230 
JOURl^rAL  OF  FORT ICULT (IRE  AUR  COTTAGE  GARDEN ER. 
September  2,  1897. 
HE  BEE-K]CEPm€ 
a~^i  -  I  - 1  ■  i-'i  -.1- 1  -  I  -  I  -  1 .1.1. 1  -  r-T-i  -'T-iir-i-'i-i-m-d  Q)  (fSi 
Queen  Introduction. 
It  is  advisable  to  examine  all  stocks  at  this  season  to  ascertain  if 
they  are  headed  by  fertile  queens,  as  the  future  success  of  each  colony 
depends,  to  a  certain  extent,  on  this  being  the  case.  There  is  no 
comparison  between  a  stock  of  this  description  and  one  that  is  headed 
by  an  old  worn-out  queen.  It  may  not  be  so  apparent  at  this  date  as 
it  will  be  next  spring,  as  many  old  queens  die  during  the  winter.  It 
is,  however,  useless  raising  young  queens  unless  one  has  a  simple  plan 
of  introducing  them  to  strong  colonies,  and  this  can  only  be  accom¬ 
plished  by  close  attention  to  detail.  It  is  quite  jxissible  to  remove  a 
condemned  queen  from  a  colony  and  at  once  place  another  on  the  same 
comb  without  any  harm  coming  to  it.  It  is  a  plan,  however,  not  to 
be  recommended,  as  it  would  more  often  end  in  failure. 
Caging  Queens. 
More  (pieens  are  introduced  by  caging  them  than  by  any  other 
means.^  It  has  the  advantage,  too,  of  being  safe  when  projierly  carried 
out.  Still,  numerous  instances  have  come  under  my  notice  where  it 
has  not  been  a  success.  The  cause  of  failure  could  usually  be  traced 
to  what  the  operator  would  at  the  time  think  a  very  trivial  matter. 
Ihe  old  queen  should  always  be  removed  before  the  young  (jueen  is 
intioduced.  T.his  is  best  done  in  the  middle  of  a  fine  day,  and  if  the 
sun  is  shining  brightly  so  much  the  better,  as  during  dull  weather 
bees  will  cluster  somewhat  closely  on  the  combs.  It  is  then  not  so 
easy  to  find  the  queen  as  during  a  bright  spell  of  weather  when  they 
are  more  thinly  distributed. 
Lift  the  frames  one  by  one  out  of  the  hive  and  run  the  eye  quickly 
over  theni,  and  with  a  little  jjractice  the  queen  may  be  found  quite 
easily.  Ihere  are  numerous  cages  recommended  for  the  purpose,  some 
of  which  are  much  better  than  others.  But  the  one  I  prefer,  and 
always  use,  is  home  made  and  answers  the  purpose  admirably.  It 
has  the  advantage^  of  being  cheap,  so  no  bee-keeper  should  be 
without  one.  It  is  made  thus: — Take  a  piece  of  perforated  zinc 
about  6  inches  square,  turn  the  edges  down  about  half  an  inch.  This 
will  form  a  box  without  a  lid.  This  is  placed  over  the  queen 
and  iN-essed  firmly  into  the  comb.  Whilst  this  is  being  done 
tiiG  queen  and  comb  should  be  taken  into  a  room,  otlierwise  she 
may  fly  away  and  be  lost.  Place  (he  frame  in  the  middle  of  the 
brood  nest  and  cover  up  warm.  Forty-eight  hours  afterwards  liberate 
her  by  simply  removing  the  cage,  and  the  bees  will  take  readily  to  her. 
If  from  any  cause  the  bees  are  inclined  to  ball  her,  cage  her  again  for 
twenty-four  hours. 
Direct  Introduction. 
If  a  stock  of  bees  is  queenless,  and  the  owner  has  no  means  of 
raising  a  young  queen,  direct  introduction  is  recommended.  But  if 
there  is  a  doubt  as  to  them  being  queenless  then  caging  is  preferred. 
