284 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
September 20, 1894, 
is now nearly 200 lbs. A prime swarm with a young queen joined 
when hived six weeks ago. These started to weigh at 60 lbs. and 
now turn the scale at 120 lbs. Here are “ Standard ” hives from 
various makers, side by side, which have had swarms earlier that 
have not made a third of these weights. Surely he will then admit 
that there are “ two sides to the question.”—A Lanarkshire 
Bee-keeper. 
[Any particular method of doing anything is not found the 
best by all persons under varying conditions and circumstances. 
We hope writers can give records of experience without either 
open or covert reflections on others, and it is our desire that this 
should be so.] 
Practical Routine. 
Considering the able articles that have been written on bee¬ 
keeping it is surprising to find how far behind the times m iny persons 
are who keep bees. It is now a recognised fact that the frame hive is 
preferable to the straw skep. As to the size of hives, I do not 
suppose an inch or two either way would make any material 
difference, only when people are not thoroughly master of the work, 
and probably get a hive from one maker and frames from another 
it is rather puzzling, and inclined to make them throw up the w’ork 
in disgust. The advantage in having frames all of one size is that 
they are interchangeable, which is a great convenience in adding a 
frame or two of brood to weak stocks, or in queen-rearing, and in 
various other ways. Good cheap hives are now within the reach of 
all, from men who make a specialty of them and other bee 
appliances. I have several sizes of hives in use, some holding ten, 
others eighteen, frames each, but for all practical purposes I con¬ 
sider the ten-frame hive preferable to any other I have yet tried. 
Bees, too, winter well in them. Run honey with me finds a much 
readier market than the comb, and after many experiments I have 
found the ten-frame hive the best for the purpose, as by tiering 
one can enlarge them to whatever size is required. 
The queen should always be kept on the lower frames, and on 
no consideration should honey be extracted from the body of the 
hive, but only from the supers on the top, produce of a superior 
quality being thus obtained. Sections, too, are placed on the top 
and worked in the same way. This hive will hold a crate of 
twenty-one 1-lb. sections, and if honey is coming in freely and the 
hive strong in bees they will start filling them at once. When 
nearly full and partly sealed over insert another crate of sections 
underneath, which will keep the bees fully employed and prevent 
their swarming. The honey season, where white Clover is the 
chief honey-producing flower, is of short duration in favourable 
seasons—from three to four weeks. This has been one of the 
shortest in my experience, as, owing to the cold dull weather, the 
bees had not more than ten days on which they could collect 
honey. A surplus of honey cannot be obtained unless the hives 
are strong in bees. The aim of all bee-keepers should be to have 
their stocks strong when the honey flow comes, and being in a good 
white Clover district this usually takes place with me from the 
middle of June to the middle of July. At such a time it shows 
the advantage of having all frames interchangeable, as weak stocks 
can be assisted with frames of brood from the stronger ones. It 
takes about six weeks to work a stock up strong enough to take 
advantage of the honey flow, and is done by uncapping part of a 
frame of sealed honey occasionally, or, if short of stores, by 
feeding, as from various causes some stocks will be much weaker 
than others. 
Now is the time to make preparation for another season by 
seeing that all stocks are in good order for standing the winter, 
and if short of stores to feed them before the weather becomes too 
cold. I use syrup made in the proportion of 7 lbs. of cane sugar 
to 3 pints of water, which is put over a steady fire and kept 
stirred, so that it does not burn, until it boils. It should then be 
taken off at once, as if allowed to boil for a few minutes it will 
be too thick. For autumn feeding I prefer a rapid feeder placed 
on the top of frames, so that the bees can have free access to the 
syrup without being drowned. They are fed in the evening to 
prevent robbing, and the syrup is given warm. A wide-mouthed 
bottle that holds 2 or 3 lbs., the mouth covered with a piece of 
muslin, makes a good feeder, but it is a slow process. Bees that 
are fed early in the autumn winter much better than those that 
are fed late, for unless the weather is warm enough for them to 
seal over their stores dysentery will play havoc during the winter.— 
An English Bee-keeper. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIYED. 
A. B. Greenfield, 10, North Street, Wandsworth .—JBulh Catalogue. 
J. K. King, Coggleshali, Essex.— Ball) List. 
R. Wallace & Co., Colchester .—Hardy Bulbous and Other Plants. 
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 communications. 
