expected,  and 
favours  our  English  plan  of  keeping  hives  on  separate 
stands  in  the  open.  The  German  arrangement  has  an 
advantage  in  being  able  to  keep  a  large  number  of  stocks 
in  a  comparatively  small  space,  and  also  secures  them 
from  the  depredations  of  thieves.  Mr.  Schlosser  regaled 
us  with  lihine  wine,  mead,  grapes,  &c,  at  his  house,  and 
showed  us  the  medals  that  had  been  awarded  him. 

I  left  with  him  a  copy  of  Modem  Bee-keeping ,  which 
he  said  his  brother  would  translate.  We  took  our  leave 
and  proceeded  to  Diiren.  Here  we  called  on  an  exhibitor 
of  honey,  but  did  not  visit  any  bee-keepers  in  that  town. 
We  then  proceeded  to  Nideggen,  which  is  situated 
amongst  picturesque  scenery,  and  afterwards  to  the 
town  of  Zulpich,  where  there  are  several  apiarians. 

One  of  them,  Mr.  Schmid,  who  follows  the  occupation 
of  a  tanner,  and  on  whom  we  called,  received  us  very 
courteously.  Learning  that  we  wished  to  see  the  mode 
of  keeping  bees  in  that  locality,  he  not  only  showed  his 
own,  but  escorted  us  to  two  or  three  others.  Here, 
also,  many  hives  were  aivay  at  the  moors.  The  bee- 
houses  were  mostly  simple  sheds,  not  closely  boarded, 
but  well  secured  from  robbers,  with  spaces  for  twelve, 
eighteen,  or  twenty-four,  as  the  case  might  be.  There 
were  generally  three  rows,  one  above  the  other.  The 
hives  were  the  usual  sorts  that  are  kept  in  Germany,  and 
which  have  been  before  described.  Mr.  Schmid  saw  us 
off  by  the  train,  and  on  my  companion  apologising  for 
taking  up  so  much  of  his  time,  he  replied,  'We  can 
work  every  day,  but  could  not  have  the  pleasure  of 
receiving  visits  from  English  bee  friends  every  day.' 

We  went  by  rail  to  Aix-la-Chapelle,  thence  on  to 
Brussels,  where  we  spent  a  day  at  the  Exposition,  but 
failed  to  find  any  exhibit  in  the  bee  way.  I  never  heard 
that  the  Belgians  bestowed  much  attention  on  the  pro- 
duction of  honey.  The  Exposition  was,  however,  an 
exceedingly  good  one,  and  well  worthy  of  a  visit. — 
Alfred  Neighbour,  Seyent  Street,  London. 

Bee-killing  with  a  Vengeance. — A  '  Zummerzet ' 
bee-keeper  near  Frome  has  hit  upon  a  new  way  of  getting 
rid  of  robber -bees.  He  sets  box -traps  baited  with 
enticing  syrup  to  tempt  them  to  enter,  and  when  they 
are  thick  upon  it  crushes  them.  In  this  way,  he  boasts, 
he  has  destroyed  '  packs '  of  bees.  His  own  apiary  is  in 
a  very  impoverished  state,  and  he  cannot  be  persuaded 
but  '  it's  the  robbers  wnt's  done  it.'  When  he  has  suc- 
ceeded in  so  reducing  his  colonies,  that  they  will  die  out 
entirely,  the  robbers  will  doubtless  get  blamed,  for  the 
simpleton  cannot  believe  that  he  is  trapping  his  own 
bees. 


Cnrospoitircnit 


*  ^*  These  columns  are  open  to  subscribers,  so  that  their 
queries,  replies,  correspondence,  and  experiences  may  be 
fully  and  faithfully  recorded ;  and  for  the  discussion  of  all 
theories  and  systems  in  Bee-culture,  and  of  tlie  relative  merits 
of  all  hives  and  appurtenances,  that  the  truth  regarding  them 
may  be  ascertained.  The  Editor,  therejore,  must  not  be  ex- 
pected to  coincide  with  all  tlie  views  expressed  by  the  various 
writers.    All  Correspondence  is  addressed  to  the  Editor. 


enc 


BBOTT'S  FOUNDATION  ON  WOOD. 


morally,  when  anything  new  is  introduced,  and 
it  promises  to  be  of  use,  there  are  a  number  of  per- 
sons ready  to  claim  it,  or,  at  any  rate,  claim  that 
they  have  been  working  at  it  with  a  view  to  its 
perfection  previous  to  taking  out  a  patent.  Although 
this  often  occurs  in  England,  it  is  notoriously  so  in 
America,  and  I  have  repeatedly  observed  that  our 
American  friends  have  a  great  reluctance  to  give 
any  but  their  own  countrymen  the  credit  of  intro- 
ducing a  new  invention,  and  that  if  ever  such  an 
invention  is  brought  out  in  any  other  country,  they 
forthwith  claim  to  have  tried  the  thing  years  ago. 
Now  in  the  case  of  the  wooden  foundation,  although 
you  may  not  have  been  the  original  inventor  of  it, 
you  have,  so  far  as  I  know,  been  the  only  one  who 
has  worked  at  it  to  bring  it  to  its  present  state,  there- 
fore you  are  entitled  to  the  credit  of  introducing  it.  I 
have  searched  the  Bee-keepers'  Magazine  and  Glean- 
ings from  the  first  number  to  the  present  time,  also 
the  American  Bee  Journal  from  1875,  and  fail  to 
find  any  mention  of  foundation  on  wood  previous  to 
yours.     Palmam  qui  meruit  ferat. 

The  first  comb-foundation  on  wood  which  I  had 
seen  was  exhibited  at  South  Kensington  last  year 
by  Mons.  Dennler.  This  he  presented  to  me,  and 
I  have  it  now  in  my  bee  museum.  Its  total  thick- 
ness is  |  of  an  inch,  the  septmn  being  a  board  an  -J- 
of  an  inch  in  thickness,  coated  on  both  sides  with 
wax,  and  passed  through  an  ordinary  foundation- 
machine.  As  the  cells  are  not  flat-bottomed,  there 
is  an  enormous  waste  of  wax,  and  such  foundation 
could  never  be  of  p'-vy  use,  owing  to  its  expense. 
In  the  early  part  of  this  season,  you  sent  me  a 
frame  of  foundation,  which  you  had  made  with  flat- 
bottomed  cells.  The  foundation  was  a  board  Jg-  of 
an  inch  thick,  which  had  been  coated  with  wax, 
and  passed  through  rollers,  but  in  such  a  manner 
that  all  the  wax  had  been  pressed  out,  leaving  the 
bases  of  cells  bare,  and  only  the  thick  cell  walls  of 
wax  projecting  from  the  board.  This  was  intro- 
duced into  one  of  my  hives  and  examined  the  next 
day,  when  I  found  that  instead  of  elongating  the 
cell-walls,  the  bees  had  carefully  nibbled  off  the 
wax  from  the  wood,  and  had  built  projections  at 
right  angles  to  the  septum,  and  on  these  had 
started  pieces  of  comb  in  an  irregular  manner  on 
both  sides. 

You  subsequently  wrote  to  say  that  you  had 
experienced  a  similar  result,  and  that  you  had  im- 
proved the  foundation  by  leaving  on  the  wood  a 
sufficient  covering  of  wax  for  the  bases  of  the  cells. 
I  also  received  at  the  same  time  two  sheets  of  your 
improved  wood-foundation  and  flat-bottomed  wax- 


158 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[December  1,  1880. 


foundation.  The  wooden  foundations  were  fitted 
into  frames,  and  inserted  in  hives  on  the  2nd  June, 
and  examined  next  day,  when  I  found  them  well 
started,  and  they  certainly  showed  a  very  great 
improvement  on  the  first  I  had.  One  of  the  frames 
has  been  worked  out  to  within  f  of  an  inch  of  the 
sides,  and  has  had  brood  in  it  all  the  season ;  and 
the  only  difference  in  this  and  the  ordinary  founda- 
tion that  I  can  see  is  that  the  bees  do  not  extend 
the  cells  to  the  full  length  quite  to  the  outside  of 
the  frames.  The  brood  was  as  healthy,  and  the 
bees  hatched  out  as  strong,  as  those  on  any  other 
sort  of  foundation.  There  is  a  defect  in  the  sheets 
I  have,  but  this  can  be  easily  remedied  in  the  manu- 
facture, and  it  is  that  the  impressions  of  the  cells 
are  not  distributed  with  the  same  geometrical 
accuracy  as  on  some  other  foundations.  In  some 
narts  there  are  5J  cells  to  the  inch,  and  in  others 
nly  41  Where  these  irregularities  occur,  the  bees 
have  started  in  many  instances  three  cells,  and  as 
they  lengthened  out  the  walls,  they  converted  them 
into  two  cells.  This,  I  presume,  is  owing  to  a  fault 
in  not  engraving  the  rolls  with  sufficient  geometrical 
precision.* 

This  style  of  foundation,  I  think,  will  be  useful 
where  the  extractor  is  used,  as  there  would  be  no 
risk  of  breaking  the  combs,  however  rapidly  the 
machine  were  driven.  It  must  also  be  of  great 
service  to  those  who  send  their  bees  to  the  heather, 
as  there  certainly  would  be  no  risk  of  combs  break- 
ing down. 

The  flat-bottomed  wax-foundation  was  tried  in 
the  following  way  :  One  sheet  was  fixed  to  the  top 
bar  of  frame  by  running  wax  from  a  smelter  on 
both  sides,  and  the  other  one  was  fixed  in  with  the 
Cheshire  fixers.     They  were  both  examined  next 

*  The  fault  was  not  in  the  rollers,  but  arose  from  want  of 
experience  of  the  tricks  such  things  will  sometimes  play, 
One  would  think  that  between  two  high-pressure  rollers, 
deeply  cut  as  those  in  question  are/the  '  bite '  on  the  dipped 
wood  would  be  sufficient  to  take  '  the  pride  '  out  of  it,  and 
force  it  to  receive  a  correct  impression,  but  in  practice  it  is 
not  so.  It  was  (and  is)  necessary  that  a  coating  of  wax 
should  be  left  on  the  wood  at  the  base  of  the  cells  (or  as  our 
esteemed  correspondent  proves,  the  bees  would  not  work  upon 
it  as  they  ought  to  do),  and  that  was  the  cause,  of  the  diffi- 
culty. The  rollers  had  to  make  their  impression  in  the  wax, 
on  wood  that  they  did  not  touch,  and  they  did  their  work  well 
so  long  as  there  was  exactly  the  right  quantity  of  wax  upon 
it ;  but  when  there  was  an  excess,  it  accumulated  in  rear  of 
the  rollers,  and  formed  cushions  on  both  sides  of  the  sheet 
that  retarded  its  progress ;  and  though  the  rollers  formed 
the  cells  correctly,  they  delivered  them  a  little  faster  than 
they  delivered  the  wooden  base  on  which  they  were  made, 
and  thus  they  became  a  little  crowded,  and  in  one  direction 
were  not  of  correct  dimensions.  To  obviate  this,  our  expert 
assisted  the  rollers  by  pushing  the  wood  from  the  rear,  and 
occasionally  overdid  it,  sending  it  in  advance  of  the  cells, 
and  dragging  the  latter  slightly  before  then  delivery  from 
the  engraved  mould  which  formed  them,  and  hence  they 
became  a  trifle  too  large.  '  Experience  teaches,'  however, 
and  while  it  has  enabled  us  to  overcome  the  difficulty,  it 
has  taught  that  bees  will  accept  an  imperfect  article,  and 
'  make  the  best  of  it,'  even  though  it  be  flat-bottomed  foun- 
dation with  a  wooden  basis ;  and  when  bee-keepers  rise 
above  their  prejudices,  and  learn  not  to  condemn  a  thing 
because  it  is  new,  perhaps  they  will  accept  it  too.  Regard- 
ing the  wired-foundation,  we  can  only  repeat  an  oft-told 
fact  that  we  have  never  been  able  to  try  it,  having  disposed 
of  all  we  had  ere  becoming  aware  that  no  more  was  forth- 
1  oxtiing.     Sit. 


day,  and  I  found  them  both  started.  The  fixers 
were  removed,  and  since  then  both  combs  have 
been  worked  out  and  bred  in  several  times.  They 
are  as  straight  as  can  be  desired,  and  there  has 
been  no  sign  of  buckling  in  either  of  them.  I  hope 
next  year  to  be  able  to  make  further  experiments 
on  a  larger  scale  both  with  the  wooden  and  the  flat- 
bottomed  foundations. 

I  have  had  opportunities  this  season  of  examining 
combs  worked  on  the  wired-foundation,  and  I  must 
say  that  they  were  anything  but  satisfactory.  I 
do  not  know  how  the  tinned  wire  may  act  upon  the 
grubs,  but  the  wire  in  the  foundation  introduced 
into  this  country  certainly  has  a  deleterious  effect 
upon  them. 

There  was  a  strong  stock  of  bees  exhibited  in 
one  of  your  observatory  hives  at  Windsor.  The 
combs  were  beautifully  filled  with  brood,  but  you 
could  trace  the  line  of  every  wire  in  the  foundation, 
for  wherever  the  base  of  the  cells  touched  the  wire, 
the  cell  was  empty.  Of  course  a  number  of  empty 
cells  in  each  comb  reduced  considerably  the  breeding- 
space  in  a  hive.  I  also  had  the  opportunity  of 
seeing  the  same  thing  on  a  larger  scale  in  Mr. 
Cheshire's  apiary,  and  I  should  like  to  know  if 
others  who  have  used  wired-foundation  in  this  coun- 
try have  experienced  similar  results.  I  understand 
that  you  are  wintering  some  stocks  on  your  wooden- 
foundation,  and  look  forward  with  interest  to  your 
report  in  the  spring. — T.  W.  Cowan,  Comptrms  Lea, 
Horsham,  Nov.  19,  1880. 


KELSO    SHOW.  —  COWAN'S 
EXTRACTOR. 


RAPID 


My  attention  has  been  drawn  to  a  letter  in  last 
month's  Journal  from  Mr.  R.  J.  Bennett,  who  says 
'  that  Steele  of  Fowlis  writes  to  him  that  he  had 
never  seen  "Cowan's  "  extractor  when  he  invented 
his  own ;'  and  he  further  states  '  that  there  is  a  de- 
scription of  his  in  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Associa- 
tion's new  book.' 

The  '  Rapid  '  extractor  illustrated  and  described 
in  British  Bee-keepers'  Association's  book  was  in- 
vented and  introduced  by  me  in  1875.  It  is  twice 
described  in  the  British  Bee  Journal  of  that  year, 
and  illustrated.  It  was  also  described  and  fully 
illustrated  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  and  has 
been  described  in  a  great  number  of  papers  both 
here  and  abroad,  and  in  all  the  American  Bee 
Journals.  It  has  been  constantly  before  the  public 
since  that  time.  Mr.  Lee  advertised  it  every  month 
in  the  Bee  Journal,  and  it  has  been  described  and 
illustrated  in  Hunter's  Manual  and  other  bee  books. 
Lastly,  the  block  of  illustration  of  the  '  Rapid ' 
extractor  was  lent  by  me  for  the  British  Associa- 
tion's Bee  Book. 

The  invention  has  been  freely  given  to  the 
public.  Any  one  is  at  liberty  to  make  it,  and  any 
manufacturer  may  make  and  sell  it :  but  I  do  not 
think  it  right  he  should  pass  it  off  as  'his'  invention, 
but  should  be  satisfied  with  deriving  the  profit 
without  the  credit.  Mr.  Steele  has  for  the  first 
time  made  and  shown  an  extractor  at  Kelso  similar 
to  mine  (and  known  as  'Cowan's  Rapid'  extractor); 


December  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


1.39 


and  is,  therefore,  not  entitled  to  any  credit  in 
introducing  an  invention  which  has  already  been 
before  the  bee-keeping  public  for  such  a  length  of 
time,  and  of  which  I  am  the  sole  inventor. 
0  hnitatores !  servum  pecus. — Thos.  Wit  Cowan, 
Comptmis  Lea,  Horsham,  '23rd  Nov.,  1880. 


IRISH  HONEY-MARKET. 

In  your  September  issue  Mr.  J.  Traynor  writes  of  a 
Dublin  firm  requiring  several  tons  of  this  season's 
honey.  In  the  interest  of  a  gentleman  who  had  a 
large  quantity  of  section-honey  for  sale  I  called  on 
the  firm  referred  to,  and  was  informed  that  they 
only  bought  skep-honey,  for  which  they  would  not 
give  more  than  4c?.  to  5d.  per  lb.  gross  weight.  My 
object  in  writing  is  to  prevent  possible  disappoint- 
ment to  your  readers.  —  Robert  Sproule. 


HIVES  FOR  CONVENIENCE. 

Will  you  kindly  give  me  your  opinion  on  the 
hive  I  am  about  to  describe  and  say  what  you  see 
against  it]  To  a  person  engaged  in  business  it 
makes  some  difference  to  be  able  to  manipulate 
your  bees  and  examine  your  sections  quickly,  and 
what  I  propose  hereafter  is  with  that  view.  Take 
a  Woodbury  Standard  to  be  the  hive  on  the  plan  of 
your  Irish  hive,  with  en- 
trance at  e,  say  a  to  con- 
tain ten  frames  for  the 
brood-nest,  b  other  frames, 
six  or  eight  or  ten  as  the 
case  may  be  holding  sec- 
tions. Let  a  division  board  k  run  through  with  a 
slit  in  the  bottom  of  it,  say  eight  or  ten  inches 
long,  same  size  as  the  one  at  the  opposite  end 
of  hive,  for  allowing  the  bees  to  go  in  and  out, 
and  fit  to  the  same  two  slides  like  those  •  in  your 
good  hives,  only  allow  them  to  come  through 
the  hive  so  that  they  can  be  pulled  out  or  pushed 
in  from  the  outside.  When  the  brood-nest  a  is 
fall,  and  you  want  your  bees  to  work  in  the  sec- 
tions in  b,  you  just  go  to  your  hive  and  pull  out 
these  slides,  one  at  each  side,  and  then  the  bees  can 
run  in  and  work.  Inside  along  the  bottom  of  the 
division  board  k  a  piece  of  excluding  zinc  should  be 
fixed  to  keep  back  the  queen  and  drones.  Well, 
when  you  want  to  examine  the  sections,  in  place  of 
waiting  to  make  all  the  bees  quiet  in  the  hive,  just 
go  and  push  the  slides  into  k,  and  then  you  have 
only  those  to  deal  with  that  are  in  the  department 
B ;  well,  have  one  or  two  slits,  say  one  at  each  side 
of  b,  the  same  as  at  front  of  hive,  say  six  inches 
long,  with  slides  attached,  and  open  these  and  let 
the  bees  go  out  when  done  with  the  sections,  which 
I  suppose  they  would  soon  do;  and  have  outside  each 
slit  a  bee-trap  so  that  although  the  bees  could 
go  out  they  could  not  return.  It  seems  to  me 
that  if  this  plan  would  do  it  should  save  a  lot  of 
time,  and  when  one  was  busy  and  yet  wanted  to 
examine  the  sections,  by  thus  dealing  with  a 
number  of  hives  they  would  soon  be  ready  for 
examination,  and  one  might  be  doing  something 
else  the  meantime.      In  order  that  the  bees  should 


not  be  idle  at  such  a  time,  or  a  be  overcrowded,  I 
would  have  a  crate  of  sections  over  the  ten  frames 
in  which  they  could  work  or  amuse  themselves  until 
allowed  into  b  again,  or,  if  this  plan  suited,  one 
could  have  sections  on  each  of  three  sides  of  the 
brood-nest — x,  y. 


X 

A 

B 

Y 

From  your  experience  I  am  sure  you  will  be  able 
to  point  out  the  defects  in  this  system,  and  hope 
I  am  not  intruding  on  your  valuable  time. — A. 
Davis,  Limerick,  Nov.  9,  1880. 

[We  have  not  a  word  to  say  against  the  principle  of 
the  hive,  since  it  embodies  the  chief  features  of  our 
Royal  Standard  hive,  for  which  first  honours  were 
awarded  at  Kilburn  and  other  shows  in  1879,  but  some 
of  the  details  will  bear  discussing.  The  advantage  of  a 
long  hive  having  entrances  available  at  will  on  all  sides 
of  the  hive  is  self-evident,  and  our  Cottager's  hive  at 
Kensington  this  year  was  so  provided,  since  it  can  be 
divided  and  made  available  as  a  twin  hive,  or,  as  our 
correspondent  suggests,  can  be  increased  in  size  by  the 
addition  of  side  boxes — equivalent,  to  the  collateral  spaces 
in  our  Royal  Standard  (p.  113,  vol.  vii.)  The  division 
board  K  being  a  fixture  is  of  questionable  value,  a 
divider,  or,  as  it  is  more  often  called,  '  a  dummy,'  is  a 
necessity  in  such  a  hive,  but  it  should  be  moveable  that 
the  capacity  of  the  brood  department  A  may  be  regulated 
to  the  requirements  of  the  colony,  or  the  exigencies  of 
the  season,  and  therefore  the  entrance-way  from  A  to  B 
would  have  to  be  independent,  of  the  hive  sides,  and 
controllable  from  above.  The  value  of  the  side  slits  in 
B,  as  a  means  of  escape  for  the  bees  and  effecting-  the 
easy  clearance  of  the  sections,  may  also  be  questioned, 
since  the  bees,  being  used  to  the  passage  through  the 
division  board  K,  would  crowd  towards  it  when  alarmed, 
as  the}'  would  be  if  it  were  suddenly  closed.  A  better 
plan  woidd  be  to  force  some  smoke  into  the  back  of  b  to 
drive  the  bees  forward,  and  when  the  majority  have 
left  B  to  close  the  passage  through  K,  and  operate  at 
once  while  the  intellect  of  the  bees  is  beclouded.  We 
have  not  much  faith  either  in  the  position  of  the 
receptacles  x  and  Y,  and  would  prefer,  if  increased  space 
be  necessary,  that  they  shoidd  be  put  on  either  side  of  B 
instead  of  A,  as  being  more  in  accord  with  the  known 
principle  of  bee-secretiveness. — Ed.] 


FEEDING  AND  BREEDING. 

I  am  greatly  obliged  for  your  reply  to  my  question. 
One  of  our  most  advanced  apiarians  (in  Derbyshire), 
to  whom  I  afterwards  mentioned  the  matter,  in- 
formed me  that  he  considered  that  one  reason  of 
non-autumnal  breeding  was  the  much  colder  climate 
we  have  compared  with  your  own;  and  another,  the 
lack  of  flowering  pollen  plants  in  this  neighbourhood. 
If  this  is  the  case,  it  proves  the  wisdom  of  the  little 
creatures  who  know  their  own  business  best,  and 
who  in  seven  cases — my  hives  only  number  seven! — 


160 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[December  1,  1880. 


refused  to  breed,  though  tempted  to  do  so  by  slow 
feeding.  I  may,  however,  mention  that  I  did  not 
begin  to  feed  early  enough — i.e.,  just  when  the 
honey  harvest  was  over.  Is  that  possibly  the 
reason  1 — Goosequill. 

[We  have  many  times  observed  that  suspension  of 
breeding  is  almost  sure  to  result  from  cessation  of  in- 
come, and  have  repeatedly  cautioned  our  readers  on  the 
very  point  raised  by  our  correspondent  in  the  last  para- 
graph of  his  communication.  Once  discontinued  (par- 
ticularly in  autumn),  it  is  very  difficult  to  induce  the 
bees  to  renew  the  nursing  business;  the  queen  will 
quickly  respond  to  the  heat-creating  process  of  feeding, 
and  will  lay  eggs  freely,  but  the  bees,  having  got  '  out 
of  the  groove,'  do  not  seem  to  care  to  take  up  the  burden 
again.  Coldness  of  climate  and  lack  of  pollen  plants 
may  have  an  effect,  but  that  they  do  not  stop  breeding, 
is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  we  have  often  found  bees 
breeding  heavily  during  severe  frosts,  when,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  we  had  bees  dubious  of  their  being  able  to  main- 
tain themselves.  We  do  not  consider  midwinter  breed- 
ing a  Jiealthy  sign,  but  we  prefer  that  the  bees  remain 
perfectly  quiet  until  the  crocuses  show  their  beautiful 
blossoms. — Ed.] 

SUGAR  FOR  SYRUP. 

Will  you  kindly  tell  me  whether  there  is  any 
good  reason  for  using  only  loaf  sugar  in  making 
syrup  1  I  use  it  because  I  am  told  to  do  so  by 
those  who  understand  the  matter  better  than  I  do, 
but  I  have  never  heard  any  evidence  in  its  favour. 

In  the  present  day  most  manufactured  sugars 
are  made  more  or  less  from  beet,  which  I  have 
always  understood  has  less  nourishing  quality  than 
cane,  in  addition  to  which  I  believe  much  of  the 
saccharine  matter  is  taken  out  by  refining  and 
whitening,  to  say  nothing  of  what  is  put  in  by 
blueing. 

Now,  Demerara  sugar  is  boiled,  brought  to  a 
high  temperature  (280°,  I  think),  and  crystallized ; 
is  to  all  appearance  unadulterated,  and  certainly 
contains  more  sweetening  properties  than  refined  of 
any  sort.  I  cannot,  therefore,  understand  why 
this  is  not  as  good  as,  or  indeed  better,  than  loaf. 
—J.  H.  V. 

[The  reasons  have  been  many  times  given.  Loaf 
sugar  does  not  contain  any  of  the  water  of  crystalliza- 
tion, and  consequently  will  make  more  syrup,  and  is 
cheaper  than  moist,  and  is  not  so  liable  to  fermentation. 
—Ed.] 

LOCAL  AND  CHAMPION  PRIZES. 
Don't  you  think,  Mr.  Editor,  that  the  time  has 
come  for  establishing  classes  for  champions  at  our 
local  shows,  or  trying  a  kind  of  handicapping? 
Two  or  three  exhibitors  in  our  district  sweep  every- 
thing before  them  in  the  honey  line.  Now,  this 
has  gone  on  for  three  seasons,  and  others  are 
getting  discouraged,  for  the  trio  referred  to  take 
money  and  medals  year  after  year.  I  know  the 
old  argument,  that  the  best  ought  to  win.  That 
is  quite  true,  but  policy  says,  '  Keep  the  champions 
in  one  class  for  a  time,  and  give  the  others  a 
chance:'  at  any  rate  the  subject  is  worth  venti- 
lating. There  is  another  thing  too.  Is  it  right  to 
enter  the  same  exhibit  in  several  classes  1  It  is 
often  done,  and    the  result  is  that  the   exhibitor 


who  takes  the  prize  (say)  for  the  largest  exhibit  of 
super  honey,  also  takes  with  portions  of  the  same 
entry,  the  award  for  the  largest  harvest  from  a  single 
stock,  the  prize  for  the  heaviest  super,  and  so  on. 
With  the  experience  of  recent  shows  fresh  in  our 
memories,  we  can  now  think  over  these  things  for 
next  season. — Somerset. 


A  STING  IN  THE  THROAT. 

I  was  stung  last  summer  by  a  black  bee  in  the 
larynx,  or  top  of  the  throat,  soon  after  the  singular 
death  at  Peterborough,  as  published  in  vol.  vi.  p.  56. 
Feeling  thirsty,  some  beer  had  been  provided,  but 
a  bee  took  the  liberty  of  drinking  first,  and  got  into 
it,  and  when  I  drank  it  left  its  sting  in  the  top  of 
my  throat ;  this  was  about  three  p.m.,  and  then 
the  trouble  began. 

The  first  unpleasantness  was  that  I  could  scarcely 
swallow;  fivep.m.,couldnotswallowatall;  I  gradually 
got  worse,  and  feeling  '  stuffled '  I  walked  about, 
or  lay  down,  but  kept  continually  trying  to  force  a 
passage  with  saliva.  At  nine  p.m.  I  took  a  little 
liquid  food  with  great  difficulty,  and  felt  as  if  suf- 
fering severely  from  quinsy.  I  was  in  a  profuse 
perspiration,  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  breathing. 
At  bedtime  my  wife  got  some  goose-grease,  aud 
rubbed  my  throat  for  about  forty  minutes,  and 
then  wrapped  it  with  flannel,  and  I  went  to  bed, 
but  awoke  several  times  during  the  night.  Next 
morning  I  took  a  little  breakfast,  and  the  swelling 
gradually  reduced.  My  throat  felt  most  painful 
about  four  or  five  hours  after  the  occurrence,  and 
for  forty-eight  hours  after  I  could  slightly  feel  the 
pain. 

I  am  following  a  calling  where  a  medical  man  is 
always  stationed,  but,  thinking  it  a  small  matter,  I 
never  mentioned  it  to  him ;  and  it  might  have  been 
said  of  me  as  of  the  German  soldier  of  Goldberg 
who  had  braved  with  impunity  two  campaigns, 
that  I  had  dealt  with  the  most  violent  lunatics  in 
asylums  for  upwards  of  ten  years,  yet  perished 
from  the  sting  of  a  hive-bee  at  last. — Jas.  Page, 
Jericho,  Bury  Lane,  Oct.  25,  1880. 


HIVES— UNITING  WEAK  STOCKS. 

My  bees  do  very  badly ;  the  smoke  in  our  Black 
Country  seems  to  kill  the  greater  part  of  the  flowers, 
but  I  keep  them  for  the  love  of  it,  having  begun  at 
eight  with  a  Huber  leaf-hive,  and  am  this  year 
forty-eight  finding  how  much  preferable  are  the 
Woodburys.  I  am  very  fond  of  your  '  Combina- 
tion,' but  have  one  objection  to  it.  I  prefer  the 
usual  hive  for  doubling,  as  I  fancy  that  perfect 
quiet  is  the  sine  qua  non  of  success.  I  kill  one 
queen,  take' the  top  off  intended  permanent  box, 
blow  in  some  smoke  and  sprinkle  some  scented 
syrup;  then  a  blow  of  smoke  into  entrance  of 
second  box,  wait  a  minute,  lift  second  quietly  up 
and  place  it  on  the  first,  take  off  top  from  number 
two,  blow  a  little  smoke  to  keep  bees  from  rising, 
sprinkle  freely  with  syrup,  replace  the  quilt  and  let 
them  be  for  three  or  four  days.  I  then  shake  bees 
off  combs  in  upper  box  and  remove  upper  box,  and 


December  1,  1880.J 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


1G1 


if  need  be  feed  up  for  the  winter  and  say  'good-bye, 
my  dears,'  till  end  of  January  or  February  accord- 
ing to  season.  Acting  thus  I  have  never  failed,  but 
whenever  I  have  stirred  them  up  (as  ordinarily 
recommended)  I  have  always  had  a  row,  ending 
generally  in  a  free  fight.  So  that  for  this  one 
purpose  I  regard  the  ordinary  box  preferable  to 
your  Combination.  I  am  inclined  to  think  on  the 
whole  that  bees  more  naturally  store  honey  uphill, 
and  so  an  overhead  super  seems  better  than  one 
at  far  end  of  box,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  they 
naturally  store  honey  in  outside  combs  as  well  as 
at  top,  and  so  your  Combination  has  nothing  in  it 
repugnant  to  nature  and  habit. — T.  W.  B.,  Haden 
Cross,  Dudley,  Nov.  10,  1880. 

[The  objection  herein  will  apply  equally  to  all  hives 
with  fixed  legs,  and  the  under-arrangement  for  rendering 
the  floor-board  moveable,  but  it  does  not  seem  to  have 
been  recognised  that  long  hives  on  the  Combination 
principle  offer  back  space  in  which  the  contents  of  second 
weak  hives  could  be  placed  and  gently  united.  Reference 
to  the  diagrams  in  the  letter  of  Mr.  Davis  on  p.  159,  will 
show  the  space  B,  and  the  letter  will  suggest  the  mode 
of  procedure. — Ed.] 


BEES  IN  GIPPLAND,  AUSTRALIA. 

Talk  about  bees,  your  hon.  secretary  should  be 
in  Gippland,  where  he  might  obtain  honey  by  the 
ton  instead  of  pounds  ?  Honey  there  is  used  by 
the  selectors  (i.e.,  purchasers)  like  as  treacle  would 
be  by  English  children.  Felix  (my  son)  has  taken 
two  nests  from  one  tree.  He  always  knows  where 
to  get  a  nest  when  he  wants  one ;  he  has  some 
hives  in  the  timber  (woods),  but  takes  no  care 
of  them.  Sometimes  he  will  go  and  take  20  or 
30  lbs.  out. 

The  climate  being  so  mild  the  bees  can  work 
most  of  the  year.  The  eucalyptus  blossoms  in  the 
winter  and  early  spring,  so  there  is  food  nearly  all 
the  year  through. 

All  the  bees  in  this  part  died  or  left  their  hives 
three  years  ago,  some  even  leaving  plenty  of  honey. 
We  had  six  hives ;  some  died  in  the  winter, 
although  fed  on  honey  and  sugar ;  some  lived  even 
till  the  spring  flowers  opened  into  bloom,  and 
then  died  slowly  off  till  all  were  gone.  We 
frequently  used  to  see  a  swarm  pass  and  gave 
chase,  but  since  the  mortality  among  them  I  have 
not  seen  one. 

A  farmer  in  Bungaree,  who  got  the  name  of 
Beehive  Cameron,  through  his  fancy  to  possess 
other  people's  stocks,  had  about  120  hives,  but 
scarcely  any  of  them  were  alive  the  last  time  I 
inquired  of  him. 

Felix,  taking  two  nests  out  of  one  tree,  found  one 
queen,  and  then  put  both  together  in  a  gin  case, 
which  they  half  filled, — probably  three  gallons  of 
bees  !  The  honey  was  so  thick,  they  had  to  warm 
it  to  make  it  run.  An  amusing  scene  took  place  in 
their  hut.  They  were  annoyed  by  hosts  of  the  little 
black  ants  that  are  so  numerous  in  Australia,  so 
that  they  hung  the  honey  up.  Some  was  left  in 
the  bottom  cup  of  a  bottle,  the  ants  got  in,  but  the 
honey  stuck  to  their  feet,  so  that  they  could  not 
conveniently  get  at  the  main  portion.     Then  they 


went  and  got  little  pieces  of  stringy  bark,  and  laid 
on  the  glass  to  walk  on  dry-footed,  in  this  way  they 
stole  all  the  honey,  and  then  to  induce  a  fresh 
supply  took  up  very  carefully  each  piece  of  the 
bark  and  brought  it  to  the  edge  of  the  glass  and 
pitched  it  over.  There  was  sagacity.  You  may 
rely  on  this  anecdote  as  a  fact,  for  my  boys  watched 
them  carefully. — Samuel  Richardson,  Sept.  22nd. 


HEATHER  HONEY  — A  HINT  TO 
SECRETARIES. 

I  have  heard  complaints  from  exhibitors,  that 
they  have  no  chance  of  competing  with  those  who 
live  near  the  heather.  How  is  the  difficulty  to  be 
got  over,  and  healthy  competition  to  be  kept  up  ] 
Would  it  do  to  keep  heather  honey  and  that  gathered 
from  fruit  blossom  separate  ;  or  could  any  stipula- 
tion as  to  quality  be  introduced  into  our  prize- 
lists  "\ — Dorset. 

[Our  good  friends  in  Scotland  have  for  many  years 
recognised  the  importance  of  separating  the  '  heather ' 
from  '  flower '  honey,  as  may  he  seen  by  reference  to  their 
schedules  of  prizes  for  competition. — Ed.] 


WELL  DONE,  DORSET  ! 

In  reply  to  a  question  asked  by  a  friend  who  has 
been   looking  up  local  reports,   Mr.   J.   Brown,  of 

Maiden  Newton,  writes  : — 

'  I  began  the  season  with  seven  or  eight  hives,  and 
have  now  about  sixteen,  all  good,  after  joining  several 
and  finding  two  hives  queenless  and'uearly  bee-less,  but 
with  a  fair  quantity  of  honey.  My  first  swarm  was 
from  a  straw  hive,  on  May  20th ;  second,  from  same 
hive  on  June  4th  ;  third,  from  same  on  June  17th,  three 
weeks  after  the  first,  which  is  very  unusual.  The  first 
of  these  swarms  threw  two  others,  both  large  ;  but  the 
second  cast  was  returned.  All  these  four  products  of 
this  straw  hive  were  put  in  frame  hives,  partly  supplied 
with  comb  or  foundation,  and  all  were  filled  and  gave 
supers,  the  best  being  from  the  third  swarm.  I  could 
sell  more  honey  than  I  get,  if  I  had  it  of  the  same  quality. 
Comb  honey  brings  Is.  &d.  per  lb.,  and  run  honey  Is.  2d. 
I  have  taken  about  200  lbs.,  half  in  supers,  the  rest 
extracted.  There  is  no  heath  near  or  I  should  have 
much  more,  but  it  would  not  sell  so  well.  All  my  stocks 
are  well  stored,  perhaps  over  full.' 

An  excellent  report  has  also  been  received  from 
Mr.  M.  H.  Tilley,  of  Dorchester,  who  is  a  most 
successful  skeppist.  We  are  glad  to  hear  that  the 
local  clergy  and  gentry  are  rallying  round  the 
honorary  secretary  in  the  most  encouraging  manner. 
— D. 


AN  ENCOURAGING  REPORT. 

The  honorary  secretary  of  the  Dorsetshire  Bee- 
keepers' Association  has  received  the  following 
cheery  letter  from  Mr.  J.  J.  Alsford,  of  Blandford, 
and  we  are  glad  to  hear  that  steps  were  at  once 
taken  to  comply  with  his  wishes  : — 

'  I  was  very  glad  to  read  in  the  November  issue  of 
British  Bee  Journal  the  report  of  your  meeting  at 
Dorchester,  and  to  find  that  the  committee  have  arranged 
for  lectures,  &c,  in  towns  and  villages.  I  hope  Bland- 
ford  will  not  be  overlooked.  There  is  a  fine  field 
for  operators   here.      The  ground  is  partially   broken 


162 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[December  1,  1880. 


up.  I  have  induced  at  least  twenty  persons  to  give 
up  the  old  system,  and  to  become  converts  to  the 
new  and  improved  method  of  bee-culture,  and  have,  by 
practical  demonstration,  taught  about  half  as  many  again 
the  art  of  driving  and  uniting  bees.  The  largest  number 
of  stocks  I  ever  undertook  at  one  apiary  was  twent3'-two, 
in  August  this  year,  which  I  drove  and  united  to  twenty 
others ;  twelve  of  the  stocks  I  drove  in  two  hours.  I 
was  the  first  to  introduce  bar-frame  hives  and  to  practise 
driving  in  this  neighbourhood,  and  I  need  not  tell  you 
I  have  had  something  to  contend  against  from  the 
adherents  to  the  old  system.  I  am  happy  to  say  that  a 
good  deal  of  that  prejudice  is  being  broken  down,  but 
much  remains  to  be  done.  One  friend  at  your  meeting 
observed  that  some  could  work,  but  not  talk.  This  is  my 
case,  or  nothing  would  delight  me  more  than  to  help  you 
by  lecturing  on  the  subject.  But  if  I  can  assist  you  in 
any  other  way,  it  will  be  my  greatest  pleasure.  I  have 
been  trying  lately  to  get  a  few  friends  together  for 
mutual  intercourse,  but  find  a  difficulty  in  getting  any- 
one to  preside,  but  I  intend,  as  soon  as  I  can  walk  again, 
to  try  one  or  two  clergymen  in  the  neighbourhood.  I 
wish  the  committee  would  take  Blandford  into  their 
consideration  and  give  us  a  lecture.  I  would  supply 
hives,  supers,  and  other  things  for  exhibition,  to  save 
them  the  trouble  of  sending  them,  or  help  in  any  other 
way.  When  I  was  on  the  committee  I  succeeded  in 
getting  some  subscribers,  and  have  no  doubt  that  if  a 
stir  was  made  many  more  might  be  got ;  but  when  I 
was  a  member  I  could  hear  of  no  committee  meeting  for 
a  whole  year,  so  could  see  no  use  or  profit  in  being  con- 
nected with  the  society,  and  therefore  withdrew.  Perhaps 
being  so  far  from  the  centre  of  operations  was  the  reason. 
I  should  be  glad  to  hear  from  you  if  you  can  furnish  me 
with  anything  new,  or  offer  any  suggestion.' 


GOLD  MEDALS  AT  COLOGNE  SHOW. 

Here  Gravenhorst  a  Recipient. 

I  have  been  asked  by  Mr.  Dennler  to  make  an 
important  rectification  in  my  account  of  the  Cologne 
Bee  Show,  in  respect  to  the  prizes  distributed  there. 
Most  especially  is  this  necessary  in  regard  to  Herr 
Gravenhorst,  our  old  friend  at  London  of  the  year 
previous,  who,  as  well  as  Herr  Vogel,  had  a  gold 
medal  granted  him  for  his  devotion  to  apiculture, 
as  well  as  his  literary  studies.  The  omission  was 
due  to  the  fact  that  Herr  Gravenhorst  was  not 
himself  at  Cologne  at  all.  I  should  be  very  sorry 
if  he  should  be  annoyed  at  my  failing  to  notice  him, 
for,  as  a  bee-master,  he  is  held  in  the  highest 
esteem  and  respect  in  Germany,  as  has  been  proved 
by  the  honour  conferred  on  him  at  Cologne. 
Besides  this,  there  were  distributed  sixteen  silver 
and  twenty-one  bronze  medals  for  machines,  hives, 
live  bees,  and  bee  literature. — G.  F.  Pearson. 


BEES  BUSY,  OR  ROBBING? 

Please  say  in  next  issue  what  there  is  growing  at 
this  time  of  the  year  to  induce  bees  to  be  active,  as 
mine  have  on  several  occasions  this  month,  when 
the  weather  has  been  a  little  milder,  extremely 
busy,  especially  so  to-day ;  or  is  it  they  are  only  em- 
bracing the  opportunity  of  taking  a  flight  1 — Robert 
Ranker,  Mnidrnhntd,  Nov.  24. 

[We  know  of  nothing  but  ivy  that  is  likely  to  tempt 
bees  to  honest  industry.  The  probability  is  that  they 
are  robbing  other  bees,  or,  which  will  be  equally  dis- 
agreeable, that  they  ate  being  nibbed.     Unusual  activity 


should  always  provoke  inquiry  ;  stocks  that  are  robbing 
or  being  robbed  seem  equally  busy,  and  the  unsuspicious 
bee-keeper  looks  on  with  satisfaction  ;  but  presently  the 
robbed  hive  will  be  found  tenantless,  and  perhaps  the 
robbers  will  have  imported  the  cause  of  the  weakness 
(disease)  that  made  them  their  prey  into  their  own 
hives. — Ed.]         

LIGURIANS  IN  NEW  ZEALAND. 

I  see  by  the  August  number  of  British  Bee  Journal 
that  Mr.  J.  J.  Potter  has  written  that  Ligurians, 
at  that  time,  had  not  been  introduced  into  New 
Zealand.  I  am  now  very  glad  to  say  that  two 
good  stocks  were  safely  landed  here  two  months 
back,  from  San  Francisco  ;  one  I  can  vouch  for  as 
doing  well,  as  I  am  about  taking  the  management 
of  them,  the  others  are  in  Christchurch,  and  I 
believe  from  what  I  have  heard  doing  well  also.  It 
seemed  quite  like  old  times  to  see  the  bright  li±tle 
fellows  after  having  worked  amongst  none  but 
blacks  for  the  past  two  years.  The  advice  Mr.  J. 
J.  Potter  gives  to  intending  emigrants  is  of  the 
best  character,  for  unless  they  have  someone  to  come 
to  for  help,  there  is  little  chance  of  their  doing  any- 
thing, things  are  regularly  at  a  standstill.  I  hope 
I  shall  be  able  to  give  you  good  accounts  of  the 
Ligurians  as  the  season  advances.  I  hope  you  are 
well  at  Fairlawn,  and  that  the  past  season  has 
been  kind  to  you.  —  Frank  C.  Parish,  Goromandel 
Apiary,  Auckland,  Oct,  7,  1880. 

[There  are  many  in  England  who  will  be  glad  to  know 
that  our  esteemed  friend,  and  for  some  years  able 
assistant,  '  Frank,'  is  doing  well,  and  the  bee-keepers  of 
New  Zealand  may  rely  on  their  new  importation  being 
well  eared  for  and  safe  in  his  hands.  Being  intelligent, 
able,  willing,  and  ingenious,  and  gentlemanly  withal,  he 
is  an  acquisition  anywhere  amongst  bees  and  bee-keepers, 
and  is  sure  to  make  his  way.  There  were  many  who 
could  have  been  better  spared  from  England,  and,  should 
circumstances  bring  him  back,  there  would  be  no  lack  of 
service  for  him.  Such  men  are  needed  both  here  and  in 
•Ireland. — Ed.] 

BEE-KEEPING  IN  IRELAND.— REPORT  FROM 
CLONMEL.— AN  IRISH  ASSOCIATION. 

According  to  promise,  I  give  you  a  report  of  my  honey 
produce  for  the  past  season.  To  my  loss,  but  not  dis- 
appointment, it  has  not  been  as  great  as  you  anticipated 
when  you  visited  my  apiary  on  the  10th  of  August. 
The  season  proved  a  very  disappointing  one.  From  the 
middle  of  May  to  about  the  13th  of  June  it  was  most 
promising,  and  all  that  you  saw  of  my  supers  on  the  day 
of  your  visit  had  been  completed  before  the  end  of  the 
first  week  of  June.  Then  came  an  interval  of  nearly 
eight  weeks,  during  which  the  fields  were  white  with 
clover  bloom,  and  later  the  hundreds  of  lime-trees  covered 
with  bloom ;  but  owing  to  the  inclement  storms  and 
rains,  not  a  bee  was  to  be  seen  on  field  or  tree,  and  my 
bees  were  feeding  on  my  raspberries  and  strawberries. 
Consequently,  the  stores  accumulated  in  the  earlier  time 
were  very  much  exhausted  before  the  change  of  weather, 
of  which  your  visit  was  the  harbinger ;  but  the  distance 
of  the  great  heather  range  and  the  excessive  heat  ren- 
dered it  improbable  to  me,  and,  as  events  show,  impos- 
sible to  my  little  pets,  who  did  the  best  to  make  up  for 
lost  time ;  besides  every  supered  box,  except  three,  threw 
out  a  swarm  (or  I  should  say  swarms),  but  I  returned 
after-casts.  Under  these  circumstances,  I  could  scarcely 
expect  a  return  adequate  to  the  number  of  my  stocks. 
However,  1  have  disposed  of  040  lbs.  of  my  super-comb, 


December  1,  1880.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


163 


and  140  lbs.  of  extracted  fluid-honey,  and  I  Lave  over 
200  sections  from  10  inches  by  5  inches  to  7  inches  by 
5  inches,  more  or  less  filled  with  comb,  from  which  I 
have  extracted  the  unsealed  honey,  and  nearly  forty  Lang- 
stroth  frames,  which  not  being  completed  to  saleable 
condition,  I  have  subjected  to  similar  treatment.  All 
these  remain  as  a  foundation  for  next  year's  hopes. 

But  besides  the  above,  my  forty-two  boxes  are  heavily 
over-stocked  with  sealed  comb,  which  I  have  left  with 
them  until  spring,  when  (D.  V.)  I  will  remove  the  sur- 
plus, as  I  have  found  it  difficult  to  dispose  of  extracted 
honey  in  bulk,  not  having  yet  used  bottles.  With  far 
fewer  stocks  in  1878  I  cleared  nearly  201.  more,  but 
then  the  best  part  of  the  season,  from  June  15  to  August 
1,  was  fine;  but  a  clear  profit  on  management  in  a  pre- 
carious season  of  251.  is  not  to  be  despised,  bearing  in 
mind  that  the  expense,  without  any  return  of  1870,  is 
included  per  contra  against  this  year's  profit. 

If  you  nave  not  yet  heard  it,  I  am  sure  it  will  gratify 
you  to  find  that,  as  a  result  of  your  tour  last  August, 
a  great  stir  has  been  made  among  apiarians  in  Ireland, 
and  it  has  been  determined  that  we  shall  have  an  '  Irish 
Apiarian  Association.'  The  work  has  been  initiated, 
and  will,  I  doubt  not,  succeed.  I  am  working  it  up  in 
my  own  neighbourhood,  but  our  infantile  efforts,  I  am 
sure,  will  be  watched  by  our  elder  sister,  with  which  (I 
was  going  to  say,  we  hope  to  be  affiliated,  which  woidd 
be  rather  an  Irishism)  we  hope  to  be  associated,  with 
interest. —  George  A.  Proctob,  Tullamelan,  Clonmel, 
Nov.  20,  1880. 

Newspaper  Bee-keepixo.  From  the  Standard. — 
A  Melbourne  correspondent  writes : — '  A  singular  cir- 
cumstance is  reported  from  a  hot  dry  valley  in  New 
South  Wales.  Last  year  the  drought  there  was  of  long 
duration,  and  the  denizens  of  the  apiaries  suffered  much 
from  it.  This  year  the  bees  have  made  provisions  against 
a  similar  emergency.  They  have  filled  a  large  number 
of  the  external  cells  in  every  hive  with  pure  water 
instead  of  honev.  It  is  thought  that  the  instinct  of  the 
little  creatures  leads  them  to  anticipate  a  hot  summer. 
But  that  they  should  have  gone  further,  and,  by  an  act 
which,  as  far  as  I  know,  is  without  precedent  in  the 
habits  and  customs  of  their  tribes,  have  created  reservoirs 
to  tide  over  the  water-famine  is  a  noteworthy  fact 
indeed.  If  they  had  been  American  irstead  of  Australian 
bees,  the  process  would  doubtless  have  been  patented  ere 
this.  As  it  is,  our  artificers  give  all  beedom  the  benefit 
of  their  inventiveness.' 

(Srbacs  from  %  |Stbcs. 

Chester-le-Street,  Durham. —  Furious  matters. — Pre- 
venting Eecrystallisation  of  Syrup. — '  I  have  been  venti- 
ating  the  ideas  taught  in  the  Journal  in  the  Newcastle 
Weekly  Chronicle,  and  have  since  the  first  letter  ap- 
peared been  deluged  for  information.  The  most  lamen- 
table ignorance  prevails  upon  bee-culture!  To  give  vou 
a  specimen,  a  week  after  my  first  article  on  bee-keeping 
appeared,  a  person  walked  over  ten  miles  to  ask  me  the 
best  method  of  requeening  a  hive  without  any  bees. 
He  had  heard  of  Neighbour's  advertisement  for  queen- 
bees,  and,  after  really  understanding  what  he  required, 
I  found  he  had  an  idea  of  purchasing  a  queen,  and 
placing  her  in  a  hive  of  empty  combs,  fully  believing 
that  a  stock  could  be  obtained  by  that  means.  I  showed 
to  his  astonished  eyes  frames,  hives,  combs,  foundations, 
and  honey  extractor,  and  Italian  and  black  bees,  and 
the  result  was  his  ideas  became  a  little  bsformed,  and 
he  ex|ir  ased  his  gratification  at  what  he  had  seen. 

'  This  is  my  first  failure  in  having  a  good  honey  yield, 
and  I  account  for  it  by  our  having  several  very  wet 
weeks  during  the  honey  harvest :  however,  my  bees  are 
in  first  -class    trim,  and  very  strong.      I    noticed    the 


Italians  gave  over  breeding  before  the  blacks,  as  little 
food  was  coming  in.  They  had  been  on  the  alert  sooner, 
however,  and  as  soon  as  I  found  how  matters  stood, 
commenced  to  feed,  and  breeding  has  recommenced.  1 
do  not  know  whether  it  is  generally  known  amongst 
bee-keepers  that  glucose  is  a  most  unfailing  agent  in 
preventing  crystallisation  of  sugar  under  any  conditions, 
about  a  pint  to  14  lbs.  of  sugar.  There  is,  I  find,  great 
difference  in  the  tendency  of  different  sugars  to  crystal- 
lisation, and  this,  no  doubt,  accounts  for  the  diversity 
of  opinion  as  to  the  most  effective  means  of  preventing 
it  forming  crystals ;  however,  it  is  well  known  to  con- 
fectioners that  glucose  will  effectually  prevent  any 
sugar  from  recrystallising.  The  progeny  of  the  Ligurian 
I  received  from  you  last  3-ear  are  the  prettiest  yellow 
bees  I  have  ever  had,  and  ever}'  way  satisfactory.  I 
well  remember  one  Italian  I  had  breeding  jet-black 
bees,  perfect  little  demons ;  and  I  was  not  at  all  sorry 
to  dethrone  her,  and  substitute  another  monarch.  Wish- 
ing every  success  to  you  and  the  Bee  Journal.' — W. 
Crisp. 

Stretton  Parsonage,  Stafford. —  Combination  Hive. — 
'  As  I  am  writing,  I  may  mention  that  I  made  a 
Combination,  and  fitted  it  with  frames,  which  I  have 
found  good  and  like  it  very  much.  The  July  rains 
spoiled  our  harvest  here,  but  the  bees  did  better  in 
the  Combination  than  in  any  of  my  other  hives.  The 
principle  is  the  same  as  that  recommended  to  me  by  a 
relation  in  Italy  as  the  hive  which  gave  him  most  honey. 
In  the  sketch  he  sent  me,  the  frames  were  kept  together 
by  a  cord  bound  round  a  screw  in  back  and  front  and  a 
groove  in  floor-board.     I  have  lost  the  sketch,  but  think 


Floor-board  with  frame  running  in  nroove. 

this  was  the  plan,  but  I  fancy  the  Combination  is  the 
most  convenient.' — J.  W.  Napier. 

[The  Italian  hive  alluded  to  was  doubtless  some  modi- 
fication of  the  Giotto,  as  illustrated  last  September.  The 
frames  are  widened  and  extended  at  the  bottom  bars, 
which  are  run  in  groove-rabbet  in  bottom-board  as  indi- 
cated. Several  frames  thus  set  together  would  be  kept 
in  place  by  a  string  round  them  near  the  top,  and  it  is 
evident  that  they  could  not  fall. about  or  blow  over. — Ed.] 

Dunoon,  Argyllshire. — 'My  bees  have  just  begun  to 
kill  the  drones.  I  never  knew  them  to  be  so  late.  I 
suppose  it  is  owing  to  the  very  fine  weather  which 
we  have  been  favoured  with  in  the  west  of  Scotland 
during  the  month  of  Septemb  sr  and  up  to  this  date  ;  in 
fact,  the  summer  and  autumn  have  been  exceptionally 
tine,  and  all  our  advanced  apiarians  have  had  an  abund- 
ant honey  harvest.  I  commenced  this  spring  with  three 
boxes  on  the  bar  principle,  two  of  which  were  inter- 
changeable witli  three  that  I  made  the  previous  winter. 


164 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[December  1,  1880. 


I  transferred  the  queens  from  the  two  boxes,  with  plenty 
of  brood  and  honey,  to  the  new  boxes  on  the  7th  of  June, 
and  they  became  quite  strong  in  about  three  weeks. 
Having  an  empty  box,  I  parted  one  of  these  boxes  a 
second  time,  putting  the  queen  and  about  half  the  brood, 
comb,  and  honey,  into  the  new  box  on  the  2.">rd  of  July 
(just  in  time  for  the  heather),  which  became  very  strong, 
tilling  nine  bars  with  comb  in  about  three  weeks,  and 
splendid  supers  of  24  lbs.  by  the  end  of  August.  Of 
course  the  box,  or  rather  the  colony,  that  had  to  provide 
themselves  two  queens,  was  not  so  productive  as  the 
others,  but  I  took  several  bars  from  them,  and  they  are 
now  in  fine  condition  for  the  winter.  My  honey  harvest 
in  all  amounted  to  210  lbs.,  for  which  I  have  realized  12/., 
besides  giving  away  several  poimds  in  presents  and  keeping 
a  supply  for  home  consumption.' — Duncan  Stuart. 

Dublin,  Oct.  22. — The  Weather. — Late  Breeding,  and 
late  Drones. — '  One  of  the  queens  was  dead  in  the  cage — 
the  other  five  are  all  right.  Introduced  them  just  in 
time,  as  now  we  have  it  very  cold,  with  frost  and  snow. 
It  may  interest  you  to  know  that  the  hives  were  full  of 
brood,  young  bees  and  drones,  owing  to  the  fineness  of  the 
weather,  and  the  abundance  of  ivy  blossom.'  — E.  W. 

Maidenhead,  Oct.  2±th. — '  Is  it  not  late  for  bees  to  be 
carrying  pollen  into  hives,  Oct.  19th  ?  Three  out  of 
eleven  were  doing  so,  though  the  next  morning  they 
were  white  with  snow.  To-day,  a  bright  day,  all  seem 
strong.  Have  been  well  fed,  and  will  to-morrow  be 
closely  covered  down  until  February-' — M.  A.  R. 

Selkirk,  N.B.,  Oct.  25.— 'I  have  got  twenty  2-lb. 
sectional  supers,  and  about  40  lbs.  out  of  the  inside  of  a 
Standard  hive,  and  18  lbs.  off  another,  and  the  same  out 
of  the  inside ;  but  I  did  not  take  any  swarms  from  these 
two  hives.  It  may  not  be  so  good  as  it  is  in  some 
districts,  but  it  is  something  new  here.  The  old  bee- 
keepers here  that  have  ten  or  more  stocks  of  bees  in 
straw  hives  have  not  got  as  much  honey  of  the  ten  as  I 
have  got  of  two.' — Sidney  Roebuck. 

dfHtcncs  anb  Jlcpltcs. 

Query  No.  362. — Frames  across  hives. — In  your  next 
month's  Journal,  will  you  please  tell  me  what  is  the 
advantage  of  Abbott's  frame-hives  having  the  entrance 
at  the  sides  of  the  frames  instead  of  opposite  the  ends  ? 
— Richard  Coulton,  Towhaio,  Darlington. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  362. — The  advantages  are 
chiefly  in  the  conveniences  the  principle  affords  for 
enlarging  or  reducing  the  space  to  meet  the  requirements 
of  the  bees  and  the  exigencies  of  the  season,  there  being 
nothing  in  the  habits  of  the  bees  against  it. — Ed. 

Query  No.  363. — Will  you  kindly  give  me  your  advice 
through  the  columns  of  the  Bee  Journal  f  Towards  the 
end  of  the  honey-harvest,  one  of  the  comlis  in  my  bar- 
frame  fell  down,  and  as  it  was  composed  of  'drone-comb 
chiefly,  full  of  honey,  ami  quite  pure  and  white,  1 
removed  it  for  use,  putting  in  an  empty  frame.  Before 
packing  up  the  hive  for  the  winter,  I  took  out  this 
frame,  and  another  also  (which  is  full  of  honey  with 
some  pollen),  and  put  in  a  piece  of  wood  in  order  to  con- 
fine the  bees  to  a  smaller  space  When  would  be  the 
best  time  to  put  back  these  frames?  and  ought  I  to  put 
them  on  the  outside  from  whence  I  took  them?  or  should 
I  put  them  nearer  to  the  middle  of  the  hive?  I  nun 
add  that  I  do  not  intend  to  use  the  honey  in  the  other 
frame  which  I  removed,  and  that  my  hive  is  one  of  your 
Makeshift  Standards.  I  have  left  the  bees  six  train's  nearlj 
full  of  sealed  honey.— A  Lady  Bee-keEPER,  Carlisle. 
I >' i  i ■  i . v  to  Query  No.  3B8.     It  will  not  be  neoe    arj 

to  return  the  frames  of  comb  until  the  bees  show  symp- 
toms of  crowding  in  the  spring,  unless,  in  the  meantime, 
they  need  food,  when  the  frame  of  honey  and  pollen 
may  safely  be  given  to  them.     Should  the  latter  con- 


tingency arise,  it  will  be  best  to  place  it  next  to  the 
clustering  bees,  so  that  they  may  not  have  to  go  far  to 
find  it,  in  preference  to  putting  it  amongst  them,  with 
the  chance  of  loss  their  disturbance  in  winter  might  cause. 
Should  they  not  need  the  frames  until  the  spring,  they 
may  be  replaced  amongst  the  brood,  the  cells  being  first 
unsealed,  when  the  bees  will  immediately  empty  them, 
and  the  queen  will  occupy  them  with  eggs,  and  rapid 
increase  will  be  provoked. — Ed. 

Query  No.  364. — Hive-making. — What  size  of  hive 
would  be  the  best  for  this  district,  using  sections  at  the 
back  of  brood  nest  ?  We  have  within  easy  flight  market 
and  private  gardens,  also  Wimbledon  Common,  which 
last  has  a  fair  quantity  of  heather.  Barnes  Common  is 
within  200  yards  of  the  hives  I  have  at  present,  and 
also  has  a  fair  quantity  of  heather,  broom,  gorse,  &c 
Should  the  frames  touch  the  sides  of  the  hive  ?  and 
which  are  the  best,  Woodbury  or  Standard  size  ? 
Coidd  you  supply  me  with  working  drawings  to  scale  ? 
Would  |-inch  outer  and  f-inch  inner  walls,  with  a 
space  of  1  inch  between,  do  for  body  box,  or  might  the 
wood  be  thinner  with  safety  ? — P.  B.  A.,  Queene's  Hyde, 
Barnes  Common,  S.  TV. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  364. — The  Woodbury  size  of 
the  kind  described  herein  as  the  Irish  hive  would  be 
excellent  for  the  purpose.  The  frames  should  hang 
clear  of  the  sides,  a  \  inch  space  between  being  the 
proper  distance.  Each  piece  required  is  accurately  de- 
scribed in  this  month's  Journal,  j-inch  inner  and  outer- 
casings,  with  dead  air  between,  will  do  very  well,  or. 
inch  pine  alone,  considering  that  the  front  and  back  can 
be  well  packed  for  wintering,  will  be  sufficient. — Ed. 

NOTICES  TO  CORRESPONDENTS  &  INQUIRERS 

A.  F.  Rostheyer. — Robbing  (?) — The  weather  having 
changed  to  fine  and  warm,  it  is  probable  that  the  bees 
were  taking  an  airing  flight.  Robbery  does  not  begin 
or  cease  suddenly,  and  would  not  be  likely  to  occur 
in  four  of  the  stocks  without  warning.  If  the  symp- 
toms recur,  dust  the  bees  at  one  of  the  hives  with 
flour,  and  watch  if  any  of  the  marked  ones  go  into 
another  hive.  By  doing  this  with  different  coloured 
powders,  the  question  of  robbing  versus  airing  flight 
will  soon  be  settled,  for  if  only  the  latter,  the  bees  of 
each  hive  (and  colour)  will  enter  their  own  hive  only. 
It  must  not  be  held  to  be  a  proof  of  robbery  that  only 
a  few  stocks  disport  themselves  at  the  same  hour, 
there  may  be  influences  to  this  which  are  not  apparent 
to  the  onlooker.  Late  feeding  will  often  make  the 
necessity  for  an  airing  flight  urgent,  and  the  bees  will 
take  even  an  unfavourable  opportunity,  while  others 
in  better  condition  will  not  be  moving. 

Subscriptions  Due. — There  are  several  hundreds  of 
pink  wrappers  sent  out  with  this  issue  of  the  Bee 
Journal,  indicating  that  subscriptions  are  due,  or  in 
arrear;  and  we  earnestly  hope  that  our  friends  will 
respond  to  them  without  delay.  To  each  of  them  it 
can  be  only  a  small  question,  entailing  a  very  little 
trouble,  but  to  us  it  is  a  large  one  of  serious  conse- 
quence. We  work  very  hard  in  the  cause  of  bee- 
culture,  we  give  our  best  ideas  on  the  subject,  and  put 
every  facility  in  the  way  of  our  readers  for  them  to 
acquire  whatever  they  wish  for  in  the  readiest  and 
eheapesl  possible  way,  and  we  really  think  they  oiil'Io 
not  to  force  upon  us  the  expense  and  difficulties  con- 
nected with  the  keeping  of  open  accounts  for  the 
Journal.  The  year  L880  is  very  nearly  at  an  end,  it 
will    he   one  of  happy  memory  for  many  thousands  of 

bee-keepers,  anil  we  ask  them  to  make  it  memorable 
to    us   by  purging  our  subscription-list  of  the  many 

pink   stains  upon    it,   and    making   a   clean    si t   for 

L881 ;  and  in  the  hope  that  this  will  be  done,  we  ill 
all  sincerity  wish  our  readers,  and  all  the  world,  a 
Merry  Christmas  and  a  Happy  New  Year. 


itittsh 


THE 


[No.  93.    Vol.  VIII.] 


JANUARY,  1881. 


[Published  Monthly.] 


^bhnruil,  Botucs,  #c. 


JANUARY. 

Christmas  has  passed,  and  we  trust  it  has 
been  a  merry  one  in  all  senses  ;  and  we  most 
sincerely  wish  all  our  readers  and  their  friends  a 
Happy  New  Year,  and  '  many  ov  'em.'  Coming 
after  a  year  of  disaster  like  1879,  which  had 
itself  been  preceded  by  a  '  trying '  year,  the 
season  '80  was  a  blessing  for  which  none  of  us 
can  be  too  grateful,  for  it  gave  in  profusion  all 
that  the  earth  could  produce,  and  more  abund- 
antly favoured  its  culturists.  May  God  give  us 
thankful  hearts  !  Fortunately  for  all  out-door 
occupations,  the  winter  weather  thus  far  has  been 
mild  and  comparatively  dry,  so  that  the  work 
necessary  in  preparation  for  the  year  upon  whose 
threshold  we  stand  has  progressed  almost  without 
hindrance,  and  (leaving  out  the  question  of  rents, 
taxes,  &c,  the  discussion  of  which  is  no  part  of 
our  business)  the  prospect  for  agriculture,  in  all 
its  branches,  is  a  good  one.  In  our  speciality — 
bee-culture — there  is  eminent  ground  for  satis- 
faction ;  two  years  ago  we  were  threatened 
with  the  extermination  of  our  industry  by  the 
inpouring  of  vast  consignments  of  honey  from 
America,  and  elsewhere,  which  could,  it  was 
said,  be  produced  and  delivered  here  so  cheaply, 
and  in  such  readily  saleable  parcels,  as  to 
render  its  home  growth  unremunerative,  and  a 
kind  of  '  scare '  was  the  immediate  consequence. 
But,  happily,  American  honey  is  not  English, 
and  not  all  the  fancy  labels  or  packages  in  the 
universe  will  cheat  the  English  palate,  or  per- 
suade the  people  to  swallow  an  inferior  article 
if  a  good  one  can  be  had  ;  and  as  a  consequence, 
it  has  been  found  that  importing  even  the  best 
American  product  does  not  pay.  Naturally,  in 
times  of  scarcity  almost  anything  will  sell ;  but 
the  honey  of  home  growth  will  always  command 
the  trade,  and,  thanks  to  the  good  year  1880,  and 
the  impetus  given  to  bee-keeping  by  the 
Journal,  the  Associations,  and  the  Shows,  we 
have  been  enabled  to  hold  our  own  and  produce 


a  supply  of  delicious  nectar  that  sets  the  foreigner 
at  defiance.  We  must  not,  however,  attempt  to 
deny  that  the  great  import  of  American  honey 
was  a  surprise,  nor  that  it  frightened  many ; 
nor  will  we  pretend  that  its  preparation  did  not 
exhibit  a  superior  knowledge  of  the  means  of 
cultivating  the  bee  to  that  which  had  been  pre- 
viously shown  in  this  country,  but  we  are  glad 
to  say  that  instead  of  producing  general  or 
permanent  alarm,  it  acted  as  a  stimulus ;  and 
British  bee-keepers  are  now  able  to  supply  the 
market  with  honey  in  the  comb  far  superior  in 
quality,  and  equal  in  beauty  and  appearance,  to 
that  of  any  other  country  in  the  world. 

The  rapid  advance,  also,  that  has  been  made 
during  the  past  year  in  the  manufacture  and 
use  of  comb-foundation  is  most  gratifying  ;  a 
few  years  since  it  cost  five  shillings  per  lb., 
and  was  little  used ;  now  it  can  be  had  for  half 
the  money,  and  is  tenfold  more  in  demand. 
Formerly  it  could  only  be  used  in  narrow  slips 
through  fear  of  its  breaking  with  the  weight 
of  the  bees  ;  but  now  frames  are  filled  with  it 
(nearly)  with  confidence  and  satisfaction,  so 
that  while  bees  were  ten  to  fourteen  days  filling 
their  hives  with  combs,  they  now  do  the  work 
in  three,  and  are  free  for  immediate  honey 
gathering  and  storing  for  profit. 

The  rapid  increase  in  the  number  of  Bee- 
keepers' Associations  is  a  hopeful  sign  of  the 
times  ;  and  the  extension  of  the  knowledge  of 
improved  bee-culture  to  Ireland,  and  of  the 
formation  of  a  Central  Association  there,  are 
facts  happily  accomplished.  The  endeavour 
to  establish  a  Professorship  under  Government 
has,  unfortunately,  not  been  quite  successful ; 
but  great  interest  has  been  aroused  ;  and  there 
is  reason  to  hope  that  in  the  ensuing  year  the 
application  will  be  favourably  received,  when 
bee-culture  becoming  a  branch  of  national  edu- 
cation, the  cobwebs  of  ignorance  and  super- 
stition will  be  swept  out  of  the  apiary,  and 
England  will  cease  to  be  a  laughing-stock 
amongst  Continental  bee-keepers.  The  intro- 
duction of  bees  direct  from  Cyprus  was  another 
achievement  of  the  year,  as  was  also  the  associ- 


106 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[January  1,  1881. 


ation  of  bee-keeping  with  dairy  farming  at  the 
Agricultural  Hall  on  the  occasion  of  the  great 
show  of  Dairy  Farming  Produce  in  October. 
The  publication  of  the  Handbook  for  Cottagers, 
and  the  diagrams  for  lecturers  on  bees  and  bee- 
keeping, are  also  among  the  '  events '  of  the 
year  ;  and  there  are  many  other  facts  accom- 
plished that  will  render  the  yTear  a  memorable 
one. 

Turning  now  to  the  future,  we  cannot  pretend 
to  unveil  what  is  hidden,  we  are  told  by  Dr. 
Dzierzon,  one  of  the  greatest  Continental  bee- 
masters,  that  the  little  we  know  of  bees  is  but 
as  the  sand  on  the  shore  in  comparison  with 
the  treasures  of  the  ocean  ;  and  we  can  scarcely 
hope  that  the  waves  of  a  year,  or  even  a  lifetime, 
will  reveal  them.  But  gradually  they  will  be 
brought  to  light ;  step  by  step,  one  by  one,  the 
secrets  of  nature  are  unravelled,  and  the  mind 
of  man  bounds  with  delight  as  the  beauty  of 
the  glorious  fitness  of  things,  and  the  mutuality 
of  their  relations,  are  discovered.  Light  has 
of  late  been  let  into  the  mystery  which,  for 
ages,  had  enveloped  and  shrouded  the  trans- 
formation of  worker  larvaa  to  queens  ;  much 
had  been  discovered  by  Huber  and  others, 
but  in  the  paper  read  by  Dr.  Donhoff  at  the 
Congress  of  Austrian  and  German  bee-masters 
at  Cologne,  and  published  in  the  December 
number  of  this  Journal  through  the  kind 
favour  of  S.  Stutterd,  Esq.,  of  Banbury,  the 
keynote  to  the  mystery  has  been  sounded, 
and  '  the  relation  of  bees  to  flowers '  illustrated 
in  a  remarkably  striking  way.  Many  scien- 
tific minds  are  bent  upon  the  solution  of  other 
mysteries,  and  rapid  strides  are  being  made 
whose  results  will  appear  in  due  course  ;  but 
leaving  the  vista  of  speculation,  the  elysium  of 
scientists,  whose  view  is  beyond  the  ken  of 
ordinary  minds,  we  will  return  to  the  practical, 
the  bread-and-cheese  of  bee-keeping,  and  en- 
deavour to  suggest  improvement  where  experi- 
ence has  shown  the  dubiety  of  present  con- 
ditions. Want  of  space  will  prevent  long 
discussion  of  the  subjects  at  the  present 
moment ;  and  in  mentioning  them  we  have  but 
the  one  broad  object  that  has  formed  our 
governing  principle  as  public  exponents,  viz. 
the  improvement  of  bee-culture ;  and  though 
we  may  sometimes  be  upon  delicate  ground, 
we  trust  that  we  may  not,  even  by  accident 
or  implication,  touch  even  the  fringe  of  per- 
sonality, or  be  thought  to  be  airing  personal 
grievances.  The  subjects  we  propose  for  dis- 
cussion will  embrace  the  following,  and  we 
respectfully  commend  them  to  the  considera- 
tion of  Associations  and  Committees,  to  whom 
they  properly  belong,  and  invite  the  opinions 
of  individuals  for  publication  in  this  Journal. 

