JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
116 
undue extension of the laterals. The side shoots should with vigorous Vines be 
at least 18 inches apart, and the principal leaves have full exposure to light and 
air. With vigorous Vines, as yours appear to be, a circulation of dry warm air 
will be necessary not only to ripen the Grapes but to secure the ripening of the 
wood, continuing it after the Grapes are colouring until the wood is thoroughly 
brown and hard, when a less amount of heat will be necessary for the keeping 
of the Grapes. In pruning leave two or three eyes, cutting back to a plump 
bud, and you will obtain larger bunches. This will of course cause the elonga¬ 
tion of the spurs more rapidly than by closer pinning, but when they become 
too long they may be displaced by others nearer to the rods. 
Mildew on Boses (Mrs. II. Sylas). —The spray sent arrived much withered, 
but so far as we can understand the condition of your Roses they appear to be 
in an unsatisfactory state owing principally to poverty of soil. The growth 
sent is very weak and is infested with mildew. When Roses are unhealthy they 
are sure to be attacked by insects and parasites. Yours, in addition to the 
mildew, appear to be eaten by a small caterpillar. The remedy we propose is a 
copious supply of liquid manure to the roots at the present time, syringing the 
foliage with a solution of soft soap and dusting when wet with sulphur, and 
in winter the removal of the surface soil, adding fresh compost and a mulching 
of rich manure. After the pruning is done it will be well to paint the stems 
with a mixture of sulphur and tobacco water, a little clay being added to 
cause it to adhere to the branches. 
[ August 4, 1881. 
planted in the body of the house and grown as bushes, unless indeed you are a 
very skilful cultivator. If you desire more than one variety you can manage the 
trees so as to retain each of the three in an equal amount of space. If you have 
a desire to indulge in the cultivation of trees in pots, the quantity or quality of 
the fruit not being of great moment, you may obtain a dozen trees to begin with, 
reducing the number as the growths extend ; but trees trained on a trellis would 
be the most certain to afford good crops of satisfactory fruit. The pipes should 
be near the front, not at the back of the house, which is the -worst possible posi¬ 
tion for them. Assuming the roots of the trees are inside the house, a wood 
trellis would be better than a bricked floor. A border 2 feet in depth will 
suffice; it should be well drained, but in all probability a concrete bottom can 
be very well dispensed with. You, however, give us no information relative to 
the character of the subsoil, and whether the site is wet or dry. If you need 
further advice, and will state your case and requirements fully and clearly, we 
will readily render you all the assistance we can. 
Budding Roses (Amateur ).—We have budded Briars, and the buds have 
commenced growing immediately, and flowers have been produced the same 
year; but the buds make the best growth when they remain dormant until the 
spring succeeding the budding. We do not think it desirable to force them into 
growth at this season by cutting back the stock, for the shoots cannot become 
well ripened, and in severe seasons they perish ; if not, they mostly grow weakly 
in the succeeding year. 
Thrips on Vines (O. C.). —The leaf you have sent is much infested with 
thrips, and if their increase is not checked the Vines will be seriously injured. 
It is no use sulphuring the pipes, and as the Grapes are colouring you cannot 
apply an insecticide with the syringe. We should sponge every leaf with a 
solution of soft soap and tobacco water, or solutions of Gishurst compound, 
nicotine soap, or other efficient insecticides that are advertised will do equally 
well if you follow the instructions that accompany them. The sponging may 
appear to you tedious work, but if you can save the Vines from ruin by a few 
days’ labour you will have an ample reward. Your Vines ought to have had 
better attention previously, and the house should have been fumigated regularly. 
The plants infested can be laid on their sides on a mat and thoroughly syringed 
with an insecticide for the destruction of the insects. 
Cherries Falling (F. J.). —In the absence of information to the contrary 
it was assumed your question had reference to an old tree, and that partial 
exhaustion was the cause of the evil complained of, hence the reply. We agree 
with you that it would be a pity to mutilate what appears to be a healthy young 
tree. All you can do is to shorten the growths at once to within four or five 
leaves of the base, so as to aid the maturation of the wood remaining and pro¬ 
mote the formation of fruit buds. Are the main branches of your trees too 
crowded ? This you can determine by the following rule :—The leaves on every 
main branch should have space for development without overhanging those of 
the branch below it; or in other words, a little of the wall should be seen 
between the branches. Overcrowding in the manner indicated is much too 
common and the cause of many failures with Cherries and other fruits. Where 
it occurs note should be made now, and a few branches be removed and the 
others re-arranged as soon as the leaves have fallen. 
