502 
mvmAL  OP  BORTWtlLTUM  ABB  COTTAOE  GAUBEBER. 
Noveniber  iS,  I8§6,- 
the  fruit  in  August,  anci  should  undergo  the  operations  advised  for  those 
in  the  early  houses  ;  the  roof  lights  should  be  removed,  the  hot*water 
pipes  emptied,  leaving  the  lights  oS  antil  the  blossoms  show  colour, 
unless  it  is  desired  to  start  the  trees  before.  If  the  lights  are  fixed, 
the  ventilators  should  be  thrown  open  to  the  fullest  extent  except  when 
frost  prevails. 
Latext  Hovneg. — Late  Peaches  are  quite  as  valuable  as  early  ones, 
considering  that  they  are  had  at  much  less  cost,  for  all  that  is  necessary 
for  late  houses  is  a  gentle  warmth  in  the  pipes  in  spring  and  in  autumn, 
and  not  always  heat  at  those  times.  The  fruits  are  noble  at  dessert,  and 
when  well  done  good  in  quality  Make  no  attempt  to  remove  the  leaves 
until  they  part  readily  from  the  trees  by  shaking  the  trellis.  Out  out  all 
the  wood  that  has  borne  fruit  and  all  superfluous  growths,  Lo  not 
allow  the  soil  to  become  very  dry,  but  if  necessary  give  water  to 
moisten  the  soil  down  to  the  drainage.  Keep  the  house  cool  by  free 
ventilation,  clearing  away  the  leaves  as  they  fall.  Trees  that  grow  too 
luxuriantly  should  be  root-pruned  and  lifted  whHst  the  leaves  are  upon 
them  ;  but  the  wood  being  unripe,  they  must  not  be  lifted  until  the 
leaves  have  for  the  most  part  fallen,  or  the  unripe  wood  will  shrivel  and 
die.  If  the  wood  does  not  ripen  well,  turn  the  heat  on  by  day  with 
moderate  ventilation,  and  turn  it  off  in  the  afternoon,  so  as  to  have  the 
pipes  cool  by  night,  and  then  open  all  the  ventilators  unless  frost 
prevails,  when  ventilate  according  to  circumstances,  for  a  sudden 
collapse  of  the  foliage  is  detrimental  to  the  tree’s  health.  When  the 
wood  does  not  ripen  up  to  the  points  of  the  shoots  a  trench  may  be 
formed  at  some  distance  from  the  stem  and  the  roots  be  cut,  which  will 
check  the  tendency  to  growth  and  induce  maturity.  After  remaining 
open  a  few  days  or  a  fortnight  the  trenches  may  be  closed,  making  the 
soil  firm,  and  giving  a  good  watering. 
1111/  13 11,11/  JtSJc/il/JriVl^ 
•.1  •  ;  •  1  -  (  .  t  i  J  -  '  -  1  -  1  -  1  •  -  r-  Vm  I  ml  m  |"Ta  I  -  1  -  f  T^" 
SEASONABLE  NOTES. 
Does  Bee-keeping  Pay? 
Anothi:r  reader  says,  “  What  would  you  advise  me  to  do  with 
my  honey?  ‘The  Missus’  says  give  it  back  to  the  poor  little 
bees  again.  I  have  spent  about  £2  on  them  during  the  past  five 
years,  and  having  sold  only  a  few  shillings’  worth  of  honey,  it 
looks  as  if  I  ought  to  have  taken  ‘  The  Missus’s  ’  advice  four  years 
ago,  and  then  sold  the  business.” 
The  above,  on  the  face  of  it,  certainly  appears  rather  dis¬ 
couraging,  and  as  it  comes  from  a  man  of  “grit”  in  other  branches, 
my  advice  is.  Don’t  give  it  up  in  disgust,  but  try  again.  No  mention, 
however,  is  mace  of  honey  for  home  use  ;  but  even  if  this  is  nil, 
bees  will  amply  compensate  the  fruit  grower,  and  his  neighbours, 
for  any  pains  bestowed  on  their  management,  by  fertilising  their 
fruit  blossoms,  and  who  will  in  doe  course  be  rewarded  with  a 
heavy  crop  of  fruit,  increased  a  thousandfold  by  the  bses. 
