I J Oct., 1909.] Spring Management of Bees. 635 



Tagasaste is oi some use as a rapidly growing shelter hedge, especially 

 on dry sandy soils, and bears white scented flowers. Like other species 

 of Cytisus, it is probably poisonous when continually eaten, and_ it can 

 often be seen how cattle and horses deliberately avoid it when grazing. 



The Tree Lucerne (Mcdicago arhored), on the other^ hand, while it 

 can be used for hedges, is also a useful fodder plant. Cattle and horses 

 eat it readily, and it promotes the flow of vcXW, while being deep rooted 

 it is as resistant to drought as the ordinary lucerne, although being taller 

 it is more exposed. A clump of Tree Lucerne would be a useful stand-by 

 on anv farm where stock were kept and but little or no fodder stored, but 

 a clump of Tagasaste, the false Tree Lucerne, would be quite useless or 

 even dangerous to use for this purpose. Nevertheless, the confusion 

 between the two names is so great that the purchaser who asked for Tree 

 Lucerne would as likely as not receive Tagasaste, while the seedsman 

 who always supplied Medicago arbcrea when asked for Tree Lucerne would 

 often give his customers a fodder plant when thev merely des'red a shelter 

 hedge. This is one instance of the importance of precision in regard to 

 both the popular and the .scientific names of plants. 



SPRTNCI MANAGEMENT OF BEES. 



A'. BeiiJine, President Vietorian Apiarists^ Association. 

 {Coniinued from page 574.) 



Whether it is preferable to allow natural swarming to take place, or to 

 practise what is generaly called artificial sw^arming, dejjends upon the 

 number of colonies of bees kept in one apiary and the ability of the bee- 

 keeper to keep them under supervision during the swarming hours in fine 

 weather. In an apiary of 100 colonies and upwards, located at the resi- 

 dence of the owner, where someone is likely to be always about during 

 the swarming season, it is perhaps easiest to allow natural swarming, if 

 there should be any indications of it after the weaker colonies ha\e.been 

 levelled up with combs of brood from the stronger ones. 



Where queens are clipped, someone must be in attendance when a 

 swarm issues to pick up the queen and cage her in the new hi\-e, to which 

 the swarm will return if it is placed on the stand occupied by the pare/it 

 stock. The hive of the latter is removed to a new stand, if an increase 

 is desired ; if not, it is only temporarilv shifted until most of the old 

 bees that remained on the combs have returned to the old stand and joined 

 the swarm. In that case, the combs of brood with adhering voung bees 

 mav be used for strengthening any weak colonies still remaining, by giving 

 them one comb of brood and bees each ; any combs without brood and the 

 remaining bees may be returned to the old stand and joined to the swarm. 



An\- queen-cells found on the brood combs distributed should be re- 

 moved. If the swarm issued after a spell of bad weather, it is advisable 

 to look for hatched cells and virgin queens before giving the brood to 

 other cr>lonies, and the combs and bees back to the s-\varm. One comb 

 containing voung larvae and eggs should be given to the swarm along with 

 the frames of full sheets of foundation. This comb of young brood will 

 prevent the troublesome turning out of newly -hived swarms which occurs 

 some seasons. It should, however, be removed again as soon as there is 

 young brood in the other combs, otherwise queen-cells may be raised and a 

 swarm issue before long. .s.hould the queen be old or failing. Swarms 

 W'ill often start queen-cells on the new combs, even when the comb of 



