August 75, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
173 
are perfect demons, and being very yellow they are dubbed by 
some dealers “ pure Syrians.” 
Carniolians.—I had one imported queen whose bees proved equal 
in viciousness to any I have ever seen. Some of them showed 
traces of yellow blood, so I am satisfied they are not pure. Mr. 
Benton has sent me another one, tested, and which he says is the 
most valuable one he has ever had. Both the queen and bees are 
quite different to the other. Putting aside their temper they are 
grand workers and breeders, but I succeeded in keeping them from 
swarming ; my plan seems to answer quite well, as I have never had 
a natural swarm since I practised it. 
Punic Bees.—I had the misfortune to lose my imported queen, 
I fancy she led off a swarm ; anyhow, 1 found she was missing at 
Whitsuntide and queen cells all sealed. These had piping queens 
on the 4th of June. I had counted four cells, but in reality there 
were ten. I left one in the old hive and enthroned seven in nuclei 
and other stocks. About the time of mating I found nearly all 
dead under the entrance. One I found “ balled,” which had just 
been mated, which I set at liberty, and which is all right now. I 
only got three queens laying ; the one in the old hive began laying 
in seven days, and after filling every cell with brood ceased laying, 
and finally disappeared. I have now only two left, but hope to 
get another imported queen this year. They have proved remark¬ 
able bees, leaving the suspected swarm out. They never were fed 
after November, yet they produced the first drones, and had I 
not cut out the cells they would have cast, and it would have been 
the first swarm in the district. As honey getters they cannot be 
beaten, but their great point appears to be their extraordinary 
hardiness. The bees are the smallest I have seen, while the queens 
when not laying are no larger than our native bees, which makes it 
rather tedious to find them. 
There has been no honey in this district since June ; the heat 
having dried the sap out of everything.—A Hallamsiiire Bee¬ 
keeper. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Sutton <fc Sons, Beading .—Illustrated Catalogue of Bulbs. 
Webb <fc Sons, Wordsley, Stourbridge .—Illustrated Catalogue of Bulbs. 
John Laing & Sons, Forest Hill, London, S.E —Catalogue of Bulbs , 
Fruit Trees , Boses, and Begonias. 
Charles Turner, The Eoyal Nurseries, Slough .—List of Carnations, 
Picotees, and Pinks. 
Charles Toope & Co., Stepney Square, Stepney, London, E .—Illustrated 
Catalogue of Heating Appliances. 
G. Shrewsbury, 122, Newgate Street, London, E.C .—Illustrated List of 
Heating Appliances, 
°o <> All 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 un¬ 
avoidably. We request that no one will write privately 
to any of our correspondents, as doing so subjects them to 
unjustifiable trouble and expense. 
SyringiDg Vines (F. J.). —If the foliage of the Vines is only a “little 
dusty, ’ you had perhaps better not syringe now the Grapes are nearly ripe. 
As they are Black Hamburghs they will probably be cut before the leaves 
change, and a heavy syringing can then be given with advantage. 
Small Nectarines (South London). —The fruits are small because the 
crop is too heavy and the tree enfeebled in consequence. When a tree 
makes “ no growth,” and is at the same time “ covered with fruit,” those 
fruits cannot be otherwise than inferior, and the tree may be so exhausted 
that a year or more may be necessary for its recovery. 
Chrysanthemums (S. B.). —The tops of these plants will strike freely 
now if inserted in sandy soil and kept close, moist, and shaded in a frame 
or under a handlight to prevent the leaves flagging. Three or four cut¬ 
tings rooted in 3-inch pots, well managed, and shifted into 5-inch pots will 
flower in the autumn, these small plants often being very handv for 
decorative purposes, J 
, Marvel of Peru (Esher).—We are glad your plants are giving so much 
satisfaction. Each of them will have produced a tuber, and after the 
plants are cut down by frost they may be dug up and the tubers dried and 
stored like Dahlias or Begonias. They will survive the winter in well- 
dramed soil if a thick layer of ashes be spread on the surface, and so will 
Dahlias. 
Nectarines Shrivelling ( T. A.). —We can only account for the shrivel- 
hng of the fruit by exces-ive evaporation, the powerful sun extracting the 
moisture from them more quickly than it was supplied by the roots. We 
have known light shade, such as that afforded by hexagon netting, useful 
when the sun was extremely hot and inferior glass employed in glazing the 
Outdoor Vine (T. Marks). —You have done quite right in allowing 
some of the young growths to extend from the base and training them 
between the main rods. As there is no fruit on tie-e you had better cut 
back the laterals, so as to expose the young canes and the leaves as fully 
as possible, and they will mature the better and to a greater length. 
These canes, being strong, will bear fruit next year. 
, Layering? Carnations (J. Jarvis ).—The sooner this work is completed 
the finer will be the plants for flowering next year. Those layered early 
will not pipe for flowering as a rule ; a few of them may, and the growths 
would have done so if they had not been pegged |into the ground. There 
is not much fear of doing ibis work too soon, and much more danger in 
deferring it too late. 
