September 17, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
261 
VICI0U3 BEE?. 
Where bees have become vicious the bee-keeper should work 
as much as possible about the hive, using carbolic acid freely 
about the entrance until he gets familiar with the bees and has 
them subdued. Remember, the nearer the thoroughfare, the 
milder tempered they become. Wherever Carniolan queens are 
introduced stinging is unheard of.—A Lanarkshire Bee¬ 
keeper. 
STRAY THOUGHTS. 
The advent of artificial swarming and the entire prevention of natural 
increase, while giving to the bee-master a certainty of profit and lessen¬ 
ing his labour, have taken away the greatest joy he had in bee-keeping. 
Who that has seen the prosaic driving of a stock to found a swarm does 
not look back with some regret, if it be indeed a little tempered by utili¬ 
tarian considerations, to the days of natural swarms? Who cannot 
Temember the calm still day, the very air laden with the sweet odour of 
early summer flowers, the sonorous hum of the drone as he lazily flies, 
taking on this important occasion an early flight, or uneasily pacing in 
front of the crowded entrance ; and as the midday sun throws down its 
gladdening heat, the bees resting for a short period from their long toil 
to meditate before leaving their home 1 And who, as the last moment 
arrives, and each bee, in a brief time of stillness, takes in a plenteous 
store to help in building up the future home—who can, I say, forget 
that ringing hum given by the bees as in one tumultuous throng they 
rush forth into the world ? At last, as in a dense cloud, the swarm flies 
here and there ; the matrqn queen, tired with unwonted exertion, seeks the 
nearest bush, and her dutiful subjects, ever mindful of the mother queeD, 
join here with all speed. 
But do we not, too, remember the darker side ? The autumn night, 
the hole scooped out, the brimstone, and the death of those busy workers 
who from early spring in successive generations have toiled to gain a 
winter store ? Does not this cloud our joy when we think of the days of 
natural increase, and make it more easy to forget the joy on thinking of 
the bees’ sad end. I know old men who openly confess that as they look 
into the mass of sleeping bees they shudder at their deed and hate the 
day as it comes each year. 
But—and yet another consideration is before me—when the process 
of driving is resorted to, great sorrow falls upon the bees and many die, 
crushed by the unskilled operator, who, timid perhaps, or new to his 
work, is unable to effect the operation in as skilled a manner as the more 
accustomed master hand. But let each one who tries to rescue the swarm 
doomed to death by sulphur, know that every bee he saves from destruc¬ 
tion is a distinct advantage gained, and that each swarm he takes will, if 
added to his stocks, double their worth, and in the spring be to him a 
great source of pleasure, for may he not think as he sees them caper to 
gather the early pollen of the certain death that would have overtaken 
them if he had not put out a hand to save ? 
Let me ask each one who has to attend to bees to think of them and of 
their feelings, to assist them with all in his power, never to hurt one if it 
can be avoided, and, indeed, to consider them as friends and not as bitter 
foes ready to sting on the slightest provocation.— Felix. 
THEORY y. PRACTICE, 
Of late years there has been a sort of mania for bee-keeping, brought 
about by the results of different hives of bees, and by vendors of apiarian 
appliances and trade journalism combined, which not only served the pur¬ 
pose of puffing, but by highly coloured statements induced many to 
start keeping bees. This is all very well in its way, but unfortunately 
for beginners their tutors were not practical bee-keepers, thereby leading 
many of the pupils into a snare. Apiculture seems to be a subject on 
which many have a desire to write who have little practical knowledge. 
They write plausibly and pleasantly enough to the novice, but to the 
practical bee-keeper much of the teaching is absurd—assertions without 
proof, and theory without practice. 
There are, however, some writers sensible in their remarks, accurate in 
their observations, and, what makes their articles more valuable, are 
written from observations founded on practice, tracing cause and effect 
from the true source. Amongst those writers I recognise “ Felix, 
Cheshire,” Mr. G. Abbey, and “A Hallamshire Bee-keeper.” I have not 
observed any of these writers’ opinions on spreading brood, but if their 
observations on that be as accurate as on other things, I know their 
opinion will be as mine, belonging neither to the “ inner nor the cuter 
circle of students,” but as bee-masters. No practical bee-keeper will ever 
attempt to spread brood, never finding the necessity to do so. He knows 
full well how to have his hives at swarming point at the proper time, and 
while the thermometer is still registering 4° of frost, and it would be 
but a poor expedient indeed to spread brood so that the outer combs 
should be removed the following day and “ melted down,” even though it 
was to rescue a hive from foul brood, brought about by foolish manipula¬ 
tion, but happily foul brood has not its origin from chilled bees. 
