418 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  12,  1904. 
When  to  Start  Bee-keeping-- 
This  is  often  a  subject  which  causes  considerable  excitement 
in  the  minds  of  the  would-be  bee-keepers.  Many  are  tempted 
to  purchase  a  stock,  i.e.,  bees  and  hive  too.  This  is  one  of  the 
most  expensive  and  sometimes  the  most  disastrous  modes  of 
starting,  because  you  may  be  buying  bees  in  a  most  foul-broody 
state,  and  to  those  who  know  nothing  of  the  art,  I  would  say 
do  not  buy  a  stock  unless  you  can  thoroughly  trust  the  seller,  or 
only  on  the  advice  of  a  practical  hand.  This  will  vary  from  7s. 
to  £2,  according  to  the  hive.  If  the  bees  be  in  a  skep,  the 
value  will  be  from  7s.  to  15s.,  but  in  the  case  of  a  bar-frame 
hive  it  may  reach  the  £2. 
Before  settling  the  matter  make  sure  that  there  are  a  fair 
number  of  bees,  and  above  all  a  fertile  cpieen.  If  the  bees  be 
in  a  skep,  drive  them,  and  press  the  combs  aside  to  ascertain 
if  there  be  brood.  This  inspection  can  easily  be  made  if  it  be 
a  wooden  hive  with  frames,  and  in  this  case  the  bees  ought  to 
cover  at  least  seven  frames. 
The  best  time  to  purcha.se  a  stock  is  about  the  end  of  March 
or  beginning  of  April,  because  at  that  time  there  are  le.ss 
stores,  so  combs  are  not  so  liable  to  break  down  and  destroy  tne 
bees.  If  bees  are  purchased  during  the  period  of  rest,  the 
moving  causes  excitement  among  the  inmates,  which  often  leads 
to  loss ;  but  tills  excitement  in  late  March  or  April  may  act  as  a 
stimulant  and  be  productive  of  good. 
What  to  do  with  a  Skep  of  Bees. — No  one  in  these  days  of 
progress  would  think  of  keeping  the  bees  in  a  straw  skep.  There 
are  two  ways  of  transferring  them  to  a  bar-frame.  The 
simplest  mode  would  be  to  ht  uji  the  frames  with  full  sheets  of 
foundation,  and  place  the  skep  above  them,  covering  the  whole 
up  warmly,  and  letting  the  bees  transfer  themselves.  This, 
liowever,  is  not  the  most  profitable  mode.  Drive  the  bees  from  the 
skep  as  follows  : — Give  the  bees  about  half  a  pint  of  warm  syrup, 
and  wait  about  ten  minutes  to  allow  the  insects  to  gorge  them¬ 
selves.  Take  a  bucket,  and  invert  the  hive  to  be  driven  in  it. 
Over  this  place  an  empty  skep,  so  that  the  rims  meet,  and  raji 
the  sides  of  the  lower  skep,  and  in  15  to  30  minutes  the  bees 
will  be  above.  Take  out  the  combs  and  cut  them  to  the  size 
of  the  frames,  and  tie  in  with  tape,  taking  care  (1)  to  keep 
them  the  correct  way  up;  (2)  to  reject  all  clrone  comb;  (3)  to 
leave  no  space  between  the  top  of  the  comb  and  the  top  bar, 
and  (4)  to  allow  no  brood  to  be  chilled.  Having  cut  out  ail 
comb,  and  spaced  the  frames,  tip  the  bees  on  the  top,  wrap  up 
warmly,  and  feed. 
A  Swarm. — A  cheaper  way  of  commencing  is  by  purchasing 
a  good  swarm  as  early  as  possible;  this  will  be  in  May  or  June. 
The  swarm  to  be  of  benefit  the  first  year  should  be  a  large  one, 
and  should  not  be  less  than  l^galis  to  2gal]s  of  bees.  Remove 
them  in  the  evening  after  about  (3  p.m.,  and  hive  as  above. 
