186 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 10, 1893. 
swarm are well received and the weather is favourable the hives 
rise greatly in weight. When a stray queen enters another hive 
and is well received piping begins and continues until one or the 
other is deposed, or till a swarm issues, consequent of the two 
queens. 
I have been several times asked “ if I ever heard a laying queen 
pipe.” I have, but once only, when there were none but herself in 
the hive. At the present time I have four laying queens piping, 
answering the call of the usurpers, and one has piped for two 
weeks. If bee-keepers become impressed with these facts, giving 
no heed whatever to the advice given on how to prevent swarming, 
they will find the work more enjoyable as well as profitable. In 
addition to the above cases, I have three hives that swarmed a 
month since. I excised all the royal cells at the proper time, yet 
others were raised and the operation had to be performed a second 
time, swarming being repeated, the cause in every case being a fer¬ 
tilised queen laying and in the hive at the same time as her rival 
sisters.—A Lanaekshike Bee-keepee. 
•**A11 correspondence should be directed either to “ The 
Editob” or to “The Publishee.” Letters addressed to 
Dr. Hogg or members of the stafE 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. 
Border Carnations (^Lamg Mather'). — The box of blooms 
arrived as we were preparing for press. We can only say they are bright 
and beautiful. Lady Nina Balfour, blush pink, shows to advantage in 
good company by the breadth of petal, while the blooms diffuse 
refreshing fragrance. 
Seedllngr Violas (TF. Reid ).—The flowers, as Violas often do, 
arrived with the petals curled. They appear to lack substance, and we 
should scarcely think the varieties possess any great commercial value, 
though others may be raised from them w'orth exhibiting at one of the 
leading Pansy and Viola shows. 
Plants for Exportation {Quintero ).—Fruit trees, Eoses, and 
various kinds of plants are successfully transported over longer voyages 
than you mention by nurserymen who engage largely in an export 
trade, and they know the best time to send and the right methods of 
packing to adopt. A few losses must naturally be expected and 
duplicate plants ordered accordingly. 
Flsb IVIanure (F.C.).—The question you ask scarcely permits of 
a definite reply. Possibly the raw fish might give the best results in a 
dry season. We should prefer to invest in chemical manure obtained 
with the essentia] elements guaranteed, especially for Tomatoes and 
Vines. Why not, as you have an opportunity, determine the question 
by experiment 1 No other method is so good. 
Irish Peach Apple {J. B .).—This Apple is more prone than 
many others to bear at the end of the branches, and it is not, as a rule, 
wise to shorten these after a suflicient number have been obtained for 
forming a bush or tree. Generally pruning should be limited to 
thinning out the least promising parts now to admit light and air to the 
remainder and thus improve them for bearing. 
Fruit for Profit {An Enthusiast ).—The Apple trees should have 
the ground to themselves as bushes or low standards, and 800 trees 
per acre is far too many as a permanency. They should be 12 feet apart, 
and that is 302 trees per acre. The trees of course could be planted in 
the first instance 6 feet apart, and at the end of six years every other 
row and tree could be transferred to other ground. Plums may be 
grown as standards with Gooseberries, Currants, and Easpberries 
between them, and they will bring in good returns so long as they are 
worth keeping—say a dozen years—then it is batter to rely on the Plums 
alone. There is every reason to anticipate that the demand for fruit 
will increase, and first-class Apples are likely to realise a remunerative 
price for some time to come, but inferior fruit will be a drug in the 
market. Apples grown on the Paradise stock are usually preferable to 
those from trees on Crab. The produce per tree and consequently acre 
depends on the distance, variety, soil, season, and management, so that 
no estimate can be given. “ Profitable Fruit Growing ” may perhaps be 
useful to you, and may be had from this office for Is. 3d. by post. 
Tomatoes Spotted {A. A. B .).—The specks on the fruit appeared 
to be caused by the fungus Cladosporium lycopersici, but on examining 
them we found no fungal bodies, and though the epidermal tissues are 
destroyed to the extent of the scabs, the cells beneath are large and 
singularly healthy. You will notice that the extremities of the plants, 
notably the younger leaves, are yellowish, that spots or blotches appear 
on the stems and older leaves, especially the leafstalks, and that the evil 
begins at the extremity of the plant and descends to the roots. The 
disease is called chlorosis, and is believed to be due to imperfect 
nutrition. It has been recommended to use dressings containing kainit, 
nitrate of soda, superphosphate, and iron sulphate, but little benefit has 
been derived from any of them after the disease has developed, and it is 
hardly likely that scabbing will be prevented by applications at the 
roots. We should like to see examples later in the season, with a view 
to affording further information. 
