154 
HIE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, December 7, 185S. 
their nests alone in spring. The cells of ■wild bees, however, are | 
round; and I fully agree with Mr. Smith’s statement, “ that on 1 
no principle of pressure or approximation would the bee alter its 
form to a hexagon.” I also consider, that his objection to the 
cells of wasps, made by the queen, not being shaped hexagonally 
by the aid of the ocelli in front of her head, like those of bees, 
was not fairly met by the following :—“ Neither could the same 
argument be applied to wasps’ cells as to those of bees, the ma¬ 
terial of which the former were made being totally different to 
that of the latter.” Supposing that the foundation of the cells 
of both was round, there is no reason why the paper-like material 
of the wasp, which is mixed with a gummy substance, could not, 
■when soft, be as easily pressed into a hexagon form as that of 
wax by the bee. However, the foundation, or rather the em¬ 
bryos of the cells, of both insects, seems to be triangular—in fact, 
part of a hexagon. And I have to note, that the waxen ones 
show no signs of pressure, but rather the rough marks of the 
insects’ mandibles, when at work with the ocelli between them. 
With that curious appendage, bees seem to give the foundation 
of their cells the angular form ; and perhaps upon it hinges the 
whole mystery of them making the beautiful hexagonal ones. But, 
as they also make round ones for queens, and those of different 
forms on the edges of the combs, it seems that they have the 
power of using their ocelli, to give their cells the angular shape, 
according to circumstances. I hinted this in my paper on “ Bees 
secreting wax,” at page 108. 
When making these remarks, I am well aware that there is 
etill much hidden from us, as to how bees build their cells. For i 
instance, how do they make the large hexagonal ones of drones, 
with the same ocelli, or shape, that forms the workers* cells, 
which are about one third less ? However, as regards those of 
wasps, they do not vary in shape, and but little in size. I have 
learned something on this curious subject, by observing the queen 
hornet making cells with her strong mandibles moving between 
the large, yellow, triangular ocelli on her forehead. 
In connexion with this subject, I may observe, that little can 
be learnt from offering bees coloured wax, or dying the founda¬ 
tions of their cells, for others are tinted with it from the traffic 
of the bees. This is well exemplified in the circumstance of the 
freshly made cells being soon darkened with pollen or propolis. 
Besides, the triangular foundation of the cells is so visible, that 
no marking is required to trace their forms into hexagons.— 
J. Wighton. 
COOKING BEETROOT—A GOOD SALAD. 
I BEG to call the attention of your readers to the fact, that 
Beetroot, if roasted, or baked in the oven, preserves its flavour 
much superior to the same vegetable if boiled. 
I take the liberty of forwarding you the following receipt for 
winter salad :—Boil one or two onions quite mild ; when cold 
mash them, and mix with sliced Celery and cooked Beetroot. 
Dress this salad with oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. This 
salad, with hot meat, will be found very nice in the winter 
months.— Beetroot, llcdhill ., Surrey. 
SEA-KALE FORCING. 
“Well,” my young friend, “this is the season for the leaves 
falling off, and, I assure you, I have had, in my day, many a load 
of them raked up and carted home. Yes, we had a great deal of 
forcing ; and, let me tell you, young man, it is only those who 
have had the direction of such work, that really know the use of 
good leaves. Ay, ay, my man, I have been as anxious as well 
could be to get them up nice and dry, as those at Sir Thomas’s. 
We had plenty of work for them.” 
“ Yes, Bissett, I do believe you ; but, although our gardener 
likes to lay hold of as many leaves as he can, and time allow of 
being done, yet, from what I have heard you say about your 
management in former times, it strikes me very forcibly, that our 
man goes to work on a different system altogether, and does not 
make so many uses of them as was generally done in your prime 
of life.” 
“ Well, Edwin, as for that, I cannot answer you, you see, 
my young friend. But when I had a walk through the gardens of 
my lord, during summer, one thing struck my mind as being in a 
very queer place of the garden. Some of your fine-writing gentle¬ 
men, if you would only read what they write, would make you 
believe wonders ; but I think, somehow, that you can read the 
best writing of any gardener in this way, although I cannot walk 
much myself now, to do it. But, you see, I was going to tell you 
how I used to read gardeners’ writing : I mean walk round any 
place, and there read their head and hand work, as seen on the 
broad pages of the gardens under their care.” 
