156 
JOUBXAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
February  23,  1899. 
HE  BEE-KEEPER. 
Q.! 
Condition  of  Stocks. 
Owing  to  the  mild  weather  which  on  the  whole  has  prevailed 
throughout  the  country  during  the  past  winter  many  of  the  stocks 
may  now  be  short  of  stores.  This  will  be  more  apparent  in  colonies 
that  were  not  fed  last  autumn.  The  fine  bright  weather  experienced 
during  early  autumn,  and  the  large  amount  of  honeydew  that  was  still 
on  the  trees,  kept  the  bees  breeding  much  later  than  usual.  The  result 
was  a  large  consumption  of  stores.  This  did  not  seriously  affect 
colonies  that  were  in  an  ordinary  hive  on  which  was  placed  a  top 
storey  of  full-sized  frames,  a  crate  of  sections,  or  shallow  frames.  These 
would  have  ample  stores  and  to  spare.  Others,  which  from  various 
causes  were  not  in  this  condition,  owing  to  the  bees  being  confined  on 
a  given  number  of  frames  in  the  body  of  the  hive,  will  now  require 
attention  if  the  best  results  are  to  be  expected  from  them  during  the 
coming  season,  and  as  a  query  comes  to  hand  from  a  new  reader  of 
these  notes  re  candy  and  how  to  make  it,  a  few  words  on  this  subject 
may  be  of  interest. 
Making  Candy. 
Many  bee-keepers  find  a  difficulty  in  making  a  fine-grained,  moist, 
soft  candy,  although  the  operation  is  to  an  experienced  man  very 
simple.  We  failed  in  our  first  attempt,  owing  to  having  too  strong 
a  fire ;  there  is  now  no  danger  of  this,  as  we  always  use  a  paraffin 
stove.  We  would  strongly  recommend  others  to  do  so  in  preference  to 
an  open  fire  grate,  as  they  are  clean,  and  the  heat  may  be  regulated^ 
so  that  there  is  no  danger  of  the  sugar  boiling  over,  which  it  is  liable 
to  do  when  the  fire  is  too  strong.  We  prefer  a  fine,  granulated  sugar, 
and  if  the  right  kind  is  obtained  it  will  be  ready  for  taking  off  the 
stove  after  it  has  been  boiling  for  t\vo  minutes.  Another  kind  of 
sugar,  very  similar  in  appearance  to  the  above,  may  be  used,  but  it 
will  require  to  be  boiled  for  at  least  ten  minutes. 
A  brass  or  enamelled  iron  preserving  pan  should  be  used,  into 
which  put  12  lbs.  of  sugar,  two  imperial  pints  of  water,  and  two 
teaspoonfuls  of  cream  of  tartar.  Set  on  the  stove  or  on  a  clear  fire, 
stirring  constantly  to  prevent  burning  until  it  comes  to  the  boil. 
Turn  the  burners  slightly  down,  or  withdraw  from  the  fire,  to  prevent 
boiling  over  until  the  mass  begins  to  settle  down  to  boil,  which  is 
readily  known  by  the  frothiness.  Continue  stirring,  and  have  ready 
a  cup  of  cold  water  for  testing  it,  and  with  a  teaspoon  lift  out  a  little 
syrup  and  drop  it  into  the  water.  If  it  lie  at  the  bottom  of  the  cup,  so 
as  to  lift  like  very  thick  paste  or  putty,  it  is  just  right,  and  ready  to 
be  removed  from  the  fire.  If  too  much  boiled  the  syrup  will  be  hard 
and  crisp  in  the  water.  This  can  be  remedied  by  adding  a  little 
water  to  the  syrup  after  its  removal  from  the  fire. 
The  pan  should  then  be  placed  in  cold  water  to  hasten  the  cooling 
process.  Whilst  this  is  taking  place  prepare  some  shallow  dishes  (an 
ordinary  saucer  answers  the  purpose  admirably),  and  into  these 
place  some  sheets  of  thin  paper  slightly  larger  than  the  saucer,  or 
whatever  is  used.  When  all  is  in  readiness  return  to  the  pan  of 
cooling  liquor,  which  should  now  be  kept  constantly  stirred.  At  first 
it  will  be  dark  in  colour,  but  as  it  cools  it  will  have  a  greasy  appear¬ 
ance,  gradually  getting  whiter  and  stiffen  When  it  has  become 
somewffiat  stiff,  but  not  too  much  so,  or  there  will  be  a  difficulty  m 
getting  it  out  of  the  pan  before  it  sets,  pour  into  the  shallow  dishes 
prepared  for  that  puriiose  and  allow  it  to  cool.  The  result  will  be  a 
fine-grained  soft  candy  which  will  be  taken  readily  by  the  bees.  The 
candy  may  be  removed  from  the  saucers  as  soon  as  it  is  cold  and  well 
set. — An  English  Bee-keepek. 
TRADE  CATALOGUES  RECEIVED. 
Barr  &  Sons,  King  Street,  Covent  Garden. — Bulbs. 
Dickson,  Brown,  &  Tait,  Manchester. — Farm  Seeds. 
Dicksons,  Ltd.,  Chester. — Farm  Seeds. 
J.  Forbes,  Hawick. — Florists'  Flowers. 
W.  J,  Godfrey,  Exmouth. — Chrysanthemums. 
Sutton  &  Sons,  Reading. — Farmers'  Year  Book. 
Vilmorin,  Andrieux,  &  Co.,  Paris. — Chrysanthemums. 
W.  Watson  &  Sons,  Clontarf  Nurseries,  Dublin. — Florists'  Flowers. 
Ail  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to  “  The  Editob,”  8,  Rose  Hill  Road, 
Wandswortli,  S.W.,  and  HOT  to  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers, 
Fleet  Street.  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.  Letters  of  inquiry  must  be  accompanied  by 
the  names  and  addresses  of  the  writers,  but  these  will  neither  be 
published  nor  disclosed  when  initials  or  nom  de  'plumes  are  given 
for  the  purpose  of  replies. 
