January 14, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
33 
plants these stakes are the most desirable, because they can be made very 
slender, so that they are scarcely noticeable. 
Labels .—Good quantities of these in various sizes can be made where 
required, but they are now so cheap that we have discontinued making 
them, for we have plenty of other work for all outdoor hands when the 
weather drives them inside. But where outdoor labour is plentiful and 
the men are not required for other work during had weather, they may 
be profitably employed in this. 
Baskets .—Where Nepenthes and Orchids are grown in square baskets 
made of teak or other wood, new ones may be prepared, for they will 
soon be wanted. Baskets in which .Ferns, Achimenes, and other plants 
a r e to be grown should be thoroughly cleaned and painted. The best and 
easiest manner of cleaning baskets is to place them for a short time in a 
copper of boiling water, then paint them thoroughly after they are dry. 
Wash all pots and pans as they become empty. 
Crocks .—When employed for the drainage of plants in pots, crocks 
should be perfectly clean, for this is equally as important as using clean 
pots. They should be washed and then broken ready for use. After a 
good heap has been broken they may be passed through different sized 
sieves, and each size stored by themselves. 
Sphagnum Moss .—Sort this in readiness for'potting. All coarse portions 
should be reserved for placing over the drainage ; reserve the best for 
Orchids. The largest and finest green heads may be selected and placed 
in pans ; these can be kept psrfectly fresh in a cool house if watered 
occasionally. The remainder should have boiling water poured over it to 
destroy insects. 
m 
HE BEE-KEEPER. 
NOTES ON BEES. 
THE WEATHER. 
On the day before Christmas the bees were working upon 
the Arabis, with a temperature of 50°, continuing mild up 
till Tuesday, when there was a heavy fall of snow, at a tem¬ 
perature of 20°, but it gave way to a rapid thaw on the follow¬ 
ing day. By Thursday the temperature had risen to 50°. 
and the bees were out in fine style, the day having the appear¬ 
ance of spring. The New Year was ushered in with a similar 
mildness, but accompanied with wind and rain, bees still 
seeking an outing. With the frequent airings they have had 
all danger to abdominal distension may be said to be past 
for a season. The recent heavy snow has not, however, been 
favourable to the apiary. 
HEALTH OF BEES. 
All my bees appear healthy, with no perceptible difference 
in number to what they were at the end of September. There 
are very few dead bees to be seen, if I except an imported 
Syrian stock, and I should say of it that it has turned out 
at least 500 dead bees during December. I have one pure 
Carniolian located in a deep compound frame hive; but it 
has not yet shown either a dead bee or a living one at the 
entrance since October. I examined its floor to-day (the 2nd 
January), clearing away the debris deposited on the sliding 
bottom of the ventilating floor, and discovered from their 
cheerful hum that all was well. This hive has eight frames 
17 inches d«tep by 12J inches inside measure, and the bees 
are in the highest state of health, as, indeed, are all similar 
hives with me. 
EFFECTS OF CANDY. 
Since the memorabre. Successive three bad years about 
1860, when candy was used by me for the purpose of keeping 
the bees alive during summer, T-bave altrost discontinued its 
use, because I found it wasteful anflsfigainst the prosperity of 
the hive when compared with good su^aj; syrup. One hive 
I have under my care, during the past montkhas had nothing 
but candy for its food. It seems to be survivin^nn it, and a 
novice might say doing well, but I observe that unless the 
bees get an airing frequently they soon get surcharged with 
water, and with a protracted and severe winter would not 
exist long. I have therefore come to the conclusion that to 
feed bees wholly with candy during winter would be simply 
courting defeat. Novelties may amuse for a time, but will in 
the end, as of late, compel bee-keepers to return to the old and 
more rational system of apiculture. When once plans to 
induce moisture inside hives for breeding purposes are aban¬ 
doned bee-keepers will then find themselves on the way to a 
better system of bee-keeping. 
ANSWERING QUERIES. 
A great many persons desiring information on apiculture 
seem to prefer writing me direct. I am willing to answer 
such letters, but there are other considerations. By answer¬ 
ing queries privately it takes away the interest and information 
from the readers of this Journal. Therefore, in the future, 
all queries with reply of general interest will be sent to the 
Editor of this Journal for publication. 
RECORDING EXPERIENCE. 
To make the bee columns of this Journal more instructive, 
it is desirable that all bee-keeping readers should send their 
experience in matters of interest,whether it be that of success 
or failure, stating briefly under what conditions either re¬ 
sulted, together with any supposition the bee-keeper may have 
as to the cause. By bringing isolated cases together, and 
examining them collectively, a better knowledge of facts will 
be arrived at than when single cases only are brought to 
view. 
SURPLUS QUEENS. 
During the spring months there are always some queen¬ 
less hives, as well as some bee-keepers having one or more 
surplus queens which they can well spare, and which would 
be a great boon to those having queenless hives. I think bee¬ 
keepers would feel grateful if the Editor would give a cheap 
advertisement to those in want of or who had queens to spare 
(not being treders) up till May. The advertisement need not 
be more than name and address, with number of queens 
wanted or for sale. 
HONEY PRESSER. 
These I have no doubt will be in great request if the 
Heather harvest is a large one, as by it only can Heather 
honey be taken satisfactorily from the comb. I have a num¬ 
ber of letters of inquiry about these pressers, based upon a 
reply in the British Bee Journal for October 15th, 1885. It 
says “Young’s honey presser is like Mr. Thomson’s,” which 
is not the case. The honey presser I have explained and 
recommended differs greatly from Mr. Young’s. Therefore I 
am not responsible for any mishap with these pressers, nor can 
I explain the working of any other than the Lanarkshire one. 
—A Lanarkshire Bee keeper. 
DEI VINO BEES. 
This most necessary operation has often caused no little trouble to 
bee-beepers who, in attempting to drive their bees from one hive to 
another, have signally failed in the attempt. A most amusing 
account was given of such a failure in the Cottage Gardener many 
years ago, in which is a vivid description of frantic exertion on the part 
of a certain bee-keeper who failed to accomplish his object, for the 
bees, notwithstanding a continued drumming for nearly an hour, kept 
to their old home. The difficulty was, however, another day easily 
surmounted. There are few bee-keepers who cannot call to mind 
some such an amusing episode. In order, however, as far as possible 
to remove any difficulty which may have been experienced, and to 
assist those who in spring will for the first time undertake the 
operation, it shall be my endeavour to state in detail as clearly as 
possible the methods, which are two in number, by which bees are 
now driven into an empty hive. 
In the first place we must fully realise that it is by acting upon 
their fears only that we have gained the mastery over bees. It is the 
knowledge of how to work upon these fears which is indeed the key 
which has unlocked their treasury. If, then, we have a stock in. a 
straw skep which we desire to drive either for forming an artificial 
swarm or for clearing the combs preparatory to breaking up the stock, 
the plan of action is the same, except that in the former case two- 
thirds of the bees with the queen are takeD, and in the latter every 
bee which can be induced to leave the hive. 
The best time for driving is the middle of a fine warm sunny day, 
although any hour in daylight will do almost equally well. Before 
in any way moving the hive or disturbing the bees a few puffs of 
smoke must be injected into the hive, and until by their changed hum 
it is ascertained that the bees are gorged with honey, and so in high 
good humour, nothing should be done. When, however, the operator is 
satisfied upon this point, the stock with its floorboard should be moved 
to some convenient spot a little distance from the apiary, where the 
