January  6,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
21 
the  plants  near  the  glass,  and  maintain  a  temperature  of  50°  to  55°. 
Ventilate  on  favourable  occasions  after  the  young  plants  are  established 
and  have  commenced  growth.  Old  plants  that  have  started  into  growth 
may  have  the  roots  reduced  to  at  least  one- third,  and  he  repotted  in  the 
compost  advised  above.  The  plants  can  be  placed  in  pots  one  size  less 
until  they  are  in  active  growth,  when  they  can  be  transferred  to  their 
largest  size.  If  careful  watering  can  be  insured  until  the  plants  are 
established  they  may  be  potted  at  once  in  a  large  size. 
Cannas. — These  are  very  useful  in  5  and  6-inch  pots  for  association 
in  groups  in  the  dwelling  house  or  conservatory.  Clumps  that  have 
rested  under  the  stage  of  a  cool  house  for  some  time  may  be  started  in 
the  gentle  warmth  of  a  vinery  or  Peach  house.  Directly  they  commence 
growth  divide  them  and  pot  singly,  for  they  can  be  used  to  greater 
advantage  in  most  arrangements  than  when  a  number  of  shoots  are 
allowed  to  grow  together.  These  plants  will  do  well  in  any  moderately 
rich  soil. 
Solanums. — Where  cuttings  were  rooted  in  August  and  have  been  kept 
in  store  pots  they  may  be  placed  singly  in  2-inch  pots ;  if  they  have 
been  kept  in  thumbs  they  can  now  be  transferred  to  3-inch  pots.  Good 
plants  well  set  with  berries  can  be  produced  from  cuttings  struck  early 
in  the  season,  but  better  result  from  autumn  striking.  When  autumn 
plants  have  not  been  provided  cuttings  should  be  rooted  as  early  as 
possible  and  pushed  forward  in  gentle  warmth  until  the  plants  are 
ready  for  their  final  shift.  Encourage  young  plants  to  grow  after 
potting  by  keeping  them  in  a  temperature  of  50°  to  55°.  Pinch  the 
shoots  at  times  to  induce  a  branching  habit.  Use  for  a  compost  fibry 
loam,  one-seventh  of  manure  and  sand. 
Lantanas.— Place  young  plants  now  in  2  and  3-inch  pots  into  5-inch 
pots,  and  grow  them  in  the  compost  advised  for  Solanums,  and  under  the 
same  treatment  as  Fuchsias. 
Bouvardias. — Cut  back  plants  that  have  been  rested  since  they 
flowered,  and  introduce  them  into  a  temperature  of  55°  to  60°.  Under 
these  conditions  they  will  soon  commence  growth  and  yield  good  cuttings. 
Those  who  favour  raising  the  plants  by  portions  of  the  roots  may  now 
cut  up  the  roots  of  well  rested  plants  into  lengths  of  about  half  an  inch. 
Place  two  or  three  of  these  in  the  centre  of  2-inch  pots  filled  with  light 
sandy  soil ;  the  portions  of  roots  should  be  covered  with  a  quarter  of  an 
inch  of  fine  soil.  Place  the  pots  in  brisk  heat,  and  be  careful  the  soil 
does  not  become  dry.  If  slight  bottom  heat  can  be  given  them  all  the 
better.  Keep  plants  that  have  recently  flowered  rather  dry  at  their  roots 
for  a  time. 
With  the  advent  of  the  new  year  it  may  be  an  advantage  to 
compare  the  present  with  the  past,  and  endeavour  to  find  out,  as  far 
as  it  is  possible,  what  advance  has  been  made  of  late  years  in  bee¬ 
keeping.  That  progress  has  to  be  chronicled  there  can  be  little  doubt, 
although  some  districts  have  signally  failed  to  make  the  headway  that 
might  have  been  e.xpected.  There  have  been  various  causes  for  this, 
the  chief  one  being  foul  brood.  This  disease  has  devastated  numerous 
colonies  of  bees  in  the  South  and  West  of  England.  It  has  been 
found  the  worst  in  outlying  districts  where  bees  have  been  kept  from 
time  immemorial  in  straw  skeps. 
