522 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ June 25 , 1891. 
fail to see how “ Lanarkshire ” having sold strong wire excluder proves 
the contrary. He says Mr. Abbott “ showed me the comb referred to, 
said to be taken from the centre of the brood nest.” “ It is contrary 
to the nature of the bees to store honey in the brood nest, and conse¬ 
quently I am unable to accept any statement to the contrary.” This is 
making out Mr, Abbott to have stated what is inaccurate. 
The Judges at the Caledonian Apiarian and Entomological Society 
Exhibition, held at Edinburgh on 21th to 27th July, 1877, thought 
differently (they were all Scotch bee-masters), for in class 27, for “any 
new invention calculated in the opinion of the Judges to advance bee 
culture,” they awarded the highest prize to Mr. C. N. Abbott for his 
method of obtaining sections of pure virgin honeycomb from the centre 
of the hive. I may mention that at the same Show in “ class 17, for the 
best and most perfect bar-frame hive with super or set of sectional supers 
and cover complete, the first prize (a silver medal) was awarded to Mr. 
C. N. Abbott; the second prize (bronze medal) to Mr. John M. Hooker ; 
and the third (a certificate) to Mr. Wm, Thomson. In class 25, for the 
cheapest, neatest, and best supers for producing honey in a saleable form, 
the first prize (bronze medal) was awarded to Mr. John M. Hooker.” 
Mr. Abbott stated that bees finding a space in the centre of the hive, 
and the queen being unable to breed there, they would most assuredly 
not leave the space open. He never said bees would store honey in the 
brood nest in the natural way. I was not advocating this method, but 
simply speaking of the early use of perforated zinc as an excluder. I 
pointed out that in Europe and America the hives most in favour were 
worked with queen-excluder zinc, and whatever “ Lanarkshire ” may write 
to the contrary it will play a great part'in the apiculture of the future. ^ 
To give weight to his statement your correspondent says, “I possess 
some knowledge of bees,” and I, too, think 1 have proved that I know 
something about bees, and how to obtain honey, ft is on record that 
I gained “ the Bligh competition, open to Great Britain, for the largest 
return from one stock of bees.” I have also been awarded first prizes 
for comb honey in sections, as well as for extracted honey, at the 
exhibitions of the British Bee-keepers’ Association, open to Great 
Britain, on different occasions. 
My observations on page 457 “ Lanarkshire ” is pleased to call a 
huge advertisement. I can only say I have no interest in the sale of 
the British or any other excluder zinc, neither do I claim any credit for 
the improvement or the invention.— Johk M. Hookeb, 9, Beaufort 
Gardens, Lewisham, S.E. 
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. 
Wasp Traps (IF. Gf .—We cannot answer your question, but you 
<;ould obtain the desired information by writing to Mr. Farr, whose 
address is embodied in the note to which you refer on page 446. 
Chrysanthemum Buds {A.Bf .—At once very carefully remove 
the premature buds, and the others that follow will be crown buds, 
mnd under good management develop fine blooms, probably about the 
time you require them. 
mildew on Vines (i?. F .').—Preparations of which sulphate or 
carbonate of copper forms part are supplied both in the form of powder 
and solutions. See answers to “ J. H.” and “ H. B.,” pp. 500-501, and to 
replies given to correspondents on page 478 of the week previous. 
Delphinium formosum (Tom ').—The seed of this bright blue¬ 
flowering plant may be sown now in an open border, and when the 
plants are large enough to handle they should be pricked off in a bed of 
good rich soil about 3 inches apart, and in autumn planted where they 
are to bloom. 
Diseased Onions (J. It .').—The Onions are attacked with the 
fungus that occasionally ruins the plants. It usually seizes on those 
which have received a severe check in their early stages, the sap then 
becoming morbid and favourable to the parasitic growth. Your plants 
are beyond cure, but others that are healthy will if transplanted 
distant from the affected bed grow very well. 
Passiflora Dying (A. B .).—It is not at all uncommon for old 
plants to collapse the same as yours have done, especially when the wood 
of previous years was not well matured, as in this case. Sometimes 
when the stems are cut right back below all signs of faults in the wood 
good growth follows, but not always. You might trj^ the plan, and the 
lower yon cut down the stem the more likely will fresh growths be to 
start. 
Fumigating Peach Trees (77. C.). —The skeletonised condition 
of the leaves is the result of excessive fumigation, and will injuriously 
affect the crop. It might be advisable to remove some of the fruits, and 
you had better not stop any of the grow'ths that are made for some 
time. When Peach houses are fumigated only the best materials should 
be used, and the work must be done with great care, or more harm than 
good may ensue. 