Pond Vegretable Refuse (TF. A).—If the refuse could bespread 
out, sweeten and dry somewhat, it would be excellent for mixing freely 
and incorporating well with strong loam for Rhododendrons, It will 
probably turn sour in the large heap, and if very wet would not mix freely 
through the loam. We know of Rhododendrons growing luxuriantly in 
a mixture, half and half, of such vegetable matter and clayey loam similar 
to the kind you describe. 
Sunflowers Dying (^Somerset'). —The blackened parts appear to 
have been affected with eelworm, but we only found a few bodies and 
cysts in some of the decayed parts. There is abundance of white 
mould, but that is purely saprophytic, and has no connection with the 
disease. Give the soil a good dressing of quicklime this autumn, and 
early in the spring supply kainit, distributing about 2 lbs. evenly per 
rod, and either leave it for the rains to wash in or point it in lightly 
with a fork. 
Hardy Flowers — Gladioli and Dahlias (^Aquilegia ').—The 
following do not appear to be in your list, all are worth growing :— 
Hardy plants : Amaryllis belladonna, Aster amellus, A. novae-belgire, 
A. versicolor, Campanula pyramidalis, C. p. alba, Lilium speciosum in 
variety, L. tigrinum splendens, L. t. flore-pleno, Montbretia Etoile de 
Feu, M. Gerbe d’Or, Phlox Eclaireur, Phygelius capensis, Rudbeckia 
Neumann!, Salvia patens, Solidago canadensis, Statice latifolia, Achillea 
The Pearl, Eupatorium fragrans, Echinops ritro, Alstromeria aurea. Six 
Gladiolus : Dr. Bailly, Amilie, Dalila, Fra Diavolo, Baroness B. Coutts, 
Opale. Six Cactus Dahlias : Aphrodite, John Bragg, Kynerith, Beauty 
of Arundel, Apollo, Kaiserin. 
Fruit Branches Dying—Galvanised Wire (J. IF).—The fact 
of the trees remaining in a healthy state for so many years, then the 
branches dying after new galvanised wire was affixed for their support, 
appears to show that the wire was the cause of the evil. This wire 
differs considerably in its preparation, and some kinds has undoubtedly 
proved highly injurious to fruit trees, particularly near towns. The 
subject was fully discussed some years ago in our columns, but as the 
issues are now out of print we will see if we can find room for the 
republication of one of the articles. In several instances where trees 
were injuriously affected by the wire they recovered after it was given 
two or three coats of paint. 
Preserving Tomato Seeds (F.). — Provided the fruits are 
thoroughly ripe, it is the best general plan to break them up and 
separate the seeds from the pulp, drying and storing in paper packets in 
a drawer, where they will be cool but safe from frost, and dry. Some 
persons squeeze the seeds out on paper thinly, not washing them, bub 
having the paper convex or sloping, so that the juice of the fruit will 
drain away, and it is said such seeds have greater germinating power and 
retain it longer than clean washed, as there is an adherent film of matter 
that protects them from atmospheric changes. Allowing the fruit to shrivel 
with the seeds also preserves them better from atmospheric changes, but 
it is not always feasible, as sometimes fungi intervene and convert the 
whole into a mouldy mass, more or less affecting the integuments of the 
seeds, if not destroying their vitality. 
Peaches and Vines Unsatisfactory (ZZ. F.'). —The growths of 
the Peaches are too gross and soft. The trees would be improved by 
careful lifting and replanting this autumn. The soil should be made 
firm and contain a free admixture of calcareous matter, such as lime 
rubbish from buildings. See what Mr. Bardney says on lifting Peach 
trees and the benefit resulting. Relative to the Vines, if we understand 
you, the overflow water from the tank passes into the Vine border. If 
this is so the error should be rectified. A few leaves, without any wood, 
are insufficient to enable us to comprehend the actual condition of the 
Vines. Adequate provision should certainly be made for ventilation 
both at the front and top of the house. With a night temperature of 
65°, and the usual increase in the day, accompanied by free ventilation, 
the Grapes should yet ripen. There is nothing particularly abnornal in 
the condition of the leaves, though it is possible the border may be too 
wet for the continued health of the Vines. They will soon be ruined 
if the soil becomes stagnant, and this should certainly be prevented. 
