368 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  10,  1898. 
badly  working  subsoil  to  the  surface  being  a  serious  error,  A  light 
surfacing,  or  the  loose  soil  left  in  a  trench  after  the  top  spit  has  been 
thrown  out,  may  with  advantage  be  mixed  with  stale  or  manure-sick 
surface  soil ;  but  no  more  than  that  at  one  time. 
The  Manure  Heap. — At  this  time  of  year  stable  manure  accumulates 
in  larger  heaps,  because  not  so  much  in  demand,  than  at  any  other  period, 
and  a  somewhat  wasteful  process  is  too  often  allowed  to  go  on.  All  the 
time  there  is  any  moisture  in  it  this  fresh  manure  keeps  violently  hot ; 
but  excessive  fermentation  soon  gets  rid  of  the  moisture,  and  with  it  much 
of  the  most  valuable  fertilising  element  in  the  manure — ammonia.  A  heap 
of  musty  dry  straw  is  of  little  value  for  manurial  or  any  other  purpose. 
If  the  strawy  portions  of  the  manure  cannot  be  carted  into  a  mixed 
farmyard,  and  there  converted  into  good  manure,  shake  out  that  portion 
of  the  straw  which  may  be  wanted  for  protective  purposes,  and  form  a 
great  square,  solid  heap  with  the  rest.  Place  a  good  layer  of  garden  soil 
under  it,  and  heavily  cover  with  more  of  the  same.  This  heavy  weight 
of  soil  will  check  rapid  fermentation  and  absorb  what  ammonia  may  be 
generated,  while  the  soil  underneath  will  be  enriched  with  any  juices  that 
may  be  washed  down  by  heavy  rains.  In  February  or  March,  when 
all  is  turned  and  mixed  together,  a  valuable  heap  of  manure  will  be 
available. 
Preparing  for  Spring. 
The  lite  raius  have  benefited  vegetation  throughout  the  country, 
and  the  land  is  now  in  good  condition  for  planting  spring  flowers. 
In  previous  notes  mention  was  made  of  the  different  bulbs  that  might 
with  advantage  be  planted  at  this  season  which  would  in  due  course 
benefit  the  bees,  and  would  also  be  «  source  of  pleasure  to- the  lover  of 
the  garden.  In  many  gardens  preparations  will  have  been  made 
throughout  the  summer,  either  by  cuttings,  divisions,  or  from  seed, 
for  a  supply  of  plants  to  fill  the  beds,  oi,  it  may  be,  the  vacancies  that 
are  to  be  found  in  the  mixed  borders. 
Fortunately  for  the  bee-keeper  the  majority  of  spring  flowers  that 
are  used  for  this  purpose  are  of  some  benefit  to  the  bees,  either  by 
producing  honey  or  pollen.  It  does  not  matter  so  much  for  the 
former  if  the  colonies  wete  well  supplied  with  stores  the  previous 
autumn,  but  plenty  of  pollen  is  most  important,  as  without  it  the  bees 
will  make  little  headway.  For  this  reason,  if  no  other,  pollen- 
producing  plants  should  be  planted  in  abundance.  As  with  bulbs,  so 
with  the  other  plants,  it  is  possible  to  make  our  gardens  bright  with 
flowers  without  them  being  planted  specially  for  the  bees.  Spring 
flowers  are  increasing  in  favour,  and  it  is  interesting  to  observe  in 
many  gardens,  where  turmerly  the  beds  were  allowed  to  remain  bare 
throughout  the  winter,  the  advance  that  has  been  made  in  this 
direction,  and  instead  of  the  beds  being  bare  for  six  months  they  are 
now  a  mass  of  green  throughout  the  winter,  which  is  followed  in 
early  spring  with  a  wealth  ol  flowers  of  various  colours. 
One  great  advantage  to  be  claimed  for  many  of  our  showiest  spring 
flowers  is  their  inexpensiveness.  Take  for  instance,  Wallflowers;  for 
a  few  coppers  spent  in  seed  several  thousand  plants  may  be  obtained, 
and  if  large  masses  of  these  are  planted  in  separate  colours  they  will 
be  appreciated  by  all,  and  will  be  a  great  attraction  to  the  bees. 
What  to  Plant. 
