JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
December 29, 1881. ] 
591 
leaves to flag rather freely before any water is given, and then 
only a little to enable them to recover somewhat, and keeping in a 
temperature of 55° at night. After a few weeks’ rest they will start 
freely into growth and flower in a brisk moist heat, and, the ball 
being dry, immerse it in tepid water until saturated. 
Orchids .—Be careful not to excite these into growth at this season, 
as rest is of the greatest importance to Orchids ; and as this is the 
dullest and usually the coldest period of the year the temperature 
should be the lowest, not employing more fire heat than is absolutely 
necessary to keep the heat in the East India house at G0° by day and 
55° at night; the Mexican house 55° by day and 50° at night; the 
cool house 50° by day and 45° at night, allowing a few degrees rise 
by sun heat. Cool treatment at this season will result in a more 
vigorous subsequent growth. Although attention must be paid to the 
moisture of the atmosphere, a saturated atmosphere now causes serious 
injury, but, on the other hand, it must not be allowed to become so 
dry as to cause the stems and leaves of the plants to shrivel. A 
little water poured on the benches and paths every morning when the 
weather is fine will be sufficient. Dendrobiums intended for late 
flowering, such as D. Farmeri, D. densiflorum, and D. macrophyllum 
giganteum, which are easily retarded, should now be placed in a 
cool house and kept dry, similar remarks applying to D. nobile which 
it is desired to retard until May should be placed in a greenhouse 
temperature, giving little, if any, water until they begin growing, 
when they must have heat as well, as it is prejudicial to check any 
plant after it has started into growth. Dendrobium nobile is one of 
the most useful Orchids for decorative purposes, and it is very easy 
to keep up a succession of blooming plants. Those grown in 6-inch 
pots are useful for filling vases, dec., from Januarj to May by cal¬ 
culating each batch of plants to last in flower about three weeks. 
Those that completed their growth early have their buds in a forward 
state, and if placed in heat and supplied with a little water they will 
flower in a short time. 
, ---— — —.-.. K'siSS 
m 
SRI 
HE BEE-KEEPER. 1 
HONEY AS AN ARTICLE OF FOOD. 
We have much pleasure in publishing the following excellent 
paper read by Mr. T. W. Cowan, E.G-.S., of Horsham, at the Brighton 
Health Congress :— 
Mr. Cowan said that bees in olden time were extensively cultivated 
for their honey and wax, and it was remarkable how frequently 
allusion was made to these products by ancient writers. We read 
that the land where Abraham dwelt was one “ flowing with milk and 
honey,” and that in the Mosaic law there were many statutes regu¬ 
lating the ownership of bees. Solomon recommended the use of honey 
in the words, “ My sen, eat honey for it is good.” About 600 years 
B.c. bees seem to have been regularly cultivated, for Solon made a 
law requiring bee hives to be placed 300 feet apart in cultivated 
fields. The Persians, Grecians, and Bomans made use of honey ex¬ 
tensively, and it was used for sweetening their beverages. It was 
mixed with wine, and to this day it is used by the Spaniards in 
sweetening “ Malaga wine.” It was used up to the seventeenth 
century when sugar was introduced, and as the use of this increased 
the use of honey decreased. On the continent of Europe be' - 
keeping had been carried on more extensively in former times than 
in England, and for a long time we had been depending on foreign 
supplies. 
In the olden times, when bees were destroyed by brimstone, 
different ways were adopted for separating the different qualities of 
honey. The light-coloured combs were pressed and strained to get 
the best quality, and the inferior honey was used to make “ pain 
d’epices ,” a sort of gingerbread sold in every town in France. Large 
quantities were imported into this country from Cuba, Chili, and, 
lately, extracted honey from California. It was not until the forma¬ 
tion of the British Bee-Keepers’ Association in 1874 that really 
much progress was made in developing the honey resources of 
this country. Bees are no longer destroyed to obtain their honey, 
but are induced to build straight combs in frames, and these are 
taken out, and, having the cells uncapped, are placed in an extractor, 
by which means the honey is obtained in a pure state, and very 
different to the heterogeneous mass of honey, pollen, and crushed 
brood which was formerly known by the name cf honey. He stated 
that there was great economy in being able to return the combs to 
be re-filled, inasmuch as it took 20 lbs. of honey to make 1 lb. 
of comb. He wished it to be understood that bees did not make 
honey, but that they collected it from the nectary of flowers, and 
that each flower yielded honey of its own peculiar flavour. 
