78 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND C0T1AGE GARDENER. 
[ July 23, 1885. 
mild, and more so when it was done naturally than by the hands 
of man. The next examination I made on the 26th June, and 
instead of the brood being cared for and hatched, it was reduced 
to six combs in both cases, thus establishing the fact that spread¬ 
ing brood under any circumstances is a great mistake, and proves 
the theory of spreading brood to be entirely wrong. Had these 
bees been located in a Stewarton hive the change of temperature 
would have been less felt inside, and the progress would have 
been much greater. I have been engaged in the “ battle ” of the 
hives for the last thirty years, and had much opposition while 
defending the Stewarton type, but as my opponents ai’e now one 
after another adopting the system, it is a proof I have been on 
the right side, and I know the same will follow with the spreading 
of brood. 
A very great amount of information, which enables me to 
speak positively on some things, is brought through the post. 
One of these letters reminds me that I have a promise to fulfil 
about outside cases, but before doing so will give here verbatim 
quotations from three that came by the same post. The first 
is, “ Please send me 3 lbs. of your comb foundation for a super.” 
Second, “ Please to forward me one of your six-sided octagon 
boxes for breeding purposes.” The third letter says, “ I have 
forwarded by pai’cels post a hive with a ventilating floor which 
I made for it.” This hive is for the purpose of receiving a 
second swarm of Carniolian bees, directions follow, and is a 
practical letter. The ventilating floor is made after my style. It 
is a rim of wood 24 inches broad by 1 inch thick, covered with 
tinned wirecloth, and has a tunnel closed at one end for the mouth. 
A swarm of bees might travel in it several days at this season in 
perfect safely. The rim is made in one piece, which is objec¬ 
tionable, being a waste of timber and liable to warp. A better 
way is to cut it into segments from half-inch wood the number 
required to complete the circle twice, then nailed together, break¬ 
ing the joints one with the other; now nail the zinc on one side, 
and fillets with sliding shutter on the other. Then take four 
pieces of hooping about 5 inches long, punching holes at the 
proper distances, so that one shall be opposite the floor after the 
lower end has been turned at right angles to go beneath. The 
next hole should be opposite the centre of one of the rolls of 
straw so that a wire nail may pass into it and hold the floor 
rigid to the hive; at a little distance from the upper end another 
hole to rivet a little hook for the purpose of attaching strings 
to hold the supers rigid. A hive so rigged out is easily com¬ 
pleted to travel with safety to the moors, both as regards non¬ 
escape of bees and ventilation. 
We are very often told to invert hives when taking them to 
the Heather, what 1 have done for nearly forty years with hives 
in spring or autumn, and when placed in a hamper with wire- 
cloth on the crown and cheesecloth on the mouth, skewer down, 
and a lid over all. There is no better plan for some days’ journey 
when the hive is in charge of steamboat and railway officials, 
and often under cover, but it is a very different thing when 
removing bees to the Heather Hives capable of being inverted 
are not worth the trouble; besides, the bees of an inverted hive 
run the risk of being drowned if heavy rain is falling, or if the 
sun is very hot the combs may be melted. For safety keep the 
hive in its original position, fitted with a ventilating floor, also 
ventilated at top. All outside coverings of metal are bad unless 
ribbed to allow a free circulation of air around the hive; the same 
applies to all non-porous coverings. These few hints may be of 
advantage to those who for the first time are thinking of moving 
their bees to the Heather, and I may chime in with your ex¬ 
cellent correspondent “ Felix,” and advise everyone to count all 
cost, and as time is money, purchase the most useful and at 
same time the cheapest appliances. If some hives bring bees 
to the highest strength without manipulation, and earlier than 
some that require it choose these hives. 
The demand for Stewarton hives and of their type has been 
greater this year than has ever been. One reason of this is, bee¬ 
keepers find sotoe hives are too unwieldy and expensive to travel. 