1.  The  establishment  of  rides,  on  set  prin- 
ciples, for  the  guidance  of  judges  at  Exhibi- 


tions ;  and,  as  far  as  may  be  practicable,  the 
appointment  and  maintenance  of  special  sets 
of  permanent  judges  for  the  various  depart- 
ments, or  subdivisions  of  departments. 

2.  That  in  offering  prizes  for  manufactured 
goods,  the  principles  of  construction  required 
shall  be  stated  in  the  schedule ;  and  prizes 
only  to  be  given  for  improvements  on  former 
exhibits  in  the  same  classes. 

3.  That  with  a  view  to  establishing  a  Standard 
frame  for  the  United  Kingdom,  Associations 
should  offer  prizes  for  hives  only  that  contain 
frames  of  a  size,  or  of  sizes,  to  be  determined 
on  by  a  congress  of  experts,  that  the  manufac- 
ture of  hives,  &c,  with  only  sufficient  variation 
in  size  of  frames,  &c,  to  prevent  their  inter- 
changeability  may  be  discouraged. 

4.  That  prizes  for  manufactured  goods  shall 
only  be  awarded  to  manufacturers  on  the 
understanding  that  they  shall  supply  the 
public  with  counterparts  of  the  exhibits  at 
the  prices  stated  on  their  entry  papers. 

5.  That  any  member  of  an  Association  who 
receives  payment  for  services  rendered  to  such 
Association  shall  be  disqualified  from  acting  on 
its  committee  of  management. 

6.  The  propriety  of  property,  or  subscription, 
qualifications  for  committeemanship — plurality 
of  votes  in  respect  thereof,  and  the  power  of 
manufacturing  votes  under  such  circumstances. 

7.  The  policy  of  Associations  becoming  shop- 
keepers, &c,  &c. 

8.  The  policy  of  establishing  juries  in  lieu  of 
the  present  system  of  independent,  promiscuous 
judges  and  inviting  criticism  of  exhibits  before 
such  juries  who  shall  afterwards  make  their 
awards. 

9.  The  necessity  for  every  exhibitor  having 
an  opportunity  of  explaining  any  new  features 
he  may  have  imported  into  his  exhibit. 

These  and  any  kindred  matters  that  may 
suggest  themselves  we  propose  to  make  subjects 
of  comment  from  time  to  time,  and  trust  the 
effect  will  be  for  the  common  good  of  all. 


WORK  FOR  THE  MONTH. 

The  chief  work  of  January  is  '  preparation ' 
for  the  coming  spring.  Next  month,  when 
the  crocuses  appear,  artificial  pollen  will  be 
in  request.  It  will  be  well,  therefore,  to 
purchase  some  in  readiness.  Get  it  direct 
from  the  manufacturer  if  possible,  or  it  may 
not  be  fresh,  and  stale  etuff  is  disappointing, 
for  the  bees  will  not  take  it.  Pea -flour  is 
the  best,  all  things  considered,  and  from  large 
experience  we  can  safely  recommend  it.  Those 
whose  bees  have  access  to  large  beds  of  crocuses, 
arabis,  and  the  like,  from  which  they  can  get 
large  quantities  of  natural  pollen,  will  not  be 


January  1,  1881.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


1C7 


at  all  keen  upon  the  artificial.  We  have  this 
year  ahout  18,000  crocuses  coming  up,  any 
quantity  of  Arabia  alpinus,  some  scores  of 
pollen-hearing  willows,  and  several  thousands  of 
the  new  and  excellent  Limnanthes  Doughmi,  so 
we  shall  not  probably  require  much  pea-flour, 
although  in  bygone  years  our  bees  have  con- 
sumed a  shilling' sworth  (more  or  less)  daily,  or 
every  day  they  could  fly  during  crocus-time. 

We  wish  we  could  induce  bee-keepers  to 
provide  a  stock  of  temporary  hives,  cheap  boxes 
holding  frames  of  the  size  they  use  in  general, 
that  they  may  be  ready  for  emergency.  Every 
year  we  sound  the  same  warning  note,  'Be 
ready  ! '  but  '  the  thief  of  time  '  suggests  that 
there  is  time  enough  yet,  and  things  are  put  off 
until  they  are  indispensable,  and  it  is  '  too  late.' 
By  preparing  a  few  boxes,  holding  say  half- 
a-dozen  frames  each,  in  advance,  one  is  always 
ready  for  a  chance  swarm  from  one's  own  or 
another's  apiary,  and  one  is  independent  of  the 
hive-manufacturer  during  the  busiest  time, 
while  others  have  to  wait  while  hives,  &c.  are 
being  made.  After  so  good  a  season  (generally) 
as  1880,  we  confidently  anticipate  a  vast  in- 
crease in  the  number  of  bee-keepers  ;  and  though 
hive-makers  will  do  their  utmost  to  provide  for 
the  demands  that  will  certainly  be  made  upon 
them,  there  will  surely  be  some  who  will  have 
to  wait.  By  ordering  early  the  customer  can 
get  his  goods  by  the  cheapest  route,  viz.,  by 
'  goods '  instead  of  passenger  train,  or  express 
messenger,  and  there  is  the  time  for  painting 
and  arranging  as  may  be  necessary.  Last  year 
we  had  three  telegrams  in  June  to  say  the  bees 
had  swarmed,  there  were  no  hives  ready,  and 
we  were  to  send  a  messenger  with  hives  forth- 
with, doubling  the  cost  of  the  hives,  and  risking 
the  loss  of  the  swarms,  besides  which,  the  hives 
we  were  able  to  send  were  not  of  the  pattern 
required. 

'  A  word  to  the  wise  is  sufficient  for  them ; ' 
others  must  put  up  with  the  consequences  of 
procrastination. 


ABBOTT'S  LONG-HOLED  EXCLUDER 
ZINC. 

An  American  correspondent,  writing  to  Mr. 
A.  I.  Root,  Editor  of  Gleanings  in  Bee-cult  arc, 
asks  for  tinner's  punches  of  suitable  size  for 
punching  holes  in  tin  separators,  with  which 
he  says  there  is  a  widespread  dissatisfaction  ; 
and  Mr.  Root,  in  reply,  writes : — 

'  The  subject  is  being  considerably  agitated  now, friend 
H.,  but  I  fear  you  will  not  be  able  to  get  a  punch  to 
perforate  the  separators  you  now  have,  because  it  would 
bulge  and  curl  up  the  tin,  unless  a  die  was  made  to  work 
witli  the  punch.  Who  among-  us  has  the  necessary  skill 
and  tools  to  make  such  a  machine  for  a  small  amount  of 
inuiit'Y?  Friend  Jones  is  very  enthusiastic  on  a  separa- 
tor made  to  divide  off  the  hive,  so  that  the  queen  and 


drones  can  be  "  fenced  off,"  as  it  were,  from  the  workers. 
The  holes  are  to  be  oblong,  and  he  says  that  if  made 
exactly  right,  the  workers  pass  and  repass  without 
trouble,  but  the  queen  and  drones  are  effectually  excluded. 
The  separators  are  made  of  zinc,  and  with  a  pair  of  them 
he  claims  to  be  able  to  make  the  bees  store  all  the  honey 
they  gather  in  section-boxes,  in  the  body  of  the  hive, 
and  in  the  centre  of  the  brood-nest  if  we  wish,  and  that, 
too,  without  getting  either  brood  or  pollen  in  them. 
The  idea,  I  believe,  comes  mainly  from  our  English 
friends.  If  I  am  correct,  no  surplus-boxes  are  used  on  top, 
but  all  are  placed  in  one  brood  apartment,  and  the  frame 
is  to  be  a  deep  one — much  like  the  old  American  frame 
that  has  been  used  so  extensively,  and  mostly  discarded, 
if  I  mistake  not.  Our  usual  frame  of  sections,  placed  on 
each  side  of  the  brood-nest,  it  seems  to  me,  covers  about 
the  whole  of  this  ground,  but  perhaps  I  am  not  right 
about  it.  I  have  no  doubt  but  that  the  perforated  separa- 
tors will  be  a  great  advance ;  but  I  cannot  see  how  it 
will  pay  to  perforate  the  metal  by  hand,  unless  one  has 
much  spare  time  on  his  hands.' 

While  thanking  Mr.  Root  for  conceding  to 
English  bee-keepers  the  credit  of  introducing 
excluder-zinc  to  bee  uses  we  feel  bound  to 
caution  American  friends  generally  against  the 
misapprehension  as  to  its  utilities  that  is  ap- 
parent in  his  reply. 

Zinc  with  round-holed  perforations  was  first 
brought  into  public  notice  for  queen-excluding 
purposes  by  Mr.  Obed  Poole,  of  Uphill,  Weston- 
super-Mare,  in  1875;  and  a  letter  of  his  will  be 
found  in  page  75  of  the  British  Bee  Journal  for 
that  year,  in  which  he  stated  that  he  had  used 
it  'for  some  years.'  Mr.  Poole  also  said, 
'  Another  good  feature  in  the  zinc  is,  I  believe, 
that  it  is  almost  impossible  for  a  bee  to  get 
through  with  a  load  of  pollen' ;  and  this  fact 
is  an  important  one  as  distinguishing  the  round- 
holed  zinc  from  the  long-holed  of  later  intro- 
duction. The  zinc  used  by  Mr.  Poole  had 
3-16-inch  perforations,  but  after  considerable 
experience  it  was  found  to  be  a  little  too  large ; 
and  on  the  recommendation  of  Mr.  Cowan, 
that  having  5-24  came  generally  into  use  ;  and 
it  was  with  this  kind  we  covered  our  '  new  idea  ' 
frame  of  1877,  a  full  description  of  which  was 
given  in  Journal,  page  62,  of  that  year,  and 
which  Mr.  D.  A.  Jones,  of  Ontario,  is  now 
introducing  into  America.  Subsequent  to  that 
date,  and  through  correspondence  and  personal 
contact  with  Colonel  Pearson,  of  Nancy,  France, 
— who  will  ever  be  rememberedinconnexionwith 
improved  bee-culture  both  there  and  here — we 
were  made  aware  that  the  late  venerable  Abbe 
Collin  had  been  for  years  using  sheet-iron  with 
oblong  holes  in  it  for  excluding  purposes,  and 
having  obtained  samples,  presently  succeeded  in 
obtaining  the  correct  thing  in  zinc,  as  it  is  now 
largely  used  in  all  English  apiaries.  The 
round-hole  perforation  admits  the  body  of  a 
worker,  but  gives  it  a  scraping  squeeze  all 
round,  thereby  effectually  preventing  thepassao-e 
of  pollen.  The  Abbe"  Collin  had  abandoned  the 
round  hole  on  this  very  account,  and  adopted 
the  long  but  narrower  hole  through  which  a 


168 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[January  1,  1881. 


queen  cannot  pass  her  thorax,  while  a  worker 
can  easily  pass  through  with  very  slight  pres- 
sure, and  with  no  hindrance  to  her  pollen- 
carrying.  We  trust  the  advanced  Americans 
who  follow  Mr.  Jones'  lead  with  his  Anglo- 
French  contribution  to  improvement  in  bee- 
culture  will  not  be  disappointed  if  their  first 
experiments  are  not  entirely  satisfactory — the 
round  holes  that  will  barely  admit  the  abdomen 
of  a  worker,  and  keep  out  the  pollen,  will 
sometimes  admit  the  thorax  of  a  queen  (her 
largest  diameter),  while  the  narrower  long  hole 
which  is  an  efficient  excluder  to  the  queen,  yet 
will  permit  the  passage  of  a  worker  with  slight 
flattening  pressure,  will  admit  its  load  of 
pollen  also.  Probably  a  slightly  elliptical  hole 
is  the  sine  qua  non  for  all  purposes ;  but  with 
a  knowledge  of  the  above  facts  we  get  along 
very  well.  We  had  the  pleasure  of  supplying 
Mr.  Jones  with  the  zinc  with  which  he  has 
been  experimenting  when  he  was  here  in  May 
last,  and  are  glad  he  is  able  to  commend  it. — 
Ed.  B.  B.  J.     

STINGLESS  BEE  ASSOCIATION  OF 
AMERICA. 

A  'cute  bee-keeper  of  Rochester,  N  T.,  is 
asking  the  co-operation  of  at  least  a  hundred 
of  those  who  have  ten  dollars  to  spare  to  en- 
able him  to  visit  Brazil  in  search  of  bees  exist- 
ing there  that  have  '  no  stingers  ; '  and  in  return 
they  are  to  have  one  stingiess  bee  queen  each, 
'  guaranteed  safe  arrival.'  If  two  hundred 
subscribers  turn  ujp  they  are  each  to  have  two 
queens  ;  and  if  three  hundred  (he  does  not  want 
more),  then  each  is  to  have  three  queens  of 
'the  very  best  variety.'  The  promoter  under- 
takes to  go  to  Brazil  and  take  charge  of  the 
enterprise  (and  the  6007.,  of  course),  and  do 
his  level  best.  He  is  calmly  satisfied  that  his 
announcement  on  the  15th  September  last  was 
the  first  ever  given  in  the  United  States  that 
stingiess  bees  existed '  anywhere  on  the  habitable 
globe,'  and  that  being  so  we  in  England  claim 
to  be  a  little  in  advance,  for  our  friend,  W.  Carr, 
Esq.,  of  Newton  Heath,  Manchester,  rather 
fully  described  such  bees  in  the  second  volume 
of  our  Journal,  under  the  heading  '  Trigona, 
or  Brazilian  Stingiess  Bees.'  Our  American 
friend  has  discovered  that  there  are  no  less  than 
eighteen  distinct  varieties  of  bees,  instead  of  one 
(where  ? — En.) ;  but  Mr.  Carr  tells  us  of  '  about 
seventy '  in  Brazil,  and  moreover  that,  although 
they  cannot  sting,  they  bite  most  unmercifully, 
and  when  provoked  make  '  a  terrible  attack '  on 
their  disturber,  and  usually  '  cut  off  his  hair.' 
(See  page  174,  Vol.  IV.,  B.  B.  J.)  Our  Yankee 
friend  does  not  tell  us  about  this  '  barber  '-ous 
propensity  of  the  bees  of  his  ambition,  perhaps 
because,  in  addition  to  hair-cutting,  they  have 
a  penchant  for  '  shaving.' 


'  MODERN  BEE-KEEPING  '  AND 
DIAGRAMS. 

We  are  requested  to  state  that  Modem  Bee- 
keeping :  A  Handbook  for  Cottagers,  and  the 
'  Diagrams  illustrating  Bee  Life  and  Culture, 
and  the  Relations  of  Bees  to  Flowering  Plants,' 
and  which  have  now  been  included  in  the  list 
of  apparatus  for  Science  Schools  by  the  Science 
and  Art  Department  at  South  Kensington,  are 
about  to  be  published  for  the  British  Bee- 
keepers' Association  by  Messrs.  Longman  &  Co., 
the  well-known  educational  and  other  pub- 
lishers, of  Paternoster  Row.  The  second  edition 
of  the  Handbook,  consisting  of  five  thousand 
copies,  will  shortly  be  issued.  Persons  who  are 
desirous  of  advertising  in  the  same  are  re- 
quested to  make  early  application  for  space  to 
the  Assistant  Secretary,  Mr.  J.  Huckle,  King's 
Langley,  Watford,  Herts.  For  charges  for 
advertisements,  see  Report  of  Committee  meet- 
ing of  B.B.K.A. 


BRITISH  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

The  Committee  Meetingof  the  B.  B.  K.  A.,  was  held  at 
105  Jerinyn  Street,  St.  James's,  on  Wednesday,  December 
8th.  Present :  Mr.  T.  W.  Cowan  (in  the  chair),  Rev. 
E.  Bartrum,  F.  Cheshire,  J.  M.  Hooker,  W.  O'B.  Glennie 
(Treasurer),  and  Rev.  H.  R.  Peel  (Hon.  Sec).  The 
minutes  of  the  last  Committee  Meeting  were  read  and 
confirmed.  The  balance-sheet  for  the  month  ending 
Nov.  30th  was  read,  showing  a  balance  in  hand  of  7s.  5d. 
The  Chairman  reported,  on  behalf  of  the  sub-committee, 
'  That  the  arrangements  for  the  publication  of  the  second 
edition  of  "Modern  Bee-keeping"  were  now  complete; 
the  work  had  been  revised,  and  Mr.  Cheshire  had  pre- 
pared an  extra  chapter  on  "  Robbing.'"  It  was  resolved 
that  Mr.  Cheshire  be  empowered  to  obtain  a  block  for 
illustrating  the  chapter  on  robbing ;  and  that  the  fol- 
lowing prices  be  charged  for  advertisements  in  the  new 
edition  of  the  Handbook,  viz.,  whole  page,  40s.;  half  page, 
22s.  6d.;  third  page,  15s. 

The  Honorary  Secretary  moved  and  the  Rev.  E. 
Bartrum  seconded,  '  That  the  silver  and  bronze  medals 
and  certificate  offered  for  competition  at  the  annual 
shows  of  affiliated  Societies  should  be  open  for  compe- 
tition only  to  members  of  the  County  Association  re- 
siding within  the  county.'     (Carried  unanimously.) 

With  regard  to  the  practice  of  private  sales  effected  at 
shows,  and  not  being  transacted  at  the  sales  office,  which 
had  been  found  productive  of  much  confusion  and 
inconvenience,  it  was  resolved, '  That  a  more  stringent 
rule  should  be  drawn  up,  relating  to  the  payment  of 
commissions  on  sales  and  inserted  in  all  future  schedules, 
for  the  purpose  of  making  the  payment  of  commission 
on  all  sales,  by  whatever  means  effected,  compulsory.' 

The  Honorary  Secretary  announced  that  though  from 
special  circumstances  he  would  gladly  be  relieved  of  his 
office  at  the  close  of  1880,  he  would  still  undertake  to 
discharge  the  duties  of  Honorary  Secretary  if  such 
were  the  wish  of  the  General  Meeting,  and  they  con- 
tinued the  payment  of  the  salary  of  the  Assistant 
Secretary. 

The  next  Quarterly  Meeting  of  the  Association  will 
take  place  on  Wednesday,  January  19th,  when  a  paper 
will  be  read  by  Frank  Lyon,  Esq.,  on  'Cheap  Bar- 
Frame  Hives  for  Cottagers'' Use.'  The  Annual  General 
Meeting  of  the  Association  will  take  place  on  Wednesday, 
February  lOlh. 


January  1,  1881  .j 


THE  BKITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


n;y 


BEITISH  BEE-KEEPERS'  CONVERSAZIONE. 

Discussion  on  the  Rev.  E.  Bartrunis  Paper  on  the 
Stewarton  Hive. 

The  discussion  was  commenced  by  Mr.  T.  W.  Cowan, 
who  said  that  after  sixteen  years'  experience  with  the 
Stewarton  hive,  he  might  be  expected  to  say  something 
about  it.  He  was  not  prepared  to  condemn  it,  but  on 
the  contrary,  he  considered  it  a  very  useful  hive,  which 
certainly  held  an  intermediate  position  between  the 
straw  skep  and  the  moveable  comb  hive.  It  was  far 
superior  to  the  straw  skep,  but  did  not  come  up  to 
the  moveable  comb  hive.  This  gave  the  bee-master 
complete  control  over  his  bees,  and  allowed  him  to 
perform  operations  with  ease  which  would  be  extremely 
difficult  if  he  only  used  the  Stewarton  hive.  He  had 
adopted  several  variations  in  working  the  Stewarton 
system,  and  had  found  generally  two  body-boxes  and 
an  eke  sufficient.  Instead  of  having  an  entrance  to 
each  body-box,  he  preferred  the  three  entrances  in  the 
lower  body-box,  as  recommended  by  'the  Renfrewshire 
Bee-keeper.'  There  were  only  four  frames  in  a  Stewarton 
box,  and  these  were  screwed  down,  and  before  they 
could  be  made  moveable  or  an  examination  of  the  hive 
take  place  they  had  to  be  unscrewed.  To  examine  the 
side  combs  the  boxes  have  to  be  turned  up,  and  unless 
the  frames  are  screwed  down  they  fall  out.  He  had 
witnessed  an  accident  of  this  sort  last  summer  when 
visiting  a  friend  who  had  a  Stewarton  hive.  His  friend 
had  forgotten  that  he  had  not  screwed  down  the 
frames,  and  on  turning  over  the  hives,  frames,  combs, 
and  bees  all  fell  to  the  ground  in  one  confused  mass. 
The  trouble  of  making  a  thorough  examination  of 
Stewarton  hives  is,  moreover,  gieatly  increased  by 
having  to  go  through  the  same  operation  in  each  box ; 
and  when  these  are  taken  apart  and  are  full  of  bees,  it 
is  not  such  an  easy  matter.  He  had  stocked  Stewarton 
hives  with  as  many  as  five  swarms,  but  had  found  by  ex- 
perience that  two  good  swarms  placed  in  the  body-boxes 
did  better  than  a  larger  number.  Mr.  Bartrum  had 
mentioned  as  one  of  the  advantages  of  the  Stewarton 
hive  the  side  slits  for  admitting  the  bees  into  supers, 
and  preventing  the  queens  going  up  into  them ;  but  the 
same  plan  was  adopted  by  those  who  used  moveable 
comb-hives  for  the  same  purpose.  Here,  however,  he 
would  admit  that  the  Stewartons  had  the  advantage, 
as  in  these  the  queen  would  rarely  visit  the  outer  combs 
if  she  had  sufficient  room  for  laying  in  the  centre  of 
the  hive.  His  opinion  was  in  favour  of  frame-hives, 
as  in  them  you  can  make  the  bees  increase  more  rapidly. 
By  following  out  his  plan,  publi-hed  some  years  ago 
and  now  universally  adopted  by  advanced  bee-keepers, 
viz.  that  of  contracting  the  brood-chamber  of  a  hive  so 
that  the  bees  cover  every  comb  and  spreading  the  brood, 
it  is  astonishing  how  rapidly  a  weak  hive  may  be  built 
up  and  become  strong,  and  that  under  conditions  which 
would  prove  fatal  to  a  Stewarton.  Bees  are  more 
inclined  to  extend  their  brood-chamber  laterally,  but 
this  is  prevented  in  the  Stewarton  hive  by  the  outer 
combs,  which  act  like  blocks  of  ice,  compelling  the  bees 
to  extend  their  brood  nest  downwards.  Although  he 
had  been  for  many  years  a  successful  exhibitor  of 
Stewarton  supers,  he  could  not  allow  that  sections  gave 
so  much  trouble  to  the  bee-keeper  as  Mr.  Bartrum 
would  make  out.  He  did  not  see  why  it  was  necessary 
to  have  three  tiers  of  sections  when  one  would  do  as 
well,  or  better.  He  used  a  rack  of  twenty-one  sections, 
and  had  found  this  by  proper  management  quite  suf- 
ficient for  a  whole  season,  for  as  fast  as  any  of  the 
sections  become  filled  they  are  removed,  and  empty 
ones  put  in  their  places.  There  is  a  great  advantage 
in  being  able  to  remove  a  comb  as  soon  as  finished,  as 
the  bees  do  not  discolour  it  or  increase  the  thickness 
of  the  wax  covering  to  the  cells,  as  they  do  if  left  too 
long  on  the  hive ;  and  as  the  centre  combs   are  com- 


pleted before  the  outer  ones,  much  time  is  saved  by 
their  removal.  With  a  Stewarton  hive  you  have  to 
wait  until  the  outside  combs  of  the  supers  are  sealed 
over,  or  they  do  not  look  well ;  and  by  the  time  this 
is  done,  unless  the  flow  of  honey  is  very  great,  the 
centre  combs  are  overdone.  He  thought  that  the  plan 
of  giving  bees  additional  breeding  space,  at  the  rate  of 
one  or  two  frames  at  a  time,  preferable  to  giving  them 
a  whole  bodj'-box,  as  in  the  Stewarton,  because  the 
heat  of  the  hive  is  better  utilised  if  the  hive  is  enlarged 
only  in  proportion  to  the  requirements  of  the  colony. 
He  had  prevented  swarming  in  moveable  comb-hives 
by  removing  some  of  the  combs  and  filling  up  their 
places  with  comb  foundation  or  empty  combs ;  this  gave 
the  queen  more  breeding  room.  Also,  the  free  use  of 
the  extractor  assisted  very  much  in  checking  swarming, 
and  was  only  advantageously  applicable  to  moveable 
comb  hives.  Mr.  Bartrum  had  mentioned  164  lbs.  of 
super  honey  and  30  lbs.  from  body-boxes  as  being  the 
largest  harvest  of  honey  from  a  Stewarton ;  but  he 
would  mention  that  he  had  taken  120  lbs.  of  super 
honey,  and  S'.ilbs.  of  extracted  honey  from  one  frame- 
hive,  and  this  showed  a  balance  in  favour  of  the  frame- 
hive.  Had  the  extractor  been  used  entirely  he  had  no 
doubt  this  quantity  might  have  been  doubled.  He  did 
not  see  the  use  of  the  buttons  on  the  Stewarton  boxes 
and  thought  they  were  only  in  the  way.  He  had  not 
found  the  slides  much  trouble,  and  if  the  hives  were 
strong  enough  in  bees  the  internal  temperature  of  the 
hive  would  always  be  sufficient  to  prevent  their  being 
too  firmly  fixed  in  the  grooves.  As  to  manipulations, 
such  as  cutting  out  queen-cells,  removing  brood,  and 
artificial  swarming,  no  one  can  deny  that  they  are 
carried  on  much  more  easily  in  a  moveable  comb-hive. 
He  wished  to  say  one  word  as  to  feeding.  The  idea 
occurred  to  him  that  it  would  be  a  great  advantage 
if  in  the  autumn  one  hive  could  be  made  to  do  the 
work  of  a  whole  apiary.  Those  who  were  feeding  their 
bees  know  that  last  week  the  cold  put  a  sudden  stop 
to  it.  Now  all  honey  or  syrup  unsealed  ought  to  be 
extracted,  or  the  stocks  would  be  liable  to  dysentery. 
Instead  of  feeding  up  each  hive  separately,  he  had  fitted 
up  a  paraffin  stove  in  one  of  his  bee-houses,  and  kept  one 
hive  at  a  high  temperature  day  and  night.  He  had  had 
a  large  feeder  made  to  hold  half  a  gallon,  which  was 
placed  on  the  top  of  the  hive,  and  was  replenished  as 
fast  as  the  bees  carried  the  syrup  down.  In  this  way  he 
had  got  these  bees  to  fill  and  seal  their  combs  from  top 
to  bottom,  and  as  fast  as  they  were  completed  he 
removed  them,  and  distributed  them  amongst  those 
hives  requiring  stores.  So  far  the  experiment  had  been 
satisfactory. 

Mr.  Cheshire  considered  Mr.  Bartrum 's  paper  to  con- 
tain so  much  that  was  excellent  and  valuable,  and  which 
withal  made  out  such  a  strong  case,  that  he  did  not  feel 
disposed  to  attack  the  Stewarton  at  all  sharply.  He 
said  it  was  difficult  in  a  Stewarton  hive  to  overhaul 
the  stock,  and  finding  the  queen  was  often  impossible, 
though  by  putting  side  slips  to  the  outside  bars,  the 
difficulty  is  considerably  lessened.  No  doubt  the  great 
advantage  of  the  Stewarton  hive  is  its  elasticity.  With 
regard  to  the  moveable  comb  hive,  we  have  not  all  of  us 
yet  attained  perfection,  and  indeed  ordinary  management 
left  the  frame-hive  practically  inelastic.  The  common 
idea  used  to  be  that  bees  were  to  be  put  into  a  bar- 
frame  hive,  and  expected  to  fill  the  supers  without  any 
further  trouble  on  the  part  of  the  bee-keeper.  An  intel- 
ligent bee-keeper  would  not  think  now  of  putting  a  few 
bees  to  ramble  ad  libitum  over  a  large  empty  hive,  and 
fill  it  as  they  best  could.  He  who  knows  how  to  manage 
would  narrow  the  space  in  which  his  bees  are  placed  by  the 
means  of  dummies,  and  then,  as  the  bees  multiply,  keep 
on  expanding  that  space  until  li is  hive  is  quite  full  of 
bees.  The  Stewarton  is  certainly  not  so  gradually  ex- 
pansible as  the  frame-hive,  as  one  must  pass  at  once  from 


170 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[January  1,  1881. 


one  box  to  two,  or  at  best  to  a  box  and  eke.  Though 
much  may  be  done  in  the  Stewarton  towards  preventing 
swarming,  the  same  may  be  accomplished  in  the  bar- 
framed  hive  by  continual  expansion.  The  great  secret 
of  success  is  to  increase  the  brood-nest  gradually,  and  to 
obtain  a  large  quantity  of  bees  before  the  beginning  of  the 
honey  harvest.  He  had  obtained  such  results  last  year 
by  acting  on  this  principle,  as  could  not  have  been  obtained 
in  any  other  way.  A  principal  desideratum  in  any  form 
of  hive  lies  in  its  expansibility  and  its  contractibility ; 
the  lack  of  which,  even  if  it  had  no  other  drawback, 
would  put  the  skep  utterly  out  of  court  in  the  opinion 
of  those  who  have  learnt  modern  plans.  There  is  a 
change  of  opinion  discernible  as  to  the  size  of  hives.  The 
Americans  begin  to  say  that  their  hives  are  too  big,  and 
smaller  hives  are  coming  into  favour.  The  less  room 
you  have  in  the  brood-box,  the  more  bees  you  must,  of 
course,  have  in  your  sections.  Give  the  queen  room 
enough,  but  short  of  this  all  hives  should  be  contracted 
as  much  as  possible  when  supers  are  put  on  ;  all  combs 
containing  no  brood  being  removed.  With  regard  to 
feeding,  Mr.  Cheshire  had  now  tried  flour-cake  for  two 
seasons,  and  could  speak  of  it  in  the  highest  terms  of  ap- 
proval. He  had  used  tallow  to  grease  the  slides  of  his 
Stewarton  hives,  and  had  found  that  this  prevented  the 
bees  from  fastening  them  down  with  propolis.  He  men- 
tioned in  reference  to  the  number  of  swarms  which 
might  be  put  into  a  Stewarton  hive,  that  some  French 
experiments  show  clearly  that  67,000  bees  give  the  best 
results,  and  that  little  good  is  done  if  swarms  are  added 
after  12  lbs.  of  bees  have  been  massed  together.  Mr. 
Cheshire  disapproved  of  the  buttons  on  the  Stewarton 
hive,  as  the  bees  would  fix  the  boxes  together,  quite  well 
enough  for  themselves.  In  conclusion,  Mr.  Cheshire 
allowed  that  much  was  to  be  said  for  the  Stewarton 
hive,  but  declared  his  belief  that  as  bee-keepers  go  on 
with  the  ordinary  frame-hive,  and  learn  by  experience 
how  much  may  be  done  with  it,  the  latter  will  come  more 
and  more  exclusively  to  the  front. 

The  Rev.  George  Kaynor  had  worked  the  Stewarton 
hive  for  twenty  years,  but  not  in  its  improved  form. 
The  frames  were  originally  not  removeable,  and  in  that 
form  the  hive  was  not  to  be  encouraged,  fie  had  tried 
greasing  the  slides,  and  had  not  found  it  to  answer,  as 
the  bees  removed  the  tallow,  and  then  propolised.  With 
regard  to  facility  of  manipulations  he  was  of  opinion  that 
the  Stewarton  must  yield  to  the  bar-frame  hive. 

Captain  Campbell  regarded  the  Stewarton  hive  as  a 
convenience.  Some  friends  of  his  had  asked  him  to  take 
care  of  their  Stewarton  hives  during  their  absence  from 
home,  and  he  had  soon  found  out  the  difficulty  arising 
from  the  side  frames  being  screwed  down.  He  had 
turned  them  all  into  moveable  frames,  and  had  put  them 
into  the  Slinger.  He  found  the  Stewarton  supers  un- 
wieldy and  inconvenient.  It  was  also  difficult  to  find 
purchasers  for  supers  weighing  20  lbs.;  but  he  was  fond 
of  taking  a  holiday  now  and  then  ;  and  as  his  frame-hives 
kept  him  rather  too  much  at  work,  he  admitted  the  con- 
venience of  the  Stewarton  for  those  who  could  not  be 
always  attending  to  their  hives.  He  made  his  own 
Stewarton  boxes  for  one  shilling  each,  and  thought  five 
shillings  too  much  to  give  for  them.  He  found  no  diffi- 
culty in  overcoming  the  propolising  of  the  grooves  and 
slides  by  prising  them  open  with  a  thin  knife.  Buttons 
he  thought  an  abomination,  and  took  them  away,  winding 
a  cloth  round  the  hives.  He  thought  that  three  entrances 
to  a  hive  were  a  mistake,  and  that  there  should  be  but  one 
entrance.  Bees  wintered  in  Stewartons,  perhaps,  better 
than  in  frame-hives,  ;ii id  the  boxes  were  very  easily  turned 
over,  so  that  you  could  see  all  that  was  going  on  inside. 

In  replying  to  the  remarks  made  upon  his  paper,  Mr. 
Bartrum  said  that  lie  had  "o  wish  lo  place  the  Stewarton 

above  tin:  moveable  comb  hive  ;  hut  lie  thought  that  the 
Stewarton  should  have  a  place  in  the  apiary.  Bar- 
framed  hives  require  constant  attention :  sections  must 


be  put  on  and  taken  off,  the  extractor  must  be  in  constant 
use,  queen-cells  must  be  cut  out,  and  the  hives  frequently 
examined,  and  a  busy  man  has  not  time  to  attend  to 
them.  Many  persons  wanted  a  hive  which  they  could 
keep  and  work  without  constant  supervision,  and  for 
such  persons  the  Stewarton  was  a  very  valuable  hive. 
No  doubt  the  bar-frame  hive  was  the  best  for  a  skilful 
bee-keeper  who  had  the  time  and  patience  to  bestow 
upon  it,  but  the  Stewarton  was  the  hive  for  the  busy 
man,  and  he  was  anxious  that  it  should  have  a  place 
in  the  bee  kingdom. 

Mr.  T.  W.  Cowan,  in  moving  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr. 
Bartrum  for  his  excellent  and  valuable  paper,  was  quite 
prepared  to  allow  the  value  of  the  Stewarton  hive. 
Management  was,  however,  the  great  thing  after  all. 
With  good  management  almost  any  hive  will  succeed. 
Bee-keepers  are  unsuccessful  because  they  do  not  manage 
their  hives  rightly.  He  had  had  a  frame-hive  this 
season  reduced  to  five  frames,  in  each  of  which  there 
was  brood  to  the  top  bar,  and  it  had  given  him  some 
beautiful  sections.  He  advised  all  bee-keepers  to  com- 
press their  bees  with  dummies,  and  to  reduce  the  size 
of  their  hives  to  the  number  of  bees  which  they  contain. 

The  motion  for  a  vote  of  thanks  was  seconded  by  the 
Kev.  George  Raynor. 

The  Rev.  E.  Bartrum  moved  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the 
Chairman,  the  Rev.  W.  Stuart  Walford,  whom  he  com- 
mended as  being  one  of  the  chief  promoters  of  the 
Suffolk  County  Bee-keepers'  Association,  which  had  at- 
tained the  distinction  of  having  purchased  a  bee  tent 
during  the  first  year  of  its  existence.  Mr.  Bartrum  also 
mentioned  the  very  successful  show  which  had  been 
held  this  year  at  Ipswich  mainly  through  the  exertions 
of  their  Chairman  for  the  evening. 

Captain  Campbell  seconded  the  motion. 

The  Chairman,  in  responding,  regretted  the  absence  of 
the  Rev.  R.  A.  White,  the  Vicar  of  Ipswich,  who  had 
been  obliged  to  leave  at  the  conclusion  of  the  earlier 
meeting  held  on  that  day.  Mr.  White  had  achieved 
great  success  with  his  Stewarton  hives,  and  had  taken 
140  lbs.  from  one  this  year.  Mr.  Walford  supposed 
that  success  was,  as  Mr.  Cowan  had  said,  to  a  great  extent, 
a  question  of  management,  both  with  the  Stewarton  and 
the  Bar-frame. 

With  reference  to  a  question  asked  by  the  Chairman 
as  to  the  efficacy  of  tallow  in  keeping  away  the  bee- 
moth,  Mr.  F.  Lyon  stated  that  he  had  found  a  mixture 
of  tallow  and  black-lead  very  useful  for  that  purpose. 


THE  STEWARTON  HIVE. 
By  the  Renfrewshire  Bee-keeper. 

While  perusing  with  much  interest  the  Rev.  E. 
Bartrum's  excellent  lecture  in  last  month's  B.B.J,  on 
my  favourite  hive,  the  Stewarton,  I  could  not  hut  regret 
that  other  engagements  prevented  me  being  present  to 
hear  it  delivered,  when  I  would  have  been  delighted  to 
have  borne  the  brunt  of  the  fire  of  criticism  to  which  it 
was  subjected,  down  to  its  most  minute  part- -the 
buttons ;  and  having  seen  a  report  of  the  discussion 
which  followed,  I  would  take  the  earliest  opportunity  of 
craving  a  little  space  to  try  and  remove  some  of  the 
misconception-smoke  left  hanging  around  it. 

Having  for  many  years  disinterestedly  endeavoured 
to  spread  more  widely  a  knowledge  of  the  splendid 
results  obtained  by  the  hive  and  system  of  bee-manage- 
ment I  had  done  something  to  improve,  I  felt  the  fullest 
sympathy  with  the  rev.  lecturer,  who,  true  to  the 
instincts  of  his  profession,  finding  its  great  value,  pro- 
ceeded to  proclaim  it  before  his  brethren  of  the  British 
Bee-ieepers'  Association,  and  what  he  has  so  well  said 
leaves  but  little  to  supplement. 

Although  the  wooden  covers  I  use  keep  the  hives  nice 
and  dry,  parties  to  whom  their  cost  is  an  object  must 
understand  that  is  an  outlay  not  absolutely  necessary  in 


January  1,  1881.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


171 


conjunction  with  the  hive ;  a  good  thick  straw  hackle  is 
a  useful  although  not  so  good  a  protection,  provided  the 
hive-hoard  stands  as  it  ought,  some  twenty  inches  ahove 
the  level  of  the  ground  on  a  6-ineh  fire-clay  fawcet  pipe 
sunk  16  to  18  inches. 

There  should  be  three  entrances  to  each  body-box,  and 
these  I  regularly  widen  to  5  inches  long  by  three-quarters 
of  an  inch  deep.  All  are  kept  closed  with  the  sliding 
doors  save  those  in  the  lowest  box,  and  there  the  side 
ones  are  similarly  kept  shut  except  during  the  full  heat 
of  the  supering  season.  The  central  door,  or  '  mouth- 
piece,' I  divide  into  two  equal  portions,  for  regulating  the 
entrance  in  the  centre.  So  placed,  and  the  hive  drawn 
close  to  the  cover-front,  bees  are  effectually  excluded  from 
the  cover.  No  doubt  in  hives  destined  to  swarm,  drawing 
back  the  hive  and  admitting  the  bees  afford  them  the 
f idlest  protection  from  sunshine  and  shower ;  but  in  non- 
swarming  Stewartons  these  idlers  are  much  better  drawn 
up  to  secrete  wax  on  the  guides  of  added  supers.  When 
once  the  supering  season  is  fairly  on,  the  hive  is  stripped 
for  action — the  cover  removed  entirety,  the  hive  drawn 
back  to  the  flush  end  of  the  board,  thus  giving  the  fullest 
alighting  room  in  front  and  keeping  out  damp  behind. 
From  the  iron  weighing-hooks  in  the  body-box  I  cord 
tight  down  the  supers  to  prevent  their  displacement  by 
the  four-ply  thick  crumb-cloth  or  other  warm  woollen  stuff 
folded  and  tied  tightly  around  them.  The  moveable  top 
of  the  cover  is  then  set  on,  and  from  its  vase  on  the  apex 
is  suspended,  on  the  sunny  side,  a  full-sized  Archangel 
bast-mat.  After  the  three  doors  of  the  lower  box  are  fully 
drawn,  thus  shaded  with  15  inches  of  door  space  for  air, 
egress,  and  ingress,  and  ample  and  gradual  expansion  of 
super  space,  swarming  is  reduced  to  the  minimum  :  indeed 
during  the  bypast  season  not  a  single  swarm  attempted 
to  emerge  from  one  of  my  many  Stewarton  stocks ;  and 
to  see  such  colonies  at  full  work  is  a  real  pleasure  to  every 
true  lover  of  the  bee.  But  to  return  to  the  discussion. 
The  assault  was  led  by 

Mr.  T.  W.  Cowan,  who  considered  the  Stewarton  as  an 
intermediate  step  between  the  straw  skep  and  the  move- 
able comb  hive ;  but  the  Stewarton  under  discussion  it  so 
happens  is  a  moveable  comb  hive.  It  is  against  all  rule 
to  have  any  entrance  but  through  the  lower  body-box. 
He  admitted  the  frames  and  bars  are  fixed  with  half -inch 
brass  screws  by  makers  to  retain  these  in  position  on 
their  journey,  and  are  still  useful  for  inversion  to  receive 
a  swarm  up  in  a  tree  ;  but  so  soon  as  the  hive  is  peopled, 
the  screws  are  at  once  withdrawn,  and  at  the  present 
moment  there  is  not  a  single  screw  in  my  apiary,  but 
had  Ioccasionto  send  ahive  away  orto  the  moors,  to  keep 
all  safe  I  would  certainly  reinsert  them.  I  prefer  sweeping 
the  bees  from  the  combs  of  my  hives,  but  for  those 
choosing  to  drive  the  screws  afford  the  facility.  I  am 
glad  to  hear  that  one  of  the  best  and  most  original 
features  of  the  Stewarton  hive,  excluding  queens  from 
supers,  has  been  copied  in  square  frame  hives ;  presum- 
ably by  zinc  excluders,  which  was  all  along  effected  in 
the  former  so  simply  by  the  slides.  The  Stewarton  being 
essentially  a  strong  hive  system,  its  disciples  are  for- 
tunately better  accustomed  to  expand  than  '  contract  the 
space;'  and  as  for  'spreading  the  brood,'  they  more 
wisely  leave  that  to  be  l-egulated  by  the  numbers  and 
instinct  of  the  nurse  bees.  I  entirely  dissent  from 
Mr.  Cowan's  theory  that  bees  will  extend  their  combs 
and  multiply  more  rapidly  in  a  square  than  a  Stewarton 
hive,  having  in  novitiate  days  abundantly  proved  the 
contrary.  The  heat  emanating  from  the  central  cluster 
ascends  to  keep  the  brood  overhead  warm,  which  liberates 
so  many  more  bees  to  increase  the  cluster.  Wax- 
secreting  and  comb-building  progress  more  rapidly  in  a 
downward  direction  than  when  the  cluster  is  divided  and 
combs  built  at  either  end.  With  regard  to  the  question 
of  sections,  I  quite  agree  with  Mr.  Bartrum  that 
Stewarton  supers  give  more  hone}'  with  much  less 
trouble.     Mr.  Cowan,  I  fear,  labours  under  a  misappre- 


hension as  to  the  completion  of  the  Stewarton  supers  : 
the  bees  ascend  and  cluster  on  the  end  bars,  and  from 
thence  the  work  gradually  progresses  towards  the  centre, 
where  the  windows  are  purposely  placed  ;  and  it  is  an 
axiom  in  the  Stewarton  system,  that  so  soon  as  the 
central  combs  are  seen  to  be  sealed  out,  the  super  can  be 
safely  removed  complete ;  and  in  all  my  experience  of 
this  hive  I  do  not  remember  meeting  with  a  single 
exception  to  the  rule.  But  I  have  had  much  trouble 
when  I  wrought  square  supers  on  square  hives,  of 
unsealed  end  combs  and  corners.  To  contrast  harvest 
results,  one  year  and  one  district  of  country  against 
others,  affords  no  criterion  as  to  the  comparative  value 
of  any  hive  or  system. 

Mr.  Cheshire  followed  by  saying  he  did  not  feel  dis- 
posed to  attack  the  Stewarton  at  all  sharply,  and  it  woidd 
be  very  ungrateful  if  he  did  after  finding  for  him  the 
premier  super  in  the  honey  famine  season  of  1879 — the 
proof  of  the  pudding  is  at  all  times  the  eating  of  it.  I  was 
first  attracted  to  bee-keeping  through  opening  up  several 
colonies  long  established  in  the  roof  of  the  house  here, 
and  there  learned  the  true  '  Philosophy  of  Hive  Shape  ' 
in  the  five  or  six  feet  stretches  of  comb  I  measured  in  the 
narrower,  while  the  wider  they  as  heartily  eschewed,  as 
they  afterwards  did  the  collateral  additions  of  my 
'Pavilions  of  Nature'  of  the  much-vaunted  Nutt's  hive; 
and  every  conceivable  plan  of  lateral  extension  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  novice  could  invent  proved  an  utter 
failure,  the  bees  persistently  carrying  the  brood-combs 
downwards  and  the  honey-comb  upw-ards,  with  the  regu- 
larity of  the  piston  of  a  steam-engine.  When  I  found 
the  Stewarton,  I  discovered  what  I  considered  the  nearest 
approach  to  their  beau  ideal;  it  yielded  me  harvests 
unknown  before  for  quantity  as  well  as  quality :  for, 
after  all,  what  is  the  bee-keeper's  great  desideratum  ? 
— the  maximum  of  honey  with  the  minimum  of  trouble, 
other  points  follow  after,  as  subsidiary.  There  was  now 
no  removing  the  end  combs  in  autumn  as  in  the  square 
hives,  no  contracting  of  space  iu  spring,  but  expansion 
into  lower  box,  the  usual  large  surplus  store  saving  all 
feeding;  only  trouble,  a  pleasant  morning's  task  in  putting 
on  and  afterwards  removing  filled  supers.  There  are,  how- 
ever, a  class  of  bee-keepers  who  must  continually  be 
pottering  amongst  their  bees  ;  such  disturbed  hives  don't 
usually  give  great  returns.  According  to  a  recent  work 
the  '  bee-farming '  of  the  future  is  to  be  carried  out  in 
12-inch  square  boxes,  no  supers  tolerated;  the  greatest 
harvests  known  are  to  be  obtained  by  continually  passing 
the  end  frames  through  the  extractor  as  quickly  as 
gathered.  On  the  farm,  fancy  already  hears  the  stillness 
of  the  summer  evening  broken  by  the  rattle  of  the  tin 
extractor  and  tin  milking-pail  as  they  are  passed  on  to 
the  bee-house  and  cow-house  respectively ;  and  our 
industrious  little  favourites  may  thus  be  saved  the  second 
.swallowing,  flitting,  and  disgorging  task.  Mr.  Petti- 
grew  depicts  them  as  nightly  engaged  in  performing  thus 
iu  his  big  straws ;  but  many  of  us  may  feel  thankful  we 
are  not  bee-farmers. 

Applying  the  moveable  comb  principle  to  my  roof- 
bees,  and  believing  in  it  from  the  beginning,  I  carried  it 
out  with  every  part  of  the  Stewarton  from  their  frames  ; 
I  raise  my  queens  in  nucleus  four-frame  boxes.  These, 
when  full,  are  transferred  to  form  young  colonies.  End 
combs  I  had  at  first  in  frames  similar  to  the  centre,  hut 
afterwards  dispensed  with  them,  finding  those  end  combs 
being  carried  out  to  the  sides  helped  to  concentrate  the 
central  heat  of  the  brood-nest  better,  and  isolate  more 
effectually  the  breeding  from  the  h  mey-storing  depart- 
ment. A  thin-bladed  old  table-knife  easily  severs  any 
little  comb  attachments  of  those  end  combs  should  a 
queen  have  hidden  there  from  off  the  brood-net. 

I  quite  agree  with  Mr.  Cheshire  as  to  the  modern 
frame  hive  being  practically  inelastic,  and  to  my  view, 
for  practical  bee-keeping  a  grave  fault,  the  inner  being 
inseparable  from  the  outer  shell — moveable  combs  in  a 


172 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[January  1,  1881. 


hive  filed  to  legs  and  cover.  A  friend  in  the  island  of 
Bute  last  spring  using  some  Perthshire  frame-hives  con- 
sulted me  as  to  the  best  plan  of  joining  a  queenless  to  a 
queened  stock,  and  I  suggested  sprinkling  a  little  flavoured 
syrup,  and  after  puffing  smoke  to  both,  to  place  the 
queened  one  on  the  other,  so  easily  managed  with  the 
Stewarton ;  but  I  had  a  reply  that  the  legs  forbade  the 
union.  I  had  promised  to  Italianise  a  couple  of  stocks 
to  the  same  friend,  but  as  the  hives  had  to  be  conveyed 
some  distance  to  it,  and  afterwards  by  steamer,  then 
rail,  and  a  good  way  from  station  here.  As  they  stood 
it  was  out  of  the  question ;  so  the  bee-keeper  had  to 
incur  the  expense  of  having  two  hives  made,  with 
boards  to  carry  the  stocks,  and  when  shut  in  a  man  took 
both  on  his  head. 

It  would  be  a  most  hazardous  procedure  to  move  a 
Stewarton  colony  anywhere  unbuttoned. 

Rev.  George  Raynor,  by  drawing  any  one  slide  on  top 
of  a  Stewarton,  and  then  moving  the  frame  closer  to 
blank  side,  the  next  can  be  lifted  out,  if  preferred,  with- 
out drawing  at  all,  and  so  on.  Slides  never  gave  me  any 
trouble  ;  by  drawing  one  either  side,  any  particular  frame 
can  be  inspected  without  disturbance,  to  rest.  Tallow  and 
black  lead  are  unpleasant  associations  for  a  bee-hive. 

Captain  Campbell  is  perfectly  right  in  saying  the 
Stewarton  hive  is  a  convenience,  and  gives  little 
ti-ouble.  Possibly  hives  made  so  cheaply  as  a  shilling 
a-piece  may  lack  the  exactness  of  fit  as  to  render  the 
buttons  '  an  abomination,'  and  from  the  same  cause 
ventilation  may  be  so  amply  provided  as  to  justify  the 
triple  entrance  '  a  mistake.'  I  work  two  sizes  of 
Stewarton  supers;  one  •'U  inches  deep  contain  15,  the 
other  4  inches,  20  lbs.  of  comb  honey.  It  may  not  be 
generally  known  that  the  Stewarton,  if  not  the  first 
hive  to  carry  a  super,  has  possibly  a  yet  better  claim  to 
carry  the  first  sectionals.  Its  supers,  twenty-five  to 
thirty  years  ago,  I  am  informed,  were  commonly  divided 
into  halves  and  quarters ;  but  on  turning  my  attention 
to  improve  this  hive  I  preferred  to  retain  the  super  entire 
as  '  a  crate,'  and  to  render  its  seven  combs  moveable,  as 
seven  sections.  I  give  away  most  of  my  honey  to  friends 
in  this  way  attached  to  the  bars,  and  it  is  commonly 
so  sold  in  Glasgow  Italian  warehouses  in  single  bars  at 
a  higher  price  per  lb.  than  the  entire  super  brings.  The 
bars  can  be  replaced  at  \d.  each. 


APIARIAN  NOTES  FOP  1880. 
By  Mr.  Robert  J.  Bennett. 
(Read  before  the  Natural  Society  of  Glasgow.) 
After  alluding  to  1870,  which  proved  to  be  the  worst 
season  experienced  for  the  previous  twenty  years,  and 
which  left  to  the  present  year  a  veiy  unfortunate  begin- 
ning for  bee-culture,  Mr.  Bennett  referred  to  the  advice 
he  then  gave  to  all  who  had  stocks  left  to  have  recourse 
to  a  generous  artificial  feeding  if  they  wished  to  preserve 
their  bees  from  starvation.  He  then  proceeded  to  notice 
the  mode  in  which  he  managed  his  apiary  during  the 
year.  In  January,  which  opened  unfavourably,  there 
were  some  fine  days,  of  which  the  bees  availed  them- 
selves; and  by  the  middle  of  February  breeding  had 
commenced  in  most  of  the  hives.  In  March,  which  is 
generally  a  trying  month,  the  weather  was  favourable 
until  about  the  middle,  when  a  sharp  frost  set  in,  which 
greatly  retarded  breeding.  April  was  bleak  and  cold 
until  the  18th,  and  stimulative  feeding  had  to  be  resorted 
to.  May  opened  well,  and  the  hives  were  full  of  bees, 
but  feeding  was  still  necessary.  On  the  27th  Mr.  Jones, 
from  America,  arrived  in  London  from  Cyprus  and 
Palestine,  where  he  had  been  for  a  few  months  to  pro- 
cure queens.  Two  were  ordered  from  Abbott  Bros.,  of 
Southall,  and  arrived  last  month,  and  are  doing  well, 
and  give  promise  that  next  season  a  pure  swarm  may  be 
shown  in  an  observatory  hive.  Bees  continued  to  swarm 
until   near  the   end   of   July.      Being   in    London,  the 


British  Bee-keepers'  Show  was  visited,  and  it  was  found 
that  considerable  progress  had  been  made  during  the  last 
three  years.  By  August,  swarming  having  ceased,  the 
bees  began  to  enter  the  supers.  These  were  rapidly 
filled  during  September,  and  by  the  end  of  the  month 
one  Stewarton  hive  had  reached  the  enormous  weight  of 
165  lbs.  The  harvest  was  the  finest  Mr.  Bennett  had 
ever  seen,  and  those  who  kept  their  bees  strong  reaped 
the  benefit.  His  apiary  has  repaid  all  the  outlay  and 
original  cost,  and  all  the  stocks  have  been  put  into  win- 
ter quarters  with  more  store  in  the  hives  than  they  have 
had  for  many  seasons.  If  all  goes  well,  there  should  be 
early  swarming  in  1881. 


HERTFORDSHIRE  BEE-KEEPERS' 
ASSOCIATION. 
The  Annual  General  Meeting  of  this  Association  will 
be  held  at  the  Town  Hall,  St.  Albans,  on  Tuesday, 
January  11th.  The  Chair  will  be  taken  by  the  President, 
the  Earl  of  Verulam.  The  following  important  subject 
will  be  discussed  at  this  meeting,  viz.,  '  The  advisability 
of  making  arrangements  for  annual  inspections  of  Mem- 
bers' hives  and  bees  by  the  Association's  expert  in  the 
spring  and  autumn  of  each  year.'  This  Association 
numbers  nearly  300  members. 


A  CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  PHYSIOLOGY 
OF  THE  BEE.     By  Dr.  Donhoff. 

(Continued  from  p.  146.) 

2. — On  the  Derivation  of  the  Organic  Powers  of 
the  Bee  from  Sugar. 
Formerly  it  was  believed  that  the  motive  powers 
of  the  muscles  were  derived  from  decomposition  of 
muscular  tissue.  But  when  Julius  Robert  Mayer 
had  made  us  acquainted  with  the  greatest  of  all 
the  laws  of  Nature,  the  principle  of  the  conserva- 
tion of  energy, — when  we  had  learned  to  understand 
that  forms  of  energy  are  transmutable  into  one 
another,  it  was  found  that  the  powers,  which  are 
set  free  in  the  decomposition  of  muscular  tissue,  do 
not  suffice  to  explain  motion.  The  chief  powers, 
which  are  transmuted  into  motion,  were  now  sought 
in  fat  and  sugar.  The  empirical  proof,  especially 
for  the  bees,  and  according  to  analogy  for  other 
animals,  is  given  by  the  following  experiment : 
Take  a  bee  from  the  hive  entrance,  enclose  it  in  a 
glass  at  a  temperature  of  25°  Cent.  (773  Fahr.) ; 
after  an  hour  and  a  half  it  is  incapable  of  flight ; 
after  about  two  hours  and  a  half  it  is  dead.  In  a 
higher  temperature  it  dies  earlier,  in  a  lower  one 
later.  The  honey  which  it  had  in  the  honey-bag  is 
used  up.  If  the  bee  has  become  incapable  of  flight, 
and  is  thrown  up  into  the  air,  it  falls  down  per- 
pendicularly. I  let  it  now  take  its  fill  of  syrup. 
After  about  three  minutes  and  a  half,  if  I  throw  it 
into  the  air,  it  does  not  fall  down  again  perpendi- 
cularly, but  diverging  about  a  foot  from  it ;  after 
another  half-minute  it  falls  yet  further  away ;  after 
some  minutes  it  ceases  to  fall,  and  flies  to  the 
window.  But  if  a  bee  has  given  to  it,  instead  of 
sugar,  pollen  and  water,  they  do  not  affect  it ;  its 
capability  of  flight  is  not  restored — it  dies.  In 
the  chyle-forming  stomach  there  is  still  to  be 
found  a  supply  of  albumen.  If  flight  resulted  from 
decomposition  of  muscular  tissue,  the  capacity  for 
flight  could  not  have  ceased,  since  the  muscles  are 
intact,  and  albumen  is  in  the  stomach  to  replace 
wasted  tissue.     Motion  is  restored  by  sugar,  which 


January  1,  1881.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


173 


is  not  one  uf  the  elements  of  muscular  tissue,  but 
is  consumed  in  the  blood  as  sugar,  or  as  sebacic 
acid  derived  from  it.  Muscular  contraction  arises, 
therefore,  from  combustion  of  the  sugar,  which 
with,  and  in  the  blood,  is  imbibed  by  the  muscles. 
Since  without  sugar  death  occurs,  it  follows  from 
the  experiment  mentioned,  that  with  the  bees  not 
merely  muscular  power,  but  similarly  all  powers  of 
animal  life  (the  sense  of  feeling,  brain-power)  as 
well  as  all  powers  of  vegetative  life  (cell-formation, 
glandular  secretion,  <fcc.)  are  derived  from  sugar ; 
that,  according  to  the  principle  of  the  conservation 
of  energy,  the  organic  activities  of  the  bees  are 
transmuted  forces  of  tension,  which  were  contained 
in  sugar.  The  animal  machine  of  the  bee  is  built 
up  from  the  albumen  of  pollen  ;  it  is  set  in  motion 
by  the  sugar  of  honey,  like  a  steam-engine  is  built 
of  iron,  and  is  set  in  motion  by  coal.  With  this, 
let  it  be  noticed,  that  among  all  known  animals 
the  bee  is  the  one  which  is  least  able  to  fast.  A 
bee  dies  without  food  within*  two  hours  and  a  half, 
the  house-fly  in  two  days.  Dr.  Tanner  fasted  forty 
days,  and  tortoises  can  fast  for  a  year. 
{To  be  continued.) 


PRICE  OF  HONEY  IN  IRELAND. 

Ax  Unpi  easant  Joke.  —  Cornelius  MacCabe,  3 
Chatham  Row,  honey-dealer,  processed  Mr.  Richard 
Atkinson,  of  Abercorn  House,  Charleston  Road,  to  recover 
the  sum  of  1/.  14s.  Go1.,  for  honey  sold  and  delivered  by  him 
to  the  defendant  at  his  request.  The  complainant  alleged 
that  he  met  the  defendant  at  the  Bailey  Tavern,  Duke 
Street.  The  defendant  purchased  a  cock  (23  lbs.)  of 
honey,  and  directed  him  to  leave  it  at  "Wrn.  Scallon's 
public-house,  Ranelagh,  addressed  to  Mr.  '  Snooks.' 
Complainant  did  so,  but  defendant  afterwards  denied  he 
had  ordered  more  than  a  pound,  at  Is.  8d.  The  remainder 
of  the  honey  still  lies  at  Mr.  Scallon's  establishment. 
The  complainant  identified  the  gentleman  who  had  given 
him  the  name  of  '  Snooks,'  and  he  was  examined.  He 
said  his  proper  name  was  John  Atkinson.  Mr.  O'Donel : 
It  was  most  improper  to  have  given  this  poor  man  the 
name  of  '  Snooks.'  Mr.  Ennis  :  This  gentleman  is  known 
in  Ranelagh  by  the  name  of  '  Snooks,'  and  his  taste  is  of 
such  superior  nature  that  he  has  himself  assumed  it  and 
answers  to  it.  The  defendant  at  first  denied  having 
made  any  purchase,  and  afterwards  admitted  he  might 
have  purchased  Is.  &d.  worth.  He  gave  complainant 
the  name  of  Snooks.  Mr.  Scallon  was  his  grocer,  and 
he  was  known  there  by  the  same  name.  Mr.  O'Donel 
said  if  Mr.  Snooks  meant  his  interview  with  the  com- 
plainant as  a  practical  joke  Mr.  Atkinson  would  have  to 
pay  for  it.  He  ordered  him  to  pay  11.  14s.  6rf.,  the  price 
of  the  honey,  and  10s.  6d.  costs,  to  go  to  complainant, 
but  he  (defendant)  could  now  enjoy  the  honey.  —  Free- 
man's Journal,  Nov.  23rd. 

*  This  statement  probably  needs  more  qualification  than 
is  given  to  it  by  Dr.  Donhoff.  A  swarm  of  bees,  packed 
for  carriage,  without  food  other  than  they  carry  away  in 
their  own  honey-bags,  will  certainly  live  twenty-four  hours. 
How  long  they  would  live  without  a  fresh  supply  of  food  I 
do  not  know,  as  I  have  never  experimented  on  the  subject, 
but  no  doubt  they  would  live  some  considerable  time.  The 
queen  humble  bees  live  through  the  winter,  not  in  a  nest 
supplied  with  winter  store  of  honey,  but  in  hollow  trees,  or 
any  dry  warm  coiner,  where  they  remain  dormant,  without 
food,  until  awakened  by  the  returning  warmth  of  spring. 
In  the  severe  weather  of  winter,  the  hive-bee  remains  in  a 
semi-torpid  condition,  probably  at  that  time  taking  next  to 
no  food.  The  house-fly,  too,  like  many  other  insects,  lies 
dormant  without  food  in  the  whiter. — Translator. 


SUPERIORITY  OF  THE  ITALIAN  BEES. 

Mr.  W.  Crisp,  of  Chester-le-Street,  writing  to  the 
Newcastle  Weekly  Chronicle,  of  October  9th,  gives 
the  following  excellent  summary  of  the  merits  of 
the  Italian  bee  : — 

'  In  reply  to  J.  Parker,  Wolshigham,  who  asks  for  in- 
formation upon  the  Italian  bee,  I  have  great  pleasure  in 
giving  him  my  own  personal  experience  on  the  subject. 
Some  years  ago,  when  controversy  ran  high  amongst 
apiarians  as  to  the  merits  and  demerits  of  the  Italian 
versus  the  English  bees,  I  was  induced,  from  the  glowing 
accounts  of  dealers  describing  the  beaut  if  id  golden-yellow 
bees  to  invest  in  a  swarm ;  and  golden  they  really  were — 
in  price.  I  was  sadly  disappointed,  however,  in  finding 
the  so-called  golden-3'ellow  queen  to  be  almost  as  dark  as 
an  old  English  one.  Not  to  be  disheartened,  I  set  to 
work  to  make  the  most  of  my  small  swarm  of  Italian 
bees ;  and  to  this  end  I  selected  one  of  two  hives  that 
weie  about  equal  in  combs  and  weight,  the  combs  being 
in  the  selected  hive  only  about  half  way  down.  I  drove 
one  and  added  the  black  bees  to  the  other,  thus  virtually 
doubling  the  black  stock.  I  then  put  the  Italian 
bees  into  the  hive  just  vacated  by  the  black  ones.  In 
a  few  days  the  Italians  had  their  combs  down  to  the 
bottom  of  the  skeps,  while  little  perceptible  difference 
was  made  in  the  black  stock.  It  was  only  indifferent 
weather,  but  each  stock  had  the  same  circumstances  to 
contend  with,  and  this  little  evidence  of  the  superiority 
of  the  Italians  over  the  English  at  once  made  me  decide 
in  their  favour.  The  result  was,  that  I  dethroned  all  the 
black  queens  and  Italianised  my  whole  apiary.  It  was  a 
work  of  some  considerable  tune,  from  the  difficulty  of 
manipulating  the  straw  skeps.  In  the  following  year  I 
adopted  the  bar-frame  hives,  transferred  my  bees  to  their 
new  house,  and  since  that  time  experience  has  confirmed 
my  opinion  of  the  usefulness  of  the  Italian  bee  and  the 
immense  superiority  of  bar-frame  hives.  AYe  are  told 
that  a  "  thing-  of  beauty  is  a  joy  for  ever ; "  and  this  is  my 
first  point  in  favour  of  the  yellow  bee.  Although  sadly 
disappointed  in  my  first  Italians,  I  had  nothing  to  regret 
in  their  working  qualities,  and  I  now  possess  a  strain 
sufficiently  yellow  to  he  mistaken  recently  by  an  old 
bee-keeper  for  wasps.  In  colour  alone,  to  a  scientific 
bee-keeper,  they  are  invaluable,  for  by  that  means  has 
the  problem  been  solved  that  drones  come  from  unim- 
pregnated  eggs.  However,  space  would  forbid  my 
entering  upon  the  whole  mystery  of  the  internal  economy 
of  bee-hives;  I  will,  therefore,  confine  myself  strictly  to 
the  question  of  Mr.  Parker,  and  will  only  digress  to 
notice  the  the  superiority  of  the  first  cross  or  half-breeds 
— Italian  and  English — over  all  others.  Italian  bees  are 
smaller  than  the  English  species.  They  are  nearly  yellow 
in  colour,  with  three  copper-coloured  abdominal  bands, 
plainly  distinguishing  them  from  the  ordinary  English 
bee.  They  are  also  much  more  rapid  on  the  wing  than  is 
the  English  kind,  and,  what  is  more  important,  they 
have  longer  tongues,  which  enable  them  to  extract  honey 
from  flowers  which  English  bees  cannot  touch.  Anyone 
can  test  this  by  a  simple  experiment.  Take  two  pieces 
of  wire-gauze,  bent  to  an  incline,  and  then  smeared  with 
honey  on  the  top  side.  Place  this  upon  the  feed-hole 
of  a  hive  of  black  bees,  and  carefully  mark  how  many 
rows  of  holes  are  cleaned  off.  Then  place  it  above  an 
Italian  hive,  and  they  will  clean  three  or  four  rows 
further  up  the  inclined  plane.  Although  an  ardent  ad- 
mirer of  the  yellow  bees,  I  have  always  kept  one  black 
stock,  and  I  often  try  the  merits  of  the  two  sorts.  Last 
season  afforded  me  strong  evidence  in  favour  of  the 
Italian  bees.  In  the  autumn  of  last  year  I  tried  an  ex- 
periment in  breeding  bees  during  the  severe  winter  with 
a  very  fine  Italian  queen.  From  adverse  circumstances, 
and  the  folly  of  trying  to  improve  upon  nature,  the  ex- 


174 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[January  1,  1881. 


periment  was  quite  a  failure  as  regards  a  good  stock  of 
bees  in  the  spring.  The  experimental  hive  was  lowered 
down  to  four  bars  from  a  twelve  frame-hive  through 
the  mortality  in  the  young  bees ;  yet,  with  careful  treat- 
ment, this  handful  of  Italians  have  overtaken  their  black 
rivals.  I  have  taken  a  good  swarm  from  them,  together 
with  several  frames  of  brood  for  queen-raising  purposes. 
So  striking  was  the  superior  working  of  the  Italians, 
that  a  young  bee-keeper,  a  friend  of  mine,  unhesitatingly 
gave  in  bis  adhesion  to  the  yellow  bee.  In  point  of 
temper,  the  pure  Italian  bee  is  quieter  than  the  English 
species ;  but  when  once  roused  they  are  little  demons, 
and  it  takes  some  time  before  they  forget  their  anger. 
If  I  had  to  decide  as  to  the  usefulness  of  the  different 
kinds  of  bees,  I  should  favour  the  first  cross  with  Italians 
and  English  upon  all  points  but  one,  and  that  is  temper. 
My  experience  for  several  years  has  led  me  to  regard 
them  as  the  most  vicious  little  rascals  under  the  sun. 
In  working  qualities  they  far  outstrip  both  the  pure 
sorts.  They  are  larger  and  stronger,  with  one  broad 
copper-coloured  band  and  a  narrower  one  on  their  ab- 
domen. They  swarm  earlier  —  as  early  as  April  in  some 
cases.  I  once  had  four  natural  swarms  from  one  stock, 
together  with  a  quantity  of  honey  that  would  warm  the 
heart  of  a  straw  "skeppist."  The  Italian  bees  are  often 
blamed  for  robbing,  but  all  bees  act  upon  the  principle 
that  might  is  right,  and  thus  the  Italians  are  not  worse 
than  the  blacks.  One  thing,  however,  I  have  noticed, 
and  that  is,  that  the  black  bees  will  freely  allow  the 
Italians  to  go  into  their  hives;  bvit  I  have  never  yet 
seen  a  black  bee  enter  an  Italian  hive  without  being 
immediately  expelled  by  two  or  three  yellow-jackets. 
If  honey  or  syrup  is  carelessly  spilled  about,  the  Italians 
are  first  to  find  it ;  and  when  foraging  in  the  fields  and 
a  sudden  change  in  the  weather  takes  place,  they  hurry 
home  in  a  mass,  and  for  a  few  minutes  completely  block 
the  entrance  to  the  hive,  while  the  English  breed  comes 
home  more  leisurely.  I  have  observed,  too,  that  the 
Italians  ceased  breeding  much  earlier  this  year  than  did 
the  English  bees,  their  perception  of  the  shortness  of 
food  restraining  them  from  raising  any  more  mouths  to 
fill  —  an  example  which  the  genus  homo  might  well  fol- 
low. It  is  principally  at  swarming-time  that  the  golden 
beauty  of  the  Italians  is  most  conspicuous,  for,  having 
three  days'  store  of  honey  in  their  honey-bag,  they  ap- 
pear almost  semi-transparent.  I  may  here  take  the 
opportunity  of  correcting  an  error  in  the  letter  of 
"Apiary"  in  last  week's  Notes  and  Queries  on  "Bee- 
driving."  Your  correspondent  is  in  error  when  he  states 
that  "  alarmed  bees  seek  oblivion  to  their  fears  by  eating 
to  excess."  Their  object  is  to  provide  themselves  with 
stores  in  cases  of  emergency,  so  that  they  may  live  and 
commence  comb-building  in  their  new  home.  Their 
conduct  may  be  regarded  as  a  common  act  of  prudence 
suggested  by  the  alarming  smell  of  fire.  Few  pursuits 
of  the  kind  give  so  valuable  a  return  as  does  bee-culture, 
for,  beyond  the  first  outlay,  it  is  all  profit,  if  properly 
followed ;  and  the  study  of  the  habits  of  those  insects 
teaches  many  lessons  of  wisdom  which  mankind  stands 
much  in  need  of.' 


A  HINT  TO  HIVE-MANUFACTURERS. 

__  Mr.  A.  Oockburn,  of  Honey  Grove,  Cairnie  by  Keith, 
N.B.,  '  a  practical  hive-maker  of  many  years'  experience,' 
has  issued  a  sheet  containing  descriptions  of  the  hives  he 
manufactures  and  the  prices  at  which  he  offers  them, 
which  are  exceedingly  low  ;  and  in  respect  of  No.  7,  a 
complete  hive,  price  5s.,  he  says,'  I  want  a  thousand  of 
them  scattered  over  the  north;  if  you  are  ignorant  of 
their  management,  order  the  British  Bee  Journal  from 
the  Editor,  Southall,' — a  direction  which  will  help  to  do 
good  and  cannot  well  do  harm,  though  we  say  it  as 
'  oughtn't  to.' — Ed. 


