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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  14,  1903. 
HE  BEE-KEEPER. 
Notes  on  Stimulation. 
Few  will  deny  that  apiculture  is  a  science,  but  to  reduce  its 
rcKiuirements  to  a  formula  would  be  impossible.  To  secure  the 
greatest  emoluments,  however,  the  bee-keeper  must  not  only  be 
scientific  and  practical  in  all  his  operations,  but  must,  amongst 
other  numerous  things,  be  well  acquainted  with  the  particular 
times  the  different  yields  of  nectar  are  to  be  expected  in  his  neigh¬ 
bourhood,  and  must  so  manipulate  his  colonies  that  they  will  be 
at  their  full  strength  in  readiness  for  these  honey  flows.  Con¬ 
siderable  forethought  and  preparation  are  necessary  to  have 
stocks  iK)werful  enough,  and  ready  to  enter  supers  at  the  exact 
time  the  income  commences,  and  the  methods  employed  will  no 
doubt  differ  according  to  the  apiarist’s  experiences  in  actual  prac¬ 
tice  and  the  earliness  of  the  season. 
In  the  first  place,  slow  stimulative  feeding  must  necessarily 
be  resorted  to  in  some  cases  in  order  to  produce  powerful  colonies. 
This  kind  of  feeding  creates  a  mild  form  of  excitement  which  re¬ 
sults  in  an  increase  of  the  number  of  eggs  laid  and  a  correspond¬ 
ing  enlargement  of  the  brood  nest.  It  is  generally  calculated  that 
it  takes  six  months  to  build  up  a  stock  to  full  strength;  therefore 
this  method  of  feeding  Miould  be  instituted  at  least  six  weeks 
before  the  harvest  is  expected,  during  which  they  will  continue 
breeding  to  their  utmost  capability.  Two  or  three  holes  in  a 
graduated  feeder  will  be  quite  sufficient  to  begin  with,  and  these 
must  be  increased  proportionately  with  the  extension  of  the 
brood  patches  in  the  liive,  until  the  colony  consumes  as  much  as 
half  a  pint  in  a  day,  which  will  maintain  the  strongest  stock. 
The  Clover  season,  w'hich  in  most  districts  commences  about 
the  middle  of  June,  is  the  main  harvest,  and  is  generally  worked 
for;  therefore  it  is  obvious  that  colonies  not  up  to  the  maximum 
strength  should  be  stimulated  from  the  beginning  of  May.  For 
stimulative  purposes  thinner  syruf)  is  advisable,  as  in  brood  rais¬ 
ing  a  large  quantity  of  water  is  used  in  the  elaboration  of  chyle 
food,  and  if  water  is  not  provided  in  sufficient  quantity  it  neces¬ 
sitates  the  flight  of  many  bees  to  procure  it.  Those  stocks  which 
are  well  provisioned  should  have  a  little  of  the  sealed  stores  un¬ 
capped  daily,  which  will  have  a  similar  stimulative  effect  to  slow 
feeding,  and  will  at  the  same  timq.  liberate  the  cells  for  further 
ovipositing.  When  a  fairly  good  brood-nest  is  developed  a  whole 
comb  may  have  the  cappings  bruised  and  be  placed  in  the  centre 
of  a  colony  about  every  ten  days. 
Wdien,  however,  stimulation  of  an3’^  kind  has  once  been  com¬ 
menced  it  should  not  be  spasmodic,  nor  should  it  be  discontinued 
altogether  until  an  abundant  natural  supply  of  food  is  obtainable, 
as  the  consumption  of  food  is  always  in  proportion  to  the  ciuantity 
of  brood  raised.  It  has  been  proved  that  if  food  is  withheld  the 
larvge  die  in  about  twenty-four  hours,  and  are  afterwards  carried 
out  at  the  entrance.  This  is  the  first  sjnnptom  of  starvation,  and 
no  one  who  has  observed  the  result  of  such  neglect  can  have  failed 
to  note  its  disastrous  consequences.  Previous  to  commencing 
stimulation,  stocks  which  are  weak  in  numbers  should  have  the 
space  contracted  to  that  vdiich  they  actually  occupy,  so  that  the 
heat'of  the  cluster  may  be  economised,  and  after  a  lapse  of  a  few 
w'eeks  they  should  be  examined  to  ascertain  whether  the  breeding 
promises  rapid  increase,  and  if  not  they  should  be  united  as  soon 
as  convenient  and  the  stimulative  feeding  continued.  In  some 
cases,  according  to  the  strength  of  the  colony,  the  alternative  of 
adding  a  comb  of  hatching  brood  froan  a  strong  colony  able  to 
spare  it  will  be  found  of  practical  value  in  strengthening  a  weak 
lot.  It  should  be  borne  in  mind  in  all  these  manipulations  that 
it  is  not  safe  to  expose  brood  when  the  temperature  is  below 
(iOdeg,  and  care  must  also  be  taken  to  conserve  the  heat  of  colonies 
and  prevent  draughts  in  the  hive. 
This  is  important,  as  any  diminution  of  heat  retards  breeding. 
