36 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 18, 1887. 
Changes are not always improvements, but if producers would 
only combine and take steps to supply the public with genuine jam 
made from fresh fruit and good sugar, and establish a system 
whereby everyone could buy alike and on the same terms, they will 
not only benefit themselves, but be public benefactors. I have no 
intention of maturing any plan to effect the foregoing, but will 
help all I can, and advise all concerned to peruse the prospectus as 
promulgated by “ A Hallamshire Bee-keeper.” The following 
account of the way the Scotch market was conducted in Glasgow 
before auctioning was in vogue may be interesting :—The produce 
was taken to the City in the early morning or night before. The 
carts containing the produce were properly arranged ; the disposers 
retired to a room where the carts and purchasers could be seen. 
The latter consisted of merchants, hawkers, tradespeople, and people 
of every class, rich and poor. The disposers, before the market 
was opened, calculated from the number of people and baskets what 
sales were likely to be effected, and fixed their prices accordingly. 
The only restriction in selling was that nothing less than a certain 
quantity would be sold, and those not wishing to take the quantity 
had to purchase from the retailer at a slight advance on the market 
price. Of course that or a similar system would not meet the 
approbation of merchants of the present day, but it would put 
more money into the pockets of the raiser, who has the best claims 
to any profit that is going, and if by any means markets can be 
prevented from being glutted, it will be but one of many that the 
producer can benefit himself by, and when some such system is 
secured none will be better pleased to see it than — A Lanarkshire 
Bee-keeper. 
NOTES ON THE WEATHER AND BEES. 
Snow covers the ground here to a depth of 3 inches, the only snow 
that has lain for more than two or three hours this winter. The lowest 
temperature that has been this year is 20°, and the mean up to the 7th 32°. 
With the exception of Wednesday, the 3rd inst.. when we had a dis¬ 
agreeable day of sleet accompanied hy a moderate wind ; we have had no 
tempest. The ground beneath the snow is covered with ice. The snow 
freezing as it fell prevented me clearing it away from the front of the 
hives, as is my usual custom, with a bass broom, so I have left it undis¬ 
turbed, for while the temperature remains at freezing there is not muoh 
danger of the bees making an attempt to leave the hive. Then, as snow 
upon the roofs of the hives acts beneficially by keeping the frost greatly 
from entering the hive, and as all my hives are so constructed that 
melted snow cannot penetrate them, I will not disturb it until I observe 
a sure rise of temperature is likely to take place. Should a sudden rise of 
temperature take place through the day I shall close the hives and ventilate 
from below until the ground is cleared of the ice and snow. Those who 
attempt to shut in the bees that have Dot provision made for ventilating 
other than the entrance ought to be careful that they do not suffocate or 
in any way to unduly raise the temperature of the hive. Although the 
bees may not be killed, incipient foul brood is sure to follow the change 
brought on the contents of the hive by the act, and which can only be 
avoided by using ventilating floors or some other easy method of venti¬ 
lating, so that the bees will not be disturbed by any jarring under the 
manipulation. 
On the first favourable day that the bees are likely to fly I shall have 
in readiness a few heated fire bricks, and if any of the hives show weakly 
bees a warm brick will be slipped beneath the perforated zinc. The heat 
rising therefrom strengthens swollen bees greatly, and enables them to 
fly and return to their hive, while without that they would fall to the 
ground and be lost. 
Then as soon as the majority of the bees have flown I shall give tho ge 
syrup that I have the slightest apprehension of being short of food, a n d 
continue to feed until they have as much as will tide them over till M av 
It is much safer and better in every way—where bees require it—to f ee d 
early in the year than postpone it till March, as then there is much br 0 od 
in the hives, and bees feed reluctantly, and should not be disturbed if the 
weather is cold and windy. March being the most treacherous month 0 f 
the year for bees, they should be at that time in a state so that thev mo-o- 
not be disturbed.—L. B.-K. 1 may 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Chr. Lorenz, Erfurt.— Illustrated Catalogue for 1887. 
Dobbie & Co., Rothesay, N.B.— Catalogue of Choice Seeds and Plants 
for 1887. 
J. Cheal & Sons, Lowfield, Crawley.— Descriptive List of Garden Seeds, 
1887. 
Charles Sharpe & Co., Sleaford, Lincolnshire.— Catalogue of Garden and 
Farm Seeds, 1887. 
Daniels Bros., Norwich .—Illustrated Guide for Amateus Gardeners. 
R. B. Laird & Sons, 17, Frederick Street, Edinburgh.— Catalogue of 
Kitchen Garden and Flower Seeds, 1887. 
