| 
25—1846.] 
THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 
£07 
the Polmaise principle of causing a rapid current of air 
to be incessantly sweeping over the heated surface (S), 
will partly compensate the defective conducting power of 
air, by assisting its carrying or distributive power, and 
bringing its particles with greater frequency to the source 
of heat. But other means also are required to place the 
Polmaise method onan equal footing with the hot water 
system in economising or utilising heat. To accomplish 
id for 
may be used for collecung a part of them mto the hive, 
by inverting it, if only one-third of them. can be collected 
therein, then turning it down, and speedily but gently 
collecting the remainder with the spoon, emptying them 
upon a board near the edges of the hive, they will 
speedily enter ; let them remain until the evening,when 
they may be removed to their permanent situation.— 
B. Savage, Swaffham, Norfolk. 
Fraudulent Seedsm 
this appears to me the chief, if not only d o; 
perfecting this method of heating by.means cf air stoves, 
ut it must involve some departure from the simplicity 
of arrangement adopted at Polmaise, on the ground 
that that arrangement does not present sufficient sur- 
face for the heat to be diffused over and for the air to act 
upon. Extending the heating surface, by including the 
flue of the stove in the arrangement for heating the 
Current, of air, offers, perhaps, the readiest and most 
Available means for effecting the desired end. In my 
Communication, already alluded to, I brought under 
Notice a plan for’ this purpose, originally proposed by 
your correspondent “ Lusor.” Mr. Sherer’s plan, de- 
Seribed inthe Chronicle,seems also to have thesame object 
in view, by causing the current after leaving the stove 
to traverse the flue before entering the house, A plan 
the converse of this would be found very effective, by 
Connecting a cold drain with the end of the flue furthest 
rom the stove, and causing the current to traverse it 
hefore reaching the stove and obtaining its maximum 
temperature. And other combinations of a similar 
Nature might be easily devised —J. H. H., B—h. 
Bees.—The following account will show that in this 
art of England (South Wilts) bees, after their “ strike 
or fine weather," have commenced working “long 
hours.” 
Table of the Weights of several Hives, beginning with September. 
J give the Nos. as they stand in my own List. 
E E EE 
Remarks. 
-|35 | 85 | 193) 27 Allow in each 
3 z 26% 223| case ol, 
Mixohd.. .. 4 s as | 26 | 213| 431bs., secured 
14. .|Favourable... 20}| to the bottom 
April 1. . .Unfavourable 
n.— Iam really rejoiced tosee some 
symptoms of compassionate interest ifesting them- 
deners’ best friends. By-and-by, when the larvze are 
destroyed or changed into chrysalises, the birds will no 
doubt return to the gardens and ask for payment of 
their services in some small portion of the good: things 
which, were it not for their assistance, we should never 
have had at all. I hope all gentlemen will forbid the 
destruction of birds in their gardens ; they are all more 
or less useful. The least so, perhaps, to the gardener are 
some of the Fringillidze, |the bullfinches, greenfinches, 
ld&ncl 
selves towards us miserable victims, in your hitherto 
hard heart. You have at last been brought to confess 
that you are now much inclined to thunder your wrath 
upon a culprit: good. Do it, and you shall have a 
monument as a memorial of your worth. But, in sober 
sadness, I could unfold, not one tale, but a folio full of 
the most barefaced rogueries which have, within these 
last'two seasons, been perpetrated on myself and others, 
which would startle your editorial senses ; and I be 
lieve you will agree with me that the time has arrived, 
from the increased impetus now given to florieulture by 
your manful battling to the death the glass fraud, to cut 
up, root and branch, the dishonest traffickers and 
puffers in the seed and flower trade. There should he, 
there really must be, something more than the old- 
fashioned advice given of never dealing a second time 
with a man who has cheated you, &e. &c. For my 
own part I shall willingly become one of a club or so- 
ciety (if such a society could be formed) and go to the 
utmost extent of my means in creating a fund to enable 
the society at all cost, to expose by name every party 
practising frauds on flower growers in the sale of seeds 
and plants untrue to name, &e. &e. There will be no 
resistance made to this by the respectable tradesmen, 
for it will of necessity insure to them their merited 
proportion of patronage, while it will drive to the devil 
all those who long since should have gone to him. This 
is warm ; but it will out. I have now lying beside me 
a list of names—insignificant puffers in the Chronicle, 
who have played not only myself, but very many other 
of my friends, the most barefaced and impudent tricks 
that it is possible, and just possible, only for the veriest 
rogue in Christendom to conceive ; and I must think 
in | some very straightforward steps should be set on foot 
without delay to check this daily inereasing evil. The 
di t experienced is one of the greatest 
E] 19}| of the hive for 
x, 2: Ditto «iesus 22 | 284) 183] 184) convenience i 
May1. .jAbout half lost| — | | weighing. 