Eava, Macropiper mctliysticum (.4 Young Gardener). —This plant 
grows in most of the islands of the Pacific Ocean, and is called ava, cava, or 
iava, whence the name of Ava pepper ; in the Caroline Islands it is called 
schiaia. The root is the part employed, and from it the natives of these islands 
prepare a beverage which they drink at their meals; it is distasteful to Europeans, 
but as wholesome and healthful to those peoples as the betel is to the natives 
of India. The infusion of this root is at first of a sugary taste, like that of 
liquorice, but it soon becomes warm and stimulating in the stomach, causing a 
sort of intoxication or mental excitement. The root is acrid and aromatic, and 
is also chewed by the natives of those islands. In the Caroline Islands the fresh 
shoots of this plant are soaked along with the roots in water till they become 
soft, and the liquor is drunk before entering upon any matter of business or 
offering sacrifice ; but by the influence of the missionaries these practices have 
been discontinued. 
Vines Unfruitful (I). L .).—There are two causes that contribute to the 
condition in which your Vines appear to be—the one is immatured wood, the 
other is deep rooting in ungenial soil. We advise you to promote the for¬ 
mation of roots near the surface of the border, for when roots are abundant 
there, forming quite a network of fibres, the laterals are usually short-jointed 
and fruitful in character. If the roots are few and strong, and penetrate 
the soil deeply, long-jointed and luxuriant growth results that is essentially 
unfruitful. In all probability your Vines would be benefited by lifting them 
wholly or partially, placing the roots in fresh turfy loam, with a bushel 
each of crushed bones and lime rubbish, and two or three bushels of wood 
ashes to each cartload of soil. Bring the roots within about 5 inches of the 
surface, and give a mulching of manure to keep the soil moist; you will 
then soon have roots near the surface, and they can be easily kept there 
with good manure, with which the border should be covered in the summer. 
The roots of Vines are driven downwards because they do not find the 
moisture and food they need near the surface during the season of growth. 
The best time for lifting Vines is soon after the crop is cut and before 
the foliage falls, syringing freely, and shading if needful to keep the leaves 
fresh as long as possible. If your Vine borders are full of fibrous roots 
within 2 inches of the surface, then we can only advise you to remove a portion 
of the laterals so as to admit more sun to those remaining ; this, with artificial 
heat if needful in the autumn, would ripen the wood and render the Vines 
fruitful. Assuming the Vines are 3J feet apart, the luxuriant laterals ought to 
be 18 inches asunder on the rods or they cannot be matured. 
Fruit Trees for House (IF. V. L.)." —The number of trees that your 
house will accommodate depends entirely on the manner in which they are 
grown. If they are in pots a greater number may be had than if planted out, as 
the former grow less strongly ; but they require much attention and skilful 
treatment to keep them in a fruitful and satisfactory state. If the trees are 
trained in a conical form and kept closely pinched each may be managed in a 
space of 3^ to 4 feet square, and your house would hold two rows, or about eight 
trees. If planted out you would find a difficulty in confining them to the size 
indicated. If you require as much fruit as possible with the least amount of 
attention we advise you to plant three Peach trees in the front and train them 
on a trellis, which should be taken up to a convenient height and brought over 
in the form of a bow to within 2J feet of the back wall, the edge of the trellis 
not exceeding half the height of the wall. This wall you could cover with Figs, 
planting them out, and they would receive light from above the trellis. Eventu¬ 
ally the Peach tree in the centre of the trellis, which should be the Royal 
George, would cover the entire surface if desired, and the end trees could be re¬ 
duced yearly to afford room for the other. One good tree filling the trellis 
would afford you more and finer fruit than any number of trees in pots or 
Names of Fruit (P. C .).—Owing to the fruit not having been packed 
securely it was much bruised in transit. We think, however, the Cherry is 
Governor Wood, which is an excellent variety. 
Names of Plants (A. Boyle ).—The plant with the large leaf is Cineraria 
maritima ; the other is Santolina incana. 
Buying Condemned Bees (J. R. V., Oswestry ).—It is preferable that the 
bees bought should have stood a mile at least from the position you intend them 
to occupy, but at considerably less than this distance the risk from loss is 
not worth considering if other things make the purchase desirable. We should, 
however, place half a mile in a straight as the limit. The disturbance of driving 
and mixing tends to attach the bees to their new quarters. 
Feeders (Buzz ).—The feeder exhibited last year is not purchasable. To 
feed at the hive door cut a piece of wood three-eighths or half an inch thick into 
a form resembling the front of a bootjack; over this place another with a 2-inch 
hole, which will be covered with perforated zinc as a stage for the food bottle. 
So place this on the alighting board that the entrance to the food bottle covers 
a part of the doorway. A third piece of wood may be needed beneath, this de¬ 
pending on the width of the alighting board. The bees soon learn to use this 
feeder, when it is only necessary to keep it constantly supplied with diluted 
honey. This plan will not pay for storing sections. It is only suggested for 
finishing them. 
