268 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ March so, 1 m. 
indicated above, in which case they should have every portion of soil 
removed, preserving all the fibrous roots. The soil of the border 
having been made to the desired height, place the Yines in position, 
spreading out the roots flat, and cover with 4 to 6 inch depth of soil, 
working it well about them, and give at once a good watering at 
a temperature of 100°, and the surface of the border with a couple of 
inches of short dung. Syringe two or three times a day, but do not 
attempt to force growth immediately after by a close warm atmo¬ 
sphere, as a high temperature before new roots are made is injurious. 
Young Yines that were planted last spring or summer will be break¬ 
ing naturally, and as soon as the buds are about half an inch long 
they will be much assisted by a little fire heat, especially on cold 
nights, a temperature of 55° being sufficient. Remove all buds 
except one at each break, and do not take more than a couple of 
bunches per Yine this season, but supernumeraries may be fruited 
heavily. 
Melons .—The earliest plants having set a crop on the first laterals 
the fruits should be thinned as soon as they have swelled to the size 
of a hen’s egg, leaving two to four according to the vigour of the 
plants, as the cropping has much to do with the size and quality of 
the fruit. When the fruits are swelling give a thorough soaking with 
tepid weak liquid manure, and earth up the roots with rich compost, 
ramming it down firmly. If but one or two fruits on individual 
plants take the lead in swelling remove them at once, but as very 
early Melons are most esteemed it will generally be advisable to forego 
a full crop in their favour. Allow a moderate extension of the 
laterals, but do not overcrowd the principal foliage, and do not allow 
growth to be made which must at a later period be removed in 
quantity. Plants setting fruit will require less moisture both at 
the roots and in the atmosphere, fertilising the female blossoms every 
day, nipping out the points of the shoots at the same time a joint 
above the fruit. In pits and frames more moisture will be necessary 
there as well as in houses ; but whilst the syringe should be used 
moderately about 3 P.M. in houses, it is advisable for the present to 
avoid wetting the foliage of those in frames more than can be helped. 
Apply good thick linings to pits and frames where the bottom heat 
is found to be on the decline, afterwards being careful to allow the 
escape of rank steam. Allow but two shoots from each side of the 
plant for training to the back and front respectively, removing every 
alternate lateral. The laterals will show fruit at the first or second 
joint; if not, stop them at the second, and the principal shoot should 
be stopped after it has advanced two-thirds of its distance. Sow 
seed for succession. 
Cucumbers. —Assist plants in bearing frequently with weak tepid 
liquid manure, and an occasional dressing over the roots with rich 
lumpy compost. Damp available surfaces about 7.30 a.m. and 3 P.M., the 
foliage being gently syringed early on warm afternoons, the evapora¬ 
tion troughs being regularly charged with liquid manure. Shading 
will be necessary when the sun is powerful for an hour or two at 
midday. Stopping, training, and trimming the old growths will need 
attention. Maintain the heat in pits and frames by good linings, 
training and pegging out the growths, and being moderate in the 
application of water over the foliage. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Greenhouse .—Camellias have flowered earlier than usual, and the 
plants are starting into growth, which should be assisted with plenty 
of moisture at the roots and in the' atmosphere, surface-dressing the 
soil with old cowdung, or apply a little weak liquid manure. Any 
requiring larger pots must be shifted without delay, being careful 
to disturb the roots as little as possible. Shade with some light 
material in bright weather. Azaleas are producing their trusses of 
bloom, and those required for late flowering must be removed to 
a house with a north aspect, where they will advance more slowly. 
A somewhat moister and warmer atmosphere will assist those pro¬ 
ducing their flowers. Any plants of other kinds required to bloom 
later than their usual time should be placed where they will be 
cooler and receive less sun, but they must not be shaded, or only by 
a thin material, at the hottest part of the day, 
Ferns are now growing fast, and must be well supplied with water 
at the roots, shading from powerful sun. Tree Ferns should have 
their stems syringed twice a day, care being taken that they do 
not lack moisture at the roots, for if the young fronds receive a check 
for want of water they will not develope satisfactorily. 
