260 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  21,  1899. 
unless  strong  measures  are  taken  to  prevent  them.  Feeding  bees  in 
the  morning  has  the  same  effect,  although  it  may  have  been  most 
carefully  di  ce. 
If  the  bees  are  fed  about  an  hour  before  it  is  dark  they  will  not  be 
molested  by  the  inmates  from  the  other  hives.  Syrup  should 
always  be  given  warm  at  this  season,  and  if  made  according  to  the 
instructions  given  in  previous  notes  it  is  surprising  the  quantity  a 
strong  colony  will  store  during  the  night.  On  examination  the 
following  morning  the  feeder — unless  it  is  of  an  extra  large  size — will 
be  found  empty.  The  bees  during  the  day  wiil  be  busy  preparing  it 
for  sealing  over.  There  will  be  no  excitement  among  the  other 
colonies,  and  robbing  will  not  take  place.  A  word  of  caution  is 
necessary  when  feeding  rapidly  in  the  autumn,  and  that  is  never  to 
use  foundation,  but  fully  drawn  out  combs. 
Covering  Up  for  Winter. 
After  the  colonies  have  been  provided  with  sufficient  stores  the 
feeders  should  be  removed,  as  they  lower  the  temperature  of  the  hive. 
It  is  not  advisable  to  disturb  the  bees  more  than  is  necessary  at  this 
season.  For  this  reason  the  combs  need  not  be  lifted  out  of  the  hive 
to  know  whether  there  are  sufficient  stores,  as  with  a  little  practice 
one  can  tell  the  condition  of  each  stock.  The  plan  we  adopt  to  judge 
the  weight  is  to  lilt  each  hive  at  the  back ;  allowance  is  made  for  the 
weight  of  the  hive,  and  there  is  no  difficulty  in  forming  a  corrrect 
opinion  of  the  weight  of  stores  contained  in  each  hive. 
By  working  on  these  lines  the  bees  are  not  disturbed,  and  the 
bee-keeper  has  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  his  bees  are  well  provided 
with  stores  for  the  next  six  months.  The  advantage  to  be  derived 
from  this  plan  is  not  only  at  the  present  time;  but  if  any  doubt 
exist  during  the  winter  it  is  only  necessary  to  test  the  weight,  and  if 
found  light  a  cake  of  candy  will  keep  the  bees  in  good  condition  until 
a  thorough  examination  can  be  made. 
All  stocks  may  now  have  some  extra  coverings,  such  as  old  carpet, 
or  anything  that  is  warm  placed  over  the  quilt,  so  as  to  keep  the  bees 
as  warm  as  possible.  If  the  material  is  of  an  open  porous  nature  too 
much  cannot  be  used.  We  do  not  like  anything  that  is  waterproof, 
.as  the  moisture  often  condenses  on  it.  If  a  piece  of  wood  is  placed  on 
the  top  of  the  coverings  and  weighted  down  with  a  brick,  there  will 
be  no  escape  of  heat  from  the  hive. — An  English  Bee-keeper. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to“  The  Editor,”  a,  Rose  Hill  Road, 
Wandswortb,  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  obtam 
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  now  de  pluwes  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. 
Books  {Colchester').— Write  to  the  Secretary,  Royal  Horticultural 
Society,  117,  Victoria  Street,  Westminster,  for  the  books  you  require. 
Both  the  “  Principles  and  Practice  of  Judging ’’and  “British  Apples” 
have  appeared  in  different  journals  of  the  Society,  all  of  these  beuw  sent 
free  to  Fellows. 
Grease  Bands  for  Fruit  Trees  (./.  A.).— The  paper  known  to  the  trade 
as  “  butter  paper,”  not  waxed,  but  “grease  proof,”  20  by  30  inches,  may¬ 
be  procured  from  Messrs.  Shoolbred  &  Company,  Tottenham  House, 
Tottenham  Court  Road,  London,  price  6d.  per  quire,  9s.  6d.  per  ream, 
and  will  be  found  to  answer  the  purpose  admirably. 