Correspondents  should  not  mix  up  on  the  same  sheet  questions  relating 
to  Gardening  and  those  on  Bee  subjects,  and  it  is  convenient  when 
each  question  is  written  on  a  separate  sheet.  All  articles  intended 
for  insertion  should  be  written  on  one  side  of  the  paper  only  ;  and 
the  name  and  address  of  each  writer  must  be  known  by  the 
Editor,  though  not  necessarily  for  insertion.  We  cannot,  as  a 
rule,  reply  to  questions  through  the  post,  and  we  do  not  under^ 
take  to  return  communications  which,  for  any  reason,  cannot 
be  inserted. 
Physianthus  albens  {Aspirant). — As  the  issue  containing  the  illustra¬ 
tion  of  the  white  Bladder-Bloom  is  out  of  print  we  are  reproducing  the 
block  on  page  149.  The  spray  depicted  was  sketched  from  a  specimen 
exhibited  before  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  in  1885.  The  plant  is 
very  seldom  seen  in  cultivation. 
Black  Currant  Bud  Mite  (G.  P.). — There  is  not  the  slightest  doubt  but 
that  your  bushes  are  attacked  by  this  insidious  Jfoe.  If  the  plants  are 
badly  infested  we  should  lift  and  burn  them,  afterwards  heavily  liming  the 
ground.  You  cannot  do  better  than  follow  the  advice  given  to  “  T.  D." 
on  page  38  of  our  issue  of  January  12th,  1899. 
Worms  in  Soil  (/.  C.). — The  small  lumps  of  earth  swarm  with  “  white 
worms,”  Enchytrseus  Buckholzii,  which  attain  a  length  of  about  1^  inch, 
and  injure  plants  by  sucking  the  fine  root  hairs  and  thus  set  up  decay, 
when  they  feed  on  the  dead  matter.  The  worms  also  produce  a  sodden 
condition  of  the  soil,  due  to  working  and  feeding  on  the  organic  matter, 
and  cause  ill-health,  if  not  actual  decay  of  the  roots  of  plants  grown  in  it. 
They  are  generally  most  abundant  in  soil  containing  a  large  amount  of 
vegetable  remains,  such  as  turf.  The  worms  readily  succumb  to  dressing 
with  quicklime,  using  about  ^  lb.  per  square  yard,  slaking  the  lime  and 
applying  when  cool,  always  in  an  apparently  dry.  floury  condition.  The 
watering  will  carry  some  of  it  mto  the  soil,  and  the  worms  reached  will  be 
destroyed.  Lime  water  made  by  placing  a  peck  of  quicklime  in  a  tub, 
pouring  on  30  gallons  of  water  after  slaking,  leaving  for  a  week  if  possible, 
and  using  the  clear  liquid  for  watering  the  plants,  is  valuable,  but  must 
not  be  used  at  frequent  intervals.  The  worms  also  yield  to  kainit,  apply¬ 
ing  in  solution,  1  oz.  to  a  gallon  of  water.  Both  the  lime  and  the  kainit 
will  benefit  the  Tomatoes,  taking  care  not  to  make  the  ground  sodden  by 
needless  applications.  The  soil,  however,  ought  to  have  mixed  through 
it  before  using  for  plants  2|  per  cent  of  air-slaked  chalk  lime,  partly  to  make 
an  end  of  the  worms,  and  partly  to  supply  that  element  for  reducing  the 
organic  matter  into  assimilable  plant  food. 
Grapes  and  Peaches  in  the  Same  House  ((7.  H.). — These  have  been 
produced  more  or  less  satisfactorily  in  the  same  structure  during  the  last 
fifty  years  to  our  knowledge,  the  Vines  in  most  cases  occupying  the  roof 
aed  the  Peach  trees  the  back  wall  of  the  house — a  lean-to  facing  south. 
The  first  structure  we  saw  with  both  Vines  and  Peach  Royal  George 
and  Nectarine  Elruge  trees  in  it  had  the  Vines  or  rods  4§  feet  apart,  or 
one  to  each  rafter,  and  18  inches  from  the  glass,  the  Vines  (Black  Ham¬ 
burgh  and  Muscat  of  Alexandria)  being  spur-pruned.  The  roots  of  the 
Vines  were  wholly  outside,  and  extended  in  sandy  loam  over  20  yards 
from  the  house.  The  Peach  and  Nectarine  trees  occupied  the  centre  of 
the  vinery,  being  trained  to  a  sloping  trellis  fixed  6  feet  from  the  glass. 
The  Peaches  and  Nectarines  were  large,  well  coloured,  and  of  good 
quality,  ripe  in  July.  The  Black  Hamburgh  Grape  ripened  in  August 
and  the  Muscat  of  Alexandria  in  September.  In  1897  we  saw  Peaches  and 
Grapes  grown  in  a  lean-to  house,  the  Peach  trees  on  the  back  wall  and 
the  Vines  6  feet  apart  on  the  roof.  The  Peaches,  ripe  early  in  August, 
were  good  in  crop,  large  in  size,  and  of  first-rate  quality,  while  the  Grapes 
were  colouring  well  and  the  crop  a  heavy  one  in  medium  sized  bunches. 
The  foregoing  will  give  you  some  idea  of  what  may  be  done,  your  case 
being  better,  as  you  propose  planting  the  Vines  on  one  side  of  the  house 
and  the  Peach  trees  on  the  other.  Still  we  do  not  approve  of  the  mixed 
system,  it  being  more  satisfactory  to  have  separate  structures  for  each 
fruit. 
