898 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDEN Eh. 
[ October 28, 1886. 
boxes minus tops or bottom, three of them having a rabbet on 
top edge front and back half the thickness of the wood by half 
an inch deep, the front one in three of them having the entrance 
the whole width of the box half an inch high fitted with a 
sliding mouthpiece. 
To complete the stand lay the four little posts that form the 
feet upon their edge, and at the distance from top, which will 
cause the folding floor to shut flush with the back and bottom 
edge of stand, which should be about 1 inch narrower than the 
others. Make two saw cuts that will when cleaned out form a 
groove one-eighth of an inch deep and wide. After the feet are 
firmly nailed in their places from the outside fit a thin piece of 
wood half an inch broader than posts to form a stop for the 
folding bottom. Now take a piece of thin wood and cut to the 
size, then nail firmly to two bars of wood, on to which the hinges 
must be screwed. A stop now may be placed at the back 
opposite the hinges, and a wooden button secures and keeps the 
bottom in its place. A screw nail being put into one of the feet 
serves as a stop to prevent it falling close to the ground or 
being dragged when the hive is moved about. The perforated zinc 
may be slightly tacked on the top edges, which if desired may 
have a little well soldered on for feeding from below ; or if de¬ 
sired before the zinc is fastened a little piece is cut out of the top 
of the stand a quarter of an inch deep from the zinc, so as to 
admit a fountain feeder to be pushed in, when the bees will sip 
the syrup through the perforations. A little block of wood or 
tin slide closes the opening when not required for feeding. This 
method of feeding is handy, and a large number of hives may 
be fed at any time quickly and with little trouble. 
A fillet should be nailed underneath the a’ighting board, 
which should be hinged so as to fold up out of the way when in 
transit. The divisions may be made rigid to one another with 
hooping, having three holes, back flap hinges, which holds down 
out of the way when manipulating ; or, better still, brass clasps 
of the “ Yon Deusen ” style, which cost about lid. each. Tiie 
making of the frames requires exactness. The wood for the top 
bars, half inch thick, should be clean and free from knots, and 
cut to the exact length one-sixteenth shorter than sides of the 
hive were cut. Plane one side of the board, then shoot one edge 
straight and square with the ends ; then cut in strips 11 inch 
bi’oad, having previously made a draught on face five eighths and 
one-sixteenth from the ends, where the hole must beboiedfor the 
ends of the frame, mark the centre with a gauge, and enter the 
piece at the intersection. After these are bored a groove one- 
eighth of an inch wide and deep should be made with a circular 
saw. Failing the circular, the groove should be made with a 
lough plane before cutting into strips, but always after the hole 
as been bored. The end pieces for the frame should need not 
be more than 5J inches long by 1 inch thick. Make a tenon on 
one end and on the other two across, one on each corner. No 
bottom rail is required with shallow hives, but if beyond 8 inches 
deep should have them. After the block is thus prepared cut 
nto little clefts a quarter of an inch thick ; then dip the tenon 
into glue and drive into the top bar, so that they form a right 
angle with it. The pieces for closing the spaces between the 
bars ai - e of the same length, and if the raggle is cut and the 
board to suit the distance tacket, then cut into strips three- 
sixteenths of an inch thick. The hive after being fitted with 
foundation is finished, and any artisan can make in five hours. 
When made will prove to be a hive superior for bee-husbandry 
to any ten times its price ; and when covered externally with a 
hackle of some sort and surmounted with a sheet of galvanised 
iron, which costs about 9d., cannot be surpassed for keeping bees 
dry, comfortable, and healthy. 
Some people may, however, prefer an outside case, and there 
is none better than the one made for the “ best hive in creation,” 
but for cheapness and efficiency a few thin boards not more than 
4 inches broad by quarter of an inch thick, having their bottom 
edges beveled inwards for a drip and planed on outside nailed 
on posts overlapping each other half an inch or so cannot be sur¬ 
passed, and will not cost more off the saw, including posts, 
2 by 6 long by 2 by £ than Is. 8d. If a cheap roof is wanted a 
sheet of iron bent over two circular end pieces of wood, and held 
in its place by four screws, makes a perfect roof, providing^air 
courses are left above. If a better thing is wanted then a square 
frame is necessary, and it covered with lead or zinc. If the bee¬ 
keeper is of an artistic turn of mind the outside cases can be 
made very ornamental by tracing designs upon the case and 
employing fir cones and acorns to complete them. In that case 
a projecting Swiss roof will be desirable. 
Altogether such work does not add to the utility of the cases. 
