September 9 IS' 6 ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
239 
and the foliage is naturally ripened, less water, a cooler and a drh r 
atmosphere, should be provided for them. Water should not be withheld 
suddenly, but gradually. D. nobile that was pushed early into growth 
will have developed fine large pseudo-bulbs, and if they are to flower 
profusely they must be exposed to the sun at once, or they will not 
beer me sufficiently ripened to flower on the growths that have been made 
this season. Any plants of this and other varieties that have not finished 
erowing should be kept in brisk heat and more light afforded them than 
has been necessary up to the present time. Light, air, and a drier atmo¬ 
sphere are essential at this season of the year to complete and ripen the 
pseudo-bulbs before the approach of autumn, for if this is not accom- 
pl’shed before then a bountiful supply of flowers cannot be expected. 
Thunias. —Seldom, indeed, do these flower satisfactorily when the 
growth of the plants in spring is retarded and made late in consequence. 
Every attempt should be made to bring the growth to a standstill, and 
ripen them in a slightly lower temperature than the one in which they 
have been growing, fully exposed to the sun. Very frequently the house 
in which these plants are grown is too much shaded and they become 
drawn, the growths often attaining a height of 5 feet. Such growths 
are seldom well ripened and often die back or damp during the winter 
when at rest. If this calamity does not befall them they very rarely 
flower the following season. They should not be grown too hot, 
or subjected to too much shade. If a circulation of air is maintained 
daily, or whenever favourable, and sufficient light to solidify the growths 
as made, every one of them will flower, the pseudo-bulbs become well and 
early ripened, and success the following season insured. 
Balia anceps .—If grown moderately warm with the Cattleyas flower 
spikes will be visible, which will scarcely be the case if the plants have 
been in an intermediate temperature. Plants producing flower spikes are 
very subject to aphides, which should be destroyed at once, for they suck 
the juices from the tender flower stem, which eventually turns yellow. 
Light fumigations with tobacco is the best and quickest method of 
destroying these insects. If desirable to retard any of these plants for 
forming a succession of bloom, the most backward portion of the stock 
may be removed to a slightly lower temperature. It is a mistake to do 
this by placing the plants in too low a temperature, for more barm than 
good will result from such treatment. Such treatment checks the plants, 
and they fail to make satisfactory growth the following season. While 
subject to a cooler temperature a little less water should be given, which 
will insure the roots remaining in good condition. 
Cypripedium Sedeni .— This beautiful variety grows and increases very 
rapidly in stove beat, and its flowers are very effective. The time of 
flowering depends entirely upon the temperature in which the plant is 
growing. With sufficient plants and growing them in slightly different 
temperatures a long succession of bloom will be produced. This plant 
bears retarding without injury ; directly the flowers fade growth commences 
fiom the base. 
Cypripedium Spicerianum .—Earlier than usual this year this variety 
is throwing up its delicate and beautiful flowers. If they are not wanted 
for a time, the plantr may be retarded. By giving a lower temperature 
for a time, extra luxuriance has resulted. We have always been rewarded 
with two flowers on each spike, which this plant is capable of doing 
under liberal treatment and judicious rest. While in a lower temperature 
care is necessary in the supply of water, it must not be too liberal ; the 
water used should be tepid, cold water falling upon the foliage after 
removal to a lower temperature earning the leaves to be spotted. 
ft 
w 
dE BEE-KEEPER. 
$ 
RENEWING WORN-OUT COMB. 
The older a comb is tbe less serviceable it becomes in a bive. 
