82 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
January  21,  1904. 
■  —  — ^ 
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HE  bee-keeper] 
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.(-i-i-(-(-i-i-l-l-)-l  -  l.-A-  1  iJ.i.V-J  -..L  -  '  -  ■  ^=-1.-  '  -  t  5l  • 
The  Stewarton  Hive. 
I  have  to  thank  “  E.  E.”  for  his  remarks  on  these  hives,  which 
I  note.  Aly  main  difficulty  wuth  the  Stewarton  is  this:  How 
can  I  prevent  swarming?  I  have  at  present  three  hives,  and 
having  no  time  and  space  to  liave  more,  I  am  looking  forward  to 
this  summer,  when  I  shall  have  three  more  .swarms  and  three 
casts,  but  I  cannot  see  my  way  to  put  these  into  new  homes. 
Sliould  they  come  off  I  would  prefer  to  put  them  back  to  their 
old  hives,  thus  strengthening  them ;  but  I  fail  to  see  how  this 
can  be  done.  I  am  told  the  older  queen  is  the  better  of  the  two, 
and  the  one  to  keep,  but  if  the  young  queen  rules  the  hive 
after  swarming,  how  can  I  get  to  her  to  dispel  her  before  I  put 
back  the  old  queen?  If  I  could  ascertain  how  to  put  all  the 
bees  back  that  swarm,  and  keep  one  good  hive  containing  two, 
three,  and  more  body  boxes,  all  on  top  of  each  other,  with  one 
queen  ruling,  and  bees  entering  from  bottom  hive,  I  can  safely 
say  that  I  could  make  these  hives  very  profitable.  What  appears 
to  me  to  be  wanted  is  a  large  number  of  bees.  Perhaps  “  E.  E.” 
will  give  me  his  views  on  this  important  matter ;  also  to  let 
me  know  which  is  the  best  queen  to  keep  after  swarming. 
— Hexagonal. 
I  observe  in  your  recent  issue  “  E.  E.’s”  description  of  the 
Stewarton  hive.  I  am  afraid  “  E.  E.”  has  never  had  much  to  do 
with  this  hive,  or  he  would  have  known  more  about  these  popular 
and  most  profitable  Stewartons,  so  common  in  Scotland. 
“  E.  E.’s”  objection  to  the  Stewarton  is  expense;  but  I 
cannot  see  where  it  comes  in.  The  octagonal  body  box  can  be 
got  for  3s.  or  3s.  6d.,  and  the  supers  bear  no  expense  whatever. 
I  use  an  ordinary  box,  the  size  of  which  is  limited  according  to 
seasons.  I  prefer  putting  on  super  boxes  which  will  contain  71b, 
for  in  bad  seasons  the  bees  take  to  a  smaller  box  better  than  a 
bought  super  box,  which  contains  when  full  211b. 
So  far  as  covering  in  winter  is  concerned,  this  can  be  done 
veiy  cheap — the  wood  for  which  can  be  bought  for  a  few  shillings 
— and  if  the  apiarist  is  a  handy  man  he  can  put  the  pieces 
together  in  spare  time,  Avhich  reduces  cost.  The  only  covering 
I  have  is  an  outer  casing,  size  20in  .square,  as  stated  by  “  E.  E.” 
This  size  allows  for  packing  betwixt  the  body  box  and  casing  on 
top  of  casing.  I  have  an  ordinary  bar-frame  top.  The  whole 
hive  pre.sents  an  appearance  similar  to  the  bar-frame,  the  only 
difference  remaining  in  the  foundation  stool.  For  this  I  use 
an  ordinary  square  stand  of  wood,  which  must  be,  of  course,  a 
little  larger  than  the  casing.  Taking  the  body  box  at  3s.  6d. 
and  the  purchased  wood  for  the  covering  at  a  couple  of  shillings, 
the  whole  hive  can  be  obtained  for  about  7s.  6d.  Boxes  for 
.supers  can  easily  be  got  from  grocers  free. 
