214 
JOUEKAh  OF  HOETIGULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  27,  1896. 
SEASONABLE  NOTES. 
Feeding  Bees. 
All  stocks  should  now  be  examined  with  a  view  to  ascertain¬ 
ing  the  condition  they  are  in  as  regards  stores,  as  where  several 
colonies  are  kept  there  will  be  a  great  difference  in  the  amount  in 
the  brood  combs  for  wintering.  Why  this  should  be  the  case  it  is 
difficult  to  say,  as  from  experience  I  have  found  that  if  two  or 
more  hives  of  bees  are  placed  side  by  side,  and  are  treated  exactly 
the  same  as  far  as  is  possible,  there  will  be  a  vast  difference 
observed  in  them  at  the  end  of  the  season.  One  will  probably 
have  several  combs  of  sealed  stores  sufficient  to  last  the  inmates 
till  the  following  spring,  while  the  next  one  may  not  have  sufficient 
to  last  them  a  month,  and  if  not  fed  would  die  of  starvation.  The 
wise  bee-keeper  will  therefore  attend  to  his  bees  as  8,oon  as  it  is 
possible  after  the  honey  is  all  harvested.  I  am  an  advocate  for 
early  feeding.  The  earlier  this  is  carried  out  the  better,  and  in 
feeding  the  bees  artificially  it  is  as  well  to  follow  Nature  as  far  as 
possible. 
When  bees  are  left  to  themselves  and  are  not  robbed  of  their 
stores,  the  whole  of  the  honey  is  sealed  over  early  in  the  season, 
or  as  soon  as  it  is  properly  ripened  in  the  hive,  and  if  they  are  kept 
dry  and  covered  up  warmly  it  is  of  very  rare  occurrence  to  find  a 
case  of  dysentery.  But  leave  the  bees  short  of  stores  until  late 
in  the  autumn,  when  the  nights  are  gradually  getting  colder,  and 
a  difficulty  is  experienced  in  getting  the  bees  to  take  the  syrup 
provided  for  them,  with  the  result  that  it  is  not  sealed  over,  the 
heat  in  the  hive  is  not  sufficient  to  evaporate  the  moisture,  which 
causes  the  syrup  to  ferment,  and  the  bees  die  off  in  hundreds  from 
dysentery. 
Quantity  op  Syrup  Required. 
The  quantity  required  for  each  colony  will  entirely  depend  on 
the  amount  of  natural  stores  in  each  hive.  It  is  a  good  plan  when 
examining  them  to  make  a  note  of  each,  and  if  each  hive  is 
numbered,  as  they  always  should  be,  it  is  a  very  simple  matter, 
and  does  not  take  up  nearly  as  much  time,  nor  is  it  as  difficult  as 
at  first  sight  appears.  An  ordinary  standard  frame  well  filled 
and  sealed  over  will  contain  about  8  lbs.  of  honey.  Thus  if  three 
frames  of  sealed  stores,  and  two  or  three  others  partly  filled,  are 
found  in  a  hive  there  will  be  ample  stores  to  tide  over  the  winter 
and  last  until  outdoor  supplies  are  plentiful  the  following  spring. 
Another  hive  may  have  three  or  four  frames  only  partly  filled 
and  would  require  feeding.  The  probable  weight  of  stores  should 
be  entered  in  a  small  book  kept  for  that  purpose,  and  which  may 
be  carried  in  the  waistcoat  pocket. 
Thus  on  referring  to  the  book  at  any  time  the  bee-keeper  may 
see  at  a  glance  the  amount  of  food  likely  to  be  required  in  the 
apiary.  Each  stock  of  bees  should  have  from  20  to  30  lbs.  of 
sealed  stores,  according  to  the  strength  of  the  colony,  to  last  them 
until  spring.  It  is  better  to  be  on  the  safe  side,  and  give  too  much 
than  too  little,  as  in  the  latter  case  the  bees  may  die  of  starvation 
during  a  spell  of  severe  weather  before  the  bee-keeper  is  aware 
of  it.  Or  if  fed  with  candy  it  is  not  nearly  as  good  for  the  bees 
as  their  sealed  natural  stores. 
