486 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
Decembei  -22,  1898. 
open  the  bundle  of  straw  in  the  middle  and  place  it  on  the  skep, 
so  that  the  straw  hangs  evenly  round  it ;  place  a  hoop  of  wood  or 
iron  tightly  round  the  middle  of  the  hive,  and  the  cover  is  complete. 
The  ends  of  the  straw  hood  should  be  neatly  cut,  so  that  they  hang 
a  few  inches  below  the  floor  board,  as  this  will  cause  the  moisture  to 
drop  clear  of  the  hive.  Hives  treated  in  this  manner  have  a  neat 
appearance,  and  are  quite  rainproof.  If  straw  is  not  conveniently 
to  hand,  something  should  be  used  to  throw  the  water  off,  such  as 
an  inverted  pan  or  zinc  skep.— An  English  Bee-keeper. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to  “  The  Editor,”  a,  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. 
Heavy  Gooseberries  (J.  J.). — Some  of  the  heaviest  are  :  red,  *London, 
Conquering  Hero,  and  *Companion  ;  yellow,  *Catharina.  Drill,  and 
*  Leveller  ;  green,  Shiner,  Thumper,  and  Stockwell  ;  white,  *Antagonist, 
Careless,  and  *Snowdrop.  It  is  better  to  have  a  dozen  varieties  for 
choice,  but  the  half  dozen  are  indicated  by  an  asterisk. 
Frothiness  in  Cauliflowers  ( H .  P.). — You  ask  what  is  meant  by 
the  following  sentence  in  the  R.H.S.  code  of  rules  for  judging  : — “Cauli¬ 
flower  of  medium  size,  firm,  solid,  rounded,  free  from  stain  or  frothiness,” 
or  rather  of  the  last  word  in  it.  Frothiness  is  tho  antithesis  of  firmness 
or  solidity,  though  why  the  word  “solid  ”  was  added  to  tho  word  “  firm  ” 
we  scarcely  know'.  By  firmness  is  meant  the  non-resistance  to  pressure 
by  the  thumb  on  the  close  white  stainless  head,  in  contradistinction  to 
the  yielding  of  tho  substance  under  such  pressure  as  suggestive  of 
sponginess,  while  in  appearance  there  is  a  frothy  looking  surface  instead 
of  a  close  marble-like  mass. 
Stacking  Turf  (A  Devonshire  Reader'). — Your  turf  will  be  better 
stacked  in  tho  open  air  than  under  cover.  If  the  heap  is  finished  oil 
in  ridge  form  little  rain  will  penetrate  the  mass  of  soil,  and  the  wholo 
will  keep  just  moist  enough  to  cause  the  fibre  to  decay  naturally, 
and  during  the  process  be  converted  into  such  food  as  the  roots  of  plants 
can  take  up.  When  turfy  soil  is  kept  for  a  long  time  under  cover  it 
becomes  dust  dry,  and  the  fibre  toughens  instead  of  deenying.  There  is 
a  wide  difference  between  keeping  a  supply  of  soil  for  present  use  under 
cover,  and  placing  a  large  quantity  in  such  a  position  which  may  not  be 
required  for  use  till  a  year  hence. 
Forcing  Lily  of  the  Valley  (S'.  J.), — You  do  not  say  whether  your 
Lily  crowns  are  retarded  or  ordinary  ones.  If  the  former,  you  "may 
succeed  with  them,  notwithstanding  the  fluctuating  temperatures  you 
propose  to  subject  them  to,  but  you  will  need  to  exercise  great  care  in 
watering  during  the  time  they  are  in  a  low  temperature.  If  the  crowns 
are  ordinary  ones — i.e.,  w'ere  lifted  from  the  open  air  during  last  autumn, 
you  will  court  failure  by  following  the  course  you  propose,  because,  if 
kept  at  a  temperature  of  GO0  for  three  weeks,  even  without  bottom  heat,  at 
this  season  of  the  year,  they  will  start  into  growth — or  rather  the  flower 
spikes  will  start — and  in  order  to  develop  the  flowers,  as  high,  if  not  a 
higher  temperature,  should  be  maintained  to  the  finish.  We  should 
advise  you  to  place  tho  boxes  in  a  cold  frame  during  the  three  weeks  that 
your  house  is  kept  at  60°,  and  return  them  to  their  present  position 
under  the  stage  when  you  lower  the  temperature.  They  will  then  come 
on  gradually  and  bo  benefited  by  the  extra  heat  given  in  March.  Bottom 
heat  is  necessary  to  start  ordinary  Lily  crowns  till  January,  after  that 
time  they  come  on  very  well  without  it  in  a  warm  house.  The  usual 
practice  is  to  place  tho  crowns  in  pots,  which  are  plunged  in  cocoa-nut 
fibre  in  a  bed  well  supplied  with  bottom  heat,  or  to  plant  the  crowns  in 
soil  or  fibre  placed  in  the  bed  of  a  forcing  house  ;  but  boxes  such  as  you 
describe  do  almost  as  well.  Tho  distance  you  have  set  tho  crowns  apart 
in  a  suitable  one.  You  may  perhaps  succeed  in  flowering  the  crowns 
again  next  year,  if  well  attended  to,  but  the  flowers,  if  any,  will  be  small. 