The climate of England was particularly suited for the purpose 
of bee-keeping, and there was no country where it could be produced 
better in flavour than in this. He said pure honey should be used by 
every family. It was no longer a luxury only to be enjoyed by few, 
but was sufficiently cheap to be within the reach of all. It had pro¬ 
perties which made it a valuable food. It differed from alcoholic 
stimulants, which dull the intellect, as it produces a bright intellect. 
Children were very fond of honey, and one pound of it went further 
than a pound of butter. It had the peculiarity of keeping good, 
whilst butter would become rancid, and thus is injurious to health. 
In recommending honey as an article of food caution must be used, 
as there was much foreign honey that was adulterated. Pure honey 
would granulate and become solid on the approach of cold weather ; 
it could, however, be made liquid by placing the jars containing it in 
warm water. The adulterated honey was always liquid and trans¬ 
parent, and would not granulate. He read an extract from an 
American paper, in which Mr. Murth stated that one gallon of honey 
was mixed with ten gallons of glucose. Glucose had no flavour of 
its own, but partook it readily from this small admixture of honey. 
He would always look with suspicion upon honey said not to 
granulate. He would recommend consumers to purchase pure 
English granulated honey, and reduce it to its liquid state them¬ 
selves. He was glad to say that adulteration had not yet commenced 
in England, and from the vigilance of the Bee Associations he did not 
think it would be attempted. 
Associations were being formed in many counties in connection 
with the British Bee-Keepers' Association for the purpose of spreading 
a knowledge of bee-keeping and developing the honey resources. 
There were fourteen county associations ; and if those who are in a 
position to do so would take a deeper interest in aiding this particular 
work, he was sure they would not only find it a heathful exercise, 
but would be pecuniarily benefited, at the same time being able to 
procure a wholesome article of food. 
[We trust the Associations referred to will receive the well-merited 
support of the public in furtherance of objects at once so important 
and commendable.—Eu.] 
BOILING WAX. 
Having read Mr. Pettigrew’s remarks on the above subject 
(page 550), I will refer to the plan I adopt, and which I find to 
answer well with the smallest amount of trouble and waste. I 
send these particulars for the guidance of any reader who may 
wish to follow the plan. 
First procure a piece of fine copper gauze, No. 36, as large as 
convenient to use, turned up a little all round to hold as much 
comb as possible (the piece I use is 13 inches by 10) ; second, 
a dish to hold the gauze and to receive the wax as it melts ; 
third, another dish or tin a little larger partly filled with water 
for the smaller dish to stand in and to keep the wax from burn¬ 
ing. Squeeze the combs together so that more may be put on at 
once, and fill the gauze with as much as it will hold and place it 
in a good hot oven ; refill with combs as it melts down, and empty 
the dish into moulds. 
This year I did not take the combs to be cleaned by the bees on 
account of the commotion it always makes amongst them, but 
those that were not worth draining with the other combs I put 
with the others on the gauze, the honey in them running through 
with the wax settling at the bottom, which I put into a feeder and 
gave it the bees in that way at night. 
In my plan the combs need no washing to remove the pollen, 
&c., as mentioned by Mr. Pettigrew in the latter part of his letter, 
which must be an unpleasant task. All the dirt remains on the 
top of the gauze, which only needs emptying off in the fire now 
and then after all the wax has run through. I feel sure that any¬ 
one who tries the above plan will be pleased to see how com¬ 
paratively easy it is in comparison with the boiling plan. 
I am glad to say this season has been a very good one here in 
comparison to the previous two seasons, when 1 did not get an 
ounce of honey, but had to feed liberally. This year I had 80 lbs. 
from one hive and two supers.—P. Rainford, Wigan. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
E. Webb & Sons, Wordsley, Stourbridge .—Spring Catalogue, 1SS2 
(with coloured plates). 
Louis Van Houtte, Ghent, Belgium .—Catalogue of Gesneraceous 
Plants. 
W. M. Crowe, Upton, Essex .—Catalogue of Miscellaneous Plants. 
B. S. Williams, Upper Holloway, Loudon, N .—Illustrated Catalogue 
of Flower and Vegetable Seeds. 
Harrison A Sons, Leicester .—Illustrated Catalogue of Flower and 
Vegetable Seeds. 
Dickson, Brown, & Tait, Manchester. — Catalogue of Flower and 
Vegetable Seeds (illustrated). 
James Vick, Rochester, New York .—Floral Guide ( illustrated). 