For  feeding  purpo.ses  “  E.  E.”  suggests  a  trough  fitted  in  the 
floorboard.  This  I  never  heard  of  or  .saw  done.  I  wonder  how 
he  can  place  it  there,  the  bees  being  so  numerous  and  comb 
drawn  so  near  to  floorboard  that  there  is  very  little  room  for 
such  an  arrangement.  I  feed  with  the  boxes  similar  to  those 
used  in  bar-frames,  and  drawing  out  a  slide  to  allow  the  bees  to 
get  up.  “  E.  E.”  goes  on  to  say  that  a  queen  excluder  is  not 
necessary  with  the  Stewarton,  because  the  depth  of  cells,  &c., 
have  a  tendency  to  deter  the  queen  from  going  up  to  super ; 
but  I  beg  to  differ,  as  only  this  summer  I  had  a  211b  section 
completely  ruined  by  the  queen,  she  having  got  up  before  I 
noticed  her,  and  had  a  considerable  amount  of  brood  all  over  the 
section.  Of  course,  this  cold  .summer  probably  had  sometlring  to 
do  with  it,  but  it  is  not  the  first  time  I  have  heard  of  the  queen 
leaving  the  body  box  to  enter  the  supers. 
I  never  u.se  the  queen  excluder  myself,  for  it  .seems  to  me  to 
hinder  the  bees  getting  up  to  the  super,  but  I  usually  give  a 
look  in  to  the  super  once  or  twice  a  week  to  see  if  the  queen  is 
there,  and  if  she  is  there  I  get  her  down  again,  and  possibly  may 
then  put  on  the  excluder,  but  I  never  do  this  till  compelled.  If 
the  .same  attention  were  paid  to  these  hives  as  paid  .to  the  bar- 
frames,  I  can  assure  the  apiari.st  that  a  much  more  profitable 
return  can  be  made  than  with  the  bar-frames. — Stewarton. 
Trade  Catalogues  Received. 
Geo.  Bunyard  and  Co.,  Ltd.,  Maidstone. — Seeds. 
W.  .J.  Godfrey,  Exmouth,  Devon. — Chrysanthemums. 
•T.  Hill  and  Son,  Barrowfield  Nurseries,  I^ower  Edmonton,  N. — Ferns. 
Fred.  C.  Pomreneke,  Hamburgcrstrasse,  42-46,  Altona,  Hamburg. — 
Seeds. 
Stuart  and  Mein,  Kelso,  ficotland.  —  Gardening  Guide. 
Yoang  Gardeners’  Domain, 
The  Editor  welcomes  .short  letters  from  under  gardeners.  Letters  should  be  con¬ 
fined  to  500  words  in  length,  should  be  written  only  on  one  side  of  the  paper, 
as  clearly  as  possible,  with  one  inch  space  at  both  top  and  bottom,  as  well 
as  at  the  sides.  The  names  and  addresses  of  the  writers  must  accompany 
all  communications,  not  necessarily  for  publication,  but  as  a  guarantee  of 
good  faith.  If  these  points  are  not  respected,  the  letters  cannot  be  considered. 
Frinciples  of  Propriety. 
On  handling  “Scot’s”  letter,  page  17,  like  small  boys  do 
the  cat,  viz.,  tail  end  first,  I  would  answer  his  question,  “  Why 
are  Scots  gardeners  preferred  to  English?”  by  asking.  Are 
they?  He  may,  of  course,  have  some  vague  statistical  method 
of  proving  it  to  his  own  satisfaction,  but  in  saying  “  nine- 
tenths  of  the  young  men  in  England  spend  too  much  time  in 
public-hoiLses  and  pleasure-seeking,”  the  indictment  is  suffi¬ 
ciently  serious  to  set  one  thinking. 
As  life  in  bothydom  and  personal  experience  of  bothies,  wdth 
those  who  dwell  therein,  passes  in  revieiv  before  me,  I  can, 
and  do,  conscientiously  affirm  that  to  my  knowdedge,  so  far  as 
nine-tenths  are  concerned,  my  data  brings  me  to  the  con¬ 
clusion  that  one-tenth  wmuld  include  the  black  sheep,  and  that 
90  per  cent,  of  the  young  gardeners  I  have  known,  and  know, 
have  too  much  honest  pride  to  patronise  what  savours  more  of 
the  stables,  to  wdiich  “Scot’s”  data  appears  to  apply,  than 
to  the  garden. 
