472 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  14, 189#. 
APIARIAN  NOTES. 
The  Weather. 
After  two  weeks’  frost,  varying  from  7°  to  12°,  and  about 
seven  miles  of  bee  flight  in  different  directions,  we  had  a  slight 
thaw  on  October  30th,  with  a  bitterly  cold  rain  for  a  short  time, 
afterwards  changing  to  the  mildness  of  summer.  This  occurred  at 
an  elevation  of  1400  feet  above  sea  level,  near  Leadhills,  where  I 
then  was.  There  is  a  vast  difference  in  the  appearance  of  the 
Heather  this  year,  there  is  not  a  single  blossom  ;  last  year  they 
were  profuse,  and  much  was  in  bloom  up  till  Christmas.  I 
learned,  too,  that  the  grouse  are  so  wild  that  sportsmen  cannot 
make  good  “  bags.”  I  mention  these  things  simply  for  comparison 
by  others,  and  to  show  the  effect  the  weather  has  on  both  plants 
and  animals.  There  is  much  to  be  learned  in  this  respect  from 
bees  alone. 
.  Work  During  Winter. 
There  are  many  bee-keepers  who  cannot  well  afford  to  purchase 
the  cheapest  of  frame  hives,  which  puls  them  to  a  disadvantage 
with  those  more  fortunate.  There  is  nothing  to  prevent  the 
greatest  tyro,  if  inclined,  to  make  his  own  hives  ;  a  very  little 
exertion  and  self-denial  accomplishes  and  overcomes  much  at  times, 
and  may  ba  extended  greatly  to  bee-keepers  and  bee-keeping. 
Make  your  own  hives,  and  follow  our  instructions,  and  success  will 
follow. 
It  is  worth  remarking  that  some  of  the  English  hives  are  made 
after  the  American  style,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  one  of  the  most 
popular  hives  in  America  does  not  differ  very  much  from  the  hive 
I  sent  to  the  first  Crystal  Palace  bee  and  honey  show,  and  I  have 
good  evidence  now  to  believe  it  was  a  copy  from  that  hive.  Nor 
is  this  all.  One  of  my  oldest  frame  hives  was  made  as  early,  if 
not  before  that  of  the  late  Mr.  Langstroth.  The  frames  of  it  are 
figured  in  an  American  publication,  and  for  the  second  time,  too, 
as  a  likely  frame  to  adopt.  It  will  be  remembered  by  your  readers 
how  some  of  my  early  frames  were  patented  a  few  years  ago  by 
various  dealers,  and  the  proof  I  produced  regarding  my  priority. 
These  facts  ought  to  strengthen  the  faith  of  beginners  and  others 
in  the  teachings  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  which  was  also 
the  pioneer  in  describing  the  working  two  queens  in  one  hive, 
known  now  as  the  “  Wells  system.” 
Some  time  since  full  particulars  were  given  bow  to  make  the 
Lanarkshire  storifying  hive,  the  hive  possessing  many  advantages 
to  bees  and  bee-keepers.  But  as  this  article  is  more  for  economical 
bee-keepers  than  any  one  kind  of  hive  I  would  rather  advise  bee¬ 
keepers  to  make  hives  to  their  own  tastes  and  liking.  In  places 
where  empty  boxes  of  one  uniform  size  can  be  obtained  they  should 
be  secured  ;  if  of  the  proper  size  all  the  better,  as  single- cased  hives 
are  superior  in  every  reipect  to  double-cased  ones.  If  these  boxes 
are  a  little  too  large,  and  it  is  not  practical  to  reduce  them  by 
breaking  them  up,  insert  inner  walls  of  stuff  about  five-sixteenths, 
or  at  most  three-eighths,  and  if  these  are  let  into  a  raggle  or  trench 
so  as  to  be  moveable  a  great  point  will  be  gained.  Should  any 
readers  attempt  the  work  and  encounter  difficulties,  I  shall  be  glad 
to  advise  how  to  overcome  them  and  construct  good  serviceable 
hives.  It  is  not  absolutely  necessary  to  stick  to  any  specified 
frame,  but  be  accurate  in  having  those  you  do  make  exactly  one 
size,  and  to  have  the  top  bars  1:J  broad  by  ^  inch  for  every  foot 
long;  these  sizes  will  give  greater  satisfaction  in  every  respect 
than  when  they  are  thinner,  as  will  the  one-eighth  by  one-eighth 
groove  for  fixing  foundation,  and  when  put  together  you  will  learn 
the  great  advantage  of  having  tackets  or  furniture  nails  as  self¬ 
spacers,  which  I  used  nearly  half  a  century  ago. — A  Lanarkshire 
Bee-keeper. 
SEASONABLE  NOTES. 
There  have  been  more  rainy  days  during  the  past  month,  with 
the  exception  of  January,  than  have  been  experienced  since 
October  last  year,  2  79  inches  of  rain  having  fallen  on  eighteen 
days,  not  a  heavy  rainfall,  but  which  has  proved  of  great  benefit  to 
the  young  plants  of  White  Clover,  of  which  many  acres  are 
annually  sown  for  sheep  pastures,  and  which  promise  well  for 
another  season. 
