82 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 26, 18! 3 
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If 
ii 
I 
HE BEE-KEEPER. 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
The Lanarkshire Hive. 
I AM sending a piece of comb, would you kindly say whethee 
it is affected by foul brood or not ? My Lanarkshire hives have 
passed through the winter well so far, and bee-keepers having these 
hives covered as you direct need not fear the keenest weather. 
I took a first prize for sections worked on one of my Lanarkshire 
hives in strong competition, beating all the Association.—G. R. 
Early Brood. 
By post on the morning of the 13th a small parcel, containing 
a piece of brood comb, containing eggs, larvie, and ripe brood, came 
with the above note. The brood is healthy, but as some of the 
cells contain dead adult bees this suggests the hive was either short 
of honey, or the bees, intent on the care of the young during the 
extreme cold, have been overcome with the low temperature. This 
case of breeding on the shortest day, when the mercury was nearly 
at zero, simply confirms our experience and teachings. 
The Winter and Punics. 
The sixth day of January had the lowest temperature for the 
season, being from 3° to 5° above zero here, but the air was dry and 
the bright sunshine was tempting to the bees. The Punics were 
the first to make their appearance. There is scarcely a young bee 
in our hives, and therefore, according to some modern theorists, 
these bees ought to have been dead long ago ; they are not only living, 
but extra strong, without a spot of voided matter on or about their 
hive, and very few dead bees to be seen. This is almost wonderful 
after such a protracted period of keen frost. 
Cures for Foul Brood. 
These have for some time past been advised very much upon 
the same lines as charms against witchcraft, frightening that away 
which had no existence. Some of them remind one of the doctor’s 
bill sent to the poor widow whose husband had been under his care, 
“To professional attendance in curing your husband.” Some 
persons of my acquaintance on asking for a cure for foul brood 
were told to “ burn bees and hives and this though a charm is 
alleged to be found that will keep everything sweet and pure— 
tarred paper. I am truly sorry for persons troubled with blight 
amongst their bees, and who cannot find a remedy. 
I have tarred my hives both inside and outside for a quarter of 
a century. One of the worst cases of foul brood I have seen 
during the past decade was in a straw hive with a wide opening in 
the crown covered with tar felt, and this by a sheet. Common 
sense taught me long ago to apoid impervious crowns, as described 
in one of my first articles to this Journal between 1860 and 1862, 
at the same time as “ Langstroth’s ” article appeared on the quilt. 
That was many years before Abbott claimed the honour of intro¬ 
ducing it. 
In order to keep hives free from foul brood they must be airy 
but without draught, and all the perspiration of the hive carried 
off ; we must, therefore, study to keep the interior of the hive 
warm yet fresh, and prevent overcrowding with the consequent 
overheating. Should the plague appear drastic measures must be 
taken to stamp it out, not by either burning the bees or hives, but 
by disinfecting the one and putting the others through the purga¬ 
torial process. Trust not to preventives in the shape of nostrums, 
which have proved failures even in the hands of some of our 
speculative sages, and remember that the moment the volatile 
principles and essential oils are evaporated all the healing virtues 
are dissipated in the ethereal regions ; besides, the fumes gas or 
vapour of the so-called cures, to be strong enough to suppress the 
germs will kill every bee in the hive or expel them from it. It is 
foolish to a'low a diseased cell to remain in the hive in the hope of 
the nostrum destroying the disease germs. Is it not peculiar that 
the advisers of certain cures for foul brood are also advisers of 
burning hives and bees to accomplish the object in view ? 
If foul brood is suspected and found in any hive now is the 
best time to separate the bees from the diseased combs and start 
them afresh as if forming a new colony. It will be well to begin 
feeding whenever the bees have had a thorough fiight. It is a 
common practice with some bee-keepers, and so successful that I 
can strongly recommend it.—A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Carter & Co., High Holboru.— Selected List of Tested Seeds. 
W. Clibran & Sons, Oldfield Nurseries, Altrincbam.— Vegetable and 
Flower Seeds, 
W. Baylor Hartland, Cork.— Year Booh of Seeds. 
Dobie & Mason, Dale Street, Manchester.— Beliable Seeds. 
