November  1(5,  1899. 
■JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
437 
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-  - -  - - 
Ill* 
si 
4E  BEE-KEEPER. 
a)  m 
Aspect  of  Hives. 
Which  is  the  best  aspect  for  hives  is  a  disputed  question. 
Doubtless  the  majority  of  bee-keepers  would  choose  a  south  or  south¬ 
east  position  for  preference.  Those  who  have  numerous  colonies 
must  take  other  things  into  consideration,  so  that  their  neighbours  and 
the  public  are  not  interfered  with  by  the  bees,  whilst  the  convenience 
of  manipulating  and  extracting  the  honey  must  not  be  lost  sight  of. 
This  we  consider  of  more  importance  than  the  actual  position  of  the 
hives.  As  we  have  stated  in  previous  notes,  the  majority  of  our 
stocks  face  due  west.  From  this  direct'on  we  often  have  very  high 
winds,  which  during  the  winter  months  will  lower  the  temperature  of 
the  hive  several  degrees. 
We  have  been  experimenting  as  to  what  is  best  to  be  done  under 
such  c:rcumstances,  and  have  found  a  very  simple  remedy  to  prevent 
the  wind  from  blowing  directly  into  the  hives.  We  may  here  state 
the  fact  of  all  our  hives  being  placed  on  a  stage  about  18  inches  from 
the  ground,  the  stocks  being  about  3  feet  apart.  Early  in  the  autumn 
we  turn  each  hive  round  until  it  is  facing  south.  The  west  wind  is 
thus  blowing  broadside  on  to  the  hive.  If  necessary  they  may  be 
moved  in  any  direction,  and  one  hive  will  protect  the  other.  We  advo¬ 
cate  an  abundance  of  air  for  the  bees  at  all  seasons,  aud  this  is  as 
important  in  winter  as  during  the  bright  days  of  summer. 
Shelter  of  some  description  is  a  necessity  if  bees  are  expected  to 
be  in  a  forward  condition  in  the  spring.  In  our  own  case  the  stocks 
are  well  protected  from  the  east,  but  they  are  sometimes  at  a  dis¬ 
advantage  in  the  spring  when  the  sun  does  not  shine  on  them  till  near 
mid-day.  Later  in  the  season  when  a  higher  temperature  prevails, 
the  bees  from  hives  in  this  position  are  on  the  wing  as  early  as  those 
having  a  south  aspect. 
We  have  for  several  seasons  past  carefully  noted  the  various 
colonies  placed  in  different  aspects  to  see  if  one  position  was  better 
than  another.  The  only  difference  we  observed  was  that  those  bees 
exposed  in  a  bleak  aspect  consumed  more  stores  than  those  more 
favourably  situated.  For  this  reason  we  recommend  the  system  of 
turning  the  hives  round  at  this  season,  as  few  bees  are  on  the  wing, 
and  they  will  readily  find  the  entrance  to  their  hive. 
Opening  Entrances. 
In  the  above  notes  we  have  recommended  a  warm  aspect  for  the 
stocks,  and  some  bee-keepers  may  imagine  the  same  end  would  be 
obtained  by  closing  the  entrance  to  the  hive  during  the  prevalence  of 
high  wind  or  storms.  But  such  is  not  the  case  in  practice,  as  abundance 
of  fresh  air  is  as  essential  as  warmth.  Now  that  all  danger  of  robbing 
is  over,  the  entrance  to  the  hives  should  te  opened  its  full  width,  and 
the  bees  will  be  better  for  it.  We  have  practis'd  this  plan  for  many 
years  with  success. 
With  the  exception  of  one  hive,  all  have  loose  floor  boards,  which 
is  such  an  advantage  at  all  seasons,  that  it  is  surprising  how  any 
practical  bee-kteper  will  tolerate  hives  which  have  the  floor  board 
fastened  securely  to  them.  However  well  made  a  hive  may  be,  debris 
and  moisture  will  often  be  found  on  the  floor  board.  If  the  latter  is 
fixed  to  the  hive,  it  is  a  difficult  matter  to  clean  it.  With  a  loose  floor 
board,  however,  a  few  spare  boards  are  required,  which  may  be  placed 
under  the  hive  at  any  time.  This  has  the  effect  of  keeping  the  bees 
healthy  and  in  good  condition. 
In  addition  to  opening  the  entrances,  we  place  some  thin  wedges, 
about  an  eighth  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  under  the  bottom  of  the  hive. 
This  will  have  the  effect  of  dispelling  moisture.  Care  must  be  taken 
that  the  wedges  are  not  too  thick,  otherwise  the  bees  will  pass  through. 
This  will  encourage  robbing  as  the  season  advances,  and  too  much  air 
may  be  admitted.  He  found  out  this  plan  by  accident.  During  the 
summer  we  always  wedge  up  the  fronts  of  all  our  hives,  so  that  the 
bees  can  gain  admittance  the  full  width  of  the  floor  board.  In  the 
autumn  we  omitted  removing  the  wedges  from  one  of  the  hives.  It 
remained  in  this  condition  till  the  following  spring,  when  to  our 
surprise  we  found  that  this  colony  was  the  strongest  in  our  apiary. 