Fntrances  should  be  narrowed  to  admit  the  passage  of  not  more 
than  two  bees  at  a  time,  and  the  additional  Avarmth  extra  quilts 
afford  will  do  much  to  encourage  the  extension  of  the  brood  nest, 
and  at  the  same  time  it  ensures  the  retention  of  heat  and  vapour, 
both  of  which  are  so  essential  to  the  Avelfare  and  existence  of  the 
brood.  As  the  weather  gets  warmer  and  the  bees  more  active 
and  numerous  the  entrances  should,  of  course,  be  opened  gra¬ 
dually  wider.  The  most  frequent  error  in  spring  management  is 
to  allow  more  combs  in  a  hive  than  the  bees  can  properly  cover. 
It  is  an  advantage  in  all  cases,  no  matter  Avhat  strength  the 
colony  may  be,  to  contract  the  brood  chamber  as  far  as  possible 
by  means  of  dummies.  The  smallness  of  the  space  allowed  assists 
in  concenti'ating  the  heat,  Avhich  facilitates  the  rapid  increase  of 
brood  at  a  small  cost  of  nervous  energy  to  the  bee.  The  influence 
of  heat  is  absolutely  necessary  to  the  maintenance  of  brood,  in 
addition  to  which  it  must  invigorate  a  stock,  since  the  bees  lose 
their  vitality  Avhen  it  is  withdrawn.  Increase  of  temperature  also 
facilitates  the  Avorking  of  Avax  and  the  making  of  neAv  comb.  As 
soon  as  the  outside  temperature  Avill  permit  it  a  thorough  exami¬ 
nation  should  be  made  of  the  colony,  and  hive  floor-boards  ex¬ 
changed  after  thoroughly  scraping  them  Avith  a  glazier’s  knife. — 
F.  F/. ,  Sandhach. 
Nectarines  Cracking. 
It  is  not  uncommon  to  find  Nectarines  and  Peaches  splitting 
at  the  stone 'Avhen  ripening,  but  I  have  not  before  noticed 
either  fruit  affected  by  cracking  in  the  skin  at  an  early  stage 
of  SAvelling,  as  in  the  specimen  configured,  fig.  1,  A  tc)  H,  or 
Cracking  of  young  Nectarines  at  suture  and  apex, 
with  section. 
A,  Fruit  cracked  at  suture ;  a,  suture  considerably  opened  or  cracked  ;  b,  apjx 
and  other  parts  of  skin  quite  clear. 
B,  Section  of  fruit  A  ;  c,  OA’ule  or  kernel  substance  perfectly  sound;  d,  .stone; 
e,  flesh  ;  /,  skin. 
C,  Fruit  cracked  at  both  apex  and  suture  ;  g,  apical  splitting  ;  h,  suture  opening. 
D,  Section  of  fruit  C;  i,  ovary  quite  empty,  no  ovule  substance  or  kernel; 
j,  stone  ;  k,  flesh  ;  I,  skin. 
E,  Fruit  cracked  at  apex  ;  m,  suture  clear  and  also  other  p.irts  of  skin,  except  n, 
apical  cracks. 
F,  Section  of  fruit  E  ;  o,  ovary  devoid  of  kernel  or  seed  substance  ;  p,  stone ; 
q,  flesh  ;  r,  skin. 
G,  Fruit  cracked  at  suture  and  across  apex  just  belovr  nipple ;  s,  apical  crack  ; 
f,  suture  crack. 
H,  Section  of  fruit  G  ;  u,  ovary  without  kernel  substance  ;  v,  stone  ;  w,  flesh  ; 
X,  skin  :  y,  supporting  stalk ;  z,  apical  crack.  All  the  figures  natural  size. 
fruit  to  be  retained  on  the  tree,  Avliein,  as  three  of  the  examples 
are  ovuleless,  they  being  usually  cast  when  about  .the  size  of 
horse  beans  as  non-set.  Cracking  of  the  fruit  Avhen  taking  the 
last  SAvelling  for  ripening  is  not  unusual,  from  the  moisture  on 
the  fruit  being  too  abundant,  as  when  syringing  is  practised  up 
to  a  late  period  of  the  SAvelling  and  ripening.  Even  outdoors 
the  cracking  of  the  fruit  is  not  uncommon  in  the  latest  stages 
of  SAvelling,  AA'hen  the  cuticle  has  been  hardened  by  infection 
of  mildeAV,  or  even  by  fungicides  and  insecticides  applied  for  the 
preAmntion  or  repression  of  fungoid  and  insect  pests.  These 
matters  are  Avell  knoAvn,  as  also  is  the  splitting  at  the  stone;  but 
I  think  the  cracking  of  the  skin,  as  in  specimens,  is  remarkable, 
and  clearly  the  cracking  is  not  due  to  imperfect  fertilisation, 
for  one  fruit.  A,  as  shoAvn  in  the  section  B,  is  perfect  in  the 
kernel  so  far,  yet  the  skin  cracked  at  the  suture.  The  cause  of 
the  cracking  of  the  skin  I  attribute  to  the  hardening  of  this  by 
a  severe  check,  such  as  drying  currents  of  air,  or  some  sub¬ 
stance  applied  that  has  hardened  the  cuticular  cells,  and  then, 
on  more  favourable  conditions  for  SAvelling  occurring,  the  cuticle 
has  simply  cracked  by  the  force  of  cell-growth  Avithin.  Other 
trees  in  the  same  house  are  not  affected,  but  this  does  not  affect 
the  data,  as  v'arieties  differ  considerably  in,  susceptibility  to 
injurv  from  cold  and  drying  currents  of  air,  and  also  to  effect 
