320 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 16, 1885. 
shower. Bat, unfortunately, the Linden does not, on an average, at least 
in my section of country, produce honey more than about two years out 
of five. Every other year is the rule, and besides that, caterpillars devour 
the foliage about three years out of ten. 
“Linden honey is aromatic, of high pleasant flavour, clear, and of 
sparkling brightness. When well ripened it granulates solid. Clover 
honey is clear and bright, though slightly tinged with amber, is very 
sweet, although a clearly perceptible acidity is always present. It also 
candies solid. Thistle honey is clear and bright, of fine quality, and 
peculiarly pleasant. It candies slowly. These immaculate honeys have 
each an exquisitely delighful flavour peculiarly its own. 
“In Keewatin, Manitoba and the ‘Great Lone Land’ or Canadian 
North-west, the sources of honey at present are confined principally to 
prairie flowers, which are very plentiful from early spring until frost. 
Willows abound, and will add considerably to the wealth of the bee¬ 
keeper ; but, if I am correctly informed, the honey is of an inferior 
quality ; therefore we must patiently await the developments which the 
near future will surely bring about in that great country. Both the soil 
and the climate seem to be peculiarly favourable to the production of 
white Clover, and it is rapidly taking possession of the soil where culti¬ 
vation has destroyed the native grasses. 
“ I now desire to point out some of the advantages the Dominion of 
Canada possesses over the South in the production of honey : 
“ 1, Clover springs up spontaneously over all the land. 
“ 2, The summer season is comparatively short, hut the honey flow 
generally is ‘ right smartand then, when the honey season is over, bees 
soon go into winter quarters, and do not rob and destroy one another, for 
the simple reason that they cannot do so. 
“ 3, The sun shines each day in the Dominion of Canada from two to 
four hours longer than at New Orleans ; but that is not all, darkness does 
not come on so rapidly after sunset as it does in the South. In a large 
portion of Canada twilight lingers all night, and bees can work loDg after 
sundown. 
“ Now, when we take into consideration the great territorial extent com¬ 
prised in the Djminion of Canada, the fertility of her soil, the beauty of 
her summers, and the length of her summer days, may we not with 
safety conclude that by-and-by Canada will be able to produce hundreds 
of thousands of tons of honey annually for foreign markets ? 
“Perhaps someone will say, ‘But what about your killing winters ?’ 
Well, I will state that although Canadian winters are long and sometimes 
terribly severe, yet, withal, they are pleasant, bracing, and enjoyable ; 
and it is now a well-established fact that bees, when properly boused, 
will remain healthy for five months or more without a cleansing flight. 
“All these advantages are not the only requisites necessary to make 
bee-keeping the occupation which we delight so much to laud to the 
sk es ; but the question of a market will soon be one of the most difficult 
problems that the apiarist will have to solve. Did you ever think of 
it, that nearly all lands within the temperate and torrid zones, whether 
mountains or valleys, hills or dales, as well as the isles of the seas—all, 
everywhere, invite the labours of the honey bee ? 
“We talk of Wheat belts, corn regions, the Cotton fields of the South 
and the Barley districts ; we speak of the favourite locality of the Pear 
and the Apple, the Orange and the Lemon, &c., and each has its favourite 
and somewhat limited locality, but flowers and honey abound almost 
everywhere. 
“ Now, add to this the stubborn fact that California, in 1884, sent to 
the markets of Europe thousands of tons of honey at an average of less 
than 5 cents per pound, and we will have some crude idea of what our 
honey will soon have to compete with in the markets of the world.” 
Thos. G. Newman (Ills.) remarked that Manitoba could not be 
favourable for bee culture—the season was too short, and there was a lack 
of honey-producing flowers. 
Mr. Wallace (Ontario") said that he fully agreed with Mr Pettit’s 
paper, and mentioned the fact that the Canada exhibit at Toronto was 
the largest ever made in America.—( American Bee Journal.') 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
William Paul & Son, Waltham Cross, Herts.— Catalogue of New Boses. 
Henry Bennett, Shepperton, Middlesex.— List of New Boses. 
Dutry-Colson, Gand, Belgium.— Catalogue of Horticultural Appliances 
( illustrated ). 
*** 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. 
Books (J.B.). —“ Brewers’ Flora of Surrey” is published by Mr. Van 
Voorst, Paternoster Row, London. Its price is, we think, about 7s. 6d.— 
(FI. J. T.). —The last edition of the “ Cottage Gardener’s Dictionary ” was 
published in 1882. The work was not re-written then, but contains an exten¬ 
sive supplement by Mr. N. E. Brown of the Royal Gardens, Kew. We know 
of no work with coloured plates of fruits being published since the Chiswick 
Apple Congress. The “ Herefordshire Pomona ” is by far the finest work of 
the nature indicated. “ Hogg’s Gardener’s Year Book ” is published at this 
office, price Is. ; Is. 2d. post free. 
