240 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 15, 1887. 
marriage flight has been accomplished the labour of life 
begins, and the queen mother leaves love to those unfor¬ 
tunate creatures of creation who have more need of its 
solace, and lead less busy and industrious lives. 
The careful bee-keeper will ascertain as soon as pos¬ 
sible if the queen has become a mother. For this purpose 
it is absolutely necessary to inspect the combs and see 
that eggs have been deposited, unless the bee-keeper 
lias sufficient experience to detect from the manner of 
the bees the absence or presence of a fertile queen. Two 
points, it will be observed, need special attention with 
regard to the introduction of queens and royal cells to 
stocks from which swarms have issued :— 
1. A queen maj be run in at the entrance an hour or 
two after the issue of a swarm. 
2. A ripe queen cell should not be inserted until the 
following day. 
At present no attempt has been made to describe the 
simplest and easiest method of procuring queens and ripe 
queen cells. This is a subject of such great importance 
that it has a distinct claim for separate consideration, and 
must accordingly be deferred, together with the “intro¬ 
duction of queens ” to stocks deprived of a fertile worker 
by other means than the issue of a swarm. One thing is 
certain beyond all doubt, and that is the impossibility of 
overrating the important assistance given to the bees 
when a queen or ripe queen cell is inserted with the least 
possible delay after the old queen has departed. The loss 
of three weeks ovidepositing in the height of the season is 
irreparable; the loss to the bee-keeper is aggravated by 
the certain issue of at least one cast, and possibly more; 
by the possible loss of the cast, and the trouble of hiving 
and returning the cast to the old stock, and consequent 
loss of time; by the knowledge that if the cast is hived 
separately the old stock is depopulated to an extent which 
forbids all hope of surplus honey, and the additional 
certainty that the cast itself will in many years not build 
up into a satisfactory stock for wintering without con¬ 
siderable trouble and expense. It is so easy to avoid all 
this trouble and anxiety that the bee-keeper who does not 
assist his bees and save himself from this unsatisfactory 
position must be severely blamed for his negligence, and 
must in no case expect sympathy in misfortune.— Felix. 
MAY SICKNESS—HONEY FAIRS. 
In answer to “ A. L. B.,” I am sorry tliat I did not clearly explain 
that “ May sickness ” is due most probably to the fact that the bees 
gather pollen in or about the month of May which has been touched by 
the frost, and not to their eating the old pollen which has been stored 
up in the hives during the winter. The latter is usually thrown out by 
the bees in the early spring, though that contained in the combs on 
which the bees cluster during the winter is probably used for the young 
brood hatched in the early part of the year. That it must be fresh 
frosted pollen which is the cause of the disease is shown by the fact that 
it generally occurs at the early part of the summer. If it were due to 
the okl pollen the effects wonld be seen much earlier in the year. 
With regard to the purchase of honey by the British Honey Company, 
we as traders can only buy as much as we consider will meet the 
demand. Our sales are steadily increasing, and we sold considerably 
more honey last year than we did in the corresponding months of the 
year before. 
In the early part of this year there was great difficulty in getting 
sections, and several large orders had to be cancelled. Anyone who 
could devise some certain way of preventing granulation in sections 
would make his fortune, as the price of sections naturally rises in the 
winter and early spring before the new sections come into the market in 
any quantity. 
However carefully sections are kept in a warm room the least 
draught will set them granulating, and even if they are delivered in 
good condition to the grocers, &c., it is only to be returned in a few days, 
as the public will not buy granulated sections. 
Honey fairs are a great boon to bee-keepers if they are properly 
managed, but my time-is so fully occupied that I must decline the 
tempting offer of working in unison with Mr. Hewitt.— Geo. Walker, 
Wimbledon. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Hooper i Co. (Limited), Covent Garden and MaidaVale .—Bulb Cata~ 
logue (lllustra'ed , 1887. 
J. W. Silver, Norbury and Streatham, London, S.W .—Bulb Catalog le, 
1881. 
c ' 0 ° 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. 
Parsley (J. Carter, Keighley 1.—The Parsley plant is exceptionally fine, 
filling a half-bushel basket, and the large leaves are sufficiently curled to 
satisfy the most exacting cook for garnishing purposes. 
