January  18,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  t/OTTAGE  GARDENER. 
63 
Place  the  pans  or  pots  in  a  moist  brisk  heat  well  away  from  the  hot- 
water  pipes,  cover  with  squares  of  glass,  and  shade  heavily.  After  the 
tiny  plants  are  seen  gradually  expose  to  the  light,  and  prick  them  out 
into  other  pans  or  boxes  directly  they  are  large  enough  to  handle. 
Fibrous-rooted  Begonias.  —  The  semperflorens  race  of  fibrous- 
rooted  Begonias  is  rightly  becoming  popular  for  bedding  purposes.  The 
seeds  germinate  readily,  and  if  sown  now,  or  before  January  is  past, 
strong  plants  in  abundance  can  be  had  without  much  trouble.  Seedlings 
are  preferable  to  cutting-raised  plants. 
Tuberous-rooted  Begonias. — The  old  tubers  should  still  be  kept 
cool  and  dry,  and  when  they  are  started  in  March  let  it  be  in  boxes  of 
soil  rather  than  in  pots.  These  Begonias  are  at  their  best  during  the 
first  and  second  years  of  their  life,  degenerating  when  kept  longer.  In 
order  to  have  strong  young  plants  of  this  year’s  raising  ready  for  the 
beds  next  June  there  must  be  no  further  delay  in  seed-sowing.  Give 
the  preference  to  erect  flowering  varieties  or  strains  for  the  beds.  Take 
gieat  pains  with  the  preparation  of  pans  or  shallow  boxes,  finishing  oil 
with  a  layer  of  very  fine  loamy  soil,  which  should  be  duly  made  level, 
firm,  and  moist.  Sow  regularly  and  evenly  ;  do  not  cover  with 
either  soil  or  sand.  Place  the  pans  in  a  moist  brisk  heat,  taking  care 
that  worms  have  no  access  to  them.  Cover  with  squares  of  glass  and 
shade  heavily.  Examine  frequently,  and  whenever  the  soil  approaches 
dryness  partially  immerse  the  pots  in  a  bucket  or  tank  of  tepid  water, 
the  moisture  then  draining  without  disturbing  the  minute  seeds. 
Hollyhocks.  —  These  old-fashioned  plants  are  again  becoming 
popular.  They  are  particularly  effective  at  the  backs  of  long  wide 
borders,  and  also  when  grouped  among  newly  planted  shrubs.  Seeds 
give  many  fine  double  varieties,  but  unless  raised  early  and  strong  plants 
be  turned  out  into  the  borders  from  the  middle  to  the  end  of  May,  only 
a  small  proportion  will  flower  this  year.  The  teeds  germinate  quickly 
and  surely  in  moderately  strong  heat,  and  after  they  have  formed 
rough  leaves,  ought  to  be  either  pricked  out  in  boxes  or  be  placed  singly 
in  3-inch  pots,  giving  them  a  liberal  shift  before  they  become  root-bound. 
Dwarf  Lobelias. — A  large  stock  of  the  dwarf  Lobelias  for  edging 
purposes  is  indispensable  in  most  places.  L  speciosa  strains  are  among 
the  most  reliable,  though  pumila  magnifica  also  comes  true  from  seed. 
The  puce  coloured  L.  pumila  grandiflora  and  White  Perfection  give  a 
variety.  Raised  early,  plants  4  inches  across  may  be  had  by  bedding 
out  time.  Many  growers  still  raise  their  stocks  from  old  plants  kept 
through  the  winter.  Young  growths,  if  sufficiently  succulent,  root  very 
quickly,  but  hard  flowering  tops  are  useless.  Storing  the  plants  on  a 
stage  over  hot  water  pipes  is  a  mistake,  as  this  predisposes  them  to  early 
flowering.  Keep  them  in  a  light  position  in  houses  or  pits  where  only 
enough  fire  heat  is  turned  on  to  prevent  damping  and  to  keep  out  frosts, 
and  the  growths  will  be  abundant  and  sappy.  Thick  masses  of  young 
growths  will  soon  commence  emitting  roots  above  the  Boil,  and  at  this 
stage  of  growth  may  be  freely  divided,  every  tiny  division  growing  into 
a  strong  plant  if  subjected  to  gentle  heat  only. 
