402 
THE COTTAGE GA11DENER. 
September 23. 
mined to lose no time, and to make them swarm. Early 
the next morning, therefore (June 1st), I lifted off the 
super, which was iiali-iull of bees ; set it in the place of the 
lower box (the old hive), which I took away, turned up, and 
pulled out carefully a line drone-comb entire, with two of 
the royal cells attached to it. This 1 adjusted with care in 
a good sized bee-glass (a super would have done as well, or 
a common straw hive if nothing better presented itself), 
and set it over the super above-mentioned, where were a 
large number of bees, as I said before. Next I removed 
the old box to a vacant place, not four feet distant, in my 
American Juee house, there being a famous artificial driven 
swarm of April 27 th intervening. As it happened, the old 
queen was either in the comb which I had extracted from 
the stock, or amongst the bees in the new box (the super), 
for she was certainly seen there a short time afterwards, and 
tbe two royal cells were in a couple of days destroyed in 
the glass: the old removed stock, in consequence, had to 
await a young queen, who has since turned out very prolific, 
though there were hardly a dozen drones left in the box that 
did not join the swarm and old queen in the super, as did 
the large majority of bees in the old stock ! Subsequently, 
when the young bees were all hatched out, and before the 
young queen had begun to lay, I cut out half of the old 
combs, by way of renewing the hive. These have been 
replaced by beautiful new combs {the drone-combs , moreover , 
being replaced by worker-combs ), and a fair quantity of honey 
has been collected, quite enough for their winter store. 
The swarm in the super is also richly supplied, besides 
which 1 have taken off the glass with about 8lbs. of pure 
honeycomb, all this in a very bad season. Here, then, is an 
instance of artificial help given to a natural swarm on the 
eve of its issue, which was treated according to my system, 
the swarm taking the place of the old stock. Had we but 
some heather about here, I doubt not (for my stocks were 
very populous), that I could have vied with our Yorkshire 
friend, (J. It. li., in the produce of my apiary; but our honey | 
season here lasted only from the 4th to the 17tli of July. 
There was not a pound of honey, I believe, in either of the ; 
above stocks at the end of June ! 
Another instance of similar artificial treatment of a stock 
to the above, and I have done. On the loth of May 1 
turned up a common straw hive, whose queen (a fairly 
prolific mother) was supposed to have been born in 1850. 
On examining the combs narrowly, 1 discovered two royal 
cells with grubs in them, about six or seven days old from 
the laying of the eggs. 1 immediately drove a swarm out of 
the hive, set it on the old stand, in a large hive filled with 
good comb , removed the old stock to another stand four or 
live yards off, and shut it up till the third morning. Both 
hives did well, the swarm having increased lTlbs. in weight 
by the beginning of June. Strange to say, however, on 
examining it the other day, September 4th, its weight was ; 
found to be only about 20 lbs. contents ! while the weight of 
tbe old stock was full 28lbs. contents, and yet the latter hud 
been depopulated on the issue of the swarm, as is usual 
under like circumstances! I have no doubt in my own 
mind that the swarm must have thrown a virgin swarm, or 
swarms, in July, which, for want of watching, escaped us. 
This has been by no means ail uncommon occurrence in 
these parts this year. Certainly, on plundering it the other 
day, by driving out the bees, to add them to a weak experi¬ 
mental stock in my bee-house, the queen appeared much 
larger and liner than the original queen driven in May; 
indeed, I never saw so large a queen at this season of the 
year. 
From the above it will be seen with how much ease and 
advantage embryo natural swarms may be compelled to 
issue from one to seven or eight days, or more, before their 
time, by which means the very annoying loss by escape of 
so many fine swarms may be avoided, and without the least 
injury to either swarm or stock. There is no difficulty in 
turning up a hive of bees occasionally in May or June, and 
it it be done when most of the bees are out in the field, a 
very minute observation of the interior of the hive may be 
obtained. Let the swarm be made when one or two of the 
royal cells are actually ceiled over, and when there is much 
brood oj worker-bees also ceiled over, and the most complete 
success may confidently be anticipated.— A Country Curate. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Heaths Fading (A Young Beginner). —These have Been growing 
freely, have had plenty of air, shade in bright weather, and have been re¬ 
gularly watered, and yet Hyemalis and Exsurgens appear dying, while 
others under the same treatment are thriving. We cannot resolve the 
difficulty. But we have seen such accidents, when after shading , the 
shading medium has been removed, and a herce sun beat upon the pot, 
and the collar of the plant. 
Ipomjea. Learii {Michel).— Much obliged by the information respect¬ 
ing this plant receiving all the drainage from the Boor of an orchard- 
house. Where room was scanty, it would leaf more than bloom in such 
circumstances. 
Warm Conservatory as a Lady’s Floral Boudoir (Ibid).— You 
will see the matter has received some attention. We hope you will per¬ 
severe, and we shall be very glad to hear of your success, even though you 
should give up growing as climbers plants that require a strong and 
moist heat. 
