196 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  September  8,  1898. 
Tomitoss. — Plants  against  'walls  and  in  the  open  failed  to  set  fruit 
well  early  in  the  season,  and  as  a  consequence  the  crops  are  late  in 
ripening.  Thanks  to  the  sunshine  and  dry  atmosphere  the  crops  yet 
promise  to  remunerate  for  all  the  trouble  taken  with  them,  and  if  still  free 
of  disease  for  another  fortnight  large  quantities  of  good  fruit  will  have 
ripened.  Avoid  stripping  off  nearly  or  quite  all  the  leaves,  as  this  exposes 
the  fruit  more  than  is  desirable,  cheesing  further  progress,  and  spoiling 
the  quality.  Top  the  plants  if  not  already  done  beyond  the  third  or 
fourth  cluster  of  fruit,  remove  all  superfluous  side  shoots,  and  if  the 
primary  leaves  are  extra  strong,  or  cover  the  fruit  unduly,  reduce  them 
in  size.  Fruit  that  has  commenced  changing  to  a  yellowish  red  in  colour 
should  be  gathered,  and  the  ripening  finished  on  a  bench  in  a  dry  warm 
house  or  room.  It  is  too  early  to  cut  the  bunches  of  green  Tomatoes,  as 
should  the  early  part  of  September  prove  to  be  dry  and  moderately 
warm,  much  of  the  fruit  will  ripen  better  on  the  plants.  If  a  bad  attack 
of  disease  is  feared  cut  the  [bunches  early,  and  hang  them  in  a  dry  heat 
to  ripen. 
-r=r-  r-  i  -  i  -  >  -  \  -j  -_±-  1  -t--  ,  -  ,  -  i  -  i  -  i  -  >  -  »  -  - rc==l 
fcHKt 
£y,  k 
iE  BEE-KEEPER.^ 
Condemned  Bees. 
Although  the  wooden  frame  hive  has  made  much  headway  of  late 
years,  there  are  still  numerous  stocks  of  bees  kept  in  straw  skeps,  or 
makeshift  boxes,  in  various  parts  of  the  country.  These  will  now 
require  attention,  and  those  that  are  condemned  should  be  humanely 
treated,  and  the  lives  of  the  bees  saved.  Suffocating  the  bees  with 
brimstone  will,  we  hope,  be  soon  a  thing  of  the  past,  and  this  can  only 
be  done  by  bee-keepers  assisting  their  less  fortunate  brethren  in  the 
craft. 
The  art  of  driving  bees  has  been  mentioned  on  more  than  one 
occasion  in  these  notes,  but  as  shown  above  there  are  still  many  bee¬ 
keepers  throughout  the  country  who  know  but  little  about  the  matter, 
and  as  there  are  constantly  new  readers  of  the  Journal,  a  few  words 
on  this  subject  may  be  of  interest  to  them. 
In  the  first  place  it  is  well  to  understand  what  it  is  that  causes  the 
bees  to  leave  their  hive  and  their  well  sealed  stores.  It  is  fear.  If  a 
hive  is  rapped  sharply  with  the  hand  several  times  in  succession 
without  moving  it  in  any  way  or  using  any  smoke,  a  few  of  the  bees 
will  come  out  at  the  entrance  and  fly  in  all  directions  to  see  what  is 
the  matter,  but  the  majority  of  the  bees  in  the  hive  will  at  once  delve 
into  the  cells  and  fill  themselves  with  honey  so  as  to  be  prepared  for 
the  worst  in  case  they  should  become  homeless.  When  they  are  in 
this  condition  they  are  invariably  good  tempered,  and  may  be  handled 
with  impunity.  This  is  the  reason  why  a  little  smoke  is  blown  into 
the  entrance  of  the  hive  a  few  minutes  before  starting  to  drive  them — 
none  of  the  bees  will  take  wing.  The  less  smoke  used  the  better  ;  a 
few  puffs  from  the  smoker,  and  a  few  sharp  raps  on  the  hive  at  the 
same  time  is  much  better  than  partly  stupefying  the  bees  with 
smoke. 
