414 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 6,1890. 
emerging from worker-cells, whereas had the frame been left in 
the hive where the eggs were laid there would have been no drones 
at all.” I must take in the whole sentence as my text, but must 
lay considerable stress upon the last clause, “ there would have been 
no drones at all.” Your bee-keeping readers, as well as naturalists, 
will observe that there is something extraordinary, if not prophetic, 
in the statement, the text tells us so, and the context confirms it. 
Bees sometimes make what we consider a mistake in rearing a 
royal cell round a drone larva, but I have never witnessed the same 
lavish expenditure of wax upon the drone-royal cell as when it 
contained a queen. I have often found workers in queen cells, but 
they were never matured, too long perhaps in being selected for 
transformation, and I have repeatedly had perfect queens from 
ordinary looking worker cells, and I am informed that the Punic 
bees raise queens sometimes in the same apparent manner as are 
drones, and as many as 500 at one time. 
But how does the editor of “ Gleanings ” know that if the frame 
of comb had been allowed to remain in its original hive “ there 
would have been no drones at all.” It will, perhaps, be as well to 
leave the editor of “Gleanings” alone in his profound knowledge of 
the past, present, and future, and tell your readers how the drones 
came there. For aught any of us know the eggs of what matured 
into drones might have been in these combs from the first, as 
queens can, and do sometimes when fertile, lay drone eggs in worker 
cells, and sometimes fertile workers are present and at work at 
the same time as the queen regnant. Moreover, it sometimes 
happens that queenless hives are entirely destitute of an egg-laying 
bee, and sometimes they have them, so there is no mystery what¬ 
ever in finding drones coming forward in a queenless hive, nor is 
it a miracle to find sometimes an effete queen in a hive supposed 
to be queenless, but still able to lay a few eggs of both worker and 
drone, and which may account for the so-called removing eggg 
from one cell to another, or even from one hive to another, and it 
is not the first time I have observed a defective queen take refuge 
in another hive. I trust if the editor of “ Gleanings ” does not profit 
from the above, and cease plunging into the mysterious, he will 
see it advisable to alter his opinion as to how drones are produced, 
and give to the public reliable information, so that all may profit 
thereby.—A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
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 correspondents, as doing so subjects them to 
unjustifiable trouble and expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions 
relating to Gardening and those on 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 communica¬ 
tions. 
Stocks for Fruit Trees (Plum ).—We cannot answer your ques¬ 
tions without name and address, which are not, however, wanted for 
publication. If you send what is requisite please repeat your ques¬ 
tions. 
Celery Fungus (E. L .).—You would see a reply on this subject 
to a correspondent on page 393 last week, after sending your letter. To 
that reply we have nothing to add, except that the fungus appears to be 
unusually prevalent this year. 
Pruning- Plum Trees (IF. E .).—If your sketch fairly represents 
the trees, and especially in the wide space between the main branches, 
we should not shorten the side shoots at all, except the tips of any that 
are soft and unripe through pushing late growth after the summer 
pruning, and to prevent overcrowding. The more closely you prune the 
more freely will the growth be made, and the less the number of blossom 
buds unless the roots are pruned in the same proportion. If the trees 
were ours we should check the root action now, and limit the pruning 
to thinning and the removal of soft growths as suggested. 
Roses for iArelies (G. E.). —The free-growing Ayrshire Hoses, 
such as Alice Grey, Bennett’s Seedling, and Splendens, are suitable 
for covering arches and arbours, as also are the Boursault Roses Amadis, 
elegans, and inermis. You may add also the evergreen Rose Fblicitd 
perpfitue. These are all free, indeed more or less rampant growers, and 
are very effective when covered with their great clusters of flowers. If 
you desire Roses less floriferous, but to produce better blooms over a longer 
period, plant such varieties as Gloire de Dijon, Belle Lyonnaise, Reine 
Marie Henriette, Cheshunt Hybrid, with the climbing forms of Victor 
Verdier, Jules Margottin, Bessie Johnson, and Charles Lefebvre, also 
the vigorous-growing Madame Clemence Joigneaux. You do not say 
how many you require, but probably we have named sufficient. 
