May 4, 1901. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
569 
Cornwall Daffodil Show, Truro.—The above 
exhibition was held in the Concert Hall, Truro, 
Cornwall, on April nth and i2th, and although the 
weather previous to that time was rough and cold, 
the exhibits were both numerous and well grown. 
We are not able to print a full report in this week’s 
issue, but will give an account of it in our next. 
The “Hurst & Son ” Musical Society.—The last 
concert of the season given by this society is to take 
the form of a smoking concert, to be held in the 
Queen’s Room, London Tavern, Fenchurch Street, 
E.C., on Wednesday, May 8th, commencing at 
7.30 p.m. Some very good artistes have consented 
to appear, both sentimental and humorous. The 
" Hurst & Son ” orchestra will be in attendance. 
This is the close of the third season of the society. 
Tickets may be obtained either from members, or 
from 152, Houndsditch, E., price 6d. each. 
Treacherous Weather.—There is a homely adage 
which has been brought home to us again with a 
biting reminder :—" Cast not a clout till May is 
out.” We have had a spell of warm weather, and 
everybody began to persuade themselves that it was 
summer, but we were a bit too premature in our 
calculations, for the bitter east winds have prevailed 
over the warm weather, and we hear again the old 
expression:—•* This Easter is enough to blow 
through one.” Then we have May to be reckoned 
with. The third week of that month has a bad 
reputation in the fruit districts, there being a 
tradition that a frost will surely take one of the 
crops. Last year it took the early Strawberries. 
What will it take this year, we wonder ? 
Decorating in the New Style.—The following 
appeared recently in the Morning Leader as a descrip¬ 
tion of the floral arrangement at a fashionable though 
small dinner party :—" Here a miniature stile, set 
about with stumps of trees, and a gnarled Oak raising 
itself at one side, stood at two points of the compass, 
leaving the corner of a fence, with bushes and trees, 
at the other two angles, with flowers and Ferns 
drooping down on to the table cloth or winding and 
twisting themselves in and out among the branches, 
made of twigs. These dainty little holders look as 
quaint as they are novel.” Theidea may be a very novel 
and pretty one for table decoration, but when one 
sits down at a dinner party, surely he should be able 
to converse freely with the persons opposite him, 
which he cannot do if the table is piled up like a 
waxwork show These extraordinary ideas seem to 
be getting very fashionable with that class of society 
which is ever after something new. 
British Trees and Woods.—The days have long 
since gone when arbitrary measures could be adopted 
to enforce the replanting of trees cut down. Eogland 
has become denuded of her olden forests and is 
quickly becoming denuded of woodland altogether. 
In 1577 the cry was raised that compulsory measures 
ought to be taken to keep up our woods and the 
reply is still to be heard. Raphael Holinshed says 
in his "Description of England,” 1577, ‘‘I would 
wish that I might live no longer than to see some 
things in this land reformed. I wish that evrie man, 
in whatsoever part of the champaine soile enjoieth 
fortie acres of land and upwards, after that rate, 
either by free deed copiehold or fee farme, might 
plant one acre of wood, or sowe the same with oke 
maste, hasell, beech, and sufficient provision be 
made that it may be cherished and kept. But I 
feare me that I should then live too long, and so 
long that I should either be wearie of the world or 
the world of me, and yet they are not such things 
but they may easilie be brought to passe.” Some¬ 
thing ought to be done to induce tree planting again 
or we shall eventually suffer in our agricultural 
districts as America has done through her excessive 
clearance of trees. 
-•*-- 
FRAME CULTURE OF SWEET 
VIOLETS. 
Violets are welcomed by every one on account of 
their delicious perfume and beautiful flowers, more 
especially in winter and early spring, and no trouble 
should be spared to have them in flower during that 
period. They require careful cultivation, and will 
repay for liberal treatment. I find a border with a 
north-west aspect suits them very well during the 
summer, but cne facing east or north in dry districts 
will also be found very suitable for them. The 
ground should be deeply dug, and consist of a light 
rich soil; if of a stiff nature add plenty of leaf mould 
and well rotted manure. 
About the last week in April select young healthy 
crowns and plant them singly—(not putting two or 
three together as is often done)—9 in. between the 
plants, and 1 ft. between the rows. Keep them well 
watered and syringed, or damp them lightly with a 
rose overhead on dry evenings. This will promote 
growth and keep down red spider, which is very 
troublesome in some districts, especially near towns, 
as they require abundance of pure air and light to do 
well. After they are fairly established a mulching 
with spent Mushroom bed manure will be found very 
beneficial, also a slight sprinkling of soot between 
the rows occasionally. Keep clear of weeds, and 
remove all runners as they grow, with the exception 
of the double varieties, which should have two or 
three left with plantlets on them. These should be 
pegged down and will soon root, and if lifted care¬ 
fully with the parent plant, not only will they flower 
freely, but will make splendid plants for the follow¬ 
ing year. About the middle of September they 
should be carefully lifted with as large balls as 
possible, and planted in frames having a southern 
aspect, and a sharp angle. Plant them about the 
same distance apart as recommended for outside, 
and prepare the frames by filling them well up with 
stable manure and decayed leaves, well tramped, to 
such a height that with the addition of 8 in, of good 
soil they will be brought close to the glass. Water 
them well, and keep close for a few days, afterwards 
giving plenty of air on all favourable occasions, 
water must be given carefully during winter, all de¬ 
caying leaves removed, and frost excluded. I can 
strongly recommend the following varieties for 
framework:—Marie Louise and De Parme, double ; 
Princess of Wales and California, single.— James 
Mills, Shavington Gardens, Market Drayton. 
THE APIARY. 
