July  23,  1903. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
89 
HE  BEE-KEEPER 
ii=J  •  !  •  I  -  L- 
. , .  I .  I  ■  I  - 1  .-n 
Care  of  Comb  Honey. 
As  so  much  depends  upon  the  appearance  of  honey  in  this 
form,  any  hint  towards  improving  it  is  very  valuable.  In  some 
cases  it  enables  the  bee-keeper  to  obtain  higher  prices  and  a  more 
rapid  sale  than  would  otherwise  be  possible.  To  procure  comb 
honey  in  the  best  condition  it  should  be  removed  from  the  hive 
as  soon  as  capped  over.  It  is  then  beautifully  white,  appetising, 
and  inviting.  When  it  is  allowed  to  remain  on  the  hives  a  longer 
period  the  cappings  become  darkened,  and  the  appearance  of  the 
section  is  consequently  injured.  After  remo^ung  from  the  hive 
they  must  have  all  the  propolis  scraped  off  them.  This  is  best 
done  by  a  glazier’s  knife,  care  being  taken  not  to  break  the  comb 
by  roughness,  or  the  leakage  caused  will  soon  spoil  its  appearance. 
If  it  is  desired  to  keep  the  honey,  each  section  must  be 
wrapped  up  carefully  and  neatly  in  paper,  and  then  stored  in  a 
cupboard,  preferably  near  the  fireplace  or  somewhere  where  the 
temperature  is  about  90deg  or  above.  After  being"  in  a  position 
of  this  kind  for  some  time  it  thickens  the  honey,  and  gives  the 
section  a  fine  appearance,  instead  of  the  unattractive  look  which 
it  gets  in  a  cellar  or  other  cold  places.  At  a  low  temperature 
water  condenses  on  the  surface  of  the  comb,  making  it  appear  less 
palatable,  and  should  it  freeze  it  will  crack  the  combs,  and  the 
honey  will  run  all  over  the  surface. 
Should  any  sections  be  discoloured  by  travel  stains,  they  may, 
by  exposing  them  to  the  direct  rays  of  sunlight,  be  whitened  in 
some  cases,  which  will  improve  them  considerably.  There  are, 
however,  different  kinds  of  stains  on  sections,  the  most  common 
being  propolis,  and  the  above  mentioned  bleaching  process  will 
with  perseverance  usually  suffice.  From  one  to  three  days  ex¬ 
posure  is,  as  a  rule,  sufficient.  The  use  of  new  foundation  in  the 
body  boxes  also  obviates  travel  stains  to  a  great  extent. 
Of  course,  if  the  honey  flow  can  be  timed  properly,  and  the 
sections  placed  above  a  very  powerful  colony,  rapid  comb  build¬ 
ing,  storing,  and  sealing  is  accomplished.  All  these  things,  by 
assisting  in  the  early  removal  of  the  honey,  and  reducing  the 
traffic  over  the  surface  of  the  comb,  add  eventually  to  the  beauty 
of  the  section  ;  and,  as  regards  minimising  the  use  of  propolis, 
an  excess  of  it  will  be  avoided  if  the  section  rack  is  properly 
fitted  up,  i.e.,  all  the  sections  fitted  closely  and  evenly  together, 
and  then  firmly  wedged  from  the  ends.  This  makes  it  almost 
impossible  for  the  bees  to  find  crevices  to  glue  up,  and  saves  need¬ 
less  trouble  to  the  apiarist. — E.  E.,  Sandbach. 
Honeydew. 
It  is  many  years  ago  since  first  I  heard  of  this  substance. 
Whilst  talking  to  a  friend  on  profitable  rural  pursuits,  bee-keeping 
cropped  up.  About  that  time  there  had  been  a  run  of  bad 
honey  seasons  in  his  locality,  and  this  he  accounted  for  by  saying 
that  there  had  been  but  few  “  honeydews  ”  during  that  time. 
Before  that  conversation  I  had  never  heard  of  these  wonderful 
dews,  which  had,  for  so  long,  proved  such  a  blessing  (?)  to  the  bee¬ 
keeper.  I  smiled  to  myself,  not  believing  there  was  such  a  thing 
in  existence.  Now  I  am  convinced  he  did  not  know  what  the 
liquid  w'as.  Very  shortly  afterward  I  read  a  very  able  article  on 
the  subject  in  a  bee  journal. 
