18 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 8, I8P4. 
first instance at 55°, and when it declines to 55° close the hou c e for the 
day. Syringe overhead in the morning and again in the afternoon if the 
weather he bright, hut if the weather be dull it will suffice if the borders 
and other available surfaces are damped whenever they heroine dry. The 
night temperature should still be kept at 40° to 45°. See that the borders 
are thoroughly moistened through, as root-action commences with, if it 
does not precede, the growth of the stems. The water supplied ought not 
to be less in temperature than that of the house. Trees in pots will need 
copious and repeated waterings if the soil has become dry. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Dendrobiums .—These are scarcely wanted in flower until Calanthes 
are past their best, and the houses in which they are arranged are still 
very gay, and will continue to be for some weeks longer. But to succeed 
these a few Dendrobiums, such asD. Wardianum, D. crassinode, D. Devon- 
ianum, D. heterocarpum, and others that were placed early to rest, should 
now be thoroughly soaked in tepid water and introduced into a tempera¬ 
ture of 55° for a -week, and then be given a temperature of 5° higher. If 
these plants are grown in baskets suspend them from the roof until they 
come into flower, when they can be taken down and arranged amongst 
other plants if thought desirable. If they have been properly attended to 
during their resting periud their flower buds will be very prominent along 
their pseudo-bulbs. Some care will be needed in the supply of moisture 
to these plants until they start into growth. The atmospheric moisture in 
an ordinary plant stove will be ample until after the plants have flowered 
without the use of the syringe. At the root after the first soaking only 
give sufficient to prevent the moss and peat becoming dry. A few plants 
of the old and useful D. nobile may also be started under the same con¬ 
ditions. Before introducing these sponge the foliage with water in which 
a little soft soap has been mixed to remove all dust. Those not wanted to 
come into flower must be kept cool, only giving sufficient water to keep 
their pseudo-bulbs from shrivelling. The same remarks apply to such 
varieties as D. Falconerii, which must have a good season of rest if it is to 
he flowered well, D. primulinum, D. Parishii, D. crystallinum, the varieties 
of D. Pierardii, and many others which, if kept at rest for some time 
longer, will form a good succession to the first varieties mentioned. The 
small-growing but beautiful D. pulchellum, which generally is rather late 
in completing its growth, should now, if thoroughly ripened, he placed for 
a month or six weeks in a temperature that will not range above 50°. 
D. thyrsifiorum, D. chrysotoxum, and D. densiflorum should not be 
punished during their resting season by being placed in too Iowa tempera¬ 
ture. The one last named is sufficiently low, for if starved their foliage is 
rendered of a yellow sickly appearance. The first-mentioned may still be 
kept at rest, while a plant or two of D. densiflorum may be placed in a 
temperature of 60°, in which it will soon show its flower spikes. 
Maxillariapicta .—This amongst sweet-scented Orchids is a gem when 
grown in 5, 6, and 7-inch pots, in which size it is most useful for derora¬ 
tion, and can be used in light positions in the dwelling-room without 
injury. By judicious treatment and sufficient plants a supply of flowers 
can be produced during November, December, and January—the three 
worst months of the year. While making their growth these plants enjoy 
the heat and moisture of the warmest house—in fact, the conditions of an 
ordinary plant-stove suit them well. Directly their growth is finished 
the plants must be placed in a lower temperature. One end of the house in 
which Odontoglossums are grown will do well, only give them a little more 
light. These plants can then be introduced into heat as required, and they 
soon show their flowers at the base of the pseudo-bulb--, and just before 
they expand they should be placed in a temperature of 50°, in which the 
flowers last nearly double the length of time they do when kept in a 
higher temperature. After flowering they are again placed in the coolest 
s'ructure. in which they will remain for another month to rest; while in 
this condition only sufficient water is given to keep their p-eudo-bulbs and 
foliage fresh. The plants are divided if they require it, and repotted as 
soon as they show signs of growth. Good fibry peat, the small particles 
shaken ou', and a little charcoal with a layer of living sphagnum moss on 
the surface,suit them well. Every alternate year the whole of the old 
compost is shaken from their roots and fresh supplied. After potting, and 
until the plants are in active growth, water is carefully applied, and after¬ 
wards liberally until growth is completed. 
Cypripedium insigne .—This and its varieties are amongst the best 
Cypripediums that can be grown, for they will stand nearly three months 
in the conservatory while in flower. The majority of our plants have 
flowered, and are placed in a cool house where the temperature is not 
allowed to fall below 40°. They will remain in this position for another 
month, and then be allowed to make their growth in a vinery. A vinery 
just started suits them admirably—in fact, we very seldom move our 
plants from this position until they are showing their flowers in early 
autumn, and then according to the time they are required we assist them 
to develope in a little more heat. 
