286 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  19, 1896. 
September  being  unfavourable  encouraged  hives  not  in  the  best 
condition  to  “  draw  ”  eggs  and  brood,  which  injured  them  greatly 
for  ulterior  work. 
On  the  24th  of  August  the  weather  appeared  on  the  eve  of 
improving,  and  to  some  of  the  best  hives  I  gave  additional  supers 
above  those  already  sealed.  On  removing  the  coverings  for 
ventilation  previous  to  leaving  for  home  I  observed  several  hives 
had  broken  the  seals  and  removed  the  honey.  The  lesson  to  be 
learned  from  that  is — first,  had  the  empty  supers  been  interposed 
every  particle  of  honey  would  have  been  carried  down.  Second, 
had  I  given  additional  room  above  the  full  supers  in  small  sections 
the  purpose  would  have  been  served.  From  the  moment  the 
bees  were  released  they  commenced  to  slaughter  the  drones, 
which  continued  during  the  greatest  honey  gathering,  and  until  all 
were  killed.  About  one-half  of  the  hives  commenced  to  raise 
drones  at  the  same  time  they  were  killing  them,  but  the  latter  were 
killed  or  drawn  out  of  the  cells  three  days  before  the  honey 
erathering  stopped,  and  during  the  greatest  fiow. — A  Lanarkshire 
Bee  keeper. 
THE  SEASON’S  REVIEW. 
A  review  of  the  past  season’s  honey  harvest  from  one  whose 
chief  supplies  are  obtained  from  field  Beans,  white  Clover,  and 
Limes  may  be  of  interest  to  others  similarly  situated  in  various 
parts  of  the  country,  as  with  the  exception  of  those  bee-keepers 
who  are  within  reach  of  the  Heather  the  honey  flow  has  been  over 
for  some  time.  In  this  neighbourhood  (South  Yorkshire)  it  has 
been  over  for  six  weeks  or  more,  consequently  there  has  been  time 
to  have  everything  put  in  order.  All  honey  has  been  put  up  in 
saleable  form,  and  one  is  now  in  a  position  to  compare  notes  with 
other  seasons. 
With  the  exception  of  the  year  1888  this  has  been  the  worst 
year  in  my  experience.  The  weather,  as  is  well  known  to  all  bee¬ 
keepers,  is  a  great  factor  in  honey  production,  and  unless  we  are 
favoured  with  warm,  bright  days  during  the  honey  flow,  it  is  an 
impossibility  to  obtain  good  results  from  the  best  managed  apiary. 
In  this  locality  the  weather  was  most  disappointing  during  the 
whole  of  the  honey  flow,  which  extends  from  the  middle  of  June 
to  the  middle  of  July.  Only  one  real  honey  day  was  experienced, 
the  weather  on  the  whole  being  dull  and  showery,  with  a  few  hours 
of  sunshine  in  between,  which  was  of  little  use  for  honey 
production. 
Bees,  on  the  whole,  wintered  well,  and  came  out  strong  in  the 
spring.  May  was  fine,  days  bright  and  warm,  bees  making  great 
headway,  but  only  a  little  honey  could  be  obtained  from  the  fruit 
trees  and  wild  flowers.  The  weather  being  dry  in  the  south  of 
England  and  bee  forage  in  a  forward  condition,  honey  was  obtained 
in  quantity  and  in  grand  condition,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  result  of 
the  Royal  Agricultural  show,  held  at  Darlington  early  in  June. 
There  were  109  honey  exhibits,  all  the  prizes  for  the  1895  crop 
going  to  the  south  country  bee-Keepers,  Kent  taking  the  lead,  with 
five  out  of  nine  prizes.  In  honey  of  the  1894  crop,  six  of  the  nine 
prizes  were  awarded  to  bee-keepers  north  of  the  Humber.  From 
other  sources  I  learn  there  has  been  some  great  yields  from  the 
above-named  county,  and  in  many  instances  it  has  been  quite  a 
record  year. 
