410 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
| November 7,1589. 
stock, but when once this feeding has been commenced it must not 
cease, even for a few days, or the result will probably be to undo all 
the benefit which weeks of care have conferred upon the stock. In 
fusing a bottle feeder there is some little care requisite in order to 
obtain the best results, and it may not be lost labour to explain 
■somewhat in detail the method which appears to be the best. On 
the hive, then, which it is intended to feed a piece of perforated zinc 
should be placed large enough to take the place of the cover 
previously in use on this zinc ; a piece 4 inches square is a good 
•size, and can be used either on a straw or wooden hive. Several 
pieces of thick carpet should then be placed on, each one having a 
hole in it j ust large enough for the insertion of the neck of the bottle ; 
•the whole should be covered when the feeder is in position with 
•warm material in order to keep all snug and prevent the loss of 
Tieat. Two bottles for each hive much facilitate the operation, the 
-one ready filled to take the place of the one removed when emptied 
by the bees. 
It is hardly necessary to add that the greatest care must be 
4aken not to spill the syrup, which for spring feeding may be of a 
rather poorer quality than that used in autumn, because in spring 
more water is required for the brood, and if a larger proportion of 
water is used in the syrup the bees are not compelled to go abroad 
for it when the weather is so bad as to be very destructive to them. 
It must be understood that stimulative feeding is only recommended 
here in order to repair previous neglect. If a hive has been 
properly prepared, and no accident happens to prevent it, either by 
the loss or debility of the queen, a swarm will certainly issue in 
•the early part of May. 
But it may be said there is danger attendant upon this feeding, 
;and in this respect it is little better than spreading brood. That 
there is some danger in thus feeding a stock in early spring cannot 
be denied, because the bees are thereby incited to fly on days and 
in weather when stocks left to themselves are quiet, but it cannot 
•compare with brood-spreading for danger. In order to spread brood 
the hive must be opened and the cluster disturbed, heat lost, and the 
brood nest artificially enlarged, and unless the operator is a man of 
■experience often enlarged so greatly as to prevent the bees on cold 
frosty nights, which occur even in late spring, from keeping up heat 
•sufficient to hatch out all the eggs deposited. Stimulative feeding 
•does no doubt induce the queen to lay more freely than she other¬ 
wise would do, but there is no loss of heat by opening the hive, 
•dividing the cluster, and disturbing the bees. If a stock is 
strong and has a good store of honey it should be left undisturbed, 
and the very fact that so much more time has to be expended on 
•■a weak stock in order to bring it up to swarming point as early as 
a stronger and better provided hive shows how great a saving there 
is in having all the stocks strong enough to cause no anxiety or 
diear. 
Stimulative feeding in spring is sometimes a necessary evil. 
Judiciously done no harm accrues from its use, but care is essential 
in this as in every other operation not to carry the practice to an 
•extreme. In spring every cell filled with honey not required for 
use is a bee less, so that it is evident that to give too much 
defeats the object we have in view. A hive cannot be too warm 
in spring, so that great care should be taken to wrap up any feeder 
•which may be used as warmly as possible in order to retain the 
heat, without which no brood can be raised. In cases of this 
description it is well for a bee-keeper who doubts the efficiency 
of this practice to try half his stocks assisted as explained above, 
the other half left to their own devices, but supplied, of course, 
as early as the weather will allow with syrup enough to last 
until the end of April or beginning of May. In trials such as 
these the queen of one stock may and is sure to be superior to 
the queen of another, but still a fair idea of the merit of the 
system may be gained by a careful watching over the results 
following from its adoption, and its value or worthlessness proved 
by all who have the good fortune to be bee-keepers, and who hope 
some day trie bee-masters.— Felix. 
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 un¬ 
avoidably. We request that no one will write privately 
to any of our correspondents, as doing so subjects them to 
unjustifiable trouble and expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions 
relating to Gardening and those on Bee subjects, and should 
never send more than two or three questions at once. All 
articles intended 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 communica¬ 
tions. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
In consequence of the extraordinary pressure that will be experi¬ 
enced during the Chrysanthemum season questions cannot be answered 
with the usual promptitude, and especially those arriving after 
Saturday. See notice belo'jv relative to the naming of fruit. 
