176 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
March  2,  1899. 
C)  -''I 
BEE-KBEPER. 
0.'  //S' 
* - — — ^ — - 
SEASONABLE  NOTES. 
The  favourable  change  in  the  weather  will  have  been  taken 
advantage  of  by  bee-keepers  to  make  a  thorough  examination  of  stocks 
without  injury  to  either  bees  or  brood,  which  is  unusual  at  this 
early  date.  It  is  important  that  bee-keepers  should  know  as  early 
as  possible  the  condition  of  each  individual  stock  in  the  apiary. 
Often  in  a  backward  season  this  cannot  be  done  for  at  least  six  weeks 
after  this  time.  We  do  not  recommend  a  useless  manipulating  of  the 
bees  during  the  dull  short  days  of  winter ;  but  when  the  operation 
can  be  carried  out  under  favourable  conditions,  it  is  a  decided 
advantage.  We  then  know  what  treatment  is  necessary  to  bring 
each  colony  to  its  full  strength,  so  as  to  obtain  a  surplus  from 
whatever  source  may  be  within  reach  of  the  apiary  in  that  particular 
locality. 
In  some  districts  an  early  harvest  is  obtained  from  the  fruit  tree 
blossoms.  Others  again  depend  chiefly  on  the  field  Beans  and  White 
Clover,  whilst  some  take  a  large  surplus  from  Mustard,  and  last  of  all 
the  Heather  plays  an  important  part  in  yielding  a  handsome  return  for 
the  labour  bestowed  on  the  bees. 
As  the  above  are  some  of  the  chief  honey-producing  trees  and 
plants  in  this  country,  and  flowering  as  they  do  at  different  times, 
it  shows  how  necessary  it  is  for  the  bee-keeper  to  make  arrange¬ 
ments  so  as  to  have  his  hiVes  crowded  with  bees  when  the  honey  flow 
comes. 
It  is  encouraging  at  this  early  date  to  report  that  all  the  stocks 
recently  examined  are  in  excellent  condition.  The  bees  are  numerous  ; 
more  so  than  they  often  are  at  the  end  of  April.  Breeding,  too,  is 
going  on  apace.  In  some  of  the  strongest  colonies  there  are  several 
frames  of  brood  in  various  stages  of  development,  and  as  the  early 
spring  flowers  are  now  plentiful,  within  easy  reach  of  our  apiary, 
the  bees  are  working  freely  on  them,  and  this  is  doubtless  one  reason 
why  they  are  doing  so  well.  The  real  pollen  obtained  from  flowers  is 
preferred  to  the  artificial  article. 
. 
Using  Dark  Honey. 
As  dark  honey  was  so  plentiful  last  season,  many  bee-keepers 
doubtless  kept  it  in  stock  for  feeding  purposes.  We  have  often  heard 
it  stated  that  honey  that  has  been  spoiled  for  commercial  purposes  by 
the  admixture  of  honeydew  should  also  be  condemned  for  feeding 
purposes.  The  past  season,  however,  has  exploded  that  fallacy,  as  we 
can  testify  from  personal  experience  to  never  having  had  bees  in  such 
good  condition  before,  and  they  were  all  fed  on '  dark  honey.  During 
our  recent  examination  we  found  many  of  the  combs  quite  perfect,  and 
not  a  cell  uncapped.  These  were  in  the  top  storey  on  hives  which 
were  doubled  last  summer,  and  were  left  in  this  condition  throughout 
the  winter.  We  shall  have  something  to  kay  on  this  systern  in  future 
notes.  At' present  it  suffices  to  say  that  all  are  in  perfect  condition, 
which  shows  how  advantageous  it  is  to  sometimes  leave  the  beaten 
track  and  experiment  on  new  lines. 
Hive§  that  are  short  of  stores,  owing  to  the  removal,  of,  part  of  the 
surplus  last  autumn,  may  now  have  a  couple  of  frames  of  sealed  stores 
given.  'One  side  of  the  comb  should  be  slightly  bruised  before  being 
placed  in  the  hives.  This  will  cause  the  bees  to  commence  breeding 
at  once.  The* combs  containing  stores  ought  to  be  placed  on  the 
outside  of  the  brood  nest,  allowing  at  least  half  a  dozen  empty  combs, 
or  those  partly  filled  with  stores,  in  the  middle  of  the  hive.  The 
queen  will  thus  have  ample  room  for  ovipositing.  If  there  are  not 
suflicient  empty  cells  her  laying  powers  would  be  retarded. — 
An  English  Bee-keeper.  ' 
TRADE  CATALOGUES  RECEIVED. 
r.  A.  Haage,  jun.,  Erfurt. — Seeds. 
E.  H.  Krelage,  Haarlem,  Holland. — Roots,  Bulbs. 
Little  &  Ballantyne,  Carlisle. — Farm  Seeds. 
G.  Masters,  East  Molesey.— 
Pinehurst  Nurseries,  Pinehurst,  U.S. A.— PZan^s. 
