48 
JOUBNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
January  21,  1904. 
cottager’s  prospects,  for  the- trade  is  practically  a  thief  thriv¬ 
ing  on  what  should  he-  confined  to  residents  in  the  locality. 
The  pollen  and  nectar  of  flowers  as  much  belong  to  the  owner 
as  the  plants  that  produce  them,  therefore  the  so-called  hee- 
farming  is  only  a  sort  of  plunder  when  brought  into  direct 
antagonism  with  the  bee-keeping  of  landowners,  farmers,  and 
cottagers.  The  bee  farmer  brings  nothing  into  the  locality 
but  bees  and  appliances,  provides  nothing  for  fheir  keep,  and 
takes  all  away  excepting,  perhaps,  “  foul  brood.” 
Then  the  keeper  of  bees  will  have  AVallflowers  galore, 
appreciated  alike  by  rich  and  poor,  and  when  they  are  in  bloom 
much  visited  by  bees  for  the  pollen,  and  also  some  nectar. 
Arabis  albida,  so  much  \ised  as  an  edging  in  cottage  gardens 
and  in  gardens  generally  for  spring  bedding,  is  much  frequented 
m  spring  by  bees  for  the  nectar.  Tulips,  especially  the  Due 
Van  Thol  section,  produce  abundance  of  pollen,  which  the  bees 
much  appreciate.  Aubrietias,  much  used  in  spring  bedding  and 
on  rockwork,  are  also  greatly  loved  by  bees.  '  Limnanthes 
Douglas!  probably  attracts  more  bees  than  any  other  spring 
flower,  and  it,  too,  is  a  popular  plant  for  spring  bedding"! 
Everybody  has  room,  or  ought  to  have,  for  the  forenamed 
flowers,  and  they  should  be  grown  extensively  l)y  bee-keepers. 
Pass  we  now  to  trees,  of  which  first  and  foremost  is  the 
Palm  or  Goat  Willow  (Salix  Caprea).  It  produces  more  pollen 
than  any  other  tree,  and  comes  at  a  time  when  it  is  most 
required.  Of  course,  it  is  the  male  plant  that  produces  the 
catkins  bearing  pollen,  sometimes  comihencing  to  flower  early 
in  February,  always  before  any  other  Willow,  and  lasts  for 
several  weeks  if  only  the  vandals  keep  "hands  off,”  a  thing 
almost  impo.ssible  by  town  denizens  when  they  ‘‘take  tlieir 
walks  abroad.”  It  will  grow  in  almost  any  place,  but  does 
best  by  water, ^  and  has  a  handsome  appearance,  as,  indeed, 
have  all  the  Willows,  and  the  male  trees  yield  abundance  of 
pollen. 
Sycamore,  and,  indeed,  all  the  Maples,  or  Acer  sp..  are 
capital  bee  trees,  yielding  pollen  and  nectar,  and,  be  it  said, 
honeydew.  For  shelter  the  Sycamore  has  few  equals,  is  a 
capital  field  shade  tree,  and  its  timber  is  valuable.  Plant  it 
for  man,  beast,  and  bees. 
Flowering  shrubs  or  dwarf  trees  provide  some  pollen  and 
nectar,  the  bees  not  lacking  provender  from  that  source  and 
fruit  trees,  wild  and  cultivated,  up  to  the  blossoming  of 
Glover,  the  white,  plentiful  even  in  roadsides ;  and  aftei^  the 
Sweet  Clover  comes  the  air-laden  fragrance  of  the  Limes. 
The  hum  of  bees  on  the  flowers  of  the  Lime  tree  is  a 
pleasant  sound,  and  fortunately  this  tree  i.s  not  uncommon 
in  villages,  the  rectory  or  vicarage  grounds  containing  trees 
arrived  at  floriferous  age;  some,  indeed,  aged,  and  not  cut  or 
lopped  periodically,  as  common  in  the  case  of  Limes  by  roads 
and  streets  in  urban,  suburban,  and  even  rural  districts,  but 
with  towering,  spreading  heads  that  perfume  the  air  in  summer 
for  man’s  delight,  gladdening  the  ‘‘heart”  of  bees,  and  yield¬ 
ing  a  rich  nectar  for  harvesting. 