But  if  the  condemned  queen  is  removed  in  the  middle  of  the  day  and 
the  bees  are  again  covered  up  warm,  the  young  queen  may  be  safely 
introduced  the  same  evening,  the  later  the  better.  Having  first  secured 
the  young  queen  and  placed  herinabox  fiuitealone— amatchboxanswers 
the  purpose  admirably — place  the  box  containing  the  youncr  queen 
in  a  warm  place  until  evening;  then  take  a  light  and  the  box  con¬ 
taining  the  young  queen  to  the  stpek  from  which  the  old  (lueen  has 
been  removed,  lift  a  corner  of  the  quilt,  and  with  a  puff  or  two  of 
smoke  drive  the  bees  down  between  the  frames ;  open  the  box  and 
allow  the  queen  to  run  down ;  replace  the  quilt  and  coverings,  and 
do  not  examine  the  stock  for  at  least  forty-eight  hours.  By  this 
means  queens  may  be  successfully  introduced  without  failure,  arid  as  it 
has  the  advantage  of  being  simple  should  be  more  generally  practised 
than  It  H.  Ifthe  bees  have  ample  stores  it  is  still  advisable  to  give 
them  a  little  syrup  for  a  few  days,  when  it  may  be  withheld  altoo-ether 
Balling  Queens. 
I  his  is  usually  the  n  suit  of  carelessness  on  the  part  of  the  bee 
keeper;  or,  as  will  happen  when  a  queen  goes  into  a  wrong  hive,  a 
IS  o  ten  tho^  case  with  young  queens  when  on  the  wing,  before  beinr 
K'ltilised.  When  this  occurs  they  are  at  once  balled  by  the  rightfu 
owners  of  the  hive,  and  in  this  way  she  is  killed ;  sometimes  tin 
c  uster  o  bees  surrounding  her  is  as  large  as  one’s  fist.  By  this  mean! 
she  IS  snftocated.  A  queen  is  sometimes  balled  for  at  least  twenty-foui 
hours  before  being  cast  out  of  the  hive;  often  the  strange  quLn  ii 
seized  before  she  is  able  to  gam  an  entrance  to  the  hive.  She  is  ther 
to  observed  it  is  pretty  certaii 
AN  hnglisii  Bee-keeper. 
*5,®  All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to  “  The  Editor,”  8,  Bose  Hill  Boad, 
Wandsworth,  London,  S'.  IF.  It  is  requested  that  no  one  wdll 
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  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. 
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  communications  which,  for  any  reason, 
cannot  be  inserted. 
Exhibiting  Vallotas  as  Liliums  (/.  ./.  A'.).— By  no  stretching  of  inter- 
jiretation  can  Vallotas  be  made  admissible  in  Class  II.  for  a  pot  of  Liliums, 
as  Vallotas  belong  to  the  natural  order  Amaryllideae,  and  under  the  most 
favourable  definition  the  term  “pot  of  Liliums”  ought  to  be  confined  to 
genera  of  the  natural  order  Liliaceae.  Strictly,  however,  a  pot  of  Liliums 
means  species  or  varieties  of  the  genera  Lilium.  The  alteration  to 
“Lilies”  would  render  Vallotas  admissible,  but  that  clearly  is  not  the 
meaning  of  the  term  “Pot  of  Liliums  in  Bloom.”  As  for  Class  I., 
“Three  Plants,  distinct  species,”  a  pot  of  Vallotas  and  a  pot  of  Amaryllis 
could  be  shown  in  strict  accordance  with  the  schedule,  as  there  would  not 
only  be  distinct  species,  but  different  genera. 
Gravenstein  Apple  (Fenws).— We  do  not  know  an  Apple  bearing 
either  of  the  names  you  cite;  and  although  it  is  often  difficult  to  identify 
a  variety  by  the  inspection  of  a  solitary  fruit,  we  suspect  the  fine 
specimen  you  have  sent  is  the  Gravenstein.  We  are  not  surprised 
to  hear  of  its  being  “a  favourite  with  the  youngsters”  as  its  fine 
appearance,  tenderness,  and  sweetness  when  ripe  would  account  for  that, 
and  the  same  qualities  equally  render  it  a  favourite  with  persons  who 
have  advanced  far  along  the  journey  of  life.  It  is  one  of  the  favourite 
Apples  of  Germany,  particularly  in  Holstein,  where  it  is  said  to  have 
originated  in  the  garden  of  the  Duke  of  Augustenberg  at  the  castle  of 
Grafenstein.  We  have  seen  Apples  exhibited  under  the  name  of 
Gravenstein,  which  were  certainly  not  “  true.” 