HE 
QUEEN BATTLES. 
Though queen battles are not at all uncommon, but of 
frequent occurrence in large apiaries, they are seldom seen, and 
therefore a few words anent and descriptive of them may not be 
unwelcome to some readers of the Journal. Queen bees are 
interesting creatures from every point of view. Their fertility 
is astounding, as well as their labours in distributing their own 
eggs, for they lay all the eggs of their hives. In appearance 
they are more genteel than either drones or working bees. . In. 
manner they are quiet and inoffensive, modest and retiring, 
graceful and queenly. They have stings, which are slightly 
cr oked and not half so sharp as those of working bees. Their 
stings are never used except in royal battles; indeed no amount 
of annoyance, handling, or squeezing by the fingers of the bee- 
master can provoke them to draw their swords ; in a word, they 
will bear pressing to death rather than use their stings ! How 
different it is with working bees, which so readily use their stings 
on receiving the slightest touch; but the quiet conduct of queens 
is changed in a moment into rage and ferocity on meeting rival 
queens. Whenever two queens meet they rush at each other 
furiously and quickly fight it out. Queen battles do not last 
long, but they are desperate. In all such contests it is death or 
victory. Eeconciliation or compromise is out of the question. 
In autumn while swarms are being united spare queens are 
plentiful. This year I took two young queens into our kitchen 
and put them in tumbler glasses on the dresser. As there was a 
lady in the house who had not seen a queen battle the tumbleis 
were lifted and the queens permitted to meet. They had never- 
seen queens before, but these at once rushed furiously at each 
other and quickly fought it out. One of these queens was a 
half-bred Ligurian, which gained the advantage at the first grip. 
It took hold of its rival by the shoulders (thorax) just behind 
the next, and used its dagger from below in the bosom, of the 
other queen, which struggled hard for a time to use its sting but 
in vain. She was held fast in the grip of the Ligurian and stung 
to death in about two minutes, when the victor withdrew her 
sting and walked away from her victim apparently none the 
worse for the encounter. 
In another queen battle I witnessed there was a violent 
struggle to get the best hold or mastery, clasping each other 
round their waists and twirling round and round. In this case- 
the queens were in the act of swarming when they met, both 
going with the swarm, and met on the flight board. I tore the 
combatants asunder and cast them in the air amongst the swarm 
then on full wing. They were hived with the swarm; next 
morning one of the queens was found dead on the floor board. 
Once at Sale I cast two swarms together and left them for a 
few minutes, and went back to see the battle or the results of it. 
I was too late, the queens had met amongst the bees as they 
hung clustering to the crown of the hive, and fell in their 
struggle to the board below. The victorious queen was just 
leaving the one she had killed and walked away from it, as I 
thought, with an air of triumph. 
Queen bees come into the world with an undying dislike to 
each other, and this instinct is manifested in their infancy and as 
long as they live; indeed before they are born they begin to 
sound the trumpet note of war, which bee-keepers know and 
sometimes like to hear. When bees swarm the old queens go 
with the swarms, and young queens are in roj'al cells to take 
their places, or, in other words, to be their successors. The 
queen that is first matured in any hive (and there are generally 
from three to six reared in every hive that swarms) heralds her 
own advent by making the distinct and well-known sounds which 
have been alluded to. She means to reign.. One or more of her 
sisters come to perfection and at once begin to utter dissentient 
sounds from their cells, and thus put in their claim to the high 
position which at birth fell to the lot of the first-born. . The 
sounds, or piping, which come from the cells of her sisters 
provoke her much and cause her to run up and down the hive 
with murderous intent, for she wants to kill them all; the bees, 
however, prevent her from carrying her desires into execution 
by guarding the cells of the younger queens and warding her off 
when she comes near them. This happens when the bees mean 
to swarm, and the piping goes on for three days and nights. 
When the bees do not wish to swarm they stop the piping and 
kill the supernumerary oueens and cast them out. The reports 
seen about two queens living together happily in a hive I read 
with great mistrust, for two queens in a hive are as unnecessary 
as they are unnatural. 
In uniting swarms many bee-keepers are afraid of both 
queens being killed in such battles. Though it is just possible 
for both queens to be wounded at the onset of the encounter, it 
so rarely happens that we have no fear of losing both queens in 
uniting swarms, and, if both queens are young, we do not spend 
time in trying to catch one of them to prevent a fight. In a 
very long experience, covering many hundred instances of 
swarms united, we have only known one battle of queens in 
