JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
516 
f June 23, 1881. 
of growth. On fine mornings admit air at 75°, gradually increasing 
until the temperature reaches 85°, when the top and front lights 
should be opened as wide as is necessary, diminishing the ventilation 
in the afternoon by degrees to about 80°, at which close, giving the 
plants a light sprinkling with the syringe daily when sunny weather 
prevails. From the stock of suckers on the early section of fruiting 
plants a sufficient number to meet the demand should be taken off 
and started at once to afford stock for fruiting about this time next 
season and onwards, forming a supplementary batch to those which 
were started last March, treating them similarly ; only if the soil be 
dry water must be afforded at once, and the shading will require to 
be more effectual. 
Cherry Souse .—Abstention from syringing during the process of 
the fruit ripening and its preservation favours the increase of red 
spider; therefore, so soon as all the Cherries are gathered no effort 
should be spared to eradicate the pest by means of syringing twice a 
day. The roof lights may be removed altogether when the fruit is 
all gathered, but before doing so it is well to see that there are no black 
aphides, and if there be any destroy them by frequent fumigation. 
There must be no lack of moisture at the roots, as it is important the 
buds be well plumped for next season’s fruiting, and unless the soil is 
moist they will not develope or mature properly. 
Peaches and Nectarines .—In the earliest forced house the fruit is off 
the early varieties, also such kinds as Royal George, Grosse Mignonne, 
and Noblesse; and when this is effected the trees must be cleared of 
insects by employing the syringe freely, and if necessary an insecti¬ 
cide, as it is of the greatest importance that the foliage be kept clean 
and healthy to the last. There is a danger in early forced trees, 
especially those some years subjected to the process, of the buds 
becoming over-developed, so that they start into flower prematurely. 
This can only be remedied by admitting all the air possible; and 
where possible, as should always be the case with forced trees, the 
roof lights should be removed so as to afford the trees the benefit not 
only of rains brrt of night dews, which tend in a measure to com¬ 
pensate for the strain upon the trees in the earlier stages of growth. 
The wood not required for bearing next season should be cut out as 
well as that having borne fruit this season, unless it be wood neces¬ 
sary for the extension of the trees ; and if there be any weak shoots 
thin them well out if there is a sufficiency of vigorous growth to 
replace them. In any case thin out so that every leaf can have 
full exposure to light and air. In the house started early in the 
year the fruit will, as regards the early varieties, be ripe, and the 
trees must be treated as above advised as regards syringing and 
cutting out this year’s bearing wood, as well as thinning out where 
required. Spray should be kept well in hand by pinching, and on no 
account must the trees lack moisture at the roots. 
As the fruit commences ripening in succession houses cease syring¬ 
ing, but maintain a moderate degree of moisture in the house by 
damping the border and paths occasionally, and affording, under 
favourable conditions, a free circulation of air. Fire heat may under 
most circumstances be dispensed with, except where it is desirable 
to accelerate the ripening of the crop. Suitable temperatures for 
ripening fruit are 60° to GS 5 at night, and 70° to 75° by day, with an 
advance to 80° or 85° from sun heat. Attend to former directions 
respecting succession and late houses in tying and regulating the 
shoots, and lose no opportunity of ventilating freely. Avoid over¬ 
crowding, and shorten or remove any leaves that shade the fruits, 
which will then colour well. Maintain the borders both inside and 
outside in a proper condition as to moisture, and mulch with about 
a couple of inches thickness of short manure. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Orchids .—Examine the East Indian species, and any that have 
grown vigorously and filled their pots with roots should be shifted. 
If the roots are attached to the pots, instead of striving to remove 
them break the pot, allowing the pieces to remain attached to the 
roots. Do not afford large pots, as the majority of Orchids derive 
their support mainly from the atmosphere. Any not requiring pot¬ 
ting will probably need a top-dressing of fresh sphagnum. Plants 
on decaying blocks should be placed on new blocks at once, so as 
to afford time for making new roots before the season of rest. 
