138 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. t August 10, m2 
compelling them to hum more loudly, while previously they were 
in perfectly silent repose. Nor does severe cold prevent premature 
breeding. There is generally more brood to be found in the hive 
in January and February, when the weather is very cold or after 
the temperature has been very low, than during a continuance of 
m:ld weather. Dr. Krasicke acknowledges this fact, but explains 
it in a peculiar manner by saying that because bees consume more 
food when the temperature is low, the production of chyle would 
also be greater. But it is a known fact that in order to create a 
higher degree of temperature bees consume a large quantity of 
honey only. The latter, however, only supplies an increased 
quantity of excrementitious matter as secondary product, but no 
chyle. The presence of much excrementitious matter in their 
bodies, on the contrary, renders the bees more incapable of pro¬ 
ducing chyle, it is the disturbance of their rest and incitement 
to activity in order to raise the temperature which also directly 
affects the queen, inducing her to deposit eggs sooner than she 
would have done if the weather had continued mild. The 
principal cause of early breeding, however, is the presence of 
much moisture, which forms inside the hive when the temperature 
outside is lower; water, as is well known, forming by far the 
largest constituent of the food of the brood, and want of water 
prevents or restricts breeding. 
During mild weather, when the difference in the temperature 
of the air inside and outside the hive is but insignificant, little or 
no moisture is precipitated, just as the windows of our rooms 
condense no moisture then. At such a time the bees may be 
suffering from want of moisture, but as long as the suffering does 
not become acute it does no harm. It has rather the advantage 
that it keeps the bees back from breeding until they are able to 
fetch in sufficient quantity the water which is indispensable in the 
preparation of chyle. It is best that breeding should be delayed 
till such a time when the bees are able to gather fresh pollen in 
considerable quantity, as many colonies, especially young stocky 
possess but a small stock or none at all of this material, which 
cannot be dispensed with when food is to be prepared for the 
brood. This is generally the case at the time of flowering of the 
Alder tree, so that bagfuls might be collected from many trees, 
especially from those in isolated positions, and the bees might 
supply themselves from this source with pollen for the whole year. 
If favoured by the weather they could take full advantage of the 
Alder flowers, which mostly make their appearance in March. 
Unfortunately, however, on account of the uncertainty of the 
weather at that time of the year, the pollen harvest is frequentlv 
a complete failure ; and should the weather happen to be favour¬ 
able, the flowering time of the Alder passes too quickly to be fully 
utilised. The flowering season of the Alder might be artificially 
prolonged if branches with plenty of flower-buds were cut off and 
kept in a cool and shady place until the flowering time was coming 
to an end, when they might be put into the ground in a sunny 
spot near the apiary. But on account of the uncertainty of the 
bees being able to fully utilise these flowers, even if in the neigh¬ 
bourhood of the apiary, we might render them a far greater 
service if we took the trouble at the time of falling of the Alder 
flowers to collect the pollen which Nature offers in such abundance 
in order to supply the bees with it. We might perhaps moisten it 
with honey and squeeze it into the cells. 
I have taken this trouble in former years, but found it rather a 
tedious and troublesome labour, and I have often asked myself the 
question whether it would not be possible to obtain the valuable 
substances which pollen contains—viz., the nitrogen, the essential 
oils, the ferments and salts from the entire buds, if these were 
collected before the pollen became scattered abroad by the wind, 
either by a process of drying or roasting, by pulverisation, or 
dissolved as a kind of tea, and to make them palatable to the bees 
by mixing them with honey. The solution of this question would 
be a worthy and most commendable task for bee-masters who at 
the same time are thorough chemists. 
It would certainly be better if the various artificial contrivances 
to keep our bees supplied with the substances their economy re¬ 
quires were not needed. The weather late in last summer and in 
the autumn was most unpropitious for the impregnation of queens, 
and in this district at least rendered it altogether impossible. In 
former years it was a rare exception in my apiary to find queens 
remaining unfertilised even if reared late in the season. Even 
about Michaelmas, when one would naturally expect all drones to 
have disappeared, my queens still became fertile if only a few 
really fine days intervened to allow them to fly out again and 
again, and often far away from their hive. In the year"lS67 the 
weather during the whole month of September was inclement and 
cheerless, and not one young queen became fertile, but on the 
8th of October a calm, warm, and sunny day followed. After the 
bees had been playing joyfully I examined several hives with 
youug queens in the afternoon, and found that eight of them ex¬ 
hibited the sign of impregnation ; in fact, all my queens quali¬ 
fied for impregnated became fertile, although the number of drones 
in my apiary scarcely amounted to a hundred. 
