December  1,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
427 
as  soon  as  they  were  crowded  with  bees  in  early  spring  placed  supers 
on  them,  and  thus  obtained  an  early  crop  of  honey  from  the  fruit  trees 
.and  other  early  flowers. 
Death  of  “A  Lanarkshire  Bee-keeper.” 
Intelligence  reaches  us  of  the  death  of  Mr.  William  Thomson  of 
High  Blantyrc,  N.B.,  who  some  years  ago  contributed  apiarian  matter 
to  the  columns  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture.  He  was  an  essentially 
■practical  man  of  the  old  school,  and  a  good  helper  to  many  in  the 
management  of  bees  and  honey  production.  We  have  no  details  of 
the  age  of  Mr.  Thomson,  but  think  he  was  an  octogenarian. — An 
English  Bee-keeper. 
***  All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to  “  The  Editor,”  8,  Rose  Hill  Road, 
Wandsworth,  s.w.,  and  hot  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  accompanied  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. 
Cherries  Dying  (W.). — The  specimens  are  under  examination,  and 
will  be  reported  on  in  a  future  issue. 
Cardoon  (0.  F.). — The  “  head  ”  is  that  of  the  Spanish  variety,  which 
is  a  perennial,  but  not  of  any  use  as  a  vegetable  unless  raised  from  seed 
every  season,  as  stated  in  our  former  reply.  The  plants  have  been  sown 
too  early,  otherwise  they  would  not  have  run  to  seed.  The  material  you 
name  will  not  answer  so  well  as  hay  bands  for  blanching.  The  roots,  so 
far  as  we  know,  are  not  edible  like  Parsnips,  being  too  woody. 
Violets  Damping  Off  (T7.  R.  R.). — The  Violets  have  probably  been 
grown  too  long  in  the  same  ground,  and  need  a  change.  This  we  have 
found  to  make  a  great  deal  of  difference,  and  we  always  grow  ours  from 
single  crowns,  never  tolerating  any  runners,  and  mulch  with  short 
manure  ;  thus  we  get  splendid  clumps  and  grand  flowers.  Damping 
has  been  very  prevalent  this  season,  both  outdoors  and  in  frames,  the 
leaves  going  off  in  a  very  short  time.  The  leaves  first  spot,  then  this 
rapidly  spreads  over  the  whole,  rendering  them  quite  slimy  and  rotten. 
It  is  caused  by  a  fungus,  Peronospora  Violas.  We  use  freshly  burned 
lime  reduced  to  a  powder,  with  the  smallest  amount  of  water  necessary', 
and  dust  on  the  plants  occasionally.  It  answers  well.  Better  still  freshly 
burned  lime  ground  to  a  powder  and  mixed  with  an  equal  quantity  of 
dust  charcoal,  also  dusting  on  the  plants.  By  all  means  thin  the  leaves 
if  too  crowded,  for  the  fungus  hates  light  and  a  free  circulation  of  air  about 
the  crowns.  The  treatment  appears  very  suitable  in  other  respects. 
Grafting  Apple  Stocks  and  Roses  (IV.  Warwick).-  1,  The  best 
method  of  grafting  Apple  stocks  (seedlings)  about  1  inch  in  diameter  is 
whip  or  tongue,  inserting  the  scions  about  6  inches  or  not  more  than 
inches  from  the  ground.  2,  In  grafting  Roses  the  junction  of  stock  and 
scion  should  bo  buried  in  potting,  as  this  insures  uniform  moisture  and  a 
speedy  “  knitting  ”  of  the  formative  layers  together.  3,  The  best  time 
for  grafting  Roses  under  glass  is  from  the  middle  of  January  to  the  close 
of  February.  Wo  prefer  the  first  fortnight  of  the  last  named  month. 
The  stocks  are  best  started  about  a  fortnight  in  advance  of  grafting,  the 
bottom  heat,  if  any,  being  mild  ((55°  to  70°),  and  the  top  heat  50°  to  55°,  so 
as  to  get  the  stocks  in  advance  of  the  scions,  which  should  be  quite 
dormant  when  attached.  After  the  grafts  are  inserted,  the  stocks  should 
be  retained  in  the  same  heat  until  a  ur  ion  between  the  parts  has  taken 
place,  when  they  may  be  gradually  hardened  and  grown  in  more  suitable 
•quarters.  In  large  establishments  the  stocks  are  w  orked  before  potting, 
and  placed  at  once  in  the  hotbed  (70°  to  75e),and  top  heat  55°  to  £5°. 
