212 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
March IB, 1894. 
handiwork. The members of the Royal family took particnlar 
interest in Mr. Nicol, and conversed freely with him. He has a high 
opinion of Princess Alexandra, finding in her many “ homely ” 
virtues. 
On my previous visit to Mr. Nicol a clergyman came in, and 
instantly taking down a fiddle of superior tone discoursed some 
beautiful airs, after which he told me he had applied to Mr. 
McDonald, proprietor of the Farming World, who was the best 
authority to apply to for information on bee husbandry. The cleric 
was referred to me, and the information he obtained enabled a 
ounger brother student in the university to pass the apiarian part of 
is examination satisfactorily. 
Mrs. Nicol and I agreed that home comforts should be a prior 
consideration to that of accumulating money. If bee-keeping and 
allotments were pursued on these lines they would be more satisfactory 
to those immediately concerned. “ The love of money ” in many 
present-day cases was truly the cause of much misery and disappoint¬ 
ment. She was of the firm opinion that honey was a valuable 
domestic edible and medicine, and agreed with me that more bee¬ 
keepers with small apiaries would be consistent with a reduction of 
the larger ones, whose owners are mostly dealers. Mr. Nicol is 
very much of the same opinion, and in a humorous way, in reply 
to a question on modern ideas, said he liked to read literature of a 
reliable practical kind, but that was not to be found everywhere. 
We then visited Mr. Peter Finlayson, an energetic working man 
and successful bee-keeper, who also believes in small apiaries. He 
began 1893 with seven hives. We chatted over the two queens in one 
hive system being of Scotch origin, and of the vacillating editor who 
said, “ If your bees swarm there will be no honey,'’ as well as many 
other inconsistencies. From seven hives, spring count, Mr. Finlayson 
realised 1100 lbs. of honey and honeycomb and 30 lbs. of wax. The 
best hive was and has always been one I presented him with many 
years ago, being neither more nor less than a huge box with moveable 
top bars, made thirty years since for two queens. These facts speak 
for themselves, confirming what I have often advocated—to be a 
thorough bee master, or any master, you must know what you are 
writing about—give more of your own experience and less of that 
appropriating spirit so prevalent in these advanced days. 
Mr. Finlayson, with the exception of the wooden hive named, has 
the rest of his bees in straw skeps. He gives each hive 5 lbs. of 
sugar in the early spring, which generally suffices till swarming 
time, but if occasion requires it he is not slow to prolong the supply. 
He allows each stock to swarm twice. Three weeks after the first 
swarm issues the contents of the hive are taken, and the bees either 
put into an empty hive or joined to one of the swarms. Most of the 
Clover honey is obtained before they are taken thirty miles by road 
to the Heather ; then, when weighty there, are removed home, the 
bees joined and fed into good stocks for next season, he knowing 
well the risk attendant Heather honey in the hive during winter. 
Mr. Finlayson never has combs older than one year, whilst most 
of them are about three months old only, and therefore he is not 
troubled with pollen coming in contact with his honey, as invariably 
is the case when whole combs more than a few months old are pressed. 
The combs of the old stock three weeks after swarming contain 
Clover honey only. By his method he has the purest of honey, while 
youthful queens and new combs are the kej'^s to successful and 
profitable bee-keeping. So well does the honey from Mr. Finlayson’s 
apiary please that 1 saw letters from merchants asking him to send 
all he had next year. 
The two bee-keepers named were the only ones, owing to the 
storm, I met ; but some day I may return to the bee-keepers of the 
same district. One whom 1 know had a single colony nearly 400 lbs. 
in weight at the end of the season of 1893. 
Drone Breeders 
Are numerous about here this year. The queens of these should 
be deposed, and the bees either joined to another stock, or better, 
after the lapse of one week from the killing of the queen, start 
queen-rearing. If considered too early destroy all queen cells and 
give fresh eggs. By the time these are hatched the weather will be 
warmer.— A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
J. Cheat & Sons, Lowfield Nursery, Crawley. Sussex.— Cata¬ 
logue of General Plants. 
Dobie & Mason, 22, Oak Street, Manchester.— Farm Seeds. 
Ellwanger & Barry, Mount Hope Nurseries, Rochester, U.S.A.— 
General List of Trees and Roses. 