It  may  be  as  well  to  remind  bee-keepers  that  in  all  probability 
stocks  that  were  affected  with  this  disease  in  the  autumn  will  have 
succumbed  ;  and  when  this  is  the  case,  and  they  are  in  straw  skeps,  it 
will  save  further  mischief  if  they  are  committed  to  the  flames. 
From  other  districts,  and  it  is  gratifying  to  know  they  are  in  the 
majority,  great  strides  have  been  made  during  the  past  ten  years. 
In  every  instance  that  has  come  under  my  notice  it  has  been  where 
the  modern  system,  or  moveable  frame  hives,  has  been  worked  for 
storing  a  surplus.  If  straw  skeps  have  been  in  use  it  has  been  for 
supplying  early  swarms,  and  when  worked  in  conjunction  with  frame 
hives  they  are  a  decided  advantage. 
Gardeners  have  not  been  slow  to  observe  the  benefits  derived  from 
bee-keeping,  even  when  honey  production  is  of  secondary  consideration, 
owing  to  the  amount  of  good  bees  do  in  the  fertilisation  of  the  bloom. 
During  the  past  ten  years  a  great  advance  has  been  made  in  this 
branch  alone,  and  it  is  now  quite  unusual  to  visit  a  garden  in  the 
provinces  and  not  find  a  hive  or  two  of  bees. 
In  favourable  districts  throughout  the  country  large  apiaries  have 
sprung  up  during  recent  years,  and  manj'’  tons  of  honey  are  obtained 
where  little  was  previously  procured.  In  some  instances  men  devote 
the  whole  of  their  time  to  the  industry  of  bee-keeping  and  the 
supplying  of  bee-keepers’  requisites. 
Sample  of  Honey  Obtained. 
''  One  of  the  most  remarkable  things  in  connection  with  bee-keeping 
of  the  present  day  is  the  superior  quality  and  sample  of  honey  obtained 
under  the  modern  system.  If  one  will  look  back  and  compare  the 
honey  that  was  brought  into  our  provincial  markets  not  more  than 
twenty  years  ago  with  what  one  may  see  to-day,  any  ordinary 
observer  will  be  at  once  convinced  of  the  great  strides  that  have 
been  made.  At  that  time,  and  in  fact  several  years  later,  honey  was 
brought  into  the  towns  by  country  people  and  offered  for  sale  in  a 
variety  of  utensils.  The  major  portion  was  of  inferior  quality,  owing 
to  the  large  amount  of  bee  bread  that  had  become  incorporated  with  it ; 
this  was  most  apparent  when  it  was  obtained  from  the  brood  combs, 
which  it  invariably  was. 
Now  all  this  is  altered ;  run  honey  is  tastefully  put  up  in  glass  jars 
specially  made  for  the  purpose,  in  sizes  to  suit  customers,  many  bee¬ 
keepers  labelling  their  own  produce,  which  in  the  end  may  prove  an 
advantage  to  them  in  finding  other  customers.  It  is  also  a  mark  of 
genuineness.  The  honey,  too,  when  obtained  from  various  sources  is 
not  mixed,  so  that  a  bee-keeper  may  with  a  little  practice  be  able  to 
say  whether  a  given  sample  of  honey  has  been  obtained  from  field 
Beans,  White  Clover,  Limes,  or  other  source. 
It  was  impossible  to  distinguish  the  various  samples  of  honey  with 
any  degree  of  certainty  under  the  old  system ;  consequently,  good,  bad, 
and  indifferent  were  mixed. 
Finding  a  Mabket, 
Some  bee-keepers  experience  a  difficulty  in  finding  a  market  for 
their  produce,  and  it  is  certainly  discouraging  after  a  good  honey 
harvest  to  be  unable  to  secure  an  outlet  on  favourable  terms  for  the 
surplus  one  may  have.  Personally,  I  have  no  difficulty  in  this  respect, 
as  taking  one  season  with  another  we  get  our  share  of  honey,  which 
is  often  ordered  before  it  is  obtained,  and  it  is  several  years  since  any 
remained  unsold  after  this  date. 
