276 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE.  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  17,  1903 
please  the  eye,  but  not  satisfy  the  palate.  When  the  roots  find 
due  supplies  of  liquid  the  trees  and  fruit  do  not  suffer,  but  a  rather 
drier  condition  of  the  atmosphere  is  beneficial  when  the  fruit  is 
ripening.  Some  soft  netting,  looped  up  in  small  pockets  to  pre¬ 
vent  the  fruits  bruising  each  other,  is  useful  to  save  any  fruits 
falling  through  ripeness.  Thin  the  shoots,  where  too  crowded. 
The  growths  that  have  borne  fruit,  not  being  extensions,  should, 
as  soon  as  the  fruit  is  gathered,  be  cut  out  to  a  successional  shoot 
at  the  base. — St.  Albans. 
S' 
m  BEE-KBKPER. 
1 
Driving  Bees. 
Autumn  is  the  time  when  driving  becomes  general.  The  usual 
object  of  the  practice  of  this  art  is  to  obtain  the  honey  Avithout 
destroying  the  bees.  It  is  only  necessary  to  drive  the  bees  AA  hen 
they  are  on  fixed  combs  as  in  skeps.  If  they  are  driven  at  the 
close  of  the  honey  harvest  they  may  be  utilised  by  forming  extra 
stocks  or  for  uniting  and  strengthening  weak  colonies.  When  it 
has  been  ascertained  that  the  bees  in  the  skeps  are  perfectly 
healthy, .it  is  better  to  put  them  on  ready  built  combs.  There  is, 
however,  no  need  to  join  more  than  two  lots  together  unless  they 
are  Aveak  ones.  By  the  time  it  is  necessary  to  unite  for  -AAi'inter, 
such’ a  colony  Avill  have  become  fairly  strong  AA'itli  fiA^e  ot'inox’e 
bars  of  bees  and  brood,  and  if  not  sufficiently  strong  to'  ivinter 
alone,  Avill  be  a  A’aluable  addition  to  a  AA’eak  ^oek. 
The  secret  of  succe.ss  in  drhdng  is  expressed  in  Langstroth’s 
principle  :  “  The  honey  bee-  Avhen  filled  Avith  honey  never  A’olun- 
teers  an  attack,  but  acts  solely  on  the  defen.sive.”  The  middle! 
of  a  fine  day  is  the  best  time  for  the  operation,  and  if  the  .skep  is 
left  on  the  old  stand  until  the  evening  all  the  flying  bees  AA'ill  be 
captured  AA’ithout  loss.  The  process  is  as  folloAvs : — Puff  a  little 
smoke  in  at  the  entrance  of  the  skep  Avhich  it  is  intended  to 
operate  upon,  and  AA-ait  a  feAA*  niinuteuS  to  give  the  bees  time  to 
gorge  themselves  with  honey.  Noav  gently  lift  the  luA^e  off  its 
stand  and  carry  it  a  feAA’  yards  aAvay  and  place  an  empty  skep 
on  the  stand  from  Avhich  the  colony  Avas  taken  to  catch  the  bees 
returning  from  the  fields  during  the  operation,  and  also  to  pre¬ 
vent  them  going  into  the  adjacent  liiA'es,  causing  fighting  and 
robbing. 
The  hive  to  be  driven  must  noAV'  be  placed  bottom  upAvards  in 
a  bucket,  aftei’Avards  placing  an  empty  skep  over  the  full  one 
and  attaching  them  at  the  junction  at  the  back.  The  ends  of  the 
comb  should  be  nearest  the  operator,  so  that  the  bees  can  run 
along  them  and  up  into  the  skeps  aboAm.  Thus  arranged,  there 
should  be  a  good  part  of  the  two  skeps  in  contact  at  the  back, 
over  which  the  bees  may  have  their  moA^ements  expedited  if 
they  are  disposed  to  linger  by  brushing  AA’ith  a  feather,  or  jarring 
the  hive  sufficiently  to  shake  the  clu.ster  till  it  breaks.  After 
smoking  and  properly  subduing,  there  is  no  danger  of  the  bees 
flying  during  the  process. 