Pentstemons. — There  are  many  beautiful  varieties  of  these  to  be 
obtained  from  a  single  packet  of  seed,  some  of  the  flowers  resembling 
small  Gloxinias.  They  look  well  in  mixed  beds  or  massed  in  the  centre 
of  circular  beds,  and  those  bright  in  colour  or  found  extra  good  for 
bedding  may  be  perpetuated  by  means  of  cuttings  taken  in  the  autumn. 
Petunias. — There  are  several  good  strains  of  Petunias  that  are  very 
effective  in  beds,  the  majority  not  unfrequently  succeeding  well  in 
positions  too  hot  and  dry  to  suit  most  other  bedding  plants.  Owing  to 
the  smallness  of  the  seed,  it  is  desirable  that  this  should  be  sown  before 
the  sun  gains  greatly  in  power,  or  it  is  liable  to  fail  in  germination. 
if 
m 
HE  BEE-KEEPER. 
% 
APIARIAN  NOTES. 
Hints  from  Experience. 
( Continued  from  page  42.) 
Bees  in  a  state  of  nature,  or  if  allowed  to  act  according  to  their 
instinct,  seem  to  prefer  those  hollows  having  very  small  entrances. 
The  latest  absconding  swarm  1  saw  entered  a  barrel  by  a  hole 
three-quarters  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  did  well  till  the  neglect  of 
its  owner  allowed  it  to  die  for  want  in  the  April  following. 
Bees  always  propolise  more  or  less  the  ceiling  of  their  abode, 
but  never  beneath,  unless  to  cover  any  substance  that  is  repulsive 
to  their  senses,  and  to  contract  their  entrances  in  the  autumn, 
enlarging  them  when  the  singing  of  birds  and  the  opening  of 
flowers  invite  them  to  the  feast  of  spring.  We  should  never  be 
too  proud  to  ignore  lessons  in  nature,  which  seldom  leads  us  astray 
if  we  rightly  understand  them. 
I  have  shown  what  bees  do  in  the  propolising  way.  Man 
improves  on  it.  He  recognises  the  habits  of  bees  in  nature,  and 
keeps  the  crown  close  to  the  bars  with  permeable  material,  giving 
ventilation  over  that.  Bees  abhor  space  overhead  or  vacuums. 
After  I  had  the  supers  removed  from  some  hives  last  autumn, 
being  in  a  hurry,  I  threw  some  calicoes  lightly  over  the  top  of  the 
hives.  Two  days  after,  when  I  went  to  trim  them  up  for  winter, 
the  cloths  were  propolised  closely,  so  that  not  a  bee  could  escape. 
Important,  too,  is  the  fact  that  bees  consume  less  food  when 
the  interior  of  the  hive  is  about  50°  or  a  little  more,  and  the  outside 
temperature  between  40°  and  45°,  than  extremes  of  temperature 
high  or  low,  which  causes  them  to  be  restive,  when  much  food  is 
consumed.  When  the  interior  of  the  hive  is  kept  at  a  uniform 
temperature  there  is  no  such  uneasiness.  When  hives  are  too 
airy  (by  all  means  let  bees  have  fresh  air,  but  not  more  than  is 
necessary),  and  a  sudden  fall  of  temperature  follows  a  temporary 
and  sudden  rise,  some  of  the  bees  which  spread  during  the  latter 
time  become  isolated  and  die.  I  have  never  known  a  case  of  the 
kind  in  my  own  apiary,  nor  have  I  ever  had  the  floors  of  my  hives 
covered  with  dead  bees  since  I  adopted  ventilating  floors.  I  made 
my  first  frame  hives  with  dividing  boards  and  ventilating  floor  in 
1851.  Comb  foundation  was  not  then  invented,  but  I  was  using 
line#  of  plain  sheets,  and  pared  combs  between  grooved  and  split 
bars,  a  description  of  which  subsequently  appeared  in  the  Cottage 
Gardener ,  the  only  work  I  had  ever  seen  which  treated  on  beep. 
During  the  year  1863  I  was  in  full  swing  making  comb  foui  di- 
tion,  and  some  years  after  taught  the  art  by  request  to  so-called 
“advanced  ”  bee-keepers  not  up  to  date. 
The  whole  question  of  successfully  wintering  bees  lies  in 
keeping  them  with  ample  stores  in  a  perfectly  dry  state.  This  is 
insured  by  carrying  the  perspiration  from  the  bees  before  it 
condenses  on  the  combs  or  the  walls  of  the  hive,  and  allowing 
only  as  much  air  to  enter  as  is  necessary  for  the  support  of  the 
bees. 
