132 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Augnst 7i 1884. 
wrapped up, the bee-keeper will assuredly be rewarded with a 
bountiful harvest. There is seldom any difficulty in manipulating 
straw hives, but too many frame hives are not so easily managed 
in this res 2 oect. To be successful in joining swarms to frame 
hives, simply uncap some of the cells, disturbing the bees a little 
until every one is gorged with honey, the swarm to be added 
having previously been well sprinkled with thinned honey or 
syrui?. Now cast the swarm on to a frame hive, and not a bee 
will be killed. Where there is no ventilation take steps to have 
all floors provided with this safety valve, not forgetting to make 
provision for the escape of the vitiated air at the top of the hive. 
That being attended to, overheating becomes impossible, and the 
stocks seated in pairs instead of equi-distant, so as to prevent 
confusion and fighting, all will go well. Then as supers are 
finished and empty ones |a.dded, all wall have been done that the 
bee-master can do. We only hope and wait for a favourable 
season, which is at the present promising. 
THE BEST HIVE. 
A correspondent “ Francis J. Jackson,” is desirous of in¬ 
formation as to which is the best hive. The best hive is the 
one that is managed best by the bee-keeper; but as I have often 
said that the narrow and deep hive which suits the habits and 
instincts of the bees must surely be the best. It is admitted by 
almost all bee-keepers that oblong hives do not seal their sec¬ 
tions in the body of the hive so readily as on the top. This is 
my experience, and simply points to the fact that such hives are 
wrong. I am also satisfied that it is an error to suppose that 
bees begin comb-building more readily in the body or back of 
the hive than above. 1 have kept five different varieties of bees, 
and every one of these seem to work alike, preferring to work in 
supers than to fill oblong hives in the body with comb. Like 
your correspondent I have both written and spoken of what 
must be perplexing to beginners experiencing so much difference 
of opinion. The cause of this is not difficult to ascertain. 
Many bee-keepers who write on apiarian matters have not had 
experience. A favourable season makes them imagine they know 
all about bees. They then attribute their success to Mr. So-and- 
so’s hive. I quite agree with the late Mr. Pettigrew that straw 
hives are not out of date, and never will be, but at the same time I 
will not place them on the same footing as some other hives, but 
certainly before oblong and shallow frames, while I am sure that 
the straw hive, in combination with either the deep compound 
frame or the Stewarton, will not be easily surpassed. As Mr. 
Pettigrew so continually advocated “ good management,” so do 
I, and the clever bee-keeper with proper straw hives with side 
slits and absence of centre hole, need have no fear of good 
results, either in supers, or should it be dript honey if cleanly 
done. 
Times are changed now from what they were twenty years 
ago. We then had no difficulty in getting 2s. 0(7. per lb. for 
supers, often 3s. 6(7., and sometimes more; but now Is. 0(7. is the 
maximum, except in scarce years such as last one was, when 2.s. 
was readily obtained for Heather comb. At no time now have we 
any difficulty in getting from Is. 3(7. to Is. 0(7. per lb. for dript 
honey; so that in reality, taking the wax into consideration, and 
the extra outlay for sections, dript honey is the least trouble and 
most profitable to the bee-keeper. So much has been written 
about the advantages of frame hives and non-productiveness of 
straw ones, that 1 am surprised that bee keepers have not been 
up in arms long since. All the honey merchants in Glasgow 1 
have conversed with prefer supers to sections; and while in Edin¬ 
burgh I inquired which was most in favour, and all of them said 
supers holding from 3 to 8 lbs. were preferred. Sections were 
objectionable more ways than one. Large supers, if divisible, 
were also in favour. The foregoing, though brief, on the kind of 
hive, super, and honey, will, I think, be understood and accepted 
as reliable from experience. 
The hive your correspondent speaks of, 17 or 18 inches deep, 
and double-walled, I do not approve of. If he will have 
Stewartons, he should have the original or Renfrewshire ma'- e. 
Never mind though frames are not interchangeable. It would 
have been to the advantage of many bee-keepers if they had 
never possessed interchangeable frames. The Stewarton hive in 
horizontal sections enables the bee-keeper to build up his hive to 
the required strength of the bees, and to deprive the bees of the 
overloaded top honey, as well as many other advantages which I 
may speak of again. The super for Stewarton hives had better 
not be over 4 inches deep, but have a number of them. If the 
outside case is made (which is better than doubled-walled sec¬ 
tional hives) sufficiently deep for three 6-inch boxes and two 
supers with the roof to lift off and on, so that it can be placed 
on the top super as they are tiered, it will be satisfactory. An 
outside octagonal case may be made by having two octagonal¬ 
shaped hoops inside, the angles being screwed firm through holes 
in the hoop; or a che.ap outside case with lifting roof may be 
made with four legs and five-eighth lining run horizontally, feather 
edge looking up, and its upper edge bevelled so that the water 
runs quickly from it, while the under edges of the upper boards 
serve as a drip. It is not necessary to have dividers with sunk 
hives, but if required they are easily used.— Lanarkshire Bee¬ 
keeper. 