In  driving  it  is  necessary  to  make  the  combs  vibrate  until 
the  bees  consider  them  untenable,  and  this  is  done  by  gently 
tapping  Avith  the  hands  the  loAver  hh^e,  and  in  a  fcAv  minutes  the 
bees  Avill  begin  to  run  into  the  upper  darkened  hive.  As  the  bees 
will  not  remain  in  the  iieAv  hive  Avithout  the  queen  the  driver 
must  keep  a  sharp  look  out  for  the  queen  as  she  runs  into  the 
top  .storey.  The  causes  of  failure  in  drivung  bees  are  generally 
cold,  the  absence  of  a  sufficiency  of  unsealed  food,  or  paucity  of 
bees. 
The  cold  deters  a  small  population  from  leaving  the  brood, 
and  bees  Avill  not  drive  until  gorged  Avitli  food,  the  absence  of 
which  unsealed  renders  them  stupid,  and  instead  of  running  out 
they  fly,  or  cling  to  the  combs;  and  a  small  population  makes  it 
possible  for  them  to  find  a  portion  of  the  hive  Avhere  the  vibra¬ 
tion  is  less  as  against  the  .sides  of  the  hives.  By  exciting  them 
or  warming  them  up,  they  may,  after  they  have  been  subdued  by 
smoking,  in  cold  Aveather  be  driven  by  sprinkling  on  the  bees  and 
combs  a  little  Avarm  syrup.  This  they  Avill  quickly  lick  up,  and 
they  may  be  driven  as  merrily  as  at  midsummer. — E.  E., 
Sandbach. 
Trade  Catalogues  Received. 
(leo.  Bunyard  and  Co.,  Ltd.,  Royal  Nurseries,  Maidstone. — Fruit  Trees. 
Clibrans,  Altrincham. — Carnations  and  Pansies. 
James  Cocker  and  Sons.  130.  I'nion  Street,  Aberdeen. — Bulbs. 
Thos.  Davies  and  Co.,  Wavertree.  Liverpool. 
J,R.  Pearson  and  Sons,  Chilwell  Nurseries,  LoAvdham,  Notts. — Hardy 
Fruits.  Roses. 
Pennell  and  Sons,  Lincoln  and  Grimsby. — Biilbs. 
Amos  Perry.  The  Hardy  Plant  Farm,  Winchmore  Hill,  London,  N. — 
Part  1,  Bulbs  and  Tubers  ;  fhirt  2,  Border  and  Rock  Plants. 
A.  W.  P.  Pike.  Llanishen,  Cardiff. — Carnations  and  Picotecs. 
Wm.  Sydenham,  TamAvorth. — Pansies,  Roses,  Chrysanthemums,  Car¬ 
nations,  Michaelmas  Daisies. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be  directed 
to  “The  Editor,”  12,  Mitre  Cox'rt  Chambers,  Fleet  Street, 
London,  E.C.  It  is  reipiested  that  no  one  Avill  Avritc  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  avc  only  undertake 
to  name  species,  or  well-marked  varieties,  and  only  six  on  any 
■  one  occasion. 
SPOTTED  VINE  LEAVES  (T,  T.).— Too  late  for  an  answer 
this  week  :  see  next  issue.  '  ' 
FLOWERS  IN  GREENWICH  PARK  (Wh  J.  M.).— We  will 
be  able'  to  u-e  some  of  the  notes  in  due  course. 
GOOSEBERRIES  UNHEALTHY  (A.  J.  S.)— We  think 
there  mast,  be  some  ether  reason  for  the  branches  dying.  The 
galvanised  netting,  Ave  presume,  does  not  touch  the  bushes,  but 
is  elevated  over  them;  and,  further,  if  this  netting  AA'as  the 
cause  of  the  injuiy  av©, should  scarcely  expect  the  Currants  to 
remain  healthy  in  the  ..same  quarter.  We  knoAv  of  Gooseberry 
bushes  that  liave.  been  covered  Avith  galvanised  Avire  netting 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  not  the  slightest  injury  has  resulted, 
the  netting  being  fixed  6ft  from  the  ground.  The  soil  is  perhaps 
too  hot  and  dry  for  Gooseberries,  and  Ave  should  mulch  it  in 
summer  to  retain  the  moisture. 
