206 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  26,  1897. 
it  would  be  too  watery,  and  a  great  amount  of  moisture  M'ould  have  to 
be  evaporated  before  being  in  the  right  condition  for  sealing  over. 
Syrup  for  airtumu  feeding  is  best  made  in  the  proportion  of  7  lbs.  of 
sugar  to  3  pints  of  water.  This  should  be  placed  over  a  clear  fire  and 
kept  constantly  stirred  until  it  boils.  It  sbonld  then  be  taken  off,  and 
will  be  ready  for  use  as  soon  as  cool  enough. 
During  the  boiling  process  add  a  little  vinegar  and  salt.  The 
former  will  prevent  the  sugar  candying,  which  it  is  liable  to  do  if  kept 
for  any  length  of  time  before  being  used,  or  if  it  has  been  boiled  too 
long.  The  plan 'which  I  practise,  and  which  I  recommend  to  bee- 
keejiers  who  have  numerous  colonies  of  bees,  is  to  place  2  cwt.  of 
sugar  in  a  large  cojrper  and  boil  it  all  at  once.  This  is  a  great  saving 
of  labour,  and  the  syrup  is  quite  as  good  as  when  boiled  in  smaller 
quantities. 
Pure  cane  sugar  should  always  be  used.  In  my  apiary  I  always 
use  the  best  granulated ;  bees  invariably  winter  well  on  it.  Beet  sugar 
is  sometimes  substituted  for  the  above ;  but  by  dealing  with  a  house 
of  good  repute  the  various  sugars  may  be  depended  on.  The  vessel 
from  which  the  syrup  made  from  cane  sugar  has  been  poured  will  not 
contain  any  sediment,  which  is  not  the  case  when  Beet  sugar  has  been 
used,  as  there  is  often  a  blue  sediment  left  after  the  syrup  has  been 
poured  off,  and  when  such  is  found  steps  should  bo  taken  to  obtain 
the  sugar  from  another  source. 
QUANTITIES  OF  STORES  REQUIRED. 
Opinions  differ  somewhat  as  to  the  amount  of  stores  necessary  to 
carry  a  strong  colony  safely  through  the  winter.  There  is,  however, 
a  vast  difference  in  the  number  of  bees  contained  in  the  various 
colonies,  and  it  is  only  fair  to  assume  that  the  greater  the  number  of 
bees  the  more  stores  will  there  be  required.  But  in  actual  practice  I 
have  found  that  in  an  extra  strong  colony  the  bees  have  not  consumed 
any  more  stores  than  one  of  ordinary  strength,  the  extra  number  of 
bees  keeping  up  the  warmth  of  the  hive,  so  that  less  food  was 
required.  ^ 
Some  bee-kee])ers  are  successful  in  wintering  a  small  number  of 
bees  on  four  or  five  standard  frames,  or  in  small  straw  skeps.  In  that 
case  much  less  stores  are  required.  A  strong  colony  should  have 
at  least  20  lbs.  of  stores,  but  28  lbs.  \vould  be  an  adv^antage,  as  it  is 
better  to  err  on  the  safe  side,  and  provide  too  much  than  too  little. 
Bees  should  be  fed  in  the  evening  when  all  is  quiet  in  the  apiary,  as 
robbing  is  very  prevalent  at  this  season. 
FEEDERS. 
A  good  feeder  is  a  necessity  for  autumn  feeding.  For  spring 
feeding  an  inverted  bottle,  or  a  small  feeder  of  any  descrii)tion  holding 
1  lb.  of  syrup,  will  answer  the  purpose  admirably.  But  for  autumn 
feeding  it  is  much  better  to  have  a  rapid  feeder,  so  that  a  strong 
colony  may  be  given  the  required  quantity  of  syrup  in  a  short  space 
of  time.  For  this  purpose  I  have  found  nothing  better  than  the 
Canadian  feeder.  This  is  very  simple  in  constiaiction,  being  made  of 
a  number  of  slats  of  wood,  which  are  fixed  into  a  frame,  and  then 
placed  in  a  tin-lined  box.  The  bees  gain  access  to  the  food  through 
openings  ou  each  side  underneath,  and  .are  prevented  from  escaping 
by  a  wooden  lid.  This  may  be  slijiped  along  when  a  further  supply 
of  fool  is  necessary,  which  may  be  poured  into  the  receiver  at  the  end 
without  inconvenience  to  the  bees,  'they  may  be  made  of  any  size, 
but  those  holding  12  lbs.  of  syrup  I  have  found  the  most  useful,  ddie 
Canadian  feeder  may  be  obtained  from  Messrs.  Geo.  Neighbour  and 
Sons,  12V,  High  Holborn,  London,  or  from  any  dealers  in  bee  appli¬ 
ances  who  advertise  in  the  Journal  of  llorticulture. — An  English 
Bee-keepek. 