All East Indian Orchids and Dendrobiums syringe frequently, espe¬ 
cially on fine days. Aerides, Phalasnopsis, Saccolabiums, and Yandas 
should not be removed from their growing quarters, except for a few 
days, otherwise the plants as well as the flowers will suffer. Any 
plants with the growth approaching maturity should have a lessened 
supply of moisture, and be more exposed to light and air, so as to 
gradually induce a state of rest. Cypripediums require watering and 
syringing freely, and if the house is damped with liquid manure once 
or twice a week it will have an invigorating tendency. The Cattleya 
house will need only sufficient shade to prevent scorching, increasing 
the ventilation. In order to prolong the flowering period of Cattleyas 
and Lselias, remove them to a dry house. Miltonias that have their 
growths completed must be removed to a cool house, and only have 
sufficient water to prevent the bulbs shrivelling. Thrips are very 
troublesome at this season of the year; the houses should be fre¬ 
quently fumigated, as this insect is not easily killed even in its young 
state. Do not allow water to remain for days together in the base of 
the young shoots, especially in cool houses, or they will be injured, 
and in many instances decay. 
Stove .—The sun having now attained its maximum power, fire heat 
can be dispensed with if the weather is hot; but if necessary the 
fires must be continued to prevent the temperature falling below 
G5° in the morning, and to maintain it at 70° to 75° by day. Insects 
increase rapidly at this season, and unless prompt means are taken 
for their destruction they do irreparable mischief, both disfiguring 
the plants now and injuring them for the year to come. 
A SEARCH FOR APIS DORSATA. 
[Extract from a letter by Frank Benton, from the JHenen- 
zcitung, communicated by Alfred Neighbour.] 
“ Batavia, 16th March, 1881. 
“ You have no doubt been anxiously waiting to hear from me. I 
wish I were able to send you some news of a more satisfactory cha¬ 
racter to-day, but .... I can hardly describe to you what exertion 
and trouble I have been obliged to go through, and how much I have 
travelled by land and sea in order to discover the whereabouts of 
this wonderful insect of the East Indies. I am now about leaving 
Java wdthout having seen a single specimen of these bees. I did 
not succeed in meeting with any during my five-weeks stay here, 
though I looked for them wherever I considered it possible to dis¬ 
cover them—in the interior of the island, on the high mountains, in 
the highlands, and in the plains—in fact, in every place where trees 
•were to be found. I have spoken to many of the natives who knew 
something of these bees, although few had ever seen them ; but I 
did not meet with a single European who had ever seen Apis dorsata 
in Java. I went to West Java, and thence into the interior of the 
island, whence I returned to Batavia. I took the steamer to the 
eastern ports of the island, and thence made excursions into the 
country. At times I was accompanied in my search for these bees 
by as many as ten men, all natives of the island, whose usual occupa¬ 
tion was to search for wild bees in order to deprive them of their 
honey and wax. All these men I paid well, and they in return did 
their best to find these bees. I offered to give a sovereign to the 
man who would show me the first colony, and, of course, everyone 
was anxious to earn this money, a sovereign being looked upon as a 
large sum by the common people of the island. I also agreed to 
make the discoverer of the second colony a present of half-a-sovereign 
in addition to his pay, but all to no purpose. I was not even for¬ 
tunate enough to find a single bee of the dorsata. 
“ My present plan is to return via Ceylon, and in case I do not 
succeed in obtaining a number of colonies of Apis dorsata there to 
proceed by steamer to Calcutta or Bombay. I am convinced these 
bees are to be found in Ceylon, where I learnt on the evening of my 
departure the whereabouts of the dorsata, but I do not know in 
what quantities they are to be obtained there. I took a number of 
Cyprian and Palestine bees with me, on which a good deal of my 
time was spent. Several colonies were left in Ceylon, and in the 
beginning of February I arrived at Batavia with ten stocks of 
Cyprian and Palestine bees. These were sold to the Government, 
and are now in the grounds of the School of Agriculture in Buiten- 
zorg, where they are doing well. They have been in my charge till 
now, and will in future be attended to by one of the masters of the 
school. 
“ Mr. Bykens, who took out some colonies of bees to Java for the 
Dutch Government, has returned to Holland. The few stocks which 
were alive when they reached Java died soon after. Mr. Bykens 
