374 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE, AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
May 10,1894. 
All honeycomb ia liable to a slight change after it has been taken 
from the hive, depending entirely upon the condition of the place 
in which it is stored—whether it be humid or dry, kept dark, or 
exposed to the light. Sulphur and other mineral fumes acts upon 
the comb, but none of them improves the delicate and snow-white 
appearance of first-class honeycomb. The latter any good judge 
can easily distinguish from that changed from its original purity. 
I consider it the duty of a judge to point out defects and the 
merits of what he adjudicates, as well as to give hints how to bring 
»b9ut improvements. 
“ G. K.” requires some hints on how to produce good sections 
of honeycomb. I have replied in a condensed form to what has 
appeared from time to time in these pages, so I need not repeat. 
His success, as it is also the case with everyone else who uses 
the Lanarkshire hive and works it as advised in these columns, 
is a proof of the soundness of the advice given in the Journal 
of Horticulture. I have often stated that bee-keepers ought 
to study their own interests, producing honey and honeycomb 
in the packages most suitable for the district in which they 
reside. They should also remember that bees do not enter sections 
so readily, nor do they store as much honey in them as they do in 
supers, and very often the former not so completely filled. Alike 
objectionable is the extractor when unsealed honey is taken by it. 
The practice of extracting thick honey by means of heat is too 
common. Some persons turn all the combs into a boiler, then 
when in a very liquid state skim the wax, and pass the remainder 
through a sieve. Others mash the combs, and “ glue-pot ” fashion 
thin the honey, which thereby deteriorates much in quality. If 
British bee-keepers are to hold their own against foreign importa¬ 
tions of honey, they must do their utmost to supply the million 
with honey in as pure a state as the bees store it in their upper 
stories, free from taint or colour on the combs. To be able to do 
all that, and to get the maximum quantity of honey, the hives must 
be large and strong in bees. Zinc queen excluders should not be 
used, and admit the bees to supers by the side openings only, keep¬ 
ing the centre of the top of the hive close. Work all hives with 
combs not older than one year, and as many as possible of the 
current year’s make. Honey is an absorbent, taking in much 
water, and odours from old combs or any offensive matter placed 
near it when exposed. Unsealed honey contains water during 
the breeding season in the summer time, and ought not to be taken 
unless to be returned to the hive. 
Regarding sections, I recently heard a letter read from a noted 
bee-keeper to his nephew, who had laid in a store of them. He 
said, “I have received your letter ajient the sections. Burn 
every one of them. It is large quantities of honey you require, 
that you will not have if you use sections. I have proven that.” 
The above quotation is but a corroboration of many others which 
have been written to myself, and is in accordance with my own 
experience given long ago in these pases. 
During the last summer Mr. G. Grierson, New Travers, near 
Lesmahagow, had a hive from which he took 250 lbs., leaving almost 
another 100 untouched in an enormous single-queened hive, which 
is again this year as promising as it was in 1893. It is another 
proof of the advantages to be gained by keeping bees in hives 
commensurate to the number a queen can produce.—A Lanark¬ 
shire Bee-keeper. 
*.5,*A1I 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. 
Tomato Plants (X Y. X).— The plants did not arrive till 
Wednesday, and i he utmost we can do now is to notify the fact and 
promise careful examination. 
Cactaceous Plants (J. B. //.).—Messrs. H, Cannell & Sons, 
Swanley, have a very good collection of Cactaceous plants, but if 
you wish to see the finest collection in the kingdom you will find it in 
the Royal Gardens, Kew. 
Eatable Fungus (Z7. B. 11 .').—The specimen sent is a medium¬ 
sized example of the Morel (Morchella esculenta), which is preferred by 
many persons to Mushrooms. Morels usually grow under trees, and we 
know of no instances of their successful cultivation. 
Calceolarias (TF. R .).—No doubt the blooms were fine when you 
sent them, but a night in dry paper caused them to shrink and shrivel 
to such an extent as to leave nothing but a crumpled mass for in¬ 
spection. We, however, know the strain is good, and that you grow the 
plants well, 
iimerlcan Tomatoes (P. C .).—We did not answer your letter 
sooner because we waited the delivery of some American catalogues. 
We do not find the names you mention in them, but the varieties may 
be all the same worth trying. We should, however, rely mainly on 
well-known English-raised Tomatoes for affording the bulk of produce 
required. 