July  has  again  proved  to.  be  the  wettest  month  of  the  year, 
when  upwards  of  4  inches  of  rain  fell  on  a  less  number  of  days, 
which  will  probably  come  as  a  surprise  to  bee-keepers  residing  in 
the  south,  where  pastures  at  that  time  were  dried  up  ;  but  with  the 
fine  weather  experienced  from  early  spring  onwards,  both  in  the 
south  and  west  of  England,  although  the  honey  producing  flowers 
were  not  very  plentiful,  the  White  Clover  in  particular  only  lasting 
a  short  time.  Still  it  enabled  the  bees  to  store  a  surplus,  with  the 
result  that  in  some  districts  honey  is  absolutely  a  drug  on  the 
market,  good  samples  remaining  on  hand,  which  had  hitherto  sold 
readily  at  remunerative  prices. 
But  at  that  time,  when  pastures  were  parched  up  in  the  south, 
bee-keepers  residing  north  of  the  Trent  had  abundance  of  bee 
herbage  in  all  directions.  Even  the  sides  of  the  country  lanes  were 
in  many  places  white  with  masses  of  white  Clover  in  bloom,  but 
during  the  whole  of  the  honey  flow,  except  for  one  brief  day,  the 
weather  was  dull  and  wet.  Had  we  been  favoured  with  glorious 
weather,  similar  to  that  experienced  in  September,  tons  of  honey 
would  have  been  gathered  instead  of  hundredweights.  But  if  the 
crop  has  been  light  there  has  been  no  difficulty  in  finding  a  market 
for  what  proved  to  be  only  a  third  of  a  crop. 
There  has,  however,  been  no  advance  in  the  price,  which  should 
have  been  proportionately  higher.  But  what  is  the  cause  of  the 
difficulty  so  many  bee-keepers  have  in  certain  districts  where  a  fair 
average  crop  has  been  obtained  in  finding  a  market  for  their 
produce  ?  Is  it  not  owing  to  the  great  amount  of  foreign  produce, 
which  is  often  an  adulterated  article,  and  sold  at  a  low  price  under 
the  name  of  honey,  and  which  I  fear  is  often  sold  as  British  to  the 
detriment  of  our  home  industry,  which  should  be  protected  by 
having  all  foreign  honey  branded  with  the  country  of  its  origin  ? 
Bee-keepers  in  this  country  would  then  be  competing  on  even 
terms,  and  the  consumer  would  then  obtain  what  he  asked  for. 
The  day,  I  hope,  is  not  far  distant  when  this  will  take  place,  which 
will  prove  a  benefit  to  the  public  at  large,  the  bee-keeper  will  find 
a  better  market  for  his  produce,  and  the  consumer  will  obtain  the 
genuine  article,  as  no  honey  can  compete  with  our  own  for  quality. 
— An  English  Bee-keeper. 
TRADE  CATALOGUES  RECEIVED. 
W.  Clibran  &  Son,  Altrincham. — Chrysanthemum  List. 
W.  Drummond  &  Sons,  Stirling. — Fruit  and  Other  Trees, 
Fotheringham  &  Young,  Dumfries. — Trees  and  Shrubs. 
Hogg  &  Wood,  Coldstream. —  General  Nursery  Stock. 
H.  J.  Jones,  Hither  Green,  Lewisham. — Chrysanthemum  Guide. 
Little  &  Ballantyne,  Carlisle. — Trees. 
R.  Owen,  Maidenhead. — Chrysanthemum  List. 
H.  Shoesmith,  Claremont  Nursery,  Woking. — Chrysanthemums. 
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. 
Roses  Infested  with  Mildew  (J.  2?’.).— The  Roses  that  have  been 
infested  by  this  parasite  in  the  summer  are  not  likely  to  recover  from 
its  effects  during  the  winter  if  they  have  any  leaves  or  young  growths, 
for  the  fungus  will  be  more  or  less  active,  and  it  should  be  destroyed  by 
dusting  the  plants  with  flowers  of  sulphur.  If  that  is  objected  to 
syringe  the  plants  with  a  solution  of  softsoap,  2  ozs.  to  a  gallon  of  water, 
and  repeat  occasionally.  During  the  winter  months  dusting  with 
flowers  of  sulphur  is  the  preferable  method,  and  if  carefully  and  not 
excessively  used  need  not  be  an  eyesore. 
Mulching  Beds  of  Bulbs  with  Short  Manure  (Y.  2^.). — It  is 
not  a  good  plan  to  cover  the  beds  after  planting  with  short  manure, 
unless  thorough  sweetened  and  decayed  so  as  to  resemble  flne  mould,  then 
it  acts  as  protection  from  frost  and  nourishment  to  the  bulbs,  as  the 
manurial  elements  are  washed  into  the  soil,  whilst  the  manuie  itself 
will  be  so  acted  on  by  the  weather  as  to  form  a  fine  tilth,  through  which 
the  growth  will  push  without  prejudice.  Cocoa-nut  fibre  refuse  is  a 
much  better  substance  than  manure  lor  covering  beds  of  bulbs,  being 
neater  in  appearance  ;  while  the  manure,  if  at  all  rank  or  fresh,  is  best 
reduced  before  use,  and  even  then  better  mixed  with  the  soil  than  placed 
on  the  surface.  A  little,  however,  will  not  do  any  harm,  but  by  protec¬ 
tion  and  nourishment  benefit  the  plants. 
