104 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 31, 1830. 
well for a few hours. The pure Carniolians, as well as their 
crosses, increased 2 lbs., while the Punic bees increased 3 lbs. in 
weight. 
From all quarters the reports are discouraging. From one 
-quarter a third of the colonies are dead, from another they have to 
feed to keep bees alive, and from a third prime swarms are casting 
virgin swarms, and young queens are not laying. These reports 
cover a very wide field. This sad state of matters is just what I 
predicted would take place with queens, and unless bee-keepers 
•strain every nerve to secure young fertile queens there will be 
much disappointment to encounter in 1891. One sunny day would 
put many queens all right. It is an absurdity to say three weeks’ 
retardation of fertilisation renders the queen sterile, that queens do 
not come into high laying powers for weeks after fertilisation, and 
that queens continue as prolific at two or three years as year-old 
ones. 
The foregoing, combined with the experience of a very un¬ 
toward season for bees, but not more so than many that I have 
experienced, will, it is to be hoped, instruct bee-keepers on some 
important points, such as to know beforehand what bees under 
certain circumstances will do. We have sufficient proof that where 
young queens have been kept there are few swarms, while in the 
same districts where queens were older not only have they 
swarmed, but have thrown virgin swarms long before they were 
crowded. Upon the age and fertility of the queens depends the 
success or non-success of the bee-keeper and his colonies. 
Preparing for the Heather. 
I am awaiting a reply by post as to the state of the Heather. 
On that reply and the weather in the next few days will I decide 
whether the bees go or remain at home. If the former the swarms 
that have young queens, and which were fertilised early, will go ; 
all the others must remain at home. The unswarmed old stocks 
are in prime order, and will admit of no manipulation further than 
supering. Had any been weak I would have broken them up and 
divided their brood combs amongst the late fertilised queens, so as 
to gain the greatest strength and vigour with the least inclination 
to swarm. Unswarmed old stocks with ten days or so of fine 
weather, with a likelihood of a continuation, are sure to swarm, 
although we super beyond their wants, and will require watching ; 
and if 1890 has not been a profitable one for bee-keepers it is to be 
hoped they will profit by what it has taught. I am writing this on 
July 25th. The same day of the month we set our bees down at 
the Heather last year. It did not turn out a good Heather honey 
year, although the bloom on the Heather never was finer. It will 
be remembered that the weather broke on the 7th of July, and 
there was not a day without rain till the first day of September, 
and it appears to have been but the commencement of the wet 
season, which we fervently hope is ended. A decided improve¬ 
ment has taken place ; the barometer is rising slowly, and although 
the day is dull the thermometer is standing steady at 65°, being 
between 5° and 10° higher than it has been for long under similar 
conditions. 
Before honey becomes plentiful there must be a few days of 
warmth and sunshine. After the honey is in the flowers there is 
less need of sunshine if the air be warm, and often the largest 
gatherings take place under a cloudy sky, but Avind is unfavour¬ 
able to the secretion of honey and to the flight of bees. 
Fixed Distances of Frames. 
Amongst the many devices of bee-keepers to alter the nature 
and plans of the bees that of altering the width between the frames 
during the season, and at all times to a little less than the bees do 
naturally, is one that has caused considerable discussion, which 
might have been avoided, because not the slightest advantage is 
gained by it, but the reverse. For more than a quarter of a 
century I have used brass nails or shoemakers’ tacks as distancers 
in making of cheap hives, tacks being cheaper than brass nails 
used for furniture. The Americans are now adopting this method, 
and the Ut of July “ Gleanings ” has an article with a drawing 
showing exactly what I have been doing so long, and what 
I have described under the heading “ How to Make Cheap 
Hives.” 
Those who propose making hives for their own use should not 
deviate a hair’s breadth from spacing their frames at 14 inch from 
centre to centre, and when having them made should insist upon 
that distance being maintained, together with stouter top bars than 
are generally sent out. I may enlarge upon this question again, 
and as I mean to go to the moors with my bees, will Avatch their 
movements and report. I am only sorry that the weather has pre¬ 
cluded the possibilities of a fair trial with the different races of 
bees in my apiary, but as the Punics gathered 1 lb. more than my 
best Carniolian stock on so small a gathering, augurs well that they 
will prove themselves the superior bee. 
Fixing Sections to Top Bars. 
“ Perhaps ‘ Lanarkshire Bee-keeper ’ will kindly inform me, at 
his earliest convenience, what size sections to use in the Lanarkshire 
hive, and Avhere they are to be procured, one width throughout, 
except bottom rail ? How many nails do sections require to fasten 
them to top bar ?—J. D. L., Northumberland .” 
Sections are fastened to top bars by driving a three-eighth or 
half-inch fine wire nail at each end and opposite corners, or by 
staples, either to catch the bar and section, or they may be driven 
into the centre of the bar. Many people prefer the former, while 
others prefer the angled tins as described several years ago. There 
is no maker of these in this country. Numbers of people have 
ordered them from America. Those who have not procured them 
cut down common sections to the necessary requirements. I use 
three sizes, 2 lbs., 1J lb., and 1 lb., 5| high by 6f, 44 and 3flong 
respectively. As our climate is so fickle, it Avill be obvious to all 
the necessity of putting no obstacle in the way of bees, the removal 
of the broad bottom rail is the removal of a great obstacle to bees 
entering supers.—A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Henry Norton, Louth, Lincolnshire .—Descriptive Catalogue of Dwarf 
Roses. 
Armitage Brothers, High Street, Nottingham.— Catalogue of Dutch 
Bulbs. 
J. E. Barnes, 9, Exchange Street, Norwich.— Catalogue of Seeds for 
Autumn. 
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 correspondents, as doing so subjects them to 
unjustifiable trouble and expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions 
relating to Gardening and those on 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 communica¬ 
tions. 
Figs not Swelling (Inquirer ').—In consequence of a peculiar 
confusion of addresses it is impossible for us to determine whether an 
answer to a letter which we have, received on the above subject is 
required through the Journal of Horticulture or another medium ; if 
through this Journal the Editor will be obliged by the name and 
address of the writer of the letter. 