Making  Syrup. 
This  is  important.  If  the  right  kind  of  sugar  is  not  used  much 
harm  will  be  done.  If  the  syrup  is  made  too  thin  by  using  too 
much  water,  the  extra  moisture  must  evaporate  before  the  bees 
will  seal  it  over.  This  gives  them  much  labour,  even  when  given 
early  in  the  autumn,  and  may  be  very  serious  late  in  the  season. 
If  the  syrup  is  too  thick  the  bees  will  not  take  it  as  readily  as 
when  made  in  the  right  proportion. 
After  experimenting  with  various  kinds  of  sugar  I  am  con¬ 
vinced  that  the  pure  cane  sugar  is  the  best,  not  the  soft  brown 
Demerara  ;  but  white  granulated  of  good  quality  is  the  cheapest 
and  best  for  the  purpose.  But  how  am  I  to  know  the  pure  cane 
sugar  from  that  manufactured  from  Beet  ?  someone  may  ask.  This 
is  a  very  difficult  matter,  ai  an  ordinary  observer  cannot  detect  the 
difference.  It  can  usually  be  relied  on  if  obtained  from  a  house  of 
good  repute.  Of  late  years  I  have  had  no  difficulty  in  this  respect, 
but  formerly  Beet  sugar  was  supplied  on  more  than  one  occasion 
instead  of  the  genuine  article. 
Syrup  for  autumn  feeding  should  be  made  in  the  proportion  of 
7  lbs.  of  sugar  to  3  pints  of  water,  placed  over  a  clear  fire  and  kept 
constantly  stirred  until  it  boils,  when  it  is  at  once  taken  off,  and  is 
ready  for  use  a«  soon  as  cool  enough.  If  allowed  to  boil  too  long 
it  will  become  thick,  and  the  bees  will  not  take  it  ;  in  fact,  it  will 
soon  set  hard,  and  is  then  known  as  hard  candy,  and  will  be  useless 
in  that  form.  When  this  happens  it  is  advisable  to  add  more  water 
and  place  it  over  the  fire  again  until  it  boils.  A  little  practice  and 
patience  will  enable  the  bee-keeper  to  make  it  of  the  desired 
consistency.  I  may  add  that  if  a  little  vinegar  is  boiled  with  the 
sugar,  in  the  proportion  of  one  tablespoonful  to  6  lbs.  of  sugar,  it 
will  prevent  the  syrup  from  candying. — An  English  Bee-keeter. 
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. 
Seedling  Peach  (W.  U.  F.). — In  its  present  form  the  fruit  is  not 
equal  in  size  or  quality  to  the  best  existing  varieties ;  but  before 
discarding  the  seedling  we  should  try  it  on  a  Plum  stock,  as  althoagh  it 
may  not  even  then  possess  commercial  value  it  may  be  worth  growing 
for  home  use,  and  be  cherished  because  of  its  origin.  The  fruit  is  small 
and  sweet,  bat  may  become  larger  as  the  tree  gains  age  or  when  estab¬ 
lished  on  another  stock, 
mclstletoe  (A.  L,  iZ.,  Oporto). — Mistletoe  is  the  most  readily 
increased  by  seeds  either  placed  just  under  the  bark — of  Apple  trees 
usually — or  rubbed  on  the  smooth  bark,  and  protected  with  netting  from 
birds.  But  though  thousands  of  seeds  have  been  affixed  to  the  branches 
of  different  kinds  of  trees  in  some  localities  there  has  been  no  Mistletoe 
growth.  We  have  also  known  Mistletoe  established  by  grafting,  but 
most  persons  fail  when  trying  that  method  of  increase.  We  do  not 
know  whether  the  Mistletoe  would  grow  in  your  climate  or  not ;  bmt 
we  know  the  best  way  of  trying,  and  that  is  to  purchase  a  young  Apple 
tree  with  the  parasite  established  upon  it,  and  plant  the  tree  in  the 
autumn.  We  have  only  seen  such  trees  grown  for  sale  in  one  nursery 
(though  they  may  possibly  be  found  in  others),  namely,  that  of  Messrs. 
