266 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 2, 1‘8S. 
not because of the supply being too great, but because consumers 
are too few, arises the difficulty in getting honey sold. Increase 
the consumers and bee-keeping will also increase, so will the 
demand for honey, as well as the price ; but action must be taken 
to teach our people how to use and know good honey before 
P. H. Elwood’s assertion gains confidence and his plan assumes 
practical shape. When writing on Capt. Hetherington he says, 
“ Two years before this (1874) he had made a large shipment of 
comb honey to England, which Mr. Qninley said was the first sent 
abroad in quantity. At this early date he recognised that the 
relief for an overstocked market here must be sought abroad. It 
is to be regretted that our wholesale dealers have not persistently 
followed up this exportation, as there are but few difficulties to 
overcome aside from the national prejudice of the average Briton — 
that foreign products are not quite as good as home productions. 
Our climate is drier, and we have a better proportion of sunshine 
than England, conditions which should give our honey a superior 
body and flavour.” 
Probably all he says about the American climate is accurate, 
but respecting the quality of the American honey I cannot endorse 
what he says. I have seen and tasted numerous samples of it, and 
none approached our medium quality in either flavour or con¬ 
sistency, and was indeed a long way behind our finest grades, which 
as a rule candies so firm that it is only with difficulty it can be 
removed from the jar it is stored in. Not so with the American ; at 
no time did lever see it other when candied but that a spoon could 
be easily pushed to the bottom of the vessel, and often only part of 
it granulated. How, then, can it have a better body ? And as to 
flavour, it possessed more the taste of a sweetened liquid than the 
honey of Scotland. Moreover, we have it on their own showing 
that there is often, if not always, present a considerable quantity 
of water upon the top of their honey when in tanks. If water 
appeared on the top of our honey we should never offer it for sale. 
Teach the people of Britain to use honey and I believe they will 
consume all that is raised in this country, as well as the surplus of 
America and other countries; but the quality muse be improved 
before it will rank even with a second-class British honey. 
It is to be regretted that there are so few consumers of honey. 
It is not only good for food, drinks, and medicine, but acts as a 
powerful antidote in the case of poisoning, particularly cupreous, 
as well as in certain vegetable poisoning ; and in combination with 
permanganate of potash, also with carbolic acid, is useful for 
healing cankered and ulcerated sores, and preventing putrefaction. 
Vinegar and honey is good for catarrh, and valuable for cleaning 
stains in silk. Invalids deficient in animal heat will find nothing 
so valuable and effective in restoring it as honey. The same 
applies to those in cold countries or exposed situations. Soldiers 
and sailors in such places will withstand the cold longer and better 
on honey than anything else, while it checks the desire for 
stimulants in the shape of alcohol. Any of these properties alone 
is sufficient to encourage the consumption of honey, and thos e 
who should take the lead in its encouragement, and who have the 
greatest interest in it, are the bee-keepers themselves. 
NOTES ON THE SEASON AND WEATHER. 
Up to the 20th April the weather continued ungenial, the bees 
have not as yet had a single working day—never more than a few 
minutes at a time. The sun has seldom shone. On the 19th> 
however, we had about six hours’ sunshine for the first time this 
season, but as the wind was high with a sinking barometer, although 
the thermometer stood at GO 0 , indicating rain, the bees remained 
idle. They are still progressing and will continue doing so, no 
matter what the weather is, so long as they have plenty of stores, 
but after they get a little working on the blossoms, should the 
weather become unfavourable they will draw their brood. It is 
for the bee-keeper to keep watch over this and immediately give 
syrup according to the strength and wants of the colony ; inattention 
±o this important matter will completely upset all chances of a good 
yield of honey, even should an opportunity occur by a favourable 
season. 
The weather still continues unseasonable. On the morning of 
the 26th April the thermometer registered 27° Fahr., with a high 
wind and falling barometer. The improvement that took place on 
the 14th April, when the thermometer rose for a short time to 58“, 
; was of short duration. The ground is cold and sodden, and except 
the spring of 1843 I do not remember so cold and sunless a season. 
Bees have not as yet had a full day’s work—never more than a few 
minutes at a time, and the fruit blossom is now appearing. A 
genial change would be welcomed by all.—A Lanarkshire Bee¬ 
keeper. 
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. 
Double Primulas (./. T. Walton). —The variety is an excellent 
one and well worth preservation. By all means keep it true, and 
endeavour to get a stock of it. Sports do occasionally occur amongst 
double Primulas. 
Vine Growths Withering- (TV. B. It.). —The leaves have the 
appearance of being scorched whilst quite young. It may be caused 
by the sun’s rays falling on them through inferior glass before the 
moisture has evaporated, or it may be constitutional, arising from an 
obscure cause. We should consider the advisability of training up a 
young rod from a healthy growth at the base. 
Melon Flowers (IE E. C.~). —We do not quite understand your 
case as it is presented. You say the flowers turn yellow and drop off, 
but the fruit does not fall. You do not say whether it swells or not, 
and all Melon flowers that we have seen are yellow. I f you mean the 
fruit does not set and swell, possibly the soil is too rich and not firm 
enough, and the atmosphere too moist for the dispersion of pollen. 
Artificial fertilisation should be resorted to when the flowers are dry. 
Bonemeal or Flour for Strawberries In Pots ( Strawberry ). 
— Both are excellent, but of the two “ flour,” because finer, is prefer¬ 
able. Noble is large and good for forcing, but it has not the quality 
of Sir Joseph Paxton, which is one of the very best. It is not wise to 
grow Noble largely for forcing until it is ascertained how it is liked, 
though there is a difference between growing the fruit for home use or 
market, and you do not state your object. To ripen the first or second 
week in April the plants should be started at the beginning of January. 
Compost for Tea Boses (//. W.). —Turfy loam of medium tex¬ 
ture, a sixth part each of crumbled manure and leaf soil, with a little 
crushed lime rubbish, and wood ashes for ensuring porosity, will grow Tea 
Roses in pots well if the plants are kept quite free from insects and 
good judgment is exercised in watering. In the absence of either of 
those essential conditions, the best of soil will not produce healthy 
growth and good blooms. A pound of crushed bones mixed with half a 
bushel of the compost would improve it considerably, but excellent 
results are obtained without such addition, any extra support needed by 
the plants being afforded by top-dressings or liquid manure. 
Lettuce Seed not Germinating- (A. T. II.). —We gather from your 
letter that you sowed seeds of five varieties of Lettuces in pots at the 
same time, and accorded to all the same treatment ; that you succeeded 
in raising plants of four of those varieties and failed with the fifth; 
that the seed of this was purchased last spring, that of the others this 
spring. If that is what you wish us to understand, we have little doubt 
that the failure was the result of old seed. But you say l - it was bought 
from a leading firm, and therefore do not like to say it was bad.” We 
have no doubt it was good when sold, but the germinating power of 
seeds cannot be retained beyond a given time, and that in the case of 
Lettuce seed is short. We attribute the failure to an error of judgment 
on your part in sowing old seed, and it will scarcely be necessary to 
ask you to follow the advice we have often given—not to rely on old 
Lettuce seed in the future. 