Standard  Mignonette  {Journeyman). — On  page  218  yon  will  find  a 
practical  article  on  the  culture  ot  standard  Mignonette,  which  will  be  of 
more  service  to  you  than  the  brief  replies  we  are  able  to  give  in  this 
column.  0 
Book — Weed  Killer  {Dr.  C.). — Beyond  the  one  you  possess  there  is  no 
work  specially'  devoted  to  the  subject.  We  have  found  all  the  advertised 
weed  killers  thoroughly  effective,  the  articles  being  administered  according 
to  the  instructions.  The  Acme  Chemical  Company’s  Weed  Killer,  Ton- 
bridge.  Kent,  may  be  mentioned,  without  prejudice  to  others,  as  very 
effective. 
Peach  not  Turning  Soft  {G.  F.  IF.).  — The  Peach  is  Stirling  Castle, 
a  very  excellent  variety,  hardier  than  the  type  (Royal  George),  though 
the  leaves  are  glandless.  The  fruits,  as  you  may  have  noticed,  are 
affected  by  a  mould,  the  fungus  known  as  brown  rot,  Monilia  fructigeua. 
This  has  the  effect  of  hardening  the  flesh  and  preventing  softening,  the 
fungus  attacking  the  fruit  wh^n  about  half  ripened.  It  is  rather 
uncommon,  but  not  so  much  so  as  generally  supposed,  and  it  is  one  of  the 
chief  causes  of  gumming. 
Hound  Berry  Among  Tomatoes  {J.  F.). — The  spray  is  that  of  the 
Hound  Berry  (Solanum  nigrum),  a  native  of  Europe,  including  Great 
Britain,  and  is  an  annual.  It  has  probably  been  in  the  soil,  and  is  a 
common  weed  in  some  localities.  The  black  berries,  sometimes  red  or 
yellow,  are  regarded  with  suspicion,  but  they  have  been  eaten  without  any 
dangerous  results.  The  leaves,  however,  are  poisonous  to  sheep. 
Heating  a  Small  Greenhouse  by  Oil  {F.  J.).—' The  matter  of  heating 
by  oil  and  by  coal  is  only  a  question  ot  boiler  or  rather  furnace  provision 
for  consumption  of  fuel  and  relative  cost,  oil  being  more  costly  than 
coal.  Such  boilers  are  made  to  heat  up  to  90  feet  or  more  of  4-inch 
piping,  hence  your  house,  20  feet  by  6  feet,  would  bo  well  heated  by  a 
3-incb  flow  and  return  pipe  the  length  of  the  house  or  40  feet  of  piping, 
and  even  2-inch  pipes  would  be  sufficient  to  keep  out  frost.  Four-inch 
pices,  however,  are  best,  as  the  heat  is  more  regular  and  radiated  at  a 
lower  temperature.  Write  to  some  of  the  horticultural  builders  adver¬ 
tising  in  our  columns,  stating  your  requirements,  and  asking  for  particulars 
— say  to  Mr.  Cooper,  755,  Old  Kent  Road,  LondoD,  S.E.,  who  supplies 
the  Amateur  Assistant  Boiler,  costing  about  £1.  It  is  heated  by  oil 
or  gas. 
Chrysanthemums  Madame  Carnot  and  G.  J.  Warren  Bads  Black 
(IF.  H.  F.). — The  buds  have  probably  been  infested  by  the  Chrys¬ 
anthemum  bud  mite,  Phytoptus  Chrysanthemi,  first  figured  and  described 
by  Mr.  Abbey  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  September  28tb,  1893,  page  290. 
The  mite  destroys  the  buds  when  about  the  size  of  large  peas,  and  they 
turn  brown  or  black,  fungus  following,  but  this  is  purely  saprophytic. 
