170 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 23, 186? 
syringed at 3 p.m., but span-roofed houses should not be closed for half an 
hour later. For healthy and robust plants shading may almost be dispensed 
with, and less atmospheric moisture will be now required, especially by 
plants in frames. If the last batch of plants are weakly afford liquid 
manure about twice a week, but do not apply it very freely until the 
fruits are set, after which earth-up the roots with good lumpy compost. 
The last batch of plants in pits and frames will be setting the fruit, and 
must have a dry atmosphere with a little ventilation at night, stopping 
each lateral one joint beyond the fruit. Continue to support fruits that 
are becoming heavy by means of tables placed beneath the trellis, and 
those in frames should be kept from the soil by slates, and when ripening 
may be elevated on small pots. 
Cucumbers .—The general treatment for these continues the same. 
Plenty of atmospheric moisture, liberal feeding at the roots, free stopping 
and training the young growth, and thinning out the old being the chief 
points. Encourage the plants for autumn fruiting to make a strong 
growth, adding a little fresh soil as the roots penetrate through, abundance 
of surface roots being a true indication that the plants are doing well, 
maintaining a firm condition of the bed so as to induce short-jointed 
wood. A little fire heat should be employed on cold nights to prevent 
the temperature falling below 65°. Take advantage of every opportunity 
to collect and prepare soil for the winter plants, clearing the house of 
exhausted plants, remedying any defect in the heating apparatus, 
thoroughly cleansing the interior and exterior of the house. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Stove. — Crotons .—There is but little risk in cutting down any plants 
that are likely to become too large before they are wanted for decoration. 
Good tops taken off now and inserted according to their size in the centre 
of 5 or 6-inch pots will make handsome plants in a very few weeks. 
These tops strike with much freedom at this season of the year in a 
close frame and with the aid of bottom heat. Labour is saved when 
they are rooted in the pots in which they are to remain. Careful 
watering for a time is necessary until they are established. Gradually 
harden them to succeed in the more airy conditions of the house in which 
they are to be grown after they leave the propagating frame, or they are 
liable to be checked and stand still for a long time, or probably lose 
their lower foliage, which detracts materially from the beauty of the plants. 
A little Selaginella placed on the surface of the soil will be thoroughly 
established by the time the plants are wanted. A few sprays of Panicum 
or of a variegated Tradescantia are also very effective when established 
among the moss. 
BieffenbacMas .—Strong tops do not root so readily without losing 
their foliage as Crotons, and when a few extra large plants are required 
in moderately small pots the old plants should be placed in strong 
moist heat, and mossed round the stems. Under the leaves make incisions 
on each side of the stems with a sharp knife before mossing, and in a 
short time roots will be formed and the tops can then be taken off and 
established in pots. Young plants are readily raised from portions of stem, 
and a few should be inserted at once and kept growing until they are 
large enough for purposes of decoration. The most compact plants are 
those which are grown slowly and under the influence of as much air as 
the plants will bear without injury. When grown rapidly in strong 
heat they soon become tall, and thus possess but little beauty for decora¬ 
tion when employed as single specimens. 
JDraccenas .—These are amongst the most beautiful plants that can be 
used for the decoration of rooms. Young plants now growing in 4, 5, and 
6-inch pots should be encouraged to develope as much good well-coloured 
foliage as possible before the days become short and dark. To accomplish 
this, grow the plants near the glass and begin gradually to discontinue 
shading, and no more than is absolutely necessary should be employed. 
If the plants become root-bound give them at intervals of about three 
weeks a little Standen’s manure in preference to repotting them. Later 
batches should now be transferred according to their size into the size 
pots referred to, and, if grown rapidly, will be useful when the earlier 
plants by employment in rooms have been rendered useless except for 
stock. Grow green forms, such as congests, rutilans, and others, as 
cool as possible either in the greenhouse or frames, as when kept in an 
intermediate temperature they soon grow too tall, especially the first- 
named, and become unsightly. 
Primulas .—Where these are grown to flower towards the end of 
October or early in November, no time should be lost in placing them in 
5 and 6-inch pots. Drain the pots liberally, and make the plants secure 
at the collar by placing them sufficiently deep in their pots. It is a 
mistake to have them loose at the collar, as it is no preventive against 
decay, while they are liable to injury by shifting from place to place, 
and a greater per-centage damp off than would be the case if potted 
deeply and made secure. The case of damping during the winter is due 
in the majority of cases to irregularity in watering. For decorative 
purposes in the dwelling house a few of the smallest plants of this batch 
may be kept in 3 or 4-inch pots, in which they will flower most profusely 
and be found very useful for associating with small Ferns and other 
dwarf plants. Later batches now in pans and thumb pots should be 
placed into 2, 3, and 4-inch pots. A compost consisting of good fibry 
loam, a seventh part of decayed manure, and about the same quantity of 
leaf soil, a little soot, bone dust, and coarse sand, will grow these plants 
well. Keep them close for a time after potting, then admit air liberally, 
and shade only when necessary to prevent the foliage flagging. 