Tomato  Fungi  {€.  B.  IF.).— The  “black  spot”  or  “black  stripe” 
fungus  (Macrosporium  tomato)  is  distinct  from  the  “scab”  fungus 
(  ladosporium  fulvum  syn.  lycopersici),  and  though  in  some  respects 
similar  in  their  effects  on  the  fruits,  are  very  diderent  in  their  action. 
“  Black  stripe  ”  fungus  very  rarely  breaks  through  the  skin  of  the  fruit, 
but  converts  the  pulp  into  a  black  mass.  It  is  not  of  English,  but 
American,  origin,  and  has  probably  been  introduced  into  this  country  in 
seed.  Scab  fungus  also  is  not  British,  but  has  been  introduced, 
probably  from  America.  It  is  semi-epiphytic,  works  in  or  just  beneath 
the  skin  of  the  fruit,  which  it  breaks  through  and  bears  innumerable 
spores,  but  on  the  leaves  produces  these  most  abundantly,  so  much  so 
that  showers  of  yellow  or  brownish  dust-like  conidia  are  scattered  when 
toadied.  It  readily  yields  to  dusting  with  a  powder  fungicide  containing 
10  per  cent,  of  sulphate  of  copper.  Not  so  the  “  black  stripe”  fungus,  for 
it  is  almost  wholly  endophytic,  and  cannot  be  got  at  by  external  dressings 
once  it  gets  hold.  It  is  unquestionably  the  worst  enemy  of  the  'I'omato 
fruit,  and  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  Cladosi)orium  and  Wacro- 
sporium  sometimes  attacking  Botatoes  and  Tomatoes,  and  frequently 
associated  together  in  the  self-same  infection. 
Diseased  Grapes  (Pyke). — The  bunches  are  infested  hy  the  Grape 
anthracnose  fungus  (Sphaceloma  ampelinum  or  Glaeosporium  ampelo- 
phagum),  and  easily  distinguished  from  all  other  Grape  diseases  by  its 
characteristic  and  peculiar  injury.  It  attacks  all  the  green  parts  of  the 
Vines,  but  in  this  country  chiefly  the  shoots  and  fruit.  On  the  shoot 
there  first  appear  small  round  brown  spots,  and  as  the  disease  progresses 
they  become  depressed  owing  to  the  death  of  the  tissues.  The  effect  on 
the  fruit  first  appears  as  a  small  greyish  spot,  with  a  dark  brown  margin. 
This  s])ot  gradually  enlarges,  and  has  a  vermilion  coloured  wing  just 
inside  the  dark  brown  margin,  hence  the  name,  at  this  stage,  of  “  Bird’s- 
eye  Rot.”  The  fungus  pursues  its  way,  checks  the  growth  of  the  berry, 
and  it  finally  becomes  a  dry,  withered  mass  of  skin,  surrounding  the 
partially  developed  seeds,  which  is  well  seen  in  the  smaller  of  the  two 
b  inches.  Nothing  could  be  more  characteristic.  The  bluish  mould  has 
nothing  to  do  with  the  disease.  The  spores  of  the  fungus  are  produced 
here  and  there  just  beneath  the  cuticle,  which  burst  through  and  escape, 
setting  up  the  disease  over  extensive  areas.  The  diseased  Grapes  should 
be  cut  and  burned,  but  the  disease  may  be  arrested  or  kept  from  spreading 
by  using  a  powder  of  air-slaked  lime  and  flowers  of  sulphur  in  equal 
parts.  In  winter,  burn  the  prunings  and  dress  the  Vines  with  a  solution 
