140 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[May, 
perennials, perfectly hardy and easily propagated by 
diTiding the roots. 
^«i-^r«e>«.— Plant those of the pine family, aa di- 
rected under notes for orchard and nursery. 
Frames and Pits.— If any plants remain, do not 
let them suffer from heat and dryness. 
Fuchsias.— These make good border plants, if 
not exposed to too much sun. Tie them to stakes. 
Oeraniuma.—K the plants have been properly 
hardened off, these may be set out. A fine effect 
is produced by making a raised bed in the lawn, 
and putting a row of the variegated leaved ones 
around the margin, and filling the center with the 
dark leaved sorts, planted rather closely. 
Cannas. — These are fine plants for a mound upon 
a lawn. Seeds may be started in heat, or roots 
may be had of the florists at a moderate price. 
■ Oladiolm. — Set the bulbs about a foot apart, and 
two inches deep. Tie the flower stems to stakes. 
Orasa Edgings.— VWf as soon as the grass is long 
enough to out, uproot all coarse weeds, and 
keep the margins neatly trimmed. 
Oravel Walks. — Keep free of weeds, and roll often. 
Japan Lilies. — These most beautiful and hardy 
lilies are now cheap enough to be in every garden. 
Set the bulbs early. 
Labels. — Have a supply to m^k sowings of seeds, 
and all other things, where it is desirable to record 
the names of varieties. A smooth pine stick 
emeared with a little white paint, and written with 
a pencil before It dries, makes a very good label 
which lasts well enough for a single season. 
Lawns, — Mow evenly, as soon as the grass is long 
enough to cut. Where the lawn is of much ex- 
tent, it will pay to get a machine for the purpose. 
Mulch. — Give a covering of some kind of litter 
around newly planted trees and shrubs. The mow- 
ings of the lawn may be used for this purpose. 
Hignonette. — Sow where it is to grow, as it does 
not transplant easily. It mixes well with candytuft. 
i%(«miM. — Sow seed, and get plants of the finer 
sorts from the florists. 
Bosea. — Turn those in pots into the border. 
Keep the climbers well tied np. Remove layers 
made last year. If slugs appear, give them a 
syringing with solution of whale oil soap. 
yii6«-oses.— Plant the bulbs in rich soil. It is 
better to get those which have been started in pots, 
as they are more sure to bloom before frost. 
Verbenas. — These give the best effect of color 
when planted rather closely in masses. 
Weeds. — Keep them out of the borders and from 
beneath shrubs by free use of the hoe, and rake. 
Green and Hot-Houses.— This month 
the houses are usually emptied of all but the most 
tender plants. The time for bringing them out will 
be fixed by the warmth of the weather. Give the 
house free ventilation to harden the plants and 
prepare them for the change. Roses, verbenas, 
geraniums and other hardier border plants are the 
first to be removed. Those which are to remain in 
pots, are to be placed where they will be sheltered 
from high winds. The tropical plants which re- 
main in the hot house, will need a little fire heat 
and should have all the ventilation possible, with- 
out too much reducing the temperature. 
Cactuses. — These make a fine show in the border 
or upon a rock work. Plunge the pots in earth up 
to their rims. Make cuttings, allowing them to 
dry a few weeks before potting. 
Cam«Mias.— Syringe freely. When placed out of 
doors they should have partial shade. Some florists 
make a large arbor of lattice work for them. 
Cuttings. — Provide fornext winter's stock of plants 
by making cuttings. Many things difficult to strike 
from hard wood do so readily from the newly form- 
ed growth. Ordinarily they are struck in damp 
sand in partial shade, and the air around them kept 
close by a bell-glass. The plan of putting them in 
sand kept very wet, and exposing them to full sun- 
light U very successful, and it is easily done. 
Puc?isias. — Turn out the hardy sorts into the 
borders and make cuttings of the new growth. 
Insects. — It will not do to allow the press of out- 
door work to cause any relaxation of the war against 
insects. Syringe frequently and use sulphur and 
tobacco fumigations. 
Oranges and Lemons. — Give the stems a brushing 
of strong solution of soft soap to remove the scale 
before they go out of doors. 
FClargoniums. — Cut back into good shape before 
they are put into the borders and use the prunings 
for cuttings to make plants for winter. 
Water. — The house should be syringed frequently 
and the plants ought not to suffer for water. 
Fruit Garden.— Whatever planting has 
been delayed, should be done as soon as possible, 
as the season is already quite advanced. 
Blackberries. — Tie up to stakes or trellises. Cut 
back to near the root any plants to be set out. 
Currants. — These may be removed with safety 
even after the buds have started. Set out cuttings. 
Cultivate around established bushes. Watch for 
and destroy the currant worm. 
Orapes. — If the vines were taken up in season 
and have been kept in a cool place, they may still 
be planted. Directions for planting were given 
last month on page 120. Set out cuttings of those 
kinds which can be propagated without heat. Put 
up vines to the trellis, and if the bnds have push- 
ed, use great care in h.andling. Keep the new 
growth of young or old vines carefully tied up to 
the trellis or stakes, using some soft string. Bass, 
old yarn or rye straw are used for tying. See note 
on mildew on page 115. 
Insects. — The rose bug is one of the great pests 
of the fruit grower. When grapes are in flower 
they do much injury. Hand picking is the only 
remedy. See note in Basket on currant worm. 
