844 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 5, 1892. 
watch that the bees are gathering honey. Sometimes they make a 
great show as if honey was plentiful when it is not, and as it is 
the season when young bees and drones are hatching they soon 
consume all the honey that may be in the hive. To prevent the 
possibility of such a drawback feed liberally. 
Nuclei. 
These to the greatest extent possible should be formed on the 
eighth day from the swarming of the first stocks. Should the 
favourite hive not be the first to swarm, exchange its combs with 
those to be bred from, being careful that all royal cells are 
destroyed, or else on their hatching they will either lead off a 
swarm or kill the queen regnant. When there is no queen, eggs, 
or brood in a hive for several days, it is a safe and expedient 
plan to sprinkle the bees of a nucleus with peameal. It will be 
remembered that some seven or eight years ago I mentioned this 
process, and the risk run of losing bees if the weather was cold at 
the time of queening, but otherwise the plan is a good one, and 
has been practised hereabout from time immemorial. The advantage 
of having young mated queens ready to introduce to stocks shortly 
after they have swarmed cannot be over estimated.—A Lanark¬ 
shire Bee-keeper. 
Experience and Controversy. 
Being interested in bees and a bee-keeper in a small way, I 
naturally turn to the columns of the Journal devoted to apiarian 
notes as eagerly as I do to any other part of it in search of infor¬ 
mation or any useful hints that may be there recorded, and I must 
confess that I have gained considerable experience from the pens 
of “A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper,” “A Hallamshire Bee-keeper,” 
and Mr. J. M. Hooker, but I should like to see the trio more in 
unison.—R. M. 
[So should we, and we have declined to insert much acrimonious 
matter that has been forced upon us during the past few months, 
and we do not covet a further supply.] 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Messrs. J. R. Pearson & Sons, ChilweU, Notts.— Show and Zonal 
Pelargoniums, Fuchsias. Dahlias, Bedding Plants, ^c. 
Messrs. J. Peed & Sons, Eoupell Park Nurseries, Norwood Road, 
London, S.E.— Dahlias. 
Yokohama Gardeners’ Association, Yokohama, 3&v>a.n.—Bulbs and 
Plants. 
•*®A11 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 
Hnavoidably. We request that no one will write privately 
to any of our correspondents, as doing so subjects them to 
unjustifiable trouble and expense. 
Ocrrespondents should not mix up on the same sheet questiors 
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 communications 
Seakale Seeding (5. JL).—When Seakale plants are allowed to 
mature seed they are more or less exhausted, and the growths of the 
following year will not be so robust as if seed had not been permitted to 
ripen ; still a free growth of foliage is undoubtedly essential to the pro¬ 
duction of good crowns. We find that two extreme courses are not 
uncommonly adopted in the management of Seakale in summer. One is 
to allow seed to ripen on the plants, the other to cut down the flower 
stems, thus removing all the foliage. Our plan is to let the flowers form 
on the plants and then cut off the heads just before exp.msion, leaving 
all the leaves. These unexpanded flower heads are delicious when 
properly cooked. Those that are not required for table are thrown 
away, as we do not consider it wise to allow seed to r.ipen on the plants. 
If we want a little for sowing, one plant produces sufficient for our 
purpose. 
The Electrical Exhibition (N. Josejihs ').—The first electrical 
Exhibition was held in the Crystal Palace in 1882. The Palace authori¬ 
ties state that the present Exhibition has already attracted over 850,000 
visitors. Electric lighting for household use has passed beyond the 
experimental stage. “ Transformers ” have been invented, and dynamos, 
electro-motors, and other machines improved, so that it is now possible 
to distribute or transmit electricity, even more easily than gas, to long 
distances. These new machines may be seen in actual work in the 
machinery annexe, or other parts of the Palace. 
Dandelion Wine (^Mrs. A'Wis).—There are various methods of 
making Dandelion wine, and one that has been recommended to us is 
as follows ;—“ To make 4 gallons, pour 4 gallons of boiling water over 
the heads of 1 gallon of Dandelion flowers, let it stand till cold, then 
strain off; add 3 lbs. of loaf sugar with half the peel of four Lemons 
and four Seville or sweet Oranges ; boil half an hour the other half of 
the peel with the Oranges and Lemons sliced put in at new-milk heat 
with a little yeast, let it stand three or four days to ferment, then place 
it in the cask. In a week add half a pint of brandy and stop up the 
cask. In six months either bottle or draw from the wood, and if it is desired 
add a few more Dandelions.” 