In  Lincolnshire,  where  a  great  amount  of  honey  is  obtained 
from  the  Mustard,  which  was  in  bloom  during  the  fine  weather 
experienced  in  May,  this  proved  a  boon  to  the  bee-keepers,  and 
abundance  of  honey  was  obtained.  Although  not  of  first-class 
quality  it  is  very  white  in  colour,  and  granulates  at  once.  From 
bee-keepers  further  north  the  complaint  is  general  that  the  season 
has  been  very  indifferent,  although  it  is  surprising  the  difference 
there  is  in  bees  that  are  kept  only  a  few  miles  apart.  Those  on 
light  sandy  land,  and  on  which  the  bee  forage  is  ten  days  or  a 
fortnight  earlier  than  it  is  on  cold  heavy  soils,  have  done  much 
better  than  the  latter,  as  they  reaped  the  benefit  of  the  fine 
weather  at  the  end  of  May,  consequently  larger  results  have  to  be 
recorded. 
One  point  in  the  favour  of  this  season’s  honey  is  that  all  has 
been  of  good  quality,  it  being  well  ripened  owing  to  the  bees  being 
confined  to  their  hives  so  long.  Sections,  too,  were  of  good  colour, 
and  well  finished  off,  which  is  not  always  the  case  when  honey  is 
coming  in  rapidly.  Swarming  'was  reduced  to  a  minimum,  as  only 
one  of  my  stocks  that  I  was  working  for  a  surplus  swarmed.  Thus 
bee*  on  the  whole  were  worked  with  le«s  trouble  than  usual. 
Since  July  there  has  been  grand  bee  weather,  and  although  too 
late  for  the  honey  flow  it  has  enabled  the  bees  to  supply  their 
daily  wants.  Breeding  has  been  going  on,  which  is  a  great 
advantage  at  this  time  of  the  year  ;  and  those  who  have  taken 
time  by  the  forelock,  and  have  fed  all  stocks  that  required  it,  may 
safely  leave  their  hives  alone  for  the  next  six  months,  and  look 
forward  to  a  better  season  in  1896. — An  English  Bee-keeper. 
All  correspondence  should  be  directed  either  to  “  The 
Editor  or  to  “  The  Publisher.”  Letters  addressed  to 
Dr.  Hogg  or  members  of  the  staff  often  remain  unopened 
unavoidably.  We  request  that  no  one  will  write  privately 
'  to  any  of  our  correspondents,  as  doing  so  subjects  them  to 
unjustifiable  trouble  and  expense. 
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  reply  to  questions  through  the  post, 
and  we  do  not  undertake  to  return  rejected  communications. 
IVElssing-  Packages. — We  receive  from  time  to  time  direction  labels 
which  have  become  separated  from  packages  in  the  post,  the  packages 
themselves  never  reaching  us.  The  stamp  on  the  labels  is  almost 
invariably  obliterated  bevond  recognition,  but  one  before  us  is  perceptible 
BS  “  N.  S.  B.” 
Brawlngr  (J.  Constant  Reader). — Drawing  such  as  you  refer  to  is 
now  taught  in  most  schools,  and  in  all  probability  if  you  consult  a 
schoolmaster  he  will  be  able  to  show  you  samples  of  cheap  and  good 
educational  books  on  the  subject.  If  you  live  near  a  town  you  may 
have  an  opportunity  of  attending  an  evening  drawing  class,  and  might 
find  it  of  great  advantage  to  do  so. 
Peristeria  data  (J.  B.). — Peri8teria.elata  does  not  flower  freely  in 
a  young  state,  but  when  it  has  attained  suflflcient  strength  it  will  do  so 
provided  it  is  kept  perfectly  dry  at  the  roots  during  the  resting  period. 
The  flowers  are  produced  from  the  side  of  its  large  pseudo-bulbs.  If 
your  plants  are  strong  they  ought  to  flower.  Possibly  the  house  is 
rather  too  cool  for  their  maturation. 