time ..++.e++| 21] 222] 188] 191/No. 5 occasion- 
[Mostly dry -..-| 22] 22 | 133| 189) ally 1 
Extra fine... 32 | 324 F 4| Jan, to May 21. 
10. .|Seven good, two 
449 
Honey-dew very 
25}| 301| prevalent from. 
fine d |48 | 261 32 | May 29. 
med on the 5th of June. No 2 swarmed, but re- 
turned to the parent hive on the 11th. This will account for 
eS small increase when compared with No.3. The increase 
P * the last mentioned day is from the same morning, and not 
Jom the previous evening. N uring the week ending 
June 6th, increased 153 Ibs., and, as can be seen in the annexed 
Table, 3h1bs, on June 11th. 
fter an unusually bad spring the present season has 
become one of considerable promise, The inquiry is 
made at pago 373, “ Has any one had a swarm from a 
Second swarm of the previous year so eatly as to dis- 
Prove Huber’s statement?" My first swarm of 1844 
Swarmed twice—on July 3d and again on July 15th. I 
Saved all three for stock hives. Drones appeared in the 
rst maiden swarm on May 27th, in the second 
Swarm on May 26th, and in the parent hive on 
May 22d. The parent stock swarmed on May 23d, the 
Second swarm on June 10th, and the first swarm on 
June llth. In two of the above cases the queens 
Must have been less than 10 months old when the drone 
eggs were produced, for, of course, the old hive and 
second swarm must have been upon an equal footing 
with respect to the age of their sovereign lady,” a fact 
which must not be overlooked. The reason why 
Second swarms produce late swarms, I take to be some- 
thing ery different from the age of the queen. In 
1843, in more respects than one an extraordinary bee 
Season, the whole of my hives produced an autumn 
brood of drones, in some cases more than a month 
after the first slaughter. With respect to the time of 
ey cumming after the first appearance of the drones, 
hen, much depends upon the room in the stock 
Ives, have known bees swarm on the first 
day that the drones appeared, and I have known 
+ delay of 23 days. ‘The average time for the 
Years 1843.4-5 has been with me, 12} days. This 
Average could, I think, be reduced several days, by dis- 
Busing with nadired hives, and always saving heavy 
hoe of middling size. Hives, though, are not always 
bens During the past five years, the period of time 
d ween the first and second swarms, has been 11$ 
Ws Minimum, six days. Maximum, 17 days.— 
ot du. After 44 years’ experience, the month of May 
th FUA year has been the most productive of homey in 
s long period, Swarms,too,are now, and have been 
A Ber in size than usual; they have filled their hives in 
p Very short time, and have stored them with honey of 
jESnior flavour; the remunerators and additional 
glasses being well filled previous to swarming, and in all 
Probability the second flights or casts, where they are 
ane will insure good stocks fer the following season. 
s auld the weather continue fine, additional space 
seed be given immediately to stocks which have not 
eed, either by glasses upon the tops of them, or by 
ned es method, First swarms of this year 
atic d have great attention paid to them to insure an 
Undantstock. Swarms should be secured into hives 
430 
45 
2g 
ze 
B 
ub of a tree, or between its branches or boughs, and 
Annot be shaken into the hive, a large silver table-spoon 
g 
drawbacks to, I may say, some thousands as passion- 
ately devoted to floriculture, as you or I can be, in pro- 
secuting to the extent they desire this pursuit ; and 
hence the justly intentioned tradesman is injured, and 
a vast mass of pleasure marred, through an evil which 
I must think it is greatly in your power to prevent. 