Since  then  the  majority  of  our  hives  are  slightly  lifted  from  their  floor 
boards,  and  remain  in  that  condition  throughout  the  winter. — 
An  English  Bee-keeper. 
Indian  Corn. — A  surprising  history  is  presented  in  Bulletin  No.  57 
of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  of  one  of  America’s  greatest 
contributions  to  the  food  supply  of  the  world — Indian  Corn.  Under  the 
effects  of  cultivation,  the  recognised  varieties  have  increased  from  the  few 
known  by  the  early  explorers  to  more  than  five  hundred.  The  variations 
in  size  are  interesting,  especially  as  regards  the  height  of  the  stalk.  This 
runs  from  1^  foot  for  some  kinds  of  popcorn  to  22  feet  for  a  Tennessee 
variety,  and  30  feet  or  more  for  varieties  grown  in  the  West  Indies. 
Ail  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to  “  The  Editor,”  8,  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. 
“  Babmias  ”  (E.  H.).—  We  do  not  know  any  esculent  by  this  name, 
nor  can  we  gather  what  you  mean  from  your  letter,  as  you  only  say  the 
seed  was  had  from  Constantinople  and  was  grown  this  summer,  treated 
the  same  as  Dwarf  Beans  ;  also  that  you  have  gathered  some  nice  dishes, 
and  these  were  very  much  liked.  Possibly  you  may  have  received  one  of 
the  numerous  varieties  of  Haricot  Bean.  We  shall  be  glad  if  any  of  our 
readers  can  give  information  on  the  subject.  If  you  like  to  send  seeds 
we  will  have  them  tried  next  season. 
Oil  Stove  in  a  Greenhouse  {Reader),— An  oil-stove  (properly  managed) 
in  a  small  greenhouse,  to  keep  out  frost,  will  not  seriously  injure  beddmg- 
out  plants,  such  as  “Geraniums.”  Many  plants  in  small  structures 
near  towns,  and  in  them,  are  so  preserved,  though  the  better  plan  is  to 
employ  a  hot-water  apparatus  heated  by  a  lamp  burning  oil,  as  the  heat 
is  more  equally  diffused  by  pipes  through  the  house,  and  at  a  lower 
temperature  than  that  contiguous  to  a  stove.  Failures  occur  in  oil-stove 
heating  by  using  common  oil,  carelessly  trimmed  wicks,  and  expecting 
one  stove  by  excessive  heating  to  do  the  work  of  two  or  three. 
Analyses  cf  Kainit  and  Double  Sulphate  of  Potash  and  Magnesia 
(B.  A.  C .). — Double  sulphate  of  potash  and  magnesia  is  a  somewhat 
more  concentrated  form  of  potash  than  kainit,  and  has  the  formula 
KaMgaS04.  It  is  the  best  torm,  in  our  experience,  in  which  potash 
can  be  supplied  to  the  majority  of  soils,  and  especially  to  heavy  land.  A 
good  quality  double  sulphate  of  potash  and  magnesia  contains  48  to  52 
per  cent,  sulphate  of  potash  and  some  25  to  30  per  cent,  of  sulphate  ol 
magnesia,  and  under  2J  per  cent,  of  chlorine.  An  average  analysis  of 
this  double  sulphate  is  : — 
Moisture  . 
Sulphate  of  potash 
Sulphate  of  magnesia 
Muriate  (chloride)  of  soda 
Muriate  (chloride)  of  potash 
Sulphate  of  lime 
Magnesia  . 
Insoluble  substances  ... 
4- 59 
49-34 
32-86 
3-77 
0-13 
5- 35 
0-99 
2.97 
100-00 
For  comparison,  we  append  an  analy 
Moisture  . 
Sulphate  of  potash 
Sulphate  of  magnesia . 
Chloride  of  magnesium 
Chloride  of  sodium  (common  salt) 
Sulphate  of  lime 
Insoluble  matter  . 
sis  of  high  quality  kainit : — 
.  12-70 
.  23-60 
.  14-50 
12-40 
.  34  60 
1-70 
0-50 
100-00 
Now,  draw  your  own  conclusions.  Common  salt,  except  in  light  soils, 
is  not  favourable  for  Vines,  nor  is  chloride  of  magnesium.  We  do  not 
advise  kainit  as  a  substitute  for  double  sulphate  of  potash  and  magnesia. 
In  altering  the  formula  as  you  suggest,  you  should  take  three  parts 
dissolved  bones,  two  parts  sulphate  of  potash,  and  one  part  sulphate  ot 
magnesia.  Even  then  the  mixture  is  not  so  good  in  practice  as  the 
double  sulphate  of  potash  and  magnesia  with  the  bone  superphosphate 
as  previously  advised. 
