458 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 15,1888. 
plentiful, and that the reason they are proving drone layers in the 
fall is because all the drones are gone, so that the young queen 
could not get fertilised. Many have been loud in recommending 
the Pond’s-Simmins’, or Simmins’-Pond’s system. Had they 
only recommended marking the queen first by wing-clipping or 
•otherwise its utter fallacy would have been long ago found out. 
Only the other day a dealer told me that in the autumn of 1887 
he sent a noted British bee-keeper (who has publicly recommended 
‘Simmins’ system as the safest to follow, and which he declares has 
■never failed in his case) nine queens, each one of which was pro¬ 
ducing sealed worker brood when he sent her. Every one of these 
nine queens was stated to be a drone breeder ; but rather than have 
■any unpleasantness he sent nine more, each one packed up with her 
•own progeny, and yet the aforesaid consignee reported most of 
these drone breeders too. The dealer is sure his customer is a 
swindler, and no doubt the other thinks the dealer is, all because 
of a faulty system endorsed and recommended by certain of the 
big authorities (?). Of course I can understand they do not 
like to acknowledge their mistake, particularly because I first 
pointed it out, and that I am the author of an absolutely safe 
method, but they will have to eat their leek in the end. Truth is 
Bound to prevail, and so will perhaps—A Hallamshire Bee¬ 
keeper. 
THE NEW GLASS SECTION. 
Since reading “A Hallamshire Bee-keeper’s” description of his 
■glass sections in the Journal, I was looking forward with some interest 
for his further details as to how they are made, fitted with comb founda¬ 
tion, and otherwise made ready for the honey season. If glass and the 
labour of cutting is so cheap as your correspondent states, and it is 
■correct that bees prefer glass to wood, the sooner we adopt them the 
Better. There is no doubt but that glass is the best material for making 
the honey look tempting, and I was very much disappointed to find he 
has not enlightened us any further as to how they are put together 
■ready for the bees. It is easy enough to understand that nothing is 
necessary when it is full of honey. What we want to know is how they 
can be fitted together and placed in the racks ready for use in less time 
■than the present wood sections. If he will do this, and take in hand to 
supply the 4000 pieces of glass necessary to make 1000 sections at a cost of 
10 s., he will confer a boon on bee-keepers in general and in particular 
—A Sussex Amateur. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
John Laing & Sons, Forest 'Hill, London, S.E.— Catalogue of Chrys¬ 
anthemums. 
Little & Ballantyne, Carlisle.— Catalogue of Trees for 1889. 
Wm Etherington, Swanseombe .—List of Chrysanthemums. 
Eugene Mczard, Rued.— List of Dahlias. 
Thomas Rivers & Son, Sawbridgeworth.— Catalogues of Fruit Trees 
<.and Roses for 1889-90. 
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 auestions 
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 ( W, ./.).—Mr. W. Collins, Martinhoe Terrace, Martinclale 
Road, Clapham Park, London, S.W. 
Books ( Doctor ).—The “ Parks and Gardens of London ” can he 
had from this office, post free for 2s. Ild. Our reply to your second 
question is write to Mr. Wm. Paul, Waltham Cross, Herts. 
Orchtd Holder (A. E. A.).—Your letter is forwarded to Mr. A. 
Outram, who will perhaps communicate with you on the subject. 
Exhibition of Chrysanthemums ( Marcchail). —It is not possible 
for us to answer your questions without knowing the conditions attached 
to the class in the schedule further than to say, if there are no limita¬ 
tion in the class, we fail to see why any variety should be disqualified. 
In all questions of dispute in exhibiting, schedules should be sent with 
letters of inquiry. 
White Tokay Grape ((7. C.). —As you are in possession of the 
Vine and can compare its characteristics as to growth, leaves, and fruit 
with the descriptions in Mr. Barron’s book, we do not see how you can 
err in arriving at a decision on the matter. If you like to send ade¬ 
quate samples another year they shall be carefully examined. We are 
obliged by the notes, and shall be glad to hear from you at any time. 
