392 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [Mayio.isss. 
lias been placed a little sand. Do not cover the growth starting 
from the base with the compost, or they are liable to damp. 
After potting place them in brisk heat, and damp amongst the 
pots several times daily, bat do not give them water until the new 
roots are observed starting from the base of the new growth. 
Water must be applied with much care and caution until the 
roots are growing freely in the new soil. These do not require 
much water in their early stages, but when they have formed 
plenty of roots they need frequent and liberal supplies. 
AUTUMN-FEEDING BEES versus UNITING HIVES 
IN AUTUMN. 
Though these questions have often been discussed in the pages of 
this Journal, a correspondent whose signature is “Novice” has 
intelligently reviewed a letter or two on the subject that lately 
appeared. In doing so he has stated a case by contrasting tw r o hives 
managed on different systems—one, a June swarm, was made up 
for winter by stimulative autumn feeding; the other was created 
by a union of swarms in a bar-frame hive in September and fed 
into a stock. Both hives, it appears, received stimulative feeding 
in autumn, but one only additional bees, and was so full of them in 
October that it was with difficulty contracted to eight frames. Now, 
we are informed that in this hive there is not a third of the bees 
that are in the other, which has six standard frames densely covered. 
Your correspondent asks if I can “explain away the above results.” 
I have no desire to explain away any fact or result in bee-keeping 
or bee history. The facts mentioned by our friend are not at all 
uncommon, for it often happens that weak hives overtake and out¬ 
run stronger ones. A few days ago I visited an apiary containing 
ten hives, when the owner pointed to one of his hives and said, 
“ That is the strongest hive I have, and in the autumn it was the 
weakest; indeed, it was then so weak that I feared it would not 
survive the winter, but I covered and fed it well, and now you see 
its flight-board is covered with condensed perspiration.” Some fi'-e 
years ago I visited Chesterfield, and made a stay for a few days at 
the end of April. Tn passing the workhouse I noticed some hives 
of bees, and found them unusually strong and in advance of all I 
had seen that spring. The master of the union said he found that 
they were in a weakly condition, and began to feed them in the dead 
months of winter, and continued to feed them until the time I saw 
them. By stimulative feeding in winter and spring the hives were 
made unusually strong. But a dozen of such instances of success 
would not tempt us to depart from our general practice; and in 
our opinion the instances mentioned by “ Novice ” do not prove 
much, for seasons and circumstances differ, and if he were to try the 
same experiments again the results might be quite different. The 
deaths so numerous in the sugar-fed hives were probably owing to 
disease or age of the bees. In our apiary the hives created in 
October by syrup-feeding (eight or nine in number) are our best 
6tocks, and strongest in bees and brood. Yesterday (April 26th) 
I noticed hatched drones for the first time this season. 
In reference to autumnal unions versus spring feeding for 
strengthening stocks I am not opposed to either. Both are good 
under certain circumstances, and I greatly prefer autumnal unions 
to the slower process of stimulative feeding not always successful. 
In ordinary seasons hives in autumn have food enough, and more 
food might be a hindrance and not a help. Some hives are so over¬ 
burdened with honey or syrup that they have not room enough for 
brood. Of course the latest hatches of brood in autumn live longest 
—that is to say, further into the spring months of the following 
season, and this is an advantage, and a great one, in such cold springs 
as the present one, which has been a trying one to our bees, and to 
bees generally in this part of the country. Last autumn bees 
ceased to breed at an early ptriod, but the winter was open, and 
hives were in good condition in February and contained sealed 
brood. March was unusually cold—so cold that enlightened bee¬ 
keepers were afraid that the brood would be chilled to death. The 
populations of stocks during the cold month of March were rapidly 
thinned by death and loss of bees. Hives, generally speaking, were 
much weaker in bees at the end of March than they were at the 
commencement of the month. They had fewer bees, and were 
without brood. On examination of my hives as soon as the severe 
frost had gone I was pleased to find the combs empty of brood. 
The brood of all the hives was hatched out, and the combs left 
empty. The brood hatched out took the places of the old bees then 
fast dying ; but the deaths were then more numerous than the births, 
and hence hives became w'eaker. At the end of the month breeding 
recommenced, and as soon as the second set of brood came to 
maturity hives began to gain strength and set at rest all the anxiety 
of bee-masters about stock hives dying off, for when young bees are 
born faster than the old (nes die st cks gain strength, and after 
M arch when weather becomes warmer they gain strength rapidly 
from larger hatches of brood. The crisis of weak stocks, the ques¬ 
tion of life or death, happens at the time when the latest autumn- 
hatched bees die of old age. When hives are made strong with 
bees or brood in autumn no crisis need be feared in spring in 
ordinary seasons. 
Your intelligent correspondent “Novice” thoughtfully notices 
the question of pollen in connection with that of sugar-fed stocks. 
He says that “ Mr. Pettigrew has not showed that bees breed with¬ 
out pollen or a substitute.” No, for they cannot breed without it: 
pollen is bee bread, a necessary ingredient in the food of unhatched 
brood. The discovery that peameal and wheaten flour are accept¬ 
able to bees as a substitute for pollen is valuable to large bee-keepers. 
Bees readfiy gather flour from shavings if placed in a barrel or box 
protected from rain, and they will accept and use it if given to them 
in their hives on a piece of empty comb. One point more should be 
mooted in this letter—viz., what heat or cold brood can bear without 
suffering. We have more than once tried to turn the attention of 
bee-keepers to this question. From the experience bee-keeper3 
have had this spring they have learned that brood can be reared and 
hatched in a low temperature, and that with hives warmlj r covered 
there is not much danger of having brood chilled in the spring 
months.—A. Pettigrew, Borcdon . 
STRAW STEWARTON HIVES. 
About these or the sale of them a word of explanation is neces¬ 
sary. The desci iption of them given in the Journal of Horticulture 
has created a desire in many quarters to have them, and many 
orders fur them are sent to me. In order to prevent misunderstand¬ 
ing and disappointment let me state that all through life I have 
declined to sell empty hives, though I get my own from the makers 
or in the wdrolesale market. The straw Stewartons are a recent 
invention, and not yet in the market. Believing that they will 
come into general use, and that their chief features will meet with 
universal approval, I askel a Bowdon bee-keeper younger than 
myself to bring out the Stewarton hive for sale. Meanwhile I 
ordered thirty-two to be made for my own swarms; and I have 
advised a straw-hive merchant in Manchester to have a large 
number made, so that he will be prepared to meet an expected 
large demand, and I shall order thirty-six more.—A. Pettigrew. 
Bees, Beer, and Rum.— Years ago I kept bees, and in winter fed 
those that required it with the following mixture :—l lb. brown raw 
sugar boiled with a pinch of salt in a pint of ale, stirring and skim¬ 
ming till clear. After taking off the tire, and before bottling, add 
about a teaspoonful of rum. The bees liked this syrup, and did well 
on it.— Amateur. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Francis and Arthur Dickson & Sons, 100, Eastgate Street, Chester.— 
List of Select Bedding Plants. 
J. Veitch & Sons, King’s Road, Chelsea .—Catalogue of Hew Plants 
for 1883 {Illustrated ), and List of Softwooded and Bedding Plants. 
Stephen Brown, Weston-super-Mare .—Catalogue of Bedding Plants. 
William Potten, Sissinghurst, Kent .—List of Pelargoniums and 
Bedding Plants. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
\n)lihm)hiuir 
%* 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. 
