558 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 22, 1892. 
NLm 
lHEBEE-KEEPER.fi 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
Space Over Bees. 
This during winter i3 an incentive to disease and spring 
dwindling. Bees live together and communicate heat to one 
another on the same principle as some animals do that nestle 
together. Damp must be almost or entirely absent, a state of 
matters not to be found in most nineteenth century hives. In 
properly prepared hives bees winter well at and even under a zero 
temperature outside. Within doors in a darkened room they will 
bear confinement, i.e., enclosed within their hives for several 
months while the temperature is below freezing, but at a tempera¬ 
ture of 40° and upwards not longer than for a few days. At a 
temperature of 45° to 55° bees will remain healthy for months, but 
they must not be confined, and should have ample space for the 
contraction or expansion of the cluster. No ray of light whatever 
must reach them in that state. Outside wintering for this country, 
so far as my experience goes, cannot be improved upon. 
Brood Drawing. 
This sometimes commences at an early date, and under circum¬ 
stances least suspected. From the answers I have seen given to 
questions on this subject by modern teachers, it is evident they 
lack the knowledge to guide their pupils properly. As a rule after 
bees commence breeding in the early part of the year they will 
continue as long as they have a supply of pollen and honey, and 
even after the former is scarce ; but the bees underfed of that 
essential are small. Sometimes if the weather becomes chilly and 
unfavourable they will eat large quantities of eggs and brood. But 
the time bees are most liable to destroy their brood is shortly after 
a flow of honey, whether that be in large or small quantities. The 
bee-keeper should therefore study this subject, and so prevent the 
calamity that apparently few as yet understand. I have put a stop 
to it by exchanging the queens of two hives. Moreover, I have, 
after depriving the queen regnant of a brood-drawiug hive, intro¬ 
duced a young queen, when the brood-drawing which had stopped 
begun anew, and was carried on till the end of the season. Bees 
will at one time of the year suffer death by want rather than 
destroy the brood, while at others they destroy the brood although 
the hive has large quantities of surplus honey. 
A Fertile and Prolific Queen. 
So far as I have experience, fertility or prolificacy is more a 
question of the time a queen will continue laying eggs rather than 
the number she will deposit in a day. I have never known a 
queen, or queens, to fail in her maternal duties from the moment 
she commenced laying till the bees showed signs of having her 
superseded ; indeed, even this does not always predict a waning 
queen. I have repeatedly removed queens that were doomed by 
the determination of bees to raise queens both at timely and 
untimely periods. When we can prevent bees raising queens we 
shall bo able to prevent swarming, but not till then. That problem 
is as yet unsolved. On a future occasion I will give instructions 
how to proceed with the progeny of two queens in one hive.— 
A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
Bees and Stonecrops. 
It may be remembered that, some time ago, in speaking of 
Sedum spectabile, reference was made to its stupefying effect on 
bees. “ A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper ” at that time suggested that it 
might be caused by the smell from the Sedum, and desired me 
to observe the effect of other Stonecrops upon the bees. The 
weather of the past season has again been very unfavourable for 
the purpose of careful investigation of the subject, t have, how¬ 
ever, paid as much attention to it as possible, and the following is 
the result of my studies. 1, None of the early flowering Stone¬ 
crops have been frequented by bees, probably owing to Clover 
being plentiful in the district. 2, The following others have 
been observed to be constantly frequented—viz, S. spectabile, 
S. telephium, S. cordifolium, S. populifolium, S. Ewersi, and a 
yellow unnamed Stonecrop, resembling a tall, late-flowered 
S. reflexum. 3, By none of these do the bees seem to be stupefied 
except in the case of S. spectabile when grown in quantity 
together. It is obvious, however, that the question cannot be 
properly decided without growing the other Stonecrops also ; 
but the result seems to lead to the conclusion that “ A. L. B. K.” 
is correct in his belief that the effect on the bees was caused 
by the odour, and also that even ardent bee-keepers may grow 
the Stonecrops without fear of loss of their bees unless the Sedums 
are grown extensively and in a mass.—S. Arnott. 
