JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
f 
548 
FLOWER GARDEN AND PLEASURE GROUND. 
Roses. — Those budded last season are forming remarkably 
strong growths; and these, especially in the case of standards, 
must be kept carefully tied to the light stakes previously fastened 
to the stocks, or they may yet blow off. If large blooms are re¬ 
quired disbudding should be resorted to, retaining the strong 
central bud only, unless this be injured or deformed in aDy way. 
This disbudding greatly strengthens the reserved bud, and we 
practise it with all our Roses, not always, however, leaving the 
central bud, but it is advisable where they are grown principally 
to cut from to select side or later buds, thereby securing a more 
continuous supply. Some of the lower side buds on strong 
shoots are also retained. All spray should be thinned out of 
crowded heads. On warm walls Marshal Niel will have nearly 
done blooming, and if the old growths are cut hard back strong 
young shoots will result, which, if carefully secured, will flower 
at every joint next season. During showery weather give good 
waterings with liquid manure. 
Herbaceous Plants. —Pentstemons, Antirrhinums, Campanulas, 
Choice Phloxes and Delphiniums should be kept neatly tied up, 
or heavy winds may at any time greatly damage them. All are 
benefited by soakiDgs of liquid manure, the Phloxes especially, 
unless recently replanted, requiring abundance of rich food, and 
they ought also to be freely thinned out where at all crowded. 
After the borders have had a soaking of water, or after heavy 
rains, it is advisable, on light soil or in hot positions especially, 
to mulch either with short manure or grass from the mowing 
machine. Double and single Pyrethrums are now becoming un¬ 
sightly, and if cut down near the ground another supply of bloom 
will be obtained. Double and single Rockets should also be 
similarly treated. 
Pinks and Carnations. —Among the former the white Clove 
Mrs. Sinkins has proved a valuable acquisition, and will rapidly 
replace the old white Pink, being what is termed perpetual- 
floweriDg. Blooms should be freely cut, as this will benefit the 
successional flowering shoots. If cuttings of this and any other 
varieties, including the beautiful Derby Day, Reliance, Rival, 
Mrs. Pettifer, Inspector, Victory, Petrel, and Lady Blanche are 
not already inserted no further time should be lost, as they 
strike root best when taken off plants in flower or before they 
have become soft. The back of a north wall or hedge, or failing 
these under the shade of fruit trees, providing the position is not 
very dark, is most suitable for striking them. The commoner 
kinds will strike root in fine and firm sandy soil without the aid 
of glass, but handlights or boxes covered with pieces of glass are 
preferred for choice sorts. Our handlights are stood on a hard 
bottom, and about 3 inches of fine sandy or gritty soil is levelled 
inside of each. The cuttings or pipings—that is to say, small side 
growths, are pulled, slightly trimmed, dibbled-in firmly about 
2 inches apart each way, watered, covered with glass, and care¬ 
fully shaded from bright sunshine till rooted. In some districts 
it is found necessary to form shallow hotbeds for striking Pinks 
with the aid of mild bottom heat, aud kept carefully shaded they 
root quickly, and it may be advisable to try both systems where 
Pinks are in great request. Both plans are also recommended 
for propagating Carnations and Picotees, or they may be layered 
later on. Seedlings of the two latter are the best bloomers, but 
should not be retained more than two seasons, unless they have 
been prevented from blooming to an injurious extent. It israther 
late to sow seed, but fairly strong plants may yet be secured if 
it is sown thinly either in handlights or boxes, and covered 
with glass. Use light sandy soil, do not bury the seed deeply, and 
shade from bright sunshine. 
Myosotis and Campanulas should be sown at once if not already 
done, as in many cases, and choice varieties of the former may 
be increased by division. Myosotis dissitiflora is the best for 
bedding purposes. Cool shady positions suit divided plants of 
Myosotis, Daisies, Polyanthuses. 
■ | . j . 1 . . 1 . | . I . 1 . I . I • I • I . 1 ■ I « I • I • I i» | • I • I «• I » I « 
HE BEE-KEEPER. 
Ml . i ■ 1. 1 . i . i . i . i-1. i. i. )■ 
BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION. 
