October  19,  1699.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  34,> 
Sy 
HE  BEE-KEEPER. 
•-LZJ  -  I  ‘ 
•~T~"  1  "  I  -  I  . 
Prevention  of  Swarming. 
There  is  nothing  more  annoying  in  the  management  of  bees, 
where  the  bee-keeper  works  for  honey  production  and  not  for  increase  of 
colonies,  than  to  have  his  bees  swarming  incessantly  instead  of  settling 
down  to  work.  It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  if  a  swarm  of  bees  is  placed 
in  an  empty  hive  they  appear  to  work  much  harder  than  those  that 
have  not  swarmed.  But  if  they  are  returned  to  the  stock  from  which 
they  came  they  will  often  not  settle  down  to  work,  or  will  come  off 
again  the  following  day.  Whilst  they  are  in  this  unfavourable 
condition  it  is  useless  to  expect  a  surplus  to  be  stored. 
There  are  various  methods  of  treating  them  when  in  this  condition 
so  as  to  have  as  little  loss  of  time  as  possible.  The  best  plan,  however, 
is  to  prevent  them  swarming,  and  as  we  work  solely  for  honey 
production,  we  will  briefly  state  how  this  is  done  in  our  own  apiary. 
It  is  as  well  to  bear  the  fact  in  mind,  that  the  greater  the  number  of 
bees  there  are  in  a  hive,  so  will  be  the  weight  of  honey  in  proportion 
to  thaUnumber.  The  aim  of  the  bee-keeper  should  be  to  keep  the 
bees  fully  employed  in  one  colony  without  divisions  by  swarming. 
Unity  is  strength,  and  it  cannot  be  better  illustrated  than  in  successful 
bee  management. 
Do  not  delay  until  to-morrow,  or  it  may  be  next  week,  what 
ought  to  be  done  to-day.  Always  provide  extra  room  in  advance  of 
the  bees’  requirements  ;  do  not  place  an  empty  crate^of  sections  on  the 
hive  before  the  brood  nest  is  crowded  with  bees,  or  it  will  have  the 
contrary  effect.  With  a  little  practice  the  bee-keeper  will  soon  know 
when  extra  space  is  required. 
Free  ventilation  and  shade  are  most  important.  Ventilation  is 
best  carried  out  by  wedging  up  the  front  of  the  hive,  so  that  the 
bees  may  have  free  access  the  full  width  of  the  floor  board.  This  is 
one  advantage  of  having  loose  floor  boards.  We  have  sometimes  seen 
the  roof  removed  and  the  quilt  lifted  from  the  super,  with  the  mis¬ 
taken  idea  of  cooling  it.  Shade  freely  during  the  prevalence  of  bright 
sunshine,  work  on  the  above  lines,  and  few  swarms  will  come  off  when 
they  are  not  required. 
The  Swarming  Mania. 
Early  swarms  were  not  plentiful,  although  this  made  little  difference 
where  stocks  were  numerous,  and  a  surplus  was  the  chief  aim  of 
the  bee-keeper.  The  last  fortnight  of  June  was  dull  and  showery, 
and  bees  made  little  headway  in  storing  a  surplus,  although  they 
increased  at  a  rapid  rate.  With  the  advent  of  July  came  bright 
hot  weather.  Strong  colonies  which  were  not  ventilated  and  shaded 
threw  off  immense  swarms,  and  as  is  often  the  case  during  the  preva¬ 
lence  of  a  high  temperature,  they  flew  straight  away  without 
clustering. 
Bearing  on  the  question  of  runaway  swarms,  we  may  mention  a 
fact  that  has  lately  come  under  our  notice.  A  bee-keeper  who  had  lost 
all  his  bees  but  one  weak  stock,  left  the  hives  full  of  comb  on  their 
stands.  Within  a  few  days  of  each  other  in  July  a  couple  of  strong 
swarms  of  bees  took  possession  of  two  of  the  hives.  Where  they  came 
from  no  one  knew,  as  there  were  no  bees  kept  in  the  neighbourhood. 
We  do  not  agree  with  this  system  of  leaving  empty  hives  filled  with 
combs  on  their  stands,  as  it  may  be  the  means  of  doing  other  bee¬ 
keepers  in  the  district  an  injury,  as  the  swarms  from  their  hives  are 
almost  certain  to  take  possession  of  them. 
To  show,  however,  that  bees  do  not  always  choose  the  best  spot  to 
make  their  future  home,  we  may  mention  a  case  that  came  under  our 
notice  recently.  On  a  neighbouring  estate  a  keeper  found  a  strong 
swarm  of  bees  clustering  to  the  branch  of  a  tree.  They  were  not 
interfered  with,  so  they  built  their  combs  and  stored  a  quantity  of 
honey.  They  were  still  in  that  position  the  last  week  in  September. — 
An  English  Bee-keeper. 
Fruit  Trays. — In  large  establishments  where  great  quantities  of 
hardy  fruits  are  grown,  the  storing  of  the  greater  portion  until  it  is 
required  for  use  is  a  serious  problem.  Space  is  almost  always  limited, 
and  in  this  respect  lies  the  chief  advantage  of  Orr’s  fruit  trays,  which  can 
be  stacked  in  racks  made  for  them,  and  will  then  occupy  comparatively 
little  ground  area,  and  at  the  same  time  admit  of  ready  access  to  the 
fruit  as  occasion  requires.  We  ha*e  referred  to  them  before,  and  do  so 
again  now  particularly  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  Mr.  J.  P.  White, 
the  Pyghtle  Works,  Bedford,  has  taken  over  the  business  of  the  late 
Mr.  Orr,  and  makes  and  supplies  the  trays.  Mr.  White  will  be  known  to 
many  persons  as  the  designer  and  manufacturer  of  garden  seats,  tables, 
and  other  furniture. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to  “  The  Editor,”  8,  Rose  Hill  Road, 
Wandsworth,  S.W.,  and  HOT  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. 
