March  l7,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
249 
boxes  or  pans  of  sandy  soil,  previously  well  moistened,  press  the  seeds 
in  it,  and  cover  lightly  with  fine  soil.  Place  in  gentle  heat.  Shade 
heavily  till  the  seed  has  germinated.  If  not  already  done,  prick  out  the 
earliest  raised  plants  in  boxes  of  rich  soil,  placing  them  in  gentle  heat  till 
well  established,  transferring  them  to  shallow  frames  before  they  become 
drawn.  Where  Celeiy  is  wanted  extra  fine  for  the  August  shows  it  pays 
well  to  transfer  the  requisite  number  of  plants  from  boxes  in  which  they 
were  first  pricked  into  5-inch  or  6-inch  pots,  from  which  they  may  be 
transplanted  with  the  least  possible  check  in  May. 
Early  Beet. — If  there  is  a  possibility  of  the  supply  of  old  roots 
failing  earlier  than  desirable,  early  roots  can  be  had  by  sowing  the 
Turnip-rooted  varieties  thinly  in  boxes  of  light  soil,  placing  in  heat  to 
germinate,  hardening  the  plants  when  about  3  inches  high,  prior  to 
planting  them  on  a  warm  border  or  at  the  foot  of  a  warm  wall.  Seeds 
may  also  be  sown  on  a  warm  border  thinly  in  drills  12  inches  apart. 
Lettuce. — Cold  weather  has  checked  the  hitherto  rapid  growth  of 
Lettuce  plants  that  were  set  out  in  the  open  ground  last  autumn,  but  with 
a  change  to  mild  weather  the  more  advanced  may  be  loosely  tied  up  to 
hasten  blanching.  More  from  the  seed  beds  or  frames  should  be  planted 
on  rich  ground,  and  early  winter-raised  plants  ought  to  be  now  nearly 
large  enough  for  planting  out.  Seeds  of  some  rapid-growing  variety 
might  be  sown  in  boxes  under  glass.  The  plants  resulting  could  be 
established  on  rich  warm  borders  or  open  plots  oferound,  would  heart  well 
ahead  of  any  raised  onite  in  the  open.  At  the  same  time  sow  seeds  in 
the  open,  in  drills  9  inches  to  12  inches  apart.  Slugs  are  numerous,  and 
must  be  prevented  by  frequent  light  surfacings  of  soot  and  lime. 
Peas. — Those  raised  under  glass  for  planting  out  ought  not  to  be  kept 
long  enough  in  pots  or  boxes  for  their  roots  to  become  badly  matted 
together  and  their  tops  stunted.  Take  extra  pains  with  the  preparation 
of  the  sites  for  them,  plant  somewhat  thickly,  because  they  will  not  branch 
strongly  ;  firmly  surround  the  roots  with  good  fine  soil,  stake  at  the  same 
time,  and  protect  from  cold  winds.  Peas  sown  in  the  open  ground  have 
come  up  strongly.  Draw  the  soil  up  to  them,  more  especially  on  the  cold 
side,  to  protect  the  plants  somewhat  from  cold  winds,  and  stake  early. 
The  choicer  second  early  or  successional  wrinkled  seeded  varieties  may 
now  be  safely  sown  in  moderately  rich,  deeply  cultivated  soil. 
Potatoes. — With  the  ground  in  good  working  order  planting  ought  to 
be  persevered  with.  For  these  important  crops  cultivate  deeply,  the 
cleanest  and  best  crops  turning  out  of  ground  finely  divided  to  a  good 
depth.  Late  disease-resisting  varieties  should  be  given  abundance  of 
room,  the  rows  being  not  less  than  30  inches  apart  and  the  sets  12  inches 
apart  in  the  rows.  Shorter  topped,  quicker  maturing  varieties  may  be 
6  inches  nearer  together.  Keep  a  close  look  out  for  the  advancing  haulms 
of  early  varieties  on  warm  borders,  keeping  it  well  moulded  up,  and 
otherwise  protecting  from  frost  when  necessary. 
Turnips. — An  east  border  is  the  best  position  for  early  Turnips.  In 
an}’  case  provide  a  well  manured  site,  this  promoting  quick  growth.  The 
Extra  Early  Milan  is  the  best  for  early  sowing,  with  Early  Snowball  as  a 
succession.  Make  the  ground  fine  and  firm  ;  sow  the  seed  thinly  in  drills 
from  12  inches  to  15  inches  apart,  the  first  named  variety  requiring  the 
least  room.  Dust  the  plants  directly  they  are  seen  with  soot  and  lime  to 
save  them  from  slugs  and  flea. 
Doubling  Hives. 
On  page  179  “  G.  H.”  says  “he  knew  the  method  and  practised 
doubling  years  ago  when  in  his  teens.”  That,  however,  proves  nothing. 
