194 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
Marcli  3,  1904. 
The  Stewarton  Hive. 
The  W.B.C.  hive  is  preferable  to  the  Stev^’arton  for  manipu¬ 
lation,  interchange  of  frames,  for  the  production  of  market¬ 
able  sections,  and  because  it  possesses  all,  and  more  than  all, 
the  properties  claimed  for  the  latter,  which  for  many  purposes 
is  a  sealed  book ;  and  with  regard  to  the  increased  harvests 
obtained  from  them,  this  is  not  so  much  dependent  upon  the 
hive  but  either  the  bee-keeper  or  locality,  which  is  evidenced  by 
the  fact  that  a  l)ar-frame  hive  has  yielded  3341b  of  honey  in  one 
season  in  a  district  somewhat  approaching  that  where  the  record 
takes  previously  mentioned  were  obtained,  i.c.,  having  triple 
seasons,  fruit,  clover,  and  heather. 
(2)  The  fact  that  a  colony  in  a  Stewarton  has  stored  surplus 
while  those  in  bar-frames  had  to  be  fed  at  the  time  i.s  no  proof 
of  the  hive’s  superiority.  Bees  \vill  store  honey  in  almost  any 
receptacle  if  properly  managed,  but  the  bar-frame  hive  has  a 
decided  advantage  over  any  other  system.  This  apparent  freak 
of  the  bees  was  no  doubt  accounted  for  by  the  colony  having 
an  old  queen,  which  would  necessarily  result  in  a  weak  colony 
of  discouraged  bees,  seeing  that  the  workers  derive  their  energy 
from  the  queen.  Examples  of  this  kind  are  not  wanting  in  the 
apiaries  where  queens  are  not  systematically  replaced.  Stocks 
in  the  same  village  wall  average  1001b  per  colony  year  after 
year,  while  the  next-door  neighbour  will  be  very  well  satisfied 
with  fifty  per  stock. 
In  comparing  the  results  obtained  from  different  kinds  of 
hives,  it  would  hardly  be  fair  to  expect  a  bar-frame  headed  by 
such  decrepit  queens  to  store  the  same  quantity  of  honey  as  the 
numerous  progeny  of  a  young  prolific  queen  in  a  Stewarton^  or 
rice  versa.  Many  Scots  apiarists  possessing  both  kinds  of  hives 
on  the  same  stands  admit  that  they  do  not  think  there  is  much 
difference  in  the  yields.  Periodical  differences  will  occur  mving 
to  the  respective  merits  of  queens,  bee-keeper,  or  conditions. 
It  .should  also  be  remembered  that  a  Stewarton  requires 
two  or  three  swarms  united  to  populate  it,  and  as  the  bulk  of 
the  bees  ivliich  compose  a  swarm  are  field  workers,  and  there 
is  no  brood  to  feed,  more  are  liberated  for  gathering  honey,  and 
less  is  consumed  for  brood  production.  Such  a  doubly  power¬ 
ful  force  therefore  ought  to  store  an  unusual  quantity. 
As  an  example  of  what  may  be  accomplished  with  bar- 
frames,  personal  observation  and  assistance  in  making  an 
artificial  .swarm  in  the  apiary  of  a  friend  resulted  in  a  take  of 
1201b  of  honey  in  less  than  three  weeks. 
(3)  The  powers  of  contraction  and  exiiansion,  the  air  current 
argument,  and  outer  casing  protection  are  equally  applicable 
to  the  W.B.C.  hive.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  Stewarton  is  not 
so  gradually  exi)ansible  as  the  bar-frame,  as  v-ith  the  former 
nothing  can  be  given  but  complete  brood  chambers,  whereas 
single  frames  may  be  allowed  in  the  bar-frame  hive,  or  a  shallow 
super  if  desired. 
