503 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Jane 20, 1889. 
looking towards the south, or in the direction most suitable for 
the flight of the bees. Provided the hives are sheltered from the 
•cold winds it does not matter if the entrances face the north, also 
if the sun is not hindered from shining on them by being placed 
behind a fence. 
Both lots of bees being well supplied with all the necessaries of 
life and for breeding, will start with vigour in the early spring. 
The portion containing the young queen will be the foundation 
for the main hive in summer, and will be found to be most forward. 
Attention must be paid to it, so that it does not suffer from want 
of anything, particularly room. By the end of May or beginning 
of June, or, if the season is early and mild, the middle of May, the 
work of brood-spreading should be begun in earnest. The combs 
containing brood and young bees may now be taken from the old 
queen an3 given gradually to the young one. Care must, how¬ 
ever, be taken to dislodge the old bees if there are any on the 
comb. A few taps with the finger on the frame will cause them to 
leave it, when it may be given with safety to the other portion. 
Or, if desirable, the old queen may be deposed, and after a few 
days bees and comb may be given, if a little precaution is used, to 
the other. The hive will now be of enormous strength, and with 
a young queen and plenty of room will not swarm readily, but 
supering must be attended to, and in a judicious manner, storying 
one above another as each division is well begun, until as many 
are on as the bees can fill. 
There is no system of bee-keeping that will so well repay the 
bee-keeper, or give so much satisfaction and pleasure, as this, and 
every bee-keeper will do well to set apart a portion of his hives to 
be treated on this principle ; moreover, it gives a security against 
loss of queens. Such hives may consume 15 lbs. more honey, but 
they will give a large harvest in some seasons, when hives managed 
otherwise would give nothing, and perhaps in good seasons a triple 
yield to that of others. It is by no means a new system of manage¬ 
ment, nor is it to be confounded with what is known as the manage¬ 
ment of the twin hive system. It may be termed the Baird system, 
because Mr. Wm. Baird, Carron Lodge, near Falkirk, has practised 
it successfully for thirty-four years, and at the same date carried 
out the ornamental designs and lettering in honeycomb with others. 
This will answer Mr. Ebenezer McNully’s query, put to me more 
than a year ago, “Who was the first to work out ornamental 
designs ? ” I have proof of their being wrought earlier than that, 
but probably not to the same perfection. 
Honey designs are much prettier and worse to manage, so as to 
be properly filled up and of a geometrical design, than letters are. 
Mr. Baird, a native of Stewarton, has not only produced beautiful 
designs, but supers I have never seen surpassed ; all wrought upon 
the system explained. He is a mechanical engineer. Where his 
apiary is situated it is liable at times to be flooded by the tide and 
river, so the hives are arranged to be raised or lowered at will. 
BACKWARD STATE OF HIVE3. 
Weak hives seem more general than many suspected. Many 
letters assure us of this. Everyone bears the same proof, that the 
chilling spring months was the direct cause. With others, as it is 
with myself and has always been, the hives that required nothing, 
and had nothing done to them, are as good as usual, but those 
stimulated require stimulating still, or are dead. 
SUPERING. 
We shall not attempt supering for eight or ten days yet, as 
there is a great paucity of honey-producing flowers and the Clover 
is not ready hereabout. The honey is never plentiful until some 
of the Clover florets begin to decay. About the 21st of June 
-seems a good average time to put on supers. Some of our stocks 
are quite ready for supering, but although we did it the sample 
would be unsaleable in the comb. It would be far better to allow 
the bees to store the surplus for future requirements, giving extra 
breeding space if required, rather than super space to be spoiled. 
It is only when honey is to be had in superabundance that the bees 
preserve the purity of the comb, and it is undesirable to have con¬ 
taminated samples. 
EEQUEENING. 
Now is the time to requeen hives with young fertile queens ; it 
is the only method that prevents swarming if care be taken to have 
the breeding space commodious enough, and to those who have the 
prospects of a Heather harvest it insures a large one. —A Lanark¬ 
shire Bee-keeper. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIYED. 
Messrs. Ant. Roozen A Son, Overveen, Haarlem, Holland .—Dutch 
and Cape Bulbs. 
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. 
Honours In Horticulture (Non-Competitor}. —Undoubtedly we 
think it desirable that the Royal Horticultural Society should have a 
“ special medal of its own ” for granting to persons whose work in horti¬ 
culture, outside the show room or tent, entitles them to recognition. 
Brompton Stocks (B. J.). —Sow the seed at once thinly in a very 
open position, as sturdy growth in the early stages is important for pro¬ 
ducing hardy plants. Rich soil and sheltered positions are not the best 
for these plants when transplanted, as succulent growth is induced, and 
it ought to be firm, even woody, the result of growth in firm and not too 
rich soil, with full exposure to sun and air. 
Judging: by Points (B. L.). —We enjoy a little “good-humoured 
irony” nowand then, and your amusing examp'e of judging spelling 
by points afforded us momentary relief from stern official duty. Not 
yourself alone, but every gardener who endeavours in the best way he 
ean to impart useful information, is honourably engaged, and the most 
highly educated do not always contribute the most serviceably on sub¬ 
jects of practical gardening. 
Seedling Petunias — Peas ( G. Robinson). —The double Petunias 
are excellent and creditable to both the seedsman and cultivator. The 
American Wonder Peas are equal to any we have seen this year. Sown 
on December 4th last year, and gathered on June 8th following, is very 
satisfactory for Lincolnshire in a proverbially late season. The flowers 
and Peas arrived as fresh as when gathered, thanks to your good packing 
with a few soft green leaves in a close tin box. 
Mowing Machines (M. M .).—We cannot undertake to say in 
what manner one kind of machine is inferior to another. If you write 
to the different advertisers they will send you lists of testimonials, and 
you can see the estimation in which the machines are held by persons 
who have used them. It is a long time since there was a competition 
of lawn mowers on anything like a complete scale, and we know of no 
trials in which all the machines now in the market were represented. 
Syringing Peach Trees ( Idem). —No syringe or engine “ throw¬ 
ing a dust-like spray ” is of any substantial service for insect-infested 
trees. The water must be directed to the undersides of the leaves with 
as much force as they will endure without injury. Different kinds of 
nozzles or water distributors are supplied with engines or syringes, as 
may be seen in illustrated catalogues, from which you can choose what 
you want. Prices vary considerably according to the size and character 
of the articles. The plants you name must be syringed in the same 
way as Peach trees, and be watered before the leaves show signs of 
flagging in the summer, much less water being required in the winter, 
and syringing may cease in September. 
Nectarines Falling (Inquirer). —Judging from the appearance 
of the fruit alone and with nothing to guide us respecting the condition 
of the trees, border, or management, we can only attribute the misfor¬ 
tune either to immature wood last year, resulting in defective blossom, 
or to unfavourable weather at the time the trees were flowering prevent¬ 
ing complete fertilisation. If the border is light and rich, also deficient 
