430 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[June 29, 



parties, ought to b«s more particular, and not take it for 

 •ranted that all who read their remarks are block- 

 heads/' Mr. Grant has favoured us with an extract 

 from Bonner, (a good practical bee-keeper,) explanatory 

 of the way he used the terms sleep or repose, officer 

 bees or scouts, bees on guard, &c. I am now satisfied, 

 and hope that other bee-keepers will be so to. I just 

 take leave to remind Mr. Grant, that Bonner states 

 "that bees were eager of work during the day, and sing 

 for jo* through the night ; that they labour with great 

 assiduity and constancy." And you, Mr. Editor, will 

 please to recollect that Horace says, that "ridicule 

 *a» more efficacious in deciding disputes of importance, 

 than ad the severity of argument." And Shaftesbury 

 went further: he states that "ridicule is the test of 

 truth."— Mel. [There is no doubt that if disputes can 

 stand the test of ridicule, they have a great argument in 

 their favour ; but ridicule is, for all that, a weapon that 

 ihould be used discreetly. Weak-minded people will 

 abandon the best cause, merely because they cannot 

 bear to be laughed at.] 



Sleep of Bees.— Mj attention was lately called to the 

 Bleep of Bees by Mr. Grant's remarks at p. 334. I 

 agree with him that bees are at times not so industrious 

 as we think they might be, but I cannot go so far as to 

 blame them for being sleepy and indolent in good 

 weather, only working six hours in a day. I am aware 

 that some apiarians ara of a different opinion— they 

 imagine that bees after toil take a nap, but I think 

 that few believe they loiter away six hours at a time in 

 good weather. But as Mr. G. made his observations at 

 the apiary, I shall state what he says respecting the idle 



fcee : M I have'come to this conclusion from repeated 



observation, that in proportion to the number of bees 

 leaving the centre hive or side box, at the early hour of 

 five o'clock in the morning, nearly an equal number came 

 in the side box to repose at eleven o'clock, a.m., and 

 those that left at later hours in the morning ceased from 

 their nefcHabours at intervals of about six hours during the 

 day. Those that had returned from labour could easily 

 be distinguished from the others that had been out, as 

 the former occupied particular positions until those that 

 were asleep wakened, and vacated their places to go on 

 duty, and then the others might be seen taking up their 

 positions, and in a short time afterwards were fast 

 asleep." I consider that the bees entered the side box 

 not to sleep, but to commence comb-building ; why they 

 did nob begin sooner in the day was owing to the low 

 temperature of the hive. As the day advanced the heat 

 of the hive increased, and the bees returning with their 

 loads, which were soon deposited, they again returned to 

 the fields without taking a 6ix hours' nap, or perhaps 

 joining in the cluster to appearance lulled, though busy 

 within. Has any one ever observed bees which had just 

 been in the fields, powdered with pollen, hanging in a 

 cluster? No, they may be seen issuing from the hive 

 almost as "mealy" as when they entered. There is a 

 time, however, when pollen or farina bees are in a 

 bustling cluster; I mean when a swarm is mustering for 

 their exit from the stock ; but they are only stragglers 

 which happen to mingle with the swarm, especially if it 

 is the first one. This favours my belief that bees are 

 hardly aware of the exact time the queen will quit, and 

 that they often seem more anxious to be gone than the 

 watchful queen. Though true, I question whether Mr. 

 Grant's remarks on ventilation will please some of our 

 apiarians now-a-days. 1 can hardly lean to his views of 

 the clustering of bees oatside the hive M not being any 

 loss whatever to bee-keepers." There is a time, how. 

 ever, and perhaps the only one, when this may be 

 applied ; it is when bees are about to swarm ; though 

 room is given, idleness often prevails inside. But in 

 general, clustering outside the hive must be a loss, for 

 when room is given they often begin fresh combs, and 

 of coarse store up honey without being driven to it by 

 bees who " never work themselves." It may be worthy 

 of remark, that moralists may have extolled the industry 

 of bees too much, and some apiarians too little. But 



Prince Albert Strawberry.— This is certainly a very 

 large and prolific Strawberry. I have a dozen of them 

 planted 2 feet apart every way ; each plant measures 

 7 feet in circumference. On one of them I counted the 

 extraordinary number of 256 fruit, and altogether the 

 average is 250 ; therefore, the plants have on them at 

 this present time the amazing number of 3000 fruit, all 

 formed, and in different stages of growth—some very 

 large and ripe. The plants are still in full flower ; they 

 are growing in well-manured sandy loam. — Cantium. 



