34 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 8,1891. 
Unless the heat of a hive is kept up during the winter months, 
so that it can be felt when the hand is placed upon the crown of 
the hive, there is something wrong, and the best thing to maintain 
warmth is dried grass, not woollen fabrics that become dam.p. 
The mouse’s nest is the best example to take for the covering 
of a hive. Very often when the question is asked why there are 
so many dead bees about, the answer is almost invariably, “ They 
are the old bees,” I do not believe that ; they are dead bees 
through some fault of the apiarist. “ Bees only live forty-five 
days in summer,” is another modern mistake, but not an invention 
of mine. 
Owing to the untoward season of 1890, few, if any, bees were 
hatched after the middle of August, but the bees had a busy time 
of it from the 1st of September, and continued more or less work¬ 
ing till the first day of December, yet our hives are formed of the 
same bees, with but little exception, that were alive in June and 
July, and will continue, I hope, till summer comes.—A L.4Nark- 
siiiKE Bee-keeper. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Bobbie & Co., Rothesay, Scotland.— Catalogue and Competitors' 
Guide. 
G, Bunyard & Co., Maidstone.— Catalogue of Seeds. 
J. R. Pearson & Sons, Catalogue of Chrysantlieuinms. 
Hooper & Co., Covent Garden and Maida Vale.— Seed Catalogue, 
tSOl. 
H. Cannell &; Sons, Swanley and Eynsford.— Catalogue of Seeds, 
1891. 
Biddles & Co., Loughborough.— Catalogue of Seeds, 1891. 
B. P. Dixon & Sons, Hull.— Catalogue of Garden Seeds. 
J. Cheal k Sons, Crawley, Sussex.— Catalogue of Garden Seeds and 
Sundries. 
Little & Ballantine, Carlisle.— List of Garden Seeds and Sntidries. 
Barr & Son, 12, King Slreet, Covent Garden.— List of Flower and 
other Seeds. 
William Etherington, Swanscombe, Kent.— List of Chrysanthe¬ 
mums. 
Alex. Lister, Rothesay, N.B.— Lji.st of Yegetahle and Flower Seeds. 
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. 
Oorrespondents 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. 
Appliance {Constant Reader ').—you suggest is not contrary 
to our rules, and you are quite at liberty to carry out your proposition. 
Strawberries In Pots {S. J. B .).—You cannot do better than 
■carry out your proposition, and plunge the pots in which the plants 
have not rooted freely in a bed of leaves where there is a gentle warmth, 
but not until the growth which is thereby started can be steadily con¬ 
tinued, or not subjected to any check. You are wise in not attempting 
to force the plants early. If after potting they make no fresh roots 
whatever tn the new soil it might be advisable to remove this soil, 
which must be more or less soddened, and place the plants in a free 
root-inciting compost, such as loam, leaf mould, and wood ashes, with a 
dash of superphosphate of lime, if you have any—say a 5-inch potful 
to a bushel of the compost, mixing well. The chemical manure named 
is very useful in gardens. 
'Wlnter-flowerlngr Carnations {Idem ).—Miss Joliffe is one of 
the most floriferous, and other good varieties are 4. AlegatiSre, Anda¬ 
lusia, Irma, Ruby, Rufus, La Perle, Mdlle. Carle, Vulcan, Winter 
Cheer, Empress of Germany, La Belle, and Prince of Orange. 
Gesnera clnnabarina {B. S .).—This is one of the most brilliant 
and beautiful of stove plants for flowering in the winter. Those which 
your have seen and admired were probably started about midsummer. 
We have potted tubers at that time, and started them in a frame, and 
have grown the plants in it till September, or as long as the weather was 
warm enough, then placed them or a shelf in the stove. They usually 
commenced flowering in January, or when the Poinsettias were nearly 
over, producing an effect not surpassed by those plants during a period 
of two months. Fine plants may be grown in 6-inch pots, forming 
dense pyramids of orange-scarlet flowers and handsome velvety leaves, 
which contribute materially to the beauty of the plants. 
