September 12, 1889. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
233 
midseason Vines is contemplated, it should be seen to as they are 
cleared of the crops. The sooner it is done the better. Good loam, 
with some brick and lime rubbish, and a liberal admixture of charcoal 
and crushed bones, will meet alt requirements in respect of compost. 
See to the drainage, make it satisfactory, and follow on with turf grass 
side downwards, or preferably a 3-inch layer of lime rubbish. Keep the 
roots near to the surface, always bearing in mind that a narrow border 
well filled with roots is preferable to a large mass of soil at the onset, as 
the roots can be more easily excited and fed at the proper time. The 
Grapes, too, in a border well in hand invariably set and colour better. 
Always choose dry weather for making the border. Cover it when 
finished with good stable litter, and keep the interior of the house close 
and moist until the foliage shows signs of fresh root action having set 
in, then ventilate freely and keep the air dry. In all cases, especially 
cold wet localities, the Vines should have inside as well as outside 
borders, as the roots can then be lifted and relaid in either of the 
borders without injury to the following year’s crop. 
Pines. —Young Pine plants always present a luxuriant appearance 
at this season under liberal and proper treatment. Sun heat being now 
on the wane, greater care will be necessary in the management to 
prevent the foliage becoming soft, and measures should be taken to 
consolidate it by a drier atmosphere and artificial heat. Syringing will 
only be needed occasionally, and it should be done early in the after¬ 
noon of bright days. Water must only be given when absolutely 
necessary, then afford a plentiful supply of weak liquid manure in a 
tepid state. The bottom heat should be kept steady at 85°, or between 
80° and 90°, and pay particular attention to the ventilation, which is 
important at this time of year. Plants in a luxuriant condition should 
have air at 80°, above which ventilate liberally, especially on warm 
sunny days, and close the house for the day at 80°. The night tem¬ 
perature should be maintained at 65°, allowing 70° to 75° by day 
artificially. 
Fruiting Plants .—These should be brought together in a structure 
suitable for finishing the fruit well. Plants that are intended for start¬ 
ing into fruit early in the year should be selected from those that were 
started last spring, and be arranged not later than the end of this month 
where they can rest for six weeks. Those on which the fruit is swell¬ 
ing should be encouraged with liberal heat and moisture, keeping the 
night temperature from 70° to 75°, and that in the daytime from 80° 
to 90°, closing the house at 85° with sun heat. 
Strawberries in Pots.— The plants are making very satisfactory 
progress. In the earliest plants the crowns are becoming plump, 
sufficiently so at least for the detection of plants that will not be 
available for early forcing, and which should be removed at once, even 
those about which there is a suspicion of being barren, making good 
the deficiency from the surplus stock. Worms and weeds are trouble¬ 
some, also runners. Lime water will expel worms, and the weeds and 
runners can be promptly removed. The pots should be wide enough 
apart to allow of the sun and air having free access to the foliage. 
The crowns, which in some are numerous, particularly Vicomtesse Heri- 
cart de Thury and Sir Charles Napier, should be reduced to the central 
or stronger one, not deferring it until they have attained to a con¬ 
siderable size, but as soon as they can be taken hold of with the finger 
and thumb and lifted out of the socket. This will concentrate all the 
vigour in the main crown ; those will afford strong flower spikes, and 
then by selecting the largest and best formed flowers a crop of fruit 
will be insured, large and creditable to the grower. Any late runners 
may yet be potted, and with good attention they will be serviceable 
for late work in 5-inch pots, and may afford fine fruit and collectively 
as full a crop as those in larger pots. 
NOTES ON BEES. 
TIERED HIVES. 
The word tier is a term improperly used instead of storifying. 
