436 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
r Novenlber 8, 1888. 
thing. The same 'writer also described the mode of manipulating 
bees. The able way he did so, and the humane results, were very 
superior to anything we have either seen described in writing or 
practised at our leading shows, where the appearance of the ground 
after manipulation betrayed thousands of dead bees, though not 
one should have been seen had the proper care been taken and the 
proper lesson given. This is a second query by an Argyleshire 
bee-keeper, “ A. M. M.” The question is, “ How best to manipulate 
bees ? ” There are in all manipulations two things to be observed 
—viz., neither to kill nor irritate bees. Be careful that no offensive 
-smell irritate them. Approach the hive cautiously, about 3 o clock 
■p.M. is the best time to manipulate. Bees returning from the field 
•do not sting, only those that are flying and left their hive on being 
disturbed ; a slight puff of smoke at the entrance, or a little carbolic 
acid upon the alighting board, will tend to soothe the bees. Smoke 
■causes the bees to fill themselves, and no full bee stings. When the 
hees are quieted by either of these means the dooi’way may be 
closed for about thirty seconds or so. The bees will, during this 
interval, be attempting to gorge themselves with honey. Now 
uncover the hive, by degrees smearing the tops of the bars with 
■carbolic acid, always in such a way as the bees will not be injured 
by coming into contact with it. If properly done it keeps the bees 
■effectually down. Whenever they make the retreat before the acid 
they are subdued, and the frames may be manipulated forthwith. 
If the hive is a straw one the precautions are all that is necessary, 
when after a short time it may be inverted for further procedure- 
Caution is necessary, however. Never leave a hive in the middle 
•of any manipulation, or woe betide the party who approaches i^ 
after with the view of finishing it off. A little forethought and 
patience on the part of the beginner will soon make him master of 
the art of manipulating bees. Other queries will be answered in 
future issues.—A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
THE NEW GLASS SECTION. 
In my letter describing the above, on page 413, I omitted saying 
how it was put together, and as the Editor, iu his foot-note, says “ the 
glass being made secure in position by fine wire ” may lead many to 
suppose that all the pieces of glass forming the section are held together 
by wire, I think I cannot do better than describe it somewhat in 
•detail. 
The sides of the section arc of one width all round ; the top piece of 
glass is split, to grasp a piece of foundation between, but this plan 
•of fixing it will not be used or recommended by me, and was only 
•done this year as an experiment,. There are no corner joints to it ; 
nothing, in fact, but the four glass sides and the honeycomb within can 
possibly be seen. 
The sides of the section sent are only protected, after being finished 
by the bees by two squares of glass cut the exact size of the outside mea¬ 
surements of the section, which arc fastened on with “ fine wire ” tinned ; 
this glazing the sides is what is usually done to protect the comb 
from dust or insects, &c. 
The advantages to be gained by the sections being of one width all 
round are many, one being they can be crated for market in a skeleton 
crate formed of very little more than a bottom board placed edge to 
•edge, with a piece of glass at the outer sides, when it will at once form 
;a massive lump of tempting honeycomb, insect-proof and practically 
dust-proof. When thus crate’d the faces of the comb in each section will 
be a bee space apart, but as a vivid illustration of how bees economise 
•every little bit of space, and of how much they prefer glass, they have 
carried up their c-unb to the edge of the glass sides, storing honey in the 
cells next to it; thus the honeycomb looks J of an inch thicker than 
it really is. This extra thickness is marked up with a “ slope,” and 
• cannot be seen except by closely inspecting the section. This'important 
advantage, which makes the section look bigger than it really is, makes 
-■a crate look a solid mass of honeycomb and adds strength and security 
in travelling, was not anticipated by me, and is wholly because bees 
prefer glass to wood within which to store their honey. 
The section after being “glassed,” was wrapped up in paper and 
enclosed in a small box surrounded with cork dust and sent by post, 
and the fact that it reached the Editor’s hands sately should be con- 
elusive proof that it is not really a “ fancy ” article, but one that is full 
of the elements of utility. 
When they are “ on the market,” I think there will be few shop¬ 
keepers who will not take a pride in having half a dozen or so always 
on their counter or in the window, just .protected at the sides with two 
pieces of glass.—A Hallamshire Bee-keeper. 
