y  -  r 
152  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE.  AND  COTTAGE  GARDE  HER.  February  13,  me. 
were  almost  invariably  used,  and  sugar  was  then  6d.  and  upwards 
per  lb.,  it  did  not  take  a  very  long  time  to  learn  that  it 
was  a  mistake  to  use  full  sheets  in  supers  ;  there  Was  always  that 
disagreeable  toughness  in  the  comb,  no  matter  how  thin  the 
foundation  used. 
Now  many  bee-keepers  use  only  very  narrow  strips  as  starters, 
which,  although  reducing  the  yield,  insures  a  superior  quality,  and 
it  is  greater  economy  to  use  narrow  strips  in  the  body  of  the  hive 
now  that  4  or  5  lbs.  of  sugar  can  be  got  for  the  price  of  one  pound 
thirty- four  years  ago.  An  outlay  of  Is.  to  Is.  6d.  on  sugar  will  fill 
hives  with  combs,  which  if  filled  with  comb  foundation  will  cost 
about  5s.,  or  rather  more  for  full-sized  hives.  The  cost  to  fill  the  ) 
hives  I  use  is  to  within  a  fraction  53.  6d.,  an  excess  of  3s.  at  least 
over  feeding,  taking  guides  into  consideration. 
The  abuse  of  using  full  sheets  in  sections  and  supers  has  been 
fully  established.  I  will  show  how  and  when  they  are  permissible 
in  frames,  as  well  as  the  breadths  to  be  avoided.  Strips  of  founda¬ 
tion  from  2  inches  broad  up  to  those  less  than  full  size  are  liable  to 
be  extended  downwards  into  drone  combs  ;  the  two  best  sizes  to 
use  are  very  narrow  strips  or  full-sized  sheets. 
If  the  honey  flow  is  on  when  a  swarm  is  newly  hived,  it  would 
be  unwise  to  put  the  bees  into  a  hive  without  a  few  full  sheets  or 
several  empty  combs.  Long  before  foundation  was  introduced 
swarms  in  well-managed  apiaries  were  always  supplied  with  empty 
combs,  which  enabled  the  bees  to  store  honey  at  once  and  the  queen 
to  deposit  eggs.  The  bees  of  the  swarm,  having  their  wax  pockets 
full,  soon  filled  the  empty  space. 
When  there  is  no  honey  to  be  bad  at  the  time  of  swarming,  one 
full  sheet  of  foundation  will  be  sufficient ;  it  will  soon  be  extended, 
and  in  a  few  hours  after  hiving  slabs  of  comb  will  be  built.  In  the 
evening  feed  with  syrup,  and  continue  gradually  so  that  an  excess 
will  not  be  stored,  and  in  a  few  days  the  hive  will  be  filled  with 
combs. 
Driven  bees  in  autumn  or  after  swarms  are  not  benefited  by 
foundation  more  than  mere  guides,  and  drone  combs  are  not  liable 
to  be  built  in  excess  by  either.  Swarms  limit  the  extension  of 
their  worker  combs  to  the  size  of  their  cluster,  and  thereafter  as 
the  colony  increases.  In  summer  bee-keepers  should  be  on  the 
alert,  watching  the  work  of  the  bees,  and  if  they  begin  to  build 
drone  comb  fill  the  empty  spaces  with  full-sheeted  frames,  so  as  to 
secure  as  many  straight  worker  combs  as  possible  for  the  coming 
year. — A  Lanarkshire  Bee-keeper. 
AIDS  TO  SUCCESS  IN  BEE-KEEPING. 
With  the  advent  of  the  moveable  frame  hive  came  a  change  in 
the  manipulation  of  bees,  and  the  form  in  which  the  honey  was 
placed  on  the  market.  This  was  more  observable  with  honey  in 
the  comb  than  with  the  run  or  drained  honey.  Previously  the 
majority  of  comb  honey  could  only  be  obtained  from  bell-glasses, 
roughly  made  boxes,  or  similar  receptacles.  These  were  incon¬ 
venient  and  often  wasteful,  and  in  the  provincial  market  towns  it 
was  up  to  recent  years  a  common  thing  to  see  large  slabs  of  honey 
in  the  comb  exposed  for  sale,  and  which  was  often  sticky  and 
dark  coloured,  these  being  the  outside  combs,  from  straw  skeps. 
