April 30, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
353 
Thumb, Early D\yarf Ulm, G reen Curled, and Drumhead form an 
excellent succession, Gilbert’s Univerial also being an excellent mid- 
season variety. The first week in May is a good time to sow the seed. 
Late sown seeds of the Brassica family germinate quickly, and arc not 
often much interfered with by birds. Should the latter prove trouble¬ 
some, and frequent dustings over with soot and lime not keep them off, 
then ought the beds to be netted over for a few days, no risks being run 
at this late date. 
Salsafy, Scobzoneba, and Chicoby.— Sown early the plants of 
the two former especially are liable to experience a check from frosts 
or cold winds, premature flowering and useless roots being the con¬ 
sequence : whereas if the seed is sown at once on land some time since 
deeply dug and now in a finely divided state, no animal manure being 
used unless buried deeply, it will germinate quickly, and clean, straight, 
and sufficiently thick roots eventually result. Contact with solid 
manure or partially decayed leaves causes the tap roots to fork badly, 
hence the advice to sow on unmanured land. At the same time the 
latter ought not to be very poor, and if not well manured for the 
preceding crop, stir in a dressing of soot or some kind of artificial manure 
prior to sowing the seed. In each case sow the seed thinly in shallow 
drills drawn 15 inches apart. 
Kdnnee Beans. —If these are wanted very early the better plan is 
to sow seed in either small pots or boxes and place in heat, the plants 
being duly hardened off and planted out before commencing to form 
running growth. Being very tender they will further require to be pro¬ 
tected after they are in position, strips of scrim canvas and benders 
answering well for the purpose. This extra trouble is not often taken 
by growers other than exhibitors who may require early dishes of fine 
pods. Kidney Beans being obtained much earlier with little trouble, and 
by some persons are preferred to the coarser pods of running varieties. 
The ground in many cases is very wet and cold just below the surface, 
snow -water not agreeing well with clay, but all the same it is advisable 
to sow seed for the principal supplies, another sowing being made a 
month hence. Runner Beans thrive best and remain longer in full bear¬ 
ing when the plants arc given the benefit of a freely manured deep root 
run, it being necessary to form Celery-like trenches for them in all cases 
where the subsoil is of a hot or hungry nature. In dry weather they 
require abundance of water, and this should be remembered, a con¬ 
venient site being selected accordingly. It is most unwfise to crowd 
them in any way. If a number of rows are sown arrange these quite 
6 feet apart, and still more sjrace should be allowed if stakes 9 feet and 
upwards are used. Grown on good ground they will attain a great 
height, and there is nothing to prevent the use of the tallest stakes 
obtainable. A single line of plants and stakes answers well, but if pre¬ 
ferred the old-fashioned plan of arranging double rows of plants and 
stakes can be adopted. Sow the seed thinly, and thin out the seedlings 
to about 12 inches apart. In sunny open positions these Beans may also 
be grown without stakes. Dispose the rows 3 feet apart, thin out the 
seedlings to about 15 inches apart, and pinch out all running growth 
that shows. Everything depends upon the latter detail being strictly 
carried out, the closely stopped plants forming plenty of strong flower 
spikes all the season. The old fashioned varieties, and with which the 
Champion is included, are the most generally serviceable, the large 
podded forms better suiting exhibitors. There is nothing to prevent 
two or more rows of early Potatoes, Cauliflowers, or Cabbage being 
planted between the rows or intended lines of Beans to be staked, and a 
single row between those to be stopped. These will have matured before 
the Beans want all the space. 
IE BEE-KEEPER. 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
The Weatheb. 
April so far in the north has not given us either the mildness 
or the genial showers the poets sing about, but instead chilling 
winds with scarcely a blink of sunshine. The winds have not 
been so tempered as to permit the flowers to display their “ grace¬ 
ful charms.” The temperatures for another week have been on 
five mornings 25°, one at 21°, and another at 30°, the day temperature 
between 43° and 53°. Bees are having a trying time of it, and it 
is to be feared fruit will be injured. In 1841, exactly fifty years 
since, we had a similar spring. It was July before snow had dis¬ 
appeared from the hills. We had a heavy fall on the 15th May, 
and sleet showers for some time after, then by the end of Septem¬ 
ber the stacks and uncut corn were again under a deep covering of 
snow. 
