April 10, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
295 
capital start to a swarm from your strong hive, especially to a second swarm. 
On the other hand, if the stock is one which swarmed late last year the 
young queen may have had no chance of developing her laying powers. In 
this case you could give her the needful help by transposing the stocks on a 
nne day when honey is coming in freely, not otherwise, or the strange bees 
might encase the queen and probably destroy her. Bear in mind that you 
will throw your prosperous hive considerably back by robbing it of the 
greater portion of its adult population, and nothing but anxiety to save a 
young and fertile queen will justify the experiment. You must contract the 
entrance and wrap all up as warm as possible for fear of chilling the brood. 
On the face of your communication, and from the fact that you are “only a 
learner, we rather deprecate the idea of your trying to save the few bees 
and queen left in the weak stock. It will be the wiser and safer course to 
let well alone, and not run the risk of further “unsatisfactory experiments.” 
Operations which could be successfully accomplished by an experienced 
apiarian often fail in the hands of a novice. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET.— Apeil 9th. 
branches of the trade dull, with good supplies, Strawberries especially meeting 
with little demand. Prices without alteration. 
FRUIT. 
s. d. s. d. 
Apples . . .. 
i 
6 
to 5 
0 
Nectarines .. . . 
dozen 
M • • • • 
per barrel 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Oranges. 
Apricots 
.. box 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Peaches. 
dozen 
Chestnuts .. 
.. bushel 10 
0 
0 
0 
Pears, kitchen .. 
dozen 
Figs .. .. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
„ dessert 
dozen 
Filberts.. .. 
0 
0 
0 
0 
Pine Apples English 
.. lb. 
Cobs .. .. 
1 
3 
1 
6 
Plums and Damsons 
Grapes .. .. 
s 
0 
10 
0 
Strawberries.. 
.. lb. 
Lemon .. .. 
, ,. case 
IS 
0 
21 
0 
St. Michael Pines 
.each 
s. d. s. d. 
0 0 to 0 0 
6 0 10 0 
0 0 0 0 
10 16 
10 6 0 
2 0 3 0 
0 0 0 0 
4 0 8 0 
2 0 8 0 
VEGETABLES 
Artichokes .. . 
. dozen 
s. d. 
2 0 
S. 
to 4 
d. 
0 
Mushrooms .. 
punnet 
s. 
1 
d. 
0 
s. 
to 1 
d. 
6 
Beans, Kidney 
100 
i 
0 
i 
6 
Mustard and Cress 
punnet 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Beet, Red .. . 
. dozen 
i 
0 
2 
0 
Onions. 
bushel 
2 
6 
3 
0 
Broccoli. 
. bundle 
0 
9 
1 
0 
Parsley .. dozen bunches 
2 
0 
3 
0 
Brussels Sprouts . 
. q sieve 
1 
6 
2 
6 
Parsnips. 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Cabbage . 
. dozen 
0 
6 
1 
0 
Potatoes. 
cwt. 
4 
0 
6 
0 
Capsicums .. . 
. 100 
1 
6 
2 
0 
„ Kidney .. 
cwt. 
4 
0 
6 
0 
Carrots. 
. bunch 
0 
3 
0 
4 
„ New.. 
.. lb. 
0 
4 
0 
6 
Cauliflowers .. 
. dozen 
2 
0 
3 
0 
Rhubarb. 
bundle 
0 
4 
0 
0 
Celery . 
. bundle 
1 
6 
2 
0 
Salsafy. 
bundle 
1 
0 
0 
6 
Cole worts doz. 
bunches 
2 
0 
4 
0 
Scorzonera .. .. 
bundle 
1 
6 
0 
6 
Cucumbers .. . 
. each 
0 
6 
0 
9 
Seakale. 
basket 
1 
0 
1 
6 
Endive. 
. dozen 
1 
0 
2 
0 
Shallots. 
0 
3 
0 
0 
Herbs . 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Spinach. 
bushel 
2 
6 
3 
6 
Leeks . 
0 
3 
0 
4 
Tomatoes .. .. 
2 
0 
2 
6 
Lettuce. 
1 
0 
1 
6 
Turnips. 
bunch 
0 
3 
0 
0 
MILDEW IN WHEAT CROPS. 
(Continued from page 276.) 
In continuation of this subject we must endeavour to show 
how lands can be cropped in succession to avoid the ill conse¬ 
quences which the scientific men of the day assure us must 
inevitably accrue to a cereal crop if the manure made from 
mildewed straw is applied to land under cereal crops. As 
nearly all our farm crops have enemies and diseases peculiar 
to them, the cereals are a,ll liable to mildew, and the mildew not 
being confined to Wheat alone, but also to Rye Grass, &c., 
lenders the choice or selection of crops necessary in a rotation 
to avoid mildew; and it restricts our selection very much, espe¬ 
cially as the cereals are, after all, the real paying crops of the 
farm, and although frequently sold at a low price, as for some 
years past, yet with ordinary care in choosing our customers 
there is a ready sale and the money sure. 
