396 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
May  5,  1904 
HE  BEE-KEEPER. 
I  - 1  -  I  - 1  •  I  -i 
I  .  I  ■  I  ■  I  .  I  -TVP 
Building  up  Colonies. 
A  decidedly  nselul  operation  in  sprintr.  if  carefully  and 
judiciously  performed,  is  to  stimulate  the  bees  to  gradually 
extend  the  brood  nest  as  much  as  they  can  comfoitably  cover. 
On  examining  a  hive  in  the  early  part  of  the  year,  where  the 
bars  are  end  on  to  the  entrance  (not  parallel  with  the  hive 
front)  it  will  be  found  that  the  brood  nest  is  at  the  front  and 
tlie  honey  at  the  back  of  the  combs.  This  is  due  to  the  instinct 
of  the  bees  prompting  them  to  store  the  honey  where  there  is 
the  least  probability  of  robbers  obtaining  it.  The  pillagers 
would  not  only  have  to  pass  the  sentinels  at  the  entrance,  but 
also  all  the  bees  on  the  thickly  covered  combs. 
If,  therefore,  advantage  is  taken  of  this  instinct  to  alter  the 
position  of  the  food  by  turning  a  bar  rear  end  foremost,  the  first 
thing  they  would  do  would  be  to  re-arrange  it  in  an  exactly 
similar  manner  if  possible,  by  uncapping,  and  placing  the  honey 
in  any  vacant  cells  at  the  back,  or  close  around  the  brood.  No 
more  effective  stimulation  can  be  given  than  by  causing  them  to 
transfer  their  stores  to  another  portion  of  the  hive;  it  is  equal 
to  a  honey  flow  for  stimulation,  and  there  is  the  further  advan¬ 
tage,  that,  instead  of  the  brood  nest  being  in  small  patches  on 
many  combs,  it  is,  if  the  colony  is  properly  dummied  up, 
extended  over  the  whole  of  the  central  combs,  and  is  therefore 
more  compact. 
Closer  examination  of  the  hive  will  reveal  hatching  brood 
also  ;  in  a  circle  around  this,  larvse,  and,  still  further  away  from 
the  larvse,  eggs.  When  the  eggs  are  laid  outside  the  globular 
brood  nest,  any  additional  room  should  be  given  next  to  the 
outside  bar  of  brood.  In  extending,  extra  combs  should  be 
placed  where,  in  the  ordinary  course  of  events,  the  queen  will 
lay  next ;  and  in  stimulating  a  colony  to  extend  its  patch  of 
brood,  the  bee-keeper  must  pay  particular  attention  to  con¬ 
tracting  by  dummies,  especially  with  weak'stocks,  as  any  fall  in 
the  external  temperature  will  cause  a  cluster  of  bees  to  contract, 
and  during  cold,  unfavourable  weather  they  will  leave  the  out¬ 
side  combs  and  form  a  compact  mass  in  the  centre  of  the  hive. 
Should  the  colony  be  strong,  the  stores  may  he  displaced  by 
turning  one  or  two  of  the  combs  with  brood  in  them  back  to 
front,  and  as  the  cells  are  emptied  the  queen  fills  them  with 
eggs.  The  body  box  may  be  returned  to  its  original  liosition  in 
a  few  weeks,  when  the  addition  to  the  population  by  hatching 
brood  will  make  it  perfectly  safe. 
To  still  further  assist  a  weak  stock,  the  bars  may  be  spaced 
l|in  from  centre  to  centre. 
This  will  enable  the  bees  to  nurse  more  brood,  and  at  the 
same  time  increase  the  capacity  of  the  brood  nest.  As  well  as 
dummying  tightly,  it  is  an  advantage  to -feed  slowly,  and  when 
sufficient  bees  have  hatched  to  cluster  against  the  dummy,  and 
the  last  comb  is  sealed,  another  may  be  placed  next  to  the 
dummy,  which,  as  soon  as  they  are  numerous  enough  to  cover, 
they  will  commence  drawing  out.  The  best  time  for  carrying 
out  these  operations  is  when  there  is  a  probability  of  settled 
warm  nights,  and  vhen  the  birth  rate  is  well  in  excess  of  the 
death  rate.  The  heat  of  the  cluster  must  always  be  conserved 
by  additional  ciuilts  and  packing  whenever  brood  is  desired,  and 
stimulative  feeding  is  in  progress,  as  it  will  be  found  in  most 
cases,  where  too  many  bars  are  allowed  for  the  number  of  bees, 
that  they  are  only  able  to  protect  a  very  small  patch  of  brood 
at  the  top  of  each  bar,  whereas,  by  dummying,  Ac.,  they  have 
less  space  to  heat,  and  comsequently  more  eggs  are  laid. — E.  E., 
Sandhach. 
