258 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDE^'ER. 
Jilarch  19,  1903. 
Meteorological  Obseryations  at  Chiswick. 
Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens  at  C'liis- 
■wick,  height  above  sea  level  24  feet. 
Date, 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
o 
1903. 
March. 
si 
«  > 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
.9 
*3 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
u  - 
3  03 
■S  43  03 
®  £  2 
Q 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
43 
CO 
0) 
xi 
bO 
K 
43 
03 
O 
tc- 
o 
CJ  o 
EH 
Sunday  ...  8 
W. 
deg. 
39  9 
deg. 
36-7 
deg. 
48-3 
deg. 
33  3 
Ins. 
deg. 
419 
deg. 
44-2 
deg. 
45  8 
deg. 
22  1 
Monday  ...  9 
S.E. 
42-2 
39-9 
48-7 
290 
0-16 
40  9 
44-0 
45-7 
17  3 
Tuesday. ..10 
S.S.E. 
42-7 
41-7 
44-1 
41-2 
0-07 
42-3 
43  7 
457 
38  8 
Wed’sday  11 
S.S.E. 
33-2 
31-9 
51-1 
28-9 
— 
41-7 
43-9 
45-5 
21-3 
Thursday  12 
S.S.E. 
41-5 
40-9 
53-4 
28-2 
— 
41-2 
43-9 
45-4 
16-6 
Friday  ...13 
S.S.E. 
48-5 
44-7 
59  0 
32-3 
— 
41-7 
43'8 
45-4 
22-3 
Saturday  14 
E.N.E. 
44-9 
42-3 
54-3 
39  8 
006 
42  9 
44*0 
45-3 
27-0 
Means  ... 
41-8 
39  7 
51-3 
33-2 
Total. 
0-29 
418 
439 
45-5 
23-6  ■ 
Foggy  mornings,  fine  days,  and  frosty  nights  have  been  the  pro¬ 
minent  features  of  the  week. 
- - 
Trade  Catalogues  Received. 
Barr  and  Sons,  King  Street,  Covent  Garden,  W.C. — Hardy  Peren¬ 
nials,  Alpines,  Aquatics,  Ac. 
Wm.  Clibran  and  Son,  10  and  12,  Market  Street,  Manchester. 
— Plants. 
F.  Dixon  and  Sons,  Hull. — Farm  Seeds. 
Heinrich  Henkel,  Daianstadt. — Special  List,  No.  81. — Hardy  Conifers, 
Kent  &■  Brydon,  seedsmen,  Darlington. — Farm  Seeds. 
John  K.  King  and  Sons,  Coggeshall,  Essex. — Farm  Seeds. 
.Tohn  Peed.  Ronpell  Pai’k  Nurseries,  West  Norwood,  S.E.  -Stove 
and  Greenhouse  Plants. 
(}.  Reuthe,  Fox  Hill  Nursery,  Keston,  Kent. — General  Nursery 
Catalogue. 
Staneliffe  Estates  Co.,  Limited,  Staneliffe  Nurseries,  Darley  Dale, 
near  Matlock. — Trees  and  Shrubs. 
Publications  Received. 
Board  of  Agriculture  Leaflet,  No.  79.  “Rations  for  Farm 
Stock.”  This  is  condensed,  with  .some  modifications,  from  the 
Journal  of  the  Board  of  Agriculture,  Vol.  IX.,  page  150  (Sep¬ 
tember,  1902).  This  leaflet  is  to  be  regarded  as  supplementary  to 
No.  74  on  the  “Purchase  of  Feeding  Stuffs,”  to  which  refei-ence 
may  be  made  as  regards  the  functions  of  food-constituents  and 
the  peculiarities  of  the  more  important  feeding  stuffs.  *  * 
“The  Book  of  British  Ferns,”  by  C.  T.  Druery  ;  Geo.  Newnes, 
Limited,  London.  *  *  •'  Greenwich  Park ;  Its  History  and 
As.sociations,”  by  A.  D.  W^ebster.  *  *  “The  Tropical  Agri¬ 
culturist,”  February.  Chief  contents  :  Comb  Honey  in  Colombo, 
the  New  Medicine  for  Malarial  Fever,  An  Aerial  Ropeway  in 
Southern  India,  Coffee  Culture  in  Queensland,  the  Cure  for 
Mostjuitoes,  Budded  and  Seedling  Orange  Trees,  Onions  in  the 
West  Indies,  and  North  Borneo.  *  *  “Seventh  Annual  Re¬ 
port  of  the  Experimental  Garden  at  Droitwich,  1902  ” ;  and 
“Third  Annual  Report  of  the  County  (Worcester)  In.struction 
Gardens.”  *  *  “  Transactions  of  the  English  Arboi’icultural 
Society,”  Vol.  V.,  part  II.,  compiled  by  John  Davidson;  Estates 
Office,  Haydon  Bridge  ;  2s.  6d.  *  *  “  One  and  All  ”  Gardening 
for  1903,  edited  by  Ed.  Owen  Greening;  in  paper,  2d.  *  " 
Board  of  Agriculture  :  “  Agricultural  Returns,  1902  ”  (produce  of 
crops).  Tables  showing  the  total  produce  and  yield  per  acre  of 
the  principal  crops  in  each  county  of  Great  Britain,  with  sum¬ 
maries  for  the  United  Kingdom.  Through  any  bookseller,  price 
3d.  *■  *  “  Reports  upon  the  Utility  of  Superphosphate  as  a 
Top-dressing  for  Grass-lands,”  issued  by  the  Chemical  Manure 
Manufacturers’  Association,  79,  Mark  Lane,  London;  price  3d. 