Printing  (J.  D.). — We  do  not  know  to  what  catalogues  you  allude, 
and  which  you  “cannot  read”  because  of  their  being  “printed  in  small 
type  in  blue,  red,  and  purple  inks  on  white  and  yellow  paper.”  We, 
however,  in  compliance  with  your  wish,  record  your  observation.  We 
agree  with  you  that  “  catalogues  should  be  so  printed  as  to  be  read  with 
ease,  as  many  of  them  are  instructive.”  So  should  schedules  of  shows, 
the  prizes  of  many  being,  as  another  correspondent  complains,  “  buried 
in  a  mass  of  advertisements.” 
Brying  Fruit  {J.  G .), — The  process  of  drying  Plums  and  Apples  is 
described  in  one  of  the  Journals  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  a 
copy  of  which  may  possibly  be  had  on  application  to  the  Secretary  at 
117,  Victoria  Street,  Westminster.  The  apparatus  employed  at  Chiswick 
was  P.  Mayfarth  &  Co.’s,  of  which  particulars  may  be  had  from  Mr.  A. 
Ludwig,  16,  Mincing  Lane,  London,  E.C.  You  must  not  expect  to 
make  a  fortune  by  the  proposed  experiment.  Mr.  P.  Crawley,  as  has 
been  recorded  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  dries  Plums  for  use  in  his 
family  in  the  kitchen  oven  in  the  same  way  that  many  persons  do  in 
France. 
Forced  Narcissus  Bulbs  {Silva). — 1,  It  is  immaterial  whether 
the  bulbs  are  allowed  to  rest  above  ground,  after  shaking  them  out  of  the 
pots,  until  autumn,  or  to  place  them  at  once  in  the  ground  after  blooming, 
buE  it  is  important  that  the  plants  be  kept  under  glass  until  the 
growths  are  perfected  and  hardened  off  gradually  to  insure  maturation 
either  under  glass  or  outdoors.  2,  The  expensive  varieties  of  Narcissus 
will  produce  fair  bloom  outdoors  after  forcing  in  the  year  following 
provided  they  are  given  sheltered  situations  and  a  well  drained  soil. 
These  remarks  apply  to  Polyanthus  Narcissi,  which  we  presume  are 
the  varieties  to  which  you  allude  and  employ  for  forcing  in  pots. 
The  Daffodils  are,  of  course,  much  hardier  and  give  good  results  when 
planted  out  after  forcing,  all  being  well  worth  keeping  for  outdoor 
planting ;  they  either  bloom  in  the  following  season  or  gain  strength 
in  a  year  or  two  so  as  to  do  satisfactorily. 
Iiavender  {8.  H.  W.). — The  division  of  Lavandula  vulgaris  into  the 
separate  species  L.  vera  and  L.  spica  is  a  modern  one.  Linnaeus  and  the 
earlier  botanists  held  them  to  be  one  and  the  same,  or  mere  varieties  of 
L.  vulgaris  dependent  upon  culture  and  situation.  It  is  probable  that 
the  L.  spica  of  seed  catalogues  is  merely  the  L.  vulgaris  of  LinnEeus  oir 
L.  vera  and  L.  spica  mixed.  The  differences  between  them  are  very 
fine,  and  easy  to  overlook  in  the  hurry  of  trade.  The  real  test  seems 
to  be  that  L.  vera  is  taller,  less  hoary,  the  leaves  at  the  base  of  the 
branches  less  crowded,  the  spikes  of  flowers  less  dense  and  longer,  and 
the  bracteas  sometimes  absent  from  the  inflorescence.  That  an  essential 
difference  does  exist  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  in  the  South  of  France 
L.  spica  is  found  to  yield  thrice  as  much  oil  as  L,  vera,  and  alone  to 
yield  what  is  known  as  oil  of  spike.  We  can  only  explain  the  difficulty 
you  have  experienced  by  the  fact  that  for  trade  purposes  in  this 
country  a  careful  separation  of  Lavandula  vulgaris  into  L.  vera  and 
L.  spica  is  unnecessary.  If  you  ask  for  the  narrow-leaved  form  of 
Lavender  you  may  possibly  obtain  what  you  require. 