A  better  plan  would  be  to  plant  them  in  tho  open  air  next  May,  setting 
them  3  inches  apart.  Allow  them  to  remain  two  years,  then  lift,  and 
select  the  best  crowns  for  forcing,  the  smaller  ones  being  again  planted  in 
the  open  air. 
Natural  Asparagus  in  December  (TF./.  £?.).— It  is  not  unusual  alter 
a  dry  summer,  when  the  crowns  mature  early,  for  fine  heads  of  Asparagus 
to  bo  produced  during  mild  moist  weather  in  the  autumn.  We  have 
occasionally  gathered  more  than  one  fine  dish  in  November,  but  so  far  as 
we  recollect  have  not  seen  heads  such  as  you  have  sent  gathered  from 
outdoor  beds  in  the  middle  of  December.  We  do  not  recognise  tho  small 
Apple,  and  rather  suspect  it  is  the  fruit  of  the  stock,  which  grew  instead 
of  the  Apple,  that  was  once  inserted  in  it,  but  died — an  analogous  case  to 
some  persons  growing  and  pruning  Manetti  stocks  when  the  Roses 
inserted  in  them  had  vanished. 
Young  Vine  Canes  to  Displace  Old  Rods  (An  Amateur). — There  is 
no  reason  why  you  should  not  cut  out  the  old  rods  in  favour  of  tho 
young  canes,  which,  being  as  you  describe  the  size  of  the  finger,  wood 
well  ripened,  and  good  plump  eyes,  ought  to  bear  fruit  next  year.  Yon 
do  not  say  how  long  the  canes  are,  only  as  “  long  as  you  require  them  to 
go,”  which  may  be  that  of  a  20  feet  rafter.  Wo  should  then  not  leave  tho 
canes  longer  than  one-third,  and  on  that  length  you  will  get  about  eight 
bunches  of  Grapes,  the  laterals  or  side  growths  being  left  about  18  inches 
apart  on  both  sides  of  the  canes,  and  alternate  to  each  other.  This  will 
give  better  result  in  the  end  than  cropping  the  canes  the  full  length  next 
season.  Of  course  a  cane  must  bo  continued  from  the  upper  part  of  the 
new  rod  next  season,  and  that  in  turn  shortened.  The  old  Vinos  might 
bear  on  the  upper  portion  of  the  rods  for  a  season. 
Repottin?  Orchids  (  Youngster). — Had  you  given  us  tho  names  of  tho 
Orchids  about  which  you  inquire  we  could  have  told  you  when  to  repot 
them.  In  large  collections  of  Orchids  repotting  is  going  on  all  the  year 
round,  each  season  bringing  its  special  kinds  that  need  this  attention,  and 
everything  depends  upon  tho  species.  You  are  none  the  less  quite  right 
in  not  wanting  to  pull  the  plants  about  until  February.  Indeed,  if  we 
had  a  house  that  fell  to  40°  in  severe  weather  wc  should  give  up  the 
culture  of  most  Orchids  entirely,  as  only  tho  cooler  section  can  stand  this 
temperature,  and  it  is  too  low  even  for  them.  However,  you  must  make 
tho  best  of  it,  and  it  will  be  safest  to  leave  them  alone  for  a  couple  of 
months  yet,  perhaps  longer  ;  it  all  depends  on  what  you  are  growing.  If 
you  send  along  the  names  of  the  species  we  may  be  able  to  help  yon 
further  ;  at  present  we  can  only  speak  in  general  terms. 
