A. U GUST 1-1.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
i hive, perhaps reared in another l-oyal cell which had escaped 
my notice? Anxious to ascertain this, I fumigated and 
examined the interior of the hive again with more care than 
1 before, but there was no sign of a queen or a royal cell. 
Finding, after returning the bees, that the glass continued to 
be deserted at night, I removed it and opened the remaining 
cell, where was a full grown and perfectly-developed nymph of 
royalty, still white, but evidently wanting but a few days to 
her escape from imprisonment. She was quite cold, how- 
j ever, and shewed no signs of animation, even though I held 
; her to the fire. Again was the hive in commotion, which 
continued till I had adjusted in the same glass a beautiful 
piece of w’liite comb cut out of one of my artificial stocks, 
containing both eggs and young brood in worker cells. 
Still was the glass deserted every night till the 10th of May, 
up to which time, though six or seven royal cells had been 
formed, they never made more than a three or four day’s 
progress, being regularly demolished, and the grub dragged 
out. Doubtless the cold had killed them. Wearied at last 
with this state of things, on the 10th I fumigated the hive 
a third time, and joined the bees to one of my weak stocks 
up stairs, which they very materially strengthened. Had 
the weather been warmer, and of a more propitious cha¬ 
racter, no doubt a queen would have been hatched out in 
due time; and certainly so, had I not meddled with the hive 
at all. A Country Curate. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Bees in King’s Safety Hives. —Melittophilos writes to us thus:— 
“ I last year commenced bee-keeping, in entire ignorance of the subject, 
and without having previously given it a thought; excepting that I 
always considered the plan of suffocating these industrious and most 
interesting creatures, which all my neighbours pursue, as a very cruel, 
and as I now think, a very unwise one. Early in 1850, I visited an 
apiary at Cambridge, where King’s Safety Hives were in use, and at the 
recommendation of the master, purchased two of them. These were 
stocked with good swarms ; the one in May, and the other in the early 
part of July. They were placed in a south aspect, and appeared to me to 
work well during the summer and autumn ; but excepting that each com¬ 
menced forming comb in one of the drawers, nothing else resulted, nor, 
perhaps, had I anything else to expect. When winter approached, I re¬ 
moved the hives to a northern aspect, thatching them well with straw', 
and when the spring arrived, removed them back to their former situa¬ 
tion. At the latter end of May last, I took a drawer from one of these 
hives, and found about 2j lbs. of comb and honey in it ; but much of the 
comb contained brood. The week following I took a drawer from the 
other hive, in which the comb was not half filled with honey, and very 
few cells were closed up. The taking these drawers so early, I now be¬ 
lieve to have been a very ignorant and foolish proceeding. In June each 
hive threw off a good large swarm, and as I had nothing better at hand, 
they were hived in common cottage hives, and in about a week after this 
I had two casts, one of them a very small one, but not being on the spot 
at the time, I do not know from whence they came. These I also hived 
in cottage hives, so that I have now four cottage hives, and two of King’s 
Safety Hives—all occupied. Since the swarming, these latter stocks 
have each filled a drawer with comb and honey, but the cells are not yet 
closed. With respect to the kind of protection necessary for the hives, I 
find Mr. Payne discards bee-houses altogether, but surely something may 
be allowed, that is a little more sightly in a garden than milk-pans. And 
I should like to have your sanction to a simple shed, weather-boarded on 
the roof, and at the ends, but with open back and front. The floor-boards 
of the hives to be placed on strong bars about 18 inches from the ground, 
and under the apex of the roof. What the length of the pitch of the 
roof should be, so as effectually to screen the hives from the sun and rain, 
I would beg to be informed; and also how high the apex should be from 
the bars on which the floor-boards are placed. The ends and roof might 
then, I think, be covered with honeysuckle and roses, and would be 
rather ornamental than otherwise. The floor-boards would of course be 
placed at a sufficient distance from each other to allow of their easy re¬ 
moval for any operation that might be necessary.” Your bees should 
not have been allowed to enter the drawers of “ King’s hive ” until three 
weeks after they had been hived, their going immediately into the 
drawers is the reason that brood was found in them, they were also taken 
much too early. Your casts should have been united. (See The Cottage 
Gaedener, vol. ii., page 1 04). Your best plan now will be to get some of 
the bees from your neighbours (all of whom you say pursue the plan of 
suffocation) and join them to your two casts, and then make up the stocks 
by feeding, to 20 or 25 pounds each. (See Cottage Gardener, vol., ii. 
