November 8, 1888. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
too much light from below, thin the shoots so as not to destroy the 
natural appearance of the plant. 
Clematis indirisa.— Regulate and thin the shoots of this and its 
variety lobata. Do not remove more shoots than is absolutely necessary, 
for this plant is better liberally pruned back after flowering, if any 
reduction of the plant is required. This looks better than many climbers 
when trained under the roof of houses in a formal manner. Its flowers 
being light remove the stiff appearanceit would otherwise possess. It is, 
however, most picturesque when numbers of shoots are allowed to hang 
from the main stem trained under the roof. Watch for aphides, which 
are very liable to attack this plant. Fumigating the house with tobacco 
smoke is the best means of eradicating them. 
Bignonias. —When once these plants are thoroughly established and 
have abundance of root they make shoots of an enormous length in a 
season. Plants of this description will bear severe thinning. Unless 
they are liberally cut back they soon become crowded, and if they are 
not exposed to full sunshine they will fail to flower satisfactorily. 
Lonicera sempervirens. —This plant usually begins to look shabby 
from the present time by the ripening of its old foliage. Although it 
will continue growing and flowering throughout the winter in most 
houses where the temperature is kept at 45° to 50°, it is best to prune it 
hard back now. By so doing the shoots break into growth again and 
flower freely early in the spring. 
Habrothamnus elegaus :— At this season remove the puny ishoots 
that are too weak for flowering. This plant is best against a tall pillar 
where it can be pruned close back after flowering and then be allowed 
to grow naturally without either tying or stopping the shoots. The 
shoots can be thinned at the end of June or July if they are likely to 
overcrowd the plant. This plant is subject to attacks of green fly, and 
it must be destroyed the same as advised above. Few flowers are more 
useful than these for the methods of table decoration that are now so 
generally carried out. 
Bhyncospermum jasminoides. —This and Lapagerias need very little 
attention in thinning ; the main object is to regulate the shoots of the 
former ready for the time it will come into flower, and the latter after 
they have done flowering ready for growth the following season. Both 
are liable to the attacks of mealy bug. Clean them thoroughly and 
fumigate with tobacco, or syringe with a solution of tobacco water if any 
trace of thrips can be found upon them. 
Plumbago rosea. —P. rosea and its variety cocoinea may be brought 
into flower if the plants are wanted, and placed in a temperature of 60°. 
Watch for thrips, which soon attack and destroy the foliage. Linum 
trigynum may also be pushed forward. The earliest Poinsettias will 
develope better bracts in a temperature of (10° to 65° than in a lower 
temperature. They can be gradually hardened afterwards for cooler 
houses. 
JusticiaJlavicoma .—A few of the earliest of these may be pushed 
forward in a temperature of 65° to bring them into flower. By this 
treatment the heads may be reduced in size, but they will be found very 
useful, and nothing is lost in the end. The plants will flower again if well 
cared for after they have flowered the first time. The plumes the second 
time will be of large size. It is a mistake to throw them away after 
they flower the first time, for the plants are always more effective the 
second season, and there is no difficulty in having them in flower over a 
period of six months. 
FEEDING BEES. 
ITS USES AND ABUSES. 
At page 391 I drew the attention of bee-keepers to one evil 
arising from rapid feeding in autumn, and the following remarks 
will more fully explain the subject. 
Feeding at all times is a necessary evil, and ought only to he re¬ 
sorted to when it cannot be avoided. In addition to creating damp 
inside the hive, rapid feeding sometimes ends in the total destruction 
of the stock by robber bees. The bees being often fully gorged 
cannot defend themselves against robbers, and so fall an easy prey 
to them, the contents of the hive being quickly carried away. In 
previous articles I warned bee-keepers against another danger 
arising from late feeding—viz., setting breeding a-going, which at 
this season with queens that have done considerable egg-laying 
(although young), there is a likelihood of some of them being 
deposed, the bees raising royal cells through the inactivity of the 
queen. Already many cases of the kind have been brought under 
my notice, and many queenless hives or drone-laying queens may 
be expected next spring. 
