184 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  20,  1903 
SUCCESSION  HOUSES. — Wlien  the  fruit  is  gathered  cut  out 
all  the  bearing  wood  of  this  season  unless  forming  extensions,  and 
the  shoots  for  next  year’s  fruiting  where  too  crowded  should  be 
thinned  to  admit  light  and  air.  Supidy  water  to  the  roots  so  as 
to  keep  the  soil  in  a  moist  condition.  Weakly  trees  will  be 
benefited  by  the  application  of  liquid  manure.  Ventilate  the 
house  fully  day  and  night. 
LATE  HOUSES. — Let  the  fruit  have  full  exposure  to  the 
light,  drawing  the  leaves  aside,  and  raising  depending  fruit  with 
'ts  apex  to  the  light  or  sun  by  placing  laths  crosswise  of  the 
trellis.  Keep  the  growths  tied  as  they  advance  in  length. 
Laterals  should  be  kept  pinched  to  one  leaf,  but  in  the  case  of 
trees  carrying  heavy  crops  they  may  be  allowed  moderate  exten¬ 
sion.  Continue  syringing  on  fine  days  in  the  morning  and  after¬ 
noon  until  the  fruit  commences  ripening.  Provide  a  little 
ventilation  constantly,  and  increase  it  early  in  the  day.  Sea 
that  the  borders  inside  and  outside  have  sufl&cient  water.  A  light 
mulching  of  short,  lumpy  manure  will  tend  to  keep  the  soil  moist. 
— St.  Albans. 
HE)  BE)E-KE)BPER. 
.  I  .  I  ■  1  :■!  .  1 1 1  .T.  I  ■ , .  I  ■ , .  I  -r-i-^i 
The  Wax  Moth. 
The  classification  of  this  insect  is  at  present  somewhat  un¬ 
satisfactory,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  it  is  embraced  by  the 
Heterocera  group,  one  of  the  two  sub-divisions  of  the  Lepidoptera. 
The  female  is  provided  with  a  long  ovipositor  similar  to  that  of 
most  of  the  Microlepidoptera.  The  larvse  live  upon  the  wax  of 
which  the  comb  is  made,  and  generally  exhibit  a  preference  for 
the.  bases  of  the  cells  or  the  midriff  of  the  comb,  through  which 
in  the  course  of  their  development  they  gnaw  long  passages  until 
the  combs  fall  to  pieces  and  are  rendered  useless.  This  tunnel  is 
a  sort  of  protection  to  the  larvae,  as  it  enables  them  to  move 
through  it  with  great  rapidity,  consequently  the  bees  seldom 
capture  it,  as  in  addition  to  the  uncertainty  of  the  position  of  the 
larvae  the  feet  of  the  bees  often  become  entangled  in  the  fibres 
of  which  the  channel  is  composed.  Straw  skeps  lend  themselves 
to  the  deposition  of  eggs  and  production  of  these  insects.  The 
eggs  are  laid  between  the  hive  and  the  floor  board,  and  imme¬ 
diately  it  hatches  the  larvae  feed  upon  the  loose  particles  of  wax 
found  on  the  floor  boards.  The  long  ovipositor  also  enables  the 
moth  to  place  the  eggs  in  almost  any  crevice,  where  it  is  impos¬ 
sible  for  the  bees  to  remove  them. 
“  It  is  curious,”  .says  Huber,  “  to  observe  how  the  artful  moth 
know  how  to  profit  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  bees  which  require 
much  light  for  seeing  objects,  and  the  precaution  taken  by  the 
latter  in  reconnoitring  and  expelling  so  dangerous  an  enemy.” 
They  contrive  to  glide  unperceived  between  the  sentinels  and 
gain  a  lodgment  in  the  hive,  and  when  admission  has  been  gained 
they  deposit  their  eggs  in  out  of  the  way  places.  After  hatch¬ 
ing,  which  takes  place  in  a  few  days,  they  are  enclosed  in  a  case 
of  white  silky  texture,  at  first  like  a  mere  thread,  but  gradually 
increasing  in  size.  The  larvae  feeds  upon  the  surrounding  cells 
of  wax,  and  during  its  growth  it  insinuates  itself  further  along 
the  comb  until  it  is  almost  eaten  away.  Immediately  the  larvae 
leaves  the  pupa  stage  it  becomes  a  winged  moth,  therefore  in 
killing  it  all  .such  comb  .should  be  cut  out  and  burned,  even  if 
apparently  free  from  moth.  This  destroys  the  moth  in  all  its 
stages. 
