Pjcem’oer U, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
537 
Not mucli stopping will be needed now except on vigorous plants, the 
object being to encourage free growth. Keep a sharp look-out for mildew, 
^lusting the infested jiarts with flowers of sulijhur, and maintain a some- 
w'hat dry atmosphere. Should red spider appear sponge the leaves with 
softsoapy water. If green or black aphides be troublesome, dust whilst 
wet with tobacco powder, or if fumigation be resorted to it must be per¬ 
formed very carefully and moderately at this season, or the foliage will 
be seriously inj ured. Maintain a bottom heat of 75° to 80°, aud give 
^copious sup [dies of tepid liquid manure to plants yielding heavy crops, 
especially to those having their roots in limited space. 
Some fermenting material, consisting of two parts O.ik or Beech leaves 
and one of st/ble litter, including the manure, should be thrown together, 
w'ith which to make a hotbed at the end of the present or beginning of 
next month, which may be turned over twice and damped if necessary to 
induce fermentation, and the turning will sweeten and allow the rank 
steam to escape before making into a bed, where no better means exist, to 
raise young Melon and Cucumber plants, and subsequently to plant 
them in. 
Peaches and Nectarines.—.E arZy House.— the flower buds 
begin swelling a slight increase of temperature may be given by day, 
particularly when the weather is mild, under which conditions there is no 
difficulty in raising the temperature to 55° or even 60° with open ventilators, 
but the heat must be turned off so as to allow the temperature to fall 
to between 45^ and 50^ at night, or even a few degrees lower. The Peach 
is impatient of dry fire heat, hence gentle syringings backward aud forward 
are of great benefit, and a little extra attention to the frequent turning of 
and additions to the fermenting materials will be repaid by the gentle 
warmth imparted to the surface roots and the genial humidity of the 
atmosphere. Wnere the roots are confined to the inside borders the latter 
should be examined where most likely to become dry by boring down to 
the drainage, and in the event of any part having escaped previous water¬ 
ings no time must be lost in getting it properly moistened wdth tepid 
w’ater a few degrees warmer than the house. It sometimes happens that 
the compost during the resting period shrinks from the boundary walls, 
and the water applied to the surface escapes without entering the solid 
border. To prevent this the extremities should be well rammed before 
the house is closed for forcing. One of the most important details in 
Peach culture is liberally supplying water and nutriment to the roots. 
Succession Houses —Follow up pruning and cleansing trees in houses 
intended to be closed by the new year. Lay in the wood thinly to 
admit of the full development of the foliage, as fine fruit of good colour 
and flavour cannot be obtained where the young growths aud leaves are 
deprived of light and air. Keep all doors and ventilators open in late 
houses during mild weather, particularly where fire heat had not been 
provided for protecting the blo-som in the spring. This is a great mistake, 
lor should the weather prove wet and cold when the trees are in blossom 
there is a fear of the Sct not being satisfactory, and which the means of 
affording a slight warmth and a circulation of air would do much to 
obviate; besides, in a cold wet late summer and autumn the means of 
affording heat wwuld admit of the wood being well ripened and the bloom 
buds plumped, thereb 3 ' reducing failure to a minimum. 
PLANT HOUSES. 
CycJaviens. —Plants that have been kept cool up to the present time, 
and are wanted in flower, should be introduced to some structure where 
the temperature can be maintained at 50° to 55°. They should be 
arranged as near to the glass as possible, or the flower stems will become 
tall and weakly. Free ventilation should be given on all favourable 
occasions. Weak stimulants may be applied to these as well as later 
batches that are to remain under cool treatment for some time longer. 
Young stock in small pots should be kept slowly growing, and if they 
have been subjected to cool treatment they will do this in a night 
temperature of 45°. They must be near to the glass to keep their foliage 
dwarf and sturdy. T^ke care that plants in small pots do not suffer by 
the want of water, and on the other hand the soil must not be saturated. 
Watch for aphides, and if they appear on the under side of the foliage 
destroy them at once, either by fumigating with tobacco or dipping them 
in a solution of tobacco water. For a stock of flowering plants another 
year seed should be sown at once. A pot or pan may be prepared, accord¬ 
ing to the quantity of seeds to be sown, by draining it thoroughly, and 
then nearly filling it with light soil that has been passed through a fine 
sieve ; a suitable compost is equal parts of loam and leaf soil with a 
liberal addition of sand. Sow the seed evenly upon the surface and just 
covered with fine leaf soil. If the soil is in a proper state of moisture no 
water will be needed for at least a week after sowing, if the pan is plunged 
in a heated structure and covered with a square of glass. Care must be 
taken to avoid the soil becoming dry after the seed is siwn. After the 
seedlings appear above the soil they shouli be gradually exposed to the 
light and grown close to the glass. 
Begonias. —Such varieties as B. manicata and B, heracleifolia are 
much hardier than they are generally supposed to be, for we have up to 
the present time kept oiir plants iu a cold vinery, and we could not wish 
for them in better condition. Plants under such conditions should, 
however, be removed without delay where the night temperature will not 
fall below 50°. The atmosphere of the house in which they are placed 
should be kept comparatively dry, or their foliage is very liable to damp. 