(fcrespontatc. 


%*  Tliese  columns  are  open  to  subscribers,  so  that  their 
queries,  replies,  correspondence,  and  experiences  may  be 
fully  and  faithfully  recorded ;  and  for  the  discussion  of  all 
theories  and  systems  in  Bee-culture,  and  of  the  relative  merits 
of  all  hives  and  appurtenances,  that  the  truth  regarding  them, 
may  be  ascertained.  The  Editor,  therefore,  must  not  be  ex- 
pected to  coincide  with  all  tlie  vieios  expressed  by  the  various 
wrixrs.    All  Correspondence  is  addressed  to  the  Editor. 

CHESHIRE  ENTRANCE. 

I  have  had  during  the  last  two  or  three  years 
abundant  opportunities  of  testing  the  value  of  a 
simple  arrangement  which  I  have  often  recommended 
for  checking  or  curing  robbing,  a  trouble,  which  at 
certain  seasons,  especially  if  the  management  be  not 
of  the  most  skilful  kind,  may  bring  both  damage 
and  destruction  amongst  the  stocks. 

The  illustrations  accompanying  this  represent 
the  form  of  entrance  to  which  I  refer,  and  of  which 

A  f B 


& 
Fig.  1. — Porch,  under  side,  door  wide. 


Fig.  2. — Porch,  under  side,  doo 


r  narrrow. 


D'         /"  E" 

Fig.  3. — Porch,  front  view,  door  narrow. 

I  have  now  so  fully  proved  the  efficacy,  that  I  am 
adopting  it  as  an  integral  part  of  my  hives,  allowing 
it  to  supplant  the  well-known  sliding  doors. 

The  narrowing  of  the  hive-mouth,  of  which  the 
latter  admit,  although  helpful  to  an  attacked  colony, 
is  not,  by  any  means,  at  all  times  sufficient.  The 
excitement  prevailing,  and  the  large  number  of 
bees  parading  the  alighting-board,  are  hindrances  to 
the  defenders,  since  every  bee  met  has  to  be  ex- 
amined in  order  to  determine  the  question  of  friend 
or  foe,  and  whilst  all  this  is  going  forward,  the 
crafty  thieves  are  likely  again  and  again  to  gain  an 
ingress.  Should  they  be  detected  as  they  pass  the 
narrow  entrance,  an  immediate  fight,  in  which  the 
combatants  roll  over  and  tumble  to  the  ground, 
leaves  'the  breach  unmanned,'  giving  a  chance  which 
is  uearly  certain  to  be  taken.  Thus  often  with  a 
door  narrowed  conquest  is  only  hindered,  not  pre- 
vented. If,  however,  the  mouth  have  the  form  of  a 
tunnel  given  to  it,  the  combat  just  referred  to 
effectually  blocks  all  entrance  until  the  marauder 
has  been  ejected,  whilst  to  run  the  gauntlet  suc- 
cessfully defender  after  defender  must  be  passed. 

Before  explaining  the  illustrations,  let  me  draw 
attention   to  a  matter  of  special,  moment  at  this 


January  1,  1881.] 


THE  BKITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


175 


period  of  the  year,  I  mean  the  loss  involved  in 
allowing  light  to  shine  directly  into  the  hive.  When 
snow  covers  the  ground,  the  bright  glare  the  sun 
occasions  when  the  clouds  part,  deceives  the  poor 
inhabitants,  and  a  rush  for  the  golden  glory  without 
ends  in  causing  multitudes  of  poor  benumbed  insects 
to  fall  never  to  rise  again.  In  the  form  of  entrance 
referred  to  I  have  lately  made  a  small  modification, 
so  that  it  not  only  saves  from  robbing,  but  also 
effectually  prevents  the  just  explained  evil. 

A  long  thin  slip,  ABC,  fig.  1,  about  2  inches 
wide,  and  14  inches  long,  has  a  second  piece,  D,  also 
2  inches  wide  and  §  inch  thick,  cut  to  a  point  and 
fixed  beneath  it,  while  E  (which  may  be  made  without 
waste  of  wood  from  the  same  piece  as  supplied  D,  as 
its  form  shows)  is  left  free.  These  are  placed  in 
front  of  the  hive,  the  under  side  shown  in  fig.  1  lying 
on  the  alighting-board,  the  bees  then  passing  from  / 
to  g  through  the  tunnel  formed  to  which  the  angular 
point  and  the  indentation  in  D  and  E  respectively 
form  no  impediment.  Should,  however,  fighting  be 
detected,  or  circumstances  render  an  attack  probable, 
or  should  the  issue  of  a  swarm  be  followed  by  cool 
weather,  the  contraction  of  the  entrance  will  be 
desirable  when  E  will  be  pushed  towards  D,  taking 
up,  more  or  less,  the  position  seen  in  the  second 
wood-cut.  The  tunnel  form  f  g  will  now  present 
the  appearance  seen  in  fig.  3.  Robbing  will  be 
prevented,  for  the  reasons  previously  given,  while  in 
the  winter  sun -light  cannot  possibly  enter,  and 
in  addition  the  ingress  of  chilling  puffs  from  a 
pulsating  wind  will  be  much  checked  to  the  great 
benefit  of  the  colony.  A  small  stud  placed  on  the 
under  side  of  A  B  C,  opposite  the  point  of  D,  will 
prevent  the  pieces  from  being  pushed  so  near  to 
each  other  as  to  endanger  the  passage  of  bees  alto- 
gether. While  a  hive  is  under  enforced  partial  closing 
during  the  summer,  ventilation  at  the  top  by  placing 
perforated  zinc  over  an  opening  in  the  quilt  will  be 
desirable,  if  not  even  indispensable. 

The  cottager  may  add  very  easily  to  his  skep 
an  improvised  tunnel  should  occasion  require  it. 
Last  year  I  had  an  opportunity  of  saving  for  a 
primitive  bee-keeper  a  stock  from  destruction,  before 
which,  he  said,  '  The  bees  was  always  a  fightin'.'  I 
found  in  the  somewhat  rugged  pathway  two  pieces 
of  thin  tile,  one  of  which  I  broke  in  half,  and  placed 
the  parts  in  front  of  the  skep-mouth  with  the  newly- 
separated  edges  about  a  third  of  an  inch  from  each 
other.  The  other  piece  by  being  placed  over  these 
formed  the  protective  tunnel  at  once. 

The  hope  that  others  may  find  this  entrance  as 
useful  as  I  have  done,  at  once  supplies  my  reason 
and  my  apology  for  giving  it. — Frank  R.  Cheshire, 
Avenue  House,  Acton. 


THE  IRISH  ASSOCIATION. 

I  should  be  glad  to  have  the  addresses  of  a  few 
Dublin  bee-keepers  with  whom  to  correspond  on 
bee-culture.  I  am  trying  to  form  an  Irish  Bee- 
keepers' Association,  but  find  it  uphill  work,  owing 
to  the  difficulty  of  getting  names  and  addresses  of 
bee-keepers.  Up  to  the  present,  about  twenty  of 
the  bee-keeping  fraternity  (including  Sir  W.  Gregory, 


Captain  Lambert,  of  Galway,  and  half-a-dozen  clergy- 
men) have  promised  to  join. 

By  last  Journal  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Committee 
of  the  Royal  Dublin  Society  have  given  free  space 
for  the  erection  of  the  Irish  Bee  Tent  at  their  Spring 
Show  of  1881  ;  and  I  feel  confident  that  at  the  July 
Show  the  Society  will  offer  prizes,  as  I  have  sug- 
gested. 

Meantime,  I  hope  a  few  of  the  English  hive- 
makers  will  send  specimens  of  their  hives,  &c.  to 
the  Show,  which  takes  place  next  April.  Irish  bee- 
keepers have  not  the  same  opportunities  as  their 
English  brethren  of  seeing  hives  at  every  price, 
from  the  lowly  5s.  to  the  lordly  51.  ;  and  as  the 
Show  lasts  for  a  week,  and  attracts  visitors  from  all 
parts  of  Ireland,  I  am  sure  large  sales  would  be 
made,  and  their  enterprise  in  sending  so  far  be 
rewarded. — Robert  Sproule,  Glonliffe  Terrace  Hast, 
Clonliffe  Road,  Dublin,  Dec,  9,  1880. 

[The  establishment  of  an  Irish  Association  in  con- 
nexion with  the  Royal  Society  is  now  in  the  hands  of 
the  bee-keepers  themselves,  and  we  trust  the  efforts  being 
put  forth  will  be  unanimously  seconded.  Every  well- 
wisher  to  Ireland  should  subscribe  to  so  good  a  work, 
and  bee-keepers  especially  should  communicate  with  Mr. 
Sproule. — Ed.] 

THE  IRISH  HIVE.— STANDARD  FRAME 
FOR  IRELAND. 

I  take  the  liberty  of  expressing  a  few  remarks  on 
your  Irish  hive,  and  also  of  suggesting  an  alteration 
in  its  size ;  and  should  you  think  I  am  correct,  and 
be  inclined  to  adopt  the  same,  I  would  say  that  the 
hive  should  then  be  looked  on  as  the  Irish  Standard 
hive,  to  be  used  by  all  Irish  makers  of  hives  when 
they  come  before  the  public. 

To  any  one  who  reads  carefully  the  Handbook 
lately  published  by  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Associa- 
tion, it  must  be  evident  that  the  best  wa,y  to  make 
honey  for  exportation  is  in  sections,  say  American 
sections  as  mentioned.  Therefore,  to  facilitate  this 
object,  I  propose  that  the  frames  of  your  Irish  hive 
be  made  a  few  inches  deeper,  so  that  these  at  back 
of  brood-nest  will  contain  six  1-lb.  American  sec- 


tions. I  think  this  would  make  the  hive  about  ten 
inches  deep,  so  by  the  way  the  British  Bee-keepers' 
Association  show  us  to  calculate  the  size  of  a  box 
for  a  swarm,  we  get  with  ten  frames  15  x  15  x  10  = 
2250,  or  250  over  what  they  say  is  the  smallest 
size  it  should  be  :  any  one  thinking  it  too  large  can 
use  only  nine  frames,  making  only  2020,  or  eight 
frames,  and  reduce  it  still  more.  But  I  should 
think  it  would  be  a  nice  sized  hive  with  ten  frames, 
and  one  that  would  be  a  great  boon  to  Irish  bee- 
keepers who  must  export  their  honey  to  get  a 
paying  price  for  it,  particularly  those  who  live  in 
the  country — away  from  a  good  honey-market.     In 


176 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[January  1,  1881. 


every  other  way  I  think  your  Irish  hive  capital — 
internally. 

I  hope  you  will  not  think  it  presumptuous  in 
me,  a  beginner,  to  suggest  so  much  to  one  of  your 
experience,  and  that  it  may  lead  to  a  really  useful 
hive  being  made  as  a  standard  for  the  making  of 
honey  in  the  best  way  for  transit,  and  in  the  most 
approved  manner  for  sale. — Alfred  Davis,  Mulcair, 
Ballyclough,  Limerick. 

[There  is  already  more  than  sufficient  space  in  the  hive 
for  six  1-lb.  sections,  as  suggested.  The  sections  are 
only  4g  inches  square,  while  the  hive  is  14j  inches 
wide,  and  8|  deep.  A  divider  (excluding,  or  otherwise) 
placed  in  rear  of  the  brood-nest  would  enable  one  to 
make  a  pile  of  sections  to  suit  any  occasion,  and  not 
being  in  frames  they  would  be  easily  comeatable  for 
removal.  We  have  already  stated  that  we  prefer  that 
the  hive  should  be  longer  than  the  one  described  last 
month,  so  as  to  be  available  to  meet  all  possible  con- 
tingencies. Large  hives,  we  are  aware,  often  frighten 
the  inexperienced,  because  the)'  cannot  imagine  it  possible 
for  a  swarm  to  fill  them ;  but  there  is  no  more  harm  in 
having  spare  shut-off  space  in  a  hive  than  there  is  in 
having  a  spare  room  in  a  dwelling-house.  We  doubt 
the  policy  of  creating  a  new  size  of  frame  for  Ireland, 
though  it  is  a  question  that  we  would  urge  the  Irish 
Association  to  determine  upon  forthwith.  It  is  really  a 
serious  matter,  and  if  taken  in  hand  before  the  number 
of  hive-makers  increases  in  that  country,  something  like 
uniformity  may  be  secured,  and  much  that  will  be 
vexatious  prevented.  '  Years  ago '  we  urged  the  adop- 
tion of  a  '  Standard  '  frame  by  the  British  Bee-keepers' 
Association,  but  without  avail.  We  foresaw  that,  with 
the  Journal  and  the  Association  at  work,  bee-keeping 
would  rapidly  increase,  and  hive-makers  would  spring 
up  all  over  the  country,  whose  hive-frames  would  be  as 
varied  as  their  localities,  no  two  being  alike,  and  con- 
sequently would  not  be  interchangeable.  We  proposed 
then,  as  we  suggest  now  to  the  Irish  Bee-keepers'  Asso- 
ciation, that  they  should  recognise  only  one,  or  at  most, 
two  sizes  of  frames ;  and  that  at  all  their  competitions, 
prizes  should  only  be  awarded  to  such  as  contain  frames 
of  the  sizes  stipulated  for  the  respective  classes.  An 
arrangement  of  this  kind  would  inflict  no  hardship,  it 
would  not  hinder  the  manufacture  of  other  sizes  if  people 
chose  to  make  them  ;  it  would  not  interfere  with  '  prin- 
ciple' in  the  construction  of  hives,  nor  with  the  produc- 
tion, exhibition,  or  sale  of  honey;  but  it  would  be  an 
immense  boon  to  future  bee-keepers  in  securing  for  them 
a  known  size  of  frame  that  will  be  interchangeable  with 
others.  Eight  years  ago  there  were  scarcely  eight  frame- 
hive  makeis  in  England;  now,  thanks  to  the  Journal 
and  the  Associations,  there  are  ten  times  that  number, 
no  two  of  whom  make  hives  alike,  or  have  frames  that 
are  immediately  interchangeable.  The  subject  is  worthy 
of  the  gravest  consideration.  Ireland  is  on  the  threshold 
of  bee-culture,  and  her  Association  can  make  her  first 
steps  safe  ones  if  they  will. — Ep.] 


THE  IRISH  HIVE. 
In  your  description  of  the  '  Irish  Hive,'  I  see  yon 
adopt  the  usual  fillets  nailed  on  to  support  the  roof 
and  form  a  plinth  to  overhang  floor-board.  Some- 
times these  are  nailed  on  to  the  cover  overlapping 
the  body  box.  May  I  take  the  liberty  of  mention- 
ing how  I  make  my  hives,  as  I  find  fillets  catch  the 
wet  running  clown,  and  if  not  very  carefully  fitted 
and  kept  well  painted  are  snares  and  delusions  by 
letting  in  wet.  In  double-cased  hives  (as  all  mine 
are)  I  make  the  outside  case,  back  and  sides  f  inch 
deeper  than  the  inside,  so  as  not  to  require  a  plinth. 


The  '  super  covers '  (with  gable  ends  high  enough 
to  admit  not  only  of '  sections,'  but  the  feeding-bottle 
if  required)  are  made  \  inch  larger  and  wider  than 
the  body-box,  having  the  board  which  forms  the 
porch  (full  width  of  front)  screwed  to  the  lower  edge 
of  the  front  of  the  cover,  instead  of  being  fixed  to 
the  body-box.  In  place  of  four  screws  (as  you  sug- 
gest to  support  the  roof),  I  use  1£  screw  eyes,  f 
from  upper  edge  of  front  and  back ;  they  form  as 
good  hinges  as  your  screws,  and  when  neither 
sections  nor  the  bottle  are  in  use,  can  be  removed 
with  the  finger  and  thumb,  and  the  cover  being- 
s-inch too  large,  slides  down  easily  over  all,  adding 
warmth  and  effectually  excluding  rain  and  snow, 
exposing  a  smaller  surface  to  the  wind  and  pre- 
venting the  possibility  of  blowing  off.  The  porch- 
roof  then  covers  down  so  close  to  the  alighting- 
board  that  no  sunshine  enters  the  door  to  tempt 
the  bees  out.  I  cover  all  my  roofs  (of  whatever 
shape)  with  two  layers  of  stout  brown  paper  lapping 
over  the  edges  and  nailed  to  the  thickness  of  the 
board  and  screwed  on  the  top  with  two  or  three 
rows  of  ^  tacks.  I  give  it  a  good  coat  of  lin- 
seed oil  first,  then  two  or  three  coats  of  paint. 
Those  in  use  for  two  years  are  as  sound  as  ever. 
The  paper  is  warmer,  lighter,  and  far  cheaper  of- 
course  than  zinc,  which  often  warps,  draws  the  nails 
and  lets  in  wet. — Country  Parson. 

[We  are  deeply  grateful  for  ever}'  suggestion  intended 
to  be  helpful,  and  cheerfully  give  publicity  to  the  fore- 
going. The  arrangement  of  the  roof  to  slip  down  over 
the  body-box,  for  winter  protection,  was  before  the 
public  in  1878,  as  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  Abbott 
Brothers'  catalogue  of  that  year,  wherein  hive  No.  4  is 
described  as  having  '  floor-board,  quilt,  entrance-slides, 
and  roof  with  deep  compartment,  which  will  cover  the 
supers  in  summer,  and  in  winter  will  slip  down  over  the 
hive  and  form  an  outer  protection.'  The  arrangement 
was  not,  however,  approved,  for  the  quarter-inch  space, 
the  '  play '  between  the  roof  walls  and  the  hive  sides 
gave  ants,  earwigs,  and  moths  access  to  the  super  space 
under  the  roof,  and  consequently  it  was  abandoned. 
The  roof  of  the  Irish  hive  rests  upon  a  solid  ledge  run- 
ning round  the  hive,  the  bottom  edge  of  the  roof  walls 
is  throated  (grooved)  and  overhangs  the  said  ledge,  and 
the  rain  must  drip  clear  of  the  floor-board.  The  deepen- 
ing of  the  side  walls  of  the  hive  so  that  they  shall 
enclose  the  floor-board  is  open  to  objection  in  regard  to 
vermin,  for  the  play  space  between  them  offers  harbour 
for  wax-worms,  and  there  is  the  fact  that  the  hive  can 
only  be  set  upon  its  own  floor-board;  a  minor  objection, 
perhaps,  but  one  that,  with  due  deference,  we  think 
should  not  exist  in  a  hive  that  is  intended  for  use  by 
everybody.  The  idea  of  lowering  the  porch  board  is  a 
good  one,  and  it  ought  to  be  done  before  winter  sets  in, 
or  bees  may  not  get  used  to  it,  and  may  alight  upon, 
instead  of  beneath  it. — Ed.] 


THE  IRISH  ASSOCIATION. 
I  enclose' a  list  of  bee-keepers  who  have  promised 
to  join  the  Irish  Bee-keepers'  Association.  I  feel 
certain  the  list  would  have  been  longer  but  for  two 
causes.  One  is  the  difficulty  in  finding  out  names 
and  addresses  of  persons  who  keep  bees,  in  order  to 
send  a  circular  to  each.  The  other  is  the  working 
of  the  Land  League,  which  has  spread  over  the 
country  like  a  pestilence,  and  completely  paralyzed 
every  movement,  social  or  otherwise,  for  the  im- 


January  1,  1881.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


177 


provement  of  the  condition  of  the  people.  The 
last  cause  I  hope  will  soon  cease  to  exist,  and  the 
notice  in  your  Journal  will,  I  feel  confident,  remove 
the  first. — Robert  Sproule. 

Sir  W.  H.  Gregory,  Ooole  Park,  Gort ;  Captain  Lam- 
bert, Fort  Eyre,  Co.  Galway  ;  Colonel  Nunn,  Rostrevor ; 
Rev.  G.  A.  Procter,  Tullamelan  Rectorv,  Clnnmel ;  Very 
Rev.  M.  E.  Holland,  O.D.C.,  Gayfield,  Donnybrook; 
Rev.  J.  Aldridge,  The  Vicarage,  Eyrecourt,  Galway; 
Robert  Brown,  Donoughmore,  Co.  Tyrone ;  David  Brown, 
Donoughmore,  Co.  Galway  ;  Brother  Joseph,  The  Abbey, 
Loughrea  ;  Rev.  T.  Lindsay,  Ballinlanders  Rectory, 
Knocklong;  Ven.  Archdeacon  Cather,  Westport;  Rev. 
R.  Smith,  Glasson,  Athlone ;  J.  Traynor,  The  Cottage, 
Tinahely ;  R.  Sproule,  Cloncliffe  Terrace,  Dublin  ;  John 
Greene,  Main  Street,  Wexford ;  Archibald  Turrettin, 
Newtown,  Rostrevor ;  Robert  Sanderson,  Edenderry ; 
James  H.  Shaw,  Newry  ;  James  Long,  Saintfield ;  James 
Johnston,  Dundalk. 

IRISH   BEE-KEEPING. 

I  forward  you  another  letter  bearing  on  your 
visit  with  Bee  Tent  last  summer  : — 

'  Royal  Apicidtural  Society  of  Ireland,  Dec.  1880. — 
Sir, — I  am  directed  to  inform  you  that  your  letter  was 
duly  laid  before  the  Council  of  this  Society.  Should 
there  be  an  "  Irish  Bee-keepers'  Association  "  formed,  the 
Council  will  grant  permission  for  their  Bee  Tent  to  be 
exhibited  in  the  show-yards.  The  British  Bee  Asso- 
ciation sent  over  their  Bee  Tent  to  the  late  Royal  Show 
at  Clonmel,  and  it  came  on  to  my  Queen's  County  Show 
at  Maryborough,  and  then  went  to  the  north  of  Ireland. 
It  was  the  source  of  considerable  attraction. — I  remain, 
faithfully  yours,  Seymour  Mowbray  (Secretary). 

'  J.  Traynor,  Esq.,  The  Cottage,  Tinahely.' 

I  have  not  had  enough  honey  to  supply  the  de- 
mand ;  and  Mr.  Masters'  traveller  called  tipon  me 
here  and  told  me  his  firm  used  up  annually  10  tons 
of  honey  (run),  or  extracted,  they  would  not  take 
less  than  ton  quantities  :  no  comb  honey.  And  he 
told  me  he  would  give  our  Association  a  chance  to  let 
him  know  when  any  would  be  for  sale.  They  charge 
la  per  pound  retail.  Got  a  few  tons  from  Mr.  White, 
Waterford,  remainder  from  Liverpool.  I  am  obliged 
to  send  up  to  Dublin  for  comb-honey  for  a  few  gen- 
tlemen in  the  district.  I  can  now  get  a  handsome 
price  annually  myself  for  about  1  ton  comb,  in  hive 
or  sections ;  and  yesterday  I  had  to  part  with  two 
splendid  bottles  of  run-honey  I  was  keeping  for 
myself:  I  was  ashamed  to  take  any  more  than 
Is.  3d.  per  pound  for  it.  So  you  see  how  I  am 
pushing  things  on  and  adhering  to  your  advice 
in  the  Journal.  Association  going  on  fairly  : 
twenty  members  enrolled. — J.  Traynor 


THE  BEST  HIVE  I—  OUTSIDE  OPINIONS 
WANTED. 

Please  ask  in  your  next  issue,  under  the  head, 
'A  Beginner's  Difficulty,'  which  is  the  liest  hive  to 
buy  t  If  bar-frame,  what  size  to  make  1  If  skep, 
ditto  ;  paying  due  regard  to  efficiency  and  economy. 
— A.  W.  Davis,  Mulcair,  Limerick. 

[We  shall  be  very  glad  to  receive  the  opinions  of  all 
who  will  favour  us  with  them  for  publication.  The 
Journal  is  open,  and  the  subject  an  interesting  one  ;  but  we 
hope  those  who  give  their  opinions  will  state  the  nature 
of  the  localities  in  which  their  experiences  have  been 
gained. — Ed.] 


CALEDONIAN    APIARIAN    SOCIETY. 

We  have  had  most  awful  weather  this  long  time 
past,  but  so  far  as  I  can  learn,  stocks  are  in  fine 
condition.  I  am  happy  to  add  many  kind  friends 
have  come  forward  to  wipe  away  the  debt  of  the 
Caledonian  Apiarian  Society.  Up  to  the  present 
time  the  following  subscriptions  have  been  sent  me, 
viz. — 

Highland  and  Agricultural  Society, 

per  F.  N.  Menzies  .  .  .  £20  0  0 
Duke  of  Argyll  .  .  .  .200 
Marquis  of  Bute  .  .  .  .500 
Col.  Buchanan  .  .  .  .200 
David  Tod,  Eastwood  Park  .  .330 
Alexander  Harvie  .  .  .  .110 
Thomas  Wm.  Cowan  .  .  .110 
A. M.  Bavne  .         .         .        .110 

R.  J.  Bennett  .         .         .        .110 


£36    7     0 
A  few  more  liberal  spirits  would  soon  place  us 
free  of  debt, — a  consummation  devoutly  to  be  hoped 
for. — R.  J.  Bennett. 


WHAT  ARE  THE  ADVANTAGES  OF 
ASSOCIATIONS  ? 

I  think  it  would  be  interesting  to  publish  the  ad- 
vantages to  be  gained  by  a  Bee-keepers'  Association. 
I  am  glad  to  see  there  is  one  being  formed  for 
Ireland,  but  think  the  subscription  should  be  only 
five  shillings  ;  anything  over  that  should  be  looked 
on  as  a  donation.  I  don't  understand  why  there 
should  be  two  classes  of  subscription — one  for  ladies 
and  one  for  gentlemen ;  it  appears  to  me  that  any 
one  who  subscribes,  whatever  is  the  fixed  amount,  is 
a  member,  and  the  question  of  lady  or  gentleman 
has  nothing  to  do  with  it. — Alfred  Davis. 

[We  shall  be  glad  to  hear  others'  opinions.  To  our 
mind  the  advantages  of  Associations  are  self-evident,  not 
the  least  feature  being  the  formation  of  a  common  fund 
for  the  purchase  of  necessaries  for  promoting  the  object 
in  view.  A  Bee-keepers'  Association  to  encourage  bee- 
culture  would  be  powerless  without  the  means  of  '  show- 
ing '  the  method  of  improvement;  and  except  by  a  body 
so  constituted,  a  bee  exhibition  would  be  in  the  nature 
of  a  private  speculation,  and  would  be  looked  upon  with 
suspicion. 

Our  friends  in  Ireland  will  doubtless  be  aide  to  give  a 
reason  for  the  difference  in  the  amount  of  subscriptions 
proposed. — Ed.] 


MATERIAL  FOR  HIVES. 

In  your  impression  of  Dec.  1  (p.  149)  anent 
Abbott's  Irish  hives  you  say  that  '  the  manufacture 
of  this  hive,  outlined  on  pages  126  and  127  of  the 
present  volume  of  this  Journal,  it  will  be  necessary 
to  procure  inch  pine  for  the  body-box  and  floor- 
board, and  §  inch  for  the  roof,  unless  yellow  deal  is 
preferred  as  being  more  economical.  We  prefer  pine 
for  the  parts  of  the  hive  in  which  warmth  is  of  im- 
portance, as  being  of  a  soft  texture,  it  is  not  so 
good  a  conductor  of  heat  as  wood  of  harder  grain.' 
Now  the  query  is,  how  do  you  make  it  out  that 
yellow  deal  is  more  economical  ]  Hereabouts  yellow 
deal  is  about  three  times  the  price  of  white  pine, 


178 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[January  1,  1881. 


which  is  the  sort  you  send  out  in  your  hives,  so  far 
as  I  canjudge.  There  are  various  pines,  viz.  pitch, 
red,  mernel,  spruce,  white,  and  yellow,  standing 
in  their  respective  orders  of  merit,  the  last  named 
being  by  far  the  best  for  hives.  In  fact,  none  of 
the  others  should  be  employed  as  they  are  unfit  for 
the  purpose.  The  word  '  pine,'  as  used  by  you,  is 
rather  vague. 

Will  you  kindly  explain  in  your  next  number, 
and  oblige — J.  M.  B.,  Bishopbrigg,  Glasgow. 

[As  a  matter  of  fact,  hereabouts  '  yellow  deal '  is  only 
about  half  the  price  of  '  yellow  pine  ; '  and  '  white  deal ' 
is  about  83  per  cent  less  than  yellow,  first  quality,  but 
lower  grades  vary.  Yellow  deal  is  sometimes  called  red 
pine,  and  spruce  deal  is  called  white.  '  Memel'  is  timber 
in  balk  18  or  14  inches  square,  and  of  any  length.  Each 
has  its  particular  value  for  certain  purposes,  and  opinions 
vary  as  to  them.  We  have  before  us  a  timber-broker's 
list  of  gooH»  lying  at'  the  Surrey  Commercial  Docks,  and 
the  specifications  therein  agree  with  our  description  ;  and 
we  can  only  suppose  that  the  nomenclature  in  the  Glasgow 
trade  differs  from  that  of  London,  if  our  correspondent 
writes  from  experience.  Yellow  deal  is  harder  and  con- 
sequently colder  than  '  pine  ; '  it  contains  much  more 
resin  and  turpentine  than  the  latter,  and  is  very  durable, 
hence  it  is  generally  preferred  for  out-door  work.  On 
what  grounds  our  correspondent  places  the  different 
woods  in  the  order  of  merit  above  described  we  are  at  a 
loss  to  imagine,  unless  they  are  technically  different  in 
London  and  Glasgow.  Best  pine  costs  hereabouts  eleven- 
pence per  foot  run,  eleven  inches  wide  and  three  inches 
thick.  Yellow  deal  of  best  quality  is  fivepence  per  foot, 
nine  inches  wide  and  three  inches  thick.  White  deals 
are  about  threepence  halfpenny  per  foot  of  the  same  sizes 
as  the  yellow.  Our  correspondent  is  a  little  '  mixed '  in  his 
statement  of  prices.  He  says  first  that  yellow  deal  is 
about  three  times  the  price  of  white  pine,  of  which  he 
says  we  make  our  hives ;  yet  in  the  scale  immediately 
afterwards  he  puts  yellow  as  the  lowest. — Ed.] 


WOODEN  FOUNDATION. 

Your  correspondent,  Mr.  Cowan,  in  the  December 
number  of  B.  B.  J.,  says,  '  Generally  when  any- 
thing new  is  introduced,  and  it  promises  to  be  of 
use,  there  are  a  number  of  persons  ready  to  claim 
it ;'  or  that  they  have  been  working  at  it,  and 
goes  on  to  say  that  while  this  is  true  of  England, 
America  is  a  much  greater  sinner  in  this  respect, 
instancing  wooden  foundation  as  a  case  in  point. 

It  is  not  necessary  for  the  purpose  I  had  in 
view  in  addressing  you,  to  mention  to  whom  I 
think  we  are  indebted  for  the  best  inventions  in 
apiculture  ;  but  I  feel  sure  that  when  Mr.  Cowan's 
attention  is  called  to  Gleanings  for  1879,  p.  317, 
August  number,  he  will  see  that  in  this  case  his 
criticism  is  unfair,  and  that  wooden  foundation  had 
been  made  and  mentioned  before  he  saw  that  of 
Mons.  Dennler,  and  I  believe  was  only  dropped 
because  of  the  impossibility  of  cutting  out  queen- 
cells,  and  th;;s  interfering  with  the  large  trade  in 
queens,  which  is  one  of  the  specialities  of  American 
apiarists.     The  following  is  what  Mr.  Root  says  : — 

'  I  have  succeeded  perfectly  with  a  board  about  one- 
eighth  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  and  the  only  difficulty 
now  consists  in  getting  these  boards  perfectly  coated 
with  wax  on  which  to  make  the  foundation.  For  once 
in  the  world  we  have  combs  perfectly  even,  and  safe  from 
sagging.    You  can  scrape  off  the  honey  if  you  like,  and 


let  the  bees  build  in  more ;  but  the  boys  complain  that 
that  they  cannot  cut  out  queen-cells  from  them. 

Alfred  J.  Clarke,  20  Albert  Street,  St.  Ebbs,  Oxford, 
December  13. 

BEE-KEEPING  IN  NEW  ZEALAND- 
CORRECTION. 

Dr.  James  Irving,  whose  work  in  New  Zealand 
is  evidently  making  rapid  progress  towards  placing 
bee-keeping  on  a  proper  footing  there,  when  in 
England  resided  at  Newark-upon-Trent,  and  not  at 
Nottingham.  This  error  should  be  corrected  as  it 
may  lead  to  misapprehension  if  any  inquiry  should 
be  made  as  to  Dr.  Irving  of  Nottingham,  instead  of 
Dr.  Irving  of  Newark.  Whilst  in  England  the 
Doctor  contributed  a  most  interesting  article  to  the 
British  Bee  Journal,  see  vol.  iv.  p.  209,  '  The 
Experiences  of  a  Novice.' 


ATTRACTIONS  TO  SUPERS— LONGI- 
TUDINAL HIVES. 

I  should  be  obliged  if  you  would  tell  me  whether 
impressed  wax  attracts  bees  into  the  supers  as 
successfully  as  comb  does.  I  have  never  had  any 
difficulty  in  getting  bees  into  supers,  and  fancy  that 
a  great  part  of  my  success  in  this  matter  has  re- 
sulted from  always  putting  three  or  four  thick- 
nesses of  flannel  round  them. 

It  is  curious  to  observe  how  different  different 
people's  experiences  are.  I  had  a  hive  on  the  Com- 
bination principle  this  year  with  the  frames  at  the 
back  filled  with  2-inch  sections.  The  bees  filled 
three  and  a  half  of  Lee's  Crystal  Palace  supers 
placed  over  the  frames  of  the  front  part  of  the 
hive,  and  never  satisfactorily  filled  the  sections  at 
the  back ;  they  were  never  sealed  down  to  the 
bottom. 

Another  curious  experience  I  had  this  season  with 
two  hives,  viz.  that  on  taking  supers  off  that  were 
sealed  to  the  outside,  I  found  the  centre  frames  un- 
sealed. The  only  way  I  could  account  for  it  was, 
that  being  in  supers  immediately  over  the  brood- 
nest,  with  only  perforated  zinc  between,  these  cells 
had  been  left  open  and  a  provision  for  the  nursing 
bees. 

I  am  sorry  to  see  that  you  still  let  the  Journal 
go  without  subscriptions  being  paid  in  advance. 
You  may  depend  upon  it  that  ready  money  is  the 
only  satisfactory  way  of  business.  —  Stephen 
Nicholl,  Llandough  Rectory,  Gowbridge,  14CA  Dec. 
1880. 

[We  have  not  a  doubt  but  that  natural  comb  in  supers 
is  more  acceptable  and  more  helpful  to  the  bees  than 
any  artificial  substitute  that  can  be  provided,  and  there- 
fore more  inviting  to  them  when  put  into  supers. 

In  commending  the  longitudinal  arrangement  of 
frames,  we  have  not  condemned  the  supering,  or  any 
other  plan,  as  worthless.  '  Bees  do  nothing  invariably,' 
and  they  sometimes  exhibit  a  freakishness  that  is 
puzzling,  but  which  could  probably  be  traced  to  natural 
causes.  No  one  will  attempt  to  deny  that  bees  will  store 
in  supers,  collateral  boxes,  or  frames,  or  in  nadirs,  and 
they  will  do  so  freely  longitudinally ;  and  for  conve- 
nience and  simplicity  of  arrangement  and  management, 
we  think  the  last-named  system  preferable.     That  the 


January  1,  1881.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


179 


bees  stored  largely  in  the  supers  proves  nothing  against 
the  longitudinal  principle,  while  the  fact,  that  the  bees 
adopted  the  latter  (the  sections)  in  spite  of  the  supers 
and  the  cooling-  effect  their  presence  had  on  the  sections 
in  the  lower  stratum,  is  rather  an  argument  in  their 
favour.  Had  the  supers  not  been  there  at  all,  the  bees 
might  have  stored  double  the  quantity  obtained,  at  the 
back  of  the  hive.  The  last  sentence  in  your  letter  we 
perfectly  agree  with,  and  should  have  been  some  hundreds 
of  pouuds  better  off  had  it  been  acted  upon.' — Ed.] 


A  CAPITAL  IDEA. 

My  bees  are  in  good  condition,  and  I  have  done 
very  well  this  year  :  I  hope  to  do  still  better  the 
next.  I  am  going  to  have  a  free  Bee-Tea  and  Talk 
in  the  early  part  of  the  year,  inviting  all  our  poor 
people  who  are  keeping,  or  who  have  kept  bees, 
and  a  friend  will  come  and  talk  to  us,  and  let  us  ask 
questions,  and  so  we  shall  all  learn  how  to  manage 
better,  and  to  treat  our  bees  more  humanely  and 
profitably.— Haughly,  Suffolk,  Dec.  13,  1880. 


HIVES  AND  SYSTEMS. 
I  am  a  bee-keeper  of  nearly  forty  years'  standing. 
In  my  early  days  Nutt's  collateral  system  was 
much  cried  up.  Then  came  Dr.  Bevan  with  his  bar- 
hives  with  boxes,  about  a  foot  square  and  8  inches 
deep,  and  supers  the  same  size.  Then  there  was  a 
rush  for  nadiring  and  obtaining  the  largest  quantity 
of  honey.  Then  the  grand  step  was  taken  by  our 
county  friend,  the  late  Mr.  Woodbury,  of  Exeter, 
with  his  bar  and  frame  hives.  And  now  all  the 
rage  seems  to  be  sectional  supers  or  the  Combina- 
tion hive. 

Do  you  not  think  either  with  the  Combination 
hive,  or  large  supers  on  the  bar  and  frame  hive, 
you  will  take  a  much  larger  quantity  of  honey 
than  in  the  sectional  supers?  We  had  in  South 
Devon  an  exceptionally  good  year.  I  commenced 
with  six  hives,  finished  with  fourteen,  and  took 
250  lbs.  of  beautiful  honey-comb.  It  was  a  trouble- 
some year  for  swarming.  I  think,  with  the  free 
circulation  of  the  Journal  and  favourable  weather 
next  year,  there  will  be  a  great  advance  in  bee- 
culture. — John  E.  Adams,  Bellfield  Villa,  Kings- 
bridge,  Dec.  10th,  1880. 

[It  is  not  in  human  nature  to  command  perfection,  and 
each  hill-top  gained  in  the  endeavour  to  reach  it  but 
opens  out  a  larger  sphere  for  observation,  and  shows  us 
other  acclivities  to  be  surmounted.  Progress  towards 
perfection  in  bee-culture  has  been  tardy  until  of  late, 
though  bee-keeping  has  been  commended  as  a  profitable 
pursuit  from  time  immemorial,  and  even  now  there  are 
vast  districts  in  the  United  Kingdom  where  the  simple 
method  of  '  supering '  to  obtain  surplus  honey  is  not 
practised,  but.  the  brimstone-pit  is  held  to  be  the  sine 
qua  non  of  success.  The  idea  of  providing  separate 
receptacles  in  which  the  bees  could  store  their  honey  in 
virgin-comb  is  comparatively  modern,  but  was  the 
starting-point  for  real  improvement.  Nutt's  theory, 
which  resulted  in  his  placing  the  separate  boxes  where 
they  would  be  easy  of  access  to  the  bees  (and  to  robbers), 
was  based  on  incorrect  data  ;  he  believed  that  the  bees 
would  gladly  accept  the  (to  his  mind)  most  convenient 
receptacles  for  honey-storing  ;  but  they,  it  would  appear, 
prefer  to  put  it  where  the]/  can  best  defend  it,  and  where 
it  will  be  most  east/  of  access  in  the  winter,  and  conse- 
quently his  '  Pavilion  of  Nature,' — for  his  hive  was  so 


named, — lacking  the  conditions  which  the  bee  instincts 
demand,  proved  to  be  a  failure  ;  and  nadiring  is  within 
the  same  parallels. 

Next  to  the  separate  system  of  honey-storing,  the 
moveable-comb  hive  was  the  most  noteable  invention  in 
bee-culture,  and  a  hill-top  was  thereby  gained  that  gave 
immense  scope  for  observation  and  improvement,  but 
unfortunately,  in  this  instance,  conveniences  (?)  for  the 
bees  and  their  owners  were  studied  in  preference  to  bee- 
instincts,  though  it  is  but  right  to  say  that  until  the 
moveable-comb  hive  gave  facilities  for  investigation 
very  little  was  known  of  those  instincts.  It  was,  how- 
ever, '  a  grand  step,'  and  great  honour  is  due  to  the 
'Devonshire  Bee-keeper'  for  the  light  he  shed  upon 
the  science.  On  the  principle,  however,  that  it  is  right 
to  '  prove  all  things,'  and  '  hold  fast  to  that  which  is 
true,'  and  to  the  latter  only,  we  have  during  the  best 
years  of  our  life  studied  to  eliminate  from  every  branch 
of  apiculture  all  that  is  faulty,  and  during  the  past  ten 
years,  during  which  hive  construction  with  a  view  to 
profitable  bee-keeping  has  been  our  specialty,  we  have 
been  led,  and  have  been  gently  leading,  to  conclusions 
that  the  bees  themselves  have  forced  upon  us. 

Ths  longitudinal  (Combination)  principle  of  hive  con- 
struction is  not  a  new  thing,  though  it  is  comparatively 
so  in  this  country,  and  there  is  nothing  in  it  but  what 
is  perfectly  consistent  with  the  natural  habits  of  bees. 
It  has  been  on  its  trial  during  the  past  three  years,  and 
is  fast  gaining  ground  in  public  favour,  and  we  have 
little  doubt  but  that  the  facilities  it  offers  for  manipula- 
tion will  eventually  tend  to  its  general  adoption.  The 
question,  raised  by  our  correspondent,  whether  more 
honey  cannot  be  obtained  by  the  use  of  large  supers 
instead  of  sections  is  one  which  is  not  affected  by  the 
principles  of  hive-construction  under  notice.  Supers 
are  made  up  of  sections  that  the}'  may  be  separable, 
each  comb  being  thus  easil}'  immoveable,  and  there  is  no 
reason  why  a  number  of  them  coidd  not  be  put.  together 
to  form  '  a  super '  of  equal  capacity  to  any  that,  our 
correspondent  has  in  mind.  The  question  is,  therefore, 
one  of  taste  and  convenience.  For  commercial  purposes, 
however,  our  conviction  is  decidedly  in  favour'  of 
sections  in  preference  to  large  boxes  or  glasses.  Sections 
may  be  set  on  hives  in  large  or  small  numbers,  to  suit 
the  conditions  of  the  time,  and  may  be  added  to  or 
diminished  at  will,  and  bees  may  often  be  coaxed  to 
work  in  six  or  eight  1-lb.  sections  when  ever}'  endeavour 
to  get  them  into  a  large  receptacle  would  be  futile.  The 
Journal  is  undoubtedly  a  great  lever  of  progress,  and  we 
should  be  glad  if  every  reader  would  make  up  his  mind 
to  send  us  a  new  paying  subscriber  forthwith. — Ed.] 


BEE  ASSOCIATION  FOR  NORFOLK. 

At  a  time  when  so  many  counties  can  boast  of 
possessing  their  various  associations  for  the  advance- 
ment of  apiculture,  is  it  too  much  to  expect  that 
Norfolk  should  possess  one  too  ?  I  am  not  much 
acquainted,  however,  with  the  bee-keepers  of  this 
county  individually ;  but  surely  over  such  a  large 
area  there  must  be  not  a  few  who  would  gladly  aid 
in  starting  a  society  for  disseminating  correct  prin 
ciples  in  bee  manipulation.  I  admit  there  are 
difficulties  in  the  way.  Norfolk  is  a  peculiar 
county,  for  by  far  the  greater  part  of  it,  I 
should  say,  is  quite  unsuited  to  the  bee ;  and  it  is 
only  here  and  there  a  district  exists  in  which  bee- 
keeping could  be  carried  on  with  any  chance  of 
success.  Now  the  peculiar  nature  of  the  county 
in  this  respect — and  I  believe  it  is  almost,  siti  generis 
— makes  it  of  the  utmost  importance  that  a  bee 
society  should  be  formed. 


180 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[January  1,  1881. 


As  to  the  average  honey-yielding  proclivities  of 
the  county  I  have  no  means  of  judging,  though  I 
should  pronounce  this  particular  district  a  tolerably 
good  one,  the  failure  of  the  honey  harvest  last 
season  being  occasioned  by  the  incessant  rains 
rather  than  from  any  lack  of  honey-producing 
plants.  This  was  the  more  remarkable  as,  I  believe, 
Norfolk  is  the  dryest  county  in  England  as  regards 
rainfall,  being  only  one  foot  in  the  year,  while 
Devonshire  and  Pembrokeshire,  considered  the  wet- 
test, are  about  three  feet  respectively.  Throughout 
the  whole  mouths  of  June  and  July,  I  think,  there 
were  only  about  seven  days  in  which  there  was  no 
rain.  Last  season  then,  I  presume,  was  an  excep- 
tional one,  so  let  not  its  rains  damp  the  ardour  of 
those  who  would  otherwise  have  thrown  in  their 
lot  with  us.  I  should  like  to  hear,  Mr.  Editor,  what 
others  of  your  Norfolk  correspondents  have  to  say 
on  the  matter.  I  need  scarcely  add  that  I  shall  be 
happy  to  do  all  I  can  in  any  way  towards  starting 
a  bee  society  in  this  county  :  how  many  more  will 
come  forward  and  do  likewise  1 — Alfd.  E.  Booker 
Hill,  Pembroke  Cottage,  Whissonsett,  Norfolk. 

[We  trust  the  bee-keepers  of  Norfolk  will  at  once 
rally  round  the  standard  raised  by  our  reverend  corre- 
spondent, and  form  an  association  worthy  of  the  county. 
Norfolk  contains  many  earnest  in  the  cause,  and  united 
they  would  exert  a  mighty  influence  for  good. — Ed.] 


HIVES  FOR  CONVENIENCE. 
I  was  glad  to  see  your  article  in  favour  of  the 
'  Giotto  '  hive,  as  that  seems  to  me  most  likely  to  suit 
the  wants  of  cottagers.  They  want  a  hive  that  will 
give  them  very  little  trouble  or  attention,'  and  be 
easy  to  manage,  as  well  as  being  cheap.  They  will 
not  give  up  the  straw  skep  for  any  hive  that  is 
much  in  advance  of  it,  as  they  have  a  very  strong 
objection  to  anything  new,  or  anything  that  re- 
quires more  attention  or  skill  than  they  have  been 
accustomed  to  give.  A  bar  -  frame  hive,  with 
moveable  combs,  in  their  hands  would  not  be  so 
good  for  the  bees  as  a  skep,  for  they  would  not 
take  advantage  of  the  power  it  gives  for  manipula- 
tion, and  so  the  '  Giotto '  hive  comes  in  between  ; 
and,  while  giving  the  bee-keeper  some  command 
over  the  bees,  does  not  require  him  to  make  too 
great  an  advance  all  at  once.  It  is  besides  quite 
as  cheap  as  the  skep  even  at  first  cost,  not  consider- 
ing that  it  will  wear  longer.  You  do  not  say  what 
would  be  the  effect  of  having  no  upward  ventilation. 
When  the  blocks  are  put  together  the  hive  is  virtually 
a  box  with  a  wooden  top,*  which  would  not  let  out 
the  moisture,  as  the  quilt  of  a  bar-frame  hive  or 
the  skep  does.  This  kind  of  hive  would  also  do 
away  with  the  necessity  of  driving  to  get  the  honey, 
to  which  cottagers,  at  any  rate  in  this  part  of  the 
country,  do  not  take  at  all  kindly.  As  an  instance, 
I  may  mention  that  I  drove  the  bees  for  a  cottager's 
wife  in  the  early  part  of  tha  autumn.  As  they 
went  up  in  a  very  short  time,  she  said  it  looked 
very  easy.     I  then  drove  another  weak  stock  and 

*  We  have  not  proposed  a  hive  with  a  closed  top  ;  in  all 
that  we  have  attempted  to  introduce,  the  top  bar  is  an  inch 
wide  only,  so  that  there  would  be  the  same  distance  between 
them  as  there  is  in  other  frame  hives. — Ed. 


united  them,  and  they  have  done  well  since.  As 
she  seemed  to  think  it  very  simple  I  was  in  hopes 
I  had  converted  her,  but  a  few  days  after  on 
going  to  see  how  the  bees  were  getting  on  she 
told  me  she  had  taken,  i.e.,  smothered,  another 
hive,  as  she  wanted  some  more  honey  ;  so  that  it 
seems  my  lesson  was  quite  thrown  away.  It  is  un- 
fortunate that  the  driven  bees  require  uniting  to 
another  stock,  as  there  is  not  always  a  weak  stock 
to  unite  them  to,  and  it  is  a  pity  to  disturb  strong 
stocks  that  would  stand  the  winter  by  themselves, 
for  the  sake  of  uniting  bees  to  them  that  they  do 
not  want,  and  of  course  it  is  more  cruel  to  leave 
the  driven  bees  in  an  empty  skep  to  die  of  starva- 
tion than  to  smother  them.  This  difficulty  is  easily 
got  over  by  transferring  to  a  moveable  comb  hive, 
but  this  requires  more  skill  and  attention  than 
most  cottagers  possess. — W.  S.  Clarke,  Neio  Court, 
Ross,  Nov.  16. 

COMBINATION  HIVE. 
Do  not  think  me  cantankerous,  but  I  really  can- 
not agree  with  you  as  to  the  advantage  of  uniting 
in  a  Combination  hive  by  putting  the  fresh  frames 
at  the  back  of  the  hive,  and  for  this  reason — while 
doing  so  the  original  inhabitants  are  sure  to  be  on 
the  stir,  and  in  moving  the  new  frames  some  bees 
are  sure  to  rise,  and  in  consequence  the  new  and 
old  bees  come  into  contact,  under  the  circumstances 
which  they  are  used  to  interpret  into  burglary  on 
the  part  of  their  neighbours.  Fights  begin  to  take 
place,  perhaps  only  in  isolated  cases,  but  these 
attract  the  attention  of  the  bystanders  who  readily 
join  in  the  fray,  which  will  then  probably  become 
general  and  end  in  mutual  destruction.  I  note 
your  remark  as  to  this  difficulty  applying  to  all 
hives  having  legs,  and  for  this  reason.  I  always 
have  my  bodies  separate  from  the  legs,  so  as  to  be 
able  to  lift  them  quietly  on  to  the  hive  to  be 
united  to.— W.  B. 


WIDTH  OF  FRAMES  AND  DISTANCES 
APART. 

I  am  interested  in  the  question  of  the  width  of 
frames  and  distance  from  centre  to  centre  of  combs. 
Though  I  have  long  kept  bees  in  skeps  yielding 
more  or  less  honey  (often  less),  my  interest  in  bee- 
keeping only  dates  from  last  South  Kensington 
show  in  July,  1880.  I  have  read  Bee  Journal  since 
May  ;  Robinson  (useless) ;  Handbook,  of  British  Bee 
Association ;  Cook,  and  a  dozen  of  your  leaflets,  but 
do  not  find  any  satisfactory  reasons  given  for  the 
rule  stated  ou  p.  3  of  Leaflet  No.  12.  At  the 
middle  of  this  page  is  an  obvious  error,  for  the 
difference  between  1|  inch  and  1^  is  not  ^y  of  an 
inch  as  stated,  but  ^.  Now  is  j^  of  an  inch  the 
limit  of  bee  deviation  as  stated  here,  or  -^  as  given 
by  the  correct  calculation  %  Cook  states,  p.  136, 
that  he  places  frames  \  inch  apart  and  so  his 
frames  are  inch  wide,  this  gives  \\  inch  from 
centre  to  centre  of  combs.  But  he  seems  to  think 
little  of  this  point,  while  you  appear  to  attach  im- 
portance to  it,  for  I  find  that  the  little  steel  gauge 
I  had  from  you  makes  frames  1.^  of  an  inch.     Are 


January  1,  1881.  J 


THE  BEITISH  BEE  JOUBNAL. 


181 


there  any  old  numbers  of  the  Journal  which  discuss- 
the  point  1  If  not  perhaps  you  will  refer  to  it 
shortly,  as  others  must  be  interested  in  the  matter 
besides. — J.  A.  R,  Canaan  Lane,  Edinburgh,  Sept. 
27  th,  1880. 

[The  distance  from  centre  to  centre  of  frames  has 
been  determined  by  repeated  measurements  of  naturally 
built  working  combs,  such  as  one  wishes  to  see  formed 
in  the  stock  box  of  a  hive.  The  statement  in  the  Leaflet 
alluded  to,  appears  to  be  an  error,  but  it  is  more  the 
effect  of  our  clumsy  way  of  putting  it  than  a  reality. 
If  three  lines  are  laid  down  an  inch  and  a  half  apart, 
and  the  centre  one  be  moved  a  twentieth  of  an  inch 
nearer  to  one  side,  the  difference  in  their  distances  apart 
will  then  be  a  tenth  of  an  inch,  which  is  what  we  had 
in  mind  when  the  article  was  penned.  We  have  not 
tried  the  effect  of  frames  in  the  brood-nest  closer  than 
bees  naturally  build  them,  because  we  have  found  it  to 
be  a  ride  in  their  domestic  economy  that  where  two 
surfaces  of  worker  combs  are  opposite,  the  bees  insist  on 
there  being  space  between  them  for  strata  of  bees  to  pass 
back  to  back  over  each  comb,  and  where  from  accident 
two  such  combs  have  been  brought  nearer  than  is  usual, 
they  gnaw  away  the  cells  to  give  the  necessary  space. 
And  on  the  other  hand,  when  by  accident  two  brood 
combs  are  put  farther  apart  than  they  should  be  in 
summer,  the  bees  build  a  thin  curtain  of  comb  between 
them,  and  the  reason  is  obvious — the  brood  nest  of  a 
hive  is  a  scene  of  continuous  labour  while  brood  is  being 
produced,  and  the  bees  want  sufficient  room  to  move 
about  on  each  respective  comb  and  no  more ;  if  too  much 
be  given,  there  will  be  loss  of  heat,  which  they  will 
do  their  best  to  prevent,  and  in  the  interest  of  the 
brood  will  crowd  into  the  vacancy,  when,  as  may  easily 
be  imagined,  they  will  be  crowded  and  impeded  in  their 
labour.  If  two  men  were  walking  abreast  on  two  planks, 
say  eighteen  inches  apart,  they  could  move  along  fairly 
well,  but  if  a  third  insisted  on  going  between  them,  he 
would  have  to  cling  to  them  or  fall  between  the  planks, 
or  a  third  plank  would  have  to  be  laid  between  the 
others  for  him  to  walk  upon.  The  bees  soon  discover 
the  discomfort  of  a  '  third  party  '  in  their  house,  and  to 
give  him  foothold  they  build  a  thin  curtain  of  wax  as 
before  mentioned.  It  is  probable  that  Professor  Cook's 
'  J '  of  an  inch  should  be  a  i,  but  he  may  have  a  good 
reason  for  his  statement,  which  is  unexplained.  We 
first  forced,  or  taught  (?),  the  bees  to  build  combs  upon 
wood  by  giving  them  sheets  of  wood  covered  with  wax  at 
the  regular  distances,  and  putting  other  sheets  of  plain 
wood  between  them,  and  they  soon  demonstrated  that 
wooden  bases  were  not  specially  objectionable,  and  hav- 
ing started,  the  plain  wood  was  withdrawn,  and  they 
were  allowed  to  complete  their  work. — Ed.] 


XLebiefar. 


British  Bee-farming:  its  Profits  and  Pleasures. — 
This  book,  we  regret  to  say,  is  miserably  disappointing, 
and  calculated  to  do  an  immensity  of  mischief  to  the 
cause  it  is  professedly  intended  to  serve.  Ill  written, 
far  behind  the  times,  absurdly  contradictory  in  its  state- 
ments, brazen  in  assertion,  bald  in  its  discursiveness,  it 
can  only  be  classed  with  the  wares  of  the  itinerant  that 
were  '  made  to  sell.'  There  is  nothing  in  the  book  that 
is  new,  and  very  little  that  is  true  that  is  not  over- 
shadowed by  contrary  assertion ;  so  that  it  is  puzzling 
instead  of  being  helpful  to  the  beginner  in  bee-keeping, 
and  practically  useless  except  as  a  memento  of  the  vanity 
of  inexperience.  We  have  painfully  waded  through  its 
two  hundred  and  odd  pages  and  cannot  find  a  single  ex- 
cuse for  its  publication.  There  is  very  little  indeed  in 
explanation  of  its  title,  and  only  a  confused  idea  can  be 
gathered  of  the  author's  meaning.     He  promises  enor- 


mous profits  as  the  result  of  '  bee-farming,'  but  utterly 
fails  to  show  how  they  are  achieved.     He  says : 

'  To  make  it  [bee-farming]  profitable,  we  must  first 
throw  overboard  every  hive  which  is  too  large  to  be 
workable,  and  then  invest  a  few  shillings  upon  the 
Italian  honey  extractor '  (p.  1 ) ;  and  almost  in  the  next 
breath  he  says,  the  present  style  of  cottagers'  management 
and  its  failures  arise  because  they  '  still  use  the  common 
straw  skep,  all  made  of  one  shape  and  size,'  and  the  bad 
results  are  said  to  arise  '  from  the  hives  being  too  small ' 
(p.  ;J>).  And  again  :  '  They  [small  hives]  are  prolific  in 
one  thing — that  is  swarms'  (p.  4).  Swarms  aie  here 
apparently  condemned,  but  presently  they  are  a  valuable 
commodity. 

He  says  :  '  Taking  swarms  into  consideration,  as  part 
of  the  profits  of  the  bee-farm,  we  know  of  no  trade  so 
lucrative  as  that  of  a  bee-farina- '  (p.  8).  '  Which  is 
best,  a  swarm  that  may  be  sold  for  10s.,  or  may  be  worth 
three  times  this  sum  to  you,  or  two  or  three  pounds  of 
honey  at  most,  as  the  result  of  superingr1'  'Our  way 
never  prevents  swarming,  for  the  bees,  ever  active  and 
industrious,  go  on  storing  honey  day  by  day '  (p.  7). 

Large  hives  are  soon,  apparently,  recommended,  for 
the  author  says : 

'  When  a  stock  is  taken  from  a  hollow  tree,  it  is  not 
uncommon  to  secure  "  an "  hundredweight  of  honey ;' 
and  in  the  next  paragraph,  '  The  old-fashioned  small 
skep  must  be  abolished  if  success  is  to  be  secured  '  (p.  4). 
'  Remember  your  stock  will  swarm  long  before  your 
neighbours  if  you  adopt  the  bee-farmer's  hive, — hence 
your  special  need  of  preparation '  (p.  21). 

Then  follows  an  absurdly  contradictory  statement,  or 
rather,  a  series  of  them  : 

'  The  only  hive  we  have  found  successful  is  one  not 
more  than  12  inches  square,  internally.  This  is  taught 
us  by  the  fact  that  our  cottagers'  wives  who  use  the 
old-fashioned  skep  of  about  12  inches  square  (sic),  can 
generally  succeed  in  having  a  fair  honey-harvest  when 
their  neighbours,  who  employ  large  hives  such  as  the 
Woodbury,  can  seldom  obtain  much  honey  from  them ' 
(p.  6).  'The  best  hive,  all  points  considered,  is  the 
bar-frame  hive  called  the  "  Woodbury  hive."  Carr's 
improved  Woodbury  is  too  small,  and  from  this  cause 
alone  worthless'  (p.  0).  'The  "modifications"  of  the 
Woodbury  hive  include  such  as  Carr's,  Siebert  on  the 
Wold,  Major  Munns'  bar-frame  hives,  Pettitt's  bar- 
frame,  Pettitt's  Temple,  Lees'  Octagon  hive,  Lees'  Wood- 
bury, and  others  too  numerous  to  mention  '  (p.  9).  '  But 
a  chief  point  is  the  size  of  the  hive.'  (Here,  in  a  long 
paragraph,  the  ordinary-sized  Woodbury  hive  is  utterly 
condemned), — '  They  are  too  large, — the  bees  never  fill 
them  ;  the  bees  are  dispirited, — never  swarm,  and  yield 
a  poor  return '  (p.  10).  Fancy  '  Lees'  Octagon  hive ' 
being  a  modification  of  the  Woodbury  !  (The  Wood- 
bury hive  is  recognised,  on  page  24,  as  being  14A  inches 
square.) 

On  page  19,  the  inside  measurements  of  the  'Farmers' 
hive  '  are  given:  '  It  is  made  12  inches  long,  1  If  wide 
and  10  inches  deep ; '  but  it  is  to  be  made  with  two 
pieces  of  board  1 1 1  inches  long  and  10  inches  deep 
for  the  front  and  back,  and  two  pieces  of  the  same 
dimensions  for  the  sides.  The  top-board  is  16  inches 
square,  and  the  floor-board  K5J  inches  square  '  (p.  10). 
'  The  six  hoards  constituting  the  hive  must  be  made  of 
inch  deal,  well  seasoned,  and  they  are  to  be  painted  in 
three  coats  of  stone-coloured  paint,  inside  and  out ' 
(p.  20);  and  presently,  'The  boaids  of  the  bar-hive 
should,  if  possible,  be  one  and  a  half  inch  in  thickness' 
(P-24)' 

Our  readers  will  have  some  difficulty  in  reconciling 
these  statements,  and  will  scarcely  accept  them  as  highly 
commendatory  of  the  bee-farmer's  hive,  the  dimensions 
of  which  are  given  above,  which  will  contain  eight 
frames,  of  small  size  be  it  remembered.  This  hive  we 
assume,  however,  is  considered  the  sine  qua  non  to  sue- 


182 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[January  1,  1881. 


cess,  and  all  the  honey  is  to  be  taken  by  the  aid  of  the 
Italian  extractor,  an  instrument  we  would  advise  every- 
one to  have  on  trial  before  purchasing  one. 

Supering  is  condemned  in  unmistakable  terms  as  fol- 
lows :  '  We  advise  all  our  readers  never  to  use  supers  on 
the  hive;  let  the  bees  manage  their  own  affairs  and  send 
out  swarms  as  often  as  they  like.'  '  Placing  supers  may 
seem  pleasant  to  a  novice,  but  it  deters  the  bees  from 
swarming  '  (p.  7).  He  says  :  '  The  super,  whether  it  be  in 
the  form  of  a  bellglass,or  a  small  square  wooden  box  plactd 
on  the  top  of  a  hive,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  prevents 
swarming ;  thus  it  is  "  penny  wise  and  pound  foolish  " ' 
(p.  17).  '  Many  foolish  bee-keepers  place  an  eke  at  the 
bottom  of  the  hive  to  make  it  larger  when  the  bees  show 
signs  of  swarming  ;  this  results  in  the  loss  of  the  swarm,' 
&c.  (p.  17).  '  If  you  are  wise  you  will  never  employ 
either  the  dreaded  super  or  the  eke  in  your  apiary.  If 
nothing  else  will  teach  you,  the  heavy  loss  and  dwindling 
stocks,  year  by  year,  will  bring  our  words  to  your  re- 
membrance when  too  late  '  (p.  16). 

If  people  are  foolish  enough  to  believe  the  assertions 
made  in  this  wretched  book,  every  other  cultural  in- 
dustry woidd  soon  give  place  to*  bee-farming.  The 
author  says: 

'  A  poor  curate,  vicar,  or  cottager  working  all  day  on 
the  neighbouring  farm,  may  add  to  their  present  small 
income  100/.  annually  from  bee-farming' (p.  2).  '  Our 
system,  if  followed  honestly,  should  bring  an  annual 
income  of  ten  pounds  per  hive.'  '  In  poor  seasons  it 
should  clear  six  pounds '  (p.  8). 

The  author,  avoiding  supering  as  he  would  poison, 
says : 

'  Our  way  never  prevents  swarming,  for  the  bees, 
ever  active  and  industrious,  go  on  storing  honey  day  by 
day ;  the  plan  then  is  this  : — About  twice  a-week,  in  the 
height  of  the  honey-season,  puff  a  little  smoke,'  &c,  and 
'  slip  out  the.  bar  at  each  end  of  the  hive,  cut  off  the  tops 
or  caps  over  the  cells,  place  it  in  the  extractor, — two  or 
three  whirls  round  completely  empty  it  of  all  the 
hone}' ;  then  give  it  back  to  the  bees,  the  comb  not  being 
in  the  slightest  degree  injured,  is  again  filled  in  three  or 
four  days,  to  be  again  emptied  out.  At  each  operation, 
not  less  than  six  pounds  of  pure,  limpid  honey  come  out 
of  the  extractor.  This  is  worth  nine  shillings,  if  sold 
privately.' 

We  are  not  told  how  long  the  height  of  the  honey- 
season  is  supposed  to  last,  but  presuming  each  hive  to 
yield  two  swarms  of  the  value  (10s.  each)  set  down  by 
the  author,  it  ought  to  continue  unintermittingly  for 
fifteen  weeks  to  produce  the  sum  total  of  10/.,  the  "profit 
promised  in  a  good  season. 

There  is  not,  throughout  the  book,  one  word  on  the 
subject  of  comb-foundation,  sections  for  honey-storing, 
and  not  a  single  allusion  to  the  work  carried  on  by  the 
British,  or  its  kindred  Bee-keepers'  Associations;  aiidwe 
can  only  regret  that  such  a  book  has  been  put  before  the 
public.  Time  and  space  prevent  further  allusion  to  its 
absurdities,  but  we  will  return  to  the  task  in  time  to 
prevent,  if  possible,  some  of  the  mistakes  that  may  be 
made  if  its  dictates  are  followed ;  for  the  present  we  con- 
clude with,  'How  to  prepare  barley-sugar  for  feeding.' 
The  author  says  :  '  Put  two  pounds  of  loaf-sugar  into  a 
saucepan  of  water,  and  two  spoonfuls  of  best  vinegar ; 
put  it  on  a  gentle  fire,  let  it  boil  for  about  twenty  minutes,' 
&c.  We  presume  any  size  of  saucepan,  or  spoon,  will  do 
equally  well. 

(Sdjocs  from  %  |)ibes. 

Trieste,  6th  December,  1880. —'We  have  fine  weather 
here,  and  my  Cyprians  have  nearly  every  day  a  flight 
during  over  a  fortnight.  It  is  a  pity  that  we  cannot 
enjoy  such  weather  the  winter  all  round. — A.  Schroder, 
jun/ 


Weston,  Leamington. — '  Splendid  open  weather  we  have 
had  here  lately  for  bees  to  fly,  and  which  they  appear  to 
have  thoroughly  enjoyed,  after  the  sharp  weather  we 
had  three  weeks  ago. — A  Warwickshire  Bee-keeper, 
Weston,  Leamington,  Dec.  15,  1880.' 

Deanfoot,  N.  £.,  Dec.  18,  1880.—'  This  has  not  been 
a  year  for  much  honey  here,  but  rather  for  increasing 
stocks,  and  every  bee-keeper  has  greatly  increased  them. 
Last  year  there  were  thirty  kept  here,  this  year  there  are 
seventy.  I  have  not  had  as  many  swarms  as  my  neigh- 
bours, but  had  some  well-filled  sections  instead,  which  I 
showed  at  an  Industrial  Exhibition,  and  got  a  good  price 
for ;  also  a  frame-hive  with  sections  complete,  and  an 
observatory  hive  with  Ligurian  bees,  which  those  present 
took  a  good  deal  of  intere  t  in.  My  bees  are  all  in  frame- 
hives,  and  never  were  as  comfortable  as  at  present.  There 
is  more  in  wintering  bees  than  most  bee-keepers  are 
aware  of,  and  I  am  of  opinion  that  the  cause  of  spring 
dwindling  might  be  traced  to  the  winter  cold.  Dysentery 
will  never  occur  in  a  hive  that  has  received  proper  win- 
ter care  and  protection.  The  hardest  frost  this  winter 
was  thirty-five  degrees;  snow  and  frost  has  again  set  in 
eighteen  degrees  this  morning. — Francis  Baillie.' 

Maidenhead,  Dec.  18,  1880.  —  A  Lady  Bee-keeper 
writes  :  '  My  nine  stocks  of  last  winter  did  well  with  me 
for  an  amateur,  their  numbers  increasing  by  August  to 
twenty-two.  I  have  no  difficulty  in  getting  them  to 
make  use  of  supers,  either  glass,  wood,  or  straw ;  but 
they  take  to  large-sized  supers  much  better  than  small. 
This  neighbourhood  chiefly  depends  upon  hme -trees, 
therefore  it  was  not  a  good  season  for  us,  as,  during  the 
three  weeks  of  their  being  in  bloom,  there  was  constant 
rain.  Notwithstanding  this,  I  secured  115  lbs.  7  ozs.,  of 
super  virgin  comb,  and  of  dript  107  lbs.  4  ozs.,  and  6  lbs. 
of  wax.  I  have  a  ready  sale  for  any  super-comb  I  have 
to  spare  at  2s.  and  Is.  for  run-honey,  and  our  chemist 
buys  the  wax  at  Is.  3d.  per  lb.  The  twenty-two  hives 
were  reduced  to  twelve — four  in  bar-frames,  the  rest  in 
large  cottage-hives,  without  any  of  the  bees  being  de- 
stroyed on  the  26th  of  August.  This  is  written  to  en- 
courage other  lady  bee-keepers.  I  have  had  Martin 
hitherto  to  take  up  my  own  hives,  but  I  drive  those  of 
the  cottagers  myself.  Several  say  next  jear  they  shall 
be  able  to  do  their  own  now  they  have  seen  it  done  by 
me.  I  am  very  glad  you  have  not  to  send  to  me  the  Bee 
Journal  in  a  "  pink  wrapper ; "  I  should  not  like  your  rap 
at  all ;  it  is  shameful.' 


(fumes  anb  JU»tks. 


Query  No.  365. — Barley-sugar — Bee  Trees. — Will  you 
please  tell  me  why  my  barley-sugar,  after  boiling,  turns 
intr  <  tuff  just  like  lump-sugar,  instead  of  being  clear 
ai  hard  ?  Also,  are  there  any  trees  bees  most  prefer 
to  swarm  upon  ? — Chas.  H.  Edwards,  The  Chalet, 
Mill  Hill,  N.  Hendon. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  365. — We  presume  there  has 
not  been  sufficient  acid  added  to  the  sugar  to  effect  the 
necessary  change.  Bees,  as  far  we  have  ever  seen,  have 
no  favourite  trees  for  swarming  to  ;  but  it  is  quite  cer- 
tain that  where  one  swarm  has  clustered  another  is 
very  likely  to  come  another  day ;  a  fact,  due,  moue 
likely,  to  the  odour  left  about  the  spot  than  to  any 
special  affection  for  a  particular  kind  of  tree. — Ed. 

Query  No.  366. —  The  Jrish  Hive. — I  am  going  to  use 
the  wooden  comb-foundation  in  one  of  your  Irish  hives 
to  act  as  a  divider,  as  you  suggest,  and  put  sections  be- 
hind it.  Should  the  slot  at  the  bottom  be  covered  with 
excluder-zinc,  and  will  it  want  moving  more  forward  at 
the  end  of  the  season  ? — It.  A.  S.,  Borobridge. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  366. — It  will  doubtless  render 
the  exclusion  of  the  queen  more  certain  if  the  zinc  be 


January  1,  1881.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


183 


used,  otherwise,  the  wood  being  thin,  a  slot  could  be  cut 
of  the  right  width,  that  might  answer  for  excluding  pur- 
poses. We  rather  incline  to  the  use  of  a  zinc  divider 
between  brood  and  sections,  and  the  placing  of  the 
wooden  comb  at  the  back  of  the  sections  as  shown  in 
figure  on  page  151.  At  the  end  of  the  season  the  sections 
should  be  removed  and  the  brood-nest  enclosed  with  the 
'  divider.' — Ed. 