What  is  Honeydew  ? — It  is  a  sparkling  substance  made  by 
the  aphis  (green  fly),  which  in  so  many  ways  causes  trouble  in 
our  gardens.  When  nectar  is  scarce  the  bees  gather  and  store 
it.  Very  often  it  is  .so  plentiful  that  it  drops  from  the  trees  like 
a  slight  shower  of  rain.  It  is  a  cloudy,  sooty-looking  sticky 
liquid.  When  stored  it  is  fairly  easy  to  detect  if  the  sections 
and  frames  be  held  between  the  observer  and  a  strong  light.  A 
few’  summers  ago  I  had  been  invited  to  view  a  gentleman’s 
large  kitchen  garden.  The  head  gardener  w’as  engaged  in  taking 
off  the  supers  from  a  hive.  Being  asked  to  express  an  opinion 
on  the  quality  of  the  honey,  the  peculiar  and  unusual  colour 
attracted  my  attention  at  once.  As  I  had  never  seen  honeydew’ 
until  then  I  hesitated  to  give  an  opinion.  Having  tasted  it  and 
noticed  the  sooty  taste  and  look  I  was  confident  that  this  vile 
substance  had  been  gathered.  It  is  often  found  during  a  dry 
season  when  east  winds  have  been  prevalent. — Hybla. 
Bee-keepers  Liament. 
Many  of  our  friends  who  neglected  autumn  feeding  and  a 
spring  peep  into  the  hives,  have  now’  great  cause  for  sorrow.  On 
every  hand  w’e  hear  that  stocks  have  perished  for  lack  of  food. 
A  few’  evenings  ago  I  went  among  my  cottager  neighbours  to 
make  arrangements  for  the  purchase  of  a  few  early  swarms. 
Everyone  of  them  had  the  same  tale  to  tell,  either  “we  shall 
require  all  our  sw’arms,  because  we  have  lost  so  ynany  stocks,”  or 
“  we  don’t  think  we  shall  have  any  swarms,  our  hives  are  so 
weak.” 
One  man,  who  has  reached  the  great  age  of  fourscore  years, 
is  gtill  active,  and  takes  a  lively  intere.st  in  bees,  told  me  that 
he  has  never  known  such  a  disastrous  season.  How  can  we  best 
make  good  our  losses?  To  think  of  profit  under  such  conditions 
is  entirely  out  of  the  question.  Feed  w’ell  for  a  little  time  with 
syrup  made  of  about  lib  of  white  sugar  to  a  pint  of  water,  boiling 
it  for  a  few  minutes,  and  .stir  to  prevent  it  being  burnt.  The 
bees  will  w’ell  repay  this  outlay.  The  other  day  I  examined  a 
stock  of  bees,  and  they  were  on  the  verge  of  starvation,  for  there 
W’as  not  more  than  a  teaspoonful  of  liquid  in  the  whole  hive.  The 
bees  had  given  up  brood  raising.  That  same  night  I  gave  them 
some  syrup  and  examined  the  hive  in  two  days’  time  and  found 
that  the  queen  had  laid  a  surprising  number  of  eggs.  If  w’e  wish 
to  increase  our  stocks  when  the  hives  are  fairly  strong,  then  w’e 
must  resort  to  artificial  sw’arming.  For  the  sake  of  those  not 
acquainted  with  the  art  I  will  explain  briefly  : 
ABC 
Suppose  A  and  B  are  strong  stocks.  Choose  a  bright  day, 
when  the  bees  are  out  foraging.  Take  some  combs,  say  .six,  con¬ 
taining  brood  and  eggs,  from  A.  Brush  off  all  the  bees.  Place  the 
combs  closely  together  in  a  new  hive,  cover  up  warmly,  putting 
the  new  hive  in  the  place  of  the  strong  stock  B,  and  remove  B  to 
stand  C.  Thus  one  hive  provides  brood  and  eggs  and  another  the 
bees.  The  bees  will  set  to  work  to  raise  a  queen.  In  this 
manner  w’e  may  raise  up  good  stocks  ready  for  a  fresh  start  next 
year. 
