322 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
[ April 21.1SS7. 
lots, he may never send to the fairs. The Parcel Post will carry it for 
him to the most remote places at a less cost than the gross profit made 
by the H. Co., and he will pocket the dealer’s profits, which is 4d. to Gd. 
Personally, I may say the Union would neither get me a better price or 
a better market, as, being in a town of over 300,000 people, where I am 
well known, my honey all goes as fast as extracted—viz., Is. per lb., 
extracted in buyers’ own bottles. 
C\s You will see, Mr. Editor, that the Union is to be floated by the 
enclosed prospectus, a copy of which will be sent to any applicant who 
will forward an addressed and stamped half-penny wrapper to Mr. J. 
Hewitt, Cambridge Street, Sheffield.—A Hallamshire Bee-keeper. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
Benjamin Field, F.R.B.S., Swan Place, Old Kent Road, London, S.E.— 
Catalogued/Horticultural Soils, Manures, Sundries, and Pottery ( illustrated). 
George Humphries, Kington Langley, Chippenham.— Catalogue of 
Dahlias and Bedding Plants. 
Henry Bennett, Pedigree Rose Nursery, Shepperton, Middlesex .—List of 
New Boses for 18S7. 
William Paul & Son, Waltham Cross, Herts .—Catalogue of New Roses. 
Bruant, Poitiers, Vienne, France .—General Spring Catalogue of Plants. 
Charles Turner, Royal Nurseries, Slough .—Spring Ca'alcgue of Soft- 
wooded, Stove, and Greenhouse Plants. 
Benjamin Fi-ld, 75a, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., and Old 
Kent Road .—Catalogue of Garden Requisites. 
e 0 e All correspondence should be directed either to “ The 
Editor” or to “ Tiie 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. 
LATE INQUIRIES.—It is necessary to again remind correspondents that 
letters arriving on WEDNESDAY MORNING cannot be answered 
in the “ next issue, which is then far advanced for press. 
Princess of Prussia Strawberry (IT. If.).—Your letter has been for¬ 
warded to our correspondent. 
Clematis coccinea (C. D.). —The plant should be grown in a very light 
position and not topped. It will flower much better when it reaches the 
glass roof than on the back wall, unless the position is unusually light. 
Cattleya Warneri (A. B. C.). —Do not attempt to rest the plant now 
or you will injure both growths and flowers ; rather encourage it as much 
as possible, as good treatment now will assist it materially. It may be the 
autumn-flowering (J. labiata as you suppose, but that will be readily deter¬ 
mined when its flowers expand. 
Blarechal Niel Rose (M. C. B .).—We should not imagine the air passing 
freely through the ridge of the roof would impair the maturation of the 
wood, but rather assist it in the summer and autumn, but sharp currents of 
air in spring often injure the young shoots. If the growths are shaded 
from the sun by the ridge you will act wisely by trainiug them where they 
can receive as much sun as possible; then you may expect the wood to 
ripen. 
Mulching Rose Beds (F.J .).—For light soil especially manure from a 
cow stable is as good as anything that can be applied, and you may apply 
it now if the Roses do not grow so strongly as j ou wish. What is “ best ” 
for one soil and condition of plants is not the “best” under all circum¬ 
stances, and you neither state the nature of your soil nor the condition of 
your Roses. Dissolved hones are a little more active and a little less 
durable than bonemeal. They are best used as a top-dressing. 
Planting Flower Beds {A. B. C.).— It has never been the rule for us to 
take the initiative in this matter, but only to examine methods of planting 
submitted, and to suggest any changes for consideration as possible im° 
provement3. But apart from this, no one can satisfactorily point out how 
certain beds should be filled without knowing their sizes and the number 
of plants of each kind at disposal. We shall much prefer your acting in 
accordance with our established rule. We may then perhaps help you and 
shall be glad to do so if we can. 
Frame Linings (H. M ). — “ Linings ” are additions of manure built ail 
round hotbeds and up the sides of the frames for imparting additional 
hbat, especially top'heat.' Some hotbeds are made 2 feet or so wider than 
the frames, and then the linings are applied round the sides of the frames 
alone, not round the original bed on which they stand. The necessity for 
lining is indicated by the temperature in the frames. If in growing 
Cucumbers, for instance, the night temperature fal's to G0°, sweet fer¬ 
menting material should at once be packed round 2 feet wide or so to raise 
the heat about 5°. 
Destroying Plantains (F. J. C .).—We have destroyed thousands of 
Plantains on lawns by dropping crude carbolic acid, also sulphuric acid, 
right into the hearts of the plants. We have seen the latter used and fail, 
the plants growiug again ; but when we supplied the acid to other plants 
on the sameliwn the cuiewas compl te. This showed that the acid in, 
the former case was either too weak or not properly applied. We have dug 
up root3 of Dandelions a week after the crowns were dressed with sulphuric 
acid, aud found them burnt right down to the tips a foot below the surface. 
It is not suffioi'.nt to merely kill the leaves of the plants ; the acid must 
enter the hearts quite in the centre. 
