476 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 23, 1889. 
Cauliflower or Broccoli are apt to have their heads injured by frost cut 
them when small and store in a cool place. By removing the leaves 
from the heads and inserting the stems in moist sand they will retain 
their freshness for three weeks. Place a quantity of long littery manure 
around the neck of Globe Artichoke plants, as if unprotected when 
■caught by frost they will be crippled so much as to interfere with their 
•success next season. 
QUEEN REARING IN RELATION TO HYBER 
NATION AND WINTER DYSENTERY. 
On May lGth, 1889, page 407, I touched on this subject, hut 
for want of time I could not do full justice to it, and I pro¬ 
mised to deal with it as soon as I could. The article was reprinted 
across the Atlantic, and caused some stir in America. Mr. James 
Heddon, whom I quoted as being the champion of the pollen 
theory, had a laugh at me, saying that he reared nearly all his 
queens by the “ natural (?) method in full colonies under the 
swarming instinct,” and implied that I did not know what I was 
writing about. This is his mode of rearing queens : He lets the 
stocks swarm, then he places the swarms in a new hive, and sets 
it on the stand of the old stock so as to get more than a fair share 
of the bees from the old stock. This is placed behind the swarm 
with the entrance facing the opposite way. He then daily moves 
it round until at the week end the entrances of both hives are one 
way and close together. When the bees are at full work he takes 
the old stock away to a fresh stand, so that all the bees which are 
out in the fields and those that are working fly to the old stand, 
and, not finding it, unite with the swarm. The result is that the 
old stock is so depleted of bees they at once lose the desire to 
swarm a second time, and the first queen that hatches destroys 
the rest. This is known as Heddon’s system of preventing after¬ 
swarms, but let us consider the result. 
The first swarm comes off and leaves but few bees behind to 
create sufficient heat to develope the queen cells, and as more 
hatches he further reduces their number until the most critical 
moment arrives, when he “ riddles ” the hive of all the bees 
capable of creating any heat at all. Then the most forward cell 
hatches out, and this weak and worthless queen tears down all the 
other cells, becoming the mother of the hive. When cold weather 
sets in her bees are so constitutionally weak they cannot digest 
their food, and because he finds undigested grains of pollen he at 
once concludes that pollen alone is the cause of winter dysentery. 
Neither Heddon nor anyone else has ever hinted that the digestive 
organs of the bees were at fault. 
The Rev. W. F. Clarke had noticed that if bees went to sleep, 
which he called “hybernation,” they would winter all right, no 
matter how much pollen there might be in the hives ; but he does 
not appear to have suspected that the manner in which queens are 
reared had anything to do with the matter, which he admits to be 
the case in the Canadian Bee Journal ; nor does he seem to be 
quite certain that bees are as capable of hybernating as wasps, &c. 
The greatest opponent to Clarke’s theory was Professor Cook, who 
is the author of a standard book on bees in America, and is looked 
upon as an authority on all entomological subjects. This gentle¬ 
man very dogmatically asserted that “ bees never hybernate,” and 
stood on his “ authority pedestal ” as the foundation for his asser¬ 
tion ; but as a witness is always cross-examined for the purpose of 
testing his credibility it is only fair to see if Cook is so good 
an authority as he would have us believe ; hence I will quote 
from an article of his in the American Bee Journal for November 
19 th, 1884, page 748, which is on the Common Bumble Bees. He 
says this, “ When the first bees come forth in the spring from ex¬ 
temporised cells, caused by eating holes in the pollen, the bees wax 
these cells and so form honey cells.” As a matter of fact none of 
the bumble bees make “ wax ” or use it. They mix a paste of 
honey and pollen, in which eggs are deposited, then the larvae eat 
it, and when full grown they form a cocoon round themselves just 
where they may happen to be, which makes the combs resemble a 
bunch of Grapes. When the bees hatch out these vacated cocoons 
are used for storing honey just as they are. Before any are vacated, 
or if they are deprived of them, they construct cells for honey of 
pollen, but never of wax, as they are incapable of secreting it, these 
cells being afterwards eaten up by the brood. Thus it will be easy 
to gauge whether Professor A. J. Cook “ kens all about bees.”— 
A Hallamshire Bee-kefper. 
