November 27. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
149 
called Soup aa Poliron. PoUron being the name of the 
Pumpkin. 
The recent grand ceremony of distributing the prizes 
has reminded me of a fact which may be worth noticing, as 
it shows tbe estimation in which the French government 
holds scientific men at all great public ceremonies. Tlie 
Professors and Directors of tbe Garden of Plants are 
invited, as a matter of course. Certainly, it is no more than 
fitting that they should be present at the distribution of 
the prizes in the Palais dc I'lndnslrie ; but the same honour 
is paid them as is paid the directors of all other scientific 
institutions here, whatever the nature of the occasion may 
be.—P. F. Keie. 
THE APIARIAN'S CALENDAR.— December. 
By J. H, Payne, Esq., Author of “ The Bee-Keeper's 
Guide,” dc. 
Bees require very little attention during the present 
month ; indeed, nothing beyond defending them well 
against wet, and seeing the floor-boards are dry and clean. 
Feeding at the present time would be most injurious. 
Disturbing them in any way should be avoided as much 
as possible. 
Snow.—W hen snow visits us, it will be well to close the 
entrances by the perforated zinc slider. I am aware tliat 
some persons consider this precaution unnecessary; but 
who that values the life of the bee can help being vexed on 
seeing the snow in front of tbe hives, when the sun shines 
brightly upon it, studded with bees never to rise again ? and 
these not worn-out, old bees, but the prime of the hive; 
bees that were hatched late in the season, and destined to 
become the caterers of the rising colony. 
Should snow remain long on the ground, and it becomes 
necessary to keep the bees in confinement for any length of 
time, it will be right, occasionally at night, to withdraw 
the slider, and, with a quill, gently draw out the dead bees 
that will sometimes be found to accumulate on tbe floor¬ 
board. 
NTCTANTHES ARBOR-TRISTIS. 
This interesting, night-flowering plant, of which, I believe, 
there is only one specimen in this country, is now flowering 
every night in great perfection at the residence of the 
Duchess Dowager of Northumberland (Licrahenliam). To 
those who are fond of sweet-scented plants, this must be of 
interest. It is natural for the flowers to drop off in the 
moming after flowering in the night, but they still retain 
their perfume, and keep good for many days. The other 
day, when I called there, some of the flowers that had 
fallen off were laying on the top of the pot, and their beauti¬ 
ful, rich, Jasmine-like odour filled the whole house. I was 
informed, Her Grace has taken deep interest in this plant 
for many years, and, from time to time, has imported 
seeds from India, but never could get any to flower until 
this season, and it must be a great pleasure to find, after so 
many years of hard labour, she has succeeded at last. It 
has flowered in this country once before, but many years 
past. I have little doubt, Mr. Uzzel, the gardener, will be 
glad to let any one see it; and, let me add, there are many 
good and well-grown plants to be seen there as well as the 
Nyctanthes.—A. B. 
A NOVEL METHOD OE PROTECTING PLANTS 
IN PITS OR FRAMES. 
Pardon me for troubling you concerning the “ vexed 
question” of protection; but having waited in vain for a 
remedy to save our tender plants from the effects of frost, I 
am induced to offer a plan likely to meet the required point, 
although open to improvement. For plants situated in the 
hitherto perilous position, in frame, or pit, we have had our 
old friends, Russian mats, hurdles thatched with straw, 
wooden shutters, and a variety of other appliances, which 
have all, in their turn, deceived us, and proved ineflicient to 
guard against the incidents and accidents of a severe winter. 
The cause, I believe, is in our not placing the protector in 
the right place. We have wet, wind, and frost to guard 
against. The first, our glazed sashes will keep off; they 
also, unless very fragile, defy the wind ; then tinder this pro¬ 
tection we must place our contrivance to exclude the icy 
hand of Mr. Frost. How this is to be done, is the method 
I propose. 
Make some stretchers, or frames, of wood (say one inch 
thick, and two-inches-and-a-half wide), the size of the 
inside of your frame, or pit, and stretch on them some frigi 
domo, felt, or the warmest material you have, which must 
be brought over the edges, and well nailed. The stretcher 
being complete, the next operation is to nail a cleet, or strip 
of wood, all round the inside of the frame, or pit, an-inch- 
and-a-half (or two inches if your plants Avill admit) below 
the rabbet on which the sash slides. On this place your 
stretcher, and slide down your hgbt over the protector. 
The advantage gained is, you have a perfectly air-tight 
protector, kept dry, and also a space of air between the 
sash and protector, which assists in excluding frost. When 
you wish to remove the stretcher, partially draw off the 
sash at the back, which will give room to take the stretcher 
from the front.—A. Siuaet, Marden Nursery, Winchester. 
A RECEIPT FOR MAKING A QUICK EVER¬ 
GREEN HEDGE. 
Plant strong White Thorn three to four feet in height, say 
eight inches apart, and lay them thus— XXXX > place a 
row of tree Box on the outside, and a row of evergreen 
Privet on the other, and you will soon have a hedge that a 
bear will not penetrate. The use of the Box is to keep it 
close near the ground. If standard Scarlet Thorns are 
placed about thirty feet apart they will add to its beauty.— 
D. Feeguson, Stowe. 
NO SAMARITANS AMONG RATS. 
Such of your readers as ai'e either sportsmen or natu¬ 
ralists, are probably aware, that if one of a herd of deer m 
a wild state be wounded, the rest of the herd will gore it to 
death. This I conceive to be owing to an apprehension 
that their partly disabled companion would, in his endea¬ 
vours to follow them, draw their carnivorous enemies on 
their track, and so lead to their own destruction. 
If I am right in my conjecture, this apparent cruelty on 
the paid of a generally inoff^ensive and timid animal is only 
in obedience to the law of self-defence, which some term 
the first law of nature. 
It may be interesting to your readers of the second class 
to which I have alluded, to know that rats are addicted to 
the same habit. 
You must know, Mr. Editor, that I am a Brahma fancier, 
and having some promising chicken, to use your own 
phraseology—(I was taught to call them chickens in tbe dark 
ages when I went to school)—the progeny of some first 
prize birds (which progenitors, by-the-by, I believe, have 
recently been purchased by Mr. Davies, of Hounslow, and, 
if I mistake not, have added to their laurels by winning a 
prize or two for him also; he would, I think, be pleased to 
see a cockerel of this brood, which bids fair to prove worthy 
of his imported parent), I keep a sharp look out for 
those troublesome and cunning vermin the rats. Having 
observed a rat’s hole in rather close proximity to the 
roosling-place of my fowls, I set a trap, and caught one of 
the marauders. This victim evidently put the other rata of 
the family up to trap, for not another of them would enter 
my trap, and what must tliey do, but, abandoning their first 
communication between their subterranean dwelling and 
my fowl-house, they opened the trenches in an opposite 
direction. Now ensued a trial of wits between me and the 
rats. After a little cogitation, I stopped up the old entrance, 
and set a trap (without a bait) at the entrance of the new 
hole, and sprinkled some bran upon the trap so as to cover 
it, and upon the ground round about it. 1 then procured a 