Commence  by  inverting  the  skep  to  be  operated  on,  an  empty  skep 
•may  be  placed  on  the  top,  and  the  bottom  hive  constantly  tapped  with 
the  hands ;  this  will  cause  the  bees  to  run  up  into  the  empty  skep. 
This  is  called  close  driving,  and  the  disadvantage  of  practising  this 
plan  is,  the  operator  cannot  see  the  bees  or  the  queen  as  they  pass  up 
into  the  empty  skep. 
Open  driving  is  to  be  preferred,  and  only  the  most  timid  bee-keeper 
should  practise  close  driving.  The  only  difference  is,  the  empty  skep 
is  so  placed  that  the  interior  of  both  skeps  can  be  seen  by  the  operator. 
A  piece  of  stout  wire  or  sharpened  stick  is  first  put  through  the  two 
edges  of  both  skeps,  and  two  pieces  of  similar  wire  about  1  foot  in 
length,  with  the  points  turned  at  right  angles.  These  will  form  a 
hinge  on  each  side  of  the  skep  to  be  operated  on,  and  will  allow  an 
open  space  of  at  least  a  foot  between  the  front  edges  of  the  two  hives. 
Commence  tapping  the  bottom  hive,  and  in  a  short  time  the  bees 
will  commence  to  run  up  into  the  empty  hive  at  a  rapid  rate.  If  the 
operator  places  himself  directly  in  front  of  the  opening  between  the 
skeps,  the  queen  may  be  seen  as  she  runs  up  with  the  other  bees.  It 
is  important  that  the  queen  should  be  seen,  otherwise  she  may  be 
crushed  when  removing  the  combs  from  the  hive.  If  the  bees  are  at 
all  sluggish,  and  are  not  inclined  to  leave  their  combs,  a  little  smoke, 
combined  with  sharp  tapping,  will  soon  cause  them  to  do  so. 
When  the  majority  of  the  bees  have  left  their  hive,  the  skep 
containing  the  driven  bees  may  be  placed  on  its  original  stand 
again.  The  combs  may  then  be  lifted  out  of  the  hive,  and  the 
adhering  bees  brushed  off  into  an  empty  skep.  These  may  be  added 
to  those  already  placed  on  the  stand. 
Making  Mead. 
There  are  many  recipes  for  making  mead,  and  it  is  somewhat  difficult 
to  know  which  will  suit  “  D.  H.”  the  best,  as  he  does  not  state  whether 
.he  honey  has  been  extracted  from  frame  hives,  or  if  it  still  remains  in 
die  comb.  If  the  mead  is  made  from  pure  honey  a  superior  beverage 
will  be  obtained,  and  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  add  a  great  quantity  of 
water  ;  the  exact  amount  may  be  easily  determined  by  making  it  from 
the  following  recipe. 
Take  the  combs  and  all  the  honey  they  contain  from  a  couple  of  straw 
skeps,  or  one  ordinary  sized  frame  hive.  The  combs  must  be  broken  in  small 
pieces  by  hand,  and  placed  in  a  tub,  to  which  should  be  added  3  gallons 
of  water,  which  must  be  constantly  stirred,  and  allowed  to  remain  for 
several  days.  If  time  is  an  object  warm  water  may  be  used,  or  if  the 
honey  is  granulated  it  becomes  a  necessity,  otherwise  it  would  not  dissolve 
and  mix  with  the  water.  If  the  latter  plan  is  adopted  it  will  only  be 
necessary  to  allow  the  combs  to  soak  for  half  an  hour,  and  after  stirring 
them  well  for  a  few  minutes  pour  the  liquor  off  and  add  more  warm 
water  to  the  combs,  which  in  half  an  hour  will  have  extracted  all  the 
honey  from  them. 