Permit me to ask the question, whether, if you had placed 
in your hands unequivocal evidence of the dishonesty of 
one of your advertising parties, you think it would 
not be doing some justice to the thousands of amateur 
florists, who take in and rely almost altogether on 
your Paper, not to allow this disreputable dealer to 
continue his advertisements-in your columns? I am 
sure that whilst taking the liberty of proposing this 
question, I can anticipate your reply. [Our reply 
is, “give us the proof.”] I am aware of the difficul- 
ties which the laws of libel and defamation may present, 
since many a fellow without a character has gained a 
good one, and costs to boot, by being called a rogue. 
Hence a club must be beyond that of Hercules to knock 
down the hydra-headed monsters it would have to deal 
with. But if the case could not be so openly dealt with as 
might be wished, yet I have an idea that numbers might, 
at a very trifling cost, associate themselves together, and 
through a central board have intelligence soon circu- 
lated of all persons who had dealt dishonestly with any 
member. Five shillings a year from each party thus 
might prove a protection against a fraud to 50 times 
that amount. You, perhaps, might suggest something 
more effective — Timon, 
Tomtits.— Reasons why they should not be shot or 
poisoned with mutton suet and nux vomica :—A pair of 
the great tit (Parus major) baying built their nests in 
the hole of a wall on my premises, which was conve- 
niently situated for observation, I took the opportunity 
of satisfying myself of the nature and quantity of food 
with which they supplied their young. The nest con- 
tained seven young ones, which were about a fortnight 
in becoming full grown and feathered. Other impor- 
tant engagements prevented my watching them at all 
parts of the day, but I found from the mean of a series 
of observations that the old birds brought food for their 
young once in every three minutes. The food was in- 
variably a bright green caterpillar, and allowing three 
hours (at the very lowest) of the day for feeding, this 
single nest consumed every day 200 caterpillars ; my 
own opinion is, that considerably more than these were 
consumed in the 24 hours, besides those taken by the 
old ones. Macgillivray, in his work upon British birds, 
relates the result of an observation upon the food 
brought by a pair of thrushes (Turdus musicus), and if 
my memory serves me right, for I. have not the work 
by me, they fed their young 230 times in the day, from 
three o'clock in the morning till six at night. Taking, 
however, my estimate of 200 caterpillars in the day, my 
nest of tits consumed in the fortnight 2800 of these de- 
structive larvee, and if we allow the old ones 20 a day 
each it makes the sum total 3360. Now, supposing the 
tit occasionally feeds upon Peas or buds, let me ask 
any unprejudiced observer of these matters whieh 
would do the most harm in a fortnight nine tits or 3360 
caterpillars ? Depend upon it that in recklessly destroy- 
ing our insectivorous birds, we not only commit an act 
of unnecessary cruelty, but we are extirpating the gar- 
| 
&e., and yet the two Jatter certainly feed 
their young with caterpillars and perfect insects ; and if 
the bullfinch, the most injurious of any bird to the-fruit 
trees, does destroy our buds in spring, we ought to con- 
sole ourselves with the fact that by. invariably taking 
the fruit-bud and leaving the Jeaf-bud untouched, the 
health and vigour of the tree is unimpaired, whereas 
the caterpillar destroys the leaves, and thus kills the 
tree entirely.— C. R. Bree, Stowmarket. 
Miscellaneous.—In reply to “ R. C." you say you 
never heard that hedgehogs could resist poison. I 
believe such to be the case. A few years back the ex- 
periment.was tried and published. Firstly on rabbits 
with strychnine, one grain causing death in a very short 
time. On a domesticated hedgehog it produced no 
effect, used in quantities; and large doses of corrosive 
sublimate were also tried without effect. At Hard- 
wick Hall the gardeners have planted Box to fill up the 
bottom of the old fences ; it has completely filled them 
up, looks beautiful, and has formed a complete barrier 
to rabbits, I should think it is a far preferable mode 
to the wire fences lately spoken of in your columns. 