Bunches of Vegetables (^Reader ).—Asparagus is sold in bundles, 
100 to 126 as a rule, but there are smaller. The number of different 
kinds of roots and heads in bundles and bunches is governed by the 
supply and the customs of markets. When vegetables are scarce the 
bunches are small, when abundant they are large. A list of Covent 
Garden Market fruit and vegetable measures is published in the Horti¬ 
cultural Birectory, with a mass of other information worth having. 
Price Is., post free Is. 3d., from this ofiSce. 
0?iT<ieni9,s (^Constant Reader ).—It is desirable to keep the plants 
a little drier after flowering for a week or two than they have been 
before. Then they may be pruned to any desired extent, syringing 
them frequently till fresh growths start freely. Repotting may then be 
done,removing loose soil and adding fresh to be pressed moderately firm. 
If the pots can be plunged in a damp medium this will be an advan¬ 
tage in securing uniformity of moisture at the roots, an insufficiency on 
the one hand and excess on the other being alike prejudicial. Gardenias 
enjoy a moist atmosphere, and should be frequently syringed to keep 
them free from insects. 
Figs Spotted (P. R .).—Your very fine Figs are infested with the 
“spot,” Glseosporium lasticolor, a fungus which has increased alarmingly 
of late years on many fruits, especially Grapes and Figs. It is very 
difficult to guard against this parasite, which, as a rule, attacks the 
choicest and best managed fruits. Gather thofe so affected and burn 
them, and as a safeguard against further attack paint the hot-water 
pipes thinly with a sulphur brought to a thin cream with skim milk. 
If you have no heat, place flowers of sulphur in shallow pans or saucers 
filled with water on shelves or other places where the sun will shine 
upon and cause evaporation from them as long as possible, or sprinkle a 
little sulphur on shelves or similar positions, as this may destroy the 
minute spores. In your case the spores fell on the fructifying organs 
during the flowering period, and the mischief was done long before it 
appeared externally. You must stamp out the enemy on the line 
suggested. 
Grapes and Plants Rusted (A Troubled One ).—We have 
examined the Grapes, Vine lateral, Begonia plant. Zonal Pelargonium, 
Alternanthera, and Dahlia sprays, and find only rust and some decay. 
There is some fungal growth on the decayed portion of the Begonia, but 
it is only mycelium and has not penetrated the living tissue, the cells of 
which are quite normal, large, and even ac ive—the nucleus, nucleolus, 
and protoplasmic granules being well developed. The black spots on 
the Pelargonium are covered with a white mould, the outgrowths of 
fungi that live on decaying organic matter, and are purely saprophitical, 
their mycelia not penetrating the living tissues. The rest of your 
specimens are only discoloured and rusted, as with a corrosive substance, 
which is made clear by the contents of the water. This contains a very 
large amount of oxide of iron, the particles being held in suspension to a 
great extent by inorganic matter. This, however, is not excessive, nor 
are the organic acids ; but there is no trace of lime, therefore it will be 
corrosive rather than “hard.” The “trouble” arising from the use of 
I irony water is considerable in many cases, but we had to use nothing 
j else for all kinds of plants and fruits under glass for a dozen years, and 
I found no difficulty attending its use, with a distinction. We had two 
supplies—one direct from the chalybeate spring, which contained 15 to 
25 per cent, of iron oxide, held in suspension by organic matter, the red 
particles being distinctly visible to the naked eye, and in the tanks left 
a deposit, that became mixed with the water in dipping cans in it for 
watering, and this water caused a rusty appearance in all plants and 
fruits to which it was applied, except hardwooded plants. This only 
occurred occasionally, for our main supplies were drawn from a reservoir, 
the water from the spring supplying it being made to pass through a 
filter bed formed in the usual manner of gravel, sand, and charcoal. 
The supply pipe being 1 foot from the bottom of the reservoir, the water 
was clear and available for syringing purposes, yet it left a deposit 
(u'ineral) on glass, and to some extent on foliage, but not to a prejudicial 
degree. The iron in plants is most abundant in the bark and in the skin 
of traits (as are all the mineral supplies in excessive quantities), and 
we consider the effects of the iron in the water would be such as your 
plants present. It certainly ought to be filtered or exposed in an open 
