■338 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  1,  1898. 
-3tored  in  a  warm  dry  place  they  would  now  have  been  as  good  as 
when  first  taken  from  the  hive,  making  all  the  difiEerence  in  profit 
■und  lois  in  bee-keeping.J 
It  does  not  matter  so  much  when  only  reqairert  tor  home  con¬ 
sumption,  but  even  then  the  flavour  is  not  so  good,  as  the  dripping 
honey  has  a  similar  flavour  to  the  fermented  article.  If  stored  in 
a  room  in  which  there  is  a  fire  occasionally,  the  temperature  of 
which  is  about  50°,  they  will  keep  in  perfect  condition  for  a  year  or 
more.  If  kept  in  too  cool  a  place  they  will  in  a  short  space  of  time 
•  become  candied,  and  when  in  this  form  are  very  objectionable.  It 
is,  therefore,  wise  to  guard  against  the  two  extremes.  If  stored  in 
boxes,  each  containing  one  dozen  or  two  dozen  sedtions,  they  will 
be  free  from  dust,  or,  if  placed  on  shelves,  it  is  advisable  to  wrap 
each  section  in  paper  separately,  always  standing  them  in  the  same 
position  they  occupied  in  the  hive.  If  each  section  is  marked  on 
the  top  when  being  removed  from  the  crate  no  mistake  will  be 
made  when  handling  them  afterwards,  and  will  save  a  great  amount 
•^of  trouble. 
Storing  Ettn  Honey.  * 
Although  not  so  important  as  storing  honey  in  the  comb,  still 
some  positions  are  better  than  others.  It  is,  however,  as  well  to 
bear  in  mind  the  fact  that  the  cooler  the  place  is  in  which  run 
honey  is  stored  the  sooner  will  it  candy.  This  is  not  desirable 
early  in  the  season,  the  majority  of  dealers  preferring  to  have  it  in 
a  liquid  state.  It  can  then  be  bottled  much  more  readily  than 
when  set.  Some  honey  will  become  candied  much  more  readily 
than  others,  notably  that  obtained  from  the  Mustard,  which  will 
become  candied  a  few  days  after  being  extracted. 
I  find  there  is  a  great  change  in  the  requirements  of  many  of  the 
dealers  who  retail  honey  in  small  packages.  A  few  years  ago  several 
of  my  customers  expressed  a  wish  to  have  honey  that  would  not 
become  candied.  This  was  an  easy  matter,  as  is  well  known  to  the 
majority  of  bee-keepers,  because  if  honey  is  heated  artificially  to 
100°  it  will  always  remain  in  a  liquid  state  ;  but  the  flavour,  1  con¬ 
sider,  is  much  impaired  when  this  process  is  carried  ou^.  By 
making  this  explanation,  and  showing  them  that  if  honey  in  due 
course  became  candied  it  was  a  mark  of  its  genuineness,  the 
difficulty  was  soon  overcome,  and  now  it  is  preferred  during  the 
winter  months  if  it  has  become  candied.  Unripe  honey  will  not 
candy  but  will  ferment,  so  that  it  is  an  advantage  to  the  pains- 
'  taking  bee-keeper  to  be  able  to  place  candied  honey  on  the 
market.  It  is,  however,  advisable  to  keep  it  in  a  liquid  state 
until  it  is  placed  in  bottles,  jars,  or  large  tins  in  which  it  is  to  be 
marketed.  Keeping  in  a  high  temperature  will  be  the  moit  likely 
means  of  arriving  at  the  desired  end  ;  otherwise  it  does  not  signify, 
but  it  is  advisable  to  guard  against  damp.  If  put  up  in  1  lb.  bottles, 
which  is  the  most  common  form  of  retailing  it  at  the  present  time, 
they  may  be  placed  in  boxes  similar  to  sections,  and  will  then  be 
.always  ready  when  required. 
Storing  Spare  Combs. 
