318 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND UOTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 6, 18S2, 
my pure Punics many times during summer without any protection 
further than a carbol sed feather. 
At the Heather. 
Bees are, as a rule, more spiteful at the Heather than when at 
home, and for that reason I always approach them at first veiled. 
Wit ouc this caution one sting might incur thousands, and make 
t em intolerable to all who approached nearer than 100 yards, 
w i e even at that distance no one is safe from the furious crosses 
or the pure Italian and Syrian bees. 
Inoculation by Stings. 
This to prevent after swelling is a popular fallacy, which I am 
prepared to prove to anyone who doubts it, and by many living 
witnesses. When at the Heather I came into a discussion with l 
professor in the clinical department, who at the time was unknown 
to me. I quoted its origin and made explanations, which he 
scouted, and fell back upon the vaccination with lymph being 
analogous. I explained to him the action of the acid of the stin? 
of the bee upon the blood, and also its harmlessness upon the 
stomach, and asked him whether vaccine lymph would have similar 
results. The discussion was listened to by many people, amongst 
whom were several bee-keepers, who coincided with my ex¬ 
perience. J 
Feeding 
being a common thing this year with many bee-keepers, beginners 
will, therefore, be none the worse by a little information upon the 
subject. From the 22nd September till the end of the month we 
had unabated wind and rain, so that my bees stand as they were 
temporarily covered when brought from the Heather, but I per¬ 
mitted feeding through the day without risk of creating robbing 
I caution beginners against attempting this until they become 
tZTTf f fl et J er £ feed at SUnset or a littIe before . and never 
after dusk at first. It sometimes results in losing many bees as 
they have a tendency to fly out. * ’ 
Pure Cane Sugar. 
No other than this should be employed, the proportion of water 
to sugar being about equal in weight. The mixture often given of 
less than half of that quantity of water is liable to candy in the 
+Un tLe J 6eS -^ ay d j® amidst Plenty. Bees prefer all syrup 
thin. The modern idea of thick feed is that it should be the con¬ 
sistency of natural food. It seems to be forgotten that honey is 
watery at first, and that the bees by certain processes render it 
Bottom Feeding. 
TbJup S 1S f 1 ?°^ ^ atu ^ a } for tbe bees and handier for the apiarist. 
^ food ^ lck u er °P tbaa ^wn, while when feeding from 
below the crown of the hive is supposed to be covered, as it will be 
during winter, the bees store it in its proper place, and contiguous 
to the winter cluster, so that the food will never be out of the 
reach of the bees during a zero temperature, as it is sometimes with 
certain crown-fed hives. I have fed several hives with thick syrup 
to show beginners the soundness of this teaching. Thick syrup is 
bSketo“ S “ 6 ™ tCr (eedi "«'- A LanaeLhke 
CORRESPONDENTS 
’ * All correspondence should be directed either to “ Tup 
Editor ’ or to “ The Publisher.” Letters addressed to 
Dr. Hogg or members of the staff often remain unopened 
anavoidably. 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 ’ 
'? aradise Stocks (.7. A.).—Paradise Stocks are simply more or less 
diminutive varieties of Apples. The French Paradise is the“maHest in 
wood ieaves and fruit, and the least useful. It is sa d to have teen 
EnS C Pa Xl he •“ Pj, '" S ma '" S Sen ths^relS 
French aid Dutch X • 18 7 stronger , and better, yet precocious, the 
rrenen and Dutch Doucin stocks, and others, all probably chosen from 
i 1D gs -L. s ock raisers in the same way that Mr. Rivers selected the 
iK\° nesucb 1aad Broad-leaved Paradise stock from seedlings of 
ng i» Nonesuch Apple, because of their sturdy fruitful nature and 
surface-rooting proclivities. 
anri 1VIOi |-K tU a e <- f ° r ° rclllds (A <".).—Every case has its peculiarities, 
and, as the doctors say, strong measures have to be resorted to occasion- 
p ' wu treat “ ent advised proved beneficial in the case referred 
T' rtu?, 110 d ° ubt J0U find that the requisite amount of moisture- 
tor the Orchids under your charge is provided when there is a difference 
of between 4 and 5 in the day as registered by the dry and wet 
bulb thermometers and 1° or 2° during the night; but all the same, the 
writer of the note you criticise is not a less successful cultivator of 
Orchids than yourself, and the large number of plants in his charge are 
in the best possible condition. 
Caterpillars on Pear leaves (IF. J. M., Clonmel ). — These will 
pioduce a small moth of the Tortrix family, named Spilonota roborana, 
w . nc | ^ ee , u P on the Rose, also upon the Apple and Pear. The ravages 
ot the early or spring brood are more frequently noticed, but there 
appears to be generally a second brood, which sometimes feed in the autumn 
as in the present instance. Probably the application you mention 
would be of service to some extent, but any wash used to‘kill must be 
applied with considerable force, since the caterpillars are well hidden in 
the leaves. Some have found very efficacious for caterpillars of this and 
kindred species a mixture composed of Gishurst compound and tobacco 
water, or a wash of softsoap alone applied freely. 
