()28  JOUnnAL  OF  HORTTCULTUnE  AKE  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  December  30,  i897. 
1)rv  Floor  Boards. 
Now  that  the  weather  has  become  somewhat  settled  after  the 
heavy  rain  and  thick  fogs  that  have  prevailed  for  several  weeks  past, 
advantage  shonld  be  taken  of  the  first  flue  day  to  examine  the  floor 
boards  of  all  the  hives. 
It  is  in  this  simple  operation  that  the  great  benefit  is  observed  of 
using  loose  floor  boards  in  preference  to  those  that  are  fastened  to  the 
body  of  the  hive.  With  the  former  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  have  a 
few  spare  floor  boards  which  are  dry  and  ready  for  use,  place  one  of 
these  by  the  side  of  the  hive,  which  may  be  lifted  and  at  once  ])laced 
on  the  dry  board.  The  damp  board  is  then  removed  and  cleaned  of 
any  debris,  and  may  be  used  again  when  dry.  It  does  not  take  many 
minutes  to  treat  several  hives  in  this  manner. 
With  the  li.xed  floor  board  it  is  quite  impossible  to  renew  them 
without  removing  the  bees  into  another  hive,  Avhicli  would  be  very 
unwise  at  this  season.  All  that  can  be  done  is  to  remove  all  spare 
frames  from  the  ends  and  wipe  the  floor  as  dry  as  possible  without 
disturbing  the  bees.  But  that  is  unsatisfactory  when  compared  with 
the  other  method. — An  English  Bee-keeper. 
.-.’•'jj  All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should,  until 
further  notice,  be  directed  to  “  The  Editor,”  s.  Rose  Hill  Road, 
Wandsworth,  liondon,  S.W.,  and  HOT  to  Fleet  Street.  It 
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 
expense,  and  departmental  writers  are  not  expected  to  answer 
any  letters  they  may  receive  on  Gardening  and  Bee  subjects 
through  the  post.  If  information  be  desired  on  any  particular 
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 
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;  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  throusih  the  post,  and  we  do  not  under¬ 
take  to  return  communications  which,  for  any  reason,  cannot 
be  inserted. 
Labour  Required  for  Garden  (Jn-rebi/s). — For  keeping  everything  in 
thoroughly  good  order,  the  2  acres  of  kitchen  garden,  1  acre  within  the 
walls,  will  require  two  men  ;  flower  garden  and  pleasure  grounds  of 
4  acres,  two  men  ;  three  vineries,  one  man ;  three  Orchid  houses,  one 
man  ;  stove,  Cucumber  and  Rose  house,  one  man  ;  Peach  houses  and 
conservatory,  one  man  ;  Melon  pits,  frames.  Mushroom  house,  and  Chrys¬ 
anthemums,  one  man  ;  with  a  couple  of  strong  youths  as  general  helpers. 
The  whole  must  work  together,  not  in  sections  as  given  above,  as  certain 
of  them  would  have  far  too  much  to  do  at  some  times,  and  at  other 
periods  next  to  nothing.  The  head  gardener  would  need  to  be  a  hand 
worker  in  any  department ;  the  foreman  energetic  and  competent  ;  the 
others  brisk  in  their  movements,  and  taking  interest  in  their  duties. 
Wintering  Coleuses  {Amateur'). — We  do  not  think  you  will  succeed  in 
keeping  Coleuses  in  your  cold  house.  If  you  heated  the  house  you  might 
keep  them  by  having  a  l)ox  made  in  which  to  place  the  plants,  with  a 
hand-light  or  a  large  square  or  two  of  glass  over  it.  By  some  means  you 
must  give  a  rather  dry  temperature  of  from  4.5°  to  50°.  We  think  you 
may  keep  them  in  your  living  room  more  easily  than  in  an  orchard  house. 
