July 9, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
83 
bottom heat; the cuttings to he from 4 inches to 5 inches long, cut to 
the fourth or fifth fully developed joint, and dihbled into boxes of loamy 
sandy soil, about 2 inches apart each way. They should be kept quite 
close until rooted, unless they give signs of damping, in which case a 
little air sufficient to dry them should be given every morning. They 
must also be kept uniformly moist and shaded from sunshine, and when 
rooted to be given plenty of air, and eventually bedded out where they 
are to bloom. Seedlings raised in May may now be piicked off in boxes 
of light sandy loamy soil about 3 inches apart each way, and stood in 
a rather shady position for a time, bedding them out before they become 
crowded. They will, under this treatment, flower next summer. Set d 
of the stronger sorts may yet be sown with a fair prospect of tome of the 
seedlings flowering next season. Cover the pans or boxes containing the 
newly sown seed with squares of glass, and stand them in a shady posi¬ 
tron till it has germinated, treating the seedlings later on as advised in 
the case of the earlier-sown seed. 
Carnations and Picotces.— The choice border sorts will now be fast 
unfolding their blooms. They must, if tineblooms are required, be kept care¬ 
fully staked up and have many of the side buds removed. These are best 
propagated by layering late in July or early in August. The common 
border sorts, and which partake more of the character of the perpetual- 
flowering varieties, can be readily increased by cuttiDgs taken off and 
•otherwise treated as advised in the case of Pinks. If abundance of flower 
is the principal consideration the stock of plants is best obtained from 
seed. Seedlings raised in May or early in June form fine plants the same 
season, and which yield a surprisingly large quantity of bloom the follow¬ 
ing summer. Many single sorts are usually included in every packet 
of seed, but these are frequently much admired. Prick out the seedlings 
cither on a bed of fine soil or in boxes, and directly they are strong 
enough transplant them to their flowering quarters, disposing ihem 8 or 
9 inches apart each way. They succeed best on slightly raised beds, and 
will be improved by the addition of some road grit and loam, nothing 
being better than the trimmings obtained from park drives to the ordinary 
garden soil. The bulk of ours are raised from seed, only the very best 
of these being perpetuated by cuttings, when these can be bad. 
Hardy Primulas and Auriculas. —Where these were taken up from 
the beds and temporarily bedded in, no time should be lost in properly 
planting them in their summer and early autumn quarters. All may 
readily be increased, and will be improved by division. A north border 
-or some rather cool position best suits them, a liberal dressing of nearly 
rotten manure being well mixed with the soil. Every crown that can be 
split off with a few roots attached will socn grow into a good-sized plant 
providing they are planted at once and firmly, taking care to keep them 
supplied with water if necessary, and shaded from sunshine. April is the 
best month for sowing the seed of this class of plants, including in our 
case Polyanthuses and the commoner Primroses, and the seedlings being 
pricked out during June or early in July in good light soil they attain to 
a good flowering size and suitable for transplanting to their flowering 
■quarters in October or November. The seed may also be sown on a cool 
border as soon as it is ripe, but the seedlings thus obtained will not be of 
much or any service the following spring. 
Spring-flmvering riants. —Many of these will now require attention 
if a good stock of plants is needed for planting in the flower beds next 
autumn. A row of handlights stood at the foot of a north wall or other 
cool position will be found very serviceable for propagating such plants as 
choice Wallflowers, Alyssums, Iberises, Myosotises, and Sweet Williams, 
though all of these will sometimes strike freely under a north wall with¬ 
out the as-ittance of glass, while in many cases strong pieces can be split 
off with a few roots attached and soon make strong plants. For the 
cuttings a slightly raised bed should be formed with light sandy soil, the 
cuttings properly cut to a joint, being dibbled in firmly about 2 inches 
apart each way and watered. The seedling Wallflowers, Sweet Williams, 
<Jerman Stocks, and Forget-me-nots ought not to be left to take their 
chance in the seed beds, but should be pricked out on borders of good light 
soil, from which they will readily transplant if need be. The coolest 
borders are the most suitable for Daisies and double Primroses, and these 
should be freely divided, cleaned, and firmly dibbled out. 
Pansies may be propagated whenever healthy flowerless young shoots 
can be procured, and these should be dibbled into boxes and placed in cold 
frames or into handlights, and kept close and shaded in either case till 
Tooted, the choicest of them to be eventually potted up and wintered in 
frames. The bedding section or Violas that have been flowering all the 
spring ought when lifted from the beds to be divided and replanted rather 
-deeply in good soil. This induces them to push up abundance of fresh 
shoots, and these being struck early form strong hardy plants, very superior 
in every respect to divided old plant?. Seedling plants of any sort raised 
in April or May should, when of good size, be dibbled out in a cool 
enriched border, and will grow into fine plants for next spring. More 
seed may be sown in August, and the plants from this sowing will give a 
good late display next season. 
