588 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  19, 1895. 
Cyclamens. — Where  these  have  been  in  a  light  airy  house,  and  the 
plants  are  not  coming  into  bloom  sufGciently  fast,  a  few  of  the  most 
forward  may  be  placed  in  a  temperature  of  50°,  when  their  flowers  will 
soon  appear.  Give  air  daily  to  prevent  the  plants  becoming  drawn. 
Young  plants  raised  from  seeds  sown  in  July  may  still  be  kept  in 
pans  close  to  the  glass  where  the  temperature  does  not  fall  below  45° 
at  night. 
XSpacrls. — These  are  very  useful  for  cutting,  and  where  the  plants 
are  not  growing  quickly  enough  a  few  may  be  placed  in  gentle  warmth. 
They  must  be  placed  where  air  can  be  given  daily  and  syringings 
occasionally,  as  a  dry  confined  atmosphere  is  detrimental.  With  a  good 
stock  of  plants  we  rarely  have  to  remove  them  from  the  greenhouse, 
where  the  night  temperature  seldom  falls  below  45°.  They  commence 
flowering  in  October  and  continue  until  the  end  of  March. 
Primula  obconlca. — The  flowers  of  this  variety  are  useful  for 
small  glasses,  and  are  easily  obtained ■  No  better  place  for  the  main 
stock  of  plants  can  be  found  than  greenhouse  shelves  6n  which  a  little 
moisture-holding  material  has  been  placed.  When  removed  from  this 
position  to  a  temperature  of  50°  they  soon  produce  flowers  and  continue 
for  a  very  long  time. 
0  Callas. — A  few  of  these  will  be  found  useful  when  Chrysanthemums 
are  over.  Where  large  numbers  of  plants  are  grown  and  have  been 
liberally  treated,  suflBcient  can  be  picked  out  already  throwine  up  their 
flower  spathes.  These,  if  placed  into  gentle  warmth,  will  soon  come 
forward.  If  the  plants  are  hurried  the  spathes  are  often  a  poor  colour. 
In  the  spring  they  will  bear  more  forcing  without  the  least  injury. 
Azalea  Indlca. — These  are  always  useful  about  Christmas,  and 
there  is  no  difficulty  in  bringing  them  into  flower  if  the  plants  were 
assisted  to  make  their  growth  in  warmth  after  flowering.  The  difficulty 
this  season  has  been  to  retard  them.  A  few  days  in  a  warm  moist  heat 
will  bring  those  into  full  bloom  that  are  already  bursting  their  flower 
buds.  Where  dinner-table  decorations  are  carried  out  and  tracing  is 
appreciated  A.  amoena  will  be  found  useful. 
Abutllons. — The  flowers  of  the  better  yellow  varieties  are  extremely 
useful  and  can  be  used  to  advantage  in  small  glasses  or  for  the  decoration 
of  the  dinner-table.  Plants  that  have  been  grown  fully  exposed  to  the 
sun  and  not  too  confined  at  their  roots  will,  if  given  an  intermediate 
temperature  and  a  little  feeding,  continue  to  grow  and  flower  all  the 
winter.  If  planted  out  where  they  can  be  kept  cool  throughout  the 
summer,  and  gentle  warmth  given  during  the  winter  months,  they  will 
yield  a  profusion  of  flowers. 
Cllvlas. — Where  these  are  grown,  and  plants  assisted  to  make  their 
growth  after  flowering,  they  can  be  brought  into  bloom  at  almost  any 
period  during  the  winter  and  spring.  Some  will  already  be  showing 
flower,  and  these,  if  placed  in  an  intermediate  temperature,  will  quickly 
afford  large  spikes  of  useful  flowers. 
Chrysanttaemums. — All  plants  that  have  been  preserved  for  late 
flowering  must  be  kept  as  cool  as  possible,  for  they  will  be  found 
invaluable  at  Christmas  and  during  January,  These  plants  should  not 
be  neglected  ;  a  little  liquid  or  chemical  manure  will  prove  beneficial  to 
them.  It  is  surprising  how  quickly  the  roots  come  to  the  surface  after 
chemical  manure,  and  it  also  assists  the  production  of  strong  cuttings 
afterwards. 
I^Mhe  bee-keeperBS 
WIDE  versus  NARROW  ENTRANCE  TO  HIVES. 
As  there  appears  to  be  a  doubt  in  the  minds  of  some  bee¬ 
keepers  as  to  which  is  the  more  desirable  for  the  successful 
wintering  of  bees,  a  few  notes  on  the  subject  may  be  of  interest 
at  this  season  to  other  bee-keepers  besides  “  R.  A.  C.,”  who  seeks 
information,  and  assumes  that  the  advice  lately  given  in  these 
pages  in  reference  to  the  above  subject  is  contrary  to  the  teaching 
advocated  by  other  writers,  whereas  there  is  no  difference  in  the 
actual  result. 
One  writer  recommends  the  entrance  to  be  open  the  full  width  ; 
another  says  all  hives  should  have  ventilated  floor  boards,  and  the 
entrance  reduced  to  IJ  inch  in  width.  The  same  writer,  to  prove 
that  bottom  ventilation  is  necessary,  states  on  February  28th,  1895 
(page  196),  that  of  two  apiaries  in  the  same  garden  50  per  cent, 
with  solid  floors  are  dead,  while  in  those  having  ventilated  floors 
all  are  alive,  thus  proving  that  both  are  of  the  same  opinion  on  this 
subject  as  regards  bottom  ventilation,  although  solid  floors  are  no 
detriment,  provided  they  are  loose,  and  that  bottom  ventilation  is 
duly  attended  to. 
