284 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 24, 1885. 
the winter ? They were driven from two straw skeps and united. The 
weight of bees alone was 8 lbs., and I am told there was about 35,000 bees in 
the hive. The food they have at present is in seven bars, each 13£ inches 
long and about 8^ inches deep. Will there be enough food for the winter ? 
What quantity of vinegar and salt is used with sugar and water when 
making food ? and how long is it to boil ? Should they be covered now 
for the winter, or ought I to wait till the end of this month ? Should the 
dummy board at the back of the bars fit close to the bottom of the hive or 
not, as my board is about a quarter of an inch from the bottom, and very 
often the bees are out in the back part of the hive ? If you will give me 
your advice on the above I shall feel thankful.—R. C. 
[There is no way of determining the number of bees in a swarm by 
either weight or bulk. The number that would weigh 8 lbs. when full of 
honey would weigh very much less when empty. About two pints or, 
more bees, Scotch measure, will make a good stock to stand the winter, 
if it has not less than 25 lbs, of honey in store ; but by the end of April 
if breeding has been going on briskly previously, it may then have to be 
fed again, unless honey is plentiful. If the frames are well filled and 
sealed, each should contain about 6 lbs. You had better give them at 
least four frames, if not more. Bees always do better in spring with 
plenty of food in the hive. Neither vinegar nor salt is necessary to be 
put amongst syrup. Boil one minute, and keep it stirring till all the 
sugar is dissolved. The quantity of water required for sugar depends on 
its quality. Cane sugar (proper) put into any vessel, then soft water 
poured on it until the water stands an inch or more above the sugar, is 
about the right thing, but rather keep it a little thin than too thick. Hives 
should always have their coverings. There should be no difference in 
them during summer or winter. Dividing boards not reaching the bottom 
of the hive cause a continual current of air to be passing amongst the 
bees, and has the contrary effect upon the health of the hive than what it 
was intended for. You will find your bees more healthy and more 
easily managed if you have the frames at right angles to the entrance.] 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Webb & Sons, Wordsley, Stourbridge.— Catalogue of Seed Corn for 
1885-6 ( illustrated). 
Sutton & Sons, Reading.— Bulb Catalogue for 1885 ( illustrated ). 
L. Delaville, 2, Quai de la Megisserie, Paris. —Catalogue of Bulbs. 
Michael Rains it Co., 34, Mansell Street, Whitechapel.— Wholesale Cata¬ 
logue of Bulbs. 
Charles Turner, Slough. —Catalogue of Roses, Fruit Trees, and Bulbs. 
James Yates, Stockport. —Illustrated List of Bulbs. 
Isaac Davies & Son, Ormskirk, Lancashire.— Catalogue of Rhododendrons 
and Azaleas. 
*#* 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 unavoidably. We 
request that no one will write privately to any of our correspon¬ 
dents, as doing so subjects them to unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions relat¬ 
ing to Gardening and those on Bee subjects, and should never 
send more than two or three questions at once. All articles in¬ 
tended 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 communications. 
Insects on Chrysanthemums (S. Jones). —The insects shall be carefully 
examined, and a fuller reply given in a future issue ; in the meantime de¬ 
stroy them, as they are undoubtedly injurious. 
Tree Carnations {Inquirer). —These plants require a very light house) 
and when placed in position in the autumn the same temperature and venti¬ 
lation will be suitable for them in which Pelargoniums would be kept 
steadily growing, or about 45° at night, with a free circulation of air, a close 
atmosphere being very prejudicial. When first housed free ventilation is 
of more importance than maintaining any particular degree of temperature. 
Exhibiting Roses ( Rosarian). —We fail to see that any benefit would 
result by publishing your letter. It is well known there are “ open ” classes 
at local shows, and a local exhibitor has a perfect right to choose those in 
which he can stage the best, provided he does not do so in contravention of 
the regulations. This is indeed what “great” exhibitors do. If other per¬ 
sons in the district have equalled or surpassed the exhibitor to whom you 
allude, we will readily record any facts with which you may favour us on 
the subject. 
Worms on Lawns ( G. II .).—There is no simpler remedy for expelling 
worms from lawns and borders than clear lime water. Get some lumps 
of lime fresh from the kiln and place them in water, stirring well, then 
allowing the lime to settle and the water become clear. If there is any 
sediment at the bottom of the vessel the water will be as strong as yon can 
make it, and perfectly safe. About a pound of lime will suffice for ten 
gallons of water. It is best to apply it during mild showery weather, when 
the worms are near the suface. If there is no sediment at the bottom of 
the vessel the lime water will not be strong enough. An ounce of corrosive 
sublimate dissolved in a little boiling water, then mixed with forty gallons of 
clear water and applied through a rose, has also been found to expel worms 
from lawns. 
Peaches and Tomatoes—Malt Dust ( Vectis ).—If your house is well 
furnished with Peach trees in a good bearing state we should hesitate in 
making the change you suggest. If you have not had experience in grow¬ 
ing fruit trees in pots you might not succeed so well as you anticipate. 
