April  18,  1197. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
327 
Other  colonies  to  which  a  young  queen  had  been  introduced 
may  become  weak,  owing  to  the  fact  that  there  are  no  young  bees 
to  take  the  place  of  the  old  worn  out  bees,  as  very  few  of  the 
workers  hatched  at  midsummer  will  be  found  alive  at  early  spring. 
Some  queens  stop  laying  much  earlier  than  others,  and  to  this  fact 
(all  other  things  being  equal)  more  than  any  other,  I  ascribe  so 
much  difference  in  the  various  stocks  at  this  season. 
It  is  not  advisable  to  encourage  the  queen  to  continue  laying 
after  the  middle  of  September,  and  care  should  always  be  taken  to 
feed  them  up  for  winter  (which  operation  I  always  carry  out  as 
soon  after  the  honey  flow  is  over  as  possible).  Examine  all 
colonies  a  few  weeks  afterwards  to  see  that  they  are  provided  with 
sufficient  stores  to  tide  over  the  winter,  and  any  that  are  short 
through  the  above  causes  should  be  at  once  supplied  with  the 
necessary  stores.  This  has  more  to  do  with  the  successful  wintering 
of  bees  than  many  bee-keepers  suppose,  even  more  than  any  special 
hive,  or  the  position  in  which  it  is  placed.  This,  and  having  all 
hives  thoroughly  waterproof,  are  the  chief  factors  in  connection 
with  the  successful  wintering  of  bees. 
Straw  Skeps. 
Bees  invariably  winter  well  in  the  old  fashioned  straw  skep, 
but  what  has  been  said  about  the  moveable  frame  hive  is  equally 
true  about  bees  in  skeps.  The  late  Mr.  Pettigrew  was  a  firm 
believer  in  the  straw  skep,  and  recommended  bee-keepers  to  use 
“nothing  but  straw  hives  for  bees.  Hives  made  of  wood  at 
certain  seasons  of  the  year  condense  the  moisture  arising  from  the 
bees,  and  this  condensed  moisture  rots  the  combs.”  Were  he 
living  at  the  present  day  he  would  doubtless  have  altered  his 
opinion  of  wooden  hives,  as  they  are  now  more  common  throughout 
the  country  than  straw  skeps,  and  a  much  greater  weight  of  honey 
is  obtained  annually  in  consequence.  It  is  better  to  allow  the 
bees  in  straw  skeps  to  swarm,  as  by  this  means  they  will  be  kept  in 
a  healthier  condition  than  if  supered  year  after  year  without  the 
combs  being  renewed. 
There  has  been  a  great  loss  of  bees  during  the  past  winter 
among  cottagers  who  keep  their  bees  in  straw  skeps.  It  cannot  be 
owing  to  the  severity  of  the  winter,  but  through  the  loss  of  queens 
at  a  critical  period,  when  it  was  impossible  to  rear  others.  Owing 
to  the  peculiar  season  few  swarms  were  obtained  last  year  from 
skeps.  The  queens  in  many  cases  that  have  come  under  my 
notice  were  three  years  old,  ample  stores  of  honey  were  in  the 
hives,  but  they  succumbed  from  old  age. 
With  the  moveable  frame  hive  this  could  have  been  prevented 
(as  it  might  have  been  in  skeps),  but  so  few  bee-keepers  who 
are  contented  to  keep  bees  in  skeps  ever  take  the  trouble  to 
examine  them. — An  English  Bee-keeper. 
LARGE  HIVES. 
“  An  English  Bee-keeper  ”  (page  281)  says,  “  I  agree  with  ‘  G.  H.' 
(page  240)  when  he  states  that  large  hives  need  less  attention  as  to 
feeding,  bat  he  does  not  gay  why  this  is  so.”  I  hasten  to  tell  “  A.  E.  B.” 
that  I  have  found  hives  having  capacity  for  the  full  laying  powers  of 
the  queen,  and  stores  for  carrying  on  the  work  of  the  hive.  I  refer  to 
hives  having  nearly  4000  cubic  inches.  Such  hives  keep  abreast  of  the 
time,  and  the  queen  laying  from  3000  to  4000  eggs  daily  the  bees  have 
not  room  for  the  storage  of  honey  to  prevent  them  entering  the  supers, 
as  “A.  E.  B.”  supposes;  but  on  the  contrary,  there  are  more  bees  to  work 
in  thesupers.  Again,  “  A.  E.  B.”  says,  If  the  hive  is  larger  than  is  necessary 
by  the  time  this  takes  place  the  honey  flow  will  be  quite  over,  and  little 
surplus  will  be  stored  in  the  supers. 
