396 



lack of soluble food-material such as sugar and other 

 substances. Anything which tends to break down one 

 of these barriers to activity may aid in awakening the 

 plant, but if several of them can he broken down escape 

 from winter imprisonment is more probable. 



Now, it is well known that a low temperature ren- 

 ders the outer layer of the cell's protoplasm more 

 permeable. For example, in a severe frost water 

 escapes from the cells into the surrounding spaces, and 

 its lodgment in these spaces may be detected by the 

 rich green color that frosted leaves assume. Further- 

 more, when the temperature falls, starch undergoes a 

 conversion into sugar, as may be inferred from the fact 

 of frosted potatoes having a sweet taste. Hence we 

 must conclude that a failing temperature favors the 

 action of diastase in producing sugar from starch. But 

 the presence of sugar means that supplies of food are 

 available, and the loss of permeability of the proto- 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



plasm means that that food may pass into the cell. 

 Both these conditions are favoral^le to growth, so if 

 the plant can throw off the drugged lethargy produced 

 by the self-generated poison gas (carbon dioxide), it 

 is free to resume active life and growth. Probably 

 with the loss of impermeability (water- and air-tight- 

 ness) of the outer layer of the protoplasm, the carbon 

 dioxide imprisoned in the cell escapes, and thus the 

 cell is quit of the anaesthetic action of that gas. 



As will be judged from the foregoing, the proljlem 

 is complex and difficult, and cannot be set forth in 

 simple terms. In this case, though the explanations 

 are incomplete and not altogether free from obscurity, 

 we may see — as in a glass darkly — something of the 

 nature of the struggle whereby the plant escapes from 

 the grip of winter, and something of the way in which 

 a touch of frost helps it out of its prison. — Gardeners' 

 Chronicle (Fnglish). 



Keeping Bees in the Garden 



H. W. SANDERS 



There are few gardeners, either professional, or ama- 

 teur, who need to be informed of the beneficial effects 

 of the visits of insects to their blossoms, or the difficulty 

 of obtaining fruit or seed from many of these without 

 insect help." Chief amongst these visitors to the nectaries 

 of flowers is the honey-bee, the only insect besides the 

 silkworm that is of sufficient economic importance to be 

 kept in captivity — or in such measure of captivity as to 

 enable its produce to be gathered for the service of man. 



There was a time, not so long ago, when firuit-growers 

 and beekeepers were almost at enmity with one another, 

 for the fruitman charged the bees with destroying fruit, 

 and the beekeeper found that indiscriminate sjiraying of 

 the orchards during fruit-blooming time killed his bees 

 by the thousand, often compelling him to seek another 

 location for his apiary. Xow. however, all that is 

 changed, for all progressive orchardists know that bees 

 cannot damage sound fruit, and that their visits to' his 

 blossoms in the spring when but few other insects are 

 abroad ensures the setting of a good crop of fruit. 



Cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, citron, and many other 

 of our garden crops need bees to cross-fertilize them, 

 and the gardener who keeps a few colonies will find this 

 a service that is most valuable to him. 



It is however for their honey that bees have been pri- 

 marilv kept for many centuries — for bee-culture goes so 

 far back that very practical works on their management 

 are extant in the Roman Classics, while the Bible is full 

 of references to bees and honey. Until the last century 

 or so sugar was imknown and honey was about the only 

 sweet in general use. The laws of nearly every civilized 

 country reflect this and the w-riter received a clipping 

 from an English newspaper recently in which an action 

 was taken in court for the recover}' of a swarm which 

 had got away and had been hived by some other person 

 than the owner. The case was decided against him on 

 the strength of a law many centuries old, whereby the 

 owner of a runaway swarm has claim to them only as 

 long as he can follow and keep his eyes on them. This, 

 it inay be mentioned, is the basis for American law on 

 the subject which is substantially in agreement with it. 



Bees were brought over from England very early in 

 the history of the first American Colonies, for we find 

 legal decisions in early days in which bees were men- 

 tioned. Swarms escaped from the Pilgrim fathers' 

 ajiiaries and took to the woods, gradually spreading 

 westward, and they were known by ihc Indians as the 



"White Alan"s Fly," and were regarded as an omen of 

 the spread of white settlements. Even now in remote 

 districts a belief lingers that a swarm always flies west, 

 though there is no basis in fact for it. 



There are an extraordinary number of superstitions 

 connected with bees that one continually meets with, 

 sometimes from the most unexpected sources. Perhaps 

 the mysterious community life that even yet baffles the 

 understanding, and invokes our wonder, caused these 

 ideas to spread. One of the most picturesque is the be- 

 lief that when there occurs a death at the beekeeper's 

 house, the bees must be told that they may attend the 

 funeral. The explanation lies in the fact that bees gather 

 the natural gvnns of trees to make the "Propolis'' which 

 beekeepers know so well. This attracts them to fresh 

 varnish, and when a varnished coffin is carried out, bees 

 will often hover around and alight thereon. 



With the improved methods of handling bees that have 

 been evolved in the last 50 years it is now possible to 

 produce crops of honey far in excess of anything our 

 forefathers dreamed of, and from 100 to 200 pounds of 

 honey is frequently obtained from a single colony in a 

 season. But little care is needed, though it is most es- 

 sential that it should be given at the right time. When 

 the horticultural show comes around in the fall it gives no 

 little pleasure to be able to add a neat pile of honey to 

 one's other exhibit. 



There is an aesthetic side to beekeeping that every 

 nature lover feels, and the pleasant murmur of the hives 

 on some golden day in summer is the most peaceful sound 

 that nature aft'ords. The visitor to the garden will nearly 

 ahvays be interested to pause awhile by the hives on their 

 bit of well-kept lawn, and to watch the busy thousands 

 coming and going, the watchers at the door, the water 

 carriers, and all the other fascinating workers of the hive. 

 \\'here a gentle strain of Italian bees are kept there will 

 be not nuich likelihood of any trouble from stings, and 

 the prudent beekeeper is always careful to avoid the ex- 

 posure of honey, or any other exciting element thai 

 might cause trouble. 



The G.vrdeners' Chronicle has pleasure to annotmcc 

 that articles will appear each month giving practical di- 

 rection on the care aiid management of bees. These will 

 be written from the standpoint of the amateur rather 

 than that of the professional beekeeper and if they are a 

 help to those who keeji bees, or to those who intend to do 

 SI), we shall feel that they ha\e tilled their piu-pose. 