Iicaflets (TF. S. P.). —We know of none on the subjects named, 
nor could any be produced to be of substantial use. Works on Vines, 
Tomatoes, and Mushrooms are published at this office. We can give 
you better particulars for making a Vine border that you can find in 
any cheap pamphlet, if you -wish us to do so, and state the nature of the 
soil and subsoil of your garden. Sound information on all useful crops 
is given in the “ Gardener’s Dictionary,” post free Ss. from this office. 
imported Orchids (J. S.). —Spread the plants out on a damp 
base or stage, not exposing them to the full light at first, and if they are 
dry syringe them occasionally. The other plants should bo treated on 
the same principle, potting those that need it, and gradually inuring 
them to the changed conditions, and if they arrive in a fairly good state 
they will soon start into growth. Send us a few small pieces to indicate 
what you have, and we shall be pleased to give jmu fuller instructions. 
measuring Bain (W. C.). —There are measures graduated into 
100 parts of an inch and others divided into 1000 parts. Yours is the 
former, as the majority are in gardens, and if you are careful in setting 
down the exact quantities of rain collected, and in adding up the 
figures, you will do all that is required. In the scale to which you 
refer 0’500 would be half an inch, in your own scale 0’50 would, and 
0’501, and 0’51 would be a trifle over in each case. Now do you under¬ 
stand ? If you do not, write again. 
Dividing and Replanting Garden Primroses (D. IF.).—We 
have divided and replanted many thousands of Primroses and Polyan¬ 
thuses immediately the plants ceased flowering and they have grown 
well; but if the work is deferred till dry weather occurs and they 
naturally take a rest, it is best not to divide them till they show signs of 
growth later in the season. It is, however, often necessary to remove 
them to make room for other flowers, and in that case the roots may be 
laid in trenches in a moist shaded place, dividing and replanting w'hen 
growth starts and the weather is favourable for the work. 
Weevil (AljPia ).—The weevil is Otiorhynchus sulcatus, a most 
destructive pest, eating nearly anything that grows, and the larvre or 
maggots do great damage to the roots of Ferns and other plants. The 
best method of riddance is to persevere in catching the weevils which 
feed chiefly after dark, and choose a convenient time for removing as 
much as possible of the old soil as you can when repotting the plants. 
We do not know whether Clibran’s Eucharis mite killer would destroy 
the maggots or not, but think it worth a trial in your fernery, proceed¬ 
ing experimentally. You will have seen it advertised. 
Hot-water Pipes along Have Plate (J, IF).—There is no 
objection to taking an inch pipe along the bottom of the rafters by 
the eave plate, but clear of it, so as to allow the heat to radiate without 
heating the plate unduly. This plan in a great measure prevents drip 
and the freezing of the water on the glass in severe weather, and is a 
source of heat in no way inimical to plants, if the pipes are kept at 
least 1 foot above them. The circulation, however, will be very much 
more rapid in these smaller and higher pipes than in the larger and 
lower ones, but we have used them successfully for heating, having the 
flow 1-inch pipe (ours were 1^ inch) connected with the 4-inch flow, 
and the return 1-inch pipe with the 4-inch return, and a screw valve 
on both flow and return, at their junction with the main pipes, so as to 
regulate the heat to a nicety. Without these valves the circulation was 
mainly confined to the smaller pipes on the higher level. 
Caterpillar in Holly Shoots (F. JI. 3L). —The damage is 
evidently caused by the caterpillar of some small moth, probably of 
the Peronea group, which does not seem to have been identified yet. 
These little creatures of a dozen different species, with their brown 
bodies, black heads, and white “ collar,” very nearly resemble each 
other, and it is not possible to decide the name of this particular one 
till the moth has been reared. We can, however, from our knowledge 
of kindred species, form an idea of the habits of this. The eggs from 
which the larvce or caterpillars appear during the spring being, it is 
likely, laid in the autumn by the second brood, as in most of these 
moths there are two broods, though the summer caterpillars are less 
conspicuous in their operations than the earlier brood. As with others 
of the tribe, the eggs are too firmly glued to the twigs to be removed by 
washing or syringing, and the only way of keeping them under is by 
applications about the time the caterpillars are hatching out. They 
have been successfully extirpated (that is, this or some kindred species) 
by a petroleum wash or one of hellebore, bj’' one of nicotine soap, and 
by dusting the shoots with sulphur. As you refer to a species of insect 
yet smaller, we may note that the buds of Holly are also infested about 
May by the larva or grub of a minute two-winged fly called Phytomiza 
ilicis, which is plentiful in some seasons, and in others scarcely to be 
noticed at all. 
The liitchl (IF. IT. S.). —The seed is that of the Litchi, which is 
esteemed one of the finest fruits of the East, and is the produce of 
Nephelium Litchi. The tree is a native of China and the East Indies, 
and was introduced to this country by the celebrated Warren Hastings. 
The fruit is the size of a Date, and grows in loose spikes. They are 
covered with a scaly, hardish rind, which is red on one side and green on 
