372 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, March 15, 1859. 
or carefully-verified observations. But Mr. Wigliton is content | 
to tell us in an off-hand manner, that such mysteries arc “ very 
easily explained j” and when we look for the explanation, we 
find nothing, absolutely nothing, iu the shape of evidence. Only 
echo blandly repeats, “ very easily explained." 
We all knew,—in the infancy of our bee-knowledge,-—that “in 
strong hives there is always, among the broken remains which 
sealed up the stores, an ample supply of wax for slight repairs . 
although it still remains to be proved that bees make use of the i 
“ broken remains.” And it requires no great effort of thought 
to suggest that possibly “ even the seals of wax may (!) be taken 1 
off the mouth of the cells,” for the same purpose. But we , 
should have called this “conjecture,” not assumed it as a fact 
explanatory of a “ mystery.” Be this, however, as it may, Mr. 
"Wigliton has not even attempted to explain how the “ number 
of new pieces of comb had been constructed (in the middle of 
winter, as detailed by a ‘ Devonshire Bee-keeper,’) whose 
viryinpurity contrasted strongly with the blackened appearance ] 
of the more ancient ones.” This is something more than a 
“ slight repair." 
Again, Mr. Wigliton says, “ As I mentioned before, and now 
repeat, without the least fear of contradiction (!), bees eject wax 
from their mouths like small frothen crumbs of bread, and not 
in pellucid scales, &c.” This, also, may possibly be true: but, 
while we are by no means disposed to contradict this very positive 
statement, neither are we in the least degree shaken in our old 
belief from ocular demonstration, and from the detailed experi¬ 
ments of others, that bees do secrete wax between the rings of 
their abdomen, and do not collect it from plants or other ex¬ 
traneous sources. I must add, in conclusion, that it was not by 
such writing, blind as he was, that old Iluber carried with him 
the (I think I am right in saying) universal world of intelligent 
apiarians of his day, as well as most apiarians of succeeding 
times, down to our own age.—B. and W. 
P.S. —As soon as I had posted my last communication on this 
subject, I regretted that I had used the word “ scrape,” as 
applied to the action of the bee’s mouth on the Laurel leaf. My 
actual knowledge warrants my asserting no more than that they 
obtain something of a gummy or glutinous, or, perhaps, I should 
say, sticky nature therefrom. In a few weeks, if the present mild 
weather continue, we shall be able to examine the young leaves 
of the Laurel, and determine for ourselves what it is the bees 
haunt them for. 
CHILDREN IN GARDENS. 
Great dislike to children being in gardens is often shown by 
gardeners, and many leave their places through quarrels about 
them. Children are misunderstood by many, and are expected 
to have the staid ways of grown-up people. This expectation 
is unreasonable. For myself, I treat a child as I would a shoot | 
of a tree—guide it without pinching. 
I have lived in three places where there were young children. 
In one of these places they were very rude, and looked upon all 
like me as inferior beings. Their parents were rude, egotistical, 
rich-only-in-money persons. I stayed but. a short time, otherwise 
I should soon have controlled the children. At the other two 
places I did very well, and could keep the little ones from giving j 
much trouble or annoyunce. 
I have three children at my present place, rough and full of 
life ; and I have kept a diary, for the last twelve months, of the 
time I have lost on their account, or rather the time it has taken 
to remedy any mischief they have done, or mend, or make, any¬ 
thing for them. The time spent has been thirteen hours and a 
half. 
In dealing with children, I make it a point to get them under 
an obligation to me. Any little job they want doing, I generally 
keep until something else tnrns up. This serves as a pretext; and 
I tell them, if they interrupt me, I cannot do for them what they 
wish. They often want to help me when I tell them so, in order 
tliat I may get done sooner to do their little jobs. This is the 
most trying time I find with them. It is not often I put them 
effj if I am potting small things, 1 allow them to carry the pots i 
to, or from, some place; to break crocks, or do any little job I 
find them that is required. Outside, I let them dig on vacant 
land, and each to have a garden about two yards long and one 
wide, to which I turn them, by giving a pinch of some kind of 
seed. In fact, I keep them constantly employed. They wjll 
chase butterflies, in summer, without running over beds, borders, 
&c. The son will sit an hour at a time, with a long string and 
sieve, expecting to catch spnrrows. 
The time I spent on their account, was for the following pur¬ 
poses :—Building a grotto of shells they had collected at the sea¬ 
side, three hours ; making two cross-bows, half an hour; putting 
paddles, helms, &c., to boats, ships, and other water craft, two 
hours ; blowing up footballs twice, forty minutes. The rest of 
the time passed in numerous little jobs. 
