November 17, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
437 
attacked with tobacco powder. This should be washed out at intervals 
of three daj r s, and again applied until th y have been eradicated. 
I'endroiivms. —Do not place deciduous species that have matured 
their psmdo-bulbs and ripened their foliage in a cold draughty house. 
They will bear without injury the temperature of a cold house provided 
they are dry at their roots, the atmosphere moderately dry, and the 
plants are carefully screened from exposure to cold draughts. All that 
are not hard and well-ripened should not be placed in a lower tempera¬ 
ture than 50°. Pseudo-bulbs that are badly ripened and then placed in 
a cold house are very liable to damp. This can be avoided only by 
placing them where the atmosphere is moderately dry and a little heat 
used. Such species as D. chrysotoxum, D. densiflorum, D. thyrsiflorum, 
and others of an evergreen nature must not after the completion of their 
growth be placed in too low a temperature. By such treatment the 
foliage is certain to be injured and the plants sadly disfigured in con¬ 
sequence. The foliage, if it does not turn yellow towards the extremity 
while under cold treatment, is certain to do so directly they are returned 
to heat and moisture. Cold treatment during the period of rest will 
result in a few years in the plants decreasing in health and vigour. 
They must not at any time be in a lower temperature than 50°, and 
even then they should be dry at their roots and protected from cold 
draughts. 
Crchtgync cristata .—This and its varieties that have thoroughly 
matured their growth may be placed in the Odontoglossum house, or any 
cool structure where the temperature will not fall below 45°. They 
should not be syringed over the foliage, and less water will be needed at 
their roots, but on no account allow them to suffer or shrivel by an 
insufficient supply. Tne pseudo-bulbs must be kept fresh and plump. 
Masdevallia tnvarensix .—The Odontoglossum house is too cool for 
this variety unless the temperature maintained does not fall below 50°, 
and even then it should occupy the wannest end of the house. Under 
cool treatment it will go back rapidly if it does not die before the 
spring. It will increase quickly if given a position at the coolest end of 
the Cattleya house, unless an intermediate temperature between this and 
the Odontoglossum house can be afforded. 
K 
6) 
d- m. 
HE BEE-KEEPER. 
IN-AND-IN BREEDING. 
In most animal life, whenever in-and-in breeding has 
been continued for a length of time, a great amount of 
degeneracy takes place, visible often in the first and 
second generation. Very often precocity is produced, 
resulting in impaired vitality. r lhe long flight of the bee 
enables it, however, to avoid to a great extent the pos¬ 
sibility of mating with closely related bees. 
As is well known I have been taking a deep interest 
in the Syrian races of bees for various reasons, one of 
these being a determination to disprove the assertions of 
those who seem to find no good in them. I have suc¬ 
ceeded in my endeavours, and it is not my opinion only, 
but experience of their gathering in many instances 
double the quantity of honey that others did in the same 
time, which enables me to speak with confidence. That 
the Syrian bees have their faults I will not deny, but 
most of these are easily overcome after their habits are 
known. 
This year many people asked me for a queen of that 
race, and to accommodate them I set about to raise 
queens to supply my friends. For various reasons I bred 
or rather mated some, removing for that purpose the bees 
to a place where crossing with other drones would be 
avoided. In this I was tolerably successful, but owing to 
this very cause a number remained sterile, it being at all 
times difficult to get fertilised queens where there are 
none but closely related drones. At one time I was 
hopeful that all who had asked for queens would be sup¬ 
plied, but, unfortunately, after these queens had produced 
a woi’ker they suddenly became drone breeders. Pre¬ 
cocity does not show itself in the bee by early breeding, 
as often the earliest laying queens are the best, and their 
progeny good workers. In fact any light 1 can throw 
upon this important subject is but a conjecture, so must 
describe only what I witnessed. As I have stated, all the 
pure mated queens of this clutch have come to grief 
through becoming drone breeders immediately after a few 
hundred workers had been produced, just the opposite 
to what often takes place with a healthy normal queen. 
I have had the opportunity of dissecting one only of these 
queens, and the only portion was the sperm sac and the 
contents. The appearance of the spermatheca was thin 
and watery looking, as if some sort of fermentation had 
taken place. The drones that were produced presented 
nothing unusual about them. Judging from that I ana 
inclined to think that Nature, abhorring related mating, 
has so designed that it shall become sterile or partly so. 
Whether I am correct or not—and I have presumptive 
evidence that I am—we see those crossed with alien 
blood showing extra amount of vigour, and this to a great 
degree even when the cross is of the same variety. More 
than once I have sent bees to isolated places for the pur¬ 
pose of crossing, and it has been remarked that the first 
season showed the improvement in a decided manner. 
Most of us have experienced the great advantage of 
crossing with foreign varieties, but we should be careful 
to note on the other hand the degeneracy that takes place 
by in-and-in breeding. Another year I hope to be able 
to experiment further in this direction. Meanwhile those 
who have been disappointed in getting Syrian queens from 
me will know the cause. 
DRONE 3 IN NOVEMBER. 
It is not the first time there have been drones in great 
numbers in my hives at Christmas, and this year appears 
to be no exception to this phenomenon, It is only two 
weeks since the majority of drones were killed in all hives 
unless one still retaining a number. As a rule drones 
appearing so late indicate a sterile queen, but in this as 
it was in other cases the queen is in quite a normal state 
—at least was so several weeks since. A few queries are 
still lying unanswered, but these will have due attention 
at an early date.—A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
e o° All correspondence should be directed either to “ The 
Editor” or to “ The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Dm 
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. 
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 communica¬ 
tions. 
Vines (/. S.). —It is notnece-sary to pub'ish your letter, nor can it by 
satisfactorily answ- red in the pressure of preparing for press. It shall, 
however, have our b st attention. 
Staging Chrysanthemum Blooms (A Would-be Exhibitor). —As yon 
desire your letter to be answered by Mr. Molyneux it shall be sent to him,, 
and we doubt not he will oblige with a reply. 
Selling Trees (Inquirer). — We th’nk that, as a market gardener, yon 
can do what you suggest, but by all means consult a solicitor before signing 
any agreement. 
Rose-Growing (R. II. O.) —Precise information on the subject of yonr 
letter can only be obtained hy writing to Mr. D. Gilmour, Highbury, She'- 
fi Id, and ibis course we a vise you to a^opt. 
