JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
412 
[ May 18, 1882. 
pageant of youDg queens is curious, but no one can tell what it is 
for. I have known it continue for eight days, night and day, and 
have believed, and do believe now, that during the whole time 
the young princesses never slept for a moment. More may be 
said about young queens when we come to consider swarming. 
When queens are young, say from four to ten days old, they leave 
their hives for mating purposes. They may he seen for two or 
three days about noon coming out for this purpose and returning 
to their hives. If successful in meeting drones they never leave 
their hives again but on swarming occasions. 
A queen bee is graceful in appearance and queenly in all her 
ways. Though she has a sting she is never provoked to use it but 
on the occasion of meeting a rival queen. Royalty in a bee hive 
will tolerate no rival royalty. No contest of men or brutes can 
be more savage or deadly than that of rival queen bees. In all 
queen battles it is death or victory ; sometimes both combatants 
are killed. It has been said above that a queen bee lives four 
years. Some die at the age of three years ; very few live longer 
than four years. I have never known one go two months beyond 
the allotted time. When in the third year of their age their 
abdomens become darker in colour, and in the last year of their 
lives their abdomens become darker still, and strikingly pointed 
or more tapering. In their last year some of them lose the power 
of flight, their wings fail them ; in others their feet fail them— 
they stagger in their gait and can hardly walk at all. Some in 
their dotage are dethroned and cast out of their hives. The bees 
know that the queens cannot be of any more use in the hive, and 
may die at a time when no eggs are in the combs ; hence they set 
eggs in royal cells, and before a successor i3 born the old queen is 
dethroned and pushed aside. The bees have good reasons for act¬ 
ing as they do in this matter. Young bee-keepers will do well to 
remember that experienced apiarians endeavour to have no old 
queens in their apiaries, as they know that it is a stroke of good 
policy to cast aside old queens and put young ones in their places 
in a manner acceptable to the bees. In another letter workers 
and drones will receive a passing notice. — A. Pettigrew, 
JBowdon, 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
James Yeitch & Sons, Chelsea.— List of Bedding riants. 
E. G. Henderson & Son, Maida Yale, W.— Catalogue of Plants. 
Continental Horticultural Company, Ghent.— Catalogue of New 
Plants for 1882 (Illustrated). 
Erancis and Arthur Dickson & Sons, Upton Nurseries, Chester.— 
Catalogue of Bedding and Border Plants. 
%* 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 Poultry and Bee subjects, and 
should never send more than two or three questions at once. All 
articles intended 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 ( Probitas , Vert/s, IF,nos ).—For the names of cultivated plants, their 
natural orders aud date of introduction, Johnson’s “ Gardener’s Dictionary ’ will 
doubtless meet 3 our requirements. The last edition with supplement contain¬ 
ing a list of the plants introduced up to the year 1880, can be obtained from this 
office post free 8 j. 3d. The second question is rather vague, but probably the 
“ Treasury of Botany,” published by Messrs. Longman & Co., London, will be 
the most useful for you. 
Labels and Garden Appliances.—Several samples of labels have been 
sent to us by makers and vendors with prices attached to them. These are 
purely advertisements, and as such can only properly appear in the advertising 
columns of the Journal by arrangement with the publisher. Circulars pertain¬ 
ing to new garden appliances are constantly being received, but our rule is not 
to express an opinion on any article that we have not seen. It is only when we 
have examined anything that is manufactured for use in gardens that we are 
justified in directing attention to any merits or novel features the article may 
possess. Both the vendors of articles and the public must perceive that this is 
the only proper course for us to pursue in matters of this kind. 
Cucumbers Unhealthy (It. L .).—There are no insects on the leaves sent* 
nor do we think the injury is done by insects. It appears due to scorching and 
defective ventilation. Letters arriving on Wednesday morning can only be 
answered briefly, if answered at all. 
Vines not Growing (C. E .).—The microscope reveals nothing to satis¬ 
factorily account for the state of the Vines. Have yon examined the roots and 
the stem below the surface of the soil ? There appears to us to be some impe¬ 
diment to the flow of sap, and it is in the direction we have indicated that we 
think you must search for the origin of the evil. 
Tritonia hyalina (F. TV).—The plant of which you sent a single flower 
is a pretty species of Tritonia named T. hyalina, of which a figure was published 
in this Journal last year, May 19th, No. 47, together with a description of the 
plant and the best mode of culture. It is named hyalina from the glass-like 
transparency of the lower portion of the petals. It can be grown in a green¬ 
house or conservatory, a light sandy soil being needed. 
Crimson Velvet Primrose (E. Blyton ).—The plant you have obligingly 
sent us is the finest we have seen for years, and the variety is the true form of 
the above old favourite. We have seen and grown double crimson Primroses 
before, but this is the best so far as we know that is at present in cultivation. 
We congratulate you on your extremely healthy stock of this fine old plant, 
and you had better continue its increase. 
