432 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 15, 1883. 
justified in sending, and asking for information by post; and we trust 
that our request to correspondents in this column will be complied 
with.] 
THE BEST TIME TO SLING HONEY 
While bees are gathering honey daily the only proper time to sling 
it from the combs is in the morning before they begin the work for the 
day. If the work of slinging be not attended to, then the honey extracted 
will be inferior—in fact, it will remain thin and soon sour. This fact has 
been repeated so often during the last ten years that I have not deemed 
it wise to repeat the old story for some years. About ten days ago I met 
Mr. Hewett of High Leigh, near Lymm or Warrington, a clever, expe¬ 
rienced, and succeessful bee-keeper, when he told me that he had found 
in his practice that honey gathered in the fields during the day had to 
be re-swallowed at nights, and thus made into proper honey. Some ten 
or twelve years ago it did appear strange to me that so many of the 
leading bee-keepers of Great Britain should be ignorant of lessons that 
could be learned every day when bees are at work. Mr. Woodbury, 
unlike most of the leading apiarians of his time, did not venture to con¬ 
tradict or dispute the statement then made, but said he “ did not know.” 
It will be well if all bee-keepers who use extractors now learn that honey 
proper cannot be extracted from combs till the second day after it is 
gathered ; in other words, that bees first gather honey in a crude state, 
and convert it at home into real honey. This is a lesson of far more 
importance than some advanced apiarians are now disposed to admit. 
The treasures of all true science are gathered from facts, and the facts 
of this case are open to all who look for them.—A. Pettigrew. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Dickson & Robinson, 12, Old Millgate, Manchester.— Catalogue of Forest 
and Ornamental Trees. 
Alex. E. Campbell, Cove Gardens, Gourock. —Catalogue of Gladioli. 
James Dickson & Sons, Newton Nurseries, Chester. — Catalogue of Forest 
Trees and Roses. 
Erancis and Arthur Dickson & Sons, Chester.— Catalogue of Forest Trees , 
Conifers , and Shrubs. 
Hogg & Robertson, 22, Mary Street, Dublin.— Catalogue of Forest and 
Ornamental Trees , Conifers, and Roses. 
P. E. Erancken, Steenbrugge-Bruges, Belgium.— Catalogue of Shrubs and 
Trees. 
Robert Jenkins tfe Co., Rotherham. —Catalogue of Boilers {Illustrated). 
Constant Kerkvooide, Wetteren, Belgium.— Catalogue of Fruit Trees and 
Roses. 
D. Cannon & E. Brace, Les Vaux, Salbin, Loir-et-Cher.— Catalogue of 
Trees, Shrubs, Potatoes, and Strawberries. 
%* 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 on# 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. 
Book (B. J. C). —Mr. A. F. Barron’s work on “ Vines and Vine Culture ” 
can be obtained from this office, price 10s., post free 10s. 6 d. 
“ Mushrooms for the Million” (C. F. T.). —The above is the title of the 
treatise that was alluded to in the article that you have read. The second 
edi.ion of the work is now being issued from this office, price Is., post free 
Is. 2 d. 
Greenhouse Rhododendrons {A. T). —In addition to those you have, 
the following will no doubt suit you, as they are of compact habit with fine 
flowers—R. Veitchianum, R. exoniense, R. formosum, R. ciliatum, R. bar- 
b'iturn, and R. Taylori. Most of the highly coloured forms are of rather 
straggling habit, as R. javanicum is the species which has been chiefly 
employed in raising them. 
Double Lapageria (IF. IF.).—Examples of the double Lapageria rosea, 
also of the white variety, have been previously obtained, notably by Mr. G. 
Duffield of Winchmore Hill, London, N., who has had both forms. The 
double white variety has much larger flowers, but the red one sent by you 
is very similar to that he had. It is a distinctly double flower and ’inter¬ 
esting, but it is a matter of opinion whether it is more beautiful than the 
single form. 
Vine not Thriving [IT. S). —There are no signs of the phylloxera on 
the specimens you have sent, but the Vine is evidently in an unsatisfactory 
condition. If the others in the house are doing well we should remove the 
one that is unhealthy, and either plant another, using fresh soil, or train an 
additional cane from an established Vine. We are not able to determine the 
reason why your Vine refuses to flourish. It is probably inherently weak. 
Insecticide (J. C). —We are obliged by the sample you have sent, and 
will try it. In the meantime your best plan will be to have it fully tested 
by good local gardeners of repute. We are not able to send the addresses of 
gardeners on the terms you propose. The action of the material appears 
similar to that of gas lime. 
Rose Garden {Mrs. S.). —We cannot give you more practical assistance 
than referring you to page 82, vol. xxxvi., January 30th, 1879, where a plan 
will be found of the Rose garden at Mentmore, and the varieties enumerated 
for planting the beds. If you do not possess that number of the Journal it 
can be had by sending 3 %d. in postage stamps to the publisher, with a request, 
that he send yon No. 931. 
