106 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 31, 1884. 
thickness of herring nets may be thrown on loosely and remain on 
permanently until the Grapes are cut. 
Vines Snelling off their Crops. —Give every attention possible in 
mulching and watering the inside borders with tepid liquid manure, and 
if dry supply liberally with tepid liquid in addition to mulching ; but if 
wet, the latter will suffice, as the rains will keep the roots well supplied 
with food. If the Grapes are well advanced ventilate freely through the 
early part of the day, closing sufficiently early in the afternoon to raise the 
temperature to 90°, and admit a little air at night. Keep the atmosphere 
well charged with ammonia by damping the floor, &c., with clear liquid 
manure, and syringe all surfaces where it can be done without spotting 
the Grapes every evening. Keep the laterals pinched where they crowd 
the principal foliage, whilst where there is room, and especially when the 
Vines are carrying heavy crops, a fair amount of lateral extension is 
advisable. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
Gardenias .—Plants that have been cut back and intended for late 
flowering in spring have broken well into growth by this time. If they 
need potting, or the size of the old ball reducing, it should be done 
without further delay. These plants will bear without injury the soil 
picking out carefully from amongst their roots and again repotting in 
the same or smaller pots. They do much better afterwards, and grow 
with greater luxuriance than when allowed to remain in the same pots 
after the soil has become sour through the large quantities of water 
required while these plants are in active growth. After plants have been 
operated upon in this manner they require very careful watering, shading 
for ten days or a fortnight from bright sun until the roots commence 
activity, when they can be grown under the same conditions as estab¬ 
lished stock. Plants that (lowered early and grown on without cutting 
back for early flowering may now for a few weeks have cooler treatment, 
which will bring growth to a standstill, and the plants when introduced 
again into brisk heat will soon form dowser buds. We prefer young plants 
grown on from cuttings annually for maintaining a supply of bloom in 
preference to retaining old plants. Plants grown on from cuttings with¬ 
out being checked soon grow into large bushes, and are more satisfactory 
in every way than old plants. Those intended for early flowering another 
year, if rooted when advised, wilt be bushy little plants ready for 5-inch 
pots. Another batch should now be rooted to succeed those to be placed 
into larger pots. It is a mistake to shade these plants. 
Dracaena Goldiana. —This is a grand foliage plant, and will doubtless, 
as soon as it becomes plentiful, be largely used for decoration. It takes 
a long time to work up a stock of plants, but it is sure. No other variety, 
D. gracilis perhaps, excepted, will strike root with greater certainty. 
When the stems become hard and woody the dormant eyes along the 
stem are a long time breaking into growth, and the head, if the base is 
firm and hard, will take double the time to root as if taken off nearer 
the top. The softer the wood the sooner they strike, and several of the 
joints below where the head is taken off, if inserted in small pots with a 
leaf attached, will form roots and soon make plants. Tnesej as well as 
those raised from side shoots taken from the old stem, never make such 
handsome plants as heads, but as soon as they have made a few good 
leaves the tops are taken and rooted. From these young stems shoots 
are soon produced, and a stock of young plants quickly raised by this 
means. We have found that constantly cutting up the plants before 
their stems have become hard is the quickest method of raising a stock 
of this useful variety. 
Ixoras. —Large plants well grown and flowered are charming, but for 
decoration in small pots these plants are not half so much grown as they 
deserve to be. By constantly striking a few plants and growing them 
in 4 or 6-inch pots there are frequently some in bloom from early in the 
spring to late in the autumn or winter. Strong vigorous cuttings are 
selected and rooted in thumb pots, and afterwards transferred into the 
smallest size named and allowed to grow unchecked, when one fine large 
truss is produced on the top of plants varying from 6 inches to 1 foot 
high. When these have bloomed they are cut back, allowed to break 
into growth, and then placed in pots 2 inches larger, which, if they 
flowered early in the season, come in again during late summer or early 
autumn, and are invaluable. These plants after flowering are allowed to 
produce strong cuttings, which are taken off and rooted, and the old 
plants conveyed afterwards to the rubbish heap. To grow Ixoras well 
they should have plenty of heat and moisture and be grown as close to 
the glass as possible, standing on some moisture-holding material, or 
plunged^ and never shaded from the full force of the sun except when in 
flower. These plants flourish in rich loam and sand in which a little cow 
or sheep manure has been intermixed, or in a compost of loam, peat, and 
sand. The varieties we grow for this purpose are I. coccinea, still one cf 
the best, and I. Pilgrimii, which is a good grower, dwarf, and very free- 
flowering. 
Crotons. —Good tops rooted now in 4, 6, and G-inch pots will be in¬ 
valuable for decoration during the winter months. Where these plants 
are appreciated for room-decoration during that season every plant that 
is likely to be too large and useless for the purpose then should be headed 
down and rooted. Crotons root readily at this season of the year in a 
close warm frame, and should be inserted in the pots in which they are 
intended to be grown. After they are rooted and hardened so as to 
stand exposure in the house in which they are to be grown, arrange them 
close to the glass where every ray of sunshine will reach them. To be 
effective and display their natural beauty the foliage must be well 
coloured by exposure to light, for if this is not done now it is impossible 
to colour them during the autumn and dark days of winter, when the 
plants should be perfection and growth at a standstill. Well-grown and 
beautifully coloured Crotons are very effective and useful for decoration, 
but when badly coloured few plants are less attractive. 