Insects on Vines (C. C.). —You had better j not use petroleum. Two or 
three not very sirong fumigations on consecutive nights will not injure the; 
Vines and will destroy aphides, syringing forcibly in the morning after the 
“ smoking.” It is much bett r and cheaper to fumigate lightly and occa¬ 
sionally to prevent insects than allow them to increase, and then have re-; 
course to a strong volume of smoke, or to powerful insecticides for 
eradieatiug them. We never permit green fly to infest either Strawberries 
or Vines. You will see remarks on working a vinery profitably in another 
column. Maidenhair Ferns grow well under Vines, and dark firm fronds 
of Adiantum cunsatum are bought extensively by florists. Your former 
letter did not reach us. 
Fuchsia Leaves Crinkled (if. B). —The leaves sent are not unusual. It 
chiefly arises from the plants being grown in too low a temperature, and in 
too moist and rich soil, which is not favourable to root action. The only 
remedy we know is to afford the plants a light position in a house with a 
temperature of 50° to 55° artificially, avoiding a saturated condition of tho 
soil, increasing the supply of water as the plants increase in growth, thus 
giving evidence of free root action. It also arises from sudden depression 
of temperature, or from currents of co’d and dry air following a dull and 
moist period. It seldom or never attacks plants grown in tbe open air. 
Sometimes the ctinkling is a consequence of the attacks of nematoid worms, 
probably due to an excess of organic matter in the soil, .and is common not 
only to Fuchsias, but Pelargoniums. It’ is advisable to cease propagating 
from such plants. 
Mareclial Niel Rose Petals Falling Prematurely (Idem). —The Ro3e 
is in capital condition, and has done well considering that it was kept in a 
glass shed until January, probably dry at the roots, and these perhaps frozen. 1 
The cause of the blooms not expanding is defective root action, and until that 
defect is rectified the hastening of the flowering in a minimum temperature 
of 55° is more likely to accelerate than arrest the evil. The plant requires 
to be brought into bloom by a slower process. Could you not turn the 
plant out into a border of good rich soil, in which it would be likely to 
succeed much better than in a pot ? In some instances the buds do not 
expand through the house being kept unduly close and the air too moist, 
with a deficiex-cy of light. 
Hyacinth Stems Dislocated (IT. B .).—We are quite unable to indicate 
the cause of the separation of flower heads from the centres of the plants. 
We do not imagine insects are the authors of the evil, nor do we think the 
flower stems have been purposely broken from the two plants before us, for 
the simple reason that though we have bisected them the lower part of the . 
stems were not to be found. Were the flower heads taken from some 
other plants and put in those you sent ? It is curious that “ several dozens ” 
of the plants in beds shonld be in the unfortunate condition indicated. 
The plants are more advanced than in beds near London, and almost 
appear as if they had been protected. There is the possibility that water 
from melted snow freezing hard in the centres of the plants some time ago 
may have so injured the steins that the flow of sap was arrested, and the 
shrivelling induced ; hut the curious part is we can find no vestige of the 
lower parts of the flower stems in the plants before us. 
Propagating Euphorbia jacquinireflora ( G. F. B.). —This very useful 
plant is readily increased from cuttings. The plants after flowering should 
be kept dry, but not so as to cause tbe wood to shrivel, and be cut back to 
firm ripe woed. From this shoots will push when the plants are placed in 
gentle heat, as they should be in March, and when these are between. 
4 and 6 inches long they should be taken off with a heel, the base pared 
smooth and inserted about an inch apart around the sides of 6 or 6-inch 
pots, he placed in a gentle bottom heat and covered with a frame or 
bellglass, keeping them close, moist, and shaded from bright sun until 
rooted, as will be known by their growing freely; they must then bo inured 
to the air of the house, and he potted singly and grown in a very light 
position. To prepare the cutting pots drain them with crooks one-third their 
depth, place a little cocoa-nut fibre over the drainage, and fill to within three- 
quarters of an inch of the rim with a compost of light loam, leaf soil, sind, 
and dust charcoal in equal parts, surfacing with half an inch of pure sand. 
Apply water through a fine rose, and an hour or two afterwards insert the 
cuttings, giving them a gentle watering. They should be inserted about 
a couple of inches deep. 
Cesspool Contents (A Nciv Subscriber).— The liquid of a cesspool con¬ 
nected with a dwelling and composed of the entire slops from the house, 
is very valuable for every description of plants, except those with fine hair- 
like roots, such as Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Heaths, &c., and is particularly 
desirable for Roses and all kinds of plants requiring support for enhancing 
their vigour. It may be applied undiluted to Roses established iu beds, 
giving a supply early in May, in June, and again so soon as the flowering is 
over. There will not be any smell of consequence, as the soil is the best 
deodoriser. It should not be poured directly on the plants and stems, but 
in the spaces between them. For vegetables it may be poured between the 
rows or along the sides of rows of Peas, &c. If the contents of the tank be 
strong, which it is hardly likely to he from the varied source of supply, it 
should be diluted with water." That will, however, for the reason given, 
only occur when the taak is low and the contents become thick, then add 
water to the extent of six times the bulk of the sewag j , stirring well. It 