Meteorological  Observations  at  Wisley,  Surrey. 
Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens — height 
above  sea  level,  150  feet. 
Date. 
!  3) 
Temperature  of  the  ^  > 
Air.  « 
iZ  • 
Temperature 
of  the  Soil.  , 
At  9  a.'m. 
Wind. 
a 
2 
73 
a 
1904. 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
■  X  ’J) 
Ni-ht  =5 
^  r- 
At 
At 
Rain. 
c 
o 
Total 
velocitj 
for  the 
24  hours 
ending 
9  a.ni. 
April. 
Dry 
Eulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
Highest 
Lowest. 
1  i.owest 
1  01 
1-ft. 
deep 
2-ft. 
deep 
4-ft. 
deeps 
o 
9 
5 
dea:. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg.  deg 
deg 
deg. 
eg.  Ins. 
Miles. 
li.  m. 
Sun.  24 
;2 
48 
61 
44  33 
49 
48 
47  i  — 
N.W. 
150 
3  16 
Mon.  2o 
47 
42 
55 
4  J  33 
49 
49 
47  — 
N.W. 
i:6 
9  61 
Tues.-26 
47 
41 
51 
34  25 
48 
49 
47  0  01 
W. 
147 
S  47 
Wed.  27 
to 
45 
67 
39  29 
47 
48 
48  — 
N  W. 
168 
7  27 
Thurs28 
52 
49 
60 
44  37 
49 
49 
43  ^  — 
S.W. 
256 
0  23 
Fri.  29 
53 
50 
56 
;  49  ,45 
60 
49 
48  ;  0-09 
w. 
273 
0  0 
Sat.  SO 
63 
51 
65 
59  47 
60 
49 
48  :  — 
S.W. 
134 
0  4 
■ 
Total 
Means 
51 
47 
67 
43  35 
49 
49 
48  0-10 
179 
3  32 
***A11  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be 
directed  to  “  The  Editor,”  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers, 
Eeeet  Street,  London,  E.C.  It  is  requested  that  no  one 
will  write  piivately  to  any  of  our  correspondents,  seeking 
information  on  matters  discussed  in  this  Journal,  as  doing 
so  subjects  them  to  unjustifiable  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. 
NEWSPAPER  WANTED  (H.  B.).- We  have  handed  yonr 
letter  to  the  party  you  desire  to  hear  from. 
AMARYI.LIS  culture  (J.  E.  Hall). -Our  latest  extended 
article  on  Amaiyllis  (Hippeastrum)  culture  was  in  March,  1901, 
and  our  publisher  informs  ns  that  copies  for  that  particular  date 
are  out  of  print.  We  shall  endeavour  to  meet  your  wants,  how¬ 
ever,  by  publishing  an  article. 
ORANGE  FUNGUS  ON  PERSIAN  BRIAR  (M.  L.  G.).— 
Yonr  Rose  is  badly  infested  with  the  Orange  fungus  (Coleo- 
sporium  pingue).  There  seems  to  be  no  remedy  short  of  cutting 
off  the  affected  leaves  and  shoots.  At  the  same  time  the  rust 
does  little  or  no  harm,  and  is  looked  upon  as  a  minor  evil.  Still, 
it  ought  to  be  reduced  if  possible. 
