426 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  31, 1895, 
preventing  it.  Our  bees  have  been  as  erratic  as  tbe  weather,  and 
before  August  was  out  breeding  stopped  ;  brood  was  thrown  out, 
and  at  a  time  too,  when  everything  was  promising.  According  to 
some  writers  my  bees  are  too  old  to  be  of  any  worth  for  the  coming 
season.  Of  that  time  will  tell,  but  my  faith  is  as  firm  as  ever  in 
the  utility  of  my  aged  bees,  and  I  am  looking  forward  to  the  early 
coming  of  spring  flowers,  and  to  an  unusual  deposition  of  eggs  in 
the  early  year  by  our  long-rested  queens,  and  fear  not  the  lacking 
of  spirit  in  our  aged  but  willing  workers. 
It  is  a  common  thing  for  queens  to  lay  eggs  which  are  never 
allowed  to  hatch,  but  the  less  we  interfere  with  or  feed  our  bees 
out  of  season  the  less  waste  of  eggs  and  bee  life  will  there  be. 
Our  hives  are  all  finished  up  for  the  winter  and  covered,  so  that 
perfect  dryness  is  secured.  A  watch  will  be  kept  over  them,  so 
that  accidents  occurring  and  damage  done  will  be  rectified 
immediately,  and  if  need  be  syrup  supplied.  Beyond  that  they 
will  not  be  interfered  with  in  any  respect.  The  entrances  may 
have  to  be  extended  in  some  from  half  an  inch  to  1  inch,  as 
they  are  at  present,  but  not  until  the  bees  are  observed  to  make  an 
attempt  to  widen  them. 
It  is  a  good  plan  to  clear  away  the  snow  in  front  of  the  hives 
when  there  is  a  likelihood  of  the  temperature  rising  above  freezing. 
This  prevents  water  accumulating  in  front  of  them,  and  gives  the 
bees  a  more  comfortable  footing  when  they  alight.  A  little  dried 
bracken  strewn  around  the  flight  place  provides  a  good  resting 
place.  Snow  after  it  has  been  partly  thawed,  then  frozen,  does 
not  kill  bees  as  the  soft  snow  does.  A  great  deal  can  be  done  to 
aid  bees  and  prevent  their  destruction  by  paying  attention  to  such 
matters  as  these. 
The  Yale  of  Clyde  Bee-keepers’  Association  Show. 
The  above  show  was  held  in  Mr.  Struther’s  lesser  hall,  Blantyre, 
on  Saturday,  the  19th  October,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Blantyre 
No.  1  Bee  Club.  The  exhibits  were  all  of  exceptionally  fine 
character,  not  a  bad  sample  of  honey  or  honeycomb  being  staged. 
For  a  silver  medal  value  85s.  the  competition  was  keen,  and  took 
the  judges  one  and  a  half  hour  to  decide.  All  the  prizes  went  to 
members  of  the  club,  in  fact  they  were  the  only  bee-keepers  of  the 
county  who  had  superior  comb  honey.  Members  of  the  horti¬ 
cultural  club  visited  the  show,  and  were  so  well  pleased  with  it 
that  an  effort  will  be  made  to  have  it  in  conjunction  with  a  Chrys¬ 
anthemum  and  vegetable  show  next  year.  Already  four  gold 
medals  and  several  silver  ones  are  promised  for  the  1896  show, 
and  if  tbe  horticulturists  come  forward  in  the  same  liberal  spirit  it 
may  develop  into  one  of  the  best  shows  in  the  kingdom.  The  club 
paid  all  the  prizes  on  the  24th,  after  which  a  good  balance  was 
left. — A  Lanarkshire  Bee-keeper. 
SEASONABLE  NOTES. 
The  low  temperature  registered  during  the  past  week  will  be  a 
reminder  to  bee-keepers  that  winter  is  within  measurable  distance. 
