522 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  12,  1902. 
> 
HE  BEE-KEEPER. 
■  I  » I « i  ■,!  "XjXj 
m 
Spreading  Brood. 
Of  all  que.stions  of  practical  utility  and  interest  which  from 
time  to  time  come  up  for  discussion,  that  of  spreading  brood  is  the 
most  regular  in  its  appearance.  Its  merits  and  demerits  have 
always  been  moot  points.  In  .spring  it  is  a  decidedly  useful 
operation  if  carefully  and  judiciously  performed,  but  it  not  in¬ 
frequently  happens  that,  from  want  of  sufficient  knowledge 
of  their  habits,  and  not  making  allowances  for  var^’ing  tempera¬ 
tures,  the  brood  nest  is  extended  beyond  the  space  the  bees  can 
at  all  times  comfortably  cover.  Any  fall  in  temperature  causes  a 
cluster  of  bees  to  contract,  and  if  cold,  unfavourable  weather 
follows  the  operation  of  spreading,  they  leave  the  brood  on  the 
outside  combs,  which  causes  it  to  chill,  and  instead  of  assisting 
the  colony  checks  it.  With  a  little  forethought  and  observation, 
however,  this  pitfall  may  be  avoided.  On  examining  a  hive  in 
the  early  part  of  the  year,  where  the  bars  are  end  on  to  the 
entrance  (not  parallel  to  the  hive  front),  it  will  be  found  that  the 
brood-nest  is  at  the  front,  and  the  honey  at  the  ,back  of  the 
combs.  This  is  due  to  the  instinct  of  the  bees  prompting  them 
to  store  the  honey  Avhere  it  is  almost  impossible  for  robbers  to 
obtain  it.  The  pillagers  would  not  only  have  toqjass  the  sentinels 
at  the  entrance,  but  also  all  the  bees  on  the  thickly  covered 
combs. 
If,  therefore,  advantage  is  taken  of  this  instinct  to  alter  the 
position  of  the  stores  by  turning  a  bar  rear  end  foremost,  the 
first  thing  they  would  do  would  be  to  re-arrange  them  in  exactly 
the  same  position  if  possible,  by  uncapping  and  placing  the  honey 
in  any  vacant  cells  at  the  back,  or  close  around  the  brood.  No  more 
effective  stimulation  can  be  given  than  by  causing  them  to 
transfer  their  stores  to  another  portion  of  the  hive ;  it  is  equal 
to  a  honey  flow  for  stimulation,  and  there  is  the  further 
advantage  that  instead  of  the  brood  nest  being  in  small  patches 
on  many  combs,  it  is  extended  over  the  whole  of  the  central  bars, 
and  is  therefore  more  compact.  Closer  examination  of  the  centre 
of  the  hive  will  reveal  hatching  brood;  in  a  circle  around  this, 
larvae,  and  still  further  away  from  the  larvae,  eggs.  When  the 
eggs  are  laid  outside  the  globular  brood  nest  any  additional  room 
should  be  given  next  to  the  outside  bar  of  brood.  In  spreading, 
place  the  new  combs  where  in  the  ordinary  course  of  events  the 
queen  will  lay  next,  and  if  disorder  is  always  guarded  against 
there  is  very  little  danger  of  chilled  brood.  Extra  comb 
in  the  wrong  position  is  at  times  not  used  by  the  queen  at  all,  but 
filled  with  honey  by  the  bees.  There  is  practically  no  risk  of 
chilled  brood  in  spreading  a  strong  stock,  but  the  inexperienced 
bee-keeper  naturally  endeavours  to  have  every  colony  powerful 
before  the  main  honey  flow,  and  unfortunately  operates  upon  the 
weak  ones. 
Should  the  stock  be  a  strong  one,  the  stores  may  be  displaced 
by  turning  one  or  two  bars  with  brood  in  them  back  to  front,  or 
giving  the  body-box  a  half  rotation,  and  the  brood  is  then  spread 
without  risk.  The  bees  will  inevitably  remove  the  honey  from  the 
front,  and  replace  it  around  the  laiwse,  and  as  the  cells  are 
emptied  the  queen  will  fill  them  with  eggs.  The  body-box  may 
be  turned  with  bars  end  on  to  the  entrance  again  in  a  few  weeks. 
To  assist  a  weak  stock,a  reliable  method  is  to  first  space  the  bars 
IJin  from  centre  to  centre.  By  this  means  a  stock  which 
originally  covered  six  bars  would  be  reduced  to  T^in  instead  of  9in. 
This  will  enable  the  bees  to  cover  another  bar  with  ease,  at  the 
same  time  increase  the  capacity  of  the  brood  nest,  and  no  more 
heat  is  required  for  the  addition.  A  colony  covering  less  than  six 
bars  must  not  be  spread  on  any  account.  It  may  be  assisted  by 
tightlv  dummying  and  feeding  slowly,  and  when  sufficient  bees 
have  hatched  to  cluster  against  the  dummy,  and  the  last  bar  of 
brood  is  sealed  (the  one  on  the  outside  being  the  one  containing 
jxillen),  another  may  with  .safety  be  placed  between  it  and  the 
brood,  which  they  will,  no  doubt,  commence  drawing  out. 
Immediately  this  is  found  to  be  the  case,  it  may  be  inserted  in 
the  centre. 
