292 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  13,  1898 
stantly,  and  the  heat  from  the  sun  may  run  up  to  85°  or  90°,  only  let 
there  he  enough  air  to  insure  a  circulation.  The  laterals  should  be  reduced 
by  degrees,  bringing  them  down  to  the  principal  leaves,  and  when  there 
is  no  danger  of  starting  these,  the  shoots  or  canes  may  be  shortened 
to  about  two  leaves  above  the  pruning  buds.  This  will  cause  the  latter 
to  plump,  and  by  keeping  the  house  rather  warm  by  day  with  ventila¬ 
tion,  the  Vines  will  go  to  rest. 
V  .  1  -  -  i  1  .  -  I  -  F  -  1  -  |  .  |  . '  f  -  V-  1  -1-1  -1  -  i  .  ;  -~T~~I  -  I  -  I  -  "I  .  |  .  I  .  I  -  1  -  1  »  1"»  1  ■"  1 
111 
t£\\  u 
IE  BEE-KEEPER.-^ 
Utilising  Old  Combs. 
What  should  be  done  with  old  combs  that  are  black  with  age  ? 
They  are  in  bar-framed  hives,  and  are  at  present  full  of  honey  — M.  D. 
[There  are  various  ways  of  utilising  old  combs  that  are  black  with 
age  but  full  of  honey.  Were  they  from  skops  or  boxes,  we  should 
recommend  “  M.  D.”  to  extract  the  honey  and  melt  the  combs  down 
for  wax  ;  but  as  they  are  from  frame  hives,  wo  presume  there  are 
sufficient  stores  left  in  them  for  the  bees  to  winter  on  to  allow  for 
the  removal  of  the  old  combs.  If  the  combs  are  not  clogged  with 
pollen,  but  are  filled  with  honey  wh:ch  is  neatly  sealed  over,  they 
may  be  pbteed  in  a  box  or  dry  cupboard  as  a  reserve  for  feeding  the 
bees  in  the  spring,  for  avhich  purpose  there  is  nothing  better  than 
a  few  frames  of  natural  stores.  Although  the  combs  are  black, 
they  may  be  clean  and  sweet,  and  when  in  this  condition  they  are 
not  detrimental  to  the  future  welfare  of  the  bees,  and  if  given  to 
a  strong  colony  of  bees  at  any  time,  it  will  be  found  that  the  stores 
will  be  removed  as  required  by  them.  The  combs  will  then  be 
cleaned  by  the  workers  in  readiness  for  the  qu,een  to  lay  eggs,  and 
in  due  course  will  be  filled  with  brood. 
If  the  honey  is  not  required  for  feeding  purposes,  and  it  is  in 
good  condition,  it  may  be  extracted  in  the  usual  manner,  and  if  the 
comb  is  in  good  condition  it  can  be  stored  as  advised  in  previous 
notes.  It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  combs  which  are  dark  in 
colour  are  useless.  We  consider  that  good  tough  combs  are  the 
sheet  anchor  of  success  in  bee-keeping,  and  have  hundreds  of  spare 
combs  of  this  description  which  will  again  do  duty  when  required 
during  the  honey  flow  another  season. 
If  the  surplus  combs  are  examined  annuall}*,  and  those  having 
numerous  cells  filled,  or  partially  filled,  with  pollen  are  removed  and 
placed  in  the  melting  pot,  all  will  be  kept  in  good  condition.  It  is, 
however,  rather  disappointing  melting  down  combs  that  have  been  in 
use  for  several  }  ears,  as  the  amount  of  wax  obtained  is  much  less 
than  would  be  procured  from  the  same  weight  of  new  combs.] 
The  Difficulties  of  Bee-keeping. 
It  is  amusing  and  interesting  to  observe  the  various  methods 
■practised  by  bee-keepers  in  different  parts  of  the  country.  A  few 
of  the  difficulties  some  of  them  have  to  contend  with  have  quite 
recently  come  under  our  notice.  One,  a  cottager  who  kept  his  bees 
in  the  time-honoured  straw  skep.  was  anxious  to  procure  his  honey 
without  destroying  the  bees.  He  had  never  seen  any  bees  driven, 
nor  had  he  ever  read  any  book  on  bee-keeping,  but  thought  the 
bees  would  ascend  into  an  empty  skep  if  the  one  containing  them 
were  reversed  and  the  skep  placed  on  the  top.  This  was  cone,  and 
they  were  allowed  to  remain  in  this  condition  for  several  days,  and 
on  an  examination  taking  place  it  was  found  that  the  r<  es  still 
remained  in  their  original  skep.  Not  to  be  outdone  by  the  bees, 
he  next  tried  the  plan  of  sealing  the  two  hives  togethei  which 
was  done  with  clay.  We  are  unable  to  say  how  long  they  remained 
in  this  condition,  but  the  skep  was  afterwards  placed  in  itsjoiiginal 
position,  and  we  were  appealed  to  for  the  reason  why  the  bees  would 
not  enter  the  empty  skep.  The  matter  was  easily  explained,  and  there 
is  now  one  more  bee-keeper  who  will  not  have  the  same  difficulty 
again. 
One  of  the  commonest  mistakes  which  we  constantly  meet  with 
is  the  careless  manner  in  which  the  coverings  are  placed  on  the  top 
of  the  frames.  Quite  recently  we  examined  a  stock  in  which  half 
the  frames  were  exposed.  They  had  been  in  this  condition  for  two 
months,  and  were  weak  and  short  of  stores.  It  is  impossible  for  bees 
to  do  well  when  there  is  a  current  of  air  passing  through  the  brood 
nest.  This  mistake  is  often  made  by  people  who  are  nervous  whilst 
(handling  bees. — An  English  Bee-keeper. 
