398 
JOVmAL  OF  RORTlaULTURF  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  21,  1897. 
had  to  be  fed  with  syrup,  and  that  freely,  to  help  them  to  tide 
over  the  winter.  Only  in  a  few  favoured  spots  has  there  been  a 
surplus  stored  this  season  from  the  Heather.  No  wonder,  then,  that 
some  bee-keepers  are  found  who  vow  they  will  not  take  their  bees  to 
the  Heather  again.  But  as  there  have  been  some  good  yields  in  the 
past,  so  there  doubtless  will  be  again  in  the  future. 
Autumn  Flowers. 
Gardena  are  still  gay  with  autumn  flowers,  many  of  which  are  of 
some  benefit  to  the  bees,  and  as  the  weather  continues  fine,  with  a 
fair  amount  of  bright  sunshine  nearly  every  day,  the  bees  are  not  slow 
to  take  advantage  of  it,  and  may  be  seen  during  the  middle  of  the  day 
returning  home  heavily  laden  with  pollen.  But  from  wiiat  source  is 
it  chiefly  obtained  at  this  season  ?  Ivy,  which  has  been  in  bloom  for 
the  past  few  weeks,  and  which  yields  a  larg'e  amount  of  pollen,  is  the 
last  tree  to  bloom  in  the  autumn  that  is  of  benefit  to  the  bees.  In  the 
neighbourhood  of  my  apiary  there  are  numerous  old  trees  and  walls 
that  are  covered  with  huge  masses  of  this  creeper,  which  are  never 
pruned  or  otherwise  interfered  with,  consequently  they  bloom 
profusely.  At  the  present  moment,  whilst  the  sun  is  shining  brightly, 
those  trees  that  are  situated  in  a  sunny  spot  are  alive  with  bees  and 
wasps,  w'hose  merry  hum  may  be  heard  before  they  are  seen, 
reminding  one  of  the  Lime  trees  when  in  full  bloom  in  July, 
Mignonette  is  also  mucb  frequented  by  bees  at  all  seasons.  The 
early  plants  seeded  rapidly  owing  to  the  dry  weather,  but  at  t  j 
present  time  large  masses  of  Mignonette  are  simply  perfection 
and  much  appreciated  by  the  bees.  Anemone  japonica,  and  the 
Autumn  Crocus,  which  grows  wild  in  this  district,  are  also  useful  for 
bees,  and  are  much  admired  when  grown  in  the  garden. 
Winter  Passages. 
Are  winter  passages  necessary  for  the  well-being  of  the  bees  ?  I 
answer  in  the  negative.  A  few  years  ago  they  were  recommended  by 
many  bee-keepers,  and  still  are  by  some,  but  after  experimenting  with 
several  colonies  I  came  to  the  conclusion  there  was  no  benefit  to  be 
derived  from  them.  Winter  passages  are  simply  holes  cut  in  each 
comb  so  that  the  bees  may  pass  from  one  to  the  other  to  obtain  food 
in  cold  weather  without  having  to  pass  round  the  ends  or  the  bottoms 
of  the  frames,  wliere  they  would  be  liable  to  become  chilled.  Bees, 
when  left  to  themselves,  often  make  provision  for  this  by  forming  pop 
holes  in  several  of  the  frames,  which  anyone  may  observe  by  examining 
the  combs  in  a  hive.  If  passages  are  really  necessai  y  it  is  better 
to  lay  a  few  laths  on  the  top  of  the  frames,  as  this  will  allow  the 
bees  to  go  from  one  comb  to  the  other  without  any  danger  of  becoming 
chilled.  An  extra  covering  must  be  placed  on  the  top  so  as  to  make 
all  secure. — An  English  Bee-keeper. 
correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to  “  The  Editor,”  s,  Rose  Hill  Road, 
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is  requested  that  no  one  will  write  privately  to  any  of  our  corre¬ 
spondents,  seeking  information  on  matters  discussed  in  this 
Journal,  as  doing  so  subjects  them  to  unjustifiable  trouble  and 
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subject  from  any  particular  authority  who  may  be  named, 
endeavour  will  be  made  to  obtain  it  by  the  Editor. 
Correspondents  .should  not  mix  up  on  the  same  sheet  questions  relating 
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for  insertion  should  be  written  on  one  side  of  the  paper  only;  and 
the  name  and  address  of  each  writer  must  be  known  by  the 
Editor,  though  not  necessarily  for  insertion.  We  cannot,  as  a 
rule,  reply  to  questions  through  the  post,  and  we  do  not  under¬ 
take  to  return  communications  which,  for  any  reason,  cannot 
be  inserted. 
