544 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . [ June 29 , ibm. 
Train the yonng shoots on strings near the glass, and the wood will 
be well matured and give double the quantity of bloom to that trained 
at a distance from it. The comparatively new Jasminum gracilli- 
mum promises to be one of the most useful winter-flowering plants 
for cutting from so as to solidify the growth ; from its graceful 
habit and its fragrance it is of great value for decoration. Keep 
Eucharises in growth well supplied with liquid manure, as the 
stronger the growth is the finer and more numerous the flower 
scapes will be. 
. 1. 1 ■ 1 -!. 1 ■ 1. 1 . 1 :1. 1 ■ 1 1 m . i. 
HE BEE-KEEPER. 
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HONEYDEW. 
The nature and source of honeydew has long been a subject of 
difference among bee-keepers, some contending that it is really a 
form of dew deposited on leaves in certain states of the atmo¬ 
sphere, while others maintain that it is a product of the leaves 
themselves exuded from certain pores on the surface. A third 
and more numerous section hold that what is commonly known 
as honeydew is neither more nor less than the excreta of some 
aphis that is at the time feeding on the plants under which the 
sweet liquid is found. As the result of years of close attention I 
have no hesitation in accepting the last as the true theory, unwel¬ 
come though it may be. How pleasant would it be were we able 
to say our combs were filled with nectar distilled from the heavens 
like the manna of old, real “ Angels’ food,” and only 1.?. 6d. 
a pound ! I do not deny that such may be, but I can say I have 
never seen it ; and I can say further, that every time I have 
observed my bees storing “honeydew” I have succeeded in 
tracing it to the aphides. Neither do I deny that certain leaves and 
stems at times exude sweet juices, for 1 have seen my bees more 
than once gathering such from what appeared to be minute glands 
on leaves, particularly the Laurel. The quantity thus collected is, 
however, very small, and I doubt if ever it has been tasted in 
quantity by anyone. So-called honeydew is, however, at certain 
seasons very abundant, so much so as to fill the hive and supers 
and be marketed as honey in quantities sufficient to disgust the 
consumers with the very name of honey. To guard bee-keepers 
against such a blunder I now draw attention to this subject, 
hoping at least to get credit for good intentions from those who 
differ from me on the subject. 
And first I shall describe the appearance of “honeydew” in 
bulk. The combs containing it have a darker tinge than when 
filled with ordinary spring honey, but it is when extracted in 
quantity that the true colour of the liquor can be best observed. 
It has a dark colour, between that of treacle and golden syrup. 
It has very little smell ; indeed it has no honey smell at all unless 
from any admixture of honey that it may chance to have. It has 
no honey’ flavour, and not even great sweetness, resembling a low 
grade of golden syrup. Usually it is rather thin and ferments 
badly after a few weeks ; but I have lately extracted it when 
newly sealed and found it even thicker than Heather honey, and 
almost as difficult to throw from the cells. When newly gathered 
it forms an excellent food for the bees, and they breed on it 
amazingly ; but when kept for winter stores it is usually very 
detrimental, and bees that stoied it largely in autumn have been 
found to dwindle badly even into the following June. What may 
be the result in wintering with such thick and apparently whole¬ 
some stores as I have lately had experience with I cannot yet say, 
but shall take means to discover. 
And now for experience. In former years, generally in cold 
summers with abundant moisture, I have had occasional gluts of 
“ honeydew,” and I then traced it to the aphides on the Oaks and 
Beeches around. Since I came to this place in 1878 I have never 
seen any quantity of this stored until this season ; and there being 
neither Oaks nor Beeches around, I did not at first suspect the 
nature of the “ honey ” that in the end of May and beginning of 
June was glutting my hives. When I found that at the same time 
neighbours’ hives at a distance of half a mile were almost starving, 
and that all over the country the complaint was general of want 
of food in hives, I set to work to trace the source of my stores. 
