758 



THE GABDENER8' CH&ONICLE. 



[December 29 1883. 



afforded it, employing a loamy soil to plant it in. 

 The Veratrums mentioned in Mr. Horsefield's note 

 are better suited for the botanical garden, because of 

 the dinginess of their flowers, and although their 

 broadly ovate foliage is handsome, and for this 

 reason some semi-wild place is the best one for 

 them. The Tritomas, Telekias, Bupthalmums, 

 Bocconia cordata, Centaurea macrocephala, pos- 

 sess ornamental foliage, and are much superior 

 in flower to the Veratrums. Aster grandiflorus, 

 as a rule, does not expand a flower-bud at all in 

 one season in six, and therefore it is not a desirable 

 plant for a flower border in any part of the country. 

 The number of fine species and varieties of perennial 

 plants suitable for a flower border is so great, that 

 only those should be chosen, all inferior plants being 

 discarded by the gardener. E. Jenkins. 



They enjoy a light position in the cool part of the 

 stove. Plants may be readily raised from seed, or 

 from cuttings whenever obtainable. F. Eoss. 



Plant Notes. 



GREENHOUSE RHODODENDRONS. 

 In the Rhododendron- house at the Royal Exotic 

 Nursery an answer to the oft-repeated question, 

 Where shall we go for flowers after the Chrysanthe- 

 mums are over ? is indicated by the great display of rich 

 colour given by over 300 trusses on plants of Messrs. 

 Veitch'sR. javanico-jasminiflorum strain, which when 

 grown in quantity is perpetual flowering. Especially 

 beautiful are R. Ophelia, pink with yellow tinge; 

 Lord Wolseley, Indian yellow with crimson anthers ; 

 Thetis, chrome-yellow with crimson anthers ; Star 

 of India, yellow ; and Souvenir de J. H. Mangles, 

 reddish-buff, a very large and finely formed flower. 



Beoonia Winter Gem (B. socotranax B. scarlet 

 tuberous). 

 At Messrs. James Veitch & Sons' this vividly 

 coloured new variety is in flower in many neat 

 specimens covered with bright carmine-crimson 

 flowers borne above their fresh-looking bright green 

 leaves. It is the perfection of a winter flowering 

 plant, and it will not be detracting from its merits 

 to say that it is a worthy companion to the profuse 

 flowering B. John Heal, a large batch of which 

 brightens up the same house. Like B. John Heal, 

 too, it bears all male flowers, which accounts for it 

 lasting so long in bloom. Flowers of B. Winter 

 Gem which opened on November 23 are still good. J. 

 O'B. 



Rhodochtton volubile. 



This is a very graceful and free-flowering climber 

 for the cool-house ; it climbs by means of its petioles 

 and peduncles, which twist around suitable foreign 

 bodies that it may chance to come into contact with. 

 When this plant is in full vigour it would be difficult 

 to find anything on the roof of a cool house to surpass 

 it in beauty. The flowers hang in profusion from 

 the slender stems like so many rose-coloured bells ; 

 from these the corolla rises, protruding beyond the 

 very dark red calyx. Cuttings strike slowly but 

 surely if placed in a cool house beneath a bell- 

 glass, but as seeds are produced freely these afford 

 the best means of propagating it. They flower so 

 freely at times as apparently to completely exhaust 

 themselves. Several plants have come under my 

 observation which kept up a grand display for a 

 long period, but gradually declined when no other 

 reason than that stated could be assigned for their 

 so doing. When they are required to cover a good 

 space, they should be planted out into a compost 

 of loam, leaf-mould and sand, in a well-drained 

 border. No doubt it would do well in the summer 

 planted out in warm situations. It is a Mexican 

 plant, and was figured in the Botanical Magazine, 

 t. 3367. 



Pentas carska. 

 This, a charming low growing plant from South 

 Africa, with flesh coloured flowers, and if these have 

 been regularly picked off throughout the summer, 

 and attention given to them as regards potting, &c, 

 they will now be found very useful for cutting from. 



