JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 26, 1882.] 
has been added about a twenty-fifth part of bone meal and a similar 
proportion of wood ashes. The houses of Hamburghs must be kept 
as cool as possible, frost being excluded and the Yines allowed to 
start naturally, the Muscats being also kept cool until the time 
arrives for starting them, which should not be later than the middle 
of March. Thick-skinned Grapes which it is desirable to keep in 
good condition until the new Grapes come in will be much better cut 
from the Yines and bottled, as this will allow the Yines to be pruned 
and dressed, so as to be in readiness for a fresh start and to allow 
a few weeks’ complete rest. In pruning at this season it is advisable 
to dress the cuts with styptic or patent knotting. Late Grapes are 
as a rule keeping indifferently, and should be examined frequently) 
removing all decayed berries. 
Figs .—The earliest crop of Figs being obtained from trees in pots 
plunged in beds of fermenting materials, care should be taken not to 
allow the heat at the roots to exceed 75°. The pots may be placed 
on pedestals of brickwork to prevent their sinking with the ferment¬ 
ing materials, and also to prevent disturbing the roots which have 
found their way into the bed. It will be necessary to add to the 
fermenting materials from time to time, so as to maintain the heat 
about the pots at from 70° to 75°. It is important in Fig culture 
that the trees be in a light position and not much crowded. It is 
also important that the trees be not subjected to hasty treatment, 
too much heat and too much humidity being fatal to a sturdy habit. 
Give weak guano or liquid manure abundantly, and ventilate freely 
when circumstances permit. If the trees were started early in 
December the shoots will need stopping at the fifth growth leaf, but 
any short stubby growth should be retained entire. The night tem¬ 
perature must still be maintained at 55°, and 00° to 65° by day arti¬ 
ficially, with an advance from sun heat to 75° or 80°, commencing to 
ventilate at 65°. Syringe twice daily, but in dull weather damping 
the borders and paths will be preferable to syringing the trees. 
Those permanently planted out started early in the month must not 
be brought forward too rapidly, the night temperature being kept at 
50° to 55°, and 60° to 65° in the daytime, ventilating at 60°, and with 
free ventilation an advance may be allowed to 70° or 75° from sun 
heat. Syringe twice a day if the weather be favourable. 
Cherry House .—Until the present time the temperature has been 
such as to render little artificial heat necessary, hence attention has 
been needed in that way, but seldom so as to maintain a temperature 
of 40° at night and 45° to 50° in the daytime, ventilating at and 
above 50° freely. This treatment should still be continued, also 
attending to the requirements of trees in pots, and syringing when 
necessary. 
Melons .—As the plants at present are only showing the second leaf 
little can be done, but keep up a brisk heat of 70° to 75° artificially, 
with an advance of 5° to 10° by day and a decline of 5° at night, and 
have them near the glass so as to secure short-jointed plants. Do 
not pot the plants until they are well rooted; indeed we prefer to 
earth the stems up a little and to transfer them to 5-inch pots, from 
which they are turned out into the ridges or hillocks. As the plants 
advance in growth a small stick can be placed to each and the shoot 
loosely secured to it, removing all side growths as they show until 
sufficient length of stem is secured to reach from the surface of the 
bed to the trellis ; above that the side or lateral growths should be 
only reserved, as to retain all of them would crowd the plants too 
much. Plants intended to trail over the surface of the bed will need 
the central point pinched out at the second rough leaf. 
Cucumbers .—Former instructions in respect to temperature remain 
in force, the season so far being unusually favourable for winter 
Cucumbers. The supply of moisture both at the roots and in the 
atmosphere must be governed by the outside atmosphere, it being 
impossible to give any fixed rule as to the quantity and time to 
apply it at this season of the year. Care should, however, be taken 
not to have too much moisture in the atmosphere, especially in dull 
weather. Where hot-water pipes are near to the roots be careful the 
soil does not become too dry. Encourage the roots to extend over 
the surface, of the bed, nothing accelerating this more than adding a 
little fresh soil or loam from time to time, with which has been in¬ 
corporated some well-decomposed manure. If aphides appear fumigate 
79 
on two or three consecutive evenings moderately, as one severe dose 
may do irreparable mischief. Pot seedlings and sow seed for succes¬ 
sion. Prepare beds of fermenting materials for seeds of Cucumbers 
and Melons to raise plants for dung-heated pits and frames. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Camellias .—The plants flowered earliest— i.e., such as were started 
flower during the autumn and early winter, are now growing, and 
should be at once transferred to larger pots if necessary, for if not 
potted until growth has commenced the season’s growth is consider¬ 
ably injured. In potting only moderate shifts should be given, and 
the new soil must be rammed quite as firm as the old ball. Provide 
good drainage, as the plants require plentiful supplies of water. A 
temperature of 50° to 55° will be needed to encourage free growth, 
with an advance of 10° to 15° from sun heat, maintaining a moist 
atmosphere, and when the sun becomes powerful shade with some 
light material. The general collection is now flowering or advancing 
and should not lack water, assisting weakly plants with liquid manure. 
A temperature of 50° will enable the flowers to expand well, with free 
ventilation to prevent moisture being condensed on them during the 
night or in dull weather. Sometimes those planted out are allowed 
to become too crowded, in which case cut every alternate plant in, 
and after making a season’s growth they may be taken up and potted 
or placed in tubs. They will make handsome specimens. Thoroughly 
cleanse the plants before they begin growing. 
Azaleas .—The leaves which are annually shed are now nearly all 
down, and the plants will be much improved in appearance by being 
hand-picked, removing all that have turned yellow. Healthy plants 
well ripened in autumn have developed growth round the base of the 
flower buds, which will not in any way interfere with the flowering, 
but is an indication of good health ; only if the buds were not well 
matured in autumn they will not develope, nor would they were not 
young growth to push from the base. As the buds swell or young 
growth is produced they will require a little more water at the roots. 
Plants for late flowering should at once be placed in a house with a 
north aspect, keeping it as cool as is consistent with safety. Young 
plants desired to be grown on quickly must be placed in heat so as 
to afford as long a season of growth as possible, by which means 
they will make double the progress of those permitted to start with 
the general stock. 
SECTIONS. 
Now that the superiority of sectional supers is almost generally 
admitted, and the variety of styles and sizes now in the market 
is so great as to be perplexing to those about to adopt them, 
a few remarks from one who has used them now for six seasons 
may not be out of place. All sections, properly so called, are 
frames about 2 inches wide, each intended to hold a single 
comb. They are now turned out so cheaply by the Americans 
that no one in this country need attempt to make them by hand 
labour at anything like their cost as imported. The following 
are the principal styles now in use. 
1, The original style of section invented by Mr. John Stewart, 
Arbroath, had the top bar as well as the two ends 2 inches wide, 
the bottom bar If inch, and was a long section holding from 
3 to 4 lbs. The adoption by myself of a glass bottom bar made 
this section so handsome when filled with honeycomb that I and 
many others continue to use it to some extent. 
2, The so-called prize section, for which Messrs. Betsinger and 
Doolittle were awarded the Thurber gold medal, value 50 dols., 
at New York in October, 1877, was practically the same as that 
used by myself months before that date, and the parent of the 
style now generally adopted. It was at first a nailed section, 
then the corners were dovetailed. In this section the top and 
bottom bars are each a quarter of an inch narrower than the 
sides, thus allowing a bee passage the whole length of the section, 
and at the same time a space for the glass used to protect the 
comb from dust, damp, or vermin when completed. 
3, The all-in-one-piece section, in which the general features 
of the prize section are retained, is now very generally used. But 
