818 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 2, 1884 
sceptical, but those who have will never again interpose an empty 
super miller a full one, nor attempt sections either above or inside a 
hive. The honey glut ceased about August 27th, when the Heather 
was at its best, wlien supers were almost abandoned, but honey¬ 
gathering continued until September 20th. Notwithstanding this 
beautiful example of stimulative feeding I have not observed a single 
cell of brood, and I continue to have faith that the old worn-out 
bees will not disappoint me in coming out strong io spring and help 
to fill their garner with honey gathered from the flowers of 1885. 
So numerous are the bees at present in these hives, that instead of 
having either to unite or to stimulate breeding they are strong enough 
to form two good stocks. Most hives are surmounted with heavy 
supers, while the bodj'' contains sufficient for the owner to take from 
30 to 60 lbs. and leave sufficient to tide over the bees till Ma)^ when 
they will have the emptied frames refilled with new comb accelerated 
with the help of comb foundation. 
The quantity of honey gathered by the bees at the Heather varies 
greatly with the locality. At some places very little was taken, while 
others have yielded either fair or extra quantities. The latter has 
been the case with those situated near the Leadhills of Scotland, 
where, curiously enough, scarcely a drop of rain has fallen for months. 
Consequently we have entirelj^ escaped the thunderstorms and floods 
so prevalent throughout Scotland about August 12th. The weight 
gathered by each hive varies according to its size and construction, 
but ordinary straw liives have risen from 15 to 70 lbs., larger hives 
both of wood and straw from 70 to 120 lbs. IMy own best hive has 
risen upwards of 100 lbs., due, I believe, greatly to the much-maligned 
foreign bees of Cyprian origin had from Messrs. Neighbour seven 
years ago. 
Many people object greatly to Heather honey in consequence of 
the ditficulty of extracting it except when pressed by the hands ; but 
this is entirely obviated when the screw press is used, the honey 
ultimatelj' to bo passed through the honey-drainer composed of dif- 
ferent-meshed brass sieves and net bag. Our presser and drainer is 
placed at the disposal of bee-keepers, who find their honey cleanly 
and economically extracted with neither its flavour nor colour im¬ 
paired by heat or dirty hands, and that in a very short time after the 
combs have been taken from the bees. With straw hives this is 
obtained by driving, assisted greatly by the judicious application of 
carbolic acid, which is of more service at this season than during 
summer, as the bees are not only more difficult to drive, but are more 
apt to rob. Then when we take into account the risk of irritating 
bees and getting supers spoiled by the bees nibbling and breaking 
the cells of the supers when they are tardy in leaving and robbers 
attacking, then the same thing occurs when removing frames of 
combs. Many peo[)le act very foolishly in removing supers by ex¬ 
posing and allowing the bees their own time to leave. Advice is 
often given to brush the bees from the frames with a feather ; but 
this excites them to sting, and by the delay and exposure induces 
robbing. 
To remove supers quickly without being at the trouble to drive, 
or shake, or brush the bees or excite robbing, is my work at the 
present time. I take stiff brown paper of the proper widths to pass 
between the combs. I then paint these sheets of paper with carbolic 
acid, but not so as to smear the comb. I then slip these between the 
combs of supers and sections ; in a few seconds there is not a bee 
in them, consequently none is lost. Now I lift off the supers full of 
honejq but minus bees. The same process is performed with frames, 
but three cards is sufficient for them so as to clear one comb at a 
time, because if too many were attempted it would cause the whole 
of the bees to leave, and would court that robbing we seek to avoid. 
Now that this simple plan is made public we need hear no more of 
supers being destroyed by bees or bee-keepers being shmg. Of 
course supers capable of such manipulation must not have solid 
crowns.—A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
BEES. 
Will “A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper ” be good enough to give his opinion 
as to which aspect is the hest for wintering hive.s ? whether or not it is a good 
plan to make all stocks face north ? Nutt, in his hook I remember, gives 
the results of some experiments. Those hives placed on the north side of 
wall came out much the strongest in the spring, having consumed some 10 
or 15 lbs. less honey than those left where the sun shone on them. No 
bee-books now-a-days mention this plan. The modem plan is to shade the 
entrances with blackened tin. If “Lanarkshire Bee-keeper” would saj^ if 
he takes any measures, either ancient or modern, to prevent bees prema¬ 
turely leaving their hives I should be grateful.—R. S. V. P. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED, 
William Paul & Sons, Waltham Cross, Herts. —Catalogue of Foses for 
Autumn, 1884, and Spring, 1885 {illustrated). List of Fruit Trees and 
Evergreens. 
Henry Bennett, Shepperton, Middlesex. —List of Pedigree Boses. 