Let us see how the four-course rotation will assist us in 
evading the effects of mildew. It is stated by various corre¬ 
spondents who replied to the questions issued to the practical 
farmers by Mr. Little, that Wheat after Clover seeds and lea 
has suffered far beyond any other preparation, for twenty-one 
correspondents give evidence as to the injury after Clover, but 
only six returns show the disease as occurring after Grass seeds 
and ordinary Grass leas. This is extremely disappointing to 
many, for their preconceived opinions, based upon science and 
practice, have for a long period given Wheat out of lea or 
Clover the preference to any other preparation when adopted 
in the rotation. This being proved renders our task more 
difficult in any attempt to alter the rotation ; but we must 
not be discouraged, but proceed, assisted by our long expe- 
rience, in adapting rotations to soil, climate, and other circum¬ 
stances. In doing this we cannot consent to give up sowing 
Wheat after Clover, because it does not necessarily follow that 
if the mildew in Wheat prevails to a greater extent than after 
any other preparation it is in consequence of the Clover plants 
and roots being ploughed in; but we think it is from various 
other causes, such as late sowing, late ploughing, and also the 
application of farmyard manure, which it is the general custom 
to lay on the Clover lea. Early ploughing, especially in the 
second growth of Clover, gives the land time to settle, and it 
really requires no manure in that case. If, however, any is 
given, let it be bone superphosphate or bone meal drilled with 
the seed, as all nitrogenous manures tend to produce an excessive 
bulk of straw. Late ploughing and late sowing often cause 
deficient plants in various ways, the attack by slugs or wire- 
worms, and the later gathering and more tillering required i3 
therefore sure to render the Wheat straw more liable to suffer 
from the mildew, as they are comparatively immature and 
irregular at the time of ripening, and in consequence of the 
comparative absence of silica in the straw of all those crops 
which have made an unusual effort to reach the period of 
harvest. We have noticed on various farms, and especially 
on the chalk hill farms, where large flocks of sheep are usually 
maintained, that instead of ploughing the Clover leas early 
and allowing them to become settled and stale on the surface 
and sowing the seed early, we find great objections to early 
sowing are taken, in consequence of the fiock requiring all the 
Clover feeding possible and thus delaying the seed time, which, 
fifty years ago, was at least six or tight weeks earlier than under 
the present system. Late sewing also frequently sacrifices a 
large portion of Wheat, through the plants being lifted by late 
frosts in the spring, especially when the seed is drilled and 
buried shallow, whereas, if sown after the presser, the plant 
has a deep root-holding of the soil which bids defiance to spring 
frosts. 
Taking all the facts into consideration we assert that it is 
not the Clover lea which is at fault, but the management and 
preparation generally speaking. Yet it is well to remember 
that the germs of the mildew fungus is alive, or may be in all 
farmyard manure, and that in case of using farmyard manure it 
should be applied on the young Clover plants in winter or early 
spring, thus manuring the Wheat crop indirectly, and at the 
same time adding greatly to the crop of Clover, and especially 
of the roots, which are, according to Dr. Yoelcker’s analysis, so 
valuable as a manure for the succeeding Wheat crop. It is, 
however, difficult to farm without Clover lain preceding the 
Wheat upon dry and friable land, but on heavy land, being 
part of a farm, the Wheat crop, when the land is free from 
couch, may follow a lain of half Clover and half Beans; but 
on a'l well-tilled land in a high state the Wheat would be 
succeeded by Lent corn, which in case of the Wheat having 
suffered from mildew, the Lent corn also may suffer in the 
same way. 
It is the revival of the mildew spores which we should dread 
the most when the manure made from mildewed straw -was 
applied to a cereal crop, therefore it is best to grow roots or 
green crops, Beans or Peas, after the Wheat instead of before, 
and apply the yard dung to them, because these crops are not 
subject to mildew like the cereals, as Beans and Peas are only 
blighted by the black or green aphides. Beans and Wheat from 
time immemorial have been the rotation in various districts of 
strong rich land, particularly upon a chalk subsoil, and the 
Wheat crop seldom becomes mildewed. Again, in our own case, 
we had certain fields which grew fine crops of Wheat and 
Potatoes alternately for many years. These crops of Wheat 
never suffered from mildew, although we had serious injury 
done to a late-sown crop of Wheat when substituted for Lent 
corn. The sowing of certain sorts of Wheat in districts subject 
to mildew is also of importance, because the white Wheats are 
more delicate in growth and suffer more than the red Wheats, 
which are of a more robust habit of growth. 
With regard to the influence of certain manures, it has come 
out in evidence, received from Mr. Little's correspondents, that 
nitrate of soda and also farmyard manure having been applied 
for Wheat, that those crops suffered more than when some other 
dressings were applied, such as nitrogenous and ammoniacal 
manures, woollen rags, soot, rape cake, decorticated cotton cake, 
heavy folding of sheep, excessive manuring, and liquid manures. 
Dr. Yoelcker’s letter to Mr. Little upon the subject is important 
as well as interesting, which for want of space we can only give 
in a short or condensed form. Speaking of the analysis of a soil 
he gives a reply to his correspondent who seeks information, 
who had for seven years successively suffered from mildew in his 