*  u  Twenty-sixth  Annual  Report  of  Transactions  of  the 
Scottish  Horticultural  Association.”  *  *  “  Transactions  of 
the  Massachusetts  Horticultural  Society  for  the  Year  1902,” 
pai't_  I.,;  the  same,  part  III.,  being  the  list  of  accessions  to*  the 
society’s  library  during  the  year;  the  same  society’s  schedule  for 
the  year  1903.  *  *  “The  Twentieth  Annual  Report  of  the 
IMetropolitan  Public  Gardens  Association,”  83,  Lancaster  Gate, 
London,  W.  *  *  “  The  Use  of  Artificial  Manures.”  Board  of 
Agriculture  Leaflet  No.  80.  *  *  Garten  Flora,”  March  1,  with 
coloured  illustration  of  Apple,  Newton  Wonder,  *  *  Moni- 
teur  d’Horticidture,”  March  10,  containing  a  coloured  plate  of 
(’oleus  thyrsoideus.  *  “  Bulletin  of  Miscellaneous  Infonna- 
tion,’  Royal  Gardens,  Ivew;  catalogue  of  the  library,  additions 
received  during  1902,  price  4d.  *  “The  Orchid  Review,” 
March,  1903,  price  6d.  *  *  “The  American  Flori.st,”  Januai'y 
24,  with  a  coloured  plate  of  the  Farquhar  Rose.  *'  *  “  Le 
Jardin,”  with  coloured  plate  of  Chrysanthemum  Vice-President 
Couillard.  *  *  “Register  of  Nurseries,  Market  Gardens, 
Farms,  Florists’  Seed  Busine.s.ses,  and  Partnerships  to  be  Let  or 
Sold,”  Messrs.  Protheroe  and  Morris,  67  and  68.  Cheapside,  Lon¬ 
don,  E.C.  *  *  “  The  Garden  Gazette,”  January,  1903, 
HE  BEE-KEEPER. 
Artificial  Pollen. 
At  first  sight  this  subject  may  appear  to  be  a  trivial  one,  but 
that  is  not  the  view  of  the  mo.st  succes.sful  bee-keepers.  The  in¬ 
ability  to  get  stocks  sufficiently  strong  to  enter  the  supers  at  the 
proper  time,  so  much  complained  of,  is  partly  the  result  of  in¬ 
attention  to  these  apparently  trivial  aids  to  early  brood  pro¬ 
duction.  By  applying  artificial  pollen  at  a  date  earlier  than  the 
natural  supply  is  obtainable,  the  production  of  brood  is  greatly 
encouraged  and  assisted.  In  cases  where  it  is  necessary  to  liave 
powerful  colonies  early,  its  effect  is  very  marked,  and  in  those 
districts  where  the  natural  supply  of  pollen  is  late  or  deficient  it 
should  never  be  neglected.  Moreover,  to  stocks  which  are  breed¬ 
ing  rapidly,  as  well  as  being  a  powerful  .stimulant  it  is  an  absolute 
necessity. 
Many  apiarists  fall  into  the  conimon  error  of  supposing  that 
natural  facilities  for  stimulation  exist  early  enough  in  every 
locality,  but  it  i.s  easy  to  demonstrate  that  this  is  not  the  ca.se. 
