20 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  2,  1896. 
badly  damaged  by  woodpeckers  and  great  tits,  the  former  having 
stocked  holes  through  the  fronts  of  bar-frame  hives,  and  also 
into  skeps  large  enough  to  admit  these  birds,  one  bee-keeper  being 
obliged  to  use  zinc  coverings  over  skeps  to  protect  them.  The 
question  arises,  Should  such  birds  be  protected,  or  their  eggs, 
under  the  Act  of  1894  ?  I  find  my  opinion  differs  with  others  ou 
some  birds,  and  in  one  county  the  tits  and  woodpeckers  are  all 
recommended  for  protection,  whereas  I  cannot  recommend  to  the 
Worcestershire  County  Council  some  which  others  recommend  in 
Warwickshire. — J.  Hiam,  Astwood  Banlc. 
Wide  and  Narrow  Entrances. 
On  page  588,  December  19th,  1895,  “An  English  Bee-keeper” 
says,  “  There  appears  to  be  a  doubt  in  the  minds  of  some  bee¬ 
keepers  as  to  which  is  the  most  desirable  for  the  successful 
wintering  of  bees.”  Of  course  this  refers  to  wide  and  narrow 
entrances,  and  I  must  confess  that  I  share  that  doubt.  We  have 
been  taught  for  years  that  wide  entrances  were  a  mistake,  and 
those  who  have  followed  this  teaching  have  found  we  were  guided 
aright.  I  have  been  a  bee-keeper  for  twenty-six  years,  commencing 
when  a  lad  of  thirteen,  and  it  has  always  been  my  principle  to  have 
narrow  entrances  in  winter.  My  hives,  with  ventilating  floors  and 
the  entrance  1  inch  wide,  are  dry  and  warm.  When  hives  are 
properly  made,  and  ventilating  floors  added,  damp  should  be  a 
stranger.  I  should  like  to  ask  “  An  English  Bee-keeper  ”  if  the 
entrance  is  open  right  across  the  hive,  will  not  breeding  be 
retarded  ?  Supposing  the  entrance  is  full  width,  and  a  cold, 
piercing  wind  full  into  it,  would  not  this  reduce  to  a  great  extent 
the  temperature  of  the  hive  ?  or  with  wide  entrances  could  we 
have  breeding  going  on  in  the  two  first  months  of  the  year? 
Bee-keepers  should  by  the  first  week  in  September  have  their 
stocks  fed  up  for  winter  on  good  syrup,  made  from  cane  sugar,  to 
last  until  May.  Leave  candy  feeding  alone,  it  is  not  natural  food 
forjbees.  It  is  laid  over  the  frames,  and  so  causes  a  draught  to 
pass  over  the  top  of  them,  and  in  many  cases  causes  damp. — 
A  Howdenshire  Bee-keeper. 
TRADE  CATALOGUES  RECEIVED. 
Biddles  &  Co.,  Loughborough. — Seeds. 
E.  P,  Dixon  &  Sons,  Hull. — Seed  Catalogue. 
Dobbie  &  Co.,  Rothesay.  N.B. — Catalogue  and  Competitors'  Guide. 
T.  Methven  &  Sons,  15,  Princes  Street,  Edinburgh. —  Garden  Seeds. 
J.  Peed  &  Sons,  Roupell  Park  Nurseries,  West  Norwood,  S.E. — 
Vegetable  and  Flower  Seeds. 
S  F.  Richmond,  Ossett.  —  Chrysanthemums. 
C.  Sharp  &  Co..  Ltd.,  Sleaford. — Seed  List. 
Chas.  Turner,  Royal  Nurseries,  Slough. — Catalogue  of  Seeds. 
R.  Veitch  <fc  Son,  54,  High  Street,  Exeter. — Kitchen  Garden  and 
Flower  Seeds. 
B.  S.  Williams  &  Sons,  Upper  Holloway,  N. — Descriptive  Seed  List. 
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  Gardeuing  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. 
Landscape  Gardening'  ( Querist ). — We  are  not  prepared  to  Bay 
which  is  the  “  best”  work  ou  landscape  gardening,  and  thus  imply  that 
all  others  are  inferior.  It  is  a  question  of  taste.  We  doubt  if  there 
is  any  work  that  will  meet  anything  like  all  requirements  under 
varied  circumstances. 
