870 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND 0011 AGE GARDENER. 
[ October 22, 1885. 
In the hands of Mr. Cowan the spreading of brood may 
he achieved at a minimum expenditure of time, and with the 
least possible danger ; but how many are there who have the 
knowledge and experience of this great bee-keeper ? Does he 
not himself warn us against the practice if not carried out 
with the greatest judgment and care ? If, then, it can be 
proved necessary in order to prepare stocks to gather honey 
in supers in the earliest part of May to spread brood, it will 
be quite time to adopt the practice unless the disadvantages 
are so great as to counterbalance the advantages. That 
question cannot be here discussed. I maintain that exactly 
the same result may be achieved by attending to the follow¬ 
ing points in autumn:— 
1. Every stock to receive additional bees, so that the 
colony is made very strong in numbers. 
2. Every stock to be well fed, so that there shall be 
store enough to last till April at least. 
3. Care to be taken to wrap up warm and keep bees dry 
and undisturbed, at any rate till March. 
4. Good fertile queens. 
By carefully carrying out these four rules the same result 
will follow as from the more complex method, and it will be 
evident that but a little extra time in autumn is required to 
strengthen and to feed up to the desired weight. Stimulat¬ 
ing in spring is advocated also by some as a means of bring¬ 
ing forward a stock more quickly, but as far as my experience 
goes there is not much difference between the state of a stock 
well supplied with food and left undisturbed, and one with 
less internal supplies supplemented by driblets in the cold 
bleak weather of March and April. Sugar-fed stocks, not¬ 
withstanding the Editorial in the British Bee Journal of 
1st October last, are the choicest of stock for early summer 
work, and I may point out that one great and very general 
reason why these stocks do not come up to expectation is 
that insufficient bees are given. There cannot be too many; 
there may easily be too few. If a hive is well filled with 
driven bees, and fed up carefully, a result will be given even 
in face of the most sanguine expectations of most bee¬ 
keepers. To sum up, then, it seems to me that the advo¬ 
cates of spreading brood have to show 
First, That their method, which for sake of argument we 
granted to be successful, is in reality so. 
Secondly, That by no other method can the same good 
result be obtained. 
Thirdly, That no other method so nearly approaches the 
spreading-brood system as to make it on account of simplicity 
and little expense of more practical profit than the more 
troublesome means they advocate. Surely there can be no 
difficulty in proving these three facts. It must be a very 
easy task if we may judge by the glowing accounts given 
from time to time of the great profits obtained by the advo¬ 
cates of this perfect utilitarian system. There can be no 
difficulty in quashing the arguments given of the experience 
of “ A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper,” and showing the magnifi¬ 
cent strength of the rampart by which the advocates of the 
system defend themselves; for this I note that it is custo¬ 
mary not to answer awkward questions amongst a certain 
class of bee-masters, and so to stifle as it were full discussion. 
This question ought to be considered on its merits, and it 
is with this desire that I have endeavoured to bring into 
publicity some facts which condemned the system, and to 
substitute a really useful and simple method of obtaining 
the same result.— Felix. 
WASPS. 
In reply to “ Basil,” the best tint to prevent wasps entering hives is 
undoubtedly to destroy their nests, which may be easily found by close 
observation of the exact line they take on leaving the hive. Dusting 
wasps with flour on the alighting board enables us to keep an eye on them 
for a longer distance. If the nest is within a short distance it will not 
take them many minutes to disgorge and come back. I have often found 
nests by simply taking notice how long they were away. Wasps are 
most interesting insects to study. I have an excellent nest in a large 
glass super in full working order, which I keep for the inspection of 
friends. Any nests known to exist at the present time should be destroyed 
to prevent the queens escaping. It is raiher late, but in some warm dry 
places many will be found still. If the working wasps still trouble you 
stop up the entrances, of course giving ventilation, and place bottles 
half filled with beer and water sweetened with sugar, or vinegar and 
water and sugar.—J. Hi am. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Richard Smith & Co., Worcester .—List of Plants. 
J. Cheal & Sons, Crawley, Sussex .—Catalogue of Trees , Shiubs, and Roses. 
L. Spath, Berlin .—List of Bulbs. 
William Paul & Son, Waltham Cross, Herts .—Illustrated Cataloque o 
Boses. 
*,* All correspondeuce 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 rouble and 
expense. 
