June 19, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
497 
much; always give allowance so that their working is not 
interfered with. 
As feeding is a necessary evil, and taking combs and honey 
from stock an unnecessary evil, avoid both as much as possible. 
If properly managed there will never be an excess of honey in 
stock or brood nest then. When a stock hive’s stores are not 
interfered with, the pollen, so essential for breeding in spring, i3 
not destroyed. With abundance of honey and pollen in store 
the bees are pi’epared to begin in the spring under very favour¬ 
able circumstances, and will amply repay the bee-keeper with an 
abundant harvest for the little extra honey left in the hive in 
autumn. Of course no such hive is to be allowed to enter upon 
winter with other than a young queen of the current year. It is 
advisable to apportion a number of hives as non-swarmers. This 
is best effected, and, in fact, the only sure plan to prevent swarm¬ 
ing, is to have roomy hives with a young prolific queen, attention 
being paid to under ventilation and to pile on supers as required. 
The proper time to do so is when the previous one has been well 
combed. 
If the apiarian pays strict attention to the foregoing hints he 
will be satisfied with the results, while he will be saved from 
much trouble in feeding and anxiety for the safety of the bees, 
and will in the end have more honey than under any other 
system ; foul brood and dysentery will be of rare occurrence, and 
the combs will be always fresh and sweet. The following will 
more fully illustrate the out'ine of management and give an idea 
what is required. It may not be out of place to mention here 
one case of profit from bees. A gentleman with whom I was 
acquainted made on an average for many years £30 sterling from 
six hives. Assuming a person is desirous of keeping a few hives, 
say a dozen, I would advise these to be composed of six large 
straw stocks stocked as advised. Six similar empty ones will he 
required to put the second swarms into to form stocks for next 
season. The six top swarms I would put into four Stewarton 
hives. Two of these would be stocked with single swarms, the 
other two with two swarms each ; this makes up the six top 
swarms. These four hives will require say a dozen supers. For 
non-swarming hives I would have two Stewarton hives complete, 
with at least six supers for each stock; the remaining four I would 
have frame hives, as these, or square Stewartons, are best for 
queen-rearing ; but as there are so many ways of managing frame 
hives I will leave that to the inclination of the bee-keeper. 
These eight hives in an ordinary season will have increased 
to eighteen, which may be reduced to the original number kept 
or sold. The six old straw hives at the end of three weeks 
from swarming should be turned, and the bees returned to empty 
liive^ or, perhaps, better to join these to the second swarm, which 
must not be interfered with, unless the protracted season may 
have allowed them to fill supers. The four Stewartons must now 
be deprived of all heavy top boxes, the under ones stocked with 
pollen carefully preserved till next season, and the bees of these 
added to the two non-swarming ones, the surplus honey of which 
has also been removed. It will now be clear that the great ad¬ 
vantage gained and to be gained by having strong hives must be 
giving the greatest amount of honey and least trouble with the 
fewest stocks. It is impossible for anyone to give accurate in¬ 
structions beforehand, so much depends on the situation and 
the weather; but it is a fact that the greatest number of bees 
always gather the greatest amount of honey both in poor as well 
as in rich districts.— Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
ARTIFICIAL SWARMS. 
Can I without risk of loss take artificial swarms from two stocks in 
separate boxes but only 1 foot asunder ? There is plenty of space on the 
outer sides. If so, bow?—T. M. 
[Artificial swarms can be taken in the ordinary way. Be sure the 
•queen is with the driven bees, then remove old stocks as far away as 
possible. Also be sure that sufficient bees are left in the old stock, so 
that the brood does not suffer. Place the awarms on the old stock’s site, 
and imitate its appearance as much as possible. If boxes of the same 
size were used the floorboards under the old stocks might he placed under 
the new swarm ; but as there is danger in perpetuating foul brood by this 
qilan, if it has been present in the old stock, it will he safer to try them 
without, as generally speaking, if old stock is far removed there is no 
difficulty at this season.] 
LATERAL SLIDES. 
Many thanks for your reply to my query about supering and for the 
suggestions of “A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper.” With the appliances that he 
mentions all difficulty would cease, and if I ever buy any fresh bar-frame 
hives I shall not forget what he says. My hives have neither slides nor 
adapting boards, and of course the quilts are at once propolised. “ A 
Lanarkshire Bee-keeper ” speaks of a lateral slide for every frame. I have 
never seen such lateral slides, and should be very glad to know if they can 
be adapted to ordinary bar-frame hives, either empty or inhabited ones. I 
have never used carbolic acid when doing anything among bees. I hope 
soon to take some honey, and as the sections are all open at the top I shall 
try the effect of the acid if the disposition of the bees seems to render it 
necessary.—P hilokepos. 
