210 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. t August si. ms. 
ing extracted honey. It is a remarkable fact, especially worthy of 
notice, that in all the moveable-frame hive classes, the British 
standard frame, although established barely six months, appeared 
to be almost invariably adopted. Class 7, also, was a most superior 
class considering the low price of 10s. 6 d. to which the exhibitors 
were tied down, and here again Messrs. Dines were successful, being 
closely pressed by Messrs. Blake and Best, Messrs. Baldwin and 
Abbott obtaining high commendations. Who would not invest so 
small a sum as 10s. 6d. in order to become possessed of a really good 
sound bar-frame hive for entering upon one of the most charming of 
all country pursuits, and, withal, a most lucrative one ? 
In Class 8, for amateurs, the fortune-favoured ones were Messrs. 
Benthall, Brooks, and Stewart, with hives which, to say the least, 
would have done credit to professional workmen. We particularly 
liked Mr. Stewart’s hive, which comprised all the useful principles 
that we expect to find in a modern hive. With Class 9, “ For the 
best Straw Hive for depriving purposes, price limited to 5s.,” we come 
to the last of the hive classes. That there should be found in a straw 
skep class seven entries, whilst in former years one, two, or at most 
three have been the maximum, speaks well for the rapid strides now 
being made in apiculture. We must confess to a lingering fondness 
for the hive of our forefathers, and if, in this age of change, modern 
ideas can be] united with and engrafted upon the old dome-shaped 
straw hive, why not? We should have here placed first the Messrs. 
Abbott’s highly commended Pettigrew Stewarton Hive, as being 
about the best and soundest straw hive we ever saw, being extremely 
well wrought with strong oaken hoops at top and bottom, the 
diameter of the latter being slightly smaller, contracting the skep at 
bottom to prevent the falling of combs, on the old Grecian hive 
principle—a most excellent one ; its arrangement also for procuring 
straight combs leaves little to be desired. To most of the specimens 
shown the modern sections, either were, or might easily be, adapted. 
The conclusion of this report will appear in our next issue. 
Preston Apiarian Show. —We are informed that entries are 
wanted for the Great Bee Show to be held at Preston, September 6th, 
7th, and 8th. For honey, three silver and three bronze medals, three 
certificates and money prizes to the value of £15, are provided. For 
driving, first prize 50s.; second, 20s.; and third, 10s. Apply to the 
Hon. Sec., J. P. Jackson, Esq., 31, Jermyn Street, Liverpool. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Hogg & Robertson, 22, Mary Street, Dublin.— Catalogue of Hyacinths 
and other Floioering Bulbs. 
James Dickson & Sons, 108, Eastgate Street, Chester.— Catalogue of 
Bulbous Plants. 
John Laing & Co., Forest Hill, London.— Catalogue of Bulbs, Roses, 
Fruit Trees, and Vines. 
James Tates. Underbank, Stockport.— Catalogue of Vegetable and 
Flower Seeds, Gladioli, ifc. 
Sutton & Sons, Reading.— Illustrated Bulb Catalogue. 
Robert Veitch & Sons, Exeter.— Catalogue of Bulbs and other Flower 
Roots. 
Dickson, Brown, & Tait, Corporation Street, Manchester.— Catalogue 
of Dutch and French Bulbs. 
George Bunyard & Co., Maidstone.— Catalogue of Roses, Hyacinths, 
and i u. r Bulbs. 
Stephen Brown, Weston-super-Mare.— Catalogue of Bulbs and Sprin g 
Floioering Plants. 
John Cattell, Westerham, Kent.— Catalogue of Bulbs , Vines, Straw¬ 
berries, ifc. 
E. Webb & Sons, Wordsley, Stourbridge.— Catalogue of Bulbs 
[Illustrated). 
E. Wilson Serpell, Plymouth.— Catalogue of Bulbs. 
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TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
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\* 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 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 Poultry and Bee subjects, and 
should never send more than two or three questions at once. All 
articles intended 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. 
Onions Failing (J. G .).—You had better sow again at once, taking care 
that you sow good seed this time; but in all probability the “ sort that has 
come up well ” will afford sufficieut plants, which if carefully transplanted in 
good soil will enable you to meet the demand for early Onions next summer. 
We have had the finest of crops by transplanting 4 inches apart in rows a foot 
asunder. 
Beetles v. Strawberries (J. C.). —We are greatly obliged by your com¬ 
munications on this subject and the specimens you have sent; these shall be 
carefully examined and referred to with the publication of your letter. 
Insects on Carnations (E. C.). —The flowers which you sent to us were 
seriously infested with the small black thrips, T. cerealium. They are very pre¬ 
valent in some districts during the harvest period, and may be found in large 
numbers on Wheat, Rye, Grass, in fact on nearly all the cereals, also on Peas. 
It is not easy to prevent them attacking Carnations without more or less de¬ 
priving the flowers of their beauty or perfume. Forcible and frequent syring- 
ings with pure water is a safe application and not ineffectual. A little piraffiu 
mixed in the water, or a solution of quassia chips, would also be useful in 
extirpating the insects. 
Mackaya bella (Idem). —The principal object is to ensure the thorough 
ripening of the wood, which may be effected by placing the plant in a light 
position in the cool part of the stove, or in an intermediate house. It will only 
be necessary to cut out the weak growths, also removing any that are too 
crowded. 