Thus  far  we  have  only  mentioned  three  trees  as  of  peculiar 
and  particular  value  for  bee  food.  The  Sallow,  Goat,  or  Palm 
AVillow  (Salix  Caprea),  which  grows  naturally,  for  it  is  seldom 
planted,  in  damp  or  wet  places,  and  largely  dispersed  over  the 
British  Isles.  The  Sycamore  or  Mock  Plane  tree  (Acer  Pseudo- 
platanus),  that  is  oftener  naturally  placed  than  planted,  is 
found  in  hedgerows  and  in  fields,  there  not  being  a  deciduous 
tree  so  well  adapted  for  standing  singly  iii  rough,  exposed 
places,  and  though  a  deep,  soft,  dry  soil  is  most  suitable  for 
it,  it  will  grow  in  soils  of  very  opposite  qualities,  alike  thriving 
by  the  sea  as  inland,  even  at  high  elevations. 
The  Lime  Tree  or  Linden  (Tilia  vulgaris),  not  indigenous, 
l>ut  naturalised  in  Britain.  But  the  term  Lime  tree  is  applied 
to  the  Broad-leaved  (T.  platyphyllos),  and  is  a  native  of  the 
British  Islands,  also  to  the  Heart-shaped  (T.  cordata),  found 
here  and  there  in  woods  in  Britain,  and  is  regarded  by  some 
authorities  as  a  truly  indigenous  species.  The  three  species 
flower  successionally.  T.  platyphyllos  is  the  first  to  bloom  ; 
T.  vulgaris  begins  to  flower  when  T.  iilatyphyllos  is  nearly  past ; 
and  T.  cordata  is  the  last  of  the  three  to  flower.  Thus  all  three 
should  be  planted  so  as  to  afford  bees  as  long  a  nectar  harvest 
as  possible.  They  affect  a  good  loamy  soil,  damp  rather  than 
dry.  Indeed,  the  Lime  is  a  tree  of  the  plains  rather  than  of 
the  mountains,  hence  not  suitable  for  very  exposed  situations. 
In  most  localities  there  are  positions  suitable  for  all  the 
trees  named.  The  Sallow  flowers  in  early  spring,  the  Sycamore 
in  late  spring  or  early  summer,  and  the  Lime  in  the  heyday 
of  summer.  Last  of  all  comes  Ivy  (Hedera  Helix),  which,  in 
the  .sunny  days  of  autumn  is  laden  with  golden  dust  and  nectar, 
swarmed  to  by  flies,  and  butterflies,  and  bees,  and,  at  night, 
by  moths. 
In  tree  form,,  and  in  I’elatively  open  places,  the  Ivy  only 
yields  its  wealth  of  bloom.  In  pleasure  grounds,  on  old  trees 
or  trunks,  in  hedgerows  where  it  may  have  overcome  a  Haw¬ 
thorn  or  a  Holly,  or  in  woods  on  trees  it  may  have  overgrown, 
exists  this  ‘‘  rare  old  plant,”  and  the  preservers  of  such 
examples,  clad  in  Ivy  green,  are  real  benefactors,  especially 
to  the  insects  called  bees. — G.  A. 
C.yprlpedium  x  Godseffianum. 
This  hybrid  comes  from  C.  Boxalli  and  hirsutissimum,  the 
former  being  the  pollen  parent,  and  it  may  be  seen  in  a  number 
of  collections.  The  dorsal  sepal  is  yellowish,  suffused  with 
brown,  being  darkest  at  the  base.  The  petals  are  similarly 
coloured,  and  tipped  with  mauve-purple,  the  pouch  being  soft 
brown. 
Calanthe  Veitchi  at  Ashby  St.  Ledgers. 
That  this  variety  of  Calanthe  I’evels  in  the  treatment  given 
it  by  the  present  gardener  at  Ashby  St.  Ledgers  (Mr.  Camm) 
is  shown  by  the  house  now  in  full  flower.  Alo.st  of  the  bulb.s 
measure  from  llin  to  13in  long,  and  from  Sin  to  llin  in  girth 
at  the  base,  being  stout,  straight,  and  clean.  They  carry  in 
most  ca.ses  one  spike  at  the  base,  one  three  or  four  inches  np, 
and  one  at  the  apex  of  the  bnlb,  each  with  from  thirty  to  forty- 
five  bright  rose  flowers.  One  l)ulb  was  found  on  coTinting  to 
have  111  good-sized  flowers  on  it.  Anyone  seeing  the  effect 
these  now  make  arranged  with  a  groundwork  of  Asparagus 
plumosus  edged  with  Panicum  variegatum  cannot  but  think 
its  popularity  is  well  deserved.  I  may  add  that  Begonia 
socotrana  is  evidently  quite  at  home  here.  These  are  ju.st 
beginning  to  open  their  flowers.  The  plants  are  in  32-sized 
pots,  and  are  about  2ft  through  and  the  same  height,  giving 
good  promise  of  making  a  grand  display  shortly,  the  cultural 
details  of  which  I  shall  be  i)leased  to  give  if  it  be  thought 
acceptable. — E.  F. 