“Blind” Chrysantbemums (TF. Wells ).—Many hundreds of 
plants have been injured this year by a small weevil-like creature 
lurking in the points and piercing the soft portion near the apex, thereby 
causing distortion and blindness. You appear to have caught the 
enemy at work, but the specimens you send are larger than any we have 
seen, and may or may not be a different species. At the present 
moment we have not examples of both forms for examination. The 
matter is, however, of small moment in comparison with finding the 
means of preventing the injury, and we know of more than one large 
collection of plants saved from “ blindness ” this year by lightly dressing 
them twice a week with tobacco powder. This is simple, and has proved 
effectual. Try it, and let us know the result in your case. We may 
add that the name of your insect is Systellonotus triguttatus, the winged 
form being males, the others females, and both, as you have found, 
remarkably active. 
Proposed Vineries on Shale {Pitt Hill ).—The shale being of 
the carboniferous formation, weathers, as you say, into a plastic clay, 
and naturally produces Heaths and Sedges, but it does not contain 
anything of a deleterious nature likely to injure Vine roots ; indeed, it 
is doubtful if they would penetrate it. When burned, as you are no 
doubt aware, it forms excellent material for walks and drives. The 
bottom of the intended border should slope to a drain, being made 
firm and even, and that must have proper fall and outlet, which will be 
easily effected in your case, and will to some extent aerate the border as 
well as render stagnation from water impossible. This is a vital point, 
especially if you leave the clay in, which we should do, using 9 inches 
thickness of brickbats, and over these 3 inches thick of mortar rubbish 
from an old building, freed of pieces of wood ; then the good loam 
and turf on top, well mixed with such additions of turfy loam as you 
may command to make a depth of about 30 inches of good soil. It 
would not be desirable to rely on the shale for drainage. 
Insects Infesting- Iicttuce Roots {R. P .).—The insects belong 
to the family of aphides, and the group that lacks the two tubes so 
conspicuous in the others on the hinder segments of the back of the 
abdomen. There are two species hurtful to Lettuce—Pemphigus fusci- 
frons and P. lactucarius, the last being usually the more common and 
destructive, forming the fine cottony filaments secreted from the bodies 
of the insects, which line the cavities hollowed out of the soil between 
the roots, more plentifully than the other. It is diflBcult to propound 
a preventive, as the attack is not suspected until leaf-flagging indicates 
injury to the roots. Drenching the ground with soapsuds round the 
plants is beneficial, especially if half a pint of tobacco juice is added to 
10 gallons of soapsuds. The latter must not contain bleaching powder, 
but ordinary soapsuds from laundries, containing soap and soda only, 
are safe. Lime water is also obnoxious to the insects, using 1 lb. of 
quicklime to 3 gallons of water, stirring well, and then let stand 
two or three days, in which time pour off the clear water and soak the 
ground with it. After the Lettuces are cleared off give a good dressing 
of lime and soot, and dig in with a fork. 
Propagratlng and Wintering Heliotropes {Torli), —The present 
is the exact time for establishing a stock of Heliotropes for flower beds 
next summer. Cuttings strike with great freedom in a close warm 
frame or case, temperature 60° to 70°. We take them from plants in the 
beds, choosing well-exposed growths, not too soft nor yet hard, but 
crisp when cut. The extreme tips are often too soft and are then 
removed, and if they produce flower buds these are cat off. They are 
inserted an inch or more apart in a firm layer of sifted sandy soil, 
surfaced with pure sand, on an unsifted loamy mixture, this a little 
more than half filling the pots, and the whole well watered before the 
cuttings are taken. These are made about 3 to 4 inches long, the lower 
half or a little more divested of leaves, the work of preparation, inser¬ 
tion, and removing them to close quarters being done quickly to avert 
any flagging of the leaves. A light sprinkling is given to settle the 
sand round the stems, and the requisite shading and moisture are 
provided to keep the leaves fresh. In the course of a few days they will 
remain fresh with less shading, and air and light in gradually increasing 
quantities must be admitted until the plants will endure full ventilation 
and bright sun, both of which are essential for hardening their tissues. 
With plenty of space available in a light house in which a winter 
temperature of about 55° could be maintained, we should establish a 