Grubs  Eating  Cyclamen  ( Cyclamen ,  Surrey).—  Tho  very  fine  Cyclamen 
plant,  with  remarkably  healthy  foliage  and  several  hundred  flower  buds, 
some  developing  into  flowers,  has  had  the  base  of  the  corm  eaten  away,, 
and  the  young  roots  destroyed  by  the  grubs  you  enclosed.  They  are  the 
larvae  of  tho  grooved  or  black  Vine  weevil  (Otiorhynchus  sulcatus).  They 
arc  very  tenacious  of  life,  as  they  possess  an  oily  skin,  and  form  an  air 
globule  under  their  bodies  by  the  mouth,  so  that  they  resist  for  a 
considerable  time  applications  intended  for  their  destruction.  The  cause 
of  the  attack  is  solely  that  of  the  parent  weevil  depositing  eggs  in  the  soil 
or  on  the  corns.  These  hatch  out  the  tiny  larvae  or  grubs,  which  feed  at 
first  on  the  young  roots,  and  as  they  gain  in  size  and  strength  commenco 
feeding  on  the  base  of  the  corms.  For  attacked  plants  we  do  not  know 
of  a  better  plan  than  turning  the  plants  out  of  the  pots,  removing  tho  soil 
from  the  base  of  the  corms,  and  with  it  the  grubs,  which,  of  course,  must 
be  destroyed.  As  a  preventive  and  means  of  riddance  we  have  found 
Clibran’s  mite  killer  to  act  effectively  on  the  pest,  but  it  throws  the  plants- 
back  for  a  time,  though  they  soon  recover  and  arc  benefited  by  the 
application.  We  have  also  used  Little’s  soluble  phenyle,  one  part  to  480 
parts  soft  water,  stopping  tho  holes  in  the  pots,  and  then  supplied  the- 
solution  so  as  to  flood  the  soil,  and  leaving  it  so  for  about  an  hour,  then 
free  the  drainage.  We  used  clay  for  stopping  the  holes  from  the  outside. 
The  worst  of  the  matter  is  the  grubs  are  not  detected  until  they  have 
devoured  the  roots  and  the  base  of  the  corms,  which  cannot  be  repaired 
otherwise  than  by  new  growths,  which  takes  time,  and  the  plants  suffer 
in  consequence. 
Lord  Napier  Nectarine  Roots  Knotted  (J.  F.  S.). — The  roots  are  not 
diseased — that  is,  not  affected  by  any  animal  or  vegetable  parasitic  pest — 
but  burred,  knobs  being  formed  on  them,  and  from  these  shoots  have 
sprung.  This  i3  a  peculiarity  of  some  kind  of  stocks  employed  for  stone 
fruits,  and  upon  which  the  trees  worked  are  continually  throwing  up- 
suckers,  and  are  weakened  in  consequence.  The  suckering  is  commonest 
on  light  soils.  Light  soils  should  be  made  quite  firm,  adding  some  of 
a  stiffer  kind,  also  calcareous  matter.  In  this  way  we  have  grown  these 
fruits  on  Plum  stocks  on  light  gravelly  soils,  lifting  them  occasion¬ 
ally,  and  removing  every  trace  Gf  sucker  on  the  roots.  The  procedure 
you  have  adopted  —  namely,  “  lifted  the  roots  from  18  inches  to  within 
6  inches  of  the  surface,  relaying  in  a  mixture  of  turf,  burnt  refuse,  and  a 
liberal  dressing  of  old  mortar  rubbish,”  is  the  correct  one.  There  appears 
nothing  wrong  w-ith  the  growths  beyond  weakness,  due,  no  doubt,  to  the 
deep  planting  and  the  suckering  propensities  of  the  stock.  The  bud¬ 
dropping  may  arise  from  deficiencies  of  nourishment  during  the  growing 
season,  resulting  in  imperfect  bud  formation.  The  soil  appears  of  a  dark 
vegetable  nature,  and  contains  a  considerable  amount  of  organic  matter 
with  very  little  lime.  The  latter  will  have  been  supplied  in  the  lime 
rubbish  ;  still  we  should  apply  a  dressing  of  basic  slag,  1  lb.  per  square 
yard,  and  point  in  now,  then  sprinkle  on  each  square  yard  3  ozs.  of  double 
sulphate  of  potash  and  magnesia,  and  lightly  point  in.  The  mineral 
elements  will  slowly  become  available  as  food  to  the  trees,  and  in  the  end 
prove  better  than  quickly  acting  fertiliser?,  for  the  tree  needs  steady  supplies 
of  nourishment,  not  flushing  into  sappy  and  long-jointed  growths. 
Occasionally'  lifting  such  trees,  according  to  their  growth,  and  replanting 
in  firmed  soil,  is  excellent  practice.  Mulch  over  the  roots  in  the  summer 
for  conserving  moisture  in  tho  upper  layers  of  soil,  and  keep  the 
growths  scrupulously  clean. 
