324 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 22, 1886. 
TRANSFERRING COMBS. 
I HAVE this winter been altering hives in accordance with advice 
given to me by your correspondent, “ A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper.” As I 
highly approved of this advice I set to work at once to follow it. I have 
altered three hives, or rather six, and each hive now consists of two, one 
placed over the other. Originally they were oblong hives, each contain¬ 
ing thirteen combs, each comb measuring, inside measure, 7J deep by 
13 wide. A number of years ago my hives contained seventeen or eigh¬ 
teen combs, all on one level, and the consequence was that in winter the 
outside combs got mouldy and the wooden floors damp and dirty; but 
the population was very large, far larger than the smaller hives. 
“ A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper ” advised a double-tiered hive and venti¬ 
lating floor with perforated zinc bottom. I have adopted this principle. 
The hives now contain eighteen combs—nine below and nine above. 
They are about square inside and 16 inches deep, and will retain the heat 
better. There are underneath each hive two drawers, like bird-cage 
drawers, only a little deeper ; they are placed one above the other. The 
upper one has a floor of perforated zinc to allow debris from the bees to 
fall through, and the lower one has a wooden floor, which is covered with 
dry peat, as I thiuk this will tend to keep the bees healthy and dry. 
The peat drawer can he drawn out and refilled at any time, without the 
bees being interfered with in the least. 
I should be glad, now, of a little advice as to the future. I have three 
old pattern hives, each with a newly altered hive alongside, and I might 
transfer (when suitable weather comes) the thirteen frames with 
bees on them to the newly altered hives. I would place nine frames, con¬ 
taining all the brood and bee-bread, in the upper tier of the hive, while 
the four remaining frames would go below, filling up with foundation- 
filled frames. Is it desirable to do this now, while the population is small, 
or wait later, when there will be more bees to keep up the heat, or to 
wait for the young swarms ? If not likely to throw back the bees, I 
would prefer to transfer the bees in the middle of May, so as to give them 
the benefit of the enlarged hive, and perhaps prevent swarming. The 
swarms here generally come off about June 20th. Perhaps “A Lanark¬ 
shire Bee-keeper” will help me.—A Bee-keeper. 
[If the hives of bees are tolerably strong I would advise their being 
transferred to their new ones whenever a fitting opportunity occurs. Only 
fill the upper hive with five or seven combs in the centre, and one or two 
on either side with comb-foundation, filling the bottom one with founda¬ 
tion as proposed and the remaining frames, having those with brood 
under the brood ones in the upper box. If, however, the bees are weakly, 
wait a few weeks until they are stronger. The advantage gained by 
putting in foundation in the outsides of the upper b 'x is to obtain as much 
white comb as possible. If the queen is young, prolific, and healthy, the 
increased space should prevent swarming ; but without the former all the 
devices of man will not prevent it. The dried peat eeems to me good in 
connection with hives, both as you have employed it, as well as for filling 
in space between the inner and outer wall, and perhaps in other ways in 
connection with the preserving of bees in a healthy state during winter.— 
A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper.] 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
ThomaB Painter, Smallwood, Scholar Green, Stoke-on-Trent .—Catalogue 
of Dahlia Plants. 
A. M. C. Jongkindt Coninck, Tottenham Nurseries, Dedemsvaart, near 
Zwolle, Netherlands .—Catalogue of Trees , Shrubs, and Hardy Plants. 
Bruant, Boulevard Saint-Cyprien, Poitiers (Vienne), Prance. 
%* 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. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS.—Wo desire to assure those of our corre¬ 
spondents whose letters and communications are not promptly 
inserted that they are not the less appreciated on that account. 
Our pages are practically filled several days prior to publication, 
and letters arriving on Wednesday morning, except by special 
arrangement, are invariably too late for insertion. The delay in 
the publication of some of these is not of material importance, 
buc reports of meetings and shows held a week previously lose 
much or all of their value if not received in time to appear 
in the current issue. 
Epicurean Victory Pea (.7. Smith). —The sample sent is very good 
indeed. We will sow the Peas, and if the variety prove equal to the 
Epicurean we have already grown we shall be satisfied; if it excels it, as 
the name denotes, it will be of very superior merit. 
Acacia platyptera (William). —Nearly or quite all large nurserymen who 
deal in stove and greenhouse plants can supply this Acacia, and as so many 
sell plants it would be invidious for us to recommend any particular dealer. 
Perhaps you have not applied to anyone for plants. 
Beetle Eating Plants (7. W.). —Your beetle is the voracious weevil 
Curculio or Otiorhynchus sulcatus. We are unaware of any ready mode of 
riddance. They should be sought for assiduously, as they deposit eggs from 
which maggots are hatched, these in turn developing into weevils. Choice 
Orchids should be stood on flower pots inverted in larger saucers of water. 
It has been said that an infusion of aloes and quassia renders plants dis¬ 
tasteful to these pests, but we have not had occasion to test the matter. 