There  is  a  wide  field  to  select  from,  but  our  aim  is  ordy  to  mention 
a  few  of  the  commonest  plants  that  are  within  the  reach  of  all.  We 
would  again  refer  to  Wallflowers,  of  which  there  are  various  shades  of 
colour,  but  we  prefer  a  good  strain  of  the  Covent  Garden  Red,  it  being 
bright  in  colour  and  very  sweet  scented.  A  good  companion  to  the 
above  is  Golden  Gem,  which  is  of  good  habit  and  distinct.  None  of 
the  yellow  varieties  is  as  sweet  scented,  through  some  cause  or  the 
other,  as  the  led.  In  planting  Wallflowers  sufficient  space  should  be 
allowed  between  the  plants  to  allow  them  to  develop.  It  is  not 
advisable  to  save  the  seed  of  Wallflowers  unless  only  one  variety  is 
grown  in  the  district,  as  the  bees  will  fertilise  the  flowers,  and  the 
seed  lings  obtained  from  them  would  be  much  mixed.  Distinct  colours 
always  look  the  best. 
Arabia  alpina  is  a  dwarf  growing  early  spring  flowering  plant 
suitable  for  edgiDgs  or  for  the  rockery.  It  is  increased  by  dividing 
the  old  plants  in  the  spring.  The  different  varieties  of  Myosotis  and 
Primroses  are  increased  by  division  or  from  seed,  and  are  too  well 
known  to  need  description.  Limnanthes  Douglasi,  usually  called  tie 
Bee  Plant  owing  to  the  partiality  of  bees  to  it  whilst  in  bloom.  No 
list  would  be  complete  without  this  variety.  It  will  increase  at 
a  rapid  rate  from  seed,  and  grow’s  about  9  inches  in  height. — 
An  English  Bee-keeper. 
TRADE  CATALOGUES  RECEIVED. 
Herb  &  Wulle,  Naples. — Seeds. 
8.  Mortimer,  Rowledge,  Farnham.— Dahlias. 
W.  Wells  &  Co  Larlswood. — Chrysanthemums. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to“  The  Editor,”  8,  Rose  Hill  Road, 
Wandsworth,  S.W.,  and  NOT  to  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers, 
Fleet  Street.  It  is  requested  that  no  one  will  write  privately  to 
any  of  our  correspondents,  seeking  information  on  matters 
discussed  in  this  Journal,  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.  If  information 
be  desired  on  any  particular  subject  from  any  particular 
authority  who  may  be  named,  endeavour  will  be  made  to  obtain, 
it  by  the  Editor.  Letters  of  inquiry  must  be  accompan’ed  by 
the  names  and  addresses  of  the  writers,  but  these  will  neither  be 
published  nor  disclosed  when  initials  or  nom  de  'plumes  are  given 
for  the  purpose  of  replies. 
Correspondents  should  not  mix  up  on  the  same  sheet  questions  relating 
to  Gardening  and  those  on  Bee  subjects,  and  it  is  convenient  when 
each  question  is  written  on  a  separate  sheet.  All  articles  intended 
for  insertion  should  be  written  on  one  side  of  the  paper  only;  and 
the  name  and  address  of  each  writer  must  be  known  by  the 
Editor,  though  not  necessarily  for  insertion.  We  cannot,  as  a 
rule,  reply  to  questions  through  the  post,  and  we  do  not  under¬ 
take  to  return  communications  which,  for  any  reason,  cannot 
be  inserted. 
Mixing  Lime  with  Material  for  Mushroom  Beds  ((?.  F.  0.  B.). — 
The  lime,  especially  quick  or  freshly  burned,  would  tend  to  dry  rather 
than  render  the  material  more  “greasy,”  this  being  due  to  overheating, 
or  not  turning  the  manure  soon  enough  and  often  enough  to  prevent 
too  rapid  fermentation  and  expulsion  of  the  contained  moisture.  This 
practice  we  have  found  all  that  is  necessary,  though  in  the  case  of  rather 
hot  manure  we  have  used  a  little  common  salt,  about  3  ozs.  per  barrow¬ 
load,  or  7  lbs.  per  cartload,  which  insures  slower  heating  and  more  even 
moisture,  with  a  supply  of  chlorine,  apt  to  be  dissipated  by  excessive  heat, 
and  then  not  favourable  to  the  growth  of  Mushrooms.  When  the  material 
is  poor  a  little  Peruvian  guano  has  a  good  effect,  but  it  tends  to  liven  up 
“  dead  ”  material  by  supplying  ammonia  steadily  for  gentle  and  long 
fermentation.  About  a  good  handful  per  barrowload,  or  4  ozs.,  answers, 
10  lbs.  being  used  per  cartload.  When  the  material  is  rather  strawy  and 
dry  the  guano  may  be  dissolved  in  water  and  used  for  sprinkling. 
