tbdUNAL  oi'  tioRtiotJLTtJkt:  Am  cottage  gardens. 
lU 
Another  source  from  which  an  inferior  honey  is  obtained  at 
this  season  is  the  Spanish  Chestnut,  the  honey  being  thin  and 
watery,  with  a  very  unpleasant  aroma.  There  is  no  mistaking 
honey  obtained  from  this  source,  as  directly  the  covering  is  removed 
from  the  top  of  supers,  the  sickly  smell  arising  from  it  is  percep¬ 
tible.  I  once  had  a  fine  sample  of  honey  spoiled  in  this  way  owing 
to  the  supers  being  left  on  the  hive  a  day  or  two  too  long,  so  it  is 
advisable  to  remove  the  supers  as  soon  as  the  honey  flow  is  over. 
Honey  Fermenting. 
What  is  the  cause  of  fermentation  in  honey  ?  is  a  question 
that  is  often  aiked.  It  is  caused  by  the  careless  bee-keeper  who 
quite  unintentionally,  it  may  be,  removes  the  honey  from  the  hive 
before  it  has  become  properly  ripened.  Honey  after  it  is  gathered 
from  the  flowers  has  to  go  through  several  processes  in  the  hive 
before  it  is  ready  to  be  sealed  over  by  the  bees.  Bees  never  make  a 
mistake  in  this  matter.  If  they  have  not  suffioient  storage  room 
in  the  supers  they  will  store  their  honey  in  the  brood  nest,  or  in 
any  empty  cells  within  their  reach,  until  the  high  temperature  of 
the  hive  has  ripened  the  honey,  which  in  the  meantime  has 
evaporated  considerably,  so  that  the  bees  can  fill  the  cells  from 
what  has  been  previously  stored  in  other  parts  of  the  hive.  It  is 
then  sealed  over,  and  is  ready  for  extracting,  or  for  storing  in  the 
comb.  When  honey  is  coming  in  freely  the  bees  store  it  in  the 
first  cells  that  come  to  hand.  The  busy  worker  will  remove  it 
during  the  night  to  the  super,  or  where  it  is  required. 
It  will  at  once  be  seen  the  care  that  is  required  in  extracting 
honey.  If  unripe  it  will  ferment,  and  after  being  kept  for  a  few 
weeks  or  months  will  be  useless,  and  if  disposed  of  before  fermen¬ 
tation  is  suspected  it  will  have  the  effect  of  doing  an  injury  to  the 
bee-keeper’s  interest.  It  ia  advisable  to  always  extract  honey,  or 
remove  the  supers  in  readiness  for  extracting  purposes,  before  the 
bees  commence  work  in  the  morning.  I  always  practise  this  plan 
in  my  apiary,  and  am  never  troubled  with  fermented  honey. 
There  is  less  danger  of  obtaining  fermented  honey  from  sections 
if  due  care  is  taken  in  teeing  that  all  the  cells  are  properly  sealed 
over  before  their  removal  from  the  hive.  It  is  better  to  allow 
them  to  remain  on  the  hive  two  or  three  days  too  long  than  to 
remove  a  day  too  soon.  If  the  honey  is  not  properly  ripened  they 
will  soon  commence  to  drip,  and  no  amount  of  after  treatment 
will  prevent  it. 
Storing  Honey. 
Bee-keepers,  whether  in  a  large  or  small  way  of  business,  will 
doubtless  at  this  season  be  in  the  happy  position  of  having  a  surplus 
of  honey  to  store  away  for  future  requirements.  If  in  sections  the 
wood  should  be  properly  cleaned  of  any  propolis  that  may  adhere 
to  them  ;  a  blunt  knife  is  a  capital  instrument  for  that  purpose. 
If  the  wood  is  at  all  stained  a  coarse  piece  of  sandpaper  will 
remove  it  readily,  A  mark  should  then  be  made  on  the  top  of 
each  section,  so  that  they  may  always  be  stood  in  the  same  position 
they  occupied  in  the  hive,  as  the  cells  being  built  with  an  upward 
slope  there  will  then  be  no  danger  to  be  feared  from  dripping, 
which  would  be  the  case  if  they  were  stood  the  opposite  way  and 
some  honey  remained  in  an  unsealed  cell.  The  sections  may  then 
be  gljzed  as  advised  in  previous  notes,  or  be  wrapped  separately  in 
a  piece  of  paper  to  keep  them  from  the  dust,  as  however  carefully 
packed  dust  will  often  find  its  way  through  a  small  crevice  that 
may  be  unseen,  and  is  then  difficult  to  remove  from  the  comb. 