Pruning Vines (J. W. //.).—Everything depends on the condition of the 
leaves. If most of them are changing you may prune as you propose, 
as the wood you have sent is fairly well matured, dressing the wounds with 
knotting or styptic as the pruning proceeds. Not knowing the exact state 
of the Vines we are unable to give a categorical reply to your question, but 
we think you would lose nothing by firing briskly for a week or ten days, 
making the pipes quite hot, and at the same time giving abundance of air, 
and so producing a warm dry atmosphere. After that you might safely 
prune. The retention of the foliage longer than usual will be no detriment, 
but more probably an advantage to the cropping of the Vines. 
Raising Thorns and Briars from Seed ( Oxfordshire ).—The present is 
the time for gathering the seed. The usual practice is to mix the haws in 
damp sand and let them remain through the winter, then sow in drills in 
the open ground in the spring, and transplant the seedlings when they are 
large enough to he handled conveniently. Briars may be raised in the 
same way; but if a few only are wanted as quickly as possible they may 
he had by sowing the seed in a frame placed over a gentle hotbed, the 
manure being covered with 9 inches of soil. 
Order not Acknowledged (IF. T., Quebec). —We have received a letter 
from the florist to whom you referred in your post card, in which he states r 
“ I was sold out of some of the things named, and the parcels post to- 
Canada being so precarious the money (10*’.) was remitted, as requested, to 
Mr. T.’s sister in Surrey. I am surprised she has not communicated this 
fact to her brother.” Our correspondent has sent us your name, also the- 
full address of your sister, and you will now probably admit that you have 
no grounds for complaint against him. He is a thoroughly respectable man. 
.Various ( Park Hill). —The Fuchsias in question are shaken out of the 
pots just when they are starting to grow in spring, and carefully repotted 
in rich loamy yet gritty soil, and when the pots are crowded with roots 
rich top-dressings are given and copious supplies of liquid manure. If the 
Primulas are placed on inverted pots they will succeed very well provided 
the temperature of the house and its atmospheric condition are favourable. 
The finest of plants are so grown, the pots being inverted on a stage covered 
with ashes or cocoa-nut fibre refuse. Your letter on cropping a garden is 
too vague, as it implies you only desire to grow one crop only. You will find 
an article on the culture of Asparagus in another column, but to have 
produce as soon as possible you should plant two-year-old crowns in April. 
Propagating Chrysanthemums (R. S.). —Many excellent cultivators 
find thac stout suckers inserted early in the spring and grown without check 
give as fine exhibition blooms as plants do that are raised fiom cuttings in 
the autumn ; but if very large specimen plants are required an advantage 
is gained by starting in the autumn and keeping the plants steadily growing 
under favourable conditions through the winter. Plants for ordinary 
decorative purposes may be safely raised from cuttings in the spring. Some- 
persons insert cuttings in November because their whole stock can thus be 
wintered in a tenth part of the space that would be needed for preserving 
the old plants in frames. If you have no room in frames for wintering your 
old plants, you may preserve them by placing the pots near a south wall or 
fence, packing leaves or litter closely round them, and protecting with mats- 
in severe weather. If you have space in frames you may prevent 'the 
growths becoming tall and wiry by abundance of ventilation, removing the- 
lights entirely on all favourable occasions. Cuttings made of tall weak 
shoots cannot be expected to make good plants and produce fine blooms. If 
you plant one each of your varieties on a sheltered border, inserting young 
plants in spring, growing them there and allowing them to remain through 
the winter, they will probably give you the best of cuttings in the spring. 
Very highly fed plants that have given grand exhibition blooms often fail 
to produce strong healthy suckers, better cuttings being almost invariably 
afforded by plants that have been grown in a more natural manner and 
not forced by stimulants. 
Flowers in Rose Bed (Iridi Subscriber). —Dwarf Roses planted nearly a 
foot apart ought to occupy all the bed, and there would not be any “ spaces ,r 
between them if you had not made them—that is, prevented the free growth 
of the Roses by planting a nongst them Pelargoniums, Calceolarias, and 
other bedding plants. The only way we can suggest of rendering the beds 
attractive otherwise than with Roses is to plant such bulbs as Snowdrops, 
Crocuses, and Hyacinths, and let i hem remain. These would have a cheerful 
effect iu the spring, and in the summer the beds should be quite a mass of 
Roses, with no spaces between them for anything; still, if there are 
blanks, such plants as Gladioli and Liliums would fill them without greatly 
overcrowding the Roses. 
Cucumbers and Tomatoes ( Old Subscriber). —A temperature of 55° at 
night is too low for winter Cucumbers. Occasionally in severe weather, and 
when the pipes are very hot, we have known the thermometer to register as 
low as that in the Cucumber house without strong well-established plants 
receiving any serious check; but for growing Cucumbers successfully in 
winter there ought to be a command of temperature of from 60° to G5 Q 
Tomatoes will succeed in the temperature named. 