Punic Bees. 
“A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper” inquired whether the yellow 
colouring of the combs sealed by my half-bred Punic bees was 
caused by propolis or pollen. I do not think it was caused by pro¬ 
polis, but cannot say whether pollen was the cause. The hive 
swarmed, leaving sections partly filled. These I took from the 
old hive and placed on the swarm. The bees partly sealed them, 
but had not time to finish them before the honey flow ceased. I 
noticed that these sections, as well as all the honey which was 
sealed in the body of the stock hwe and in the swarm, were sealed 
a yellow colour. It was not like the ordinary discolouration which 
arises from the combs in sections being left too long on the hive 
over the brood nest, but had a transparent appearance. — C , 
Northumberland. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
James Veitch & Sons, Royal Exotic Nursery, King’s Road, Chelsea. 
— Seeds, Horticultural Implements, Ac. 
E. Webb & Sons, Wordsley.— Spring Catalogue of Seeds, <fe. 
Dickson & Robinson, 12, Old Millgate, Manchester.— iSeed Catalogue. 
B. S. Williams & Son, Victoria and Paradise Nursery, Upper 
Holloway, London.— Flower, Vegetable , and Agricultural Seeds. 
Sutton & Sons, Reading.— Amateurs' Guide in Horticulture. 
J. R. Pearson & Sons, Chilwell Nurseries, Nottingham.— Chrys¬ 
anthemums. 
Dicksons (Limited) Chester.— Vegetable and Flower Seeds, Sfc. 
Cooper, Taber & Co. (Limited), Southwark Street, London, S.E.— 
Vegetable and Flower Seeds, fyc. 
* # S A11 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 communications 
Chrysanthemum Sport (A. 01 ).—You ask what we think of your 
sport from Source d’Or ? In the form in which it reaches us we think 
it has a rather shabby appearance, and we are a little doubtful if even 
when presented in its best condition it will make a sensation. Still, try 
it. You say you call it Hedgehogg because a little bristled. We should 
drop one of the “ g’s ” if it were in our callection. 
Books ( Fruit Grower). —You can obtain three good books on fruit 
culture for a little more than the amount you name; one by Mr. Rivers 
of Sawbridgeworth, one by Mr. G. Bunyard, The Nurseries, Maidstone, 
and one by Mr. J. Cheal, Lowfield Nurseries, Crawley, Sussex. They 
contain valuable information. (C. S.). —Mr. Baine’s “ Stove and Green¬ 
house Plants” (Murray) will probably suit you. We do not know the 
price, but you can obtain it from a bookseller. 
Seedling: Chrysanthemums (iZ. T. Cl). —You ask if “seedlings 
of this year which are semi-double come double next season.” Seedling 
Chrysanthemums seldom fill well the first year, for various reasons. In 
the first place the seedlings are rarely grown in larger than 6 or 7-inch 
pots ; next, we are necessarily ignorant as to how the varieties should 
be treated, whether they are early or late, or if the plants should be 
stopped or not. If a bloom comes with not more than five or six rows 
of florets it, as a rule, is not worth keeping ; but if the bloom is pro¬ 
mising in form and colour, even if it has an eye or centre as large as a 
shilling, it is very likely to fill the next year. In saving seedlings colour 
with breadth and length of floret are the principal items to be studied, 
while distinctness of form should not be overlooked. 
Mistake in Dissolving: Bones (T. Cl). —We do not see where 
you have made any mistake except in using too much water, conse¬ 
quently too little strlphuric acid. To 2 lbs. of bonemeal, perfectly dry, 
add 1^ lb. of water and l£ lb. of sulphuric acid, mix, and these if left 
to act on each other for twenty-four hours should form superphosphate 
of lime, nothing else remaining. The bones used to form the super¬ 
phosphate must contain the essential phosphate of lime (55 per cent, 
or more), that is, they must be fresh, or at least sound, for it is useless 