[Lateral slides can by an expert be fitted to inhabited hives. Any 
handy person can soon mount empty ones. Procure some clean one- 
eighth-of-an-inch wood cut into strips the length of top bar and 1$ inch 
broad. Now, if the frames have not broad shoulders make them so by 
nailing on pieces of proper size, so that the frame when finished will 
measure II inch broad. Then bend pieces of tin or sheet brass between 
a baekflap hinge, so that the frame will measure 1) inch broad when bent 
and an eighth more than the thickness of the frame. This one-eighth 
allows the thin slide to run beneath, and if one side is checked one-quarter 
that allows them to be either close or any width up to a quarter of an 
inch. Any propolis bees use on these slides does not hinder in the 
slightest any manipulation. If the foregoing does not enable “ Philo- 
pekos ” to proceed, a sample frame can be sent him by applying to Messrs. 
George Neighbour & Sons, 149, Regent Street, London. They will supply 
him with these or a pattern.] 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
J. Sylvester, Idle, near Bradford .—List of Dahlias and Bedding Plants. 
Prancis & Arthur Dickson, Upton Nurseries, Chester .—Catalogue of Stove, 
Greenhouse, and Bedding Plants. 
Dammann & Co., Portici, near Naples .—List of Bulbs and Roots. 
%* All correspondence should be directed either to “The Editor” 
or to “The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Dr. Hogg or 
members of the staff often remain unopened unavoidably. We 
request that no one will write privately to any of our correspon¬ 
dents, as doing so subjects them to unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions relat¬ 
ing to Gardening and those on Bee subjects, and should never 
send more than two or three questions at once. All articles in¬ 
tended for insertion should be rvritten on one side of the paper 
only. We cannot reply to questions through the post, and we 
do not undertake to return rejected communications. 
Cucumbers (IT. G. B .).—AVe are obliged to you for the examples, but 
they are insufficient for the purpose. 
Long-podded Bean (R. C.E .).—The name of the Bean of which you 
have sent pods is Dolichos sesquipedalis, or a variety of it. The pods are 
eatable in a young state, and the plants would probably succeed in rich soil 
and a warm position out of doors in summer, but better under glass. It will 
be referred to again. 
The Germander Plant (R. II. R .).—We did not receive your first letter, 
or it would have been attended to. The common Germander is Teucrium 
Chamsedrys, which is esteemed chiefly as a mild aperient and corroborant in 
uterine, rheumatic, gouty, and scrofulous affections, and intermittent fevers. 
It formed an ingredient in the once celebrated gout medicine called Portland 
powder. Veronica Chamsedrys is also known as the Germander Speedwell, 
and has been used as a substitute for tea. 
Vine Leaves Deficient in Chlorophyll (J. ]V. B .).—The leaves you 
sent, though large, are thin, and the cells in the spaces between the veins are 
deficient in green colouring matter (chlorophyll), which causes the light 
appearance. This is probably due to overcropping and weakness, as the cell 
growth has exceeded the supply of nitrogenous matters necessary to the 
formation of the chlorophyll. A similar result is seen in the case of many 
etiolated or blanched plants that have been grown rapidly either in great 
heat or a dark position, the strength of the plants being exhausted in the 
cell-increase, and contain little besides water. Possibly also there is not 
sufficient potash in the border, as this often has a similar effect. 
White Maggots in Garden (Anxious ).—White maggots can usually be 
destroyed by watering the plants attacked with clear lime water, but one 
application will not suffice. It is safe, and you cannot make it too strong 
provided it is perfectly clear. Brown leathery-looking maggots are more 
difficult to extirpate, and in reference to these see our reply to another corre¬ 
spondent. If the present angle iron supports are insufficient for your stage 
we can only suggest that you obtain stronger or place them closer together, 
with upright supports of wood or masonry for rendering the stage firm. 
Seaside Shrubs (IF. _D.),—No evergreens are grown so extensively at 
Brighton and other fashionable resorts on the south coast as Euonymuses 
are.° The luxuriance of these shrubs at Brighton is surprising to persons who 
have only seen examples in inland gardens. There are a number of varieties, 