Stakes for Trees {G .).—The best we have used are of Larch, the 
young trees or the tops off them thinned from crowded plantations and 
divested of their side growths. We have found these to last longer 
than Oak, or any other wood, probably because of the turpentine in the 
TiUrch. Cresote is a good preserver of wool. It can be had from 
chemists, and should be used hot, the end of the stakes being placed in 
an iron vessel containing it over a fire and boiled. Some persons dip 
stakes in molten pitch, and others char them by inserting their ends in 
a fire for a time, then withdrawing them and slaking with water. This 
is a simple and good plan when well carried out ; but whatever method 
may be adopted of preserving the wood, it must be applied not to the 
points of the stakes alone, but 3 inches above the part inserted in the 
ground. Stakes decay more rapidly quite close to the surface of the 
ground than several inches below. We have been told that stakes 
soaked in petroleum are rendered additionally durable, but we have not 
tried it. 
Violets in Trames (.7. Feans ).—The method of culture in pre¬ 
paring Violets for flowering in frames in the winter is practically the 
same as that adopted in growing Strawberries, only rooted runners of 
Violets can be had in April, while Strawberries cannot be layered before 
June. In soil prepared as if preparing for Strawberries, and in an open 
position, plant rooted runners or offsets of Violets during showery 
weather in April. Compact growers, such as Devoniensis, a very useful 
single, and Marie Louise, a valuable double variety, may be inserted a 
foot apart in rows 18 inches asunder ; but such strong growers and fine 
varieties as Victoria Regina and Prince Consort need more Space, and 
the plants should be 18 inches apart, in rows 2 feet asunder. Those 
named are excellent varieties, and if Argenteaeflora is added you may 
have abundance of flowers in different colours from September onwards 
throughout the winter, provided you can maintain a night temperature 
in the frames of 40° to 45°, not otherwise, as Violets must have a certain 
amount of heat for insuring a continuous supply of flowers. Violets can 
be had in winter by taking stout runners and dibbing them an inch or two 
apart in boxes of good soil—loam and leaf mould—as if inserting cut¬ 
tings, keeping them constantly moist, and placing the boxes in a light 
posiiion in a warm greenhouse. Boxes thus filled at the present time and 
treated as directed will shortly afford quantities of flowers, and young 
plants of the best character will be provided for future plantations. 
Ziepottlng- marantas {C. 31 .).—If the ,plants require attention in 
the way you suggest, it should be done during the present month, so 
that they will have a chance of establishing themselves again before the 
sun has much power. If they are left till about the middle or end of 
the following month the sun often proves too strong for them, and they 
flag severely. These plants will do in the same pots for years provided 
the drainage is good and the soil about their roots in a sweet condition ; 
but the liberal supplies of water needed during the growing season soon 
renders the soil unfit for them. They unquestionably thrive best when 
they are repotted annually. When turned out of their pots and the 
drainage removed the old soil should be worked from amongst the roots 
by washing it out in a tank of tepid water. This necessitates the plants 
being allowed to drain for some hours before they can be repotted. 
Many of the varieties do well in a compost of fibry loam, one-seventh 
of manure, charcoal broken according to the size of the plants and pots, 
with an addition of coarse sand. Others do better in rough peat, the 
fibrous portion of loam only, and charcoal in lumps. After potting 
plunge the plants where a night temperature of 65° can be maintained, 
syringe them freely, but water with great care until the roots are active. 
The pots used should be liberally drained. 
Cattleyas Diseased {3Ial ).—We are always willing to assist 
inquirers with information upon any subject within the scope of this 
Journal, but we have also repeatedly stated how desirable it is that 
those who seek advice should furnish as many particulars as possible 
respecting the difficulty which is to be overcome. This you have not 
done, for though you send specimens of leaves, pseudo-bulbs, and roots 
you do not mention the conditions under which the plants have been 
grown, the character of the house, the temperature, or indeed anything 
that could guide us in suggesting a remedy. Beyond this, however, you 
say that “ it is only plants in the best of health that become affected.” 
If the specimens sent are samples of what youiconsider “the best of 
health ” this is no doubt correct, but we do not regard their condition, 
apart from the disease, as at all satisfactory. The leaves are compara¬ 
tively soft, the texture immature, sappy, and exactly such as would at 
this time of year invite the attacks of fungoid and other diseases. This 
may be due to several causes—excessive moisture with too low a tempe¬ 
rature, insufficient ventilation earlier in the season, and undue shade. 
Cattleyas will endure much more exposure to sun than is ordinarily 
supposed, and while direct exposure to the sun in hot weather 