Books  (E  W.  P.). — The  translation  of  the  majority  of  Latin  horti- 
14  expressions  will  be  found  at  the  end  of  the  latest  edition  of 
Johnson  s  Gardeners’ Dictionary.”  If  you  have  not  this  work  you  should 
purchase  it,  for  it  contains  much  valuable  information.  It  may  be  pro- 
cured  from  i\\Q  Journal  of  Hor lie alture  office,  171,  Fleet  Street,  E.C. 
<nut  Culture  Under  Glass  ”  by  U.  Thomson,  would  probably  suit  you. 
IS  pub  ished  by  Messrs.  W.  Blackwood  &  Sons,  London  and  Edinburgh 
at  less  than  half  the  price  you  state. 
Diseased  Chrysanthemum  Leaves  (J.  0.  M.'). — The  leaves  are  badly 
infested  by  Chrysanthemum  leaf-rust  fungus  (Trichobasis  or  Uredo 
Artemisias,  or  an  evolved  form  of  it),  which  is  described  on  page  381. 
Training  Peach  Trees  {Mrs.  M.'). — The  main  points  to  keep  in  mind  are 
two.  1,  To  have  the  lower  branches  so  far  as  may  be  practicable  longer 
than  those  above  them.  2,  To  dispose  the  branches  evenly  over  the 
surface,  and  at  distances  so  that  the  leaves  of  one  branch  do  not  overlap 
those  of  the  other.  If  there  are  sufficient  branches  for  this  there  need  be 
no  shortening  ;  if  too  many,  thin  some  of  them  out.  One  may  be  cut 
back  here  and  there  where  there  is  much  more  space  to  be  occupied  than 
there  are  branches  for  covering  it.  Rank  robber  growths  should  not  be 
allowed  to  form,  but  rubbed  out  or  suppressed  in  the  summer.  Their 
character  is  apparent  when  quite  young.  Any  of  an  excessively  gross 
nature  may  be  removed,  and  others  not  allowed  to  extend  next  year.  The 
more  uniform  the  strength  of  the  branches  the  better,  and  these  should  be 
uniformly  disposed  with  a  foot  of  wall  space  between  them,  and  even  then 
many  of  the  pushing  young  shoots  will  have  to  be  taken  out  when  they 
are  an  inch  or  less  in  length  in  the  spring,  or  the  trees  will  soon  be  much 
too  crowded  to  be  productive.  If  the  lower  branches  are  too  weak  training 
them  as  much  above  the  horizontal  position  as  can  be  easily  done  will 
have  a  tendency  to  strengthen  them,  while  depressing  those  which  are  too 
strong  will  have  a  contrary  effect,  and  by  these  methods  something  can  be 
done  towards  ejecting  an  even  balance  in  the  growths  of  a  tree. 
Iceland  Poppies  {N.  H.  B.). — The  white,  yellow,  and  terra-cotta  forms 
of  Iceland  Poppies  (Papaver  nudicaule)  all  come  true  from  seed,  and  are 
very  easily  grown.  Autumn-raised  plants  would  flower  strongly  next 
summer,  but  quite  as  good  results  attend  the  practice  of  sowing  early  in 
the  year.  The  seedlings  transplant  badly,  and  we  advise  you,  therefore, 
to  sow  the  seed  in  .‘small  or  2J-inch  pots,  and  transplant  direct  from  these 
into  the  open  border.  *  Late  in  February  is  a  good  time  to  sow,  and 
seeing  that  nearly  every  seed  will  germinate  sow  very  thinly,  place  in 
gentle  heat,  and  when  the  seedlings  appear  raise  the  pots  well  up  to  the 
glass.  Directly  the  plants  can  be  handled  thin  them  out  to  about  three 
or  four  in  each  pot,  and  still  keep  them  near  the  glass.  By  the  time 
the  plants  are  beginning  to  spread  over  the  sides  of  the  pots  they  ought  to 
be  sufficiently  hardened  to  admit  of  their  being  planted  out  where  they 
are  to  flow'er.  V ery  warm  borders  do  not  suit  them,  nor  do  they  thrive 
well  in  an  over-damp  site.  If  located  in  mixed  borders,  notably  those 
fringing  garden  walks,  with  fruit  trees  dotted  along  them,  the  time  will 
soon  come  when  abundance  of  self-sown  seedlings  will  be  always  forth¬ 
coming,  These  Iceland  Poppies  will,  as  before  stated,  flower  well  during 
the  same  season  they  are  planted,  but  bloom  earlier  and  more  profusely 
the  second  year,  after  which  they  are  not  nearly  so  serviceable.  It  will 
thus  be  seen  that  they  can  be  treated  either  as  annuals,  biennials,  or 
perennials,  and  are  perhaps  the  most  admired  of  all  Poppies. 