Now  the  1  lb.  sections  take  the  place  of  the  above,  and  are  much 
appreciated  by  the  public. 
It  is  interesting  to  Dote  the  advance  that  has  been  made  in  the 
small  country  towns  of  the  Midlands  in  the  sale  of  honey  in  this 
form.  In  many  instances  that  have  come  to  my  knowledge  they 
are  obtained  from  straw  skeps,  but  they  appear  to  be  getting  less 
every  year,  and  will  in  the  future  when  the  benefits  to  be  derived 
from  the  moveable  frame  hive  are  better  known.  It  is,  however, 
possible  to  obtain  well  finished  sections  from  the  top  of  straw 
skeps.  This  is  done  by  placing  a  box  containing  sections  on  the 
top  of  a  skep,  containing  a  strong  colony  of  bees — a  very  simple 
matter  if  the  top  of  the  skep  is  flat,  as  it  should  be.  If  it  is  dome 
shaped,  however,  a  bedding  of  clay  will  keep  the  box  level,  and 
some  well  finished  sections  of  comb  honey  will  be  the  result.  It  is 
advisable  to  well  cover  up  the  box  containing  the  sections,  to  pre¬ 
vent  an  escape  of  heat,  and  also  preserve  an  even  temperature.  In 
preparing  sections  for  use,  it  is  not  advisable  to  use  full  sheets  of 
foundation,  as  the  midrib  of  wax  is  often  objectionable  to  the 
palate,  a  small  strip  of  guide  comb  being  all  that  is  necessary  to 
enable  the  bees  to  build  their  combs  straight.  But  for  exhibition 
purposes  full  sheets  may  be  used,  the  aim  being  to  secure  a  section 
perfectly  filled  and  well  sealed,  without  any  pop  boles  in  the 
corners. 
Bee-keepers  who  only  keep  a  few  stocks  are  sometimes  at  a  loss 
to  know  the  simplest  and  easiest  way  of  fixing  foundation  in 
frames  or  sections.  If  a  roller  fixer  is  obtained  no  further  trouble 
will  be  experienced,  as  it  has  the  advantage  of  being  cheap,  and  is 
one  of  the  handiest  tools  in  the  market  for  that  purpose.  It  may 
be  obtained  from  any  dealer  in  bee  appliances  who  advertises  in 
these  pages. 
Feeding  is  important,  for  without  the  necessary  food  it  is 
impossible  for  bees  to  make  headway,  and  it  is  surprising  the  rapid 
strides  a  weak  stock  of  bees  will  make  in  the  spring  if  only 
attended  to  with  a  little  warm  syrup  daily.  It  is  a  simple  matter 
with  a  moveable  frame  hive  to  determine  when  to  commence  and 
when  to  finish.  For  early  spring  feeding  I  prefer  an  inverted 
bottle,  with  a  piece  of  muslin  tied  over,  its  neck.  This  will  prevent 
an  escape  of  heat,  and  for  autumn  I  have  found  nothing  better  than 
the  rapid  Canadian  feeder. — An  English  Bee-keeper. 
TRADE  CATALOGUES  RECEIVED. 
Bonnett  &  Boxby,  Heathfield,  Sussex. — Seeds. 
J.  Carter  &  Co,  237,  High  Holborn. — Tested  Grass  and  Farm 
Seeds. 
Dobie  &  Dicka,  66,  Deansgate,  Manchester. — Seeds. 
Ellwanger  &  Barry,  Mount  Hope  Nurseries,  Rochester,  New  York. — 
General  Catalogue. 
Ransomes,  Sims  &  Jefferies,  Limited,  Ipswich  and  London. — List  of 
Lawn  Mowers  and  Appliances. 
* Ail  correspohdence  should  be  directed  either  to  “  The 
Editor  "  or  to  “  The  Publisher/'  Letters  addressed  to 
Dr.  Hogg  or  members  of  the  staff  often  remain  unopened 
unavoidably.  We  request  that  no  one  will  write  privately 
to  any  of  our  correspondents,  as  doing  so  subjects  them  to 
unjustifiable  trouble  and  expense. 
