June 26, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
519 
solidified growth, and insure their thorough ripening. The growths should 
he closely tied in or down as they advance, and the fruit thinned in good 
time, so that those left for the crop may have the fullest support. Wa f er 
the borders freely, and mulch with short manure to keep the roots active 
near the surface. Ventilate freely in the early part of the day, and 
reduce the ventilation early in the afternoon, rising to 80° from sun heat if 
the fruit is desired accelerated, otherwise admit air constantly if it be 
wished retarded in ripening. 
Melons. —Under ordinary circumstances fire heat can usually be dis¬ 
pensed with by the middle of June, but the nights are still so cold in 
some districts that heat is absolutely needed to maintain a suitable 
temperature. See that former instructions in stopping are attended to, 
also thinning, tying, and otherwise arranging the fruits, which should 
be regularly attended to, as any neglect in these matters is certain to tell 
disastrously in the results. Barth-up successional plantings as soon as 
the roots push through the hillocks. Supports must be placed to the 
fruits as they require them. Examine the plants at least twice a week, 
seeing that they do not suffer from insufficient or too much water. 
Plants that are swelling their fruits should have generous treatment; 
when they need watering give them a good soaking of tepid weak liquid 
manure. 
The earliest plants that were retained after the first crop will now be 
ripening their second crops, and will need to be kept somewhat drier 
and more freely ventilated. This applies equally to all houses with the 
fruit ripening, also to plants in pits and frames. 
Pits and Frames. —In a dull cold period the plants often suffer 
irreparable injury, which timely attention to the linings would have 
prevented, as with a genial heat a little air could have been given so as 
to prevent damage from an accumulation of damp, resulting in canker, 
the non-setting and imperfect ripening of the fruits. In order to insure 
a good set promote a circulation of air, and have the bed dry, keeping 
the growths thin, and fertilise the flowers daily as they expand, stopping 
the shoots at the same time one joint beyond the fruits. Commence 
ventilating early, and close as soon as safe in the afternoon, sprinkling 
plants swelling off their crops at closing time. 
Strawberries in Pots. —The recommendation of varieties that are best 
adapted for forcing is very often vague from it not being defined for 
what purpose the fruit is intended. For home use soft fruits answer very 
well, and Keens’ Seedling is a great favourite, so is Marguerite, but these 
soft fruits travel badly. For forcing it is essential that the fruit be large 
and of fine appearance, and those that answer this description are La 
€*rosse Sucrfie, Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury, well thinned ; and for 
second earlies Sir Harry, President, and Mr. Radclyffe ; for late use 
James Veitch, Sir Charles Napier, Dr. Hogg, and Cockscomb. The 
mnners should be laid as soon as they are obtainable in small pots in 
good loam, with a sprinkling of horse droppings, drawing the runners of 
two lines into one to save labour, and the pots are best plunged so as to 
lessen the necessity for watering and keep them in position. The runners, 
it is needless to state, should be taken from young vigorous plants—those 
from plants put out last summer are best—and they should be taken only 
irons fruitful plants. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Begonias. —Begonias manicata. Ingramii, Knowsleyana, and others 
lor autumn and winter-flowering will now be established in small pots. If 
well rooted place them in 5-inch pots, and grow them on in frames where 
an intermediate temperature can be maintained until they are rooting 
freely in rhe new soil. When thoroughly established they may be gradu¬ 
ally hardened and grown for the summer months under cool-frame treat¬ 
ment, in which position they will do much better than in heat. 
Begonia semperflorens. —The earliest batch raised from seed will now 
he in full beauty, and can be used for decoration in the conservatory, 
where they will continue to bloom for a long time if artificial manure is 
applied to the surface occasionally. Young plants established in 3-inch 
pots should be placed into 5-inch poD, and grown until they come into 
bloom in cold frames. For decoration all the year round no better 
Begonia can be grown. A little seed should be sown to supply plants for 
autumn and winter-flowering. The seed must be sown on the surface of 
fine soil in a pan or pot, carefully watered and covered with a square of 
glass until it germinates. 
Begonia parvijlora and B. Drcgei. — For summer decoration these 
are useful plants, and either may be growD, for they are very much 
alike. We prefer the last named. Anyone only having a greenhouse 
may grow either of these varieties to perfection, for when once they 
commence flowering they will continue to do so for months. They are 
useful for autumn and winter, but soon draw up weakly in store heat, 
therefore we employ them only for summer decoration. Under cool 
treatment our plants are now in full beauty. If necessary to increase 
the stock of these varieties cuttings will root with great freedom in sandy 
soil in gentle heat, and will make by autumn fine little plants for ripening 
off for another season. B. weltoniensis requires the same treatment, and 
is a grand variety for the conservatory at this season of the year. Good 
loom, leaf soil, a seventh of decayed manure and sand will form a good 
compost for growing these plants in. 
