166 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  15,  1895. 
fault  of  the  author  if,  after  a  perusal  of  its  pages,  the  expert  as 
well  as  the  novice  does  not  close  the  book  with  the  feeling  that 
something  has  been  learned  that  had  not  come  to  mind  before. 
There  are  doubtless  many  people  who  are  anxious  to  keep  bees, 
but  on  perusing  a  catalogue  obtained  from  a  dealer  in  bee  appli¬ 
ances  do  not  know  what  to  select  from  the  numerous  articles 
recommended  for  the  purpose,  and  in  many  instances,  I  fear, 
unless  they  consult  some  bee-keeping  friend,  will  give  the  matter 
up  in  despair.  To  such  as  these  I  can  strongly  recommend  this 
book,  as  it  fully  explains  what  is  really  necessary,  their  prices,  and 
where  they  may  be  obtained.  A  slight  error  occurs  at  page  9,  in 
which  it  is  stated,  “In  1874  the  late  Mr.  C.  N.  Abbot  started  the 
first  bee  journal,’'  whereas,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture  had  been  taking  the  lead  in  bee-keeping  for  several 
years  previous  to  that  date,  articles  giving  advice  on  bee  manage¬ 
ment,  and  queries  answered  on  the  subject,  which  have  been  con¬ 
tinued  to  the  present  time.  Honour  to  whom  honour  is  due. 
It  is  up  to  date  in  the  modern  system  of  moveable  frame  hives. 
The  instructions  given  are  reliable,  as  they  are  on  the  same  lines 
that  I  have  practised  and  found  successful  for  several  years  past. 
At  page  100  : — “  Bar  Frame  Hive. — The  cost  of  any  hive,  as  of 
other  articles,  depends  very  materially  on  the  demand  for  it.  Now 
by  the  increased  demand  for  this  hive  it  is  made  by  machinery 
instead  of  by  hand,  and  the  cost  has  been  greatly  reduced.  Those 
who  can  use  tools  will  find  the  hive  simple  in  construction,  and 
therefore  easily  copied.  The  floor  board  costing  Is.  4d.  ;  lorood 
chamber,  2«.  ;  two  supers,  with  bars,  window,  and  door,  2s.  2d.  each, 
and  roof,  Is.  9d.,  will  cost  about  9s.  6d.  ;  paint,  6d.  ;  foundation, 
2s.  6d.,  and  swarm,  lOs.  6d.  ;  total,  23s.” 
The  skep  system  is  not  despised,  but  is  explained  at  page  99. 
“  On  this  system  the  outfit  per  stock  will  be  as  follows,  at  the 
lowest  estimate  : — Brood  chamber.  Is.  6d.  ;  two  supers,  Is.  3d.  ; 
swarm,  10s.  6d.;  total  cost,  17s.  The  cost  of  a  swarm  will  depend 
upon  whether  it  can  be  purchased  from  a  neighbour,  or  a  dealer 
some  distance  away.  In  the  former  case  a  good  ordinary  swarm 
may  be  obtained  for  the  price  named  ;  but  if  supplied  by  a  dealer 
who  guarantees  a  young  queen  and  a  certain  weight  of  bees  the 
price  will  be  about  3s.  6d.  per  lb.  It  is  then  good  policy  to  procure 
a  4  lb.  swarm.  The  extra  cost  and  carriage  will  require  adding  to 
the  estimate  above.” 
Races  of  bees  are  fully  described,  their  date  of  introduction, 
and  their  good  and  bad  qualities,  the  latter,  according  to  tbe 
author,  predominating.  The  Ligurian  is  recommended  in  pre¬ 
ference  to  the  other  varieties  ;  but  I  cannot  agree  with  the  writer 
that  they  are  to  be  preferred  to  our  native  bee,  although  some  bee¬ 
keepers  imagine  it  is  impossible  to  find  a  true  stock  of  the  native 
black  or  brown  bee.  Be  that  as  it  may,  it  will  be  the  bee  of  the 
future  for  this  country.  The  notes  on  queen  rearing  and 
marketing  honey  are  instructive,  and  this  book  should  be  read  by 
all  who  are  interested  in  bee-keeping. — An  English  Bee-keeper. 
•a*  All  correspondence  should  he  directed  either  to  “  The 
Editor  ”  or  to  “  The  Publisher.’'  Letters  addressed  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. 