E.  Pynaert  Van  Geert,  Ghent.—  Wholesale  List, 
E.  Sander  &  Co.,  St.  Albans. —  Orchids  ajud  New  Plants. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to  “  The  Editor,”  8,  Rose  Hill  Road, 
Wandswortb,  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  flumes  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. 
Cutting -back  Cedar  (F.  T.  H.'). — The  stems,  3  to  4  inches  m 
diameter,  of  trees  twenty-five  years  planted,  do  not  usually  break  again 
when  cut  down  to  within  3  feet  of  the  ground.  As,  however,  they  have 
been  clipped  at  the  lower  part,  there  is  a  possibility  of  buds  remaining 
dormant  at  the  base  of  the  branches  next  the  stem,  and  starting  on  tho 
trees  being  cut  back  as  you  describe.  We  should  certainly  try  them, 
operating  towards  the  end  of  March  and  during  warm  moist  weather. 
About  the  Box  and  Yew  recommencing  there  need  be  no  question,  as 
they  shoot  freely  from  the  stems,  of  course,  when  these  are  living,  and 
soon  form  excellent  screens  with  due  attention  to  regulating  the  young 
growths.  The  best  time  to  cut  back  both  Box  and  Yew  is  during  mild 
weather  in  April,  and  it  may  be  done  as  much  as  desired,  even  to  the  bare 
stem,  and  to  1  foot  from  the  ground. 
First  Crop  for  a  Neglected  Garden  (Somerville). — The  first  consider¬ 
ation  is  to  remove  all  weeds  of  a  perennial  character  by  the  roots  and 
burn  them.  Then  spread  the  ashes  on  the  ground  and  have  this  well  dug 
with  a  fork,  giving  a  coating  of  manure,  if  necessary.  As  the  greater 
part  has  been  used  for  a  fowl  run  it  will  perhaps  be  quite  rich  enough 
without  manure,  and  give  little  trouble  as  regards  weeds.  We  should 
not  hesitate  to  sow  or  plant  any  kind  of  vegetables  desired  in  it  the  first 
season,  but  as  you  particularly  mention  “first  crop,”  we  may  say  that 
not  any  equals  Potatoes,  for  they  require  cleanly  culture,  and  leave  the 
land  in  good  condition  for  succeeding  crops.  If  the  ground  has  any  grass 
other  than  couch  it  may  be  desirable  to  trench  it,  and  thus  get  rid  of  the 
weedy  surface,  as  well  as  deepen  the  soil  for  growing  crops.  All  perennial 
weeds,  such  as  bindweed,  docks,  dandelion,  and  especially  couch  and  the 
creeping  bent  grasses,  must  be  carefully  extracted. 
Vines  from  Eyes  (JL.  S.).—  lt  is  not  possible  to  secure  strong  canes 
from  eyes  inserted  now,  and  with  no  special  means  at  command  to 
forward  them,  such  as  are  suitable  for  fruiting  in  pots  the  following  year. 
To  do  that  the  eyes  must  be  inserted  not  later  than  the  early  part  of 
February,  be  given  bottom  heat  to  start  them  quickly,  potted  as  soon  as 
rooted,  shifted  into  6  or  7-iuch  pots  by  this  time,  and  when  these  are 
filled  with  roots  transferring  the  Vines  to  12- inch  pots.  The  Vines  must 
have  a  light  well-heated  house,  with  a  temperature  of  60’  to  65®  at  night, 
70°  to  75°  by  day,  and  80°  to  90°  from  sun  heat,  training  the  rods  about 
1  foot  from  the  glass.  As  you  can  only  get  canes  12  to  18  inches  in 
length  and  of  penholder  thickness  the  first  year,  you  should  act  on 
the  cut-back  system — namely',  cut  the  one-year  canes  down  to  one  eye, 
allow  these  to  start  and  grow  a  few  inches,  then  turn  out  of  the  pots, 
shift  into  6  or  7-mch  pots  after  removing  the  soil,  and  when  established — 
this  being  facilitated  by  keeping  rather  close  and  shaded  for  a  few  days 
— shift  into  the  fruiting  pots.  You  will  then  secure,  under  good  manage¬ 
ment,  canes  of  the  length  and  strength  desired  for  bearing  in  pots  the 
succeeding  season. 
Madresfield  Court  vine  not  Growing  (Idem). — We  are  not  surprised 
at  the  Vine  placed  in  a  space  of  only  2  feet  square  not  growing  satisfac¬ 
torily,  as  the  roots  could  hardly  have  been  spread  out  at  planting  and 
given  a  chance  of  taking  proper  hold  of  the  soil.  Of  course  there  may 
be  other  reasons  for  the  Vine  not  thriving,  such  as  overwatering  and 
destroying  the  roots,  or,  on  the  other  hand,  keeping  too  dry,  so  that 
growth  cannot  possibly  take  place,  In  the  absence  of  particulars  we 
cannot  otherwise  account  for  the  lack  of  progress.  Berhaps  it  has  been 
injured  in  some  way,  or  sufficient  time  not  allowed  for  it  to  start  into 
U  growth. 