Query  No.  367. — Late  Drones. — Will  you  kindly 
favour  me  with  an  explanation  of  the  following  case  ? 
Of  seven  stalls  of  bees  an  early  swarm  of  this  season 
shows  a  very  large  proportion  of  drones,  probably  more 
than  half.  They  are  in  a  bar-hive  full  of  honey.  Of 
late  the  whole  have  been  active  and  the  other  stalls  en- 
gaged in  feeding  on  the  blossom  of  the  broad-leaved 
Algerian  ivy,  a  very  late  variety.  To-day  the  drone 
stall  in  question  is  alone  restless,  simply  buzzing  outside 
and  working  in  and  out.  Not  a  bee  is  moving  elsewhere 
where  all  was  activity  yesterday,  nor  at  any  time  of  late 
have  drones  been  seen,  with  slight  exceptions,  at  the 
other  stalls. — A  Lady,  Arundel,  Dec.  7th,  1880. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  367. — We  have  little  doubt  but 
that  the  stock  is  queenless  from  some  unexplained  cause. 
Having  become  so,  the  bees  would  have  no  brood  to 
attend  to  after  about  ten  days,  and  would  therefore  be 
at  liberty  to  gather  honey,  which  not  being  required  as 
food  for  embryo  bees,  they  would  store  largely,  and  the 
hive  would  in  a  good  season,  such  as  the  past,  attain 
great  weight.  When  the  time  came  for  slaying  the 
drones,  this  hive  (having  no  queen)  would  become  a 
refuge  for  those  of  other  hives,  a  fact  which  will  account 
for  the  large  number  now  present.  The  activity  at  the 
hive  entrance  was  not  of  the  same  character  as  that  of  the 
other  hives  ;  they  were  working  and  gathering  this  petu- 
lant idleness. — Ed. 

Query' No.  368. — Irish  Hive. — 1.  In  your  description  of 
the  Irish  hive,  a  piece  of  wood  f  square  inch  nailed  on 
the  top  of  the  sides  flush  with  the  inside,  this  leaves  a  § 
rabbet  on  the  outside,  what  is  this  for,  as  the  frames 
are  made  to  project  over  the  sides  ?  And  should  not  the 
frame-bars  be  reduced  s  instead  of  -fs  at  the  shoulders  ? 
as  then  it  will  bring  them  exactly  level  with  the  back 
and  front,  the  sides  having  been  left  §  lower,  and  the 
bar  being  originally  ^  inch  thick.  I  am  delighted  that 
you  have  simplified  the  bar  ends. 

2.  Am  I  right  in  making  the  frame  ends  of  the  same 
width  as  the  bars,  that  is,  about  1  inch  ? 

3.  I  shall,  I  expect,  be  changing  my  residence  about 
March  to  a  distance  of  twelve  miles.  How  and  when  had 
I  better  move  my  bees  ?  They  are  in  wooden  hives,  of 
your  Crystal  Palace  Cottager's  and  Improved  Woodbury 
type,  and  one  original  Woodbury.  As  there  is  no  one 
about  here  who  understands  bee-keeping,  I  look  to  you 
for  all  my  advice,  if  not  troubling  you  too  much. — R.  A.  S., 
Borobridge. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  368. —  1.  The  object  in  leaving 
the  rabbet  is  that  there  shall  not  be  a  broad  surface  for 
the  frame-ends  to  rest  upon,  to  lessen  the  chances  of 
crushing  bees.  In  strictness  we  ought  to  have  said  an 
eighth  as  the  amount  of  reduction  of  the  frame-ends,  but 
as  the  top  surface  of  the  bars  is  usually  planed,  practically 
a  sixteenth  is  sufficient.  It  is  as  well  in  making  the 
hive  to  cut  the  front  and  back  a  trifle  wider  than  is 
described  (8f  inches),  and  having  fitted  the  frames,  to 
plane  them  (the  front  and  back)  down  to  a  level ;  but  in 
making  many,  due  regard  ought  to  be  paid  to  exactness. 
The  simplification  of  the  bar-ends  has  made  hive-making 
and  ordinary  management  much  more  easy,  fully  repay- 
ing the  small  additional  cost  of  their  production. 

2.  This  is  a  point  on  which  many  of  our  experts  and 
judges  do  not  agree  with  us — we  would  prefer  for  bee- 
comfort  that  the  frame-ends  should  be  of  the  width  of 
the  widened  shoulders  of  their  top  bars,  as  so  often  ex- 
plained in  reference  to  the  Giotto  principle  of  hive ;  but 


the  public  have  been  taught  to  dread  the  propolising  that 
would  ensue  if  the  junctions  of  the  frame-ends  were  not 
perfect,  and  thus  we  are  compelled  to  make  them  as  you 
suggest. 

3.  We  would  remove  the  bees  when  the  weather  will 
give  them  opportunity  for  flight  after  their  journey.  If 
it  were  only  a  mile  or  two,  and  they  could  be  carried 
by  hand,  they  might  be  moved  at  any  time  with  safety, 
bat  as  they  will  probably  be  jolted,  and  caused  to  fill 
themselves  with  honey,  a  flight  afterwards  will  be 
desirable.  Their  combs  should  be  rendered  secure  from 
falling  and  breaking,  and  the  hive  should  be  thoroughly 
ventilated  at  the  top,  a  covering  of  perforated  zinc  or 
cheese-cloth  over  the  frames  being  the  best.  Tie  the 
floor-boards  securely,  and  let  the  bees  travel  in  a  light 
spring  cart  with  plenty  of  hay  or  shavings  for  a  cushion. 
—Ed. 

NOTICES  TO  CORRESPONDENTS  &  INQUIRERS. 


J.  Dunlop,  Downpatrick.  —  Excluder  zinc.  —  Abbott's 
long-holed  excluder  is  no  hindrance  to  the  bees;  strips 
one  inch  wide  will  be  sufficient  for  admission  to  the 
supers.  Breeds  of  Bees. — For  industry,  hybrids,  i.  e., 
the  cross  between  a  pure-bred  Ligurian  queen  and  an 
English  drone.  Beauty,  Cyprian  bees  (these  have  an 
excellent  character  from  their  last  place).  Fertility, 
Ligurian  or  C3'prian.  Suitability  to  the  Irish  Climate, 
Hybrids  as  described  above.  The  introduction  of  a 
few  Ligurian  queens  will  soon  effect  an  improvement 
in  the  race  of  bees.  Heather. — It  is  the  common 
variety  that  our  bees  get  their  chief  supplies  from, 
the  'bottle'  heather  being  available  to  bees  with 
longer  tongues. 

Newtown,  Rostrevor. — Nearness  of  Hives.  —  Ordi- 
narily, if  placed  in  groups  of  two,  three,  or  four,  about 
four  feet  from  hive  to  hive,  and  eight  from  group  to 
group,  they  will  be  sufficiently  isolated  ;  but  distance 
is  not  all  that  is  required  for  safety.  There  ought  to 
be  such  a  difference  in  the  aspect,  i.e.  in  the  actual 
appearance  of  each  hive  and  group,  that  bees  could  not 
make  a  mistake,  or  they  will  be  liable  to  get  mixed  up, 
and  difficulties  will  be  sure  to  arise.  At  the  South 
Kensington  Show,  1880,  the  hives  of  bees  on  exhi- 
bition were  several  feet  apart  in  a  straight  row,  the 
entrance-ways  to  them  being  through  holes  cut  in  the 
sash-frames  of  the  huge  arched  windows.  These  win- 
dows extended  in  various  directions  for  hundreds  of 
yards,  and  there  was  sufficient  similarity  to  deceive 
almost  any  one,  and  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that 
the  bees  made  serious  mistakes.  They  went  into 
wrong  hives  and  encased  the  queens,  and  into  some  of 
the  arched  windows  in  which  there  were  no  entrance- 
ways,  or  hives,  and  settled  and  clustered  in  corners 
similar  to  their  allotted  corners,  producing  terrible  con- 
fusion, and  causing  much  loss  of  bee-life,  and  injury  to 
the  stocks.  We  would,  therefore,  recommend  that  as 
much  variety  as  possible  should  be  exhibited  in  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  hives  and  groups,  trees,  as  permanent 
landmarks,  being  taken  into  account  in  the  selection 
of  sites  for  them.  We  strongly  recommend  that  every 
hive  stand  alone,  either  on  its  own  legs,  or  having  none, 
on  a  separate  stand  of  its  own.  Forms  or  benches  are 
liable  to  be  shaken  when  hives  are  being  examined, 
and  bees  are  thereby  disturbed  when  they  had  better 
be  left  quiet. 

J.  II.  V. — Spring  Feeding. — Full  directions  for  spring 
feeding  will* be  given  in  the  February  No.  of  Journal. 
If  bees  need  food  sooner,  i.e.,  if  they  are  approaching 
starvation,  the}'  should  have  a  little  barley-sugar,  two 
or  three  ounces  at  a  time  put  into  the  feeding-hole  and 
covered  up  with  a  piece  of  cloth,  flannel,  or  carpet 
will  do  well  enough.  When  the  crocuses  come  into 
bloom  will  be  the  right  time  to  give  pea-flour  as  arti- 


184 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[January  1,  1881. 


ficial  pollen.  Removing  and  Transferring  Bees. — Our 
leaflet  on  transferring,  post-free  Id.,  will  tell  how  that 
is  done.  The  shed  may  be  removed  at  once,  if  you 
have  provided  hives  with  individual  covers  that  can 
be  placed  on  the  existing  hives;  and  its  removal  will 
so  alter  the  aspect  of  the  place,  that  the  hives  may  be 
moved  a  few  yards  with  safety,  forthwith,  if  desired. 

C.  T. —  The  Quilt. — In  supering,  the  quilt  is  entirely  re- 
moved, and  you  may  nse  an  adapter  of  wood  with  £f- 
inch  slits  or  one  of  long-holed  perforated  zinc,  as  you 
prefer.  Many,  however,  set  the  sections  down  upon 
the  frames,  crosswise,  trusting  to  the  space  between 
the  sections  being  of  correct  width  (which  all  are  not) 
for  excluding  purposes. 

Durdanach,  Pitlochry.  —  IAgurianising  and  Foul 
Brood. — Imported  bees  as  a  rule  become  dysenteric  on 
the  journey,  and  believing  that  the  sporules  of  that 
disease  generate  foul  brood,  we  advise  that  queens 
(which  do  not  suffer  from  it)  should  be  introduced  alone 
on  arrival.  The  practice  too  often  commended  of 
putting  the  imported  box  of  dysenteric  bees  and  dirty 
honey  over  the  feeding-hole  with  zinc  between,  and 
allowing  the  bees  of  the  hive  to  unite  with  those  in 
the  box,  and  carry  the  honey  down  into  their  hive  is 
very  likely  indeed  to  set  up  the  disease  in  question. 

Closing  Entrances. — Notwithstanding'  the  opinions 
and  practices  of  others,  we  are  much  averse  to  closing 
the  entrances  of  hives,  except  for  very  temporary 
purposes.  Bees  will  not  be  tempted  out  into  the 
snow  if  the  bright  sunlight  be  kept  from  the  entrance. 
Sunlight  in  winter  attracts  bees,  and  they  come  forth 
unwarrantably  when  there  is  no  snow,  and  perish  of 
cold  ;  but  when  snow  is  on  the  ground  their  corpses 
are  more  easily  seen,  hence  the  snow  is  charged  with 
being  the  cause  of  their  ventui'esomeness,  whereas  it 
is  really  the  light. 

BEE    FLOWERS. 


CROCUSES  are  all  gone, — those  not  sold  have 
been  planted, — but  we  have  a  few  thousands  of  the 
new  Bee-plant,   Limnanthes  Douglasii,  which  will  follow 
Arabis  Alpinus  in  blooming,  and  is  much  liked  by  the  Bees. 
Price,  free  on  rail,  at  Southall,  Is.  6<f.  per  hundred,  or 
10s.  6<J.  per  thousand,  package  included. 

Abbott  Bros.,  Southall,  Middlesex. 
This  plant  literally  throws  up  '  heaps '  of  blossoms,  and 
bees  come  at  it  in  droves.     It  lasts  in  bloom  a  month  or 


ROYAL  SOCIETY  for  the  PREVENTION  of 
CBUELTY  to  ANIMALS. 

MONTHLY  EETTJRN  of  CONVICTIONS  (not  includ- 
ing those  obtained  by  the  Police  or  by  kindred  Societies) 
obtained  DURING  NOVEMBER,  1880,  as  follows  :— 

Horses — Working  in  an  unfit  state         167 

Horses — Beating,  kicking,  stabbing,  &c.        ...  28 

Horses — Overdriving  and  overloading     4 

Horses — Starving  by  withholding  food 1 

Donkeys — Working  in  an  unfit  state      7 

Donkeys — Beating,  kicking,  stabbing,  &c.    ...  9 

Cattle — Beating,  kicking,  stabbing,  &c 4 

Cattle — Overstocking  (distending  udders)      ...  2 

Cattle — Cutting  for  identification    1 

Cattle — Improperly  killing       2 

Sheep — Beating,  kicking,  stabbing,  &c 3 

Pigs — Beating,  kicking,  stabbing,  &c 1 

Dogs — Beating,  kicking,  stabbing,  &o 7 

Dogs — Starving  by  withholding  food      2 

Cats — Setting  dogs  to  worry     1 

Cats — Cutting  tads  off      3 

Fowls — Beating,  kicking,  stabbing,  &c 1 

Fowls — Overcrowding  in  baskets     2 

Fowls — Allowing  to  remain  in  toothed  trap  ...  1 

Geese — Beating,  kicking,  stabbing,  &c 1 

Pigeons — Improperly  conveying      4 

Hyenas — Burning  during  menagerie  perform- 
ances      1 

Argali — Beating,  kicking,  stabbing,  &c.         ...  1 

Various — Owners  causing  above  offences       ...  70 

Total,  during  November,  1880       323 

Twenty-three  offenders  were  committed  to  prison  (full 
costs  paid  by  the  Society),  300  offenders  paid  pecuniary 
penalties  (penalties  are  not  received  by  the  Society) ;  50 
convictions  were  obtained  in  Metropolitan  Courts,  and  273 
in  Provincial  Courts. 

JOHN  COLAM,  Secretary. 
105  Jermyn  Street,  London. 


SUBSCRIPTIONS  and  DONATIONS  are  URGENTLY 
NEEDED,  the  income  having  been  seriously  reduced  by 
commercial  depression.  The  public  are  therefore  earnestly 
solicited  to  forward  remittances,  payable  to  the  Secretary, 
to  whom  all  letters  should  be  addressed 

ARABIS  ALPINUS,  the  best  early  Honey- 
yielding  Flower,  blooms  from  March  to  July,  or  all 
the  year  round  by  successive  plantings.  It  has  been  bloom- 
ing with  us  from  March  to  mid-September.  Price,  Is.  Gd. 
per  hundred  plants ;  10s.  6d.  per  thousand ;  very  hardy ;  sure 
to  grow,  and  increases  rapidly.  Plant  one  foot  apart  every 
way.     Abbott  Bros.,  Southall,  Middlesex. 


PRICE  SIXPENCE. 


THE     GAEDENEE. 

A  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE   OF   HORTICULTURE  AND  FLORICULTURE. 

EDITED  BY  DAVID  THOMSON, 

Author  of  '  Handy  Book  of  the  Flower-Garden,'  '  Fruit  Culture  under  Glass,'  Ac. 
AIDED     BY     A     STAFF     OF     PRACTICAL     GARDENERS. 


The  Number  for  January  contains:  — 
Orchid  Culture. — How  to  make  the  most  of  Wall-borders  in  Kitchen  Gardens:  No.  I. — Roses  on  their  own  Roots. — 
Greenhouse  Plants:  No.  I.,  The  Azalea.— The  Fruit  Garden:  No.  I.— -Notes  on  Decorative  Greenhouse  Plants: 
Lisianthus  Russellianus  and  L.  Princeps. —  Notes  from  the  Papers. —  Hints  for  Amateurs.— Peas  and  their 
Culture. —  Choice  New  or  Hare  Hardy  Flowers. — The  Renovation  of  an  Old  Garden. —  Botany  for  Gardeners: 
No.  Ill,  Stems;  No.  IV.,  Leaves.  —  Flower  Gardening:  Cost  of  the  Two  Systems — Among  the  Chrysanthe- 
mums.—  Cftttleya  Labiata  at  Bothwell  Castle. — [Storrs  Hall.— Dundee  Horticultural  Association.  — Calendar: 
Forcing  Department ;    Kitchen  Garden. 

Yearly  Subscription,  free  by  Post,  7s.      Payable  in  advance. 


WILLIAM    BLACKWOOD    AND    SONS,    EDINBURGH    AND    LONDON. 


THE 


A1&  1 


[No.  95.    Vol.  VIII.] 


MARCH,  1881. 


[Published  Monthly.] 


(Editorial,  IJoiius,  #c. 


MARCH. 

February,  though  much  milder  than  the 
month  preceding,  has  not  been  good  for  bees ; 
a  few  warm,  sunny  days  gave  the  occasion 
for  flight  and  their  owners  opportunity  for 
examination,  and  often  unwise  manipulation, 
and — will  it  be  believed  ?  has  caused  queries  to 
be  sent  to  us  on  the  advisability  of  making  early 
artificial  swarms.  Tridy  'one  swallow  does  not 
make  a  summer,'  but  one  or  two  fine  days  appear 
to  be  sufficient  to  turn  the  heads  of  anxious  bee- 
keepers. We  are  writing  on  the  21st  February, 
and  the  ground  is  again  covered  with  snow,  and 
everything  looks  winterly  and  miserable,  except 
the  crocus  blossoms  that  show  their  heads  like 
miniature  golden  sugar-loaves  through  it.  The 
hard  frost  of  January  did  little  if  any  harm  to 
bees  in  well-ordered  apiaries  ;  but  where  their 
owners  have  carelessly  and  thoughtlessly  trusted 
in  providence,  they  have  had  in  the  majority  of 
instances  to  pay  the  penalty  due  to  improvi- 
dence in  the  form  of  dampness,  dysentery,  and 
death  in  their  hives. 

The  great  press  of  matter,  which  has  necessi- 
tated an  increase  in  the  number  of  our  pages 
this  month,  warns  us  that  we  must  use  our  own 
pen  a  little  less  freely  than  usual ;  but  we  have 
every  faith  that  the  contributions  of  others  will 
be  equally  acceptable  to  our  readers. 

To  economise  space,  a  large  number  of  queries 
that  were  evidently  intended  to  appear  have 
been  answered  through  the  post,  and  this  must 
be  our  apology  if  such  be  needed  for  the 
proceeding. 

WHAT  TO  DO,  AND  WHEN  AND  HOW 
TO  DO  IT. 

Increasing  the  Brood  Nest. — Under  the 
influence  of  stimulative  feeding  in  hives  in 
which  the  bees  have  been  crowded  together  by 
the  dividing-board,  the  breeding  will  go  on  so 
rapidly  that  every  available  cell  will  be  occupied 
with  eggs  and  larva;  before  there  has  been  time 


acting 


for  young  bees  to  come  into  life,  and 
upon  impulse  amateurs  will  be  apt  to  enlarge 
the  nest  to  give  further  liberty  to  the  queen  to 
deposit  more  eggs  and  cause  more  brood  to  be 
created.  In  this  matter  we  woidd  advise  ex- 
treme caution.  Bees  that  are  well  able  to 
maintain  life- supporting  heat  for  themselves 
and  the  brood  (for  the  brood  generates  compara- 
tively little  and  needs  the  presence  of  bees) 
in,  say,  three  frames  of  comb,  may  find  a  diffi- 
culty in  cold  weather  in  generating  sufficient 
for  that  of  a  fourth  frame,  and  its  introduction 
would  probably  do  mischief.  We  would,  there- 
fore, refrain  from  adding  the  fourth  until  the 
population  has  begim  to  increase  and  the  chief 
of  the  brood  approaches  maturity,  and  then  we 
would  place  the  added  empty  comb  by  the  side 
of  it  pro  term.  Many  writers  advise  that  the 
comb  in  question  should  be  placed  between  those 
containing  brood,  which  advice  is  sound  when 
the  weather  is  sufficiently  mild  to  preclude 
danger,  but  in  early  days  we  would  prefer  that 
the  bees  indicate  sufficiency  of  strength  to  take 
charge  of  it  (by  commencing  to  breed  in  it) 
before  we  would  force  its  absolute  care  upon 
them  by  giving  it  a  central  place.  Bee 
management  is  like  playing  a  game  of 
draughts  or  chess  —  it  may  be  very  easy  to 
make  a  dozen  moves,  but  it  is  stupidly  absurd 
to  move  at  all  without  considering  what  is 
likely  to  happen  afterwards. 

Prevent  Bobbing. — Weak  stocks  are  liable 
to  attacks  from  the  strong,  and  when  observed 
the  warfare  can  be  stayed  simply  and  certainly 
by  inserting  into  the  entrance  of  the  hive  a  tube 
of  perforated  zinc  about  a  foot  long  and  with 
room  in  it  for  bees  to  pass  freely,  all  other 
means  of  exit  or  entrance  being  closed  for  the 
time.  No  robber  or  other  bee  will  dream  of 
entering  by  the  projecting  end,  and  as  they 
cannot  get  in  at  the  entrance  proper,  they  will 
desist  from  their  depredations,  when  the  with- 
drawal of  the  tube  will  give  entrance  to  the 
lawful  inhabitants.  This  excellent  device  is  the 
invention  of  Mr.  Tenny  Braddy,  of  Kelvedon, 
Essex,  and  is  equally  good  for  emptying  supers 
of  their  bees. 


206 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[March  1,  1881. 


EARLY  SPRING  TREATMENT. 

(Continued  from  page  188.) 

True  to  their  nature,  the  crocuses  have  put 
in  an  appearance,  and  already  over-anxious 
bee-keepers  are  delighting  in  the  labour  of 
their  bees,  as  they  literally  wallow  in  the  arti- 
ficial pollen  offered  to  them.  We  do  our  best 
to  restrain  impetuous  amateurs,  lest,  in  their 
desire  to  stimulate,  they  should  destroy — a 
slight  increase  of  oil  will  often  make  a  lamp 
burn  more  brightly,  but  a  superabundance  will 
put  out  the  light.  Nevertheless,  firmly  believ- 
ing in  the  soundness  of  our  theory  of  spring 
stimulation,  we  commend  its  practice,  always 
premising  that  if  begun  it  shoidd  be  carefully 
and  cautiously  continued  until  the  bees  are  able 
to  gather  abundantly  from  natural  sources. 
Writing  from  a  point  nine  miles  west  of  Lon- 
don, and  governed  in  great  degree  by  the 
natural  conditions  about  us,  it  can  scarcely  be 
expected  that  our  experiences  and  acts  will  be 
more  than  suggestive  to  others  whose  surround- 
ings are  different ;  each,  therefore,  must  estab- 
lish a  law  for  himself,  accepting  our  suggestions 
as  far  as  they  may  be  agreeable,  and  tempering 
them  with  cautious  judgment.  On  a  south 
border  we  have  arabis  growing  that  has  been 
in  blossom,  more  or  less,  since  April  of  last  year  ; 
it  was  a  February  plantation  of  1880,  and  the 
ground  is  now  covered  with  its  pale-green  foli- 
age. Prior  to  the  planting  of  the  arabis  the 
border  had  been  studded  with  crocuses,  and 
now  through  the  velvety  verdure  of  the  former 
the  dark-green  spikes  of  the  latter  have  shown 
themselves  in  profusion ;  and  by  the  time  these 
pages  are  before  our  readers  the  border  will  be 
a  perfect  '  Tom  Tiddler's  ground,'  covered  with 
gold  and  silver,  and  the  bees  will  make  merry 
over  the  treat  which  they  will  find  there,  sup- 
plemented by  a  daily  dole  of  the  invaluable 
pea-flour,  which,  in  the  first  instance,  will  be 
spooned  into  the  open  crocus-flowers  to  create 
an  appetite  for  it  and  insure  its  acceptation  by 
them.  Our  first  crocus-bloom  opened  on  the 
10th  Feb.,  and  during  the  present  month  there 
will  be  many  thousands  of  them  for  the  bees  to 
revel  in,  and  arabis  in  profusion ;  there  will 
also  be  a  number  of  palm-bearing  willows  in 
bloom,  yielding  both  honey  and  pollen ;  and 
then,  as  the  days  would  scarcely  be  long  enough 
to  enable  us  to  fill  the  crocus-blossoms,  even  if 
it  were  desirable  to  do  so,*  we  shall  extemporise 

*  It  will  be  well  to  be  cautious  in  charging  the  crocus- 
cups  with  pea-flour  ;  the  crocus  naturally  only  opens 
itself  during  sunshine,  and  while  its  blossoms  form  the 
only  out-door  attraction  to  the  bees  it  would  be  unwise 
to  prevent  their  closing  when  the  sunshine  is  withdrawn. 
When  the  honey  supply  is  enlarged,  and  flowers  and 
blossoms  become  comparatively  abundant,  the  supply  of 
artificial  pollen  need  not  be  thus  limited. — Ed. 


some  '  big  sun-flowers,'  in  which  the  bees  can 
find  a  continuous  supply  until  the  natural  pro- 
duct renders  such  aid  unnecessary. 

In  preparing  this  '  sun-flower '  we  take  an 
old  skep,  dry-scrub  it  inside  to  clear  it  of  dirt, 
and  fill  it  loosely  with  yellow  deal  shavings ;  it 
is  then  set  upon  a  piece  of  wood  or  stone,  to 
keep  it  off  the  earth,  and  three  or  four  stakes 
are  driven  around  it  into  the  ground,  and  tied 
close  to  it  with  a  string ;  the  pea-flour  is  then 
sprinkled  on  the  shavings,  and  the  whole  roofed 
in  with  a  milk-pan  inverted,  as  indicated  in  the 
wood-cut. 


The  object  sought  in  thus  stimulating  bees  is 
the  production  of  brood,  and  it  will  be  obvious 
that  a  supply  of  pollen  alone  will  not  produce 
that  desirable  result.  Indeed  it  will  often  be 
found  that  bees  will  not  be  eager  for  the  pollen, 
and  it  may  in  such  case  be  inferred  that  there 
is  not  a  corresponding  incoming  of  honey,  and 
steps  must  therefore  be  taken  to  produce  such 
income,  or  its  equivalent,  artificially.  In  stocks 
not  well  supplied  with  honey  it  will  only  be  ne- 
cessary to  supply  them  with  syrup  proportionate 
to  their  requirements,  giving  the  bees  access  to 
two,  three,  or  more  pin-holes  in  the  feeding- 
stage  of  which  mention  was  made  in  our  former 
article  on  the  subject.  Stocks  that  have  abun- 
dance of  honey  in  their  hives  will  not  need  to 
be  fed  artificially,  but  it  will  greatly  stimulate 
them  while  pollen-carrying  is  possible  if  some 
of  the  honey  in  their  combs  be  daily  unsealed. 
To  do  this  it  will  only  be  necessary  to  turn  up 
the  quilt  and  slide  off  a  few  of  the  cell-caps 
near  the  top,  or  at  the  back  or  sides  of  the 
brood-nest,,  when  the  bees  will  seize  upon  the 
honey  as  if  it  were  a  newly-found  treasure,  and 
its  effect  upon  them  will  be  equally  as  effective 
as  if  they  had  been  fed,  and  will  be  more  bene- 
ficial, because  it  will  tend  to  empty  the  cells 
about  the  brood-nest,  instead  of  causing  them 
to  be  over-filled,  as  would  be  the  case  if  addi- 
tional syrup  were  given  to  them. 

While  stimulating  bees  in  the  spring   with 


March  1,  1881.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


207 


the  chances  of  variation  of  weather  that  may  be 
dangerous,  it  will  be  well  to  bear  in  mind  that 
the  brood-nest  cannot  well  be  kept  too  close 
and  snug,  that  there  may  not  be  any  draught 
through  it,  or  any  possible  waste  of  heat.  The 
bees  should  only  have  access  to  as  many  combs 
as  they  can  conveniently  cover,  and  had  better 
be  crowded  for  want  of  space  amongst  the 
combs  than  be  allowed  to  have  vacancies  in 
their  brood-chamber,  in  which  the  heat  can 
condense.  Attention  also  should  be  paid  to  the 
hive-entrance,  that  it  be  not  too  wide,  and  at 
the  same  time  that  it  be  of  sufficient  width  for 
two  bees,  at  the  least,  to  pass,  that  there  may 
be  no  difficulty  in  a  live  bee  carrying  out  a 
dead  one.  It  will  bo  better  that  the  bees  should 
be  obliged  to  ventilate  their  hive  by  fanning  at 
the  entrance  during  changeable  weather  than 
that  they  should  be  suddenly  compelled  to 
cluster  closely  for  self-protection  from  cold, 
and  thus  often  neglect  the  brood  on  the  edges 
of  their  nest,  for  deserted  brood  will  be  sure  to 
die,  and  its  loss  will  be  of  serious  consequence, 
since  the  bees  that  produce  it  will  have  become 
worn  in  the  labour  of  production,  and  less  able 
to  repair  the  damage  and  recuperate  the  loss. 

Those  who  have  no  crocuses  to  guide  them 
will  know  when  they  are  blooming  in  their 
neighbourhood,  and  in  early  days  will  be  able 
to  tempt  the  bees  to  seek  for  artificial  pollen  by 
sprinkling  a  little  on  the  alighting  boards  of 
their  hives,  and  feeding  gently  with  syrup,  as 
already  advised,  during  the  hours  of  sunshine, 
and  when  a  taste  for  it  has  been  acquired, 
offering  it,  as  suggested,  at  short  distances  from 
them.  Pea-flour,  when  fresh,  has  a  strong 
odour,  and  bees  having  tasted  it  will  not  be 
long  in  finding  it ;  and  we  would  advise  that  it 
be  placed  in  warm,  sheltered  corners  where  the 
sun  shines  in  the  forenoon. 


MANAGING  AN  APIARY. 

(Continued  from  page  189.) 

[In  the  second  line  of  the  right-hand  column  on  page 
181)  a  comma  that  should  have  come  in  after  the  word 
'  effort,'  arranged  itself  after  the  word  increased  ;  and  in 
the  eleventh  line  from  the  bottom  of  the  'article,'  if  the 
reader  will  read  frame  of  sections  instead  of  frame  as 
sections,  the  meaning  intended  will  he  more  readily 
understood.] 

We  have,  in  the  former  pages  referred  to, 
suggested  that  out  of  the  supposed  apiary  of 
ten  stocks  five  should  bo  increased  to  great 
strength  for  honey-gathering  from  the  first 
crop,  at  more  or  less  cost  to  the  remaining  five 
which  would  have  charge  of  all  the  combs 
containing  eggs  and  young  larvae.  The  first 
harvest  is  from  fruit,  and  whitethorn  blossoms 
in  May  and  June ;  and  ere  June  is  ended  the 
five  stocks  on  hand  ought,  aided  by  the  bottle, 
to    be    in   condition    to  work  upon  the  limes 


and  white  clover,  which  may  be  accounted  the 
second  harvest ;  or,  at  any  rate,  there  ought  to 
be  sufficient  bees  and  brood  to  make  up  three 
strong  honey-gathering  stocks,  though  with  the 
care  and  attention  prescribed  they  should  all  be 
able  to  do  '  something  '  when  the  harvest  is  at 
its  height. 

We  will,  however,  be  satisfied  to  have  eight 
now  at  Avork  in  the  sections,  and  it  will  be  well 
to  keep  watch  over  them  that  they  may  not  by 
accumulating  honey  in  the  stock-hive,  unduly 
interfere  with  the  production  of  brood  in  the 
somewhat  limited  brood-chamber,  which,  be  it 
remembered,  consists  of  eight  frames  only  An 
occasional  examination  of  the  brood-nest  will 
afford  most  valuable  information  on  this  point, 
and  its  desirability,  which  the  best  authorities 
are  agreed  upon,  is  a  strong  argument  in  favour 
of  hives  which  give  facilities  for  such  manipu- 
lation, and  suggests  a  reason  for  placing  the 
sections  or  frames  to  receive  the  comb-honey 
round  about  instead  of  above  the  brood-nest. 
In  these  examinations,  if  combs  be  found  sur- 
charged with  honey,  it  will  be  wise  to  remove 
them  and  extract  it,  exchanging  them  for  full 
combs  from  the  two  stocks  '  on  hand,'  which  in 
turn  will  be  much  encouraged  if  their  honey  be 
extracted,  and  fed  back  to  them,  for  it  is  a 
continuous  incoming  of  that  article,  or  its 
equivalent,  and  not  the  quantity  that  they 
accumulate,  that  most  surely  promotes  the 
production  of  brood  and  keeps  up  the  popida- 
tion.  Feeding  them  with  syrup  will,  of  course, 
answer  the  purpose  of  stimulation ;  but  as  it 
might  become  mixed  with  honey  in  the  combs 
we  cannot  advise  such  feeding  if  the  over- 
abundance is  to  be  retained  when  extracted.  It 
will  be  a  wonderful  advantage  to  have  on  hand  a 
supply  of  extracted  honey  during  the  harvest 
seasons  so  that  when  the  bees  cannot  get  out 
to  gather  it  (for  wet  days  will  come,  though 
they  be  not  wanted  by  the  bee-keeper),  they 
may  be  fed  and  kept  in  good  heart. 

there  will,  of  course,  be  the  usual  chances  of 
swarming  interfering  with  the  honey-storing 
by  populous  hives,  but  during  the  examinations 
that  should  from  week  to  week  take  place, 
the  presence  of  queen-cells  will,  as  a  rule,  indi- 
cate the  tendency,  and  enable  the  bee-keeper  to 
take  timely  precaution ;  but  the  method  of 
treatment  proper,  under  the  circumstances, 
deserves  to  be  noticed  under  a  new  heading. 

PREVENTION    OF    SwAKMING    FROM    SlTPERED 

Hives. — By  supered  hives  are  meant  all  such 
as  have  been  provided  with  separate  honey 
receptacles,  whether  for  the  reception  of  virgin 
comb,  or  for  honey  for  extraction,  and  few  of 
our  readers  will  fail  to  acknowledge  that  the 
issue  of  swarms  from  such  as  are  prosperously 
gathering,  is  most  vexatious  and  disappointing. 
The  examinations,  of  which  we  have  written 


208 


THE  BRITISH  REE  JOURNAL. 


[March  1,  1881. 


in  the  foregoing,  will  have  made  the  bee-keeper 
aware  of  the '  intention  of  the  bees  in  that 
respect,  and  it  would  be  easy  to  take  pre- 
cautions to  prevent  it ;  but  we  are  inclined  to 
think  that  when  honey  is  coming  in  largely,  it- 
would  be  wise  to  render  swarming  impossible 
for  some  time,  and  stop  the  labour  and  cost  of 
brood-raising  by  removing  the  queen  at  once. 

It  is  well  known  that  a  honey-glut  seldom 
lasts  more  than  a  fortnight  in  this  country,  and 
that  bees  consume  honey  largely  in  the  pro- 
duction of  brood  during  that  time,  and  we 
opine  that  it  would  pay  better  to  stop  such 
expenditure  of  honey,  and  set  the  bees  engaged 
in  the  labour  of  the  nursery  free  to  gather 
honey  for  storing,  and  to  afterwards  stimulate 
the  production  of  brood  in  the  lulls  between 
the  harvests  by  feeding  them  with  sugar- 
syrup,  which  is  so  much  less  valuable. 

We  would  therefore  counsel  the  removal 
of  the  queen  when  the  honey  -  harvest 
begins,  and  one  week  afterwards  we  would 
cut  out  all  the  queen-cells  save  one,  which 
may  be  allowed  to  hatch  out,  and  the  young 
queen  take  her  chance  of  safety  :  honey 
is  the  object,  everything  else  missed  can  bo 
repaired,  but  the  harvest  having  passed  cannot 
be  reclaimed.  Those  who  prefer  not  to  de- 
throne the  queens  at  the  commencement  of  the 
harvest,  and  who  would  rather  follow  the  old 
course  must  be  on  the  alert  if  the  bees  show 
signs  of  their  intention  to  swarm  by  raising 
queen-cells.  A  great  many  believe  that  by 
cutting  them  out  they  will  effectually  do  away 
with  the  desire  for  swarming,  but  that  is  an 
error,  for  the  desire  is  raised  beforehand,  and 
is  sometimes  so  much  like  mania  that  swarms 
will  issue  without  warning  or  preparation  of 
any  kind,  and  occasionally  with  the  only  prin- 
cess that  has  been  allowed  to  hatch,  leaving 
the  hive  to  perish  through  sheer  lack  of  means 
to  provide  a  successor.  This  last  possibility 
must  always  be  risked  with  hives  that  swarm, 
nevertheless,  to  prevent  the  issuing  of  a  swarm, 
as  far  as  it  is  possible  to  do  so  when  supers  are 
being  filled,  we  would  advise  the  removal  of 
the  queen  at  the  first  appearance  of  queen-colls 
and  the  cutting  out  of  all  the  latter  but  one, 
and  to  prevent  the  object  being  defeated,  would 
go  through  a  similar  process  of  excision  after 
the  lapse  of  three  or  four  days,  for  it  is  most 
probable  that  on  missing  their  queen  the  bees 
will  raise  a  fresh  batch  of  royal  cradles. 

In  view  of  the  fatality  above  alluded  to  it  is 
always  advisable  to  examine  stocks  after  they 
have  swarmed,  and  not  to  relax  in  vigilance 
until  they  have  laying  queens. 

How  to  deal  with  the  extracted  honey  and 
with  the  dethroned  queens  will  be  subjects  of 
future  remarks,  want  of  space  preventing  their 
appearance  in  the  present  Number  of  Journal. 


FEEDERS. 

Since  the  acceptation  of  our  theory  of  slow 
continuous  regulated  feeding  for  stimulating 
the  production  of  brood  in  spring  and  autumn, 
and  at  other  times  when  paucity  of  natural 
supplies  of  food  renders  breeding  uncertain,  the 
inventive  genius  of  bee-keepers  has  been  greatly 
exercised  in  the  production  of  means  by  which 
the  feeding  of  bees  may  be  performed  in  a 
cleanly,  easy,  and  reliable  way. 

It  is  not  necessary  now  to  discuss  the  prin- 
ciple involved  in  the  theory  in  question,  or  to 
enumerate  the  inventions  that  have  tended  to 
the  object  desired,  viz.  a  continuous  supply  of 
syrup  easily  regulated  to  the  requirements  of 
the  bees,  and  constantly  accessible  to  them,  yet 
so  disposed  that  it  cannot  drip  into  the  hive, 
and  cannot  be  attacked  from  the  outside. 

After  years  of  experimenting,  with  many 
failures,  and  considerable  expenditure  of  money, 
time,  and  ingenuity,  the  public  have  given 
their  verdict  in  favour  of  the  Vale  of  York 
feeding-stage  for  utter  simplicity  and  cheap- 
ness, and,  we  are  fain  to  believe,  Abbott's  spe- 
ciality feeder  for  perfection.  The  former  is 
the  invention  of  a  Reverend  Vicar  in  Yorkshire, 
and  consists  of  a  block  of  wood  about  half  an 
inch  in  thickness,  with  a  hole  through  it  of 
about  two  inches  in  diameter,  and  having  upon 


it  a  plate  of  zinc  or  vulcanite  perforated,  as 
shown  in  the  woodcut,  and  upon  this,  when 
properly  arranged  over  the  feeding-hole,  a 
bottle  of  syrup  is  inverted  in  the  usual  way. 
It  will  be  seen  that  an  ordinary  bottle  can 
stand  clear  of  all  the  holes  in  the  top  plate,  in 
which  case  the  bees  would  not  be  able  to  get  at 
any  of  the  food,  but  by  sliding  the  bottle  over 
the  holes  opportunity  is  offered  for  them  to 
take  it,  and  by  giving  it  over  more  or  less  of 
them,  the  rate  of  feeding  can  he  regulated. 

An  easy   way  of  inverting  the  bottle  with 
safety  is  of  consequence,  and  if  the  mouth  be 


March  1,  1881.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


209 


first  covered  with  writing-paper,  which  can  he 
afterwards  pulled  away,  the  object  will  be 
effected.  There  are  other  well-known  means 
of  inversion,  by  tin-shovel  and  spatula ;  but 
our  object  is  to  show  the  simplest  and  least 
costly. 

When  using  this  apparatus  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  cover  it  to  prevent  bees  getting  at  the 
syrup  round  the  outer  edge  of  the  bottle — a 
pan,  basin,  or  meat-tin  will  do  for  temporary 
use ;  but  it  is  always  best  to  have  a  sound, 
well -ventilated  roof  and  super-case,  that  ac- 
cess by  the  bees  may  be  impossible,  and 
that  evaporation  from  the  hive  may  not  be 
hindered. 

Abbott's  speciality  feeder  consists  of  a  squatty 
bottle  which  fits  into  a  tin  cap,  the  latter  being 
pierced  with  sundiy  holes  round  one  half  of  its 
flat  face,  and  when  fitted  on 
the  bottle  of  syrup  it  is  put 
into  the  wooden  socket  pre- 
pared for  it,  and  is  complete. 
The  wooden  socket  is  formed 
of  two  thicknesses  of  perfo- 
rated wood,  and  between  them 
are  placed  half  a  sheet  of  plain 
and  half  a  sheet  of  perforated 
zinc  or  vulcanite.  Now  it  will 
be  evident  that  if  the  bottle 
and  cap  be  so  placed  that  the 
holes  in  the  latter  are  over  the 
plain  half  sheet,  the  bees  can  get  no  syrup ; 
but  by  turning  it  to  the  right  or  left  the  holes 
will  be  brought  over  the  perforations  in  the 
socket,  and  the  bees  will  be  supplied,  and  the 
indicator  on  the  cap  will  point  to  the  figure  on 
the  surface  of  the  socket,  and  show  the  number 
of  holes  to  which  the  bees  have  access. 

The  bottle  can  be  removed  for  filling,  and 
replaced  without  danger  of  bees  flying  or  syrup 
being  spilled,  and  the  socket  can  be  used  for 
barley-sugar  feeding  when  required,  and  in 
neither  case  need  there  be  mess  or  dirt,  and  at 
any  time  the  supply  of  food  may  be  cut  off 
altogether. 

ARABIS  ALPINTTS. 

If  a  further  opinion  on  the  value  of  this 
plant  for  bees  be  desired,  we  quote  that  of 
Wm.  Carr,  Esq.,  of  Newton  Heath,  Manchester. 
He  says,  p.  196,  B.  B.  J.,  vol.  iii.,  Feb.,  1876, 
'  This  is  one  of  the  most  useful  bee  plants  we 
have,  as  it  flowers  early  in  spring  from  March 
to  May,  and  yields  quantities  of  pollen  and 
honey.  When  in  full  bloom  you  can  scarcely 
see  a  leaf  for  the  number  of  white  flowers,  and 
in  a  morning  I  have  seen  the  flowers  so  covered 
with  bees  that  you  could  scarcely  see  a  flower 
from  the  great  number  of  bees  working  on 
them.' 


FRAME-HIVE  MANAGEMENT. 

We  are  permitted  to  announce  the  forthcoming 
of  a  work  on  the  above  subject  at  the  hands  of  a 
bee-master,  whose  vast  experience,  ability,  and 
uniform  success,  are  sufficient  guarantee  that  it  will 
fully  supply  the  missing  link  in  the  literature  and 
science  of  bee  culture.  The  bee-world  is  groaning 
under  the  load  of  rubbish  written  to  sell,  or  to  sell 
the  wares  of  the  writers ;  but  here  will  be  a  book 
written  in  the  interest  of  bee-culture  to  instruct 
bee-keepers  in  the  various  ways  of  managing  their 
bees  in  frame-hives,  without  regard  to  shape,  make, 
material,  or  maker ;  and  in  the  interest  of  bee-keepers 
we  anticipate  for  it  a  hearty  welcome. 

We  have  not  seen  a  line  of  the  manuscript,  but 
have  been  favoured  with  a  list  of  the  subjects  to  be 
dealt  with,  and  with  that  before  us  and  our  know- 
ledge of  the  writer  we  have  every  confidence  that 
the  work  will  be  a  valuable  one.  It  will  be  issued 
in  cheap  form  at  the  lowest  possible  price,  to  bring 
it  within  the  means  of  all  the  students  in  the 
modern  school  of  apiculture,  and  without  doubt  it 
will,  in  better  guise,  find  a  place  in  every  library  as 
a  standard  of  reference. 


BRITISH  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

The  Committee  meeting  of  the  Association  was  held 
at  the  National  Chamber  of  Trade,  446  Strand,  on 
Wednesday,  February  16th,  when  there  were  present — 
Mr.  T.  W"  Cowan,  Rev.  E.  Bartrum,  Mr.  F.  Cheshire, 
Dr.  Lionel  S.  Beale,  Mr.  J.  M.  Hooker,  Mr.  H.  Jonas, 
Rev.  G.  Raynor,  Mr.  E.  S.  Whealler,  and  Kev.  H.  R. 
Peel  (Hon.  See.)  Mr.  T.  W.  Cowan  was  voted  to  the 
chair. 

It  was  resolved  that  the  arrangement  made  in  previous 
years  for  the  election  of  chairman  at  each  committee- 
meeting  should  be  adopted  during  the  ensuing  year. 
The  minutes  of  the  last  committee-meeting  having  been 
read  and  confirmed,  the  Secretary  reported  that  he  had 
received  a  letter  from  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  C.  Feilding  (the 
Hon.  Secretary  of  the  Shropshire  Association),  calling 
attention  to  the  fact  that  by  the  resolution  passed  at 
the  last  committee-meeting  respecting  the  awarding  of 
medals  at  county  shows,  cottagers,  although  residing  in 
the  county,  if  not  members  of  the  County  Associations, 
would  be  ineligible  to  compete  for  these  medals. 

Proposed  by  the  Chairman,  and  seconded  by  Mr. 
Cheshire: — 'That  the  resolution  passed  at  the  last  com- 
mittee-metting  be  amended  and  read  as  follows  : — "  The 
silver  and  bronze  medals  and  certificates  offered  for  com- 
petition at  the  annual  shows  of  affiliated  Societies  be 
open  for  competition  only  to  members  and  bomljide  cot- 
tagers residing  within  the  boundaries  of  the  countv." ' 

Mr.  Whealler  reported  that  an  International  Horti- 
cultural Show  was  to  be  held  at  Manchester  on  August 
24—27. 

The  Secretary  promised  to  communicate  with  the  Sec- 
retary of  the  show  (Mr.  Bruce  Findlay,  Royal  Botanic 
Gardens,  Manchester),  for  the  purpose  of  having  the 
Bee-tent  erected  in  the  show-ground. 

The  committee  were  of  opinion  that  it  was  desirable 
to  make  special  arrangements  with  Agricultural  Socie- 
ties, and  the  Secretary  was  requested  to  make  such  ar- 
rangements as  he  considered  advisable. 

The  Annual  General  Meeting  of  the  members  of  this 
Association  was  held  at  446  Strand,  on  Wednesday, 
February  16th.  In  the  absence  of  the  President  of  the 
Association  (the  Baroness  Burdett-Coutts),  Mr.  T.  W. 
Cowan  was  voted  to  the  chair.    There  was  a  large  at- 


210 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[March  1,  1881. 


tendance,  including — Bishop  Tozer,  Rev.  E.  Bartrum, 
Rev.  G.  Raynoi',  Rev.  H.  J.  Wilcox,  Dr.  Lionel  S.  Beale, 
Mr.  Cheshire,  Mr.  Carnaschella,  Mr.  Glennie  (Treasurer), 
Mr.  Allen,  Mr.  Jonas,  Mr.  Whealler,  Mr.  H.  C.  Finch, 
Mr.  H.  G.  Morris,  Mr.  Hooker,  Mr.  Lyon,  Mr.  Littleboy, 
Mr.  Roberts,  Mr.  Stewart,  Mr.  F.  R.  J  ack'son,  Mr.  Lemare, 
Mr.  Scott,  Mr.  Neighbour,  Mr.  Fielder,  Mr.  Tomlin,  &c. 
There  were  also  present — Mr.  Jesse  Garratt,  representa- 
tive of  the  West  Kent  Association ;  and  Mr.  Cartland, 
representative  of  the  Berks  and  Bucks  Association. 

The  minutes  of  the  last  general  meeting  having  been 
read  and  confirmed,  the  ( 'hairman,  having  briefly  reviewed 
the  progress  the  Association  had  made  during  the  past  year, 
moved  : — '  That  the  report  of  the  committee  and  balance- 
sheet  issued  for  the  year  1880  be  received  and  adopted, 
with  a  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  Kirchner,  the  auditor.' 

Mr.  Lyon  seconded  the  motion,  and  called  attention  to 
a  resolution  having  been  passed  at  the  last  annual  meet- 
ing, that  all  amounts  received  for  subscriptions  of  life- 
memberships  should  be  treated  as  capital  and  invested. 
From  the  report  issued  it  was  shown  that  the  committee 
had  not  been  able  to  carry  out  this  resolution. 

The  Secretary  explained  that  the  mode  of  carrying  out 
this  resolution  had  been  left  to  the  committee,  and  they 
had  decided  that  the  amounts  already  received  should  be 
invested  in  accordance  with  the  terms  of  the  resolution 
as'soon  as  the  balance  in  the  hands  of  the  Treasurer  had 
reached  1001.  .    '  ;     ■ 

Mr.  J.  E.  Littleboy  moved  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  re- 
tiring officers  for  their  services  during  the  past  year. 
Bishop  Tozer  seconded  the  motion,  which  was  carried. 
Mr.  Cheshire  moved  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  Council 
of  the  Royal  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to 
Animals  for  the  gratuitous  use  of  their  Board-room  for 
committee-meetings. 

The  Rev.  G.  Raynor  seconded  the  motion,  which  was 
carried. 

The  Rev.  E.  Bartrum  moved  the  re-election  of  the 
Baroness  Burdett-Coutts  as  President,  the  Presidents  or 
Heads  of  County  Associations  as  Vice-presidents,  Mr. 
W.  O'B.  Glennie  as  Treasurer,  and  the  Rev.  II.  R.  Peel 
as  Hon.  Secretary,  for  the  ensuing  3'ear. 

Mr.  H.  Jonas  seconded  the  motion.  This  was  carried, 
and  the  Hon.  Secretary  returned  thanks  on  behalf  of  him- 
self and  his  colleagues  for  their  re-election. 

The  Hon.  Secretary  then  read  the  result  of  the  voting 
for  the  election  of  the  committee  for  1831  as  follows: — 
Mr.  T.  W.  Cowan,  195  votes ;  Rev.  G.  Raynor,  188 ;  Mr. 
F..  Cheshire,  181  ;  Rev.  E.  Bartrum,  180 ;  Mr.  J.  M. 
Hooker,  175;  Dr.  Lionel  S.  Beale,  172;  Mr.  C.  N.  Ab- 
bott, 143;  Mr.  E.  S.  Whealler,  98 ;  Mr.  II.  Jonas,  96; 
Rev.  F.  T.  Scott,  82;  Mr.  D.  Stewart,  6!) ;  Mr.  G.  H. 
Morris,  47;  Rev.  II.  W.  Benn,  39;  Mr.  W.  W.  Kittle- 
well,  20.  The  first  nine  gentlemen  constitute  the  com- 
mittee. A  vote  of  thanks  was  given  to  Mr.  Willard  for 
his  services  as  scrutineer. 

Engagements  for  1881. 
The  Hon.  Secretary  next  stated  the  arrangements 
which  had  been  made  for  coming  shows  up  to  that  time. 
Their  old  friends,  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,,  as 
soon  as  the  last  year's  show  was  concluded,  made,  an 
engagement  with  the  Association  for  July  20th  and  six 
following  days.  Last  year  more  than  11,000  persons 
visited  the  Annual  Show  at  the  Horticultural  Society's 
Gardens  on  Bank  Holiday,  a  large  proportion  of 
them  not  overlooking  the  Bee  Tent.  He  was  glad 
to  say  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  fully  held  out 
the  right  hand  of  fellowship  to  this  Association,  and 
seemed  now  to  consider  it  one  of  the  features  of  their 
Show,  which  this  year  woidd  be  held  at  Derby,  com- 
mencing on  the  18th  of  July,  a  Wednesday,  and 
continuing  till  the  following  Monday.  A  letter  was 
read  from  the  Secretary  of  the  Derby  Show,  stating  that 
the  committee  had  resolved  upon  the  usual  conditions, 
.     .  .... 


viz.  that  the  Society  should  pay  the  Association  20/. 
towards  its  expenses,  in  addition  to  finding  shedding, 
the  Association  to  take  the  entrance-fees  of  this  depart- 
ment  of   the   exhibition.     This   communication   should 
have  been   laid  before  the  committee  on  the  18th  of 
January,  but  in  consequence  of  the  very  heav}-  fall  of 
snow,  the  Secretary  said  no  meeting  had  been  held  ;  and 
as    an    early    reply    was    requested    he     had    written 
guaranteeing   on   behalf   of   the  Association   a    certain 
amount,  of  money  in  prizes ;  and  this  he  felt  justified  in 
doing,  as  the  expense  to  Derby  would  not  be  so  great  as 
it  was  to  Carlisle  last  year.     With  regard  to  the  Oxford- 
shiie  Society,  a  special  invitation  had  been  given  for  the 
Bee  Tent  to  be  sent  to  their  show  at  Thame,  on  May 
25th  and  26th,  the  secretary  of  the  Society  suggesting 
that  there  would   be  some  grounds  for  hoping  that  a 
county  branch  of  the  Association  might  result  from  the 
exhibition.     This  year  there  was  to  be  a  Dairy  Farmers' 
Exhibition  held  at   Birmingham,  on  the  same  lines  as 
that  held  at  Islington  in  November,  and  the  Association 
had  been  asked  to  send  their  Bee  Tent  there,  the  arrange- 
ments being  the  same  as  those  made  with  the 'Royal 
Agricultural   Society.     It    had   been  suggested  to  him 
that  the  Association  would  meet  with  a  good  reception 
if  they  were  to  apply  to  be  represented  at  the  Bath  and 
West  of  England  Show   to  be  held  this  year  at  Tun- 
bridge  Wells.     He  had  received  a  letter  from  a  gentle- 
man in  Dublin  who  had  taken  upon  himself  in  these 
unsettled  and   troublous   times   the   somewhat,  difficult 
task  of  forming  an  Irish  Bee-keepers'  Association.     This 
was  one  of  the  results  of  the  visit  of  the  Association's 
Bee  Tent  to  Ireland  last  year.     The  writer  said  he  had 
many  difficulties  to  encounter,  and  at  times  felt  inclined 
to  give  up  the  idea,  and  probably  would  have  done  this 
but  for  the  exhortations  and  friendly  advice  received  from 
this  side  of  the  Channel.     He  had  been  reminded  that 
there   would   be   a   great    International   Flower   Show- 
held  at  Manchester  in  August,  at  which  this  Association 
should  be  represented,  and  with  a  view  to  this  object  he 
proposed  to  put  him  elf  immediately  in  communication 
with  the  Secretary. 

Alteration  of  Rules. 

Mr.  E.  S.  Whealler  moved  an  amendment  to  Rule  6, 
viz.,  that  the  word  '  May '  be  altered  to  '  January,'  and 
the  words  '  30th  day  of  April '  to  '  31st  day  of  December. 

Mr.  Cheshire  seconded,  and  a  discussion  ensu  jd.iu  which 
several  gentlemen  expressed  an  objection  to  the  alteration ; 
other  members  supported  the  resolution,  and  finally  the 
motion  was  carried  with  the  addition  of  a  rider  to  the  effect 
that  for  the  present  year  those  who  did  not  agree  with  the 
change  should  be  entitled  to  receive  a  '  drawback  '  from 
their  subscriptions  equal  to  one-third  of  the  year. 

The  Honorary  Secretary  then  moved  an  amendment 
to  Ride  8,  viz., '  to  omit  the  words  "  a  copy  of  the  balance- 
sheet,  the  auditor's  report  of  the  preceding  year,"  and  to 
add  the  word  "  auditor  "  after  "  treasurer." '  His  object, 
he  said,  was  to  bring  the  ride  in  accordance  with  their 
practice,  because  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  carry  out 
the  rule  by  sending  out  the  balance-sheet  at  the  same 
time  as  the  voting  papers. 

Mr.  Glennie  seconded  the  motion,  and  it  was  carried 
unanimously, 

Mr.  Kirchner  was  reappointed  auditor  to  the  Associa- 
tion for  the  ensuing  year. 

The  Rev.  E.  Bartrum  moved  an  additional  rule  as 
follows: — 'The  Managing  Committee  shall  publish  an 
annual  report,  balance-sheet,  and  list  of  members,  to- 
gether with  the  amounts  of  their  subscriptions,  which 
the  secretary  shall  cause  to  bo  sent  to  each  member, 
together  with  an  agenda  of  the  business  to  be  transacted 
at  the  general  meeting,  at  least  six  days  prior  to  the  date 
of  such  meeting.'  This  rule,  he  said,  had  been  framed 
with  the  view  of  making  their  rules  correspond  with  their 
practice.     They  Had  been   in  the  habit  of  sending  out 


March  1,  1881.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


I'll 


reports  of  the  Association,  but  no  rule  was  at  present 
laid  down  with  respect  to  that. 

The  Rev.  Gr.  Raynor  seconded  the  motion,  which  was 
carried. 

The  date  of  the  first  committee  meeting  was  fixed  for 
the  9th  March,  when  the  Prize  Schedules  for  the  year 
1881  will  form  the  principal  business. 

The  Rev.  T.  Sisson,  speaking  of  the  contents  of  the 
schedules  for  exhibitions,  said  it  had  occurred  to  him  that 
the  interest  of  amateur  bee-keepers  would  be  largely  in- 
creased in  some  of  the  exhibitions,  if  in  addition  to  the 
classes  open  to  professionals  and  cottagers,  there  could  be 
an  intermediate  class  of  such  as  were  not  professionals,  or 
forsuch, as  himself,  who  might  not  be  considered  a  cottager. 
He  had  felt  that  he  should  like  to  go  into  competitions 
in  a  small  way.  He  had  also  thought  a  prize  might  be 
offered  for  the  best  hive  made  by  an  amateur,  not  an 
artisan. 

Mr.  Cheshire  said  his  experience  of  their  shows  pointed 
out  that  the  professional  bee-keeper  was  usually  conspicu- 
ous by  his  failure  in  competing  with  those  who  were  not 
professional  bee-keepers.  When  he  spoke  of  professional 
bee-keepers  he  meant  those  who  derived  income  from  the 
manufacture  of  hives  and  bee  appliances,  and  who  kept 
bees  for  profit  only ;  those  were  the  people  who  he 
thought  were  immensely  in  the  background. 

The  subject  dropped,  and 

Mr.  Littleboy  moved,  and  the  Rev.  E.  Bartruni  seconded, 
a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  chairman,  which  was  carried  by 
acclamation. 

Mr.  Cowan,  in  response,  said  he  was  sorry  to  have 
been  obliged  to  take  the  chair,  for  he  would  much  rather 
that  the  President  had  been  there  ;  however,  he  hoped  at 
the  next  meeting  they  would  have  the  pleasure  of  her 
ladyship's  personal  presence. 

The  meeting  then  terminated,  and  the  members  having 
partaken  of  tea  and  coffee,  they  re-assembled  to  hear  a 
paper  from  Mr.  Lyon  on  'Cheap  liar-frame  Hives  for 
Cottagers'  Use.'  At  this  gathering  the  chair  was  occu- 
pied by  Bishop  Tozer,  who  introduced  Mr.  Lyon  to  the 
meeting. 

Cheap  Bae-fbame  Hives  fob  Cottagebs'  L'se. 

The  second  rule  of  this  Association  reads  thus  : — '  Its 
objects  shall  be  the  encouragement,  improvement,  and 
advancement  of  bee-culture  in  the  L'nited  Kingdom, 
particularly  as  a  means  of  bettering  the  condition  of 
cottagers  and  the  agricultural  labouring  classes,  as  well 
as  the  advocacy  of  humanity  to  that  industrious  labourer 
— the  Honey  Bee.' 

As  long  as  the  straw  skep  remains  the  hive  mostly 
in  use,  so  long  will  these  objects  remain  far  from  accom- 
plishment. We  must  therefore  seek  by  every  means  in 
our  power  to  thrust  it  on  one  side  by  the  introduction  of 
the  moveable-comb  system. 

We  have  by  the  prizes  offered  at  the  various  shows 
succeeded  in  a  wonderful  manner  in  so  stimulating  the 
ingenuity  of ,  and  competition  among  hive-manufacturers, 
that  it  seems  almost  impossible  that  a  useful  hive  can  be 
made  and  sold  for  less  than  the  prices  now  quoted.  I 
have  here  a  list  emanating  from  a  hive-manufacturer  in 
Scotland  commencing  at  5a.  for  a  complete  hive  contain- 
ing eight  frames,  Woodbury  size,  with  roof.  He  writes 
me  that  he  will  pay  carriage  on  twelve  hives  to  any  part 
of  Euglaud  or  Scotland. 

If,  however,  we  inquire  of  hire-makers  who  are  their 
principal  customers,  we  shall  find  that  with  very  few 
exceptions  they  are  clergymen,  gentlemen  of  means, 
well-to-do  tradesmen,  and  others,  who  can  well  afford 
an  outlay  of  a  few  shillings  for  each  hive,  leaving  the 
great  mass  of  bee-owners  in  possession  of  the  straw-skep 
ami  its  accompanying  brimstone-pit.  To  these  the  greaf 
impediment  to  the  adoption  of  any  improved  system  is 
the  comparative  expense,  although,  as  I  have  just  said,  it 
seems  next  to  impossible  to  reduce  the  cost  of  a  ready- 


made  hive  below  present  prices.  I  am  in  the  habit  each 
autumn  of  driving  round  through  Surrey  on  a  bee-life- 
saving  expedition,  calling  upon  upwards  of  thirty  bee- 
owneis  to  drive  their  bees  for  them  instead  of  allowing 
them  to  'put  them  down.'  I  find,  and  I  think  all  of 
you  who  are  in  the  habit  of  doing  the  same  will  confirm 
me,  that  although  here  and  there  one  comes  upon  a 
school-master  or  mistress,  or  a  gamekeeper  or  head- 
gardener,  the  great  majority  of  these  cottagers  are  agri- 
cultural labourers  earning  but  a  few  shillings  weekly, 
and  having  just  a  few  stands  of  bees. 

We  will  suppose  one  of  these  poor  folks  has  been 
persuaded  to  visit  a  bee-show  held  in  the  neighbourhood. 
He  enters  the  tent,  and  sees  the  bees  driven  and  trans- 
ferred to  a  bar-frame  hive :  he  sees  the  extractor  used, 
he  sees  sections  exhibited  filled  with  virgin  comb  and 
glasses  of  run  honey  clear  and  transparent,  very  different 
to  his  own  '  muddle  -  puddle '  production.  He  has 
various  makes  of  hives  shown  him,  aud  finds  the  cheapest 
of  them  costs  many  shillings,  and  that  many  miles  from 
him,  so  that  carriage  has  to  be  added.  However,  he 
makes  up  his  mind  to  hive  at  least  one  swarm  '  next 
year'  in  a  bar-frame  hive;  but  alas!  this  good  resolu- 
tion is  formed  in  the  early  autumn,  the  winter  has  to  be 
passed  through,  work  is  scarce,  and  when  the  spring 
arrives  he  finds  many  calls  upon  his  purse  far  more 
urgent  than  the,  to  him,  speculative  investment  in  an 
improved  bee-hive ;  so  when  his  swarms  come  forth 
they  are  just  hived  in  the  old  skeps,  and  stood  upon  the 
old  stands.  Another  year  passes  on  the  old  system,  aud 
his  good  intention  adds  another  paving-stone  to  a  name- 
less place. 

I  therefore  purpose  devoting  the  time  which  you 
have  placed  at  my  disposal  to-night  to  endeavouring  to 
help  our  friend  to  a  bar-frame  hive  which  will  be 
serviceable,  and  shall  not  cost  him  more  than  his 
favourite  straw-skep. 

The  moveable-comb  system  may  be  divided  into  two 
branches,  viz.  the  Italian  or  leaf,  and  the  bar-frame. 
The  former,  from  its  requiring  frames  only,  without, 
body-box,  would  be  the  cheapest  if  we  could  trust  our 
friend  with  it,  but  knowing  his  clumsy  way  of  doing 
things  as  illustrated  by  his  neat  arrangements  in  cabbage- 
leaves  and  old  sacks  on  and  about  his  skeps,  he  would,  1 
am  afraid,  if  he  got  hold  of  a  set  of  leaf-frames,  omit 
to  place  them  close  together  or  mismanage  them  in 
some  way,  and  get  disgusted  with  the  new-fangled  way. 
I  shall  therefore  confine  myself  to  the  bar-frame  hive. 

If  we  consider  the  component  parts  Of  a  bar-frame 
hive,  stripped  of  ornamental  and,  if  I  may  term  them  so, 
luxurious  accessories,  added  for  the  convenience,  not ,  of 
the  bees,  but  of  the  bee-keepers,  we  find  it  to  consist  of 
a  box,  with  a  loose  bottom  having  a  projection  for  an 
alighting-board,  a  hole  for  the  bees  to  enter  by,  the 
frames,  dummy  or  division-board,  some  woven  material 
to  lay  over  the  frames,  and  a  roof. 

If  we  buy  our  hive  ready  made  we  must  pay  for  — 
1  st,  the  wood  ;  2nd,  the  labour  ;  3rd,  the  vendor's  profit ; 
-1th,  the  carriage  from  the  place  of  manufacture.  These 
items  make  up  a  total  which,  as  I  have  shown,  places  it 
beyond  the  reach  of  our  friend.  We  must  therefore 
seek  some  cheaper  way  of  going  to  work  ;  and  the  only 
way  to  compete  in  price  with  the  straw-skep  is  to  show 
the  cottager  how  he  can  make  his  own  hives.  And  here 
we  must  carefully  guard  against  giving  him  such  a 
pattern  and  directions  as  will  require  more  tools  than  he 
is  likely  to  be  possessed  of.  Amateur  carpenters  with  a 
good  assortment  of  joiners'  tools  are  rather  apt  to  forget 
how  much  they  have  cost,  and  how  many  expenshc 
tools  are  employed  in  so  simple  an  operation  as  making 
a  plain  box.  The  tools  a  labourer  is  likely  to  have  are  a 
saw  (not  a  tennon-saw,  but  most  likely  a  handsaw  or 
half-rip),  a  hammer,  a  rule,  a  knife,  and  a  pair  of 
pincers!  or  if  he  has  not  them  he  can  very  likely  borrow 
them  of  a  neighbour;  and  he  is  most  likelv  to  be  car- 


212 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[March  1,  1881. 


penter  enough  to  put  up  a  pig-sty  or  mend  a  gate ;  and 
no  more  skill  is  required  to  make  a  hive. 

As  we  cannot  with  the  means  and  tools  at  our  disposal 
make  our  boxes  we  must  look  about  for  some  -which  have 
alreadj-  served  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  made, 
and  can  therefore  be  sold  for  less  than  the  cost  of 
making.  The  very  essence  of  the  bar-fiame  system  is 
the  complete  interchangeability  of  the  frames. 

Every  frame  in  every  hive  in  one  apiary  should  be 
interchangeable  with  every  other  frame.  It  is  therefore 
necessary  in  the  selection  of  our  boxes  that  they  should 
be  always  without  difficulty  obtainable  of  uniform  size 
and  shape. 

In  loolring  about  for  suitable  boxes,  I  have  tried  wine- 
cases,  brandy-cases,  and  milk-cases,  all  of  which  are  too 
shallow.  Milk-cases,  however,  make  very  gcod  super- 
covers  or  roofs.  The  cases  in  which  preserved  meat  is 
imported  are  very  good  and  strong,  but,  unfortunately, 
each  packer  uses  a  slightly  different  shape,  so  that  if  we 
make  our  frames  to  fit  one  of,  say,  Wilson's  cases,  and 
the  next  we  buy  happens  to  have  been  obtained  by  the 
grocer  from,  say,  M'Neil,  it  will  be  found  that  the 
frames  do  not  fit. 

The  only  boxes  I  have  found  to  be  always  uniform 
are  lobster-boxes,  i.e.,  boxes  in  which  preserved  lobster 
in  tins  has  been  imported  (preserved  salmon-cases  are  not 
so  good,  although  of  the  same  size,  the  wood  is  very  thin 
and  rough). 

The  lobster  boxes  are  I83  in.  long,  12j  wide,  and  9  in. 
deep  (inside  measure),  well  made  of  good  wood,  planed 
outside,  1  in.  thick  at  the  end  and  full  i  in.  at  the  sides; 
they  have  a  lid  and  a  bottom,  and  cost  3d.,  or  sometimes 
4d.  each. 

Of  all  the  various  shapes  and  sizes  of  hives  which 
have  been  introduced,  the  Woodbury,  having  ten  frames, 
each  13i  in.  by  8j  inside  measure,  giving  1147j  super- 
ficial inches  of  comb  when  filled,  has  been  found  the 
most  suitable  for  general  use.  The  lobster-box  will  con- 
tain twelve  frames,  each  11  j  by  85  inside  measure,  which 
give  exactly  1147i  super  inches  of  comb,  the  same 
as  the  Woodbury.  Comparing  the  size  another  way  I 
turn  to  our  Handbook,  p.  21,  (second  edition),  and  find  a 
hive  containing  2000  cubic  in.,  mentioned  as  a  desirable 
size,  the  lobster-box  contains  2039  cubic  inches. 

There  is  another  advantage  which  is  not  to  be  over- 
looked, viz.,  that  the  frames  being  only  11{  inches,  inside 
measure,  will  be  filled  from  side  to  side  by  any  comb 
from  an  average-sized  skep  (except  the.  outside  ones, 
which,  as  they  are  nearly  always  store-comb,  are  seldom 
transferred)  without  piecing.  We  all  know  how  im- 
portant it  is  in  transferring  to  squeeze  the  combs  into  the 
frames  to  fit  tightl}-,  and  what  care  it  requires  to  fit 
two  pieces  into  one  frame.  I  think  that  we  cannot  do 
better  than  adopt  the  lobster-box  for  our  body-box. 

I  have  here  a  hive  or  body  box  made  from  one  of 
these  boxes.  The  alighting-board  is  made  out  of  a  piece 
of  the  lid,  and  so  is  the  batten  across  the  bottom.  The 
strips  at  the  ends  are  from  waste  in  cutting  the  frames. 
I  have  purposely  left  it  rough  as  from  the  saw.  Had  I 
used  a  plane  of  course  I  should  have  made  a  neat  job  of 
it ;  but  my  object  is  to  show  how  our  friend  can  work 
with  such  tools  as  I  mentioned  above,  with  the  addition 
presently  to  be  named. 

We  now  come  to  the  frames.  Whatever  hive  we 
take,  whether  the  cheapest  or  the  most  expensive,  these 
must  have  certain  characteristics  in  common.  They 
must  be  of  such  an  outside  size  as  to  leave  \  in.  space 
between  them  and  the  inside  of  the  hive,  and  between 
the  bottom  rail  (if  any)  and  the  floorboard.  They  must 
have  some  means  of  preserving  these  spaces  without 
danger  of  becoming  displaced,  they  must  be  I5  in.  bare 
(L°„ths)  from  centre  to  centre,  and  must  have  some 
me  ns  of  preserving  this  distance.  The  former  spaces 
(the  \  in.  between  the  frames  and  the  hive  sides) 
are  generally  preserved  by  means  of  the  top  bars  being 


rebated  so  as  to  catch  on  the  inside  of  the  hive.  The 
rebates  offer  great  scope  for  propolisation.  The  distance 
from  centre  to  centre  of  the  frames  is  sometimes  kept  by 
driving  nails  called  distance-tacks  into  the  edges  of  the 
top  bars.  This  is  a  very  inconvenient  plan.  In  my  early 
be^-keeping  days  I  used  these  tacks  or  staples  ;  but  very 
soon  abandoned  them  for  wide  shoulders. 

