383 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, March 23, 1858. 
But as that hardy shrub, or tree, is hut little cultivated, there 
may be some difficulty of getting it at the public nurseries. 
The Finns maritimus , or Sea Pine, has been planted with 
great success on the sea-coasts, both in this country and 
France; in the latter, on dry sands, which were prevented 
! from blowing about by being mixed with Thorns or brush¬ 
wood, kept down by stakes, until the roots of the trees got 
hold. By that means, great tracks of waste, or barren sands, 
have been covered with thriving trees. Mr. Grigor, in his 
interesting book on the “ Trees of Norfolk,” when speaking of 
Filbrigg Park, the seat of W. H. Windham, Esq., mentions 
that “ there are here likewise some Silver Firs, of lofty, daring 
growth, the more extraordinary when w r e consider tlieh 1 
proximity to the ocean.” I think that Benney Wood, near 
Dunbar, is, or was, chiefly of Scotch Firs, close to the sea. 
The Birch and Mountain Ash have been named for such 
places ; and I think that these two were amongst some trees 
which I saw the season they were planted, some years back, on 
Inchkieth, in Firth of Forth, along with Scotch Firs and 
Junipers. I need hardly observe, that trees take more harm 
from 8alt spray than from the severest breezes. Therefore, if 
the coast be high, the damage may be less.—J. Wighton. 
handled—being available for a dozen impressions. All the 
veinings and stalks should come out with perfect distinctness. 
The resemblance to the original is rendered still more striking 
by a transparent wash of green water-colour paint applied 
over the dry printing ink. The process is a remarkably quick 
and easy one; and some specimens are herewith forwarded to 
the Editor, that he may give us hi s opinion of these nature 
prints. —E. A. Copland. 
[Ycry good.—E d.] 
HARDY PLANTS FLOWERING IN 
FEBRUARY AT KEW. 
RANUNCULACEiE. — Ilelleborus dumetorum, Eranthis 
hyemali8. 
Caprifoliace 2 E.— Viburnum tinus. 
Pomaceje. —Cydonia Japonica, 
Garryace;e. —Garrya eliptica. 
Melanthace-ZE. —Bulbocodium vernum. 
Asphodele^e. —Scilla sibirica. 
Iridaceje. —Crocus pusilla, C. suaveolens. 
NATURE PRINTING. 
Mr. Blank is a gardener who has never given any attention 
to drawing, but would very much like to be able to transfer 
the impressions of leaves and flowers to paper. He has 
heard of the Photographic (foe-to-graphic) art, and thinks it 
I good for those who can afford it; but how can he, B., do any- 
i thing in that line, with a family of five children, and a cottage 
containing but four rooms. Besides, what would Mrs. B. 
say to acid bottles, and POISON-Iabelled phials on the shelves 
of the kitchen cupboard. This paper, then, is intended to 
cheer up our friend B.; to show him how, at an outlay of half 
a crown, he can accomplish the desired object, and that with¬ 
out poisons or any chemical messes whatsoever. 
Take a piece of plained one-inch deal board eight inches 
long, and six wide. We will call this A. Also, two |strips 
of the same wood eight inches long, one inch and a quarter 
broad, and a quarter of an inch thick, b b. Nail the strips 
b b edgewise along A. A vertical section is shown in the cut. 
A 
Then purchase a good skin of washleather, w, and with it 
cover the upper surface of the board, between the projecting 
edges. At a toyshop obtain a small India-rubber collapsible 
ball. Get your linendraper to let you have a six-inch length 
off one of his old wooden rollers, used for silks. Cover this 
smoothly with the remaining leather. Then buy a round tin 
box at the ironmongers, and in it place two pennyworth of 
printer’s ink. Your apparatus is complete ; how much have 
j you spent ? 
s . d. 
Wood 
. 0 
7 
W. leather 
. 0 
9 
Ball . 
. 0 
4 
Roller 
. 0 
4 
Box of printing ink . 
. 0 
3 
2 
3 
To produce an impression, proceed as follows :—Place the 
leaf to be copied on a clean card, veined side upwards. 
Spread a botch of printing ink on a piece of smooth slate, 
and dab it with the India-rubber ball till the surface of the 
j latter farthest from the hand is evenly charged. Then, by 
means of the ball, apply an equal surface of ink to the vein¬ 
ings and edges of the leaf; and arrange it, prepared side 
downwards, on a piece of dampish paper lying on the printing 
board. Cover with a sheet of blotting paper, and press the 
roller backwards and forwards over the top. An exact re¬ 
presentation will be the result; the same specimen—if carefully 
SWARMING AND REMOVING THE PARENT 
STOCK. 
Mr. Newman’s verdict tallies exactly with my own ex- i 
perience, namely, that “ weak hives should not be dealt with 
in this manner,” and for the reason alleged; while “ on the 
contrary a very populous hive, which throws off a fine swarm, 
is,” by being moved to another stand (I think not necessarily 
distant), “prevented effectually from weakening itself by too 
much swarming, to recover its numbers in time to fill a hive 
with honey.” 
To expect bees never to fail, even when treated after the 
most perfect system, were unreasonable. Exceptional cases 
occur to every rule. Nevertheless, lean boldly state my con¬ 
viction, that this mode of treatment will be found to answer, 
in the long run, better than any other; that is to say, I would 
back an apiary of ten hives, treated carefully after this fashion, 
against an apiary of twelve or more hives, managed on any 
other principle. 
Mr. Ferguson’s experience as to the prevalence of drones 
in swarms so treated, surprises me, it being directly the 
reverse of my own. I am bound to say, however, that I have 
had greater experience of early, than of later swarms ; and it is 
plain, that whether drones remain in the parent stock, or go 
off with the swarm, depends entirely upon the condition of 
the stock at the time the swarm issues. If it issues early in 
May, there will be comparatively but few drones with the 
swarm ; but if late in June, then nearly all the drones of the 
season will necessarily accompany it, as they will all have 
been out in the sun, and so are accustomed to the old site. 
My object always being to get early swarms, I usually force 
them to issue artificially by driving, when not more than one- 
third or one-half of the drones are hatched or full grown.— 
B. AND W. 
P. S. —It occurs to me to ask, what disadvantage has been 
found to attend the prevalence of drones with the swarm ? 
May not this rather be considered an advantage ? The drones 
must live somewhere ; is it not preferable, as a general rule, 
that they should go off with the swarm, with the strong 
and active, than remain in the old hive, with the comparatively 
weak ? For, in the latter case, they will consume the honey, 
where there is to be found at this season usually but a small 
quantity of it, and but few bees to add to the stores. And if 
there be no honey at all at first, with the swarm, they very 
soon have an abundance.—B. & W. 
PRODUCE OF HONEY. 
: 
It has often occurred to me, that it would be a matter of 
interest to bee-keepers generally, if they would communicate 
to each other, through the medium of your pages, any parti¬ 
culars respecting the take of honey, either in their own apiary, 
or those of their immediate locality, in order that something j 
