THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Octobek, 6 , 1857. 
one I witnessed. Now, a soil that will grow Grapes to 
such perfection with but little assistance in raanurial 
matters, must necessarily be the one best adapted to 
maintain a healthy and long-sustained growth; for we all 
know that the uses of all artificial substances are more 
temporary than natural ones ; consequently, in the case 
alluded to, the Vines were improving every year in spite 
of heavy crops, which is seldom the case where a very 
! rich compost is made use of, the latter, it is to be feared, 
often subsiding into a fat, unhealthy mass, more like 
, unctuous clay or soap than a healthy medium to main¬ 
tain a vigorous plant like the Grape Vine, while the 
component parts of a soil naturally suitable of itself 
remain unchanged by time. True, it may part with 
some of its soluble portions, and become what is com¬ 
monly termed poor, but its chemical constituents are 
the same; and that the soil of the district I speak of was 
the one that best suited the Vine was, I think, fairly 
proved by the excellent condition the fruit was in that 
| was growing there, as the treatment the Vines received 
in the shape of pruning, &c., was of the ordinary kind. 
! The quality of the soil is, therefore, the next thing to 
look to. This, unfortunately, is a matter not easily 
explained, as a mere description of a soil conveys but an 
imperfect idea of what it is ; but 1 may say that it was 
a black, sandy one, resting on a porous subsoil, which 
had more the character of a clay than of a sand, yet was 
not impervious to moisture ; but the ordinary products 
of the adjoining lands might convey some better know¬ 
ledge of what it was. 
I believe the soil I have just described forms the 
staple of a considerable part of the northern part of 
Cheshire, and seems well adapted for grazing, the turf 
beings thick, and having an excellent bottom, and the 
j quickness with which a piece of new-sown ground gets 
a good bottom proves how well it is adapted for that 
purpose. Potatoes grow also well on it, though liable 
to disease ; Carrots are also good; but the prime vegetable 
crop is Celery, which is remarkably good, the famed 
Manchester Celery being mostly obtained from this dis¬ 
trict. Turnips and all the Cabbage and Broccoli tribe 
I also thrive remarkably well. I do not mean to say that 
j they survive the winter better than elsewhere, but they 
grow well, as likewise do Lettuce and some other things. 
I am not aware whether Asparagus answers, but I 
should think, perhaps, not very well; neither did 1 see 
any very good crop of Onions. The ground seems better 
adapted to grass than corn crops, as the wheat, though 
j pretty good, was not so well headed as it is in some 
places, and the best thriving forest trees were Oaks and 
i Poplars, Elms, Beech, and Larch Eirs not doing so well, 
j and the quickset hedges were not so good as are often 
seen elsewhere. 
I cannot conclude this article without mentioning that 
in some houses and pits adjoining the graperies some 
very good Pines were grown. In one house there were 
upwards of 450 all in fruit, and nearly all of one kind— 
Montserrats—which are especial favourites here. In 
fact, over most of the north of England this Pine is 
of more repute than it is around London. Those in 
question were grown in pots, and being of uniform 
growth, and all about advanced in fruit alike, looked 
remarkably well, and had the Grapes not been a subject 
of particular attention, they might have received a 
higher meed of approbation. As it was they looked well, 
and reflected great credit on Mr. Clark’s gardener, Mr. 
Summers, who seemed well versed in everything con- 
' nected with his calling, and, with the urbanity which 
forms a leading feature in the character of gardeners in 
! general, freely communicated everything connected with 
the growth of the things under his charge, which in their 
respective growths were not exceeded by anything I had 
seen in the ramble of a week or more in that neighbour¬ 
hood. J. Robson. 
THE STEWARTON HIVE. 
Last month I intended to have sent you the result of a 
trial of the Stewarton hive, and am this morning (19th of 
September) reminded of my neglect by reading the account 
Mr. Tegetmeier has given in your paper of September 8th, 
just received. 
In May last I received the hive, consisting of four boxes, 
from Mr. Eaglesham, with directions to place a swarm in 
two boxes, which in very favourable weather (we certainly 
have had as much as usual this summer) would be filled in 
about fourteen days; then a super was to be furnished, and 
when the bees bad begun fairly to work therein the fourth 
box was to be placed below the stock box. Nothing was 
said as to the size or weight of the swarm that was to occupy 
the two boxes. 
On the 5th of June I placed a 3f lb. swarm in one box, 
convinced by close observation during seven years that two 
would be too much space for any southern swarm, and put it 
into the same place the stock had occupied from which this 
swarm had issued. A vast number of outlying bees, in a 
mass about the size of a small cap hive, lay outside the 
entrance, and were peaceably admitted on its being opened. 
The destruction of drones in the parent stock immediately 
commenced, and now it is so weak in bees that I fear it will 
be unable to resist the attack of wasps and retain sufficient 
food for winter. Its contents weighed, 28th of August, 
15^ lbs. 
In eighteen days I observed comb at the window of the 
Stewarton box, and then a super was given to it, in which 
the bees at once began their work. On the 29th of August 
I took the whole up. The weight of the lower and upper 
box, in which three pieces of comb had been made, was, 
including bees, 301bs., and from this I ran 18 lbs. 5 ozs. of 
honey. 
Now, looking at this result in connection with those given 
by Mr. Tegetmeier, I must say that I see no advantage in 
the Stewarton hive over and above other hives adapted for 
storifying for us in the south, and from the difficulty of 
moving the wood slides, fitting in the small pieces, and the 
danger of breaking the ends of the slides, as they must 
project, I do not think they are to be preferred to a 
Neighbour’s hive except as to price; and if, in this 
respect Mr. Neighbour would learn a lesson from our 
northern friends, his hive would be decidedly preferred. 
He would gain by the increased sale, and the public an 
advantage by the reduced price. 
Mr. Eaglesham says, as Mr. Tegetmeier informs us, “ Our 
success is certainly owing to the strength of our swarms.” 
I should rather say to the excellent bee pasture they have. 
A southern swarm of equal weight to a northern will not, 
except in the most favourable situations, gather so much 
honey. In the north the bees have two harvests, the sum¬ 
mer jlowers and the autumn Ling. If our spring and early 
summer are favourable we do fairly; but if they are cold and 
unsettled, with wind at north or north-east, the bees have 
little opportunity afterwards for gaining much from the. few 
flowers that remain when bay time is past. 
Mr. Tegetmeier is right in saying it cannot be too deeply 
impressed upon all bee-keepers to have strong swarms, and 
in a future communication I will, if you please, give you 
the results of two or three strong swarms that issued in a 
past year. These I think will show you that even with a 
strong swarm we in the south can hardly expect to reach the 
results obtained by our friends in the north * 
It has often occurred to me that if three or four of your 
bee correspondents would agree to give the result of their 
observations on certain points and at certain times with 
reference to two or three stocks they would be much in¬ 
terested, and perhaps, through your kindness, many of your 
readers profited. These observations might be forwarded 
to your apiarian conductor, who, if lie thought fit, might 
put questions thereon. To the expense he might thereby 
incur each correspondent would contribute. I would pro¬ 
pose to begin on the 1st of October or 1st of November 
with three or four stocks, by stating the kind and size of 
hive, weight of contents, age of queen, how placed, &c. 
—B. B. 