Food for Bees (II. M., Southport ).—Honey is the food bees most relish, 
but it is not on that account necessarily the best to give. Its odour is exceedingly 
likely in times of scarcity to induce robbing. Loaf sugar syrup to which a 
small quantity of vinegar (a tablespoonful to about 2 fibs, sugar) has been added 
to prevent crystallisation answers all the ends of honey as a food. In the winter 
liquid food must not be given ; use then barleysugar, but by good management 
all winter feeding is made needless. Your question on feeding in bad weather 
cannot be categorically answered. If the bees are poor feeding in bad weather 
is essential, and then nothing pays better than this attempt. Feeding does not 
make bees lazy. If feeding increases the well-being of the stock it increases the 
vigour and earnestness of the bees as honey gatherers. You ask further if bees 
can make honey from artificial food, such as sugar and beer. In the first place 
beer is not a food for bees, except as it contains a small quantity of sugar. The 
ferments of the beer are dangerous, the alcohol is damaging, and the caramel 
predisposes to dysentery. See issue January 13th last. Sugar (especially Grape 
sugar) is a true food, yielding when consumed by the bees heat force or wax in 
the same amount as honey itself, but it caunot be converted into honey never¬ 
theless. After storing it remains sugar, slightly altered only by an animal acid 
secreted by the insect. 
COYENT GARDEN MARKET.—AUGUST 3. 
We have now passed through the bulk of the soft fruit, business being some¬ 
what quieter. There is a steady demand for Peaches and Grapes, the prices of 
last week being maintained, with the exception of common samples, which 
are with difficulty cleared. 
Annies. J sieve 
8. 
2 
Fill 
d. s. d. 
3 to 2 G 
[JIT. 
Lemons. 
». d. g. 
d 
0 
box 
1 
G 
3 0 
Melons . 
2 0 
4 
0 
Cherries. 
r lb. 
0 
3 
0 6 
Nectarines.. . 
4 0 
10 
0 
Chestnuts. 
bushel 
0 
0 
0 0 
Oranges . 
4 0 
8 
0 
Currants, Black.. 
$ sieve 
6 
0 
7 0 
Peaches . 
4 0 
12 
0 
„ Red_ 
$ sieve 
8 
6 
4 6 
Pears, kitchen 
.. dozen 
0 0 
0 
0 
Figs. 
dozen 
3 
0 
0 0 
dessert . 
« 0 
0 
0 
Filberts.. 
rib. 
0 
0 
0 0 
Pine Apples . 
r tb 
8 0 
4 
0 
Cobs. 
r tb 
0 
0 
0 0 
Strawberries 
.... perfb. 
0 4 
i 
0 
Gooseberries .... 
i sieve 
2 
6 
3 6 
Walnuts .... 
9 0 
0 
0 
r ib 
dozen 
1 
0 
4 G 
ditto . 
0 0 
0 
o 
Artichokes. 
VEGEI 
s. d. s. d. 
2 0to4 0 
ABLES. 
Mushrooms 
s. d. 8. 
I Otol 
d. 
G 
Asparaprns. 
bundle 
0 
0 
0 0 
Mustard&Cress .. punnet 
0 2 
0 
3 
Beans,Kidney.... 
r ib. 
0 
3 
0 G 
Onions. 
3 6 
5 
0 
Beet. Red. 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 0 
pickling ... 
0 0 
0 
0 
Broccoli. 
bundle 
0 
9 
I 6 
Parsley. 
doz.buuches 
8 0 
4 
0 
Brussels Sprouts.. 
£ sieve 
0 
0 
0 0 
Parsnips. 
1 0 
2 
0 
Cabbage. 
dozen 
0 
6 
1 0 
Peas . 
0 9 
i 
e 
Carrots. 
bunch 
0 
4 
0 6 
Potatoes. 
3 9 
4 
0 
Capsicums. 
r ioo 
1 
6 
2 0 
Kidney. 
4 0 
4 
6 
Cauliflowers. 
dozen 
0 
0 
8 6 
Radishes.... 
doz .bunches 
1 6 
2 
0 
bundle 
1 
6 
2 0 
Rhubarb. 
0 4 
0 
6 
Coleworts_doz. bunches 
s 
0 
4 0 
Salsafy. 
1 9 
0 
0 
each 
0 
4 
0 6 
Scorzonera . 
1 6 
0 
0 
dozen 
1 
0 
2 0 
0 0 
0 
0 
bunch 
0 
8 
0 0 
0 3 
8 0 
0 
G 
Garlic . 
rib. 
0 
6 
0 0 
Spinach . 
0 
0 
Herbs. 
bunch 
0 
2 
0 c 
Turnips. 
0 4 
0 
0 
Leeks. 
bunch 
0 
3 
0 4 
Vegetable Marrows each 
9 3 
0 
4 