Ttibcrmis Varieties. —-These are amongst the most beautiful of plants, 
and the easiest of all to cultivate, and will, without doubt, be grown in 
Jntnre largely for decoration indoors in prefen n 'e to Zonal Pelargoniums 
at this season of the year. Those brought forward in heat will be in full 
beauty, while those started under cool conditions will be developing 
strongly and vigorously. IE these plants are yjimg anl leading away 
with single stems pinch the top out of them, and they will break freely a 
number of shoots from the lower eyes of the stem. Some varieties 
branch without stopping, while others will not; and in order to have 
well-dereloped shapely plants for decoration in G, 7, or 8-inch pots, stop¬ 
ping should be resorted to. When pinching is practised it requires 
longer to get the plants into flower, and should not be practised when 
the plants are wanted in bloom as early as possible. Grow in cold 
frames, and give abundance of water at the roots when the plants are 
growing vigorously. These plants must be carefully and judiciously 
shaded, for they cannot endure strong sunshine. 
% 
nil/ J3 JlVJlL/ aYII/XVX H/aY. 
THE DEPOSITION OF QUEENS. 
Mv anticipations some weeks since that queens in stock hives would 
be deposed, from the continued strain upon their system through pro¬ 
longed breeding during this untoward season have in many cases been 
verified, so that instead of the old queen accompanying the swarm, as 
she is commonly understood to do, a young one, or perhaps many, will 
issue. If more than one queen joins the swarm they do not settle 
readily, and when hived are liable to abscond, so that attention should 
be paid to swarms of this sort. The old queen is generally not de¬ 
posed until a young one is hatched, so that the old queen deposits eggs 
to within a day or two of swarming. If the weather is fine there is 
no great loss, because the young queen will, if fertilised, lay more 
eggs than the old one would have done ; hence after three weeks the 
hive is in a better condition, but there is a possibility she will remain 
sterile for a considerable time. If the weather is dull there is the risk 
of her being lost in her Avedding flight, which if unobserved the hive 
would be lost. To prevent ruin and disappointment, and secure strong 
and profitable hives, strict attention should be paid to both stock and 
SAvarms for some days after. If the Aveather continues unfavourable, 
fertilised queens should be joined from the nuclei in reserve, and the 
unfertilised ones joined to them. This no doubt Avill cause a little 
trouble, but prevents mishaps and disappointment. When over- 
hauling hUes at this time under these circumstances superfluous drone 
combs should be excised, keeping a strict look-out to detect foul 
brood. If present take the necessary steps to get rid of it, for depend 
upon it, it is not to be trifled with, Avhile bees breed better and are 
healthier in new combs than in old ones, the former being easier 
warmed than the latter during early breeding in spring. 
Supiring .—It is not a bad plan to super hives that are a little late 
in swarming, because it does not delay them ; and such supers, if not 
too large and the Aveather fine, will be filled in a few da3 r s, and then 
finished in all its purity by old stock, Avhose bees are not as numerous 
after as before swarming. During dull rainy weather unfinished 
supers are very liable to be discoloured, from the bees crowding on 
them, which is not preventible unless remoA’ed and replaced when 
weather becomes favourable. With hives fitted with slides, such as 
the Stewarton, discoloration of the combs is easily prevented by 
the regulation of them. Remove all supers Avhen sealed, and as 
lung as the bees care to build comb, giving air from beneath 
during hot days, contracting at night if at all cold. Giving plenty of 
room, keeping the hive shaded and the supers Avell covered, is about 
all that is required this month, providing the other foregoing precau¬ 
tions have been taken. 
Feeding. —At no time of the year is food mere necessary than 
now if honey is scarce, but it should not be gi\-en in greater quantity 
than to encourage breeding and comb-building in hives not full, and 
prevent the drawing of eggs, grub, and young bees, Avhich is sure to 
take place if hivts are allowed to approach starvation. The quantity 
of sugar required depends upon the number of bees and state of the 
hi\ r e Avith combs. Those that are required for stock hives can be 
more liberally fed than those intended for honey, Avhere it would be 
dishonest to give the bees sugar to store, then sell as honey. With 
such hives a quarter of a pound every night will be about enough to 
tide them over till honey is plentiful, which will come with settled 
Aveather and flowers now appearing.—A Lanarkshire Bee-Keeper. 
STEWARTON HIVES. 
Youn talented correspondent, “ Lanarkshire Bee-keeper,” is evidently 
an advocate of the Stewarton hive ; he also refers to the advantage of a 
possible harvest from Heather. 
As a keeper of bees in Stewartons, residing about ten miles from 
extensive moors, I should he very much obliged if he would give detailed 
instructions as to moving of bees in these hives to the moors, and as to 
the advisability of the risk with the enormous population in body boxes, 
ekes, and supers that these non-swarming hives invariably have in autumn. 
, I cone ude that “Lanarkshii-e Bee-keeper ” would admit the distinct risk 