That  bee-keeping  pays,  even  in  this  changeable  climate  of  onrs, 
cannot  for  a  moment  be  doubted  ;  and,  speaking  personally,  taking 
one  year  with  the  other,  I  may  say  it  pays  handsomely.  It  is  well 
known  that  some  districts  are  much  better  than  others  for  bee¬ 
keeping.  There  is,  however,  something  more  than  a  good  district 
required  to  make  a  successful  bee-keeper — it  is  management.  In 
this  lies  the  whole  secret  of  success  or  otherwise.  The  careful 
bee-keeper  will  examine  his  stocks  during  the  early  snminer  months, 
and  when  more  room  is  required,  will  at  once  give  it  in  one  form  or 
the  other  ;  the  consequence  is,  supers  are  at  once  taken  possession 
of,  and  directly  supplies  are  coming  in  freely,  a  surplus  will  be 
stored. . 
The  case  is  very  different  when  bees  are  left  to  chance.  Instead 
of  more  space  being  provided  for  them  when  required,  they  are 
left  to  their  own  devices,  and  not  having  the  necessary  room  for 
their  daily  increasing  family,  they  make  preparations  for  swarming, 
and  thus  become  unsettled  for  several  weeks,  very  little  honey 
being  stored,  in  marked  contrast  to  those  that  received  proper 
attention  at  the  right  time.  It  is  also  well  to  remember  that  it  is 
not  advisable  to  allow  bees  to  swarm  if  a  surplus  of  honey  is  the 
chief  airn.  Unfortunately  they  require  attention  at  what  is  usually 
a  busy  time  of  the  year  with  gardeners,  although  when  their  wants 
are  understood  very  little  time  is  taken  up  in  the  operation  of 
seeing  what  the  bees’ requirements  are  ;  still  it  it  at  this  time  when 
“  the  Missus’s”  help  is  appreciated,  and  many  ladies  are  experts  in 
the  management  of  bees,  and  the  many  incidental  duties  in 
connection  with  them. 
TRADE  CATALOGUES  RECEIVED. 
Dobbie  &■  Co.,  Eothesay. — Trade  Lixt  of  SpsciaTities. 
Little  &  Ballantyne,  Carlisle. — Trcet, 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be 
directed  to  “  The  Editor.’’  Ijetters  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,  ae  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. 
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,  as  a  rule,  reply  to  questions 
through  the  post,  and  wo  do  not  undertake  to  return  rejected 
communications. 
description  of  Apples  (A.  It.,  Nottingham). — Lord  Saffield  is 
an  early  culinary  Apple  of  the  first  merit ;  in  use  August  and  Sep¬ 
tember.  This  variety  is  a  good  bearer,  doing  well  in  northern  and 
midland  districts,  where  it  is  not  so  liable  to  canker  as  in  the  south. 
The  fruits  are  usually  large,  conical  in  shape,  -juicy,  and  briskly 
flavoured.  Eckliaville  is  an  excellent  midseason  culinary  variety, 
succeeding  Lord  Suffield.  The  fruits  are  large,  but  flatter  than  Lord 
Suffield,  which,  however,  it  resembles  in  flavour,  usefulness,  and  bear¬ 
ing  qualities  as  well  as  suitability  for  your  district.  Annie  Elizabeth  is 
a  late  culinary  Apple  of  large  size  ;  in  use  January  to  May.  The 
quality  of  the  fruit  is  first-class,  being  firm,  of  a  brisk,  sub-acid  flavour, 
and  keeps  well.  It  is  a  variety  which  bears  fairly  well.  Lady  Heaniker 
is  also  a  large  fruiting  variety,  useful  either  for  culinary  or  dessert 
purposes.  It  is  bandsotre  in  shape  and  tender  in  quality,  its  season  being 
from  October  to  January.  King  of  the  Pippins  is  a  well-known  dessert 
variety  of  handsome  shape  and  colour,  medium  in  size,  the  flavour 
]«icy  and  sweet.  Its  season  is  October  and  November.  Trees  of  this 
variety  usually  bear  well  in  favourable  situations  in  the  north  and 
midland  districts. 
