44 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July IS, 18S2. 
ploying a liberal admixture of charcoal or cinders in the soil and 
thorough drainage. Plants with creeping rhizomes, such as Glei- 
chenias, should never be allowed to suffer from having the points of 
their creeping stems injured by want of room, as would be the case 
if they are allowed to extend over the rim of the pots. Gleichenias 
must never be allowed to suffer by want of water, for if the young 
fronds flag they never attain their proper development. Tree Ferns 
suffer similarly if insufficiently supplied with water, particularly 
Alsophilas and Cyatheas, any check to the development of the fronds 
causing their serious disfigurement. Thrips will now be making 
their appearance, and must be kept under by moderate fumigation 
on two or three consecutive evenings. Scale must be kept under, for 
if allowed to get ahead it is almost impossible to get the plants 
clean. Pot any seedlings of Adiantums, Pterises, in small pots, 
as they are useful in many ways for decorative purposes. 
Roses in pot3 for winter flowering should be encouraged to make 
all the growth possible. They may be plunged in the full sun in 
ashes, not too close, and the surface of the soil mulched with decayed 
manure, affording liquid manure twice a week. Do not allow them 
to suffer from the ravages of aphides or red spider, and if such appear 
promptly take measures for their destruction, as Roses for forcing 
to insure their flowering well require every attention. Plants of 
Echeveria fulgens and E. retusa intended for winter flowering should 
be potted and be treated liberally for the next few weeks, as the 
stronger the plants the finer they will bloom. Attend well to Salvias 
for winter blooming, never allowing them to want water, or they will 
lose their lower leaves, and stop the shoots to keep them in shape. 
Encourage Chrysanthemums with liquid manure as soon as the roots 
have fairly taken to the soil. 
winter as well without pollen as with it. We should not be at all 
surprised if your treatment would do away with the possibility of 
dysentery.” Bees use pollen in rearing their young, but this does 
not prove that adult bees eat it. This question, interesting to 
bee-keepers, is now open for examination and further experiment. 
—A. Pettigrew. 
BEES, HIVES, HONEY, &c., AT THE ROYAL 
AGRICULTURAL SHOW. 
The British Bee-Keepers’ Association, under the auspices of the 
Royal Agricultural Society, have arranged an excellent display of 
bees, hives, and appliances used in the more advanced methods of bee¬ 
keeping. These annual apiarian exhibitions have formed part of the 
Royal Agricultural Society’s programme since the Kilburn Show held 
in 1879, and have increased in popularity in each succeeding year. 
The present Exhibition of bee-keeping appliances at Reading far sur¬ 
passes any of its predecessors. The present unsettled state of the 
weather has, however, greatly militated against the production of 
honey, and in consequence many of the entries in the honey classes 
did not appear at the Show. 
Observatory hives stocked with bees and their queen are a great 
feature in the Show. The first, second, and third prizes in this class 
were all awarded to Mr. T. B. Blow of Welwyn, Herts. Mr. Blow 
also gained first prizes for the best collection of appliances adapted 
for modern bee-keeping and for comb foundation, the latter being pre¬ 
pared by a machine in the presence of the Judges. Messrs. Neigh¬ 
bour & Son of Regent Street, and Messrs. Abbott Brothers of Southall, 
have also an excellent display of goods in the several classes, the 
former taking second and the latter third prizes in the class for the 
best exhibition of hives and other appliances. 
The classes for hives are well filled. Mr. Blake of Wickham Market, 
Suffolk, secures first prize in the class for the best frame hive, price 
not exceeding 15s.; Mr. T. B. Blow second, and the Rev. W. C. Bur- 
kitt third. In the class for cheap hives Mr. Blow takes first prize, 
Mr. Blake second, and Messrs. Abbott Brothers third. 
The weather on the first day of the Show was most unfavourable 
for the manipulations and lectures in the bee tent. Weather permit¬ 
ting, displays of driving, transferring, &c., will take place every day 
duiing the continuance of the Show, which closes on Friday next. 
