THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



5 







be prep« r 

 feet :n 



inche 



three 

 an 



— — m . „uhrirkwork, sav from thi 



1 with f0U K in K^ht need not be more th-» 

 diameter, the he.gh need ^ 



n inches, and some na bar of ^ .^ a ^ 

 f«PP? rtt E ts a Irge 'quantity of turf. 



' s,ze . 



to roa 



turf, even from the most 



hire 



mcicu. - - r that turr, even **"»• — — - 

 "*° a , t0 •, he rendered by fire-heat thus .pphed, 



soils, w 



^tire ■*«-. -^ De r f pot .compost for most plants. 

 firht and porous, ana u 

 \ flictrs, Jun. 



BEES.— No. I. . , 



rnhhett "are of great use m a house, 

 " B» !E Sv the wax, and the swarms that they 



m 



p^^^K? |S^ all that I can say is 1 have 



^^^^n^ ^\aen 9 eS P eciallj th ° Se ° f 

 mni icen that tning endeavour to gain a 



Kd& concern th f 



t^rSS lie g rdeneV-to whom I address my remarks 

 !lSS I «eft with confidence, dispose of an hour or 

 J^K in a more lucrative way than in managing an 

 2A Whilst the gardener is being taught how to make 

 * .% ^^oanavera^ofhisBees theamateurtoo, I trust 

 ii e« n how to obtain a plentiful supply of honey and 

 Se^omb. The only objection that can be raised to the 

 |ZL of Bees is that they extract the quin escence ot 

 fleers, and thereby impoverish or rather lessen the 

 <iiiDiiiT of batter. I knew an old parsimonious farmer 

 who was so fully convinced that Bees impoverished his 

 fclfe, that he trod to death all that he could put Ins feet 

 on. However, it is questionable whether Bees do diminish 

 the quantity of butter ; indeed, there are only one or two 

 flowers which cows eat that Bees collect honey from. 

 [Tn is old farmer was a monstrous blockhead.] 



1 -jgh Bees can be managed properly without a know- 

 ledge of the conformation of their heads, trunks, and 

 abdomens; yet it is indispensably necessary to know 

 eotne of their habits, or points connected with their his- 

 tory, which I shall now notice. In almost every hive there 

 tre at certain seasons of the year a queen or female, 

 -drones, males, and neuters, or Bees without sex. A 

 <jueen-bee is 14 days in being hatched — takes the drone 

 on from the first to the fifth day after she is hatched — 

 begins to lay on the 10th day from the time she is fecun- 

 dated— lives four years, generally speaking — and is, as her 

 name implies, monarch of the hive. Neuters, or 

 working Bees, are 21 days in being hatched— do all 

 the drudgery of the hive— are loyal subjects, but have 

 neither an hereditary nor an, absolute monarchy— and 

 ere miserable, and work but little when they have not a 

 <}ueen either reigning or in embryo. Bees'-eggs are 

 transmutable ; that is to say, either females, males, or 

 neuters may be obtained from them at the option of the 

 anianan. ' 



The //f^.-WTiat I lately said on the superiority of 



urge niTe* is, I am sure, more than sufficient to induce 



all kema.tr r, to keep their Bees iu large hives ; but as 



•ome .ay that .once calling does not always awake 



e shooia h aS \ am . anxious that this small tre*. 



i ti eW ? C ° mplete ^ itSelf ' l shal1 here *™> 



"« t heir" LZl' ° h lh3t Bee - b00k wth °" ™ ld 



to find o how L P °T rS ° r try «P«™eot. in order 

 *ill ever VlZ T hl? ? on * ht t0 bc ! No P^son 

 to laS l Sfl L^_ a , ^*» can £ and 



size I recommend for first or top swarms is from 20 inches 

 to 24 inches wide, and from 12 inches to 15 inches deep ; 

 for second swarms about 1 8 inches wide, and 12 inches deep. 

 The earliest swarms ought to be put into the largest hives. 

 At page 116 of his "Honey-Bee," Dr.Bevan says, that hives 

 24 inches wide and 15 deep, are too large for any system 

 of Bee culture, but he does not assign a reason why they 

 are too big. If he had had a hive even 15 inches wide, 

 he would never have recommended boxes 10 inches wide. 