An  amateur  kept  some  last  season  according  to  our  directions.  The 
plants  were  small,  struck  in  August,  and  potted  in  ,'1-inch  pots;  others 
were  rooted  about  the  end  of  September,  four  or  five  round  the  sides  of  a 
4-inch  pot,  and  were  left  in  the  cutting  pots  all  the  winter.  He  had  for 
these  and  .similar  things  two  rough  boxes,  made  18  inches  deep  and 
2  feet  square,  a  bottom  of  zinc  was  placed  .5  inches  from  the  bottom  of  the 
box,  the  p’ace  beneath  had  putty  placed  all  round  the  sides  at  the  joints, 
and  then  the  whole  below  the  zinc  was  well  tarred,  and  done  in  time  to 
dry  well  before  being  used.  A  simple  idug-hole  was  left  at  the  top  and 
bottom  for  pouring  in  hot  water,  and  letting  it  off  when  cold.  Little  bits 
of  wood  for  placing  the  pots  on  were  set  inside,  and  the  top  of  the  box 
was  covered  by  two  squares  of  glass  laid  on.  In  severe  weather  the  glass 
could  be  covered.  When  more  severe  still  a  little  hot  water  from  a  tea¬ 
kettle  would  heat  the  enclosed  space  through  the  zinc,  and  the  bits  of 
board  free  of  the  zinc  prevented  the  pots  being  overheated.  Something 
of  the  same  contrivance  would  do  in  the  cold  house,  but,  of  course,  it 
would  be  more  easily  looked  after  in  a  dwelling  house. 
Senecio  pulcher  in  Pots  (i?.  J.  JL).— Certainly  this  plant  can  be 
successfully  grown  in  pots,  and  there  ought  to  be  no  difficulty  in  getting 
good  flowering  plants  in  5-inch  or  6-inch  pots.  The  compost  should 
consist  of  good  yellow  loam,  leaf  soil,  and  well-decayed  cow  manure, 
with  some  wood  ashes  and  sand,  or  in  lieu  of  the  ashes  nodules  of 
charcoal  ;  the  latter  is  of  decided  advantage  in  growing  the  plant. 
Perfect  drainage  is  also  essential,  and  an  abundance  of  moisture  during 
the  growing  season  ;  and  it  would  be  advisable  to  plunge  the  pots  in  some 
material,  such  as  spent  hops  or  ashes,  which  would  greatly  assist  to  keep 
the  roots  cool  and  moist. 
Culture  of  Ozalis  {Amateur).  —  These  plants  are  very  easy  to  grow, 
and  we  see  no  reason  why  you  should  not  succeed  with  them.  Place 
them  on  shelves  near  the  glass,  potting  when  they  are  beginning  to  grow 
in  a  mixture  of  three  parts  light  fibrous  loam,  one  part  leaf  soil,  and  two 
parts  sandy  peat,  with  a  part  of  silver  sand,  watering  moderately  until 
in  free  growth,  increasing  the  supply  with  the  growth,  and  after 
flowering,  or  the  growth  is  complete,  diminish  the  supply,  ceasing 
watering  when  the  leaves  become  3ellow,  and  keeping  dry  until  the 
plants  again  start  into  growth.  They  do  well  in  a  light  airy  position  in 
a  greenhouse.  Their  great  bane  is  too  much  water  and  shade. 
Forcing  Lily  of  the  Valley  (  T.  E.  J.). — You  should  pot  and  plunge 
them  in  a  bottom  heat  of  75°,  and  not  exceeding  90°,  and  cover  with 
inverted  flower  pots,  taking  care  that  the  soil  does  not  become  dry. 
Every  crown  will  grow,  and  when  the  spikes  are  about  5  or  6  inches 
high  then  withdraw  the  pots  from  the  hotbed  and  place  them  in  a  house 
with  a  temperature  of  65°  by  day  and  55°  at  night,  in  which  they  will 
expand  the  flowers  and  develop  the  foliage.  In  the  new  year  they  will 
succeed  admirably  in  a  vinery  started  at  that  time  ;  but  the  plants  must 
be  brought  on  gradually  with  the  Vines  or  they  will  remain  dormant  or 
go  “blind,”  which  is  obviated  by  bottom  heat  or  a  rising  temperature, 
commencing  from  a  low  one. 
Winter  Ericas  {S.  R.  M.). — The  plants  of  the  varieties  you  name 
should,  after  they  are  past  their  best,  be  cut  close  back  if  they  are 
intended  to  be  utilised  for  the  same  purpose  another  autumn.  If  they 
have  been  in  structures  where  heat  has  been  maintained,  they  should 
not  be  placed  direct  into  the  cold  greenhouse  or  they  will  be  seriously 
checked.  They  should  be  gradually  hardened  to  greenhouse  treatment, 
so  that  they  will  start  into  growth  slowly  but  naturally.  Plants  that 
have  long  been  in  rooms  for  decoration  are  useless  for  growing  another 
year.  All  plants  employed  for  such  purposes  are  better  conveyed  to 
the  rubbish  heap  as  soon  as  they  are  removed,  for  they  are  not  worth 
the  trouble  necessary  to  restore  them  to  health.  Young  plants  in  small 
pots  that  are  intended  for  flowering  another  year  must  be  kept  in  a  light 
position  and  as  cool  as  possible,  so  that  they  will  not  be  excited  into 
growth.  Any  plants  that  did  not  show  flowers  and  are  dwarf  and  bushy 
should  be  subjected  to  the  same  treatment.  These  plants  should  be 
watered  carefully,  taking  care  never  to  allow  them  to  suffer  by  an 
insufficient  supply. 