“  It  must  have  been  a  hive  similar  to  the  above  that  ‘G.  H.’  had  in 
mind  when  he  stated  in  a  previous  issue  that  if  we  want  to  take  as  much 
surplus  as  250  lbs  and  leave  100  for  stores  we  must  go  in  for  larger 
hives.”  I  found  I  made  a  slight  mistake  here.  I  should  have  said,  “  And 
yet  leave  100  lbs.  untouched,”  instead  of  100  lbs,  for  stores.  I  may  i 
honestly  tell  “  A.  E.  B.”  it  was  a  hive  somewhat  like  this  that  my  mind  | 
was  on,  and  is  still  on,  but  not  too  large,  as  “A.  E.  B.”  supposes.  It 
seems  to  please  my  friend  to  remind  me  of  this  grand  hive,  250  lbs. 
taken,  100  lbs.  left  untouched  to  be  taken  when  required.  I  ask  my 
friend  if  he  has  done  better  than  this,  if  he  has  had  350  lbs.  from  a  hive 
with  ten  standard  frames  without  any  adding  from  other  stocks  ?  He 
will  perhaps  tell  us  in  his  next  notes.  Yet  this  350  lbs.  is  an  established 
fact,  and  if  “  A.  E.  B.”  will  turn  back  to  the  Journal  of  1894,  May  10th 
(page  374),  it  will  be  found  recorded. 
Large  Hives  and  Supers. 
I  fail  to  see  the  logic  of  “  A.  E.  B..”  when  he  says  that  bees  in  large 
hives  will  not  enter  the  supers  till  the  honey  flow,  is  nearly  over.  Bees 
covering  twelve  frames,  20  by  8.)  inches,  and  it  can  be  done  before  the 
honey  flow  ;  they  will  enter  the  sapers  quite  as  soon — yes,  in  some  cases 
sooner  than  those  on  ten  standard  frames.  The  reason  of  this  is  nQt  far 
to  seek.  In  the  former  more  bees  are  hatched  than  in  the  latter,  hence 
stronger  hives.  We  find  no  difficulty  ia  this  locality  in  getting  our 
bees  into  the  supers  of  large  hives ;  100  lbs.  have  been  taken  here  at  one 
ti  ne  from  a  hive  with  twelve  20-inch  frames,  and  more  left  in  the  hive. 
Moreover,  these  hives  are  no  new  creation  ;  I  think  they  would  be  in  use 
before  the  hives  that  take  ten  standard  frames.  If  “A.  E.  B.”  will 
turn  back  again  to  June  7ch.  1894  (page  462),  he  will  find  Mr.  Cowie 
in  Scotland  with  hives  with  fifteen  frames,  20  inches  by  8£  inches  inside 
measure,  and  two  tiers  of  supers  filled.  If  this  can  be  done  by  the 
7ch  of  June,  surely  bees  in  large  hives  will  enter  the  super  before  the 
honey  flow  closes.  Hives  like  the  above  at  the  same  date  would  gladden 
the  heart  of  “  G.  H.,”  and  no  doubt  the  heart  of  “  A.  E.  B.”  too. 
Early  Drones. 
In  a  previous  issue  I  spoke  of  a  hive  containing  twelve  frames,  18  by 
8J  inches  inside  measure,  covering  nine  frames,  with  drones  in  the  hive. 
What  “  A.  E.  B.”  Bays  about  early  drones  in  hives  holds  good  in  some 
cases,  but  not  in  the  one  in  question.  The  hive  has  a  vigorous  queen, 
plenty  of  hatching  brood,  and  in  every  way  prosperous.  I  should  think 
by  the  end  of  April  or  the  first  week  in  May  will  crowd  the  hive. 
—George  Howdenshire. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  unt:l 
further  notice,  be  directed  to  “  The  Editor,”  S,  Rose  Hill 
Road,  Wandsworth,  London,  S.  W.  It  is  requested  that.no 
one  will  write  privatelj  to  any  of  our  correspondents,  seeking 
information  on  matters  discussed  in  this  Journal,  as  doing 
so  subjects  them  to  unjustifiable  trouble  and  expense,  and 
departmental  writers  are  not  expected  to  answer  any  letters 
they  may  receive  on  Gardening  and  Bee  subjects,  through  the 
post.  If  information  be  desired  on  any  particular  subject  from 
any  particular  authority  who  may  be  named,  endeavour  will  be 
made  to  obtain  it  by  the  Editor. 