It  may  not  be  too  late  even  now  to  suggest  that  if  he  again  dried  the 
system  on  slightly  different  lines  he  would  find  out  that  there  is  a 
right  way  and  a  x^rong  way  of  carrying  out  this  operation,  simple  as  it 
may  appear.  But  if  he  be  well  satisfied  with  his  frames  of  various 
sizes  he  will  be  well  advised  to  keep  to  them.  In  doing  so,  however, 
he  must  not  ignore  what  others  are  doing  whilst  managing  their  bees 
in  a  different  manner. 
“  G.  H.”  says  “  the  arithmetic  propounded  is  not  a  fair  comparison,” 
and  goes  on  to  explain  that  “  by  using  two  supers  holding  ten  frames, 
each  20  inches  by  5^,”  a  much  greater  comb  surface  is  obtained  than 
in  the  super  mentioned  in  previous  notes  as  having  nine  standard 
frames.  It  may  therefore  come  as  a  surprise  to  “  G.  H.”  to  be  informed 
that  w’e  have  frequently  had  two  supers  of  nine  standard  frames  each, 
and  a  crate  of  shallow  frarpes  on  a  strong  colony  during  the  height  of 
the  honev  flow,  and,  what  is  more  satisfactory,  they  have  been  all 
filled.  Now  as  regards  the  number  of  superficial  inches  of  comb  for 
storage  purposes,  he  wdl  find  that  his  large  hives  and  supers  are  “  not 
in  it.”  We  have  several  hives  of  similar  dimensions,  and  larger  than 
those  advocated  by  “  G.  H.,”  holding  from  twelve  to  twenty  and 
upwards  standard  frames  in  the  body  of  the  hive,  and  our  experience 
is  that  when  shallow  frames  are  used  as  supers  it  is  a  great  advantage 
to  reduce  the  number  of  frames  in  the  brood  nest,  and  place  an  extra 
crate  of  shallow  frames  on  the  top.  If  it  is  an  extra  strong  colony, 
and  honey  is  coming  in  freely,  at  least  four  crates  of  shallow  frames 
may  be  used  with  success,  and  if  “  G.  II.”  will  give  this  plan  a  trial 
during  the  coming  season  we  have  no  doubt  of  the  result. 
m 
HE  BEE-KE^EPERI^ 
■  r  ■  I  - 1 -i-i -I -I .  I  ■  I -1. 1 -i-i.j 
The  Queen’s  Laying  Powers. 
“  Has  a  queen  room  for  her  egg-laying  power  in  the  height  of  the 
season  when  she  is  capable  of  laying  from  3000  to  4000  eggs  per  day  ?  ” 
This  query  refers  to  a  hive  holding  ten  standard  frames,  and  we  at 
once  reply  yes  and  no.  This  may  appear  somewhat  of  a  paradox,  but 
it  is  nevertheless  true.  As  regards  the  number  of  eggs  laid  by  the 
queen  the  weather  must  be  taken  into  consideration,  and  the  month  of 
May  is  the  time  when  bee-kee|)ers  are  anxious  to  have  as  many  young 
bees  and  brood  as  possible,  as  these  are  the  bees  that  will  be  most 
suitable  for  gathering  a  surplus  from  the  White  Clover  and  other 
sources.  But  what  is  the  condition  of  the  weather  during  iMay  ? 
Taking  one  season  with  the  other,  cold  sunless  days  have  been  the 
rule  rather  than  the  exception  of  late  years,  and  instead  of  a  queen 
laying  the  above  number  of  eggs  probably  an  average  of  500  per 
day  has  been  nearer  the  mark.  This  is  no  imagination ;  we  have 
proved  it  many  times,  and  contend  that  a  hive  holding  ten  standard 
frames  affords  ample  space  for  the  queen’s  laying  powers  at  that 
season.  Should  the  weather  be  exceptionally  fine,  and  the  brood  nest 
is  found  to  be  crowded  with  bees,  four  or  five  of  the  frames  of  brood 
are  removed  into  the  super  and  their  places  filled  with  frames  of  fully 
drawn-out  combs  or  foundation,  as  advocated  in  previous  notes,  and  it 
will  not  be  necessary  to  introduce  any  more  bees  from  another  colony. 
When  a  hive  is  in  this  condition  and  does  not  receive  attention  at 
the  right  time,  the  stock  will  prepare  for  swaiming.  This  proves  the 
hive  is  not  large  enough,  and  fully  illustrates  what  we  have  often 
endeavoured  to  show — that  it  is  of  little  consequence  what  is  the  size 
of  the  frames  or  the  shape  of  the  hive  if  the  bees  have  proper  attention 
when  they  require  it. 
Using  Old  Combs. 
