November 22 1883. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
453 
early May of such kinds as Alexander, with Hale’s Early and Eoyal George 
to succeed, all of which are fine in size and excellent in quality. Lord 
Napier Neclarine is a capital companion. The house being closed at the 
middle of the month, or if not it must not longer be delayed ; hut unless 
the weather he severe no artificial heat need be applied until the buds show 
signs of moving, when gentle firing for a few hours in the early part of 
the day may he employed to raise the temperature to 50° or 55°, which 
should be the day temperature, advancing 5° to 10° from sun heat, main¬ 
taining the temperature at from 40° to 45° at night. If the roots are in 
inside holders, as they certainly ought to be, they should he carefully 
supplied with tepid water until every part of the border is made thoroughly 
moist; then a good bed or ridge of thoroughly sweetened fermenting 
materials being introduced, a moist genial atmosphere of great advantage 
to the trees will be insured, and found sufficiently exciting in all but very 
severe weather for the first fortnight or three weeks. Give air on all 
favourable occasions (i.e., between 50° and 55°) as a means of sweetening 
the atmosphere and securing a strong vigorous blossom. Syringe the 
trees, walls, and paths twice a day in favourable weather. 
Second Iiovse .—The trees in this structure have been exposed to the 
weather for some time, and the house, trees, and everything put into 
thorough going order so as to be ready for a start at the proper time, 
which to have ripe Peaches by the middle of June should not be later for 
such varieties as Eoyal George and Grosse Mignonne than the middle of 
December, the house being closed at that time, and fire heat applied on the 
1 st of Januaiy ; but if early varieties are relied upon the house need not 
be closed until later, as Alexander will come in four to six weeks before 
Eoyal George under the same conditions, and so will Early Beatrice, but it 
is far too small, whilst Hale’s Early precedes Eoyal George by at least 
three weeks. The lights may be replaced and the house freely ventilated 
in favourable weather, keeping closed only in severe weather. The inside 
border should, if at all dry (as may be the case where lights are fixed), 
be thoroughly watered, and the outside border protected with dry fern or 
litter, and with a good slope to the front, so that when covered with lights 
or shutters the wet will be thrown off. 
Succession and Late Houses .—Have all the trees pruned, dressed with 
on insecticide, which to be effectual must be applied in such a manner as 
to reach every part, and whe>e the trees have been infested with insects 
they should be attended to at least twice at short intervals. The house 
being thoroughly cleansed, and the trees secured to the trellis, remove the 
loose surface soil, and replace with fresh material. Examine the borders, 
and if there be a deficiency of moisture in the soil give a thorough soaking, 
for to allow the trees to become dry at the roots when at rest is a certain 
means of causing the buds to drop when they should be swelling. 
Pines .—During the next two months very little aid can be expected 
from sun heat, consequently the treatment afforded will necessarily be 
restricted to artificial means almost exclusively, and will demand consider¬ 
able time and attention to secure and regulate the atmospheric conditions 
suitable to the plants in the different departments. The winter minimum 
temperatures should now be in force—viz., 55° for suckers, 60° for succes¬ 
sion, and 70° for fruiting plants at night. These temperatures should be 
regularly enforced in all but very severe weather, when a few degrees less 
will be better than the harsh condition of the atmosphere resulting from 
very sharp firing. In the fruiting department the temperature should be 
rai ed 5° to 10° higher every day, according to external influences; and 
successionals that are expected to show fruit must be given the treat¬ 
ment advised for fruiting plants, but the other plants need not have the 
temperature artificially raised by day, or only a few degrees. Great care 
must be exercised in watering at this season, especially in the case of 
plants plunged in beds with but a slight degree of heat, and should only 
be given when absolutely necessary, and then in a tepid state. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Allamandas .—Where plants are intended to flower for some time longer 
they must be in a sufficiently high temperature to keep them growing, or 
they will soon cease flowering. It is a good plan to top-dress the soil with 
some rich material, which will soon be taken possession of by the roots, 
and add much to the vigour of the plants, and their season of flowering 
will be prolonged. These plants must never be allowed to suffer by an 
insufficient supply of water as long as their flowers are required, but, on 
the contrary, should have stimulants given to them every time they 
require water. Any that are required for early flowering next season must 
be kept dry at their roots, and in a temperature that does not exceed 55° 
at night, so that they will receive that complete rest so essential to success. 
If the wood is hard and well ripened they may be pruned close back, 
leaving only one or two eyes of the new wood. If the plants have not 
attained their full size they need not be pruned so close ; more of the young 
wood mav be left. Succession plants must gradually be brought to rest 
by withholding the supply of water at their roots. This must be done 
with care until the foliage and the wood become ripe and firm, when water 
for a time can be withheld altogether. 