In  the  management  of  the  Stewarton  stress  is  always  laid 
upon  the  fact  that  if  the  bees  can  be  encouraged  to  work  well 
in  the  supers  and  are  given  plenty  of  room  above  and  below, 
they  will  seldom  attempt  to  swarm,  but  if  the  weather  is  un¬ 
settled  and  the  bees  are  only  partially  employed,  they  are  apt 
to  swarm  under  any  conditions.  Swarming  is  more  the  result 
of  mismanagement,  or,  what  is  far  more  important  in  its  con¬ 
sequences,  to  in..stinct  transmitted  through  the  queen,  which  is 
sometimes  the  case  when  reared  under  the  swarming  impulse 
year  after  year.  This  aspect  of  swarming  was  brought  home 
forcibly  in  a  well  knowm  apiary  where  the  method  of  re-queening 
was  by  natural  swarming. 
One  colony  swarmed  no  less  than  six  times,  and  absolutely 
refused  to  work  in  the  supers  steadily  at  all.  As  a  matter  of 
course,  the  bee-keeper  ha,s  since  been  compelled  to  obtain  good 
energetic  stock  with  non-swarming  instincts,  which  will  not  be 
allowed  to  degenerate  by  swarming.  A  good  queen  will  not 
permit  the  bees  to  store  honey  in  the  brood  chamber,  but  will 
control  the  brood  nest  entirely  for  ovipositing,  and  all  the 
surplus  is  stored  above.  Swarming  then  resolves  itself  into  the 
apiarist’s  ability  to  keep  all  his  bees  at  work.  The  more  bees 
working  the  greater  the  result  in  honey,  and  the  best  swarm 
preventer  is  a  double  brood  chamber,  or  its  equivalent. 
(4)  Similar  conditions  with  regard  to  the  escape  of  heat  in 
the  summer  and  moisture  in  the  winter  can  be  obtained  in  the 
W.B.C.,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  octagon  shape  has  a 
great  advantage  over  the  square  or  oblong  for  wintering.  The 
neare.st  approach  to  these  conditions  in  the  bar-frame  may  be 
arranged  by  reducing  the  brood  chamber  to  eight  bars,  which 
must  be  well  packed  with  bees  for  wintering.  It  is,  therefore, 
evident  that  the  gist  of  the  matter  lies  in  having  strong  stocks, 
otherwise  the  brood  nest  must  be  contracted  to  the  space  actually 
occupied  to  get  the  same  results  as  the  Stewarton. 
(5)  If  intelligently  carried  out,  the  same  plan  of  uniting  can 
also  be  adopted  with  W.B.C.,  and  in  the  latter  the  interchange 
of  bars,  Ac.,  is  still  more  complete. 
(6)  If  it  is  noted  in  what  particulars  the  hives  differ,  there 
is  a  very  slight  difference  in  their  capabilities  for  wintering 
providing  they  are  in  the  hands  of  able  bee-keepers.  It  is  the 
compactness  of  the  skep  and  Stewarton  which  makes  them  so 
succes.sful ;  the  .shape  of  the  hive  is  immaterial.  What  more 
proof  i.s  required  than  to  know  that  four-frame  nucleiato 
wintered  regularly  by  contraction,  Ac.  The  contention  that 
brood  combs  are  extended  downwards  more  readily  than 
laterall}"  is  questionable.  A  weak  colony  in  a  Stewarton  hive 
would  have  to  maintain  the  temperature  of  the  vacant  space  un¬ 
occupied  by  the  bees,  and  many  such  are  entirely  lo.st. 
Now  only  observe  the  advantage  of  being  able  to  adapt  the 
hive  to  the  size  of  the  cluster.  The  eggs  are  laid  from  corner 
to  corner  of  the  bars  they  are  forced  to  occupy,  and  they 
rapidly  increase  in  numbers.  There  is  something  i)Ositively 
agreeable  to  the  apiari.st  in  being  able  to  build  up  such  a  colony. 