Names  of  Fruits.  —  Notice. —'We  have  pleasure  in  naming  good 
typical  fruits  (when  the  names  are  discoverable)  for  the  convenience  of 
regular  subscribers,  who  are  the  growers  of  such  fruit,  and  not  col¬ 
lectors  of  specimens  from  non-subscribers.  This  latter  procedure  is 
wholly  irregular,  and  we  trust  that  none  •  of  our  readers  will  allow 
themselves  to  be  made  the  mediums  in  infringing  our  rules.  Special 
attention  is  directed  to  the  following  decision,  the  object  oft  which  is 
to  discourage  the  growth  of  inferior  and  promote  the  culture  of  superior 
varieties,  /a  consequence  of  the  large  number  of  worthless  Apples  and  Pears 
sent  to  this  office  to  be  namedy  it  has  been  decided  to  name  only  specimens  and 
varieties  of  approved  merit,  and  to  reject  the  inferior,  which  are  not  worth 
sending  or  growing.  The  names  and  addresses  of  senders  of  fruits  or 
flowers'  to  be  named  must  in  all  cases  be  enclosed  with  the  specimens, 
whether  letters  referring  to  the  fruit  are  sent  by  post  or  not.  The 
names  are  not  necessarily  required  for  publication,  initials  sufficing  for 
that.  Only  six  specimens  dan  be  named  at  once,  and  any  beyond  that 
number  cannot  be  preserved.  They  should  be  sent  on  the  first  indication  of 
change  towards  ripening.  Dessert  Pears  cannot  be  named  in  a  hard  green  state. 
{0.  F.  H.), — Your  specimens  reached  us  in  the  form  of  a  mass  of  pulp, 
in  which  condition  it  was  obviously  impossible  for  us  to  name  them. 
{D.  E.  A.). — 1,  Court  Pendfl  Plat  ;  2,  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin;  3,  Dr. 
Harvey;  4,  Blenheim  Pippin.  {G.  P.  A.).  —  1,  New  Hawthornden  ; 
2,  Alfriston  ;  3,  closely  resembles  Golden  Winter  Pearmain  ;  4,  Cellini  ; 
5.  Calville  Rouge  d’Hiver  ;  6.  Scarlet  Leadington.  {A.  C.  F.).— Scarle. 
Pearmain.  (P.  R.  S.).—  1,  Winter  Nelis  ;  2,  Easter  Beurrd  ;  3,  unknown. 
Names  of  Plants. — We  only  undertake  to  name  species  of  plants,  not 
varieties  that  have  originated  from  seeds  and  termed  florists’  flowers. 
Flowering  specimens  are  necessary  of  flowering  plants,  and  Fern  fronds 
should  bear  spores.  Specimens  should  arrive  in  a  fresh  state  in  firm 
boxes.  Slightly  damp  moss,  soft  green  grass,  or  leaves  form  the  best 
packing,  dry  wool  the  worst.  Not  more  than  six  specimens  can  be  named 
at  once,  and  the  numbers  should  be  visible  without  untying  the  ligatures, 
it  being  often  difficult  to  separate  them  when  the  paper  is  damp. 
{Fern  Lover).— Adiantum  tenerum  ;  2,  A.  lormosum  ;  3,  A«plenium 
bulbiferum.  {S.  R.). — 1,  Curculigo  reenrvata  ;  2,  Sparmannia  africana  ; 
3,  Erica  hyemalis  ;  4,  Cuphea  platycentra  ;  5,  Streplosolon  (Browallia) 
Jamesoni.  {fL.  Rose). —  1,  Begonia  manicata  ;  2,  B.  Gloire  de  Sceaux  ; 
3,  B.  Ingrami  ;  4,  Cyperus  alternifolius.  {Youngster).— \,  Asparagus 
decumbens  ;  2,  A.  deflexus  ;  3,  Daphne  indica. 
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. 
