80 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 15,18f4. 
HE) BBE-KEEPER. 
■ , . I , I ■ 1 
. I . .. , . i-- 1 -^j . T > 1 > t V < . I . 1 ■ r,.L’r 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
Foul Brood. 
“ A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper” (page 60) speaks of his bees 
being busy. I wish I could speak with assurance about my bees. I 
have foul brood in my hives very bad ; at least, it was so in the 
autumn. I made an eSoit then to cleanse my apiary of it, and I am 
anxiously waiting to see what the spring will reveal. If “A. L. B.” 
has any suggestions to make on that subject I would be very 
pleased to hear them.—A. M. 
The above is another failure to cure the plague by the method 
advised by our modern sages, and another request of several of a 
similar nature I have received of late. It is somewhat singular 
that people will allow themselves to be misled by advisers who 
are incapable of extirpating the fell disease in their own 
neighbourhood —vide the naphthaline discussion some time ago in 
the Journal of Horticulture —then, as a last resource appeal to us. 
Had they done so at first, disappointment and loss would have 
been at an end, and the apiary would have been healthy and 
profitable instead of diseased and worthless. 
In “A. M.’s ” case no time should be lost in making a thorough 
examination of all the hives. In every one showing the slightest 
signs of the disease the bees should be separated from the combs 
and put into an empty but thoroughly disinfected hive, fed for 
a day or two, then transferred to another clean one but supplied 
with foundation. Feed regularly and examine them at intervals 
during the spring. One diseased cell is sufficient to warrant the 
destruction of the contents of any hive. 
If such a course is pursued with foul broody hives at the pre¬ 
sent time the disease may be stamped out, while the manipulation 
will not seriously affect the colony from a profitable point of view 
during the coming summer. In order to keep the apiary healthy 
during subsequent years sanitary hives of the Lanarkshire type 
must be used, and managed so as to keep the bees healthy. Two 
prime causes of foul brood are ill-conditioned hives during the 
winter and mismanagement in the summer by overheating. 
Bees for Gardeners and Farmers. 
I am far from holding out hopes of gardeners and farmers 
obtaining wealth or even a livelihood from bees alone, knowing 
full well the trouble and expense in keeping bees, as well as the 
risk of overstocking any district, and the uncertainty of getting a 
remunerative price for the produce. Still, there is room for many 
persons to engage in the pursuit if entered on judiciously and in 
moderation. It serves a purpose for some persons to encourage 
bee-keepers to start extensive apiaries, but assuredly those who do 
so in an already well stocked district will regret it. It is continu¬ 
ally stated that honey is more wholesome than butter, but for 
farmers to keep bees to lower the price of butter is scarcely in 
accordance with the spirit of agriculture. For gardeners bees are 
more in keeping with their calling, and a garden without bees is 
vacant of something it should possess. 
Hives may either be purchased or better made at a trifling 
outlay by gardeners and farmers, and although the production may 
be greater than the demand, there is always a saving of something 
else where there is an abundance of honey in a numerous family. 
When people come to realise the value of honey there will be a 
greater demand for it. Meanwhile those who intend to start 
bee-keeping should consider the time they have at their disposal to 
attend to the bees. Where proper attention is wanting profit 
ceases, and to employ caretakers is not keeping bees for your own 
advantage.—A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
W. Atlee Burpee & Co., Philadelphia, U.S.A.— Annual. 1894. 
John Cowan & Co., Limited, The Vineyard and Nurseries, Garston, 
Liverpool.— Vegetable and Flower Seeds. 
Ralph Crossling, The Penarth Nurseries, Sfanwell Road, Penarth.— 
Vegetable and Flower Seeds, and Fruit Trees, Roses, and Shrubs. 
Tom B. Dobbs & Co., 32, Queen Street, Wolverhampton.—FZower 
and Vegetable Seeds. 
Peter Henderson & Co., New York.—Manual of Everything for the 
Garden. 
Hogg & Wood, Coldstream, N.B.— Garden, Seeds. 
Letellier & Sons, Caen, France,— Fruit Trees and Shrubs. 