All coirespondence 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. AVe 
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 tliree questions at once. All articles in¬ 
tended 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 reiected communications. 
Exhibiting Lilium anratnm {Constant Reader ).—This is a harciy plant, 
and is also grown in pots for greenhouse decoration. We consider that 
flowers cut from plants established in borders in the open air are eligible for 
staging in stands of hardy herbaceous flowers, and also that specimens grown 
in pots and employed for greenhouse and conservatory adornment can be 
staged with greenhouse plants, unless there is any clause to the contrary in 
the schedules. 
Begonia Stems Decaying {M. F. W .).—Possibly the stem has been 
crushed or bent at some time, so that the vessels of the stem have been 
ruptured, interrupting the course of the sap and causing a kind of decay. 
However, if all the other plants are healthy you have reason to be well 
satisfied. 
Outdoor Mushroom Beds {A. W., Colchester ).—It is obviously impos¬ 
sible to check the increase of temperature in hot weather. In the summer 
season if beds are made at all they should be in cool shaded places; but 
Mushrooms cannot be profitably grown during June, July, and August. 
Sprinkling the covering with salt water is the only method we know of 
checking slugs without injuriously affecting the Mushrooms. No one can 
tell how thickly a bed should be covered three weeks hence, as everything 
depends on the condition of the bed and the weather. Insert a thermometer 
in the bed, and regulate the covering as may be needed to keep the heat 
between 70° and 80°. The finest beds we ever saw had iron rods in them for 
testing the heat. One in every 10 yards length quite sufficed, and even “ the 
French ” could hardly say that could be seriously injurious. 
Strawberries {Cambridge ).—The three varieties you name are good, two 
of them. Sir J. Paxton, and Dr. Hogg, very good ; the third, Eleanor, being 
large and late, but not very sweet. These will ripen in succession. Black 
Prince is the earliest established Strawberry, but it will have a formidable 
rival in Laxton’s King of the Earlies. Perhaps the latest Strawberry is Lox- 
ford Hall Seedling. On page 42 (July 10th) you will find a list of excellent 
varieties for succession, from which you can choose the number you require, 
but all Strawberries do not succeed equally well in different kinds of soil. It 
is best to try several sorts and retain those best adapted to your garden. 
Vines Overcropped {Sigma ).—^Without seeing Vines it is a difficult 
matter to decide if they are overcropped or not. Any that are in good health 
and carrying a fair number of bunches should continue to form strong sub¬ 
lateral growth beyond the bunches, but without producing more bunches. 
The fact of your growths in most cases being accompanied by a strong show 
of bloom may be a sign of weakness or of a check being given to the Vines 
either from overcropping or some other cause, this resulting in premature 
hardening of the growths. If your laterals are about 18 inches apart and 
alternating, half of them only should be allowed to perfect a good bunch of 
Grapes. Twelve well-finished bunches are of greater value than eighteen 
inferior examples, and overcropping should be carefully avoided accordingly. 
AVith regard to the length of time the various stages in Grapes should take 
we can only advise approximately, so much depending upon circumstances. 
It is generally about a month from blooming to the stoning period, and the 
latter will take uj) nearly as much time. The final swelling, colouring, and 
ripening varies considerably according to the varieties. The thin-skinned 
early sorts, such as Black Hamburgh, Foster’s Seedling, and Buckland 
Sweetwater, may be fit to cut in about six weeks, while the thick-skinned 
Muscat of Alexandria, Lady Downe’s, and Black Alicante require fully 
another month and sometimes longer to ripen to perfection. If you let the 
Vines take their chance till they give signs of insufficient vigour to finish off 
the crops properly, the chances are you will then be too late to do them any 
good. Examine the border now, and if at all dry, or if it has not recently 
been given any kind of rich top-dressing either of good short manure or some 
kind of artificial manure, then by all means assist the Vines with guano 
water as you jcropose. If the border is in a verj" moist state further water¬ 
ings while in this condition will serve to saturate it, and perhaps contribute 
to shanking. 
