594 
■JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
r December 27, 1888. 
j 
delight him to -whom the hees themselves must look for help in the 
dead time of winter. From the ice-bound earth will soon arise 
plant life, and soon the lambs and other living creatures will begin 
once more to herald the approach of the more temperate months, 
while the lengthening days will give us more time in which to 
perform the manifold duties cast upon us. 
Such are the thoughts of many who give themselves time for 
reflection at this period of the year. Each one - may learn a lesson 
which will be of value in the future by showing how much depends 
upon the past. Bee-keepers look back on the summer of the 
present year with some regret. The spring was unusually severe 
and long, and when at last hopes were aroused it was only for 
a few days, when once more a spell of cold and wet dashed to 
the ground the unrealised expectations and left some with a scanty 
surplus, and compelled many even to give a supply of food to 
tide over the then present fear of actual starvation. On the other 
hand, and perhaps as a direct consequence of lessened production, 
we find that higher prices have prevailed, and accordingly some 
bee-keepers have from a moderate yield reaped a profit even greater 
than they would have done had the season been more favourable. 
Some new ideas, or at any rate some ideas which seem likely to 
be carried out in a practical form, have been brought to the front 
during the present year, and first amongst these we should be 
inclined to place “ A Hallamshire Bee-keeper’s ” glass sections, 
although we have not yet had an opportunity of seeing one of 
them. The beauty of glass vessels is well known, and it is im¬ 
possible to imagine a fairer sight than pure honeycomb in good 
clear glass, showing every tint and shade of the honey in the cells 
adjoining the glass, and showing to the very best advantage the 
skilled work of the delicate bee. For cleanliness and beauty the 
idea can certainly not be surpassed ; but, on the other hand, the 
expense must be kept down, otherwise we fear that the sordid 
public of to-day will prefer to buy a cheaper yet wholesome 
package. The craze for low prices puts a heavy brake on our 
utmost efforts, and yet we can see that beauty is not slightly re¬ 
garded by the most economical, provided the sum they have to pay 
in order to obtain a goodly appearance is not too high. In large 
towns, where there are many wealthy merchants and others, the 
price of a package of honey is not material, but the dealers in 
smaller districts inform us that, provided the honey is good and 
pure, the purchaser does not pay as much attention as we should 
expect to the form of the vessel. We earnestly hope that the 
glass sections may be introduced, and that they will be sold at as 
low a price as possible, having regard to the profit due to those 
who have an interest in their production and sale. 
What of the future ? There is no need to despair. Our 
prospects, on the whole, are as good as they were at this time 
twelve montlis ago. If bee-keepers did not attend to their bees 
in the summer and autumn, they must not forget that the man 
who sows thistles will reap thistles, and the man who sows corn 
will reap corn. With proper care every stock should be in good 
condition now, and unless the queen dies in the coming months of 
spring should be ready to take part in the early harvesting operations 
which are generally commenced in May. Weakly stocks are, broadly 
speaking, not profitable ; with care they may sometimes do well, 
and as “ A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper ” has shown, in some cases they 
have given very good results; but the oft-reiterated advice to keep 
strong stocks only is still the one which we shall offer, although 
there are circumstances in which it may be not only wise but 
essential to keep a small stock for the sake of the queen, which 
must otherwise be destroyed. 
Spare queens in the coming spring will be very valuable. We 
had not intended to venture into the region of prophecy, but we fear 
that many queens will be found wanting before the end of April, 
and special care and attention will consequently be required to 
avert evil results. What to do in these cases must occupy attention 
in the issue of another week. Another feature of the present year 
has been the increased neatness in which honey has been put 
upon the market. The slovenliness of the past has been swept 
away, and fair white sections and clear glass bottles may now be 
seen where once were found sections of a very doubtful colour and 
pots and mugs of a decidedly unappetising hue. We have been led 
to write at further length than it was our intention to do, and in 
closing we may assure bee-keepers that the honey yield of the past 
year was phenomenally bad, and that there is no reasonable fear of 
being visited with such another for some seasons yet to come. 
It would seem that every subject must be exhausted after 
writing for two or three years with some regularity upon the same 
industry, but in the future we hope to be able to find something of 
interest and of importance to write about for the good of bee¬ 
keepers in general; and it is a special pleasure to notice that the 
regular contributors to the bee-keeping columns agree—if not in all 
points, at any rate in the main—with one another, and even when 
points of disagreement are discussed they are discussed with 
courtesy and without unnecessary fervour.— Felix. 
All correspondence should be directed either to “ Tiib 
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. 
Unanswered letters (To Inquirers ).—In consequence of the 
Christmas holidays the pages of the present issue of the Journal had to 
be made up last Friday, therefore answers to some questions are of 
necessity deferred. 
Books on Botany (11. C., Newcastle ).—You will find the follow¬ 
ing works useful, taking them in the order named as you advance :— 
Sir J. D. Hooker’s “ Botany Primer” (Macmillan & Co., Bedford Street, 
Strand, London) ; Professor Oliver’s “ Elementary Botany,” published 
by the same firm ; and Henfrey and Masters’ l; Course of Botany ” (Van 
Voorst, 1, Paternoster Row, E.C.). You will probably find the first two 
sufficient at first, and they can be purchased for 5s. The other is a 
much more expensive work. In studying botany you must not rely 
upon books alone, but strive to gain a practical knowledge by closely ex¬ 
amining all the plants possible, and endeavour to understand their 
structure. One of the great advantages of attention to botany is that it 
cultivates the powers of observation, no mean help to a person in any 
employment. 
Oxalis Culture (0. S. IF).—Of the easiest culture, we are 
surprised you cannot induce them to flower, and grovv luxuriantly. 
It appears you give them too liberal treatment, and keep in the shade at 
some distance from the glass in a shaded and moist position. Grow them 
on shelves near the glass, potting when they are beginning to grow in a 
mixture of three parts light fibrous loam, one part leaf soil, and two 
parts sandy peat, with a part of silver sand, watering moderately until 
in free growth, increasing the supply with the growth, and after 
flowering, or the growth is complete, diminish the supply, ceasing 
watering when the leaves become yellow, and keeping dry until the 
plants again start into growth. They do well in a light airy position in 
a greenhouse. Their great bane is too much water and shade. 
Poinsettia Treatment after Flowering (Amateur ).—Keep the 
plants dry, not allowing the wood to shrivel, and cut down in March, 
inserting what cuttings are required, selecting the firm ripe wood, and 
strike in brisk bottom heat. The temperature after flowering should be 
50° from fire heat, and 5 Q higher by day from the same means. Water 
moderately after the plants are started into growth, sprinkling the stems 
twice daily, which will be sufficient moisture to cause them to start into 
