348 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October n, 1888. 
being on board the “Old Vale of Leven” (the only steamer able 
that day to break the ice). After that April brought severe 
thunderstorms, as it did this year, and the summer was a cloudy 
one throughout. Skipping a few years, between 1845 and 1850, 
the seasons were as unfavourable. Then about 1852 we experienced 
one of the worst seasons on record. We had to feed our bees until 
they were taken to the Heather, and when there, for at least a 
month they did not get an opportunity to so much as air them¬ 
selves. 1860, 1861, and 1862 were three bad years in succession, 
and in many places bees did not gather 5 lbs. the whole time. 
Other bad years were passed until 1877, when bees were dying of 
want at the end of July. I could name other seasons that have 
been worse for bees than the present one, but the above will suffice 
to show the accuracy of my statement. In one of these seasons, 
about 1860, honeycomb was sold in London at 7s. 6d. per pound. 
CARNIOLIAN QUEENS. 
In the same journal “ Amateur Expert ” makes 9ome statements 
regarding striped v. plain Carniolian bees. Had he been a pro¬ 
fessional expert instead of amateur he would have done a good 
•service to bee-keepers, and particularly to those people who make 
up their minds to die when a bee stings. He does not blame Mr. 
Henton directly for introducing banded Carniolians, but his article 
certainly conveys that meaning. I have had considerable experience 
with Carniolians, perhaps more so than any other person in the 
United Kingdom, and I have also had considerable experience, 
through correspondence with Mr. Benton, and know well the ill 
usage he has received at the hands of some English dealers. It is 
against the latter “ Amateur Expert ” should have directed his 
■sarcasm. It is they alone who are responsible for importing impure 
Carniolians into this country. I have proof of it, and the worst of 
it is that they labelled the queen’s cage as Frank Benton’s first 
grade queens, while in fact they never had a queen from him. 
These are facts, and so are the following. Mr. Frank Benton, at 
■great expense, and great risk to his own and family’s health, went 
from America with a determination to hunt up new varieties of 
bees and present these to the public in a pure state. He has done 
this, but, like all true benefactors, is maligned, by people, too, who 
should have acted differently. Only from the English dealers have 
I received striped or crossed Carniolians, but from Benton not one 
but the pure, possessing their true amiability, he having done 
everything in his power to guard against impure blood. 
But what about the stripes ? “ Amateur Expert ” gives no in¬ 
formation further than any amateur can do. It therefore does 
not appear as known to him that there are two sorts of stripes, the 
•one indicating crossed bees, the other hereditary to the race, con¬ 
sisting of two spots at the sides or one ring of russet extending 
to the sides on the anterior part of the belly ; this russet or 
russety brown does not extend beyond the hairs in the true type, 
but in the crosses it is well defined on the shell or skin of the bee 
-and these bees are generally of a vicious nature. I have had many 
•queens from Benton both direct and from Messrs. Neighbour 
through him. These have not only been free from brown mark¬ 
ings, but possess the true silvery appearance which characterises 
that race. Those that cannot be distinguished from black bees are 
not Carniolians. 
THE COMBINATION OR LONG-IDEA HIVE. 
I have read with interest the remarks upon the above hive by 
41 A Hallamshire Bee-keeper,” and was well pleased to see that he 
has had the pluck to tell your readers how old a hive it is. Long ago 
I kept bees in hives of that nature, and the late Mr. T. W. Wood¬ 
bury not only kept bees in that kind of hive, but pointed out its 
•defects, which were numerous, and these defects, as well as to the 
Imperfect make of the hive in other respects, caused the death of 
the bees, and not as “ A Hallamshire Bee-keeper ” suggests, over¬ 
manipulation. I quite agree with much that “ A Hallamshire 
Bee-keeper” states. Some points I may take up again, but at 
present I may state that there are other moves to be made with 
bees than to the Heather. Some bee-keepers have to move their 
bees in April to the Willows and fruit blossoms, then to the 
Clover, and again to and from the Heather, and were there no 
hives but the combination type there would be few bee-keepers. 
Not only is the storifying or tiering hive the best for moving 
about, but it is the hive for profit as well. 
By again following up the Simmins plan of requeening a hive 
I' had a queen killed, the only one I have lost for a long time. 
Bee keepers should take the hint. 
DAHLIA ELOWER3 AND BEES. 
I have never observed that these or any other flowers were in¬ 
jurious to bees. Our Mignonette this year has yielded much honey, 
and I have frequently observed bees in a sleepy state on it, but I 
attributed this to atmospheric influence and not to the flowers or 
honey, as the sleepy bees are always a very small per-centage of 
those that carry much honey and pollen from that or any other 
flower. — A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
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 un¬ 
avoidably. 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 communica¬ 
tions. 
Book (IF. Langley). —Thompson’s “Gardeners’ Assistant” will 
possibly answer your purpose. It is a large volume, and the price 
necessarily not low. It can be obtained through a bookseller. 
Tomatoes (A. IK. G .).—Write to Mr. James Webber, Central 
Avenue, Covent Garden, W.C. 
National Bose Society's Catalogue (A. B.). —Write to the Rev. 
II. H. DOmbrain, Westwell Vicarage, Ashford, Kent. 
Echites (IK. S. A).—Some of the Echites succeed best in a stove, 
and some require a greenhouse temperature, but it is probable your plant 
is not a member of this genus, as the name is new to us. 
Quick Hedge Shoots Dying (Ile.atllfieldfi ).—You will find in 
another column some notes on the abundance of insect pests this season, 
especially referring to their effects on hedges. Perhaps also the soil is 
insufficiently drained or otherwise in an unsuitable condition. 
Pride of Lincolnshire Pea (TV. Marriott ).—The specimen of 
haulm and pods testify to the productiveness of the variety, one stem 
containing eleven pairs of pods and three singles. We observed the dish 
that was sent to a recent meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, 
and think a request was entered that the variety be sent to Chiswick for 
trial. The pods were very fine. 
Tomatoes ( Single-handed). —Perhaps your best course would be to 
send a specimen of the fruit to the firm from whom you had the seed, 
asking if the variety is true. The trials to which you refer were very 
carefully conducted, and you may rely upon their accuracy. Withtheother 
variety mentioned we have bad no experience. We are gratified to learn 
that you have found the Journal useful, and we reciprocate all your 
good wishes. 
Concrete for Vine Border (./. P.). —The most suitable material is 
gravel, which does not contain much, if any, loam or clay, but is of a 
non-binding nature. It may be passed through a sieve with inch mesh, 
using that passing through the sieve, and if very sandy it should be freed 
of it by a quarter-inch sieve, rejecting the sand. To the gravel add one 
part of freshly slaked lime to two of gravel, and form it into a mortar¬ 
like consistence by adding water and mixing. Lay it 4 inches thick, 
and evenly smoothing with the back of a spade. It may be laid on the 
subsoil, it being given the proper incline to the drain, which should be 