Last  summer  I  was  asked  by  a  friend  to  examine  a 
very  spiteful  lot  of  hybiids,  which  another  friend  had 
essayed  to  examine  and  had  got  rather  punished.  They 
were  in  a  hive  with  distance  tacks,  and  when  after  some 
difficulty  I  had  wrenched  off  the  crownboard  (there  was 
no  quilt);  I  fairly  laughed  as  the  scene  of  my  predecessor 
and  the  hybrids  rose  up  before  inc.  The  frames  had 
been  just  dropped  in  anyhow,  some  of  the  tacks  had 
lodged  on  the  top  of  the  adjoining  frames,  in  other  places 
wide  gaps  had  been  left.  It  was  clear  that  he  had  been 
in  too  great  a  hurry  to  escape,  to  be  bothered  with  the 
tacks  and  things.  Now,  with  wide-shouldered  frames,  if 
the  bees  get  spiteful,  one  need  only  drop  them  into  the 
hive,  throw  the  quilt  over,  and  leave  the  whole  until  the 
bees  are  settled  down,  when  by  pushing  the  outside 
frames  along  until  they  will  go  no  farther  they  all  slide 
along  into  their  places  without  further  trouble  or  danger 
of  being  out  of  place.  The  frames  with  these  tacks  also 
require  a  fillet  outside  the  ends  to  keep  in  the  heat  and 
also  the  bees,  preventing  our  handling  the  ends  of  the 
frames.  I  therefore  propose  that  our  frames  shall  be 
wide-shouldered. 

As  we  cannot  afford  to  pay  for  labour  we  must  show 
our  friend  how  to  make  his  frames  with  little  trouble, 
and  with  tolerable  certainty  that  he  cannot  go  wrong. 
We  now  require  a  tool  which  is  not  likely  to  be  found  in 
his  possession,  viz.,  a  '  cutting-guage,'  cost  \Qd.,  and  a 
brad-awl,  cost  '2d.  I  have  here  a  pkee  of  best  pine-wood, 
it  is  '  five-cut,'  i.e.,  five  cuts,  giving  six  boards  out  of  a 
plank  3  in.  by  11.  A  plank  costs  in  London  4s.  and  each 
cut  l)d.,  making  5s.  3d.  for  72  ft.,  or  say  Id.  per  foot  of 
five-cut  board  ;  perhaps  it  may  cost  a  little  more  in  the 
country,  but  not,  I  should  suppose,  more  than  Hrf.  per 
foot. 

Being  unwilling  to  turn  this  room  into  a  carpenter's 
shop,  1  have  cut  it  off  to  the  proper  length — viz.  the 
width  of  the  body  box  outside.  I  lay  it  on  the  hive,  and 
with  a  pencil-maik  along  both  sides,  thus:—,  placing 
my  hand  inside  the  box  and  marking  the  under  side 
along  the  sides  of  the  box,  and  then  mark  off  \  in.  inside 
this  line  on  each  end.  I  now  set  1113'  guage  to  1A  in. 
bare,  and  cut  off  slips  from  rny  pine,  thus  : — [Here  Mr.  L. 
showed  practically  how,  by  drawing  the  knife  of  the 
guage  a  few  times  along  the  wood,  the  piece  was  cut  off 
the  exact  width  required.]  There  is  a  reason  for  using 
best  pine,  viz.  it  is  free  from  knots  and  crooked  grain, 
which  would  throw  out  the  guage.  I  now  with  my 
knife  cut  a  notch  at  each  end,  {  in.  deep,  at  the  mark 
made  as  described  above,  and  set  my  guago  to  -\  in.  I 
cut  out  the  two  pieces  between  the  notches,  thus  leaving 
the  ends  of  the  full  width  to  form  a  shoulder,  and  our 
top  bar  is  made.  [The  top  bar  now  appeared  as  a  piece 
of  wood,  1  in.  bare  wide,  having  at  each  end  a  \  in. 
shoulder  on  each  side.] 

I  now  take  another  piece  of  pine,  already  cut  off,  A  in. 
less  than  the  depth  of  the  box — being  -j-  for  the  bottom 
rail  and  }  for  the  clearance  necessary — and  setting  my 
guage  to  the  width  of  the  top  bar  in  the  middle,  where 
the  two  {-in.  pieces  have  been  removed,  I  cut  off  strips 
to  form  the  side  pieces.  The  pieces  which  came  out  of 
the  top  bar  will  form  the  bottom  rail.  Before  nailing 
together,  however,  we  must  provide  for  the  preservation 
of  the  {-in.  space.  This  I  do  by  making  a  hole  with 
my  bradawl  diagonally  outwards  from  the  marks  (which 
show  the  width  of  the  inside  of  the  hive)  through  the 
top  bar,  and,  when  nailed  together,  driving  a  French  nail 
through  the  hole  into  each  of  the  side  pieces. 

Here  is  a  frame  completed.     You  will   observe  that 


March  1,  1881.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


213 


there  is  very  little  scope  for  prdpolisation,  as  there  is  no 
step  or  rebate  on  the  under  side,  and  no  part  of  the 
shoulder  projects  inside  the  wall  of  the  hive. 

The  frames  now  require  waxing  along  the  centre ; 
this  is  a  very  simple  operation.  A  strip  of  wet  wood  is 
held  by  the  thumb,  so  as  to  leave  half  the  underside  of 
the  top  bar  uncovered,  and  a  spoonful  of  melted  wax 
poured  along'. 

The  quill  or  covering  for  the  frames  may  be  any  old 
material — a  few  darns  and  patches  will  not  affect  its 
usefulness;  and  for  additional  warmth  in  winter  a  bag 
of  chaff,  or  of  bruised  and  dried  ferns,  will  do.  I  have 
bought  at  a  rag-shop  a  lot  of  old  carpet,  at  It/,  per  lb., 
which  answered  capitally. 

The  division-board  is  made  of  part  of  one  of  the  lids. 
The  roof  is  formed  of  another  lobster-box,  with  tillets 
cut  from  the  lid  nailed  round,  to  keep  out  the  weather. 
It  may  be  made  waterproof  by  the  plan  recommended 
in  our  Handbook,  viz.  pitching  and  covering  with  paper. 

The  hive  is  now  complete,  with  the  exception  of  the 
supers.  As  to  these,  I  think  it  best  not  to  attempt  too 
much  at  tirst.  Let  us  get  bar-frame  hives  adopted,  if 
we  can.  Let  us  show  the  cottager  how  he  can  obtain  a 
bar-frame  hive  at  less  than  the  cost  of  his  favourite  skep ; 
and  when  the  long-  time  it  lasts  is  considered,  it  will  be 
far  cheaper,  and  lie  will  be  willing  to  adopt  it.  You 
notice  that  1  place  the  door  at  one  end,  and  the  frames 
across  the  hire,  so  that  the  greater  part  of  the  honey 
will  be  stored  at  the  back,  with  a  fair  chance  of  its  being 
uncontaminated  by  brood,  and  with  the  certainty  of  its 
being  taken  without  destiwing  the  bees — a  vast  step  in 
advance. 

As  to  the  position  of  the  frames  across  the  hive,  I 
may  mention  that  the  day  after  the  recent  snow-storm 
I  lifted  off  the  roofs,  and  in  each  hive  I  found  from  a 
handful  to  a  quart-measure  of  snow-dust  in  the  '  ante- 
chamber.' I  pack  my  bees  at  the  back  of  the  hive,  with 
the  division-board  in  front  of  the  frames,  so  that  there  is 
an  empty  space,  or  ante-chamber,  between  it  and  the  en- 
trance. Had  the  frames  run  the  other  way  this  snow 
woidd  have  been  blown  in  between  the  combs,  causing  a 
great  deal  of  damp  when  the  thaw  came. 

[Mr.  Kaynor  mentioned  that  he  had  found  his  side- 
combs  completely  tilled  with  snow-dust.] 

I  will  now  reckon  the  cost : — We  have  two  boxes  at 
3d.,  or  say  -id.  each — 8d.  ;  one  S-cut  board  (pine)  costs 
Is.,  but  it  makes  frames  for  two  hives — Gd. ;  nails,  pitch, 
and  paper,  not  more  than  id. ;  total,  Is.  Gd.  Then  the 
cutting-guage  will  cost  1(M,  but  that  is  plant.  I  reckon 
nothing  for  materials  for  quilt,  as  any  old  clothes  which 
would  be  burnt  or  thrown  away  will  do;  nor  do  I  reckon 
anything  for  the  stand,  as  this  must  be  provided  for  a 
skep  (indeed,  a  skep  requires  a  floor-board,  and  our  Is.  Gd. 
hive  has  one).  Four  stakes  driven  into  the  ground  make 
a  fair  stand.  This  small  sum  of  Is.  Gd.  need  not  be  ex- 
pended all  at  once:  one  week  a  box  may  be  bought, 
another  the  board,  another  another  box,  as  lie  can  spare 
a  few  pence. 

Of  course  the  mere  reading  of  this  paper  before  you 
will  not  help  us  in  the  objects  which  I  started  by  quoting; 
but,  if  the  result  of  the  discussion  which  I  hope  will 
now  follow,  should  be  that  the  plan  I  propose  is  likely  to 
be  of  service,  perhaps  some  steps  may  be  taken  to  bring 
the  contents  of  my  paper  into  the  hands  of  those  in- 
tended to  be  thereby  benefited.  The  means  which  I 
would  suggest  would  he  that  (  \  unity  Associations  should 
distribute  pattern-frames  to  tit  these  boxes,  witli  printed 
directions  for  making,  mi  that  these  can  be  made  during 
the  lorg  winter  evenings  ready  for  the  ensuing  spring. 
Another  might  be,  that  sets  of  machine-cut  frames  might 
be  on  s;de  by  the  shops  in  the  villages,  where  at  present 
straw  skeps  are  sold.  A  set  of  frames  could  be  sold  foi- 
ls. Gd. 

[The  discussion  on  the  preceding  interesting  paper  we 
propose  to  give  in  exti  nso  in  our  next  issue.] 


The  Annual  Report. 

In  presenting  their  Report  and  Balance-sheet  for  the 
year  1880,  the  Committee  are  glad  to  announce  that  the 
number  of  members  is  steadily  increasing.  There  arj 
now  upwards  of  250  subscribers,  as  against  215  at  the 
close  of  1870.  Since  the  date  of  the  last  Annual  General 
Meeting,  held  on  Wednesday,  February  18,  1880,  under 
the  presidency  of  the  Baroness  Burdett-Coutts,  much 
has  been  done  towards  extending  the  work  and  carrying 
out  the  aims  of  the  Association. 

(1 )  '  By  assisting  in  the  formation  of  County  Bee- 
keepers' 'Associations  in  affiliation  with  the  Central 
Society.'  Four  new  County  Associations  have  been 
established  during  the  past  year,  viz.,  Berks  and  Bucks, 
Essex,  Suffolk,  and  Warwickshire.  The  Committee  also 
look  forward  with  confidence  to  the  establishment  _  of 
( 'ounty  Bee-keepers'  Associations  in  Cambridgeshire, 
Lancashire,  Oxfordshire,  Wiltshire,  and  Norfolk. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  no  communication  has  been 
received  during-  the  past  year  from  the  Nottinghamshire 
County  Association,  formed  in  1870,  and  that  the  Affilia- 
tion Fee  has  been  suffered  to  lapse.  It  is  hoped  that 
the  bee-keepers  and  others  interested  in  the  promotion 
of  bee-culttire  in  the  County  of  Nottingham  will  exert 
every  effort  to  revive  their  County  Association,  and 
establish  it  on  a  firm  basis.  The  attendance  of  the  Bee 
Tent,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Abbott  and  Mr.  Carr,  at 
several  Agricultural  and  Horticultural  Shows  in  Ireland 
I  during  the  months  of  August  and  September  last,  has 
resulted  in  steps  being  taken  towards  the  formation  of  a 
Bee-keepers'  Association  for  Ireland.  County  Shows  of 
Bees,  Hives,  and  Honey,  have  been  held  in  the  several 
counties,  and  the  prizes  offered  by  the  British  Bee- 
keepers' Association  for  the  production  of  honey  have  been 
awarded  as  follows,  viz. : — 

Berks  and  Bucks  Association:  Silver  medal,  Mr. 
Leonard  Harris,  Bradenham ;  bronze  medal,  Mr.  W. 
Carter,  Maidenhead ;  certificate,  Mr.  W.  Carter,  Maiden- 
head. Dorsetshire  Association:  Silver  medal,  Mr.  W. 
II.  Dunman,  Dorchester ;  bronze  medal,  Mr.  J.  Antell, 
Puddletown  ;  certificate,  Mr.  T.  Strickland,  Puddletown. 
Devonshire :  Silver  medal,  Mr.  W.  N.  Griffin,  Alphing- 
ton,  Exeter:  bronze  medal,  Mr.  G.  M.  Walsh,  Exeter; 
certificate,  Mr.  W.  N.  Griffin,  Alphington,  Exeter. 
Essex:  No  County  Show  held.  Herefordshire:  Silver 
medal,  Mr.  S.  Thorne,  Ashwell,  Baldock ;  bronze  medal, 
Mr.  E.  Bacon,  Ashwell,  Baldock;  certificate,  Mr.  F.  M. 
Smith,  Great  Hadham.  West  Kent  :  Silver  medal,  Mr. 
G.  Allen,  Orpington  ;  bronze  medal,  Mr.  P.  Skinner, 
Swanley ;  certificate,  Mr.  II.  Scott,  Blindlev  Heath,  God- 
stone.  Lincolnshire  :  Silver  medal,  Mr.  II.  Tuck,  Unwell, 
near  Wisbeach;  bronze  medal,  Rev,  J.  L.  Lisson,  North 
Walsham;  certificate,  Miss  Gayton,  Much  Hadham, 
Herts.  Shropshire :  Silver  medal,  Mr.  H.  Powell, 
Hampton,  Bridgenorth ;  bronze  medal,  Mr.  P.  Fowler, 
Lilleshall ;  certificate,  Mr.  P.  Fowler,  Lilleshall.  Suffolk  : 
Silver  medal,  Rev.K.  A.  White,  Ipswich  ;  bronze  medal, 
Messrs.  Neighbour  and  Son,  Kegent  Street  ;  certificate, 
Mr.  A.  Dix,  Ipswich.  Surrey:  Silver  medal,  Mr.  R 
Scott,  Godstone  ;  bronze  medal,  Mr.  W.  Marriott,  Wood- 
side  Green;  certificate,  Mr.  W.  Marriott,  Woodside  Green. 
Warwickshire :  No  awards. 

The  Committee  take  this  opportunity  to  remind  Secre- 
taries of  County  Associations  that,  in  accordance  with  a 
resolution  passed  at  a  Committee  Meeting  held  on 
Wednesday,  December  8th,  the  medals  and  certificates 
offered  by* the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association  can  only 
be  awarded  for  the  production  of  honey,  and  the  silver 
medal  at  least  for  honey  in  the  comb ;  the  competition 
for  these  prizes  being  limited  to  Members  of  the  County 
Association  residing  within  the  boundaries  of  the 
County. 

(2)"'  By  the  attendance  oP  the  As?oeintiou's  experts 
witli  their  Bee  Exhibition  Tents  at  Agricultural  and. 
Horticultural  Shows  in  all  parts  of  the  United  Kingdom.' 


214 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[March  1,  1881. 


The  aim  of  the  Association  to  spread  a  greater  know- 
ledge of  improved  methods  of  bee-culture  by  means  of 
exhibitions  of  bee-driving,  transferring,  &C.  at  Local 
Horticultural  and  Cottage  Garden  Shows,  has  been 
greatly  extended  during  the  past  year.  Two  tents  were 
constantly  employed  during  the  season,  and  the  Com- 
mittee were  obliged  to  provide  a  temporary  tent  in  order 
that  the  Irish  tour  miglit  be  carried  out.  The  following 
places  have  been  visited  during  1880: — Clonmel,  Mary- 
borough, Parsonstown,  Newry,  and  Newtownards,  in 
Ireland;  Peterborough  and  Long  Bnckb}',  in  Northamp- 
tonshire ;  West  Wycombe  and  Launton,  in  Bucks ; 
Sandy,  in  Bads ;  Ipswich,  Woodbridge,  and  Bucklesham, 
in  Suffolk ;  Manningtree,  Great  Dunmow,  and  Chelms- 
ford, in  Essex  ;  Parningham,  Cb.isleb.urst,  Bexley  Heath, 
Southboro,  Frant,  and  Sevenoaks,  in  Kent ;  Isleworth, 
Middlesex ;  Liphook  and  Haslemere,  in  Hants ;  East- 
bourne, in  Sussex.  The  Bee  Tent  was  also  erected  at 
the  Annual  Show  of  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  at 
Carlisle,  where  many  thousands  of  persons  witnessed  the 
various  exhibitions  which  took  place  during  the  four 
days  of  the  Show.  Bee  Tents  have  been  purchased 
during  the  past  year  by  the  Warwickshire,  Suffolk,  and 
Hertfordshire  County  Associations.  The  .Committees 
of  each  of  these  Associations  make  the  requisite  arrange- 
ments for  the  attendance  of  their  Tent  at  Flower  and 
Cottage  Garden  Shows  which  take  place  within  their 
respective  Counties. 

(0)  '  By  lectures,  meetings,  and  the  circulation  of  suit- 
able books.'  During  the  past  year  a  course  of  five 
Lectures  and  Addresses  on  '  Bees  and  Bee-keeping '  have 
been  delivered  by  Mr.  Frank  R.  Cheshire,  in  the  Council 
Room  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society.  Mr.  Cheshire 
also  delivered  two  lectures,  by  request  of  the  Committee 
of  Council  on  Education,  to  Agricultural  Students,  at 
the  Science  and  Art  Department,  South  Kensington. 

Four  Quarterly  Meetings  have  been  held,  at  each  of 
which  papers  bearing  upon  the  improved  methods  of  bee- 
keeping have  been  read  by  members  of  the  Association, 
viz. — (1)  On  Wednesday,  January  14th,  at  446  Strand; 
subject  for  discussion :  '  The  Ligurian  Queen  Bee — Her 
introduction  to  Alien  Stocks — and  the  best  means  of  Pure 
Propagation ; '  by  the  Rev.  George  Raynor,  of  Hazeleigh 
Rectory,  Maldon,  Essex.  (2)  On  Wednesday,  April  14th, 
at  44(3  Strand  ;  subject  for  discussion :  '  The  future  of 
British  Bee-Keeping,  from  a  Commercial  Point  of  View; 
and  how  the  Working  Classes  can  be  most  successfully 
aided,  and  taught  the  Truths  and  Advantages  of  Modern 
Bee  Culture.'  By  the  late  Mr.  John  Hunter.  (.'J)  On 
Tuesday,  July  27th,  at  the  Royal  Horticultural  Gardens, 
South  Kensington ;  subject  for  discussion :  '  The  Relation 
of  Bees  to  Flowering  Plants.'  By  Mr.  Frank  R.  Cheshire, 
A.C.P.,  F.S.A.  (4)  On  Wednesday,  October  27th,  at 
440  Strand ;  subject  for  discussion  :  '  The  Stewarton 
Hive.'  By  the  Rev.  E.  Bartrum,  M.A.,  Head  Master  of 
King  Edward  Sixth's  School,  Great  Berkhampstead. 

A  Copy  of  each  paper  read,  and  a  report  of  the  subse- 
qu  nt  discussion,  has  been  forwarded  to  each  member  of 
the  Association. 

In  accordance  with  the  announcement  given  in  the  last 
Annual  Report,  the  Association  has  issued  a  valuable  set 
of  diagrams,  illustrating  bee  life  and  culture.  These 
diagrams  have  been  approved  by  the  Science  and  Art 
Department  at  South  Kensington,  and  have  been  recom- 
mended by  the  Educational  Department  for  use  in  science 
schools  and  classes.  Also,  an  illustrated  hand-book  for 
cottagers,  entitled  'Modern  Bee-Keeping;'  containing 
full  and  clear  instructions  for  the  mailing  of  hives,  the 
harvesting  of  honey,  and  for  the  management  of  bees, 
both  in  summer  and  winter.  These  woiks  are  published 
for  tlic  Ass  iciation  by  Messrs.  Longman,  Green,  and  Co., 
Paternoster  Row,  London,  and  may  be  obtained  through 
any  bookseller.  A  full  list  of  the  works  published  by  the 
Association  will  be  found  at  the  commencement  of  this 
report. 


At  the  last  general  meeting,  a  resolution  was  passed 
to  the  effect  that  it  was  desirable  to  form  a  reference 
library  of  works  relating  to  bee-culture,  to  which  mem- 
bers of  the  Association  might  have  access.  A  fund  was 
opened  for  this  purpose  through  the  kindness  of  the 
Baroness  Bur'ett-Coutts  and  Major-General  Saunders; 
and  a  large  donation  of  books  was  made  by  Mr.  J.  P. 
Jackson.  The  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to 
Animals  has  very  kindly  given  space  in  their  book-shelves, 
standing  in  their  Board  Room,  for  the  Bee-keepers' 
Library,  and  any  member  may  now  have  access  to  the 
same  upon  production  of  his  ticket  of  membership  at 
105  Jermyn  Street. 

Communications  have  been  received  during  the  past 
year  from  the  Science  and  Art  Department,  South  Ken- 
sington, suggesting  that  two  collections  of  the  best  hives 
and  appliances  used  in  bee-keeping,  should  be  formed  at 
the  Museum  at  South  Kensington,  and  at  the  branch 
Museum  at  Bethnal  Green.  These  collections  are  now 
in  course  of  formation. 

At  the  commencement  of  1880,  the  Committee  made 
arrangements  with  several  well-known  fruiterers  and 
grocers  for  the  sale  of  honey  produced  by  members  of 
the  Association;  and  appointed  Mr.  S.  J.  Baldwin  to 
make  the  necessary  arrangements  for  establishing  a  Honey 
Market  in  the  Metropolis.  Mr.  Baldwin  reports  as  fol- 
lows : — 

'  British  Bee-Keepers'  Association.  The  Rev.  II.  R. 
Peel,  Hon.  Secretary. 

'  Sir, — I  beg  to  report,  for  the  information  of  the 
Committee,  that  we  still  have  a  "  Honey  Mirket "  with- 
out honey. 

'  After  the  good  results  obtained  by  many  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  British  Bie-Keepers'  Association,  and  also  by 
the  Members  of  the  Affiliated  Associations,  during  the 
past  season,  I  venture  to  hope  that  the  existing  state  of 
affairs  is  matter  for  congratulation  rather  than  to  be  de- 
plored, as  it  proves  pretty  conclusively  that,  however 
great  the  production  of  pure  honey — put  up  in  an  attrac- 
tive and  saleable  form — there  is  no  difficulty  in  finding  a 
ready  sale  at  remunerative  prices. 

'Only  one  member  of  the  Associations  has  applied  to 
me  for  assistance  in  disposing  of  his  honey,  for  whom  I 
sold  about  50  lbs.  (privately). 

'  I  have  been  applied  to  by  a  great  many  persons,  not 
members,  to  assist  them  in  rinding  customers,  but  have 
always  explained  that  I  only  acted  as  agent  for  the  sale 
of  members'  honey. 

'  I  am,  Sir,  your  obedient  servant,  S.  J.  Baldwin, 
Expert,  The  Apiary,  Stanley  JRoad,  Bromley,  Kent, 
1st.  January,  1881.' 

The  Annual  Show  of  the  Association  was  held  in  the 
Gardens  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  at  South 
Kensington,  on  July  27th,  28th,  20th,  JiOth,  31st,  and 
Monday,  August  2nd  (Bank  Holiday).  The  number  of 
entries  made  in  the  classes  for  honey,  and  the  quantity 
exhibited,  was  large  and  of  excellent  quality ;  many  sales 
were  transacted,  and  good  prices  realised.  Both  comb 
and  extracted  honey  were  shown  in  a  more  portable  and 
attractive  form  for  sale  than  at  any  previous  show.  A 
very  large  number  of  persons  visited  the  show  on  Bank 
Holiday,  more  than  10,000  persons  having  paid  for  ad- 
mission to  the  Gardens.  Lpwards  of  o00  visited  the 
Bje  Tent  during  the  afternoon.  Several  members  of  the 
Committee  attended  throughout  the  show,  and  explained 
the  use  of  the  various  articles  exhibited.  The  prizes 
were  distributed  on  the  third  day  of  the  show  in  the 
large  conservatory,  by  the  Lady  Aberdare,  who  kindly 
undertook  the  office  in  the  absence  of  the  B  ironess 
Burdett-Coutts,  the  President  of  the  Association. 

The  Committee  regret  a  falling  oil  of  donations  to  the 
Prize  Fund  ;  the  small  amount,  as  shown  in  the  balance- 
sheet,  does  not  compare  favourably  with  the  amount 
subscribed  to  this  fund  in  previous  years,  and  they 
would  urge  a  more  liberal  response  to  the  Prize  Fund. 


March  1,  1881.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


215 


The  Association  made  its  appearance  at  the  annual 
show  of  the  British  Dairy  Farmers'  Association,  held  in 
the  Agricultural  Hall,  Islington,  on  Tuesday,  October 
25th,  and  following  days.  Prizes  were  offered  for  hives 
in  three  classes  ;  for  honey  in  the  comb,  in  four  classes  ; 
for  extracted  honey  in  glass  jars,  in  two  classes ;  for  wax, 
in  one  class.  A  very  large  number  of  entries  was  made 
in  the  honey  classes,  three  tons  of  honey  being  displayed 
on  the  stalls.  The  show  was  visited  by  several  thousands 
of  persons,  and  much  interest  was  shown  in  this  depart- 
ment. 

The  Association  has,  during  the  past  year,  lost  one  of 
its  earliest  and  most  energetic  members,  by  the  death  of 
Mr.  John  Hunter.  As  a  member  of  the  Acting  Com- 
mittee, Mr.  Hunter  was  most  assiduous  in  his  duties,  and 
most  earnest  in  his  desire  to  promote  the  cause  of  a  more 
humane  and  profitable  system  of  bee-keeping.  All  who 
knew  him  will  deeply  regret  that  his  life  was  not  so  far 
prolonged  as  to  allow  him  to  witness  the  full  results  of 
his  labours  on  behalf  of  the  cottagers  of  England. 

In  conclusion,  the  Committee  have  only  to  add,  that 
the  Annual  Show  of  1881  has  been  fixed  to  take  place  at 
the  Royal  Horticultural  Gardens,  South  Kensington,  on 
July  26th  and  following  days,  and  that  H.K.H.  the 
Princess  Christian  has,  at  the  request  of  the  Baroness 
Burdett  -  Coutts,  consented  to  present  the  prizes  to 
the  successful  competitors. 


BRITISH  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

The  Bee  Tent  in  1881. 

The  work  of  the  Association  in  spreading  a  knowledge 
of  bee-culture  by  the  means  of  the  attendance  of  its 
Bee  Tents  at  County  Shows,  promises  to  be  even  larger 
than  during  the  two  preceding  years.  Arrangements 
have  already  been  made  for  their  attendance  at  the 
Annual  Show  of  the  Royal  Agricultural  Society  at 
Derby,  the  Annual  Show  of  the  Oxfordshire  Agricul- 
tural Society  at  Thame  ;  and  arrangements  are  in  course 
of  progress  for  the  Bath  and  West  of  England  Agricul- 
tural Show  at  Tunbridge  Wells,  the  East  Riding  of 
Yorkshire  Horticultural  Show,  and  the  Birmingham 
Dairy  Show.  The  following  dates  have  already  been 
decided  upon : — 

May  25  &  20.— Oxfordshire  Agricultural  Show  at 
Thame. 

July  13-18.— Royal  Agricultural  Show  at  Derby. 
July  26- August  1.— Annual  Show  B.  B.  K.  A.,  South 
Kensington. 

August  30. — Horticultural  Show  at  Long  Buckby. 


ESSEX  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

A  meeting  of  the  Essex  Bee-keepers'  Association  was 
held  at  Chelmsford,  on  February  10th,  for  the  purpose 
of  electing  vice-presidents  of  the  Society,  a  committee 
and  secretary  for  the  present  year,  and  for  other  business. 

The  following  gentlemen  were  elected  Vice-Presi- 
dents :— The  Lord  Bishop  of  St.  Albans,  G.  Courtauld, 
Esq.,  M.P.,  J.P. ;  Lieut-Colonel  Lockwood,  J.P. ;  J.  W. 
Perry-Watlington,  Esq.,  D.L.,  J.P. ;  Rev.  G.  Raynor; 
Rev.  C.  F.  Norman,  J.P.;  Rev.  F.  Thackery,  MA.: 
J.  O.  Parker,  Esq.,  D.L.,  J.P.;  J.  B.  Vaisey,  Esq.,  D.L., 
J.P. ;  G.P.May,  Esq.,  M.D.,  J.P.  ^ 

The  Revs.  G.  Ravnor,  H.  F.  Johnson,  W.  F.  Lumley ; 
Messrs.  G.  D.  Clapham,  F.  Chancellor,  R.  W.  Christy, 

F.  H.  Meggy,  R.  G.  Pills,  H.  S.  Coleman,  E.  Durrant, 
and  W.  Debnam,  were  elected  to  serve  on  the  committee. 

G.  H.  Aubrey  was  re-elected  Hon.  Secretary. 

The  Secretary  was  instructed  to  make  inquiries  as  to 
a  Bee  Tent,  which  the  Committee  considered  necessary 
for  the  Society  to  possess. 


A  CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  PHYSIOLOGY 
OF  THE  BEE.     By  Dr.  Donhoff. 

(Continued  from  p.  195.) 

From  of  old  it  has  been  an  object  of  the  greatest 
curiosity  to  learn  what  forces  lie  at  the  foundation 
of  instinctive  actions.  There  are  two  views  on  the 
subject. — First  view.  Cuvier  and  Joh.  Mtiller  con- 
clude that  inborn  ideas  lie  at  the  foundation  of  in- 
stinctive actions  ;  they  hover  like  dreams  before 
animals. — Second  view.  Instinctive  actions  are  auto- 
matic movements  without  idea. 

I  am  not  acquainted  with  a  clearer  statement  of 
both  views.  I  believe,  that  if  ideas  are  assumed, 
two  kinds  of  ideas  must  be  distinguished, — 1.  The 
idea  which  lies  at  the  foundation  of  the  action. 
— 2.  The  idea  of  the  purpose  of  the  action.  The 
young  queen  that  gnaws  off  the  cover  of  her  cell 
may  have  the  idea,  I  will  gnaw  off  the  cover ;  but 
she  may,  along  with  that,  have  the  idea,  I  will 
gnaw  off  the  cover  in  order  that  I  may  be  able  to 
leave  the  cell  These  ideas  of  purpose  appear  to 
me  to  be  absolutely  wanting.  The  reasons  for  this 
conclusion  are  as  follows :  LA  stock,  which  is 
placed  on  a  strange  stand,  makes,  at  its  first  out- 
ward flight,  bearing-noting  movements.  The  bee 
turns  round  immediately  before  the  entrance,  flies 
with  its  head  turned  towards  the  entrance,  hovering 
several  times  backwards  and  forwards,  then  it 
describes  spiral  movements  of  continually  widening 
dimensions,  until  finally  it  flies  straight  away,  or 
returns  back  into  the  hive :  without  this  instinct 
it  would  not  find  its  hive  again.  A  stock  which 
has  swarmed  makes  the  same  movements ;  in  the 
wild  condition  it  would  come  into  another  district, 
and,  therefore,  the  bearing-noting  movements  would 
be  necessary.  But  if  the  swarm  is  caught  and 
placed  in  the  position  of  the  mother  stock,  it  makes 
the  same  bearing-noting  movements,  although  the 
bee,  on  coming  out  of  the  entrance,  sees  that  it  is 
the  same  well-known  district  in  which  it  finds  itself. 
It  follows,  from  this,  that  when  it  makes  the  bearing- 
noting  movements  it  has  not  the  purpose  of  finding 
its  bearings.  If  you  hold  out  your  leg  to  a 
chained  watch-dog  he  bites  at  your  leg,  but  if  a  stick 
is  held  out  to  him  he  bites  angrily  at  the  stick.  I 
conclude  from  that  he  has  no  purpose  in  his  biting, 
— for  what  purpose  could  biting  a  stick  have  ?  The 
broody  hen  does  not  cluck  when  she  sits,  but  as  soon 
as  she  leads  herchickens  about  she  clucks  continually. 

Fowls  live  in  their  wild  condition,  by  preference, 
in  low  brushwood,  and  if  the  old  bird  did  not  con- 
tinually cluck,  the  young  ones  would  soon  have  lost 
her.  Does  she  now  cluck  with  the  purpose  that 
the  young  ones  should  not  lose  her  1  I  do  not  be- 
lieve that  this  purpose  is  before  her,  for  most  hens 
cluck  already  when  they  leave  the  nest  for  a  short, 
time  to  seek  food  in  the  brooding-time.  Some  years 
ago  I  had  the  opportunity  of  making  the  following 
remarkable  observation  : — One  of  my  hens  sat  for 
for  some  days  and  then  forsook  the  nest  and  ceased 
to  sit ;  but  from  that  time  it  performed  all  the 
actions  that  relate  to  the  care  of  the  brood.  It 
clucked  continually  when  it  walked.  If  it  found  a 
worm  it  lifted  it  up  repeatedly  in  an  enticing  way, 
and  only  after  it  had  done  that  for  some  time  would 

a3 


21G 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[March  1,  1881. 


it  eat  it  up  :  if  it  found  a  piece  of  bread  it  crumbled 
it  to  pieces ;  if  I  approached  it  would  come  at  me 
angrily  with  extended  wings.  At  night,  it  did  not 
go  any  longer  into  the  room  with  the  other  hens, 
but  sat  with  extended  wings  on  the  ground  as  if  it 
would  keep  its  brood  warm.  I  shut  it  up  for  some 
time  by  itself,  but  it  continued  to  behave  in  the 
same  way.  The  impulse  to  pass  its  nights  on  the 
ground  was  the  first  to  pass  off,  as  is  usual  with 
hens  that  have  brood,  the  remainder  passed  away 
after  about  three  months,  therefore,  in  about  the 
time  when  hens  that  have  chickens  lose  their  mater- 
nal instincts.  It  was  just  the  same  with  this  hen 
as  with  a  piece  of  clockwork — the  alarum  had  gone 
off  too  early.  The  animal  had  certainly  no  purpose 
in  these  useless  actions. 

Man,  also,  does  not  have  any  purpose  in  his  in- 
stinctive acts :  he  does  not  eat  in  order  to  live,  but  he 
eats  because  an  impulse  prompts  him.  The  sucking 
child  does  not  suck  because  it  thinks  of  getting  milk. 
The  movements  of  sucking  are  often  retained  for  a 
number  of  years  in  the  form  of  sucking  the  thumb  ; 
but  who  in  sucking  the  thumb  is  thinking  about 
milk  t  If  the  bee  does  not  have  the  idea  of  purpose 
it  has  perhaps  the  idea, — I  will  bite  off  the  cover. 

In  ojtposition  to  this  the  following  considerations 
are  presented  : — If  a  bee  has  its  head  cut  off,  lying 
on  its  back,  it  will  work  with  its  feet  until  it  stands 
on  its  legs  again.  If  the  headless  bee  is  lying  on 
its  back  and  a  little  stick  is  held  out  to  it,  it  clasps 
the  stick  firmly  with  its  legs  when  it  touches  it 
accidentally  with  its  movements,  and  now  all  move- 
ments cease.  If  it  is  standing  on  its  legs  it 
brushes  itself  and  rubs  its  hind  legs  together.  If 
the  abdomen  is  cut  off  and  pressed,  the  sting  is  put 
out  and  withdrawn  as  quickly  as  is  seen  in  an  un- 
injured bee  when  it  is  pressed. 

A  leech,  with  its  head  cut  off,  crepjt,  when  put  on 
the  table,  at  every  stej)  attaching  itself  firmly  with 
its  sucker  ■  put  into  water  it  made  undulatory 
movements  and  swam  like  an  uninjured  leech ; 
sometimes  it  paused,  and  after  some  time  began 
again  to  swim  of  itself,  or  when  I  touched  it.  If  the 
tail  end  was  cut  off  the  sucker  attached  itself  firmly 
to  the  table  when  I  placed  it  on  the  table.  Who 
will  now  believe  that  the  abdomen  of  a  bee,  or  the 
tail-end  of  a  leech,  are  capable  of  harbouring  ideas  1 
The  queen,  when  she  lays  an  egg  in  a  worker-cell, 
compresses  the  spermatheca.  The  man  may  be- 
lieve it  who  will,  that  she  thinks, — I  will  compress 
my  spermatheca,  or  transform  a  male  egg  into  a 
female — I  don't  believe  it.  The  bee  has  never  seen 
its  own  abdominal  rings,  never  seen  a  scale  of  wax 
between  them,  since  its  eyes  can  only  see  forwards. 
Is  it  by  a  kind  of  intuition  to  know  that  it  has  ab- 
dominal rings,  that  it  has  a  scale  of  wax  between 
them  1  Is  it  to  think  in  building, — I  will  pull  out 
a  scale  of  wax  t  The  bee  has  never  seen  her  hind- 
leg — never  seen  her  corbicula.  Is  it  by  a  kind  of 
mesmerism  to  know  that  it  is  forming  a  pellet ,  of 
pollen  in  its  corbicula  by  its  movements  1  In  the 
village  of  Eversael,  near  Orsoy,  there  is  living  a 
child  of  five  years  old  in  whom  there  is  nothing 
physical  to  be  discovered  except  that  it  has  sucked, 
and  is  glad  when  it  looks  at  the  sun.     It  is  the 


highest  degree  of  imbecility — not  an  acquired  idea 
dwells  in  its  head.  It  is  to  me  difficult  to  be- 
lieve that  this  child  had  the  inborn  idea, — I  will 
suck,  and  that  this  impelled  it  to  suck.  It  fol- 
lows, as  it  appears  to  me,  from  the  observations 
mentioned,  that  the  queen-bee  when  she  gnaws 
off  the  cover  from  her  cell,  does  not  think  at 
all,  that  they  arc  movements  induced  by  the  will, 
of  the  nature  of  which  we  know  nothing  further. 

Along  with  ideas  and  acts  of  instinct,  there 
occur  with  the  bees  sensual  and  mental  emotions. 
The  pleasant  feeling  of  warmth,  and  the  pleasant 
feeling  which  the  satisfaction  of  hunger  affords, 
belong  to  the  sensual.  First  among  the  mental 
emotions  is  the  feeling  of  love.  The  bees  love  their 
queen,  they  lick  her  ;  and  since  this  has  no  special 
purpose,  it  is  very  probably  an  expression  of  emo- 
tion. But  of  what  emotion?  The  act  of  licking 
is,  with  animals,  an  expression  of  love  :  mammals 
lick  their  young.  The  dog  that  sees  his  master 
again  after  a  long  time,  jumps  up  at  him  and  pas- 
sionately licks  his  face.  The  feeling  which  the  dog 
has  towards  his  master  is  certainly  akin  to  the  feel- 
ing of  human  love.  This  is  inferred  from  the  fol- 
lowing : — A  man  likes  to  be  near  the  man  he  loves  ; 
a  dog  can  hardly  leave  his  master.  A  man  is  glad 
when  he  sees  again  the  object  beloved ;  the  dog  is 
glad  when  he  sees  his  master  again.  Man  and 
dog  are  in  sorrow  when  they  are  distant  from  the 
object  beloved.  A  man  is  glad  when  the  man  he 
loves  is  friendly-minded  towards  him.  A  dog  wags 
his  tail  when  his  master  is  friendly-minded  towards 
him,  when  he  speaks  to  him  kindly  and  strokes 
him.  If  strangers  do  this  he  is  indifferent.  A  man 
allows  himself  to  be  punished  by  the  one  whom  he 
loves.  A  dog  bites  a  stranger  who  beats  him,  but 
allows  himself  to  be  pleased  with  everything  done 
by  his  master,  which  is  the  highest  expression  of  the 
unselfish  mental  emotion  of  love,  which  conquers 
hatred.  There  are  the  same  statics  of  emotion 
with  dogs  and  men.  The  licking  of  the  dog  is 
doubtless  an  expression  of  love  analogous  to  our 
kissing.  Why  should  the  licking  of  bees,  who  remain 
so  willingly  near  the  queen,  be  anything  else  1 

Secondly,  the  emotion  of  hatred. 

The  dog  hates  as  thoroughly  as  only  a  man  can 
hate,  from  which,  by  the  way,  follows  that  he  also 
loves.  If  he  has  been  irritated,  sometimes  he  will 
not  forget  this  for  years.  Two  farm-house  dogs  I 
had  made  my  deadly  enemies  by  threatening  them 
sometimes  with  my  stick.  I  made  the  experiment 
whether  I  could  not  reconcile  them,  and  brought 
with  me  every  day  for  eight  days  a  pound  of  meat 
for  them;  but  it  did  not  succeed.  A  dog  barks 
and  bites  only  in  the  neighbourhood  of  its  home, 
which  it  defends  thereby,  without  being  itself  con- 
scious of  its  purpose  :  far  from  its  home  it  is  timid 
and  quiet.  That  the  anger  of  the  watch-dog  is 
nearly  related  to  the  anger  of  man  is  seen  in  this, 
that  the  dramatic  movements  of  the  face  resemble 
one  another.  If  the  bee  is  not  hurt  it  only  stings 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  its  hive.  When  it  stings 
and  is  at  the  same  time  much  excited,  the  wings 
are  vibrated,  so  that  a  peculiar  distinct  tone  is  pro- 
duced.    Since  the  vibration  of  the  wings  serves  no 


March  1,  1881.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


217 


purpose,  it  is  manifestly  a  dramatic  expression — an 
expression  of  passion.  What  passion  should  that 
be  if  not  the  passion  of  anger  ? 

Thirdly,  the  emotion  of  joy. 

The  peculiar  movement  (German  sterzen*)  made 
by  the  bees  when  they  stand,  as  it  were,  on  tiptoe, 
vibrating  the  wings  and  elevating  the  tail,  is  an 
expression  of  joy  :  it.oceurs  only  on  joyful  occasions, 
as  after  an  abundant  in-gathering,  or  when  they  are 
fed.  When  the  hive  is  taken  away  from  its  stand, 
and  after  some  time  replaced,  the  bees  coming  from 
the  fields,  and  that  have  long  been  seeking  in  vain 
for  their  hive,  fly  to  it  and  express  their  joy  in  this 
way.  The  vivacity  of  the  movement  depends  on 
the  degree  of  joy  ;  if  they  have  lost  their  hive  for  a 
longer  time  the  joy  of  recovery  is  greater,  the 
movement  more  vivacious.  When  a  swarm  has 
had  its  queen  taken  from  it  the  bees  run  about  in 
thegreatestdisquiet;  whenitis  restored  to  them  there 
breaks  out  a  mighty  sterz-hum,  like  a  shout  of  joy. 
Also  in  the  case  of  joy  we  have  the  same  statics  of 
passion,  using  a  phrase  of  Spinoza's,  as  with  men. 
If  after  a  day  of  abundant  in-gathering,  amid  the 
uproarious  hum,  all  the  bees  of  the  adjoining  hives 
peacefully  run  about  near  one  another,  one  may 
well  say,  '  Oh,  joy !  beautiful  spark  of  the  Divine, 
where  thy  soft  wings  abide,  all  men  become  brothers, 
all  bees  become  sisters  ! '  In  sorrow,  for  example, 
at  the  loss  of  their  queen,  their  emotion  expresses 
itself  by  another  species  of  this  movement.  Among 
animals  it  is  the  dog  and  the  bee  that  have  the 
most  magnanimous  nature,  and  it  is  this,  along 
with  their  wonderful  instincts,  which  inspire  in  us 
such  a  passionate  love  for  our  bees. 
{To  be  continued.) 

Modern  Bee-keeping.  A  Handbook  for  Cottagers. 
— This  excellent  little  work  has  been  enlarged  to  eighty 
pages,  and  revised ;  and  of  it  it  should  be  sufficient  to 
say  that  it  has  passed  the  ordeal  of  the  Committee  of  the 
British  Bee-keepers'  Association,  and  is  issued  with  their 
approval.  There  is  no  better  introduction  to  bee-keeping- 
extant;  and  the  fact  that  it  has  already  reached  its 
eighth  thousand  is  proof  of  its  appreciation  by  the  public. 
Its  price,  Gd.,  or  post-free  from  this  office  for  Td.,  places 
it  within  the  reach  of  all,  and  the  heads  of  villages  should 
insist  on  its  possession  by  every  cottager,  for  it  opens  the 
way  to  enlarged  income  and  increased  enjoyment.  It  is 
published  for  the  trade  by  Longman,  Green,  &  Co.,  Pater- 
noster Row,  and  may  be  had  through  all  booksellers. 

The  Bee-Keepers'  Almanac.  By  Captain  Piers 
Edgcumbe  Martin. — Containing  prognostications  of  the 
weather,  and  what  to  do  in  bee  management,  is  now 
extant  in  enlarged  form,  and  in  addition  to  the  usual 
matter  there  are  cash  account  pages  for  honey,  hives, 
bees,  and  bee  food  bought  and  sold,  a  poultrv,  milk  and 
butter,  hatching,  and  swarming  record.  The  worthy 
Captain  promised  that  the  past  month  should  be  '  a 
variable  month,  mild,  wintry,  and  stormy,'  and  that  the 
present  will  be  '  a  stormy  month,'  commencing  with 
'  strong  easterly  winds  and  blustery  weather,'  followed 
on  the  6th,  or  thereabouts,  with  '  variable  strong  winds, 
very  cold  ; '  but  April  is  to  be  '  a  seasonable  spring  month,' 
to  be  followed  by  a  showery  but  fine  May,  and  '  a  very 
seasonable '  June.  The  receipts  for  beo  food  are,  however, 
rather  ambiguous.  The  cash  accounts,  consisting  of  over 
forty  ruled  pages,  are  worth  the  cost  of  the  whole,  which 
is  "id.,  post  free,  from  King  Somborne,  Hampshire. 

*  Can  any  one  give  me  an  English  word  that  expresses 
this  movement  ? — Translator. 


€mtw$svfomt& 


*<t*  Tluse  columns  arc  open  to  subscriber::,  so  that  their 
queries,  replies,  correspondence,  and  experiences  may  be 
fully  and  faithfully  recorded;  and  for  the  discussion  of  all 
theories  and  systems  in  Bec-cullure,  and  of  the  relative  merits 
of  all  hives  and  appurtenances,  that  the  truth  regarding  them 
may  be  ascertained.  The  Editor,  therefore,  must  not  be  ex- 
pected to  coincide  with  all  the  views  expressed  by  the  various 
writers.     All  Correspondence  is  addressed  to  the  Editor. 

BRITISH  BEE  KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION 
LIBRARY. 

Referring  to  the  article  headed  the  '  Association 
Library,'  in  the  B.  B.  J.  for  December  1880,  a  list 
of  the  works  on  bee-culture  in  possession  of  the 
Association  is  given.  Among  the  several  American 
publications  listed,  I  fail  to  find  the  one  I  prize 
above  all  others.  I  allude  to  Quinby's  Xeio  Bee- 
keeping, a  work  of  more  than  ordinary  value  to  the 
apiarist.  I  can  account  only  for  its  absence  on  the 
ground  that  no  individual  possessing  but  one  copy 
would  feel  like  disposing  of  it.  Allow  me,  there- 
fore, through  you,  to  present  to  the  Association  a 
copy  of  the  work,  trusting  those  who  may  enjoy  a 
perusal  of  its  pages  will  find  it,  as  I  have  done,  a 
most  valuable  auxiliary  to  successful  bee-keeping. 
— John  Y.  Detwilu,  Toledo,  Ohio,  U.S.A. 

[The  book  came  duly  to  hand,  and  has  been  forwarded 
to  its  intended  destination.  It  certainly  deserves  all 
that  the  good-natured  donor  has  said  of  it. — Ed.] 


BEE-KEEPING  IN  THE  TROPICS. 

Can  any  of  your  correspondents  give  me  any  in- 
formation as  to  whether  one  is  able  to  keep  bees  in 
the  tropics  and  with  what  success  ?  I  am  thinking 
of  trying  to  domesticate  some  of  the  wild  bees  out 
here,  but  before  going  to  any  expense  I  wish  to  get 
some  information  on  the  subject.  I  had  some  little 
experience  before  I  left  England,  and  having  been 
much  interested  by  the  busy  bee  I  should  much 
like  to  try  them  out  here.  Within  the  last  month 
I  have  seen  several  swarms,  most  of  which  I  could 
have  taken,  one  on  the  trunk  of  a  tree  about  three  feet 
above  my  head ;  they  are  said  to  be  very  savage, 
and  I  fancy  great  care  would  have  to  be  taken  at 
first ;  if  you  can  inform  me  of  the  best  way  to  go 
about  it  I  shall  be  much  obliged,  and  I  will  also 
give  you  an  account  of  my  attempts  in  that  line. — 
H.  B.  R,  Balingoda,  Ceylon,  Nov.  30,  1880. 


HIVE  ADVANCEMENT. 

Years  ago  I  attempted  out  of  my  own  cranium  to 
evolve  a  frame-hive  for  my  bees,  and  look  back 
with  pleasure  to  that  first  rude  attempt,  and  am 
inclined  to  fall  back  upon  it  as  a  pattern  in  several 
points ;  and  as  our  worthy  Editor  solicits  ideas  on 
hives  I  tender  my  first  experience.  I  had  eight 
good  straw  skeps  ;  and  as  I  held  what  my  bee- 
keeping friends  termed  hare-brained  notions  of  bee- 
keeping, I  had  often  to  stand  the  lash  of  ridicule. 
By-and-by  I  obtained  a  new  book  by  the  late 
John  Hunter,  and  found  there  an  endorsement  of 


218 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[March  1,  1881. 


several  of  my  '  wild  ideas,'  and  I  determined  to 
attempt  driving,  and  to  make  a  frame-hive.  Not 
having  mastered  Mr.  Hunter's  description  further 
than  that  the  frames  lifted  out,  I  set  to  work  and 
made  a  box  of  1^  in.  by  11  in.  boards,  2  ft.  long, 
and  about  12  in.  wide,  and  frames  with  tops  and 
ends  li  in.  wide,  and  1J  in.  bottom  rail,  virtually 
making  a  1^  in.  frame  except  the  bottom  rail. 

The  extreme  end  frames  were  exceptions,  having 
only  \  in.  wide  top  rail,  thus  when  the  frames  were 
put  in  the  box  they  made  an  inside  lining  of  three- 
eighths  wood  close  at  the  top  and  ends,  except  in 
respect  of  the  two  end  frames.  I  next  drove  my 
bees,  cut  out  the  combs,  and  stocked  this  frame- 
hive  with  empty  comb,  and  the  bees  from  two  of 
the  skeps. 

A  novelty  about  this  hive  was  that,  to  facilitate 
lifting  the  frames,  I  had  left  their  ends  two  inches 
above  their  top  rails,  nailing  the  latter  between 
them.  I  had  never  seen  a  frame-hive  ;  and  there 
were  so  many  ideas  in  Mr.  Hunter's  book  that  I 
failed  to  get  his  ideas  on  frames  into  practical 
shape.  Into  this  2-inch  space  about  the  top  rail  I 
placed  an  ordinary  tin  pan  about  1^  in.  deep.  In 
this  I  put  some  syrup,  and  covered  the  whole  with 
two  or  three  old  sacks,  the  passage  at  the  two  end 
frames  being  open  ;  and  thus  having  fed  them  per 
Mr.  Hunter's  instructions,  and  covered  them  with 
a  large  box,  I  left  them  to  winter.  That  winter 
was  most  severe.  My  other  driven  bees  were  in 
skeps  destitute  of  comb,  but  had  been  well  supplied 
with  syrup,  out  of  which  they  made  combs  6  in. 
deep  ;  but  cold  weather  prevented  building,  and 
the  bees  in  each  skep  were  very  weak.  To  confine 
myself  to  the  frame-hive,  however ;  in  spring  I 
gave  them  more  syrup,  and  found  great  pleasure  in 
watching,  as  soon  as  ever  the  syrup  was  poured 
into  the  dripping-pan,  the  bees  streamed  up  the 
two  open  frames  like  a  regiment  of  soldiers,  not  one 
attempting  to  fly,  but  all  on  sweets  intent.  This 
fact  came  into  my  mind  on  reading  Dr.  Donhoff's 
article  in  February  Bee  Journal,  where  he  says 
bees  will  not  come  to  their  owner's  whistle  like 
other  pets ;  if  these  did  not  come  exactly  to  call,  it 
was  very  like  it,  for  both  warm  and  cold  syrup  was 
used  many  times  with  the  same  result.  They  were 
fed  until  May,  when  they  ceased  to  take  the  syrup, 
finding  honey  in  the  fields.  This  hive  swarmed 
twice  naturally,  and  in  the  following  September  I 
took  about  two  stone  of  combs  and  honey  from  it, 
while  I  had  not  an  ounce  from  the  straw  skeps.  I 
found,  when  about  to  take  the  honey,  that  all  the 
frames  were  cemented  together,  and  lifted  bodily 
out  like  a  box.  A  knife  easily  separated  them, 
and  they  were  easily  replaced.  Now  the  point  of 
utility  in  this  hive  doubtless  was  the  closed  frame 
ends  not  allowing  any  heat  to  escape.  The  closed 
tops  can  be  done  away  with,  and  a  good  quilt  will 
give  the  same  result. 

I  next  found  there  was  a  Bee  Journal  published, 
and  of  course  I  got  it,  and  plenty  of  new  ideas. 
I  bought  a  Standard  hive  as  a  pattern,  and  since 
then  have  used  it.  But  there  has  been  a  growing 
conviction  that  the  open  frame-ends  were  wrong, 
and  when  in  the  Journal  closed  ends  were  advo- 


cated, experience  during  a  severe  winter  and  very 
moderate  summer  strengthened  my  conviction,  and 
I  am  altering  my  hives  to  15  in.  square  with  wide 
frame  ends. 

I  have  been  very  successful  with  the  8-bar 
Abbott  Standard  ;  but  when  I  got  up  to  12,  14,  and 
16  bars,  I  found  great  difficulty  in  getting  them 
full  of  bees ;  all  their  energy  seemed  to  be  spent  in 
raising  brood.  I  find  great  pleasure  in  recalling 
the  advance  in  knowledge  displayed  in  the  various 
volumes  of  the  B.  B.  Journal  regarding  practical 
apiculture.  A  few  years  ago  comb-foundation, 
excluder-zinc,  and  various  other  matters,  were 
dreams,  but  now  they  are  realities.  Next  season 
I  hope  to  succeed  in  controlling  fertilization  ;  at 
the  worst  the  attempts  will  be  interesting,  and  I 
am  sanguine  of  success. 

The  growing  interest  in  bee-culture  will  some 
day,  I  hope,  so  increase  the  pages  of  the  Journal 
as  to  enable  it  to  appear  fortnightly,  or  even 
weekly,  and  that  the  hope  of  a  professorship  will 
animate  all  bee-keepers  to  more  harmonious  com- 
bined action.  As  a  suggestion,  I  think  if  a  Contents 
Bill  was  issued,  with  large  type,  many  of  the 
readers  of  the  Bee  Journal  could  find  the  means  of 
hanging  it  in  some  public  place,  thus  aiding  its 
circulation,  and  a  more  general  intercoiu-se  amongst 
bee-keepers ;  many  persons  are  ignorant  of  such  a 
medium  for  information.  Another  idea  might  be 
made  practical,  viz.  for  the  addresses  of  any  bee- 
keepers who  had  a  wish  to  visit  other  apiaries  to 
appear  in  the  Journal.  For  my  own  part,  when  in 
others'  vicinity,  with  half-an-hour  to  spare,  I  would 
be  glad  to  visit  and  exchange  ideas  with  any 
brother  bee-keeper,  and  would  be  extremely  glad 
to  return  the  former  at  home.  The  meeting  of  con- 
genial minds  makes  people  grow  less  bigoted,  and 
no  one  knows  so  much  but  what  he  has  a  great 
deal  to  learn. — W.  Crisp,  Chester-le-Street,  Feb.  14, 
1881. 


OBSERVATORY  HIVES. 

It  is  stated  by  most  writers  that  Maraldi,*  of  Nice, 
in  1712,  invented  glass,  or  observatory  bee-lnves. 
I  possess  a  little  work  printed  in  1688,  entitled  A 
Disquisition  about  the  Final  Causes  of  Natural  Things, 
&c.  By  the  Honourable  Robert  Boyle,  Fellow  of 
the  Royal  Society.'f  From  that  book  I  give  the  ac- 
companying extract,  which  I  think  may  interest 
many  of  your  readers. — J.  Lawson  Sisson. 

'  Divers  Strange  Things  are  deliver'd,  not  only  by  Poets, 
but  by  more   Credible  Writers,   about  the  wonderful 

*  M.  Figuier,  in  Les  Insectes,  says : — 'All  the  fables,  all 
the  hypotheses,  spread  about  and  cherished  by  the  ancients 
respecting  these  industrious  little  insects,  were  dissipated  in 
a  moment  when,  by  the  invention  of  glass  bee-hives,  first 
made  in  the  beginning  of  last  century  by  Maraldi,  a  mathe- 
matician of  Nice,  we  were  enabled  to  observe  their  operations 
and  habits.     Thanks  to  the  invention  of  Maraldi,  &o.' 

+  A  Disquisition  about  the  Final  Causes  of  Natural  Things; 
wherein  it  is  inquired  whether,  and  (if  at  all)  witb  what 
Cautions  a  Naturalist  should  admit  them.  By  T.  H.  E.  B., 
Fellow  of  the  Eoyal  Society.  To  which  are  Subjoyn'd,  by 
way  of  Appendix,  some  Uncommon  Observations  about 
Vitiated  Sight.  By  the  same  Author.  London  :  Printed  by 
H.  C.  for  John  Taylor,  at  the  Ship  in  St.  Paul's  Church- 
Yard,  1688. 


March  1,  1881.] 


THE  BEITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


219 


Sagacity  and  Government  of  Bees,  in  point  not  only  of 
Oeconomy,  but  of  Politicks  too.  But  tbo'  I  shall  not 
build  r.ny  thing  upon  the  Authorities  that  I  my  self 
Suspect,  yet,  having  had  the  Curiosity  to  keep  for  a  good 
■while  in  my  Closet  a  Transparent  Hive,  whence  there 
was  a  free  passage  into  a  neighbouring  Garden ;  and 
having  1  hereby  had  the  opportunity  to  make  frequent 
Observalions  of  the  Actions  of  these  little  Animals,  and 
particularly  to  see  them  at  work  about  making  their 
Combs,  raid  filling  them  with  Honey ;  Iconfessldiscover'd 
some  things  that  1  did  not  believe  before,  and  was  induc'd 
to  look  upon  them  as  very  tit  Instances  of  Creatures 
endow'd  with  Natural  Instincts  and  Providence.  For 
'twere  hard  for  a  Mathematician,  in  contriving  so  many 
Cells,  as  they  make  in  the  Area  of  one  of  their  Combs, 
to  husband  so  little  space  more  Skilfully,  than  They  are 
wont  to  do.'  And  not  only  They  Carefully  and  Season- 
ably lay  up  their  Honey,  to  serve  them  all  the  Winter, 
but  Curiously  close  up  the  particular  Cells  with  Covers 
of  Wax,  that  keep  the  included  Liquor  from  Spilling, 
and  from  External  injuries.  I  do  not  here  mention  the 
Prognostication  of  Weathers,  that  may  be  made  in  the 
morning  by  Their  keeping  within  their  Hives,  or  Hying 
earl)'  abroad  to  furnish  themselves  with  Wax  or  Honey, 
or  by  their  unexpected  Return  before  a  Storm  unforeseen 
by  Men ;  because  I  suspect  that  these  things  may  not  be 
so  much  the  Effects  of  Instincts,  as  of  a  Tenderness  and 
Quickness  of  Sense,  such  as  may  be  seen  in  a  good 
Weather-glass,  and  found  in  divers  Wounded  and  Crazy 
Persons,  that  are  affected  with  such  Beginnings  of  the 
Changes  of  the  Air,  as  are  not  yet  perceiv'd  by  other 
men.  But  among  the  Peculiarities  to  be  observed  in  the 
Conduct  of  Bees,  I  cannot  but  take  notice,  that  after  a 
Fight,  I  have,  not  without  some  wonder,  seen  them  take 
up  the  Dead  that  lay  on  the  Ground,  and  fly  away  with 
them  to  I  know  not  what  distance  from  their  Hive.' 


MARKETING  HONEY. 

1  have  had  a  sample  of  honey  submitted  to  me 
which  suggested  to  my  mind  the  propriety  of  a  few 
words  of  advice.  In  the  first  place,  the  general 
appearance  of  the  sample  was  not  attractive.  The 
glass  jar  was  not  rilled,  but  left  a  space  of  about  an 
inch  and  a  half.  The  vegetable  parchment  was  not 
neatly  and  tightly  secured,  nor  was  the  label  put 
on  evenly,  but  in  rucks,  and  on  it  the  honey  was 
described  as  '  Extracted  by  machinery]  which  does 
not  convey  a  very  rural  idea  to  the  mind.  The 
honey  was  a  good  colour,  but  about  an  inch  or  more 
was  in  a  semi-liquid  state,  and  floated  on  the  top  : 
the  rest  was  solid.  In  some  way  or  other  it  had 
acquired  the  flavour  of  hay.  It  may  have  been 
packed  in  hay,  and  left  in  a  damp  place,  and  thus 
become  damaged  in  appearance  and  flavour. 

Do  you  not  think  we  should  use  all  care  to  make 
the  article  as  attractive  as  possible,  using  a  neat 
label — pink,  green,  or  some  other  pretty  contrast 
to  the  colour  of  the  honey — and  suitably  worded  t 
— A  '  Bee  Brother.' 


WINTERING.— VARIOUS  METHODS  OF 
PREPARATION. 

The  exceeding  cold  weather  we  have  had  has 
made  mo  anxious  for  my  bees  ;  and  its  being  so 
very  fine  to-day  tempted  me  to  examine  them.  I 
had  eighteen  stocks  to  commence  the  winter  with, 
and  1  find  I  have  lost  only  one,  and  that  through 


neglecting  to  make  winter-passages  through  the 
combs.  I  had  the  whole  of  them  packed  with 
straw  between  the  hives  and  outer  cases,  and  quilt 
on  top.  Some  I  put  pieces  of  wood,  as  recom- 
mended by  you,  between  the  frame  ends,  and  some  I 
only  packed  as  above  stated,  whilst  two  others  I  both 
packed  and  blocked  the  ends,  and  placed  the  hives 
with  frames  across  the  entrance.  These  two  are  the 
only  stocks  which  are  entirely  free  from  dampness  or 
dysentery,  although  I  do  not  think  any  of  them  are 
injured  to  any  extent. — A.  Adams,  Mellcsham,  Jan. 
30,  1881. 

THE  OLD  MONK'S  WAY  TO  PREVENT 
SWARMS. 

'  Always  follow  the  Church,  my  friend,'  said  the 
witty  Dean  to  the  gentleman  who  had  just  elected 
to  have  his  steak  cut  from  the  same  piece  of  rump 
of  beef  which  the  Deau  himself  had  selected.  Bees, 
to  wit.  An  Englishman  who  travelled  through 
Spain,  a  hundred  years  ago,  made  the  acquaintance 
of  an  old  monk  who  was  wonderfully  successful  in 
bee-culture.  He  openly  boasted  that  not  a  monk 
in  all  Castile  was  half  so  successful  with  his  bees. 
His  honey  was  the  admiration,  no  less  than  the 
envy,  of  all  the  neighbouring  monasteries.  But 
while  he  carefully  concealed  the  secret  of  his  success 
from  others,  an  extra  glass  of  wine  with  our  English 
traveller  made  him  communicative  and  confidential. 
The  secret  of  his  success  was  this.  In  the  spring 
of  the  year  he  caught  the  queen-bee  of  each  of  his 
hives,  and  then  cut  off  one  of  her  wings.  Her 
majesty  was  thus  compelled  to  stay  at  home  and 
attend  to  her  domestic  duties,  without  a  thought 
of  travelling  or  swarming. 

Perhaps  some  of  the  patrons  of  Mr.  Abbott's 
capacious  Irish  hives  may  be  disposed  to  follow  the 
example  of  the  old  Spanish  monk,  and  try  the 
experiment  of  clipping  the  wings  of  the  queen-bee. 
— A  Cumberland  Parson,  Paington,  Feb.  14. 

[We  fear  the  old  monk  was  not  so  well  aware  of  the 
secret  of  his  success  as  he  '  made  believe,'  or  he  was  slyly 
gulling  his  visitor.  Clipping  the  queen's  wing  may 
hinder  swarming  for  a  few  days,  but  it  certainly  will 
not  prevent  the  bees  attempting  to  swarm,  or  the  queen 
from  leaving  the  hive,  too  often,  alas  !  to  fall  to  the 
ground  and  perish.  Clipping  a  wing  will  prevent  a 
queen  flying  away  with  a  swarm,  and  that  is  all,  and  in 
the  case  of  valuable  imported  queens  we  practise  it 
largely,  often  as  a  precaution  against  flight  on  their  arriv- 
ing at  the  hands  of  amateur  purchasers. — Ed.] 


IRISH  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

I  think  your  remarks  on  my  action  with  regard 
to  the  proposed  Irish  Bee-keepers'  Association  are 
written  with  too  strong  an  infusion  of  gall  and  are 
generally  unfair.  And  the  implied  contrast  between 
your  meeting  of  nine  and  my  list  of  twenty  two 
names  is  certainly  calculated,  although  not  intended, 
to  mislead. 

Had  the  gentlemen  whose  names  you  give,  instead 
of  residing  in  or  about  London,  been  scattered  over 
England,  and  had  they  merely  sent  you  their  names 
and    subscriptions,    I   venture    to   think   that   the 


220 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[March  1,  1881. 


British  Bee  Association  would  still  be  in  mibibus. 
Probably,  too,  in  sending  out  your  circulars  you 
had  access  to  the  list  of  subscribers  to  the  British 
Bee  Journal  (which  might  be  described  as  a  list  of  the 
bee-keepers  in  the  United  Kingdom),  an  enormous 
advantage  and  one  not  available  in  my  case.  Indeed 
I  was  led  to  believe  that  your  subscribers  would  be 
very  much  offended  if  their  names  and  addresses 
were  disclosed  even  for  the  purpose  of  sending  them 
circulars,  inviting  them  to  join  the  Association. 

I  admit  having,  '  disbanded  my  supporters '  in 
the  sense  that  I  returned  all  subscriptions  sent  to 
me,  as  I  had  no  idea  of  retaining  for  an  indefinite 
time  monies  sent  me  for  a  specific  purpose  ;  but 
your  assertion  that  I  retired  from  the  field  in  a 
'  funk '  is  inaccurate  both  as  regards  my  alleged 
retirement  and  my  state  of  mind. 

There  are  so  few  bee-keepers  living  within  easy 
distauce  of  Dublin  that  I  think  it  would  be  very 
difficult  to  have  a  meeting  here,  and  for  that  reason 
I  consider  the  head-quarters  of  the  Association  should 
be  either  in  Cork  or  Belfast,  the  last-named  seeming 
to  be  an  oasis  in  the  desert  as  far  as  bee-keeping  in 
Ireland  is  concerned. — R.  Sproule. 


THE    IRISH    BEE-KEEPERS'    ASSOCIATION. 

I  was  very  sorry  to  read  in  last  month's  Journal 
that  Mr.  Sproule  was  thinking  of  giving  up  his 
post  as  secretary  to  the  I.  B.  K.  Association.  No 
doubt  there  will  be  many  difficulties  to  be  encoun- 
tered in  starting  the  new  Association  ;  but  I  think 
that  with  such  a  man  as  Sir  Wm.  Gregory  as  pre- 
sident, and  if  Mr.  Sproule  will  act  as  secretary,  we 
ought  to  be  enabled  to  get  along  fairly.  What  I 
propose  is,  that  each  gentleman  whose  name  is 
mentioned  in  last  month's  Journal  and  on  the 
circulars  sent  out  by  Mr.  Sproule;  numbering 
tweiity-two  in  all,  should  try  and  get  half-a-dozen 
members  to  join  the  society.  I  am  sure  that  each 
gentleman  would  be  able  to  get  this  number  in  his 
own  immediate  neighbourhood.  I  have  promised 
Mr.  Sproule  to  get  twelve  members,  on  condition 
he  goes  on  with  the  work. 

I  should  not  advise  individual  members  to  take 
any  independent  action.  As  soon  as  the  secretary 
gets  a  goodly  number  of  names  as  members,  let  him 
send  out  circulars  to  each  member  summoning  a 
preliminary  meeting,  which  meeting  should,  I  think, 
be  held  in  Dublin;  although,  of  course,  country 
members  could  scarcely  be  expected  to  attend.  An 
'Acting  Committee'  for  the  year  should  then  be 
formed  ;  but  since  few  of  the  country  members  could 
attend,  I  suggest  that  the  'Acting  Committee,' 
consisting,  say,  of  ten  members,  should  be  chosen 
by  vote,  by  each  member  sending  in  to  the  secretary 
ten  names.  The  sooner  we  can  get  the  Association 
into  working  order  the  better,  as  everything  should 
be  arranged,  if  possible,  before  the  summer  season 
is  upon  us. — J.  M.  Auikidge,  Eyrecourt  Vicaraye, 
Galway. 

[From  other  communications  received  too  late  for  in- 
sertion we  are  satisfied  that  ibe  proposed  Irish  Association 
will  nut  he  allowed  to  fall  through,  and  we  shall  be  glad 
to  give  all  possible  help.— Ep.] 


THE  STEWARTON  HIVE. 