Dry Vine Borders {A. £?.).—The dryness of the roots to which yon 
allude accounts in a great measure if not entirely for the premature shrivel¬ 
ling of the fruit. Dry soil causes the roots to shrivel, and then after water 
is given they are not in a condition to imbibe sufficient for the demands of 
the Vine or fruit, and a collapse occurs sooner or later. It is the same when 
borders are excessively wet, causing the roots to decay. They must be in 
active working order for affording adequate sustenance to the wood, foliage 
and fruit. 
Bleaching Pampas Grass (P. C.). —We believe the plumes are bleached 
by suspending them in a close shed, or any suitable place not in a dwelling 
or where plants are kept, and burning sulphur in it until the enclosure is 
filled with fumes, and not opened for several hours, or say till the next 
morning. If anyone can recommend a better method we will readily 
insert a description of it if obligingly forwarded for that purpose. 
Roses for Market (J. S.). —The following are extensively grown to 
afford blooms for market:—Niphetos, Isabella Sprunt, Madame Falcot, 
and Genb al Jacqueminot. If they produce rather strong growths and these 
are matured, they are bent and trained round the plants if it is desired to 
keep them dwarf. More flowers are thus produced than when such growths 
are closely pruned and they are cut before half expanded, the great 
majority being required small and fresh for buttonholes. 
Popular Apples {Planter). —There is something in your suggestion that 
“ the most popular Apples are likely to be the most useful because their 
merits have been extensively recognisedyet we scarcely consider the 
test conclusive. We name twenty-four each of dessert and culinary kinds 
that were the most fully represented at the Apple Congress at Chiswick, 
but we do not regard them as the best that could be selected, nor as even 
placed in the order of merit. They will still form a good collection :— 
Dessert —King of the Pippins, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Ribston Pippin, Kerry 
Pippin, Blenheim Pippin, Irish Peach, Devonshire Quarrendcn, Stnrmer 
Pippin, Scarlet Nonpareil, Court Pendu Plat, Yellow Ingestrie, Fearn’s 
Pippin, Claygate Pearmain, Worcester Pearmain, Margil, VVyken Pippin, 
Cockle PippiD, Court of Wick, Red Astrachan, Adams’ Pearmain, Mr. Glad¬ 
stone, Golden Pippin, Mannington’s Pearmain, Gravenstein. Culinary —Lord 
Suffield, Dumelow’s Seedling, Keswick Codlin, Warner’s King, Blenheim 
Orange, New or Winter Hawthornden, Cellini, Ecklinviile Setdbng, Stirling 
Castle, Hawthornden, Manks Codlin, Golden Noble, Cox’s Pomona, Alfriston, 
Emperor Alexander, Northern Gr ening, Tower of Glamis, Mere de Mhnage, 
Beauty of Kent, Lord Derby, Yorkshire Greening, Annie Elizabeth, Norfolk 
Beefing, and Loddington Seedling. 
Improving Lawn Tennis Ground {Mrs. Watson). —It is not unlikely the 
lawn requires draining, and if so the first step to take is to put in drains 
6 or 7 yards apart and 18 inches deep, with proper falls into a main drain 
and a clear outlet for the water. Three-inch pipes will be sufficient, and 
they should be covered 6 inches deep with rough cinders or gravel to 
render them permanently effective Drainage, however, may not be needed. 
Of this you ought to be the best judge; but whether it is done or not, a 
heavy dressing of fresh soil, with a liberal admixture of manuie, lime, and 
wood ashes spread over, so as to almost cover the grass, cannot fail to be of 
great benefit. Before applying the dressing comb off all the moss you can 
with a small sharp-toothed rake. This you may do at any time when the 
ground is dry very early in spring, and later, when the weather is genial, 
sow thickly seeds of a renovating lawn mixture. Rake it in and roll the 
ground lightly, and you may expect a greatly improved lawn a few weeks 
afterwards. If you state the extent of the ground to any seedsman or firm 
who deal largely in grass seeds the proper quantity of a suitable mixtur 
will be sent to you. If the lawn is full of deeply rooting weeds you ha 
better dig it up, forking and picking out all the rubbish, then make it leve 
and firm, and sow it as before advised. In this way you may form a cleane 
and better lawn than by taking up the old and laying down fresh turf as 
you propose, as, however clean the new turf may be, the roots of the weeds 
left in the ground will grow, and the new turf will soon be [as unsightly as 
the old 
