Deocttlber  Si,  ISSti. 
JOl/PML  CP  BORTtGtTLTDRP  AND  COTTAGP  OARDEKER 
619 
aot  room  on  ten  frames  to  deposit  3000  eggs  per  day,  sapposing  an  egg 
to  be  laid  in  each  cell,  not  to  say  anything  of  the  pollen  cells  and  the 
food  supply.  If  the  latter  there  must  be  a  great  loss  of  eggs  every 
day  during  the  height  of  the  season. 
When  we  take  this  into  consideration,  how  small  is  the  space  left  for 
the  queen  ?  To  look  at  it  in  this  light  a  hive  with  ten  standard  frames 
is  a  toy,  and  if  we  want  to  take  as  much  sarplus  from  a  single  hive 
a.8  250  lbs.,  and  leave  100  for  stores,  we  must  go  in  for  larger  hives, 
borne  time  ago  a  hive  with  ten  standard  frames  was  my  favourite, 
now  in  my  apiary  of  thirty  bives  I  have  found  the  large  ones  to  do 
the  best.  What  has  convinced  me  most  is  this,  that  a  hive  with  ten 
standard  frames  gave  a  fair  surplas  but  required  feeding,  while  hives 
of  a  greater  capacity  in  the  brood  nest  gave  a  good  surplus  and  required 
no  feeding. — Georoi:  Howdknshire. 
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  re(|uest  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. 
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  we  do  not  undertake  to  return  rejected 
communications. 
]ii:.oyal  Bortlcnltural  Society’s  ISxamlnatlons  {J.  K.,  Sussex). 
Your  letter  has  been  Sent  to  the  Secretary  of  the  It.H.S.,  from  whom 
you  may  possibly  have  heard  when  yon  read  this  notification. 
Cactus  Out-growing  Space  (./i  JR.) — It  would  not  answer  to 
sink  the  plant  in  the  soil  so  as  to  bury  the  stem,  as  this  wosld  probably 
cause  decay  there,  and  once  that  sets  in  there  is  no  telling  where  it  will 
end,  the  damping  going  on  until  the  plant  is  lost,  tbongh  some  have  been 
saved  by  cutting  the  damaged  or  decaying  part  boldly  away  into  living 
and  healthy  tissues,  a  little  lime  being  rubbed  on  the  cut  part  of  the 
plant  so  as  to  cause  it  to  dry,  and  not  potting  until  the  wound  had 
become  thoronghly  healed ,  then  potting,  and  keeping  on  the  dry  side 
until  roots  had  formed.  This  is  what  appears  to  us  yoa  will  be  under 
the  necessity  of  doing — that  is,  catting  2  feet  off  the  top,  and  after 
getting  the  wound  dried  and  healed  treating  it  as  a  cutting,  taking 
particnlar  care  to  avoid  too  much  moisture.  If  quicklime  be  used  on 
the  cut  part  of  the  old  stem  it  would  soon  dry,  or  yoH  may  dress  it  with 
best  French  polish  to  stop  bleeding  and  decay,  for  if  this  set  in  the 
putrefactive  microbes  will  continue  the  work  in  grand  style,  but  if  kept 
oat  the  plant  must  branch  or  push  suckers  from  the  base.  The  large 
size  of  the  plant  would  be  esteemed  by  seme,  but  these  are  very  few,  yet 
possibly  there  might  be  a  response  to  an  advertisement,  stating  size  and 
brief  description.  We  have  known  a  gigantic  Cactus  treated  as  advised 
on  several  cccasioas. 
