286 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 23, 1886. 
At present the supply far exceeds the demand, and, except for sections, 
there is not much business done in honey, as last year's stocks have not 
been exhausted. The Canadian exhibit will help to educate the public 
mind, and when once the demand is established there will be no difficulty 
as regards the supply either from home or abroad. 
This naturally brings us face to face with the question, Can we com¬ 
pete with Colonial or foreign bee-keepers 1 In the Pall Mall Gazette, 
September 17th, there is an account of bee-keeping in Ontario by Mr. 
Jones, one of the deputation from the Oatario Bee-keepers’ Association. 
He estimates the average honey harvest at £100,000, and the average 
yield of honey from a hive at 30 lbs., though cases have been known 
where 100 to 600 lbs. have been obtained from one hive in a single 
season. This, of course, is an enormous yield, and we have never known 
a hive in Great Britain that could touch this limit, though Mr. Cowan 
averages 100 lbs. from his fourteen hives, and we met a bee-keeper in 
Wales this summer who bad taken 200 lbs. from one hive, and still had 
the Heather honey harvest to increase this yield. 
The price of honey in the comb at O itario is Is. a pound, while 
extracted fetches 8d. Taking into account the cost of carriage, commis¬ 
sion, &c., these prices are too high for the English market. Last year 
the wholesale price of good 1 lb. section honey varied from 6d. to 8 1., 
and extracted from 4d. to 6d. per lb. This year prices have slightly 
stiffened, as the harvest has been deficient, but a large bee-keeper offered 
to supply sections at 6s. per dozen, and said that he could at that price 
secure a very good profit for himself. Everyone knows that the question 
of carriage is the burning question of the day, as far as farm produce is 
concerned. Foreign fruit is underselling our home fruit, because the 
railways give greater facilities for conveying fruit from the continent, 
and charge less for the freight than they do for fruit from the Kentish 
orchards, with the result that the farmers are allowing their Plums to 
decay on the trees, as it does not pay to send them to Covent Garden. 
If the Canadian bee-keepers can get their honey delivered in London at 
less cost than we can get honey delivered, say from Lancashire, it will be 
a bad look-out for the British bee-keeper ; but though they may be able 
to undersell us as far as extracted honey is concerned, it will be a more 
difficult task to drive our section honey out of the market.—A Surrey- 
shiee Bee-keeper. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
J. Broadhead & Sons, Leeds .—Illustrated Catalogue of Brushes. 
Hooper & Co., Covent Garden .—Bulb Catalogue for 1886. 
James Cocker & Sons, Sunny Park, Aberdeen .—Catalogue of Bulbs. 
H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, Kent .—Catalogue of Winter-flowering Plants 
and Bulbs. 
P. J. Kane, Kells, Meath.— Ama'eurs’ Annual List of Bulbs. 
Wood & Son, Wood Green, London, N .—List of Horticultural Specialities. 
William Rumsey, Waltham Cross, N .—Catalogue of Boses, Trees, and 
Shrubs. 
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 Bee subjects, and should never 
send more than two or three questions at once. All articles in¬ 
tended 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. 
Old Dahlia (IF. B. Hartland ).—We have noted the Dahlia in another 
column, and we are obliged to you for the return so promptly sent. 
Bedding Plants ( A. L .).—The Lobelia to which you ref r is probably 
Snowball, and the Alternanthera is either A. versicolor, which is very dark 
in colour, or A. latifolia, which also has large leaves, but of a much lighter 
shade. 
Gardener Leaving ( Kittie ).—The best time for the gardener to leave 
with the chance of obtaining another place would be in March, and notice 
could be given expiring in that month. You will probably have no diffi¬ 
culty in securing the services of such a man as you seem to require for £60 
or £70 per year. 
Growing Pines (Ferndale ).—An ordinary Cucumber frame is of no use 
for growing Pines. You will require a structure with at least two compart¬ 
ments, one for succession, and the other for fruiting plants, also a close pit 
for suckers. Without these conveniences and some practical knowledge 
Pines cannot be grown satisfactorily. 
Pear Congress ( E. F.). —We are not aware that the report to which you 
refer has been published. 
Muscat of Alexandria Grapes Decayed (J. B.). —The berries are partly 
decayed round the base of the stalk, in consequence of the house being 
kept too close and moist. It is a very common occurrence this season, also 
“ spotting,” which arises from the same cause. The Grapes sometimes 
crack next the footstalk, and that arises from the Grapes being grown in 
too dry an atmosphere, and afterwards or when ripening keeping them too 
moist. The only remedy is to maintain a drier atmosphere, keeping a little 
warmth in the pipes so as to admit of a free circulation of air in the day¬ 
time, and sufficient at night to prevent the deposition of moisture on the 
berries. The inside border should also be covered with some dry straw or 
fern so as to prevent moisture rising. 
