September 1, 1881. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
211 
On the subject of Rhododendrons I must differ from Mr. 
Bardney. October I consider is the best month of the year for 
lifting and transplanting them, as in most localities in August the 
flower buds are not developed. Rhododendrons are well adapted 
for lifting. I have seen them lifted with balls as large as three or 
four men could lift, but it would be impossible to carry them far 
with such masses of soil attached ; therefore the paring and 
shaving they often receive to render them portable would be 
detrimental to their young growths if the lifting were done in 
August and the wea'her subsequently set in hot and dry. which 
is frequently the case during September and October. The year 
of 1881 possibly may be an exception to this, as the spring and 
summer months have mostly been very dry and hot. 
Rhododendrons make their new growths after the blooming 
period at the end of May or during June, but this year we have 
but very little growth owing to the drought, and they require 
time to develope their bloom buds before being lifted.—J. W. 
Moorman. 
LOBELIAS FOB THE CONSERVATORY. 
I MADE a great “ hit ” last year with these plants in the easiest 
possible manner, and I intend trying the simple plan again. Early 
m September I cut the flowers of a number of rather small plants 
in the border with the object of securing some healthy cuttings. 
I did secure them. In October the plants were so tempting by 
their fresh healthy growths that I took up three dozen of them 
and potted them in small 48-size pots. These plants were placed 
in a well-sheltered brick pit, and there they remained all the 
winter, at one time being covered up with straw and snow for a 
month. Only six of these plants died, and six others were injured, 
twenty-four of them being in fine condition in the spring. When 
they had fairly commenced growth they were shifted into 7-inch 
pots, and in the months of May and June they were masses of 
flowers 18 inches in diameter, and, as placed at intervals round the 
margin of the conservatory, had a most pleasiDg appearance and 
were admired by all who saw them. The varieties were pumila 
magnifica and Paxtoni. They were stood in saucers of water and 
were well supplied with liquid manure. The result was so satis¬ 
factory, and the means employed so simple, that I mention the 
circumstance, as the record may be useful to others.— Experientia 
Docet. 
HYDRANGEA PANICULATA GRANDIFLORA. 
18 this grand hardy shrub as extensively cultivated as it ought 
to be ? It is certainly one of the most valuable additions that 
have been made to our shrubberies of recent years. Its huge heads 
of flowers are at the present time most imposing, and arrest the 
attention of all who see them. Its hardiness, too, has been proved 
during the last two winters, which it has passed through un¬ 
scathed in the southern counties ; but in a garden in a cold district 
in the north it was injured, and as it looked rather unsightly was 
cut dowm by the gardener under the impression that he would 
secure stronger growth from the base. He has secured such 
growth, and also, what he did not expect, grander heads than the 
plant ever produced before. This he regards as a lesson, and he 
is so convinced of its value that he intends cutting the plant 
dowm again, as he is convinced this is the best method of managing 
it, or, in other words, growing it as an herbaceous plant. 
There are now many plants of this distinct and fine Hydrangea 
grown in different gardens, and it would be well if some of them 
could be cut dowm by way of experiment. There can be little to 
lose and may be much to gain, for certainly the heads of flowers 
alluded to are extraordinarily fine. Grown on the cutting-down 
system, and in richer soil than is usually found in shrubbery 
borders, it is fair to suppose that the heads would be still larger, 
and large beds of this plant with a background of shrubs would 
form a striking feature at this period of the year in any garden. 
Those who have not yet planted this Hydrangea in their 
shrubbery borders can scarcely err by obtaining it, as it is un¬ 
doubtedly one of the most effective summer-flowering shrubs in 
cultivation.—A Traveller. 
Single Dahlias. —The value and beauty of these Dahlias is 
admirably showm in the Liverpool Botanic Gardens, wdiere they 
are freely emp’oyed in large oblong and oval beds and long 
narrow ribbon borders. The charmingly graceful D. glabrata is 
especially noteworthy, for, though its flowers are small, they are 
produced in such large numbers and possess such a soft pleasing 
mauve tint that they are very attractive. D. coccinea, D. lutea, 
and D. Paragon are more brightly coloured forms that can be 
employed with the others to great advantage. The display also 
proves how admirably these Dahlias are adapted for towm gardens, 
the gardens referred to being situated in a part of the city where 
the smoke is a great impediment to growth of many plants and 
flowers. Those named with the white variety, the Queen, which 
is now r so fine in Mr. Ware’s nursery at Tottenham, should be 
included in all collections.—L. 
