528 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 10, 1885. 
nine out of thirty-three started on May 20th, 1884, with 30 lbs. 12 ozs. of 
bees, hived on foundation in frame hives averaging 3 lbs. 6£ ozs., each. 
At the end of 1884 they had been increased to twelve lots, and collected 
in comb and extracted honey 306j lbs., comb honey not weighed, aver¬ 
aging for the nine swarms 34 lbs. each, which at 8d. per lb., the top 
price offered by the Reading Depot for comb honey, gives a return of 
22s. 8d. each. On August 31st, 1885, they had increased to nineteen, 
and gathered this year 864 lbs. of honey (comb honey again not weighed), 
or an average of nineteen hives of 45| lbs., which at 5d. per lb., the 
average nett amount given by the British Honey Company for comb 
honey, gives an average return of 18s. per hive. From these figures 
must be deducted the value of the bee-keeper’s time employed, sugar 
used, and the average risk of loss — which, considering over two- 
thirds fell out, presumably because they had lost their bees, and 
all expert bee-keepers, mind, must be considerable — to be able 
to see what the nett profit is on bee-keeping as a business, but as the 
Judges and the “ B. B. J.” have given no particulars whatever for last 
year and most imperfect ones possible for this, of course I cannot tell. 
For instance, foundation, sugar, &e., 10s. 2^d., no particulars of the 
quantities, or how used, or what the &c. consisted of. The accounts, as 
placed before the public give me the impression that they have been 
shown to prevent the public from criticising the Judges’ decisions, 
and prevent unpleasaut demands for the first prize by those put out in 
the cold. 
There is one remarkable passage in the “ B. B. J.” for October 15th 
last which I wish to draw public attention to, which is as follows :— 
“ The nine swarms, which weighed in the aggregate 30J lbs., have, during 
the fifteen months of the competition, collected no less than 1170 lbs. of 
honey, or an average of 130 lbs. per swarm.” The Editor then goes on to 
value this at 9d. per lb., and makes a return of £4 17s. 6d. per swarm. 
Now could anything be more misleading than this ? First, to call two 
whole seasons “fifteen months,” then nineteen stocks “nine swarms,” 
and imply two seasons’ produce from these as one year’s from nine ! I 
think he is “ hard up ” for an argument to prove the lucrativeness of his 
system of bee-keeping when he has to do this. On the same lines of 
reasoning a man who started twenty years ago with a hive which has 
increased to fifty, might just as well calculate his honey returns as pro¬ 
duced from his first one hive, and as the Editor of the “ B. B. J.” has 
several times boasted of taking from 200 to 300 lbs. of honey from a 
swarm of bees it is only natural to think now he got it from a large 
number of colonies, the offspring of one swarm, and probably spread over 
a number of years. If this i9 not so, let him explain. 
In conclusion, I submit that the past “ Bligh competition ” has 
proved nothing more than that the B.B.K.A. are incompetent to carry 
out a grand educational and statistical idea, and that the modern bar- 
frame system of bee-keeping is not so profitable to the average bee-keeper, 
to say nothing of cottagers, as its advocates would have us believe. I 
do not think one in fifty, either in this country or America, has made it 
pay, while only one in a thousand has made great profits, and these are 
held up as “ baits ” by those interested in selling bee-keepers’ supplies to 
draw others in. and I assert that the only class who imke much profit in 
bee-keeping are the supply and honey dealers. Though these keep a few 
bees to sell, I do not know of one keeping bees to raise honey for the 
markets. 
Things may come right in a while, but the prospect is gloomy for 
honey producors at present.—A Hallamshire Bee-keeper. 
FRAME AND STEWARTON HIVES. 
_ I wish to make two bee hives, and should feel obliged if “ A Lanark¬ 
shire Bee-keeper ” would tell me what is the difference between a bar- 
frame hive and one of the Stewarton hives. I have only seen one 
wooden hive since I commenced bee-keeping ; it was said to be a Stewarton 
hive. It consisted of four boxes, two of 6 inches deep and two of 
4 inches deep, the 6-inch boxes for breeding and the 4-inch ones as supers. 
Please say if this is the correct style of the Stewarton hive. I remember 
seeing at a flower show, where prizes were offered for honey boxes, that 
one of the boxes was so constructed that the Judges took out the combs 
quite whole and returned them again. I took no interest in it at the 
time, but I should like now if I could get instructions how to make one 
like it. I am unable to understand the directions given for making 
“The Best Hive in Creation.”— James Edgar. 
[The difference between a Stewarton hive and a frame hive proper is 
that the former is eight-sided or octagon-shaped, consequently only four 
frames of one size can be got in the centre, and two of a different size 
for the outside, interchangeable with those on the opposite side, or as they 
are commonly made with four frames in the centre, the outside ones being 
bars only. The common Stewarton consists of three body boxes 6 inches 
deep, having nine bars, and whatever number of honey boxes the strength 
of the colony and district and season demand. These boxes are 4 inches 
deep, and have seven bars fastened (as indeed are all of the others) with 
brass screws, so that any comb can be removed. The Renfrewshire 
Stewarton has frames as described above, and the depth of the body boxes 
are 7 and 9 inches, while the supers are the same as the others. I have 
frequently seen eight employed on one hive at the same time, and all full. 