Address (G. II. A .).—The establishment you mention is, we believe, in 
California; but you would obtain the full address from Mr. W. Bull, 
Chelsea. 
Verbena venosa (A. R.). —Good plants inserted 9 inches apart will soon 
form a dense mass or close line in good soil. They transplant well, choosing 
favourable weather for their removal, and according the requisite attention 
afterwards. They continue flowering as long as any other Verbenas do, 
and generally longer, often being effective until the occurrence of frost. 
Single Asters (H. M .).—If you cannot find seed offered in catalogues 
we are unable to assist you. Single flowers are occasionally produced from 
a packet of seed—sometimes too many of them, and the varieties can be 
perpetuated by saving seed from such flowers. It was in that way, we 
presume, that the correspondent to whom you refer obtained his single 
Asters. He is not a vendor of seeds. 
Orchid Conference (E. H., Birmingham). —At the time this conference 
is held the International Inventions Exhibition will be open, all visitors to 
which will have the privilege of inspecting the Orchids. The admission 
upon Tuesday will, we believe, be the same as ordinary days—namely Is. ; 
but on Wednesday it will probably be 2s. 6d. The Orchid sent is a fine 
variety of Odontoglossum gloriosum, highly coloured and of good form. 
JacobseaLily (G. B., Conyngham). —The above is the popular name of the 
plant of which you have sent a very fine flower, its botanical name being 
Sprekelia formosissima. It is not at all uncommon for imported bulbs to 
flower before before producing roots : but with care in watering they will 
form now, and the more readily if the pot can be plunged in gentle bottom 
heat. When in free growth copious supplies of water are needed, the 
foliage being exposed to the full sun, in a temperature of 80° or more, a shelf 
in a not too moist stove being a suitable position. In August the water 
supply should be reduced, the plant being still fully exposed to the sun in a 
dry atmosphere, and after September no water will be needed until the 
spring. 
Asparagus plumosus ( Beader ).—This is the name of the plant of 
which you have sent a withered example. As the discoloration occurs in 
both houses, we conclude that one is too cold and the other too damp. It 
requires heat, but not too much atmospheric moisture. Assign it the 
warmest position in your cool stove ; do not syringe it, but afford shade 
from bright sun and give water with judgment, neither saturating the soil 
nor letting it get too dry. Our plants grow freely in a mixture of turfy 
loam with a little leaf soil and sand added, potting rather firmly. Possibly 
the root-action of your plant is defective, and fresh compost may be needed 
as well as a higher temperature and somewhat drier atmosphere. 
Removing Rhubarb ( G. Walker). —As a private individual—that is, not 
a nurseryman or grower of plants for sale—you have no legal right to remove 
the Rhubarb, which is the property of the owner of the land in which it is 
established, no matter whether you purchased and planted it or not. It is 
not the custom, however, for landlords to be exacting in matters of this 
kind. If you can remove the Rhubarb, or some of it, it may be successfully 
transplanted by first pulling any of the large stems and leaves, keeping the 
roots moist when out of the ground, planting carefully, watering well, and 
mulching the ground round the crowns with manure. It should not be 
pulled closely this summer, but a few stalks may probably be taken towards 
the autumn without doing much injury to the crown3. 
Fungus on Euphorbia (W. W. W .).—Judging from examples sent, the 
plant appears to be in very bad condition; but whether its enfeebled state 
has invited the attack of the fungus, or whether the fungus attacks the 
healthy parts and destroys them, we have no m°ans of knowing. We 
suspect, however, that the root-action of the plant is defective and the 
atmosphere too moist, especially in the winter. We should dissolve two 
or three ounces of softsoap in a gallon of water and well syringe the plant, 
dusting the stems when wet with flowers of sulphur, letting this remain on 
for a few days, then wash it off with warm water applied forcibly through a 
syringe. The plant should either be laid on its side when the sulphur is 
applied or removed, or other means adopted to prevent much of it reaching 
the roots. The plant appears to us, judging from the examples before us 
to require pruning, cleansing, some fresh soil, and a drier atmosphere. 
Cytisuses (F. Lucas ).—The species most generally grown for supplying 
Covent Garden Market are C. Atleeanus and C. racemosus. They are 
very beautiful now, plants in 5-inch pots being about a foot across and the 
same in height, densely covered with racemes of golden flowers. They are 
usually raised from cuttings of half-ripe wood inserted towards the end of 
August and kept close in cold frames till they “ callus,” then the pots 
are placed in mild hotbeds and roots extend quickly. The plants are then 
potted, kept close for a time, grown in light pits, topped as required to secure 
a number of shoots, shifted, grown in frames for a few weeks, then plunged 
in ashes in the open air, where they remain until the autumn. The shoots 
are topped several times, but not later than the beginning of August. In a 
young state the plants are grown in a mixture of turfy loam and peat with 
a little sand, but when placed in 5-inch pots the peat is reduced and dried 
cow manure added. They are potted firmly, watered carefully yet copiously, 
