108 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February-  4,  1904. 
father,  and  I  have  no  doubt  I  was  at  iny  business  before  he  was 
born.  All  niy  days  as  a  junior  were  spent  in  England,  and  I  have 
been  in  Scotland  for  a  good  many  years  as  head  gardener.  I 
may,  therefore,  claim  to  have  a  fair  knowledge  as  to  the  habits 
of  young  English  gardeners  and  their  Scottish  brethren.  vV'ell, 
my  experience  is  that  one  is  as  good  as  the  other,  and  there  is 
nothing  to  choose  between  them.  Gardeners  are,  as  a  rule,  a 
steady,  .sober  class  of  men,  from  whatev'er  part  of  the  United 
Kingdom  they  come.  I  must,  however,  add  I  am  sorry  to  do'  .so, 
that  I  have  seen  more  drunkenness  in  Scottish  towns  and  villages 
than  I  ever  saw  in  similar  places  in  England.  Only  a  few  days 
ago  I  saw  a  young  boy  of  twelve  quite  drunk,  and  this  in  a 
village.  What  do  you  think  of  that  ‘‘Scot”? — Northern 
Gardener,  Ross-shire. 
HE  BEE-KEEPER. 
. 4  ,  1  .r-.  I  - .  >  I . . .  I  »  ttt: 
»-L  rr-, 
The  Stewarton  Hive. 
Relow  are  enumerated  the  many  advantages  claimed  for 
this  hive ;  — 
(1)  It  is  asserted  that  it  is  the  clieape.st,  best,  most  success¬ 
ful  in  producing  comb  honey,  easiest  handled,  neatest,  that 
the  harvests  obtained  from  these  hives  are  always  cojisiderably 
larger,  and  that  the  honey  is  finer  in  quality. 
(^)  That  a  colony  in  a  Stewarton  hive  has  .stored  a  good 
quantity  of  surplus  honey  while  it  was  necessary  at  the  same 
time  to  feed  stocks  in  bar-fi-ames  ;  and  that  more  satisfactory 
results  can  be  .secured  with  less  expenditui-e  of  time  and  labour 
on  tbe  part  of  the  bee-keeper  tlian  by  any  bar-frame  syst.^m. 
(3)  That  the  hive  po.sses.ses  remarkabie  powers  of  expansion 
and  contraction,  and  that  it  is  an  easy  matter  to  prevent  .swarm¬ 
ing,  while  the  protection  afforded  by 
the  outer  casing  also  decreases  the  pro¬ 
bability  of  swarms  issuing,  and  that  by 
altering  the  angle  of  the  roof,  which  is 
moveable,  a  current  of  air  can  be  sent 
through  the  hive,  which  in  the  very 
warm  weather  still  further  tends  to  re¬ 
duce  the  swarming  impulse. 
(4)  That  colonies  hived  in  these  hives 
winter  better  than  in  bar-frames,  as 
the  crown  board  allows  the  heat  to 
escape  in  the  summer  and  the  moisture 
in  the  winter,  and  the  shape  of  the  hive 
being  octagonal  is  said  to  be  superior 
to  the  square  or  oblong  for  wintering, 
as  it  is  nearest  to  the  shape  of  a  natural 
cluster  of  bees,  and  that  the  smallness 
of  the  Stewarton  boxes  enables  the  bees 
to  maintain  a  higher  temperature  with 
less  expenditure  of  energy  than  in  a 
bar-frame. 
(d)  That  there  is  the  greatest  sim¬ 
plicity  in  uniting  bees  with  the  sides  and 
the  boxes,  the  slides,  which  are  very 
ingenious,  being  considered  one  of  the 
valuable  features  of  the  Stewarton 
.system,  together  with  complete  interchangeability  in  all  parts 
of  the  hive. 
Stewarton  Hive. 
three  stocks  &  O.XE  SI  PEE. 
