348 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Aprl 18,1895. 
daily is less than the supply of young additions creeping out of the 
cells. They very soon gain strength, and when genial weather 
comes, may be as strong as if the spring had been mild. The 
great strain on the queens, owing to many eggs being eaten when 
hives are so much depopulated, renders it imperative for the bee¬ 
keeper to commence raising young queens to take the place of 
older ones at the earliest opportunity. When queens are sorely 
taxed and hives weaker at this season than we might expect, drones 
are brought forward in such hives as early as if they were normally 
strong. 
Taking my data from former and long experience, that with 
good weather and a profusion of bloom on the respective honey- 
yielding flowers, nothing serious has occurred to damp the 
hopes of the ardent bee-keeper. It is now the middle of April, 
and buds of many fruit and other trees which I have in some 
seasons witnessed in blossom on the first of this month are scarcely 
showing green, favouring bee-keepers greatly, especially those 
situated in late districts. 
It depends much on the course bee-keepers pursue and their 
management generally whether they will reap their full yield of 
honey. There never was a season in my time so disastrous to 
hives as the present one ; it is therefore necessary, if the maximum 
profit is expected, to keep the bees breeding ; this may be done if 
hives do not lack anything necessary, but neglect of any one thing 
will assuredly tell against both bees and bee-keepers. Feeding 
judiciously, keeping the interior of the hives free from damp and 
draughts, and superseding all old with youthful fertile queens, 
will work wonders, which to many not accustomed to introducing 
young blood appear miraculous. By proper attention to weak 
hives they may become before the close of the honey season the 
best. In spite of the drawbacks of the untoward season, with fine 
summer and autumn weather it may be the best honey season we 
have experienced ; this being the wish of many besides— 
A Lanaekshire Bee-keeper. 
BEES UNSATISFACTORY. 
“I HAD three stocks of bees in frame hives, and during last 
summer, although not a favourable season, two of them filled a 
crate of twenty-one sections each, and in the autumn had suflBcient 
sealed stores in brood combs to carry them over the winter without 
any feeding. The other stored no surplus, but appeared to have 
sufficient sealed stores to winter on. Being anxious to see if all 
was right I have lately examined them, and found the two former 
strong in bees with ample stores, but the bees in the latter hive 
were all dead, and not a particle of food remained in the hive. 
Can you tell me the cause, as when covered up for the winter they 
appeared to be quite as well off for stores as the others ? Is it 
owing to the severe winter, or do you think it a case of foul 
brood ?” 
The queen in all probability was old, and would not commence 
her maternal duties till late in the season, consequently when the 
honey flow came, and it was of short duration, the adult bees 
would have dwindled down very much, and would not be strong 
enough to gather but little more honey than was required for their 
daily consumption. I have often noticed when a colony is not 
headed by a prolific queen the workers appear to lose heart. 
When this is the case they do not work freely, and it is much 
better to unite them to another stock or introduce a young fertile 
queen from a strong colony. 
In this instance I do not think the severe winter can be blamed 
for the loss, but the bees from the strong stocks would probably 
rob them, as robbing is often very prevalent in early spring and 
autumn when the outside supplies are falling short. I always 
reduce the entrance of all my hives when robbing is likely to take 
place, as should a stock by chance be weak the inmates have a much 
better chance of repelling the invaders than if the entrance was 
left open its full length, as when food is getting scarce a strong 
colony can always be depended on to protect its stores. It is the 
weak that suffer, and when attacked, unless steps are at once taken 
to prevent it, a hive is soon cleared of its stores and the bees die of 
starvation. 
In a very bad case of robbing it is sometimes necessary to 
remove the stock attacked some distance from its original stand, 
but in ordinary cases, if the entrance is reduced so that only 
sufficient space is left to allow one bee to pass at a time, and a 
little carbolic acid is sprinkled on the alighting board or elsewhere, 
if the robbers are likely to gain admittance, this will scon have the 
desired effect. When once a serious case of robbing takes place in 
an apiary it sets the whole in commotion, and unless checked in its 
early stages much mischief may be done, resulting in the loss of 
several good stocks of bees which, under careful management, 
would in time have paid a handsome profit for the trouble bestowed 
on them. Should the stock be short of stores feed at night with 
warm syrup.—A n English Bee-keeper. 
•. 5 * 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 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. 
