280 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 2, 1885. 
work, and bo muck more honey would be stored, thus converting the bees 
into honey. Last year 12 lbs. of driven bees hived on empty combs on 
the moors stored 24 lbs. per day for three days, when the weather changed 
and brood began to batch. We thus get five stocks to winter instead of 
twenty, and all the old stocks will have young queens to begin the next 
season. 
All have not the Heather near at hand, but s'ill many have late 
crops of Mustard, which will do as well; but where there is no late 
forage suppose you put all the brood from ten stocks into the other 
ten and sell the spare bees to someone near the moors. In ten days’ 
time further reduce to five, sending another five off. If you can get 
Is. per pound for them at a time when they are practically useless to 
you, surely it would be better than killing them. To show that this 
latter plan is practicable I will remark that I have arranged with 
some bee-keepers in Wiltshire to take all their spare bees in this way 
as soon as their Lime h r ney season is over, which is two weeks 
sooner than here. They will come in 8 lb. lots in light boxes, costing in 
carriage about Is. each, and being nothing but bees they will arrive 
in fine order after twenty hours’ journey by road and rail. I shall 
work these bees in very large lots, so as to get the greatest quantity of 
honey with decrease of bees. 
These remarks must be understood as supplementary to those of your 
valued Scotch contributor; at the same time I think Mr. Kruse has 
done a good service in advocating the skep. No hive can compare 
with it as a home for bees, and the man who persuades the poor cottager 
to discard it for the frame hive is not his best friend.—A Hallam- 
shire Bee-keeper, 
* ** All correspondence should be directed either to “The Editor ’ 
or to “ The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Dr. Hogg or 
members of the staff often remain unopened unavoidably. We 
request that no one will write privately to any of our correspon¬ 
dents, as doing so subjects them to unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions relat¬ 
ing to Gardening and those on Bee subjects, and should never 
send more than two or three questions at once. All articles in¬ 
tended for insertion should be written on one side of the paper 
only. We cannot reply to questions through the post, and we 
do not undertake to return rejected communications. 
To Correspondents and Readers.—In consequence of much pressure on 
our columils we are compelled to defer the publication of interesting articles 
on “Young Gardeners,” “ Horticultural Societies,” and other subjects of 
general interest. They will appear as soon as possible. 
Address (T. P., Rugby). —If you address your question to Mr. T. S. 
Ware, Hale Farm Nurseries, Tottenham, London, he will perhaps be able 
to answer it satisfactorily. 
Plans of Flower Beds ( Constant Subscriber). —There are a few plans of 
flower beds in our “ Garden Manual,” price Is. 6d.; Is. 9d. post free—a work 
in which much useful information is compressed on the cultivation of 
flowers, fruit, and vegetables. Mr. Graham of Hampton Court publishes a 
small manual on carpet bedding with designs. 
Cinerarias (W. Roberts). —Had there been a little damp moss in your 
neighbourhood, or even short grass or a green leaf or two of any kind, to 
have employed as packing for the flowers, they would have reached us 
fresh ; but as they were simply placed loosely in a dry box the florets 
were curled and contracted to such an extent as to render it quite impos¬ 
sible to judge of their merits. We can only say that the colours are varied 
and rich, and as you say the plants are of dwarf habit and the blooms 
3 inches in diameter, also of good form, the strain must be a good one. 
Tomato Leaves Curled ( W. D.). —Judging from the specimen sent there 
s little the matter with your Tomato plants. We have seen several diseased 
plants this season, but yours are apparently in excellent health, and in all 
probability the slight curling of the leaves is only natural to the variety. 
The Orangefield and Old Red types are naturally inclined to curl somewhat, 
and your3 may be one of them. What you imagine to be another insect is 
only the “White Fly”—Aleyrodes vaporariorum—in a young state, and 
which in a few days would develope into a perfect insect. 
Water Your Vines (F. J.). —Had you been good enough to have given 
an “ idea ” in your letter as to the size of your vinery border, the nature of 
the soil of which it is composed, and the state of the Vine roots, it would 
have been a pleasure to have advised you. As you afford no information 
on these matters, we can merely say that, provided the border is of an 
average size, the soil a free loamy one, and the roots in good working order, 
three gallons to the square yard every ten to fourteen days ought to afford 
a rough idea, such as you want. As to the sewage, if the roots are plenti¬ 
ful and active, it may be employed, but we should dilute it as 1 to 4 in 
water at fi’ st, and watch the effect. Begonias should be started at once. 
Aloe Leaves Decaying (IF. K.). —As the petroleum casks were burnt 
out we do not attribute the injury to them. Are you certain there has been 
no drip on the leaves ? If there has been, and even slight frost penetrated 
the unheated house, that would result in the blotches. If that is not the 
cause we can only attribute the origin of the evil to the natural shrinkage 
of the tissue which followed, the plants being kept “ a little too long with¬ 
out water.” We rather suspect, however, that the injury has been caused 
by the action of frost on damp portions of the leaves. 