Rainfall  (Anxious'). — As  you  imply,  the  rain  is  collected  in  properly 
set  gauges.  We  have  used  one  of  Mr.  SymonB’  for  years.  It  is  cheap, 
and  answers  well.  The  rain  iR  collected  in  an  enclosed  bottle,  and 
measured  by  pouring  into  a  tubular-shaped  glass,  marked  to  show  the 
quantity  collected.  Price  and  particulars  can  be  obtained  from  G.  J. 
Symons,  Esq.,  Camden  Square,  London.  An  inch  of  rain  is  equal  to 
about  101  tons  to  the  acre. 
Dwarf  Orange  Trees  for  Ornament  (R.  IF.  J.). — The  Otaheite 
is  the  variety  that  is  generally  sold  for  the  nurpose  you  name,  specimens 
in  7-inch  pots  being  studded  with  fruit.  They  are,  we  think,  obtained 
from  the  Continent.  Seedling  Orange  trees  cannot  be  relied  on  for 
making  useful  fruiting  specimens.  Seedling  Orange  trees  raised  and 
well  grown  this  season  would  be  ready  for  grafting  or  inarching  next 
year.  We  cannot  advise  you  about  obtaining  grafts' other  than  by  the 
purchase  of  a  plant,  and  then  inarching,  or  bottle  grafting  might  be 
practised  with  success. 
Chemical  Manure  for  Heavily  Cropped  Vines  (Baron). — 
You  do  not  say  what  the  nature  of  the  soil  is.  If  it  does  not  contain  a 
large  per-centage  of  lime  use  the  following  Bone  superphosphate, 
4£  parts  or  lbs. ;  muriate  of  potash,  one  part  ;  sulphate  of  ammonia, 
half  part  ;  sulphate  of  magnesia,  quarter  part.  Mix,  and  apply  at  the 
rate  of  8  ozs.  per  square  yard  before  the  Vines  start  into  growth, 
pointing  in  lightly,  repeating  when  the  Grapes  are  well  set  and  when 
half  to  three  parts  swelled,  but  only  using  4  ozs.  per  square  yard  each 
time,  and  washing  in  moderately.  If  the  soil  contains  a  large  amount 
of  lime,  use  nitrate  of  soda  instead  of  the  sulphate  of  ammonia.  Th« 
following  is  a  good  mixture  for  Vines  and  fruit  trees  generally  : — 
Superphosphate,  parts ;  muriate  of  potash,  1^  part  ;  nitrate  of  soda, 
part.  Mix,  and  apply  4  ozs.  per  square  yard  when  the  Vines  are 
started,  again  when  fruit  set,  also  when  about  half  swelled,  and  when 
stoned  or  taking  the  last  swelling,  and  during  colouring. 
Caterpillars  damaging:  Violets  (G.  J.  D.) — Your  plants  appear 
to  be  infested  by  no  fewer  than  three  species  of  caterpillars,  a  proof  of 
the  activity  produced  amongst  some  groups  of  insects  by  the  great 
mildness  of  the  past  autumn.  One  of  these,  brownish,  with  obscure 
markings,  is  that  of  the  yellow  underwing  moth  (Trypbsena  pronuba) 
about  half  grown  ;  the  second,  at  nearly  the  same  age,  dull  coloured, 
with  interrupted  black  markings,  is  that  of  the  common  dart  (Agrotis 
nigricans);  the  third,  pale  green,  faintly  striped,  is  the  young  caterpillar 
of  the  angleshades  (Phlogophora  meticulosa)  All  would  feed  at 
intervals  during  the  winter  and  become  pupae  in  spring,  emerging  as 
moths  in  May  or  June.  Several  methods  have  been  found  serviceable 
for  destroying  these  and  similar  caterpillars  ;  tobacco  water  kills  them, 
and  paraffin  diluted  with  about  twenty  parts  of  water.  Soot  is  effective, 
when  it  can  be  worked  in  ;  and  also  Gishurst  compound  suitably  diluted. 
A  decoction  of  quassia  applied  where  they  are,  either  kills  or  prevents 
their  feeding,  so  that  they  die  of  starvation  ;  and  a  decoction  of'helle- 
bore  made  by  pouring  a  gallon  of  soft  boiling  water  on  2  ozs.  of  the 
powder  has  been  found  efficacious. 