Xicalry  Greenhouse  Roof  (/.  W.,  York). — If  the  wood  be  sound 
and  the  construction  of  the  house  in  proper  order,  the  fault,  as  you 
suggest,  may  be  in  the  putty.  But  as  you  say  the  water  is  seriously 
rotting  the  wood,  the  roof  is  probably  too  far  gone  to  admit  of  being 
repaired  in  a  manner  likely  to  prove  economical  and  satisfactory,  and 
we  have  sometimes  found  patching  up  eutail  more  expense  than  would 
have  given  a  new  and  qaite  drip-proof  roof.  There  is  nothing  better 
than  good  lead  and  oil  paiut.  If  the  putty  is  firm  and  would  not  come 
off  without  hacking,  there  cannot  be  anything  wrong  with  it,  and  to 
take  it  off  would  necessarily  break  a  number  of  jquares.  If  the  putty 
comes  off  easily,  as  we  have  frequently  had  it  do  where  the  painting  has 
beeu  neglected,  there  would  not  be  any  material  breakage  of  glass,  then 
giving  a  good  coat  of  paint  and  stopping  up  the  defects  with  rather 
soft  putty,  all  the  woodwork  being  quite  dry,  would,  as  we  have  frequently 
found,  make  the  roof  quite  sound,  the  putty  being  merely  level  with 
the  glass,  and  the  squares  sprigged  to  prevent  slipping  downwards  or 
lifting  upwards.  We  have  not  for  many  years  used  top  putty,  as  it 
sometimes  leaves  the  glass,  wet  gets  under  it  and  finds  its  way  to  the 
wood,  whilst  frost  lifts  the  whole  off.  We  should  have  all  the  loose 
putty  removed,  no  more,  thoroughly  overhauling  the  roof  for  places 
where  water  is  likely  to  enter,  and  after  priming  stop  up  the  holes  or 
crevices  where  wet  is  likely  to  enter  with  putty  ;  cement  may  be  used 
where  the  wood  is  decayed  after  removing  the  decayed  parts,  and  give 
a  good  round  coat  of  lead  and  oil  paint.  We  do  not  know  what  yon 
can  do  better.  A  painter,  however,  ought  to  be  able  to  advise  you  as  to 
what  is  best  to  be  done  under  the  circumstances,  and  then  you  nan 
exercise  your  own  judgment  in  the  matter  of  expense. 
Scabbed  Potatoes  (A,  6f.)  —  There  are  so  many  causes  of 
scabbing  in  Potatoes,  that  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  advise  without 
seeing  specimen.  Sometimes  it  is  caused  by  the  scab  fungus  (Oospora 
scabies),  which  may  be  greatly  lessened  by  treating  the  sets  before 
planting  with  a  solution  of  corrosive  sublimate  (mercuric  bichloride), 
one  part  in  one  thousand  parts  of  water.  The  fungus  can  generally  be 
seen  on  partially  developed  scabby  Potatoes,  in  the  shape  of  fine  white 
threads  running  over  the  surface,  and  from  these  the  fruit-bearing 
hypbm,  the  spurs  being  oval  and  rather  large  micro-organisms-  This 
is  the  common  form  of  scab  in  this  country,  and  is  prevalent  on  light 
soils  where  much  animal  manure  is  used.  We  have  known  it  for  more 
than  fifty  years.  It  is  more  prevalent  in  comparatively  dry  than  in 
wet  seasons,  aud  on  the  dry  and  mealy  (through  starch  being  abundantly 
stored  in  the  cells),  early,  second  early,  and  late  high  quality  Potatoes, 
than  on  the  waxy  and  coarse.  By  using  chemical  instead  of  stable  or 
farmyard  manure  the  fungus  may  sometimes  be  ousted  from  the  land, 
BElphates  acting  promptly  against  it ;  but  there  is  no  need  to  use 
