Jnly 10, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
43 
at the expense (f the next early crop, and this is of far greater value 
■when forced fruit is most wanted, and on that account it is the soundest 
practice to secure two crops, and then gradually inure the trees to a 
lower temperature, so as to enable them to hear full exposure in August 
and September. A liberal supply of water is, of course, necessary, and 
the trees will require good syringings and probably the application of an 
insecticide ; and it is important the foliage be kept clean and healthy to 
the last, and when it shows signs of ripening a gradual reduction both of 
the water supply to the roots and foliage will tend to ripen the wood 
and roots. 
Fig Trees Permanently Planted out .—Trees in succession houses will 
require similar treatment to the Fig trees in pots with regard to cropping 
and ripening, allowing the points of the shoots to ascend. Under the long- 
rod system of training, which is the best for trees trained to trellises, less 
stopping or pinching is required; many fruit trees, and especially Fig trees, 
are injured by being pinched late in the season, and it ought not to be prac¬ 
tised after the beginning of July. Pinching is a poor remedy for over¬ 
luxuriance. When the trees are becoming too luxuriant it is better to 
lift, root-prune, and replant in the autumn than by stopping cause the 
production of late growth and have a number of soft growths which can 
never ripen. When the trained trees have finished the first crop of fruit 
the needful cleansing of the foliage and liberal thinning of the fruit from 
which the second crop is to he secured must have attention, otherwise the 
fruit will be small and poor in quality. Figs delight in heat and moisture 
when growing, and require an abundance of light and air when ripening. 
Peaches and Nectarines—Succession Houses .—Houses in which the 
trees have passed the stoning period should be carefully examined, and 
all small and badly placed fruit removed before their detention has inter¬ 
fered with those required for the crop. A fair average crop is better 
every way than a heavy one, as it means a glut of fruit one season and a 
scarcity the next. A full crop is a fruit to every square foot of treUis 
covered by the trees, and to keep them up to this frequent lifting and 
relaying of the roots in fresh soil, along with good feeding by means of 
rich mulchings and waterings with liquid manure, are absolutely necessary. 
Timely thinning the fruit and carefully stopping the shoots that it is 
intended to remove after the crop is gathered are good preventives of 
the trees casting the frmt in stoning, and the finest and heaviest crop of 
fruit is obtained without injury to the trees. Ply the syringe twice a day 
until the fruit begins to soften or ripen, always using clear rain water, as 
any sediment adheres to the woolly coat of the Peach and is a great 
blemish. Seek to prevent soft elongated growth by free ventilation in 
the early part of the day, but run up to 80°, with a free circulation of air 
through the house under bright sun, and close in time to keep it up to 
that temperature for some time afterwards. 
Late Houses .—Keep the trees thin of wood, not laying in a single 
shoot that will not bfe required for next year’s fruiting or for extending 
the trees. Stop all gross shoots and keep them neatly tied, not too tightly, 
as that is a prolific source of gumming. Water inside borders abundantly 
through a mulching of decayed manure, also outside borders if the rainfall 
be deficient, as it is in most places this season. Ventilate early, and 
close early unless the fruit is to be retarded, then keep the ventilators 
open constantly. Syringe freely as a means of keeping down red spider, 
but do not allow the trees to remain wet through the night. 
Early Houses .—When the fruit is removed thoroughly cleanse the 
trees by washing with the garden engine, repeating as occasion requires 
it being important that the foliage be kept clean and healthy until they 
die naturally. Take out all shoots that have borne fruit and are not 
wanted for extension. Mulch and feed weakly trees until their buds are 
properly developed, moisture at the roots being of quite as much conse¬ 
quence if not more after the fruit is gathered as whilst the trees are 
carrying their crops. Trees that are too luxuriant or persist in growing 
when they should be ripening their wood should be marked for lifting 
when the proper time arrives, which is when the leaves give indications 
of falling. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Pelargoniums .—French and Fancy varieties that have flowered should 
now be placed outside and kept rather dry to harden and ripen their wood 
previous to being pruned back; this should be done at once when the 
wood is hard and firm, and the plants again started into growth in a cold 
frame. The frame should be kept close, and the plants well syringed 
until they commence growth. Cuttings that were inserted from these 
plants some time ago are now rooted and ready for 3-inch pots. Keep 
them close in a frame until established, and then grow them under cool 
airy conditions until they have to be housed in autumn. If the points of 
the plants have not been pinched out it should be done directly the roots 
are working in the new soil. These plants, if well cared for, will c( me 
into bloom very early in the spring without much trouble. Another 
batch of healthy robust cuttings should be in^erted, not mere flower stems 
as frequently inserted for cuttings, for these can never be expected to 
make healthy vigorous plants. It is a great mistake in the cultivation of 
these plants to select weak puny cuttings from plants that have been 
exhausted by flowering. For decorative purposes plants in 5 and 6-ineh 
pots are the best, and young vigorous plants for this purpose are preferable 
to old ones. In potting, press the soil firmly, so as to induce a firm sturdy 
growth. Use for a compost loam, a seventh of manure, and sand. 