With ordinary care no harm would ensue by cutting off the few roots to 
which you allude, but we do not advise the change. There is no better 
method of growing fruit trees in pots than that described by Mr. Rivers in 
his book, and recently by Mr. Hawkins in this Journal We have seen 
excellent crops of Tomatoes grown in pots in Peach ho. cs. Malt dust 
resembles brownish sawdust. It is not the dried growths of the Barley 
produced in malting, but the refuse that passes through th,- perforated floor 
to the fire below, and thus becomes carbonised. It is an excellent manure 
for various plants and crops. 
Damping a Vinery—Placing Pears in a Vinery—Cutting off Strawberry 
Leaves (F. J .).—The vinery should be kept dry, not damping the floor, as 
the atmosphere will be quite moist enough for the Grapes ; indeed the diffi¬ 
culty in a house where fire heat is only given to keep out frost will be to 
have it dry enough. A little ventilation at all times so as to promote a cir¬ 
culation will be desirable, as a stagnant atmosphere is not favourable to Ae 
keeping of Grapes, and hinders the ripening of the wood. Pears st^uld 
not be placed on shelves in a vinery, but in a cool place, and kept jujube 
dark rather than light, until they become rip 3 , or until a day or two ip„jore 
they are fit for table, when light improves them considerably. It is not 
good practice to cut away the head and leaves of Strawberries, as they are 
essential to the development of the crowns. 
Primula and Cyclamen Leaves Spotted (R. C. W.). —The leaves are at¬ 
tacked by a fungus, which is much fostered by a close badly ventilated 
atmosphere, and is also encouraged by a too rich soil. We should try the 
effect of some artificial manure as a surface dressing, so as to stimulate root- 
action, and maintain a genial condition of the atmosphere with a rather free 
circulation of air. The plants should be syringed with a solution of sulphide 
of potassium, in the first instance at the rate of half an ounce to a gallon of 
water; but the chief thing is to get them into better health, and then if the 
leaves are still spotted, apply the sulphide of potassium at 1 oz. to the gallon 
of water. Otherwise do not syringe the foliage, and keep the plants near to 
the glass. 
Mildew on Roses (A. G. F .).—Mildew is usually the most prevalent 
when the roots of Roses are in poor and too dry soil, and the position is 
more or less low and sheltered. Syringing the plants with water in which 
2 ozs. of softsoap is dissolved in each gallon, and while still wet dusting the 
affected parts with sulphur, is a good remedy ; but at this season the ends 
of the worst shoots may he cut off and burned. Copious applications of 
liquid manure to the roots would almost certainly be beneficial. Not know¬ 
ing the nature of the soil we are unable to say whether lime w r ould improve 
it or not; if it is needed we should apply it in the spring. 
Bluebottle Flies (B. G.). —The flies you Bent with the Vine leaves are 
those named above and are plentiful in late summer in most gardens, 
frequenting walls, vineries, and other places where there is warmth and 
decaying or cracked fruit. They are best trapped ; some soda-water or 
similar bottles being about half-filled with sweetened beer and suspended 
b v a piece of string or wire tied round the neck in places where they frequent. 
The flies will enter and be drowned. The bottles require to be emptied 
when they get full and the contents renewed. The most likely cause of the 
Grapes on the Muscat Hamburgh Vine shanking is the roots being deep'in a 
cold badly dtained border, the remedy for which is lifting, removing the old 
soil, and rectifying the drainage, laying in the roots in fresh soil nearer the 
surface, which should be done so soon as the leaves give indications of 
falling. 
Fassiflora not Flowering ( George Murray). —We are unable to account 
for the Passionflower casting its buds, but it mostly arises from the plant 
being over-vigorous, the wood not ripening sufficiently. This is common 
when the plants are grown in a dark position and do not receive sufficient 
air and light for the solidification of the growth. Try root-pruning or con¬ 
fining the roots, which will give short-jointed wood, and probably the plant 
will then expand its flowers. Hybrid Passifloras are not by any means 
unusual, but we do not know of any between the varieties to which you 
allude. 
Retinospora ericoides {G. S .).—The plant is not a Juniper,hut hears the 
name given above. It is easily propagated by cuttings, which strike readily 
if inserted in sandy soil under handlights out of doors, and if given a good 
watering after insertion they will not require any farther attention until 
spring. It will, however, be necessary to cover the frames with mats and 
similar material in severe weather. Cuttings can also be inserted in pots 
and placed in a house where the temperature does not fall below 40°, and 
some plunge the pots in slight bottom heat, but in this case much more at¬ 
tention is needed than for those out of doors. It is not too late to commence 
propagating the plants this season, and you should have no difficulty in ob¬ 
taining a good stock of young plants for next year. 
Stopping Bouvardias (E. II.). —You may now pinch out the flower 
trusses that are showing, the present time being quite late enough to have 
them flower at Christmas as they do not come on so quickly at this time of 
year as in summer. If you cannot command a higher temperature than 50° 
by artificial means it would be best to leave the plants as they are and keep 
them back until early December, when they may be brought into flower by 
placing in heat. 2, The Narcissus and Liliums may he planted between the 
pots of Chrysanthemums. The soil will not become too moist for the bulbs if 
you confine the application of water and liquid manure to the pots. We 
presume the Chrysanthemums will be moved indoors for flowering in the 
