16 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 1, 1885. 
labonr and spoiling the beauty of the comb. Heat in the hive economises 
honey in the secretion of wax, facilitates the building of comb, and 
enables the bees to go out in greater numbers to collect the honey, when 
otherwise they would have to remain at home in the best part of the day 
to build combs, which they will not do in a super uncovered when the 
temperature is too low, as it must be in uncovered supers during the 
night. 
The same rule applies to the st ;ck hive. We keep the bees at work 
by having them covered, so as not to be affected internally by any sudden 
change of temperature, and we regulate the doorway as required, both in 
the early part of the year as well as during summer. In the latter time 
we give abundant air during the day in hot wea her, and contract at 
night, so that comb-building goes on uninterrupted, and that brood will 
neither be chilled nor drawn out, as is invariably the case in hives sub¬ 
jected to sudden changes of temperature internally. 
All my hives have now sufficient honey stored for winter, or nearly so, 
and all gathered after this will be for myself. Nevertheless, should 
unfavourable weather come, there is great risk of the bees drawing their 
brood. This must be guarded against, and to prevent it we shall feed 
them, although not required. Bees after the middle of June draw their 
brood readily, and the hive is spoiled for later work at the Heather. 
During the earlier months of the year the bees will themselves die before 
they will desert their brood, but after this they seem to put most value 
upon self-preeervation. 
Some bee-keepers are greatly annoyed by their bees persisting in 
producing “ virgin swarms ,”—i e., top swarms swarming. I have been 
asked for a remedy and opioion. Both I gave to different individuals, but 
the advice given has been ignored, and I have been challenged to give my 
bees a trial in the rich districts that these unfortunate bee-keepers are 
placed in. There case is this : they want all the honey in supers, and for 
that purpose they employ hives half size only, in which, although every 
cell was available for brood, the queen would be crowded out in two 
weeks’ time after being hived. 
Can it be expected that bees would give entire satisfaction and profit 
by suffi management ? and yet this and pigmy hives have been held forth 
as the acme of perfection for a decade past, and highly recommeuded to 
cottagers as a great improvement over straw hives and as a sensible 
departure from the tiering system. 
A great change has now come over the leaders of modern bee-keeping. 
It is the tiering system pure and simple, so much despised a few years 
ago, that honey may be expected from. After so many high eulogiums 
passed on our system we ought to be proud. 
It has always been surprising to me that cottagers and labouring men, 
heretofore the most successful bee-keepers, should have allowed them¬ 
selves to be misled. Large harvests of honey can only be had from large 
hives with young and fertile queens with some foreign blood in them, 
increase of room, with plenty of wrappings on the exterior of the hive. 
If these simple rules are attended to, more good will result than from 
volumes of writing. On another ocassion I will describe the state of 
many hives I have witnessed this year, together with their management 
throughout the year.—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 correspon¬ 
dents, as doing so subjects them to unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS.—We desire to assure those of our corre¬ 
spondents whose letters and communications are not promptly 
inserted that they are not the less appreciated on that account. 
Our pages are practically filled several days prior to publication, 
and letters arriving on Wednesday morning, except by special 
arrangement, are invariably too late for insertion. The delay in 
the publication of some of these is not of material importance, 
buc reports of meetings and shows held a week previously lose 
much or all of their value if not received in time to appear 
in the current issue. 
Questions.—The pressure of the Liverpool Show prevents several letters 
being fully answered this week. “ Rosa ” is informed that Bertolonias 
require much heat, shade, and moisture ; “A Subscriber” that fumigation 
properly conducted will not injure his Yines ; “ A Merchant ” that the 
Grapes sent were scalded, and had better be shaded lightly than spoiled; 
“ M. F.” that he need not be alarmed; J. M. ” that Mr. Whittaker’s 
Cucumbers are slightly shaded ; and “ J. Coates ” that he does not appear 
to read Mr. Molyneux’s articles, and to refer to page 438. 
Tomatoes (C. C .).—We shall be glad to receive particulars of your 
Tomato trials, and wish you success. The copy of the Journal de-ired has 
been forwarded to you, the charge for which is 3£d. 
Pyrethrums and other Flowers ( W. C.). —We have received the flowers 
referred to in your note. They are very good, and would no doubt sell if 
advertised. 
Late Cucumbers (G. F. Jones ).—Strong plants now establisheddn 6-iuch 
pots planted out in a frame in good soil, and a barrowful or two of ferment¬ 
ing material to give them a start, will bear abundantly in late summer if 
they are properly managed. They should be well watered with tepid water 
half an hour or more before the sun leaves the frames every afternoon in hot 
weather, admitt'ng air in the morning when the temparature riseB above G5°, 
increasing the ventilation with the increasing heat. It is a great mistake 
to allow the heat to rise to 80° or 90 p , then admit a great volume of air at 
once to reduce the temperature. 
Calceolarias ( S ., Tooting ).—You have sown the seed much too early, and 
it is very questionable if your “ fine plants ” will answer your expecta¬ 
tions. All you can do is to keep them steadily growing in a cool place, shifting 
before the pots become much crowded with roots. You had better sow 
more seed if you wish to insure a satisfactory display of these flowers next 
April and May. 