Zonals intended for late summer and autumn flowering are much 
better outside, providing they ha'e been well hardened, than under glass. 
Their growth will be sturdy and in the best of condition for flowering 
profusely when required to do so. The only attention needed is watering 
and feeding when their pots are full of roots, pinching the shoots, and 
removing the flowers. Those for winter flowering, if ready, may b 
transferred to their flowering pot?, and then placed in a sunny position on 
a bed of ashes or other material where they will be safe from worms 
entering their pots. It is a good plan to stiike a batch of plants at the 
present time for flowering during winter in 3-inch pots. Strong healthy 
cuttings should be selected and the points taken out before insertion, 
which will induce the plants to bianch, and no further attention in pinching 
them Will be needed. Inseit them singly in the pots in wh'ch they are 
intended to flower. 
Calceolarias. —These, from the earliest sown seed, will now be ready 
for pricking out singly into other pans. The plants are rather small, but 
they are much better pricked out in this stage than left in the seed pan to 
draw up weakly. The pans in which they are to be piicked should be well 
drained and filled with light soil, consisting of fully one-half leaf mould 
that has been passed through a fine sieve. The pans should be kept in a 
cool, moist, shady position. A little more seed may, with advantage, be 
sown. The soil in the pan or pots being fine, the seed may be sown upon 
the surface, and then wateied lightly with a fine-rose can. After sowing 
the pan or pot should be covered with a square of glass until the seed 
germinates. It is a good plan to cover the glass with moss, which should 
be kept damp to prevent evaporation as much as possible. 
Cinerarias .—if good plants are expected, every attention must be paid 
to these plants. Put-on the earliest batches from time to time as they 
need more root room until placed in the pots in ■which they are intended to 
flower in. If these useful plants become root-bound or suffer in the least 
for root room in their early stages they soon become a prey to aphides, 
and seldom thrive satisfactorily afterwards. Seedlings should be trans¬ 
planted from the seed pan into other pans directly they are large enough, 
and from these to small pots. A little more seed should be sown, and the 
pan or pot containing it placed in a cold frame. Shade these plants from 
strong sun, and give abundance of air to those established both day and 
night. Keep the material upon which these plants stand as moist as 
possible. Destroy aphides by fumigating. 
Lilium candidum .—Plants that flowered early in pots have now 
commenetd active growth, and if repotted now into larger pots they will 
throw up their flower stems and bloom profusely during winter. This is 
one of the easiest and most u eful of Liliums for pot culture either for 
winter or early spring flowering. If bulbs are placed into 6-inch pots 
as scon as they can be obtained, arranged outside until autumn, and then 
housed in any cool structure, they will commence during the winter to 
produce their flower stems. If bulbs are lifted from outside for this 
purpose, it should be done directly they have flowered before the old flower 
stems have died down, for they do much more satisfactory than if left in 
the ground until they have produced a few leaves. This Lilium com¬ 
mences growth directly it has flowered. 
SEASONABLE NOTES ON BEES. 
In all mundane affairs, natural and artificial, “Unity is 
strength,” and yet through generations the habit has held sway 
of dividing and sub-dividing bees. Jn its natural state the bee 
inhabits the hollow trunks of trees or holes in rocks, where, com¬ 
paratively speaking, when taking such places into consideration 
with the small skeps in general use among cottagers, bees have 
unlimited space at their command; therefore in their normal 
state they would not divide and sub-divide their strength by 
constant swarming. The knowledge of the better system of bee¬ 
keeping is, without doubt, rapidly flooding the land, but there is 
still a remarkable propensity, more especially among cottage 
bee-keepers, to think that the acme of success consists in the 
number of swarms, casts, colts, &c, they can obtain in one season. 
If you ask a keeper of bees in this part of the couutry how the 
bees are doing, his invariable reply is, “ Oh ! capital; I had two 
skeps, and now I’ve got seven ! ” or, “ Oh, they wo'n’t do nothing 
this year; I have not got a swarm yet.” 
It is well to allow each hive to give a prime swarm every year, 
and the swarm often proves much more profitable than its parent. 
But the stock hive gets a young queen and new vitality, and next 
season it is as powerful as ever; but when two or three swarms 
are taken from one hive none do veil that yeai’. Much time is 
lost by many bee-keepers, and often the whole profits of the 
season allowed to slip through their fingers, through their neglect 
to feed swarms. Some feed only when the weather is rough or 
showery after swarming time. It is well-expended capital which 
goes to purchase sugar for feeding all swarms. The free use of 
foundation and syrup soon puts a swarm on an equal footing 
with a stock hive. Day and night is employed in the building of 
combs, and that at a time when the honey season is fast gliding 
away. The cost of sugar and foundation is repaid with high 
interest when part of this precious honey season is gained, during 
which the bees can store in their new combs, and often give a 
number of well-filled sections to their owner. Late swarms put 
into a hive, whether skep or bar-frame, with nothing but guides 
to commence upon, seldom give any surplus honey. Sugar is 
