September 6, 1883. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
217 
the centre of the hive when contracting the internal dimensions 
for winter, which often necessitates the removal of one frame alto¬ 
gether from hive before all can be made straight. 
No doubt manufacturers are doing their best to produce hives 
which will be as perfect as possible in working, and if defects are 
pointed out when proved to exist it will enable those, who are in¬ 
terested to choose the best article for this purpose. But, here again 
we are confronted with a new difficulty. Bee-keepers consist of tvo 
varieties, which may be called the active and the passive, whose 
•systems of management widely differ. The first-named is always up, 
;and doing all he can to insure success ; he stimulates his queens in 
spring, and spreads the brood as soon as breeding warrants it. In 
.•short, it is to be feared he occasionally meddles with his bees more 
than is conducive to their welfare. 
The other only looks into his hives when compelled to do so, 
gives the bees as wide a berth as possible on all occasions, puts supers 
on, and never looks at them again till they have been ready for 
removal for several weeks ; never dreams of renewing queens when 
they are old—in fact, keeps no record of any kind as to his bees, and 
jet is an earnest bee-keeper withal. 
It will be seen how difficult it is to construct a hive which will 
meet the requirements of apiarians whose plans of managing bees 
-are so greatly at variance ; yet we have no hesitation in saying that 
a hive, to be a really good one, should be equally well adapted for 
both systems, and we hope to show that such a hive can be made. 
The long-continued controversy as to the most suitable size of 
frame for general use seems to have been settled, so far as it can be, 
i>y the adoption of the British Association standard size. This 
fixing of a particular sized frame with a special name, the exact 
dimensions of which have been carefully given, and which all makers 
•are supposed to adhere to, cannot but have a good effect on hive- 
construction generally, because the bee-keeper knows exactly what 
he is going to receive when he orders that frame. To suppose, how¬ 
ever, that the question of the best size of frame is for ever settled by 
the decision arrived at, is to put an end to all progress in hive-con- 
•etruction, and we having tried and used for a long time a frame which 
we believe to be better than the Association standard one, we shall 
respectfully submit the hive and frame to our readers in a future 
paper, leaving it to stand or fall on its merits, as the case may be.— 
W. B. C., Higher Bebington , Cheshire. 
TKADE CATALOGUES BECEIVED. 
Stephen Brown, Weston-super-Mare.— Catalogue of Bulbs and Flower 
Boots. 
J. Carter & Co., 237 and 238, High Holborn, London .—Catalogue of Bulbs 
{Illustrated). 
E. Webb & Sons, Wordsley, Stourbridge.— Catalogue of Bulbs ( Illustrated ). 
James Cocker & Sons, Aberdeen .—Catalogue of Bulbs. 
* J All correspondence should be directed either to “The Editor 5 ' 
or to “ The Publisher. 5 ' Letters addressed to Dr. Iiogg 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 vie 
do not undertake to return rejected communications. 
Books (Sigma ).—You will find our “Greenhouse for the Many,” price 
tSd., post free from this office 10 d., a useful work on the cultivation of plants 
for a cool house. Mr. B. S % Williams’ “Stove and Greenhouse Plants,” 
two volumes, 12*. Gd., also contains full particulars of plants for both warm 
and cool houses. It can be obtained from the author, Victoria and Paradise 
Nurseries, Upper Holloway. Your other question will be answered next week. 
Back'JNumbers of the Journal (Mrs. J. L , Norwich ).—The only mode 
that we can suggest is to advertise the numbers for sale, stating the par¬ 
ticulars and price required. 
Retinosporas Unhealthy (T. G. T .)—Evidence of Conifers suffering 
from drought is always unmistakeably visible in the dull parched appearance 
■of the foliage. As you make no mention of this, tut rather of dead and 
■shrivelled bark of the stems, by which s ip-act on has been so seriously 
checked that “ the top of one is nearly dead,” it is clear that your theory of 
a want of water being the cause of the mischief is wrong. There are two 
ways by which the stem bark may be injured, either of which may apply to 
your case. The first and most common is by being eaten by rabbits. We 
have lost many young plants of Juniperus excelsa, Cupressus funebris, and 
Juniperus virginiana from rabbits eating the stem bark, yet numerous other 
sorts of Conifers have been left untouched ; and the other is the exposure to 
wind, frost, and the almost equally trying extreme of scorching sunshine of 
young trees taken from crowded nursery quarters. The effect of such 
exposure is to check growth so severely that the trees are often four or five 
years recovering from it, and even then are frequently excelled in growth by 
younger trees that have escaped so trying an ordeal. 
Large Caterpillar (G. S.). —What you enclose is the larva or caterpillar 
of the goat moth, Zyleutes cossus, or Cossus ligniperda, of almost adult size. 
This creature is occasionally found at large, taking a journey from one tree 
to another, but it usually lives out of view in the heart of trees, where it 
proves itself the destroyer of many a Poplar, Willow, and Elm; even the 
sturdy Oak sometimes succumbs to its attacks. The larva state lasts three 
years, the moth generally appearing in July, when it deposits a large number 
of eggs. Occasionally it visits our fruit trees, but these are more commonly 
infested by the leopard moth, Zeuzera ZEsculi. 