Straightening- Fruit Trees CS-rown flslant (IK G. P.). —You 
do not state the cause of the evil, but it usually arises from three causes 
—viz., sinking of the ground after planting with neglect to ensure 
secure staking, through force of wind from a particular point, or from 
neighbouring objects shading them, whereby the trees seek the light. The 
only remedy in any case is to lift the trees, or at least remove some of 
the earth from over the roots, so as to facilitate the stems being brought 
to the perpendicular and properly secured against winds. If the leaning 
be due to wind or shade it would be best to lift the trees entirely, and 
turn their heads the other way round ; this, however, would only afford 
temporary relief, as the trees would assuredly take to their former, 
course until the cause of it was removed. If it arise from improper 
planting it will only be necessary to straighten the trees as ad¬ 
vised, and thin their heads on the heavy side, cutting back any strag¬ 
gling growths, so as to form an evenly balanced head. 
IVEyrtle ITnliealtliy (IK E. 0.). —If you closely examine the under 
sides of the leaves you will find near to the midrib a number of scale 
insects. They are, not very conspicuous, but are plainly visible to the 
trained eye of a gardener. These insects must be destroyed, and the 
upper surfaces of the leaves must be cleansed of the dirty incrustation 
that adheres to them. You allude to the Myrtle as a tree. If the 
“ tree ” is only 2 or 3 feet high it will not be tedious process to sponge 
every leaf with warm soapy water, dislodging the scale as the work 
proceeds with a pointed stick if necessary. This will undoubtedly prove 
the best remedy ; but if your tree is many feet high the work would 
certainly be tedious. The sprays, however, do not suggest that they 
have grown on a large tree planted out, but on a tree in a pot, that not 
only needs thoroughly washing, but also additional support either from 
fresh soil or more copious supplies of water. It is certainly in a very 
weak and unsatisfactory state. After sponging the leaves as directed 
the plant should be well syringed with clear water. 
Osier Peeling-s as Blanure (Oxford).— The bark of the Willow is 
rich in potash and soda, and reduced to vegetable mould is a good 
manure. The peelings should be thrown into a heap, and to every 
cartload of them add a bushel of salt and a similar quantity of quick¬ 
lime. By keeping them damp but not wet, and turning at intervals, 
outside to inside, the decay of the material would be accelerated. If 
the peelings get dry damp them with urine, which will increase the 
manurial value of the heap. If burned, there would at once be avail¬ 
able mineral substances of great value to fruit trees, and your soil 
being low and damp, or containing vegetable matter or humus, it 
would be a better dressing for fruit trees than vegetable soil. The 
organic matter, however, is lost in the burning, which it is desirable 
to retain, particularly when the applications of the debris is to be 
made on light soils or those deficient in humus. 
Gardenia Unhealthy (F. P.). —If you have sent us a fair sample 
of the plants they are certainly far from being satisfactory. We should 
first of all repot them, removing any loose soil from the roots, and place 
them in clean well-drained pots smaller than those they are now in, 
using a compost of light turfy loam, fibrous peat, and leaf soil in equal 
parts, with a free admixture of charcoal broken small and silver sand. 
We should then plunge the plants if possible in a bottom heat of 85° to 
90°, and apply water with great care, giving sufficient to keep the soil 
healthily moist without saturating it. This, with judicious syringings 
governed by the state of the weather, and a temperature of 70° as a 
minimum, would induce fresh root action. This accomplished, we 
should prune the plants rather severely, removing at least all such 
growths as you have enclosed, and should then expect healthy shoots 
and dark green foliage to follow. This effected, the plants could be 
kept clean and healthy by copious supplies of water, frequent syringings, 
and a very moist warm atmosphere. 
Protecting- Standard Roses (M. T .),—It would have been far 
better if the buds had not moved at all. If the winter proves very 
severe you will have great difficulty in preserving those “just in leaf, 
and others showing incipient growth.” If you have dry fern in readi¬ 
ness and envelope the stems as well as the tops when sharp frosts occur 
you may save a number of the Roses, but we should do what you pro¬ 
pose with those you are “ particularly anxious ” to keep—namely, pot 
them at once. Be very careful that the roots are not dried during 
removal, and pot firmly in a compost of two-thirds loam and the re- 