 I do not say that the largest size I recommend is the 

 standard ; for I am unable to say how many eggs a Queen 

 Bee lays, but she lays enough to keep the combs of that 

 size well filled with brood. Though it is impossible to 

 prevent a superabundance of eggs ^at all times, yet the 

 object which you ought to aim at is to let the Bees have 

 plenty of accommodation, in order that there may be as ■ 

 few supernumerary eggs as possible. I have been very 

 prolix on this point, in order to remove the fostered pre- 

 judice and long-cherished opinions which so mightily pre- 

 vail and retard the progress of Bee-management. — 

 A. Pettigrew, Wrotham Park, Middlesex. 



{To be continued.) 



cease 



the number of nerltJ,^ ^ *? hM C ° ntr ° l 0Ver 



e ogs . Very well. Let us show with 



an all hives 



eeping Bees in 



•«» Bees, take the nL * ** three hives ful1 of combs 

 •»»!• »Mther ,h« thT T tW ° 0f them > P lace one 



*«wer);c,,t oat of h, P thr ° Ugh UoIes ( sil incl '« in 



*"" "'I be a, weuTl L lit, l *! COmbs of the three 

 «* lb. e g » 8 f tl, eenten A°° d "" ''"* Were before 

 [*•«■• to ewhwee Zl A " equa "y decUive «P e - 



•"perficu! fcj n "col ^V" fr ° m a hive containing !> 

 ! ad ^e queen o T\^ P utl ? to °«e containing 27ft., 



2! "'" be « -el fiJtaUi rtt tha ] the coraba °f ^e lar S e 

 t? ge ,00k Plae 1 1""? d as 'W "ere before the 

 ^"P'gMUft^^Sto Huber," says Dr. 



** nl 7 1«J» about lo Vftn Hoae y Bee, 



*- *» celebrated '!! ° SS l n two "Mth.."^^"' 



M a queen ordi- 



conti- 



con 



■o at the* 



. . sed that 

 e ggs_every two months : she 



*»<».. or C 

 feet nf »f^i_ a 7 ln S»" into a hive containing 



S^^4ftS£ to 0f P?^ « swarm or two 



* Home Correspondence. 1 



Summer Pruning. — About two years or 18 months ago 

 there were a good many notices in the Chronicle of a plan 

 of summer-pruning, by half breaking the new shoots, 

 which was stated to be very beneficial, as throwing into 

 fruit-buds those below the part broken. Now, on the 

 whole, my experience is against this practice; the break- 

 ing the branch in July stops the deposit of the returning 

 sap, and swells and enlarges the buds of the shoots beyond 

 the fracture ; and for two years I have observed that the 

 best bloom-buds were made on the extremity of the shoot, 

 so that I have retained the branch unpruned. With this 

 subject is connected summer-pruning, and I have long 

 waited for some detailed instructions on this important 

 head. There is no one subject more difficult, and on 

 which such, contradictory instructions are to be found. — 

 Tolly. 



On Summer-pruning Fruit-trees. — If we take into con- 

 sideration the physiological fact, that by the agency of 

 leaves the gases extracted from the atmosphere by those 

 organs, and the juices drawn from the earth by the roots 

 are mixed, assimilated, and rendered subservient to the 

 tree, thereby increasing its growth and perfecting its fruit, 

 the question arises — is summer pruning beneficial or in- 

 jurious ? A few words on this point. Admitting, then, 

 that the leaves are the agents by which the juices of the 

 tree are prepared to enter into its system, to take part in 

 the various economy of life and the reproduction of its 

 species, it is clear that by removing those leaves we diminish 

 the resources of the tree. Now, in summer pruning, 

 we remove at least one third of the leaves of the tree sub- 

 jected to the operation, and Nature never clothes a tree 

 with more leaves than is necessary for its resources at 

 the roots ; a proper harmony is thereby kept! up between 

 those two organs, and perfect health of the tree is the re- 

 sult. In summer-pruning we deprive the tree of its digest- 

 ive organs without at all diminishing the absorption at the 

 roots ; the juices consequently not meeting with a proper 

 surface of exposure, which, if no summer pruning had b^en 

 performed, they would have done, are returned to the tree in 

 a crude and unprepared state, the wood thereby is not of 

 a natural texture and the fruit is deprived of its proper 

 flavour. That the overabundant juices of a tree so treated 

 make a vigorous effort to repair the injury is manifest, 

 by the quick appearance of succulence from all parts of 

 the tree ; at once establishing the fact that it is overcharged 

 with sap in a crude state. The growth of the tree at 

 that period is not of the character of one slowly and 

 gradually increasing in stature, but a rapid and simulta- 

 neous outbreak of the sap from all parts, even where no 

 appearance of buds had previously existed. That trees 

 left untouched till winter-pruning, with a whole summer's 

 growth, are both unsightly and untidy, cannot be denied : 