We desire to call the attention of our readers to the annual 
Exhibition of this Society, which takes place at the Duke of 
Wellington’s Riding School at Albert Gate, Knigbtsbridge, on 
July 5th, 6th, 7th, and 9th. Since 1877 this Exhibition has been 
[ June 28, 1883. 
held annually in the Royal Horticultural Gardens at South Ken¬ 
sington, but owing to the Fisheries Exhibition occupying all the 
available space during this year, the Association has been com¬ 
pelled to seek fresh quarters. The matter having been brought 
to the notice of his Grace the Duke of Wellington, he very kindly 
placed his Riding School at the disposal of the Committee. The 
date of the Show has been fixed nearly a month earlier than 
usual, in order to give those who are staying in London for the 
season an opportunity of visiting this interesting and instructive 
Exhibition ; no better date could have been selected. The pre¬ 
sent season has been one of the best on record for the production 
of early honey, the warm sunshine of the past few weeks tending 
to the secretion of honey, and large quantities have been gathered 
by the bees from the fruit blossoms, early Clover, and other 
sources. Unusually large entries have been made in the honey 
classes, and the present Exhibition will fully illustrate the 
advantages to be derived from keeping bees in an intelligent and 
humane manner. 
The old-fashioned bee-keeper who lets his bees look after them¬ 
selves until the months of August or September, and then “ takes 
’em up,” consigning the industrious bees to the brimstone pit, 
will look on with wonder and astonishment at the great display 
of comb honey in 1 and 2 lbs. sections, and extracted honey in 
neatly labelled glass jars, the whole of which has been secured 
by the third week in June, or even earlier in some districts. The 
Exhibition will contain an interesting collection of bees confined 
in observatory hives. No bees will be at large ; the most timid 
may, therefore, visit the Show in perfect safety. No pains have 
been spared by the Committee to make the proceedings of a 
thoroughly interesting character. Practical instruction in the 
art of bee-keeping will be given at intervals on each day, the 
modern methods of managing bees during the spring, summer, 
and winter months being fully explained by the most advanced 
bee-masters. Special addresses will be given by Frank R. 
Cheshire, Esq., on Saturday, July 7th, on “ The Structure of the 
Bee in Relation to Fertilisation,” and on Monday, July 9th, on 
“ Bees as Hybridisers and Fruit-producers, or the Dependence of 
Orchard Crops upon Bees.” These addresses will be given at 
4 p.m. each day. 
BEES AND HORTICULTURE. 
“ Ip some of our fruit-growers were to write upon this subject 
they would place as the title—Bees versus Horticulture. Some of 
our ablest entomologists are persuaded that bees do not always 
play the rdle of friends to the pomologist. 
What I am to say of bees would apply equally well, in some 
cases, to many other sweet-loving insects, as the wild bees, the 
wasps, and many of the dipterons, or two-winged flies ; only as 
early in the season other insects are rare, while the honey bees, 
though less numerous than they are later in the season, are com¬ 
paratively abundant, even early in the spring months. 
My first proposition is, that plants only secrete nectar that they 
may attract insects. And why this need of insect visits ? It is 
that they may serve as “ marriage priests ” in the work of fertilis¬ 
ing the plants. As is well known, many plants, like the Willows 
and the Chestnuts, are dioecious. The male element, the pollen, 
and the female element, the ovules, are on different plants, and so 
the plants are absolutely dependent upon insects for fertilisation. 
The pollen attracts the insects to the staminate flowers, while the 
nectar entices them to visit the pistillate bloom. Some varieties 
of the Strawberries are so nearly dioecious that this luscious fruit, 
of which good old Isaac Walton wrote, “ Doubtless God might 
have made a better fruit than the Strawberry, but doubtless God 
never did,” would in case of some varieties be barren except for 
the kindly ministrations of insects. Other plants are monoecious— 
that is, stamens and pistils are on the same flower, but the structural 
peculiarities are such that unless insects were wooed by the 
coveted nectar fertilisation would be impossible. Many of the 
plants with irregular flowers, like the Orchids, as Darwin has so 
admirably shown, are thus entirely dependent upon insects to 
effect fructification. In many of these plants the structural modi¬ 
fications, which insure fertilisation consequent upon the visits of 
of insects, are wonderfully interesting. These have been dwelt 
upon at length by Darwin, Gray, Beal, and others, and I will for¬ 
bear to discuss them further. 
But many of our flowers, which are so arranged that the pollen 
falls easily upon the stigma, like the Clovers, Squashes, and fruit 
blossoms, fail of full fruitage unless, forsooth, some insect bear 
the pollen of one flower to the pistil of another. As has been 
repeatedly demonstrated, if our fruit bloom or that of any of our 
cucurbitaceous plants be screened from insects the yield of seed 
and fruit will be but very partial. Professor Beal and our students 