Correspondents  should  not  mix  up  on  the  same  sheet  questions 
relating  to  Gardening  and  those  on  Bee  subjects,  and  should 
never  send  more  than  two  or  three  questions  at  once.  All 
articles  intended  for  insertion  should  be  written  on  one  side  of 
the  paper  only.  We  cannot  reply  to  questions  through  the  post, 
and  we  do  not  undertake  to  return  rejected  communications. 
Palm  Stems  Yellow  (24  T.  M.). — You  do  not  even  mention  the 
name  of  the  Palm.  If  it  is  Areca  lutescens,  which  is  much  grown  for 
decorative  purposes,  it  is  natural  for  the  leafstalks  to  turn  yellow.  If 
the  roots  of  Palms  are  kept  healthy  and  active,  and  the  plants  not 
exposed  to  drying  currents  of  air,  they  develop  their  natural  colour  in 
a  suitable  temperature. 
magnolias  (Inquirer). — A  question  founded  on  a  presumption  is 
obviously  not  easy  to  deal  with.  The  general  colour  of  the  organs  is 
green  in  the  early  stage,  changing  to  yellow  with  the  development  of 
the  anthers,  reverting  to  green  after  the  pollen  has  been  distributed  ; 
but  the  prevailing  colours  vary  in  different  species,  tinges  of  brown  or 
red  being  apparent  in  some  of  them. 
Apple-Growing-  Districts  (T.  B  ). — There  are  no  better  Apples 
that  find  their  way  to  London  from  any  part  of  the  world  than  we  have 
seen  from  Kent  and  Herefordshire,  though  we  have  seen  a  deplorable 
amount  of  inferior  produce  in  both  those  counties.  Soils  and  sites  vary 
in  every  county  as  well  as  methods  of  cultivation.  We  cannot  undertake 
to  answer  your  other  question.  The  desired  information  might  presum¬ 
ably  be  bad  through  a  medical  journal. 
Small  Sprayers  (22.  A.  C.~). — In  our  issue  of  October  25th,  1894, 
a  handy  little  sprayer  was  illustrated,  as  advertised  and  sold  by  Messrs. 
W.  F.  Charles  &  Co.,  Loughborough.  This  would  answer  your  purpose 
for  spraying  Carnations  with  anti-fungus  preparations.  These  are  only 
efficacious  when  applied  in  good  time  as  preventives  ;  when  the  enemy 
has  taken  firm  possession  of  the  plants  the  infested  leaves  cannot  be 
restored  to  health,  whatever  may  be  applied.  The  worst  should  be 
removed  and  burned,  spraying  to  prevent  the  increase  of  the  scourge. 
Scald  on  Young  Growths  of  rig  Trees  (IF.  22.  22.). — We 
“do  know  why  Figs  go  wrong  in  a  collection  just  below  the  pruning 
cut,  first  a  sort  of  scald  appearing,  followed  by  shrinking  and  death  of 
the  parts.  The  growths  above  the  cuts  of  the  specimens  are  dried 
through  long  severance,  but  still  the  disease  marks  show.”  Currant  and 
many  other  hardy  plants  do  the  same  thing,  and  it  is  attributed  to  frost 
and  other  conjectured  causes,  but  the  same  thing  occurs  under  glass 
on  Figs.  It  is  caused  in  the  case  of  these  by  a  certain  condition 
of  the  growths  operated  on  and  the  entrance  of  micro-organisms 
generally  by  one  producing  a  similar  collapse  in  young  Peach  and 
Nectarine  growths,  being  a  very  common  and  generally  ignored  fungus 
under  this  form  of  development.  It  also  invades  Apple  and  Pear  trees, 
also  stone  fruits,  particularly  the  Cherry,  including  the  hardy  Morello. 
These  remarks  apply  to  cases  that  have  come  under  our  observation  in 
practice.  If  you  submit  a  specimen  properly  packed  in  damp  moss  we 
1  shall  be  pleased  to  examine  it  and  give  the  best  advice  at  our  command. 
