430 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 27, 1886. 
varieties are very pretty either in groups or the centres of beds, or in 
mixture ■with other plants not commonly bedded out. Gladioli.—For 
massing brenchleyensis and gandavensis are the cheapest that can be 
bought, and if a variety is required unnamed seedlings can he bought at 
a comparatively cheap rate, and will produce many flue spikes nearly or 
quite equal to named sorts costing double the money. Ileliotropss.—For 
bedding out Miss Nightingale is still one of the best, and President Gar¬ 
field is also good. Heliotropes are most effective when massed together 
in the centre of large beds, and they may be edged with any kind of 
Pelargonium. Lobelias.—Brighton and pumila magnifies are equally 
good blues ; pumila Ingrami and Swanley White are the best white-', 
and the double pumila grandiflora succeeds occasionally. We only grow 
pumila magnifies, and it never fails. Lantanas are not much grown 
now ; but such sorts as La Niege, Mine d’Or, Ne plus ultra, Distinction, 
and Magenta are very pretty in mixed beds. 
Zonal Pelargoniums.—These are the most important of all, being by 
far the most extensively employed. “Golden Tricolors.”—Mrs. Pollock, 
Miss Batters, Lady Cullum, and Sophie Dumaresque. “ Silver Tricolors.” 
—P irteus, Mrs. R. B. Postans, Mrs. Laiug, Lass o’Gowrie, and Prince 
Silverwings. “Golden Bronze.”—Black Douglas, Marshal McMahon, 
King of the Bronze, and Golden Harry Hiorer, the last-named for edging 
purposes. “Yellow-leaved.”—Crystal Palace Gem, Creed’s Seedling, and 
Robert Fish, the latter for edging. “ Silver variegated.”—Flower of 
Spring, Mrs. J. C. Mappin, Bijou, and Princess Alexandra. Bedding 
Zonals.—West Brighton Gem, Vesuvius, Triomphe de Stella, Star of 
Fire, and Lord Gilford, scarlets; Henry Jacoby and General Outram, 
crimson; Master Christine and Mrs. Turner, pink; Indian Yellow; 
Lucius, cerise ; Madame Vaucher and Niphetos, white. For hot and 
rather dry positions the semi-doubles, notably Guillion Mangilli, F. V. 
Raspael, Lord Cecil, Madame Thibaut, and Mrs. A. Lattey are very 
suitable. Some of the double Ivy-leaf varieties are sometimes effective 
round the edges of beds, and of these the best we have tried are Gloire 
d’Orleans, Sarah Bernhardt, A. F. Barron, and Madame E. Galle. 
Petunias.—Seedlings are principally relied upon, but such good old sorts 
as Ashford Belle, Crimson King, Spitfire, and Purple King are sometimes 
preferred. Salvias.—The only variety extensively bedded out is Patens, 
and this lovely blue tuberous-rooted sort is grand in mixed borders or for 
back lines of ribbon borders. Veronica Andersonii variegata is not often 
seen, but is a very effective bedding plant, especially in mixture with 
Verbena venosa. Verbenas.—The old Purple King is still the best, and 
other good sorts are Crimson King, Snowflake, and Firefly. Violas.— 
These are rather superseding Verbenas, and if planted early in good soil 
are remarkably showy. Blue Perfection, Favourite, Tory, Luma grandi¬ 
flora major, and Vestal are all good. Iresines.—These must not be 
omitted, as they are very popular. Herbsti is the strongest grower, 
brilliantissima being a slight improvement on it. Lindeni is of more 
compact growth and richer in colour, but succeeds best on light soils. 
WT 
m 
m 
HE BEE-KEEPER. 
PLACING AND REMOVING SUPERS. 
In the endeavour to assist those who have bees in their care for 
the first time I am going to anticipate the happy day when the bee¬ 
keeper sees that the time has at last arrived to place supers on these 
stocks from which he does not desire to see swarms issue. It is in 
every case a critical period, for a little mishap, an error of judgment 
or mismanagement now may frustrate all the hopes of the anxious 
apiarian raised during the months when he has seen his stocks grow¬ 
ing stronger and stronger, and at last showing such evident signs of 
want of room as to warrant an attempt at least to get them to work 
in supers. Few bee-keepers of little experience place their first 
super without some anxiety, the more especially so if they have to 
deal with vicious bees, which attack apparently without cause any 
one attempting to interfere with their affairs. Let me hope, however, 
that the majority will have kindly stocks, willing to endure careful 
handling to deal with, but in every case it is wiser until perfect confi¬ 
dence has been acquired to use not only a veil but gloves also, unless 
the operator is one of those miserable creatures who are unable to 
enjoy the pleasant sensation of a sting sent home by the furious efforts 
of an enraged insect. Confidence in himself is a great factor in making 
a bee-master. In all manipulations movements must be so slow and 
cautious as scarcely to be perceptible, the slightest hurried gesture 
leading to mischief. Gentleness begets gentleness, let this always be 
borne in mind, but many I fear seldom realise it until, roughly hand¬ 
ling the bees, they have by them been roughly handled. It is scarcely 
necessary to say that this is aa article for “ beginners,” and in giving 
a detailed account of how to place and remove supers it is for their 
information that I am specially writing. 