(To be continued.! 
EBOR BEE-KEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION. 
The first annual Honey Fair and Exhibition of Honey for prizes 
of the Ebor Bee-keepers’ Association was held by special arrangement 
in conjunction with the York Chrysanthemum Show, in the Fine Art 
Exhibition Building, York, on November 20th, 21st, and 22nd. The 
exhibits of comb and extracted honey were both numerous and excellent 
in quality. The schedule was divided into five classes, for which there 
were thirty-three entries. All the exhibits, without exception, were 
well got up. Those in every way worthy of special mention are— 
Mr. J. Yorke’s twelve bottles of extracted honey, Mr. C. Atkinson’s 
large collection of clover honey in bottles and sections, Mr. J. Davis’s 
and Mrs. Kirk’s heather honey in sections, and Mr. Marshall’s ex¬ 
tracted heather honey in bottles exhibited in his collection. During 
the three days of the Honey Fair about half the exhibits were sold. 
To add to the interest of the occasion a choice selection of frame 
hives and bee appliances was provided for inspection at the Honey 
Fair by the proprietor of the York and District Bee Appliance Stores 
and Honey Depot, A. C. Jameson, who acts as Consulting Secretary 
and expert to the Association, and into whose hands was entrusted 
the management of the Honey Fair. Mr. W. Dixon, Belmont House, 
Beckett Street, Leeds, acted as Judge, and it is only fair to say that 
he was most careful and painstaking in making his awards. 
The following is the prize list:—Class 1, for the best twelve 1 lb. 
glass jars or bottles of run or extracted honey—First, Mr. J. Yorke, 
Church Fenton, near Leeds, 10s.; second, Mr. C. Atkinson, Lockwith, 
York, 5s.; third, Mr. J. Marshall, Buckthorpe, 2s. 6d. ; he, Mr. W. 
Richardson, Copmanthorpe, York ; c, Mr. T. Shaw, Fulford, York. 
Class 2, for the best six 1 lb. glass jars or bottles of run or extracted 
honey—First, Mr. C. Atkinson, Tockwith, York os. ; second, Mr. W 
Richardson, Copmanthorpe, 2s. fid. ; third, Mr. T. Shaw, Fulford, Is. fid.; 
he, Mr. J. Davis, Fulford ; c, Mr. J. W. Richardson, Sheriff Hutton. 
Class 3, for the best six 1 lb. sections of comb honey.—First, Mr. J. 
Shaw, Fulford, 7s. fid. ; second, Mr. C. Atkinson, Tockwith, 3s. fid.; 
third, Mr. J. Davis, Fulford, 2s. ; equal third, Mrs. Kirk, Stillington ; 
he, Mr. W. Richardson, Copmanthorpe ; c, Mr. J. Marshall, Buckthorpe. 
Class 4, for the best and neatest exhibition of honey from one apiary. 
—First, Mr. C. Atkinson, Tockwith, 10s. ; second, Mr. J. Marshall, 
Buckthorpe, 5s.; third, Mr. F. Baron, Askham Bryan, 2s. fid.; c, Mrs. 
Kirk, Stillington. 
Class 5, heather honey in bottles and sections.—Extra prizes awarded 
to Mr. J. Davis, Fulford ; Mrs. Kirk, Stillington ; Mr. 0. Atkinson, 
Pateley Bridge. 
° 0 C 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. 
Bullfinches (J. T. Ei ).—Since requesting information from Mr. 
Hiam on his method of taking bullfinches you will probably have seen 
his communication on the subject (page 443) last week. 
Chiswick Hybrid Tomato (Tomato Groiver ').—We are unable to 
inform you whether seed of this variety is ready for distribution or not. 
You can gain information on the subject 'oy writing to Mr. A. F. Barron, 
R.H.S. Gardens, Chiswick, London, W. 