Three years is quite long enough for any comb to be in use, 
especially in the brood nest, and for these reasons—1, Because 
many cells are filled with pollen, which is generally found in 
every hive in greater quantities than are required, and, 2, Because 
the cells become less every time a bee is hatched in them. Hives 
with comb twice seven years undisturbed by man may and have 
done well, but it is very ill-advised in anyone to trust to instances 
of this kind. Jn a small hive the lessening of the number of 
cells available for breeding purposes is nothing less than ruinous, 
while in a larger hive it hardly seems profitable to have cells 
filled with pollen which might be used to a better purpose. In a 
small hive a cell rendered useless means an egg wasted, and a 
worker lost; in a large hive it is not quite such a serious matter, 
because there are more cells which can on necessity be utilised by 
the queen for breeding purposes. There are several ways in 
which new comb can be obtained to take the place of old in bar- 
frame hives, but it wi'l be sufficient to give two, and the best of 
them is, after taking away all the old combs, either uniting the 
bees of two hives together or else strengthening the hive the 
comb of which it is desired to renew in the manner pointed out a 
few weeks ago,to put into the hive frames filled with foundation 
of the very best quality, and then feed as in the case of a skep, 
except that as the foundation will materially assist in the comb 
construction, less syrup will be required than for a skep where 
every cell has to be formed from wax elaborated by the bees 
themselves. The next plan is to take out from one of the 
strongest stocks with new comb every alternate comb and put in 
the place of the frames so removed others filled with foundation, 
taking the others so removed from such stock and placing them 
and a frame of foundation also alternately in the stock the comb 
of which it is desired to renew. Both stocks will of course 
require feeding until the foundation is built out and food for 
winter is stored. The former plan has more than one advantage 
over the latter, and not the least is this, that in an apiary where 
comb is constantly renewed there is less likelihood of foul brood 
getting foothold, and also it is unnecessary to disturb any other 
stock; while if there is any disease in any stock, the moving of 
combs from one hive to another is the most ready way to spread 
it. The time for building up sugar-fed stocks is not yet over, 
and if it is desired to renew any combs it may still be done with 
a certainty of success. Comb built in autumn is preferable to 
that built in spring, unless foundation is used, and even then 
there is sometimes the same disadvantage, because in the spring 
bees are prone to build drone comb, whi'e in autumn hardly any 
drone cells are formed at all; so the effort must be made to get 
every cell completed, and this, too, without any delay. Founda¬ 
tion must not at this time of the year be put outside the other 
combs, and in spring it is a very injurious practice to spread the 
brood by putting a frame of foundation in the centre of the hive. 
The time for all such manipulations, if they are to be performed 
at all, is immediately after the close of the honey harvest. The 
outside frames will probably contain honey of good quality, and 
therefore they may be broken up; but if the honey is not required 
they may, if of proper form and not containing drone cells, be 
brought nearer to the centre of the hive. In nine cases out of 
ten it is preferable to renew all the combs at once. Dzierzon 
does, I believe, approve of what he calls “ spring pruning ” of 
combs, and argues that if occasionally drone cells are formed 
where workers were before the reverse is often the case; but in 
practical apiculture, in this country at least, the practice is fraught 
with danger and is inimical to the true interests of a practical 
bee-keeper. 
All that is required in moving hives is a perfect ventilation 
and fixity of combs. The former can be had by fastening a 
piece of wire netting on the top of the hive after removing the 
quilts and all other covering, and also fastening a piece of the 
same over the entrance, while the combs may be kept from 
moving either in the elaborate method given on page 105 of 
Cowan’s Bee-keepers’ Guide Book, or if the frames have shoulders 
by screwing some laths tightly over the tops of the frames, and 
if there are no shoulders, also putting in wedges to keep each 
frame in position, and as an additional precaution a rack may be 
used to pass along the bottom of the frames transversely, and 
they will thereby be held most securely in position. New combs 
travel very badly indeed, and it is very dangerous to have a hive 
which contains combs only a few weeks old. In previous numbers 
“ A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper ” has touched upon this point of 
moving hives, so that by referring back all the necessary infor¬ 
mation for guidance will, I think, be found. 
Excluders of every description are a nuisance, and with proper 
hives they are totally unnecessary; they hamper the bees in their 
work and spoil the progress of a super. If there is, as there 
ought to be, a good breadth of sealed honey above the brood 
nest the cases will be very rare indeed in which the queen will 
pass this natural barrier. Not one single cell of brood has there 
been in any super in my apiary this year, and I am convinced 
that it would be a wiser policy to run what little risk there is 
of having a super occasionally marred by brood than to use 
excluder zincs. 1 f brood is seen in a large super it can be cut 
out as soon as it is perceived, and a few days of fine weather will 
remedy the mischief; while if sections are in use it is the rarest 
possible occurrence to hear of the queen entering more than one, 
and this one maybe put into the combs from which it is intended 
to run the honey.— Felix. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Sutton & Sons, Reading .—Catalogue of Bulbs for 1886 ( illustrated')• 
Webb & Sons, Wordsley, Stourbridge .—Bulb Catalogue for 1886 {illus- 
George Bunyard & Co., Old Nurseries, Maidstone .—Illustrated Cata¬ 
logue of Fruit Trees. , r , r „ 
Dobie & Mason, 66, Deansgate, and 22, Oak Street, Manchester. Illus¬ 
trated Catalogue of Flower Boots. 
Compagnie Continentale d’Horticulture, 52, Rue du Chaume, Ghent, 
Belgium .—Catalogue of New Plants. , , 
Charles Turner, Royal Nurseries, Slough .—Catalogue of Hyacinths and 
Choice Bulbous Plants. 