“Manipulate, manipulate,” says the theorist, “ and the result will be 
all you desire.” But success is seldom realised when the advice is taken. 
I am in possession of strong proof from many of the dupes on this point. 
“ Start on a right basis and continue the proper course,” says the prac¬ 
tical man, “ and let the bees alone except when they require assistance for 
what they cannot do themselves, and they will, as they have hitherto done, 
reward their owner with abundance, and you will not be disappointed.” 
Let me here give my own experience of my stocks this season. No 
one can teach bees, but man can get many a lesson from them both for 
his own and their good. I put up my bees in autumn, as I always do, 
in a state to stand the whole season without any interference beyond 
cleaning the debris from the false floor and widening the doorway when 
I obsorve the bees attempting it. Summer and winter arrangement, 
beyond supering, I make no difference, nor should there be, unless it 
be shading from hot sun. All my stocks were filled from side to side 
in May, therefore there was not any possibility to spread brood, and 
as my hives are large the queen never gets crowded out, the hatching 
and laying being in equal ratio. May was frosty throughout, and there 
was 4° of frost on the 10th of June, and on the 12th the thermometer 
rose to 75°. Supers were put in and immediately taken possession of 
by the bees. Now, under these circumstances, would any sane person, 
even had it been possible, have attempted to spread brood, which would 
assuredly have been chilled ? Where brood can be spread after the honey 
season is on shows a decided want of proper management during the 
preceding months. The number of eggs and larvae destroyed in hives 
appearingly in a normal state is something great, but only known to 
the practical and observant bee-keeper. How many more are destroyed 
under the manipulation of spreading the brood can only be conjectured, 
but disaster is sure to follow, similar to giving a sitting hen double 
the number of eggs she can cover. 
Theory and -practice are at utter variance, too, on the question of 
contracting hives and coddling generally. When we bury a hive on 
the northern side of a dry knoll the bees survive the period of immu- 
ration, but after disinterment, if the weather is cold, they fall victims 
to it. The same fatality attends them when a hive is contracted and 
the bees crammed together in little space, as well as when the door of 
the hive is contracted too much. Breathing space and fresh air are as 
essential to bee life as to human. Dryness at all times, too, is essential, 
and must not be overlooked. Practice shows me clearly when that course 
is departed from the mortality amongst the bees is greater, and the 
destruction of eggs and larvae in a coddled hive is very considerable, and 
risky at all times of the queen being deposed. 
I have a good opportunity of contrasting such matters with apiaries 
conducted on both principles, and one point of great importance at the 
present time is that where hives of different dimensions are supered— 
thus, where Stewarton hives are supered on two breeding boxes, the 
bees take to and fill a super rapidly enough with the queen finding her 
way into it occasionally; but where the three-box system is carried out 
the supers are never invaded by the queen, while the bees from the extra 
space beneath will, on a favourable opportunity, build super comb when 
therein two boxes are idle, and the honey stored by those in the three 
boxes will be often double that of those in two boxes.— A Lanarkshire 
Bee keeper. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Joseph Schwartz, Route de Vienne, Lyon, France .—Catalogue of Boses 
[illustrate i). 
Barr <fc Son, 12 and 13, King Street, Covent Garden, London, W.C.— 
Catalogue of Daffodils and Bulbs ( illustrated ). 
*** 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 
request that no one will write privately to any of our correspon¬ 
dents, as doing so subjects them to unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions relat¬ 
ing to Gardening and those on Bee subjects, and should never 
send more than two or three questions at once. All articles in¬ 
tended for insertion should be written on one side of the paper 
only. We cannot reply to questions through the post, and we 
do not undertake to return rejected communications. 
Raspberry for the Middle of Scotland ( N. B .).—You cannot grow 
better variety thar Carter’s Prolific, which has large round fruits of a deep 
red colour, with firm flesh of excellent flavour. It is a summer-bearing 
variety, and, as its name indicates, is very prolific. 
Black Raspberries [R. C. J .).—The autumn-fruiting Raspberries you 
refer to are hybrids between the Blackberry and Raspberry, and originated 
from the Black Raspberry obtained at Wethersfield in Essex half a century 
ago. There is also a variety known as the Autumn Black, of similar 
parentage. 
Grapes for Canada [V. A. Brown, M.D., Canada).— The Grape Dr. 
Hogg, raised by Mr. Pearson, and referred to in his work, is one of the finest 
in cultivation, and is the richest flavoured and most hardy of the White 
Frontignan class. The Duke of Buccleuch is a grand early Grape. You 
can procure both varieties by applying to Messrs. Pearson of Chilwell, near 
Nottingham. 