p. 310). For the method of getting your neighbours doomed bees (among 
whom we trust your example will put an end to the fire-and-brimstone 
process), see Cottage Gardener, vol. iv., page 279 , and the Apiarian’s 
Calendar for August, in our last number. Let your cottage hives, and 
“ King’s boxes ” remain as they are till next year ; put the swarms which 
issue from them next season into Payne’s Improved Cottage Hives, and 
Taylor’s Amateurs Box-hives, and then in the autumn drive the whole 
of your old stocks; leave your drawers as they are. Mr. Payne recom¬ 
mends the milk-pan, not only on account of its being a most effectual 
protection from wet, but for its cheapness also, and when painted is not 
so very unsightly ; however, he has no objection to the kind of shed you 
mention, but you must have sufficient room between the bars on which 
the floor-boards are placed, and the apex of the roof, to put a straw 
cover over glasses that may be placed upon your Improved Cottage 
Hives, which will require your roof to project a good deal, both in front 
and back, to protect your hives from driving rains. 
311 
Crassulas (A. B. C.). —As soon as they have done flowering let them 
go dry for a week or so, then cut them down, and let them break just 
like geraniums. Keep them close to the glass all the winter, with no more 
heat than to secure them from the frost, and no more water than will 
keep them from shrivelling ; shake them out of the pots in March, and 
begin to grow them slowly and close to the glass. These will not flower 
next year, but the year following. That is one way to meet an extreme 
case; but the same result would be obtained by keeping them uncut till 
March, and all but dry from October till then. Not knowing, however, 
the size or age of your plants—whether they have flowered this season or 
not—it is impossible to answer you to the point: read their culture in 
our first volume, and then let us hear from you. Plants of all kinds that 
were cut down or stopped last spring, or those from cuttings put in then, 
have now nearly finished a season’s growth—by all means such plants 
should be ripened this autumn, either in or out of doors, and also be 
kept rather dry all the winter. This is a good time to put in cuttings of 
them, to flower next Jnne, or to be stopped next spring for flowering next 
June twelve-months. The best rule as to “water and temperature during 
the winter,” is, dry in winter, and water in summer, and low temperature 
at all stages of their existence. If you could keep them at 35° all winter, 
and for the rest of the year no more heat than our open climate gives, 
you would succeed. Gardeners can force them early in the spring, after 
cutting a potting ; but heat is a most dangerous agent for them under 
amateur culture. 
Various Questions (Flora). —The Arbutus bears to be cut down or 1 
pruned at any time; but the early summer months is the best time, j 
Can any of our readers give a recipe “ for preserving the berries of the 
Arbutus for garnishing ? ” We are not aware that any of the Verbenas 
bloom through the winter in a heat of 60° to 65°—that is, in the heat of 
an orchid house. “ What occasions a black mildew on leaves, and what 
will hinder it?” Can any of our readers tell what? Orange-trees in 
health usually blossom every year in the spring, or early in the summer. 
The shoots ought to be pruned annually, more or less, after flowering, 
and any strong new shoots ought to be stopped. Medium-sized wood 
blooms best. 
Bignonia jasminoides (Ibid). —This most beautiful climber has been 
in bloom with us on the open wall these six weeks, and will last so till 
late in September ; but it is anything but “vigorous,” like yours. We 
believe it never flowers well if growing strong ;—root-prune immediately. 
