5i>6 
THE NASTURTIUM. 
fluttering about the entrance, to examine the 
hive well before taking flight. They do the 
same in returning, so that they may be easily 
distinguished, conducting themselves nearly 
after the same manner as the workers of a 
newly hived swarm. When they have made a 
few hundred excursions, they set off without 
examining the locality ; and returning in full 
flight will know their own hive in the midst 
of a hundred others. But if you change its 
place you perplex them, much the same as you 
would be if, during a short absence, some one 
lifted your house and placed it a mile off. The 
poor bees return loaded, and, seeking in vain 
for their habitation, either fall down and perish 
with fatigue, or throw themselves into the 
neighbouring hives, where they are speedily 
put to death. When hives are transported to 
a considerable distance, there is no fear that 
t lie bees will return. But this inconvenience 
would be sure to take place, and many of them 
would perish, if they were removed only a few 
hundred paces from the spot they have been 
accustomed to. The hive may not perish, but 
it will be greatly weakened. In my opinion, 
if the situation is to be changed at all, they 
should be removed at least a mile and a half.' 
This ought only to be done in winter. 
"Bee Pasturage. — Mr. Payne says, ' I have 
always found the advantage of planting in the 
vicinity of my hives a large quantity of the 
common kinds of crocus, single blue hepaticas, 
Helleborus niger, and Tussilago Petasites, all of 
which flower early, and are rich in honey and 
farina. Salvia nemorosa, (of Sir James Smith) 
which flowers very eai-ly in June, and lasts all 
the summer, is in an extraordinary manner 
sought after by the bees, and when room is 
not an object, twenty or thirty square yards of 
it may be grown with advantage. Origanum 
laimile, and Origanum rubescens, (of Haworth) 
and mignonette may also be grown. Cultiva- 
tion beyond this, expressly for bees, I believe 
answers very little purpose.' 
"I should add to this catalogue, white alyssum 
for the spring, &c., borage for the later months. 
The neighbourhood of willows in the spring is 
of great advantage. After all, the certainty of 
a large gathering of honey must depend on the 
nature of the surrounding country. The most 
highly cultivated districts are seldom so favour- 
able to bees as those in which wild heaths, 
commons and woods prevail ; or where white 
clover, saintfoin, buck-wheat, mustard, cole- 
seed, turnip seed, &c, are produced in quan- 
tity." 
THE HORSE-RADISH. 
The Horse-radish (Armoracia rusticana) 
is found in a wild state in various parts of 
Great Britain, but little doubt can be enter- 
tained that it isan escape from cultivation. The ■ 
difficulty of eradicating it when once it has 
taken possession of a favourable spot, is so 
great, and its increase so rapid, that it is not 
surprising it should be considered as indi- 
genous, when found in such situations. 
The Horse-radish delights in a moist, sandy 
soil, and in order to grow it in perfection a 
piece of ground as near that quality as may be 
should be selected, and well manured. In 
March proceed to half trench it, about eighteen 
inches deep, well mixing the manure with the 
soil. The best plan is to plant as the trench- 
ing goes on, as is done in the market gardens 
about London. The way is to take out the 
first spit, or more, if very long roots are re- 
quired, and then to deeply dig or break up 
the bottom of the trench. In the ground so 
broken up make holes with a dibber of suffi- 
cient size, and drop into each a strong crown, 
cut i'rom old plants with an inch or more of 
root left to it. The holes should be in rows, a 
foot or more apart, and about nine inches 
asunder in the rows. When the trench 
is planted, proceed with the next, turning the 
top spit on to the planted portion, and levelling 
as the work progresses. If the soil is very 
stiff, the holes ' should hardly be so deep, or 
else the ground should be thoroughly trenched 
over in the first place, and the holes made 
afterwards as deep as wanted, the sets put in, 
and the holes filled up with finer soil. By 
this plan very superior roots may be obtained. 
When the roots are taken up — and a crop of 
this plant ought to rotate as well as any other — 
the ground should be trenched again, and 
every particle of the roots carefully taken 
out, or the next crop will be greatly incon- 
venienced, as every little bit will grow. 
Should any spring up, continual hoeing, or 
better, forking out, must be persevered in, 
until it is thoroughly extirpated. The culti- 
vation of this root on the plan here indicated, 
will be found far superior in every way to the 
old slovenly practice of allowing the plants to 
retain possession of a waste corner for years, 
never affording a decent root, and always, 
summer and winter, an eyesore to all posses- 
sing the least claims to taste, order, or neatness. 
THE NASTURTIUM. 
The Nasturtium generally cultivated in 
gardens for its seeds is the Trop&olum majiis, 
of which there are now a great number of 
varieties, the flowers varying in colour from 
a dark brown to a light scarlet or orange. It 
is a native of South America, where, and in 
Mexico, it appears to have been cultivated 
from time immemorial. It is a very orna- 
mental plant, highly useful for covering fences 
or waste spots, growing so rapidly as soon to 
cover a great space. Its culture is very 
simple, any soil appearing to suit it, even the 