Store  in  a  dry  place,  a  cupboard  in  a  room  in  which  there  is  a  fire 
often  will  make  a  capital  place  for  that  purpose  if  the  temperature 
is  kept  at  about  60°.  The  honey  will  not  granulate  as  readily  in 
the  comb  as  it  would  if  placed  in  a  lower  temperature. 
Extracted  honey  may  be  placed  in  a  similar  position  if  granu¬ 
lation  is  not  desired  ;  but  if  this  makes  no  difference  it  may  be 
stored  in  any  cool,  dry  place,  and  will  keep  in  good  condition  for 
several  years.  Granulated  honey  is  pure  ;  the  public  are  now 
beginning  to  realise  this  fact,  and  there  is  now  much  less  difficulty 
in  disposing  of  good  samples  of  granulated  honey  than  formerly. — 
An  English  Bee  keeper. 
A  HEAVY  SWARM. 
I  HAD,  on  the  7th  of  this  month  (July)  a  swarm  of  bees,  the 
largMt  I  ever  saw  ;  weight  with  skep,  11  lbs.  ;  weight  of  skep,  3f  lbs., 
leaving  lbs.  for  the  bees.  I  placed  them  in  a  16  bar  frame  hive 
together  with  a  small  swarm  that  I  had  had  a  day  or  two  before  ; 
placing  the  interceptory  board  in  the  middle  ;  this  day,  July  26th, 
1  have  had  to  place  a  crate  with  twenty-one  sections  on,  as  the  body 
of  the  hive  is  quite  full. 
I  had  a  swarm  about  six  years  since  that  weighed  just  over 
6  lbs.,  and  I  think  that  I  wrote  and  informed  you  of  the  fact,  and 
at  the  same  time  sent  the  number  of  bees,  as  I  took  the  trouble 
to  count  2  lb,  of  bees  that  I  was  obliged  to  destroy  as  they  had  got 
under  the  roof,  and  when  the  sun  was  hot  the  wax  and  honey  ran 
into  the  room  below. — N.  H.  J. 
Augilst  i,  l89f. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to  “  The  Editor,"  8,  Rose  Hill 
Road,  Wandsworth,  London,  S.TF,  It  is  requested  that  no 
one  will  write  privately  to  any  of  our  correspondents,  seeking 
information  on  matters  discussed  in  this  Journal,  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.  If  information  be  desired  on  any  particular  subject  from 
any  particular  authority  who  may  be  named,  endeavour  will  be 
made  to  obtain  it  by  the  Editor. 
Trainings  for  Examinations  (jColvile  Browne'),  —  We  have 
received  the  “  List  of  Succtsses  ”  which  you  have  forwarded  of  candi¬ 
dates  who,  by  your  aid,  have  passed  the  R.H.S.  examinations.  You  have 
good  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  the  results  of  your  endeavours,  and  not 
less  so  by  the  appreciation  of  students  of  your  methods  of  teaching. 
Such  intellectual  exercise  as  you  afford  to  young  gardeners  is  excellent 
training  for  them  whether  they  pass  in  examinations  or  not,  and  we 
consider  your  terms  very  reasonable  indeed. 
Aerial  Roots  on  Vines  (22.  S.  U,). — These  are  usually  attributed 
either  to  the  maintenance  of  a  very  moist  atmosphere  in  the  early  stages 
of  the  growth  of  the  Vines,  or  to  the  roots  in  the  soil  not  being  able,  by 
their  paucity  or  defect  in  the  border,  to  obtain  the  essentials  needed  by 
the  Vines.  In  many  instances  both  those  causes  operate  in  inciting  the 
emission  of  the  stem  roots  in  question.  At  the  same  time  we  have  seen 
them  freely  produced  by  Vines  that  afforded  good  crops  of  excellent 
Grapes,  though  the  reverse  is  more  frequently  the  case,  Where  such 
roots  exist  it  is  a  safe  plan  to  let  them  alone. 