, I * la j nts . Bed a “d Pond (A. R.).—It would be best to occupy 
the bed with the hardier kinds of bulb 3 in winter, such as Winter 
Aconite, Snowdrop, Scillas, Hyacinths, Narcissi, and Tulips, and in 
summer with the ordinary class of bedding plants, such as Zonal Pelar¬ 
goniums edged with Lobelia, Golden Feather Pyrethrum and similar 
plants. The bulbs should be planted this autumn. For the pond yon 
may have Aponogeton distachyon, Nymphaea alba, N. odorata, Nuphar 
pumilum, and Pontederia cordata ; plant those in not less than 12 inches, 
not more than 2 feet of depth of water. For the margin or in shallow 
water, Iris pseud-acorus, Caltha palustris, C. palustris minor plena, 
O. palustns monstrosa plena, Menyanthes trifoliata, Ranunculus Lingua, 
Iiimula rosea, and Butomus unbellatus. They are best planned in 
spring, about the middle to the end of April. 
Tomato Sauce (A. G .').—As the recipes from your friends are not 
such as you require, as containing “ cayenne and other strong things,” 
i\e cite two others from Mr. Iggulden’s manual, which all Tomato 
growers and users should possess 1 (French), Cut ten or a dozen 
tomatoes into quarters, and put them into a saucepan, with four Onions 
sliced, a little Parsley, Thyme, one Clove, and a quarter of a pound of 
butter, bet the saucepan on the fire, stirring occasionally for three- 
quarters of an hour. Strain the sauce through a horsehair sieve, and it 
J s .fT. r p ad y use - ^ (Italian), Take twelve or fifteen Tomatoes, a 
bit of butter, a little salt, half a dozen allspice, a little Indian saffron, 
and a glass of stock. Slice five or six Onions, and put the whole into a 
saucepan, bet it on the fire and stir frequently, as the mixture is apt 
to stick. When the sauce is observed to be tolerably thick, strain it like 
a puree. 
Hyacinths and Tulips in Pots {J. 7?.).—About six weeks are 
required tor the pots to remain plunged in ashes after the bulbs are 
po ei. In the absence of ashes sand may be employed, and if of a 
siarp gritty nature is quite as good. We invert a small pot over the 
bulb ot the Hyacinth, and cover with about 6 inches of cocoa-nut fibre 
re use. As both the Hyacinths and Tulips will have grown somewhat 
when they are removed from the plunging material, care must be taken 
not to expose them suddenly to strong light or powerful sun, but they 
mus be gradually inured to it, so as to prevent the foliage being damaged, 
traced in a light airy position in a greenhouse, they will flower in March 
an - < !'Tp 11 ' a ie Tulips we presume are of the usual early varieties. A 
suitable compost for potting the bulbs is turfy loam of medium texture 
ro 'en up moderately fine, to which add a fifth of well decayed manure 
° r a jjj rt r ° f leaf s , oil and a sixth of shar P sand. A quart of soot may 
be added to every bushel of compost, and the whole thoroughly in¬ 
corporated. & J 
Spearmint and Peppermint (IF. J. M.). —Spearmint, or Green- 
mint, is Mentha viridis a native of Britain, in marshy places. The plant 
has a strong, aromatic odour, with a warm and slightly bitter taste, which 
is less pungent, but more agreeable than that of peppermint. The 
properties of the plant depend on a volatile oil, obtained Ly distillation. 
Uii ot Spearmint is pale yellow or greenish when fresh, but becomes 
arker with age, and ultimately of a mahogany colour ; it is used for 
the same purposes as oil of Peppermint. Its specific gravity is 0 975, 
and its boiling point 320°. Peppermint (M. piperita) is also a native 
o litam. I he plant has a warm, pungent, and comphorous taste, leaving 
a remarkably cold sensation in the mouth. Its odour is very strong, 
balsamic, and penetrating, particularly when touched, and which it does 
not lose, even in drying Peppermint is stimulant and aromatic, and is 
gooc against nausea and flatulence. Its properties are owing to the 
presence of a large quantity of volatile oil which it contains, and is 
o j tamed by distillation. Oil of Peppermint is greenish yellow, and has 
a strong aromatic odour, with a warm, camphorous, and very pungent 
taste. Its specific gravity is 0 920, and its boiling point 365L It is 
often adulterated with alcohol, and even with oil of turpentine. Com¬ 
bined with alcohol it forms essence of Peppermint, and it is used 
medicinally as a carminative and stimulant, as well as in confectionery 
Jr!m!!u g bonbons. Peppermint water, obtained by distillation, is 
very much employed in tonic, cordial, and anti-spasmodic drinks. 
