92 
JOURhUl  OR  nORTIGVLTUM  AND  OOTTAOR  QARDmER. 
January  27,  1898. 
moisture  given  out  by  cooler  surfaces,  and  is  a  common  cause  of  rust. 
The  temperature  should  be  increased  to  55°  at  night,  and  60°  to  65°  by 
day,  with  an  advance  to  75°  from  sun  heat,  gradually  raising  the  heat  to 
60°  to  65°  at  night,  and  70°  to  75°  by  day  by  the  time  the  Vines  are  in 
leaf.  Ventilate  carefully,  early,  and  in  accordance  with  external 
influences. 
Houses  to  Afford  Ripe  Grapes  in  July. — The  Vines  must  be  started  early 
in  next  month.  There  is  no  need  to  cover  the  outside  border  with  more 
than  a  light  mulching  of  lumpy  material  to  prevent  snow  or  frost  chilling 
the  roots.  If  the  Vines  are  planted  outside  protect  the  stems  with  hay- 
bands.  Syringe  the  Vines  two  or  three  times  a  day,  maintaining  a 
night  temperature  of  50°,  and  55°  by  day,  with  65°  from  sun  heat.  Supply 
inside  borders  with  water  or  liquid  manure  in  the  case  of  weakly  Vines, 
always  equal  to  the  mean  of  the  house  in  temperature,  and  never  making 
the  soil  sodden,  yet  l)ringing  it  into  an  evenly  moist  condition. 
Late  Houses. — Gros  Colman,  Gros  Guillaume,  Mrs.  Pince,  Trebbiano, 
and  other  Grapes  requiring  a  long  time  to  grow  and  perfect  their  crops 
should  be  started  about  the  middle  of  next  month ;  therefore  have  the 
houses  put  in  order,  and  everything  essential  in  respect  of  cleanliness  to 
the  Vines  doing  well  effected  without  delay. 
LL  -  -  j  j.  1 
i 
HE  BEE-KEEPER. 
Xil-.l  -1  -  1  -  IzX^zJ-.l  -1  -1-  1  -1-  1  -  r^T^J-T-l-.l  -1-  l-l-IM- 
British  versus  Foreign  Honey. 
It  will  be  interesting  to  bee-keepers  to  know  the  value  of  honey 
imported  into  this  country  during  the  past  year.  According  to  a 
return  furnished  by  the  Statistical  Office  II.M.  Customs,  honey  to  the 
value  of  £22,061  was  imported.  In  1896  the  value  was  £29,296,  and 
in  1895  honey  valued  at  £41,302  was  imported.  It  is  not  possible  to 
obtain  the  correct  weight  of  honey,  the  value  of  which  works  out  to 
the  above  figures.  It  will,  however,  be  considerable,  as  the  price 
quoted  in  the  first  instance  would  be  low. 
An  object  lesson  to  bee-keepers  in  this  country,  which  they  should 
not  lose  sight  of,  is  the  gradual  decrease  in  the  imported  article.  It 
would  be  much  more  satisfactory  if  the  weight  of  honey  were  known, 
as  the  value  may  have  been  less  per  ton  during  the  past  year  than  in 
previous  years.  But  this  can  hardly  account  for  the  difference  of 
£19,241  in  two  years. 
As  the  decrease  has  been  gradual,  and  there  has  been  no  particular 
reason  to  account  for  the  falling  off,  we  can  only  come  to  one  con¬ 
clusion,  which  is  that  bee-keepers  throughout  the  country  are  producing 
honey  of  superior  quality,  and  in  mueh  greater  quantity  than 
formerly.  This  is  encouraging  to  those  bee-keepers  in  this  country 
who  have  steadily  worked  on  simple,  but  safe  lines,  and  encouraged 
others  on  the  same  course  in  the  use  of  the  modern  moveable  frame 
hive.  The  above  figures  will  doubtless  come  as  a  surprise  to  many 
people,  as  neither  of  the  past  three  years  has  been  really  good  for 
honey  production.  There  have  been  a  few  isolated  cases  in  which  large 
yields  have  been  chronicled,  but  they  have  been  in  the  minority  when 
compared  with  those  who  had  a  fair  or  indifferent  harvest. 