The Pear-tree. — The Pear-tree, although possessing, 

 as it does, a most vigorous constitution, and accommodat- 

 ing itself to almost any kind of soil, is, nevertheless, fre- 

 quently unproductive, whether it is grown as a standard, 

 and allowed to assume its natural habit, or under artificial 

 training, but more especially in the latter case, in which 

 the extreme points of the branches only produce fruit. 

 Young Pear-trees, under any state of cultivation, seldom 

 bear abundantly, and in many instances the planter 

 has to wait, perhaps a dozen years, before his labours are 

 rewarded by even a moderate crop of fruit. Luxuriance 

 of growth is supposed to be the cause of this deficiency; 

 and this has led me to consider how the superabundant 

 sap might be directed to the forming of fruit, instead of 

 producing useless branches. All gardeners are aware 

 that at the base of the shoots forming what is termed 

 breast- wood, there are leaf-buds which seem to want 

 the requisite quantity of sap to produce blossom-buds ; 

 and it occurred to me that the breast-wood robbed these 

 buds, and that it was therefore necessary to direct the sap 

 to them, and thereby increase the number of fruit-buds, 

 which is the great end to be obtained. My plan for 

 effecting this, is as follows :— Supposing, in the first in- 

 stance, that the tree has been pruned and fastened to the 

 wall in March, which is about the usual time for the 

 operation, in summer-pruning, I go over the trees, stop- 

 ping merely the breast-wood at six, nine, or twelve inches, 

 according to the strength of the shoots, but taking care 

 not to cut closer than six inches. Any shoots they may 

 make after that tine, I again stop within a few inches of 

 the first cutting. This is done merely to give the tree 

 a neat appearance : in autumn, when the trees are to be 

 fastened to the wail, I proceed with that operation with- 

 out cutting off anything except dead wood from the tree, 

 deferring the pruning to the following April, or first week 

 in May, when the tree shall have formed leaves. I 

 then go over it, cutting the breast-wood close into the 

 spurs, so as not to leave any buds to conduct the sap 

 or form breast- wood. The system of the tree having 

 been thus changed, it produces little useless wood ; but, 

 should it occasionally do so, the same system of pruning 

 should be persevered in, and it will be followed by good 

 results. I have practised this plan for some years, both 

 with young and old Pear-trees, and have been uniformly 

 successful, paiticularly in the case of old trees of per- 

 haps forty years' growth, that had spread upwards of 

 eight yards on each side of the trunk, and which, previous 

 to this mode of pruning, produced but few fruit, and 

 those only over a surface of about four feet from the 

 extreme points of the branches, whilst they now bear 

 good fruit uniformly all over the tree. Younger trees 

 have sometimes produced fruit, even on the perpendicular 

 stem from which the branches spring. It must, how- 

 ever, be observed, that my remarks are confined to Pear- 

 trees that are vigorous and healthy. Diseased trees 

 require to be made healthy before they can be treated in 

 the foregoing manner. The varieties that have come 

 under my management are the Chaumontel, Beurre 

 Ranee, Easter Beurre, Marie-Louise, Napoleon, Gan- 

 gers Bergamotte, Autumn Bergamot, Glout Morceau, 

 Beurre Bosc, White Doyenne, Spanish Bon Chretien, 

 Wilding of Caissoy, and some others, all of which have 

 been treated nearly alike, as far as the habit of the trees 

 would permit, which must be left, in all cases, to the 

 judgment and skill of the gardener. — Observer. 



Boilers. — In reply to a correspondent who complains 

 about the expense of boilers for temporary forcing, I beg 

 to mention that if he lives in the neighbourhood of a 



to be fully rewarded for the pains 1 have taken with them 

 by a rich harvest of fruit. As for my Roses and flowers 

 generally, their colours, fragrance, and beauty, speak far 

 more eloquently for the liquid guano than any set terms 

 of praise. — William Kidd, New Road, Hammersmiths 

 Humphreys's Compound. -—Having observed an attack- 

 claim 



^^ ^r — #^ -^ ™ ^*aa4 



the privilege of a reply, in justice to myself and to the 

 public. In his first sentence, " F. R." speaks of 

 *' having been informed that this Compound is little else 

 than nitrate of soda and common salt." My answer to 

 this insinuation is, that not a single particle of either 

 the nitrate of soda or of common salt is used in the Com- 

 pound. Resting on the above false statement, he pro- 

 ceeds to say, that he " could not understand how any- 

 thing resembling guano could be made from it ;" and by 

 way of an authority states that he M got a chemical friend 

 to examine it ; and he informs me (he writes) that he 

 cannot discover a trace of phosphate of lime in it." 