Gilbert's Universal Savoy ( Burgess ).—It is a little singular 
that a “ reader of the Journal for nearly twenty years” should not have 
heard of this vegetable before. It has been mentioned dozens of times, 
and more than once fully described. It was raised by Mr. R. Gilbert, 
of Burghley Gardens, Stamford, and if you write him lie will no doubt 
be able to give you particulars of its parentage and properties. It is 
distinct from other Savoys, and very good. 
Ventilating Tomato House (Old Subscriber'). —Assuming you 
do not want to commence early by forcing, your proposed method of 
ventilation will answer. But in addition, and as providing for the con¬ 
tingency of cold winds from the north, we should have large ventilators 
in the ends of the house in the angle formed by the roof and the top of 
the wall. A 9-inch wall built with bricks and strong mortar would, we 
think, suffice ; but on this you had better consult a builder, who would 
perhaps advise a supporting buttress every 5 or (5 yards. 
Pruning vines ( Walnest ).—The time to prune Vines is directly 
the foliage has died naturally. Scraping is not advisable, unless they 
are infested with insects. All that is necessary is the removal of loose 
bark, any that will come of: by rubbing the hand along the cane. This 
can be done after pruning, and they can also be washed directly after¬ 
wards. For years we have used nothing for washing but a solution of 
softsoap, at the rate of 2 ozs. to a gallon of warm water. Weak 
solutions of any of the insecticides frequently recommended for the 
purpose will do equally well. 
Seakale (J. B. R .).—If the growths, a foot to 18 inches long, have 
good crowns, the stems may be cut off, inserted up to the crowns in soil 
in a dark warm place for forcing; or the pi ants may be covered with 
fermenting materials, and after the Kale is cut the stems can be cut 
down level with the soil. If they had been cutback last spring, and the 
growths subsequently produced thinned, you would have good crowns 
now an inch or two above the soil. We should also raise sound young 
plants from cuttings of the roots ; these, if well managed, developing 
fine crowns for forcing the first season. 
Caterpillars and maggots (Inquirer). —If you remove the surface 
soil from your Rose bed, give a good dressing of lime, then add fresh 
soil, surfacing with manure, it will probably diminish the number of 
caterpillars next year and in other respects benefit the Roses. Dusting 
the leaves when wet with hellebore powder -or making a decoction by 
pouring boiling water on 2 ozs. of the powder, then adding enough 
water for a gallon, and with that syringing the trees, will rid them of 
caterpillars if the work is well done. We should also treat the soil 
round the Plum trees that are attacked with maggots in the same way as 
advised for the Rose bed. Tar should not be in contact with the stems 
of the trees. 
Hame of Insect (.7. Iliaw). —The specimen sent is a species of 
Sirex, allied to our British Sirex gigas, and belongs to the Hymenopterous 
order of insects. This group are sometimes called tree wasps, but they 
have no power of slinging, nor do they make nests. They fly about by 
day, making a loud humming noise, and occasionally visit flowers. By 
means of the ovipositor with which the extremity of the body is fur¬ 
nished, the female drives her eggs beneath the bark of some tree, branch 
or shoot, and the larvse feed within till they attain maturity, generally 
assuming the pupa condition in the same spot. Their pupatory life 
often lasts for years, but in the winged state they seldom live more than 
a few weeks. 
Chrysanthemum Amy Furze (F. IF. J .).—In the National 
Chrysanthemum Society’s Catalogue Amy F urze is classed as a 
Japanese reflexed variety; it is, therefore, admissible in both Japanese 
and Japanese refiexed classes, but not in those for reflexed only. 
This, of course, applies to the National Society’s Shows, and to the 
exhibitions of all affiliated societies, but in all other cases in the 
absence of any stipulation in the schedule it is purely a matter for 
the judges to decide whether it is in its true class or not, and the 
character of the bloom would determine this to some extent. It would 
be far preferable, however, if the National Catalogue decision were 
accepted in all cases of dispute. 
Xapageria. Failing- (Bun Accord). —As you attribute the deteriora¬ 
tion of your splendid plant to the roots of Elm trees passing under the 
foundation and impoverishing the soil, lifting and planting again in 
the same house would obviously be of no avail, as the roots of the 
trees, if not built out, would take possession of the new soil more 
.quickly than those of the Lapageria would. Besides, large plants of 
this beautiful climber do. not “lift” well. We have known some of 
the finest seriously injured in transplanting though Shey were in charge 