The Apiary. 



WINTER TREATMENT OF BEES. 



The doctors of bee-keeping do not agree on this 

 subject any more than doctors of medicine do on 

 the maladies which afflict man. One says, keep 

 them thoroughly warm, while another says they 

 would do much better if they were colder. Some 

 say, let the hives be turned towards the north during 

 the winter, so that the sun may not tempt them 

 out-of-doors ; while another would turn them to the 

 south in order that they might get a flight. Still 

 another sage says that good luck, like the wise men, 

 comes from the east. Some bury their hives in 

 holes underground, while others desire theirs to be 

 put in a loft nearer the skies. Who shall settle it ? 

 There seems to be little .doubt that bees have 

 done well under all these conditions. We are not 

 one of those who think all men are liars, like the 

 ancient king, but consider there is some other solu- 

 tion. We have repeatedly said, and reiterate it 

 again, that a strong stock of bees can take care of 

 itself, even as the donkey that danced among 

 the chickens ; while a weak stock will succumb, no 

 matter which way they are turned, or how much they 

 are covered. Shall we, then, neglect them, that 

 strength may show its superiority over weakness ? 

 This would be very foolish. By all means keep the 

 bees warm. Make them as snug as possible, 

 and see that no wet gets into their hives. Above 

 all, take care if snow approaches. Mr. Petti- 

 grew used to say that a bee falling on the snow 

 seemed to succumb quicker than if thrown into the 

 fire, and so it would if left alone. It would soon 

 revive if picked up at once, and put in a warm place. 

 A strong hive may soon be depopulated by the bees 

 dropping into the snow. Bees cluster in winter for 

 warmth, and the colder it is the closer they cluster 

 together. A few of the outside ones may fall and 

 die, but that will not much matter. We are very 

 much afraid that bees will be scarce next year. 

 Many cottagers have lost all their swarms through 

 the unlucky season of 1888, and neglecting to feed 

 them. 



The present is the time to be preparing for the next 

 campaign. If your hives are home-made, make them ; 

 and if not, get them now. Dealers would execute 

 the orders better and cheaper now than further on. 

 Reversing has been before mentioned as productive 

 of large harvests if done intelligently, and we are 

 glad to find Professor Cook, of America, a staunch 

 advocate of it. It seems that skeps are the best 

 hives to invert, as they are inverted both safely and 

 quickly. Messrs. Edey & Son, of St. Neots, supply 

 a skep fixed into a bar-framed hive. The swarm is 

 put into the skep, and when inverted, the bees rush 

 up into a bar-framed hive, and fill it. Try it. 



Plants and Their Culture. 



Streptocarpus. — These are very pretty and inter- 

 esting plants, allied to the Gesneras, of easy culture, 

 and free flowering. The plants ought to be more 

 commonly grown, and such species as Rexii, biflorus, 

 polyanthus, and parviflorus would, I feel sure, make 

 capital market plants. Their cultivation is within 

 the reach of all those possessed of a heated house, 

 and where only a greenhouse is at command the 

 selection had better be confined to the sorts above 

 mentioned. The huge one-leaved, red-flowered 

 varieties, as S.Dunnii and others, similar, which have 

 recently been introduced Irom Zululand and the Trans- 

 vaal, like asomewhat higherand drier atmosphere than 

 that of a greenhouse. But even the warmer sorts 

 will succeed if in summer they are allowed the 

 maximum of light, heat, and air obtainable in an 

 ordinary greenhouse, and a temperature in winter 

 not falling much below 50°, provided the plants are 



not kept too wet, if so the leaves have a tendency to 

 rot off, which, of course, spoils the plants. The 

 best mode of propagation is by seed, which is usually 

 produced plentifully. The seeds are small, and 

 should be sown in small pans filled with a finely 

 sifted compost of about equal parts of loam, leaf- 

 mould, and sand. After filling the pans give a gentle 

 watering, and sow the seeds thinly on the moist 

 surface, cover with a bit of glass, and stand them in 

 the propagating house, taking care to place them in 

 such a position that no further watering may be 

 required until the seeds have germinated. A good 

 plan, if they show signs of getting dry, is to stand 

 them in saucers into which a little water is put ; but 

 just now (and this is about the best time to sow) if 

 they are stood on some moisture-holding-material, 

 further watering is rarely required. 



