October 20, 1881. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
365 
FRUIT HOUSES. 
Vines .—The earliest Yines in pots may now be gently started, 
and if a slight bottom heat can be afforded it will be an advantage. 
The pots should be raised on pillars of brickwork, the fermenting 
material employed consisting of three parts leaves to one of stable 
litter thoroughly incorporated and placed about the pots, but until 
the Yines are growing the temperature at the roots should not exceed 
70° to 75°. Copious supplies of water at 70° to 75° will be necessary 
if the soil has been allowed to become dry. The temperature at first 
should not exceed 55°, but it may be gradually increased to 60° by 
artificial means at night, 5° more by day, and 70° to 75° from sun 
heat. The canes should be hung in a horizontal position to cause 
the eyes to break evenly throughout their length, and should be 
damped with tepid water two or three times a day. Cover the out¬ 
side borders of late houses with wooden shutters, tarpauling, or a 
thick thatch of straw or bracken sloped so as to carry off the water 
quickly. The inside borders may be covered with mats or a thin 
layer of straw, which will to some extent prevent the soil cracking. 
Examine the Grapes frequently, removing decayed berries, but if well 
ripened and the roof is watertight, very little trouble will be given in 
this respect as regards the thick-skinned varieties, but Hamburghs will 
need almost daily attention. The houses should be kept as cool and 
airy as possible, employing fire heat only to maintain a temperature 
of about 45°; and by day, when the outside air is dry with abundant 
ventilation to expel damp, keep the ventilators closed against all 
damp. Provide a stock of loam for making and replenishing Yine 
borders. The turf of a pasture taken off about 3 inches thick where 
the soil is of medium texture, inclined to be light rather than heavy, 
is suitable. 
Cucumbers .—The plants for fruiting in winter should be placed out 
at once on raised hillocks or ridges. Those not having the conveni¬ 
ence of a Cucumber house may utilise the roof of a Pine stove or 
other sufficiently heated structure to produce a winter supply. They 
may be grown in pots or boxes, and the shoots trained to wires about 
a foot distance from the glass. Cut the autumn fruiters regularly 
once a week, removing all staminate blossoms. Maintain a night 
temperature of 65° to 70°, and 70° to 75° by day, or with sun heat 
from 80° to 85°, admitting a little air at the top of the house at every 
favourable opportunity. Discontinue syringing the plants, damping 
the paths in the morning and early afternoon of fine days, and keep 
the evaporation troughs filled with liquid manure. Reduce the 
supply of moisture at the roots, but do not permit flagging. Attend 
well to earthing up the roots with turfy loam previously warmed. 
Melons .—To have late Melons plenty of heat must be at command. 
Little atmospheric moisture will be required by those well advanced 
for ripening, and supply water at the roots sparingly, removing all 
superfluous laterals, and well thin out the old foliage that the fruits 
may have the full benefit of the sun. Plants with fruit swelling still 
require the floors lightly damped in the morning and early afternoon, 
applying water at the roots moderately. Maintain the temperature 
at 70° at night, 75° by day, and 80° to 85° through the day from sun, 
giving a little air at every favourable opportunity. 
FLOWER GARDEN. 
Some of the ornamental-foliaged plants employed for the decoration 
of the flower garden in summer are valuable for decorating large con¬ 
servatories, halls, and corridors, and if lifted before they are damaged 
by frost they will be serviceable for a long time. Some of the 
choicest Aralias, Abutilons, Cannas, Chilian Beet, Melianthus, Sola- 
nums, Wigandias, &c., lifted carefully, placed in a moist house, and 
kept well syringed, will soon become established. As soon as the 
weather necessitates a clearance of the beds attention should be 
given to refilling them either with dwarf shrubs or spring-flowering 
plants and bulbs, or a combination of both, so as to impart a cheering 
aspect during the dull months with something fresh and attractive. 
