72 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, May 4, 1858. 
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pal us servus , from the neighbourhood of Deal; and Messrs. 
Ianson and Waterhouse a number of minute Coleoptera be¬ 
longing to rare or not previously recorded British species, 
chiefly taken in the neighbourhood of London. 
Mr. Tegetmeier exhibited and described his newly-invented 
beehive, being a modification of the bar hive, and Stewarton 
bee box. The hive consists of two or more square boxes ; 
made to fit one above the other, each furnished with loose, 
removeable bars and slides. The loose bars to which the 
combs are attached (small pieces of guide comb having been 
previously attached to the underside of each), afford great 
facility for scientific observation, partial deprivation, and arti¬ 
ficial swarming, and the slides obviate the necessity for covers, 
keeping the bars in their places, and enable storifying, and the 
removal of full honey-boxes, or single bars of comb, to be 
inost easily accomplished. They also allow the boxes to be 
turned upside down, for inspection, without the bars falling 
out. The boxes are made of seasoned inch deal, with a 
window at the hind part, and are so regularly constructed, 
that bai’s with brood or honeycomb may be removed, and 
ti’ansferred from one hive to another. The floor-boards have 
the entrance sunk in them, and which is capable of being 1 
closed to any required extent, by wedges or perforated zinc 
sliders. Mr. Tegetmeier supplies these hives himself, in axxy 
quantity which might be required. 
An extended discussion took place on this subject, in the 
course of which Mr. Andrew Murray mentioned a curious 
«/ 
experiment recently made in Scotland, in which male grubs 
were placed in a queen’s cell. 
VANDA SUAVIS. 
(Sweet - scented Vanda.) 
This was sent from Java, to Messrs. Veitcli, of the Exeter 
and Chelsea Nurseries, in 1847, by their collector, Mr. Lobb. 
On its fii’st blooming it was doubted by some whether it was | 
not a largo form of Vanda Itoxburghii, aixd others confounded 
it with V. insignis , but it has proved itself a species, and that 
V. tricolor is no more than an inferior vai’iety of it. The 
sepals and petals ai’e white, cloxxdily spotted with reddish- 
brown, and the lip is purple. In a sitting-room, moderately 
warm, its spicy fragrance is delightful. It is best cultivated 
in a basket, and requires much heat and moisture whilst 
growing. 
CUTTINGS IN SAND AND WATER. 
I think, as you seem to have had so much trouble in an- 
swering your correspondents, upon the subject of sand-and- 
water cuttings, it is just you should have that trouble ac¬ 
knowledged, and be repaid in the only way you can, by fair 
return, now and then, of the thanks which are your due, for 
propagating the idea (though, as it seems, neither you nor Mr. 
Kidd may have originated it), and for the care and attention 
you have paid to the young shoots of the said idea, when it 
had fairly started in that very sandy-watery-material—public 
estimation. Accept, therefore, the thanks of a green hand. 
I have tried three batches of cuttings in sand and water with 
the happiest success, not in the window, but in a slight 
hotbed, and every cutting of some hundreds has been a 
source of pleasure and amusement, instead of being to me —a 
green hand, mind, a 'eery green hand—the trouble they used 
to be, under the old-fashioned plan, which I used last year ; 
the first year I ever had even a pot plant, as the subject of 
gardening experiments, though I am fast getting on for forty. 
How delightful the ease with which the cuttings are put in ; 
how trim and tidy they look when in; and, above all; how 
safely, and easily, and quickly, are they shifted. It may be 
said there is nothing new in this. Very likely there is nothing 
new in it to many, but it is all new to me ; and, be sure, there 
ai’e thousands moi’e than I, to whose gardens you have hereby 
brought a new light, and who thank you for the same. If 
you are not to tell anything that is not new, you must wait 
till you be wiser than Solomon, for he could not find thei’e 
was anything new under the sun, and yet he found plenty of 
things worth telling, too. 
Perhaps one or two little matters that struck me, with re¬ 
ference to sand-and-water cuttings, may as well be mentioned 
to you, not as teaching anything, but by my weak points you 
will judge where your other readers may fail, and so, when 
writing again on the subject, you will know what hints will 
be most generally useful. 
My Verbenas took splendidly. At the first take up, none 
were dead or rotted, the few that were not struck 1 touched 
up, and put in with the second batch, where they came out 
beautifully. The same remark applies to the few not struck 
in that (the second) lot. My rooted plants partook not at 
all of the w'eedy character foretold by one of your corres¬ 
pondents. Of course, knowing they had no strengthening 
food in the sand and water, I took them out of it as soon as 
their heads showed they had mouths to feed with, appetite 
to gratify, and growth to sustain ; and equally, of course, 
they were moved into very light stuff, though better stuff 
than sand; and their water supply, which had been com- 
pai'atively without limit, was abundant at first, and has only 
been brought to the avei’age quantum by slow degrees. 
Petunias did even bettex’, I think, than Verbenas ; and a few 
Anagallis Brewerii turned out excellently, and without one 
missing. On the other hand, Calceolai'ias ( pinnaia , rugosa , 
and amplexicaulis ), did not answer. Very few have struck; 
and of Heliotropes, not one took. Now, can you help me 
here ? I think I may venture to say, the cuttings were well 
made, and had the same treatment; indeed, they wei’e in the 
same pans with the Vei’benas, &c. 
I noticed in a recent number two hints, on which I must 
remark. Eirst, the use of an inverted basin for watering the 
cuttings. I think it must be awkward to hold, and not an easy 
tiring to find basins to fit the various sizes of your saucers, con¬ 
sequently, I prefer my own plan (who don’t?), which is, to 
pour the water from a jug held in the right hand, through a 
small penny tin funnel, guided all about the sui’face of the 
sand with the left. I thus avoid interference with the leaves 
of the cuttings, or Mrs. Green Hand’s ci’ockery, while my 
penny apparatus fits all the saucei’s (no less than four) in my 
propagating department. 
I am now trying Cliiysanthemums on the Kiddian system, 
and neither of the Johnson’s dictionaries, known to me, will 
furnish words descriptive of the rampant jollity of their ap- 
pearance. I dare say they would strike anyhow and anywhere, 
but I question whether any other “how” or “ where ” 
would afford the same facilities that sand and water does for 
popping them in and pulling them out. 
The other thing I noticed was, as to plant boxes, which, 
as detailed, were good; so I made three, but tlxink on a 
rather prefei’able plan. However, my object was to say, 
“ thank you for the hint,” to the gentlemen who gave it me, 
and lots more, for a weekly threepence. So I will not trouble 
you with my improvements (which, of course, imply defects), 
unless you say you wish to have them. [Send them by all 
means.] 
In conclusion, I have not written this long note expecting 
I 
