516 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 8, 1892. 
and sealed honey which I presume was in supers. It is nothing 
unusual to see supers from one hive coloured while those of the 
same breed are beautifully pure. The difference depends on 
circumstances I have previously explained, and may do so again if 
required.—A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
* # S 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 
Primula obconica (J. II. IF.).—We have seen many flowers as 
large as those you have sent, though perhaps not quite so well coloured. 
Continue your experiments and selections and you may obtain a more 
distinct advance another year. 
Mushrooms in Boxes (A. A.).— A few days after inserting the 
spawn good loam should be spread on the surface and beaten down 
firmly to 1 inch in thickness, and hay spread on the soil to prevent 
the moisture escaping from it. Mushrooms grow well in a temperature 
of about 55°, a few degrees more or less simply accelerating or retarding 
their growth. 
Variegated Elder (J. H. FI).—The leaf you send is too withered 
for its true character to be comprehended. The markings are probably 
faded now, and would be brighter and clearer during the period of 
growth. We have frequently seen variegated Parsley. If yours give 
you pleasure by all means grow the variety. We have previously 
heard of the variegated Tree Mallow reproducing itself from self-sown 
seed. 
Hew Chrysanthemums ( Constant Reader).— You cannot obtain 
more reliable information than is imparted by Mr. Molyneux in his 
descriptions of new varieties of Chrysanthemums. The first instalment 
of his matter appears in the present issue (page 509) and the remainder 
will follow in due course. When you stipulate for a certain number of 
varieties you must name the proportions you desire of the different 
sections, or a satisfactory reply cannot be given. 
Crapes Faulty (A. J .).—The Grapes are rusted and blotched, and, 
though they shrivel off Bweet, the stem of the bunch is shanked. The 
Vine* must be in a bad condition, as the wood is weak, unripe, and dis- 
ooloured, with the buds long and pointed. Probably the border is defective. 
Make an examination, and it may be found that the drainage is not 
efficient, or the soil has become too close and sodden. In that case the 
Vines should be lifted, efficient drainage provided, and the roots laid in 
fresh compost near the surface. In the absence of particulars we are 
unable to further advise you. You do not mention their age, distance 
of training, nor, indeed, describe them in any way to enable us to 
assist you satisfactorily. 
Cutting Yew Trees and Hedge ( Welshpool). —The best time to 
cut a Yew tree is when the fresh growth is about to be made, say during 
mild showery weather ear.y in April. It may then be cut back to any 
extent, and it will push fresh growths and clothe the stems in a few 
months. If the hedge needs much cutting back it should be done about 
the same time, so as to allow of fresh growth being made quickly, and 
then irregularities can be cut away in August, which is the best time to 
clip Yew hedges annually. Yew is easily propagated from seeds, which 
should be sown in spring ; the ripe fruits, after being gathered, should 
be mixed with sand and kept in a heap until sowing time. Many of the 
seeds will germinate in the first year, but the seed bed should be left 
two years, planting the seedlings in nursery rows in the autumn. 
Raising Crab Stocks (May). —Crab stocks, so called, are raised 
by sowing the pips or seeds of Apples that are used in cider making, the 
seeds being separated from the pulp, washed, and dried. They should 
be sown as soon as they are available and the ground is in a suitable 
state, as they lose their vitality in a short time. If sown broadcast in 
beds the seeds must be thinly distributed, not covering them more than 
an inch deep with fine soil ; but it is best to sow in drills an inch deep 
and 9 inches asunder ; after depositing the seeds in them thinly cover 
with fine soil, and press close with the back of the spade. The situation 
should be open. In the autumn following the seedlings may be trans¬ 
planted, placing them in rows about feet apart, and the plants 
18 inches asunder in the rows, where they may remain until fit to bud 
or graft. True Crab stocks are obtained from seeds of the wild Crab. 
Shortening Vine Canes (Tern Smith ).—It would have been 
better if the laterals had remained, pinched at the first leaf, and to 
every subsequent sub-lateral leaf as made. That would have strengthened 
the canes, and the laterals could have been cut off when the foliage 
was turning yellow without starting the main buds. We should cut 
back the canes two-thirds of their length, and allow the part left to bear 
fruit next season, taking the bearing shoots, commonly termed laterals, 
from them at 15 to 18 inches apart along the canes, and allow each to 
bear a bunch of Grapes. From the extremity of each rod let a con¬ 
tinuation cane issue and grow to within 2 feet of the length of the 
house before stopping it, keeping the laterals pinched to one leaf as 
made. The canes can be shortened one-third of their length another 
autumn, and being depressed every bud to their base will break. 
