516 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Decert-ber 4, 1884. 
the bottom rail to not more than a quarter of an inch broad. A small 
staple is then driven into each section, and a wire passing through 
these can be lifted as one, while, if necessary to prevent them sepa¬ 
rating, a small strip of zinc or tin having a tack in each end may be 
emploj'ed. This I consider a great improvement, and should lessen 
the reluctanc}" of the bees to enter them. They may either be in one 
or in three pieces, with the narrow bar extra. I prefer the latter 
plan, which also has the advantage that they obviate the necessity 
of crates. 
Dividing boards are of great importance, as being the means of 
contracting or enlarging a hive, etfectual only when close fitting. 
This has, however, been departed from by modern bee-keepers, who 
advise that they should not be close fitting, which when so defeats 
the object of stopping draught, which thej^ were intended to do, and 
makes manipulation more difficult. Dividing boards should be close- 
fitting and made easy of withdrawal by some means. I effect 
this by having the divider an inch or more short of the wfidth cf 
the hive. At each end and near the bottom of this I drive in a 
staple to keep the ends as much from the sides of the hive as will 
not crush a bee. To fill up this space at each end I use two thin 
pieces of wood, the length of the height of the divider (these pieces 
serve ns distancers to the frame). I now take two pieces of iron, 
and screw one end to the divider, the other to the upright piece. 
The upright ■when drawn up gives the slack required, and the slightest 
push dow'n closes it effectually. The same appliance is used for 
regulating the floor either to close it tight or to give slack when it 
is to be withdrawn, while the floor is never out of place, as is the 
case where wedges are used. Then there is no danger of killing 
bees, nor of the floor falling from its place 'when manipulating.— 
A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
THE BRITISH HONEY COMPANY. 
The question of providing a ready and reliable whc Dsale market for 
honey produced in the United Kingdom has hitherto remained unsolved. 
The British Bee-keepers’ Association has given the matter consideration 
from time to time, and various {roposals to h rm dep&ts, &c., have been 
made, but without result. The excellent honey harvest of 1884 has pro¬ 
minently brought forward the necessity of something being done to assist 
the British bee-keeper towards placing bis honey before the British public 
in a suitable form for sale. 
Previously a large quantity of our best home produce has been pur¬ 
chased by unscrupulous dealers, who have resorted to acts of adulteratmn 
for the purpose of realising excessive profit^. It is well known that there 
are but few samples of foreign honey that can be at all compared, in 
point of flavour, to that which is produced in mo.st parts of Great Britain, 
but whilst the imported article has been sent out in the most tasteful 
forms, the home produce has been almost entirely neglected. A step has 
now been taken which promises to be of considtrable assistance to the 
British bee-keeper in the disposal of Lis honey, &c., and also to the 
consumer in obtaining our home produce in its pure state. 
A meeting of persons interested in promoting the industry of bee¬ 
keeping has recently been held for the purpose of establishing the 
‘■British Honey Company.” The chair was occupied by Lord Sudeley, 
who is one of the largest bee-keepers in England, and a thoroughly 
representative board of directors has been appointed, consisting of the 
Eev. H. R. Peel (late Hon. Sec. of the British Bee-keepers’ Association), 
the Hon. Frederick Hanbury Tracey, M P., T. W. Cowan, Esq. (Chairman 
of the Committee of the British Bee-keepers’ Association), Duncan 
Stewart, E-q., George Walker, Esq., F. Zehitmaye, Esq., and Mr. T. B. 
Blow. The Secretary to the Company is Mr. J. Huckle, the present 
Secretary ( f the British Bee-keejoers’Association. The Company cannot 
fail to commend itself to the public, and in the interest of British bee¬ 
keeping we wish it every success. 
TRADE CATALOGUE RECEIVED. 
Hogg (fc Wood, Coldstream, Duns, N.B .—Catalogue of Nursery Stock. 
All coiTespondence 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. AVe 
request that no one will write privately to any of our correspon- 
* dents, as doing so subjects them to unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. 
Resting Orchids (B .).—No general rule can he given applicable to all 
Orchids, as many of them make their growths at different seasons of the year, 
and require correspondingly different treatment. No evergreen Orchi • 
which does not produce pseudo-bulbs should be rested, as this term is 
usually understood ; the supply of water may be lessened ■w’hen they are 
ripening their growths, hut must not he withheld. The deciduou-- 
species can have a distinct period of rest, not giving more water thim is 
needed to prevent the soil becoming dust-dry. The ordinary pseudo-bulbous 
Orchids may also be partially rested by greatly diminishing the water- 
supply, and the best time for this is after the growths are completed ana 
ripened. Do not force the plants, they will stirt natumlly, and then 
encourage them by a good temperature and plenty of water. From November 
until February is the time at which the majority of Orchids are rested. 
