278 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 21, 18S3. 
the best use for large yields of honey. The toil from excessive 
swarming this season is due entirely to practising contrary to what 
I teach, and, like many more, have suffered accordingly. Influenced 
by persuasion and past bad seasons I wrought my hives with two 
divisions instead of three, as I have advised sensible bee-keepers 
to do. 
I am perhaps prejudiced against the mild tempered pure 
Carniolan free from the yellow bands, but I cannot help admiring 
the beautiful whiteness of their honeycombs. I thought till early 
in the summer that I possessed the original pure strain first sent me 
by the late Mr. Alfred Neighbour nearly twenty years ago, but 
somehow, through so much swarming and so many queens about, 
every one was lost, so I have begun anew with one that I have 
safely introduced lately. Having taken some trouble to obtain the 
pure strain free from Italian and Syrian blood. I shall if spared till 
another year take care to increase and to keep them pure, having a 
good opportunity of doing so. 
Elvanfoot has about fifty inhabitants, snl it is becoming well 
known as a healthy locality. Among the inhabitants is one who 
dislikes bees and bee-keepers. He says, “ Bee-keepers bring wet 
weather, and the bees take the strength out of the grass and the 
Heather.” The person alluded to has for years tried to prevent 
bees being set upon neighbouring farms, and this year appealed to 
the factor of an adjoining estate to compel the bees to be removed. 
This was, however, only partially complied with, the owners of 
the bees removing them several hundred yards. 
As everything by way of reading and correspondence are in 
arrears, I will in the next issue answer several queries, and com¬ 
mence a series of practical articles for beginners and the inex¬ 
perienced. I have omitted to say that my best hive mentioned 
above is an old stock that swarmed in June, the prime swarm from 
it being nearly as heavy, and gave a surplus of honey early in the 
season. Your readers can now judge of the reliability, or unre- 
liabilty, of the saying, “ When hives swarm there is an end to 
honey gathering.” In my future articles I will give full instructions 
how to be as successful as—A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
GABDENERS' CHARITABLE AND PROVIDENT 
INSTITUTIONS. 
The Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution. — Secretary, 
Mr. G. J. Ingram, 60, Parliament Street, London, W.C. 
United Horticultural Benefit and Provident Society.— 
Secretary, Mr. W. Collins, 9, Martindale Road, Balham, London, S.W. 
royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. — Secretary, Mr. A. F. Barron, 
Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens, Chiswick, London, W. 
•,*A11 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. 
Cow and Pig: IVIanure Water for Cbrysanthemums {MacLeod'). 
—There is no safer liquid stimulant than that made from cow manure 
provided it is scalded with boiling water so as to destroy destructive 
larvae before adding the water—say twenty gallons to one peck of the 
manure, stirring well and leaving a day or two. If you mean the 
drainings from the cow house it is an excellent manure, and should be 
diluted with about a fourth of water when neat; if from the manure as 
well it should be diluted to the colour of mild beer. Piggery drainings 
are much more powerful than either stable or cow house drainings, and 
could only be safe when diluted with ten times the bulk of water. 
Nitrate of soda may be used occasionally, but not too often, at the rate 
of a ^ oz. per gallon of water. 
Fliygrellus capensls {L.,Dundee ).—You ask whether thisis a shrubby 
or herbaceous plant. According to the “ Botanical Magazine”it is both. 
The description in connection with a beautiful coloured illustration, 
tab. 4881, vol. xi., third series, states the plant is “ shrubby below and 
herbaceous above.” That is its general character. In the south the 
lower part assumes a shrubby habit and retains it through the winter, 
the Pentstemon-like stems of scarlet flowers dying and cut back to 
the sound parts. In some colder localities we are told the plants die 
down the same as Fuchsias do in the open ground and produce young 
growths from the rootstock annually. Only in such instance8_could 
the plant be popularly described as herbaceous. 
