526 
JOURNAL  OR  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  4,  1888. 
placed  in  empty  hives,  or  on  frames  of  comb  foundation,  should  be 
fed  with  half  a  pint  of  thin  syrup  each  evening.  It  will  then  be 
taken  down  before  morning,  and  will  not  attract  robber  bees,  which 
are  ever  on  the  alert  (more  especially  during  a  spell  of  dull,  sunless 
weather),  to  gain  an  entrance  to  other  hives,  and  help  themselves 
to  the  contents.  For  this  reason  honey  should  not  be  exposed,  and 
in  feeding  with  thin  syrup  care  must  be  taken  not  to  spill  it. 
Swarms  that  were  placed  in  frame  hives,  and  supplied  with  a  frame 
or  two  of  sealed  stores,  should  have  a  few  of  the  cells  uncapped 
two  or  three  times  a  week  to  encourage  the  bees  to  continue 
breeding.  This  will  enable  them  to  start  in  supers  directly  a 
change  comes  in  the  weather. 
Swarms  that  were  placed  in  straw  skeps  should  not  be  left  to 
take  their  chance,  as  I  fear  they  often  are,  bee-keepers  too 
frequently  not  giving  a  second  thought  as  to  the  requirements 
of  a  strong  swarm  of  bees.  Fortunately  Nature  has  wisely  given 
them  the  instinct  to  provide  themselves  with  natural  stores  before 
leaving  their  parent  hive,  which  they  do  by  filling  their  honey 
sacs.  They  are  thus  enabled  to  commence  wax  production  and 
comb-building  at  once,  and  should  the  weather  be  fine  and  warm 
the  latter  operation  goes  on  apace  ;  but  should  a  spell  of  dull, 
cold  weather  set  in,  what  is  the  result  ?  Comb-building  will  be  at 
a  standstill,  and  unless  assistance  is  given  them  the  bees  will  soon 
decrease,  and  what  would  otherwise  have  been  a  profitable  stock 
will  degenerate  into  a  weak  colony,  which  by  the  time  they  have 
increased  in  sufficient  numbers  to  fill  the  hive,  the  honey  flow 
will  be  over,  and  they  will  barely  obtain  sufficient  stores  to  tide 
them  over  the  winter.  Compare  this  with  the  bee-keeper  who 
studies  his  bees  and  their  requirements,  and  feed  them  as  above, 
they  will  then  be  soon  ready  for  supering,  or  in  whatever  form  it 
is  intended  to  obtain  a  surplus  from  them. 
Straw  skeps  should  be  swarmed  artificially  when  the  bees  are 
seen  to  be  bagging  out  at  the  entrance  of  the  hive.  There  is  much 
to  recommend  this  system  over  natural  swarming.  One  of  the 
chief  advantages  is  that  there  is  no  danger  of  losing  swarms,  and 
all  the  bees  are  kept  fully  employed,  as  during  unsettled  weather 
they  will  often  cluster  round  the  outside  of  the  hive  for  days 
and  even  weeks  together.  Work  is  at  a  standstill,  and  will  con¬ 
tinue  so  until  they  swarm  naturally,  or  the  bee-keeper  comes  to 
their  assistance  and  swarms  them  artificially. 
There  are  several  stocks  of  which  I  know  that  have  been 
bagging  out  in  this  manner  for  the  past  ten  days.  To  show  the 
advantage  to  be  derived  from  this  operation,  I  may  mention  the 
fact  that  on  the  25th  ult.  I  took  an  artificial  swarm  from  a  straw 
skep,  placing  them  at  once  on  frames  of  fully  drawn-out  combs  ;  they 
settled  to  work  with  a  will,  that  on  examination  of  the  stock 
to-day  (the  28th  ult.)  I  found  four  frames  full  of  eggs.  This  will 
eventually  make  a  strong  stock  for  the  honey  flow  from  the  white 
Clover.  Had  they  been  left  in  the  straw  skep  nothing  would  have 
been  done. 