W. Fromow & Sons, Chiswick, London, W.— Vegetable and Flower 
Seeds, 
Harrison & Sons, Seed Growers, Leicester.— Vegetable and Flower- 
Seeds, ^'C. 
Hogg & Wood, Coldstream, N.B.— Vegetable and Flower Seeds. 
John Jefferies & Sons, Cirencester.— Seeds and Bulbs. 
Messrs. McDougall Bros., 10, Mark Lane, London.— List of Sjpeeialitii s 
and Testimonials. 
Pape and Bergmann, Quedlinburg.— Flower and Vegetable Seeds. 
George Phippen, Broad Street, Reading.— Garden Seeds. 
Arthur Robinson, Leadenhall Street, London.— Garden Seeds. 
Ant. Roozen & Son, Overveen, Haarlem, Holland.— Gladioli^ 
Dahlias, Vegetable and Flower Seeds. 
W. Rumsey, Joyning’s Nurseries, Waltham Cross, N.— Vegetable and 
Flower Seeds. 
T. & R.Thyne, 83, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow.— Garden Seeds. 
J. R. Tranter, Henley-on-Thames.— Vegetable and Flower Seeds. 
Van Meerbeek and Co., Hillegom, Holland.— Bulbs, Plants and 
Seeds. 
Conway G. Warne, Royal Potteries, Weston-super-Mare.— Pottery, 
Terra Cotta. 
•*®A11 correspondence should be directed either to “ Thf. 
Editor” or to “The Publisher.” Letters addressed lo 
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 io 
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 communications 
Iiabels QH. E. 31.'), —We cannot give the precise information you 
require at present, but will with pleasure endeavour to obtain it with the 
view to its publication next week. 
Double Primulas (A. Hani). —The trusses and blooms are very 
fine examples of the old double white strain—a distinct improvement 
on the type. Your letter cannot be inserted this week. 
Bambusa Fortunel varlegata {L. B. 6'.).—We have found this 
dwarf variegated Bamboo perfectly hardy, and it is so distinct that we 
cannot conceive of any other variety being mistaken for it. 
Staptaylea colcblca {T. W.). —Many persons beside yourself find 
this shrub useful for forcing, and we are glad to note that “ the 
pendulous sprays of bloom and foliage remain fresh and good for several 
days after being cut.” If you placed sprays in the box sent they must 
have escaped during transit, for after a careful search they could not be 
found among the Chrysanthemums. 
Variability of W. W. Coles Cbrysantbemum (J/. 31 .).— 
This variety appears very prone to variation. We have had many 
blooms more or less yellow, but the one you send is the clearest we have 
seen. Whether the colour will be retained in plants raised from cuttings 
cin only be determined by experience, and whether a yellow form would 
possess any great value is somewhat problematical. 
Tbe Iioofab or Vegetable Sponge (J. Foster). —This is the 
fruit of Luffa cylindrica, a cucurbitaceous plant, native of the Bast. 
The plant is climbing, like most of the Cucurbits, and attains a height 
of 6 to 6 yards, supporting itself by the aid of tendrils. We are not 
surprised that the Sooly Qua Cucumber deprived of its skin when the 
seeds are perfectly ripe, carefully washed and dried, makes a very fair 
specimen of “ vegetable Sponge.” 
Double Italian Hyacinths (Enquirer). —The flesh-tinted Double 
Italian Hyacinth is grown by a few persons, and we have seen a con¬ 
siderable “ batch ” of it in the establishment of a grower of flowers for 
market, but the variety is not a general favourite, or bulbs of it would 
be offered in most trade catalogues. We do not know of dealers who 
make a speciality of the Double Italian, but the vendor who sept bulbs 
of it mixed with those of the single flowered variety could no doubt 
supply both separately if requested to do so. 
Tomatoes and blusbrooms (J. F. S .).—We are not justified in 
giving the addresses of correspondents who do not send them for 
publication, and we know that some contributors purposely omit their 
addresses to prevent letters being sent to them. One gardener had fifty 
in one week, very few containing stamped directed envelopes, and he 
felt therefore that he was subjected to expense he had no right to bear 
if he answered the letters, and if he did not was open to the charge of 
discourtesy. We will consider the question of forwarding your letter 
to our correspondent. 