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  reply  to  questions  through  the  post, 
and  we  do  not  undertake  to  return  rejected  communications. 
Dwarf  French  Bean  From  Exhibition  The  pod  is  a 
fine  specimen  of  Canadian  Wonder,  8  inches  in  length,  but  far  too  old 
for  edible  purposes.  At  an  exhibition  its  proper  place  is  the  class  for 
Dwarf  Kidney  or  French  Beans. 
Vine  Deaf  Yellow  Blotched  (A  Constant  Reader').— T)xq  leaf  is 
neither  affected  by  disease  nor  by  insects,  at  least  we  cannot  discover 
any  ;  bat  the  yellow  blotches  may  possibly  push  outgrowths  later,  which 
we  do  not  anticipate,  as  there  does  not  appear  any  mycelial  hyphas. 
The  yellowness  appears  a  sort  of  scorching,  possibly  due  to  the  sun 
acting  powerfully  on  the  leaves  whilst  wet. 
Ulcotlana  affinls  (TF,  G.). —  This  deliciously  night  -  scented 
flowered  plant  is  a  half-hardy  annual  herb,  a  splendid  conservatory 
plant,  hairy  all  over,  except  the  inside  of  the  Corolla.  It  is  sometimes 
continued  by  cuttings  which  spring  from  the  collar,  and  these  are  still 
further  perpetuated  by  the  same  process  ;  all  the  same  the  plant  is  an 
annual,  and  so  classed  by  Mr.  Nicholson  of  Kew,  and  other  botanists, 
Beuchera  sanguinea  Baislng  from  Seed  (^Somerset). — Plants 
from  seed  sown  now  would  be  small  and  somewhat  difficult  to  winter, 
as  the  cold  weather  will  be  here  before  they  become  established,  but  if 
you  could  give  the  plants  protection  some  of  the  strongest  would  afford 
flowers  next  season.  It  is  better  to  sow  this  and  other  perennials  in  the 
spring,  then  the  seedlings  have  a  chance  to  become  established  and 
sturdy,  so  as  to  be  capable  of  producing  abundance  of  bloom  the 
following  year. 
Ziapagerla  Eeaves  Discoloured  (T.  F.  IF). — The  leaves  have 
had  most  of  the  colouring  matter  (chlorophyll)  abstracted  by  thrips,  of 
which  we  found  some  eggs,  which  under  ordinary  circumstances  would 
have  hatched  in  a  few  days.  There  were  no  insects,  however,  they  being 
too  lively  for  that,  and  the  syringing  with  tobacco  water  and  softsoap 
would  destroy  the  insects  but  not  the  eggs,  which  are  protected  by  a 
gummy  exudation  from  the  parent  when  deposited.  The  treatment 
should  therefore  be  repeated  at  intervals  of  a  few  days  so  as  to  extirpate 
the  pests.  You  could  not  have  anything  better  than  the  tobacco  water 
and  softsoap  solution  in  mixture,  only  use  it  at  intervals  of  not  less  fre¬ 
quency  than  once  a  week.  The  leaves  affected  must  fall,  as  their  tissues 
have  been  destroyed  by  the  thrips,  the  remedy  being  applied  too  late 
and  ineffectively.  , 
Cros  Guillaume  Vine  Deaf  Discoloured  {J.  D.). — There  is  a 
few  spots  on  the  leaves,  which  are  caused  by  a  fungus  common  in 
European  vineyards,  which  has  found  its  way  to  this  country.  This 
fungus  is  known  as  Gloeosporium  anipelophagum,  but  it  does  not  make 
much  headway  in  the  British  Isles.  You  may  dress  the  Vine  in  winter  or 
after  pruning  with  a  10  per  cent,  solution  of  sulphate  of  iron,  applying 
with  a  brush,  removing  all  leaves  carefully  as  they  become  mature, 
and  burning  them.  The  mouldy  fungus  on  the  leaves  is  Aspergillus 
glaucus,  but  this  is  not  parasitic  under  ordinary  conditions,  nor  in  your 
case,  as  it  is  found  on  dead  tissue.  The  general  discolouration  is  due 
to  the  leaves  being  formed  under  conditions  unfavourable  to  a  firm 
and  solidified  texture,  this  variety  being  of  a  particularly  succulent 
nature  in  its  growths,  and  requires  to  have  the  foliage  formed  under 
plenty  of  sunlight  and  a  free  amount  of  air,  otherwise  they  cannot 
bear  the  sun,  but  become  more  or  less  discoloured  under  its  influence 
and  mature  early. 