Open the ground about the roots, and cut one half of the strong roots 
six inches from the stem, and see what that will do. You must get it to 
spur like an old pear-tree before it will be “ a sheet of bloom.” 
Bees (An Incumbent). —The reason why your bees ceased working in 
the super, after they had swarmed, was on account of the population of 
your hive being by that circumstance greatly reduced. When a cup, or 
glass, is partially filled, and the bees swarm and cease working in the 
glass, it is better, after three weeks, to remove the glass from the old 
stock, and place it upon the swarm, where, in a very few days, it will be 
finished. Your “brother apiarian,” whose bees are carrying on their 
work in a glass after having swarmed, must be residing in a remarkably 
good locality. You should have inverted the hive you wished to drive the 
bees from ; in future do so, and if the two hives are exactly of the same 
size at bottom your object will be accomplished in a very few minutes ; 
the best time for this operation is from twelve to two o’clock, upon a 
bright day. See the article “ Forcing Swarms,” Apiarian’s Calendar, in 
The Cottage Gardener, page 275 , present vol. 
Size of Hives (A Beginner ).—Your hive, which you say, holds sixty 
pounds of honey, is much too large for the depriving place. If you wish 
to encourage your bees on the depriving system, get Payne’s Improved 
Cottage Hives, and follow the directions given in his book, which you 
say you have. This hive will hold a sufficient winter’s supply. 
Roses for South Wall (Weston). —Your south wall, six feet high, 
and well sheltered, would do for the best Tea-scented varieties ; but as 
you want “rapid growth,” a selection of the hybrid perpetuals will suit 
you best, and they, too, are as much “evergreen ” as the climbing ones 
of that name. Take Baronne Prevost, Duchess of Sutherland, Comte 
d’Montalivet, Earl Talbot, Madame Latfay, Mrs. Elliot, William Jesse, 
Geant des Batailles, and La Reine. Madame Laffuy and Mrs. Elliot are 
the best to bud others on, and on them you might establish the best 
Bourbons and Tea-scented against your wall. 
Bees (D. Powell ).—You say, “ I have now a stock-hive, removed on 
28th March last, which seemed to do very well, as the bees appeared 
active, and carried in large quantities of pollen. I bought them in one 
of the old bell-shaped hives, and have been expecting a swarm for the 
last six weeks ; and although they have frequently clustered in large 
numbers, yet, in consequence of the very changeable weather we have 
had here, I have no swarm up to this date. I, however, am daily ex¬ 
pecting one, as the clustering still continues on every fine day.” It is 
very desirable that your bees should not swarm thus late in the year. 
You will risk the loss of your first stocks by having them removed at this 
season. Wait, by all means, till next spring ; let them swarm, and put 
the swarm into Payne’s hives. By liberal feeding in September, you may 
enable a stock that has neither comb nor honey (provided that it be rich 
in bees) to lay up a sufficient store for winter. 
Bees (J. V.). —By no means think of transferring your bees ; let them 
remain as they are, and put the swarm from them next year into your 
“ new painted hive.” If your hire at Michaelmas w'eighs 22 lbs. it will 
be sufficiently stored for the winter. If you get any of the cottagers’ 
“rejected” bees, put two or three stocks together into an empty hive, 
and by giving them about 27 lbs. of syrup made with 1 lb. lump-sugar, 
3-pint water, and 23 lbs. honey, boiled three minutes, you will have 
a good stock well stored with food for the winter. Pay no regard to the 
queens, the bees will settle that matter themselves. Feed your bees in 
September till they weigh 20 lbs. You had better not remove your bees 
till winter. A straw hive does not require a condenser. 
Roses for North of Ireland (J. N -, Omagh). —In answer to 
your request for a list of varieties “ to flower as early and as late in the 
year as possible,” we have the following from one of our best rose 
growers. Hybrid Perfetuals.— Amandine, blush ; Baronne Prevost, 
brilliant rose ; Baron Hallez, light crimson ; Countesse Duchatel, crim* 
