40$ 
April  30,  1868. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
abundance,  also  pollen,  'which  is  so  necessary  for  the  well-being  of 
the  bees  at  this  season. 
In  the  gardens  and  orchards  Plum  and  Damson  trees  are  a  sheet 
of  bloom.  These  will  be  fertilised  by  the  bees,  as  they  are 
favoured  by  them  on  account  of  the  large  amount  of  both  honey 
and  pollen  that  is  obtained  from  them,  and  should  the  frost  keep 
off,  fruit  growers  will  doubtless  be  rewarded  with  a  good  crop  of 
fruit,  largely  due  to  the  industrious  bee.  The  Pear  trees  are  fast 
bursting  into  bloom  ;  these  will  be  followed  by  the  Apples,  from 
which,  in  the  South  and  West  of  England,  a  harvest  of  honey  is 
sometimes  obtained.  This  is  not  often  possible  in  the  Midland 
counties,  the  bees  as  a  rule  not  being  of  sufficient  strength  to  store 
a  surplus,  only  obtaining  enough  for  their  daily  requirements,  as 
the  trees  are  grown  in  a  limited  quantity  ;  but  when  honey  can  be 
obtained  from  this  source  it  is  of  excellent  quality. 
Among  the  flowers  of  the  garden,  wood,  field,  and  hedgerow 
may  be  mentioned  Arabis  albida.  This  plant  has  been  in  full 
beauty  for  some  time  past,  and  is  much  sought  after  by  the  bees. 
It  ought  to  be  planted  by  everyone  who  has  a  garden,  as  large 
masses  of  it  may  remain  undisturbed  for  years.  It  does  remark¬ 
ably  well  on  a  rockery,  and  is  one  of  the  most  showy  of  the  early 
spring  flowering  plants  with  which  I  am  acquainted.  Aubrietias 
are  of  similar  habit,  and  require  the  same  treatment.  They  are 
propagated  by  dividing  the  plants  after  flowering. 
Wallflowers  are  too  well  known  to  need  any  description,  and 
owing  to  the  mild  winter  are  now  flowering  freely.  These  are 
much  appreciated  by  the  bees,  as  they  obtain  abundance  of  both 
pollen  and  honey  from  them.  Doronicums  and  many  other 
occupants  of  the  garden  may  also  be  classed  as  useful  bee  plants. 
The  various  bulbs  planted  out  on  the  grass,  such  as  Daffodils, 
Tulips,  and  many  others  answer  the  double  purpose  of  beautifying 
one’s  surroundings  and  supplying  the  bees  with  their  requirements. 
First  and  foremost  of  the  dwarf  flowers  growing  wild  in  our 
woodlands  must  be  classed  the  Wood  Anemone.  The  woods  at  the 
present  time  are  carpeted  with  this  beautiful  flower.  In  some 
districts  it  grows  much  more  freely  than  ifl  others.  The  best  I 
have  seen  has  been  on  the  limestone  formation.  Bees  are  very 
partial  to  this  flower,  and  will  travel  long  distances  to  work  on  it 
Many  other  wild  flowers  at  present  in  bloom  might  be  mentioned 
as  being  beneficial  to  the  bees.  Yiolets,  Primroses,  Cowslips, 
Daisies,  DmdelioDS,  and  Pileworts  are  all  good  bee  flowers. — 
An  English  Bee-keeper. 
•**  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  Gardening  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. 
IVIalformed  Rose  (T.  A.). — The  example  you  have  sent  is  not 
unique,  specimens  having  several  times  been  sent  to  this  office.  It  is 
an  elongation  of  the  axis  of  growth,  and  we  suspect  that  no  one  could 
tell  you  the  real  cause. 
Retention  of  Plants  (AT.  Jr.  Z.). — We  presume  you  are  a  gardener, 
though  you  do  not  say  so,  and  have  obtained  plants  and  grown  them  in 
the  garden  of  your  employer.  If  this  is  so,  you  cannot  legally  take 
away  any  of  the  plants  without  his  permission. 
Price  of  Goldfish  —  Type  Accidents  (J.  A.).  —  The  price 
mentioned  on  page  370,  Id.  to  6d.  per  hundred,  ought  to  have  been 
4-i.  6d.  per  hundred.  Another  accident  is  observable  in  the  slipping  of 
letters  near  the  top  of  the  first  column  on  page  377,  relating  to  Conifers 
at  Orton  and  the  mention  of  Cupressus  “Lewsoniana”  instead  of 
Lawsoniana. 