Not  only  are  these  insects  a  pest  to  the  bee-keeper  by  spoiling 
hi.s  combs,  but  they  are  also  enemies  to  the  bees.  Their  pre¬ 
valence  in  a  hive  indicates  weakne.ss  of  the  stock,  and  as  preven¬ 
tion  is  better  than  cure  a  sure  remedy  is  to  keep  strong  colonies. 
Ligurian  bees  are  also  either  good  protectors  or  exterminators,  as 
it  is  a  singular  fact  that  they  are  seldom  if  over  troubled  by  them. 
Wax  moth  in  all  its  stages,  however,  should  be  destroyed  at 
sight,  and  where  they  have  obtained  a  foothold  many  may  be 
killed  in  the  evening  around  the  hive,  where  they  will  be  seen 
hovering  about.  Clean  floorboards,  by  affording  no  harbour  for 
them,  reduce  their  chances  of  existence  to  a  minimum.  As  a 
rule,  the  ravages  of  the  wax  moth  are  confined  to  .spare  combs, 
and  the  damage  is  only  ascertained  in  the  spring  on  unpacking 
supers  when  they  are  found  tunnelled  and  liroken  down,  and 
sometimes  are  one  mass  of  excrement,  which  the  inexperienced 
sometimes  put  down  to  mice.  This  is  usually  the  case  when  left 
unprotected. 
It  has  been  stated  that  the  larvse  cannot  exist  without 
moisture,  therefore  if  surplus  combs  are  stored  in  a  dry,  airy  room 
they  will  escape  the  pest.  The  time  when  eggs  are  laid  in  supers 
is  between  the  time  of  removal  from  the  hive  and  wrapping  up 
for  winter  storage.  After  being  cleaned  up  by  the  bees  the 
supers  should  at  once  be  wrapped  in  two  sheets  of  newspaper 
without  holes,  and  tied  securely.  The  printers’  ink  on  the 
new.spaper  is  anti-moth,  and  if  the  packing  is  done  as  soon  as 
removed  from  the  hive  there  is  little  probability  of  any  eggs 
being  laid  in  them.  This  method  of  keeping  combs  through  the 
winter  is  always  successful.  All  pieces  of  old  combs  scattered 
about  the  apiary  should  be  collected  and  melted  up,  and  not  left 
lying  about.  Floorboards  should  also  be  scraped  at  least  once 
during  the  year.  This  will  do  much  to  prevent  the  evil. 
Where  moths  have  taken  possession  they  must  be  sought  out 
and  destroyed  by  probing  and  scraping,  afterwards  burning  all 
the  scrapings  and  refuse.  By  this  means  every  vestige  of  them 
is  de.stroyed.  Facilities  for  the  production  of  the  wax  moth  are 
offered  by  skeps,  which,  prior  to  packing  for  winter,  should  be 
examined'  minutely,  and  all  worms  destroyed. — E.  E.,  Sandbach. 
*  All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be  directed 
to  “The  Editor,”  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers,  Fleet  Street, 
London,  E.C.  It  is  requested  that  no  one  will  write  privately 
to  any  of  our  correspondents,  seeking  information  on  matters 
discussed  in  this  Journal,  as  doing  so  subjects  them  to  unjustifiable 
trouble  and  expense. 
PHOTOGRAPHS  RECEIVED  (Hortu.s).— Yes,  received, 
^vith  thanks. 
ROCK  MELONS  (H.  K.). — Rock  and  Cantaloup  varieties 
may  be  successfully  cultivated  in  a  house  or  pit  with  a  bottom 
heat  of  70deg,  rising  gradually  to  SOdeg.  Treat  as  per  our  notes 
under  “  Work  for  the  Week.” 
