294 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Apill 9, 189T. 
many ; but it is a great fault to ignore it, and as it were attempt 
»to step upon the topmost rung of the ladder before the first one 
ihas been approachel. I am very glad to see, however, that the 
latest ideas of some of our contemporaries are very much in 
accorJance wi h the ins^ruc'ions that we e given in these pages 
years ago. Those who care to read the latest and compare them 
avith earliest numbers wdl have no difficulty in tracing how the 
lower rungs have been bridged over. 
A multiplicity of eggs in the cells sometimes has a different 
meaning than the fertility of the queen or a paucity of bees. 
About 1862, when I abandoned surmise to prove by actual ex¬ 
periment some questions concerning foul brood, one of which was 
whether heat or cold was most favourable towards developing 
the disease, I proved that heat developed the disease more 
rapidly than much lower temperatures, which is contrary to much 
/af the present day’s teaching. One of my hives experimented 
with had many cells completely filled with eggs, and the hive 
was not a weak one either. About this time it was observed in 
Germany, and by Mr. Woodbury, that in hives affected with 
foul brood the queens seemed more prolific than in normally 
healthy hives. I communicated my experience of this hive to 
fhis Journal, but Mr. Woodburj’s reply did not satisfy me. I 
turned my attention specially to it, which illustrated many 
phenomena, such as inverted brood, two larvm in one cell, t^c. 
I believed at the time that the rapid development cf so many 
eggs was due to the presence of the germs of foul brood in their 
first stage in the food the queen was fed with, and although I 
never proclaimed that I was the first to discover this, I certainly 
say that I was the first to combat the idea that foul brood may 
be perpetuated for years by the same queen. After this extra¬ 
ordinary instance I never knew a single case where the queen 
survived many months. They die early, showing symptoms of a 
dropsical nature. From the experiments it is quite evident that 
infected honey has exciting causes upon the queen, and perhaps, 
too, upon the worker. I shall be much obliged if “ C. R.” will 
watch the progress of this hive and report later on, but do not 
Interfere much with it. 
Wintering Bees. 
Kent ” asks some questions regarding the wintering of bees. 
They are perhaps more ciiticisms than queries. The articles in 
'journals he refers to regarding wintering bees contain simply what 
we have taught for long. There is nothing new in them, and it is 
even questionable if the writers have experience to warrant the 
•production of such articles. 
For the edification of both “ Kent ” and the editors referred to 
by him I may say that single-cased hives covered thoroughly with 
non-conducting material had a roof raised above the crown cover¬ 
ing to allow the escape of moisture. The covering of dried grass 
was kept hard to the crown of the hive that, together with a 
narrow doorway to prevent an excessive rush of cold air, and the 
ventilating floor, entraps the carbonic acid gas until it falls 
insensibly through the bottom during cold weather. These 
arrangements prevent that bane to wintering bees—damp, and 
cannot be improved upon. I may further tell him that the so 
much space above bees and the waterproof ceiling are both detri¬ 
mental to bees in a high degree. Will correspondents kindly 
frame their questions distinctly, and not mix them with ordinary 
orrespondence ?— A L.aNARKSiiiRE Bee-keeper. 
TRADE CATALOGUES REOEIVED. 
Charles Frazer’s Exors, Illustrated Catalogue of Garden 
Structures. 
Charles Turner, Royal Nurseries, Slough.— Spring Catalogue 
Af Plants. 
G. Humphries, Kington Lang’ey, Chippenham. — of 
Dah I ias. 
H. J. Jones. Hither Green, L wisham.— List of Xew and Choiee 
.Idants and 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. 
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. 
Books {E. J/.).—Probably some of the manuals of Mr. Charles 
Whitehead would be of service to you, and we think they are published 
by Effingham Wilson. (F. J/.).—Mr. Barron’s work on Vine culture is 
published at this office, price os. 8d. post free. 
