574 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
December 20, 1894. 
Solanums.— To do these well cuttings should be rooted early. To 
obtain these, introduce a plant or two that has not berried well into 
heat to induce growth. Soft-growing ends should be taken off and 
inserted into sandy soil, and potted singly as soon as they are rooted. 
The shoots should be pinched from time to time, and the plants repotted 
until they are placed into 5 or 6-inch. Grow them inside in an 
intermediate temperature until May, then gradually harden and place 
them in frames. 
Grevlllea robusta. —Plants that have become damaged may be cut 
close back to the surface of the soil. If placed in a temperature of 50° 
they will soon break again into growth, and make good plants long 
before those raised from seed. They can be grown on with two or three 
shoots if preferred to those with a single stem. The latter are best for 
most purposes, and if the roots are carefully reduced after they 
have broken into growth and the plants repotted, they will grow 
rapidly after they are once started. Plants of Aralia Sieboldi that have 
become bare may be subjected to the same treatment, while the head 
may be taken off where the wood is soft, and re-rooted under a bell- 
glass in heat. 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
The Lanarkshire Storifying Hive. 
{Continued from page 552.) 
The flight board has a pivot on the end, the edge being 
rounded as well as the pivot next the rebate (fig. 94) so as to turn 
easily within a wire staple driven in at an angle on the upper edge 
of the stand. Or to turn in a “ bosshead ” as shown at fig. 95, 
FIG. 94. PIG. 95. 
the long end to be on the hive. Instead of rebating the flight board, 
it is a better plan after making room for the “ bosshead ” with a 
saw the proper depth to nail a fillet of wood on the pivot and the 
whole length of flight board. The ladder may be attached to 
the former with backflap hinges or staples, two forming a hinge ; 
four are required. 
I omitted to mention that in order to prevent the mouthpiece 
shaking out when in transit, it is secured by a piece of wire bent as 
in fig. 96, about 3 inches long, and fixed with staples so as to 
form a slip bolt, and at a considerable angle to prevent it slipping 
back. 
The pedestal is made from the wood of crates in which honey 
jars come. The pieces are 1 foot 10 inches long by 4 inches broad 
and seven-eighths of an inch thick. They are nailed at the corners 
to form a square frame on which the hive is set after being 
thoroughly tarred. The ground being levelled a piece of tarred 
and limed felt the size of the pedestal is laid under it, and the hive is 
then stood in position. To make it rigid and secure against storms 
hooping may be fixed with brass screens to the feet or sides of the 
hive. The hive being attached to a pedestal with a broad base 
enables it to resist the most violent storms. “ How am I to prevent 
insects entering the hive ? ” some persona may ask. This is easily 
accomplished. Raise the ladder in front of the flight board from 
the ground with a cord or wire. Place the feet of the hive in 
saucers containing some sort of liquid distasteful to the insects, 
then have a saucer at each side with a “pap” or thimble in the centre 
of it, and a hole through the centre of the “ pap.” Bend the hoop- 
ings to suitable angles, put round-headed heavy brass screws 
through the iron and saucers and sides of the hive. To obviate 
lifting the screws notch the iron as shown in fig. 97, and a 
slight tap with a hammer will either make firm or slacken them.— 
A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
(To be concluded.) 
NOTES ON HIVES. 
The moveable comb or frame hive is the one chiefly used by 
advanced bee-keepers in this country, and since its introduction 
great strides have been made in the production of honey. The 
advantage they have over the old system of fixed combs is that 
they can be removed from the hive without injury, the honey 
extracted without damaging the combs, and be replaced in the hive 
to be again filled with honey, thus effecting an increased harvest of 
honey. By using full sheets of wax foundation much valuable 
time is saved, as the bees will consume a considerable amount of 
honey before they fill a hive with natural combs, some authorities 
placing it as high as 20 lbs. of honey for every pound of wax used 
in building the combs. I think this is too high an estimate, but the 
amount consumed must be very high. 
It is surprising what work a strong swarm will do in a short 
time if the weather is favourable. I had an experience of this in 
the Jubilee year. Being from home on Jubilee day, and not 
returning until evening, I found a strong swarm had come off 
during my absence, but had been hived into a straw skep. It was 
then too late to find out which hive they had come from, as I was 
anxious to obtain honey and not an increase of stock, and having 
no comb on hand, I at once fixed some narrow strips of foundation 
to ten standard frames, and shook the bees from the straw skep into 
the frame hive, covered them and left them. Three days afterwards 
I put on a crate of twenty-one sections. A fortnight later, noticing 
the bees bagging out at the entrance of hive, I examined the 
sections and found them all full and sealed. The frames, too, were 
all filled with beautiful white combs. (This stock subsequently filled 
another crate of sections, but did not quite finish them off, thus 
showing what a strong swarm will do in a short time providing the 
weather is favourable during the honey flow. Had the swarm been 
put on full sheets of foundation, or on fully drawn out combs, 
they would doubtless have gathered much more honey in the 
time, 
I always use the thin super foundation for brood combs, and 
have never had any trouble with them breaking down. It is 
economy to use them, as there are about fifteen sheets to the pound ; 
whereas by using the thick foundation, which is usually recom¬ 
mended for the purpose, there will be only from five to seven 
sheets to the pound, different makers varying them somewhat in 
thickness. It is better for a beginner to at first use wired founda¬ 
tion, which can be obtained from any dealer in bee appliances. In 
using full sheets of thin foundation for brood combs care is 
required to prevent “sagging,” for unless the combs hang straight in 
the hive they will not be interchangeable, which is so necessary 
under this system of management. It is better to use old combs 
alternately with the foundation, or the beginner may have a break¬ 
down, and the bees and foundation will be a confused mass on the 
floor board. I have sometimes found it an advantage when an 
extra strong natural swarm has come off to put three or four 
frames in the middle of the hive with only narrow strips of 
foundation to act as guide combs. The bees will cluster on these, 
and start comb-building at once, [storing honey in the outside 
frames of fully drawn-out combs that were given to them at the 
same time. I always keep a stock of frames on hand for an 
emergency. I shall return to the subject of hives in my next 
notes.— An English Bee-keeper. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
W, Cutbush & Son, Higbgate Nurseries, London.— Herbaceous and- 
Bulbous Plants; Dahlias, Carnatioyis and Begonias. 
J. R. Pearson & Sons, Chilwell Nurseries, Beeston, Notts.— ChryS' 
anthemums. 
Sutton & Sons, Reading.— Amateurs' Guide in Horticulture for 
1895. 
E. Webb & Sons, Wordsley, Stourbridge.— Sjgring Catalogue for 1895, 
