538 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 15, 1892. 
border varieties, some of each ought to be lifted, potted, and stored in 
cold pits or frames. Cuttings in the least frosted damp off, whereas 
those from plants that have been protected from severe frosts strike 
readily in February or March. Summer and early autumn flowering 
varieties, of which there are plenty to select from, are much the best for 
open borders and for growing against walls, planting out surplus plants 
of the majoriiy of Japanese and large flowering forms that succeed well 
under glass being so much wasted labour and space. 
Protecting Roses.— It is scarcely possible to protect standard 
Hoses effectively, but there is no difficulty with dwarfs, and they may 
need protection badly before midwinter. At present they are in a very 
sappy state through the long-continued mild weather, and therefore ill 
prepared for a trying ordeal. Strawy litter or bracken placed round the 
stems to a short distance above where they ought to be pruned next 
spring will save them, as will ashes or cocoa-nut fibre refuse mounded 
up well over the lower parts. If Tea Hoses are brought in before March 
it is advisable to defer planting and lay them in separately by their 
heels in good fine soil, where they can easily be protected from severe frost. 
APIARIAN NOTES. 
The Weather. 
Since the 1st of December the weather in Lanarkshire has 
been of a wintry nature, deep snow, and a low temperature 
prevailing. On the 2nd the thermometer registered 9°, but on all 
other mornings since the frost commenced it was never lower 
than 19 and never higher than 21°, the day temperature ranging 
from 25° to 28°, very much like the same month in 1853. 
The Apiary. 
At the present time the apiary gives me no concern. All 
the stocks are well supplied with food to last till April or May, 
are thoroughly protected from rain or internal damp, and proof 
against frost many degrees below zero. They will be let alone 
until the snow disappears. Notwithstanding the low temperature, 
I have observed bees flying about and returning safely to their 
hives. The greatest number of dead bees I have observed outside 
are five, and none whatever upon the floor of the hive. Preparing 
sections at this time of the year for another season has its advan¬ 
tages, but unless stored in a dry and high temperature and herme¬ 
tically sealed, the comb foundation is liable to fall away, so that it 
is perhaps better to postpone the work till further on in the season. 
It is to be regretted that foul brood in many places is still 
rampant amidst all the eloquent boasting of an advanced and 
enlightened Association. An entire riddance of it may be effected 
by adopting the “ purgatorial ” cure, which as yet with intelligent 
people has never failed. The changeability of appliances.—This is 
a great means of spreading foul brood when once it has established 
itself in the apiary through mismanagement. Unless the bee¬ 
keeper is perfectly sure no foul brood exists amongst his hives he 
should be careful not to change any parts or appliances from one 
to another. I believe feeders are means of spreading foul brood. 
Everything in or about the hive should be numbered, including 
feeders, and there should be one to every hive. 
Breeding. 
This will begin in many hives having young queens by the end 
of the month. Old queens will not begin till rather late in the 
spring, consequently when their hives are in a comfortable state 
the bees are less likely to fly out than those having young queens ; 
but the latter raise the temperature of their hives more than 
non-breeding ones, hence are better able to resist an inclement day 
should they venture out. The moral to be observed is never to 
make the slightest alteration of site, covering, or width of entrance 
from the time the hives are finished up in September or October 
until the spring. 
Foundation. 
. Procure this and all supers and frames fitted with it during 
winter. A word of caution as to its use. Many bee-keepers fill 
sections and supers with it, which gives a greater quantity of honey, 
but of inferior quality. Those who go in for quantity use full 
sheets, and have to be contented with a lesser price, while those 
who go in for quality can easily dispose of it, in the face of a 
glutted market too, and at a higher figure. The latter are those 
who are really creating a desire for honey amongst the million, 
winch will result in more piofit. The former may be causing 
more sensation, but are shutting the door against future profits.— 
A. L. K. B. 
TRADE CATALOGUE RECEIVED. 