This may seem childish to some of our aristocratic gardeners, 
but I can assure them it answers a good purpose with me. I 
love children ; and knowing that it is their nature to have occupa¬ 
tion, I endeavour to find it for them. I could enumerate a 
hundred little jobs any gardener could set them, with benefit to 
himself, and pleasure to them. 
The prattle of a child is music to me, though it will sometimes 
ask some posing question. I make it a point never to tell it a 
falsehood, though I often evade its queries by turning its attention 
to another point. The man who cannot bear children has my 
pity, for he knows not the pleasure that lies at his door.— John 
Hague, Ashton-under-Lyne. 
Eart.iness oe the Season. — On the 8th of the present 
month we saw more than twenty heads of Asparagus, fit for 
cutting, on open beds sloping to the south, at Winchester, and 
entirely unforced. The first heads seen on the same beds in 
1858, were on the 8th of April; and, in 1857, on the 5th of 
April, 
TRADE LISTS RECEIVED. 
Sutton's Farm Seed List for 1859, compiled by Sutton and 
Sons, Reading , is a quarto pamphlet of twenty pages, containing 
not only an enumeration, but a description of all the agricultural 
seeds sold at their establishment. It is interspersed with many 
useful hints, and contains a great deal of information. 
A Select List of Roses, Fruit, and Forest Trees; Ornamental 
Trees and Shrubs, Spc., by Richard Bradley and Son, Halam 
Nursery, Southwell, Notts. —This is a respectable catalogue of 
general nursery stock, selected with much judgment. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Passift.ora frinceps (.1 Constant Subscriber). —This is a trade name 
for V. racemose. The cause of its not flowering, is want of warmth. It 
requires a stove; and unless your greenhouse is very warm it will not 
succeed. Cut it down to within three inches of the soil, and keep it 
warmer. Do not cut your common Passion-flower down again, unless 
very weak. There is no weekly publication devoted to the subject you 
mention. 
Daphnes as Bee-flowers—Transferring Bf.es (Amo): —Yourquestion, 
“ Whether pink and white Daphnes will hurt bees,” is somewhat indefinite. 
Our general reply to such inquiries would be, that these little creatures, 
in this country, with free liberty to roam sit large, have enough of instinct— 
or call it intelligence if you will—to seek from an abundant and a varying 
efflorescence the pabulum best adapted to their nature; and we may safely 
leave them to follow their own sagacity in the avoidant* of whatever is 
prejudicial, or unsuitable, to their wants." Your other question, “IIow you 
can transfer bees from common hives to wooden hives,” lias often been 
asked by former correspondents, our advicr has always been te stock a 
new hive of any kind, in the natural way, by a good early swarm in the 
season. A very experienced hand might now and then make a tolerably 
successful transfer of bees and combs together, hut no other ought to 
attempt what would probably end in a sorry mess; or, at best, might ill 
requite the trouble and risk. 
Lawton Br.ACKr.ERRY ( It. Cotton). —The Lawton Blackberry is of 
American origin, and was found wild near New Rochelle, in the State of 
New York, and hence it is also called New Pochette Blackberry. It is a 
kind of Bramble, producing large, oval, black fruit, which is said to be 
well flavoured ; but we have had no experience of it. 
Tank Hardening Water.— Improving Whitewash.— “ A brick tank, 
lined with cement, made two years since, causes rain water to become 
very hard. Is there any cure for this !—Is there not some preparation of 
lime and tallow for giving to the whitewash, applied to the outside of walls, 
a more lasting character than the ordinary solution of lime and water — 
A Country Subscriber. 
[We shall he obliged by answers to these queries.] 
Pears — Fumigating Bioomino Trees (J V. C.). —You do not state the 
locality and the soil where these Pears arc growing. 'They are both first- 
rate sorts, hut may not suit the situation in which you have them. It does 
not matter how they are grafted ; but we would recommend you Knights 
Monarch , in preference to Crasanne. Our contemporary’s “ if properly 
managed,” is a saving clause. We have no doubt that the fumigation 
might be so conducted as not to be injurious to the blossoms of trees ; but, 
in the majority of instances, it would be destructive. 
Polygat.A Dalmatiana (A Greenhorn). —This plant, a British hybrid, 
generally blooms naturally in a greenhouse from February to April." We 
have no observation or experience on the subject; hut were we *0 want it 