“Moorland Willie” last year spoke of a sort of Mackin- 
tosh for the garden in time of drought ; the hint has 
led me to cover some of my Carnations which are in 
pots (and the soil becoming baked on the surface from 
frequent waterings), with dried Moss, with the greatest 
success, those so covered taking quite the lead of the 
others, the soil always being moist when the others are 
dry, with one-third of the water the others get.——1 
have in my garden a large Sweetbrier (double flower- 
ing) T never have shown it without surprise being 
expressed, especially by a nurseryman last week, which 
has led me to ask, is it uncommon ? - [No.]—I see in your 
last number that Burnettised cloth, like all others, be- 
comes rotten by exposure to weather. Common cap 
paper will not ; it will stand wind and weather, and is 
quite transparent. I use it as a covering for Carna- 
tions, &c., tacking it on the roof through tape, and I 
think it improves with age. I use } oz. bees’ wax to 
1 pint of boiled oil. It is cheap and efficient. — J. 
Seotitttts. 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Tur Skcowp Great Exuipition of the season took 
place in the garden at Chiswick on Saturday last; and 
was searcely inferior to the grand display in May. The 
day was all that could be desired, although the 
garden was somewhat parched by the Jate dry wea- 
ther. The exhibition was inspected by Ibrahim 
Pacha, who appeared to be highly gratified with the 
scene. In large collections of 40 stove and green- 
house plants there was no competition; Mr. Robertson, 
gr. to Mrs, Lawrence, being the only exhibitor. In 
this group were several matchless specimens of first- 
rate cultivation ; indeed, nothing inferior to those pro- 
duced by the same exhibitor in May. ` At the back 
stood à Clerodendron fallax, with 7 large spikes of 
scarlet flowers, and on either side noble plants of Ste- 
phanotis floribunda, especially one nearly 6 ft. in height, 
loaded with bloom. Supporting these again were Erica 
metuleflora bicolor, a splendid plant, covered with a 
profusion of red and white tubes ; Clerodendrons pani- 
culatum and fallax, and a fine Statice macrophylla. Tm 
the same collection were also Phzenocoma proliferum, 
4 ft. through, and as much in height, exceedingly well 
grown, but scarce of flowers ; and near it another of 
the same species, equally good. Associated with these 
were Epacris grandiflora, and large pushes of Coleo- 
nema pulelirum, and Pimelea decussata. In front were 
Manettia cordifolia, 43 ft. high, and as much through, 
profusely covered with red blossoms, which contrasted 
well with the deep green foliage ; the well-known and 
generally well-grown Leschenaultia formosa, 18 inches 
in height and 2feet in diameter ; a small Erica. gemmi- 
fera; Pimelea. decussata, a depressed bush finely in 
flower; Clerodendron Ræmpferi, with one strong spike 
rising about 18 inches above the ample dark-green 
leaves; Statice arborea, with seven spikes of bloom, 
together with a rather bare Leschenaultia Baxteri ; 
and a small Ixora coccinea, with eight gaudy clusters 
of scarlet flowers. Along with these were two plants of 
ventricosa coccinea minor ; Azalea Danielsiana, in good 
condition, considering the season 5 Cyrtoceras reflexum, 
with numerous bunches of pale green and lemon-coloured 
flowers ; two tolerably good plants of Rondeletia spe- 
ciosa; a neat Eriostemon buxifolium ; Erica Caven- 
dishii, measuring 21 feet in height and as much through; 
and Tabernzemontana coronaria, a plant not often seen 
" Ben 
leaves and handsome yellow-eyed snow-whitef 
the same group with these were Ixora 
grandiflora, 5 fect in height and 4 fee 
fine bush of Erica tricolor elegans ; Cle 
a small Azalea variegata, pretty well bi 
spicua nana; a ba bloomed blue 
Boronia denticulata, in fine condition, fie 
in height and as much in diameter ; afi a 
chenaultia formosa, 2 feet through ahd 
height, with its branches hanging gracefullyOver 
Collections of 20 plants were contributed by N 