One  w’ord  of  warning,  and  I  w’ill  bring  this  brief  note  to  a 
close.  Many  w’ill  advise  you  to  add  some  hurtful  ingredient  to 
the  syrup  which  is  believed  to  cure  foul  brood  arul  prevent  it, 
but  the  man  has  yet  to  be  found  w’ho  knows  of  a  case  where  it  has 
had  the  desired  effect. — Hybla. 
WOKK.fo^™eWEEK.. 
Hardy  Fruit  Garden. 
YOUNG  FRUIT  TREES.— Trees  in  the  open  and  against 
walls,  planted  ill  autumn  or  spring,  should  now  be  making  good 
progress,  and  mo.st  probably  w’ill  require  attention  in  w^atering, 
mulching,  stopping  shoots,  training  and  regulating.  When  the 
trees  are  growing  in  dry  positions,  and  there  follows  a  period  of 
protracted  dry  weather,  which  is  often  the  case  about  this  time, 
the  trees  may  suffer.  It  is  also  possible  for  them  to  feel  the 
effects  of  dryness  even  during  a  showery  time,  when  the  soil  is 
so  light  and  drv  that  moisture  quickly  drains  aw’ay.  An 
experienced  cultivator  will  quickly  notice  the  growth,  judging 
from  that  whether  the  progress  made  is  satisfactory  or  not.  A 
strong  and  rampant  growth  is  not  so  desirable  as  shoots  produced 
of  medium  strength,  as  by  the  latter  it  w’ill  be  seen  roots  are 
being  formed  of  a  fibrous  character,  hence  sufficient  moisture  has 
been  found  up  to  this  point.  To  preserve  it  still  longer  the  trees 
should  have  a  mulch  of  manure.  In  applying  w’ater  give  a  copious 
supply  so  as  tO'  reach  below  the  roots,  but  do  not  give  liquid 
manure  to  young  trees  that  are  only  making  w’ood,  unless 
growth  should  be  of  a  weak  and  unsatisfactory  character,  when 
a  stimulant  might  improve  it.  When  the  soil  has  been 
thoroughly  moistened,  spread  over  it  as  far  as  the  roots  extend  a 
layer  of  manure,  which  ivill  act  as  a  conserver  of  moisture,  and 
render  further  waterings  less,  if  not  wholly,  unneces-sary.  Having 
given  adequate  attention  to  the  roots,  examine  growth,  and 
endeavour  to  equalise  it  for  the  benefit  of  the  trees.  In  bushes 
and  standards  weakly  growths  may  be  removed  and  overgrown 
shoots  shortened  back'.  Trained  trees  on  walls  mnst  be  treated 
according  to  the  manner  of  their  growth,  training  out  in  a  free 
manner  all  those  which  produce  fruit  on  current  year  wood,  while 
specimens  of  restricted  form  must  have  the  side  shoots  duly 
stopped  leaving  several  good  leaves  at  the  base,  which  induce 
the  formation  of  fruit  buds.  Regulate  and  space  out  mam  shoots 
or  branches,  so  that  the  secondary  and  minor  growths  may  have 
ample  room  for  proper  development.  In  addition,  insects  must  be 
kept  down  by  occasional  vigorous  syringing,  applying  in¬ 
secticides  to  suppress  severe  attacks. 
SUMMER  PRUNING  ESTABLISHED  APPLES  AND 
PEARS — Large  espalier,  bush,  and  other  restricted  trees  have 
now  sufficiently  completed  their  summer  growth  of  shoots  as  to 
permit  of  the  annual  shortening  back  of  the  foreright  shoots  of 
wall  trees,  and  the  side  growths  of  trees  and  bushes  m  the  open 
Too  early  .shortening  may  result  in  the  vigorous  growth  of  fresh 
wood,  and  the  probable  starting  of  the  eyes  at  the  base,  it  being 
desirable  that  these  remain  dormant,  or  rather  plump  up,  but 
not  burst  into  growth,  which  will  destroy  their  chance  of  becom¬ 
ing  fruit  buds.  The  shortening  of  the  summer  shoots  may  be 
carried  out  at  the  fourth  to  sixth  leaf.  The  weaker  growths  may 