Zonal  Pelargonium  Ellen  Terry  (T.  S').— The  gum  you  used 
must  either  have  been  weak  or  imperfectly  applied,  as  not  half  a  dozen 
flowers  were  retained  by  the  trusses,  which  rested  on  a  bed  of  rosy 
salmon  petsls.  The  few  flowers  that  remained  in  condition  were  good 
in  Bize  and  form  ;  the  trusses  were  evidently  good  also,  and  the  colour 
is  pleasing 
Melos  Plants  Xnjured  {John) — Beyond  the  scorching  or  injury 
to  the  leaves  there  is  nothing  whatever  amiss  with  the  plant.  There  is 
more  or  less  damage  to  the  cuticle  by  some  fumes,  which  appear  to  be 
those  given  off  by  uudried  or  unhardened  paint,  that  being  more  quickly 
acted  upon  by  ammonia-vapour,  such  as  arises  from  fermenting  materials, 
and  by  a  combinatiofl  of  conditions  has  an  injurious  effect  on  foliage. 
The  use  of  the  long  horse  manure  without  proper  sweetening  is  sufficient 
to  account  for  the  mischief,  or  it  may  have  arisen  simply  from  the  new 
paint.  The  stem  and  roots  were  perfectly  healthy.  Injury  might  pro¬ 
bably  have  been  minimised,  if  not  prevented,  by  the  admission  of  a  little 
air  constantly,  but  it  is  too  late  now,  therefore  the  lesson  is  to  be  more 
careful  in  the  future. 
Jargonelle  Pear  Trees  not  Bearing  (J.  J3.). — You  do  not  say 
whether  the  trees  are  growing  against  a  wall  or  whether  they  are  open 
standards  ;  but  in  either  case,  as  the  growth  is  rampant,  the  more  closely 
they  are  pruned  the  less  likely  will  they  be  to  form  blossom  buds  plenti¬ 
fully.  The  summer  growth*  should  be  so  thinly  disposed  that  the  leaves 
of  one  do  not  by  any  means  touch  the  leaves  on  the  other,  but  on  the 
contrary  there  should  be  ample  space  between  the  young  branches,  say 
a  foot  at  the  least,  and  if  these  are  unshortened  natural  fruit  spurs  may 
be  expected  to  form,  provided  the  trees  are  in  a  clean,  healthy  state.  As 
the  position  does  not  permit  of  root-pruning,  the  less  you  cut  back  the 
branches  the  better.  The  principle  to  follow  under  the  circumstances 
is  to  thin  well  and  shorten  slightly,  if  at  all. 
Red  Spots  on  Pear  leaves  (Pear). — The  cause  of  the  yellowish 
— the  most  numerous — as  well  as  the  red  spots  on  tbe  leaves  is  the 
Bear  leaf  gall  mite  (Pbytoptus  py i i),  in  each  of  which  spot  there  is 
a  small  cavity  occupied  by  nearly  white  four-legged  microscopic 
creatures,  or  bluntly  oval  bodies — the  primary  eggs  of  the  cycle — 
those  found  later  not  being  more  than  “  buds,”  and  are  much  larger. 
The  spots  are  very  numerous — indeed,  run  together — but  each  has  a 
small  opening  in  the  under  side  of  tbe  leaf  protected  more  or  less  by 
hairs.  All  are  due  to  the  action  of  the  mites,  which  in  such  bad 
cases  as  yours  greatly  weaken  the  tree,  causing  the  leaves  to  turn 
brown  or  black  and  fall  prematurely.  Probably  the  safest  remedy  is 
bisulphide  of  calcium,  made  by  boiling  1  lb.  of  flowers  of  sulphur  and 
1  lb.  quicklime  in  a  gallon  of  water  for  fifteen  minutes,  constantly 
stirriDg  whilst  it  is  boiling,  then  allowed  to  settle,  and  the  clear  liquid 
poured  off  for  use.  This  planed  in  a  stone  bottle  and  tightly  corked  in  a 
dark  place  will  keep  indefinitely.  Dilute  with  100  parts  of  water  for  use,  or 
say  1  gill  (quarter  pint)  of  the  liquor  to  3  gallons  of  water,  and  apply  with 
a  syringe,  taking  care  to  wet  the  under  side  of  the  foliage,  then  some 
will  enter  the  apertures  or  be  held  there  sufficiently  for  destroying  the 
mites.  The  bisulphide  solution  should  be  kept  off  paint,  otherwise  it 
will  discolour  it  for  a  time.  Repeat  the  syringing  if  necessary,  but  one 
application  usually  suffices  to  prevent  the  spread  of  the  infection,  but 
will  not  restore  destroyed  tissues  to  health.  If  you  prefer  to  use  some¬ 
thing  ready  to  hand,  procure  some  potassium  sulphide  and  use  it  at  the 
rate  of  half  an  ounce  to  a  gallon  of  water.  It  is  even  more  unpleasant 
in  smell  and  more  marked  in  its  effect  on  paint  than  calcium  sulphide, 
but  there  is  no  objection  to  either  if  care  be  exercised,  and  both  kill 
mites  and  surface  mildews. 