Dwarf Chrysanthemums (0. C. Owen). —Sturdy, healthy cuttings 
grown in the full sun, inserted now in small pots of sandy soil, stood on 
damp ashes in a frame, kept moist, close, and shaded to prevent the leaves 
flagging, strike readily, and the plants are often very serviceable for various 
decorative purposes. The cuttings and young plants cannot have too much 
light and air consistently with keeping the foliage fresh. Thousands of 
dwarf plants of Pompon varieties are raised from cuttings inserted in July 
and August. 
Single Pyrethrums from Seed {E. G. Walker ).—You have been rightly 
informed. Any required number can be raised from seed, either in light 
soil in the open ground, or in boxes in frames, or outside covered with 
glass, and shaded till the seedlings appear. The sooner the plants are 
raised the stronger they become before winter, and the better they flower 
another year. 
Pelargoniums for Winter (A. S .).—Yery strong cuttings rooted at once, 
and the plants grown well under full exposure to the sun iu a frame with 
the lights removed night and day iu favourable weather, will flower in 
winter in a temperature of about 50°. The plants must not be starved in 
the summer, but kept steadily growing in the full sun, all flower buds 
being removed as they appear till the autumn. Our plants are strong, and 
being shifted into 6-inch pots ; and some older plants which were pruned, 
a week ago will be shaken out, placed iu fresh soil shortly, and with 
careful watering they will flower profusely in November and December. 
Mildew on Apple Trees (II. II. C.) —The growths before us are 
seriously infested with mildew. You had better try the effects of syring¬ 
ing with a solution of softsoap and sulphur, prepared by dissolving soft, 
soap at the strength of 2 ozs. to a gallon of water and stirring in sulphur- 
so as to form a thin cream-like mixture that can be applied with a syringe. 
We suspect the leaves were eaten by a small caterpillar just as they were 
unfolding, and the injury has become more apparent by the development of 
the foliage. 
Peaches not Bearing (J , E. L.). —“ Thinning out the growths well hr 
October ” is altogether too late for preventing overcrowding, and preparing 
fruitful wood for the following year. The present is the time to regulate 
the growths for preventing the great evil of overcrowding and conse¬ 
quently fruitless wood. The shoots should be so disposed that the leaves of 
one do not materially overlap and shade those of others. We often see the 
shoots laced in an inch or two apart. It is utterly wrong to work on this 
leaf-smothering principle. When trees are much crowded now superfluous 
growths should be removed by degrees, as taking out much growth at once 
checks the roots and the swelling of the crop where there is one. As you 
have no fruit do not permit the shoots on which you hope to have fruit next 
year to be closer than G inches from each other, a greater distance between 
them being advisable. Keep the leaves clean and healthy, and fruit buds 
will form freely. 
The Ginger Beer and Vinegar Plants (W. H. TV).—Nothing definite i3 
known about the Fungus called the Ginger Beer Plant. It i3 a cellular 
vegetable body similar to some other low forms of Fungi, such as the Yeast 
and Vinegar Plants, but apparently distinct from them. It is regarded as 
an immature form of some species which, when placed in the sugar and 
water mixture usually employed in the manufacture of ginger beer, is under 
unnatural conditions, and cannot develope its not m il characters. It has 
been thought that ground ginger is beneficial to the growth of the Fungus, 
which then decomposes the sugar more rapidly. We believe several 
eminent fungologists are investigating its characters. It grows best in a 
rather warm place, and not exposed to too much light. The Vinegar Plant 
will form naturally if a mixture of sugar and water be placed in large jugs, 
covered with pieces of muslin, and stood in a place exposed to the sun. 
Cornelian Cherry (B. R. T .).—The plant to which you refer under the 
above name is Cornui mas, a shrub whiuh is found throughout the whole of 
Europe, with the exception of Great Br i ain. It is much cultivated on the 
continent as a fruit shrub, for the sake of its be ries, which are oval, about 
the size of a horse-bean, of a beautiful cornelian-red colour; when immature 
they are astringent, but when they are fully ripe, and particularly when 
they are allowed to hang till they fall from the tiee, they are sweet, and 
may be eaten when raw, or preserved in the form of marmalade, like 
Cherries; in this form they are said to strengthen the stomach and to be 
verr useful in cases of diarrhoea; but those subj ct to constipation should 
avoid them. They are much used by the Turks in their sherbets. The 
unripe fruit is also pickled with salt and vinegar and used as Olives, when 
they are said to have a pleasant taste and excite an appetite. The leaves- 
have been used on the Continent as a substitute for tea, and those who have 
used the infusion say that it is very wholesome and agreeable. The wood is 
extremely hard, and "is used on the Continent for wooden forks, which are made? 
by selecting branches which divide into three near the extremity, and after 
cutting th°branch to a proper length, which is commonly about 5 or 6 feet, 
t ie birk is taken off, and the three branch s which are to form the prongs 
are bent to as to form a triangle, like the wooden corn forks of England ; 