Proliferous Leek (IF. (?.).—It i3 not unusual for bulblets to form in the 
flower heads of Leeks, though it is not common to find th-m so numerous 
as in the specimen you have sent. Plants may be raised from these bulb- 
lets the same as from seed. 
Viola (J. IV. M .).—The flowers sent were quite curled up through 
having been placed in the box without any damp packing to keep them 
fresh. We can only judge, therefore, of the colour, and this does not 
appear to be distinct from that of other varieties, nor is it so rich as in 
some of them. 
Glazing (J. G. H., Neiv Jersey). —The roofs of greenhouses may be 
glazed quite watertight bv bedding the glass well and firmly in a rather 
thick bed of good putty. If the work is well done not a drop of water will 
pass through, whether putty be used on the top of the glass or not. We do 
not use top putty, but paint the sashbars well, including a strip on the 
glass as wide as the rebate on which it rests. 
Black Grape for Growing with Muscats ( E. JET. B.). —Alicante would 
be the most likely Grape to suit you, as you do aot require one that needs 
particular treatment, the flavour being similar to the Frankentlial and 
Black Hamburgh, which is what we apprehend you require, with good 
keeping properties. It would succeed admirably inarched on the Franken- 
thal, which makes a good stock, and you will get a much more satisfactory 
Vine in very much less time that way than by planting a young cane. 
Plunging Material (IF. H. IF.).—The pipes should be covered with 
rubble, such as broken b'icks, or anything through which the heat can 
rise, and then with a layer of long fibre, rushes, or anything that will 
prevent cocoa-nut fibre refuse or sawdust from pass'ng down. There is 
nothing better than the fibre refuse as a plunging medium, but sawdust 
will answer in its absence. It should be kept moist throughout, not on 
the surface merely. Boiling water will destroy the fungoid growths. 
Aspect for Vinery [Inquirer). —We have seen very good Grapes grown 
in vineries facing both east and west. As a rule, we think the eastern 
aspect would be preferable, care being taken to open the ventilators very 
early in the morning, or soon after the sun shines on the roof. The top 
ventilators should not be entirely closed at night in hot weather. When 
houses have a western aspect the sun does not reach them until it is very 
high and hot, and unless great care is exercised in management scorching 
is liable to occur. 
Mealy Bug on Grapes (D. TF).—We are sorry you did not see the 
invader sooner. We are not sure you have done right in cutting off all the 
foliage, but everything would depend on its condition. We can only 
recommend you to try the application of methylated spirits with a very 
small brush that can be worked between the berries. It is a tedious 
process, but must be regarded as the penalty for past oversight. The 
insects are, at least, as likely to have passed from the Vines to the Ferns 
as from the Ferns to the Vines. 
Fruit Trees in Disused Quarry ( Ignoramus ). — You had better ask 
one or two practical gardeners to inspect the quarry before purchasing it, 
as it is scarcely possible that you can make the exact nature of the soil 
clear to us in a short letter. One of the best orchards we know is in a 
quarry. The soil over the roots of the trees was covered with a thick layer 
of manure annually for four or five years and left to decay. Good sod was 
placed round the roots when the trees were planted—a barrowful or so to 
each tree. They are now large, healthy, and productive. 
Protecting Fruit from Wasps—Chemical Manure ( F. I.). — The 
material you enc’ose is too much worn to exclude wasps and blue-bottle 
flies. When new or in good condition it would probably do so, but medium 
scrim is better. The sample you sent would of course exclude birds. We 
have tried most of the advertised manures, and have found them all excel¬ 
lent fertilisers—they are all good. If you wish for something to prepare 
some yourself, then we recommend nitrate of soda, kainit, superphosphate 
of lime, and sulphate of ammonia in equal proportions by weight, thoroughly 
mixed, and applied at the time of putting in the crops at the rate of 3 lbs. 
per square rod. To apply manures of the kind indicated at the time of 
trenching is to waste most of their fertilising properties. In reference to 
your other question the matter cm only be tested by experience. 
Downton Nectarines (J. Gilbert). —Yours are very fine fruit indeed of 
this variety, which you say weigh 5£ ozs., and measure 81 inches in cir¬ 
cumference. It is thus described in the “ Fruit ManualFruit rather 
larger than Violette Hative; skin pale green in shade, but deep red next 
the sun; flesh pale green, reddish at the stone, melting, juicy, and richly 