All the young queens which had not become impregnated at 
the time of our meeting at Erfurt last year remained unfertile, and 
had finally to be thrown away as worthless. Warned by this ex¬ 
perience I examined afterwards five parent hives, in which I 
certainly did not expect a change of queen to have taken place, 
and discovered either no queen at all or a virgin queen, and was 
obliged to unite these stocks with smaller colonies, as I had no 
longer any spare queens at my disposal. In this respect the mild 
weather which prevailed late in the autumn, and even this winter, 
was also very welcome, as it enabled operations to be performed 
which in colder weather could not very well have been attended 
to. —Dr. Dzierzon, Carhmarkt, 11th January, 1SS2.—(From the 
Bienenzeitung, No. 4, 15th February, 1S82. Communicated by 
Mr. Alfred Neighbour.') 
British Bee-Keepers’ Association. —The annual Exhibition of 
this Association was held in the east and west quadrants of the Royal 
Horticultural Society’s Gardens from Thursday the 3rd instant to 
Tuesday the 8th. Exhibits were numerous, hives of all the most 
approved forms, samples of honey, extractors, sections, artificial 
foundations, and other appliances useful to the bee-keeper being 
largely represented. A tent was also provided, in which demonstra¬ 
tions of the chief operations in connection with the apiary were 
frequently given. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Wm. Cutbnsh it Son, Highgate and Barnet.— Catalogue of Bulbs. 
Wm. Paul it Son, Waltham Cross.— Catalogue of Bulbs. 
%* 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 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 Poultry and Bee subjects, and 
should never send more than two or three questions at once. All 
articles intended 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. 
Seedling Achimenes (G. H.). —The majority of the flowers had fallen off 
the specimen you sent, but from what remained it appears to be a pretty and 
distinct variety, though the blooms are small. We doubt if it would possess any 
trade value, however, as there are many more showy varieties in cultivation. Its 
dwarf free habit is a recommendation, and you should certainly give it a good 
trial before discarding it. 
Exhibiting (A Reader).— According to the terms of the schedule, if the 
gardeners you name showed produce grown in their employers’ gardens they 
should certainly have been disqualified, bnt of course in any proceedings that 
may be taken it will be necessary to prove that point, and possibly this ma y be 
rather difficult. It is manifestly unfair and contrary to the spirit of the regula¬ 
tions in the schedule that the two classes of exhibitors which you term A and 
B should be allowed to compete together, as the latter would have greatly the 
advantage.^ Have you directed the attention of the Secretary and Committee to 
the matter ? If not, that course would be advisable before proceeding further. 
Raspberry Canes Dying (J. E.). —The most common cause of the canes 
dying is the wood being gross in the previous season, and consequently not well 
ripened. Such growths usually fail in the early part of summer during the 
prevalence of east winds or sharp frosts. There is no remedy except a less rich 
and firm condition of the soil, so as to induce sliorter-jointedand more solidified 
growth, leaving sufficient space between the stools to admit light and air freely. 
The canes sometimes die through being pruned and tied during frosty weather, 
which injures their tissue. 
Late Strawberry (Idem).— Helena Gloede is larger and later than Frog- 
more Late Pine, and in every way superior. It does best on heavy land, being 
on light soils much subject to mildew. Loxford Hall Seedling is a very fine 
variety; it succeeds well in heavy soil, and for travelling is one of the best. 
Pioneer is a fine early kind, and succeeds well in heavy soil. 
Elaterium (C. L., Surrey). —The drug bearing this name is obtained from 
a plant related to the Cucumber. Ecbalium agreste, or Squirting Cucumber, which 
is as you state cultivated at Mitcham. The fruit is like a small oval Cucumber, 
abor t an inch and a half long and an inch in diameter, and is covered with 
stiff hairs or prickles. When fully ripe it separates from the stalk, and throws 
out its juice and seed with considerable force through an opening at the base, 
where it was united to the stalk ; it is from this circumstance that the name is 