Richard  Smith  &  Go.,  Worcester.  We  procured  one  of  the  trees  a  few 
years  ago,  and  have  now  a  thrifty  bush  of  Mistletoe  fruiting  freely  in  a 
London  garden. 
Carnation  Blseased  (F.  D.), — The  plant  has  been  destroyed  at 
the  collar  or  root  stem  by  some  fungus,  but  there  are  no  oatgrowths  and 
only  dead  mycelium,  with  certain  bodies  or  resting  spores,  which  are 
those  of  a  Fusarium,  and  certainly  an  undescribed  species.  It  is  the 
same  that  proves  destructive  to  Zonal  Pelargonium  and  other  semi-woody 
herbaceous  plants,  the  growth  from  the  resting  spore  entering  the  plant 
by  the  roots,  and  passing  upward  in  the  woody  tissue,  discolouring  this, 
but  not  the  cortex  (bark).  It  thus  cuts  off  the  supply  of  nourishment, 
and  the  plant  withers  and  dies.  We  do  not  know  of  anything  that  will 
destroy  the  parasite,  as  its  work  is  wholly  internal  and  beyond  the  reach 
of  any  external  application.  It  may,  however,  be  prevented  by  an 
application  to  the  land  of  quicklime,  preferably  “  stone  ”  than  chalk 
lime,  as  the  former  is  the  stronger,  using  a  peck  per  rod  where  plants  are 
growing,  and  pointing-in  lightly ;  but  where  the  land  is  bare  using 
double  the  quantity  and  digging  in  with  a  fork.  Salt  is  also  an  excellent 
dressing  for  Carnations,  and  good  against  this  particular  parasite  where 
lime'  has  been  applied,  as  some  of  the  chlorine  will  combine  with  the 
lime  and  form  chloride  of  this  substance,  which  is  a  well-known  disin¬ 
fectant  ;  besides,  Carnations  need  chlorine,  and  when  fortified  with  it 
they  are  better  able  to  contend  with  invading  pests.  About  3^  lbs.  of 
common  salt  is  a  proper  quantity  to  apply  per  rod  (30J  square  yards), 
leaving  it  on  the  surface. 
Forming  IVKotto  In  Snowdrops  on  a  Sloping  Bank  {John). — 
The  bulbs  should  be  placed  about  2  inches  deep — that  is,  from  the  sur¬ 
face  of  the  grass  or  soil,  holes  being  made  that  depth  with  a  dibber,  the 
bulb  placed  in  neck  upwards,  and  the  hole  filled  with  good  soil,  mode¬ 
rately  firm.  By  this  procedure  you  need  not  interfere  with  the  turf. 
We  should  have  the  lines  forming  the  letters  2  inches  wide  for  the  size 
you  name,  but  24  inches  would  be  better  than  20  inches,  and  in  that 
case  the  letter  lines  may  be  3  inches  wide.  If  first  sized  bulbs  are  used 
they  may  be  placed  1  inch  apart  and  in  quincunx  order,  so  that  you  will 
require  three  rows  for  one  and  four  rows  for  the  other  to  have  them  an 
inch  apart  every  way.  We  should  not  have  less  than  three  rows,  and 
the  bulbs  in  these  as  near  as  may  be  an  inch  apart,  using  what  are 
known  as  “extra  large  roots.”  As  to  the  number  of  roots  you  will 
require  we  cannot  tell  you  without  drawing  the  motto  of  the  full  size  on 
soil  and  measuring  the  length  of  the  whole  by  following  the  lines  with 
a  tape.  This  you  may  easily  do  for  yourself,  or  draw  the  motto  on  paper 
to  scale  and  calculate  the  amount  by  the  measurement,  every  foot  length 
taking  thirty-six  for  three  rows.  Either  the  single  or  double  varieties 
are  suitable,  some  preferring  the  former  and  others  the  latter  ;  both  are 
good,  the  double  lasting  longer  in  bloom  than  the  single.  By  placing 
the  bulbs  closely  together,  as  you  say,  to  touch  each  other,  you  would 
get  a  better  effect  the  first  year  j  but  after  that  they  become  too  crowded. 