The  operation  is  carried  out  on  similar  lines  to  that  of  driving 
bees  in  the  autumn,  but  is  done  in  much  less  time.  If  there  is  a 
large  cluster  of  bees  hanging  from  the  floor  board,  they  need  not 
be  driven  into  the  old  stock,  but  allowed  to  remain.  A  puff  or  two 
of  smoke  may  be  given  at  the  entrance  to  the  hive,  then  lift  it 
off  its  stand  and  place  it  on  an  inverted  bucket  or  box,  with  the 
mouth  of  the  skep  upwards  ;  then  place  an  empty  skep  on  the  top, 
bring  the  two  edges  together,  and  secure  them  with  a  pin  about  a 
foot  in  length  ;  two  others  will  be  required,  but  their  ends  should 
be  turned  about  an  inch  at  right  angles.  Lift  the  front  of  the  top 
skep,  place  one  ot  the  above  on  each  side  so  as  to  hold  the  top 
skep  to  the  bottom  one  ;  a  slight  tapping  of  the  bottom  hive  will 
soon  start  the  bees  to  run  up  into  the  empty  skep. 
A  sharp  look  out  must  be  kept  for  the  queen  as  she  runs  up 
with  her  attendants,  as  it  will  be  useless  taking  the  bees  without 
the  queen.  When  sufficient  bees  have  been  drummed  up  the  old 
stock  may  be  returned  to  its  original  position,  and  if  an  empty 
skep  has  been  placed  on  the  stand  during  the  driving  operation  it 
will  be  found  to  contain  many  bees.  These  with  those  hanging 
from  the  floor-board  may  be  added  to  the  swarm,  which  should  be 
at  once  placed  on  the  stand  where  they  are  intended  to  remain, 
these  with  attention  will  make  good  stocks  for  the  honey  flow. 
Supering  straw  skeps  may  be  done  by  placing  a  crate  of  sections 
on  them,  or  the  old-fashioned  bell-glass.  The  latter  is  still  much 
favoured  by  cottagers,  and  when  well  filled  has  a  nice  appearance, 
and  is  often  interesting  to  others  on  account  of  the  easy  manner  in 
which  the  bees  may  be  observed,  comb-building  and  storing  honey. 
The  great  objection  to  the  latter,  however,  is  the  mess  that  is 
caused  from  leaking  combs  directly  they  are  broken  into,  and  being 
unsaleable  except  for  a  limited  quantity. 
Sections  are  to  be  preferred,  and  some  of  the  best  I  have  ever 
seen  were  obtained  from  a  straw  skep.  All  that  is  necessary  is  to 
have  a  box  to  hold  the  crate  of  sections,  which  should  be  placed  on 
the  top  of  the  skep  ;  then  cut  a  hole  in  the  centre  to  correspond 
with  that  in  the  top  of  the  skep,  and  pack  the  box  underneath 
to  make  it  stand  level.  Into  this  box  place  a  crate  of  sections, 
and  cover  the  whole  up  warm  with  several  thicknesses  of  old 
carpet,  sacking,  or  similar  material  ;  and  the  colony  if  strong  in 
bees  and  the  weather  favourable  will  at  once  commence  to  store  a 
surplus,  which  when  well  sealed  over  will  be  in  saleable  form.  An 
old  stock  that  swarmed  last  year  will  be  suitable  for  thi3  purpose, 
as  it  will  be  headed  by  a  young  queen.  An  early  swarm  of  this 
vear  is  also  excellent  for  supering  purposes. — An  English  Bee- 
keeper. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be 
directed  to  “  The  Editor.’’  Letters  addressed  personally  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,  and  departmental  writers 
are  not  expected  to  answer  any  letters  they  may  receive  on 
Gardening  and  Bee  subjects,  through  the  post. 
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,  as  a  rule,  reply  to  questions 
through  the  post,  and  we  do  not  undertake  to  return  rejected 
communications. 