This plan is only advised where the object is to get rid of the old rods 
quickly, as you will be able to do in the year following, cutting off the 
old spurs so as to give the bearing shoots on the new rods space as 
they require it. It would have been more to the purpose to have 
stopped the present year’s growths at 10 feet, pinched the laterals, and 
thereby strengthened the canes. 
Destroying Mealy Bug on Vines (An Old Subscriber ).—There 
is no winter dressing that is a sure remedy if applied to Vine rods only, 
for the pest hybernate9 in cracks, crevices, and beneath the old bark of 
the rods, also in those of the woodwork of the house, so that the diffi¬ 
culty is to reach the insects. Winter dressings, however, are good 
deterrents, provided the house be thoroughly cleansed. After removing 
the loose bark, but not peeling and scraping the Vines into the quick or 
live bark, they may be well washed with a solution of the compound 
named (Gishurst) at the rate of 4 ozs. to a gallon of water, applying 
with a brush, and reaching well into every angle, crack, crevice, and 
hole of the Vine rods, spurs, and stem. Repeat the washing as soon as 
the Vines are dry. Keep a sharp look-out for the mealy bug in early 
summer, and if any are found touch each with a small camel-hair pencil 
dipped in methylated spirit. But it is not only Vines alone that the 
insects secrete themselves, and that is why we say dressing the rods 
alone is only partially effective. The enemy lurks in all sorts of obscure 
places, especially where dry, such as on the under side of stages, in the 
soil near dry walls and hot-water pipes, on various plants, sticks, or 
flower pots, and fissures everywhere. It is to these that attention must 
be directed, as well as to Vines. It is not so much a question of any 
particular applications as of thorough methods of searching for and 
finding the insects, as when reached they are easily enough destroyed. 
One of the best methods of preserving and increasing the stock of mealy 
bug is to allow the leaves of Vines that are infested to shrivel and fall 
in the house, instead of removing them by hand when ripe and burning 
them. By this simple method thousands of insects have been 
destroyed. 
Water from Colliery (Aqua ),—The water is only very slightly 
saline or alkalic, and in neither respect injurious to vegetation, but you 
do not seem to have tested it for acid—that is, saturated blue litmus 
paper with it, which, if it contained an acid in excess, would turn red. 
Gypsum is of no use where there is not an excess of alkali, and the soft¬ 
ness of the water is no barrier to its use for horticultural purposes. An 
alkali is the best neutraliser of acid, but nothing can be safely done in 
the case of impure water without an analysis and scientific guidance. 
Colliery water, however, is not as a rule injurious, pitmen and their 
families having to rely upon it solely in many localities. If you filtered 
it through charcoal it might be freed of its injurious properties, probably 
organic acids, as we have found peaty and bog water that was injurious 
to plants become quite clear (white), and not baneful when passed 
through charcoal beds alternating with layers of gravel. A safe 
manure for Azaleas and Rhododendrons is cow excreta, 1 peck, scalded 
in boiling water, then put in a bag, adding enough water to make 
20 gallons, stirring well occasionally, and using the liquid when it is 
clear. Standen’s, Thomson’s, and other manures are good, but they 
must be carefully used, as a strong dose destroys the hair-like roots. 
Double-glazed Greenhouses (H. G. M .).—The principle of 
double-glazing greenhouses was much advocated over thirty years ago 
as likely to economise fuel or heat, insure a more equable temperature, 
and lessen the injurious effects of the sulphurous laden fogs so prevalent 
in or near large towns and manufacturing centres. It was adopted in 
a few instances, but apart from the expense, it was found that what was 
saved in artificial heat was more than counterbalanced by the loss of 
solar heat through the refraction of the rays. Another objection was 
that the inner glass surface became coated with dust, and greatly 
obstructed the light and heat, so that, unless the upper surface or outside 
lights were moveable, and the inner surface kept clean, the light was 
only sufficient for Ferns and similar plants requiring a uniform tempera¬ 
ture and moderated light. Double-glazing is not suitable for flowering 
plants and fruit trees, but it might be useful during the worst four 
months of the year (November to February inclusive) in large towns as 
a safeguard against fogs; indeed, it has been so used with advantage, the 
outer lights being moveable and so tight fitting as to exclude the baneful 
fogs. Double-glazed roofs are not a panacea for drip, for that is caused 
by the condensation of the moisture the air contains when brought into 
contact with cooler surfaces, and the inner glazing is only in a degree 
less cold than the outer, therefore the drip is only moderated. Grooved 
sash-bars are the best preventives of drip, as they carry off the con¬ 
densed water to the bottom of the rafters or sash-bars, where it can do 