Taking- a Business (2?.).—We would not advise you to take a 
business on so small a capital unless you have had full experience in the 
matter. The majority fail from starting with insufficient capital, but in 
any case very much must depend upon a man’s energy and industry. 
Hyacinths in Glasses (27. J L ).—We have heard of a few drops 
of ammonia being added to the water, but have not tried it, and the 
finest of spikes are grown in soft water with a few pieces of charcoal 
placed in to keep it pure. We attach far more importance to sound 
solid bulbs than to any manurial additions to the water. 
Pear Tree Decaying (An. Old Subscriber'). —The tree i3 pro¬ 
bably worn out, or the roots are either in cold wet soil or in a dry poor 
medium. Trees cannot grow healthily if the roots do not work freely 
in soil from which they can gather sustenance of the proper kind for 
fruitful growth. You do not say a word about the soil, therefore we 
cannot tell what treatment might improve it and do the tree good. 
Fruit Trees for Chalk Soil (27. A.).—The chalk being overlaid 
by a foot or more of good loam is a suitable one for most varieties of 
Apples and Pears, those named in answer to “ J. C. D.” being suitable. 
A chalky soil is peculiarly suited to Plums, some of the best of which 
are Jefferson, Green Gage, Oullins Golden, Kirke’s Transparent Gage, 
and Coe’s Golden Drop; and for culinary purposes Early Rivers, 
Morocco, Victoria, Magnum Bonum, Pond’s Seedling, and Nectarine 
Plum. 
Selection of Apples and Pears for Succession (./. C. D .).— 
Dessert Apples :—Irish Peach, Kerry Pippin, King of the Pippins, Cox’s 
Orange Pippin, Ross Nonpareil, Adam’s Pearmain, Rosemary Russet, 
Reinette de Canada, Ribston Pippin, Court Pendfi Plat, Lord Burgbley, 
and Sturmer Pippin. Kitchen Apples :—Keswick Codlin, Lord Suffield, 
Stirling Castle, Golden Noble, Cellini, Cox’s Pomona,’Ecklinville, Bram- 
ley’s Seedling, Lane’s Prince Albert, Kentish Fillbasket, Winter 
Greening, and Norfolk Stone Pippin. Dessert Pears:—Jargonelle, 
Williams’ Bon Chretien, Beurrd d’Amanlis, Flemish Beauty, Beurr6 
Superfin, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Doyennd du Comice, Marie Louise, 
Pitmaston Duchess, Winter Nelis, Glou Moreau, and Josephine de 
Malines. 
Evergreen Flowering and Berry-bearing Shrubs ( Idem ).— 
Arbutus Unedo Croomi, Aucuba japonica limbata, A. longifolia, and A. 
maculata, but to have these produce berries it is necessary to have the 
male variety, A. japonica maculata ; Berberis Darwini, B. stenophylla, 
Buddlea globosa, Cotoneaster microphylla, Daphne Fioniana, Escallonia 
macrantha, Garrya elliptica ; Hollies, both green-leaved and variegated, 
in great variety ; Ligustrum sinense nanum, Olearia Haasti, Rbaphio- 
lepis japonica, Skimmia japonica, Ulex europfea florepleno, Veronica 
Traversi, and Viburnum Tinus. In suitable soil there are the finest 
of flowering evergreen Rhododendrons in endless variety. 
Name of Apricot (Young Hand). —It is almost impossible to 
correctly name a variety of Apricot from leaves only. We have com¬ 
pared those sent with the leaves on the trees forming a fairly large 
collection, and in all probability if you order the Royal you will get 
what you require. The following description of this variety taken from 
Dr. Hogg’s “ Fruit Manual,” may serve as a clue :—“ Royal.—Large, 
oval, and slightly compressed ; skin, dull yellow, tinged with red where 
exposed ; suture shallow ; flesh, pale orange, firm, juicy, and vinous, 
separating from stone ; stone, large and oval, impervious ; kernel, bitter. 
An excellent Apricot, and little inferior to the Moorpark. Ripe in tLe 
beginning of August.” 