 Now it so happens that the phosphate of lime is insoluble 

 in water, so that to expect to find it in an article adver- 

 tised as a soluble compound to make what is called a 

 M liquid guano" is an absurdity. That the phosphate of 

 lime in guano is most useful for Corn, everybody admits ; 

 but the phosphoric acid in this article is introduced under 

 a form of far more general application. The fertilising 

 influence of guano is known to depend, to a great extent, 

 on the proportion of ammonia it contains ; and if the 

 reader will mix a little powdered 

 spoonful of the Compound, as a 

 gent ammoniacal odour evolved 

 him of its parallel character and 

 manure rich in nitrogen. — J. D. 

 Pentonville. 



quicklime with a tea- 

 chemical test, the pun- 

 will at once convince 

 condensed power as a 

 Humphreys^ John-$L f 



let it be borne in mind that they were originally P^ter, and would get him to make an earthen boiler, the 



" exotics," and it is only under the influence of a warm eart ^ P r ! or . to making being well kneaded with a satu- 



- .... . rated solution of sulphate of alum, it would stand any 



amount of heat, and would not cost more than 3*. or 



4*. — Jacob Green. 1 often hear complaints made of the 



imate that their real habits can be rightly understood. 

 Wighlon. 



Bee-flowers. — I find that bees are very fond of the 

 following shrubs and flowers : — For winter feeding — 

 Erica carnea, Crocuses of sorts, winter Aconite, Berberis 

 xepens and Aquifolium, Ribes sanguineum. For spring 

 feeding — Papaver Cambricum (the yellow Poppy) is the 

 best, Berberis vulgaris and Empetrifolia, Helianthemoms. 

 For summer feeding — The annual Poppies are the best, 

 Sea kale flowers are very good, as are those of Fraxi- 

 nellas, Phyteuma orbiculare, Asters, and hardy Heaths. 



--JP; X. O. In a late Number, at p. 334, "Apius" 



gives a list of flowers, of which, he says, bees are very 

 fond. There are few plants that bees visit oftener than 

 Sea-kale, Phacelia tanacetifolia, and common pot-herbs. 

 The Phacelia is a particular favourite with them, and 

 should be grown in great quantities where bees are kept. 

 It is ornamental, and thrives well in any waste ground. 

 Sea-kale should also be grown for the same purpose. — 

 J.O.C. 



Peas. — On the 14th Feb. last I made sowings, side 

 by side, of rows of the Prince Albert Pea, Early War- 

 wick, and Shilling's Early Grotto. From the first of 

 these I had a gathering on the 5th inst. as forward as 

 tome of the Warwick which were sown under a wall in 

 ^December last ; the others are not yet (June 11) ready. 

 The Prince Albert has proved, however, with me a very 

 aby bearer, and I should say was a tender Pea.— Claudio 

 cestrenjis. 



ness of boilers for heating pits and small green- 

 Would not Papin's Digesters 



many 



commerce. 



economy 



expensiven 



houses. Would not Papin's Digesters make very good 

 boilers, by inserting a pipe where the valve is ? They may 

 be procured at a very moderate price. — Empty. 



Potter's Liquid Guano. — About two months ago I 

 communicated some practical and important results from 

 the use of Potter's Liquid Guano, which during the 

 spring I applied to a large variety of flowers, plants, 

 and bulbs, in pots, and in glasses (see p. 261). My 

 remarks were quoted by Mr. Potter in his Advertise- 

 ments, and thereby they have obtained a wide publicity. 

 In reference thereto, I have been asked to state further, 

 11 What was the effect produced by the guanx) on the 

 plants after the very beautiful flowers they had borne had 

 done blooming ?*' Some are of opinion that the roots 

 were of necessity enervated, and unfit for further bearing. 

 At all events, they imagine that the productive powers of 

 the roots were very considerably impaired. This, as far as 

 my own observation extends (and 1 have severely tested 

 the matter by oft-repeated experiments), is totally at 

 variance with fact The roots and leaves improve 

 wonderfully, both in substance and health ; so much so 

 that the fertilising nature of the guano is apparent ro 

 every observer. It is not the quantity used that effects 

 this, but the regular and moderate application of it in 



weak solution. My Strawberry plants in particular con- . , -- 



Arm what 1 have now stated ; and next season I expect [ pabular ia, 



Sbocfetfes. 



