448 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May .V, 1'8!>. 
atmosphere overcharged with moisture, beginning winter with weak 
lots. Nothing so injuriously affects bees as damp, whether it is in 
the air or the hive. Not one has died from want, and the best and 
forward hives are those that kept so well within doors during late 
winter and early spring, and the way to secure this is to provide 
the hives as I have advised. 
The cottagers’ opinions on the cause of the death of their bees 
are as various hereabouts a3 in Hallamshire, some of them quite 
comical. One bee-keeper declares he will never' put a bee into a 
wooden hive again. 
DO BEE3 HYBERNATE? 
It has always been my opinion that hybernation meant animals 
going naturally into seclusion where they could pass the winter 
without being exposed to its inclemency, falling into a torpid state 
wherein respiration was greatly reduced and little food or oxygen 
required. They live upon the accumulated fat which, under a slow 
•combustion, maintained a proper degree of heat without exertion. 
I have often observed bees as “ Hallamshire ” has described, but I 
never knew them to become silent nor to cease consuming food. 
Always when it failed the bees died after a week or so. I have been 
told by those who buried their bees in a northern exposure, so that 
the sun's rays would not affect them, the bees consumed no food : 
but I would not trust to that. There may be degrees of hyberna¬ 
tion, but think with bees it will be of short duration. I am of 
opinion there may be much in the queen theory promulgated by 
“ A Hallamshire Bee-keeper.” From the moment we deteriorate 
in raising anything artificially the progeny suffers, and in the end 
will succumb. During the time we had to feed our bees constantly 
for between three and four years they became so weakened in con¬ 
stitution that many lost their bees altogether ; at least, it was my 
opinion that continued sugar-feeding was the cause, although some 
of my southern friends laughed the idea to scorn. Still “ facts are 
stubborn.” I trust “ Hallamshire Bee-keeper,” with his usual 
acuteness of observation, will follow out his work of improving the 
hardiness of the bee and give us the results.—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. 
Melons (A. W. C .~).—Your letter arriving on Wednesday morning 
is a day too late for being satisfactorily answered this week. 
Caterpillars on Fruit Blossom ( Gravesend ).—We think you 
aTe right in your surmise that the enemy is Cheimatobia brumata. 
Bolling: Guano (G . W.).—We have never boiled guano for making 
liquid manure, nor previously heard of the practice. Do you know if 
the gardener had better results from it than from guano dissolved with¬ 
out boiling ? Unless the ammonia were very firmly “ fixed,” we should, 
like yourself, expect it to be dispelled by boiling the guano. We are, 
however, open to the opinions of others on the subject, which is new 
to us. 
Questions from Xndla (R. S. L. Kooloo). —1, We can give you the 
mean monthly temperature in the south of England. January 37°, 
February 39°, March 42°, April 48°, May 56°, June 60°, July C3°’ 
August 63°, September 58°, October 51°, November 42°, December 39°. 
2, For a good work on Tobacco growing and curing, write co Messrs. 
James Carter & Co., 237, High Holborn, London. 3, We cannot possibly 
account for the Plum tree withering, and fear it may be be; ond 
recovery. 
Bed Spider on Vines (<S. A.).—The chief cause of red spider is 
a deficiency of moisture at the roots or in the atmosphere. We should 
dress the border with guano, making it quite yellow all over, and wash- 
in the guano by watering. The floor of the house should be kept damp 
by sprinkling with water twice or thrice a day. If the Grapes have not 
begun to change colour for ripening, we should syringe them twice a 
day with clear rain water until they change colour. The force of the 
water should be directed against the under side of the leaves. 
Bed Spider on Vines ( Ferns ).—We have answered a similar 
question to another correspondent, but yours is a far worse case, and we 
fear the Vines may be permanently injured, though you cannot be fairly 
held responsible if you found them in their present infested state. 
No amount of sulphur on the pipes will destroy the horde of insects. 
Several very powerful syringings or washing with an engine would do 
more good. If there is no fruit on the Vines, you might try the effect 
of nicotine soap of the strength recommended by the vendors. 