Tomatoes  In  Vineries  (TV.  S,). — Tons  of  Tomatoes  are  grown  in 
vineries  every  year,  and  where  the  plants  have  light  enough  they  bear 
and  ripen  good  crops.  When  the  Vines  cover  the  roof  densely  (and  it  is 
not  at  all  uncommon  to  find  the  growth  and  foliage  much  too  crowded) 
Tomatoes  that  may  be  attempted  to  be  grown  under  them  become  drawn, 
and  are  of  little  or  no  value.  We  know  at  this  moment  of  splendid  Grapes 
and  excellent  Tomatoes  ripening  in  the  same  house — a  three-quarter 
span.  The  Vines  are  not  closely  planted,  and  the  laterals  are  as  thinly 
disposed  as  shown  in  the  illustration  on  page  101  last  week.  The 
Tomatoes  cover  the  back  wall  of  the  house. 
Gardeners’  Pensions  (6’.,  Portsmouth). — We  do  not  know  of  a 
society  which  grants  old  age  pensions  to  gardeners  other  than  the  Royal 
Benevolent  Institution.  An  old  age  pension  fund,  and  an  excellent  one 
it  is,  is  established  by  the  Loudon  County  Council  for  the  gardeners 
employed  in  the  metropolitan  parks  which  are  under  that  body.  An 
accumulation  fund  of  the  monies  of  members  not  used  in  sickness  is  one 
of  the  advantages  of  the  Gardeners’  United  Provident  and  Benevolent 
Institution  ;  but  we  do  not  know  of  gardeners’  annual  old  age  pension 
funds  other  than  those  above  named.  If  there  are  any  others  we  shall 
be  glad  to  receive  particulars  of  them. 
Grapes  Colouring  Indifferently  (TT^.  H,  T,). — In  addition  to 
the  farmyard  manure  you  may  use  during  the  growing  period  the 
following  mixture  :  —  Bone  superphosphate,  three  parts ;  nitrate  of 
potash,  two  parts  ;  and  sulphate  of  lime,  one  part,  mixing  thoroughly 
and  applying  at  the  rate  of  2  to  4  ozs.  per  square  yard  (1)  when  the  Vines 
commence  growing,  (2)  as  soon  as  the  berries  are  set  or  thinned,  (3)  when 
the  Grapes  a  quarter  to  half  grown,  and  (4)  as  soon  as  the  stoning  is 
completed,  always  when  the  soil  is  moist,  washing  in  moderately.  In 
autumn,  or  when  the  Vines  are  pruned,  supply  a  mixture  of  native  guano, 
fish  meal,  basic  slag  phosphate,  and  sulphate  of  potash  in  equal  parts, 
mixing  thoroughly  and  applying  at  the  rate  of  7  lbs.  per  rod,  or  4  ozs, 
per  square  yard,  pointing  in  lightly.  This  we  have  found  very  effective. 
Cbrysanttaemum  Shoot  with  Bud  Eaten  Out  (TV.  D.), — The 
bud  in  the  shoot  has  been  e&ten  out  by  some  minute  grub  or  caterpillar, 
but  beyond  the  dirt  left  by  the  destructive  creature  there  was  no  trace  of 
it.  There  may  probably  be  some  further  remains  of  the  pest  to  be  found 
on  a  close  scrutiny  of  the  infested  plants,  if  as  we  suspect  the  mischief 
has  been  caused  by  a  small  caterpillar.  If  you  find  a  fine  silken  web 
anywhere  on  the  leaves  there  will  most  likely  be  a  little  substance 
beneath  it ;  finding  such  please  forward  intact,  and  we  may  possibly  tell 
something  more  at  a  later  period,  or  when  the  moth  emerges.  The  early 
brood  of  the  grey  streak  moth  (Glutella  porrectella)  sometimes  eat  the 
“  hearts  ”  out  of  the  shoots,  drawing  the  leaves  together  by  means  of 
silken  threads,  and  conceal  themselves  (caterpillars)  in  the  middle  of 
them,  one  in  each  shoot,  eating  out  the  point.  In  other  instances  the 
common  angle  shades  moth  (Phlogophora  meticulosa)  and  the  small 
angle  shades  (P.  lucipa)  eat  out  the  centre  of  the  growths.  This,  of 
course,  is  done  by  the  caterpillars,  which  usually  lurk  in  the  ground  by 
day  and  come  out  to  feed  at  night,  but  in  the  young  state  they  may 
remain  in  the  points  of  the  shoots  during  the  day.  We  have  not  noticed 
any  particnlar  presence  of  these  pests  this  season,  but  the  weather 
suitable  for  them. 