The  modern  system  of  bee-keeping  is  in  the  main  unnatural,  and 
if  natural  conditions  for  excessive  brood  raising  are  waited  for 
the  bees  isroduced  from  the  eggs  laid  under  the  impulse  of  such 
an  income  of  honey  and  pollen  will  in  some  ca.se.s  be  too  late  for 
the  purpose  intended.  As  is  well  known,  pollen  consists  of 
minute  du.st-like  pollen  grains,  called  microspores,  and  is  rich  in 
nitrogenous  matter,  which  is  indispensable  to  the  nourishment 
and  development  during  the  metamorphosis  of  bees,  and  it  has 
been  repeatedly  proved  that  bees  are  unable  to  raise  their  young 
without  it.  When  it  has  been  withheld  altogether  from  colonies 
the  larvae  have  died  in  about  twenty-four  hours.  It  is,  however, 
in  districts  where  the  natural  supply  of  pollen  is  late  that  the  ad¬ 
vantages  derived  from  the  use  of  a  .sub.stitute  will  be  most  appre¬ 
ciated.  Its  effect  will  be  amazing.  Breeding  never  goes  on  so 
rapidly  as  when  there  is  a  regular  supply,  however  .small,  of 
pollen  and  honey,  and  it  will  be  ohserved  fliat  those  stocks  which 
take  liquid  food  will  mo.st  readily  accept  this  substitute  for  the 
former. 
For  many  reasons  tlie  most  popular  is  loea-flower,  and  all  that 
is  nece.ssary  to  induce  bees  to  accept  it  in  the  first,  place  is  to 
put  a  pinch  or  two  into  any  Crocus  flowers  which  may  be  open. 
The  bees  gladly  avail  themselves  of  this  opportunity,  and  the 
quantity  they  will  remove  in  a  short  time  is  astonishing.  Imme¬ 
diately,  however,  a  natural  supply  is  available  the  suhstitute  is 
discarded.  The  Crocus — C.  vernus  is  among  the  brightest  and 
earliest  of  spring  flowers,  and  should  be  cultivated  generally  by 
bee-keepers,  as,  apart  from  its  natural  beauty,  it  is  in  many  neigh¬ 
bourhoods  the  first  flower  to  yield  farina  in  quantity  for  the  bees, 
and  the  advantages  of  placing  the  p^a-flour  in  their  blossoms  are 
that  the  bees,  which  are  continually  seeking  the  natural  pollen 
which  they  produce,  are  certain  to  find  the  substitute,  and  the 
flowers  closing  when  the  .sun  does  not  shine  preserve  the  pollen 
until  the  next  fine  sunny  daj^  when  the  bees  are  on  the  wing. 
In  addition  to  the  beneficial  influence  in  I’egard  to  brood  pro¬ 
duction,  the  use  of  artificial  pollen  also  affords  an  excellent  oppor¬ 
tunity  of  ascertaining  whether  a  colony  is  queenless  or  not.  It 
will  be  observed  that  stocks  in  po.s,session  of  young  fertile  queens 
will  at  every  opportunity  be  energetically  carrying  pollen  in  large 
pellets  to  their  hives.  Should  this  not  be  the  case,  or  the  beef> 
noticed  with  half-sized  pellets  on  their  legs,  an  examination  at 
the  earliest  favourable  opportunity  will  probably  prove  that  the 
stock  is  without  a  queen,  in  which  case  it  will  have  to  be  united 
to  another  stock  headed  by  a  fertile  queen,  with  the  usual  pre¬ 
cautions  when  convenient.  By  uniting  thus  early  a  weak  colony 
may  be  so  .strengthened  by  the  addition  of  the  queenless  lot  that 
it  will  accomplish  more  in  the  way  of  honey-gathering  than  the 
separate  lots  could  have  done. — E.  E.,  Sandbach. 
Varieties  of  Seakale. 
On  page  259  are  illustrated  three  types  of  Seakale,  but  it  is  the 
lesser-known  Beddard’s  Improved  to  which  we  desire  to  draw 
attention.  This  variety  was  shown  in  conjunction  with  Lily  White 
and  the  ordinary  Purple  at  one  of  the  Drill  Hall  meetings  last 
year,  and  met  with  general  approval.  It  was  seen  to  be  interme¬ 
diate  between  Lily  White  and  the  Purple,  and  combines  the  deli¬ 
cate  flavour  of  the  former  with  the  robust  constitution  of  the 
latter.  It  is  quite  distinct,  as  we  have  .seen  in  Messrs.  Veitch’s 
nunseries,  in  habit  and  growth,  the  leaves  being  less  spreading 
than  those  of  the  Purple.  It  is  a  variety  well  worthy  of  a  trial. 