Similar  remarks  apply  to  the  salt  when  the  manure  has  a  tendency  to 
become  too  dry. 
Rust  on  Dandelion  and  Viola  Leaves  ( W.  B.). — The  rust  on  the 
Dandelion,  Taraxacum  (Leontodon)  officinale,  is  caused  by  the  fungus 
named  Puccinia  Hieraci,  Mart.,  syn.  P.  variabilis,  Grev.  It  does  not  take 
on  Chrysanthemum  sinense  vars.  The  rust  on  the  Viola  leaves  is  produced 
by  the  fungus  known  to  botanists  as  Puccinia  violarum,  Lk ,  and  in  the 
uredo,  or  summer  spore  stage,  as  Trichobasis  (uredo)  violarum,  B.  It 
has  no  connection  with  either  the  rust  of  Dandelion  in  the  form  known  as 
Puccinia  Hieraci,  or  that  of  the  Chrysanthemum  sinense  vars.,  and  first 
figured  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  as  Trichobasis  (uredo)  Chrysanthemi. 
This  has  not  been  found  on  the  Dandelion,  nor  on  any  composite  plant 
stated  to  act  as  host  of  Puccinia  Hieraci.  Your  experience  goes  to  prove 
that  wild  plants  swarming  with  both  forms  of  spores  of  Puccinia  Hieraci 
have  not  had  any  effect  on  Chrysanthemum  sinense  vars.  as  regards 
producing  rust.  The  Chrysanthemums  in  contact  or  close  proximity  are 
as  free  from  Chrysanthemum  leaf  rust  a3  they  have  been  during  the  last 
thirty  years  ;  but  where  this  pest  has  been  introduced  it  has  spread 
through  collections  that  were  absolutely  free  from  it  before. 
insect  on  Growths  of  Cox's  Orange  Pippin  Apple  Tree  ( J .  W.). — The 
“very  minute  insect  that  resembles,  if  seen  thiough  a  powerful  glass, 
a  beetle  by  its  black  glossy  case,”  is  the  egg  of  the  Apple  fly,  Aphis 
mali,  in  which  the  insect  hibernates  or  passes  the  winter,  and  in  the  spring 
hatches  and  feeds  on  the  expanding  leaves,  increasing  with  marvellous 
rapidity.  The  egg9  are  very  crowded  on  the  shoots,  several  hundreds  on 
an  inch  length,  aud  are  just  visible  to  the  unaided  eye,  but  clearly  seen 
by  an  ordinary  pocket  lens.  The  insect  is  very  prevalent  in  some  seasons 
from  the  expanding  of  the  buds  up  to  July.  It  is  not  an  uncommon 
cause  of  the  blossom  failing  to  develop,  and  the  fruit  not  setting,  or  being 
defective  or  deformed,  besides  distorting  and  crippling  the  growths.  The 
best  procedure  is  to  spray  the  trees  as  soon  as  leafless  with  a  solution  of 
caustic  soda  (98  per  cent.)  and  commercial  potash,  half  pound  each  to 
6  gallons  water,  using  at  a  temperature  of  130°  to  140°,  or  in  the  case  of 
a  few  trees  the  solution  may  be  applied  with  a  brush,  in  neither  case 
using  it  extravagantly,  yet  wetting  every  part,  and  always  when  the 
growths  are  quite  dry.  In  the  spring,  as  soon  as  the  buds  commence 
swelling  and  th  leaves  are  showing,  spray  with  petroleum  emulsion,  or 
the  usual  preparations  ot  tobacco  juice  and  sottsoap,  repeating  occasion¬ 
ally  after  the  leaves  are  developed,  spraying  or  syringing  upwards.  The 
earlier  the  treatment  begins  the  easier  the  aphides  are  killed.  This  must 
be  done  if  the  trees  are  to  thrive  ano  prove  profitable. 