Layaing. — In propagating grapes in this manner, 
prepare a trench about 6 inches deep, and put the 
branch to be layered in it and fasten it there. The 
branch should have been shortened at pruning time 
to about 6 feet. When the shoots have made a 
growth of S or 4 inches, remove all but the strong- 
est, leaving them about a foot apart, and put a stake 
6 or 8 feet high to each. When the shoots have 
made a growth of about a foot, tie them to stakes, 
and continue to tie them as they grow. Now 
cover the layered vine in the trench with about an 
inch of soil and at the Interval of a week or so, add 
another inch and so an until the trench is filled. 
Bcuipberries. — Manure the vines if it has not been 
done, cut out weak canes and tie the others to stakes. 
Strawberries.— Finish, planting of beds. Remove 
the runners from those cultivated in hills. Pull 
out the weeds that come up through the mulch, 
and if there is no mulch, keep the plants well hoed. 
Water. — If a dry spell occurs, water newly plant- 
ed trees and shrubs and mulch them. Strawberries, 
as they are swelling their fruit, will need watering. 
Weeds. — Use the hoe freely to keep weeds out of 
sight, and stir the soil around the plants. 
Cold Grapery. — Last month's calendar 
gave the treatment of the vines after uncovering 
them. The vines may be forced or retarded, ac- 
cording to the season and climate. Where late 
frosts occur, keep the house cool, as it is not desira- 
ble to start the growth until it can be pushed with- 
out interruption. Keep the air moist by syringing 
over the vines every mild morning, and sprinkling 
the floor every morning. The manure placed on 
the outside borders last fall is to be forked in, or 
if it was neglected, fork over the bed and give a 
dressing of manure. When danger of frosts is 
over, the temperature of the house may be gradu- 
ally increased until it reaches 85° at mid-day, open- 
ing only tire upper ventilators. When the shoots 
have sufficiently advanced to show their character, 
select the best for fruiting and for next year's 
wood, rubbing out all the others. The shoots are 
very tender and great care must be exercised in 
handling the vines. 
The Apiary for Maj. —Prepared by M. 
Quiiihy by request.— Tba prospect of early swarms 
was never better than this season, where the weath- 
er has been uniform during the winter and the 
ground well covered with snow. So little of the 
clover has been winter-killed, that the flowers will 
appear several days earlier, and there will be little 
interval between fruit and clover blossoms. Swarms 
may be expected as early as the last of the month 
where this st.ite of things obtains. Should the sup- 
ply of honey from fruit blossoms be scant through 
wet and cold weather, inferior stocks with little 
honey may overtake and throw out swarms before 
those which had a full supply ; they having econ- 
omised their stores, while the strong stocks con- 
sumed their honey by raising drones. If then there 
should occur a dearth of honey, the drones may be 
killed to save the rest, and where this occurs in any 
hive, swarming is indefinitely postponed — but it by 
no meaus follows that any such droneless colony 
will not swarm at all. Should swarms issue just 
previous to a period of wet and cold, they should 
be fed, and it will be well also to have a care that 
light hives do not suffer for a lack of honey when 
a few days feeding will keep them in good condi- 
tion. Few swarms may be looked for before white 
clover is in full blossom. 
Before a swarm can be reasonably expected we 
usually observe an increase of bees, both of work- 
ers .and drones. The colony makes preparation to 
provide a queen to take the place of the one which 
will leave with the swarm, and builds queen cells. 
These may be seen usually without difficulty by 
blowing in a little smoke, inverting the hive and 
examining the edges of the combs. When a queen 
cell is discovered sealed up, a swarm may be looked 
for at once, and will be very likely to occur the first 
bright day. There are usually several queen cells 
started as swarming time approaches, and should 
one or more be found nearly closed, it is fair to in- 
fer that there m.ay be others quite sealed. Swarms 
usually issue between 10 and 3 o'clock. Italians, 
however, may be expected both earlier and later, 
but never before the bees get well engaged at their 
doy's work. When the queen leaves she takes with 
her almost all the bees that are left in the hive, 
except the very young ones, trusting to the absent 
ones to maintain the old colony. The bees depart 
loaded with as much honey as each can fly with. 
The swarm usually settles on some tree or bnsh 
not far from the hive, where they will stay usually 
more than an hour (sometimes more than 34 hours), 
though in case the sun comes to shine very full 
upon them they may move very soon. The noise 
of tin pans and bells does no good whatever in in- 
ducing the swarm to alight, though should a swarm 
move to fiy away from its first settling place, the 
throwing of dirt into it often apparently confuses 
the bees, so as to induce them to settle again at 
once. Paint no hives at this season. A hive should 
contain about2000 cubic inches of clear comb space, 
(this is the entire space in a box hive, but in a 
movable comb hive it includes only the space inside 
the frames,) and should be scrupulously clean and 
sweet, or the bees may not stay when hived, and 
moreover, it ought to be cool when the bees are 
put into it. It is immaterial how the bees get into 
the hive provided they are put in or induced to go. 
They may be jarred into a bag held under them, or 
into the hive, or any box, or the branch may be cut 
off and the bees laid upon a sheet on which the 
hive is placed, into which they may be directed by 
the hands. They are so full of honey that they can 
hardly sting if they would (except the Italians). 
Manage to get every small cluster outside the hive 
to go in by some means, lest the queen be left out, 
and subsequently depart with the swarm. When 
the swarm ;s hived, place it on its stand and keep it 
shaded; in fact all hives ought to be roofed or 
protected from the sun in some way. 
It is seldom worth while to put on surplus boxes 
till dandelions are out of bloom, as the honey stored 
at this time is of poor color, if not bad flavor, yet it 
is well to put on a single box to give the bees a 
place to work. Immediately after, — certainly aa 
soon as white clover begins to bloom generally, — 
put on as many boxes as the bees will work In, 
A 