I 
J> 
HE BEE-1 
CEE1 
PJ 
BR.l 
BEE-KEEPING FOR BEGINNERS. 
( Continued from page 203.) 
FEEDING BEES. 
Experienced and successful men in apiculture know that bees 
cannot be well managed in Great Britain without feeding them with 
artificial food at certain times in unfavourable seasons for honey 
gathering, and that, generally speaking, the greatest results are 
reached by those who give careful attention to this. In times of 
general loss amongst bees those who feed well suffer less than most 
other bee-keepers. Even in years of prosperity a little feeding at 
certain times is helpful. It is no small advantage to have bees con¬ 
tented in wet weather while they are filling their combs with 
brood, and for a swarm newly hived to have a good commencement 
in comb-building. All this can be had by stimulative feeding at 
comparatively little expense of money and labour. The story of the 
value of manure in horticulture and agriculture has never been fully 
told, neither has the value and advantage of artificial feeding in api¬ 
culture been fully unfolded. 
The best possible artificial food for bees is made of good sugar and 
pure water, mixed at the rate of 1 lb. of sugar to one pint of water, 
and boiled for half a minute of time. Good ale, wine, and other 
matters mixed with the syrup are unnecessary, and when u-ed do 
not improve it. Syrup made of good sugar and pure water is 
healthful food for bees. On it they can live and be well both in 
summer and winter, and from it they can secrete wax and build 
combs. Beginners should know and remember that bees can be 
made to fill a hive with combs from sugar syrup alone, and that bees 
can live and be healthy a long time without anything to eat but good 
syrup. I cannot say with any degree of certainty how long a swarm 
won d live on sugar alone, for I have never put the question to the 
test of actual experiment, but I will here state that I believe that if 
a swarm of youthful bees were hived in September, and placed at once 
in a dark cellar and there fed on good syrup made from 12 or 16 lbs. 
of sugar, the bees would build combs and live in health for six 
months without a taste of pollen or peaimal. I have said “ youthful” 
bees, for the span of a bee’s life is only nine months. Bees three 
months old would die at the end of six months wherever placed and 
however fed. Strong statements have been made by some honest 
writers that bees cannot live without some farinaceous food, either 
pollen or wheaten flour or peameal, but no evidence of fact or 
experiment that I am aware of has been produced in support of such 
statements. Pollen or other farinaceous food is used in great quan¬ 
tities in rearing brood, and when bees cannot obtain enough pollen 
from flowers during the breeding season they will readily take pea- 
meal or wheaten flour if sprinkled on wood shavings near their hives; 
indeed, I have seen bees following bakers’ carts on the streets, and 
hovering over them as they halted to deliver bread. But it should 
be known that pollen is not scarce in the fields of Great Britain, 
and that hives, generally speaking, contain too much of it, which 
occupies cells that would be more usefully employed as cradle cells. 
There are various ways of feeding, and different kinds of instru¬ 
ments are used in this work. Some bee-keepers feed bees on the tops 
of the hives, and some feed from below. Both modes answer well. 
Some hives are made with level floorboards, the doorway's cut out 
of the hive. With such hives tin and wooden troughs about 1 foot 
long and half an inch deep are often used in spring. The troughs 
are filled on the flight boards, and gently pushed through the door¬ 
way' into the hive. This mode is adopted in the spring months to 
stimulate the bees and queen into activity by those who feed from 
below. Those who feed on the top use wide-mouthed bottles, the 
mouths of which are covered with calico or other materials, which 
prevent the syrup running out too fast when inverted and placed 
over the crown holes of hives. The bees take the syrup as it oozes 
through the calico. Again, some use vulcanite pierced with small 
holes in feeding their bees from the top. The inverted bottles are 
placed on the vulcanite, and the bees catch the syrup as it percolates 
through the pierced holes. 
What is termed ‘‘ The Lancashire Feeder” is a useful instrument 
for top feeding. This feeder is 8 inches wide and about 4 inches 
deep, with a tube or cylinder in the centre of it 3 inches wide. This 
feeder is made of tin, and has a bottom outside the cylinder, and, 
therefore, is a kind of circular dish or trough capable of holding two 
