March 24, 1881. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 241 
be removed without disturbing the bees in the body part of the 
hive, or boxes of about 2000 inches capacity can be treated in the 
same'manner. Hiving the bees simply consists in shaking the 
cluster from the tree upon which it has lodged into the box or 
into a basket, and then pouring it down before the hive. Most of 
the natives have little fear of bees ; moreover, when bees are 
about to swarm it is their instinct to gorge themselves with honey, 
and when their honey sacs are thus filled they never sting unless 
pressed in the hand or under the clothing. 
The simple methods indicated above are surely not beyond the 
comprehension of the natives of Ceylon ; indeed, I believe an 
additional step might be taken at the outset, a step which in the 
long run would be found wise. 
Frame hives, something essential to modern bee culture, might 
be introduced into some of the Government gardens, and would 
then find favour elsewhere. Notches in the upper edge of the 
hive would insure the placing of the frames at proper distances 
one from another, and the main advantages of the moveable-comb 
system would be gradually learned by practice in the handling 
the bees. To start this work the Government might manufacture 
and sell at cost simple moveable-comb hives, perhaps even stocked 
with bees, and for the present exempt the industry from taxation. 
These are the ideas which suggest themselves to the mind of one 
whose stay in Ceylon must necessarily be very short, but who feels 
an interest in seeing a favourite pursuit receive the attention its 
importance demands.—(Signed) Frank Benton, of the State 
Agricultural College , Lancing , Michigan , U.S. America. 
Colombo, January 25th, 1881. 
P.S.—Mr. Benton’s further contribution—entitled “ A Journey 
to the Indies ; The Bees of the Island of Ceylon ”—will follow. 
He divides the paper into—the Trip down the Bed Sea, Aden, 
across the Indian Ocean (all with reference to the welfare of the 
bees in his charge), the Island of Ceylon Bee-hunting, the Large 
Bees, the Honey Bees of Ceylon ; a Description of the New Race 
—the Workers, the QueeD, the Drones. Additional Observations. 
—A. N. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Samuel Yates, 1(3 and 18, Old Millgate, Manchester.— Catalogue of 
Vegetable and Flower Seeds. 
M. E. & E. Horley, Toddington, Beds .—Illustrated Catalogue of 
Garden Structures. 
*** 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. 
Books (James D. Ker). —Our manual on “ Florists' Flowers ” contains in¬ 
formation on the properties and culture of Auriculas ; it can be had by post in 
return for 4 £d. in postage stamps sent to the publisher. Mr. Douglas’s book 
on “Hardy Florists’ Flowers” would be useful to you, but we do not know 
whether the edition is all sold or not; you can gain this information with par¬ 
ticulars as to price by writing to the author at Loxford Hall, Ilford, Essex. 
(J. L. 0.) —Mr. Iggulden’s manual on the “ Tomato ” contains all the informa¬ 
tion you require. It can be had post free from this office for 1$. Id. 
Address (E. J. Hughes and J. D. K .).— Yonr letters have been forwarded to 
the gentleman whom you desired to have them. 
Watering Vallotas (A. Boyle). —If the pots are very much crowded with 
roots, and the plants are in a sunny position during hot weather in summer, it 
is better to place the pots in saucers of water than to permit the foliage to flag. 
If you place the pots within larger during hot weather you will find the shade 
so afforded the roots very beneficial, and the soil will not dry nearly so rapidly 
as if the pots containing the roots were exposed to the sun. 
Vine Bleeding (F. J.). —You adopted a good mode of arresting the flow 
of sap—namely, dressing with painters’ knotting, and we are glad to learn it 
proved efficacious. The little sap that may escape now will do no harm, as the 
Vine will commence growing shortly and the bleeding will cease. You pruned 
the Vine quite correctly, and had you at the same time rubbed some lead paint 
on the fresh-made cuts in all probability there would have been no exudation 
of sap from the Vine now. The bleeding is a sign of good health rather than 
otherwise, but it occurs most with Vines that have not thoroughly ripened their 
wood. 
Grafting Espalier Trees (Idem). —If the scions are inserted between 
the bark and the wood of the severed branches, which is a safe and simple mode 
of grafting such trees, and the one most frequently adopted, there will be no 
need for anything besides ligatures to keep the scions firm in their places. Wo 
have seen pins used without injury when softwooded plants have been grafted, 
such as placing Epiphyllams on Feroskia stocks, but we have never seen he 
necessity of similar aids in grafting fruit trees. 
Purchasing Gladioli (Idem). —As economy is a great consideration you 
cannot do better than write to a dealer in the corms and ask him to send you a 
stipulated number of the best varieties he can supply for the price that you 
name to him. If you select the varieties you will be charged a higher price 
because the stock of some of them may be low, while of others equally good 
there may be an abundance of corms. Unbloomed seedlings from a good 
source are sure to include some varieties of merit for garden decoration, and 
for this purpose we should not hesitate to plant them. 
Heating with Paraffin Oil [J. B.). —While paraffin lamps are service¬ 
able for excluding frost from frames and very small structures, they are not by 
any means equal to hot-water or even a good flue for heating greenhouses. The 
smoke from the lamps is injurious to flowers, and so also is the dry atmosphere 
that results from the lamps being overheated, as they not infrequently are 
during severe weather. 
