JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
March 9, 1882. ] 
20B 
and even though two common frames be used instead of a single 
■wide one, a small vertical passage between the sections is really no 
disadvantage. I may remark here, however, that we cannot well 
alter the length of the Woodbury frame, owing to its very general 
•adoption. The second objection regards the depth, it being more 
usual in England to have the upper surface of the top bar 9 inches 
above the floor-board, thus giving three-eighths of an inch less 
depth than the frame I describe, or say 8J inches inside. But it 
should be remembered that hives are comparatively easy to alter so 
far as depth is concerned, especially to so small an extent as three- 
eighths of an inch. However, without alteration, the difficulty is 
met in a very excellent way by the use of Mr. Cheshire’s section 
frame, which has no top bar, and thus allows the full depth of 
inches for the sections and brings them on a level with the brood 
frames. 
It seems to me, therefore, that there is ground for claiming that 
the standard that is to be should either be the improved Woodbury 
or the Langstroth. The latter hive is scarcely used in this country, 
and we believe its frames are too long for our short seasons and 
moist winte r s. Certainly it is more difficult to handle.—WILLIAM 
Raitt, Blairgowrie. 
B-S.—'1 he above was in the hands of the Editor before I had 
seen the remarks of the Rev. Geo. Raynor in support of the motion 
regarding a standard frame. I am happy to see that we agree in 
recommending the same frame, and on the same arguments.—\V. R. 
BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS.—No. 2. 
( Continued from page 142.) 
Beginners have of course one or more hives to manage; and 
those who have re.-olvtd to commence bee-keeping will have to 
obtain bees somewhere. If hives are bought at a distance from 
home a beginning can be made at any season. From August to 
April stock hives can be tied and ventilated so as to travel safely by 
railway. In summer, or say about the swarming season, stock 
hives are generally very full of bees ; their internal heat is great 
and their combs are soft. It is then unsafe to remove hives to a 
distance by a carrier. But in summer swarms may be obtained, 
and therefore a beginning in bee-keeping may be made at any sea¬ 
son. If bees are kept in the immediate neighbourhood of those who 
wish to make a commencement in a small way, our advice is to 
purchase bees at home; and stock hives may be purchased and 
safely removed a short distance between September and March. In 
summer weather bees travel farther from home, and are then apt to 
return to their old stand if removed a less distance than a mile 
and a half. I have just taken thirty-six hives from my garden to 
another, about 600 yards distant, without losing a bee. Not one 
returned to the old place. Bees do not fly far from home in winter. 
The position of an apiary is chosen by the owner, who is generally 
guided in the choice by appearance and convenience. It is not of 
much consequence whether hives have a south, west, north, or 
east aspect. In summer it does not matter at all, but in winter we 
like our hives to have a sunny position, as sudden chills to bees 
flying are avoided. But after all we attach more importance to a 
sheltered position than to a sunny one, for bees dislike winds very 
much. In windy weather when bees are at work they seek the 
shelter of hedges and ditches, houses and hills. “ Bee lines ” or 
straight courses at e then disregarded. Provide an apiary if possible 
with both a sunny and sheltered position, but if it cannot have 
both let it have shelter. With an open space in front of hives bees 
cannot have too sheltered a place for their home. 
Much has been said of late years about bees not living long in 
summer, that hard work brings them to an early grave. Working 
bees naturally live nine months, but thousands and tens of thousands 
are lost before they are three months old, not by hard work in fair 
weather, but by misfortune in storms of wind and rain. Even 
when bees are not at work outside, a sheltered corner is better for 
them than a bleak one. But wherever situated, hives should be 
sufficiently covered to protect them from all rain and the direct rays 
of the sun. 
Our object in these notes is not to compare hives of different 
kinds or to commend one kind to the notice of beginners. Probably 
too much has been said on all sides about the excellence of par¬ 
ticular hives and the superiority of systems of management, but not 
a word too much has been spoken or written as to the importance 
of thorough ventilation, l’ure air is good for bees as it is for men. 