Scarcely  any  fail  in  the  hands  of  experts,  but  w  e  prefer  the  former  method. 
Caterpillars  from  Chrysanthemum  Blooms  (Cedo  Nulli ), — The  cater¬ 
pillars,  one  light  brown  in  colour  and  the  other  grass  green,  are  the 
larvae  of  the  common  angle-shades  moth  (Phlogophora  meticulosa), 
which  appears  from  July  to  November,  it  is  of  a  dark  brown  colour,  with 
a  purplish  wash  on  the  darker  portions  of  the  fore  wings,  and  has  light- 
coloured  markings.  The  caterpillars  may  be  found  in  late  summer  and 
autumn,  and  they  change  to  pupae  when  full  fed,  moths  emerging  in  about 
a  month.  Commonly  the  caterpillars  feed  on  Broom,  but  may  be  found 
on  a  great  variety  of  plants,  both  in  the  wild  and  cultivated  state.  The 
later  broods  are  very  fond  of  Chrysanthemum  blooms,  living  and  feeding 
inside  the  florets,  and  there  remain  concealed  by  day  instead  of  descending 
to  the  ground.  When  full  fed  they  descend  to  the  ground  and  spin  a 
cocoon  of  silk  mixed  with  earth,  in  w'hich  they  change  into  brown  pupae, 
and  from  these  moths  emerge,  as  above  s  ated.  The  moths  are  most 
plentiful  in  the  autumn,  and  the  larvae  feed  from  November  to  April. 
There  are  two,  if  not  more,  broods  of  the  pests  in  a  season.  The  only 
means  of  treatment  is  to  capture  the  moths,  or  failing  that  seurch  for  and 
destroy  the  caterpillars,  which  amounts  to  the  same  thing  in  the  end — 
riddance. 
Planting  Apple  and  Plum  Trees  (TV.  M.  TV.). — The  sooner  this  is 
done  the  better  when  the  land  is  in  a  free  working  state,  but  do  not  plant 
when  the  land  is  either  frozen  or  wet  and  adhesive.  If  it  is  not  in  suitable 
condition  when  the  trees  arrive,  dig  a  trench,  lay  the  roots  in  it,  well 
covering  them  with  soil,  and  there  let  the  trees  remain  in  a  slanting 
position  till  the  ground  is  free,  clean,  and  pleasantly  workable.  It  is 
better  to  let  them  rest  there  even  for  months  than  to  plant  when  the  land 
is  unfavourable  for  the  purpose.  Good  fruit  may  be  grown  in  a  depth  of 
18  inches  of  soil,  such  as  w  ill  grow  the  usual  kinds  of  vegetable  crops  well, 
even  on  a  sandy  gravel  subsoil,  but,  of  course,  the  better  the  surface  soil  is 
the  more  fruitful  the  growth  of  the  trees  will  be.  They  prefer  soil  of  a  rather 
strong  to  that  of  a  very  sandy  nature,  and  if  yours  is  of  the  last-named 
character  a  barrowful  of  a  different  kind  for  placing  under  and  over  the 
roots  of  each  tree  would  be  of  decided  advantage.  Turfy  roadside 
trimmings  are  excellent  for  the  purpose,  and  far  better  than  the  best  of 
natural  manure.  Whether  you  can  get  any  fresh  soil  or  not,  wo  should 
not  mix  ordinary  manure  in  that  in  which  the  trees  are  to  be  planted,  but 
two  or  three  spadefuls  of  wood  (not  coal)  ashes  and  a  pound  of  basic  slag, 
mixed  in  about  a  square  yard,  or  that  forming  the  station  of  each  tree, 
wrould  almost  certainly  be  advantageous.  In  planting,  break  up  the  soil 
down  to  the  gravel  in  a  circle  twice  the  diameter  of  the  spread  of  the 
roots  of  the  trees  to  be  planted,  or  say  a  width  of  at  least  3  feet.  The 
centre  of  this  station  should  be  in  the  form  of  an  inverted  saucer-shaped 
mound,  tho  top  being  within  about  an  inch  of  the  natural  ground  level, 
The  soil  in  the  station  ought  to  be  compressed  by  treading,  though  if  it  is 
heavy  not  to  any  great  extent,  whereas  if  light  and  sandy  it  should  be 
made  tolerably  firm  throughout,  then  just  loosening  the  surface  of  the 
