8 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, October 5, 1858. 
excavation. I think this grand terrace walk ought to be ex¬ 
tended to this excavated place, and that place should be formed 
into an extensive fernery, by forming irregular masses of rock- 
work, trickling rills of water, and gravelled walks, irregular in 
width. 
A more interesting spot for such a purpose I have not seen 
anywhere. It is almost ready made for the purpose. There 
is an outlet from this place which leads to a largo plot of 
ground, lately enclosed from the park. It is planted with 
Larches, Spruce, and Scotch Firs, as nurses for the finer kinds 
of Coniferous plants. The Araucarias appear to thrive here 
when so sheltered. 
The collection of Conifers, however, is far from being com¬ 
plete. As they thrive so well, I hope that fact will induce the 
noblo owner to procure every species hardy enough to bear 
the climate of Grimston Park. 
My paper is nearly full, so I must cut my notes on the 
kitchen garden department into a small compass. The 
vineries had been well furnished, but the Grapes were nearly 
all gathered. Here, again, as alluded to in a late paper, the 
gardener has found it necessary to lift up the Vines, drain 
them effectually, and reduce the depth of the borders. 
Pines are not grown extensively, but those that are cul¬ 
tivated are very good, A proof of success I had in my hand. 
11 was a true Queeti Pine, and weighed six pounds within two 
ounces. Peaches were all over, but such crops of Pears I 
never witnessed, on the espaliers especially. Greenhouse and 
stove plants,—of these I saw many specimens, equal to any 
elsewhere. 
The stock of bedding-out plants struck now, and ready for 
potting, was very extensive indeed. I have more matter, but 
J must conclude by assuring my readers, that, a visit to Grim- 
eton Park and its beautiful pleasure grounds will afford them 
a treat indeed.-—T. Appleby. 
NOTES ON NEW OE BARE PLANTS. 
Bentstemon coedieolius. Benth. Nat. ord., Scrophu- 
lariacece. — Native of California. Habit dwarf, pendant, 
straggling. Branches very slightly four-sided, smooth, 
shrubby. Leaves small, almost sessile, acutely cordate, entire, 
or distantly serrate. Flowers produced on numerous opposite 
leafy branches and branchlets. Peduncle short, glandular. 
Calyx deeply divided into five erect, acute, lanceolate lobes. 
Corolla almost cylindrical, straight, or slightly incurved; limb 
deeply two-lipped; upper lip linear, emarginate; lower lip 
divided into three obtuse lobes. Stamens longer than the 
tube, five in number, four fertile; the fifth sterile, and strongly 
bearded on one side. Style as long as filaments, surmounted 
by an obtuse stigma. 
This is one of the most distinct species of this beautiful 
genus, and it well upholds the character of the genus as plants 
of ornament; but, from the smallness of its flowers, it is less 
showy than many other species of Pentstemon. As it suffers 
from the severity of our winters out of doors, it should be con¬ 
tinued by cuttings in the same way as most bedding plants. Tt 
prefers a good strong loam, and begins blooming in August, 
and lasts till severe weather checks or entirely destroys it. 
Cultivated in pots, it makes an excellent autumn decorator for 
the greenhouse. 
Platycodon grandifloruh. Bee. Nat. ord., Campanu- 
lacece.— Native of the East Indies. Herbaceous, with thick 
fleshy roots. Stems simple, from a foot to two feet and a half 
high. Leaves ovate, acute, sharply serrate, glaucous on both 
sides, but most deeply so on the under side. Flowers in a 
terminal panicle. Calyx of five short, obtuse, segments. 
Corolla widely campanulate, divided into five obtuse, ovate, 
lobes, ot a beautiful dark blue. Filaments short, supporting 
oblong, whitish, anthers. Stigmas five. 
This very fine plant succeeds best treated as an alpine. 
Good loam and peat, freely mixed with sand, are the best 
compost for it; and, placed in a cool shady place, it makes 
really a fine appearance in July, August, and the early part 
of September. But it will also succeed well in the most ex¬ 
posed places, and makes no mean show even there. It ought 
to be kept dry and perfectly at rest during winter. Propa¬ 
gated by division and seeds, which it ripens freely in this 
country. 