It  is  always  with  the  greatest  interest  that  I  read  any- 
thing emanating  from  the  pen  of  so  ahle  a  contributor  to 
the  pages  of  the  Journal  as  the  '  Renfrewshire  Bee-keeper,' 
more  especially  when  it  has  reference  to  a  system  he  has 
done  so  much  to  develope  and  improve.  I  do  not  pretend 
to  have  had  the  same  experience  witli  the  Stewarton 
hive  as  our  friend  has,  but  as  I  have  worked  it  for 
sixteen  years,  and  during  that  time  not  unsuccessfully,  I 
have  a  sufficient  smattering  of  the  system  to  entitle  me 
to  make  a  few  remarks  on  his  criticisms  of  the  discussion 
which  followed  the  reading  of  Mr.  Bartrum's  able  paper 
on  the  subject.  I  agree  with  the  '  Renfrewshire  Bee- 
keeper '  when  he  says,  '  To  contrast  harvest  results,  one 
year  and  one  district  of  country,  against  others  affords 
no  criterion  as  to  the  comparative  value  of  any  hive  or 
system.'  Could  I  only  do  this  I  should  feel  that  to  offer 
any  further  remarks  would  be  unfair,  and  that  they 
would  have  no  weight ;  hut  as  I  have  worked  both  the 
Stewarton  and  the  moveahle-comb  systems  side  by  side, 
a  comparison  of  results  is  not  only  '  fair,'  but  instructive. 
First,  however,  it  is  necessary  to  determine  what  is  meant 
by  a  moveable-comb  hive,  and  why  I  give  the  Stewarton 
a  place  between  it  and  the  straw  skep,  more  particularly 
as  the  '  Renfrewshire  Bee-keeper'  says,  '  But  the  Stewar- 
ton under  discussion,  it  so  happens,  is  a  moveable-comh 
hive.'  I  am  sorry  I  am  obliged  to  dissent  from  this  as- 
sertion :  my  imagination  is  cot  sufficiently  elastic  to  admit 
more  for  it  than  that  it  is  a  moveahle-comb  hive  to  a  very 
limited  extent,  indeed.  What  I,  and  I  suppose  most  other 
bee-keepers,  understand  by  a  moveable-comb  hive  is  one 
in  which  every  frame  in  the  hive  is  of  the  same  size  and 
form  and  interchangeable ;  and  by  the  moveable-comb 
system,  that  every  frame  in  every  hive  in  the  apiary  is  of 
the  same  size  and  interchangeable,  so  that  we  can  at  any 
time  lemove  a  frame  from  any  hive  and  introduce  it  into 
any  part  of  any  other  hive  with  a  certainty  of  its  fitting-. 
This  cannot  be  done  with  the  Stewarton :  the  four  centre 
frames  are  of  the  same  size,  hut  the  outside  combs  are  on 
bars,  and  are  shorter,  and  cannot  be  removed  without 
having,  in  the  first  place,  to  sever  their  attachments  to 
the  sides  of  the  hive ;  and  when  removed  they  cannot  be 
interchanged  with  the  central  frames.  In  each  Stewarton 
box  there  are,  at  least,  three  sizes  of  combs,  and  practi- 
cally there  are  five,  because  from  the  shape  of  the  bars 
four  of  them  will  only  tit  in  their  proper  places  on  the 
box.  Owing  to  this  difference  in  size  the  trouble  of  find- 
ing the  queen  is  great,  even  in  one  body  box;  hut  it  is 
still  greater  if  we  have  to  examine  the  combs  in  two  or 
more  boxes,  as  is  sometimes  the  case.  Contrast  this  with 
the  facility  with  which  a  queen  can  be  found  in  a  move- 
able-comb hive.  We  have  simply  to  move  the  division- 
board  and  examine  each  comb  seriatim,  replacing  it  in 
the  hive  without  that  mechanical  precision  requisite  in 
the  Stewarton  boxes.  Objection  is  raised  to  my  state- 
ment that  bees  will  multiply  more  rapidly  in  a  square 
than  a  Stewarton  hive.  I  did  not  say  bees  will  extend 
their  combs  more  rapidly  in  a  square  hive,  but  I  did  say 
that  '  bees  are  more  inclined  to  extend  their  brood- 
chamber  laterally.'  This  I  have  been  ahle  to  prove  re- 
peatedly. If  there  is  brood  on  two  combs,  and  sufficient 
bees  in  the  hive,  and  an  empty  comb  placed  between 
these,  it  is  almost  immediately  filled  with  brood.  By 
repeating  the  process  at  intervals  of  a  few  days  a  hive 
can  be  rapidly  built  up,  and  may  lie  made  to  contain 
brood  mi  every  comb  in  the  hive.  Instead  of  spreading 
the  brood  in  this  way,  if  we  were  to  put  the  combs 
underneath  it  would  be  no  inducement  to  the  queen  to 
breed  in  them,  and  she  would  not  do  so  until  she  had 
filled  all  available  space  in  the  upper  set  of  combs.  To 
be  able  to  spread  the  brood  is  an  immense  advantage,  as 
;i  small  steclc  can  be  rapidly  built  up  into  a  large,  strong' 
one  in  a  very  short  time.  Last  winter  1  kept  a  small  lot 
of  bees  mi  three  combs,  which  they  were  able  only  just 


March  1,  1881.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


221 


to  cover,  ami  early  in  the  spring,  by  spreading  the  brood 
and  stimulative  feeding,  it  became  strong  enough  by 
May  to  secure  from  it  a  large  number  of  sections.  This 
winter,  for  experiment,  I  have  tried  wintering  only  just 
as  many  bees  as  would  cover  two  frames.  These  bees 
were  c  impressed  by  division-boards,  and  packed  all  round 
with  chaff.  To-day  I  have  examined  them.  I  found 
the  tv.  o  combs  covered  on  both  sides  with  brood,  and 
(he  sp;:ce  so  crammed  with  bees  that  1  have  given  them 
an  empty  comb  between  the  other  two,  and  1  expect  in 
a  few  weeks  to  build  this  up  into  a  strong  colony.  Now, 
it  would  be  impossible  to  do  this  with  a  similarly  small 
lot  of  bees  in  a  Stewarton.  In  these  you  must  have  a 
large  number  of  bees,  or  you  cannot  hope  to  winter  suc- 
cessfully. I  have  examined  all  my  hives  to-day.  I  find 
brood  in  all  but  the  Stewartons ;  these  have  very  much 
decreased  in  numbers.  In  this  locality  our  first  barvest 
is  from  fruit-trees,  and  if  we- wish  to  reap  the  benefit  of 
it  we  must  have  our  stocks  in  such  a  condition  that  they 
can  take  advantage  of  it.  If  they  were  left  alone  they 
would  not  commence  breeding  until  they  could  collect 
both  honey  and  pollen,  and  woidd  not  be  in  a  fit  con- 
dition to  take  advantage  of  the  early  flow  of  honey. 
Stewartons  may  be  stimulated  by  feeding,  but  they  are 
very  much  longer  in  filling  their  hives  with  brood,  and 
are  not  strong  enough  for  the  early-honey  harvest.  I 
have  found  the  bees  in  these  only  increasing  their  popu- 
lations, whilst  others  were  filling  supers.  Wheie  the 
harvest  is  later  this  may  not  be  such  a  drawback  as  it  is 
here.  Now,  if  our  hives  are  not  full  of  bees,  the  move- 
able system  has  an  immense  advantage  over  the  Stewar- 
ton, inasmuch  as  by  'contracting  the  space'  during  a 
flow  of  honey  you  can  make  the  bees  store  it  in  sections 
placed  on  the  top,  instead  of  filling  their  stock-hive. 
How  a  hive  capable  of  expansion  and  contraction,  like  a 
modern  frame-hive  is,  can  be  called  inelastic,  I  cannot 
conceive.  Surely  it  is  more  entitled  to  be  called  an  elas- 
tic hive  than  the  Stewarton,  where  elasticity  only  con- 
sists in  its  capability  of  sudden  expansion  from  one  to 
two,  or  from  two  to  three,  boxes. 

I  am  sorry  I  cannot  agree  that  Stewarton  supers  give 
more  honey  than  sections.  By  proper  management  one 
can  always  make  sure  of  some  sections  being  filled,  even 
from  small  colonies,  at  times  when  nothing  woidd  induce 
hoes  to  store  honey  in  Stewarton  supers.  It  may  be  '  an 
axiom  in  the  Stewarton  system  that  as  soon  as  the  central 
combs  are  seen  to  be  sealed  out  the  super  can  be  safely 
removed  complete ; '  but  my  bees  are  certainly  not  in- 
clined to  carry  out  this  rule.  Last  summer  I  had  three 
supers  on  one  Stewarton.  The  first  was  nicely  filled ; 
the  second  and  third  were  well  filled  in  the  centre,  the 
outer  combs  not  being  sealed  over.  Admitting,  however, 
that  the  '  Renfrewshire  Bee-keeper '  has  the  outer  combs 
filled  and  sealed  over  before  the  central  ones,  these  outer 
combs  are  ready  for  removal,  and  for  the  appearance  of 
the  comb  should  be  removed,  as  soon  as  completed,  in- 
stead of  being  left  for  the  bees  to  discolour  them  by 
walking  over  them  and  accumulating  extra  wax  on  the 
coverings.  Those  who  like  to  eat  comb-houey  do  not, 
however,  care  to  eat  a  large  quantity  of  wax  ;  and  it  is 
here  I  find  such  a  superiority  in  sections  over  supers. 
As  soon  as  the  sections  are  only  just  sealed  over  they 
can  be  removed,  and  the  honey  which  the  bees  waste  in 
elaborating  wax  to  thicken  the  cappings  of  the  cells  in 
supers  is  instead  stored  in  sections,  to  the  profit  of  the 
bee-keeper.  No  comb-honey  taken  from  a  super  can 
equal  in  appearance  nicely-worked  1  or  21b.  sections,  the 
wax-coverings  of  which  are  so  thin  and  transparent  as  to 
show  the  outline  of  every  cell.  These  are  also  much 
more  saleable.  There  is  no  mess  in  cutting  out  the 
combs;  and  even  if  the  bars  go  with  them,  as  suggested, 
there  is  a  risk  of  breaking  the  comb,  before  onegets  home 
which  the  sections  are  less  liable  to — for  this  reason,  sec- 
tions do,  and  will  always,  command  a  higher  price;  and 
no  bee-keeper  who  understands  the  management  of  bees 


in  moveable-comb  hives,  and  has  once  worked  them  as 
they  should  be  worked,  would  be  willing  to  return  to  the 
large  supers  in  fashion  some  years  ago.  The  Stewarton 
is  a  strong-hive  system,  and  only  as  such  can  you  expect 
to  get  much  honey.  But  at  what  an  expense  is  this  strength 
kept  up  !  In  the  first  place, it  requires,  at  least,  two  good 
swarms  to  start  a  colony.  Half  the  number,or  even  less, 
can  be  made,  by  spreading  the  brood,  to  fill  a  moveable- 
comb  hive  in  very  much  less  time  than  it  takes  to  fill 
a  Stewarton.  In  the  autumn  it  is  much  less  trouble  to 
get  a  stock  strong  enough  for  wintering  in  frame-hives. 
For  queen-raising  you  are  obliged  to  have  a  number  of 
nucleus  boxes,  in  addition  to  the  octagonal  body  boxes, 
and  in  this  way  accumulate  a  quantity  of  useless  plant. 
Queens  can  be  raised  in  full-sized  frame-hives  by  using 
division-boards;  and  these  nuclei  can  be  built  up  into  full 
stocks  at  any  time.  Although  I  do  not  believe  in  always 
'  pottering  amongst  bees,'  and  quite  agree  that  with  some 
'  such  disturbed  hives  don't  usually  give  great  returns,' 
vet  for  success  a  certain  amount  of  disturbance  of  the 
bees  is  necessary,  and  the  results  obtained  will  always 
show  whether  the  bee-keeper  has  worked  in  harmony 
with  the  natural  instincts  of  the  bee.  All  persons  are 
not  alike,  and  some  could  never  be  made  bee-keepers. 
With  such  persons  any  manipulations  with  moveable- 
comb  hives  would  do  more  harm  than  good ;  but  with 
one  wdro  has  his  hives  under  his  complete  control,  know- 
ing how  to  do  a  thing,  and  doing  it  at  the  right  time,  the 
case  is  quite  different.  Such  a  person  can  work  his  bees 
with  both  pleasure  and  profit,  and,  with  a  little  care,  can 
secure  a  larger  quantity  of  honey,  if  he  use  moveable- 
comb  hives, than  he  could  if  he  adopted  any  other  system. 
The  Stewarton  is  certainly  far  in  advance  of  the  straw 
skep,  and  is  very  useful  as  a  stepping-stone  to  the  better 
system  of  moveable-comb  hives.  Perhaps  if  the  '  Ren- 
frewshire Bee-keeper '  were  to  adopt  the  modern  system 
of  frame-hive  management  (which  is  very  different  to 
what  it  was  some  years  ago),  he  would  come  to  the  same 
conclusion  with  myself,  viz.  that  only  moveable-comb 
hives  which  are  under  the  complete  control  of  the  bee- 
keeper yield  the  large  it  harvests  of  hone}'  and  the  largest 
profits. — Thos.  Wm;  Cowan,  Compton  Let,  Horsham. 
18th  Feb.,  1831. 

HOW  DO  BEES  GATHER  POLLEN? 

You  don't  know  my  grandmother.  I  can  assure  you 
she  is  a  most  estimable  woman,  and  when  she  places  her 
spectacles  on  her  nose,  and  crosses  her  hands  in  her  lap, 
you  may  expect  something  good.  Did  I  tell  you  she  is 
passionately  fond  of  her  bees?  Well,  I  intended  to  do 
so.  She  is  considered  an  authority  here,  although  she 
does  not  go  in  for  the  newest  scientific  '  notions.'  When 
she  comes  down  to  see  her  great-grandchildren  we  have 
a  regular  bee  discussion  every  night.  I  read  up  the 
Journal  and  go  in  for  the  scientific  business.  She  reads 
up  the  Journal  and  goes  in  for  the  practical.  She  was 
with  us  when  your  February  number  arrived;  and  I 
read  it  all  over,  commencing  with  the  British  Bee  Journal 
and  ending  with  the  imprint.  If  you  had  heard  her 
running  comments,  you  would  have  been,  as  I  was,  very 
much  surprised.  I  am  now  going  to  give  you  her  re- 
marks on  your  own  advertisement  about  'Artificial 
Pollen.'     I  quote  it  again  : — 

•Artificial  Pollen,  newly  ground  and  direct  from  the 
mills,  (if/,  per  lb.  In  7-11).  bags  packed  free  and  delivered 
to  Southall  Railway  Station  for  8s.  Sd.  per  bag. 
Guaranteed  perfectly  fresh,  and  if  put  into  crocus  cups 
the  bees  will  take  it  madly;  affording  most  interesting, 
study  of  the  use  of  the  tongue,  the  fore-legs,  and  the  pollen- 
basket;,  &c,  &c.' 

As  I  finished  the  advertisement  she  folded  her  hands 
across  her  lap,  so  I  knew  there  was  something  coming, 
ami  I  waited  patiently  to  hear  her  begin, 

'Now,  then,  I  am  sure  the  man  is  wrong'    (please 


THE  BEITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[March  1,  1881. 


excuse  grandmother's  homely  way),  ' -when  he  says  the 
hees  take  pollen  with  their  tongues.' 

I  stated  that  the  Editor  of  the  B.  B'.  J.  was  an  autho- 
rity on  the  point ;  hut  she  would  not  be  convinced. 

'  My  dear  boy,'  said  she,  '  I  have  spent  hours  and  hours 
watching  my  bee3  in  all  sorts  of  flowers,  and  you  never 
will  persuade  me  that  they  take  pollen  with  the  tongue. 
I  admit,'  she  continued,  '  that  you  may  get  occasionally, 
for  anything  I  know,  a  trace  of  pollen  in  the  honey  sac 
of  a  bee.  I  wouldn't  kill  one  to  see,  hut  I  am  confident 
that  if  pollen  is  found  there  it  has  got  in  there  acci- 
dentally, unless  it  is  gathering  pollen  only.' 

'  How  accidentally  ?  '  said  I, 

'  Well,  you  can  understand  some  grains  of  pollen  falling 
off  the  anthers  of  a  flower  and  either  getting  into  the 
nectary  (see  sketch),  or  lying  about  the  orifice.  Well,  if 
a  bee  in  her  search  for  honey  happens  to  get  pollen  on  her 
tongue,  I  call  that  accidentally.  In  that  case  I  feel  con- 
fident that  that  cargo  of  the  bee  is  lost  as  pure  honey.  The 
slightest  trace  of  pollen  in  honey  spoils  the  flavour,  and 
the  contents  of  that  bee's  honey-sac  will  only  be  used 
for  the  manufacture  of  bee-bread.' 

I  regarded  the  old  lady  in  wonder. 

'  Did  you  ever,  John,  really  watch  a  bee  with  a  magni- 
fying glass  as  it  dives  into  a  cherry  blossom,  or  probes  a 
flower  ?  If  you  did,  you  will  have  wondered  at  the 
amount  of  labour  she  goes  through,  and  apparently  for 
no  object.  Her  head  is  stationary,  and  her  tongue  deeply 
imbedded  in  the  nectary,  but  her  legs  are  moving  con- 
stantly. I  call  it  dancing.  After  visiting  several  flowers 
in  this  wajr,  portions  of  the  body  become  of  a  bright  orange, 
or  yellow,  or  a  slate,  or  other  pollen  colour.  The  portions 
most  affected  are  the  head,  the  thorax,  and  the  legs.  Then 
you  will  see  the  bee  fly  away  and  probably  alighting  upon 
some  object  out  of  which  she  has  no  chance  of  extracting 
honey,  viz.,  the  wall,  your  hand,  a  warm  stone,  or  a  tree. 
Watch  it  narrowly  now.  It  begins  to  work  its  legs  over 
its  head,  then  one  leg  over  the  other.  Then  the  hack  is 
swept  with  the  hind-legs,  and  in  this  way  the  pollen  is 
drawn  down  and  caught  on  the  pollen  baskets.  Then  it 
goes  to  work  again,  and  when  its  full  cargo  of  honey  is 
safely  stowed  away  in  its  hold,  and  its  deck  load  of  pollen 
is  safely  trimmed  in  its  baskets,  the  little  living  ship  sails 
merrily  homeward.' 

'  But,  grandmother,'  said  I,  '  have  you  ever  tried  your 
hees  with  the  artificial  pollen  ?  ' 

'  That  I  have,  my  hoy.  Don't  you  remember  that  I 
tried  the  pea-flour  last  year  after  what  you  told  me,  and 
if  you  will  just  have  a  little  patience  with  an  old  woman, 
I'll  tell  you  exactly  what  I  did  and  what  the  result  was. 
First  I  mixed  up  some  chaff  and  pea-flour  in  a  saucer, 
and  set  it  near  the  hive.  The  hees  did  not  seem  to  notice 
it,  hut  on  putting  a  bit  of  old  comb  with  honey  in  it  in 
the  saucer,  I  soon  had  them  there  in  scores.  When  they 
had  found  their  way  to  the  saucer  I  removed  the  comb. 
Then  I  out  with  my  big  magnifying  glass  (that  cost  me 
10a.)  and  watched  the  little  rogues.' 

'  Well  ? '  I  said,  as  she  seemed  to  pause. 

'  Well,  they  didn't  use  their  tongues  that  I  could  see, 
and  they  gathered  loads  upon  loads  of  the  pollen.' 

'  And  you  believe  that  you  would  have  seen  them  if 
they  had  used  their  tongues  ?  ' 

'  I'm  certain  of  it.  They  rolled  in  the  chaff,  and  the)' 
kept  clawing  it,  like,  in  their  legs,  and  they  tumbled 
and  got  up  again.  And  sometimes  they  would  hover  over 
the  saucer  quite  close  to  it,  mailing  as  much  wind  with 
their  wings  as  possible.  This  made  the  flour  fly  about 
themselves  and  the  others,  with  the  result  that  they  all 
became  more  or  less  white.  Then  they  would  set  to 
work  to  curry-comb  themselves  with  their  legs,  passing 
the  pollen  down  towards  the  hind-legs  ;  and  when  their 
load  was  "  all  on  hoard,"  as  the  sailors  say,  they  would 
fly  away  home.' 

'Then  you  really  don't  think,  grandmother,  that  bees 
ever  collect  pollen  with  their  tongues  P' 


'  Never,'  she  replied,  '  unless  by  accident,  as  I  have 
said,  after  which  a  good  bit  of  tongue-cleaning  must  go 
on,  if  that  bee  wants  to  bring  in  pure  hone}'  at  the  same 
time  and  on  the  same  journey.' 

I  thought  the  old  lady  had  probably  said  all  she  had  to 
say  on  the  subject;  but  she  re-folded  her  hands  and  re- 
adjusted her  spectacles  : — 

'  Next,  I  put  away  the  saucer  with  the  flour  in  it,  and 
I  set  in  its  place  a  similar  saucer  quite  clean,  and  placed 
a  small  line  of  flour  across  it.  I  thought  that  if  they  saw 
the  flour  was  scarce  they  would  use  the  tongue,  and  clean 
up  the  plate.  Before  long  two  or  three  bees  came,  and 
ran  over  the  plate  as  if  very  much  surprised  to  see  the 
store  all  gone.  Soon  they  discovered  the  line  of  pollen, 
and  I  watched  attentively.' 

'  Well,  I  suppose  they  rolled  in  it  just  the  same:'' 

'  No,  there  you  are  wrong.  Most  of  them  went  away 
again,  but  one  or  two  holered  a  hit,  and  blew  the  pea- 
meal  all  over  the  saucer.  They  never  once  put  out  their 
tongues.' 

'  Have  you  ever  tried  putting  the  pollen  in  crocuses  as 
recommended  here  ? ' 

'  Never;  hut  I  mean  to  try  this  spring  if  there  are  any 
crocuses  about  the  garden  that  I  can  get  the  bees  to  haunt. 
Now,  did  you  never  see  a  bee  coming  home  all  covered 
with  pollen  of  an  orange,  or  yellow,  or  a  slate  colour  ? 
Well,  to  my  mind,  that  bee  shows  it  has  been  out  doing 
its  duty  to  the  flowers.  I  need  not  begin  to  he  giving 
you  a  lecture  on  botany,  the  component  parts  of  a  flower, 
or  their  relationship.  Lend  me  your  knife,  and  bring 
me  a  primrose  from  the  garden.' 

I  did  so,  and  she  made  a  section  of  the  flower. 


'  Now  look  here.  In  order  to  propagate  its  species  the 
pollen  of  a  primrose  must  come  into  contact  with  the 
stigma  which  is  on  the  top  of  the  pistil.  A  little  way 
down  the  throat  of  the  flower  you  can  see  the  anthers  or 
pollen-producers  adhering  to  tlie  side  of  the  tube.  That 
is  to  say,  the  pollen  must  come  up,  as  the  primrose  grows 
erect.  Now,  you  see  the  stalk  of  the  pistil  extends  down 
to  the  very  bottom  of  the  tube,  and  it  is  at  the  very 
bottom  of  the  tube  that  the  honey  is  secreted,  as  every 
schoolboy  knows  who  has  ever  sucked  a  primrose.  Now, 
a  bee  has  no  occasion  to  touch  the  stifrma  with  its  tongue, 
but  it  must  touch  that  organ,  as  well  as  the  anthers,  with 
its  head  or  its  chin  (Y)  when  it  probes  the  flower  with  its 
tongue.  Thus  the  pollen  is  disseminated  without  the  use 
of  the  tongue.  Now,  if  the  bee  lifted  any  quantity  of 
pollen  with  its  tongue,  or  if  that  was  the  normal  way  of 
gathering  pollen,  why  should  it  take  the  trouble  of,  and 
exhaust  itself  more  or  less  by.  dancing  with  its  legs  over 
the  flowers  when  the  tongue' is  buried,  sipping  the  honey, 
if  it  is  not  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  the  pollen  with 
its  legs  while  its  tongue  is  engaged  at  the  honey  P 

'  The  advertisement,'  she  continued, '  is  quite  correct,  for 
if  vou  use  artificial  pollen  it  will  afford  a  most  interesting 


March  1,  1881.  J 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


223 


study  "  of  the  use  of  the  fore-legs  and  the  pollen-baskets ; " 
but  when  he  says  that  it  affords  an  interesting-  study  of 
the  tongue,  I  for  one  don't  agree  with  him  ; — and  you 
may  tell  him  that.' 

I  stared  at  my  grandmother  awe-struck. 

She  quietly  put  off  her  spectacles.  She  had  finished 
her  lecture. 

'  I  know  Mr.  Abbott  is  a  clever  man,  and  a  wonderful 
operator  with  the  bees  (for,  you  know,  I  saw  him  at 
Newtownards),  but  you  may  write  to  him  if  you  like 
and  give  him  my  opinions.' 

So,  Sir,  in  pursuance  of  my  grandmother's  instructions, 
I  have  tried  to  write  out  her  views.  I  have  also  tried  to 
sketch  the  primrose  the  old  lady  dissected.  Perhaps  in 
these  dreary  nights  some  of  your  correspondents  will  give 
their  opinions  (yours  are  already  known)  and  enlighten 
the  old  lady  if  she  is  wrong.  But  as  I  hope  to  read  their 
observations  to  her,  I  hope  they  will  plea.-e  deal  tenderly 
with  her.  As  the  artificial  pollen  feeding  season  is  now  on, 
her  observations  maj-  induce  some  of  your  readers  to 
experiment  further  in  this  direction. — A  Newtownards 
Bee-Keepeb,  Feb.  1881. 


STEALING     OR   APPROPRIATING    IDEAS,   &C. 

In  the  discussion  on  the  Stewarton  hive  I  observe  Mr. 
T.  W.  Cowan,  page  169,  says,  '  By  following  out  his 
plan  published  some  years  ago,  and  now  universally 
adopted  by  advanced  bee-keepers,  viz.  that  of  contracting 
the  brood-chamber  of  a  hive,'  &c.  I  have  not  seen  that 
publication  mentioned  by  Mr.  Cowan.  When  I  observed 
the  above  statement  I  put  the  query,  '  Am  I  also  a 
sinner  in  stealing  Mr.  Cowan's  inventions  !J'  It  is  now 
thirty-two  years  since  I  first  used  close-fitting  dividing 
boards,  and  have  sent  out  many  hives  with  these  the 
last  twenty-five  years.  If  Mr.  Cowan's  publication  is 
anterior  to  that  I  will  at  once  relinquish  the  claim  to 
him  or  to  any  other  person  that  can  show  they  superseded 
me.  I  do  detest  that  now  too  common  practice  of 
parties  claiming  or  making  it  appear  as  if  they  were  the 
inventors  of  what  they  have  no  claim  to.  Some  of 
these  delinquents  1  will,  with  your  permission,  notice. 

About  eighteen  months  ago,  among  other  absurdi- 
ties, the  following  appeared  in  the  Dumfries  Standard : 
— '  Those  that  are  conversant  with  the  economy  of  a 
hive  are  aware  that  several  queen-cells  exist  at  the  same 
time.  A  number  of  ceils  are  formed  for  the  creation  of 
queens,  and  in  these  cells  they  are  reared  and  imprisoned 
until  they  are  wanted.  Should  the  ruling  sovereign  die 
or  be  deposed  and  killed  a  cell  is  opened,  and  a  young 
queen  let  out  to  succeed  her ;  and  when  a  swarm  is  ready 
to  hive  off,  one  of  the  reserved  queens  is  let  out  of  the 
cell  to  go  with  them.  In  these  cells,  however,  they  are 
kept  close  prisoners,  excepting  when  thus  required,  the 
other  bees  feeding  them,  unsealing  the  cell  to  do  so,  and 
sealing  it  again  after  it  is  done.  In  dividing  a  hive, 
therefore,  a  frame  with  some  brood-comb  should  be 
transferred  to  the  next  box.  If  there  is  a  royal  cell  in 
this  comb — and  that  is  easily  ascertained — the  colony 
will  at  once  liberate  the  queen  from  it ;  if  there  is  none 
they  will  at  once  begin  to  form  a  cell  and  rear  a  queen. 
This  is  not  a  tardy  process,  and  in  a  short  time  the 
colony  will  be  complete  in  all  the  conditions  of  govern- 
ment, and  vigorously  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
honey.' 

Not  content  with  these  unparalleled  effusions  of  non- 
sense, the  writer  claims  the  right  to  Mr.  Armstrong  as 
the  inventor  of  the  Lanarkshire  frame-hive, — in  whose 
interest  the  foregoing  was  written  ! 

The  next  I  have  on  my  list  is  Mr.  John  Thomson,  102 
High  Street,  Dalbeattie,  in  Journal  of  Horticulture,  page 
541,  after  describing  Mr.  Steele's  profit  of  (>/.  sterling 
from  each  hive — a  very  good  average, — (italics  mine).  In 
another  article  he  describes  what  seemed  to  me  a  very 
good  description  of  the  American  '  Eclectic  '  hive,  with 


some  of  the  Lanarkshire  hive's  properties.  Mr.  Thomson 
tells  us  that  this  is  the  Dalbeattie  hive  he  has  improved 
after  some  years ;  then  tells  us  that  Mr.  R.  'Wilson  is 
the  sole  maker.  I  was  much  amused  at  Mr.  Thomson's 
letter,  and  would  have  put  some  questions  to  him  through 
the  Journal  in  which  it  appeared.  One  of  them  would 
have  been,  How  long  had  Mr.  Thomson  used  bar-frame 
hives  !"  as  I  was  under  the  impression  that  it  was  only 
after  the  Bee  Show  in  connexion  with  the  Highland  Royal 
Agricultural  Show,  held  at  Dumfries  in  1878,  that  he 
had  adopted  the  frame-hive.  But  that  Journal  refuses 
to  insert  any  correction  of  error  I  send.  Should  the  fore- 
going meet  Mr.  Thomson's  eye,  perhaps  he  will  favour 
us  with  the  progress  of  his  inventions,  and  what  it  was 
that  prompted  him  to  so  rapid  a  success. 

But  apart  from  this  I  happened  to  have  an  intimate 
acquaintance  thirty  years  ago  of  an  old  bee-keeper — a 
perfect  genius,  who  used  to  recount  to  me  his  career  in 
bee-keeping,  as  well  as  his  inventions.  One  of  these 
was  what  1  observed  was  also  claimed  by  the  Americans, 
viz.  his  plan  of  a  gun  being  fired  on  a  swarm  issuing 
from  a  hive.  So  far  as  I  can  recollect  this  plan  would 
be  invented  ninety  years  since.  Long  before  the  per- 
cussion cap  was  in  use  he  invented  something  of  the 
kind,  but  being  a  common  tradesman,  was  uncommon 
in  being  a  very  quiet  and  unassuming  being.  Yet, 
nevertheless,  his  presence  was  courted  by  many  men 
of  talent.  His  power  in  mechanism  was  great,  fond 
of  firearms,  and  though  not  a  professional,  made  beau- 
tiful fowling-pieces.  He  dreaded  mice  getting  inside 
a  hive,  knowing  well  that  the  smell  of  these  rodents  was 
highly  injurious  to  bees.  He  kept  trained  cats  to  kill 
the  vermin.  On  the  death  of  one  of  these — a  favourite 
— the  old  man  was  said  to  have  shed  tears.  So  loath 
was  he  at  its  loss  that  he  preserved  the  cat,  and  formed 
it  into  a  very  ingenious  trap,  so  that  when  set  its  jaws 
were  extended  with  a  tempting  bait,  and  the  mice  it 
caught  after  death  were  perhaps  equal  to  those  it  caught 
while  in  life.  I  am  perhaps  digressing  from  my  subject. 
The  selling  of  the  old  man's  effects,  twenty-eight  years 
ago,  devolved  on  me.  Some  of  his  hives  were  of  a  very 
ingenious  description,  the  most  of  them  had  moveable 
bars,  and  several  had  frames,  while  not  one  of  them 
lacked  floor  ventilation,  and  all  of  them  possessed  the 
outside  case  which  held  the  hive  and  packing.  I  have 
mentioned  these  facts  to  prove  that  long  before  the 
Americans  knew  anything  of  chaff,  the  Scotch  in  the 
west  had  'brains'  to  be  able  to  invent  nearly  a  cen- 
tury since  what  Mr.  Raitt  boasts  of  the  Northerns  (see 
Vol.  V.,  page  199)  having  'brains'  to  adopt.  And 
pass  over,  perhaps,  a  further  improvement  in  that  of 
the  Stewarton  hive,  condemning  contemptuously  the 
very  hives  that  gave  birth  to  scientific  bee-culture,  and 
which  he  knew  nothing  about. 

I  quite  agree  with  you,  Mr.  Editor,  when  you  advised 
that  something  should  be  done  to  give  honour  to  whom 
honour  is  due  with  inventions ;  it  is  a  subject  that 
should  be  taken  up  by  some  disinterested  parties  con- 
nected with  Bee  Associations;  and  as  a  beginning,  1 
would  suggest  that  a  memorial  and  testimonial  begot  up 
amongst  us  who  have  benefited  so  much  by  comb-foun- 
dation the  last  twenty  years,  and  present  it  to  the 
German,  the  inventor  of  comb-foundation,  and  ma- 
chinery for  making  the  same.  It  is  he  who  deserves 
the  name  of  Public  Benefactor,  and  who  has  been 
the  means  of  so  much  improvements  in  hives.  And 
instead  of  giving  prizes  year  after  year  for  the 
same  thing,  let  that  be  done  away  with,  and  let  a 
memorial  be  awarded  for  new  inventions  only,  so  that 
it  will  preclude  the  possibility  of  any  one  stealing  and 
,  glorying  in  the  invention  of  others. 

In  regard  to  judging  at  Shows,  there  has  been  so  much 
bungling  that  I  think  the  time  has  come  that  prizes  should 
bi'  awarded  to  tile  highest  merit,  decided  by  owners  of  the 
articles  pleading  the  properties  of  their  exhibits  after 


224 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[March  1,  1881. 


the  manner  of  our  County  Courts,  before  a  qualified 
Judge,  whose  duty  it  would  lie  to  see  that  exhibits 
possessed  the  properties  claimed,  which  would  he  satis- 
factory to  all,  and  at  same  time  ideas  would  he  retained 
by  the  inventor. — A  Lanarkshire  Bee-keeper. 

Papeb  for  Hives. — Employment  of  cardboard  in 
hive-mal<ing . — It  is  now  several  years  since  we  have 
employed,  as  a  trial,  double-tided  hives,  the  external  one 
being  of  cardboard  painted  with  oil,  and,  up  to  the  pre- 
sent time,  they  have  stood  the  ordeal  of  winter  better 
than  hives  made  entirely  of  wood.  Unless  a  heavy  and 
costly  covering  is  employed  for  the  latter,  they  deteriorate 
from  dampness  and  the  action  of  the  sun,  and  it  is  on 
account  of  complaints  received  that  our  manufacturer, 
Mr.  P.  de  Siebenthal,  had  the  idea  of  trying  pasteboard. 
Satisfied  with  our  experiments,  we  now  intend  to  employ 
this  material  on  a  large  scale.  For  hives  in  the  open  the 
roofs  are  even  a  weaker  side  than  the  walls,  and,  in 
America  not  less  than  here,  a  fully  satisfactory  system  of 
covering  has  not  yet  been  found  out.  We  have  tried 
zinc,  which  has  the  great  fault  of  being  much  too  sensitive 
to  the  variations  of  temperature;  tin,  which  is  too  dear; 
sheet-iron,  which  is  both  dear  and  heavy,  especially  if  it 
is  galvanised  to  avoid  rust.  And,  finally,  the  wood  alone, 
which  even  when  well  painted  is  liable  to  warp.  After 
we  had  decided  on  the  advice  of  our  manufacturer,  to 
order  sloping  roofs  of  thin  wood  covered  with  painted 
cardboard,  we  read  in  the  British  Bee  Journal  for  January 
that  a  beekeeper  recommends  covering  the  roofs  of  hives 
with  two  layers  of  strong  brown  paper  painted  with  oil ; 
his  process  has  stood  two  years  and  the  covers  remain 
intact.  '  The  paper,'  continues  he,  '  is  warmer,  lighter, 
and  naturally  much  cheaper  than  the  zinc,  which  warps, 
draws  the  nails,  and  allows  the  wet  to  penetrate.'  Again, 
in  the  Apiculteur  d 'Alsace-Lorraine  for  December,  we 
learn  from  the  pen  of  M.  Oh.  Zwilling  that  M.  Coesar,  a 
bee-keeper  of  Forbach,  makes  hives  of  papier-mache. 
The  walls  of  this  hive  is  made  of  cardboard,  which  by 
undergoing  a  certain  process  is  made  as  durable  as  wood. 
The  two  pieces  of  pasteboard  that  form  the  wall  are 
separated  by  a  space  of  about  '2  inches  filled  with  dead 
air,  which  being  a  lad  conductor  consequently  maintains 
the  heat  of  the  hive.  The  walls  and  floorboard  are  fixed 
on  light  supports  of  wood.  The  cover,  porch,  &c,  are 
moveable.  JM.  Cajsar  also  makes  sheets  of  perforated 
cardboard  covered  with  a  good  coat  of  varnish.  These 
cards  are  a  perfect  imitation  of  the  metal  sheets,  and 
are  a  great  economy  on  the  latter.  They  are  also  superior 
to  the  wooden  separators,  as  the  perforations  need  great 
precision,  and  are  liable  to  enlarge  and  shrink  on  account 
of  the  porosity  of  wood. — Bulletin  d' Apiculture  pour  la 
Suisse  Itomande. 

(Ecjxots  front  %  pities. 

Ha/sfead,  Essex.  —  Wintering.  — '  Since  the  frost  I 
have  examined  my  stocks  (twenty-one  in  all),  and  find 
them  in  a  healthy  condition,  They  are  all  in  bar-frame 
hives,  with  the  exception  of  two  in  steps.  OneLigurian 
stock  Is  in  an  "  observatory  "  hive.  The  frames  are  made 
and  arranged  on  the  "Giotto"  principle,  as  suggested  bv 
you,  but  the  wood  is  only  half-inch.  Of  course  I  have 
wooden  shutters  to  the  glass,  and  have  covered  the 
frames  with  felt.  The  bees  are  in  splendid  condition.' — 
John  Urei.i.i 

lloll,  Fochabers. — 'Here,  as  elsewhere,  1880  has  been 
a  splendid  honey  season.  I  had  an  average  profit  of 
■'!/.  5s.  per  Stock  wintered.  My  best  harvest  was  from  a 
swarm  of  I'M  f i  June,  which  gave  me  111)  lbs.  cnmb  honey 
in  sections,  quite  pure,  mostly  heather ;  and  18  lbs.  run 
honey;  and  seven  frames  left  to  ■winter  with,  averaging 

(',  [bs.      I  sold  nearly  all  my  comb-honey  at  1*.  -V.  per  Hi.. 

and  run  al  8d.  peT  lb.'    G.  P. 


Gothenburg,  February  1st,  1881. — 'Last  year  I  was 
happy  to  establish  a  Bee-keepers'  Association — by  name 
"  Friends  of  Bee-keeping,"  and  I  have  been  appointed 
its  secretary.  Last  year  I  went  to  the  cottagers'  own 
homes,  informing  and  teaching  them  the  more  humane 
way  of  managing  the  bees.  The  result  has  already  been, 
many  bees  have  been  saved  from  the  sulphur-pit,  the 
value  of  the  bees  has  increased  fifty  per  cent,  and  the 
people  in  this  province  ask  and  beg  me  to  come  and 
stay  with  them  several  times  a  -  3*ear,  and  several 
days  each  time,  for  instructing  purposes.  The  result 
has  been  very  satisfactory  indeed.  I  commenced 
last  autumn  to  give  lectures  at  our  bee-school  here  in 
Gothenburg,  where  all  information  is  given  free  of 
charge ;  and  I  consider  the  diagrams  you  are  to  send  me 
will  very  much  facilitate  my  labour,  being  of  large  dimen- 
sions. Last  year  was  in  this  country  a  very  profitable 
one,  the  hives  giving  good  swarms  and  plenty  of  honey. 
Where  our  Association  has  had  influence  the  bees  are 
wintering  very  well — I  hope  successfully — all  having 
young  queens,  young  bees,  plenty  of  food,  and  warm 
hives — perhaps  rather  too  warm,  because  in  these  warm 
days  of  January  the  temperature  has  been  +  3°  C,  and  I 
open  widelv  all  the  entrances  of  the  hives  in  our  bee- 
stand.'— H.  S. 

The  Lea,  Hebden  Bridge,  Tories.,  Feb.  Wth,  1881.— 
Wintering. — '  I  must  confess  that  keeping  bees  in  a 
healthy  state  through  the  winter  in  the  wooden  bar- 
frame  hive  has  been  my  greatest  difficulty  since  I  began 
to  practise  with  them,  having  lost  some  very  valuable 
stocks  of  Ligurian  bees ;  but  seeing  their  advantages  in 
other  respects,  I  was  determined  to  master  them ;  and 
now,  thanks  to  the  plain  instructions  you  have  given  in 
your  valuable  Journal,  I  can  put  them  up  in  the  fall, 
and  feel  as  easy  about  them  as  I  could  in  a  straw  skep. 
My  stocks  in  the  frame-hives  are  at  present,  as  far  as  I 
can  judge,  in  first-rate  condition.  I  have  now  no  fears 
about  them  if  the  coming  season  be  favourable.  Your 
answer  in  this  month's  Journal  to  "  An  Amateur"  is  first- 
class,  and  ought  to  be  read  and  well  thought  out  by  every 
bee-keeper  in  the  country ;  and  if  practised  I  feel  certain 
it  would  lead  to  far  greater  success  than  has  hitherto 
been  attained  by  the  bee-keepers  of  this  country.' — John 
Hartley. 


(Queries  unb  |lqpli'cs. 

Query  No.  373.  —  Transferring  from  Straw. — 
'  Amonst  his  other  successes  the  bee-keeper  of  the  Vosges 
Mountains,'  says  Mr.  G.  F.  Pearson  (February  Journal), 
'  made  his  bees  build  down  into  frame-hires.'  Why,  then, 
prizes  for  transferring  ?  Why  destruction  of  brood  in 
spring,  or  of  honey  at  a  later  date  ?  Why  the  '  ticklish ' 
operation  of  transferring  at  all,  if  the  natural  and  reason- 
able way,  and  the  way  by  which  the  'countryman'  may 
possibly  be  induced  to  travel,  is  to  place  the  parent 
eighteen-pennv  rustic  upon  the  frames  cf  a  modern 
'  eclipse,'  cover  up  the  corners,  and  give  access  only 
through  the  lower  domicile,  stepping  in  and  emptying 
the  granary  in  due  course — that  is,  when  the  brood-nest 
has  been  transferred  to  terra  firma,  as  surely  it  would 
be?— C.  Walkden,  Ashwell,  Herts. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  373. — We  take  it  that  prizes 
have  been  offered  for  transferring  that  the  public  might 
gain  practical  knowledge  of  the  best  way  of  doing  the 
wmk,  and  of  the  ease  with  which  it  may  be  done,  even 
under  difficulties,  when  that  knowledge  has  been  ob- 
tained. We  have  no  defence  to  offer  for  the  destruction 
of  brood  or  honey,  and  assuredly  have  never  counselled  a 
course,  that  would  bring  about  either  result.  The  build- 
ing-diiwn  plan  is  common  in  England  as  a  means  of  stock- 
ing frame-hives  in  the  spring,  but  is  not  available  in 
autumn   because  of   the   indisposition    of   bees  with   full 


.March  1,  1881.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


00 


20 


hives  to  extend  their  combs  at  that  time  of  year;  and  it 
is  not  generally  recommended  even  in  spring,  because  it 
puts  the  old  skep  in  the  position  of  a  super  to  receive  the 
new  honey,  which  should  properly  be  stored  in  new 
combs.  Our  method  of  transferring  (see  the  leaflet  on 
the  subject*)  destroys  neither  brood  nor  honey,  but 
renders  all  good  combs  available  for  the  new  brood-nest. 
Nevertheless,  with  new  foundation  so  cheap,  at  hand,  and 
the  certainty  of  new  straight  combs  being  built  out  from 
it  within  a  few  days,  we  have  begun  to  regard  the  labour 
of  '  transferring '  as  a  waste  of  time ;  and  as  the  process 
often  leads  to  robbing,  and  is  unfortunately  liable  to 
foster  foul  brood  or  other  disorders  that  may  be  lurking 
in  old  combs,  we  are  inclined  to  recommend  that  it  and 
all  old  combs  be  dispensed  with  altogether. — Ed.] 

Query  No.  -'!74. — Dry  Sugar  for  Bee-food, — Do  you 
not  think  it  probable  that  the  sugar  may  become  mois- 
tened by  absorption  from  the  atmosphere,  and  that  it  is 
not  therefore  necessary  for  the  bees  to  consume  their 
own  exhalations,  or  that  that  state  of  things  would  be 
modified  by  the  moisture  from  the  atmosphere?  I  refer 
to  the  experiment  now  being  made  by  '  A  Warwickshire 
Bee-keeper.' — J.  U. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  374. — The  moisture  in  the  atmo- 
sphere of  a  hive  must,  in  a  very  great  measure,  be  due  to 
the  exhalations  from  the  bees,  at  least  we  think  so. — Ed. 

Queries  No.  .'i/"">. — Mi.ving-up  of  Queens.  Encase- 
ment on  Uniting.  Value  of  Imported  Queens.  Sections 
in  rear  of  Brood-nest  v.  Supers. — I  united  three  black 
stocks  in  autumn.  Two  of  the  queens  I  found  dead,  and 
the  survivor  apparently  all  right  and  laying  within  two 
days.  On  the  third  da}-  I  prepared  to  add  a  fourth 
stock,  with  a  hybrid  queen,  to  bring  it  up  to  the  sufficient 
strength.  The  two  hives  were  alongside  each  other,  and 
on  opening  the  one  with  the  three  swarms, to  remove  the 
black  queen  it  contained,  I  found  her  encased,  and,  with 
difficult}',  rescued  her.  Looking  a  little  fiuther  I  found 
a  yellow  queen  in  the  same  predicament.  Concluding 
that  the  queen  of  the  hive  alongside  must,  somehow,  have 
got  lost,  I  opened  it  up,  to  find  the  same  state  of  matters 
there — a  yellow  queen  being  furiously  assailed.  It  seemed 
very  odd,  and  oii  looking  up  some  nuclei  about  ten  yards 
distant,  one  of  the  queens  was  missing.  I  infer  that  she 
liail  gone  into  the  hive  with  the  hybrid  queen,  who,  de- 
clining- to  fight,  sought  refuge  next  door.  I  attempted 
tu  prove  that  this  was  so  by  putting  the  first-found  yel- 
low queen  into  the  adjoining  hive,  whence  I  inferred  she 
had  come  ;  but  she  flew  off  on  my  dropping  her  on  to  a 
comb,  and  spoiled  my  proof.  Is  such  a  mi.xing-up  as 
this  common,  and  how  do  you  explain  it  ? 

2.  I  find  my  attempts  at  uniting  met  by  obstacles.  In 
one  case  in  autumn,  after  scenting  and  smoking  most 
thoroughly,  the  queen  I  left  to  head  the  colony  was  en- 
cased at  once,  and  it  was  a  week  before  she  could  be 
safely  uncaged,  three  sets  of  queen-cells  having  been 
raised  meantime.  Is  this  difficulty  a  frequent,  one  prac- 
tically ?  The  theory,  of  course,  I  know,  but  theory  and 
practice  have  a  knack  of  falling  out. 

3.  What  is  the  experience  of  apiarians  in  regard  to  the 
value  of  imported  Ligurian  queens  ?  I  am  told  by  a 
very  considerable  number  of  friends  that  few  of  them 
live  beyond  a  year.  My  own  experience  of  Italians  only 
dates  from  last  season,  so  that  I  do  not  know.  But  of 
the  queens  I  had  then,  70  per  cent,  or  thereby  were  prac- 
tical failures.  Even  when  introduced  all  right  they 
made  no  headway.  Those  that  gut  established  did  very 
well;  I  do  not  know  but  they  stood  good  for  themselves 
and  their  less  fortunate  sisters.  I  should  like  tu  know, 
however,  what  experience  says  on  the  point,  lias  the 
large  demand  for  queens  led  to  the  producing  of  large 
numbers  under  unfavourable  conditions,  so  that  they 
reach  us,  after  their  long  journey,  in  a  state  (if  exhaustion 
from  which  they  never  recover?     If  they  come  tu  hand 

*  Tost  free  Id.,  from  this  office. 


alive  it  is  held  to  be  all  right ;  but  there  is  a  life  which 
is  next  step  to  death,  and  that  is  reached  in  the  hands  of 
the  unfortunate  buyer,  who  gets  blamed  for  awkwardness. 

4.  I  should  like  to  hear  more  on  '  Storing  in  the  Com- 
bination hive  versus  Supers.'  My  experience  is  entirely 
iu  favour  of  the  latter.  That  is,  whenever  my  bees  get 
a  chance  of  space  above  the  brood-nest  they  take  it  in 
preference  to  space  on  a  level  with  it,  whether  behind  or 
at  the  sides.  This  last  season  I  had  to  be  from  home  for 
a  month,  and  put  supers  on  hives  that  were  working  in 
sections  below,  as  I  thought  they  should  do  more  than 
till  them.  On  returning  I  found  they  had  taken  posses- 
sion of  the  supers,  and  all  but  filled  them,  while  the  sec- 
tions below  remained  exactly  as  they  were.  I  understand 
you  to  affirm  that  the  space  behind  the  brood-frames 
should  be  taken  to  with  equal  readiness. — Fifeshibe, 
January,  1881. 

Beplies  to  Queries  No.  375. — 1.  It  is  not  easy  to 
account  for  the  '  mixing-up '  which  occurred,  but  it  is 
probable  that  some  of  the  bees  of  the  united  (?)  stocks 
got  into  the  nucleus  hives  containing  the  yellow  queens, 
and  caused  one  of  them  to  abdicate,  and  that  she  at- 
tempted to  join  the  most  populous  and  busy,  and  so 
caused  the  cjmmotion.  The  black  queen  first  left  with 
the  united  swarms,  appears  to  have  been  comfortably 
accepted,  and  laying  until  this  occurred;  and  it  is  possible 
(and  a  debateable  point)  that  her  encasement  was  the 
result  of  love  on  the  part  of  her  own  bees  and  for  her 
protection,  as  the  encasement  of  the  yellow  aueen  was  of 
hatred  and  dislike.  Such  cases  do  not  often  happen,  and 
when  they  do  it  is  usually  through  the  hives  being  in 
too  close  proximity  to  each  other — a  feature  of  which 
we  have  no  evidence. 

2.  The  difficulty  experienced  in  uniting  is  fully  in  ac- 
cordance with  theory,  supposing  one  of  the  lots  of  bees  to 
have  been  aged  and  broodless,  and  the  queen  of  the  other  lot 
to  be  the  one  selected  to  head  the  colony,  as  is  generally, 
and  with  reason,  the  case.  We  have  many  times  alluded 
to  the  difficulty  of  uniting  aged  bees;  the  custom,  arising 
from  long  experience,  has  been  to  join  both  bees  and 
queens,  as  was  done  in  the  case  of  the  three  stocks,  and 
let  the  bees  settle  which  shall  be  allowed  to  live.  Had 
this  been  done  in  the  present  case  it  is  probable  that  one 
would  have  been  accepted,  and  the  chances  are  that  it 
would  have  teen  the  one  belonging  to  the  more  pugna- 
cious— i.e.  the  more  aged  and  least  civilised  bees.  This 
is  a  suggestion  only,  the  result  of  close  experience,  and  it 
may  not  apply  in  all  respects  in  the  present  instance,  but 
it  is  worth  consideration,  and  may  help  to  solve  the 
question. 

3.  It  cannot  reasonably  be  doubted  but  that  privation, 
confinement  with  sickly  bees,  and  the  other  ills  likely  to 
arise  from  queens  being  sent  on  long  journeys,  is  detri- 
mental to  them,  and  in  many  instances  shortens  their 
life,  or  interferes  with  their  fecundity.  They  are  never  (?) 
sent  forth  until  they  have  begun  to  lay,  and  then  their 
energies  are  suddenly  cut  short,  and  they  are  put  up  in 
boxes,  and  the  business  and  pleasure  of  their  life  sus- 
pended in  the  heyday  of  its  enjoyment — a  measure  that 
cannot  be  beneficial  to  them.  The  evil  arising-  is  common 
to  all  violent  interference  with  nature,  but  we  are  not 
prepared  t<>  admit  that  it  is  so  great  as  our  querist  sug- 
gests. That  many  bee-keepers  lose  70  per  cent  of  their 
imported  queens  is  more  often  their  own  fault  than  they 
are  willing  to  admit ;  and  much  of  the  loss  and  the  seem- 
ing want  of  fecundity  in  the  queens  arises  from  the  ab- 
surdity uf  uniting,  or  attempting  tu  unite,  them  to  weak 
and  queen  less  stocks,  instead  uf  tu  g 1,  prosperous  bleed- 
ing colonies,  which  will  generally  accept  them  under  due 
precaution,  and  give  them  the  opportunity  uf  displaying 
their  power  and  energy.  Queens  apparently  dead  from 
fatigue  or  neglect  cannot  be  any  the  better  for  their  trial ; 
but  we  never  hesitate  to  introduce  such,  if  by  any  possi- 
bility life  can  be  restored,  and  in  full  colonies  the  heat 
and  surroundings  enable  them  to  do  well.     The  evil  for- 


220 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[March  1,  1881. 


tune  too  often  attending  imported  queens  arises,  as  we 
have  said,  from  their  being-  put  into  poor  stocks.  Hun- 
dreds of  bee-keepers  never  think  of  purchasing  a  queen 
for  the  natural  purpose — the  improvement  of  their  bees  ; 
but  as  soon  as  they  find  a  stock  queenless  they  send  for 
a  Ligurian  queen,  which,  nine  times  out  of  ten,  gets  en- 
cased and  injured  on  her  introduction  to  the  queenless, 
broodless  old  bees,  or,  if  accepted,  is  unable  to  perform 
her  enjoyable  duty  through  the  bees'  incapacity  to  assist 
her.  These  are  our  experiences,  gathered,  not  from 
our  own  apiary  alone,  but  from  the  regretful  reports  of 
others,  too  often  in  the  face  of  warnings.  Our  advice  to 
those  who  intend  to  introduce  the  Ligurian  element  is, 
to  do  it  by  swarms  if  possible,  or  by  the  introduction  of 
queens  to  full  colonies,  the  dethroned  queens  of  which 
will  be  quite  good  enough  to  risk  with  old  queenless  bees 
or  with  those  containing  fertile  workers. 

4.  We  quite  agree  that  bees  will  be  more  likely  to  go 
into  supers  than  they  will  into  side  or  rear  boxes,  if  they 
are  all  available  in  a  hive  at  the  same  time,  because  the 
super  being  the  warmest  (being  above  the  main  body) 
will  present  the  greatest  attraction  and  afford  the  most 
congenial  conditions,  under  the  circumstances,  for  storing ; 
but  the  fact  in  no  way  disproves  our  argument,  nor  does 
the  experience  in  any  degree  affect  it.  It  is  acknowledged 
on  all  hands  that  bees  store  in  the  warmest  parts  of  the 
hive — notably  immediately  around  and  above  the  brood- 
nest  ;  and  it  is  the  unwelcome  experience  of  thousands  of 
bee-keepers  that  they  will  not  enter  supers  at  all — or 
having  entered,  remain  there — except  under  the  most 
favourable  conditions  of  population,  temperature,  and 
surroundings  ;  yet  they  will  always  (income  permitting) 
store  hone}'  in  the  body-hive,  even  to  the  limitation  of 
their  brood-nest  and  the  prevention  of  egg-laying  by  the 
queen.  Everybody  (?)  knows  that  as  soon  as  bees  gather 
more  than  they  consume  they  store  it,  and  what  so  reason- 
able as  to  give  them  facilities  in  the  chamber  they  love 
for  storing  it  in  the  form  most  agreeable  to  their  owner. 
The  experience  our  querist  reports  is  beside  the  question. 
If  he  wishes  to  try  the  case,  and  convince  himself,  or 
convict  us  of  false  reasoning,  let  him  place  six  colonies, 
of  equal  strength  in  all  respects,  in  an  enclosure,  under 
even  conditions  as  regards  position  and  the  chances  of 
well-doing,  and  fairly  try  them,  simultaneously  and  al- 
ternately, on  the  'supering'  and  'combination'  or  longi- 
tudinal principles,  and  we  shall  be  content  to  abide  the 
result.  Give  (to  the  bees)  the  choice  of  two  chambers 
in  the  same  hive,  they  will  naturally  choose  the  least 
disagreeable ;  but  simply  enlarging  from  time  to  time 
'  the  temple  of  nature '  in  which  they  worship,  commends 
itself  to  the  common  sense  of  bee-keepers,  and  is  proved 
to  be  in  accord  with  the  instinct  of  the  bees  themselves, 
and  on  their  evidence  we  are  content  to  rest  our  case.- •• 
Ed. 

Query  No.  37fi. — One  of  my  best  and  strongest  hives 
has  died  this  winter.  It  is  a  plain  wood-hive,  about 
12  inches  square,  and  was  filled  with  comb  to  about 
2  inches  from  the  bottom.  In  the  autumn  the  bees  ap- 
peared in  perfect  health,  and  were  very  strong;  they  are 
now  all  dead,  with  plenty  of  provisions  in  the  hive,  and  a 
very  large  quantity  of  dead  bees  si  ill  amongst  the  combs. 
There  does  not  appear  to  be  any  trace  of  dysentery  ;  the 
hive,  sides,  and  bottom  board,  were  very  damp  when  I 
examined  them.  What  do  you  suppose  must  have  been 
the  cause  of  death  P  The  hive  was  standing  in  a  bee- 
house,  and  was  well  covered  up  with  straw ;  on  the  top 
were  two  perforated  zinc  slides,  and  over  these  some 
canvas  of  three  or  four  thicknesses. — J.  P.,  Wiiton  Gilbert, 
near  Dereham. 

Reply  to  Query  No.  .'570. — There  being  no  evidence 
of  disease,  and  no  suggestion  of  queenlessness  and  old 
age  of  the  bees,  we  can  only  conclude  that  they  were 
imprisoned  by  the  cold  between  (or  amongst)  combs 
from  which  they  had  consumed  all  the  honey,  and  were 
not  able  to  get  to  the  stores  in  another  part  of  the  hive 


Box-hives,  fixed  combs,  and  no  winter  passages  through 
them !     Oh,  mi !— Ed. 

Query  No.  .377. — Extracting  Honey. — Will  you  please 
inform  me  if  the  comb  will  not  be  very  liable  to  break 
cut  of  the  frame  whilst  in  the  extractor? — J.  P.,  Witton 
Gilbert. 

Beply  to  Query  No.  377.— Crooked  combs,  and 
those  not  built  evenly  within  the  frames,  are  liable  to 
injury;  but  those  built  straight  and  even  ought  not  to 
be  damaged  at  all.  The  combs  should  be  placed  flat 
against  the  wirework  of  the  cage  or  revolver,  and  the 
machine  set  in  motion  without  jerking. — Ed. 

Queries  No.  378. — I  have  several  stocks,  and  among 
them  two  Ligurian  casts  of  last  year,  which,  not  being 
strong,  I  intend  to  unite  next  month.     Kindly  tell  me — 

1.  Will  it  be  too  early  to  make  a  small  swarm  from  a 
black  stock,  and  introduce  one  of  the  Ligurian  queens 
into  the  black  stock,  putting  the  black  swarm  into  a  hive 
with  comb-foundation? 

2.  Will  the  swarm  and  the  stock  with  Ligurian  queen 
be  likely  to  swarm  during  the  summer,  and  can  I  prevent 
them  doing  so  ? 

3.  Would  cutting  out  constantly  queen-cells  prevent 
them  swarming  ?  But  I  do  not  like  disturbing  them  so 
often  during  the  honey  season. — Mat.  Steele,  Heath 
House,  Runcorn,  Feb.  16th,  1881. 

Beplies  to  Queries  No.  378. — 1.  It  will  be  very  much 
too  early  to  make  swarms  with  the  hope  of  success.  May 
is  early  enough,  as  a  rule.  You  propose  to  unite  two 
lots,  and  divide  a  strong  one,  which  will  not,  we  take  it, 
improve  matters  very  much.  Better  sacrifice  one  queen 
than  ruin  a  stock  in  trying  to  utilise  her. 

2.  They  would  be  much  more  likely  to  dwindle  and 
die  before  the  summer  comes  through  the  cold  and  ab- 
sence of  every  thing  swarms  and  weakened  stocks  most 
need. 

3.  Cutting  out  queen-cells  will  not  absolutely  prevent 
swarming.  Bees  often  swarm  out  when  no  such  prepa- 
ration has  been  made.  Disturbance  in  the  honey  season 
would  be  less  dangerous  than  the  proposed  operations  at 
the  present  time. — Ed. 


NOTICES  TO  CORRESPONDENTS  &  INQUIRERS 

Professional  Bee-keepers. — On  Page  211  of  this 
Journal  will  be  found  an  extraordinary  and  libellous  re- 
mark by  Mr.  Cheshire  with  regard  to  his  'professional' 
brethren,  which  in  their  behalf,  and  for  his  own  credit 
sake,  we  think  he  ought  to  explain,  and  we  sincerely 
trust  he  will  do  so,  if  he  can. — Ed.  B.  B.  J. 
Mr.  J.  Delwiler,  Toledo,  Ohio. — The  British  Bee  Journal 
maybe  had  from  here  direct  for  6s.  Qd.  per  annum; 
whoever  is  charging  you  more  is  swindling  you.  We 
exchange  in  bulk  with  Gleanings,  Medina,  Ohio  j  The 
Bee-keepers'  Magazine,  Park  Place,  N.  Y. ;  The  Bee- 
keepers' Guide,  Kendeldville,  Indiana ;  and  The  Bee- 
keepers' Exchange,  Canajoharie,  N.  Y. ;  and  they  ought 
to  supply  American  bee-keepers  at  the  same  rate  we 
offer  the  Journal  here ;  we  ask  no  premium  on  their 
journals  here. 

Use  of  Salicylic  Acid. — Divested  of  all  technicality, 
simple  as  A.  B  C,  Mr.  Cowan's  recipe  directs  that  an 
ounce  of  salicylic  acid  and  an  ounce  of  powdered  borax 
shall  be  dissolved  in  two  quarts  of  water  ;  it  is  then 
the  '  salicylic  solution  '  for  painting  hives,  &c,  for  dis- 
infecting purposes.  To  disinfect  bees  one  ounce  of  the 
solution  should  be  mixed  with  a  gallon  of  syrup,  or  a 
teaspoonful  with  a  pint  will  give  the  same  strength, 
and  we  do  not  know  of  any  better  formula. 

M.  A.  L.,  riimleg.—  Want  of  ventilation  is,  without  doubt, 
the  cause  of  the  floor-boards  becoming  thickly  covered 
with  dead  bees  during  the  protracted  season  of  cold. 
We  appear  to  be  everlastingly  giving  directions  in  the 


March  1,  1881]. 


THE  BEITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


227 


Journal  which,  if  bee-keepers  would  accept  as  the  out- 
come of  actual  experience,  and  act  upon  them,  would 
he  the  means  of  saving  an  immense  amount  of  trouble 
and  loss.  Our  suggestions  are  often,  however,  not 
complied  with  because  the  more  limited  experience  of 
many  of  Our  readers  has  not  taught  their  value,  and 
hence  their  calamity  comes  upon  them  suddenly  and 
with  dire  effect,  when,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  disorder 
should  be  well-nigh  impossible.  We  find  it,  as  a  rule, 
very  much  easier  to  guard  against  bee  misfortunes 
than  to  advise  as  to  their  reparation,  particularly 
when  the  subjects  of  them  have  gone  through  some  of 
the  stages  that  generally  terminate  in  foul  brood. 
Having  already  dried  the  hive  with  warm  tiles,  we 
can  only  suggest  that  the  crown-board  be  perforated, 
to  facilitate  the  upward  escape  of  foul  vapours,  and 
that  the  bees  be  fed  liberally  for  a  few  days  with  sali- 
cylised  syrup,  in  the  hope  that  they  may  disinfect,  not 
only  themselves,  but  the  cells  in  which  their  loose 
honey  is  stored.  The  perforations  in  the  crown-board 
(which  is  a  fixture)  may  be  four  or  five,  an  inch  and 
a  half  over,  covered  with  perforated  zinc  and  flannel, 
to  permit  ventilation  and  prevent  draught. 

Fishponds,  Bristol. — Stocking  Observatory-hive. — Our 
correspondent  has  made  a  square  observatory,  after 
the  pattern  of  that  described  on  p.  -y  !'",  Vol.  VII., 
'  Abbott's  observatory-hive,'  but,  unfortunately  for  his 
own  comfort  and  convenience,  has  not  made  it  of  suit- 
able size  to  receive  the  frames  of  the  hives  in  his  apiary, 
and  he  is  now  at  a  loss  to  know  the  best  means  of 
stocking  it  in  the  coming  spring.  As  '  our '  hive  is  of 
similar  shape  and  make  to  ordinary  hives,  except 
that  it  is  of  glass,  and  can  be  manipulated  for  observa- 
tion purposes  without  being  opened,  we  see  no  reason 
why  it  should  not  be  stocked  with  a  swarm  in  the 
usual  way.  We  would  fit  up  as  many  frames  with 
comb-foundation  as  the  swarm  will  be  able  to  occup}', 
and  put  them  in  the  front  part  of  the  hive,  covering 
them  with  a  quilt  in  the  usual  way,  and  darkening 
them,  and,  when  the  time  comes,  would  pour  the 
swarm  into  the  back  part,  that  they  might  run  under 
and  amongst  the  frames  of  foundation.  It  would  be 
well  to  have  the  extreme  back  frame  filled  with 
wooden  or  other  foundation  that  will  not  stretch,  as 
many  bees  may  at  first  cluster  on  it,  and  if  flimsv, 
distort  it ;  and  when  they  have  taken  possession,  would 
cover  them  snugly,  as  in  an  ordinary  hive.  After  a 
day  or  two  the  quilt  may  be  removed,  and  the  glass- 
cover  (crown)  put  on,  and  the  bees  watched  as  they 
proceed  with  their  wonderful  work,  and  frames  of 
foundation  added  as  they  may  be  required. 

Uniting  Bees. — Our  leaflet,  and  many  repetitions  in 
Journul,  advise  that  bees  to  be  united  should  be  made 
to  gorge  themselves  with  scented  syrup,  and  reduced 
to  a  common  state  of  poverty  (with  nothing  to  defend, 
their  combs  all  being  removed),  and  that  they  be  then 
mixed  up  in  one  lot,  before  being  restored  to  the  combs 
in  which  they  are  to  live.  The  method  adopted  of 
adding  a  driven  lot  to  another  lot  already  in  possession 
of  their  combs  ended,  as  is  commonly  the  case,  in  the 
slaughter  of  vast  numbers  of  them — a  result  our  direc- 
tions are  intended  to  prevent ;  and  the  fact  that  bees 
will  sometimes  unite  peaceably  without  such  precaution 
is  no  argument  against  that  they  are  intended  to  advise. 

Mildewed  Combs  and  1'ollcn. — If  left  with  the  bees,  they 
will  clean  up  the  comb,  and  throw  away  the  pollen,  at 
great  cost  of  labour  and  material ;  for  in  extracting 
the  pollen  pellets  they  will  destroy  and  have  to  rebuild 
a  large  number  of  the  cell  walls.  We  would  prefer  to 
remove  the  comb  altogether,  and  substitute  a  sheet  of 
foundation ;  it  will  be  saving  the  labour  of  the  bees, 
and  there  will  be  no  liability  to  ill  effect  from  the  mil- 
dew. Old  combs  are  really  not  worth  preserving;;  now 
that  foundation  is  so  cheap. 


6  TJ  EESWING'S  ADVICE  to  BEE-KEEPERS.' 
I)     Can  anyone  supply  a  Copy  to  Advertiser?     The 
little  Work  was  published  some  years  since  at  Hereford. 
Apply  to  Editor,  Fairlawn,  Southall. 

MANUAL    OF    THE    APIARY, 

By  A.  J.  COOK, 

Professor  of  Entomology  in  the  Michigan  State  Agricultural  College. 

286  pp.  large  12mo.     112  Illustrations. 

Published  by  THOMAS  G.  NEWMAN  &  SON,  Chicago. 

Price,  bound  in  cloth,  5s.;  postage,  id. 


ABBOTT  BROS.,  FAIELAWN,  SOUTHALL. 

CLUBBING.  v> 

fi  LEANINGS  IN  BEE  CULTURE.  By  A.  I. 
VJT     Boot,  of  Medina,  Ohio.     4s.  6rf.  per  annum. 

THE  BEE-KEEPERS'  MAGAZINE.     By  A.  J. 
King,  of  New  York.     4s.  Gd.  per  annum. 

nnflE    BEE-KEEPERS'    GUIDE.     By  A.   G. 

X      Hill,  Kenclallville,  Indiana.     2s.  6(7.  per  annum. 

All  the  above  may  be  obtained  direct  from  the  Office  of 
the  British  Bee  Journal  ;  arrangements  for  a  Monthly 
Supply  having  been  entered  into. 

The  whole  set,  commencing  May  last,  shall  be  sent  for  a 
year,  post  free,  for  10s. 

Office  :  British  Bee  Journal,  Southall,  Middlesex. 

DIAGRAMS  FOR  LECTURES,  by  the  British 
Bee-Keepers'    Association,   with   descriptive  Pam- 
phlet, 8s.,  free  on  rail.     Abbott  Bros.,  Southall,  Middlesex. 

FOR   SALE.— SIX    STRONG    STOCKS    OE 
BEES  in  Woodbury  Bar-frame  Hives.      Perthshire. 
Letters  to  Editor,  Fairlawn,  Southall.  fo.  58. 

FOR   SALE.— BEE-HOUSE  to  hold   8  Hives 
and  Supers,  with  Folding  Doors  at  back.     Price  21. 
Apply  to  C.  Cadoux,  Countesthorpe,  near  Eugby.         fo.  56 

COMB    FOUNDATION. 

GUARANTEED  Pure  Wax,  good  colour  and 
with  Thick  Side-walls,  in  Sheets "i6  by  8,  or  12  by  8, 
either  Polled  or  Cast  (own  make)  at  2s.  6;/.  per  lb. ;  5  lbs. 
and  upwards,  2s.  3d.  per  lb.  for  Cash  with  Order.  Address 
W.  Hollands,  Hive  Maker,  &c,  Croydon. 

A  quantity  of  Clean  Wax  wanted,  send  price  and  particu- 
lars as  above.  fo.  56 

LIGURIAN   QUEENS. 

JOSEPHINE  CHINNI  offers  to  supply  QUEENS 
ej  of  Purity  and  Splendour  from  her  New  Establishment 
as  follow : — April  and  May,  8  frs. ;  June,  7  frs. ;  July,  6  frs. ; 
August,  5  frs. ;  September,  4  frs. 

SWARMS  OF  BEES,  April  and  May,  18  frs.;  and  Two 
Francs  less  per  month  after,  to  September. 

RUSTIC  BEE-HIVES,  April  and  May,  12  frs.;  June, 
20  frs. ;  July,  18  frs. ;  August,  16  frs.  ;  September,  15  frs. 
Free  of  Carriage  to  the  Railway  Station  at  Bologna. 

Josephine  Chinni,  Bologna  fuora  porta  Saragossa,  N  1442 
Italie. fo.  19 

SURPLUS   SWARMS  OF   BEES. 

ABBOTT  BROS,  are  open  to  Purchase  SWARMS 
OF  BEES  by  weight  in  any  quantity.   Early  arrange- 
ments should  be  made. 

LIGURIAN    QUEENS. 

ABBOTT  BROS,  will  be  prepared  to  supply 
LIGURIAN  QUEENS,  of  Choicest  Breed,  in  April, 
about  the  20th.  Price  12s.  each — safe  arrival  guaranteed — 
if  ordered  during  the  present  month  (March).  Address 
Fairlawn,  Southall. 


ADVERTISEMENTS  TO  THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL.         [Mar.  1,  1881. 


WANTED,  a  Situation  as  BEE-KEEPER  to  a 
Gentleman,  would  fill  up  time  at  Amateur  Hive- 
making,  or  assist  in  Garden.  Attend  to  Poultry  or  a  Cow. 
Age  27.  Married.  Address  W.  M.,  Fairlawn  Cottage, 
Southall,  Middlesex. 

FOE  SALE.— 5  Stocks  of  Italian  and  Hybrid  Bees,  in 
double-walled  Bar-frame  Hives,  very  strong  and 
healthy  ;  1  Abbott's  Observation  Hive,  1  Abbott's  Combi- 
nation Hive,  2  Abbott's  Standards,  2  ditto,  larger  size,  with 
dummies  ;  2  smaller  Hives  for  Makeshift,  1  Abbott's  Ame- 
rican Honey  Slinger,  quantity  of  Supers,  1  large  square 
oblong  perforated  Zinc,  1  square  (18  by  18)  Vulcanite,  18 
Feeding  Bottles,  Smoker,  6  bottles  Bee  Lotion,  and  different 
odds  wanted  in  Bee-culture.  Also  Bee  Journal  from  be- 
ginning till  present  time,  bound.  A  capital  opportunity  for 
a  beginner,  as  everything  is  perfect.  Enquire,  Talfourd  Villa, 
Eeigate.  fo.  55 

One  Half-penny  each. 

crystal  palace  leaflets, 

FOE    COTTAGEES. 


EACH  Leaflet  giving  full  instruction  on  a  par- 
ticular branch  of  Bee-keeping.  Price  6d.  per  doz.  Post 
free.  Sample  Leaflet,  Id.  Stamp ;  3s.  per  100,  25s.  per  1000, 
assorted  or  otherwise.  Address  C.  N.  Abbott,  Bee  Master, 
School  of  Apiculture,  Southall,  near  London. 