Abnormal Lapageria ( G. II.). —The arrangement of the flowers is quite 
unusual, inasmuch as they turn upwards by an acute curve of the peduncle 
which is 2 inches long. This would obviously not be an advantage with a 
plant trained to a roof, but secured to a balloon trellis a densely flowered 
specimen would be highly effective. The spray you have sent appears to he 
an arrested growth, this often resulting in monstrosities, and it is uncertain 
whether the character could be fixed or not. You have nothing to lose by 
tryiug, and if you succeed in establishing plants in which all the flowers are 
produced like those on the spray before us you will, so far as we know, have 
a distinct variety. 
Rhynchospermum jasminoides to Flower in August (Constant Header). 
—To have this plant flower in August it would need to be retarded in a 
cool house with a north aspect ; but as it is now in flower it cannot be had 
in flower again by August, as it must needs make a fresh growth, ripen it, 
and a season of rest. It is not a stove plant, only requiring cool treatment, 
and does well in a greenhouse. 
Supplying Water to Houses (Idem). —The pipes will not convey the 
water from the large tank to the smaller ones in the houses, as they are 
3 or 4 feet higher. The water must be forced into the smaller tanks from 
the larger one, and we cannot suggest anything better than a force or lift 
pump, or an ordinary pump at each tank, so as to draw the water from the 
large tank. For this purpose a lead suction pipe is best about 1J or 1$ inch 
diameter. Could not the water be pumped directly into the smaller tanks 
by means of the horse pump ? A stopcock on the main to shut the water 
off the large tank, and a branch pipe laid on to the tanks on the higher level 
would he the easiest way out of the difficulty, as the mere turning of the 
valve or stopcock would be all the labour necessary. Two-inch cast iron 
socket pipes would be the most suitable piping, or it might be lessened to 
suit the delivery pipe to the large tank. 
Moss Litter for Mushroom Beds (W. W. B.). —Excellent crops are 
grown with this material after it has been used in horse stables, hut it is 
much better adapted for flat beds under cover than ridges in the open. Such 
a small quantity as a ton,is not sufficient for outdoor ridges, and you have 
also turned it over too many times and had it too long under preparation 
The instructions to which you allude in Wright’s hook doubtlessly refer 
to the preparation of manure, of which the greater proportion is straw. If 
you only have a copy of the first edition you should obtain one of the last 
when it appears, as it will contain a great deal of additional information of 
service to inexperienced amateurs. If you did not cover the ridge a foot 
thick or more with litter the heat would he certain to escape. Try this plan 
now, and fermentation may even yet be excited. 
Grapes on Back Walls of Vineries (Bitterman). —With the “ Vines on 
the roof 6 feet apart and spurred so that ample light reaches the back wall,” 
there is no reason why useful Grapes should not be grown there ; but the 
light that you consider “ ample ” may not be sufficient for the production 
of first-class Grapes. We have seen very good Grapes grown under similar 
circumstances, and of the late sorts that were tried the Black Alicante 
proved the best. Gros Colman, however, was not in the trial, and it might 
possibly do very well. We should try both those varieties. 
Exhibiting Flowers (Gardener’s Wife). —If you were to exhibit flowers 
in a class from which the produce of professional gardeners is excluded, 
and you were awarded prizes, although you grew the flowers “ entirely your¬ 
self,” and your husband “ did not gi ow any of similar kinds,” the jealousy 
of other competitors might be aroused, and a protest lodged on the ground 
that you had benefited by the advice of your husband in growing the 
flowers. We have known a case of the same kind that led to long disputa¬ 
tion and much unpleasantness, and although we believe the exhibitor 
eventually got the prize money, the cost incurred in securing it was a great 
deal more than the prize was worth. 
Cropping Vines (F. I.). —When the laterals are very strong and the 
bunches small, two may he retained on one lateral “ here and there,” since 
it is obvious that two bunches weighing 1 lb. each do not require more 
support than does one bunch weighing 2 lbs. We have often seen two 
bunches on one lateral without any detriment to the Vines ; hut their 
strength and condition must in all cases determine the weight of the crop. 
If your Vines were materially exhausted by over-cropping last year, it 
would be unwise to make a similar mistake this season. The strength of 
the Buh-laterals is a fair index of the Vine’s strength, and if growths con¬ 
tinue to be produced freely beyond the bunches until and after the Grapes 
colour, the crop is not dangerously heavy. By sub-laterals we mean the 
growths that push after topping the shoots, this requiring to be done 
several times during the season when Vines are in good condition. 
Chili Capsicum Culture (Vectis). —The plants should be kept close to 
the glass until showing the second leaves, when they should be placed in 
4-inch pots, three in each around the sides and not quite down to the seed 
leaves, keeping moderately watered, for if the soil is very wet they are 
liable to damp off, and shade them from bright sun until established. 
Place them in a light position, and allow plenty of room to keep the plants 
