520 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
[ June 2 ,1884. 
under ordinary circumstances, with ordinary conditions, and on a favour¬ 
ably balanced spring cart.—F. W. S. 
Will “Lanarkshire Bee-keeper” please give a detailed statement, 
with exact measurements, for making Stewarton hives, supers for same, 
and all other connections ? Having seen and heard many statements of 
the advantages of those hives over others, I would like to try them, hut 
do not know how to proceed. Which is the best way to find a queen bee 
in a hive or in a swarm? I have searched over three second swarms 
and carefully examined a bar-frame hive and could not get a sight of her. 
How should the search he conducted ?— Novice. 
“The Amateur’s Guide to Bee-Keeping.” By A. G. Dawson. 
Manchester: Geo. Falkner & Sons.—This is a small 4to. pamphlet by 
Mr. A. E. Dawson of Macclesfield, which treats of bee-keeping in a plain, 
intelligible, and concise manner, and is copiously illustrated by well- 
executed engravings of the various kinds of bees and the most approved 
apiarian apparatus. It will be very useful to beginners, as the instruc¬ 
tions are not treated in a diffusive manner nor yet too technically, and the 
only omission we note is that Mr. Dawson has not given any instruction 
about “ supering.” This is a subject which puzzles beginners, and one of 
the questions we are most frequently asked is, “ When must I put on 
supers?” No doubt Mr. Dawson will supply this in a subsequent edition. 
There is a very ample catalogue at the end of all kinds of hives and 
apparatus. 
%* 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. 
Pruning Ivy and Evergreens (E . B., Bromsgrove ).—The worst time to 
cut Ivy on walls is just before “ the cold weather sets in ” in the autumn, as 
then the walls are bare and unsightly for months, besides exposing the stems 
to the action of possibly severe frost, and we have known them killed by 
such exposure. The best time to cut it is during showery weather towards 
the end of April or early in May, as then fresh growths appear at once, and 
a cheerful glossy face is produced. Once in three years is usually sufficient 
for shaving off Ivy close to the walls to which ic clings, during the inter¬ 
vening years the runners simply being cut off with a knife, leaving the prin¬ 
cipal foliage. We know Ivy that has been thus managed for half a century, 
and in all probability more than twice that time, and it is in the most satis¬ 
factory condition. If evergreens need cutting down below the foliage, early 
spring is the best time ; if the shrubs only need trimming into shape the 
work may be done at any time now until September. 
Pelargoniums—Vines (H. S .).—The soiled condition of the Pelargonium 
leaves has not been caused by the Fir-tree oil, but by the insects against 
which it was applied. It is simply the filth of the pests taken possession of 
by a fungus, and theie is no method of cleaning the foliage except with a 
sponge and soapy water. Shortly, however, the plants will be ready for 
cutting down, and if the shoots are severed, as they should be, below the 
leaves, you will effect a radical cure. Had the insects been prevented by 
timely syringings or fumigation there would have been no unsightly black 
patches on the leaves. You may cut down the Lemon-scented Verbena in 
the same manner as the Pelargoniums, or plant it out, when the fresh growths 
will be clean. It is quite impossible for anyone to give you a categorical 
reply to your question about the Vines without some knowledge of their 
actual condition. They may possibly have been rather overcropped last 
year, and the growths, perhaps, somewhat overcrowded and not satisfactorily 
matured. The laterals should be sufficiently far apart for the foliage to 
develope under the full influence of the sun, while at the same time as many 
leaves as possible should be allowed provided they do not overlap each other. 
On this principle, the roots of course being right, strong growth is insured, 
and with sufficient heat and air in the autumn matured wood, and strong, 
well-fed, matured wood is sure to produce good Grapes. A little fire heat 
in the autumn after the crop has been cut is often of great advantage in pro¬ 
moting the fruitfulness of Vines, and especially in cold northerly districts. 
Outdoor Mushroom Beds (S. L. B., Liverpool ).—Sawdust containing 
70 to 75 per cent, of horse droppings, mixed with the equal quantity of straw 
manure, will answer admirably, provided you can make the ridges firm enough 
and the angle sufficiently acute to throw off the wet, and this we think you 
might accomplish by using a less quantity of sawdust with the manure for 
the outsides of the beds, or a larger portion in the inside would be permis¬ 
sible. If woodlice are very numerous they are injurious to Mushrooms. You 
will soon find out whether they devour yours or not. They are not very 
easy to destroy, but they will not congregate in large numbers if you keep 
the material that covers the beds moist with an occasional sprinkling of salt 
and water. Wuodlice object to this and Mushrooms do not, provided not 
more than an ounce of salt is mixed in each gallon of water. It may be well, 
perhaps, to intimate that this is about the worst period of the year for 
making outdoor Mushroom beds unless their position is exceptionally cool. 
Azalea Flowers Malformed (IF. W. IF.).—It is by no means easy to 
indicate the cause of the petals of the flowers splitting in such an extra¬ 
ordinary manner. You say nothing about the condition of the plants nor 
the treatment to which they have been subjected, except indicating the tem¬ 
perature of the house in winter, and that we can assure you has had nothing 
to do with the case. It may be a consequence of immature growth, coupled 
with an accident in allowing the plants to get too dry when the flowers were 
forming, thus causing a withering and shrinkage of the petals when in an 
incipient state. This is the only suggestion we can offer in the absence of 
sufficient data to enable us to comprehend the condition of the plants. 
