42 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  14,  1897. 
SEASONABLE  NOTES. 
Work  for  the  New  Year. 
It  may  appear  somewhat  premature  to  suggest  the  carrying  out 
of  work  in  the  apiary  at  this  dull  season.  Still  there  are  many 
things  in  connection  with  bee  management  that  may  now  be  profit¬ 
ably  carried  out.  Some  work  if  left  until  the  days  lengthen, 
bringing  an  increase  in  our  daily  duties,  will  probably  be  postponed  ; 
and  thus  the  first  step  towards  a  successful  honey  harvest  will  have 
been  lost. 
It  is  an  advantage  at  this  season  to  take  an  inventory  of  all 
goods  in  hand,  and  to  make  a  note  of  probable  requirements  for 
the  coming  year.  If  hives  are  required  they  may  be  made  at  home, 
and  will  then  be  in  readiness  when  required  during  the  busy  season. 
These  as  far  as  possible  should  all  be  made  of  the  same  size,  care 
being  taken  in  correct  measurements.  This  will  save  a  great 
amount  of  worry  and  trouble  when  time  is  valuable.  If  made 
with  loose  floor  boards  so  much  the  better,  as  it  is  then  an  easy 
matter  to  replace  a  damp  board  with  a  dry  one. 
Should  no  dampness  enter  the  hive,  the  floor  board  ought 
to  be  well  cleaned  at  least  twice  a  year  owing  to  the  debris  which 
will  accumulate  from  the  uncapping  of  the  cells.  Either  spring  or 
autumn  is  the  best  time  to  carry  out  this  operation.  All  that  is 
required  is  to  place  a  clean  board  on  the  stand,  and  lift  the  hive 
bodily  off  the  old  one,  which  after  being  thoroughly  cleaned  may 
be  used  again.  When  worked  on  this  plan  the  bees  are  not 
disturbed,  the  whole  operation  not  taking  more  than  a  minute  to 
perform.  Compare  this  system  with  that  which  involves  the 
cleaning  of  the  boards  attached  to  the  hives,  and  the  advantage  of 
the  former  will  be  at  once  appreciated. 
Hives  should  be  painted  with  three  coats  of  white  lead  outside ; 
the  inside  is  better  not  painted.  If  this  is  done  a  few  weeks 
before  using  them,  and  they  are  stored  in  a  dry  airy  place,  the 
smell  arising  from  the  paint  will  soon  pass  away.  Goods  that  it 
may  not  be  convenient  or  possible  to  manufacture  at-home  should 
be  ordered  of  any  dealer  in  bee  appliances,  who  will  supply  them 
at  a  cheaper  rate  when  ordered  during  the  winter  months.  All 
will  then  be  in  readiness  when  required  for  use. 
The  Weather. 
The  temperature  being  low  bees  are  at  rest  and  remain  quiet  in 
their  hives.  If  the  hives  are  rainproof  no  harm  will  happen  to 
them,  and  if  a  supply  of  stores  is  within  their  reach  they  will  come 
out  strong  and  healthy  in  the  spring. 
To  the  ordinary  observer  the  excessive  rainfall  may  be  some¬ 
what  oppressive,  but  to  the  bee-keeper  it  means  no  lack  of  moisture 
to  the  roots  of  the  trees  and  plants,  which  will  each  in  its  season 
provide  the  sweet  nectar  and  pollen  without  which  bee-keeping 
would  end  in  failure. 
Already  the  early  spring-flowering  bulbs  are  well  above  the 
ground  and  growing  freely.  Many  of  the  hardy  plants  and  trees 
are  forward  ;  odd  flowers  may  be  seen  on  many,  and  should  the 
weather  continue  open  they  will  be  fully  in  bloom  earlier  than 
usual,  and  bee-keepers  may  with  confidence  look  forward  to  a  more 
prosperous  season  in  the  year  on  which  we  have  just  entered.— 
An  English  Bee-keeper. 