• *. ■> - i . > . , , ; . | . | - | . „ . 1 . . | | V. | jf-p* I ■ I t!>Y. 
HE BEE-KEEPER. 1 
I *' ,! .* l *i* 1 — *—'-*-* i * !-* i r 1 : , * t . ! » i * 1** D 1 *.i .♦ 
MANCHESTER BEE AND HONEY SHOW. 
This formed a section of the Great International Exhibition 
which took place at Old Trafford last week. It appears that the 
Committee of Management arranged to have no competition in 
the bee tent, and requested Mr. Pettigrew of Bowdon to provide 
an attractive and interesting display of bees and honey from his 
own garden. He consented to do so, believing that an exhibi¬ 
tion of this kind would go far to popularise bee-keeping. At 
Manchester it is believed that monotony is very undesirable in 
exhibitions of all kinds, and that the element of novelty is 
necessary to attract the masses of the people. Mr. Pettigrew, 
on undertaking the work entrusted to him, resolved to make 
this Show a novel one by introducing a new form of obser¬ 
vatory hives, and to exhibit legends on black boards done in 
honeycomb by bees, and sets of icicles of honeycomb under 
glass shades. The state of his health prevented him from doing 
all he intended and desired to do. The icicles were not done. 
How'ever, the Exhibition was evidently a great success. The 
honey tent was crowded w r ith visitors every day, and no one 
could enter it wdthout hearing expressions of wrnnder and gratifi¬ 
cation from all classes of visitors. Amongst the exhibits on the 
tables were eleven glasses of elegant shape with lids, well filled. 
Their weight ticketed on them ranged between 1G and 21 lbs. 
each. They appeared to be model supers, very pleasing to the 
eye ; a few smaller glass supers seen at one corner ot the table 
were well filled. There were three straw supers, one marked 
30 lbs., and two 10 lbs. each, not quite finished, and two wood 
supers 12 lbs. each. A stock hive with one of these supers half 
filled with combs and bees. A stock hive with a large super on 
it, half filled with white combs and black bees, stood at the far 
end of the tent to attract attention and draw the people away 
from more interesting exhibits placed nearer the door. 
The observatory hives, four in number, were of cheap and 
simple construction, with bee? and glass on one side only of 
each super. The queen of each super had a white woolly cotton 
thread tied round her waist, which enabled the spectators to see 
her at a glance, and watch her movements as she wandered 
amongst tire community. But the most conspicuous and novel 
exhibits of the bee tent were two black boards G feet 6 inches 
long, and 2 feet broad, with two legends on them done in honey¬ 
comb—viz., “ God Save the Queen - ’ and “Industrial Exhibition.” 
The letters being 5 inches long or thereabouts were easily read, 
and seemed to delight all classes of visitors. Both boards were 
labelled “ Our First Efforts in A B C.” 
Honey of different kinds and of the highest quality in glass 
dishes were on the tables, beside bone spoons, for visitors to taste ; 
and honey in glass bottles—4 lb?, in each—was there for sale. 
The demand for run honey was extraordinary, and all was 
speedily sold at Is. id. per lb. Three bottles, of crude honey 
were on the tables for the purpose of showing, in the exhibitor’s 
opinion, that honey proper and fit for use on the breakfast table 
is not found in field or forest, but is made by bees at home from 
the crude materials found in flowers. ; 
' Messrs. Stansfield, who now possess and occupy the nursery at 
Sale lately in the possession of Mr. Pettigrew, sent a large and 
beautiful assortment of hardy Ferns, which were placed amongst 
the bee and honey exhibits, and which contributed largely to the 
general effect of the whole. 
[We propose in our next issue to publish the portrait ofj Mr. 
Pettigrew, accompanied with a sketch of his gardening and 
apiarian career.—E d.] 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
- Francis and Arthur Dickson & Sons, 1011, Eastgate Street, Chester. 
r —List of Dutch Flower Roots. 
Barr & Sugden, 12 and 13, King Street, Covent Garden.— Catalogue 
of Bulbs. 
Strike & Hawkins, G2, High Street, Stockton-on-Tees.— Catalogue 
of Bulbs. 
J. Carter A' Co., High Holborn.— Catalogue of Bulbs ( Illustrated ). 