R. Smith & Co., Worcester.— Vegetable and Flower Seeds. 
J. R. Tranter, 3, Hart Street, Henley-on-Thames.— and 
Flower Seeds. 
Vilmorin-Andrieux & Cie, 4, Quai dela M4gisserie, 'P&ria.—Vegetable 
and Flower Seeds. 
‘''*,;j*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 commiinicatioils. 
Three Questions (^Inguirer'). —Replies will be given to your ques¬ 
tions in our “next issue,” as you desire. They did not arrive soon 
enough for being answered this week. 
Books (A. M.'). —Mr. H. E. Milner’s book may possibly suit you. 
His address is 7, Victoria Street, Westminster. (A. F.'). —The seventh, 
edition of Mushrooms for the Million is reprinting, and will shortly be 
ready for distribution. 
Spraying Fruit Trees (F. J."). —Tour letter is too indefinite. You 
do not say what you wish to spray for, or against, and only mention 
Paris green on the outside of the envelope. This is used in spring as 
soon as the caterpillars hatch Irom the eggs of the winter moth. It 
will not destroy the vitality of the eggs. Please mention the name of 
the appliance to which you refer ; more than one have been advertised. 
Cape Broccoli (A. T, H .').—Early White Cape is somewhat earlier,, 
and has a less close and white head than Grange’s White, which is 
larger and better—more like, if not really, a Cauliflower. Sow in 
April, and plant out when ready in rich soil about 2 feet apart every 
way. It sown before the middle of April, or the plants get drawn and 
weakly in the seed bed, there is danger of “bolting” or premature 
heading, especially if the summer prove hot and dry. 
Black Dots on TTncler Side of Strawberry Deaves {Cycla').— 
The small shining black dots are the eggs of aphides, which in due 
course will hatch, and the parthenogenitic insects emerging will infest 
the buds or expanding young leaves and trusses of bloom. No insec¬ 
ticide will destroy the eggs without also killing the leaves ; but when 
the aphides appear they should be promptly annihilated—under glass by 
fumigation, repeating at intervals so as to have the plants perfectly 
clean before they come into flower. Outdoors you may use a decoction 
of quassia chips, or dust the plants when the young leaves appear with 
tobacco powder or some advertised insecticide. This is imperative for 
securing healthy growth and clean fruit. Judging by the black deposit 
on the leaves and petioles the plants have been badly infested in the 
autumn with aphides. 
nectarine Trees I.oslng’ their Branches (J. G."). —The cause of 
the Nectarine trees losing the branches on one side one year, and 
dying on the other side the following year, is gumming. This is due to 
the growth of a fungus (Coryneum Beijerincki) which destroys the 
inner bark, and encircling the branch cuts off the supply of sap, the 
part above suddenly collapsing. The excessive vigour of the new growths 
is abnormal, and the provocatory cause is the pushing of the mycelial 
threads into the cellular spaces of the young wood, which is followed 
in due course by a ferment and exudation from the gouty growth, and 
the branch sooner or later dies. The only known remedy is to cut 
away all the gummed parts a few inches below where the exudation 
occurs, and train in young growths. As the spores of the fungus cannot 
penetrate short-jointed growth with thick elastic epidermal tissues, it 
is found that lifting those trees which make strong growth induces 
shorter-jointed and better solidified wood, capable of resisting the 
fungus and producing better crops of fruit. This we advise. Lift the 
trees carefully, cut away the diseased parts, if not all at once, as soon aa 
others and healthier are produced to supplant them. 
Culture of Zygopetalum XKXackayl (T. M. F.).—The following 
particulars respecting the culture of this plant by two experienced 
Orchid growers answer all your questions, and should enable you to 
succeed with the plants. They do not require frequent potting, and a 
slight rest after the completion of the growth is beneficial, reducing the 
supply of water, but never attempt to dry them as is practised with, 
some plants. “ It is easily grown. Although Brazilian it makes grand 
growth in a cool airy house during summer. The largest growths we 
ever saw were made in a cool, moist, airy, and partially shaded Odonto- 
glossum house. Everyone admired them, but they did not flower. The 
Mexican-house temperature was next tried: 90° on hot days, no shade, 
no fire heat at night, when the temperature fell to 45° or 50° very often. 