The Ancient Society of York Florists (./. X.).—We are 
p’eased to hear that the Lord Mayor of yinr City takes much interest 
in the Society and the Yoik Gala. The presentation of a bouquet on 
behalf of the Society at the reception last Thursday was a graceful act, 
and your note on the subject woul I have been readily insertel had it 
reached us a day sooner. It came t) hacd after our “ Notes and Glean¬ 
ings” pages were made up for press. 
Sowing- Seeds—llSulehing (A.).—We prefer sewing in drills, 
whether seedlings are raised in frame or the open ground, for trans¬ 
planting. The distance of the drills from each other is determined by 
thes'ze or “spread ” of the plants when they are ready for removal, and 
the depth of the small channels depends on the size of the seeds. Sow 
thinly, and in any case if seedlings come up thickly thin them quickly ; 
crowding plants in their early stages has ruinel countless thousands. 
Fresh horse droppings applied as a mulch to Roses and shrubs outdoors 
are not injurious, and may, indeed, be very beneficial. 
Vines not Showing Bunches Qlnguirer') —It is much easier to 
ask a categorical question than to give*a cate.orical reply in certain 
cases, and yours is one of them. Without some knowledge of the 
weight of the crop last year, the time it was cut, the condition of the 
leaves in respect to crowdi^^g or otherwise—freedom from insects or 
otherwise, and how long the leaves were retained—no one Cjuld give an 
answer worth printing. Your gardener ought to be able to supply the 
necessary information, and if at the same time you can send us a fair 
sample (1) of last summer’s wood,and (2) of the barren growths, we will 
give the matter our best attention. Tne varieties of Grapes you name 
are as avell suited for early forcing as are no doubt any others in your 
CO lection. 
Growing- Mushrooms (A Welshman').—'ll the manure, includ¬ 
ing all the stained straw from a one-horse stable, is allowed to accumu- 
la'e without being drenched by heavy rains, nor yet so dried that it will 
not ferment when thrown into a heap, it may be made up into a small 
bed, say 4 feet wide, twice that in length, and about 15 inches deep in a 
stable or shed for growing Mushrooms. But this is by no means the 
best period of the year for cammenc ing, for assuming that Mushrooms 
are produced hot weather will probably have arrived, and maggots then 
invariably infest the crops if the beds are not in a very cool sbel, cellar, 
or on the north side of a wall. Try your luck, and if you fail try again, 
commencing to collect manure towards the end of July or the begin¬ 
ning of December as may be the most convenient. See pp. 104 and 105, 
sixth edition, “ Mushrooms for the Million.” 
Ultrata of Soda for Onions (11'. IF.).—If you w'ere to point 
in some steamed bone flour at the rate of ab)ut 3 ozs. to each square 
yard noav, and when the p'ants are fairly growing top-dress with nitrate 
of soda at the rate of about 1 oz. to the square yard, it would be better 
than mixing nitrate of soda with the soil. You can of cour-^e apply it 
in solution at the strength of from a quarter to half an ounce to a gallon 
of water if the soil is not otherw'ise quite w'et enough by heavy rains. 
It may, perhaps, be well to remember that nitrate of soda lowmrs the 
temperature of water, and making the soil cold is not the most 
favourable tr the growth of crops. The remedy, or preventive, is 
obvious—a little w'arm w'ater. A mixture of leaf soil and wmod ashes 
placed round the roots when planting would be helpful. The soil 
should be firm for bulbing, and mulched in hot weaGrer. No one can 
tell you “ how often ” to give liquid manure, as action in this respect 
must be guided by the state of the soil. 
Vine Buds and Insects (JZ. A. G ). —Your specimens prove to 
belong to the order of fliei; it is a species of Conop.s. The mature insects 
haunt flowers for their nectar, the larvae or grubs are parasitic on other 
insects. We cannot, therefore, think these are samples of the actual 
aggressors. The appearance, indeed, wo-uld show that some kind of 