Exportation  of  Plants  to  Italy. — We  learn  from  a  con¬ 
temporary  that  Mr.  Neville  -  Rolfe,  the  English  Consul  at  Naples, 
states  that  the  omission  to  include  Great  Britain  in  the  Phylloxera 
Convention  because  of  the  British  Isles  being  free  from  phylloxera,  has 
caused  a  serious  loss  to  that  branch  of  British  trade  which  occupies 
itself  with  the  exportation  of  plants  and  grafts.  To  import  plants  into 
Italy  from  England  requires  the  permission  of  the  Italian  Ministry, 
which  must  be  obtained  through  Her  Majesty’s  Ambassador  at  Rome. 
It  is  obvious,  however,  that  the  transit  must  be  as  rapid  as  possible,  and 
any  delay  at  the  frontier  must  be  guarded  against.  The  permit  must, 
therefore,  be  so  timed  as  to  arrive  at  the  frontier  as  nearly  as  possible 
when  the  plants  do,  for  if  it  arrives  before  it  is  pigeon-holed  and 
forgotten  ;  if  after,  the  plants  are  kept  waiting  till  it  comes.  In  short, 
the  present  state  of  affairs  gives  much  trouble,  and  is  practically 
prohibitory  of  import.  If  it  were  possible  for  England  to  be  included 
in  the  convention  before  next  spring  it  is  confidently  asserted  by  Mr. 
Neville-Rolfe  that  an  important  market  would  be  thrown  open  to 
English  nurserymen.  There  is,  he  states,  a  large  market  in  Italy  for 
new  sorts  of  Roses,  bulbs,  and  grafts  generally,  there  being  many 
amateurs  who  spare  neither  labour  nor  money  over  their  flower  gardens, 
and  many  others,  both  professionals  and  amateurs,  who  would,  if  they 
could,  introduce  many  plants,  and  especially  many  grafts,  because  the 
latter  are  portable.  As  to  grafts,  it  is  the  custom  to  use  in  Italy  much 
stronger  scionB  than  are  usually  adopted  in  England,  and  those  who 
export  them  should  recollect  this. 
*s°  All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be 
directed  to  “  The  Editor.'’  Letters  addressed  personally  to 
Dr.  Hogg  or  members  of  the  staff  often  remain  unopened 
unavoidably.  We  request  that  no  one  will  write  privately 
to  any  of  our  correspondents,  as  doing  so  subjects  them  to 
unjustifiable  trouble  and  expense,  and  departmental  writers 
are  not  expected  to  answer  any  letters  they  may  receive  on 
Gardening  and  Bee  subjects,  through  the  post. 
Correspondents  should  not  mix  up  on  the  same  sheet  questions 
relating  to  Gardening  and  those  on  Bee  subjects,  and  should 
never  send  more  than  two  or  three  questions  at  once.  All 
articles  intended  for  insertion  should  be  written  on  one  side  of 
the  paper  only.  We  cannot,  as  a  rule,  reply  to  questions 
through  the  post,  and  we  do  not  undertake  to  return  rejected 
communications. 
Pronunciation  of  French  Names  ( J .  H.  S .). — If  you  send  a  list 
of  names  the  matter  shall  be  considered. 
Gladiolus  Nancelanus  and  G.  Chlldsl  (A.  A.  Rosies'). — These  are 
presumably  allied  to  the  Lemoinei  section,  and  succeed  admirably 
either  planted  out  or  in  pots,  the  size  of  the  pots  varying  according 
to  the  size  of  the  corms,  about  the  distance  of  the  diameter  being 
allowed  between  each,  and  half  that  from  the  sides  of  the  pot.  Good 
turfy  loam  three  parts,  fibrous  peat  one  part,  and  half  a  part  each 
leaf  soil  or  well-decayed  manure  and  silver  sand  form  a  suitable  com¬ 
post,  draining  the  pots  well.  Plunge  in  a  cold  frame  till  started  into 
growth,  and  as  they  require  more  room  move  to  a  cool  greenhouse,  giving 
all  the  light  possible,  with  air  on  all  favourable  occasions. 