Friedrich Adolf Haage, jr., Erfurt.— Catalogue of Succulent and Cactace¬ 
ous Plants. 
Viccars Collyer k Co., Leicester,— General Catalogue for 1887. 
Wm. Cutbush & Son, Highgate, London.—Catalogue of Flower. Vegetable, 
and Farm Seeds for 1887. 
Barr & Son, 12 and 13, King Street, Covent Garden.— Catalogue of Flower 
and Kitchen Garden Seeds, Plants, <jc. 
James Dickson & Sons, 108, Eastgate Street, Chester.— Catalogue of 
Vegetable and Flower Seeds for 1887. 
G. Bnnyard & Co., Maidstone.— Catal ogue of Vegetable and Flower 
Seeds, 1887. 
Richard Dean, Ranelagh Road, Ealing.— Catalogue of New and Choice 
Potatoes, Primroses. Polyanthus, and Hardy Plants. 
William Baylor Hartland, 24, Patrick Street, Cork.— Year-Book of Seeds 
for 1887. 
Jno. Jefferies & Son, Cirencester.— Catalogue of Seeds, Bulbs, and 
Plants, 1887. 
6 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 si e t questions 
relating to Gardening and those on Boe 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. 
THE INDEX.—In consequence of the iseue of the index for binding 
with the half-yearly numbers, from the beginning of July to the end 
of December, 1886, several excellent articles and interesting com¬ 
munications that are in type cannot be inserted this week. 
Orchids (J. E. B,.). —You have a very good selection of Cattleyas, and 
you could not do better than select a few of the more distinct varieties of 
those you name. The following might be also added with advantage:— 
Cattleya gigas, C. Gaskelliana (one of the C. labiata type), C. Percivaliana, 
and Lrelia purpurata. 
The Eucharis Mit» (Hall). —We are pleased to hear you have succeeded 
to your satisfaction in extirpating this destructive pest that appears to be 
spreading amongst bulbous plants in this country. You are, of course, 
quite justified in making the best use you can of your discovery and in 
advertising the liquid for sale. We know of no better way in which you 
can make it known, but we think you would not make any mistake by send¬ 
ing sample bottles to persons whose plants are infested with the mite with 
the object of obtaining corroborative evidence of the efficacy of your mite 
destroyer. Such testimony from independent and disinterested sources 
would be its best recommendation. 
Ipomaeas (Rosa).— Some of these plants are rather variable in colour, but 
in the cases you name the changes were principally due to the deficient 
sunlight. We have not seen the Orchid specimen, or it would have been 
named with x>leasure. Our correspondents never trouble us when they put 
their questions clearly, or send good examples of the plants they wish to be 
named. 
Piping for Heating Entrance-hall (Cambridge). —A coil of about 4 feet 
length, with six or eight pipes in height, would give you all the warmth 
required, placing it about the middle of the space or where convenient. 
Eight rows of 3-inch pipes on each side, or sixteen rows altogether, would 
maintain a genial temperature without having to heat the pipes highly. 
Moderately heated surfaces are better both as regards health and economy 
than are surfaces highly heated. The length of pipes will require to be 
about 3 feet, or 48 feet altogether, in addition to the ends or boxes of the 
coil. With the case the coil is ornamental. 
Araucarias Failing (A. L .).—If, as you say, the soil is rather thin, 
the lower branches of the trees are failing from exhaustion, the result 
probably of drought in the summer and impoverished ground. We have 
seen great benefit imparted to specimen Conifers by removing the exhausted 
soil in a circle as wide as the spread of the lower branches, giving very 
copious applications of liquid manure, then adding fresh soil with wood 
ashes intermixed, and covering it thickly with manure which was left to 
decay. If that plan cannot be adopted, then great good may be done by 
having recourse to the method of renovation described on page 568, the 
issue of December 23rd, 1886. The address you require is Messrs. Alexander 
ShankB & Son, Dens Ironworks, Arbroath, and 27, Leadenhall Street, 
London, E.C. 
Small Beet—Iberises (0. T. H.). —The majority of persons complain of 
Beet being too large. We find Dell’s Beet quite large enough grown in 
deeply worked, free, good soil that has been weli manured for the previous 
crop, as much manure mixed with the soil shortly before sowing the seed 
often causes the roots to become forked. We grow very fine Beet on 
ground previously occupied with Celery. The ridges are levelled down, 
a dressing of soot given, and the ground well forked. The Beet seed 
is sown during the last week in April if the ground or weather be favour¬ 
able, or the first week in May. Thinning the young plants is done very 
early, before they are made weak by overcrowding, and the hoe is run 
through the ground between the rows very frequently during the season, 
scattering an ounce of salt to each square yard three or four times at inter- 