One hive I was asked to see had already thrown out one young 
queen, which the owner attributed to the wisdom of the bees 
435 ' 
throwing out the young one and retaining the old cne. “ Do not be 
so fast,” I exclaimed, “ will you allow me to examine ?” The request 
was granted. An inspection betrayed two royal cells vacated, and a 
young queen and the old one on the same comb. No jealousy 
seemed to exist between them, but I could easily see that no' 
attention was being paid to the old one, while she was occasionally 
being nipped at by some of the bees. I immediately removed tb& 
young one ; yet, notwithstanding the old queen was still present, a 1 
partial commotion took place amongst the bees, showing plainly 
that the laying queen was doomed, and the greatest wisdom was 
displayed in removing the young one. 
Even though queens may not be deposed at this season through 
late and untimely breeding, there is a risk in the queen so 
encouraged giving way in spring through autumn feeding. When 
bees require feeding in the autumn the proper time to do it is 
immsdiately the honey harvest is over and when there is still a con¬ 
siderable amount of brood in the hive, so that the queen will not 
have the chance of depositing many eggs ; then both she and the 
bees will be allowed to go on in their normal state and prepare for 
the winter. With their natural rest they will commence work at 
the proper time and continue it until the change in the season. 
The so-called stimulative feeding has as bad or greater evils than 
rapid feeding. It causes a dwindling away of bees during the time 
of its continuance, an increase of egg-laying by the queen, with an 
equal diminution of the eggs by the bees eating them on a sudden 
decrease of temperature, while robber bees are ever on the wing 
when or wherever it is going on. 
In addition to feeding immediately after the honey season is- 
closed (which should serve the bees till next honey season) bees can 
be fed when newly swarmed and when they have been deprived of 
surplus honey with an extended harvest in view. If bees are not 
fed after being deprived of surplus honey they are liable to eat out 
their eggs and brood, even although much honey is left in their 
hive. Yery little feeding at this time will not only prevent it, but 
will encourage ths bees to continue bringing forth young ones, 
which will place the hive in a state capable of gathering much 
honey from the expected late bloom, which may be the Heather. 
These are the only times feeding should be resorted to. In a well 
managed apiary feeding at other times is never thought of, neither 
is rapid feeding, such as giving from 14 to 20 lbs. at a time r 
advisable. From 2 to 4 lbs. daily, or rather nightly, at the proper 
time is a good and safe medium. Nuclei have to be nursed or 
supplied with frames of comb containing honey. 
What is the best feeder ? is asked by several correspondents. 
My answer is, The frame feeder ; not the one used as a dummy, but 
having the top bar of the frame about three-eighths of an inch 
thicker than usual, and having a trough cut along its centre to 
within an inch or so of its end piece. The top edges of the bar are 
reduced until a beeway is formed, a space in the centre is bridged 
off, and a thin cover flush with the adjoining frames completes it - r 
a tin having a spout to suit, and fitted with a lead valve completes 
the feeder. This tin may be as large as the bee-keeper desires, or 
so small as to hold half a pound only. 
The advantages of this feeder are—the syrup is placed near the- 
tongaes of the bees, which they take more readily than from any 
feeder that has the syrup placed at some distance, as is the case 
with most. Nuclei and weak hives can be fed with these feeders 
when they would die rather than take it from most other kinds, and 
this property is the one we determine what is the best feeder. A 
strong hive will take syrup from any sort of feeder, but weak hives 
will not. Moreover, although this feeder is suitable for a weak, 
hive, never exposing much syrup at a time, it is also a rapid feeder 
where there are bees to take it. 
The foregoing does not exhaust the subject. “ A Renfrewshire 
Bee-keeper ” many years ago in the Cottage Gardener described 
the mode and advantage of filling comb3 with syrup and placing 
these inside the hive. The Americans caught hold of it, and again 
those on this side the Atlantic have adopted the system as a new 
