98 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 30, 1890. 
of a lip, the ends being three-sixteenths longer a bottle or head is 
■wrought upon the ends, -which gives a neater appearance and saves 
the planing of the -wood after it is nailed. The sides are cut 
one-sixteenth longer than the top bars ; this gives the necessary 
slack, and if a gauge is used for -working both sides and bars, and 
neatly cut, there will be a proper fit of aU the pieces. 
Let the end pieces, or hangers to the frames, be five-eighths of 
an inch clear from the bottom, but have no bottom rail ; that in 
shallow frames is unnecessary, it takes up room, the bees seldom 
building their combs to it, and the bees are more liable to soil 
their combs with than without bottom rails. With deep frames it 
is different. Elsewhere it has been stated that dispensing with the 
bottom rail was a retrograde movement. Had the author of these 
words visited us when in Scotland lately he would have been con¬ 
vinced to the contrary, and gained other useful lessons besides. 
It would be very interesting to know when the British Bee-keepers’ 
Association adopted the standard hive, disallowing other sorts to 
compete at their shows, and then ultimately to adopt a shallow 
frame, where the retrograde movement came in. 
The divisions are inches deep, and allowing half inch for 
the top bar, measure 6 inches inside, the front being half inch less, 
this is the doorway. A pair of five-eighths match ploughs are the 
proper tools to groove the front and tongue the slide, which should 
be half an inch broad, running the whole width of the hive. I use the 
same sort of box, and same size as the body ones for sections, when 
nailed to top bar, when held in angled tins a half inch shallower. 
For a full strength hive two divisions do very well for small supers, 
but I use one 9 inches deep in addition to an extra one, this gives 
space for three rows of supers, and 3 inches for packing above- 
Yellow pine is the best wood for hive-making, allowing the escape of 
moisture more freely than white pine, only used within the past 
fourteen years or so on the pretext that hive makers were charging 
an exorbitant price, but in reality the white pine hives are the 
dearest and least satisfactory in the end, having cheapness only for 
its recommendation. Yellow pine hives, or other articles made 
from it, will wear white pine goods many times over, and where 
price is no objection should be used. 
Bees Hybeenating. 
I hope “A Hallamshire Bee-keeper” does not think 1 am 
opposed to his method of queen-rearing. I am perfectly confident 
that queens reared on the lines he lays down are superior to those 
obtained by some, but I fail to see that bees hybernate during 
winter. The 12th of January he speaks of was fine here, and the 
Punic bees I had from him were working on the Arabis and every 
hive flying, and on the day after, the lowest temperature for the 
season, many bees showed themselves outside. How is this if they 
hybernate ? I quite agree with him that progress should be the 
motto of all, not only with bees but with everything. I certainly 
do not think that my methods of managing are perfect, but I do 
not hesitate to say that what I have taught is ahead of most bee¬ 
keepers. This is proved by the simple fact that both in this country 
and on the Continent they only follow instructions taught by me 
years ago. This “ A Hallamshire Bee-keeper ” well knows, as I 
also know that some of his ideas are claimed by bee-keepers both 
in this country and in America. Fate may in due course put these 
matters aright, but neither of us will be prevented giving useful 
information in the future which may crop up, and which our expe¬ 
rience enables us to give upon a reliable basis.—A Lanaekshike 
Bee-keepee. 
P.S.—Bee plants in flower are Arabis, AVallflowers, and Prim¬ 
roses, also Hellebores, Aconites, and Snowdrops. 
TRADE CATALOaUES RECEIVED. 
J. & R. Thyne, 83, Vincent Street, Glasgow.— Bescriptive List of 
(fanlcn Seeds. 
Hooper & Co., Covent Garden, Maida Vale, and 83, Regent Street.— 
Seed Catalogue, 1890. 
J. Lambert & Son, Treves.— List of Seeds. 
Leonard Coates, Napa, California.— Catalogue of Fruits and Trees. 
James Yates, Underbank, Stockport.— Catalogue of Carnations, 
Fieotees, Pinks, ^-c. 
Briiant, Poitiers (Vienne, France).— Catalogue oj Plants. 
W. Tait & Co., Capel Street, Dublin.— Select Annual List, 1890. 
Hogg & Wood, Coldstream-on-Tweed,— List of Garden Seeds. 
G. Stevens, Putney. — Catalogue of Chrysanthemums. 
Merryweather & Sons, 63, Long Acre, London.— List of Watering 
Hoses. 
All correspondence should be directed either to “ The 
Editoe” or to “The Publisher.” Letters addressed to 
Dr. Hogg or members of the staff often remain unopened 
unavoidably. 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. 
Turfy Soil {F. C.).—The value of turf for purposes of cultivation 
depends on the nature and quality of the soil from which it is cut. 
Grass Seeds (JE. Bl). —If you state your requirements to your 
seedsman you will be supplied with a suitable mixture for the purpose 
in question. 
A Cbeap Book on Orcblds (i7. T., Froms). —The information 
you require is contained in Mr. Lewis Castle’s book on Orchids, 
published at this office, post free, Is. 2^d. You have been rightly 
informed, and you should have no difficulty in successfully managing 
a small collection. Orchids, however, like other plants, require constant 
attention, and if you encounter unexpected difficulties we will gladly 
assist you with advice upon any point. 
Unfruitful Pear Tree (./. F. IF.).—Has the tree been planted 
too deeply ? If there are few or no fibrous roots near the surface fork 
away the soil down to the larger roots and for a distance of 3 feet from the 
stem, and add in place of it a mixture of good loam, decayed vegetable 
matter, and wood ashes—as many of these as you like—press down 
firmly, and surface with littery manure, thick enough to prevent the 
sun drying the fresh soil in summer. New roots will then take posses¬ 
sion of the added compost, and the tree will improve in health and 
fruitfulness. 
Improving Bawns {J. IF., Byde').—A mixture was named on 
page 78 last week for applying to lawns now with the view of improv¬ 
ing them, and will do good whether there is moss in them or not; but 
drainage is often needed when the soil is of a clayey nature. When 
this and the dressing fail to improve the verdure a method that has 
been found very successful is described by a correspondent on page 96 
of our present issue. A hundredweight of bonemeal added and a bushel 
of soot to each cartload of the mixture would improve it considerably, 
and if you have not enough for dressing both lawns apply what you can 
to that on chalk, and give the other a dressing of three parts of super¬ 
phosphate of lime and one part sulphate of ammonia, at the rate of 
5 cwt. per acre, or 2 ozs. to each square yard. The sooner the applica¬ 
tions are given the better. Making lawns black with soot on a showery 
day also improves the verdure. If there is no Clover in the grass and 
you want some apply two parts superphosphate, one part each of kainit 
and sulphate of ammonia. 
Violets in Frames QI. JL ).—The method which you have been 
instructed to adopt of “planting single runners of Violets in cold pits 
in October ” is not the best for affording a good supply of blooms in 
winter. We have seen stout runners with good crowns inserted an inch 
or two apart in boxes of light soil kept moist in a warm light house 
afford blooms plentifully in a few weeks, but no such results could 
follow in a cold pit. Only failure could be expected by the plan you 
describe, but as you acted “ under orders,” obviously the fault does not 
rest with yourself. Rooted offsets should be planted in good soil in the 
open air in April, the runners suppressed, red spider subdued, and 
strong plants with bold crowns will be produced by autumn for estab¬ 
lishing in pits or frames before winter for flowering during the dull 
months of the year, the supply largely depending on the weather when 
no heat from fermenting materials or othei-wise is afforded. A hundred 
times more flowers will be produced by this method than by the one 
you have been instructed to carry out. 