A stock in a straw skep is ready for a super, which may for our 
purpose be imagined to be an ordinary bellglass fitted with its usual 
appendages Whatever kind of super is made use of makes little 
material difference, the method is the same. Armed with veil and 
gloves and a smoker the operator, if he is able to choose his own time, 
goes to the hive about ten o’clock on a fine warm sunny morning 
when the bees will be working freely ; but if, as in my own case, he is 
away from the apiary from early morning till evening, and so has no 
choice of time, he need not hesitate to place his super early in the 
morning, since if a stock is ready and the day proves fine possession 
will soon be taken of it by the numerous bees ready to work, but 
unable to find room in the hive. I have placed them as early as seven 
o’clock, and should not hesitate if driven by necessity to perform the 
operation at an even earlier hour. The smoker is to be taken as a 
matter of precaution only, for no smoke must be used unless it is 
absolutely necessary to resort to its use. The object is not to drive 
the bees down from the top of the hive where they are near the 
super, but rather to disturb them as little as possible. If smoke is 
used they will be driven down, therefore abstain from using it. I do 
not mean that a little smoke will prevent the bees from entering the 
supers, but it may delay their entrance. If the stock has been fed 
by the ordinary bottle feeder a zinc will be on the top hole, if not a 
cap or other cover ; and in either case the first thing is gently to 
loosen the cover by passing a string or wire beneath it, taking care 
not to kill a bee, but drawing the string or wire through as slowly as 
possible, thus severing the connection which always exists between it 
and the hive. If this cover or zinc is now raised very slowly and 
cautiously scarcely a bee will rise and take wing, and the super may¬ 
be placed in its position without any further action. If, however, 
there is a chance it is not at all an objectionable plan to bruise a few 
of the topmost cells—those of course containing honey—as the bees 
will then at once come to repair the breach and enter the super. 
But it may be said that if the stock is not ready for supering 
nothing will induce the bees to work it. Sometimes, however, there 
is a difficulty—so I have heard it said—even when stocks are ready 
for extension, to get them to enter supers, and sections are placed in 
the body of the hive until they are partially worked out ; but in my 
own apiary I have had no experience of this kind, but find that if a 
stock is really full of bees and brood and honey, supers are taken 
possession of immediately, and not deserted unless the weather is 
such that no honey can be collected, and in this case I at once re¬ 
move all supers and give a little food each day until a “ good time ” 
comes. 
There are many different materials with which supers are covered. 
Each one has his own ; some have carpet, some one thing, some 
another. In my apiary anything warm and convenient is pressed 
into service, but the preference is given to a pad, the outside of which 
is made of plain calico or other cheap material, and the inside of 
cotton wool. These pads or cushions may be of any size, and the 
thicker they are the warmer they keep a glass or rack of sections. 
They are useful, not expensive, neat, and very warm ; not a 
necessity, however, perhaps a luxury. Whatever the covering 
supers must be kept warm, and it is very rare to find one too heavily 
covered. The super is now placed covered snugly up, and the bees 
at work, and after a lapse of time, varying according to its capacity 
and the kind of weather experienced, it will need removal, and then 
a rather more formidable manipulation is necessary ; in fact, some¬ 
times it is very tedious, unless, as in the case of sections, the bees may 
be swept off the combs and so easily dispersed. The glass or cap 
with which we have to deal does not lend itself to this method, so 
that other means of clearing it must be devised ; but when removing 
these supers means often suggest themselves to the mind of a think¬ 
ing bee-keeper, and he may use any plan occurring to him, always 
taking care not to damage the comb, taint the honey, or injure the 
bees. 
An hour or so before removing a super it is advisable to loosen it 
from the hive by passing a string or wire between it and the hive, as 
in the case of taking off the zinc or capas before explained, and prop 
it up by wedges a little—an eighth of an inch is amply sufficient— 
from the hive, so that the bee3 may have a chance of licking up the 
honey spilt by the string or wire cutting the cells in severing the 
connection between the cap and the hive. When this has been done 
a carbolic sheet may be laid on the hole in the top of the cap, or a 
little smoke may be injected ; and this will cause a stampede and 
general rush into the hive, but still many always remain. They will, 
however, rapidly gorge themselves wi'h honey and be in an amicable 
state of mind. When all the bees which seem inclined to do so have 
left the cap it should be removed from the stock to some quiet shady 
spot, being carried with great care and inverted, and for this purpose 
a flower pot is a convenient receptacle to hold it in a reversed 
position, and the exit of the bees prevented by a board placed over 
its mouth. The stock can now receive another super, or if the season 
is very far advanced its ordinary cover ; and all this time the bees in 
the cap will, unless the queen is with them, be driven to distraction by 
their imprisonment and the more ready to leave when opportunity is 
given them. 
How shall we tell if the queen is in the super ? Her presence or 
absence is readily ascertained by the manner of the bees, for if they 