Some of the most effective shrubs are Andromeda floribunda, Skimmia 
japonica, Aucuba japonica mascula, A. vera nana, A. limbata, A. lon- 
gifolia, small plants of Cupressus Lawsoniana and its many vars., 
C. nutkaensis, Cryptomeria elegans, Euonymus japonicus vars. both 
gold and silver-variegated, E. latifolius aureo-marginatus, E. radicans 
variegatus, Osmanthus ilicifolius and vars. aureus and variegatus 
nanus, Thuja aurea, Taxus baccata aurea, T. elegantissima, the 
Myrtle-leaved Portugal Laurel, Laurustinus, Kalmia latifolia, the 
Tree Ivies—Hedera arborea aurea, elegantissima, fructo-luteo, and 
Rasgneriana; dwarf Rhododendrons, as ovatum, myrtifolium, Daph- 
noides, and Wilsoni; Pernettya mucronata, Buxus japonica aurea, 
B. sempervirens aurea, B. suffruticosa argentea marginata, and 
Yucca recurva. In warm situations the Retinosporas are beautiful, 
also Thujopsis dolabrata. Early spring-flowering plants are Winter 
Aconite, Scilla siberica, Snowdrops, Crocuses, Hyacinths, Tulips, 
Primroses, Aubrietias, Pansies, Yiolas, Daisies, Eorget-me-nots, Ne- 
mophilas, Silenes, and many others ; whilst for edgings Golden 
Pyrethrum, Golden and Variegated Thyme, and Stachys lanata are 
suitable. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Greenhouse. —There is perhaps at this season an objectionable 
sameness in flowering plants available for conservatory decoration, 
hence the value of plants flowering at this season. Correas bicolor, 
Brilliant, and cardinalis are flowering where they have been encou¬ 
raged early in the season; also Epacrises. The bright scarlet of 
Rochea falcata likewise is very telling, and the beautiful blue 
of Witsenia corymbosa, whilst in yellow Cassia corymbosa is very 
effective. Some of the Heaths are also flowering where growth was 
encouraged. Early good winter-flowering varieties are Ericas grandi- 
nosa caffra, persoluta alba, colorans, gracilis autumnalis, Bowiana, 
cerinthoides, scabriuscula, perspicua erecta, candidissima, Lambertiana 
rosea, ventricosa and vars. hyemalis, melanthera, mammosa pallida. 
Crowea elliptica, C. latifolia, C. stricta, and C. saligna are fine in late 
summer and autumn, their star-shaped pink flowers being very pretty, 
flowering at this season for several weeks in a temperature slightly 
warmer than an ordinary greenhouse. Cytisus racemosus and ele¬ 
gans started early will come into flower readily if in a temperature 
a few degrees higher than an ordinary greenhouse. Camellias have 
now been placed in their winter quarters. The present is a good 
time to clean the foliage, sponging both sides of the leaves, also the 
stems, being careful not to injure the buds. 
QUEEN-INTRODUCTION. 
As an instance of the eccentricities of bees in accepting and 
declining queens possibly the following case may not be without 
interest, especially if an editorial note will give the reason why. 
A fine Ligurian queen in full lay was introduced into a colony 
of blacks, which had contained a fine black queen, also laying 
briskly. The Ligurian was caged on a frame of brood in a pipe- 
cover cage, which (as Mr. Grace’s new Guide states) appears the 
best cage for the purpose, as it compels inspection when releasing. 
At the end of twenty-four hours the new queen was examined, 
but as she was balled she had to undergo another twenty-four 
hours’ captivity. Again she was balled. This time they were so 
persistent that it was deemed advisable to drop the lump of bees 
into a cup of water. This was advised by a very able and expe¬ 
rienced bee-keeper. When the queen was disengaged and caught 
she was, alas ! to all appearance lifeless and insensible to the 
warmth of the hand. So she remained for half an hour, and so 
she would have remained altogether but for timely succour— 
feminine of course. 
“ O woman ! in our hour of ease 
Uncertain, coy, and hard to please : 
When pain and anguish wring the brow 
A ministering angel thou.” 
And this ministering angel administered comfort by carrying the 
limp and inanimate body of the queen into the house, wrapping 
it in flannel and placing it before the fire. The evening was 
chilly, though only the end of July. Whether any restoratives in 
the shape of “ pick-me-ups ” were administered 1 cannot say ; 
but this I do know, that to everyone’s amazement next morning 
the bee was as lively as a cricket. After this extraordinary escape 
she was introduced into another black hive previously deprived, 
where it was hoped the bees would be more grateful and treat her 
with the appreciation she deserved ; but after two more ballings 
she was found dead. Why, was always a mystery. In a week 