Carter & Co -> H 'g h Holborn, London .— Vade Mecuvi and Seed 
L utaLocj'uc, 
# # *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 
Primulas (B. C.). —The white Primulas are very good indeed, the 
coloured flowers good, but we have seen many better. We suspect the 
plants have been very well grown. 
Photograph (23. Buchanan). —The photograph of Vine leaves and 
Tomatoes is very good indeed. The exhibit of the brilliant leaves and 
fruits at Edinburgh must have been both novel and attractive, the 
special award and certificate being evidence of this. Reporters usually 
accidentally omit some exhibits at large shows, and they are not in¬ 
frequently restricted to space, therefore do the best they can under the 
circumstances. 
Vine Leaves Palling ( F . J .).—There is nothing wrong in the 
leaves falling a few days before the footstalks, but it indicates activity 
at the roots, and the gradual or slow ripening of the foliage. It is 
most pronounced in Black Hamburgh Vines, and is a good rather than a 
bad sign. We advise you to admit aid freely, and keep the house as 
dry as you can so as to assist the foliage in maturing by aiding the 
evaporation of moisture from that remaining, and it will materially 
benefit the wood. Vines that carry 1 lb. of Grapes per square foot of 
roof are not in bad condition. 
Cutting Box Edging (F. is not desirable to cut Box 
edging during the winter months, as there is then danger of damage by 
frosts. Even when the Box is cut during mild weather at this time of 
year, and frosts occur afterwards, serious injury accrues. If only 
slightly cut in the edging assumes a very unsightly appearance ; if cut 
hard back the sprays die down considerably and the edging becomes 
irregular and gappy. We have not found any better time than mild 
showery weather after the middle of April to clip Box edgings when 
they need a fair amount of cutting back, or if merely trimming is 
needed it is best done in June. 
The Cobham Apple (//. J. II.). —Your letter addressed to Mr. 
Kirk, nurseryman, Brompton, Kent, was not likely to find the Mr. Kirke 
who obtained grafts of Pope’s Apple, raised trees for sale, and named 
the variety Cobham, for he died many years ago, and the South Kensing¬ 
ton Museum and other buildings are erected on the site of the old 
Brompton Nursery referred to. It is impossible that we can do anything 
so invidious as to recommend particular nurserymen from whom to 
obtain fruit trees. Those who may have trees of the true Cobham Apple 
would have no difficulty of disposing of them if they wished to do so 
by advertising. This variety bears much sooner than does the good but 
tardy old Blenheim Pippin, and so does the Beauty of Hants. All are 
good Apples. 
Houses for the Early Muscat Grape ( Elstree ). — We 
presume by Muscat that you mean the Muscat of Alexandria, which is 
not an early Grape, and cannot be forced so as to become perfect in 
colour and finish before the middle of June, and then it has formidable 
competitors in Madresfield Court, which has a “smack” of Muscat, 
and other early and fine-looking Grapes. Muscat of Alexandria, if well 
grown and finished (not otherwise) always commands good prices early 
in the season, and is profitable. Well kept late Muscat of Alexandria 
and Canon Hall Muscat bring the highest prices, and are highly profit¬ 
able, but the difficulty is to keep them in good condition to a late 
period. Lean-to, or preferably three-quarter span-roofed houses, are the 
best for early forcing, and they must be efficiently heated. 
The Chrysanthemum Eeaf-mining Insect ((?. 0 .). _The 
“maggots that form tunnels in Chrysanthemum leaves” are produced 
in the same way that the maggots are in the leaves of Celery. The 
name of the Chrysanthemum enemy is Tryptera artemisiae, which 
punctures the leaves, depositing eggs in them, these hatching into 
maggots that feed on the parenchyma of the leaves. This, or an allied 
insect, is exceedingly destructive to the larger-leaved forms of the white 
Marguerites—such as Chrysanthemum Halleri, the smaller - leaved 
C. fruticosum being also attacked, but less persistently. We know of a 
gardener who insures his Celery against the attacks of the fly by 
syringing the plants once a week in the summer with a weak solution of 
petroleum, which he says does the plants good, while the Celery fly will 
have nothing to do with them. 
