892 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 8, 1990. 
ture, and never alter the doorway until the bees show signs of 
performing this themselves. Let Nature take her proper course, 
and the bee keeper provide in September all that is necessary to 
tide the bees over till May, and by that time nothing will be 
required to be done except to hive swarms. My visit to these 
apiaries was on the 1st of May, and many hives were crowding 
out, and with favourable weather swarming cannot be many days 
delayed. All districts may not be so early, but the same course of 
management applies to all. 
Absconding Sw.^kms. 
As is usually the case these have been prevalent this spring. I 
bave had a number of queens of these “ fly aways ” sent me, and 
in every case, as I have previously found, the queen was defective. 
I believe that cold has to do with this, and the term “ hunger 
■swarm ” is an improper one. 
Queenless Hives. 
These appear to be numerous, and this defective state of 
matters is, in most cases, entirely due to the bee-keepers themselves 
by joining swarms without proper precautions to protect the best 
■queens from harm, or carelessness in their manipulations, allowing 
stranger bees to enter. Virgin queens are also present from the 
same or similar causes, being raised at an improper season, and in¬ 
accurate instructions may fertile workers and imperfect queens be 
traced. Bee-keeping instructions, like other rural occupations, 
have been largely given by inexperienced persons from the writings 
of others, much to the discredit of themselves and to the loss of the 
unsuspecting novice. The wholesale plagiarism noticed lately is 
■good proof of this. I send you by same post as this a journal 
containing an article of mine with noni de plume attached, but I 
think it scarcely fair to copy so largely without giving the source 
whence it was obtained.® An amusing case of plagiarism occurred 
■some time since. An American paper published an article of mine, 
a person I had to call to order for his mis-statements copied it, 
and it appeared in the Farming World as original. 
Foreign Eages of Bees. 
The Punic bees are still giving satisfaction, but are not yet far 
■enough advanced to be put to a proper test. The Cyprian crosses 
that have given a large surplus of honey every year for thirteen 
years, and that without feeding, are storing honey more rapidly 
than any other variety. Carniolians are strong, and they, with the 
crossed Syrians, are ready for swarming. I saw lately a swarm of 
pure Ligurians supplied by Messrs. G. Neighbour & Sons, which for 
a time were rare, owing to the stupidity of certain individuals 
setting forth that beauty and industry went together, and en¬ 
couraged the importation of Ligurians crossed with Cyprian or 
Syrian blood. We trust this practice has ceased. The foregoing 
hints will perhaps assist the bee-keeping readers. A future article 
will further enable them how to prepare for the Heather harvest.— 
A L-vnarksiiire Bee-keeper. 
BEES IN THE NOETH. 
The prospect as regards East Yorkshire is cheering. The warm 
■weather, with the Willow and Peach flowers, have rendered the bees 
busy. The Pears and Apples have also helped ; the Thorns and Sycamore 
promise well. All we want is warm sunny weather, and our hives being 
strong the honey harvest of 1890 is assured. Spring dwindling is un¬ 
known to me this year. I went to winter quarters with twenty hives ; 
these are all alive and doing well, and vigorous queens are filling the 
vacant cells with eggs. ‘‘A L. B. K.” speaks of supering in the third 
And fourth week of June (page 329), but I like my bees to be ready 
for supers by the 12th of May, or before that date if possible. If I 
deferred supering until the third week of June the honey harvest would 
be nearly over. As before, I shall work my bees on the non-swarming 
■system, as it suits me best, and with young queens, large hives, plenty 
■of room at the right time, the swarming fever is reduced to a minimum. 
The non-swarming system I would recommend where the honey fiow is 
of short duration and the bee-keeper’s time limited. On the other hand, 
where the honey season is of longer duration the swarming system 
answers well. The honey season is over here by the 12th of July or 
nearly so. The non-swarming system has failed with some. Why ? 
Simply because the requirements of the bees were not met at the proper 
time. I have worked my bees on the non-swarming system for some 
■time, and have no cause for regret, and I know others that have done 
the same. This is scouted by some able bee-keepers, but facts and 
experience teach me in most cases swarming may be prevented, allow¬ 
ing an exception to every rule. However, such has been the experience 
of—A Howdenshire Bee-keeper. 
e It is most unfair. The paper referred to is published in Edinburgh, and we are 
surprised that any proprietor of good standing should countenance such practice,—En. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
B. S. Williams & Son, Victoria and Paradise Nursery, Upper 
Holloway, London, N.— Xcio and General Plant Catalogue, 1S90 
Qill'uHrated'). 
Thomas S. Ware, Hale Farm Nurseries, Tottenham, London.— 
Catalogue of Choice Dahlias. 
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 
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. 
Carden Hose (IF. O .").—Hose that is advertised periodically in 
the Jow'iial of Horticulture is exactly suited to your requirements, 
and all particulars relating to size and price can be obtained from the 
vendors. The hose must either be attached to a pipe containing a good 
pressure of water, or to a pump for forcing the water to w^ere it may 
be required. 
Garden Plans (^G. J/.).—We are un.ab'.e to say from whom you 
can get plans such as you need, and there is no work that contains 
plans suitable to all positions. For laying out a garden properly it is 
requisite that the site be carefully inspected by a competent person, 
who can furnish plans showing how the ground can be laid out to the 
best advantage. There are gentlemen’s gardeners in your district who 
can no doubt prepare plans of gardens. 
Peas for Preserving (J/. <?.).—If we understand your require¬ 
ments they would have been best met by sowing such a variety as 
Dillistone’s Prolific three months ago. You may or may not obtain a 
good crop by sowing now, according as the soil and weather may be 
favourable or otherwise for free growth. A good dwarf-growing, round, 
green seeded main crop Pea is Pride of the Market. The Peas are a 
little larger, though sweeter, than the small earlier white round-seeded 
varieties. 
Figs Falling (Fiy).—We have no doubt the excessive vigour of 
the tree is the chief, if not the sole cause of the dropping of the fruit. 
The border is too rich, and possibly may be deficient in calcareous 
matter. Much firmer soil with more restricted root action is essential 
in your case, and only with the leaves fully exposed to the direct action 
of the sun could the trees be fruit sustaining. We should lift them in 
the autumn, and add a sixth part of lime rubbish to the soil, making 
the border as firm as possible. If the soil is deficient in lime, some 
lime water given at once might act beneficially. 
nxilde-w on Vines (Wet Border'). —An excessively wet border 
would predispose the Vines to attack,5itiasmuch as the root action could 
not be free and healthy ; the leaf action would then be correspondingly 
impaired and the sap imperfectly elaborated. Leaf action is similarly 
impaired by a too close and moist atmosphere, also by sharp currents of 
air striking directly on the Vines. Any or all these impediments to free 
sap movement and purification render Vines and plants liable to 
fungoid attacks, inasmuch as the conditions are favourable to the 
vegetation of the spores of the parasite. 
Bedding Pelargoniums (Oahs, Surrey). —“Autumn cuttings” of 
these plants cannot be had now. They are plentiful early in August, 
and that is a good time for inserting them. Vesuvius is a favourite 
eompact growing scarlet variety. John Gibbons is suitable for large 
beds, and Henry Jacoby, rich crimson, is highly effective and floriferous. 
Plants from autumn struck cuttings, established in pots, and ready for 
planting out as soon as the weather is safe, are provided by most 
nurserymen and florists in the metropolitan district. It is contrary to 
our rules to recommend any particular dealer, as we could not do this 
without being unfair to the majority not mentioned. 
JVXaiechal iriel Bose (IF. S.). —The sooner the pruning is done 
the better, and the warmer and closer the plant is kept, consistently 