If  pure  honey  is  used  it  will  doubtless  have  become  granulated,  and  it 
will  only  be  necessary  to  add  the  required  quantity  of  warm  water.  But 
in  either  case  the  liquor  should  be  strained  through  a  cheese  cloth,  and 
the  debris  obtained  from  the  former  may  be  preserved  for  making  wax. 
It  will  be  necessary  to  find  out  if  the  liquor  is  of  sufficient  strength. 
To  test  it,  drop  in  a  new-laid  egg.  If  it  sinks  to  the  bottom  it  will  be  too 
weak  to  make  mead  of  the  first  quality.  Honey  must  then  be  added 
until  the  egg  floats.  The  liquor,  however,  should  be  of  sufficient  warmth 
to  melt  the  honey,  otherwise  it  will  not  have  the  desired  effect.  Boil 
slowly  for  an  hour,  and  during  the  process  any  flavouring  that  may  be 
desired  should  be  added  ;  quarter  ounce  each  of  the  following  will  be 
sufficient  for  the  above  quantity — cloves,  ginger,  mace,  and  stick  cinnamon, 
which  must  be  tied  in  a  bag  ;  any  other  flavouring  may  be  added  according 
to  taste. 
When  it  has  cooled  sufficiently  strain  through  a  cheese  cloth,  and  add 
half  a  pint  of  brewers’  yeast,  allowing  it  to  ferment  for  two  or  three  days, 
and  skim  occasionally.  It  should  then  be  placed  in  a  cask  and  the  bung 
left  out  for  a  fortnight  until  fermentation  has  ceased.  The  cask  may  then 
be  corked  up  tightly  and  the  mead  be  bottled  any  time  within  a  year. 
If  brewers’  yeast  cannot  be  obtained  the  ordinary  German  yeast  will 
answer  the  same  purpose.  It  is  not  necessary  to  add  spirits  of  any  kind, 
as  mead  made  on  the  above  lines  will  keep  in  prime  condition  for  several 
years,  and  will  improve  with  age. —  An  English  Bee-keeper. 
W##A11  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to  “  The  Editor,”  a.  Rose  Hill  Road, 
Wandsworth,  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.  Letters  of  inquiry  must  be  accompanied  by 
the  names  and  addresses  of  the  writers,  but  these  will  neither  be 
published  nor  disclosed  when  initials  or  nom  de  plumes  are  given 
for  the  purpose  of  replies. 
Correspondents  should  not  mix  up  on  the  same  sheet  questions  relating 
to  Gardening  and  those  on  Bee  subjects,  and  it  is  convenient  when 
each  question  is  written  on  a  separate  sheet.  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. 
Destroying  Wireworms  in  Soil  (  Wahopci). — Wireworms  will  eat  almost 
any  kind  of  vegetable  matter,  but  are  especially  fond  of  Carrots,  hence 
pieces  of  these  make  the  best  traps.  They  may  be  about  2  infihes  in 
length,  cut  transversely,  and  inserted  about  2  inches  deep  in  the  mould. 
It  a  pointed  piece  of  stick  be  thrust  into  each  bait,  it  forms  an  index  to 
where  the  baits  are,  and  a  ready  mode  of  examining  them,  which  should 
be  every  morning.  If  you  require  something  for  mixing  with  the  soil  we 
do  not  know  of  anything  better  than  mustard  dross,  but  it  must  be  used 
sparingly,  ^  oz.  sufficing  for  a  square  yard,  sprinkling  it  on  the  surface 
and  pointing  in  very  lightly  at  first,  or  if  the  surface  is  rather  rough  not 
doing  so  for  about  two  or  three  days,  and  then  dig  with  a  fork,  taking 
very  small  spits,  so  as  to  mix  well  about  a  foot  deep.  The  dross,  owing 
to  the  cyanogen,  has  a  deleterious  effect  on  the  growth  of  plants,  but  in 
the  amount  named  not  materially  so.  Little’s  soluble  phenyle,  a  wine- 
glassful  or  2  fluid  ozs.  to  3  gallons  of  soft  water,  and  applied  at  the  rate 