Since writing last the weather has taken a turn for 
the better. Insterd of lowering skies with cold 
winds and blinding rain and sleet, we have been 
favoured with calm bright sunny days, making 
Nature smile her broadest, and assume her green 
mantle all over, a smile that extends to the gardener, 
and last, but not least, the bee-keeper. In our 
gardens and orchards the Plums, Pears, and Goose¬ 
berries are out in bloom ; and the little insects we 
love are humming about them in great glee, sipping 
the first nectar of 1901. 
See that the entrances are still contracted, 
especially in weak stocks, as in a sudden dearth of 
honey from outside robbing is apt to commence at 
any moment. Keep a watchful eye on any of those 
stocks that are the least short of food, and feed 
slowly, but continually, until a good supply from out¬ 
side is certain. All stocks that will not be up to full 
strength by the honey flow should be joined 
together, this is by far the most profitable way in the 
end for those working for honey. 
The honey flow usually starts with White Clover 
about June 25th, in Scotland, a few days earlier in 
England. More favoured districts in a fair season 
can depend on obtaining at least one rack of finished 
sections from fruit, Plane, and Hawthorn blossom 
before that date. By a little care and with very 
little extra trouble we can do a lot to bring our 
stocks up to strength in time. 
Suppose, for instance, we have a stock covering 
four frames at the beginning of April, if there is 
sufficient food in the hive, we can bruise a few of 
the outside cells once a week. This causes the bees 
to remove the honey contained therein to centre of 
brood nest, and has the same effect as honey 
gathered from outside. This causes a little excite¬ 
ment, making the bees shake off the last of their 
winter torpor. They give the queen more food, and 
at shorter intervals, causing her to lay more and 
more eggs. The bees will soon be covering the four 
frames thickly, and not till then should we dream of 
interfering with brood nest, as more harm is often 
done by spreading brood nest before the bees are 
strong enough than good. 
When the four frames are thickly covered there 
will be two of them at least with brood from top to 
bottom on both sides. Place the frames with the 
sealed larvae on the outside, pushing the empty 
combs, providing they are nice clean empty ones, 
into the centre. This gives the queen more breed¬ 
ing space without increasing the size of brood nest 
for the time being. In a week or ten days another 
frame may be added, placing it in 'the centre. If 
you have no good combs to insert, give a full sheet 
of foundation, it is truly wonderful how quickly this 
is drawn out and filled with eggs from top to bottom. 
Frames may be inserted every week until ten frames 
are reached, which Is generally sufficient for most 
queens, sometimes nine. When food is running 
short, slow feeding should be started at once, and 
kept up until an outside supply can be obtained. 
See that a good supply of water is to be had near 
the apiary. It is interesting to watch the bees 
morning and evening, or rather afternoon, attending 
in such numbers to sip up the liquid.— Doonfoot. 
TYING VINE SHOOTS. 
Perhaps at this season when gardeners are busy in 
the vinery tying down Vine shoots, and to those who 
are in possession of long upright spurs, or to those 
who have ^strong short jointed varieties such as 
Black Alicante, a word or two on the subject may 
not be out of place. It is very perplexing to see in 
vineries at this time grand shoots, which promised 
to produce exhibition bunches, hanged as if for some 
offence, by even the most skilful of cultivators. The 
above variety is most subject to heel off or even 
break, by being too tightly tied, generally through 
the cultivator wanting to accomplish too much in a 
limited space of time, anxious of course to get the 
shoots down from the glass as quickly) as possible. 
In ordinary circumstances the all importance of well 
steeping the tying material cannot be too clearly 
laid down, as then it is stretched to its utmost before 
being used for the delicate operation. When dry 
material is used for it, the moment the house is 
damped the tying stuff tightens, and something is 
bound to go. What I want to suggest is, in place of 
using raffia which is most common, I think small 
elastic would be better for such varieties as Alicante 
or for any shoots that grow straight up to the glass. 
The elastic will yield to the impulse of the shoot, 
and a constant strain would be maintained on the 
shoot, while the shoots would not require to be gone 
over every day to see if they are too tight. — Archi¬ 
bald Mackerracher, gardener , Easter Moffat, A irdrie, N.B. 
PRIMULA KEWENSIS. 
In the way of Primulas this is quite an acquisition, 
and one of the few really hybrid Primulas that has 
proved of decided garden value. It may prove the 
prelude of a race of a handsome garden plants that 
will take a permanent position in the decoration of 
greenhouses and conservatories. It is vastly superior 
to either parent, having a more vigorous habit of 
growth than P. verticillata, with the foliage and 
colour of flowers characteristic of P. floribunda. A 
group of plants in the greenhouse at Kew has been 
flowering for some weeks past, and will evidently 
continue to do so for weeks to come. The stems are 
15 in. high, and more decidedly whorled even than 
P. verticillata, the whorls of flowers opening from 
the base upwards in succession. Each stem carries 
from three to six whorls, many of the stronger ones 
being fasciated, and some of them even forked. The 
flowers are slightly mealy in their earlier stages but 
not so much as in P. verticillata. The plant flowers 
much earlier than the latter, and the rootstock 
branches freely, while every crown produces flower 
stems. In these respects it resembles the precocious 
and continuous flowering habit of P. floribunda, and 
can no doubt be propagated by division. It does 
not appear to produce seeds; at least the early 
whorls do not. 
PECULIAR HABITS OF FLOWERS. 
In Berberis the stamens are highly irritable, and if 
touched they quickly bend forward on to the stigma 
as though forced by a spring. In Stylidium, the 
style springs from one side to the other if irritated 
at the base. In Silene nutans the petals close in the 
daytime and open at night. 
NATURALISED BULBS. 
At present it is the general custom to plant the 
spring flowering bulbs in geometrical beds in either 
straight rows or in circles. By this unnatural 