melon  lieaves  Diseased  [Anxious). — The  Melon  leaves  are  infested 
with  the  leaf  spot  fungus  (Phoma  lagenicola)  which  produces  yellow 
patches  on  the  affected  parts,  these  ultimately  becoming  brown,  then 
white,  and  falling  out.  In  that  way  the  whole  leaf,  and  sometimes  the 
whole  of  those  of  a  plant  collapse,  and  the  fruit  doos  not  attain  maturity 
in  consequence.  After  trying  several  specifics,  we  have  not  found  any¬ 
thing  better  than  a  petroleum  emulsion,  which  contains  about  128  parts 
of  petroleum  in  the  diluted  preparation  for  use.  If  you  wish  to  try  it 
dissolve  half  pound  of  softsoap  in  half  gallon  of  soft  wafer  by  boiling 
over  a  fire  ;  when  boiling  remove  from  the  fire,  and  add  1  gill  (quarter 
pint)  of  petroleum,  and  stir  well  so  as  to  form  an  amalgam  or  emulsion, 
and  when  thoroughly  amalgamated  dilute  to  8  gallons  with  hot  water, 
mixing  thoroughly,  and  when  cool  enough,  as  it  is  when  the  hand  can  be 
borne  in  it  a  minute,  apply  in  the  late  afternoon  with  a  spraying  apparatus 
or  fine  rose  syringe,  wetting  every  part  of  the  plants  and  house.  Care 
must  be  taken  to  keep  the  mixture  thoroughly  mixed,  not  using  it 
stronger  than  advised.  The  Coleus  appears  Injured  by  the  bisulphate 
of  calcium  solution,  which  is  not  safe  to  apply  to  soft  and  hairy  leaved 
plants,  being  often  as  bad  or  worse  than  the  disease. 
Vlcomtesse  Herlcart  de  Thury  Strawberries  Spotted 
and  Brown  In  the  Beaves  (^B.  G.  B.  H.). — We  do  not  observe  that 
the  plants  are  going  off,  indeed  they  are  quite  healthy  at  the  roots,  and, 
barring  the  spots  on  the  leaves,  in  good  condition.  The  spots  are  caused 
by  the  spot  fungus  (Septoria  fragarim),  which  lives  at  the  expense  of 
the  leaf  tissue,  causing  a  white  spot  at  the  point  of  attack  and 
around  that  a  discoloured  blotch,  which  extends  through  the  growth 
of  the  mycelial  hyphse  within  the  tissue  and  greatly  weakens  the  plant, 
sometimes  causing  the  premature  decay  or  maturity  of  attacked 
leaves,  which  are  usually  the  older.  The  cause  of  these  fungal  inva¬ 
sions  is  not  known,  but  no  cultural  treatment  whatever  will  avoid 
them,  and  it  resolves  itself  into  a  question  of  parasite  and  of  host. 
Some  varieties  are  more  subject  to  it  than  others,  which  is  con¬ 
jectured  to  indicate  constitutional  weakness.  Every  parasite  has 
its  food  plant,  and  attacks  one  plant  whilst  its  neighbour  does  not 
suffer  from  the  malady.  This  gives  countenance  to  the  predisposi¬ 
tion  doctrine,  but  the  facts  are  destroy  the  spores  and  there  is  no 
disease.  The  cause,  therefore,  is  the  fungus,  and  to  prevent  its  attacks 
the  plants  should  be  dusted  with  fostite  or  one  of  the  advertised  fungi¬ 
cide  powder  preparations,  or  be  sprayed  with  half  strength  Bordeaux 
mixture.  The  disease  comes  from  the  old  plants  to  the  runners,  hence 
the  latter  should  be  treated  as  the  leaves  form,  so  that  any  spores  falling 
thereon  may  be  destroyed  when  germinating,  and  so  prevent  the 
germinal  tubes  from  piercing  and  entering  the  Strawberry  leaf,  where 
it  is  difficult  to  reach,  but  generally  enough  copper  is  absorbed  to 
destroy  the  hypbse  therein,  or  arrest  its  spreading.  This  treatment  we 
advise  so  as  to  prevent  the  spread  of  the  disease,  which,  as  a  rule,  is  not 
I  very  malignant,  seldom  doing  more  than  weaken  the  plants. 