Pruning  Young  Fruit  Trees  {Mrs,  M,). — Assuming  that  the  trees 
were  properly  planted —namely,  the  ground  broken  up  to  a  depth  of  at 
least  18  inches,  and  to  a  distance  of  2  feet  from  the  stems,  the  roots 
spread  out  with  the  soil  between  the  layers,  the  uppermost  not  covered 
more  than  4  inches  deep,  and  the  stems  not  sunk  deeper  than  they 
were  before  the  trees  were  taken  up,  free  healthy  growth  may  be  expected 
next  year,  if  the  young  branches  are  shortened  more  than  half  their 
length  towards  the  end  of  the  present  month.  Had  they  been  cut  back  in 
J uly  the  young  growths  resulting  would  not  have  had  time  to  mature, 
and  the  action  of  severe  frost  on  them  might  have  been  followed  by 
canker.  Summer  pruning  does  not  consist  in  cutting  back  all  the  main 
branches  of  young  trees,  but  in  shortening  side  growths  from  the  mains 
for  preventing  the  great  evil  of  overcrowding.  With  the  same  object  it 
is  often  desirable  to  cut  some  of  the  main  branches  entirely  out,  if  these 
are  too  numerous,  or  so  cross  each  other  as  to  make  the  interior  of  the 
tree  resemble  a  thicket.  This  may  be  done  in  summer  or  now.  The  main 
branches  of  fruit  trees  should  be  far  enough  asunder  for  the  sun  to  shine 
between  them  when  the  trees  are  in  full  leaf.  For  the  purpose  of 
obtaining  a  sufficient  number  of  branches  for  forming  a  head  for  bearing, 
the  few  shoots  of  young  trees  are  cut  back,  two  growths  usually  resulting 
from  each  cut,  so  that  a  three-branched  tree  soon  becomes  six- 
branched,  or  six  branches  are  increased  to  twelve — a  generally  sufficient 
number  for  bearing ;  and,  as  a  rule,  the  less  these  are  shortened 
the  better ;  but  it  is  most  important  that  they  be  far  enough 
apart,  or  the  summer  growths  shortened  to  prevent  the  leaves  of 
one  branch  meeting  those  of  its  neighbours.  The  main  branches  of 
bearing  trees  should  be  nearer  2  feet  asunder  than  18  inches.  The 
peeling  of  the  bark  off  the  young  branches  of  your  trees  that  were 
not  cut  back  after  planting,  leaving  something  like  wounds,  is  due  to  the 
inability  of  the  scanty  leafage  to  manufacture  sufficient  organised  matter 
for  deposition  and  the  healthy  thickening  of  the  stems.  If  a  good  free 
root  run  is  provided  for  the  trees  they  will  make  very  different  growth 
and  leaves  another  year  if  the  branches  are  well  shortened  this  autumn, 
and  in  all  probability  the  wounds  will  gradually  heal  over ;  but  we 
should  cut  below  the  worst  of  them  where  practicable.  As  to  “  keeping 
the  height  of  the  trees  down  ”  permanently,  this  can  only  be  done  at  the 
sacrifice  of  fruit ;  in  fact,  if  all  the  branches  made  in  summer  after  the 
heads  of  the  trees  are  formed  be  cut  back  to  near  their  base  in  winter 
you  will  never  have  crops  of  fruit  worthy  of  the  name.  If  the  standard 
trees  will  be  too  tall  for  their  positions,  the  better  plan  will  be  to  plant 
them  elsewhere  at  the  end  of  this  month,  and  procure  dwarf  trees  of 
compact  growing  varieties  for  taking  their  places  if  you  wish  the  site  to 
be  occupied  with  Apples,  Pears,  and  Plums. 
EDITORIAL  NOTICE.— It  is  particularly  desired  that  all  communi¬ 
cations,  parcels,  catalogues,  and  newspapers  intended  for  the  Editor, 
be  sent  direct  to  8,  Rose  Hill  Road,  Wandsworth,  S.W, 
