A.ugu3t 3, 1896. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Ill 
pans will be covered with growth, and if well watered we find the plants 
winter well on shelves where the temperature does not fall below 45°. 
In spring a fair amount of air and full sunshine should be afforded 
them, when they will be found to berry freely. 
Celoslas. —Plants for autumn and winter now in 3-inch pots, and 
may be transferred into 5-inch without delay. Grow the plants in 
frames where they can enjoy a liberal amount of air. They should not 
be hurried in their last stages or they will be almost certain to damp at 
the base when arranged in conservatories and other structures. 
Asparagus deflexus. —However effective and useful other varie¬ 
ties of Asparagus may be for furnishing in pots and for supplying 
greenery for cutting, A. deflexus is a handsome basket plant. It is 
very distinct in appearance, and its fairly long feathery shoots droop 
gracefully over the sides of the basket. This is certainly a great 
acquisition to the numerous basket plants at disposal. 
Eplptayllums. —These, if assisted by gentle warmth to make their 
growth, should now be fully exposed to the sun, and at the same time be 
given abundance of air. They flower profusely when the growths are 
thoroughly ripened, which is best accomplished by exposure to light and 
air, and not by the barbarous system of drying them at their roots until 
the plants shrivel. Where stage room is limited these plants do well 
grown in pots suspended from the roof by means of wire. In this 
position they do not suffer so quickly from the drying conditions of the 
atmosphere as many other plants. Even in baskets the plants do very 
well, providing they are not overwatered. If strong stocks of Pereskia 
are at hand they may be cut into lengths and inserted in small pots. If 
pieces of Epiphyllum are attached on the top and then stood in the 
propagating frame they will unite by the time the stocks are rooted. 
Grafting is easily effected by splitting the stock at the top and the 
removal of the bark from the scion, or by placing pieces on each side 
after removing a portion of the stock, so that the two barks come 
together. When placed on each side of the stock, and each scion point¬ 
ing outwards, they form good shaped heads much quicker than when 
one piece only is attached. 
m BBE-KEiEPBR. 
m 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
Notes from the Moors—Swarming. 
During the two first weeks of my stay at the moors, amidst 
very boisterous weather, I have had not less than eight unexpected 
swarms. One hive sent off a swarm that had several young queens 
living together for six weeks, which is another lesson of the many I 
have bad not to put trust in bees killing the supernumerary queens 
by returning swarms. The above case is the most extraordinary 
one I have experienced, but it is not uncommon. The Heather 
is gorgeous, but it was midday on July 27th before the honey began 
to flow, which has been oE short duration, as the morning of 28th 
dawned with an overcast sky and low temperature. 
Where do drones congregate ? Ancient writers on bees tell us 
that drones ascend to the top of the highest hill near the apiary for 
the purpose of meeting queens. The 23rd of July being a fine day 
with the exception of a drizzling rain at intervals, drones were 
flying in great numbers. Being also a likely day for queens to be 
on the wing I ascended by a ridge to a height of 1400 feet above 
sea level and from 300 to 400 feet above the bees. In the bosom 
of two prominences and at a great height the drones were in 
myriads and the humming they made was converted into a roar. 
By their quick movements and darting at each other proved that 
our early observers were a great deal more accurate in their obser¬ 
vations than many modern writers. 
Punic Bees. 
I hope to be able with these bees to prove an important point, 
that is whether being bred at so high an altitude they will become 
acclimatised, and consequently hardier. But although a writer 
tried to impress us with the belief that Punic bees being natives 
of a warm country were tender, I have not found them so. I have 
one of my queens that was imported in 1891 still alive and 
breeding well, and I know of six others. This is proof that Punic 
queens are long lived and very prolific. The queen referred to 
has been at the Heather here for three years, which doubly taxes 
the laying powers of queens.—A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
Swarms not Working. 
I HAD a swarm of bees on May 6th, which began to work well 
until about a month ago, when they appeared to stop working, and 
I never see any workers among them. The bees are still in the 
hive, and they have a little comb, there being a large number of 
them, but they do not work. I commenced to feed them, but it 
did not make any difference to their working. I had another 
swarm on the 22nd of May, so I put them in a much larger hive. 
They did well, filled the hive, and they are still working, having 
commenced to fill a cap I placed on the top of the hive. In the 
first swarm I sometimes see the bees fighting with much larger 
ones in the same hive. If “ A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper ” would 
kindly advise me what to do I should be much obliged, as the 
time of year is drawing on, and I am afraid they will not fill their 
hive with comb for the winter.—F. J. W. 
[The key to enable me in your case to give a proper explanation 
is wanting. Prime swarms often issue with an effete queen, so 
that it is no better than queenless, and not unfrequently with one 
or several young ones, which always run the risk of being lost or 
remaining unfertile for several weeks. The swarm under such 
conditions throws off a portion of her bees, which renders the 
original one too weak to be of much use for the present season, 
being with a young and fertile queen too intent on breeding. 
Examine the hive or watch the entrance for young bees at a time 
when rallying, and if these are present feed till full of comb 
and of proper weight to stand the winter. It then ought to be an 
excellent and profitable hive for next season. Make it a rule in 
your apiary to have no queens older than from ten to twelve 
months, and you will be pleased with the little extra labour and 
save disappointment. Your hives will also be in the best possible 
condition for gathering honey with the minimum amount of swarm¬ 
ing. Raising nuclei and deposing old queens early in the season 
constitute sensible work for the current year as well as for the 
following season.—A. L. B. K ] 
GARDENERS' CHARITABLE AND PROVIDENT 
INSTITUTIONS. 
The Gardeners’ Eotal Benevolent Institution. — Secretary, 
Mr. G. J. Ingram, 50, Parliament Street, London, W.C. 
United Horticultural Benefit and Provident Society.— 
Secretary, Mr. W. Collins, 9, Martindale Eoad, Balham, London, S.W. 
Eoyal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. — Secretary, Mr. A. F. Barron, 
Eoyal Horticultural Society’s Gardens, Chiswick, London, W. 
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 communications. 
Poetry (^Fleur ').—We are unable to inform you in what book the 
lines you send occur. 
Presentation Book (Flora ).—If the gardener to whom you kindly 
wish to present a comprehensive book does not possess “ Thompson’s 
Gardeners’ Assistant ” it would be a very useful and appropriate gift. 
It is published by Blackie & Sons, and can be obtained through a 
local bookseller. 
IVIealy Bug- on Vines (A.J .).—Your letter arrived too late to be 
fully answered this week. Do the best you can with a forcible jet of 
water and the aid of a pointed stick for dislodging the insects before 
sending the bunches to table, allowing time after the unenviable 
operation for the berries to become dry before dishing the fruit. 
Chrysanthemum Bea-ves Falling (Chrysanthemum'). — It is 
possible that the bones, if raw, also the excessive use of the guano, have 
had a deleterious effect. An application of clear lime water could 
not do harm, and might do good, followed by a solution of soda as 
advised to another correspondent. The leaves shall be examined 
microscopically. 
Chrysanthemums (Bob ).—The crown buds showing now will give 
larger and earlier blooms than you are likely to obtain from the terminal 
buds. We do not know in what way you can retard the flowers of 
Madame Desgranges other than keeping the plants in the coolest posi¬ 
tion you can find, but not under trees. Many plants are producing buds 
sooner than usual this year through no fault of their cultivators. 