Although  in  some  districts  there  has  been  a  general  falling  off  in 
the  number  of  bee-keepers,  many  of  whom  l-iept  their  bees  in  str.aw 
skeps,  and  lost  them  through  disease  and  carelessness,  their  places 
have  been  more  than  filled  by  those  who  have  managed  their  bees  on 
rational  lines  in  the  moveable  frame  hive.  The  result  is  shown  above, 
and  should  act  as  an  impetus  to  try  and  further  reduce  the  importa¬ 
tion  of  honey  into  this  country  in  the  future. 
Have  Prices  Advanced? 
^  It  is  sometimes  remarked,  “  figures  may  bo  made  to  prove  any¬ 
thing  ;  ”  and  this  is  partly  true,  as  they  are  sometimes  misleading,  still 
one  cannot  ignore  the  fact  that  there  are  now  many  tons  of  honey 
obtained  in  this  country  from  districts  where  a  few  years  ago  it  was 
all  wasted,  as  there  were  no  bees  kept  to  collect  the  nectar  from  the 
flowers  ;  or  what  bees  there  were  had  made  their  homes  in  the  roof  of 
some  old  building  or  in  the  trunk  of  a  hollow  tree,  whilst  ,  here  and 
there,  often  two  or  three  miles  apart,  were  to  be  found  the  homely 
straw  skeps.  Honey  was  not  in  demand,  owing  often,  we  fear,  to  the 
inferior  samples  and  the  rustic  manner  in  which  it  was  offered.  Prices 
were  high,  and  the  foreigner  was  not  slow  to  observe  the  opening  for  his 
product. 
Honey  in  various  degrees  of  purity,  tastefully  put  up  in  glass  jars, 
and  neatly  labelled,  was  to  be  found  in  all  our  provincial  towns.  The 
get-up  being  good,  and  prices  low,  a  ready  sale  was  usually  effected, 
although  the  quality  was  often  doubtful.  The  British  bee-keeper  now 
came  in  with  honey  of  superior  quality,  which  was  tastefully  put  up 
in  screw-top  glass  jars.  Comb  honey,  too,  of  spotless  purity  was  met 
with  in  all  directions,  the  result  being  as  shown  above,  the  gradual 
ousting  of  the  foreign  product  from  our  markets. 
,  Prices,  though,  are  low'er  than  they  were  a  few  years  ago,  but  there 
has  been  no  perceptible  difference  in  the  price  of  either  run  or  comb 
honey  during  the  past  seven  years.  The  large  dealers  in  our  towns 
practise  the  maxim  of  “small  profits  and  quick  returns,”  both  comb 
and  run  honey  being  sold  retail  at  the  same  price  throughout  the  year. 
There  is  no  prospect  of  prices  being  higher,  neither  are  they  likely  to 
become  much  lower,  except  for  inferior  samples.  The  many  inquiries 
for  really  good  honey  during  the  past  few  months  gives  one  the 
impression  that  it  is  somewhat  scarce,  and  that  prices  may  harden. 
Sending  Comb  Honey  by  Post, 
The  parcels  post  is  a  great  convenience  to  bee-keepers,  as  they 
are  thus  enabled  to  send  small  parcels  to  friends  or  customers  much 
cheai)er  than  would  be  possible  by  any  other  means.  Great  care, 
however,  is  necessary  in  packing  comb  honey,  or  it  will  not  arrive  at 
its  destination  in  good  condition.  Not  more  than  half  a  dozen  1  lb. 
sections  should  be  placed  in  a  box.  If  more  is  required  they  will 
travel  much  safer  by  rail. 