Beetles  and  Apple  Trees  (A.  P.). — The  beetles  are  unquestion¬ 
ably  the  caase  of  the  damage  to  the  young  wood  ;  they  feed  on  tbe  buds 
or  young  shoots  of  various  kinds  of  fruit  trees.  This  species — the  clay- 
coloured  weevil  (Otiorhynchus  picipes)  is,  perhaps,  the  most  destructive 
of  the  genus,  but  is  closely  run  in  that  respect  by  tbe  grooved  or  black 
Vine  weevil  (O.  sulcatus)  which  is  sometimes  of  a  fine  coppery  hue, 
especially  the  males,  these  being  much  the  smaller,  and  both  are 
frequently  associated.  The  pests  hide  by  day  in  the  ground  (beneath 
clods  or  other  inequalities)  and  come  out  at  night  to  feed.  As  the  beetlf  s 
are  practically  wingless  their  attacks  are  usually  limited  in  area,  and  the 
damage  can  be  much  restricted  by  suitable  means.  This  consists  in 
removing  all  cover,  such  as  mulching  and  dead  leaves,  making  the 
surface  fine  around  tbe  trees,  and  putting  a  belt  of  cartgrease  on  grease¬ 
proof  paper  round  the  stems.  This  will  prevent  the  ascent  of  the  beetles, 
as  they  must  crawl  to  gain  access  to  the  foraging  ground.  Then  con¬ 
densed  milk  tins  or  similar  receptacles  may  be  sunk  in  the  ground  level 
with  their  rims,  and  in  these  numbers  of  the  weevils  will  seek  shelter,  or 
find  a  watery  grave  if  a  little  tar  water  is  placed  in  each  vessel.  This  is 
a  very  old  practice,  slow  but  Bure,  as  is  capturing  them  by  means  of 
shallow  wood  trays  tarred  inside,  the  trays  being  placed  under  the 
infested  trees,  and  the  trees  sharply  jerked  after  dark  causing  the  beetles 
to  fall  into  them.  Some  persons  use  cloths  spread  on  the  ground  beneath 
the  infested  plants,  and  in  that  way  capture  great  numbers,  as  the 
insects  feign  death  when  alarmed,  and  are  then  readily  swept  into  a 
vessel  containing  a  mixture  of  petroleum  and  water.  Gas  lime  has  been 
recommended,  but  as  it  may  be  as  fatal  to  Apole  and  other  fruit  trees  as 
to  the  beetles,  is  mentioned  for  avoidance;  For  applying  to  the  soil  you 
may  use  kainit,  4  ozs.  per  square  yard;  in  the  case  of  small  trees 
sprinkling  it  on  the  Burface  from  the  stem  outwards  for  about  a  foot 
all  round.  Some  persons  prefer  muriate  of  potaBh,  using  about  2  ozs. 
per  square  yard,  and  in  both  cases  the  action  on  the  beetles  is  by  the 
chloride,  common  salt  being  the  earliest  form  in  which  it  was  applied 
for  the  purpose.  Another  good  method  is  to  syringe  the  trees  with 
soluble  petroleum  insecticide,  and  treat  the  soil  for  a  distance  of  about 
18  inches  from  the  stems,  not  giving  more  than  to  well  wet  the  surface 
a9  in  watering  seed  beds.  Fir-tree  oil  and  other  insecticides  may  he  used 
in  a  similar  manner,  provided  they  are  of  a  soluble  nature,  and  such  as 
are  not  likely  to  injuriously  affect  the  roots  of  the  trees.  The  insecticide 
renders  the  trees  obnoxious  to  the  insects,  ani  certainly  kills  all  that 