Coleworts (Groom and Gardener ).—It is certainly not too late for 
planting these, and many gardeners would be glad to have such a fine lot 
of young plants as those you describe. Take no notice of your adviser, 
but at once put them out a foot apart in rows 18 inches asunder in any 
ground you may have at liberty, and you will find them very serviceable 
m winter and early spring. We have just planted several hundreds- 
without digging the ground, but it was not very hard. 
Tomatoes (Doubtful ).—We will remove your doubts by informing you 
that flower trusses that are produced after this season of the year will be 
too late to be of any service, and therefore you cannot do better than top 
the plants in the open air and suppress all further growths that may 
appear; the fruit already set will then have a better chance of swelling 
and ripening. If some of the large leav- s shade the -clusters heavily 
either draw the foliage aside or cut some of it off. 
Coleuses (Amateur). — Under the circumstances you had better not 
attempt to preserve the old plants, as you clearly have not room for them 
and young plants will produce finer foliage and be more suitable for your 
purpose next year. Cuttings strike freely now in close warm frames, 
shading to keep the leaves fresh. You may insert one in the centre of a 
3-inch pot, or three or four round the sides of a larger, and in these pots 
the plants may be wintered on a shelf in a warm house, a dozen or two not 
taking up much room, and if you want more you can raise them in the 
spring. 
Palms and Cycads (C. R .).—These are totally distinct, and a Cycas 
cannot properly be exhibited in a class for Palms, nor a Palm in a class- 
fur Cycads.. Occasionally we have seen a class for “ Palms and Cycads ,r 
and both kinds can then be associated without fear of disqualification. 
There is no relation whatever between the two genera—indeed, botanically 
speaking, Cycas revoluta is more nearly related to a Fir tree than it is 
to a Palm. If you have cited the class accurately you were properly 
disqualified. * 
Marechal Niel Rose House (S. S.). —1, You are quite right in respect of 
the lantern ventilation, which should be continuous, and open the whole 
length of the house ; similar remarks apply to the side ventilation. 2, Three 
shoots to a plant would be sufficient, as it will allow of young growths being 
trained in from the base to take the place of the old rods after they become 
worn out. You may safely train two or more shoots to a wire, which will 
give a large number of blooms, besides affording choice at pruning, cutting 
out the old and weak growths, leaving the stronger and well ripened so as 
to insure large and well formed blooms. The blooms are very fine at 
Burghley. 
Strawberries (F. 0.). —Unless the rooted runners are very strong now 
and the soil very good you cannot expect a satisfactory crop of Straw¬ 
berries next year ; but very Btrong plants inserted now and well attended 
to afterwards will bear fine fruit next season. This is what forced Straw¬ 
berries do, and similarly strong plants may be had for planting out if 
equal care is taken in producing them. As a rule, Strawberry runners 
are not strong this year, and if yours are weak you had better not rely on 
them. If some of the crowns are thinned from the old plants, and the bed 
well soaked with liquid manure, they will perhaps bear a better crop next 
year than they have borne this season, and if you pick the flower trusses 
from the young plants if weak in the spring they ought to be in the best 
condition for bearing the following year. 
Coelogyne corrugata (Alpha ).—This Coelogyne will do very well during 
the period of rest in the. Odontoglossum house where the night temperature 
ranges about 45°. It will do in this structure with these plants the whole 
year round, but is benefited during the season of growth by slightly warmer 
conditions. It .would do admirably during the growing season with 
Cattleyas and Ltelias where the night temperature is kept at from 60° to 
65°. If you cannot give this temperature you need not despair of cultivating 
it successfully in a cool house during the summer without the aid of arti¬ 
ficial heat, as long as you maintain a night temperature of 45° from October 
until May. This species does well in a pot or pan if potted in a compost- 
of fibry peat with lumps of charcoal freely intermixed. Liberal drainage 
must be provided, and the pot or pan used should be filled at the least one- 
third full. 
Lilium neilgherrense (Idem ' 1 .—This has white sweet-scented flowers, 
which are funnel-shaped, and from one to three are produced on each 
stem, but generally only one. The flowers are larger than those of L. 
longiflorum. L. neilgherrense is synonymous with L. tubiflorum and, 
perhaps, L. Wallichianum. The stems attain a height of 3 or 4 feet, but 
Mr. McIntosh has grown it 7 feet high planted in a Bhododendron bed, the 
plant being one grand flower. This Lily does not require heat in its 
culture, and will do very well in a cool greenhouse or even planted outside. 
It will also bear gentle forcing. 
Gunnera scabra (T. A. Todd ).—This plant is hardy in some positions, 
especially in the southern parts of the country. It will grow vigorously in 
a damp warm situation where it can be sheltered from rough cuttr.g 
winds. It is a noble plant, and has a very picturesque appearance in a 
position where it does well on the lawn or in the park. Some care is 
needed to protect its creeping rhizomes during severe weather in winter. 
For this purpose dry leaves or bracken are about the best materials that- 
can be used. The only method of propagation known by us is by division. 
Portions taken off should be potted and established in a cold frame, and 
planted out during genial weather in spring in good fertile loam that has 
been previously well enriched with manure. When once established out- 
