552 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 22, 1887. 
me regarding the utility of float-feeders, I consider them, 
as commonly made, the worst of all feeders. They warp, 
and allow the bees to get underneath them, and when 
refilled with syrup many are killed. To obviate this, the 
float-feeders 1 use are cut into narrow strips, a hole is 
bored at each end of them, and brass screws or pins 
passed through"them into the bottom. These nails guide 
and keep the floats in place, and warping is impossible 
with such narrow strips- This sort of stand has been 
long in use by me for feeding back inferior honey from 
both the comb and when dripped. When the former is to 
be fed back the drawer is to be taken out and placed in 
the bottom, and as there is a trench in the front of the 
box as well as in the door to receive the ends of the 
frames right above the drawer, frames or partly filled 
sections are fed back to a strong colony, and if the honey 
is of good quality will finish sections with it. To facili¬ 
tate emptying the combs open the door and put in a 
sheet of glass, and the bees will clean the honey out 
much more quickly than if the door were kept shut. 
This useful stand can be applied to many purposes. 
Having a strong moveable lid of zinc it makes a capital 
seat; if filled with trays holds many useful tools (queen’s 
cages, slate, paper, pens, pencils, ink, &c.), besides if 
wanted many flower seeds if the trays are filled with little 
boxes to hold them. During the spring of the year the 
bottom is cleared out and then makes a capital peameal 
feeder, while the feeder drawer is converted into a water 
feeder, being placed upon the lid of the box. All the rest, 
being well painted, is not affected by the weather. A 
pair of handles completes this useful adjunct to the 
apiary and garden, which only a few of the uses it can 
be put to has been mentioned. 
In another article I will touch upon queries in con¬ 
nection with Stewarton hives and supering.—A Lanark¬ 
shire Bee-keeper. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Ra'ph Crossling, Penarth Nurseries, South Wales.— Catalogue of Forest 
Trees, Confers , Fruit Trees, and Shrubs. 
R. Gilbert, High Park Gardens, Stamford.— Fruit, Flower, and Vegetable 
Catalogues. 
B. S. Williams, Upper Holloway, LondoD, N.— Catalogue of Flower, 
Vegetable, arid Agricultural Seeds. 
Webb & Sons Wordsley, Stourbridge.— Spring Catalogue for 1888. 
(Illustrated with Coloured Plates). 
Sutton it Sons. Reading.— Amateurs’ Guide to Horticulture for 1888. 
(Illustrated with Coloured Plates) 
James Veitch & Sons, Roval Exotic Nursery, King’s Road, Chelsea.— 
Catalogue of Seeds, dc ,for 1888. (Illustrated with Coloured Plates). 
° a ° 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. 
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 cannct reply to questions through the 
post, and we'do not undertake to return rejected communica¬ 
tions. 
Pelican Chrysanthemum {H. 8 .).—When exhibited by Mfss-s. J.Veitch 
and Sons this variety was considered quite di-tinct from White Dragon, 
but you are not the only purchaser of tbe former who has found it not to 
differ from tbe latter. We cannot explain the reason. 
Books ( XV. Scott). —The volumes, if complete and in good order, are of 
more than waste paper value. A set recently advertised realised 23s. If 
yon can dispose of yours locally for 5s. each that will be fair to buyer and 
seller, assuming, as we have stated, they are in good condition. 
Removing Greenhousa (A Tenant). —So far as we understand the case 
you are not legally entitled to remove the bonse or any part of it, for though 
it may not be attached to the walls of the dwelling, it rests on masonry, 
the foundations of which are in the ground, and the house is thus attached 
to the freehold and belongs to the landlord. Bona-fide nurserymen and 
florists can remove glass structures, as they are part of their stock in 
trade. 
Primulas {Coker). —If we had sent you some of these flowers packed in 
dry paper they would have reached you in a very different state than when 
taken off the plants, indeed so shrivelled and crushed that you would not be 
able to estimate their merits. So far a 9 we can judge, however, from those 
ou have sent, tbough they do not appear to be superior to many others we 
ave seen, we think they are wortn p rpetuating, and you may further 
improve the strain by only saving seed from the best varieties. 
Plum Tree Gumming (H. J.) —Gumming, or the exudation of sap, 
arises from a variety of causes ; iu your ca=e it is probably as you suggtst, 
the result of the dry summer, assuming that your trees are not excessively 
vigorous. Like yourself, we have known fruit tries much injured by shoot¬ 
ing bullfinches in them, and you afford evidence that practice is not neces¬ 
sary in reducing the number of these birds, since you have entrapped fifty- 
eight of them this autumn. Perhaps if you were to describe your method 
it might be useful to others. 
