January  7,  189?. 
journal  or  horticulture  and  cottage  gardener. 
19 
autumn  and  at  the  present  time.  The  autumn  supply  consisted  of  cow 
manure,  from  which  the  straw  was  shaken  out,  and  horse  droppings. 
The  former,  if  moderately  dry  when  stored,  will  rub  easily  through  a 
half-inch  sieve.  It  is  useless  to  sift  it  if  not  dry  enough,  for  if  laid 
thickly  together  the  labour  of  sifting  would  be  wasted.  If  not  suffi¬ 
ciently  dry  place  it  in  boxes  or  flat  hampers  for  a  few  days  in  the  boiler 
house  or  other  position  to  dry.  Be  careful  that  it  is  not  baked,  for  this 
evil  is  as  bad  as  sifting  it  when  too  wet.  The  horse  droppings  should  be 
in  good  condition  for  passing  through  a  sieve.  The  preparation  of 
manure  for  potting  is  important ;  it  cannot  well  be  too  finely  divided  for 
incorporating  with  other  adhesive  ingredients.  If  it  is  wet  and  adhesive 
it  renders  a  compost  with  which  it  may  be  mixed  unsuitable  for  use. 
Cow  manure  may  be  stored  twelve  months  previous  to  being  used  when 
perfectly  fresh.  Our  plan  is  to  place  it  in  an  old  shed  and  surround  it 
with  dry  loam  to  soak  up  all  the  liquid  that  runs  from  it.  This  loam  is 
equal  to  manure  for  many  plants  afterwards.  As  it  is  removed  from 
the  manure  heap  it  is  mixed  with  equal  quantities  of  dry  loam  and  a 
fresh  supply  placed  round  the  heap  of  manure.  No  waste  takes  place 
by  this  method,  and  the  loam  that  has  been  soaked  with  manure  will  be 
found  invaluable  for  Richardias,  Chrysanthemums,  and  plants  of  a 
similar  nature. 
Artificial  Manures. — The  stock  required  for  the  year’s  supply 
should  be  ordered,  so  that  it  will  be  ready  for  use  when  required. 
Amongst  these  may  be  included  half  and  quarter-inch  bones  with  the 
fine  left  in,  as  well  as  a  supply  of  meal.  A  box  or  barrel  of  soot  should 
also  be  placed  handy  for  use,  and  a  few  barrowfuls  of  wood  ashes.  Very 
few  plants  dislike  the  two  latter,  and  either  may  be  beneficially  used  in 
the  majority  of  composts  where  loam,  leaf  mould,  and  manure  are  mainly 
employed. 
Sand. — If  the  supply  of  the  former  is  not  equal  to  what  will  be 
required  no  time  should  be  lost  in  getting  in  the  necessary  quantity. 
For  mixing  with  composts  it  is  much  better  dry  than  wet,  especially 
early  in  the  season  when  other  ingredients  have  a  tendency  to  be 
moist. 
Pots  and  Crocks. — The  former  should  all  be  washed  ready  for  use 
where  they  are  not  cleaned  as  they  are  emptied  and  stored  away  in 
their  sizes.  The  crocks  must  be  thoroughly  washed  ;  this  is  as  important 
as  using  clean  pots.  The  drainage  of  many  plants  is  rendered  untimely 
defective  by  the  use  of  dirty  crocks.  When  washed  and  dry  sort  and 
break  them  into  various  sizes  ready  for  use,  and  place  them  separately. 
This  is  quickly  done  by  the  aid  of  sieves,  except  the  largest  or  two 
largest  sizes,  and  this  can  be  selected  during  the  process  of  breaking, 
and  should  be  placed  on  one  side  first. 
Babels  and  Stakes, — The  first  we  have  long  since  discontinued 
making,  for  they  can  now  be  purchased  so  cheaply.  The  necessary 
quantity  should  be  ordered  ready  for  use,  and  relabelling  can  be  done 
as  far  as  possible.  It  is  a  mistake  to  leave  it  until  the  different  plants 
require  potting,  as  is  too  frequently  the  case.  Ripoint  Btakes  and  tie 
them  in  sizes,  it  can  then  be  seen  what  sizes  and  the  quantity  that  will 
be  needed.  These,  if  bought,  should  be  placed  in  early  so  that  they  can 
be  pointed.  Small  stakes  for  a  variety  of  purposes  are  generally  in 
demand,  and  for  this  purpose  large  Bamboos  are  bought,  cut  into  lengths, 
and  split ;  the  sharp  edges  are  merely  taken  off  with  a  knife,  and  the 
stakes  pointed  at  one  end. 