SENDING  HOME  ORCHIDS  (C.).— The  chief  matter  to  be 
observed  in  sending  home  orchids  is  that  the  plants  should  have 
mature  growth,  and  no  young  growths  in  progress.  With  ever- 
?green  Phaius  and  similar  plants,  it  would  not  be  detrimental  to 
remove  the  foliage.  If  properly  matured  plants  are  selected, 
they  may  be  placed  in  boxes  of  modei’ate  size,  either  without 
any  packing  material,  and  with  a  few  struts  across  at  intervals 
during  the  packing  ;  or  with  a  very  small  amount  of  dry  shav¬ 
ings,  or  paper  cuttings.  We  would  not  advise  you  to  import 
leaf  soil  for  orchids. 
BERRIES  OF  BLACK  HAMBURGH  GRAPES  SPOTTED 
(Nemo). — The  berries  are  affected  by  the  disease  known  as 
“spot,”  which  appears  in  two  forms  or  at  two  stages  of  the 
Grapes  swelling.  The  first  occuis  as  a  small,  uneven,  whitish 
spot  on  the  berries  while  young,  tender,  and  swelling  freely. 
The  spot  is  mostly  confined  to  one  side  or  upper  part  of  the 
berry.,  as  if  it  had  been  bruised  in  some  way,  and  the  spot 
becomes  browii  as  the  pulp  beneath  dries  up,  and  a  sort  of  con¬ 
traction  occurs,  the  berry  soon  ass<iming  an  irregular,  one-sided 
form.  On  the  depressed  jiatches  a  series  of  minute  dots  some¬ 
times,  not  always,  shortly  afterwards  appear,  and  under  the 
microscope  they  prove  to  be  a  fungus,  Gloeosporium  laeticolor, 
which  grows  outwards,  and  its  mycelial  threads  traverse  the 
interior  of  the  fruit.  This  is  the  form  with  which  your  berries 
are  affected,  and  has  been  culturally  attributed  to  sudden  chills, 
such  as  admitting  air  too  freely  and  too  late  on  a  sunny  morn- 
or  after  a  period  of  sunless  weathei’,  during  which  the  house 
has  been  kept  very  close  and  moist.  The  preventive,  therefoj'e, 
is  careful  attention  to  the  ventilation,  and  the  only  remedy  is 
to  cut  out  the  affected  berries  and  burn  them,  afterwards  afford¬ 
ing  free  ventilation,  e.specially  early  in  the  morning,  effecting  a 
circulation  of  air  by  a  gentle  warmth  in  the  hot-water  pipes 
with  a  “crack”  of  air  constantly  in  damp  periods.  The  other 
form  of  “spot”  affects  ripening  Grapes,  and  is  avoided  by  a 
similar  means  of  free  ventilation  and  a  circulation  of  air  con- 
'  stantly.  The  affection  on  the  leaves  accords  with  scorching, 
but  may  be  due  to  a  slight  attack  of  Grape  rot,  Gloeosporium 
ampelophagum,  though  we  have  not  found  evidence  of  its 
“fruits.”  The  use  of  Campbell’s  sulphur  vaporiser  will  no 
doubt  act  beneficially  in  arresting  the  disease  and  in  preventing 
attack,  but  we  should  not  omit  giving  particular  attention  to 
the  ventilation. 
FIG  LEAVES  BROAYNED  (Idem). — The  brownness  is  caused 
by  a  fungus  closely  allied  to  the  Cucumber  and  Melon  leaf-spot, 
Cercospora  melonis,  and  has  been  given  the  name  Cercospora 
Bolleana.  It  is  probably  induced  or  favoured  by  a  close  moist 
atmosphere,  the  condition  of  the  affected  tree  in  consequence  of 
being  grown  against  the  back  wall  of  the  vinery  being  parti¬ 
cularly  favourable  to  the  fungus,  and  very  unsuitable  for  the 
Fig  tree  in  fruiting,  the  shade  of  the  Vines  not  allowing  of  the 
firm  texture  of  leaves  and  wood  essential  for  fruit  production, 
and  the  resistance  of  parasitic  infections.  \Ye  shoidd  remove 
and  burn  the  Fig  tree,  though,  if  this  may  not  he,  try  spraying 
with  weak  Bordeaux  mixture.  Probably  the  sulphur  vaporisa¬ 
tion  would  have  a  good  effect  on  this  fungus,  as  well  as  on  that 
of  the  Grapes. 