Androsace lanuginosa. Wall. Nat. ord., Primulacea. 
—Native of the Himalayas. An alpine plant, of procumbent 
habit. Branches slender, covered closely with silvery, woolly 
hairs. Leaves ovate, acute, entire, thickly set with close- 
lying, silvery hairs. Calyx inferior, five-cleft. Corolla funnel- 
shaped, with a spreading five-cleft limb, beautiful rosy pink, 
j Stamens five, inserted on the tube of the corolla, short. Style 
j short, filiform. Stigma obtuse. ' 
A lovely little alpine, of moderately easy culture. The old 
plants are neither so vigorous in growth, nor so free in flower¬ 
ing, as young ones ; it is well, therefore, to renow the plants 
annually from seeds or cuttings,—the latter are the least 
troublesome. It is perfectly hardy near London; but the 
small plants in pots should have the protection of a cold 
frame in winter. Loam, with a little peat, or loaf mould, and 
sand, suit it very well. 
Aponogeton distacihyon. Thnnb. Nat. ord., Junea- 
ginaceoe .—Native of the Cape of Good Hope. Hardy peren¬ 
nial aquatic, with a corm or tuberous root. Leaves on long 
petioles, oblong, lanceolate, obtuse, entire. Spike two-parted, 
j Bracts oblong, pure ivory white. Calyx none. Corolla none. 
Stamens twelve, situated in the axils of the bracts. Anthers 
black, 
A very ornamental, hardy aquatic. It may be planted out 
in the aquarium, or cultivated in pots, and in either case a 
good strong loam should be used. Propagated by seeds, 
which it ripens freely near London. Fioworing period, 
July and August.—S. G. W. 
BEE-KEEPING IN DEVON. 
My friend, “ A Devonshire Bee - Keeper,” having 
alluded to me in his interesting and graphic description of 
our transportation of bees (with hard labour), for six weeks, 
1 hereby send, for the pages of The Cottage Gardener, a 
short account of my apiary, chiefly in connection with our 
mutual transference of hives to the heath. As he has already 
related the momentous incidents of the journey, I will not 
enlarge on that head, further than to mention, that my four 
hives were more difficult to remove than his, as two of them 
were doubled stocks, and one nadired on arrival at its desti¬ 
nation. 
I have eleven prosperous stocks, which are scattered in 
various localities. The four removed for this experiment, I 
shall, in contradistinction to my friend, name A, B, C, andD. 
A is a single, flat-topped, straw hive,—a swarm in May, 
of this year, which, being very strong in bees, I nadired on 
our arrival. 
B is a stock saved in the spring by joining two very weak 
hives. Driving was attempted in one of them, but the bees 
would not be driven, so without more ado it (a box) was 
placed on the top of the other (a straw hive). The bees 
joined pretty peaceably, and very soon manifested a decided 
improvement in activity. I have several times tried to re¬ 
move the box, but in each case the queen was in it. I was, 
therefore, obliged to carry the united hives as they were. 
This shows the advantage of uniting weak stocks in spring, 
as two other hives, which seemed at that time equally strong , 
or weak, died soon after. 
C is a box from which a beautiful super of 30 lbs., nett 
weight, of honeycomb was taken a week previously. 
This hive is an invention of a relative of mine, and 
possesses much merit. I hope shortly to prepare a description 
of it for the pages of The Cottage Gardener. 
D is a similar hive to A; first stocked with a swarm of 
31 lbs. on the 31st of May, to which was added a cast of 
2 tbs., with a Stewarton octagonal box, as a nadir, on the 
11th of June. 
I now come to the results of our threo opportunities of 
weighing :— 
Aug. 10. 
Aug. 15. 
Aug. 26. 
Increase. 
A. 
not weighed. 
34* tbs.* 
40 lbs. 
B. 
34J lbs. 
35* lbs. 
40 lbs. 
5 |ibs. 
C. 
27* lbs. 
31* lbs. 
38* lbs. 
11* lbs. 
D. 
32 Jibs. 
37 lbs. 
40 lbs. 6 ozs. 
7| lbs. 
It will be seen that A was not weighed on its removal, the 
* All these are gross weight*, the weights of the hives not being 
known. 