Boxes. — Some  will  decay,  and  to  keep  a  good  stock  in  condition 
for  use  a  few  should  be  made  annually.  We  use  common  floor  boards 
6  inches  wide.  The  ends  and  Bides  only  want  sawing  into  lengths. 
The  bottoms  are  soon  nailed  on  if  the  width  is  such  that  two  or  three 
boards  without  sawing  will  cover  it.  For  three  boards  placed  length¬ 
ways  the  boxes  should  be  19  inches  wide,  which  will  allow  two  half-inch 
spaces  for  drainage.  If  shallow  boxes  only  are  needed  the  boards  may 
be  sawed  straight  down  the  centre.  Boxes  last  half  as  long  again  when 
thoroughly  painted  inside  and  out  before  they  are  used. 
Spinach — An  interesting  bulletin  prepared  by  Mr.  L.  F.  Kinney 
of  the  Rhode  Island  Experiment  Station,  treats  of  Spinach  with  a 
description  of  the  most  approved  methods  of  culture  at  the  present 
day,  the  protection  of  plants  against  mildews  and  leaf-miners  and  various 
other  interesting  points.  In  the  matter  of  classification,  four  types  of 
true  Spinach  which  have  originated  from  the  natural  species,  Spinacea 
oleracea,  are  considered.  The  first  of  these  is  the  Norfolk  or  Blooms- 
dale  variety,  which  makes  a  vase-formed,  thick-leaved  plant,  with  leaves 
supported  by  stalks  instead  of  resting  on  the  ground.  This  type  is  not 
popular  among  the  large  growers  because  it  goes  to  seed  early,  and  yet 
it  is  unsurpassed  in  quality  when  harvested  at  the  right  time.  The 
Round-leaved  Spinach  is  the  second  type,  and  it  makes  a  compact  round 
plant  with  dark  green,  slow  growing  leaves  formed  close  to  the  ground. 
The  third  type  is  the  Thick-leaved  Spinach,  which  has  the  ends  of  the 
leaves  pointed.  It  grows  to  a  large  size  very  rapidly.  The  Prickly-seed 
Spinach  has  leaves  with  long,  slender  stalks  and  narrow  blades,  and  is 
not  planted  in  the  north  as  much  as  it  deserves.  Tne  so-called  New 
Zaaland  Spinach  is  botanically  Tetragonia  expansa,  which,  when 
properly  cooked,  makes  a  good  substitute  for  Spinach,  and  can  be  grown 
during  the  hot  summer  months,  when  it  is  impracticable  to  grow  the 
true  Spinach.  The  Mountain  Spinach,  or  Garden  Orache,  is  botanically 
Atriplex  hortensis,  and  none  of  its  forms  has  much  to  recommend  it. 
Spinach  has  been  cultivated  for  a  thousand  years,  but  it  was  not  grown 
in  European  gardens  until  the  fifteenth  or  sixteenth  century,  and  the 
greatest  progress  in  its  cultivation  has  been  made  within  the  last  fifty 
years. — (“  Garden  and  Forest,”) 
Hives  with  Ten  Standard  Frames. 
I  hail  with  pleasure  the  remarks  of  George  Howdenshire 
(page  618)  on  this  subject.  He  says,  “Is  a  hive  with  ten  standard 
frames  large  enough  ?  ”  and  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  it  is  not. 
At  this  season,  when  all  is  quiet  in  the  apiary,  a  discussion 
between  practical  bee-keepers  will  be  beneficial  to  all  who  are 
anxious  to  improve,  as  far  as  is  possible,  on  the  various  methods  of 
bee  management.  I  take  it  for  granted  that  the  chief  aim  of 
bee-keepers  is  to  obtain  a  rich  harvest  of  honey  ;  the  fertilisation 
of  their  own  and  neighbours’  fruit  trees  when  in  bloom  being 
only  a  secondary  consideration. 
How  is  this  to  be  done  ?  Will  bees  store  more  honey  in  a  hive 
holding  ten  standard  frames,  which  in  due  course  at  the  proper 
season  has  another  hive  of  the  same  dimensions  placed  on  the  top 
and  holding  the  same  number  of  frames,  or  a  hive  holding  twenty 
frames  of  the  same  size  ?  I  have  experimented,  not  once  but  dozens 
of  times,  with  hives  of  the  above  dimensions,  and  whether  it  has 
been  for  weight  or  quality  of  honey,  or  ease  in  manipulation, 
I  must  own  to  having  a  strong  liking  for  the  former.  Your 
correspondent  has  not  carefully  read  my  previous  notes  on  this 
subject,  or  he  would  not  have  propounded  the  above  query. 