(6)  Again,  it  is  maintained  that  colonies  build  up  in  the 
spring  more  rapidly  than  in  a  bar-frame  hive,  stocks  coming  out 
from  winter  quarters  stronger  numericalfy,  which  gives  them  a 
start  which  they  never  lose  during  the  re.st  of  the  sea.son  ;  that 
they  will  extend  the  brood  downwards  more  quickly  than 
^terally,  and  as  the  heated  air  a.scends  from  the  cluster  work¬ 
ing  below  protects  the  brood  above,  and  sudden  changes  to  cold 
weatjier  do  not  interrupt  comb  building. 
(7)  The  method  of  supering  without  queen  excluder  is  also 
included  among.st  the  advantages  of  the  hive.  The  two  outer 
slides  of  the  boxes  only  are  drawn,  and  the  bees  admitted  to 
the  .supers.  This  is  advantageous,  because  they  do  not  enter 
the  honey  chambers  tintil  they  are  strong  enough  to  cover  the 
outside  bar.s  of  the  bi'ood  chamber,  they  then  enter  nearest  to 
where  they  begin  work,  and  finish  the  supers  in  the  middle  or 
completely  at  once. 
It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  Scotland  has  the  unique  record 
of  having  produced  and  exhibited  the  finest  supers  of  honey  in 
the  worlcl,  and  this  is  ascribed  in  part  to  this  hive  and  method 
of  supering,  by  Mhich  the  varied  descriptions  of  honey  ar? 
classified  as  stored  by  the  bees  in  regular  gradation  free  from  all 
the  impurities  of  the  breeding  boxes.  The  beauty  and  purity 
of  these  octagon  supers  were  celebrated  far  and  wide,  and 
it  is  on  record  that  for  two  years  in  succession,  from  six  stocks 
in  Stewarton  hives,  £41  profit  was  obtained  each  year  ;  and  in 
another  ca.se  as  much  as  2501b  of  honey  was  taken  from  one  stock 
in  one  season. — E.  E.,  Sandbach. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be  directed 
to  “The  Editor,”  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers,  Fleet  Street, 
London,  E.C.  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  unjustifi¬ 
able  trouble  and  expense.  In  naming  plants  we  only  undertake 
to  name  species,  or  well-marked  varieties,  and  only  six  on  any 
one  occasion.  Florists’  flowrrs  we  do  not  name. 
CHE]VIICA,L  MANURES  (W.  A.). — We  must  examine  your 
samples,  and  will  let  vou  know. 
MEASUREMENt'oF  AN  ACRE  (Planter).— Ten  yards  wide 
by  484yds  long ;  bOyds  wide  by  80§yds  long ;  or  100yds  wide  by 
40fyds  long. 
“  ORIGIN  OF  CULTIVATED  PLANTS  ”  (J.  B.).— "The  latest 
edition  of  A.  de  Candolle’s  work  is  that  of  1886,  which  is  the 
.second.  The  price  is  5s.  from  the  publisher.5,  Regan  Paul, 
Trench  and  Co.,  Diyden  House,  43,  Gerrard  Street,  Soho, 
London. 
COVERING  A  HILLSIDE  WITH  GORSE  FOR  COVERT 
(Planter). — We  would  advise  sowing  seed  broadcast  (41b  per  acre) 
about  the  middle  of  April.  Naturally,  there  should  be  some  sort 
of  preparation  of  the  ground  ;  if  not  over  every  part  at  least  in 
fairly  extensive  patches,  and  the  intermediate,  unbroken  spaces 
may  be  sown  more  thickly. 
“NITRAGIN”  (Young  Gardener). — This  is  the  general  name 
given  by  Nobbe  to  those  bacterial  soil  fertilisers  which  have  been 
studied  and  named  during  recent  years.  Germany  has  made 
nitragin  production  a  special  manufacture,  if  we  may  .so  put  it; 
and  small  bottles  filled  with  the  nitragin  germs  (gelatine  cultures) 
can  be  obtained  from  certain  sources.  They  cost  2s.  Gd.,  and  one 
is  sufficient  to  supply  half  an  acre  of  land.  Gee-up! 