The only drawback is the cost of outside cases. In many instances 
these cost more money than the hive, and the variety is so great 
that makers do not know well what is likely to please their 
customers. Then covering with straw makes the apiary untidy, 
and to_ those who do not grow it expensive. I have numerous 
inquiries, What is the best covering for hives? A cheap yet 
neat and effective outside case for any hive can be had for 6s., 
or thereabout. Either octagon or square can be made; the former 
takes much more labour and is more expensive, but for a square 
case from 2s to 3s. will purchase material to make one 2 feet 
high by 1 foot 6 inches inside, four posts 2 feet long by 
2 inches broad by 1| thick, and four fillets half-inch square 
for the outside angles of the case, and closes the ends of the 
fining, which is in length 1 foot 6 inches by 4 by These 
thin boards overlap each other about half an inch, the under 
edge is bevelled inwards to form a drip. As the boards do 
not fie quite close, it is a great advantage in allowing a free 
circulation of air on the packing, keeping it and hive always 
perfectly dry. The rim of the roof, which is a span, is five- 
eighths thick, and has a rebate in the inner edge to give a lap, 
same as fining, and prevent wet entering; the lining is of some 
material, and when covered with zinc and painted will last a 
lifetime, while the lightness must recommend itself to many.— 
A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
TAKING OFF SECTIONS. 
“ A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper ” is always so obliging in helping his 
brother bee-keepers that I take the liberty of asking for a little in¬ 
formation. 
In taking off sections some people say take off each as finished without 
disturbing the crate or hive ; but I find it impossible to do this, so wait 
until I think the crate is finished and take it off, and take sections out 
after a distance from the hive. When I take off the crate, and before jl 
have time to replace another, the hees crowd the top bars, so that it is 
almost impossible to put on the crate without crushing a lot of hees, and 
what I wish to know is how I can prevent this. A few days ago, on 
taking off the crate, I at once put a quilt over the hive, on which I 
sprinkled some carbolic acid. This kept the hees down completely, but 
when I put on the crate again it was two or three days before the bees 
entered the sections, and I fancy it was the smell of the acid left after the 
quilt that caused this. Is it so P Perhaps I used too much. Kindly say 
how to manage in such a case to keep the bees out of the way, do you 
use the acid pure, or mixed with water?—if the latter, in what proportion? 
Also say when you want to add a second or third crate, do you put it 
on the top or underneath those already on the hive ?—F. J. 
[In using carbolic acid care should be taken neither to smear the bees 
nor in such a quantity as to make the hive disagreeable to them. I use 
the crude carbolic acid sold for sanitary purposes, and never dilute it. I 
think the way “ F. J.” used the acid on the quilt was quite right, espe¬ 
cially as the quilt would be removed before another crate of sections was 
put on. To carbolicise brown paper and slip these between the sections will 
effectually clear out every bee in a few seconds. There are different sorts 
of crates and racks for holding sections. The best I ever used, and which 
I exhibited at Edinburgh in 1877, consisted of an outer case containing 
frames, minus the top bar; but then it did not meet the approval of the 
judges, but is now generally recommended. Sections in such a crate and 
frames can be examined and removed with ease, but those who teach the 
removal of sections as they are finished and replace with empty ones 
have a great deal to learn. I have always practised giving one super as 
the previous one has been well begun, and the last-put-on one always on 
the top, otherwise, should the weather become unsettled, comb-building 
ceases, and not unfrequently the bees carry the honey down, causing waste 
and disappointment. Instead of bees finishing a few sections for the 
accommodation of the bee-keeper to remove, not unfrequently they have 
from 100 lbs. to 200 lbs. in a progressive state, and the honey season is 
often at a close before a single super is really well sealed and ready for 
removal; therefore, those who attempt to get sections finished “ piece¬ 
meal ” fashion lose the abundant harvest they would otherwise have. 
The reason the bees did not take immediately to the new crate of 
sections may have arisen through the discontinuance of the flow of 
honey in the flowers, or what is more likely, and what I have frequently 
explained is, bees seems to dislike entering sections by the obstructionable 
under broad rail. If this is the case, as I believe, then it is apparent that 
a great loss is caused by their use, as I have often observed. Why, then, 
not discontinue their use and adopt supers, which are as cheap as sections 
in the first place, and require neither racks, crates, packing cases, or the 
greatest invention out—a second section to envelope the first one ? I do 
not know a single practical bee-keeper nor a honey merchant who ap¬ 
proves of sections, while in a commercial point of view supers are 
preferable and more profitable to the bee-keeper.—A Lanarkshire Bee¬ 
keeper ] 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
J. Carter & Co .—Seed List of Florists’ Flowers, Fruit, and Vegetables. 
W. & J. Birkenhead, Sale, Manchester .—List of Hardy North American 
Ferns. 
W. Lovel & Son, Driffield, Yorks .—List of Strawberry Runners. 
%* 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 unavoidably. We 