Storing Fruit {F. J .).—There is nothing better than clean white 
paper for the fruit to rest on, though it is not necessary unless the wood 
is likely to taint the fruit. Cocoa-nut fibre would certainly form a 
better “bed” for the fruit; but choice fruit should have as much of 
its surface exposed as possible, so that it might ripen equally in every 
part. As this process begins at the eye, that part is generally placed 
downwards, in some cases embedded in sand or other material to secure 
equal ripeness all over. To insure the fruit keeping sound as long as 
possible it is often packed in material calculated to exclude air, and 
maintain a uniform temperature without tainting the fruit. Peat moss 
litter has been used for storing Apples in with complete success, and the 
fruit was not in the least tainted. The same variety kept longer in it 
than by any other method, and fetched more money. The moss litter 
was of course sweet. The very soft wood wool referred to on page 220, 
September 7th, is excellent as a packing for fruit. 
Bones and Balnlt for Fruit Trees {T, IF. F .).—If it is desired 
to get as much value out of the bones as possible the first year, they 
should be dissolved—that is, made into superphosphate. Steamed bone 
meal is a little more durable, but by no means to be considered a 
permanent improvement. Crushed bones have value extending over 
several years, and ought not to be used where the trees are in immediate 
want of support, it being better to employ bone superphosphate, so as to 
secure the best results in the summer following its application. The 
superphosphate and kainit should be in a mixture of equal proportions, 
and spread over the ground under the branches of the bushes or trees 
and for a foot beyond in the autumn, at the rate of 2 ozs. per square yard, 
or 3f lbs. per rod (30J square yards). The ground may then be lightly 
pointed over, but not injuring the roots, and left until the spring. If 
a full crop of fruit needs support give a supplementary dressing of 
powdered nitrate of soda—say Ij lb. per rod, a little more if the soil 
is of a dry nature, or a little less if the ground be damp. 
Pear Tree Blister lUoth {G. T. Dd ).—The moth is minute 
and active, body satiny white, the wings having an orange ground 
spotted with black and other colours. It appears in May, and after 
pairing the female deposits her eggs at the end of that month or 
beginning of June, or later, in the tissue of the leaves on the upper 
surface, and from these issue the grubs or caterpillars, which feed 
beneath the epidermis, and produce dark brown blisters, corresponding 
to the spread of the caterpillar. Sometimes the blisters run together. 
When the caterpillar is full fed, which usually takes place in August or 
September, it ea<s its way out, and entering a crevice in the bark or a 
wall, where it will be snug and dry, it spins a white silken cocoon, 
very beautiful, and becomes a chrysalis inside, being quite small in 
itself, but easily recognisable by the silvery coating. From this it 
appears as the moth at the time before named. Those at the back of 
the old plaster are the cocoons—some empty, others contain chrysalids. 
The description to which you allude is not accurate as regards this 
country, but it is strictly so in respect of warmer and drier climes. 
Housing: Chrysantbemums {A. Pitman). —Mr. Molyneux’s 
references on page 73 of his work, which you have found so useful, 
apply to late varieties generally as the first to be placed under glass 
with the object of advancing the blooms so that they may be ready 
for cutting at the same time as the earlier varieties, the plants of 
which are housed later. There are only about two in your list that can 
be called late or slow in opening. Hero of Stoke Newington and 
Barbara. Endeavours to have all the varieties in condition at the same 
time are only as a rule resorted to by exhibitors, and growers of Chrys¬ 
anthemums for house decoration find a prolonged display the most 
satisfactory, therefore they prefer to allow the different varieties to 
open at their natural time. Judging from the names in your list you 
do not intend the blooms for exhibition, and therefore you will not err 
by housing all the plants at the end of the present month, sooner if the 
nights are clear and frost appears imminent, though if you wish to 
advance any particular varieties place the plants under glass at once. 
Some of the names in your list are not to be found in the National 
Chrysanthemum Society’s catalogue, and others are misspelt. Chrys¬ 
anthemums are often injured by a keen frost at the end of Septem¬ 
ber or early in October, mild weather supervening, and growers should 
be on the alert accordingly. 
Odontog:lossums Planted Out —Orcbids from Seed {J. Wilson). 
—Odontoglossums are planted in thousands by Mr, F. Sander, in his 
establishment at St. Albans. A layer of open material, consisting of 
sphagnum, fibrous turf and charcoal, is spread over ample drainage on 
side stages, and the plants established in it. Under the skilful treat¬ 
ment to which they are subjected they grow as well as plants can grow, 
and lift well for establishing in pots. The thickness of the compost 
varies according to the size of the plants, but the same depth as that 