A portion of the st ick may be place 1 in a temperature 10° higher, so that 
the whole of the plants w 11 not be in flower at the same time. When 
bringing the earliest into flower is the only time these plants are sub¬ 
jected to stove treatment. They are admirable for conservatory deco¬ 
ration, especially B. heracleifolia; althiugh scarcely so light in 
appearance as the former, its pink stems and flowers are very effective, 
rising above other plants of a dwarf nature. Such varieties as B. 
parviflora and B. weltoniensis that have been resting in a cool house may 
be placed in a heated structure, as advised above, when they will soor. 
commence growth. A batch introduced into heat at the present time will 
come into flower either for the stove, the conservatory, or to supply 
flowers for cutting at a time when they will be found most serviceable. 
These are easily grown, only require an intermediate temperature in 
which to start them, and after they have fairly broken into growth they 
should have the old soil partially shaken from their roots and repot in 
the same sized pots in a compost of Icam, one-third manure and leaf soil, 
and a liberal dash of sand. The remainder of the stock can be kept in 
any cool house. 
Chrysanthemums. —After flowering it is necessary to keep one or two 
plants of each variety for stock according to the number of plants required 
next year of each kind. Those required for this purpose must not be 
stood outside after flowering, but carefully preserved in the same cool 
structure. If strong healthy plants are required another year and fine 
large flowers are anticipated, it is utterly impossible to expect them if the 
plants are cast out and poor cuttings only ob'ained to start with. One of 
the secrets of success is sturdy vigorous cuttings, and to obtain these the 
stools from which they are to be taken must be well cartd for by supplying 
thsm regularly with wa*er when they require it. They should be kept as 
cool as possible and frost just excluded from them. Late varieties that 
were kept outside as long as possible and are now developing their 
flowers under glass should be kept as cool as possible by having the venti¬ 
lators open day and night when the weather will allow of this being 
done. Varieties that were expanding their flowers about Christmas last 
year are in an advanced stage this season, and to retain them in good con¬ 
dition until that date they will have to be retarded as much as possible 
Tea Roses. —Plants that were housed early in October and have been 
in a ccol airy structure up to the present time are now breaking freely' 
into grow’th. The mild autumn has been very advantageous to these 
plants, and if they are now started in a temp'^rffuie of 50° to 55° at night 
they will in a short time produce buds in quantity. The day temperature 
may be allowed to rise 5° or 10° higher, or higher still in preference to 
admitting cold draughts to the younger tender foliage, for no other cause 
will predi-'pose these plants fo be attacked by' mildew sooufr. A little air 
admitted to the plants will be beneficial when the weather is mild and 
will allow of this being done. Water the plants at their roots carefully, 
and avoid giving them too much or allow' them to suffer by an insufficient 
quantity. 'The water used should be of the same temperature of the 
house or a few degrees warmer. Syringe the plants daily' or w’hen the 
weath-r is favourable with the softsoap mixture so frequeirtly recom¬ 
mended, and all other conditions being favourable no mildew will attack 
them. 
Chorozemas. —These are very useful for conservatory decoration, and 
are invjluable, because they can be brought into flow'er just when many 
of the autumn-blooming plants are over. C. cordatum splendens is the 
earliest to flower, and small plants trained bush shape by the aid of a few 
stakes are most serviceable in from 5 to 8-inch pots where those of a 
larger size cannot well be employed. The flowers individually are not 
very showy, but when plants are profusely flowered their orange and red 
pea-shaped blooms render them very effective. Although these plants 
are of loose slender growth, and more suitable for training upon trellises, 
in w'hich form they do not, where effective arrangements are required, 
show themselves to the best advantage, they can be kept in due bounds 
and grown into bushes by a judicious use of the knife after flowering and 
before they start into growth again. These plants will bear gentle forcing 
to bring them into flower, such as advised for Epacrises. Those required 
for spring and late flowering should be kept cool as advised for other 
greenhouse plants. 
STEWARTON HIVES, OCTAGON AND SQUARE. 
Will “Lanarkshire Bee-keeper” kindly tell me where I may obtain 
Stewarton hives (octagon or square) fitted exactly upon the same principle 
as those described in his letter of the ‘2()th ult., with prices ? 
Possibly he would not object to give measurements and drawings that I 
may manufacture one for myself. I have tried to understand the construction 
of his hives from his description, but cannot. For example, the “four posts 
are to be lined half way down.” With what, and for what purpose? “ The 
floor 2 inches deep.” How fixed on the legs ? Is the floor solid, or a frame 
2 inches deep, and of what size ? &c., itc. The lateral slide also 1 cannot 
understand. If your correspondent would minutely describe the stool and 
hive in his next letter, with exact measurements and plans, it would render 
me a great service. 
I take this opportunity of thanking your correspondent for his aUarwer to 
my last letter. May I also say that I do not understand the words 
“ raggled ” and “ slotted ? ”— Basil. 
[In reply to “ Basil ” Stewarton hives can be had from Messrs. George 
Neighbour & Sons, 149, Regent Street, London, who keep a supply of 
these hives to serve customers at the same price as they cau be had from 
here after carriage on single hives has been paid. The price depends 
entirely upon the quality and completeness ; where yellow pine and brass 
fittings are used adds to the price considerably'. But I infer from his 
letter that it is the square hive he inquires after, which is cheaper than 