The  other  healthy  buds,  “eaten  inside  by  a  very  small  insect  not  much 
longer  than  the  Euchar>s  mite,”  are  probably  attacked  by  the  Chrys¬ 
anthemum  bud  mite,  in  the  eight-legged  condition.  In  the  absence  of 
specimens  we  are  unable  to  determine  positively.  There  is  no  remedy 
only  removing  and  burning  the  infested  buds.  As  a  preventive,  spraying 
with  sulphide  of  potassium  or  liver  of  sulphur,  \  oz.  to  1 J  gallon  of  water, 
shortly  before  the  buds  appear,  and  repeating  about  every  ten  days,  is  the 
best  we  have  tried,  both  as  regards  the  mite  and  fungoid  pests. 
Raising  FruK  Trees  from  Seeds  {Socialist). — Apple  seeds  or  pips  are 
chiefly  obtained  from  the  cider  mills.  They  may  be  sown  at  once  in  beds  4  feet 
w'ide,  covering  the  seeds  with  about  an  inch  of  soil.  Thin  sowing  must 
be  practised,  tor  the  plants  will  attain  a  height  of  6  to  12  inches  or  more 
the  first  year.  In  the  autumn  they  are  planted  in  rows  a  yard  apart, 
and  from  a  foot  to  18  inches  asunder  in  the  rows,  and  the  following  July 
they  are  ready  for  budding,  or  if  the  stocks  are  weak  not  until  the 
following  year.  Grafting  is  performed  at  the  end  of  March  and  during 
April,  according  to  the  season  and  locality,  on  two-year-old  plants.  The 
modes  of  budding  and  grafting  are  described  in  “Profitable  Fruit 
Growing,”  by  John  Wright,  to  be  had  from  the  office  of  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture,  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers,  Fleet  Street,  for  Is.  3d.,  post 
free  ;  but  for  fruit  trees  generally  the  best  work  is  “The  Fruit  Growers’ 
Guide,”  published  by  Messrs.  Virtue  &  Co.,  London,  price  £3  3s. 
Lime  Tree  Infested  with  Mites  and  Borers  {A.  I.  S.). — The  piece  of 
bark  is  smothered  with  the  Lime  tree  red  spider,  or  properly  spinning 
mite  (Tetran^chus  tiliarum),  both  in  the  larval  and  perfect  state.  The 
pests  are  now  seeking  hybernating  quarters  iu  the  crevices  of  the  bark  at 
the  base  of  the  tree  and  even  roots,  where  they  roll  into  little  globular 
forms,  and  pass  the  winter.  The  yellow  dirt  is  the  outcast  of  some  beetle 
or  may  be  caterpillars  of  the  wood-eating  moths,  the  bark  being  covered 
with  a  glass-like  substance,’ due  to  exudation  caused  by  the  burrowing  of 
the  borers.  We  found  no  traces  otherwise  of  the  work  of  the  latter.  If 
the  latter  have  obtained  a  good  hold  of  the  trees,  the  best  plan  would  be 
to  cut  them  down  and  burn  them.  As  the  trees  may  be  of  service  for 
many  years,  if  not  badly  infested  by  the  borers,  the  mites  being  quite  a 
secondary  consideration,  as  they  are  easily  destroyed,  we  advise  washing 
the  trunk  with  gas  liquor  diluted  with  six  times  its  bulk  of  water,  applying 
with  a  brush,  reaching  well  into  the  crevices  of  the  bark  and  quite  down 
to  the  roots,  also  dressing  the  large  limbs.  This  should  be  done  without 
delay,  not  using  so  lavishly  as  to  run  down  the  stem  to  the  roots.  After 
w'ashing  the  stem  and  large  limbs  the  trees  may  be  syringed  with  the 
gas  liquor  diluted  with  twelve  times  its  bulk  of  water,  wetting  every  part. 
The  ammoniacal  liquor  will  act  as  a  manure  to  the  soil  and  benefit  the 
trees  the  following  season.  If  you  decide  to  remove  the  trees  and  plant 
others  in  their  place  after  removing  the  roots,  trenching  the  ground  and 
enriching  it  with  manure,  the  common  Locust  Tree  or  False  Acacia 
(Robinia  Pseudacacia)  would  be  most  desirable.  In  a  dry  season  it  holds 
the  foliage  much  better  than  Limes 