Narcissi  for  Outside  Culture  and  Marketing  (  W.  M.). — Of  the  three 
groups  into  which  Daffodils  are  divided  the  following  are  most  generally 
grown  for  cutting  purposes  : — 1,  Trumpet. — Tenby  or  Welsh  (N.  obval- 
laris),  Swiss  (N.  rugilobus),  English  or  Lent  (N.  pseudo-Narcissus), 
common  double  Daffodil  (N.  telamonius  plenus),  Italian  (N.  princeps), 
Pyrenean  (N.  major,  early  variety,  and  N.  pallidus  prascox),  and  Albicans. 
Ard  High,  or  Irish  King,  Horsefieldi,  Empress,  Emperor,  and  Dutch 
(N.  spurius  and  vars.)  are  also  popular  and  not  costly.  2,  Star  (Incom- 
parabilis). — Sir  Watkin,  Stella,  Titan,  and  Leedsi.  Double — Orange 
Phoenix,  Sulphur  Phoenix,  with,  in  favourable  situations,  Campernelle 
Jonquil.  3,  Poet's  —  Poeticus  and  var.  ornatus,  especially  the  latter  ; 
Poeticus  plenus,  and  Silver  Jonquil  (tenuior).  Barri  conspicuus  is  well 
worth  obtaining  and  increasing  as  a  market  favourite. 
Providing  Bottom  Heat  for  a  Propagating  House  ( G .  P.). — Of  the 
four  modes  suggested — namely  :  1st,  Two  rows  of  4-inch  pipes  in  a 
3-feet  wide  border  surrounded  with  rubble  ;  2nd,  The  same  pipes,  but  in 
an  open  chamber  covered  with  slate  instead  of  rubble  ;  3rd,  The  pipes 
passing  through  a  cement  trough  to  hold  water,  or  otherwise,  at  will  ; 
and  4th,  without  pipes  on  Rendle’s  tank  system  ;  we  consider  (and  this 
after  experience  with  all  the  methods)  the  third  the  most  satisfactory,  as 
the  water  is  heated  more  uniformly  than  by  the  tank  system,  though 
when  the  water  is  shallow  and  the  heat  has  once  been  secured  and  the 
circulation  kept  up  with  regularity,  there  is  very  little  difference  between 
the  third  and  fourth  modes.  On  the  tank  system  the  water  has  to  be 
heated  in  precisely  the  same  way  as  in  hot-water  pipes,  there  being  a 
division  in  the  tank  so  that  the  water  flows  up  one  side  and  returns  by  the 
other,  an  opening  being  left  at  the  extreme  end  of  the  tank  for  the  water 
to  pass  from  the  flow  to  the  return  side.  By  the  hot-water  pipes  in  the 
cemented  trough  the  water  is  heated  equally  from  end  to  end.  You  will 
need  piping  for  top  heat,  this  and  the  bottom  heat  being  regulated  by 
valves. 
Prices  of  Apples  (/.  A.  C.  Winter  Queening,  Beauty  of  Kent, 
Besspool,  Northern  Greening,  and  Normanton  Wonder,  may  now  be 
worth  3s.  per  bushel,  if  good  uniform  samples,  but  this  is  hardly  the 
season  for  such  good  keeping  fruit,  which  at  Christmas  time  or  later  would 
be  likely  to  fetch  from  4s.  to  5s.  per  bushel  or  even  more  from  a  dealer. 
Beauty  of  Kent  is  in  use  from  October  to  February  ;  Winter  Queening 
(Quoining)  from  November  to  May  :  Normanton  Wonder  (Dumelow’s 
Seedling)  from  November  to  March  ;  Northern  Greening  from  November 
to  April  ;  and  Besspool  from  November  to  March.  It  you  have  a  good 
keeping  place  for  the  fruits  we  should  not  advise  their  disposal  until  near 
Christmas  at  the  earliest,  and  if  kept  sound  later  would  bring  wholesale 
4s.  to  6s.,  or  even  more,  per  bushel,  as  the  crop  is  a  short  one  this  season. 
The  price  and  keeping  depends  on  the  fruit.  Of  the  latter  we  can  form 
no  opinion,  this  being  a  matter  for  judgment.  2,  Brown  Beurrd  Fears 
will  not  keep  ;  the}'  should  be  disposed  of  without  delay,  and  may  bring 
from  3s.  to  4s.  per  bushel  from  a  dealer.  All  depends  in  this  case  also  on 
the  quality  of  the  fruit.  Enormous  quantities  of  Apples  and  Fears,  large 
and  small  fruits  all  mixed  together,  are  sent  to  _the  wholesale  markets. 
They  are  scarcely  worth  anything.  Buyers  value  such  samples  by  the 
small  fruits,  sellers  estimating  by  the  large  fruits.  Wo  were  offered 
100  bushels  the  other  day  by  a  salesman  at  Is.  a  bushel,  and  he  said  ho 
would  forward  every  penny  to  the  sender,  and  ask  him  never  to  send 
him  fruit  again. 
