February 12, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
189 
over thinly, water through a fine-rose pot, stand on a hotbed, and cove 
with a square of glas- 1 . Shale heavily and keep the soil uniformly moist, 
and when the seedlings are up remove the glass and shade from bright 
sunshine only. When large enough to handle they should be pricked off 
thinly in boxes of good soil, kept growing in a warm frame or house till 
well established, and then he gradually hardened off, transferring them 
to a cold frame before they become drawn and weakly. They may be 
hardened off and bedded out in most localities by the middle or end of 
May. Verbena venosa may also be raised from seed, but those who have 
a few old plants will find that the stock is most easily obtained by simply 
nutting the fleshy couch-like roots into short lengths, dibbling these in 
thickly in boxes of good soil, and placing in heat till growths appear. 
Lobelias .—In many gardens the whole stock of dwarf Lobelias is ob¬ 
tained from seed, and if the strain selected prove a good one, the seedlings 
vary but little in either dwarfness, habit, or colour. We prefer raising 
our stock from cuttings or, better still, by dividing old plants ; but at 
one time we depended upon seedlings, notably of Veitch’s strain of 
L. speciosa, L. Erinus erecta, blue, rose, and white sorts. L. pumila magni- 
fica and pumila grandiflora are al-o to be depended upon. The autumn 
is a good time to sow the seed, the seedlings remaining in the pans till 
the spring being then pricked cut in boxes of good soil. Failing this, no 
time should be lost in procuring and sowing the seed. The pans or pots 
should be well drained, a little rough soil going over this, filling up with 
a finely sifted mixture of loam and leaf soil, with plenty of sand added. 
Make the surface firm and level, water it through a fine-rose pot, and in 
about one hour afterwards sow the seed. No soil should cover these 
minute seeds, but a little silver sand may be dusted over them. Cover 
with glass and place in brisk moist bottom heat and shade heavily. If 
found to be too dry at any time do not water and thereby dislodge the 
seeds, but moisten the soil by dipping the pot in a pail or tank of warm water. 
Directly the seedlings are large enough to handle prick them thickly in 
pans or boxes of light soil; keep them warm and shaded till well established, 
when they may be placed in cold frames, and eventually either given more 
room in boxes or be temporarily bedded out in rough frames. 
Tuberous-rooted Begonias .—These will eventually find their way into 
every flower garden, and when well grown no bedding plant surpasses 
them for brightness and durability, especially in wet seasons. Seedlings 
raised this spring must not be expected to prove very serviceable next 
summer, but under fair treatment they will form good bulbs, which 
will, with a very little trouble, grow strongly and flower abundantly the 
following season. Our seedlings during the first season are grown in a 
trial bed, and only the best are saved. Messrs. Laing and others supply 
seed of strains most suitable for bedding out, these being of compact 
growth and produce round flowers of good size and substance, borne on 
erect and stout footstalks. The seed being very minute, extra pains 
must be taken when sowing them, though not more so than in the 
case of Lobelias ; in fact, it should be treated exactly the same. If fine 
leaf soil is not available substitute peat, both for the seed pan and when 
pricking off the seedlings. The soil in seed pans should never be allowed 
to become dry, and, on the other hand, care should be taken to prevent 
its becoming sour. Prick out the seedlings as fast as they become large 
enough to handle. 
Antirrhinums and Pentstemons.— These, if raised early in the year, 
may be grown to a good size by bedding-out time, and when planted in 
mixed or ribbon borders or in single beds are very showy throughout the 
season. Separate colours of the former can be had, and a good white 
variety invariably proves of great service. In both cases the seed is 
small, and should, therefore be sown after the manner of Lobelias. When 
the seedlings are fairly strong, and before ihey are badly crowded, either 
piick them off in boxes of good soil or prick them out on a slight hotbed, the 
frames being withdrawn late in April or early in May. They will stand 
a little frost, and can be readily transplanted with a good ball of soil and 
roots. 
Carinas and Acacia lophantha .—The seeds of both kinds are large 
and very hard, and sometimes fail to germinate. S >aking them in warm 
water for about twenty-four hours frequently has the effect of softening 
their cases, and materially hastens germination. Sow the seeds at once 
in pans or pots filled with light sandy soil, press them well into it, plunge 
them in brisk bottom heat, and take care the soil does not become very 
dry at any time. Pot off the seedlings when in rough leaf, singly into 
3-inch pots ; keep them growing in heat, and give one shift before they 
become much root-bound. 
Grevillea robusta .—New seed of this u-eful fine-foliaged plant ger¬ 
minates readily if plunged in a good moist bottom heat, and in this and 
other respects, with the exception of soaking the seed, which is unneces¬ 
sary, require to be treated similarly to the Acacia lophantha. It wdl be 
found most effective during the second season after sowing, and well- 
furnished plants, besides being useful in mixed and other beds, are also 
available for house decoration during the winter. 
ARTIFICIAL SWARMING. 