“ Very well, Bisset, but that does not always speak as the gar¬ 
deners could desire. Consider his position and means.” 
“Y'es, 1 know that as well as any one; and broaching such an 
idea shows you would like to have just measure. Well, but I was 
just about to tell you, I saw the gardener had his Sea-kale grow¬ 
ing in a very strange place for such a thing to be in, and I 
wondered at it the more, as he is a writing-man. The Sea-kale 
he had growing close by one of the principal walks, and just 
where almost every person must see it.” 
“ Why, Bisset, what of that? It is a low'-growing plant, and 
you can see over it nicely. It does not obstruct the view, and it 
grows well in good soil.” 
“ Yes,” my young friend ; “ but your head is not yet so old as 
mine. That Kale is growing in single rows, just like so many 
rows of Parsnips, or any other thing like it. But, to grow Kale 
properly, it should be in good lunches together, so that you 
could cover a good lot under one pot ; besides, I prefer to have 
mine on raised banks, and to have them at a convenient part of 
the garden, as near to the framing ground as possible, so that the 
leaves, or whatever we covered them with, should not make the 
best part of the garden unsightly. But only think where the 
gardener has his Kale.” 
“ Ola ! Bisset, I can see now what you are driving at. I can 
only tell you the gardener knows well enough what he is about, 
at least with his management of Sea-kale. I could not well fancy 
what you meant about your collecting and management of leaves ; 
but, bless you, Sir, he never makes use of them about his Sea-kale. 
However, if he does, it is very little indeed. Why, Bisset, he never 
forces it where it grows. The old-fashioned way, with leaves and 
dung, was something like old stage-coaching to the railways. You 
might, or you might not, get by a certain coach, and the coach-fare 
was often only three-quarters of the price for your ride; but you 
can always make sure of a scat in a train by rail, and without 
extra chai-gcs. So the gardener takes up all his Sea-kale, and 
forces it by steam, or, at least, hot water, in a house where 
he grows his Mushrooms ; and, after a little practice, it can 
be had this way at any time, if you only put in roots enough at 
stated times. Why, without turning dung, or leaves, or going to 
dig it up, when covered with frost and snow', it is had at any time, 
from the middle of December to as late in the spring as you can 
keep it; and, besides, you can dig over where it grew and use it 
for another crop.” 
“ But how does he get his plants every year ? Is it by seed ? ” 
“ Oh ! Why no, Bisset, I never saw it grown from seed. Ho 
saves all the best of the roots that are taken off when taken up. 
These are planted about the end of April, and, if well done, make 
good plants by autumn, fit for forcing.” 
“ Well, well,” my young man, “ you have now explained what 
I could not read through. Steam and hot water are made to do 
many things now.”— G. Dawson, Fulham Nursery. 
FRUIT GROWING ON TWEEDSIDE. 
Tins year has been very favourable for fruit here, as I suppose 
everywhere else. Pears have done well everywhere in this 
district, and the list of what will grow, and may be grown, in 
our country, is now more extended. There are some not yet 
i ripe, and, therefore, not fit to be reported on. However, what 
succeed here on dwarf standards (Quinces), pyramids, or bushes, 
are— Citron des Cannes, Jargonelle, Louise Bonne, Marie Louise, 
Beurre d’Amanlis, Broom Baric, Thompson's, Orpheline, Knight's 
Monarch, Lhichesse d’Angouleme, Beurre Ranee, and two others, 
of which, unfortunately, I have lost the pedigree. I rather 
think one is a Doyenne: it is a thick Pear, short stem, and 
reddish-brown skin on the tree, and becomes light-hazelly coloured 
when ripe. I ought also to have mentioned Williams’s Ben 
Chretien. Well, now, there is a very good lot for the far North, 
and what, as a Scotchman says, we are sure about. I have no 
doubt there are many others now in cultivation that will yet take 
their places here as dwarf standards. The Citron des Cannes 
began to ripen about the 20th of July, in the orchard, and Jar¬ 
gonelle about the 20th of August. Of course, they were this 
year a good deal before time ; but I allow nothing to grow near 
the roots of my trees, keep the ground dean, and well raked 