Harrison & Sons, Seed Growers, Leicester. —Farm Seed Catalogue. 
Hogg & Robertson, 22, Mary Street, Dublin. —Booh of the Farm. 
E. H. Krelage & Son, Bloemhof Nurssiies, Haarlem, Holland.— 
Bulbs for Sjjring Planting. 
Vilmorin, Andrieux & Co., 4, Quai de la M^gisserie, V&xis.—Cata¬ 
logue of Shrub and Tree Seeds. 
*jj*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. 
Orchids and Violets (7’. S.f —The flowers of Dendrobium nobile 
are very good indeed, but the varietal form not distinct from others in 
cultivation. The Violets were splendid—as good as anyone could wish 
for. 
Protecting- Seeds from Birds (F. A. C. C.'). —Damping the 
seeds and dusting them before sowing with red lead does not affect 
their germination, while it renders them distasteful to birds. Also in 
the absence of nets string the beds closely with cotton, and dust the 
seedlings, immediately they appear and are wet with dew, with sharp 
sifted wood ashes and soot, repeating as necessary. 
Cutting Gladiolus Corms (F. T. F.).—The practice of cutting 
the corms of Gladioli into halves with buds attached is as safe as 
cutting Potatoes, and is done much in the same way—by placing the 
knife blade between the buds on the top of crown, and cutting straight 
through the corm. It has the advantage of securing fine spikes, 
prevents crowding, and doubles the number of plants. It should 
be done a short time only before planting. The practice has 
frequently been advocated by “ D., Deal," and quite recently. See 
page 144, February 22nd, 1894, 
Yello-w Tomato Beaves (F. B. A.).—The midribs of the leaves 
appear to be slightly ruptured as well as signs of mildew ; but as the oil 
and sulphur af'plication has done good, and as only the lower leaves are 
affected, the plants will probably improve under good management and 
the better weather that may now be expected. Through a deficiency of 
light and air the leaves have perhaps not been able to perform their 
functions of elaboration and assimilation, hence their condition. Is the 
soil firm enough ? Loose and too rich soil is not favourable to healthy 
growth. 
Soot In Stra-wrberry Pots (iS. F. A.). —An inch of soot placed in 
the bottom of each pot with leaves is very much in excess of what is 
usually employed, a sprinkling only being given, as a rule, on the rough 
material over the drainage. This acts as a preventive of worms enter¬ 
ing the pots as well as a stimulant to the plants. The quantity of soob 
employed would be likely to close the drainage, and the roots coming in 
contact with it must of necessity be destroyed, the combined effect 
being highly prejudicial to the plants. Watering with soot water 
several times when the plants were taken in to force would further 
aggravate the evil, especially if they were not well furnished with roots. 
This is not the first time we have known of the injury by the excessive 
use of soot. 
IVIanaglng Vines (IF. P. H.'). —The Vines now floweiing should 
have a night temperature of 65°, falling to 60° in the morning, and the 
top ventilators may be left open half an inch or so all night. When the 
temperature rises above 65° in the morning admit more air, but not to 
lower the temperature, increasing the openings of the sashes at each 
increase of 5°. The heat then rises naturally and steadily, and it may 
rise to 80° or 85° with sun, as indicated by a shaded thermometer. No 
greater mistake can be made than to have the sashes closed so long in 
the morning that the house becomes too hot, and a large volume of air 
has to be given to cool it. It is also a mistake to admit sharp currents 
of air through the front sashes. It is a good plan to give Vines when 
flowering a sharp jerk at midday for dispersing the pollen. They should 
not be syiinged, but a genial atmosphere can be maintained by damping- 
the paths once or twice a day during bright weather. Close the house 
gradually as soon as the temperature commences falling in the after¬ 
noon. The growths of laterals bearing the bunches should have been 
nipped off before now. Two leaves beyond the bunches may be 
permitted if they have room to develop. Overcrowding the growth- 
and foliage is one of the greatest evils to which Vines can be subjected. 
The laterals should be from a foot to 18 inches apart, if closer some 
should be removed. Vines just starting may have a night temperature 
of 55°, falling to 50° in the morning. When the leaves unfold increase 
by 5°, and when bunches are prominent 5° more, with the usual increase 
with suu. The house may be kept more moist before the bunches flower: 
and after the berries are set, than during the flowering period. 