I have indeed used the expression, but it is incorrect. I have taken 
up this subject in reply to what “ Felix ” says at page 1(57, acci¬ 
dentally discovered by me on searching for some notes amongst 
accumulated correspondence in the Journal for August 20th, which 
had never been opened, hence my delay in answering. The text 
of ‘‘Felix’s” remarks is the following, which I suppose is taken 
from an article written by me:—“While tiered hives are un¬ 
doubtedly the largest producers, still it is a loss to attempt frus-- 
trating the swarming mania, and as swarms always work the best 
we should take them the first opportunity, and make the most of 
them. ’ I have taken great pains to lay before your readers every 
phase of bee-keeping, including that which “ Felix ” says is “ one 
to which many will, in my opinion, take great exception, and 
therefore in order to prevent what appears to me to be a wrong 
impression from being circulated it is necessary to consider the- 
meaning of these words.” The causes of swarming are not well 
understood by the majority of bee-keepers. “Felix” appears to 
agree with all I have said—in fact, endorses what I say, and ye t 
adds it will cause a “ wrong impression,” but gives no information 
whatever to prevent it further than to “ manage skilfully.” I 
throw down the gauntlet to “ Felix,” and now let him tell us all 
how to manage our bees “ skilfully,” so that they will not swarm.. 
I say it cannot be done otherwise than by carefully giving more 
breeding space at the time a young and fertile queen is introduced 
after the old queen is deposed, and this course is exactly what. 
“ Felix ” deprecated. My notes made at the Heather bear greatly 
upon the subject, and have appeared in these pages, for the sole 
purpose of enlightening bee-keepers generally, and I am glad to 
say they are being acted upon by many who read my notes ; but I 
shall wait patiently for “ Felix’s ” forthcoming remarks on manag¬ 
ing bees “ skilfully,” how to prevent swarming. 
Swarming takes place when more than one queen exists in one- 
hive at the same time, and occurs from March till October. We- 
have had a swarm issue on different occasions, the day after two had 
been joined in the month of October. Whenever a queen becomes 
incapacitated from any cause and unable to deposit eggs in the 
cells prepared for that purpose, queen or royal cells are brought 
forward, and swarming takes place if the weather is favourable, 
which nothing but the excising of all but one royal cell will prevent 
Extra room will not do it, no matter how or where it is given, and 
I do not believe that one variety of bee swarms more readily than 
another. One variety gives more after swarms than another doe 1 -, 
but all are actuated by a natural propensity. 
AT THE HEATHER. 
A very large swarm issued from a Carniolian prime swarm 
owing to a young queen and part of a swarm being blown on to it. 
The bees and queen were allowed to remain unmolested for two- 
days, then, owing to the presence of two queens, the swarm issued 
leaving the queen regnant as she was previously. I know whereof 
I write, and do so advisably, and am open to conviction when? 
wrong, but unless “ Felix ” offers stronger proof that I am wrong 
and misleading I must continue to advise as I have hitherto- 
done. 
DRONE3. 
Drones are sometimes a great drawback to bees when at the- 
Heather. If a few wet days intervene, and no honey is coming 
in, when a bright day occurs the bees take to killing, or rather 
hunting out the drones, which are strong, and return again, or 
enter weaker hives, much to the annoyance of the bees, deterring: 
them from gathering honey even although it be plentiful. The? 
Punic stock was greatly taken the advantage of in tins respect, 
numerous drones took refuge in it, and were perhaps the cause of 
these bees gathering less honey than the others. It is generally 
believed that when bees kill their drones it is a sure sign the queen 
is fertilised. This is far from being the case at the moors ; several 
only a day or two before swarming, and even after it, turned out 
their drones and drone grubs in a wholesale fashion. 
COMPETITION, 
As in former years bees are here from different parts of Scot¬ 
land and from over the border. All owners have their favourite 
hives. I have no alternative, when I take all there is to contend 
with, but to adopt the Lanarkshire storifying hive, so well adapted 
for bee-keeping in all its phases. Its comparatively large internal 
capacity, combined with its small outside dimensions and construc¬ 
tion for safety to bees and co-passengers, warrants its recommenda¬ 
tion. Two hives from Carlisle stand a little distance from my 
own ; they measure about 217 cubic measure, certainly out of all 
proportion to their internal capacity. From appearance these hives 
cannot weigh less than 1 cwt. each when empty, while the size is 
sufficient to prevent most people adopting them, practically putting 
an end to taking bees to the Heather. The bees of one of these 