Implement  for  Placing:  Weed-killer  lntbe  Centre  of  Weeds 
on  Lawns  ( J II.,  Subscriber). — There  are  several  implements  such  as 
you  require,  but  we  can  only  refer  to  those  of  firms  which  have 
advertised  in  our  columns.  1,  The  “Acme”  Automatic  Weeder, 
manufactured  or  sold  by  the  Acme  Chemical  Company,  Limited, 
St.  Stephen’s  Street,  Tonbridge,  Kent,  consists  of  a  steel  cutting  plate  at 
the  end  of  a  tubular  shaft  or  handle.  The  handle  being  filled  with  the 
“Acme”  Weed-killer  solution,  when  the  cutting  plate  severs  the  weed 
at  the  root,  by  an  ingenious  mechanical  action  a  small  quantity  of  the 
poison  is  allowed  to  flow  from  the  tubular  handle  on  to  the  root  of  the 
weed.  The  weed  is  therefore  cut  and  poisoned  by  one  operation,  so  that 
it  will  never  grow  again.  No  danger  to  the  useful  herbage  results,  as 
the  poison  is  put  in  the  ground  in  very  small  quantities,  and  does  not 
prejudice  any,  or  very  little,  but  the  weed.  2,  The  Wikeham  Patent 
Weed  Eradicator,  made  or  sold  by  the  Boundary  Chemical  Company, 
Limited,  211,  Great  Howard  Street,  Liverpool,  comprises  a  tubular  staff 
(which  may  be  used  as  a  walking-stick),  36  inches  long,  fitted  with  a 
spike  and  self-acting  valve.  The  upper  part  being  filled  with  weed¬ 
killer,  it  is  so  arranged  that  by  merely  stabbing  the  point  into  the  plant 
enough  liquid  is  released  into  the  tissues  to  destroy  it.  When  not  in  use 
the  point  is  protected  by  a  cover,  which  may  be  screwed  on  or  off  as 
desired.  The  tube  holds  about  three-quarters  of  a  pint  of  liquid,  and 
is  sufficient  to  kill  over  100  weeds  at  a  cost  of  one  farthing.  The  price 
of  each  implement  is  8s.  6d.,  post  free.  We  have  used  them  with  great 
success  on  lawns  overrun  by  plantains  and  similar  large  weeds,  getting 
rid  of  the  latter,  and  securing  a  much  better  and  easier-kept  sward. 
Ammonlacal  Xilquor  for  Disinfecting  Subsoil  In  Cucumber 
and  Tomato  Houses  (Cross). — Ammoniacal  liquor  from  gasworks  is, 
as  you  say,  “  strong  and  poisonous.”  It,  nevertheless,  is  one  of  the  most 
powerful  fertilisers  and  very  destructive  of  insect  life,  hence  one  of  the 
best  dressings  for  grass  land,  such  as  orchards  and  mossy  meadows  or 
pastures  that  harbour  cockchafer,  gardenchafer,  rosechafer,  and  other 
grubs.  In  winter  time  it  may  be  used  in  the  proportion  of  one  part 
gas  liquor  to  two  parts  water  ;  but  during  growing  time  one  part  ammo¬ 
niacal  liquor  to  five  parts  water  is  a  proper  solution.  It  browns  the 
grass  somewhat,  but  is  followed  by  sweet  herbage  in  plenty,  which  cows 
prefer  to  any  other,  leaving  the  other  parts  of  a  field  for  that  to  which 
the  gas  liquor  solution  has  been  applied.  In  reply  to  your  questions, 
“  1,  Whether  it  is  likely  to  kill  the  microbes  ?”  if  by  microbes  you  mean 
the  bacteria  that  act  by  converting  ammoniacal  substances  into  nitrates, 
or  aid  plants  in  assimilating  or  appropriating  free  nitrogen,  we  shall  say 
no,  for  though  the  growth  following  the  application  of  the  ammoniacal 
liquor  is  due  to  the  ammonia  supplied,  there  is  no  cessation  of  their 
activity  ;  but  if  you  refer  to  eel  worms  you  will  find,  if  you  like  to  try 
the  experiment,  that  a  one-third  solution  destroys  them  in  a  few 
minutes,  sometimes  seconds.  The  difficulty  is  to  get  the  solution  to 
them,  as  they  are  nobody  knows  where  during  the  winter,  therefore  the 
substances  intended  for  their  destruction  are  uncertain  in  action  simply 
on  that  account.  “  2,  Whether  it  would  be  injurious  to  the  roots  of  the 
Cucumbers  supposing  it  was  used  a  week  or  two  beforehand  only  ?”  The 
answer  is,  it  would  not  injure  the  Cucumber  roots,  but  greatly  benefit 