From the quantity of white pollen I had lately seen I conjectured 
that an unusual display of wild Hyacinths in a coppice half a 
mile off was the source, and as my bees nearly all were lined in 
that direction I struck out thither. On the way, however, and 
within 200 yards of my garden, I had to pass through a young Fir 
wood, the trees being about 8 feet high. Here I was at once 
arrested by the hum of bees, and to my amazement found my 
Ligurians working on every spray. The trees were glistening as 
with dew drops in the morning sun. “ Can this be where they 
get their water ? ” I asked. Collecting a larger drop than usual 
on the point of my finger I tasted it, and it was sweet. So large 
were the drops that I frequently saw a bee load up and depart 
without finishing the drop. I never saw a similar occurrence 
before, and for some time was doubtful as to whether the dew 
theory or the exudation theory were not right after all, for insects 
I as yet saw none. I was searching for aphides, green or black, on 
every twig, and was about to give it up when I at last saw the 
cast skin of an aphis. Being now certain of success I looked still 
more closely, and found myriads of, to me, a new insect. I had 
seen them frequently during this search, but took them for little 
buds or protuberances from the stem—one being fixed at the base 
of each spine and continuing motionless. They were the exact 
colour of the woody stem, slightly bronzed, and varied in size 
from mere mites to grains of Wheat. With their probosces inserted 
at the junction of the spine and stem they steadily sucked and 
grew, every now and then ejecting a drop of clear liquid. This, 
then, was the source of my abundant stores. Doubtless other 
observers have been deceived, as I almost was, by the imitative 
colour of these aphides, and have pronounced the liquid found on 
the leaves, or even on the stones beneath, as independent of 
insect action, and thus erroneous ideas have spread. 
What to do with such stores is a question of some moment to 
bee-keepers. As soon as I had extracted a few sample pounds to 
decide as to its quality, I saw that it would never do to have it 
stored in supers. I therefore at once removed the few sections in 
which I had bees at work ; and as it had proved itself an excel¬ 
lent breeding food, though of doubtful value for winter stores, I 
resolved to make frequent examinations of all my stocks and 
persistently unseal every inch of sealed stores. By repeating this 
every third day I have succeeded in almost compelling the bees to 
make use of it at once, and what now remains is so largely mixed 
with the honey from Raspberries, now so abundant, that I have 
no fear of any bad results. 
Fortunately the sudden advent of abundance of Baspberry 
bloom, and a heavy shower now and then, have combined to lure 
the bees from the Scotch Firs and enable me to commence super- 
ing in earnest. At this date (June 16th) Clover is just out, but 
bees are generally very weak, and not one hive in twenty is fit for 
supering.— William Raitt, Blairgowrie. 
BRITISH BEE KEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION. 
A meeting of the Committee was held at 105, Jermyn Street, on 
Wednesday, June 14th. There were present Mr. T. W. Cowan (in the 
chair), Bev. E. Bartrum, Hon. and Rev. H. Bligh, Rev. F. T. Scott 
J. M. Hooker, D. Stewart, and Rev. H. R. Peel, Hon. Sec. The 
minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The 
balance sheet for the month ending May 31st showed a balance in 
hand of upwards of £60. The Honorary Secretary reported that he 
had received a large number of replies in response to his letter 
inserted in the current number of the “ British Bee Journal’’from 
persons who were anxious to obtain certificates for proficiency in the 
knowledge of the modern methods of bee-keeping, and to qualify 
themselves to act as experts for county associations. It was 
resolved that examinations be held annually at the time of the 
annual show at South Kensington, and that first, second, and third- 
class certificates be granted to candidates according to the report of 
the examiner. 
The Chairman, Mr. D. Stewart, and the Honorary Secretary were 
elected as a sub-committee to draw up rules and make the necessary 
arrangements for the first examination to take place at South Ken¬ 
sington on Monday, August 7th. We are requested to state that all 
communications requiring an early reply should be sent to the 
Assistant Secretary, Mr. J. Huckle, King’s Langley, Herts. 
TRADE CATALOGUE RECEIVED. 
John Warner & Sons, Cripplegate, London, E.C .—Catalogue of 
Water Wheels, Water Motors , and Water-power Machinery ( Illustrated ). 
o 
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