[We  would  welcome  the  notes,  for  this  Begonia  deserves  the 
fullest  recommendation. — Ed.] 
Calanthe  Veitchi. 
Calanthe  Veitchi  has  decided  attractions  over  the  other  well 
known  and  popular  varieties  of  Calanthe,  chiefly  on  account  of 
its  effective  brightness  at  this  season  of  the  year,  and  the 
gracefulness  of  its  long,  arching  spikes  of  rose-coloured  flowers, 
which  greatly  increase  its  value  for  table  and  drawing-room 
decoration  during  these  dull  months  of  the  year.  I  do  not  wish 
to  depreciate  the  beauty  of  other  varieties,  although  I  lean 
greatly  in  favour  of  C.  Veitchi  for  the  foregoing  purposes. 
The  period  for  the  annual  repotting  is  best  left  to  the  ciiscretio.n 
of  the  cultivator  owing  to  the  various  stages  and  condition  the 
bulbs  may  be  in.  AA'hen  the  new  growths  are  an  inch  or  two 
long  is  most  opportune  for  this  work. 
It  is  a  good  plan  to  shake  all  exhamsted  soil  from  the  bulbs 
and  cut  the  dead  roots  off,  leaving  about  an  inch,  this  will 
enable  them  to  he  made  firm  during  the  process  of  repotting. 
The  bulbs  mmst  be  closely  examined  for  scale  with  a  stiff  brush 
and  soapy  water  at  this  stage,  or  a  great  amount  of  trouble 
may  ensue  when  in  active  growth.  Where  space  is  limited,  this 
is  best  performed  as  they  pass  out  of  flower,  and  the  ludbs 
placed  closely  together  in  shallow  boxes,  with  some  sphagnum 
moss  j)laced  round  the  base  of  each  bulb,  and  kept  in  a  warm 
temperature.  One  very  well  suited  is  the  stage  of  the  early 
vinery,  this  will  have  an  increased  temperature  by  the  time 
these  subjects  have  finished  their  flowering  period. 
When  large  quantities  are  grown  it  is  a  saving  of  space  to 
pot  five  bulbs  into  a  32-size  pot.  The  smaller  ones  are  best 
potted  singly  into  pots  that  suit  their  size— this  enables  them  to 
have  special  treatment,  which  would  not  be  the  case  if  potted 
with  more  robust  bulbs.  Care  must  be  exercised  to  have  the 
pots  clean  ;  these  should  be  half  filled  with  clean  crocks,  with 
some  sphagnum  moss  placed  over  them.  The  soil  should  be 
comprised  of  three  parts  fibrous  loam,  one  pai't  well  decayed 
Oak  leaves,  and  half  a  part  selected  peat;  with  this  should  be 
incorporated  some  chopped  sphagnum  and  potsherds  and  a 
sprinkling  of  silver  sand.  AVhen  potting,  the  soil  should  be 
made  moderately  firm,  and  brought  within  an  inch  of  the  rim, 
the  bulbs  being  then  placed  on  the  surface  ;  add  more  soil  and 
press  firmly  rcund  the  old  roots,  permitting  the  base  of  each 
bulb  to  be  just  under  the  surface. 
They  may  be  placed  then  in  a  temperature  not  lower  than 
6deg  at  night,  'with  a  corresponding  increase  by  day.  AA'ater 
should  be  given  very  sparingly,  or  a  wet,  stagnant  condition  of 
the  soil  will  be  the  result,  thereby  growth  will  be  badly  affected. 
Wlien  growth  is  observed  to  be  making  progress,  and  the  roots 
are  pushing  round  the  sides  of  the  pot,  Avaterings  may  be 
increased,  and  Avhen  fully  established  weak  applications  of 
liquid  farmyard  manure,  also  a  top-dressing  of  turfy  loam, 
chopped  sphagnum,  and  silver  sand  will  greatly  benefit  them, 
as  the  surface  gets  washed  by  continual  waterings. 
A  most  important  point  is  to  keep  them  growing  Avifhout 