Sulphuring Hot-water Pipes (^H. E. Jf.).—It is not safe to 
apply sulphur to hot-water pipes before the Grapes are well advanced 
in ripening, as the fumes, which are given off at a temperature of 170°, 
are calculated to injuriously affect the skins of the Grapes, hardening 
them and thus preventing swelling, and causing them to colour 
prematurely. The effects of sulphur, however, differ with the varieties. 
Black Hamburghs are the least susceptible of damage, but Muscat of 
Alexandria, lYhite Frontignan, and other white thin-skinned Grapes are 
soon affected, and assume a purplish hue, which mars their appearance) 
though not materially affecting the quality. We have applied sulphur 
to the hot-water pipes without injury resulting by using the mixture 
rather thin, the sulphur being brought to the consistency of thin cream 
with skim milk, painting the pipes when heated not above 170°. 
Sulphuring the hot-water pipes is a good means of destroying red spider 
and white fly, but it requires to be done with care and judgment. 
Parsley for iVIarket (A Subscriber'). —In the Parsley growing 
districts extending from Biggleswade to St. Neots, and bordering on the 
Great Ouse, Parsley is grown with Onions, and a good distance apart, 
so that the plants are extremely sturdy, and produce abundance of 
grand leaves. These are carefully gathered by females brought up to the 
work of preparing vegetable crops in an attractive guise for market. 
There is no blemish in the samples, all being carefully assorted, made up 
in convenient bunches, usually a dozen lull leaf spra.vs, and closely 
packed in half sieve (half bushel) basnets, covered with a few leaves, such 
as Brussels Sprouts or Savoys, and tied down. Washing is only had re¬ 
course to when the produce is dirty, and then the water is shaken out, 
for the Parsley is sold by the ton. The see l plants are the sturdiest and 
hardiest ihe locality produces, therefore the stock becomes very select 
and eminently suited to this mode of culture, while it is sufficiently 
curled for all practical purposes. It has no particular name other than 
Curled Parsley, the growers giving no guarantee with the seed. 
Grubs Destroying- Iillies (IF. A).—These are the caterpillars of 
one of the swift moths, apparently the species is the small swi.t 
(Hepialus lupulinus). They feed from autumn to spring upon the roots 
and crowns of a variety of plants, usually, however, attacking wild and 
not garden species. About June the moths appear, sitting on walls or 
palings during the day, when any seen should be removed, to- 
diminish the brood of next year as far as possible. It is not easy to 
effect the destruction of the caterpillars. Some persons have found the 
free application of soot useful, others have watered the soil with a 
solution of carbolic softsoan, 1 oz. to a gallon of water, adding a wine- 
glassful of petroleum to three or four gallons. Hellebore tea has also 
been used with more or less satisfaction ; but Mr. Hawkins, who grows 
Lilies of the Valley extensively for market, finds it essential to keep 
making fresh beds, in which he mixes lime and soot freely, for insuring 
a full supply of flowers, as when the grubs take possession of old beds 
they defeat his efforts to destroy them and restore the plan’s. 
Ammonlacal Solution of Copper Carbonate (id W., Gloucester)^ 
—This preparation has been used with great success in America for the 
destruction of fungoid diseases of fruits, and so far as is known their 
safety for consumption has not been in the least impaired by the process. 
In an ordinary pail mix 5 ozs. of copper carbonate with enough water to 
make a thick paste. Dissolve this paste in 3 pints of strong aqua 
ammonia, then dilute to 45 gallons. If 3 pints of ammonia are not 
sufficient to dissolve all the paste add enough to bring about this result. 
Copper carbonate occurs in the market in the form of a fine greenish 
powder, but in view of the fact that copper carbonate is somerimes 
difficult to obtain the following directions for manufacturing it are 
given :—In a half-barrel, or some similar vessel, dissolve 3 lbs. of copper 
sulphate in 2 gallons of hot water. In another vessel dissolve SJ lbs. of 
common washing soda in 1 gallon of hot water. When cool pour the 
second solution slowly into the first ; then as soon as all action has 
ceased add enough water to bring the whole up to 8 or 10 gallons, and 
stir thoroughly. In twenty-four hours pour off the clear liquid, taking 
care not to disturb the sediment. Add fresh water and stir again. Again 
allow the solution to stand twenty-four hours, pour off the clear liquid 
as before ; then remove the sediment, which is copper carbonate. The 
copper carbonate paste may be immediately dissolved in aqua ammonia;,. 