Vines for late Vinery {F. L. D.). —As you require seven Vines, and 
will probably require to commence cutting in Novemter onward to April, 
we advise Madresfield Court, Muscat of A1 xandria, Black Alicante, Alnwick 
Seed'ing, Mrs. Pearson, Gros Colman, and Lady Downe’s; but if you do not 
want to commence cutting before Christmas, then we advise two Black 
Alicante, two Ahiwick Seedling, one Mrs. Pearson, and two Lady Downe’s, 
which are all of good quality. As the border must be flat provide extra 
drainage, and do not make a deep border ; 24 inches to 30 inches is quite 
deep enough. Crushed bones are the best, using at the rate of a twentieth 
of the loam, and well incorporating them therewith. 
Steamed Bone Flour (.7. H.) —Th ! s is the result of grinding bont s that 
have had the fat and a portion of the ossein melted out of them by being 
subjected to steam pressure and powerful heat in a close boiler. When the 
bones ate tbus dried they can be ground into finer particles than new bones 
can, and the action of the manure is quicker in consequence, notwithstand¬ 
ing that the finer ar.d drier flour may contain a little less nitrogen. 
Perhaps your best plan will be to dissolve them by either of the following 
methods as may be most convenient:—1, Place 5 cwt. (or twelve bushels) 
of bone on an earthen floor, surrounded by a rim of ashes ; pour on as 
much water as the bones will suck up, and th- n pour on 2 cwt. of sulphuric 
acid ; it will boil somewhat violently for a while. When this has subsided 
it will get tolerably solid, aDd the ashes and all may be shovelled up 
together, and will be fit for use in a day or two. 2, Take a large watertight 
hogshead and cover the bottom with about 6 inches deep of dry soil ;°on 
this put a layer of bones of tbe same depth, and cover them entirely with 
wood ashes ; on these another layer of bones, then ashes, and so on till the 
hogshead is full, placing a good thickness of ashes on the top. Leave it 
exposed to the rains all summer and winter till spring. Then on removing 
the contents of the hogshead the bones will crumble to powder under a 
slight pressure, and form one of the most valuable manures ready for 
immediate use. 
Manures (if. S ).—The chief constituents in chemical manures are 
nitrogen, potash, and phosphoric acid in the form of sulphate of ammonia 
or nitrate of soda, muriate, nitrate, or sulphate of potash, and superphos¬ 
phate of lime or bonemeal. The advertised fertilisers contain those con¬ 
stituents blended better than you can probably blend them yourself, and 
are used by most of tlie leading cultivators. Urine contains all those 
ingredients. It is referred to in the “ Cottage Gardeners’ Dictionary 
as “ Excel’ent as a manure, but must only be given to plants when grow¬ 
ing, and in a diluted state. One of the most fertilising of Pquid manures 
is composed of Cabbage leaves, and other vegetable refuse, putrefied in the 
urine from a house or stable, and diluted with three times its quantity 
of water when applied. If mixed with bleaching powder (chloride of lime) 
there will be no offensive smell. Gypsum mixed with it, or a little oil of 
vitriol poured in, adds to its utility as a manure, as it prevents the escape 
of ammonia during putrefaction.” Instead of adding three times the 
quantity of water it would be safer with more than twice that quantity for 
the majority of plants in pots, and then would not benefit all regardless of 
kinds, root action, and soil. If you will send your postal address we will 
endeavour to answer y our other question. 
Various (F. S.).~ 1, There is nothing gained by the very early planting 
of Potatoes. We consider the middle of February in the case of imsprouted 
s- ts quite early i nough, even in light wrl! drained soils, and in heavy the 
beginning of March. The soil, however, is usually so wet and cold at 
those times that most growers prefer to place the sets in shallow boxes, 
eye-end upwards, to sprout in a place where they will be fr e fiom frost, 
which should be done early in February, deferring planting until the 
spring (quinox (i.e., March 21st), or thereabouts. We have known Ash- 
ltaf plauted on Lady-day and tue crop lifted soon after Midsummer-day, 
realising £65 per acre. The mrst important item to be attendid to with 
early so ts is to preserve the first sprouts, and if properly attended to they 
will not be more than half to three quarters of an inch long at the time 
indicated, and will go right away after planting, frosts, of course, some¬ 
times injuring the top3 after they appear above ground. Veitch’s Asbleaf 
is a good early variety, and beyond Becon 1 early it hardly pays to grow 
Potatoes in gardens, Covent Garden Perfection and Beauty of Hebron 
being much grown for market. Good-sized sets should be selected, and 