Peaches and Nectarines for Succession — Late Grapes (Sub¬ 
scriber). —The following will give a good supply of fruit over a very long period 
-—Alexander, Hale's Early, Rivers’ Early York, Early Grosse Mignonne, Old 
Grosse Mignonne, Royal George, and Bellegarde. A good later variety is Desse 
Tardive. We presume you intend growing them under glass, but you do not 
say so. If you require Nectarines, Lord Napier, Pine Apple, and Victoria are 
very good. You do not say how many varieties of Grapes you want, nor whether 
you require white as well as black varieties. The best and most useful decidedly 
late Grapes are Black Alicante, Mrs. Pince’s Muscat, Alnwick Seedling, and 
Lady Downe’s. 
Grapes Splitting (Wanderer). —The Grapes sent iu a flat round tin had 
been so shaken in transit through not having been firmly packed, as to arrive 
almost shapeless. The variety we think is Bidwill’s Seedling, but we cannot be 
certain from an examination of such imperfect specimens. It is a very thin- 
skinned Grape and not worth growing. Probably if the Vine had been more 
heavily cropped the berries would not have split to the extent they have done. 
We should certainly not keep the Vine, as the space it occupies could be much 
more satisfactorily filled with a Black Hamburgh or other approved variety. 
The inferior character of the fruit is not your fault, but the fault of the variety. 
Split Oak Fencing (Twelve-years Subscriber).— The best information we 
are able to afford on this matter is from a table in the “ Gardeners’ Year Book,” 
under the head of “ Fencing ” on page 46. We find the price for 4 feet cleft oak 
pales, with two arris rails and oak posts 9 feet apart, fixed complete, per rod 
37s.; pales 6 feet high with three arris rails, 55s. If a lj-inch oak plank a foot 
wide is placed along the bottom, add 10s. This estimate is for the best material, 
and for fences such as are erected on gentlemen’s estates in the country. We are 
informed that builders near London put up split oak fences 6 feet high at a cost 
of £1 per length of 3 yards, but we know nothing of their substance nor the 
materials that are used. You cannot do better than state your wants to a few 
of the principal builders in your neighbourhood, aud ask them to furnish you 
with estimates for completing the work. 
Propagating Lapagerias (F. C.).— Only a skilled propagator can strike 
cuttings of these plants. They are increased by layers, a shoot being laid on a 
bed of peat and pegged down at the joints, only half the leaf that is attached 
to each being visible above the soil. They must remain there a year, the bed 
being kept iu a regular state of moisture the whole of the time. The plants 
grow freely in spongy peat and charcoal, the pots or beds being drained effi¬ 
ciently so that copious supplies of water can be given without making the soil 
sour. A cool greenhouse is suitable, and if not exposed to the full sun the 
plants appear to grow the more freely. We have seen them very fine on a 
north aspect. 
Viscaria cardinalis (II. J/.).—The above is the name of the annual of 
which you have sent flowers, and you ask if plants would “ look well in a green¬ 
house?” Yes, if you can grow them as well as they grow in an open border ; 
but you can scarcely do this in the summer, as the growths speedily become 
drawn and weak when the plants are placed in a warm house. We have had 
most attractive pots of Viscarias in the greenhouse by the following simple 
method of culture Sow the seed now in a shallow drill in an open position in 
the garden, and cover it lightly with fine soil. As soon as the seedlings can be 
handled thin them out, so that each plant stands separately an inch from the 
others. This thinning is important and cannot be done too soon. The plants so 
prepared will endure the winter safely, and when they fairly commence growing 
in the spring three can be placed in a 6-inch pot, using rich soil. Place the 
pots close to the glass in a very light frame, just protecting the plants from 
frost, and ventilate freely on every favourable opportunity, removing the lights 
during fine days in April, as the object must be to ensure steady and sturdy 
growth. Water the plants carefully at first, and copiously when the pots are 
filled with roots, giving liquid manure twice a week. By pursuing that treat¬ 
ment we have had beautiful masses of flowers in May, and the plants were much 
admired in the greenhouse. They must be kept in a frame until the flowers 
commence expanding. If you sow more than one row of seed the rows must be 
a foot apart. 
Abutilon Thompsoni (P. D.) —This is an evergreen shrub with golden 
variegated or marbled leaves. Keep the plants rather dry and cool during the 
winter, prune in February rather closely, and continue rather dry up to March, 
when they may be watered more freely. When the young shoots are an inch long 
turn the plants out of the pot, remove most of the old soil from the roots, which 
may be trimmed a little, and repot in a size of pot that will hold the roots con¬ 
veniently. Water carefully, but sprinkle the foliag with water twice daily, 
shading from bright sun until the plants have recovered, then afford a light 
and airy position, watering freely and shift into larger pots when good roots 
have been formed. A pot 2 inches larger in diameter may be given in April, 
and another shift in June. Stopping the shoots may be practised up to July, so 
as to induce the required habit of growth—bush or pyramid—tying out or down, 
and if this be done judiciously the plant will be ornamental to the end of the 
season. The foliage must not be allowed to flag for want of water during 
growth, whilst if the soil be made sodden it will not thrive. It is fine for cover¬ 
ing walls and training to pillars in conservatories, also for flower borders. 
Sandy fibrous loam three parts, peat and leaf soil half a part each, with a free 
admixture of sand and pieces of charcoal. Cuttings of young shoots mode¬ 
rately firm strike freely in sandy soil in gentle heat. 
Vines Unsatisfactory (F. J.). — The box arrived, but the lid and Grapes 