As soon as the seedlings are well up— usually about 

 six weeks from the time of sowing — they should be 

 pricked off somewhat thickly, in pans or small boxes, 

 with a sharp-pointed bit of stick, in a similar manner 

 to that practised with young Ferns. Light wooden 

 boxes, about 20 inches by 12, made of three-six- 

 teenths of an inch broad, and from 2 to 2£ inches 

 deep, are very convenient for propagating-work. For 

 the first few months much more progress will be 

 made if they are kept in the propagating-house, or 

 where a temperature of about (50° is maintained. 

 Under this treatment the little clumps pricked off 

 will grow rapidly, and before they get crowded in 

 the boxes they should be potted up, using a compost 

 similar to that recommended for the seed-pans, but 

 without it being sifted, and a little well-decayed 

 manure or other fertiliser, might be added with 

 ad vantage. 



The size of pots in the first year should not exceed 

 small 32's, but 60's and 48's are usually quite large 

 enough. By the time the plants have got to this 

 stage, an ordinary greenhouse is the more suitable 

 place for them, if it is iu summer, as it will be, if the 

 seeds are sown now, shading the plants from direct 

 sunshine. Towards the end of the summer, if all has 

 gone well, they should begin to flower ; when if re- 

 moved (that is, if in a frame) to a light position in 

 the conservatory, they will keep throwing up their 

 flower-scapes for a long period of time. A speedy 

 way of producing an effect with these plants is to 

 plant a number of them in pots or pans ; these 

 quickly form an effective mass, and they may be potted 

 up after flowering for use the next season. It may 

 be remarked that they look best when the depth of 

 pot or pan does not exceed 6 inches. These make 

 capital subjects for planting around the edges of beds 

 in conservatories or underneath the plant stages, but 

 in such places the flowers usually get spoiled, and 

 are rendered useless as cut blooms. For cutting 

 purposes the species first mentioned are well adapted, 

 having stout stalked scapes of flowers of good sub- 

 stance, varying in colour from white to lilac, or 

 blue, more or less striped with chocolate or purple- 

 brown on the three lower lobes of the corolla. S. 

 polyantha and caulescens are two interesting species, 

 with sky-blue flowers ; the last-named is an erect 

 branching species. Several interesting and beau- 

 tiful hybrids, between Rexii and Dunnii, have been 

 raised by Mr. Watson of Kew, two of which, Wat- 

 soni X and Kewensis X received Floral Committee 

 Certificates last year from the Floral Committee of the 

 Royal Horticultural Society. F. Eoss. Pendell Court. 



The Flower Garden. 



Outdoor Fernery. — If not already done these 

 should be cleaned and put into as neat and trim 

 order as circumstances will allow. It is not to be 

 expected that at this season it will present an attractive 

 appearance, and cleaning must not be taken too 

 literally ; for instance, all dead fronds of deciduous 

 species should not be removed from the rootstock for 

 the present, but allowed to remain till the time of 

 renewed activity, as they are the best of protectors in 

 severe weather. Hand weeding maybe done when 

 the weather is open, and fallen leaves and dead 

 sticks from overhanging trees removed. Examine 

 the labels, re-naming such as require it. Although 

 we have not as yet experienced frost sharp enough 

 to injure the more delicateNorth American and other 

 exotic species, it will be advisable to have protecting 

 material in readiness in the event of a change to cold 

 weather. Amongst those requiring protection 1 may 

 name Polystichum proliferum, P. setosum, Lastrea 

 atrata, L. a. decurrens, L. opaca, L. frondosa, Cyrto- 

 miuiu, Struthiopteris germanica, S. japonica, Wood- 

 wardia radicans, W. japonica, and W. Fortunei. The 



