October 1,1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
295 
newly formed ridge-shaped beds are apt to heat very violently, and 
earlier in the season it is sometimes necessary to pull them to pieces 
and remake. There is less likelihood of this happening now, but at the same 
time they must be watched closely both before and after spawning. 
The heat probably will soon run up to 90° or rather more, but not till 
it declines to 80°, or till the trial stakes can be comfortably borne in the 
hand, should the spawning take place. Give the preference to fresh 
spawn, avoiding old or cheap substitutes, and break cakes or bricks into 
six, or not more than eight pieces, large lumps being the least liable to 
be injured by too much heat or steam. Insert these flatly, and just 
below the surface, in hand-made holes 8 inches apart all over the sides 
and ends of the beds, none being required for the tops, finishing off with 
a good beating with the back of a spade. Cover lightly with litter, and 
if there are no signs of an increase of heat case over with soil four or 
five days after spawning. For this purpose use the best fresh loam pro¬ 
curable, breaking this up fine, and failing loam substitute well pulverised 
garden soil. Cover the beds evenly with about 2 inches of soil, making 
this firm with the back of a spade, but avoid watering and then plaster¬ 
ing it, as injurious shrinkage and cracking would inevitably result. The 
casing of soil naturally prevents the loss of much heat, and over-heating 
may be the consequence. Therefore keep a close look out, and on the 
least sign of the heat increasing to an injurious extent at once form 
several deep holes down through the centre of the beds, this being best 
done with pointed iron rods. With such outlets for steam provided, the 
bed will be safeguarded. Neglect the precaution and failure will most 
probably be the result. Cover at first very lightly with strawy litter, 
but when the heat declines somewhat give a heavy covering of it, or, 
say, to a depth of 12 inches, finishing off with a neat thatch. This 
covering serves to keep the beds warm, and to ward off heavy rains. 
Mushroom Beds in Sheds. —It is not yet too late to form either 
flat or ridge-shaped beds in sheds, stables, or other sheltered positions. 
If they fail to commence cropping this winter they will, if not interfered 
with, yield abundance of good Mushrooms next spring. Such beds 
should be well screened from currents of cold air, and be also heavily 
covered with strawy litter. 
If 
1 
1 
HE BEE-KEEPER. 
RETURNING FROM THE MOORS. 
I returned home from the moors after a six-weeks sojourn 
amidst a fine bloom of Heather and terrific storms of wind and rain, 
experiencing four calm days only all the time. The Heather at my 
time of leaving was still in fine order, but the weather was 
unpropitious. I observed in the Journal that August in London 
had been the coldest for many years, but at the Leadhills it was a 
higher temperature than the three preceding years. 
Bees had no chance of gathering honey amidst such storms. 
Exposed hives were tumbled and blown about as if they had been 
sheaves of corn. They were taken to and from the moors without 
loss or mishap. Only a few were dead when released, a very different 
state of matters from others situated near where my own were 
whose bees have been completely destroyed on the return journeyj 
the chief causes being defective ventilation and closing the bees in 
when in a state of excitement. The best means of preventing such a 
calamity would have been in closing the entrances the evening or 
early morning previous to their departure, and a day or so sooner had 
the ventilators opened. I have often called the attention of readers 
to the fact how ill adapted the modern hives are for profitable 
bee-keeping, and can therefore corroborate the remarks of 
il A Hallamshire Bee-keeper ” on this subject at page 276. There 
is no question but that in modern times bee husbandry has been 
chiefly taught by inexperienced men. The hives recommended by 
the modern school are by far too bulky and weighty, and are easily 
damaged by the prominent projections, in most cases quite un¬ 
necessary. Cheapness in the transport of hives is of the first 
consideration, for if that is wanting bee-keeping in its best aspect 
cannot be profitable. 
