464 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. t November ie, im. 
feeding, whether of syrup or pollen, when from ungenial weather 
their instincts are baffled by the poverty of natural supplies. The 
possibilities with strong stocks properly aided in this way are im¬ 
mense, for the bees are not content with gathering enough to supply 
their immediate wants, but make provision for themselves and 
their successors for many months to come. Lazy bees mean a lazy 
and ignorant bee-keeper, who leaves his hives unsupered and un- 
eked, till from sheer want of storage room his bees, gorged with 
honey, hang idly all around. —William Raitt, Blairgowrie. 
(To be continued.) 
COSTLY HIVES AND RESULTS. 
The question of profit and loss in bee-keeping is important to 
a great number of apiarians, and ought to be the essential con¬ 
sideration in practical apiculture ; but for some reason or other it 
has not of late been much discussed. The sooner this question 
comes to the front and receives due and general attention the 
better it will be for apiculture and beginners. During the last 
ten years money has been wastefully spent on new hives, and 
during that time there have been great losses and failures in bee¬ 
keeping. Some working men and others higher in station write 
and tell me of their losses and disappointments, and it is lament¬ 
able to know they are samples of others throughout the land who 
have bought costly hives and bee furniture which as yet have 
yielded no return for the outlay. How long will such unwise 
expenditure continue ? Stories are told even in Lancashire and 
Cheshire of gentlemen and working men spending money lavishly 
on new bees and costly hives, almost all ending in disappoint¬ 
ment. What did the late Mr. Quinby, who was one of the most 
extensive and enlightened bee-keepers of America, say touching 
this question ? He said Is. . is enough to give for a hive, and 
every cent or halfpenny beyond Is. 6^. per hive would yield no 
return for the extra outlay. Mr. Quinby wrote for the advantage 
of American bee-keepers, and though he used wooden hives he 
predicted that some day straw would be preferred to wood ; but 
here we should bear in mind that wood is cheap in America, and 
that hives of sufficient size, either in wood or straw, cannot be had 
in England at that price. However, beautiful, excellent, and 
capacious hives can be had in this country at a price cheap 
enough even for working men. Only twice have I paid more 
than 5s. for hives, and these were in wood, and when English 
apiarians hold broader views of bees and bee-keeping than most 
have at present, expensive hives will speedily go out of fashion. 
Hive-dealers are having the best of it just now, but no one can 
blame dealers for making the best of their goods. Ten years ago 
I was somewhat anxious to see the prize hive of the Bee-keepers’ 
Association. In one of the midland counties I saw it in the 
apiary of an advanced bee-keeper. It cost, I think, 35s. I 
examined it, and came to the conclusion that I would not accept 
the gift of a dozen of such hives for my own use if they were 
offered. Some time afterwards the gentleman wrote to me that 
the others in his garden, which cost only about one-eighth of the 
price of the prize hive, were far superior to it for work and profit. 
I trust no one will be offended at my suggestion that it is desirable 
the British Bee-keepers’ Association should not offer prizes at 
their shows for costly hives. By withholding prizes from hives 
beyond a certain price the gentlemen of the Committee will 
express their disapproval of a practice not advantageous to bee¬ 
keeping. 
In order to succeed and make money of bees the utmost economy 
is necessary. Expenses must be kept low. For years I published 
annually the balance sheet of my apiary, and in doing this I saw 
the importance of rigid economy. Another point became more 
and more evident—viz., that if bees have room enough and are let 
alone they will seldom disappoint their masters. Meddling with 
bees is not good for them. Since I began to write these letters 
on the Stewarton hive an Ayrshire correspondent has informed us 
through the Journal that some bee-keepers there have used the 
straw Stewarton for years. I am greatly pleased to know this, 
for it shows the thought we have been dwelling upon has long 
since passed into established practice. Both Mauchline and 
Stewarton are Ayrshire villages situate a few miles from Kilmar¬ 
nock. I shall now arrange to have twenty or thirty straw Stew- 
artons made for my swarms next season, about 15 inches wide by 
14 deep, neatly sewed. I expect they will be pretty hives, as 
useful as hives can be, and cost about 5s. each. If the reader has 
seen a bushel measure—which is 16 inches deep and 14 wide—he 
will be able to form an accurate idea of the shape and size of my 
Stewartons. I am obliged to a gentleman in Aberdeenshire, who 
has written privately to say that supering bar-frame hives there 
is not done through a hole in their crowns, but through a modifi¬ 
cation, as it appears to me, of the Stewarton principle. Mr. Raitt 
is probably the inventor of this way of supering bar-frame hives, 
for he practises it and instructs others to do so. We may there¬ 
fore expect to get some time a full description of this mode of 
supering. If the Stewarton hive appear in straiv and become a 
general favourite, I would not advise working men to abandon 
their present hives and get Stewartons. By removing the crown 
boards of bar-frame hives, and adopting the Stewarton principle 
of supering, much may be done at little expense. Commending 
the consideration of this subject to bee-keepers generally I leave 
it for the present.— A. Pettigrew. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
James Cocker & Sons, Aberdeen .—Catalogue of Hoses, Trees, and 
Shrubs. 