These  are  always  useful  in  an  apiary,  and  the  bee-keeper  who 
has  a  good  stock  of  them,  stored  carefully  away,  will  find  them 
extremely  useful  for  future  use.  There  is  nothing  better  than 
clean,  tough,  old  combs  for  extracting  purposes,  and  often  in  the 
autumn  how  serviceable  they  are  when  all  are  of  the  same  size  and 
interchangeable  for  placing  in  a  hive  which  is  intended  for  driven 
bees.  During  the  past  week  I  drove  an  ordinary  straw  skep  of  bees 
as  an  experiment  in  late  feeding.  These  were  placed  on  fully 
drawn  out  combs  that  had  been  used  for  doubling  and  extracting, 
and  are  being  fed  up  with  syrup.  It  would  have  been  useless 
placing  them  in  an  empty  hive  or  on  comb  foundation. 
All  spare  combs  should  be  packed  in  close  fitting  boxes  in  a  dry 
place.  The  chief  enemy  to  combs  that  are  stored  away  for  several 
months  is  the  wax  moth  ;  these  will  soon  ruin  the  combs  by 
consuming  the  wax.  The  best  preventive  that  I  have  found  is  to 
use  carbolic  acid  somewhat  freely,  not  on  the  combs,  but  well 
sprinkle  some  calico  or  similar  material  with  it ;  in  this  wrap  the 
combs,  and  no  wax  moths  will  venture  near  them.  A  few  lumps  of 
naphthaline  placed  in  the  box  with  them  will  answer  the  same 
purpose.  Mice,  too,  are  very  fond  of  the  combs,  and  if  once  they 
gain  an  admittance  will  soon  do  a  great  amount  of  harm. — 
.An  English  Bee-keeper. 
TRADE  CATALOGUES  RECEIVED. 
W.  &  J.  Birkenhead,  Sale,  Manchester. — Ferns  and  Selaginellas, 
Laing  &  Mather,  Kelso,  N.B. —  Carnations. 
J.  R.  Pearson  &  Sons,  Chilwell,  Notts. — Roses  and  Trees. 
W.  Ramsey,  Joyning’s  Nurseries,  Waltham  Cross. — Roses. 
-R.  Wallace  &  Co.,  Colchester. — Lilies  and  other  Bulbous  Plants. 
correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be 
directed  to  “  The  Editor.’’  Letters  addressed  personally  lo 
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. 
Book  (IK.  H.  N.). — We  do  not  rfmember  a  cheap  book  containing 
what  you  appear  to  r  equire,  but  will  make  inquiries  on  the  subject. 
Seedling  Apple  (^J,  F.'). — The  Apple  is  attractive  in  appearance, 
but  only  secona-r.te  in  quality.  Try  it  by  grafting.  The  fruit  very 
much  resembles  Barchard’s  Seedling,  which  is  grown  for  market  in  some 
districts,  and  the  fruit  sella  to  the  populace  because  of  its  colour  and 
fair  quality,  and  the  tree  is  a  great  bearer. 
Diseased  Vine  Deaves  {Inquirer'). — The  strange  affection  of  the 
shoots  ana  loiiage  is  wnat  is  known  as  “  browning,”  the  first  symptom 
of  which  is  a  contraction  of  the  half-grown  foliage  till  the  leaf  becomes 
like  an  inverted  cup,  then  the  stem  loses  its  crisp  clear  substance,  turns 
brownish,  and  shrinks  ;  the  tips  of  the  shoots  become  stunted,  and  the 
disease  descends  from  leaf  to  leaf,  or  appears  to  do  so  ;  the  growth  for 
the  season  is  stopped,  and  the  young  wood  affected  becomes  of  a  dirty 
brown  or  black  tint.  The  malady  is  chiefly  confined  to  young  Vines 
or  the  young  growing  parts  of  older,  and  it  attacks  alike  those 
planted  out  or  grown  in  pots.  The  malady  is  contagious  or  epidemic, 
and  all  kinds  of  conjectures  have  been  made  as  to  what  produces  it. 