TRADE  C^ATALOdUES  RECEIVED. 
W.  Bull,  King’s  Road,  Chelsea. — Bulbs. 
lleathman,  2,  Endell  Street,  London. — Ladders  and  Appliances. 
.1.  Laing  c&  Sons,  F’orest  \\\\\.— Bulbs. 
.1.  R.  Pearson  &.  Sons,  '  hilwell,  Notts. —  Bulbs. 
M.  Rains  &  To.,  ,34,  .\Ian.sell  Street,  Aldgate,  Vj.C.-  Bulbs. 
William  Sydenham,  Tamworth. — Pansies  and  Violas. 
Robert  Sydenham,  Tenby  Street,  Birmingham.  -  Bulbs. 
A.  F.  Upstone,  Market  I’lace,  Rotherham. — Bulbs. 
E.  Webb  &  Son,  Wordsley,  Stourbridge, — Btdbs. 
-  Thopical  Botanical  Station. — There  seems  some  proba¬ 
bility  that  .1  amaica  may  be  st  lected  by  the  American  Commission  for 
the  site  of  the  proposed  Tropical  Botanical  Station.  Profs.  MacDougal 
and  (  ampbell  have  restricted  themselves  in  their  tour  of  investigation 
to  that  island,  and  have  expressed  themselves  as  well  satisfied  with  the 
conditions  of  the  rich  and  varied  vegetation  there  found.  The  Director 
of  the  Botanical  Department,  Mr.  W.  Fawcett,  is  prepared  to  render 
every  assistance  in  the  furtherance  of  the  object.  -  (“  Nature.”) 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to  “  The  Editor,”  8,  Bose  Hill  Hoad, 
Wandsworth,  Jjondon,  S’.  IF.  It  is  requested  that  no  one  will 
Avrite  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  Garden¬ 
ing  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.  » 
Moving  Seedling  Briars  Budded  in  July  {An  Amateur).— is  hardly 
safe  to  move  them  until  the  latter  part  of  September,  and  only  then  if  the 
weather  be  moist,  keeping  them  out  of  the  ground  as  short  a  time  as 
possible.  AVe  have,  however,  moved  similar  plants  at  the  middle  of  the 
month,  and  by  watering  and  shading  for  a  few  days  had  an  excellent 
result.  ( )f  course,  the  eaidy  part  of  November  is  the  better  time,  but 
under  the  circumstances  we  should  not  hesitate  to  move  them,  lifting 
carefully,  during  the  first  moist  weather  in  next  month. 
Insects  on  Stems  of  Cucumber  Plants  {H.  W.  P.). — The  “insects” 
are  members  of  tbe  scorpion  family  (Scorpionidse),  and  belong  to  the 
sub-family  of  false  scorpions  (pseudo-Scorpiones).  It  is  Chelifer 
Geoffroyi  and  perfectly  harmless  to  vegetation,  indeed  it  lives  on  mites 
and  young  woodlice,  being  very  useful  in  keeping  down  root-mite 
(Rhizoglyphus  echinopus),  a  common  cause  of  Cucumber  plants, 
becoming  sickly  and  even  dying  off,  as  the  saying  is,  without  cause.  For 
this  pest  use  soluble  pbenyle,  1  part  in  9G  parts  soft  water,  or  1  gill 
(j  pint)  to  3  gallons  of  water,  applying  as  in  an  ordinary  watering. 