From  numerous  letters  to  hand  others,  although  obtaining  it  in 
much  less  quantity,  are  unable  to  find  a  market.  In  some  instances, 
this  is  owing  to  demanding  too  high  a  price;  in  others,  for  want 
of  care  in  making  a  good  sample  when  preparing  run  honey.  It 
is  advisable  to  keep  each  crop  separate,  which  is  easily  done  when 
extracting.  If  a  sample  of  each  is  placed  in  a  glass  jar  and  labelled 
the  bulk  may  then  be  stored  until  required  for  bottling  or  any  other 
purpose.  A  comparison  of  the  various  samples  can  then  be  made  at 
any  time,  and  is  a  much  more  satisfactory  plan  than  mixing. 
Bee-keepers  should  endeavour  to  create  a  local  demand.  If  honey 
can  be  disposed  of  in  the  neighbourhood  it  is  a  saving  of  labour  and 
expense.  It  is  surprising  what  may  be  done  in  this  respect.  The 
bee  keeper’s  aim  must  be  to  always  supply  a  good  article.  If  run 
honey  is  dark  and  not  of  good  quality,  it  is  much  better  to  feed  it 
back  to  the  bees  than  to  lose  a  cus  omer,  and  always  to  send  a  sample 
from  bulk,  as  there  will  thtn  be  no  complaint.  Comb  honey  requires 
care  in  manipulation;  this  is  usually  obtained  in  1  lb.  sections,  and  it 
is  not  often  that  the  bee-keeper  can  get  them  all  first-class. 
The  difficulty  usually  experienced  is  to  get  the  bees  to  finish 
them  off  without  leaving  any  enqfl}’  cells,  or  srmie  partly  filled.  This 
is  the  case  when  a  spell  of  cold  weather  sets  in,  or  when  honey  is 
scarce.  It  is  therefore  advisable  to  have  two  or  more  samples.  The 
returns  will  then  be  made  more  satisfactory.  There  is  not  such  a 
demand  for  honey  in  the  comb  as  for  run  honey. — An  English 
Bee-keepek. 
A  REMINDER  FOR  “GEORGE  HOWDENSHIRE.” 
It  will  be  remembered  that  some  months  ago  a  discussion  appeared  in 
these  pages  between  “An  English  Bee-keeper”  and  “George  Howdtn- 
shire  ”  on  the  relative  merits  of  a  hive  with  ten  standard  frames  and 
those  of  larger  dimensions.  “  George  Howdenshire  ”  promised  the 
readers  of  this  Journal  that  after  a  trial  with  nearly  one  hundred  large 
and  small  hives  in  the  locality  where  he  resides,  he  would  make  the 
result  known  to  the  readers  of  this  paper.  It  would  be  interesting  to 
know  if  any  of  the  large  hives  have  come  up  to  the  350  lbs.  mentioned  in 
this  Journal  some  time  ago. — A  Yoekshieeman. 
TRADE  CATALOGUES  RECEIVED. 
W.  Atlee  Burpee  &  Co.,  Philadelphia. — Farm  Annual. 
H.  Cannell  &  Sons,  Swanley.— 6'oWew  Seeds. 
Cooper,  Taber  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  Southwark  Street.  —  Wholesale  Seed 
Catalogue. 
Dickson,  Brown  &  Tait,  Corporation  Street,  Manchester.— S'ceds. 
Dickson  &  Robinson,  Manchester. — Seeds. 
Dicksons,  Ltd.,  Chester.— 
E.  P.  Dixon  &  Son,  Hull. — Seeds. 
S.  Dobie  &  Son,  Heathfield  Gardens,  near  Chester. — Seeds. 
Eisher,  Son  &  Sibray,  Ltd.,  Handsworth,  Sheffield.— /S'eeds. 
W.  J.  Godfrey,  Exmouth,  Devon. — Catalogue  of  Choice  Chrysanthemums. 
Harrison  &  Sons,  Leicester. — Seeds. 
Chr.  Lorenz,  Erfurt. — Guide  for  Amateur  Gardeners. 
T.  Methven  k.  Sons,  Princes  Street,  Edinburgh. — Seeds. 
Stuart  &  Mein,  Kelso,  N.B. —  Gardening  Guide. 
J.  Veitch  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  Chelsea. — Seeds. 
R.  Veitch  &  Son,  Exeter.  ~  Seeds, 