[The section referred to was handed to Mr. Neighbour, the eminent 
apiarian, and can, we assume, be seen at his establishment, 149, Regent 
S reet, LondoD.] 
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. 
Tomatoes at Chiswick (A Scotchman ).—The Tomato house 
illustrated on page 301 is 100 feet long and 30 feet wide. The prices 
(wholesale) realised up to that time, were 7d. and 8d.' per lb. for the 
best, 5d. and 6d. for the seconds. The price obtained now is 9d. per lb. 
The distance between the plants is 2 feet 4 inches, and they have not 
been topped nor laterals permitted to grow, but the fruit is borne on 
the main stems. Thanks for your note, which will be remembered. 
Sephyranthes (./. E., Aherysivlitli). —The bulbs at thi3 time of 
year require resting, keeping the soil dry if they are in pots, or if out of 
doors they might be lifted and placed in sand if the soil and situation are 
at all damp. Both Z. Atamasco and Z. carinat.a, which you mention, are 
hardy in the south of England and in other moderately warm districts, but 
they have such a beautiful appearance in pots that they are well worth 
growing in this way for the greenhouse or any cool structure. They 
prefer a somewhat sandy well drained soil, but require plenty of water 
when growing and flowering. 
idJBcmuon EHy (/?. J.').— The specimen sent is a four-winged fly 
of the ichneumon tribe, the particular species being Ichneumon 
crassorius. They are insects of parasitic habit while in the larval or 
preparatory state ; the eggs are laid by the parents upon the bodies of 
other insects, or in some instances deposited in their nests, and the young 
larvae burrow into and feed upon these, of course to their destruction. 
Many of the ichneumon flies attack caterpillars, hence they are really 
serviceable to the gardener. In the perfect state they are frequently 
seen upon flowers, to which they are attracted by the honey. Should 
one of them be taken in the hand, provided it is a female, the fly 
generally uses the ovipositor or egg-layer as a kind of weapon, and 
drives the sharp end into the skin ; this act, however, is not accompanied 
by the emission of a poisonous liquid as is the case with the gnat and 
certain other species. 
African Groundsel (Y. i?.).—This name has been given to a some¬ 
what remarkable climbing or trailing plant—Senecio macroglossa, which 
is figured on page 07, vol. viii., January 21th, 1884. It is described there 
as having leaves like Ivy and flowers resembling those of theEtoile d’Or 
variety of Cbr santhemum frutescens. Senecio macroglossus has been 
found on the Table Mountain, at the Cape of Good Hope, and in other 
districts of South Africa, seeds having been first sent to Kew by Mr. 
Sanderson in 1868, and from these probably the first plants grown in 
this country were raised. Sir Joseph Hooker states that he has heard 
that in some continental or other cities this plant is grown in rooms and 
trained round the walls near the ceiling, and from its peculiar succulent 
structure it would, no doubt, be fitted for such dry positions, though its 
strength would be severely tested in ordinary English rooms. The best 
position for it is a greenhouse or cool stove, but the former is preferable, 
as it cannot endure a moist atmosphere. It is not particular as to com¬ 
post, light sandy loam with a little leaf soil or old decayed manure being 
suitable, and if grown in a pot this must be thoroughly drained and 
water very carefully supplied. The best plan is, however, that adopted 
at Kew, where it is planted out and trained up the roof cf the 
bouse. 
Grapes not Keeping- (A. I?.).—No doubt the cold sunless 
summer has bad “ something to do with ” the tendency of the Grapes to 
decay sooner than usual this year. In the first place many were later 
in ripening than usual, and where, as in your case, the wood is still 
immature the fruit cannot be completely ripe. The rain falling in your 
district “ every day for a week” has also been against good keeping,and 
extra care is essential under the circumstances to maintain a dry buoyant 
atmosphere. The “same treatment as formerly ” is not always the best 
treatment when the essential conditions differ. You would have acted 
wisely in having employed more fire heat some time ago than you appear 
to have done, and we gather from your letter jou only “ keep a little 
fire heat on in the dajtime ” even now. If that is so the Grapes, con¬ 
sidering the state of the Vines, are almost certain to decay prematurely, 
for the berries must have been so cold on many nights as to cause a 
deposition of moisture on them by condensation, almost inevitably to be 