LINNEAN SOCIETY. 

 Tuesday, June 18. — The Bishop of Norwich in 

 the Chair. — Professor Edward Forbes exhibited speci- 

 mens of Cynomorium coccineum, procured by Colonel 

 Bailey from the island of Gozo. — A specimen of Oro- 

 banche caryophyllacea, found growing on the roots of 

 Galium mollugo, near Folkestone, was exhibited by Mr. 

 Richard Taylor, to whom it had been sent by Messrs. 

 C. C. Babington, W. Francis, and A. Henfrey, now on a 

 botanical tour in Kent.— Drawings of an unnamed para- 

 site belonging to the genus Anopleura, and found upon 

 the Ornithorhynchus, were exhibited by Mr. Jas. Dixon, 

 surgeon.-— Fruits of the Juglans nigra and Quercus ma- 

 crocarpa were exhibited, presented to the museum by G. 

 Charlwood, Esq.— A*paper was read by Mr. Edward 

 Solly on the solid vegetable oils. These oils were cha- 

 racterised by possessing stearine, the solid principle of 

 all oils, in such quantity as to render them solid at the 

 ordinary temperatures of the atmosphere. They were or 

 the consistence of animal fats, and in many instances 

 were used as substitutes for the fat of animals in the 

 making of candles, and as substitutes for butter as 

 articles of diet. There was some difficulty in distin- 

 guishing these oils from wax ; but the latte was p o- 

 duced in much less quantities. The various ; plants , eld- 

 ing solid oils were pointed out, with the modes of obtain- 

 ing the oils, and the uses to which they were subser en 

 in the various parts of the world. Few or no British pUoJ 

 yield solid oils. The plants yielding butter, J all o^, and 

 solid oils which were mentioned are as follow . 1 he 

 obroma Cacao, Chocolate ^"^vl^l^aS 

 butter ; Vateria Indica, producing V° lld h ^ n Ke7i! 

 fat, used for various purposes in India, "*£**%%» 

 called Tallow-tree ; Pentadesma butyracea, the ^Butt r or 

 Tallow-tree of Sierra Leone. Several •V^* 1 *™* 

 belonging to the natural order ?*«™«> " £J a§ 

 nobilis, Tetranthera sebifera or Liteea "*««*>£££ 

 cinnamomum, &c, yield solid oils, in addi ion to h^ 

 volatile fluid oils. The Myristica moschsto, he com 

 mon Nutmeg, with the M. sebifera, both yield _ i sou 

 oil, sometimes called Nutmeg Butter ; Bassia , bu y«cee, 

 the Mahva or Madhuca-tree, gives out a kintt 

 which is used in India. The Butter-tree of M« ^ 

 Park, found in Africa, is the Bassia ^^ tn6 

 writers, though others have d - b "t^ 

 of Park is a Bassia at all. The butter i l sis 

 Shea butter, and specimens were exhibited proc ur J 

 Dr. SUnger'during the late Niger expedition be ^ 

 Palms yield solid oils, the pnnc.pal of th *» &. f 

 Cocoa nucifera Cocoa nut-tree, and the Eteis g 

 the former yields the Cocoa-nut oil and batter , < of 



the Palm-oil of commerce. All the fruits howet ^ 

 Palmace* are capable of yielding more or less soi q{ 



many other species than those named yield the r ^ 



^P^rwa^ad from Mr. CurUs on £ 

 economy of the' o'rder Strepsiptera. During theg * 

 the author had found upon the female o j *V ^ 

 Anarsena. a number of larva excessively » inu ^ d of the 

 so that there was at least a thousand on the do j ^ 



larger insect. These were ^ c » wtel y de8C ".n he lirv* 

 author believed that they were no other than 

 of a species of Stylops, but he was P. re ventea ^ 

 their development by their destruction, an is 

 their being kept in a box with camphor.--* f thc 



was read from Dr. Hemming, on the ana omy ^ 

 muscles which move the peacocks tail. l ™*[ £ t Pro- 

 accompanied by beautiful drawings.— Dr. *> *as 



fessor of Botany in the University of uW8 Varfey 

 elected a fello*.— Messrs. Ross, Powell. ftB eW ble 

 exhibited their microscopes, with examples o ^^ 



circulation in Nitella, Valisneria, Tradescanu '' pning0 , 

 charis, &c—Mr. Ogilby exhibited a specimen o 

 pabularia, which had grown and flowered in 