Heaths. —Early-flowtring kinds that were cut back late in the s<ason, 
and have in consequence failed to make a good well-ripened growth, and 
are only flowering poorly, may now be cut over without further delay, and 
allowed to start into growth gradually for another year. Plants subject 
to this treatment at the present time are staiting again before the majority 
are cut, and are ready early next season for placing in cold frames. Plants 
that flow er in conservatories, and other structures that are kept gay, are 
often checked when they are brought out, cut down, and placed in the 
greenhouse that is kept several degrees cooler. This is not the case with 
plants that have been under cool treatment and can be cut down now, for 
•they have every opportunity of making an early growth, which by early 
autumn will be well ripened and set with flower buds. We have found it 
an advantage rather than otherwise when a few of the late-cut-back plants 
fail to flower, for they have a long season before them, and are in the best 
possible condition for flowering in early autumn, and seldom they fail, 
even if the season proves a bad one. A sharp look-out must now be kept 
for mildew, and directly it is discovered dust the plants or affected parts 
with sulphur, which must be washed off the plants after this destructive 
parasite has been destroyed. 
NOTES ON BEES. 
PRACTICAL MANAGEMENT. 
In giving our views on bee-management we shall confine ourselves 
to what we consider the best method of proceeding with the 
particular hive which has been the subject of these papers, and give 
as briefly as possible an outline of the plan we pursue, beginning 
with the time of hiving a swarm into it. We shall presuppose that 
ihe reader is already acquainted with the ordinary details necessary 
for managing bees, and that our province will be merely to explain 
how to apply that knowdedge to the plan of working here advocated. 
HIVING BEES. 
The hive is supposed to be prepared to receive the swarm (fitted 
with full sheets of foundation or narrow strips as may be preferred), 
and on the stand it is intended to occupy permanently. When it is 
known that a swarm is on the wing, withdraw the wedge front 
altogether and hook on the large alighting-beard to the floorboard ; 
this is all the preparation necessary. When the swarm is hived as 
usual in a skep, bring the bees to the hive and throw the bulk of 
them out on to the alighting-board, slip one hand through the cane 
handle at the top of the skep, and give a sharp rap or two on it with 
the other ; this will dislodge the remainder. In the evening reinsert 
the wedge front and all is complete. Should the swarm be an 
unusually large one, or if the weather is very hot at the time, do not 
wedge up the floorboard till the following morning. 
A second method, as follows, is perhaps the most suitable for 
novices or those inexperienced in handling bees. After taking off 
one of the four parts of the hair quilt, fold back as much of the wood 
quilt as is necessary, and remove five frames into the “ spare frame 
box ; ” set the latter with its side close to the opening thus made, 
throw the bees in (ihe side of the box will guide the falling mass 
into the hive), and replace the frames gently while the swarm is 
running for shelter under the covered part of the frames. When all 
the latter are in position push the divider close up to them, lay the 
wood quilt over the bees, and allow the stragglers to enter by the 
feedhole. Do not close the roof quite down for an hour or so. 
The time occupied in hiving a swarm by either of these methods 
need not exceed five minutes, and if there is a simpler way we have 
yet to learn it. 
There is just one drawback to the plan of hiving a swarm by 
tossing it on to the alighting-board in front of the hive, and that is 
the slight risk of the sv r arm taking wing and returning to the spot 
where they first clustered. This will only happen when the bright 
sunshine glares fiercely on the front of the hive at the time ; and if an 
umbrella is held open for a moment to screen the bees from the sun 
till they begin to enter, or if the swarm is hived in the evening, all 
will be well. As experience is gained the bee-keeper will generally 
practise the quickest and readiest mode. 
AFTER M ANAGEMENT OF SWARMS. 
Natural swarms when hived on full sheets of comb foundation 
should have completed most of the combs and be ready for supering 
in about fourteen or sixteen days after hiving, that is supposing fine 
weather to have continued during the time. When it is seen that the 
honey is coming in fast, set a crate of sections on, so that they will 
cover nine frames on one side of the hive, remove as many of the 
end frames as contain honey only to the outside of the divider, 
pushing the latter up towards the sections as the frames are removed. 
We thus crowd the bees up and make them take to the sections sooner 
than if the hive had not been contracted. The honey should be care¬ 
fully slung from these frames, as the combs will be very tender, and 
they may be replaced in the hive or not, just as the season is more or 
less advanced, or as the queen requires room for egg-laymg. Suppose 
four or five frames to have been removed in this way, it still leaves 
a fairly large brood chamber of fourteen frames, so sometimes the 
extracted frames are not returned at all to the hive from which they 
were taken, but are used to assist second swarms. 
When making artificial swarms three frames of combs are 
removed with the queen, and eight or nine frames of comb foundation 
given in addition. In about a week two more frames may be added, 