The Rev. E. Bartrum, Rev. S. R. Wilkinson, Mr. T. W. Cowan, 
Mr. G. H. Harris, and Mr. J. M. Hooker acted as Judges in this 
department. 
UNSETTLED POINTS. 
That adult bees live on honey and do not eat pollen at all I 
stedfastly believed for more than forty years. Two cr three 
years ago Mr. Raitt stated in a private letter to me that a high¬ 
land lady fed her bees on barley bannocks, that he had found the 
husks of pollen grains in the excrements of his bees, and that such 
excrements changed their colour if the bees vtfere fed on peameal. 
This statement was quoted into the pages of this Journal. This 
evidence appeared satisfactory and conclusive, and I said so at 
the time, though I was convinced that bees can live and be 
healthy for months on honey or syrup alone—or, in other words, 
without pollen or meal of any kind. Other writers have said 
that pollen contains the nitrogenous element necessary to main¬ 
tain the muscular strength of bees. Much has been written and 
spoken on this point without giving facts to support it. Not so 
with Mr. Raitt, who gave substantial evidence for his statements. 
Many hundred stocks of bees have died of hunger with plenty of 
pollen around them, while they have been sitting on cells of 
pollen ; but whoever heard of bees dying of hunger with honey 
beside them ? 
I will now quote a short letter on this subject from an American 
periodical : “ The bees that I put into the cellar on the 21st day 
of November last had sugar syrup but no pollen, and, removed on 
the 19th of April, had but one opportunity of flying about. They 
had an airing on the 2nd of March. Now for the result of the 
experiment. They were all in splendid condition, except two 
hives that were overlooked and starved, and two that were queen¬ 
less but strong in bees ; this, however, I consider no fault in the 
manner of wintering, but my own fault in keeping such queens. 
I never before had bees winter without some of the colonies show¬ 
ing signs of dysentery. There was not a cell nor hardly an egg 
in the seventeen colonies left in the cellar. Their combs and bees 
were as clean and bright as they were last November. Now, if 
they wintered last winter for one hundred days and came out in 
good condition, why may they not winter another year 1 ” 
The editor appends to this letter a short note as follows : “Your 
experiment is a valuable one. If you had seventeen colonies that 
wintered without a particle of brood until new pollen came in, 
it is almost impossible to believe that the result was accidental, 
and that your depriving of pollen had nothing to do with it. We 
have for some years been under the impression that bees would 
LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE BEE-KEEPERS’ 
ASSOCIATION. 
This Association is now in course of formation, and I am 
hopeful that it will in time be one of the largest and best sup¬ 
ported branches of the parent Association in London. I respect¬ 
fully urge bee-keepers of every school in Lancashire and Cheshire 
to consider the desirability of joining this branch, and thus help 
to make it a success. Cheshire is an excellent district for bees, 
and bee-keepers are numerous. In the district of Bowdon alone 
there are some able bee-keepers, some of them having from eight 
to twelve stocks annually : altogether above a hundred stocks are 
kept. Some parts of Lancashire are not so good for honey, and 
some are equal to Cheshire. Lancashire is characterised by many 
large manufacturing towns, successful merchants, aud plenty of 
means to support such associations. Mr. J. P. Jackson, 31, Jer- 
myn Street, Prince’s Road, Liverpool, is the Hon. Secretary, and 
he is anxious to assist the cottage bee-keepers in the two counties. 
I know Mr. Jackson very well, and believe that no effort on his 
part will be wanting to carry the movement on to a successful 
issue. The fee of membership is only Is. per annum. The Asso¬ 
ciation this year will have a bee and honey Show at Preston in 
the second week of September, offering £40 in prizes besides 
medals. Various processes of manipulation will be shown in the 
bee tent.—A. Pettigrew. 
P 
(nmrmmrn. 
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