If bees are to be healthy and do much work let them have plenty of 
pure air. Sufficient ventilation in bee hives is highly important, 
especially in winter. Hives not made of porous materials should 
have ventilating holes in the tops or sides. In summer when hives 
are full bees ventilate their hives and drive out the moisture by a 
natural process—viz., the fanning of their wings. At other and 
colder seasons when hives are not filled with bees the moisture is 
condensed on the inner surface, and bees cannot drive it out. Hence 
the importance of ventilation. In the breeding season ventilation 
may be given too freely, and young brood exposed to chills. When 
this happens the bees try to seal up the ventilating shafts. An 
American bee-keeper says, “ I have kept bees for ten years—the 
first five years inbox hives, the last five years in frame hives. I 
lost all but one hive the first year, and that hive had cracks on the 
side so that you could see the bees. By this I learned that bees 
want air to let dampness escape. The others were wet and icy T . 
Since then I have packed and covered all round and on the top, and 
never lost one till last winter, when 1 lost forty- five hives out of 
forty-seven. I extracted too much honey' from them and thus 
rendered them too weak.” Pure air and warm comfortable houses 
for bees in winter are not unimportant considerations in bee-keeping. 
—A. Pettigrew, Bow don. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
George White, Paisley .—Catalogue of Florists' Flowers and Bedding- 
out Plants. 
Boulton & Paul, Norwich .—Catalogue of Garden, Park, Kennel, and 
Aviary Appliances ( Illustrated). 
Hogg A Robertson, 22, Mary Street, Dublin .—Catalogue of Farm 
Seeds. 
Dickson A Robinson, 12, Old Millgate, Manchester .—Catalogue of 
Farm Seeds. 
Cranston’s Nursery and Seed Company, King’s Acre, Hereford.— 
List of New Roses for 1882. 
Edward Gillett, Southwick, Mass., U.S. America .—Catalogue of 
North American Plants. 
*** 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 Poultry and Bee subjects, and 
should never send more than two or three questions at once. All 
articles intended for insertion should be written on one side of 
the paper only. We cannot reply to questions through the post, 
and we do not undertake to return rejected communications. 
To Correspondents.—Letters reaching us on Wednesday morning cannot 
be answered satisfactorily the same week, and only those of an urgent nature 
are accorded brief replies. The answers to others will appear in a future issue. 
Vines Scalded (A. A).—The injury is not caused by insects. The leaves 
are scalded. You must ventilate more carefully, and even shade lightly if the 
scalding continues. If your letter had reached us sooner we could have replied 
at greater length. 
Vinery (Yorkshire Rector ).—When correspondents whose letters reach us on 
Wednesday morning request a reply in the next day’s issue it must necessarily 
be brief. The house will do admirably. The flue must not dip as suggested. 
To avoid this the furnace had better be lowered, if that can be done. An alter¬ 
native plan is to run the flue under the back stage, but close to the front by the 
side of the path. T here must be no sharp turns in it. 
Tacsonia insignis (J. S. (?.).—To ensure the flowers setting you must 
train the shoots in a light position and carefully watch the opportunity for 
artificial fertilisation, which can be effected when the pollen is ripe and bursting 
from the anthers ami the stigma slightly viscid. Choose a warm bright morn¬ 
ing for the operation, and avoid having much moisture near the plant the same 
day. Stop the shoots beyond the flowers which are set, and you will no doubt 
succeed in obtaining seed. 
Broccolis r. Cauliflowers ( Inquirer R.).—' The vegetables to which you 
refer are not Cauliflowers but Broccolis, which are never so delicate in flavour 
as Cauliflowers, but have in comparison with them what you term a “strong” 
taste. There is nothing wrong in your method of culture, and we know of no 
means that you can adopt to obtain better results, except that you tie tbe leaves 
over the heads and cut them when they are white and tender. Perhaps you 
leave them exposed too long before cutting, and then possibly they are not 
cooked immediately after they are cut. Seaweed is a good manure for all green 
crops of this nature. 
Cocoa-nut Fibre Refuse (IF. II. B.). —It is very suitable for mixing 
with loam, in the absence of leaf soil, for such plants as need a somewhat light 
compost, as the plants you name do in their early stages ; but when placed in 
the pots in which they are required to flower, such plants as Pelargoniums and 
Cinerarias succeed better in heavier soil. Cocoa-nut fibre refuse is excellent for 
mixing with loam for Ferns and Camellias. You may either sow the seed of 
Beet thinly in pots or boxes in a cold frame, or in rich soil under a liandlight 
in a sheltered position, as may be most convenient, afterwards potting the 
plants or pricking them out in boxes or frames in preparation for the flower 
garden. 