It forms a pleasant pastime and prepares them for other 
work, which may in the end prove more remunerative lan keep¬ 
ing bees.— A. Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
James Dickson, “Newton” Nurseries, Chester .—Catalogue of Forest 
and Ornamental Trees, Evergreens, <&c. 
Charles Turner, Slough .—Catalogue of Boses and Fruit Trees. 
J. Clieal & Sons, Crawley, Sussex .—Catalogue of Trees and Shrubs, 
Boses, and Fru t Trees. 
James Cocker & Sons, Aberdeen .—Catalogue of Boses. 
Cooling & Sons, Bath.— Ca'alogue of Roses and Fruit Trees. 
James Dickson & Son, Chester.— Ca'alogue of Forest Trees for 1886-7. 
Dammann & Co., Naples .—Illustrated Seed Catalogue. 
Ewing & Co., Havant, Hampshire .—Price List of Nursery Stock, Roses, 
and Hardy Trees and Shrubs. 
All correspondence should he 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 Bee subjects, and should never 
send more than two or three questions at once. All articles in¬ 
tended 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 (S. S.). —The “ Cottage Gardener’s Dictionary ” will probably suit 
you, as it not only contains a “ little of most things ” as you say, but gives 
copious information on the culture of important plants and crops. It can 
be had from this office price 7s. 6d., post free 8s. 3d, (IE. R.). —Write to 
Mr. William Paul, Waltham Cross Nurseries, Herts. 
Birkenhead’s Beetle Trap (F. F.). —This simple but excellent contriv¬ 
ance for catching beetles and other nocturnal crawlers is advertised in 
another column. 
Seedling Pear (11. B .).—The texture of the flesh is too watery, and the 
juice has sweetness without richness of flavour, neither has it any aroma. 
It is inferior to a great many of tbe midseason Pear3 that are now in use. 
Cement Joints for Hot-water Pipes (IE. H.). —We have seen at least 
a mile in length of pipes fixed with cement joints, and nothing could answer 
better. We have also seen some failures, the result of inferior material or 
workmanship. If the work is well done we have no doubt it will answer, 
but it should not be entrusted to inexperienced persons. 
Vines not Thriving (C. G., Mansfield ).—The roughness of the leaves 
is not evidence of the presence of the phylloxera, nor do we find any traces 
of this great scourge of the Vine on the roots. Possibly the canes were 
left too long when planted, and the numerous “ breaks ” exhausted the sap 
from them before roots were produced in sufficient numbers to imbibe 
adequate nourishment for inciting and maintaining strong growths. 
Small Mushrooms (Bolton). —It is ju3t possible that you have had the 
manure too long in preparation and turned it over too frequently, hence 
weakening it if not drying it too much. See remarks on this subject in tbe 
supplement to the fourth edition of Wright’s Mushrooms for the Million. 
The fact that a few Mushrooms attain a fair size at the bottom of the bed 
suggests that the top is too weak or too dry. You might try the effects of 
weak tepid liquid mpnure after sweeping off the small 11 fur-like clusters,” 
and casing with a little stronger soil, might also be advantageous. The 
temperature is right. 
Peaches versus Tomatoes (C. C.). —Peaches do not pay nearly so well as 
Tomatoes, more particularly as you wish to winter Zonal Pelargoniums and 
other flowering plants in the house. You could not have a better Peach 
than Stirling Castle. The Peach would do on one Bide of the house and the 
Tomatoes the other, but we do not advise this arrangement, and we should 
keep to the Zonal Pelargoniums, &c. in winter and Tomatoes in summer, as 
they would prove most satisfactory and pay best. Your Tomato proved 
an early and free-cropping variety, producing heavy brightly coloured fruits 
of good quality, though we are not able to Bay that it excels some other 
varieties with which it was grown. 
Fruit Buds, Single Cordons, Verbena venosa, Propagation, &c. 
(F. J.). —Two leaves at the base of a bud do not indicate a fruit bud, nor one 
leaf at the base of a bud a wood bud. A fruit bud is more round and pro¬ 
minent than a wood bud, which is rarely half the siz-, very much thinner, 
and pointed. Single cordons intended for training oblique should be grown 
a year upright if they are wanted elongated, or they may be trained in the 
proper position at once. We have tried both, and think the latter the 
better plan, as the trees get much better furnished at the base than when 
trained upright. The best time to divide Verbena Vrnosa is in spring, or it 
is readily raised from seed. For destroying the weeds on gravel walks you 
could not have anything better than Smith’s weed killer, which has been 
frequently advertised. We have no recollection of giving a receipt for 
making artificial manure. Any of the advertised manures would answer 
your purpose, and a dressing could be applied now, following the instruc¬ 
tions given in each case. 