Alternanthera paronychyoides aurea (G. C. IF., Mass.,U.S. A.). —This 
variety originated in Battersea Park. It is of the same habit of growth as the 
species, but the prevailing colour is reddish gold. It is very distinct, and is 
effective for carpet bedding. The stock we believe passed into the hands of 
Messrs. James Veiteh and Sons, Chelsea, for distribution. A description of the 
bedding in the London parks appeared in our last volume, and notes of a 
similar character will no doubt appear during the present year. The specimens 
you sent were mere scraps of stems and leaves without flowers, and were 
further rendered almost unrecognisable by having been crushed in transit. 
However, from the few characters traceable we think 1 is Lavandula dentata, 
and 2, Santolina Chamaecyparissus. When you are writing again send better 
specimens to enable us to identify them with certainty. 
Growing Gloxinias for Greenhouse (Amateur). —You may, with the 
assistance of a hotbed, grow these plants for greenhouse decoration. They 
should be placed in the hotbed not later than the beginning of April, better 
during this month, be continued there until the close of May or beginning of 
June, and then be placed in the lightest and warmest part of the house, keeping 
the sashes on that part closer than those elsewhere. The plants should be well 
supplied with water when in active growth and in full foliage. When coming 
into flower a slight shade from powerful sun is desirable. 
Crocus versicolor (L. II., Yorkshire). — Your “ small early treacle- 
coloured Crocus” which you had from 
Holland is probably the one that is 
sold under the above name. We 
know it well, and have grown it for 
some years. It is the most attrac¬ 
tive before the flowers expand, as only 
the outside of the petals are of a dark 
reddish brown colour, the interior 
being chiefly yellow, the flowers open¬ 
ing almost flat, as shown in the figure. 
With us it is one of the earliest of the 
genus, and, although it is distinct and 
pretty does not produce such a rich 
display in borders as the leading gar¬ 
den varieties that are so extensively 
grown. 
Compost for Vine Border 
(J. JF.) -As you require to know how 
to make a “first-class Vine border,” 
we will state how the Vine borders at 
Arkleton were made, and append the 
results achieved by Mr. Dickson, the 
gardener there. In the first place the 
borders rest on several feet of gravel, 
so that the important condition of perfect drainage is provided by Nature. 
The inside border is 14J feet wide and 3.1 feet deep ; the outside border is of the 
same width and the same depth in front, and 2J feet deep at the edge next the 
walk. The Vines are planted inside, and have free access to the outside border. 
The components of the soil are fibry loam of medium texture taken from an 
old sheep pasture, and to every twelve cartloads of turf were added two cart¬ 
loads of old lime rubbish, one cartload of horse droppings, one cartload of 
charcoal, and 5 cwt. of inch bones. The turf was fresh from the field, mixed 
well with the other ingredients, and wheeled into the border without lying 
exposed. That may be taken as a first-rate recipe for a Vine border, judged at 
least by the following results, which are certainly “ first-class.” In the year 
1869, at the Edinburgh International Exhibition, the first prize was awarded to 
Mr. Dickson for a bunch weighing 16J tbs.; in 1870 the first-prize bunch at the 
Royal Caledon'an Society’s Show weighed 19 tbs. 5 ozs. ; in 1871 the first-prize 
bunch at the same Society’s Show weighed 18 tbs. 7 ozs.; in 1872 the first-prize 
bunch at Glasgow weighed 19^ lbs. 6 ozs.; in 1873 at Manchester the prize 
bunch weighed 16 tbs. 1 oz.; and in the same year another bunch at Glasgow 
weighed 16 lbs. 10 ozs.; then came the bunch produced in 1875, weighing 
(by the Judges) 25 tbs. 15 ozs. We do not advise you to make the border its 
full width now. A width of 4 feet will probably be sufficient the first jear, the 
front being supported with a wall of turf. If the soil is in the right condition 
as to moisture—that is, moderately moist but not wet—you may press it down 
slightly as it is placed in position, and it will not afterwards settle to do 
any harm ; in fact it will not settle at all if the work is rightly done, and we 
should not give the border “ a good soaking a few days before planting.” 
Making a border is only one element in Grape culture. If you would like 
fuller particulars of Mr. Dickson’s practice you will find them recorded in Nos. 
767 and 312 of the Journal, the issues of September 30th and October 7th, 1875. 
If you do not possess these numbers they can be had from the publisher, price 
3 ^d. each. 
Protecting Fruit Trees ( Willesden). —The cheapest and best mode of 
fixing a temporary coping for protection is by iron brackets driven into the wall 
about 4k inches, and projecting from the wall the full width of the copings, 
which should not be less than 11 inches, and better if 13 or 14 inches. If there 
are stone copings to the wall the brackets are best let into and leaded in them. 
The simplest plan of fixing the protection to the wall is by means of rings, there 
being a light iron rod fixed in front of the coping, and the material may, there¬ 
fore be drawn aside like curtains. We know' of no simpler plan ; but a better 
plan is to have a roller fixed immediately under the coping, and the material 
tacked to that, which with a cord may be folded or rolled up and down like a 
greenhouse blind. 
Cutting Down Ferns (F. O. M.).— Provided the old fronds of Maiden¬ 
hair and other Ferns are perfectly healthy there is no occasion for cutting them 