T. Laxton, Bedford .—List of Nero Fruits and Vegetables. 
James Dickson & Sons, Newton Nurseries, Chester.— Catalogues 
of Forest, Fruit, and Evergreen Trees, Roses, Hardy Flowers, cfc. 
Francis and Arthur Dickson it Sons, Upton Nurseries, Chester.— 
Catalogue of Forest and Ornamental Trees and Shrubs, Fruit Trees, 
Roses, ifc. 
L. Spath, Berlin .—Catalogue of Plants. 
H. Cannell & Sons, Swaniey, Kent .—Catalogue of Roses Chrys¬ 
anthemums. 
%* 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 rejected communications. 
Books (J. M. IS.). —Hr. Cuthbert Johnson’s work on fertilisers is published 
by Messrs. Bidgway, Piccadilly, London. (A. Booth ).—“Hops from the Set to 
the Skylight," by Charles Whitehead, F.L.S., published by Effingham Wilson and 
Co., Boyal Exchange, will answer your purpose. ( D. Watson). —There is no work 
so “cheap, concise, and comprehensive” on the culture of plants, fruit, and 
vegetables as our “ Garden Manual,” price 1 j. G-L, post free from this office Is. 9i(. 
(J. D.).— Simmond’s “ Tropical Agriculture,” Spon, Charing Cross, will probably 
suit you. It can be had through a bookseller. Shaw’s work on “Market 
Gardening" (37, Southampton Street), and Earley’s “Profitable Market Garden¬ 
ing ” (170, Strand), might give you some of the information you are seeking. 
Unlevel Houses (J. E.). —So far as the heating of the houses and the cir¬ 
culation of the water is concerned you may have the structures as much out of 
level as you like. When not level and square they cost more to build and do not 
look well when completed. Some of the finest crops of Grapes we have seen 
are grown in houses “ out of level.” 
Apples for Market (./. E., Ireland). —The letter to which you refer cer¬ 
tainly never reached our hands. If you will state the number of trees you require, 
whether standards for orchard or otherwise, or name the extent of ground you 
desire to occupy with trees, we will readily name varieties that are likely to be 
useful. 
Pea.rs for Wall (G. P., Hants ).—Your reference to a “ former letter ” is 
insufficient. In our great mass of correspondence it is impossible for us to re¬ 
member the purport of former letters. If you want simply twenty-four varieties 
of Pears for succession we will publish their names next -week ; but any informa¬ 
tion that you may need different to or beyond this can only be given on your 
repeating your requirements. 
Auriculas in Frames ( A Beginner). —The plants will be far better in the 
frame than crowded amongst others in a greenhouse. Provided they are mode¬ 
rately dry at the roots, and the frame is in a sheltered position, they are not 
likely to sustain any injury by frost. Still, if the weather is severe you will not 
err by packing straw round the sides of the frame and covering the glass with 
mats or other protective material. We have had the soil in the pots frozen quite 
hard and the plants sustained no injury, but they are injured if frosted in the 
spring after growth commences. It is then that protection is needed more than 
at any other time. 
Dahlias in Winter (J. Allen). —It is quite true that Dahlias will pass 
the winter safely in the open ground provided the soil is light and well drained, 
and ashes or cocoa-nut fibre refuse are placed over the roots and for a good dis¬ 
tance beyond their extremities ; but not only will the blooms which the plants 
produce next year be late, but they will be small, and in all respects inferior to 
those afforded by plants that are raised from cuttings established early, well 
prepared, sturdy and strong, for planting towards the end of May or early in 
June in deeply trenched and rich soil. Dahlias should be taken up at once, care¬ 
fully dried, and be wintered where they will be perfectly safe from frost. 
Jersey Gratioli P ear (J. E. B., Surrey). —This is an excellent Pear, and you 
may safely plant it in your garden where you say Pears usually do so weU. The 
tree grows well and bears freely, the fruits being juicy, vinous, and enjoyable. 