KTltrate  of  Soda,  Kainlt,  and  Mineral  Superphosphate  as 
Xtiquld  Manure  (tf.  R.  K.). — A  quarter  of  an  ouooe  of  nitrate  of  aoda 
to  a  gallon  of  water  (which  should  be  tepid)  is  snfliciently  strong  to 
commence  with,  and  after  a  time  it  may  be  gradually  increased  to 
^  oz,  per  gallon,  this  being  as  fall  a  dose  as  we  have  found  it  desirable 
to  use,  being  guided  in  all  cases  by  the  colour  of  the  plants,  for  they  may 
be  made  too  green  or  surcharged  with  nitrogen,  and  when  this  occnis 
moderate  the  supply.  Both  kainit  and  mineral  superphosphate  must  be 
used  very  carefully  to  plants  In  pots  or  small  rooting  areas,  as  the 
chloride  of  the  first  and  sulphuiic  acid  of  the  latter  may  prejudice  if  not 
kill  the  roots.  Indeed,  though  recommended  by  a  high  authority  (on 
laboratory  work),  neither  is  advisable  for  use  in  high-class  indoor 
culture,  good  as  they  are  for  field  and  garden.  A  half  ounce  of  either 
substance  to  a  gallon  of  water  is  sufficient  to  use  at  one  time.  We  do 
not  approve  of  kainit  or  mineral  superphosphate  for  plants  out  of  health, 
for  what  is  wanted  are  roots,  therefore  dissolved  bones  (dry  and  floury), 
nitiate  of  peta  b,  and  sulphate  of  lime  would  be  better  as  a  good  all¬ 
round  food,  with  a  little  sulphate  of  iron  to  give  colour — say,  dissolved 
bones,  two  parts ;  nitrate  of  potash  (powdered),  one  part ;  sulphate  of 
lime,  one  part;  sulphate  of  iron  (powdered),  quarter  part ;  mix* and  use 
at  the  rate  of  4  ozi.  per  t  luare  yard.  It  will  be  washed  in  fast  enough 
in  the  watering,  employing  about  every  three  weeks.  If  for  liquid, 
begin  with  1  oz.  to  2  gallons  of  water,  and  gradually  increase  to  1  oz.  of 
the  mixture  to  a  gallon  of  water. 
Passlfiora  for  tlie  Wall  of  an  Intermediate  Bonae  (A.  J.  L  ). 
—The  besi  Passiflora  that  we  have  grown  for  cutting  purposes  in  a  house 
similar  to  yours  was  P.  princeps,  deep  red  or  scarlet  flowers,  produced 
in  long  pendulous  racemes,  even  from  the  old  wood,  several  from  a 
joint ;  indeed,  it  flowers  “everlastingly”  when  planted  oui  and  getting 
aged,  the  unexpanded  flowers  being  very  effective.  It  usually  gives  the 
racemes  in  the  winter  and  spring  time,  but  is  seldom  without  some 
after  a  few  years.  Yes,  some  Paieifloras  always  have  “bug;”  but  this 
( P.  princeps)  was  always  clean  with  us,  though  we  had  pi  3nty  of  it  on 
five  or  six  other  species  in  the  same  house.  There  is  no  occasion  to  have 
any  bug,  as  judicious  and  repeated  vapourisation  with  nicotine  essence 
will  soon  clear  the  pest  away  ;  but  if  there  are  Adiantums  or  other  tender 
foliaged  plants  in  the  house  they  must  be  removed,  as  they  are  even 
worse  scorched  by  the  nicotine  vapourisation  than  by  fumigation  with 
tobacco.  Of  course,  it  is  only  necessary  to  remove  the  plants  during  the 
fumigation  or  vapourisation. 
Calvary  Clover  (J).  Brongh). — The  plant  bearing  the  above  name 
is  probably  Medicago  intertexta,  the  Hedgehog  Medick,  so  called  from 
the  spiny  appearance  of  the  clusters  of  fruits.  It  is  a  native  of  South 
Europe,  and,  as  well  as  several  other  species  and  varie¬ 
ties  of  Medicago,  distinguished  by  the  peculiar  form  of 
the  fruits.  It  was  at  one  time  much  grown  by  lovers 
of  curiosities.  M.  echinus,  M.  hystrix,  and  M,  scutt^l- 
lata  are  all  noteworthy  for  their  peculiar  fruits.  A 
correspondent  of  the  Journal  oj  Horticulture  a  few 
years  ago  wrote  as  follows  concerning  this  plant : — 
"  I  have  had  seeds  from  Mount  Calvary,  though  it  is 
found  also  in  the  south  of  Europe.  There  seems  to  calvary  orovKR. 
be  a  feeling  that  this  plant  is  peculiar  to  Mount 
Calvary.  The  seed  pods,  when  properly  cut,  form  a  series  of  crowns 
of  thorns,  and  the  leaves  have  a  crimson  spot  resembling  a  drop  of 
blood.  I  enclose  yon  one  of  the  crowns  and  four  seeds.  The  original 
seed  from  which  the  enclosed  were  grown  came  from  Mount  Calvary.” 
An  engraving  wae  prepared  from  the  “  crown  ”  sent,  and  this  we  reproduce 
herewith. 