If  the  sections  are  double  glazed  they  will  travel  admirably  if 
some  soft  paper  is  placed  between  the  face  of  each  section.  Sufficient 
should  be  used  to  prevent  concussion  if  the  package  has  rough  usage. 
A  layer  of  hay,  dry  moss,  or  something  of  a  similar  nature  must  he 
placed  at  the  bottom  of  the  box,  which  should  be  slightly  larger  than 
required  for  the  sections.  The  intervening  space  at  the  top  and  sides 
must  be  well  padded  with  the  same  material  as  placed  at  the  bottorn 
of  the  box.  If  the  sections  are  not  glazed,  place  a  piece  of  card¬ 
board  slightly  larger  than  the  section  against  the  face  of  the  comb. 
The  ends  may  lap  over  the  sides  and  tied  with  a  piece  of  string  and 
packed  as  above.  The  whole  should  be  packed  firmly,  so  that  there  is 
no  possibility  of  the  sections  moving.  Fasten  securely,  and  place  a 
red  label  on  the  top  of  box  marked  “  Fragile,”  and  if  the  sections  are 
placed  in  the  box  in  the  same  position  they  occupied  in  the  hive,  they 
will  travel  a  long  distance  without  damage. — An  English  Bee- 
keeber. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to  “The  Editor,”  a.  Rose  Hill  Road, 
Wandswortb,  S.W.,  and  NOT  to  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers, 
Fleet  Street.  It  is  requested  that  no  one  will  write  privately  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;  and 
the  name  and  address  of  each  writer  must  be  known  by  the 
Editor,  though  not  necessarily  for  insertion.  We  cannot,  as  a 
rule,  reply  to  questions  through  the  post,  and  we  do  not  under¬ 
take  to  return  communications  which,  for  any  reason,  cannot 
be  inserted. 
Packing  Flowers  (T.  B.'). — The  box  had  either  been  sent  off  without 
any  string  round  it,  or  it  had  been  tied  so  insecurely  as  to  escape.  The 
lid  had  evidently  been  off,  and  the  contents  crushed  in  roughly  among  dry 
paper,  the  flowers  separated  from  the  stems,  shrunken  and  curled  into  a 
ball.  It  is  a  matter  of  surprise  that  they  reached  us  at  all.  We  are  trying 
to  revive  them,  with  the  object  of  giving  the  name,  if  possible,  next  week. 
Small  Tomato  Plants  Withering  {Cross'). — The  slight  withering  of  the 
tips  of  the  leaves  in  some  of  the  plants  may  have  been  caused  by  sulphur¬ 
ing  the  adjacent  houses,  also  the  general  yellowish  colour  of  the  foliage, 
but  there  are  no  disease  or  micro-organisms.  The  general  weakness  is  due 
to  thick  sowing  or  drawing  of  the  plants  in  the  early  stages.  They  are, 
as  you  say,  weak  at  the  roots.  This  you  particularly  ask  about.  The 
microscope  revealed  a  few  mycelial  threads  of  some  fungus,  perhaps 
Eusarium  lycopersici,  but  no  “sleepy  disease.”  The  fungus  may  or  may 
not  have  had  something  to  do  with  the  decay  of  the  tap  root,  but  there 
does  not  appear  to  be  anything  to  be  alarmed  about,  except  the  weakness 
of  the  plants  ;  and  as  for  the  fungus,  a  little  air-slaked  best  chalk  lime 
sprinkled  on  the  surface  of  the  pots,  just  a  light  dusting,  would  be  likely 
to  subdue  it,  as  the  first  watering  would  wash  the  lime  down.  The  plants 
will  no  doubt  improve  as  the  days  become  longer.  They  cannot  be  too 
near  the  glass,  affording  air  liberally,  yet  judiciously,  on  all  favourable 
occasions,  and  not  watering  more  than  is  needful  to  prevent  flagging,  as 
overwatering  hinders  root  formation,  which  must  be  encouraged.  We 
should  raise  the  plants  very  differently,  and  expect  them  to  thrive. 