Cocoa-nut Fibre Refuse and Peat (IF. IF. IF.).—We know'of no mix¬ 
ture or material that would suit those plants which thrive only in peat soil 
in nature except peat. But for Ferns the use of peat is by no means neces¬ 
sary, unless it be a few of the choicer and most difficult to grow. Good 
fibry loam with silver sand and leaf mould added would prove a first-class 
compost for the majority of Ferns to grow in. The mechanical action of 
cocoa-nut fibre would, no doubt, be somewhat similar to that of peat when 
mixed with other soils, as it would keep the soil open, and allow air and 
water to pass through freely. Used along with heavy loam there can be no 
doubt as to the good effects of the fibre so far as regards drainage, &c. 
This fibre has been recommended for Orchids in place of peat, which has 
become difficult to obtain ; but it proved a very poor substitute, as the 
plants did not thrive in it as well as they did in good peat fibre, and the 
failure was, no doubt, due to some chemical rather than a mechanical short¬ 
coming on the part of the cocoa-nut fibre. 
Hardenbergia monophylla ( E. B.).— This is the name of the plant of 
which you have sent a spray. It is also and better known by the name of 
Kennedya ovata, white-flowered variety, the type being purplish flowered. 
It is distinct from the rest of the Hardenbergias and Kennedyas in having 
solitary instead of several leaflets to each leaf. Trained along a rafter in 
a cool greenhouse this plant makes a pretty climber ; or by cutting in the 
branches rather freely, as is done by the Chorozemas, it may be made to 
form a little shrub. Peat soil, rather sandy and pressed firmly about the 
roots, will be found to suit this plant; it likes plenty of water both at the 
roots and overhead when in vigorous growth. This and all the Kennedyas 
and Hardenbergias delight in a somewhat sunny position. They may be 
propagated from cuttings put in in spring. H. monophylla is a very com¬ 
mon plant in Eastern Australia, from whence itw r as introduced into England 
more than a century ago. 
Increasing Auriculas (J. R., Southampton). —Three or fuur pips, or 
more correctly seed capsules, is a sufficient number to leave. The number 
of seeds in each capsule varies considerably, self-coloured sorts being much 
more prolific than the edged kinds. Three or four dozen may be expected 
in the former and a dozen or so would be a fair average in the latter. At 
the time Auriculas are in flower insects are not so common as to be dis¬ 
turbing agents; but careful hybridists will take every precaution to ensure 
the end in view being secured. The growing point to be removed from 
plants is that which follows the flower stalk; it is cut clean out with a 
sharp penknife without damaging the spring-formed leafage. The point is 
no use for a cutting. The whole question of pinching and striking the tops 
of Auriculas is one that the grower must determine by his own judgment; 
but a good rule to go by in any plants of which stock is wanted is this. If 
the plant is young, pinching will be best; if old [and with a little healthy 
stem, then the top may safely be taken after flowering and a good plant 
secured from that, with a crop of young growth which will come on the 
stem after the removal of the top. 
Planting a Flower Bed (C . E.). —As youhave taken the Journal for many 
years it is somewhat strange you have not observed what we have many 
times stated—namely, that we do not undertake to suggest methods of 
planting flowerbeds in answers to correspondents, and the utmost we have 
done occasionally is to name what we consider the effective arrangement 
of plants when a list has accompanied the inquiry; but as we stated as 
recently as in our issue of March 19th of the present year, page 242, we 
much prefer for individuals to submit their own mode of planting, and if 
we can suggest any improvements we are willing to do so. We cannot 
initiate a method of planting your bed. We have no idea of its size, 
position, or surroundings, nor whether you desire a formal or mixed 
arrangement of flowers. In the latter case the shrubs might remain, or 
they might even do so if the carpet bedding system were adopted, as each 
could be in the centre of sections of a design ; but if you desire an unbroken 
ribbon-like mass of distinct colours, then the shrubs should be removed. 
You had better refer to the answer on the page quoted if you desire to 
write to us again on this subject. 
Top-dressing Vine Border ( E. G.). —It is rather late to top-dress the 
border, but it may still be done, but it will not answer to surface the border 
with 6 or 7 inches depth of fresh soil, as that would bury the roots too 
deeply, unless they are near the surface and active, in which case a rather 
thicker top-dressing than usual may be given, and being mulched with 
short manure and kept moist the roots might probably be attracted upwards. 
It is, however, at best a bad practice, and we do not advise its adoption. 
We should surface-dress with 2 or 3 inches thickness of fresh loam to which 
has been added a fortieth part of half-inch bones, the surface soil having 
previously been loosened and the inert soil removed, being careful not to 
injure the roots. After the border is surface-dressed a good watering may 
be given at a temperature of 85° to 90°, and when the surface becomes 
rather dry apply a top-dressing of short manure, which should be kept con¬ 
stantly moist, so as to encourage surface-rooting. The subsidence of the 
soil ought to have been allowed for in making the border, and to add to 
the depth now by adding to the surface would be to bury the roots, whereas 
the aim should be to keep them active near the surface. Perhaps they 
might be encouraged upwards by adding a little fresh soil each year, in. 
which case no injury would accrue to the stem, as it would push roots into 
the border ; still, it is best to proceed in such matters carefully, as a heavy 
top-dressing by burying the roots too deeply may be a forerunner of 
shanking. Besides, Vines with the roots at a great distance from the 
surface rarely finish the crop well, and do not ripen the wood satis¬ 
factorily. 
Osiers (East Anglian). —We cannot better answer your question than 
by citing from Mr. Scaling’s prize essay on this subject as follows :—“The. 
species of Willows are very numerous, and much confusion exists in their 