1 have two stock hives. My object is honey and moderate increase 
Will the following plan succeed w'eli ? Say in the first week of May, if 
stocks are sufficiently forward, in the middle of a jfine day when many 
bees are at work, drive all the bees out of b into the new hive c, which 
place on B stand. Remove B to A stand to catch all bees out at work at 
the tim°, and place A 3 feet from the old stand. Will A be very much 
weakened? Will B bo sufficiently filled to issue brood hatching out ? 
Another thought. When B is empty, all the bee3 being driven out prior 
to placing on A stand, could a young queen be introduced by placing her 
and a score of bee3 amid the comb3, first sprinkling the hive and the 
queen with minted syrup ? Would the bees when they came from the 
fields destroy her or not 1 — SANDBACH. 
[In artificial swarming, as in other things connected with apiculture, 
let it be as near the natural as possible, which is not the case in your 
proposed method. By driving all the bees out of B the young bees, so 
essential as nurses, are for many days taken from their useful sphere and 
consigned with their elder sisters to an empty hive, where they are not 
required for some days after the operation, even though the weather be 
fine. 
The placing B on A stand is not likely to satisfy the bee3 of A on their 
return from the fields, and they are almost sure to enter their own hive 
only 3 feet removed. In such an operation the stock hive should be 
placed at a considerable distance out of hearing, sight, and smell. But 
though the flying bees of A did take to B, there is the danger that they 
would not be numerous or youthful enough to attend to eggs and brood 
satisfactorily, and in all likelihood many eggs and larvie would be 
destroyed ; thus by imprudence and acting as proposed would at one 
stroke not only reduce the numbers of fiffd workers but materially 
weaken the stock hive for the season. When bees are deprived suddenly 
of their hive and queen they generally fly about in a distracted state a 
short time, and will thsn cluster near where their hive stood. If the day 
is cold they soon become chilled ; if warm, they will enter the nearest 
hive, but very often such bees are killed—though not at the time — 
usually after dusk, when if watched they will be seen and heard leaving 
their hive in a wounded state, just enough to cause death, but still able 
to fly far enough to deceive those who advocate strengthening weak 
hives with a few stronger bees. The placing of a queen with a few 
workers in a strange hive as suggested is risky and not likely to give 
satisfaction. Queens, like workers, have a certain amount of terror when 
introduced to a strange hive, and generally make an effort to leave it; 
but should she not, her timidity acts as an inducement to the stronger 
bee 3 to an attack. The only reliable way of introducing queens is to 
deprive the bee3 of the power to raise another and encouraging frater¬ 
nisation by caging her in the centre of the cluster for at least twenty-four 
hours ; when released it should be done in a way not to excite the bees 
in the slightest. 
There is no better way of taking artificial swarms than the common 
way, so long practised and described by the late Mr. Pettigrew. Invert 
the hive when ripe for swarming (but not until then), place an empty 
one over it or attach it to the full one with temporary grips, holding 
them together at the edges, and kept at a little less than a right angle by 
a piece of bent wire. Drum on the sides of the hive containing the bees 
until sufficient bees have ascended into the empty one. This last plan 
leaves the operator’s hands free, while the queen may be observed when 
she enters the empty hive. If swarms are taken artificially and placed 
upon a new site the bees are liable to go back ; when this is suspected 
it is better that the swarm should take the place of the old st ck. There 
is no such thing as a “unicomb” hive with “ six standard bars.” You 
may perhaps find an illustration of the hive you require in Neighbour’s 
“ Apiary.”] 
THE BRITISH! HONEY COMPANY AND THE BRITISH 
BEE-KEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION. 
On page 99 of your issue for January 29th you publish a communica¬ 
tion from “ A Hallamshire Bee-keeper,” whose main object appears to be 
to cast reflections upon tbe above institutions. The arguments used by 
your correspondent to show that the British Honey Company is likely to 
injure apioulture, and that the Bee-keepers’ Association has done nothing 
to assist the honey producer, are absurd and ludicrous. It has been well 
said that the present position of bee-keeping in the United Kingdom is 
almost entirely due to the British Bee-keepers’ Association. It has done 
all and much more for the honey producer than hold shows, honey fairs, 
depots, &c., as enumerated by your correspondent, “A. B. M.,” on page 
119 in your issue of the 5th inst. In various ways it has created a general 
demand for the honey produced in the United Kingdom. The acts of 
adulteration by unscrupulous dealers in honey were thoroughly exposed 
by the British Bee-keepers’ Association at the late International Health 
Exhibition. This step cost the B. B. K. A. much trouble and expense. 
Its results, however, have been very beneficial to the English producer, 
as it has caused a greater demand for our home produce. Honey fairs 
tand departments for the sale of honey at exhibitions are useful institu- 
ions, but they do not meet the requirements of the producer and the 
Retailer all the year round. It has been well known in the bee world 
• hat during the season of 1884 the sources open to British bee-keepers for 
.he disposal of their produce has not been adequate or satisfactory. It is 
o supply this deficiency that steps have been taken to form the British 
Honey Company. This company aims to assist the British bee-keeper by 
providing a ready and reliable market for his produce, and to create a 
larger demand for the honey produced in the United Kingdom by opening 
up new markets, &c. > 
Your correspondent’s concluding remarks respecting ornamental bee¬ 
less members are very ungenerous, and he may rest assured that in the 