Peaches and Nectarines Falling (J. F., Godaiming ).—The origin of the 
evil we attribute mainly to the powerful fumigations to which you allude at 
a critical period—namely, about the stoning time. Tobacco smoke in suffi¬ 
cient strength to kill the black aphis temporarily paralyses the trees, and the 
effect of this is seen sooner or later in falling fruit. Every endeavour should 
be made to prevent the insects getting established, and this can usually be 
accomplished by the free use of the syringe and such insecticides as may be 
needed for the purpose. The frost, if severe at the time you name, would 
aggravate the evil, but we can scarcely think it was so intense as to have 
such disastrous results ; you do not, however, indicate its severity. 
Proliferous Pelargonium (A. O., Bishops Stortford ).—The moment the 
truss was removed every petal dropped—in fact, they nearly all of them were 
on the bottom of the box when the lid was removed. This is invariably the 
case when the petals are not sealed by touching the centre of each flower 
with a little clear gum. We are unable, however, at any time to undertake 
to name varieties of Pelargoniums or other florists’ flowers, as they are far 
too numerous and too closely resembling each other for anyone to do so 
without comparing them with others in a large collection. Proliferous 
trusses are usually caused by too rich and insufficiently firm soil. Turfy 
loam with about a seventh part of decayed manure, and a little gritty matter 
is a suitable compost, and should be pressed into the pots as firmly as 
possible, many successful growers using a blunted stick for that purpose. 
Soiled Foliage (J. IF.).—The “smut” on the leaves of your “Myrtles, 
Orange trees, and other evergreens” in your house is the direct result of 
insects. The plants are probably infested with scale, if not with other 
insects, or plants above them are infested and the filth falls on the leaves 
below. A fungus then takes possession of it, and not only renders the 
plants unsightly, but impairs their health. They can only be thoroughly 
cleansed by sponging with w r arm soapy -water, but some of the filth may be 
removed by forcible and frequent syringings. Half a wineglass of petroleum 
mixed with a gallon of water containing an ounce or two of softsoap in 
solution, and applied with a syringe, will destroy scale and most other 
insects, but should only be used during the evening, as if the sun shines on 
the plants before they are dry the leaves may be injured. It is a great mis¬ 
take to allow plants to get into such a bad state, as much labour is involved 
in cleansing them. 
Various (Mrs. D .).—We fear the ventilation of house containing the 
Vines and Peaches is defective, and we also suspect that the best has not 
been made of the means afforded for regulating the temperature. The 
warted appearance of the Vine leaves is the result of extreme evaporation, 
such as occurs when a house is kept closed too long in the morning and then 
the ventilators thrown widely open, as if to atone for the previous neglect 
or forgetfulness. The more limited the means of ventilation the earlier the 
lights should be opened. You do right by closing early, but an hour or two 
afterwards we should open the top ventilators slightly, leaving them open 
all night, and then give additional air within half an hour of the sun reach¬ 
ing the house in the morning, whether that occurred at six o’clock or earlier. 
The Peach trees are also suffering by want of early ventilation, hence the 
want of substance in the leaves and the attack of mildew on the fruit. 
There were evident signs of red spider, which seldom fails to attack enervated 
trees. Syringe them heavily twice a day until the fruit shows signs of 
ripening. Do not close the ventilators at night; open them earlier in the 
morning, and admit all the air possible before the maximum day temperature 
of the house is reached. There is nothing particularly the matter with the 
Sparmannia. There are a few insects on the leaves, which are also too pale 
in colour. Prune the plant slightly if needed, remove some of the old soil 
from the roots and add fresh, and as soon as fresh roots take possession of 
the new soil give clear soot water twice a week. The plant may be stood on 
ashes or other base impervious to worms in the open air, at first in a shaded 
place for a week or two, then where it can have sun, but shading the pot, 
this latter precaution being important in hot weather. Narcissuses can only 
be forced successfully a second year when great care has been bestowed on 
the plants in the production of good foliage under the influence of light and 
ah after the flowers faded. This is seldom done, often because there is not 
a suitable position for the plants after flowering, and as a rule it is advisable 
to procure fresh bulbs for forcing, planting the old ones in the garden, 
where they become established and flower year after year with little or no 
cultural attention. We are glad you have succeeded so well with the other 
plants on which advice was given. The small spray was accidenSally mis¬ 
laid. Can you send another specimen for examination ? 
Melons Sweating (Z7. B .).—In all probability the wet state of the 
Melons was the result of a too low night temperature and the consequent 
deposition of moisture by condensation, and possibly, also, you did not admit 
air soon enough in the morning. If you maintain a night temperature of 
65°, with a little ventilation at the top of the pit or frame, and open the 
ventilators further as soon as the heat rises in the morning, increasing the 
air with each 5° increase of temperature, you will not be troubled with 