To-day,  October  26th,  the  ground  is  covered  with  snow,  and  for 
several  days  past  the  thermometer  in  this  district  (South  York¬ 
shire)  has  registered  from  9°  to  12°  of  frost,  which  is  exceptional 
for  so  early  in  the  season.  This  is  the  more  remarkable  after  the 
weather  experienced  in  September,  and  on  referring  to  a  daily 
register  of  the  weather  kept  for  upwards  of  thirty  years  I  cannot 
find  a  parallel. 
A  few  days  ago  the  autumn  flowers  were  blooming  profusely  in 
all  directions  ;  now  they  are  a  blackened  mass,  and  bee-keepers 
who,  before  the  frost  appeared,  could  not  harden  their  hearts  to 
clear  away  plants  that  had  been  bright  with  flowers  throughout  the 
summer,  will  not  delay  any  longer,  but  will  start  at  once,  and  fill 
all  suitable  spaces  with  plants  and  bulbs  for  spring  flowering. 
These  I  consider  are  the  most  beautiful  of  all ;  perhaps  it  is  that 
after  the  long  dreary  winter  we  appreciate  them  more.  They  are 
visited  by  the  bees  when  they  come  out  of  their  winter  quarters, 
and  are  on  the  look  out  for  the  pollen,  and  the  sweet  nectar 
obtained  from  many  of  them. 
Bees  will  now  be  quiet  in  their  hives,  and  care  should  be  taken 
that  they  have  plenty  of  warm  covering  on  the  top  of  the  frames. 
Cushions  of  cork,  dust,  or  chaff  answer  the  purpose  admirably,  so 
do  old  pieces  of  carpet  or  any  other  warm  material  ;  but  in  no  case 
should  the  frames  be  taken  out  of  the  hive  or  the  bees  interfered 
with  in  any  way,  as  a  great  amount  of  harm  is  sometimes  caused  by 
bee-keepers  examining  their  stocks  in  cold  weather,  resulting  in 
chilled  brood .  All  entrances  that  were  reduced  early  in  the  autumn 
to  prevent  robbing  may  now  be  opened  their  full  width,  as  abundance 
of  bottom  ventilation  will  be  the  means  of  keeping  the  bees  in  good 
health,  and  will  prevent  moisture  condensing  on  the  combs.  If 
ventilated  floor  boards  are  used  this  will  not  be  necessary. 
Now  is  a  good  time,  after  a  fall  of  snow  or  heavy  rain,  to 
examine  the  roofs  and  coverings  of  hives,  to  see  that  all  are  water¬ 
proof,  as  after  the  dry  weather  cracks  will  often  appear  in  wooden 
roofs,  and  if  not  repaired  the  drip  will  soon  ruin  even  the  strongest 
stocks.  Zinc  makes  the  best  covering  for  the  purpose  that  I  am 
acquainted  with,  although  some  bee-keepers  object  to  its  use, 
owing  to  its  attracting  the  heat  from  the  sun.  If,  however,  the 
hives  areahaded  in  very  hot  weather  no  harm  will  happen  to  them, 
as  this  will  prevent  the  stocks  from  getting  overheated  and  the 
combs  from  breaking  down,  and  the  hive  will  have  tbe  advantage 
of  being  thoroughly  waterproof. — An  English  Bee-keeper. 
TRADE  CATALOGUES  RECEIYED. 
Kelway  &  Sons,  Langport. —  Wholesale  List  of  Gladioli. 
R.  Smith  &  Co.,  Worcester. — General  Catalogue  of  Nursery  Stoch. 
All  correspondence  should  be  directed  either  to  “  Ths 
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. 
xrame  and  Address  (Ji  F.  C.'). —  C.  Colebrook,  nurseryman, 
Grimsby. 
Iilllums  for  I^arket  (^IngtCirer'). — You  will  find  an  article  on 
page  406  by  a  grower  of  Liliams  for  the  Liverpool  market,  and  if  yoa 
succeed  as  vi'ell  as  be  has  done  you  will  have  little  cause  of  complaint, 
80  far  as  regards  the  cultivation  of  the  plants  and  quality  of  the  flowers. 
