110 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 2, 1883. 
teachers and bees ; and while the most docile bees are taken as a type 
the public might be informed that there arc some varieties not easily 
■quieted, and when roused would not only put to rout the onlookers but 
a whole army. The whole truth and nothing but the truth should be 
told. It is misleading to say that courage and gentle handling are a'l 
that are necessary to handle bees with impunity. We hope that if this 
Society is to continue the prizes may be mostly distributed amongst 
the classes that require assistance, and who by the aid of bees 
may improve their condition by an increase of income, and that com¬ 
mittees will encourage the uses of honey as hinted in the foregoing 
is the wish of all who view the matter aright.—L. B. K. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
John It. Box, Croydon .—Catalogue of Bulbs and Plants. 
Lucombe, Pince & Co., Exeter .—Catalogue of Bulbs and Roses. 
*** 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 cannot reply to questions through the 
post, and we do not undertake to return rejected communica¬ 
tions. 
Address (Tir. ,7. ,§.).—The address published in the work alluded to 
is correct, and the letter you have sent is posted accordingly. 
National Rose Catalogue ( Rosar,an ).— We are not quite cer¬ 
tain on the point, but you can obtain the information by writing to 
Bev. H. H. D’OmbraiD, Westwell Vicarage, Ashford, Kent, enclosing a 
■stamped directed envelope for a reDly. 
Ham Green Favourite Tomato (J. L. D .').—This variety was 
raised by Mr. E. F. Crocker, The Gardens, Ham Green, Bristol, and is 
quite one of the best now ripening at Chiswick. It is a strong grower 
and free bearer of good sized and well shaped fruit. 
Old Tan (./. T. /S'.). — We have received the sample. Such refuse 
would only be useful for improving mechanically very heavy soil, and as 
jou have land of that nature we should give it a heavy dressing. It 
might render very heavy soil more suitable for Liliums. 
Vines for a Greenhouse (77 S .).—You had better confine your¬ 
self to four Vines in your lG-feet greenhouse, and for your purpose the 
Black Hamburgh will be the best. We think that from such a small 
Siouse the profits from sale of the fruit would be very limited. 
Aubrietias (J. A .).—Seedling plants may be planted any time 
during the summer, or slips of older plants may be put in during 
showery weather ; but it is better to put them into some shady place to 
strike and then plant them out. Old plants, however, yield rooted layers 
•or offsets, which do very well. 
Young: Laurel Leaves (A. S .).—The brown patches are occa¬ 
sioned, probably, by violent transitions of temperature. A sweet exuda¬ 
tion is often found on the young stalks of Laurel leaves growing 
vigorously, and we have no doubt that the bees obtain honey from it. 
Lucerne (B. E .).— This must be sown early in April upon well 
cleaned ground. Sow in drills a foot apart to allow the hoe keeping it 
clean. We should sow the whole 30 rods with Lucerne. Keep it well 
supplied with liquid manure, and you may cut it four or five times 
.annually. A dressing with chalk or lime rubbish will be advantageous. 
Asparagus Failing- (J. O. S .').—We have not heard of a general 
failure of the crop this year. We recommend you to continue abstain¬ 
ing from cutting, and to give abundance of house sewage or other strong 
liquid manure twice a week throughout the growing season. If no 
shoots are produced, then, of course, the plants are dead, and you must 
plant afresh next spring. 
t Photographs (A. McDonald'). —We received the photographs of 
Calceolarias, but if a letter was sent with them it must have slipped 
away unseen when the parcel was opened, and the only one received 
by post is dated July 28th The plants were evidently fine, and must 
Lave been .well, cultivated, though they are not quite clearly 
represented. 
Vine Leaves Falling (7/. 77).—You supply no data whatever, 
either as to the nature of the soil or the treatment as regards temperature 
and ventilation to which the Vines have been subjected, to enable us to 
form a definite opinion on the subject. Their appearance suggests they 
have either been kept too close, or the border is too light, rich, and 
■deficient in calcareous matter. The buds must suifer to some extent by 
the loss of the leaves. The leafstalks are too long, soft, and thin to be 
satisfactory. 
Pelargoniums Dying (Crux D.). —The old plant sent is cankered 
at the base, a not unusual occurrence, and the origin not easy to trace. 
The wounds often heal over, and as your plant “ grew all right ” after 
you received it we suspect there has been some error in watering, or the 
position w-as unsuitable. If the cutting was healthy when inserted its 
decay after rooting is the result of some mistake in management. As 
you do not indicate where the plants have been kept, or the treatment 
they have received, we are unable to give a more precise reply. 
