July 2, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
11 
Supply efficient waterings or liquid manure as required, or afford 
surface dressings, and water them in with tepid water after having made 
the border thoroughly moist. Outside borders must not be neglected, 
but have copious waterings where the rainfall is insufficient. Mulch 
the borders lightly—heavy mulchings do more harm than good. A little 
fresh stable manure, 1 to 2 inches thick, will lessen evaporation, and 
from its lumpy nature not deprive the soil of the beneficial action of air, 
warmth, and the moisture of dew and rain. 
Cucumbers. —A few feeds may now be sown for late summer and 
early autumn fruiting. The plants from this sowing will be fit to place 
out in about a month. They do well in frames, and come in useful 
where plants from having been in bearing some time are exhausted. 
Plants in bearing must have attention in thinning exhausted growths, 
removing bad foliage, stopping, tying, and regulating the growths so as 
to keep up a succession of bearing wood. Add a little fresh soil to the 
surface from time to time, and light mulching of stimulating material. 
Syringe at closing time, and maintain a good moisture all day ; it is 
infinitely better than shading. Avoid too much moisture in dull 
weather, it only makes the growths soft and the foliage more susceptible 
of injury on a bright period ensuing. Afford liquid manure copiously 
once or twice a week, according to circumstances. Close early at 85°, 
and so as to gain 5° to 10°, and only employ fire heat to prevent the 
temperature falling below 60° at night. Avoid overcropping, especially 
of young plants, and do not allow the fruit to hang too long, as these 
exhaust the plants and prevent in a great measure a good and continuous 
supply. 
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he bee-keeper ! 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
SUPERING. 
I have as yet deferred putting on supers, but now that rain has 
come honey will be more abundant. The moment the flowers 
are profuse supers will be put on, and I am certain that all will be 
occupied by bees immediately they are in place. Bees never refuse 
to enter supers when given at the proper time. A little experience 
is required to be able to know the exact time ; this is whenever 
the hive is full of bees and combs, and the latter filled with brood, 
honey, and pollen, but not before. The extra heat, when supers 
are being filled, prevents chilling of the brood. 
The Stewarton system of supering is to put in the th>‘rd box 
for a day or two, then take it away, putting the supers on at 
the same time. We used to regulate the slides according to the 
weather, giving good space when a honey flow was in, and when 
rain or non-honey weather came closing them all but a bee space. 
With the slides and the three boxes or divisions the bee-keeper 
has full control of his bees and supers, and the latter rarely contain 
brood, and in competition with supers on other systems have seldom 
if ever been beaten. 
If a hive should at any time swarm do not put the bees back, but 
hive them into one division if the weather is fine with one cover of 
supers. These will be filled with beautifully white honey. At the end 
of eight days excise every royal cell except one good one from the old 
stock, but it is well that there be a spare nucleus at hand to insure 
against loss of queen. Premising the weather continues fine depose 
the queen of the first swarm, and on the following day return the 
swarm, its supers, and frames to the old stock, sprinkling both 
well with thinned honey. Never attempt to return swarms until 
the stock has been deprived of all its queens less one, or depending 
upon one from the returned swarm. 
Never join two second or after swarms until there is only one 
queen, or very likely a swarm will issue, or, perhaps, all the bees 
will leave. Do not attempt to join an alien queen or queen cell to 
an old stock till after the laying queen has left eight days. No 
queen, whether caged or not, is safe till that time has expired, but 
after that a queen may be given at any time without any precaution 
whatever ; but in all cases where a valuable queen has to be 
introduced use a cage. My safety cage, now used for nearly thirty 
years, is placed upon the top of the hive, and is nearly two cages of 
perforated zinc an eighth of an inch apart, so as to prevent the 
bees injuring the queen, but allowing them to fraternise. Modern 
bee-keepers have not yet used the double cage.—A. L. B. K. 
FOREIGN BEES. 
Methods of Controversy. 
We are requested to publish the following letters, and have no 
hesitation in doing so under the circumstances, though possibly 
Mr. Russell’s reply to “ Expert ” may yet appear in the pages of 
our contemporary to which it was addressed. 