GRASS  SEEDS  FOR  RENOVATING  PERMANENT  PAS¬ 
TURE  (Robesten  Walthen). — The  most  likely  Gra.sse.s  to  suc¬ 
ceed  Avhere  there  is  great  drought  in  summer  and  heavy  rains 
in  Avinter  are  Festuca  duriuscula,  F.  ovina,  F.  rubra,  Cynosurus 
cristatus,  Dactylis  glomerata,  Lolium  perenne,  Poa  pratensis, 
Phleum  pratense,  Holcus  lanatus,  and  H.  mollis,  Avith  the  legu¬ 
minous  plants  Medicago  lupulina.  Trifolium  filiforme,  and  T. 
repens.  Of  CloA-ers  the  last-named  is  most  likely  to  succeed, 
and  of  it  Ave  .should  employ  41b  of  seed,  and  the  others  in  propor¬ 
tion  as  folloAvs  ; — Medicago  lupulina,  41b;  Festuca  rubra,  21b; 
Cynosurus  cristatus,  21b ;  Dactylis  glomerata,  Holcus  lanatus, 
H.  mollis,  Phleum  pratense,  and  Poa  pratensis  each  lib ;  Lolium 
perenne  being  employed  alone  A\ith  those  named  at  the  rate 
of  41b  per  acre,  or  2Hb  altogether  if  the  pasture  be  very  bare. 
If  the  situation  be  high  add  21b  of  Festuca  duriuscula,  and  11b 
of  Festuca  oA'ina. 
ASTER  PLANTS  DESTROYED  IN  THE  STEM  (D.  W.).— 
The  small  Avhite  insect  to  Avhich  you  allude'  as  eating  off  the  bark 
of  the  stem  aboA’e  the  surface  of  the  ground  Ave  did  not  discover, 
but  found  the  bark  present,  and  on  its  surface  a  delicate  AA'hite 
mould,  and  this  accorded  Avith  that  causing  sleeping  disease  in 
Tomatoes.  The  disease  is  knoAvn  as  Aster  sickness,  and  has  been 
attributed  to  attack  by  a  Avhite  Avorm,  termed  the  Aster  Avqrm 
(Enchytrseus  parvulus),  but  there  are'  many  cases  of  Aster  sick¬ 
ness  Avithout  the  presence  of  the  annelid,  Avhile  in  other  instances 
of  collapse  the  Avhite  Avorm  is  present  in  the  dead  tissues,  usually 
betAveen  the  bark  and  the  Avood,  hence  accompanies  rather  than 
induces  the  decay  of  the  root  stem.  We  consider  the  fungus  the 
cau.se  of  the  disease.  It  is  a  Fusarium.  The  fungus  attacks  the 
root-stem,  or  at  least  enters  the  plant  by  the  root,  young  plants 
suddenly  going  off  here  and  there,  and  frequently  the  plants  do 
not  succumb  until  Avell  advanced  for  floAvering  or  cAmn  coming 
into  bloom.  Steps  should  be  directed  to  destroying  the  fungus 
in  its  saprophytic  life  by  dressing  the  ground  Avith  lime  or  basic 
cinder  phosphate,  and  kainit.  If  the  ground  be  dressed  Avith 
basic  cinder  phosphate  11b  to  21b  per  square  yard,  and  6oz  to  12oz 
of  kainit  per  square  yard,  iu  the  autumn,  and  the  ground  Avell 
dug  and  forked  oA'er  in  spi’ing  once  or  tAvice  before  planting  time 
arrives,  it  is  seldom  that  the  plants  suffer  from  Aster  sickness. 
There  is  a  possibility,  hoAvever,  of  the  plants  being  infected 
in  the  seed  pan  or  pricking  out  box,  to  guard  against  Avhich  the 
soil  should  be  sterilised,  heating  to  ISOdeg  and  not  oA^er  212deg, 
or  mixing  Avith  the  compost  for  soAving  seed  or  pricking  off  lib  of 
a  mixture  of  eight  parts  basic  cinder  phosphate  and  three  parts 
kainit  to  281b  of  compost  some  time,  say  six  Aveeks,  in  advance 
of  soAving,  and  turning  once  or  tAvice  before  use.  Dressing  the 
ground  Avith  a  mixture  of  air-slaked  lime  and  soot  in  ecjual  parts 
by  measure,  applying  2 lb  of  the  mixture  per  square  yard  and 
forking  in  shortly  in  adAmnce  of  planting,  is  also  useful,  and  good 
against  predatory  animal  and  fungoid  pests. 
The  A’arieties  you  mention  are  relatiA^ely  Aveaker  in  constitu¬ 
tion  than  the  Victoria  and  Divarf  A'ai'ieties,  hence  more  siiscep- 
tible  to  contract  the  disease.  It  is  also  supposed  that  the  disease 
goes.  OA^er  Avith  the  seed,  but  on  this  point  opinions  differ,  and  no 
satisfactory  data  is  forthcoming. 