THE  PLURAL  ENDING  OF  THE  WORD  POTATOES 
(“  System  ”). — We  think  we  are  justified  in  using  the  “e  ”  by  the 
following  rule  from  C.  Duxbury’s  “  Advanced  Grammar  ”  (12th 
edition) :  “  Singular  nouns  ending  in  s,  sh,  ch  (soft),  x,  or  o,  pre¬ 
ceded  by  a  consonant,  form  the  plural  by  es ;  as  glass, 
glasses;  box,  boxes;  and  other  instance-^.  The  exceptions  are 
canto,  grotto,  quarto,  portico;  solo,  and  tyro.”  Probably  your 
opponent  may  be  able  to  make  a  case  on  his  side  1 
DOUBLE  SULPHATE  OF  POTASH  AND  MAGNESIA 
(F.  C.  C.). — Double  sulphate  of  potash  and  magnesia  is  a  more 
concentrated  form  of  potash  than  kainit,  and  is  a  refined  kainit, 
differing  in  some  essential  points,  as  vou  may  glean  from  the 
subjoined  analyses  :  — 
Double  Sulphate  or  Potash  and 
.Magnesia. 
Moistme 
..  4.'0 
.Sulphate  of  i  otash. . 
..  49.34 
.Sulphate  of  maguesia 
. .  32.S6 
Muriate  of  soda 
. .  3.77 
Muriate  of  potash  . . 
..  0.13 
Sulphate  of  lime 
5.35 
Magnesia  . 
. .  0.99 
Insoluble 
2.97 
100.00 
Kainit. 
Moisture  . .  12  70 
Sulpliate  of  potash..  ..  ..  23.00 
.Sulphate  of  magnesia  14.50 
Chloride  of  m.agnesium  ..  12.40 
(  hloii  .’eof  sodium,  common  salt  31.60 
Sulphate  of  lime .  i.'. 0 
Insoluble  matter .  0-50 
100.  CO 
Now  form  your  own  opinion  as  to  whether  you  will  find  “  ordinary 
kainit  good  enough  ”  for  Vines.  We  hav'e  not,  do  not  recommend 
it,  but  the  double  sulphate  of  potash  and  magnesia,  the  magnesia 
being  not  a  much  less  factor  in  successful  Grape  growing  than 
potash,  and  its  persistent  presence  in  all  soils  noted  for  the  pro¬ 
duction  of  Grapes  is  a  matter  of  .serious  consideration.  Indeed, 
too  much  care  cannot  be  exercised  in  purchasing  potash  salts, 
as  some  so-called  sulphates  contain  as  much  as  86  per  cent,  of 
common  salt.  No  wonder,  therefore,  you  did  not  derive  any 
advantage  from  the  use  of  dissolved  bones  and  ordinary  kainit. 
Our  formula  of  three  parts  dissolved  bones,  dry  and  crumbling, 
and  two  parts  double  sulphate  of  potash  and  magnesia,  has  been 
found  of  essential  service  where  Grapes  have  not  finished  well, 
being  deficient  in  colour,  in  iirevious  years,  overeppping  not 
being  the  cause,  and  the  border  and  other  conditions  being 
favourable,  the  mixture  should  be  applied  as  a  winter  top-dress¬ 
ing  at  the  rate  of  4oz  to  8oz  per  square  yard  and  pointed  into 
the  soil,  and  this  dressing  may  be  .supplemented  by  such  quickly- 
acting  top-dressing  as  a  mixture  of  three  parts  superphosphate, 
two  parts  powdered  saltpetre,  and  one  part  ground  gypsum  or 
sulphate  of  lime  mixed,  applying  4oz  per  square  yard  at  intervals, 
say,  (1)  Avhen  the  Vines  are  coming  into  leaf,  (2)  when  the  Grapes 
are  thinned,  and  (3)  when  the  stoning  is  completed.  For  the 
double  sulphate  of  iiotash  and  magnesia  apply  to  Mes.srs.  Henry 
Richardson  and  Co.,  Skeldergate  Bridge,  York. 