 and to leave them in that state to be broken by the 

 winds of autumn, would evince carelessness, whatever 

 good intentions there may have been in so doing, and 

 would be highly censurable. But the tree maybe rendered 

 an object by no means unsightly without cutting away 

 half its branches, as is the common practice ; the latter 

 may be topped, and when practicable, secured to the wall or 

 whatever substance they may be trained upon ; and when 

 the period for general pruning comes, all superfluous 

 branches can be removed. As the greater abundance of 

 leaves is at the base of the shoots, the loss in topping and 

 the occasional removal of a whole shoot, in comparison to 

 the general practice, would be but trifling. — Tyro. 



Currant-Trees. — The growing of Currant-trees as 



* ^W^r 30 '°00 J' h 8 e et WOU ' d fi»d at the end o 



«be •»ir n .'^ " c »n present LZk S V first y ear of iu 



* le 'el with ,r ' "Piration , ,„ i " iTe P ald tlle dc bt 



•win- 



ao 



**e; 



obtain 



"^bi a 



honey 



sta 



arising therefrom are" likewise not generally 

 beg to state that if those who make plantations of this 

 useful fruit would plant a row of standards and a row of 

 dwarfs alternately, the advantage gained in ground would 

 be considerable ; and rows of standards with finely-formed 

 heads and neatly staked have a very interesting appear- 

 ance. I have seen fruit that was grown on standards 

 superior to that obtained by the common method of 

 cultivation, and the cultivator may protect and thin the 

 bunches with great ease ; they may be trained in nursery 

 beds until they are fit to be planted out. — W. G. S. 



Cultivation of Salvia splendens for Winter Flowering. 

 — About the middle of August, or as soon as there is the 

 slightest appearance of bloom, I take off cuttings from the 

 strongest snoots, immediately below the third joint, and 

 insert them singly in small 60-sired pots, and plunge 

 quantity or h f n - ~ ~t tllem * n a Drialc bottom-heat under a hand-glass in a 

 *r> Will be thwart^ ik C0m P 01t of leaf-mould, dung, and sand, in equal propor- I Grea 



u * lhc ; tions, taking especial care that the cuttings do not droop, been 



but continue to grow on, the same in appearance as when 

 taken from the parent plant. When the cuttings are 

 well rooted, shift them into the next sized pot, and con- 

 tinue to shift them until firmly established in 48-sized 

 pots. This fine plant is a great acquisition to the Conser- 

 vatory, especially in the dull months of November,. 

 December, and January. — Quercus II. 



digging among Fruit-trees.— The observations lately- 

 made in the Chronicle respecting digging among Straw- 

 berry-plants, are also applicable to fruit-trees. I have a 

 Pear-tree, of a very great age, growing in what used to be 

 a garden ; but seldom or never produced what might be 

 considered a crop of fruit, until within these last 20 years, 

 when the piece of ground has been converted into a wood- 

 yard, and all digging abandoned. Since that time it has 

 every year bloomed profusely and matured a good crop of 

 excellent fruit ; in all probability resulting from the ground 

 not being dug about it. — IVilliam Savage. 