Split IXTalnut Tree (^Somerset'). —The stem has been split by the 
frost, and we do not know that you can do better than plaster the fissure 
well over with a thick coating of cement. 
lily of the Valley Falling {Nemo). —When Dutch crowns have 
to be relied on for early forcing failures such as yours frequently occur. 
The variety is evidently not suitable for the purpose. We do not suggest 
there are no varieties grown in Holland that will not force, but it is well 
known that, as a rule, Dutch are inferior to Berlin crowns, also to many 
grown in England, for the production of early fiowers with the aid of 
brisk artificial heat. 
Agrathsea coelestls {C. F.). —This plant, commonly known as the 
Blue Marguerite, grows and fiowers freely in loamy soil in a very light 
position in a greenhouse, also when planted out in good soil in an open 
position in the garden at the same time that Heliotropes and other 
tender plants are “ bedded out.” Cuttings of the young shoots root 
readily in moist sandy soil in a close heated frame, or under a bell-gla&s 
in a warm greenhouse. 
Camellia Xieaves Spotted {E. G.). —The brown spots are caused 
by the sun acting powerfully on the parts whilst wet, or excessive 
evaporation from their surface when covered with water. It may be 
caused by drip or condensed moisture falling on the leaves. Washing 
them will not prevent the spotting, but a freer circulation of air would 
be beneficial, especially in the early part of the day. A solution of 
2 ozs. of Gishurst compound to a gallon of water is quite strong enough 
for washing the leaves, and is suitable for the purpose. 
Cockroacbes {A. B. C.). —The specimens represent the largest of 
our native cockroaches, the Blatta germanica. It is not a very common 
species, seldom occurring in houses, but being found in fields amongst 
heaps of rubbish, dead leaves, and sometimes in hollow trees. If intro¬ 
duced to a garden it might soon increase and become troublesome if 
circumstances were in its favour. For the familiar B. orientals some¬ 
times quits the kitchen and makes excursions to gardens and frames 
where, owing to its nocturnal habits, it may do mischief frequently 
and escape detection. 
Irises from Seeds {X. Y. Z) —Seed may be sown in sandy 
soil, preferably as soon as ripe, in pans or boxes, placed in a cold frame, 
keeping the soil moist. Sow thinly to prevent disturbing the seedlings, 
but they may be gently raised when large enough and pricked off a few 
inches apart. After June they should have full exposure, and for safety 
may be wintered in a frame, planting them out the following spring, 
or preferably assigning them their flowering quarters in autumn, pro¬ 
tecting the roots with a mulch of cocoa-nut fibre refuse. Efficient 
drainage must be given, and the less the roots are dried the better. The 
situation should be fully exposed to the sun, yet protected from 
easterly or strong winds. Roots sufficiently strong for flowering may 
be expected after three years’ growth. 
Crop Constituents {Exavi .).—You ask for something concise. 
We know of nothing more compact yet comprehensive on the subject 
than the following, which we take from an excellent chapter on the 
Chemistry of Garden Crops, in Sutton’s “ Culture of Vegetables and 
Flowers.” * The principal garden crops are grouped in two classes :— 
“ In Class 1 phosphates and potash predominate. This class includes 
the following : the Pea, containing phosphates 36, potash 40 ; Bean, 
phosphates 30, potash 44 ; Potato (tubers only), phosphates 19, potash 
59, soda 2, lime 2, sulphuric acid 6 ; Parsnip, phosphates 18. potash 36, 
lime 11, salt 5 ; Carrot, phosphates 12, potash 36, soda 13, sulphuric 
acid 6; Jerusalem Artichoke, phosphates 16, potash 65. In Class 2, 
sulphur, soda, and salt predominate. This class includes the following : 
Cabbage, phosphates 16, potash 48, soda 4, lime 15, sulphuric acid 8: 
Turnip, phosphates 13, potash 39, salt 10, lime 10, sulphuric acid 14 ; 
Beet, phosphates 14, potash 49, soda 9, salt 20, lime 6, sulphuric 
acid 5. You had better procure the work and read the whole chapter. 
You will also find an enormous amount of useful information packed in over 
400 pages. The sixth edition of the work has recently been issued. It is in 
every way creditable to the great firm that has produced it, and more 
need not be said. 
♦ Sutton & Sons, Reading; Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton & Co., London. 