In  discussing  a  subject  of  this  importance  actual  facts  only  will 
be  given,  as  these  are  worth  a  great  amount  of  theory,  and  which 
may  be  verified  at  any  time.  At  the  present  date  (December  14th) 
I  have  upwards  of  three  dozen  stocks,  the  majority  of  them  facing 
due  west,  from  which  quarter  during  the  past  week  there  have 
been  high  winds,  accompanied  by  heavy  rain,  hail,  and  snow.  For 
upwards  of  three  months  all  entrances  to  hives  have  been  open  their 
full  width,  and  only  a  few  of  them  have  porches.  According 
to  theory  the  rain  would  be  driven  in  and  saturate  the  floor  boards, 
but  in  practice  they  are  as  dry  as  when  first  placed  under  the 
hives. 
On  lifting  off  a  number  of  the  hives  from  their  boards  to-day, 
which  had  not  been  done  since  August,  they  were  found  to  be  in 
perfect  condition,  ample  stores,  and  plenty  of  bees,  the  interior 
being  as  dry  as  at  midsummer,  thus  proving  the  fallacy  of  closing 
the  entrance  to  hives  during  the  winter.  This  is  a  matter  that 
any  bee-keeper  may  soon  prove,  as,  after  making  many  experi¬ 
ments,  I  have  found  that  where  solid  floors  are  used  and  the 
entrance  reduced  to  about  an  inch  in  width,  on  examining  them  in 
the  spring  they  were  often  saturated  with  moisture,  and  the 
combs  mouldy  for  want  of  ventilation.  It  was  by  accident  I  found 
out  how  necessary  this  was  to  the  successful  wintering  of  bees, 
having  the  previous  summer  wedged  up  the  front  of  a  hive  to 
prevent  the  overheating  of  the  stock.  The  wedges  were  not 
removed  till  the  following  spring,  when  it  was  found  to  be  in 
better  condition  than  any  of  my  other  stocks.  Occasionally  I 
have  wedged  the  hive  up  a  quarter  of  an  inch  from  the  floor  board 
all  round  ;  these  have  been  perfectly  dry,  and  proved  to  be^y 
strongest  stocks  the  following  spring.  I  always  reduce  the 
entrance  both  in  the  autumn  and  spring,  and  open  them  their 
full  width  directly  all  danger  of  robbing  is  over. 
In  bee-keeping,  as  in  other  things,  we  should  not  deprecate 
other  systems  than  that  practised  by  ourselves,  as  all  have  the 
same  aim  in  view. — An  English  Bee-keeper. 
TRADE  CATALOGUES  RECEIVED. 
J.  Carter  &  Co.,  High  Holborn,  London. — Seed  Catalogue, 
B.  Crews,  Banbury. — Onion  List, 
Stuart  &  Mein,  Kelso,  N.B. — Amateurs'  Gardening  Guide, 
Sutton  &  Sons.  Reading. — Amateurs'  Guide  in  Horticulture. 
J.  Veitch  &  Sons,  Royal  Exotic  Nursery,  Chelsea. — Catalogtie  of 
Seeds. 
E.  Webb  &  Sons,  Wordsley,  Stourbridge. — Sjoring  Catalogue, 
All  correspondence  should  be  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. 
Kew  (A.  J.  S.'). — If  you  write  to  “  The  Curator,  Royal  Gardens, 
Kew,”  he  will  send  you  the  required  information. 
Cattleya  Buds  not  Expanding'  (W,  S."). — The  most  probable 
cause  is  lack  of  vigour  in  the  plant,  the  roots  not  being  in  good  condition. 
It  also  arises  from  deficiency  of  temperature,  and  sometimes  from  sudden 
checks.  Of  these  matters  you  will  best  be  able  to  form  an  opinion. 
Alocasla  cuprea  and  Apbelandra  nltens  (IF.  N.). — Alocasia 
cuprea  sjn.  metallica  and  Aphelandra  nltens  are  stove  plants,  and  of 
comparatively  easy  culture,  both  requiring  plenty  of  heat  and  moisture 
during  the  growing  season,  and  when  these  are  afforded  the  plants  are 
very  handsome. 
Chrysanthemum  Harold  Wells  (IF.  Wells'). — The  particular 
bloom  yon  forward  might  undoubtedly  be  classed  and  shown  as  an 
incurved,  but  as  the  blooms  vary  the  committees  mentioned  were 
perhaps  wise  in  withholding  a  definite  opinion  until  the  variety  had 
been  further  tried. 
Ficus  elastlca  variegata  Xieaf  Spotted  (IF.  C.)  — The  spots  on 
the  leaves  are  caused  by  moisture  resting  on  the  cuticle,  which  is 
absorbed  by  the  epidermal  cells,  and  causes  their  disorganisation  or  decay. 
This  is  usually  confined  to  the  variegated  portion  of  the  leaf,  which  is 
much  more  tender  than  the  green  part,  but  even  that  portion  is  liable  to 
become  discoloured  through  moisture  lodging  thereon,  and  then  being 
suddenly  evaporated.  The  only  thing  to  prove  of  service  in  such  cases 
is  to  maintain  as  equable  a  temperature  and  uniform  a  moisture  as 