However,  w^e  can  only  reason  from  wdiat  W'e  know,  and  of 
Scotland  I  know  nothing,  never  having  crossed  the  Border ; 
but  of  England  and  Ireland  I  claim  to  know  as  much  as  can 
be  crow'ded  into  one  lifetime — a  gardener’s  lifetime,  with 
experience  of  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  bothies  and  their 
inmates,  Scotch,  English,  Irish,  and  Welsh,  and  although 
believing  that  “Scot’s”  statement  is  to  be  accepted  as  bona 
fide  so  far  as  his  experience  is  concerned,  that  experience  is 
unquestionably  not  only  too  limited  to  do  justice  to  the  bulk 
of  young  British  gardeners,  but  is  singularly  unjust  to  them 
as  a  body  as  well. 
A  gardener’s  life,  even  a  young  gardener’s  life,  is  not  all 
beer  and  skittles,  which  goes  without  saying ;  but  it  has  been 
a  pleasure  to  me  in  knowing  that  not  a  few  bothy  lads  I  have 
met  with  in  these  latter  days  have  been  practical  if  not 
professed,  teetotalers,  and  whenever  the  opportunity  has 
occurred,  and  I  have  been  on  sufficiently  intimate  terms  with 
young  fellows  to  impress  the  wisdom  of  abstaining  till  the  bothy 
is  left  behind  for  good  and  all,  this  small  concession  has  not 
been  refused.  That  there  is  need  for  thus  protecting  our  young 
brothers  I  will  not  deny,  but  that  “Scot’s”  large  percentage 
of  black  sheep  in  the  juvenile  gardening  fraternity  exists  is 
neither  admitted  nor  believed  by — An  Old  Boy. 
Zonal  Pelargoniums. 
In  many  gardens  these  plants  hold  a  prominent  plape  among 
the  many  that  are  useful  for  decorative  purposes  during  the 
winter  months.  The  variety  of  brilliant  colours'  possessed  by 
them  tends  to  make  the  houses  gay  when  Nature  seems  at  rest 
outside. 
If  large  plants  are  desired  and  the  stock  is  unlimited,  cut¬ 
tings  should  be  inserted  in  light  sandy  soil  not  later  than  the 
last  w’eek  of  September  and  jilaced  on  a  slightly  shaded  shelf 
to  strike.  A  vihery  or  Peach  house  is  a  suitable  construction. 
From  the  time  the  cuttings  are  struck,  and  till  they  are  through 
the  dull  days  of  November  and  December  they  will  appear 
dormant,  during  which  time  marked  attention  should  be 
bestowed  on  them,  as  plants  frequently  go  black  in  the  stem 
through  having  an  over-supply  of  water.  The  new  year  having 
opened,  it  will  then  be  time  to  pot  them  off,  afterwards  placing 
in  a  heated  pit  or  greenhouse  close  to  the  glass,  affording  ample 
air  on  fine  days  to  ensure  sturdy  growth. 
On  the  plants  commencing  to  grow,  they  will  require  stop¬ 
ping,  which  should  be  done  at  a  joint  from  which  a  growth 
inclines  to  be  forcing  its  way,  for  when  pinched  at  the  base  of 
a  flower  stalk  they  have  a  tendenev  to  po.s.sess  a  quantity  of 
bairen  growfh,  caused,  no  doubt,  by  careless  stopping.  So 
soon  as  the  pots  are  filled  with  roots  they  can  then  be  potted 
into  the  final  or  flowering  pots,  probably  Gin  or  Sin,  and  set  iii 
a  cold  frame,  or  out  of  doors  if  the  weather  permits. 
Pelargoniums  will  succeed  in  almost  any  good  rich  .soil,  and 
growers  should  use  their  own  discretion  regarding  its  composi¬ 
tion,  experience  having  taught  them  what  it  thrives  be.st  in. 
All  flowers  that  make  their  appearance  must  be  forthwith  picked 
off  and  the  plants  stopped  as  occasion  requires.  Houses 
previously  used  for  Tomatoes  or  Cucumbers,  and  kept  at  a 
temperature  of  from  ii6deg  to  GOdeg  are  suitable  structures  for 
flowering  them  in ;  the  time  of  housing  depending  on  the 
weather. 
When  the  plants  are  allow'ed  to  flower,  an  occasional  water¬ 
ing  with  weak  liquid  manure  will  be  found  very  beneficial  to 
them,  hut  where  this  is  not  procurable  a  little  guano  will  suffice. 
If  one  batch  of  cuttings  only  can  be  got,  they  should  be  pro¬ 
pagated  in  early  .spring,  after  the  plants  have  done  flowering. 