ARTIFICIAL  POLLEN,  newly  ground  and 
direct  from  the  Mills,  6d.  per  lb.  In  7  lb.  bags,  packed 
free  and  delivered  to  Southall  Bailway  Station  for  3s.  6rf.  per 
bag.  Guaranteed  perfectly  fresh,  and  if  put  into  Crocus 
cups  the  Bees  will  take  it  madly,  affording  most  interesting 
study  of  the  use  of  the  tongue,  the  fore-legs,  and  the  pollen- 
baskets,  and  highly  stimulative  to  the  Bees. 

Address  Abbott  Bros.,  Fairlawn,  Southall. 

BEE    FLOWERS. 

CROCUSES  are  all  gone —and  "Wallflowers  have 
been  killed, —  but  we  have  a  few  thousands  of  the 
new  Bee-plant,  Limnanthes  Douglasii,  which  will  follow 
Arabis  Alpinus  in  blooming ;  it  is  much  liked  by  the  Bees, 
will  grow  and  propagate  itself  like  a  weed,  and  is  as  hardy 
as  Groundsel. 

Price,  free  on  rail,  at  Southall,  Is.  6d.  per  hundred,  or 
10s.  Gd.  per  thousand,  package  included. 

Abbott  Bros.,  Southall,  Middlesex. 
This  plant  literally  throws  up  '  heaps '  of  blossoms,  and 
bees  come  at  it  in  droves.     It  lasts  in  bloom  a  month  or 
more. 


ROYAL  SOCIETY  for  the  PREVENTION  of 
CEUELTY  to  ANIMALS. 

MONTHLY  EETUEN  of  CONVICTIONS  (not  includ- 
ing those  obtained  by  the  Police  or  by  kindred  Societies) 
obtained  DUEING  NOVEMBEE,  1880,  as  follows  :— 

Horses — Working  in  an  unfit  state        167 

Horses — Beating,  kicking,  stabbing,  &c.        ...  28 

Horses — Overdriving  and  overloading    4 

Horses — Starving  by  withholding  food 1 

Donkeys — Working  in  an  unfit  state      7 

Donkeys — Beating,  kicking,  stabbing,  &c.     ...  9 

Cattle — Beating,  kicking,  stabbing,  &c 4 

Cattle — Overstocking  (distending  udders)      ...  2 

Cattle — Cutting  for  identification    1 

Cattle — Improperly  killing       2 

Sheep — Beating,  kicking,  stabbing,  &c 3 

Pigs — Beating,  kicking,  stabbing,  &c 1 

Dogs — Beating,  kicking,  stabbing,  &c 7 

Dogs — Starving  by  withholding  food      2 

Cats — Setting  dogs  to  worry     1 

Cats — Cutting  tails  off      3 

Fowls — Beating,  kicking,  stabbing,  &c 1 

Fowls — Overcrowding  in  baskets     2 

Fowls — Allowing  to  remain  in  toothed  trap  ...  1 

Geese — Beating,  kicking,  stabbing,  &c 1 

Pigeons — Improperly  conveying      4 

Hyenas — Burning  during  menagerie  perform- 
ances      1 

Argali — Beating,  kicking,  stabbing,  &c.         ...  1 

Various — Owners  causing  above  offences       ...  70 

Total,  during  November,  1880       323 

Twenty-three  offenders  were  committed  to  prison  (full 
costs  paid  by  the  Society),  300  offenders  paid  pecuniary 
penalties  (penalties  are  not  received  by  the  Society) ;  50 
convictions  were  obtained  in  Metropolitan  Courts,  and  273 
in  Provincial  Courts. 

JOHN  COLAM,  Secretary. 
105  Jermyn  Street,  London. 


SUBSCEIPTIONS  and  DONATIONS  are  TJBGENTLY 
NEEDED,  the  income  having  been  seriously  reduced  by 
commercial  depression.  The  public  are  therefore  earnestly 
solicited  to  forward  remittances,  payable  to  the  Secretary, 
to  whom  all  letters  should  be  addressed. 

ARABIS  ALPINUS,  the  best  early  Honey- 
yielding  Flower,  blooms  from  March  to  July,  or  all 
the  year  round  by  successive  plantings.  It  has  been  bloom- 
ing with  us  from  March  to  February.  Price,  Is.  6<J. 
per  hundred  plants;  10s.  6d.  per  thousand ;  very  hardy;  sure 
to  grow,  and  increases  rapidly.  Plant  one  foot  apart  every 
way.     Abbott  Bros.,  Southall,  Middlesex. 


PEICE  SIXPENCE. 


THE     GAEDENEE, 

A  MONTHLY  MAGAZINE   OF   HORTICULTURE  AND  FLORICULTURE. 

EDITED  BY  DAVID  THOMSON, 

Author  of  '  Handy  Book  of  the  Flower-Garden,'  '  Fruit  Culture  under  Glass,'  &a. 
AIDED    BY    A     STAFF    OF    PRACTICAL     GARDENERS. 


The  Number  for  March  contains:  — 
The  Rose-House  —  The  Funnelling  of  Borders  of  Mixed  Hardy  Flowers — How  to  Make  the  most  of  Wall-Borders 
in  Kitchen-Gardens:  No.  III. —  Greenhouse  Plants:  No.  II.,  Correas — Notes  from  the  Papers — Hints  for 
Amateurs — The  Fruit  Garden:  No.  III. — Notes  on  Decorative  Greenhouse  Plants — The  Bedding-out  System 
— Pleiones — Rose  Notes  for  Amateurs  —  The  Flower  Garden  —  Botany  for  Gardeners:  No.  VI.,  Inflorescence, 
&c. — Solatium  Oapsicastrum  —  Pteris  Urnbrosa  —  Agapanthus  TJmhellatus  —  Royal  Horticultural  Society — ■ 
Horticultural  Exhibitions  —  Notice  of  Book  —  Dundee  Horticultural  Association  —  The  Frost  —  Calendar: 
Forcing  Department;  Kitchen  Garden. 


Yearly  Subscription,  free  by  Post,  7s.      Payable  in  advance. 


WILLIAM   BLACKWOOD    AND   SONS,    EDINBURGH   AND   LONDON. 


THE 


[No.  9G.    Vol.  VIII.] 


APRIL,  1881. 


[Published  Monthly.] 


Cbttorkl,  Sottas,  &t. 


END  OF  VOL.  VIII. 

With  this  number  will  close  the  eighth 
volume  of  the  British  Bee  Journal;  and  we 
cannot  allow  the  occasion  to  pass  without 
tendering-  our  heartiest  thanks  to  all  friends  for 
the  cheerful  and  willing-  aid  they  have  afforded 
us  in  our  endeavour  to  make  it  a  thorough  ex- 
ponent of  the  most  advanced  principles  in  bee- 
culture. 

We  have  neither  time  nor  space  for  reviewing 
the  progress  of  bee-keeping  since  the  Journal 
came  into  existence,  but  we  look  with  pride  at 
its  condition  now  as  compared  with  anterior 
times,  and  attribute  no  small  share  of  the  im- 
provement to  its  teaching  and  influence.  We 
have  often  to  regret  that  its  pages  are  not  suffi- 
ciently elastic  to  enable  us  to  publish  as  quickly 
as  is  desired  all  the  contributions  with  which  we 
are  favoured,  and  we  sincerely  thank  our  con- 
tributors for  their  forbearance  in  that  respect. 
During  the  past  year  we  have  added  no  less 
than  52  pages  to  the  192  of  which  the  Journal 
is  supposed  to  consist,  at  great  cost  to  ourselves, 
and,  we  trust,  satisfaction  to  our  readers ;  but 
we  have  still  on  hand  a  large  quantity  of 
interesting  matter  in  type. 

It  is  the  boast  of  the  Journal  that  its  pages 
are  open  for  the  free  discussion  of  all  matters 
pertaining  to  bee-culture,  and  it  is  our  earnest 
wish  that  they  may  ever  remain  so  ;  but  we  do 
not  think  it  serves  any  good  purpose  to  permit 
that  freedom  to  trench  on  personality,  and  in 
future  we  shall  excise  all  such  matters,  and 
prevent  the  necessity  for  replies  that  exclude 
subjects  of  more  general  interest.  During  the 
coming  season  there  will  be  a  great  number  of 
exhibitions  ;  and  while  we  hope  to  be  enabled 
by  the  kindness  of  their  secretaries  to  publish 
announcements  and  reports  of  all  of  them,  we 
respectfully  beg  that  they  may  be  sent  to  us  in 
condensed  form,  for  the  increased  demands  on 
our  space  render  it  too  valuable  to  be  taken  up 
with  ordinary  newspaper  '  padding.' 


In  conclusion,  we  would  remind  our  readers 
that  the  time  has  arrived  for  the  renewal  of 
subscriptions,  and  we  sincerely  trust  that  they 
will  respond  to  the  suggestion  implied  as  quickly 
as  possible,  that  we  may  not  be  kept  in  doubt 
as  to  their  intentions. 

The  addresses  on  the  wrappers  of  those  whose 
subscriptions  have  run  out,  will  in  future  be 
written  in  red  ink,  a  more  gentle  hint  than  a 
coloured  wrapper,  which  often  provokes  imper- 
tinent observation ;  and  one  which  we  hope  will 
be  more  effectual. 

We  are  daily  receiving  such  '  high  praise ' 
from  our  correspondents,  and  assurances  that 
'  our  '  Journal  is  doing  great  and  good  service, 
that  we  make  bold  to  ask  every  one  of  our  sub- 
scribers to  help  to  increase  its  circulation  by 
obtaining  a  new  subscriber,  and  sending  the 
subscription  with  his  own.  We  are  willing 
workers,  and  have  spent  the  best  years  of  our 
life  in  promoting  the  interests  of  bee-culture, 
and  shall  probably  die  in  harness  ;  is  it  too 
much  to  ask  for  a  little  of  the  sympathy 
and  encouragement  that  will  make  even  a 
horse  wear  his  trappings  with  glee,  and  spring 
to  his  work  with  renewed  vigour  and  alacrity  ? 
—Ed.  B.  B.  J. 


APRIL. 


Formation  of  an  Irish  Bee-keepers'  Asso- 
ciation.— The  month  of  March,  1881,  will  be 
famous  in  the  annals  of  bee- culture  for  having 
given  birth  to  an  Irish  Bee-keepers'  Association, 
the  first  fruit  borne  of  the  effort  made  by  the 
British  Bee-keepers'  Association  in  August  last 
to  disseminate  a  better  knowledge  of  bee- 
culture,  and  stir  up  a  desire  to  participate  in 
the  pleasure  and  profit  such  knowledge  is 
capable  of  producing.  'Three  cheers  !  three 
times  repeated,  and  one  cheer  more ! '  for  the 
County  Armagh,  and  the  brave  hearts  in  the 
van  of  progress  who  have  initiated  so  grand  a 
work  in  the  interest  of  the  whole  nation.  On 
another  page  will  be  found  a  short  report  of 
the  proceedings  on  the  eventful  day — a  red- 
letter  day  for  Irish  bee-keepers,  and  the  Irish 


230 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[April  1,  1881. 


Press  is  full  of  favourable  notices  of  the  move- 
ment. The  meeting  -was  announced  to  be  held 
in  the  Town  Commissioners  Office,  the  Tontine 
Rooms,  with  the  sanction  of  the  Commissioners, 
at  noon  on  Saturday,  the  12th  of  March,  '  For 
the  purpose  of  organizing  an  Association  to 
promote  the  intelligent,  humane,  and  more 
profitable  keeping  of  bees  in  the  County 
Armagh  ; '  and  we  would  add,  to  set  an  example 
to  all  other  counties  in  Ireland,  by  following 
which  they  may  help  themselves  from  within, 
to  develope  a  source  of  wealth  that  lies  at  the 
very  feet  of  the  peop>le,  though  at  present  unsus- 
pected by  the  country  at  large.  The  Hon.  Sees. 
are  the  Reverend  H.  W.  Lett  and  G.  Greer, 
Esq.,  both  indefatigable  in  their  exertions,  and 
full  of  courage  and  determination,  and  we  shall 
be  glad  to  give  them  every  possible  aid  in  the 
voluntary  and  arduous  duties  they  have  under- 
taken. 

March,  true  to  its  character,  has  been  a  month 
of  many  weathers,  much  of  it  of  the  unkindest, 
but  bee-keepers  will  be  grateful  for  the  dry, 
tine,  and  sunny  half-hours  that  gave  the  bees 
opportunity  for  flight,  and  the  ingathering 
of  such  stimulating  supplies  as  were  naturally 
or  artificially  offered.  On  the  21st,  when  the 
sun  '  crosses  the  line,'  and  the  weather  for  the 
next  six  months  is  supposed  by  many  to  be 
portended  by  its  then  condition,  the  weather 
prophets  in  our  locality  were  puzzled  with  its 
tangled  condition ;  the  morning  was  cloudy ; 
about  eleven  o'clock  the  sim  shone  for  a  few 
minutes,  and  between  that  and  one  o'clock  we 
had  every  sort  of  weather,  with  the  exception 
of  a  thunderstorm.  It  rained,  it  hailed,  it  blew, 
it  '  snew,'  while  now  and  then  the  sun  shone 
gloriously  ;  and  in  the  later  afternoon  it  became 
so  fine  that  the  bees  became  delightfully  busy 
with  the  crocuses,  the  arabis,  and  the  '  big  sun- 
flower' which  contained  the  artificial  pollen. 
Surely  the  weather-wise  will  not  be  far  wrong 
if,  after  that,  they  prophesy  that  the  weather 
in  the  future  will  be  variable,  and  never  to  be 
depiendcd  on. 

It  will,  perhaps,  scarcely  be  believed,  but  the 
few  fine  days  which  occurred  prior  to  the  20th 
made  many  of  our  over-anxious  friends  busy  at 
work  which  should  not  have  been  undertaken 
until  fully  a  month  later,  and  '  transferring,' 
'  spreading  the  brood,'  and  '  queen-raising,' 
have  occupied  their  minds  most  unhealthily  for 
the  bees  whoso  si^ns  of  progress  suggested  the 
manipulations.  Such  operations,  with  the  cer- 
tainty of  recurring  bad  weather,  do  far  more 
harm  than  they  can  possibly  do  good;  the 
first  necessitates  the  production  of  wax  and  the 
performance  of  labour  that  is  exhaustive  to  the 
bees,  when  they  require  careful  nursing ;  the 
second,  should  a  spell  of  cold  ensue,  will  cause 


the  bees  to  desert  their  brood,  and  cluster  to 
promote  heat  for  their  own  protection  ;  and  the 
third,  by  stopping  the  production  of  brood  is 
surely  mischievous,  while  the  probability  of 
raising  queens  that  will  be  useful  is  most  remote, 
seeing  that  drones  wiU  not  come  forth  in  chilly 
weather,  and  the  queens  through  seeking  them 
are  liable  to  be  lost,  or  by  lapse  of  time  become 
incapable  of  fertilisation. 


AVHAT  TO  DO,  AND  WHEN  AND  HOW 

TO  DO  IT. 

Preparation. — We  often  feel  obliged  to 
caution  our  readers  against  precipitancy  in 
their  bee  management,  but  far  oftener  is  it 
necessary  to  urge  them  to  '  trim  their  lamps  ' 
and  be  ready  for  the  work  that  is  before  them. 
Before  the  end  of  the  present  month  the  bees 
in  many  places  will  be  ready  for  swarming,  but 
how  many  of  their  owners  have  thought  of  the 
necessity  of  providing  for  them?  That  some 
have  we  know  full  well,  and  commend  them  for 
their  foresight ;  but,  as  caterers  for  the  public, 
we  also  know  from  past  experience  that  a  great 
number  will  put  off  preparation,  and  the  busy 
time  will  arrive  to  find  them  'bound  in  shallows, 
and  in  miseries.' 

Beginners  should  purchase  swarms,  and  fit 
up  their  hives  with  comb-foundation.  This 
method  will  be  far  cheaper  and  safer  than 
purchasing  stocks,  and  risking  the  chance  of 
damage  in  transit,  and  of  disease. 

Comb  Foundation,  except  that  with  the 
wooden  base,  should 
be  put  into  frames 
as  indicated  in  wood- 
cut, i.  e.  fixed  at  top 
and  hangingquarter 
of  an  inch  clear  of 
the  sides  and  about 
three-quarters  clear 
of  the  bottom.  This  will  provide  for  any  slight 
stretching  that  may  take  place,  and  will  give 
the  bees  opportunity  for  building  a  little  drone 
comb  on  the  very  place  in  the  comb  where  it 
should  be,  viz.  on  the  margin.  There  have 
been  many  plans  devised  for  fixing  foundation 
to  top  bars  ;  but  all  appear  to  have  objections. 
To  be  helpful,  then,  we  would  suggest  that  all 
top  bars  should  be  cut  straight  through  the  top, 
from  end  to  end  for  preference,  and  the  two 
halves  fitted  together  and  fixed  with  the  sheet 
of  foundation  between  them.  A  readier  way, 
however,  offers  itself,  viz.  cutting  the  top 
bar  nearly  all  along,  and  then  half  through. 
The  front  part  will  then  pull  open,  and 
when  the  sheet  has  been  put  in  its  place,  the 
screw  should  be  turned  home,  and  the  work 


April  1,  1881.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


231 


will  be  clone.  This  will  not  appreciably 
weaken  the  top  bar,  the  cut  being  so  near  the 
shoulder.  There  arc  several  grades  of  foun- 
dation that  will  not  bear  to  be  used  more  than 
a  few  inches  deep,  and  of  these  the  bee-keeper 
must  beware. 

Too  much  Foundation. — In  giving  full 
sheets  care  should  be  taken  not  to  give  more 
than  the  bees  can  cluster  in  and  cover  on 
both  sides.  Small  swarms  would  possibly  only 
require  three  or  four  frames  of  Woodbury  size, 
and  that  number  should  be  shut  off  with  a 
divider,  because  if  the  outer  part  of  the  cluster 
come  on  the  inside  only  of  the  foundation,  the 
weight  of  the  bees  will  pull  it  out  of  perpen- 
dicular, and  when  they  have  built  the  cells  on 
the  inner  side  it  will  not  come  straight  again, 
but  will  throw  all  beyond  it  out  of  order. 
When  the  inner  combs  are  nearly  finished,  ('.  c. 
in  twenty-four  or  thirty-six  hours,  an  outside 
frame  may  be  dropped  into  centre,  or  a  new 
one  may  be  given,  the  comb  chamber  being  in- 
creased by  moving  the  divider.  Large  swarms 
are  equally  liable  to  distort  outer  frames  of 
foundation,  if  too  many  be  given  them.  It  is 
a  capital  plan  to  have  the  doubtful  outside  one 
of  wooden  based  foundation,  as  that  cannot  bend 
by  the  weight  of  bees  on  one  side  only,  and  it 
will  be  highly  useful  as  a  divider. 

The  Quilt,  and  Feeding. — Many  are  puzzled 
how  to  feed  through  the  quilt,  and  the  devices 
resorted  to  Avould  be  amusing  if  recorded.  We 
recommend  that  when  the  quilt  is  in  position 
and  feeding  necessary,  a  small  hole,  say  an  inch 
and  a  half  long  should  be  clean  cut  out  between 
two  of  the  frames 
a  little  on  one  side 
of  the  centre  of  the 
hive,  as  in  the  dia- 
gram, and  the  feed- 
ing -  stage  placed 
over  it.  When  the 
stage  is  not  in  use, 
the  reversal  of  the 
will  cover 
finement. 

Queen  Wasts. —  These  should  be  destroyed 
without  mere}',  to  prevent  the  production  of 
hordes  of  the  insects  later  on. 

Nucleus  Hives. — A  great  deal  of  ingenuity 
and  much  money  have  been  wasted  in  the  pro- 
duction of  nucleus  hives  with  small  frames  to 
fit,  after  queen-raising  is  over,  into  larger  hives, 
but  the  trouble  and  difficulty  of  management, 
together  with  the  necessity  for  the  possession 
and  storage  of  a  quantity  of  the  small  gear 
that  can  only  be  in  use  a  part  of  the  year,  have 
induced  the  largest  and  most  experienced  bee- 
keepers of  America  to  prefer  narrow  chambers 
in  ordinary  hives  for  queen-raising.  These  give 
all  the  facilities  required.     A  Woodbury  sized 


upper  layers  of  the   quilt 
the  hole  and  keep  the  bees  in  con- 


LU 


hive  can  be  easily  made  to  hold  two  nuclei, 
a  three  frames  of  comb 
and  bees  being  shut 
off  from  each  other 
by  dividers.  The  en- 
trances could  be  made 
either  at  a,  a,  or  c,  e. 
A  great  advantage  is 
that  the  bees  of  both 
can  be  easily  joined 
to  form  one  colony  when  queen-raising  is  over. 
Weak  Stocks  and  Ligurian  Queens. — If  a 
weak  or  queenless  stock  be  discovered,  do  not 
send  to  the  '  bee  man,'  whoever  he  may  be,  for 
a  Ligurian  or  other  costly  queen  in  the  belief 
that  she  will  be  able  to  raise  the  poor  stock  from 
its  weak  and  perhaps  moribund  condition.  The 
chances  are  that  the  bees  of  such  stock  will  not 
accept  an  imposed  queen,  and  the,  almost,  cer- 
tainty is  that  she  will  not,  in  such  weak  stock,  be 
able  to  display  her  fecund  power.  She  would  be 
like  a  general  without  an  army,  capable  of  a 
great  deal,  but  unable  to  carry  it  into  execution. 
To  get  the  fidl  value  out  of  high-class  queens, 
they  shoidd  be  united  to  strong  stocks  that  can 
help  them  to  carry  out  their  superior  powers. 
Almost  any  queen  is  good  enough  to  offer  to  old 
queenless  bees. 

Avoid  Transferring. — With  comb  founda- 
tion so  cheap  it  will  never  pay  to  transfer  good 
stocks  of  bees  from  hives  in  which  they  are 
prospering.  We  would  prefer  to  let  them 
swarm,  and  give  the  swarm  a  set  of  frames 
fitted  with  foundation,  as  per  suggestion  above. 
Twenty-one  days  afterwards,  when  all  the 
worker  brood  will  have  hatched  out  and  the 
young  queen  will  have  become  fertile  (all  being 
well),  a  second  swarm  should  be  made,  consisting 
of  all  the  bees  of  the  hive,  and  treated  like  the 
first  one ;  the  combs  and  honey  bein 
priated  and  used,  or  melted  up 
after-swarm  follow  the  first,  as  is  usual  about 
nine  days  after,  it  should  be  returned  to  the 
hive  the  same  night,  a  measure  that  will 
generally  stop  further  swarming. 

Honey  Jars. — We  arc  still  willing  to  take 
orders,  for  transmission  to  Birmingham,  for  the 
honey  jars  which  by  that  means  may  be  so 
cheaply  obtained.  They  are  of  the 
pattern  indicated  in  the  woodcut,  of 
pale  green  tinted  glass  (window 
glass)  and  the  price  at  Birmingham 
is  15s.  per  gross  for  pound  jars  and 
18s.  for  2  lb.  jars,  and  the  cost  of 
packing,  including  cask  and  hay,  is 


5   appro- 
Should  an 


and  2s.  6d. 


per 


gross  respectively. 


There  are  no  agencies  and  no  store 
is  kept.  They  arc  made  by  a  working  trades- 
man, and  if  wanted  must  be  ordered  early.  We 
do  not  solicit  orders  for  them,  as  they  bear  no 
profit,  and  we  cannot  be  responsible  for  losses  by 


232 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[April  1,  1881. 


breakage  or  otherwise.      They  are  sent    from 
Birmingham  at  goods  rates  per  railway. 

Sun  and  Rain  Screen  for  Skep  Entrances. 
— A  piece  of  tin  or  zinc,  cut 
as  indicated,  pressed  into  the 
front  of  the  hive  and  bent 
downwards  will  form  an  ex- 
cellent screen  for  skep  en- 
trances. An  American  meat  or  canned  fruit  tin 
coidd  be  used  for  the  purpose. 


BRITISH  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

(Continued  from  page  213.) 

Discussion  on  Mr.  Lyon's  Paper. 

The  Eight  Rev.  Chairman  said  he  had  very  little  ex- 
perience, since  he  kept  bees,  of  bar-frame  hives.  As 
chairman  of  the  meeting,  he  must  express  his  thanks  to 
Mr.  Lyon  for  the  amazingly  clear  way  in  which  he  had 
put  his  theory  before  them.  If  he  might  compare  two 
efforts  with  the  same  end  and  object,  he  should  compare 
that  which  fell  perfectly  still-born  on  the  bee-keepers  of 
the  country,  in  the  shape  of  two  little  pamphlets  by  Mr. 
Cotton,  but  the  mode  adopted  by  Mr.  Lyon  seemed  to  be 
as  much  the  right  way  as  Mr.  Cotton's  was  in  the  wrong 
way.  The  thing  they  had  to  consider  was  how  they 
could  best  photograph  what  they  had  heard,  and  bring 
it  before  the  intelligence  of  the  labouring  classes,  whom 
they  wanted  to  influence  in  this  matter. 

Mr.  Cheshire,  who  rose  to  the  call  of  the  Chairman, 
said  that  he  thought  Mr.  Lyon  had  worked  out  his  hive 
with  the  materials  to  which  he  had  limited  himself  with 
a  good  deal  of  ingenuity,  and  that  nothing  seemed  to 
remain  to  be  suggested  which  would  not  add  to  the  cost. 
If  he  said  anything  which  would  tend  to  show  that  the 
hive  under  discussion  was  not  perfect,  he  must  not  be 
understood  to  be  detracting  from  the  value  of  the  good 
work  Mr.  Lyon  had  in  hand.  Yet  with  the  expenditure 
of  very  little  more  money  the  hive  might  be  made  much 
more  serviceable,  especially  for  winter,  than  in  its  present 
form  ;  but  before  explaining  how,  he  would  refer  to  one 
or  two  points  occurring  incidentally  in  the  paper  read. 
Mr.  Lyon  had  spoken  disparagingly  of  distance-tacks,  but 
he  ventured  to  predict  that  they  would  hold  their  own 
very  much  longer  than  the  broad-shouldered  frames, 
which  were  unconquerably  inconvenient  in  several  direc- 
tions, always  getting  fixed,  and  only  removable  by  a 
wrench  most  irritating  to  the  bees,  while  the  more  usual 
form  of  frame  on  a  metal  runner  admitted  of  slipping 
backwards  and  forwards,  half-a-dozen  at  a  time,  in  the 
readiest  manner.  [Mr.  Hooker :  These  broad-shoulders 
are  always  shrinking  and  swelling,  and  so  are  always 
either  too  tight  or  too  loose.]  The  question  also  has 
been  raised  whether  pitch  used  for  waterproofing  would 
be  a  success,  but  he  could  assure  Mr.  Lyon  that  the  plan 
he  had  devised  and  first  suggested  in  Practical  Bee- 
keeping, seven  years  before,  had  been  most  serviceable  to 
cottagers,  as  he  had  often  been  able  to  notice.  It  was 
only  necessary  to  cover  roughly  with  pitch  the  wooden 
article  to  be  waterproofed,  and  then  spread  paper  over  it. 
The  outside  of  the  paper  was  now  pressed  down  with  a 
heated  flat-iron.  The  running  pitch  settled  into  all 
cracks,  and  soaked  the  paper,  preventing  the  weather 
from  afterwards  affecting  it,  and  preserving  it  for  years. 
Mr.  Cheshire  said  that  the  main  objection  he  should 
make  to  Mr.  Lyon's  hive  was  the  thinness  of  its  walls. 
Nothing  was  really  more  essential  than  high  non-conduct- 
ivity, and  many  so-called  cheap  hives,  through  failing 
here,  had  much  to  answer  for.  lie  had  lately  had  a 
correspondence  with  a  gentleman  of  the  sister  island 
upon  this  very  point,  and  the  result  had  been  a  determi- 
nation  on  his  (Mr.  Cheshire's)   part  to  put  the   whole 


thing  to  the  test  of  experiment,  the  results  of  which  he 
nowr  presented  to  the  Meeting. 

Mr.  Cheshire  illustrated  his  remarks  with  a  number  of 
boxes  of  different  makes.  He  said,  '  I  have  here  a 
number  of  tin  chambers  all  capable  of  holding  twelve 
ounces  of  water.  I  placed  these  in  the  several  boxes 
before  us  after  filling  them  with  water  at  200°,  and  ex- 
posed them  under  equal  conditions,  and  noting  carefully 
the  times  occupied  in  each  case  by  the  water  in  falling 
through  a  certain  number  of  degrees  of  temperature. 
This  very  delicate  thermometer  was  used,  and  the  calcu- 
lations were  made  according  to  "  Newton's  law  of  cooling," 
which,  applied  to  our  purpose,  is  in  effect  that  tempera- 
ture changes  in  direct  proportion  to  the  difference 
between  the  temperature  of  the  body  under  experiment 
and  the  surrounding  air.  I  found  that  if  the  non-con- 
ductivity of  the  single  hive  side  of  f-in.  pine  be  repre- 
sented by  1,  that  of  the  double  side  as  we  have  in  this 
second  box,  with  one  inch  of  dead-air,  would  be  repre- 
sented by  4.  I  now  proceeded  to  compare  this  dead-air 
space  with  the  same  space  packed  with  chaff,  and  found 
that  this  in  preventing  loss  of  heat  was  twice  and  a  half 
as  effective  as  dead-air,  or,  in  other  words,  that  its  non- 
conductivity  shoidd  be  represented  by  10.  I  had  fore- 
seen the  superiority  of  the  chaff  to  the  air-space,  but  was 
not  prepared  for  so  great  a  difference.  It  has  been 
argued  air  is  a  better  non-conductor  than  any  solid  sub- 
stance, therefore  it  is  better  than  any  form  of  packing,  but 
the  fallacy  lies  in  this,  that  the  so-called  dead-nil-  is  not 
dead,  but  circulating.  It  rises  against  the  inner  skin  of 
the  hive,  and  falls  where  it  touches  the  outer,  and  so  is 
ever  acting  as  a  distributor  of  heat.  In  the  same  way  a 
man  in  bed  might  argue  that  the  air  is  a  better  non-con- 
ductor than  the  bed-elotheSj  therefore  he  would  say,  I 
shall  be  warmer  without  them,  but  universal  experience 
contradicts  the  supposition.  The  bed-clothes  are  useful 
because  they  prevent  the  circulation  of  air,  and  that  next 
the  body  being  warmed  is  imprisoned  instead  of  passing 
away  for  cold  to  take  its  place. 

'  The  advantage  of  a  non-couductive  packing  being 
proved  I  now  asked  whether  chaff  was  the  best  material 
at  command  for  this  purpose,  and  cork-dust  as  used  for 
packing  Spanish  grapes  at  once  occurred  to  me  as  a  waste 
product  to  be  had  generally  for  the  asking ;  and  trying 
this  I  found  that  it  was  much  more  effective  than  chaff, 
giving  me  a  non-conductivity  of  14  instead  of  10.  I  had 
now  a  hive-side  oj  times  as  good  as  the  air-space  and 
double  skin  of  wood,  and  which  has  for  the  cottager  and 
amateur  this  great  advantage,  that  while  accurate  car- 
pentry is  needed  to  secure  dead  (?)  air,  the  cork  packing 
makes  the  air  practically  dead,  even  if  the  wood-joints  be 
most  defective  in  their  fit.  The  cottager,  with  very  little 
trouble,  could  convert  the  hive,  as  shown  by  Mr.  Lyon, 
into  a  cork-packed  one,  thus  he  would  secure  a  second 
box  so  much  larger  than  the  one  used  for  the  hive-body 
that  the  latter  would  go  into  it  with  a  space  of  an  inch 
or  so  between  them,  lie  would  complete  his  hive,  but 
omit  the  alighting-board,  and  now  putting  the  former 
into  position,  would  make  a  little  wooden  bridge,  which 
would  act  as  a  tunnel,  permitting  the  bees  to  pass  from 
the  inner  box  through  the  outer  one  into  the  air.  Cork- 
dust  would  now  be  somewdiat  tightly  packed  between 
them,  and  covered  above  by  wooden  slips,  when  the  cot- 
tager would  possess  a  hive  superior  for  wintering  to  the 
most  costly  ones  now  in  common  use.  The  bottom 
would  be  a  fixture,  but  this  woidd  be  no  disadvantage  in 
such  a  hive  as  it  would  then  be. 

'  With  hive  sides  made  as  described,  small  lots  of  bees 
may  be  wintered  with  success,  almost  incredible  to  those 
using  thin  hives  only.  A  tea-cup  full  of  bees  placed  on 
two  frames  in  a  twin  hive  ■'!  in.  thick,  and  chaff-packed, 
has  gone  on  well  since  the  end  of  October  till  now, 
the  queen  breeding  continually  on  the  frame  against  the 
division-board.  Five  other  nuclei  I  have  similarly  win- 
tered with  no  casualty.     In  thin  hives  the  sides  are  too 


April  1,  1881.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


233 


cold  to  permit  the  bees  to  touch  them  in  hard  weather, 
so  that  they  are  driven  to  remaining  in  the  middle  of 
their  frames  exposed  on  all  sides,  while  they  often  are 
lost  in  detachments  because  they  cannot  get  from  comb 
to  comb,  but  in  these  they  winter  by  preference  against 
the  hive  wall,  and  are  thus  only  exposed  on  one  side, 
while  they  close  the  frame  ends  for  themselves,  and  can 
pass  always  freely  from  comb  to  comb  without  a  possi- 
bility of  getting  separated  from  one  another.  The  ad- 
vantage may  be  seen  at  once  by  stating  that  a  thin  wall 
would  pass  as  much  heat  through  it  in  a  week  as  the 
cork-packed  one  would  in  three  months,  and  that  if  we 
take  the  heat  of  the  cluster  as  65°  Fahrenheit,  a  little  cal- 
culation based  upon  Newton's  law  (which,  though  lately 
proved  not  absolutely  accurate  for  extreme  temperatures, 
is  sufficiently  so  for  such  as  those  with  which  we  have  to 
do),  we  shall  find  that  myliive-side  will  be  as  bearable  to 
the  bees  with  an  external  temperature  of  20°,  as  that  of 
1-inch  pine  would  be  with  the  outside  air  at  50°.'  Mr. 
Cheshire  added,  '  I  have  not  made  any  experiments  in  re- 
ference to  straw.  These  experiments  of  course  involve 
cost,  but  I  nevertheless  intend  not  to  leave  straw  untried.' 

Mr.  T.  W.  Cowan  said  they  were  all  indebted  to  Mr. 
Lyon  for  bringing  the  subject  of  cheap  hives  before 
them  in  such  an  interesting  manner,  more  particularly 
as  their  object  was  to  teach  cottagers  to  keep  bees  on 
the  most  improved  system.  He'questioned  whether  they 
were  really  doing  good  in  giving  them  such  a  very  cheap 
hive  as  the  one  shown.  With  an  amateur  or  expert  it 
would  do,  but  cottagers  required  something  more  sub- 
stantial. One  of  the  objections  he  had  to  the  hive  shown 
was  the  thinness  of  its  sides;  but  this  was  an  evil  that 
could  be  got  over  by  having  an  outer  casing,  and  adopting 
one  of  the  methods  of  packing  just  alluded  to  by  Mr. 
Cheshire.  He  was  much  interested  in  the  dexterous 
way  in  which  Mr.  Lyon  manufactured  these  frames,  but 
he  was  afraid  the  ingenuity  displayed  was  more  than 
the  average  cottager  in  England  coidd  be  accredited 
with.  If  the  Association  desired  to  do  good  in  this 
matter,  it  would  be  well  of  them  to  carry  out  Mr.  Lyon's 
suggestion, — get  the  frames  made  accurately  by  a  manu- 
facturer, and  supply  them  to  cottagers  at  a  cheap  rate. 
All  bee-keepers  had  their  crotchets  ;  some  preferred  dis- 
tance-pins, others  broad  shoulders,  his  crotchet  was  to 
have  nothing  of  the  kind,  and  to  adjust  the  frames  by 
the  touch  and  the  eye.  Any  one  who  hail  practised  a 
little  would  be  able  to  do  just  as  well  without  distance- 
tacks.  The  objection  he  had  to  broad-shouldered  frames 
was  the  propolisation.  and  not  being  able  to  vary  the 
distance  between  the  frames  when  necessary.  He  did 
not  object  to  the  size  of  frame,  but  should  prefer  to  see 
them  much  longer  than  the}'  were  in  the  specimen  hive; 
the  reason  being,  that  the  queen  was  inclined  to  spread 
out  her  brood  on  one  frame  in  early  spring  more  rapidly 
than  she  would  if  she  had  to  move  from  one  frame  to 
another ;  therefore,  he  preferred  the  longer  frames,  and 
the  depth  might  be  with  advantage  a  little  less  than 
those  shown  by  Mr.  Lyon.  Beyond  these  objections, 
which  are  all  easily  remedied,  he  had  little  to  say  against 
the  hive  except  that  he  had  noticed  the  entrance  to 
the  specimen  one  was  only  three  inches  long,  and  three- 
eighths  of  an  inch  in  depth.  In  hives  of  the  same 
capacity  he  had  eight-inch  openings ;  and  even  these,  if 
the  weather  was  very  hot  and  the  hive  crowded,  he  had 
found  hardly  sufficient,  and  had  raised  the  hives  to  in- 
crease the  opening.  lie  was  afraid  so  small  an  opening 
would  inconvenience  the  bees  if  much  crowded. 

Mr.  Cheshire  :  My  hives  have  eight- inch  openings. 

Mr.  Cowan  said,  now  that  he  had  disposed  of  Mr. 
Lyon's  hive,  he  should  like  to  say  a  few  words  upon 
what  Mr.  Cheshire  had  been  speaking  about,  and  he  was 
sure  the  Association's  thanks  were  due  to  that  gentle- 
man for  his  experiments.  For  the  last  two  years  he  had 
been  making  experiments  with  chaff-hives,  although  ho 
had  not  carried   them  out  to  the  extent  Mr.  Cheshire 


had.  He  had  found  bees  winter  infinitely  better  in 
chaff-hives  than  they  did  in  hives  with  dead-air  space. 
He  reduced  all  his  hives  to  six  frames  for  wintering ; 
and  this  year  had  tried,  by  way  of  experiment,  wintering 
one  lot  on  two  frames  only,  with  perfect  success.  He 
had  a  hive  of  two  frames  on  which  the  queen  had  been 
breeding  all  through  the  winter.  He  did  not  think  she 
had  ceased  at  all,  but  of  course  there  was  a  very  small 
amount  of  brood.  This  hive  had  been  fed  with  pea-flour 
candy,  and  the  bees  had  had  nothing  but  this  to  live 
upon  all  the  winter  ;  notwithstanding  which  they  were 
no  less  in  number  than  before.  With  regard  to  the  snow, 
he  found  on  the  18th  January  some  of  his  hives  covered 
with  drifted  snow  to  a  depth  of  six  feet;  he  had  heard 
that  many  bee-keepers  removed  the  snow,  but  he  did 
not  do  so,  and  the  bees  did  not  suffer  any  inconvenience. 
His  reason  for  adopting  this  course  was,  that  when  in 
Russia  he  had  noticed  the  hives  were  sometimes  covered 
to  a  depth  of  eight  or  nine  feet,  but  the  bees  were  never 
disturbed,  and  the  losses  were  few.  As  soon  as  the 
late  severe  frost  broke  up,  he  examined  his  hives,  and 
was  pleased  to  say  that  not  one  of  them  had  suffered 
from  the  severe  weather.  So  that  chaff-hives  certainly 
had  an  advantage  over  other  hives  filled  with  dead-air 
space. 

The  Rev.  G.  Raynor  said  his  hives,  occupying  a  very 
exposed  position,  were  nearly  filled  with  snow  on  the 
18th  of  January,  but  he  succeeded  in  transferring  them 
to  other  hives  with  very  little  loss.  The  hive  shown  by 
Mr.  Lyonwasjustthekindof  thing  they  should  introduce 
to  the  cottager.  In  the  course  of  Mr.  Cheshire's  remarks 
it  occurred  to  him  whether  it  was  really  advisable  to 
keep  bees  so  much  warmer  in  the  winter  months,  and 
whether  it  would  not  encourage  breeding  at  a  time  when 
the  quean  required  rest.  The  advanced  American  bee- 
keepers all  appeared  to  approve  of  the  chaff-hives,  but  it 
had  occurred  to  him  whether  the  advantage  was  as  great 
as  would  appear  at  first  sight. 

Mr.  Baldwin  asked  if  it  would  not  be  an  improvement 
to  Mr.  Lyon's  hive  to  have  the  floor-board  protected,  in 
order  to  "prevent  the  water  drawing  under.  This  could 
be  done  by  making  plinths,  and  carrying  them  round  the 
bottom  of  the  hive.  He  had  been  rather  amused  with 
Mr.  Lyon's  ingenuity,  but  he  believed  it  was  pretty  well 
conceded  that  distance-tacks  were  much  better  than  the 
wide  shoulders. 

Mr.  Cowan  said,  with  regard  to  the  advisability  of 
keeping  bees  at  a  high  temperature  in  the  winter,  he  might 
saj-  that,  if  we  did  not  do  so,  the  bees  would  try  and  do 
it  themselves.  The  object  was  to  let  the  bees  remain 
as  quiet  as  possible  at  such  times,  and  then  they  would 
consume  less  food  than  if  they  were  obliged  to  exert 
themselves  to  maintain  the  necessary  heat  of  the  hive. 
The  temperature  of  a  cluster  of  bees  in  winter  was 
about  65  degrees.  Another  of  his  crotchets  was  with 
regard  to  queen-bees :  he  preferred  young  prolific  ones, 
and  replaced  all  his  old  ones  by  such  at  the  end  of  the 
second  season.  With  our  forcing  system  of  breeding, 
he  considered  queens  were  at  their  best,  or,  as  the  farmers 
say,  in  '  full  profit,'  in  the  second  year,  after  which  time 
he  got  rid  of  them  as  their  breeding  powers  decreased. 
He  thought  if  queens  were  breeding  all  the  winter  to 
any  great  extent,  their  egg-laying  powers  might  be 
exhausted  before  the  end  of  the  second  season. 

Mr.  Baldwin  considered  there  was  not  sufficient  ven- 
tilation in  the  top  of  Mr.  Lyon's  hive. 

Mr.  Cheshire  argued  that  there  was  no  fear  of  bees 
becoming  too  warm.  They  regulated  their  temperature 
by  their  breathing  through  their  spiracles  and  the  more 
heat  they  had  to  provide  the  more  they  were  exhausted. 
They  became  quiescent  if  little  heat  vas  demanded  of 
them,  bid  intense  cold,  if  they  were  imperfectly  defended, 
caused  them  heavy  exertion  and  great  exhaustion.  Hy- 
bernation would  "explain  the  matter.  Bats  in  cluster 
during  the  winter  in  ordinary  low  temperatures  hreatho 


234 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[April  1,  1881. 


but  very  little,  and  consume  the  store  of  material  within 
them  but  very  slowly  ;  and  as  the  temperature  falls  they 
become  more  and  niore  dormant  up  to  a  certain  point, 
but  this  being  passed,  dormancy  would  soon  lead  to 
death,  and  then  the  increased  cold  renders  them  more 
active.  The  breathing  is  quickened,  and  the  store  within 
more  quickly  oxidised  in  order  that  temperature  sufficient 
to  maintain  vitality  may  be  preserved.  In  like  manner 
with  bees,  apart  from  the  exhaustion  incident  to  the 
feeding  of  brood,  the  measure  of  heat  necessary  to  be 
produced  is  the  measure  of  wear  and  the  measure  of  the 
consumption  of  store  likewise. 

Mr.  Martin,  a  cottager,  said  he  had  adopted  chaff- 
hives  for  some  time  with  considerable  success. 

Mr.  Lyon  then  replied :  With  regard  to  distance- 
tacks,  he  was  sorry  he  had  trodden  on  a  favourite  corn 
of  Mr.  Cheshire's ;  but  he  was  simply  advocating  wide 
shoulder-frames  in  contradistinction  to  the  distance- 
tacks.  He  had  carefully  avoided  recommending  any 
kind  of  waterproofing,  because  he  thought  that  pitch 
run  in  hot  weather,  but  he  was  glad  to  have  learned  that 
it  did  not.  Concerning  the  propolisation  of  these  frames, 
he  used  black-lead  and  tallow  to  prevent  it ;  and  as  to 
the  size  of  the  frames,  they  could  easily  be  increased  by 
placing  them  lengthwise  over  the  box.  In  answer  to  Mr. 
Baldwin,  he  might  say  that  he  had  several  of  these  hives 
in  use,  and  practically  the  wet  did  not  come  in,  but  the 
ventilation  at  the  top  of  the  hive  might  be  improved  by 
the  insertion  of  a  small  piece  of  perforated  zinc  in  the  lid. 

The  discussion  then  concluded  by  a  vote  of  thanks  to 
Mr.  Lyon  for  his  paper  ;  by  the  Rev.  G.  Eaynor  to 
Mr.  Cheshire  for  the  experiments,  which  he  remarked 
would  he  felt  sure  bear  fruit  in  other  countries  as  well  as 
their  own  ;  and  to  the  Chairman  for  his  conduct  in  the 
chair. 


BRITISH  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

The  monthly  meeting  of  the  Committee  was  held  at 
105  Jermyn  Street,  on  Wednesday,  March  0th.  Present, 
Mr.  T.  W.  Cowan  in  the  chair,  Rev.  E.  Bartrum,  Rev.  G. 
Raynor,  Dr.  Lionel  S.  Beale,  J.  M.  Hooker,  F.  Cheshire, 
II.  Jonas,  E.  S.  Whealler,  W.  O'B.  Glennie  (treasurer), 
and  the  assistant  secretary.  The  minutes  of  the  last 
committee  meeting  having  been  read,  confirmed,  and 
signed,  the  Assistant  Secretary  reported,  on  behalf  of  the 
lion,  secretary,  that  Mr.  C.  N.  Abbott  had  promised  to 
read  a  paper  at  the  next  quarterly  conversazione,  subject, 
'  The  Hive  for  the  Advancing  Bee  -  Keeper.'  It  was 
resolved  that  the  next  quarterly  meeting  should  take 
place  on  Wednesday,  April  0th,  at  446  Strand  (opposite 
Charing  Cross  Railway  Station).  Q,uinby's  New  Bee- 
Keeping  having  been  presented  to  the  library  by  Mr. 
John  Y.  Detwiler,  of  Toledo,  Ohio,  U.S.A.,  through  the 
Editor  of  the  British  Bee  Journal,  it  was  resolved,  '  That 
the  best  thanks  of  the  Association  be  given  to  Mr. 
Detwiler  for  his  valuable  gift.' 

It  was  resolved  that  the  name  of  the  chairman  be 
added  to  the  Sub-committee  appointed  to  make  the 
necessary  arrangements  for  the  formation  of  the  collec- 
tions of  hives,  &c,  at  South  Kensington.  It  was  also 
resolved  that  the  librarian  be  empowered  to  purchase 
various  periodicals,  viz.,  The  British  Bee  Journal,  The 
American  Bee  Journal,  Gleanings  in  Bee  Culture,  and 
the  Bienenzuchter,  and  that  the  same  be  bound  and  added 
to  the  library  at  the  end  of  the  jear. 

The  Prize  Schedule,  as  published  in  our  columns,  for  the 
forthcoming  show  at  South  Kensington,  was  arranged. 
The  balance-sheet  for  the  month  ending  February  :28th, 
showed  a  balance  in  hand  of  181.  14*.  Sd,,  having  been 
read,  il>>'  meeting  terminated,  the  Committee  having  sat 
three  hours  and  a  half. 

Tho  Hon.  Secretary  lias  received  numerous  communi- 
cations respecting  Mr.   Lyon's  paper,  read  at  the   last 


quarterly  conversazione,  more  especially  in  reference  to 
where  the  '  pine-boards '  coidd  be  purchased  at  the  price 
named  by  Mr.  Lyon.  Mr.  Lyon  writes  as  follows : — '  The 
pieces  of  board  used  at  the  conversazione  were  purchased 
at  Mr.  Burrows'  Timber  Yard,  Camberwell  Green.  In 
the  neighbourhood  of  Hackney  and  Bethnal  Green, 
where  cheap  furniture  is  made,  pine  plank,  11  inches 
wide,  is  quoted  at  2s.  9d.  per  12  feet  at  almost  every 
yard.  Upon  inquiry,  I  find  this  to  be  rough  stuff ;  but 
at  4s.  very  fair  quality  may  be  purchased.  Eaeh  cut 
costs  2jC?.,  so  that  five  cut  costs  10r/.  the  board.' 

Particulars  relating  to  the  South  Kensington  Show  and 
for  prizes  offered  for  collections  of  bee  furniture  at  the 
Royal  Agricultural  Show  will  be  found  upon  reference  to 
our  advertising  columns. 

We  regret  exceedingly  that  by  inadvertence  the  name 
of  the  Rev.  Robert  Stanley  was  omitted  from  our 
Report  of  the  February  meeting  of  the  above  Association, 
he  having  attended  as  a  representative  of  the  Herts 
Countv  Association. — Ed.  B.  B.J. 


CALEDONIAN  APIARIAN  SOCIETY. 

The  first  quarterly  meeting  of  the  seventh  session  was 
held  in  MTnnes'  Temperance  Hotel,  Gordon  Street,  on 
Wednesday,  the  10th  March.  Present :  Rev.  J.  Irving ; 
Messrs.  Sword,  Wood,  Cameron,  Thomson,  Johnstone, 
Hutcheson,  and  Bennett.  The  Secretary  read  the  inti- 
mation calling  the  meeting,  and  regretted  that  of  the 
seventy  members  to  whom  postcards  had  been  sent  so  few 
had  put  in  an  appearance.  On  the  motion  of  Mr.  Wood, 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Irving  was  called  to  the  chair. 

The  minutes  of  last  meeting  were  read  and  confirmed, 
after  which  a  letter  of  apology  from  Mr.  Young  was 
read.  On  the  motion  of  Mr.  Hutcheson,  seconded  by  Mr. 
Johnston,  John  M.  Martin,  Esq.,  of  Bloomhill,  Cardross, 
was  elected  president  for  1881.  Messrs.  Cameron  and 
Wood  were  elected  members  of  committee. 

Mr.  Bennett  reported  that  he  had  seen  Mr.  Menzies 
regarding  the  Stirling  Show,  and  that  the  usual  grant  of 
20/.  and  two  medals  would  be  given  by  the  Highland  and 
Agricultural  Society,  also  Gl.  would  be  offered  by  the 
Highland  and  Agricultural  Society  for  the  best  essay  on 
'  Bee  Culture  adapted  to  Scotland,'  particulars  of  which 
would  be  given  on  an  early  date.  A  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  draw  up  a  prize  schedule  for  the  Stirling  Show. 
Mr.  Bennett  said  he  was  much  indebted  to  Mr.  Peel 
for  his  kindness  in  replying  to  all  his  questions,  and  also 
for  the  proof-sheet  of  the  prize  schedule  he  had  sent. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Irving  kindly  consented  to  deliver  a 
lecture  on  '  Bee  Culture,'  in  Stirling,  on  20th  April. 

On  the  motion  of  Mr.  Sword,  a  vote  of  thanks  was 
given  to  the  chairman. 


AVARWICKSHIRE  BEE-KEEPERS' 
ASSOCIATION. 

This  Association,  in  connexion  with  the  British  Bee- 
keepers' Association,  was  instituted  September,  1879. 
President:  Right  Hon.  Lord  Leigh.  Vice-Presidents : 
The  Lord  Bishop  of  Worcester,  the  Earl  of  Bradford, 
the  Earl  of  Denbigh,  Lord  Dartmouth,  Lord  Newport, 
Lord  Windsor,  AV.  S.  Dugdale,  Esq.  Provisional  Com- 
mittee :  Chairman,  Rev.  Canon  Evans;  Rev.  K.  R.  Bed- 
ford, Mr.  William  Beech,  Mr.  V.  Blackmore,  Rev.  J. 
Christopherson,  Mr.  Charles  Couchman,  Mr.  T.  Cox, 
Mr.  A.  Charles,  Capt.  Deykin,  Mr.  A.  Hodgson,  J. P. ; 
Lev.  R.  W.  Johnson,  Rev.  O.  Mordaunt,  Mr.  II.  Mapple- 
beck,  Mr.  Morley,  Mr.  F.  W.  Nash,  Mr.  E.  M.  Pearson, 
Mr.  J.  Pumphrev,  Rev.  L.  T.  Rendell,  Rev.  A.  II.  M. 
Russell,  Lev.  J.  E.  Sale,  Rev.  J.  Short,  Mr.  Alfred  Sale, 
Mr.  W.  Southall,  Mr.  II.  Spencer,  Mr.  E.  Stanbury,  Mr. 
J.  1'.  Turner,  Mr.  John  Walton.     Hon.  Treasurer :  Mr. 


April  1,  1881.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


James  Leigh,  General  Manager,  Birmingham  Banking'    J 
Company  (Limited),  Birmingham.    Hon. Secretary :  Mr. 
James  Noble  Bower,  Knowle,  Warwickshire. 

The  Annual  Meeting  was  held  on  March  10th  at  the 
Grand  Hotel,  Birmingham,  the  Kev.  Canon  Evans  pre- 
siding, in  the  absence  of  Lord  Leigh.  There  was  a  good 
attendance. 

The  report,  read  by  the  Hon.  Secretary,  stated  that 
during  the  past  year  much  progress  had  been  made  in 
the  advancement  of  apiculture  in  Warwickshire  by 
means  of  this  Association.  Its  chief  objects  were  the 
advocating  of  a  more  humane  and  intelligent  treatment 
of  the  honey-bee,  and  the  improvement  of  the  condition 
of  agricultural  and  labouring  cottagers.  There  were  in 
all  eighty-five  members,  with  every  prospect  of  increase 
during  the  ensuing  season.  The  Association  now  pos- 
sessed a  tent,  which  had  been  in  great  demand  at  various 
horticultural  shows,  which  had  been  attended  by  experts, 
who  imparted  much  practical  knowledge  on  the  improved 
methods  of  bee-keeping.  The  following  places  had  been 
visited  :  —  Sutton  Coldfield,  Kenilworth,  Tachbrook, 
Kagley  Park,  IleweU  Park,  Knowle,  Hall  Green,  Broms- 
grove,  and  Leamington.  The  County  Show  was  held  at 
Leamington,  September  7  and  8,  in  conjunction  with  the 
Warwickshire  Agricultural  Show.  The  weather  being 
flue,  a  very  large  number  of  people  attended  the  mani- 
pulations in  the  tent.  Many  members  of  the  Association 
were  present,  and  kindly  assisted  in  explaining  and 
answering  numerous  questions.  The  financial  statement 
showed  that  the  expenditure  of  the  past  year  had  been 
111/.  8s.  10tf.,  and  that  owing  to  the  exceptional  expen- 
diture in  the  purchase  of  a  tent  there  was  a  balance 
owing  to  the  treasurer  of  121.  9s.  Qd. 

The  Chairman,  in  moving  the  adoption  of  the  report, 
said  it  was  not  two  years  since  the  Association  was 
launched,  but  it  appeared  already  to  have  achieved  con- 
siderable success.  The  proceeds  of  exhibitions  during 
the  past  year  had  amounted  to  G2/.  12s.  id.,  and  he 
thought  they  need  have  no  misgiving  as  to  the  financial 
position  of  the  Association.  He  had  no  doubt  that  with 
sunnier  skies,  provided  that  they  could  get  skilful  experts 
to  exhibit  the  manipulation  of  bees,  the  exhibitions  con- 
nected with  the  Society  would  produce  a  sum  sufficient 
to  cover  all  demands  upon  it.  It  was  very  gratifying  to 
hear,  as  he  had  done  incidentally,  that  apiculture  wa3 
making  progress  amongst  the  labouring  class,  for  whose 
benefit  those  who  promoted  the  Association  felt  most 
keenly.  He  had  heard  in  many  quarters  of  labouring 
men  taking  great  interest  in  the  keeping  of  bees.  He 
did  not  think  it  was  well  to  dwell  too  much  upon  the 
profitable  side  of  such  an  occupation,  because  they 
might  in  some  cases  be  raising  hopes  which  might  not 
be  realised  ;  but  the  occupation  itself  was  most  valuable 
in  giving  those  who  took  part  in  it  a  subject  of  higher 
interest  than  their  every-day  avocations,  and  in  keeping 
them  away  from  dangerous  temptations  and  associations. 

Mr.  Pumphrey  seconded  the  adoption  of  the  report, 
and  expressed  his  opinion  that  the  Association  gave 
promise  of  much  usefulness. 

Mr.  J.  Morley  suggested  that  if  they  could  start  a 
Bee  Farm  in  connexion  with  the  Association,  people 
would  be  more  ready  to  go  to  it  for  information  than  to 
private  keepers. 

Mr.  Bower  said  the  suggestion  was  a  good  one,  and 
might  possibly  be  carried  out  when  the  Association  grew 
stronger,  and  possessed  the  necessary  funds. 

The  report  was  adopted. 

A  ballot  afterwards  took  place  for  a  bee-hive,  the 
winner  being  Mr.  Forsey,  of  Atherstone.  Votes  of 
thanks  were  then  passed,  and  officers  were  appointed  for 
the  ensuing  year.  The  meeting  closed  with  a  vote  of 
thanks  to  the  Chairman. 

We  are  glad  to  be  able  to  announce  that  the  sum,  due 
to  the  Treasurer  was  quickly  subscribed  after  the  meeting, 
and  the  Association  has  now  a  fair  balance-sheet,  with 
valuable  '  assets  '  in  hand. 


BERKS   AND   BUCKS  COUNTY    ASSOCIATION. 

We  have  been  favoured  with  the  report  and  balance- 
sheet  of  this  promising  Association.  Established  in 
1879  under  Royal  patronage  it  made  good  headway,  and 
last  year  an  exceedingly  well-managed  and  interesting 
exhibition  was  held  in  the  Home  Park,  Windsor,  which 
resulted  in  a  balance  of  1/.  6s.  \Qd.  The  general  account 
is  still  more  favourable,  5/.  13s.  Ad.  showing  on  the  right 
side.  At  the  end  of  the  year  there  were  sixty-six  mem- 
bers, of  whom  Messrs.  W.  T.  Darby,  St.  Stephen's  Villas, 
Clewer  ;  and  G.  P.  Cartland,  of  Victoria  Street,  Windsor, 
are  the  Hon.  Sees. ;  and  the  Rev.  S.  R.  Wilkinson,  of 
Great  Marlow ;  Mr.  W.  Carter,  of  Maidenhead  ;  and  Mr. 
John  Filbee,  of  High  Wycombe,  are  corresponding- 
members  ;•  and  either  of  them  will  be  glad  to  receive  the 
names  of  others  wishing  to  join  the  Association,  which 
is  affiliated  to  the  British  Bee-keepers'  Association. 

The  Committee  are  most  anxious  to  encourage  local 
shows  in  the  distant  parts  of  the  counties,  and  will  be 
glad  to  co-operate  with  gentlemen  willing  to  act  as  local 
Hon.  Sees,  or  with  Secretaries  of  Horticultural  Associa- 
tions with  that  object.  The  Association  deserves,  and, 
we  are  assured,  will  achieve  great  success. 


HERTFORDSHIRE  BEE-KEEPERS' 
ASSOCIATION. 
The  annual  show  of  this  Association  will  take  place 
at  St.  Albans  during  the  second  week  in  August,  and 
will  be  held  in  connexion  with  a  large  t'ouuty  Flower 
and  Fruit  Show.  The  Committee  have  made  arrange- 
ments for  their  expert  to  visit  every  member  of  the  As- 
sociation during  the  present  spring,  for  the  purpose  of 
giving  them  advice  in  the  management  of  then-  bees. 
The  expert  is  allowed  to  devote  one  hour  to  each  member 
if  required ;  all  extra  time,  beyond  the  stated  time  of  one 
hour,  to  be  paid  for  at  the  rate  of  2s.  Gd.  per  hour.  The 
Association  now  numbers  o00  members. 


COUNTY  ARMAGH    BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIA- 
TION, IRELAND. 

The  meeting  for  the  purpose  of  founding  a  bee-keepers' 
association  for  the  County  Armagh  was  held  on  Saturday, 
the  12th  ult,  and  was  quite  successful.  Sir  Wm.  Verner, 
who  it  was  hoped  would  preside,  was  obliged,  owing  to 
his  duties  as  High  Sheriff,  to  send  an  apology  at  the  last 
moment,  and  the  chair  was  accordingly  taken  by  Mr.  R. 
J.  M'Crumm.  Letters  were  read  from  Mr.  J.  N. 
Richardson  and  Mr.  Maxwell  C.  Close,  the  County 
members,  expressing  their  warm  approval  of  the  move- 
ment— the  former  promising  a  subscription  of  51.  It 
was  then  proposed  by  Sir.  George  Greer,  and  seconded 
by  the  Rev.  II.  W.  Lett, '  That  an  association  be  formed, 
to  be  called  the  County  Armagh  Bee-beepers'  Association, 
for  the  purpose  of  encouraging  the  intelligent,  humane, 
and  more  profitable  keeping  of  bees.'  It  was  then  pro- 
posed by  Mr.  M'Caughy,  seconded  by  Dr.  Lynn,  and  re- 
solved, *'  That  the  Association  consist  of  members  and 
associates ;  the  annual  subscription  for  members  to  be 
one  shilling,  and  that  for  associates  not  less  than  five 
shillings.' 

The  following  were  appointed  officers  for  the  current 
year  :  Patron— the  Right  Hon.  Lord  Lurgan,  K.P.  Pre- 
sident—The Baroness  Von  Steiglite.  Vice-Presidents— 
Sir  Wm.  Verner,  James  N.  Richardson,  Esq.,  M.P., 
Maxwell  C.  Close,  Esq.,  M.D.,  Major  Stewart  Blacker, 
and  John  Hancock,  Esq.  Committee— Mr.  Allen,  James 
Ussher,  Esq.,  Dr.  Lynn,  Mr.  Thomas  Best,  and  G.  Hazktt, 
Esq.,  with  po«  er  to  add  to  their  number.    Hon.  Treasurer 

T.  G.  Peel,  Esq.,  and  Hon. Secretaries— G. Greer,  Esq., 

and  the  Rev.  II.  W.  Lett. 

The  idea  has  been  warmly  taken  tip,  and  the  Associa- 
tion continues  to  increase  iii  numbers.  The  meeting  was 
very  fully  reported  in  the  local  and  provincial  papers. 


236 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[April  1,  1881. 


BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION  FOR 
FORFAR,  N.B. 

An  association  has  been  formed  for  Forfar,  and  an  ex- 
hibition of  bees,  hives,  hone}',  and  manipulation,  will  take 
place  on  26th  and  27th  August  next,  when  numerous 
money  prizes  will  be  awarded.  Mr.  J.  Saddler,  of  High 
Street,  h  the  hon.  sec. 


BEE-KEEPING  AT  BUXTON. 

On  the  21st  of  February  the  Rev.  II.  M.  Stallybrass 
delivered  a  lecture  on  '  Bees  and  Modern  Bee  Culture,'  in 
the  new  Congregational  School  Room,  Ilardwick  Square, 
Buxton.  The  chair  was  taken  by  the  Rev.  J.  Blore. 
There  was  a  good  attendance.  The  audience  seemed  in- 
terested, and  many  remained  after  the  lecture  to  examine 
the  appliances,  and  the  new  diagrams  of  the  British  Bee- 
keepers' Society.  A  collection  was  made  at  the  close  of 
the  lecture  on  behalf  of  the  School  Building  Fund. 


A  CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  PHYSIOLOGY 

OF  THE  BEE.     By  Dr.  Donhoff. 

(Continued  from  2).  217.) 

i. — Every  Bee   an   Individual   chemically 
unique. 

Every  man  is  characterised  by  a  different  odour; 
the  dog  discovers  the  track  of  his  master  out  of  a 
thousand  :  he  sceuts,  as  experiments  have  taught 
me,  his  master  at  a  hundred  paces.  Every  bee, 
too,  appears  to  give  forth  a  scent  which  is  different 
from  the  scent  of  every  other  bee.  I  caught  the 
queens  out  of  a  second  swarm,  placed  every  one  in 
a  different  queen-cage,  and  hung  up  every  one  of 
these  on  a  different  tree  in  the  garden.  The  swarm, 
after  it  had  flown  about  for  a  time,  collected  around 
one  of  the  cages.  The  bees  did  not  trouble  them- 
selves about  the  other  cages  ;  only  once  did  I  see  a 
bee  on  one  of  fhem,  and  it  was  just  as  quickly 
away  again.  I  now  placed  the  cage,  about  which 
the  swarm  had  collected,  in  the  house.  After  some 
time  the  swarm  flew  away,  and  after  it  had  flown 
about  in  the  air  for  a  while  it  returned  again  into 
the  hive,  without  a  single  bee  troubling  itself 
about  the  queens.  The  queen,  about  which  the 
bees  had  collected,  was  manifestly  the  one  that  had 
been  free  in  the  hive.  It  might  now  be  concluded 
she  had  acquired  the  scent  of  the  hive,  and  on  that 
account  the  bees  distinguished  her.  But  the  air  of 
the  hive  penetrates  into  the  queen-cells  (for  other- 
wise the  queens  would  die)  just  as  well  as  an  ex- 
change of  air  is  effected  through  the  calcareous 
shell  of  an  egg.  Therefore,  the  queens,  which  till 
then  had  been  shut  in,  must  have  acquired  the  air 
of  the  hive,  especially  since  air  penetrates  besides 
through  the  feeding-hole.  I  can  only  think  that 
every  queen  originally  smells  differently. 

The  different  odour  of  every  man  depends,  in- 
deed, on  this,  that  the  quantitative  proportion  of 
volatile  products,  as  butyric  acid,  acetic  acid,  formic 
acid,  is  a  different  one  ;  as  indeed  the  proportion  of 
the  elements  of  milk  is  a  different  one  in  every  cow, 
and  with  the  bees  there  will  be  similar  conditions. 
If  every  queen  has  a  specific  odour  there  is  ground 
for  assuming  that  every  worker  and  every  drone 
has  a  different  odour. 


5. — Comb  Construction  an  Argument  against 
Darwinism. 

The  form  of  the  comb  construction  is  absolutely 
perfect  —  that  is,  the  form  is  of  that  kind,  that 
the  proportion  of  capacity  to  surfaces  is  a  larger 
one  than  with  any  other  conceivable  form,  so  that 
the  smallest  quantity  of  wax  is  necessary  for 
construction.  This  form  is  a  circular  outline 
for  the  isolated  construction  of  the  queen-cell, 
and  a  six  -  sided  prism  for  the  combined  con- 
struction and  the  large  angle  of  the  bottom 
trapezium  109°  28J'. 

According  to  Darwin,  the  bee  has  originated 
gradually  from  other  species.  The  primitive  an- 
cestors were  other  animals,  which  did  not  build. 
Then  there  arose  accidentally  an  animal  which 
built,  other  successors  built  more  suitably,  on 
which  the  first  succumbed  in  the  struggle  for 
existence,  but  the  last  survived.  In-  this  way 
there  came  bees  that  ever  built  more  perfectly, 
until  at  last  our  bee  was  produced.  Since  the 
bees  have  not  existed  from  eternity,  there  could 
only  be  a  limited  number  of  species  of  bees,  there 
could  only  have  arisen  a  limited  number  of  methods 
of  construction.  I  will  just  assume  that  a  trillion 
species  of  bees  had  arisen,  and  a  trillion  methods 
of  construction.  The  number  of  possible  methods 
of  construction  is  infinite ;  the  probability  that  a 
bee  should  build  on  the  absolutely  perfect  method 

of  construction  of  our  bee  is  jnfin;tY  ,  that  is,  it  is 
equal  to  nothing.  If  100,000  lots  are  in  a  lottery, 
and  I  take  a  lot,  the  probability  that  I  win  the  big 

prize  is  jooooO'  The  probability  of  the  assumption 
of  Darwin  is  infinitely  small  ;  it  is  equal  to  no- 
thing. The  comb  construction  of  our  bee  puts  to 
shame  all  attempts  to  explain  the  adaptation  in 
nature  by  accidents;  it  gives  us  presage  of  a 
higher  Power  before  whom  all  problems  of  mathe- 
matics and  of  nature  are  solved. 


MEAD  WINE. 


There  are  different  kinds  of  this  wine ;  but  those 
generally  made  are  two,  namely,  sack-mead  and  cowslip- 
mead.  Sack-mead  is  made  thus: — To  every  gallon  of 
water  put  four  pounds  of  honey  and  boil  it  three-quarters 
of  an  hour,  taking  care  properly  to  skim  it.  To  each 
gallon  add  half  an  ounce  of  hops,  then  boil  it  half  an 
hour,  and  let  it  stand  till  the  next  day.  Then  put  it  into 
your  cask  ;  and  to  thirteen  gallons  of  the  liquor  add  a 
quart  of  brandy  or  sack.  Let  it  be  tightly  closed  till  the 
fermentation  is  over,  and  then  stop  it  up  very  close.  If 
you  make  as  much  as  fills  a  large  cask,  you  must  not 
bottle  it  off  till  it  has  stood  a  year. 

To  make  cowslip-mead,  you  must  proceed  thus : — Put 
thirty  pounds  of  honey  into  fifteen  gallons  of  water,  and 
boil  it  till  one  gallon  is  wasted  ;  slum  it,  take  it  off  the 
fire,  and  have  ready  sixteen  lemons,  cut  in  half.  Take 
a  gallon  of  the  liquor  and  put  it  to  the  lemons.  Pour  the 
rest  of  the  liquor  into  a  tub  with  seven  pecks  of  cowslips, 
and  let  them  stand  all  night ;  then  put  in  the  liquor 
with  the  lemons,  eight  spoonfuls  of  new  yeast,  and  a 
handful  of  sweet-briar.  Stir  all  well  together  and  let  it 
work  three  or  four  days.  Then  strain  it,  pour  it  into 
your  cask,  let  it  stand  six  months,  and  then  bottle  off 
for  use. 