Supering  has  been  carried  down  to  us  from  an  early  date,  but 
the  honour  of  bringing  it  to  perfection  belongs  to  the  Scotch.  This 
was  amply  proved  at  the  first  Crystal  Palace  Show  in  1874  by  the 
grand  display  of  Scottish  supers.  Mr.  S.  Bevan  Fox  the  year  previous 
had  a  huge  super  about  70  lbs. — A  Lanarkshire  Bee-keeper. 
(To  be  continued.) 
SEASONABLE  NOTES. 
The  winter  up  to  the  present  has  been  favourable  for  tho  bees, 
the  weather  on  the  whole  being  very  open,  and  only  occasionally 
has  there  been  a  little  frost.  On  Christma#  Day  everything  was 
covered  with  snow  to  the  depth  of  a  couple  of  inches,  and  it 
was  accompanied  by  a  few  degrees  of  frost,  which  lastel  just  long 
enough  to  remind  one  that  it  was  seasonable.  By  the  end  of  the 
week  a  change  had  come  ;  a  higher  temperature  prevailed,  but 
no  rain  has  fallen  up  to  the  present  (January  10th).  Bees  have 
been  merrily  on  the  wing,  reminding  one  of  spring.  During  the 
past  week  the  temperature  has  been  lower,  the  thermometer 
ranging  from  33°  to  38° ;  the  barometer  on  one  occasion  registering 
as  high  as  30  76.  Although  I  have  kept  a  daily  register  of  the 
weather  for  many  years  past,  never  before  have  I  known  the  glass 
so  high. 
The  early  spring-flowering  bulbs— such  as  Winter  Aconites, 
Snowdrops,  and  Crocuses — are  now  quite  green  above  the  ground. 
Should  the  present  weather  continue,  the  two  former  in  sheltered 
places  will  be  in  bloom  in  a  few  days,  and  with  a  higher  tempera¬ 
ture  the  bees  will  be  on  the  wing,  and  will  readily  collect  pollen 
from  the  fast-opening  flowers.  Fortunate  is  the  bee-keeper  who 
has  a  good  stock  of  them  within  a  convenient  distance  of  hi#  hives. 
There  is  very  little  to  be  done  about  the  apiary  at  this  time  of 
the  year,  but  care  should  be  taken  that  mice  are  kept  out  of  the 
hives,  and  if  previous  instructions  have  been  carried  out  very  little 
harm  will  be  caused  by  them.  If  any  of  the  stocks  show  signs  of 
being  short  of  stores,  step#  must  at  once  be  taken  to  supply  them 
with  the  necessary  food.  I  find  there  is  a  great  difference  in  the 
amount  of  food  some  stocks  will  consume  in  comparison  with 
others  ;  although  they  may  have  been  given  the  same  quantity  of 
syrup  in  the  autumn,  they  will  vary  very  much  in  the  amount  of 
sealed  stores  a  few  months  afterwards.  This  i#  doubtless  owing  to 
some  stocks  breeding  much  later  in  the  autumn  than  others.  It  <s 
wise,  therefore,  to  make  a  slight  examination  of  all  the  stock# 
about  the  present  time.  With  a  little  practice  one  can  soon  tell  if 
they  are  of  the  required  weight,  by  simply  lifting  the  back  of  each 
hive.  Any  of  which  there  is  a  doubt  should  have  a  closer 
examination  by  turning  the  covering  back,  when  a  glance  will  at 
once  show  whether  they  are  short  of  sealed  stores. — An  English 
Bee-keeper. 
TRADE  CATALOGUES  RECEIVE  I ) 
W.  Cutbush  &  Son,  Highgate.—  Seeds. 
W.  Fromow  &  Sons,  Cniswick. — Seeds. 
W.  J.  Godfrey,  Exmouth. —  Chrysanthemum s. 
Laing  &  Mather,  Kelso,  N.B. —  Garden  Seeds. 
Alex.  Lister,  13,  High  Street,  Rothesay. — Seeds  and  Florists'  Flowers. 
Little  &  Ballantyne,  Carlisle. —  Garden  Seeds. 
T.  S.  Ware,  Hale  Farm  Nurseries,  Tottenham. — Seeds  and  Florists' 
Flowers. 
