508 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUilE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Kovcmbcr 29,1894. 
bard up cut and lay them on the top of one another with the 
ragged side upwards. Then with a hand plane make a slight arras 
up'on the longest ones ; the short ones require the roughness only 
removed. 
It is necessary to point out that the sides when thin are the 
longest, but when all are one thickness, say five-sixteenths, the 
rebated parts or the backs and fronts are the longest. These latter 
require rebating at the ends as well as the upper edges already 
rebated. A piece of five-eighth wood a foot square forms the base 
of this template, a piece about an inch broad by five-eighths thick 
is nailed close to the front and back edge. About 2 inches from 
the right hand end nail a piece of a similar size true to right 
angles as a guide for a trenching plane. When fast lay the plane 
to this, and on the other side of it, close to the bottom board, nail 
another piece about the same depth ; the plane will now stand in a 
trench fitting into it exactly, but not too tight, and at right angles 
to the front fence. Then with the left hand pick up a piece, place 
its edge hard to the fence, pushing it through till the eye tells you 
h 
/AA, 
- n j 
FIG. 79. 
it is right distance past the first guide of the trench. Now draw 
the plane once back over the surface of the wood, then plane down 
till the lip of the end is the same as the edge. When the right 
depth regulate the screw of the plane to it, and commence work, as 
you cannot make a mistake. Fig. 79 (at a) shows a section of front, 
and back of super, and h when ready for nailing. Two 1 inch wire 
nails, one within half an inch of edge being sufficient; c shows 
section of bar also full size, with groove and corners blunted to 
prevent the bees starting combs upon the edges, as they are liable 
to do when left sharp.—A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
(To be continued.) 
VARIETIES OF BEES. 
There are several varieties of bees, the most common in 
England being the native black or brown bees. These are hardy, 
and by no means inclined to sting without a cause, and if they 
have abundance of room in their hive and the colony headed with 
a fertile queen they are not so troublesome for swarming as are 
some of the foreign breeds. They are, moreover, good workers for 
either comb or extracted honey. Should they be at all cramped 
for room, and have started queen cells, although extra room may 
then be given, it will not prevent them swarming. It may some¬ 
times be prevented by going carefully through the hive and cutting 
out all queen cells ; but when once they have the swarming mania 
much valuable time may be saved by allowing them to swarm. If 
an increase of stock is not needed put the swarm in a separate hive, 
placing it by the side of the old stock for a few days. Then cut 
out all the queen cells but one, and if the queen with swarm is not 
a valuable one destroy her, and by adding the bees to the original 
stock a strong colony will be the result. Should the queen be a 
valuable one, take a frame of brood with the queen and adhering 
bees, and put them in an empty hive with some frames of fully 
drawn out combs or sheets of foundation. Shake the bees from 
another comb in the hive. There will then be sufficient bees to do 
the work of the hive, and will make a strong colony by the winter. 
No more swarming will take place, and if in time for the honey 
flow and the weather favourable, a good harvest of honey will be 
the result. 
Italians when first introduced came with a great reputation. 
Having a longer proboscis than our native bee it was thought that 
the bees could extract the nectar from the red Clover ; but I have 
never yet seen the Italian bees gather honey from the red Clover. 
They were also supposed to be good tempered, and not inclined to 
sting. One of their chief characteristics is the bright yellow bands 
round their bodies, which are so much admired, and cause 
them to be easily distinguished from our native bee. They vary 
somewhat in colour, some being much darker than others. They 
are good workers, but I have not found them more so than the 
blacks. It is, however, difficult to keep them pure in the country, 
and when cros ed with the blacks they are very spiteful. 
Cyprians were imported from the island of Cyprus, and are 
similar in appearance to the Italians, but the yellow bands are even 
brighter than in that variety. They vary somewhat in temper, 
some stocks being exceptionally mild tempered, while others are very 
vindictive. They have the character of being good workers, but 
like some of the other foreign bees are much given to swarming 
and rearing a great number of queens. 
Carniolans are evidently a variety of the black bee. They are 
a little larger than our native bee, and their bodies have rather a 
bluish cast ; but when crossed with our native bee they are very 
difficult to detect. They have a great propensity for swarming, 
which is an objection, and will prevent them coming very much 
into favour. 
Panics are also black bees, being darker in colour than our 
native bee, but very similar to the Carniolan ; and under certain 
conditions are good workers, but are inveterate swarmers. Their 
whole aim appears to be increase, and they rear a large number of 
queens, and are constantly throwing off swarms, which is a great 
objection when the honey season is so short, as it usually is in this 
country. As a proof of what they will do in this line one bee¬ 
keeper reared upwards of 2000 queens during the past summer, but 
as it is for the honey harvest the majority of people keep bees, I 
think our native bees will answer that purpose better than any 
other bees. 
“ Hybrids ” are the result of a cross between the black and some 
of the foreign bees. They are invariably good workers but very 
vindictive, and when once roused will often follow a person a long 
distance with the intention of stinging. I do not know of any bee 
that will fill the cells with brood close up to the top bar as these 
will. In dull or windy weather when they cannot get away from 
home they are sometimes very troublesome, and will fly straight at 
the first living object that comes within their reach. In the first 
cross between either an Italian or Cyprian they are often nearly 
as well marked with the bright yellow bands as the pure-bred ones, 
each generation getting gi’adually darker. Although having much 
to recommend them it is not advisable to increase them, as owing 
to their stinging so much they are not pleasant to handle, as at 
such times smoke has but little effect on them. In some parts of 
the country they are very common. When there have been stocks 
of the different foreign bees kept in the neighbourhood it is difficult 
to find a colony of the true English black bee.— An English 
Bee-keeper. 
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. 
Empty Wrappers {To Correspondents'). — We have received 
during the past week two wrappers from which the contents have 
escaped in the post. If any correspondents whose letters are not 
answered will send again what they desire us to see, packing securely, 
their wishes shall have our attention. 
Xaurels Dying Beneath a Barge TTew Tree {Taxad ').—The 
Yew tree contains no substance that is poisonous to Laurels, or even 
to parasitic fungi. The real cause of the Laurels dying is drought and 
poverty of soil, for the Yew occupies the ground densely with its very 
fibrous roots, and by its close top growth and evergreen nature excludes 
light and air. Nothing will thrive under some Yew trees where the 
branches sweep the ground, but under others, taller and less dense, we 
have seen a free growth of the small English Ivy. 