Fancy Pelargoniums ( R. S. J.).—It is a bad time to repot these P^"ts 
just now, whi’e growth is slow and the days short and dark. It would be 
better if you leave them until the turn of the year. We have potted at 
this season on many occasions, but the greatest care has been exercised in 
watering the plants afterwards until the days lengthened and the plants 
commenced growing and rooting freely. If you give water carefully alter 
potting your plants will sustiin no harm; if not, the foliage is ^ ® 
to become spotted and distigm’ed. A good compost is formed of nbrj 
loam, one-seventh of cow manure rubbed through a fine sieve, and sutncienc 
coarse sand to render the whole porous. Drain the pots liberally, and 
press the soil firmly into them. For further particulars on this subject see 
“ Work for the Week,” page 471 of our issue for November 20th. 
Insects in Soil {J. N .).—The spreimens enclosed were too dried in 
transit to us to be named with positive certainty, hut they appear to be 
the grub or larvae of one of the '■ pot maggots,” as they are calleo, some 
species of Otiorhynchus, probabably O. sulcatus. The larv® feed 
autumn to spring, and the w evils emerge about May._ 
destroyed by watering the soil with clear lime water, with helleboie tea, 
with a w^eak solution of paraffin or petroleum, and in other ways, ihese 
insects have, however, nothing to do with the crumpled and discoloured 
aspect of the Pelargoniums, which is either the result of defective root- 
action or some error in ventilation. A cutting from a shoot is ne^ssary 
for the purpose of satisfactory examination, a solitary leaf being insufficient 
to suggest the cause of the evil in this case. 
Painting Fruit Trees (7./v.).—If the trees are infested with scale you 
may destroy it by syringing after pruning with a solution of Gishurst 
compound — 3 or 4 o/s. dissolved in a gallon of hot soft water, and 
adding thereto a fluid ounce or half a wineglassful of petroleum. 
will he much cleaner and more quickly applied than “ paint,” and ■wiU be 
at least as effectual. Unless you used the mixture too strong it 'would not 
injure the buds, but they may be easily damaged by want of care in 
dressing them. The trees may be kept quite clean by the practice bow 
and previously recommended; of course, keeping the trees healthy by 
adequate moisture at the roots, and applying stimulants as may he needed. 
Undue drvuess of the soil, resulting in unhealthy growth, renders iriiit 
trees extremely liable to be infested with insects. 
Hot-'water Apparatus Defective (Frike ).—If we understand your im¬ 
perfect sketch correctly we think the peculiar heating of the greenhouse to 
which you allude is entirely due to the disposition of the pipes, as it is 
practically impossible for the water to circulate or flow up to a certain 
point in one pipe and then cross to the other, unless there be a connect'on, 
which we think there ought to he in the pipes of the pit where it is rnarKed 
H, and as a consequence of this being in connection with return pipe joi 
desired return) of the greenhouse, which is on a higher _level than the 
flow (or desired flow), which is lower than the return pipe, we are not 
surprised at the hot water leaving the flow and crossing over by the ^on- 
nectiou to the return, and so making its way to the greenhouse, as hot 
water always takes the highest level. The heating is not satisfactory 
simply because the water does not circulate freely, if, indeed, at all. Either 
you must put a valve on the connection between the pipes in the pit at h, 
and close it so as to make the water rise by the proper flow to the green¬ 
house, or take up the pipes connecting the pit and greenhouse, and have 
the flow highest, which even then would not he satisfactory, as at the 
point H the flow and return are on the same level, and the hot water may, 
and most likely will, divide and pass equally up the pipes to the gremi- 
house to where the highest point is indicated by a stir, and the circiilation 
is at an end. Put a valve between the two pipes in the pit, and close it 
when you wish to heat the greenhouse, after turning on the valve for that 
structure. 
Fungus in Garden {J, L. IT .).—We regret to inform you that there is no 
ready method of destroying the fungus in the soil, and unless we were 
compelled to do so we should not plant fruit trees in that “ particular 
of the garden at present. It is doubtful if a better and safer plan can be 
pursued than to trench the ground, not necessarily bringing much of the 
inert subsoil to the surface, and incorporate with it a very heavy dressing of 
fresh lime—or 4 bushels to each square rod of 30^ yards not being too 
much. We should then take a crop of Potatoes from the ground, and 
possibly a second after another dressing of lime and soot. These crops, if 
good, would go a long way towards defraying the cost of preparation, and 
the land would afterwards in all probability be in first-rate condition for 
fruit trees. An excellent late Pear for a wall is Josephine de Malines. it 
you have space for two trees you may add Bergamot Esperen. "The cbIv 
way we can suggest for effecting the desired exchange is to advertise what 
you have for disposal, and what you wish in return. The terms of advei- 
tising can be obtained from the publisher. 
Renovating Vines {B., Sussex ).—We should attach far greater impor't- 
ance to the permanent well-being of the Vines than to the necessarily small 
value of the present unsatisfactory crop. We should cut the bunches and 
bottle them ai once, forthwith commencing to improve the borders. As the 
Lady Downe’s are already shrivelling they will get no better by hanging a 
few weeks longer, nor get no worse b^y placing the laterals bearing the fruit 
in water in a room that is not too dry ; but, on the contrary, the fruit may 
freshen somewhat, without, however, improving its quality. These remarks 
apply to all the Vines but one—the Gros Colman, on which the crop is good, 
and as the quality of the Grapes will improve by hanging on the Vine w 
