432 
,70VRNAL  op  ttOEfTCULfmP  Amj  GOTrAGE  QARBENPn. 
64Stobet  Si,  1896.', 
To  inaare  the  frait  swelling  to  a  good  size,  or  in  some  caaet  at  all,  it  is 
neceaaary  to  have  recourse  to  fertilising  the  pistillate  flowers,  but  allow 
few  or  no  staminate  blossoms  beyond  those  required  for  impregnation, 
removing  tendrils  as  fast  as  they  appear,  for  they  only  weaken  the 
plants.  Add  fresh  warmed  soil  to  the  ridges  or  hillocks  as  the  roots 
protrude,  and  be  careful  not  to  overwater,  affording  a  supply  only  when 
needed. 
Pines. — As  growth  advances  more  or  less  in  these  plants  during  the 
winter  months,  and  does  no  barm  provided  it  is  effected  by  natural 
means,  only  sufficient  fire  heat  being  employed  to  sustain  the  plants  in 
health  and  maintain  the  progress  made,  they  should  be  placed  near  the 
glass.  This  will  enable  them  to  make  the  most  of  every  ray  of  light  and 
sunshine  whenever  it  prevails.  Though  the  plants  may  not  perceptibly 
grow,  they  store  essential  matter  in  spells  of  bright  weather,  and  become 
stouter  where  due  attention  is  given  to  keep  the  glass  clean,  and 
admitting  air  when  necessary.  The  sturdy  plant  throws  up  a  large  well- 
formed  fruit  in  due  season,  but  the  drawn  weakly  plant,  though  large  in 
leaf,  furnishes  a  much  smaller  fruit  on  a  lanky  stem  at  an  uncertain  and 
irregular  time.  Therefore  to  give  the  plants  benefit  of  clean  glass  and 
proximity  to  it  without  touching  is  to  grow  with  a  view  to  fruit ;  and  to 
keep  them  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  glass  and  crowded,  or 
beneath  glass  more  or  less  opaque  through  dirt,  with  its  C'>ncomitant 
molster  atmosphere,  is  to  prodace  foliage  instead  of  fruit.  The  beds  of 
fermenting  materials  subside  considerably  through  decomposition,  and 
freshly  made  up  ones  settle  rapidly  unless  well  trodden  down.  In  either 
case  prompt  attention  should  be  given  to  raising  the  plants,  so  that  they 
may  have  the  full  benefit  of  the  light,  and  in  doing  so  take  care  not  to 
chill  or  allow  them  to  become  overheated  at  the  roots. 
New  beds  should  be  made  as  necessary.  The  best  plan  is  to  remove 
the  plants  to  a  structure  with  the  suitable  temperature  ;  clear  out  the 
old  fermenting  material,  supply  fresh,  and  not  return  the  plants  until 
the  beds  are  in  a  proper  condition.  To  take  Pine  plants  from  a  warm 
house  and  keep  them  in  cold  place  chills  them,  and  returning  to  warm 
beds  from  cooler  quarters  acts  in  the  opposite  direction,  sometimes 
causing  them  to  “  bolt,”  that  is,  throw  up  fruit  prematurely.  Oak, 
Beech,  and  Spanish  Chestnut  leaves  are  much  the  best,  as  they  are  more 
durable  than  others,  and  the  heat  is  consequently  milder  and  lasts 
longer.  Tan,  of  course,  is  best  where  it  can  be  easily  secured,  and  about 
half  the  quantity  suffices,  but  leaves  in  many  cases  are  procurable  for 
nothing  beyond  the  labour. 
It  is  a  good  and  necessary  practice  to  assort  the  plants  according  to 
their  respective  requirements  before  winter.  If  not  done  earlier,  it 
should  be  attended  to  without  further  delay.  Fruiting  plants  require 
the  best  places  to  swell  off  the  fruits  properly,  particularly  at  this  season 
when  natural  aid  is  at  a  minimum.  These  plants  must  have  a  night 
temperature  of  65®,  and  70°  to  75°  by  artificial  means  during  the  day¬ 
time.  Successional  plants  only  require  a  night  temperature  of  60°,  and 
65°  by  day,  with  an  advance  from  sun  heat,  but  not  without  air,  to  70° 
to  75°.  Young  plants  must  not  be  brought  forward  too  rapidly,  because 
they  are  not  prepared,  nor  is  the  winter  season  an  advisable  time  to 
cause  them  to  make  much  growth,  and  they  will  progress  quite  fast 
enough  and  satisfactorily  in  a  temperature  of  55°  to  60°  at  night,  and 
60°  to  65°  in  the  daytime,  above  which  ventilate  freely,  taking  care  to 
avoid  chills. 