The Apiary. 
In order to keep the bees at home or from flying far, I am still 
supplying them with pea meal and water, but never saw so few in 
search of the latter. There must be much loss of bees, as go where 
I may there they are chilled to death, but these may be from other 
apiaries where the same attention has not been paid the hives. All 
my entrances are still kept as they were during winter—viz., not 
more than three-quarters of an inch wide. As long as this weather 
continues I shall feed them with the tin scoops. All my stocks 
are in the best of condition considering the season, and as we are 
later here than some districts, if genial weather would only come 
the bees would soon make up for lost time. 
The Punic Bees. 
It will be remembered that I started last year with two weak 
stocks of these bees (mere nuclei), but by the end of the season 
gathered 9 lbs. more from them than from the best stocks of any 
other breed. Starting this year with them at a normal strength com¬ 
pared with others they are now far ahead of any of them, and with 
fine weather would swarm early. Good enough for breeding bees 
for sale, some will perhaps say ; but they have already proved 
themselves not only the best honey gatherers, but the prettiest of 
builders. They have also another quality—they work at times 
when other bees remain idle, and I have observed within the past 
few days that they do not venture out so readily when they are likely 
to be caught in a storm or chilling wind, and I fail to see any of 
them lying dead about the hive. The above are the simple facts- 
as I have witnessed, and I am sure most persons will agree with me 
that a truthful description of anything and everything is better 
than carping criticism, wholesale condemnation, or superfluous 
praise. 
Frame Hives. 
The following has lately appeared elsewhere :—“ All brood 
chambers of whatever type should be made to take standard frames, 
all others being worthless.” Worthless for what ? Had the 
author of the above added all other types contrary to ours, we 
could have understood what was meant, but as it stands I defy 
him to prove the assertion. The “Standard” hive, perhaps at 
our suggestion, has undergone much alteration for several years- 
past, a singular one being the adding of different sized frames in 
one hive, the very thing its disciples tried to prevent, as would 
any sensible person. What virtue is there in the standard frame 
or hive over others ? None, but in many respects it is faulty.. 
What benefit is it to any bee-keeper although his hives differ in 
size a little from his neighbours ? None, but it is to the dealer. 
The Stewarton Hive. 
The produce from this hive has neither been surpassed nor 
equalled in quantity or quality by any modern hive. Many bee¬ 
keepers who use the Stewarton hives do not manage them upon 
proper principles, but are led away from the practice of the old 
bee-keepers, who are now rapidly dying out, by following modern- 
instructors. Repeatedly I have witnessed and have had Stewarton 
hives weighing 2 cwt. Is that a worthless hive ? 
I have had numerous instances of the Lanarkshire storifying 
hive as heavy, while with the one-storeyed Lanarkshire hive, the 
winner of so many prizes, I have had 2h cwt., 2 cwt. nett of 
contents. Can these be said to be worthless hives ? The truth 
is novices are apt to fly from one thing to another, and it is as- 
well to let them buy their wit. 
Spring Davindling. 
With such a protracted Ioav temperature as we have ex¬ 
perienced it is a wonder bees exist at all. Need we then wonder 
at there being so many dwindling hives ? Lately I visited the 
apiary of an acquaintance with several Lanarkshire storifying 
hives, the rest Stewartons, wLo has a strong inclination to manage- 
his hives according to his own ideas. Out of a dozen three only 
appeared active. These three hives were the Lanarkshire stori¬ 
fying and ventilating hives, which Avere all rhat could be desired. 
The others seated upon solid floors and covered closely upon 
the top with iron presented a sad appearance, the combs- 
mouldy and decayed, few bees, and the floor damp with a deep 
layer of debris. How could bees live in such hives ? For winter¬ 
ing stocks successfully the floor as well as the other parts of the- 