The Lanarkshire square hive, of various depths, with its divisible super, 
gives more central space over the combs than the octagon ; but the latter 
is better adapted to the nature of the bees and is now in great repute 
both in this country and America, though it was at one time along with 
the octagon much abused and condemned. But, happily, bee-keepers 
discovered that they were under the thraldom of trade journalism, being 
forced as it were through it to adopt hive3 unsuitable for apiculture, hence 
the reaction now to the mother hive of scientific bee-keeping. I cannot 
see where the directions for making the best hive in creation can be made 
plainer. It is a simple yet cheap hive, the outside being covered with thin 
boards lapping each other, and bevelled under the edge to give drip, the 
divisions or hives proper sliding upon a ledge of iron, the hive3 to have 
a mouthpiece back and front, not necessary for bees to go out and in, but 
to prevent their being killed when any division is drawn out or pushed in. 
The front mouthpiece is closed by a piece of wood fixed between the 
posts, which the hive receives when pushed in. The divisions must fit 
neatly between the posts, and when the door of the case is opened behind 
should show as a case of drawers. If one cannot be made from the 
directions given it will be advisable to get one as a pattern from Messrs. 
Warnock & Walker, High Blantyre Station. By studying the directions 
and making a start the necessary work will suggest itself as you 
go along, and then we may help over any difficulty you cannot surmount, 
if it be specifically stated.— A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper ] 
*** All correspondence should be directed either to “The Editor” 
or to “ The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Dr. Hogg cr 
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. 
Books (J. S. S.). —A good elementary work is Gill’s “School of "Art 
Geometry,” price Is., published by M. H. Gill & Son, 22, Warwick Lane, E.C. 
Messrs. W. & R. Chambers, 47, Paternoster Row, London, E.C., also publish 
elementary works on Plane and Solid Geometry, price Is. 6d. each. 
Chrysanthemums (IF. A. IF.).—Though the blooms sent are decidedly 
fuller than the others, they are not full enough for exhibiting and are very 
loose. They have been examined by an expert grower, and he is of opinion 
that the variety will only be suitable for decorative purposes, its pleasing 
colour recommending it for that purpose. The pink variety is not suffi¬ 
ciently distinct from Mrs. Sharpe, often called Incognita, and the bloom sent 
would pass for an inferior example of that variety. 
Preserving Wood TreUis ( Jas. Thomas). —The best thing to do with the 
woodwork would be to have it coated with creosote, the trellis being per¬ 
fectly dry and the creosote applied hot, repeating until the wood ceases 
absorbing it. But why use wood? Wire trelliswork is not any dearer, 
and is when galvanised practically indestructible. Even wires along the 
wall are better than wood, being cheap and readily fixed by any labourer of 
ordinary intelligence. We have heard that petroleum is a good preserver 
of wood, and shall be glad to hear if any of our readers have tried it and 
with what results. 
Vine Leaves Falling {Merchant). —The Vines, we should say, are in 
capital condition, as the wood is quite brown and the buds plump, without 
which the prospect of a crop next year is not good. It is not unusual for 
the leaves to fall by degrees— i.e., the upper part, leaving the lower part on 
the stalks, which will soon follow. Clear away the leaves as they fall, and 
keep the bouse as cool, dry, and as freely venlilated as the weather permits. 
When the leaves are all off, prune the Vines, the crop, we presume, being 
cleared, or if any Grapes remain they may be cut and bottled. It will 
suffice if the Vines are pruned between now and the new year, afterwards 
keeping them cool so as to insure complete rest. 
Pancratiums (H. II.). —Pancratiums and Amaryllidaceous plants, most 
of them being natives of the West Indies and South America, require stove 
treatment, or a night temperature of 60° to 65°, hut a few are hardy. We 
have no means of knowing to which section yours belong. If the former 
pot them in a compost of turfy loam with a little sand and charcoal added 
to keep the mass porous, and if the bulbs are in a dormant state do not keep 
the soil too wet. If the pots can be plunged in a warm bed of leaves, tan, 
or fibre, it will be an advantage, hut this is not absolutely necessary. The 
hardy kinds are best started in pots, hut in a cooler house. They produce 
beautiful flowers that are admired in bouquets. 
Everlasting Flowers {J. A.F.). —The most easily raised of Everlastings 
are the Helichrysums, and the flowers are dried and employed in wreath¬ 
making and for other decorative purposes. The plants are raised and pre¬ 
pared for planting under the same treatment that is accorded Stocks and 
Asters. The flowers are much diversified in colour. For producing white 
flowers Ammobium alatum is very useful. Plants are readily raised from 
seed and grow freely in any fertile garden soil. Antennaria margaritacea, 
a hardy perennial plant 18 inches high, produces clusters of small white 
flowers, as does a still dwarfer plant Gnaphalium arenarium, the flowers of 
which are used for immortelle wreaths. There is no such work published 
on that to which you refer. 
Digging amongst Raspberries {H. H ).—Much injury is done by digging 
roughly and deeply amongst Raspberries, which are essentially surface¬ 
rooting plants. Where the ground is of a heavy nature and has been made 