It  will  be  well  to  commence  with  one  stock  only,  and  as  you 
gain  experience  and  confidence  extend  your  apiary.  There  is 
one  point  ought  to  be  mentioned,  and  that  is  the  stock  ought 
to  be  one  that  had  swarmed  last  year,  and  the  swarm  from  a 
similar  stock. — Hybla. 
Dead  Larvae  at  Hive  Entranees. 
If  from  any  cause  some  colonies  have  been  induced  to  breed 
freely,  and  are  coirsequently  in  a  forward  condition,  they  will 
be  in  considerable  danger  should  a  spell  of  cold,  unseasonable 
weather  be  now  experienced,  and  through  lack  of  income  dead 
white  bees  wull  then  be  thrown  out  at  the  entrances.  This  may 
in  some  cases  also  be  caused  by  the  bees  having  to  crowd  to¬ 
gether  for  additional  warmth  until  they  are  unable  to  cover 
all  their  brood,  and  if  the  latter  is  then  chilled  it  is  thrown 
.out  similariy  to  when  there  is  a  scarcity  of  food. 
Such  a  state  of  things  should  not  be  allowed  to  happen,  and 
probably  will  not  in  a  well-regulated  apiary,  as  it  not  only 
throws  a  colony  back  in  the  production  of  young  bees,  but 
during  the  nursing  and  feeding  of  these  young  bees  considerable 
vitality  has  been  expended,  which  necessarily  shortens  the  lives 
of  the  old  workers.,  and  which  is  altogether  wasted.  Feeding 
should  then  never  be  neglected,  as  it  is  an  absolute  necessity  at 
such  times.  During  spring  the  expenditure  of  food  is  constant 
and  increasing,  and  if  the  income  from  natural  sources  is  “  nil” 
artificial  feeding  must  be  resorted  to  at  once  and  kept  up.  Much 
of  the  so-called  “  bad  luck  ”  of  bee-keepers  would  be  avoided 
if  more  attention  nas  paid  to  such  apparently  trivial  matters 
as  timely  feeding,  cleaning  floor  boards,  taking  note  of  the 
condition  of  colonies,  and  anticipating  their  wants,  Ac. 
As  a  rule,  it  hapiiens  that  some  colonies  in  an  apiary  may 
be  short  of  stores,  while  others  have  a  superabundance.  Where 
this  is  the  case  it  should  be  divided  amongst  those  in  want,  and 
if  a  little  is  uncapped  daily  it  will  stimulate  the  queen,  and  will 
be  found  much  better  than  giving  them  additional  food.  The 
heat  of  the  brood  chamlier  may  be  conserved  with  advantage 
and  ea.se  by  contracting  same  by  means  of  dummies  to  the  space 
actually  occupied  by  tlie  bees.  A  compact  brood  nest  goes  a 
long  way  towards  succe.ss  in  increasing  the  production  of  brood. 
Robbing  should  also  now  be  guarded  against.  Weak  stocks  are, 
as  a  rule,  the  victims,  and  during  spring  it  is  carried  on  so 
quietly  as  to  be  almost  imperceptible,  except  to  the  practised 
eye.  The  .spilling  of  syrup  about  the  hives,  or  leaving  feeders 
uncovered,  are  frequent  causes  of  robbing.  All  weak  colonies 
must  have  the  entrances  contracted  until  there  is  only  passage 
way  for  one  or  two  bees  at  a  time.  —  E.  E.,  Sandbach. 
- e  - 
*^*A11  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  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. 
WHAT  ARE  THE  QUICKER  GROWING  TREES  FOR 
SHELTER  BELTS  (Inquirer). — Of  deciduous  trees,  the  Moun¬ 
tain  Elm  (Ulmus  montana),  American  Winged  Elm  (Ulmus 
alata),  and  Huntingdon  Elm  (Ulmus  glabra  vegeta),  are  first 
rate,  also  the  Canadian  Poplar  (Populus  monilifera  syn.  P. 
canadensis) ;  of  evergreen  trees  the  Austrian,  Corsican,  and 
Scots  Pines  (Pinus  austriaca,  P.  laricio,  and  P.  sylvestris), 
the  Austrian  being  placed  in  the  outer  line. 