Pruning Conservatory Climbers (Ibid). —This will not be for¬ 
gotten. You would see your want was partly met a fortnight ago. 
Rose Seedlings (A. J.). — Unless you were a first-rate gardener, the 
safest place for your seed-pans all this next winter is close under a south 
wall, the pans or pots being plunged level with the soil, but resting on 
two brick-bats, for safer drainage. Early next April remove the strongest 
of the seedlings to a seed-bed, as Mr. Appleby recommends. 
Greenhouse Bulbs (S. S. S.). —Send us the “long list” of green¬ 
house bulbs which you made from the Cottage Gardeners' Dictionary , 
after making it out alphabetically, and we will analyse it for you, and 
give full information about every one of the bulbs, and also the probable 
prices, and very likely the real prices of a great number. We have often 
wished for such a list. Where a genus is extensive, you need not enu¬ 
merate all the species. 
Daphne odorata ( Recent Subscriber). —This Daphne is propagated 
by grafting on the spurge laurel (Daphne laurcota ), or by cuttings, and 
the best soil for all the Daphnes, is sandy loam, and nothing else. 
Datura (Ibid). —This is as easy to rear from cuttings as a vine or a 
Fuchsia, and it delights in the very best and richest compost one can 
make. The very same treatment as Fuchsias receive will do lor Daturas ; 
they may be planted out-of-doors at the same time as the Dahlias, and 
be left out all the winter, if the frost und damp are kept from them ; old 
plants of them may be housed and kept as dry as Fuchsias in winter, or 
may be set to work at the option of the owner. A hole two feet deep, 
and four feet wide, half filled with the best rotten dung, and the other 
half the best loam in the parish, would make a tolerable good bed for a 
tvvo-ycar-old Datura, and if to this you could add four gallons of moderate 
good liquid-manure three times a-week, from June to September, you 
would see something worth looking at, and worth telling a tale to us 
cottage gardeners. 
Dorking Fowls. —“The writer has a fine Dorking cockcrell six toes on 
one foot, and five on the other, single comb, pure white, which he would 
like to exchange for a similar bird. An advantage to both parties, as it 
is essential to change the male, and not breed in aud in.—1*. IV* 
Hooks. — P. P . wishes for information as to the easiest and most 
practical way of establishing a rookery—trees being suitable. 
Landscape Gardener (J. C .).—They arc as thick as blackberries all 
over the three kingdoms, and their charges have been advertised at from 
one to five guineas a day, and travelling expenses, but what they do or 
did for these sums, we cannot say. Our contributor, Mr. Beaton, goes 
out to be consulted about every species of improvement about estates, 
but does not enter so far as to take jobs, or give plans. Mr. Appleby 
has engaged in the same occupation, as will be seen on referring to an 
advertisement to day. 
Pine Growing (A Dyer by trade). —With a little patience, we will see 
what we can do for you. In the mean time, a little necessary corres¬ 
pondence must take place, preparatory to setting the question before you 
as a guide. 
Substituting Queens (IV. B .).—The only plan I can suggest for 
substituting a young queen for an old one, in the instance of W. B.'s old 
hive, is to fumigate it, and so catch and destroy the old queen before the 
other fumigated bees, with the young queen, arc added to them. It is 
important, before the junction is effected, to be secure of the death of 
the old queen. 1 should say that the cause of the inactivity of W. B.'s 
stock, to which he added in a side-box the fumigated bees of another 
hive, is owing to their queen being cither dead or worn out with age. 
Let him treat it as above, if he prefers fumigating to driving.—A 
Country Curate. 
Petunia Beds (Leguleius). —There were two grand mistakes in your 
plan with the Petunia beds. When people, like you, get up to the 
desirable height from which they can, also like you, exclaim—“My flower- 
garden now presents a splendid spectacle,” we say, from this height, 
we would not envy the head or eye which could appreciate or see any 
beauty in a bed of mixed Petunias, even if only planted with three dis¬ 
tinct sorts. Your beds arc planted with random seedlings, first error; 
and the beds were made one-half too rich for them; the second error 
being nearly as bad as the first. A square, or oblong piece of ground, in 
a nursery, or in a kitchen garden, planted with seedling Petunias, has 
some meaning in it. The plants arc set out there to flower, and to be 
proved; or if a cottager had one bed for flowers, a lot of seedling 
Petunias would look as well in it., if not better, than Stocks or Gilifiowers ; 
but when any one has in two years, by the assistance of The Cottage 
Gardener, arranged “beds of Verbenas, Geraniums, Calceolarias, 
Lobelias, &c., better than he ever saw, even at the crack show places 
round London,” we do not wonder to hear him say that three beds of 
seedling Petunias are no better than one of mixed cabbagevvorts. One 
expense brings on another, and next year you must plant each bed with 
one kind of Petunia only, and the Shrubland Rose is the best. Did you 
sec a better in the “crack places?” Deooniensis is the next best, and 
the Large white one you saw at Kcw, is the best white ; of the three it 
requires the poorest soil—the name is Shrubland White. Devoniensis is 
filled up in the eye, as if going to turn double. 