Auguste Van Geert, Ghent, Belgium,- General Catalogue of Plants. 
L. Spiith, Itixdorf, Berlin. —General Catalogue of Plants. 
H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, Kent.— Catalogue of Plants {illustrated). 
Compagnie Contin°ntale d’Horticultnre, Ghent, Catalogue of 
New, Bare, and Beautiful Plants {illustrated). 
George Cooling & Son, Bath. —Catalogue of Roses and Fruit Trees. 
Curtis, Sanford, & Co., Torquay. —Catalogue of Roses. 
William Eumsey, Waltham Cross. —Catalogue of Boses, Trees, and 
Shrubs. 
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 privatelj" to an}^ of our correspon¬ 
dents, as doing so subjects them to unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. 
Corresj)ondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions rel.it- 
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 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. 
Potato Show {L. B .).—The principal show of Potatoes is that to be held 
at the Crystal Palac-^, Sydenham, on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 
October 8th, 9th, and 10th. 
Price of Melons ( T. P. II.). —Like everything else, the price of Melons 
is governed entirely by the quality and good appearance of the fruit. In 
London the price is not given in pounds, as some very large fruits are 
inferior. The fruits are sold as such, and in the middle of July they realised 
from ‘2s. to 5s. each; in the middle of August and September the prices 
ranged from Is. to 8s. each. 
Destroying Scale on Peach Trees {M. P.). —If you dissolve 3 ozs. of 
softsoaji in a gallon of hot water, then stir briskly in half a wineglassful 
of petroleum, and when cool enough apply to the trees towards the evening, 
not on the morning of a sunny day, it will “ answer for certain ” in destroy¬ 
ing the scale, at least that is our experience. The preparation should be 
constantly agitated during use, so that the oil is incorporated with the soapy 
water as completely as possible. 
Mildew on Roses {Aurora). —Dusting the leaves with sulphur thoroughly 
and repeatedly is an old and tolerably good remedy. Another and more 
certain one is to dissolve a pound of softsoap in a gallon of water, syringe 
the leaves with it, and the mildew disappears. Cleanse the foliage by 
syringing wdth clean water next day. 
Lily of the Valley not Flowering {Idem). —Lily of the Valley requires 
two or three years to become established and to develope flower buds. Leave 
the plants undisturbed, and you will have plenty of flowers in due course. 
We planted two very large beds last winter, using quite two bushels of fine 
healthy roots ; but we hardly had a dozen spikes of flowers from them this 
year, while older beds close by bore a profusion of fine spikes. 
Planting Shrubs near Water (Idem). —We have planted thousands of 
Rhododendrons on the margins of ponds and streams, and have no recollec¬ 
tion of a single failure. If the soil is tolerably firm and dry you may plant 
Rhododendrons and any other shrubs you like, but if it is a swamp none of 
them wdll answer. We may add that with drainage and enough fresh soil to 
raise the surface a foot or two, the condition of a swamp may be so altered 
as to be suitable for the planting of most trees and shrubs. 
Seedling Dahlias {T. Garratt).~The varieties are all good ones, un¬ 
doubtedly worth preserving and growing welt another season. The scarlet 
is a well-formed flower of the true Show type, and several of the others will 
probably improve, notably the purple and scarlet and buff-streaked flowers. 
Clematis Jackmanni not Seeding (.7. F .).—The non-production of seeds 
is probably due to some accidental cause that might not be readily traced. 
There is not usually much difficulty in obtaining seed from C. Jackmanni. 
and the pollen will retain its properties fora remarkably long time, instances 
having been recorded in which it has been preserved for eleven months and 
then used with success. 
Origin of Lord SufiReld Apple {J. Williams). —A Lancashire correspon¬ 
dent sent us the following information on this subject five or six years 
ago :—“ Lord Suffield was raised by Thomas Thorpe, a band-loom weaver 
of Boardman Lane, Middleton, near ilanchester, but he could not give the 
correct date of its raising, but that it was let out in 1836 or 1837, himself 
purchasing three buds from Thorpe at 3d. each in the year 1840, a tree of 
which still stands in his garden. The Apple was called Lord Suffield on 
account of Lord Suffield being then lord of the manor of Middleton.” 
Primulas {J. A.). —Pz'esuming the plants are small they will be strength¬ 
ened by having the flower trusses removed as soon as you can get hold of 
them. If the plants are in very small pots, and these are filled with roots, 
they may be carefully transferred into pots just so much larger to enable 
you to place your finger between the roots, which must not be disturbed, 
and the sides of the pots; press down the soil—loam, leaf mou'd, and sand— 
as firmly as the soil in which they are at present growing, and apply water 