The  best  time  for  carrying  out  these  operations  is  when  brood 
is  being  rapidly  raised  in  the  latter  part  of  spring;  when  there  is 
a  probability  of  warm  nights,  and  when  the  bii-th  rate  is  well  m 
excess  of  the  death  rate.  In  spreading  brood  there  is  a  danger 
over  which  we  have  no  control  to  contend  with — difference?  in 
temperature — and  in  order  to  guard  against  this,  no  more  bars 
must  be  provided  than  the  bees  cover,  and  the  heat  of  the  colony 
always  conserved  by  additional  quilts  and  packing.  By  covering 
it  must  not  be  inferred  that  the  outside  combs  are  covered  when 
there  are  only  a  feAv  scattered  bees  on  them.  Besides  covering 
all  the  bars  containing  brood  thickly  from  top  tc  bottom,  there 
should  be  sufficient  bees  to  cover  one  bar  on  each  side  containing 
honey  and  pollen.  When  not  less  than  four  combs  are  Avell  filled 
with  hatching  bees,  larvse,  &c.,  and  the  bees  ob.served  removing 
the  syrup  from  the  outside  combs  for  the  queen  to  lay  eggs  in  the 
cells,  another  comb  may  with  perfect  safety  be  placed  in  the 
centre  of  the  hive  to  increase  its  capacity.  After  an  interval  of  a 
week  or  more,  according  to  the  number  of  bees  hatching,  this 
gradual  spreading  may  be  repeated,  the  dummy  being  pushed 
back  to  allow  the  insertion  of  a  drawn  out  comb  or  frame  of 
foundation. — E.  E.,  Sandbach. 
- 1  1 - 
¥1.— Botany  in  the  Garden. 
{Continued  from  x^arie  486.) 
Branches  may  be  modified  into  phylloclades,  spines,  or  tendrils, 
Phylloclades  are  branches  having  the  appearance  of  and  perform¬ 
ing  the  functions  of  leaves.  They  occur  in  Cacti  and  allied  genera. 
Spines  are  short  pointed  branches  .sometimes  bearing  leaves.  They 
differ  from  prickles  in  being  continuous  Avith  the  Avood  of  the 
.stem.  They  occur  in  Avild  Plum,  Crab,  &c.  Tendrils  are  often 
modifications  of  parts  of  leaves,  and  enable  the  plant  which  bears 
them  to  climb.  But  they  may  bo  true  branches,  springing  from 
the  axils  of  leaves,  as  in  the  Grape  Vine. 
The  chief  kinds  of  underground  stem  are  the  rhizome,  conn, 
tuber,  and  bulb.  The  rhizome  is  a  .stem  of  numerous  internodes 
Avith  buds  and  roots  at  the  nodes.  Itjnay  be  thick  and  fleshy,  as 
in  the  Iris,  or  long  and  slender,  as  in  Couchgrass.  The  conn  is  a 
short,  thick  stem,  Avith  numerous  buds  on  its  upper  surface,  and 
roots  beloAv.  It  generally  consists  of  one  internode  only,  as  in 
the  Crocus,  SnoAvcli'op,  and  Gladiolus.  The  tuber  is  an  enlarged 
stem  of  many  internodes  Avith  buds  scattered  irregidarly  on  its 
surface,  as  in  the  Potato. 
Tlu'  bulb  resembles  a  conn  in  outward  appearance,  and  con-' 
sists  of  a  short  stem,  Avhich  bears  roots  beloAV  and  overlapping 
scales  above.  These  are  usually  fleshy,  and  form  the  bulk  of  the 
bulb.  They  are  Amriously  arranged  in  different  species.  If  they 
form  complete  sheaths,  as  in  the  Onion,  the  bulb  is  termed 
tunicate.  If  narroAver,  and  overlapping,  as  in  the  Madonna  Lily 
(L.  candidum)  it  is  squamose.  Bulbs  increase  by  forming  buds  in 
the  axils  of  the  scales,  Avhich,  Avhen  detached,  root  and  form 
independent  plants. 
Bulbs  may  be  annual,  as  the  Tulip.  floAvering  from  its  terminal 
bud  the  first  season  ;  biennial  as  tlie  Crown  Imperial,  flowering 
from  the  terminal  bud  the  second  season  ;  or  perennial,  as  the 
Hyacinth,  flowering  from  axillary  biwls  only. — Wji.  E.  R. 
(To  be  continued.) 
In  reference  to  the  aboA'e  cut.  the  plant  shown  is  Claytonia 
siberica,  natural  size.  It  is  a  pretty  little  perennial,  having 
rosy-mauve  or  purplish  floAvers  at  the  apex  of  soft,  succulent  ■ 
stems  bearing  opposite,  sessile  leaves.  The  stems  are  round,-’ 
smooth,  and  broAvnish  red.  On  the  left  of  the  plant  a  magnified  ' 
transverse  section  of  the  stem  is  shoAvn.  This  Avas  prepared  in  ; 
order  to  accompany  the  notes  on  the  stem  and  branches  of  plants,  i 
by  “Win.  R.  R.,”  given  in  last  Aveek’s  issue,  and  also  in  the-i 
present  notes,  above  here.  The  small  cells  on  the  edge  form  theC 
epiderinis,  and  contain  the  red  coloured  corpuscles.  Some  of  the,;i 
larger  inner  cells  contain  chlorophyll  corpuscles,  Avhich  are  neces-/i 
.^ry  to  groAvth,  and  Avhich  are  found  to  be  arranged  close  to  the  ' 
inner  Avails  of  the  cells.  Here  and  there  may  be  observed  the  .) 
intercellular  or  “air”  space.s — A'acuums,  generally  caused  by  the;; 
fast  groAvth  of  these  moist-loving  plants.  Centralniost  Ave  find'; 