TWELVE  GOOD  AND  DIVERSIFIED  AQUATIC  PLANTS 
(G.  A.). — Nympha^a  Laydekeri  rosea,  N.  Marliacea  chromatella, 
N.  Marliacea  ignea,  N.  odorata  gigantea,  N.  odorata  rosea,  ancl 
N.  tuberosa,  these  requiring  2ft  depth  of  water  ;  Caltha  palustris 
fl.-pl.,  shallow  water  or  margin;  Aponogeton  distachyon,  1ft  to 
2ft  depth  of  water ;  Iris  p.seudo-acorus,  shallow  water  ;  Sagittaria 
japonica  fl.-pl.,  1ft  to  2ft  depth  of  water;  Pontederia  cordata, 
about  1ft  depth  of  water ;  and  Typha  latifolia,  2ft  depth  of 
water. 
WHAT  REASONS  MAY  BE  ASSIGNED  FOR  NARCISSI 
NOT  FLOWERING,  THOUGH  GROWING  FREELY,  THE 
Pl.ANTS  NOT  HAVING  BEEN  LIFTED  FROM  THE  YEAR 
BEFORE!-'  (E.  E.). — The  irsual  rea.son  is  that  of  the  bulbs  being 
overcrowded,  arising  from  their  multiplying.  In  such  case 
the  clumps  or  collections  should  be  lifted  when  the  foliage  has 
died  down,  say  in  July  or  August,  the  offsets  removed,  and  the 
larger  bulbs  planted  by  themselves  and  the  smaller  ones  or 
offsets  planted  separately.  If  the  ground  be  poor  it  should  be 
well  enriched,  but  not  excessively,  with  thoroughly  decayed 
manure,  mixing  well  with  the  soil,  or  preferably  afford  a  change 
of  soil  and  place.  Sometimes  non-flowering  is  due  to  an 
unfavourable  position,  such  as  dense  shade  of  overhanging  trees, 
or  even  that  of  buildings,  the  soil  being  too  dry  and  poor  for 
the  proper  iierfecting  of  the  growth,  and  the  formation  of  flower 
buds  in  embryo  in  the  bulbs. 
VINE  LEAVES  AND  BERRIES  FOR  EXAMINATION 
(H.  J.  P.). — As  no  letter  accompanied  the  specimens,  we  can 
only  give  the  result  of  the  examination,  the  leaves  having  a 
scorched  appearance,  though  there  are  traces  of  the  Vine  leaf 
spot  fungus  (Cercospora  viticola).  This  forms  dry,  irregular 
brown  spots  on  the  leaves,  and  is  most  abundant  during  a  damp 
season.  The  discoloration  extends  through  the  leaf,  and 
often  causes  the  foliage  to  have  a  browned  and  scorched 
appearance.  The  only  preventive  and  remedy  is  free  ventilation 
and  keeping  the  growths  thin,  so  that  they  have  full  exposure 
to  light  and  air.  This  is  also  the  preventive  of  scorching,  a 
little  air  being  left  on  constantly  at  the  top  of  the  house,  and 
the  ventilation  increased  early  in  the  morninu,  certainly  by  the 
time  the  sun  acts  powerfully  upon  the  house.  The  berries 
appear  rusted,  probably  by  allowing  the  temperature  to  be 
raised  considerably  by  the  sun’s  heat  in  the  morning,  and 
then  admitting  air  in  large  amount  suddenly.  There  is  no  trace 
of  disease  as  caused  bj"  fungus  pests ;  such  cases  often  residt 
from  fumes  of  sulphur,  this  being  on  the  hot  ivater  pipes,  and 
the  fumes  given  off  at  a  high  temperature. 
