840 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 13, 1892. 
It 
HE BEE-KEEPER/ 
IS 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
Feeding. 
This, as I have often explained, is a necessary evil, and should 
never be resorted to unless it cannot be avoided. There are times 
when it must be done if profit is the object in view. By feeding, 
we can start bees to breed at unseasonable times, and sometimes to 
a greater extent than unfed hives ; but the latter in spring, where 
stores are sufficient, are generally ahead of fed ones when the honey 
season comes on, with the additional advantage of having a queen 
less exhausted than are queens of fed hives, the latter often 
depositing twice or three times the number of eggs that are brought 
forward. On the other hand, it is sometimes positively ruinous to 
neglect feeding during May and June. Often in the last-named 
month bees with plenty of stores, during a spell of wet or cold 
weather, will eat out every egg and larva, and draw out all young 
bees. This is a frequent occurrence at the times mentioned, as 
well as at the Heather. I specially mention this, as I have several 
inquiries about the conflicting statements of this and Punic bees in 
other journals. The editor of one of these, in answer to a Scotch¬ 
man’s young bees being cast out, says they “are quite young, 
unflown ones, and are not likely to have been cast out of the hive 
by the older bees.” Nothing is more sure than they are cast out, 
and this is carried on to afar greater extent than is often supposed ; 
result the end of all profit. 
I could quote hundreds of instances, but the following case that 
occurred in an apiary near me this summer will illustrate vividly the 
facts. A favourite and supposed extra strong hive was on the 15th of 
May quite full of bees, brood, and eggs. On the 22nd of the same 
month there was not a vestige of brood nor eggs to be seen. To have 
prevented this extensive “ brood drawing,” 2 or 3 lbs. of sugar should 
have been given, and thereafter every day till honey came in, about 
2 or 3 ozs. daily, fed in a tin scoop from below. These occasions 
are the only ones (unless nuclei) when driblets of sugar should be 
given. “ Stimulative ” feeding from a pinhole is delusive. I do 
not urge bee-keepers to take my word for all that ; the least thing 
they can do is to put both systems to a fair test, and I know, without 
being told, which will give satisfactory results. 
Preparing Hives for Winter. 
Unfortunately, owing to the untoward season, many are still 
unfed and uncovered, with supers still on. When it is fair, and 
the ground dry enough not to chill bees, I shall remove the supers, 
cover the top of the hive with a woollen cloth, and over that 3 or 
4 inches of dried grass ; the empty supers will be replaced within 
the super protector over this grass, and the lid screwed down, but 
not quite close, so as to permit the perspiration to pass off. The 
iron roof protects the alighting board, and sides of the hive 
covering from moisture. 
Straw hackles are superior in every respect to cloths generally 
used, inasmuch as they keep the frost entirely out while they 
permit a free circulation of air. 
Large Doorways 
I have no faith whatever in. It is a mistake to say, “ Nothing 
tends more to keep bees in health than plenty of air in damp, 
muggy weather.” A solid floor and a wide doorway cause the 
perspiration to be condensed upon the former, which is instant 
death to the bee that touches it when the temperature is 
below 50°. Wax is one of the best non-conductors of heat, and 
when the combs are within bee-grip of a dry floor their 
vitality is insured. Not so when it has been impaired by coming 
into contact with a damp floor, the worst evil bees have to 
contend with. 
Dysentery. 
One of the most common and fatal forms of dysentery is brought 
on by lowering the temperature of the hive, which prevents the 
bees moving about freely and feeding at proper intervals during all 
weathers. Whenever bees fast too long their evacuations become 
watery. Wide doorways and damp hastens on this fatal disease. 
How to Make Hackles. 
It is not so easy making straw hackles by the ordinary method 
of plaiting, as is by taking a handful of straw, turn a loop upon 
the top end, then tie firmly with twine. After a sufficient number 
are made pass a strong cord through the loop or eye, then tie at 
one corner of the hive, cut the ends of the hackle equal, and a 
little shorter above entrance ; before trimming off tie the hackle 
firmly in two places to keep close to the hive. A useful thing in 
the apiary and the garden is 
A Hand Barrow. 
To transport heavy hives short distances, such as to a proper 
site at the Heather, a hand barrow is required. Procure two pieces 
of timber for shafts, about 6 feet long and 3 by 1£ inches, planed, 
and the ends dressed for handles. Then two slats of the length 
required are screwed to the shafts at the proper width to allow a 
hive to pass through. This is upon the same principle as a parallel 
rule. When a heavy hive is to be lifted pass it over the top of the 
hive, and the handles, when it is clear of the latter, raise them, 
and when the barrow is lifted the hive is suspended. Four short 
legs should be added to it. 
Swarm Catchers. 
The Americans speak in praise of these, which I have several 
times described in this Journal. “Ernest,” in “Gleanings,” says, 
“With the swarm catchers he was greatly pleased. These, the 
reader will remember, are to be attached by the apiarist to the 
entrance of the hive from which the swarm is just issuing.” Both 
the swarm catcher and the hiver are my inventions, and have been 
in use in my apiary for thirty or more years. So that these, with 
our system of bee keeping, should be tried by every beginner, to 
whom I will have more to say in future articles.—A Lanarkshire 
Bee-keeper. 
® a "'All 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 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 
Eeelias decaying- (A. A.).—We have received your letter, but the 
parcel has not yet come to hand, and therefore a reply cannot be given 
in the present issue. 
Xvy-leaved Pelargoniums and Marguerites for Bedding 
(.7. A.).—Mr. Dunkin is requested to give the information you desire, 
and it will be useful also to other readers. See our instructions to 
correspondents at the head of this column. 
Brown and Green Centred Primulas (./. A).—Such varieties 
as you send, also the others alluded to, are to be seen in most large 
establishments in which a speciality is made of Primulas ; and occasion¬ 
ally similar varieties, though they may not be exactly the same, result 
from packets of seeds of varieties in mixture. These varieties of 
Primulas are not very popular, nor the plants as a rule imposing in 
growth and floriferousness. 
Evergreen for Hedge (A. A.).—The best evergreen for a hedge 
is Holly, planted 1 foot apart ; but you want the “ best and quickest 
growing,” for which combination no plant equals the Evergreen Privet 
(not the “ common,” which sheds its leaves in winter), and it should be 
planted 6 inches apart when the plants are 1 to 2 feet and previously 
transplanted ; but larger plants may be given more room if care is 
taken to have them near enough to form a good bottom. 
Seedling Apple and Grape (A. TP.).—The appearance of the 
Apples, which are more or less cracked, also your reference to the 
Ribston Pippin, suggest that the roots of the trees are in a medium that 
does not contain what is needed for promoting healthy growth. The 
fruits are also attacked with fungus. The trees require cleansing with 
lime and more support at the roots. Strong liquid manure applied 
copiously at the present time from the stem outwards beyond the spread 
of the branches might do much good. The Apple is not considered to 
possess any special value, and the Grape resembles those imported from 
Italy by the ton and sold in London for 4d. a pound. 
Apples, Pears, and Plums for Table and Kitchen (A. A.), 
—Apples : Beauty of Bath, Lord Grosvenor, Worcester Pearmain, King 
of the Pippins, Beauty of Hants (Cobham or Pope’s), Cox’s Orange 
Pippin, The Queen, Bismarck, Reinette du Canada, Brownlees’s Russet, 
Baumann’s Red Reinette, and Bramley’s Seedling. Pears : Doyenne 