I  prefer  a  hive  with  sufficient  space  for  ten  standard  frames, 
because  a  strong  colony  of  bees  will  store  sufficient  (whether  it  be 
honey  or  sugar)  for  their  requirements  until  a  limited  quantity  is 
obtained  from  the  early  spring  flowers.  I  fail  to  see  the  advantage 
derived  from  allowing  100  lbs.  of  honey  to  remain  in  the  body  of 
the  hive,  and  twelve  frames,  at  least,  of  sealed. up  stores  would 
not  be  beneficial  to  the  bees.  Again,  if  looked  at  from  the  pro¬ 
fitable  side  of  bee-keeping,  my  wholesale  price  of  honey  obtained 
during  the  past  season  was  7d.  per  lb.  ;  granulated  sugar  for 
autumn  feeding  cost  less  than  2d.  per  lb. 
If  no  other  reason  were  forthcoming,  this  is  sufficient,  when 
profit  and  loss  is  taken  into  account,  to  prove  that  it  is  not 
wise  to  allow  a  large  surplus  of  honey  to  remain  in  the  hives 
during  the  winter.  If  a  rapid  feeder  is  used,  and  the  bees  are  fed 
early  in  the  autumn,  a  strong  colony  will  carry  down  sufficient 
syrup  in  forty-eight  hours  to  provide  for  all  their  wants  until  the 
following  spring.  I  never  under  any  pretence  extract  honey 
from  the  body  of  the  hive  ;  and  if  a  large  hive  is  used,  brood  will 
be  found  in  nearly  all  the  frames  by  the  time  the  white  Clover  is 
in  bloom.  This  may  be  prevented,  if  run  honey  is  required,  by 
placing  a  sheet  of  queen  excluder  zinc  between  the  frames.  If 
comb  honey  is  required  this  is  not  necessary,  as  a  strong  colony 
will  readily  work  in  sections. 
Bees  will  always  store  honey  more  freely  in  supers  (whether 
they  are  frames  or  sections)  when  placed  directly  over  the  brood 
nest  than  if  placed  on  the  same  level  in  the  body  of  the  hive. 
Run,  or  extracted  honey,  is  so  much  superior  when  obtained  from 
supers  free  from  brood  and  pollen,  and  in  no  other  form  have  I 
been  able  to  procure  so  good  a  Bample  as  from 
The  Doubling  System. 
In  advocating  a  ten-frame  hive  I  will  state  How  I  obtain  as 
much  bee  room  as  those  who  favour  much  larger  hives.  If  bees 
are  confined  to  only  ten  frames  the  space  is  too  limited  to  obtain  a 
surplus,  and  instead  of  gathering  honey  they  will  in  all  probability 
have  the  swarming  mania,  and  by  the  time  they  have  settled  down 
to  work  the  honey  flow  will  be  over. 
The  secret  of  the  successful  management  of  bees  is  in  doing  the 
necessary  work  at  the  right  time,  not  leaving  until  to-morrow,  or 
it  may  be  next  week,  what  ought  to  be  done  to-day.  If  the  hives 
are  numbered  (as  they  always  should  be),  and  a  note  made  of 
the  age  of  the  queens,  select  those  stocks  having  a  young  fertile 
queen  hatched  the  previous  season.  It  will  take  about  six  weeks  to 
build  up  a  colony  of  sufficient  strength  to  take  full  advantage  of 
the  honey  flow.  Our  chief  aim  is  to  obtain  as  much  honey  as 
possible  from  the  white  Clover,  which  is  usually  in  bloom  in  this 
locality  (South  Yorkshire)  from  the  middle  of  June  to  the  middle 
of  July,  lasting  a  little  over  three  weeks. 
If  we  could  command  bright  days  and  warm  n:ghts  the 
whole  of  that  time  a  strong  colony  in  a  good  Clover  district 
would,  I  have  no  doubt,  store  the  250  lbs.  that  “  G.  H.”  wants  but 
probably  does  not  often  get.  By  the  first  week  in  J une,  if  the 
selected  stocks  have  done  well,  each  will  be  overflow  ng  with  bees. 
The  first  hive  to  be  operated  on  should  then  be  examined,  a  fine  day 
being  chosen  when  the  bees  are  busy  working.  Lift  out  the  frame* 
unti'.  the  queen  is  found,  and  place  the  frame  containing  the  queen 
on  one  side.  Remove  four  or  five  of  the  frames  from  the  centre 
of  the  brood  nest,  and  replace  with  fully  drawn  out  combs  or  full 