Maranta arundinacea (A. L„ Madeira). —The above is the plant to which 
you refer, aud it is increased by division. We do not know from whence seeds can 
be obtained, noir plants in the numbers you appear to require. Your best course 
would probably be to write to the Directors of the Botanical Gardens at Trinidad 
and Jamaica on the subject, and you might through their agency succeed in 
obtaining what you require. You do not afford us sufficient data for answering 
your question about fodder grasses, but guano sprinkled on the ground in showery 
weather at the rate of 4 cwt. per acre would undoubtedly be beneficial, as also 
would a mixture of 5 cwt. of superphosphate of lime and 1J cwt. of nitrate of 
soda used in the same manner. 
Insects on Cucumbers (if.).—We are obliged by your letter. Yourmethod 
applies to the prevention of insects, not to the extirpation of thrips already 
existing. Your system is sound and good. We have proved its value by thirty 
years of experience. But when you say that neither Gishurst compound, 
paraffin, fumigations of tobacco, nor other insecticides will kill tlinps, you 
are either in error or the thrips that we have destroyed by the means indicated 
were less difficult to kill than your own hardier stock. The advice we gave 
was sound under the circumstances, aud with these you were necessarily un¬ 
acquainted. 
Laced Polyanthuses (IF. H. B.). — You ask if any of the plants of 
which you send flowers “ are worth keeping for potting or the borders.” Our 
reply is that not one of the varieties possesses the qualities required by florists in 
exhibition flowers, but all of them would be attractive in borders. Some of the 
flowers are “ pin-eyed,” and in none of them is the lacing sufficiently clear and 
defined to constitute first-class flowers. If the plants are in pots we should 
plant them in the borders and leave them there. 
Cut Flowers (IV. Cardwell). —Although the flowers were much withered, 
we can perceive that the varieties are meritorious. The Polyanthuses, in 
which single, double, and quaint forms, such as Jack-in-the-Green, are repre¬ 
sented, being attractive and interesting ; while the Pansies are bright, and the 
Daisies fine. 
Remedy for Dry Rot (A. L. 0.). —When the wood is in such an advanced 
state of decay as that you sent us very little can be done to preserve it, as, though 
the fungus might be destroyed, the substance of the wood cannot be restored. 
Dry rot is due to the attacks of several species of Polyporus and Merulius 
lachrymans, and one of the best means of preventing their appearance, where 
possible, is providing abundant ventilation. Wood dressed with creosote is not 
attacked by these destructive fungi, and as a remedy when they have made too 
great a progress a strong solution of corrosive sublimate is frequently applied, 
and has been found efficacious in checking the injury. It is important to employ 
thoroughly seasoned wood only in situations where it is likely to Le attacked by 
dry rot. 
Jasminum hirsutum (TP. TP.).—The plant we figured has been described 
by several authors, and you are mistaken in supposing it was only mentioned by 
Roxburgh as an old title of Guettarda speciosa. It is figured in the first volume 
of Edwards’ “Botanical Register,” plate 15, 1815. It was also subsequently 
figured in Sims’ “ Botanical Magazine,” vol. xlv., plate 1991. The slight difference 
in the fqrrn of the leaves of the specimen we figured is due to it having been.ob¬ 
tained from a small plant, and in that state the foliage is rather variable. It is 
grown both at Kew and Chiswick, where you can compare the woodcut with the 
living plants. 
Propagating Gesneras (A. C .).—'These may be increased in several ways, 
one of the easiest being by division when repotting the old plants if these are 
furnished with tubers. Cuttings of the young growth may be inserted in a 
compost of silver sand and leaf soil, plunging the pots or pans in bottom heat, 
and being careful to avoid giving too much water. '1 he old leaves can be placed 
ou a similar compost in the same way as Begonia leaves, or the petiole end of 
the leaf can be inserted in the soil in heat, but in either case damping is the chief 
evil to be avoided. When first potting the young plants so obtained a light 
compost of peat, leaf soil, and sand must be used, but as they advance light 
turfy loam can be substituted for the peat. The specimen sent is Maurandya 
Barclayana. 
Vines Exhausted (J. F .).—Judging from the appearance of the leaves 
sent, which are quite destitute of chlorophyll, we think your Vines are com¬ 
pletely exhausted, and it will be practically impossible to restore their lost 
vigour. By far the better plan will be to remove them and plant young Vines. 
It will be no use, however, planting them in the existing soil of the border; the 
old soil must be removed, and a station of good loam, with wood ashes, bones, 
and old lime rubbish, formed. If the other Vines in the same border are the 
same age as those exhausted, we think it will be prudent to examine their roots 
with the object of determining whether they also need fresh soil or not, to pre¬ 
vent the Vines degenerating as the others have done. 
Ants in Melon Frame (R. C .).—We have never applied paraffin to a 
Melon bed, and we advise you to proceed cautiously. We think, however, that 
a fluid ounce of the oil (half a wineglass) thoroughly mixed with warm water _ 
and poured on the ant nest alone will banish the insects and not injure the 
plants. If a few roots are destroyed, which we scarcely think will be the case, 
there will be plenty in other parts of the bed to support the plants. It is 
important that the paraffin be mixed with the water as effectually as possible 
by violent agitation. A few forcible ejections from the syringe into the pail at 
the time of using, and then one alternately on the bed aud in the vessel, will 
be a good method of procedure. 
Mildew on Roses (G. J/.). —It is no trouble to us to answer inquiries 
when we can do so usefully, and no apology is needed on the part of those 
applying for information. The Rose leaves you have sent are much infested 
