288 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Apiil 5, 18f8. 
an “ extractor ” should be worked. There is no fixed rule, but the 
frames should never be made to revolve faster than is absolutely 
necessary for throwing out the honey. The pace should be kept 
slow at first, and gradually increased until the honey is heard to 
freely “ spit ” against the sides of the barrel, when no further 
advance in speed should be made until the cells on both sides of 
the comb are comparatively empty. The ful’er the comb the 
greater the strain. This is an important point to remember. It is 
also unwise to entirely empty one side of a comb before turning it 
and taking some honey from the cells on the opposite side. The 
frames must also be placed close to the outside of the cages and 
against the wire. There is a tendency to draw the centre of the 
comb towards the outside, and therefore unless the comb presses 
close to the wire frame this gradual drawing out will break up the 
centre of the comb. These points are far more important when 
using new combs, because an old comb will stand far greater wear 
and tear without any real damage. 
The simplest honey extractor is the best. If an increase in 
ihe number of stocks is desired preparations must at once be made 
for receiving the swarms when they come, otherwise there will be a 
considerable waste in fitting up hives some fine day, when half a 
dozen stocks send forth their clouds of emigrants when they are 
least expected to issue. 
Many bee-keepers are no doubt beginning to feel anxious as to 
the state of their stocks. At the time of writing no thorough ex¬ 
amination has yet been possible, but if we may hazard a guess 
founded on observations made on fine warm days some weeks ago 
we should say that on the whole the winter has been preservative 
of bee life. The weather has lieen not of the severest type 
perhaps, but sufficiently hard to prevent frequent flights, and yet 
occasionally days have occurred most opportunely when every stock 
was able to take a cleansing flight with safety. Experiments have 
been made in wintering stocks on the cold and warm systems, but it 
is at present, on account of the severe weather, impossible to give 
the results in either case. At the earliest possible opportunity 
every stock must be examined, and if necessary feeding must be at 
once commenced. In fact, even now', if a stock is knowm to be 
shoi t of store, warm syrup must be administered or a piece of candy 
laid upon the tops of the frames ; but unless there is a great doubt 
of the sufficiency of the food supply no stock should be disturbed at 
all until warm weather invites us to make a thorough examination. 
This done, the necessary steps should at once be taken to remedy 
any actual or possible mischief ; and then, after w'rapping every 
stock up as warmly as possible, no future disturbance should be 
necessary for a considerable period, unless it is intended to stimulate 
the stocks by feeding gently but continuously until the natural 
supply takes the place of the artificial. Other things being equal, 
the stock least often opened will be the most prosperous. 
We may perhaps be allowed to wish the bee-keepers of the 
world a good harvest, and we may, at any rate, comfort those who 
are somewhat despondent as to the weather we are likely to ex¬ 
perience during the coming season by reiterating w'hat has been 
said in the past, and is no less true in the present, that unless the 
season is exceptionally bad honey will be obtained by the man who 
manages his bees upon practical principles and knows when to do a 
thing, and also has the know'ledge w'hen to leave well alone.— 
Felix. 
<5UEEN IXTRODUCTIOM-THE HALLAMSHIRE LAW. 
“A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper,” page 227, thinks I am not entitled to 
all the honour in connection with the above, and considers the late Mr. 
T. VV. Wffiodbury was the author, and quotes him as follows : The 
only safe method is to deprive the bees of the power of raising a suc¬ 
cessor to the one deposed.” 
Now, with all due deference to our friend, and respect to the memory 
of Mr. \\ffiodbury, I must beg to point out that the above is not the 
■“ Hallamshire law,” it is only part of it ; there is also one other con¬ 
dition—viz., the bees must have had time to reali.se the fact that, in 
addition to being queenless, they ar: hopelessly without means of rearing 
a successor ; and they do not arrive at this stage, when in possession of 
combs, under thirty hours. But to be on the safe side I have fixed the 
minimum in the law at forty-eight hours. 
1 have never claimed to be the first to successfully enthrone queens 
in accordance with the “ law the honour of this belongs to M. de 
Reaumur. He was also the first recorded person who introduced an 
alien queen to strange bees. Like many other observers, he deduced 
wron^ conclusions from his experiments. Huber relates these cases, 
and criticises them under date 30th August, 1791, in such a way, one 
would think be knew alt about the “ law.” 
The late Mr. Woodiiury was probably the next person who really 
took the subject up in earnest, and no doubt many times succeeded 
when the bees had been deprived of the means of rearing a sueeessor 
long enough. But there is no evidence that he ever grasped the im¬ 
portance of this condition ; if he had, he would not have failed to 
impress it on everyone. As it was, he and his pupils thought that 
all that was, or should be, necessary, was to deprive the bees of 
the power of raising a successor to the one deposed, when they would 
aceept another as soon as they had discovered their loss. Thus the 
matter was left; then came the cages to gradually let the b es become 
acquainted with their new mother. Then it was noted by sime that 
when the bees were old and had been long queenless, the cages were 
very unsafe, some going so far as to assert that such bees could not be 
re queened. 
I think I have now made it clear that the “ law ” has unconsciously 
been used to introduce alien queens for upwards of 100 years. What I 
claim as my discovery is the law,” just as Newton diseovered the law 
of gravitation. When a bee-keeper has it firmly engrafted on his 
mind he will find many ways to apply it. Moreover, it is the onlv means 
by which a queen will be accei)ted by the bees as the mother of the hive 
at the moment of her introduction.—A Hallamshire 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 cannet reply to questions through the 
post, and we do not undertake to return rejected communica¬ 
tions. 
Books (./. G. IL, Xetu Jersey ').—We h ive no copy of “ Blaine’s 
Canine Pathology ” in our library, and have failed on inquiry to ascer¬ 
tain where the work can be obtained. We mention the title in case any 
of our readers can give you the desired information, with the price of 
the volume. 
Chrysanthemum Sport (A. J. N.).—It is simply a reversion to 
Queen of England, the variety from which Empress of India originally 
sported. 
Kew Cardens (G. W. 7/.).—Write to the Curator, Royal Gardens, 
Kew, stating what you desire, when the necessary forms will be sent to 
be filled and returned. 
Biquid Manure (H. .1/.).—We do not use boiling water in pre¬ 
paring liquid manure, as it woull facilitate the escape of ammonia, 
which it is desirable to retain. 
Insecticide (./. 7^).—We should exceed our duty by complying 
with your request. It is for vendors themselves to advertise their 
wares if they think good to do so. Nor are we justified in publishing 
the full addresses of correspondents who do not supply them for that 
purpose. 
Vines from Cutting's (71 J .).—You stated quite clearly that al^ 
the eyes were cut out, but it appears you made a mistake. Select those 
plants that are making the strongest and best i:rowths, taking up one 
only from each to produce a stout cane that will ripen early in the 
autumn, regardless of the method adopted in preparing the cuttings. 
Consumption of Fuel (.7. 77. S .).—Your letter shall be answered 
in an early issue, and in order that our reply may be well founded we 
are having a comparison made of the quantity of fuel consumed in a 
garden in which the extent of piping is considerable, and the question 
of fuel a serious item from its being much more costly than in your 
district. 
Double White Mignonette (71 S .).—The flowers you send are 
unusually fine, being white, large, double and sweet. It is a pity that 