Stove  for  Keating  Trult  Room  (C.  P,'). — There  is  no  objection 
to  the  employment  of  a  paraffin  stove  for  keeping  frost  out  of  a  fruit 
room,  and  various  sizes  can  be  seen  at  ironmongers.  Many  recent 
improvements  have  been  made  in  oil  stoves,  and  if  you  state  your 
requirements  to  an  ironmonger  he  would  supply  the  correct  thing.  It 
is  better  to  heat  moderately  than  highly — that  is,  have  a  stove  that  will 
not  need  to  be  made  very  hot  to  keep  out  frost.  It  is  important  that 
the  best  kind  of  petroleum  be  used  and  the  wicks  kept  clean  for  keeping 
the  room  sweet. 
Pear  Tree  Iieaves  Discoloured  (C.  C.  E.'). — The  leaves  have 
been  infested  by  various  insects — one,  a  caterpillar,  eating  holes  through 
the  leaves,  also  eating  them  away  at  the  edges  here  and  there ;  it  has 
then  joined  two  or  three  leaves  together,  become  a  pupa,  and  from  that 
emerged  as  a  small  moth,  an  empty  pupa  case  being  left  behind 
amongst  the  silky  web-like  matter.  There  has  also  been  some  Pear  leaf 
blister  moth  caterpillars  at  work,  these  burrowing  in  the  leaves,  and 
when  full  grown  leave  them  for  cracks  in  the  bark  or  crevices  in  walls, 
where  they  spin  a  white  silken  cocoon  and  become  pupm,  from  which 
they  appear  as  tiny  moths  in  early  summer.  But  the  chief  affection  is 
that  of  Pear  sawfly  (Selandra  atra)  larvae,  commonly  called  slugworm, 
which  are  leech-like  creatures,  and  clear  away  the  whole  of  the  upper 
soft  substance  of  the  leaf  in  the  parts  they  infest,  and  give  them  a 
skeletonised  appearance.  For  further  particulars  and  treatment  see 
reply  to  “A.  B.”  (Cherry  Tree  Leaves  Skeletonised),  October  17th,  1895, 
page  380. 
Apple  Xiady  Hennlker  (^Fruit  Man), — In  the  “  Fruit  Manual  ” 
the  following  description  and  history  are  given  ; — “  Fruit,  very  large, 
3^  inches  wide,  and  3  inches  high  ;  roundish,  narrowing  a  little  towards 
the  apex,  and  with  blunt  angles  on  the  sides,  which  terminate  in 
prominent  ridges  round  the  eye.  Skin,  yellow  on  the  shaded  side,  with 
a  faint  blush  of  red,  which  is  covered  with  broken  streaks  of  crimson 
on  the  side  next  the  sun.  Eye,  large  and  open,  with  short  segments, 
and  set  in  a  very  deep  and  angular  basin.  Stamens,  median  ;  tube, 
conical  or  funnel-shaped.  Stalk,  very  short,  set  in  a  very  deep,  wide, 
russety  cavity.  Flesh,  very  tender  in  the  grain,  well  flavoured,  and 
with  a  pleasant  perfume.  Cells,  obovate  ;  ab^axile.  A  first-rate  Apple, 
chiefly  valuable  as  a  cooking  variety :  but  useful  also  in  the  dessert, 
October  to  February,  This  Apple  was  raised  at  Thornham  Hall,  near 
Eye,  in  Suffolk,  and  the  account  of  it,  furnished  in  1873  by  Mr.  John 
Perkins,  tbe  gardener  there,  is  the  following  : — ‘Between  the  years  1840 
and  1850  the  late  Lord  Henniker  had  great  Quantities  of  cider  made  to 
give  away  in  the  summer  months.  Several  bushels  of  Apple  pips  were 
sown  in  beds,  from  which  the  most  promising  seedlings  vrere  selected  and 
planted  ;  these  were  reduced  every  few  years.  The  last  thinning  was 
about  seven  years  ago,  when  thirty-three  trees  were  cut  out.  The  tree 