Pear  Leaves  and  Insects  ( G.  /S'.). — The  leaves  are  eaten  by  the  larvte 
or  caterpillars,  commonly  called  slug  worms,  of  the  Pear  sawfiy  (.Selandria 
atra).  Dust  the  tree  on  the  upper  side  of  the  foliage  with  freshly  burned 
lime,  using  no  more  water  in  slaking  than  necessary  to  cause  it  to  fall  to 
a  fine  and  apparently  dry  powder,  using  w'hen  cool.  The  creatures  may 
throw  off  the  first  coating  of  the  lime,  like  a  slug  ;  but  if  repeated  in 
about  half  an  hour  the  second  dressing  burns  them  without  any  injury  to 
the  foliage.  This  old-fashioned  dressing  is  better  than  dusting  the  leaves 
with  tobacco  or  hellebore  powder,  as  there  is  nothing  in  it  to  interfere 
with  the  use  of  the  fruit ;  but  tbe  others  are  very  objectionable,  though 
efficacious,  when  there  is  any  fruit  ripening,  or  near  thereto,  as  unless 
washed  off  by  rain  it  is  not  useable.  Similar  remarks  apply  to  soluble 
petroleum  in  solution,  also  tobacco  water;  otherwise  these  are  very 
effectual.  We,  however,  advise  the  lime. 
Apple  Harvey’s  Wiltshire  Defiance  (  W.  E.). — This  very  fine  culinary 
Apple  is  described  in  the  “Fruit  Manual”  as  handsomely  shajied,  but 
having  five  angles  descending  from  the  apex  till  they  are  lost  in  the  base. 
These  angles  are  more  acute  in  some  fruits  than  others.  In  yours  they 
are  somewhat  obscure.  When  the  fruit  is  ripe  it  is  described  as  a  deep 
sulphur  yellow  covered  all  over  with  minute  russety  dots,  with  here  and 
there  ramifying  patches  of  russet.  Eye  pretty  large  and  open,  ivith  short 
ragged  segments,  set  in  a  rather  angular  shallow  basin.  Stalk  short,  not 
extending  beyond  the  base,  and  inserted  in  a  round  deep  cavity,  lined 
with  rough  scaly  russet.  The  core  is  also  described  as  very  small  for  the 
size  of  the  fruit,  stamens  median,  and  tube  conical.  You  will  perceive 
how  closely  your  fruit  agrees  with  those  characteristics.  We  suspect 
there  is  another  Wiltshire  Defiance,  the  tree  being  less  productive  than 
Harvey’s,  and  the  fruits,  though  large,  less  handsome.  IVe  have 
occasionally  seen  very  fine  dishes  of  Harvey’s  Wiltshire  Defiance 
exhibited  by  Messrs.  Veitch  &  Sons.  We  have  also  observed  trees  in 
some  Kentish  fruit  gardens  pictures  of  beauty  when  laden  with 
symmetrical,  handsome  fruits. 
Large  Peach  (/.  F.  Simpson).  —  The  variety,  of  which  you  send 
samples,  is  not  the  Alexandra  Noblesse,  the  Hesh  of  which  is  pale  at  the 
stone,  while  that  of  Barrington  is  tinged  with  red.  The  difference 
between  the  two  fruits  in  colour  shows  the  influence  of  light  and  shade 
as  affecting  the  appearance  of  Peaches.  The  “  small  ”  fruit,  weighing 
nearly  half  a  pound,  is  well  coloured  ;  the  other,  weighing  14  ozs.,  being 
almost  colourless.  A  tree,  planted  five  years,  and  perfecting  ninety  such 
fruits,  has  done  its  duty  well,  as  you  have  yours  in  the  cultural  attention 
accorded.  It  is  a  difficult  matter  to  name  Peaches  from  the  fruits  alone, 
leaves  and  flowers  being  important  factors  to  consider.  We  incline  rather 
strongly  to  tbe  opinion  that  your  Feach  is  8ea  Eagle,  which  is  one  of  the 
finest  late  varieties  in  cultivation.  The  fruits  are  very  large,  and  colour 
well  by  exposure,  but  are  otherwise  pale,  but  rarely  destitute  of  colour. 
Dr.  Hogg,  in  the  “  Fruit  Manual,”  as  you  may  see  if  you  have  access  to 
that  valuable  work,  describes  the  flesh  of  Sea  Eagle  as  deeply  stained  with 
red  next  the  stone,  the  colour  extending  nearly  through  the  fruit.  This 
is  so  in  the  specimens  you  have  sent,  and  it  is  this  feature  mainly  (in 
combination  with  others)  that  suggests  to  us  the  name  of  the  variety. 