Insect upon Rose (II. B. B. Lympne ).—The leaves you enclose have been 
disfigured by a beetle, seemingly one of the weevil tribe. We are not aware 
that a similar instance is on record. Could you forward more specimens 
enclosed in a small box with a little wool about them ? those you obligingly 
sent, owing to the mode of transit, were not in a condition to enable us to 
identify them with certainty. The most likely way to keep the beetles from 
attacking the leaves would be to moisten these with some liquid which would 
render them distasteful to the insects. Decoction of quassia might answer 
the purpose, and it would not render the Roses objectionable to human 
beings, as solutions of a malodorous kind that are destructive to insects 
probably would, unless so far diluted as to interfere with their usefulness. 
Propagating Cineraria acanthifolia (F. J.). —Stout short-jointed growths 
slipped off from the outsides of plants, divested of their lower leaves, and 
inserted in pots of gritty soil will, with proper treatment, strike now in a 
cool frame. They must not be kept moist, close, and shaded, as if pro¬ 
pagating Verbenas or Ageratums, neither must they be so fully exposed to 
light and air as is suitable for Pelargoniums. They need to be kept only 
moderately moist, shaded only when the sun is bright, and ventilated 
sufficiently to prevent much atmospheric moisture. The foliage will flag, 
but eventually a number of the cuttings will emit roots. Good judgment 
is requisite in selecting the cuttings, and the inexperienced amateur might 
probably lose 50 per cent, of them. Soft growths taken from the interior 
of the plants will not strike at this season of the year, but young growths 
produced in heat will strike in heat in the spring. 
Cutting Down Zonal Pelargoniums (Idem). —Plants that have flowered 
in pots may be cut down to any extent desired, and when fresh growth is 
starting they should be shaken out, the old soil and roots being considerably 
reduced, then placed in clean pots of the same size as those in which they 
were grown. Plants that are cut down in June and well cultivated flower 
freely during the winter. Those cut down now make dwarf specimens for 
flowering in spring and early summer. It does not follow that all should 
be cut down ; some are dwarf and dense enough without, but those that 
need it should be pruned at once, and the cuttings inserted if young plants 
of the same varieties are required. Relative to your question about the 
Raspberry, all we can say is that no one variety is superior to all others in 
all soils and districts. 
Forcing Roses ( Keswick ). — Select the strongest plants wherever they 
have been grown, and give them a slight shift at once, potting very firmly 
in turfy loam with a little decomposed manure added, and a twentieth part 
of the bulk of bonemeal. Place them in a sunny position in the open air for 
ripening the wood, and prune them when the leaves have fallen. You had 
better not attempt forcing too early. January will be soon enough to place 
them in gentle heat, and even then probably all the plants will not flower, 
as some varieties are not well adapted for forcing. 
Mushrooms (A. Wilson ).—Your mode of gathering the Mushrooms is 
quite right. No harm results from the process of pulling and leaving cavities 
in the beds ; in fact, these are what the most successful cultivators like to 
see. But, of course, if you prefer to cut the produce you can do so. Mush¬ 
room spawn is usually found in manure that is neither wet nor dry, but 
where the material inclines to dryness rather than otherwise. 
Pruning Laurels (H. C .).—The present is an excellent time for shorten¬ 
ing the summer growths of the shrub?. You may cut them as closely as you 
desire, using a knife and not the shears, as these sever the leaves, and shortly 
afterwards the specimens have an unsightly appearance. The sample of 
moss you send is sphagnum, which is used extensively by cultivators of 
Orchids. They do not like dead moss, however, but prefer to see it growing 
healthily, as then usually the Orchids grow too. 
Weeds in Lawn (J. W., Deal ).—The plant of which you have sent a speci¬ 
men is Prunella vulgaris. It is often a most troublesome w T eed in lawns, and 
as you have found, most difficult to eradicate. According to your letter you 
will soon spend as much money in weeding your lawn as would suffice to 
make a new one. There is no easy method of getting rid of the weed that 
as you say it seems almost “ hopeless ” to extirpate. In all probability you 
will never have a good lawn until you fork up the old one thoroughly, clean 
the land, and sow it with a suitable mixture of lawn seed. Dry weather is 
essential for cleaning the land, and this needs to be carefully done. The 
seed may be sown either in September or towards the end of March ; and if 
showery weather follows the site will be green in two or three weeks. 
Perhaps, however, you will not adopt this plan, but prefer to continue the 
work of weeding ; still if you require any further information on making a 
new lawn we shall be glad to supply it if you will state the nature of the soil. 
Fern Fronds Browned (J. S.). —We are quite unable to account for the 
brown appearance of the frond, and can only suggest that you try the plant in 
another and more shaded position in the house, and if the pot is filled with roots 
give liquid manure, clear soot water being very suitable for Ferns. We have 
rarely seen a liner frond, and the size and description of the plants generally 