TRADE  CATALOGUES  RECEIVED. 
H.  Cannell  &  Sons,  Swanley. — Autumn  Catalogue. 
W.  Cutbush  &  Son,  Highgate. —  Carnations. 
Dicksons  &  Co.,  Waterloo  Place,  Edinburgh.  -  Hoses. 
T.  Itivers  &  Sons,  Sawbridge worth. — Fruit. 
C.  Turner,  Slough. — Fruit  Trees  and  Roses. 
T.  S.  Ware,  Ltd.,  Tottenham. — Bulbs. 
W.  A  atson  &  Sons,  Clontarf  Nurseries,  Dublin. —  Carnations  and  ‘Violas.  I 
^^All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to  “  The  Editor,”  a.  Rose  Hill  Road, 
Wandsworth,  S.W.,  and  WOT  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  accompan'ed  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. 
Physalis  (Z  ). — Fruiting  stems  have  often  been  exhibited  by  Messrs* 
James  Veitch  &  Sons,  Ltd  .  the  last  time  on  Tuesday  last  at  the  meeting 
of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  as  noted  on  page  281. 
Flora  of  Mauritius  (J.  W.,  Glasgow). — We  do  not  remember  at  the 
moment  of  writing  any  book  on  the  subject  indicated.  If  any  of  our 
readers  know  of  one  they  will  oblige  by  particulars  as  to  title, 
publishers,  and  price. 
Cleaning  Glass  Outside  a  Greenhouse  (B.  Q.  P.). — The  matter  on  the 
glass  is  simply  the  slimy  deposit  from  the  chimneys  hardened  on  the 
surface,  and  consists  mainly  of  carbon.  It  is  difficult  to  remove,  but  may 
usually  be  softened  by  treating  with  caustic  potash,  made  by  dissolving 
potash  in  water,  mixing  the  solution  with  freshly  burned  and  slaked  lime, 
then,  after  the  mixture  has  settled,  pouring  of!  the  clear  liquid  for  use. 
Keep  the  glass  moist  with  the  liquid  for  some  time,  and  it  will  soften  the 
sooty  deposit — at  least,  such  has  been  our  experience.  Muriatic  acid  may 
also  be  applied  with  a  brush,  and  in  about  an  hour’s  interval  the  substance 
on  the  glass  should  be  soft  and  easily  removed. 
Manure  for  Mushroom  Beds  ((?.  P.) — It  is  difficult  to  advise  in  such  a 
case  without  knowing  the  nature  of  the  manure  as  to  containing  a  good 
amount  of  short  decaying  straw  or  otherwise.  We  are  inclined  to  suspect 
that  which  you  are  preparing  is  too  dry.  It  should  be  decidedly  moist 
and  feel  almost  greasy  when  a  handful  is  grasped.  If  rather  dry  water  it, 
throw  it  into  a  heap  to  generate  a  good  amount  of  heat.  It  ought  then, 
after  the  sundry*  turnings — perhaps  too  many — to  be  ready  for  making 
up  in  beds.  We  presume  you  have  “  Mushrooms  for  the  Million.”  Read 
pages  21  to  31,  also  page  109  (seventh  edition).  If  you  get  the 
materials  into  the  condition  advised  you  need  not  trouble  about  the 
mildew. 
Fig  Leaves  Browned  (//.  F.  B.). — The  leaves  are  affected  by  what  is 
known  as  browning  or  “brunure,”  caused  by*  a  slime  fungus  ( Rseudo- 
commis  Yitis,  Debray).  This  gives  nse  to  depressed  dark  sp ")i «.  sun  ounded 
by  a  brownish  band.  Ultimately  the  leaves  become  affected  all  over, 
wither  and  die  wholly  or  in  part.  The  disease  is  not  new,  but  has  only 
recently  been  investigated,  and  found  to  be  referable  to  the  parasite  named. 
The  only  preventives  are  to  collect  and  burn  all  infested  leaves,  then 
thoroughly  dust  the  trees  when  damp  in  every  part  with  quicklime, 
applying  a  dressing  of  it  also  to  the  soil  ;  or  treat  with  copper  solutions 
or  dustings  with  the  powders  containing  sulphate  of  copper.  We  have 
found  the  dry  lime  treatment  effective,  as  this  repels  the  fungus,  if  not 
destroying  it,  and  is  less  objectionable  than  copper  preparations. 
Chrysanthemum  Buds  Deformed  (  W.  M.). — No  disease  can  be  discovered 
as  caused  by  micro-organisms.  The  buds  are  simply  conglomerated  on 
short  stubby  shoots,  but  from  v,hat  cause  this  arises  is  difficult  to  account, 
though  most  commonly  from  a  severe  check  to  the  growth  after  the  plants 
have  attained  to  bud-formation  size.  It  may  be  a  sudden  deprivation 
of  water  or  loss  of  roots  through  an  overdose  of  feeding  substance,  and 
not  infrequently  from  the  plants  being  treated  very  generously  in  their 
early  stages,  and  when  arrived  at  full  growth  deprived  of  due  supplies  of 
water  and  nourishment.  We  have  only  noticed  the  malformation  when 
the  plants  have  been  overgrown  and  then  checked,  such  as  occurs  in  a 
period  of  very  dry  weather.  The  deformity  not  infrequently  passes  into 
the  cuttings,  which,  when  rooted,  form  several  stubby  growths  instead  of 
one  strong  and  clean.  We  can  only  suggest  clean  cuttings  as  the  way 
out  of  the  difficulty,  a  change  being  often  the  only  means  of  securing 
plants  with  free  growths. 