Some  have  referred  it  to  a  slime  fungus  (Plasmodiophora  vitis),  others 
to  bacteriodis,  and  not  a  few  to  cold  draughts,  sadden  changes,  as  defects 
or  excesses  of  temperature.  These  “shots”  are  beside  the  mark,  for 
though  there  is  “  brunure  ”  caused  by  slime  fungus,  bacteriosis,  and 
crippling  of  the  foliage  by  cold  draughts  and  sudden  changes  of  tempera¬ 
ture,  “  browning”  in  England  or  that  appearing  on  the  young  growths 
of  Vines  from  the  early  part  of  August,  but  most  prevalent  in  Sep¬ 
tember,  is  caused  by  a  mite  (Tarsonymus  vitis),  which  is  closely  alli^ 
to  the  species  if  not  identical  with,  causing  “  browning  ”  in  Gloxinias, 
Gesneras,  Pelargoniums,  &c.,  and  that  found  on  Box  (T.  buxi).  The 
mite  is  scarcely  visible  to  the  unaided  eye,  appearing  only  to  the  keenest 
eyes  as  a  small  speck.  In  its  young  state  it  is  almost  colourless  and  has 
six  legs,  being  very  active  and  extremely  difficult  to  secure,  even  after 
it  is  found,  which  is  not  by  any  means  easy,  and  then  is  readily  seen 
with  an  ordinary  pocket  lens.  Before  moulting  or  changing  to  the 
eight-legged  or  mature  form  it  becomes  slightly  tinged  with  red,  and 
shortly  after  assumes  the  flual  stage,  then  of  a  pale  colour  with  a  tinge 
of  brown  or  red,  not  very  pronounced,  pairs,  and  the  eggs  are  deposited 
on  the  leaves,  always  the  under  side,  and  on  or  near  the  midribs  or 
veins.  These  are,  from  their  whiteness,  just  visible,  and  easily  seen 
with  a  pocket  lens.  In  the  course  of  a  few  days  the  eggs  hatch  out 
the  young  mites,  and  these  do  all  the  mischief  by  piercing  the  tissues 
of  the  tender  leaves  to  abstract  their  juices.  The  bite  of  this 
mite  appears  of  a  venomous  nature,  as  they  are  not  1  per  cent,  so 
many  in  numbers  as  in  a  bad  attack  of  red  spider  (Tetranycbus  telarius). 
If  you  wish  to  see  the  mite  you  must  exercise  the  greatest  care,  as  it  lies 
close  to  the  surface  of  the  Vine  leaf  in  the  down  when  at  rest,  and  when 
disturbed  runs  with  remarkable  alacrity,  and  is  soon  lost,  even  when 
followed  by  a  magnifying  glass.  But  patience  and  a  keen  eye,  with 
nimble  fingers  or  the  tweezers,  can  do  wonders.  When  caught  in  the 
tweezers,  place  in  a  drop  of  proof  spirit  on  the  glass  slide  for  examina^ 
tion  with  the  microscope,  when  you  will  see  one  of  the  most  remarkable 
creatures,  and  get  an  idea  by  the  mouth  formation  of  its  power  for 
mischief.  The  mite  may  be  destroyed  by  repeated  fumigations  with 
tobacco  smoke  or  two  or  three  vaporisations  with  nicotine  at  intervals 
of  a  few  days  will  annihilate  the  pest.  During  the  winter  it  appears  to 
hibernate  on  the  Vines  similarly  to  red  spider,  but  as  far  as  we  know 
does  not,  like  it,  lurk  in  the  soil  or  elsewhere  whilst  the  Vines  are  leafless. 
Yet  it  may  possibly  pass  to  Gloxinias,  Gesneras,  Begonias,  Zonal  Pelar¬ 
goniums.  and  cause  browning  on  their  leaves.  By  washing  the  Vines 
with  a  solution  of  sulphate  of  iron,  half  a  pound  to  a  gallon  of  water, 
after  pruning  or  whiht  they  are  at  rest,  the  mite  seldom  appears  the 
following  season.  It  is  probably  introouced  to  the  Vines  by  plants  in 
the  house,  for  it  is  certain  the  mite  can  subsist  on  other  plants  besides 
the  Vine. 