Cypripedhms. —C. insigne and its varieties that were started into 
growth early in the year in a vinery or Peach house should now have 
a lighter position in a cool moderately airy structure, where they can 
be shaded. If kept in heat any longer they will flower earlier than 
they are required, and often throw up their flowers irregularly and pre¬ 
maturely. C. venustum, C. villosum, and other cool species and varieties 
may remain in warm quarters for some time longer, for they flower later, 
and their growth is very far from being completed yet. All Cypripediums 
should have abundance of water ; in fact, they should not approach dry¬ 
ness during active growth. 
THE FLOWER GARDEN AND PLEASURE GROUND. 
Spring-flowering Plants. —These ought now to be well in hand, or 
otherwise the majority will be too small to bloom properly in their 
seasons. lu warm localities it is too early by at least three weeks to sow 
seed of such annuals as Nemophila insignis, Limnanthes Douglassii, 
Sapouaria calabrica, Silene pendula, Collinsia bicolor, and Virginian 
Stocks ; but in northern or colder districts they should be sown not later 
than the middle of July. Sow the seed thinly in drills drawn about 
6 inches apart and previously watered if dry. A light and not very rich 
soil best answers the purpose, and the seedlings should be thinned out 
early. Among perennials to be propagated are Arabis of sorts, Alyssum 
saxatile and varieties, and cuttings of these serviceable spring-flowering 
plants should be taken or pulled off with a heel and dibbled in firmly and 
thinly in handlights stood on good sandy soil at the back of a north wall 
or similarly cool position. Aubrietias, which, like the preceding, are good 
either for beds, borders, or rockwork, may also be propagated in the same 
manner. Iberis or herbaceous Candytuft are also increased by cuttings 
or divisions, and otherwise treated similarly to the Alyssums. Primulas 
to be divided at once and replanted on light and good soil in a cool posi¬ 
tion. Saxifrages succeed best in the open, and may be divided and 
replanted directly the young growths are matured. Pipings or cuttings 
of Pinks to be taken off at once and dibbled-in in handlights on good 
sandy soil in a cool position, nothing being better than the back of a 
north wall. Daisies to be freely divided and dibbled-in firmly in good 
light soil in a cool position. Seedling Wallflowers and Sweet Williams 
to be pricked out at once, and if cuttings of choice or double sorts of 
either are pulled off and treated similarly to the Alyssums they will root 
quickly. Carnations and Picotees may be struck in handlights this 
month or layered during August, the latter method being the most sure 
way of raising strong plants, and will be again alluded to. The pipings 
or cuttings are best pulled off, only very slightly trimmed, and firmly 
fixed in sandy loamy soil and covered with a handlight. In districts 
where they fail to root thus treated and the handlights being placed in 
cool positions, the cuttings should be inserted in boxes and a little bottom 
heat given. 
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• 
REMOVING BEES TO THE HEATHER—STEWARTON 
HIVES. 
A CORRESPONDENT, “ F. W. S.,” desires to have detailed instructions 
on removing populous Stewarton hives to the moors, a distance of ten 
miles. There is no greater risk with Stewarton hives than any other sort 
which may have an equal number of bees. The Stewarton hive is 
perhaps higher than many frame hives, which on a rough road causes 
them to oscillate more, but is overcome by being better corded to the 
spring cart. I have taken bees to the Heather for forty years, and 
during that time I only lost one hive containing about 20 lbs. of bees by 
neglecting to attend to my usual precautions. The distances I have 
taken my bees to the Heather ranged from twenty-four miles, all that 
distance on a spring cart, to eighty miles, partly by cart, rail, and 
steamer, and for some years almost wholly by train a distance of fifty 
miles. Not only is it desirous that the bees and combs should be 
conveyed in safety so that the bee-keeper will not meet with disappoint¬ 
ment through collapse of combs and heating of bees, but great care 
should be taken to prevent escape of bees, which not only puts the hive 
into a state of excitement, but endangers both people and domesticated 
animals. Overheating bees not only causes collapse of combs, but 
induces foul brood, causing both present and subsequent loss and 
disappointment. 
After the Clover season I overhaul all hives intended for the moors, 
removing all full and partly filled supers. If the queen has had much 
laying previously I depose her, and give a young fertile one. Then to add 
further strength, if the top boxes are heavy, or if frame hives, I remove 
the former and the well-filled frames, or even the empty ones in the 
latter, and substitute frames and boxes containing brood from weaker 
hives that are not likely to make much weight at the Heather. It is only 
strong hives that will make weight at the Heather, and the proper way 
and time to irtilise condemned bees is when something can be made out 
of them. If extracting filled honeycombs has rendered the stock too 
light, give some sugar to keep up breeding and prevent the destruction 
of eggs. 
A few days before starting for the Heather put on the necessary 
supers, and if the floor is not ventilating make it so with a sliding 