Clematises .—Plants used for forcing in spring should now be outside, 
and some attention is needed at this season of the year in supplying 
them liberally with water. They should, if root-bound, have stimulants 
in a weak state every time watering is needed. These plants, if care¬ 
lessly treated at this season of the year, cannot possibly be expected to 
flower satisfactorily when required to do so in spring. The best plan i3 
to grow them after flowering under glass until their growth is thoroughly 
completed, and then place them outside, but convenience does not 
always exist for carrying out this system ; but where time and room cas 
be devoted to the plants under glass they more than compensate for 
the care and labour bestowed upon them. 
r ^ 
itl ^ 1 
HE BEE-KEEPER . 1 
03 
FOUL BROOD. 
A correspondent some time ago sought information on 
this subject. So far as 1 know no more valuable hints and 
instructions have appeared than in the columns of the Journal, 
and especially I would direct attention to what has been written 
by Messrs. Cheshire and Cowan. From these writings I will 
cite. Mr. Cheshire observes—“When foul brood breaks out it 
attacks grubs only, and for a fortnight or so no actual difference 
is effected, but as it spreads population is reduced from two 
causes : Young bees do not all hatch out, some die prematurely, 
and the odour generally diffusing itself takes all heart and 
energy out of the workers ; the brood-nest gets by degrees choked, 
and the laying eneigy of the queen is thus repressed. The 
general effect is the gradual weakening of the colony it is true; 
but all can see that time is required for the destroyer to accom¬ 
plish his purpose, and despite his sad work making havoc with¬ 
in, the bees may appear to be in the full swing of unhindered 
progress until the disease has a firm hold of every comb. 
“ The curability of foul brood is the next point upon which I 
wish to insist. While we feel sure that the doctor can do us no 
good we will not take his medicine, and while bee-keepers believe 
that foul brood must run its course and work out devastation 
and ruin nothing will be dene to arrest it. I assert its curability 
because I have again and agaia cured it, and in this position I 
am pleased to be able to refer to one of the most prominent, 
certainly one of the most scientific and successful, apiarians of 
our day—T. W. Cowan, Esq., Chairman of the Committee of the 
British Bee-keepers’ Association, whose experience in the treat¬ 
ment of this malady has been great, but not greater than it has 
been successful. Mr. Cowan, in reply to a request that he would 
permit a publication of his methods, has favoured me with a 
lengthened letter, in which he says, ‘ I am quite, I think, of your 
opinion as regards foul brood, that is to be cured if attacked in 
earnest. You know I had it in my apiary, and it was a source 
of great trouble to me, but I stamped it out with salicylic acid. 
My proceeding was to excise any very bad places, and when I 
found cells affected here and there I merely uncapped them and 
sprayed the combs with the solution of which I send you the 
recipe. I found generally in mild cases one application was 
sufficient, but in more severe ones two or three doses produced a 
complete cure. I found that if the cells were uncapped before 
they were punctured and sprayed with the solution, injecting a 
larger quantity into the affected cell so as to eject the viscid 
mass, there was no fear of the disease appearing again. In this 
state the viscid fluid in the cell is of a light brown, and is not 
permeated with spores to such an extent as when it is allowed to 
remain until it becomes highly coloured and the covering much 
depressed. 1 doubt very much if in this stage it is very con¬ 
tagious. I have no doubt the acid acts on the spores and de¬ 
stroys their vitality. So far so good. Now as regards the honey 
that is in the hive and which is supposed to contain the spores 
(although I must say I have never been able to detect any by 
the microscope), how are we to insure their being destroyed? 
Simply by uncapping it and feeding the bees on syrup containing 
the acid, which they will store with the uncapped honey, or un¬ 
cap it and give it a good spraying with the acid solution. I have 
done both, but cannot say if it was really required; but as I 
think prevention is better than cure, and as it is not much 
trouble, there can be no harm done. 
“ ‘ All my hives are scalded, and so is everything that has 
had anything to do with the hive, and afterwards everything is 
washed over with the solution. I believe the germs of the 
disease are carried in the air, and we can never feel safe; I 
therefore always put acid in all the food I prepare. I examined 
six of my hives and all were healthy but one, and that I thought 
was also healthy. It was an early swarm. This year I had 
thrown off a swarm and a cast, and had given me six small 1 lb. 
sections nicely filled. I looked on the ten frames and found no 
queen and no brood. There was one cell covered, but not 