Clematises for Beds (.7. 77.).—We have seen many varieties tried 
and many failures. When planted in mixture irregularity of growth 
results in patchiness, and eventually the weaker sorts are overrun by 
the stronger. For producing bold masses of colour the old and effective 
C. Jackraanni is, we suspect, still unsurpassed, the growths being trained 
on wires fixed across the beds. Spring is a good time for planting, dis¬ 
posing the plants about 2 feet asunder. The temperatures given in the 
“• Gardeners’ Dictionary ” as suitable for different plants are for day and 
night respectively by artificial heat, 5° or 10° increase by sun heat 
being allowable. 
Mulberries Falling Young (77. 77).—As the tree produced a 
few fruits some years ago, we see no reason why it should not do so 
again. Most likely it is extra luxuriant from the roots getting down 
into the clay. Root-pruning would do it good, more especially as it has 
actually fruited. Female and male flowers are produced separately, 
just as in the case of the Cucumber. The former in small, ovate, erect 
spikes ; the latter in a drooping axillary spike. Generally both 
flowers are produced on the same tree, but sometimes the flowers are 
nearly all males, and, in other cases, nearly all females. The check by 
root-pruning will encourage the pistil or fruit-producing flowers, more 
especially as they have previously appeared and arrived at maturity. 
Trimming Ivy—Hydrangeas (IF. 8. S.). —-The best time to 
“ trim Ivy on the walls of a dwelling-house to look green again as early 
as possible,” is towards the close of April, cutting it close with shears, 
and removing any accumulations of the old foliage with the hand. 
Fresh growths will shortly appear and be in good foliage in the course of 
a few weeks.. Hydrangeas require only to have the shoots that have 
flowered cut back to where the buds are prominent in the axils of the 
leaves, and any weakly or elongated growths may be cut out or shortened, 
but only to plump buds, otherwise next year’s flowering will be 
interfered with. In most cases it is only necessary to remove the 
decayed flower shoots. The plants must have sufficient water, and 
should be given a light and airy situation, so as to perfect the buds and 
wood. 
Barrington Peach (77. 71 71).—The fruit and leaves sent re¬ 
semble those of the Barrington, but your description of the flowers 
differs somewhat from those of that variety. We append the description 
of Barrington, and you can then perhaps determine the point for your¬ 
self :—Fruit large, roundish ovate, some of them terminated by a 
nipple at the apex. Skin downy, yellowish green, marbled with red 
next the sun. Suture well defined. Flesh yellowish, slightly tinged 
with red at the stone, rich, vinous, and of first-rate quality. Flowers 
large. Leaves with round glands. Ripens in the middle of September. 
The tree is very hardy, vigorous, and a good bearer. This is one of the 
best midseason Peaches, and bears carriage well. It was raised by a 
Mr. Barrington of Burwood, in Surrey, early in the present century. 
We do not find it mentioned in any nursery catalogue prior to 1826. 
Eucomis punctata (G.,J .).—It has large handsome spreading leaves, 
with their stalks much spotted and tinged with purple. It requires the 
same treatment, soil, and everything all the year round as Fuchsias. 
Gardeners grow Fuchsias in pots better than they would grow in the 
open border. But in an ordinary way Fuchsias do better planted out 
in a good border than in pots, and it is just the same with the Eucomis. 
Therefore, under your circumstances, the best thing you can do is to 
select a snug warm place for it out in the open air near to a south 
wall, or on a west aspect under a wall. To plant it there at once, as 
deep as it is now in the pots, or if not in a pot, to see the top of the 
bundle of roots is 3 inches below the surface. G-ive it water as often 
for the first month as if it were in a pot; after that it will do for 
itself, and the same sized heap of coal ashes which would save the roots 
of a cut-down Fuchsia from the frost will do to save the roots of Eucomis, 
but the leaves will go just like the tops of Fuchsias. Eucomis is a 
beautiful old-fashioned plant, and worth all the attention required. 
Thinning Fruit Tree Shoots (71 .7).—The wet weather has 
induced growth quite abnormally. To prune hard under such circum¬ 
stances is only to aggravate the evil, as it will have a tendency to in¬ 
duce late growth, which should be carefully guarded against by leaving 
the shoots a little longer than usual, and allowing some lateral growth 
to attract the sap, keeping it from starting the spur and other buds. To 
thin the spurs now is not judicious, but the shoots where crowded 
should be thinned to admit light and air for the storing of assimi¬ 
lated matter in the parts that are to remain permanently. It is too 
early to interfere with the.roots of fruit trees generally, but any that 
are growing too vigorously and do not perfect fruit buds may have a 