SEASONABLE  NOTES. 
Repairing  Hives. 
Hives  that  are  standing  in  the  open  exposed  to  all  changes  in 
the  weather  throughout  the  year,  as  the  majority  are  in  this 
country,  should  be  examined  at  least  once  a  year.  The  autumn  is 
a  good  time  to  carry  out  all  necessary  reoairs.  If  there  are  any 
suspicious  cracks  in  the  roof,  or  crevices  where  the  water  is  likely 
to  lodge,  they  must  be  made  thoroughly  waterproof  by  covering 
them  with  some  unbleached  calico,  which  has  been  well  saturated 
with  paint  made  from  good  white  lead  and  oil.  This  must  be 
drawn  tightly  over  the  surface  and  be  put  on  whilst  moist,  after¬ 
wards  well  painting  it,  also  the  remaining  woodwork  that  may 
not  have  been  covered  with  the  material.  One  dressing  will  be 
sufficient.  This  is  a  very  simple  remedy  for  making  the  roofs 
secure  against  damp,  and  if  the  wood  is  sound  will  be  the  means 
of  keeping  the  hive  perfectly  sound  and  waterproof  for  several 
years. 
In  my  apiary  there  are  some  hives  that  I  experimented  on 
several  years  ago  that  are  now  in  as  good  condition  as  when  first 
operated  on.  It  is  an  advantage  to  paint  the  outside  of  all  the 
hives  once  a  year.  One  coat  will  be  ample,  and  for  this  purpose 
there  is  nothing  better  than  white  lead  and  oil.  I  have  seen  enamel 
paint  used,  but  in  the  course  of  a  few  months  it  peeled  off,  not 
being  suitable  for  outdoor  work.  If  the  floor  boards  are  loose  it  is 
advisable  to  remove  them  and  only  paint  the  alighting  board,  and 
leave  it  exposed  for  a  few  days  before  replacing  it  under  the  hive. 
— An  English  Bee-keeper. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be 
directed  to  “  The  Editor,'’  Letters  addressed  personally  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,  and  departmental  writers 
are  not  expected  to  answer  any  letters  they  may  receive  on 
Gardening  and  Bee  subjects,  through  the  post. 
Oorrespondents  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,  as  a  rule,  reply  to  questions 
through  the  post,  and  we  do  not  undertake  to  return  rejected 
communications. 
Chrysanttaemnm  Sbow  (^Egsex'). — The  customary  Is.  admission 
will  be  maintained  on  each  day  of  the  National  Chrysanthemum 
Society’s  show  at  the  Royal  Aquarium  next  week. 
Choosing  Chrysanthemum  Blooms  for  Exhibition  (TF.  T.'). 
— Yiviand  Morel,  however  fine  in  size  and  form,  would  if  pale  lose 
points.  Owing  to  its  brilliant  colouring  a  finely  developed  bloom  of 
Edwin  Molyneux  would  have  more  weight  in  a  stand  than  either  of  the 
varieties  you  name. 
Chrysanthemum  Ifames  (^Five  and  Twenty"), — Undoubtedly  the 
pronunciation  of  French  names  is  puzzling  to  many  persons  who  grow 
the  varieties  well  to  which  they  refer.  If  you  will  send  a  list  of  “  five 
and  twenty  ”  names  that  puzzle  you  and  your  friends  the  most,  we  will 
see  if  some  help  can  be  given  in  the  matter  of  pronunciation. 
Muscat  and  Other  Grapes  (^J,  D,). — If  yon  want  early  Grapes 
with  tue  Mnscats  Black  Hamburgh  will  afford  them,  and  both  this  and  ' 
Madresfield  Court  we  have  seen  excellently  grown  with  Muscats.  If 
you  want  late  varieties  the  most  imposing  in  appearance  are  Gros 
Colman  and  Alicante,  but  both  Lady  Downe’s  and  Mrs.  Pince  are 
superior  in  quality.  The  choice  is  a  question  of  special  requirements, 
and  these  you  do  not  indicate. 