Insects  Piercing  the  Young:  Growths  of  Chrysanthemums 
(IF.  IF). — The  insects  are  male  (smallest)  and  female  (largest)  of  the 
plant  bug  (Phytocoris  campestris),  which  may  or  may  not  pierce  the 
young  bud  growths  of  the  Chrysanthemum  in  the  summer  time,  the 
greatest  delinquent  being  the  smaller  plant  bug  (Anthocoris  minutus), 
which,  as  you  say,  “  is  difficult  to  catch  in  the  act,  for  with  the  naked 
eye  one  cannot  get  sufficiently  close,  with  their  keen  observation,  but 
with  a  glass  one  can  see  their  piercing  tricks.”  Both  belong  to  the 
order  Ileteroptera  ( Westwood),  and  characterised  by  four  wings,  the 
upper  pair  the  largest,  and  lapping  over  each  other  when  at  rest,  with 
the  part  nearest  the  body  leathery  and  dissimilar,  giving  it  a  darker 
appearance ;  under  wings  membranous.  Head  broad  ;  antennae  four- 
jointed,  thread-like  ;  legs  rather  long  and  adapted  for  walking.  Larvae 
resembling  the  perfect  insects,  but  without  rudiments  of  wings,  pupae 
with  still  more  resemblance,  and  on  these  the  wings  are  distinguishable. 
The  larva  has  a  piercer  and  a  mouth  adapted  for  sucking.  It  probably 
pierces  the  base  of  the  buds  to  extract,  the  juices  which  in  due  course 
would  form  nectar  at  the  base  of  the  florets,  and  is  sometimes  exuded 
from  the  bud  stems.  Various  other  plant  bugR  infest  Chrysanthemums, 
the  plants  sometimes  swarming  in  Kent  and  Surrey  with  the  Hop  bug 
(Lygus  umbellatarum)  during  August  and  September.  Possibly  they  may 
“suck”  aphis  out  of  existence,  but  we  are  not  certain  on  this  point, 
but  they  come  after  the  ladybirds  have  betaken  themselves,  in  the  beetle 
state,  to  delicious  fruits,  being  particularly  fond  of  wasp-eaten  wall  fruit 
and  Pear*.  The  plant  bugs  may  be  destroyed  by  spraying  or  syringing 
with  tobaeco  water  and  soluble  petroleum  or  other  insecticides. 
Forcing:  Kidney  Beans  (Abbey). — Your  house  is  suitable  for 
forcing  Kidney  Beans  ;  but  it  is  necessary  to  have  them  as  close  to  the 
glass  as  possible,  otherwise  they  are  apt  to  become  drawn  and  weakly. 
We  prefer  boxes  to  pots,  and  the  former  occupy  less  space,  therefore  in 
growing  large  quantities  there  is  a  considerable  gain.  For  varieties  we 
have  found  Ne  Plus  Ultra  and  Osborne's  Forcing  to  be  two  of  the  best, 
giving  preference  to  the  former,  as  it  is  a  heavier  cropper.  The  boxes, 
which  we  presume  are  of  ordinary  propagating  dimensions,  and  about 
6  inches  deep,  should  be  nearly  filled  with  good  soil,  and  the  seeds 
dibbled  in  not  too  thickly  in  two  rows.  The  soil  should  then  be  watered, 
and  the  boxes  placed  on  the  hot-water  pipes  or  other  warm  position. 
The  seeds  soon  germinate,  and  when  the  seedlings  are  well  through 
remove  the  boxes  closer  to  the  light.  At  this  time  it  is  a  good  plan  to 
stick  small  birch  twigs  round  the  boxes  in  order  to  support  the  stems  as 
they  grow,  and  also  to  give  a  good  top-dressing  of  rich  soil  in  which  has 
been  incorporated  some  thoroughly  decomposed  manure.  The  plan's 
must  never  suffer  by  want  of  water,  occasional  supplies  of  liquid 
manure  when  the  pods  are  swelling  being  very  beneficial.  The  syringe 
may  be  used  on  bright  days,  and  a  moist,  genial  atmosphere  maintained, 