Mr. Russell’s First Letter (Published). 
Some time ago reference was made by “ A Lanarkshire Bee¬ 
keeper ” in the pages of the Journal of Horticulture to the con¬ 
demnation of foreign bees by “ Expert ” in a contemporary. 
“ A. L. B. K.” suggested, as I was the person who sent him the 
cutting, that 1 should write to the Editor of the said contemporary, 
asking what experience “Expert” had with the foreign bees he 
had condemned. I did so, and enclose you a copy of “ Expert’s ” 
reply, which appeared in the journal referred to. I wrote a 
rejoinder, but this the Editor has not published. I should feel 
obliged if you would publish it, as well the copy of “ Expert’s ” 
letter, both of which I enclose.—C. Russell, Ingmire Hall. 
“ Expert’s ” Reply (Published.) 
In reply to Mr. C. Russell, will he kindly mention with what 
particular statement as to the Ligurian, Carniolian, or Cyprian 
races he disagrees, and in what way the Punic race has proved so 
valuable ? My experience, as given, is borne out by most of our 
advanced bee-keepers, and opinions have long been inclining in 
favour of our native bee, as being best constituted for our variable 
climate, more controllable as regards swarming, and giving the 
largest and best yields of honey. I have not kept Punic bees, but 
this race come from a district bordering on the Sahara Desert, and 
I fail to see how they can be suitable to our comparatively cold 
climate. They are said also to gather a great deal of propolis, or 
anything sticky, as a substitute, which is very objectionable, and 
like other foreign races to be great breeders, another objection, as 
after all it is honey, not bees, that we want.— Expert. 
Mr. Russell's Rejoinder (Unpublished). 
Your correspondent “ Expert ” entirely evades my question, and 
I assume he is either unable or unwilling to give a clear answer. I 
read for information, and I am sure most people will agree with 
me that this should come from experienced persons. Now, accord¬ 
ing to “ Expert’s ” own showing, what he teaches is second-hand. 
It is a fact that out of every hundred bee-keepers not more than 
five condemn foreign bees, and this small percentage when investi¬ 
gated was found to either have had no actual experience with 
them or had not managed them properly. I am willing if desired 
to mention a few names of persons who know how to manage 
foreign bees, and have had great success with them, not only in 
this country but throughout the continent and America. What 
does your correspondent mean by “ They are said also to gather s 
great deal of propolis or anything sticky as a substitute?” As a 
substitute for what ? He is quite right, the Punics are great- 
breeders, and are as great honey gatherers, but “Expert” is entirely 
wrong in saying they are tender ; they are very hardy bees. I 
have no interest in the sale of bees or bee appliances. The 
following extract from a letter from a friend is to the point and 
is reliable, and he like myself has no interest in selling the bees. 
“The season has indeed been untoward and protracted, yet 
notwithstanding all my hives are in a forward state, Carniolians r 
Syrians, Cyprian crosses, Ligurian, and Puoics ; the latter are a 
treat to see working. They gather honey when other varieties do 
not, and are pretty builders and fillers of comb. Superior as the 
other races are over the old blacks, these Punics are superior to those 
mentioned above. Their great hardiness alone for such cold springs 
as we have had for some years past is sufficient to recommend them. * 
I would like to hear how “ Expert ” can control swarming with 
the old black bees more than with the other varieties, and, more¬ 
over, would like to learn where the pure black bee is to be had in 
Britain. Queens mate at a distance (bee-flight) of five or six miles, 
and where is there a place the black bee is isolated more than that 
from the influence of the superior foreign but much-maligned 
good honey gathering bees. Stick to your own experience, and 
give us reliable information, which all desire.—C. Russell. 
[We cannot understand why thi3 letter is not published, and? 
are loth to believe it will not be published in the contemporary to 
which it was addressed. It is a very proper letter under the 
circumstances, and was called for by the one preceding it. It is in 
our opinion the best letter of the series, practical and precise, in 
which the writer has obviously no motive but to elicit the truth.— 
Ed. J. H.] 