(7)  The  method  of  supering  without  queen  excluder  is  an 
advantage,  and  might  be  followed  beneficially.  At  the  begin¬ 
ning  of  the  season  unless  the  bee-keeper  exercises  discretion  in 
giving  supers,  he  will  check  the  progress  of  a  colony  for  some 
time  by  giving  too  much  .space,  and  thereby  reducing  the  tem¬ 
perature  of  the  brood  nest,  biit  the  Stewarton  plan  may  be 
modified  to  suit  the  frame  hive  by  placing  a  layer  of  ticking  or 
calico  to  cover  all  the  bars  but  the  two  outer  ones.  This  will 
help  to  retain  the  heat  of  the  cluster  until  stress  of  cii’cum- 
.stances  forces  the  workers  to  take  possession  of  the  super,  and 
if  the  apiarist  is  afraid  of  swarming  he  can  give  additional 
breeding  space  in  the  same  way  as  the  Stewarton  by  a  shallow 
super  under  the  brood  chamber.  Experiments  and  ob.servation 
are  the  great  secrets  of  success,  and  the  benefits  derived  iTom 
apiculture  go  hand  in  hand  with  same. — E.  E.,  Sandbach. 
*■**  All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be  directed 
to  “The  Editor,”  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers,  Fleet  Street, 
London,  B.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’  flowers  we  do  not  name. 
BUDS  ON  PEACH  SHOOTS  DECAYING  (J.  C.).— The 
buds  are  destroyed  for  the  mo.st  part  by  some  substance  that 
has  been  applied  to  them,  and  the  wood,  especially  on  the 
upper  side,  has  the  bark  more  or  less  injured.  There  is  not 
any  trace  of  disease,  though  there  may  be  some  gummijig  lower 
down  on  the  shoots ;  but  there  is  no  evidence  of  this.  The  wood 
is  very  green  and  unripened,  and  f)robably  that  condition 
accounts  for  the  injury  to  the  buds  and  bark  by  the  dressing 
of  softsoap  and  sulphur,  which  in  former  years,  and  with  the 
wood  well  matured,  did  no  harm.  The  last  .season  was  so  wet 
and  dull  that  in  many  ca.ses  the  wood  of  Peach  trees  was  not 
properly  ripened,  and  in  consequence  much  more  susceptible  of 
injury. 
GRAPES  (Cymro). — The  flavour  of  your  Gros  Guillaume  is 
liarticularly  good  for  this  variety,  which  is  at  its  best  in  that 
respect  after  hanging  some  time,  or  during  February  and  March, 
when  it  is  particularly  rich  and  has  a  fine  sprightly  flavour.  The 
A^ine  usually  is  an  indifferent  bearer  on  the  close  pruning  system. 
Indeed,  it  requires  abundance  of  space  and  free  exposure  to 
light ;  and  by  the  long  rod  system  of  pruning  it  larger  bunches 
are  produced  than  by  the  spurring  system.  AVith  these  advan¬ 
tages  and  a  high  temperature  this  Grape  can  be  grown  to  high 
perfection.  A  bunch  was  grown  by  Mr.  Roberts,  gardener  at 
Tullamore,  Ireland,  which  weighed  231b  ooz.  The  portion  of 
shoot  you  have  sent  is  thoroughly  ripened  in  the  wood,  and  the 
buds  are  plump,  though  somewhat  pointed.  Po.s.sibly  the  position 
of  the  AUne  in  the  liomse^ — the  cooler  end.  the  border  of  a  close 
nature,  or  such  as  to  induce  .sturdy  habit,  with  possibly  close 
pruning  and  not  allowing  room  for  the  spread  of  foliage — is 
cau.se  of  the  compact,  well-set  bunch  of  relatively  small  berries. 
AVo  advise  a  larger  extension  of  growth,  less  close  pruning,  and 
a  more  generous  supply  of  potash  and  magnesia  ;  indeed,  top- 
dress  with  a  mixture  of  three  parts  superphosphate,  two  parts 
sulphate  of  potash,  one  part  sulphate  of  magnesia,  and  one-half 
part  sulphate  of  iron,  applying  4oz  of  the  mixture  per  square  ,vard 
at  the  winter  dressing,  and  repeat  as  .soon  as  the  Anne  comes  into 
leaf,  and  again  when  the  berries  are  thinned,  merely  pointing 
or  scratching  over  the  surface  of  the  border  after  application. 
The  other  substances  you  apply  are  excellent,  and  we  think  with 
greater  extension  of  the  gi’owtli  the  results  would  be  satisfactory. 