It  has  been  the  peculiar  study  of  the  writer  of  this 


April  1,  1881.] 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


237 


work  to  render  it  the  most  perfect,  and  consequently  the 
most  useful  composition  of  the  kind  hitherto  formed. 
To  effect  this  lie  has  endeavoured  to  enlarge  and  improve 
his  own  knowledge  from  that  of  others  in  the  various 
subjects  contained  in  this  work ;  and  from  his  extensive 
connexions  has  met  with  many  favourable  opportunities 
of  gratifying  his  wishes.  One  instance,  among  the  rest, 
is  in  the  article  now  before  us,  which  was  obtained  from 
a  lady  in  the  coimtry,  who  has  always  been  particularly 
attached  to  mead  wine,  and  whose  manner  of  making  we 
shall  give  iu  her  own  words,  as  sent  by  post  in  the  month 
of  January  last : — 

'  To  120  gallons  of  pure  water,  the  softer  the  better,  I 
put  fifteen  gallons  of  clarified  honey.  When  the  honey 
is  well  mixed  with  the  water  I  fill  my  copper,  the  same 
as  I  use  for  brewing,  which  only  holds  sixty  gallons,  and 
boil  it  till  it  is  reduced  a  fourth  part.  I  then  draw  it  off 
and  boil  the  remainder  in  the  same  manner.  When  this 
last  is  about  a  fourth  part  wasted,  I  fill  up  the  copper 
with  some  of  that  which  was  first  boiled,  and  continue 
boiling  it  and  filling  it  up  till  the  copper  contains  the 
whole  of  the  liquor,  by  which  time  it  will,  of  course,  be 
half  evaporated.  I  must  observe,  that  in  boiling  I  ne\er 
take  off  the  scum,  but,  on  the  contrary,  have  it  well 
mixed  with  the  liquor  whilst  boiling  by  means  of  a  jet. 
AYheii  this  is  done,  I  draw  it  off  into  underbacks,  by  a 
cock  at  the  bottom  of  the  copper,  in  which  I  let  it  remain 
till  it  is  only  as  warm  as  new  milk.  At  this  time  I  turn 
it  up,  and  suffer  it  to  ferment  in  the  vessel,  where  it  will 
form  a  thick  head.  As  soon  as  it  is  done  working,  I  stop 
it  up  very  close,  in  order  to  keep  the  air  from  it  as  much 
as  possible.  I  keep  this,  as  well  as  my  mead,  in  a  cellar 
or  vault  I  have  for  the  purpose,  being  very  deep  and  cool, 
and  the  door  shut  so  close  as  to  keep  out  in  a  maimer  all 
the  outward  air,  so  that  the  liquor  is  always  in  the  same 
temperature,  being  not  at  f  11  affected  by  the  change  of 
weather.  To  this  I  attribute,  in  a  great  measure,  the 
goodness  of  my  mead.  Another  proportion  I  have  of 
making  mead  is  to  allow  eighty  pounds  of  purified  honey 
to  120  gallons  of  soft  water,  which  I  manage  in  the 
making  in  all  respects  like  the  before-mentioned,  and  it 
proves  very  pleasant,  good,  light  drinking,  and  is  by  many 
preferred  to  the  other,  which  is  much  richer  and  has  a 
fuller  flavour ;  but  at  the  same  time  it  is  more  inebriating, 
and  apt  to  make  the  head  ache  if  drunken  in  too  large 
quantities.  I  imagine,  therefore,  upon  the  whole,  the 
last  to  be  the  proportion,  that  makes  the  wholesomest 
liquor  for  common  drink,  the  other  being  rather,  when 
properly  preserved,  a  rich  cordial,  something  like  fine  old 
Malaga,  which,  when  in  peifection,  is  justly  esteemed 
the  belt  of  the  Spanish  wines.  I  choose,  in  genera],  to 
have  the  liquor  pure  and  genuine,  though  many  like  it 
best  when  it  lias  an  aromatic  flavour,  and  for  this  purpose 
they  mix  elder,  rosemary,  and  marjoram  flowers  with  it ; 
and  also  use  cinnamon,  cloves,  ginger,  and  cardamums 
in  various  proportions,  according  to  their  taste.  But  I 
do  not  approve  of  thh  last  practice  at  all,  as  green  herbs 
are  apt  to  make  mead  drink  flat ;  and  too  many  cloves, 
besides  being  predominant  in  the  taste,  make  it  too  high 
a  colour.  1  never  bottle  my  mead  before  it  is  half-a-year 
old,  and  when  I  do  I  take  care  to  have  it  well  corked  and 
keep  it  in  the  same  vault  wherein  it  stood  whilst  in  the 
cask.' 

Saragossa  Wine,  or  English  Sack : — To  every  quart  of 
water  put  a  sprig  of  rue,  and  to  every  gallon  put  a  handful 
of  fennel  roots.  Boil  these  half-an-hour,  then  strain, 
and  to  every  gallon  of  liquor  put  three  pounds  of  honey. 
Boil  it  two  hours,  and  skim  it  well.  When  it  is  cold, 
pour  it  off,  and  turn  it  into  a  cask  or  vessel  that  will  just 
hold  it.  Keep  it  twelve  months  and  then  bottle  it  off. — 
From  The  Housekeeper's  Instructor,  by  W.  A.  Henderson. 
Corrected  by  Jacob  Christopher  Sehuebbelie,  late  appren- 
tice to  Messrs.  Tupp  and  Perry,  Oxford  Street ;  afterwards 
principal  cook  at  Mehon's  Hotel,  Bath,  and  now  of  the 
Albany.     London,  1805. 


SHOWS   AND   BEE   TENT   ENGAGEMENTS 
IN  1881. 

May  25  &   26.— Oxfordshire   Agricultural   Show   at 
Thame. 

July  13-18. — Royal  Agricultural  Show  at  Derby. 

July  26-August  1.— Annual  Show  B.  B.K.  A.,\South 
Kensington. 

August  18. — Berks  and  Bucks  B.K.  A.  at  Maidenhead. 

August  30. — Horticultural  Show  at  Long  Buckby. 


forasponijcuxc. 


IRISH  ASSOCIATION.— IVY  HONEY.— 
STANDARD  FRAME  FOR  IRELAND. 

Believing  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Aldridge  in  last 
number  of  Journal  to  be  an  admirable  one,  namely, 
that  members  of  the  Irish  Association  should  try  to 
influence  others  to  join,  I  have  been  endeavouring  to 
carry  it  out  in  my  own  case,  not  quite  unsuccessfully 
I  am  glad  to  say.  Two  friends  have  promised  to 
join  the  Association,  a  third  has  given  a  half  promise, 
while  I  hope  to  obtain  the  consent  of  a  few  more 
very  shortly. 

How  is  one  to  account  for  the  presence  of  crys- 
tallised honey  in  combs  of  a  strong  stock  early  last 
autumn  1  These  combs  being  examined  a  few  weeks 
ago,  some  of  the  honey,  even  in  the  same  comb, 
was  found  to  be  candied  and  some  not.  Would  this 
point  to  a  difference  in  the  honey,  or  does  all  good 
honey,  not  covered  by  the  bees,  crystallise  and  then 
liquefy  again  according  as  the  bees  cover  if?  Much 
of  this  honey  was  obtained  from  ivy,  and  perhaps 
that  might  have  any  thing  to  do  with  it.  Perhaps 
you  would  kindly  refer  to  the  subject  in  next  Journal. 
I  should  also  be  much  obliged  if  you  would  be  good 
enough  to  give  in  next  number  (April)  the  exact  out- 
side dimensions  of  standard  Woodbury  frame,  if  there 
is  a  standard.  Hitherto  I  have  used  a  somewhat  small 
frame,  but,  recognising  the  wisdom  of  having  some 
standard  frame  (as  recommended  by  you  in  a  late 
number  of  Journal)  and  believing  the  Woodbury  to 
be  the  most  suitable  size  for  this  country,  I  have 
determined  to  have  all  my  frames  of  that  size  in 
future.  Hence  my  anxiety  for  exact  dimensions. — 
R.  Smyth,  Westmeath. 

[Hurrah  !  for  the  Association.  It  will  prosper  in  such 
willing  hands,  and  the  example  will  surely  be  followed. 
Ivy  honey  candies,  as  heather  congeals,  almost  imme- 
diately after  it  is  gathered,  fact.;  that  seem  to  imply  a 
wise  arrangement  in  respect  of  bees,  for  if  their  late- 
gathered  Stores  continued  watery,  and  incapable  of  being 
sealed,  the  bees  woidd  quickly  become  diseased.  Early 
honey  remains  watery,  and  bees  while  breeding  require 
an  abundance  of  water.  Late  honey  dries  up  almost  in- 
stantly, when  water  in  the  hive  would  be  injurious;  what 
a  beautiful  '  fitness '  in  things !  These  facts  have  been 
remarked  on  several  times  in  Journal,  since  attention  was 
called  to  ivy  honey  by  an  Irish  correspondent  in  1S74, 
p.  140,  vol.  ii.  of  Journal.  A  Woodbury  hive  is  14i  inches 
square  and  8|  inches  deep,  and  the  frame  should  be  even 
with  the  top,  |  inch  from  each  side  (or  end),  and  (pro- 
perly) J  inch  from  the  bottom  board,  but  we  advise  about 
fths,  to  allow  for  shrinkage  in  the  hive  walls,  which 
would  practically  reduce  the  depth.  There  are  those 
who  still  insist  on  a  fth  space  above  the  frames,  created 
by  sinking  the  frame  ends  into  rabbets  in  the  hive  walls, 
a  practice  that  necessarily  reduces  the  size  of  the  frames. 
Now  that  Ireland  has  awakened  to  the  importance  of  bee 


238 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[April  1,  1881. 


culture  we  would  most  earnestly  advise  the  adoption  by 
the  Association  of  a  standard  frame,  and  that  they  should 
recognise  no  other.  We  urged  this  measure  in  England 
years  ago  without  effect,  and  the  result  justifies  our  fore- 
sight and  opinion ;  for  this  country  is  swamped  with 
framee  of  whimsical  variety;  but  with  only  just  sufficient 
difference  in  their  dimensions  to  vender  them  non-inter- 
changeable. If  associations  would  agree  to  adopt  one 
standard,  and  offer  prizes  for  hives  containing  that  size 
only,  uniformity  would  soon  be  brought  about,  and 
judges  at  shows  would  find  their  labours  consider- 
ably lightened,  while  the  public  would  be  immensely 
the   gainers. — Ed.] 


THE  IRISH  BEE-KEEPERS'  ASSOCIATION. 

There  are  now  over  fifty  names  on  the  list  of 
members  of  the  Irish  Bee-Keepers'  Association. 
Amongst  those  who  have  joined  recently  are  the 
Earl  of  Kosse,  Lords  Clonbrock  and  Ardilann,  the 
Hon.  Mrs.  Pollok,  the  Hon.  Richard  Bellew,  <fec. 

On  the  motion  of  the  Rev.  Canon  Bagot, 
the  Agricultural  Committee  of  the  Royal  Dublin 
Society  have  placed  one  of  their  Committee 
Rooms  at  the  New  Buildings,  Balls  Bridge,  at 
our  disposal  for  our  preliminary  meeting,  which 
will  be  held  at  12  o'clock  on  the  21st  prox. 
(Cattle  Show  week). 

My  very  best  thanks  are  due  to  the  Rev.  J.  M. 
Aldridge  for  having  sent  me  the  names  of  no  less 
than  fifteen  members.  I  have  also  to  thank  Mr. 
Robert  Brown,  of  Donoghmore,  and  the  Very  Rev. 
M.  E.  Holland,  O.D.C.,  each  of  whom  sent  me  several 
names. 

Those  members  who  have  not  already  paid  in 
their  subscriptions  can  send  them  to  Sir  Jas.  W. 
Mackay,  234  Sackville  Street,  Dublin,  who  has 
consented  to  act  as  treasurer.  I  may  mention  that 
although  five  shillings  is  the  minimum  subscription, 
there  is  no  limit  in  the  other  direction.  Persons 
willing  to  become  members  should  send  in  their 
names  without  delay  to — Robert  Sproule,  4  Clon- 
liffe  Terrace  E.,  Clonlife  Road,  Dublin. 


TRANSFERRING  IN  FEBRUARY. 

I  was  not  at  all  successful  in  removing  the  bees 
into  the  new  hive.  I  cut  the  combs  out  of  the  old 
frames,  placed  them  in  the  new  ones,  with  two  corks 
to  hold  the  comb  to  the  top  of  the  frame,  and  then 
tied  it  round  with  two  tapes  ;  this  was  done  on 
February  25th.  I  looked  at  them  a  week  after,  and 
cut  the  tape  off  two  frames  ;  but  found  they  had 
only  fixed  one,  so  I  had  to  tie  it  up  again.  I  looked 
again  yesterday  and  found  tlicm  just  the  same,  only 
one  joined.  The  combs  have  sunk,  burying  the 
corks.  I  don't  know  what  to  do  with  them.  All 
the  combs  are  nearly  full  of  sealed  brood  and  eggs. 
I  am  very  sorry  indeed,  it  was  one  of  my  best  stocks. 
— F.  S.  S.,  Leicestershire. 

[We  do  our  utmost  to  restrain  the  impetuosity  of 
amateurs,  but  apparently  with  poor  success.  The  opera- 
tion should  not  have  been  undertaken  until  the  latter 
part  of  April  at  the  earliest ;  and  our  friend  forgot 
to  put  a  strip  of  wood  between  the  corks  and  the 
comb,  which  would  have  prevented  the  sinking  of  the 
latter.— Ed.] 


OBSERVATORY  HIVES. 

Byway  of  postscript  to  extract  from  Robert  Boyle's 
work,  quoted  in  March  Journal,  let  me  add  a  few 
lines  from  preface  to  Arthur  Murphy's*  The  Bees,  a 
Poem,  which  poem  is  a  translation  from  the  Jesuit's 
Vaniere  Latin  poem,  Prcedium  Rusticum,  book  14th. 
— J.  Lawson  Sisson. 

'  Maraldi,  a  famous  French  philosopher,  was  the  first 
that  invented  glass  hives,  and  through  that  transparent 
medium  was  able  to  observe  the  manners,  the  genius,  and 
all  the  labours  of  those  wonderf  id  insects.  He  published 
his  account  in  the  Histoire  de  VAcademie  Ilnyale  des 
Sciences,\  on  the  6th  November,  1712.  Vaniere  professes 
to  have  collected  his  materials  from  Maraldi,  and  has 
done  them  ample  justice.  Of  the  truth  no  doubt  can  b  3 
entertained,  when  we  find  that  since  that  time  Reaumur, 
another  member  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences  at  Paris, 
published  his  History  of  Insects,  and  in  almost  all  par- 
ticulars coincides  with  Maraldi.' 


WINTER  FEEDING. 

I  enclose  sketch  of  a  combined  winter-feeder  and 
moisture  condenser  which  I  have  invented.  I  am 
convinced  that  dryness  is  far  more  important  than 
warmth  ;  if  your  hive  is  damp,  the  more  covering 


a.  A  glass,  removeable,  and  zinc  gutter. 

b.  Space  for  sugar. 

c.  Space  for  artificial  pollen. 

d.  Entrance  way. 

you  put  on  the  more  you  confine  the  moisture ;  but 
if  you  have  an  efficient  condenser,  then  cover  as 
much  as  you  please.  The  hive  that  has  wintered 
best  is  one  on  which  I  forgot  to  put  extra  quilt,  so 
it  has  been  through  this  severe  winter  in  a  single- 
walled  hive,  in  an  exposed  position,  with  only  one 
layer  of  hop-sacking. — H.  Parson,  The  Firs,  Guihl- 
ford.  

WINTERING.— FOUL  BROOD. 

I  do  not  quite  understand  what  your  correspon- 
dent, Mr.  E.  W.  Lister,  means  when  he  says  (Bee 
Journal,  page  201)  that  '  a  hive  at  any  time  should 
not  contain  more  comb  in  its  brood  nest  than  the 
bees  can  cover.'  What  about  a  winter's  supply  of 
food1!  Can  it  be  contained  merely  in  the  combs 
which  the  bees  cover  1  I  begin,  indeed,  to  think  that 
a  much  less  supply  of  winter  food  than  is  usually 

*  Arthur  Murphy  was  the  well-known  translator  of 
Tacitus. 

+  If  Colonel  Pearson,  who  is  so  good  a  translator  from 
the  French,  could  give  us  Maraldi's  paper  in  English,  it 
would  be  a  boon. 


April  1,  1881.] 


THE  BEITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


239 


given  would  suffice   (provided  of  course  that  a  suffi- 
cient supply  is  given  in  the  spring),  and  that  thereby 
the  space  occupied  by  the  bees  might  be  more  con- 
tracted ;  for  it  seems  to  me,  when  I  open  my  hives 
at  the  beginning  of  spring,  that  the  winter  supply 
is  very  little  diminished  ;  but  I  have  not  as  yet  at- 
tempted in  winter  time  to  restrict  the  bees  to  merely 
the  combs  wThich  they  can  cover.     I  may  mention 
that  I  have  had  practical  experience  of  the  truth  of 
your  remarks  in  last  year's  Journal  respecting  foul 
brood.     I  was  troubled  with  it  last  autumn  ;  it  first 
appeared  in  one  hive,  and  then  spread  rapidly  to  all 
the  others  ;  but  I  determined  to  '  stamp  it  out,'  and 
so,  although  at  the  loss  of  some  brood,  I  turned  the 
bees  completely  out,   took  away  their  honey,  and 
fed  them  well  with  syrup.     That  was  at  the  begin- 
ning of  September.     They  have  wintered  well,  and 
now  seem  to  be  in  capital  condition,  with  new  clean 
combs,  and  no  sign  of  foul  brood.     Whether  it  will 
appear  again,  I  cannot  of  course  say,  but  I  am  in 
great  hope  that  it  will  not.     I  thank   you  heartily 
for  the  valuable  information  which  you  have  given 
in  reply  to  my  inquiry  respecting  the  'Management 
of  an  Apiary.' — An  Amateur. 

[It  is  an  old  experience  that  the  strongest  stocks  con- 
sume no  more  honey,  than  weaker  ones  during  winter, 
and  the  argument  in  the  present  case  is  that  by  carefully 
enclosing  the  weaker  lots  they  are  put  upon  a  par  with 
the  stronger,  in  as  much  as  they  are  enabled  to  retain  or 
conserve  their  heat. — En.] 


WINTERING  IN  FRAME-HIVES. 

Last  autumn  I  had  two  swarms  in  frame-hives, 
oue  of  them  very  strong,  the  other  light  and 
doubtful.  I  kept  thern  in  a  shed  constructed  for 
them,  which  faced  nearly  direct  eastward,  where  I 
packed  them  over  with  straw  (front  excepted)  and 
left  them,  as  I  thought,  in  good  condition.  About 
Christmas  I  lifted  them  to  ascertain  their  condition, 
when  I  discovered  very  little  amiss,  except  about  a 
handful  of  dead  bees  fallen  from  between  two  of  the 
combs  in  the  stronger  hive,  which  I  cleared  away,  and 
left  them  until  the  10th  of  March,  when  I  made  a 
second  examination,  and  was  astonished  to  find  the 
light  and  doubtful  hive  lively  and  apparently  little 
altered  since  it  was  put  up  in  the  autumn.  Passing 
to  the  strong  one  with  some  air  of  confidence,  which 
lasted  but  a  few  moments,  on  the  bottom  of  the 
hive  and  between  the  combs  were  hundreds  of  dead 
bees.  Further  examination  proved  that  every  bee 
in  the  hive  was  dead,  leaving  behind  them  five  or 
six  combs  with  honey  in,  two  of  them  nearly  full. 
I  noticed  most  of  the  honey  was  in  the  combs  where 
the  batch  of  dead  bees  had  fallen  from  before  I  ex- 
amined them  at  Christmas.  These  two  swarms  were 
side  by  side  on  the  same  bench,  and  all  the  sur- 
roundings equal. 

Being  entirely  ignorant  as  to  the  cause  of  the 
death  of  the  bees,  and  also  as  to  what  I  ought  to 
have  done  on  seeing  the  batch  of  dead  bees  at 
Christmas,  I  should  be  very  glad  to  be  enlightened 
by  any  one  being  interested  in  wintering  bees  in 
frame-hives,  as  I  live  where  practice,  knowledge, 
and  experience  of,  and  with  them,  are  very  scarce. — 
Keigiiusv. 


POLLEN  TAKING. 
I  am  very   far  from  being  a  Home-Ruler,  still 
on  this  question  I  perfectly  agree  with  your  Irish 
friend  that  bees  do  not  collect  pollen  with  their 
tongue;  although  the  tongue  is  the  principal  organ 
in  use  while  collecting  is  going  on.      If  you  make  a 
point  of  testing  this,  you  will  find  that  the  tongue 
is  never  distended  except  when  the  bee  is  on  the 
wing,  and  then  the  honey  is  given  out  on  to  the 
fore-legs  for  the  purpose  of  making  the  dust  into 
paste,  by  which  means  alone  it  is  able  to  put  it 
into  those  baskets  in  the  hind-legs.     If  you  care- 
fully examine  the  under  part  of  a  bee,  and  even  its 
legs  to  the  first  joint,  there  is  a  great  quantity  of 
hair,  and  it    is    by  the  use   of  the  two  fore-legs 
(exactly  in  the  same  way  that  we  use   our  arms 
wheu  collecting  straw)  that  the  flour  is  conveyed  on 
to  this  hair;  and  when  that  is  charged  the  bee  rises 
on  the  wing,  and   swabs   it  off1  (with  the  middle 
pair  of  legs)  by  means  of  the  honey  scraped  off  the 
tongue,  and  conveys  it  by  them  (the  middle  legs) 
to  the  baskets  on  the  hind-legs.     As  a  proof  of  the 
hair,  and  not  the  tongue,  being  the  vehicle,  bees 
cannot  collect  pollen  in  any  other  form  than  dust, 
and  the  dryer  the  better ;  the  slightest  moisture 
creates  difficulties  which,  were    it    otherwise,   the 
tongue  would  overcome. 

In  saying  this,  I  do  not  wish  you  to  suppose  I 
deny  that  the  tongue  is  ever  brought  into  contact 
with  the  pollen,  that  does  frequently  happen,  and 
then  the  fore-legs  may  be  seen  scraping  it  off  the 
tongue  ;  but  it  is  not  the  rule ;  and  when  a  bee 
attacks  a  hyacinth  which  has  been  heavily  laden 
with  flour  the  arms  (fore-legs)  are  used  just  like 
human  beings  ;  but  you  do  not  observe  the  tongue 
thrust  into  the  flour  only  occasionally  as  if  by 
accident.  Apologising  for  such  a  long  letter  on  so 
simple  a  matter. — Thos.  B.  Ward,  Highgate. 

[The  bees  that  'never  use  the  tongue'  in  gathering 
the  grains  of  pollen  (pea-flour)  are  different  in  their 
habits  from  our  bees,  and  from  those  of  many  others 
with  whom  we  are  acquainted.  Our  bees  use  the  tongue 
coutinually  (we  have  never  said  exclusively),  licking  the 
flour  from  the  shavings,  and,  whisking  it  off  with  the 
fore-legs,  transmit  it  to  their  hind  ones.  Want  of  space 
will  not  permit  us  to  pursue  the  subject  now ;  but  if  our 
readers  will  refer  to  pp.  159-GO  of  Vol.  V.  of  B.  B.  J. 
they  will  find  the  question  is  not  a  new  one. — Ed. 
B.  B.  J.] 

BEES  IN  NEW  ZEALAND.— FERTILISATION 
IN  CONFINEMENT. 

Would  you  kindly  let  me  know  through  the 
B.  B.  J.  if  there  is  any  feasible  and  sure  way  of 
procuring  pure  impregnation  for  queens  in  a  country 
where  you  are  surrounded  by  black  bees  in  their  wild 
state  1  I  have  tried  to  make  out  the  directions  given 
in  B.  B.  J.  for  artificial  impregnation,  but  am  not 
quite  sure  of  it ;  if  you  could  I  should  be  very  glad. 
The  second  shipment  of  Ligurians  arrived  safely 
from  San  Francisco,  and  are  doing  well.  I  will,  if 
possible,  send  you  a  description  of  the  way  they 
pack  them  next  mail. — F.  C.  Parish,  Manager, 
Coromandel  Apiary,  December  31st,  1880. 

[  We  should  be  very  glad  to  be  able  to  tell  of  a  way  of 
securing  the  mating  of  queens  by  selected  drones,  but  do 


240 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[April  1,  1881. 


not  kuow  how  it  can  be  effected  with  certainty.  Young 
queens  appear  to  have  an  instinctive  aversion  to  marriage 
with  blood  relations,  and  are  wilful  enough  to  prefer  their 
own  choice  to  any  that  may  be  chosen  for  them.  None 
of  the  means  by  which  assorted  unions  have  been  said  to 
have  been  effected  have  proved  successf id  except  with 
the  inventors,  so  we  are  compelled  to  fall  back  upon  the 
principle  of  artificially  breeding  drones  earlier  or  later  in 
season  than  is  natural ;  or  of  restraining  the  flight  of  the 
young  queens  and  the  selected  drones  until  the  afternoon, 
when  drones  at  liberty  will  usually  have  taken  their  flight 
for  the  day,  that  the  young  queens  may  not  be  likely  to 
meet  them.  This  last  is  the  '  Kohler'  plan,  but  in  situa- 
tions where  the  sun  does  not  shine  upon  the.  bees  until 
late  in  the  day,  the  intention  is  liable  to  be  defeated,  for 
drones  from  such  stocks  will  probably  then  be  on  the 
wing. — Ed.] 

SHILLING  STEWARTONS. 

In  the  interesting  discussion  on  '  The  Stewarton 
Hive,'  in  January  number,  Captain  Campbell  states 
that  he  makes  his  own  Stewarton  boxes  for  one 
shilling  each.  Would  the  gentleman  kindly  favour 
a  working  man  with  a  little  information  how  to  do 
likewise,  which  would  no  doubt  be  a  benefit  to 
many  others? — St.  Saviour's  Road,  St.  Helier,  Jersey, 
March  1th,  1881. 

THE  STEWARTON  HIVE. 

In  the  January  Number  of  the  Journal  I  endeavoured 
to  remove  some  of  the  misconceptions  which  unfortunately 
still  appear  to  linger  in  the  south  as  to  the  value  and 
manipulation  of  the  Stewarton  hive  from  the  discussion 
following  on  the  Rev.  E.  Bartruin's  excellent  paper  on 
the  above,  hive  read  before  the  B:itish  Bee-keepers' 
Association;  and  I  regretted  to  find  from  last  month's 
Number  so  distinguished  a  member  of  that  Association 
as  Mr.  Thos.  Wm.  Cowan  reiterating  the  views  he  put 
forth  previously,  thus  necessitating  a  fuller  explanation. 

Mr.  Cowan  now  admits  that  the  principle  of  contrast- 
ing the  harvest  of  104  super  and  30  lbs.  body  honey 
obtained  by  me  here  from  one  colony  in  1808  as  against 
120  lbs.  super  with  89  lbs.  added  of  that  watery  deposit, 
crude  or  extracted  honey,  from  a  frame-hive  in  his 
southern  apiary  in  presumably  some  other  3'ear,  is,  as  I 
put  it,  '  no  criterion  as  to  comparative  value  of  any  hive 
or  system.'  He,  however,  added  he,  has  wrought  both 
hives  and  systems  side  by  side  ;  but,  as  he  mentioned  at 
the  discussion,  he  had  adopted  several  variations,  which 
of  course  he  was  at  full  liberty  to  do,  in  working  the 
Stewarton  system,  this  might  partly  account  for  the 
abnormal  state  of  matters  induced,  such  as  octagon 
supers  being  sealed  from  the  centre  outwards,  and  he 
may  possibly  feel  that  results  contrasted  in  such  circum- 
stances would  scarcel)'  be  '  fair,'  nor  yet  '  instructive.' 

It  is  now  more  than  twenty  years  since  I  rendered  the 
Stewarton  hive  moveable  and  interchangeable  in  all  its 
parts,  so  far  as  its  form  would  allow;  and  to  me  it  does 
saem  strange  to  find  it  described  as  an  '  intermediate  '  or 
'  stepping-stone  '  from  the  straw  skep  to  the  moveable 
comb-hive.  That  the  Stewarton  is  a  moveable  comb- 
hive  may  be  best  illustrated  'when  I  say  I  have  a  good 
stock  of  those  hives  peopled,  and  as  good  a  stock  in 
reserve  against  the  coming  season.  I  do  not  believe  at 
the  present  moment  a  stock-box  in  my  apiary  contains 
a  single  frame  or  bar  originally  made  for  it,  so  thoroughly 
have  their  contents  been  interchanged,  which  speaks 
equally  decidedly  as  to  the  moveable  nature  of  the  con- 
tents of  the  Stewarton,  as  well  as  the  exactness  of  Stewar- 
ton workmanship. 

According  to  Mr.  Cowan,  a  moveable  comb-hive  to  be 
worthy  of  the  name  must  have  all  its  combs  exactly  alike, 


not  corresponding  with  the  like  parts  of  the  same  descrip- 
tion of  hive ;  but  all  must  be  reduced  to  one  common 
level.  Perfect  equality,  I  am  afraid,  is  not  to  be  found  in 
Nature,  the  body  politic,  nor  yet  in  the  bee-hive;  it 
exists  solely  in  the  dreams  of  the  theorist.  A  good  many 
years  ago  I  have  a  vivid  recollection  of  a  correspondence 
with  a  talented  .apiarian  in  the  South,  then  wildly  ena- 
moured of  this  equality  principle.  The  supers  were  to 
be  of  a  uniform  depth  with  the  stock-boxes  for  inter- 
change of  contents.  Their  bars,  too,  must  be  of  the 
orthodox  seven-eighths  of  an  inch  wide.  There  was  as  great 
a  dread  of  the  frames  touching  the  crown-boards  as  your 
correspondent  seems  to  have  of  my  close-fitting,  honey 
dividing  end  boards.  I  argued  then,  as  I  do  still,  Nature 
against  equality,  or  adaptation  of  means  to  an  end ;  and 
am  afraid  I  rather  shocked  my  scientific  brother,  telling 
him  the  shallowness  of  my  supers,  and  that  their  bars  in 
common  with  the  end  ones  of  my  stock-boxes  were  l^in. 
wide.  I  chaffed  him  as  to  what  attenuated,  miserable  ap- 
pearance honey-combs  seven-eighths  wide  would  make,  that 
his  aim  ought  to  be  as  complete  compartmental  arrange- 
ment as  possible,  not  one  of  equality.  I  rather  sus- 
pect the  value  of  the  broad  bir  was  never  fully  appre- 
ciated in  the  South  till  the  rich,  massive  combs  of  the 
Scotch  exhibits  at  the  first  Honey  Show  at  the  Crystal 
Palace  attracted  universal  admiration.  I  am  twitted  with 
being  unable  to  interchange  the  end  combs  for  central 
frames  ;  and  I  am  proud  to  say  the  Stewarton  end  admits 
facility  for  no  such  bad  practice,  but  those  bars  fit  either 
end  of  each  box,  a  fact  your  correspondent  seems  not  yet 
to  have  discovered. 

So  far  from  Mr.  Cowan's  position,  that  the  Stewarton 
is  the  '  stepping-stone  '  to  the  square  frame-hive,  in  my 
experience  the  very  opposite  holds  good.  '  Contracting 
the  space '  has  always  appeared  to  me  as  a  confession  of 
weakness,  dwindling  members,  retrogression,  in  short ; 
the  pair  of  dividing-boards  as  the  crutches  on  which  the 
invalid  leant  in  hope  of  being  restored  to  a  measure  of 
strength :  crutches  and  splints  are  doubtless  very  useful 
aids  for  the  weak  and  broken  members  of  the  apiary. 
When  I  found  the  Stewarton  I  found  an  essentially 
strong  hive  system,  independent  of  all  such  appliances. 

1  grant  that  the  queen  can  be  more  readily  found 
between  the  dividing-boards  or  in  a  common  frame-hive 
than  amongst  the  teeming  population  of  a  many-storied 
Stewarton  colony ;  the  bee-keepers'  great  desideratum  is 
not  to  find  the  queen,  but  the  honey.  Beyond  craving 
an  audience  to  satisfy  myself  of  the  safety  of  all  my 
queens  at  the  spring  overhaul,  and  again  for  the  deposi- 
tion of  the  aged  in  autumn,  i  rarely  disturb  my  honey- 
yielding  colonies  for  such  a  purpose,  and  experience  little 
trouble  of  finding  her  on  the  frames  of  the  central  brood- 
nest,  from  which  the  German  idea  is  she  passes  at  her  peril. 
It  is  the  queen  of  the  frequently-disturbed  hive  which 
makes  off,  and  hides  in  the  clusters  of  the  odd'corners.  It 
is  in  such  inelastic  hives  as  the  common  frame  fixed  to 
legs  and  cover,  rendering  the  natural  extension  of  breed- 
ing space  in  a  downward  direction  impossible  that  the 
necesssity  existing  for  searching  for  queens,  temporarily 
removing  filling-supers  or  frames  to  cut  out  royal  cells, 
and  the  endless  manipulations  consequent  on  trying  to 
frustrate  the  swarming  propensity  of  bees  from  that 
anomalous  state  of  matters  as  a  moveable  comb  system 
located  within  a  fixed  breeding  space. 

I  dissent  entirely  from  the  theory  that,  'Bees  are 
more  inclined  to  extend  their  brood-chamber  laterally. 
Combs  are  at  all  times  more  rapidly  both  built  and 
egged  in  the  centre  than  at  the  sides  of  the  cluster,  the 
case  put  by  your  correspondent  does  not  prove  anything 
beyond  the  saving  of  labour  to  a  weak  stock  being 
supplied  witli  borrowed  empty  combs.  Surely  this  idea 
is  carried  a  little  too  far  when  it  is  remembered  it  takes 
something  like  three  weeks  to  mature  the  first  batch. 
'  Spreading  the  brood,'  as  I  have  already  put  it,  is  best 
left  to  the  instincts  and  numbers  of  the  nurse-bees ;  and 


April  1,  1881.] 


THE  BEITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


241 


your  readers  would  do  well  to  ponder  the  excellent  aud 
timely  advice  given  by  our  Editor  on  this  point  first 
page  last  month's  Journal. 

The  rapidity  with  which  strong  Stewarton  colonies  in 
favourable  seasons  complete  their  supers  generally  renders 
partial  deprivation  unnecessary.  Still,  1  fear,  when  in  a 
strait  for  table  use  I  have  removed  sealed  end  combs,  ou 
more  than  one  occasion  ere  the  central  were  completed. 
It  is,  however,  new  to  me  that  our  little  favourites  use  one 
thickness  of  cell  caps  for  Stewarton,  and  another  for  sec- 
tional supers. 

It  is  perfectly  true  that  a  strong  colony  is  more  easily 
got  up  for  the  novice ;  and  beautiful  completed  supers 
for  competition  obtained  at  the  expense  of  combining 
two  prime  swarms.  Still  the  supers  usually  more  than 
repay  the  cost  of  bees,  with  an  amply-found  strong 
colony  to  boot  for  succeeding-  season's  campaigns. 

Thanks  to  the  thoroughly  moveable  nature  of  the 
contents  of  the  Renfrewshire  Stewarton,  I  must  confess 
it  is  now  many  years  since  I  combined  two  swarms  to 
found  a  new  colony.  These  are  built  up  from  newly- 
combed  frames,  ripe  brood  coupled  with  the  flying 
bees  of  outlying  moved  straws,  on  which  table  glasses 
are  being  filled  with  the  assistance  of  the  adhering  young- 
bees  and  fresh  eggs.  In  the  first  instance,  to  get  up 
royal  cells,  some  ten  days  thereafter  these  cells  are 
divided  amongst  as  many  additional  young  stocks  then 
started  as  required.  So  soon  as  the  honey  harvest  wanes 
early  in  August,  these  young  stocks  are  fed  up  till  they 
possess  as  much  sealed  -  food  as  will  support  them  in 
affluence  till  the  succeeding  season,  which  has  the  effect 
of  adding  naturally  to  the  youthful  element,  the  life- 
blood  of  every  colony.  The  population  is  still  further 
augmented  by  the  entire  bees  of  the  adjoining  con- 
demned old  colony  being-  swept  from  the  combs  into  an 
empty  Stewai  ton  box,  their  queen  caged.  At  dusk  she 
is  destroyed,  the  young  colony  sets  on  top,  and  slides 
drawn,  when  a  peaceful  union  ensues.  "With  an  abundant 
supply  of  pollen  in  spring,  such  stocks,  beyond  cleaning 
'their  boards,  require  no  further  attention,  and,  like  all 
well-found  prosperous  ones,  are  best  left  to  regulate  the 
commencement  of  laying  and  spreading  the  brood  in 
keeping  with  their  respective  strengths  and  the  wonderful 
instinct  of  the  bees  in  forecasting  the  weather.  Stimu- 
lating too  early,  and  breeding  checked,  tell  almost  as 
disastrously  on  the  queen  and  after  prosperity,  as  the 
premature  expansion  of  the  fruit-blossoms  does  on  the 
fruit  crop. 

The  scientists  of  our  hobby,  to  obtain  uniformity  of 
combs,  attempted  to  solve  the  problem  of  squaring  the 
circle,  or  deviating  from  the  spherical  shape  of  domicile 
most  in  keeping  with  the  form  bees  naturally  assume. 
The  octagon  is  the  nearest  approach  to  the  sphere  in 
wood,  and  after  testing  it  for  years  against  the  square, 
I  found  the  bees  in  the  former  came  out  much  drier  and 
stronger  in  spring.  Both  breeding  and  comb-building 
went  on  faster  and  more  uninterruptedly  than  in  the 
latter,  which  a  little  reflection  easily  accounted  for  from 
the  heat  of  the  cluster  ascending  to  keep  the  food  and 
brood  overhead  warm,  setting  free  a  greater  number  of 
workers  than  could  be  spared  for  division  ends  of  square. 
On  the  approach  of  the  cold  spell,  they  were  forced  to 
pack  towards  the  centre,  and  abandon  the  outworks. 
With  the  telescopic  expansion  of  all  the  parts  of  the 
octagon,  to  prevent  the  annoyance  and  loss  of  swarms, 
the  trouble  of  coddling,  and  expense  of  feeding,  and, 
above  all,  the  magnificent  harvests  reaped  with  so  little 
trouble  as  to  induce  the  Rev.  Mr,  Bartruui  to  happily 
dub  it  '  the  hive  of  the  busy  man,'  and  the  present  writer 
long  ago  to  abandon  the  square  for  the  octagon  form, 
that  form  'used  with  success  in  Scotland'  208  years  ago, 
and  down  to  last  season,  when  it  was  recorded  that  a 
Stewarton  and  its  swarms  yielded  in  the  Island  of  Arran 
the  splendid  harvest  of  481  lbs. — A  Renfeewsiiihe 
Bee-keepeb. 


STEALING  AND  APPROPRIATING  IDEAS. 

No.  1. 
I  observed  an  article  in  the  British.  Bee  Journal  of 
March  1st,  1881,  under  the  above  heading,  signed  'A 
Lanarkshire  Bee-keeper,' the  inventor  of  the  Lanarkshiie 
bar-frame  hive ;  and  I  would  advise  him  before  trying  to 
raise  a  quarrel,  to  come  out  from  behind  the  hedge,  as  I 
do  not  like  to  see  any  one  claiming  to  be  a  Scotchman 
acting  in  a  cowardly  way. 

I  do  not  wish  to  have  a  paper  quarrel  with  the  writer 
such  as  he  had  eighteen  months  ago  with  the  Editor  of 
the  Dumfries  Standard  against  Mr.  Armstrong,  of  Max- 
welton,  whom  the  '  Lanarkshire  Bee-keeper '  blamed  for 
stealing  his  ideas.  Unity  and  harmony  among  bee- 
keepers will  better  tend  to  advance  the  cause  of  apicul- 
ture than  following  my  Lanarkshire  friend's  example  of 
charging  every  inventor  with  stealing  his  ideas.  When 
Mr.  Wilson  and  I  got  up  the  Dalbeattie  hive,  we  meant 
it  for  our  own  use,  and  if  it  has  injured  '  the  Lanarkshire 
Bee-keeper'  I  am  very  sorry  for  it ;  but  if  I  have  an}-  of 
his  ideas  in  the  Dalbeattie  hive  I  am  not  aware  of  it. 

'  The  Lanarkshire  Bee-keeper'  will  know  that  it  is  im- 
possible to  make  a  frame-hive  without  frames ;  and  if 
mine  differ  from  those  in  the  Lanarkshire  hive,  and  are 
more  suitable  for  the  work  they  are  intended  for,  I  can- 
not be  guilt}-  of  stealing  his  ideas.     I  may  also  inform 
him  that  the  Dalbeattie  hive  was  in  use  for  some  time 
before  I  saw  the  Lanarkshire  hive  at  Kelso,  and  that  I 
have  made  no  alterations  on  it  since ;  and   as  for  the 
American  Eclectic,  I  never  heard  of  it  until  I  saw  it 
mentioned  in  the  letter  in  question.  To  save '  the  Lanark- 
shire Bee-keeper'  any  more  writing  on  the  subject,  if  he 
will  come  to  Dalbeattie  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  see  him, 
and  will  show  him  the  Dalbeattie  hive  as  it  is  ;  and  if  he 
can  find   anything   in  it  or  in  any   other  hives  in  my 
apiary  that  he  can  claim  to  be  of  his  invention,  I  will 
give  him  honour  for  it,  for  I  wish  to  deal  fairly  with 
every   one,- and  I   hope  to   be   honourably  dealt  with. 
I  was  greatly  amused  at  the  absurdity  of  training  cats  to 
catch  mice.     The   cats   in   this   district  have  sufficient 
instinct  about  them  to  catch  mice  without  training  ;  and 
if  he  wishes  one  of  them  I  will  send  him  it,  and  I  can 
as-ure   him  it  is  neither  his  nor  my  invention. — John 
Thomson,  102  High  Street,  Dalbeattie. 
No.  2. 
Your  correspondent,  '  A  Lanarkshire  Bee-keeper,'  at 
page  223,  is,  I  think,  very  unfair  in  his  remarks  with 
regard  to  what  I  said  in  the  discussion  on  the  Stewarton 
hive.     If  he  had  carefully  read  the  discussion,  he  woidd 
have  found  that  I  made  no  such  claim  with  regard  to 
close-fitting  division-boards  as  his  letter  implies;  in  fact, 
throughout  the  discussion  I  never  even  once  mentioned 
them.     I  certainly  did  not  claim  to  have  invented  them. 
— Thos.   "Wm.  Cowan,    Compton   Lea,   Horsham,  18th 
March,  1881. 

ON  THE  DERIVATION  OF  THE  ORGANIC 
POWERS  OF  THE  BEE  FROM  SUGAR. 

Iu'ply  to  the  Article  of  Mr.  Cheshire  in  No.  94. 
A  bee,  that  has  become  incapable  of  flight,  in  a  few 
minutes  after  partaking  of  sugar,  runs  and  flies  as 
cleverly  as  before.  It  may  be  concluded  from  this  that 
the  muscular  and  nervous  tissues  were  not  worn  out. 
The  muscles  could  not  be  used  up  for  lack  of  nutriment, 
because  there  is  still  a  sufficient  store  of  albumen  in 
the  stomach.  I  have  dissected  bees  after  they  have 
become  incapable  of  flight,  and  others  that  were  already 
dead.  I  could  press  out  of  the  chyle-forming  stomach  a 
considerable  quantity  of  albumen,  which  cohered  like 
the  white  of  an  egg,  and  coagulated  under  heat  and 
nitric  acid.  Siuce  there  was  albumen  enough  present  to 
restore  the  disabled  muscle,  it  would  not  matter  whether 
the  bee  could  digest  pollen  or  not.     The  decomposition 


242 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[April  1,  1881. 


of  muscle  could  continue  very  well  without  sugar,  because 
the  muscles  and  nerves  were  uninjured,  and  albumen  enough 
was  present  in  the  body,  and  yet  the  bee  could  not  fly. 

It  follows,  therefore,  that  the  decomposition  of  mus- 
cular tissue  and  albumen  in  the  blood  does  not  suffice 
to  produce  motion.  The  bee  dies,  therefore  the  organic 
activities  of  the  bee  are  not  effected  solely  by  the 
decomposition  of  tissue  and  albumen. 

The  reply  might  be  made,  —  Sugar  restores  motion 
because  it  helps  to  restore  muscular  tissue.  I  do  not 
believe  there  is  a  physiologist  who  would  assent  to  that, 
since  Liebig  has  taught  us  it  is  albuminous  matter  that 
builds  up  the  body. 

It  might  be  further  replied, — If  the  bee  receives  no 
sugar,  no  decomposition  of  muscular  tissue  occur,?,  or 
only  in  a  limited  degree.  When  this  objection  is  made, 
it  allows  that  the  decomposition  of  the  forces  contained 
in  sugar  are  necessary  to  organic  activity ;  it  grants  the 
point/which  it  has  been  my  purpose  to  prove  bj'  experiment. 

Mr.  Cheshire  saj'S  want  of  sugar  causes  a  collapse, 
which  makes  the  bee  incapable  of  digesting  pollen. 
Here  he  arrives  at  exactly  the  same  conclusion  that  I 
do,  namely,  that  the  decomposition  of  the  digestive 
glands  and  albumen  do  not  suffice  to  produce  pepsin, 
that  the  decomposition  of  muscle  and  albumen  does  not 
suffice  to  produce  motion,  that  the  decomposition  of  a 
tissue  and  the  albumen  does  not  suffice  to  produce  its 
function,  that  the  co-operation  of  another  substance  is 
necessary,  that  the  atti  actions  of  the  atoms  of  sugar  are 
transmuted  into  organic  activity. 

Mr.  Cheshire  says,  '  Pollen  is  an  insoluble  substance.' 
The  pollen  is  not  consumed  by  the  bee,  but  the  albumen 
in  the  pollen  being  soluble  is  extracted,  consumed,  and 
requires  alteration  in  order  to  be  taken  into  the  economy 
by  the  absorbents. 

Mr.  Cheshire  says, '  That  the  decomposition  of  muscular 
tissue  is  not  the  sole  origin  of  motive  power,  physiologists 
have  long  proved  by  experiments  upon  the  amount  of 
urea  evolved  by  men  and  animals  under  certain  measured 
muscular  effort,  and  does  not,  I  submit,  depend  upon 
anything  that  Mayer  has  taught  us  in  relation  to  the 
conservation  of  energy.' 

In  former  times  it  was  believed  that  the  combination 
of  oxygen  with  the  tissue  was  the  origin  of  the  organic 
powers.  After  Mayer  had  published  his  ideas  in 
Germany,  and  Joule  had  published  his  experiments  in 
England,  it  was  believed  that  the  forces  which  were  set 
free  through  the  combination  of  oxygen  with  muscular 
tissue  were  the  origin  of  motion.  But  experiments  proved, 
that  in  activity  but  little  or  no  more  urea  is  produced  than 
in  a  state  of  repose.  Many  believed  now  that  the  same 
powers  which  are  set  free  in  decomposition  in  a  state  of  re- 
pose, in  activity  are  expended  on  motion.  Others  believed 
that  the  decomposition  of  sugar  and  fat  originated  motion. 

Kelt  proved  now  by  a  calculation  based  upon  the 
mechanical  equivalent  of  heat  discovered  by  Mayer  and 
Joule,  that  decomposition  of  muscle  in  a  state  of  repose 
does  not  suffice  to  explain  motion. 

When  Mr.  Cheshire  saj-s,  physiologists  had  con- 
cluded from  the  amount  of  urea  evolved  under  a  certain 
amount  of  muscular  effort  that  the  powers  resulting 
from  decomposition  of  muscular  tissue  are  not  the  only 
ones  producing  motion,  this  conclusion  coidd  only  be 
arrived  at  through  the  mechanical  equitalent  of  heat, 
which  is  based  on  the  theory  of  the  conservation  of 
energy. — Dr.  Donhoff,  Orsoy,  Lower  Bhine. 


Medicinal  Proi'kjities  of  Honey. — Honey  is  the 
yreatest  diluter  t if  the  bland,  but  if  partaken  of  too  freely, 
causes  a  sensation  akin  to  intoxication.  A  teaspoonful 
dissolved  in  a  glass  of  sherry-wine  creates  a  good  appetite. 
In  that  fatal  disease  (trichinosis)  from  eating  diseased 
■pork,  honey  spread  on  brown  paper,  as  a  piaster,  and 
applied  to  the  chest,  the  trichina:  quit  their  abode,  and 
will  be  found  in  the  plaster. — James  Bruce. 


(2B.dj0£S  front  %  Hitas. 


Beaurepaire  Park,  Basingstoke,  Hants,  March  1881. 
— '  It  may  interest  you  and  your  readers  to  know  that 
I  am  still  making  gifts  to  my  friends,  and  consuming  at 
home  honey  (taken,  of  course,  through  the  medium  of  an 
extractor)  at  the  harvest  of  1878.  The  honey  in  ques- 
tion is  simplv  perfection,  and  the  jars  are  labelled 
»  July  15th,  1878."'— H.  Welch  Thornton. 

Highgate,  Middlesex,  March  2nd,  1881. — Be  Autumn 
Stimulation. — '  1  believe  that  a  certain  winter  rest  is  as 
necessary  for  the  queen-bee  as  for  a  plant,  and  if  we 
promote  undue  exertions  in  the  autumn  (beyond  the 
normal  time),  she  will  not  answer  with  vigour  to  our 
stimulants  in  early  spring.  It  is,  however,  a  very  inter- 
esting question  which  I  am  trying  to  solve  by  means  of 
early  stimulating  bees  which  have,  and  which  have  not, 
been  stimulated  in  the  previous  autumn.' — T.  B.  Ward. 

Gt.  Yarmouth,  March  r>th,  1831. — 'It  is  ray  intention 
to  start  a  bee-farm  on  a  small  scale  as  I  have  a  large 
garden,  and  I  will,  at  an  early  date,  do  myself  the  pleasure 
of  a  visit  to  your  establishment.  I  am  hon.  secretary  to 
the  Horticultural  Society  here,  and  at  our  show  in  August 
next,  the  Suffolk  Bee  Association  are  intending  to  exhibit 
their  bee-tent  and  system  of  driving.' — Sam.  Baege. 

Whittingham  Hall,  Fressingjield,  near  Harleston,  Nor- 
folk, 7th  March,  1881. — '  I  am  thankful  to  say,  my  stocks 
have  all  parsed  through  this  trying  winter  with  safety, 
owing  principally,  I  believe,  to  the  quilt ;  now  they 
require  different  management.' — S.  F.  Cltttten. 

Kingsbridge,  Devon,  March  8th,  1881. — High  Braise. — 
'  What  a  delightful  number  the  last  B.  B.  Journal  is  ! — in- 
teresting and  instructive.  The.  publication  not  only  keeps 
up  its  interest,  but  in  every  way  increases  in  interest. 
My  eighteen  stocks  are  tearing  at  the  pea-flour, — I  never 
saw  anything  like  it.  There  are  no  flowers  about ;  even 
the  crocuses  do  not  open  well,  owing  to  so  much  wet 
weather,  and  laurustinus  is  killed.  The  pea-flour  is  an 
established  fact.  My  hives  are  all  in  good  condition — 
dry,  healthy,  and  strong, — nolosses  this  winter.  Ihavebeen 
making  some  very  fair  drone  foundation  for  2-lb.  section 
supers,  thin  and  white,  from  plaster  casts ;  but  am  now 
electrotyping  a  sheet  of  foundation  selected,  as  the  casts 
will  not  bear  much  work.  I  back  up  the  electro  with 
metal.  My  worker-sheets  are  quite  good  enough  from 
my  casts,  and  enough  wax  from  my  bees  for  my  purpose. 
I  expect  we  shall  have  a  good  season,  and  I  never,  since 
1841,  took  such  delight  in  my  bees  as  now.  Thanks, 
again  and  again,  for  your  B.  B.  Journal, — it  is  the  making 
of  us  apiarians.' — George  Fox. 

Monifeth,  March  12th. — Early  Queen  Cells. — '  I  have 
been  looking  over  six  hives  this  afternoon,  and  I  found 
brood  in  them  all,  and  I  took  out  six  queen-cells  from  one 
hive.  I  was  afraid  the  old  queen  was  dead,  but  I  found  her 
all  right.  I  was  astonished  to  see  so  many  queen-cells  at, 
this  season,  after  such  a  winter,  but  it  is  a  fact.' — G.  C. 

New  Court,  Boss,  March  15,  1881. —  Queens  leaving  the 
Hives  in  March. — '  Last  Friday  being  very  warm  here, 
my  bees  were  out  pretty  strongly.  One  hive  being  weak, 
I  protected  from  robbers  with  a  piece  of  perforated 
zinc,  leaving  only  a  small  entrance.  On  going  to  look  at 
them  in  the  afternoon,  I  found  the  bees  of  this  stock 
running  about  on  the  alighting-board,  and  thought  at 
first  that  they  were  on  the  look-out  for  robbers  ;  but  on 
looking  on  the  ground  I  found  a  small  bunch  of  bees,  and 
on  examining  them,  found  the  queen  perfectly  well  and 
lively  on  the  ground.  Why  she  should  have  come  out  of 
the  hive  I  cannot,  imagine,  for  when  I  put  her  back  again 
the  bees  received  her  with  great  demonstrations  of  joy, 
and  she  has  stayed  at,  home  since.  She  is  a  fine  black 
queen  of  last  year,   and   is  laying.     I  shall  be  greatly 


April  1,  1881.] 


THE  BEITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


243 


obliged  for  any  information  on  this  matter  in  the  next 
Journal. — W.  S.  Clarke. 

[It  is  difficult  to  assign  a  '  reason '  for  what  seems 
more  like  a  freak  than  as  having  occurred  through  as- 
signable cause.  Queens  occasionally  make  mistakes,  as 
did  the  unfortunate  swallow  that  came  over  too  early, 
and  did  '  not  make  a  summer.' — Ed.] 

Cranbrooh,  March  17th,  1881.  —  'My  bees  have 
wintered  very  well  indeed ;  they  have  consumed  very 
little  food.  I  packed  them  (five  frames  of  sealed  store 
covered  with  bees)  with  chaff  at  sides  and  at  top,  and 
put  stops  at  the  frame  ends,  and  when  I  opened  them 
the  other  day,  I  found  nearly  half  their  food  still  left  ; 
I  unsealed  some  of  the  cells  and  substituted  for  the 
fullest  comb  without  any  brood,  an  empty  one  ;  there  is 
now  brood  in  all  stages,  and  some  bees  hatched  out.  I 
shall  now  gently  feed  them  till  the  flowers  are  well  out ; 
they  work  pea-flour  well.' — E.  J.  Holmes. 

Sevenoaks. — '  I  thought  of  making  up  nine  stocks  for 
the  winter,  but  under  the  instructions  of  the  British  Bee 
Journal  I  have  managed  to  save  thirteen  stocks,  by 
making  use  of  driven  bees  from  my  neighbours,  who  don't 
do  any  of  the  new-fangled  tricks,  as  they  call  '  driving.' 
Bad  as  the  season  has  been,  the  bees  are  all  out  working 
(March  5).  It  is  rather  mild,  but  damp  and  foggy.  I 
saw  in  the  Journal  that  Mr.  Cheshire  stated  that  a  hive 
would  give  a  profit  of  5^.  I  only  took  notice  (novice- 
like) of  one  of  my  boxes  last  year,  and  on  the  7th  of 
Jul}'  I  took  off  one  super,  weighing  201bs.  (in  sections), 
and  I  also  took  off  10  lbs.  more  afterwards,  which  I  had 
no  trouble  in  selling  at  Is.  Gd.  per  lb.,  and  I  had  one 
good  swarm,  value  15s.,  besides  a  cast.  I  think  I  am 
doing  well,  considering  the  short  time  I  have  started  in 
this  business.' — Or.  Sands. 

Weston,  Leamington. —  Wintering. — Dry  Sugarfor  Bees. 
■ — 'During  the  lastweek  in  February, finding  two  stocks  of 
bees  starved,  I  looked  over  the  whole  of  my  sixty  stocks.  I 
found  two  others  that  had  lost  half  their  bees,  the  queens 
being  all  right ;  and  another  that  had  lost  its  queen  and  half 
the  bees  ;  the  rest  are  in  fair  condition.  The  stock  I  drove 
last  autumn,  and  gave  four  combs  and  just  a  little  syrup, 
and  a  large  lump  of  loaf  sugar  on  top  of  the  frames,  are 
in  good  condition;  and  thinking  that  perhaps  the  sugar 
was  thrown  on  the  floor-board,  I  lifted  them  off  and 
found  just  a  few  chibblings  of  what  appeared  to  be 
comb  or  cappings,  and  one  dead  bee  only.  The  bees  had 
entirely  eaten  through  the  centre  of  the  sugar,  but  had 
not  consumed  I  should  think  more  than  two-thirds  of  the 
whole.  I  feel  satisfied  that  if  those  two  stocks  that  were 
starved  had  had  about  2  lbs.  each  of  dry  loaf  sugar  on  the 
top  of  their  frames,  they  would  not  have  been  lost.' — 
A  Warwickshire  Bee-Keeper. 

Liverpool. — '  I  have  seven  stocks  in  bar-frames,  but 
have  not  examined  them  since  winter.  I  should  like  to 
work  ■  out  your  idea  about  contracting  the  brood-nest, 
for  that  must  be  the  reason  of  the  lateness  in  swarming 
from  frame-hives.' — John  M.  Sadler. 

Blair  Athol. — '  The  severest  of  winters  is  about 
ended.  The  bees  are  in  splendid  condition,  and  prospects 
bright — if  we  can  but  get  bright  weather.' — A.  C. 

Fonthill. — '  Have  overhauled  my  hives  and  find  them 
on  the  whole  in  wonderful  condition.  The  bees  simply 
swarm  to  the  artificial  pollen  this  year.' — A.  CI.  I!. 

Stwminster,  Newton. — 'The  people  that  I  am  living 
with  have  been  bee-keepers  on  a  large  scale ;  but  their 
bees  are  all  dead  now,  and  they  are  surprised  to  find  mine 
are  all  alive,  which  is  the  result  of  feeding  and  hints  from 
your  paper.' — C.  C.  C. 

Association  for  Cheltenham  and  District. — 'I  should 
like  to  start  a  Bee-keepers'  Association  in  this  neighbour- 
hood, if  I  could  get  some  others  to  join  me,  but  there  does 
not  seem  to  be  any  one  else  who  takes  an  interest  in  bees 
about  here.' — Thomas  Baker,  Farmcote,  Wristcombe, 
Cheltenham. 


(gmrits  anb  Dalies. 

Query  No.  379. — Wishing  to  make  my  stocks  of  bees 
strong  and  not  increase  their  number,  should  I  do  rightly 
with  a  middle  of  May  swarm,  when  the  nights  may  be 
still  cold,  to  drive  out  all  the  bees  with  the  swarm,  re- 
moving one  queen,  hive  them  and  place  them  back  on  the 
old  stand  from  which  they  swarmed  ?  Then  I  propose 
to  take  the  eight  frames,  with  comb  denuded  of  bees, 
with  queen-cells  removed  and  join  to  another  eight  in  one 
of  your  Combination  hives,  giving  the  bees  thus  sixteen 
combs  of  brood,  &c,  to  keep  warm  and  tend;  are  these 
too  many  ?  Would  you  advise  the  foreign  frames  to  be 
placed  at  the  back  of  those  already  in  the  hive,  or  alter- 
nately with  them,  or  only  in  the  centre  ?  Also,  should 
the  swarm  and  rest  of  the  bees,  when  hived,  be  supered 
at  once,  as  they  will  be  very  numerous  ? — K.  C.  J. 

Reply  to  Query-  No.  379. — The  queen  of  the  swarm 
must  on  no  account  be  removed,  or,  the  bees  having  no 
means  of  raising  another,  will  come  to  grief.  Otherwise 
the  plan  proposed  will  most  probable  prevent  increase  of 
stock.  We  question  if  the  great  increase  of  the  brood- 
nest  in  No.  2  stock  will  not  tend  to  retard  the  filling  of 
supers,  and  cause  the  honey  to  be  deposited  in  the  combs 
on  the  ground-floor.  The  nights  being  admittedly  cold, 
we  would  carefully  place  all  the  brood-combs  together  in 
No.  2  hive,  that  the  bees  may  find  no  difficulty  in  doing 
their  doubled  duty  and  keeping  the  brood  warm.  It  will, 
therefore,  be  wiser  to  super  '  at  once.' — Ed. 

Query  No.  380.  —  The  Steirarton  Hire. — I  have  a 
si  mug  stock  of  bees  in  a  Stewarton  hive  of  three  divi- 
sions. At  the  right  time,  after  drawing  all  the  slides, 
can  I  make  an  artificial  swarm  by  drumming  the  sides  Y  or 
should  I  succeed  better  by  taking  the  two  top  divisions 
away  and  placing  them  on  a  new-  stand  ? — R.  II. 

Reply  to  Q.uery  No.  380. — Either  of  the  proposed 
plans  will  answer  the  purpose,  but  the  very  best  way 
will  be  to  catch  the  queen,  put  her  into  a  new  hive  fitted 
with  comb  foundation,  and  place  it  upon  the  stand  of  the 
present  stock  (when  the  time  comes),  when  the  bees, 
such  as  would  form  a  natural  swarm,  will  go  to  it  and 
form  the  artificial  one. — Ed. 

NOTICES  TO  CORRESPONDENTS  &  INQUIRERS. 


Stratford-on-Avon. — Preventing  after-swarms. — Cut- 
ting out  the  queen-cells,  less  one,  a  week  after  a  first 
swarm  has  issued,  will  generally  prevent  after-swarming ; 
lint  if  a  swarm  should  issue  after  such  treatment,  it 
should  be  returned  to  the  hive  in  the  evening. 

Surplus  Honey-. — If  in  sectional  supers,  there  should 
be  no  difficulty  in  selling  it  to  neighbouring  grocers  for 
them  to  retail  it  to  the  public,  but  run  honey  is  too 
often,  and  with  reason,  looked  upon  with  suspicion. 
Mr.  Baldwin,  the  Association  expert,  has  been  appointed 
agent  for  the  sale  of  honey,  the  property  of  members. 
— See  letter  in  Journal  of  March  last,  also  refer  to 
'  Honey  Market,'  p.  140  of  present  vol.  of  Journal. 

J.  A. —  Weak  Hive. — It  maybe  too  weak  to  be  worth 
joining,  and  it  will  be  useless  to  raise  a  queen  in  it, 
unless  there  are  drones  at  the  time,  which  you  will 
know  better  than  we. 

J.Fitz  H.,  Dorset. — Duplication  of  Eggs. —  It  is  unusual 
for  queens  to  put  two  eggs  in  single  cells,  and  that  is 
all  that  need  be  said  of  it  ;  but  fertile  workers  often 
deposit  as  many  as  twenty  in  a  cell. 

Vacancy  on  the  B.  B.  K.  A.  Committee. — We  are 
sorry  to  announce  that  Mr.  Edmund  Whealler,  of  The 
Waldrons,  Croydon,  one  of  the  newly-elected  mem- 
bers of  the  above  Committee,  will  shortly  be  leaving 
England  for  China.  He  wishes  us  to  convey  to  all 
friends  his  regret  on  leaving  them,  and  to  express  his 


244 


THE  BRITISH  BEE  JOURNAL. 


[April  1,  1881. 


sorrow  for  the  trouble  they  took  to  elect  him  to  the 
Committee.  Mr.  Whealler  is  so  active  and  energetic 
a  bee-keeper,  that  we  have  every  confidence  he  will 
carry  the  bee-keeping  '  mania '  with  him  to  the 
celestial  land  of  his  adoption. 

Bee-keepers'  Almanac.  —  Barley  -  sugar.  —  Captain 
Martin  wishes  us  to  correct  an  error  in  the  recipe 
given  for  making  the  above;  for  'half -a -pint '  of 
vinegar,  please  read,  half  a  wineglass -fill,  and  pro- 
ceed as  directed. 

Cheshire  Entrances. — This  device  is  not  applicable 
to  hives  whose  entrances  are  sunk  into  (or  cut  out  of) 
the  floor-board.  They  will  doubtless  answer  their 
intended  purpose  as  light-excluders,  but  in  cases  of 
robbing  we  should  prefer  the  perforated  zinc  tube 
described  on  first  page  of  March  number  of  Journal. 
Crooked  and  tunnelled  entrances  are  liable  to  become 
choked  with  dead  or  struggling  bees,  as  many  have 
found  to  their  cost. 

Cheap  Pine. — I/yon  Hives,  Northumbria. — Mr.  Lyon  is 
entirely  wrong  in  his  quotation  for  best  pine.  Instead 
of  4s.  for  a  12  feet  3  x  11  plank  of  first  (or  best) 
quality,  the  charge  will  be  lis.  First  quality  pine 
should  contain  neither  knots  nor  shakes,  and  it  should 
be  straight-grained,  as  described  by  Mr.  Lyon.  That 
which  differs  in  these  respects  in  only  moderate 
degree,  is  called  '  seconds,'  and  anything  worse  is 
called  '  thirds  ; '  and  it  is  this  last  named  that  is  sold 
by  timber  merchants  at  4s.  per  plank,  12  feet  3  x  11. 
For  bee-hive  making,  the  pine  at  4s.  per  plank  will  be 
found  very  useful,  but  the  purchaser  must  not  expect 
to  be  able  to  make  actual  use  of  more  than  one  half 
of  it ;  he  must  cut  and  contrive  to  avoid  the  knots 
and  shakes,  but  unless  very  fortunate,  half  the  plank 
will  be  left  for  firewood,  though,  even  then,  it  will 
be  far  cheaper  than  the  '  high-priced,'  which  is  not 
always  what  is  promised. 

T.  Baker,  Cheltenliam. — Best  Hive  for  Cottager. — 
Should  be  a  frame-hive.     Mr.  Lyon's  paper  describes 


a  cheap  one  if  he  be  able  to  make  it,  or  our  leaflet  on 
Starting  with  Bees  shows  how  to  obtain  a  box  and 
frames  which  may  be  added  to.  If  all  must  be  pur- 
chased, the  catalogues  of  traders  should  be  obtained, 
and  one  at  a  price  suitable  selected.  A  prize  was 
given  for  a  very  cheap  hive  for  cottagers,  at  the  last 
Dairy  Show,  but  we  are  not  able  to  give  an  account 
of  it,  not  having  seen  it. 

Clarifying  Wax.— We  know  of  no  better  means  than 
rernelting  and  throwing  it  into  cold  water,  where  it 
will  part  with  the  dirt  and  float  on  top ;  but  it  will 
be  no  easy  task  to  turn  '  dirty  brown  wax  '  to  '  bright 
yellow.'    Can  any  of  our  readers  give  any  help  ? 

Witton  Gilbert.  — It  is  as  easy  to  put  dividers  between 
the  sections  at  back  of  brood  nest,  as  on  top.  Excluders 
would  be  certain  to  prevent  the  queens  getting  to  the 
super,  or  to  the  sections  in  rear.  Foundations  should 
hang  clear  of  frame  ends,  and  about  f  inch  from  the 
bottom  bar.  Cutting  down  the  cell-walls  of  old 
comb,  whether  on  wood  or  all  wax,  will  cause  the 
bees  to  build  anew ;  but  if  you  clean  off  all  the  wax 
from  the  wooden,  and  simply  give  it  a  new  coat  with- 
out its  being  properly  impressed,  it  will  be  a  failure. 
We  cannot  tell  you  the  cost  of  a  mould;  our  machine 
co?t  about  91.  Hives  made  on  our  Combination  or 
Irish  principle,  offer  special  facilities  for  the  removal 
of  frames,  the  back  of  the  brood-nest  being  removable, 
giving  opportunity  for  parting  the  frames  at  any 
point  and  withdrawing  them.  The  quilt  should 
always  be  used,  except  when  supers  are  on  the  hive. 

Hives  rich  in  Autumn,  would  naturally  have  kept  up 
their  breeding  at  that,  time,  and  would  go  into  winter 
quarters  with  plenty  of  young  bees,  which  will  account 
for  their  being  in  good  order  in  the  spring. 

Covers  for  binding  Volumes  of  the  British  Bee  Journal 
may  be  had  from  our  office,  Southall,  Middlesex,  price 
one  shilling,  postage  2i<#.  The  Index  to  Volume  VIII. 
will  be  found  in  the  April  number. 


COZCTTZRIZBTTTOIRS    TO    VOL.    "VIII. 


Adams,  A.,  94,  218 
Adams,  John  E.,  179 
Aldridge,  Eev.  J.  M.,  220 
Amateur,  239 
A.  W.,  118 
A.  W.  C,  16 
A.  W.  M.,  138 
Barrell,  G.  F.,  36 
Bartrum,  Bev.  E.,  153 
Beale-Browne,  T.,  73,  116 
'  Bee  Brother,'  a,  218 
Bennett,  B.  J.,  140,  172 
Blandford,  198. 
Booker-Hill,  A.,  71, 179,  198 
Breen,  D.,  56 
Brooks,  C.  W.,  71 
Bruce,  H.,  jun.,  197 
Bruce,  James,  17 
Cameron,  A.,  59 
Carr,  W.,  94 
C.  C.  B.,  198 
C.  E.  F.,  16 
Cheshire,  F.,  174,  196 
C.  J.  B.,  137 
Clarke,  A.  J.,  178 
Clarke,  S.,  35 
Clarke,  W.  S.,  180 
Clutten,  S.  F.,  16 
Cockburn,  A.,  20,  35,  120 
Country  Parson,  176 
Cowan,  T.  W.,  115, 120, 157, 

158,  220,  241 
Crisp,  W.,  19,  163,  217 
C.  B.  S.,  58,  93 
C.  T.,  119,  140 


Cumberland  Parson,  a,  219 
Cuthbert,  J.  G.,  57 
Davies,  John,  93 
Davis,  A.,  159,  175,  177 
Denuler,  Herr,  34 
Desborough,  J.  G.,  73 
Detwiler,  J.  X.,  217 
Donhoff,  Dr.,  145,  172,  194, 

215,  236,  241 
Dorset,  161 

Douglas,  Jos.  P.,  198,  199 
Dunman,  W.  H.,  jun.,  57 
Edwards,  C.  H.,  16 
Enock,  J.,  18 
Feilding,  C,  96 
F.  H.  H.,  138 
Fox,  George,  71,  72 
Fuggle,  H.,  199 
Fust,  H.  Jenner,  57 

F.  W.  S.,  20 

G.  A.  E.,  39,  139 
Garratt,  J.,  21,  56 
G.  C.  E.,  55 
Goosequill,  159 
G.  B.,  38 

G.  E.  (Diss),  73,  200 
G.  W.  72,  93 
Hadfield,  J.,  31 
Haig,  J.  E.,  75 
H.  B.  W.,  217 
H.  C.  S.,  38 
Head,  117 
H.  F.,  21 
Hunter,  J.,  55 
Jackson,  J.  P.,  8,  17 


Janes.  James,  18 

J.  A.  E.,  37,  180 

J.  H.  D.,  36,  141 

J.  H.  V.,  160 

J.  M.  B.,  177 

Jones,  D.  A.,  33 

Joyce,  W.  T.,  36,  201 

J.  S.  (Arbroath),  74 

J.  W.  L.,  57 

Kewley,  Bev.  J.  E.,  68 

King,  David,  39 

Lanarkshire  Bee-keeper,  221 

Larbert,  D.  S.,  72 

Lemare,  F.  H.,  15,  72 

L.  E.  E.,  21,  96 

Lister,  E.  W.,  200 

LlonRborth,  140 

Lyon,  F.,  211 

Macdonnell,  S.,  116,  201 

Measures,  J.  W.,  70 

Neighbour,  G.,  142,  156 

Neubert,  A.,  18 

Newtownards  Bee-keeper,  a, 

221 
Nicholl,  Bev.  S.,  73,  92, 143, 

178 
Ommanney,  O.,  199 
Page,  J.,  160 
Parish,  F.,  162,  239 
Parson,  H„  20,  238 
Partridge,  E.  W.,  17 
Pearson,  G.  F.,  58,  107, 162, 

195 
Peel,  Eev.  H.  E.,  68 
Phillips,  P.  H.,  118 


Potter,  J.  J.,  72 
Procter,  Eev.  G.  A.,  162 
Questioner,  a,  35 
Eamsay,  D.,  21 
Banger,  Bobert,  162 
Benfrewshire  Bee-keeper,  a, 

54,  55,  153,  154,  170,  240 
Bichardson,  S.,  161 
E.  J.  E.,  57 
E.  J.  T.,  118 
Sands,  G.,  117 
Shufflebotham,  C,  38,  39 
Sisson,  J.  Lawson,  218,  238 
Smith,  C.  W.,  197 
Smyth,  E.,  237 
Somerset,  140,  160 
Sproule,  E.,  159,  175,  176, 

197,  219,  238 
Sturges,  Eev.  H.,  139 
Thomson,  John,  241 
Tolhurst,  J.,  138 
Travnor.  J.,  38,  59,  119, 177 
T.  W.  B.;  161 
Tyrrell,  Bay,  56 
Urell,  J.,  117,  140 
Vincent,  H.  Eussell,  117 
Walker,  W,  jun.,  18 
Ward,  T.  B.,  239 
Warren,  H.,  18 
Warwickshire  Bee-keeper,  a, 

199 
W.  B.,  180 
Whitehouse,  T.,  35 
Wilcox,  Bev.  H.  J.,  71,  116 
Wood,  J.  S.,  92,  137,  138 


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