Acquired Habits. — It is not generally known that 

 plants brought from other countries still retain their pe- 

 culiarities as regards time of growing and flowering. It 

 is very remarkable that they should not be under the in- 

 fluence of the seasons in this country, as to be affected in 

 their growth, &c. ; for if brought from other parts of the 

 world where our winter is their summer, they still continue 

 true to their time of growing and flowering, as in the in- 

 stance of Primula sinensis, Pseonia Moutan, Tropseolums, 

 Cyclamen persicura, &c. ; nothing short of frost will pre- 

 vent their revival at their accustomed time. Can you say- 

 by what laws they are governed — is it instinct ? Why should 

 the principle of life continue in them dormant during our 

 summer, while all around it is in full activity ? A solution, 

 of this mystery would give great pleasure to the scientific 

 world, and would be highly appreciated by Zpro. [This 

 is no doubt a very curious subject ; but we have no leisure 

 just now to go into a discussion about $' acquired habits ; ,r 

 we must leave it in the hands of our good correspondent] , 



Figs.—- Methods for the improvement of fruits of almost 

 all kinds have been given in the Chronicle ; but little has 

 been said about the Fig. If this fruit is of less consequenca 

 in a general way than the Peach or Vine, in some cases 

 it is more regarded than either, and 1 would request 

 communications respecting its culture from those who may- 

 have discovered the right treatment it requires. It is not 

 uncommon to see trees, apparently fruitful, either barren, 

 or producing fruit which falls oft when half grown, and I 

 consider a good crop of Figs more the result of chance 

 than proceeding from skilful culture. What I want is* 

 instructions whereby the Fig may be cultivated with as 

 much certainty as the Vine. My trees, occasionally, do> 

 very well, but in some seasons indifferently, although: 

 under the same treatment. It may be said that this is a 

 law of Nature, but such a complete failure in Grapes as 

 may often be seen in Figs is of rare occurrence. By- 

 careful attention to the habits of the Fig, such entire 

 failures may, perhaps, be rendered less common than they 

 are at present. It is true that the seasons have more 

 effect on the Fig than management, but there may be 

 some means of neutralizinc: the bad effect of an unproduc- 

 tive season, and thereby enabling us to expect a crop with 

 more certainty than at present. All my experience has 

 added nothing to the already well-known methods of ring- 

 ing, stopping, &c, which are known to every one. I 

 have, however, found that the long stalks of Jerusalem 

 Artichokes form the readiest and best covering for the 

 trees in winter, as they can so easily be thinned out when, 

 fine weather sets in, in spring. — Ii. T. G. 



Mulberries Colonel Davidson, in his M Travels in 



India," lately published, mentions four or five sorts of 

 Mulberries— red, blue, black, yellow, and white. What 

 are these? Only one edible kind is known in this country, 

 I believe.— Totty. [Will any of our Indian friends explain, 



this ?] 



Lcycesteria formosa. — It is stated in the Chronicle 

 that pheasants and pea- fowls eat the berries of Leycesteria 

 formosa. I observe that blackbirds and thrushes are very 

 fond of eating them; they also eat large quantities of 

 Fuehsia berries, which has been the means of producing 

 several self-sown plants about the pleasure-grounds here- 

 —J*. Street, Beil, East Lothian. 



Mildness of the Season.— -Mr. J. Street, gardener at 

 Beil, East Lothian, states that the weather in that quarter 

 is remarkably mild and dry, and that the birds are singing 

 as if it was May or June. He gives the following list of 

 plants that are flowering freely in the garden there : — 

 China Roses, scarlet, odorata, and some hybrid ones; 

 Stenactis, Coronilla juncea, in foil bloom, also the double 

 Primrose, Salvia fulgens, Garrya elliptica, in fine bloom, 

 its pollen flying about when touched ; likewise Tussilago» 

 fragrans, Erodium hymenodes, Helleborus niger, Chinese 



In the same 



tandards is not generally practised, and the advantages ) Privet, and tree Medick in very full flower. In the same 

 risine therefrom are^likewise not generally known. I j collection are also blooming freely, Stocks, Laurestmus 



roughout the 



10 forth i ■ ° le th « quanT-I u llve 



. Seated, 

 ln great 



ced to keep large 

 every effort you 





Tritoma media, Strawberry tree, and Senecio lanceus. 

 These are all in the open-ground borders. Some Carna- 

 tions ; Scabiosa africana, a half-shrubby plant, with flowers 

 similar to our wild ones, but rather paler and having 

 foliage curly or frilled, similar to curly greens, about three 

 feet high, survives the winters here with some light leafy- 

 soil put about it in winter, and ripens seeds freely ; of 

 this he has seedling plants. Tritoma media survives the 

 winters here with some leaf-mould put round it before 

 severe weather ; it also ripens seeds, from which he has 

 many seedling plants ; it flowered nearly all last winter, 

 1812, and during spring up to end of May, 1843. One 

 plant produced upwards of 20 strong flower-stalks Jn 

 various stages of growth. These have a cheerful appear- 

 ance, especiallv when snow has covered the earth. — J. 



Strret, Beil, East Lothian. Messrs. Lane and Son,;of 



Great iierkhampsted, have sent two Rose-blooms tfcat had 

 gathered from an exposed situation in their nursery^ 