Muscat of Alexandria Grapes Shrivelling (A. B. C.). —The cause of the 
berries shrivelling is a deficiency of moisture until they were sufficiently 
advanced in ripening, with probably a deficiency of heat and of light to 
insure their thorough maturity. The check consequent on the breakdown 
of the heating apparatus a month ago is sufficient to account for the 
shrivelled condition of the berries, as they were imperfectly swelled and 
ripened. Nothing will now restore them to freshness, but we presume the 
shrivelling is confined to the small berries, the larger ones terns' plump. 
Make sure that there is no deficiency of moisture in the border. If fairly 
moist it is sufficient; if dry afford a supply, covering with dry mater.al so as 
to prevent evaporation. 
Wintering Fan Palm (Gardener). —If it be Chamrerops Fortunei it 
may be wintered safely in an outhouse or stable stall if it only have a fair 
amount of light, and the roots are protected with hay or straw, only giving 
sufficient water to keep the soil moist. Should it be a Latania it would not 
winter safely in such position ; but the other is nearly hardy, and would 
succeed outdoors in sheltered positions, but it ought not to be put out at 
this time of year. Keep it until next spring in the outhouse, and then give 
it a trial. 
Planting a Slope (Merchant). —The material forming the slope being 
stiff clay it will not answer to make large holes in it for planting the shrubs, 
as they will only become receptacles for holding water ; or if the soil is so 
porous as to allow the water to escape there will only be the good soil in the 
holes for the shrubs to grow in, and they will languish in a year or two 
after planting. We have tried the plan and found it fail. The best plan 
would be to mix some ashes with the clay to the depth of a foot, which will 
improve its texture, and then cover the whole of the slope with a foot or 
18 inches depth of good soil. Common Laurels pegged down might be the 
most suitable. Rhododendrons would not suit the position, and it is 
doubtful if the soil would be adapted for them. 
Rods of Vines (Idem). —You ought to cut away the rods of the old 
Vines as soon as the leaves have fallen, and the young canes maybe trained 
in their place. It is not wise to treat the Vines on the annual rod system. 
We should cut the present canes back to a third the length of the rafter, 
and depress their upper part before the eyes start, so as to cause the lower 
buds to break, and when they have done so the cane may be secured in 
position. Train up a shoot from the upper part in continuation of the rod 
to the top of the house, and this may be treated similarly to that of the 
previous year. Iu this way you will have a new rod in three years, the 
fruit will be borne on spurs after the first year, and they can hardly fail to 
fruit satisfactorily for some time, only do not keep them too closely pinched, 
and do not prune closely'. The long rod system is not suitable for general 
practice, but a modification of the rod-and-spur system is moBt advisable as 
securing the best results. The system advised by “ Experientia docet” 
seems most suitable to your case, as you get no fruit, therefore allow more 
growth. 
Fruiting of the Loquat—Culture of Anonas (Lord Ashbrooh). —The 
Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) produces its flowers and fruit from the points 
or terminal buds of the shoots, and to get these stout and well matured is 
the chief point in its cultivation. It requires plenty of light. The Anona 
requires a stove or tropical temperature, 60° to 65° in winter, with 10° to 15° 
rise from sun heat, 70° to 75* in summer by artificial means, and a day 
temperature of 80 s to 90°, or 95°. The Anona attains to the dimensions of 
a tree 20 or more feet in height, and will require to be grown in a tub, or 
preferably planted out in a border. This, however, need not be done until 
the plant is too large for the pot, when it may be placed in a tub or planted 
out in a well-drained border, having 2 feet depth of turfy loam, with a sixth 
of old mortar rubbish and a twelfth of charcoal. The plant may be 
allowed to grow untii it forms a good stem of say 6 feet, when it may be 
stopped so as to form a head, and afterwards will not require any pruning, 
only in removing irregularities, so as to form a compact head. 
Cape Gooseberry Treatment ( W. S.). —Physalis edulis or Cape Goose¬ 
berry is a half-hardy or greenhouse perennial, and requires to be grown in 
a greenhouse, or will succeed in a frame, or even outdoors in summer. We 
should shift the plants into 6-inch pots now, using good loam, with a fifth 
of well-decayed manure and a sixth of sharp sand well incorporated, and 
draining efficiently. Pot moderately firm, but not very hard, and supply 
water carefully until the plants ai’e establish'd, when freer watering is 
necessary, none being given until the soil becomes dry, but before the 
foliage flags, and then afford a thorough supply sufficient to show at the 
drainage. Keep the plants in the 6-inch pots during the winter in a light 
position, and afford the requisite support to the growth with stakes, or the 
growths may be trained to a trellis. The fruit is used for confections, some 
persons being very fond of the sweet acidulous flavour. It is of easy culture, 
and readily raised from seed. The plants may be shifted into larger pots 
in spring. 
Renovating a Lawn (Tennis Player). —As the lawn is used for tennis it 
is difficult to know when to sow the grass seeds, but now is perhaps 
the best time, as when the seeds are sown in spring the ground is used 
so soon after sowing that the grasses have scarcely time to become estab¬ 
lished, therefore sowing is best performed during moist weather in Sep¬ 
tember. As you have, however, a quantity of other weeds to grub up, and 
as these ought to be cleared off before sowing, it may in your case be advis- 