Chinese  Primula.  namplng-o£f  at  Collar  P.).  —  We 
examined  the  promising  part  of  the  Primula  plant  very  carefully,  and 
have  the  pleasure  to  say  that  we  failed  to  discover  any  animal  organisms, 
such  as  root-mites,  eelworms,  or  white- worms,  the  latter  being  frequently 
associated  with  decay  at  the  collar  and  base  of  leafstalks  of  Chinese 
Primulas.  There  was  the  usual  septic  “bacteria”  ever  associated  with 
the  decay  and  putrefaction  of  vegetable  substances,  but  they  are  certainly 
not  at  first  parasit^ic,  though  when  once  decay  has  set  in,  or,  rather,  dead 
tissue  is  present  with  the  needful  moisture,  their  action  may  produce  a 
poison  destructive  of  living  tissues,  and  thus  the  malady  spreads.  This 
we  frequently  see  in  plants  that  have  certain  parts  damaged,  the  decay 
spreading  rapidly  in  the  living  parts  from  the  original  spot.  On  making 
a  longitudinal  section  of  the  stem  at  the  decaying  part  we  found  the 
threads  or  mycelial  hypfse  of  a  fungus  in  the  tissues  of  the  plant,  which 
accord  with  that  of  Botrytes  cinerea  var.  sclerotiophila,  and  has 
long  been  regarded  as  a  saprophyte.  It,  however,  is  the  early  or  active 
stage  of  SeJerotinia  scleroliorum,  JiTass.  (syn.  8.  libertiana,  Ptziza 
postnma,  Berh.  and  Wils.),  this  being  the  resting  stage,  or,  rather,  it 
springs  from  the  black,  elongated  sclerotia  present  in  the  dried  dead 
parts  of  your  plant  in  abundance.  It  is  the  early  or  botrytic  stage  that 
does  all  the  mischief  in  the  pUnt,  and  is  one  of  the  worst  parasitic  fungi 
in  existence,  sweeping  off  whole  panfuls  of  cryptogamous  plants,  such  as 
seedling  Ferns,  aud  even  pbaenogamous  plants,  such  as  seedling  Primulas, 
being  one  of  the  commonest  of  the  damping-off  parasites.  It  even 
sweeps  off  Onions  by  whole  rods  or  acres,  infests  Vines  and  Tomatoes, 
clearing  off_  seedlings  as  if  shorn  by  the  gardener’s  knife,  similar  to 
catting  Mustard  and  Cress.  Thus  this  fungus  gets  a  good  hold  because 
of  the  prejudice  that  clings  to  predisposing  causes  and  the  ignorance  of 
its  being  only  a  saprophyte.  Investigation,  observation,  and  experience 
prove  ail  things— this  to  be  a  rank  parasite.  It  can  only  live  in  soft 
tissues,  woody  matter  being  beyond  its  power  of  penetration  until 
decayed,  therefore  it  is  confined  to  the  cortical  tissues  (bark  and  cambial 
layers),  which  it  destroys,  leaving  the  central  part  intact,  as  you  may 
see  if  you  cut  a  Primula  stem  transversely,  and  thus  the  plant  lives  on, 
making  leaves  from  the  central  axis,  which  in  turn  damp-eff  at  the  base. 
You  will  probably  from  this  understand  bow  the  disease  acts.  It  is 
caused,  according  to  cultivators,  by  what  is  known  as  damp— that  is, 
this  accelerates  the  growth  of  the  fungus,  for  it  cannot  live  without  a 
considerable  amount  of  moisture,  which  means  a  surcharging  of  the 
tissues  with  crude  material,  therefore  keeping  dry  at  the  collar  or 
surrounding  with  charcoal  has  a  good  effect,  as  you  are  no  doubt  well 
aware;  but  even  then  the  fungus  does  manage  to  reach  the  stem  or 
base  of  the  leaves,  and  there  works  to  its  “heart’s”  content.  The 
fungus  is  usually  introduced  in  leaf  mould,  for  it  can  live  as  a  sapro¬ 
phyte  as  well  as  an  endophyte,  and  either  subjecting  such  soil  to  strong 
heat  or  soaking  in  boiling  water  is  necessary  as  a  preventive,  thus 
s’eriliaing  the  soil,  as  it  is  called,  and  frequently  practised  by  raisers  of 
Ferns.  For  phssnogamous  plants  or  visible  seeded,  mixing  a  little 
quicklime  through  the  soil  some  time  before  using  for  potting  purposes 
is  a  valuable  preventive  of  attack,  afterwards  not  using  more  wa’er  than 
is  absolutely  necessary  to  maintain  the  soil  in  a  properly  moist  condition, 
and  above  all  things  not  potting,  especially  Primulas,  too  deeply,  so  as 
to  induce  damping  at  the  base  of  the  leaves  and  in  the  stem.  With  the 
unaided  eye  you  may  see  the  Botrytis  threads  on  the  stem  where  the 
dead  leaves  are  or  hava  been,  and  if  you  make  a  very  thin  section  and 
examine  it  with  an  ordinary  microscope,  you  will  find  the  mycelial  hyphsu 