Correspondents  should  not  mix  up  on  the  same  sheet  questions 
relating  to  Gardening  and  those  on  Bee  subjects,  and  should 
never  send  more  than  two  or  three  questions  at  once.  All 
articles  intended  for  insertion  should  be  written  on  one  side  of 
the  paper  only.  We  cannot,  as  a  rule,  reply  to  questions  through 
the  post,  and  we  do  not  undertake  to  return  communications 
which,  for  any  reason,  cannot  be  inserted. 
Brisbane  Blly  (IF.  G.  IF.). — Eurycles  Cunninghami  is  a  native  of 
Queensland,  and  a  white-flowered  bulbous  plant,  growing  about  1  foot  in 
height.  It  requires  a  warm  greenhouse  or  cool  stove  The  bulbs  may 
be  grown  singly  or  three  in  a  pot,  in  a  compost  of  two  parts  good  turfy 
loam,  one  part  peat,  and  one  part  decayed  leaf  soil  or  cow  manure, 
adding  one-sixth  of  sharp  silver  sand.  The  plants  should  be  grown  in  a 
light  position,  watering  carefully  at  first,  but  freely  when  growing. 
After  growth  is  completed  water  should  be  withheld  for  a  few  weeks,  so 
that  the  bulbs  may  ripen  and  rest.  The  withholding  of  water,  however, 
must  be  partial,  not  allowing  the  foliage  to  suddenly  flag  and  go  off,  as 
flowering  depends  on  the  maturity  of  the  growth.  It  is  an  excellent 
practice  to  place  the  plants  in  a  frame  or  pit  from  the  end  of  June  until 
the  middle  of  September.  When  established  the  less  frequently  the 
planes  are  repotted  the  better,  provided  they  remain  healthy.  When  a 
shift  is  necessary  all  the  living  roots  should  be  carefully  preserved,  and 
any  dead  ones  cut  away.  After  the  plants  have  once  started,  their 
growth  cannot  well  be  too  rapid,  nor  the  supply  of  food  too  liberal. 
Small  bulbs  will  under  proper  culture  make  good  flowering  plants  in  the 
course  of  two  or  three  years.  The  main  points  are  to  afford  to  them 
plenty  of  light,  with  abundant  nourishment  when  making  and  perfecting 
growth,  careful  ripening,  and  then  rest. 
Small  Insects  Eating  off  Seedling  Begonias  (.71  £.).— The 
minute  creatures  on  the  stamp  margin  paper  are  a  species  of  spring- 
tail  (Thysanura),  but  not  a  “jumper”  named  Lipura  fimetaria,  Linn., 
which  browses  upon  various  tender  vegetables,  and  is  common  amongst 
leaf  mould  and  other  decaying  matter;  The  remedy  you  have  used— a 
little  weak  Fir-tree  oil  lukewarm— is  very  effective  asainst  them,  and 
acts  deterrently  of  their  attacks.  The  flies  have  probably  issued  from 
pupm  in  the  soil  ;  indeed,  you  have  sent  a  pupa  case  from  which  one  of 
such  flies  has  emerged  recently.  It  is  the  Cabbage  fly,  Anthomyia 
brassiere,  Boicche,  which  does  much  harm  to  cruciferous  plants  at  the 
roots  by  its  larvae  or  maggots,  as  you  are  uo  doubt  well  aware.  The  flies 
do  no  harm  whatever  only  by  being  the  parents  of  the  maggots,  which 
are  not  likely  to  be  found  at  this  time  of  year,  even  if  they  at  any  time 
attack  Begonias.  You  seem  to  have  overlooked  the  mycelial  threads 
of  a  fungus  when  examining  the  soil  with  a  “  glass.”  They,  however, 
are  present  along  with  the  “  small  insects,”  and  it  is  Botrytis  vulgaris, 
which  often  sweeps  off  whole  pot  or  panfuls  of  seedlings,  being  developed 
from  a  sclerotium,  which  yon  have  also  been  kind  enough  to  send, 
and  appear  to  have  overlooked.  For  this  there  is  nothing  better  than 
sterilisation  of  the  soil  before  sowing  the  seed  by  soaking  with  boiling 
water,  allowing  the  soil  to  become  in  suitable  condition  for  the  seed 
before  sowing. 