Then again we all know how much the straw hive has been 
condemned by the modern school, and yet it has this year sur¬ 
passed every form of wooden hives ; they are the only ones at 
the moors that have given finished supers. Although I do not 
place straw hives as superior to wooden ones, still I hold that 
they are not so much inferior to wooden hives, from a profitable 
point of view, as has been represented. I shall have something 
more to say upon this subject on a future occasion. 
So far as surplus honey is concerned I am inclined to think 
it will be almost a failure. It is true some hives have risen in 
weight between 30 and 40 lbs., but the greater number of them 
will be between 10 and 20 lb3., just as much as with little feeding 
will make good stocks. The greatest surplus will be from surplus 
or condemned hives, and as these are mostly prime swarms the 
honey being from new combs will be of good quality, being 
the only combs that Scotch bee-keepers care to extract honey 
from, as doubtless old combs taint honey and often unpalatable. 
Punic Bees. 
These have had a bad chance at the Heather. I introduced 
two pure queens as they were imported from Africa, one on the 
13th and the other on the 20th June last. The first was put 
into a hive rather more than half full of combs, the whole of 
the honey being removed, and the half pound of bees fed 1 lb. 
of sugar. The other was joined to about three-quarters of a 
pound of bees having three half-sized combs, the others being 
partly filled with comb foundation, and had no feeding. The 
bees they were put against had their hives full minus three 
half combs (being three combs of one shallow division) the bees 
were crossed Carniolians, and had about 10 lbs. of honey, and 
were double the number of the Punic queens, the latter being in 
this respect much handicapped as a beginning. The Carniolian 
queens were young, and started laying some days before the 
Punics were introduced. 
By the 1st of August the Punics were a long way ahead the 
Carniolians in numbers, and had there been honey to gather then 
or after they were taken to the Heather I have not the slightest 
doubt but they would have made a high record in honey gathering. 
But before the few fine days came the Carniolians were gaining 
strength, with the result of these bee3 being 2 lbs. ahead the 
Punic3—that is from the time they were set down at the Heather 
till they were lifted ; but if we take them from the 13th and 20th 
June the Punics are far ahead. Iam not yet satisfied with the 
trial. The season has been bad, and the test, although seemingly 
fairly made, was in every respect against the Punic bee. The 
crossed Punic3 are again far ahead of other varieties, and have 
proved themselves the best honey gathering bees extant. 
I am sorry the weather was so inauspicious as to prevent a 
thorough trial of to appearance the smartest bee yet imported. It 
was a treat to see them working when they had a chance. But 
further experience is necessary before I can confidently recom¬ 
mend them as superior honey gatherers. 
Are They Robbers ? 
They are, perhaps, not more so than other varieties ; but they 
have the knack of passing the sentinels of other hives without 
molestation, carrying off the honey in a style quite in keeping with 
the nigger race, and I am sure with an alacrity unseen and unknown 
in other varieties. This is one point in which I fail to support 
“ Hallamshire Bee-keeper’s ” observations, for when the bees were 
let loose after they were home from the Heather they at once 
attacked several hive3, and had I not contracted the entrances of 
the attacked hives, the Punics would very soon have made short 
work of them. At the Heather they attacked the strongest hives 
having wide entrances, and the robbing went on until I contracted 
the entrances of their hives. One extra working hive I observed 
loitering, gripping at stranger bees and covering the alighting 
board. I contracted its entrance, and the moment that was 
done the bees set to work vigorously. I, therefore, must dissent 
from the statement that narrow entrances favour robbing. 
A Cause of Robbing. 
It often arises from the bees being gorged with honey. When 
bees are in transit they sometimes fill themselves to repletion ; they 
then when let loose become an easy prey to robber bees, and do 
not or cannot defend themselves and their stores until they have 
disgorged themselves and rallied ; they then defend their hive from 
intruders, and the robber bees of whatever variety are compelled 
to be honest. 
When there is scattered honey in the hive, and the bees have 
comb to make, they are easily robbed, and can only be stopped 
by contracting the entrance. There is still another incitement to 
rob which I have often warned your readers against—viz., too 
