60 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ January 18, 1883. 
obtained by this process is besides absolutely pure, and a great 
contrast to that usually obtained from crushed combs, in which 
may generally be found not only a considerable proportion of wax, 
but of pollen and the juices of grubs or immature bees. 
Objections have been taken to the rectangular shape of the bar- 
frame hive on the ground that is not so well suited to the globular 
form in which bees naturally cluster, but this objection holds true 
to all hives so long as they are larger than the cluster of bees. 
Indeed, large skeps such as are now chiefly recommended are the 
most objectionable of all hives in this respect. They entirely con¬ 
form to the ideal form in summer when they are full of bees ; but 
at this season all hives under proper management are also filled 
with bees, and even though vacant corners may exist, the warmth 
of the temperature renders these but slightly objectionable. In 
winter, however, when the bees shrink into small bulk, so much of 
the interior of these large skeps is unoccupied that, as a matter of 
fact, the combs so exposed are in the greatest danger of becoming 
damp and mould}'. In the Stewarton hive this objection is lessened 
by the removal of such sections of the hive as are not occupied by 
the bees, but with regular bar-frame hives the objection may be 
entirely removed by the limely contraction of the space to such 
dimensions as the bees can easily keep warm and dry, in which 
case the globular form is of no further advantage. 
There has also been much controversy as to the best material for 
hives, mainly between the advocates of wood and straw respectively. 
Doubtless the large accession during late years to the ranks of bee¬ 
keepers of beginners imperfectly versed in the principles of the 
and damp from beneath. The cavity between the quilt and the 
tops of the frames affords a warm winter passage from comb to 
comb, and is always found full of bees. The roof of the hive is not 
shown here.— William Raitt, Blairgowrie. 
(To be continued.) 
STIMULATING FEEDING FOR BEES IN AUTUMN. 
I WAS surprised to read “ P. H. P.’s ” remarks on autumn 
stimulating feeding. Does he mean to say that he can induce 
his queens to start laying after they have ceased in the autumn ? 
After many years’ trial 1 find it not worth the trouble, and I am 
borne out by several English and Scotch bee-keepers of no mean 
repute. I know “ P. H. P.” to be a good bee-keeper, but I should 
like the opinions of others. If the stocks are scarce of food 
by all means feed them, not without. I find in most cases the 
best results not in autumn stimulating feeding, but in spring 
feeding.— Stingek. 
SEPARATORS A NECESSITY. 
The use of separators having become to me “ a necessity,” and as 
some prominent apiarists seem to think “ they are a useless appen¬ 
dage ” in the modern bee hive, it is just possible there maybe 
certain conditions in which we may get good combs without them, 
but I have yet to find them. It has been said the hive must be full 
of bees, and honey coming in fast; then, with sections filled with 
good thin comb foundation, no trouble would be experienced. 
I determined to give this matter a fair trial during the past season, 
and so prepared six good colonies, with upper storeys filled with 
wide frames, all being filled with 1 lb. sections, and each containing a 
full sheet of thin foundation, thus giving them such good facilities for 
management of bar-frame hives, many of whom have reported 
disaster to their stocks from cold or damp, has tended to create a 
prejudice to the use of wood as a material for hives. The early 
forms of the bar-frame hive also tended to such untoward results. 
But now it is quite different, and hives of wood are now made that 
for warmth and dryness are not surpassed by the best straw hives 
made. The art of working straw hives is confined to the few, 
while any handy man can construct a hive of wood. The rough¬ 
ness and inflexibility of straw is against it as a material for rect¬ 
angular bar-frame hives, though such are occasionally made of it. 
Besides, it requires an outer casing almost as costly as the hive 
itself. Its sole advantage is its superiority as a non-conductor of 
heat, and it is here that the great improvement in bar-frame hives 
has been most marked of late years. First of all the wooden crown 
board was abolished, and in its stead was introduced the porous 
quilt of carpet or house flannel, supplemented in winter by an extra 
covering of chaff or cork dust. Next, the sides of the hive opposite 
the frame ends were doubled so as to give an inch or more of dead 
air as a non-conductor, this space being sometimes also packed with 
chaff or other light material. And lastly, the plan of removing the 
outer combs before winter and filling their place with chaff, &c., 
completed the arrangements of a hive that for security against cold 
and damp is undoubtedly superior to the best straw hive ever made. 
We give sections both ways of such a hive showing its arrangement 
for winter. (See figs. 14 and 15.) 
Note. —The stippled spaces inside the hive represent the chaff¬ 
packing, and that underneath the sawdust, which protects from cold 
comb-building that I thought if ever good combs could be had with¬ 
out separators I would have them. The result provpd exactly the 
reverse. The honey season being a good one the bees soon built 
them out and filled them with honey, but when I came to crate 
these same boxes for market more than one-half had to be laid aside 
for the home market; and even then they are a “ bother and vexa¬ 
tion of spirit,” as they are sure to crowd against each other and 
start the honey to leaking; and these combs, be they bulged ever 
so little, are likely to have the caps of the cells broken if they but 
touch each other. It seems to me the only advantage we could 
gain in discarding them lies in the fact that more honey can be 
stored in the same box; but this is of little account when we sell 
the wood in the box at the same price as the finest honey. Sup¬ 
posing, then, we must use separators, shall we use wood, tin, or 
paper P I have never used anything but tin, though I am assured 
by a friend of mine, who uses wood entirely, that it is just as good 
as tin. However, another important item comes in here. Will as 
much honey be stored with as without them ? I have thought some 
seasons the bees were reluctant to work among them ; then, again, 
they seemed to pay no attention, but worked as busily as though no 
separators were present.—J. V. Caldwell (in The American Bee 
Journal.) 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Wm. Cutbush & Son, Highgate and Barnet .—Catalogue of Vegetable 
and Flower Seeds. 
Dicksons & Co., Waterloo Place, Edinburgh.— Catalogue of Flower 
and Vegetable Seeds. 
James Dickson <fc Sons, 108, Eastgate Street, Chester .—Catalogue of 
Vegetable and Flower Seeds. 
Bruant, Poitiers, Vienne, Prance .—List of New Plants. 