AVERAGE  PRICE  PER  FOOT  OF  OAK,  BIRCH,  CHEST¬ 
NUT,  LARCH,  AND  SCOTCH  FIR  (F.  A.).— The  price  varies 
according  to  locality.  Oak  is  about  2s.  per  foot.  Birch,  in  large 
trees,  runs  about  .same  price  or  even  higher,  small  trees  being 
scarcely  saleable,  or  not  more  than  lOd.  per  foot,  cabinet¬ 
makers  being  very  fastidious  as  to  grain,  and  only  notice  the 
finest  examples.  Horse  Chestnut  seldom  brings  more  than  5d., 
and  is  hardly  saleable,  but  Spanish  Che.stnut  commands  as  good 
a  price  as  Oak,  or  even  more  per  foot,  namely  2s.  Larch  is  worth 
about  lOd.  per  foot,  and  Scots  Fir  difficult  to  rid  at  4^d.  Such 
are  the  prices  given  an  estate  agent  as  those  of  several 
large  estates  over  which  he  has  command  of  timber  .sales.  As 
economic  trees.  Oak,  Sycamore,  and  Ash  hold  first  rank  amongst 
hardwoods,  while  the  softwoods  are  in  some  cases  scarcely 
riddable  at  any  price,  particularly  Scotch  Fir. 
HARDINESS  OF  SPARTIUM  JUNOEUM  (A.  T.).— The 
Spanish  Broom  (Spartium  junceum)  is  quite  hardy,  and  has  been 
used  with  the  greatest  success  all  along  the  coast,  and  found  an 
excellent  subject  for  cold,  draughty  positions.  This  applies  to 
the  seaside,  inland  being  very  different,  it  often,  in  the  northern 
parts  of  the  country,  having  its  young  growth  severely  cut  by 
keen  frosts  during  a  hard  winter;  indeed,  this  occurs  in  the 
southern  parts  of  England  in  rich  soil  and  moist  positions. 
Hence  it  is  good  practice  to  cut  over  the  plants  each  year, 
shortening  or  spurring  them  in  the  spring,  thus  securing  good 
growth  and  bloom  each  season.  We  do  not  think  it  would  be 
likely  to  succeed  from  seeds  if  sown  on  poor  parts  of  Arthur’s 
Seat',  Edinburgh,  as  the  po.sition  is  subject  to  strong,  keen 
winds !  Seedlings,  however,  have  a  vigorous  habit  and  great 
adaptability  to  circumstances.  Why  not  try  and  ascertain  by 
experience? 
AVERAGE  PRICE  PER  YARD  FOR  BARBED  WIRE 
FENCING?  W’HAT  THI^  COST  OF  ERECTION?  (Land.sman). 
—  The  price  per  yard  varies  with  the  height  and 
number  of  wires,  also  number  of  standards  and  droppers.  Three 
and  a  half  feet  high  3-barb  wires,  standards  20ft  apart,  without 
intermediate  droppers,  9d.  per  yard ;  with  one  intermediate 
dropper,  lOd.  per  yard;  with  two  intermediate  droppers,  lid. 
per  yard.  Four  feet  high,  4-barb  wires,  lOJd.,  ll^d.,  Is.  O^d.  per 
yard;  4.^ft  high  5-barb  wires,  ll^d..  Is.  O.jd.,  Is.  l|d.  per  yard; 
4Ift  6-barb  wires.  Is.  Id.,  Is.  2^d.,  and  Is.  3d.  per  yard;  5ft  high 
6-barb  wires.  Is.  2d.,  Is.  3.jd.,  and  Is.  5d.  per  yard.  These  are 
for  standards  20ft  apart  in  each  ca.se,  without  intermediate 
droppei's,  with  one  intermediate  dropper,  and  with 
two  intermediate  droppers  respectively.  The  standards 
are  of  angle  iron,  go  18in  into  the  ground  for  feiices 
up  to  4ft  high,  and  21  inches  for  the  4Mt  and  5ft  fences.  Wind¬ 
ing  pillars  are  not  included  in  the  prices,  they  requiring  to  be 
placed  every  150  yards  apart.  Prices  for  straining  pillars,  for 
fences  3.1ft  and  4ft  above  ground,  £1  12s.  Od.  each  ;  for  4l^ft  and 
5ft,  £1  15s.  Barbed  gates  with  match  fences,  £1  8s.  each.  The 
cost  of  erection  varies  according  to  locality  and  distance  from 
place  of  supply,  .so  that  no  estimate  can  be  given  other  than  by 
the  supplyers,  who  gladly  state  particulars  on  application,  and 
varies  also  with  fence,  and  may  range  from  lid.  to  6d.,  accord¬ 
ing  to  circumstances. 