II 
HE BEE-KEEPER. 
BEES AND HIVES FOR BEGINNERS. 
I have been prompted to tak up the above subject in 
consequence of the numerous inou ties, Which are the best 
hives and bees ? To answer the first question to meet the 
approval of everyone is a difficult matter when the numerous 
kinds ai-e taken into consideration; but, on the other hand, 
refusal or unwillingness to answer the question direct would 
betray inability and weakness, so I will fearlessly say that the 
best hive for all purposes, and taking every requirement into 
consideration, is the Stewarton of both types, square and 
octagon. 
The first thing a bee-keeper should take into consideration 
is the site; but as many have no choice in this matter, if the 
situation is unfavourable artificial means should be used to 
shelter them from eddy winds. The best means of doing so is 
to plant a hedge of some sort. Privet grows quickly, but it 
requires shelter or support, and where ground can be spared a 
double hedge of evergreens is the best This not only shelters 
the hives, but is useful in other ways when manipulating, besides 
being a safe retreat for timid persons or children. Wooden 
fences or stone walls make bad protectors against wind. When 
it strikes either the force is not broken, but rather increased, and 
falls on the lee side with greater power and comes down like a 
cascade on all on the supposed sheltered side. To render the apiary 
more perfect, vegetables, particularly Cabbage, should not be 
planted near the bees, as they are destructive to those which 
alight thereon, whereas stirring and working the soil irritates 
the bees greatly. A single post let firmly into the ground, 
having a board nailed, or, better, bolted with a bed bolt, the nut 
let into the post, makes an efficient stand, and is proof against 
mice. I at one time had metal pillars having a cup filled with 
water, which the pillar passed through. This kept out all creep¬ 
ing vermin, but these were expensive. The hive placed on this 
stand will resist any storm if a wire or cord is passed over the 
hive and fastened to the post. A straw hackle is made on a string 
reaching only to the upper edge of the hive, the top being 
covered with hay, and a sheet of corrugated iron projecting over 
and some distance above the hay, and fastened to T posts, 
completing the arrangement, and forming the most efficient pro¬ 
tection to a hive, that neither cold nor heat will affect, nor will 
damp show itself anywhere in or about the hive. 
Loose straw will sometimes be scattered about, which makes 
a garden look untidy. Where this is an objection, outside cases 
or cheap bee houses obviate it, but single-cased hives so 
protected are far superior to any double-cased ones, and can be 
moved about from place to place with greater ease and more 
cheaply than the unwieldly and costly so-called perfect hives, 
which are in many cases productive of mischief, through damp¬ 
ness engendered therein that is entirely absent at all times in 
both straw and single-cased wood hives managed in the manner 
described. To keep a hive free from damp at all times is the 
first and greatest point towards success in apiculture. Dryness 
keeps the bees quiet, comfortable, and healthy during winter, 
encourages breeding and the spreading of brood with more 
safety than any art or manipulation. 
When we make a defence in one place we should be careful 
not to weaken or neglect another that the enemy may enter. I 
could mention many weak points in frame hives, but one 
prominent is the double casing and packing entirely away from 
the free action of the air so essential to the sanitary and healthful 
condition of the hive. A thin piece of wood does not retain 
damp like a thick piece, or rather may I say two thicknesses 
with the packing, which when damp, is more difficult to dry than 
a thin piece. Some may argue that this dampness is essential to 
bees when breeding, and using the enamelled quilt is a proof that 
this is believed in, but 1 differ entirely from such an opinion. 
The drier a hive is kept at all times the more progress the bees 
will make with the breeding. The foregoing is but an outline of 
the course I advise bee-keepers to follow. It is the cheapest, 
most simple and natural, as well as the most rational system 
that has ever been adopted. Dryness, with a free circulation of 
air on a hive, with walls little more than half an inch thick, 
covered 2 inches thick with straw, will brave the coldest winter 
ever experienced here. 
What bees do I approve most of ? is the next question. The 
answer to this is, there are some people through carelessness or 
too much meddling with their bees fail to succeed with the 
common bee, now very rare in this country. Others, failing to 
perceive the qualities and requirements of the Ligurian bee, can 
make nothing of them, while others, better able to trace cause 
and effect, have proved them to be in every way superior to our 
native bee. The Cyprians and Syrians come under the same 
category, though I must confess these varieties seem tender in 
our climate during winter, but are otherwise excellent. The 
Syrians, and perhaps the Cyprians too, seem sensitive in a 
greater degree to the change of weather than any other variety, 