Nitrate  of  Soda  (Garden  WorTier), — We  are  glad  to  hear  that  the 
sprinklings  of  nitrate  of  soda  have  banished  the  wireworms,  and  we 
congratulate  you  on  your  success  in  exhibiting.  A  similar  sprinkling  of 
nitrate  of  soda,  with  twice  the  amount  of  superphosphate  of  lime,  mdy  be 
applied  to  the  Vine  border  in  the  spring.  Sulphuring  the  pipes,  and 
especially  if  highly  heated,  would  almost  certainly  be  injurious  to 
Fuchsias  in  a  state  of  growth.  It  would  not  do  any  harm  to  them  when 
resting,  neither  would  it  do  any  good  for  destroying  red  spider  after  the 
Vines  are  pruned.  We  have  no  account  of  the  Cardiff  plants  to  which 
you  refer. 
Scale  on  Calanthes  Sponging  these  valuable  winter 
flowering  plants  to  free  them  from  brown  scale  is  a  troublesome  but  sure 
process,  yet  often  damaging  the  leaves.  If  you  vapourised  with  nicotine 
at  sufficiently  frequent  intervals  scale,  or  the  young  scale,  would  be 
killed  as  they  are  hatched  from  the  eggs  and  whilst  roaming  about ;  but 
when  they  become  fixed  and  have*  their  beaks  thrust  into  the  tissues 
they  are  most  difficult  to  get  rid  of.  However,  whilst  still  young  they  can 
be  destroyed  by  using  soluble  petroleum,  either  by  syringing  or  dipping, 
having  the  solution  at  a  temperature  of  130°.  Spraying,  however,  is  the 
safer  and  better  means  of  application,  just  making  the  leaves  evenly 
moist  with  the  solution.  It  gets  in  under  the  “  scale  ”  and  the  insect  dies. 
When,  however,  the  “  scale  ”  is  hard,  and  the  process  of  egg-forming 
going  on  there  is  a  sort  of  fluff  which  keeps  the  solution  out,  aud  there 
is  little  or  no  effect  on  either  the  parent  or  the  eggs.  Timely  applica¬ 
tion  is  therefore  imperative  to  effect  the  desired  purpose. 
Eelworm  In  Roots  and  Stems  of  Tomatoes  and  Melons 
(H.  IF.). — A  compound  microscope  with  quarter-inch  objective  will 
show  everything  there  is  to  be  seen  calculated  to  produce  disease  in  the 
tissues  of  these  plants.  For  flue  work  a  micrometer  may  be  used,  or 
even  a  cork  with  a  hole  in  it,  and  the  part  of  plant  placed  in  it,  then 
shaving  off  with  a  razor  straight  across  the  cork  will  give  as  fine  sections 
as  need  bo  for  discovering  even  microbes.  Mr.  G.  Abbey  informs  us 
that  he  never  uses  anything  but  an  ordinary  budding  knife,  as  the 
sections  need  not  be  finer  than  l-25th  inch,  and  with  a  little  practice 
these  are  readily  cut.  Then  plsce  on  the  glass  slide,  throw  the  light  on 
from  the  reflector,  adjust  the  instrument,  and  look  through  the  eye 
piece,  then  you  will  see  the  cells,  and  the  eel  worms  if  any,  in  the 
intercellular  spaces.  The  whole  is  as  easy  as  A  B  C,  provided  you  know 
an  eelworm  when  you  see  one.  If  the  tissues  do  not  come  out  well 
place  a  drop  of  high-coloured  brandy  or  raw  rum  on  the  section,  which  ^ 
will  serve  the  twofold  purpose  of  waking  the  eelworms  up  and  of* 
outlining  the  cells  of  the  plant.  When  the  plants  are  in  an  advanced 
Stage  of  disease  the  eelworms  move  readily  enough  by  securing  juice 
from  the  damaged  part,  or  even  the  tisanes  by  using  a  little  proof  spirit. 