Are  old  combs  detrimental  for  storing  a  surplus  ?  and  is  the  flavour 
of  honey  affected  thereby  when  they  are  used  in  the  supers  for  storing 
a  surplus  ?  Personally  we  look  on  clean  tough  old  combs  as  our 
sheet  anchor.  “  G.  H.”  says,  “  To  my  palate  honey  has  the  richest 
aroma  that  is  taken  from  virgin  combs,  or  from  combs  that  have  not 
contained  brood.”  In  theory  this  may  be  the  case,  but  in  practice 
it  is  not  so.  Bees  will  not  store  honey  in  the  comb  until  the  latter  is 
in  the  right  condition  for  receiving  it.  We  very  much  doubt  if 
“  G.  H.”  could  defect  the  difference  either  in  the  flavour  or  appearance 
of  honey  obtained  from  clean  combs  that  had  previously  contained 
brood,  and  virgin  combs  that  may  have  been  placed  direct  in  the  super. 
We  have  often  heard  the  same  remark  passed  by  bee-keepers  and 
others  who  imagined  they  could  easily  detect  the  honey  obtained  from 
combs  which  once  contained  brood,  but  when  given  a  practical  test 
they  found  how  difficult  it  was,  and  were  more  often  wrong  than  light. 
The  bees  are  too  industrious  and  hardworking  to  store  honey  in  any¬ 
thing  but  clean  combs.  They  may  be  dark  in  colour,  but  the  honey 
stored  in  them  will  be  of  spotless  purity ;  and  as  a  proof  the  aroma  is 
good,  and  the  colour  and  density  all  that  could  be  desired,  honey 
obtained  from  combs  as  above  has  gained  high  honours  in  strong 
c  mpetition. — An  English  Bee-keeper. 
HOW  TO  MAKE  A  LARGE  HIVE. 
On  page  136  “Warwick”  asks  for  information  about  making  the  large 
hive  mentioned  in  a  previous  issue.  I  take  it,  from  the  first  question 
isked  by  “  Warwic  v ,”  that  the  hives  are  for  a  bee  house.  That  being  the 
case  it  will  be  a  very  easy  matter  to  make  them.  First  procure  some 
well  seasoned  |  deal.  Make  the  side  pieces  first,  which  are  19|  inches 
long  by  lOJ  inch  deep  ;  next  make  the  end  pieces,  which  are  18^  inches 
long  by  8J  inches  deep.  Nail  these  four  pieces  together,  and  you  have  a 
hive  18§  inches  square,  inside  measure.  It  will  be  noticed,  now,  that  the 
back  and  front  of  the  hive  is  -g  lower  than  the  sides  ;  this  forms  a  f  lip 
for  the  frame  ends  to  rest  on.  Next  nail  a  plinth  of  -^-inch  wood, 
I9f  inches  long  by  inch  deep,  for  the  frame  ends  to  butt  against,  and 
to  keep  in  the  heat.  This  plinth  will  make  the  ends  the  same  depth  as 
the  sides.  This  hive  takes  twelve  frames.  The  extra  ^  inch  in  the 
hive  allows  J  of  an  inch  more  room  to  the  two  outside  combs,  and  makes 
it  easier  for  the  bee-keeper  to  admit  the  bees  to  the  supers  by  the  sides  of 
the  hive  only.  A  plinth  at  the  sides  and  back  to  drop  over  the  sides  of 
the  floor  board,  as  in  the  case  of  hives  that  take  standard  frames,  will 
make  it  warmer.  The  floor  board  can  be  made  of  ^-inch  matchboards,  to 
fit  easily  within  the  plinths,  and  if  these  are  nailed  on  a  batten  of  |-inch 
and  2  inches  broad  it  will  prevent  them  twisting.  Inside  the  bee  house 
the  floor  projects  about  3  inches.  The  entrance  should  be  at  least  7  inches 
long,  but  not  more  than  |  deep. 
Frames. 
The  top  bar  is  inches  long,  |  inch  deep,  and  U  jneh 
wide.  The  side  bars  are  made  of  ^  inch  wood,  8^  inch  long,  and  1/,  inch 
wide  ;  the  bottom  bar  is  18  inches  long  and  a  ^  inch  thick,  and  1  inch 
wide.  When  put  together  they  form  a  frame  of  18  inches  by  9  inches 
outside  measure.  A  groove,  of  an  inch  deep  and  \  wide,  is  run  out 
by  a  plough  down  the  centre  of  the  under  side  of  the  top  bar.  The 
foundation  to  be  fixed  in  this  groove  with  melted  wax.  Make  a 
lug  I  wide,  1  j  inch  long,  and  the  .same  depth  as  the  top  bar  ;  put  one  of 
these  on  the  right  hand  end  of  the  frame,  another  on  the  left,  these 
will  keep  the  frames  the  proper  distance  apart.  I  prefer  the  frames  to 
hang  at  right  angles  to  the  entrance. 
