846 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 29, 1866. 
a body first, then take the thickish brown paper kept flat 
between two boards, and recently painted with crude carbolic 
acid, and of the right lengths, insert these in each division 
(after you have passed the cord through and placed a sheet 
of thick cardboard on the top of the super impregnated 
with carbolic acid, which should be slid on immediately the 
upper ones are removed so>s to clear the bees away) inserting 
the one after the other as the cardboard is slid off. If this 
work is properly done every bee will have left the super before 
you have got all the papers withdrawn, dispensing altogether 
with smoke, and is better for both bees, honey, and combs. 
Taking off supers and otherwise manipulating with bees 
under the influence of carbolic acid is mere child’s play, and 
is in happy contrast to the older systems, where the operator 
had to be not only veiled, gloved, and armed with a bundle 
of smoking rags or smoker, rendering him when so equipped 
but a clumsy operator. The most difficult task was removing 
the bees from the super, not speaking of the great risk of 
infuriating the whole bees in the apiary to sting all within 
reach, and be despoiled of the contents of the super besides. 
Happily for bee-keepers there need not be such risks nor 
troubles now. I must here leave the beginner to act accord¬ 
ing to his own judgment and good sense, seeing that it is 
hidden from us what the future is to be, or how long the 
honey glut 'Will last, but it is certain, however, to end when¬ 
ever rain approaches, or after a few weeks’ drought, both 
being alike fatal to a honey glut. I have only experienced 
two seasons that bees gathered honey from Clover a second 
time after it had been once stopped, and only once have I 
witnessed bees working on Bed Clover, black bees and 
Ligurians alike, recorded in this Journal about 1863. 
After the honey season is past, whether in view of a 
future Heather harvest or not, steps should be taken to 
depose the reigning queen and supersede her by the intro¬ 
duction of a young one. A good plan to do this with hives o 
the Stewarton type is to withdraw all the slides on top of the 
upper box, using the same precautions with cardboard as 
advised with supers, and empty the upper box of bees in the 
same manner. If it is filled to a cell better to keep it off 
altogether and use the honey, using a screw presser and a 
drainer for the purpose of getting it separated from the comb 
and having it a pure sample. If it is necessary to do this 
repeat the operation with the next box. When it is clear of 
bees! place the young queen caged over or between the 
combs, cover up and place on original stand, now remove 
the under box, place it on the top of some empty ones and 
drive the bees down by former process. When empty prune 
out superfluous drone comb and replace it on the stand under¬ 
neath the queen. Many of the adult bees will have returned 
to their old site gorged with honey and in a fit state to 
fraternise with young queens, which may be liberated in 
twelve to twenty-four hours after. The old queen along 
with the remaining young bees will now be in the empty 
hive, but owing to their greater paucity now the queen will 
be easily found, when she should be removed and the remain¬ 
ing bees shaken on to a sheet of cloth or metal having a 
ladder attached reaching to mouth of the hive, when the bees 
will immediately ascend and enter their hive. All this may be 
done without receiving a single sting or provoking any 
disturbance whatever. After a queen has been much taxed 
laying to keep up the population of strong hives during the 
spring and summer up till July, it is absolutely necessary to 
dethrone the queen regent during that time if a full gathering 
is to be expected subsequently at the Heather. " Another 
thing to be borne in mind is that from the time the first egg is 
laid till the first bee works a space of about thirty-six days 
must elapse, but at the middle of that term the hatching 
bees liberate the older ones from the internal duties of the 
hives to the field work, the young bees taking the place of 
their elder sisters in the nursing of the young bees, In my 
next article I hope to be able to give substantial proof in 
some matters of the superiority of the Stewarton hive, 
specially as to wintering.—A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
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.—We 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. 
Tea Roses for Walls (F. J.). —We think you penned your letter of 
inquiry before you read the Journal of last week, and we have now only to 
direct your attention to the article of ‘‘ D., Deal," on page 316. Other good 
varieties are Souvenir d’Elise Vardon, Madame Lambard, and Souvenir 
d’un Ami, which differ in colour from those named in the notes referred to. 
Chrysanthemum segetum (A. McM.). —The experiments you purpose 
making will be interesting, and if you succeed in obtaining any crosses of 
a distinct character you should send specimens with particulars to the 
Scientific Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society, South Kensington. 
Dutch Bulb Growers (A Subscriber for Many Years). —The following 
are the names, placed alphabetically, of six of the wholesale bulb-growers 
in Holland, who supply the retail firms in Great Britain :—Byvoet Brothers, 
Hillegom; J. H. Kersten & Co., Haarlem ; J. Polman Mooy, Haarlem; 
E. VanVelsen & Sons, Haarlem; B. & II. Van Waveren, Hillegom; and 
M. Yan Waveren & Sons, Hillegom. In reply to your other question, write 
to Mr. Louis Yan Houtte, Royal Nursery, Gendbrugge, Ghent, Belgium. 
Cucumbers Scorching (II. II .).—If the glass is not very inferior—that 
is, unusually full of lens, we think there must be some mistake in the 
ventilation and water supply both in the soil and atmosphere. Are you 
certain the soil is sufficiently moist, not near the surface alone, but below ? 
Examine it, and if at all dry make it thoroughly moist throughout. With 
good attention in those respects—that is, early ventilation and adequate 
moisture, you ought to have no difficulty in preventing the foliage scorching, 
with the rays of the sun subdued by a sprinkling of thin whitewash applied 
to the roof outBide with a syringe. If you have a thick covering of white¬ 
wash on the glass wash it off and try the plan recommended. We feel 
certain that one cause of the evil is an insufficiency of water. A very great 
quantity will be required in a span-roofed house of the kind shown in the 
Bketch you have enclosed. 
Grapes not Colouring ( Desideratum ).—Want of colour is generally the 
result of inadequate support. The Vines have either been overcropped, the 
border is too poor, or the root-action defective through the coldness of the 
soil or drought. It is doubtful if lime would be of any material benefit 
unless the border be very rich indeed, then a good dressing would be certain 
to do good. You give no particulars whatever about the border, but simply 
leave us to guess at its state, and we are inclined to think that very copious 
applications of tepid liquid manure will benefit the old Vines. Your other 
question is unanswerable. Either work fairly at the verges yourself for an 
hour, or set a good man at work for a time, and you can soon ascertain how 
much ought to be done in a day, and decide on a fair price for any given 
length. Everything depends on the condition of the verges and the soil in 
settling the question. 
Woodlice (B. B., Belfast). —We have previously stated that woodlice 
have been caught in thousands by placing some partially decayed and dirty 
old boards face to face, and covering these with litter where the pests 
abound. Smooth new boards are of no use, but the older they are the 
better, and there should be space for the woodlice to enter between them. 
They should be examined every morning, taken up, held like a trough, and 
the contents emptied into a tank or vessel of water. A vinery containing 
Mushroom beds swarmed with woodlice last year; tens of thousands were 
caught in the simple manner described, and this year there are few to be 
seen. It is a certain mode of riddance if properly carried out. 
Wireworms — Tomatoes (An Old Subscriber). —As the Asters will not 
be ready for planting for some time, we should at once plant the ground 
with Potatoes, putting any sorts of old tubers in thickly, and when the 
growths are above ground, or just before the Asters are ready for planting, 
dig out the Potatoes carefully and burn them, as they will in all probability 
contain the greater number of the wireworms now in the soil. Carrots 