mound  for  the  roots  to  rest  on.  These  should  be  spread  out  regularly, 
like  the  fingers  of  your  hand  when  resting  on  the  table  in  an  easy  natural 
manner,  the  roots  will  then  slightly  point  downwards.  Cut  off  every 
broken  end  with  a  sharp  knife,  a  little  slantingly,  from  the  under  side 
upwards.  It  will  then  be  like  the  “cutting”  of  a  plant,  and  emit  a 
number  of  small  fibrils.  Place  the  best  soil  you  have  under  and  over 
them,  as  disposed  in  tiers,  so  to  say,  not  crushing  all  together  and  let  the 
uppermost  layer  be  covered  about  4  inches  deep.  The  trees  will  then 
appear  as  if  on  flattish  mounds  about  3  inches  above  the  general  ground 
level.  Cover  these  with  littery  manure  to  arrest  the  radiation  of  what 
remains  of  the  summer’s  warmth,  for  the  earth  will  not  arrive  at  its 
coldest  for  several  wteks,  and  a  very  few  degrees  have  their  effect  on 
root  activity.  If  the  trees  are  standards  stake  them,  having  a  pad  between 
the  stem  and  the  stake.  Whether  standards  or  otherwise  they  may  be 
expected  to  have  four  or  five  young  branches  2  feet  long  or  so,  with  some 
smaller  about  a  foot  in  length.  In  the  spring,  when  the  upper  buds  are 
starting,  cut  back  tho  strong  ones,  removing  about  two-thirds  their 
length,  and  let  the  end  bud  of  each  shortened  branch  point  outwards,  but 
do  not  cut  back  the  weak  shorter  branches  till  tho  buds  from  the  stronger 
push  growths  about  3  inches  long,  then  take  the  smaller  out  entirely. 
That  is  the  best  way  to  incite  root  action  and  insure  free  growth  the  first 
season  from  tho  buds  on  the  lower  part  of  the  stronger  branches — the 
best  for  forming  a  good  foundation,  or  base,  for  the  trees.  Such  close 
shortening  of  the  main  branches  will  not  be  needed  again,  but  any  that 
extend  about  2  feet  may  have  6  inches  taken  off  them.  After  that  the 
trees  will  have  a  sufficient  number  of  branches  for  producing  others  in  a 
natural  way,  and  continual  shortening  year  by  year  would  crowd  them 
with  fruitless  wood.  The  branches  ought  to  be  so  thinly  disposed  that, 
when  they  are  in  full  leaf,  tho  sun’s  rays  can  pass  between  them.  They 
will  then  be  fruittul,  as  they  cannot  be  when  the  trees  are  crowded  like  a 
thicket  in  the  summer.  When  the  sun  attains  power  in  the  spring  rake 
off  the  litter  from  over  the  roots  to  permit  the  rays  to  warm  the  soil. 
This  will  be  done  the  more  readily  by  running  the  Dutch  hoe  through  the 
surface  occasionally  in  blight  weather,  and  nothing  can  expedite  root 
growth  so  well  as  admitting  the  solar  warmth  ;  but — and  this  is  important- 
after  a  time,  perhaps  in  June,  hot  dry  weather  may  set  in.  and  then  alter 
a  watering,  if  needed,  the  surface  must  be  covered  again,  from  the  stems 
to  beyond  the  extremities  of  the  rcots,  with  shorter  manure  or  decayed 
vegetable  matter.  This  is  for  keeping  tho  upper  layer  of  soil  moist  and 
causing  it  to  be  filled  with  fibrous  roots  for  imbibing  the  nourishment 
provided.  If  the  surface  get  too  dry  the  roots  will  go  down  to  tho 
subsoil.  Leave  the  summer  mulching  to  decay,  and  each  following  season 
add  an  inch  or  two  of  manure  or  decayed  vegetable  refuse,  giving  also  a 
sprinkling  of  fresh  soil,  lime,  and  wood  ashes,  and  the  trees  will  prosper. 
Secure  a  network  of  surface  fibres,  keep  them  there,  and  feed  them  in  the 
manner  suggested,  and  you  need  not  trouble  much  about  the  gravel 