Streptocarpus  (T.  Arnall). — We  think  the  flowers,  upwards  of 
2  inches  across,  very  good  indeed,  and  the  colour,  white,  streaked  with 
purple,  effective.  A  plant  containing  twenty-five  such  flowers  open  at 
once  must  be  highly  pleasing,  and  a  good  example  of  successful 
cultivation. 
Black  Stripe  In  Tomatoes  (IF.  L.  H.'). — We  have  published  a 
good  deal  on  this  affection,  and  shall  soon  publish  a  little  more.  The 
true  black  stripe  fungus  is  not  likely  to  pass  from  plant  to  plant,  except 
by  soil  or  root  agency  ;  still,  as  your  plants  may  be  affected  by  another 
fungus  as  well,  dress  them  with  an  anti-blight  powder,  such  as  “  Fostite.” 
Heavy  applications  of  lime  to  the  soil  are  said  to  be  the  best  known 
preventives  of  the  black  stripe  fungus  (Fusarium),  but  when  its 
mycelium  enters  the  roots  and  takes  possession  of  the  stems  the  plants 
are  beyosd  cure. 
Ivies  for  Pot  Culture  ( F  J.  B.). — The  small-leaved  varieties,  both 
green  and  variegated,  are  usually  grown  in  pots  for  placing  in  vases. 
The  plants  can  be  trained  to  any  form  required  by  securing  the  growths 
to  wire  trellises.  All  the  varieties  are  suitable  for  the  purpose.  You  do 
not  state  the  number  required,  and  you  may  safely  leave  the  selection 
to  a  vendor.  Plants  can  be  had  in  different  sizes  established  in  pots, 
but  for  obvious  reasons  the  larger  they  are  the  higher  is  the  price.  They 
grow  well  in  four  parts  of  turfy  loam,  one  each  of  leaf  soil  and  decayed 
manure,  with  a  little  crushed  lime  rubbish  and  bruised  charcoal  for 
insuring  porosity.  The  pots  may  be  plunged  in  ashes  in  the  open 
ground,  and  the  growth  of  the  plants  will  be  governed  by  the  attention 
they  receive  in  watering  and  cleanliness. 
Calceolarias  Palling  (Novice). — There  has  been  a  difference  in 
some  points  in  culture  or  of  surroundings  that  influence  the  growth  of 
these  plants.  They  may  have  received  a  check  in  winter,  or  the  atmo¬ 
sphere  has  been  too  dry  for  them.  Similar  failures  frequently  occur 
when  the  plants  have  been  too  root-bound  in  small  pots  before  being 
shifted  into  larger,  and  especially  when  the  soil  in  the  small  pots  has 
been  too  dry  at  the  time  of  repotting.  In  such  cases  the  root  action  is 
never  so  vigorous  as  it  should  be,  and  though  it  may  be  sufficient  to 
support  the  plants  till  flowers  commence  expanding,  the  strain  on  their 
resources  then  becomes  too  great,  and  collapse  ensues.  The  failure  is 
more  certain  if  the  soil  is  too  light  and  sandy  in  character.  With  an 
abundance  of  rorts  actively  working  in  sound  fertile  soil,  and  the  plants 
kept,  scrupulously  free  from  insects,  Calceolarias  remain  in  beauty  for  a 
considerable  time,  and  then  ripen  good  crops  of  seed,  a  much  more 
exhausting  process  than  flowering. 
Tree  Carnations  (Idem). — These  Carnations  do  not  damp  off  and 
the  leaves  become  brown  before  the  plants  attain  any  size  if  properly 
managed.  Stout  healthy  cuttings  are  essential  to  begin  with,  and  these 
root  in  sandy  soil  in  a  close  case  or  frame,  or  under  bell-glasses,  but  the 
moment  they  are  rooted,  and  fresh  leaves  show  signs  of  growth,  they 
must  have  full  exposure,  and  all  the  light  and  air  possible  for  insuring 
sturdy  growth.  It  is  well  to  root  them  in  separate  2-inch  pots,  as  then 
they  can  be  transferred  to  larger  without  breaking  the  roots,  shifting 
them  when  roots  are  seen  through  the  drainage,  and  using  turfy  loam 