Melons Damping- off (A. A.).—The cause of the Melon plants 
damping-off at the collar is the leaves there overshadowing the stem and 
keeping it from receiving a due amount of air. The young shoots and 
leaves that cluster over the collar should be removed, so as to expose it 
to light and air. In dull and moist weather a little air at night is 
necessary to keep the moisture condensed during the night from being 
deposited on the leaves and stems. The collar should not be wetted or 
watered. Keep the laterals duly stopped to prevent the principal leaves 
from being crowded or overshadowed. Dust with quicklime the stems 
of those affected by canker. See that the lights are drip-proof. 
Stopping Bhododendron Growths (C. M. M."). —We print your 
letter in case any of our readers should have anything to say on the 
subject:—“ In the formation of fine specimen Rhododendrons where th# 
plants only flower partially is it not better to stop the branches which 
do not flower, so as to cause them to throw out three or four shoots, 
rather than allow them to make their centre growth ? and also, in the 
case of plants which have not formed any flower buds, would it not be 
better to take out the terminal growth of each shoot for the same 
purpose ? That is to say, that the habit of the plant being to make 
three or four shoots from the base of the flower bud after flowering 
when the bloom is not produced the bud pushes forth as growth, pre¬ 
vents side shoots forming, and causes the plant to become lanky.” We 
should do what is suggested and expect better furnished plants in con¬ 
sequence, but cultivators are at liberty to detail their experience if it 
differs from ours on this subject. 
laburnum with Purplish and Yellow Flowers (Watson"). — 
It frequently occurs. Some years since the late Mr. Fish observed :—“ The 
changes produced on the Laburnum when grafted are sometimes won¬ 
derful and wholly unaccountable. We have rarely seen the common or 
Scotch Laburnum sport into other varieties. We recollect of only one 
instance in which flowers of purpurascens appeared. But if you graft 
either of the Laburnums with Cytisus purpureus or Cytisus supinus, the 
vagaries which sometimes take place are astonishing. I can see any 
day a small standard of Cytisus alpinus which was grafted with Cytisus 
purpureus, and on the same branch will sometimes be found small 
pieces of yellow and purple, and at the very point strong shoots of the 
Cytisus alpinus, the ‘ blood ’ of the stock finding its way through the more 
■weakly growth of the scion. What is remarkable is, that grafting or 
budding with one variety will frequently, as the plant grows, present 
you with three or four varieties, or what are called ‘ species.’ ” 
Todea superba Culture (A. Z"). —It should be grown in a pot 
well drained, using a compost of three parts fibrous peat, one part 
yellow loam, and a half part each of sandstone or crocks broken rather 
small, and silver sand. The peat and sand should be torn up mode¬ 
rately small, and the whole should be well mixed ; pot moderately firmly. 
Keep the soil constantly moist, and place the plants in a moist shady 
part of the greenhouse. If the house be small the p ants will do without 
a glass, but if not sufficiently close and moist it should be covered with 
a glass just resting within the rim of the pot, and if it have no holes 
in the top it should be taken off and wiped dry once daily. The plant 
should be gently sprinkled with water once a day in bright weather 
through a very fine-rosed cam. If the glass have no holes at the top tilt 
it a little on one side at night, shutting close in the day. The plants 
having the requisite moisture, the fronds will be covered with minute 
dewdrop-like spots of water in the morning from the condensation of 
water during the night. 
Striking- Bose Cuttings (J. J .").—Though you have means of 
supplying bottom heat, we presume you have a frame or hand-light or 
two. Take cuttings of the kinds you wish to propagate as soon as the 
first crop of flowers is shed. The cuttings should be of the wood of the 
current year, and are best with three eyes or buds. Cut the shoots 
below the lowest bud or eye, and remove the leaf which is there, but let 
the others remain. Insert each cutting in a 3 inch pot filled with two 
parts light loam, one part leaf soil, and one part sand. Set the pots on 
ashes in a cold frame or under a hand-light; keep the cuttings close and 
shaded from sun, and sprinkle them lightly with water every morn¬ 
ing, replacing the light or lights immediately. In a month or six weeks 
they will be well rooted, and air should then be admitted, but gradually 
at first. Shift the plants into 5-inch pots in September, and during the 
winter keep them plunged in ashes in a cold frame, with air in mild 
weather, but protect from severe frost. Shift the plants into larger 
pots in April, and plunge them out of doors in a sheltered position, 
